The Association

LeBron Will NEVER Be Better than MJ or Magic or Bird or...

By Craig Kwasniewski

Congratulations to the Dallas Mavericks on a much-deserved championship.  As a basketball fan I stand and applaud the Mavs.  Thanks for crashing the Heat Index bandwagon, thanks for rendering LeBron James's soccer mom fans helpless, thanks to Mark Cuban for checking the ego for this postseason and thanks for Dirk for being such a gracious champion (that simple sprint to the locker as the clock wound down can never be scrpited... it was pure, unlike the whole Heat expereince in 2011).  I just want to get this off my chest as we head into a long offseason...

LeBron win NEVER be better that Michael Jordan!  Maybe Scottie Pippen was playing mind games with "King James" and putting extra pressure by claiming he will be better that MJ.  Or maybe he was trying to make a name for himself by saying something controversial (like some sportstalk radio clown... CALL MY SHOW... JORDAN WAS A FRAUD!!!! 1-800-SPORTSBS... CALL NOW!!!).  Either way, Scottie was waaaaaay wrong. Simply put...

Michael Jordan was never the second best player on his team.  Not ever, not at any time, not ever, ever, ever!!!  And Jordan was never the second best player on the floor in any of his six Finals appearances. 

Look over his career, Jordan was the dominant personality on and off the court.  He owned the game from the opening tip right down to the last shot.  He was the ultimate competitor who wanted blood at all costs.  You never left thinking anyone else was better, more dominant, more complete.  MJ WAS the NBA from 1988 to 1998.  Sure Detroit beat him, but never were any of the Bad Boys individually better than MJ, they just had a more complete team.  And in 1995, MJ was coming off a baseball sabatical and even then with Pippen playing power forward, the Bulls still almost beat the Magic.

LeBron wasn't even the second best player in these Finals.  Dirk clearly owned the Finals and Dwyane Wade showed us he has that killer win-at-all-costs thirst that Lebron will never have.  Bron clearly hid when it counted in 2011 and 2010.  The difference is we all thought he tanked in 2010 because he wanted out of Cleveland.  So it made it somewhat acceptable...somewhat to the point we believed he would rise up if he just had some talent around him.  Done and done. 

What happened this time?  Seriously, give me some excuses.  The LeBron guys always find some way to convince us that their hero is still the "best player on the planet."  Was it coaching?  Chris Bosh?  Lack of overall talent?  The inability to mesh with Wade?  What is it?  Why did LeBron run and hide with his first title sitting right in front of him waiting to be taken?  Why?

Jordan never let the moment take him... he MADE the moment.  LeBron, you're extremely talented... a once-in-a-lifetime body with touch, speed, quicks, handles and crazy skills, but deep down you don't have the DNA that makes Kobe, Wade, Bird, Magic, Russell and especially Michael Jordan who they are.  You put up great stats and impressive highlights but you're not wired for THE MOMENT.

You never will better than Michael Jordan!

BTW - Does this not put Kobe ahead of the Kobe-LeBron arguement?  Sure his 4th quarter numbers were off this year and a few Portland-based writers made their nut writing how he's no longer clutch (WOW, what a shock a Portland guy going off on a Laker... SHOCKING!!!!)  But can't something be said for not being afraid?  Read the quotes from players alike, like this from yahoo.com:

James won’t get mad, and James won’t get even and make people pay a price. When opposing players hear people insist they ought to be respectful of James out of fear of retribution – be careful they don’t stir him with words – they privately giggle.

“Different guys are different,” Stevenson told Yahoo! Sports in a corner of the Mavericks’ locker room Thursday night. “Kobe Bryant feeds off stuff like that. He looks for it every time. LeBron’s a different kind of person. Obviously he’s a freak of nature, able to do a lot of things, but everybody in this league is built different.”

Built differently. Translated: Where’s the killer within? Where’s the best player in basketball, the prodigious talent that left the Chicago Bulls and Boston Celtics crumpled messes back in the Eastern Conference? Where’s the cold-bloodedness?

I'll take cold-blooded and winning titles over stats and dunks any day thankyou!

Five Questions (Not WTF X 5) After The Lakers Lose Game 4

By Craig Kwasniewski

Nothing gets me out of a year long writer's block faster than a terrible Lakers loss.  Terrible you say, but didn't they steal back home court advantage on Friday?  Aren't they playing with house money, just a chance to steal a 3-1 lead with a shot at closing out the series on Tuesday?  Yes for any other team in the NBA, but these are the two-time defending champs, with Kobe Bryant, Phil Jackson, Pau Gasol and the reigning 6th man Lamar Odom (more on him later, oh yes, more on him later!)... 

Point blank, the Lakers have no business struggling against New Orleans Hornets.  It's not about being an arrogant Lakers fan it's simply about match-ups and overall talent.  The Lakers have championship talent and coaching whereas the Hornets have 7th seeded talent with their all-star power forward out for the year. At best/worst this is a five-game series and nothing more.

Let's get right to it, five questions after the Lakers lost Game 4:

1 - What's wrong with Pau Gasol?  How is it that the triumvirate of Carl Landry, Aaron Gray and DJ Mbenga are constantly giving one of the best big men in the NBA constant fits?  Didn't Gasol finally exorcise his demons last summer against the Celtics?  Isn't he supposed to be fired up after hearing Kendrick Perkins call him out for being soft?  Yet here we are again and three very physical bigs are throwing 48 minutes of body blows and Pau's leaning hard against the ropes.  It's actually brilliant coaching by Monty Williams.  He knows his bigs can't match Gasol point for point so instead lean, push, shove and occasionally elbow the willowy forward out of his comfort zone.  And you know what? It's working!  One of the surest, most reliable bigs in the NBA is questioning himself, dropping sure passes and missing bunnies.  It's ugly, but not incurable.  Pau needs to be patient and trust the Triangle, feed the cutters and move up to the pinch post, opening the key for Bynum to work inside.  But really, Monty Williams has been a genius in handing Gasol.

2 - Will Kobe's ankle hurt the Lakers in Game 5?  Over this back-to-back championship run, the Lakers actually play better when Kobe's dinged up.  Suddenly he realizes he's human and actually has to trust the system.  The system?  Oh yeah the Triangle Offense that brought Phil Jackson 11 NBA titles.  During the Lakers slide in April, Kobe's need to prove he's still a top 5 player has hurt the Lakers offensive rhythm.  With a dinged ankle he will realize he can't break down defenses one-on-five and has to initiate the Triangle as intended from the inside out. With Bynum, Gasol and Odom inside, the Lakers should be fine.

However if Kobe goes out to prove he's not hurt and tries to find a "Jordan Flu Game" situation then the Lakers will struggle on Tuesday.  But I really don't see that happening.

3 - Lamar Odom... WTF?  This was going to be a "Five Questions About Lamar Odom's Heart" post but Matt Moore correctly pointed out that he's not really a major storyline for the Lakers.  So I'll just waste one question on the guy, but trust me one more game like this and I'm starting a Lamarmustgo.com blog.  How the hell can you mail in two playoff games?  How is it that the media continues to give Odom a hall pass for these shit-storm efforts?  Can we revoke the 6th Man Award?  

I read how Gasol has disappeared, how Kobe's shot selection is off and how Bynum isn't getting touches, but what about Odom averaging 8 points and 2.5 rebounds in the two losses?  (And really it's 5 points per but Odom hit two late BS threes in Game 1 to bring his total to a respectable 10.)  Watch Game 4 again and focus on Odom, the guy spent the 4th quarter running away from action.  How?  Why?  How?  Why?  Seriously, I'm not sure where to start but I know where to finish, Lamar you played like ass in games 1 and 4 and if nobody will say it I will... DO YOU REALIZE IT'S THE PLAYOFFS???  

At least Phil Jackson called you out (well indirectly but anyone who watched the game knows who PJ was talking about) when he said, "We punked out there on the court tonight.”

That's you Lamar!  In this series he's averaging 11.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per, far less than 14.4 and 8.7 that the "6th Man of the Year" winner was dropping nightly.  Is this just Monty Williams pushing all the right buttons again?  Hardly.  This is Lamar Odom on Sunday mode and no coincidence, the Lakers lost both games on Sunday.

4 - Is Chris Paul the difference in the series?  Yes and no.  He's been absolutely stellar in the Hornets two wins.  He's turned the clock back to his near-MVP season of 2008 with huge assist numbers and a jarring triple double tonight.  He's exactly what we thought he'd be (slam the dais!).  But the real difference-maker is Monty Williams.  He's devised a punch-you-in-the-face physical defense that has Gasol reeling.  Plus by managing Chris Paul's minutes during the regular season (obviously a trait he picked up from Gregg Popovich) he has a very spry and healthy CP3 to work with.  The Hornets might not have the talent to match the Lakers, but with Williams on the sideline the actually believe they have a decent shot at knocking off the defending champs... and really that's half the battle: belief.  

