The Greek philosopher, Heraclitus once said, “The only constant is change.” Well, in Dallas, “The only constant is Dirk Nowitzki!” In a season where Dirk’s scoring average has been the lowest since 2003-04, Dirk has shown glimpses of the dominant, unstoppable MVP Dirk of 2006-07. Dirk led the Mavs in scoring in five of the six contests (in all four of the wins) in this first round series against Portland. Game 6 was the first road win between the two squads this entire season.
The Blazers brought their “A” game to the Rose Garden…. Well at least to the first quarter. Jumping out to an early lead as much as 12pts, the Blazers looked to ride the momentum they built and the energy the crowd brought. But Dirk took it upon himself to change the way this game was headed with 13 2nd quarter points (matching Gerald Wallace’s 1st quarter output).
Dirk Nowitzki led all scorers (as usual) with 33pts on 11-17 shooting and perfect from FT (11-11) along with 11 boards and four assists. Jason Terry dropped 22pts (12pts in the 2nd half) on 9-16 shooting. Shawn Marion chipped with in a series-high 16pts and six rebounds. Gerald Wallace led the Blazers with a playoff-high 32pts along with 12 rebounds. LaMarcus Aldridge dropped a double-double with 24pts & 10rebs on 11-25 shooting (ouch). Wesley Matthews finished with 19pts.
Notes for Dallas (for the next round)
• Tyson Chandler will be the difference maker in this series. If he can hold his own against Questionable Knees, then get Mavs stand a chance to pull the upset.
• Dirk has to become a bully. Pau doesn’t like physical play. Neither does Dirk but he’s gotta learn to dish it! Averaging over 10 trips to the FT line in Round 1 ain’t bad at all!
• Please tell me your gonna play Corey Brewer to help Deshawn Stevenson out on Kobe.
Notes for Portland (for next season)
• Get healthy… Greg Oden needs to stay clear of any danger of any kind. That means: No running, jumping or kicking in any capacity. No climbing or squatting either. Any contact sports up to and including a game of Tag is completely prohibited.Brandon Roy needs to be in a gym every day working on his agility. See if you can get him to condition with the folks that hold the NFL combine.
• Trade Rudy Fernandez…. If you want an outside threat who isn’t too cocky to come off the bench but can provide a spark with the 2nd unit…. Jamal Crawford is unrestricted and from the Pacific Northwest (sign him ASAP)!!
• Get another Big Man. You’ve got Marcus Camby (hella old), Greg Oden (hella fragile) and Chris Johnson (hella young)… who is someone you can sign? Samuel Dalembert maybe?!?
This series was full of exciting moments. Jason Kidd’s scoring explosions in Games 1 & 2. Wesley Matthews’ raining parade in Game 3. “The Comeback” of Brandon Roy & the Blazers in Game 4. Tyson Chandler’s rebounding frenzy in Game 5 and Crash doin’ work on a bad back in Game 6. Unfortunately all good things must come to an end. I will definitely be watching what the Blazers do to re-tool. In the meantime, let’s go Mavs!
MVP of the series: Dirk Nowitzki… 27.3ppg, 7.8rpg, 3.0apg on 45.2% shooting, 44.4% 3pt line and 88.9% FT.
Stage #1 is now complete. As the Lakers are on a quest for their second 3-peat under head coach Phil Jackson, they struggled to show the dominance the world expected in the first round against the Hornets. With the high expectations of this postseason, not sweeping New Orleans was a bit of a disappointment and cause for skeptics (like myself) to question the legitimacy of the Lakers’ chances of a third consecutive title.
“You set your mind that whatever it takes. If it takes seven games in a series, you play seven games. We want to win every game, no doubt. (You may not), but you’ve got to be able to do it without disappointment.” –Phil Jackson
This series may have evolved into a Kobe’s Ankle Index but the Lakers closed the series 4-2 in dominating fashion winning by an average of 17pts in the final two games. In Game 6, Los Angeles controlled the glass (43-30 including 14-7 offensive rebounds) and points in the paint (43-34). The Lakers led by as much as 21pts and never trailed by more than four points.
