NBA Ticket to the Playoffs

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With the Boston Celtics win in Game 6 in Detroit, the Celtics will move on to face the champion of the Western Conference, the Los Angeles Lakers. Old school 1980's NBA fans will be savoring this matchup, as will David Stern and the NBA office once the ratings come out for the upcoming NBA Finals :) . Enough about that matchup for now; Game 1 is Thursday Night so we have plenty of time to talk about the NBA Finals buildup in the coming days.

Game 6 in Detroit was being controlled by Boston, but the Pistons made a 2nd half run to take the lead for the first time since very early in the game. However towards the end of that second half, some calls went the Celtics way and Rasheed Wallace had to sit on the bench with 5 fouls. The tide began to turn as Detroit began missing shots, making turnovers, committing fouls, etc. Paul Pierce then helped take control in the fourth as the Celtics outscored Detroit 29-13 in the 4th quarter to win 89-81.

Kevin Garnett was held to 8 points 1 rebound even into the third quarter, but he came on in the 4th quarter as well to knock down some shots and at least produce 16 points 5 rebs 4 assists. Ray Allen strangely had an average game (he has either been dreadfully bad, or he puts up 25+ points) dropping in 17 points on 3 / 8 three point shooting.

A very disappointing loss for the Detroit Pistons as they are only 2-4 in Conference Finals despite making it to the past 6 Eastern Conference Finals. Chauncey Billups fought through his leg injury to put up 29 points 6 rebounds 6 assists with no turnovers. Rip Hamilton was hurt with the elbow and was unsure about playing, but he came out to produce 21 points himself with a sleek 9 / 14 FG's from the floor.

The Pistons were sunk though with the performance of their other star players. Rasheed Wallace is a guy they need to be a factor and he was 2 / 12 from the floor, 0 / 6 from the 3pt line, for a pathetic 4 points and 3 turnovers. Tayshaun Prince was not better, shooting 3 / 10 from the floor for 10 points. These two have been inconsistent and the Pistons have still won at times, but it requires other players like Antonio McDyess to step up with monster efforts (who also had an off game with 6 pts 6 rebs in almost 40 minutes). Even Rodney Stuckey who had been a bench bright spot, was 1 / 5 in Game 6 for 4 points.

Heading into the offseason, the Pistons are in a position similar to the San Antonio Spurs who were just eliminated themselves. Both have veteran cores that have seen better days, but they are not at the point of a full rebuilding mode just yet. These teams have been great in part to their brilliant front office's so one would expect them to be able to retool and still make some noise.

The Detroit Pistons are doing a better job than the Spurs developing talent with Jason Maxiell coming along nicely, and really should be playing more for Rasheed Wallace and definitely should be taking Theo Ratliff's minutes. Stuckey has shown that he is playoff-ready should one of the guards depart or tail off, but it is unlikely. Players such as Billups who do not rely on athleticism age well moving into the latter parts of their career. Another stud on the Pistons bench is Amir Johnson, who has tore up D leagues in the past.

Definitely a bitter defeat for the Detroit Pistons at home in Game 6. Now the Los Angeles Lakers fly to the Boston Garden to take on the Boston Celtics Thursday Night on ABC.

Will Garnett / Allen / Pierce get their rings? Or will the MVP get his 4th? As a believer in the Western Conference every year, my money is on MVP Kobe Bryant and the LA Lakers in 6 games.

Posted by Ken Walker at 4:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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The defending champion San Antonio Spurs are no more. The Spurs have a ticket to San Antonio but the LA Lakers won in 5 games and have a Finals Ticket to Boston or a Finals Ticket for Detroit, whoever wins that Eastern Conference Finals matchup.

Another disappointing effort from the Spurs, yet Game 5 showed how close the Spurs were to taking a few of these games and making it a different series. The SA Spurs had a 17 point lead in the first half, not the first time they lost a huge lead to the Lakers this series. Some of the role players for LA made timely shots like Farmar and Odom, but the MVP led the way in this game.

NBA MVP Kobe Bryant had 39 points on 16 / 30 shooting, doing it the hard way with only 5 points from free throws. Kobe's closing ability in the 4th quarter was the difference as he never let the Spurs get ahead. Bruce Bowen can get up in his grill, but Kobe has the athletic ability to get separation to create a shot and has the vertical and finesse to finish.

It was a heroic effort from Tim Duncan who has been laying it all on the line for the Spurs, but just has not received enough help. Duncan managed 19 points 15 rebounds 10 assists but on only 7 / 19 shooting. The length of Gasol and Odom bothered Duncan's ability to finish inside, despite the fact that he could out-muscle them at will.

Another game where Manu Ginobili just did not show up. It is no surprise that the one game Manu went off with 30 points, the Spurs win. Because that's how it went through the previous Spurs Finals runs. Whether it is that ankle injury, or whether Ginobili just did not shoot / finish like he has in the past, the Spurs have to be nervous heading into the future.

