Lakers Bounce Back From Blowout Loss, Rout Warriors
When Anthony Davis and LeBron James play effectively in the paint, the L.A. Lakers can be very good--and game three of their second round series versus the Golden State Warriors dramatically illustrated that: Davis and James dominated inside, and the Lakers won easily, 127-97. Davis led both teams in scoring (25 points), rebounds (13), and blocked shots (four). He had a tremendous impact at both ends of the court, but particularly on defense: he proved that he can both disrupt screen/roll actions on the perimeter and drop into the paint to contest shots and grab rebounds. The Lakers held the Warriors to .396 field goal shooting while forcing 19 turnovers. There is not a boxscore number that connects those team numbers to Davis' play, but he had more to do with the Lakers' dominant defense than any other player.
James finished with 21 points, eight rebounds, eight assists, and no turnovers. He played with more energy on defense than he has in a long time. Before the game, ABC's Jeff Van Gundy declared, "LeBron James has to
have a throwback game where he lives in the paint and in the post."
During the game, Van Gundy added that the Lakers cannot win this series if James only plays hard sporadically. James did not attempt a shot in the first quarter for the first time in
his playoff career, an odd look for the NBA's all-time scoring leader in both the regular season and the playoffs. ABC's Mark Jackson labeled James' passivity
"inexcusable," emphasizing that James is not being guarded by a lockdown
defender and that the Lakers' game plan does not involve James refusing
to shoot.
After the first quarter, James played the way that the Lakers
need for him to play and that--combined with Davis controlling the
paint at both ends of the court--lifted the Lakers to a convincing win.
In the first quarter, D'Angelo Russell scored 13 points on 5-7 field goal shooting (including 3-4 from three point range)--and he had a -6 plus/minus number as the Warriors enjoyed a 30-23 lead after the first 12 minutes. Russell scored eight points the rest of the game, and the Lakers won going away. There could not be a more vivid example of what factors make the Lakers good, and what factors are not only irrelevant but potentially even counterproductive. I am not suggesting that Russell played poorly. Obviously, he played well. I am pointing out that both the eye test and the statistical evidence show that Russell hitting three pointers does not have a cause/effect relationship with the Lakers winning. The Lakers took command of the game when Davis and James took command of the paint; after Davis and James asserted themselves, the Lakers transformed an 11 point second quarter deficit into a 59-48 halftime lead.
Not only did the Lakers play very well in game three, but the Warriors displayed the worst version of themselves: they had careless turnovers, they missed defensive assignments, they committed silly fouls, and they were whistled for three technical fouls plus one flagrant foul at times when the outcome was still in doubt. Van Gundy noted that even experienced teams can struggle with maintaining the focus that is necessary to win two consecutive games in a playoff series, particularly because of psychological factors that he asserts favor a team that just lost in a blowout; if he is correct about the latter observation and if that pattern holds true in game four then it bodes well for the Warriors.
Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 23 points, but he shot just 9-21 from the field and he only had three assists after dishing for 12 assists in game two. Andrew Wiggins added 16 points, a team-high nine rebounds, and four assists. Klay Thompson scored 15 points on 5-14 field goal shooting. Draymond Green, who raves about his high basketball IQ, had more fouls (five) than points (two) and rebounds (two) combined, and he had the same number of field goals made and technical fouls (one each). He may want to focus more of his attention on the task at hand and less of his attention on making videos mocking Dillon Brooks. We understand that Brooks is a knucklehead without Green telling us; Green's primary job is playing for the Warriors, not being a social media influencer, and he should remember that.
This was an impressive win for the Lakers, and it sets up a crucial game four for both teams: the Lakers need to win to maintain the homecourt advantage that they obtained by winning game one at Golden State, while the Warriors need to win to avoid falling into a daunting 3-1 hole. It is fair to say that the game four winner will also win the series: the Lakers have been inconsistent all season, but they are unlikely to blow a 3-1 lead, and the Warriors are unlikely to lose another home game if they wrest back homecourt advantage.
Labels: Anthony Davis, D'Angelo Russell, Golden State Warriors, Klay Thompson, L.A. Lakers, LeBron James, Stephen Curry
posted by David Friedman @ 11:58 PM
Heat Chill Knicks, Take 2-1 Series Lead
The Miami Heat never trailed, never stopped hustling, and never left a doubt about their superiority while beating the New York Knicks 105-86 to take a 2-1 series lead. Jimmy Butler missed game two because of a sprained right ankle and he was listed as questionable prior to the start of game three, but he proved to be the best player on the court not only because of his game-high 28 points but also because of his energy, defense, and playmaking; he was only credited with three assists, but this game is a great example of how a player can create plays without piling up a large number of assists. The New York defense had to shift to help out Butler's primary defender, which created passing angles for Butler and space for his teammates to cut; Butler consistently made the correct reads and the correct passes, even if the next pass after Butler's pass became the assist pass. This is a significant part of playing winning basketball, because there are many NBA players who prefer racking up assists to racking up wins, and those players hesitate to make non-assist passes: they either shoot or else they make a pass that they believe is likely to result in a shot attempt (which is not always the optimal pass for the team). The Heat's other double figure scorers were Max Strus (19 points), Bam
Adebayo (17 points, team-high 12 rebounds), and Kyle Lowry (14 points).
