Throwing Up Bricks

Was it only a matter of time?

2010-04-29T00:33:00.007+08:00

Getty Images, I did not read your terms. But you own the rights to this picture. Lawsuit?

Last night, the Lakers drubbed the Thunder. After a few months of so-so-for-their-standards kind of play, pretty much everyone could agree that this was the reminder we needed. A reminder that basically told us two things, the Lakers are good and they're clearly head and shoulders above everyone else…if they wanted to be. This game acted as the little nudge that makes you think "it was only a matter of time." And it was. it truly was.

Sure, let's get it out there. The Lakers haven't had a clean bill of health all season. Even with a lot of their players suiting up in games, we haven't seen this team have its players at 100%. It's basically hampered their play. Many have pointed out that this was a jump shot happy team, that the offense was Kobe-centric. This isn't a knock on Kobe, he's kinda good. But we all know the deal! This team needs to get everyone going, even if it winds up in Kobe's hands anyway. If you're not aware, he's more than capable of expertly finishing up plays. But everyone knows what they Lakers have to do. They have to play to their strengths, and they have to play smart. Get that offense going. That means working the ball around, making sound decisions on and off the ball. Most people would give them a pass for not doing that consistently, but hey, their relatively bad play was good enough for….tops in the West, third in the NBA overall. So maybe we shouldn't get on them for playing like that. Sure, but when that inconsistency carries over to the first four games of the postseason – what say you now? The problems showed, and it looked like some new ones developed along the way. Suddenly, the Lakers looked vulnerable. It's as if the thought of an upset went from unlikely, to possible. And then we get treated to a game like this.

It was vintage LA. And by vintage, I meant the past two years. We saw a dominating offensive performance…now mixed in with this newfound defensive identity. The ball was being worked around, sound decisions were made, and match-ups were exploited. All to the tune of 118.1 points per. 56 points in the paint for the Lakers. They also managed 22 points from the line. No surprise, Andrew Bynum bullied his way to 21 points and Pau Gasol versatiled his way to 25. 42 made baskets for the Lakers, 27 assisted. All this happened while Kobe attempted just nine shots, missing five of them. And he still looked good. We saw the savvy; we saw the impact he had on this game. We witnessed the penetration and the playmaking. What should have happened in game four, as Kobe explained in that post-game, just materialized in game five. It was only a matter of time before we saw this. The solution to their problems was simple, mainly because the limitations they've always had came from within. And it goes without saying, despite their injury situation. It's to play the smart brand of basketball their offense allows them. And if that doesn't work, it's still up to them to play to their strengths that most teams at their best still wouldn't be able to topple. I believe that for this team, it's really supposed to be easier said than done.

For most nights, however, that's not the case. So in game six, what'll it be? Will we see the kind of Lakers team that goes for the jugular? Will we instead see an uninspired effort for game six? Will we get to a game 7 where the clichéd "anything can happen" rears its annoying head? Because, really, fuck clichés. And what if the Lakers do end it in six, what of the next series? Will it be the same old song of mailing it in one game, then pouring it on in the next? Right now, the inevitable seems to have happened. I fear its goodbye to the lovable (except in Seattle) Thunder. But really, are you convinced? Whether you are or you aren't, the convincing commences on April 30. Game six.

So what'll it be, Lakers?

I Think I'm Pretty Spot On

2009-12-11T16:02:00.003+08:00

Also, I despise Kobe. To be fair, though, should have voted for Bynum.

Are you excited?

2009-09-27T21:02:00.007+08:00

Training camp is looming, and the excitement is building up. After toiling through the dog days of the offseason? We are slowly being rewarded. NBA Season, you are almost upon us! Oh how i miss, thee.

Training camp starts within the week, followed by the preseason the week after. Permission to feel a bit dirty is granted.

This motion picture of awesomeness is from NavjotEnt, a guy who I duped into being a subscriber to my youtube page with all the old And1 videos i posted

Chris Paul Can Fast Forward Through Time?!

2009-08-08T09:32:00.007+08:00

Take a look at the time difference. Mind blowing, right?
My perception of time has now greatly been distorted. I am both bothered and confused! Someone please explain to me this time-paradoxical occurrence!

Really? You're mad that you're here, reading something that completely wasted your time? Ha! Look at this place. I should be the one angry at you.

Wait!

Don't go. You make me strong

Stephon Marbury is one viral character

2009-07-25T12:08:00.006+08:00

Photo stolen from the phoenix.com

Seriously, if you're an NBA fan and haven't at least logged in 5 minutes of his streaming of madness then you're absolutely off your rocker. Well, actually, you're the sane one.

Really, though. His stuff is genius. Nutty? Probably. But hey, it's genius!

So here are two LOLMARBZ I created because I'm extremely bored and have no life. Jump if you're into these retarded things I seem to creepily enjoy.

----

Joining in on the hate of ESPN's top 10 posterization list

2009-07-23T23:09:00.005+08:00

Also concurrently reminding you of players you should have already forgotten!

Exploring a Possibility of the Shaq Trade

2009-06-30T18:44:00.011+08:00

George Diaz of the Orlando Sentinel is one of the many on this planet writing about Shaquille O'Neal to the Cleveland Cavaliers deal. He talks of how the deal doesn't really tip the scales in favor of the Cavaliers. The article contains some commentary here and there about Shaq's attention whore-yness. It also has sensible basketball talk about Orlando's excellent pick and roll game and how Shaq is an atrocious pick and roll defender. You know, talk that makes actual basketball sense. Unlike the migraine inducing stupidity that you find over here in my shitty blog.

Okay, enough self-loathing.

So the Diaz article made me think. As most of the 184245412196597698134 sports blogs on the internet are discussing or have already discussed relevant basketball talk about how this seemingly blockbuster deal is or isn't changing the landscape of Eastern Conference basketball, I am already looking at the potential scenario of another Shaq flip flopisode.

AP Photo

Imagine it's the regular season already. Cleveland and Orlando are probably bound to eventually face each other, right? And maybe the league schedules another one of those Christmas day grudge matches. Orlando and Cleveland. Eastern Conference Finalists. First meeting after being ousted. LeBron James refused to shake hands. Dwight Howard is irked. Shaq hates Dwight and Stan Van Gundy. It's an absolutely orgasmic sequence of events that the media just can't wait to unfold. For David Stern as well. A shit storm of mind numbingly stupid media coverage ensues.

Some subliminal messages are thrown out by the Big Acrimonious One. Indirect comments here and there. The possibilities would be having sensationalistic journalists foam at the mouth.

Enter Kobe or Bill Russell. Or the 6 or 7 Primes in heaven that talk to Shaq in his dreams. They provide him counsel. Tell him to make amends for the better. Boom. Reformation!

Shaq immediately denounces his past comments directed at Dwight. "You know the Big Diesel just gotta show tough love to the youngins. Keep them on their toes. The Big Aristotle's philosophical approach is effective, and it motivated my man right there."

All-Star weekend comes. Dwight Howard is once again the East's starting C. Maybe SVG is the coach for the east team as well. Shaq is the East's reserve C. They get paired together on the court at the same time. In true SVG fashion, he demands that Dwight spaces the floor. It's all hilarious and they become co-MVPs.

Shaq then sends another no homo* worthy tweet "LOL evn supaman2 cn join Kobe n say Shaq how my ass taste. luv u @DwightHoward" and we all live happily ever after.

Doesn't the possibility excite you?

No?

Told you my blog was shitty.

Note (*) - I have nothing against homosexuality, just to be clear.

Orlando Magic trade 3 guys for a guy with 3 nicknames and another guy with a generic name

2009-06-27T17:11:00.009+08:00

As news of the 9/11 of pop culture swept yesterdays headlines and brought down the spirits of millions, relatively smaller news was lost in the shuffle. So if you remain unaware, my dear reader, here's what Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported:

The New Jersey Nets have agreed in principle to send Vince Carter and Ryan Anderson to the Orlando Magic for Rafer Alston, Tony Battie and Courtney Lee, two league executives told Yahoo! Sports.

Another big move in a week filled with deals that saw popular names such as Richard Jefferson, Jamaal Crawford, Randy Foye, Mike Miller, and the biggest name of them all, Shaquille O'Neal get bounced around.

What does this mean for both teams?

For The Magic:

(The always excellent Third Quarter Collapse has all you need for insight and analysis in this trade, so go give them a visit)

Orlando, off the heels of a tremendous 2008-2009 campaign, is obviously looking to continue their success. SRSLY. How insightful of me, no? They get a huge upgrade for the 2-spot in Carter. An all-star talent who can create his own shot and, more importantly, a guy capable of taking over games. As talented as Orlando's main personnel were last season, they didn't have that take over-y go-to guy. Well, you can argue that they did but he went down with an injury. Carter gives them just that. That's some redundancy that should be welcomed, should Nelson regain form.

How many of these shots has he hit?

While this move puts them a little bit under the luxury tax threshold with only 8 players on board, management looks to be committed to winning. They most certainly will have to cross the line if they want to push their team over the top. If they were indeed honest about their willingness to go over the LT to re-sign Hidayet Turkoglu, what's to say they won't be willing to go over the line of it meant they'd win a championship. Even if this move also means not re-signing Turkoglu, an important cog for the Magic, whose demands seem to be a little too high for a team that still needs 5 roster spots to be filled.

Point being, Carter's acquisition immediately fills in the needs that the Magic needed to be filled. That's a price worth paying if indeed it pushes them over the top. And if you look at the big picture? If Jameer Nelson and Dwight Howard can elevate their games, if Mickael Pietrus can stay healthy and perform like he did during the post-season, and if Rashard Lewis can maintain his production? How does that not scream contender to you? Just a few solid off season moves (rumored to be Brandon Bass or Rasheed Wallace) and a return to the Finals is not inconceivable.

As for Ryan Anderson? A solid young player at 21 years of age who can obviously still develop. A 36% 3PT shooter that can space the floor and also rebound at a solid rate. Already better than Battie, Rashard's main PF back up. So that's a a slight improvement now that also stretches out long term. Good deal for the Magic.

For the Nets:

The move already has some Nets fans screaming "YEAH LEBRON in 2010 bitches! Harris Lee Lopez LeBron = CHAMPS"

They'll be rid of more contracts and will be in a very favorable position by next season all while receiving a talented player in Courtney Lee. By then, the team would be featuring a core of Harris, Lopez, Lee and CDR. Even if they don't cash in on the LeBronanza, they still have a very impressive list to work with. Brian Scalabrene, Adam Morrison, and DJ Mbenga? All champs, baby.

The Big Suitcase: Now Suiting Up for the Cavaliers

2009-06-26T00:11:00.010+08:00

So Shaq is now a Cavalier. If you're not aware, the deal is: Shaquille O'Neal to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic + the 46th Overall Pick.

Obviously, this another one of those money dumping maneuvers. You have to wonder why this trade never materialized during the past season. This was pretty much the same deal that was on the table during the deadline. Was Phoenix still hoping for a better deal in terms of money and talent? Why does this deal get pulled off only now? Did Cleveland think they could have gotten a better deal as well? Did Phoenix postpone this move because they still had hope for the 8th seed?

Nonetheless, the Cavaliers look like they've just gotten stronger. Shaq, who had a renaissance of sorts last season, will more or less be that easy-scoring inside presence the Cavaliers need. And for a team that, even if they had top marks in offensive efficiency last season, looks like they struggle to score outside of LeBron James? That's huge. But we then have to ask, is he really the answer? Pressing questions and concerns that will be answered, hopefully, by more offseason dealings and actual on-court performance.

The Suns, meanwhile, get more of that financial relief that they desire once their new pieces' contract expires by the end of the year. Yay. So....is Amar'e's eye better? Is that the reason why he writes his apostrophe like that? Why is apostrophe such a long word for such a small symbol?

Right now, this deal looks like a good talent enhancing move for the Cavs and a good money-saving move for the Suns. The questions now? Will Shaq indeed be that missing piece? If he is, will he be willing to work his butt off once more? Will he stay hungry? Lower his pride?

So, we now have two me-first (former) superstar journeymen in this decade. Oh how the mighty have fallen.

The other trade I wanted to react to because everyone else also reacted to it

2009-06-24T19:01:00.006+08:00

Another one of those agreed in principle deals.

(Woj for Y! Sports first broke the news. Chad Ford then tried to remind people he was ~~the better journalist~~ the gossip king by writing a more detailed piece on the trade. How petty)

The teams? The Washington Wizards and The Minnesota Timberwolves. Two lottery teams.

The players to be exchanged, if you're unaware, are Mike Miller and Randy Foye from the Wolves to the Wiz for Darius Songaila, Etan Thomas, and Oleksiy Pecherov + 5th Overall Pick.

This trade is big, but it also baffles. Moreso on the Washington side.

Looking at the trade alone, this actually looks good for the Wizards. They get a solid veteran in Mike Miller and the former number 7 pick that looks like he could definitely improve in Randy Foye. As for the Wolves, the now have two lottery picks! The casual fan community applauds this trade.

Also, we don't actually know that the Wizards rosters and are unaware of guard spot logjam they find themselves in. We're also unaware that they have JaVale McGee (who is okay by me) and Andray Blatche as the primary back ups for Brendan Haywood and Antawn Jamison. Guys who we probably won't be surprised seeing on the injured reserve. Well, Haywood at least.

Anyway, the Wizards automatically get what most people call "proven talent" aka players that we've seen on tv for some time and have heard about on the news and when we check the stats we see they've averaged 15ppg at least once in their career.

In all seriousness, Mike Miller seems like the guy the Wizards needed on one side of the ball. A perimeter threat, 68% of his shots are off Jumpers and makes 56% of his effective field goals, with playmaking ability. (Edit: Totally forgot about Mike Miller's new lease on life by swearing off taking anything more than 8 shots a game. Well, that probably would be better since Arenas, Butler, and Jamison take the bulk of the shots anyway) Randy Foye looks like a good 6th man choice, too. His per game numbers have climbed, but some of his advanced stats have not. But really? He had one injury plagued season and his numbers don't look significantly different as it is. So basically, you got 16ppg scorer coming of the bench? It looks good, in theory. With Flip Saunders running things from the sidelines, you can probably expect a improved offensive performance from Foye, and the rest of the Wizards as well. Hm. Now about that defense....?

Randy Foye's Career Numbers via BBR

Moving on, so how about that logjam at the guard spot? Well, I'm no trade machine guy. But I guess the only thing Ernie Grunfeld can do right now, as Bullets Forever noted way before me, is move Mike James, Nick Young(the most enticing of who he has to offer, in my humble opinion) and Javaris Crittenton. Who knows? This trade was a surprising one, so I assume Mr. Grunfeld can pull off another one. Only time will tell.

As for the Wolves? Well, they're in a good position for this draft. Even if they don't end up getting the number 2 pick from Memphis, should the stars stay aligned for them then maybe they might be able to pull out Evans (who I am reading is the way to go after, or even before Rubio)? I doubt they stay idle, but you'll never know. Man, how do GM moves by the Wolves suddenly look good without McHale manning the Front Office anymore? (I kid. And to be fair, the team McHale put together eventually brought them to this position. So yeah, unintended consequences) Meh. I'm no expert on these trades and draft deals as it is.

As for their financial position? OPech and Etan Thomas look to be off the books by 2010. I know that year gets thrown around a lot, but any cap space looks good right? Songaila's contract runs through 2011, if I have my facts correct. At least the Wolves have an underrated piece in Songaila, who gives effort and plays defense.

Edit: I totally forgot about the Wizards financial position. They're still over the luxury tax, and this trade doesn't really change things. Sure. They got some form of flexibility by giving away a pick that they'd have to eventually pay and (as Bullets Forever pointed out) gain two contracts that earn a bit less for the next two years, but these players don't really put them "over the top." Still, a good deal nonetheless. We'll see how it pans out.

That's about all I can think of right now. So...are the Wolves really going to get "That Man!" as their head coach for this coming season? Ah, well that's for another time. I guess we just have to keep our eyes glued to twitter for more breaking news tweets for more trade info and whatnot.

Now, wouldn't it be fun if both teams rescinded just to let these journalists look like complete buffoons?

Trade reaction: Because everyone is doing it

2009-06-24T10:36:00.012+08:00

So yeah, trades happened today. What was initially reported as a trade in principle between the Bucks and Spurs was actually a 3-team deal among the Spurs, Bucks, and Pistons.

The outcome is: Spurs get Richard Jefferson from the Bucks. Bucks get Bruce Bowen and Kurt Thomas from the Spurs and also get Amir Johnson from the Pistons. Pistons get Fabricio Oberto from the Spurs. Also an outcome: Southwest Division fans and bloggers yelling "Crap" or "Fuck."

What does this mean? Thoughts after the jump!

