Basketball

NBA Playoffs: Conference Semifinals Predictions

Now that the first round of the playoffs is over, the conference semifinals are just underway and this round should prove to be quite an interesting round of the playoffs. The Celtics beat the Sixers 92-91 in the first conference semifinals matchup on May 12th. Rajon Rondo had his eighth career playoff triple double with 13 points, 17 assists, and 12 rebounds. Kevin Garnett also chipped in 29 points and 11 rebounds.

This might be the “last run” for the Celtics with their aging core continuously being riddled with injuries and criticism. However, with Rondo competing at the high level that he’s playing at, the Celtics can be very hard to beat. With Ray Allen back coming back from injury and Avery Bradley finding his role on his team, it seems as if the Celtics can find a way to pull out this series.
Celtics win in 7.

The Heat beat the Pacers on May 13th 95-86 in the first game of their conference semifinal matchup. LeBron James had 32 points and 15 rebounds, and Dwyane Wade had 29 points. Chris Bosh suffered an abdominal strain during the first half of the game, and he’s been ruled out indefinitely. This is a major blow to the Heat, but it will not cost them the series. The Pacers are an underrated team, but they will not be able to stop all the momentum that the Heat have.
Heat win in 6.

The Oklahoma City Thunder and the Lakers play the first game of their series later today, May 14th, and this series is expected to be a dramatic one. The last time these two teams faced each other, Metta World Peace elbowed James Harden so hard that Harden got a concussion. World Peace was suspended seven games, and his first game back was in Game 7 of the Denver series. This is bound to be a physical, emotional series. Even though the Thunder are a young team, they are still the more well-rounded team, and they will ultimately win the series.
Thunder win in 6.

The San Antonio Spurs take on the Clippers tomorrow night, May 15th. The Clippers are coming off a seven-game series against the Memphis Grizzlies, and the Spurs are coming off a sweep of the Utah Jazz. It could be said that the Spurs are also on their “last run,” but the experience and veteran leadership that this team has is invaluable. Chris Paul is the best point guard in the league, but he will not be able to lead this team to a victorious series.
Spurs win in 5.

The Lacob Boos

Chris Mullin’s jersey retirement ceremony tonight started off as a grand celebration of the great player that he was and what he did for the Warriors organization. Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond, and others all spoke about Mullin’s hard work, dedication, and devotion to the fans. After, Chris Mullin gave his acceptance speech and thanked his teammates, coaches, NBA commissioner, David Stern, and the fans for his memorable years in the Warriors organization. Many times, he alluded to the fact that the Warriors have the best fans in the NBA and that their dedication and support was overwhelming. How ironic that the following minutes would completely reject everything Mullin said.

Greg Papa, the host of the ceremony, introduced Warriors owner, Joe Lacob, after Mullin spoke, and almost immediately after Papa gave the microphone to Lacob, the fans started booing significantly louder than they had cheered at any point during the entire first half of the game. Lacob looked into the crowd with an utterly confused and stunned look. Was it solely because Lacob had just recently traded away the Warriors “best” player, Monta Ellis? It didn’t seem like it. Most Warriors fans seemed to like the trade because it signified that Stephen Curry is the future of this team. The fact that the boos went on for so long and were so loud suggests that it was the result of a history of poor decisions and false hope. Fans must be fed up with the fact that Lacob always wants to be in the spotlight, he is constantly promising things to fans that simply won’t and don’t happen, he is overusing the phrase “culture change,” and up to this trade deadline, hasn’t followed through on making bold moves, and more importantly, hasn’t proved he knows what the right move is.

As the booing continued, Twitter exploded with opinions. Tim Kawakami, a sports columnist for the San Jose Mercury News, tweeted, “Joe Lacob looked stunned that he was almost booed off the floor at Mullin’s ceremony. Think that was pent-up frustration, but… my goodness.” Marcus Thompson, a Warriors beat writer, tweeted, “I HAVE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS,” and then later tweeted, “Joe Lacob can blame himself for that. You NEVER talk after the guest of honor. … He wanted that shine, that’s why he went last.” Scott Mizuno, another Warriors beat writer, said, “I don’t condone the booing of Lacob, but that’s the risk you take when you want to be an owner in the spotlight. That’s the risk you take when you promise playoffs with an extremely flawed roster. That’s the risk you take when you fail to understand just how deep the hate for the previous regime goes.” Lastly, the official WarriorsWorld Twitter posted, “Fans paid their money, they can boo whoever the hell they want to.”

