Nuggets' Amazing Effort Brings Series 3-1: Why, Westbrook, Why?

 Angry methed-out cat is here to symbolize the Nugget's play.

"I'd like to formally apologize for screwing this pooch harder than a Bangkok masseuse."

            Anyone remember the debate from the beginning of the season of who was better, Derrick Rose or Russell Westbrook? It’s a solid enough debate, really. They are two of the best in the business going to the hole. They both only recently added defense and perimeter shooting to their games. They are, very nearly at least, the same player. They are cut from similar cloth, made up of the same DNA. The only thing left to debate really is basketball IQ. We have no idea what Derrick Rose would do if he was playing alongside the league’s reigning two time scoring champion. But tonight, we did see exactly what Westbrook looks like.

            And it definitely isn’t pretty.

            But for a moment let us look at why it turned into a clutch situation in the first place. I present for your inspection the Denver nuggets, their pride on the line, knowing that one more game ends the season in which they lost Carmelo Anthony and somehow got better. Make no mistake; straight from the tip they looked like a team that knew that they had nothing to lose, that knew this was the last opportunity to leave everything on the floor and show a great mountain crowd that the loss of ‘Melo is not the death of Denver basketball.

            And the focus showed. They had steel in their eyes while Oklahoma seemed to have butterflies in their stomach. Ball movement and active defense were the name of the game early, with Kenyon Martin hitting a couple of mid-range spot up jumpers off of guard penetration, and excellent one-on-one and help defense forcing turnovers, two in the form of travel calls. The Thunder looked very flustered, and Denver would wind up taking the quarter 20-26.

            Before the half, we would see the Thunder start to heat up, starting with good bench production from back-up point guard Eric Maynor and beard enthusiast James Harden. Denver would start to slip a little bit, and when KD and Westbrook returned to the floor with 7:00 remaining, they would immediately fuel a run that would leave the score tied 45-all at the half. The telecast would also note a bit of yelling between Westbrook and Durant. We never hear exactly what this is about, but it most likely was due to some turnover trouble. Westbrook would have a bad pass and an offensive foul in the quarter.

            The third quarter is where we really see the Nuggets ratchet up the energy to methed-out squirrel levels, and this would continue until about midway through the fourth. The rebounding and fouls in their favor illustrate this. It would also see Denver’s resident crazy person JR Smith and resident rooster Danilo Gallinari up their games, and they would combine to score twelve points in the quarter, and help the Nuggets lead by two going into the last phase of the game.

            The fourth quarter was all about running and pushing the tempo as much as humanly possible, and watching I was almost surprised that Ty Lawson, Chris Andersen, or JR didn’t play hard enough for their heart to explode on court. At one point, they would get two offensive rebounds (missing three shots, but still), then force a turnover on one end to set up JR Smith for a three ball on the other end. The lead would be pushed all the way up to 9 before OKC would finally call a time out to try to take the wind out of their jump-shot hitting sails. Westbrook starts to look overzealous into his attempts, though between his hitting a good part of these shots and KD forcing the issue at the basket to get to the line, they manage to pull within two with around four remaining.

            Now I am going to stop recap for a moment and just make a list of things Westbrook does wrong during the stretch run:

1.     Plows over Ty Lawson, drawing an offensive foul.

2.     Goes to the hoop, looking to draw the foul, and when he doesn’t, walks for a moment shaking his head, while Ty Lawson is already up court getting ready to cut baseline and dish to Danilo for three. (Perkins would also be guilty of something similar on the next play.)

3.     Rather than moving the ball with about 30 seconds left, chooses to go iso and shoot a contested 3 that everyone in the arena knew was coming.

4.     At 7 remaining, fires up a terrible air-ball 3.

5.     Fails to even look for KD at all during 3 and 4 on this list.

            Now I am not placing all of this loss on Westbrook. He draws a beautiful and-one basket during his stretch, and assists Durant cross-court for three. His is a phenomenal player who does amazing things on the court. If the Thunder make it to the Conference Finals or beyond, Westbrook will be huge reason for that. But he also took thirty shots. As a point guard, on a team featuring Kevin Durant, this is unacceptable.

            But I don’t feel he is the only one at fault, which brings us to our-

            Key Moment:

            An important thing to note is that on what would become Westbrook’s air-ball, Thunder coach Scott Brooks had a timeout, and decided instead to let his young, play-off inexperienced team try to find a three pointer in transition instead. If he draws up a play for Durant instead, maybe a Ray Allen-style stagger screen, then maybe the Thunder hit it and tie, and find a way to pull it out, and I don’t have to spend all night writing an article ripping the decisions of a team and player I actually quite enjoy.

            What it Means for Denver:

            Just as Ty Lawson said, they need to get ready to give the Thunder hell in the next one. Like I said about the Heat game, 3-0 is an NBA death sentence, but if I had to pick one of the teams facing it to do it, it would be the Nuggets.

            What it Means for Oklahoma City:

            This is still their series, in all reality. They should be able to take care of business at home, and then turn their focus towards the Grizzlies, who are looking to make my prediction of the Spurs look stupid. If Westbrook can realize that he is not co-owner of the team with Durant, then this group could possibly find themselves in the Finals.

Sixers Outlast Miami 82-86: Winning One for Philly

 Everytime Mike Bibby misses a shot,

a puppy dies. He killed a whole litter today.

This is what a good draft pick looks like.

            In a not-so-strange microcosm of their season, the Miami Heat failed to close out the sweep on the Philadelphia 76ers, and the series will be going back to South Beach at least one more time.

            In watching the first quarter one could not help but see that Philadelphia was a team determined to not go quietly into the night. They came out with fierce defensive intensity, loading up on James or Wade anytime they came off of their usually dangerous pick and roll, hitting them hard and fast with multiple defenders. On offense, they hit their open shots and moved the ball around well and when the quarter would come to a close, Philly’s “Big 3” of Andre Iguodala, Elton Brand, and Jrue Holiday would outscore their Miami counter parts 20-13. One of Miami’s biggest Achilles’ heels has been lack of consistent production outside of the Big Three, and that was on full display in the first, with no one else getting a basket until Super Mario Chalmers finally hit a three on Miami’s final possession of the half. Mike Bibby missed several open shots (Bibby would actually shoot blanks the entire afternoon) and Zydrunas Ilgauskas would score nothing as well, despite a number of tip-in attempts.

            The second quarter would open with further trouble for the Heat, their rebounding nearly nonexistent after being huge in the first two games, and no one attempting to score other than James. Then about a quarter through the quarter, James Jones would step out of bounds; some jawing between teams would ensue, resulting in the dreaded double-technical foul on Thaddeus Young and Jones. The emotion would trigger one of the massively dangerous Heat runs that the team has become known for, with the team forcing 5 turnovers for 8 points letting James and Wade get out in transition and murder the Sixers with their highlight drives, including a sick alley-oop from Wade to James. They would end the half up two.

            The third quarter was most likely painful for any Heat fan to watch, leaving me write things in my notebook like “Bibby is awful” and “Why is Bibby still in?” He would spend nearly seven minutes in to start the quarter. Bibby is on that team to hit spot-up shots. He doesn’t play defense well, and can’t create a play. He wasn’t hitting spot-up jumpers, so why was he in? Philadelphia continued to scrap mightily, but still only managed to break even and remain down only two, thanks to good ball movement leading to open looks.