Well, on paper, the deal looks to favor the Spurs tremendously in the talent department. We in the casual fan world are jumping out of our seats with the thought of a guy whom we tend to overrate end up on a team that features Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, and Tim Duncan. Then we remember they're the Spurs and immediately think of "boring." So we hate the trade because we think it makes the "boring" Spurs a contender once more.

But hold on! Those who are smarter than I think of this as "Hardly a no brainer."

Makes sense. When I searched for Richard Jefferson images on Google, the related search brought up Jason Kidd. I don't know why. But I guess Google believes that Kidd made Jefferson's career.

Edit: But still, it's worth noting RJ's production and what he brings to the table. While Jefferson's numbers have dipped since his 2005-2006 campaign, it's still worth noting that his 3PT% has steadily increased (as one of my earlier links indicated), and that's a shot he's going to be getting in this Spurs offense (the corners, specifically). There is no doubt in my mind that he can make significant contributions alongside a (hopefully) healthy Spurs line up ,consisting of Manu, Tony and Tim, where he would pretty much be a 4th option. And for what it's worth, the Milwaukee offense operated at an Offensive Rating of 110 points per 100 possessions while Jefferson was on the floor. If it's any indication, he may be of tremendous help for a team that struggles to get production from its non-stars. The extent of how much he will actually contribute to the Spurs can only be truly seen once the season starts.

The financial situation seems to leave the Spurs at some salary cap disadvantage. As I understand it, they'll be paying around $70M for about only 8 players? This take in effect in 2010 as I understand it. I don't know. I don't handle money well. Also, this trade leaves them thin up front. What do they do now? Obviously, Spurs FO is far from done. Do they still have Pops Mensah-Bonsu? Oh wait, he's in Toronto. Are they going to convince Tiago Splitter to come over? Things should be interesting.

As for Milwaukee and Detroit? Obviously, this move looks to have been done purely for financial reasons. Milwaukee, does however, get a fine young talent, that could be molded into a solid contributor, in Amir Johnson. Detroit gets that cap space and another contract coming off the books for 2010.

Also, we get to have a chance to pair Herrmann and Oberto. What's better than that?

Edit:We'll see how these developments unfold as the weeks move along as these teams are yet to be finished with their front office moves. As Chalrie Villanueva noted, we're bound to see many trades go down. We're definitely going to be in for some more action on what was thought to be a boring offseason, thanks in no small part to the current economy. Here's hoping for some earth shattering deals.

The Fact of the Matter: Lakers are Champs!

2009-06-16T01:47:00.008+08:00

The Los Angeles Lakers are the 2009 NBA Champions. Many of us will have to begrudgingly accept the fact that the Lakers are on top of the basketball world once more. No more of those insanely stupid, but fun, arguments against Kobe Bryant's ringless NBA tenure without Shaq, "he's not a true leader" quips, "he's not better than MJ therefore he sucks" nonsense, and a whole bottomless pit full of irrational criticisms directed towards the incumbent Finals MVP.

None of the "soft" labels. No more accusations of an air of arrogance and a sense of entitlement. No more nitpicking. No more unnecessary fault finding. None of that.

The only thing that matters? The whole 08-09 year is a wrap and is ready for the history books. The Lakers have deservedly earned a glorious place in the annals of history once more.

Annals. LOL. (totally ripped that off from tremendous news!)

As much as we dislike (or despise) them, simply put: this bunch is a goddamn brilliant team that deserves the admiration and adulation that they've (also) received.

It is the fact that we on the bandwagon of, uh, hating the Lakers must accept. They've played like they were the best all year and can now claim bragging rights to being called this year's best.

Yeah, the best at being arrogant and cheap-ass douche bags! HA

Bitterness. How sweet.

And so begins the offseason of rehabilitation for many basketball fans, their teams lost and the Lakers are champs. Aw.

Congratulations to the 2009 NBA Champions, the Los Angeles Lakers! We've ran out of negative things to say.

An Awkward Moment for Pau Gasol? Never!

2009-06-12T18:57:00.003+08:00

Uneducated guesses: Things to look out for - NBA Finals

2009-06-04T19:38:00.010+08:00

Finals are about to start, and we got our players set! You know what that means? ~~Plagiarizing other bloggers and analysts ideas for the forthcoming series~~ Previews! It's The Orlando Magic vs. The Los Angeles Lakers. Who you got?

Ah, yes. It's the NBA Finals and we got the Lakers and the Magic! Kobe Bryant. Dwight Howard. Rashard Lewis. Pau Gasol. Lamar Odom. Hedo Turkoglu. Stan Van Gundy. Phil Jackson. DJ Mbenga. Adonal Foyle. ARE YOU NOT SLIGHTLY AROUSED BY THE LAST TWO NAMES I MENTIONED?!

Which prevails?
The Orlando Magic. Arguably the top 3-point shooting team in the League. Top tier in defensive rebounding. Statistically the best overall defensive team in the NBA. Shoot the freaking lights out.

The Los Angeles Lakers. Run one of the most efficient offenses in the NBA. Arguably the best passing team. Top tier offensive rebounding. Have DJ Mbenga.

This honestly feels like a good old strength vs. strength match up. The Orlando Magic are arguably the best outside shooting team in the NBA. The Lakers, meanwhile, force their opponents to beat them from the outside. The Lakers gave up, on average, 20.7 3PT attempts per game against their opponents in the regular season. They did, however, manage to have one of the top 3PT defenses in the NBA as the they only allowed teams to shoot at 34.5%. Unfortunately for them, not every team shoots as well as the Magic. In fact, Orlando shot at least 40% in both games against Los Angeles this season. Small sample size, but worth noting. Hold on there, though. Jameer Nelson was also present in both those games and shot extremely well. Now the streaky Rafer Alston is at the helm for the Magic, and he isn't as deadly as Jameer. Still, the Magic look to be in good hands as they have still shot relatively well throughout the playoffs. The Magic LIVE by the three because they are very much capable of doing it, and it frees up their monster in the middle.

The Lakers offense feeds off excellent ball movement, spacing, and offensive rebounds. All these strengths in their game is fueled by getting their offense, the triangle, flowing. The Orlando defense lives off forcing you to miss shots as they rarely miss a beat on their rotations, close out on shooters, and/or recover. While Orlando features the personnel that are very well capable (surprising to most), the Lakers also feature their own personnel capable enough to match or mitigate Orlando's defensive strengths. The Lakers also use a mix of spacing and length to get offensive rebounds. This is evident in their OReb% as they rebound at around a rate of 31%, among the best in the league in this regard. In contrast, the Magic are one of the top defensive rebounding teams. They gather opponent misses at around a rate of 78%, also among the upper echelon of the Association.

The Personnel Match Ups
Dwight Howard vs. The Lengthy Laker Line

The Lakers don't feature the (physically) strongest frontcourt in the League, but their length makes up for their inside D.This is pretty much why the Lakers give up 3's. Their defense makes it difficult for the offense to get inside shots. While the Magic aren't necessarily an inside team, they do feature a VERY intimidating inside presence in Dwight Howard.

Howard has yet to face a frontline like the Lakers. While LA does not have a Kendrick Perkins on their team, their big men are lengthy and possess enough quickness to stay in front of Howard. It is key for the Lakers' frontcourt to harass Dwight Howard and force him to beat you. The Magic are one of the few successful oustide-inside type of teams. Take away those comfortable outside looks, force Dwight to beat you.

Conversely, Dwight Howard has to put the pressure on the Laker line and put them in foul trouble. It's that simple. The Magic need to get him the ball in the right places, but his postgame needs work. Andrew Bynum is both quick and strong enough to at least keep up with Howard, so the Magic SHOULD look to utilize Dwight on the Pick and Roll more. This is where Howard works best, in motion. Using his athleticism. The Lakers have an exploitable defensive weakness through the pick and roll. It is imperative for the Magic to get dribble penetration so they can get the ball to Mr. Howard so he can go to work and give the Lakers their own Dwightmares.

Kobe Bryant vs. Pietrus and Lee

Plain and simple, Pietrus and Lee should force Kobe into taking low-percentage-hand-in-his-face-contested-jumpers. Force him to do it a lot. Make him take the Lakers out of their offensive flow. Yes. He may hit them. He may even get a 40 point game out of it. But if he's going to be able to do that, might as well make him do it at the expense of their offense. Keep him from penetrating. Kobe might have been settling for jumpers more and more this year (he only averages 6 FT attempts), but he is still very much capable of attacking the basket. It's on them to funnel him into the spots where they want him to be in, so he can have a tough time shooting.

Black Mamba, meanwhile, is a man on a mission. And nothing will deter him from his goal. That's his mindset, and it makes him dangerous. But that makes for horrible analysis. Kobe has to play smart, and he's certainly capable of that. Set up the offense, Kobe. Get yours within the flow, not at the expense of it. Even if you're going to miss your looks created by the offense. Set it up. It's better for your team. And you can have an easier time going for 40 that way.

Rashard Lewis vs. Pau Gasol

Two of the most versatile big men in the league square off. While yes, when Pau gets moved to the C position he'll be matched up with Dwight. But the Lakers would like to keep him at the PF, so he'll have no choice but to match up with Rashard.

There's no other way around it for the Magic. Rashard has to take this match up. And Pau can't guard him. Not because Pau sucks. But Rashard just has the talent and physical ability to be able to stick with Pau. Rashard must use his quickness and athleticism to his advantage. Take it to him, Rashard. Around him. Over him. The Magic need you to do it.

Pau Gasol ain't no slouch either, and this is the match up that should scare Magic fans more than anything else. We're well aware in throwing up bricks that Rashard is only by reputation a lousy defender. Defensive metrics aren't perfect, so I won't cite them. But Rashard is a solid and heady defender. He's physically strong enough to hold his own in the post, while also quick enough to stay in front of quick big men. Lengthy enough to make it tough for the opponent to score. But again. Pau ain't no slouch. He's efficient, savvy and smart. He can hurt you in ways not limited to scoring. He has excellent post moves and has the passing ability unmatched by any big man. He's more than most can handle, and he can even put the ball on the floor. Rashard can hang with him, but the Magic need to send help. But they must do it wisely, because his passing game can hurt you. And it opens up the game for the Lakers. Watch out for this match up.

The "X-Factor"

Rafer Alston. This is simple for the Magic. Rafer needs to play within the flow of the offense, and be a facilitator first and foremost. He will get his shots, but he has to understand that he has to take the smart ones. The ones within the flow of the offense. Stay in control, Rafer. For the love of God, stay in control.

Lamar Odom. When on the top of his game, the Lakers are damn near unbeatable. So Lamar, get your head in the game. Facilitate the offense. Be the excellent help defender that you are. Pass the ball. Create for others. Make it easier for your teammates. When you're on, understand that the chances of being beaten get reduced drastically. Don't shy away. Your versatility is key. You fill those gaps excellently with your abilities. Stay on your game, man. Stay on it.

Verdict

I'm probably the only one who feels that this series is toughest to call, out of all the one's we got this year. I feel like this can go either way. These teams strengths play to each others weaknesses. It's too tough to call. The only thing that matters now is execution. Yes, these teams will make adjustments. Their coaches are awesome. They won't let the other play to their strengths. So it's going to boil down to who executes best on a consistent basis. It's a cop out answer, I know. But these playoffs have been too damn crazy for me to tell. Which team crumbles? Which team perseveres? It comes down to execution, and holding that consistently for 48 minutes. Not luck. Not hot shooting. Not referee bailout calls. Not David Stern's favoritism. It's execution. Who do I see doing that, despite any potential match up issues? Who you got? I got...

Magic in 6

2009-05-31T17:10:00.003+08:00

via the Comments Section of Third Quarter Collapse

Where Proving You Wrong Happens...

2009-05-31T14:23:00.007+08:00

Box Score
Recap

Time and time again, the Orlando Magic have continually proven us all wrong. Yeah, I believed they were very much capable of winning. Yes, I wouldn't be surprised if they would win it all. Well, I also believed that they wouldn't. And that's okay. Their success doesn't hinge on my beliefs. Their success doesn't rely on your predictions. It doesn't.

It doesn't? But they play well with their backs against the walls. We've seen that all year!

Yes. I will concede that. They've done extremely well, despite all the criticism. Maybe it drives them. Maybe it does indeed. But with all that talk about motivation? Yes, to a certain degree, motivation can get you to places. But the rate of your success does not lie solely upon intangibles. It's talent. It's execution. The Orlando Magic? They has it.

So go ahead, say what you want about how this team got here. But don't forget to give them credit for actually getting the job done. But their success isn't just predicated from their drive. It's also their smarts. Sure. They shoot the 3 a lot, and you chuckle at them for doing so. But they're smart. They know they can hit it. So they find their ways to be able to get it done. In ways that other people can explain to you in way better detail. And they work hard. They play defense. They stay in front of you. They don't let up. They play disciplined. They play in over their heads. All that? It showed up tonight. And it earned them their rightful place in the Finals. A chance to prove everyone wrong once again.

Stats that make me look smart:

Tough, tough way to end the year for Cleveland. Remarkable year for the city of Cleveland. Remarkable year for LeBron James. Sad way to end it.

Anyway, the Magic may not have possessed any answers with regards to stopping LeBron James all series, but they just about had an answer for everyone else. So maybe, in a way, that was their answer. The result? A convincing win that everyone on the bandwagon will all forget as we're all really closet frontrunning Laker fans.

Impressive win for Orlando. Keep in mind that this type of game was much more suited for the Cavs. No, not because Orlando got the calls Cleveland usually gets you conspiracy nut. This was an 88 possession game. Right around their mark in the regular season. Close to their average mark in the postseason (around 82, I reckon). Orlando's defense really impresses me, as they had continually taken away all the looks this Cleveland team needed to get it all going. Yes, Cleveland could have handled this much better. But they didn't. Not at all. And they regressed to what they were before this season.

Sure, let's get it out of the way. LeBron James needed help. But how many times were we thinking that when the Cavaliers steamrolled their way through the whole freakin' year? Yes, his teammates need to be slammed. I have no quarrel with that, but their game plan went nowhere. And they didn't really adjust to what the Magic were giving them. We'll have to see what the Cavs do in the off season. Hopefully everyone learns.

I've learned something. I can never be a good analyst/blogger. Why? Because Orlando's game left me in awe. In so much awe that I couldn't even pay proper attention to what was going on in the game anymore. Dwight Howard was a force. Dominant force. And the Cleveland Cavaliers front court will all be having their Dwightmares. Also, the way they ran their offense was beautiful. It may be simple to the eyes of many, but their personnel is truly intelligent. I can only remember being giddy as their players released their shots! Except for Rafer Alston

Just an impressive showing by the Orlando Magic. No fluke, folks. They're certainly good. They've proved that. They're no novelty act. It's smart. Hard work. Discipline. All of that blended in with the ability to execute? We now have our finals match up.

Mystique is Overrated...

2009-05-30T11:47:00.008+08:00

...And I'm not talking about the blue bitch.

Hold on. Since we're on that analogy, might as well use it.

Mystique is the shape shifting mutant of Marvel Comics, specifically X-Men, fame. Among one of her many characteristics I can name, I point out that she is deceptive. Now I'm trying to draw parallels from that to this here Lakers-Nuggets series. If we take a look back to maybe a week ago, we were all high on the mystique of both these teams coming into the series. One was a Denver Nuggets team impressively steamrolling their way through the playoffs. They were convincing and rightfully so. I'm not saying that the perception they gave everyone about their team being one of the elite was all a mirage. They most certainly showed everyone they definitely were among the elite. But a lot of people saw a certain "weakness" in the Lakers team during the Rockets series and, to a certain (but minimal extent), the Jazz series. A lot of people were ready to count the Lakers out, after taking the night off every after other game. A lot of people, including myself at some point, chided, mocked, and doubted them for displaying an air of arrogance and a sense of entitlement. Chalk that up to a little sports hate, as well. All that made swell water cooler talk, but to be totally convinced by a multitude of weakly-constructed hypothetical ramblings in lieu of any significant qualitative and quantitative observation? It's foolish.

Get a grip, you nerd. It's just basketball, not decisive analysis and decision-making needed to solve important world-breaking issues

Well you're on a basketball blog, tool. Get out then. HA! I win.

Self-absorbed notions aside, real analysis after the jump!

Box Score
AP Recap
4Factors to tonight's game:

Team	Pace	Eff	eFG	FT/FG	OREB%	TOr
LAL	88.0	135.2	63.3%	32.0	31.0	15.9
DEN		104.5	49.3%	27.4	19.4	14.8

This game was sort of saddening. Remarkable run for the Nuggets all year, and all their hopes to be dashed in this fashion? Painful.

Now I'd like to clear something up. My intro kind of made it seem like I didn't think the Nuggets were good. Let me make it clear: I believe that any 4 teams of these Conference Finals could have advanced and won it all, and you wouldn't catch me blinking at whatever the result would be. And the Nuggets weren't a novelty team that blitzed through just because they got weak opponents. They blitzed through because they were good. Solid defensively, with a cast capable of moving their feet and staying in front of you. All while being offensive Juggernauts that play at a fast pace.

