Antetokounmpo Scores 42 Points, Bucks Survive Fourth Quarter Comeback to Beat Celtics, 103-101
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored a game-high 42 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, and dished for a game-high eight assists as his Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Boston Celtics 103-101 to take a 2-1 series lead. The teams will play one more game in Milwaukee before the series shifts back to Boston for game five. Antetokounmpo shot just .385 from the field in the first two games of this series, but he shot 16-30 (.533) from the field in game three. This is his 13th playoff game with at least 30 points, at least 10 rebounds, and at least five assists. Since the ABA-NBA merger in 1976, only LeBron James and Larry Bird have more such playoff games. Jrue Holiday scored 25 points, but he shot just 11-30 from the field, slightly worse than his .375 field goal percentage in the first two games of the series. Brook Lopez had 13 points and 10 rebounds. He scored 11 of his points in the first half, and his minutes were limited by foul trouble, but his contributions defensively and on the boards were indispensable. Pat Connaughton added 11 points on 4-10 field goal shooting.
Jaylen Brown scored 27 points on 8-16 field goal shooting for the Celtics. He also had 12 rebounds and four assists. Brown scored 15 points on 4-7 field goal shooting in the fourth quarter. Al Horford added 22 points on 9-17 field goal shooting, plus a game-high 16 rebounds, and a team-high five assists. Horford scored 12 points on 5-7 field goal shooting in the fourth quarter. Jayson Tatum outplayed Kevin Durant in Boston's first round sweep of the Brooklyn Nets, but he has not fared as well so far versus Milwaukee, and he had a miserable game three, finishing with just 10 points on 4-19 field goal shooting. Although he had a game-high four blocked shots, Tatum's overall floor game was subpar: three assists, one rebound, one steal, and three turnovers in 41 minutes. Anyone can have a bad shooting game, but when the all-time greats have a bad shooting game they find other ways to control the game, and that is something that Tatum will have to continue to work on to cement his status as a legitimate MVP candidate in the future.
The Bucks shot just .404 from the field, but they held the Celtics to .368 field goal shooting. Other than a few swooping drives by Antetokoumpo and some slick moves by Brown, this game was not a showcase of beautiful offensive basketball, but it was a grimy, hard fought, and intense playoff game.
It is always a special treat when
Hubie Brown is the color commentator. I miss the days when he was a member of his network's number one crew and he was always calling the biggest games, but I am
grateful that the 88 year old Hall of Famer, 1975 ABA champion, and
two-time NBA Coach of the Year (1978, 2004) is still sharp as ever and
still sharing his basketball wisdom. Brown has lived through six decades of pro basketball history (1970s-2020s) as an assistant coach, head coach, and color commentator, but you can tell that he still loves the game and he is enthusiastic about the great players of today--such as Antetokounmpo--while also respecting the accomplishments of the great players from the past, a combination that
far too many current commentators are unable or unwilling to pull off. As is often the case, the first quarter provided a preview of how the game would proceed; contrary to popular belief/misconception, the NBA is just as much a first quarter league as it is a fourth quarter league. The Bucks led 22-19 after the first 12 minutes, nearly matching the final margin, and Antetokounmpo already had eight points and four rebounds while Tatum managed just two points on 1-5 field goal shooting. Antetokounmpo dominating while Tatum struggled to make a shot turned out to be two of this game's major themes.
The second quarter was a bit of an aberration, as the Celtics closed the stanza on a 7-0 run to lead 50-46 at the break. The Celtics are well-coached and they are usually poised, so regardless of how well or how poorly they are shooting they will find ways to stay competitive. However, some of that poise temporarily evaporated in the third quarter, as the Celtics committed five turnovers in the first six minutes to fuel Milwaukee's surge to an 80-66 lead. The score was 80-67 heading into the fourth quarter, and the Bucks led 88-76 with 9:10 remaining after Bobby Portis scored on a putback, but then the Celtics went on a 24-11 run to go ahead 100-99 on two Brown free throws with 1:49 left. On a couple possessions, the Celtics trapped Antetokounmpo and stayed at home on everyone but Connaughton, who missed two wide open three pointers. In those moments, the absence of injured All-Star Khris Middleton was particularly noticeable, because the ball would have been in his hands either to start or finish those plays. Holiday's subpar field goal percentage is probably also at least partially caused by him shouldering a larger offensive load than usual (it is doubtful that he would have attempted 30 shots had Middleton played). That takes nothing away from the Celtics' defensive game plan or their execution of that game plan, but just states the reality that even though the Bucks are in a good position without Middleton the series would look different if he were playing.
Antetokounmpo's driving layup and Holiday's short jumper put the Bucks up, 103-100. The Bucks fouled Marcus Smart with 4.6 seconds remaining. Smart made the first free throw, and he intentionally missed the second free throw. The Celtics failed to convert multiple putback chances before Horford tipped the ball in the hoop, but replay review confirmed that the ball was still in his hands when time expired.
There is no publicly announced timetable for Middleton's return, and without the matchup advantages he provides at both ends of the court game four will probably be another slugfest. The individual numbers will vary from game to game--Tatum will probably not shoot this poorly again, but Holiday will also probably not shoot 2-9 from the field in the fourth quarter--but Antetokounmpo's greatness and Milwaukee's size present formidable challenges even for this very good Boston team.
