Forget the game-recap. Don’t worry about why the Orlando Magic couldn’t win. And who cares if Stan Van Gundy didn’t make the right moves as a coach. This NBA season is over, and the Los Angles Lakers are its champions, beating the Magic in Game 5 of the NBA Finals to become the 2009 NBA Champions.

There will be no unsolicited rapping by Shaquille O’Neal this summer. Kobe Bryant did it without him, winning his 4th NBA Championship and doing it in a fairly easy manner.

Bryant scored 30 points in Game 5 to eliminate the Orlando Magic and grab his first NBA Finals MVP award. Now Kobe does not have to answer questions about whether he can win championships without Shaquille O’Neal. He has done it. And while Kobe can never erase the fact that he won 3 NBA Titles with Shaq in tow 7 years ago, this championship moves him further and further away from the big man. This championship validates Kobe’s own legacy in the NBA, as he is no longer just the best guard of his generation, but he is now a winner and a champion of his own doing.

Phil Jackson doesn’t have to answer questions about whether he can win without having the best 2 players in the game. After 6 titles with MJ and Pippen and 3 titles with Shaq and Kobe, Jackson actually had to build a team around Kobe. Players like Trevor Ariza and Andrew Bynum don’t just gel into world champion small forwards and centers by themselves; they have to be coached up. And there is no question that this was Phil’s best coaching job ever. From taking over a me-first Kobe Bryant in 2005, to incorporating Derek Fisher, Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol intro an unconventional offense that revolved around the game’s best shooting guard, Jackson truly had to coach himself to his record 10th NBA Championship.

For the Lakers organization, this is a serious argument for their franchise being relegated “The Best Franchise in Basketball.” Yeah, the Boston Celtics have more championships, but the Lakers have been more consistent, having appeared in more NBA Finals than the Celtics to the tune of having essentially appeared in every other championship series there has ever been. Not to mention, the Lakers now have 15 NBA Titles, which puts them two behind the Celtics, and if they resign Lamar Odom this off-season, they certainly have a title-run in them for at least the next 3 or 4 years.

But at the end of the day, forgetting what this championship means for the legacies of Kobe, Phil and the Lakers franchise, this team has captured the present-day title of “Best Basketball Team in the World,” and they have earned. It wasn’t more than 2 or 3 weeks ago that everyone questioned their heart, their mind set, their toughness and their egos, but at the end of the day, the only thing the Lakers can be questioned about are their ring sizes.

The post "NBA Finals: Lakers, Kobe, Phil Claim NBA Title" was originally published at TSW.

Mr. Howard. Nice of you to finally show up last night! It’s no surprise, that when you finally got your offense going, the Orlando Magic won—a correlation that should come of no surprise to anyone who can read a box score.

Since the start of the Eastern Conference Finals, Dwight Howard’s offense has been the determining factor as to whether the Orlando Magic win or lose a game. In the Magic’s last 9 games, the team is 0-3 when Howard scores less than 20 points. When Howard scores 20 points or more, including his 21-point game last night, the team is 5-1. So in analyzing the Magic’s ability to win this series, do we need to look any further than Howard’s ability to put the ball in hole?

Last night, in Game 3 of the NBA Finals, the Magic won 108-104 to make it a 2 games to 1 series in favor of the Los Angeles Lakers. And while Howard still managed just 6 shot attempts on the night, he was more aggressive, losing many of his shot attempts to foul calls, which is why he went to the line 16 times. Well, if the Lakers are going to send him to the line that many times, then he has to come through. And that he did.

Howard hit 11 of his 16 free throw attempts. In fact, he has been hitting his free throws quite well (relatively speaking) during the NBA Finals. He is a combined 28 of 41, which is 68.2%, which is well above his season average of 59%. And I say, if Howard is going to keep hitting free throws at that rate, then keep giving him the ball down low.

However, Howard can’t just hope the ball comes his way, he has to demand it. He has to step up and keep asking for the ball, no matter what the defense is doing. He did that last night, and the Magic will need more of that from him in Games 4 and 5. And when Howard ask for the ball, he has to protect it. He turned the ball over 9 times in the first 2 games of this series, and he turned it over just once last night. I mean seriously, how many more stats do I need to give you to prove that the Magic will go as far as Howard takes them?

How about one last one?

Even though Howard only had a few shot attempts in the first 2 games, he wasn’t making any of them. He was just 6 of 16 in Games 1 and 2. In Game 3 last night, Howard was 5 of 6. And the reason he was 5 of 6, was because he didn’t force the issue. He took the shots that were given to him, and when he was double-teamed, he made the pass early on in the possession, thereby allowing his guards to get the great looks they got—which is why they shot a record 75% in the 1st half of the game.

If Howard can continue to be relevant in the post, the Magic have every chance in the world to win Game 4. All Howard has to do is demand the ball, and take what the defense gives them.

If they are going to play him straight up, he needs to try to yam the ball down their throats, and if they foul him, he needs to hit his free throws.

If the Lakers decide to double-team him, Howard needs to make the easy and early pass, and let his teammates do the rest.

That was the recipe that worked for him and the Orlando Magic last night. And if Howard can do that again, the stats say they can’t lose.

The post "NBA Finals: And Dwight Howard Finally Shows Up On Offense!" was originally published at TSW.

Here is Dwight Howard’s chance. If he really wants to be considered one of the of the elite players in the NBA, there is no time like the NBA Finals for him to prove himself. Sure, LeBron James didn’t win any games in the 2007 NBA Finals either, and no one knocked him. But Howard is not facing a dynastic basketball team, and his team certainly can match up with the Lakers on any given night, as Game 2 served to prove. So if he wants to convince the world that he isn’t the NBA’s next Vin Baker, then he better get it together.

I know what you’re saying. It’s not fair to compare Dwight Howard to the next Vin Baker. Vin Baker was a star turned bum, who’s game evaporated over night after a horrendous playoff outing in which he missed a series of clutch free throws to lose the game and the series for the Sonics. Of course, Baker had off the court issues as well, but his inability to perform in the playoffs, after reaching new heights in his career just before the lockout season, seemed to knock him off course for the rest of his career. Nobody saw that coming. Alcohol issues aside, the man knew how to play basketball, and as long as he could do that, there would be someone there to give him a second chance.

Nevertheless, the chances faded as his skills seemed to diminish.

I know what you’re saying: What the hell does this have to do with Dwight Howard?

Not to say that Dwight Howard will embark upon a precipitous decline that sees him turn into a journeyman center that can’t hold on to a roster spot, but if he doesn’t show up in these playoffs eventually, one has to begin to wonder exactly what that would do his psyche.

Howard could do one of two things. He could go the route of Shaquille O’Neal, who was schooled by Hakeem Olajuwon in the 1995 NBA Finals. Hakeem’s Rockets swept O’Neal’s Magic that year. However, Shaq learned from it, and we even saw growth from him in that very series. And after the series, Shaq developed his game, changed his attitude, packed his bags, headed West, and became one of the best centers of all time.

Howard could do what Shaq did. Or he could become Vin Baker; a player who saw almost immediate success in the NBA, making the All-Star team in his 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th seasons in the NBA, only to see it all fade away so fast and so hard that his career seems like a blur now.

Of course, as many people read this, they will say that I’m crazy. They will say that there is no way that Dwight Howard’s confidence and game could dissipate like that. Yet that’s the same thing they said about Baker—that is, until his game actually did dissipate.

Believe me, I want to see Howard become one of the most dominant players in the league. I think he is the perfect person to fill the hole that will soon be vacated by Shaq’s eventual retirement. However, I have to see growth. I have to see a player who doesn’t take losing at the game’s highest level lying down.

In the 2007 NBA Finals, despite being swept, LeBron James bounced back from averaging less than 20 points in the first 2 games, to averaging 24.5 ppg, 8.5 rpg and 7.5 apg to end the series. And in the 1995 Finals, despite also being dominated, Shaq averaged 28.0 ppg and 12.5 rpg.

Right now, through the first 2 NBA Finals games, Howard is averaging a paltry 14.5 ppg. He’s coming through with the rebounds at 15.5 rpg, but unless he’s vying for becoming the league’s next Dennis Rodman, I would like to see his basketball prowess take over on the offensive end as well. And if he doesn’t take over there, I at least want to see signs that he can. Because if he can’t step up in the NBA Finals, he’s not the guy everyone is making him out to be, myself included.

The post "NBA Finals: Dwight Howard Needs to Step Up" was originally published at TSW.

Mikael Pietrus is one of my favorite players in the NBA. But the Orlando Magic aren’t going to ever win an NBA Finals game against the Los Angeles Lakers if Pietrus is going to continue to lead them in scoring.

Mikael Pietrus had 14 points to lead all Magic players in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. Kobe Brayant had 16—16 2-point field goals that is! The Magic as a team only had 15 2-point field goals, a stark contrast from their last game, in which Dwight Howard had 14 2-point field goals of his own against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Well, this ain’t the Cleveland Cavaliers, as the Los Angeles Lakers have 2 7-footers that can move their feet and bother Howard in the paint.

Speaking of Howard, he was God-awful in Game 1. It started off well, as he bullied his way across the lane in the first quarter and made a short-jump hook over Andrew Bynum, his primary defender for the night.. Right then one had to think that Howard was going to be a difficult cover for Bynum and the Lakers.

However, that would be the field goal that Dwight Howard would make all night. Riddled in early foul trouble due to some offensive charges, Howard didn’t play much, and even when he did he was not exploding to the rim or dunking on top of peoples’ heads. He had no dunks all game and finished 1 for 6 from the field.

So perhaps the thing that is going to win the NBA Finals for the Los Angeles Lakers isn’t their offense, but their defense. Giving a mere 75 points to a team that just scored 103 points against one of the better defensive teams in the NBA is a very impressive feat. One might say that the Magic were hurt by being on the road, but given that they were leading after the 1st quarter, I find that hard to believe.

Everybody can say that this blow out loss was simply a matter of the Magic not hitting their outside shots. I beg to differ.

The poor 3-point shooting was not what the Lakers stopped. What they did was go for the head, and when they got it, the body died. With Howard only managing six shots attempts and mustering up 0 fields in the last 3 quarters of the game, the Magic were dead before I even sat down in front of the television. Their inability to get their best player more than 6 shot attempts was egregious. How the Magic continue to be so inconsistent in throwing the ball in the paint beyond me.

Yet despite their inefficiencies in getting Howard shots, the Magic have managed tow in. Every series, they knock off some team we think they should have lost to, but they have managed to come through every time, despite their problems.

However, if they dig themselves into too deep of a hole, this series may go on to justify those who believe that the Magic are overrated. And an easy Lakers victory may also end all discussion of the Lakers being “sofT” with a capital “T.”

The post "NBA Finals: Orlando Might Want to Get Howard More than 6 Shots" was originally published at TSW.

The NBA Finals are upon us, and now it is time to make my official NBA Finals Prediction.

While I love the whole angle on Kobe Bryant getting his first championship without Shaq, and while I love how everyone is jumping on the Orlando Magic bandwagon, I have to ignore the hype and go with my gut. And my gut is telling me that…

Actually, I’m not sure what it is telling me. This is a hard series to pick. Obviously, I, like so many others, see the Lakers as the prohibitive favorite. Then again, the Orlando Magic have been world-beaters all postseason, and they certainly matchup very will with the Lakers.

Here are a few of the issues I have been thinking about before I give you my official NBA Finals prediction.

1. This might be Kobe’s toughest matchup of the postseason. I am certainly not doubting Kobe Bryant’s ability, and I am aware that he went up against both Ron Artest and Shane Battier in the 2nd round. However, this series introduces a new test that may be far more difficult for Kobe to attack.

Artest and Battier are great defenders, but Mikael Pietrus, Kobe’s likely defender, just might be the most athletic of the three. And when Kobe gets to the basket, he’ll be met by the defensive MVP in Dwight Howard. The Magic also have a lot of size that they can throw at Kobe, including Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu.

Look, I’m not saying that Kobe can’t overcome this, but he is certainly in for more of a test than he was in Denver, and I think at the very least, Orlando’s defensive pressure matches that of what Houston did to Kobe, where he had his least impressive series of the playoffs.

2. Howard will not be the second best player every game. Against the Cavs, Dwight Howard was the second best player on the floor throughout the series. That fact usually gave the Magic a decided advantage, because no one could stop him in combination with Turkoglu and Lewis, who were usually the 3rd and 4th best players on the floor. And while, going into every game, Howard will be the second best player on the floor, Pau Gasol can still outplay Howard on any given night. It is not crazy to believe that Gasol can go for 25 and 15, especially if Howard is forced to guard Bynum at times. Even if Howard is on Gasol, Gasol has outplayed him head to head before.

Trust this, in any game in which Gasol is better than Howard, the Lakers will win. I don’t’ know how many times that will happen, or if it will even happen at all, but it’s an issue that makes it hard to predict this series.

3. Odom is King. For my last my point of the day, I have to look at the potential matchup between Lamar Odom and Rashard Lewis. I believe whoever wins this battle will lead their team to an NBA Finals victory. Quite frankly, I think Odom is the better player. He is clearly the better rebounder, the better defender, and he uses his size to his advantage far more often than Lewis does. Odom should BEAST on Rashard Lewis this series. However, there is one problem: Lamar is notorious for not showing up every game. And if he doesn’t come to play every night, the Orlando Magic could steal a game or two.

Those are the issues running through my head that have made it difficult for me to make an NBA Finals prediction. However, I have had time to run all of the scenarios through my head, and I have concluded that the Lakers will win this series in 6 games.

There are just far too many issues for the Magic, and the Lakers have a whole lot more talent with players 1 thru 8 on their roster.

So there you have it. That is my NBA Finals Prediction…what’s yours? Comment below!

The post "NBA Finals Prediction: It’s A Tough One…" was originally published at TSW.

We did not get the matchup that we wanted; however, at least Kobe Bryant is in the NBA Finals. However, without him having to go against LeBron James, will a Lakers’ Finals victory be enough to assure Kobe’s place as the best basketball player in the world?

In my opinion, the answer is no. Of course, for some time now, I have been on the side of the argument that considers LeBron James the best basketball player in the world. Afterall, it is LeBron James who scores more, passes better, is better in the clutch (check the stats), and is a better rebounder. And statistical reasons aside, LeBron makes the players around him much better than Kobe makes his supporting cast.

Despite my reasoning for LeBron, my outlook on the situation is not so set in stone that I can’t sway in favor of Kobe Bryant should Kobe prove he is the best. But how can he do that in a 7 game series against a team that he is already favored to beat? There’s one set of things that has to happen, but if everything goes that way for Kobe, he could exit the this season as the NBA’s best player. It’s an unlikely scenario, but it would have to take something amazing for Kobe Bryant to come out of this as a better player than LeBron James.

