Sixers Spoil Indiana's Home Opener
An enthusiastic sellout crowd of 18,345 at Conseco Fieldhouse expected to see Indiana, fresh off of a road victory over the Miami Heat, defeat the winless Phildelphia 76ers in the Pacers' home opener--but the Sixers played with tremendous energy and took advantage of 20 Indiana turnovers to win 111-109. Allen Iverson struggled from the field, shooting 11-29, but he produced 29 points, 12 assists, five rebounds and three steals as the Sixers provided Maurice Cheeks his first win as Sixers coach. Iverson hit the deck a few times after strong drives to the hoop, but shook off the bumps and bruises to become the first player to play all 48 minutes of a regulation game this season. Chris Webber had 25 points and nine rebounds for the Sixers, while Jermaine O'Neal led the Pacers with 23 points and 15 rebounds. Indiana point guard Jamaal Tinsley had 21 points, six assists and three steals before fouling out and Stephen Jackson scored 14 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter as the Pacers made a furious run after trailing by as many as 20 points in the third quarter.
A few nights ago, the Sixers played their home opener before a similarly enthusiastic crowd and dropped a 117-108 decision in overtime to the Milwaukee Bucks. Several Sixers legends--including Hall of Famers Julius Erving and Moses Malone--were present at the game to offer support to their former teammate Cheeks in his debut as the Sixers head coach. During the pre-game media availability session at the Pacers-Sixers game, I asked Coach Cheeks to talk about how special it was to have those players return for the home opener. In light of the loss, Cheeks laughed, "That was probably the only special part of the night." Then, on a more serious note, he added, "That was special. Any time you bring back some players you played with and won a championship with, and had great times with, it's always special. To see them standing over on the side was beautiful. We had a little conversation and had a good time." Cheeks smiled before adding, "I could have used a couple of those guys." Cheeks agreed with me that it is important for teams--and the NBA in general--to continue to do things like that, to keep the legends in the forefront to preserve the history of the game. Cheeks noted, "Most teams bring former players back who had some impact on the league. Younger players see that--although they may not have any recollection of those players--and then it is explained that this guy did this and that guy did that. When we go to certain arenas and see numbers up in the rafters some of these guys are so young that they don't even know (who they are). So to bring them back and let guys see them and know who they are and some of the accomplishments that they achieved is pretty good."
Earlier in that session, Mark Montieth of the Indianapolis Star asked Coach Cheeks about Kyle Korver's shooting slump and Cheeks responded that every NBA player goes through something like that at one point or another. He said that Korver and his teammates must work together to help him get out of it. I followed up by asking if those kind of slumps are the result of a technical flaw in the shooting motion or simply a mental hurdle that the player has to overcome. Cheeks replied, "The game can play mind games on you. When you miss a few, you start thinking about it a little bit more. So the thing that you have to do--and he tried it last night, but unfortunately it didn't happen--is try to get some easier baskets. When you get easier baskets it makes the basket bigger. Kyle is kind of like us--and I think that I said this last night: when he starts making a few shots and we win a couple games, we'll be pretty good." Those words turned out to be very prophetic.
It is always interesting to watch how the players prepare for the game during warmups--not the layup line right before tipoff, but the 45 minute warmup that ends 45 minutes before gametime (players are not necessarily on the court for the whole 45 minute period). On the Sixers' side, Korver shot almost nothing but three pointers while I was watching and he made nearly every one that he took. Perhaps that was a sign of things to come, because he shot 3-5 on three-pointers during the game, finishing with 15 points while tying a career-high with nine assists. Meanwhile, on the Pacers' side, Sarunas Jasikevicius, the 29 year old rookie from Lithuania, worked on a variety of dribble drive moves, starting beyond the three-point line and pulling up for mid-range jumpers. This is an important part of his continuing development, because in the NBA he will have to be able to do more than just hit open three- pointers; when the defense denies that option he must be able to create opportunities for himself (and his teammates) off of the dribble. Assistant coach Chad Forcier told Jasikevicius what to do (for instance, left to right crossover dribble, followed by a pull up jumper off of the backboard) and then defended against him as he worked on the move; it was like watching a choreographer teaching a dancer some new steps. After that, Jasikevicius shot three-pointers from both wings and the top of the key and then sank several free throws. His shooting stroke is very pretty--a quick flick of the wrist, no wasted motion--and very accurate. His inability to keep up defensively or handle the ball against Philly's pressure defense limited him to under nine minutes playing time, but during that brief stint he sank two three-pointers in three attempts.