5 - Can the Lakers pull through?  Cliche alert!  The better team always wins in a seven game series.  The Lakers still have more talent and Phil Jackson still calls the shots, so in theory the Lakers will still prevail.  It's frustrating because the Lakers know EXACTLY what to do to beat New Orleans but they can't find the energy to execute.  It's a matter of effort and talent.  They have the talent but they haven't given the right amount of effort to advance.  Simply put, it's about initiating the offense from inside-out, contesting the perimeter on D and controlling the boards. Done and done in Games 2 and 3 but the Lakers underestimated the Hornets resolve and expected them to simply give up after dropping Game 3.  That wasn't the case and now they're faced with the dreaded "must win" game on Tuesday.  

The dominant defensive Lakers will return on Tuesday and they'll match the same energy for a Game 6 win, but this should never have been a 6 game series against an undermanned New Orleans Hornets squad.

Bynum's Best Performance of the Season Keys a Smart Lakers Win

By Craig Kwasniewski

It took half of a quarter, but once the Lakers were able to adjust to the Knicks pace, they put together a collective defensive effort not seen in weeks and easily beat New York 109-87. Here are a few brief observations from my seat high up in section 316:

Tonight was easily Bynum's best effort of the season. Somewhere in a pub in the South Bay Jim Buss is doing body shots and patting himself on the back. I never thought I'd say this while Pau Gasol is still in his prime, but the Lakers need a healthy Andrew Bynum to contend this year. Easily this was his best effort of the season. Before the dubious ejection early in the 4th quarter, Bynum's length held Amar'e at bay. Blocked shots, offensive rebounds and a sweet throw down RIGHT ON Stoudemire summed up the night. The Knicks only got back into the game when Drew was on the bench in the third quarter. Then Bynum was called for a foul on a clean block and questioned Leon Wood, literally asking "What did I do wrong?" No foul language, just a shrug and a question...

TWEET!!!

You're outta here! It's like Wood decided right at that moment to enact the "no complaining rule", you know the one that they stopped enforcing mid December...like EVERY "new rule." It really made no sense.  But hey, we pay a ton of money to see a refs and not the players.  Fortunately the Lakers rallied behind their lost teammate and won easily down the stretch.

A good Knicks team always raises the energy in the crowd. NY pride from all the expats showed up in force tonight. A lot of orange and blue and a lot of that typical NY attitude. It makes every game seem like an event. As always, the NBA is a better league when the Knicks are relevant.

Pau Gasol is over-thinking on offense. Darius Soriano at Forumblueandgold.com pointed out that Pau has such an array of offensive moves that he sometimes spends too much time contemplating in the post. Whatever it is, he's not as fluid down low as he was in November. Instead he gets the ball and spends a good 4 to 6 seconds over-analyzing the situation. It causes the defense to rotate and over-play his passing lanes. Instead of a quick fluid move (and/or pass), Pau is stuck in place and left trying to draw a foul or hitting Kobe for a bailout shot. Trust your instincts and commit early in the possession Pau!

Steve Blake contributed much needed minutes on the floor. It really didn't matter if Steve Blake lit up the boxscore tonight. All that mattered was that the Lakers didn't need to replace both his and Matt Barnes minutes tonight. Barnes will probably be out at least 5 weeks, but it's hard on a veteran team with potentially two major rotation players out. Criticize Blake's drop in production, but they needed him tonight.

Artest was in 2009-10 form. Hey it could be New York but the fan in me hopes it's Barnes going down that brought out a more aggressive Ron Artest tonight. The Knicks run that fast-paced SSOL system and have a reputation for being a tad soft. Artest came out and played physical east coast basketball all night. Sure he had his typical open-court turnovers (simply put: he is a mess in the open court, he must have plied his game on a half court back in Queensbridge.  He can not run and dribble at all... AT ALL!), but he did have two separate incidences meant to send a message. He did his "was that me?" move with arms up high while locked in with another player (like he'd did TWICE with Pierce last year) in the first half. But the REAL message was knocking down Amar'e as he came crashing down the lane in the second half. It was aggressive but unlike the Miami game, a controlled aggression with the sole purpose of sending a message: not tonight. We'll see if he brings the same game on Tuesday against Cleveland.

Overall, the Lakers don't have the athleticism to run and gun with the likes of New York or Miami so they need a cohesive and smart effort on both ends. Tonight was one of those nights, probably bolstered because it's New York. Whatever, it's still a great cerebral win.

The 2011 Lakers Have a 2003 Stench to Them

By Craig Kwasniewski

Another day another Lakers blowout loss to... Memphis???  What's happened to the two-time defending champs?  I'll address their problem another day but in the meantime I keep reading all the past Lakers squads people are comparing this team to.  Sure they have some 2004 in them with the collection of talent and the mid-season losing streaks plus they also hosted the All-Star game that season.  That's a VERY good assessment and right now I'll take a 5-game loss in the Finals.  Flat out, the Lakers are terrible.

I'm not even thinking 2004 right now.  I'm thinking the Lakers are more like the 2003 squad.  The one that was such a disappointment that it forced the Lakers to look to Karl Malone and Gary Payton to save the day.

(While we're here, the biggest farce back in 2004 was Karl Malone taking an 18 million dollar pay cut to sign with LA.  Sure he made nearly 20 million in 2003, but there was no way any team was offering close to half that salary, which is why he ditched Utah for the big bad Lakers.  It wasn't a sacrifice by a future hall-of-famer but more like a "best option available."  Don't get me wrong, I LOVED the Malone era in LA, just don't sell me on the $18 million sacrifice.)

Where was I? Oh yeah, the 2003 team.  The one where Shaq missed what seemed to be half the season, the one with Samaki Walker, the one where Devean George was to save the day against San Antonio after Rick Fox had a season ending injury, the one that ended with Kobe and Fisher crying on the bench as the Spurs knocked off the three-time defending champs.

The Lakers carry the same exact stench as that unforgettable 2002-03 season.  Just look at the similiarities:

Both teams are coming off threepeat seasons and are showing the wear.  Threepeat??? Hey douchebag, the Lakers didn't win three in a row!  True, but they did make the Finals three years in a row.  And just like the threepeat era before the 2003 season, the Lakers put on a ton of mileage during those years.  We're talking an average of 112 games (including pre and post-season) over nine months with practice and travel in between game days.  That alone takes a toll.

Both starting centers delays off-season surgeries and missed the first quarter of the season.  Back in 2003, always the sensitive one, Shaq felt disrespected with all the focus on Kobe in the offseason and how he may replace Shaq as the best in the NBA.  Shaq pulled the grandest version of his "if he's so great let's see how the Lakers do without me in the lineup" moves and delayed offseason surgery until October knowing that recovery would last until late November.  He said something about "doing it on company time" but in reality he was forcing his worth on the team.  (Shaq was notorious for this, normally he'd take one or two games off literally days after Kobe went on one of his shooting sprees and the Laker always seemed to lose.)  The Lakers opened 3-9 and struggled to top .500 by All-Star break.

Bynum delayed his surgery after consulting with both Kobe and Phil Jackson.  It wasn't anything personal, they both treated it like a respectable move and felt he earned a break after sacrificing he body against Boston.  Unfortunately, Bynum's recovery was delayed until late December and while the Lakers didn't struggle like in 2003, the wear and tear of big minutes for Gasol and Odom is starting to show.

The Lakers going cheap wore down the frontline for both teams. The Lakers frontcourt in 2003 was Shaquille O'Neal, Robert Horry, Samaki Walker and Slava Medvenendko (wow even now it's amazing the balls on the Lakers front office to go literally Shaq, Horry and a pile of shit for their front line).  There were several veteran bigs wanting to join LA before the season (Charles Oakley anyone?) and the Lakers turned down everyone. (Jerry Buss wanted to be a team player back then and tried as he could to stick to the salary cap, which means two years of Samaki Walker on the cheap... TWO!!!!!).  With Shaq out and with Samaki sucking, Phil Jackson was forced to play Robert Horry 29.3 minutes a game (the highest since 1998!).  Sure 29.3 doesn't seem like a lot until you understand what Robert Horry is all about: he glides through the season and picks his moments to shine.  He wasn't able to glide in 2003.  The Lakers needed big minutes from Horry just to get 50 wins.  No glide, no Big Shot Rob in the playoffs.  Horry shot a jaw droppingly bad 2 for 38 from three point range in the playoffs including that three that rimmed out in Game 5 at San Antonio, a shot everyone EXPECTED Horry to make.  He was gassed.