First and foremost, he must win the series. He has the better team. Enough said.

Secondly, he must be better than Dwight Howard. Obviously, I believe that he is, but it would be hard for me to rank him above LeBron if for some reason Dwight Howard outplayed him.

Thirdly, there can be no sitting back for Kobe. If the Lakers are so much better than the Magic that Kobe can just afford to sit back, pick his points, and watch his teammates win this series, then I can’t allow him to surpass LeBron in the rankings.

Lastly, and this must happen in order for Kobe to surpass LeBron James, he must lead a comeback. If you read my piece yesterday about Dwight Howard, you already understand my positioning on this concept. It really goes back to Dwyane Wade in 2006. When the Miami Heat were down 2 games to 0, and on the brink of dropping a 3rd straight game, Wade took over like I had never seen anyone take over a playoff series before—and that includes one Mr. Michael Jordan himself! For those 7 games, and right up until his injury the following year, he was the guy I considered the best basketball player in the league, because I knew what he was capable of doing.

Thus, if Kobe Bryant is to walk away from the NBA Finals as the best player in the NBA, he has to overcome some type of adversity, and he has to be unbelievable in doing it. Sure, he will need his teammates to step up at times, but ultimately, I need to see him put this team on his back and carry them to a championship.

Is that fair to Kobe? Probably not. Afterall, I am essentially asking him to not look so great early on in the series, and I’m also asking the Orlando Magic to be better than the Lakers for 2 games, when they are probably the less talented team. But while it may seem unfair, it’s the reality of the situation. He must do something remarkable here to surpass LeBron James, because LeBron had to do a few remarkable things to surpass Kobe over the years—things far more remarkable than just winning one series.

Therefore, I really look forward to these Finals, as they will go a long way in determining who the best player in the NBA is. And if it proves to be Kobe Bryant, so be it. But it’s not as if this conversation will dissipate anytime soon, not until Bryant goes into retirement—and even then I’m not sure it will stop.

The post "Is Kobe Bryant the best basketball player if he wins the NBA Championship?" was originally published at TSW.

What can you say? Stan Van Gundy, the head coach of the Eastern Conference Champion Orlando Magic and the Master of Panic, is getting the last laugh with all of his doubters; a list which includes Shaquille O’Neal, Jim Rome, Marcin Gortat, and one guy who goes by the name of TheSportsWatcher.

Stan Van Gundy. He’s not an attractive guy; overweight, pale, and has a tasteless mustache. He’s not a charismatic guy either; with his loose-fitting suit, crackily voice and snide remarks. He’s also not a humble guy; quick to call out a Hall of Famer when he’s down or remind the series loser of his unfulfilled projection. It just seems as if Stan Van Gundy approaches basketball, and maybe even life, in a different way.

Say what you will about Van Gundy’s style, but he is getting it done in the 2009 Playoffs. He was critiqued for failing to get to the NBA Finals in 2005 with the Miami Heat, and he was disparaged for his use of Dwight Howard in last year’s postseason. However, he has finally overcome the hump of getting out of the conference playoffs and into the Finals, which will make it quite hard for those who criticized him to critique him ever again.

First, there was Shaquille O’Neal, who was downright blunt about his disdain for Van Gundy. After Van Gundy called Shaq out for flopping against Dwight Howard in a Suns-Magic game earlier this season, Shaq said of Van Gundy that, “[flopping] reminded me of his whole career….I really despite a front-runner. So I know for a fact that he’s a master of panic, and when it gets time for his team to go in the postseason and do certain things, he will let them down because of his panic. I’ve been there before. I’ve played for him.”

Those words from Shaq were downright cold and made Van Gundy the brunt of several running jokes. However, now that Van Gundy has gone further with Dwight Howard than he did with Shaq, perhaps Van Gundy could call Shaq a name or two.

Of course, Jim Rome, of ESPN’s Rome is Burning, didn’t let Shaq’s name-calling go to waste, as he quickly picked up on the “Master of Panic” label and used it to refer to Van Gundy in just about every Magic bit he did on his show. Rome has seemingly been in full-agreement that Van Gundy has done a poor job of coaching throughout his career, and that the Magic were to ultimately doomed with him at the helm. Yet as Van Gundy, or the “M.O.P.” as Rome likes to call him, prepares for the NBA Finals, one wonders if Rome will continue to call Van Gundy by his Shaq-given name and consequent acronym.

And we can’t forget about how Marcin Gortat, the Magic’s backup center and Van Gundy’s own player, who publicly criticized Van Gundy for his in-game demeanor saying, “The nature of our coach is that he panics very often during games…He’s got some behavior which is not good for us. With his gestures, he makes us nervous on the floor.”

Well, well, let me start by saying that Gortat’s minutes have taken a dip in the postseason, as Van Gundy was going to get the last laugh with Gortat no matter what he did in the playoffs. That said, Gortat’s comments fly in the face of the fact that Van Gundy has put Gortat in a position to make some plays this postseason, often trusting the Polish center to step in and give Dwight Howard a breather at key moments in the game. Thus, it would appear to me that the very coach that makes Gortat nervous, actually had the confidence in his center to play him a pivotal moments in the game. Go figure?

Lastly, there is me. Van Gundy has never heard of me, and he probably will never think of twice of me if he has. Frankly, I have never written or publicly said anything negative about the coach; not because I didn’t agree with some of the criticism he was taking, but because I didn’t think his track record and/or coaching talent warranted my time. Well, I will not shy away from taking my lashings as well. Van Gundy has certainly proven that he has the coaching prowess to take the reigns of a team, that most people doubted, and turn them into a championship-contender. Like everyone else, I thought Stan Van Gundy was the biggest M.O.P. out there, but it turns out that he just has a different way of approaching things, and that way appears to be winning.

The post "NBA Finals: Deliver Us From Van Gundy" was originally published at TSW.

LeBron James is not one to be f’d with after he loses. Here he is explaining the loss, his status in Cleveland and all things basktball with the media…the day after Cavs went down in the Eastern Conference Finals.

The post "LeBron James Talks To Media About Loss to Orlando and More…" was originally published at TSW.

It’s not the matchup everyone was anticipating, but the star power in this year’s NBA Finals series between the Orlando Magic and Los Angeles Lakers surpasses anything we would have seen otherwise.

Yes, I know, just about everyone outside of Disneyworld is disappointed that LeBron James will not be squaring off against Kobe Bryant in this year’s NBA Finals. However, as we saw in the Eastern Conference Finals, outside of King James himself, the Cavs supporting cast does not have much to offer in terms of talent and/or star power. Dwight Howard, on the other hand, has a supporting cast around him that has proven that they have Finals-worthy talent, as well as some of the NBA’s most underrated basketball stars.

Hedo Turkoglu is no joke. Perhaps he did not have the best start to the NBA Playoffs, but he rebounded nicely in the Eastern Conference Finals. With outings of 15, 21, 13, 15, 29 and 10, Turkoglu finished the Conference Finals with a 17.1 points per game average, and he also averaged 6.3 rebounds and 6.6 assists during the series. That is a pretty complete stat line for a guy going up against one of the NBA’s most complete players over the span of 6 games.

Then there was Rashard Lewis, who in my opinion, is playing the best basketball of his career. Sure, he has scored more points, and has even been the leading man on his team in year’s past, but in this series he really stepped up into a role—a role he filled quite nicely. Rashard Lewis is currently averaging 19.4 PPG and 5.0 RPG this postseason. That’s a step up from his usual 17 a game during the regular season, and he has remained consistent on the boards. Most notably though, his shooting has been absolutely clutch. Some of the shots he hit in the series against the Cavs were amazing. There was the dagger 3-pointer he hit in Game 1. There was the sweet turnaround jumper he hit in Game 3. And in Game 6, when everyone was rolling, Rashard had a hat trick’s worth of momentum-killing 3’s to put the Cavs away for good.

Lastly, there is Mikael Pietrus, a player who has risen from borderline anonymity to making a name for himself against the best player in the world. He was forced to guard LeBron James for 6 whole games. And while James was absolutely amazing, averaging nearly 40 points for the entire series, Pietrus made James earn every single point he got. Most importantly, Pietrus made LeBron James work on the defensive end—or at least he made James pay when he didn’t. Pietrus came through with double-digit scoring numbers in every game of the Eastern Conference Finals, while shooting a remarkable 27 for 53 in the series, hitting 17 of his 36 3-point attempts. That’s a player that knows how to pick his spots, and if he can play Kobe Bryant as well as he played LeBron and continue to be that efficient of an offensive player, he, and the other Orlando Magic ballers, will have the whole world talking about Dwight Howard’s supporting cast and how they knocked off Kobe Bryant and the Lakers.

The post "NBA Finals: We Get More Star Power with the Orlando Magic" was originally published at TSW.

Quick Thought: Howard Still Too Fun Loving For You?

Not too long ago, Sports Illustrated, and even a member of Orlando Magic management, questioned whether or not Dwight Howard was enjoying himself too much. I guess the question arose from the fact that Howard, albeit the NBA’s best defender this season, had yet to establish himself as a dominant force in the paint—on the offensive end.

Of course, this flies right in the face of the fact that on a constant basis we see Dwight Howard dunking, soaring above the rim, and catching alley-oop passes. How that is not considered dominating, I’m not sure, but needless to say, I guess Howard’s 20 PPG just weren’t enough for some.

Now as the Orlando Magic sit just one game away from reaching the NBA Finals, do we still have to ask ourselves whether or not Dwight Howard is too fun loving?

Sure, the man throws up a few trick shots from half court during pre-game warmups, but then he goes out and posts 20-20 games in the playoffs.

Yes, he imitates his coach on national television, and then dunks right on top of Anderson Varejao’s head.

Maybe he is too friendly with his on-court foes before and after games, but he throws bows at peoples heads in between the whistles.

And yes, he likes to tell jokes and (God-forbid) laugh, but he wasn’t telling knock-knock jokes when got his 5th technical foul of the NBA playoffs the other night.

Say what you will about Dwight Howard, but as long as he is pulling down rebounds and dunking on top of people’s heads, I won’t question whether or not he’s too fun loving—and I think Anderson Varejao wouldn’t say so either.

The post "Howard Still Too Fun Loving For You?" was originally published at TSW.

Who is going to step up for the Cleveland Cavaliers?

Down 3 games to 1, it doesn’t appear as if the Cavaliers have much going for them in the Eastern Conference Finals. Only 8 teams have come back from a 3-1 NBA Playoffs deficit. And if someone on the Cavs doesn’t provide MVP LeBron James with some type of help in Game 5, that number is going to stay at 8.

LeBron James scored 44 points in Cleveland’s Game 4 loss to the Orlando Magic. The rest of the Cavs starters provided just 56 points. And the Cavs bench only produced 14 points. I won’t even get into how inefficient those point totals were.

On the other side of things, the Magic got 63 points from their starters not named Dwight Howard, and Mikael Pietrus scored more points (17) than Cleveland’s bench by himself.

That’s not a winning formula.

So clearly, LeBron needs help, but where is he going to get it from?

Well first, Mo Williams could shutup and stop making guarantees that are followed by 5 of 15 shooting and a 2-assists performance from their starting point guard. Secondly, not even looking at points, the Cavs could try to help LeBron out on the boards. The man led the team in rebounds in Game 4 with 12. What the hell are Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Anderson Vearejao doing? Grab a board young fellas! And thirdly, how about hitting the shots that LeBron is spoonfeeding them? Six of 22 from 3-point land? That’s not going to get it done for Cleveland.

Most importantly, LeBron needs somebody to have a big night offensively. Dare to score 20 points, somebody…anybody!

I can’t think that Ilgauskas will get it done. Even though he was quite efficient (5 of 9) last night, I don’t think we can expect him to get 15-20 good looks against Dwight Howard.

We certainly know that Varejao isn’t going to have a sudden offensive burst.

How about Delonte West? He scored a decent 17 points last night, without even hitting a 3-pointer. He also had 5 rebounds and 7 assists, so perhaps he has a chance to be the break out star in Game 5. Then again, he’s such a liability on defense when Pietrus is in the game that I’m not sure he can provide offense for the entire 48 minutes.

Daniel “Boobie” Gibson was the Cavs savior just 2 years ago, so we know he has the ability to be a playoff hero. Hell, he even showed up last night with a “controlled” scoring outburst of 8 points. However, if Cavs coach Mike Brown doesn’t give Boobie the playing time, he can’t be held accountable for not scoring.

And how about Wally “World” Szczerbiak? He was an All-Star in his hey-day and has always shot the ball decently. Can’t he be a factor? His 2-point, 1 for 4 performance last night doesn’t suggest that he can be.

That leaves us with one guy—the same one guy who was supposed to have turned this team from a playoff-bound team to an NBA Finals bound team. Instead, Mo Williams has disappeared, and his game is nowhere to be found. The man scored 18 points in Game 4, but it was on 5 of 15 shooting and he didn’t make a single 3-pointer.

That is unacceptable—especially for someone who is out guaranteeing a series victory!

The fact of the matter is that Mo Williams is the only guy on this Cleveland team who can and should play second-fiddle to LeBron James. Yeah, some of the other guys on the team are capable of having decent nights, but that should be extraneous to Cavs gameplan. Those are the types of performances you don’t plan for, they just happen. But with the type of talent Williams has, the Cavs should depend on a stellar performance from him. Hell, that’s why they acquired him in the first place.

So if the loud-mouth talking Mo Williams doesn’t show up in Game 5, you can be assured that this series will be over faster than LeBron’s exodus to New York City. Williams being outplayed by Rafer Alston isn’t an option anymore. There just aren’t any more chances for Mo to have a bad game, because his next bad game will be his last.

The post "NBA Playoffs: Who Will Step Up and Help LeBron" was originally published at TSW.

I know that it is completely wrong of me to doubt Stan Van Gundy and the Orlando Magic after what they proved against the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics over the last two rounds of the NBA Playoffs, but I’m going to do it anyway. There is absolutely no way that Orlando Magic are winning Game 3 against the Cleveland Cavaliers tonight.

Okay, call me crazy for picking the road team to win Game 3 of a tied series, but the Lakers just did it yesterday, so why not? Afterall, the Cavs are the better teams…aren’t they?

I know many people have walked away from the first two games of the Eastern Conference Finals and have said to themselves: Wow, the Magic really can play with the Cavs! And while that does appear to be the case, that does not mean that they can beat the Cavs in a 7 game series.

I’m here to tell you that those first two games were lucky. I hate to discredit what the Magic did in Games 1 and 2, but based on what they have done all season and all postseason, I have no reason to believe that they are capable of playing at such a high level in the waning moments of an NBA basketball game.

