The Association

Memo to Spurs: The Lakers Ain't NOLA

By Craig Kwasniewski

Getting blown out the 2008 playoffs is familiar territory to the Spurs. The Suns rolled them in Game 4 by 19 but the Spurs still advanced. The Hornets rolled them in Games 1, 2 and 5 by an average of 19.7 points but the Spurs still advanced in Game 7 *AT* New Orleans. So after getting their asses handed to them by the Lakers last night 101-71, we should expect a similar turnaround... right?

WRONG! The Lakers aren't Hornets!

The Lakers aren't coached by Byron Scott. The guy ran one single solitary play (the screen and roll at the top of the key with Chandler and CP3) and made zero adjustments throughout the series. The best stat of the playoffs? Phil Jackson is 40-0 when his teams win Game 1. Call it an inflated stat because he had Jordan, Pippen, Shaq and Kobe but wouldn't there be at least one upset elimination if PJ was an average coach? As I've said before, Popovich and Jackson are the two best coaches in the NBA!

The Lakers don't depend emotion for W's. New Orleans rode the energy of their fans to those huge victories. The problem with emotional teams is that they get thrown off their games really easily when things get tough (2002 Sacramento Kings anyone?). The biggest (and most overrated) storyline of the Conference Semifinals was the 22-3 record for home teams. The better stat was 2-3, which was the combined record of the Pistons and Lakers on the road in the Semis. Both of those teams are comprised of players like Kobe, Chauncey, Rip, D-Fish, and Tayshaun who seem to lower their pulses in the playoffs. Phil Jackson spends an entire season preparing his team to win without relying on emotion.

There won't be any Robert Horry incident. The Spurs won't be able to throw their hitman at the Lakers. Horry won three titles in LA. His most famous career moment happened with the Lakers in 2002. He's still very much a legend and despite playing for the hated Spurs, he still draws a smattering of applause when he enters the game. His conscious won't allow it to happen. But if it does, read above about emotional teams. Unlike the Suns and Hornets, the Lakers won't get distracted by thuggery. Look back at the Jackson era in Chicago, the Knicks and Pistons both tried to throw off the Bulls with physical antics. Instead of punching back, the Bulls laughed it off and just played smarter. Expect the same with the Lakers.

The Lakers don't get blown out (unless Kobe wants them to). Discounting the infamous Game 7 from 2006, the Kobe-led Lakers simply don't get blown out. Down 20 with 16 minutes left, the Lakers rallied and won. Equally, down 18 with 16 minutes left, the Spurs cleared their bench and quit. While the Celtics, Spurs, and Hornets have has several blow-out losses, the Lakers have lost by 5 and 8 (BTW - in OT). The Spurs will need a full 48 minute effort to beat the Lakers.

The Spurs respect the Lakers. Look at the body language of the Spurs at the end of Game 2 and during the postgame interviews. They don't seem to exude that "wait till we get home" type of confidence like in the Hornets series. They realize that they blew a great chance in Game 1 and that the Lakers are gaining momentum as the series moves along.

The Spurs are gassed. The Hornets series took a toll on the Spurs. Pop even said that last night's loss had a lot to do with their fatigue. So Pop cleared the bench to rest his guys, but that also allowed the Lakers starters to rest up and get Trevor Ariza (out since January) some much-needed PT. The Conference Finals go every other day so where do they find the time for rest? They're loaded with 30-somethings, where are they going to find the energy?

Manu Ginobili is broken. The biggest reason why the Spurs won't have a similar Hornets-series rebound is that Manu Ginobili is obviously hurt. I was expecting to see a very aggressive Manu slash to the hole in Game 2, but instead he camped out behind the three point arc. Obviously the Lakers knew of the injury because they put Radmanovic (who plays no defense) on Ginobili. The Spurs don't have the depth to beat the Lakers if Manu is a non-factor.

So the big question is, can the Spurs win 4-of-5 against the Lakers?

Reasons Why the Lakers Favor Playing the Spurs Over NOLA

By Craig Kwasniewski

Yesterday I was called out by frequent commenter and Spurs fan Dave why as a Lakers fan I was favoring a Spurs match-up over New Orleans:

I've always wanted to know. What's it like to be so stupid?

