NBA Leaderboard, Part V
Here is the final NBA Leaderboard of 2006. The Mavericks now have the best record in the league, but the Spurs and Suns are not too far behind. The Jazz were the early leaders but are now at fourth and sinking. The Magic started the year quickly but are now just four games above .500. The Pistons are the first Eastern Conference team to make the top five in several weeks.
Best Five Records
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1) Dallas Mavericks, 23-7
2) San Antonio Spurs, 22-8
3) Phoenix Suns, 20-8
4) Utah Jazz, 22-9
5) Detroit Pistons, 18-10
The Lakers (19-11), last week's fifth place team, are just behind the Pistons, and the Bulls have recovered from their slow start and are on the verge of making the list (19-12).
Top Five Scorers (and a few other notables)
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1) Carmelo Anthony, DEN 31.6 ppg
2) Allen Iverson, DEN 30.7 ppg
3) Gilbert Arenas, WSH 30.7 ppg
4) Kobe Bryant, LAL 28.4 ppg
5) Michael Redd, MIL 27.8 ppg
6) Dwyane Wade, MIA 27.5 ppg
7) LeBron James, CLE 27.1 ppg
10) Yao Ming, HOU 25.9 ppg
11) Vince Carter, NJN 25.8 ppg
The top four have stayed the same (of course, Melo's numbers will not change until he comes back from his suspension) but Agent Zero has heated up his hibachi with shouts of "quality shots" and increased his scoring average 1.6 ppg since Leaderboard IV.
Top Five Rebounders (and a few other notables)
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1) Dwight Howard, ORL 12.5 rpg
2) Chris Bosh, TOR 12.2 rpg
3) Kevin Garnett, MIN 12.2 rpg
4) Carlos Boozer, UTA 11.7 rpg
5) Tyson Chandler, NOK 11.3 rpg
11) Ben Wallace, CHI 10.1 rpg
13) Tim Duncan, SAS 9.9 rpg
16) Yao Ming, HOU 9.4 rpg
21) Rasheed Wallace, DET 8.8 rpg
29) Jason Kidd, NJN 8.3 rpg
The top five has not changed too much since week one, but Howard's lead keeps getting smaller. My hunch is that he will not succeed this year in supplanting Dolph Schayes as the youngest rebounding champion ever; there must be a reason that record has stood for five decades. Duncan's rebounding average is the lowest of his career by far. As expected, Sheed's rebounding numbers are steadily declining toward his career norms.
Top Five Playmakers
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1) Steve Nash, PHX 11.3 apg
2) Jason Kidd, NJN 9.2 apg
3) Andre Miller, PHI 9.0 apg
4) Chris Paul, NOK 9.0 apg
5) Baron Davis, GSW 8.6 apg
Baron Davis edged out Deron Williams for the fifth spot but other than that this list has been remarkably consistent. "Starbury" is up to 24th with an average of 5.2 apg. Maybe the self-proclaimed best point guard in the league will actually crack the top 20 in assists before the season is over.
Note: All statistics are from NBA.com
posted by David Friedman @ 3:11 AM
Kobe Drops 58, Grizzlies Drop Fratello--and the Clippers Just Drop
It's a potpourri edition of 20 Second Timeout, featuring one often discussed subject (Kobe Bryant), and two less frequently mentioned topics (the Grizzlies and the Clippers).
*** On Friday night, Bryant scored 58 points in a 133-124 triple overtime loss to the Charlotte Bobcats. Bryant and Rick Barry are now tied for fourth on the all-time list with 14 50-point games, trailing only Wilt Chamberlain (118), Michael Jordan (31) and Elgin Baylor (17). That is the third best single-game scoring effort of his career but it was unusual in three respects: (1) It took Bryant three overtimes to reach that total--he had 62 points in three quarters versus Dallas last year and 81 points in regulation versus Toronto; (2) The Lakers lost--the Lakers won Bryant's 81 and 62 point games and have posted a 49-22 record in his 40-point games and a 10-4 record in his 50-point games (those totals reflect the loss in Charlotte); (3) Bryant was completely exhausted by the effort--who knows whether the extra 15 minutes did him in or maybe it was the aftereffects of the flu but I
have mentioned before that one of the most amazing things about Bryant is that he seems to be full of energy at the end of his highest scoring games. That was certainly not the case on Friday. Bryant didn't even make it all the way to his locker after the game, stopping in his tracks and answering reporters' questions at the entrance to the locker room.
The loss drops the Lakers to 4-5 without Lamar Odom but that is a little deceptive because the Lakers have been playing on the road recently after starting the season with a very favorable home schedule. The Charlotte game concluded a decent 3-3 road trip that would have been very good if the Lakers had pulled out the win to get to 4-2. Bryant started the game shooting 16-27 but shot only 6-18 down the stretch as fatigue set in. The 45 shots are the second most that he has ever attempted in a game, trailing only his 46 attempts in the 81 point game. Bryant's excellent start staked the Lakers to a 30-16 lead but he could neither keep up that pace nor find any teammates who were particularly interested in carrying the load. Coach Phil Jackson singled out Kwame Brown for criticism after the game, citing the numerous passes he dropped and his atrocious pick and roll defense (which
I pointed out in my recap of the Christmas Day game between the Heat and Lakers--most headlines will tell you that Wade burned Bryant but if you watched the game you know that Wade burned the Lakers' pick and roll coverage and did not score that much against Bryant in one on one encounters). Here is what Jackson said about Brown's hands: "We're going to feed him Butterfingers on the flight home just so he can feel the effects of it. There was certainly some disappointment in the ability, or non-ability, of Kwame to complete plays that we thought were big plays for us. His teammates are disappointed." As for the pick and roll defense, Jackson explained the breakdowns against Charlotte this way: "Smush (Parker) is getting knocked off his man with screens and we wanted Kwame to come out hard, and Okafor was getting short one-dribble dunk situations. I know Kwame got perplexed out there with the screen-roll and how to play it. He got concerned about some of the things that were happening to him. We tried to help him through that situation."
*** The Memphis Grizzlies fired Coach Mike Fratello after a 6-24 start. Fratello is the franchise's all-time leader in coaching wins (95) and he guided the team to the playoffs each of the last two seasons. The Grizzlies' fate this season was sealed when All-Star Pau Gasol broke his foot in the FIBA World Championships but the fact that Memphis plummeted from being a playoff team to being the worst team in the league indicates that something more than Gasol's injury is at work here. The players did not like Fratello's slow it down, controlling style and basically quit on him. Team President Jerry West, who pulled the plug on Fratello, said simply, "We didn't compete. The fans deserve better than that." Being undermanned is one thing--and Memphis did have other injury problems besides Gasol--but you can always compete. Fratello has been replaced on an interim basis by Tony Barone, Sr., the team's director of player personnel. The plan is for Barone to spend the season getting an up close and personal view of the players he has acquired and then to return to his front office duties with an even better understanding of exactly what the team's personnel needs are. He will not become the permanent coach. On Saturday, Barone won his coaching debut as the Grizzlies ended their five game losing streak with a 110-104 victory over the Toronto Raptors.
Is it fair to fire a successful coach only 30 games into a season when the team's best player has missed most of the games due to injury and is just now rounding into form? Talk about a leading question--of course, it is not fair, but that is not the point. Fratello was at odds with West, who--
according to the Memphis Commercial Appeal, urged owner Michael Heisley to fire Fratello before the season started. It will be very interesting to see who gets the full-time coaching job and which players remain on the team. Of course, Memphis' ownership situation is up in the air, too, as Christian Laettner and Brian Davis seek to finalize their deal to buy the team from Heisley, so the Grizzlies could have a completely different look from top to bottom by this time next year.
*** Be honest--did you drink the Kool-Aid about the L.A. Clippers being a team on the rise and being the best team in town? It's OK--most people were fooled. However, I saw signs of trouble on the horizon, noting in my
Western Conference Preview that, although the team "really seemed to turn the corner" that "the Clippers have no track record for sustaining greatness--or even viable playoff contending status. Cassell is aging and if he gets injured or has trouble accepting that Livingston's playing time is bound to increase then the Clippers boat will be sunk (again). Bottom line: This is a solid playoff team that is not quite good enough to contend for an NBA title." I ranked the Clippers fifth in the West, lower than many other people did--but even I may have at least (unwittingly) sipped the Kool-Aid because the Clippers are currently 11th in the West, which means they are three spots away from even making the playoffs, let alone being a "solid playoff team." They're actually only about four games back with 53 to go, so there is still time for them to improve just enough to match my correctly lowered expectations for them. What's wrong with the Clippers? The numbers of most of their top players have plummeted, they anointed Shaun Livingston as the point guard of the future but he is not ready to handle the job in the present, free agent acquisition Tim Thomas has been a disappointment and second leading scorer Corey Maggette is disgruntled and consequently the frequent subject of trade rumors.
posted by David Friedman @ 12:59 AM
Deng It! Luol Deng Scores Career-High 32 Points, Bulls Top Cavs, 103-96
The Chicago Bulls gave LeBron James a 22nd birthday gift that he did not want--a 24-0 second half run that proved to be decisive in a 103-96 win over James' Cleveland Cavaliers. Luol Deng led Chicago with a career-high 32 points, shooting 15-19 from the field. He did most of his damage with mid-range jump shots. Ben Wallace's energy, defense and rebounding have been crucial to the Bulls' recent success but he sprained his ankle in the first quarter. He returned to the game but only played a total of 22 minutes, contributing just two points and two rebounds. The Bulls were also without the services of starting point guard Kirk Hinrich, who sat out with a groin injury. James finished with 33 points, nine rebounds and three assists but he scored 22 of his points in the first half and his production dropped off dramatically after he suffered a sprained ankle in the third quarter; he went through a long scoreless drought that did not end until the last couple minutes of the contest. The loss drops the Cavaliers to 4-9 on the road and 12-7 when Larry Hughes plays (they are 5-5 in games that he has sat out due to injury). The Bulls are now 14-2 at home, 14-1 when they have the halftime lead and 19-12 overall, narrowly edging the Cavs for the second best record in the Eastern Conference.
The Bulls played at a faster pace than the Cavs right from the start, jumping out to a 13-6 lead and pushing that advantage to as much as nine in the first quarter. The period ended with Chicago on top 32-27. James scored 12 points, but the man he was guarding, Deng, had 10 points on 5-6 shooting. On several occasions James was late getting around screens or simply lost track of Deng as the Bulls forward moved without the ball. It is important for the team's best player to set the tone defensively. NBA players are good and can erupt for a big scoring night even if you play good defense--but if you don't keep track of your man and don't fight through screens, just letting him shoot uncontested jumpers, then you can pretty much guarantee that he will be very productive. On one of the old NBA Entertainment tapes (before there were DVDs), then Pacers Coach Dick Versace exhorted his team to stop letting their opponents shoot what he called "warm-up jump shots," saying that they must make them put the ball on the floor and do something. Deng spent most of the night burying "warm-up jump shots."