Labels: Al Horford, Boston Celtics, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Jrue Holiday, Milwaukee Bucks
posted by David Friedman @ 7:30 PM
Joel Embiid Returns, 76ers Stifle Heat in 99-79 Win
Joel Embiid had MVP level impact--if not MVP level numbers--in his return to action after suffering a concussion and orbital fracture, and it is not a coincidence that his Philadelphia 76ers won 99-79 after losing the first two games of this second round series versus the Miami Heat. Embiid finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds while shooting 5-12 from the field, but he anchored a stout Philadelphia defense that held the Heat to 27-77 field goal shooting (.351) after the Heat shot .471 from the field in the previous two games. The 76ers shot 16-33 (.485) from three point range after shooting just .219 from beyond the arc in games one and two. Tyrese Maxey and Danny Green led the 76ers with 21 points each. All of Green's shot attempts were three pointers, and he connected on 7-9.
James Harden came close to "scheduling" the 2-11 "concert tour" date that he has "scheduled" in several previous playoff games and that I--only half jokingly--suggested that he will schedule for an elimination game in this series. Harden finished with 17 points on 4-11 field goal shooting. He also had eight rebounds, six assists, and seven turnovers, so his performance was all over the place with a mixture of the good, the bad, and the ugly. His plus/minus number of +27 during a game in which he shot .364 from the field, gave the ball to the opposing team seven times, and scored just two second half points is a great example of why plus/minus numbers in small sample sizes should sometimes be taken with a grain of salt.
Before the game, Mike Wilbon, not known for making historically accurate or relevant comparisons, compared Embiid's imminent comeback to Willis Reed's comeback in game seven of the 1970 NBA Finals. "Screamin' A" Smith used Embiid's comeback as an excuse to take yet another gratuitous shot at Ben Simmons, saying that Simmons would not have played if he had been in Embiid's shoes, acting as if Simmons missed games on a whim and not because of a back injury that required surgery. Sensible people understand that (1) playing in game three of a second round series is not as historically significant as playing in game seven of the NBA Finals, and (2) Simmons has nothing to do with this series so there is no reason to take a cheap shot smearing his name--and it is even more unseemly to do so in light of the reporting that Simmons has some mental health issues. Legitimate criticism of Simmons' performance and of his decision to not play at the start of the season when he was healthy are both fair, but why target a player who is not even participating in this series and who is recovering from back surgery?
Jimmy Butler scored a game-high 33 points on 12-22 field goal shooting, but his Heat teammates left their focus and their jump shots in South Beach. Most notably, Miami center Bam Adebayo feasted during Embiid's absence with a team-high 23.5 ppg on blistering .714 field goal shooting, but with Embiid in the building Adebayo's numbers shrank to nine points on 2-9 field goal shooting. The 76ers, with Embiid's presence in the paint, deserve more that a little credit for Miami's offensive offense, but it is also fair to say that the Heat uncharacteristically lacked game plan discipline, and that they played without their usual physicality.
The 76ers set the tone from the start, jumping out to an 18-8 lead, but they also committed six turnovers in the first quarter, and those miscues helped the Heat to trim the deficit to 21-17 by the end of the stanza. Harden led the way with nine first quarter points, while Embiid added eight points. Tyler Herro scored six first quarter points for the Heat, but then he disappeared for most of the rest of the game, finishing with 14 points on 5-15 field goal shooting.
The second quarter began in similar fashion, with the 76ers riding a 9-0 run to extend their lead to 30-17. Both teams continued to struggle to score, and the 76ers clung to a 41-34 halftime lead despite shooting 12-35 (.343) from the field and committing nine turnovers. Harden scored 15 points on 3-6 field goal shooting, but he did most of his damage from the free throw line (8-8). He looks like a different player when he earns--or, sometimes, is given--free points. Harden's four first half turnovers helped to keep the Heat within striking distance. Embiid shot just 2-7 from the field but he led both teams with seven rebounds, and his physical presence at both ends of the court made a significant impact. The Heat shot 14-43 (.326) from the field. Butler led the Heat in first half scoring (10 points) and rebounding (six), but he shot just 4-11 from the field. Herro did not score in the second quarter, missing all six of his field goal attempts.
The third quarter had the same script as the first two quarters, with the 76ers pushing their advantage to 51-37 before the Heat made a 20-6 run to tie the score at 57. Butler scored 14 points during that stretch. The 76ers led 68-65 heading into the fourth quarter. Green topped the 76ers in third quarter scoring (nine points on 3-3 field goal shooting). Harden, limited to six third quarter minutes due to foul trouble, did not score and missed both of his field goal attempts.
With the game up for grabs, the Heat squandered a great opportunity to take a 3-0 lead that would have, for all practical purposes, signified the end of the series. The Heat shot 3-15 from the field in the fourth quarter with a very unusual division of labor: Butler shot 3-3, and his teammates shot 0-12. Harden was the only player on either team who played all 12 fourth quarter minutes, so his bloated plus/minus total reflects his participation--or, to be precise, his attendance--during garbage time minutes as he contributed two points on 1-3 field goal shooting yet had a gaudy +17 plus/minus number in the final 12 minutes.
I did not expect or predict a sweep even if Embiid never played a minute in this series. It will be interesting to see if the 76ers can win game four to send this series back to Miami tied 2-2, or if the Heat will reignite their dormant offense to move within one win of reaching the Eastern Conference Finals.