But ultimately? None of that matters if you can't bring it out of you. You can be impressive on paper as much as you want, but the reality? Only one team advances. Tonight, the Lakers took it. Forcibly. They were in kill mode. 135.2 points per 100 possessions in an 88 possession game? That's just brilliant execution. 28 Assists on 43 made baskets. Working their offense to perfection. Answering every run Denver tried to muster up. Kill mode. Kobe Bryant? 35 points on 20 shots, 10 assists, aggressively attacking the basket and not settling for jumpers. Kill mode. Trevor Ariza? Delivering gutshots, draining 3's. Luke Walton? Not wasting cap space and taking advantage of opportunities. Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol? Brilliant tandem. Creating opportunities. Whether it was an opportunity to disrupt the Denver offense or attacking the Denver defense, they poured it on. All that mixed with the inability of the Nuggets to execute? A 27 point win on the road against a team that isn't 27-points-below-their-opponent-while-at-home. Something like that. Great game from the Lakers. Wretched performance by the Nuggets.

Make no mistake though. The Nuggets were trying. They did. Then they moped when they couldn't get it done. JR Smith was brilliant. But he was also visibly irritated when they couldn't get going. Kenyon Martin tried to provide a spark, but he foolishly grabbed Vujacic's leg subsequently. Carmelo Anthony? Tried to get his team going, but ended up being caught looking on the defensive end. It's a bad game, and it happens. The timing was just inopportune, and they shouldn't be off the hook for it. Again, i'm not mistaking their effort. They wanted it. It just didn't translate well in their on court performance.

Through it all? The criticism. The doubt. The Lakers had answers. Now they're rewarded with rest. Oh, and a trip to the Finals. And now, they await.

Denver? Both the fans and the organization? Don't be satisfied with falling short. You shouldn't be. But be proud. Be proud of the growth of your team. Be proud of the resilience of your players through all their personal adversities. Be proud that your players fought through them. Be proud of your team. Be ready for next year.

Quickly Changing Our Tone Because We're Bandwagoners Who Don't Really Know What We're Talking About

2009-05-29T13:14:00.013+08:00

You know what? I think he actually missed that. Amazing
Box Score
AP Recap

Yeah, the Cavs won. Not convincingly, but you knew they'd win. That's enough to convince me. Why? Because it's ratings, baby. The Cavs knows what's good for the league, and it's the drama of coming back down from a 3-1 deficit. LeBron James? Yeah. He can get annoying when his play constantly reminds you that he's transcendent in every facet of his craft, and you're just a string bean thin college student struggling to make a dollar off a website talking about all things related to him. So he then reminds us of his flaw: He's human like everyone else, and he can't do it all alone. We still see his all around brilliance and we marvel at it. At the same time, we pity him for "being alone." We take it out, rightfully, on his teammates because they're like us. We ride them for their "ineptness." Supposedly talented as well, but can't get the job done. Or to the extreme, a bunch of talentless scrubs that offer no help other than padding LeBron James assist mark to higher totals. Yep. That's more like us. Tonight? The harmonious combination of God and Man came to fruition. The result? Everyone jump back on the bandwagon!

Team	Pace	Eff	eFG	FT/FG	OREB%	TOr
ORL	92.0	110.9	51.4%	38.9	20.5	13.0
CLE		121.7	55.9%	35.5	21.1	13.0

Silliness aside, look everyone! That's what happens when the shots actually fall! Everyone was getting on the Cavaliers for not being able to provide ample support for LeBron, and rightfully so. But to say that everyone else wasn't trying? Maybe that rings true to a certain extent. The rest of the Cleveland's cast become relegated to certain roles when it's LeBron time, yes. LeBron James usually delivers maximum of the team effort come crunch time, that's called making use of the best of his abilities. And, you know? He's certainly capable! All the res of the team has to do is knock down shots off a LeBron pass or swing the ball to another open shooter or try to scoop up their own team's miss. The difference tonight? The ball didn't rattle out. The ball didn't go off a few inches to the left and miss. They weren't throwing up bricks. Suddenly, taking 9 treys wasn't a bad idea for Mo Williams. It was there. He efficiently made 66% of them. Daniel Gibson made 75% of them. Efficiency. That's the word. It all came down to it. How about execution? We had that too. And by that? I mean this: making shots. That's what everyone wanted to see. What everyone expected to see. I think we're a 66-win season removed from calling them the Cleveland LeBrons. Shame on you for thinking otherwise.

And LeBron James? What more can you ask of him? What more do you want? A fully furnished house straight from his own pocket? And we still continue to make needless comparisons about certain other stars. A star who others seem to devalue because the level of production just isn't the same. Or when the other seems to take ruddy awful and difficult shots, and still nails them. The ridiculousness of the different assertions everybody claims, while refusing to accept the fact that they're both just freakin' awesome. Ah, enough of me comparing LeBron James and Rafer Alston. (hint: I'm really talking about Kobe Bryant)

Now that I got that out of the way. LeBron was his usual magnificent self tonight. 37 points, 14 rebounds, 12 assists, and only 4 turnovers in 46 minutes. Minutes that saw the ball in his hands, more often than not. Minutes that saw him making crucial plays after the other. Scoring? Sure. He got it covered. Making plays? It was one or the other! His teammates finished. These aren't pre2008-2009 Cavs anymore.

Orlando? Gutting loss. Just as Cleveland was looking like they were running away to make a statement? There's that resiliency and tenacity that kept them in. And by resiliency and tenacity? I also mean making smart and heady plays to get back in it. Taking advantage of looks. Creating opportunities. As Orlando has no answer for James, neither does Cleveland for Howard. He had his way with their front line as they collected most, if not all, of their combined 13 fouls while trying to stop Howard. Hedo Turkoglu was trying to be his best to be the cold blooded killer. 24 and 10 for Howard. 29 points on 18 shots for Hedo. Orlando is just a match-up nightmare for Cleveland, and regardless of the result it was still evident. Any lineup they throw at you can score. And they almost always try to close out on the shooter. Or stay in front of their man. They can defend, people. It's unfair to be able to potentially field a talented lineup of nobody being below 6'5".

And speaking of lineups, Rafer Alston was in the game a bit too much for Orlando's own good. Terrible game for Alston. Terrible decision making. As the Houston fan base used to say. "Rafer giveth and Rafer taketh away." Combine that with Dwight Howard fouling out, inability to hit free throws, and just some terrible turnovers? Well, it just spelled out one thing: We're going back to Orlando.

But with all that being said, credit Cleveland for this one. LeBron James was LeBron James, but everyone else fulfilled their roles and obligations. The looks Orlando was accustomed to? They tried their best to take it away. The shots that Cleveland couldn't get to fall? They made it. Add a bit more assertiveness in their attack? As I said, back to Orlando.

The question now is: Was the inevitable just slightly delayed? All we can do is wait, and talk about a multitude of possibilities. For now? EVERYONE CAN SAFELY JUMP BACK ON THE BANDWAGON AS IT HASN'T TOPPLED OVER YET!

Your Guide to the 2009 NBA Conspiracy!

2009-05-22T15:56:00.011+08:00

The Stern Button
Description:

A powerful tool used by one of the most evil figures on this planet. A device capable of crippling small market team's chances via poor officiating. If used properly, profitability and television ratings may be optimized.

First appearance: The 1984 NBA Finals

Weakness:
Tim Donaghy

Where will it strike next? For what reason?

Possibilities after the jump!

Scenario 1: Yawn....the best teams with the highest marketability...

The conspiracy nut's default cry.

"Stern wants a Cavs-Lakers finals. Why do they even insist on letting all the other teams play? He shouldn't be so frickin' obvious about his favoritism. Stern is just an evil and greedy asshole that knows nothing about real basketball. It's all about the money. Oh wait, have you seen my prozac?"

Scenario 2: David Stern corrupts Mickey Mouse. Wants Kingdom Hearts.

The evil of David Stern knows no bounds. His target? Mickey Mouse and the rest of Disney world. The allure of the riches that the Walt Disney empire possesses is seductive. The possibilities of reaping the benefits from producing a potential hit show such as "That's so Mbenga!" could satisfy David Stern's lust for all things money.

But what he really wants is Kingdom Hearts. Yes. David Stern is a heartless. He is indeed, truly sinister. And the best way he can to get to Mickey Mouse? No other than their representative team, the Orlando Magic.

Scenario 3: WWE Invasion

Stern smells the drawing power of the WWE. David Stern attempts to assimilate the WWE into the NBA to create a new product. Who stands in his way? Vince McMahon. But as David Stern knows, his wallet is bigger. Thus, he crushes McMahon and takes over the WWE. He proceeds to thank the Denver Nuggets organization and grants them their free pass.

from inside hoops

Now.....wasn't that a completely stupid and total waste of time? I could have ~~written something better, due to my awesome writing skills~~ done something better with my time, and yours as well. Suckered you into reading again.

Anyway, what was the point? Well, I could have just made a post addressing fan concerns on "rigging games" and officiating issues. I just wanted to waste your time before doing so. Now. I know we as fans feel for our teams when we feel as if they've been shortchanged by the officials (and in turn, the League). We put their obvious mistakes and ineptitude under a magnifying glass whenever we see our teams slighted by calls or non-calls. Yes, it is frustrating. It provides so much fuel to the fire. The results beg us to question the legitimacy of this game, this league. We suddenly jump to horrible conclusion, and honestly? Do you think your concerns sound anymore intelligent than the ones I've presented? No one likes horrible officiating, especially when they come in the flow of terrific games. Much more in close games. But you have to put everything into consideration. Why did your team lose the game? Yes, maybe bad calls were the factor. But how about the execution? How many shots did a certain player miss? Turnovers? Errors? There's so much that goes into the game, and I know we don't like to blame our teams. It's always "(Player A) is so fucking dirty. (Player B) keeps getting mugged, the refs are unfair." without ever placing the blame on our own favorite players. It's wrong of me to demand perfection from the players, but if they can't do it then don't expect the referees to do it as well.

I know we've all been short ended in one way or another. I'm a Rockets fan, and I believe Yao is poorly officiated. But I'll never blame the refs solely for everything. I'll never blame Stern for wanting favoritism. Why? It's stupid, and unnecessary. Please don't ruin the integrity of the game. Just as I felt annoyed when Rafer Alston missed wide open looks or when Ron Artest took so many jack-ass shots (I know they mean well), I know the officiating will make their mistakes (thus getting linked to David Stern favoritism).

Last second calls or non-calls do indeed hurt the most, but remember that missing wide open looks in the first quarter in a game that ended up being decided by a point could have decided a game as much as a horrible calls or non-calls by the end. Unless the referees blatantly control the game in one teams favor throughout the whole 48 minutes, then talk. But please, don't ruin the game for everyone. Stop complaining, and enjoy the basketball action. We've had a lot of good ones so far.

Uneducated Guesses - Eastern Conference Finals: Cavaliers and Magic

2009-05-20T21:31:00.006+08:00

The resident unqualified idiot talks more Conference Finals match ups. No gimmicks today, folks. That was a horrible idea. Sticking to the awful analysis and breakdowns on this one. Come on down!

Note: Forgot to Include Wally Sczerbiak

Backcourt, Frontcourt, Bench, Coaching.
Advantage: LeBron James

We should all give up hope. No one can stop him. NO ONE. NO ONE. NO ONE. NO ONE!!!!!

.....

Okay, popular media. I did my part of the LeBron-doration.

ON TO THE SERIOUSNESS!!!!

PLZ TKE THIS SRSLY. ITS VERY IMPT!!!!

It's the Eastern Conference finals. How many of you thought that we'd actually see these teams as legitimate threats to win it all? Orlando has always gotten it's fair share of doubt. I don't have to hyperlink it, you can Google the criticism. Dying by the 3 ball and all that nonsense. And the Cavs? How far do you think the Maurice Williams trade could REALLY have gotten them? Aside from him, these are the same "stiffs and scrubs" we've seen around 2003-2007. Were they really one Mo Williams away from being the "Cleveland LeBrons" to the Cleveland Cavs? Who would have thought? Celtics have been banished. The Pistons fell into mediocrity and are verging on irrelevance (though I really doubt the irrelevance). The Raptors and 76ers? A lot of people thought their additions would catapult them into the top 4. This year's Eastern Conference Fianls? About a year ago, one team couldn't sniff 50 wins. The other won 50 and was still questioned. Yes, they're good. But could they ever take the top dogs? Now? Here we are, a 66 win team on one hand. A 59 win team on the other. That's our reality. They are the Cavaliers and Magic. Nutty year. Nothing short of entertaining.

With that being said, it's time to put them under the microscope and observe all their flaws like they were 20 year old kid who's 5'7", skinny, has no friends, spends 18 hours on the internet, has acne problem...please stop ridiculing my reality...oh, heh. Sorry.

Season Numbers via Basketball Reference:

Playoff Teams Stats:

Last set -
This is an Orlando Magic Blog, but Eddy Rivera does a nice job putting the numbers together for both teams: Third Quarter Collapse

Just a few things of note from me from here on

*The Orlando Magic are a faster paced team, it would be wise from them to push the tempo as the Cavaliers are an excellent defensive team. An increased tempo would more or less give the Magic better and more opportunities to score, while also preventing the Cavs from setting up their D. Their playoff numbers are no joke as well. Cleveland, in 8 games, has averaged around 82 possessions per ball game. In those 82 more or less possessions, they've registered an astounding 114 points per 100 possessions while holding their opponents to a paltry 92 points per 100 possessions. Can you say dominate?

*Can the Cavs dominate the Magic? A 3 game regular season series is a small sample size, but we can still draw some inferences there. Both teams defended home court, with the Magic soundly beating the Cavs at home while almost pulling a close one over at Cleveland's own turf. The Magic have been successful in making The Cavs look like their 2003-2007 selves over the course of the regular season. Also, 8 of 11 of the most recent match-ups between these teams have gone in favor of the Magic. Take that in however you want, and understand that the cores of both teams have evolved. Nonetheless, this current Magic team looks to have Cleveland's number.

*The Cavs have to get everyone else involved. As mentioned in the previous point, the Magic have successfuly turned this Cleveland team into a one man show. While LeBron James is a player that is certainly capable, how well do you think they can fare with that kind of offensive production in a 7 game series? We've already seen this Cavs team fall into those lapses for a couple of times (in a couple of games they've played, I might add). LeBron needs the help.

*Speaking of LeBron, he's looked tentative against the Magic. I direct your attention again to my link of Eddy Rivera's post and you can see the numbers for yourself. While they are still impressive, LeBron James took a lot more shots on the outside (and was lucky to nail them in their lone win) and seemed tentative to take it to Dwight Howard. If anyone can physically equal or overpower LeBron James, it's Dwight Howard. He has all the physical tools needed to give LeBron James a difficult time.

*A continuing trend we've seen the Magic fall into is their inability to hold leads, or continually fall in huge deficits. We saw this from them in the last month of the regular season, as well as these playoffs. They looked like they've been able to dominate and make statements, but how sure are we that they've gotten their heads together? This is not to call out their "mastery of all things panic." This is a legitimate concern regarding their mentality. They should not coast. Especially not against a team that is arguably playing like they are the best this league has to offer.

*Consistency in execution is a must for any team, but who will bring a concerted effort in doing so? Who will bring the better effort and mentality, night in and night out? My guess?

Cavaliers in 7. Orlando, prove me wrong. I know you can.

Uneducated Guesses - Western Conference Finals: Lakers and Nuggets

2009-05-19T21:43:00.021+08:00

The resident unqualified idiot talks Western Finals. Still coming with more horrible breakdowns. This will be professional, as the unqualified idiot does his horrible breakdowns ESPN style! Shit you know what you can leave then.

vs.

Player	Position	Player
Derek Fisher	PG	Chauncey Billups
Kobe Bryant	SG	Dahntay Jones
Trevor Ariza	SF	Carmelo Anthony
Pau Gasol	PF	Kenyon Martin
Andrew Bynum	C	Nene

There's nothing like NBA Playoff basketball, and now we're deep into the postseason and it keeps on getting better. Hello everyone, I'm Mark Jones and today we have Jalen Rose, Jamaal Mashburn, and Avery Johnson here with us to talk about the Western Conference finals. Jalen?

Has an aversion to looking at cameras

*Blinking*

Thanks, Mark! Well guys, it's the Western Conference finals and we've got the Lakers and the Nuggets. *blinks* Both teams are high tempo teams that look to push the ball, we should be in for an entertaining series. *blink*

Now, Jalen. WHAT do you think these teams need to do in order to gain the advantage over each other?

