Warner Brothers NBA DVDs Trivia Contest, Part II
On November 21, I held a trivia contest that awarded three Warner Brothers DVD sets plus the Greatest Moments in NBA History DVD as prizes. My next trivia contest will award the Detroit Pistons 1989 Championship: Motor City Madness DVD set to the first person who correctly answers the following two part question:
On June 19, 1988, Detroit's Isiah Thomas set the all-time NBA Finals record for points in a quarter (25). Whose record did he break and how many points did that player score?Also, I will award a Greatest Moments in NBA History DVD to the first person who correctly answers the two part bonus question. Please read the Contest Rules that are listed below the bonus question. Good luck!
Bonus question:
Who set the ABA record for most points in one quarter of a Finals game and how many points did he score?Contest Rules:
1) Previous winners are ineligible for the prizes that they won before. In other words, "Illest" cannot win either prize because he won all three DVD sets and the Greatest Moments DVD in the previous contest; "Vednam" is ineligible for the Pistons DVD set but is eligible for the Greatest Moments DVD.
2) Answers must be submitted in the "comments" section of
this post.
3) To win, your answer must include
one of the following: your real name, your email address or the name of your blog/website (I can't mail a DVD to "anonymous").
4) To win a prize you must be the first person who correctly answers both parts of the question; if one person is the first to correctly answer both parts of both questions then that person will win both prizes.
5) One entry per person per question (this eliminates random guessing).
6) Contest winners' names will be announced in the "comments" section of this post and in a separate, new post on 20 Second Timoeut's main page; the contest winners will also be contacted via the email address or website information that they provide.
Note:
All of the DVDs featured in this contest and the previous contest--plus DVDs about the NFL, NHL and college football--can be purchased at the Warner Brothers website:
www.probasketballdvd.com
posted by David Friedman @ 1:44 AM
Ben There, Done That: Ben Gordon Scores 31, Bulls Rout Sixers, 121-94
Shhh! Listen closely--do you hear that rumbling in the background? That is the sound of the Chicago Bulls, who have been stampeding through the league since Thanksgiving. On Wednesday night, the Bulls won their sixth straight game, blowing out the listless Philadelphia 76ers, 121-94. Ben Gordon led the Bulls with 31 points in only 33 minutes. Luol Deng had a double double (21 points, 10 rebounds) and shot 9-11 from the field, while Ben Wallace contributed 12 points on 6-8 shooting, eight rebounds, three blocked shots and two steals. The Bulls shot .615 from the field and outrebounded the Sixers 43-29. Allen Iverson scored 25 points for the Sixers with seven assists and seven turnovers but he did not play at all in the fourth quarter because of back spasms. ESPN's Greg Anthony and Tim Legler repeatedly pointed out one of the main differences between the Bulls and the Sixers: the Bulls feature constant player and ball movement, while the Sixers give the ball to Iverson and hope that he can create something positive.
Chicago jumped out to an 18-6 lead by the 6:13 mark of the first quarter--and then things really got bad for the Sixers: Ben Gordon replaced Kirk Hinrich. Gordon scored 17 points in the next 5:33, more than the Sixers managed to put up in the entire first quarter. Chicago led 39-16 at the end of the first period. Anthony mentioned that teams come back from this kind of early deficit in the NBA, but even he didn't sound like he really believed that Philadelphia could make a serious run against Chicago. Iverson had just four points on 1-5 shooting from the field.
Iverson scored seven points in the first three minutes of the second period as the Sixers got within 43-25 but then Chicago began to pull away again. The Sixers made another mini run late in the period to cut the lead to 59-43 but the Bulls led 69-48 at halftime. Iverson shot 4-7 from the field in the second quarter, scoring 16 points and finishing with 20 in the half; he also had six turnovers, two of them on offensive fouls. Gordon had a quiet second quarter, adding just four points to his incredible first quarter total. The Bulls' 69 points are the most that the team has scored in a first half this season.
The third quarter was basically a replay of the second quarter: a token Sixers run, a larger Bulls response and Chicago led 96-70 at the end of the period. Iverson went to the locker room with back spasms prior to the start of the fourth quarter--probably a result of having to carry around so much dead weight this season. Any hope of a Sixers comeback limped to the locker room with him.
