Apr 25 2013

An NBA Playoffs Journal, Entry 3

When it comes to the Los Angeles Lakers, and thinking about their turbulent season, eventually it was going to come crashing down. Down 0-2 to the Spurs headed back to Los Angeles for Game 3, the Lakers likely will be without Steve Nash (hamstring,hip), Steve Blake (hamstring strain), and Jodie Meeks (sprained ankle). You include that with the already gone Kobe Bryant and the Lakers are stuck with a combo of Chris Duhon and Darius Morris STARTING IN A PLAYOFF GAME. Think about that last sentence.

Bottom line here is that the Spurs are in command, and the Laker season is on the brink. I’m curious to see how Dwight Howard will play tomorrow, and a lot of eyes will be on him. He’s had a couple of decent performances in the series so far, but decent isn’t what you’re looking for here. He’s had his injuries this year, but Dwight for so long has talked about wanting to be THE guy. I hate to go all Shaq on you guys, but I want to see Dwight get the 20+ point 15+ rebound game that temporarily gives the Lakers a reprieve in the series. I don’t think I’m going to get it though, and the truth is for the rest of Dwight Howard’s career whether he’ll be a Laker or not (I think he’ll resign) you have to wonder if he’s a championship worthy player, or he’s just another great talent who won’t win anything. He’ll be 29 years old next year, and with a bad back and the way the league is moving away from the center, where will Dwight stand?

It’s quite the story that will play out in the next couple of years as Dwight moves into his thirties. As far as tomorrow goes, I’d just like to see him play a dominant game, and that we haven’t seen against San Antonio.

Knicks/Celtics

Game 3′s when the scene shifts to the next city are always fascinating, as we’ll see Friday when the Knicks are in Boston to try and go up 3-0 on the Celtics. Essentially, this series has been about the 2nd half, where Boston has scored a combined 48 points in Games 1 and 2. Doc Rivers at practice today said Courtney Lee is out of the rotation at least for the time being. Remember at the beginning of the season when the Celtics had great guard depth? Yikes. Not only the Celtics haven’t been able to generate offense, you have Kevin Garnett struggling with a hip injury, and even though he’ll play in Game 3 you have to ask how much can you ask out of him and Paul Pierce? Pierce has had everything run through him, and at 35 years old I don’t think he has 4 Pierce-esque games to help carry the Celtics through this series.

I am curious to see the Knicks mindset coming into this one. There’s always that danger of not only a letdown, but to be taken by surprise by the home team in a Game 3. For these Knicks this is foreign territory, and if you have a chance to squash the Celtics, you gotta do it as soon as possible. You wouldn’t hit the panic button if the Knicks lost Game 3, but their mindset has to be solid going into it. Will they get greedy?

Nuggets/Warriors

Headed into Game 3 of this series, the banged up Nuggets head to Golden State to take on the banged up Warriors. With Golden State coming off the shot making barrage in Game 2, they’re now at home in prime position to give themselves a legit chance to win the series. Denver is now away from their homecourt which was broken on Tuesday. Denver will have to find a way to play with the same energy they play with at home, as Golden State’s crowd is as raucous as anyone’s in the NBA. Steph Curry’s health is something to watch here as he turned his ankle in Game 2, but if healthy he and Klay Thompson will be imposing as they’ve been so far in this series. We’ll see as the playoffs roll on.

Apr 22 2013

An NBA Playoffs Journal, Entry 2

So in Day 2, what would we see from the NBA playoffs? In Day 1, all home teams won with nail biters in New York and Denver and solid victories by Brooklyn and the Clippers. What was next?

Hawks vs. Pacers (Pacers win Game 1 107-90)

The Atlanta Hawks, who clearly tanked to face the Pacers in the last 2 games of the season got the Pacers who looked plenty rested and raring to go in Indiana. I thought the Pacers energy was really good, they played with great energy on offense and in the 2nd half played the type of defense that has made them a threat in the Eastern Conference. Paul George (23 points 11 rebounds and 12 assists) spearheaded the Pacer attack with the kind of effort that may make you believe he’s about to break out in these playoffs.

What can you say about the Hawks? Josh Smith once again settled for plenty of jumpers which plays right into any team’s hands. Al Horford only playing 28 minutes in a playoff game is just downright weird. I’m saying if you’re going to try to win, Horford’s gotta get big time minutes. He didn’t do anything to make it seem like he was ineffective (16 points 6 boards 3 assists). Once again like in a previous game against the Pacers, Larry Drew had the reserves make a little comeback in the 4th but the Pacers stemmed the tide and pulled away.

