Game One Impressions: Boston clashes with Miami, 'Melo Drops 40 and Lakers Roll

This weekend contained the first game for all eight of the series, and other than a few early blowouts, you couldn't ask for a better set of first games. The home team won in all but one game, experience paid off and the defense and intensity were cranked up the whole time. So it was pretty much exactly what everyone was expecting, right?

Eastern Conference

Clevland vs Chicago
This game was a kind of enigma last night, the score was often close but the game never really was. Rose caused issues with his athleticism and Noah refused to quit, but Lebron and Mike Brown were in control the entire game. Chicago never really had a hope and I would expect the entire series to have a similar tone. Shaq returned in this game and showed once again that when he is inspired he can be an effective part of a team, providing efficient scoring in the paint and clogging up the lane on defense.

Orlando vs Charlotte
Charlotte was really able to show their strengths in this game, even though the ended up losing. Despite being down up to twenty points at times, Larry Brown constantly had them focused on the next play and chipping away at the lead. This team just refuses to ever go away, which makes them a big threat. Jameer Nelson caught fire early, shooting and getting to the hole on his way to posting 24 in the first half and 32 overall, and stepped up as the primary shooter this game after Vince and Dwight were cold early. Charlotte will have a chance in this series with their defense and Orlando's dependence on shooters, but it's east to see that Orlando is the more talented and consistently strong team.

Atlanta vs Milwaukee
Milwaukee continued to try and play a different style of basketball without Bogut available, using a defense similar to OKC's swarming, hectic defense against post players. Just like what happened in the Lakers game, this left the paint vulnerable so that Josh Smith, Al Horford and even Mo Evans were able to score down low with ease. Jennings scored 34 in the match and Salmons put in 16, but it seemed like nearly every offensive play came with the ball in one of their hands. It's a shame that Bogut went down, but as expected the rest of this team won't be able to hold up against the athletic and skilled Hawks.

Boston vs. Miami
An unlikely hero arose in this game when Tony Allen was stuck playing defense on Wade in the first frame. After that, Allen defended Wade nearly the whole way through and did an excellent job of slowing him down, which was a big part of this win. The biggest surprise of this game came when Paul Pierce fell out of bounds after some tough defense by Haslem and Richardson. Pierce appeared injured and after the trainers got to him, he was surrounded by KG and Glen Davis. Richardson approached Pierce - most likely to check if he wasn't injured - and KG didn't like that idea, so he elbowed him in the head. After the scuffle settled, KG was suspended from game two which should come as no surprise if you've been paying attention to your suspensions. Miami should have a good chance to attack this Boston team in game 2, Garnett was a big reason that Boston was so strong in the first game.


Western Conference

Los Angeles vs Oklahoma City
You hear it every year, two things win championships - defense and experience - and after game one of this series, you can see why the Lakers come in as favorites again. The Lakers shook off all that regular season rust and slowed the game down to a deliberate pace, holding OKC to 13 in the first quarter with their strong side defense. Durant was noticeably bothered by some combination of the playoff jitters, the big LA lights and a constant barrage of elbows courtesy of Kobe and Ron-Ron. The big story of the game was really Bynum's return. He stepped right back into his old role, clogging the paint and protecting the rim while generating easy buckets on the other end with good post moves and strong screens. Between the 14 feet of Gasol and Bynum, most teams in the West once again seem ill-equipped to defend the paint.


Dallas vs San Antonio
In one of the most exciting games of the weekend, Nowitzki came out to play in this one, dropping 36 points on a ridiculous shooting night of 12-14 form the field and 12-12 from the line. The rest of the Mavs didn't disappoint either, as Jason Kidd, Caron Butler, Shawn Marion and Brendan Haywood all had solid games on both ends of the court. San Antonio's big three showed signs of being able to carry the team, but Parker was noticeably not himself and even with Duncan and Ginobli playing at a high level one of either Hill or Jefferson will need to step up for this team to win.

Phoenix vs Portland
This game surprised me the most out of any game, but Portland's ability to control the pace of the game ended up taking all the wind out of Phoenix's sails. Phoenix was never really able to get out and run, Nate McMillan had his team focused and ready to slow the league's best offense. Andre Miller showed that his type of game is built for the playoffs (tough D and scoring at the rim), and Lamarcus Aldridge was more aggressive than I've ever seen him before, taking twenty shots while Roy is out. Phoenix made a late run of it and nearly slipped the game into overtime with a Nash 3-pt attempt, but for some reason I still expect Phoenix to control this series. Hopefully this game can just become a small road-bump in the Suns playoff drive.

