Category: NBA (Page 562 of 595)

Steve Nash was selected MVP today and I couldn’t have been more disappointed. Although Nash is a great player, he doesn’t belong in the elite category of players that have won this award in back to back years.

Nash is an excellent team player and continues to improve the players’ stats around him, but he still hasn’t won an NBA Championship. Professional athletes are judged on how many Championships that player brings to an organization. The fact that he won MVP last year, when he wasn’t even in the finals was surprising but acceptable. This year Phoenix will not win the NBA Championship and probably won’t even make the finals.

I believe the MVP should be awarded to a player that can carry their team to Championships or at least the finals. I agree that there are exceptions to every rule, like youth, trades, injuries and things of that nature. This being said, if a player is going to be MVP for two years running, their team should be playing in the title game at least one of these years.

San Antonio 87, Dallas 85 (Spurs lead the series, 1-0)
After Friday night’s road victory against the Sacramento Kings, the Spurs had to turn around and play the early game today, hosting the well-rested Dallas Mavericks in the marquee series of the league’s second round. The game was nip and tuck the entire way, with neither team leading by more than eight points. On the final play, Dallas was down two when Jerry Stackhouse caught the ball on the baseline. For reasons unknown, he chose to dribble the ball out to the three point line instead of taking a dribble towards the basket for an uncontested 12-foot jump shot. He must have thought that his team was down three, which is quite the rookie mistake for the 31 year-old to make in such a crucial situation. His desperation three was contested by Manu Ginobili and it didn’t even graze the rim. Stackhouse led the Mavericks with 24 points, while Dirk Nowitzki tallied 20 points and 14 rebounds. Tim Duncan was extremely aggressive offensively and defensively, scoring 31 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. Tony Parker chipped in with 19 points and four assists.

Detroit 113, Cleveland 86 (Pistons lead series, 1-0)
While the Spurs were able to shake off the disadvantages of a quick turnaround, the Cavs were not so fortunate to play Game 1 at home. Cleveland led 12-7 in the first quarter, but it was all downhill from there. Tayshaun Prince (24 points) led a balanced Pistons attack that featured six players in double figures. Prince’s total is impressive considering he covered LeBron James for most of the game. James had a good game (22 points), but not by the considerable standards he’s set for himself in these playoffs. Taking away James’ shots, the rest of the Cavs shot a miserable 39% from the field. Larry Hughes continues to be MIA, scoring only eight points on 4-13 shooting. This can’t continue if the Cavs hope to have any chance in the series.

Cleveland 114, Washington 113 (OT) (Cavs win series, 4-2)
I can’t imagine sitting the entire game, only to be inserted on my team’s final possession in overtime, and be expected to make the game-winning shot. But that’s what Mike Brown expected of Damon Jones, and he delivered, allowing the Cavs to advance to the second round. Before the heroics of Jones, LeBron James once again led the way tallying 32 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. The Wizards got another great game from Gilbert Arenas (36 points, 11 assists, five boards), who has established himself as one of the NBA’s most effective offensive players. But back to LeBron. He still has a tendency to settle for long range jump shots leading up to crunch time, but when the game is on the line, he’s usually going to the hole. He needs to continue to attack the rim relentlessly if Cleveland is going to have a realistic shot of advancing past round two. The team also needs to get Drew Gooden and Zydrunas Ilgauskas involved on the post if they hope to score consistently on the Pistons, who are a far better defensive team that Washington. Lastly, Larry Hughes needs to remove his head from his ass and provide some decent spot up shooting to help his team. He went 3-17 in Game 6, and most of his shots weren’t even close.

San Antonio 105, Sacramento 83 (Spurs win series, 4-2)
Everyone is acting like it was only a matter of time before the Spurs dispatched the Kings. If not for a very fortunate bounce on a Brent Barry three-pointer in Game 2, the Kings could have easily been up 3-2 looking to close out the series at home in Game 6. But the champs are the champs and you can’t deny the effort and execution they put forth Friday night. The game was close until halftime, but the Spurs broke away in the third quarter and were able to coast for much of the second half. Tony Parker continues to play well, scoring 31 and leading six Spurs in double figures. San Antonio goes on to play Dallas in a matchup of the two best teams in the West.

Meanwhile, Sacramento has all their stars signed for next season except for Bonzi Wells, who will have some suitors in free agency after a terrific series against San Antonio. He averaged 23/12, while shooting 61% from the field. Otherwise, the team has a nice core group with Mike Bibby, Brad Miller, Ron Artest, Kenny Thomas, Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Kevin Martin. All they need to do is resign Wells or find a shooting guard in the draft or free agency. If they keep this group together (and keep Rick Adelman) they should find themselves somewhere in the #4-#6 range heading into the playoffs next season.

