The Western Conference has a lot of teams to keep an eye on and any one of them has an opportunity to make it to the NBA Finals. Just like the East, there are big name players that will impact new teams like the Houston Rockets who added Dwight Howard and the Golden State Warriors bringing in Andre Iguodala. Russell Westbrook will miss some time for the Oklahoma City Thunder while recovering from knee surgery, so it will be interesting to see if he'll be 100% when he returns. The Los Angeles Clippers didn't make any roster changes but did trade for a head coach as Doc Rivers will try to lead this talented bunch to the finals. Speaking of Los Angeles, the Lakers will likely miss the playoffs as Kobe Bryant will be out an extended amount of time after tearing his Achilles. As for the San Antonio Spurs, well, they are still the Spurs.
Western Conference Contenders
San Antonio Spurs - The Spurs are the NBA version of the New England Patriots. They are the one team that you can never count out even if their superstars are another year older. The core of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, and head coach Gregg Popovich will always be a title contender for as long as they are together. However, last year we saw the emergence of two key younger players in Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green. Both played huge roles in the Spurs making the NBA Finals and pushing the Miami Heat to a game 7. I talked about Leonard in my 2013-14 NBA Awards Predictions as a possible winner of the Most Improved award. A lot of this rests on the shoulders of Manu Ginobili because if Coach Pop cuts his minutes down because of a poor 2012-13 season, Leonard will be the beneficiary. Danny Green made a splash in the playoffs, especially in the finals, with his three-point shooting. If he can continue that pace into this season we can expect to see the Spurs playing for another title.
Houston Rockets - The most intriguing team in the Western Conference has to be the Houston Rockets. Last year they added James Harden in a blockbuster trade with Oklahoma City and this year they grabbed Dwight Howard in free agency. Harden has quickly turned himself into the best shooting guard in the league after one year of starting. The question now is, which Dwight Howard will they get? The early Orland Magic Howard that dominanted the game and had fun doing it? Or, the late Magic and Los Angeles Lakers Howard that complained about his coach and situation on the court? I think it will be the former. Howard seems to be excited to join a player like Harden and will get back to being a dominant force in the paint. One thing to watch is how much head coach Kevin McHale will use the twin towers of Howard and 7-footer Omer Asik. Asik was a pleasant surprise averaging 10.1 points and 11.7 boards a year ago but was a little hesitant to invite Howard to Houston as he thought his minutes might get reduced. I think McHale is a great coach to have in this situation because he formed his own version of twin towers when he played in Boston with fellow hall of famer Robert Parish. One secret to this team's success is swingman Chandler Parsons. Parsons is one of the most underrated players in the NBA. He averaged 15.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and adds another shooter to floor hitting two triples a game last year. If Howard and Harden can co-exist as superstars in H-town they have the right role players to get this team to the Finals.
Oklahoma City Thunder - When Russell Westbrook went down in the playoffs a year ago I was amazed how much this team struggled, especially Kevin Durant. The Thunder were 3-6 without Westbrook, and we saw Durant's points and field goal attempts go up while all of his shooting percentages went way down. The cause of this was he started to force things and take a lot of bad shots. Once Westbrook gets back into the action we'll have to see if his explosiveness will still be there. He is one of the best athletes in the league and relies on that athleticism to outplay his opponents. For this team to be great they need Westbrook, unless they get more out of Serge Ibaka or if Jeremy Lamb steps into a scoring role. Durant showed us in the playoffs he can't do it himself and this team lacks scoring depth. If Westbrook is slowed down by his knee injury, OKC might have a difficult time in a competitive Western Conference.
Los Angeles Clippers - Rarely do you see a team trade for a coach but that's exactly what the Clippers did to get Doc Rivers. They felt they had the right talent, but Vinny Del Negro was not the right man. It's tough to argue that when you have the best point guard in the NBA with Chris Paul and a great young, athletic front court in Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan but fail to make a deep run in the playoffs. We know what to expect from Paul. He's always among the league leaders in assists and steals, as well as a clutch performer. Griffin has seen his points and rebounds drop consistently over his first three years with the Clips but that isn't a bad thing because they've been winning. He should be a 20 point, 10 rebound guy year in and year out as he continues to improve his offensive game. Jordan is a great finisher around the rim, just ask Brandon Knight, but should be a better rebounder. The "other guys" are led by Jamal Crawford, who is one of the best sixth men in the league and a great scorer. J.J. Redick and Jared Dudley come in and add excellent outside shooting to the starting lineup. The Clippers are a popular pick by many experts to make the NBA Finals but they need to find a way to win in the playoffs as they haven't made it past the conference semis yet.
Golden State Warriors - Stephen Curry is no question the best three-point shooter in the NBA. For hard evidence check out these graphs on a Deadspin Regressing article. Basically it says nobody else comes close to Steph from beyond the arc. Last year he set the record for made three-pointers in a single season with 272 and don't be surprised if he doesn't try to better that this year. His back court mate Klay Thompson isn't too bad either from downtown. Thompson likes to launch it as well and if improves on a his 40% from deep a year ago this could be the most deadly back court tandem ever. Swingman Andre Iguodala, who came over after one year with the Denver Nuggets, will provide a great perimeter defender and a guy that can do it all. Iguodala is a player that thrives as a third or fourth option on a team. He's a decent scorer that can distribute and rebound. Down low, David Lee is capable of 20-10 but doesn't play much defense and Andrew Bogut has a hard time staying healthy. Their problem is depth. After losing bench leader Jarret Jack to the Cavs in free agency, they are left with Harrison Barnes to provide scoring for the second unit. There were able to make the playoffs and beat the Nuggets in the first round a year ago. In order to make it further they need to play better defense and get some production from their bench.
Memphis Grizzlies - Memphis made the Western Conference Finals last year after disposing of the Clippers in six and the Thunder in five. They are known as one of the best defensive teams in the league and have the reigning defensive player of the year in Marc Gasol. Their biggest difference was getting rid of head coach Lionel Hollins and replacing him with first year man David Joerger. Joerger was an assistant with the team so you hope he still installs the same type of defense that Hollins had as that's what won them most of their games. Along with Gasol, Zach Randolph has been producing less the past three seasons. Look for point guard Mike Conley to finally take over as leading scorer, building off a solid postseason performance. Tony Allen remains one of the best perimeter defenders in the league and, along with Gasol, will make sure the Grizzlies bring the intensity on that end of the court night in and night out. I would say Memphis has the longest shot to go all the way, but they almost did it a year ago and have the entire team back.
Western Conference Playoff Teams
1. San Antonio Spurs
2. Houston Rockets
3. Oklahoma City Thunder
4. Los Angeles Clippers
5. Golden State Warriors
6. Memphis Grizzlies
7. Minnesota Timberwolves
8. Dallas Mavericks
Showing posts with label NBA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NBA. Show all posts
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
2013-14 NBA Awards Predictions
Here's a quick look at my predictions for the 2013-14 NBA Awards
Rookie Of The Year - Victor Oladipo
Oladipo was the second overall pick in this years draft and has the one trait that translates the easiest from college to pro ball...defense. Unless you were a prolific scorer in college it usually takes a year or two to be able to put up numbers in the NBA, but defense is all about effort. And every coach will always leave a guy on the court if he plays good D. Also, remember this is a guy that shot 60% from the field and 44% from three-point range his last year at Indiana so he has the ability to score. With him being on a bad Orlando Magic team he will find a spot in the starting lineup early and continue to produce throughout the season.
Second Place: Michael Carter-Williams
Most Improved - Kawhi Leonard
We knew Leonard was a key part of the San Antonio Spurs but it wasn't until the playoffs, particularly the NBA Finals, when we saw how important he actually is to this team. In the Finals, he put up 14 points and 11 boards all while trying to contain LeBron James. With the Spurs "Big Three" getting older, especially Manu Ginobili, Leonard will be asked to continue to produce more often. He is the obvious predecessor to take over the reins of a well-rounded Spurs team. Just like Paul George transformed into a superstar a year ago for the Pacers, we will see the same from Kawhi this year.
Second Place: Andre Drummond
Sixth Man - Jamal Crawford
Is there a better pure scorer that comes off the bench than Jamal Crawford? No. It's amazing to watch this guy handle the ball and tear apart second units. He's 33 years old and in his 14th season but can still put up points with the best of them. He doesn't give you much on the defensive end and that has probably kept him from winning more sixth man awards, but this year he will add to his 2010 honors.
Second Place: J.R. Smith
Coach Of The Year - Kevin McHale
If Kevin McHale is able to control the emotions of Dwight Howard this team has the ability to challenge for the Western Conference title. Houston has all the tools in their starting lineup to produce and it's all up to the coach to harness those efforts. McHale had the Rockets scoring 106 points per game a season ago, good for second in the NBA. With the presence of Howard they have the potential to be a good defensive team as well.
Second Place: Mark Jackson
Defensive Player Of The Year - Roy Hibbert
One of the few true center's in the NBA showed his growth in the 2012-13 playoffs and will turn into a dominant force for the 2013-14 campaign. His blocks have gone up every year as pro and he finished with 2.6 last season. I expect his numbers to rise in all aspects of his game and if he gets to 12 boards and three blocks per game he'll be a lock for this award.
Second Place: Dwight Howard
Most Valuable Player - LeBron James
It's hard to pick anybody else. LeBron James has won the last two MVP awards because his game is still improving. In three years with the Heat his shooting percentages, rebounds and assists have increased while his turnovers have decreased. Kevin Durant is right on his heels after posting the elusive 50-40-90 (FG%, 3P%, FT%) season but still has a little work to do to surpass James. LBJ tries to improve a different aspect of his game each offseason and it will be interesting to see what he has in store for us in the 2013-14 season.
Second Place: Kevin Durant
Rookie Of The Year - Victor Oladipo
Oladipo was the second overall pick in this years draft and has the one trait that translates the easiest from college to pro ball...defense. Unless you were a prolific scorer in college it usually takes a year or two to be able to put up numbers in the NBA, but defense is all about effort. And every coach will always leave a guy on the court if he plays good D. Also, remember this is a guy that shot 60% from the field and 44% from three-point range his last year at Indiana so he has the ability to score. With him being on a bad Orlando Magic team he will find a spot in the starting lineup early and continue to produce throughout the season.
Second Place: Michael Carter-Williams
Most Improved - Kawhi Leonard
We knew Leonard was a key part of the San Antonio Spurs but it wasn't until the playoffs, particularly the NBA Finals, when we saw how important he actually is to this team. In the Finals, he put up 14 points and 11 boards all while trying to contain LeBron James. With the Spurs "Big Three" getting older, especially Manu Ginobili, Leonard will be asked to continue to produce more often. He is the obvious predecessor to take over the reins of a well-rounded Spurs team. Just like Paul George transformed into a superstar a year ago for the Pacers, we will see the same from Kawhi this year.
Second Place: Andre Drummond
Sixth Man - Jamal Crawford
Is there a better pure scorer that comes off the bench than Jamal Crawford? No. It's amazing to watch this guy handle the ball and tear apart second units. He's 33 years old and in his 14th season but can still put up points with the best of them. He doesn't give you much on the defensive end and that has probably kept him from winning more sixth man awards, but this year he will add to his 2010 honors.
Second Place: J.R. Smith
Coach Of The Year - Kevin McHale
If Kevin McHale is able to control the emotions of Dwight Howard this team has the ability to challenge for the Western Conference title. Houston has all the tools in their starting lineup to produce and it's all up to the coach to harness those efforts. McHale had the Rockets scoring 106 points per game a season ago, good for second in the NBA. With the presence of Howard they have the potential to be a good defensive team as well.
Second Place: Mark Jackson
Defensive Player Of The Year - Roy Hibbert
One of the few true center's in the NBA showed his growth in the 2012-13 playoffs and will turn into a dominant force for the 2013-14 campaign. His blocks have gone up every year as pro and he finished with 2.6 last season. I expect his numbers to rise in all aspects of his game and if he gets to 12 boards and three blocks per game he'll be a lock for this award.
Second Place: Dwight Howard
Most Valuable Player - LeBron James
It's hard to pick anybody else. LeBron James has won the last two MVP awards because his game is still improving. In three years with the Heat his shooting percentages, rebounds and assists have increased while his turnovers have decreased. Kevin Durant is right on his heels after posting the elusive 50-40-90 (FG%, 3P%, FT%) season but still has a little work to do to surpass James. LBJ tries to improve a different aspect of his game each offseason and it will be interesting to see what he has in store for us in the 2013-14 season.
Second Place: Kevin Durant
Thursday, July 11, 2013
The Detroit Pistons Busy Offseaon Continues
The NBA offseason is only a few weeks old and the Detroit Pistons have already been very active. With a young team and poor results over recent years we figured some sort of shake up was bound to happen. In less than a month we've seen a coaching change, a new draft class, new blood in from the free agent pool and some other notable changes. Some have been good, some have been questionable, and some have been downright bad.
Maurice Cheeks brought in as new coach
First off let me ask, why do we always see the same head coaches getting fired and rehired in the NBA? Grantland had a great article about retread coaches and it just doesn't make sense to me. We see it every year, a coach can't succeed with his team so he gets fired but will get another shot with a new team. Then it happens again and again and again.
In eight years as a head coach with the Portland Trailblazers and Philadelphia 76ers, Mo Cheeks had a below .500 record while guiding his team to the playoffs three times and never made it out of the first round. What part of that resume shows that he is deserving of coaching this young Pistons team that is in desperate need of guidance? He isn't the worst choice they could have made but it definitely wasn't the best either. If anything Cheeks' teams underperformed with the talent he was given.
When the news came out that Phil Jackson was helping Pistons owner Tom Gores find a new head coach my first instinct was we were going after Brian Shaw. As an assistant for the Indiana Pacers, Shaw's name was being throw around as a top candidate for many head coach openings. I was really hoping the Pistons could reel him in because I'd rather see us taking a chance with new talent than a coach that has failed. Shaw ultimately took the head coach position with the Denver Nuggets after they had fired George Karl. That was another coach I would have taken. Karl was named Coach of the Year in the NBA last year and was somehow fired. Granted his playoff record isn't the greatest but he reached the post season in 22 of 25 years as a coach.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope selected 8th in the NBA Draft, along with Tony Mitchell and Peyton Siva
The NBA Draft always brings so much promise to teams because when your team has a lottery pick that player has a chance to make an immediate impact. The last four years the Pistons have had the chance to get a top 5 pick but for some reason they win too many games at the end of the year and land in the 7-10 range. When you know you have no shot at the playoffs there's no reason to win games, you might as well lose in order to get a better draft pick. The Spurs are a prime example when David Robinson when down with a season ending injury in 1996. They lost 62 games and ended up with the #1 overall pick selecting Tim Duncan in 1997 and the rest is history. Nonetheless, the Pistons haven't done too bad the last few years in the draft.
In 2010 and 2012 Detroit was lucky that Greg Monroe (7th pick) and Andre Drummond (9th pick) fell to them. Coming into this years draft I felt they desperately needed a point guard and the top three players at that position were there for the taking. But, instead Joe Dumars decided to go against the scouts and select Kentavious Caldwell-Pope with the 8th pick. In a draft full of surprises, this pick was no different.
Personally, I was hoping for either C.J. McCollum, Trey Burke, or Michael Carter-Williams, who all happened to be the next three selections. McCollum was on the top of my list, a 6'4 point guard that averaged 21 points over his four years at Lehigh. His senior year was cut short with an injury but he was on pace for his best season with 23.9 ppg while shooting 49% from the field and 51% from three point range. Also, he led Lehigh to a first round upset of the 2-seed Duke in the 2011 NCAA Tournament. Already drawing comparisons to Damian Lillard, the 2012 Rookie of the Year, he would have been a great add for a young Pistons team. Of course, Michigan's Trey Burke was the hometown pick but his size made me a little leery. Unless he's going to be the next Chris Paul, 6'0 point guards have a hard time with the size and athleticism of the NBA.
