Category: NBA Finals (Page 47 of 58)

      Spurs/Hornets Preview: Will someone please mess with Texas?

      May 2, 2008 /

      If not for Tim Duncan’s three-pointer near the end of Game 1, we might be looking at a Suns/Hornets matchup, but the uber-experienced Spurs grinded out yet another series with their blend of disciplined, fundamental basketball. Duncan posted 24.8 points and 13.8 rebounds in the five games, but it was Tony Parker’s 29.6 points and 7.0 assists that really put the Spurs over the top. Manu Ginobili had kind of a quiet series, but still managed to chip in 18.2 points per game off the bench.

      Meanwhile, the Hornets shredded a Dallas team on the decline, getting great play out of Chris Paul, who averaged 24.6 points, 12.0 assists and 5.6 rebounds in five games. He even had a 24/15/11 triple-double in the series-clinching Game 5. Fellow All-Star David West was steady and terrific, averaging 22.6 points and 7.4 rebounds during the series.

      The teams split the season series, 2-2, so on paper they look to be pretty evenly matched. The Paul/Parker point guard matchup should be a joy to watch. Both players are super-quick and love to penetrate the lane. While there, Parker is looking to score, while Paul likes to set his teammates up. However, Paul has really developed his short jumper over the past season, so he’s capable of completely taking the game over at times.

      Look for defensive stalwart Tyson Chandler to be given the responsibility of covering Duncan. Chandler has the length and athletic ability to cause some headaches for Duncan down low, though the Big Fundamental shot almost 64% from the field against the Hornets this season.

      West and Ginobili may be the wild cards. Can Peja Stojakovic and Morris Peterson stay with Manu? The Hornets might call on athletic rookie Julian Wright to watch Ginobili. On the flip side, the Spurs will probably ask Kurt Thomas to cover West. Off the bench, who is going to stay with the Hornets’ Jannero Pargo?

      New Orleans has more speed and quickness, while the Spurs have an obvious advantage in experience. While I’d like to see someone finally “mess with Texas,” this one has “Spurs in 6” written all over it.

      NBA, NBA Finals

      LeBron was fouled at the end of Game 5

      May 1, 2008 /

      Regular readers know that I’m no LeBron-apologist. He’s a great player, but he settles for the jumper far too often and I think his focus on being a “global icon” instead of a NBA champion is quite troubling. However, with the game on the line, LeBron did what he should do – he took the ball to the rim.

      Granted, if he would have made the bucket, the debate over whether or not he was fouled (by a still-moving Darius Songaila, who came over to take a charge) would be moot. But he was fouled. In real-time, it was clear that Songaila was still trying to get his feet set when LeBron left the floor. To make matters worse, Songaila turned to the side as impact was made, a serious no-no when trying to draw a charge. I would understand a no-call if Songaila had “manned-up” and taken the charge, but by turning his hips, it became an easy call to make.

      In all levels of basketball, there is an unspoken rule that the officials are going to let a little more contact go at the end of the game. I understand the refs’ reasoning with this, as they do not want to be put into a position to decide the outcome of the game. But if a guy is clearly fouled, then the ref should blow his whistle and send him to the free throw line. Defenders should not get away with murder just because it’s the last possession of the game. It blows my mind that refs will call a ticky-tack foul in the first quarter but will let a guy undercut a player that is driving for the game-winning bucket in the fourth quarter.

      On the TNT postgame, Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith both said that they were happy that the refs didn’t blow the whistle, but I think that has more to do with the fact that there are simply too many charge/block calls in the NBA. If there isn’t a clear call, I’d rather that the official not guess just so he can make a call.

      I thought LeBron handled himself pretty well in the postgame press conference. He implied that he was fouled, but said that the play was not the reason that the Cavs lost the game. Cleveland blew a number of chances to put the game away, but LeBron should have had another shot at the free throw line.

      Here is a video that shows the final play… it’s about a minute in…

      NBA, NBA Finals

      Avery Johnson fired

      April 30, 2008 /

      The meltdown continues in Dallas. The team fired Avery Johnson after the Mavs’ second-straight first-round exit.

      ESPN’s Tim Legler usually gives pretty thoughtful commentary, and he defends Johnson in this clip.

      Check back tomorrow for my thoughts on where the Mavs should go from here.