Hubie Brown provided the color commentary on the ABC broadcast. I believe this was his first national telecast since he did game three of the Atlanta-Boston first round series. Even though Brown is no longer a lead color commentator doing every game in the most high profile series, it is obvious that he does his research and knows the strengths and weaknesses of the players and the teams. In the first quarter, Brown noted that the Heat already led 18-8 in points in the paint, and he said that was a bad sign for the Knicks. Brown repeatedly emphasized the importance of attacking the paint, noting that even if doing so does not result in points early in the game it has the effect of wearing down the opponent and creating easier shot opportunities later in the game (Lakers fans should hope that Anthony Davis and LeBron James take note). At the other end of the court, Brown pointed out that the Heat's multiple efforts on each defensive possession shut down the Knicks' halfcourt offense. Both observations proved prescient: the Heat outscored the Knicks in the paint 50-36--nearly matching the margin of victory--and the Heat shut down the Knicks' halfcourt offense, holding New York to .341 field goal shooting, including .200 from beyond the arc.
Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 20 points, but the Heat harassed him
into 7-20 field goal shooting. Josh Hart added 15 points and 12
rebounds. Brown loves Hart's game: "Hart is like the maintenance man--he's everywhere." R.J. Barrett struggled to make a shot (14 points, 5-16 field goal shooting), and Julius Randle was more off target (10 points, 4-15 field goal shooting) than Knick fan "Screamin' A" Smith acting like he understands basketball; it would be wonderful if someone explained to Smith (1) no one cares which team he likes, (2) no one cares how much he wants to go to South Beach (he reportedly makes at least $12 million a year, so he can go there whenever he wants, and true basketball fans wish he would just go there and stay off the airwaves), and (3) having access to coaches and players does not confer basketball wisdom unless you use that access for the purpose of gaining greater understanding.
Smith and Mike Wilbon love dropping names, but no one watching cares who they met and who they know, particularly when it is apparent that having NBA legends on speed dial is not helping Smith or Wilbon understand the sport. It should be noted and emphasized that Wilbon has been an excellent general sports columnist for a long time (his tribute to legendary sports writer Shirley Povich is wonderful and he wrote a great remembrance of Sam Lacy as well)--but his NBA takes are often off target, and that has been true for a long time. Granted, Wilbon sounds like the voice of reason when sitting next to "Screamin A," but that is a bar so low that an earthworm could hurdle over it.
Recently, I listened to a Jeff Van Gundy radio interview during which he correctly noted that in-game adjustments and adjustments in general are highly overrated, a point that he often makes during telecasts. "Play harder" is Van Gundy's recommendation for the best "adjustment" that any team can make. I don't think that it is a coincidence that we rarely if ever see Van Gundy on the same telecast with Wilbon, "Screamin' A," McMenamin, or Windhorst, and I cannot ever recall listening to Van Gundy discuss/debate basketball on air with any of those guys--and the reason for that is evident: much of what those guys say that is supposed to be basketball wisdom would be contradicted by anyone who understands the sport and is not afraid to contradict them. I am not talking about the unwatchable exchanges between "Screamin' A" and Wilbon, nor am I talking about the restraint and diplomacy that the perceptive Jalen Rose employs when he contradicts "Screamin' A" and Wilbon; I am talking about someone looking Wilbon, "Screamin' A," McMenamin, or Windhorst in the eye and telling the full truth about in-game adjustments and about how to correctly evaluate/rank players. Listening to ESPN's "experts" during the pregame show and then listening to Brown or Van Gundy during games is as different as listening to a delusional person screaming gibberish versus listening to a subject matter expert calmly providing relevant analysis.
Speaking of "adjustments," the most important thing for the Knicks to do in game four is to match the Heat's energy and intensity. The Heat are missing Tyler Herro and Victor Oladipo, and Jimmy Butler is not at full strength, but every Heat player plays hard on every possession, and that has been the biggest difference in this series.
Labels: Hubie Brown, Jimmy Butler, Julius Randle, Miami Heat, Mike Wilbon, New York Knicks, Stephen A. Smith
posted by David Friedman @ 8:24 PM
Harden's "Concert Tour" Overshadows Embiid's MVP Award Night as Celtics Beat 76ers to Reclaim Homecourt Advantage
Newly crowned MVP Joel Embiid played like the MVP, but his teammates--most notably James Harden--came up short as the Boston Celtics defeated Embiid's Philadelphia 76ers 114-102 to take a 2-1 series lead and reclaim homecourt advantage. Jayson Tatum (27 points, 10 rebounds, five assists) and Jaylen Brown (23 points, seven rebounds, five assists) led the way for the Celtics while providing further evidence that they may be the NBA's best duo: both players are versatile offensively and both players are excellent defensive players.
Embiid led both teams in scoring (30 points), rebounds (13), and blocked shots (four), but his teammates shot just 22-59 (.373) from the field to spoil an otherwise special night for Embiid. Before the game, Embiid received his 2022-23 regular season MVP trophy from NBA Commissioner Adam Silver in front of an adoring and cheering Philadelphia crowd. Embiid's young son ran up to him during the midcourt ceremony, and Embiid proudly picked him up, saying that his son is a big part of what motivates him: Embiid explained that fatherhood has changed him and helped him focus on making his son proud. Embiid's journey from growing up in Cameroon to becoming an NBA superstar is inspiring and praiseworthy, and his heartfelt reaction to receiving the MVP trophy was touching.
That being said, there is little reason to believe that Embiid is ever going to lead the 76ers past the second round of the playoffs; every postseason he gets hurt, or he is ineffective, or both, and a team that was built by tanking (instead of developing together organically and learning winning habits by overcoming adversity) falls apart at the first hint of adversity.
Many 76ers did not play well, but three 76ers make at least $33 million per year while the other players make $10 million per year or less (most make $5 million per year or less). Embiid earned his large salary during the season and in game three as well. Tobias Harris is an afterthought in an offense that either force feeds Embiid or else watches Harden brick shots and throw the ball all over the gym; Harris scored seven points on 3-6 field goal shooting in 25 minutes--but the ball is not in his hands most of the time, so he produced as much as he had an opportunity to produce.
