March 11, 2010
NBA
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Don’t just hand the West over to LA just yet
As someone responsible for posting the standings every day of the NBA season, I realize like any statistician that LA and Cleveland have held the best record in their respective conferences for literally the entire season with the exception of the 2 ½ weeks. Not since the Laker/Celtics rivalries of the 80’s has that been the case. Perhaps it’s because of that dominance that a Cleveland/Lakers, LeBron/Kobe, Best in the East vs. Best in the West has been the forgone conclusion of every prognosticator and pundit form
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Have the Cavs tinkered one too many times?
When the trade for Antwan Jamison was made most fans immediately penciled in the Cavs into the Eastern Conference Finals, but the team that had won 13 straight has now lost 3 in a row to drop their record to 43-14 in a virtual tie with LA for the best record as they are even in the loss column. The advantage the Cavs have is that they own the tie-breaker due to their sweep of the Lakers this season. Even though they’re the coaches of the previous two NBA Champions, PJ and Doc have chimed in about the Danny Ferry’s tactics (and ethics), which as a GM let’s you know you’re doing something right, as they seem bitter out of jealousy that they weren’t able to be as creative at the trade deadline. It seems to be public knowledge that LA wanted Kirk Hinrich but couldn’t put enough in the pot to lure the Bulls into a trade. The rub is if the Cavs are not able to get Z back after 30 days then they’ll have quite the void in the middle as their ‘twin towers’ were the perfect countermeasure to LA’s Gasol/Bynum tandem. After getting punked twice last year by LA the Cavs turned the table and have taken the Lakers out twice, gaining the edge in home court and sending a message in the process that if they meet in the finals, they’re going to be the favorites. So why did the Cavs mess with a formula for success? Well if the NBA is a game of matchups and runs then it’s quite clear that the Cavs have some serious matchup problems with the Orlando magic that still need to be addressed as the in addition to practically sweeping them out of the playoffs last year, the Magic have come back even stronger with the addition of Vince Carter who has found the fountain of youth in the Sunshine State. Perhaps the Cavs think their toughest work might just be getting out of the East? Meanwhile I’m still not sure what the C’s were thinking by going and getting “Kryptonite”. I mean “Rupaul” Rhondo is as quick as they come and always brings it in big games, as once again he almost messed around last week and went for a triple double on LA. But House is the guy off the bench that brings that 3-point element that just kills teams that have their second unit in (ie; LA in 08 finals). So now they have two mites that can run defenders ragged but neither can check any of the premiere point guards in the league without help-side and once you start doing that then offenses like the triangle really kill you. Cleveland never beat a healthy Boston to get to ECF and the C’s finally had their ‘big 3’ on the floor with some new complements but once again a formula that worked well is being tinkered with and I’m not sure why. So the Cavs get the crafty vet at the potential cost of a big man, the C’s get more speed but give up shooting, the Magic made their move in the pre-season, and LA “check raises” with what they think is a winning hand again. The playoffs will tell who has made the best ‘pre trade deadline’ moves, and the rest will have all summer to ponder what went wrong if they didn’t. Who do you think is in the best position to advance to the finals? Let us know here and in any of the quick links.
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Last minute trades may make things more interesting but won't change the outcome
It’s only fitting that the Lakers and Celtics step into the ring for round two on the day of the NBA trade deadline. As one of the NBA’s elite 4 teams both the LA and
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NBA Up and Comers’ aim to threaten the establishment
Orlando Magic (8-2 last 10) – 6 games back of best record in the East. Dwight Howard might finally be getting the help he needs as the team is starting to gel and play with the energy that they had during the post season last year. Most importantly, there was a Vince Carter sighting twice last week including almost droppin’ a fiddy spot on the Hornets (48) in a Monday night win. If Vinsanity can contribute consistently the Magic become the team that no one wants to play, and are going to be a real tough out.