What Rashard Lewid did in Game 1 was probably the most clutch thing he has done in his entire professional basketball career. He nailed those 3’s in Game 1 with a confidence I haven’t seen from him since he was playing in Seattle. And then he did the same thing Game 2, coming up with a couple of clutch buckets, before the Turkish Michael Jordan himself, Hedo Turkoglu, came up with a go-ahead basket that would have made the Magic’s season had it not been for LeBron’s killer 3-pointer at the end. But at the end of the day, the Magic just don’t execute that well down the stretch, and the fact that a couple of shots have fallen for them late in Games 1 and 2 will not fool me.

I will be the first to admit that the Magic could easily be up 2-0 right now. But I also have to say the Cavs could, and should, be up 2-0 as well. The Magic’s execution and inability to get the ball to Dwight Howard in the 4th quarter is egregious. And it’s not like they are even trying to fix it. After a post season filled with questions about how often Howard gets the ball, Dwight finished with just 8 shots and 10 points in Game 2.

So if you expect me to pick a disorganized team, that can’t even get their best player the ball, to win Game 3, you must be out of your mind. I don’t care if the game was being played in Dwight Howard’s bathroom, if his teammates can’t get him the ball consistently, they can’t be expected to come through in the 4th quarter consistently.

That’s why I’m going with the team that has no problem giving the ball to their superstar. Which is why LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers will win Game 3 of this series and take a 2-1 series lead in the Eastern Conference Finals.

The post "NBA Playoff Predictions: Cavaliers Will Win Game 3 Against the Magic" was originally published at TSW.

I was wrong. I thought Denver was certain to win Game 3 against Los Angeles on their homecourt. Given LA’s struggles on the road against Houston and Denver’s countless win streak in Denver, there was no way that the Lakers could take Game 3 from the Nuggets.

And then there was Kobe Bryant.

Kobe’s last two home games in Houston weren’t exactly the best playoff outings of his career. Nevermind his 18 of 44 shooting performances in Games 4 and 6 against the Rockets, but how about the Lakers as a team just getting drummed in those two games? Well, after one road game in the Western Conference Finals, the Lakers road troubles seem to have vanquished as they beat the Nuggets 103-97 to take a 2 games 1 lead in the series.

Kobe Bryant just was not going to have it. Down 2 points with a minute left to play, the assassin took it upon himself to put the Lakers up for good. Kobe Bryant pulled up for the go-ahead 3-pointer that put the Lakers up 96-95 with 1:08 left, and the Lakers never looked back.

Of course, Kobe didn’t just wait until the 4th quarter to show up. Kobe’s 41 points on 12 of 24 shooing carried the Lakers all game long. He also had 6 rebounds and 5 assists to go with it. Those numbers are better than the one’s he put up in Game 2, possibly because he saw a lot more of J.R. Smith guarding him, as opposed to Carmelo Anthony, who was troubled with foul issues all game long.

Carmelo finally came back to Earth, scoring just 21 points on 4 of 13 shooting from the field. Without Melo to lead the way, the rest of the Nuggets were but a shell of themselves, including Chauncey Billups, who despite scoring a respectable 18 points had a very uncharacteristic four turnovers on the night.

Pau Gasol had a very decent game for the Lakers, scoring 20 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. And even Lamar Odom partially showed up for the party, leading the bench with 8 points and 7 rebounds. But the star for the Lakers not named Kobe Bryant was Trevor Ariza who came up clutch from 3-point land, hitting 2 crucial 3-pointers late in the 4th quarter, while burying a couple of clutch free throws as well.

The Nuggets will have to regroup now and convince themselves that they can indeed win the close games. But they will need a much bigger night from Carmelo Anthony in Game 4 if they want to tie this series up, as Kobe Bryant seems intent on putting up at least 30 points everytime he walks onto the floor against this Nuggets team.

The post "NBA Playoffs: Lakers Take 2-1 Lead in Western Conference Finals" was originally published at TSW.

The first two games between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Denver Nuggets have resulted in two very close finishes and a series tied at one game apiece. That being said, with all things seeming equal, the Denver Nuggets undoubtedly have the tie-breaker in their favor going into Game 3 in Denver tonight.

I still stand by my prediction that the Lakers will win the series in 7 games, but I’m not so sure they can pick up one of the 4 wins they need tonight in Denver. First, while the first two games of the series have been extremely close, the Nuggets haven’t exactly played their best basketball. A litany of turnovers, poor shot-taking decisions, and mental lapses on the boards have led to God-knows how many easy buckets for the Lakers. Not to mention, Chauncey Billups had a very poor outing in Game 1, and J.R. Smith has yet to have had any significant contribution to series. If Denver starts to play like we saw them play in the first two rounds of the NBA playoffs, the Lakers could be in for a world of hurt tonight.

Secondly, the Lakers have taken Kobe’s best, and at the end of the day, they have ended up with two games that could have went either way. I don’t want to get too much into the psyche of the team, but having seen Kobe Bryant score 70 points in 2 games and knowing that they could easily be up 2 games to 0 has to be very encouraging for this Denver squad. If they can effectively continue to limit the contributions of the other Lakers players, they know that they can allow Kobe to do what he does and still win this series.

Lastly, how about the play of Carmelo Anthony? The Lakers don’t seem to have an answer for him, and if that continues to be the case, I’m not sure how they are going to win this series. Sure, Kobe Bryant is one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA, but he seemingly can’t do anything to slow down Carmelo. While Kobe hasn’t been on ‘Melo on every possession over the last 2 games, Melo has made 36 of 49 field goal attempts and has gotten to the free throw line 22 times. He also has snagged 9 offensive rebounds so far this series. And this has all been on the road!

Who knows what he might do playing at home?

It would appear to me that the Lakers should be ecstatic that this series is tied at 1-1, because there’s no reason to believe that the Lakers can play much better than they have already. On the other hand, we have every reason in the world to believe that the Nuggets can step up their game when they go back to Denver, tonight in Game 3.

Thus, I like the Nuggets to win tonight’s game over the Lakers. Frankly, Game 3 might not be close. Afterall, the Rockets had no problem blowing out the Lakers on their homecourt, so I don’t see why a far-superior Nuggets team can’t do the same on their home floor.

The post "NBA Playoff Predictions: Lakers-Nuggets, Predicting Tonight’s Winner" was originally published at TSW.

What LeBron James did to the Orlando Magic last night, wasn’t just back-breaking, it was like haven your back broken, your legs cut off, and getting hit in the back of the head with one of those old-school frying pans. That shot didn’t just change the winner of the game or potentially the winner of the series, it changed the course of the future and rectified the history of the entire city of Cleveland.

In case you missed it, and I don’t know how you could have, LeBron James hit the go-ahead three-pointer with no time-remaining, to tie the Eastern Conference Finals matchup between the Orlando Magic and Cleveland Cavaliers at 1-1. Pushing off of Orlando’s Hedo Turkoglu to free himself for the three-pointer, LeBron James caught the ball with 1 second left in the game and proceeded to swish the shot over the outstretched arms of the defender. Pandemonium ensued and Cleveland fans were spared from the endless grief they were about to embark upon.

But that shot didn’t just change the series, it changed Cleveland. For so long, “The Shot” has referred to Michael Jordan’s playoff buzzer beater against the Cavs that ultimately resulted in the Bulls beating one of the best Cavs teams ever. Now, “The Shot,” or whatever it may go on to be called, will be referring to King James’ shot over Turkoglu to save the Cavs best chance at an NBA Championship since MJ ended their run in 1989.

And it’s befitting that LeBron James would make that shot. Afterall, he is the closest thing we have ever seen to the Michael Jordan since MJ’s retirement. There were many imposters along the way, but only King James has embodied the same media hype met by even great productivity, character and marketing ability. He is the only player in the NBA that generates the same type of generational awe and coverage that MJ did, and he is one of only a handful of NBA players that has been able to turn his worldwide appeal into dollars.

But the extracurriculars aside, the fact of the matter is, while James and Jordan’s style of play may differ immensely, their effect on a basketball game is a lot closer than most are willing to admit. They won their first MVP at the same age, and if LeBron can come through with a championship this year, he would have done it a season faster than MJ.

However, even if this is the pinnacle of James’ career (which it certainly isn’t), that shot, “The Shot,” is the stuff legends are made of. That’s not just going to go down as a “Where amazing happens” commercial. That shot, “The Shot,” is possibly going to do go down as the shot that propelled the beginning of LeBron James’s assault on the NBA history books. Because if that shot does lead to a Cavs’ Eastern Conference Championship, an NBA Finals championship, a Finals MVP for King James, and a victory over Kobe Bryant’s Lakers, not only will LeBron be exalted as the best player in the NBA, he’ll be well on his on way to being called the best player to ever lace’em up.

The post "LeBron James Reincarnates "The Shot"" was originally published at TSW.

Carmelo Anthony scored 39 points in Game 1 of the NBA Western Conference Finals, but as usual, his light didn’t shine brighter than that of fellow Western Conference foe, Kobe Bryant, who put up 40 points to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a Game 1 defeat of the Denver Nuggets, 105-103.

Derek Fisher actually showed some life in the postseason, scoring 13 points on 3 of 6 shooting from the 3-point line. He also dealt out 6 assists, in what could be described as his best performance of the 2009 NBA Playoffs. Pau Gasol also scored 13 points and had a quiet 14 rebounds, but nobody else in a Lakers uniform got in double-digits, because on this night, the game belonged to Kobe Bryant.

Kobe shot 13 of 28 from the field and hit 2 of his 3 three-point attempts en route to his second 40 point game of the postseason. More important than any of his field goals though, were his free throws—he made 12 of 13. His ability to get the line in Game 1 allowed the Lakers to get the Nuggets out of their rhythm, and it also helped the Lakers salt the game away as Kobe Bryant hit all 6 of his late free throw attempts that essentially won the game for the Lakers.

With 1:14 left in the 4th quarter, Pau Gasol made 2 free throws to tie the game up at 99 points a piece. On the following possession, for some inexplicable reason, the Nuggets allowed Chris “Birdman” Anderson to shoot a jumper, which ended up being an incredibly ugly shot that resulted in a jump ball that went in the favor of the Lakers. Immediately following the jump ball, Kobe put up a 22-foot jumper that was off, but the Lakers grabbed the offensive rebound, regrouped, and ran a play for Kobe who drew the foul and got to the line.

The league’s former MVP took care of business at the stripe, knocking down both free throws to put the Lakers up 101-99. On the ensuing play, Trevor Ariza, who had just entered the game for defense, came up with a steal. The ball ended up in Kobe’s hands, where he was sent to the line and made both free throws to put the Lakers up 103-99. Billups came back with a 3-pointer out of the time out, but Kobe was fouled yet again, and yet again, he knocked both free throws down, giving the Lakers a 3-point lead with 5 seconds remaining in the game. It was at that point that the Lakers employed the “take a foul” technique to put Denver on the line, where J.R. Smith made the first free throw and intentionally missed the second free throw. However, Kobe rebounded the ball, threw it in the air, and the game was over.

Carmelo put forth one hell of an effort though. It seemed as if the man was on a mission. Tired of being outdone by Kobe all season long, having averaged just 14 points against the Lakers during the regular season, ‘Melo stepped up with 39 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and several passes that led to free throw attempts for his teammates. As much as he was willing the ball into the basket, he almost willed his team to victory. On one key moment with 3:25 left in the game, ‘Melo out-muscled the marshmallowy Lamar Odom, grabbed an offensive rebound and laid it up for the easy score that gave the Nuggets a 4 point lead late in the game.

Chauncey Billups also had a decent game. He didn’t shoot well from the field, going just 5 of 13 on the night, but he did manage 8 assists and only a single turnover. Kenyon Martin also played tough, putting up 15 points and 8 rebounds. And Nene Hilario was also very serviceable, going 6 of 9 from the field for 14 points.

However, the surprise factor in the game was the fact that the Lakers bench outscored the Nuggets bench, 27-16. In fact, the Nuggets bench didn’t see many minutes in Game 1. Nuggets Coach George Karl only gave J.R. Smith and Chris Anderson considerable time off the bench, with the result being that only the two of them managed to give the team any bench production; combining for the entire 16-point bench effort.

As I predicted, the Lakers talent prevailed in Game 1. They were too long (17 offensive rebounds), have much too talented big men (9 blocks), and they have the best player on the court in Kobe Bryant (40 points).

As I also predicted, those talent marks don’t always show up for the Lakers. They will probably flounder around in Game 2 or Game 3, but they will show up just enough to win this series—and fortunately, for them, the games you win are the only ones that matter.

The post "NBA Playoffs: Lakers Win Game 1 Behind Kobe’s 40 Points" was originally published at TSW.

I absolutely, 100%, without any uncertainty pick the Los Angeles Lakers and Kobe Bryant to beat the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals—in 7 games, of course.

I know what you’re saying, “How can you be so sure about a Lakers victory and then essentially predict the series to come down to a 50-50 chance in Game 7?”

It’s simple, the Lakers play when they want to play.

Remember when Randy Moss said that and the entire football world was in a “tizzy”? Everyone whined and criticized Moss for essentially saying that he doesn’t see enough value in every single play to put forth his best effort with every snap of the football. I mean, how could he ever say something like that?

The truth is, every player is like that. Now, not every player is foolish enough to actually say that with mics around, then again, not many players have enough self-awareness, or just aren’t cognizant enough, to realize that they do indeed “play when they want to play.”

When a player has a mental lapse, misses an assignment, gets tired and doesn’t run fool speed, don’t chalk that up to a mistake, call it what it is: not focusing. That’s essentially what Moss was saying. Don’t get me wrong, I remember some of his decisions to take plays off, and while some of that is attitude, some of that is just his natural inability to focus.

And that’s what the Lakers have. They have a natural inability to focus—or the ability to not focus, that is.

There is no way that a team that talented, with that kind of length, athleticism, and speed shouldn’t come out and dominate the Denver Nuggets like a hardcore dominatrix (overboard there?).

However, the Denver Nuggets are playing better than any other team in the playoffs, the Cleveland Cavaliers included. They have been focused, on both ends of the floor, and their point guard, Chauncey Billups, will not be outplayed by anybody in the NBA. However, when it comes down to it, there is no way they can get in the way of talent.

Talent is like fate in the NBA; eventually, it will come to fruition. The argument against the Lakers and all of their talent is that they don’t play up to it. That they play down to their opponents, because they believe in the end, their talent will prevail, irregardless of the effort they put forth.

Kenny “The Jet” Smith said it best on TNT the other night. He said the Lakers are actually good enough and talented enough to win the NBA championship, but unfortunately, due to their lack of focus, they might be an “undeserving” champion.