            The fourth quarter would see a giant of a defensive effort by Miami, including 5 block from the big three, but it would all be for naught, as Philly would ultimately pull out the win on a critical end of game sequence that saw Evan Turner hit a running jumper, then save a ball from going out of bounds, followed by consecutive threes from Jrue Holiday and Lou Williams, a beautiful block by Elton Brand, and then the rookie Turner drawing a foul and nailing both shots to go up four to seal the game.

            The world was waiting for Miami to drop one to a lesser team, and it got its wish today. This is not some new development for the Heat, as they have spent a good part of the season drifting between dreadful and dominant. It is a problem many elite teams face, including the Lakers. The thing is, the Lakers have the personnel to be consistently dominant. The Heat’s bench is terrible. So instead of being the first to the second round, the boys from south Florida got to see the Celtics sweep the Knicks. So the Heat will have to see if they can close it out next game, and head into the Conference Semi-Finals with less rest than Mean Green.

            Key Moment:

            Brand cam through huge in this one with his clutch block on James with only 3.8 seconds remaining, preventing a possibly tying shot, and with Young grabbing the ball, winds up forcing a Miami foul that would give Evan Turner (who had an excellent performance) the opportunity to ice the game on his free throws.

            What it Means for Miami:

            Without overreacting to the loss (dropping a game does not erase a team’s elite status), it does typify all of the problems that Miami has. No bench production (16 points to Philly’s 36), lack of rebounding if Bosh doesn’t come ready to play, and issues closing games. These are all things Boston does on a fairly consistent basis. Their match-up in the next round is coming off of two strong games to sweep what is a better team. Miami still has a strong chance, but they are a vulnerable team, no doubt.

            What it Means for Philadelphia:

            This was a moral victory and little more. This win is nothing more than a treat for the great Philly fans before a prompt first round exit. This may sound harsh, but in reality, no one wins an NBA playoff series after being down 3-0. They literally lose 100% of the time. This may salvage some pride, but even Sixers’ coach Doug Collins has said that the Heat are a better team, something he said mainly because it is true. Make no doubt, though, that there is talent on this team, and I will be watching Evan Turner’s development carefully.

Grizzlies Take Series Lead 2-1: Z-BO OMG!!!!

           Randolph would smile after the game when told he was getting a happy meal.

            Memphis picked up their first-ever home playoff win today in front of a raucous crowd at the Fed-Ex Forum, outlasting an early Spurs run to pick up the W 91-88. The game itself was dirty, physical, and towards the end, even a bit fluky as we saw the veteran San Antonio squad out rebound the larger frontline on the Grizzlies, while the more experienced squad surrendered more turnovers. If that’s not fluky enough, how about Zach “Z-BO” Randolph (yes, that Zach Randolph) hitting a 3 with 41.9 seconds left on the clock to make it a two possession game? That do anything for you?

            The game started with tough interior defense being played by both teams, showing to a tee what a “grind it out” series this has been. Grizz point guard Mike Conley was aggressive early, and was rewarded with two quick fouls on his Spurs counterpart Tony Parker, sending him to the bench. Parker would be out played by Conley for most of the night, and would turn the ball over six times, more than double his season average. The Grizz spent the first quarter again going towards their ever-present game plan of “throw it down low to Marc Gasol or Z-BO and use their hugeness to bully the other team into submission” with it working quite well for pretty much the entire game. Memphis would take the lead about 5 minutes into this one, and would never trail again.

            The second quarter would start with the San Antonio offense looking completely out-of –sync, missing a ton of open jumpers, especially their three pointers (2-11), and when you are the best three-shooting team in the league, this is a huge issues. They were forced to rely on the amazing drives of Parker and Ginobili, which just did not come often enough. Memphis took advantage, working Conley off of pick-and-rolls and pounding away inside while working hard for good looks, including a downright sexy no look pass from Randolph to Tony Allen with 6:25 remaining. The Spurs’ defense would stiffen as the half was closing, securing multiple blocks, but when the buzzer sounded, they had still only closed what was a sixteen-point lead to ten.

            Watching the third quarter must have been quite frustrating for Spurs fans, with the veteran squad seeming to turn the ball over every time they came up the court. One particular stretch with about 8:30 remaining saw three consecutive TO’s by the team, once by Parker and twice by Ginobili. To their credit, they did manage to do a much better job of containing Gasol and Randolph, and did make a run to close the quarter down five, but the turnovers are inexcusable by such a great team.

            The fourth were where the Spurs started to finally hit a groove, and things started to get interesting. George Hill hit a critical three to bring the game within range. Ginobili soon after started to pick his game up, tying the game on an and-one field goal to tie at 8:05 remaining, and the Spurs suddenly looked like they just might be interested in trying to win this game. Manu would draw several critical fouls, including the two that would eventually send Tony Allen and his lock-down defense to the bench, and eventually out of the game. The Grizzlies would stay just a step ahead, dangling the lead in front of the Spurs like a bully holding the small kid’s lunch money just beyond his reach.

            And then, with Popovich’s squad down only 2 points with 41.9 seconds left on the clock, the impossible happened.

            Z-Bo hit a three. A dagger three, to be precise. Sure he’s not just a horrible three point shooter for his position. But that is not in the slightest the play that Lionel Hollins or anyone ever in the history of people or history would have wanted, not even Z-Bo himself, who only did it because the shot clock was winding down, and no one was open. The Grizz would go on to win the game, take a 2-1 lead in the series, and leave the Spurs scratching their heads.

            Some days, the basketball gods bless your comeback attempts. Others, they laugh heartily, and send the improbable to crush your hopes. And if there is one thing tonight’s conclusion was, it was improbable.

            Key Moment:

            With about 1:50 remaining in the game, Tim Duncan goes up for a rebound, like he has done literally thousands of times in his storied career. Only this time, instead of securing it, it goes out of bounds. This was only one of the Spurs’ numerous turnovers, but this one, with the small amount of time, while in the middle of a comeback attempt, it was possibly devastating, especially in a game decided by only three points.

            What it Means for Memphis:

            It means that with the game one win, they effectively have home court advantage and are well on their way to not only their first play off game wins, but season wins. Their crowd was in full effect tonight, and as long as they stay focused and ready for the crafty play of this veteran opponent, they may well face the Thunder in the next round, who took a 3-0 lead on the Nuggets tonight.

            What it Means for San Antonio:

            With Antonio McDyess leaving the court in the fourth and his Game 4 status up in the air, the Spurs must do their best to get this loss out of their heads. Ginobili and Parker have to step up their game and limit the turnovers, and the entire team needs to take extra shooting practice and get the three ball back as a weapon next game. Because Tim Duncan isn’t getting any younger, and this could well be the last season he has anything left in the tank for a real title run.

           

             

Three Words: Brandon Mufuggin Roy

So I have decided to scrap the daily wrap-ups to focus on writing better recaps, and to try to retake some small portion of the sleep that I have lost. That being said, I felt like it had to be mentioned that Brandon Roy was awesome tonight, and should be lauded for his efforts. There is an excellent piece over at Portland Roundball Society that explains the effort better than I can, but a performance like this has to be written about.