Denver Nuggets (7-3 last 10) – 5 games back in the West. A statement win over their nemesis at Staples last week went a long way to building their confidence that they can steal won on the road come playoff time as they almost did twice last year. A year wiser, they know (think) they can beat LA according to George Karl. They’ll need to secure the 2-seed to ensure they don’t run into them until the finals but aside from that they’ll welcome a rematch.
Utah Jazz (9-1 last 10 including 8 in a row) – 7 games back in the West. Where on Earth did the Jazz come from? They have suddenly caught fire and will cut that deficit to 6 next week as the “Kobeless” Lakers come up to the high altitude. Coming off convincing and big wins over conference rivals
Phoenix Suns (7-3 last 10) – 8.5 back in the West. I realize two of those 7 wins were against the Nets and Warriors but 3 were also against
Oklahoma City (7-3 last 10) also winners of 5 straight and a favorable next 10 stretch which means look for them to climb out of the 7 to as high as possibly the 5 which is good news for anyone because this is not the team you want in the first round. Grant it, they’ll have the first ever playoff ghitters, but they’ll also have a ton of athletic ability and three of the best young players in the game that will only get better every week ahead of the playoffs. As I mentioned before, LA wants no part of this team in an 8-1 matchup as they are just the type of team to give them trouble. One that is very athletic, gets up and down the court, likes the up tempo so the Lakers can’t get into their triangle. They might be too small up front to take 4 games from the champs but they will certainly take a bite out of them and slow them down a bit.
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NBA “Showdowns” paint a playoff picture that’s not so clear
One of the things that separates the NBA from every major sport is how there are no ‘hypothetical wins” and you know that every team will matchup with every team at least twice a year, with each have a home advantage one game, and a winner will be decided without the aid of a computer or statistical analysis. Now that the NBA season is more than half over we’d had an opportunity to view every matchup an what’s clear is that, although the playoffs may not be a foregone conclusion, there are certainly some teams that should avoid others at all cost. Starting the Celtics, whom look like they may need to make some moves prior to the deadline after all. Grant it, they had a gauntlet of a 3 game stretch where they played arguably 3 of the 4 best teams in the league, and unfortunately they lost all 3. Orlando, Atlanta, and LA all took a bite outa the big 3 leaving them to ponder if an aging and aching KG will be able to make it through the second half of the season let alone the ‘second season’ that are the playoffs. And for those who wrote off the Magic as losing their chemistry by letting Turk get away and going with VC instead, well, they’re coming off two huge wins over teams they’ll probably see again in the final four, Boston and Atlanta, and are going into the break looking like the team that upset Cleveland in the Eastern finals last year. Speaking of Cleveland, the consensus pick to get to the finals this year are the Cavs and Lakers, and in the afore mentioned ‘showdowns’ the Cavs have beaten the Lakers twice showing they have improved over last year and my pose some matchup problems for the defending champs if the pundits are right and they meet again for a third time in June. While we’re on the subject of matchup problems the Hawks have now emphatically proven that pushing the Celtics to seven games two years ago was no fluke, as they have broken on the broom on the green this year with a four game sweep. The Hawks are young and athletic at all five positions and really expose the C’s weakness, but they don’t seem to have any kryptonite handy when they matched up with
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As the “Pace Cars" are forced to pit, the field catches up
