Carnival of the NBA #56 Hosted by The On Deck Circle
Carnival of the NBA #56 is being hosted by The On Deck Circle. This Carnival does not have a particular theme but it features several interesting contributions.
Most of what I do here is straight up analysis and commentary but I decided to submit a humorous post this time around (though there is actually some analysis in it if you pay attention):
The Next Top 40 Hit: Josh Howard Sings "Because I Got High."Labels: Carnival of the NBA, Josh Howard
posted by David Friedman @ 7:00 AM
The Next Top 40 Hit: Josh Howard Sings "Because I Got High"
I was gonna clean my room, until I got high
I was gonna get up and find the broom, but then I got high
My room is still messed up and I know why, (why man) 'cuz I got high--"Because I Got High," Afroman (2001)
Josh Howard has a lot of time on his hands now that his Dallas Mavericks have been eliminated from the playoffs by the New Orleans Hornets. Howard recently explained what he likes to do to unwind during the offseason but this could be a great time for him to rent some studio time and remake Afroman's classic 2001 hit, "Because I Got High"--and if Howard decides to do so, it might go something like this:
I was gonna help my team win in the playoffs, until I got high
I was gonna play like an All-Star in the playoffs, until I got high
I was gonna be my team's second leading scorer in the playoffs, until I got high
I played so badly that I was benched for the last 9:08 in a do or die game and I know why (why man) 'cuz I got high
I was gonna finish strongly at the hoop versus New Orleans, until I got high
I was gonna hit open jumpers versus New Orleans, until I got high
I shot .292 from the field versus New Orleans and I know why (why man) 'cuz I got high.
I was gonna be a long-armed defender in certain situations versus Chris Paul, until I got high
I was gonna play with energy and hustle versus New Orleans, until I got high
My team depends on me but I let them down and I know why (why man) 'cuz I got high
Labels: Afroman, Dallas Mavericks, Josh Howard, New Orleans Hornets
posted by David Friedman @ 6:53 AM
Anthony, Iverson Combine to Sink Slumping Mavericks
Many NBA fans are familiar with the classic line that Micheal Ray Richardson delivered about the floundering New York Knicks (some things never change) in the 1980s: "The ship be sinking." However, his followup response to a question about how far the team could sink is not as well known but just as priceless: "Sky's the limit." Welcome to the world of the Dallas Mavericks, whose ship is definitely sinking and the "sky's the limit" in terms of how far it will fall. The Mavs built a 15 point lead at Denver on Thursday before scoring just 35 second half points in a 118-105 loss. They are now just a half game ahead of Golden State and one game ahead of Denver in the three team battle for the final two Western Conference playoff berths.
The Mavs dropped to 1-1 without 2007 MVP Dirk Nowitzki, who is sidelined indefinitely with injuries to his left ankle and knee. More significantly, they are now 0-9 versus winning teams since acquiring Jason Kidd, who had one of his best games as a Mav (19 points, 15 assists, four rebounds, five steals). That record is not Kidd's fault; it just indicates that Dallas has not been playing exceptional basketball for an extended period of time, something that does not figure to change as long as Nowitzki is out of action.
Carmelo Anthony led Denver in scoring (32 points), rebounds (10) and assists (eight) yet he had a plus/minus rating of just +1 in a 13 point win. That is an unusual stat line but I think that the explanation can be found in his defense--or lack thereof. Anthony is a gifted athlete and he is certainly physically capable of playing good defense but often he is out of position, not in a proper defensive stance and/or seemingly disinterested. He puts up gaudy offensive numbers on a nightly basis but he gives up plenty at the other end of the court as well and that sets the tone for the entire team. Josh Howard scored 20 of his 32 points in the first half, helping Dallas to build a 70-60 lead, and when TNT's Craig Sager asked him if Dallas scored so much because of good offense, bad defense or both, Howard refrained from even trying to sugarcoat the situation and honestly replied, "A little bit of both." In the second half, Dallas started throwing the ball away, igniting Denver's fast break and enabling the Nuggets to turn that 10 point deficit into a 94-86 lead by the end of the third quarter.
Allen Iverson, the other member of the league's highest scoring duo, added 31 points and five assists and he had a game-high +16 plus/minus rating. Howard was largely silent after his big first half and the same was true of Jerry Stackhouse, who had 16 of his 18 points in the first half.