Caldwell-Pope is a 6'5 swingman out of Georgia that averaged 18.5 points per game and was named SEC player of the year after his sophomore season. That's all great, but I still don't like the pick. When you take a wing player in the top ten the last thing you want to hear is "he's not a great athlete but..." which is exactly what Jay Bilas said when describing KCP. Also, he played on a Georgia team that was below .500 in the SEC, which was the worst power conference in the country. KCP is supposed to be one of the best shooters in this years draft but his numbers say otherwise. He only shot 37% from deep and 43% from the field, which is pretty bad among college ranks. Players like KCP are a dime-a-dozen in the NBA and only a select few ever pan out. Hopefully, he proves me wrong.
Along with KCP the Pistons selected Tony Mitchell and Peyton Siva in the second round at picks 37 and 56 respectively. Mitchell, from North Texas, was one of the steals of the draft. Before the college season started, Mitchell was a projected lottery pick but under a new head coach the 6'8 forward didn't have the year everybody expected. Regardless of that, he's a great athlete with size that scouts obviously saw first round potential in this kid and to get him in the second round is a major plus. He has the opportunity to crack the rotation in his first year. As for Siva, we all saw what he did leading Louisville to the National Championship but it might take a lot for him to find a roster spot depending on how many point guards Detroit decides to keep.
Josh Smith comes in as big free agent signing and add Chauncey Billups
Every year the free agent signing period is an integral part of building a team in the offseason. For contenders you're looking to make a finals push and for bottom-feeders you're just trying to make the playoffs. The Pistons are trying to make up for spending insane amounts of money on Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva the last time they made a splash with free agent signings. So they went hard after Josh Smith from the Atlanta Hawks as soon as teams were allowed to talk to players. It didn't seem like a difficult task as they were able to agree to a $54 million, four-year contract with little resistance from either side or other teams.
As a player I really like Josh Smith a lot. Yes, his jumpshot is very erratic and he takes way more than he should (especially 3-pointers), but finishes great around the rim and he stuffs a stat sheet. He's averaged over 17 points, eight rebounds, and four assists the last four years. He's also only one of two current players averaging more than two blocks and one steal for his career, the other is 3-time defensive player of the year Dwight Howard. Not to mention he's only 27 which means he is entering the prime of his career.
Smith has plenty to offer a team in need of a low post threat but unfortunately that's not the Pistons. The biggest thing Detroit has going for them is the potential of Monroe and Drummond becoming the best front court combo in the league. Adding Smith only clogs the paint up more than it needs to be if Detroit plans on playing him at the small forward position. He has no jumper and his 3-point percentage is atrocious. On the other hand, if they plan on using him in a rotation with the other big men it might hinder the maturation of Drummond.
Another pickup for the Pistons is a man they know quite well, Chauncey Billups. The contract is for two-years with $2.5 million guaranteed in his first season back. He was originally sent away to Denver during the 2008-09 for Allen Iverson, another gem from Joe Dumars. Billups was with the Los Angeles Clippers the past two seasons but played only 42 games total due to an Achilles injury. The former NBA Finals MVP is now 36 so it's hard to expect a lot of production from him. I'm guessing this is a nostalgic signing from Dumars and also to bring in a veteran leader to help groom Brandon Knight, if he's still around.
One option Detroit has, which I think is their best, is to move Monroe to get a solid point guard or small forward. The best case scenario I can come up with is packaging Monroe with either Rodney Stuckey or possibly Knight to go after Rajon Rondo. The Celtics are in a huge rebuilding mode after shipping Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Jason Terry to Brooklyn, so they might be willing to part with Rando as well (I know he wouldn't want to stay there anyway). I know we just brought in Billups but he is not the long term solution. Like Smith, Rondo is also 27 and is coming off an ACL injury but that doesn't bother me as much as you might think. For Derrick Rose it was a huge set back because of how much he relies on his speed and quickness. Rondo on the other hand is known for finding teammates not blowing past defenders. The addition of a guy like Rondo would work well with Drummond and Smith.
Summer League provides a showcase for a young team
The Summer League is pretty much only for a few players from each team to show they deserve to make the final roster. Aside from the rookies, the player to focus on is Drummond. He has looked really good so far finishing strong around the rim, grabbing rebounds and blocking shots. In the Summer League he put up 15.5 points, 14.8 boards and 2 blocks per game. He needs to sure up his hands and do something about his free throw shooting (33% in Summer League) but he's definitely coming along well for a 19-year old. As for the new guys, KCP has struggled from the field is his first few games but picked it up lately and finished averaging 13.8 points. Mitchell has shown his great athleticism on the offensive boards as well as the defensive end. Siva has looked good running the team averaging more than five assists and less than two turnovers.
Rasheed Wallace rejoins the Pistons as an assistant
The need for Sheed is back in Detroit. Rasheed Wallace was brought in by Maurice Cheeks as an assistant coach to help with the growth of the young bigs. He will immediately have the respect and attention of the players as most of them grew up watching him play. Wallace also played under Cheeks in Portland so both know what the other brings to the table. I'm not sure how Rasheed will be as a coach, I just hope now that he's not playing his temperament has gone down and won't be getting techs from the bench.
Maurice Cheeks brought in as new coach
First off let me ask, why do we always see the same head coaches getting fired and rehired in the NBA? Grantland had a great article about retread coaches and it just doesn't make sense to me. We see it every year, a coach can't succeed with his team so he gets fired but will get another shot with a new team. Then it happens again and again and again.
In eight years as a head coach with the Portland Trailblazers and Philadelphia 76ers, Mo Cheeks had a below .500 record while guiding his team to the playoffs three times and never made it out of the first round. What part of that resume shows that he is deserving of coaching this young Pistons team that is in desperate need of guidance? He isn't the worst choice they could have made but it definitely wasn't the best either. If anything Cheeks' teams underperformed with the talent he was given.
When the news came out that Phil Jackson was helping Pistons owner Tom Gores find a new head coach my first instinct was we were going after Brian Shaw. As an assistant for the Indiana Pacers, Shaw's name was being throw around as a top candidate for many head coach openings. I was really hoping the Pistons could reel him in because I'd rather see us taking a chance with new talent than a coach that has failed. Shaw ultimately took the head coach position with the Denver Nuggets after they had fired George Karl. That was another coach I would have taken. Karl was named Coach of the Year in the NBA last year and was somehow fired. Granted his playoff record isn't the greatest but he reached the post season in 22 of 25 years as a coach.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope selected 8th in the NBA Draft, along with Tony Mitchell and Peyton Siva
The NBA Draft always brings so much promise to teams because when your team has a lottery pick that player has a chance to make an immediate impact. The last four years the Pistons have had the chance to get a top 5 pick but for some reason they win too many games at the end of the year and land in the 7-10 range. When you know you have no shot at the playoffs there's no reason to win games, you might as well lose in order to get a better draft pick. The Spurs are a prime example when David Robinson when down with a season ending injury in 1996. They lost 62 games and ended up with the #1 overall pick selecting Tim Duncan in 1997 and the rest is history. Nonetheless, the Pistons haven't done too bad the last few years in the draft.
In 2010 and 2012 Detroit was lucky that Greg Monroe (7th pick) and Andre Drummond (9th pick) fell to them. Coming into this years draft I felt they desperately needed a point guard and the top three players at that position were there for the taking. But, instead Joe Dumars decided to go against the scouts and select Kentavious Caldwell-Pope with the 8th pick. In a draft full of surprises, this pick was no different.
Personally, I was hoping for either C.J. McCollum, Trey Burke, or Michael Carter-Williams, who all happened to be the next three selections. McCollum was on the top of my list, a 6'4 point guard that averaged 21 points over his four years at Lehigh. His senior year was cut short with an injury but he was on pace for his best season with 23.9 ppg while shooting 49% from the field and 51% from three point range. Also, he led Lehigh to a first round upset of the 2-seed Duke in the 2011 NCAA Tournament. Already drawing comparisons to Damian Lillard, the 2012 Rookie of the Year, he would have been a great add for a young Pistons team. Of course, Michigan's Trey Burke was the hometown pick but his size made me a little leery. Unless he's going to be the next Chris Paul, 6'0 point guards have a hard time with the size and athleticism of the NBA.
Caldwell-Pope is a 6'5 swingman out of Georgia that averaged 18.5 points per game and was named SEC player of the year after his sophomore season. That's all great, but I still don't like the pick. When you take a wing player in the top ten the last thing you want to hear is "he's not a great athlete but..." which is exactly what Jay Bilas said when describing KCP. Also, he played on a Georgia team that was below .500 in the SEC, which was the worst power conference in the country. KCP is supposed to be one of the best shooters in this years draft but his numbers say otherwise. He only shot 37% from deep and 43% from the field, which is pretty bad among college ranks. Players like KCP are a dime-a-dozen in the NBA and only a select few ever pan out. Hopefully, he proves me wrong.
Along with KCP the Pistons selected Tony Mitchell and Peyton Siva in the second round at picks 37 and 56 respectively. Mitchell, from North Texas, was one of the steals of the draft. Before the college season started, Mitchell was a projected lottery pick but under a new head coach the 6'8 forward didn't have the year everybody expected. Regardless of that, he's a great athlete with size that scouts obviously saw first round potential in this kid and to get him in the second round is a major plus. He has the opportunity to crack the rotation in his first year. As for Siva, we all saw what he did leading Louisville to the National Championship but it might take a lot for him to find a roster spot depending on how many point guards Detroit decides to keep.
Josh Smith comes in as big free agent signing and add Chauncey Billups
Every year the free agent signing period is an integral part of building a team in the offseason. For contenders you're looking to make a finals push and for bottom-feeders you're just trying to make the playoffs. The Pistons are trying to make up for spending insane amounts of money on Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva the last time they made a splash with free agent signings. So they went hard after Josh Smith from the Atlanta Hawks as soon as teams were allowed to talk to players. It didn't seem like a difficult task as they were able to agree to a $54 million, four-year contract with little resistance from either side or other teams.
As a player I really like Josh Smith a lot. Yes, his jumpshot is very erratic and he takes way more than he should (especially 3-pointers), but finishes great around the rim and he stuffs a stat sheet. He's averaged over 17 points, eight rebounds, and four assists the last four years. He's also only one of two current players averaging more than two blocks and one steal for his career, the other is 3-time defensive player of the year Dwight Howard. Not to mention he's only 27 which means he is entering the prime of his career.
Smith has plenty to offer a team in need of a low post threat but unfortunately that's not the Pistons. The biggest thing Detroit has going for them is the potential of Monroe and Drummond becoming the best front court combo in the league. Adding Smith only clogs the paint up more than it needs to be if Detroit plans on playing him at the small forward position. He has no jumper and his 3-point percentage is atrocious. On the other hand, if they plan on using him in a rotation with the other big men it might hinder the maturation of Drummond.
Another pickup for the Pistons is a man they know quite well, Chauncey Billups. The contract is for two-years with $2.5 million guaranteed in his first season back. He was originally sent away to Denver during the 2008-09 for Allen Iverson, another gem from Joe Dumars. Billups was with the Los Angeles Clippers the past two seasons but played only 42 games total due to an Achilles injury. The former NBA Finals MVP is now 36 so it's hard to expect a lot of production from him. I'm guessing this is a nostalgic signing from Dumars and also to bring in a veteran leader to help groom Brandon Knight, if he's still around.
One option Detroit has, which I think is their best, is to move Monroe to get a solid point guard or small forward. The best case scenario I can come up with is packaging Monroe with either Rodney Stuckey or possibly Knight to go after Rajon Rondo. The Celtics are in a huge rebuilding mode after shipping Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Jason Terry to Brooklyn, so they might be willing to part with Rando as well (I know he wouldn't want to stay there anyway). I know we just brought in Billups but he is not the long term solution. Like Smith, Rondo is also 27 and is coming off an ACL injury but that doesn't bother me as much as you might think. For Derrick Rose it was a huge set back because of how much he relies on his speed and quickness. Rondo on the other hand is known for finding teammates not blowing past defenders. The addition of a guy like Rondo would work well with Drummond and Smith.
Summer League provides a showcase for a young team
The Summer League is pretty much only for a few players from each team to show they deserve to make the final roster. Aside from the rookies, the player to focus on is Drummond. He has looked really good so far finishing strong around the rim, grabbing rebounds and blocking shots. In the Summer League he put up 15.5 points, 14.8 boards and 2 blocks per game. He needs to sure up his hands and do something about his free throw shooting (33% in Summer League) but he's definitely coming along well for a 19-year old. As for the new guys, KCP has struggled from the field is his first few games but picked it up lately and finished averaging 13.8 points. Mitchell has shown his great athleticism on the offensive boards as well as the defensive end. Siva has looked good running the team averaging more than five assists and less than two turnovers.
Rasheed Wallace rejoins the Pistons as an assistant
The need for Sheed is back in Detroit. Rasheed Wallace was brought in by Maurice Cheeks as an assistant coach to help with the growth of the young bigs. He will immediately have the respect and attention of the players as most of them grew up watching him play. Wallace also played under Cheeks in Portland so both know what the other brings to the table. I'm not sure how Rasheed will be as a coach, I just hope now that he's not playing his temperament has gone down and won't be getting techs from the bench.
Thursday, June 6, 2013
NBA Finals Preview: San Antonio Spurs vs Miami Heat
The NBA Finals are here and a consistent contender in the San Antonio Spurs, match up with the defending champion, Miami Heat. The Spurs are coming off a sweep of the Memphis Grizzlies, while the Heat finished off the Indiana Pacers in a grueling 7-game series. Will the Spurs show any rust from the long layoff or will it be much needed rest for their older players? Will the Heat be tired from going the distance with the Pacers or will they find a second wind to go back-to-back. These are only a few of the questions we have before this series starts tonight.
Which Big 3 has the advantage?
The same year Miami's Big 3 were drafted in 2003, San Antonio's Big 3 were coming off their first of three championships together. Long before the term Big 3 was a cliche, the Spurs Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili made up a core that has stuck together for over 10 years. The originators will now take on the latest Big 3 to win a title in LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh.
For the Spurs, Parker seems to have turned back the hands of time and is having arguably the best season of his career. Duncan is having his best season over the past three, whereas Ginobili is have his worst year in the last three seasons. Parker has been the second best player in the playoffs and showed it against Memphis, one of the best defensive teams in the league. Parker had his way with Mike Conley and Tony Allen all series. When his jumper was off in game 2 he dished out 18 assists and in game 4 he poured in 37 points on 15-21 shooting. Duncan has been his fundamental self averaging 17.8 points and 9.2 boards in the playoffs. 20 and 10 is no longer a nightly thing for the 37 year old Duncan, but is still very possible. And after seeing what Roy Hibbert and David West did to Miami's front line, I can see Timmy producing just the same. Ginobili on the other hand could be the wild card. Besides hitting a game winning three in double overtime against Golden State, the Argentinian has been relatively quiet. At 35, he looks to be hitting a wall averaging only 11.5 points in the playoffs. But, the Finals usually bring out the best in players that have proven they don't crack under pressure.
The Heat's Big 3 is in their third year as teammates and have reached the NBA Finals for the third consecutive year. LeBron was named NBA MVP for the fourth time and like Parker, is having one of his best seasons ever. He's also been the best player in the playoffs as well and showed us in the series against the Pacers. Not only was he asked to guard Paul George, Indiana's best perimeter player, but also carry the offense because Wade and Bosh have struggled mightily. Wade has been a shell of himself scoring 14.1 ppg and only reaching 20 points twice this postseason. He missed 13 games during the year with a knee problem so maybe that's still bothering him. Whatever his issue, the Heat will need more production from Wade if they want to get past the Spurs. As for Bosh, he had a really hard time against the bigger and stronger Pacers front line and only managed 11 points and 4.3 rebounds in the series. Playing against Duncan and Tiago Splitter might help Bosh as they aren't as physical and play more of his style.