The Lakers spent all their free agent money on Matt Barnes and Steve Blake in the offseason, which on paper seemed like the right/brilliant move (and still may, I'm just too pissed to like anything the Lakers do these days).  They let DJ MBenga and Josh Powell go and filled the roster with two rookies and Theo Ratliff as a back-up center.  The Lakers front line is Bynum, Gasol, Odom, Ratliff and rookie Derrick Character, which when healthy this looks like the right mix needed for a championship run.  WHEN HEALTHY!  In reality, Bynum was out and Ratliff is 37 years old (meaning it wasn't if but when for a knee injury) and both Gasol and Odom logged in career high minutes filling in.  Then Character went down with a knee and the Lakers had literally no back-up centers or power forwards on the roster.  Instead of replacing Ratliff with a more reliable big, the Lakers chose to save some money and stick with what they have.  Right now Gasol is having an Horry-like breakdown.... he looks gassed (if I was witty I'd say Gasol-ed, but see I'm not).

Both teams are veteran-laden squads that can't find the right amount of motivation.  Let's face it, the Lakers look bored and unmotivated.  With continued success comes the common question: what's next?  This especially happens with veteran teams after years of success.  With younger teams you can use statistics or mid-season awards such as All-Star appearances as motivation.  But the 2003 and 2011 Lakers don't feel the need to prove themselves during the regular season.  After all they both were multiple defending champs... the switch can easily be flipped and has been in the past.  A January home loss to a mid-level team has no bearing on the final outcome...

Or does it?  Because in 2003 and the growing trend this season, the Lakers lost several of those "whatever" games and lost homecourt advantage in the playoffs.  The Lakers didn't have homecourt at all in 2003 and risk havng to do it on the road in the conference semifinals this season. It's not easy having to steal homecourt in San Antonio, Dallas, Utah or Oklahoma City. (BTW - they're guaranteed a top four finish because they'll win the crappy Pacific Division by February, yet another reason they're not motiovated.) 

The similarities are there but I was too caught up in the Phil Jackson's fourth threepeat thing to notice.  I keep trying to convince myself that this is the 2002 squad and that we're due for a ridiculously awesome seven game series against Oklahoma City.  But the reality is that I think we'll see Kobe and Fisher crying on the bench as the Spurs knock off the Lakers in six... like 2003.

PS - Just like 2003 Kobe is busy trying to shoot the Lakers back into every game.  The difference is that he's no longer capable of carrying them to victory.  Now you get 25-30 points and Phil Jackson speaking in code about Kobe shooting too much with Kobe going 2004 and shrugging it off... good times.   

PS2 - Back to Kobe's 2003 line, he had a Mamba-like year back then.  Secretly one of his best overall years statistically with career highs in minutes (41.5), rebounds (6.9), 3-point field goal percentage (38.3%) and steals (2.2) plus his second best in assists (5.9) and field goal attempts (23.5).  Mix in an impressive 32.1 points in the playoffs (remember this is still Shaq at the tail end of his prime).  It was a shitty Lakers season but maybe 2003 was the year Jerry Buss told himself, "Hey, I can build a team around this kid... just keep at it this summer and stay out of trouble...."

Six Predictions for the 2010-11 Season

By Craig Kwasniewski   

Hey stranger... long time no talk.  And just in time for the season...

In all reality I just want to get in a few predictions just to block quote myself in "I told you so" post this June.  (BTW - I've been "making predictions" for years and have yet to furnish an "I told you so" post if you know what I mean.)  Anyway, let's quickly roll out the predictions before Miami throws a championship parade...

1. David Stern will continue to play the MLB handbook of how to publicly negotiate a CBA.  The NBA is thinking about contracting????  Right on schedule David.  Soon we'll hear about most of the teams hemorrhaging money... oh wait we already heard that?  Yep, David Stern is following Major League Baseball's book of negotiating the CBA in the media.  The next six months will be gloom and doom. We'll hear a lot of talk about "despite the success of the Miami Heat" teams are still losing money.  They whole contracting thing was Stern's tell.  Come on David, you're better than that to play that card so soon.  

Listen closely... THE NBA IS NOT CONTRACTING!!!  This is just CBA psycho-babble.  And it was a bunch of billionaries in Major League Baseball complaining that they're losing money that completely turned me off to the sport.  It wasn't the steroid era or the '94 strike or Red Sox fans acting like they're cursed when the Cubs are the real cursed franchise.  Nope.  It was ridiculously rich guys manipulating their finances to negoitiate with the player's union.  And if anyone remembers, it was congress that asked for MLB to "open their books" that we realized things weren't all that bad.  

Stern's playing the same card, saying how the NBA is struggling in it's current form, claiming contraction may be necessary and talking about how there needs to be a hard cap for the league to survive.  I guarantee we won't see ticket prices drop the same percentages of this hard cap.  Hey, how about a hard cap on ticket prices.  Yeah, I thought so.  This is just a ploy for the rich to get richer and just like baseball, sadly I may find myself tuning out the NBA.  

2. LeBr-ANGER will reign in the media.  I'm not talking about the backlash from last summer's The Decision, but the backlash to the backlash.  Oh there will be a lot of writers on their high horses around December when the Heat have the best record in the NBA.  These are the LeBron James guys who are quietly lurking, waiting patiently to jump out and scream 'I KNEW IT!!!!"  These are the same ones who were OUTRAGED!!! that LeBron wasn't a unanimous MVP last season.  Remember, Bron had something like 99.9% of the votes yet how dare the few dissenters get in the way of his legacy (or is it LeBregacy).  How dare people have an independent thought!!!  Well, there's already a slow, steady rumble... just you wait until Christmas Day after the Heat beat LA (who could care less about a regular season game and won't get wrapped in the hype). 

3. Phoenix will be better than people think.  Amar'e bolted for the bright lights of NYC. (Well bolted wasn't the reality.  More like Phoenix low balled him, giving him no option but to head to the Knicks. What a shock, the Suns went on the cheap.)  Gone is their athletic superstar, true highlight reel, their best rebounder, best lowpost scorer, annual All-Star and "we're a contender with this guy" guy.  In comes Hedu Tukoglu, exiled from Toronto for good reason... he stunk and Hakim Warrick.  On paper a true 50 cents on the dollar deal.  But I like the gamble.  Instead of finding a big for a big they went long and fast. Meaning, they grabbed two guys that will fit in Alvin Gentry's SSOL offense.  

The Suns found their rhythm last year because they were loaded with guys who could hit the deep J's and spread the floor for both Nash and Dragic to work their magic.  Turkoglu was always able to shot from beyond the arc and he brings another clutch player for the Suns down the stretch (remember, he was THE Magic's go to guy during their title run in 2009).  Yes, Turkoglu doesn't play any defense, but let's be honest here neither did Amar'e.  The Suns know exactly what kind of team they are in a speed, great perimeter shooting and just enough D.  The X-factor is Steve Nash's leadership and I expect a 2009 Turkoglu instead of the Toronto version.  I'm not saying the Suns are a repeat Western Conference Finalist but I expect a top 6 finish.  

4. Utah Jazz are a legit threat to the Lakers.  First off, I was completely wrong in thinking the Al Jefferson deal didn't improve the Jazz.  I'm still a little weary an injury-prone player who never seemed to carry his team to the playoffs.  But I saw Jefferson play the Lakers last week and they guy is seriously locked in.  I know it was preseason, but he gave Pau Gasol fits on both ends of the floor.  He controlled the glass and scored anytime he posted up.  Utah just might be able to hang with LA's size.  

But the real reason why Utah is a legit threat to LA is the sneaky-good Raja Bell signing.  Lakers fans never really felt threatened by the Jazz the past three seasons because they never had a player who could hang with Kobe.  When all else failed, Kobe could bail out the Lakers with a dominant 40 point game.  AK-47 might hang with Kobe a quarter or two but eventually Bryant would break, leaving Kirlienko walking away with slumped shoulders and shaking his head.  Despite his age and being maybe a slight step slower, Raja Bell has physical skills and more importantly mental make-up to hang with Kobe.  Great baseball closers never let the last pitch get under their skin.  A blown save is easily forgotten the next day.  Bell (like Bruce Bowen) approaches defending Kobe the exact same way.  Kobe might be in one of those zones where every deep three is falling and Staples Center is going crazy, yet there's Bell in Kobe's face with the same lock-down intensity regardless of the score.  Combined with Kirlienko, the Jazz can work and older Kobe all game defensively.  I expect a few off nights against Utah this season.  Mix one of the top coaches in NBA history, a top 3 point guard and still one of the best home courts and the Lakers have a serious challenge with the Utah Jazz.