Jasikevicius was not the only Pacer who struggled with his ballhandling; Ron Artest had eight turnovers and, other than Tinsley, the team had difficulty whenever Philadelphia trapped or pressured ball handlers. If Tinsley has to miss extended playing time due to foul trouble or injury the Pacers could have problems against teams that pressure and trap.
After the game, the Sixers players presented the game ball to Coach Cheeks. In his postgame standup, Cheeks said, "This was a heck of a win for us. Our attention to detail was big. When we play a team like this, we know they are going to make some runs. Kyle was big for us, as was our bench. I thought Steven Hunter was phenomenal. Everyone who stepped on the floor tonight made a huge impact for us."
During his postgame press conference, Indiana Coach Rick Carlisle said, "Give Philly credit for how they came in here. They deserved to win. For three quarters they carried the game. I was glad to see us fight back in the fourth. But it's the same old story; you've got to play four quarters to win. We really picked it up in the fourth but it was too late. We all own this one. From me on down to everyone that played." He singled out poor defense and the high number of turnovers as the two biggest reasons that the Pacers lost.
posted by David Friedman @ 1:50 AM
Will Shaq's Injury Tip the East's Balance of Power?
Indiana opened the third straight night of nationally televised doubleheaders with a 105-102 win in Miami. Indiana led by as many as 14 but the Heat had cut the margin to 91-88 with 6:35 left in the fourth quarter when Shaquille O'Neal landed on Ron Artest's foot, sprained his ankle and had to leave the game. Recently retired Pacer legend Reggie Miller made his TNT debut as a game commentator two nights after his first appearance as a TNT studio analyst. Miller maintains that the Pacers have the deepest roster in the league and are capable of winning the NBA championship. The way that the Pacers beat a lead-footed Heat team up and down the court for the first three quarters of the game made those words seem prophetic and made one wonder why Miller did not stick around for one more year to try to win his first NBA title. Then Miami rediscovered that Shaq is in fact on the team and began delivering the ball to him inside. Shaq either scored, drew a foul or passed to an open cutter, the Heat made a run and it seemed that Indiana's earlier efforts might be in vain. Shaq's injury cost us the opportunity to see how these teams would perform down the stretch in a close game with each squad at full strength. Of course, if Shaq has to miss a substantial number of games it could cost Miami a lot more than that. Preliminary X-rays did not find a break, so Shaq is the proverbial "day-to-day."
Jermaine O'Neal led the Pacers with 27 points and Ron Artest contributed 22 points along with his customarily strong defense. Dwyane Wade had 31 points, 10 assists and six rebounds for Miami and his attempt at a tying three pointer at the buzzer went halfway down before rimming out. Shaq had 18 points, six rebounds and four blocked shots. Jason Williams "contributed" 1-8 shooting from the field, scoring three points with two assists. Perhaps someone can explain why he had eight field goal attempts in 26 minutes and Shaq had 12 field goal attempts in 29 minutes. Am I the only person who thinks that when Williams launches a long jumper with 15-plus seconds on the shot clock and Shaq waiting in vain for the ball in the low post that a trap door should immediately open on the court and send Williams straight to the Heat bench?
