20 Second Timeout

Early Observations About the Miami-Indiana Series

Even before Chris Bosh suffered the injury that may prevent him from playing in the remainder of Miami's second round series versus Indiana, I predicted that the Pacers could take two games from Miami and I noted that the Pacers have the necessary ingredients on their roster to give the Heat some trouble. Now that the Pacers grabbed home court advantage with a 78-75 game two win in Miami, this series should be considered a toss-up, with Indiana having a great opportunity to take command if the Pacers win their next two games at home (which will not be easy to do).

It is too soon to definitively say that the Pacers will win this series but the Pacers clearly have a great opportunity to eliminate the team that the "stat gurus" thought could win 70-plus games in a normal length regular season and could capture multiple championships. Regardless of what happens, it is very important to remember what the "stat gurus" and many media members have repeatedly asserted regarding James and Wade: they have given James all of the credit for the Cavaliers' success during James' years in Cleveland, they have suggested that James and Wade are so talented that they could win a championship with little to no help from anyone else and they have scoffed at the notion of Miami's "Big Three" by deriding Chris Bosh as "half a man." So let it be emphatically stated here and now: if Miami loses this series, no one who previously made the assertions listed above can provide excuses for James and/or Wade by citing Bosh's absence and/or the alleged inferiority of Miami's roster. After repeatedly saying that those things do not matter it would be hypocritical for someone to sing a different tune now.

Here are some thoughts and observations about the first two games of the Miami-Indiana series:

1. Danny Granger and David West are basketball tough guys. They are not fake tough guys who act tough but won't do anything nor are they cheap shot artists (there is nothing tough about delivering cheap shots); they play hard-nosed basketball at both ends of the court and they won't back down from anyone regardless of a player's physical gifts or reputation. It is a great sign for Indiana that West's reaction to the game two win is that there is nothing for the Pacers to celebrate because their goal is to win the series, not to win one game or just be competitive.
2. Dwyane Wade has a petulant, cheap shot streak in his personality. When he became annoyed by a non-call in the 2012 All-Star Game, he retaliated with a cheap shot that broke Kobe Bryant's nose; when he became annoyed by a non-call in game two, he retaliated with a cheap shot against the much smaller Darren Collison and was called for a flagrant foul. One of these days, Wade is going to take a shot at the wrong guy on the wrong team and find himself on the wrong end of similar treatment. A guy who drives recklessly to the hoop the way that Wade does should be more than a bit reticent about handing out random cheap shots.
3. LeBron James and Dwyane Wade engaged in so many on-court histrionics that Chicago's Joakim Noah called them "Hollywood as hell" during last year's playoffs. James and Wade do assorted dance routines, handshakes and other celebrations after big plays and after victories, so it is hilarious to hear Wade complain about Indiana's relatively tame exuberance after winning game two. Wade is not playing particularly well in the playoffs, so he should focus more on improving his own performance and less on critiquing Indiana's conduct--particularly when Wade has engaged in even more outlandish conduct in the past when he enjoyed success.
4. LeBron James averaged a career-low 2.4 three point field goal attempts per game during the 2011-12 regular season but in his first seven games of the 2012 postseason James has attempted 27 three pointers (3.9 per game) while shooting just .259 from behind the arc. James improved his post game and his shot selection during the regular season but during postseason play he has reverted to lingering passively on the perimeter. TNT's Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal had a lengthy discussion about James' performance in the closing moments of game two and they both made valid points; Barkley is correct that James is clearly the best player on the team and thus deserves to have plays designed for him down the stretch and O'Neal is correct that James should be more assertive both in the huddle and on the court (keep in mind that O'Neal has firsthand experience with James as his teammate during the 2009-10 season when James quit against Boston in the playoffs). As O'Neal said, regardless of who the play is designed for, James can still take the ball, drive to the hoop and make a play. When James first passes the ball in the corner to Shane Battier and then meekly gives the ball up to Wade instead of attacking the hoop James is not being unselfish like Magic Johnson or reprising Michael Jordan passing to John Paxson and Steve Kerr; James is abdicating his responsibility as the best player on the court (and in the entire league). James may call himself "King" and "Chosen One" but his late game actions show that even he does not believe his own hype.
5. Like James, Dwyane Wade also vastly reduced his regular season three point field attempts (from 2.7 per game in 2010-11 to 1.1 per game in 2011-12) but in the playoffs Wade has marginally increased his attempts (up to 1.6 per game) despite his consistently poor three point shooting percentage (.268 in the 2012 regular season, .182 in the 2012 playoffs). 
6. When the game slows down, Miami still runs the "clown car offense" that I criticized last season. The Pacers are not an offensive juggernaut capable of blowing out the Heat so all of the games in this series will likely be close but if the Pacers can limit their turnovers (particularly the open court turnovers that are easily converted into fast break points) then the Pacers can slow the game down and pound the Heat to death in the half court. Roy Hibbert is not the kind of player who likely will erupt for 25-30 points and the Pacers should not force feed him the ball at the expense of exploring other options but the sets that they run involving West cutting into the paint are very difficult for the Heat to defend against. 
7. No Indiana player averaged more than 18 ppg in the first two games of this series and only two of the top eight players in Indiana's rotation are shooting better than .440 from the field (Roy Hibbert and Darren Collison) but the Pacers seized home court advantage by being tough, poised and resilient and by not being intimidated by Miami's talent. The Heat are the only NBA team that has three perennial All-Stars in their primes and even with Bosh out of the lineup they still have a lot of talent but there is a recipe to beat Miami and so far the Pacers are following that recipe.
8. I disagree with Denver Coach George Karl's assertion that there are several West teams that could beat Miami in a playoff series but I am sure that neither the Spurs nor the Thunder are afraid of the Heat--whether or not Chris Bosh returns to action, those teams are well-equipped to beat the Heat.

Labels: Chris Bosh, Danny Granger, David West, Dwyane Wade, Indiana Pacers, LeBron James, Miami Heat

posted by David Friedman @ 4:56 PM

9 comments

Miami Versus Indiana Preview

Eastern Conference Second Round

#2 Miami (46-20) vs. #3 Indiana (42-24)

Season series: Miami, 3-1 

Indiana can win if…the Pacers limit their turnovers and win the rebounding battle, thus forcing the Heat to score in the half court as opposed to thriving in the transition game. If the Pacers control the tempo of the game then they can exploit their size/strength advantage at the center/power forward positions by posting up Roy Hibbert and David West.

Miami will win because…LeBron James has a history of dominating in the first two rounds of the playoffs and this series is unlikely to be an exception to that pattern; James leads the Heat in several significant statistical categories and his dominant regular season performance that almost certainly will earn him the 2012 MVP has put to rest the ludicrous notion that he is some kind of sidekick to Dwyane Wade. The Heat have game seven at home as a trump card if necessary.

Other things to consider: On paper the Pacers look like a team that could cause the Heat some trouble: the two things that bother the Heat the most are big frontcourt players who can score and dynamic point guards who can get into the paint. In a half court game, Roy Hibbert and David West will present matchup problems for the Heat up front, while Darren Collison, George Hill and Leandro Barbosa will pose challenges for Miami's point guards. Danny Granger and Paul George have the size, length and athletic ability to provide more defensive resistance against LeBron James and Dwyane Wade than Miami's two dynamic wing players generally face.

The Heat won the first three regular season meetings between these two teams but it is difficult to know just how much to read into anything that happened in this compacted, lockout-shortened season as teams dealt with injuries and juggled their lineups for various reasons.

The Heat have the three best players in this series--likely 2012 MVP LeBron James, likely All-NBA selection Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, who has made the All-Star team for seven straight seasons--but the Pacers probably have the next seven best players. In the NBA playoffs, superior talent generally trumps superior depth because the time off between games enables coaches to shorten their rotations accordingly. It will be interesting to see if Indiana can turn this series into a grind out, slow down, physical battle that will place a premium on strength, half court execution and depth or if Miami will be able to force a fast tempo and showcase the athletic skills of their three star players.

I expect that the Pacers will win two games but I don't think that they have quite enough talent to knock off the Heat, unless James decides to quit the way that he did against Boston in 2010 and against Dallas in the 2011 NBA Finals; the Pacers will surely be quite happy any time that James stations himself in the deep corner as an innocent bystander while someone else handles the ball. TNT's Charles Barkley said that if Indiana has a chance to close out the series in six then the Pacers will win but that if the series goes the distance than the Heat will win; that is a very reasonable assessment but for the Pacers to pull off the upset in that scenario they would have to win all three games at home and steal a game in Miami as well, a very tall order on both counts.

Labels: Chris Bosh, Danny Granger, David West, Dwyane Wade, Indiana Pacers, LeBron James, Miami Heat, Roy Hibbert

posted by David Friedman @ 7:13 PM

6 comments

Kevin Durant Leads the Way as Team USA Wins FIBA World Championship for First Time Since 1994

FIBA World Championship MVP Kevin Durant capped off a spectacular tournament with a game-high 28 points plus five rebounds to carry Team USA to an 81-64 gold medal game victory over Turkey. Durant set Team USA FIBA World Championship records for points in a tournament (205) and scoring average (22.8 ppg) while shooting .556 from the field (including .456 from three point range) and .912 from the free throw line. In Team USA's 89-74 semifinal win versus Lithuania, Durant set a Team USA single game FIBA World Championship record with 38 points. The seemingly effortless way that Durant scored at will throughout this event was remarkable to watch and was reminiscent of how Brazilian legend Oskar Schmidt poured in points in FIBA play during his prime years.

I concluded my FIBA World Championship preview article with this statement:

Team USA can win the gold medal if they play smart and tenacious defense, force turnovers and score a lot of points in transition--but even if this team plays the best basketball that they are capable of playing they will probably have at least one or two close games; it should not surprise anyone if Team USA fails to win the FIBA World Championship.

Team USA followed the above prescription en route to posting a 9-0 record in the tournament but--as I expected--they had to survive a couple close games: they slipped by Brazil 70-68 in the third game of the preliminary round after the Brazilians missed a potentially tying shot at the buzzer and they trailed as late as midway through the second quarter in the quarterfinal game versus Russia before prevailing 89-79.

Team USA's defensive execution was inconsistent during the early part of the tournament but they used their depth, their athleticism and Durant's scoring punch to get victories. They hit their collective stride defensively in the elimination portion of the event but even at that stage I think that depth was an underrated factor in their success; while Durant was far and away the best player on Team USA, the other main players in the rotation were largely interchangeable (at least in terms of their overall impact in a FIBA setting): opposing teams could often hang with Team USA in the early going but when both teams went to their benches Team USA experienced little or no drop off while the opposing teams became significantly less effective.

After the 2008 Olympics, I authored a report card containing grades for each of Team USA's players. Here is how I explained my methodology:

Players are listed in order of minutes played because that statistic provides a hint about Coach Mike Krzyzewski's evaluation...It should go without saying--but I'll say it anyway--that it is not meaningful to compare a player's numbers in 40 minute games played under FIBA rules with his numbers in 48 minute games played under NBA rules...

The grades listed below represent how well a particular player filled his respective role on the team; obviously, some players had bigger roles than others, so a bench player's "B" does not mean the same thing as a starter's "B." Production when games were close is given a heavier weight than production that took place after the victories were already well in hand.

Using those same standards, here are my grades for the 2010 version of Team USA:

Kevin Durant (28.2 mpg, 22.8 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 1.8 apg, 13 steals, six blocked shots)

Durant led Team USA in scoring, three point field goal percentage and free throw percentage, he ranked second in both rebounding and steals and he tied for second in blocked shots. No opposing player had the right combination of foot speed and length to be able to guard him effectively; the only method that has a chance versus Durant is to play him very physically (a la Ron Artest in the first round of the 2010 NBA playoffs) and it is surprising that Team USA's opponents did not try that approach more consistently: frankly, while it is true that Durant made some very impressive one on one moves, it is stunning how often Team USA's opponents left Durant open for face up jumpers--particularly since Eric Gordon was the only other regular member of the rotation who was consistently making jump shots.