Although this booing is warranted, it was definitely unexpected. Warriors fans didn’t seem completely enthusiastic about Lacob, but the severity of the boos was definitely an interesting turn of events. This must have been surprising for Lacob especially because it seemed as if he had a distorted view of reality. Lacob must have believed that the fans loved him and thought that he would turn this organization around. Talk about a rude awakening. I wouldn’t have booed Lacob solely because of the Monta trade. I would’ve booed him because he simply hasn’t been a good owner. He needs to stop promoting a “culture change” and giving false hope to fans. If he makes the right moves and completes smart trades, the fans will respond accordingly. Results are more important than bold statements.

The New Look Warriors

“The Warriors traded a player and gained a team.” Adam Lauridsen, founder of the Fast Break blog, tweeted this last night, alluding to the Monta Ellis trade. The Warriors traded Monta Ellis, Ekpe Udoh, and Kwame Brown to the Milwaukee Bucks for Andrew Bogut and Stephen Jackson. I could not find a more perfect summary of this trade not just because of who was involved in the trade, but because of what it symbolizes. Monta Ellis hindered the Warriors’ ability to play like a true basketball team with his selfish play. Despite what the coaches and players said, Ellis was never the leader of the team. Ellis always claimed to “lead by example,” but I don’t see how this type of leadership warranted him to play so selfishly. This season, Ellis has averaged 19 shot attempts per game. Compared to David Lee’s 15.3 attempts per game and Stephen Curry’s 11.4 attempts per game, Ellis wanted to take the majority of the shots, because he believed that this was his team and he always had to be the leading scorer. The 2010-2011 season wasn’t any different. Ellis averaged 20.1 shot attempts per game, David Lee averaged 13.4, and Stephen Curry averaged 14.2. With two other reliable offensive threats on the team, it is simply unacceptable for a player to be averaging 20 shot attempts per game unless that player is Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, Lebron James, or Kevin Durant. In addition to his selfish play, it appears as though most fans are happy to see Ellis’ departure. In a poll on csnbayarea.com, 42% of fans said their reaction to the Monta Ellis deal was “celebration,” with only 24% being angry, 14% in dismay, and 18% in shock (based on results on the morning of March 16th). Despite the other players involved in the trade, simply moving Ellis has caused the Warriors to finally have the appearance of a real team.

In the past two games without Ellis, fans are seeing the first glimpse of what this team could really be. Klay Thompson is able to have a starting role and everyone can see now why the Warriors drafted him. Thompson is one of the best pure shooters in the league (ironically, behind Stephen Curry) and not only is he a great 3-point shooter, he’s developed into more of an all-around player. He’s been distributing the ball well, he’s played solid defense, and is making more of a conscious effort to not settle for 3-pointers. Next season, the starting lineup could be Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Dorell Wright, David Lee, and Andrew Bogut. With a bench of Brandon Rush, Nate Robinson, and Dominic McGuire, that could potentially be a playoff team. If management is able to keep the Dubstitutes on the roster, this team could be very successful by pairing an extremely strong bench with a well-balanced starting five. Curry can lead this team in scoring, but he can also increase his assist totals with so many great scoring options on offense. Thompson will develop into an even better player, Wright will hopefully play like he did last season, Lee will continue to produce double-doubles, and Bogut will be the rebounding presence the Warriors have needed for so long and he can also open up the floor even more with his passing ability.

The Warriors also acquired Richard Jefferson, T.J. Ford, and a first-round draft pick from the San Antonio Spurs for Stephen Jackson yesterday. On Monday, T.J. Ford retired from the league because of another injury to his surgically repaired spine. Ford is only 28, so hopefully, he can come back to league after a full recovery. Richard Jefferson will be another great addition to the bench because of his strong defense, veteran leadership, and ability to make 3-pointers. The first-round draft pick might be the greatest asset that the Warriors were able to pick up though. Before this, the Warriors didn’t have a guaranteed first-round draft pick. Based on some poor trades in the past, the Warriors would have needed to finish as one of the seven worst teams in the league to obtain a draft pick. The fact that the Warriors acquired a first-round draft pick suggests that management believes that this team, as constructed now, can make the playoffs and that they won’t use the “tank strategy,” meaning they won’t try to lose as many games as possible the rest of the season to ensure a better draft pick. Larry Riley, the general manager, said he’d rather have acquired players than have cap space for the future, which is another indication that this team is ready to compete for a playoff spot. Bogut, Lee, Biedrins, and Jefferson all have fairly hefty contracts for the next few years, so the Warriors won’t have the money to go after big free agents like Deron Williams, Dwight Howard, Josh Smith, etc. in the coming seasons. This doesn’t matter to Riley though. This team is building for the future and has most of the roster set for the next few years, so the Warriors are in a good place to become a strong playoff contender for the upcoming years.