Miami's Big 3 are all around their prime age but only LeBron is playing like it. Parker and Duncan are definitely holding their own but Ginobili looks like he's lost his game. If I'm going to give an edge I'd have to give it to the Heat, but only slightly. We know LBJ is the best player on the planet, but Wade showed up in game 7 against the Pacers and I think he might have found his groove. I also don't expect Bosh to play as poorly as he has. Against the Spurs during the regular season he put up 41 points and 21 rebounds in two games.
Will LeBron James guard Tony Parker?
This is a huge question and one that could determine the outcome of this series. As we've discussed Parker has been on a tear and hasn't shown signs of slowing down. After dismantling two of the best on ball defenders in Conley and Allen he might have to contend with the most athletic player in the league. But would it be smart for James to take on Parker? For an entire game, no. Parker can run for days and with all the screens he gets it would probably tire LeBron out to be able to produce effectively on offense. There's no question he is the Heat's best defender but with how much they need him to create on offense, they can't afford James to burn himself out chasing Parker all of the court. In late game situations I expect to see this match up, but not from the jump.
Which bench will have the bigger impact?
Bench players always have an impact on every game, either in a positive or negative way. Both teams have key contributors as reserves and will need their help to win the title. Both are also thin with post players and their strongest contributors play on the outside.
San Antonio looks to Ginobili, Matt Bonner, Gary Neal, and Boris Diaw when the starters need a rest. We've talked about Ginobili already but he is the best sixth man in this series even with struggling in the playoffs so far. The reason is because he can effect the game in other ways than scoring (4.5 rpg, 5.4 apg, 1.4 spg). Bonner will never "wow" you with athleticism, like this jumpball with Zach Randolph, but he is one of the best three-point shooters in the league at 44%. Neal is a serviceable backup point guard to Parker and when given the minutes he can fill it up, as he's scored 20+ points multiple times this year. Diaw is a big body and if he's going to contribute it will be through rebounding and playmaking at the high post.
Coming off the Heat's bench is Ray Allen, Chris Andersen, Norris Cole, Shane Battier, and Mike Miller. Regulated to the bench, Allen has been up and down all year, but mostly down averaging a career low 10 points per game. He was on fire from deep in their first series against the Bucks but has faded badly until game 7 with the Pacers where he was 3-5. That's all that he offers anymore is three-point shooting and if he's off he might as well stay on the bench. Andersen, one of Shaq's favorites, has provided a huge lift for the Heat since joining the team. A friend of mine thinks he's one of the main reasons the Heat were 40-4 after he was signed in late January. There's no doubt he's helped by adding much needed rebounding to a poor rebounding team as well as a rim protector. Cole can provide defensive pressure on Parker as he was able to disrupt George Hill and DJ Augustin of the Pacers, and can knockdown 3's. Battier and Miller are one in the same. Battier might draw a charge or two but their sole responsibility is to hit open three-pointers when James or Wade drives and dishes.
I will give the advantage to the Heat because their bench can provide in more areas. The Spurs bench outside of Ginobili only offers scoring but the Heat get scoring and defense out of their reserves.
Who will control the 3-point line and rebounding?
We know that supplementing Miami's Big 3, they have surrounded them with three-point threats. Along with the bench players I just mentioned, Mario Chalmers is another guy that hit from deep and even Bosh has been knocking down 3's in the playoffs. In their meeting in San Antonio, the Heat made 12 of 28 from downtown helping them win without Wade and LeBron, 88-86. But the Spurs are an underrated three-point shooting team. Bonner, Ginobili, Danny Green, and Kawhi Leonard are all capable of getting hot from long range. Also, in the postseason the Spurs have a better three-point percentage (36.2%) than the Heat (35.6%) and San Antonio also makes more (7.4) than Miami (7.1) per game. So you might not think of the Spurs as deep threats but they have the right players to compliment Duncan and Parker's paint production.
We saw the Pacers decimate the Heat on the boards and it was no different for the Spurs in their two meetings this year. San Antonio held a 94-70 edge combined in the two games. Much like Indiana, the Spurs attack the glass in a team effort not just relying on Duncan and Splitter to grab the rebound. But, Bosh proved he can board with the Spurs and that's a huge plus. Wade also seemed to be rejuvenated in game 7 as he grabbed nine rebounds, including six offensive. It was the only game in which Miami had the rebounding advantage, so maybe that means they solved their problem on the glass.
Both are very similar in both categories but I'm going with the Spurs to control each aspect. They are sneaky good from three-point range and have great size at every position.
Who will win the series?
We still haven't seen these two teams play a legit game this year but the Heat did win both meetings. Although in game one Spurs coach Gregg Popovich sent Duncan, Parker, Ginobili, and Green back to San Antonio after the first game of a back-to-back, and Leonard was hurt. This made NBA Commissioner David Stern pretty upset. So, in the second meeting Heat coach Erik Spoelstra figured he'd sit James, Wade, and Chalmers to get back at Coach Pop. We have two games to look at to determine what will happen in this series but we really don't know what to expect when both teams match up at full strength.
However, to me the Spurs have too much experience and the best coach in the league and will pull this out. Popovich is one of the greatest coaches ever along side Phil Jackson and Red Auerbach. Pop already has four championships and except his first season and a lockout year, his team has won 50+ games every year since 1998. If this is a long series, which I think it will be, there will come a time where Popovich seriously out coaches the young Erik Spoelstra. Also, another title for Tim Duncan will solidify him as the best power forward ever and possibly the best player of his era. Not to mention, Tony Parker has reestablished himself as the best point guard in the NBA. Yes, better than Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook. Let's not forget that it was Parker who was the Finals MVP in 2007 when the Spurs swept LeBron's Cavs. James is the best player in the NBA and will be the best player in this series. But, San Antonio has the next two best players and the best coach which will be tough for King James to overcome. And don't sleep on the other starters for the Spurs. Green, Leonard, and Splitter will out perform Miami's complimentary players to take home the championship.
Spurs in 6
Which Big 3 has the advantage?
The same year Miami's Big 3 were drafted in 2003, San Antonio's Big 3 were coming off their first of three championships together. Long before the term Big 3 was a cliche, the Spurs Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili made up a core that has stuck together for over 10 years. The originators will now take on the latest Big 3 to win a title in LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh.
For the Spurs, Parker seems to have turned back the hands of time and is having arguably the best season of his career. Duncan is having his best season over the past three, whereas Ginobili is have his worst year in the last three seasons. Parker has been the second best player in the playoffs and showed it against Memphis, one of the best defensive teams in the league. Parker had his way with Mike Conley and Tony Allen all series. When his jumper was off in game 2 he dished out 18 assists and in game 4 he poured in 37 points on 15-21 shooting. Duncan has been his fundamental self averaging 17.8 points and 9.2 boards in the playoffs. 20 and 10 is no longer a nightly thing for the 37 year old Duncan, but is still very possible. And after seeing what Roy Hibbert and David West did to Miami's front line, I can see Timmy producing just the same. Ginobili on the other hand could be the wild card. Besides hitting a game winning three in double overtime against Golden State, the Argentinian has been relatively quiet. At 35, he looks to be hitting a wall averaging only 11.5 points in the playoffs. But, the Finals usually bring out the best in players that have proven they don't crack under pressure.
The Heat's Big 3 is in their third year as teammates and have reached the NBA Finals for the third consecutive year. LeBron was named NBA MVP for the fourth time and like Parker, is having one of his best seasons ever. He's also been the best player in the playoffs as well and showed us in the series against the Pacers. Not only was he asked to guard Paul George, Indiana's best perimeter player, but also carry the offense because Wade and Bosh have struggled mightily. Wade has been a shell of himself scoring 14.1 ppg and only reaching 20 points twice this postseason. He missed 13 games during the year with a knee problem so maybe that's still bothering him. Whatever his issue, the Heat will need more production from Wade if they want to get past the Spurs. As for Bosh, he had a really hard time against the bigger and stronger Pacers front line and only managed 11 points and 4.3 rebounds in the series. Playing against Duncan and Tiago Splitter might help Bosh as they aren't as physical and play more of his style.
Miami's Big 3 are all around their prime age but only LeBron is playing like it. Parker and Duncan are definitely holding their own but Ginobili looks like he's lost his game. If I'm going to give an edge I'd have to give it to the Heat, but only slightly. We know LBJ is the best player on the planet, but Wade showed up in game 7 against the Pacers and I think he might have found his groove. I also don't expect Bosh to play as poorly as he has. Against the Spurs during the regular season he put up 41 points and 21 rebounds in two games.
Will LeBron James guard Tony Parker?
This is a huge question and one that could determine the outcome of this series. As we've discussed Parker has been on a tear and hasn't shown signs of slowing down. After dismantling two of the best on ball defenders in Conley and Allen he might have to contend with the most athletic player in the league. But would it be smart for James to take on Parker? For an entire game, no. Parker can run for days and with all the screens he gets it would probably tire LeBron out to be able to produce effectively on offense. There's no question he is the Heat's best defender but with how much they need him to create on offense, they can't afford James to burn himself out chasing Parker all of the court. In late game situations I expect to see this match up, but not from the jump.
Which bench will have the bigger impact?
Bench players always have an impact on every game, either in a positive or negative way. Both teams have key contributors as reserves and will need their help to win the title. Both are also thin with post players and their strongest contributors play on the outside.
San Antonio looks to Ginobili, Matt Bonner, Gary Neal, and Boris Diaw when the starters need a rest. We've talked about Ginobili already but he is the best sixth man in this series even with struggling in the playoffs so far. The reason is because he can effect the game in other ways than scoring (4.5 rpg, 5.4 apg, 1.4 spg). Bonner will never "wow" you with athleticism, like this jumpball with Zach Randolph, but he is one of the best three-point shooters in the league at 44%. Neal is a serviceable backup point guard to Parker and when given the minutes he can fill it up, as he's scored 20+ points multiple times this year. Diaw is a big body and if he's going to contribute it will be through rebounding and playmaking at the high post.
Coming off the Heat's bench is Ray Allen, Chris Andersen, Norris Cole, Shane Battier, and Mike Miller. Regulated to the bench, Allen has been up and down all year, but mostly down averaging a career low 10 points per game. He was on fire from deep in their first series against the Bucks but has faded badly until game 7 with the Pacers where he was 3-5. That's all that he offers anymore is three-point shooting and if he's off he might as well stay on the bench. Andersen, one of Shaq's favorites, has provided a huge lift for the Heat since joining the team. A friend of mine thinks he's one of the main reasons the Heat were 40-4 after he was signed in late January. There's no doubt he's helped by adding much needed rebounding to a poor rebounding team as well as a rim protector. Cole can provide defensive pressure on Parker as he was able to disrupt George Hill and DJ Augustin of the Pacers, and can knockdown 3's. Battier and Miller are one in the same. Battier might draw a charge or two but their sole responsibility is to hit open three-pointers when James or Wade drives and dishes.
I will give the advantage to the Heat because their bench can provide in more areas. The Spurs bench outside of Ginobili only offers scoring but the Heat get scoring and defense out of their reserves.
Who will control the 3-point line and rebounding?
We know that supplementing Miami's Big 3, they have surrounded them with three-point threats. Along with the bench players I just mentioned, Mario Chalmers is another guy that hit from deep and even Bosh has been knocking down 3's in the playoffs. In their meeting in San Antonio, the Heat made 12 of 28 from downtown helping them win without Wade and LeBron, 88-86. But the Spurs are an underrated three-point shooting team. Bonner, Ginobili, Danny Green, and Kawhi Leonard are all capable of getting hot from long range. Also, in the postseason the Spurs have a better three-point percentage (36.2%) than the Heat (35.6%) and San Antonio also makes more (7.4) than Miami (7.1) per game. So you might not think of the Spurs as deep threats but they have the right players to compliment Duncan and Parker's paint production.
We saw the Pacers decimate the Heat on the boards and it was no different for the Spurs in their two meetings this year. San Antonio held a 94-70 edge combined in the two games. Much like Indiana, the Spurs attack the glass in a team effort not just relying on Duncan and Splitter to grab the rebound. But, Bosh proved he can board with the Spurs and that's a huge plus. Wade also seemed to be rejuvenated in game 7 as he grabbed nine rebounds, including six offensive. It was the only game in which Miami had the rebounding advantage, so maybe that means they solved their problem on the glass.
Both are very similar in both categories but I'm going with the Spurs to control each aspect. They are sneaky good from three-point range and have great size at every position.
Who will win the series?
We still haven't seen these two teams play a legit game this year but the Heat did win both meetings. Although in game one Spurs coach Gregg Popovich sent Duncan, Parker, Ginobili, and Green back to San Antonio after the first game of a back-to-back, and Leonard was hurt. This made NBA Commissioner David Stern pretty upset. So, in the second meeting Heat coach Erik Spoelstra figured he'd sit James, Wade, and Chalmers to get back at Coach Pop. We have two games to look at to determine what will happen in this series but we really don't know what to expect when both teams match up at full strength.
However, to me the Spurs have too much experience and the best coach in the league and will pull this out. Popovich is one of the greatest coaches ever along side Phil Jackson and Red Auerbach. Pop already has four championships and except his first season and a lockout year, his team has won 50+ games every year since 1998. If this is a long series, which I think it will be, there will come a time where Popovich seriously out coaches the young Erik Spoelstra. Also, another title for Tim Duncan will solidify him as the best power forward ever and possibly the best player of his era. Not to mention, Tony Parker has reestablished himself as the best point guard in the NBA. Yes, better than Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook. Let's not forget that it was Parker who was the Finals MVP in 2007 when the Spurs swept LeBron's Cavs. James is the best player in the NBA and will be the best player in this series. But, San Antonio has the next two best players and the best coach which will be tough for King James to overcome. And don't sleep on the other starters for the Spurs. Green, Leonard, and Splitter will out perform Miami's complimentary players to take home the championship.
Spurs in 6
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
5 Reasons Why The Indiana Pacers Could Beat The Miami Heat
The Miami Heat are the overwhelming favorite to not only represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA finals, but to take home their second consecutive championship. Last I checked, the odds for the Heat to win the title are 1/3, which means you have to bet $3 to win $1. Terrible odds when you consider that there are still multiple teams left. But it just goes to show you how pretty much everybody, even Las Vegas, expects Miami to blow past the rest of the competition.
The Heat started the playoffs by disposing of a completely out matched Milwaukee Bucks team in a clean four game sweep. Then they eased by a depleted Chicago Bulls team in five games. Now, they turn their sights on the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers are the 3-seed in the East and are the biggest long shot left to win a championship. But we've seen crazier things happen before and don't think they are just going to rollover and let Miami walk into the finals. Let's take a look at a few things Indiana has going for itself that will help them take out the mighty Heat.
1. Indiana held a 2-1 series lead last year
From the land of stats that don't but do matter comes this one. A year ago in the Eastern Conference Semis the Pacers took a 2-1 lead after a 19-point victory in Indy. During that game Lance Stephenson, at the time a seldom used bench player, gave LeBron James and the Heat the two-handed choke sign which was not received so well by the rest of the team. Stephenson is now a starter and will have to show out on the court instead of the bench this year. Miami went on to win the next three games but the Pacers showed they can hang with the Heat for half a series now it's time to show they can do it for the entire series. Just like the Pistons had to find a way past Larry Bird and the Celtics and Michael Jordan's Bulls past those same Pistons. The Pacers have a bad taste in their mouth from a year ago and have been looking forward to get another shot at LeBron and Miami.
2. The Pacers won 2 of 3 in regular season
The Pacers were only one of two teams to have a winning record against the Heat during the regular season holding a 2-1 advantage (the New York Knicks were 3-1). I know what some of you are saying "it doesn't matter because it's only the regular season", but why wouldn't it matter? Both teams had their full compliment of players, except Chris Andersen who only played in two of the games, and the games were in the heart of the season. If the Heat didn't care about winning games they wouldn't have gone on a 27 game winning streak. Do any of those wins transfer to playoff wins, no, however it gives a team confidence knowing they haven't struggled against their opponent in the most recent matchups.