Labels: Danny Green, James Harden, Jimmy Butler, Joel Embiid, Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers, Tyler Herro
posted by David Friedman @ 10:52 PM
Heat Cruise by 76ers as the James Harden "Concert Tour" Wraps up in Miami
The Miami Heat used a balanced scoring attack, blazing three point shooting, and solid defense to defeat the Philadelphia 76ers 119-103 and take a 2-0 lead before the series shifts to Philadelphia for the next two games. Bam Adebayo scored 23 points on 7-11 field goal shooting and he grabbed a team-high nine rebounds. Jimmy Butler added 22 points on 8-15 field goal shooting plus a game-high 12 assists. Victor Oladipo (19 points on 6-11 field goal shooting) and 2022 Sixth Man of the Year Tyler Herro (18 points on 6-10 field goal shooting) provided a huge lift off of the bench. The Heat outrebounded the 76ers 44-34, and the Heat shot 14-29 (.483) from three point range while holding the 76ers to 8-30 (.267) shooting from long distance.
With Joel Embiid sidelined for the second straight game (concussion protocol/orbital fracture), Tyrese Maxey poured in a game-high 34 points on 12-22 field goal shooting. Tobias Harris added 21 points on 9-17 field goal shooting while also contributing four rebounds, four assists, and four steals. Neither Maxey nor Harris committed a single turnover. If only the 76ers had an MVP-caliber player who was selected to the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team so that Maxey and Harris could be the second and third options, then the 76ers might have a real chance in this series even without Embiid.
Instead, the 76ers have a player whose resume is so fraudulent it should form the basis of
a sequel to "Catch Me if You Can." James Harden's "concert tour" from the first game (5-13)
continued as he set a 6-15 tour date tonight. Harden scored 20 points while shooting 6-15 from the field, and he led the 76ers with nine assists; he was inefficient overall, and he was invisible when it mattered the most: in the fourth quarter with the game up for grabs, Harden scored two points and shot 0-3 from the field. He scored four points on 1-5 field goal shooting in the second half.
The "experts" keep saying
that Harden has suddenly aged, but the only thing that has changed is that referees are not rewarding him with phantom foul calls; that means that he gets fewer cheap free throws, and it also means that defenders can guard him normally. Harden's demonstrated skill set now is the same that it was during previous playoff runs, as is his propensity to disappear in crunch time. Harden still overdribbles, jacks up three pointers, shoots poorly, and disappears when
his team needs him the most. Harden was front and center for what Charles Barkley called "one of the worst choke jobs I've ever seen" as Harden's 2019 Houston Rockets lost at home to the Golden State Warriors sans Kevin Durant, and what we are seeing now is just the latest chapter in the epic book of Harden's playoff choke jobs/disappearing acts.
Miami led 31-24 after the first quarter as Butler scored six points on
2-4 field goal shooting. Harden started slowly with four points on 1-4 field goal
shooting. Philadelphia gained no ground in the second quarter, and Miami enjoyed a 60-52 edge at intermission. Harden's only effective minutes happened in the second quarter, when he scored 12 points on 4-6 field goal shooting, but even those numbers are inflated by a gift from Oladipo with .1 second left: Harden was trapped and about to fling a desperation shot when Oladipo lightly bumped him, enabling Harden to parachute out of danger to the free throw line, where he made all three charity tosses. Those three donated points are more than he scored in the entire third quarter, as Maxey
scored 13 points to keep the 76ers within striking
distance while Harden had two points and two assists. Miami led 91-80
heading into the final stanza.
Less than three years ago, Daryl Morey proclaimed that Harden is the greatest scorer in NBA history. With the 76ers' season on the line for all intents and purposes (teams rarely come back from a 2-0 deficit), Harden produced two fourth quarter points while orchestrating an offense that shot 6-18 from the field (.333) and was outscored 28-23. Harden has been pulling this kind of choke job/disappearing act in the playoffs for a decade. Why are people pretending like this is something new? The NBA officiating regular season games correctly and not giving Harden cheap free throw attempts is new, but Harden struggling in the playoffs is not new.
One of Harden's favorite "concert tour" dates is 2-11, a performance that he has scheduled four times during his playoff career. Maybe he is saving that one for an elimination game; it would not be the first time he scheduled a 2-11 tour date for an elimination game.
When "stat gurus" began promoting "advanced basketball statistics," one of the major criticisms that they lobbed at old school NBA executives was that those executives regularly overpaid players because those executives allegedly did not know how to analytically evaluate basketball talent. Many "stat gurus" and their media Boswells got paid a lot of money to promote (and self-promote) such narratives. It will be fascinating to see if Morey, the poster child for the "stat gurus" and someone who has been a general manager for 14 years without reaching the NBA Finals even once, rewards Harden's "concert tour" with a contract extension of more than $200 million. The definitive book on the 76ers' journey from tanking to betting the house on Harden has yet to be written, but it most assuredly is not going to be the book that is inaccurately but amusingly titled Tanking to the Top. If Morey writes that nine figure check to Harden then "Tanking to Oblivion and Overpaying to the Bottom: How 'Advanced Basketball Statistics' Ruined the 76ers" would be a good book title.