Grade: "A"

Chauncey Billups (23.1 mpg, 9.8 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 3.1 apg, 11 steals, zero blocked shots)

"Mr. Big Shot" looked like "Mr. Brick Shot" for much of this event: his .391 overall field goal percentage was the worst on the team and he fired up the second most three point attempts despite shooting just .318 (seventh on the team) from long range--and FIBA's "long range" (20 feet, six inches) is actually a midrange NBA jumper. As an All-Star and former NBA Finals MVP, Billups was supposed to be a stabilizing force for his younger, less experienced teammates but instead he seemed to be channeling the shot selection of his NBA teammate J.R. Smith; Billups attempted more than twice as many three pointers as two pointers, a ratio only approximated by Eric Gordon--but Gordon was this team's version of Vinnie "Microwave" Johnson off of the bench (particularly against weaker opponents), while Billups was misfiring from all angles regardless of how closely he was being guarded or how much time remained on the shot clock. Billups scored 19 points on 5-7 three point field goal shooting versus overmatched Angola but he had just four points and missed all five of his field goal attempts in the gold medal game versus Turkey. In the semifinal game versus Lithuania, Billups scored three points on 1-5 three point field goal shooting. Billups scored 15 points on 4-8 three point field goal shooting in the quarterfinal game versus Russia. One out of three may get you into the Baseball Hall of Fame but one good game out of three in the final stanza of this event when you are supposed to be one of the team's leaders is hardly impressive.

Billups ranked second on the team in scoring and assists, he had the best assist/turnover ratio among the team's primary ballhandlers and he played solid defense against bigger, slower opponents (though he struggled versus quick guards); those are the reasons that he started every game and played relatively heavy minutes but he was not nearly as efficient as he should have been as a scorer.

Grade: "B-/C+"

Derrick Rose (23.1 mpg, 7.2 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 3.2 apg, 10 steals, three blocked shots)

Rose led the team in assists but after playing very well in the first four games of the preliminary round he slumped in the next four games, culminating in a scoreless performance versus Lithuania during which he played just 12 minutes and was benched for the entire fourth quarter. He struggled to make outside shots and could not find his way to the hoop as consistently or as effectively as Russell Westbrook did.

Grade: "C-"

Lamar Odom (22.0 mpg, 7.1 ppg, 7.7 rpg, .4 apg, five steals, six blocked shots)

As I predicted in my preview article, Odom led Team USA in rebounding. Despite all of the talk about Odom's versatility, the reality is that the one skill set area in which he is significantly above average is rebounding. He is an erratic shooter (and therefore an inconsistent scorer) and his ballhandling decisions are at times questionable (leading to offensive fouls or other turnovers) but there is no doubt that he is a very good rebounder and he did yeoman's work for Team USA despite playing out of position as the starting center. One of Odom's best contributions to Team USA is that he attempted just four three pointers, making three of them; he is not a great outside shooter, so he showed good judgment with his shot selection.

ESPN's Fran Fraschilla heaped praise on Odom throughout the tournament, particularly during the final two games. There is no question that Odom played very well versus Lithuania (13 points, 10 rebounds) and Turkey (15 points, 11 rebounds); in those games he not only did excellent work on the boards but he emerged as the second scoring option behind Durant, connecting on drives, putbacks and cuts to the hoop. However, his 28 points in those two games nearly matches his scoring output in the first six games (36 points). Odom only had four total assists, though it must be noted that he made some outstanding outlet passes that fueled fastbreak scoring opportunities.

Odom is an excellent complementary player because he understands and accepts his role, something that proved to be as true when he played for Team USA as it is when he plays for the Lakers.

Grade: "B+"

Russell Westbrook (19.4 mpg, 9.1 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.6 apg, 12 steals, four blocked shots)

Westbrook ranked third on the team in scoring, assists and steals despite not starting a single game. There were extended stretches when he was Team USA's most effective guard. In contrast to Billups, Westbrook did not pad his stats against Angola but he scored in double figures in each of the final three games, though his two point field goal percentage versus Russia and Turkey was not great. Westbrook drew Fraschilla's ire sometimes for missing dunks or attempting flashy plays but overall he had a very positive impact off of the bench, providing a change of pace (literally and figuratively) that opposing teams could not match.

Grade: "B+"

Andre Iguodala (18.8 mpg, 5.7 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 1.9 apg, 16 steals, zero blocked shots)

Iguodala started every game at small forward and he emerged as the team's designated defensive stopper on the perimeter. Like Odom, he wisely limited his three point attempts (seven, making just two of them) and he pretty much restricted his shot attempts to dunks and layups. He led the team in steals and ranked fourth in rebounding. Iguodala is used to dominating the ball as an NBA player but he adjusted very well to being a complementary player for Team USA.

Grade: "B+"

Eric Gordon (17.6 mpg, 8.6 ppg, 1.6 rpg, .6 apg, eight steals, two blocked shots)

Gordon's main role on this team was to hit open jumpers, particularly from three point range, and he did an excellent job, ranking fourth on the team in scoring, second in three pointers made and second in three point shooting percentage despite not starting a game and ranking just seventh in minutes played. However, Gordon did most of his damage versus Tunisia (21 points) and Angola (17 points) while making very minimal contributions in the final three games, scoring six, three and zero points against Russia, Lithuania and Turkey respectively. He did what he was asked to do but his lack of production versus the top teams in the most important games lowers his grade.

Grade: "B-"

Rudy Gay (13.4 mpg, 7.0 ppg, 2.9 rpg, .8 apg, nine steals, eight blocked shots)

Gay is the kind of athletic, versatile forward who is perfectly suited for FIBA play and that is why in my preview I suggested that he could be an X factor for Team USA. He started out strongly with double figure scoring efforts in the first two preliminary round games but he did not score in double figures again except for the Angola game. Minutes were a bit hard to come by for him at times because he could not match Durant's scoring or Odom's rebounding.

Grade: "B-"

Stephen Curry (10.6 mpg, 4.6 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 2.1 apg, four steals, zero blocked shots)

I love watching Stephen Curry play and his father Dell Curry is one of my favorite non-superstar NBA players of all time--but it was quite predictable that Stephen Curry would have a small role for Team USA. As I have repeatedly stated in my articles about FIBA play, contrary to popular belief it is not necessary or desirable to stock Team USA's roster with players whose primary and/or exclusive skill is three point shooting; the FIBA three point shot is a midrange NBA shot anyway and it is much more important for Team USA's perimeter players to be able to defend and to be able to handle the ball against pressure than it is for them to be able to hit spot up shots.

Curry almost got whiplash a few times as he watched quicker guards drive around him and on other occasions he had some trouble defending screen/roll sets, either ending up out of position or switching on to a bigger player and getting abused in the post.

Again, I love watching Stephen Curry and I think that he has a great NBA future but Coach Krzyzewski's substitution patterns tell you all you need to know about Curry's role on this team: Curry played double figure minutes in the first game versus Croatia and in the blowout wins versus Iran, Tunisia and Angola but he did not play at all in the nailbiter versus Brazil and he logged just five, two and seven minutes respectively versus Russia, Lithuania and Turkey.

When the "experts" say that Team USA needs shooting specialists but Coach Krzyzewski wins gold medals while deadeye shooters like Michael Redd (in 2008) and Curry ride the bench except for garbage time are you going to believe the "experts" or are you going to believe Coach Krzyzewski?

Grade: "B-"

Kevin Love (8.8 mpg, 5.7 ppg, 4.9 rpg, .8 apg, three steals, one blocked shot)

Fraschilla repeatedly raved about Love but I never quite understood the fuss; before the tournament I predicted that Love would "put up impressive per minute statistics during garbage time" and that is exactly what he did. Although I was not correct that he would be the team's 12th man (he logged 11 more total minutes than Granger and played two more total minutes than Chandler), Love--like Curry--saw very little action against the top teams: Love played just five minutes versus Brazil, three minutes versus Russia, eight minutes versus Lithuania and one minute versus Turkey.

I like Love as an NBA player and I think that he will be a better pro than many people originally predicted but the prototypical FIBA big man is lithe and mobile (Chris Bosh, Kevin Durant, Lamar Odom, Rudy Gay), two words that do not accurately describe Love.

I am sure that "stat gurus" everywhere are salivating over Love's per minute numbers and wondering why he did not play 30 mpg but I'll trust my own eyes and Coach Krzyzewski's judgment over "advanced statistics" that are the product of Love's garbage time production against inferior opponents.

Grade: "A" (again, keep in mind that the grade is based on production relative to one's role, so this does not mean that I am equating Love with Durant)

Danny Granger (9.7 mpg, 4.1 ppg, .9 rpg, 1.0 apg, one steal, one blocked shot)

As I expected, Granger did not crack the regular rotation and most of his minutes came in garbage time--in two of the nine games he did not play at all. I don't see how to fairly give him any grade other than "incomplete."

Grade: "I"

Tyson Chandler (8.6 mpg, 2.6 ppg, 2.7 rpg, .4 apg, two steals, five blocked shots)

Chandler was probably the most disappointing player on the team. Despite being the only true center on the roster he not only failed to hold on to the starting center spot but he dropped out of the main rotation entirely as Coach Mike Krzyzewski elected to go predominantly with a "small" lineup--a strategic decision that I predicted in my preview article, though I still thought that Chandler would be part of the regular rotation.

Despite his limited minutes, Chandler tied for fourth on the team in fouls committed. He failed to provide much of a presence defensively or on the glass and, as usual, his offensive repertoire was largely restricted to point blank shots.

Grade: "D"

Final thoughts:

I analyze NBA games from an objective perspective, not as a partisan fan, but as an American I am happy that Jerry Colangelo, Coach Krzyzewski and a dedicated corps of players (the 2008 Olympians plus the current members of Team USA) have helped USA Basketball earn respect not only by winning gold medals but by doing things the right way on and off the court. Basketball was invented in America, so it was embarrassing to go a decade and a half without winning the sport's world championship, but the exemplary way that this team conducted itself en route to the gold medal wipes out the horrible memories of the desultory performances of previous editions of Team USA (with the nadir being the sixth place finish in the 2002 FIBA World Championship held in Indianapolis, Indiana).

While I enjoyed watching this team play, it is hilarious to read/listen to much of the mainstream commentary about FIBA play in general and Team USA in particular; we are consistently told that in order to win in FIBA events you have to have big men and you have to have shooters, despite the fact that both of these contentions have repeatedly been refuted: Team USA's winning recipe consists of stingy defense--particularly versus screen/roll plays and versus opposing three point shooters--forcing turnovers and scoring in transition. Team USA's halfcourt offense will never be as smooth or sophisticated as the halfcourt offenses of the other elite FIBA teams, true back to the basket big men are not as valuable as versatile, mobile forwards who can face the basket offensively and guard multiple positions defensively and the ability to hit three point shots is not nearly as important as the ability to defend against opposing three point shooters; reread the preceding sentence and you will understand why Michael Redd and Carlos Boozer hardly played for the 2008 version of Team USA and why Stephen Curry and Tyson Chandler reprised those players' respective roles on the 2010 version of Team USA--but I have no doubt that prior to the 2012 Olympics we will once again hear "experts" declaring how important it is for Team USA to add shooting specialists and big men to the roster.