Kobe Bryant led the way with 24pts despite shooting 6-16 from the field. Questionable Knees pulled down another double-double (four in the series) with 18pts & 12 boards. Pau Gasol added 16pts, eight rebounds, three assists and two blocks. Lamar Odom chipped in with 14pts in 32mins of work. Carl Landry led the Hornets in scoring (after an abysmal 3-7 shooting in Game 5) with 19pts but only two rebounds. Trevor Ariza finished with 12pts on 4-10 shooting. Marco Belinelli added 11pts on 4-12 shooting. Chris Paul only scored 10pts (4-9 shooting), pulled down eight boards and dished out 11 assists.
Notes for Los Angeles (for the next round)
• Don’t for a second think that the Pau Gasol of the first round can show up to the Western Conference Semis. Take that Pau out back and shoot it! I don’t know what that is but it’s gotta be diseased.
• The winner of the glass is the moving on to the Western Conference Finals. It’s just that simple!
• Lamar Odom vs. Jason Terry….. the 6th man showdown! Win that match-up (they don’t guard each other but you get my drift…. Pause) to get make things easier for the aging Kobe.
Notes for New Orleans (for next season)
• Find a buyer… ok with the lockout looming there’s not going to be anyone leaping at the opportunity to purchase a franchise incapable of turning a dollar (oh wait, Howard Schultz did it…. My bad). Well at least lay a foundation for a future owner and possibly a new home (Steve Ballmer in Seattle is on line #1).
• With no picks in the upcoming draft, you must bring in a free agent with 1) star power that makes CP3 want to stay, 2) the ability to play the SG and/or SF spot (Marco Belinelli….. kiddin me?!?), and 3) can hit a consistent jumper….. Jamal Crawford, JR Smith, Michael Redd?
• If you’re going to re-sign anyone it had better be in this order: Carl Landry, Aaron Gray and DJ Mbenga. Willie Green can walk if you’re about to sign any of the three mentioned in the 2nd bullet point.
Although all the Hornets did was prolong the inevitable, it was certainly a joy to watch Chris Paul display his talents for two extra games! Hornets fans ought to be proud of what their team was able to do without their All Star forward David West and hopeful for what’s in store for next season (whenever that may be). Until then, be easy New Orleans.
MVP of the series: Chris Paul… 22.0ppg, 6.7rpg, 11.5apg, 1.8spg on 54.5% shooting, 47.4% 3pt line and 79.6% FT.
One offensive rebound, two free throws, with 8.2 seconds left on the clock, and one huge block on Jason Richardson to seal the deal. This win turned out to be a team effort. Led by Joe Johnson‘s (the $119 Million Man finally living up to his contract) superstar performance with 23 points, 10 rebounds (including that huge offensive one with 9 seconds left) and 4 assists. Jamal Crawford pitched in with 19 points off the bench (among other things, the clutch free throws with 8.2 seconds left; the clear MVP of this series), including consecutive 3s that gave the Hawks their biggest lead, at 71-59, with 9 minutes left in the fourth quarter. Collectively, Atlanta shot poorly (again) from the field (39%) and from 3 (36%). Buoyed by Zaza Pachulia‘s and Jason Collin‘s single coverage on Magic center Dwight Howard, Atlanta was able to overcoming their shooting woes by holding Orlando to 43% shooting from the field and 26% from 3; while out-rebounding them 38-31 (along with a 14-7 offensive rebounding edge).
As usual, Howard got back to the statistical dominance he has exhibited all series with 25 points and 15 rebounds. And just like he has been doing all series he also coughed up the rock an astounding 6 times (5.0 turnovers per game). His buttery fingers notwithstanding, the rest of the Magic crew struggled to contribute, especially when they needed it most. Outside of Hedo Turkoglu‘s 15 points (on 5 of 13 shooting) and Jameer Nelson‘s 11 points (on 5 of 10 shooting), not one Orlando player scored more than 7 points. J.J. Redick, coming off a screen on the right elbow, had his wide open 3 (that would have tied the game) rim out. On the very next play (due to the ball landing out of bounds off of Al Horford), Jason Richardson, getting ball off of a Turkoglu inbound pass, can’t shake Josh Smith, and gets blocked to end the game (and thankfully) the series.
At the end of the day, Orlando’s mid-season trade that brought in Turkoglu, J. Rich, Gilbert Arenas, and pushed Ryan Anderson and Brandon Bass to the forefront as contributors, was not enough to salvage a series win against a more talented and hungry Atlanta team. Atlanta had the confidence needed to beat Orlando, and finally acquired the big man (yeah, Jason Collins) to be able to guard Howard one-on-one. Orlando didn’t have the ball-handlers and shot creators to play off of Dwight’s dominance and force the Hawks to guard someone else in a Magic jersey. Atlanta was more talented, hungrier, and executed the gameplan to finally gain redemption from last years shellacking at the hands of this Orlando ballclub. With the ghost of the past behind us we can all move on past this once in a lifetime experience.