The Mavs gave up 60 points in the first half and 58 points in the second half, so the difference in the game happened at their offensive end of the court. Without the threat that Nowitzki represents they were not able to sustain their first half scoring performance, an outburst that was facilitated by Denver's lackadaisical defense. Denver Coach George Karl told TNT's Craig Sager that his team does not play good defense for 48 minutes but that they have the ability to play good defense at times. Apparently, they decided to make the second half one of those times; the Nuggets took their first lead of the second half after nearly forcing a 24 second violation, rebounding a Stackhouse miss and quickly converting that opportunity into a fast break dunk by Anthony that made the score 80-79. Dallas never seriously threatened Denver after that.
A lot of people doubted Houston without Yao Ming and Phoenix with Shaquille O'Neal and I correctly said that both of those teams would be fine. However, the people who are doubting Dallas now are correct. The Mavs were not doing so great even with Nowitzki. They have some talented players but the idea that Josh Howard is as valuable as Nowitzki is going to rapidly be revealed as erroneous. Kidd is a great leader but it seems that there is some kind of power struggle between him and Coach Avery Johnson--not so much that they don't like each other personally but rather that they have different ideas about how to play. Johnson wants to slow the game down and call his own plays, while Kidd is more effective in an uptempo game. The race for the last two spots is so close that Dallas could find a way to win a couple games and sneak in but they are obviously pretenders and not contenders this season, which is quite a drop from the status that they enjoyed in 2006 (NBA Finalists) and 2007 (best regular season record in the NBA).
Labels: Allen Iverson, Carmelo Anthony, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, Jerry Stackhouse, Josh Howard
posted by David Friedman @ 5:09 AM
Thursday Potpourri: Revenge of the "Snubbed," Suns Still Can't Beat Spurs, Kobe Needs Help
This is the time of year when players who feel that they have been "snubbed" out of All-Star berths fill out their own "write in" ballots with high scoring performances. TNT's Kenny Smith said that the first player he remembers doing this is Cleveland's Ron Harper in the late 1980s but there is at least one earlier example: right after
Mark Aguirre found out that he had not made the 1985 All-Star team, he dropped a career-high 49 points on Julius Erving and the Philadelphia 76ers. Perhaps the classic case happened on January 27, 1990, when Karl Malone reacted to the news that A.C. Green had been voted as an All-Star starter ahead of him by scoring 61 points and grabbing 18 rebounds in just 33 minutes in a 144-96 win over Milwaukee. Malone vowed to not go to the All-Star Game as a reserve, then backed off from that position but ironically ended up missing the game due to injury.
The reality is that virtually every year there are more All-Star caliber players than there are available spots on the team, so it is not really accurate to speak of "snubs," even though just about everyone does. In case you missed the announcement on TNT, the East reserves are Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton, Chris Bosh, Caron Butler, Paul Pierce, Joe Johnson and Antawn Jamison. Interestingly, those are the exact seven players who Magic Johnson said last week that he would have selected; when I wrote about who I would pick,
I abided by the rules, which stipulate that a center must be chosen, so I would have selected Zydrunas Ilgauskas instead of Joe Johnson; I guess Bosh is being considered as the team's back up center. I am surprised that Johnson made the team not only because this violates the rules but because of the mediocre record of his team. If the coaches were not going to choose a true center then Hedo Turkoglu should have gotten the nod. While I agree in principle with the idea of rewarding the Celtics for their league-best record, Ray Allen is not just scoring fewer points this year because he is sacrificing shot attempts to play on a contender; his shooting percentage has plummeted and he just is not having a good enough year to make the All-Star team. The West reserves are Steve Nash, Chris Paul, Amare Stoudemire, Dirk Nowitzki, Carlos Boozer, Brandon Roy and David West. Again, I agree with the coaches on six of the seven choices. I would have taken Baron Davis over West but I also wrote in the aforementioned post, "(Josh) Howard and West are two of the players who I think merit serious consideration and it would not bother me one bit if either of them got the nod."