The Cavaliers gained a little ground in the second quarter but still trailed 56-53 at halftime. Deng scored 16 points on 8-10 shooting, while James got his 22 on 11-15 shooting; the difference is that James had to work for his points by driving to the hoop or shooting with a hand in his face, while Deng benefited from a lot of wide open shots. Chicago shot 56% from the field and Cleveland shot 54%.
Cleveland began the third quarter with a 12-2 run, taking a 65-58 lead. The problem with relying primarily on your offense to bail you out is that sometimes shots stop falling. If your defensive effort is not consistent, those droughts can be fatal. After Hughes' jumper at the 7:17 mark made the score 67-60 Cleveland, the Cavs missed their next 15 shots and Chicago went on a 24-0 run that extended into the fourth quarter. James sat out the last :36 of the third quarter and the first 2:19 of the fourth quarter after injuring his ankle when he landed awkwardly after missing a shot. The score was 76-67 when James left, 78-67 at the end of the third quarter and 84-67 when he came back. James had 28 points before he got hurt and did not score again until his layup with 1:46 left cut the lead to 96-89. James' three pointer with 1:21 left got the Cavs to within 96-92 but the Bulls never allowed the Cavs to make it a single possession game, making five of their last six free throws.
posted by David Friedman @ 11:34 PM
Iverson Drops 44, Karl Gets 800th Career Win
Allen Iverson scored 44 points and had 10 assists as Denver cruised to a 112-98 win over Seattle, the 800th victory of George Karl's coaching career. Iverson now has 77 40-point games in his career, which ties him with Oscar Robertson for fourth all-time behind Wilt Chamberlain (271), Michael Jordan (173) and Elgin Baylor (88). Both teams were missing key players--Carmelo Anthony (suspension), J.R. Smith (suspension) and Marcus Camby (injury) did not play for the Nuggets and Ray Allen (birth of his child) and Rashard Lewis (injury) did not play for the Sonics. Earl Boykins (24 points) was the only other Nugget to score in double figures. Damien Wilkins led the Sonics with 26 points.
Iverson got off to a quick start with 12 points and six assists in the first quarter, directly accounting for most of Denver's points as the Nuggets outscored the Sonics 35-27. He sat out for about four minutes in the second quarter but Denver still led 49-43 when he returned. Iverson scored 11 points and had one assist in the period and Denver led 60-56 at halftime. Boykins had 11 first half points, while Wilkins almost single-handedly kept the game close with his 19 points.
The Nuggets pulled away in the first few minutes of the third quarter as Iverson scored six points in a 10-3 run. Reserve guard Mike Wilks played good defense on Iverson for the next few minutes and Seattle cut the lead from 70-59 to 77-74, but the Sonics fell apart in the last :38 of the period, giving up six points to Boykins on three free throws and a three point shot (assisted by Iverson). One of the free throws came after the ejection of Chris Wilcox, Seattle's leading rebounder in the game (seven). The Sonics never recovered from that sequence and trailed by double digits most of the fourth quarter.
Iverson has now played three games since the 76ers traded him to the Nuggets. He is averaging 31.3 ppg and 11 apg so far and the Nuggets are 2-1. In Iverson's first two games with the Nuggets he had 22 points and 10 assists in a 101-96 loss to the Sacramento Kings and then increased those numbers to 28 points and 13 assists in a 113-105 win over Boston Celtics.
It should not surprise anyone that Iverson is producing so many assists. He ranked eighth in the league last year (7.4 apg), has averaged over 6 apg during his career and in his MVP year (2001) Iverson had 16 assists in a game seven playoff win versus the Toronto Raptors. Iverson shoots a lot but he is also a highly gifted passer. His problem, similar to one that Kobe Bryant has faced in recent seasons, is that in order to get an assist your teammates have to make the shot after you deliver the pass. Even with several of their big guns out the Nuggets have more weapons than the woeful Sixers do and that is why Iverson's assist totals are going up.
One note of caution, though: Iverson's first three games as a Nugget have been against terrible teams. That takes nothing away from his individual excellence but we still don't know how this Denver team will do against the elite teams in the league. As TNT's Charles Barkley noted several times, the Nuggets rank close to the bottom of the NBA in defense and that is not a recipe for winning a championship.
posted by David Friedman @ 2:05 AM
Dirk's Dagger in Dallas Does in Phoenix
Dirk Nowitzki coolly sank a long jumper over Shawn Marion with a little over one second left, lifting the Dallas Mavericks to a 101-99 win over the Phoenix Suns. Nowitzki finished with 27 points and 10 rebounds but Dallas would not have won without Jason Terry's season-high 35 points and eight assists. Josh Howard (16 points, 12 rebounds) also had a strong game for Dallas. Amare Stoudemire (25 points, 13 rebounds) and Steve Nash (24 points, 13 assists) provided most of the firepower for Phoenix; Stoudemire's markedly increased productivity over the last 20 games is a great sign for the Suns and has a lot to do with the great run that they have been on during that time. Both teams have completely turned things around after slow starts--including this game, the Suns have gone 18-4 after opening the season 1-4, while the Mavericks have bounced back from 0-4 to go 22-3.
The game began with a frenetic pace and Phoenix led 9-8 with a little more than three minutes elapsed in the first quarter (that pace projects to a final score in the 120s). Phoenix was still ahead 16-13 at the 5:26 mark but Dallas closed the quarter with a 17-4 run, with Terry doing most of the damage. He scored 13 points in the quarter and Dallas repeatedly broke down Phoenix' defense, enabling the Mavericks to draw fouls and shoot 14 free throws, making 12.
Dallas went ahead by as much as 13, 38-25, while Nash rested on the bench from the end of the first quarter until the 9:17 mark in the second quarter; the Suns were outscored by 12 points during the roughly five minutes that he sat out. Not surprisingly, the Suns immediately got back in the game when he returned to action, shaving the margin to 38-33 in about a minute and eventually tying the score at 47 when Nash passed to Raja Bell for a jump shot. TNT's microphones captured the words of frustrated Dallas Coach Avery Johnson during a second quarter timeout as he pleaded with center Desagana Diop to aggressively take the ball to the basket, even if that would result in the poor free throw shooter having to go to the foul line: "Show me something," Johnson exhorted. "Dunk on somebody and scream."
Besides Nash's play, a big factor in the Suns' second quarter comeback is that they stopped committing fouls. The Suns want to run and would almost rather give up field goals than send their opponent to the free throw line. They figure that they will outshoot the other team in the end if the game turns into a track meet. This is a fun style to watch but it has a way of keeping both teams in the game, as TNT's Doug Collins pointed out. No Phoenix lead is safe but Phoenix is also capable of getting hot and coming back from big deficits.
Dallas led 52-49 at halftime. Terry already had 18 points and four assists, while Nash had 15 points and seven assists.
Terry scored seven points in less than four minutes as Dallas jumped out to a 65-57 lead in the third quarter. A couple minutes later, his three pointer put Dallas up 70-57 but Nash immediately answered with a three pointer. Terry then hit a three pointer and Nash retaliated with a great pass to Stoudemire for an impressive dunk. Nash and Stoudemire found a real groove with the high pick and roll play and ran it repeatedly in the third quarter, cutting Dallas' lead to 78-76 by the end of the period.
Leandro Barbosa's reverse layup tied the score at 78 and then Shawn Marion gave the Suns their first lead since the opening period with a fast break dunk. Two Jumaine Jones three pointers and one Marion three pointer put the Suns up 89-80 with 8:45 to go. One might think that Dallas would be reeling after watching a 13 point lead become a nine point deficit but this is just the nature of playing against the Suns; if your team has enough firepower, you can always bounce back and retake the lead just as quickly as the Suns took it from you. Four minutes later Dallas was only down 92-91 and soon after that the Mavericks went ahead after a Nowitzki jumper. A tough Nash runner and a Stoudemire free throw put Phoenix up 94-92 but Dallas did not trail again after Terry's three pointer on a fast break made the score 95-94; the Suns did manage to tie the game on two different occasions after that but Nowitzki or Howard always answered.
This was a very entertaining game to watch. The Mavericks have regained the form that they displayed during last year's run to the NBA Finals. The Suns are clearly one of the best teams in the league but it is very difficult to picture them winning the NBA title. Yes, they can beat anyone on a given night and they battled the Mavericks to the final buzzer but they rely too much on their offense. Dallas and San Antonio are able to get key defensive stops and that is what wins playoff series. It is too exhausting--and too risky--to rely purely on outscoring teams for an entire seven game series. Stoudemire looks like he is close to regaining his form of a couple seasons ago but it is important to remember that even in the playoff series when he scored over 35 ppg against Tim Duncan that Duncan also scored a ton of points--and his Spurs won the series. Dallas and San Antonio can win games that are 101-99 and games that are 81-79; Phoenix can only be successful in fast paced games.
posted by David Friedman @ 12:08 AM
Lakers Down Slumping Magic, 106-93
The L.A. Lakers rode an 18-point third quarter explosion by Smush Parker to a 106-93 win in Orlando versus the Magic. The Lakers trailed 47-46 at halftime but outscored Orlando 33-26 in the third quarter and 27-20 in the fourth quarter. Kobe Bryant scored a game-high 27 points but shot just 8-22 from the field. He also had three rebounds, two steals, a spectacular block of Jameer Nelson's fast break layup (see below) and a team-high seven assists. Parker finished with 20 points, while Grant Hill led the Magic with 20 points but only had two rebounds and no assists. The Magic have now lost three in a row and eight of their last 11, while the Lakers improved to 3-2 on their road trip with one game remaining (at Charlotte on Friday). The Lakers have won three of their last four games and seven of their last 11.
Perhaps relieved (or surprised) to just face single coverage from Grant Hill in the early going--as opposed to the constant double-teaming that the Miami Heat attacked him with on Christmas Day--Bryant scored eight points on 2-6 field goal shooting and 4-4 free throw shooting in the first nine minutes of action, but the Lakers trailed, 19-14. Hill went to the locker room briefly and Keyon Dooling guarded Bryant for a few possessions before Bryant left the game for his customary break near the end of the quarter. Bryant took one three pointer with the shot clock winding down but otherwise did not handle the ball much during that time frame. Orlando led 25-21 at the end of the first period.
The Lakers fell behind by as much as 12 with Bryant on the bench and trailed 37-28 when he came back into action at the 5:44 mark. Sasha Vujacic made two free throws from a clear path foul that preceded that timeout and then on the ensuing possession Bryant hit a jumper to cut the margin to five. Hill answered with a strong post move against Bryant, putting the Magic ahead, 39-32. The Magic began double teaming Bryant more frequently during the second quarter and at the 3:51 mark he found Vujacic for an open three pointer that pulled the Lakers to within 40-39. Obviously, teams will continue to double team Bryant until his teammates prove that they can make open shots--something that they failed at miserably during the Miami game.