The division and conference leaders that have were the favorites coming into this year, have had some mechanical failures and begun to slow down allowing the rest of the field to catch up and some have even traded some paint. The Lakers, who have not only held the best record in the West but the entire NBA for most of the year, have a myriad of injuries and must hit the pits for a complete overhaul. As Pau “Secret” Gasol (strong enough for a man but made for a woman) has now injured his other hamstring and soon will have missed more games than he has played, Kobe has a bad back and would be better suited to sit it out and get healthy because he can only pass as a ‘decoy’ for so long. Ron Artest is now also misfiring with an injury, and bench players Sasha and Morrison (remember him the 3rd pick). As long as the Laker laundry list is the Celtics may not have more St. Jude frequent flyer miles, but if the Lakers tires are treading low, the Celtics are missing pistons and timing belts. The loss of Garnett, Pierce, and Davis for substantial periods during the season (KG is still out) now have lost Rasheed Wallace as well. Now before you hand over the purple heart to Beantown, the Magic lost JMill for the first part of the season (due to his own accord) and he still is fully acclimated to the offense the way he was at the end of the season, and now their MPV Dwight Howard has missed his third consecutive game. The result of all of these car wrecks is a Laker lead that is down to 4 games in the West after a scrappy victory in
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At the Christmas break it’s still hard to tell “who’s da man”
Well, the Christmas Day NBA marathon turned out to be a little lack luster as the marquis matchups didn’t quite live up to the 90 days of hype that preceded them. The Denver/Portland matchup was by far the most competitive and well played but no one was awake to see it. So what do we know so far as the NBA approaches the All-Star break? We know that there are four elite teams in the Association and three reside in the East, Boston, Cleveland, Orlando, and LA, no surprise there as they were the favorites going into the season. We know that there is really no one to challenge the Lakers out West, at least not in a 7-game series so if they can stay injury free, and that’s a big if as they now have had 3 starters with injuries that have kept them out of at least one game (Pau, Artest, Kobe), but barring that, Denver doesn’t look to have the same spark as last year and will do about the same, Dallas can maybe take 2 games from em’, and the Suns simply don’t match up well with LA’s size so that would be 4-0. Unfortunately, the Lakers seem to know this and don’t show up every night which may come back and haunt them in the end. On the other side of the rock the East is so wide open that it may just be a matter of who can survive and advance.
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Sleepers lurking and waiting for the big dogs to stumble
Ok, enough Lakers/Celtics/Cavs/Magic already, we all know who the favorites are, but what about the teams waiting in the wings, lurking in the shadows, and counting the hours until midnight to become this year’s Cinderella? By definition some of these teams are not going to boast records that will garner immediate attention and that’s why we’re looking at them now so when May/June rolls around we won’t be asking “where did they come from?” These are some of the teams that may not only make the final 8 in each conference but ruffle some feathers once they get there.
Southwest Division – Dallas Mavericks, I know they’re in first place but no one is putting them in the same conversation as any of the big dogs we talked about. Firstly, the Mavs are one of only two teams to be LA in LA (and I don’t mean the clippers), secondly you don’t see a difference between what you see on the road and what you get at home (9-3 home, 10-4 road). They have enough young legs to keep up the pace until the second half of the season and a veteran point guard to keep their heads on once they get there.
Pacific – LA Clippers, yes the Clipps, JV team to the Lakers. I know, I know, just hear me out. 11-13 in third place without their number one draft choice who happens to be a major difference maker. I realize they haven’t established a real threatening presence (just 4-5 at home) but they play hard and are usually in the game (point diff -2.2), they also have the triangle of components that teams need to advance in the playoffs once they get there, good coaching, vet point guard to handle and make decisions down the stretch, and young talent that can create their own shot (Butler, Gordon, Telfair). Trust me, you don’t want them in a 1-8 matchup, watch out Varsity.
Central – Milwaukee Bucks, the betters already know this and they may not be happy if the cat gets out of the bag but the Bucks are the best cover team in the NBA. They have a losing record and a positive point differential. Furthermore 60% of their losses are within 6 points, so they are always in the game.