The Sixers dropped to 5-12 and have lost five straight games, while the Bulls improved to 9-9. Philadelphia is still in contention in the (sub-) Atlantic Division (just two games out of first place!) but the real story here is that the Bulls are beginning to play like a cohesive unit. Wallace, according to some, is a hindrance on offense, but the Bulls have scored 100-plus points in eight straight games and their 121 on Wednesday is a season-high. His defense and rebounding fuel the team's fastbreak and against the Sixers he even showed the ability to score on drives and jump hooks; obviously, Wallace shooting 6-8 from the field will not happen on a nightly basis, but the Bulls have plenty of offensive weapons. What they needed was someone to provide a defensive/rebounding presence in the paint and Wallace has been doing just that in recent games.
posted by David Friedman @ 12:56 AM
ESPN's NBA Coast to Coast Discusses Ron Artest, the Importance of Passing from the Post and the Ben Wallace Effect
On most Tuesday nights during the NBA season, ESPN2 airs a program called NBA Coast to Coast. The show features live "look ins" on the night's NBA action wrapped around commentary by several NBA analysts. Mark Morgan hosted the most recent edition, with Greg Anthony, Tim Legler and Bill Walton providing in studio commentary. Marc Stein and Ric Bucher also chimed in via satellite remote during some segments. The three most interesting discussions concerned low post/high post passing, Ron Artest and the effect of the Ben Wallace signing on Detroit and Chicago.
The passing segment was a real treat--and probably an eye opener for viewers who are too young to remember when Bill Walton was a dominant center in college and then for the 1977 NBA Champion Portland Trail Blazers. Walton stood on the studio's demonstration court and began by saying that although Yao Ming is scoring and rebounding at a good clip there is one area in which he could improve: passing. Then Walton moved to the low post and someone from off camera began feeding him passes in the post. As soon as Walton caught the ball he effortlessly delivered passes to imaginary cutters, showcasing over the head flip passes, bounce passes and over the shoulder passes, among others. Walton described how a good post passer can be the hub of a smoothly functioning offensive machine. Then, Anthony and Legler joined him on the court. They executed screens and cuts away from the ball and Walton passed to one or the other as he became "open." Walton emphasized that the other players must not simply stand around; they should constantly move, putting pressure on the defense, and the post player must be able to make accurate, pin point passes when a cutter becomes open. Some "extras" came on to the court as post defenders and Walton demonstrated how a post player should use his elbows to protect the ball, lean into the double-teamer (instead of fading away) and whistle the pass right over his ear in a way that the defender cannot block it.
Next, Walton moved to the high post and showed how a good post player can use well timed pivoting moves to screen defenders and open lanes for cutters. Walton said that Boris Diaw is the best active player at performing such moves. Walton's wheels have been gone for decades, but this segment showed the eyes and hands that at one time helped to make him the best player in the game.
Ron Artest has been grumbling recently that he is not getting enough touches and that Sacramento's offense should be run through him. Stein and Bucher noted that this should not surprise anyone because Artest was originally brought in to be the team's best player and because one of the problems that he had in Indiana was that he felt that he was the best player on the team but played a secondary role to Jermaine O'Neal on offense. Anthony and Legler agreed that no one should be surprised at Artest's complaints and basically said that Artest is right: he is the best player on the team and the offense should be run through him. Legler said that Mike Bibby is a jump shooting point guard and Kevin Martin is inexperienced, so neither one should be the focal point of the offense at Artest's expense. Walton added that Artest plays well and says the right things when the team is winning but as soon as there is any form of adversity "all heck breaks loose."
Artest is probably right, but here is a good thought experiment: what would most NBA analysts say if a certain Lakers guard publicly complained that he does not get enough touches and the offense should be run through him to a greater degree? Would the response be that this player is right, that he is the best player on the team and should get the ball more? Or would the answer be that this player is selfish and only cares about his own statistics? My take is that a team's best player should handle the ball the most and create shots for himself and his teammates based on the situation and the deployment of the other team's defense. If the opening is there for him to shoot a high percentage shot, then that is what he should do; otherwise, he should draw a double-team and create an open shot for a teammate. It makes no sense for a team's best player to go through long stretches when he does not touch the ball.