Following this game, you realize very quickly that injuries are a part of it. Players get banged up throughout a grueling 82 game season. When the athletes are as big and strong as these are, playing as hard as they do, it is inevitable. Usually players return in time, and eventually return to their old selves. Guys like Andrew Bynum have literally made a career out of coming back from constant injuries to do big things.

Other times, it is different. Players like Grant Hill, Yao Ming, and Greg Oden have all took hard falls that have sidetracked their careers for years. Grant Hill found his way back, but is far from the successor to Jordan's throne that many thought he could be at the time. Oden and Yao hope to be as lucky one day.

Roy's injuries to both his knees, requiring micro-fracture surgery, were supposed to sound the death-knell for his career. Basketball, much like any athletic endeavor, requires you to have lightning-quick mobility and the ability to side-step, jump, and run with confidence. After all of the damage to Roy's knees, many though he was done for forever.

Hopefully today's performance will change that. Brandon was a flash of his old self tonight, nailing jumpers with ease, diving into the lane with reckless abandon. Skills like the ones he displayed tonight are the reason that he was once thought of as the third best shooting guard in the business, behind only Kobe Bryant and Dwayne Wade.

Sport is a funny thing. These teams bring entertainment and water-cooler discussion sure enough, but sometimes they bring more than that. The narrative often tells a tale of the pursuit of greatness, of winning, of being the best. Sometimes it tells a story of loss, crushing defeat, and amazing talent and grace and beauty, taken from the world before it should have been. We've all experienced loss in one form or another in our lives. We all know that all too often, you can't get back what you once had.

But sometimes, when the stars align, and everything is just right, you can capture the lightning of old in a bottle, if only for a night. Sometimes, for those willing to fight, you can redeem yourself for the failures that were beyond your control. And sometimes that one luminous moment is all you need to see the path back to greatness.

No one can know for sure what the future hold for Brandon Roy. Right now, it doesn't matter. All I know is that as I watched this game, witnessing this player comeback from the dead, from nearly breaking down on the sidelines days before to being the hero tonight, I couldn't help but smile.

So thank you, Brandon Roy, for proving to us once more that the old sports cliche is true.

It ain't over, 'till its over.



Photo courtesy Rick Bowmer, AP

Stupid People, Greedy People, and Sports Fans

          

              With the NFL already locking out, and the NBA very possibly looking to follow suit, one is forced to wonder exactly how two multi-billion dollar industries could possibly prefer a work stoppage to continuing putting on the show that regularly lines the pockets of the owners as well as the players. The two situations are as different as sports themselves, and with it being the hot button issue that is right now, I thought it would be a good time to try to explain both of these issues, and show why the current systems for both leagues need little changing.

NBA LABOR ISSUES

            In the case of the NBA, the owners feel like the current bargaining agreement, which was ratified in 2005, should be changed because the league is apparently losing money. You may have noticed that I used the word “apparently” there. NBA Commissioner David Stern has said this on a number of occasions, but nobody really gets to look at the actual financial statements, although Forbes did report that 17 of the league’s teams did go into the red last season, and that all told, 22 teams will lose cash this season Stern’s solution is for the teams to go to a hard cap, lessen the maximum money and length of contracts. For obvious reasons, the players are resistant to this.

            This isn’t the first time that the NBA has locked out, by far. For all of Stern’s time as commissioner, the NBA has developed the nasty habit of locking out every five years or so, even if it isn’t very long, usually under the pretense that players need shorter contracts, and less money. But here’s a question: What if the problem isn’t the rules of doing business, but the people doing it?

            NBA GM’s have signed a ton of ridiculous contracts over the recent years, almost without exception. Travis Outlaw has a was signed to a 7 million a year for five years contact after a year that he played 11 games. Gilbert Arenas has an absolutely ridiculous contract (6 year, 110 mil at signing), and to be fair, he had a great year before he signed it. Afterwards however, he pooped in a teammate’s shoe, brought guns into a locker room, and was suspended for an entire season, came back and played awful basketball, and then the Magic traded to get him. Darko Milicic (yes, that Darko Milicic) has a 20 million contract, thanks to Minnesota GM David Kahn.

            Under the current labor agreement, player salaries account for about 57% of overhead for an NBA team. If that is how much you are going to pay for your players, you better not overpay them. Fans love winning basketball, and terrible GMs will kill your profit quicker than anything. You will have trouble selling out an 82 game season or getting national TV exposure if your team is terrible. This is not rocket science. Now I may come across as harsh here, and I’m sorry, but I’m the type of guy that believes that if you are dumb enough to jump in the deep end of the pool knowing you can’t swim, then what ever happens is solely your fault.

NFL LABOR ISSUES

            The NFL Lockout is an entirely different deal. The revenues for this country’s most popular professional sports league have been increasing every year for pretty much as long as I have been alive. This isn’t a secret, and no one is disputing this. This year, the league claims that average value of an NFL team dropped from 1.04 billion to 1.02 billion. Players are saying that the league’s Direct TV and other broadcast deals should offset that.

            The current collective bargaining agreement was set to expire after the 2007 season. That never happened, since in March of 2006 the owners deciding to extend it through the 2012 season with an overwhelming 30-2 vote. So these are the rules that the owners wanted, and agreed to.

            The league then balked on the deal, using an opt-out clause that was included in the agreement to cause it to end this season. What do the owners want? Nothing much. They merely want to increase the regular season to 18 games, cutting the preseason down to two, and to reduce the players’ salaries while they do that. So basically, they only want more work for less pay.

            The timing of this is not an accident. Owner’s operating costs will go down in a lockout, mainly because they won’t be paying the players. They have also signed super lucrative TV deals that somehow still pay even if there are no games. Sounds like a great time to squeeze your workforce, huh?

            So basically what I’m getting to is this: When you are sitting around later this year, wondering why the only sport left for you to watch is hockey or the college games, there will be a reason for that. You see, some people in life are stupid. Worse than that, some people in life are greedy. The worst part of all? It seems that most of these people work in the front office of your favorite teams.

Photos courtesy of I Can Has Cheeze Burger and Celebrity Sentry.

           

           

Lakers Even Series 1-1: Regression to the Mean

                        "David's coming back next game, right? RIGHT?!?"

                    "I'm going to wear your face as a hat, Tony Brothers!"

  

           Ah, bitter normalcy. In a game that spent a lot of time looking closer than it actually was, the Lakers tied the series with an 87-78 victory. The question is how much would they have won by if Kobe and Pau didn’t play.

            It looked like the Hornets could have a chance at this through most of the first. Both teams sought to attack the paint early on. Carl Landry and Andrew Bynum had a nice little scoring battle early on. Bynum’s success was no doubt aided by the fact Okafor has decided it would be fun to see if the Hornets could win with him sitting on the bench for the majority of the first half, picking up two fouls within 2 minutes. Trevor Ariza tried hard to show that Lakers made a mistake trading him, playing pesky defense, and answering a Ron Artest 3 with his own 2-pointer. It looked like the Hornets would end the quarter up by a few with around three left to play, and that maybe, just maybe, they could actually do this.