3. Paul George
With Danny Granger sidelined due to injury Paul George stepped into the leading role for Indiana this season. George thrived in the situation leading the Pacers in scoring at 17.4 a game and won the NBA's Most Improved award. Not only is he looked at to lead Indiana's offense but will be the primary defender against LeBron. In the three games during the regular season George was able to hold his own against the 4-time MVP. Here's a breakdown of those games.
PTS REB AST PTS REB AST RESULT
Game 1 George 29 11 2 LBJ 22 10 4 Pacers 87-77
Game 2 George 15 6 6 LBJ 28 6 3 Pacers 102-89
Game 3 George 10 6 5 LBJ 13 6 7 Heat 105-91
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying Paul George is as good as LeBron James but he obviously has the ability to neutralize his production by matching his numbers. Ironically, the only game LeBron drastically out-performed George was the biggest margin of victory for Indiana. James is the best player on the planet but if George can get close to matching his production it gives the Pacers a great chance to take this series.
4. The Pacers were best 3-point defensive team during the regular season
LeBron, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh no doubt run the Miami Heat but they still rely on the three-point shooting of their role players. During the regular season Miami was third in three-pointers made (8.7 per game) and second in three-point percentage (39.6%). However, the Pacers ranked first in opponents three-point percentage (32.7%). It's hard enough to worry about guarding the rim against the big three but when you have to stop Shane Battier, Ray Allen, Mario Chalmers, and Norris Cole from hitting three's it's even more difficult to contain the Heat. Indiana needs to clamp down on the role players hitting big three's and there's hope for the Pacers. The big three will get theirs but it's usually one of the "other guys" that are a determining factor. In the two losses during the regular season the others scored only 11 points on 3-12 from beyond the arc in Game 1 and scored 31 with 4-11 from distance in Game 2. In the single Miami win, Chalmers and Allen alone scored 37 with 6-10 three's and the Heat as a team were able to hit 50% from deep. Not only do the Pacers guard the three well but gave up the second fewest points (90.7) and held opponents to a league best 42% from the field. Holding Miami to jump shots and forcing misses from long range will play right into the Pacers game-plan.
5. Indiana is the best rebounding team in the league
They say the Miami Heat have the most trouble against good rebounding teams. Well guess what, the Indiana Pacers averaged the most rebounds in the league during the regular season (and playoffs) at 45.9 a game. As for Miami, they ranked dead last with 38.6 per game. Rebounding is such a huge part to every game, to be able to keep possessions alive or hold your opponent to only one shot often determines the outcome. In all their meetings this year the Pacers held an edge on the boards. A big question will be how much of the game 7'2 Roy Hibbert plays. The Heat like to play small with Bosh at center and LeBron at power forward so it will be interesting to see if Pacers head coach Frank Vogel will still play Hibbert around 30 minutes a game. Even though the big man leads Indiana on the boards, he isn't the only one attacking the glass as George and Stephenson grab more than eight a game and David West hauls in 6.8 per. It's a total team effort by the Pacers which means it's going to take a total team effort by the Heat to box out and keep them off the glass.
Before you get all riled up thinking I'm taking the Pacers to beat the Heat, I'm not. Because even though Indiana has all that going for them, what Miami has is LeBron James. I do think it will be a hard fought series because there is no love lost from a physical post season meeting a year ago, but Miami is on a whole other level than every team in the east. I'll take the Heat in 6.
The Heat started the playoffs by disposing of a completely out matched Milwaukee Bucks team in a clean four game sweep. Then they eased by a depleted Chicago Bulls team in five games. Now, they turn their sights on the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers are the 3-seed in the East and are the biggest long shot left to win a championship. But we've seen crazier things happen before and don't think they are just going to rollover and let Miami walk into the finals. Let's take a look at a few things Indiana has going for itself that will help them take out the mighty Heat.
1. Indiana held a 2-1 series lead last year
From the land of stats that don't but do matter comes this one. A year ago in the Eastern Conference Semis the Pacers took a 2-1 lead after a 19-point victory in Indy. During that game Lance Stephenson, at the time a seldom used bench player, gave LeBron James and the Heat the two-handed choke sign which was not received so well by the rest of the team. Stephenson is now a starter and will have to show out on the court instead of the bench this year. Miami went on to win the next three games but the Pacers showed they can hang with the Heat for half a series now it's time to show they can do it for the entire series. Just like the Pistons had to find a way past Larry Bird and the Celtics and Michael Jordan's Bulls past those same Pistons. The Pacers have a bad taste in their mouth from a year ago and have been looking forward to get another shot at LeBron and Miami.
2. The Pacers won 2 of 3 in regular season
The Pacers were only one of two teams to have a winning record against the Heat during the regular season holding a 2-1 advantage (the New York Knicks were 3-1). I know what some of you are saying "it doesn't matter because it's only the regular season", but why wouldn't it matter? Both teams had their full compliment of players, except Chris Andersen who only played in two of the games, and the games were in the heart of the season. If the Heat didn't care about winning games they wouldn't have gone on a 27 game winning streak. Do any of those wins transfer to playoff wins, no, however it gives a team confidence knowing they haven't struggled against their opponent in the most recent matchups.
3. Paul George
With Danny Granger sidelined due to injury Paul George stepped into the leading role for Indiana this season. George thrived in the situation leading the Pacers in scoring at 17.4 a game and won the NBA's Most Improved award. Not only is he looked at to lead Indiana's offense but will be the primary defender against LeBron. In the three games during the regular season George was able to hold his own against the 4-time MVP. Here's a breakdown of those games.
PTS REB AST PTS REB AST RESULT
Game 1 George 29 11 2 LBJ 22 10 4 Pacers 87-77
Game 2 George 15 6 6 LBJ 28 6 3 Pacers 102-89
Game 3 George 10 6 5 LBJ 13 6 7 Heat 105-91
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying Paul George is as good as LeBron James but he obviously has the ability to neutralize his production by matching his numbers. Ironically, the only game LeBron drastically out-performed George was the biggest margin of victory for Indiana. James is the best player on the planet but if George can get close to matching his production it gives the Pacers a great chance to take this series.
4. The Pacers were best 3-point defensive team during the regular season
LeBron, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh no doubt run the Miami Heat but they still rely on the three-point shooting of their role players. During the regular season Miami was third in three-pointers made (8.7 per game) and second in three-point percentage (39.6%). However, the Pacers ranked first in opponents three-point percentage (32.7%). It's hard enough to worry about guarding the rim against the big three but when you have to stop Shane Battier, Ray Allen, Mario Chalmers, and Norris Cole from hitting three's it's even more difficult to contain the Heat. Indiana needs to clamp down on the role players hitting big three's and there's hope for the Pacers. The big three will get theirs but it's usually one of the "other guys" that are a determining factor. In the two losses during the regular season the others scored only 11 points on 3-12 from beyond the arc in Game 1 and scored 31 with 4-11 from distance in Game 2. In the single Miami win, Chalmers and Allen alone scored 37 with 6-10 three's and the Heat as a team were able to hit 50% from deep. Not only do the Pacers guard the three well but gave up the second fewest points (90.7) and held opponents to a league best 42% from the field. Holding Miami to jump shots and forcing misses from long range will play right into the Pacers game-plan.
5. Indiana is the best rebounding team in the league
They say the Miami Heat have the most trouble against good rebounding teams. Well guess what, the Indiana Pacers averaged the most rebounds in the league during the regular season (and playoffs) at 45.9 a game. As for Miami, they ranked dead last with 38.6 per game. Rebounding is such a huge part to every game, to be able to keep possessions alive or hold your opponent to only one shot often determines the outcome. In all their meetings this year the Pacers held an edge on the boards. A big question will be how much of the game 7'2 Roy Hibbert plays. The Heat like to play small with Bosh at center and LeBron at power forward so it will be interesting to see if Pacers head coach Frank Vogel will still play Hibbert around 30 minutes a game. Even though the big man leads Indiana on the boards, he isn't the only one attacking the glass as George and Stephenson grab more than eight a game and David West hauls in 6.8 per. It's a total team effort by the Pacers which means it's going to take a total team effort by the Heat to box out and keep them off the glass.
Before you get all riled up thinking I'm taking the Pacers to beat the Heat, I'm not. Because even though Indiana has all that going for them, what Miami has is LeBron James. I do think it will be a hard fought series because there is no love lost from a physical post season meeting a year ago, but Miami is on a whole other level than every team in the east. I'll take the Heat in 6.
Saturday, April 20, 2013
NBA Western Conference First Round Predictions
The West is filled with story lines and great matchups. Can James Harden get revenge on his old team? Can the elder Spurs handle the Kobe-less Lakers? Can the short handed Nuggets out run the young Warriors? Will the Clippers and Grizzlies give us another 7-game thriller? If you like watching teams put points on the board these are the games for you as seven of the top eight scoring teams are in the West.
1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs 8 Houston Rockets
The Thunder and Rockets pulled off the biggest trade of the year before the season even started when OKC shipped James Harden and others to Houston in exchange for Kevin Martin and draft picks. When the trade went down back in November we discussed it here and thought that it worked out great for both sides and it turns out, it did. And wouldn't you know, they get matched up in the first round of the playoffs. With the move to Houston, Harden put up career bests across the board including 25.9 points, good for 5th in the league. In their first meeting Harden had a tough time in his return to OKC going 3-16 with 17 points. But in the Rockets lone win against the Thunder, Harden went off for 46 on 14-19 shooting with seven 3s. Also in that game Kevin Durant recorded his 2nd triple-double of the year in the 122-119 loss. With the departure of Harden, Serge Ibaka hit a career high with 13.2 points and 7.7 rebounds. As for Martin, he saw his points drop to 14 a game but 3-point percentage was his best at 42%. Both of these teams can score as they were second and third in the league in points. But OKC plays better defense, giving up six fewer points a game. The Thunder were the best in point differential at +9.2 and have the players to slow down the Rockets. Thabo Sefolosha, Kendrick Perkins, and Ibaka can all play lockdown defense and Westbrook and Durant have improved from a year ago. The Rockets are just in a bad matchup with a team that is similar but better. Houston can score but they don't have the weapons to match the Thunder. They might get one game in Houston but that's it.
Prediction: Thunder in 5
2 San Antonio Spurs vs 7 Los Angeles Lakers
After Kobe Bryant went down with only three games left in the year with a torn Achilles the playoff picture didn't look bright. However, Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol seem to be rejuvenated. In their last two games, against San Antonio and Houston, Howard looked like back in his Magic days dominating at both ends of the court and Gasol posted a monster triple-double against the Rockets with 17 points, 20 rebounds, and 11 assists. Also, with Steve Nash still out, Steve Blake scored 23 and 24 points in both of those games. Bryant won't be back this year and it didn't take long for the new look Lakers to mesh and come up with big wins when they needed them most. If LAL lost either of those games we would have seen the Utah Jazz in the playoffs instead. But the Lakers reward for barely squeaking in is a chance to play the Spurs. Speaking of rejuvenation, Tim Duncan and Tony Parker are having their best seasons in the past three or four years. Duncan (17.8 ppg, 9.9 rpg, 2.7 bpg) looks like Timmy that played with David Robinson, and Parker (20.3 ppg, 7.6 apg) is carving up defenses more than ever, averaging 20 for the second time in his career. But Manu Ginobili on the other hand is have his worst season (11.8 ppg) since his rookie year. We've seen Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green step up in his stead as both of them are putting up double-digits for the first time. The Spurs have more experience than any other team in the playoffs with Kobe now out. It's interesting to see how Gasol has now become the playmaker which has opened the lane up for Howard to do what he does best, dunk. It will be a battle down low with them and the Spurs Duncan and Tiago Splitter. So to me it's going to come down to guard play and even though Blake has played well lately, including getting the better of the Frenchman in their recent matchup, Parker is too good and too experienced to let that happen over a 7-game series. I do think this will be a great series even without Kobe, but the Spurs are too deep for the Lakers.
Prediction: Spurs in 6
3 Denver Nuggets vs 6 Golden State Warriors
I hope you can keep up if you're going to watch this series as these might be the two fastest teams in the NBA. The Denver Nuggets come into the playoffs short-handed with their second leading scorer Danilo Gallinari out for the season with a torn ACL and Kenneth Faried, their leading rebounder, questionable with a sore ankle. The Nuggets have done well all year without a superstar player but unless Faried can get back in the lineup soon they might have some problems. One thing Denver has going for it is their great home court advantage. The Nuggets had the best home record in the NBA at 38-3. With Gallinari out, Wilson Chandler and Corey Brewer have seen more minutes and both have played well. Denver has so many weapons, nine players average between eight and 16 points, which is a main reason they led the league in scoring. But for the Golden State Warriors, they rely heavily on their three main guns of Stephen Curry, David Lee, and Klay Thompson. Curry averaged a career high 22.9 points while setting a NBA record 3-pointers made with 272, breaking Ray Allen's old mark by three. Curry is the best shooter in the league and his backcourt mate, Thompson, also likes to let it fly from deep. In only his second year, Thompson averaged 16.6 a game and hit 40% from downtown. But their most consistent player was Lee who put up 18.5 points and 11.2 boards a game and gives the Warriors an inside presence to go with their great guard play. Both these teams will run and gun as this might be the most entertaining series in the first round. But while GS likes to shoot from beyond the arc, Denver scored more points in the paint than anybody. It's because of that, I think the Nuggets will take this series easily. The fact that they get easy buckets and the Warriors need to be hitting jumpers bodes well for the rich and creamy's.
Prediction: Nuggets in 5
4 Los Angeles Clippers vs 5 Memphis Grizzlies
In the first round of last years playoffs these two teams met and gave us an exciting 7-game series. The Clippers were also the 4-seed a season ago and benefited from having the deciding game at home. Both teams have new editions, but the Clippers have gotten more production out of theirs. LAC added Jamal Crawford, Matt Barnes, and Lamar Odom in the off-season and all have contributed in their own right. But, none more than Crawford. His last four years he's provided instant offense from the bench and has given the Clips 16.5 a game in his first season with the team. Chris Paul and Blake Griffin have seen their points go down from last year but they are getting help from all over as they are scoring more as a team. DeAndre Jordan has provided an offensive lift to lob city and has the poster of the year, sorry Brandon Knight. For the Memphis Grizzlies, they traded away their leading scorer, Rudy Gay, midway through the year. Along with Gay, the other main guy sent away was Marreese Speights and in return they received Tayshaun Prince and Ed Davis to fill those voids. Prince stepped into the starting lineup and added more defense to an already great defensive team. The Grizzlies score the least out of any West playoff team with 93.4, but give up the fewest points in the NBA at 89.3. With getting rid of their leading scorer, the offense falls on the shoulders of Zach Randolph, Mike Conley, and Marc Gasol. Randolph and Gasol are a load inside for anybody. In a league that is starting to play smaller, the Grizzlies are one of the few teams that still like to play big. Conley has improved and raised his production, putting up 14.6 points, which is a career high. This series going to come down to who controls the tempo of the game. Paul likes to get the Clippers in transition and Conley wants to slow things down to take advantage to Memphis' bigs. But LAC is a team that can handle the Grizz down low. Jordan and Griffin have the size to matchup with Randolph and Gasol. But can Conley and Tony Allen slow down Paul and Crawford? That's the biggest question and also to me the Clippers are just too deep. They have too many scoring threats and even though Memphis is one of the best defensive teams, the Clippers will still find ways to put points on the board.