5. LeBron will win the MVP.  Kevin Durant will be the early favorite and for good reason.  What he did last summer with Team USA, carrying them on his back and winning the World Champioship, was beyond impressive (and sad that few will remember the feat because most Americans can give a crap about the FIBA championships).  I'm looking forward to watching Durant grow as a player the next few years.  HOWEVER, I feel as this season continues people will appreciate what LeBron does with the Heat.  It's not easy to create a team out of thin air, no matter how talented, and lead them to 60-plus wins.  And make no mistake (football cliche), the Heat are LeBron's team and he'll earn that MVP.

6. Lakers will threepeat.  Yeah, big shock, a Lakers fan goes with his team to with the title.  Hear me out... Miami will match and probably exceed the hype.  But it's hard to create a championship out of nothing.  The playoffs are all about talent, heart and soul (which Miami has) but it's also about experience as a team and the belief in one another.  The Heat haven't been down that road yet.  How will they respond to a series deficit or the slow/grind-out style of a team like the Celtics (LeBron's Pistons though we're no longer allowed to compare him to Jordan).  2010-11 isn't the Heat's year... but 2011 thru 2014 will be a different story.

I don't really need to go too deep into why the Lakers will win as we've heard it all before.  But the the signings of Steve Blake and Matt Barnes were exactly what the doctor ordered.  The Lakers sorely needed PG depth and Blake is a perfect Triangle Offense guy with his hoops IQ and outside shooting.  Barnes is the Lakers counter to LeBron-to-Miami.  Like Bell and AK-47 will combine to give Kobe a tough 48 minutes, Barnes and Artest will do the same for LeBron.  Two strong, physical, defensive-minded forwards and most importantly 12 fouls for LeBron.  Oh and the Lakers have quality depth up front.  Miami is going with Ilgauskus?  But I'm getting ahead of myself as...

I don't think Miami gets past the Boston Celtics.  The Celtics basically traded Rasheed Wallace for the O'Neal brothers.  The Celtics have a ton of depth up front to close off the lanes against Miami and control the pace.  Plus, after last season, Doc Rivers has entered in the exclusive coach-for-the-entire-season rather than game-to-game group with Phil Jackson and Gregg Popovich (seriously, after last season I really believe Doc is a top 5 coach.  The NBA is all about massaging egos and those three are THE experts at it.)  The Celtics are built for two things, to beat the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers.  Rondo will only get better and The Big Three have just enough in the tank for one or two more runs at a title.  I can't wait to see how this Celtics squad plays out and will keep a close eye on them from out here in LA.  Plus, let's be honest, Shaq riding off in the sunset in the Finals against LA would be, dare I say... fan-Shaq-stic! 

Lakers will beat Boston in 7 games to win the 2010-11 title and give Phil Jackson a four threepeat.

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Is Matt Barnes a Case of Good From Far, Far From Good?

By Craig Kwasniewski

Ever look at what appears to be a hot chick from a distance only to see up close and think, "Yikes! Damn, what was I thinking?!?"  Back in the day, we coined the phrase good from far, far from good.  No matter what the situation the phrase always made me giggle.

Well the Matt Barnes era just might be the hoops version of that phrase... and I'm not laughing.

Barnes has been a Laker for a little over a month and we learned that: a) he's terrible at spelling (there's a difference between tweeting a few misspelled phrases being cutesy and a virtual bukake of grammar/spelling errors. I guarantee he can't spell facial... anyway)  b) he's a little, how you say, "off" in the temper department (insert video of Matt trying to intimidate Kobe Bryant here) and c) he's already had a run in with the law (the abuse charges this week).

Now reports are saying that his girlfriend is denying all the accusations of abuse and that it seems the latest issue will blow over.  But here's the problem, the preseason hasn't even started and I'm worried the Lakers signed an even crazier person than Ron Artest.  In fact, now that Ron-Ron is fully embracing his therapy sessions, he appears to have controlled his outbursts to the point that he's gone to the level of marketing his craziness... which really means that he's not crazy at all.

Well, Matt Barnes is coming off as one crazy ass cat and I'm not even sure he knows he's crazy, which by definition means he's seriously crazy... and as a Lakers fan, that's crazy!

Here's where the good from far comes into play; I always liked Matt Barnes's game.  He's got a decent three-point jumper, he's willing to do the little things on the floor, he'll always bring it on D and he appears to be a good soldier, someone you always want on your squad. 

But then here comes the first red flag.  Despite all these "great teammate" traits, he never stays long with a team.  If he's that valuable BELIEVE ME teams would find a way to keep him.  Yet he continues to bounce around.  He was a quality Nellie guy in Golden State, fitting in perfectly with the Boom Dizzle-Captain Jack era, then he bounced to Phoenix during Shaq's one full season there and then Orlando.  All good teams that never quite made it over the hump, but it wasn't because of anything Barnes did.  In fact, as Bill Simmons would say, he's not a guy who takes anything off the table, but he doesn't bring anything TO the table either.  He's the perfect 8 thru 12 guy off the bench.  Yet he never sticks around.

So when LA signed him a weeks ago, I originally liked the idea of a guy like Barnes.  He and Ron-Ron would make the perfect platoon defense against the likes of LeBron, Pierce, Melo and KD.  We're talking 12 fouls of intense non-stop defense.  Constant pressure that eventually would wear down some of the best offensive forwards int the NBA.... Good from far.

Then the far from good came into play.  Can the Lakers deal with two semi-crazed guys?  Kobe's will and Phil Jackson's patience might be the only two traits/people in the NBA capable of dealing with and Ron Artest and Matt Barnes.  I still believe he's a perfect fit for this Lakers squad, but I'll be honest I'm a little uneasy. 

Grading Trades and Acquisitions... So Far

By Craig Kwasniewski

 
Why bother wasting time talking about the impacts of all the summer trades and free agent signings? After all LeBron, Wade and especially Bosh are all mortal locks for the next 6 NBA championships, a World Cup title in 2014, finding the cure for AIDS and solving the "Is the Hills real or not?" crises. There's no competition these three guys will win EVERYTHING. Pack it up fellas, you're either with the Heat or against mankind.

Okay let's keep the defense honest and pretend that there's actually a season to be played and actual competition out there. One week into the free agent signing period, here are my thoughts so far:

Drew Gooden and John Salmons signing 5-year contracts with Milwaukee: One guy's been on nine teams in nine years, the other is a ballhog. N-I-N-E! Maybe Drew's a great guy and maybe he finally gets it, but something tells me that if he's anything decent one of the other eight (E-I-G-H-T) teams would have kept him. John Salmons is your prototypical ball stopper. Yes he had a good run in the 2009 playoff with Chicago, but he wasn't good enough to stick around. People suddenly made Milwaukee an instant contender. Why? And why five years for these guys? F-I-V-E! Who's else wants them for even two? Grade: D

Steve Blake signs with the Lakers: Three words: I LOVE IT! The money's good at $16 mil over four years, he's a good defender, a good spot-up shooter (perfect for the Triangle) and a willing learner (he said he's coming off the bench behind Fisher). The Lakers were chasing several mid-level point guards and landed their number one option. His age is the only downfall but Jerry Buss is going all in on the Kobe Bryant era so why not. Grade: A

Randy Foye, Ryan Gomes & Brian Cook sign with the Clippers: First off, I like Gomes.  He has a decent baseline jumper and plays hard every night.  Foye?  Ehhhh... DC took a chance on him after being a bust in Miny and he really hasn't panned out.  His claim to fame is NOT being Brandon Roy.  But as a backup not much will be expected and maybe he'll fit.  BUT... Brian Cook for two years?  T-W-O???  What the hell?  This guy shouldn't be in the league and really he wouldn't be if the Clippers didn't sign him.  But why the two years? Who else is offering more than a 10-day contract?  Grade: F (sorry but the stink of Brian Cook knocks a B- down to a solid F... HE SUCKS!)