Bryant blew by Hill on the left baseline at the 2:18 mark, scoring a reverse layup and drawing a foul on Hill. The resulting free throw tied the score at 42. Dwight Howard converted a three point play of his own to put the Magic up by three. The teams then traded baskets before Bryant hit the final field goal of the first half with 1:04 remaining, a strong drive from the right elbow. He overpowered Trevor Ariza and Jameer Nelson, who left Vujacic at the top of the key to double team Bryant. Bryant muscled the ball up when Nelson appeared to foul him but the ball went in despite the contact and no foul was called. After that, the teams alternated missed shots and turnovers and Orlando led 47-46 at halftime.
Bryant assisted on the first two Lakers' field goals in the third quarter--a Parker three pointer and a Walton layup--and the Lakers tied the game at 51. The Magic then went on a 12-4 run, with Hill contributing six of the points. It would have been a 14-4 run, but Bryant nullified a sure two points with a clean left handed block of Nelson's fast break layup attempt. He not only denied the shot while avoiding the foul but he also kept the ball in play and Parker corralled the rebound. The Lakers did not capitalize immediately on that opportunity but began making their move about a minute later. Parker scored 14 points in a 5:22 stretch and by the end of the third quarter the Lakers led 79-73. Bryant only scored three points in the quarter, all on free throws, but he had five assists and his passing played a major role in the Lakers' rally.
Orlando got as close as 83-80 in the fourth quarter but Andrew Bynum delivered back to back baskets and the Lakers were never seriously threatened the rest of the way. Bryant scored nine points in the fourth quarter.
posted by David Friedman @ 1:45 AM
Failure to Launch: Misfiring Rockets Crash Against Pacers
The Indiana Pacers shot .349 from the field at home versus the Houston Rockets on Tuesday night--and still won, 81-76. This was the first time all season that Houston scored less than 80 points and the fewest points that Indiana has allowed this year. The teams combined to miss 102 field goals in a game that looked like one of those practice drills during which coaches put a lid on top of the basket so that the players can practice rebounding; Indiana grabbed a season-high 38 defensive rebounds. Houston's 20 points in the paint were the fewest by a Pacers' opponent this year. Clearly, the Rockets missed the services of All-Star center Yao Ming, who will be out several more weeks because of a fracture near his knee--but the Pacers were also missing their best inside player and leading scorer (18.7 ppg), Jermaine O'Neal, who was a late scratch (flu).
Al Harringon led the Pacers with 23 points despite shooting 10-24 from the field. He also had 14 rebounds. Jeff Foster scored just one point but he had a game-high 16 rebounds and a season-high tying three assists. Jamaal Tinsley finished with 17 points (6-16 shooting), six rebounds, four assists and three steals. Tracy McGrady returned to action for the Rockets after missing seven games with back spasms. He showed serious signs of rust, shooting just 7-22 from the field and committing seven turnovers, but he still led Houston with 19 points and five assists.
Houston started out strongly, taking a 7-0 lead in the first 1:31 of the game. Tinsley almost single-handedly brought the Pacers back, scoring 10 points in a five minute span, after which Indiana led, 13-11. The Rockets led 24-22 at the end of the first quarter even though McGrady shot just 1-5 from the field.
The second quarter statistics are very interesting. Indiana shot 6-29 from the field (.207)--and outscored Houston, 19-15. How did this happen? The Rockets turned the ball over eight times, so they only attempted 14 shots, making six. McGrady had his best quarter of the game, shooting 4-5 from the field and scoring 10 points, but he was also charged with three of the turnovers. Indiana shot 15-52 (.288) in the first half but led Houston, 41-39.
The Rockets' turnover problems continued in the third quarter (six) and their shooting--which was not great in the first half (15-35, .429) began to go south as well (7-19, .368). In one priceless sequence, Juwan Howard airballed an eight foot jumper from the right baseline, Dikembe Mutombo rebounded the miss on the left baseline and shot an airball jump hook. Later in the quarter, Mutombo went up for a two hand dunk--and airballed it. I've never seen an airball on a dunk before. The Pacers shot 8-18 (.444), with Harrington (eight points) doing most of the damage, and they led 62-58 at the end of the period.
The Rockets finally solved their turnover problems in the fourth quarter, committing just two, but they shot a miserable 5-21 (.238). They fell behind by as many as nine, tied the game with 2:01 remaining but missed five of their last six shots after that. Harrington shot 3-3 from the field, scoring six points, while McGrady shot 0-8 from the field, 0-2 from the free throw line and committed both of Houston's turnovers, including one with 1:29 left and the Rockets trailing 74-73. After the game, he explained why he played so poorly in the game's final moments: "Because I was fatigued down the stretch, I didn't recognize the double teams. That is how I got stripped a few times by them. That's the biggest thing, being fatigued and not being in basketball shape...When I get into game shape, that will help me get rid of some of those turnovers like I had at the end."
In his postgame standup, Rockets' Coach Jeff Van Gundy offered this concise assessment of the game: "It looked like both teams had pianos on their backs...You can't turn the ball over like we did tonight and expect to win, especially on the road. We were discombobulated out there."
Meanwhile, Pacers' Coach Rick Carlisle started his postgame standup with a smile and a "Whew!" He elaborated on that expression of relief: "It was a really tough game, a low-scoring, grinding game. Houston plays that style at times and that was their approach tonight. We tried to get out and run some but we had mixed success with that, so we wanted to get the ball to Al (Harrington) inside and he delivered for us. If we had one of those Taco Bell deals tonight (which usually means free food if a team scores 100 points), it would have been 80-point chalupa night the way both teams were playing. Our guys played hard tonight, they really did. It's a struggle at times and sometimes it looks like we are playing to keep both teams in the game at the same time, but the intentions are good. I hope that we get to a point where we don't make the game so hard on ourselves."
*****************************
Notes From Courtside:
Some of Carlisle's comments from his postgame standup pertained less to this game and more to the general state of the Pacers. A lot of what is said in these sessions does not make it to newspaper game recaps that are written on deadlines (and may have limitations in length) but I thought that these remarks should not be left on the cutting room floor, so to speak:
"We're in a situation right now where we have to have a balance with our movement game, our pick and roll game and our postup game. The thing that hurts us is when we get in a gray area where we are not really running anything and we are not in transition. That's what we're fighting right now and it's a battle worth fighting and when we get to the point where we can make those transitions smoothly the game won't be as difficult for us."
Carlisle chose to start little used rookie Shawne Williams in O'Neal's spot, explaining that he wanted to change his rotation as little as possible; also, continuing to bring Danny Granger off the bench allowed the second unit to retain its firepower. He made it clear, though, that he is looking at more than just this game:
"We're at a point now in evaluating our entire situation in which I have to look at what is best for this team, long term. I told the guys today that in the next three games--including tonight--that we have to make a statement with the group that is (currently) starting or otherwise I'm going to look to go in a different direction (
obviously, he said this to the team before realizing that O'Neal would not be able to start) because the consistency hasn't been there and there may be a way--there is a way--to look at a different lineup situation that may help develop our roster to make us a better team come March and April. That is something that I have be aware of in my position...That's where we are: the effort is inconsistent and the carelessness and some of the other things--you have to take a hard look at that and say, 'What is best for this franchise? What is best for the ownership and our fans?' One of the things that I am looking at is that a guy like Shawne Williams can help this team. He is probably our best athlete--he and Granger are probably our two best athletes. He is a live body; he can shoot the ball. We are going to look for opportunities for him to play--and then he has to earn the minutes when he is in there. Something like this (starting Williams) can help deepen our team a little bit and we're looking to do that because we are not just looking to win a game today but we're looking to compete in the East and that's not based on just putting five guys out there who look like they should be the starters. There could be a more complex formula to that."
Asked about how the team is doing this season compared to how he expected the Pacers to do, Carlisle replied: "All things considered, we're OK. We're a couple games above .500, we've had a murderous schedule that really doesn't get any easier until February and we've had our franchise player (O'Neal) miss some games. I'm not upset about where we are and overall our effort has been good but you have got to look to maximize your situation and that's what I'm doing. I'm looking at this thing very closely and the best formula for us to win may not be starting the five best players. It may be something else where the pieces fit together a little differently. We're going to look at it through the month and see where we are. If Jermaine can come back on Friday, then of course we'll start him. If not, maybe we'll start Shawne and maybe we'll start someone else...The business of winning games in this league is a dead serious business and I don't mind making the hard decisions if my gut tells me it's right. Right now, I'm looking at this very closely."
Williams shot 0-2 from the field and grabbed two rebounds in 11:15 of action. It should be noted that on October 5, Carlisle signed a contract extension and was given the additional title of Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations. That is the Pacers' way of making it crystal clear that if the team does not perform up to expectations, this group of players--and not Carlisle--will be held accountable. Carlisle certainly seems to be setting the stage to take one or more of his high profile players out of the starting lineup. Another way to interpret what he said is that the Pacers need to see what the other guys on their roster can do and that if their young, talented players develop then this could clear the way to trade any veterans who are underperforming. It is interesting that Carlisle says that he is not upset with where the team is and yet he has told the players that he is considering changing the starting lineup within the next three games if the starters do not perform with more consistency.
posted by David Friedman @ 12:22 AM
Wade Drops 40, Heat Rout Listless Lakers
Dwyane Wade led the Miami Heat to a 101-85 victory over Kobe Bryant's L.A. Lakers in a game that has become a Christmas Day fixture for the NBA. Wade had 40 points, 11 assists, four rebounds, four steals and four blocked shots in Miami's first victory this season against a team with a winning record. Wade shot 12-20 from the field and 15-16 from the free throw line. He set the tone from the start with 12 points, five assists and three blocked shots as Miami stormed to a 30-16 lead by the end of the first quarter. Bryant, who led the Lakers with 16 points, scored just two in the first period, shooting 0-6 from the field; he shot 4-17 for the game, shot 8-9 from the free throw line and tied for the team lead with four assists. The Lakers shot just 31-79 (.392) as a team, while the Heat shot 34-66 (.515); those numbers--and Miami's 45-31 rebounding advantage--are the key statistics from the game.
The Heat went through a stretch of over six minutes during the second quarter when they did not make a field goal but still led by seven because the Lakers' offense was almost equally inept. Throughout the game, Miami would build up a double digit lead, then make some careless plays that allowed the Lakers to creep closer before rebuilding another double digit lead. Miami led 47-40 at halftime. Wade outscored Bryant 16-4, but neither shot particularly well from the field: 3-7 for Wade, 1-9 for Bryant. The difference was that Wade got to the free throw line and converted his opportunities. Wade had five assists, while Bryant had four.