Labels: 2010 Team USA, Andre Iguodala, Chauncey Billups, Danny Granger, Derrick Rose, Eric Gordon, Kevin Durant, Kevin Love, Lamar Odom, Rudy Gay, Russell Westbrook, Stephen Curry, Tyson Chandler

posted by David Friedman @ 4:26 AM

4 comments

Team USA Faces Major Challenge in FIBA World Championship

The FIBA World Championship begins on August 28. This competition rarely receives much publicity in the United States but for many basketball-minded nations it is very important, equal to--if not even greater than--the Olympics in terms of prestige; American kids who play basketball dream of winning an NBA championship but kids in other countries dream of leading their homeland to the FIBA World Championship title.

The significance of this year's FIBA World Championship for Team USA is that the winner receives an automatic bid for the 2012 Olympics (Team USA captured the 2008 Olympic gold medal but the previous Olympic champion is not guaranteed a spot in the next Olympic games); if Team USA does not win the FIBA World Championship then the United States will have to qualify for the Olympics by playing in the 2011 FIBA Americas tournament and that could be a dicey proposition if the NBA endures a strike/lockout: during the 1998 lockout, the U.S. fielded a team of non-NBA players that worked very hard but only managed to win a bronze medal in the 1998 FIBA World Championship (after the lockout ended, Gary Payton, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett and Tim Hardaway led Team USA to a 10-0 sweep in the 1999 FIBA Americas Tournament to qualify for the 2000 Olympics). It is extremely unlikely that a Team USA squad consisting entirely of non-NBA players could win the FIBA Americas Tournament in 2011, so if Team USA fails to win the FIBA World Championship and the NBA suffers the work stoppage that many people are anticipating then the United States may not send a basketball team to the 2012 Olympic Games for just the second time ever (the first time was when the U.S. boycotted the Moscow Olympics in 1980 to protest the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan).

Team USA sent the "A" team to the 2008 Olympics--including Kobe Bryant (the sport's best all-around player), 2000 Olympic gold medalist Jason Kidd (who has never lost a game in FIBA play), LeBron James (who subsequently won two NBA MVPs) and 2006 NBA Finals MVP Dwyane Wade--but for a variety of reasons none of the members of the so-called "Redeem Team" will be participating in this year's FIBA World Championship; this year's squad is headlined by Kevin Durant, who has never played for the national team before. Durant, Chauncey Billups, Danny Granger and Derrick Rose are the only members of the team who have ever been NBA All-Stars, while only Durant and Billups have made the All-NBA Team. Billups and Lamar Odom are the only Team USA players who have won an NBA championship. This year's team lacks star power, championship experience and FIBA experience.

Team USA has historically not fared well in this event, finishing first just three times in 15 FIBA World Championship appearances (in contrast, the U.S. men's national basketball team has captured 13 of a possible 17 Olympic gold medals); the last U.S. team to earn a FIBA World Championship gold medal was the 1994 squad (the so-called "Dream Team II") led by a star-studded cast including Shaquille O'Neal (18.0 ppg, 8.5 rpg), Reggie Miller (17.1 ppg, .526 3FG%), Dominique Wilkins (12.6 ppg) and Joe Dumars (12.6 ppg). After that came the lockout-depleted 1998 team that earned a bronze medal, the embarrassingly inept 2002 team that finished sixth despite enjoying homecourt advantage (in Indianapolis) and the 2006 team that settled for a bronze medal despite featuring some big name players (including LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul and Chris Bosh) who have been in the news for various reasons this summer.

In a September 4, 2007 article titled The Real Story Behind Team USA's Losses in Previous FIBA Events, I refuted some misconceptions about why the United States suffered humiliating defeats in the 2002 FIBA World Championship, the 2004 Olympics and the 2006 FIBA World Championship. The points that I made in that article are still relevant regarding Team USA's prospects this time around:

1) Most FIBA teams rely on the ability to drive to the hoop, draw in the defense and then kick the ball out to open three point shooters. In order to be successful, Team USA's guards must control dribble penetration. Also, Team USA's defense must be "on a string" when opposing teams run screen/roll actions, because otherwise their opponents will either shred Team USA with wide open layups or bombard them from three point range.

2) It is certainly a nice luxury for Team USA to shoot well from three point range but it is far more important to shut down opposing three point shooters without compromising the interior defense; this requires communication, discipline and hustle, because otherwise at least one player will be out of position and the whole defense will fall apart, something that was a recurring theme during Team USA's dreary performances in 2002, 2004 and 2006.

FIBA play is more physical than NBA play, particularly on the perimeter; expect to see opposing teams be very physical with Durant, who did not fare well in the first round of the 2010 NBA playoffs versus Ron Artest's bump and run defense. No FIBA team has an individual defender who is as skilled and as strong as Artest but the FIBA rules allow for a lot more contact than NBA rules do so it will not be easy for Durant to rack up 25-30 ppg while shooting a good percentage from the field and he likely will not be granted as many free throw attempts per game as he receives in the NBA.

Tyson Chandler is the only true center on the roster but I am not very concerned about Team USA being outrebounded or having a lot of trouble defending the post; Team USA is athletic enough to compete with anyone on the glass and the nature of the FIBA game (the wide lane and the general style of play) is such that it is very unlikely that opposing teams will just pound the ball into the low post. Team USA will certainly go "small" for a significant percentage of the time, putting Lamar Odom or another forward at the center spot.

NBA TV's Steve Smith declared that Odom is the second most important player on the team (behind only Durant) but, with all due respect to Smith's basketball acumen and Odom's skill set, if that turns out to be true then Team USA will settle for the bronze medal again. Derrick Rose has to be the team's second best player and he will have to be the go-to player in clutch situations if the opposing team smothers Durant. Rudy Gay may not be the third best NBA player on the roster but his size and athletic ability should enable him to have an impact from either forward spot; he could prove to be a real X-factor and should be one of the team's leading scorers after Durant. Chauncey Billups will likely be the other starting guard alongside Rose and the team will rely on him for calm, veteran leadership, rugged defense and timely three point shots. Odom's primary responsibility for Team USA will be the same as it is for the Lakers: rebounding. Odom may very well lead Team USA in that department. Other than that, Odom needs to monitor his shot selection (i.e., stop shooting three pointers and long jumpers) and cut down on his turnovers (he had a 6-3 turnover/assist ratio during the four game exhibition tour).

Andre Iguodala started all four exhibition games at small forward but he shot just .333 from the field and .125 from three point range, bringing back (bad) memories of Richard Jefferson's performance during the 2004 Olympics (Jefferson started all eight games despite shooting just .321 from the field and .261 from three point range). Iguodala should be a valuable player because he can score, pass and defend but it remains to be seen how well he will adjust to the FIBA game.

Eric Gordon's ability to both shoot and defend could earn him a key spot in the rotation but it will be difficult for him to supplant Billups or Rose; likewise, Russell Westbrook's athleticism could be valuable but there are only so many possible minutes at the guard spots (keep in mind that FIBA games last 40 minutes, not 48).

Stephen Curry will be this team's version of Michael Redd on the 2008 Olympic team: the dead-eye three point shooter who mainly gets in the game when--or, in this team's case, if--Team USA has a comfortable lead. Curry actually is a better all-around player than Redd, though, and his ability to play both guard positions could help him to carve out a slightly larger role than Redd had two years ago.

Danny Granger played sparingly during the exhibition tour and he struggled with his shot, so even though he has been an All-Star it will probably be difficult for him to move up the depth chart at this point.

Kevin Love is the designated 12th man, a rebounder/passer who will put up impressive per minute statistics during garbage time.

The nightmare scenario for Team USA (other than an injury or foul trouble sidelining Durant) is for an opponent to carve them up with screen/roll plays, hit a high percentage of three point shots and use physical defense to frustrate finesse wing players such as Durant and Gay. Team USA's players are mostly young and inexperienced and could get that "deer in the headlights" look if an opposing team hits them with a 10-0 run. Team USA lacks a lock down perimeter defender--a role that Bryant filled brilliantly in the 2008 Olympics--and does not have a defined go-to scorer other than Durant.

Team USA can win the gold medal if they play smart and tenacious defense, force turnovers and score a lot of points in transition--but even if this team plays the best basketball that they are capable of playing they will probably have at least one or two close games; it should not surprise anyone if Team USA fails to win the FIBA World Championship.

Labels: 2010 Team USA, Andre Iguodala, Chauncey Billups, Danny Granger, Derrick Rose, Eric Gordon, Kevin Durant, Kevin Love, Lamar Odom, Rudy Gay, Russell Westbrook, Stephen Curry, Tyson Chandler

posted by David Friedman @ 2:10 AM

6 comments

Magic Pound Pacers, Move Closer to Capturing Second Overall Seed

Vince Carter scored 14 of his game-high 21 points in the first quarter as the Orlando Magic built a 42-18 lead en route to a wire to wire 118-98 win over Indiana in the Pacers' final home game of the season. A home win against the lowly Philadelphia 76ers in the season finale on Wednesday will clinch home court advantage for Orlando against any possible playoff opponent other than the Cleveland Cavaliers--and, unlike some teams that are resting certain players heading into the postseason, Stan Van Gundy's Magic are using their regular rotation and making their best effort to obtain every possible win. Point guard Jameer Nelson flirted with a triple double (15 points, eight assists, seven rebounds) and Dwight Howard controlled the paint (12 points, 11 rebounds, four blocked shots) as all ten Magic players who participated scored at least six points, with seven players reaching double figures. Not only did the Magic jump on the Pacers right from the start--leading 19-9 less than six minutes into the contest--they withstood the inevitable Indiana run and did not allow the Pacers to get closer than nine points the rest of the way. A.J. Price scored a team-high 19 points off of the bench for the Pacers and tied two others with a team-high four assists. Danny Granger added 18 points but shot just 6-19 from the field and Mike Dunleavy pumped in 18 points on 7-11 shooting. The Pacers shot just 36-88 (.409) from the field but their defense was even more atrocious than their anemic offense, as Indiana repeatedly conceded dunks, layups and wide open jumpers. The Pacers had played well recently--winning four in a row and 10 of their last 12--but they just looked completely outmatched versus the Magic.

Howard was a one man dunking/shot blocking wrecking crew in the game's first 10 minutes, powering home three monster jams and rejecting three Pacer shots before a questionable second foul sent Howard to the bench. Once Howard reached the sideline, he griped to the media members seated on the baseline, "See how they do me? It's been like this all year" but within moments he was back to being his usual jovial self, joking with courtside fans, playfully tapping Vince Carter on the head when Carter was not looking and then pretending that Rashard Lewis was the guilty party after Carter turned around. During a stoppage in play, Howard talked to referee Pat Fraher about the disputed call. Howard gestured to indicate that he had not committed a foul but was simply trying to free his arm after being grabbed. However, I could not quite make out their conversation so I asked Howard about it after the game and he told me, "I just told him that I thought that the guy was holding me when I went up to get the rebound. He thought differently. I don't know what to say about it. I know sometimes they say I am bigger and stronger than everybody--but guys should not be allowed to hold me and grab me and get away with it...We got the win and that is all that really matters."

Howard and the other Magic players genuinely seemed to enjoy bantering with the fans seated near their bench, a group that included supporters of both teams. When one Pacers' fan quite loudly barked at Howard to stop whining and sit down, Howard smiled and responded that he was standing up not to complain to the referees but rather to "mess with my coach" (i.e., make fun of the way Coach Van Gundy was pacing the sidelines); instead of ratcheting up any possible hostility, Howard defused the situation with a joke. Late in the game as Carter watched the blowout from the bench, a young fan kept trying to get his attention; they finally made eye contact during a timeout and the boy grinned from ear to ear after Carter tossed him a plastic wristband that Carter had worn throughout the game: for the rest of the night, the kid looked at the wristband in wonderment, sliding it up and down his arm (Carter's wrist is probably thicker than the kid's biceps) and at one point proudly saying to some family members, "He actually wore this!" Other Magic players--including Howard and Matt Barnes--also gave away various items to fans before leaving the court.