That’s a really chilling thought. No one ever thinks of the champions, of any sport, not being deserving of their championship. History certainly rarely looks back at past champions as undeserving—not unless there was some type of fraud or incredibly egregious foul call. And when it’s all said and done, if the Lakers are the 2009 NBA Finals champions, I find it hard to believe that we will look back at them with a scornful eye 20 years from now.

But Kenny is right. If they do win the championship, they won’t deserve it. Unfortunately, they are the most talented team in basketball, and their prospects of winning it all are as high as anybody’s. Which is why I like them to beat the Denver Nuggets.

The Lakers lack of effort will make it a 7 games series, but their superior talent, will provide them with 4 easy wins. As far as their inability to focus carrying over into the NBA Finals—well, we’ll save that prediction for another day.

The post "NBA Playoffs Prediction: Lakers Will Beat Denver Effortlessly…In 7 Games" was originally published at TSW.

The fine folks at TrueHoop.com recently discussed who was the better player, LeBron James or Kobe Bryant, and why. TrueHoop blogger Henry Abbott ultimately concluded that indeed, LeBron James is the better player. I couldn’t agree with him more.

I don’t know what universal measurements people use to make their assertions as to which player is the best in the NBA, but anyone making the assertion that Kobe is better than LeBron is not using measurements from planet Earth.

LeBron is the better and more willing passer, as his assist ratio of 21.1% to Kobe’s 15.5% would depict.

LeBron is more efficient at putting the ball in the hoop. While everyone wants to argue that Kobe is the better shooter, I look at it the other way. LeBron is the better shooter. Not because he has a better mid-range jumper or three-point shot, but because he has to take far fewer of those type of shots to help his team win. If Kobe is not making those outside shots, which happens more frequently than Kobe-backers are willing to admit, his “shooting prowess” becomes a liability to his team’s success. That rarely happens with LeBron James, and his True-Shooting percentage of 59.1% to Kobe’s 56.1% is evidence that LeBron is the more “efficient” scorer.

Of course, somebody who thinks Kobe is the better player would argue that Kobe is more efficient in the clutch, because LeBron can’t get those same easy shots he gets in the first 3 quarters of the game. However, just about every “clutch” stat on Earth would completely nullify that argument. First of all, LeBron James has hit more “game-winning shots” than anyone in the NBA, having made 17 shots with 24 seconds or less left in the game since the 2003-2004 season. Kobe Bryant has only made 14 such shots, and he shot a worse percentage (25%) than LeBron did (34%) in potential “game-winning” situations.

So I really don’t know what to think of people who argue Kobe is the better player, because they certainly aren’t using stats to make that argument.

But I’ll admit, not even I am all that much of stat-guy. In fact, I’m not a stat-guy at all, I just try to use them for objectivity. So I understand any argument that tries to look at a player subjectively and judge him based on that. Then I still wouldn’t understand any subjective analysis of the Kobe vs. LeBron debate that would result in a Kobe victory.

Everyone is big on the fact that Kobe is the complete player. He can shoot from any spot on the floor, has a post-game, and takes over late in games. However, LeBron is bigger and faster, always demands a double-team, and does more with less than any player in the NBA, Kobe included. So while Kobe may have some of the more noted basketball skills, LeBron’s subjective measures far outweigh the impact of Kobe’s subjective measures in the game of basketball; point-ratios, win-shares and playoff victories back my analysis—but once again, I’m not a stat guy.

Lastly, the final argument is: winning. So many Kobe-backers want to point to Kobe’s 3 rings. How on Earth is using those rings in an argument against LeBron James fair play? Kobe was not the best player on those championship teams. The Los Angeles Lakers did not win those championships because of Kobe Bryant, they won them because of Shaquille O’Neal. Say what you will about Kobe perhaps being the 2nd best player in the NBA at the time, but that doesn’t make any difference when he is riding the coattails of the “ultimate” best player of the time, in Shaquille O’Neal. Do you know how much easier it is to win when you’re playing with Shaq? The man has only missed the playoffs like once in his career. Even Dwyane Wade, who we are not including in this conversation by the way, won a championship with a far less version of Shaq than what Kobe Bryant had.

The fact is, we can’t count those rings on Kobe’s fingers as reason to place him above LeBron James right now. Because Kobe hasn’t won any rings as of late, and the truth is, his play ever since Shaq left L.A. has not been good enough to get his Lakers that championship that would warrant using his 3 rings in an argument against LeBron James.

Ultimately, any argument for Kobe Bryant as the best player in the NBA has to be stopped right here: last year’s NBA Playoffs. When I saw LeBron James take the Boston Celtics to 7 games in the 2nd round of the playoffs, and then saw Kobe Bryant get dusted by the Boston Celtics in the Finals with far better talent around him, I was convinced that LeBron James’ play on the floor had a bigger positive impact on his team’s ability to win than Kobe’s impact had on his team’s ability to win. If someone can refute that, I’d be glad to hear your argument, but I really don’t think such an argument would hold any water because you can’t fight the truth.

The post "Who’s Better? (Part V) LeBron James or Kobe Bryant…" was originally published at TSW.

Down 14 points in the 4th quarter of Game 5, the Boston Celtics seemed destined to take an “L” on their homecourt at TD Banknorth Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. However, a strong effort from veteran, free-agent pickup Stephon Marbury, and a stunning defensive effort as well, resulted in the Boston Celtics going up 3 games to 2 over the Orlando Magic with a 92-88 win in Game 5.

Dwight Howard has seen better days, most notably last series against the Philadelphia 76ers, when he averaged 24 points and 15.8 rebounds per game. In the series against the Celtics, Howard is still getting the rebounds (almost 17 per game), but he is averaging just 16 points—8 fewer than last series. And in Game 5, Howard scored just 12 points and only grabbed 6 rebounds in the final 3 quarters of their loss to the Celtics.

But it’s not necessarily his fault they lost Game 5. Howard shot 50% from the field and stayed out of foul trouble. The problem is, his teammates only got him 10 shots; an utter abomination in a game in which the Celtics are without their best post defender in Kevin Garnett. One has to wonder exactly what head coach Stan Van Gundy is doing over there with this team, because it seems as if he is perfectly content with Howard getting fewer and fewer shots as the NBA Playoffs progress.

As for the Celtics, this was an amazing win. They were facing yet another dreary looking situation in the 4th quarter, but Paul Pierce wouldn’t allow his team to go down without a fight. He scored 19 points, grabbed 9 rebounds and doled out 8 assists. But it was Marbury’s energy off the bench that sparked their 4th quarter run. Marbury scored all 12 of his points in the 4th quarter, propelling a 13 to 0 run with 5:39 left in the game; a run that gave the Celtics a 3-point lead, and eventually the ball game.

The lone disappointment on the Celtics side of the ball came from Ray Allen, who despite hitting a big three-pointer in the 4th quarter, had another subpar game, scoring just 13 points on 3 of 11 shooting. Surprisingly though, a flu-bitten Brian Scalabrine gave the Celtics a much needed 18 minutes off the bench, and he scored 6 points in the process. And Glen “Big Baby” Davis had another playoff shining moment, leading the Celtics in scoring with 22 points while grabbing 7 rebounds, most importantly, the rebound on Orlando’s final free throw of the game.

The Celtics will now travel back to Orlando to try to knock the Magic out of the NBA Playoffs. The Celtics are undefeated in franchise history after going up 3-2 in the playoffs, and given the way things are looking, history will probably be repeating itself.

The post "NBA Playoffs: Celtics Rally to Take Game 5" was originally published at TSW.

Big Baby didn’t just hit a game-winning shot last night, he saved the Boston Celtics season. He also may have ended the Orlando Magic’s season in the process.

The Boston Celtics are the defending NBA Champions until somebody knocks them out of the NBA Playoffs. Orlando had a chance to put the Celtics on the brink of elimination last night, up 1 point with 11 seconds remaining in the game. But the handiwork of Glen “Big Baby” Davis would spoil Orlando’s night, as he hit the game winning jumper off a pick-n-roll with Paul Pierce. Big Baby wasn’t the first option on that play, and he wasn’t even the second. But when the ball came his way, he nailed the 20-something foot jumper with no time remaining, and because of that, the Celtics will head back to Boston with the series tied 2-2.

A 2-2 series is a far cry from a 3-1 series, which is what Orlando was anticipating before Big Baby sent them home with a loss. Obviously, we’ll never know how this series might have unfolded had Davis missed that shot, but most people will agree that this series would have never made it to Game 7 if Orlando got a chance to end the series on the road and then again at home before a Game 7 was even possible. But “hypotheticals” are for writers, not athletes. And with Orlando’s athletes headed to Boston to play an emotional Celtics team, they could be in for a world of hurt in Game 5.

If Orlando loses Game 5 in Boston—hypothetically speaking—they then give the Celtics 2 chances to knock them out of the playoffs, with the latter chance coming in Boston. Needless to say, that is not a position Orlando wants to be in. And it’s a position they wouldn’t be in, had Big Baby not made that shot.

The Magic won’t admit this, but that shot had to do a number on them. Sure, they’ll tell you they bounced back from a similar situation after Thaddeus Young hit a game-winner against them in their first round NBA series with the Philadelphia 76ers. But that was the 76ers. These are the Celtics; a much more experienced team that is more likely to step on their opponents throat when their down than they are to play down to their opponent’s level.

The fact of the matter is, that one shot may have cost the Magic this series. The heartbreak they suffered because of that shot may result in them not being able to win another game. And if they just win 1 more game and lose the series, everyone will point to Game 4 and say they let the series get away. It’s a lose-lose situation—unless of course they can find a way to beat Boston in Boston. They did it earlier in the series, but after suffering an emotional loss at the hands of Big Baby, I find it hard to believe that they can muster up the energy to get the win they need in Boston.

The post "NBA Playoffs: The Shot Heard Around Orlando" was originally published at TSW.

The Houston Rockets really took it to the Lakers on Sunday, winning 99-87 in a more lopsided win than the score gives justice to. They did this with out the services of Yao Ming, Tracy McGrady, and in spite of a poor shooting night from Ron Artest. Now the series is tied at 2 games a piece, leaving me to ask, “Can the Rockets really win this thing?”

I’ll get to my personal prediction later on.

However, there’s more to this question than just predicting a winner. Afterall, the Los Angeles Lakers were supposed to have an automatic route to the NBA Finals. They won the Western Conference by 10 games this season, they beat the Utah Jazz 3-1, and they had the Rockets in the unenviable position of losing Yao Ming for the playoffs after falling behind 2 games to 1 on Friday night.

Now with the series all tied up, Houston has hope. Because not only did they beat the Lakers without Yao Ming, they destroyed them. And it wasn’t a fluke win either. A fluke win would be the result of a lot of improbable shots finding the bottom of the net. Instead, Houston won by doing what works for them best: they played outstanding defense. The same kind of outstanding defense that allowed them to win 22 games in a row last season. They won many of those 22 games without Yao Ming. And at the time, there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that Houston could just about play with anybody, even if they weren’t as talented, because of their ridiculous defensive prowess. And now, replacing Tracy McGrady with Ron Artest, you have an even better defensive team, except you have the “deadly” Aaron Brooks at point guard instead of Rafer Alston.

So if defense really does win championships, why can’t Houston still win this series?

All of the analysts will tell you that Kobe Bryant is going to bounce back with a terrific Game 4 in Los Angeles. Moreover, history would tell you the same thing. You only have to go back to Game 2, where Kobe put up 40 points after struggling in a loss to Houston in Game 1.

But what if Kobe doesn’t have a good game? As good as Kobe is, the fact of the matter is, he relies on his shot a whole lot, unless he is getting to foul line. Take Game 3 for example. He shot just 7 of 17 from the field, was only 1 of 4 from the 3-point line, and Kobe did not shoot a free throw all night long. Ultimately, he ended up scoring just 15 points on 17 shots.

If Houston can manage to make Kobe Bryant a jump shooter and keep him away from the foul line, I see no reason why they can’t have a repeat performance of Game 4. And I know that making him a jump shooter and keeping him away from the line may seem like a difficult task to do 2 times in a row, but given the abilities of Shane Battier and Ron Artest, I don’t see why they can’t do it. It’s not as if Kobe’s shot hasn’t left him in playoff series before. Just last year, in his MVP season, Kobe couldn’t buy a bucket against the Boston Celtics in the latter games of that series. And we all remember some of his woeful outings against the Phoenix Suns in 2006 and 2007. So it’s not as if Kobe is infallible in the playoffs.

That being said, a couple of poor outings by Kobe Bryant is the only way the Rockets manage to win this series. So in making my NBA prediction, the question I have to ask myself is, whether Kobe will have good shooting nights in 2 of the next 3 games against the Rockets?

In my honest opinion, I don’t think he will. But Kobe will probably find a way to get to the free throw line, and ultimately that should be enough for the Lakers to win this series, 4 games to 3. However, if the Rockets manage to keep Kobe away from the free throw line in 2 of the next 3 games, I’ll have no problem admitting I was wrong.

The post "NBA Playoffs: Can Houston Really Win this Thing?" was originally published at TSW.

Ever since the whole Tim Donaghy debacle, the NBA has been very transparent in terms of their officiating. So in cases where the NBA determines that the referees have erred, they have beaten the press to the punch, usually releasing their own statement acknowledging that a crew made a bad call (or non-call). However, in some cases, such as yesterday afternoon’s Game 3 between Dallas and Denver, the lack of a call deserves much more than just an apologetic admittance of fault.

If you didn’t see it, check it out. In Denver’s 106-105 win, Carmelo Anthony hit the Nuggets’ go-ahead 3-pointer with just 2 seconds left in the game. However, prior to Anthony’s shot, a Dallas Maverick defender committed an intentional foul (because the Mavericks had a foul to give), but the referee failed to make the call, the defender stopped, and Anthony proceeded to drain the 3-pointer.

That is 100% unacceptable on the part of the NBA referees. To not make a foul call when a player is committing one on purpose has to be perhaps the most egregious error an NBA referee can commit. Before I totally bash on the referees, let me give Dallas some of the blame. Now I don’t know if they did speak to the referees about their intentions prior to the aforementioned play, but my guess is that they didn’t, and that is a completely egregious move on their part. Telling the referees what they were going to do would have assured that the referees would make that call, because they would have been looking for the very contact that was committed. And if the Mavericks are going to argue that talking to the referees at that point is going to tip-off the Nuggets, that’s absurd as well. Because with a foul to give, I’m sure the Nuggets knew Dallas’s intentions.

But I digress, because I certainly don’t want to put the blame on a non-call on the team itself. It is the referee’s job to make calls, and they didn’t do that for the Mavericks yesterday afternoon. Which is actually kind of ironic, because they made 61 foul calls in the 47 minutes and 58 seconds prior to that, but swallowed the whistle on the 62nd foul in the last 2 seconds.

