The Association

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? 

While Gallinari's Presser is at the Sistine Chapel, Prokhorov's is at a Hotel Banquet Hall

By Craig Kwasniewski

Mikhail Prokhorov is a Russian kajillionaire yet his introduction to the New York media is the Sapphire Banquet Room? Seriously?!? At least hold it at some Russian Vodka Bar with some hot Eastern European models as security.

But this is the reality of the New Jersey Nets. The Ryan Air to Virgin Atlantic, the RC Cola to Coke, the Burger King to McDonald's... the New Jersey Nets to the New York Knicks.  He's supposed to change all these things but instead he's already losing the Draft lottery and showcasing himself in a random banquet hall that in two days will probably be hosting a Bar Mitzvah and later a 50th wedding anniversary.

Now look how things are done for Danilo Gallinari in Milan...

Woah!

It's supposed to be some NBA Europe or EA Sports thing... who cares.  That's just one hell of a setting for a press conference.

All I know is that if Prokhorov wants to make a huge splash in the US, he needs to hold press conferences like these. Seriously, I see both these photos and I CLEARLY understand the difference between the Knicks and Nets. Hey Mikhail, you want to change the culture of the Nets, start from day one. Blow us away and show us all just how eccentric European bajillionaires act.  Build a Sistine Chapel in Newark.

Photos: The Bestest Missed Dunk of Shannon Brown's Career!

By Craig Kwasniewski

No seriously you gotta see these photos. Shannon Brown brought down the house when he tried to Frederic Weiss (yep, he's a verb) Jason Richardson in the second half of the Lakers blowout win over Phoenix.

The game was on the brink of getting out of hand when Brown got a clean look (or so he thought he did) at the rim and went for the ultimate highlight dunk of the year. Call it brash, call it front-running, call it whatever you like, the guy literally tried to jump over two-time slam dunk champion Jason Richardson and came *this close* to succeeding. The attempt alone had Staples Center buzzing for minutes.

Something tells me that Alvin Gentry will loop this in Tuesday's film session, "See, they're clowning y'all! The Lakers are clowning y'all like you're the Clippers!"

Here's some pics of the dunk attempt... SICKNESS:

Lakers - Suns... A Quick Prediction

By Craig Kwasniewski

Straight to the point: Lakers in Five. And now some unanswered questions about the series:

1 - Wait a second, you just took the Lakers in five. How is that possible when so many "experts" are taking the Suns?

Yeah how is that possible? After all the Suns are the hottest team, they beat the high and mighty Spurs and hey... the Suns play defense. I know this is crazy but is there a slight chance the Spurs we're overrated? I mean they were the number 7 seed. And they did have season-long chemistry problems with Richard Jefferson, their BIG off-season acquisition. Oh and did I mention they were old and broken? But see that's just insane to say such a thing...the Spurs were made for the postseason, just see how they destroyed the Mavericks in the first round. This is who they are, well coached, talented and savvy....Except ONLY on paper.

Now for reality: The Spurs beat a flawed Mavs team who still didn't figure out their rotations or their best five players in crunch time. The faster, more healthy, deeper and more motivated Suns the proceeded to roll the Spurs 4-0. And they play defense! So OF COURSE they can hang and possibly beat the Lakers.

See what I just did?

2 - Don't the Suns play defense?

Yeah this is the most hilarious thing this postseason. (Well obviously next to LeBron getting knocked out literally days after many pompous writers chided anyone who dared have an independent opinion on the MVP award... HOW DARE THEY!) The Suns play defense, they play defense... THE SUNS PLAY DEFENSE!!!

This is a borderline Fox News talking point. I'm expecting The Daily Show to put together 27 clips of everyone telling me the Suns play defense. Yeah and that yard of bricks slows down cars at the Indianapolis 500. Yes, these aren't the Mike D'Antoni era Suns, they actually step in front of dribble penetration and may put a hand in the face but let's face it, you're not seeing the 1989 Pistons, 1992 Bulls or the Riley Knicks.

Defense is very much a relative term here and please spare me the stats off the two previous flawed opponents. The Spurs were old and broken and the Blazers were just broken. It's not like the Suns locked down on D the full 48 minutes and broke both teams. Spare me the talking points.

3 - But ESPN guys are taking the Suns?

Yeah and they also really, really, really like Steve Nash and the old-guy-with-his-last-shot-at-a-title storyline. The media drools over this stuff...it's pure amateur hour and quite frankly lazy journalism.  They're not picking the Suns, they're rooting for the Suns.

Oh and don't underestimate the backlash to the backlash from Nash's two MVP trophies. There seems to be a lot of "see he's really that good!!!!" reactions the past two weeks. Especially when people started to realize the past few years that the MVP's were very much a product of timing and an offense that seriously inflated his stats.

But whatever, keep pulling for Nash... it least this beats 8 months of Brett Favre cheering from the media.