Allen and Howard are both former All-Stars and they surely consider themselves to be "snubbed" this time around. Allen's Celtics faced Howard's Mavericks in the first game of TNT's doubleheader and you just knew that both players would try to put on a show. Allen scored 15 first quarter points and Howard had 13 as Boston jumped out to a 27-20 lead. The biggest story of the game is that Kevin Garnett again sat out to rest his strained abdominal muscle. The early returns so far are that the Celtics are not exactly helpless even without Garnett, which makes one wonder if he really is the MVP or if Boston's success is more a product of a great ensemble effort from three stars and many role players who have all committed themselves to playing great defense. After their initial explosions, both Allen and Howard were largely quiet for the remainder of the game: in the next three quarters, Allen scored just 11 points and Howard only had four. The score was tied at 90 with :58 left after Dirk Nowitzki (31 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, three blocked shots) sank a pair of free throws. Paul Pierce (26 points) missed a jumper on Boston's next possession but point guard Rajon Rondo made the play of the game by stealing the rebound from Nowitzki and converting a tough layup for a two point Boston lead; four James Posey free throws closed out the scoring in a 96-90 Boston win.
Allen's production will not make anyone forget Aguirre or Malone but this is the most points that he has scored in more than two weeks and just the second time he scored more than 20 points in January. Come to think of it, those numbers reinforce why Allen should not make the team. Howard is certainly worthy of being on the team and his statistics this year are better across the board than the numbers he put up last year as a first-time All-Star but the West is just stacked with talent this season.
The second game of the TNT doubleheader, San Antonio at Phoenix, also featured a pair of former All-Stars who did not make the team this year: Manu Ginobili and Shawn Marion. Spurs point guard Tony Parker, the 2007 NBA Finals MVP, did not play due to bone spurs in his foot and three point specialist Brent Barry also sat out due to injury. Suns' fans constantly offer a million excuses about why their team has failed to beat San Antonio in a playoff series during the Steve Nash era but if any game set up in the Suns' favor it was this one: the Spurs have been floundering recently, the Suns are at full strength and have been playing well at home and the absence of Parker meant that Nash could essentially rest on defense. When the Spurs have Parker, they are comfortable playing at a fast or slow tempo but without him they want to grind things out. This was a golden opportunity for Nash, Marion and company to run the Spurs ragged. Instead, the Suns scored a season-low 81 points and lost by three even though the Spurs shot just .387 from the field. San Antonio controlled the boards (45-38) and made all the key plays down the stretch. Jacque Vaughn came off the bench to score a season-high 17 points for the Spurs in Parker's place, which does not say much for the Suns' defense. Marion finished with team-highs in points (21) and rebounds (10), while Ginobili led the Spurs in scoring (19 points) but Tim Duncan controlled the game with 16 points, 17 rebounds, seven assists and two blocked shots. Steve Nash had 17 points and eight assists but he shot just 6-18 from the field, including 2-9 from three point range.
Duncan and Nash are each two-time NBA MVPs. Phoenix led 77-75 and had the ball with 2:22 left; here is what the two stars did down the stretch: Duncan assisted on a Michael Finley three pointer and then put the Spurs ahead for a good with a bank shot with :30 remaining, while Nash had two assists but did not score and committed back to back turnovers sandwiched around Duncan's clutch shot. The Spurs may not be a lot better than the Suns but they have been consistently at least a little better than the Suns for quite some time and that does not figure to change by playoff time.
The Lakers' season-defining road trip got off to a frustrating start in Detroit, as L.A. fought back from a 17 point deficit only to lose on a last second Tayshaun Prince three pointer. Kobe Bryant had 39 points, 10 rebounds and five assists while shooting 12-25 from the field but he also committed an NBA season-high 11 turnovers. I watched the two TNT games, so I only saw highlights of this one but I wonder how many Bryant turnovers happened on passes to Kwame Brown (3 points, 1-5 field goal shooting). In any case, Bryant's 26 second half points--including 10 straight in the third quarter to carry the Lakers from a 58-54 deficit to a 64-61 lead--put the Lakers in position to win; they led 89-87 with 17 seconds left and just needed one stop and one defensive rebound. The Lakers got the stop--Rasheed Wallace missed a three pointer--but Tayshaun Prince beat Lamar Odom to the rebound. Prince passed the ball to Chauncey Billups at the top of the key and then he drifted to the left baseline. Remember that the Lakers were up by two, so the only thing that could beat them in regulation was a three pointer. Sure enough, Odom foolishly overreacted to Billups' dribble penetration, leaving Prince all alone in the corner to drain the game-winning shot. There were still four seconds left but after the Lakers called timeout the Pistons wisely smothered Bryant and dared anyone else to make a shot. "Anyone else" in this case turned out to be Odom, who fired an off balance floater when he had enough time to take one more dribble and square up for a closer, higher percentage shot. There are different stats floating around about who is the most dangerous "clutch" player in the NBA but coaches know the real deal: on Sunday, Cleveland double-teamed Bryant and the other Lakers were so scared they did not even attempt a shot. Teams are simply going to smother Bryant and take their chances with anyone else shooting until someone else steps up to the challenge.