Denver vs Utah
On the surface it comes as a surprise that this was the highest scoring game of the weekend, but when you look into things, it becomes pretty obvious. Between the injured Kirilenko, the slowed Kenyon Martin and the fiery and inspired pair of stars in Carmelo and Deron Williams, the scoreboards were lit up all night. Unlike most other games, this one was much closer than the final score showed as Denver really only pulled away in the fourth quarter after JR Smith began to hit shots. Okur injured his Achilles tendon, leaving him unable to compete during this year's playoffs. It was reported that he was seen with tears in his eyes post-game and it's a sad story for both Okur and the Jazz, as both of their playoff hopes are essentially done after this news.

Playoff Predictions: Round One

Just in time for the first game (which is probably on right now), here are the Balding Spalding first playoff predictions. It's been a long year of watching basketball and it all comes down to this for a lot of teams. You've got some older teams trying to grab another one before the window closes (San Antonio, Boston, Phoenix), some young teams looking to back up their good regular seasons with some playoff success (OKC, Milwaukee) and the usual suspects back again to try at the championship (Clevland, Orlando, Dallas). After it all, you've got lots of reasons to root for each team and lots of teams who will be pushing hard to keep things alive until June.


Alright, lets keep these short and sweet. Based on some stats, some intuition and a whole lot of guesswork, I've come upon my first round predictions and hopefully they don't disappoint. Up first is the Eastern Conference, and the team with home court advantage is on the left side as we go along.

East

Clevland vs Chicago: Clevland in 4

Lebron and co. won't be taking it easy on Chicago at any point in this series. This year the talk about Lebron has usually centered around his dominating play and how he has established himself as the best player in the game, but what went relatively unnoticed is Lebron's changed demeanor. All year he has been steely in his determination, never really showing any cracks all year. While Rose will cause problems for them and Joakim Noah would rather lose his hair than this series, Lebron has had this team in win-mode all year and I won't expect any different in this series.

Orlando vs Charlotte: Orlando in 5

Charlotte has been the favored upset pick, as they have the 1st overall defensive efficiency and Orlando has the leagues 2nd best offensive efficiency. I understand the ideas behind the 'defense wins championships' mantra, but this Magic team is no chump on the defense and rebounding ballots, especially with their center about to win his second consecutive DPOY award. The Bobcats won't be able to increase their offense as much as Orlando will be able to tighten up their defense, so Charlotte will only be able to take game 3 or 4 at home before being finished off by the Magic.

Atlanta vs Milwaukee: Atlanta in 6

I feel this match-up is a lot closer than most people think, but it's still not very close in the end. If the Big Aussie was still around I might even favor this prototypical Skiles team, but without him Horford and Smith will be too much on the boards to handle. Milwaukee might be able to make things interesting by going a bit smaller and shooting on the Hawks, but Horford has shown this year that he can defend out to the 3-pt line and Smith covers too much ground to make this very effective. This long, athletic and balanced Atlanta team will tighten up in the first round but looks for trouble past this round.

Boston vs Miami: Miami in 7

Boston had one of the worst finishes of any of the playoff teams, going 3-7 over their last ten heading into the playoffs. This partly was due to Doc Rivers resting most of his starters in the last month, but I still don't feel well about the Celtics coming into these playoffs. None of the Big 3 have looked like themselves for long this year and because of this, Rondo has stepped up and become the focal piece of their team. I am an avid Rondo supporter, but he hasn't had this big of a load put on him in the playoffs before and it may not work well. The other obvious issue will be defending Wade but Boston's biggest strength is their pick-and-roll defense, so expect Haslem and Beasley to play a big role hitting 15-18 footers from the corner rather than the usual Wade attack.