Harden touches the ball on virtually every possession. It is not clear what it will take for everyone to understand that he is just not that guy. The people who don't see that now are like those last holdouts in the jungle who did not believe that World War II had ended. The war is over, and we know the outcome: Harden is a regular season stat accumulator who crumbles in the playoffs. The 76ers are not paying him $33,000,000 to have one good playoff game in the second round; he is supposed to be an all-time great player who can help lift a team to a championship.
Harden finished with 16 points on 3-14 field goal shooting. He passed for 11 assists and grabbed six rebounds, but he committed five turnovers. Harden shot 5-28 from the field in games two and three combined. Yes, these two games are yet another "concert tour" for Harden: February 14 (2-14) followed up by March 14 (3-14). I have not looked it up, but I am going to go out on a limb and say that no other player on the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team ever had back to back playoff games like that.
Adrian Dantley, Alex English, and Bernard King did not make the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team, but Mr. 5-28 did. The voters failed. Let's just be honest.
If you understand basketball, you know what a great player looks like and you can recognize a great player even on an off night. Michael Jordan did not have many off nights, but even when he did you could detect his greatness by watching his energy level, his footwork, his fundamentals, and his defense.
If you watched Harden in game three without knowing about the hype and the salary, you would not believe that he is a great player.
Harden is supposed to be an all-time great player, but he is not really an all-time great player. I have been saying this for a decade, and I have been right for a decade. I will repeat what I wrote after the Celtics routed the 76ers in game two: "We know who 'playoff Harden' is: we see him every year, from the 'concert tour' field goal percentages to the pathetic elimination game performances.
Harden is not going to dominate a playoff series against an excellent
team; he is going to have one or two good games surrounded by several
bad games. This is not a newsflash, nor is it 'hate': Harden's playoff
resume is a matter of public record."
There will be plenty of time to discuss the Celtics in greater depth as they advance toward their goal of winning an NBA title. While game three certainly was about Celtics' greatness on display, it was also about exposing Harden yet again. Any player can have a bad game--Tatum did not play well offensively in game two. The problem with Harden is that his resume is packed with horrible playoff games.
Labels: Boston Celtics, James Harden, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
posted by David Friedman @ 12:32 AM
Warriors Control Paint, Rout Lakers 127-100 to Tie Series at 1--1
Klay Thompson scored a game-high 30 points on 11-18 field goal shooting--including 8-11 from three point range--as the Golden State Warriors led by as many as 32 points en route to a 127-100 win over the L.A. Lakers to tie their second round series at 1-1. Stephen Curry had a quiet scoring game by his standards with 20 points on 7-12 field goal shooting, but he had tremendous impact with his passing (game-high 12 assists) and his overall shot creation in terms of breaking down the Lakers' defense off the dribble to create open shots even on plays when he did not make the assist pass. JaMychal Green started in place of Kevon Looney, contributing 15 points on 6-9 field goal shooting in just 13 minutes. Looney, who was limited to 12 minutes by an undisclosed illness that affected him prior to the start of the game, had six points and eight rebounds.
LeBron James led the Lakers with 23 points and tied for team-high honors with seven rebounds, but he had just two points on 1-5 field goal shooting in the third quarter as the Warriors outscored the Lakers 43-24. Three of James' five field goal attempts in that crucial period were three pointers. The Warriors led 110-80 at the end of the third quarter, and thus James and the other four Lakers' starters did not play in the fourth quarter. Rui Hachimura was the only Laker who played at or above expected standards, finishing with 21 points on 8-14 field goal shooting. Anthony Davis had 11 points, seven rebounds, four assists, three blocked shots, and zero meaningful impact on the outcome of the game.
Thompson's three point shooting was important, but it must be noted that the Warriors outscored the Lakers 48-42 in the paint, flipping the script from game one when the Lakers dominated the paint scoring by a 54-28 margin. The Warriors also outrebounded the Lakers 55-40 after being outrebounded 53-49 in game one. As ESPN's Jeff Van Gundy put it, during the second quarter the Warriors were "living in the paint." Early in the third quarter, Van Gundy noted that James "does not love to play in the post" but that his team needs him to do so more often because "he is so overpowering."
The extent to which the Lakers are successful is not about "lasers" or Russell Westbrook or the role players who the Lakers acquired in exchange for Westbrook; it is much simpler than that: when Anthony Davis and LeBron James play effectively in the paint at both ends of the court the Lakers can be dangerous--but when Davis and James do not play effectively in the paint at both ends of the court the Lakers are the same mediocre team that they were for most of the regular season when Davis and James were missing in action in terms of attacking the paint (or just missing in action, period: Davis sat out 26 regular season games, and James sat out 27 regular season games).
The reason that I keep saying that the Lakers are not better now than they were before they traded future Hall of Famer Westbrook for three role players is that I am evaluating the team's capability to win a playoff series against a good team at full strength; I am not impressed by the Lakers winning a few regular season games against tanking teams, injury-depleted teams, and teams that had already secured their playoff position. When the Lakers had an opportunity to avoid the Play-In Tournament by beating their crosstown rival L.A. Clippers, the Lakers lost and James made excuses. The Lakers needed overtime to beat a mediocre Minnesota team in the Play-In Tournament, and it took them six games to dispatch a Memphis team missing two of its best big men, one of Ja Morant's hands, and half of Dillon Brooks' brain.
