Category: NBA (Page 505 of 595)

Dang! The Suns were thisclose to pulling out a huge victory last night. They had a few possessions where they could have sealed the game, but were unable to put up points in the clutch.

What’s up with Leandro Barbosa in this series? It seems like he’s completely lost his jumpshot and his ability to finish at the rim. He’s hurting his team right now. Meanwhile, Shawn Marion came up small in the second half after playing so well in the first. If he wants superstar-type recognition, he needs to play a lot better down the stretch. The rest of the Suns played pretty well, especially Kurt Thomas who has been a key piece in the puzzle that is trying to contain Tim Duncan.

That was a brilliant move by Popovich, taking out Duncan with about ten minutes in the fourth quarter. It forced the other guys to be aggressive, and Manu Ginobili got hot. That brief substitution was probably the difference in the game.

I’ll admit it – I spoke too soon.

Down 0-3 to the battle-tested Pistons, things were looking seriously grim for the Bulls. But after a win in Game 4 and (presumably) a win in Game 5 (they’re up 20 in the fourth quarter), Chicago is right back in this series. Returning home for Game 6, they’ll be favored to force a Game 7. And we all know anything can happen in a Game 7.

It’s rare for a team to come back from 0-3 to win the series. It would be even more impressive if the Bulls can pull it off against the Pistons.

With the Spurs leading the Suns by 10 with about eight minutes to go in the fourth quarter of Game 4, Steve Kerr – possibly the best color guy in the business – mentioned that the situation could be a “watershed moment” for the Phoenix franchise. It’s an interesting term, so I decided to look it up. “Watershed” is defined as “a crucial dividing point, line or factor; a turning point.” It’s probably a translation of the German term “wasserscheide,” which means “water parting” or “water divide.”

I mentioned in a previous post that I thought that this Suns/Spurs series could be the most important second round series in the history of the league:

As entertaining as the Suns’ up-tempo offense has been over the last several years, it hasn’t resulted in the type of playoff success necessary to launch a league wide movement. But if Phoenix is able to get by San Antonio in the second round of the Western Conference playoffs, we might see more teams shift over to the Suns’ breakneck style. Until then, the Spurs’ grind-it-out (a.k.a. “boring”) attack will be considered the gold standard.

I know it’s a bit passé to quote oneself, but I do so here to underline Kerr’s point. Had the Spurs gone on to win (as they usually do), they would have led the series 3-1 with three chances to put the Suns away. But Phoenix showed some serious resiliency (or could it be championship grit?) by coming back in the fourth quarter to steal Game 4 on the road. Moreover, they did it with both offense and defense, getting several crucial stops with their season on the line.

If the Suns go on to win the series (and the title), we can say with certainty that the franchise turned the corner during the final eight minutes of Game 4.

I can’t comment on tonight’s game without chiming in on the Amare Stoudemire/Boris Diaw suspension situation. I realize by the letter of the law that they should be suspended, but the league should find a way to allow these two players to participate in Game 5. It’s true that the both stepped onto the court, but they were running around players on the sideline before stepping back to the sideline themselves. Both players caught themselves before engaging in any action even before the assistant coaches pushed them back to the bench. In this case, the rule had the intended effect. No punches were thrown by any of the players on the bench. In fact, they made no contact at all. Moreover, it was Robert Horry’s bodycheck that precipitated the entire event. Should the Suns be punished so severely because a couple of young players lost their cool for a split second after their opponent sent their point guard into the scorer’s table?

It will be very interesting to see how David Stern handles this situation. The Suns regained control of the series, but if he suspends both players for Game 5, he is effectively handing control back to the Spurs.

As I said, there’s more at stake here than a trip to the Western Conference Finals.

Choose wisely, David.

Update: For their actions in Game 4, the league has suspended Robert Horry, Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw for Game 5.

Ho hum…the Pistons are at it again.

The Bulls led by 19 points early in the third quarter, but could not fend off the Pistons, who came back to win, 81-74, giving them a 3-0 advantage in the series.

Put a fork in the Bulls. They’re done.

I really thought this would be a better series, but it’s clear that the Bulls’ youth movement just isn’t ready to tackle the Pistons’ experience. How does that Ben Wallace signing look right now? Wouldn’t it have been better to hold onto Tyson Chandler, who basically does the same thing as Wallace? Chandler is 24, averaged 9.5 points and 12.4 rebounds this season and his contract is much more reasonable (four years/$46 M). Wallace is another year older and what do the Bulls have to show for it? He’s 33 and still has three years and $44 M left on his deal. It looks like the Bulls are really going to regret that signing.

Meanwhile, the Pistons really benefited from the Sixers’ (questionable) decision to waive Chris Webber. He isn’t dominating anyone in the playoffs (10.7 ppg, 6.9 rpg), but he is shooting an efficient 58% from the field and has fit in seamlessly with the team. Without him, the Pistons wouldn’t stand a chance against anyone in the West. Assuming the Nets are dead (which is still a bit premature), it’s going to take a superhuman effort from LeBron to get his Cavs past Detroit. The Pistons are simply better at every other position.

For what it’s worth, it looks like King James has taken a step forward in these playoffs. His shooting has been clutch and it looks like he’s starting to develop the killer instinct required for a superstar to will his team to the Finals.

As entertaining as the Suns’ up-tempo offense has been over the last several years, it hasn’t resulted in the type of playoff success necessary to launch a league wide movement. But if Phoenix is able to get by San Antonio in the second round of the West playoffs, we might see more teams shift over to the Suns’ breakneck style. Until then, the Spurs’ grind-it-out (a.k.a. “boring”) attack is considered the gold standard. This might just be the most important second round series in NBA history.

A few more things to watch as the second round gets going:

Tim Duncan vs. Amare Stoudemire
The Big Fundamental vs. the Big Comeback. Stoudemire has shocked the league by his terrific (and healthy) play this season, while the ever-consistent Duncan just keeps on rolling. This should be the best positional matchup of the second round. All eyes will be on this series.

LeBron vs. his legacy
Will King James ever take the Cavs to the Finals? LeBron is signed through the 2009-10 season (with an option for another year), but a loss to the Nets in the second round would be considered a step backward for the franchise. Another finish like that in next year’s playoffs would make the King start to think seriously about his future. Unfortunately, the Larry Hughes and Zydrunas Ilgauskas signings pretty much mirror James’ contract, so they’re going to have to step it up – there ain’t no cavalry comin’. (Cleveland fans don’t want to hear it, but their championship hopes might have been dashed when Carlos Boozer signed with the Jazz. He’d be a perfect fit for LeBron.)

Jerry Sloan vs. Don Nelson
Like Kenny Smith says, you aren’t going to out-execute Sloan’s team. Nellie is going to attack the Jazz the same way he ousted the Mavs – by creating a frenetic pace, making it nearly impossible for the Jazz to run their offense. So will Utah’s discipline trump Golden State’s chaos? Only time will tell, but wouldn’t a Suns/Warriors matchup in the finals of the West be fun?

The Bulls vs. their youth
At this point, Chicago has the talent to take down the Pistons, but as Game 1 of the series would seem to prove, Detroit isn’t going down without a fight. They are battle-tested and won’t be consumed by the moment when the pressure is on. Can you say the same about Kirk Hinrich, Ben Gordon and Luol Deng? As much as we’d like to see a Suns/Bulls matchup in the Finals, a Spurs/Pistons tilt is far more likely.