West

Los Angeles vs Oklahoma City: Los Angeles in 6

The Lakers have some things to worry about in this match up, but nothing the champs can't handle. The Durantula's skinny frame is going to take a beating against Ron-Ron, and while the 2-3 days rest each game will help this, another issue arises. Oklahoma doesn't really have any outside shooters in their starting line-up past Jeff Green, which means that the Lakers will be able to effectively employ their strong-side overload defense. Durant will be played tightly by Artest all series, and the Lakers will be able to help without any repercussions from the 3-pt line. It also helps that Gasol will be defended by Ibaka and Collison most of the series.

Dallas vs San Antonio: Dallas in 7

Despite being a 2 vs 7 match-up, I think this should be the closest series in the first round (other than maybe Boston-Miami). The Spurs have been inconsistent all year, but have experience and know how to tighten up when it matters. The Mavs have been consistently excellent all year, but are known to crumble under pressure and tend to unravel with the pressure on. This series will be complicated and very well-coached, but two match-ups will swing the battle - Nowitzki vs. Duncan and Butler vs. Ginobli.

Phoenix vs Portland: Pheonix in 6

Portland had some bad news this week, Brandon Roy will be having surgery on his knee which will mean his misses at least the first two playoff games and possibly more. Phoenix has been one of the NBA's best home teams this year, posting a 32-9 record at the US Airways Center. Portland has been a good road team but the Suns will come out shooting hot and without Roy, his team will have a very tough time scoring enough to keep up. I like McMillan with regards to coaching and Camby could average 20+ boards in this series, but Portland is this and Gentry is gonna run them into the ground.

Denver vs Utah: Denver in 7

This should be an interesting series, and the one I am most excited to watch. Both of these teams mean serious business, they have been too close in the past and want to win badly for their coaches (Karl is battling throat cancer and Sloan is battling... Father Time) before their time in the NBA is up. It was announced yesterday the AK-47 will miss the series, but Kenyon Martin looked slow and ineffective in his last few games after coming back from an injury. These two should problems should end up being a wash for the two teams, but the issue will be who Utah now uses to defend Carmelo. They will most likely rotate between CJ Miles and Korver, so expect 'Melo to drop a few 40 point games.

Slow Blogging Days and a Beautiful Outlet

There won't be much being posted for the rest of this week, I'm working on three big posts to finish out the season with, (Awards, Yearbook and Playoff Picture) so you can expect those to come out in the next week or two.

In the meantime, check out this (Sorry, can`t embed ESPN videos) play from the Nuggets - Timberwolves game the other night. It happens at the :30 second mark, Nene gets an off-balance rebound and throws a three quarter court outlet pass while falling backwards. For a guy who is known for playing like a bull in a china shop, it`s a really hard pass to make and a good basketball play that goes unnoticed a lot of the time.

Back to the City of Brotherly Love

This morning the New York Post's Peter Vecsey reported that Larry Brown was granted permission by the Bobcats (see: Jordan, Michael) to be the head coach of the 76ers, if Philadelphia chooses to hire him.

Now, I would usually take Vescey's rumors with a grain of salt. He's the guy who usually starts these crazy rumors (anyone remember the insane Bosh-for-Bynum talks?), but this story has one little caveat that makes it very plausible.

Larry Brown's wife and young children currently live in Philly, making this story much more believable. It looks like the coaching spot in Philly is definitely going to be up for grabs as well, the reports out of Philly aren't if Eddie Jordan will be fired but when he will be fired.

I like the idea of this move for both teams. Charlotte could use a new coach, as Brown tends to lose teams sometimes, and they could use the power of Michael Jordan's networking to get a talented coach who will stay for a few years. The Bobcats have a good base to work with, and some good young talents who could end up being solid pieces in Gerald Henderson and D.J. Augustin.

The Sixers have the type of talents that Larry Brown could turn into a winning team. Quick, tough defenders at 3 positions with Thad Young, Andre Igoudala and an improved Jrue Holiday, and a decent paint defender in Dalembert. I also wouldn't be surprised if Brown could inch a little more efficiency out of Lou Williams and Marreese Speights - two players who could be real offensive weapons. Best of all this might lead to a reinvented and successful Elton Brand, something that both Brand and the Sixers deserve.

Whattttt? Is it 2003 Again?

J-Kidd and the Matrix giving me flashbacks here. Crazy slam.

Getting Detroit's Bad Back

Any long-time basketball fan associates Detroit with one thing: toughness. Selfless, team basketball. Everyone works hard, sacrifices their body and they grind out every last second to win.