      NBA, NBA Finals

      Hack-a-Shaq rears its ugly head (again)

      April 30, 2008 /

      After a thrilling double-overtime Game 1 for the ages, the Suns/Spurs series came to a rather unremarkable close last night when the Spurs won at home, clinching the series 4-1. Throughout the five games, San Antonio utilized the Hack-a-Shaq defense, intentionally fouling Shaquille O’Neal and putting him on the line to try to end the Suns’ possessions. For the most part, it worked, as O’Neal shot a woeful 32 of 64 (50%) from the line.

      I don’t blame the Spurs for utilizing a perfectly legal tactic in attempt to win a game or series, but it’s a little bush league, isn’t it? From a fan’s point of view, it really slows the game down and hinders the enjoyment of watching two good teams battle each other for the right to advance in the playoffs. Honestly, it was kind of sad to see a proud team like the Spurs utilize Hack-a-Shaq.

      That said, it’s the league’s fault for allowing it to continue. There’s a rule prohibiting it in the final two minutes of a game, but for the other 46, it’s fair game. Former coach and current television analyst Jeff Van Gundy says that the league can’t legislate for a player’s weakness. That is, they can’t put in rules to protect Shaq just because his free throw shooting stinks.

      To a certain extent, I agree with him. But the league can (and has) put in rules to make the game more enjoyable to watch. And whatever we can do to reduce the number of foul calls (and subsequent free throws) will only enhance the game. I never understood why the league has flagrant fouls, but no “intentional” fouls. When a player comes up and hugs Shaq (and he doesn’t have the ball), that’s an intentional foul. Officials can tell the difference between this and an off-the-ball foul that happens during the normal flow of the game (such as Boris Diaw grabbing Manu Ginobili as he tries to go around a screen). If you intentionally foul a player without the ball, the rule should be that the player gets one free throw and the team keeps possession of the ball. This would eliminate Hack-a-Shaq altogether and certain NBA games (that have Shaq, Ben Wallace, or any other horrible free throw shooter) would be much more enjoyable to watch.

      Get it done, Stern. (I’m not holding my breath.)

      Fantasy Basketball, NBA, NBA Finals

      What would it take to make the Hawks a contender?

      April 29, 2008 /

      As I watched the young Atlanta Hawks win two home games against the far more experienced Celtics, I wondered – what would it take to turn Atlanta into a serious contender?

      My first thought would be to build a time machine and go back to the ’05 draft and take Chris Paul instead of Marvin Williams. This team is in desperate need of a playmaking point guard and Paul would be a perfect fit. The Mike Bibby trade gave the team some experience at the position, but his poor shooting after he came to Atlanta (41%) coupled with his horrible accuracy in the playoffs (35%) leads me to believe that his 19-point, seven-assist seasons are long gone. He is a 14/6 guy now (at best) and for that, the Hawks will pay him $15.2 million next season. Yeesh.

      The time machine theory is fine, but had they drafted Paul they probably wouldn’t have Al Horford on the roster and that would be a setback. Let’s move on to more real-world possibilities…

      Josh Smith and Josh Childress are both restricted free agents this offseason. Will they pay them both? They should. Smith is a star on the rise, and as soon as he figures out to limit his outside jumpers (or learns to shoot them), he’s going to be extremely difficult to stop. Childress is a do-it-all role player that shoots a great percentage and plays defense. The problem is that there aren’t enough minutes for him with Williams on the roster.

      So I say sign both Smith and Childress to long-term deals and try to move the less-efficient Marvin Williams for a point guard. Certainly there is some team out there who wants a relatively inexpensive, athletic, 21 year-old forward that regularly puts up 15/6, right? The Hawks should target the Raptors, who have two good point guards in Jose Calderon and T.J. Ford. Toronto is going to keep Calderon, so Ford seems like a logical fit for the Hawks.

      If the Hawks re-sign Smith and Childress, they’re not going to have the salary cap flexibility to sign a free agent point guard for the foreseeable future. I like the idea of a sign-and-trade with Washington for Gilbert Arenas, but Agent Zero could ruin the team’s budding chemistry.

      Either way, the team will eventually have to choose two of their three forwards – Williams, Smith and Childress – as it doesn’t pay to have that much money locked up in three guys that basically play the same position. Considering that Childress (9.4) gets more fourth quarter minutes than Williams (8.4), it appears that head coach Mike Woodson has made his choice.

      Fantasy Basketball, NBA, NBA Finals

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