As usual this game had to come down to the wire again. In a must win game for the Spurs, they jumped out to the lead. Tim Duncan did his best to bring out a throwback performance scoring 11 points in the 1st quarter but ended the game with only 13. Duncan set the tone early and Manu Ginobili did the rest, along with Gary Neal. Ginobili scored 33 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 6 turnovers, and 4 steals. Ginobili was constantly attacking the basket going to the free throw line 10 times and making 9. Tony Parker played well also scoring 24 points added 9 assists and more importantly only had 1 turnover. Coach Greg Popovich really shortened his rotation playing the big three of Duncan, Ginobili, and Parker over 39 minutes. But this is a game they had to win. The Spurs were up at halftime 50-42 but struggles in the 3rd quarter when the Grizzlies made their run.
The Grizzlies went into the 4th quarter with a 68-65 lead and seemingly all the momentum. It seemed like the Grizzlies were poised to go on a big run and end the game. Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol again had huge games. Randolph scored 18 points in the 4th quarter and OT, and finished the night with 26 points 11 rebounds and 6 assists. Gasol added 11 points and 17 rebounds. Mike Conley continued his steady play scoring 20 points adding 5 rebounds and 5 assists and 1 turnover. Sam Young also had a strong game scoring 18 points. But the Grizzlies let the Spurs force OT with two miracle shots.
After almost committing a turnover, Ginobili was able to get the ball back and hit a tightly contested shot that was ruled a three. But his toe was barely on the line and left only 2.2 seconds left on the clock. The Spurs fouled Randolph who sank the free throws, leading to Neal resurrecting the Spurs and their entire fan base. During the 4th quarter it seemed like the Spurs were done. Even though they were playing well, the Grizzlies were able to counter. It took two miracle shots to push the game into overtime. From there the Spurs were able to keep the momentum and finish the game. The Grizzlies had to be in shock from what just had happened. With 1.7 seconds left in the game up three, in hindsight maybe the Grizzlies should’ve fouled. This scenario seems to puzzle many coaches at every level. I’m a believer in the foul with less than 5 seconds left in the game. The Grizzlies still have a 2 games to close it out. Memphis probably still wins the series. The Spurs era is running out of magic.
41 Points. Six of seven shots to score the final 9 points of the game. 16 of his 41 in the fourth quarter. A block on J.R. Smith with 9 seconds left to prevent the tie. Kevin Durant was a man among boys in Game 5 of this first round match up. This is NBA basketball, crunch time buckets, takeover artists, etc. Game 4 was spent viewing Russell Westbrook through the lens of a superstar to which he didn’t quite match up, yet. Durant reminded everyone why OKC is his team until further notice. A running, right-handed, off-balance jumper (while being fouled) for two. The 19-footer with 12 seconds left over Nene Hilario. This was history being made tonight. Not only was it Oklahoma City’s first playoff win in NBA history, but it was the cultivation of a superstar before our eager eyes.
I wish the same could of been said about the rest of the Thunder. The rest of the team combined to go 16-of-55 from the floor (29.1%!!!) and had 14 turnovers. Yet, they made up for it by getting to the line an absurd 42 times (making 34 – 81%) to even out their offensive issues. On defense the Nuggets constantly got open on the perimeter and save Serge Ibaka, no one on the Thunder put up much of a fight like Games 1-3.
Speaking of Ibaka, the man played like a mini (if there is such a thing) version of NBA Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo. 9 blocked shots, including a key block of Nene with less than 40 seconds left in the game. Everytime Ibaka Flocka Flame (as Nate Robinson calls him) was inserted back into the game, OKC’s defense became the rim protecting, stifling defense that it should always be with the length, tenacity, and athleticism they possess. Ibaka was a momentum changer. With under 4 minutes left in the game and Denver up by nine with the ball, Ibaka managed to block to straight-ahead layups within a few seconds of each other.