Davis lived up to his press clippings in game one versus Golden State, and the Lakers won by five points; unless you believe that Davis is going to consistently put up 30-23 stat lines, a close win in what may turn out to be his best game of the series is not a great sign for the Lakers. Davis disappeared in game two, and the Warriors obliterated the Lakers. Yes, the series is tied 1-1, and yes the Lakers have the mathematical advantage because they do not need to win another road game to advance--but the Warriors have the better, more consistent, and more disciplined team. The Lakers were unable or unwilling to figure out how to best utilize Westbrook's talents, and they are unable or unwilling to figure out how coax Davis into playing effectively in the paint on a consistent basis. When the going gets tough, James is content to jack up three pointers, put up decent boxscore numbers, and absolve himself of responsibility for the game's outcome. I have followed the Lakers closely this season, and until they prove otherwise they are who I said they are.
Labels: Anthony Davis, Golden State Warriors, Klay Thompson, L.A. Lakers, LeBron James, Stephen Curry
posted by David Friedman @ 1:00 AM
Celtics Rout Listless 76ers, Tie Series at 1-1
Jaylen Brown (25 points on 9-17 field goal shooting) led a balanced Boston attack featuring five double figure scorers as the Celtics blew out the Philadelphia 76ers 121-87 to tie their second round series at 1-1. Interestingly, Jayson Tatum--who set Boston's regular season scoring record by averaging 30.1 ppg in 2022-23--scored just seven points. A combination of early foul trouble plus Boston's big lead limited Tatum's playing time. The Celtics never trailed after the 2:38 mark of the first quarter; if this game had been a race, it would have been Secretariat versus a three-legged mule.
If there is one important lesson to understand and remember about the NBA playoffs, it is that individual and team performances can fluctuate from game to game but by the end of a seven game series the best team will prevail (barring major injuries or unusual circumstances). After the Philadelphia 76ers sans 2022-23 regular season MVP Joel Embiid beat the Boston Celtics 119-115 in game one of this series, we heard a lot of noise about the Celtics being in trouble and the 76ers being poised to win the series after Embiid's imminent return. Anyone who follows pro basketball closely knew that James Harden's 45 point game one explosion was an aberration. We know who "playoff Harden" is: we see him every year, from the "concert tour" field goal percentages to the pathetic elimination game performances. Harden is not going to dominate a playoff series against an excellent team; he is going to have one or two good games surrounded by several bad games. This is not a newsflash, nor is it "hate": Harden's playoff resume is a matter of public record.
Embiid's return to action did not provide a boost to his team, to put it mildly. Hobbling around with a big brace on his injured knee, Embiid scored 13 points on 4-9 field goal shooting, and he grabbed just three rebounds, but he did somehow find a way to block five shots. Tobias Harris led the 76ers with 16 points.
What about Harden, the greatest scorer in NBA history? He finished with 12 points on 2-14 field goal shooting. Harden led the 76ers in rebounding (10 rebounds) and assists (four), directing an amazing offense--as only he can, according to Daryl Morey--that shot 31-79 from the field (.392).
Every year around this time, we hear the timeout huddle audio of Philadelphia Coach Doc Rivers begging his team to play hard, and we heard that again in game two. Embiid and Harden give great lip service about sacrifice and about how important it is to them to win a championship. Is it too much to ask them to play hard during the playoffs? Embiid has never advanced past the second round, and Harden's epic playoff meltdowns will be remembered decades from now as some of the iconic moments of this era, so it is amazing to watch them surrender meekly against a team that has reached the Eastern Conference Finals four times in the past six seasons. What a powerful statement by the newly crowned MVP, and the former MVP who boasts about how he will do anything to win a title and about how he is built for such moments: if Harden were a manufactured product built for playoff success, he would be subject to immediate government recall for incurable, fatal defects.
The math majors out there will be quick to point out that the 76ers "did what they needed to do by getting a split on the road" and thus are in command of the series because Boston must win in Philadelphia but the 76ers do not have to win another game in Boston. The 76ers were built by tanking and "advanced basketball statistics," so this series is all about math--and, after the 76ers lose the series while Harden disappears in the elimination game, it will be all about excuses.
There are precious few certainties in this world: Death, taxes, Harden
choking in the playoffs, and teams led by Embiid and Harden not playing hard
after the first round of the playoffs.
Labels: Boston Celtics, James Harden, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
posted by David Friedman @ 12:31 AM
Davis Dominates Paint as Lakers Seize Homecourt Advantage With 117-112 Win at Golden State
Anthony Davis scored 30 points on 11-19 field goal shooting, grabbed 23 rebounds, passed for five assists, and blocked four shots to lead the L.A. Lakers to a 117-112 game one win at Golden State. Davis joined Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Shaquille O'Neal as the
only Lakers players to have at least 30 points, at least 20 rebounds,
and at least five assists in the same playoff game. The Lakers outscored the Warriors in the paint 54-28, outrebounded the Warriors 53-49, and held the Warriors to .406 field goal shooting (43-106), including .415 (22-53) from inside the arc.
The Warriors made 21 three pointers and shot an excellent .396 from beyond the arc while the Lakers shot 6-25 (.240) from three point range--but the Lakers won by controlling the paint, mainly because of Davis but also with help from LeBron James, who had 11 rebounds and three blocked shots. The Lakers would have won more comfortably if James had not shot 1-8 from three point range and instead focused on attacking the paint. James scored 22 points on 9-24 field goal shooting, and when he stayed inside the three point arc he made half of his shots.
Dennis Schroder scored 19 points, shooting 5-10 from the field and 9-10 from the free throw line.