Prediction: Clippers in 7
1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs 8 Houston Rockets
The Thunder and Rockets pulled off the biggest trade of the year before the season even started when OKC shipped James Harden and others to Houston in exchange for Kevin Martin and draft picks. When the trade went down back in November we discussed it here and thought that it worked out great for both sides and it turns out, it did. And wouldn't you know, they get matched up in the first round of the playoffs. With the move to Houston, Harden put up career bests across the board including 25.9 points, good for 5th in the league. In their first meeting Harden had a tough time in his return to OKC going 3-16 with 17 points. But in the Rockets lone win against the Thunder, Harden went off for 46 on 14-19 shooting with seven 3s. Also in that game Kevin Durant recorded his 2nd triple-double of the year in the 122-119 loss. With the departure of Harden, Serge Ibaka hit a career high with 13.2 points and 7.7 rebounds. As for Martin, he saw his points drop to 14 a game but 3-point percentage was his best at 42%. Both of these teams can score as they were second and third in the league in points. But OKC plays better defense, giving up six fewer points a game. The Thunder were the best in point differential at +9.2 and have the players to slow down the Rockets. Thabo Sefolosha, Kendrick Perkins, and Ibaka can all play lockdown defense and Westbrook and Durant have improved from a year ago. The Rockets are just in a bad matchup with a team that is similar but better. Houston can score but they don't have the weapons to match the Thunder. They might get one game in Houston but that's it.
Prediction: Thunder in 5
2 San Antonio Spurs vs 7 Los Angeles Lakers
After Kobe Bryant went down with only three games left in the year with a torn Achilles the playoff picture didn't look bright. However, Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol seem to be rejuvenated. In their last two games, against San Antonio and Houston, Howard looked like back in his Magic days dominating at both ends of the court and Gasol posted a monster triple-double against the Rockets with 17 points, 20 rebounds, and 11 assists. Also, with Steve Nash still out, Steve Blake scored 23 and 24 points in both of those games. Bryant won't be back this year and it didn't take long for the new look Lakers to mesh and come up with big wins when they needed them most. If LAL lost either of those games we would have seen the Utah Jazz in the playoffs instead. But the Lakers reward for barely squeaking in is a chance to play the Spurs. Speaking of rejuvenation, Tim Duncan and Tony Parker are having their best seasons in the past three or four years. Duncan (17.8 ppg, 9.9 rpg, 2.7 bpg) looks like Timmy that played with David Robinson, and Parker (20.3 ppg, 7.6 apg) is carving up defenses more than ever, averaging 20 for the second time in his career. But Manu Ginobili on the other hand is have his worst season (11.8 ppg) since his rookie year. We've seen Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green step up in his stead as both of them are putting up double-digits for the first time. The Spurs have more experience than any other team in the playoffs with Kobe now out. It's interesting to see how Gasol has now become the playmaker which has opened the lane up for Howard to do what he does best, dunk. It will be a battle down low with them and the Spurs Duncan and Tiago Splitter. So to me it's going to come down to guard play and even though Blake has played well lately, including getting the better of the Frenchman in their recent matchup, Parker is too good and too experienced to let that happen over a 7-game series. I do think this will be a great series even without Kobe, but the Spurs are too deep for the Lakers.
Prediction: Spurs in 6
3 Denver Nuggets vs 6 Golden State Warriors
I hope you can keep up if you're going to watch this series as these might be the two fastest teams in the NBA. The Denver Nuggets come into the playoffs short-handed with their second leading scorer Danilo Gallinari out for the season with a torn ACL and Kenneth Faried, their leading rebounder, questionable with a sore ankle. The Nuggets have done well all year without a superstar player but unless Faried can get back in the lineup soon they might have some problems. One thing Denver has going for it is their great home court advantage. The Nuggets had the best home record in the NBA at 38-3. With Gallinari out, Wilson Chandler and Corey Brewer have seen more minutes and both have played well. Denver has so many weapons, nine players average between eight and 16 points, which is a main reason they led the league in scoring. But for the Golden State Warriors, they rely heavily on their three main guns of Stephen Curry, David Lee, and Klay Thompson. Curry averaged a career high 22.9 points while setting a NBA record 3-pointers made with 272, breaking Ray Allen's old mark by three. Curry is the best shooter in the league and his backcourt mate, Thompson, also likes to let it fly from deep. In only his second year, Thompson averaged 16.6 a game and hit 40% from downtown. But their most consistent player was Lee who put up 18.5 points and 11.2 boards a game and gives the Warriors an inside presence to go with their great guard play. Both these teams will run and gun as this might be the most entertaining series in the first round. But while GS likes to shoot from beyond the arc, Denver scored more points in the paint than anybody. It's because of that, I think the Nuggets will take this series easily. The fact that they get easy buckets and the Warriors need to be hitting jumpers bodes well for the rich and creamy's.
Prediction: Nuggets in 5
4 Los Angeles Clippers vs 5 Memphis Grizzlies
In the first round of last years playoffs these two teams met and gave us an exciting 7-game series. The Clippers were also the 4-seed a season ago and benefited from having the deciding game at home. Both teams have new editions, but the Clippers have gotten more production out of theirs. LAC added Jamal Crawford, Matt Barnes, and Lamar Odom in the off-season and all have contributed in their own right. But, none more than Crawford. His last four years he's provided instant offense from the bench and has given the Clips 16.5 a game in his first season with the team. Chris Paul and Blake Griffin have seen their points go down from last year but they are getting help from all over as they are scoring more as a team. DeAndre Jordan has provided an offensive lift to lob city and has the poster of the year, sorry Brandon Knight. For the Memphis Grizzlies, they traded away their leading scorer, Rudy Gay, midway through the year. Along with Gay, the other main guy sent away was Marreese Speights and in return they received Tayshaun Prince and Ed Davis to fill those voids. Prince stepped into the starting lineup and added more defense to an already great defensive team. The Grizzlies score the least out of any West playoff team with 93.4, but give up the fewest points in the NBA at 89.3. With getting rid of their leading scorer, the offense falls on the shoulders of Zach Randolph, Mike Conley, and Marc Gasol. Randolph and Gasol are a load inside for anybody. In a league that is starting to play smaller, the Grizzlies are one of the few teams that still like to play big. Conley has improved and raised his production, putting up 14.6 points, which is a career high. This series going to come down to who controls the tempo of the game. Paul likes to get the Clippers in transition and Conley wants to slow things down to take advantage to Memphis' bigs. But LAC is a team that can handle the Grizz down low. Jordan and Griffin have the size to matchup with Randolph and Gasol. But can Conley and Tony Allen slow down Paul and Crawford? That's the biggest question and also to me the Clippers are just too deep. They have too many scoring threats and even though Memphis is one of the best defensive teams, the Clippers will still find ways to put points on the board.
Prediction: Clippers in 7
Friday, April 19, 2013
NBA Eastern Conference First Round Predictions
The NBA playoffs have arrived and in the East can anybody dethrone the Miami Heat?
1 Miami Heat (66-16) vs 8 Milwaukee Bucks (38-44)
The Miami Heat start their run for a second straight title against the Milwaukee Bucks, a team they went 3-1 against during the regular season. Teams that rebound the ball well cause the Heat problems and the Bucks rank 5th in the league in that category. Milwaukee is also the 2nd best offensive rebounding team partly because they are the 3rd worst shooting team in the NBA. More missed shots mean more rebounds but thankfully for the Heat they have the best shooting percentage by a large margin at 49%. That's the team matchup but I want to know who's going to guard LeBron James, the likely regular season MVP. Marquis Daniels, Ersan Ilyasova and Mike Dunleavy will all get their shot but will they be able to at least slow him down, probably not. The Bucks leading scorer Monta Ellis struggled in each of the four meetings, scoring double-digits only once. Milwaukee needs more from him and consistency from Brandon Jennings, both can fill it up but also miss a lot. But let's face it, Miami has been on a roll the second half of the year going 37-3 since the beginning of February. LBJ, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Co. should have little trouble disposing the Bucks.
Prediction: Heat in 4
2 New York Knicks (54-28) vs 7 Boston Celtics (41-40)
One of the oldest rivalries in the game is renewed when the New York Knicks meet the Boston Celtics. With the city of Boston dealing with the recent tragedy of the Boston Marathon bombings it might give the Celtics the edge they need to make this series interesting. The Celtics lost Rajon Rondo 38 games into the season and have been dealing with more injuries as of late. Kevin Garnett has been tending to a sore ankle the last few weeks and should serve as an integral part of this series. The Knicks like to play small-ball and if KG can take advantage on the boards and in the post he could be the x-factor. But the Paul Pierce-Carmelo Anthony matchup is what we need to keep our eye on. Anthony went on a torrid pace to rip the scoring title away from Kevin Durant down the stretch and this might be his best chance to make the NBA Finals. But never sleep of Paul Pierce. The Truth (one of the best nicknames ever) has been in this situation plenty of times and always seems to step up. Pierce is one player that can slow Melo down on defense while causing him trouble on the offensive end. But with that being said I feel the Knicks have too much fire power with the emergence of J.R. Smith and Tyson Chandler coming back from injury. It should be a good series but Boston will have trouble keeping up with the New York offense.
Prediction: Knicks in 6
3 Indiana Pacers (49-32) vs 6 Atlanta Hawks (44-38)
These two teams split their four meetings this year with the home team winning each game and I see more of the same in the playoffs. Indiana is one of the best defensive teams in the league holding opponents to 90.7 points per game, good for second fewest, and are also one of the biggest. Their front line of Roy Hibbert (7'2), David West (6'9), and Paul George (6'8) causes matchup problems for almost any team in the NBA. George and George Hill are also two of the most improved players this year, both benefiting from more playing time. After the loss of Danny Granger to injury, George was put in a similar role and flourished with 17.4 points and 7.6 rebounds a game. As for Hill, the departure of Darren Collison opened the door for him to put up his best numbers of 14.2 points and 4.7 assists. The Atlanta Hawks saw Joe Johnson leave for Brooklyn which led to Jeff Teague and Al Horford having their best seasons. Teague finished with 14.6 points and 7.2 assists while Horford averaged his first double-double with 17.4 and 10.2 boards. These teams are very similar, both are big and both have seen players step up in new roles. As with all Hawks games the x-factor for them is their leading scorer Josh Smith. He is a great player but finds himself on the perimeter too often when he should be in the post. Also, depending if the Hawks decide to put him on West or George his defense is going to be key if Atlanta wants to win. In the end Indiana's defense and rebounding will determine who advances. The Hawks will put up a fight but the Pacers will move on.
Prediction: Pacers in 7
4 Brooklyn Nets (49-33) vs 5 Chicago Bulls (45-37)
After missing the playoffs a year ago while playing in New Jersey, the Nets made the move to Brooklyn and secured home court advantage against the Chicago Bulls. Deron Williams is one of the best point guards in the NBA and Brook Lopez is one of the best center's nobody really talks about. Williams' numbers are slightly down from previous years (18.9 points and 7.7 assists) but is still capable of carrying a team. Lopez had a solid year with 19.4 and 6.9 boards while Reggie Evans dominated the glass in the late stages of the season. Evans put up Dennis Rodman like numbers the last two months averaging over 15 rebounds a game and he had nine games of 20-plus throughout the year. But how much better would this series be if Derrick Rose was back from his ACL injury. It was in the first game of the playoffs a year ago when Rose went down and you could hear the entire city of Chicago hold their breath. He still is not ready to return and he shouldn't at this point. It's more important for him, and the Bulls organization, that he does not come back until fully healed. The Bulls have had other injury problems as well with Joakim Noah, Kirk Hinrich, Richard Hamilton and Taj Gibson all missing a significant time. The biggest question mark is Noah. The energy and defense he brings to this team is hard to replace. With Noah on the court he provides a stopper to Lopez in the post but him being able to play is still up in the air. Honestly, I haven't been impressed with the Nets at all this year. I think Joe Johnson and Gerald Wallace are at the tail end of their careers and will have trouble with Luol Deng and the young upstart Jimmy Butler. Noah is a significant piece to the puzzle but I still think the Bulls will pull this out in a gritty battle.
Prediction: Bulls in 6
1 Miami Heat (66-16) vs 8 Milwaukee Bucks (38-44)
The Miami Heat start their run for a second straight title against the Milwaukee Bucks, a team they went 3-1 against during the regular season. Teams that rebound the ball well cause the Heat problems and the Bucks rank 5th in the league in that category. Milwaukee is also the 2nd best offensive rebounding team partly because they are the 3rd worst shooting team in the NBA. More missed shots mean more rebounds but thankfully for the Heat they have the best shooting percentage by a large margin at 49%. That's the team matchup but I want to know who's going to guard LeBron James, the likely regular season MVP. Marquis Daniels, Ersan Ilyasova and Mike Dunleavy will all get their shot but will they be able to at least slow him down, probably not. The Bucks leading scorer Monta Ellis struggled in each of the four meetings, scoring double-digits only once. Milwaukee needs more from him and consistency from Brandon Jennings, both can fill it up but also miss a lot. But let's face it, Miami has been on a roll the second half of the year going 37-3 since the beginning of February. LBJ, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Co. should have little trouble disposing the Bucks.
Prediction: Heat in 4
2 New York Knicks (54-28) vs 7 Boston Celtics (41-40)
One of the oldest rivalries in the game is renewed when the New York Knicks meet the Boston Celtics. With the city of Boston dealing with the recent tragedy of the Boston Marathon bombings it might give the Celtics the edge they need to make this series interesting. The Celtics lost Rajon Rondo 38 games into the season and have been dealing with more injuries as of late. Kevin Garnett has been tending to a sore ankle the last few weeks and should serve as an integral part of this series. The Knicks like to play small-ball and if KG can take advantage on the boards and in the post he could be the x-factor. But the Paul Pierce-Carmelo Anthony matchup is what we need to keep our eye on. Anthony went on a torrid pace to rip the scoring title away from Kevin Durant down the stretch and this might be his best chance to make the NBA Finals. But never sleep of Paul Pierce. The Truth (one of the best nicknames ever) has been in this situation plenty of times and always seems to step up. Pierce is one player that can slow Melo down on defense while causing him trouble on the offensive end. But with that being said I feel the Knicks have too much fire power with the emergence of J.R. Smith and Tyson Chandler coming back from injury. It should be a good series but Boston will have trouble keeping up with the New York offense.
Prediction: Knicks in 6
3 Indiana Pacers (49-32) vs 6 Atlanta Hawks (44-38)
These two teams split their four meetings this year with the home team winning each game and I see more of the same in the playoffs. Indiana is one of the best defensive teams in the league holding opponents to 90.7 points per game, good for second fewest, and are also one of the biggest. Their front line of Roy Hibbert (7'2), David West (6'9), and Paul George (6'8) causes matchup problems for almost any team in the NBA. George and George Hill are also two of the most improved players this year, both benefiting from more playing time. After the loss of Danny Granger to injury, George was put in a similar role and flourished with 17.4 points and 7.6 rebounds a game. As for Hill, the departure of Darren Collison opened the door for him to put up his best numbers of 14.2 points and 4.7 assists. The Atlanta Hawks saw Joe Johnson leave for Brooklyn which led to Jeff Teague and Al Horford having their best seasons. Teague finished with 14.6 points and 7.2 assists while Horford averaged his first double-double with 17.4 and 10.2 boards. These teams are very similar, both are big and both have seen players step up in new roles. As with all Hawks games the x-factor for them is their leading scorer Josh Smith. He is a great player but finds himself on the perimeter too often when he should be in the post. Also, depending if the Hawks decide to put him on West or George his defense is going to be key if Atlanta wants to win. In the end Indiana's defense and rebounding will determine who advances. The Hawks will put up a fight but the Pacers will move on.