            Lamar Odom was having none of that. Fresh off of being crowned the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year, he entered the game, and the last of L.A.’s offensive possessions went Kobe-to-Candy-Man ally, Lamar lay in, and then a nice 2-point jumper to end the quarter tied 23 all. Odom definitely deserved the award, thanks for asking.

            Things rapidly start going down hill for New Orleans from here. Aaron Gray, after a sensational Game 1, promptly travels to open the quarter and decides to punish himself by letting Matt Barnes shoot right over him for a score. At around 10 minutes, there is nice contest of who-can-turn-over-the-ball-more (Nawlins wins!), which is notable mainly because after this, The Hornet’s defense decides to go for a drink at one of the many fine night spots surrounding Staples Center, and would not be seen again until it returned, half drunk, towards the end of the third. Bynum has ten points before the half, and draws a third foul on Emeka. Reports say he will bring the chair from Cali back to Louisiana, since he already broke it in and everything. The half ends with a disturbing four-minute stretch in which Derek Fisher finishes a fast break, Kobe gets to the line, and Artest gets two blocks. Chris Paul hits the three as time expires, but the Lakers would never relinquish the lead again.

            After an Artest steal to open the game (Artest was awesome, 15 pts, 6 rebs, 2 blocks, 2 steals), Chris Paul does try to get something going by twisting his body in mid-air to draw three foul shots on Kobe. Number 24 would spend the rest of the game looking like he was going to punch someone. LA plays a phenomenal quarter here, Bynum still getting Okafor caught up in fouls and scoring out of the post, Lamar (16pts, 7 rebs) scoring on back-to-back possessions. With with 3:03 left to go, we hear Coach Monty implore his team to return to the game plan, and they do this,  even playing some nice defense for a couple of minutes,and then Willie Green turns the ball over twice in a row, Chris Paul tries to keep it respectable by nailing another three to end it, and Phil Jackson refers to the game as “mud wrestling at its finest.” This confuses the Hornets immensely and they never quite recover. Score one for the Zen Master.

            The fourth quarter is mainly notable because of how disinterested the Lakers look, and the Hornet’s attempt to look even more disinterested. They seriously jog back, and give up an easy transition basket, and Captain Jack has to yell at everyone. They respond by looking at him like “Dude, chill. It’s just the playoffs. No biggie.” The funny subplot of the quarter is Kobe missing shots, getting drug into fouling Chris Paul on another 3, getting T’d up, and then wishing he could kill people with his eyes. After Ariza slaps a ball off Kobe’s hip, sending it out of bounds, Bryant almost goes nuclear. Don’t be surprised if he debuts new Nike’s in Game 3 made entirely out of official Tony Brother’s skin.

            The Lakers handily win a game in which their two best players combine for 19 pts, 25 percent shooting, and 5 turnovers. If that isn’t a scary thought, I don’t know what is.

            Key Moment:

            The halftime show. The Kenny-Chuck balancing act will haunt my dreams forever. Oh you meant the game? The part where Chris Paul and Trevor Ariza play their heart out, and no one else cares.

            What it Means for New Orleans:

            The Hornet’s started to look like the team that should have been swept, mainly because they are the team that should have been swept. Kobe and Pau were awful, and with more focus and effort, Nawlins could have walked out 2-0. Instead, the got outplayed by the Lake Show’s B-team for most of the evening.

            What it Means for Los Angeles:

            I’ll let my buddy and Lakers’ Fan Chris Stockton take this one: “There’s not much motivation even with the Game 1 loss. I know this team more than anyone. They’re going to be on autopilot the whole series, even if it somehow goes 7, it’s so frustrating. But they just don’t care, they get bored, and they’ll go to the Big Easy, we’ll see if they show up.” This is the Lakers in a nutshell. The first round is a warm up.

Tuesday Wrap-Up

Atlanta 82 at Magic 88: Series Tied 1-1

Well it may not have been the offensive help he was hoping for,  but at least Superman got some defensive help from the rest of the Magic. Dwight himself put up another disgusting stat line, getting 33 points and 19 rebounds off of 9-12 shooting. If that doesn’t look like enough shots, you are right. Dwight hit 15 of 19 free throws as well. You read that right. As for that defensive help I was talking about, Joe Johnson and Jamal Crawford, shooters extraordinaire, combined for 42 points, but it took them 32 shots to do it.

New York 93 at Boston 96: Bos Leads Series 2-0

Billups was in a suit, and Stoudemire was absent the entire second half with back spasms. Sounds like an easy night for Mean Green right? Wrong. Carmelo Anthony made the Celtics work for their win, posting his own monster stat line of 42 points and 17 rebounds, setting a new career high for rebounds in the postseason. The problem was that Rajon Rondo decided to abuse poor Toney “The Toaster” Douglas for an efficient 30 himself, along with seven assists, and found several easy paths to the lane. Worth watching the injuries on this one.

Portland 89 at Dallas 102: Dal Leads Series 2-0

In my game of the night, Portland forgot to bring a shotgun.

Mavs Go Up 2-0: Peja Hungers, Kidd Makes Shuffleboard Date

                                                      Peja's NBA Photo.

                                                      Kidd. Beasting.

             I started taking notes during my viewing of this game, and in the interest of going less stat-heavy with my posts (and hopefully more entertainment heavy), I will be sharing some of those with you, my faithful readers. Or reader.

            For the first quarter, Portland actually looked good as a team. They played very active defense, forcing a couple of turnovers from Dallas, and just generally being pesky, deflecting passes out of bounds and getting the Mavs out of rhythm. Offense ran smoothly, getting several nice points on plays where they would throw the ball to LaMarcus Aldridge in the post, with his back to the basket, and then everyone clears out, leaving LA one-on-one. I sincerely hope that you don’t need me to tell you how this ended.  After being a non-factor, Gerald “Crash” Wallace looked much more ready for this game, and came out strong, crashing around (pun so intended) drawing fouls and such, even hitting a three.

            I noted that with around three minutes to play, the Mavs seemed to wake up. The ball moved around. Shots started to fall. Defense seemed to tighten. Peja Stojakovic, thought to be dead for many years, came on to my TV screen. Then he hit a 3. I wrote “Zombie Peja?” in my notebook. Put a pen in there. We’ll come back to that.

            The second quarter started with the game 24-22 Blazers. The Blazers got there offense at this point off of Nicolas Batum, who looked great, driving, shooting jumpers, catching full court passes and dishing to Aldridge for an ally. Somewhere in-between this, Peja hits another shot. I begin to wonder if I’m hallucinating.

            Then the momentum shifts. With 5:20 left in the quarter, Tyson Chandler steals the ball, and finds JET Terry on the break for a dunk to tie the game. The telecasters make an annoying number of “flaps down jokes.” About a minute and twenty seconds later, Jason Kidd, whom the Blazers have been having nightmares about since game one, shoots some kind of weird underhanded shot as he’s being fouled, and in some kind of strange test of my mental state, the ball goes in. Kidd tries his very hardest to look like he meant to do that, and fails miserably. Then the Cromagnon Man (Dirk, kids, try to keep up) gets an and-one. Portland refuses to let this stop them, and we get a wonderful Miller-LA ally, and get to see Aldridge murder in the post some more before half-time. Blazers manage to retain the lead.

            And much to my chagrin, they do not show more pictures of Chuck with his shirt off during the break, so Kenny doesn’t get to make a “flaps down” joke about his physique.