Now don’t discount Denver. They played their hearts out and if not for the heroics of Durant, they probably would have taken Game 5. They shot 46% from the field (led by Arron Afflalo’s 15, including 8 players with 8+ points scored) and 44% from 3 (8 of 18). They played inspired defense, and remained aggressive throughout. Unfortunately, when you get out-rebounded by 13 (51 to 38, including a ridiculous 16-4 offensive rebounding margin), get mauled in blocks (14 to 3), and turn the ball over more (18 to 14) then you got out-hustled and don’t deserve to win.
Bottom line? We all suspected that these two teams would provide an exciting series. Most of us didn’t want to see Denver play OKC in the first round, mainly because we all knew that Denver can perform like a well-coached, deep, explosive squad against most teams. The problem with that theory is, when they stand across from Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and Co., you’re just probably not going to be well-coached, deep, or explosive enough to beat them. Case in point:
Oklahoma City is a business like run and it will take a deep, well-coached and superstar laden team to beat them. They are fast, athletic, can play inside and out, they can play from behind, and they can maintain a lead. OKC is just getting started, I believe. They have the look of a team destined for greatness, it’s just too bad we here in Seattle get to suffer through it. Thanks a lot David Stern, Clay Bennett, and Howard Schultz, thanks a lot.
We have the famous KnicksChick with us for Episode 24 to discuss what life is like for a Knicks fan and what to expect for the rest of the first round. If you don’t know of KnicksChick check out this vid:
“You are not good money. You are never good money Jeffries…ever” Yup. Shes knows basketball. Check out Episode 24 now!
Music Featured:
Hi-Tek – Where It All Started At
Download Episode 24 on iTunes, Zune Marketplace or right-click here to save to your machine. Leave us feedback on the iTunes store, send us an email at feedback@hoopsmack.com or hit us on Twitter.
The Lakers played Game 5 how we all expected them to play in Games 1 thru 4. Dominant in every stretch of the imagination. They won the rebounding battle 42-25 (15-3 offensive rebounds)…. Yes the Hornets only mustered 25 boards as a team. This led to a 22-2 edge for 2nd chance points for the Lakers. They also won the points in the paint 42-30 and led by as much as 18 points in the game. Kobe “My bandages are just part of the costume” Bryant seemed all by injured after “suffering” a tweaked ankle in Game 4. The dunk over Okafor in the 2nd quarter and the left-handed slam in the 3rd proved that no matter where the Lakers are playing, Kobe’s Hollywood!
“It looked like he was going to challenge me at the end. I accepted the challenge.” — Kobe Bryant regarding the posterization over Emeka Okafor
“That’s what he does. All this talk about his ankle, did it look like his ankle was hurting? OK then. See that’s why I don’t even get into all that.” — Hornets coach Monty Williams on Bryant.
Kobe Bryant led the Lakers to their 3-2 lead in the series with 19pts on 8-13 shooting with four assists. Questionable Knees dropped a double-double with 18pts & 10rebs (five offensive). Pau Gasol finished with 16pts, eight boards, four assists and three blocks. Derek Fisher & Lamar Odom both chipped in with 13pts. Ron Artest added 11pts on 4-8 shooting. Trevor Ariza led all scorers in a losing effort with 22pts including 5-8 from beyond the arc. Marco Belinelli rose from the dead with 21pts (26pts in the first four games combined) on 8-14 shooting. Chris Paul finished with 20pts, 4reb and 12ast. No other Hornet scored in double figures.
Notes for New Orleans
▪ Aaron Gray led the team with six rebounds. Two problems with this stat. 1) Six leading rebounds will never produce a win and 2) Aaron Gray….. really?!? I understand he’s been huge for you this series… but really? He got more rebounds than Okafor in almost 1/3 of the playing time!!! That spells L-A-C-K-O-F-H-U-S-T-L-E!
▪ The Lakers got eight more shot attempts than you. I’m sure the series high 17 turnovers you committed has something to do with it.You have to cherish each possession you get.
▪ Carl Landry couldn’t have picked a worse game to go 3-7 from the field. I understand he didn’t perform that way intentionally (or at least I assume) but with the season-ending injury to David West he’s the Hornets’ MVP not named CP3.
Notes for Los Angeles
▪ As weird as this is gonna sound… Limit Kobe’s shot attempts. In the three wins this series, Kobe is averaging 14.3 FG attempts per game. In the losses, he’s averaging 22 attempts. Do you wanna win or do you wanna get Kobe his touches?
▪ A great start to Game 6 will be pivotal. In Game 5, CP3 had 8ast and Ariza had 10pts. The Hornets shot 61% in the 1st half including 81.3% in the 1st quarter. Get off to a slow start in New Orleans and you may never see a lead.