Golden State trades for David Lee:  Turiaf, Randolph and Azubuike for Lee? The blogosphere LOVES Randolph! I keep hearing (for what feels like decades) that he's a sick talent waiting to break out. To me, the Dubs (BTW - are they still that? can you really have a cool nickname if your team is annually back in lottery-land?) gave up very little to get what is a slightly upgraded version of Andris Biedrins, an active offense-first C/F. He'll fit Nellie's No Defense, No Problem system perfectly and put up some sick offensive numbers. It's just that Golden State won't stop anyone on D.... EVER. Grade: B

Jermaine O'Neal signs with the Celtics:  Make no mistake, this is a great deal for the Celtics! (And yes, I was just looking to utter my second most favorite ex-athlete-on-TV cliches.)  People are knocking O'Neal's playoff numbers against the C's this year, but they're not acquiring him to put up #2 or #3 option numbers.  His job is to fill in for Perkins until he returns and then play 10 to 15 minutes as the first C/F off the bench.  Plus, the hope is that one last shot at a title and KG's leadership will be enough to motivate the guy.  Mix this deal with Ray Allen returning and IN MY OPINION the Celtics are still the top team in the east.  I know that's just crazy to think the defending Eastern Conference Champions actually have a shot despite having veteran leadership, a great defense, team chemistry and quality size up front.  I feel guilty for actually thinking they're better than the Heat, should I go into hiding like Salmon Rushdie?  Grade: A-

Phoenix trades for Hedo Turkoglu, Josh Childress and Hakim Warrick: Lose Amar'e to free agency and get back LENGTH.  Not a bad deal for a team that lost their marquee players for absolutely nothing. Wait, who knocked out the Suns in the playoffs?  The taller and longer Lakers.  So the Suns counter with length and handles.  Hedu has something to prove after the Toronto disaster and with Nash and co. he'll get a lot of healthy looks.  Childress was a little overrated this summer, the Suns basically got Joe Smith 2.0.  Still that's not a bad thing with this system.  The best part about Hakim Warrick will be listening to Lakers PA guy Lawrence Tanter botch his name.  Warrick is his albatross... It's unfair to compare these guys directly to Stat's impact in 2009-10, given the situation I think the Suns did a hell of a job here. Grade: B+

Dallas extends Brendan Haywood and trades for Tyson Chandler:  I see what Dallas is doing here and it may work, but in reality they're probably going to end up like the 2000 Portland Trailblazers.  They went for height to counter the Lakers but in the end they may have too many players to choose from.  Kidd, Terry, Haywood, Chandler, Marion, Butler and Nowitzki... that's a talented top 7 but can Carlisle find the right rotation?  He didn't last spring and they fell to the Spurs in the first round.  Still, I like the effort by the Mavs and can't fault them for what I think might happen.  Grade: B

Al Jefferson to the Jazz:  Here's another blogoshpere favorite.  The Jazz did what they needed to do, find a replacement for Boozer and continue on with the 50+ wins and second round elimination gameplan (which actually isn't bad for a small market team).  Jefferson is a slight upgrade but not as dramatic an improvement as others claim.  His overall winning percentage is LOW, he's injury prone and his defense is suspect.  The low winning percentage is one that I can't let go.  If he's as good as people claim, shouldn't he have some kind of impact on the overall team record?  Is he possibly one of those good-guy-on-a-bad-team type of players?  Anyway, Utah did EXACTLY what they needed to do and for that... Grade: A-

Bulls sign Carlos Boozer and Kyle Korver: As of now, rumors are the Magic will match the offer sheet to JJ Redick, so we're only talking about the ex-Jazz guys. The Bulls were shooting for LeBron or Wade and ended up with Boozer.  Funny how the joke was that the Knicks would probably end up with Rudy Gay and Boozer after missing out on LeBron. Now that the Bulls got Boozer, people forgot the joke and instantly made them a top 3 contender in the east. You gotta love July hype!  I do think Boozer is a good signing and as long as he's not facing the Lakers he'll be fine.  His health has been a concern the past few years, but maybe playing in the #3 market with a strong up-and-coming team will keep him on the floor.  Redick would have been a better signing than Korver, who's clearly lost a step last year, but it never hurts to get a few quality outside shooters.  Plus the REAL key acquisition for the Bulls was Tom Thibodeau.  Grade: B-

Jordan Farmar to the Nets:  Farmar asked for a starting role with an offence that caters to his talents. Instead he gets to back up Devin Harris for the Clippers East who just hired NBA retread Billy King as their GM.  Have fun big guy! Two years ago the Lakers basically structured their roster for Farmar to take over and start after the 2010 season.  Fisher's contract was expiring, Farmar needed an extension... the keys to a fine tuned Lamborghini were his. Instead he regressed and both parties went their own ways. Sad... Grade: D

Amar'e Stoudemire to the Knicks:  Quite simply the NBA is a better league with the Knicks as playoff contenders.  It's basketball mecca... nuff said.  Mix in all the other pieces from the David Lee trade and the Raymond Felton signing and you might have enough for a playoff run.  If anything Amar'e has created a buzz not felt since the Ewing era (they sold out season tickets for the 2010-11 season).  God I hope the Isiah Thomas rumors are just BS, because there's actually hope for the Knicks, not band aid work with a bunch of overrated veterans but actual hope with potential down the rode hope.  Grade A-

Did I miss anything?

LeBron, Wade, Bosh, Miller and Ilgauskus to the Heat:  Message to the blogosphere:  can't you just let things organically happen?  Seriously... as soon as this deal went down all you talked about were multiple titles and legacy.  Sprinkle in the anti-hate "unique" point of view (which wasn't unique at all)... you know, the whole, hey LeBron is NOT a bad guy here and I'm tired of the hate (BTW - all two hours of hate, because HOW DARE WE actually criticize THE KING!!!!) angle and I'm already tired of reading about this deal.  Can't we just enjoy the experience before calling them the greatest ever?  As Phil Jackson has always said, it's all about the journey not the destination.  Before handing over the next 25 NBA titles, let's enjoy watching this team grow together,  work together through tough situations and experience two superstars combining for one cause.

That said, Bosh is an All-Star not a superstar, Miller is on the downside of his career and Ilgauskus averaged less that 2 points and 2 rebounds in the 2010 playoffs.  (That was the most disturbing thing of them all, Z was brought back to the Cavs after the Jamison trade as a final piece to an eventual NBA title.  He was lost and didn't contribute a damn thing.  So how is it now literally months later, he's back to becoming an All-Star?) There's still work to do roster-wise and even though everyone not named LeBron or Wade will get clean looks, they still have to ALL play defense. And they still have to get by the Celtics and Lakers.  People completely forgot the concept of veteran experience, defensive continuity, team chemistry and in the case of both the Lakers and Celtics, quality size.  You gotta stop KG, Perkins, Bynum, Gasol and Odom... and that won't happen in 2010.  Grade A+ but they're not winning a title next year!

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Hey Jerry Buss... Get Over the 80's!!!

By Craig Kwasniewski

Jerry Buss, put down your Atari 2600, hit the stop button on your walkman (Paula Abdul, They Way That You Love Me, right?), remove your "Where's the Beef?" hat, stop saying "Totally tubular!!"... the 80's are lone gone my man.  Gone.  Rubik's Cube... gone.  Ronald Reagan... gone.  Pacman... gone...

The Showtime Era.... GONE!!!!!

Let it go Jerry.  Seriously LET...IT...GO!!  I get that you made you bones while Phil Jackson was dating cheerleaders, but it's time to move on.

Earlier today Roland Lazenby tweeted:

So is now the time to have a pissing contest between the greatest owner and greatest coach in NBA history?  Why can't these two guys ever get on the same page?  Is this some kind of future-son-in-law grudge match?  You guys share the common bond of the Lakers, championships, Jeannie Buss and the City of Angels... isn't there some kind of common ground?

In a simple answer: NO!

The reason?  Jerry Buss's high school crush on the Showtime Era. No matter how many titles Phil wins, in Jerry's mind it's still all Showtime all day. Instead of publicly courting Phil Jackson I keep hearing that Jerry wants to bring back the high-octane offense of the 80's with Byron Scott calling the shots. You have the most successful coach in professional sports and yet Jerry isn't fully committed in bringing him back.

Yeah that makes sense. Sure, let's run the most successful coach in professional sports. After all he didn't save the Shaq-Kobe era or even revive the Lakers after the dismal Rudy Tomjanovich year (It wasn't even a year, the dude skipped town after 4 months for "health reasons" code for "I give up! You coach this shit!"). Yep, we forget just how terrible the Lakers were the last time Phil was "let go" by Buss. You can talk about terrible rosters, but Phil took the team that Rudy completely destroyed with his chuck-and-duck all threes and no defense schemes, organized it, reigned it in and got them within one game of eliminating the #2 seed. Yes Kobe had a ricockulous season, but Phil got the entire roster all believing in the system and took a VERY untalented team back into the playoffs.

No really, that was a terrible team.  Take a look here.  Phil Jackson deserved a retro Coach of the Year just based on the "where are they now?" factor.  Smush Parker, Brian Cook, Chris Mihm and...wait for it... Kwame Brown were all starters.  They made the playoffs with THAT team! 