“Frankly, ladies and gentleman, we’ve changed the organization,” Riley said. “We’ve changed the Warriors organization in terms of the way we do business and our roster.” Warriors fans have finally seen the bold moves that they’ve been promised ever since Lacob became the owner. Besides the Brandon Rush trade in the offseason, these two moves have been the most impressive trades by Lacob so far. Trading the leading scorer on a team is bold. Trading for a player that most likely will be out all season with an ankle injury is certainly bold as well. These moves are bold, but more importantly, they’re smart moves. These trades will make this team better in the future. Lacob has finally changed his mindset to a more realistic one. “Bold” moves are never easy to make in the NBA, so he shouldn’t have promised that so early on. He also became more realistic about the fact that the “core” of Curry, Ellis, Wright, Lee, and Biedrins was not going to win this season because they weren’t successful last season. Riley also finally admitted that the small backcourt didn’t work and that they wanted to build the team around Stephen Curry, so just because of this, the Warriors have a bright future ahead of them. “We were stuck,” Riley said. “You want to be stuck three games below .500 at this time of the year every year? You want to be stuck five games below or something like that? That’s where we were. And that’s where we were going again the next year if we couldn’t do something.” The Warriors have a great balance between young, developing players and seasoned veterans who know their roles. If Mark Jackson can implement some creative offensive sets and some consistent defense, the new look Warriors could be a winning team in the near future.

Jeremy Lin: The One that Didn’t Get Away

Jeremy Lin is not a superstar. He is not better than Magic Johnson, he should not be an All-Star this year, and he is not “The One That Got Away” from the Warriors. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a talented player and has worked extremely hard to play at the level he’s playing at now. However, so many fans and NBA commentators are making this whole “Linsanity” situation, well, pure insanity.

Out of 47 games in his career, Lin has had nine “good” games, all in the last nine Knicks games (out of 18 games played with the Knicks this season). Defining a “good” game is a little tricky, however. In one of those nine games, Lin only had 10 points compared to his other point totals such as 27, 20, 23, etc. However, let’s still call it a “good” game because he still had a double-double (10 points, 13 assists). In those nine games, Lin has averaged 25 points per game, 9.2 assists, 50.9% field goal percentage, 70.8% free throw percentage, and 33.3% 3-point percentage in 38.9 minutes per game. These are definitely impressive numbers, however, he’s also averaging 5.9 turnovers per game. A 1:1.56 assist to turnover ratio is pretty pathetic, even for a second-year player. On February 17th, the Knicks played the Hornets and Jeremy Lin finished the game with 26 points, 5 assists, but 9 turnovers in 40 minutes. The Knicks had 21 total turnovers in the game, and it is simply unacceptable for a player to have almost half the turnovers and only 5 assists. Overall, Lin’s stats in the past nine games have been impressive, yet, ultimately, they are quite inflated. Because of this, Lin’s game has become overrated and all this hype surrounding him has become extreme, and, in some cases, unwarranted.

Lin’s numbers are higher than they should be for several reasons. One reason why Lin’s numbers appear inflated is because he is now playing more minutes and, most importantly, playing in a Mike D’Antoni system. He’s known for playing the run-and-gun style and opening up the floor for point guards. This type of system allows a team to score a lot of points quickly and for “hot” players to get as many points as possible. Jeremy Lin is currently the player benefiting most from the system. He’s averaging 17.8 shots per game, which is definitely more than a player of his caliber should be getting. He’s also getting to the free throw line eight times a game, which is also a fairly high number. It seems as though if Lin played in a more normal, half-court system like the Spurs or the Lakers have, he would not be able to take as many shots, and, therefore, not score and distribute as much as he has recently.