            The second half begins, and Blazers’ fans, I’m sorry, but Jason Kidd tires of your team’s insubordination. The Mavs take the lead by scoring on six straight possessions, the first four of which go Kidd 3, Kidd 2, Kidd lay-up, Kidd 2. The Mavs take the lead, and never look back. Jason Terry scores on the most impossibly high tear drop that you will ever see. I get to write “More Zombie?” in my notebook as Peja scores on two straight possessions. The Blazers continue to use a great post game to keep them in it, but they end the quarter on a turnover, and those with widescreen TV’s probably saw the mop guys clearing away the last of Portland’s confidence off the court.

            If the fourth quarter was a play, sadness would be the main character, and the Trailblazers would receive rave reviews in their portrayal of him. People just watch as Frodo Barea charges through the lane unharmed. Peja hits a three. I write “MORE ZOMBIE?!?” in my notebook. Portland gets silly fouls at critical moments. Dirk heats up. I write in DDD- Dirk Doin’ Dirk. Peja hits ANOTHER 3. I write “Peja ate my brain.”

            And it was obvious that he had eaten Portland’s as well.

            Key Moment:

            With 9:43 to go in the 4^th, and the score 78-73 Mavs, Andre Miller inbounds to Marcus Camby in the corner in front of the Mavs bench. Camby knocks down a huge 3 to pull within 2. Dallas misses their next shot. With the opportunity to tie, Andre Miller decides it is a prime time to elbow JJ Barea in the face. This could have given Portland the momentum to make a late run and possibly win, but its okay Andre. Anytime life gives you a chance to elbow JJ Barea in the face, you gotta do it.

            What it Means for Portland:

            It means they need to brainwash Nic Batum into never trying to guard Dirk. Dirk killed him all night. Behind 0-2, the series will now head back to Portland and a very tough arena for visiting teams to play. While Dallas did have a very strong road record, with the crowd behind them, maybe the Blazers can find the mental strength to play four solid quarters and win three straight. If that happens, watch out.

            What it Means for Dallas:

            They get to walk into the series with 2-0 with the beliefs that A) Kidd ain’t dead yet, and B) some collection of their deep-as-Cuban’s-pockets bench players will help Dirk get the job done. I remember picking against the team, and while they could still lose in theory, I also remember writing that I was probably stupid for doing it. Got to love bet-hedging. 

Thanks to blogtown.portlandmercury.com and DocFunk's Hilarious Tumblr for the pics.

Monday Wrap-Up

Philadelphia 73 at Miami 94

As one NFL coach legendarily ranted, “they are who we thought they were.” While Dwayne Wade had to wear goggles to ward off migraines, Lebron and Chris both had his back, and like was predicted to start the series, Miami looked like they had very little trouble blowing an extremely overmatched Philadelphia squad off the court. With Miami posting one of the best road records in the NBA this year, its possible that my pick of Miami in 5 might be giving Philly too much credit.

Indiana 90 at Chicago 96

While Chicago did pull out the win again, and the supporting cast did look better, I still feel like there is blood in the water.

Bulls Beat Pacers To Go Up 2-0: Chicago Needs to Turnover A New Leaf

            The Chicago Bulls won a hard fought game by only six points tonight, and while they did pull out the win to take a 2-0 lead in the series, in the process they have revealed that maybe they aren’t the postseason juggernaut most of us thought they were. Conversely, the Indiana Pacers showed the world that though might have the worst record of any team in this years playoffs, they are perhaps only a year or two of growth, or one or two offseason moves from having a contender of their own out in the corn fields.

            22 year-old expected MVP Derrick Rose finished with the Bryant-esque stat line of 36 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 steals. He was as awesome to watch as he was last game, aggressively driving the lane and making the circus layups he has become known for. His new found tool, the jump-shot, was absent for the first half and his misses (along with a couple early turnovers from Carlos Boozer) are a large reason that Bulls were playing from behind until halftime. But as the jumper started falling in the third, and the Bulls started moving the ball better and getting open looks, Chicago was able to tip the scales just barely in their favor to win the game in the second half.

            D-Rose was not without help like he was last game, however. Carlos Boozer actually decided that stupid fouls were stupid. This revelation meant that he actually got to stay on the court tonight, logging a staggering 42 minutes rather than his pathetic Game 1 showing of only 26 minutes. The increased time translated into increased production (ain’t it funny how that works?), and The Booze finished with a nice little double-double of 17 points and 16 rebounds. Third option Luol Deng chipped in 14 points and 6 rebounds of his own, Noah contributed 10 rebounds despite limited time dues his own foul woes, and Kyle Korver threw another signature dagger.

            So why was this game so close? The Bulls turned over the ball 22 times. I’ll let that sink in. That’s amazing. I’m not even mad. To give credit where credit is due, the Pacers did steal the ball 13 times, and showed flashed of a brilliant defense in the works. Other times though, the Bulls left you scratching their heads. Carlos Boozer called for the ball then quit looking for it, looking puzzled as it sailed past him. Kurt Thomas passed the ball to the nice gentleman at the scorer’s table.

            But although the Bulls played a haphazard game, the Pacers couldn’t take advantage to score a W. Some of this was due to some bad luck. It should be noted that starting point guard Darren Collison left the game about 2 minutes before the half with a sprained ankle, and towards the end of the telecast, the team was listing him as day to day. His replacement AJ Price performed admirably in his absence, scoring 13 points while going 2-4 from downtown, but he also turned the ball over 5 times. If Collison is unable to go for the remainder of the series, Price will have to keep a handle on the ball to give his team a chance.

            The Pacers effort was excellent, scoring their points on crisp ball movement (22 assists on 32 made FG’s) in a valiant effort to thwart the league’s best defense. While Price and Danny Granger (19 pts) were the only two people to score in double digits, everyone else on the team save for Brandon Rush scored 5 or more, and this is one of the only ways to frustrate the Bull’s D, which relies on strong help defense. The one area where Indiana was lacking, however, was on the glass, getting out rebounding 24-37 and allowing an unacceptable 20 offensive rebounds.

            This series has now gone 2-2 on producing awesome games, and with the series going to Indiana for Game 3, it will be interesting to see if the Pacers can finally find a way to close the deal on the East’s best regular season team. With precisely no one figuring Frank Vogel’s crew had the slightest chance to even win one game, you have to wonder if they will be able to solve the Bull’s riddle with an electric Indiana crowd behind them at Conseco Fieldhouse.

            Key Moment:

            After Kyle Korver hit his second dagger three in as many playoff games with roughly 1:05 to go, Indiana came back down the court looking to answer. Roy Hibbert ended up being called on an offensive foul that was, well, questionable. I didn’t think anything Hibbert did warranted a foul, and neither did the telecasting team. Now the difference between good teams and great teams is that great teams don’t get in positions for refs to decide games, but this call, combined with Korver’s shot, took the remaining air out the Pacer’s sails.

            What it Means for the Bulls:

            The Bulls should feel worse than any team ever to win two straight playoff games. First Rose gets little help when winning Game 1 nearly on his own, and tonight, contributes 6 turnovers to his team’s ridiculous total of 22. Now the Bulls can probably still sneak by the Pacers in five or six games, tops, but rest assured, if you give Miami or Boston 22 turnovers or allow them to load up on Rose, they can and will beat you.