I really feel like this is about the Pacers energy and effort. If they come into each game with the appropriate effort, this series will be short. It also helps when they play well offensively. I’m really hoping the Hawks play better and at least make this series interesting.

Lakers vs. Spurs (Spurs win Game 1 91-79)

It’s amazing to see how different the Lakers really are without the injured Kobe Bryant. They look so offensively challenged. Steve Nash came back for Game 1 and looked out of sync (6/15 16 points only 3 assists), and the Lakers offense really struggled as they couldn’t get anything going from the outside. They probably should’ve pounded the ball more to Howard and Gasol, (combined 38 points and 31 rebounds) but if they’re shaky from the perimeter, it’ll be hard to generate spacing and offensive energy.

San Antonio was very workman like in their approach to this game and grinded it out despite not playing great offensively. Manu Ginobili’s return was welcomed as he scored 18 points in 19 minutes and really made the difference from an intangible standpoint. Tony Parker (8-21 18 points 8 assists) and Tim Duncan (17 points 10 rebounds) did enough to keep the Lakers at bay throughout.

I thought the Lakers match up well with the Spurs from a defensive perspective, as San Antonio was only 38% from the floor, but the Lakers are going to have to find a way to get it going from the perimeter offensively. Game 2 will be fascinating to see if L.A. can get it going with Howard and Gasol, and can they repeat the same defensive effort?

Bucks vs. Heat (Heat win, by a lot)

LeBron James. I think that’s all that’s needed to analyze this game.

Rockets vs. Thunder (Thunder win, by a lot)

The Thunder are really, really good. The Rockets are not ready yet. When Perkins throws alley-oops to Ibaka, it’s time for a new gameplan.

Entry 3 to come some time later in the week.

Apr 21 2013

An NBA Playoffs Journal, Entry 1

As the NBA Playoffs have begun, as always the chess matches are interesting to watch unfold. Unfortunately sometimes you have some injuries as well, feel terrible for David Lee as he has a torn hip flexor and is done for the season. You have some surprises, like the way the Nets performed in Game 1, beating the usually game Bulls off the floor. How about Andre Miller? 18 points in the 4th quarter, using every up and under technique at his disposal. Each series has it’s own story that’s taking shape.

Knicks vs. Celtics (Knicks win Game 1 82-75)

Watching Carmelo Anthony hitting his first four shots, Garden going crazy like it hasn’t for a long time in April was pretty awesome as a fan. Of course, not so far along after that, Melo would struggle through the majority of the game, The Celtics would be the Celtics, playing tough defense and making the Knicks uncomfortable throughout. I originally picked the Knicks in 5, and until they lose a home game I feel confidently about that, but offensively Melo and J.R. Smith are going to have to play more intelligently.

Give the Celtics a lot of credit, they used the same blue print on Melo that they used on LeBron for stretches of the conference finals last year by guarding him with Brandon Bass, and enticing Anthony to take contested jumpers. I harp on this point a lot and will continue to do so, Anthony was 36-103 in the regular season series. There’s a reason for that. The Celtics are going to try and wall up any driving lanes for Anthony and Smith who have been much more effective in the 2nd half of the season getting to the rim. They did just enough offensively to win in Game 1 but they’ll have to be a hell of a lot smarter to beat the Celtics 4 times.

As far as Boston goes the 4th quarter was a stark example of why they were so reliant on Rondo to generate offense for them. His ingenuity and their lack of it yesterday in the 2nd half stuck out like a sore thumb. The bench didn’t score any buckets, and after Jeff Green had a 20 point first half he was almost non existent in the 2nd half. As good of a player as Paul Pierce is, you want him finishing offense, not initiating it as he was for the majority of the game. KG struggled offensively and the Celtics didn’t take enough advantage of the Knicks switching on Pick and Rolls leading to KG in the paint with a much smaller defender on him. Boston also turned the ball over a ton, with Avery Bradley and Pierce himself at times making some bad decisions especially in crunch time.

Boston won’t be that bad offensively again I don’t think, but the question is repeating the same really good defensive performance. I don’t know if they can.