In TNT's second game, Phoenix ran the Lakers into the ground, 122-112. Kobe Bryant was sensational again, scoring 39 points while grabbing seven rebounds and dishing off five assists. He shot 13-26 from the field and 13-14 from the free throw line. Lamar Odom also had a strong game in defeat--23 points, 16 rebounds, eight assists. New Laker point guard Smush Parker scored 21 points and seems to be a major upgrade over Chucky Atkins. No other Laker scored in double figures but more troubling than that for Coach Phil Jackson is that his team allowed Phoenix to shoot .506 from the field. Shawn Marion led seven Phoenix double-figure scorers with 30 points and 11 rebounds, while Steve Nash had 12 points, 17 assists and six rebounds.
Even without the injured Amare Stoudemire, the Suns are a potent team. I am incredulous that some analysts talk of Phoenix trying to hang around .500 until Stoudemire returns; Phoenix is still one of the better teams in the league and can finish in the top 4-5 in the West with its current roster. The Suns still have league MVP Nash, All-Star Marion and an above average supporting cast. Most teams will find it difficult to keep up with Phoenix' uptempo style. Of course, teams with the ability to slow the pace of the game will cause Phoenix a lot of trouble and the Suns will also suffer even more than most teams when they have to play four games in five nights and are simply too exhausted to push the ball effectively.
posted by David Friedman @ 2:04 AM
Kobe Delivers Victory With .6 Seconds Left
NBA Premiere Week continued on Wednesday night with another nationally televised doubleheader, this time on ESPN. In the first game, the two-time defending Eastern Conference champion Detroit Pistons made quick work of the Philadelphia 76ers, prevailing 108-88. Rip Hamilton shredded the Sixers for 37 points; Allen Iverson led Philadelphia with 31 points. The Sixers miss Samuel Dalembert's defense and energy and desperately need to find someone else who can create offense besides Iverson, who had six of his team's 11 assists.
The second ESPN game was much more entertaining and dramatic. The Lakers-Nuggets contest saw 24 lead changes and 18 ties and required overtime to settle matters. The Lakers had the final possession with the score knotted at 97. Kwame Brown received the ball on the left block and missed an awkward looking shot in the paint, but got the offensive rebound. He looked a bit perplexed about what to do next but then Kobe Bryant emerged from the baseline and Brown seemed quite relieved to pass him the ball. Bryant took a couple dribbles, jab stepped toward the lane and then buried a fadeaway jumper with .6 seconds left as several Denver defenders tried in vain to stop him. Voshon Lenard got a clean--but deep--look at a three point shot on the ensuing inbounds play, but his shot clanged harmlessly off the back of the rim and the Lakers won on the road against a team that most observers expect to be one of the leading contenders in the Western Conference. Bryant finished with 33 points, five rebounds, four assists, two blocked shots (including a sensational swat of a Marcus Camby dunk attempt in overtime) and one steal; he scored 15 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, making all seven of his free throws during that span.
There are some parallels between the Lakers' quest this season and the situation that the Chicago Bulls found themselves in after Michael Jordan retired to play basketball. Conventional wisdom said that the Bulls would fall off the map without Jordan, but--thanks to an MVP-caliber season by Scottie Pippen--the Bulls went 55-27 in 1993-94 (only two games worse than the 1992-93 championship team) and lost a tough seven game playoff series to the New York Knicks after a horrible Hue Hollins call in game five that would have made the umpiring in this year's major league baseball playoffs look flawless. In a recent article, Fran Blinebury of the Houston Chronicle points out that Phil Jackson himself has compared this year's Lakers to the Pippen-led Bulls of 1993-94 and 1994-95.
Bryant is 27 years old coming into this season and won three championships as the star sidekick to Shaquille O'Neal; coming into the 1993-94 season Pippen was 28 years old and had won three titles as Michael Jordan's star sidekick. Bryant and Pippen would both surely bristle at the "sidekick" designation and with good reason--being the second best player on three championship teams while earning All-NBA and All-Defensive Team honors means that both played indispensible roles during those title runs. Pippen hungered to earn MVP recognition but finished third in the 1993-94 balloting; Bryant hungers no less to be league MVP and it will be interesting to see not only how well he performs but how he is perceived by the writers and broadcasters who mold public opinion, many of whom bought hook, line and sinker the idea that he broke up the Lakers even though owner Jerry Buss has torpedoed that notion; the return of Phil Jackson to coach Bryant and Jackson's frank admission that Bryant did not chase him off or break up the team should forever lay that idea to rest.