Bryant's best scoring stretch of the game happened early in the third quarter, when he scored six points in 3:21. Wade had four during that same span and Dorell Wright made a jumper, so the Heat were still up by seven. A Luke Walton layup brought the Lakers to within five but they would get no closer than that the rest of the way. Miami led 74-64 at the end of the quarter. Miami began pulling away in the fourth quarter, let the Lakers get within eight points a couple times, and then sealed the deal with three Jason Kapono three pointers in the last three minutes.
Naturally, the Bryant-Wade matchup attracts more attention than any other aspect of this game. Wade clearly got the better of things because his team won the game and his statistics were obviously superior but the most interesting thing about the matchup is that it was not really a matchup--Dorell Wright and Gary Payton took turns guarding Bryant and sometimes Miami played a zone. Wade did guard Bryant on a few trips down the court but not for sustained periods. The Lakers started each half with Luke Walton guarding Wade while Bryant guarded Wright but for a substantial portion of the game Bryant was the primary defender on Wade; later in the game, Maurice Evans served as the primary defender on Wade. So, based on Wade's numbers that must mean that Wade scorched Bryant, right? Not exactly. Wade got off to his fast start in the first quarter when he was being guarded primarily by Walton (to be fair, some of his points came in transition or after switches); Evans did not enjoy much success as the primary defender, either. When Bryant was Wade's primary defender, the Heat freed Wade with well executed screen and roll plays that the Lakers ineptly defended throughout the game. Kwame Brown in particular seemed clueless about where he was supposed to be and what he was supposed to do after Bryant had been screened. Wade made some fantastic shots throughout the game; he got to his high percentage areas and he converted at an excellent rate. For most of the game, the Lakers used single coverage on Wade and did not double him until he got into the lane; they tried to trap the screen and rolls (with little success) but only to slow Wade until his primary defender could catch up. Most of the points that Wade scored when Bryant was the primary defender came on botched screen and roll coverages. Wade hit a couple shots over Bryant without the benefit of a screen and drew some fouls against him as well. Wade also stole the ball from Bryant just after Bryant caught a careless pass and converted a fast break layup with the trailing Bryant trying in vain to catch him from behind. Bottom line: Bryant did not shut Wade down but he did not do a bad job against him either. If a coach or scout graded the game tape, most of Wade's points would be charged to other primary defenders or to faulty screen/roll coverage.
At the other end of the court, Bryant rarely saw Wade and rarely saw single coverage. Wright or Payton took the primary responsibility but as soon as Bryant had the ball anywhere past midcourt, either on a fast break or in a half court set, the Heat sent two or even three defenders his way, forcing him to give up the ball. Bryant forced a couple shots but for the most part his attempts came within the flow of the game and were from his high percentage areas; he just did not make a lot of them. Miami obviously had a game plan designed to force the other Lakers to make shots and the Lakers struggled mightily to do so, particularly from three point range (5-23, .217). A sequence that happened with about a minute left in the first half typifies how the Heat defended against Bryant. After he received a dribble handoff from Ronny Turiaf at the elbow, a typical initiation of the triangle offense, the Heat double teamed him and forced him to the left baseline. He broke the trap with a crisp crosscourt pass to a wide open Vladimir Radmanovic, who shot a three pointer as Wright ran to contest his attempt. Radmanovic missed the shot, but Turiaf dove to the hoop, filling the spot vacated by Wright, grabbed the rebound and scored (if Turiaf had not gotten the rebound, Bryant would have, because he cut straight to the hoop after passing the ball; if you listened closely you could actually hear Turiaf scream, "I got it," after which Bryant retreated to get back on defense as Turiaf put the ball through the hoop). Bryant receives no credit in the boxscore for Turiaf's basket, but that breakdown in the Heat's defensive rebounding was created by the need to double team Bryant and his effective pass out of the trap. That is how a great player makes his team and his teammates better even when he doesn't score, even in a game when he is shooting poorly (he still must be trapped or, lo and behold, he might not continue shooting poorly) and even on a play when he does not receive an assist (Wade, of course, does the same thing when he is trapped). Sadly for the Lakers, most of Bryant's passes out of double teams resulted in missed shots that they did not successfully rebound.
The saying goes that it takes a village to raise a child; it takes teamwork to guard a superstar and even when the superstar is held in check there are opportunities for his teammates to make shots. On some nights when Bryant's teammates are shooting poorly he is able to shoulder the burden and score even against trapping defenses but on this night he did not do that.
The misleading thing about this game is that it neither represented how either of these teams has performed so far this season nor did it tell us much about how they will do after O'Neal and Odom return to action. Even with the win, Miami is just 13-14, treading water in a weak Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, the Lakers are 18-10, far better than what most people expected. Miami may become a dangerous team if O'Neal returns to action in time and the Lakers surely miss the multi-talented Odom. Although this game did not tell us much about the teams it was a tremendous platform for Wade to remind everyone that he has earned all of the accolades that he received in the past year.
***Notes***
ABC's NBA Nation pregame show got off to a flying start with a Dan Patrick moderated discussion between Mark Jackson and Mike Wilbon about Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade. Jackson reiterated the statement that he made about Bryant last year: "Kobe Bryant, when it's all said and done, will be the best basketball player to ever play this game." Patrick seemed a bit stunned (or bemused). Jackson continued, "Kobe Bryant is not playing Dwyane Wade; he's playing against history. Wilt Chamberlain was told that he was just a one man show, (then he) went out and led the league in assists. Michael Jordan was just an offensive player--well, he made the All-Defensive First Team nine times. Kobe Bryant was told that he was just a selfish guy looking to score; now he is the consummate teammate and a big brother to his cast."
Wilbon disagreed: "I would take the guy who just won a championship. Why wouldn't you take Wade? I think that the one thing that may separate them is that Wade is so natural with his teammates. Kobe's been better (with that) this year but it's been an effort...I would take Dwyane Wade (over Kobe Bryant), narrowly."
Jackson responded, "I love Dwyane Wade but I'm taking Kobe Bryant." Anticipating that this is not a popular stance to take, he added, "I'm taking my phone off the hook."
I have written more than once that Bryant is the best all-around player in the game today and that he is the current player who is most similar to Michael Jordan but saying that Bryant will become the greatest basketball player ever is a bit farther than I'm willing to go. As for the Bryant-Wade comparison, I don't get Wilbon's argument about choosing the guy who just won. Bryant already won three NBA titles in a row. Granted, he did not win a Finals MVP but he made major contributions to those teams as an All-NBA player and an All-Defensive Team performer who hit many key shots and made many key stops in those championship runs. He also led those teams in assists, so it's not like he just learned how to play team ball, either.
One way to look at this is to consider for a moment the game plans prepared by the Lakers' Phil Jackson and the Heat's Pat Riley, two of the best coaches ever. Neither is particularly fond of double teaming because of how it can break the defense down and wreak havoc with defensive rebounding. Riley chose to shadow Bryant with multiple defenders whenever Bryant had the ball at his offensive end of the court and Riley rarely used Wade as the primary defender. This strategy indicates that Riley does not think that one defender can contain Bryant and/or that he does not believe that the other Lakers can make open shots. The Lakers primarily went with single coverage on Wade; their biggest breakdowns happened on screen and roll plays, with their big men not being properly positioned. Kwame Brown and Ronny Turiaf are young players whose games have developed under Jackson's tutelage but there is still room for more progress. Despite Bryant and the Lakers having a poor shooting night, the Lakers were still within eight points as late as the 7:16 mark of the fourth quarter. In the endless debate of Chamberlain versus Russell, one thing that Chamberlain used to always point out was that he guarded Russell one on one, while Russell often had help guarding Chamberlain. Chamberlain liked to point to old photos that showed two or three Celtics in close proximity to him when he had the ball. Wade is obviously a great player and he is often double teamed and trapped as well but when you watch a Lakers game Bryant often has two guys on him, with players three, four and five waiting in the wings. The Chicago Bulls
used this approach in their recent win over the Lakers. Obviously, it would be more difficult for teams to load up on Bryant if Lamar Odom were playing but even when Odom is on the court teams tend to guard Bryant this way. There are 81 reasons that teams guard Bryant this way--and, contrary to conventional "wisdom," none of those reasons have to do with Bryant refusing to pass the ball, because he is a willing and excellent passer out of the trap. What he needs more than anything is a Steve Kerr or Robert Horry type player who could feast on open weak side three pointers.
posted by David Friedman @ 10:28 PM
Follow the Leader: LeBron Scores 19 Fourth Quarter Points, Carries Cavs to Win Over Magic
LeBron James outscored the Orlando Magic 19-18 in the fourth quarter and carried the Cleveland Cavaliers to an 86-83 victory at Quicken Loans Arena on Saturday night. James finished with a game-high 32 points but he only had nine points in the first half and 19 points with 4:04 left in the game. He then scored all 13 of the Cavs' points from that point until just 19.2 seconds remained, single-handedly taking the Cavs from a 73-72 deficit to an 85-78 lead. Along the way, James became the youngest player in NBA history to score 7000 career points. Zydrunas Ilgauskas contributed a season-high 22 points for Cleveland, 18 of them in the first half. Drew Gooden was the third Cavalier to score in double figures (14 points, 12 rebounds). Dwight Howard paced Orlando with 17 points and 13 rebounds. The Southeast Division-leading Magic once had the best record in the Eastern Conference but they have now lost two in a row and seven of their last 10, dropping them to third in the Eastern Conference, mere percentage points ahead of the Cavs, who snapped a three game losing streak.
Who would have guessed that Ilgauskas would be the early focal point of the offense? Anyone who listened to Coach Mike Brown's pregame standup--in a performance worthy of the best fortune tellers, he told the assembled media: "We can definitely do a better job of getting him the ball on the low post...if he's right around the 15-17 shot mark, that's where he should be...We need to get him the ball and he needs to be aggressive."
Coach Brown also addressed what the Cavaliers must do to become a more consistent team: "One of the things is just focus--to focus a little bit better. The second thing is to bring effort. The last thing is that we want to make sure that we are trying to defend and that we are trying to cover for one another...we have to rely on each other and trust that our teammates are going to be there to cover up any mistake that an individual makes."
Orlando rode strong starts by Howard (7 points) and Grant Hill to take a 25-21 lead after the first quarter. The teams battled to a 19-19 standstill in the second quarter. After Coach Brown suggested that Ilgauskas should be getting 15-17 shots, the 7-3 center took care of that in the first half alone, shooting 7-15, many of the attempts coming on taps and tip ins; he had five offensive rebounds. No one else on either team attempted more than nine shots. James was a quiet 3-6 from the field and 3-7 from the free throw line for nine points. He had two rebounds, one assist and three turnovers and did not have the impact that he typically does. Howard already had a double-double (10 points, 10 rebounds) at intermission. Orlando shot .459 from the field while Cleveland shot just .356 but the Cavaliers grabbed 10 more offensive rebounds and converted on enough of those extra possessions to only trail 44-40.