Well, Mark. We've seen the Lakers struggle during the previous rounds against the Rockets. I don't know about their chances now, since we all seem to be on the Nuggets bandwagon all of a sudden. *blink* But since we're not a biased sports network, I do believe that we all agree that the Lakers can still win it. *blink* They can send more bodies in the paint against this Nuggets team. This is a frontcourt that the Nuggets have yet to deal with *blink* To win, the Lakers frontcourt has to step up. Pau Gasol isn't Dirk Nowtizki, but he's talented. *blink* Trevor Ariza and Andrew Bynum are two young athletes that can keep up with this athletic front court. *blink* Lamar Odom has to step his game up if the Lakers want to win, he disappeared a bit during the last series. We'll see what he can do. Kobe Bryant is Kobe Bryant and he'll get his. *blink*

The Nuggets, meanwhile, have to stay aggressive and push the tempo. The Lakers can keep up with them, so they have to make smart decisions. *blink* The nuggets are a young athletic team and they have to take advantage of that athleticism. Chauncey Billups will be there to provide their leadership, and Carmelo Anthony will look to do his damage. *blink* We'll also have to see how Kenyon Martin and Nene defend Pau and Bynum. That'll be a tough match-up. *blink* But this team is an offensive juggernaut, and look for them to score in a hurry. JR Smith can be the difference maker in this series, but he can also shoot the Nuggets out of games. *blink*

What I think could decide this series is good play.

SMORES!

I'm WAITIN' TO SEE WHAT THEY GOT COOKIN IN THE KITCHEN, I TELL YA! WE'RE IN FOR A EXPLOSION OF FLAVORS IN THIS SERIES!

Heeheeheeh. Well. I expect this tuh be excitin'. What the Lakers have to do is to ,uh, move da bawl against this Denver team he-re. You know whut Kobe Bryant kin do and while Dahntay Jones ain't uh bad dufender, you just hav ta expect that Kobe is gon' come out on fiyer. But the Lakers have to get everyone involved on da awfense. Like I said, dey gotta move da bawl. They're one of the top teams in the league in Passing. They hav to get themselves some good looks on da awfensive eend. Trevor Ariza hasta try to cuntayn Carmelo Anthony, but that's easier said than dun. Lamar Odom has ta be aggressive as weuhll. The Triangle awfense has to be in full e-ffect.

The, uh, Denver Nuggets are a young and fast team. Expect them ta be gunnin' they're way to the, uh, basket. Carmelo Anthony has been fine over da playoffs. Look fer him to score in a variety of ways. Chauncey Billups is gon' have ta get this team tagehter and to play smart basketbawl. Denver also has a deep bench. Look fer JR Smith to score like he usually does. Da Birdman will also be there with some defense, blockin' shots. They gotta be, uh, prepayured!

I think what can decide this series is the -uh- mental toughness!

Well, like i said before. The playoffs are about advancing, and these teams have advanced. Because they're good.

What the Lakers need to do is get their defense together. We saw in the last series that they couldn't contain Luis Scola and Carl Landry at times, and now they have to face a much bigger, deeper, and healthier frontline from the Denver Nuggets. They can all get to the paint and finish strong. We'll have to see how the Lakers interior can do against this team. They do have the length advantage, but we'll have to see what they can do against this Denver team. The Bench has to step up, particularly Lamar Odom. They need a big series from him.

The Nuggets have been playing well as of late, they need to continue what they're doing if they want to win. Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups have to have big games and lead this team if they want to win.

The Lakers have the experience and talent in this series. Can they pull it off?

Well enough of that faux ESPN junk. We've all been under the mystique of two things. The Lakers not playing to their potential and the Nuggets exceeding everyone's expectations while playing tremendously well on both ends of the floor.

While the talent looks pretty even, the Lakers are the better team. If they get their heads together, they can finish this in a hurry. That's not a knock on the Nuggets, even if they themselves play at the same level. The Lakers are that good of a team. They move the ball exceptionally well, and their spacing creates a lot of good shot opportunities. Kobe Bryant is Kobe Bryant and he'll find his ways to score over Dahntay Jones. While I think Dahntay has the physical abilities and the defensive savvy capable of staying with Bryant, he's not nearly as tenacious as Shane Battier. Let's look to see how that match-up goes. Denver has made their past series match-ups in a singular "can you take us?" kind of deal with Nowitzki and Paul. Will they be able to do the same against the Lakers? They aren't limited to just Kobe Bryant. Pau Gasol isn't Dirk, but he can hurt the Nuggets in a variety of ways. Particularly, he can crash the boards on the offense and he can also facilitate the Triangle with his passing ability. Can Martin, Andersen, or Nene limit him? The Defensive strides these teams can make will be telling of the series. You have a balanced Laker team with one of the best singular talents leading them, in Kobe Bryant, on one side. And you have a young and explosive team being lead by a consummate winner, in Chauncey Billups, on the other.

We all know both teams can score, that's a given. We also know that both teams can also play great defense. That's what the pace-adjusted stats tell us. They play fast, which makes it seem as if they give up a lot of points, but both play at a rate that creates a bunch of opportunities to score. Is this going to be a more intangible match-up? Chauncey Billups is the only Nugget with actual successful experience. Will the Lakers overall experience advantage best the Nuggets? Or maybe experience won't matter. Will the mentality of this Laker team, the kind that coasts and takes the night off, hurt them? Will the hot tempered Nuggets team let their emotions get the best of them? Maybe we'll see the consistently tough Nuggets weather the storms that face them and persevere. Maybe we'll see this Laker team crumble under it's own arrogance. Has their experience with the Rockets been one of substantial learning?

But really? I'm not up for that drama. It creates good entertainment, but no. There's so much that goes into these games that aren't highlighted. Regardless, I believe that that the talent and ability stacks in the Lakers favor. This will be a tough series for both teams, and I foresee some gritty action.

With all that said, Lakers in 6.

Anticlimax

2009-05-19T02:33:00.004+08:00

The day ended like how everyone thought it would end, though it came a game or two late. Here's to the underdogs.

Undermanned, but still fighting 'til the end. Here's to the end of a remarkable run for the guys in green and red. Celtics and Rockets nation, be proud of what your teams have given you. Despite all the adversity.

I pointed out, before, that the 300 Spartans eventually faced the bitter end. But as Gian, from 7 seconds or mess, pointed out to me: The Spartans preserved democracy. I can't really comprehend that, because I'm an idiot. I guess these teams, most especially the Rockets, have paved the way for freedom. The kind that rids us of horrible officiating.......Nah who the hell am I kidding. Great season, Celtics and Rockets. In the end, you guys were dropped faster than an Eddy Curry autopick on fantasy basketball.

Not yet...

2009-05-15T12:40:00.006+08:00

We had two elimination games on our hands. Both home teams coming in for game 6 had their backs against the wall, after each endured crushing and heart-wrenching defeats at the hands of their higher seeded foes. One team seemed in discord, as if they were "panicking." The other needed to regroup and get their heads together. We all wondered if it was the end of the road for these teams. Some offered a recipe to regain success. Others opted to forget their mess and move on. Was this indeed their last stand for 08-09?

Issues, as they are, tend to be overblown. With that being said, it still wouldn't be wrong to ignore them. Our conventional wisdom and reliance on anecdotal evidence, however, sometimes leads us to jump the gun. It's as if all the signs pointed to one thing: it's over. Last night? That was certainly not the case. But you already knew that! You call yourself an NBA fan? You should already have known the results by now! But you're here anyway, and probably didn't really pay attention to the game you watched. Or wanted to know more of what went down. And I'm snickering here in my seat as I find humor in you, dear reader, for heeding my insight. Sucker.

Well come on in already, you read this far.

Celtics@Magic

Stats:

Team	Pace	EFF	EFG	FTr	Oreb%	TOr
BOS	89.0	84.3	43.5%	10.4	31.6	24.7
ORL		93.3	40.2%	20.7	30.8	11.2

First of our emotionally taxing game 6's. We had a seeming fallout on our hands, doubts, and complaints about touches. We seriously need to take a look at that. And then another look for good measure.

In this game, it wasn't really an issue. Dwight Howard got his touches, and it's time we've accepted the fact that he's not so polished offensively. Okay, he's bloody awful. But it's okay, he's only 23. And he's brilliant on the defensive end. He's a swell clean up guy, too. Dwight Howard finished with a line of 23 points on 16 shots. Most of them coming on clean up, and that's not a knock. I'm pointing out where he's actually good at. 22 boards to be exact, 10 of them on the offensive end. 3 blocks and a whole lot of shot alterations for good measure. Keep at it, big man. Keep at it.

Hold on there, this game wasn't just about Dwight Howard taking charge. It was also about the Orlando Magic team being aggressive. Rashard Lewis took charge in the end and attacked the basket. Courtney Lee hit a timely jumper and a lay-up. Rafer Alston with a big three-pointer, a painfully sweet tear drop, and a block for good measure. Top it all off with a dead-on Turkoglu 3-ball, and this game was a lock.

Boston? The assertiveness was not there, though it was partly due to an array of early fouls on Davis. Some quick fouls on Perkins happening near the end. Rondo, though, was good all-around. 16 boards and 6 assists for Rondo, though an inefficient shooting night. 19 points on 19 shots. Moving on. This team actually looked like they had the game locked up, as the Magic could not buy a basket for around 5 mintues or so, 'til a timely run rescued the hometown team. Boston just couldn't execute, turning the ball over a ton. In an 89 possession game. A bit over 1/4th (and under a quarter) of their possessions given back to the Magic, as displayed in the table above. Paul Pierce made a late rally to take the lead, scoring on consecutive baskets, but the inability of the Celtics to execute cost them. Throw in some awful shooting all around, your pretty much helped bury yourselves. Props to the Magic defense for keeping in that way.

Ugly, ugly game. Not short of that dear old "playoff drama." Luckily for us, we're in for more. Game 7 for us, folks. It's going to be a good one.

Lakers@Rockets

Team	Pace	EFF	EFG	FTr	Oreb%	TOr
LAL	85.0	94.1	38.7%	17.9	31.9	11.8
HOU		111.8	55.6%	22.5	18.9	14.1

Wow. We got this far, although someone wasn't surprised. In fact, he called it. And here we are. Crazy series. Inspiring stories. Uninspiring stories. Lakers and Rockets.

Now folks. Make no mistake. The Lakers cared about this one, just a little too late for their own good. The Rockets had the Lakers confused and reeling, as they came on strong. Luis Scola with a very strong 18 points and 9 boards in the first half to lead the Rocket charge, displaying some post moves that would make Dwight Howard jealous, a sweet shooting touch from the elbows, and some patented hussle and heart that we all keep hearing to no end. He would finish the game with 24 and 12. Strong.

It didn't end there. Good, solid lockdown defense from the resilient Rockets. Holding the Lakers to a pitiful 94.1 points per 100 possessions. Kobe Bryant had an inefficient 32 points on 27 shots, making most of his money on the foul line.

The Lakers almost made a game out of it, well, they did. They fought and clawed their way back into the third. Going on a timely run to cut the deficit to 3. The Rockets suddenly forget their offense and went back to turning the ball over, both of which was their undoing in all their losses. The Lakers defense was also stifling, they forced turnovers and pressured the perimeter. The Lakers were back in it.

Unfortunately for them, Carl Landry rose to the occasion. Landry came in with some much needed offense, while also exerting max effort on the glass. Landry finished with 15 points, without missing a shot from the field. He took 6 and made 6, and chipped in 3 out of 6 free throws. The little man that can, Aaron Brooks, then proceeded to take over the game near the end and scored at will. Penetration, pull-ups and a persevering attack for Brooks. He finished with a team high 26 points. The offense was flowing for Houston on this night. 111.8 points per 100 possessions, from a team that always looked inept in scoring. They sticked it to the Lakers. Without their 2 best offensive weapons. 55% Effective Field goals converted, while being able to take care of the ball just enough.

Where does that leave us? A game 7, where anything crazy can happen. I'm gleeful

Impressive is the word

2009-05-14T21:36:00.011+08:00

Impress: to affect deeply or strongly in mind or feelings; influence in opinion
Impressive: having the ability to impress the mind; arousing admiration, awe, respect, etc.

"That Chauncey Billups trade was good, but he won't get them far." Sure. "The Denver Nuggets don't play any defense." Hm? Alright. "They're an undisciplined bunch that needs to grow up." Okay. "I'm not scared of the Denver Nuggets, I think they're overrated."

All season there was criticism and doubt. I acknowledge myself as one of those doubters. Sure, Chauncey Billups was a steady hand for the Detroit Pistons as he helped lead them to 6 straight ECF's and one championship. He was steady. Rock solid, but led a team that really didn't care in the end. I never really believed he could turn it around single handedly and push the Nuggets past anyone. Not in this wild Western Conference, no. Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith? A bunch of ball-hogging boneheads that do nothing but score. Kenyon Martin? A cheap shot artist. I could go on and on with unjust criticism of this team. Fast forward into May 2009, here we are admiring a team that makes the WCF. A team that everyone suddenly considers to be part of the elite. If you would have told me that months ago, I would have shook my head. But hey, what do I know? I'm unqualified to make such assessments.

Luckily you, dear reader, I do some watching and some research (No. i lied. I just steal what other bloggers say). So I appoint myself as qualified. Seriously though, this Nuggets team has impressed. Carmelo Anthony has grown leaps and bounds as a player, all while making a commitment to play defense. JR Smith has matured and made better decisions, also started committing himself to defense. Kenyon Martin and Nene have been healthy all year, anchoring the defense of the team. Chris Andersen became the comeback player of the year, leading the NBA in blocks per minute. All that and a little more, mixed with both leadership and brilliant play from Chauncey Billups? You have an environment readied for a championship run.

Box Score

Pace-adjusted stats:

Team	Pace	EFF	EFG	FT/FG	Oreb%	TOr
DAL	90.0	122.2	59.5%	29.7	25.7	15.6
DEN		137.8	65.2%	20.7	36.4	14.4

This was about one of the most incredible offensive displays I've seen from two teams in this playoffs. This wasn't even a fast game! This was just incredible offensive production from this game's participants. Dirk Nowitzki? 32 points on 17 shots, perfect from 12 trips to the line, 10 boards, and 7 dimes. Jason Kidd with 19 points on just 10 shots, 5 of 9 from downtown. 9 dimes as well. All needed production from these two, as it kept them in the game.

Sadly for them, it just wasn't enough. Billups with a near triple-double performance, 26 points, 12 assists, and 7 boards. Carmelo Anthony with a smooth 30 point outing. Nene? Just missed two shots. JR Smith? Pure energy with a timely 3 near the end.

What did that give us? Efficiency marks of 122 and 137 from Dallas and Denver, respectively. In a 90 possession game. These teams weren't really off and running all the way. They did when they forced turnovers but not every time. Okay, maybe they did run a lot more. They ran then waited for the best shot possible. Or got the ball to their best offensive option and watched them create. Dallas obviously couldn't keep up, but it's okay. A valiant effort for this team. Nothing they should really be sad about. They beat a favored San Antonio team. They got inspiring effort from a banged up Josh Howard. A renaissance year for Jason Kidd. Another brilliant first team worthy effort from Dirk Nowitzki. Sadly, they just couldn't keep in front of this Denver team.

Denver? They blew past the Mavericks, and earned them a well-deserved place in the finals. Good show.

Abandon hope, lest ye want to suffer incessant Laker fans....

2009-05-13T22:31:00.018+08:00

The Lakers won. Handily. They attacked, moved without the ball, spaced the floor, and worked the triangle perfectly. Just 48 hours after a lackadaisical showing at the Toyota Center, the Lakers simply showed up. And the result? A 40 point drubbing of the Houston Rockets, as well as the perfect reminder to everyone just how brilliant of a team they can be when inspired. Okay, maybe not inspired.

But anyway, as you see, I'm a Rockets fan. While this isn't a team specific blog, I still want to rag against the team that did this to my beloved Rockets. So I'm going after their idiot fans. Why? Because I want to point out something I can savor for this ass kicking. And because fans get moral victories, not teams.

"LOL Rockets r lame. Gasol iz bettar dan Yoa. I mean srsly, dats y Spain is 2nd bst cuntry aftr da USA. LOL. USA! USA! USA!"

"Shane Battier n Ron Artest cant gurd KB24(da Real MVP). Dey jst follow him aruond lyk wen I folow Shaq (LOL Shaq folow m bak!) on twitter n repli to vrytng Shaq says LOL. He funni. Neway. Dey cant gard KB24, dey onli hpe he haz bad gme"

"Kobe iz best Evar. He get lyk 40 pnts. LeBron bite his nails wen he play Da Mamba. KB24 Tru MVP!"

You then proceed to wonder how this person can spell Spain. Or know when to capitalize.

In case one Laker fan does happen to know how to type, he still spews some faux-intellectualism while typing out flawlessly.