Stephen Curry did not duplicate the sparking productivity and efficiency he displayed while scoring 50 points in Golden State's game seven win at Sacramento; he finished with 27 points on 10-24 field goal shooting, and his fellow Splash Brother had similar numbers: 25 points on 9-25 field goal shooting. Jordan Poole contributed 21 points on 7-15 field goal shooting, but he fired up a wild shot from way beyond the arc with 9.7 seconds remaining and the Warriors only down by three points; he had plenty of time to get a better shot for himself or make one more pass, instead of letting the outcome of the game hinge on one low percentage shot: everyone goes crazy about logo shots when they go in, but they are low percentage shots, and but most of the time you can spell "logo shot" more simply: l-o-s-s. Kevon Looney had 10 points, 23 rebounds, and five assists, but no other Warrior had more than six rebounds.
I have repeatedly written about the importance of game one in general, and it is obviously significant to win a game one on the road, but let's not forget that the Warriors trailed 2-0 in the first round before eliminating the Kings, and they trailed 2-1 to the Boston Celtics in last year's NBA Finals before winning that series in six games. Statistically, most teams that lose game one or that fall behind 2-1 or 3-2 will lose, but the Warriors have proven capable of overcoming those odds.
Today will be a good day to skip watching or listening to the basketball talking heads, because one win by this particular Lakers team is likely to prompt collective insanity from the chattering class. When Anthony Davis dominates the paint at both ends of the court, it is
difficult to beat the L.A. Lakers, a simple basketball truth that
explains the ups and downs of the Lakers' 2022-23 season--but one can be
certain that other game recaps are going to reference some combination
of "lasers," how brilliant it was to trade future Hall of Famer Russell
Westrbrook for three role players, and how important outside shooting is
in the modern game because of the "gravity" it provides, which is just one aspect of the
secret wisdom that only "stat gurus" have as a result of their special understanding of "advanced basketball
statistics."
It is true that D'Angelo Russell played well in game one, scoring 19 points on 9-19 field goal shooting while passing for six assists. He shot 1-5 from three point range. This is the third time in seven playoff games this season that he scored at least 19 points, and the third time that he shot at least .450 from the field. He is making a solid contribution, but he did not singlehandedly turn the Lakers' season around (nor did getting rid of Westbrook amount to some form of addition by subtraction). Jarred Vanderbilt played good defense, grabbed six rebounds, and scored eight points on 2-7 field goal shooting. Malik Beasley, the third player acquired in the Westbrook trade, did not play and he has now fallen completely out of the rotation.
Anthony Davis missed 24 of the Lakers' first 51 games. He has missed just two games since that time, and he has played in all seven playoff games. The Lakers' midseason acquisition of a healthy Anthony Davis is, by far, their most significant "trade." The second most important acquisition for the Lakers is the return, to some extent at least, of the version of LeBron James that plays in the paint; as noted above, he is still jacking up way too many three pointers, but he is rebounding, he is playing defense on most possessions, and he is driving to the hoop sometimes. It is the play of the two members of the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team that can open up opportunities for the rest of the roster, not the other way around. How dangerous would this Lakers team be if they had been willing and able to fully utilize Westbrook's skills?
It will be interesting listening to (or avoiding) all of the talk by the "experts" in the next few days, and then it will be very interesting to watch the rest of this series.
Labels: Anthony Davis, Golden State Warriors, Kevon Looney, Klay Thompson, L.A. Lakers, LeBron James, Stephen Curry
posted by David Friedman @ 10:15 AM
Jokic Dominates as Nuggets Take 2-0 Series Lead Over Suns
The number one seed that few commentators seem to respect and that every team supposedly wanted to face is now up 2-0 versus a Phoenix Suns team that many observers crowned as a future champion. Nikola Jokic, the reigning two-time regular season MVP, was by far the best player on the court, scoring a game-high 39 points on 17-30 field goal shooting, pulling down a game-high 16 rebounds, and passing for five assists as his Denver Nuggets beat the Suns, 97-87. Jokic may not look or move like some people expect a basketball player to look or move, but he is intelligent, skillful, and STRONG; that combination of traits means that he knows where to go, he knows how to get there, and no one is able to stop him from getting there. Some people used to think that European players are soft. Many of these European players grew up in war zones; they are not soft, and they do not back down from fake tough guys who try to send messages with cheap shots (hello, Markieff Morris).
The Nuggets won despite Jamal Murray having an off game (10 points on 3-15 field goal shooting), Michael Porter Jr. disappearing (five points on 2-7 field goal shooting), and their bench players combining to score just 13 points (it helped the Nuggets that the Suns' bench players scored only four points).
Devin Booker, who ranks just behind Jimmy Butler in the 2023 NBA playoffs scoring race, scored 35 points on 14-29 field goal shooting while also passing for six assists and grabbing five rebounds. Kevin Durant had an uncharacteristically inefficient game, scoring 24 points on 10-27 field goal shooting. Deandre Ayton--whose self-proclaimed "Dominayton" nickname does not seem likely to age well--had 14 points and eight rebounds. Chris Paul had a quiet game (eight points, six assists, five rebounds in 25 minutes) before suffering a groin injury in the third quarter that forced him to miss the rest of the game; his status for game three (and the rest of the series) has not been publicly revealed. I have sympathy for Paul and I hope that he makes a quick, full recovery, but let's be honest--a Chris Paul playoff injury is predictable under any circumstances, and even more so now that the Suns' bench is thin: in my series preview, I wrote that "it is just a matter of time before one or more of the Suns' starters
either wears down or gets injured. Booker, Durant, and Paul have all
been injury-prone in recent seasons even without carrying the workload
that they are currently shouldering."
Game two was very different stylistically from game one, when the Nuggets beat the Suns in a 125-107 shootout. Murray shined in that game (34 points, nine assists, 13-24 field goal shooting), and Jokic added 24 points, 19 rebounds, and five assists. Aaron Gordon contributed 23 points and six rebounds. Durant led the Suns in scoring (29 points) and rebounding (14 rebounds), but he had seven turnovers. Booker scored 27 points.