One of the live "look ins" was Portland's 88-85 win in Auburn Hills versus the Detroit Pistons. Zach Randolph overpowered the defense to score the decisive basket and Rip Hamilton shot an airball three pointer as time ran out. Anthony said that Detroit misses Ben Wallace in critical late possessions when the Pistons have to get a stop. Legler added, "He makes up for a lot of mistakes. He enables you to gamble defensively and gives you extra possessions with offensive rebounding. Detroit is still the best team in the Eastern Conference but when you lose to Charlotte, New Orleans and Portland at home, you still have issues." Walton said, "Detroit is a team that does not come to play against inferior opponents" and he declared that Wallace's signing with Chicago has hurt both teams.
I think that Anthony hit the nail on the head. Detroit's "liberation offense" is great for 40 minutes or 45 minutes but to be an elite NBA team you have to be able to make crucial defensive stops. Without Wallace, Detroit is less able to do that. Legler's point about offensive rebounding is important as well. I don't understand why so many people only look at Wallace's scoring average or limited shooting range and completely ignore the numerous extra possessions he creates with his offensive rebounding; opponents have to deal with Wallace on the glass, which opens driving lanes for other players. By the end of the season, I don't think that too many people will be talking about Wallace's signing hurting the Bulls.
posted by David Friedman @ 12:15 AM
Stepping Up in the Playoffs
NBCSports.com has just published my article titled "Stepping Up in the Playoffs," which discusses one of my statistical pet peeves: comparing a player's career regular season and playoff scoring averages to determine whether or not that player "steps up" in the playoffs. The flaw with this approach is that each regular season generally has a roughly equal effect on a player's scoring average but playoff seasons vary widely in length. Also, a player's best scoring regular seasons may not coincide with the seasons in which he played the majority of his playoff games. "Stepping Up in the Playoffs" examines a method of "adjusting" playoff scoring averages to account for these factors and looks at how this adjustment affects the scoring averages of several prominent players. You can find the article here:
Stepping Up in the Playoffs
posted by David Friedman @ 12:05 AM
NBA Leaderboard, Part II
There have been some changes at the top in the NBA since I posted
Part I; see the notes in each category for further details.
Best Five Records
-------------------
1) Utah Jazz, 15-4
2) Orlando Magic, 14-5
3) San Antonio Spurs, 13-5
4-5) L.A. Lakers and Dallas Mavericks, 12-5
Cleveland and New Orleans have slipped from this group since Part I, while the Dallas Mavericks vaulted into the top five with a 12 game winning streak after starting the season 0-4.
Top Five Scorers (and a few other notables...)
------------------
1) Carmelo Anthony, DEN 32.2 ppg
2) Allen Iverson, PHI 31.6 ppg
3) Michael Redd, MIL 29.6 ppg
4) Joe Johnson, ATL 28.3 ppg
5) Vince Carter, NJN 27.7 ppg
6) LeBron James, CLE 27.4 ppg
7) Dwyane Wade, MIA 27.3 ppg
8) Gilbert Arenas, WSH 26.1 ppg
9) Kobe Bryant, LAL 26.1 ppg
Anthony is still on top, Iverson and Redd switched places and Joe Johnson moved up one spot. Vince Carter is quietly having the highest scoring season of his career. As expected, LeBron and Wade are knocking on the door to the top five, while Bryant's 52 point game moved him into the top ten; he sprained his ankle on Monday night and only scored 21 points, so it remains to be seen how much that injury will affect his availability and scoring totals in upcoming games.
Top Five Rebounders (and a few other notables)
----------------------
1) Dwight Howard, ORL 13.5 rpg
2) Chris Bosh, TOR 12.2 rpg
3) Carlos Boozer, UTA 12.2 rpg
4) Tyson Chandler, NOK 12.2 rpg
5) Kevin Garnett, MIN 11.9 rpg
7) Tim Duncan, SAS 11.0 rpg
14) Yao Ming, HOU 9.8 rpg
21) Ben Wallace, CHI 8.8 rpg
The top five is the same except for Chandler replacing Emeka Okafor, who dropped to eighth. Duncan has maintained his position, while Yao and Wallace are both dropping. Howard's average declined slightly, but his lead over Bosh increased.