I've given it some thought and I realize I was too harsh, you're not that stupid. I've actually been surprised lately by the heaping of praise you've ladled on the Spurs organization. I just don't understand why you, as a Lakers fan would favor a match up with the defending world champion San Antonio Spurs.

Why you ask? Well allow me to explain...

1. Maybe the reason why I'm heaping more praise on the Spurs is because I see them near then end of their brilliant run. So I'm more or less paying homage to their ability to stay relevant for so long.

2. Despite being very soft compared to other bigs in the NBA, Pau Gasol helps in the fact that he takes pressure of the Lakers real difference-maker, Lamar Odom. LO was never comfortable in the No. 2 role. Now with defenses appropriately focusing on Kobe and Pau, Odom can "sneak in" for his now-typical 18 and 14. He's by far the Lakers best rebounder and very good on defense. His quickness and length will be a problem for Ducan. Not to the point of shutting him down, but to the comfort level where I see the Lakers passing on doubling him.

3. Lost in the NOLA and Celtics love-fest during the playoffs has been the exceptional play of the Lakers. How many times have they been blown out in losses? Ummm ZERO! They're a difficult team to beat simply because of Kobe's competitive nature. Also, the Lakers offense is more explosive and efficient than the Three-Peat era. How can you explain them constantly dropping 100+ on the defensive-oriented call-every-play-on-offense-to-slow-it-down Utah Jazz? Gone are the days of slowing down the game and watching Kobe carry the Lakers.

4. As I've said before, they just beat Spurs-lite in the Utah Jazz. What new wrinkle will they see that they didn't just face in the last 10-days?

5. Spurs fans can claim Manu Ginobili as their postseason savior but as he's continually proven in his playoff career, he's still very inconsistent. He'll kill the Lakers for a few W's, but not for an entire 7-game series.

6. The Spurs are old! How do you explain those three very embarrassing blow-out losses? Granted, Duncan was ill for Game 1, but how can a championship caliber team roll over so easily? So bring on Horry's corpse, Finley's corpse, Barry corpse... the Hornets go six deep and they exposed the Spurs lack of depth.

7. Looking at the Lakers weakness X's and O's wise... The Lakers had problems against the zone defense, but they found the proper countermeasure against Utah. They put someone in the mid-range post and slipped a weakside offensive player under the basket. This causes the middle defender to choose between double-teaming Pau, Kobe or Odom in the post or rotating over to guard the weakside player. Pau got a lot one-on-one looks on Friday.

On defense, the Spurs backbreaker against the Lakers has been the corner three. The Laker chose to close out the lane on penetrations from Parker and Ginobili leaving the corner exposed. In the past BOTH Finley and Bowen have killed the Lakers by hitting those WIDE OPEN shots. They haven't shown me that they're consistent from those spots this year.

8. The way I see it, this series really comes down to the Lakers defense versus the Spurs offense. The Lakers are easily the worst defensive team left in the playoffs but the Spurs offense has been very Jeff Van Gundy-esque. Since the Gasol trade/steal, the Lakers have been an offensive machine so it's not their scoring ability that worries me. The Lakers need to continue the same defensive effort as they did against the Jazz.

Will the Lakers win? I suck at predicting outcomes this postseason so I'll pass on any predictions. But it's great to see the REAL rivalry out west renewed... Bring on the Spurs!

Crash Goes the Hornets Bandwagon and Other Thoughts

By Craig Kwasniewski

Normally I'd break out a MMPG to round of some thoughts over the past weekend but I wanted to see who'd win last night (and was I wrong!). Anyway, here are some random thoughts now that we know the match-ups heading into the Conference Finals:

Who will the Media blow now that NOLA is gone? CRASH! BAM! BANG! The CP3 Bandwagon has crashed, blood is spilled all over the place at ESPN, AOL and all other media outlets. As great as Chris Paul was this season (and he WAS awesome!), the lovefest was getting very uncomfortable. Seriously, we were a Game 7 victory from media passes that double as knee pads.