"Wow. I have to hand it to the Lakers. They're a generous team. I mean, they handed out a moral victory AND a real victory to the Rockets during game 4. They must be very business savvy and want to make the ratings for this series better. Also, they were rusty during game one after that long break from dismantling the Jazz with ease. They just probably want to keep up on their toes when they annihilate their next opponents. I mean, come on. The Lakers just boast better talent. Check the points per game, man. Way better. While we're at it. Who is this No-Stats All-Star? Shane Battier? Really NY Times? Another reason why LA is the better city. I mean, the LA times doesn't spew out any garbage like that! Really? Last time I checked, All-Stars had the best stats in the world. What's this Michael Lewis talking about? Advanced stats? Man, I barely passed my statistics class in college and he wants to spew this garbage? Please. There is no qualitative observation there. I mean. Look at Kobe. He does everything in style, and he has the numbers to back it up. That's an all-star, with stats."

A small part of you slowly dies after reading that.
I feel better. Recap after the Jump.

Your pace adjusted stats:

Team	Pace	Eff	EFG	FT/FG	Oreb%	Tor
HOU	96.0	81.3	35.4%	16.9	30.2	18.8
LAL		122.9	54.9%	34.1	31.6	13.5

If you ever wondered how an ass kicking looked like in the form of advanced stats. There you go. A glorious ass-kicking dealt by the Lakers to the Rockets. I want none of that injury crap. Not after a game like game 4, where the Rockets executed much better on both ends of the floor.

Kobe came out strong to start this game, he was aggressive again but didn't settle for the 20-footer this time. He effectively attacked the basket early on, using a mix of screens, dribble penetration and basket cuts. The end result was a much more fluid game for KB24. He finished the night on 10 of 19 shooting, on route to 26 effective points.

But this night just wasn't about Kobe stomping the Lakers on a presumed 50+ point night. It was about the Lakers putting in effort. Talent is nothing without putting in work, and this Laker team is built well enough to handle just about any team if they actually tried. I don't understand whatever crap Doug Collins (though very insightful, in my opinion) spews about the Lakers getting excited to play defense because of their offense, but it was all effort from the guys in purple and gold. What does this mixture of talent and effort behold? Well, it gets the offense and defense flowing. 20 assists on 42 baskets for the Lakers, also holding the Rockets to a woeful 35% EFG. It didn't help the Rockets cause as they were stagnating on the offensive end by themselves. Kudos to the Lakers for denying penetration as well. Aaron Brooks did all he could, and delivered as much as he could. If you're a Laker fan, you have to wonder why Jackson keeps going back to a very awful Derrick Fisher. Still, there still wasn't much that Brooks could do.

Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol were tremendous in this game. Whether it was a post up, a drive, or an offensive rebound, the Lakers' bigs were relentlessly crushing the Rockets inside. Not much the Rockets could do when Carl Landry and Brian Cook were checking them for most of the night

There's not much I can say about the Rockets, except what the hell. They started out the game pretty well. The ball movement was crisp and beautiful, and they were getting good looks. Alas, it did not last. You cannot hope to keep the tempo of the game up and trade baskets with the Lakers if you want to win, especially when you're undermanned. Lo and behold, the Rockets stumbled. Lazy passes and some unbelievable fumbles, impatient and awful decisions on the offensive end. All that eventually contributed to the monumental smackdown at the hands of the Lakers. And by the 2nd half? This game was over.

There's the Lakers we've been looking for. (and of course one last dig) Unfortunately, their fans are with them too. All hope is lost.

Sweep

2009-05-13T00:59:00.004+08:00

That photo is pretty much telling of how the series went

Someone's been hanging out with Kevin Garnett too much.

2009-05-12T01:29:00.003+08:00

GTFO my way, fattie.

Surprise, Surprise.

2009-05-11T23:14:00.007+08:00

Resiliency. They has it.

After last night's spirited performance, can anyone doubt the heart and resiliency of this Houston Rockets team? Just a day removed from the announcement that their star center, Yao Ming, was sidelined for the rest of the series, the Rockets pull off a spirited, inspiring, miraculous Mother's day win over the Los Angeles Lakers. All heart, baby.

Jump with glee if you're a rockets fan. Slowly step over the line while mucking it up ~~if you're a Laker~~ if you're dejected.

/end obligatory reference to heart, resilience, and hallmark holidays.

Links from better authors:
The Dream Shake
SilverScreen and Roll
BDL, BTB.

Here are your pace-adjusted stats:

Team	Pace	Eff	EFG	FT/FG	Oreb%	Tor
LAL	86.0	101.2	50.0%	14.5	20.0	12.8
HOU		115.1	51.3%	21.3	27.5	12.8

Feast your eyes on that play. A sequence that pretty much embodied how the night went down for the Rockets. At first glance, it seems like an exciting and spontaneous playground play. Inbound from midcourt. Football alley-oop pass to a flying midget who catches it and lays it in with .7 seconds left. Exhilarating. Exciting. Chaotic. Mind-blowing.

But really, it wasn't one of those highlight reel plays that look like it was drawn from instinct and chemistry. Whatever that means. It was a nicely drawn up, inbound play that happened to fry your neurons trying to understand how something so sweet like that happened. It was execution, done in style. That was how the night went down for the Rockets.

Right out the gates, the Rockets set the tone with a steal that lead to a fastbreak lay-up. The Rockets were constantly running down to their end of the court...then set up their offense and found the best shot available by moving the ball and attacking the interior with pick-and-roll play. It was deceptive. The score was running up at an unbelievable rate, mainly because Houston set up the offense....and...you know...made their shots. Couple it with some lazy and uninspired defense from the boys in purple and gold, viola! We have a blow-out on our hands.

This is not me ripping the Lakers, but this is how the night went down. When a 7'6" beast goes down and is replaced by a 6'6" Forward, that hardly sees any minutes, holds down the fort, you'd probably think the game would be handed to you in a neatly packaged gift with a pretty little pink bow on top. Unfortunately, a sense of entitlement filled the Lakers as if they thought the Rockets would just roll over and die.

In a night where you could freely attack the paint and strike a dagger in Houston's collective hearts, the Lakers decided to take tough 20-footers. Or take turns throwing up tightly contested threes, not exactly a recipe for success against any team. Especially a wily team that actually defends, like Houston.

The defensive end was no better, as the Lakers were as lethargic as the expression on Derrick Rose's face. It didn't stop there as they copied his defensive ability as well.

Simply put, credit Houston for showing up. They made all the right plays and never let up. Of course, it doesn't hurt when you make half of your shots as well. In a game that featured possessions equivalent to a snail's pace, everything matters even more. It's the willingness and effort to execute and make plays. It's the drive to put up a hand in your man's face and play your hardest, no matter how the cards are dealt. For this game, and I remind you to take it a game a time, the Rockets were the better team. All that talent doesn't matter when, you know, refuse to show up.

With that being said, you put everything into perspective. Single game. Crazy things happen. This is the NBA. We've heard it before. Everything is still in favor of the Lakers, they just have to be willing to execute. Willing to show up. Willing to crush these teams that are beneath them. Effort. It has to be there. Unfortunately for the Lakers, it showed up on the opposition. I have no doubt in my mind that the Lakers can silence this pesky Houston team if they, you know, cared.

Overall, strong defensive effort by the Rockets tonight. Holding the Lakers to 54 points through 3 quarters. Marvelous team effort by the Rockets overall, and special mention to their little spark plug named Aaron Brooks. How's 34 points sound? Let us not forget Chuck Hayes as well. Outstanding defense on Gasol (who put up a bulk of his 30 points in a fruitless 4th quarter effort.) by the Chuckwagon. It wasn't simply the Rockets' night, they fought to make it that way. Be proud, Houston. Be proud for whatever may come.

Ellay? Pick it up, get off your asses. You'll be fine.

OMG NO WAI

2009-05-11T17:29:00.004+08:00

NO WAI. HW DAT HAPPN? B!G BAYBEH DEVES HIT BUZ R BTR? HUSTON BT LA? UNPOZZIBLE!

A night of shockers and surprsies. I leave you with Glen Davis great game winner, and an even greater reaction. Recap will be up later. Enjoy putting this on repeat. Play in High Quality.

Lazy ass

2009-05-10T01:25:00.001+08:00

Link to my recap: http://www.thedreamshake.com/2009/5/9/870116/some-analysis-for-game-3

I'm pro rockets.

Swagger

2009-05-08T23:56:00.003+08:00

Who do you think I am? Kelly Dwyer? I don't watch every game! But that highlight was probably all you cared for anyway.

What happened?

2009-05-07T22:39:00.006+08:00

No recaps for today. Didn't get to watch the games. Not to worry, links and more vids after the Jump.

Rockets@Lakers

Links:
Tom Martin, the Dream Shake:

"This was supposed to be about basketball. It was, after all, a basketball game. And through three quarters, it wasn't just a normal game; it was back-and-forth, tough-it-out game that featured some wonderful plays. Storylines were everywhere to be found."

The Good, The Bad, and the Chippy. FryingDutchMan, Silver Screen and Roll. :

Opinions on this are a dime a dozen, and are generally going to be right down party lines (i.e. Houston’s fans will call it dirty, L.A.’s fans call it playoff basketball). The truth is, both sides are right. Was Fisher’s foul a bit of a cheap shot? Yes. LA is a finesse team, and the Rockets had been pushing them around in the series. Fisher wanted to send the message that the Lakers were going to push back. It was a pre-meditated action on his part, and therefore a cheap shot, in the strictest definition. That being said, people saying that Fisher was out to hurt Scola need to watch the replay. Fish leaned in with his shoulder, not his elbow. Scola outweighs Fish by 40 pounds. I think the part of the foul that did the most damage to Scola was the inadvertent head to head contact. It was a message foul, worse than what Deron Williams did to Bynum a few weeks back, but not much worse(as pointed out by PJ during the 3rd quarter interview). The refs were probably right to eject him considering the circumstances, and you can bet that Fish will be watching game three from the locker room, and that’s pretty much that.

Kelly Dwyer, Behind the Box Score:

"So, so much to this game.

First off, the Lakers' hot start was fool's gold. It was nice to see, and impressive of Kobe Bryant to go off as he did in the face of great defense, but you could tell it was coming at the expense of setting up an offense that badly needs those first and third quarters to prime the engine. Penny-wise, pound-foolish."

Matt Watson, Fanhouse:

Seriously, think of all the questionable incidents this year -- heck, think of the incidents from earlier Wednesday evening -- and this is what merits an ejection? Not swiping a guy across the face as he attempts a shot, not slinging somebody into the scorers table, not a forearm shiver to an opponent who's already off-balance -- heck, even Dwight Howard's elbow to Samuel Dalembert's temple didn't get Howard tossed, even if it did eventually draw a suspension.

But Artest gets tossed for ... what, exactly? Yes, Artest was in Kobe's face, and as he admitted after the game, he fully expected a technical foul.

Magic@Celtics

Ben Q. Rock, Third Quarter Collapse:

In a game completely devoid of any drama, the Boston Celtics handily defeated the Orlando Magic, 112-94, to even their Eastern Conference Semifinals series at 1-1. Boston never trailed in its commanding victory, which was also the Magic's first decisive loss of the postseason. Eddie House posted a career-playoff-high with 31 points on 11-of-14 shooting (4-of-4 from three-point range) to lead all scorers, while Rajon Rondo posted his third triple-double (15 points, 11 rebounds, 18 assists) of this postseason. Rashard Lewis and Mickael Pietrus led Orlando with 17 points apiece, but no one distinguished himself. More worrisome is the likely suspension of starting point guard Rafer Alston, who slapped House in the back of the head after House made one of his three-pointers.

BigMck, Red's Army:

The Celtics played extremely well last night. Great defensive intensity. Crisp ball movement (34 assists on 41 baskets). Pounded the paint (40 points, and one fantastic effort by Perk). And most importantly, they never let up. They didn't allow Orlando to creep back and take one morsel of optimism from this game. All this with minimal output from the Captain.

Zach Harper, Talkhoops.net:

I think that Eddie House perfectly summed up the Orlando frustration with the offensive barrage that Boston was laying on them when he gave a reason as to why Rafer Alston would slap him in the back of the head:
" That's what happens when you're busting somebody's ass."

Brendan Jackson, Celtics Hub:

If someone were to tell me that Eddie House would be the game’s high scorer and he would drive base line with his left, I would have asked them if they also thought Patrick O’Bryant was going to see minutes for us this year (When we signed him, I actually thought he’d break out….damn my homer-optimism). No one could have guessed that Eddie House would play like a man possessed tonight. Everyone knows Eddie is a streaky shooter, but shooting 11-14 and 4-4 from deep is better than just streaky, hell, it’s 79%.

Kelly Dwyer, Behind the Box Score:

Legal screens, effective screens, smart screens, screens, screens, screens. Legal Seafood, even. Throw in a pinpoint passer in Rajon Rondo (15 points, 18 assists, 11 rebounds, three turnovers, two steals), and some lights-out shooters like Eddie House and Ray Allen (how great was Eddie, that he gets mentioned first?), and you have a blowout.

Videos:

Uneducated Guesses - Round 2: Celtics and Magic

2009-05-07T02:20:00.006+08:00

The resident unqualified idiot is a lazy bum and puts up a late post talking about Round 2 of the NBA Playoffs. Check out the horrible match-up breakdowns from yours truly! Today, I serve to you the pairing of the #2 and #3 seeds of the Eastern Conference like it hadn't started yet! Continue if you want your intelligence to be insulted...

vs.

I. The Players

Expected 5:
Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Glen Davis, Kendrick Perkins
vs.
Rafer Alston, JJ Reddick, Hidayet Turkoglu, Rashard Lewis, Dwight Howard

Expected Depth:
Eddie House, Tony Allen, Brian Scalabrene, Stephon Marbury, Mikki Moore
vs.
Mickael Pietrus, Marcin Gortat, Anthony Johnson, Courtney Lee, Tony Battie

II. The Personnel
Glen "Doc" Rivers vs. Stan Van Gundy

I-II Breakdown!

Backcourt:
RONDOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh, and Jesus Shuttlesworth vs. Skip 2 My Lou and Better Shooting. While we're at it, Reddick should give his backcourt mate a copy of that DVD.
Advantage: Celtics

Frontcourt:
The Truth is........it's Superman time...and Hedo Time...and 'Shard Time. Sorry, Big Coupon and Beast.
Advantage:Magic, a glaring one at that.

Bench:
POLISH HAMMER!!!!!
Advantage:Magic

Coaching:
Two outstanding COY Candidates
Advantage:Whoever has the least annoying voice

In All Seriousness...

The Celtics are coming off a grueling 7-game series against the Baby Bulls, while the Magic are coming off a series that made everyone question their team's ability. Look for this to be the constantly brought up "issues" for the respective teams. Moving on, now.

I expect this series to be all Magic. Not that I think the Celtics can't win a game or two, but that's about as far as I see them getting any wins. Let's throw the injury card out there, Kevin Garnett is out and so is Leon Powe. That effectively thins out the Celtics front line, where their depth has either been moved to the starting line-up or rendered inactive. We saw that work against the Bulls, but that won't work against a frontcourt-talent heavy team such as the Magic. Surely we can argue that Paul Pierce may very well be the most skilled player in the set, but the talent the Magic boasts stacks up enormously against the depleted Celtics front line.

The backcourt, however, is where the Celtics shine. Rajon Rondo is coming off a brilliant series. Rafer Alston is no Derrick Rose, but he is way better defensively. Still, expect Rondo to get his numbers. He'll just have to work through them more than he's gotten used to. We also have Rondo's partner in the backcourt, Ray Allen. Again, the Magic are nowhere near as defensively inept as the Bulls were. Do not expect them to give up so easily, or get caught between bodies as Ray Allen moves without the ball to free up for open looks. The Magic won't make it easy, but these two will deliver.

With that being said, it's all Magic from here. The number one defensive team in the NBA. Expect the Magic to put the clamps down on the Celtics, not missing a beat on the defensive end while keeping a body up on their man at all times. On the offensive end, look for the Magic to smartly use the pick and roll and involve their Monster of a Man in the offense whenever possible. Hopefully all of the time if they could. The Celtics just don't have an answer for Howard's freakish athletic ability and speed. Also, look for them to isolate Rashard Lewis on Glen Davis as the Big Baby is no KG on the defensive end. Davis may have a strength advantage, but that won't work if his man keeps blowing by him.

The Magic have all the tools, and will be too much to handle. With that being said, the Celtics are resilient and will find a way. They'll need perfect games from their medium sized 3, and some perfect X's and O's called by Doc Rivers. Regardless...

Prediction:Magic in 6

I did my best...but my best just wasn't good enough...