Labels: Bam Adebayo, James Harden, Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers, Tobias Harris, Tyler Herro, Tyrese Maxey, Victor Oladipo
posted by David Friedman @ 11:43 PM
Ben Simmons' Back Injury Required Surgery, but That is Unlikely to Silence his Critics
Ben Simmons is expected to need three to four months of physical rehabilitation after having a microdiscectomy surgery scheduled for Thursday to resolve the back injury that has bothered him for months. Will "Screamin' A" Smith and his similarly misinformed colleagues who questioned Simmons' toughness now apologize for demeaning an athlete who had an injury serious enough to require surgical intervention? Will they learn humility and behave better in the future?
You know the sad answer to that question. Being paid $10 million a year to act like a loudmouth fool means, among other things, never having to say you are sorry, and never admitting that you were wrong.
I never took potshots at Simmons, nor did I speculate about mental and/or physical health issues about which I have no firsthand information. In other words, I stuck to the known and confirmed facts, and I provided analysis/commentary based on those known and confirmed facts. That is what serious, professional journalists do. It would be great if the largest media outlets hired serious, professional journalists, but don't hold your breath waiting for that to happen.
Labels: Ben Simmons, Brooklyn Nets, Stephen A. Smith
posted by David Friedman @ 10:45 PM
Morant Ties Playoff Career High With 47 Points as Grizzlies Defeat Warriors, 106-101
The Memphis Grizzlies could not afford to lose game two at home to the Golden State Warriors after missing an opportunity to win game one at the buzzer--and Ja Morant made sure that the Grizzlies prevailed, tying his playoff career high with 47 points, including 18 in the fourth quarter when neither team led by more than four points until the final seconds. Memphis' 106-101 victory tied the series at 1-1, and showed that the Grizzlies are not suffering any lingering aftereffects from squandering a 13 point lead in the first game. Morant was masterful from start to finish, shooting 15-31 from the field (including 5-12 from three point range) and 12-13 from the free throw line while tying for the team lead in rebounds (eight) and leading the team in assists (eight). He had three steals and just two turnovers.
Morant joins a select group of players who notched at least two 45 point playoff games before the age of 25, including Wilt Chamberlain, Rick Barry, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. Morant is also the youngest player to post 47-8-8 in a playoff game, breaking a mark held by James. James and Russell Westbrook are the only players to have two such playoff games.
Memphis' next leading scorer was Ziaire Williams (14 points). Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 12 points before fouling out, but he shot just 3-14 from the field. Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 27 points, but he shot 11-25 from the field, and he had three of his five turnovers in the fourth quarter. Jordan Poole added 20 points on 8-16 field goal shooting. Andrew Wiggins scored 16 points and had nine rebounds, but he shot 6-16 from the field. Klay Thompson scored 12 points on 5-19 field goal shooting, including 2-12 from three point range.
The game got off to a very rough start. With 9:08 remaining in first quarter, Dillon Brooks received a flagrant foul penalty 2 (and automatic ejection) for the windup, impact and follow through as he hit Gary Payton II in the head and knocked Payton out of the air as Payton drove to the hoop for a fast break layup. Payton II suffered a broken elbow after taking a very hard landing on the play. Golden State Coach Steve Kerr called the play "dirty" and said that Brooks had broken the players' code to not hit a vulnerable player in midair in a way that could injure that player. I would say that a dirty play consists of an unsportsmanlike act intended to seriously injure another player; for example, the repeated times that Warrior Draymond Green has struck opposing players below the belt are dirty plays. In contrast, Brooks' play was reckless: he is not a shot blocker and he barely even jumped before hitting Payton, so Brooks would have been well-advised to simply wrap Payton up to prevent Payton from attempting a shot. Swinging wildly to block the shot was (1) not likely to result in a blocked shot and (2) running the risk of injuring Payton. Coaches cannot insist that the "no layup" rule applies in the playoffs and then say that it is a dirty play to try to prevent an opposing player from making a layup--but there is no doubt that Brooks made a reckless play that warranted receiving a flagrant foul penalty 2, and the play was reckless enough (and caused a serious enough injury) that the league has to at least consider suspending Brooks. The point of the flagrant foul rule and of suspending players is to encourage players to not only avoid dirty plays but also to avoid reckless plays.
The Grizzlies led 8-0 when Brooks was ejected, but the Warriors settled down, and pulled to within 56-51 at halftime. Morant already had 23 points on 7-12 field goal shooting at intermission. The Warriors tied the score at 77 heading into the fourth quarter, and after the Warriors took the lead early in the final stanza you could picture the "experts" writing game stories about how the veteran Warriors outplayed the young Grizzlies--but the team that is supposed to have "championship DNA" and more experience in "this environment" lost the game after shooting 2-7 from the field in the final 3:11 as Memphis outscored Golden State 13-4 down the stretch. Morant scored Memphis' final 15 points of the game. How rare is that? The last player who scored his team's final 15 points or more in a playoff victory was LeBron James, who scored Cleveland's final 25 points in an instant classic game five Eastern Conference Finals win versus Detroit.
The Warriors are 13-13 this season in games decided by five points or less. The "stat gurus" will insist that the Warriors do not miss Kevin Durant because Stephen Curry is a better player than Durant, but the rest of us know better.
There are a lot of different ways of looking at this series, but the outcome will probably not be decided until the final moments of game seven. Golden State has the advantage on paper heading home for two games after getting the split on the road, but the Grizzlies are more than capable of winning at least one of the next two road games. Any Golden State happiness about being in the driver's seat for the moment should be tempered by the reality that the Grizzlies are one Morant layup away from being up 2-0.