The gushing was so bad that people were praising the efforts of the Hornets GM. The guy didn't draft Paul or David West and all he did this season was trade for Bonzi Wells. Yet somehow that's worthy of a 3rd place finish in the GM of the Year award behind Ainge and Mitch Kupchak. You're telling me that RC Bufford of the Spurs (who acquired Kurt Thomas for nothing and reacquired Bones Barry in a wink-wink deal) is worse? Ummmm, who won Game 7 last night?

And let's not forget to mention who won the Coach of the Year Award. Byron Scott is making a career of riding the coattails of brilliant point guards (Magic, Kidd, Paul). All he did was benefit from a healthy team and a breakthrough season from CP3. What about Jerry Sloan or Greg Popovich? And let's not overlook what Phil Jackson did in 07-08. He coached the Lakers through the Kobe saga in October, found success with Andrew Bynum as a solid No. 2, held the Lakers together through a myriad of injuries, blended in the skills of Pau Gasol (just ask Avery and D'Antoni how difficult that is) and molded the Lakers into one of the most efficient and explosive offensive teams this season. Oh and the Lakers improved by 15 games to lead the Western Conference. But forget all of that and give Byron Scott (a coach that runs one single offensive play) the Coach of the Year Award.

But as long as the Boston Celtics are around, there's still space for the media to pile on (there's no way in hell they fall for the Spurs or Pistons, people are still reeling from 2005).

22-3 is the most overrated stat since the Rockets winning streak: That's the record of the home teams in the Conference Semifinals and a CONSTANT storyline every single damn night. Just because the Celtics, Hornets, Jazz, Magic and Cavs all blow on the road doesn't make it a storyline. You want an impressive number try 3-2 (the Pistons road record) or 3-2 (the Lakers record on the road with 1 of those loses in OT). Could that mean something? Yeah, the Celtics, Hornets, Jazz, Magic and Cavs blow on the road (I'm not making predictions after last night!).

Doc vs. Flip... need I say anything? Does the Eastern Conference Finals involve the worst coaches not named Isiah Thomas? YES! Did Flip Saunders finally find someone he can outcoach? Yes and no only because we all know he doesn't coach the Pistons, but if he did he would. Will it be fun watching both dedicated, knowledgeable and passionate fans kill themselves over poor in-game decisions? YES! Will it be fun listening to Jeff Van Gundy lose his mind during the ABC telecast? Hell yes!

Pierce gives the Celtics a 4-2 lead with that hoop. AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

The Boston Front Runners: The Boston Celtics need to dial down all their crap! Yes, it's great to see KG's raw emotion and energy transfer up and down the roster, but show a little veteran poise. I really wanted to like this team after all the summer deals. It was exciting to see championship level hoops back in Boston again. The NBA ALWAYS is better with successful teams in Boston, LA, Chicago and New York... good, good, good. I even bought a KG No. 5 tee shirt that was an instant conversation piece whenever I wore it.

And then I saw scrubs like Kendrick Perkins trying to act like Rick Mahorn, Tony Allen running constant smack despite doing NOTHING and Glen Davis (btw - check out his pic here) being Glen Davis and I found them very unlikable. Mix in KG turing into The Big A-Hole after a win over hapless Minnesota and Paul Pierce doing his primal screams after a first quarter layup and I'm suddenly pulling for the Pistons. Whatever happened to acting like you've been there? Oh yeah, they haven't! Let's go with baby steps here... win a road game and maybe you can drop in some primal whispers.

Bring on the Spurs!: And finally, I knocked the Hornets all post season, but as a Lakers season ticket holder they had me scared. You had Chris Paul running roughshod through everyone to 28 and 14 every night, a very talented David West with his mid-range game and Tyson Chandler who's a very difficult player to defend. They had the potential to stretch the Lakers to 7. Instead, the Spurs come to town with a very physical defensive-oriented team, an All-Star power forward, a their brilliant coach and an awesome point guard. Didn't the Lakers just beat that? The difference is Manu Ginobili, but the Spurs are not as deep or as young as Utah. And Horry because of his Lakers background won't have the juice in him to pull any of his crap this time. Again, after last night, I'll pass on any predictions, but I feel better about this matchup.