In the third quarter, the trends that developed in the first half continued: Orlando shot acceptably (.467), Cleveland shot poorly (.381) and Cleveland obtained extra shot attempts by crashing the offensive boards. The Cavs outscored the Magic 22-21 but still trailed 65-62 heading into the final period.
The Cavaliers stayed close throughout the first eight minutes of the fourth quarter, until James made the difference with his tremendous closing surge. At halftime, a pessimistic Clevelander asked me what reason is there to believe that the Cavs are better than the Magic since Cleveland trailed at halftime on their home court. I offered two thoughts: (1) the Cavs did not look like a worse team than the Magic, they just went through a half in which they shot poorly; (2) the Cavs have a superstar who can carry them down the stretch in a close game but the Magic lack such a player (Howard is a blossoming stud on the boards but still has not completely developed his low post offensive game--when he does, the rest of the league better look out). I suggested that even in what seemed to be a poor outing for James he could still end up with 25-30 points and make the decisive plays down the stretch. Sure enough, James answered the bell in the clutch and showed the difference between a superstar and an All-Star.
*****************************
Notes From Courtside:
A sizable contingent of Duke fans showed up to cheer Orlando rookie J.J. Redick. It's a good thing that they showed up early, though, because the only shots he took happened during warmups; he received a DNP-CD (Did Not Play-Coach's Decision), which figures to happen in most close games this year in which Orlando is not shorthanded. The Magic spent a lottery pick to acquire a player who is not better at his best skill (shooting) than a second round pick (Travis Diener) who was already on their roster. Diener gets the spare minutes at guard that do not go to starters Jameer Nelson and Grant Hill and primary reserves Carlos Arroyo and Keyon Dooling. Prior to Saturday's game, Redick spent 15 games on the inactive list, received eight DNP-CDs and played in just four games, averaging 3.4 ppg. After he completed his warmups, he jogged off the court and went straight to the locker room without stopping to even acknowledge his fans, let alone sign any autographs. My advice: enjoy having fans in NBA arenas while you can and don't take this opportunity for granted. I wonder how many Duke fans show up to watch Trajan Langdon play for CSKA Moscow?
In contrast to Redick's behavior, Orlando's Howard--who had an equal or greater number of fans at the game--spent several minutes greeting fans and signing autographs. He bent over and signed a basketball for a little kid who barely came up to his kneecaps. I don't know if he signed something for every single fan--that probably is not possible when you are that popular--but he signed a lot of items.
---
Everyone on Orlando seems to have his own workout routine. Redick and Diener fired jumpers, mainly from 17-18 feet and beyond. Grant Hill started with short shots, then jumpers and then free throws; his routine reminded me a little of Michael Jordan's--minus the turnaround jumpers from the elbows--and a little of Reggie Miller's--minus the large number of three pointers. Several of the big men--including Howard, Darko Milicic, Bo Outlaw and James Augustine--worked on post moves against Assistant Coach Mark Bryant, a former player who I like to call the hardest working assistant in the league. He works up as much of a sweat as some of the players.
Hedo Turkoglu, who is day to day with a sprained ankle and was placed on the inactive list for Saturday's game, found a way to keep his shooting eye sharp without using his ankle. Lying on the floor outside the three point line on the right baseline, he banked in a three pointer. His next attempt from the same spot rimmed in and out. If the NBA revives the old "Horse" games at halftime, I think he is ready.
posted by David Friedman @ 12:46 AM
World B. Free: From Rucker Park to the NBA Finals
World B. Free never met a shot he didn't like or couldn't make, whether he was playing in the streets or on an NBA court. He earned his name in Rucker Park and he earned his fame by helping the 1977 Philadelphia 76ers make it to the NBA Finals, battling George Gervin for scoring titles and revitalizing the Cleveland Cavaliers franchise in the dark days of the early-mid 1980s. Here is a link to my article about the 6-3 guard who was also known as the "Prince of Mid-Air" because of his incredible jumping ability (9/3/15 edit: the link to HoopsHype.com no longer works, so I have posted the original article below):
World B. Free did not just decide to call himself "World"; he earned the name on the playgrounds of New York.
"That name was given to me by Herb Smith," Free explains. "This guy named a lot of guys at the Rucker. I was doing
360 slam dunks and once he saw that he said 'All-World’ and the crowd
really got into it. So, you had a 'Helicopter' (Herman Knowings) and now you had a 'World.' It came from the streets--like James 'Fly' Williams, Phil 'the Thrill' Sellers. This guy Herb Smith was naming everybody. When you got a tag, then that meant that you had a chance to go far."
Free--who legally changed his name from Lloyd to World--led Guilford
(North Carolina) to the 1973 NAIA Championship, winning Tournament MVP
honors. The 6-3, 190-pound guard averaged 23.6 ppg and 6.5 rpg in three
seasons before being drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round as the 23rd overall pick in the 1975 NBA draft. Free contributed 8.3 ppg in limited playing time as George McGinnis (23.0 ppg), Doug Collins (20.8 ppg) and Fred Carter (18.9 ppg) led an outstanding three-pronged offensive attack.
The NBA and ABA merged prior to the 1976-77 season and when the New York Nets could not agree to terms with three-time ABA MVP Julius Erving, they sold his contract to the Sixers. "That
memory right there is one of the greatest from my life," Free says of
being on a talent-laden squad with Erving, McGinnis and Collins. "That
was one of the greatest teams ever assembled, on paper. We had a dunk
show before the game started. People got mad if they were late to the
game and missed the layup line. Our layup line was like the dunk shows
that they have now at halftime and at the All-Star Game. Playing with
Doc made me grow. Playing with George McGinnis, another superstar, was
unbelievable."
The
Sixers were only 12-9 on December 3, but they took over first place in
the Atlantic Division soon after that and never looked back, finishing
with the best record in the Eastern Conference (50-32). Erving (21.6
ppg), McGinnis (21.4 ppg) and Collins (18.3 ppg) each made the All-Star
team. Free finished fourth on the team in scoring, averaging 16.3 ppg in
less than 29 mpg. During the Sixers' season-best seven-game winning
streak in January, Free was the team's high scorer three times,
including a 39-point outburst versus the Houston Rockets, the team’s second best individual scoring effort of the season (Erving had one 40-point game).
Free poured in a game-high 27 points as Philadelphia eliminated the defending champion Boston Celtics, 83-77, in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. "That was a heck of a night for me," Free says. "I was unconscious. My thing
with Boston was when I watched them on TV--I was a Knicks fan because I'm from New York--I used to always see Dave Cowens and Jo Jo White and John Havlicek in the Garden, so I just got into it when I was in the playoffs. The
game was on CBS and I was like, 'This is a chance for the people in
Brownsville to see World B. play!' I just played out of my mind." Free was a key contributor throughout the Boston series, averaging 15.3 ppg in only 20.3 mpg.
Philadelphia outlasted Houston 4-2 in the Eastern Conference Finals, but Free's production plummeted after he suffered a collapsed lung during that series. Free missed three of the games versus Houston. He returned to
action in the NBA Finals against Bill Walton and the Portland Trail Blazers,
but he was clearly not at full strength, missing one of the games and
averaging just 16 mpg in the others. Still, it looked at first like the
Sixers might win the title anyway as they raced to a 2-0 lead. Portland
regrouped with two blowout victories at home and won the next two as
well to claim the title.
That result inspired the Sixers to run the infamous "We Owe You One" ad campaign. A lot has been written and said about the flaws of that Sixers team, but if Free had been healthy in the Finals the Sixers may very
well have beaten Portland.
In an interview with the
New York Times' Sam Goldaper shortly after the Finals concluded, Erving said, "I think we would have won the championship if Free and Steve Mix would have been healthy...A healthy Lloyd Free just can't be stopped offensively."
In 1977-78, Philadelphia again had the best record in the Eastern Conference, but the Sixers fell to the eventual NBA champion Washington Bullets in the Eastern Conference Finals. Free again finished fourth on the team in scoring (15.7 ppg in 27 mpg) but the Sixers traded him to the San Diego Clippers. Free responded by averaging 28.8 ppg (second in the league behind George Gervin) while leading the NBA in free throws made and free throws attempted. The Clippers improved from 27-55 to 43-39 but did not qualify for the playoffs. Free made the All-NBA 2nd Team.
The Clippers had high expectations for 1979-80 after they signed Bill
Walton, but the 1977 Finals MVP had been dogged for years with injury
problems and was unable to stay healthy, appearing in only 14 games. He
showed tantalizing flashes of his skills, averaging 13.9 ppg, 9.0 rpg
and 2.7 bpg while only playing 24 mpg. "Playing with Bill Walton was the ultimate--even though I didn't get a full
year to play with him," Free says. "If it had been a full year, we would
have done something really special out there in San Diego, but he was
injured. Just the little bit of time that I played with Bill Walton
showed me that when he was healthy he was one of the best ever."
Portland received Kermit Washington and Kevin Kunnert as compensation for the Clippers signing Walton. Since Walton missed most of the season, San Diego had difficulty overcoming the loss of two
inside players who had combined for 1,369 rebounds in 1978-79. Swen Nater led the league with a 15.0 rpg average but the Clippers still got outrebounded overall and fell to 35-47. Second-year guard Freeman Williams blossomed into a deadly scorer, averaging 18.6 ppg in only 25.8 mpg and scoring 51 points in one game. "Freeman Williams was just as good as anybody in the game offensively," Free declares.
The NBA added the three-point shot in 1979-80 and the Clippers led the NBA
in three-pointers attempted and made that season. Many people expected
Free to nail the first three-pointer in NBA history, but Chris Ford of the Boston Celtics earned that distinction. Free only attempted 25 three-pointers all season, making nine.
Although fans to this day still fondly remember his high-arcing jumpers, Free's game was actually based more on going to the basket and drawing fouls. In 1979-80 he led the league in free throws made for the second
consecutive season while finishing second in the league in scoring (a career-high 30.2 ppg) to George Gervin. Free earned his first and only All-Star selection that year.
The Clippers traded Free to the Golden State Warriors prior to the 1980-81 season. He averaged 24.1 ppg that year (ninth in the league) and led the Warriors to a 39-43 record, three games ahead of the Clippers, but one game out of the last playoff spot. Free scored 22.9 ppg (10th in the league) in 1981-82 and the Warriors improved to 45-37 but again missed the playoffs by one game. Early in the 1982-83 season the Warriors traded Free to the Cleveland Cavaliers, which had been the worst team in the league in 1981-82 (15-67).
"When I first came (to Cleveland) the team had Phil Hubbard and a couple of other journeymen," Free remembers. "There were about 12 people in the stands. That is what I remember from when I first came in the place, being traded for Ron Brewer. I said to myself, 'I'm going to help this organization' because people said to me that when you go to Cleveland that's the last stop on the totem pole--and I wasn't finished yet, you know what I mean? It wasn't going to beat me down." Free ranked eighth in the league in scoring (23.9 ppg).