Prediction: Pacers in 7
4 Brooklyn Nets (49-33) vs 5 Chicago Bulls (45-37)
After missing the playoffs a year ago while playing in New Jersey, the Nets made the move to Brooklyn and secured home court advantage against the Chicago Bulls. Deron Williams is one of the best point guards in the NBA and Brook Lopez is one of the best center's nobody really talks about. Williams' numbers are slightly down from previous years (18.9 points and 7.7 assists) but is still capable of carrying a team. Lopez had a solid year with 19.4 and 6.9 boards while Reggie Evans dominated the glass in the late stages of the season. Evans put up Dennis Rodman like numbers the last two months averaging over 15 rebounds a game and he had nine games of 20-plus throughout the year. But how much better would this series be if Derrick Rose was back from his ACL injury. It was in the first game of the playoffs a year ago when Rose went down and you could hear the entire city of Chicago hold their breath. He still is not ready to return and he shouldn't at this point. It's more important for him, and the Bulls organization, that he does not come back until fully healed. The Bulls have had other injury problems as well with Joakim Noah, Kirk Hinrich, Richard Hamilton and Taj Gibson all missing a significant time. The biggest question mark is Noah. The energy and defense he brings to this team is hard to replace. With Noah on the court he provides a stopper to Lopez in the post but him being able to play is still up in the air. Honestly, I haven't been impressed with the Nets at all this year. I think Joe Johnson and Gerald Wallace are at the tail end of their careers and will have trouble with Luol Deng and the young upstart Jimmy Butler. Noah is a significant piece to the puzzle but I still think the Bulls will pull this out in a gritty battle.
Prediction: Bulls in 6
Thursday, April 18, 2013
2012-13 NBA Awards Picks
With the 2012-13 NBA season coming to an end it's time to hand out some hardware.
Rookie Of The Year
Damian Lillard - This was one of the easier awards to hand out as Damian Lillard was consistent throughout the season and played more minutes than anybody in the league. Also, one of the few top rookies to actually play the entire year without an injury. On the season, the Weber State product averaged 19 points and 6.5 assists for a young Portland team. Lillard creates a great building block to go along with LaMarcus Aldridge and Nicholas Batum.
Second Place: Anthony Davis
Most Improved
Paul George - When Indiana Pacers all-star Danny Granger was going to start the season on the injured list, Paul George was looked at to try and fill his shoes. And he didn't disappoint. George led the Pacers in scoring at 17.4 and steals with 1.8 a game. He was also second on the team in rebounds (7.6) and assists (4.1). George has the Pacers as a 3-seed in the East with a 49-32 record.
Second Place: Nikola Vucevic
Sixth Man
J.R. Smith - Always the first guy off the bench, J.R. Smith put up the best numbers of his career while helping the New York Knicks secure the 2-seed in the East. Smith played his most minutes in any season and led all NBA reserves with 18.1 points per game, good for second on his team. He was an integral part of the Knicks and will need to continue his great play if they hope to challenge the Heat in the playoffs.
Second Place: Jamal Crawford
Coach Of The Year
George Karl - Nobody expected the Denver Nuggets to be as successful as they were this year but they managed to get the 3-seed in the West thanks to George Karl. With out a premier player, Karl has the Nuggets playing great team basketball with nine players averaging at least eight points a game. He lost Danilo Gallinari to a season ending ACL tear but are still a threat in the West as they lead the league in points with 106.1 a game and had the best home record at 38-3.
Second Place: Mike Woodson
Defensive Player Of The Year
Joakim Noah - This was a tough category but Joakim Noah was a defensive force for the Chicago Bulls helping them hold opponents to 92.9 points per game, good for third in the league. He posted career bests in rebounds (11.1), blocks (2.1), and steals (1.2). Noah also recorded a triple-double against Sixers on Feb. 28 with 23 points, 21 rebounds, and 11 blocks.
Second Place: Tony Allen
Most Valuable Player
LeBron James - In the middle of the season there was some debate to Kevin Durant being the MVP but once he lost his scoring title there is no question LeBron James will get his 4th MVP trophy. James is fourth in the league in scoring with 26.8 points and fifth in shooting percentage at .565 with also grabbing a career best 8.0 boards and dishing out 7.3 assists. He's led the Miami Heat to the best record in the NBA (66-16) and has them poised for another title run.
Second Place: Kevin Durant
Rookie Of The Year
Second Place: Anthony Davis
Most Improved
Paul George - When Indiana Pacers all-star Danny Granger was going to start the season on the injured list, Paul George was looked at to try and fill his shoes. And he didn't disappoint. George led the Pacers in scoring at 17.4 and steals with 1.8 a game. He was also second on the team in rebounds (7.6) and assists (4.1). George has the Pacers as a 3-seed in the East with a 49-32 record.
Second Place: Nikola Vucevic
Sixth Man
J.R. Smith - Always the first guy off the bench, J.R. Smith put up the best numbers of his career while helping the New York Knicks secure the 2-seed in the East. Smith played his most minutes in any season and led all NBA reserves with 18.1 points per game, good for second on his team. He was an integral part of the Knicks and will need to continue his great play if they hope to challenge the Heat in the playoffs.
Second Place: Jamal Crawford
Coach Of The Year
Second Place: Mike Woodson
Defensive Player Of The Year
Joakim Noah - This was a tough category but Joakim Noah was a defensive force for the Chicago Bulls helping them hold opponents to 92.9 points per game, good for third in the league. He posted career bests in rebounds (11.1), blocks (2.1), and steals (1.2). Noah also recorded a triple-double against Sixers on Feb. 28 with 23 points, 21 rebounds, and 11 blocks.
Second Place: Tony Allen
Most Valuable Player
LeBron James - In the middle of the season there was some debate to Kevin Durant being the MVP but once he lost his scoring title there is no question LeBron James will get his 4th MVP trophy. James is fourth in the league in scoring with 26.8 points and fifth in shooting percentage at .565 with also grabbing a career best 8.0 boards and dishing out 7.3 assists. He's led the Miami Heat to the best record in the NBA (66-16) and has them poised for another title run.
Second Place: Kevin Durant
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
The NBA Center Is A Dying Breed
Today is the last day of the NBA regular season and we are about to see history. For the first time ever in the NBA we will not have a player average 20 points and 10 rebounds in a single season. Yes, you heard that correctly. To me this is a clear indication that the NBA center is becoming extinct. A
position that once dominated games is now almost non existent.
It first came to my attention last week when the New York Knicks were trying to extend their 13 game winning streak against the Chicago Bulls. It was a great game as the Bulls pulled it out in overtime 118-111. But, it was obvious right from the opening tip when the Knicks 6'8 small forward Chris Copeland was jumping against the Bulls 6'7 small forward Jimmy Butler. But when you start smaller players at the center and power forward spots you have no choice. Then, later in the game we saw Carmelo Anthony and Butler playing the 5-spot on the floor. I understand that the Knicks were playing with a lot of injuries on their front line (Tyson Chandler, Marcus Camby and Kenyon Martin) but this is a trend we are starting to see across the NBA. Most teams start one "big man" and four guards or swingmen that can handle the ball. The Knicks have been doing it all year with Anthony and the Miami Heat as well with LeBron James starting at the power forward spot. Long gone are the days of starting a point guard, shooting guard, small forward, power forward and center. The NBA has evolved into starting lineups that consist of the best five players on the team regardless of position. But it's not entirely the league's fault that center's are disappearing.
Back in the 90s the league was filled with dominate players at the center position. Hakeem Olajuwon, Shaquille O'Neal, David Robinson, Patrick Ewing, and Alonzo Mourning all roamed the paint and were among the best players in the league. Before them it was all-time greats Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Moses Malone. Every one of those players averaged 20 points, 10 rebounds, and two blocks multiple times in their career and liked to play with their back to the basket. All of these players were a threat on the offensive and defensive side of the ball and if your team didn't have a center to counter them, you had no chance. Once Shaq's decline started in the mid-90s the position slowly started going with him. You still saw guys like Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett that averaged 20, 10 and two, but they were the start of the hybrid post player, not a true center. Most recently Dwight Howard was starting to become a 20 and 10 staple, doing it four out of five years, but his stint with the Lakers this year has seen a decline in both categories.
This year, nine players are putting up 20 points a game but the closest to 10 boards is LaMarcus Aldridge with 8.9 a game. Only eight players are grabbing 10 rebounds a game and the highest scorer is David Lee with 18.4 ppg. Last year Howard, Kevin Love and Blake Griffin were all in the 20 and 10 club but have had their numbers drop for various reasons. Howard's problem is being on a team with Kobe Bryant. Love has been battling a broken hand all year and hasn't played since January 3. Griffin has had a solid year (18 and 8) but has given up minutes and stats to a very deep Clippers team. The other statistic all these players are missing, except Howard, are the blocks. We just don't see players have the skill-set to perform extremely well on both ends of the court.
If you take a look at who the best true center's in the league are, it's a list of good but not great players. Howard, Marc Gasol, Joakim Noah, Brook Lopez, Tyson Chandler and Al Horford all suffice in the role but again, other than Howard it's a big stretch for any of those players to reach 20 points, 10 rebounds, and two blocks. We'll have to see what guys like DeMarcus Cousins, Roy Hibbert, Andrew Bynum (if he can ever stay healthy) and Andre Drummond can do as they grow through the years.
But what's the reason why the center position is becoming a lost art? In my opinion there's three main culprits and some are more fixable than others.
It first came to my attention last week when the New York Knicks were trying to extend their 13 game winning streak against the Chicago Bulls. It was a great game as the Bulls pulled it out in overtime 118-111. But, it was obvious right from the opening tip when the Knicks 6'8 small forward Chris Copeland was jumping against the Bulls 6'7 small forward Jimmy Butler. But when you start smaller players at the center and power forward spots you have no choice. Then, later in the game we saw Carmelo Anthony and Butler playing the 5-spot on the floor. I understand that the Knicks were playing with a lot of injuries on their front line (Tyson Chandler, Marcus Camby and Kenyon Martin) but this is a trend we are starting to see across the NBA. Most teams start one "big man" and four guards or swingmen that can handle the ball. The Knicks have been doing it all year with Anthony and the Miami Heat as well with LeBron James starting at the power forward spot. Long gone are the days of starting a point guard, shooting guard, small forward, power forward and center. The NBA has evolved into starting lineups that consist of the best five players on the team regardless of position. But it's not entirely the league's fault that center's are disappearing.
Back in the 90s the league was filled with dominate players at the center position. Hakeem Olajuwon, Shaquille O'Neal, David Robinson, Patrick Ewing, and Alonzo Mourning all roamed the paint and were among the best players in the league. Before them it was all-time greats Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Moses Malone. Every one of those players averaged 20 points, 10 rebounds, and two blocks multiple times in their career and liked to play with their back to the basket. All of these players were a threat on the offensive and defensive side of the ball and if your team didn't have a center to counter them, you had no chance. Once Shaq's decline started in the mid-90s the position slowly started going with him. You still saw guys like Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett that averaged 20, 10 and two, but they were the start of the hybrid post player, not a true center. Most recently Dwight Howard was starting to become a 20 and 10 staple, doing it four out of five years, but his stint with the Lakers this year has seen a decline in both categories.
This year, nine players are putting up 20 points a game but the closest to 10 boards is LaMarcus Aldridge with 8.9 a game. Only eight players are grabbing 10 rebounds a game and the highest scorer is David Lee with 18.4 ppg. Last year Howard, Kevin Love and Blake Griffin were all in the 20 and 10 club but have had their numbers drop for various reasons. Howard's problem is being on a team with Kobe Bryant. Love has been battling a broken hand all year and hasn't played since January 3. Griffin has had a solid year (18 and 8) but has given up minutes and stats to a very deep Clippers team. The other statistic all these players are missing, except Howard, are the blocks. We just don't see players have the skill-set to perform extremely well on both ends of the court.
If you take a look at who the best true center's in the league are, it's a list of good but not great players. Howard, Marc Gasol, Joakim Noah, Brook Lopez, Tyson Chandler and Al Horford all suffice in the role but again, other than Howard it's a big stretch for any of those players to reach 20 points, 10 rebounds, and two blocks. We'll have to see what guys like DeMarcus Cousins, Roy Hibbert, Andrew Bynum (if he can ever stay healthy) and Andre Drummond can do as they grow through the years.
But what's the reason why the center position is becoming a lost art? In my opinion there's three main culprits and some are more fixable than others.
- Players aren't developing their skills enough in college. For a guy 6'10 or taller, he really doesn't know the limitations of his athleticism and body because he's still growing into his frame in his college years. But players always want to make the early jump to the NBA without taking the time to refine their skills in school. This in turn leads to players never panning out they way they should.
- The European influence on the NBA is taking players away from the post. Every big man that comes over from Europe wants to play on the outside and shoot jump shots instead of banging down low and dunking on people. We are also starting to see that more often with players from the states as well. For as great of scorers Dirk Nowitzki and Aldridge are, neither has ever averaged 20 and 10 in their career.
- Injuries have slowed down some of the premier centers in the league. Greg Oden, Yao Ming, Andrew Bynum, Kevin Love, and Andrew Bogut have all suffered from the injury bug. Bynum, Love and Bogut are still in the NBA but have had injury plagued season's the last two years. Bynum missed the entire 2012-12 season while Love only played 18 games and Bogut managed 33.
Friday, February 15, 2013
J & J's Top Ten Dunks
This weekend is All-Star Weekend for the NBA and that brings us the Slam Dunk Contest. A chance for the best leapers in the game to show off their creativity, gracefulness and power. While some of the best players in the NBA have won titles (Michael Jordan, Dominique Wilkins, Kobe Bryant, Vince Carter), you still get guys you've never heard of come out and display their talents (Dee Brown, Fred Jones, Gerald Green, Jeremy Evans). Everybody's opinion is different on how to judge dunks. That's why I needed a second voice in this so I brought in the help of NBA guru, Jason Bradshaw. Myself (Jason Shusteric) and Bradshaw are not only looking at dunk contest performances but also in-game dunks. We will be looking at style, creativity, difficulty, and shock factor. Or pretty much whatever we feel is the best. To complete a dunk you must have thrown the ball through the net, grabbing the rim, sorry Dwight Howard. You also won't see Nate Robinson on here because giving yourself 30 tries to make each dunk takes a lot of the excitement out of it. So without further ado, let's start the debate.
Honorable Mention
For our picks here we went with the best facial dunks of all time. It's one thing to dunk in a contest or on break away but to do it over a defender while he's trying to block your shot is impressive. And dunking on someone is one of the best and most embarrassing feats in any sport.
#3 Scottie Pippen Over Patrick Ewing
Pippen wasn't the only Bulls player to put Ewing on a poster, Jordan had a nice one too, but pushing Ewing down and standing over him after makes it that much better. You also can't go wrong when you get some Spike Lee taunting thrown in there.
#2 Shawn Kemp Finger Point Dunk On Alton Lister
Kemp was one of the better in game dunkers ever, Dominique Wilkins being the greatest, and his dunk on Lister is classic. You see the lane open up and Kemp start barreling through. Once he cups the ball you know something bad is about to happen. Lister tried to get out of the way but couldn't. The finger point though is what takes this dunk over the top. Not only does Kemp dunk on Lister but makes sure he points it out just in case anyone missed it.
#1 Shaq On Chris Dudley
Shaq dunked on a lot of people throughout his career but nothing like what he did to poor Mr. Dudley. This is the definition of embarrassing. We have a dunk facial, crotch to the face, push down, and then (the best part) Dudley throws the ball at Shaq. I could watch this 100 times in a row and still get a good laugh.
Now onto to the real list.
#10 Shaq Brings Down The Basket
Jason Shusteric: This is on here purely for shock factor. We've seen guys like Darryl Dawkins and Darvin Ham shatter backboards but nobody ever, in the history of the game, has brought down the entire basket. The rim, backboard, shot clock, and stanchion all came crashing to the floor. We've never seen it before and never will again. Shaq was the only player capable of making this happen, twice.
Jason Bradshaw: When I saw this dunk for the first time I it was the coolest dunk I've ever seen. It became a "manly" thing to do. They already reinforced backboards so guy like Darryl Dawkins couldn't shatter them. Yet they weren't "Shaqproof"! Shortly after this my friend and I would actually try to bring backboards down! Sadly, I've still never been able to do it!