Thus, we have seen the Nuggets beat the Suns in a shootout, and we have seen the Nuggets grind down the Suns in a sloppy, low scoring game. The Suns will most likely be more efficient and productive at home, but if Paul is unable to play then their thin bench will be stretched to the breaking point. Booker can shift to point guard but is he going to play 48 minutes? If not, who is going to take up those minutes?
Building a championship team is not easy, nor should it be. It is understandable why the Suns traded away much of their depth to acquire two-time NBA Finals MVP Durant, but you cannot just throw a few talented players together with little practice time and a barren bench and then expect them to win a seven game series against an experienced team that has been together for a while and earned the top seed in the Western Conference. The LeBron James-Dwyane Wade-Chris Bosh Miami Heat did not win a championship in their first season together despite having a full training camp and a full regular season together--and those three players were each in their primes. Paul is past his prime, and Durant is no youngster, even though he still plays at an All-NBA Team level.
The 2011 Dallas Mavericks did not have a single elite player other than Dirk Nowitzki--Jason Kidd is an all-time great, but he was well past his prime by then--but they beat the James-Wade-Bosh super team in the NBA Finals. A similar storyline, albeit two rounds earlier, seems to be unfolding in this Denver-Phoenix series.
If the Nuggets advance and then go on to win the championship, Jokic is not going to channel LeBron James in the Orlando "bubble" and whine, "I want my respect," but Jokic has more than earned respect by the way that he plays and the way that he leads his team.
Labels: Chris Paul, Deandre Ayton, Denver Nuggets, Devin Booker, Jamal Murray, Kevin Durant, Nikola Jokic, Phoenix Suns
posted by David Friedman @ 11:51 AM
Sans Embiid, Sixers Stun Celtics as Harden Scores 45 Points
"That's why they play the games" is a cliche, but cliches exist because they contain at least a kernel of truth. "No Embiid, No Chance" may have seemed to be a likely headline for game one of the Boston-Philadelphia second round series, but James Harden and the 76ers had other ideas: Harden tied his playoff career-high with 45 points--including 15 in a nip and tuck fourth quarter--as the 76ers swiped homecourt advantage from their longstanding Eastern Conference rival. The Celtics and 76ers have faced each other in the playoffs more often than any other two teams in NBA history. On paper, the Celtics had the advantage even before it was announced that a knee injury would force MVP candidate Joel Embiid to miss at least the first game. The Celtics built a 12 point first half lead, but they never put the game away, and the 76ers closed the game out with a 5-0 run: Harden drilled a three pointer to put the 76ers up 117-115 with 8.1 seconds remaining, and then Paul Reed hit two free throws after stealing Boston's inbounds pass.
I almost fell out of my chair listening to Harden's on-court post-game interview. Asked about his performance, Harden said with a straight face that he does this all the time and that is why he shot the game-winning three pointer with confidence. In case you forgot--and Harden clearly forgot--Harden averaged 17.3 ppg while shooting .343 from the field versus the Nets in the first round, he had shot better than .450 from the field once in his past 10 playoff games, and just three times in his first 16 playoff games as a 76er. Prior to this game, Harden had scored at least 30 points once in his previous 20 playoff games, and he scored less than 20 points in 12 of those games. If Harden had been given truth serum before the interview, he would have said, "I don't know why I shot that shot with confidence, because I have played poorly in the playoffs for so long I had every reason to think that I would miss the shot."
In all seriousness, Harden deserves credit for playing very well when his team needed a lift in Embiid's absence. His post-game comments may demonstrate a blissful lack of self-awareness, but--regardless of his state of mind or his elevated opinion of himself--no one can deny that he got the job done not only in terms of volume but also efficiency, shooting 17-30 (.567) from the field. How unusual is that field goal percentage for Mr. "I do this all the time"? The last time that he shot .567 or better from the field in a playoff game was 11 playoff games ago--and to find the previous occurrence before that you have to go back another 10 games, to when he was a Houston Rocket.
Speaking of doing things all the time, the Celtics are developing a habit of permitting inefficient volume scorers to have big playoff games against them; they lost their previous home playoff game (game five of their first round series versus the Atlanta Hawks) after Trae Young dropped 38 points on them, though they did hold him to 14-33 (.424) field goal shooting in that contest.
The Celtics squandered a 2-1 lead versus the Golden State Warriors in the 2022 NBA Finals before losing that series in six games, and since that setback they have vowed that they are on a mission to complete this season with a championship, but they sometimes seem to lose focus in the middle of the mission. The Celtics should be able to beat the 76ers even if Embiid plays, but at best they have needlessly prolonged this series, which could be costly down the road--and, at worst, they may have given an inferior team just enough confidence to pull off the upset. After the eighth seeded Miami Heat took the lead in the first round versus the Milwaukee Bucks they never fell behind in the series, even after Giannis Antetokounmpo returned from his back injury and put up big boxscore numbers.
Tyrese Maxey (26 points), Tobias Harris (18 points), and De'Anthony Melton (17 points) provided plenty of support for Harden. As Boston's Sixth Man of the Year Award winner Malcolm Brogdon said after the game, the Celtics could withstand Harden having a big game if they had "shut off the water" for some of Philadelphia's other players.
Jayson Tatum (39 points on 14-25 field goal shooting with 11 rebounds and five assists) did his part for the Celtics, but Jaylen Brown had a quiet 23 points: he attempted just 10 shots for the entire game, and he only scored seven points in the second half with the outcome in the balance. The Celtics committed 16 turnovers while the 76ers only committed six turnovers, and that disparity contributed to the 76ers launching 89 field goal attempts compared to the Celtics' 75 field goal attempts.