Yet Jerry completely forgets the chaos of 2005 and is willing to once again pursue Showtime. You know who this reminds you of, right? Yep, Al Davis. We're on year 76 of the Raiders playing the vertical passing game. Yes, it worked in the 70's and 80's but the NFL also moved on to more complex schemes and the game evolved. But Al didn't and the Raiders failed. In fact, the only time the Raiders mattered was with Jon Gruden and the West Coast offense. They became contenders yet Davis still wanted the Vertical Passing game and ran Gruden out of town.... much like Jerry Buss with Jackson and his love for Showtime.

Replace the Raiders tracksuits with 18-year olds and suddenly you have...Jerry Buss?

Let it the 80's go. Put away your Cabbage Patch dolls, your Beta copy of Rambo and tapes of Dr. Demento. The year is 2010, you're fresh off a fifth title with Phil Jackson (BTW - as many titles as your beloved Showtime) and you have the talent to finally catch your rivals the Boston Celtics. Reward Phil for winning title number 16 against your biggest rival.. give Phil his due and bring him back!

Could A Storybook Ending Motivate Phil Jackson for One More Year?

By Craig Kwasniewski
We all agree that the greatest non-ending of a professional career was Jordan's game winner over Utah in the '98 Finals. The follow-thru, the crowd with "OH NO!!!" looks on their faces... the championship. Simply the perfect ending... if only the DC years didn't exist. 

So what's the perfect ending to a coaching legend that has literally done it all? Phil Jackson has 11 titles, is the franchise leader in coaching titles for TWO franchises, is the only coach to ever take two franchises to threepeats, has finally won one over the storied Boston Celtics and has finally cliched a title in a Game 7. Except for a shot an an unprecedented quad threepeat, seriously what's left for Phil Jackson to do?

Maybe win title number 12 over LeBron and the Chicago Bulls? 

Look, if the rumors are true and LeBron James and Chris Bosh are headed to Chicago (and it's a big if because NOBODY knows where LeBron is headed), with that talent and coaching the Bulls become the odds on favorite to win the East. And if LA re-signs Fisher and finds a suitable back-up point guard the Lakers are the favorites to win the West. What better way to end a magnificent career than to lead Kobe and the Lakers over LeBron James your former team? The series alone finally signifies a passing (or denial) of the torch to the next generation. And anyone who's read about or knows Phil Jackson understands his competitive fire. Beneath the many layers of Zen Buddha is a will to win just like all the other greats. He just hides it better that most... but he still wants to win just as much as Jordan, Kobe, Bird, Magic, Riley, Daly, Auerbach, etc. 

(Plus let's be honest here, I'm absolutely dreading the prospect of Byron Scott taking the reins of the defending champs. They're too good to be driven into the ground by a twice fired, in-way-over-his-head, one-dimensional coach. I'm looking for any angle here... Phil has to stay, he just does. If not for himself, for me dammit!) 

Anyway, the chance is there for the rare perfect ending for a coach that has done it all. Ride towards Montana with a title in hand after vanquishing LeBron and the Bulls... 

PERFECT!

Ring number 13 against Chicago would be nice! 

Using an 80's Movie Classic (Not Karate Kid) to Describe Five Things Heading Into Game 6

By Craig Kwasniewski

Okay this is it... or is it? The final home game for the Lakers, the final game in Phil Jackson's career, Derek Fisher's final game as a Laker, the beginning of the end with Byron Scott taking PJ's place on the bench (and it WILL happen when Jackson leaves... this year or next)... all these things could possibly be on the line as Boston looks to close out LA in Game 6.

Phil Jackson's been known to edit game films with move cuts to send a message to his troops. With that in mind, and with a very real possibility that tonight is the last game for the greatest coach in NBA history, here are five quotes from the movie Wall Street to best describe what to expect in Game 6:

Remember there are no shortcuts, son. Quick buck artists come and go with every bull market, but the steady players make it through the bear market.  Lou Mannheim and the voice of reason, the angel on Bud Fox's shoulder if you will. The Lakers need to realize there are no shortcut to defending a title. You can't roll up to a team like Boston and expect to win just by being there. The Bull market was playing a team like Orlando, young, full of energy but not as mentally tough. The Lakers NEED to match the Celtics' mental and physical toughness in Game 6. This starts in the trenches on defense and the boards. We can talk about how little impact the Kobe-aires had offensively in Game 5, but the game was really lost on defense. Boston shot a stunning 56% from the field. STUNNING!!! Now the Lakers are in a bear market, with nowhere to hide and no room for mistake... no shortcuts!!! Especially on defense.

Sun-tzu: If your enemy is superior, evade him. If angry, irritate him. If equally matched, fight, and if not split and reevaluate.  Quote of a movie of a quote from a book but everyone knows who this is. For the Lakers to even have a shot at extending this series Pau Gasol needs to listed to Bud Fox and fight. The thing about the 2-3-2 format is that it really gives the host of the middle three games a shot at completely changing the momentum of the series. Doesn't it feel like we've been in Boston for literally weeks? The Lakers went from a confident defending champs to a team that no longer feels an equal to Boston. Much of this falls on Ron Artest and Lamar Odom but mostly it's Pau Gasol. Heading into the series, Gasol was equally matched with KG yet in the past few games instead of fighting KG head on he's been "splitting and reevaluating." There's no time to split and reevaluate... there's no tomorrow for LA, the Lakers NEED Gasol now to have any chance at taking this to Game 7.

Man looks in the abyss, there’s nothing staring back at him. At that moment, man finds his character. And that is what keeps him out of the abyss.  The quote that inspired me to write this piece and the one that applies to none other than Lamar Odom. He's not only staring into the abyss, but he's firmly in it. What happened to the player that used to hold his own against KG? What happened to the smile? The rebounds? The heart? It's all gone. One big factor is Lamar Odom is terrible on Sundays. Okay not terrible in a Smush Parker sense but terrible in that his numbers drop by 20% on Sundays versus the rest of the week. (This postseason he averages 7.4 pts and 7.4 rebs on Sunday, the rest of the week he average 10.7 pts and 9.0 rebounds.) So maybe he's just due for a quality double-double that Lakers fans have been begging for. Lamar, get out of the abyss.

And what I do, stock and real estate speculation. It's bullshit. You got ninety percent of the American public out there with little or no net worth. I create nothing. I own.  Gordon Gekko laying down the law to Bud Fox best describes Kobe's impact offensively in this series. He's really like a speculator, creating wealth for himself only. He owns. But his numbers don't create wealth for the rest of the Lakers, the ninety percent of the public with little or no wealth. See that's the beauty of the Celtics defensive schemes, the goad Kobe into his one-on-one game, knowing that at the end of the day he'll try to prove to everyone win or lose that he's the true alpha dog. Yes, Kobe has put up some good numbers against the Celtics defense, but the most important number is 2 and 3 as in wins and losses. With the Lakers on the brink, Kobe needs to "spread the wealth" and dump the Gekko principle.

The point is, ladies and gentleman, that greed, for lack of a better word, is good.  Eighteen titles... nuff said. For Boston Celtics fans, greed is good. Yes, I look at this Lakers team, the one I've followed closely for the last 11 years as a season ticket holder and I can't see enough of the inner strength and belief to hold off the Celtics. If I saw Fox, Fisher, Horry, Kobe and Shaq, I'd feel completely different. They fought through the hard battles, they learned how to depend on each other, to lean on the right person, to fight as individuals and as one when the time was needed. I see this Lakers team, this all-but-very-different Western Conference Champs Threepeat and I don't see the same thing. I don't see the unity, the right mixture of individual talent and us-against-the-world feeling that the early 2000's Lakers and present-day Celtics have. For Boston, greed is good... and so is title number eighteen.

Is It Safe to Call It The Kobe Rules?

By Craig Kwasniewski

Okay I'll get out and say it: the Celtics have figured out how to defend Kobe. Sorry Lakers fans, but your savior hasn't shown the patience to properly defeat the Celtics' well-organized team defense. He's shooting a paltry 39.4% from the field and while working extremely hard to get his 26.7 points. I know, I know... you can never keep an offensive force like Kobe down. One of the next few games he'll blow up with a dominant 30 plus game... right? RIGHT?!?

(BTW - Well organized, that's a total soccer term, but really it applies to the Celtics on defense. They have their game principles and STICK to them all the friggin' time. If this were the World Cup, they would be Italy, with technical brilliance and the ability to contain and control opponents. Yet we never hear the term well organized in basketball because of the game's quick pace, but believe me, the Celtics defense is deserving of this label.)

Anyway, I'm not sure if Kobe has a quality offensive game in him against the Celtics. It takes patience and the willingness to trust in the offense and let the game come to you. It also requires one to listen to a coach saying something... ohhhh like... "Michael, who's open?"