Calling My Shot on the Spurs-NOLA Game

By Craig Kwasniewski

Just wasted to get in a quick prediction on tonight's Game 7 between the Spurs and Hornets. The Horry incident will backfire and give the Hornets that extra bit of raw emotion tonight. NOLA already feeds off the energy from their home court and instead of questioning their own ability after that blowout loss in Game 6, they come in with extra focus and a rallying cry. As hokey as it sounds, "Do it for West!" just might give them that extra intangible tonight. Also, I can't see the back injury getting to David West. He's easily one of the toughest players in the NBA and I see him responding with an exceptional game. Oh and we'll get the typical 28 and 14 fom CP3. Like every game in this atrocious series (Seriously, is this the worst 7-game series ever? No drama, the games are decided at the half and EXTENDED garbage time... I've seen way too much of Ryan Bowen on the floor).... ANYWAY, like every game in this atrocious series, tonight will not be close. The Hornets win easily 114-98.

Horry's Hit on West: Not Dirty

by Brett Edwards

Here's the video clip that has NBA fans all a-buzz this morning (no pun intended), the one where Robert Horry supposedly intentionally takes out David West. You can tell where I stand from the headline, and for my reasoning, check out the more detailed post I did at FanHouse.

Monday Morning Point Guard

By Craig Kwasniewski

Time to dust off another edition of MMPG. It's been awhile since the last time I did one of these, basically it's a brief look at the past weekend's action in the NBA.

The Celtics blowout in Game 7 was no surprise: Did anyone really think the Celtics would get knocked out of the playoffs by the Atlanta Hawks? Turns out, neither did the Hawks... jeezus! Talk about a major case of sphincter-itis! Actually this series totally reminded me of the Lakers-Sacto Kings in 2000. The Kings were young and hungry and rode the wave of their home court to push the league-best Lakers to a deciding Game 5. And just like Sunday, the Lakers rolled to a 113-86 win. Bring on LBJ, this will be fun!

Utah owned the glass and still loses to LA: The Jazz DOMINATED the offensive glass 25 to 8 which helped them shoot 22 more field goals than the Lakers. Mix in that Pau Gasol played like a rookie and I'm stunned the Jazz didn't win. If fact, except for a late rally, the Lakers held the Jazz in check all game. This series really comes down to the fact that the Jazz simply can't stop Kobe Bryant. And I don't want to hear anything about the refs "helping" Kobe! A lot of those fouls were because the Jazz were too late to rotate over to defend. It's weird... but a team that does such an exceptional job of containing CP3 simply can't stop Kobe.

One last thing, this might be a stretch but Derek Fisher played Deron Williams so well yesterday that I'm wondering if there's like a whole mentor-student thing there. There's no way in hell that D-Fish could hang with Williams, but he had many key steals and did a decent job of containing him. The 18, 9 and 9 were deceptive numbers, Williams wasn't much of a factor.

Rick Carlisle to the Mavs... really? Hey didn't Dallas just fire a defensive oriented coach that calls all the offensive plays? Can Mavericks fans really put up with the s-l-o-w, predictable and boring style of ball that Carlisle likes to play? And was Carlisle that much better of a coach than Avery Johnson? How many NBA Finals appearances? Exactly!

Spurs need to slow it down! Okay, I only watched portions of the Hornets-Spurs game from a distance in a bar (date night with the wife... believe me I tried!), so I won't pretend to be an expert on Game 1. But what I did see was the Spurs trying to match the NO in an up-tempo game... and they got crushed! The Spurs don't have the athletes to match Chandler, CP3 and West in an up-tempo game. Slow it up and slug it out or this will end real fast.

Pistons - Magic: Not too many thoughts here... But if anything, the Magic should try to use Hedo Turkoglu more. There were moments in the 3rd quarter where his offensive game reminded me of Scottie Pippen, but with a better outside shot. His length and ability to draw fouls while driving to the left of the cup need to be exploited more.

BTW - I used to give all the ex-2002 Sacramento Kings a bunch of crap over the years, but Turkoglu, Stojakovic, Bibby and even C-Webb (with quality in studio analysis) have done a good job to shake their choking reputations this postseason.

