Category: NBA (Page 506 of 595)

First they had to win nine of ten just to make the playoffs. Then they had to face the Mavs, the #1 seed in the West (and the consensus best team in the league). But Golden State just seems to have Dallas’ number. This year, they won all three regular season meetings and, counting the playoffs, have won six of the last seven games against the Mavs.

Golden State is a small, athletic team that plays at a frenetic pace both offensively and defensively. Head coach Don Nelson (who used to coach Dallas) loves to utilize gimmick defenses and has thrown the Mavs completely off their game. Likely MVP Dirk Nowitzki has been limited by the Warriors’ scrambling, in-your-face defense and is completely out of rhythm. He’s no longer getting that famous post up at the free throw line. The Warriors are running a double team at him just about every time he catches the ball and they’ve got the team speed to recover when he elects to pass instead of shoot.

Offensively, Baron Davis is playing out of his mind. At the end of the second quarter he hit a 45-foot desperation three to tie the game going into halftime, and at the end of the third quarter he stole the ball and flushed it home to give Golden State the momentum going into the final period. Finally, with time winding down in the fourth, he hit a long jumpshot over Devin Harris to seal the game.

But the Warriors are not all Davis. They’ve got loads of young, athletic wing players – Monta Ellis, Jason Richardson, Stephen Jackson, Mickael Pietrus and Matt Barnes – along with a bit of an inside presence in Al Harrington and Andris Biedrins, which gives Nelson the pieces he needs to give the Mavs fits.

Golden State leads the series, 3-1, but still has to get one more win. Two of the last three games are in Dallas. Tuesday’s Game 5 (9:30 PM ET, TNT) should be very interesting. The Mavs are in a very tough spot – how will they respond?

ESPN the Magazine ran an article about Shawn Marion, and how he feels under appreciated in his current role with the Suns.

So what about it, Shawn? Would you rather be a 30-point scorer and an MVP candidate on a lesser team, say, one only flirting with the postseason, than the sidekick to the sidekick in Phoenix? “Wow, that’s interesting,” he says thoughtfully, as if he’s never entertained the prospect before.

Marion pauses nearly 10 seconds to concentrate on the question. Only the muted sound of late-afternoon traffic outside the two-story living room breaks the silence. He fiddles with the remote as if it holds the answer. “I’ve never been asked that,” he continues. “That would be an interesting situation to be in, to really show people what I can do.

“But we’d be in the playoffs, right?”

Some of Marion’s frustration stems from the Phoenix half court game:

“A lot of people don’t understand how the NBA works,” he says. “They look at the Suns as a running team but don’t realize that many nights, we play a two-man game. Everything we do starts with Steve and Amaré’s pick-and-roll. I have no plays called for me. I have to go get everything.”

Where is the love? The résumé certainly demands it: 18.6 ppg and four All-Star Games in eight seasons. And this season, Marion is the only guy in the top 20 in rebounds (10.0), field goal percentage (52.5), steals (2.0), blocks (1.6), double-doubles (35) and minutes (37.9). “Steve is the MVP of the league,” says Marion, “but I’ve had people tell me I am the MVP of the team.” Warriors coach Don Nelson might be one of them. Nellie says Marion is “as important as anyone they’ve got.”

Don’t misunderstand. Marion is not trying to steal Nash’s thunder or pick a fight. There is plenty of respect and a healthy appreciation for their symbiotic relationship. But he’d still like you to pass the sugar, please. “I want the recognition,” says Marion, who got fewer votes for February’s All-Star Game than Shane Battier. “I feel I’ve done what it takes to get it, but for some reason it hasn’t happened.”

I’ve heard these grumbles before, right about the same time each year as Steve Nash is in the MVP discussion while Marion isn’t. The guy is a tremendous talent and would be a huge asset to any team, but I don’t know that if he went to another franchise that he’d suddenly be in the MVP conversation. He’s not a guy that has ever been good at creating his own shot (before or after Nash’s arrival) and his jumper is so ugly that it certainly has to play in people’s minds that he’s not a pure shooter.