This is reminiscent of the scenario at the end of game six of the 2006 playoffs versus Phoenix, when the Lakers gave up a late offensive rebound and three pointer at the end of regulation and then lost in overtime, squandering a 50 point game by Bryant. It is interesting that the perceived ineptitude of LeBron James' supporting cast supposedly boosts his MVP candidacy but that Bryant's MVP candidacy is judged strictly based on wins and losses (the explanation that is widely given for his third place finish last season). It makes more sense to evaluate Bryant, James and Garnett on the basis of what they actually do and how they impact games directly as opposed to making their MVP bids dependent on the performances of other players.
Labels: Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks, Josh Howard, Kobe Bryant, Ray Allen, Shawn Marion, Steve Nash, Tim Duncan
posted by David Friedman @ 7:16 AM
Is This a Make or Break Year for the Suns?
The Dallas Mavericks raced to a 37-20 first quarter lead and survived a furious late rally by the Phoenix Suns to win 108-105 in the first showdown this season between these perennial Western Conference contenders. Perhaps for the first time this season, Dallas looked like the team that won 67 games last year. Not coincidentally, Dirk Nowitzki performed like he did when he won the 2007 MVP, finishing with a game-high 31 points, including 12 in the fourth quarter and eight in the final 2:32. Nowitzki also had nine rebounds. Josh Howard contributed 23 points and seven rebounds and Devin Harris added 21 points, six assists and three steals. Amare Stoudemire led the Suns with 25 points and he also had eight rebounds and four blocked shots. Shawn Marion scored 23 points on 10-14 shooting in addition to having 10 rebounds and three steals; both he and Stoudemire benefited from several great passes from Steve Nash, who had 21 points and 18 assists.
While the Mavericks--winners of four straight and six of their last seven--appear to be rounding into form, this has been a strange season so far for the Suns. Their 18-8 record is second only to San Antonio in the West but no one on the team seems particularly happy, even when the team wins, something that I
observed firsthand after the Suns' 121-117 victory in Indiana. A few days ago after a loss to New Orleans, Nash said, "It’s very, very disappointing. I wish I could find a way to make sure each guy is ready to play. But what do you do, interview each guy before a game?" The Suns have a tendency to coast on defense, relying on their high powered offense to bail them out. When that does not work--during the first quarter versus Dallas, for instance--the Suns may temporarily play with more energy and focus on defense, but that transformation does not always last long enough to secure victory. Needless to say, this is a recipe for failure in the postseason, something that clearly concerns Nash and some of the team's executives, including General Manager Steve Kerr, who
recently admitted publicly that the team is currently being "evaluated" to determine if roster changes need to be made. The Suns did just beat the Spurs in San Antonio--Tony Parker did not play--but they are not likely to beat the Spurs in a seven game series if their defensive effort continues to be transitory rather than a staple of the team's identity. During a stoppage of play in the first quarter, ESPN's Jeff Van Gundy said, "This start by Phoenix has highlighted their greatest strengths--which are their transition game and Steve Nash--but also their greatest weaknesses. They've given up 25 points in less than nine minutes because they do not protect the basket. You're not a championship caliber team unless you can protect the basket."