The difference between the Pippen Bulls and the Bryant Lakers, of course, is that--unlike Jordan returning to the Bulls--Shaquille O'Neal will not be coming back to the Lakers and L.A. will not be able to trade Chris Mihm for Ben Wallace, the modern approximation of the deal in which Chicago swapped Will Perdue for Dennis Rodman. Still, this is a season in which Jackson and Bryant can silence a lot of their critics. At least one member of the national media buys into the possibility of the Lakers doing very well this year--on the NBA Shootaround program that preceded the doubleheader, Greg Anthony picked the Lakers as his sleeper team and said that he would not be surprised if L.A. makes it to the conference finals.
posted by David Friedman @ 3:45 AM
Opening Night
The NBA's 2005-06 regular season began on Tuesday night with a doubleheader on TNT. The first game matched the 2005 champion San Antonio Spurs against the Denver Nuggets, who went 32-8 down the stretch last season after hiring Coach George Karl. Prior to the game the Spurs raised their 2005 championship banner and handed out championship rings to their front office staff, coaches and players. During my Tuesday afternoon appearance on Eddie King's Betus.com radio show I mentioned that the opening night ring ceremony game can sometimes be difficult for the champions. Players are creatures of habit and the ring ceremony breaks up the normal pre-game routine. Plus, the opposing team sits there and watches the whole production and wants to make a statement about who is really the boss. Sure enough, the Nuggets started the game on fire, taking a 17-8 first quarter lead. The Spurs soon rallied and took the lead but the Nuggets led 72-69 going into the fourth quarter and seemed poised for a big road win. New Spur Michael Finley teamed with point guard Tony Parker to save the day for San Antonio; Finley scored 11 fourth quarter points after tallying only five in the first three quarters, while Parker went 7-7 from the field and posted 15 points in the final stanza. The Spurs won going away, 102-91. Tim Duncan posted the routinely solid all-around numbers that we have come to expect from him: 19 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, four blocks. His Nuggets counterpart Kenyon Martin matched him in points, but managed only two rebounds, three assists and no blocked shots. Carmelo Anthony looked to be the most fit and trim that he has been since he entered the league and he showcased several dazzling moves that frustrated noted defender Bruce Bowen, including crossover dribble drives, baseline spin moves and turnaround jumpers. Nuggets big man Nene went down with a knee injury early in the game and had to be helped off of the court. Hopefully it will only turn out to be a sprained ACL and not a torn one.
TNT's nightcap game extended well into the morning hours, as Dallas and Phoenix battled through two overtimes before the Mavericks emerged with a 111-108 victory. The Suns led by 17 points in the second half, but Dirk Nowitzki unleashed a barrage of late threes and the Mavericks made some key defensive plays, including a strip/steal by Jason Terry near the end of regulation. Nowitzki finished with 28 points and 15 rebounds, while Suns point guard/2005 regular season MVP Steve Nash had 30 points, nine assists and eight rebounds.
The other NBA action on opening night included a 117-108 Milwaukee overtime win over Philadelphia and a shocking 93-67 New Orleans/Oklahoma City victory over the Sacramento Kings. Reggie Miller, making his debut as a TNT studio analyst, said simply, "Sacramento should be shot." That is a bit extreme, but a 2005 playoff team losing to the Hornets probably should be drawn and quartered. The highlights from the Milwaukee game include 30 points and a three pointer to send the game to overtime by Milwaukee's Michael Redd, 16 points, 14 assists and 9 rebounds from point guard T.J. Ford in his return from a serious neck injury and 13 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots from number one draft pick Andrew Bogut. On the other side, Philadelphia was led by Allen Iverson's 35 points and nine assists and Chris Webber's 32 points, 14 rebounds and five assists. The next Sixer had 11 points.
posted by David Friedman @ 3:26 AM