Labels: Golden State Warriors, Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies, Stephen Curry
posted by David Friedman @ 2:10 AM
Celtics Cruise After Hot Start to Rout Bucks, Tie Series at 1--1
The Milwaukee Bucks dominated the Celtics in Boston in game one, but the Celtics are an excellent team, and no one should be surprised that the Celtics bounced back by playing with great energy in game two, jumping out to a 7-0 lead and never trailing en route to a 109-86 win to tie the series at 1-1. The Celtics improved their ball movement instead of settling for quick shots, they responded with poise to the Bucks' size/physicality, and they shot exceptionally well from three point range (20-43, .465). If the Celtics can do all of those things to the same extent in three more games, then they could win the series--but TNT's Stan Van Gundy made an insightful comment during the fourth quarter, noting that the way that the Bucks scored in the paint during the second half of this game is sustainable over the course of a series, while the Celtics' three point shooting percentage during this game is not sustainable over the course of a
series.
The Bucks' defensive strategy in general and against Boston in particular is to concede three point field goal attempts while protecting the paint. The Bucks will not overreact or panic if the opposing team makes three point shots because the Bucks have confidence that their game plan will work over the course of a series. In game one, the Celtics fired up 50 three point field goal attempts and they made 18 for a decent .360 percentage; the Bucks can live with those numbers. In game two, the Celtics shot 13-20 (.650) from three point range in the first half, and they led 65-40. Overall, the Celtics shot 23-39 from the field (.590) in the first half. Most of that 25 point margin is accounted for by the difference between .650 and .360, with the remainder the result of the Bucks' inability to score efficiently. The Bucks stuck with their defensive strategy, but they did not execute it very well, while the Celtics played crisply and confidently at both ends of the court.
Jaylen Brown struggled in game one, but in game two he scored 17 first quarter point on 6-7 field goal shooting as the Celtics led 32-21 after the first 12 minutes. He finished the first half with 25 points on 9-10 field goal shooting. He cooled off in the second half, but still ended up with a game-high 30 points on 11-18 field goal shooting. Jayson Tatum started slowly, but he scored 29 points on 10-20 field goal shooting. Grant Williams played stout defense and he chipped in 21 points on 7-14 field goal shooting.
Giannis Antetokounmpo did not shoot well in game one, and he had another bad shooting performance in game two. He scored just two first quarter points on 1-7 field goal shooting as the Celtics built a big lead. The Bucks shot 1-11 from the field to start the game, then made seven of their next nine shots, and they finished the first half with a .429 field goal percentage (15-35). Anteotkounmpo had five points, four assists, and two rebounds in the first half while shooting just 2-12 from the field.
Antetokounmpo scored 18 third quarter points on 8-11 field goal shooting as the Bucks outscored the Celtics 26-18, but the Celtics still led 83-66 heading into the fourth quarter. Brown shot 0-4 from the field and did not score a point in the third quarter. A non-championship team may have just thrown in the towel after such a
rough first half, content to go back home with a 1-1 road split--but the
Bucks fought hard in the second half, outscoring the Celtics, 46-44, and cutting the margin to 94-82 in the fourth quarter.
Can the Celtics sustain what they did in the first half for three more
games, or were those two quarters an aberration? By the end of the game, the Celtics' field goal percentage was .475 (.38-80), and they shot just 7-23 (.304) from three point range in the second half.
Anteotkounmpo ended up with 28 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists, but he also had six turnovers while shooting just 11-27 from the field. Al Horford has always defended him well, and Grant Williams used his strength to hold his ground in the post versus Antetokounmpo. The Bucks should figure out ways to use off ball movement and/or screen/roll actions to more often place Antetokounmpo in situations where he is not being guarded by Horford or Williams. Jrue Holiday scored 19 points on 7-20 field goal shooting. The Bucks need more offense from Holiday, particularly with All-Star Khris Middleton likely out for the entire series due to a knee injury. Bobby Portis was solid (13 points, eight rebounds, 5-7 field goal shooting), and Pat Connaughton provided a lift off of the bench (13 points on 6-7 field goal shooting), but the Bucks cannot expect to win too many playoff games against the Celtics while scoring less than 100 points.
This was an impressive win for the Celtics, but the Bucks have home court advantage, and they have favorable matchups that can exploit over the course of a long playoff series. Each game in an NBA playoff series is its own unique entity. During a playoff series, consistent themes emerge that define why one
team is better than the other, but anything can happen in one game,
particularly when both teams are very good. This is one reason that the NBA playoffs are better than the NCAA Tournament:
an inferior team can win in a one and done scenario, but the superior
team will almost always win a seven game series (barring injuries or
other extenuating circumstances).
Labels: Boston Celtics, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Jrue Holiday, Milwaukee Bucks
posted by David Friedman @ 10:46 PM
Suns Top Mavericks Despite Luka Doncic's 45 Points
Despite a scintillating performance by Luka Doncic, the Phoenix Suns led wire to wire to capture their sixth straight game one win, beating the Dallas Mavericks, 121-114. Luka Doncic scored 45 points on 15-30 field goal shooting, ripped down a game-high 12 rebounds, and tied Devin Booker with a game-high eight assists in 44 minutes, but that was not enough to prevent Phoenix from building a 21 point lead before cruising to victory. Doncic now has more 40 point playoff games than any player younger than 24 in NBA history (six, breaking the mark of five set by Rick Barry). Doncic is not as athletic or explosive as LeBron James, but his big impact on multiple box score columns is reminiscent of how the young James had a multi-faceted box score impact at the beginning of his playoff career.