▪ Steve Blake…. there’s much praise for the 6th man of a team but in the playoffs rosters shrink to 8-9 guys so everyone’s role becomes much more important. Outside of Lamar Odom, Blake may be the strongest bench player (4-6 3FG in this series; most 3s made of any Laker bench player)
A wounded animal is usually dangerous. The Lakers tend to always have wounds whether it’s Kobe’s finger, knee, ankle, or appendix. Questionable Knees’ name speaks for itself. Even Blake got hit with chicken pox prior to the start of the postseason (it smells like calamine lotion for some reason). But the Hornets are a wounded franchise on and off the court. No matter how this series ends, it’s going at least six games much like the Lakers’ 1st round match-up last season. So I have to ask, are this year’s Hornets (without David West) as good as last year’s Thunder or are this year’s Lakers worse than last year’s Lakers? Hold your answers till the end….
The biggest question mark was how Derrick Rose’s ankle is feeling. You could tell he wasn’t sure either early on, settling for jumpers early. Luckily for the Bulls and their fans, his jumper was on. Rose scored 11 of his 25 points in the first quarter. There were reports that Rose would receive a pain killing shot in his ankle, so maybe he would need to get use to that. He played slower and more in control. The biggest highlight of the game was when Rose went up and blocked Roy Hibbert at the basket. After that play, you could tell he was fine. But then the officials started to get whistle happy and were calling some touch fouls against Rose and Joakim Noah who both picked up 2 fouls in the 1st quarter. Noah was his usual active and annoying self that eventually got Josh McRoberts mad enough to come at him with some forearm shoves. McRoberts wound up getting kicked out of the game. The Bulls were the more aggressive team and were in control the whole game, even Keith Bogans got into the mix dropping 5 threes! You know things are going good when Bogans is draining threes. At halftime the Bulls were up 54-46. But then the Pacers started to close the gap when Rose picked up his 4th foul in the 3rd quarter forcing C.J. Watson to come in the game. Watson was shaky when he got in the game missing open shots and looking hesitant on offense. The Pacers got the game down to 61-57, before Rose got back in the game. The Bulls started making jumpers and started looking like their regular season defense even though Carlos Boozer looked like the worst player in the entire NBA. Boozer has to fix whatever is wrong with his game; I’d rather see Taj Gibson or Omer Asik then Boozer the way that he’s playing. The poor shot selections, the dumb fouls, he’s not bringing anything positive to the team right now. Now is the time to justify the huge contract that you received.
Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
The Pacers put up a valiant effort. They have a nice nucleus to build around in Granger, Hibbert, Darren Collison, and Tyler Hansbrough. Coach Frank Vogel deserves to be the coach of this team. The Pacers had four players score in double figures. If they can clean up their execution on offense, they’ll contend for a playoff spot annually. They made things very difficult for the top-seeded Bulls. Hansbrough showed that he can be a legit player in the NBA. He still has his awkward shots that he was taking in college. But his midrange jumper is legit and has a non-stop motor, something you take for granted when a guy on you team doesn’t. It would’ve been interesting to see if Coach Vogel had went to Dahntay Jones on Rose earlier in the series. Though rookie Paul George did a decent job on Rose, I thought Jones played better against Rose. The Pacers just didn’t have enough firepower to beat the Bulls in a 7-game series, maybe if it was still a 5-game series they could’ve pulled the upset off. But now the Bulls get to wait and see who they play in the next round either Atlanta or Orlando. Rose gets to rest his ankle. Whoever they play next, I think the Bulls take it in 6 games if Boozer shows up and Rose is healthy.
What is the biggest grip about television today? Reality TV. Is it real? Is it fake? (Does it even matter?) Yet the world is obsessed with it. They drink it in like its air. These playoffs are characterized by the same questions. Memphis, New Orleans, Atlanta, Portland. Never have I witnessed in my years such optimism by the supposed “underdogs” to win a playoff series. These are 8, 7, 5, and 6 seeds respectively I’m speaking about. In the first round nonetheless. Are these teams for real? Are they true contenders? Can they even pull off the upsets in their own respective series? Let’s take a look at each of these teams and determine the truth:
Memphis Grizzlies
Anchored by the spirit of Tony Allen (sounds like a strong alcoholic drink), the Grizzlies have literally overpowered the San Antonio Spurs and battered them into submission. The Grizzlies thrive off of the tilt-a-whirl style of forcing turnovers through aggressive defense, pounding the paint with the nonathletic, low-post fundamentals of Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol, and a deep (can I actually classify them as deep?) bench consisting of O.J. Mayo, Shane Battier, Darrell Arthur and, Greivis Vasquez. They don’t shoot 3s (attempting an average of only 11.75 in these first four games), their most talented player (Rudy Gay) is out until next season, and did I mention they have Tony Allen leading them?