Warriors vs. Nuggets (Nuggets win Game 1 99-97)

The first headline is David Lee out for the rest of the season as said earlier, the 2nd was how evenly matched these teams seem to be. A big question is if and when Kenneth Faried comes back how effective he’ll be, as I thought Golden State was very good in the hustle game. Lee had 14 rebounds and so did Andrew Bogut who was great defensively in the 4th quarter protecting the rim. Steph Curry (19 points 9 assists) got off to the 1-10 start but caught fire in the 2nd half including the tying 3 before the Andre Miller game winner. It has to be a downer for Golden State to not only lose a game they had a great shot at stealing but losing one of their best players. How will they alter rotations? Going small might be an idea, but realistically you might be feeding into Denver’s transition game, which you didn’t see a lot of until the 2nd half.

Ty Lawson (6-15 12 points and 4 assists) needs to be more aggressive. He had the one stretch in the 3rd quarter where he pushed the ball on back to back plays and got to the rim very easily. He floats through games sometimes though. To be fair to Denver though, no Faried and no Gallinari changes the dynamic of the team offensively and energy wise. I thought Wilson Chandler despite only being 5-16 helped out on the boards and was a steady presence throughout the game. I also thought JaVale McGee gave 23 very solid minutes with 9 points and 6 boards. Of course the MVP of the game goes to Andre Miller, who out faked, out pumped, and used every trick in the book to score 28 points including the game winner with 1.2 left. What I’m curious to see from Denver is generating offensive energy throughout the game. They had trouble in Game 1, and as far as Golden State goes, the Steph Curry breakout game is coming, but can Klay Thompson (22 points 10-19 shooting) be as aggressive and consistent? Also, how will Lee’s absence affect their rotation. Burning questions, but this series got 0ff to a scintillating start.

Bulls vs. Nets (Nets win Game 1 106-89)

This was the game that probably took everybody by surprise. Take the Nets almost 56% shooting, 6 players in double figures, and a seemingly tired Chicago team, and Brooklyn had their way. I originally was going to pick the Bulls, but then the same problem keeps arising, they CAN’T SCORE. I put it in caps because essentially when you struggle that much to get any type of basket, not just easy, any basket there’s a pressure and a strain on your game that regardless of any type of defense you play you eventually will wear down.

Injuries have hit this Bulls team hard, Joakim Noah played 13 minutes but can you expect him with the messed up foot to give you a lot this series? As I said in my preview, how much do you want to rely on Nate Robinson to be your spark offensively? The Nets just have more options, and guys have gotten healthy for them at the right time.

With Deron Williams showing some life in his legs, Brook Lopez having a clear matchup edge in the paint, and Joe Johnson available to make plays, the Nets just have more options. I expect the Bulls to play a lot better and get a game or 2 in this series, but winning it? Nope, they CAN’T SCORE.

Grizzlies vs. Clippers (Clippers win Game 1 112-91)

The Clippers 47-23 rebounding edge is frightening if you’re a Grizzlies fan. The Grizzlies who don’t have the most potent offense in the world need to have advantages in all the effort stats when they play the Clips. The problem is the Clippers seem to have owned them lately in those situations. Whether it be loose balls and smarter plays, the Clippers showed a lot yesterday. This will be a long and fascinating series, but at the same time as I talked about with Chicago, scoring will be an issue for Memphis.

When you have to be almost perfect defensively because of offensive struggles, the game becomes a strain, and Memphis will have that problem. Jerryd Bayless was the leading scorer for the Grizz with 19, and as effective as he’s been lately, Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol, and Mike Conley have to take the lead here and play better. More importantly, they have to win the hustle game.

As far as the Clippers go, Chris Paul is just a maestro offensively. (23 points on 11 shots, 7 assists and 1 turnover) The Clippers had 7 players in double figures and played very well with intent on both ends. Protecting homecourt is important for them and they’ll get another chance to do that in Game 2. This series will go long but again, can the Grizz play their game? Remains to be seen.

Stay tuned for entry 2.