Top Five Playmakers
----------------------
1) Steve Nash, PHX 10.8 apg
2) Jason Kidd, NJN, 9.4 apg
3) Andre Miller, DEN 9.3 apg
4) Chris Paul, NOK, 9.2 apg
5) Deron Williams, UTA 8.9 apg
The top five has remained the same, but the order has changed. Nash retains the top position, while Kidd increased his average by nearly 1 apg and moved up from fifth to second. "Starbury" still ranks 27th.
Note: All statistics are from NBA.com.
posted by David Friedman @ 6:43 AM
Dwyane Wade is Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year
Sports Illustrated has selected Dwyane Wade as its 2006 Sportsman of the Year. He will be featured in the cover story of the December 11 issue. On December 14,
Sports Illustrated will hold a party in his honor in New York and award Wade a sterling silver trophy made by Tiffany & Co.
Wade is the youngest of the six NBA players to be honored as SI's Sportsman of the Year; the previous five NBA players were Bill Russell (1968), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1985), Michael Jordan (1991) and Tim Duncan/David Robinson (2003).
posted by David Friedman @ 6:23 AM
Legends of Basketball Creates Special Articles Archive
Legends of Basketball, the official website of the National Basketball Retired Players Association (NBRPA), recently created a special page featuring my articles alongside contributions by the
Plain Dealer's Cleveland Cavaliers beat writer Branson Wright and Sam Amico of Pro Basketball News. Here is the link:
Legends Spotlight
posted by David Friedman @ 3:51 AM
Greg Oden Makes His Much Anticipated College Debut
Odin is the primary god in Norse mythology, a divinity of war, death, poetry and wisdom. Ohio State fans are looking for a different kind of quadruple double from freshman Greg Oden: points, rebounds, blocked shots--and an NCAA Championship. Oden has been sidelined by a torn ligament in his right wrist but he made his much anticipated collegiate debut on Saturday, producing 14 points, 10 rebounds and five blocked shots in 23 minutes of play as the Buckeyes overwhelmed Valparaiso, 78-58. Oden's wrist is still not completely healed--he shot his free throws left handed--but he showed that he can already have an impact defensively and on the glass. Ohio State is a very good team even without Oden--the Buckeyes were 6-1 before Saturday's game--and Valparaiso is hardly a powerhouse but it is pretty clear that a completely healthy Oden could potentially make the Buckeyes a special team.
Oden has a bright future ahead of him but if you are interested in learning more about how Oden became a top prospect then you need to check out
Uncaged: The Rise of Greg Oden, Mike Conley and the National Champion Lawrence North Wildcats, a new book by Dave Krider, J.R. Shelt and Scott Freeman. Krider has covered high school sports for 45 years, Shelt served as an assistant coach at Lawrence North from 2001-2006 and Freeman has written about sports for
Atlanta magazine and other publications in addition to authoring biographies of the Allman Brothers Band and Otis Redding. Dean Smith wrote the book's foreword, declaring in his opening sentence, "Jack Keefer is the only basketball coach in the history of Lawrence North High School, so a book about the dynasty of the program is actually one detailing the greatness of Jack as a coach as well as the talents of the young men who have played for him."
Oden was twice honored as National Player of the Year as he and Conley led Lawrence North to three state championships and recognition as the 2006 national champion by
Sports Illustrated,
USA Today and the
Associated Press--but
Oden was hardly an instant success as a basketball player. He stood 5-8 as a fourth grader, which attracted the attention of local AAU coach Jimmy Smith. Oden told Smith that he had never played organized basketball and Smith soon realized that Oden was not lying: "He really didn't understand the game. He did not know how to shoot and couldn't dribble. When he got a rebound, he would travel. He would stand in the lane and be whistled for three seconds." When Oden finally made his first basket in a game there was one problem--he shot it in the other team's hoop. Oden spent most of his fourth and fifth grade seasons on the bench but he worked relentlessly on his game.
Success came a little bit quicker for Conley, whose father won the 1992 Olymoic gold medal in the triple jump and whose uncle played for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Conley displayed a fierce competitive streak at a young age--when his father showed him a tape of his second place finish in a race versus 1984 Olympic silver medalist Kirk Baptiste, Conley burst into tears, stunned and disappointed at the thought of his father losing.