The Suns' countered Doncic's singular excellence with a balanced attack. Deandre Ayton scored 25 points on 12-20 field goal shooting, and he grabbed eight rebounds. Booker had a nice all-around game (23 points, nine rebounds, eight assists) despite not shooting very well from the field (7-20) in his second game back after missing three first round games due to a hamstring injury. Chris Paul finally missed a shot after pitching a perfect game to close out the New Orleans Pelicans in the first round, but he did not miss many shots: he scored 19 points on 7-13 field goal shooting, and he also had five rebounds and three assists. Paul's +14 plus/minus number led both teams.
The Mavericks had their way with the Utah Jazz in the first round, but other than Doncic versus anyone they have no matchup advantages versus the Suns. The Suns run a very efficient offense that probably can only be slowed down by a team that is big enough to control the paint but athletic enough to keep up with Booker, Paul, and the other Phoenix perimeter players.
Labels: Chris Paul, Dallas Mavericks, Deandre Ayton, Devin Booker, Luka Doncic, Phoenix Suns
posted by David Friedman @ 1:42 AM
Harden's "Concert Tour" Continues as Heat Rout 76ers
"We on award tour with Muhammad, my man/Going each and every place with the mic in their hand/New York, NJ, N.C., VA."--A Tribe Called Quest, "Award Tour"
Jalen Rose had the line of the season when he said that James Harden's field goal numbers look like concert tour dates. Every time I watch Harden play now, I think of the classic A Tribe Called Quest song "Award Tour," but I insert my own lyrics as if Harden is the lead singer:
"We on award tour with Daryl Morey, my man/Going each and every place shooting bricks with either hand/Philly, Toronto, Miami."
Harden's "concert tour" rolled into Miami for a May 13 tour date as he shot 5-13 from the field in Miami's 106-92 game one second round win versus his Philadelphia 76ers. Harden finished with 16 points, nine rebounds, five assists, and five turnovers. Even with Joel Embiid out of the lineup because of a concussion and a fractured orbital bone, Harden was no better than the third best player on his team. Tobias Harris scored a game-high 27 points on 11-18 field goal shooting. As Shaquille O'Neal said during TNT's halftime show, Harris has the "triple green light" now because "He's the go-to guy." Harris showed once again that he can attack off of the dribble, make jumpers, and create plays for his teammates. Tyrese Maxey did not have a great game, but he kept attacking, and he finished with 19 points on 6-15 field goal shooting. In contrast, Harden--who is angling for a contract extension worth hundreds of millions of dollars and that would pay him past his 38th birthday--shot 1-4 from the field in the second half as the 76ers went from enjoying a 52-51 halftime lead to losing by double digits.
The Heat, playing without injured All-Star point guard Kyle Lowry and with a sore-kneed Jimmy Butler, did not play their best game, but they pulled away in the fourth quarter as Harden watched and waited for someone to save the day. Tyler Herro led the Heat with 25 points on 9-17 field goal shooting. Bam Adebayo, who should have received more opportunities in the absence of Embiid, finished with 24 points on 8-10 field goal shooting, plus 12 rebounds and four assists. Butler had 15 points and nine rebounds, but he shot just 5-16 from the field while looking nothing like the player who averaged more than 30 ppg in the first four games of the first round versus Atlanta before sitting out game five due to a knee injury.
Remember, when this season began we were told that Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving formed the nucleus of what could be the greatest offense ever. That is just another example of the extent to which many media members are deeply invested in the "James Harden is an all-time great" narrative; they voted him to the All-NBA First Team when he was not one of the league's top two guards, they gave him an MVP, and they even put him on the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team. These media members are never going to admit that they were wrong about Harden, so the new narrative emerging recently is that Harden--who is just 32 years old--has lost a step and does not have the skills that he supposedly used to have. However, anyone who has followed Harden for his entire career can apply the eye test and understand that Harden now is the same player that he has been ever since he fled Oklahoma City to be the number one option in Houston. For years, he relied on (1) being rewarded with free throw attempts after plowing into defenders, (2) traveling on his so-called "step back" move to gain space to shoot three pointers, and (3) being rewarded with three free throw attempts after falling to the ground like an assassination victim during his three point field goal attempts. In short, he did not master basketball but rather he mastered "flop and flail." This enabled Harden to "efficiently" score 25-30 points during games when he shot 5-17 from the field but made 15 or 20 free throws. Also, this made defenders so wary of being called for fouls that many coaches--most notably Gregg Popovich--instructed their players to guard Harden with their hands behind their backs. Obviously, it was a lot easier for Harden to make shots when his opponents literally played with their hands tied. It is telling that Harden's field goal percentage was never very good even during the years when defenders often avoided contesting his shots.
Harden has not slowed down, but the game has caught up with him. For example, consider what happened at the 6:11 mark of the first quarter of tonight's game: Harden made the exact same move at the exact same speed that he has done for a decade, but this time Harden was correctly whistled for a charge after he plowed into P.J. Tucker. The NBA has--finally--decided to officiate correctly. Now, when Harden has a "concert tour" date like his 5-13 performance versus Miami he ends up with 16 points instead of 30.