Apr 20 2013

The NBA Playoffs 2013

Playoff Preview

As the NBA’s second season descends upon us, these playoffs have a completely different feel than last years. Going into last season’s playoffs the question was about LeBron James and the Heat and whether they could get over the hump, and that they did, beating the Thunder in 5 games and finally for James capturing that title. Now, the narrative is different. The question is can anyone beat the Heat? Miami has come off it’s championship with a tremendous regular season in which they had the 2^nd longest winning streak in NBA history winning 27 in a row. LeBron James had an uncanny and prolific season which will most likely (landslide IMO) give him his 4^th Most Valuable Player award. Can anyone stop the Heat? Will a team in the East, like the Pacers or Knicks challenge them? Or whoever survives the West war, will they have anything left for Miami? All these questions will be answered in hopefully dramatic fashion, one step at a time.

1. (1) Miami Heat vs. (8) Milwaukee Bucks (Miami won Season Series 3-1)

Will this be the series that everyone makes jokes about because of how much of a cakewalk it’ll be for the defending champs? What would mildly make this series interesting? The only question is for me is whether Miami if they’re up 3-0 like I think they’ll be, will they go for the kill to save the legs of James and Wade for a presumably tougher series in the semis? Besides that, this is a complete mismatch. In the 1 game the Bucks defeated the Heat in Milwaukee on December 29^th, the Bucks had 5 players in double figures including Brandon Jennings and Monte Ellis combining for 39 points and 16 assists. D-Wade’s health here is an interesting story, as I feel if he is this would be a great opportunity for him to dominate his matchup with Ellis. Another interesting thing to watch is how much Larry Sanders will have to cover for the defensive mistakes of Jennings and Ellis (which will be plenty) and have to guard Chris Bosh? It’ll be a tough chore for one of the best frontcourt defenders in the game. If the Bucks get a game here it would be a hell of an accomplishment.

PREDICTION: Heat in 4

2. (2) New York Knicks vs. (7) Boston Celtics (New York won Season Series 3-1)

One thing that jumps out to me about this series is the fact that there isn’t a lot of data as far as how the teams are presently constituted. KG missed the final 2 regular season meetings as did Tyson Chandler. The Knicks as they are now rely a lot on Kenyon Martin to provide toughness on the interior and how they defend. While you’d think that Paul Pierce vs. Carmelo Anthony would be the key matchup as most people highlight, in this scenario you will see plenty of Melo vs. Jeff Green which will be a very pivotal matchup that while the Celtics won’t win, if they get something closer to a situation in their favor as far as limiting Anthony’s efficiency offensively, that’s where the Celtics could have a chance to make this series interesting. Carmelo in the 4 games against Boston this year is only 36 of 103, which factors out to 35%. When the Knicks have been at their best is when Melo is operating at a high efficiency and the Knicks are scoring the 3 ball. The question here is whether the Celtics can defend at that level consistently in a 7 game series. How much do KG and Pierce have left to carry this team? In all actuality this is a series that has the Knicks written all over it. They have the better team, and more talent. An unknown factor here is dealing with the fact that they are the favorite here, and with high expectations and high stakes we’ll find out how ready the Knicks are. The Celtics as game as they’ve been in the past will have a moment or two in this series, but the Knicks have too much here. Look for Raymond Felton to be another key in this series in his matchup with Avery Bradley.

PREDICTION: Knicks in 5

3. (3) Indiana Pacers vs. (6) Atlanta Hawks (Season Series Tied 2-2)

I really want to see the Hawks. As far as this series goes, these teams are a whole lot different than when they started the season. In 2 earlier meetings, the Hawks had Lou Williams, and without him since he’s gone down with injury has been stark. Truth be told, they’re not as good as they were when they had him. The Pacers have risen from their early season struggles to become along with the Knicks as a team to be a threat to Miami. The Pacers are clearly the better team here. For the Hawks to have a shot in this series Al Horford and Josh Smith will have to play like all stars and they’ll need one perimeter guy (Kyle Korver) to have a big series. With Paul George spearheading the league’s best D, it’s hard to see these Pacers deterred from a 2^nd round showdown with the Knicks. I’m giving the Hawks a couple of games though because the Pacers haven’t done things easy all year.

PREDICTION: Pacers in 6.