            What it Means for the Pacers:

            It has got to feel awful to give away two completely winnable games when everyone had written you off before the series started. Any chance of Indiana making a go of this relies very heavily on them looking at this as “we just nearly beat the best team in the conference twice” as opposed to “no matter what we do Rose will murder us in the fourth, and now we are down 2-0.” Whatever happens, people should be scared of this team next season.

Lebron's Decision, and the Decisions of Others

            Its just business.

            This is a sentiment echoed endlessly all over the NBA and NFL every year as players are traded, cut, and leave in free agency. And it is business, to be sure. The only way to win is to build the best roster of players that you can. The only way to keep winning is to trade and negotiate players with skill to keep your team relevant as long as possible, and to squeeze as much production as you can out of your million dollar payroll. The life of a general manager in professional sports is one of endless analysis, endless pushing to get better and stay better, and cold, calculating decisions. If you let emotion dictate how you run your team, you can rest assured; you won’t be running it very long.

            But to say it is just business is a bit of a half-truth. Anyone who has ever had to change jobs and leave town or been transferred to another branch can tell you, far more than your professional life is affected. Everything, where you eat, where you sleep, whom you hang out with changes. It is almost always difficult.

            Earlier this season, right before the trade deadline, Boston GM Danny Ainge worked out a deal with Oklahoma’s Sam Presti that sent life-long Celtic Kendrick Perkins in a southern direction. The business thinking behind this was mostly solid. The Celtic’s cap space was tapped. Perk’s contract was running out, and the team was scared they would lose him in free agency for nothing. This way, it wasn’t a total loss.

            The reality was something quite different. If you catch the episode of “The Association” where the trade goes down, I recommend you have a box of Kleenex ready. I almost needed some, and I’m not even a Celtics fan.

            Perkins had played his entire career in Boston at this point. He had won one title, been to two Finals. His home, his life, was in Boston. The Celtics, point guard Rajon Rondo in particular, were some of his best friends in the world. Kendrick said himself he looked at them like brothers, not teammates. Doc Rivers said that his and Perk’s relationship was much closer to that of father-son than coach-player. You could tell by Rondo’s play after the trade that something was definitely bothering him. On the show mentioned above, you see Perkins, a giant man known for scowling people out of the paint, cry over the news.

            In the sense of fairness, I should point out that Ken was not exactly traded to some crazy basketball version of Siberian jail, or worse, the Timberwolves. The Oklahoma City Thunder is a team on the rise. If I were a betting man, I would put a paycheck on them representing the Western Conference in the Finals in the next three years. Maybe even this year. But if you think that Perkins would rather be in Oklahoma and not Massachusetts, you are just plain wrong.

            Rewind a few months.

            A little known player by the name of Lebron James had just announced he would be taking his talents to South Beach during a one-hour special on ESPN. By the reaction, you’d have thought that he had announced that he obtained his otherworldly skills by making a deal with the devil, and that they were only sustainable by eating a puppy every full moon.

            Now I’ll be honest. The way he handled breaking the news…well lets just say that could have been handled better. He failed to inform the Cavaliers that he was leaving until hours before he went on camera. The Decision itself was the first show of its kind, and I would highly doubt it will be imitated anytime soon. The entire thing, giant charity donation or no, came across as overly dramatic, ego-fueled, and honestly just plain tacky.

            It’s the hatred he received, and still receives, that leaves me scratching my head. I can sort of understand Cleveland’s ire, what with James being the homegrown hero, the Chosen One destined to lead the city to its first professional sports title since far before I was born.

            But from the rest of the world? I mean, come on, the guy took a contract well below his market value to become part of a core of players that could legitimately have a shot at winning multiple titles. Every player in the NBA says that winning is their main concern, but when contract time comes around, nearly all of them sing a different tune. You can trot out the whole collusion angle, but after reports of Chris Paul toasting to joining Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire in New York to form their own Big Three surfaced, and no one called him a rule-breaking ring-chaser.

            What it comes down to is this: Lebron exercised his free agent rights to put himself in the best position he could to win a title. After several years of playing in Cleveland, the best number two scoring options they could deliver were Larry Hughes and Mo Williams. Maybe Shaq should also be in there. These people as the second option do not a contender make. Many of the front office maneuvers were questionable to say the least. So he left.

            I submit to you a hypothetical situation. Maybe Lebron has a couple of season ending injuries during his time in Cleveland. Maybe he doesn’t become the best basketball player in the league. Maybe the Cavs miss the playoffs two years in a row despite him playing his heart out. Do you really think then-GM Danny Ferry doesn’t consider trading Lebron at any point to put his team in a better position, especially if he thinks that The King will leave when his contract expires?

            Kendrick Perkins knows the answer to that question.

            At the end of the day, I don’t believe Lebron James is not some basketball villain. I don’t believe he is an underhanded cheater who is ruining the integrity of the game.  I believe he is a good guy who made a decision to switch jobs, so he could try to get more fulfillment out of his career. Maybe you believe differently, and that is completely fine. You can hate Lebron for The Decision as much as you want.

            But it is foolish, not to mention hypocritical, to hate him for making his own decision.

Sunday Wrap-Up

Memphis 101 at San Antonio 98

Oh, the drama. The Grizz took full advantage of the Spurs lack of Manu, and looked great in doing it. Knowing the Spurs have a lack of size outside of Timmy D, they gave the ball to their two man wrecking crew of Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph, who bullied their way to a combined 49 points and 20 rebounds. The Spurs balanced attack and great defense by the backcourt kept them in this one, and Tony Parker’s attacking the rim starting earlier could have resulted in a win. But a late three from Shane Battier was the dagger.

New Orleans 109 at Los Angeles 100

Chris Paul put up an eye popping 33 points, 14 assists,  7 rebounds, and 4 steals on his way to slicing and dicing the Lakers’ defense, and reminding everyone that he is still the league’s top point guard. Kobe Bryant got his, netting 34 points on 50% shooting, and being the main focus of L.A.’s second half rally. To win game 2, the Lakers will definitely need to get more production out of Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol, who only netted 8 pts and 6 rebs, and were outplayed by Carl Landry and Aaron Gray. Emeka Okafor was in foul trouble for basically all game.

Denver 103 at Oklahoma City 107

Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant combined for over 70 points, and they looked great. However, they were pretty much the only ones on the team that did. With only Eric Maynor (12) as the only other member of the Thunder scoring in double figures, OKC will have to balance their attack out a little more in order to hang with a fast, scrappy, scary Denver team that with no clear stars, just lets everyone kick at you a little bit. As predicted, this game was a blast to watch.

New York 85 at Boston 87

This game, however, was not so fun to watch, other than the thrilling conclusion.  Check out more details here.

Boston over New York 87-85: Heinously Ugly Basketball

            It was by no means pretty, but the Boston Celtics pulled it out today with an 87-85 victory over the New York Knicks in the Garden. Mean Green needed every bit of their veteran experience to get out of this one with the W, with the Knicks taking control early with a twelve point lead and playing some uncharacteristically tough defense in their losing effort.