Oden and Conley first teamed up as sixth graders on an AAU team coached by Mike Conley, Sr., the younger Conley's father. Oden was now 6-2 but his game was still a work in progress, while young Conley was a budding star. They soon became friends and developed an on-court chemistry that led to AAU titles, high school championships--and may very well bring an NCAA basketball championship to Columbus.
The hardcover version of
Uncaged sells for $22.95 and is available at major bookstores or can be ordered directly from SportsPublishing L.L.C. by calling 1-877-424-BOOK (2665) or by visiting
www.SportsPublishingLLC.com
posted by David Friedman @ 12:51 AM
Utah's Mehmet Okur Rains Two Late Threes on Seattle, Including the Game Winner
Mehmet Okur's three pointer with 1.6 seconds left lifted the Utah Jazz to a 109-107 win over the Seattle Supersonics. Utah led for most of the second half but Ray Allen scored 20 points in the fourth quarter and Rashard Lewis' three pointer with 1:35 remaining put the Sonics up 103-102. That set the stage for an exciting finish. Matt Harpring sank two free throws to give Utah a 104-103 lead but Lewis immediately answered with two free throws. The teams traded missed shots before Carlos Boozer's putback made the score 106-105 Utah. After a timeout, Ray Allen drove left and converted a tough left handed layup over the outstretched arms of Andrei Kirilenko. Utah eschewed calling a timeout and Deron Williams pushed the ball upcourt, finding Okur on the wing. Okur drained a coldblooded three pointer. Allen missed a desperation three pointer at the buzzer.
Okur finished with 12 points and five rebounds. Utah's brightest star for most of the game was Carlos Boozer, who had 24 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, and two blocked shots. Allen's 33 points were a game-high total but he shot only 8-19 from the field. Utah used various defenders on him--Derek Fisher, Dee Brown and Kirilenko--and was able to keep him quiet for most of the game until he exploded in the fourth quarter. Lewis had 27 points and eight rebounds. Utah's bench outscored Seattle's 33-13, with most of the damage being done by rookie Paul Millsap, a second round draft pick who had 16 points and a game-high 10 rebounds in only 20 minutes of action. He shot 7-8 from the field and made both of his free throws. Charles Barkley often screams "Gi-NO-bili!" and Tom Heinsohn used to declare, "I LOVE Walt-ah" (in reference to Walter McCarty), so I would like to combine those two phrases and say, "I LOVE Mill-Sap!" This guy simply inhales rebounds and he goes to the basket with authority. He is getting limited minutes now because Boozer is playing so well but he is a valuable energizing force coming off of the bench. Millsap is the only player to win three straight NCAA Division I rebounding titles, so his glasswork is no fluke. Utah outrebounded Seattle 40-31 and, not coincidentally, had nine more field goal attempts.
Utah and Orlando have been the two best teams in the NBA so far this season and they have at least one thing in common: each team's frontcourt rotation features a former Detroit Piston. Okur and Darko Milicic had small roles on the Pistons 2004 championship team but are significant contributors to the Jazz and Magic respectively. Okur averaged 18.0 ppg and 9.1 rpg last year and is averaging 15.1 ppg and 8.4 rpg this year. Milicic is averaging a more modest 8.1 ppg and 5.1 rpg but he ranks in the top ten in the league in blocked shots despite playing less than 22 mpg. Ben Wallace, the heart and soul of the Pistons for the past several years, is now the starting center in Chicago. The Bulls have gotten off to a much discussed slow start but will be a factor in the Eastern Conference when all is said and done. Detroit did not receive much in return for those three players, so it will be interesting to follow the progress of these four franchises.
posted by David Friedman @ 11:55 PM
Warner Brothers NBA DVDs: Great Gifts for Your Favorite Basketball Fan
I just received the newest NBA DVDs from Warner Brothers. "Illest," who won
the 20SecondTimeout/Warner Brothers NBA DVDs Trivia Contest, will soon be receiving from me "Detroit Pistons: Motor City Madness," Miami Heat: 15 Strong," "Houston Rockets: Clutch City" and "Greatest Moments in NBA History." The latter is a single DVD, while the others are sets consisting of 11, 13 and 8 discs respectively. Also, "Vednam," who provided a good alternative answer for question four, will be receiving "Motor City Madness."