4. (4) Brooklyn Nets vs. (5) Chicago Bulls (Season Series won by Bulls 3-1)

The Bulls are coming into this one as banged up as they’ve been all season. Taj Gibson is returning from injury, but Joakim Noah is doubtful to play in the series with the same nagging foot injury that has plagued him all season. If the Bulls had been healthier coming into this series, I would’ve picked them easily. With the Nets strong isolation play, it’s the perfect offense for the Bulls D to pick apart. They’d make the games ugly and put the Nets in the compromising position of actually trying to run something creative. Without Noah, Brook Lopez will have a big series. Truth be told, as Lopez goes, so goes the Nets. Deron Williams as well as he has played will be that much better if Lopez is efficient and productive. What I’m curious to see is how long the Nets will be able to get away with playing Reggie Evans and Gerald Wallace in the starting 5 as I’m sure the Bulls will force opportunities their way. As far as the Bulls are concerned offensively, generating it period will be their undoing here. Relying on Nate Robinson in the playoffs isn’t exactly a blueprint for success. With that being said, I take Nets eeking this series out in Game 7.

PREDICTION: Nets in 7

WESTERN CONFERENCE

1. (1) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. (8) Houston Rockets (Thunder won season series 2-1)

The Thunder without James Harden won 60 games this year, which is a hell of an accomplishment. Mr. Harden got traded to Houston, where he showed how talented of an individual he is averaging almost 26 points a game with 5 boards and almost 6 assists and leading the Rockets to the playoffs. This series will be easy on the eyes because in Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden you have 3 of the most dynamic players in the league, 2 of the higher scoring teams in the league, and just an all-around fun matchup to watch. There won’t be a lack of scoring here. The problem for the Rockets here is guarding Durant and Westbrook, which they can’t. The Thunder have more weapons, homecourt advantage, and play a semblance of defense that Houston won’t be able to come close to. There may be some fun individual moments from Harden in this series, but OKC is the Western Conference favorite, and for good reason.

PREDICTION- Thunder in 5

2. (2) San Antonio Spurs vs. (7) Los Angeles Lakers (Spurs won season series 2-1)

To say there was turbulence in the Lakers season would be an understatement of epic proportions. A team widely thought to be Oklahoma City’s main challenger and a title favorite struggled this season through injury, bickering, coaching changes, and almost anything you can come up with. Now, they’ll be without Kobe Bryant whose ability to play through injury took a toll on him no doubt. They’re also waiting on the status of Steve Nash (hip, hamstring) as they could definitely use his playmaking ability in this series. They’ll be taking on a Spurs team who’s banged up coming into Game 1 Sunday. Despite resting a bunch in the past month, Tony Parker hasn’t looked like himself since spraining his ankle in March. He’s also been fighting a sore neck and you have to wonder if he can play at the All-NBA level he was playing earlier in the season. Also, Manu is out too, so dare I say can the Los Angeles Lakers with all their problems upset the Spurs who have churned out all those wins like they usually do? No, I’m still not convinced. The Lakers are not only missing Kobe Bryant but still haven’t shown any type of consistency despite their 20-8 stretch to close the season. They can’t guard the perimeter and can be exposed on the pick and roll. San Antonio is intelligent enough offensively to decipher the Lakers size and take advantage of their perimeter matchup. Don’t be shocked if this series goes long though, just based on the Spurs not being the Spurs.

PREDICTION: Spurs in 6

3. (3) Denver Nuggets vs. (6) Golden St. Warriors (Nuggets won season series 3-1)

This series is fascinating on a lot of levels. The Nuggets closed the season playing great ball, but the injury bug caught them too with losing Gallo to the ACL, Faried’s sprained ankle, and Lawson’s Heel (Lawson looks healthy though). The Nuggets haven’t lost at home in what seems like forever, and on paper this matchup looks favorable against a Golden State team that hasn’t really been as consistent since the earlier part of the season. What I’m looking for from the Warriors is obviously Steph Curry, and more Steph Curry. Curry broke out this year as a player, staying healthy for the most part, setting the 3 point record in the regular season, and having a game for the ages in the Garden scoring 54 in one of the best regular season games in one of the greatest regular seasons in the last 20 years. Whenever players make THAT jump, with this being his 1^st dance in the postseason, I’m looking for Curry to come out like gangbusters. How the Nuggets defend him will be key to how long this series goes. If Curry has an awesome series, then I can see this being tooth and nail all the way. Andrew Bogut’s effectiveness and whether he can play at all or not defensively is something to watch here. The Nuggets, especially at home are all about paint points, and if Golden State can’t protect the rim, then yikes. I like Denver, but there’s something about Golden State that makes me pause for a second, but just a second.

PREDICTION: Nuggets in 6.