So, what are their chances of advancing far in the playoffs? Well actually very good. They would get the winner of the OKC-Denver series (95% sure it’ll be OKC) and with the way the Lakers took it to OKC in 6 last year, Memphis’s similar team makeup (Length inside, mentally questionable perimeter defender) they could very well pull off another upset in round 2. San Antonio was a top 5 offensive team in the regular season and the Grizzles are going Bret “The Hitman” Hart on the Spurs; OKC wouldn’t have a cake walk of a series. The Grizzlies likely don;t have the wherewithal to advance to the Finals, and I am not about to be that bold of an idiot, but no one really can say they saw this coming.
Verdict: Real
New Orleans Hornets
Defense, Defense, Defense, and Chris Paul. That’s N.O.’s game plan, and they’ve been following it masterfully in these playoffs. As CP3 goes, so goes the Hornets. They may be down a game in their series with LA, but who thought they would even capture a game, let alone 2? Aaron Gray is the X-Factor, Trevor Ariza is a game changer, Jarret Jack is Mr. Clutch, and Carl Landry is the Garbage Man. What about Emeka Okafor? Patrick Swayze. New Orleans has swarmed LA inside by playing scrappy, put-back offense; while CP3 has continuously been able to shed Derek Fisher, Ron Artest, and Kobe Bryant all series (30.0 ppg, 14.5 apg, 10.0 rpg in wins).
Can they perform the greatest upset in NBA history (outside of Seattle-Denver in ’94, of course)? No one counted them in the list of upsets for a reason. It has more to do with LA showing up than it does with the Hornets’ abilities. If they did? How far could they advance? Well, Portland has the athletes to keep up with Chris Paul and the depth to wear them down. Dallas has another slow point guard in Jason Kidd, but N.O. doesn’t have the lengthy defender (Ariza……maybe?) that gives Dirk problems. But, isn’t that what we said about the Lakers? Bottom line is that N.O. would be a great (i.e. GREATEST) NBA upset to come out in a long time, yet it seems as if they still won’t make it out the first round anyway.
Verdict: Fake
Atlanta Hawks
Larry Drew promised a Motion offense and no more Iso-Joe offense. Well, that’s sort of true, though Atlanta still has been a very difficult team to gauge. Isolation plays for Jamal Crawford and Joe Johnson, a few run plays in the post for Al Horford, Josh Smith getting in where he can fit in, and Jason Collins starting. Sometimes playing defense worthy of their athleticism, sometimes looking lethargic and disinterested (see Game 5 of their series with Orlando). Yep, that’s the Atlanta Hawks in a nutshell.
Are they serious? Leading 3-2 over an Orlando Magic team that almost everyone picked to dismantle them in a few games (After losing last year’s series against Orlando by an average of 25 points, who can blame anyone for picking Orlando?), seems pretty improbable at this point in the year. Atlanta is in a great positon to close an equally inconsistent Orlando team at home in Game 6, what will become of them then? Derrick Rose, that’s what. Yet, it doesn’t seem like a bad match up for them. Kirk Hinrich isn’t a shabby defender, and Atlanta does have the length to put the soon-to-be league MVP in an uncomfortable postion offensively (see Exhibit A: George, Paul). As well as Chicago has played, struggling against the Indiana Pacers doesn’t bode well for your support system. Say they do pull off the improbable and beat the Bulls, you’re looking at the Heat or the Celtics, both of which provide a whole set of different questions. Boston is a familiar enemy and just like Orlando, Atlanta has proven it is not scared of them anymore; meanwhile the Heat are more athletic and have more experience collectively. Either way, it’s improbable, but not impossible – just ask Orlando.
