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.
i've always wanted to know. what's it like to be so stupid?
Posted by: dave | May 20, 2008 at 07:00 AM
I don't think the comparison of the Spurs to the Jazz is an apt one. Yes, they share "all-star power forwards", but the difference is that Tim Duncan is a hall-of-famer toward the end of his prime while Carlos Boozer is a good player made better by his team and system.
Also, Manu Ginobli is a HUGE difference, don't you think?
As a Lakers fan, I'm VERY worried about the Spurs series. These two teams haven't matched up in their current configuration yet, but the Spurs showed the ability to slow the Lakers' offense down this year, something almost no one else did. Pau could get easily frustrated by the defense of Duncan and Oberto, nobody can stay in front of Tony Parker, etc. etc. I think L.A. has a slight edge, but I'd rather play the Hornets, who have even less of a bench, and look much more like the Jazz than the Spurs do: super point guards (Williams, Paul), all-star but not hall-of-fame power forwards (Boozer, West), one major three point threat with a semblance of a dribble-drive game (Peja, Okur).
Posted by: Jason W. | May 20, 2008 at 07:47 AM
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.
so, pau gasol is going to be the difference maker, eh? i find it funny that when the lakers first made the gasol deal that you (and the majority of lakers fans) were counting on the tandem of gasol/bynum to take down the spurs. well, where is bynum? all you have left is gasol, who has never been able to defend duncan by himself. so, will the lakers double team duncan? play him one on one? neither option seems to favorable.
i know, i know. you have kobe "mvp" bryant. well, as the spurs proved with the hornets, they can let the opposing team's best player do what he wants and still win the game. the spurs also have the vilified bruce bowen who, by kobe's own admission, defends him better than anyone in the league.
tony parker is going to run rings around d fish. farmar and vujacic are really no better than jacques vaughn. honestly, who would you rather have right now, walton, radmonovic, turiaf or horry, finley, thomas?
oh, and i didn't even mention manu ginobili.
the spurs just beat the team you think provides a less favorable match up. gasol is a smart player, but not as athletic as tyson chandler or as agressive as david west. the key for the lakers will be lamar odom, who has a habit of disappearing when the pressure is on. i think the lakers would've favored the hornets.
btw-how's kobe's back?
Posted by: dave | May 20, 2008 at 08:52 AM
Dave, so many interesting points.
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 - Pau's a difference 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 - Sure you can drop the Manu card, but as he's continually proven in his playoff career, he's still inconsistent. He'll kill the Lakers for a few W's, but not for an entire 7-game series.
6 - They're old! How do you explain those 3 very embarassing 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 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 chose 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 is 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 corner threes. Those two are not hitting their threes like in the past.
Is that enough?
Posted by: Craig | May 20, 2008 at 10:16 AM
Craig you got owned like a bitch right there.
Posted by: Chad | May 20, 2008 at 02:00 PM
i like the bravado! it sounds familiar. oh yeah, it sounds like suns and hornets fans.
yes, the spurs are old, but when is this going to start being a factor? they just beat the youngest team in the playoffs. sure, it took them seven games, but they are old & they came back from 0-2. i think the hornets surprised them a little. that won't happen against the lakers. sure, some of these guys are on their last legs and they, more than anyone, know it. don't make the mistake of underestimating a team of experienced, smart, cagey vets who are willing to push themselves to the limit and beyond to seal their legacy.
popovich has shown an uncanny ability to make key adjustments from game to game (as well as in game). the spurs don't have to blow anybody out. they don't feel the urgency to close out a series early. they know the playoffs are a marathon. they don't get rattled. they don't lose their composure. they never worry. they just win. throw out you stats. the regular season's a wash.
no one on the lakers can guard duncan one on one. let's face it, out of all four teams left, the lakers have had the easiest road. the nuggets basically rolled over. the jazz, despite your assertion, are nowhere near the level of the spurs. boozer is good, but he isn't tim duncan. not even close. tony parker never gets the praise like chris paul and derron williams, but come playoff no point guard in the league ratchets up his game like parker. and manu . . . dude, we only need manu for a few w's.
are you suggesting that the lakers' bench is better than the spurs? give me old & experienced over young & crappy any day.
udoka is playing great, knocking down threes, getting steals and playing hard nosed defense. horry has still got a big shot or two left in the rifle and he can still knock somebody's ass on the floor. watch out if finley or barry get hot. they can put the spurs over the top in any game. kurt thomas is a great rebounder, defender and is money with that 12-15 foot jumper.
the lakers have had it easy so far. it's good that everyone thinks the spurs are old & done. if the lakers believe that then they are going to get rolled. the spurs always raise the stakes and find a way to win in the playoffs. the lakers walk down easy street gets rocky tomorrow night.
Posted by: dave | May 20, 2008 at 05:59 PM
Chad - How did I get owned? Did you not read what I wrote?
Dave - True, no healthy player on the Lakers can stop Duncan one-on-one, but that's not what they're asking Odom to do. All they need to do is keep him from exploding (if he's even capable of doing that anymore). If Odom can contain Duncan to a 26 and 12 game then the Lakers don't have to double down, thus exposing the corner threes.
I never said the Lakers bench is better than the Spurs. But unlike the past 3 seasons, the Lakers bench can hold their own when compared to the other top teams in the league. Take off the Spurs goggles and realize that they're no longer crappy. And it's not like the Spurs bench is dominant or even relevant. (And DON'T count Ginobili as a bench player... he's a starter who comes in at the 5 minute mark!)
Yes, Parker is a great point guard, but again Fisher held his own against another top 5 point guard in the NBA in Williams.
"Popovich has shown an uncanny ability to make key adjustments from game to game (as well as in game)." Popovich and Jackson are THE two best NBA coaches, they negate each other.
This all comes down to the Spurs offense versus the Lakers defense. Can the Spurs match the Lakers point for point? We know the Lakers defense is not that great but the Spurs offense was been very Jeff Van Gundy-esque. The Lakers will get their 100-105 a game, but can the Spurs match that?
Posted by: Craig | May 21, 2008 at 08:54 AM
Repeatedly getting owned like a bitch on your own blog.
How embarrassing.
Posted by: Chad | May 21, 2008 at 11:08 AM
i think duncan is ready for another huge game or two. he was a little suppressed by the all the double teaming the hornets threw at him. of course he can still explode. remember game 1 vs phoenix? it wasn't that long ago. duncan still has something to prove. even if odom can contain duncan (although, i don't know if letting him get 26 & 12 is containing him), the spurs can still get open perimeter looks with parker and ginobili's
dribble penetration.
no, the spurs bench is not dominant, but they are all smart players who know their role and are willing to defend even if they aren't getting off on the offensive end. as improved as the lakers supporting cast is, i still see kobe's frustration in them pop up on a regular basis.
i don't count ginobili as a bench player, especially since he is now a starter. not sure if pop wiil keep him as a starter or bring him off the bench vs the lakers.
despite age, fisher and williams are similar physically. also, fisher mentored williams last year and knows his game pretty well. believe me, parker is chomping at the bit to blow fisher's doors off. the spurs and their fans haven't forgotten the ".4 shot". honestly, that one still hurts.
i agree that the spurs success hinges greatly upon their ability to score, but they only have to score one more point than what they hold their opponent to.
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