4 - Enough bitching, why are the Lakers going to win in five?

Size, coaching and talent.

Size - The Lakers are the biggest team still alive in the playoffs.  I say that because the Cavs were built to beat both LA and Orlando.  As I saw on Christmas Day, the Cavs were the only team to effectively match and potentially exceed at all five positions.  They're gone and the Lakers are left towering over the rest of the field.  If they control the pace (something that they did in 2006, but just didn't have the talent to finish out and get by Phoenix), they win the series... easily.  The Suns know they have to seduce the Lakers into jacking a lot of threes, which in turn create long rebounds and fastbreaks.  The Lakers know a mid-paced game (high 90's) is the right tempo.  There's no need to slug it out like 2006, but there's also no need to run and gun from three.  Just post up their FIVE legit threats over and over and run the Triangle from the inside out and the Lakers will be fine.

Coaching - Alvin Gentry has done a hell of a job getting the Suns to believe in themselves and their system, but this is Phil Jackson.  Say what you want about always having talent but there's something to be said about Phil Jackson teams always pulling out close games.  People call it fortune or talent, but they always seem to come out ahead is VERY tight games (Game 6 at OKC, Game 3 at Utah).  He gets his players in the right frame of mind so when sphincters get tight, the Lakers seem to carry that extra level of concentration and pull out the close ones.  Jackson also knows the key to this series (pace and patience) and will keep the Lakers focused throughout the series.

Talent - 1 - 12 the Suns are deeper, but 1 - 7 the Lakers are more talented.  Maybe Phoenix can expose the Lakers mediocre bench in the 2nd and 3rd quarters, but at the end of the day (or game) the Lakers have the games best closer in Kobe.  But they also have the postseason's best power forward (Gasol has easily been playing his best basketball since joining the Lakers in 2008).  Jason Richardson has been having the postseason of his life but now he'll have to match up with Kobe on both ends.  There's a reason he's averaged just over 8 points a game in the 4 regular season games against LA. Working on both ends of the floor takes a lot out of your offensive game (just look at what happened to Pierce after defending LeBron, people were assuming injury and age got to him... nope, just 48 minutes of Hell... I mean LeBron).  And Grant Hill may hold his own, but let's be honest, if your best defender was once  superstar on the 1997 Detroit Pistons, you may have a problem.

Really, I'm shocked how people can see this any other way.  I know a week off allows us all to over analyze things but really this is a match-up nightmare for Phoenix.  But these are the residual effects of overrating the Spurs and rooting for "the old guy."

Lakers in FIVE.

Don't miss the NBA picks to finish off your year of NBA handicapping on a positive note.

LeBron on Rondo? 4 Reasons Why That's a Bad Idea

By Craig Kwasniewski

Hey well he IS the MVP and as THE MVP, you SHOULD save your teams collective arses.... but not this way. LeBron wanting to defend Rajon Rondo on for game 5 is a bad idea. No actually it's a stupid idea and I have four reasons why: 

1 - LeBron's not that great of an on-the-ball defender to contain Rondo from the get go. There's a huge differemce between locking down a defender one-on-one in latter moments of a game versus going at him the entire 48. Does LeBron have the ability to go at Rondo every single possession? Is he willing to pick him out right at the change of possession and shadow him the full court for the entire game? I've seen LeBron pick his spots and chose to shut down his man in spurts, but it's a different mentality and pacing to continue that the whole game. LeBron's a freak on nature on offense, but does he have the necessary defensive mindset? 

2 - Cleveland uses LeBron as a roving shot blocker, this changes their entire defensive scheme. A funny thing happened along the way of all those highlight-chasing blocks. NOBODY wants to be on ESPN being on the receiving end. The Cavs put LeBron on the weakest defender and utilize him as a roving shot-blocker and it works. Did you see how every Celtics' drive has their players' head on a swivel expecting a block? I literally can't stand the play because it's so fundamentally wrong, but it works.  It gets the crow pumped and the opposition freaked out. That's not happening if LeBron is on Rondo. 

3 - Hey there's that guy Paul Pierce. LeBron and Pierce have been matched up most of the first four games and Pierce is obviously paying for it. Equal parts LeBron's defense, defending LeBron and wear and tear Paul Pierce is nowhere near the player that was the 2008 Finals MVP. He looks tired, old and lost. BUT...he's still got a great game left and the Celtics still call his number down the stretch. Anthony Parker isn't strong enough for Pierce, and Mo Williams is too small. I can see Pierce getting back into the flow of the game with LeBron on Rondo. The last thing the Cavs need is a hot/confident Pierce with a Game 5 on the line. 