Photos: When Duncan Speaks Spurs Listen

By Craig Kwasniewski

With Game 2 just a few hours away (hopefully it's not a letdown like the Cavs-Wiz series), I thought I'd post one of my favorite images from the memorable Game 1. During a timeout late in the 2nd OT, there was shot of the Spurs waiting to hear instructions from Popovich. Duncan's just sitting there thinking... waiting... and then suddenly he looks up at the scoreboard and calls the team over to say something. The *ENITRE* Spurs roster (including inactive players) rush over and lean in to listen. Clearly, he's the leader of the team and clearly the entire roster respects what he has to say. Some of the superstars in the NBA tend to over-inflate their leadership value just to save face (Kobe). Well with a playoff game on the line... check that... with one of the greatest Game 1's in the history of the first round on the line, when Tim Duncan speaks, the Spurs listen.

Check it out...

Thurl Bailey is Why Manu Shouldn't Get 6th Man

By Craig Kwasniewski

The Sixth Man Award should NOT go to Manu Ginobili. The essence of the award is for the best player who contributes from the bench.... duh! In my opinion, it really applies to players not quite good enough to be starters who happen to add a lot to a team's success. Consider players like Vinnie "the Microwave" Johnson from the Pistons or Bill Walton from the 1986 Celtics. Both of those guys were HUGH bench performers who did all the little things along the way to NBA titles. Manu Ginobili is the Spurs 2nd best player who happens to come off the bench a few minutes into the game. Can you really give a bench player's award to a person who gets starter's minutes that also closes out games?

He's more like a modern day Thurl Bailey. Time for a little NBA history here: Bailey was a key player for the Utah Jazz from the mid-80's to the early 90's. The guy played starter's minutes (around 30 per game) and averaged as many as 19.6 ppg. during his best year in 1987-88, but never got any pub for the 6th man award. Maybe it was because he played in relative anonymity in Utah or maybe it was because everyone saw him as a starter who just didn't play the first 3 minutes of a game (which is the way I saw it).

This is why I think the award should go to Kyle Korver. Since his acquisition, the Jazz have gone 37-12 winning the Northwest Division along the way with an easy pass to the second round if they face the Houston Rockets. They guy gives them the right mix of scoring and experience from the bench plus he's an excellent freethrow shooter with the game on the line... basically all that you can ask from a 6th man.

Nothing against what Manu Ginolibi has brought to the Spurs this season. He improved his game even more this year to the point where he is one of the best clutch players out there. In fact, I'm curious why he isn't getting a 5th place vote for MVP. I just don't think he's 6th Man Award material.

Yet Another Reason Why the Spurs GM Rules...

By Craig Kwasniewski

The Brent Barry situation

Forget all this talk of Brent Barry being wooed by the Shaq and the Suns. Forget this talk about Barry adding veteran depth to the Celtics. And forget all this talk about Barry finding his way to the red hot Houston Rockets.

It ain't happening!

Brent Barry is heading back to the Spurs! And it's exactly how the Spurs are handling this situation that makes them easily the brightest and most efficient front office in the NBA.

Take the Mavs and their Jason Kidd deal, no-deal, almost blunder and then FINALLY deal... which cost them extra cash in the long run (besides salvaging their future for an over-the-hill point guard). With Stackhouse's flippant remarks about a buyout the Kidd deal was almost over before another Devean George 0-11 night. By simply not informing Stack about the ramifications of his mouth, the Mavs were forced to re-work the Kidd deal, costing them several millions in the end.

And all that for a simple, "I get 30 days to rest then I'll be right back. I ain't going nowhere."

Well, the Spurs aren't making the same mistake and they've done a fine job preventing a Stack situation. Notice all the talk from Brent Barry? Yeah, me neither. Instead, I wouldn't put it past the Spurs to leak some rumors about Brent Barry's numerous offers, just to keep it honest. But in 30 days he's heading straight back to the Spurs. He lives in San Antonio, he won a title with them last year, he's familiar with the system, he's comfortable with the coaching staff and he knows his role: hit three's off the bench and wear a ring. It's very simple deal and it's not hard to figure out.