2009-05-06T22:58:00.001+08:00

Not the perfect game for the Mavericks, but still a phenomenal output for the team. 112.9 points per 100 possessions, 52.6 Effective Field Goal %, 29.5 Free Throw rate, 23.1 Offensive Rebound rate, but with a subpar 14.0 Turnover rate. Those are some good numbers! Unfortunately for them....they still lost...

Jump with me for the recap

While the individual numbers for the Mavericks don't jump out to be impressive, aside from Dirk of course, they still jumped out to score 105 points in a 93 possession game. Dirk was phenomenal, going 11 of 20 from the field, on route to a 35 point, 9 rebound night. Great effort wasted? I'm not really sure I can say that, when I feel as if it's supposed to be like this. The better team won, and they ran away with it when you thought you had a close on to the end on your hands.

The Mavericks can still certainly do better. They have capable personnel. Problem is, when one of your top guns is sidelined 6 minutes into the contest then how do you expect to stay competitive? That shortens your rotation, and in the playoffs, these things matter even more. We'll see how the Mavericks adjust as they head back to Dallas

As for the Denver Nuggets, a phenomenal game. Take a gander at the pace adjusted stats above. Predominantly green. Effective and efficient execution for the number two seed of the West. It was everything they did. And they did it well. They penetrated the zone defense. They patiently waited 'til they got their best looks and finished at the rim. They ran when they could. They forced turnovers. I could go on and on.

These new Nuggets are an interesting bunch, to say the least. Gone are the hyper wild days of chaotic running and launching of wild jumpers early in the shot clock. Gone are the ball hog stretches we're used to seeing. And whatever the media tells you, they're a pretty disciplined team now. They can come out the gates running, but they can also execute with precision in the half court now. They have an interior presence that you can actually believe in, too.

Nonetheless, I can still find a few holes in their performance. While the defense was not exactly terrible, you can bet that the Nuggets can do better than allowing 112.9 points per 100 possessions. This, however, is just minor quibbling. The Nuggets can live wit that, they still won handily and ran away with the game.

Obviously, Dallas has to make the right adjustments if they want to stay competitive, and possibly pull of an upset. It can happen. While this is not the same team that came back from a 3-1 deficit to beat the Spurs, it's still possible. This is the NBA, after all (That's enough for the cliched lines for this post). They need to play better interior defense, which is a tough task when you have a center that's not afraid to muck it up for 90+ games a year, and also can't remember the season series they had with this team. They just need to tweak that defense a bit more, and keep the offense functioning at a high level. Easier said than done, but that's what they have to do. And pray for Denver misses. Dallas, can you make this competitive? I don't doubt that for one second.

MVP for number 23

2009-05-06T22:51:00.002+08:00

Swagger Jackin' Ball Don't Lie Posts since today!

I get by with a little help from my friends....

2009-05-06T02:11:00.006+08:00

"What would you think if I sang out of tune,
Would you stand up and walk out on me?
Lend me your ears and I'll sing you a song,
And I'll try not to sing out of key.
Oh I get by with a little help from my friends,
I get high with a little help from my friends,
Oh I'm gonna try with a little help from my friends."

Rockets down the Lakers in an ugly, physical win that featured Shane Battier donning a crimson mask (he bled), some ugly shooting, and awful efficiencies. Jump with me for the recap!

Rockets @ Lakers Game 1 - Western Semifinals

The Four Factors for tonight's game:

Breathe. Take it in slowly. Exhale. Rockets stole Game 1. Yes. That happened. As much as I want to be an impartial fellow, I can't help it. I can't help take delight and excitement out of this win. I'm giddy. Shoot me now. Wait, no. Don't. Read my post instead.

The Rockets came in Staples and effectively made a series out of this by coming out the gates and snatching Home Court Advantage from the Lakers, for the time being.

The Lakers were flat to start the game. Call it rust, if you wish, after a 6 day lay-off in between game 5 of their series ender with the Jazz to last night's contest. The Lakers were, in this blog name's fashion, throwing up bricks. Credit still goes to the Houston defense for playing to their superb defensive level by making sure it stayed that way. Houston allowed just 96.8 points per 100 possessions on a Los Angeles team that, on average, operates at 112.7 points per 100 possessions. That's good for 3rd in the NBA. Taking that into account, if the Lakers regularly performed the way they did last night - then they'd be averaging a mark way below offenses ran by the likes of the Clippers. No one plays that dreadfully. Sometimes, you just have to know when "rust" ends and good defense begins. The Rockets did that tonight by effectively making the Lakers produce way below their average (which is brilliant, to say the least). The duo now known as the Mongooses "limited" the Black Mamba to just 32 points....on 31 shots. The Lakers shot at a substandard 45.5% EFG, and while their assist totaled to 46% of their made baskets it was still 7 assists below their normal assist production.

The Rockets? This was their defense at their best, which is basically forcing you to miss shots. The offense? Not perfect, so I don't want to hear about "perfect" game from Houston. Still, a brilliant game. When things got ugly, they responded. They made plays. When they couldn't? They made shots. Awful shots. Ron Artest took a lot of them. Awful shots. But awful shots that went in. You gotta love that. Things just fell their way. They got to the foul line, stayed aggressive. Exploited match ups they could exploit. Aaron Brooks torched Derek Fisher to the tune of 19 points on 50% shooting. Blazing up and down the court where nobody could really catch him. Ron Artest hit shots and made plays. Yao Ming was a monster of a man, scoring 28 points on 8 of 17 shoots. Zero misses from the freethrow line for Yao. After an injury scare that led a city (maybe even a country) into a moment of panic. Yao rose to the occassion....with a little help from his friends. Solid team effort for the Rockets tonight. Team defense. Ball Movement. When they couldn't? They blazed. They made prayers and got their answers. They dropped it down to their big fella. Ugly game, ugly win.

We know what's in store for game 2. I can't wait.

Uneducated Guesses - Round 2: Cavs-Hawks

2009-05-05T22:19:00.005+08:00

The resident unqualified idiot talks Round 2 of the NBA Playoffs. Check out the horrible match-up breakdowns from yours truly! Today, I serve to you the pairing of the #1 and #4 seeds of the Eastern Conference! Continue if you want your intelligence to be insulted...

Cavaliers
vs.
Hawks
(AKA the do I have to write a preview series)

I. The Players

Expected 5:
Maurice Williams, Delonte West, LeBron James, Anderson Varejo, Zydrunas Ilgauskas
vs.
Mike Bibby, Joe Johnson, Maurice Evans, Josh Smith, Al Horford

Expected Depth:
Joe Smith, Ben Wallace, Daniel Gibson, Sasha Pavlovic
vs.
Flip Murray, Zaza Pachulia, Marvin Williams, Mario West

II. The Personnel
Mike Brown vs. Mike Woodson

I-II Breakdown!

Backcourt:
Mike Bibby and Joe Johnson vs. Maurice Williams and Delonte West
Advantage:LeBron James

Frontcourt:
Maurice Evans, Josh Smith, and Al Horford vs. LeBron James, Anderson Varejao, Zydrunas Ilgauskas
Advantage:LeBron James

Bench:
This Match up is a shamockery!
Advantage:LeBron James

Coaching:
Mike Woodson vs. Mike Brwon
Advantage:Whoever can give better "questioning your existence" looks

In all seriousness...

I really do feel that this is the "do I have to write a preview?" series. Not because I think the Hawks are a god-awful team that won games in the east, but because the Cavaliers are that much better of a team than the Hawks. Onto the serious breakdown!

First off, I believe that the backcourt edge really lies with the Hawks. They boast the better talent in this area mainly because Joe Johnson will have to come up big in this series and has the ability to potentially do so. Also because Mike Bibby and Maurice Williams will probably take turns scoring on each other while being awful defensively, reducing this match up to an even level (since they produce at about an identical level, anyway). No disrespect to Delonte West, who IMO still doesn't look the same after his injury, but I believe this match up will basically be all Joe Johnson. While I do believe that Delonte West is a savvy perimeter defender that can possibly bother Joe Johnson, look for the Cavs to use LeBron to cover Joe Cool for stretches in this series. Other than that, it's all Cavs. This is not to say that the Cavs backcourt will not produce, because they will. They'll put up numbers that will definitely aid the whole team's effort (Mo Williams scoring, Delonte West's defense and general all around production)

Now let me get to LeBron James. You might have heard of him. He recently won the MVP award, so I guess he's kind of good. Heh. Anyway. Fresh off an impressive regular season campaign that trumped the golden standard of our current generation, LeBron James looks to continue his dominance/transcendence in round 2 of the postseason. The Hawks just don't feature any weapons that can mitigate any of his contributions, but do have the players that may annoy him.

Moving on, look for this series to be a total team effort for the Cavaliers (being led of course by none other than LeBron James). The Cavs may not boast any players, aside from LeBron James, that produce amazingly impressive numbers but their collective efforts boast both top 5 offenses and defenses in the NBA at 112.4 points per 100 possessions and 102.4 points allowed per 100 possesions, respectively. The Hawks are not slouches either, as their offense produced 109.3 points per 100 possessions for the season. However, their defense still needs much more improvement as they allowed 107.6 points per 100 possessions. Add in the factor of pace, and you can see that both teams run at identical rate with the Cavs registering around 88 possessions a game, while the Hawks register 89 possessions a game. This series will be slow, and you can bet that the Cavs (being the better team) will be much more comfortable than the Hawks. Atlanta must pick it up defensively if they wish to make a series out of it, and potentially pull off an upset. With that being said, my prediction?

Prediction: Cavaliers in 5, but it doesn't really matter how many games. Cavaliers will win it.

Uneducated Guesses - Round 2: Lakers and Rockets

2009-05-04T22:10:00.012+08:00

The resident unqualified idiot talks Round 2 of the NBA Playoffs. Check out the horrible match-up breakdowns from yours truly! Today, I serve to you the pairing of the #1 and #5 seeds of the Western Conference! Continue if you want your intelligence to be insulted...

Lakers
vs.
Rockets

I. The Players

Expected 5:
Derek Fisher, Kobe Bryant, Trevor Ariza, Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum
vs.
Aaron Brooks, Ron Artest, Shane Battier, Luis Scola, Yao Ming
Expected Depth:
Lamar Odom, Sasha Vujacic, Jordan Farmar, Shannon Brown., Luke Walton, Josh Powell
vs.
Carl Landry, Kyle Lowry, Von Wafer, Chuck Hayes, Brent Barry

II. The Personnel
Phil Jackson vs. Rick Adelman

I-II Breakdown!

Backcourt:

Kobe Bryant = Win! RON ARTEST? SHANE BATTIER? NO STATS ALL-STAR? LOL IMPOSSIBLE U NEED STATS TO BE ALL STAR!
Advantage:Lakers

Frontcourt:

Two flopping euros, a thug and a gentleman, The great wall and some injury prone kid

Advantage:Rockets, slightly

Bench:

Lamar Odom should be an All Star! Cookie monster is down. The Machine camp! The Machine shoot! Who is square face Kyle Landry? Carl Lowry? Who are these people on the Rockets? srsly!

Advantage:Lakers, slightly

In all seriousness...

I do not share the same sentiment that I see most people possess. Not in a sense that I do not believe that the Lakers will win, but in the assessment and evaluation of the talents that are featured in this series.

I'll start with the Gasol-Scola match up. Now I know Gasol is an efficient machine, you can tell it from his stats. He's put up great numbers this season, regardless of his minutes (which got stretched due to the Absence of Andrew Bynum). He's an All Star selection, too. How about Luis Scola? Who is he you ask? Well, he's the Houston Rockets' PF and he's not quite as popular as another certain Argentine fellow that we all know well. (also, the flopping euro was an inside joke we dream shake community members share) Anyway, I see that people are pretty much putting up this match up as a wash that favors the Lakers. I say nuh-uh! Here's some data for your ass!

Player	Pau Gasol	Luis Scola
Points Per	18.9	12.7
Rebounds Per	9.6	8.8

I use points and rebounding, since these are usually the indicators that people use for big men. These are their per games stats. It looks as if Gasol has a huge advantage over Scola in the points department while holding a slight edge in the rebounding column. What people overlook here are the minutes. Gasol's season average for minutes was 37, while Scola averaged about 30 minutes for the Rockets. So here is another indicator.

Player	Pau Gasol	Luis Scola
Points Per 36	18.3	15.1
Rebounds Per 36	9.4	10.4

I'm not trying to say Luis Scola is as good as Pau Gasol, because he's not. Conventional wisdom might dictate that since Gasol is an All Star he's probably better. But Allen Iverson was an All Star this year, and I bet you wouldn't even put him above Rafer Alston. If that's the logic you want to follow, then you're conventionally unwise. Here's the real reason: Pau is a versatile big man that happens to fit perfectly in the Lakers' system. He has playmaking abilities, and isn't really that bad of a defender people make him out to be (though I admit he's not a stellar defensive force). These statistics just suggest that the level of production is a lot closer than you think. Do not underestimate Luis Scola. He's a tough hussle and heart player that can hit the mid range J with consistency if left alone, and also possesses a formidable array of post moves this side of Tim Duncan. Don't sleep on Scola.

Another sentiment I'd like to address is the Kobe Bryant vs Ron Artest/Shane Battier two headed perimeter D monster. I see two sides. One side believes in the transcendence of Kobe's otherworldly offensive talent. The other believes in the ferocious never-let-up-lockdown-defense of the duo dubbed as "White Pills." Those two view points obviously go against each other. Will Kobe torch the perimeter D of Shane and Ron? Or will the ferocity that limited Brandon Roy in the previous series tame the beast that is the Black Mamba? The season series indicates the former, with one game in January leaning on to the latter. (Battier and Von Wafer covered Mamba for that contest) I can concede that Kobe Bryant may end up being the victor in this match up, but I just do not want to doubt the defensive prowess of the Rockets perimeter duo. In the previous series for the Lakers, you had Ronnie Brewer covering Kobe Bryant well for the first 3 games. Why can't it happen with Shane and Ron? While in the previous series for the Rockets, Brandon Roy had one efficient 42 point outing on the defensive pair. What more if it was Kobe? Ultimately, we cannot really predict how well these players will end up doing. It could be a total ass-kicking for either (ala Pacquiao-Hatton) or an intense match up that could see neither side let up. Let's just wait and see for this one

Lastly, I want to talk depth. You look at a team like the Rockets and think: "Wow, Yao and Artest are carrying this sorry mess assembled as a professional basketball team." If you did, then you're wrong. You're dead wrong. The depth put together on this team is superb. Of course the starters in this team will likely get the lion share of the minutes and would probably end up causing the macro level production of their bench to look small, but pace adjusted stats and efficiency (no I don't have the data) may be a different story. Daryl Morey has put together a fine team that does a lot of things that don't fill up the box score. He's also put together a cohesive unit that defends like mad, from top to bottom. On a good day, they have the offense that can run (not literally) with the best of them. We already know about their trademark defense that essentially smothered the season's best offensive team in round one's six game series vs. the Blazers. Don't count this team out yet, do not.

With that being said, I believe the Lakers have an overall advantage. I need not talk about the depth of the Lakers team, because it's evident that they produce well. Having a weapon like Odom of the bench is just an unfair luxury that most teams would like to be burdened with. The Lakers also run one of the top 5 offenses in the NBA, which is no surprise. They also have great team defense that guards the perimeter very well (though their interior defense could still be improved, but let's not nitpick). We have two of the all-time great head coaches at the helm for both teams that control their team very well. In the end, I believe that the level of talent will end up deciding this series. The question is, whose talent will decide to show up the most for this 7-game series? We'll see. But regardless, I believe that in the end....

Prediction: Lakers in 6

Uneducated Guesses - Round 2 Preview: Nuggets and Mavericks

2009-05-03T18:21:00.009+08:00

The resident unqualified idiot talks Round 2 of the NBA Playoffs. Check out the horrible match-up breakdowns from yours truly! Today, I serve to you the pairing of the #2 and #6 seed of the Western Conference.

Nuggets
vs.
Mavericks

I. The Players

Chauncey Billups, Dahntay Jones, Carmelo Anthony, Kenyon Martin, Nene
vs.
Jason Kidd, J.J. Barea/Antoine Wright, Josh Howard, Dirk Nowitzki, Eric Dampier

Rotation:

J.R. Smith, Chris Andersen, Linas Kleiza, Anthony Carter
vs.
Jason Terry, Jose Juan Barea/Antoine Wright, Brandon Bass, Ryan Hollins

II. The Personnel

George Karl vs. Rick Carlisle

I - II Breakdown!

Backcourt:
Let's get it straight, the significant match up here is the point guard pairing. Dahntay Jones and JJ Barea/Antoine Wright? Can't even get that match up right! HAH! RHYME! Anyway, the match up here is basically Billups vs. Kidd a.k.a. Season Savior vs. Not Harris.
Edge: Nuggets

Frontcourt:
Thuggets basketball poster boys vs. Anti-America (Non-Patriot and German) plus Lazy-Ass.
Edge: Nuggets

Bench:
This one features the two front runners for 6th man of the year (JET winning). But da BIRDMAN IZ HERE.
Edge: Nuggets

Coaches:
Pessimistic douche vs. Jim Carey look-alike

Edge: Draw

In all seriousness..