4 - Game 3. The Cavs rolled the Celtics because LeBron came out aggressive on the offensive end and the entire roster fed off his energy. Actually is was more than a roll, it was the worst home playoff defeat in that storied franchise's history.  This ain't about Rondo's dominance. The Cavs have won before with Rondo putting up some fierce numbers. No, this is about how much the Cavs feed off LeBron's offense. Quite simply, use the exact gameplan from Game 3 and the Cavs should win easily. 

Cleveland is too good to panic right now. This is what separates championship teams from the rest of the pack, the ability to weather these moments. Yes, Rondo had a monster Game 4 to even up the series but the key was that the Big Three did not. Let Rondo get his but more importantly, LeBron NEEDS to get his. If two of the Big Three (or maybe a Sheed) get untracked tonight, the Cavs are in serious trouble.  Stick to what got you here and you'll be fine.

The Outrage Over LeBron's MVP Vote is Foolish and Arrogant

By Craig Kwasniewski

LeBron ONLY got 116 out of 123 first place votes? Such an outrage! This is preposterous, outlandish, unbelievable, atrocious, a crime against all humanity, an insult to us all... how dare they! Don't the know LeBron is the only true MVP this year! Don't they know LeBron was such a dominant force that he should get all the first, second, and third place votes! Don't they know basketball?

OBVIOUSLY personal agendas got in the way of the first unanimous MVP award in NBA history.

Please

Let me get this straight. LeBron was such an obvious choice that any such dissension is influenced by personal agenda and homer-ism. No really, this year was such a clear cut decision that it's blatantly personal. As my wife says in 90% of our arguments, "Don't tell me what I'm thinking!"

(Before we move on, let me be VERY clear, I think LeBron is the MVP this year. So don't write this off as some LeBron hating post by a Lakers fan. Back to the post...)

Let's look at this from the perspective of say a media member in Oklahoma City. Kevin Durant worked on his game all last summer, improving his handles and range and entered the 2009-10 season as a player who "made the leap." The Thunder improve from a 26 to 50 wins and make the playoffs. Along the way Durant leads the league in scoring at 30.2 ppg, becoming the youngest player to ever do so. Oklahoma City becomes the hottest team in the NBA from January through late March, following the lead of Durant's exceptional play. Many people (including a Boston-leaning ESPN writer) start buying into the Thunder as a legitimate playoff contender. This all starts and ends with Durant's play, his scoring ability, his poise, his focus, his overall game. It's safe to say Durant took this team to the brink of something special in 2010.

Now you're a media member from Oklahoma City, you see this team change over the course of two seasons, you understand and appreciate all the hard work Durant puts in the offseason, you see his leadership and the impact on the entire roster. These are things the national media might not appreciate. After all he does play in one of the smallest markets so it's not like the Thunder were regulars on ESPN.  And unlike Durant, LeBron is on literally every day in highlights, commercials and games.  It's easy to see and be influenced by his game... he's everywhere!

I know we all enjoy watching Durant play and being hoops junkies we try to catch as many of his games as possible, but there's still a lot to be said for attending all those Thunder games in person and following him around on a daily basis. You see his impact at practice, in the locker room and on the floor.  All the League Pass action and pages of stats still don't quantify the impact of LIVE NBA action.  Their media guys have the privilege of seeing a different Durant than the rest of us.

My point... being in Oklahoma City on a daily basis you actually might pick Durant as the MVP this year.

It's a subjective vote, let people be subjective. A lot of well-respected writers come off arrogant and petty when they start going after the six percent of the dissenting vote (yes it's such a low number that it can be written out in verbal form). A lot of them are simply stating this year is "SO OBVIOUS" that anything else is blatantly wrong. No, that's just your point of view.  Just because you have the ability to be heard by more people doesn't make it fact.  And calling out the few dissenters like some torch wielding angry mob is borderline embarrassing.  You guys are better than that!

Finally, people are arguing that LeBron's legacy will be affected by this vote. Not even! His legacy will be cemented in NBA championships not MVP's.  Just ask yourself how many titles Magic has or Bird or even MJ.  Now ask yourself how many MVP's for each player.  I'll be honest, I had to look up the MVP awards to check. Titles not MVP's...

Lakers Barely Hold on to Beat the Jazz in Game 1

By Craig Kwasniewski 

Nice of the Lakers to "grant" us an exciting Game 1 by completely scrapping a successful offensive game plan most of the second half (ummm I believe they call it the Triangle) to barely beat Utah 104-99. 

Here are a few observations from my seat high up in Section 316: 

That game should NOT have been this close. Let's be honest here the Lakers are a terrible match-up for the Jazz.  LA's length in the front court causes problems for the smallish Boozer and Ronnie Millsap. Utah's thorn in the Lakers side was Okur forcing Bynum or Gasol to step out and defend the three.  Well Okur's gone and his replacement Fesenko is big but slow and nailed to the paint, allowing Bynum and Gasol to clog the lanes a keep Boozer from attacking the offensive glass.  Oh and did I mention the Jazz don't have anyone to defend Kobe?  Forget Kirilenko's injury, when healthy he wasn't able to stop Kobe. The Jazz have never had anyone to stop Kobe.  Really Deron Williams is Utah's only advantage (well that and the Lakers boredom) and he's not dropping 40 points and 20 dimes anytime soon.

