Category: NBA (Page 556 of 595)

The Blazers had the best chance (25%) to score the top pick in the draft. In the end, they didn’t even land in the Top 3.

Here are the results of the 2006 NBA Draft Lottery:

1) Toronto (moved up from #5 to #1)
2) Chicago (via NY, stayed at #2)
3) Charlotte (stayed at #3)
4) Portland (dropped from #1)
5) Atlanta (dropped from #4)
6) Minnesota
7) Boston
8) Houston
9) Golden State
10) Seattle
11) Orlando
12) New Orleans
13) Philadelphia
14) Utah

Around this time last year, the Miami Heat were on their way to the NBA Finals before Dwayne Wade strained a muscle in his rib cage in Game 5. They lost in seven games and “retooled” in the offseason by bringing in Jason Williams, Gary Payton, James Posey and Antoine Walker. Pat Riley added these players because he thought they would help him get past the Pistons. After a season of adjusting to one another, all of the quizzes and the mid-semester tests are over – now it’s time for the final exam.

While Williams, Payton and Walker are – or once were – terrific individual players, they aren’t exactly known for being team players. Maybe their recent proximity to a NBA title has kept their usually unruly personalities in line, and maybe they are about to blow. Anyone remember in the Bulls series – when the chips were down – how Payton and Wade were going at it on the sideline?

The Pistons are the consummate team. They share the ball on offense and help each other on defense. Other than Rasheed Wallace, there isn’t a selfish bone in that starting five. And even Wallace has bought into the team concept in Detroit – he only puts himself first when he feels the refs are out to get him.

This series is shaping up to be the Ultimate Team versus Pat Riley’s Band of Mercenaries In Search of a Ring.

The teams are evenly matched, so I think the series will come down to psychology. The Pistons are better equipped to withstand the forthcoming adversity whereas I think there is too much underlying turbulence on the Heat roster to make it through a seven game series with the Finals on the line. Still, up until Game 6 of the Cleveland series, the Pistons haven’t really looked like themselves in these playoffs, and Miami does have enough talent in Dwayne Wade (one year better) and Shaquille O’Neal (one year older) to pull the upset.

But, in the end, I think the Pistons already received their wake-up call. Game 7 is in Detroit and I think that will put the Pistons over the top.

Skip Bayless proves once again that he’s a complete moron. After LeBron James led the Cavs to an amazing post-season run, Bayless rips Lebron for not finishing off the Pistons. Here’s his most idiotic line:

The truth is, he’s choking.

There’s no doubt that LeBron still needs to improve in order to reach the levels of Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson, and naturally there will be bumps along the way. Bayless makes these obvious points, but then destroys his own credibility by ridiculing LeBron for “choking.”

LeBron proved that he could be a force in the fourth quarter with game-winning plays against the Wizards and Pistons. He has made idiots like B.J. Armstrong eat their words. Earlier in the season, when LeBron missed some late shots, Armstrong speculated that perhaps Lebron would never be a “premiere” player. Now Skip Bayless is trying to outdo Armstrong’s ridiculous “analysis.”

This is the price we pay for having too many “experts” with a microphone.

Dallas 119, San Antonio 111 (OT) (Mavs win series, 4-3)
This was another one for the ages. Dallas shot 69% in the first half and led by as many as 20 with 3:15 to play in the second quarter, but the Spurs were able to close the gap to 14 at halftime. Slowly but surely, Tim Duncan (41 points, 15 rebounds, six assists), Manu Ginobili (23 points) and Tony Parker (24 points, five assists) brought the Spurs back into the game. Dallas shot only 4 of 17 in the fourth quarter, which allowed the Spurs to hold a 104-101 lead (on a Ginobili three-pointer) with just 0:32 to play. But on the ensuing possession, the “new and improved” Dirk Nowitzki took the ball aggressively to the hole, got fouled and made the layup. His free throw with 0:21 to go in the quarter tied the game at 104-104. Ginobili’s final shot was well defended and the game went into overtime, which represented the ninth overtime game in this year’s playoffs – an NBA record. In overtime, the Mavs showed surprising resilience, shooting the ball well offensively while making things difficult for Duncan on the defensive end. DeSagana Diop, who was only inserted in the lineup after Erick Dampier and Keith Van Horn fouled out, was the Mavs’ MVP of the overtime period, limiting Duncan to just 1-7 shooting. With this lack of production from Duncan, the Spurs were scrambling to catch up, but it was not to be. Avery Johnson has the Mavericks playing well, and they are the team to beat in the West.

Phoenix 127, LA Clippers 107 (Suns win series 4-3)
I guess the message is that you don’t want to play a Game 7 in Phoenix – unless you’re the Suns. As they did with the Lakers, Phoenix dismantled the Clippers, shooting 60% from the field and 56% from the 3-point line. Due to scheduling difficulties with the US Airways Center, there were three days between Game 6 and Game 7, and Steve Nash appeared to be the player most helped by the extra rest. The league’s MVP scored 29 points and dished out 11 assists, slicing and dicing the Clippers defense like warm butter. In fact, the entire Suns team passed the ball well – Phoenix had 32 assists while Los Angeles only managed 11. Every player that played for the Suns scored in double digits, led by Shawn Marion’s 30 points. Elton Brand once again played well, dropping 36 on 16 of 26 shooting. This season, he has established himself as the league’s second-best (Nowitzki) power forward. I wonder if Chicago is regretting that Tyson Chandler trade.

Stay tuned for previews of both the Heat/Pistons and the Mavs/Suns series.

Detroit 79, Cleveland 61 (Pistons win series, 4-3)
Somewhere in Michigan, Flip Saunders is breathing a sigh of relief. Brought in to replace Larry Brown, Saunders would have certainly been on the hot seat had Detroit failed to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals after making the NBA Finals the last two years. Saunders had to be nervous, heading to Cleveland down 3-2, but his team rallied in the final two games and finally dispatched the Cavs in Game 7. The problem for Cleveland is obvious – 61 points scored. LeBron James scored 27 on 11 of 24 (46%) shooting, but the rest of the team went a brutal 9 of 41 (22%) from the field. The Cavs’ top offseason priority should be to find a consistent shooter who can play point guard – Sam Cassell springs to mind. Adding insult to injury, ABC ran a feature in the fourth quarter that showed all the worst moments of the Cleveland sports teams, ranging from John Elway’s “Drive” to beat the Browns in the 1986 AFC Championship Game to Michael Jordan’s “Shot” that beat the Cavs in the first round of the 1989 NBA Playoffs. I’m sure that miserable montage sent a few fans in Cleveland off the nearest bridge.

Meanwhile, the Pistons surive a scare and still look like the top team in the East. Tayshaun Prince led a balanced scoring attack with 20 points, and is turning into one of the most underrated small forwards in the league. They’ll face a schizophrenic Miami squad that is tough to beat when it is firing on all cylinders. You can bet that Dwayne Wade and Shaquille O’Neal will add some drama to the Conference Finals, and I’m sure that it will be a very physical series.