Make no mistake, though, this fun-loving bunch is very serious about winning basketball games; much like the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Orlando Magic seem to be able to strike a delicate balance between being happy--even silly at times--without letting that get in the way of putting in the hard work that it takes to be a very successful team. During his postgame standup, Coach Van Gundy praised the Magic's overall focus and effort versus Indiana, declaring, "We obviously got off to a really good start in the game, particularly at the offensive end, and Dwight held our defense together by blocking shots early on. In the second quarter we turned the ball over and we fouled a lot and they made a little run back but I thought that the first six minutes of the third quarter was our best defensive effort probably in a couple weeks. I thought that our guys really came out of the locker room and worked very, very, very hard. In the first six minutes they (the Pacers) only scored four points. We only scored 10 points--they (the Pacers) were playing hard, too--but I thought that our effort was great and that was good to see. I liked the effort we made at the defensive end."

Coach Van Gundy added that prior to the game he was "a little worried" because when he walked into the locker room some of the players "seemed a little tired" (the Magic had just played on Sunday, beating a Cleveland team that rested LeBron James, Shaquille O'Neal and Anthony Parker and did not use All-Stars Mo Williams or Antawn Jamison down the stretch of a close game) but that he was pleasantly surprised that once the game began his team's "focus was great." He also provided a comparison of regular season basketball versus playoff basketball: "I've said this all the time: I think that the regular season and the playoffs are two totally different tests. I think that the regular season is really about how many times you get yourself ready to play and get out there and give a great effort. I think that our team's record would indicate that we do that pretty damn well. In the playoffs, everybody is ready to play, so it really comes down to how good you are. I don't think that anyone is going to take a night off in the playoffs. I think that if you are a fan of our team and you are going to watch us on TV or come out to a game, you have to appreciate that our guys are going to give it a pretty damn good effort every single night--and usually they play pretty well."

*****************************
Notes From Courtside:

The 2009-10 Orlando Magic made two changes to the starting lineup that led the team to the 2009 NBA Finals, bringing in shooting guard Vince Carter and small forward Matt Barnes to replace Courtney Lee and Hedo Turkoglu respectively.

Carter placed second on the 2008-09 New Jersey Nets in both scoring (20.8 ppg) and assists (4.7 apg) as the team missed qualifying for the playoffs by five games, finishing with a 34-48 record; this season, Lee has averaged 12.3 ppg and 1.7 apg as the Nets' starting shooting guard while the team flirted with posting the worst record in NBA history before finally breaking the 10 win barrier (they are currently 12-69). Meanwhile, this season Carter ranks second in scoring (16.6 ppg) and third in assists (3.1 apg) for an Orlando team that is one win away from clinching the second overall seed in the 2010 playoffs.

Barnes averaged 10.2 ppg and 5.5 rpg while starting 40 of his 77 games for the 2009 Phoenix Suns, who went 46-36 but missed the playoffs by two games. This season, Barnes has averaged 8.7 ppg and 5.4 rpg while starting 56 of his 79 games for the Magic; Barnes' scoring has declined a bit but he is also averaging slightly fewer minutes and--more importantly--he has improved his field goal percentage to .486, the second best mark of his career. Turkoglu ranked third on the Magic in both scoring (16.8 ppg) and assists (4.9 apg) while shooting .413 from the field in 2008-09; this season, Turkoglu's numbers are down across the board (11.4 ppg, 4.1 apg, .408 field goal percentage) and his Toronto Raptors are in danger of missing the playoffs.

Both the individual numbers for these four players and Orlando's team numbers (the Magic improved from being the third seed in the East and fourth seed overall last season to the second seed in the East and likely the second seed overall this season) suggest that the Magic upgraded their roster with their offseason moves, though of course the final verdict will not be rendered until after the playoffs. Prior to the game, I spoke with Coach Van Gundy about how Carter has fit in with the Magic this year and the issue of teams resting healthy players as the season winds down:

Friedman: "Sometimes, players and coaches say that you never really know a player until you've had him in your locker room and you've seen him in practice. Now that you have had a full season with Vince Carter, what have you learned about Vince that maybe you did not know before the Magic acquired him?"

Van Gundy: "I don't know that there is anything we didn't know but he's a smart guy, he's a very good teammate, an unselfish guy. Also, I think that like most veteran guys as they get along in their careers, he just wants to win. He's done all of the individual things--he's scored a lot of points, he's been in All-Star games, he's done all of that stuff and now it's just about winning. I think it's always great as a coach when you get guys at that point in their careers."

Friedman: "A lot of times when people talk about your team they act as if you basically swapped Turkoglu for Carter but really Barnes is your starting small forward and Carter is playing Lee's position so from your standpoint do you really look at it like Carter should do what Turkoglu did last year and fill his role? How do you look at it from a coach's standpoint in terms of Carter's role this year compared to Turkoglu's role last year?"

Van Gundy: "Well, it's similar in the sense that they are the guys we go to a lot, particularly down the stretch, but they are different players; Turkoglu is 6-10, Vince is a (6-6) two guard but they are similar in the roles that they play for us: get them the ball late in the game, run a lot of pick and rolls with them, very similar stuff."

Friedman: "Are you satisfied with the ratio of Carter's free throw attempts to his three point attempts? Is there a certain way that you look at those numbers?"

Van Gundy: "No, I don't (specifically look at those numbers). At times, Vince is not as aggressive as he could be and we talk about that but for the most part Vince has been great picking his spots and being very aggressive--particularly since the first of February. I think that if you go from there on, it would be hard to play more efficiently than Vince has."

After a dreadful January in which Carter--hobbled by an ankle injury--averaged just 8.7 ppg on .284 field goal shooting, he scored 18.6 ppg on .515 field goal shooting in February and he averaged 17.6 ppg on .494 field goal shooting in March.

Friedman: "Is that something that you keep stressing to Vince and reminding him about or by this point does he know that you want him to drive more and not settle for jumpers?"

Van Gundy: "You do (talk to him) and he knows but it's also about how the defense plays you. Vince is a smart guy. If you are going to play off of him or go under on his pick and rolls and stuff--you can't force the issue, either (by driving against a defense that is packed in the paint). You've got to play the game smart and you've got to take what the defense gives and I think he's good at that."

Friedman: "During yesterday's (Lakers-Trail Blazers) telecast, your brother brought up the point that he feels like the NBA should do something about teams resting players who are physically capable of playing. The NFL has talked about maybe doing something about this issue as well. What are your thoughts, not about particular teams, but in general--should there be a rule about this?"

Van Gundy: "It's impossible to do that. It sounds good in theory but the bottom line is that (if there were such a rule) then teams would just say that guys are hurt and the fact of the matter is that when you hit this part of the season everybody does have something bugging them. Who is to say who can play and who can't? To me, that is a great discussion to have--and fans, media, everybody can talk about it--but there is no way, there is absolutely no way, to enforce that. There is just none. So it will continue to happen. I think that the bigger problem (than playoff teams resting some players) is the people (teams) who are not in the playoffs who are sitting people to basically lose games and improve their draft status but, same thing, there is nothing you can do about that as a league. You can make your displeasure for it known but I don't think that there is anything they are going to be able to do and I think that every organization, every G.M., every coach, has to do what they think is the best thing for their franchise, for their team. If that includes resting some guys then that is what they have to do and I think that it needs to be settled within that team on how you are going to approach it. Whatever guys want to do is up to them. We all have different priorities."

Friedman: "Related to that issue, your brother mentioned that there was a year in which he sat Tracy McGrady for a couple games and afterward he looked back and regretted it. Also, Avery Johnson during a recent telecast mentioned that there was a season in which he sat Dirk Nowitzki for a couple games but he looks back on that as a mistake. You said that the league cannot compel anyone about this but from your personal standpoint--and I understand that the Magic have something to play for now in terms of the Lakers--if you were in a position in which you quote unquote have nothing to play for what is your personal philosophy in terms of resting people versus being concerned that they might get rusty and also worrying that key players might get injured?"

Van Gundy: "It goes beyond philosophy. Every situation is going to be different. You may look and say that you have a guy who is very fatigued, which is what I think that Mike Brown did with LeBron--this is a guy who plays huge minutes, takes on a huge role for them, so he needs some time off. Probably a good decision for them, with nothing to play for. Everybody's situation is different; you may have some thoughts as a coach, philosophically, but the bottom line is it's going to come down to specific situations and every one is going to be different."

***

During Indiana Coach Jim O'Brien's pregame standup, I asked him, "From what you've seen of the Magic this year, how would you say that Vince Carter has fit in and how would you compare his role on the team this year to the role that Turkoglu had for them last year?"

Coach O'Brien responded, "I think that being able to get Carter when they knew that they were going to lose Turkoglu was really important. I think that lately Vince does not seem to be shooting the ball in the volumes that he normally does (Carter averaged 18.8 FGA/g in November, dipped all the way to 10.1 FGA/g in January and has averaged just under 13 FGA/g since February). Down the stretch, when you have a new guy who is key--like Carter--coming over to your team, it might take 60 or 70 games to get him totally comfortable with what is going on. I think that it is almost a wash from the standpoint of Turkoglu versus Carter but I would have to give Carter a little bit of an edge because of his total body of work throughout his career and I think that he will be very hungry heading into the playoffs."

***

After the game, I briefly spoke with Howard about the team's offseason personnel changes.

Friedman: "What are some of the similarities and some of the differences of having the ball in Vince Carter's hands in the fourth quarter versus having the ball in Hedo Turkoglu's hands?"

Howard: "They both can score. All we really care about is getting the ball in the basket and playing defense. What will count in the playoffs is having someone like Vince who can finish games (on offense) but who can also play defense."

Friedman: "This will be the first time in 10 years that Vince Carter has not averaged at least 20 ppg. What kind of adjustment has that been for him?"

Howard: "All of us have had to adjust to something. We have a lot of scorers and we understand that. We just have to, as a unit, be able to sacrifice. We sacrifice a lot of different things for the betterment of the team. Vince knew coming in that he didn't have to average 20 points for us to win."

***

Naturally, any analysis of Vince Carter's impact on the Magic would not really be complete without hearing from the man himself. I interviewed Carter after the game.

Friedman: "This is going to be the first season in 10 years that you have not averaged at least 20 ppg. Talk a little bit about the adjustment you had to make--"

Carter: "We're winning."

Friedman: "It's not a difficult adjustment? I've talked to players like Bob McAdoo and Mark Aguirre--players who were big time scorers at one point in their careers before going to championship contending teams, teams that ultimately won championships, and they had to make a certain kind of adjustment and in some cases it is a difficult adjustment to make."

Carter: "It's not for me. I'm all for playing with a great team like this. I'll do whatever I am needed to do--if it's scoring, I'll do it. We have balanced scoring, so that's it. At this point in my career, to go through ups and downs and see different things, I understand what it takes. I see that the teams that win (championships) have more than one go to guy and they work together. This team has done a great job with that. Winning is the most important thing, not scoring."

Friedman: "If you go through a portion of your career shooting 20-25 attempts per game then you know that if you go through a streak when you are missing shots then you can just shoot your way out of it. That is not the case when you are on a team where you get fewer attempts, so isn't that situation more difficult?"

Carter: "Sure. It is. It's tough. I mean, I didn't know what you were going to ask but it is tough. I had a month like that but I think that if you believe in your game then you will shoot your way out of it regardless of the amount of attempts or lack thereof. I just have to make sure that I take good shots and make them count."

Friedman: "A lot of people compare you to Turkoglu even though you are a different size and you play a different position. How do you feel about what your role is on the team?"