Van Gundy made several interesting observations about both teams. He took issue with Josh Howard's statement that the Mavericks wore themselves out last year by winning so many regular season games. "Total cop out," Van Gundy declared, asking rhetorically if the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls team that went 72-10 or the great Celtics teams led by Larry Bird ever said such things. Van Gundy added, "There is no such thing as turning it on and turning it off. You either have good habits or you don't." He concluded that Howard's comment is nothing more than an "excuse" for the team's first round loss to Golden State, which--in Van Gundy's opinion--resulted from what he called a "perfect storm" of the Warriors peaking at just the right time.
Van Gundy later suggested that Nowitzki should shoot more three pointers because it is difficult to get into rhythm when you only attempt a few shots from that range. I have been saying for a while that Nowitzki should play to his strengths--including his ability to face up defenders and shoot jumpers--instead of having the mindset that he has to post up just because he is seven feet tall.
After Nash made a gorgeous twisting layup over Dallas center Erick Dampier, Van Gundy said, "I have a problem with anybody who says that guy is not a great athlete. The coordination to be able to control your body, keep your eye on the backboard and then touch it up there on the board--that is a tremendous athlete." Of course, I agree with Van Gundy about this and I recently
did a lengthy post on this very subject.Labels: Amare Stoudemire, Dallas Mavericks, Devin Harris, Dirk Nowitzki, Josh Howard, Phoenix Suns, Shawn Marion, Steve Nash
posted by David Friedman @ 7:40 AM
Mavericks Run Past Spurs in Showdown of Western Conference Heavyweights
The Dallas Mavericks used a high octane running game to defeat the San Antonio Spurs, 105-92. Josh Howard led the Mavericks with 23 points. Devin Harris scored 18 points and had a game-high +27 plus/minus, largely because he completely ate Tony Parker's lunch (seven points on 1-11 shooting, a game-low -21 plus/minus). Dirk Nowitzki, who this year almost seems to be operating in a point-forward role, tied Harris with a team-high five assists in addition to scoring 18 points, grabbing eight rebounds and blocking four shots. Jason Terry continues to thrive in the sixth man role, scoring 18 points on 7-9 shooting. Manu Ginobili had 25 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, while Tim Duncan scored well (24 points) but did not have the impact elsewhere that he usually does (five rebounds, no blocked shots).
Dallas raced out to a 20-8 lead and was in control for most of the game. The Mavericks pushed the ball up the court at every opportunity and led 59-40 at halftime. Of course, a championship team like the Spurs is going to make a run but the Mavericks maintained at least a 10 point lead throughout the second half.
If Dallas had played this way in last year's playoffs versus Golden State then the Mavericks would have had an opportunity to do this to the Spurs with a berth to the NBA Finals on the line--and, regardless of what anyone thinks, the Mavericks are better equipped to beat the Spurs in a seven game series than any other team in the West, including the Phoenix Suns. That should be obvious, since the Mavericks actually did beat the Spurs in the playoffs just two years ago; the only other Western Conference team to beat the Spurs in the postseason since 2000 is the Shaq-Kobe Lakers.
Unlike Phoenix and Golden State, Dallas is able to play an uptempo game without completely sacrificing defense and without utilizing questionable shot selection; that is why the Mavericks should never be afraid to run with anyone. In fact, when Dallas beat San Antonio in the 2006 playoffs, the Mavericks scored more than 100 points in each of their wins and fewer than 100 in each of their losses. I understand that Coach Avery Johnson wants to construct the Mavericks in the mold of the Spurs, but his best player, Dirk Nowitzki, is neither a back to the basket offensive player nor a defensive stopper in the paint a la Tim Duncan; therefore, Dallas will never be most effective playing the grind it out style that San Antonio prefers.
It is interesting to speculate about why Dallas forces the tempo versus San Antonio but did not consistently do this against Golden State in last year's playoffs. My theory is that the Dallas coaching staff realizes that it cannot beat San Antonio in a slowdown game, so getting into a fast paced game is mandatory--but I think that the Dallas coaching staff had a hard time accepting that the Mavericks really could not simply slow the game down and bludgeon Golden State to death. Mavericks' fans should be ecstatic that their team
largely abandoned that wrongheaded approach in the first matchup with Golden State this season.
Labels: Dallas Mavericks, Devin Harris, Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Terry, Josh Howard, Manu Ginobili, San Antonio Spurs, Tim Duncan
posted by David Friedman @ 6:06 AM