He averaged 22.3 ppg in 1983-84 (14th in the league) as the Cavaliers improved to 28-54. The Cavaliers fired coach Tom Nissalke and hired George Karl, who had never coached in the NBA and was Cleveland's seventh coach since 1979-80. The Cavaliers started out 2-19 in 1984-85, but Cleveland
went 34-27 down the stretch to earn a playoff berth. Free scored 22.5
ppg (15th in the league) and for the first time in his career he really
utilized the three-pointer as a weapon, ranking second in the league in
treys made and seventh in the league in three-point field goal
percentage.
Cleveland faced the defending champion Boston Celtics in the first round. The
Celtics had the best record in the NBA (63-19) but Free and the
Cavaliers gave them a run for their money before losing 3-1. The two
teams scored exactly the same number of points in the series and
Boston's wins came by three, two and two points. Free averaged 26.3 ppg
and 7.8 apg in the series.
The 6-3 guard averaged 23.4 ppg in 1985-86 (11th in the league) but the
Cavaliers slipped to 29-53 and decided to completely rebuild, firing
Karl and not electing to re-sign Free, who ended up rejoining the 76ers.
He played in 20 games for them and then appeared in 58 games for the
1987-88 Houston Rockets before retiring. He did not get a lot of playing
time in his final two seasons, but could still score when given an
opportunity--as he showed on November 12, 1987 when he shot 15-21 from
the field and scored 37 points in 31 minutes in a win over the Sacramento Kings. Free scored 17,955 points in his career, averaging 20.3 ppg.
Looking at Free's production, it does not seem like too many defenders bothered him, but he recalls two who played him very well. "Dennis Johnson was a tough matchup for me because he was 6-4, had long arms and he was strong," Free says. "Maurice Cheeks had something in there, too, because he was little, but he always bothered the ball--and one thing about offensive players, they don't like little guys jabbing at the ball all the time because it throws their
rhythm off a little bit. Those two were pretty tough.”
As for the other end of the court, it is not surprising that Free singles
out the man who beat him out for two consecutive scoring titles. "George 'Iceman' Gervin by far was the toughest guard that I ever had to guard," Free declares.
Free was inducted in the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame in 1997. He
served for two years as the 76ers strength and conditioning coach before
becoming the team's Ambassador of Basketball. He travels to schools,
recreation centers and playgrounds to speak to young people about
basketball and life. The warm and engaging Free is perfectly suited for
this role. This year he has additional responsibilities as the Director
of Player Development, traveling with the team and helping the coaches
and scouting staff prepare the players.
If you come to Sixers games early and see Free on the court, you will
notice that he still shoots his high-arcing jumpers with deadly
accuracy.
Labels: Cleveland Cavaliers, George Gervin, Golden State Warriors, L.A. Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers, World B. Free
posted by David Friedman @ 12:17 AM
The Answer Debuts for Denver, Kobe Overcomes the Flu and Yao Leaves the Spurs Yearning for Rasho Nesterovic
The NBA delivered plenty of action on Friday night in addition to Gilbert Arenas' 54 messages to Mike D'Antoni. Here are brief comments about a few other notable games/performances:
***The Allen Iverson era for the Denver Nuggets began with a 101-96 loss to the Sacramento Kings. Iverson came off the bench after sitting out the first 8:35 and played for the rest of the game, finishing with 22 points and 10 assists while shooting 9-15 from the field, an unusually small number of attempts and high rate of accuracy for him. The Nuggets used only eight players and were missing the services of starters Marcus Camby (broken finger), Carmelo Anthony (suspended by the NBA) and J.R. Smith (suspended by the NBA). Earl Boykins led the Nuggets with 25 points but shot 8-23 from the field; the Nuggets shot .371 as a team. Brad Miller and John Salmons topped the Kings with 21 points each.
*** Kobe Bryant had 21 points, 11 assists and six rebounds as the Lakers beat the Nets, 99-95. Bryant battled the flu and a gritty Nets' defense that was determined to force other players to make shots. Of his illness, Bryant said, "It's a struggle. I'm looking forward to going back to the room and getting some rest. I have been struggling with it right before we came out on the road trip. I've been trying to fight it off. Last night it caught up to me."
The Nets' philosophy against Bryant is to swarm him and make him give up the ball. Bryant has no problem doing that: "(The Nets are) one of those teams that is absolutely bent on me not scoring. They throw everything but the kitchen sink. The challenge I have is to make teams see that I can just be as big a threat passing the ball."
Bryant shot just 4-13 from the field, uncharacteristically low numbers for him in terms of attempts and field goal percentage. He shot 11-12 from the free throw line and was the highest scoring of six Lakers who reached double figures in points. Vince Carter led the Nets with 33 points but shot just 13-30 from the field and missed a three pointer that could have tied the game with two seconds left.
***Last year, the Houston Rockets could barely win a game when Tracy McGrady did not play. Couple that with the fact that the Rockets had lost 17 straight games in San Antonio and their chances on Friday night did not look good. THAT, Chris Berman would intone, is why they play the games. Yao Ming had 22 points--including 18 in the first half when Houston built a 53-36 lead--and the Rockets soundly defeated the Spurs, 97-78. The Spurs' center tandem of Francisco Elson and Fabricio Oberto is not able to deal with Yao, so the task of guarding him falls to power forward Tim Duncan. After the game, ESPN's Greg Anthony said that this assignment wore Duncan down and took away from his rhythm on offense (Duncan finished with 14 points on 4-13 shooting, adding 11 rebounds, four assists, five steals and two blocked shots). Then Anthony uttered words that would surely cause Stephen A. Smith to pass out: Anthony said that the Spurs miss Nazr Mohammed and Smith's favorite whipping boy, the much maligned Rasho Nesterovic. Anthony pointed out that those two players provided a legitimate defensive post presence alongside Duncan that the Spurs are lacking now.
Another key factor for Houston was the play of Bonzi Wells, who scored a season-hihg 15 points. He shot 6-11 from the field as the Rockets shot .514 from the field overall, a very high percentage against the Spurs, a team that always ranks among the leaders in defensive field goal percentage. Manu Ginobili led the Spurs with 23 points.
posted by David Friedman @ 3:06 AM
Gilbert Arenas Drops 54 Lumps of Coal in the Suns' Stockings
Gilbert Arenas is the NBA's Santa Claus--only the list that he makes and checks twice doesn't contain who is naughty and nice but rather anyone who he feels disrespects his talents. After all, he wears number zero because his doubters told him that was how much playing time he would get at Arizona. When Arenas was left off of the final 12 player Team USA roster last summer
he vowed that he would try to score 100 points in his two games against Phoenix and 100 points in his two games against Portland. He targeted those teams because Phoenix Coach Mike D'Antoni and Portland Coach Nate McMillan were assistants on Mike Krzyzewski's Team USA staff. It took an overtime session, but Arenas delivered the first 54 points on Friday in Phoenix, leading the Wizards to a 144-139 victory that snapped the Suns' 15 game winning streak. Arenas shot 21-37 from the field (6-12 on three pointers) and 6-6 from the free throw line. Arenas had five points in overtime; his teammate Caron Butler, who also had a strong performance (34 points, one off of his career-high, and 10 rebounds), led the Wizards with 10 overtime points. Steve Nash tied his career-high with 42 points and had 10 assists in defeat.
Arenas scored 60 points on Sunday versus the Lakers, so he has gone for 50-plus twice in a six day period. If you are thinking that must be a pretty rare feat, you are correct. The Elias Sports Bureau reports, "Over the past 30 years, only five other players have scored 50 points twice in a six-day span: Kobe Bryant (2006), Allen Iverson (2004), Antawn Jamison (2000), Michael Jordan (three times in four days in 1987 and then in 1992) and Bernard King (1984)."
In case you are wondering, Arenas next faces the Suns on January 23 in Washington, while the Wizards' two games against Portland will be played on February 11 (at Washington) and March 20 (at Portland).
posted by David Friedman @ 2:21 AM
Is Gilbert a Gunner?
Gilbert Arenas' 60 point game last Sunday has flown under the radar in the wake of the melee at Madison Square Garden and the Allen Iverson trade. Arenas became just the 20th player in NBA history to score at least 60 in a game and he broke the all-time record for points in an overtime period with 16 but his performance has largely been ignored--and when it is mentioned, more attention is given to the postgame comments of the man who guarded him (and put up 45 points of his own in a 147-141 loss), Kobe Bryant, who said, "You tip your hat and say, 'See you next time.' First of all, he shot 27 free throws. We as a team shot 30. Think about that. But him individually, it's funny. He doesn't seem to have much of a conscience. I really don't think he does. Some of the shots he took tonight, you miss those, and they're just terrible shots. Awful. You make them and they're unbelievable shots. I don't get a chance to play him much, so I haven't gotten used to that mentality of just chucking it up there. He made some big ones, but I'll be ready next time." Pundits spent some time debating whether or not this was a case of someone in a glass house throwing stones, generally coming to the conclusion that Kobe Bryant is the last person who should be criticizing anyone's shot selection; yeah, three-time NBA champion, member of several All-NBA and All-Defensive Teams--what does he know about basketball? Anyway, I already
did a post recognizing the historical significance of Arenas' 60 point game, so I thought that it would be interesting to take Bryant's remarks at face value and see if there is any merit to them. Instead of blaming the messenger, let's actually read the message and see if there is any truth in it.
I touched on this subject briefly near the end of the above post, noting that Arenas' field goal percentage is worse than that of every other player who ranks in the top 25 in the NBA in scoring except for Allen Iverson. Arenas generally does a good job of getting to the free throw line, but his 27 attempts are more than double the number that he attempted in any other game this year. He shot just six free throws in the preceding game, zero (!) free throws in the next game and zero free throws in the first half of Thursday's game against the Kings until the closing seconds; in other words, after his 27 free throw attempts against the Lakers he went nearly six quarters without attempting a free throw. I can understand why Bryant was a bit surprised at that part of Arenas' performance; that does not mean that the calls were bad--it may just mean that for whatever reason Arenas went to the hoop more often and more effectively than he has in any other game this season.
Does Arenas have no "conscience" with his shot selection? Back to the boxscores: while he shot 17-32 in his 60 point game, Arenas was 10-23 in the preceding game, 10-30 in the next game and 9-23 on Thursday versus the Kings. So, in the three games surrounding his career night he shot .382 from the field. Add in the 17-32 and, voila, Arenas shot .426 in those four games--virtually identical to his season and career field goal percentages. Bryant's contention is that Arenas takes a lot of low percentage shots but that against the Lakers he made many of them. The numbers bear that out. Arenas got hot and he burned the Lakers, particularly in overtime, producing a performance of historic proportions. That does not change the fact that he is a low percentage gunner, an All-Star player but someone whose overall game is not on the same level as that of Bryant, LeBron James or Dwyane Wade--players who are more efficient scorers, better rebounders, better passers and better defenders (particularly Bryant in terms of the latter item).