The late eighties 'Bad Boys' won two back-to-back titles and stopped MJ from getting a title his first six seasons, and they based their play style on the city they lived in. Detroit was motor-city, most of the population clocking a unionized nine to five at a GM or Ford plant, making just enough money to pay their mortgage and put a little food on the table. Every day the city got up, put their hard hats on and went out and earned what was theirs. Those Pistons played the same way, coming to every game prepared and ready to work their asses off. Just like the rest of the city, they weren't the most talented or skilled workers, but no one ever out worked them.

This same mentality came along thirteen years later when Larry Brown arrived in town, molding together what is most likely the least talented team to hoist the Larry O'Brien. A team without a single all-star the year before comes together to post a ridiculous 84.3 points per game against that season. (This was the year before the hand check rules changed, and you can bet that they abused it.) They played a deliberate pace, working hard on both ends to do the best they could. Just like the Bad Boys before them, they put the city on their backs and won a title.

So what the hell happened this year?

Well, champions can't be champions forever. Even the best fall off the top spot, but this is something different. Joe Dumars went out this summer and decided the players most deserving of Detroit's cap space were Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva. Not exactly getting flashbacks to the days of Dennis Rodman and Ben Wallace are we?

Detroit's problems can't be accounted only to Gordon and Villanueva. The team has had two rookie coaches in two years with Curry and Kuester, and two players who no longer fit in with the new, young crowd with Hamilton and Prince. The team is in limbo a bit right now, but with a few draft picks and trades the team could be built for today's faster NBA game.

The point here isn't whether or not the Pistons will become a better team or not, it's the demeanor of the team. Detroit just won't be the same team without that 'never say die' attitude. Detroit needs to be the team that picks the fight and does the dirty work. They need to be more like this:


Joe Dumars needs to bring in quality players who will dedicate themselves to a system, and a coaching staff who will keep the players fiery and focused. Hopefully is this happens, so we can see the toughness that Detroit is starting to sorely miss.

The Death of the Deer

Milwaukee got a big win a few nights ago against Phoenix, bringing them a game closer to the fifth position they have been in and out of all season. One of the best offensive teams in the league, the Suns, had an offensive clinic put on them by one of the best defensive teams in the league, the Bucks. Milwaukee composed a balanced attack, with seven players in double digits and 42 points off the bench, yet after this game Milwaukee's hope for a playoff win is now as low as it has been all season.

The big Australian, Andrew Bogut, fell hard on a dunk attempt in the second quarter, breaking his hand, disloacting his elbow and spraining his wrist all at once. This should effectively end the 'Fear the Deer' Bucks for this year after this year's squad over-achieved and earned an unexpected playoff berth.

It's a sad end to a great season for Milwaukee where almost everything went well for them.

Brandon Jennings was expected to be the second coming of Iverson, but he has committed himself to defense and has kept his teammates involved all season.

Questions were starting to raise of whether or not Bogut would ever live up to the expectations of a first overall pick but he's second in the league in blocks and averaging a double double, while leading his team to the playoffs.

The season began with questions marks all over the bench with an aging Kurt Thomas, an inconsistent Carlos Delfino and an unknown in Ersan Ilyasova, but all three have lived up to or exceeded expectations.

John Salmons' attitude has been questioned in the past, by giving up on teams and calling his own number too often, but he has fit right in with this team and provided them with an offensive punch since the trade brought him over.

Scott Skiles is well known for losing teams with his dictatorship form of coaching, but he has had the team focused and prepared for every game this season.

Between all of this it seems to me like there are just too many variables that could go wrong come April 17th, making it unlikely that they will be able to continue their success through the playoffs. With their anchor, Bogut, they are a much more consistent team on both ends of the court but this injury leaves them seriously short-handed at centre. With Kurt Thomas and Dan Gadzuric in the paint, it will probably mean a first round exit for Milwaukee, but I'm still hoping that the pieces fall into place again and the Bucks can prove me wrong these playoffs.

Is Stephen Curry the Next Steve Nash?

Between the shovel passes, lack of an 'NBA body' and being top-ten shooters in the league, Steve Nash and Stephen Curry are starting to look like they have alot in similar.