It's not too late for media members to admit that they were wrong about Harden--well, actually, it is a bit late, unless the league is going to retroactively reallocate awards to their rightful recipients. Adrian Dantley, who drew legitimate foul calls and had a real--i.e., non-traveling--step back move should have been on the 75th Anniversary Team (as should have Chris Bosh, Alex English, Artis Gilmore, Dwight Howard, Bernard King, and Tracy McGrady). Anthony Davis, Carmelo Anthony, and Damian Lillard are other overrated active players who should not have made the 75th Anniversary Team. Maybe a new generation of media members will do better in 25 years when the 100th Anniversary Team is selected.
The only "award" on Harden's "concert tour" should be "Most Overrated MVP" ever. This is not just about one game; anyone who has ever read my work knows better than to even dare suggest that I would base an overall evaluation of any player on his performance in just one game--even a game seven. For many years, I have criticized the high variance style favored by Daryl Morey and James Harden. Harden is who I said he was. Maybe someday more people will understand that truth, and adjust their historical rankings accordingly to give deserved credit to the players who were truly great.
Labels: Bam Adebayo, Daryl Morey, James Harden, Jimmy Butler, Joel Embiid, Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers, Tobias Harris, Tyler Herro
posted by David Friedman @ 11:24 PM
Warriors Overcome 13 Point Deficit to Beat Grizzlies as Morant Misses Layup at the Buzzer
In round one of a bout between former champions and young upstarts, score one for the former champions: the Golden State Warriors overcame a 13 point first half deficit to beat the Memphis Grizzlies 117-116 to gain home court advantage, but don't be surprised if this heavyweight fight goes the full distance. Jordan Poole led the Warriors with 31 points on 12-20 field goal shooting, including 5-10 from three point range. Stephen Curry shot poorly from the field (8-20) and he had a team-worst -9 plus/minus number, but he accumulated 24 points and the Warriors needed every single point. Andrew Wiggins had a solid game (17 points, eight rebounds). Klay Thompson had a wretched shooting night (15 points on 6-19 field goal shooting, 0-2 free throw shooting), but he hit what turned out to be the game-winning three pointer, and he also played a major role in the game-saving defensive play.
Ja Morant scored a game-high 34 points on 14-31 field goal shooting, but his final miss is the one that will be remembered most because that shot was the difference between Memphis being up 1-0 or being down 0-1. In fairness to Morant, it must be noted that he scored 11 fourth quarter points to keep the Grizzlies alive, and he finished with a game-high 10 assists plus nine rebounds. Jaren Jackson Jr. had a playoff career-high 33 points, nailing hook shots in the paint while also connecting on 6-9 from three point range. De'Anthony Melton provided a spark with 14 points off of the bench and Brandon Clarke contributed 12 points plus nine rebounds, but the Grizzlies need more scoring/better shooting from Dillon Brooks (eight points, 3-13 field goal shooting) and Desmond Bane (nine points, 3-10 field goal shooting).
Many game stories focus on the fourth quarter--and this game had some key fourth quarter moments that deserve analysis--but the reality is that NBA games are often won or lost in the first half. Here, Memphis built a 42-29 lead early in the second quarter before a series of bad possessions at both ends of the court fueled a 10-0 Golden State run. The value of each possession in a playoff game should not be understated. The Grizzlies never enjoyed a double digit cushion the rest of the way, which set the stage for the Warriors being able to make just enough late game plays to win.
Instead of mentioning that the Grizzlies frittered away their 13 point lead, most game stories that discuss the first half at all will focus on what happened at the 1:18 mark of the second quarter: Clarke drove to the hoop, Draymond Green smacked him in the face, pulled him down by his jersey, and then reached out at the last second to brace Clarke's fall after fouling him twice on the same play. The game officials reviewed the play, and assessed a flagrant foul penalty 2 against Green, which meant that Green was automatically ejected. Green then ran around the court like a fool before eventually going to the locker room. I have never understood why players celebrate being ejected. A flagrant foul penalty 2 is distinguished by contact that is deemed "unnecessary and excessive," while a flagrant foul penalty 1 is assessed for contact that is determined to be unnecessary but not excessive. These are subjective determinations to some extent, but the officials look at the windup, impact, and follow through of a foul to determine if the foul is a common foul, a flagrant foul penalty 1, or a flagrant foul penalty 2. Contact above the neck area is deemed to be more serious--and more likely to be classified as a flagrant foul-- than contact below the neck (except for contact to the groin, of course). Green hit Clarke hard in the face, so there was clearly windup, impact, and follow through above the neck area. Green then yanked Clarke out of the air. The notion that Green should not get a flagrant foul penalty 2 because he did not just let Clarke hit the court with full force after fouling him twice makes no sense. Green had already done enough to earn an ejection before Clarke landed; if Green had not braced Clarke's fall, Green may have been looking at a suspension in addition to an ejection. If Green thinks that he is being unfairly targeted by the officials, then there is a simple solution for him: don't hit opponents in the face or groin. I guarantee that if he stops doing those two things he will stop being assessed flagrant fouls and ejections.