Verdict: Fake (the Hawks are way too volatile)
Portland Trailblazers
Defense, a dilberate, half-court offense, lobs to LaMarcus Aldridge, and a sprinkle of Brandon Roy isolations. Portland is a slow-paced team, with great depth, but about the only thing they don’t do well is shoot the ball. Oh, and play well on the road. Portland can go 9-10 players deep at multiple positions, they can go small with Aldridge at the 5, or big with Marcus Camby at the 5, and they can even bring out mulitple wing defenders with Gerald Wallace, Nicolas Batum, and Wesley Matthews. The homecourt advantage they hold at home is still rivaled by few around the league, and when push-comes-to-shove, you know they’ll play hard, because of the influence of coach Nate McMillian.
How real are they? Most analyst around the internet picked Portland to beat Dallas convincingly in the first round, yet here we are, Portland losing Game 5, and putting them in a position to have to play Dallas at home in Game 7 to win the series. Portland certainly has what it takes talent-wise, but can they pull together on the road? If they do advance, can they win a pivotal road game (being a 6th seed, they more than likely won’t ever have homecourt advantage)? Portland may have the hardest road to travel even if they do get out of round 1. Los Angeles (more than likely) in round 2, if they continue a VCU like run to the Western Conference Finals, they’ll face a OKC team that beat them 3 out of 4 times in the regular season or a Memphis team that played them close and is peaking right now. Portland may be the favorite of the “underdogs”, but they certainly are not the most likely. Even so, they have the most talent, the most room to grow as a team, and the best chance to upset any of the higher seeds down the line.
Verdict: Real
Whose to say each of these teams don’t bow out in the first round (or 3 of 4, Memphis can’t possible drop a 3-1 lead, can they?)? I certainly only picked Atlanta to pull off the upset and that was in 7 games. So, what do I know, right? What determines if a team is “fake” or “real”? Like the various TV shows the world watches, who knows? Maybe it’s our belief in their entertaining value that makes them certifiable in the eyes of each of us, individually. Whatever way you decide to see it, one thing we can all agree on: they certainly make for compelling television.
One, eight, eight, and twenty-nine. Those are the amount of field goals, points, rebounds, and minutes that Dwight Howard played in Game 5 against the Atlanta Hawks. Howard has averaged 32.3 points and 17.5 rebounds in 45.3 minutes so far in this series and has been the main catalyst for Orlando in pulling within one game of tying this series. So what happened that changed things in Game 5? Well, 42% shooting from 3 point land, 7 Magic with 9+ points scored in the game, and an aggression on defense that has been lost since coming into the series. Quentin Richardson and J.J. Redick played masterful defense on Joe Johnson (2-12, 5 points) and Jamal Crawford (2-8, 8 points).
It all started when Dwight Howard acquired his second foul with under 6 minutes left in the first. Orlando without prompting, went on a 16-5 run led by none other than J.J. Redick (who scored the last 11 points of the quarter to take a 26-13 lead). The Magic started the second quarter on a 12-2 run, characterized by great ball movement on the part of Orlando. Quentin Richardson, Gilbert Arenas, Ryan Anderson, Hedo Turkoglu, Jason Richardson, and Jameer Nelson all scored during this period and Orlando sped into halftime with a 25 point lead. The rout was on.
Atlanta blew any opportunity to get into this by shooting 36% from the field and 25% from 3, but that’s not the bad part. The most illogical decision was to attempt only one shot at the rim when Dwight Howard went out with 2 fouls in the first quarter. And that’s with just under 6 minutes left in the quarter! Instead they fell right into the game plan of Orlando to speed up the tempo, patiently move the ball to open shooters, and eventually blow you right out the building. Which is how they have been winning all season. How Atlanta (who has played Orlando more than any team over the last 2 years) still deals with the mentally lapses that characterize unfamiliarity with an opponent are baffling to me. I guess that shouldn’t surprise me. This the series I deemed “It also can turn into one of the worst 4/5 seed series of all time.”
Atlanta allowed the one scenario that could get Orlando back in this series to come to fruition: a desperation game win in blowout fashion. Orlando still believes themselves to be Atlanta’s big brother, and when you lose a closeout game (especially in a blowout) you’re setting yourself up for a major letdown in confidence. Now that Orlando’s role players have renewed optimism about this series, they very well could pull out Game 6. If that happens Atlanta would be peering into their own demise: a rocking Amway Arena for Game 7 in Orlando. And though I still believe Atlanta can pull it out, their fragile egos have not yet been tested with true adversity. If they can’t close out this Magic team at home, I’d hate to be an Atlanta Hawk come Game 7.