I'm sure that any basketball fan on your holiday gift list would be thrilled to receive any or all of these DVDs--and 20SecondTimeout can help make that happen! Keep watching this space, because there will soon be a second trivia contest awarding these DVDs as prizes. The previous winners will not be eligible to win any DVDs that they received from the first contest, so if you missed out the last time you still have a chance to win. The format and rules will be a little different this time, ensuring that there will be four different winners.
posted by David Friedman @ 4:55 AM
Perfect Storm: Kobe Bryant Scores 30 Third Quarter Points Without Missing a Shot, Drops 52 as Lakers Rout Jazz, 132-102
The term perfect game is usually applied in baseball--and not that frequently. If you watched Kobe Bryant's performance in the Lakers 132-102 blowout of the Utah Jazz on Thursday then you saw the closest thing that you will ever see to a basketball player being perfect, at least for 12 glorious minutes. In the third quarter, Bryant made all nine of his field goal attempts (including two three pointers), sank all 10 of his free throws and tied his own Lakers franchise record with 30 points. He also played good defense and made some gorgeous passes. Andrei Kirilenko--one of the league's best defensive players--was guarding Bryant during a good part of this time. Bryant also made his last two field goal attempts of the second quarter, including a slam dunk right in Kirilenko's grill, so he actually made 11 straight field goals. Bryant hit deep threes, running jumpers, turnaround jumpers--he was so hot that when Deron Williams fouled him when he attempted a pull up three pointer on the fast break no one said anything about not fouling a jump shooter; TNT's Steve Kerr said that you have to contest someone's shot when they are that hot. In addition to the flying facial to close out the first half, Bryant delivered an even more impressive dunk in the third quarter, posterizing Kirilenko and Carlos Boozer.
After the game, Bryant said that it felt like he was playing a video game. TNT's Marv Albert, who has seen more than a few great games, declared during the telecast, "This will go down as one of the great performances of all-time for a single quarter." Kerr added, "You get an idea of just how much better Kobe Bryant--or Michael Jordan--is than everybody else out on the floor. When you consider how good NBA players are, that's just amazing. Kobe was just a man among boys tonight." Bryant sat out the last half minute of the third quarter or he might have tied George Gervin's NBA record of 33 points in a quarter. As Albert and Kerr mentioned, Gervin's effort came in the last game of the 1978 season when he was gunning for the scoring title in an otherwise meaningless game. Bryant's performance came in the middle of the season against the team with the best record in the NBA. Bryant made a token appearance in the fourth quarter before returning to the bench. He finished with 52 points on 19-26 shooting from the field and 12-15 free throw shooting, adding four rebounds and three assists and committing only one turnover in 34 minutes. This was the 12th 50 point game of Bryant's career and his highest scoring output since his epochal 81 point game last year; the Lakers are 9-3 in those contests.
In the wake of this astounding performance, ESPN's
Ric Bucher asks a very logical question: When will people quit trying to anoint others and simply admit that Kobe Bryant is the best basketball player on the planet? Bucher writes, "How many times must Kobe demonstrate that no one in the league--and I mean no one--has his combination of skill, tenacity, understanding of time and score, killer instinct and ability to control the game at both ends? And how many times must I be the one taking the flag and waving it? Trust me, if you're sick of me sticking up for Kobe, I'm equally sick of having to do it. It shouldn't be this difficult to have the man recognized as the league's all-around best player. OK, so you don't like him. I'm good with that. But not respect him? Not give him his due? Anoint anyone who hasn't accomplished half of what he has as The King or The One or The Whatever?"
The rest of the game kind of falls into the "Oh, by the way" category but it is at least worth mentioning that the Lakers simply destroyed the team that has the best record in the league, a squad that beat the San Antonio Spurs last night. Yes, the Jazz were playing the second game of a back to back but the Lakers' overall performance was very impressive. Lamar Odom had 14 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists and Maurice Evans--a nice offseason acquisition--scored 17 points in 23 minutes. The Lakers outrebounded the Jazz, the league's best rebounding team, 43-34. Boozer finished with 26 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Jazz rookie Paul Millsap had 13 points on 6-7 shooting and seven rebounds in only 17 minutes; as Kerr noted, some guys just have a nose for the ball and he might be the steal of the draft.