4. (4) Los Angeles Clippers vs. (5) Memphis Grizzlies (Season Series tied 2-2)

A rematch of the 7 game war that the Grizz and Clips had last year? Why not? That series had great moments like the Clippers 26 point 4^th quarter comeback in Game 1, and them beating the Grizzlies at their own game in the 7^th game on the road. Now the Clippers have home court advantage in this edition and are riding a 7 game win streak headed into the playoffs. Memphis on the other hand after trading Rudy Gay have really gone back to their meat and potatoes of pounding the ball, even though Zach Randolph hasn’t looked like himself. Marc Gasol has played tremendously on defense this year (DPOY candidate) and will be a key offensively here. There is no Kenyon Martin or Reggie Evans to rough up Gasol and Randolph so the oness will be on Blake Griffin and Deandre Jordan to defend the frontline. Once again, Tony Allen will be guarding Chris Paul for 7 games and that will be fun because both players are healthier this time as opposed to last year. This is another tight knit series and will probably be the best and most hotly contested one again. Offensively the Grizzlies struggle to score, and that will be their undoing. As much as I don’t like the way the Clippers play, they have more firepower, and will have a Game 7 in their gym.

PREDICTION: Clippers in 7.

Mar 25 2013

Yankee Problems Make Me Wonder If A New Era Has Dawned

Even before the injuries to Mark Teixeira and Curtis Granderson, the Yankees faced a tough season. They lost a lot of power from the 245 home run season in 2012. Admittedly, you have to wonder if Andy Pettitte and Hiroki Kuroda can have the seasons they had last year each at an advanced age. Losing Derek Jeter at the start of the season is a worry, has he recovered from ankle surgery? All of these questions, and yeah, the AL East is probably going to be tougher than what it has been in years past.

A lot of Yankee fans including myself have wondered is this the year that the cycle changes? The Yankee fan has been used to high payrolls and high expectations every year with a playoff appearance every year with the exception of 2008. With things working out the way they have this spring thus far, not to mention the new “fiscally responsible” Yankee operating way, has the cycle already started?

As reported by Yahoo Sports, the Yanks are about to add Angels OF Vernon Wells to the fold to try and add some offense to what is going to look like a very sketchy lineup on opening day. I’d be cool with this move, if it was about 4-5 years ago. At 34 years of age, Wells has shown decline and at this point you can’t be sure what you’ll get out of him despite a good spring training. I think the bottom line here is if Vernon Wells is the solution, then you have a bigger problem.

I don’t think it’s necessarily something that you can stop or slow down. You have to hope that Granderson and Tex come back on time, the pitching holds up, and you have a productive year from Youkilis. Right now hope is all the Yankee fan has. I don’t know if you can panic because an 162 game season is a really long time, and the narrative will change each month. I have to say though this is the first time coming into a season I’ve thought, “Damn they might not make the playoffs.” To be fair, we’ve been spoiled as Yankee fans and all that winning we’ve been doing may be taking a break. Did I mention we don’t have Cano signed yet as he heads to Free Agency? Yikes.

The most positive thing I can say about the Yankees is that the season starts next week, and like the favorite book we enjoy, the story will unfold in the way it was meant to. Will the Yankees be good for another year, or has a change started that Yankee fans won’t be happy about? Remains to be seen.

Mar 11 2013

Spotlight On The NBA-Hyperbole For The Stretch Run

Feb 28 2013

Understanding The Zone-Steph Curry Breaks out at MSG

Ironically, the night before tonight I was watching Dubs/Pacers with my brother. Steph Curry (14-20) 38 points in the loss with the whole “brawl” (using the term very loosely). He was in that “zone” we all talk about that NBA players get into when it doesn’t matter what the D does. He couldn’t miss, and even though the Warriors weren’t going to win the game I said in my mind, “Crap this could be a problem tomorrow.”

If you’ve watched the Knicks lately you’ve known they’ve had major issues defending the pick & roll at the point of attack. I tweeted after the Pacers/Warriors game that the Knicks will have their hands full defending Curry, Jack, and Thompson. 2 out of 3 I was wrong, but the 1, damn was I right more than I ever wanted to be.