The edges I gave are exactly how I see it. Just not the descriptions I gave. As seen above, I give the edge to the Nuggets in all the categories. While I believe the Nuggets do have the edge over the Mavs, I believe it to be a slight edge overall. The Nuggets just have the personnel that can contribute more than the Mavericks players can. Marquee names in this series are Chauncey Billups, Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith vs. Jason Kidd, Dirk Nowiztki, and Jason Terry. While the Mavericks feature (arguably) the best player in the series in Dirk Nowitkzi, I see the Nuggets stars having better overall production than the Mavericks stars. If the Nuggets wish to win, they better hope they can get the same level of production Billups turned in during the Hornets series. The Mavericks, on the other hand, showed surprising depth in their series vs. the Spurs. Nowitzki has had a marvelous season, and you can bank on him to produce vs. the likes of Martin and Nene (after all, he was covered by one of the best defensive PF's in Tim Duncan). The Mavericks need a balanced team effort if they wish to pull off another upset.

Nuggets in 6 (but Dallas is very capable of proving me wrong).

And we can't get enough of this action

2009-05-02T00:03:00.009+08:00

CHICAGO - APRIL 30: Joakim Noah #13 of the Chicago Bulls celebrates at the conclusion of Game Six of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals game against the Boston Celtics as part of the 2009 NBA Playoffs on April 30, 2009 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2009 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
Bulls @ Celtics

What else can be said about this series? Great? Classic? Epic? Legendary? I'm running out of cliches here. How else can we eloquently state it? Other languages, perhaps? Does it matter? We know we have a great one where we can all enjoy, regardless of allegiances/beliefs/philosophies/world views. IT'S THAT SERIOUS.

I just can't stop gushing about this series. The flare. The dramatics. The fouls. Ray Allen's jumpshot. Ben Gordon's cupcheck. Brad Miller's existence. You get caught up. You get carried away. You forget the X's and O's that occur. You forget the miscues. You forget the Vinny Del Negro is a coach. You just sit and enjoy. All you end up finding yourself saying is what a shot. You enjoy being a fan.

More thoughts after the Jump.

While I don't want to go with the overly simplistic route of saying that Ray Allen hit tough shots. RAY ALLEN HIT TOUGH SHOTS. Over Joakim Noah contesting him. Over Kirk Hinrich covering him. Glen Davis was surprising. Pleasantly surprising, knocking down big shots of his own. Joakim Noah was all hussle and energy. John Salmons, while coming up with some what the hell moments, finally came up big for the Bulls. Brad Miller is a warrior. I can't believe I just said that.

But let's not lose sight of all the things that happened. Ray Allen moves so beautifully without the ball and it created mismatches tonight. Maybe that had something to do with VDN's insistence on switching, credit the Celtics for going that route and creating opportunities to catch up near the end.

Del Negro has a received a lot of flak for his coaching this series, and rightfully so. Nonetheless, it was good enough to see him finally send a double team on Pierce. It was good to see an offense for defense substitution. And again in Del Negro fashion, he messes his move up by leaving Lindsey Hunter in to inbound the ball. The Bulls didn't get a shot up. That's not to say that Doc didn't have his own flubs. Leaving Tony Allen in for offense by the end of regulation could have ended up to be the Celtics undoing for tonight. The Bulls ended up forcing him to take tough, bad shots in the end. In an end where the announcers sounded like they were ready to write off the Bulls for a seeming collapse.

And the Bulls did collapse, but made up for it. Brad Miller was huge, hitting clutch shots. Hitting shots normal humans can't make, and let me tell you something: Brad Miller looks physically incapable.

In the end, we were all just treated to a great game. For all the miscues that ended up being added drama. The hard fouls all around. The flare for the dramatics on both sides. Ray Allen's jump shot. Noah's shakedown on Pierce. Rose's block. I dare say it: This has been basketball at its finest. What's not to love about this game? What's not to love about this series? Game 7 is Saturday, May 2. Tip off is at 8.

Hey, readers!

2009-05-01T01:45:00.004+08:00

Hello, my faithful readers. I'm trying to fix up this site a bit, trying to summarize my posts by using some css codes. I'm no internet guru/wiz, so my coding may not be so perfect. Sorry for the confusion on the Read More! links on my two earlier posts.

Anyway, I'll be putting up a recap for whatever games I can watch later.

Thanks for putting up with the lack of action!

Swag check

2009-05-01T00:51:00.005+08:00

And the Nuggets finally made it to the 2nd round. First time in fifteen years!

That's all I can say. Boring hoops action today, really. Atlanta thrashed Miami. Dwyane Wade fell on his head.

With that being said, you probably could be delighted in the performance of the Nuggets today. They took care of business. They were oozing with all kinds of swag, tonight.. The Hornets? While you could blame the injuries, this team is just not built well. The front office has to take a look at the make-up of this team, it's just not working. The talent drop off from Paul to West then to the rest is seriously huge, and it's not because West is a srslyomgwtfamazingurdabestever kind of talent.

Hits and Misses

2009-04-29T20:01:00.017+08:00

Four contests for the night. The Boston Celtics and the Orlando Magic beat their opponents to the punch as both teams took the lead in their respective series.. This ensures them that at most, they'll have a chance to close out the series in their comfortable homes. The Dallas Mavericks dealt the knockout blow to the San Antonio Spurs, as they advance to the second round and await the eventual winner of the Nuggets-Hornets series. The Portland Trailblazers avoided the fate that befell on the San Antonio Spurs, and look to even up the series as they head back to a city where they have yet to win in all year. The only game I caught today was the Blazers-Rockets game, being that I'm a Rockets fan and all. So I'll be talking about the game in Portland, though I wish I could have caught the Celtics-Bulls game or the Spurs-Mavericks game.

Recap after the Jump. (that means click the read more link)

Nick dela Torre - AP Photos

The Four Factors to tonight's game:Rockets @ Blazers

We had a elimination game on our hands, and the Blazers came in from all angles. LaMarcus Aldridge and Steve Blake were hitting shots early on, and everything on their side of the court was moving. On the Rockets side of things, Aaron Brooks and Luis Scola took charge. Aaron Brooks was on attack mode, while Luis Scola was taking advantage of his looks AND burning the Blazers defense.

The second quarter saw the offense cool down a bit, as both teams went on cold spells. Neither team really capitalized on building a commanding lead (or take the lead away and build on it in the Rockets case). LaMarcus Aldridge's production was sorely needed in this one, as he scored 9 of the team's 21 points in this period. The Rockets were kept afloat in the quarter by Yao Ming, as they finally got to feed the big man near the end of the half. Luis Scola carried his team in the first half, overall. 17 points on 8 of 11 shooting for Mr. Scola.

The Rockets were met with better success early on in the second half. Portland went back to another cold spell, and the Rockets were playing much better defense. Yao Ming showed off his range and their shots were starting to fall for them. I cannot stress how important LaMarcus Aldridge's production was for the Blazers. LMA scored 10 of the Blazers 14 points in this quarter and also registered 1 of the team's 2 3rd quarter assists. The Rockets ended up with the scoring advantage for the quarter in a much more Houston-like period, having a 19-14 advantage. Luis Scola ended up being tied to the bench for most of the quarter with foul trouble.

By the fourth period, you would think that the Rockets would eventually pull away as they finally took the lead. But Portland came alive, going on a 15-0 run and never really looked back. Brandon Roy came alive and took over. He was hitting from just about everywhere. On drives, pull ups, 3pointers - he was phenomenal. Roy finished the quarter with 14 points and attoned for his all-game slump. Overall, he scored 25 points. The Rockets could not get anything going on the offensive end as they started going one-on-one. Credit the Portland defense for getting the stops as well.

Overall, the Blazers were calm and poised. The execution was better and they really met the challenge today. While the offense didn't necessarily set the world on fire (not the kind we're accustomed to from this team), their defense picked it up for them in this one. While you also might want to credit Houston's own woes to their poor offensive execution, it would be wonderful for Portland to keep this kind of defense up (and improve upon it) if they wish to bring it back to the Rose Garden for a potential game 7.

For the Rockets? The monkey is still on their backs. We can go through all the cliche's for this, but even I'm not that awful of an "analyst"/blogger to say "they need to play smart and in control" without pointing out any actual examples and solutions. Which just means I really didn't pay much attentive detail to this game as much as I wanted to. HA! And here you are reading this truly awful analysis. But anyway, I would surmise that force feeding Yao won't work if they can't do it effectively. Which means that they have to get everyone else going to make the Blazers pay for any potential double-teams that they throw out. Ball movement, ball movement, ball movement. Don't iso. It's not working. Don't rely on anyone to get it going if they can't. Executing this effectively will eventually free up Yao. Beating the front won't work, but all that defensive attention he gets presents opportunities for everyone else. Get it together Houston, or it's back to the Rose Garden for you.

Edit - okay. I forgot to mention this, but i'm too lazy to re-edit the whole thing. Aaron Brooks eventually fizzled and clanked his way to an 8 for 20 night from the field. Say it with me: Aaron Brooks was throwin' up bricks!

Another day, another game.

2009-04-27T23:30:00.004+08:00

I HAVE TO GO BACK TO LA?!?!?!?!?!?!

3 games today, but you probably already knew that. You probably have no life. That's probably why you're reading this. Thanks for wasting your life with me, reader!

Hawks @ Heat

The Hawks got smashed, trashed, beaten, pummelled......helped up by some nice people.....then got smashed by those nice people. Actually, no, that didn't happen. And if it did, I didn't watch the game. So I don't really know. What I do know is that the Hawks got routed (lol I always wanted to say that) by this Miami Heat team that's getting production from other people not named Dwyane Wade and Dwyane Wade.

From what I've been reading, the Hawks have to shape up and play better defense. They probably won't be able to stop Dwyane Wade, but that's okay. You try stopping a transcendental force. No, not in 2k9. In real life. They have to force everyone else to take the scoring load, and make them miss of course. If they can deny Wade from getting the ball, then great. But they have to force those other people to shoot. Mike Woodson needs to step his coaching game up, too. They're the superior team, they should act like it. While the Heat aren't so bad (and by the Heat, I mean Dwyane Wade), they just have to capitalize on the plentiful opportunities they'll possibly be getting from the Hawks defense. If the defense for the Hawks comes alive, they should make it a priority to get everyone involved. Maybe Michael Beasely can get going. He's disappeared after a great run to end the season, averaging only 8.7 pts this series on a woeful (lol, woeful) 30% from the field. The playoffs have been graced by some sweet play by fellow draft-classmates Derrick Rose and to an extent - Courtney Lee. Shall he make it three rookies?

Also, Jermaine O'Neal has come alive. While everyone thought him to be dead, he's been solid for at least two games with overall averages of 15 points while shooting 53%, 6 boards, and 2 blocks.

The Hawks offense has been atrocious overall. None of the regular rotation players are even shooting 40% from the field. That has to change. I've been reading that the Hawks have had some horrible and unimaignaitve offensive sets drawn up. Yeah, this Mike Woodson guy seems terrible. Aren't the Hawks going to replace him? We got a few good coaches unemployed at the moment!

Nuggets @ Hornets

Brilliant line from Paul the other night. 35 points on 11 of 12 shooting, 5 rebounds and 12 assists. While you want to get on him for those 6 turnovers, he played 45 minutes. And the guy holds the ball a lot, give him a break. James Posey earned this year's paycheck for his play and Hornets fans probably hope he's going to play like he's trying to earn an advance on next year's paycheck. David West has been frustrated by Martin this whole series, look for him to try to break out on this one. Rasual Butler continues to shoot well, and Hornets fans probably hope Peja Stojakovic will not have a repeat of his shooting performance from the last game. Still, great defense on Carmelo Anthony in the last game - so all was not lost. Sean Marks needs more playing time, as he provided some much needed scoring and energy during his stint off the bench in game 3. It's clear that Tyson Chandler is not fully 100%

While Denver did fall back down to earth in this game, you still have to appreciate the efficiency line if 103.3 points per 100 possessions against a Hornets team that played some surprisingl and good defense in the 3rd game. Chauncey finally slowed down. Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith went on some unwarranted ball hog stretches. Look for Denver to try to go back to their same defensive plans during the first two games. Nuggets fans would hope that Dahntay Jones' minutes would not decrease, as he keeps Paul in check relatively well. Denver has to execute better and get the ball moving again.

Jazz @ Lakers

I really have nothing to say, but look for the Lakers to step on the Jazz' collective throats. They should be able to close this one out. The Jazz, however, can still turn it up for this one. At the very least, they could just make it difficult for the Lakers to put them down. They probably won't be able to be physical as they're allowed to be in SLC, but I expect big games from Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer. This could still be a tight one.

The Lakers just have to keep to their game plan. They run one of the best offenses in this league. Keep the ball moving and look for the best shot. Don't get into isolation too much. Hope Pau Gasol doesn't play some matador defense. Maybe this one will be over early.

And we're in for a treat!

2009-04-27T16:37:00.012+08:00

4 Games today. Cavaliers bullied the old bullies. Chicago and Orlando tied it. Houston took a comfortable 3-1 lead. Of these 4 games, 3 of them went down to the wire. I'm here to talk about the only game I fully caught, which was the Blazers-Rockets game.

Rockets recap after the jump!

Getty Images
Chuck Hayes of the Houston Rockets draws the charge on Portland' Brandon Roy. Shane Battier with a block for good measure.

Blazers @ Rockets

What a game and what a series. The second consecutive game that went down to the wire at the Toyota Center. Third close contest overall in this series.

Let's get it started

Another hotly contested game tonight, and boy, what a series! Another slow game that featured only 82 possessions. Portland shot better from the field overall, and got to the line at a better rate than Houston. It also helped that the Blazers were 100% on their freebies. What kept Houston in the game was their ability to recover more of their own misses at a higher rate and their ability to take care of the ball. More on the offensive rebounding later on.

Portland came out strong in the opening quarter, hitting tough over-the-d-with-a-hand-in-his-face kind of shots. Midway through the first, Ron Artest hit a bailout 29-foot 3 point shot and that' when the tides turned early on. Houston pulled out a few stops and forced some turnovers for that span. The offense looked crisp for awhile with some nice ball movement as four of the next seven field goals were assisted. Like the first halves of games 1 and 3, the Rockets were looking to run away again.

This time, the Blazers did not allow it as they fought back enough to make it 44-50. The Blazers were forcing turnovers while Brandon Roy and Travis Outlaw were carrying the offensive load in this quarter. Roy was aggressive in drawing fouls.

By the start of the second half, the Blazers took control and executed better as they drew some offense from Aldridge. Roy continued his attack. The Rockets offense was miserable during the start of the first half. By the fourth quarter, it was a game again. The Rockets forced misses and the Blazers committed some costly turnovers during the final period. Von Wafer and Yao Ming provided an early spark for home team to help keep them afloat.

Ultimately, the team that rebounded better and committed lesser errors won the game. Yes, I'm talking about Houston.

10:45	72-68	Luis Scola defensive rebound
10:32	72-68	Von Wafer misses layup
10:32	72-68	Luis Scola offensive rebound
10:29	72-68	Luis Scola misses layup
10:27	72-68	Luis Scola misses tip shot
10:27	72-68	Luis Scola offensive rebound
10:26	72-68	Luis Scola offensive rebound

That particular sequence led to a 3 by Von Wafer

4:46	80-79	Ron Artest misses layup
4:45	80-79	Yao Ming misses tip shot
4:45	80-79	Yao Ming offensive rebound
4:39	80-79	Kyle Lowry misses layup
4:39	80-79	Kyle Lowry offensive rebound
4:39	80-79	Kyle Lowry offensive rebound

3:36		83-82	Ron Artest misses 25-foot three point jumper
3:34		83-82	Carl Landry offensive rebound

Those 2 separate instances both led to Battier hitting some big time 3-pointers for Houston.

Execution. The Blazers made costly errors, and in a tight 82 possession game - everyone of these possessions mean much more. These are opportunities you would rather end up missing on a good look than a possession totally wasted. You could point out any turnover the Blazers made in this game, really. But the recency of those two Blake turnovers and the Przybilla toss just magnifies it all the more. While the Rockets didn't necessarily execute better, as Battier admitted that his second three was a heat check, they managed to hit those big shots in the end. That made all the difference. Houston has to thank their lucky stars that those missed Free Throws in the end didn't cost them this comfortable lead.