Another reason why Lin is overrated is because of how he became a starter. The New York Knicks had no clear starting point guard at the beginning of the season. Both Mike Bibby and Baron Davis (acquired in the offseason) were injured, so the Knicks started Toney Douglas, an unproven second-year player. Douglas was inconsistent throughout the beginning of the season, so D’Antoni decided to start Lin simply because he was the next best option, with both Bibby and Davis still injured. With both Amar’e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony out with injuries also, Lin was able to explode on offense because of no other viable offensive weapons. He simply took advantage of a situation where he could play without any pressure of losing his starting job. It will be interesting to see if he will be able to maintain this type of play once he has played more games with both Stoudemire and Anthony. If he wants to continue to score as much as he has been, it will hurt one of those players’ numbers, which might not be easily accepted by Stoudemire or Anthony. Because of all these beneficial circumstances, Lin’s success would not have happened on any other team.

This is a controversial topic, but would this type of success and excitement happen around another player that wasn’t Asian? The NBA has had its fair share of fast heroes. The story generally dies off quickly though because of poor play or just a loss of appeal. The fact that Jeremy Lin is one of few Asian Americans to ever play in the NBA is definitely a great marketing angle for all the sports broadcasters, commentators, and other media members. Lin would get attention for his recent play no matter what race he was, but would it be this hyped and outrageous? I doubt it. ESPN and all other sports stations love the fact that not only is the “underdog” in the story finally proving himself, but also that he is of Asian descent.

No, Jeremy Lin is not “The One That Got Away.” The Warriors waived him this past offseason to clear room for a potential acquisition of DeAndre Jordan. Although the Warriors never acquired Jordan, Lin was never in their future anyway. The Warriors have an abundance of options now at the guard position including Stephen Curry, Monta Ellis, Klay Thompson, Charles Jenkins, Brandon Rush, and now Nate Robinson. Even if the Warriors hadn’t acquired Robinson, Lin would have had to compete for a small amount of minutes with Jenkins and Ellis for backup point guard duties. Lin had his opportunity last season to solidify his role on the Warriors, but it never happened.

After being waived by the Warriors, he was claimed by the Rockets. He only played in two preseason games for them and was then cut the day before the regular season started. On the Rockets, he had to compete with Kyle Lowry, Goran Dragic, and Jonny Flynn for playing time, but if he’s now one of the “best point guards in the league”, why wasn’t he able to to prove himself over these mediocre point guards? He didn’t because he needed the perfect opportunity on the perfect team (with no point guard) to show his worth.

I don’t begrudge Lin any success. He has worked extremely hard and has fought through many stereotypes, but his play does not warrant the ridiculous amount of praise he has received recently. I hope that all basketball fans can look at the Jeremy Lin saga objectively. Don’t get sucked into all the hoopla. It’d be best to analyze his stats, praise him when warranted, and critique him constructively. Jeremy Lin has played a grand total of nine good games in his career, but he still has been committing way too many turnovers. Fans can see his progress, but don’t make absurd assumptions that he’s better than Magic Johnson or that he’s one of the best point guards in the league only after nine games. Jeremy Lin is not “The One That Got Away.” He’s the one that is taking advantage of a great opportunity.

Blake Griffin’s Dunk of the Year

On January 30th, Blake Griffin executed one of the most electrifying dunks of the season. He absolutely posterized Kendrick Perkins and, while doing so, showed off his high vertical leap and his incredible hangtime. Is this the best dunk of the year so far?
WARNING: Be prepared. You will be amazed.

One night before Blake Griffin’s dunk, LeBron James executed an amazing dunk of his own. So far, this is really the sole competition to Blake Griffin’s dunk for “Dunk of the Year.” LeBron James shows off an even more impressive vertical leap by literally jumping over John Lucas of the Chicago Bulls. The dunk was also off of an alley-oop pass, which is always fun to watch. Is this dunk better than Blake Griffin’s?

I personally believe that LeBron’s dunk was technically more difficult than Blake’s. However, Blake Griffin’s dunk was so menacing that, for me, this was the dunk of the year. The first time I saw the dunk, I was in complete and utter shock. I had to watch it over and over again to really comprehend how incredible this dunk was. Chris Mullin claimed that this was the best dunk EVER. However, I don’t agree with this at all though. Does he not remember Vince Carter’s dunk in the 2000 Olympics over Frederic Weis of France?! That dunks was absolutely insane and definitely one of the best dunks of all-time.