The Mavericks have every right to be upset. The lack of a foul call disrupted the integrity of the last several seconds of the game, and that might have just cost the Mavericks a shot at making a series out of their matchup with the Nuggets. Now the series stands at 3-0, leaving the Mavs with virtually no chance of advancing to the next round. An admittance of wrongdoing by the NBA cannot fix that. The referees had a very real hand in the termination of the Mavericks season, and there’s nothing that a press release can do about it.

If the NBA really wants to fix the problem, they need to make it right and re-“play” the final few seconds of that game. I know that sounds ludicrous and absurd, but there’s no doubt that that is the right thing to do. It is a shame that this solution was not used immediately following the replay of Melo’s big 3-pointer, but it’s not as if we don’t have the ability to fix this problem. I know it’s a day late and a dollar short, but this solution makes every bit of sense. It doesn’t hurt the game, the players, or the integrity of the NBA Playoffs. What it does is correct wrongdoing, and I don’t understand what’s wrong with that.

The post "NBA Playoffs: Non-Call Cost Mavericks Game…And Season" was originally published at TSW.

The 2008-2009 All-Defensive team was announced this week, and while obvious players like Dwight Howard and Kevin Garnett made the squad, there was one very surprising face next to one long-time, perhaps overrated, all-time defender.

Along with Howard and Garnett, Chris Paul represented the point guard position on the 1st All-Defensive Team, after solidifying his position as one of the NBA’s top thieves this season. So what two defenders occupied the wing positions on the All-Defensive Team?

Well, the not so surprising designee is Kobe Bryant. Kobe is a great one-on-one defender, and it’s hard to even recall if anyone in the NBA has ever torched Kobe Bryant throughout the course of one-game—or even a few minutes. However, that might be hard to remember because he rarely guards the opposing team’s best player, often saving himself for the offensive end of the floor and avoiding racking up foul calls that could limit his minutes. Yet, it is the coaches who elect the All-Defensive Team, and if they view him as one of the top 2 wing defenders in the league, then there is merit to his place on this team. However, personally, for a person who rarely guards the other team’s best player, who doesn’t play well-enough team defense to warrant a spot on this team from that alone, I just don’t agree with the fact that Kobe Bryant is one of the top 5 defenders in the NBA.

As for the surprising 1st Team All-American choice, that spot goes to LeBron James. Yes, this year’s MVP is also one of the top 5 defenders in the league. He made a personal decision to up his game on defense and to challenge himself to be as good on that end of the floor as he is on the offensive end of the floor.

LeBron did guard the best players on other teams, and he was quite successful in doing so. Some of his notable efforts came against Paul Pierce, Joe Johnson and Andre Iguoudala. Clearly, his rebounding was top-notch this season. He had the 3rd highest defensive rebound rate amongst Small Forwards, and he currently has the 9th best overall defensive rebound rate in the playoffs. Add to that the fact that LeBron James amassed a career high in blocks, a career high in defensive rebounds, and his team finished 1st in the fewest points allowed category, and you have, in my opinion, found one of the best defensive players in the NBA.

But let me reiterate, this was and is a surprise. By no means did anyone expect LeBron James to become an all-league performer on the defensive end of the floor, in only his 6th season in the NBA. With that now being the case, and with him having established himself as the Most Valuable offensive player in the NBA, perhaps the only question is for how long will LeBron James remain at the top of the mountain? Worse yet, how much further ahead of everyone else is he?

I don’t know the answer, but I can bet that we won’t find out for many years to come.

The post "NBA All-Defensive Team Surprises" was originally published at TSW.

Last night did nothing but prove that the inevitable will eventually come to fruition, as LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers will be the Eastern Conference Champions. The last two nights of NBA Playoff basketball have proven that.

I know, beating the Atlanta Hawks (as the Cavs did 99-72 last night) is not exactly the measure of true greatness in this league, but they didn’t just beat them, they locked them down. With the game still somewhat in tow, the Cavs held the Hawks to just 11 points in the 4th quarter, sealing a Game 1 victory, and killing any momentum the Hawks carried over from their 1st round series victory over Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat.

However, the realization that the Cavs will win the Eastern Conference wasn’t about last night, it was about the night before, where we saw the 2nd and 3rd best teams in the Eastern Conference prove why they cannot beat the Cavs.

In a game in which the hapless, poorly-executed Orlando Magic offense managed to jump out to a 20+ point lead, they (as usual) allowed their opponents, this time the Boston Celtics, to come nearly all the way back and threaten to win the game. As a result, both teams came out of that game looking equally unimpressive and incredibly unfocused. Call it fatigue, being on the road, youth, or whatever you want to, but whatever it is, the Cleveland Cavaliers don’t have it.

And that’s why after the Cavs are done destroying the Atlanta Hawks, in however many games it takes them to do that, they will easily destroy either the Magic or the Celtics. Nothing short of Dwight Howard turning into Patrick Ewing or Kevin Garnett suiting up could change the fate of Cleveland, which is a trip to the NBA Finals—a trip solidified by the reality of their own superiority amongst a weak Eastern field.

The post "NBA Playoffs: Cavs in Route to Winning the East" was originally published at TSW.

The Houston Rockets took Game 1 from Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers, 100-92. While most NBA analysts would tell you that this is not something to be concerned about, I’ve got a different piece of advice for you: the Lakers are in deep trouble.

The Rockets win was not a big deal because they won. Anyone that thought that the Lakers would sweep the Rockets was fooling themselves, and anyone that thought that the Rockets would just wither away in the presence of Kobe is just a fool. The thing that should make Lakers fans worry is not that the Rockets won, but that they won at their own pace.

The Lakers finished 6th during the NBA’s regular season in terms of “Pace,” which measures the number of possessions a team typically has in a 48-minute game. The Lakers averaged a pace factor of 96.9. And so far, they lead the entire playoffs in pace, with a pace factor of 96.1. But last night, they were not a team that appeared to play with the fastest pace in the NBA Playoffs. I don’t have their possession usage numbers available yet, but I would venture to say, that regardless of their actual pace/possession numbers, they did not play the game at the tempo they would have liked to last night against the Rockets.

First of all, anytime Yao Ming is allowed to get 17 shot attempts and 10 free throw attempts, the game is not going at a fast pace. But the Lakers opted to play behind Yao Ming in the post, ultimately slowing the game down to a screeching halt, as Yao operated and did his thing in the post.

Secondly, with the type of defense the Rockets were putting on Kobe, the Lakers could not move the ball and play at the pace they wanted to. With Shane Battier shadowing Kobe all over the floor, and with Luis Scola and Ron Artest providing perfect help defense, Kobe had to hold the ball a lot longer than he would have liked to, which resulted in the rest of his teammates becoming stagnant, thereby ruining the team’s offensive tempo.

If the Lakers continue to let the Rockets control the pace of the game, they may be in line for a very long series. To get the pace back in their favor, the Lakers might have to opt to front Yao Ming (something Phil Jackson doesn’t tend to do in the post), and they will have to run more quick sets for Kobe, which was about the only thing they did on offense with any type of consistency. They do those two things, and they should be able to push the ball more and force the Rockets to scramble on offense. If they can’t manage to do those things and create a more up-tempo game, I see no reason why the cannot Rockets take a shot at knocking off the Lakers.

The post "NBA Playoffs: Rockets beat Lakers, 100-92" was originally published at TSW.

Chicago Bulls fans have now seen the light. After winning Game 1 in their series with the Boston Celtics, the Bulls have seen Boston take over the series with a 2-1 lead after the Celtics won in Chicago last night. And while many Bulls fans out there might still be of the belief that this series could easily be 2-1 right now, the fact of the matter is that it could be 3-0 just as easily.

The free throw that altered a series.

When Paul Pierce missed the go-ahead free-throw in the final seconds of Game 1 against the Bulls, that sent the game into overtime, allowing the #7 seeded Bulls to come through with the upset victory. But if Pierce makes that free throw, ultimately the Celtics win that game, the Bulls confidence is diminished, and should Games 2 and 3 go in Boston’s favor as they have, we’re sitting here talking about the Bulls’ inevitable series loss.

But that didn’t happen, and now it has given Bulls fans false hope. Well, let me and last night’s victory take that hope right out of you Bulls fans: this series is over!

God bless, Derrick Rose’s efforts in Game 1, but he has been a fraction of the player we saw ever since then. Last night, in the Celtics 107-86 win over the Bulls in Game 3, Rose had just 9 points, 2 assists, and 7 turnovers. Far from the record-setting 36 points he scored last Saturday. Ben Gordon also came back to Earth, scoring just 15 points on 5 of 13 shooting, making just one of his 4 3-point attempts.

The difference in this game was the Celtics defense. As good as their offense was with both Pierce and Ray Allen combining for 42 points, their defense was even better. The Chicago Bulls shot just 37.5% from the field and committed 22 turnovers. The Celtics also had 10 blocked shots and 16 steals. That type of stifling defense was enough to put the upstart Bulls back in their place.

The Bulls are facing a must win in Game 4, as going down 3 games 1 puts them in the dubious position of having to in win 3 games in a row, something the Bulls haven’t done against +.500 teams all-season long.

The post "NBA Playoffs: Celtics Beat Bulls 107-86, Up 2-1 in Series" was originally published at TSW.

It was a simple mission by the start of the 4th quarter. The game was tied at 72, so the only objective left for either team was to win the 4th quarter. The Portland Blazers did just that, beating the Houston Rockets 35-31 in the 4th, and 107-103 overall to knot up their NBA playoff series at 1 game a piece.

To say the Blazers won it though is a complete misrepresentation of the facts. The Blazers, powered by Brandon Roy’s 42 points, won this game over the Houston Rockets. Roy was just sensational. Along with his 42 points, he went 15 of 27 from the field and grabbed 7 rebounds. He essentially took this game over and carried his team to victory, all while proving he has the makings of an elite NBA basketball player.

Roy had some help though. LaMarcus Aldridge poured in 27 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and rejected 3 shot attempts. Steve Blake came through with 10 points and 5 assists. While Rudy Fernandez pitched in with 11 points.

Houston’s loss was prompted by Yao Ming’s inability to get shots. Ming had just 6 attempts last night, after going 9 of 9 in blowing out Portland in Game 1. If Houston wants to win this series, they will have to force the ball into their big man more, and repost him when he gets double-teamed, because he is unquestionably their best option.

Ron Artest also had an off night, both with and without the ball. He only shot a meager 8 of 20 from the field and a horrible 1 of 8 from 3-point land. And on the defensive end, there was nothing Artest did that slowed down Brandon Roy’s tremendous night.

The lone bright spots for the Rockets came from Aaron Brooks, who scored 23 points and had 5 assists, and Von Waffer who came off the bench to score 21 points.

Portland ultimately won this game because of Roy’s 42 points and his clutch 3-pointes. The Blazers also had just 5 turnovers last night, and they shot 51.4% from the field.

Now the series heads back to Houston for Game 3. Houston has to be feeling like they let this one get away and that home court advantage will give them the edge they need to take the series lead back. As for Portland, they at least now know that they can win in the playoffs, but they can’t realistically expect Brandon Roy to go 42 points for the rest of the series.

The post "NBA Playoffs: Blazers Beat Rockets in 4th, As Roy Nets 42 Points" was originally published at TSW.

Dwight Howard is expected to be named the NBA’s 2009 Defensive Player of the Year. At 23 years and 128 days old, he will become the youngest player ever to be named Defensive MVP. But if he wants to beat the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, he’ll have to play like an MVP.

Leading the league in blocks (2.92 BPG), rebounds (16.0 RPG), and finishing second in rebound rate (21.8%), made Howard the obvious choice for this year’s Defensive MVP award. Now, I will be the first person to tell you that defense wins championships, and I will continue to stand by that. But in this game we call basketball, if you don’t put the ball in the hole with some sort of efficiency, than you won’t win in the playoffs. And that’s the problem the Orlando Magic face against the 76ers.

Dwight had an incredibly efficient Game 1 against the 76ers, a game which the Orlando Magic eventually lost, 100-98. He scored 31 points, grabbed 16 rebounds and had 2 blocks. But it wasn’t enough. The Magic relinquished an 18-point lead and a 14-point 4th quarter lead. However, it’s not as if Howard didn’t do all he could. He shot 11 of 13 from the field for a ridiculous 84.6%, and he finished with a Player Efficiency Rating of 43.01.

So what can he do more to make sure the Magic win Game 2 and this playoff series?

He needs not only to be a Defensive MVP, but he needs to be an MVP!

What do I mean by that? It’s simple. Be the guy the team turns to when they need to win.

All of this talk about how it’s scary to go to him sometimes because of his woes at the free throw line is ridiculous. That didn’t stop the Lakers and Heat from going to Shaq all those years, and they seemed to ride out his free throw woes quite nicely.

However, Howard can’t just be given the ball. He must demand it, like all MVPs do. When LeBron James wins the MVP trophy this year, it won’t be a coincidence that he is the go-to guy on the Cleveland Cavaliers. When Kobe Bryant won the MVP last year, he was and remains the go-to guy for Los Angeles Lakers. And both of those teams win games in the playoffs, and trust me, it’s not a coincidence.

But Howard doesn’t demand the ball, and he is not the go-to guy. If LeBron James or Kobe Bryant is shooting 84% from the field, believe me, no one else on the floor is ever going to even know what a basketball feels like for the next 48 minutes. But even with Howard making shots at that ridiculous rate, he managed only 13 shots for the game. Unbelievable! That would never happen to LeBron, Kobe, or any MVP candidate.

And no team, not even the #3 seed Orlando Magic, will win games in the playoffs with the kind of decision-making that results in their team’s best player shooting 84% only to finish the game with just 13 shots. If Shaq ended a game with 13 shots while shooting 9%, he might have thrown Brian Shaw into the 5th row after the game.

So if the Magic want to beat the 76ers, their Defensive MVP needs to turn into an MVP right now. He needs to demand the ball, and when he doesn’t get it, he needs to let people know about it. I don’t want to agree with the idea that Howard is “having too much fun” playing basketball, but if he ends this Game 2 with just 13 shots and some innocuous member of the Magic isn’t thrown 96 feet (or at least yelled at), then I might have to join the nit-picking bandwagon.

The post "Dwight Howard is the Defensive MVP…But he needs an MVP to beat Philly" was originally published at TSW.

What’s the one word you would use to describe the San Antonio Spurs?

How about resilient?

Because that’s what the Spurs are, and they proved it against the Dallas Mavericks last night, winning in grand fashion, 105-84.

Yesterday, I suggested that Tim Duncan would have to have a superior scoring game, and yet the Spurs won by 21 points with Duncan scoring just 13 points. However, the perennial NBA All-Defense player was dominant on the defensive side of the ball, rendering the Dallas Maverick front line to just 14 points from Dirk Nowitzki, and a mere 7 and 9 points from Josh Howard and Erick Dampier, respectively.