Carter: "Great. I feel great. I think what I bring to the table is good enough and I've proven that all year. I have nothing to prove and I could care less what other people say. He's a great player and he did unbelievable things. I sat there in the stands and watched him play in the (2009 Eastern) Conference Finals, but that's not a concern of mine."

Friedman: "You are a player who can shoot the three and who can also drive to the hoop. How do you find the right balance so you don't get too happy with the jump shot? As you know, sometimes people say that you shoot too many fadeaway jumpers."

Carter (emphatically): "I don't care about what anybody says. I am going to play my game."

Friedman: "From your standpoint--"

Carter: "That's what's it. I'm going to play my game. So, it all depends on what is happening. If the jump shot is there, I'm going to take it. If I can go to the basket, I'm going to go. That's what I was asked to do and that's what I'm going to do."

Labels: A.J. Price, Danny Granger, Dwight Howard, Indiana Pacers, Orlando Magic, Stan Van Gundy, Vince Carter

posted by David Friedman @ 8:30 AM

6 comments

Lakers Pound Pacers in Paint, Roll to 118-96 Win

Andrew Bynum had a strong double double (27 points on 12-14 field goal shooting plus 12 rebounds) and Kobe Bryant authored one of his best all-around performances of this season (29 points on 10-15 field goal shooting, nine rebounds, a game-high tying seven assists and just one turnover) as the visiting L.A. Lakers routed the Indiana Pacers, 118-96. Two other Lakers also had double doubles--Pau Gasol contributed 21 points and 13 rebounds, while Lamar Odom added 12 points and a game-high 14 rebounds off of the bench--as the Lakers clobbered the Pacers 62-42 on the boards and outscored them 54-32 in the paint. Second string center Roy Hibbert led the outmatched Pacers with 21 points, while starting center Troy Murphy had a solid 18 points and five rebounds, but the Lakers overwhelmed the Pacers not with a 1-2 punch but with a 1-2-3-4 punch: their three bigs landed crushing body blows, while Bryant's all-purpose, inside-outside excellence delivered the knockout.

The Pacers had some success recently with a small lineup and Coach Jim O'Brien apparently felt that it would be futile to try to match up man for man with the Lakers so O'Brien opened the game with four perimeter players flanking center Troy Murphy; Danny Granger--normally a small forward--guarded power forward/center Pau Gasol, while Murphy tangled with Bynum. Granger, a first-time All-Star in 2009, recently returned to action after being injured, and he finished with just 14 points, five assists and three rebounds. After the game, Lakers' Coach Phil Jackson said that Granger seemed to be "limited physically," a quite apt description. Jackson seemed genuinely puzzled by O'Brien's starting five, noting that Murphy is several inches shorter and at least 30 pounds lighter than Bynum; Jackson said--without a hint of the sarcasm that sometimes flavors his comments--"I don't know if Jim was baiting us by starting Murphy at center."

The Lakers raced to an 18-8 lead less than five minutes into the game, with Bynum scoring 10 of those points from close range and Bryant adding six points on one drive and two jump shots. Murphy countered with three straight field goals--including a three pointer--and the Pacers valiantly battled back to pull within 31-29 by the end of the opening stanza. Bryant and Bynum each shot 5-5 from the field in the first quarter but Gasol shot just 2-8.

The Lakers' bench has not been a strength this season and, true to form, the L.A. reserves allowed the Pacers to briefly build a four point lead early in the second quarter, though the Lakers rallied to tie the game at 46 before Bryant returned to the fray at the 5:06 mark; overall, that is not a bad stint for the second stringers, because the game did not get out of hand while Bryant rested for nearly half of the quarter--that is still not as good as extending the lead, which one would hope that the reserves could do against a sub-.500 team, but just keeping things manageable is at least worth something, particularly in the second game of a back to back in the midst of an eight game road trip. After entering the game, Bryant promptly fed Gasol for an easy shot and the Lakers never trailed again, though the Pacers did tie the score a few more times. Odom broke the last tie with a buzzer-beating three pointer at the end of the half, giving the Lakers a 59-56 intermission edge. Bynum already had 22 points on 10-12 shooting, while Bryant's halftime line read 10 points, four rebounds and three assists.

After Bynum softened up the Pacers in the first half, Bryant hit them with combinations in the third quarter, leading both teams in scoring (13 points), rebounds (five) and assists (three). That one man assault forged a 92-78 lead for the Lakers but for good measure Jackson left Bryant in the game to start the fourth quarter. The Pacers chipped away a bit and Jackson decided to give Bryant a quick mid-quarter rest to keep him fresh for the stretch run. After Bryant came back in he drew a foul on Dahntay Jones--who guarded Bryant in last year's Western Conference Finals as a member of the Denver Nuggets--and when Bryant went to the free throw line the Indiana crowd serenaded him with "MVP" chants, which had to be a grating sound to Pacers President Larry Bird as he sat in his usual baseline perch. Apparently embarrassed by such overt displays of love for a visiting player, some Indiana fans responded by booing Bryant but, at best, the boos and "MVP" chants turned out to be roughly equal in volume during Bryant's second free throw attempt. Bryant split the pair to put the Lakers up 105-89 and he quickly removed any remaining doubts about the game's outcome by draining a three pointer and then lobbing an outlet pass to Gasol for a layup that turned into a three point play after a foul by Luther Head. Bryant concluded his night with a resounding left handed block of a Hibbert layup attempt; Bryant left the game during the ensuing stoppage of play and received a resounding standing ovation from the Indiana fans. Officially, the attendance for this game was listed as a sellout crowd of 18,165, but if all of the tickets were sold they certainly were not all used because there were plenty of empty seats.

Hibbert was pretty much the lone bright spot for Indiana in this game. Hibbert is averaging 11.1 ppg and 5.8 rpg this season, though he has shown occasional flashes of brilliance, including an Indiana victory over the Orlando Magic in which Hibbert completely outplayed Dwight Howard, scoring 26 points, grabbing eight rebounds and blocking four shots while Howard managed just 11 points on 2-6 field goal shooting, though Howard did snare 15 rebounds. After the game, I asked Jackson, "What were your impressions of Roy Hibbert?" Jackson answered, "He played hard. I thought that he played real hard in the post and he did a good job in the first half. Things didn't work out as well in the second but he had a good first half." I followed up by asking Jackson what adjustments the Lakers made regarding Hibbert in the second half and Jackson said, "We came back on him off of cutters a little bit to try to destroy his timing and not give him as much room." Hibbert actually shot 5-9 from the field in each half, so I am not sure if the Lakers' adjustments really affected Hibbert all that much, though Jackson can be forgiven for thinking otherwise just moments after such a blowout, especially because the freshest memory of Hibbert at that point was of Bryant swatting his shot out of bounds. Hibbert's game is eccentric: he has a big body and a soft shooting touch near the hoop but his moves are so mechanical and stilted that his lumbering gait reminds me of Anakin Skywalker taking his first halting steps after being entombed in the Darth Vader suit.

Overall, Jackson sees some chinks in his team's defensive armor. "Our middle is really soft. We're giving up a lot of penetration and whenever you give up that amount of penetration you are going to be hurt inside, outside and at the foul line." I asked him, "Does the problem in the middle of your defense have more to do with your guards giving up too much penetration by perimeter players or with how your big players are reacting?" Jackson replied, "It's a combination of both our guards keeping guys in front of them and our bigs reacting to help."

After Cleveland beat L.A. last Thursday, Bryant expressed concerns about the Lakers' hunger and their toughness. I asked Bryant if this kind of win could in any way address such questions but I barely got the words out of my mouth before he said, "No," and then nodded his head in agreement when I added that the real tests would come versus "higher level teams." Bryant concluded, "It's a step in the right direction. We have to continue to make strides, continue to improve, continue to get better, so that when the playoffs come around we're ready to go."

*****************************
Notes From Courtside:

During Coach Jackson's pregame standup, I asked him, "After the New York game Kobe made a comment that Pau is so intelligent that sometimes it almost becomes a detriment--he is kind of thinking too much instead of just reacting. When you played you were considered a cerebral player. How did you balance that out when you played and how do you advise Pau in that regard about how to be an intelligent player but not to the point that he is thinking so much that he is not just reacting to the flow of the game?"

Jackson answered, "Well, there is a point to that, and I'll go back to (longtime assistant coach/Jackson confidant) Tex Winter again; he said that a lot of people comment about the Triangle Offense being a difficult offense to learn but that the players who probably had the most difficult time learning the offense when he coached in college were the guys who were studying chemical engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering--the science guys who were really the brainiacs who had to think things through instead of reacting, because basketball is really a reacting sport. So, there is something to that. I'm not going to throw that on top of (Kobe's) comment (about Pau) but he's an intelligent ball player and a lot of times reacting is probably the most important thing in basketball."

The "triangle" that is most fascinating to me about the Lakers--even more so than Winter's innovative offense, a framework that has helped Jackson to win 10 NBA championships and should have long since resulted in Winter being enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame--is the one consisting of Jackson-Bryant-Gasol. Jackson is a minister's son who has embraced Eastern Asian and Native American philosophies and combined those world views with the teachings he learned as an NBA player under the tutelage of Hall of Fame Coach Red Holzman. Jackson was a star player in college but a role player in the pros, so he understands both sides of that equation. Bryant is the son of an NBA journeyman and he learned the game overseas from his dad and other pros, only to be (re)introduced to the sport from an American perspective after his family returned to the United States. Bryant honed his skill set to near perfection due to his relentless work ethic. Like Bryant, Gasol learned basketball in Europe and he has a finely tuned skill set but he has a different psychological makeup; one gets the inescapable impression that if Bryant misses 10 shots he thinks that means his next 10 shots are sure to go in, whereas even if Gasol makes eight of his first 10 shots he still might hesitate to shoot the 11th if he is not positive that it would be the "correct" play to do so. I think that Jackson and Bryant respect Gasol's skill set so much that they are able to look past Gasol's occasional moments of hesitation/indecisiveness in certain situations, because they perceive such reticence as a product of Gasol's intelligence as opposed to signs of what the general public or the media might term "softness." Gasol is not "soft" so much as he is deliberate; he is willing to rebound, he is willing to fight for post position, he is willing to play defense but sometimes he has to be goaded into doing those things or reminded that not only is he capable of doing so but that the Lakers need him to contribute in those areas. Jackson and Bryant understand that even though Gasol may not have the "killer" mentality of a Bryant or a Michael Jordan he is still valuable because of his versatile skill set and because Gasol truly wants to maximize his potential. While it is true that it has been a blessing for Bryant to be paired with a skilled big man like Gasol it is just as true that it has been a blessing for Gasol to have a coach like Jackson and a teammate like Bryant to push Gasol to his limits without stifling or demeaning his intelligence.

***

The 1992 U.S. Olympic Basketball Team--forever known as "The Dream Team"--won the gold medal in Gasol's hometown, Barcelona. After the game, I spoke with Gasol about that team and its impact on him.

Friedman: "Since there is talk about the Dream Team being inducted in the Basketball Hall of Fame this year, I am interested to know what kind of effect the Dream Team had on your development as a basketball player?"

Gasol: "I was 12 years old at the time. The Dream Team caused a huge impact not only in Barcelona where the Olympics were played but I think all over the world. It was probably the greatest team ever put together, with great, great players. It was inspiring. It was inspiring for me as a kid because it was so much fun to watch. They dominated every single game against the best teams in Europe at the time--Lithuania and Croatia were very, very powerful but still they got beaten pretty badly."

Friedman: "Did that team give you the inspiration to become a professional basketball player? Did the thought come into your mind around that time or because of that?"

Gasol: "It didn't go that far but it just made me want to play more basketball. I had already played for a few years by that time, so it made me really want to play more and kind of imitate them because they were kind of like basketball gods for me and for lots of kids. It was inspiring--definitely inspiring."