            Everyone has been waiting to see how these new-look Knicks would do in the playoffs, and the with one game as an indicator, it seems like they are definitely  good enough to be a little scary. Amare Stoudemire  was a revelation, finishing as the games high-point man with 28 efficient points ( while on route to a double-double, also contributing 11 rebounds and two blocks. Trade deadline imports Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups did not fare nearly as well scoring only 25 points combined and shooting a ghastly 8-29.

            The Celtics trailed, and seemed content to do so, for the majority of the game. People stood around watching Rondo dribble for twenty seconds, and Rondo being Rondo, the Knicks were more than willing to give him the space to shoot.  He finished with 10 points, on 5-14, but as is also the case with Rondo, his real contribution came with his 9 rebounds and 9 assists.

            Kevin Garnett finished with a 15-13 double-double, and he and Paul Pierce (18 pts) both looked like some extra time at shoot-around would have worked wonders. I especially noticed KG missing a number of wide open jumpers that are normally one of his specialties in this offense.

            However, the last of Boston’s Big 3 and the NBA’s reigning three-point leader had an excellent game, netting himself 24 points and 6 rebounds. And though Allen did win the game for the Celtics with his excellent shooting from beyond the arc, nailing the game winning three-pointer for approximately the three millionth time in his career, what impressed me more than anything was his driving to the rim. Ray Allen converted 3 of 5 attempts at the basket, getting an and-one foul attempt on his way to doing so. Without Ray Allen, the Celtics lose this game by at least ten.

            Another huge part of the Celtic rally was…wait for it…. Jermaine O’Neal. Yes, you read that right. Jermaine O’Neal. As in Zombie Jermaine O’Neal. He totally ate the brains of the Knicks tonight,  and it’s a good thing too. With Shaquille O’Neal sidelined with a foot injury, and Glen Davis chipping in only 2 points and shooting 1-8 on the night, the Celtics frontcourt was sorely lacking. Jermaine’s better-than-advertised defense (4 blocks) and super-efficient scoring (6-6 for 12 points) along with his three offensive rebounds (4 total) were instrumental in keeping the Celtics in this game. With help from Ray Allen, Jermaine O’Neal woke a snoozing Boston offense back up in the third and got them playing something resembling  quality basketball again.

            With Game 2 looming, it will definitely be interesting to see what veteran coaches Doc Rivers and Mike D’antoni draw up to try to win this game. This game definitely taught us that if you don’t come ready to play, these new-look Knicks can put you on the ropes. Mean Green better be ready the next time they take the court at the garden.

            Key Moment:

            With about 7:45 left to play in third, Jermaine O’Neal gets a block on the defensive end, then nets a pretty two points on an assisted jumper in the paint. After this, everyone wearing a green jersey seems a little more alert and focused, and the off-ball movement and airtight tight defense this team is known for starts to show its face again. Basketball being a sport heavily based on momentum, inspired play by Jermaine during this stretch got the C’s locked in and ready to win again.

            What it Means for Boston:

            Boston got away with one tonight, and they know it. I would expect to see them come out swinging in Game 2, and try to put it away early. If there was any thought in the C’s mind that they could play any less than 100% and still beat this Knicks team handily, they definitely know better now. Many people, including myself, are giving the Celtics zero chance to make a title run this year, and with the loss of Perkins, they are going to have to play as hard as they can every night to prove us wrong.

            What it Means for New York:

            New York did not play well offensively at all tonight, other than Stoudemire, and still was one Ray Allen dagger away from stealing their first playoff game in a hostile environment. How did they do that? Defense. I know, I know, its just one game, and its not like the Celt’s offense was some well-oiled machine, but still. If Melo takes fewer bad shots, and Chauncey hits his open looks, and the Knicks play defense, then they can compete with any team in the league. A lot of ifs there, but make no mistake, if this team play up to its potential, they are very dangerous.

Saturday Wrap-Up

Indiana 99 vs. Chicago 104

Indiana dominated in this game. All the way. Until there was a minute left. At that point, Derrick Rose said no, making several out of this world catches and delivering the ball to a wide open Kyle Korver to take the lead. Tyler Hansbrough and Roy Hibbert made it a habit to exploit Carlos "Saloon Door" Boozer, even though Hansbrough was almost knocked out by a stray elbow at one point. There is blood in the water for Chicago, however, as this is a game they should win at home with no trouble. We will have to see if D-Rose really has the goods to carry an offense in the days to come.

Philadelphia 89 at Miami 97

Another game that should have been won much more handily than it was. Philly should not be able to hang with Miami at all. But if you've watched the Heat, you know that they have a tendency to blow opponents out in the second and third quarters, and then let them try to come back and win in the fourth. This should stop. We shall see. At the end of the day, when the Heatles' Big three combine to score 63 points, the Boshtritch scores 25 points and 12 rebounds, and Wade realizes that he is the real closer on the team, the Heat are tough to beat, even if they do check out mentally for a while.

Atlanta 103 at Orlando 93

If you were told on Friday that Dwight Howard would have 30 at halftime, would you have thought for a moment that the Magic would lose? Well they did. Dwight showed everyone for the millionth time why is the reigning king NBA centers in the first half, before Atlanta finally were able to slow him down in the second, only to give up 20+ points to Jameer Nelson instead. The Hawks still coasted to an easy win by playing like something resembling a basketball team. Maybe the Magic will wake up and realize they went to the Finals a couple years ago, but if they don't, that suits Joe Johnson just fine.

Portland 81 at Dallas 89

In my game of the night, Dallas won a hard fought game, taking back a lead in the fourth after a ten minute lull. In short, Dirk did Dirk things.

Dallas over Portland 89-81 to Take Game 1, or, Dirking Around Like a Little Kidd

            Though I picked against them, make no mistake, the Mavericks are a team stacked with veterans. If you let everyone they put on the court score against you, most of them multiple times, you are going to have a bad time. Though the Trailblazers are by no means new to the playoffs, this is a very different team this year, and tonight’s game showed it.

            Their three-ball was not falling at all, shooting a paltry 12.6% from beyond the arc and hitting only 2 of 16 attempts. There was a free throw disparity as well (13 to 29 free throws attempted), but we all know the aggressive team gets the calls, and the Mavs made the vast majority of their attempts count, shooting 86.3%. With the way the game ended, if the Blazers had hit 11 instead of 9 attempts, this becomes a very different ballgame.

            The defensive effort could definitely use some work as well, young hot shot Aldridge and perhaps-a-little-too-veteran Marcus Camby gave up the paint to undersized guards JJ Barea and Jason Terry a lot in the second quarter, resulting in foul shots 6-8 FT shooting for Terry.  They over-helped and failed to recover many times on the perimeter, resulting in easy looks for the Mavs, who shot better than 52% from downtown, and netted 30 points in the process.

            Which brings us to Jason Kidd, who is the only reason that the Mavs were in position to retake the lead in the fourth. The veteran point guard shot 60% from outside while en route to 24 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals. While he posted the worst stats of his career this year, Kidd played like he was ten years younger tonight, and if fellow veteran Andre Miller can’t find a way to check him, then this series will get ugly quick.

            And then, of course, there is the big German. Dirk finished the night with 28 points, 18 of which came in the fourth quarter, which should come as no surprise for a 7-footer who’s clutch-ness is legendary. Before that, he had had pretty pedestrian game (other than ten rebounds) after trading some early buckets with LaMarcus Aldridge.