The Celtics' problems are correctable: play harder, be more careful with the ball, have more game plan discipline defensively. TNT's Kenny Smith is correct that championship teams sometimes have bad playoff games during their title runs. For that reason, one should not overreact to this game--but if the Celtics are truly committed to their stated mission, they will display a different disposition and a different energy level from the start of game two until the final buzzer sounds.
Labels: Boston Celtics, James Harden, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
posted by David Friedman @ 2:27 AM
Golden State Versus L.A. Lakers Preview
Western Conference Second Round
#6 Golden State (44-38) vs. #7 L.A. Lakers (43-39)
Season series: L.A. Lakers, 3-1
L.A. can win if…Anthony Davis and LeBron James consistently make their presence felt in the paint at both ends of the court. Davis is capable of being an elite rebounder and shotblocker. Davis averaged 13.7 rpg and 4.3 bpg in the Lakers' 4-2 first round series victory against the Memphis Grizzlies after averaging 12.5 rpg and 2.0 bpg in the regular season--and he played in all six playoff games after missing 26 out of 82 regular season games. James averaged 11.2 rpg and 1.3 bpg in the first round after averaging 8.3 rpg and .6 bpg in the regular season--and he played in all six playoff games after missing 27 regular season games.
When Davis and James attack the paint on offense they create easy shots for themselves, they force double teams that create open shot opportunities for their teammates, and they draw fouls that get the opposing team in the bonus, creating free throw opportunities for all of the Lakers.
For the first part of this season, James focused on breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's regular season scoring record, which is a tremendous accomplishment. After James reached that milestone, he seemed more focused on using his prodigious talents to help his team win, and the Lakers won six of their final seven regular season games.
Austin Reaves has emerged as the Lakers' third best player. He averaged 16.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg, and 5.0 apg in the first round. D'Angelo Russell spent most of the first round missing shots, but a big performance in game six lifted his series numbers to 16.7 ppg, 5.8 apg, and 3.7 rpg; this is the first time in his career that Russell played on a team that won a playoff series. Rui Hachimura (14.5 ppg, 4.7 rpg, team-best .569 FG%) had a very solid first round series.
Golden State will win because…the Warriors' defense will make things difficult for the Lakers' sporadically effective offense, and Stephen Curry will continue to add to his impressive legacy. Curry is unlikely to match his iconic game seven masterpiece versus the Sacramento Kings, but it would not be surprising if he averages 30-plus ppg versus the Lakers while also contributing 5-plus apg and 5-plus rpg. He has averaged at least 30 ppg in eight of his 27 career playoff series, including four times in his last seven playoff series. Curry averaged 33.7 ppg, 4.9 apg, and 4.9 rpg versus Sacramento; that is the fourth highest scoring series of his career, and his highest scoring series since 2019.
The Warriors' defense was inconsistent during the regular season, but the Warriors shut down the high-powered Kings offense in game seven, holding Sacramento to 100 points on .375 field goal shooting. Kevon Looney grabbed 21 rebounds, and he leads all 2023 playoff rebounders with 15.1 rpg. Looney is listed at 6-9, but he plays like an old school big man and not like a new school undersized "big" who drifts to the perimeter.
Other things to consider: The mainstream media narrative is that the Lakers transformed their team by trading future Hall of Famer Russell Westbrook for role players D'Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt and Malik Beasley. Read that sentence out loud to emphasize how foolish it sounds, and how foolish it is.
To quantify the foolishness, here are the first round numbers for the "tremendous trio": Russell averaged 16.7 ppg on .435 field goal shooting, Vanderbilt averaged 7.2 ppg on .548 field goal shooting, and Beasley averaged 4.2 ppg on .292 field goal shooting. Meanwhile, Russell Westbrook averaged 23.6 ppg on .410 field goal shooting while also contributing 7.6 rpg and 7.4 apg for the shorthanded L.A. Clippers during their five game first round loss to the Phoenix Suns; those numbers, which are in line with Westbrook's career playoff averages, may never be matched in any playoff series by any of the players acquired in exchange for Westbrook.
As noted above, Davis missed 26 regular season games, and James missed 27 regular season games. Davis missed 24 of the Lakers' first 51 games and just two of the Lakers' final 31 regular season games.
The best midseason trade that the Lakers made was the one in which they traded the player known as "Street Clothes" to acquire Anthony Davis!
The Warriors went 33-8 at home and 11-30 on the road during the regular season. Their chemistry seemed tenuous at best after Draymond Green slugged teammate Jordan Poole in the face during a preseason practice. They kept talking about championship DNA and putting everything
together when it mattered, but their desultory play suggested that they did not believe what they said, so it was no surprise when they fell down 2-0 versus the Kings--and
it was no surprise when Green stomped on Domantas Sabonis' chest during game two, earning an ejection and a one game suspension.
What is surprising is how quickly the Warriors turned things around. They won the next three games to seemingly take command of the series before
being embarrassed at home in game six, setting the stage for Curry's epic game seven performance.
Who are these Warriors? It seems unlikely that they can reach the dominant level of their repeat championship teams from 2017-2018, but it seems probable that they can
eliminate a Lakers team that was even more inconsistent than they were during the 2023 regular season. The Warriors beat a quality playoff opponent, while the Lakers defeated an injury-riddled Memphis team.
I would not be shocked if the Lakers win their first two home games after falling behind 2-0, but the Warriors will win this series in six games.