Check it out here:

One of my favorite dunks has got to be Baron Davis’ dunk on Andrei Kirilenko during the 2007 playoffs. As a Warriors fan, this was the ultimate statement of “We Believe.” Although the Warriors lost that series to the Jazz, they were able to make a statement that the underdogs can prevail. Baron Davis electrified Oracle Arena with this dunk and it will go down as one of the best dunks in Warriors history.

Check it out here:

What are some of your all-time favorite dunks?

Warriors Season Update

As of Tuesday night, the Warriors have a 7-12 record, and won their last matchup against the Sacramento Kings 93-90. This season hasn’t gone exactly how Mark Jackson envisioned, but there does seem to be some significant improvement from last season. The Warriors’ bench is much stronger than last season and the overall team defense is stronger, but the Warriors still have issues with their offense and their production from the center position.

The Warriors’ second unit, now informally called the Dubstitutes, consists of Nate Robinson, Klay Thompson, Brandon Rush, Ekpe Udoh, and Jeremy Tyler (or Dominic McGuire depending on how small Mark Jackson makes the lineup). Compared to last years’ second unit of Acie Law, Reggie Williams, Vladimir Radmanovic, Lou Amundson, and Ekpe Udoh, this years’ bench is a noticeable upgrade. Nate Robinson has brought a fun, exciting energy to the second unit that not many Warriors have been able to bring since Baron Davis. Klay Thompson, after struggling mightily during the preseason and the beginning of the regular season, has bounced back nicely from a mini rookie slump and has really found his shot nicely. Brandon Rush has been consistent since the beginning of the season. He’s tied with Ray Allen for first in the league in 3-point percentage with 57.1% (as of Tuesday before the game against the Kings). Rush is also a fantastic rebounder for his size and is a great defender. Ekpe Udoh continues his growth in his sophomore season. He continues his defensive prowess, He’s added a nice hook shot to his repertoire, but he still needs to improve his rebounding. Jeremy Tyler is working hard and still learning, and Dominic McGuire is also a solid rebounder and top-notch defender.

Brandon Rush

The Warriors’ defense has also significantly improved since last season. The stats don’t suggest the Warriors are an elite defensive team, but improvement is all that matters at this point. The Warriors are playing more scrappy and aggressive defense. They trap players and double-team a good amount, which usually can throw a team off and force kick-outs. The Warriors have also played zone defense rather effectively as well. When the Warriors are able to play lock-down defense and start their transition game, they create several opportunities for themselves. In the transition, they can score with their speed (specifically, Monta Ellis’ speed), they can score by driving to the hoop and kicking the ball out to Stephen Curry, Dorell Wright, Brandon Rush, or Klay Thompson for a wide-open three pointer, and they can get it inside to David Lee. Stephen Curry is a creative passer who can make great, quick decisions in fast break opportunities.

At the beginning of the season, the offense was in total disarray because of the intense focus on defense during training camp. They’ve found a little more flow and rhythm to their offense now that the rotation is mostly set. With Stephen Curry out 9 games with a nagging ankle injury, the Warriors’ offense didn’t have its point guard and floor leader, so this is a partial explanation for the confused offense. Now that Curry is playing consistently again, the offense is starting to come together. However, Andris Biedrins is still a complete mystery. He has completely disappeared from every game, and without a competent center, the Warriors have struggled to get offensive rebounds and easy points on post-up plays. Although Kwame Brown is known more for his defense, he was becoming the aggressive center the Warriors needed, on the offensive end also. However since Brown is out with a torn pectoral injury, Mark Jackson has no offensive threat at the center position and this has definitely lead to some of the struggles on offense.

Andris Biedrins

The Warriors have had a season full of ups and downs. As much as the Warriors have improved on defense and bench production, offense continues to be a weakness. The Warriors have had trouble closing out games and playing consistently for all four quarters. David Lee has had a spectacular season, Dorell Wright has finally found his shot and playing like he did last season, most of the bench players have played solid all-around games all season, and now the Warriors need more consistent play out of Stephen Curry, Monta Ellis, and Andris Biedrins to make that next jump to the playoffs. No one knows if this same team will be intact after the All-Start Break, but if it is, more adjustments needs to be made. Although it seems unlikely that the Warriors will make the playoffs, they have shown significant improvement and continue to make strides toward being a playoff team.