            Aldridge was as good as advertised, hitting 12 of 20 baskets on his way to 27 points and six rebounds. At least ten of the points came from alley-oops, and to be sure, this was one fun game to watch. This Portland team obviously has wonderful potential, and with a little more mental toughness, can still upset the veteran Mavericks.

            But it will be an uphill battle.

Key Moment:

            With about 6:15 remaining in the game, Brandon Roy throws a pass under the goal to Nicolas Batum for a beautiful jam. On the Dallas’ next possession, Gerald Wallace intercepts a Kidd pass to initiate a fast break going the other way. Wallace passes to Roy, who bobbles the catch and turns it over out of bounds. With Kidd hitting a jumper a little while before, and Dirk starting to warm up, the combo of  dunk-steal-lay-in at this point might have helped give the Blazers enough confidence to weather the storm. I know I mentally called the game at this point.

What it Means for Portland:

            This is definitely a gut check for this young Portland team, but there are several positives that they could, and should, take away from this.  They had a team that always makes the play offs, and always wins 50 games to get there, on the ropes towards the end of this game. A couple more three balls fall, a little bit better defense on Kidd, and they walk out off Dallas’s court with a win.  This will be an interesting series to watch, especially when it goes back to Portland, a terrifying place for visitors to play.

What it Means for Dallas:

            Always good when you can win a game at home to open the playoffs, and help shut up the people who call you soft (not me) and say you will lose in the first round (totally me). Kidd looked great, and if he sustains even close to this level of play and Terry chips in just a little more, then this team could still give the Lakers or anyone else they play in the West (or East) hell.

           

Western Conference Playoff Preview, or Mambas, Durantulas, and Grizzlies, Oh My!

            1)San Antonio Spurs vs. 8)Memphis Grizzlies

            So apparently the Grizzlies wanted this matchup, resting key pieces Tony Douglas and Zach Randolph in a matchup with the Trailblazers that could have helped them jump both Portland and New Orleans for the six seed and a date with the Mavs, which is the best matchup for any underdog in the west. So instead, they play the Spurs. As in multiple championship winning Spurs. Risky strategy.

            Spurs coach Greg Popovich altered his rotations and pace of play for the regular season to get his one seed, presumably to keep veterans Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobli, and Tony Parker fresh for the playoffs. Other than a hiccup with Manu getting injured in the game vs. the Lakers, this worked beautifully. But what a hiccup.

            Manu is the third best shooting guard in the league, losing out only to D-Wade and Kobe. He is listed as doubtful for game one. If he doesn’t make it back for game two, this could get ugly. I have to give the Memphis frontcourt a slight advantage here, no matter how many rings Timmy D has. The Big Fundamental is getting on up there, and Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph have been playing very well.

            Of course, the Grizz is missing dynamic scorer Rudy Gay and his nearly twenty points a game, so they are still going to need great play from Mike Conley and OJ Mayo to make this a fight.

            Bottom line? Pop is one of the best coaches ever to grace the league with his presence. Choosing to meet him in the first round is foolhardy at best, suicidal at worst. This could go to six, maybe, but hey, at least the Grizz finally win a playoff game!

            Prediction: Spurs in five.

            2)Los Angeles Lakers vs. 7)New Orleans Hornets

            Lets get this out of the way: I hate Kobe Bryant. This is due to a combination of me loving Lebron, and a certain overzealous Lakers fan I know. But dear sweet Lord, is he good. Remember the scene at the end of Anchorman where Wes Mantooth pulls Ron out of the bear pit? “I hate you with every fiber of my being, but man, do I respect you.” That’s me and Kobe. Except I doubt I’ll have to pull him out of a bear pit any time soon.

            But my personal feeling aside, this will be a slaughter. The Hornets were a very good basketball team during the season, with Emeka Okafor fueling a stout defense and still-the-best-point-guard Chris Paul dishing assists to anyone with a pulse. A good offense, however, needs more than a point guard, it needs a scorer, and the Hornets resident scorer, David West, injured himself nailing a buzzer beater (to force overtime, no less) several weeks ago against the Jazz.

            Meanwhile, Kobe, Pau, and Ron loom, hell bent on defending a ring. I could gush about Kobe’s indomitable will, Phil’s unmatchable intellect, of the fact that Andrew Bynum is healthy, but if you have watched 10 minutes of ESPN in the last week, you already know all of that. This team has a tendency not to lose in playoff series’, to say the least.

            Chris Paul will need a prayer to win a game. He’ll need nothing less than Divine Intervention to win the series.

            Prediction: Lakers in four.

            3)Dallas Mavericks vs. 6)Portland Trailblazers

            Poor Dirk Nowitzky. His team acquires Tyson Chandler and brings back Caron Butler to add to Jason Terry, Jason Kidd, and himself. Caron Butler performs well. Chandler becomes a force, transforming the defense of the team. Then Dirk goes down. As he comes back, Butler is hit with a season ending injury. And now a team that was a trendy early season pick to reach the Finals is being looked at as ripe for an upset,

            Enter the Blazers. The team that absolutely refuses to die. Left with the reality that Brandon Roy will never be the game-changer he once was, and Greg Oden isn’t walking through the door anytime soon, Portland did what it does best: adapt.

            Andre Miller,  Gerald Wallace, and LaMarcus Aldridge combine with Nicolas Batum, Rudy Fernandez, Marcus Camby, and whatever Roy has left to make a hell of a scary basketball team. This is exactly the matchup they wanted. This is exactly the matchup Dallas didn’t want.

            Of course,  Dallas will not just give it to them. Dirk wants a ring. More than that, he doesn’t want to get upset in the first round, an upsetting trend. He knows something will force Cuban to take drastic measures if this team underperforms again. Still, if there is an upset to be had in first round of this years play offs, this is it.

            So, in summary, Dirk is hungry, but can’t catch a break. Portland has proven they don’t need one. Here’s where I look stupid.

            Prediction: Trailblazers in seven.

            4)Oklahoma City Thunder vs. 5)Denver Nuggets

            So you trade your best player, and the team actually gets better you say? How does that happen?  Simple. You have George Karl. Honestly though, with ‘Melo gone, and the stellar collection of role players no longer held hostage, Karl was free to coach a team to 16-6 since the beginning of March.

            The team is playing wonderful, with Nene and JR Smith as the leading men, as far as there are any. Nene is having an amazingly efficient season, shooting .651 from the field, and JR Smith is shooting .410 from three entering the season.

            And then there is the Thunder, this year’s trade deadline winner after snagging defensive big man specialist Kendrick Perkins. The acquisition turns the Thunder into a downright scary defensive team, with Serge Ibaka now granted more freedom to block and alter shots all over the floor as a more free-roamer type then he has been. Not to mention we have all seen what Durant can do on the defensive end.

            Speaking of the league’s leading scorer, the Nugget’s will need to find some way to curb his 27.7 points a game. Their best hope? Daring Russell Westbrook to beat them. While Westbrook’s athleticism serves him well in getting to the hole, and his shooting averages are up, his decision making has seemed a little suspect recently.

            This definitely should be the most fun series out west, but when the dust settles, the Thunder roll.

            Prediction: Thunder in six.