Stephen Curry said that he only started comparing himself with Steve Nash when reporters started to ask him who his NBA equivalent was around the time of the draft. Since then, Curry has been watching tape of Nash's play and trying to emulate his composure and vision on the court and by all accounts, things are working out well.

Curry is on pace to be the first rookie to ever put up 45%/40%/85%, and has been averaging more than 7 assists per game since February while maintaining a 2 to 1 assist ratio the entire time. The numbers are nice, but the real point that must have the Warriors brass happy is Curry's demeanor all season. He has never complained about the situation he's in, while gelling with teammates despite some early issues (like Ellis saying they are too small to play together in the backcourt.

If he continues to involve his teammates while keeping his turnovers down and increasing his vision and playmaking, we could be looking at the second coming of one of the league's best point guards.

Trade Dreams: Five Players Looking for a Change

A good change of scenery can really rejuvenate a player's career, in many different ways.

Some players toil for years on a basement dwelling team and are traded to a contender that will let them play for something. With his recent trade to a successful team, Kevin Martin can utilize his efficiency and finally play for a winner.

Talented players can be buried under perrenial All-Stars, and need a trade to enough minutes to make an impact. Devin Harris nearly won last year's Most Improved trophy after being traded from the guard log-jam in Dallas.

When coaches and players feud, the players almost always end up on the back end of the bench until a trade moves them - like Nate Robinson to the Celtics.

So who else in the league could benefit from a trade out of their current situation?

Ramon Sessions
A player who could benefit from getting out from underneath another player, but in this case the other player isn't an All-Star this time. Johnny Flynn has gotten almost all of the PG minutes in Minny, mostly in the name of developing him as a player. I have always felt Sessions has the talent to be a starting PG, you can see it in his career highs of 44 points and 24 assists. He has no defense, but he gets the odd steal in the passing lanes.
Potential Teams to be Traded to: Indiana, Cleveland, Lakers, Washington


Marcin Gortat
A big bodied centre like Gortat doesn't come around often. He is a legitimate seven-footer weighing a sturdy 255 who has decent hands and runs the floor hard, and has shown he is willing to learn and develop under a coach. He uses his physical attributes to cause a bunch of mismatches and is still developing his skills in the paint, but for all his ability he isn't getting many minutes under Dwight Howard.
Potential Teams to be Traded to: Minnesota, Charlotte, Detroit, San Antonio


C.J. Watson
A great two-way player, Watson has extremely quick hands and is great at starting the break and keeps his turnover numbers low. He could be a great fit on a team who could use a spark-plug type player off the bench, and Watson has shown the ability to improve his overall game, and most importantly his shooting. Watson is currently stuck with Don Nelson's erratic minutes and an inconsistent role.
Potential Teams to be Traded to: Utah, Phoenix, Indiana


Ronnie Brewer
This is a bit of an odd inclusion, as Brewer was recently traded to the Grizzlies, but Brewer has had a tough time getting off the bench because of a hamstring injury and Memphis' excellent starting 5. Brewer could be a big piece of Memphis' future, but he has shown in the past that he can be an effective low-usage member of a starting 5, something similar to Trevor Ariza's role with the Lakers last year. More than a few teams could use his efficient scoring and ball hawking ability.
Potential Teams to be Traded to: Raptors, New Orleans, back to Utah


Kevin Love
After only one year at UCLA, Kevin Love came into the NBA and has already established himself as a elite rebounder, especially offensively. He has some skills in the post and finishing under the rim, but has had some trouble with the athletic NBA defenders. Minnesota is a good fit for him, but Al Jefferson is essentially the same player as him. While Jefferson tends to score more and rebound less, they are both undersized PFs who operate in the low post. If Love could get to a new team who could use his inside-outside game and rebounding, he could be a real force in this league.
Potential Teams to be Traded to: Golden State, Oklahoma City, Chicago

Who else does everyone think belong on this list? Let me know in the comments.

Another Great NBA Moment

Last night Kevin Durant continued on his torrid scoring pace, dropping 37 on the Celtics. Knowing Kevin Garnett and his feelings about defense, here's what he had to say on the issue.



A great compliment by a future Hall of Fame member to the one of the best scorers in the league right now. It's one of those times you can feel the old stars like Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce fading away, and having their spotlight stolen away by a young phenom. Great stuff for the NBA.