Category: NBA (Page 469 of 595)

Lakers/Jazz Preview: The battle of the efficient

May 3, 2008 / John Paulsen

During the regular season, Utah and L.A. were 2/3 in offensive efficiency (after Phoenix), which means that the Jazz and the Lakers were both in the top three in points per possession. This is no surprise considering that these two teams are coached by two of the best in the league, Phil Jackson and Jerry Sloan. Jackson runs the infamous Triangle Offense, while Sloan utilizes UCLA cuts (an upscreen from the post for the point guard) and even the ol’ Flex cut in his offensive attack. Both teams are extremely good at hitting the open man as evidenced by their appearance in the top four in league-wide assists per possession.

This series provides some especially interesting matchups. Kobe Bryant causes huge headaches for opposing coaches, but the Jazz have two athletic, rangy defenders in Ronnie Brewer and Andrei Kirilenko to throw at him. I suspect they’ll start the game with Brewer watching Bryant and then Kirilenko will take over when Kyle Korver is inserted into the game. Neither player has been particularly effective in limiting Bryant, who has averaged 29.8 points and shot over 56% from the field in the four head-to-head meetings with the Jazz this season.

Utah also has to be concerned about Pau Gasol. The Jazz don’t really have the length to deal with him on the block, so they’ll have to try to muscle him out of the lane whenever they can. Mehmet Okur will probably be given the responsibility of covering Gasol, as the Jazz will need Carlos Boozer to keep Lamar Odom off of the offensive glass.

On the flip side, expect Derek Fisher to cover his old teammate Deron Williams. Utah has a big advantage at point guard and it’s up to Williams to carry his team. It will be interesting to see how much Boozer is bothered by Odom’s length defensively, or if the Lakers elect to put Gasol on Boozer and Odom on the more perimeter-oriented Okur.

The Lakers are a little bit better defensively, and with home court advantage, they’re a 3 to 1 favorite to win the series. I like the “Lakers in 7,” but my heart is with the Jazz. Also, if I were a betting man, those 3 to 1 odds for Utah look awfully good for a team that has the best home record in the league. All Utah has to do is win one game in L.A., where the Lakers have been vulnerable (30-11) this season and then defend home court. But against a team like the Lakers, that’s easier said than done.

Fantasy Basketball, NBA, NBA Finals

Pistons/Magic Preview: Will the Magic hold the Pistons’ attention?

May 2, 2008 / John Paulsen

Things are finally getting interesting in the NBA’s version of the NIT. Two 52+ win teams will square off when the Pistons and Magic do battle on Saturday. The teams split the season series, 2-2, with each team winning one game on the road.

It’s safe to say that the Pistons are having a tough time staying focused. They almost were down 3-1 in their series against the Sixers when they pulled a no-show in the first half of Game 4. Will they stay motivated against the Magic? They better, because Orlando can execute in the half court, so they won’t give games away like Philly did.

We all know about the Pistons experienced core of Chauncey Billups, Rip Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince and Rasheed Wallace. They’ll probably use a combination of Wallace, Antonio McDyess, Jaxon Maxiell and Amir Johnson to cover Dwight Howard, and they also have Theo Ratliff in reserve. Prince will probably cover MIP Hedo Turkoglu, but Rashard Lewis presents some problems for Detroit. Do they put Rasheed on him and allow Lewis to pull him away from the basket?

The Jameer Nelson/Billups matchup should be an interesting one to watch. Both players are strong, but Billups has a height advantage, so if he starts to take Nelson down low, the Magic might put Nelson on Hamilton and put Keith Bogans or Maurice Evans on Billups. I think the Magic have the coaching advantage, as Stan Van Gundy is one of the best in the business at the chess games that go on during a series.

If the Pistons looked focused against the Sixers, I would go with them, but I think they’ll drop a game at home, which will open the door for the young Magic. I’m going to go out on a limb and say “Orlando in 6.”

Fantasy Basketball, NBA, NBA Finals

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

May 2, 2008 / John Paulsen

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

Correcting Bill Simmons, Part 2

May 1, 2008 / John Paulsen

Welcome to the second part of my infinite-part series, Correcting Bill Simmons. To find out why I started this series, feel free to read the first part. Simply stated – Bill Simmons is an entertaining writer, but sometimes he goes off the reservation and says something absurd.

I listened to my first Bill Simmons podcast today. You know the saying, “she’s got a face for radio”? Well, Bill has a voice for print. Don’t get me wrong – it’s not his fault and there isn’t really anything he can do about it, but he sounds like the weasely-faced kid with the shit-eating grin that you went to high school with. You know, the guy who claimed to be your friend but you just knew that he’d jump your girl’s bones if he had the whisper of a chance.

Anyway, in an otherwise thorough and entertaining column about the downfall of the Suns, he wrote the following about how Grant Hill affected the Suns’ attack:

For a team that revolved around high screens with Nash and Stoudemire, perfectly executed fast breaks and high-percentage 3s, Hill subtly changed what the Suns were. You didn’t have to worry about defending him or Marion 25 feet from the basket — two of the five Suns on the court, by the way — making it impossible for them to spread the floor on those Nash/Stoudemire high screens.

Granted, Hill’s career three-point accuracy (27%) isn’t going to keep opposing coaches awake at night, but why throw Marion under the bus? He shot 34.7% while with the Suns this season, which was a bit better than his respectable career percentage (34.1%). He was extremely dangerous from the corners, so team absolutely had to stay with him while Nash and Stoudemire ran their pick-and-roll. Remember, given the extra point, shooting 34.7% from three-point range is the same as shooting 52% from two-point range.

I’m not sure why Simmons can’t grasp this concept. He seems to be prejudiced against guys that shoot less than 36% from long range.

Fantasy Basketball, NBA, Rumors & Gossip

LeBron was fouled at the end of Game 5

May 1, 2008 / John Paulsen

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…