Gilbert Arenas is an exciting player to watch and I respect how he has confounded his doubters throughout his career. He has improved to the point that it seems like he will be an All-Star for years to come but, as I wrote in my
Eastern Conference Preview, "Gilbert Arenas is not as good as he thinks he is and if he believes that he can carry his team to a title by outdueling LeBron or Wade one-on-one then he will always come up short. LeBron told Arenas before some key free throws that if Arenas missed then he would send him home. Arenas missed and LeBron sent him home. Bottom line: If Washington does not put some more talent around Arenas and ratchet up the defensive intensity, Arenas’ playoff career will resemble Dominique Wilkins’—lots of points and highlights and no conference finals appearances." Yes, Arenas did outduel Bryant on this one night, just as Wilkins outdueled Michael Jordan on occasion during the regular season--but the standings show that Washington is barely above .500, has the fifth best record in the weak Eastern Conference and thus will not likely advance to the second round of the playoffs this year. Bryant may have been the wrong messenger in the eyes of some but, as TNT's old motto used to say, he "Let the truth be told."
Postscript: Washington rallied from a 59-53 halftime deficit to beat the Sacramento Kings 126-119. Arenas scored 12 points and shot 4-11 from the field in the first half, attempting just two free throws. In the second half he shot 5-12--including three makes from long range--and he made all five of his free throw attempts, scoring 18 in the half and finishing with 30 in the game. He also had eight rebounds and seven assists, better than his season averages in both categories--but the difference for the Wizards when they blew the game open were the 20 second half points scored by Antawn Jamison, who shot 9-17 for the game and had 33 points and 13 rebounds. Without his efficient scoring and strong work on the glass the Wizards may very well have lost. Seven Wizards players played at least 16 minutes and Arenas was the only one who shot less than .500 against the Kings' "defense," which was missing Ron Artest.
Artest was a late scratch after he told Coach Eric Musselman that he couldn't go because of sore knees, an injury that no one knew that Artest has. Musselman was very irritated at the timing of this, because if he had known sooner he could have deactivated Artest and activated someone else.
Regarding the Kings' defense, TNT's Doug Collins listed four traits that characterize good defensive teams:
1) Keep guards out of the lane (the Kings rank 14th in allowing points in the paint).
2) Contest perimeter shots (the Kings rank 28th in three point field goal percentage defense).
3) Block shots (the Kings rank 28th in blocked shots).
4) Defensive rebounding (the Kings rank third in allowing second chance points).
The Kings rank third in the NBA in steals, so the bottom line is: they steal the ball and they rebound misses but the Kings are not effective guarding perimeter shooters nor are they able to stop teams from scoring inside. Therefore, a good strategy against them would be to patiently work the ball around because eventually you are going to get an open jumper or a layup. That probably explains why in the opening minutes of the game Arenas launched a three pointer with five Kings back on defense and no other Wizards player visible on that end of the court (Arenas made the shot).
Arenas had some interesting second quarter possessions, too. After he fired up a fadeaway that completely missed the rim and barely grazed the backboard, Collins said, "That was a bad shot by Gilbert Arenas." The next time down the court, he attempted to feed the post while standing about 10 feet behind the three point line but his pass sailed over Jamison's head. Meanwhile, on defense, John Salmons, who averages 9.7 ppg but finished with a season-high 23, was simply wearing Arenas out by taking him to the hoop.
When Arenas finally did make a three pointer in the second quarter, Collins laughed and said, "I love Gilbert Arenas--he can miss 10 shots in a row and think he's hot."
A few minutes later, Collins' partner Kevin Harlan said, "(Wizards Coach) Eddie Jordan told us before the game, 'We need to have patience and discipline on offense.'" Those words were barely out of his mouth before Arenas dribbled up court and missed a contested three pointer from the top of the key. Collins observed, "That's not a good shot. Gilbert is trying to do too much on his own now."
posted by David Friedman @ 2:34 AM
Chauncey B-B-B-Billups' 4th Quarter Shooting Buries the Cavs
The only thing that Chauncey Billups missed in the fourth quarter was hearing Detroit Pistons' public address announcer Mason intone his trademark "B-B-B-Billups" call after each made field goal. While the Cleveland Cavaliers did not allow the Pistons to bring Mason into Quicken Loans Arena, the Cavs certainly did everything else they could to make Billups feel like he was at home during the final period. Billups produced 12 points and four assists in the fourth quarter and the Pistons blew open a close game, winning 87-71. He ended up with 17 points and 10 assists in leading the Pistons to their third straight win while handing the Cavaliers their third consecutive loss. Tayshaun Prince also had a strong game, contributing 16 points (8-11 field goal shooting) and eight rebounds. LeBron James shot just 1-6 from the field in the fourth quarter, but still led the Cavaliers in scoring (26), rebounds (10) and assists (five); just like his performance in a loss to the Nets on Wednesday, James put up good numbers but was unable to have enough of an impact at the key moments in the game. Zydrunas Ilgauskas had a solid game (16 points, six rebounds, 7-13 shooting from the field) and Larry Hughes chipped in with eight rebounds and four assists but he shot horribly from the field (5-17).
The Cavaliers took an early 10-6 lead and were ahead 24-22 at the end of the first period. James shot 6-7 from the field and scored 12 points, including Cleveland's last eight, punctuated by a buzzer beating jump shot. However, he shot just 3-13 for the rest of the game as the Pistons packed their defense into the paint and denied him driving lanes. Early in the game, TNT's Steve Kerr addressed a pet peeve of mine after Detroit's Richard Hamilton faked Hughes into the air, jumped into Hughes and was awarded two free throws. Kerr said that the defensive player should be entitled to his space, provided that he jumps straight into the air as Hughes did, and that offensive players should not be allowed to jump into the defender in that fashion. Marv Albert wryly commented that he is sure that the competition committee will get right on that but I think that Kerr is 100% right.
It was the Jason Maxiell show for the Pistons in the second quarter as he came off the bench to put in eight points and Detroit outscored Cleveland 20-17 to take a 42-41 halftime lead. James scored two points and shot 0-2 from the field in the period.
The pace slowed down even more in the third quarter, during which Detroit outscored Cleveland 15-14. A low scoring, close finish seemed to be inevitable but Billups--who shot just 1-9 from the field in the first three quarters--changed all of that with eight points and an assist in the first 3:03 of the fourth quarter. That outburst put Detroit up 69-58 and the Pistons never looked back. After Detroit scored the first five points of the quarter, Kerr noted "a 5-0 run in this game is like 25-8" in a higher scoring contest. He also praised Billups for the "supreme confidence" that enabled him to keep shooting even though he had shot so terribly in the first three quarters. Billups' heroics--coupled with the fact that Cleveland point guard Eric Snow shot 0-0 from the field and was a non-factor--prompted Kerr to say that Cleveland needs a point guard who can take pressure off of James by creating shots. The lack of such a player on the Cavs' roster is "a glaring weakness that is showing up tonight," Kerr concluded. Hughes is supposed to be the player who fills that role but he has been in and out of the lineup due to injuries, seemed to tweak his ankle at one point during the game, and was neither able to create enough shots for others nor make outside shots versus Detroit.
posted by David Friedman @ 11:45 PM
NBA Leaderboard, Part IV
In golf it is called "moving day"--the time when the contenders separate themselves from the pretenders. Several of the NBA's elite teams and players started off slowly but, as the fourth edition of the NBA Leaderboard shows, they have worked their way to the top. Utah and Orlando led the standings as recently as three weeks ago but now the Spurs and Suns have the two best records.
Best Five Records
-------------------
1) San Antonio Spurs, 20-6
2) Phoenix Suns, 18-6
3-4) Dallas Mavericks, Utah Jazz, 19-7
5) L.A. Lakers, 17-9
The Lakers have a better record than every team in the Eastern Conference. The Jazz have gone 6-4 in their last ten games and the Magic have gone 4-6. Two thirds of the season still remains to be played, plenty of time for the contenders to separate themselves even more from the pretenders. For those of you who are wondering, Denver is currently in the eighth spot. Iverson is scheduled to arrive on Friday and Melo will be back in a month.
Top Five Scorers (and a few other notables)
------------------
1) Carmelo Anthony, DEN 31.6 ppg
2) Allen Iverson, DEN 31.2 ppg
3) Gilbert Arenas, WSH 29.1 ppg
4) Kobe Bryant, LAL 28.7 ppg
5) Dwyane Wade, MIA 28.6 ppg
8) Yao Ming, HOU 26.7 ppg
10) LeBron James, CLE 26.3 ppg
11) Vince Carter, NJN 25.9 ppg
Bryant has moved up from 14th to 4th since November 23. Surprisingly, James' average and ranking have actually slipped slightly since then. Arenas' 60 point game helped him to move into third place. Carter started the season at a career-high pace but has been slipping during the past month. This race will really be fun to watch down the stretch.
Top Five Rebounders (and a few other notables)
----------------------
1) Dwight Howard, ORL 12.7 rpg
2) Chris Bosh, TOR 12.2 rpg
3) Carlos Boozer, UTA 11.8 rpg
4) Kevin Garnett, MIN 11.8 rpg
5) Tyson Chandler, NOK 11.5 rpg
8) Ben Wallace, CHI 10.6 rpg
11) Tim Duncan, SAS 10.1 rpg
14) Yao Ming, HOU 9.8 rpg
18) Rasheed Wallace, DET 9.3 rpg
23) Jason Kidd, NJN 8.7 rpg
Howard has led all year, but his average continues to decline. Duncan's average dropped and he fell out of the top ten. As predicted here, Ben Wallace zoomed past former teammate Rasheed Wallace. Will Sheed rank ahead of the 6-4 Kidd by the end of the season? My guess is no. Will Detroit miss Ben Wallace's rebounding and defense a lot more in the playoffs than they will during the regular season? Yes.
Top Five Playmakers
----------------------
1) Steve Nash, PHX 11.6 apg
2) Jason Kidd, NJN 9.5 apg
3) Andre Miller, PHI 9.1 apg
4) Chris Paul, NOK 9.1 apg
5) Deron Williams, UTA 8.8 apg
This top five does not figure to change much (barring injury). If this were an election, Nash would already be projected as the winner. "Starbury" moved up to 24th--and hit a game-winning shot this week, too.