And much like the Kurt Thomas deal and the Damon Stoudemire signing, the Spurs keep it simple, get their needs and keep on winning.

DAMN!

Write What You See: A Great Night in the Association

By Craig Kwasniewski

Okay this is not some long-winded gloat-fest about the Lakers win over the Suns. I'll save that for the playoffs. Instead, tonight was a night for all the hardcore NBA fans out there. You had major debuts, a sick game winning jumper, a triple double, a very smart trade and even a Clippers win... simply fantastic!

So let's just run with another edition of Write What You See:

Boom Dizzle hits a SWEET game winner against the C's: I gotta give Baron Davis and GSW Hoops credit for beating the Celtics without Captain Jack. Normally I'd try to find something negative in the W just to get under the very sensitive skin of the Oaktown fans, but you guys deserved this one. I thought the Celtics would come out on fire after their loss last night at Denver and I thought Golden State would drop a second loss in a row, but instead they rode the wave of their incredible fans and once again rallied in the 4th quarter for a huge win. That has to be something like 12 fourth quarter rallies by GSW this year. It's a damn shame that they currently sit 9th in the west. The NBA *NEEDS* this team to make the playoffs!

Spurs get Kurt Thomas: Once again, while other teams are making panic deals in trying to keep up in the wild west (read: Dallas and Golden State), the Spurs go under the radar and acquire exactly what they need: a defensive big. This is why the Spurs have been contenders since 1999 and will still remain in the title race for the balance of Tim Duncan's career. Tim Thomas offers veteran experience, a tough/east coast style of defense and he's a great teammate. What makes the deal even better is that the Suns have been reeling defensively since they let Thomas go in a money-saving deal. So as the Lakers and Suns are scary-big, the Spurs counter with additional front court help and gave up nothing in return. They match up perfectly with what the Suns offer and can probably hang with the Lakers.... simply a smart deal.

LeBron with a Triple-Double: With all the debuts and game winners is LeBron's triple-double against the Pacers. The ESPN guys were praising Kobe tonight as a top MVP contender, but I'm still giving it to LeBron. The guy is simply carrying a broken and not-that-talented team to W after W. They may run out of gas in the playoffs against the C's and Pistons, but what LeBron is doing is straight out of the 80's (Bird, Magic, Mj, Isiah) with that will to win.

CP3 to Kidd: Debut This! Chris Paul drops a major schooling on Dallas in Jason Kidd's debut. I'm guessing that the Western Conference leading New Orleans Hornets are getting tired of all the talk about everyone else out west the past week and were primed to send a message to the Mavs. I know Kidd only had one practice with his new team and I know they'll get better, but expect a lot of the top point guards to have great nights against Kidd. The guy's simply not the same defender he was a few seasons ago. And I can't state this enough (especially after the Kurt Thomas trade), the Mavs are not big enough to hang with Phoenix, San Antonio or Los Angeles.

Shaq's debut in Phoenix: No gloating here... just a few facts: Fact, Shaq played his ass off and clearly knows his role with Phoenix (defense, rebounding and size). Fact, Nash and the Suns will learn to play with Shaq. Fact, Shaq is no longer explosive, but is smart enough to make a difference. Fact, with Shaq eating space, Amare will get some seriously monster numbers.

However...

Fact, the Suns defense is not that good (especially with Nash, Shaq and Amare all poor on pick and rolls). Fact, the Suns will miss Marion's help defense (he was a great rotational shot blocker). Fact, the Suns will miss Marion's defense against Kobe (he split defense on Kobe with Raja Bell, who looked tired at the end). That being said, despite the loss at home to a Lakers team missing Andrew Bynum and playing the second of a back-to-back and despite blowing the season tiebreaker in a very emotional game, the Suns are still one of the teams to beat out West (three team race with the Lakers, Suns and Spurs).

That was a fun game to watch and I'll pay close attention to Shaq's "college basketball season" over the next few weeks just to see how it plays out.

Whatever happens, tonight was one of those "I love the NBA!!!!" nights.