Yep, we've seen this before: The Jordan Rules of the late 80's Pistons. Their physical, intimidating, intelligent and controlling defense was the only thing to contain Michael Jordan in his prime (not including the Birmingham Barrons and the Wizards era). The only way Michael was able to finally conquer Detroit is with the Triangle Offense, based on spacing and most importantly a trust in his teammates. (BTW - It didn't hurt that expansion sent Rick Mahorn away in 1991) Phil Jackson rolled in and got the NBA's greatest individual talent to buy into the team game and poof, Detroit and the Jordan Rules were gone.

I'm not saying that Kobe doesn't buy into the Triangle, but I'm saying that Kobe isn't patient enough to use the Triangle when it's need most...like RIGHT NOW!

As I've said repeatedly, the biggest problem with Kobe is his competitive streak. It's his biggest asset, it drives him to become the player he is today. Working out, improving his game, being one step ahead on conditioning... all these are a result of that competitive streak. But it also leads him into these alpha dog moments. It came out in game two when Ray Allen was on FIYAH hitting literally every three point shot in the gym. Kobe wanted to match Ray, he wanted to take him on and show who's really The Man. Instead of feeding the post and attacking Boston and capitalizing on the Lakers size advantage (especially with literally EVERY Celtics big in foul trouble that day), Kobe dribbled, dribbled and dribbled, looking to hit the home run shot. The Celtics D rotated over and doubled Kobe with the shot clock running down....CLANG! And POOF goes a very winnable game.

The Celtics know Kobe will always get into these contests. He not only wants to win as a team, but he wants to also win as an individual. And at times, it's really hard to tell which one he prefers.  Anyway, that plays right into the Celtics defensive principles. All five play what is in essence is a physical match-up zone when Kobe has the ball. The zone principles keep Kobe on the perimeter, knowing that it takes a lot of energy to penetrate the lane. Kobe is left trying to figure the defense as the shot clock winds down. Less than five seconds left, the match-up becomes a straight double team, knowing that Kobe doesn't have time (or the trust) to pass off, and he's left forcing a bad jumper.... CLANG!

Kobe seemed to be pressing much of game 3. It's like he was trying to shoot himself INTO a rhythm. Shoot til you're hot, shoot til you're cold... the true shooter's mantra. Well Kobe was definitely shooting to get hot, the problem was that he never found a rhythm. And the shots that did go in were such high degree of difficulty that anyone not named Kobe would be getting killed for such a horrible shot selection. But Kobe is such a good bad ball shooter (you know, like some golfers being bad ball hitters), that we accept these buckets and just marvel at the sickness.

The problem is that for LA to beat the Celtics (and finally exorcise the demons of '08), Kobe needs to trust that the Triangle Offense and let the game come to him. (It's a overused cliche but really against Boston, Kobe has to trust that he'll find his offensive rhythm in the flow of the Triangle)  Game 1 had elements of that, but since then we're seeing more and more of Kobe from the 2008 NBA Finals (who had 25.7 ppg. on 40.5% from the field).  Basically the difference is where his shots are coming from.  "In rhythm" offense is shots taken in the middle of the shot clock on the wings near the freethrow line extended or in the paint.  "Out of rhythm" offense is late in the shotclock, with defenders draped all over him and from the top 1/4 of the three point arc. 

It's weird that even in year 14, we as fans still have to hope Kobe will "get it" and play within the system. But he really needs to for LA to win in Game 4 and put this series on the brink.

Finals Prediction

By Craig Kwasniewski

Let's keep it very brief. Because of terrible time management and my real job taking up the day, I can't break down the finals position-by-position.  Though you can check out a very thorough one at Lakersnation.com (Top 10 Reasons the Lakers Beat the Celtics in 2010).

Anyway here it is:

Lakers in six

Why?

-These aren't the same teams as 2008

-Artest and Bynum instead of Radmanovic and Vujacic

-Posey, Cassell and PJ Brown are NOT here

-Garnett isn't the 2008 version... advantage Gasol

-Revenge... it's over-played and very overrated, but over the past two years a motivated Lakers team is a scary Lakers team.  They get it, they know how to beat Boston.  They're better coached.  They're deeper.  They're tired of hearing they are the underdogs despite being defending champs... they're better and Kobe knows it.

Lakers in 6

Pardon Me But These Aren't Games 7 Thru 11 of the 2008 Finals

By Craig Kwasniewski 

Pop question hotshot: who are the defending champs? 

The Los Angeles Lakers 

No seriously, check the record books, look at the banner in Staples Center or just ask Kobe. As hard as this sounds, the Lakers are the defending champs. I know, I know... that's crazy. But if you'll just do me a solid, look at your calendar and tell me what day it is cause I know for sure it's not June 2008... no matter what the national media wants you to think. 

Let me say that again: THIS IS AIN'T 2008!!! 

Yet that's all I hear. The Lakers need to watch out for those big bad Celtics. The Big Three ran roughshod over LA in 2008 and now Rajon Rondo is playing like the bestestest player in NBA playoff history so why even play the Finals? Rinse, wash and repeat... the Lakers have no chance.

But wait there's more: Rasheed Wallace will destroy Pau Gasol.  Glen Davis is an offensive stalwart that will shock and awe the mediocre Lakers bench.  Paul Pierce and Ray Allen will contain Kobe.  Rondo will be a combination of MJ and Magic and embarrass the Lakers.  Bynum is too hurt to matter.  Artest will freak out and sabotage the Lakers.  Phil Jackson will succumb to the ghost of Red Auerbach and lose his concentration. Rinse, wash and repeat... the Lakers have no chance.

I love the national media.  You guys have no clue what's going on so you break out the playoff talking points. Show the Rambis clothesline again, talk about storied franchises, compare this rivalry to the Yankees-Red Sox in case we can't grasp the concept and talk extensively about 2008.  Talk about how physical the Celtics were, talk about how good their defense was, talk about their cohesion as a team, talk about Game 5 and blown leads, talk about Paul Pierce's Finals MVP and talk about Kevin Garnett's intimidation and leadership.  Rinse, wash and repeat... the Lakers have no chance.

Let me say this again: THIS IS AIN'T 2008!!! 

I also love that the national media completely forgot about 2009.  Lest we forget, it's the Lakers that are the defending champs.  They rebounded from a devestating 2008 NBA Finals to claw, scratch and fight their way through the entire season and capture the title.  Boston got old and hurt and couldn't get out of the second round.  Boston was swept by LA in the regular season.  Boston lost their swagger in '09.  But forget all of that.  It makes bad copy to remember that it's LA with their THIRD straight trip to the finals or that they properly defended their championship also through a season of injuries and age.  

THIS IS AIN'T 2008!!! 

We'll let the games speak for themselves, but Boston's lone advantage over their 2008 team is Rondo's play.  And really, let's be VERY specific, he destroyed Cleveland but was more 2010 regular season Rondo against Orlando.  Meaning good/great but not the iconic point guard of the millennium like the Boston media was saying.  Besides Rondo, the rest of Boston got older.  KG's knee still limits his mobility, Ray Allen's more inconsistent and Paul Pierce breaks down as each series goes along.  The Big Three clearly aren't as dominant as in 2008.  

Let's go even further.  In '08 the bench with the perfect mix of youth and veteran leadership is no longer.  James Posey did a stellar job defending Kobe and hit several big threes. PJ Brown found the right mix of energy and seemed to do everything right.  And Leon Powe crushed the Lakers on the boards.  In 2010, Boston patched together a group of veterans with Tony Allen and Glen Davis and hoped for a repeat of 2008.  Instead they got inconsistency all over the place.  They're not as dominant on defense. And Rasheed Wallace?  After three years of drifting and mailing in playoff games he's suddenly going to lock it down and play like it's 2004.  Hardly.  And even in his prime back in 2005, he still made boneheaded plays down the stretch... Robert Horry ring a bell?

Now let's look at the difference in LA between 2008 and today.  Their top seven in 2008 were Kobe, Fisher, Radmanovic, Odom, Gasol, Vujacic, Farmar and Turiaf.  Their top seven in 2010 are Kobe, Fisher, Artest, Gasol, Bynum, Odom, Farmar and Brown.  More defense and more size.  Yes Bynum's knee is a concern but these aren't the run and gun Suns.  LA will get 25 minutes a game from him. But more importantly, swapping Radmanovic for Artest is a MAJOR improvement on defense.  Gone are the high efficiency offense-first Lakers of '08, instead you get a grittier and smarter Lakers team that figures out their opponents on BOTH ends of the floor as each series progresses.  They're better on defense, they're hoops IQ is much improved, they're tougher... oh and Kobe is still Kobe.