This was one of those games that I felt the Knicks needed to win to continue to get back on track after a season high 4 game losing streak, and they came out with the appropriate energy for the game. They jumped all over the Warriors with energy on both ends of the court, with Tyson Chandler looking more engaged than we’ve seen in awhile to be honest. He gets 13 boards in the first 10 minutes of action, Knicks are moving the ball, and end the quarter up 9 and I’m thinking positive. The defense was active, Curry had 4 points and the Warriors looked like a team ready to pack it in on the 2nd night of a back to back. Then, 54 points, 11 threes, 18-28 from the floor, 6 boards, and 7 assists happened.

The game took on another storyline, it went to another level. Stephen Curry had one of those nights as an NBA fan you’ll never forget. How many times was I screaming for Felton to be taken off of Curry. Or the fact that no one came out on screen roll to defend him, or the fact that while I was horrified at what Curry was doing to the Knicks, I enjoyed it. The MSG crowd respected it, as any basketball fan would. Curry was already having a tremendous year, and yes he should’ve made the all star team. Tonight, he jumped to another level. He made Carmelo Anthony’s 35 points (they were huge) and Chandler’s 16 points and career high 28 rebounds a footnote. The way he crossed, cut, and pure shot the Knicks throughout the night was awesome and stomach churning at the same time. Curry electrified the league tonight in a year that we’ve seen nothing but greatness from stars. Tonight was the best night. Believe it or not, in a loss, Stephen Curry’s 54 points made the Knicks win secondary. Legendary performance by a player who showed in college he had it in him. Sometimes greatness supercedes wins and losses, and this was one of those cases.

I’m still happy the Knicks won despite that incredibly shaky defensive showing, but they showed guts down the stretch, and gumption they had earlier in the year. Perhaps lost in Curry’s performance will be the Knicks waking up and getting back to the ball they had been playing earlier this season. It remains to be seen, but this night was a turning point as we head to March. For the Knicks, perhaps, but for Steph Curry, we as fans aren’t looking at that dude the same anymore. He elevated himself, hyperbole or not. I just hope he stays healthy, so we can see this story continue. Another memorable NBA night.

Feb 27 2013

The Indiana Pacers Building Their Offense Brick-by-Brick

If you watched the Indiana Pacers in the early stages of this 2012-13 season, you were horrified. Their offense was deplorable. If you are a Pacers fan, you might’ve shed a tear here or there. It was hard to watch, with the Pacers reaching historic levels of ineptitude on the offensive end as well as the strangest dichotomy between an anemic offense and elite defense. After the first month of the season, Indiana’s offense had the third worst offensive rating (95.6 points per 100 possessions), the second worst True Shooting % (49.1%), and were tied for the fifth worst assist/TO ratio (1.25).

After watching their dramatic, but efficient 108-97 win against Golden State on Tuesday, I believe the Pacers have turned their offense around in ways that we may never have seen from a team in-season, without dramatically re-shaping their roster. In the month of February (one game left against Clippers on Thursday), the Pacers are sixth in offensive rating (108.9 points per 100 possessions), ninth in True Shooting % (55.9%), and are eleventh in assist/TO ratio (1.63).

One thing the Pacers have done over the season is build offensive chemistry, and run with simplicity, rather than complicated sets. Earlier in the season, the Pacers struggled mightily to get into their sets early, and that gave them less time to operate and decreased their chances at running a fluid and successful play. Simplicity is the key, as well as the in-season development and growth of All-Star Paul George and starter Lance Stephenson.

George has been very impressive, making the simple play rather than over-dribbling, or trying to split the pick and roll. In this play George shows his patience and lets the defense settle on him in the post which gives space on the perimeter to shooters:

The Pacers big men set a lot of back picks to allow for catch-and-shoot opportunities off of George’s passes which leads to an extra pass to Lance Stephenson for a wide open corner three. Stephenson happens to be a very strong corner pocket shooter this season.

In this clip, Steph Curry chooses to go under the screen which allows George Hill to go in another direction and get a wide open jumper in rhythm. It was surprising to see the lax defense on George Hill who is a deceptively solid 37.1% three-point shooter.

In this second George Hill three, Jarrett Jack sags off, and Roy Hibbert comes in and sets a pick on Jarrett Jack off the ball. These plays are all off of virtually the same idea on how to get open shots. It’s beautiful to watch any day over this complicated mess that seems years far away.

The Pacers are currently second in the Eastern Conference and have the sixth best record in the NBA at 36-21. With this improved offense complementing an already staunch defense, a juggernaut of a starting lineup that has an Offensive Rating of 107.7 points per 100 possessions and a Defensive Rating of 93.6 points per 100 possessions on the floor, added with the return of Danny Granger, the Sky’s the Limit.