The star of the show was San Antonio point guard Tony Parker. He was dominant in all phases of the game. He scored 38 points, handed out 8 assists and still managed to grab 4 rebounds and 2 steals. Parker shot 16 of 22 from the field, many of them layups, as Jason Kidd just couldn’t stay in front of Parker to save his life.

For the Mavericks, Jason Terry looked good once again, but it was far from his big game on Saturday. He scored 16 points, which led all Mavericks, but he did virtually nothing else outside of that. And Dirk’s 14 points were horrible, going just 3 of 14 from the field and 0 for 4 from 3-point land.

The Mavericks were probably undone, not by Parker’s 38 points, but by the tremendous bench production from the Spurs. Matt Bonner knocked down 3 three-pointers and grabbed 7 rebounds. Drew Gooden, who the Mavs refused to double-team, scored 13 points on 6 of 9 shooting. And Bruce Bowen even chipped in with 7 points and his usual stellar defense.

With the series tied, the Spurs head to Dallas to try to steal one game from the Mavericks so that they can regain home court advantage. Should make for a very good game, as both Nowitzki and Duncan are looking to rebound from a less than stellar scoring performances in Game 2.

The post "NBA Playoffs: Spurs Lap Mavericks, 105-84" was originally published at TSW.

That was playoff basketball. And if you missed the Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls face off in Game 2 of their series last night, you missed what was probably the best game of the NBA Playoffs thus far.

Don’t be fooled by the highlights! Those weren’t cut ups. Those were back-to-back plays you were looking at in the 4th quarter. In what has to be considered one of the most prolific duels in recent NBA history, Ray Allen and Ben Gordon put on a show.

Gordon finished the game with a game-high 42 points, shooting 14 of 24 from the field and hitting 6 of his 11 3-point attempts. To put it simple; the man couldn’t miss. He was hitting jumper after jumper, and in the 4th quarter, even as the Celtics double-teamed him, he continued to hit jumper after jumper. His most critical bucket came with just under 25 seconds, as he dribbled the ball from the wing to the top of the key, and he hit a game-tying 2-pointer that locked the Celtics and Bulls up at 115-115.

But Ray Allen wouldn’t be denied. Allen scored 28 of his 30 points in the 2nd half of the game, and just like Gordon, he couldn’t miss in the 4th quarter. Allen hit 6 3-pointers on just 10 attempts, on top of racking up 5 assists. But it was Allen’s late buckets that made him the player of the game. With the Celtics down 113-112, Ray Allen hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with just 25 seconds remaining. After Gordon’s aforementioned shot to knot it up at 115, Allen came back and hit a fade-away 3-pointer in his defender’s face to put the Celtics up 118-115, which would end up being the final score.

Derrick Rose followed his spectacular Game 1 performance with a 10-point, 6-rebound and 7 assists stat line. But this time Rajon Rondo would get the better of Rose, going for a triple-double, with 19 points, 12 rebounds and 16 assists. Just a cold-blooded game for the 3rd year point guard out of Kentucky.

Glen “Big Baby” Davis also scored 26 points, while his frontcourt counterpart, Kendrick Perkins, scored 16 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. Paul Pierce was held to just 18 points on 8 of 19 shooting.

The Celtics successfully salvaged a split of the series, tying it up at 1-1 as they travel to Chicago to face to the Bulls on their homecourt. They will need the rest, as both Leon Powe and Rajon Rondo suffered minor injuries during last night’s playoff contest.

The post "NBA Playoffs: Boston Celtics Beat Chicago Bulls, 118-115" was originally published at TSW.

Two really big NBA Playoff games are about to go down tonight. In each of tonight’s games, the teams that started with home court advantage find themselves trying to just salvage a split. Let’s take a look at what the Boston Celtics and San Antonio Spurs can do to avoid going down 0-2 on their home floors.

Chicago Bulls at Boston Celtics
You have to give Derrick Rose huge ups for what he accomplished this past Saturday. To put up those kinds of numbers, against a team known for its defense is ridiculous. He literally went toe-to-toe with Rajon Rondo, who is a great defender, and put up 36 points and 11 assists to lead the Bulls to the opening victory in this series.

But don’t expect that to continue—at least not the Bulls winning part. While Rose may very well step up and have another big game, it’s unlikely that both Paul Pierce and Ray Allen will be as inefficient as they were last Saturday. Neither one of them had their shot going, with Allen going 1 of 10 for the game. Expect those shooting numbers to improve, because they can’t get much worse.

However, the difference in this game is going to be on the defensive end for the Celtics. Expect them to do their best to shut down Tyrus Thomas and Ben Gordon. They really don’t have an answer for Rose, but those two are streaky players who they can limit if they need to. So when Gordon is rolling off screens and picks, expect the Celtics to run him off the 3-point shot or make him pass the ball, so that he can’t have a repeat performance of Saturday’s game. As for Thomas, the Celtics simply have to respect his ability to make the outside shot. He killed them with his medium-range jumper in Game 1, so now the Celtics will have to step out and make him put the ball on the floor.

It’s a simple formula. If the Celtics want to win tonight, they need to play defense. The offense should come, as Chicago did not show much resistance in Game 1. However, the defensive effort from the Celtics has to reemerge in Game 2 if the Celtics want to salvage a split before the series shifts to Chicago.

Dallas Mavericks at San Antonio Spurs
Oh how the mighty have fallen! The Spurs are down 0-1 to the Mavericks, a team that they have routinely beaten over the past decade. And if the Spurs want any chance at winning this series, they have to get more from Tim Duncan.

Sure, 19 points and 15 rebounds is good for just about any big man in the NBA. In fact, I think it’s hard to find a big man in the league who we would criticize for putting up those kinds of numbers. But Tim Duncan is not one of those big men. He has to give the Spurs more than that on offense. Sure, he showed up late in the game when the team was struggling, however, he can’t afford to sit back for 20 or 25 minutes a game and take over late in games. He could afford to do that when Manu was in there putting up 25 points a game, but with him out, Duncan has to be more committed to his offense and less committed to spreading the ball around.

As for the rest of the Spurs, it’s really important that they stop Jason Terry on defense. Unfortunately, the Spurs really don’t have anyone that can defend him. But they’ll have to find someone to do it, because if Terry is going to average 29 points and 6 assists for the rest of this series, it’s not going to be a very long series.

At the end of the day, the Mavericks are going to beat the Spurs in Round 1 of the NBA Playoffs. Dirk Nowitzki has always been a problem for the Spurs, and with both Terry and Josh Howard playing at this level, the Spurs have no counter for the type of production the Mavs are getting from their wing players.

The post "NBA Playoffs Preview: April 20, 2009" was originally published at TSW.

The Los Angeles Lakers are not playing around with the Utah Jazz. Say what you will (as I did on SportsWatchers TV), but the Utah Jazz just can’t hang with this team, as their 113-100 drubbing yesterday demonstrated.

Don’t fall for the score, this was not a 13-point game. The Lakers went into halftime with a 22-point lead and they never looked backed.

The Jazz just looked soft. For a team full of big men known for playing tough, such as Paul Millsap, Carlos Boozer and Andre Kirilenko, they didn’t look it. They were easily dismantled by Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom and Trevor Ariza in the paint. Those 3 players alone combined for 54 points and 21 rebounds.

But of course Kobe Bryant was the star of the show. After getting his teammates involved early in the game, Bryant went on a roll, scoring 24 points to go with his 8 assists and 4 rebounds. He broke down the Jazz defense with relative ease, picking his spots to taker the game over whenever the Jazz tried to make a run.

Ultimately, the Jazz had a lot to do with their own undoing. They ruined a dominate day on the glass, in which they grabbed 20 offensive rebounds, by shooting a horrible 39.1% from the field. They also went cold from 3-point land, making just 3 of their 13 attempts.

It looks as if the Lakers did not win the Western Conference by 11 games for no reason. They aren’t going to mess around with the Utah Jazz in this opening round of the NBA Playoffs. They appear to be focused, alert and attentive, and they won’t allow an inconsistent team like Utah to throw them off their path to the NBA Finals.

The post "NBA Playoffs: Los Angeles Lakers Beatdown the Jazz" was originally published at TSW.

Andre Iguodala did it again. After a season of losing close games at the buzzer, the #6 seed Philadelphia 76ers got another rare last second win last night. Only this time, it was in the playoffs and to take game 1 of their series against the #2 seed Orlando Magic.

It was a scene the 76ers have seen all season. A close game. Seconds remaining, and both them and the other team will get a last second shot to make a difference in the game. The 76ers have lost a lot of games in that situation, but not on this night. In similar fashion to Iguodala’s game-winning 3-pointer against the Lakers on March 17th, Iguodala hit a fade away 18-footer to knock of the Magic in Game 1, 100-98.

Iguodala finished with 20 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists, filling up the stat sheet as he usually does. Lou Williams gave a big effort off the bench, pouring in 18 points, while hitting all 3 of his 3-point attempts. And Andre Miller also approached a triple-double, scoring 15 points to go with 7 rebounds and 7 assists.

For Orlando, this was heart-breaking loss. First of all, they got 31 points and 16 rebounds from their start Dwight Howard, who also managed to stay out of foul trouble and shoot 9 of 12 from the free throw line. On top of that, the Magic were up 17 points in the 3rd quarter.

Obviously, it was Orlando’s lack of defense that allowed them to surrender the lead. They gave up 35 points in the 4th quarter, which was 16 more point than they gave up in the 2nd and 3rd quarters. The Magic were also victims of the 3-point line, making just 5 out of their 18 three-point attempts, going 27.8% on the day.

The 76ers now have homecourt advantage, as the Magic have to beat them in Philadelphia if they want to win this playoff series. However, the Magic have beaten the 76ers in Philadelphia on both of their trips to the City of Brotherly Love.

The post "NBA Playoffs: Andre Iguodala Hits Game-Winner To Propel 76ers over Magic, 100-98" was originally published at TSW.

LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers knocked off the Detroit Pistons in Game 1 of their NBA Playoff series by a score of 102-84. If you’re surprised by that, where have you been?

In a matchup of the #1 vs. #8 seed, we got just what we expected, a blowout. The Pistons put up very little effort in their loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. LeBron put up 26 points in the first half alone, getting to the basket with relative ease against a Detroit Pistons team once known for its defense.

But that Pistons team is gone—long gone. With the departure of Chauncey Billups and the arrival of Allen Iverson, the Pistons team that had made the Eastern Conference Finals 6 teams a row was dead. Now there are just bits and pieces of a once proud team, that has already seen its better days.

King James finished with 38 points on 13 of 20 shooting, and he grabbed 8 rebounds while dealing out 7 assists. James also went 11 of 14 from the charity stripe and committed no turnovers.

James got help from Zydrunas Ilgauskas who had a double-double with 12 and 10. Delonte West had 12 points, 5 assists and 5 rebounds. And Jose Smith came in off the bench to score 13 points and finish 2nd on the team in points for the day.

The Cavs will face Detroit again on Tuesday, in Cleveland. I don’t think we’ll see a different result though, as Detroit appears to have already packed their bags for their summer vacation.

The post "NBA Playoffs: LeBron & Cavs Blowout Pistons in Game 1" was originally published at TSW.

The Bulls pulled off what most would consider a miracle. Despite the Boston Celtics being without Kevin Garnett, many people thought that with homecourt advantage, they would do away with the Bulls in 5 games—6 games at most. Well, Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls had something to say about that. In Game 1 of their series with the Boston Celtics, the Bulls pulled of the upset win in overtime by a score of 105-103.

The Bulls had no answer for Rajon Rondo. In Kevin Garnett’s absence, Rondo stepped up with the best playoff performance of his young career. He had an electrifying 29 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists. Unfortunately for the Celtics, he was the only player on Boston who was at least decently efficient. Pierce scored 23 points, but that was off 8 of 21 shooting from the field. And Ray Allen only managed 4 points, making just 1 of his 12 field goal attempts, including going 0 of 6 from three-point land. But while the Bulls had no answer for Rondo, the Celtics had no answer for Rose.

Rose went for 36 points, 11 assists, and 4 rebounds. His 36 points in his first playoff game tied a playoff record for rookies. That means his first playoff game as a rookie was better than Tim Duncan’s 32, Wilt Chamberlain’s 35 and it tied Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s 36. That’s the kind of company Rose is now in.

However, he was more than just a numbers producer in this game. He was a fearless finisher. Everytime the Celtics got close, tied it up, or pulled ahead, Rose made a big play, usually by willing his way to the rim and finishing over whoever was in his way. He made several big buckets down the stretch, and his free-throw shooting was also instrumental, as he shook off the effects of last year’s NCAA Championship woes, making all 12 of his free throw attempts.

As good as Rose was, the Bulls needed more than him to beat the defending NBA champions on their homecourt, and he got all the help he needed. Ben Gordon, despite having a slow start, finished with 20 points and scored 12 points in the 4th quarter. And Tyrus Thomas hit big shot after big shot in the 4th quarter and overtime. He truly showed his range, hitting jumps from all over the court, until he eventually shot Celtics to their first loss of the playoffs.

Now the Bulls are dealt the unenviable hand of dealing with a Celtics team with revenge on their mind. One has to wonder though, just how many players in the Boston locker room are thinking about the absence of Kevin Garnett and whether or not they can win a game without him. I guess we’ll get the answer in Game 2, when these two teams face off on Monday. But for now, the Bulls hold a 1-0 advantage and are looking like a young team on a mission.

The post "NBA Playoffs: Bulls Take Game 1 from Celtics in Overtime, 105-103" was originally published at TSW.

Does Dwight Howard have too much fun?

Of course not!

I find it funny how often people think of professional sports, as the end all, be all, to some grand entity. The fact is, sports are about fun. It is about the journey and not the destination. Now you may call me some kind of loser for saying that, but that is certainly not the case. I am as competitive as they come, and I love to win. But when it comes to sports, it’s all about having fun for me. And if I’m not having fun, I would rather not play.

Which brings me back to Dwight Howard, the center for the Orlando Magic, who is set to embark on his first trip to the playoffs as one of the favorites to win it all. It recently came out in Sports Illustrated that the Orlando Magic general manager wonders whether Dwight Howard is having too much fun playing basketball?

Afterall, who wants to have fun playing basketball?

I know they say there is no such thing as a stupid question, but that is about as close as you can get. To even fathom the idea that Howard’s smiling, enjoyment of the game, and wonderful personality are getting in the way of his winning is preposterous. Fun and winning are not mutually exclusive. They can happen at the same time. In fact, one of them often leads to the other.