The fact that Battier received more All-Star votes than Marion is a travesty, but that has more to do with Yao Ming’s followers in China than any tangible opinion that Battier is actually better than the Matrix. The reason he hasn’t made the All-Defensive Team is due to the perception that the Suns aren’t a good defensive team. He’s the highest paid player on the Suns (with two years and $34 M remaining on his contract) and his team has as good of a shot as any of winning a title in the next few seasons. Anyone who plays fantasy basketball knows the guy is an absolute stud.

Moreover, I could name ten superstars that would love to switch places with him.

Isn’t that enough?

I guess familiarity does indeed breed contempt.

Things got a little testy in the third quarter of Game 2 of the Mavs/Warriors series. Stephen Jackson fouled Jason Terry in the open court. After the whistle blew, Jackson raised his hand, indicating the foul was on him, but Terry kept dribbling the ball. He passed Baron Davis (who swiped at the ball) and then he passed Matt Barnes (who also swiped at the ball). Terry took umbrage at Barnes’ actions, and stepped towards Barnes with his chest all puffed up while Dasagana Diop (who was nearby) took a swipe at Barnes’ arms. A small scrum developed and Diop, Davis and Jackson were all hit with technical fouls. Diop got his for swiping at a player who didn’t have the ball after the whistle had blown, but it’s not exactly clear what Davis or Jackson did to deserve their technicals (other than having reputations for being malcontents).

I mention this incident because both Golden State players were tossed later in the game. Jackson’s ejection came after the game was pretty much over, but Davis’ ejection came at the tail end of the third quarter with the Warriors trailing, 85-74. He clearly fouled Jerry Stackhouse on the play, and then overreacted to the foul call against him. He flailed his arms around and then started smiling and clapping (in a mocking fashion, mind you) and wouldn’t stop. He just kept clapping loudly – well past the point of discomfort – and he got tossed for it.

Davis is arguably Golden State’s best and most experienced player. Moreover, he’s a point guard (and the team’s leader) and he should know to keep his emotions in check when there is so much on the line. It’s not like the game was a blowout, Golden State was only down 11 and there was a whole quarter to play. Don’t forget that the Mavs haven’t shown a great ability in the past to close out games, either. His team had a legitimate shot of coming back to win the game, but his ejection pretty much sealed the loss. It was a bonehead move, pure and simple.

But back to Jason Terry. His decision to keep attacking the basket after the foul had already been called precipitated the two technicals being levied against Davis and Jackson. If you’re going to act like you didn’t hear the whistle, why do you get all bent out of shape when your opponent does the same thing? I just don’t get it.

Regardless, the Warriors are in the Mavs’ heads right now, and this is shaping up to be an interesting series.

Does Steve Nash deserve to join the ranks of Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Moses Malone as a three-time MVP? In my latest column, I break down the race for the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award while also handicapping the league’s other year-end awards like Rookie of the Year and Most Improved.

Saturday and Sunday featured the first game in each of the eight playoff series and the home team won five of eight. Surprisingly, two of the best teams in the West – San Antonio and Dallas – lost to Denver and Golden State, respectively.

Denver is a tough team to get a read on. They weren’t especially good after the Allen Iverson trade, but the fact that they have two superstars (AI and ‘Melo) along with a pretty solid frontcourt (Marcus Camby and Nene) makes them a dangerous team. Based on yesterday’s game, it looks like Tim Duncan might have some problems scoring on Nene, while Camby was very active defensively. If it gets to be six minutes left and the game is close, it’s tough to bet against the cold-blooded
shooting of Iverson and Anthony.

The Warriors proved that their recent success over the Mavs was no fluke. Golden State has now won seven of their last eight games against Dallas, and it looks like the Mavs are in for a tough test in the first round. The undersized Warriors used gimmick defenses (zones, box and one, etc.), which is a favorite tactic of Don Nelson when his team doesn’t have a matchup advantage against its opponent. The Mavs were never able to settle into their set offense and it showed in the final score. Since the league went to a seven-game series in the first round, no #8 seed has ever beat a #1 seed. As good as Dallas has been this season, they have to be a little worried after yesterday’s game.

In the East, the Nets’ win in Toronto isn’t a shocker at all. New Jersey has the talent and experience to beat the Raptors (and maybe the Cavs as well).

Two games on tap for tonight: Magic/Pistons at 7 PM ET and Jazz/Rockets at 9:30 PM ET. Both games are on TNT.