I had planned to follow up that line of questioning by asking for Gasol's take about Bryant's comment regarding Gasol's intelligence but Lakers' Director of Public Relations John Black indicated that Gasol could not answer any more questions because Gasol needed to finish changing so that the Lakers could board their bus (Gasol was still wearing his uniform shorts, with his knees wrapped in ice and both ankles soaking in cold water); Gasol sheepishly shrugged regarding how long it takes him to do his postgame routine and said to me with a smile, "I'm getting old now."

***

In the early portion of this season, Bryant played some of the most efficient basketball of his entire career. With Gasol out of action due to a hamstring injury, Bryant camped out on the low block and for a while he led the league in points in the paint, showing off the array of post moves that he learned from Hakeem Olajuwon last summer. Bryant averaged 29.9 ppg on .506 field goal shooting in November and scored 31.3 ppg on .479 field goal shooting in December.

Bryant suffered an avulsion fracture (a specific kind of broken bone when a ligament or tendon is torn so violently that it rips a piece of bone away from the bone's surface, as opposed to a more conventional break that happens when a bone is cracked without ligament damage) to his right index finger during the Lakers' 104-92 win over Minnesota on December 11. Bryant scored just 16 points on 7-24 shooting (.292) in a 102-94 road loss versus Utah the day after injuring the finger but then he seemed to make some kind of adjustment and he shot .492 from the field in the remaining nine games in December.

Bryant has banged the injured finger several times and he has experimented with various types of wraps/protective devices, trying to find the right balance between bracing the mangled digit while also allowing for maximum functionality. While Bryant tried to figure out how to deal with that problem he faced an additional challenge in the form of back spasms. Bryant's efficiency has plummeted recently. Bryant averaged 23.6 ppg on .398 field goal shooting in the first 14 games in January (i.e., not including the game versus the Pacers). His rebounding and steals numbers have also declined dramatically--though he did snare a career-high 16 boards on January 24 versus Toronto--and his free throw shooting has dropped from over .850 in November/December to just .774 in January's first 14 games.

How significant are those numbers? The last time Bryant shot below .400 from the field in a month during which he played at least eight games is December 2004 (.391 in 12 games). The last time Bryant shot below .800 from the free throw line in a month during which he played at least eight games is December 2005 (.794 in 16 games). After the game, I asked Bryant about this:

Friedman: "During the past couple games you have shot well but this month you are shooting the worst percentage that you have shot in several years. Have you recently made some kind of adjustment with your finger or your grip on the ball? What are you doing differently the past couple games?"

Bryant: "I just got healthier. That's all."

Friedman: "Has the swelling gone down so that you have more mobility in the finger?"

Bryant: "My back feels great. I haven't gotten hit on the finger (recently), haven't had any major setbacks, so I just feel healthier."

Friedman: "Was the back affecting your shot even more than the finger?"

Bryant: "Oh, sure. When you have back spasms it's tough to walk. I feel better."

After the rest of the media horde drifted away from Kobe Bryant as his postgame standup ended, Bryant greeted me by goodnaturedly clapping me on my left shoulder with his right hand and I then had the opportunity to speak with him one on one. I asked him again if he really felt that the biggest problem for him recently had been the back spasms and not the finger and Bryant unhesitatingly insisted that the back had been the main hindrance. He emphasized something that he had told another writer moments earlier, namely that as the back spasms healed Bryant's "bounce" had returned and his legs felt lively again. I told Bryant that I got a good look at his finger after the Cleveland game and that I thought it looked terrible--swollen from the base to nearly the tip with a nasty discoloration streaking through the middle--and he agreed with me but said that it has healed a lot in the past few days. Bryant told me that he ices the finger daily after practicing.

I asked Bryant if he is surprised that no one has really taken an intentional shot at his finger and I mentioned that during a recent NBA TV broadcast Chris Webber had expressed surprise about this. Bryant immediately laughed heartily, declared that when Webber played he had never done anything like that and Bryant added with a big smile, "C. Webb is just talking (crap)--and you can tell him I said that!" I clarified that Webber had not said this to me personally but rather had stated it on the air but Bryant found the idea of Webber making such a statement in any context to be very humorous. Bryant clearly is not concerned that anyone is going to target his finger for "special treatment."

I said to Bryant that I don't believe that he can bend that finger due to how swollen it is and Bryant conceded that this is true. He had removed the big, black protective wrap that he dons during games but the finger was still covered with some white gauze (even with that covering I noticed that the finger looks less swollen now than it did after the Cavs game). Bryant showed me how much flexibility the finger currently has: he can barely bend it enough to form the letter "C." One credible skill that I possess as a basketball player is shooting ability and I can't imagine shooting a basketball accurately if my index finger were in that condition, so I looked Bryant dead in the eye and asked, "How are you able to shoot the ball now? Are you just resting it against the other four fingers and basically flinging it?" Bryant nodded in agreement and then demonstrated, raising his hand as if he were about to shoot an imaginary ball and indicating that he has altered his grip so that most of the weight of the ball is borne by the other fingers; he then flicks his fingers toward the hoop and gets by with the limited range of motion his index finger will permit.

It will be interesting to watch what happens during the rest of the Lakers' road trip--particularly the stop in Boston--but if Bryant is correct that his back spasms caused his January slump then we are about to see his efficiency return to its normal levels now that his back is OK and assuming that he does not suffer a setback with his finger. It would be great for the league to see a reasonably healthy Bryant and his Lakers battle LeBron James' Cleveland Cavaliers for the best record in the NBA--the two teams are essentially in a dead heat now, so the next three months could provide some great drama.

Labels: Andrew Bynum, Danny Granger, Indiana Pacers, Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers, Pau Gasol, Phil Jackson, Roy Hibbert

posted by David Friedman @ 8:46 AM

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Will the Triangle Offense Make an Appearance in the All-Star Game?

All-Star practices typically involve a media availability session followed by the two teams separately running some basic NBA sets, having some shooting contests and calling it a wrap--and today's practices were no exception for the most part, but one interesting wrinkle was that the West team practiced some dead ball situations in which they plan to employ elements of the Triangle Offense. West Coach Phil Jackson--who has used the Triangle as his primary half court offensive set while winning nine championships with the Bulls and Lakers--has coached in three previous All-Star Games (1992, 1992, 2000) but I don't recall his All-Star squads utilizing the Triangle in those games.

Unfortunately, since the media availability session took place before the practices, I did not have the opportunity ask Coach Jackson about this. Instead, I asked him what memory stands out most from his previous trips to the All-Star Game. He thought for a moment and then replied with a whimsical smile and a twinkle in his eye, "MJ pulling the (warmup) pants off of one of the players when he was being introduced is probably the best memory." Then, turning more serious, Jackson continued, "Magic coming back in an All-Star Game in '92 after being retired for a year, kind of a sendoff party for Magic even though he came back in what, '94 or '95? (1996) That was a gracious moment for Magic and the NBA. I was coaching the other team in that game and we lay down in front of him (in the closing moments, when Magic went "one on one" with Isiah Thomas and Michael Jordan) and he had a big game."

The Detroit Pistons have not performed well after trading Chauncey Billups for Allen Iverson and Antonio McDyess, their leading rebounder who re-signed with the Pistons a month after the trade. With Yao Ming, Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant attracting the biggest media hordes, Iverson--the 2001 MVP who also won All-Star MVPs in 2001 and 2005--only had a few journalists around him. I asked him for his take on why the Pistons have been struggling. "It is just team chemistry. We've just struggled all around and we have to turn it around. That's just the way it is. All we can do is stay positive and keep fighting." I asked Iverson if he thinks that there is enough time left in the season to develop better chemistry and he said, "I definitely believe that. If I didn't, there wouldn't be a need for me to even lace my sneakers up. I might as well hang them up if I didn't feel that way. I see a lot of positive things happening. We just have to get better in every aspect of the game and I think that we will. We just have to keep fighting."

Turning to a more pleasant subject, I asked Iverson his favorite memory of the All-Star Game as a fan and his favorite memory of the All-Star Game as a player. "My favorite as a player," Iverson replied, "is probably just the first time I made it (2000). As a fan, I would say probably the dunk contest when Vince (Carter) won it (also in 2000)."

Iverson has logged 41.6 mpg in his 13 season career, the fourth highest average in NBA history and a remarkable statistic for a player who is generously listed at 6-0, 165. I asked him how he has managed not only to last so long but to do so while playing such an attacking style that involves bouncing into players who are much bigger. He answered, "I just take care of myself and I have had great training staffs in Philadelphia, Denver and in Detroit. I think those guys take care of me and prepare me to go to war night in and night out." I asked Iverson if his training routine has evolved in any way as he has gotten older but he said that he has been doing the same things since his rookie season, relying on "rest and that's it. I don't do a whole lot of weight lifting or anything like that. I just play basketball. I work hard at what I do."

Prior to this season, I said that Danny Granger is one of the most underrated players in the NBA. Granger's game has really blossomed even more this season and he received a much deserved selection to the All-Star Game. After talking with Iverson, I saw Granger sitting all alone (except for Pacers' p.r. staffer Krissy Myers) just to the left of the three Boston All-Stars holding court for a large media mob. I spoke with Granger briefly just before the media availability ended and the East practice began. He told me that the biggest piece of advice that he has received from veteran All-Stars is not to shoot a jumper for his first shot, because it probably will be an airball; he also confided that there is some money riding on whether or not his first shot will be an airball, so I joked that he should make sure that his first shot is a steal and a breakaway dunk but that if he misses the dunk he might owe even more money. He laughed and agreed. I asked him his favorite All-Star memory and he said that it was watching Jordan and Bird on TV as a kid. I wondered if he ever imagined at that time that he would eventually be an All-Star and he said that becoming an All-Star first became a realistic goal in his mind within the past couple years. He added that a lot of his improvement this year has been the result of working on his outside shot and his ability to use screens; Kobe Bryant and Ray Allen are two players who he has modeled himself after. Granger added that Bryant has the most complete skill set of any NBA player but said that LeBron James is the most physically dominant.

The East All-Stars practiced first. Rookie All-Star Coach Mike Brown put his charges through the paces of several basic NBA sets: floppy, shake, punch (which is a post up action out of floppy) and rub (which is a middle screen/roll). Most NBA teams run the same basic half court sets but they use slightly different terminology/hand signals, so Coach Brown was just making sure that everyone will be on the same page on Sunday. Also, coaches like to establish some kind of offensive continuity actions for the half court game or otherwise the players may be too tempted to just freelance. There is a delicate balance that must be struck between enabling the All-Stars to showcase their talents yet preventing the game from degenerating into a series of one on one battles.

After the East squad finished honing those basic half court sets, Coach Brown split the players up to have some shooting games. Coach Brown tapped Dwight Howard and LeBron James--the two youngest East All-Stars (and isn't that a scary thought for other teams in the league?)--as captains. As the youngest player, James got the first pick and he chose Ray Allen. Howard took Joe Johnson next. James' squad eventually consisted of Allen, Granger, Iverson, Mo Williams and Kevin Garnett, while Howard had Johnson, Devin Harris, Rashard Lewis, Paul Pierce and Dwyane Wade. The shooting games consisted of a best out of five contest. In the first round, the players shot from the baseline behind the college three point line and then in the next round they moved to the wing. Each team won two rounds, so the tiebreaker round utilized top of the key shots and James' team prevailed. Coach Brown involved the crowd by asking them to cheer for whichever team they preferred (support was fairly evenly split).

All-Star practices traditionally conclude with half court shots. Joe Johnson was the only player who made one, though assistant coach Lloyd Pierce sank one, too. This was the second year that the NBA brought in a representative from the Guinness Book of World Records to certify some World Record attempts. This is a little cheesy, though, because the attempts are generally made in categories that did not exist before, so whatever happens will automatically be a record. Devin Harris created a new world record for fastest dribbler from baseline to baseline--3.93 seconds. Although calling this a world record is odd since no one else has been officially timed doing it, that is a fast time. Howard of all people tried to make the longest shot ever attempted while sitting down, but he could not sink his half court attempts so no record was set/created.