Note: All statistics are from NBA.com.
posted by David Friedman @ 3:43 AM
Carter's Scoring, Kidd's Versatility Too Much for the Cavs
Vince Carter broke out of his mini-slump and Jason Kidd displayed his typical all-around brilliance, leading the New Jersey Nets to a much needed 113-111 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Carter scored 38 points on 10-18 shooting from the field (including 4-5 from three point range), adding six rebounds and five assists. Carter only scored 35 points in his previous three games, shooting just 12-48 from the field in those contests as the Nets went 1-2. Kidd produced nine points, 10 assists, eight rebounds, three steals and one blocked shot. LeBron James had 37 points and eight assists but only had one rebound and shot poorly for most of the game, although a late flurry brought his percentages up to decent levels (10-22 from the field, 16-21 from the free throw line). The Cavaliers shot just 35-83 from the field (.422) while the Nets hit an outstanding 39-68 (.574).
The game started at a quick pace, with Cleveland leading 11-7 after the first three minutes and each of the Cavs' starters making one field goal during that stretch. ESPN's Hubie Brown shed some light on why the Nets are performing so far below expectations this season. First, forward Richard Jefferson's numbers have dropped dramatically because he has two bad ankles, one of which may require offseason surgery. Second, as indicated above, Vince Carter has been in a slump recently. Jason Kidd has been carrying the team but in order for the Nets to become a contender Carter and Jefferson must step up. Maybe Carter heard what Brown said, because he scored 14 points in the first quarter and the Nets rallied to lead 29-28 by the end of the period. James had just six points on 2-5 shooting from the field, but both of his makes were highlight reel plays: a two handed fast break dunk and a one hand driving dunk from the right baseline.
The Cavs made 13 of their first 20 shots but then hit just one of their next 15 attempts. The Nets pushed their lead to 44-37 but James scored five points in the last four minutes of the quarter and the Cavs took a 52-51 halftime lead. James shot just 4-12 from the field in the first half but he shot 5-6 from the free throw line and had 13 points. Carter did not score in the second period.
Cleveland went into another shooting slump at the start of the third quarter, missing eight of their first 10 shots and shooting just 5-20 from the field in the period--and that includes Damon Jones' three pointer at the buzzer, after which the Nets still led 78-71. Nenad Krstic scored eight points for the Nets in the third quarter.
The Nets pushed their advantage to 86-71 in the first minute of the fourth quarter after a Hassan Adams drive and a three point play by Jason Collins. Drew Gooden was whistled for a flagrant foul on that play, so the Nets retained possession after Collins' free throw; the Nets took advantage of this extra opportunity with a Marcus Williams three pointer. The Nets went ahead by as much as 16 (89-73) before the Cavaliers ran off 11 straight points to get right back in the game. Damon Jones scored five points and James contributed four points during that run. Kidd then scored a very timely layup off of a nice backdoor feed by Carter to put the Nets up 91-84. James answered with a pullup jumper to bring the Cavs back to within five, 91-86, after which Brown chuckled that James was "not having a good night." James had 28 points but had shot poorly from the field and launched several ill advised shots. Brown's point was that James is so talented and so good that even on a bad night he finds a way to score and to keep his team in the game. James scored nine more points in the last 5:13 to push his total well beyond his season average and to get his shooting percentage back to its normal level, but Brown noted again near the end of the game that this was a tough game for James because the Nets made him work for everything he got and punished him physically when he went to the basket. Brown concluded that the Cavaliers can expect a steady diet of such defenses designed to frustrate James and that they will continue to struggle if they don't improve the spacing of the other players.
Carter and Kidd combined to score the Nets' last 14 points as New Jersey held off a late Cleveland rally. A meaningless Jones three pointer with .1 second remaining made the final score deceptively close.
***Notes***
>ESPN's pre-game Shootaround show spent much more time discussing the Allen Iverson trade than the upcoming Cavs-Nets game. Fred Hickman's voiceover for a video montage of previous Sixers greats who have been traded contained two silly errors. First, he said that Wilt Chamberlain led the Sixers to the NBA title over the Boston Celtics before he was traded to the Lakers. That would be like saying that the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Denver Broncos to win last year's NFL title. Chamberlain's Sixers beat the Celtics in the 1967 Eastern Division Finals before defeating Rick Barry's San Francisco Warriors in the NBA Finals. That may seem like nitpicking but I've never understood how commentators who have teleprompters and notes prepared by a staff of researchers can make mistakes about things that they should just know anyway if they are students of the game. Later, Hickman said that the Sixers acquired Moses Malone, won the NBA championship and then traded him "the very next year." Malone played for the Sixers for four years; the video graphic had the correct information, so if Hickman had just looked at the screen he would have gotten it right. Again, my question is how can any student of the game make that kind of mistake? This is not some obscure piece of information dating back 50 years. When ESPN had the contest a while ago to select a new SportsCenter anchor, Stuart Scott made a big deal about Al Jaffe and his legendarily tough sports trivia questions to prospective anchors. Are NBA commentators not subjected to the same scrutiny?
>Jason Kidd scored his 13,000th career point near the end of the game. He told ESPN's Jim Gray that he feels great and thinks that he is having his best season, even better than when he led the Nets to back to back Finals appearances in 2002 and 2003. He is scoring less than he did during those seasons but he is averaging a career-high 8.8 rpg--simply amazing for a 33 year old 6-4 point guard who has had microfracture surgery--and is exceeding his career averages in assists and free throw percentage. He certainly seems to have regained the bounce in his step that was missing after he first injured his knee.
>ESPN ran a graphic indicating that Kidd and Magic Johnson are the only players in NBA history to accumulate career totals of at least 12,500 points, 8000 assists, 5500 rebounds and 1500 steals.
posted by David Friedman @ 12:44 AM
Will the Answer and Melo Bring an NBA Title to Denver?
No. That was pretty simple, wasn't it? Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony will not win an NBA championship this year because the Denver Nuggets are still not a better team than the San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks or Phoenix Suns. I doubt that they are better than the L.A. Lakers once Lamar Odom returns to the lineup. The Utah Jazz are the mystery guest in this year's Western Conference playoff picture because it remains to be seen (1) if their key players can stay healthy for an entire season and (2) how well those players will perform in the postseason, regardless of what kind of regular season record the team has. If Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady are both healthy at playoff time, I'm not sure that the Nuggets would beat the Rockets in a playoff series, either.
Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson are ranked 1-2 in the NBA in scoring this season but Iverson has gone further than the first round in the playoffs exactly once since he led the Sixers to the NBA Finals in 2001. Anthony's Nuggets have won three playoff games in his three seasons. Compare that postseason track record with the playoff resumes of the Spurs' Tim Duncan (three championships, three Finals MVPs), the Mavericks' Dirk Nowitzki (one Finals appearance, two Western Conference Finals appearances) and the Suns' Steve Nash (two straight Western Conference Finals appearances with the Suns plus one with Dallas playing alongside Nowitzki).
Does that mean that the trade is a bad move for Denver? Of course not. Trading Andre Miller, a decent NBA point guard, for a future Hall of Famer greatly increases the team's talent level and makes it almost impossible for opponents to double team Anthony. The worst thing that you can be in the NBA is mediocre: you either want to be contending for a title or making an appearance in the Draft Lottery hoping to acquire the franchise player who will help you contend for a title. You do not want to get stuck in the purgatory of winning 40-45 games, getting your doors blown off in the first round and then picking 25th in the first round. The Nuggets have been stuck in purgatory since Anthony arrived and acquiring Iverson is their bid to move into championship contention. I don't think that will happen this year but there will probably never be another opportunity to trade Miller for a player of Iverson's caliber. The Nuggets simply had to pull the trigger on this deal and see how far the Iverson-Anthony duo takes them in the next two to three years; their only other choices were to stay in purgatory--which is unacceptable--or do a complete rebuilding process, which does not make sense when you have a player like Anthony who is just entering his prime.
How will the scoring be distributed now in Denver? J.R. Smith is the odd man out, because there is no question that he is going from the second option to the third option. Iverson will have the ball in his hands all the time, so it is really up to him whether he or Anthony leads the team in scoring. Anthony will miss the next 14 games because of his suspension, so Iverson will hit the ground running in Denver and put up his customary 30-plus ppg for the next month. I think that this makes the dynamic a little different than if Iverson and Anthony played together right from the start. Everyone says that Denver is Anthony's team but by the time he plays his next game Iverson will probably have been the team's leading scorer the previous 12 or so games (it is not clear when he will play his first game for the Nuggets). I think that Iverson and Anthony will make the adjustment more smoothly than Smith will because they are better players and they have more experience. This is the first year that Smith really got to play and I don't think that he will relish having to reduce his role now.
I doubt that either Anthony or Iverson will lead the league in scoring this year. For one thing, Kobe Bryant is going to go on a tear for the next month or so with Lamar Odom being out and may very well have claimed the scoring title anyway. Also, regardless of who becomes the first option in Denver, it is unlikely that either player's scoring average will go up.
For the record, it should be noted that, contrary to what you may have heard on SportsCenter, two teammates have each averaged 30-ppg for a season. In 1961-62, Jerry West ranked fifth in the NBA in scoring with 2310 points (30.8 ppg; the NBA ranked scorers by total points, not average, until 1969-70) and his Lakers teammate Elgin Baylor ranked eighth in the NBA in scoring with 1836 points (38.3 ppg). Baylor only played in 48 games because of a military commitment but he scored enough points to be ranked among league leaders even under current rules (1400 points or 70 games played), so West and Baylor are officially the only teammates who each averaged 30-plus ppg in a season. Incidentally, Baylor has said that because he missed so many games he was fresher than other players during the playoffs. The Lakers made it to the Finals that year, losing game seven in overtime to the legendary Bill Russell Boston Celtics. Baylor averaged 38.6 ppg in that postseason and scored a record 61 points in game five of the Finals. West averaged 31.5 ppg in the 1962 playoffs. Anthony and Iverson are getting Baylor-like rest this season (for different reasons) but that will hardly be enough to vault Denver into the Finals.
What about Philadelphia? Any time you trade one of the premier players in the league you do not get equal value in return. That is obvious. The Sixers received a competent point guard to handle the ball and run their offense. They received a big man who is near the end of his career (Joe Smith) and whose expiring contract gives them financial flexibility for the future. Finally, they received two first round 2007 draft picks that are likely to fall pretty late in the round (i.e., well removed from being lottery picks). They also have their own first round pick but there is a complicated scenario in which it is possible that they would have to give up that pick due to the stipulations of a previous trade (that possibility is as unlikely as it is complicated, so let's just assume for now that it won't happen). After the owner of the Sixers publicly announced that Iverson would never play for the Sixers again and the team cleaned out his locker the Sixers could hardly expect to get too much more than they did. The team will not be very good the rest of this season, so the success or failure of this deal will be judged on what becomes of those draft picks and how the team uses the money that will be freed up once Smith's contract expires. The Sixers will also have to decide at some point what to do with the contracts of Miller and Chris Webber.
posted by David Friedman @ 4:49 AM