The Lakers improved to 10-5 and are in first place in the Pacific Division. The one cautionary note about their early success is that their schedule has been heavily loaded with home games, meaning that they will have to do well on the road in the second half of the season to maintain their position in the standings--but Thursday was not about the standings or cautionary notes or anything other than the best player in the game putting on a classic performance. If you missed it, you missed something really special.
posted by David Friedman @ 2:50 AM
Pistons Extend Winning Streak to 7 With 87-85 Victory Over the Heat
Detroit trailed for most of the game, but eventually wore down Miami for an 87-85 win in the first half of TNT's Thursday night doubleheader. Rip Hamilton led the Pistons with 24 points. He scored nine of Detroit's 18 first quarter points as Miami led by seven going into the second quarter. Detroit started out the game by shooting 3-11 from the field while committing four turnovers. Flip Murray came off the bench to provide a boost with eight points in the second quarter and Detroit trimmed the Miami lead to 45-42 at halftime. The Heat clearly did not have a lot left in the tank, even against a Pistons team that was hardly hitting on all cylinders (so to speak). TNT's Charles Barkley predicted at halftime that Detroit would win the game and went so far as to say that Detroit will finish the season with the best record in the East (more on that topic later).
Hamilton's layup with 8:26 left in the third quarter tied the score for the first time, 49-49. The Heat rebuilt their lead to 55-49, but the Pistons closed the period with a 17-9 run to take a 66-64 lead into the fourth quarter. Hamilton scored six of the 17 points.
Murray's jumper with 9:41 remaining put Detroit up 71-65 and the Heat seemed to be fading fast--but Miami scored seven straight points in less than two minutes to regain the lead, 72-71. Then it was Detroit's turn to make a run, as Chauncey Billups hit two three pointers and Rasheed Wallace made one in a 13-4 burst that put Detroit up 84-76. Miami rallied again but could get no closer than 86-85. Wade's attempt to make a game winning jumper barely grazed iron with less than two seconds left and Hamilton made a free throw to close out the scoring.
The game was a rematch of the last two Eastern Conference Finals but did not feel that way; Detroit's heart and soul, Ben Wallace, now plays for the Chicago Bulls and the Heat are now just 6-9, including a 4-7 record without Shaquille O'Neal, who is sidelined with a knee injury. Miami went 11-12 last year when O'Neal was not in the lineup, so it is becoming increasingly clear that, despite Dwyane Wade's obvious gifts, the Heat are basically a .500 team--or worse--when O'Neal is not on the court. Wade finished with 21 points, eight assists and five rebounds in 46 minutes but he shot only 5-23 from the field. He never found a rhythm, either, shooting 1-3 in the first quarter, 1-5 in the second quarter, 1-8 in the third quarter and 2-7 in the fourth quarter. Also, Barkley and Kenny Smith pointed out a lapse in judgement by Wade on the game's final play. Wade held on to the ball and ran the clock down despite the fact that Miami was trailing by one; the correct play would be to take the shot more quickly, leaving enough time for an offensive rebound or a foul--even if Detroit made two free throws, Miami would still have had a chance to send the game into overtime with a three pointer. TNT's Ernie Johnson spoke up in Wade's defense, noting that Wade was probably exhausted from trying to carry the team for the entire game (I don't recall anyone saying that about Kobe Bryant last year when he carried a team without a legitimate post presence into the playoffs...).
During the game, Doug Collins, TNT's outstanding analyst, agreed with Barkley that Detroit will finish with the best record in the East. Detroit Coach Flip Saunders thinks that way, too, and has publicly said that the Pistons will be a better playoff team this year than last year--bold words for someone who guided Detroit to the best record in the league in 2005-06 only to barely beat playoff neophyte Cleveland in a seven game series. The East is so weak this year that anything could happen but there is no way that Detroit is a better team without Ben Wallace, which is the undertone to Saunders' remark. He and Wallace feuded and Saunders wants to prove that the team is better off without the four-time Defensive Player of the Year. A simple glance at Detroit's year by year playoff record shows that this team is in decline: Champions in '04, Finalists in '05, Eastern Conference Finalists in '06. It will not be easy for the Pistons to reverse that trend this year without Wallace and, if they do, it will be more of a reflection on the weakness of the East than any alleged improvement that they have made.
posted by David Friedman @ 2:17 AM