The West players came back for the practice later then scheduled and I'm not sure if the fans were thrilled by watching something that more closely resembled an actual practice as opposed to having the players do shooting games but I found it interesting to observe firsthand how Jackson teaches the game. He split the players into four groups of three based on position groupings from bigs (Yao Ming, Shaquille O'Neal, Pau Gasol in this case) to forwards/wings to point guards. Then the players ran a series of line drills (baseline to baseline), first just running up and down the court in a straight line without basketballs, then running simple weaves, then dribbling down court and eventually dribbling down court followed by taking jumpers. Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal were in lines right next to each other and were partnered up every time; they laughed and joked like long lost friends, with Bryant playfully "fouling" O'Neal on the elbow when O'Neal shot a jumper.

After the line drills, Jackson put the five starters on the court and had them run a five man fast break with proper lane assignments (two wings running wide, two "lane runners" and a center trailing the play). After doing that once, the next time down Jackson had the starters transition into a half court set, as if the defensive team had stopped the fast break.

Then the West worked on dead ball sets and this is where Jackson introduced some basic Triangle sets and cuts. While the West will use a standard NBA "fist" (screen/roll) set at times, they also will use a "guard to guard lag," one of the standard initiating passes in the Triangle Offense. After that pass, they can run a basic Triangle set. Jackson said that when Chauncey Billups cuts through on the baseline he can stop on the block and post up if he is being defended by a smaller guard and Jackson reminded the team that Bryant will often avail himself of that option when he is positioned on the baseline, so the players should see if that entry pass to the post is open.

Only after all of that business was taken care of did the West participate in the Guinness project. This time, O'Neal took three warmup free throws (making two) before being blindfolded and attempting to tie the record for most blindfolded free throws made in one minute; I think that choosing O'Neal to do this is Jackson's way of kind of tweaking this whole World Records concept. O'Neal made three free throws while blindfolded (insert your own punchline here about a blind squirrel finding a nut and/or about how that is better than O'Neal's usual percentage). Billups also made a (more serious) attempt at setting the record and, despite scattering some of his misses pretty wildly, he managed to make five and tie the old mark.

The practice session concluded with O'Neal making a one handed shot from half court; a few other players tried to match him but could not do so, with two hands or one.

Labels: Allen Iverson, Danny Granger, Kobe Bryant, NBA All-Star Game, NBA All-Star Weekend, Phil Jackson, Shaquille O'Neal

posted by David Friedman @ 12:43 AM

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All-Star Reserves Announced

TNT's pregame show about the All-Star reserves being announced kicked off with a very interesting comment by Kenny Smith: he said that being selected as an All-Star is a great honor and that this is a special night for those players, so he would never say who should not have made the team, though he may bring up the names of some players who were also worthy of consideration. I think that Smith provided an excellent perspective about how to view this whole All-Star selection process; it is not cool to disrespect anyone who made the All-Star team but it is perfectly acceptable to mention other players who are also worthy of being honored.

Chauncey Billups, Pau Gasol, Dirk Nowitzki, Shaquille O'Neal, Tony Parker, Brandon Roy and David West are this year's All-Star reserves for the West, as selected by the coaches. Interestingly, those are the exact seven players who Smith chose during last week's TNT pregame show about the All-Star starters and those are also the exact seven players who I selected. Obviously, since I agree with all of those choices I don't really have anything to add to what I wrote last week.

Chris Bosh, Danny Granger, Devin Harris, Joe Johnson, Rashard Lewis, Jameer Nelson and Paul Pierce are this year's All-Star reserves for the East. Chris Webber and Gary Payton each chose six of these seven players, while Kenny Smith and I only selected four of them. There is not a true center in the group that the coaches chose, which is why I nominated Zydrunas Ilgauskas. That said, I almost feel like taking a bit of a mulligan regarding my selections last week, because I left Chris Bosh off of my list and upon further consideration I really feel like he does belong on the team. So, even though the coaches' selections do not exactly match my original list I must say that the seven players who made the team are all indeed quite worthy of the honor. Sticking to Smith's credo, rather than disrespecting anyone from that group I will simply reiterate why some other players also could have been selected:

Zydrunas Ilgauskas is the second best center in the East. While the Cavs have certainly weathered the injury storm since he has been sidelined by a broken bone in his foot, they are not nearly as dominant as they were with him in the lineup, as shown not only by their won-loss record but also by the stark decline in their point differential during his absence. Sticking to the literal guidelines that the reserve squad should have one center, he would have been the most logical choice at that position.

Mo Williams has made a major difference for Cleveland this year. His ability to score and be a playmaker has taken a lot of pressure off of LeBron James and Williams has also proven to be a much better defender than advertised. The Cavs probably would not be contending for the best record in the NBA without his contributions.

Vince Carter has seemingly been cast aside in terms of national recognition but he is still a highly productive player. He is actually shooting better from the field and from three point range than Harris while only averaging .1 ppg fewer than his new teammate, who certainly deserves his first All-Star selection. It is tough to vote for two All-Stars from a sub-.500 team but Carter is playing at an All-Star level this season.

Ray Allen is actually playing better this season than he did last year, when he earned his eighth All-Star selection as an injury replacement and then almost won the All-Star Game MVP. Taking nothing away from Orlando's worthy All-Star trio, it is interesting that among the Champion Celtics, Finalist Lakers, perennial contender Cavs and rising Magic only Orlando placed three players in the All-Star Game this year.

Labels: Chauncey Billups, Chris Bosh, Danny Granger, Dirk Nowitzki, NBA All-Star Game, Pau Gasol, Paul Pierce, Shaquille O'Neal

posted by David Friedman @ 12:31 AM

6 comments

"Fortuitous" Murphy Tip-In Lifts Pacers Over Lakers

Troy Murphy's left handed tip-in as time expired enabled the Indiana Pacers to defeat the L.A. Lakers 118-117 at Conseco Fieldhouse; the Lakers, who still own the best record in the Western Conference (14-2) and are tied with the 17-2 Boston Celtics for fewest losses in the NBA, squandered a 16 point fourth quarter lead. Murphy finished with 16 points and a game-high 17 rebounds as the Pacers controlled the boards, outrebounding the Lakers 50-41, including a 19-8 advantage on the offensive glass. Danny Granger scored a game-high 32 points but he shot just 10-27 from the field. T.J. Ford added 21 points, eight assists and three steals while committing just one turnover; his dribble penetration repeatedly broke down the Lakers' defense, leading to open shots (and offensive rebounding opportunities even if the initial shot did not go in, because the Lakers had to scramble and rotate). Rasho Nesterovic scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, essentially playing Andrew Bynum (17 points, nine rebounds) to a standstill in a matchup that the Lakers surely expected to dominate. Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 28 points on 10-21 field goal shooting, while Pau Gasol had 20 points and nine rebounds. All five starters for both teams scored in double figures; the Lakers' Trevor Ariza was the only bench player to reach double figures, contributing 13 points, five rebounds, three steals and a blocked shot but he also had four turnovers in just under 25 minutes, a high total for a player who is not a primary ballhandler.

One of the biggest stories in the NBA this season has been the Lakers' improved defense but you wouldn't believe that if this was the only Lakers' game you've seen; during Laker Coach Phil Jackson's postgame standup, someone asked him what he did not like about the Lakers' defense versus Indiana and Jackson replied, "Everything."

Indiana jumped out to a 9-4 lead less than three minutes into the game. Right from the start it was clear that the Lakers were not playing the way that they did in most of their previous games, as the Pacers repeatedly drained wide open shots. In many games this season Bryant has not looked for his shot early and then contributed whatever scoring was needed later on but against Indiana he attempted three shots in the first 49 seconds, making a midrange jumper and missing a short jumper and a three pointer. Nesterovic scored eight points on 4-4 field goal shooting in the first quarter, with three of his makes coming on long jumpers. A knowledgeable courtside observer said to me after the first quarter that at first Bynum gave Nesterovic--a proven jump shooter who has no offensive moves when closely guarded--too much room in order to defend the lane against cutters but after Coach Jackson berated Bynum the young center ended up in no man's land "guarding air," positioning himself too far away from Nesterovic to bother his shot but not close enough to the hoop to deter cutters. That is the type of information that boxscore data does not reveal but that plays a role in how coaches design game plans and react during games; the numbers tell you part of the story of what Nesterovic and Bynum did while they were on the court but only by watching the game with understanding can you determine how their actions not only affected their individual matchup but also impacted other players (cutters to the hoop in this instance) and thereby the overall course of the game. One numerical hint in the boxscore is that Nesterovic had a +2 plus/minus rating, while Bynum had a -6 plus/minus rating but without watching the game you cannot possibly know why that was the case.

Eventually, the Lakers found a useful mismatch that they could exploit: Pau Gasol versus Murphy. Gasol scored 10 first quarter points and the Lakers led 30-28 after the first 12 minutes. Still, this was hardly a satisfactory performance from their standpoint: they committed five turnovers and allowed the Pacers to shoot .542 from the field.

Bryant took his usual rest with 41 seconds remaining in the first quarter and the Lakers ahead, 28-26. When he returned at the 6:57 mark of the second quarter, the Pacers led 42-40. I have not seen every single Lakers' game this year and I know that they have one of the highest scoring second units in the league but it still seems to me that--just like last year--the Lakers' bench players perform better when Bryant is in the game with them than when they are on their own or paired with a starter other than Bryant. People always focus on the last play or final minutes of a game but what happens in the "hidden" minutes is just as important, so we should not dismiss the significance of a four point swing in a game that was ultimately decided by a last second shot--particularly since the bench players were also involved in another negative point swing later in the game.

With Bryant back on the floor, the Lakers kicked into high gear: Bryant got a steal and orchestrated a slick fast break, passing to Lamar Odom, who fed Ariza for a layup. Ariza got fouled and made the free throw to convert the three point play to put the Lakers up 43-42. The Pacers fought back to take a 48-44 lead but then Bryant scored 11 points and had one assist in the last 3:45 of the half: he hauled in Odom's errant lob pass, landed and made a reverse layup, fed Gasol for a jumper, made a driving left handed layup, spun away from a double team on the baseline for a reverse layup, tossed the ball to himself off of the backboard in traffic in order to escape a trap and make another layup (!) and then crossed over multiple defenders, made a layup, drew a foul and converted the three point play. The self-pass--reminiscent of a maneuver that Tracy McGrady has pulled off in the All-Star Game, except that McGrady dunked the ball (albeit against much less defensive resistance)--was as stunning as it was unexpected and would probably have been remembered as the play of the game if not for Murphy's game winner. The Lakers led 66-61 at halftime after Bryant's scoring outburst.

At the start of the third quarter, Bryant picked up right where he had left off, scoring seven points in the first 3:09, but the Lakers were not able to pull away because the Pacers answered in kind, largely as a result of opportunities created by Ford, who made a three pointer and had three assists in the first 4:20 of the third quarter. I have often talked about Bryant being the most fundamentally sound player in the league. What does that mean? It refers to a lot of things about his game, including the overall completeness of his skill set and a lot of "little" things that he does that casual observers might not notice but that those who understand basketball see and appreciate. In my Slam Online article about Bryant and LeBron James I noted Bryant's savvy as a free throw line offensive rebounder. One third quarter play demonstrated a different kind of awareness; after Bryant missed a three pointer, Gasol snared the offensive rebound. Instead of simply watching the action, Bryant immediately cut hard to the hoop and made eye contact with Gasol (who is also a very savvy player). Gasol passed to Bryant, who banked in a short jump shot. That scoring opportunity was created not by great athletic ability but by moving without the ball and knowing how to find the soft spot in a defense. Is Bryant the only NBA player who does something like that? Of course not; this is just a specific example of the type of thing that I mean when I talk about fundamentals and complete skill sets and I make comparisons that are not purely based on raw numbers.