The Grizzlies led 54-53 before Green was ejected. They pushed that margin to six, 61-55, by halftime, but the Warriors actually did better in the second half with a big lineup than they did in the first half with a smaller lineup featuring Green at center. The Grizzlies usually win the rebounding battle, but the Warriors outrebounded them, 51-47. Six Warriors had more rebounds than Green, who finished with just four. An even more significant issue for the Grizzlies than not winning the rebounding battle is that the Grizzlies gave up several easy scoring opportunities to cutters. The Warriors deserve credit for being a team that moves well without the ball, but it was also apparent that the Grizzlies simply blew many defensive assignments. The rebounding and defensive issues also contributed to the Grizzlies playing at a slower than desirable pace; the Grizzlies are at their best when they get stops, control the boards, and then attack in transition before the opposing defense is set. Rebounding, defensive assignment discipline, and playing at a faster pace are three areas that the Grizzlies should be able to improve for game two and the rest of the series.
After the Grizzlies blew their double digit lead and after the Warriors went with a bigger second half lineup sans Green, the game was close the rest of the way. Thompson's three pointer with just under 37 seconds remaining put the Warriors up, 117-116. The Grizzlies should have pushed the ball up the court not only to try to score in transition but also to go for a two for one shot opportunity. Instead, the Grizzlies burned almost all 24 seconds off of the shot clock before Curry got a piece of Morant's layup attempt. The Grizzlies wasted an additional eight seconds before committing a foul, and then they lost nearly five more seconds before fouling Thompson, who is an excellent free throw shooter. Thompson missed both free throws, but after the second miss went out of bounds the officials were not able to determine who touched the ball last. Memphis controlled the ensuing jump ball, and called a timeout. The Grizzlies executed a wonderful inbounds play that resulted in Morant catching the ball on the move to the hoop. Morant made it all the way to the rim, but Thompson's contested hand influenced Morant to loft the shot too high, and it missed the mark as time expired. Morant stood in shocked disbelief by the basket stanchion as the Warriors celebrated.
The significance of not only winning game one but also stealing home court advantage should not be understated; the Grizzlies face an uphill battle now. However, the Grizzlies demonstrated during game one that there are matchup advantages that they can exploit throughout this series, and they also made some unforced errors that they are capable of correcting. Based on those matchup advantages, I predicted that Memphis would win this series in seven games. I expect Memphis to win game two, split the games at Golden State to reclaim home court advantage, and then take games five and seven at home in what may turn out to be the best and most competitive playoff series in 2022.
Labels: Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors, Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., Jordan Poole, Klay Thompson, Memphis Grizzlies, Stephen Curry
posted by David Friedman @ 2:08 AM
Bucks Dominate Celtics in Paint En Route to 101-89 Win
The Boston Celtics swept the Brooklyn Nets, but on Sunday afternoon the Milwaukee Bucks reminded the world that there is a big difference between being the NBA champion and being crowned as a paper champion before the season. The NBA champion Bucks beat the Celtics 101-89 while holding Boston to .333 field goal shooting and just 10 two point field goals made. The Bucks' defensive strategy is to protect the paint and force their opponents to beat them from three point range. The Celtics attempted 50 three pointers and made 18 for a decent .360 percentage, but those are numbers that the Bucks will accept every game, as long as they continue to keep the Celtics out of the paint. The Bucks did not shoot very well (37-90 from the field, .411) but--contrary to the "stat gurus" who insist that the optimal NBA game strategy should be based on the notion of "three being more than two"--the reality of playoff basketball is that scoring in the paint and defending the paint are very important. Boston players and fans will no doubt say that the Celtics just missed shots that they would normally make, but that fails to take into account that Milwaukee is not a "normal" team. Also, it is unlikely that Giannis Antetokounmpo will have another 9-25 field goal shooting performance (.360) in this series, even though Al Horford is known for defending him as well as anyone.
Antetokounmpo dominated the game despite his subpar shooting, posting his second career playoff triple double while leading both teams in rebounds (13) and assists (12). His putback dunk after passing the ball to himself off of the backboard was the highlight of the game, but his defense, rebounding, passing, and paint scoring were the biggest stories of the game.
Jrue Holiday scored a game-high 25 points on 8-20 field goal shooting while contributing nine rebounds, five assists, and three steals. Bobby Portis added 15 points and 11 rebounds. Book Lopez' numbers do not jump out of the box score (six points, 10 rebounds, three blocked shots), but his size, mobility, and physicality played a major role in preventing Boston from scoring in the paint. The Bucks won game one without the services of
All-Star Khris Middleton, who will likely miss the entire series after
suffering a knee injury in the first round.
Jayson Tatum outplayed Kevin Durant in the first round, but he shot just 6-18 from the field and he finished with 21 points, six rebounds, and six assists. Jaylen Brown also struggled to score against Milwaukee's stifling defense (12 points, 4-13 field goal shooting). Horford had 12 points and 10 rebounds in addition to playing solid defense on Antetokounmpo, but he did not make a shot inside the three point arc.
Each game in a playoff series tends to have a slightly different specific story line, but the broad matchup tendencies remain constant throughout a playoff series. Here, Milwaukee's size poses tremendous problems for Boston at both ends of the court. Boston can and probably will play better, but Milwaukee also can and probably will play better; the game to game specifics will change, but the Celtics will not grow taller during this series, and the Bucks will not change their strategy of forcing the Celtics to beat them from outside of the paint.
Labels: Boston Celtics, Brook Lopez, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Jrue Holiday, Milwaukee Bucks
posted by David Friedman @ 12:43 AM