Overall, a great close game that went in the Rockets favor. You can whine about officiating all you want, but you'll never get a perfect game called. The refs did not decide this game, nor any game in this series. Brandon Roy continues to be magnificent with a line of 31 points on 17 shots. 12 of 12 from the free throw line. Travis Outlaw came alive before disappearing, ending up scoring 14 points on 14 shots. For the Rockets, a team effort once again. They got their star, Yao Ming, involved and he produced with a 21 and 11 line. Luis Scola was huge on the boards, grabbing nearly half of the offensive rebounds of the Houston Rockets. The No-Stats All-Star was huge in the end, and provided some stats for yo' ass! Shane Battier finished with 14 points on 5 of 8 shooting, 4 of 6 of them from behind the arc. He also ended up grabbing 8 boards and dished out 6 dimes. A special mention for the Chuckwagon, as he ended up with a clutch defensive play in the end by drawing the charge on Roy. This night ended up being a special night for hoops fans. Great games for the day.

On the horizon: Game 4's

2009-04-26T23:48:00.006+08:00

Four games tonight! Of the four games, one team is up 3-0 (or one team is down 0-3 if you're some kind of downer) and three teams are up 2-1. Of those three teams that are up, two of them are lower seeded teams expected to lose and one of them is expected to struggle through their series. Of the two teams out of the three, one was expected to lose in seven while one was expected to be drubbed in 5 games. The 3-0 series is as expected to be.

Celtics @ Bulls

Straight beat down served up by the Celtics in Chi-Town as the Bulls were pounded 107-86 on their home floor. A remarkable series for Rondo thus far, averaging lines of 22.7 PPG, 10.7 RPG, 9.7 APG, 4.0 SPG. Now those are stats we love to chew on! Paul Pierce came alive in game 3 to the tune of 24 points on 9 of 15 shooting. Ray Allen came in with a steady shooting hand with 18 points on 6 of 12 shots. These two guys are good. I MEAN THEY'RE ALL-STARS!

The Bulls, on the other hand, are coming in from a dreadful performance as thoughts of a potential upset was seemingly pushed aside for at least a game. The Bulls are being lead by the tandem of their hot shooting two-guard in Ben Gordon and super Rookie Derrick Rose. That's some special rookie. He is the Rookie of the Year

What these teams need to do:

The Celtics just have to carry-over that great defensive play and get everyone involved. Six players in double figures the last game for the Celtics. Look for them to put the slap down on the young fellas and shake the confidence of this Bulls team.

It is not enough for the Bulls to play to their potential. If the Celtics are looking to shake this team, then the Bulls will have to bring the fight to the champs. They should look to get everyone involved more, as you can't rely on their two young studs to shoulder the scoring load on a superb defensive team. On defense, they have to get out and trap these Celtic guards as they are a team that is prone to turning the ball over.

Cavaliers @ Pistons

Detroit sucks. LeBron James rulez. Mo Williams made this Cavs team better. Joe Dumars is an idiot. Allen Iverson sucks. Kobe is still MVP, LeBron. LOLOLOL. This series is a shamockery!

Magic @ 76ers

Dwight Howard with the clutch free throws. WOW. Thad Young had to ruin it, bastard.

The Magic look to even a series that people thought was going to be a wash. Horrible first half for the Magic, then they decided to finally play a two quarters of basketball in the second half. This team looks like they're dying by their own hand. To the 76ers credit, they're gladly and willingly helping this Magic team choke themselves to death. Hot shooting for this 76er team and you can see the effort from their players.

What these teams need to do:

The Magic need to get their heads together and play smart. While Turkoglu is obviously hurt and with Lewis dealing with some personal problems, they still need to get their collective heads together and get Dwight Howard the ball. The 76ers won't be able to stop him once he gets it where he wants it.

The 76ers live to cause turnovers. If Orlando is looking to feed their monster of a man, look for them to rush in and poke the ball away if Orlando isn't careful. They need to take advantage of whatever looks they'll be given if Orlando decides to not play any defense. Continue this surprising hot shooting and step on this Orlando team's throat. They can send them reeling with a win in Wachovia tonight.

Blazers @ Rockets

A close game 3 for two evenly matched-opposite teams. A physical contest that proved to be intense in the end. Weird officiating in this one.

What these teams need to do:

Porltand needs to get into that offense. While the Rockets suffocating defense may have something to do with that, you know that Brandon Roy probably won't continue to shoot as horrible as he did the last game. LaMarcus Aldridge has to take some of the responsibility off Brandon Roy's hand and assert himself more. Travis Outlaw is bound to make an appearance, maybe tonight?

Houston. They need to get the ball to that tall guy. 7 shots is not enough. The defense is fine, but they have to find ways to beat the front. The double is fine if they can hit their shots, but Houston seems to have no answer for the front. It's clear what their guards have to do. PASS THE BALL.

Game 3s: Things Are Beginning To Be Clear

2009-04-25T20:26:00.014+08:00

Deke is a classy guy, so it's clear to us he's getting an award for his classiness

Game 3 of the series is usually the barometer for everyone to see how everything is going to turn out. It's avenue for you to get a clear indication or feel of how the series might end up. Tonight, we had 3 of those games on our hands and we certainly can see what's coming up for the next couple of games. Let's begin, shall we?

4 Factors for tonight's games:

Portland @ Houston

Early on, you thought this would be a repeat of Game 1 of the series. The Rockets couldn't miss and the Blazers just couldn't get anything going. Houston played that defense we're accustomed to seeing them play and Portland was letting this Rockets team get some good looks. Yao was hitting early on, and Ron Artest was surprisingly in control. Too in control, in fact. He didn't take a shot 'til the second half! Luis Scola got his when he was left wide open time and time again by LaMarcus Aldridge. While most people probably think that doubling Yao was more important, Luis Scola can definitely hit those shots (though tonight, it wasn't that evident). The Rockets were just controlling everything from the start. The Toyota Center was loud, too. Weird.

If you were watching game one, you probably thought this was going to be a repeat. Queue in a Blazer run, refusal of the Rockets guards to acknowledge the presence of a guy that you couldn't miss unless you were.......a Rockets guard, and some pretty lax reffing (and by lax, I mean weird) and you got yourself a tight game. By no means am I saying the Blazers got help from the refs, as the Blazers...you know....put the ball in the hoops themselves. But this game got physical. Physical enough to get some hilarious/sad replies about the officiating from commenters over at The Dream Shake and Blazers' Edge.

The defense picked up a bit for the Blazers in the second half. While you probably may want to credit a sluggish Houston offense to trigger happy guards who could not seem to find a giant of a human being, coupled with their general disinterest in passing, Portland was doing their best to deny Yao the ball and that resulted in Houston guards take some questionable shots. It also helped that Yao was on the bench for a third of the game due to foul trouble (Big portion of it in the 2nd half, if I recall correctly). A few turnovers here and there and we had ourselves a ball game again.

A little love for the sensation that is known as Rudy Fernandez. He kept his team in the game with his efficient shooting at 6 made baskets on only 9 attempts (5 out of 7 of them from deep!), scoring 17 points in 22 minutes! Roy was inefficient at 6 for 18, but still managed to score 19 (tied Luis Scola for top scorer in this game). While Blazer fans may have wished for a better shooting night, it's probably going to be difficult to expect a 42 point effort every night when you're being hounded by the No-Stats All-Star and his Bizzaro teammate. Also, while Steve Blake was being bagged on for that terrible shot near the end - you still probably shouldn't forget that he had a steady hand for the Blazers in this game. 6 for 11, 4 for 7 from deep and 10 assists for Mr. Blake.

In the end, the Rockets pulled out a gutsy victory at home. Some clutch shooting from Shane, excellent defense from their guys, and the ability to hit the free throws aided them in the end. A sort of unnecessary and anti-climactic move made by Brooks in the end, all the while Mark Jackson was going on about "why should he miss a free throw if he could put them by 4?" Way to make him look stupid, Aaron (Though he wasn't necessarily wrong).

Fun game all in all, though there was still a lot left to be desired. Houston has to get Yao the ball and beat that front if they want to put this away. Pass the damn ball, guys. Portland? Just hit your shots and you'll be fine, though that's easier said than done. Oh, and we want better reffing plz.

Cleveland @ Detroit

I didn't watch this game, but this guy did.

From what I can see from the stats, however, it was probably a slow game. Not much scoring going on, either. Probably bad offense. But the Cavs did better. Yeah....probably why they won. Efficient game for Joe Smith. 19 points on 6 for 8 shooting. 6 for 7 on Free Throw Attempts. 10 Rebounds. He did it all in 19 minutes. Oh, and that LeBron guy had 25 points, 11 rebounds, and 9 assists. Numbers we casual fans can dig!

Orlando @ Philadelphia

I didn't really watch this game 'til the 2nd half, and most of my attention was on the Rockets-Blazers game. Here are Ben Q. Rock from 3rd Quarter Collapse and Ricky from Sixers 4 Guidos with analysis/recaps for Orlando and Philadelphia, respectively.

From what I saw, Orlando was down going into the 2nd Half and their fans were absolutely horrified by what was going on. And so it seemed that the Sixers would run away with it early on in the second half, but the Magic put the clamps down on the Sixers and things started rolling for them. They were getting the ball to their big guy, and the rest of the team started to connect 'til they deviated from what got them there. I then switched back to the Rockets game, and only switched back to the end of it. Glad I did, what a finish! Dwight Howard was clutch in the end, drawing another Shaq comparison of "hitting it when it matters." Howard nailed 2 Free Throws in the end and tied the game at 94-apiece. You probably wished the Magic won just because of that surprising sequence (It brought a smile to my face, what can I say.), but in the end the Sixers prevailed on a layup by Thaddeus Young. Wild finish! I guess Bill Simmons was wrong for calling this one as the absolute horrible series. And everyone else was wrong for writing the Sixers off so easily. We have a series on our hands, fans.

Squeaker in Salt Lake, Utah defeats Los Angeles 88-86

2009-04-24T13:53:00.017+08:00

I'm not a Laker or Jazz fan. This was the only game I watched. And since I think I'm qualified to talk about it, here goes me rambling. Enjoy.

Getty Images Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein
Deron Williams goes up for a shot against the La Lakers. It probably didn't go in.

Disclaimer: I'm an awful writer

About a year ago, this was probably the time where we saw the lower seeded team come back home after receiving beatings from the higher seeded teams. Road wins seemed scarce at the time and you felt that after getting torn apart on the oppositions floor, revenge would come. Fast forward to today, you would have thought to yourself that you'd see a repeat of what happened last year. While the Mavs did blow out the Spurs today, that game did not have the same circumstances as last year. Only the Lakers-Jazz series had that coming in today. The Lakers, however, were the number one seed a year ago and they absolutely destroyed the Nuggets in that series. It felt like they did, anyway. But you probably know of the Jazz. While they haven't been as exceptional as we've known them to be, you probably felt that they would come out strong to whip out a beating of their own.

Moving on...

Stats for tonights game:

I'm disinclined to go with the old phrase "it was just one of those nights" to describe this game, but it really felt like one of those nights. In various stretches over the game, both teams could not buy a basket at all. Each teams had their own runs over the course of the game, but you never really felt that anyone totally dominated the other. When the 3rd quarter ended, you would see that the Lakers outscored the Jazz that quarter 33-17 but they really didn't put the game out of reach with that. The Lakers were playing catch-up to start the second half, and blazed through with 33 points for the third quarter. However, it just didn't feel like anyone was running away with this game. The Jazz got off to a good start, but eventually cooled down. Cue in the afformentioned run, and you thought that it would be over. But it just seemed as if both these teams just could not "get into their game" to be able to pull away.

But perception may often cloud judgement, while both teams did shoot pretty horrible -EFG's of 40.2% and 46.7% for the Lakers and Jazz, respectively- the Jazz did manage to do what they do well, and that's get assists. 23 assists on 33 (innefficiently) made baskets. That's 23 shots created by others, and 10 only made off isolation. And in a game where no individual really got it going, those extra passes and well executed plays probably meant being down 2-1 instead of being down 3-0 as no one from the Jazz was doing otherworldly things on offense. With that being said, made up enough of it on the defensive end. Rotating well, chasing the guards off the screens, forcing the Lakers to take some tough shots. Where was this Jazz team in LA?

LA on the other hand, seemed to be content with the lead they got and they deviated from what makes them a damn brilliant team. 15 assists on 32 made baskets, and while that's not bad. That's 8 assists below their average. And by going 8 below their average, they performed average-ly. Those 8 assists that bogged them down from their brilliance. You saw a lot of isolation going on, and Kobe Bryant was inneffective, needing 24 shots to score 18 points. While you want to go with the conventional wisdom of "Kobe shoots too much = Lakers Lose", if Kobe made those shots then they probably don't lose. Then again, if anyone who logged in significant minutes made a bulk/all of their shots for either team then they would have been very useful. Here goes these hypotheticals that we fans like to go on and on about, of course if people make their shots they probably win. But anyway, if you were a Laker fan then you would have wished that just 2 more of those shots by Bryant went in. It's okay, players have bad games. Even players like him. No Kobe doesn't suck nor is he wannabe MJ FAIL. Get outta here. Moving on.

Credit still goes to the Jazz defense for containing the Mamba. They switched well, trapped him, made it difficult for him (and his teammates) to score. Even though Boozer overplayed him on that last play that ended up freeing Gasol, you probably still wouldn't want to give him that open shot. A tip of the hat to Ronnie Brewer for shouldering the defensive responsibility. While you can complain about losing Bryant on that baseline play, covering Bryant for a majority of those 24 shots (and a block on Bryant) is something you shouldn't lose sight of. Although you could say that Kobe just made awful decisions all by himself, still, the Jazz put on the pressure to make sure sure that it would stay that way.

In the end, the Jazz have to be thankful that they shot better than garbage, rebounded at a better rate, and executed better as a team. Why? Those turnovers that they committed still kept the Lakers in it. In an 88 possession game, where not much was falling for either side, these opportunities mean much more. Those slight advantages the Jazz had indeed ensured them of an ugly home victory at the ESA.

The Lakers, on the other hand, can savor the fact that they came in on the road, played horrible and yet only managed to lose by 2. They just shouldn't get carried away if they want to finish this early, it would be unnecessary for them to lose any more games. They can pretty much shut this down any time. For the Jazz, it was good to see fight and effort out of their players in this gutsy effort. Fun to see Carlos Boozer come alive for this one and throw it down near the end. They showed that they can still make a series out of this. Upset? Let's wait for game 4.

A day to warm my heart

2009-04-24T11:48:00.003+08:00

San Antonio: 67 points on 25 for 78 shooting (32%)
Chicago: 80 points on 30 for 80 shooting (37%)

And so far...

Los Angeles: 14 for 46 (36%)
Utah: 17 for 43 (39%)

The NBA indeed cares, as these teams are building brick houses. Yay. Hooray for awful offense/great defense!

Welcome, fans!

2009-04-20T16:37:00.003+08:00

And by fans, I mean myself.

Like you, and by you I mean me, I am an NBA fan. I love the NBA. I think I get it. I mean, what's so hard to get? You watch a bunch of athletes run up and down the court, getting paid to put the ball in the hoop. Oh ,what's that? You mean defense is important too? They also get paid prevent opposing players to put the ball in the hoop? Get out of here, we don't care about defense! I mean, unless it's like someone swatting the ball to the fifth row! Or, uh, stealing the ball that leads to a crazy-ass ESPN highlight reel dunk! I mean, all the good players end up being shown on ESPN. And they usually dunk, or make threes, or do crossovers and break ankles. I get all my info from ESPN! They have the highlights! They got good writers and analysts too! What's that? Scoop Jackson doesn't know what he's talking about? Mark Jackson, too? But that's their Jobs!

Okay, awful joking and monologue-ing aside. I'm an NBA fan. I love watching the NBA. Have been since the day I finally decided to play a sport. It's exciting to watch. The teams. The stars. The players. The action. It's awe-inspiring. It captures me. I mean, I play in four fantasy leagues. Four freakin' leagues! I was even supposed to join two more! Yes, I love the NBA game.

I'm just a regular old fan, like you (I mean me). Yes, I consider myself as a casual fan, but I like talking about the game. Not as extensively as a lot of other great journalists and blogger-types, but I like talking about it. And I'm probably wrong, but I'm full of it. So what did I decide to do? Do what all narcissitic "expert" fans do (I kid!). Create a blog!

So what you are going to see here is probably a lot of awful and off-beat analysis, but it's okay! It's my blog and I'll do whatever I want! Kidding aside, I'm just a casual fan. You probably won't hear anything insightful from me. But I don't like being ignorant, so what sets me apart from other "expert" fans is that I really want to know what I'm talking about. I won't have extensive knowledge like so many other great blogger-types but I try my best to understand things that I need to know. Understand a few advanced metrics here and there and all that. I'll try not to limit great basketball to PPG, RPG, APG, and all other per game averages. Yes. Consider me "smart casual."

So with that, welcome to Throwing Up Bricks! Where I'll probably be getting it wrong. Enjoy reading!