Did we miss a sleeper? Let us know here or in any of the In-Game Chat Rooms
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Lakers and Celtics starting to enforce their will but both have issues
In taking stock of the various NBA power rankings from pundits around the sports world the top 3 may vary depending on the geographic origin of the writer but what is the common denominator is a nucleus of Lakers/Celtics. Obviously, the banter continues over who has the superior club as Celtic fans insist if KG had not gone down to injury that Boston would be working on a three-peat and Laker fans retort by noting that if Bynum and Ariza had been healthy they would be doing the same. However, it needs to be noted that although they’re both posting the best two records in the league (LA 16-3, Bos (16-4), they are not without their major issues and questions. In regards to the Lakers, how can you call them dominating when they’ve played 90% of their games at home? I’ll tell ya, they had better build up a big lead by the half-way point as they have the majority of the season on the road and play more back-to-back games (41) than anyone in the NBA. That said, they truly the class out West with two blowouts of Suns in their head-to-head matchup, and if they stay healthy, we can’t see anyone stopping them from taking down the number one seed. Where they go from there remains to be seen. As far as their nemesis in Green, the Celtics also have gotten out to the best record in their respective conference and, in turn, also have their issues. Unlike LA, it’s not quite so clear that they are the class of the East as they have do have to deal with Orlando who happen to be the defending conference champs, and have the same record this year. Then there’s that pesky King James who plans to drive his Diesel to the arena come Conference Finals time, but the biggest foe the C’s may face is the guy in the white coat, read cross, and stethoscope. As age becomes more prevalent and the akes and pains add up the question get louder if Boston can keep the Big 3 patched up this year, and how many miles will their tires have if/when they make it to the conference finals. We unlike the pundits don’t think they sustain this level for the entire year, and the tide will get too high, and the C’s will find themselves on the road in the playoffs and that will be the end of the Big-3’s run. So don’t be so quick to book your June reservations if you from either coast as there is much to be decided and a few teams you may want to consult with first. Do the big two get together for a best-of-3 in the finals or will one of them be absent? Let us know here and in any of the quick links:
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In words he can relate to, Iverson needs to recognize
I like most true NBA fans admire everything Allen Iverson has accomplished and how there has never been anyone in the history of the NBA who has done more with less. However at this point of his career he needs to understand that he can’t get out there and do those things that he used to do, let alone his body being able to handle the wear and tear, and not be so adamant in his demands to both be a starter AND play for a contender. It’s not that owners/teams don’t believe he can still contribute but if it is a contending team then they have a starting backcourt this is already working and wouldn’t want to disrupt the chemistry, if it’s not a contender (as it was in Memphis) then you’ll want to give your backcourt some experience. Now AI would be an ideal addition if he would agree to mentoring a young point-guard and come off the bench and play in crunch-time, but AI still believes he can start on a contender an therein lies the problem. Now the rumor is that Philly wants him for an encore to his previous 10-year tenure. With first rounder Jrue Holiday out of UCLA, a one-n-done, with huge upside but no experience, would be the perfect pupil for Iverson if the mentor’s attitude is in the right place but AI needs to understand what’s his legacy is, recognize what he’s accomplished, and decide that if he does come back, he needs to be a positive influence in whatever role he plays as not to exemplify the attitude ridden gansta’ that has some owners concerned. Should AI call it quits or does he just need an attitude adjustment? Let us know here and in any of the quick links:
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NBA “mid-majors” not ready to concede divisions so easily
The consensus favorites to take the divisions and conference titles are not finding path back to finals so easy as some sleepers have come out with vigor and have sent a message that they were not just there to tune up the Lakers and Celtics for a Finals finale. Starting in the East the Hawks have not only surprised the defending Eastern Conference Champs from the Southwest but possess the best record in the NBA at 11-2. Undefeated at home at 7-0 the Hawks don’t have the mega-star but a lot of good players that play hard and prevent all kinds of matchup problems for most teams with their top to bottom speed. Now, can they keep this momentum going for an 82-game season? Well, don’t discount the fact that they pushed the Celtics to a 7th game the year
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Lakers get stronger but so does the League – NBA Preview
If there is an empire in the NBA over the past decade it’s the LA Lakers. Already with six appearances in nine years and four titles, the
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World Champions struggle to keep the core together