Another example of Bryant's court savvy did not result in any tangible box score numbers; with the score tied at 84 late in the third quarter, Bryant and Bynum ran a screen roll action on the left wing. When both defenders attack the ballhandler--Bryant in this case--their goal is to either trap him completely or at the very least force a pass away from the hoop to a player who is not in scoring position but Bryant accepted the trap, split the two defenders and delivered a beautiful feed to a cutting Bynum, who was fouled by a rotating defender; it takes a combination of mental skills (reading the defenders in a split second) and physical skills (ballhandling, agility, speed) for Bryant to make that play. Bynum did not make the shot, so Bryant obviously did not get an assist--and after Bynum missed both free throws that possession essentially became the equivalent of a turnover. Again, Bryant is not the only player in the NBA who reads and splits traps--but if you are wondering what I mean when I talk about skill sets and about unselfish, playmaking actions that are not recorded in the boxscore as assists, that is a good example to consider in both regards; it is worth noting that even if Bynum had made both free throws Bryant would not have received any boxscore credit for a scoring opportunity that was created by his ability to draw double teams and then beat the trap.

I can't write about the third quarter without mentioning Ariza, who reminds me of Inspector Gadget because of the way he uses his long arms to poke the ball free for steals; you could almost hear him saying "Go, go Gadget arms" as he repeatedly pilfered the ball and headed downcourt to either dunk the ball or get fouled. At times, Ariza's disruptive defense is reminiscent of the way that Scottie Pippen played defense, though Pippen could sustain that impact for a longer period of time and against a greater variety of positions, guarding anyone from point guards to power forwards (Pippen also had a much more complete offensive game than Ariza).

The Lakers led 88-86 when Bryant went to the bench with 2:07 remaining in the quarter. This time, the bench players performed well without him: Jordan Farmar scored on a drive to the hoop, then penetrated to the hoop and delivered a behind the back feed to Bynum for a dunk. Inspector Gadget--I mean Ariza--got a steal and a slam, Sasha Vujacic drilled a three pointer and Bynum scored a reverse dunk on an alley oop feed from Odom. After Bynum hit a pair of free throws the Lakers enjoyed a 101-86 lead heading into the final 12 minutes.

So, that flurry proves that I have underrated the Lakers' bench, right? Sorry, I have to go Lee Corso here and say, "Not so fast, my friend." Or, if you prefer, Ray Lewis' line--"The same thing that will make you laugh will make you cry"--will also suffice. Coach Jackson kept Bynum on the court with four reserves--Odom, Farmar, Vujacic and Ariza--to start the fourth quarter and that group missed two out of three shots and committed four turnovers as the Pacers sliced the margin to 104-96 in less than three minutes, forcing Jackson to call a timeout and bring in the other four starters to play alongside Bynum. Jackson later said, "I didn't like at all the way that we started the fourth quarter. They came out and fiddled it away. You can't do that on the road. That gives momentum to the home team."

It is easy to say that the Lakers were still ahead at that point so the starters should have been able to finish the game but that discounts the intangible basketball reality of momentum--you may not be able to quantify momentum in a boxscore but that does not mean it does not exist. Players who are out of the game can lose rhythm and the team that is making a comeback gains confidence, energy and enthusiasm, so it is not always possible to stop a run simply by taking out players who were performing poorly. In his great book "Those Who Love the Game," Doc Rivers described how it would frustrate him when he would lock down an opposing player defensively, head to the bench for a brief rest and then have to deal with a raging inferno after the man he was guarding got hot--and gained confidence--against whoever had subbed in for Rivers.

There have been several times this season that Bryant rode in to rescue the Lakers after the bench was not able to maintain a comfortable lead--here is a recap that I wrote about one such game--but against the Pacers he was not quite able to do so. Bryant missed the first two shots he took after coming back into the game and then he split a pair of free throws, putting the Lakers up 105-98 with 6:47 left. Granger scored all 10 of his fourth quarter points in the final 5:32, including a big three pointer at the 1:42 mark to pull the Pacers to within 115-114. After Gasol missed a jumper and committed a loose ball foul, Marquis Daniels sank two free throws to give the Pacers their first lead of the final stanza. Bryant answered with a cold blooded jumper that momentarily silenced the crowd and then the teams traded misses: a Ford jumper blocked by Odom and a Bryant jumper that could have put the Lakers up by three with :14 left. That set the stage for a wild closing sequence after an Indiana timeout. Daniels drove to the hoop but his flailing reverse layup completely missed the mark. As the clock approached triple zeroes, several players scrambled for the rebound and Murphy reached it first, stabbing at the ball with his left hand. Time seemed to freeze as the ball massaged every part of the rim before sinking through as time expired. The home crowd erupted and the Lakers stood around with dazed looks on their faces as the officials completed the obligatory video review. The call stood, the basket was good and the Pacers had earned a hard fought win.

The "go figure" stat of the night is that two of the Pacers' seven wins have come against last year's NBA Finalists; the Pacers won their home opener 95-79 against the Boston Celtics. The Lakers swept the season series against the Pacers 2-0 last year and own a 51-19 advantage in the all-time series but they have not had much success at Conseco Fieldhouse, falling to 3-7 in that building. You may recall that two seasons ago the Lakers blew a nine point third quarter lead at Indiana in a 95-84 loss that Coach Jackson, tongue planted firmly in cheek, called "sad," saying, "They just got 'sad' tonight--'s-a-d,' you know what that is, right? It's sunlight deprivation--when you get out here, it's all gray and the California boys get depressed and they can't take it. They were very 'sad' tonight."

This time around, Jackson offered a more serious explanation for his team's struggles: "I'm always worried when we travel across three time zones. We just don't seem to function right. I was a little bit aggressive with the team tonight because I didn't think they functioned right. They didn't react well defensively. As a result, Indiana hung around and found a way to win it."

Jackson called Murphy's tip-in "fortuitous"--not in the sense that it was a lucky play but that the ball rolled around for so long that time expired, preventing the Lakers from having an opportunity to go for a last second shot. Bryant echoed that sentiment: "I knew it was going in by the way that it was bouncing, so I was hoping that the (shot) would drop in the basket so that we would have one second at least. It stayed up there forever and the clock ran out."

I asked Bryant, "What did you think was the difference defensively tonight versus the other games? It seemed like right from the start you guys gave up more points and a higher field goal percentage than usual."

Bryant answered, "Their penetration hurt us a lot. They kept the middle spread. The penetration, particularly by their guards, getting in the paint and creating opportunities--and the opportunities that they missed, they got second and third chances."

I asked if the dribble penetration put the Lakers in a scramble mode that enabled the Pacers to get more offensive rebounds. Bryant said,"Sometimes it's just the way the ball bounces and guys going after it. They ran down a lot of balls."

Gasol said, "We could have done better out there. In the fourth quarter, one or two more defensive rebounds, one or two more actions on offense would have probably given us the victory. Those things, little plays at the end make a big difference."

I asked Gasol, "Even earlier in the game the Pacers were shooting a higher percentage than your oppponents usually have this year. What did you think was the difference for you guys defensively right from the start of the game?"

He replied, "They were running well. They were into the flow. They were hitting a lot of open jumpers. Our defense was not as intense as it could be in the first quarter and pretty much through the whole game. There was a stretch where we played the defense we are capable of playing but for most of the game we weren't active enough and we didn't communicate enough to make the appropriate rotations."

I then asked, "How does that happen? You've played so well as a team. What causes a team to not become active or not communicate?"

Gasol answered, "Coming out a little too flat is part of the reason. A little too confident, sometimes; it happens."

I also asked Odom why he thought that the Lakers' defense was so subpar right from the start of the game. He said, "We gave them too much space. They got hot from the outside. They did what they needed to do to win the game."

Naturally, Indiana Coach Jim O'Brien was thrilled by the victory: "What a great win for our team and our fans...That's special. It's a great, great feeling for everyone who is a Pacer. It feels great whenever you pull out a win against a great team. To see our players rewarded for their hard work makes me feel great."

*****************************
Notes From Courtside:

Lakers assistant coach Jim Cleamons made the All-Defensive Team once during his nine year playing career, won a championship ring as a rookie with the 1972 Lakers and has won four championship rings as an assistant coach for Phil Jackson (1996 in Chicago, 2000-2002 in L.A.). I spoke with him before the game about a variety of subjects, focusing primarily on defense and on how this Lakers' team compares to some of the great championship teams that Cleamons was involved with as a player and as a coach. I will post the whole interview soon but I will relay one of his comments now because it was very prescient regarding this game and is worth keeping in mind as the season progresses:

When I asked him to compare this year's Lakers to the 1972 Lakers and the 1996 Bulls, Cleamons immediately had a wry smile and I hastily added that I fully realize that it is early in the season to make such a comparison but that I am interested to hear his perspective about how the current Lakers match up to those great teams and in which areas they fall short. Cleamons said that the current Lakers lack the "maturity" that the old Lakers and Bulls' teams had but that part of the objective this season is to develop that characteristic: "We haven't seen too many tough teams this year and the one tough team we saw (Detroit, the other team that beat the Lakers) handed our hat back to us. That's a learning process. Hopefully this team will grow and mature. We've got some tough games ahead of us before we finish out the year and we'll see where we are."

Go back and look at what Gasol said about this game: the Lakers came out flat and a little overconfident. The teams that won 65+ games and went on to win championships--the '67 Sixers, the '71 Bucks, the '72 Lakers, the '83 Sixers, the '86 Celtics, the '87 Lakers, the '92, '96 and '97 Bulls, the 2000 Lakers, the 2008 Celtics--had killer mentalities and were trying to bury their opponents every night. We all know that Bryant has that kind of mentality but it remains to be seen how many other Lakers--particularly the all important members of the frontcourt, the guys who the Celtics dominated in the NBA Finals and who were outrebounded by a smaller but hungrier Pacers team--share that mindset. The Lakers are going to win a ton of games and contend for a title but whether or not they complete the job will be decided by that factor, whether you call it "maturity" or a killer instinct.

***

During pregame warmups, Lakers' assistant coach Brian Shaw played post defense as several Lakers tried to score on him. Perhaps his efforts were an omen of how the Lakers would play in the paint: It can't be a good sign when a retired shooting guard blocks starting center Andrew Bynum's shot. Luke Walton, D.J. Mbenga and Sun Yue also went against Shaw, with varying degrees of success; Mbenga actually showcased an array of fakes and spin moves that I've never seen him use during real games.

***

The game was not a sellout, which is surprising because the Pacers have won back a lot of fans this season with their revamped roster and energetic play and because the Lakers are usually a very popular road draw.

***

Just like I did with LeBron James--and like I plan to do with each and every Team USA member who I encounter this season--I congratulated Kobe Bryant on winning the Olympic gold medal and thanked him for helping to bring that prize back to the United States. Bryant warmly accepted my congratulations with a big smile and when I told him how much I had enjoyed watching the team play he said, "We had a blast." A big part of the reason that Team USA won is that Bryant, James and the other team members not only put in the necessary work--both on the practice court and in the games--but that they filled that process with joy, so it is great that they created such a wonderful memory that will last a lifetime for themselves and for everyone who watched them play.

Labels: Andrew Bynum, Danny Granger, Indiana Pacers, Jim Cleamons, Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers, Pau Gasol, Phil Jackson, Trevor Ariza, Troy Murphy

posted by David Friedman @ 5:38 AM

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