#9 Dominique Wilkins One-Handed Windmill
JS: Wilkins had the great ability to make normal dunks look amazing. Part of it was because of his ferocity on the rim. Every dunk he did it looked like he was trying to tear the rim down with it. Wilkins won two dunk contests and rarely did anything but windmills, reverse pumps, and straight off the backboard. The way he shows the rim the ball then brings it around with a ridiculous amount of velocity is unmatched. This particular dunk was in the controversial 1988 contest.
JB: Surely the man who defeated MJ in a dunk contest deserves a spot on our list. But why the one-handed windmill? Seems like many players could duplicate this. Wrong. The science of Dominique's windmill is like Tiger Woods' golf swing. Dominique uses an amazing combination of strength, flexibility, and timing. Add a 40+ inch vertical and you have an all time top 10 dunk. Try recording yourself doing this dunk on a 7 foot rim and then watch the tape. After you see how ridiculous you look you will understand the greatness of this dunk!
#8 Air Up There 720
JS: I really tried to stay away from And 1 and Team Flight Brothers or anything done in a non-pro league or lonely gym but this is hard to overlook. It's more of a 630 than a 720 because he travels past the rim but I'm still not taking anything away from this dunk. The fact that he was able to spin that fast from take off and still find the rim is amazing. It's one of those dunks where you had to see it again to know what happened.
JB: When I first saw this dunk I replayed it at least 10 times in a row. It's not actually a full 720 but its close. If this was in a NBA dunk contest it would certainly be higher on our list. Like the figure skater trying to land the double axle, I'm sure "Air Up There" spent hours perfecting this dunk! We can only wish that "Air Up There" makes the NBA like James White did this year!
#7 Andre Iguodala Behind The Backboard, Reverse
JS: Let me just say that this was the biggest robbery in NBA Slam Dunk Contest history. There is no possible way you can tell me Nate Robinson won this contest after needing 14 attempts in the dunk off. Anyway, this dunk has great creativity and difficulty. This also is the only dunk on our list that features an assist. The way Iguodala is able to contort his body to make it under the backboard and still have have enough air to get the reverse dunk is unbelievable. It's a shame he didn't win but everybody knows he had the best dunk in 2006.
JB: Once of the most difficult dunks on our list. Sadly I missed this dunk live. But after watching it, I was absolutely shocked he didn't win the contest. But it's definitely the most dangerous dunk on our list. He had to completely adjust his body mid-air in order to avoid hitting his head on the backboard. Couple this with how creative this was and you have a top 10 dunk.
#6 Vince Carter Over Frederic Weis
JS: Vince Carter had one of the better shock factors to his dunks, this one especially. The Frenchman Weis is listed at 7'2" and Carter (6'6") jumped over him. When we saw Carter about to take off we figured there might be a foul or Carter will push Weis backwards, but no, he cleared him! Let me put it this way. This might be the first and only dunk that ended another players career. This happened in 2000 and in 1999 Weis was drafted by the New York Knicks at #15 overall. The Knicks never bothered bringing him to the NBA and the dunk was called "the dunk of death" by the French media.
JB: Like the great Hacksaw Jim Duggan put it: USA, USA, USA!! Yes, this dunk represented what it means to be an American! It came around the time when the world was catching up the U.S. in basketball. Yet, Vince Carter reminded everybody that basketball is America's game. I was very proud to be an American after seeing Vince Carter jump COMPLETELY over a 7 footer yet throw it down with so much power!
#5 Jason Richardson Backwards Between The Legs, Reverse
JS: We've seen it over and over again of people go between their legs (eastbay) and dunk. But this was the first time we saw a reverse eastbay into a one-handed reverse. Incredible amount of style, difficulty, and creativity went into this dunk. I'm not sure how many guys on this list would even be able to complete this dunk. Not only going between his legs backwards but also dunking with his off hand! When J-Rich dropped this gem on us we knew it was a wrap for the contest.
JB: We've come along way since J.R. Rider first introduced us to the "between the legs" dunk. This dunk takes "between the legs" to a whole new level. Try "between the legs reversed, off the bounce with the opposite hand". What's really amazing is the fact that he did this dunk to WIN the contest. Put together a dunk that's difficult, creative, shocking, and couple that with a pressure packed moment and you have a top 5 funk of all time!
#4 Michael Jordan Kiss The Rim
JS: Esthetically, this is the greatest dunk I've ever seen. MJ performed this dunk multiple times in dunk contests and even once in a game but never as good as in the 1987 contest. The pure athletic beauty of this dunk in the replay is what gets me. It's great in real-time but, like Chappelle said, everything looks better in slow motion. When you see how graceful and how much his body is leaning in the air, you wonder how it's possible. I give any other dunker 100 tries and they will never get it to look as good as this. It's poetry in motion.
JB: We debated this dunk as a possible #1. Please watch this dunk in slow motion. It's and incredibly beautiful looking dunk. Watching it live looks good but certainly not top 10 worthy. Yet when you see this in slow motion it blows your mind. It's like watching a stunning piece of artwork. I could never imagine myself using terms like gracefulness, elegance, and beauty to describe a dunk but I guess my "man card" has been stripped. Similar to Dominique's windmill, although not the hardest dunk in the world, nobody could duplicate it. It just looks too good.
#3 Vince Carter 360 Windmill
JS: It was either this or the "Arm In Rim" dunk (the most underrated dunks of all time) but this has to be in here. The big thing to realize with this dunk is that Vince is turning over his right shoulder. Plenty of right-handed players have thrown down 360 dunks and every single one has turned left so their right arm is behind and coming to rim. But for Carter to turn right and have his right arm through first, he almost has to stop his momentum mid-air to finish the dunk. Then add in a powerful windmill, incredible. Other than Jordan, Carter had the best style to his dunks and this proved that.
JB: What amazed me more about this dunk was the hype before he even attempted it. Vince carter was the ONLY reason this dunk contest happened. Two years prior the NBA cancelled the dunk contest because it became "too boring". But after watching "Vinsanity" bring the house down with his in-game ridiculous dunks the public responded, and the dunk contest was back. But could Vince Carter live up to the unbelievable hype? I remember everybody on their feet as the announcer called his name. 30 seconds later...BOOM! The 360 windmill! INCREDIBLE! He made one of the most difficult dunks look so easy. This was his first dunk in one of the greatest dunk contest performances of all time. The performance was so good people forget that Tracy McGrady and Steve Francis were also in it!
#2 Air Jordan
JS: This dunk was very difficult to not put at #1 because not only was it great stylistically with Jordan pumping the ball mid flight, but his entire Jordan Brand is based off of this dunk. This is the logo we've all grown to know. Jordan did this dunk several times as it was his signature, but none were as good or clean as in 1988 in Chicago to beat Dominique Wilkins. The thing that made Jordan the best dunk contest participant ever is his ability to dunk off either one or two feet. Most dunkers are one or the other, not both. Jordan could do both as he showed us two feet with "Kiss The Rim" and one foot with "Air Jordan". But if there was one thing you could point out about this is that he never actually jump from behind the free throw line, which is the barometer of any free throw line dunk.
JB: Yes the dunk that started it all! MJ from the foul line! I originally had this dunk lower on my list but when you look at it in slow motion and factor in the cultural impact that this dunk had, you realize that this dunk cannot be any lower than #2. Similar to "Kiss The Rim", MJ made this dunk look prettier than anyone that's ever attempted it. Pay attention to his left arm pulled back and his chest pushed forward and it looks as though he's really flying. Add to that the double pump in mid air and MJ's version of Dr. J's foul line dunk becomes his OWN!
#1 James White Free Throw Line Windmill / Between the Legs
Some of you might think we are the craziest people ever for putting this #1 but let us explain. First, the reason why we have a co-#1 is because we couldn't come to a consensus. I think the windmill is better because he actually jumps from behind the line and JB takes the between the legs because of the degree of difficulty. So we have two #1 dunks by the same guy in the same competition.
JS: The free throw line dunk is one that happens almost every year in a dunk contest but nobody ever actually leaps from behind the line which is the whole purpose of doing this dunk. Dr. J, Michael Jordan, Brent Barry, Dwight Howard, Scottie Pippen and many more have tried but all have failed. The only other player to jump behind the line was Serge Ibaka, which was impressive but he's 6'10". What James White was able to do at 6'7" by taking off behind the line further than any other player then add the windmill and this is the most impressive dunk I've ever seen. We've never seen another guy even try a move while doing this dunk, let alone a windmill. White was also able to successfully complete a free throw line between the legs dunk in this same contest but his foot was on the line. It's a shame this took place in Russia and not many people have seen the video. However White is in this year's contest and Las Vegas put him as the odds on favorite to win once the participants were announced. He's 30 now but hopefully he still has it.
JB: Well, we have a problem boys and girls. I just discussed how amazing MJ's version of Dr. J's foul line dunk is, then I saw this! Are you kidding me? Is this real? Did a man actually jump from the free throw line and go between his legs? My friends, please just watch the video and tell me how I could possibly put MJ's dunk ahead of this. This is the most incredible dunk you will ever see. Which sets the stage fro tomorrow night! Will James White land the "between the legs foul line" dunk? Can't wait to find out! Thanks for checking out our top 10 list!
Honorable Mention
For our picks here we went with the best facial dunks of all time. It's one thing to dunk in a contest or on break away but to do it over a defender while he's trying to block your shot is impressive. And dunking on someone is one of the best and most embarrassing feats in any sport.
#3 Scottie Pippen Over Patrick Ewing
Pippen wasn't the only Bulls player to put Ewing on a poster, Jordan had a nice one too, but pushing Ewing down and standing over him after makes it that much better. You also can't go wrong when you get some Spike Lee taunting thrown in there.
#2 Shawn Kemp Finger Point Dunk On Alton Lister
Kemp was one of the better in game dunkers ever, Dominique Wilkins being the greatest, and his dunk on Lister is classic. You see the lane open up and Kemp start barreling through. Once he cups the ball you know something bad is about to happen. Lister tried to get out of the way but couldn't. The finger point though is what takes this dunk over the top. Not only does Kemp dunk on Lister but makes sure he points it out just in case anyone missed it.
#1 Shaq On Chris Dudley
Shaq dunked on a lot of people throughout his career but nothing like what he did to poor Mr. Dudley. This is the definition of embarrassing. We have a dunk facial, crotch to the face, push down, and then (the best part) Dudley throws the ball at Shaq. I could watch this 100 times in a row and still get a good laugh.
Now onto to the real list.
#10 Shaq Brings Down The Basket
Jason Shusteric: This is on here purely for shock factor. We've seen guys like Darryl Dawkins and Darvin Ham shatter backboards but nobody ever, in the history of the game, has brought down the entire basket. The rim, backboard, shot clock, and stanchion all came crashing to the floor. We've never seen it before and never will again. Shaq was the only player capable of making this happen, twice.
Jason Bradshaw: When I saw this dunk for the first time I it was the coolest dunk I've ever seen. It became a "manly" thing to do. They already reinforced backboards so guy like Darryl Dawkins couldn't shatter them. Yet they weren't "Shaqproof"! Shortly after this my friend and I would actually try to bring backboards down! Sadly, I've still never been able to do it!
#9 Dominique Wilkins One-Handed Windmill
JS: Wilkins had the great ability to make normal dunks look amazing. Part of it was because of his ferocity on the rim. Every dunk he did it looked like he was trying to tear the rim down with it. Wilkins won two dunk contests and rarely did anything but windmills, reverse pumps, and straight off the backboard. The way he shows the rim the ball then brings it around with a ridiculous amount of velocity is unmatched. This particular dunk was in the controversial 1988 contest.
JB: Surely the man who defeated MJ in a dunk contest deserves a spot on our list. But why the one-handed windmill? Seems like many players could duplicate this. Wrong. The science of Dominique's windmill is like Tiger Woods' golf swing. Dominique uses an amazing combination of strength, flexibility, and timing. Add a 40+ inch vertical and you have an all time top 10 dunk. Try recording yourself doing this dunk on a 7 foot rim and then watch the tape. After you see how ridiculous you look you will understand the greatness of this dunk!
#8 Air Up There 720
JS: I really tried to stay away from And 1 and Team Flight Brothers or anything done in a non-pro league or lonely gym but this is hard to overlook. It's more of a 630 than a 720 because he travels past the rim but I'm still not taking anything away from this dunk. The fact that he was able to spin that fast from take off and still find the rim is amazing. It's one of those dunks where you had to see it again to know what happened.
JB: When I first saw this dunk I replayed it at least 10 times in a row. It's not actually a full 720 but its close. If this was in a NBA dunk contest it would certainly be higher on our list. Like the figure skater trying to land the double axle, I'm sure "Air Up There" spent hours perfecting this dunk! We can only wish that "Air Up There" makes the NBA like James White did this year!
#7 Andre Iguodala Behind The Backboard, Reverse
JS: Let me just say that this was the biggest robbery in NBA Slam Dunk Contest history. There is no possible way you can tell me Nate Robinson won this contest after needing 14 attempts in the dunk off. Anyway, this dunk has great creativity and difficulty. This also is the only dunk on our list that features an assist. The way Iguodala is able to contort his body to make it under the backboard and still have have enough air to get the reverse dunk is unbelievable. It's a shame he didn't win but everybody knows he had the best dunk in 2006.
JB: Once of the most difficult dunks on our list. Sadly I missed this dunk live. But after watching it, I was absolutely shocked he didn't win the contest. But it's definitely the most dangerous dunk on our list. He had to completely adjust his body mid-air in order to avoid hitting his head on the backboard. Couple this with how creative this was and you have a top 10 dunk.
#6 Vince Carter Over Frederic Weis
JS: Vince Carter had one of the better shock factors to his dunks, this one especially. The Frenchman Weis is listed at 7'2" and Carter (6'6") jumped over him. When we saw Carter about to take off we figured there might be a foul or Carter will push Weis backwards, but no, he cleared him! Let me put it this way. This might be the first and only dunk that ended another players career. This happened in 2000 and in 1999 Weis was drafted by the New York Knicks at #15 overall. The Knicks never bothered bringing him to the NBA and the dunk was called "the dunk of death" by the French media.
JB: Like the great Hacksaw Jim Duggan put it: USA, USA, USA!! Yes, this dunk represented what it means to be an American! It came around the time when the world was catching up the U.S. in basketball. Yet, Vince Carter reminded everybody that basketball is America's game. I was very proud to be an American after seeing Vince Carter jump COMPLETELY over a 7 footer yet throw it down with so much power!
#5 Jason Richardson Backwards Between The Legs, Reverse
JS: We've seen it over and over again of people go between their legs (eastbay) and dunk. But this was the first time we saw a reverse eastbay into a one-handed reverse. Incredible amount of style, difficulty, and creativity went into this dunk. I'm not sure how many guys on this list would even be able to complete this dunk. Not only going between his legs backwards but also dunking with his off hand! When J-Rich dropped this gem on us we knew it was a wrap for the contest.
JB: We've come along way since J.R. Rider first introduced us to the "between the legs" dunk. This dunk takes "between the legs" to a whole new level. Try "between the legs reversed, off the bounce with the opposite hand". What's really amazing is the fact that he did this dunk to WIN the contest. Put together a dunk that's difficult, creative, shocking, and couple that with a pressure packed moment and you have a top 5 funk of all time!
#4 Michael Jordan Kiss The Rim
JS: Esthetically, this is the greatest dunk I've ever seen. MJ performed this dunk multiple times in dunk contests and even once in a game but never as good as in the 1987 contest. The pure athletic beauty of this dunk in the replay is what gets me. It's great in real-time but, like Chappelle said, everything looks better in slow motion. When you see how graceful and how much his body is leaning in the air, you wonder how it's possible. I give any other dunker 100 tries and they will never get it to look as good as this. It's poetry in motion.
JB: We debated this dunk as a possible #1. Please watch this dunk in slow motion. It's and incredibly beautiful looking dunk. Watching it live looks good but certainly not top 10 worthy. Yet when you see this in slow motion it blows your mind. It's like watching a stunning piece of artwork. I could never imagine myself using terms like gracefulness, elegance, and beauty to describe a dunk but I guess my "man card" has been stripped. Similar to Dominique's windmill, although not the hardest dunk in the world, nobody could duplicate it. It just looks too good.