Phoenix 126, L.A. Lakers 118 (OT) (series tied, 3-3)
In what many are calling the best first round in NBA Playoff history, the Suns/Lakers matchup has been the best series. From Kobe Bryant delivering the Lakers an unlikely victory in Game 4, giving L.A. a 3-1 advantage, to the Suns scrappy play in Games 5 and 6 to even the series 3-3, this has been a battle for the ages. It’s a story that could have been ripped from a Hollywood script – you’ve got an unlikely hero (Steve Nash) going up against formidable enemies (Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson), facing all sorts of adversity along the way.

The last time Phoenix visited L.A., disaster struck. They blew a five point lead with 0:12 to play, eventually losing, 99-98, in overtime. This time, the Suns found themselves down, 105-102, when Tim Thomas hit a three with 0:06 to play to force an extra period. In overtime, Phoenix took control, going on a 15-6 run from which the Lakers would never recover. Steve Nash had a great game, scoring 32 and dishing out 13 assists. Shawn Marion went for 20/12, while the league’s Most Improved Player, Boris Diaw, tallied 19 points and seven assists. But the two most valuable contributions came from a couple of Phoenix role players. Leandro Barbosa filled in for a suspended Raja Bell by scoring 22 points on 7-9 (78%) shooting. Tim Thomas, acquired from Chicago during the season after injuries to Kurt Thomas and Amare Stoudemire decimated the team, went for 21/10, and hit two crucial three-pointers late in the game. Kobe Bryant had his first huge scoring game of the series, dropping 50 on 20-35 (57%) shooting. His supporting cast played well, but L.A. just doesn’t have enough firepower to compete with the Suns when they are scoring like they did in Game 6. The two teams travel back to Phoenix for Game 7 on Saturday (8:30 PM, TNT), and if the game reflects the series, it should be a battle.

New Jersey 96, Indiana 90 (Nets win series, 4-2)
Indiana put up a fight, but in the end, it just wasn’t enough. The Nets overcame a career night by journeyman Anthony Johnson (40 points) to put the Pacers away in six games. Richard Jefferson scored 30 and Vince Carter scored 24 while Jason Kidd was two points shy of his ninth playoff triple double. The Pacers were once again without Peja Stojakovic, who missed his fourth game of the series. The Nets will go on to play the Heat, while the Pacers face uncertainty in the offseason. Stojakovic is a free agent and Stephen Jackson has already indicated that he wouldn’t mind a trade this summer. Danny Granger looks to be a nice prospect, so I’m not sure resigning Stojakovic is the right move. The Pacers are fairly deep at guard, with Johnson, Sarunas Jasikevicius and Jamaal Tinsley, but they should be starting Johnson at point guard which means that Tinsley would be an overpaid backup (33.6 M over the next five years). In the frontcourt, O’Neal is signed through 2009/2010, and has been great when he’s not saddled by injuries. He could use some help up front either in the form of a scoring small forward (Stojakovic) or a free agent center.

Miami 113, Chicago 96 (Heat win series 4-2)
Boy, it’s hard to figure this Miami team out. At times, they look unstoppable and, at other times, they look unmotivated and sluggish. Many questioned the offseason additions of Antoine Walker, Gary Payton and Jason Williams, who collectively don’t have a reputation of creating team chemistry. But when the team shares the ball and plays together, they are tough to beat. Shaqulle O’Neal had 30 points and 20 rebounds, playing his best game of the series. Dwayne Wade chipped in with 23 points and six assists. Chicago’s “Big Three” (Kirk Hinrich, Andres Nocioni and Ben Gordon) combined for 64 points on 47% shooting, but it wasn’t enough to keep the game close.

Chicago is in a good position going into the offseason. They finished the season as one of the hottest teams in the East, and thanks to Isiah Thomas and that Eddy Curry trade, they look forward to a top three pick in the draft. With Hinrich, Nocioni, Gordon, Luol Deng and Chris Duhon, they are loaded at guard and small forward, but are desperate for a power foward who can score inside to play alongside defensive-minded Tyson Chandler. There has been talk all season of the possibility of landing Kevin Garnett in a trade, and if they can find a way to do it without losing Hinrich or Nocioni, they’d be wise to pull the trigger. However, it’s going to be tough because the Bulls just don’t have the big-salary players to match Garnett’s 20 M salary.