NBA Stats research really helped put this together

Feb 25 2013

Spotlight On The NBA-Woodson’s Challenge

After the Knicks beat the Sixers Sunday night to snap the 4 game losing streak, it felt more like “stopping the bleeding” as opposed to “righting the ship”. We all like to point this out, but since the Knicks beat the Lakers pretty convincingly in December to go 18-5, they’re 15-15. There’s a number of reasons for this, and while some would say it’s a direct result of lack of defense, it’s more of a erosion of play and effort and general.

When the leader of the team Carmelo Anthony has to come out and say things of the ilk talking about “We have to play harder” that ultimately in sports falls on the head coach. What happened to the team that was buying into Mike Woodson earlier in the year? The easiest thing to say it’s a malaise, every team goes through this. It’s also easier to make a judgement based off of statistics which has told us that the Knicks defense has dropped off steadily from the beginning of the season. (Currently ranked at 18th, below (gasp) the Los Angeles Lakers via Team Rankings) If you watched this team on a day to day basis though it’s the little things.

You remember the ball movement at the beginning of the season? Not as much iso, open threes galore, great team chemistry, multiple efforts on d possession after possession? It wasn’t going to last, but the key is how they’re going to respond in these last 29 games. Yes, a lot of this is riding on Carmelo Anthony and his ability to find that balance on both ends of the court. The Knicks need a more consistent rotation down the stretch of games, as trying to work back in Amare has changed a bit of the continuity down the stretch of games defensively. If Iman Shumpert is going to be worked back in coming off of the ACL, then Woodson has to be more definitive about his plan here. There’s been way too much of talk of changing the starting lineup, then reneging right before games. If you get where I’m headed, Woodson has to step up his game.

To this point, his coaching record with the Knicks (77-51) is pretty darn good, but there are some red flags. Simply put, he’s left something to be desired as far as making adjustments. This goes back to the playoffs last year against Miami, when he couldn’t figure out how the Knicks could get an entry pass to Melo 24 feet away from the basket. After the Knicks hot start, as teams have adjusted to their style and their hybrid Melo at the 4 lineup, I haven’t seen anything that you could consider a valid or reasonable adjustment. If you’re going to play Melo at the 4, you need floor spacers. Right now neither Shumpert or Jason Kidd are making enough shots or being effective enough on offense to warrant the lineup being played. The Ronnie Brewer situation is a shame, because he just didn’t end up fitting in and definitely lost confidence as he stopped hitting the shots he was making in November. If I was going up against the Knicks to start the game, I’d feel pretty confident trying to stop Melo because who on the court really scares you offensively besides him and Felton? Yeah, that’s a definite issue. They say winning cures all ills, but maybe all the winning early suckered us all into thinking the Knicks were a lot better than what they were. With a daunting schedule that includes 2 OKC games, 2 Miami games, 2 Boston games, a 5 game west coast trip and 2 dreaded TORONTO games, the Knicks will have to get their act together just to have home court in the 1st round. Now I still expect them to win the division, but there has to be an improvement in play.

Mike Woodson keeps telling us these losses are all on him, and I agree. Time to draw up some new stuff, or else that free pass he’s had so far will dissipate faster than the Knicks hold on the 2 spot.

Feb 18 2013

DR. Jerry Buss & His Legacy w/ Roland Lazenby

The NBA world and the sports world lost a legend today, as Los Angeles Lakers owner Jerry Buss passed away at age 80. It’s amazing to think that since Buss purchased the Lakers in 1979, they’ve been to 16 NBA Finals with 10 championships. He was owner that enjoyed winning with a vigor, and one that made sure that his teams over the years were not only competitive but championship ready.

I’m only 26, so my Dr. Buss knowledge doesn’t run very deep. So to try and fill the gap, I called up critically acclaimed author Roland Lazenby, who knows plenty about the Lakers and the Dr. Buss era. We chatted about some memories of the Laker owner, the legacy he left and what’s to come. We also found time to talk Michael Jordan at 50 years old, is a comeback just a farce?

Once again thanks to Roland for joining me to give us some great knowledge on one of the legendary sports owners in history. As always you can listen to the podcast here. Enjoy, it’s a really good one for Lakers fans and basketball fans as well!

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