#3 Vince Carter 360 Windmill
JS: It was either this or the "Arm In Rim" dunk (the most underrated dunks of all time) but this has to be in here. The big thing to realize with this dunk is that Vince is turning over his right shoulder. Plenty of right-handed players have thrown down 360 dunks and every single one has turned left so their right arm is behind and coming to rim. But for Carter to turn right and have his right arm through first, he almost has to stop his momentum mid-air to finish the dunk. Then add in a powerful windmill, incredible. Other than Jordan, Carter had the best style to his dunks and this proved that.
JB: What amazed me more about this dunk was the hype before he even attempted it. Vince carter was the ONLY reason this dunk contest happened. Two years prior the NBA cancelled the dunk contest because it became "too boring". But after watching "Vinsanity" bring the house down with his in-game ridiculous dunks the public responded, and the dunk contest was back. But could Vince Carter live up to the unbelievable hype? I remember everybody on their feet as the announcer called his name. 30 seconds later...BOOM! The 360 windmill! INCREDIBLE! He made one of the most difficult dunks look so easy. This was his first dunk in one of the greatest dunk contest performances of all time. The performance was so good people forget that Tracy McGrady and Steve Francis were also in it!
#2 Air Jordan
JS: This dunk was very difficult to not put at #1 because not only was it great stylistically with Jordan pumping the ball mid flight, but his entire Jordan Brand is based off of this dunk. This is the logo we've all grown to know. Jordan did this dunk several times as it was his signature, but none were as good or clean as in 1988 in Chicago to beat Dominique Wilkins. The thing that made Jordan the best dunk contest participant ever is his ability to dunk off either one or two feet. Most dunkers are one or the other, not both. Jordan could do both as he showed us two feet with "Kiss The Rim" and one foot with "Air Jordan". But if there was one thing you could point out about this is that he never actually jump from behind the free throw line, which is the barometer of any free throw line dunk.
JB: Yes the dunk that started it all! MJ from the foul line! I originally had this dunk lower on my list but when you look at it in slow motion and factor in the cultural impact that this dunk had, you realize that this dunk cannot be any lower than #2. Similar to "Kiss The Rim", MJ made this dunk look prettier than anyone that's ever attempted it. Pay attention to his left arm pulled back and his chest pushed forward and it looks as though he's really flying. Add to that the double pump in mid air and MJ's version of Dr. J's foul line dunk becomes his OWN!
#1 James White Free Throw Line Windmill / Between the Legs
Some of you might think we are the craziest people ever for putting this #1 but let us explain. First, the reason why we have a co-#1 is because we couldn't come to a consensus. I think the windmill is better because he actually jumps from behind the line and JB takes the between the legs because of the degree of difficulty. So we have two #1 dunks by the same guy in the same competition.
JS: The free throw line dunk is one that happens almost every year in a dunk contest but nobody ever actually leaps from behind the line which is the whole purpose of doing this dunk. Dr. J, Michael Jordan, Brent Barry, Dwight Howard, Scottie Pippen and many more have tried but all have failed. The only other player to jump behind the line was Serge Ibaka, which was impressive but he's 6'10". What James White was able to do at 6'7" by taking off behind the line further than any other player then add the windmill and this is the most impressive dunk I've ever seen. We've never seen another guy even try a move while doing this dunk, let alone a windmill. White was also able to successfully complete a free throw line between the legs dunk in this same contest but his foot was on the line. It's a shame this took place in Russia and not many people have seen the video. However White is in this year's contest and Las Vegas put him as the odds on favorite to win once the participants were announced. He's 30 now but hopefully he still has it.
JB: Well, we have a problem boys and girls. I just discussed how amazing MJ's version of Dr. J's foul line dunk is, then I saw this! Are you kidding me? Is this real? Did a man actually jump from the free throw line and go between his legs? My friends, please just watch the video and tell me how I could possibly put MJ's dunk ahead of this. This is the most incredible dunk you will ever see. Which sets the stage fro tomorrow night! Will James White land the "between the legs foul line" dunk? Can't wait to find out! Thanks for checking out our top 10 list!
Friday, February 8, 2013
Early NBA MVP Race
We are a little past the midway point in the NBA season and a
few weeks away from the All-Star break so it's time to take a look at
the MVP race. The last five years the debate has been dominated by
LeBron James and Kobe Bryant, with Derrick Rose winning two years ago and Kevin Durant's name coming into the mix last year.
Until a few weeks ago there were multiple guys that you could make an argument for to win the MVP. But injuries have taken Chris Paul and Tim Duncan out of the conversation. Paul has missed nine straight games and 12 out of the last 14 for the Clippers. Paul still ranks second in assists (9.7) and first in steals (2.56) but his Clippers have dropped six of the last nine he's been out. As for Duncan, he's missed six of the last eight for the Spurs due to a sore left knee and now a sprained ankle. Timmy has his best numbers over the past three seasons (17.3 points, 9.7 rebounds, 2.7 blocks) but even with him out of the lineup the Spurs have been able to run their winning streak to eleven.
Let's first talk about Kobe and my question is where are all of his fans? The past five years, Kobe fans have been loud and proud saying that he is the best player in the league, but this year they've been quiet. That's mainly in part because his team is currently four games under .500 but his numbers are no different than any of the last five season. Actually you can make the argument that they are better because he has a higher field goal percentage at 46% and more assists at 5.3. But still nothing from the little mambas. And the argument about Kobe being better because he has more rings than other players is the worst argument to make. Rings don't make one player better than another. If that was the case here is a list of all the players better than Kobe (who has 5 rings) with how many rings they've won. Bill Russell (11), Sam Jones (10), John Havlicek (8), Tom Heinson (8), K.C. Jones (8), Tom Sanders (8), Robert Horry (7), Frank Ramsey (7), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar(6), Bob Cousy (6), Michael Jordan (6), Jim Loscutoff (6), Scottie Pippen (6).
Now on to the actual MVP candidates. Like I said earlier, Tim Duncan and Chris Paul have been playing great for title contending teams but their recent injuries have knocked them out of the top three. So, Carmelo Anthony has moved into that spot as he's guided the New York Knicks to a 31-16 record and second place in the Eastern Conference. The Knicks are one the surprise teams this year as they only managed to finish seventh in the East last season, Melo's first full season with the team. In the first game this year, NY smashed the defending champions Miami Heat 104-84 behind Anthony's 30 points and 10 boards. We weren't sure if it was a fluke but it became a trend as the Knicks have consistently won. Carmelo himself is having his best scoring season since 2006-07 with Denver as he is second in the league at 28.5. His field goal percentage is only at 45% but that is partly because he's taking 6.6 three pointers per game but he is shooting a career best 41.5% from distance.
Coming in at #2 is Kevin Durant. Durant is making the strongest case of his career for MVP as he's leading the league is scoring for the fourth straight season. He is undoubtedly the best scorer and offensive player in the league. This year he is on pace to be the only player ever to lead the league in scoring while shooting 50% from the field (51.7), 40% from three (42.2), and 90% from the free throw line (90.2). Aside from all that offense he's averaging 7.5 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and over a block and steal per game. All of this while leading the Oklahoma City Thunder to the second best record in the league at 37-12, only behind San Antonio. The fact of him putting up those offensive numbers and his team challenging for the best record in the league makes him a top candidate. By the end of the year, Durant could very well come out as the MVP and I would have no problem at all with it. His efficiency on the offensive end has been amazing to watch and he's improved his game every year he's been in the league. If he doesn't get it this year, he definitely will sometime in the near future.
My MVP right now though, is LeBron James. LeBron has won three of the last four MVP awards and if you thought his numbers were good in those years, this season they are even better. He's fourth in scoring at 26.8, pulling down a career best 8.2 rebounds, and dishing out 7.0 assists. He's also leading the league in Player Efficiency Rating while shooting 55.6% from the field and 40.8% from deep, both career highs. LeBron has steadily improved since joining the Heat but he does so many great things on the basketball court every night that we almost take it for granted. He's the only player in the league to lead his team in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals. He has the Heat in first place in the East at 32-14, positioned to make a run at a third straight NBA Finals appearance. One thing I know is that voters like to share the wealth, they don't like voting for the same guy every year. It's even less likely when Durant might do something for the first time in the history of the NBA. But a good question to ask your self, if we are voting for the Most Valuable Player, which team would still be contending if these players were taken off their respective squads? I would have to say OKC is more likely to still be in the mix. I'll definitely take Russell Westbrook, Serge Ibaka, and Kevin Martin over Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, and Ray Allen. It's really hard for me to make this call because Durant is my favorite player to watch and I'll never be a fan of LeBron after what he did to the Pistons in the 2007 playoffs. It's kind of like Michael Jordan, I'll never cheer for the guy but I totally respect his game. And ultimately, right now my vote goes to LBJ.
Until a few weeks ago there were multiple guys that you could make an argument for to win the MVP. But injuries have taken Chris Paul and Tim Duncan out of the conversation. Paul has missed nine straight games and 12 out of the last 14 for the Clippers. Paul still ranks second in assists (9.7) and first in steals (2.56) but his Clippers have dropped six of the last nine he's been out. As for Duncan, he's missed six of the last eight for the Spurs due to a sore left knee and now a sprained ankle. Timmy has his best numbers over the past three seasons (17.3 points, 9.7 rebounds, 2.7 blocks) but even with him out of the lineup the Spurs have been able to run their winning streak to eleven.
Let's first talk about Kobe and my question is where are all of his fans? The past five years, Kobe fans have been loud and proud saying that he is the best player in the league, but this year they've been quiet. That's mainly in part because his team is currently four games under .500 but his numbers are no different than any of the last five season. Actually you can make the argument that they are better because he has a higher field goal percentage at 46% and more assists at 5.3. But still nothing from the little mambas. And the argument about Kobe being better because he has more rings than other players is the worst argument to make. Rings don't make one player better than another. If that was the case here is a list of all the players better than Kobe (who has 5 rings) with how many rings they've won. Bill Russell (11), Sam Jones (10), John Havlicek (8), Tom Heinson (8), K.C. Jones (8), Tom Sanders (8), Robert Horry (7), Frank Ramsey (7), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar(6), Bob Cousy (6), Michael Jordan (6), Jim Loscutoff (6), Scottie Pippen (6).
Now on to the actual MVP candidates. Like I said earlier, Tim Duncan and Chris Paul have been playing great for title contending teams but their recent injuries have knocked them out of the top three. So, Carmelo Anthony has moved into that spot as he's guided the New York Knicks to a 31-16 record and second place in the Eastern Conference. The Knicks are one the surprise teams this year as they only managed to finish seventh in the East last season, Melo's first full season with the team. In the first game this year, NY smashed the defending champions Miami Heat 104-84 behind Anthony's 30 points and 10 boards. We weren't sure if it was a fluke but it became a trend as the Knicks have consistently won. Carmelo himself is having his best scoring season since 2006-07 with Denver as he is second in the league at 28.5. His field goal percentage is only at 45% but that is partly because he's taking 6.6 three pointers per game but he is shooting a career best 41.5% from distance.
Coming in at #2 is Kevin Durant. Durant is making the strongest case of his career for MVP as he's leading the league is scoring for the fourth straight season. He is undoubtedly the best scorer and offensive player in the league. This year he is on pace to be the only player ever to lead the league in scoring while shooting 50% from the field (51.7), 40% from three (42.2), and 90% from the free throw line (90.2). Aside from all that offense he's averaging 7.5 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and over a block and steal per game. All of this while leading the Oklahoma City Thunder to the second best record in the league at 37-12, only behind San Antonio. The fact of him putting up those offensive numbers and his team challenging for the best record in the league makes him a top candidate. By the end of the year, Durant could very well come out as the MVP and I would have no problem at all with it. His efficiency on the offensive end has been amazing to watch and he's improved his game every year he's been in the league. If he doesn't get it this year, he definitely will sometime in the near future.
My MVP right now though, is LeBron James. LeBron has won three of the last four MVP awards and if you thought his numbers were good in those years, this season they are even better. He's fourth in scoring at 26.8, pulling down a career best 8.2 rebounds, and dishing out 7.0 assists. He's also leading the league in Player Efficiency Rating while shooting 55.6% from the field and 40.8% from deep, both career highs. LeBron has steadily improved since joining the Heat but he does so many great things on the basketball court every night that we almost take it for granted. He's the only player in the league to lead his team in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals. He has the Heat in first place in the East at 32-14, positioned to make a run at a third straight NBA Finals appearance. One thing I know is that voters like to share the wealth, they don't like voting for the same guy every year. It's even less likely when Durant might do something for the first time in the history of the NBA. But a good question to ask your self, if we are voting for the Most Valuable Player, which team would still be contending if these players were taken off their respective squads? I would have to say OKC is more likely to still be in the mix. I'll definitely take Russell Westbrook, Serge Ibaka, and Kevin Martin over Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, and Ray Allen. It's really hard for me to make this call because Durant is my favorite player to watch and I'll never be a fan of LeBron after what he did to the Pistons in the 2007 playoffs. It's kind of like Michael Jordan, I'll never cheer for the guy but I totally respect his game. And ultimately, right now my vote goes to LBJ.
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
James Harden Makes Return To OKC
With tonight being the first meeting between the Oklahoma
City Thunder and the Houston Rockets since the James Harden-Kevin Martin deal I
figured I'd bring it full circle. It's still early in the season but each
team and key players in the deal seemed to have established themselves.
Record wise not much has changed, the Thunder are still one of the top teams in
the league at 11-4 while the Rockets are .500 (they finished 34-32 last year).
When the deal happened the Thunder had a bigger hole to
fill, not just in the stat sheet but also with the chemistry of the team. So far Martin has filled in nice
statistically as Harden’s replacement.
Martin is averaging 15.7 points shooting 45 percent from the field, 49
percent from three and 94 percent from the line. Last year for the Thunder, Harden averaged 16.8 points
shooting 49 percent from the field, 39 percent from three and 84 from the
line. The Thunder as a team are
averaging more points per game and giving up less than last season. As for the chemistry, Kevin Durant and
Russell Westbrook were going to be the biggest factor as to welcoming Martin
and they seemed to have used his style of play very well. Both players have seen their scoring
and shot attempts go down but assists go up. The only spot Martin might lack where Harden thrived is
taking over the scoring load when Westbrook and Durant were out of the
game. But, Thunder coach Scott
Brooks has adjusted his game plan and has been able to keep his team a title
contender.
In a previous post I posed the question “can James Harden be
a #1?” and I would say he has shown flashes that he can be the leader of the
Rockets, he just needs a little more help. Right now Harden is fifth in the league in scoring,
averaging 25.1 (only .8 behind his old teammate Durant). We’ve seen his assists jump to 5.4 but
also his turnovers to 4.1 while all his shooting percentages have gone
down. With Harden already coming
in as a star the Rockets were going to be built around his style of play unlike
Martin trying to fit in with the Thunder.
Houston brought in Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik with big contracts as well
so they had three new starters to their lineup, which basically creates a whole
new team. But even with these new
players the Rockets are in the same place they were last year, fighting for a
playoff spot in the highly contested Western Conference. If the Rockets want to become a playoff
staple they will need to find better compliments to Harden than Lin and
Chandler Parsons (Houston’s second leading scorer).
I still believe the Thunder came out on top in the
trade. I wouldn’t say Houston lost
because they received a top three shooting guard in the NBA but so far Kevin
Martin has fit in nicely with the Thunder. Let’s not also forget that OKC gets two first round draft
picks from Houston and a second rounder.
So the trade turned out good for the Rockets because they have a
superstar to build a team around. But the trade turned out great for the Thunder because they
are still title contenders with the opportunity to get better through the
draft, which OKC is known for doing.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)