This is just a bad match-up for the Jazz.  But they are well-coached, disciplined and talented enough to make this a 6 game series.  

What happened to the Triangle in the 2nd half?  Did you see the backdoor cuts from Artest and Odom in the first half?  Yes.  Did you see all the easy baskets after the ball was worked around the perimeter?  Yes.  Did you see the Lakers pounding the ball, dribbling around in the first half?  No.  That's what we in the business refer to as the Triangle Offense.  For a second I actually believed that Ron Artest finally got the offense.  Watching him slash down the lane and get the feed off Gasol was a thing of beauty.  This is why NBA higher-ups always thought Gasol was the perfect fit for the Lakers.  His court vision, patience and intelligence fit perfectly in the Triangle.  Did you see the no-look behind-the-back bounce pass to Bynum for a dunk? (BTW - it's didn't count because of a foul but it got a loud "Ohhhhh!!!" from the 300-level)  The Lakers spread the floor and initiated the offense from inside out.. in ONLY the first half.  And for much of the first half the Lakers actually looked the part of defending champs.

Ahh but then the 2nd half rolled in... Dribble, dribble, dribble, fade-away... dribble, dribble, dribble, fade-away.  Part of it was the Jazz bigs forcing Gasol and Bynum out of the low post (more on that later) but a huge part was the Lakers guards simply not initiating the offense from the inside.  As Phil Jackson would say, the team lost their direction in the 3rd quarter.  And it spilled over onto the defensive end as the Lakers couldn't get a stop.  What's so frustrating with the 2010 Lakers is how quickly they revert to bad habits with too much dribbling and too many threes.  It's obvious they know how to win, but like a rebellious teenager they refuse and want to do it their way.  And only when their backs are up against a wall, like say 5 minutes left with the Jazz leading, do the Lakers finally collect themselves and do it the right way.

Good Kobe saved bad Kobe. Kobe took over down the stretch getting clutch jumpers from his sweet spots near the freethrow line and just out at the short 17. But it was bad Kobe that maybe forced good Kobe to save the day. Late in the 2nd quarter he got into a little one-on-one tussle with CJ Miles and let the refs get to him. Kobe bristled that Miles was aloud to body him around and lost his focus. Predictibly he tried to respond and took the game right at Miles, trying to force the refs to call something. They did... *TWEET*...Offensive foul. A comfortable double digit lead went bye-bye as the Jazz took some momentum into the half with Kobe now in foul trouble. 

But again, Kobe saved the day offensively and won the game down the stretch. But unlike the 2nd quarter Kobe let the game to slow down and attacked the defense with poised patience. Meaning, he got the ball on the wing, waited to see how the defense set up, sized up his man and took to ball right to his comfort spots, nailing jumper and getting to the rim with relative ease.  (Though it didn't hurt that the Jazz decided not to double him on the perimeter and force him to pass the ball off.)

Do we need to start MVP chants for Gasol? Phil Jackson thinks so...25 points, 12 rebounds and a playoff career-high 5 blocks... and he made ALL of his freethrows!!! If this were fútbol "they" would say Gasol is in good form. His game is peaking at the right time, especially with several Lakers injured or temporarily disappeared (that's you Odom!!). Boozer isn't going to be attacking the offensive glass in this series. Gasol's defense is forcing Boozer to work very hard for his points, forcing him into fade-aways that take his monentum from the offensive glass.  

Utah's bigs turned the game around on defense. It started slowly in the second quarter but the Jazz's bigs bodied Gasol, Bynum and Odom out of the lane, keeping the from posting down low. Slowly over time the Lakers bigs got discouraged from all the physical play. Suddenly Gasol's getting the ball 12 feet from the basket and forcing shots.... SHORT!  Plus when the Lakers did get the ball low, the Jazz doubled off Artest (and why not after all he is the WORST three point shooter in the playoffs), frustating the Lakers bigs into contested shots and turnovers. Utah's defensive approach was patient very much like an NFL team that sticks with the run.  As time passed (and possibly with the benefit of the short turn-around) the Lakers bigs just didn't seem interested in fighting to get low.  I expect more of this in game 2.

Ron Artest... just one thing here... STOP SHOOTING THREES!!!!  Seriously, the way he worked in the offense in the first half I thought, "Hey' he's finally getting this!!!"  But late in the 4th quarter, with the Jazz defense daring him to shoot the three (umm because he's like 1-918 this postseason)... there he goes again, firing one up from downtown... and like downtown LA on a weekend... no life.  STOP SHOOTING THREES!!!!