Have you ever heard of Shaquille O’Neal? He likes to have fun. In fact, as one of the most dominant big men in the history of the NBA, Shaq is currently in the middle of a prank war with one of his Phoenix teammates. And Shaq has been involved in a lot of silliness, buffoonery and chatter throughout his career. However, none of that has ever gotten in the way of what he does between the whistles. He has punished his opponents on the glass, blocked shots with ferocity, and has dunked on people’s heads like no other player in the history of the game.

And Dwight Howard isn’t any different. Okay, he seems to have a little less of an attitude compared to Shaq, who evidently has soft skin when it comes to being the brunt of the joke. But maybe Howard’s lack of an attitude is just the result of not caring about what other people say. Surely, his attitude doesn’t seem to be affecting his game at all. He is averaging 20.6 PPG, most of those involve dunks on top of players’ heads, including big men who “don’t have fun.” He is also the best rebounder in the league, and if he continues boarding at this rate, he will finish as the 3rd most dominant rebounder of all-time, with a rebound-rate of 20.51%.

So shut up Magic GM, whose name I won’t even bother to mention! Your opinion on Howard shows just how overly analytical sports executives are becoming, as they search for something to do to fill the void of their otherwise time-insensitive jobs.

The post "Dwight Howard Having Too Much Fun? Brotha Please!" was originally published at TSW.

The Lakers are going to win the Western Conference by 10 games this season. Which leads to one question and one question only…Can anybody in the Western Conference knock off the Lakers?

The post "SportsWatchers TV: NBA Playoffs Preview: Can Anyone Beat the Lakers?" was originally published at TSW.

There’s nothing like a good old #4 vs. #5 matchup. And the best 4-5 contest will probably be in the Western Conference where the Hawks and Miami will face off. Here is Uzo’s “official” NBA Playoff Prediction for the winner of this series.

The post "SportsWatchers TV: NBA Playoff Predictions: Miami Heat vs. Atlanta Hawks" was originally published at TSW.

With all of the talk about who is this year’s MVP of basketball, Uzo decided to put all of the debate to rest.

The post "SportsWatchers TV: NBA MVP" was originally published at TSW.

I respect the Boston Celtics a whole lot. As many of you remember, I was really down on them throughout last year, but in the end, they proved me wrong. They were indeed the best team in the NBA last year. But that ain’t the case this year, and the NBA Playoffs will prove me right.

The Boston Celtics definitely are not the defensive team they were last year. Now the numbers would be misleading, because Kevin Garnett has not played most of the season. However, even with a healthy KG, they won’t be the same without a P.J. Brown in the post or a James Posey on the wing. The absence of those two puts this team’s defensive stronghold on the back-burner.

Offensively, sure, they could overcome a healthy Kevin Garnett. But if KG is not going to be 100%, then Ray Allen can’t do what he did in the first 2.5 rounds of last year, which was not show up. Allen was virtually useless for the first 17 playoff games of Boston’s 2008 NBA Finals run. If he gets off to a slow start this year, without KG capable of being a go-to guy, there is no way they can be effective offensively.

Of course, some may disagree with me on that point, pointing to Rajon Rondo’s offensive growth this season. However, I don’t really see Rondo making that much of a difference on the offensive end—at least not as a scorer. Rondo has definitely become more of playmaking threat, but if the Celtics are going to be dependent on his 31% mark from three-point land or his 65% free-throw shooting, they are going to be in for a very short playoff trip.

So what’s my take on the Celtics? Even without KG, they should beat the 7th seed in the Eastern Conference. But I wouldn’t be surprised if it was a close series. Afterall, Philadelphia and Chicago are very good and explosive teams, and I don’t see why they wouldn’t give the Celtics a fight—albeit, one that the Celtics would ultimately win. That being said, the Celtics are very vulnerable in the next two rounds. In the 2nd round, where they are likely to face Orlando, I foresee a tight series. Orlando got the better of the Celtics on 2 out of 4 chances this season, so they have the confidence to beat them. And if the usually spirited KG is not himself, Orlando’s self-assurance might be enough to undo the Celtics.

But let’s assume they get by the Magic. There is no way I can predict them beating the Cavs. The way Cleveland is playing, and given the way they played Boston last year, I don’t see how they could go down to a team that won’t be as strong as they were last year.

Ultimately, my prediction is that Boston will fizzle out against Cleveland, probably going down 4 games to 2. A healthy KG might change my mind on that, but all signs point to him not being 100% in this year’s playoffs.

The post "NBA Playoffs Prediction: Boston Celtics Won’t Return to NBA Finals" was originally published at TSW.

I know. I know. The Rookie of the Year in everybody’s mind is Derrick Rose. And while I agree that Rose is probably going to be the best player going forward. He doesn’t quite get me my nod for the NBA’s Rookie of the Year.

I considered Brooke Lopez. He has had a pretty good season this year. In just 30 minutes per game he has managed to average 13.1 PPG, 8.1 RPG and 1.8 BPG. He also is 4th in the rookie player efficiency ratings, with a PER of 18.06. Not a bad year for a rookie.

I also thought about going with O.J. Mayo who is putting up a staggering 18.4 PPG while dealing a respectable 3.2 assists per contest. He is also shooting a surprising 38% from 3-point land, while posting a respectable 54% true-shooting percentage.

But ultimately, it comes down to two players for me. One of those obviously being Derrick Rose. Rose is probably the most successful of the top rookies, because he and his Chicago Bulls are headed for the playoffs—most likely as the 6th seed. He also has averaged 16.8 PPG, 6.3 APG and is also pulling down 4.0 RPG. He is the complete player at the point guard, and his rookie season seems very reminiscent of Dwyane Wade’s in Miami.

However, I don’t think Rose is the rookie of the year. While I’m certain he is the favorite to win it, I think the reasons are confounded. To give a rookie the ROY award because his team made the playoffs is ridiculous. Especially when we all know that Rose got drafted to a better team than just about any other team in the lottery last year. That said, my pick for Rookie of the Year is Kevin Love.

Not many people though Love would succeed in the NBA, but he certainly has proved the doubters wrong. First of all, he is a very adept scorer. He’s scoring 11.1 PPG while shooting 46% from the field, as well as 79% from the free throw line. He is also the best rookie rebounder in the NBA, pulling down 9.1 RPG, but more impressively, he grabs 14.3 rebounds per 40 minutes, and has a rebound rate of 21%. In fact, that Rebound Rate leads all power forwards in the NBA (according to Hollinger’s rankings on ESPN.com).

So if you thought Rose was the best, think again. Love has put in quite a season and he has done it on the consistent basis. He leads all rookies in doubles-doubles, and he has the highest rookie PER in the NBA. Add that to the fact that his increased minutes helped the Timberwolves have one of the best January to Mid-February records in the NBA, and I think you’ll see that he should be one of the leaders in the clubhouse for Rookie of the Year.

The post "TSW NBA Rookie of the Year…Kevin Love" was originally published at TSW.

The question of who is the better player is always an issue in professional basketball. Afterall, the NBA is a game where matchups are more of an issue than in any other sport. If one basketball player can’t guard somebody, it changes the entire outcome of the game. So today, I present you with two game changers: Tim Duncan and Dwight Howard. As for who is better…let’s debate.

Introduction to the Argument:
First, we recognize the significant age difference between these two players. Duncan is 32 years old, while Howard is just a baby at 23. With that 9-year age difference, Duncan has a lot of experience that Howard does not. On the other hand, Duncan has lost his ability to play as effectively as he once has, while Howard is still at the prime of his athletic prowess. But in all reality, it doesn’t matter what age or what stage of their careers they are in. The fact of the matter is that we are asking who would you rather have on your team right now, for one game, Game 7, in the NBA Finals.

Scoring
Howard averages 20.7 PPG, while Duncan averages 19.4. However, Howard is playing several minutes more than Duncan this season, and when you take a look at their “Per 36 minutes” scoring average, Howard averages 20.8, while Duncan averages 20.6, a virtual tie. Howard’s advantage appears to come at the free throw line. Neither of them is a sharp shooter from the stripe, as Duncan shoots 69% from the line and Howard makes just 59% of his free throws. However, because Howard gets to the line so much, he makes 6.4 FTs per game, while Duncan nets just 4.7.

With all that said, it appears that they are pretty even as far as putting up points. But when it comes to efficiency, Duncan’s true-shooting percentage is just 55% while Howard’s is 60%. Even when you throw in the effective-field-goal-percentage, Howard still beats Duncan with a percentage of 57% to 50%.

Thus, it appears that Howard has been the better scorer this season, whether it’s from the field or from the line. Advantage Howard.

Rebounding
Rebounding. That is what we all hope our favorite big men do, and it is what these two big men do very well. Howard pulls down 13.9 rebound per game (13.9 per 36 minutes). Duncan pulls down 10.5 RPG (11.2 per 36 minutes). Looking at the numbers even closer, Howard holds an advantage in Total Rebound Percentage by pulling down 21.8% of the rebounds available to him, while Duncan only pulls down 18.6% of them. This one is an easy one. Advantage: Howard.

Passing
While it’s up for debate how important passing is for a big man, I say there should be no debate at all. Every position on the floor is accountable for every aspect of the game. With that said, Duncan’s assists numbers trump that of Howard’s easily. Duncan averages 3.5 assists per game, while Howard only drops dimes 1.4 times each game. The staggering comparison comes from the Assist Percentage category. When Timmy is in the game, about 19% of the Spurs field goals come off Duncan’s passing, while Howard is only responsible for 7.2% of his teammate’s field goals. Another simple category: Advantage Duncan.

Overall Offense
Here we will take both a factual and subjective look at the evidence. First, factually, using the Offensive Rating statistic, the two players are very close. Duncan’s offensive rating is 111, while Howard’s is 114. The offensive rating system uses assists, rebounds, points and shooting to determine a player’s rating, and a 3-point difference, in this case, is really insignificant.

Looking at the two subjectively, there is no question that Duncan is the more refined offensive player. Duncan can do everything Howard can, minus the explosion and hops that Howard can do it with. But in addition to playing big around the rim, Duncan can shoot from 15-feet out, he runs the pick and roll much better, and he is a superior passer. Howard’s main advantage is on the offensive glass, and it’s not really much of an advantage. Certainly, if you asked either player whom they would rather defend, both of them would likely pick playing against Howard’s game, because it is lacking any type of notable skill. But then again, Howard has been the better scorer this season, and he is clearly the better rebounder. However, if I am to look at this subjectively, using all of the facts, I would determine that Duncan gets the edge. Timmy’s edge in passing is similar to that of Howard’s edge in rebounding, and even though the numbers tilt Howard’s way in scoring, when you factor in the fact that Duncan has deferred to Ginobili and Parker for much of the season, it would appear to me that Duncan is the better and more versatile offensive player.

Defense
There are many things we can look at on the defensive end. Howard leads in terms of blocks, steals and defensive rebounds. However, Duncan leads in the all-important, but less player-specific, defensive rating category. Truth be told though, the Spurs are a much better defensive team, which helps Duncan in the defensive rating category. So given all of Howard’s physical attributes, I have to say that he is the better defensive player.

Overall
It’s a close one. Here I have picked Duncan as the better offensive player and Howard as the better defensive player. It would appear that Howard is very close offensively, but once again, who would you rather have your big man guard down the stretch of an important game?

Ultimately, Duncan’s Player Efficiency Rating of 23.4 is lower than Howard’s PER of 25.4. Also, Howard’s Win Share rating is 13.8 while Duncan’s is just 9.3. Thus, it is clear that Howard has been the better player this season. The only question is, how much do we factor in the notion that Duncan has dropped his minutes and his intensity this season in order to rest up for the playoffs? Well, we can’t really factor that in, because we can’t just assume that he’ll turn it on, nor can we assume that his numbers aren’t truly representative of what he is now capable of. Only time will tell. But as for now, Howard gets the nod as the better player.

Final Advantage: Dwight Howard.

The post "Who’s Better: Tim Duncan or Dwight Howard…?" was originally published at TSW.

Andre Bynum is set to return to the Los Angles Lakers, while San Antonio’s Manu Ginobili is out for the rest of the season. Is there actually any question as to who will the NBA’s Western Conference this season? Only Kobe Bryant can answer that question.

If Kobe Bryant really wants to be mentioned in the same breath as Hall of Famer Michael Jordan, his playoff performances have to start becoming more regular than spectacular. Last year, Kobe had a lot of up down games after the 1st round of the playoffs. As a result, the Lakers had a lot of up-and-down playoff series, especially in their loss to the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals. But when Jordan was at his prime, there was no such thing as an up-and-down series. Jordan dominated each and every playoff game. And Kobe must now do the same.

The road couldn’t be any easier for Kobe. Last year probably put forth the best 8 teams the Western Conference has ever seen. This year, not so much.

The San Antonio Spurs, who the Lakers absolutely handled last season, are older, slower and without Manu Ginobili. The New Orleans Hornets, who were supposed to be a better team this year, seem to have regressed. The Utah Jazz may be a little bit better, but their depth is such a question mark that it’s hard to believe they could challenge the Lakers anymore than they did in their playoff series loss to them last season.

The only team in the NBA’s Western Conference that is better than they were last year is the Denver Nuggets. They have gone from an 8th seed to a team battling for homecourt in the first two rounds. The addition of Chauncey Billups, the health of Nene Hilario, and the resurgence of Kenyon Martin have made this team a bonafide team.

But then again, they are the Nuggets. They haven’t been out of the first round since Dikembe Mutombo was crying on the floor with a basketball in his hands. If they are really going to challenge the Lakers there would have had to have been some evidence of that already, right? Well, in 3 games against the Lakers this season, the Nuggets have lost 2 of 3. Their lone win came when Kobe Bryant went 10-31 from the field and 0-6 from behind the arc. That’s not likely to happen 4 times in a playoff series. Or at least it shouldn’t.

That brings me back to Kobe again. For him to have anything but his “A” game on in the playoffs would be a character flaw of defining proportions. If Kobe does not lead this Lakers team, now with a healthy Andrew Bynum in the lineup, out of the Western Conference, then he would have failed this year. And it would be on his shoulders.

There are no excuses for Kobe this year. He has Pau Gasol. He has Lamar Odom playing his best basketball. And now Bynum is back in the fold. And should either one, or two, or even all three of those players take a game off in the playoffs, it is Kobe’s responsibility to make up for it. That’s what Jordan would have done. And while Kobe has made it well known that he has no intention of being anything like Jordan, he does want to win like MJ. Here is his chance to do it.

The post "NBA Playoff Predictions: Kobe Bryant Will Lead Lakers To Promise Land…Or At Least He Should" was originally published at TSW.