Like I said before: THIS IS AIN'T 2008!!! 

 

Something we never saw in 2008, but saw in 2009 AND 2010, the Lakers winning at Boston.

Kobe Can Never Be the Greatest Laker Until He Beats Boston

By Craig Kwasniewski

Notice how focused Kobe was after beating the Suns? Those sick shots, the concentration down the stretch as the game got tight. Typical Kobe traits, yes, but much more than that. He had an edge... it's like he was tasting the NBA Finals on the tip of his tongue and wanted to dive in. You can see him get locked in as the series moved on. His game taken to a level we rarely see.

Afterwords, notice how he's not merely satisfied with a seventh trip to the finals or a shot at defending the 2009 title? Nope, for Kobe it's much more that the journey. Much more than facing the Big Three or even Rajon Rondo (and really I need to swap that order, it's Rondo's world and we're just visiting)... this title is all about Kobe's legacy.

Kobe's won an MVP, a Finals MVP, Four titles, three All-Star MVP's and two scoring titles... all great for anyone but Kobe. Really at this point Kobe Bryant is facing Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan...two greats that with 5 and 6 titles each that can be caught in the next two years.

Before Kobe can even be put in the same sentence as MJ he needs to surpass Magic as the greatest Laker of all time. Forget being the greatest scorer in franchise history or having four titles. To be the best Laker of all time Kobe needs to win a title against their greatest rival, the Boston Celtics. Yeah Magic has five titles and yeah Kobe may lose this year only to get number five next year, but he's not in the discussion as greatest Laker ever until he beats Boston.

Naively, I never understood the love for the Showtime Era over the Triangle Era. The Triangle Era Lakers, at times, were more dominant and did something the Showtime Era never did, threepeat. (I'm a Phil Jackson guy which mean I loathe Pat Riley and feel his ego outweighs his achievements. TRUE! So I never really understood why Lakers fans continue to treat Riles as their son and Jackson as an outsider.)  But Lakers fans are still very nostalgic for Magic, Kareem, Worthy and Riles. Phil Jackson might have more titles, Kobe might have scored more, even Shaq might have been more dominant... but they never beat Boston. Showtime was the first to do it and even if Phil and Kobe surpass Showtime in titles the only ones that count here in LA are the ones over Boston. People may be too young to remember the Russell years, but they remember 1984 and they definitely remember 2008, two of the most painful losses in franchise history. Kobe needs to be a part of that Celtics exorcism (and really Phil Jackson too) to be considered the greatest in Lakers history.

Until then, Magic Johnson is the face of the franchise... no contest.

The Suns Didn't Get The Memo and a Few Other Thoughts

By Craig Kwasniewski

The Suns didn't get the memo... you know the one that states they're too small to really contend for a title. I mean seriously, they're supposed to be the cutesy team led by the wacky Canadian that scored a ton, didn't play defense but never really contended for a championship. This was supposed to be the team that we all love while the big bad Lakers eventually slap, beat and grind them out of the playoffs. We were all supposed to give standing ovations to Grant Hill for his heart, Amar'e for his athleticism, Jason Richardson for his incredible shooting, Alvin Gentry for his coaching and Steve Nash for being all things Steve Nash.

They didn't get the memo...

Here are a few thoughts going into Game 5:

Alvin Gentry is doing a hell of a job! Down 2-0 after two blowouts, with everyone already planning for a Celtics-Lakers rematch, the Suns looked bad, nah they were just awful. Gentry got the Suns to believe that they're system will eventually turn the series around. Just keeping their heads held high after two thorough defeats is amazing enough, but to turn the entire series in their favor... clearly he's the difference-maker in the series. Conversely the Lakers stopped believing in the Triangle as soon as the Suns broke out the zone defense. Triangle guys continue to emphasize that this offense works perfectly against zone defenses with the cuts and spacing... except the Lakers guards haven't bought into that idea one bit. Gentry picked up the Suns off the floor, gave them confidence, convinced them that they can hang with the Lakers and took control of this series all in one week's time.

The Lakers are so damn frustrating!  Everyone watching knows what LA needs to do to win this series.  The Lakers coaches, the players themselves, even the fans all know... use the size advantage and attack from the inside-out in the Triangle, don't shoot too many threes knowing that long rebounds can lead to fastbreak points and stay at home on the Suns pick-and-roll schemes, no need to double team, just stay at home.  Everyone knows this.  EVERYONE!!!!

Yet here we are with the Lakers getting stymied by a zone defense and jacking up 30 threes a game.  This is exactly what the Suns wanted: to seduce the Lakers into a three point contest and run and gun all over the place. Instead of controlling the pace and working the ball inside, the Lakers guards lose patience and belief in their system. Basketball can be such a simple game, long shots equal long rebounds and leak-out points for the Suns. Early shots in the shot clock also equal rebounds and leak-out points for the Suns. Poor ball movement leads to turnovers and also leak-out points for the Suns.

Also, what happened to the scrambling defense that shut down the Suns late in game 2? The Suns are the best three point shooting team in the league and you continue to leave them WIDE OPEN? REALLY?  Stay at home and let Nash and Amar'e get theirs.  Game 3 was very winnable despite Stat's HUGE scoring output.  The Suns are VERY dangerous when they get balanced scoring.  Stay at home!

Are the Suns Kobe's and Phil Jackson's nemesis?  In 2006, the Suns were the first team to ever eliminate Phil Jackson in the first round.  Also in 2006, the Suns were the first team to eliminate a Phil Jackson squad with a 3-1 series lead.  After losing to the Suns in 5 games in 2007, Kobe went off on the Lakers organization in frustration and asked to be traded.  The Suns crazy multi-angled pick and roll offense seem to confuse the Lakers defensive principles.  They switch and rotate off the initial pick and leave too many perimeter shooters wide open... and now they're hitting them.  The Lakers move closer and closer to their third elimination by the Suns in five years.  Nemesis anyone?

Jordan Farmar, it's time to go.  Farmar has done nothing to improve his game over the past 2 years.  He no longer sees the court well, he no longer has a feel for the pace of the game and he no longer runs the damn offense.  Seriously, feed the post!!!

In 2007, we were impressed with Jordan Farmar's youth and confidence.  We all agreed when Phil Jackson started him over Smush Parker in the playoffs against Phoenix in 2007.  He was brash but the right collection of composure and heart.  He earned every bit of praise that year.  In 2 or 3 years, he was the perfect successor when Derek Fisher retires.  WAS is the operative word.  Somewhere last season Farmar lost his feel for the game.  His passes are lazy, he gambles too much on defense, he takes waaaaay too many ill-advised threes and he forgot how to feed the post.  Not good for a player with a contract extension on the line.  The Suns have completely destroyed Farmar in this series... it's time to go.

Game 5 outlook...  I'll be honest, I'm not too confident going into this game.  The Lakers really should have closed out on the Suns in a very winnable game 3.  They didn't get that killer instinct (read: Odom played like an ass).  Now the Suns offense is running on all cylinders as role players are hitting shots they were bricking in games 1 and 2.  They're extremely confident and can smell the Finals right around the corner.  People are breaking out stats like the Lakers are 18-0 all-time in home Game 5's when tied 2-2. Or that they're 8-0 in Game 5's over the past three seasons. The Suns destroyed a few of those type of stats back in 2006. To me they're just empty numbers.

Game 5 will be won on the Lakers defensive end of the floor.  Will they get out and contest the jumpers with urgency?  41 points in the second quarter of game 4 is embarrassing.  I don't care that the Suns were literally hitting all their threes, you should never give up that many points in a playoff game!  All the talk has been about the Suns shutting down the Triangle with their vaunted zone defense.  Nope... it's the defense stupid and the Lakers aren't playing it.

Zone is a junk defense!  The Lakers lack of execution is making it look like the modern day 40 Minutes of Hell.  It's a junk defense that can easily be solved if the Lakers get penetration in the soft spots.  Flash Gasol to just inside the freethrow line and feed him the ball (unless you're Jordan Farmar, who jacks up another three instead).  The defense has to commit from either the low block, exposing the baseline to a cutter or the guards have to drop down, leaving someone like Kobe open for a 17-foot jumper.  Also Gasol can reverse the ball, creating an open mid-ranger jumper.  Or the Gasol can drop down a little lower, draw two defenders and pass to a cutter.  It's really easy to attack a zone if you have bigs like Gasol and Odom who are great passers.  The key is for the guards (not named Farmar) to have the confidence to feed the post and attack from inside out.  It's a junk defense... no team has ever won a title running the zone. 

Is Game 5 the last Lakers home game of the season?  The last game Fisher plays at Staples Center?  Will the defending champs rally?