Labels: Anthony Davis, Draymond Green, Kevon Looney, Klay Thompson, L.A. Lakers, LeBron James, Stephen Curry
posted by David Friedman @ 10:18 PM
Curry Authors Masterful 50 Point Performance, Leads Warriors to Game Seven Victory in Sacramento
Stephen Curry scored 50 points, grabbed eight rebounds, and dished for six assists as the defending champion Golden State Warriors bounced back from a disastrous game six loss at home to win game seven at Sacramento 120-100 and advance to a second round playoff showdown with the L.A. Lakers, who dispatched the Memphis Grizzlies in six games. Curry shot 20-38 from the field (including 7-18 from three point range) while setting the all-time NBA record for most points in a seventh game, surpassing the 48 points Kevin Durant scored two years ago in a loss to Milwaukee. Sam Jones scored 47 points in a game seven win versus Cincinnati in 1963, a mark tied by Dominique Wilkins in a game seven loss to Boston in 1988.
No other Warrior scored more than 17 points, and Warriors not named Curry shot 23-62 (.371) from the field. While Andrew Wiggins (17 points on 5-16 field goal shooting), Klay Thompson (16 points on 4-19 field goal shooting) and most of the Warriors struggled to make shots, the biggest factor in the win other than Curry's greatness was Kevon Looney's ferocious rebounding. Looney grabbed a game-high 21 rebounds, including 11 offensive rebounds. This was his third 20-plus rebound game in the series, a feat accomplished by only two other players in franchise history: Wilt Chamberlain and Nate Thurmond.
The Kings led 58-56 at halftime, but the tide turned in the third quarter as the Warriors outscored the Kings 35-23 while winning the rebounding battle 22-9. Curry scored 14 points and Looney corralled 10 rebounds during those game-changing 12 minutes. During one sequence midway through the third quarter, Jordan Poole missed a three pointer, Gary Payton II controlled the offensive rebound, Andrew Wiggins missed a three pointer, Looney snared the offensive rebound, Wiggins missed a layup, and Looney snatched the offensive rebound and scored. The Warriors looked like a big brother taking the little brother to school in a backyard game. The Kings' Domantas Sabonis, who led the NBA in rebounding this season, finished with eight rebounds--the same number as Curry, who is a 6-3 point guard.
The final rebounding margin was 55-49 in the Warriors' favor, but when the outcome was in doubt the Warriors dominated the glass--and even though the Warriors other than Curry shot poorly, they held the Kings to 36-96 field goal shooting (.375). Sabonis led the Kings with 22 points, while De'Aaron Fox shot 5-19 from the field and only scored 16 points. Malik Monk, who excelled during the Kings' wins, had 14 points on 4-14 field goal shooting.
After the game, Curry acknowledged the importance of defense not just in this game but in general during the Warriors' championship seasons: "The offense is flashy, especially the way we play our high octane offense, but our calling card has usually been our defense." It is true that the Warriors would not win games like this without playing great defense, nor would they have won four titles in the past eight years (2015, 2017, 2018, 2022) without playing great defense, but Curry's game seven performance was stunning. My basketball Pantheon only includes one player under 6-5: Jerry West, who was as dominant defensively as he was offensively, which is rare in general and almost unheard of for a player his size. I have not updated or expanded my Pantheon since I created it, and for many years I have resisted the notion that Curry is a Pantheon-level player. I never base my overall player evaluations on one game, and that is not what I am doing now; this is more a matter of one game prodding me to reevaluate the totality of Curry's work, and consider the possibility that perhaps I have underrated him. I would not take anyone out of the Pantheon to add him, but maybe the Pantheon should be expanded to include him (and a very select group of players from the past 15 years or so). I just watched a brief video about the history of "posterizing" dunks, and Julius Erving--whose aerial feats inspired the very notion of portraying dunks on posters for young fans to admire and emulate--said that when a great new dunker emerges that new phenom does not kick out his predecessors: the great new dunker joins the club. For dunkers, that club includes Wilt Chamberlain, Gus Johnson, Connie Hawkins, Julius Erving, Michael Jordan, Dominique Wilkins, Kobe Bryant, and Vince Carter.
So, I am not kicking anyone out of the Pantheon--and I am not officially changing anything without putting some more thought into this--but I am saying that I think that I have underrated Curry, based on his size, based on him taking a back seat to Kevin Durant during their back to back title runs together, and based on him not being an elite defensive player; the reality is that Curry is not only an exceptional shooter, but he finishes very well in the paint, he is an above average rebounder for his position, and he is an excellent passer. More than that, he can carry his team to a game seven road playoff win. Game seven road win used to be almost unheard of in the NBA, and they are still uncommon. The Warriors were a lousy road team during the regular season (11-30),
but they won two road games in this series, and Curry was the leading
scorer in both of those road wins.
Again, this is not about one game, or about a small sample size of work devoid of any championships (that is why we are not having this discussion about Jimmy Butler, a very good player who recently had a single game playoff performance comparable to Curry's game seven). Curry has a large body of work in the regular season and in the playoffs, and even though my initial temptation is to say that the Warriors would have lost yesterday without Looney I must also concede that they would have lost without Curry; Curry's scoring, rebounding, and passing were essential in a game during which the other Warriors struggled to score.
Curry is not better than Durant. We saw that clearly when they were on the same team--but perhaps Curry, Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo all deserve to be viewed as Pantheon level players based on their consistent excellence.
Instead of focusing on who Curry isn't (Jordan, Bryant, James), I will try to focus more on who he is, and what he does. I have a tendency to react to hype by going in the opposite direction, and the excessive focus on Curry's "gravity" influenced me to point out the counterarguments (namely, that there are other players who had greater "gravity" even though that term was not used to describe their play). Stephen Curry does not have more "gravity" than Michael Jordan did, but Curry is an incredible basketball player who should be appreciated in his own right.
Labels: De'Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis, Golden State Warriors, Kevon Looney, Klay Thompson, Stephen Curry
posted by David Friedman @ 3:28 PM