If you know me, you know that I have been a firm supporter of the fact that LeBron James is the best player in the NBA. I don’t want to hear about Kobe Bryant anymore. He had his time to shine in last year’s NBA Finals, and he didn’t do it. He lost, tragically, to the Boston Celtics, the same team LeBron James took to the brink of elimination with a much worse cast of teammates on his Cleveland Cavaliers squad. Now, if you want to make the argument for Dwyane Wade, you might actually have a case.

Once again, I’m not saying Wade is better than LeBron James, but if you look at this season, the argument can be made. Of course, there are those who will point to the fact that Miami is in 6th place and Cleveland is in 1st, but LeBron has a better team than Cleveland, while Miami is essentially rebuilding and just recently found their stride.

So with Eastern Conference standings aside, let’s analyze the numbers before we get all “subjective” on this issue.

Scoring
Now it would be easy to look at Dwyane Wade’s scoring average of 29.8 and James’ average of 28.3 points per game and say that Wade has been the better scorer this year. But just take a look at the standings and the Cavs’ average margin of victory, and you’ll realize that one factor is significantly skewering those results…minutes played. While James is averaging only 0.6 minutes less than Wade, the issue is when the minutes are being played. Because Wade is in situations where his team is trying to win more often than LeBron, he has to be a scorer in the waning moments and that skewers their scoring average comparison. That said, there are two measurements we can look at to compare their scoring abilities this season.

First, you have their points per 36 minutes. This measurement still doesn’t account for the skewed points at ends of games, but it lessens it a bit. Per 36 minutes played, Wade averages 27.9 PPG, while LeBron averages 26.8. Advantage Wade.

However, when you look at each players true shooting percentage and effective shooting percentage, you’ll see that LeBron’s TS% is 58.5% vs. Wade’s 56.9%, and James’ eFG% is 52.5% vs. Wade’s 51.2%. Both stats try to measure a players’ efficiency in terms of shooting. Their number of shots is not accounted for, and since we know they both are the dominant scorers for their teams, these measurements are a justifiable way to determine who the better scorer is. Thus, advantage: LeBron James.

Offensive Production
While scoring is important, ultimately, it’s not about how many points you personally score, but about how many points your team scores. Thus in my mind, it is the player who contributes to the most baskets that should be considered the best player in the NBA.

Offensive Rating is a metric used to determine just that. It gives the number of points produced by a player per 100 possessions. In using the term points produced, it uses field goals, free throws, assists and offensive rebounds. James’ rating is 121, while Wade’s rating is 114 points produced per 100 possessions. Advantage: LeBron James.

Passing
There are a number of factors to look at when discussing how good a passer a basketball player is, but the only one we really can measure is one’s proficiency in getting assists.

While many consider LeBron James to be the better passer, I wouldn’t be so sure of that. First of all, Wade averages 7.0 assists per 36 minutes, and LeBron only averages 6.9. Negligible, right? However, Wade accounts for 40.3% of his teammates’ field goals when he is on the floor, while LeBron only accounts for 38.2%–and did I mention that LeBron James has far better teammates to pass the ball to? Advantage: Dwyane Wade.

Rebounding
This is an area where James wins as expected. James averages 7.7 rebounds per game, while Wade only pulls down 5.0 RPG. James also accounts for 12.1% of the rebounds available to him, while Wade only gets 7.8% of rebounds available to him. Advantage: LeBron James.

Defense
It’s almost impossible to measure defense, at least objectively, especially since certain players guard certain players that could gravely effect their defensive stats one way or the other. That said, there is a defense rating metric, that I wont’ go into detail with, but you can check it out at Basketball-Reference.com. But just to put it out there, it basically measures what a players’ team does when he is on the court. In this case, James’ team gives ups 98 points per 100 possessions with James on the floor, while the Heat gives up 105 points per 100 possessions when Wade is on the court. Now once again, that stat can be skewed because of the players each player is on the court with. So I won’t give an advantage to either player in this category.

Clutchness
Don’t think you can measure being clutch? Wrong. We can actually look at what players would average if they played an entire 48 minutes in which the game had a 5-point margin and there was less than 5 minutes left in the game. Well, in such a scenario, LeBron James would average 55.9 PPG, while Wade would average just 51.2. Also, in that same scenario, James would pull down twice as many rebounds, shoot 7% better from the field and hit 13% more of his free throws. In Wade’s credit, he turns the ball over less in clutch situations and gets significantly more blocks. But all and all, you have to give the Clutch Advantage to LeBron James.

Subjectively Speaking
As the numbers suggest, LeBron James is the better player. However, in looking at the numbers, you will see that it is a lot closer than many people might think, and if Wade had a better team around him, who knows whose numbers would come out on top. That being said, just looking at the two players’ performances, you have to give it to LeBron. He has been dominate for stretches that make other teams look defenseless. He has been the ultimate difference maker in the NBA this year, and his highlight reel proves that.

Conclusion
To leave you with just one more factoid, in the infamous Player Efficiency Ratings, LeBron James is not only leading Wade, but he is leading the entire NBA. However, while Wade remains in 2nd place, he is light years away. LeBron’s current PER of 31.59 would be the 3rd highest of all time, only behind Michael Jordan’s PER seasons of 31.89 and 31.79 in ’88 and ’91. So as much as I love Wade, when LeBron is flirting with the greatness of his Airness, you can’t help but give LeBron James the overall advantage in this argument.

The post "LeBron James vs. Kobe–I mean Dwyane Wade" was originally published at TSW.

Shaquille O’Neal going off on that man they call Stan Van Gundy.

The post "Shaq Responds to Van Gundy" was originally published at TSW.

Last night was Superman vs. Superman 2.0, and no it was not a DC Comics special edition television show. If you didn’t watch it, or at least the highlights of it, then you probably don’t know the answer to this question: Who is the next Shaquille O’Neal of the NBA?

But the answer is obvious. It’s Dwight Howard…or at least we hope it is.

In last night’s Suns-Magic game, Howard and his Magic prevailed over Shaq and his Suns 111-99. Although in foul trouble for most of the game, Howard demonstrated his immense power, explosiveness and leaping ability, while racking up 21 points, 8 rebounds and a block. Meanwhile, Shaq had 19 points, 11 boards and 2 blocks. Even nights for both the big men, but as with any NBA game, Howard gets the edge because his team got the win.

While Howard may stack up with today’s edition of Shaq, he has a long way to go before becoming the Shaq of old. In the road to be traveled, Howard has to get to the NBA Finals—of course, that would mean that he has to get to the conference finals first. Because unlike any other position on a basketball team, a great center can totally dominate the game. Say what you will about Michael Jordan being the best basketball player ever, but by no means was he ever the most dominant. Not when you have players like Kareen-Abdul Jabaar, Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell dominating the game (and the championships) the way they did.

I say all that to demonstrate that Howard has to win championships.

To be the next Shaquille O’Neal and to be the next dominant big man, he has to win. He’s a long ways from that right now, but he certainly has proven that he has the tools to get there.

But to be the next Shaq, you have to be more than just dominant on the court, you have to be dominant off of it. Shaquille O’Neal is a true entertainer. We’re talking about a man who is loved by all (except for Kobe Bryant) and hated very little (except by Kobe Bryant). He has created his own vocabulary, starred in commercials, has his own movie and made his own CD. He cracks on everyone, has a different name for everyday of the week, and names other players when he runs out of names for himself. He was the first to dawn himself Superman, and he’s the last big man to show his guard skills at the All-Star game. Shaq has been more than just a basketball player, he has been an comedian, singer and life impersonator, and he is the most entertaining figure in all of basketball.

Can Howard ever be the entertainer Shaq is?

Well, he certainly has shown signs. He too has picked up the Superman moniker, and in his last two dunk contests, he was about as enjoyable to watch as anyone else was. He is a very funny and sarcastic guy, who’s always looking to make a joke, and he clearly just loves life as show by that giant smile of his. He has yet to have developed his own vocabulary, but who knows, that could be on the way?

For the last decade, the question of who would be the next Jordan has taunted dozens of players that followed his Airness. But with Kobe Bryant and LeBron James rising to their own levels of stardom, perhaps the question of the next 10 years is who will be the next Shaq? So allow me to nominate Howard as the first person to be deemed the next Shaq. He has big shoes to follow, but he has the giant feet to measure up.

The post "Who is the next Shaquille O’Neal?" was originally published at TSW.

Look at this picture to the left. Is that not the depiction of a man who looks excited to play basketball?

In Stephon Marbury’s first action since January of 2008, he finished with 8 points and 2 assists in his debut with the Boston Celtics. He made 4 of his 6 field goal attempts, including his first jumper of the game. But his most important stat of the day: 0 confrontations with anyone on his own team.

The Marbury era in New York is over, but it is in full swing in Boston. Actually, you can’t even really call it a “Marbury era” in Boston, as he is merely a bench player; a bench player who recorded only 13 minutes and plays behind a budding young point guard in Rajon Rondo.

However, even though it cannot be considered the Marbury era, it is the dawn of a new day in the NBA. It is a day when Marbury actually had a podium interview (for the first time since 2004 at the Olympics) and got a standing ovation from the home crowd for the first time probably since he was introduced as a Knick at Madison Square Garden.

Marbury responded to the round of applause incredibly well. He had a exceedingly productive outing for just 13 minutes of effort, and he looked just as smooth and crisp with the ball as he has ever been. There was no sluggishness or apparent signs of nervousness. He was inexplicably blown by on defense once, but he was known to have let that happened when he was at the height of his career.

But like I mentioned before, this game wasn’t good for Marbury because of his performance, it was his attitude that impressed most. For someone who seemed more willing to collect a check than play basketball, he was very excited to be back on an NBA court for the first time in over a year. He was animated at the opening of the game and was lively when he went in it. He actually gave a member of the audience a high-five, something I do not recall him doing once over his last year or two in New York City.

He was legitimately excited about playing basketball.

Not eager about a return to his hometown.

Not wound-up about playing for his mentor in Isiah Thomas.

Not overjoyed about a new contract, new teammate or new offensive system.

No, for the first time in probably a long time, he was just excited about playing basketball. And it showed. And hopefully for the Celtics, it will show throughout the rest of the season, which could be an awfully scary notion for the rest of the NBA.

The post "Marbury’s Boston Debut is Quite the Success" was originally published at TSW.

The Diesel putting up 45 points and 11 rebounds?

Is this 2001?

No, it is definitely 2009, but that was Shaq’s line against the Toronto Raptors last night, and it wasn’t even as if Steve Nash was feeding him the ball, as Nash was sidelined with a sprained right ankle.

I couldn’t believe it either, but it happened. Shaquille O’Neal had his best outing of the year, and perhaps his best outing of the last couple of years. A 45-point game for a player who is nearly 37 years old is not something that is supposed to happen. But in the Suns’ return to the old Phoenix offense, I guess anything is possible.

Now that Shaq has proven that he is capable of this, this could give the Phoenix Suns an entirely different outlook on the season. With Amare Stoudemire sidelined for another 7 weeks or so, the Suns can really use this type of production for Shaq. Of course, Shaq’s not going to give them 40 every night, but if he can put up 25 and 10 every other night, this changes the my entire playoff projection on the Suns. In other words, they could actually make the playoffs!

The post "Shaq Scores 45 Points for "Nash-less" Suns" was originally published at TSW.

If you didn’t see Devin Harris’ shot to beat the 76ers, then I hope you were out of the country. And even then, that’s not really an excuse. Check out this clip of Harris propelling his New Jersey Nets to victory–from half court!

The post "SportsWatchers TV: Half-Court Game Winner" was originally published at TSW.

With the NBA trade deadline coming and going yesterda, a lot of deals went down. Let’s examine each trade to see which teams came out on top!

1. First of all, let’s start with the New Orleans Hornets getting Tyson Chandler back! The Oklahoma City Thunder rescinded the trade to give the Hornets Chris Wilcox and Joe Smith in exchange for Chandler because Chandler failed the team-administered physical. Something is fishy about this, because the Thunder had to have known that Chandler missed the last 12 games before the All-Star break, so clearly he was already hurt when they asked for him. At the end of the day, the Hornets come out on top in this reversed trade. Chandler was a great fit for them and he’ll remain that way if he can stay healthy.

Now, on to the actual trades that “have yet” to have been rescinded.

2. In a 3-way deal, Houston sent Rafer Alston to Orlando, Memphis sent Kyle Lowry to Houston, and Orlando sent Brian Cook to Houston and Adonal Foyle, Mike Wilks and a 1st round pick to Memphis. So who comes out on top in this trade? It has to be Orlando who won in all of this. They are the best team of the three, so they gave up the most, but they clearly need a point guard to replace Jameer Nelson who is probably done for the season. Bringing in Alston, who has played the best ball of his career this season, makes up for much of what they lost in Nelson, and even gives Orlando more on the defensive end. As for Memphis, they clearly are just paving the way for the future. They clearly gave up on Lowry, so they took the first round pick and a couple of expiring deals. The Rockets will try to make Lowry work for them since their season is essentially over with T-Mac out for the year.

3. Oklahoma City was very active today. They sent Chris Wilcox to New York, and the Knicks gave them Malik Rose and cash in return. This is a great deal for the Knicks. They save a little money on the luxury tax, and they get a player in Wilcox who is clearly better than the player they gave up in Rose. The contracts are not even an issue, because they both have expiring deals. Wilcox does not really fit the Knicks system, but an upgrade is an upgrade. As for the Thunder, this is a good move in the sense that they will save some money, which is expected of a rebuilding franchise.

4. The Knicks also sent Jerome James, Anthony Roberson and Tim Thomas to Chicago. In exchange, Chicago sent Larry Hughes to New York. Once again, not a bad deal for the Knicks. The money really wasn’t an issue here for New York, and the Knicks filled a hole at the shooting guard position with Hughes (a hole that was created when Jamal Crawford was traded). Hughes isn’t the best “shooting” guard in the world, but he can score, and I’m sure he’ll find his niche in the D’antoni system just like every other player who has ever played for him has. As for Chicago, this was a money move. This move gives them some cap space for the upcoming offseason. Also, remember that they gave up Nocioni on Wednesday, so getting Tim Thomas replaces his spot on the roster.

Other (less notable) trades:
Chicago sends Thabo Sefolosha to Oklahoma City. Oklahoma sends a TBD 1st round pick to Chicago.

Boston sends Patrick O’Bryant to Toronto and cash to Sacramento. Toronto sends Will Solomon to Sacramento. Sacramento sends a conditional 2nd round pick to Boston.

Minnesota sends Rashad McCants and Calvin Booth to Sacramento. Sacramento sends Shelden Williams and Bobby Brown to Minnesota.

LA Lakers send Chris Mihm to Memphis. The Memphis give up a conditional 2nd round pick in 2013.

The post "Big Trade Day in the NBA" was originally published at TSW.