Sure Duncan will age well as a big, and Parker is still reliable. But the Spurs need scoring options badly with Manu looking inconsistent at best, and is probably suited to a role where the team is less reliant on him to be successful (maybe as a true bench player). The Spurs though do not have a lot of flexibility to make changes until 2010, but a lot of high profile free agents will be available then including LeBron James.

San Antonio Spurs fans and haters alike, be sure to remember that besides the Lakers title run, the Spurs have won every odd year title since 1999.

Posted by Ken Walker at 5:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

AP Photo / Winslow Townson

In a highly contested Game 5, the Boston Celtics came out the victor at home to take a 3-2 series lead. The series moves to Detroit for a Game 6 on Friday but there are some important variables to look at before that.

Richard Hamilton scored 25 points 4 rebounds 6 assists 2 steals with an efficient shooting night in Game 5 but Rip also hurt his elbow at the end of the game. Hamilton was in a lot of pain so it remains to be seen if Hamilton will play in Game 6 as he is questionable with that elbow as of right now.

Chauncey Billups had a bounce back game with 26 points albeit on 7 / 17 shooting, but seeing him hit big 3 point shots down the stretch was a great sign for the Pistons. Rasheed Wallace also banged home 6 three points for 18 points but had some choice comments after the game. He went off on the officials in this game as the flopping got a little out of hand and there were a lot of soft touch foul calls on the Pistons. Of course Rasheed was fined 25,000$ for opening his mouth but you have to respect a guy who tells it like it is even when he knows it's going to cost him money.

The Boston Celtics were fortunate enough to get a monster performance from Kendrick Perkins with 18 points 16 rebounds 2 steals 2 blocks. With the attention the Big Three on Boston require, Perkins was able to get 5 offensive rebounds and easy baskets, making 8 out of 11 shots.

Ray Allen also decided to break out once more. He had a spectacular Game 2 and then went back to the Ray Allen of the 2008 NBA Playoffs by shooting about 33% the next two games. In Game 5 Ray Allen got hot, getting some easy baskets and 5 three pointers for 29 points on the night. This was needed because Paul Pierce had a so-so offensive game with 16 points to go with 4 rebounds and 5 assists.

Kevin Garnett has another lights out game with 33 points 7 rebounds and he even hit a three pointer. Best yet Garnett shot 10 / 12 free throws and 11 /' 17 from the floor. This type of efficiency creates so many easy baskets not only for himself but for Perkins and creates space for Allen to shoot.

Game 6 largely will depend on the health of the Pistons. With a healthy Chauncey Billups and Rip Hamilton, expect a gutty effort from the Pistons in a Game 6 win. If Hamilton cannot go or is ineffective, the Celtics proved they are capable of winning in Detroit.

Posted by Ken Walker at 12:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

ESPN and Yahoo cover the major sports well but I'm a big fan of amateur wrestling and had a problem finding a quality site to keep up with the daily news going on in the College and High School Wrestling world. Most of the sites I found were built poorly, or you could tell they were not updated consistently.

I was checking around the UMN blogs and found a College Wrestling News website. There is a Wrestling Fan that updates the site with wrestling rankings, videos, news, and even has a wrestling talk forum.

Within this network of wrestling sites there is also a wrestling rankings website that has user-created content for each and every state. Basically it is providing a medium for groups of wrestlers / wrestling fans to keep track of the matches and overall rankings throughout the country. Having all of that data at one website makes for some interesting yet simple analysis of the best wrestlers in High School.

NCAA College Wrestling Ranking News

Posted by Ken Walker at 11:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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After a dismal performance in Game 2 in Los Angeles, the San Antonio Spurs turn the tables on the Lakers and pull away in the 2nd half for a 19 point victory. The big three in San Antonio all were performing at a top level, scoring 20+ points on better than 50% shooting.

If there was a good thing about the Game 2 blowout by Los Angeles, it was that the starters for San Antonio namely Manu Ginobili received extended rest. It showed in how he attacked the basket coming out in Game 2, and how fresh his shot looked in knocking down 5 of 7 three pointers. Best of all, despite a hobbled ankle, Manu made it to the line 7 times knocking down all 7 shots. One play in particular that comes to mind from Game 3 is when he drove through 4 Laker defenders including 2 at the basket (Kobe being one of them) and still finished.

Meanwhile Kobe Bryant made 0 free throws in 1 attempts, which is not going to get it done for Los Angeles on the road. Sure Kobe scored 30 points on better than 50% shooting plus 4 threes, but he needs to attack the basket more to create more opportunities for the role players in LA as nobody besides Jordan Farmar provided decent help for Bryant in Game 3.

Lamar Odom followed up his brilliant Game 2 will a dismal effort in San Antonio. Odom went 2 / 11 from the field, including 3 / 8 from the free throw line. Gasol shot poorly also at a 7 / 18 clip and still cannot handle Duncan's physicality inside as evidenced by being quadrupled in rebounds by Duncan. Nary a blocked shot for the Lakers on this night after a decent amount in Los Angeles, another sign of the questionable Laker interior defense. Tim Duncan continues to dominate in the middle of this series with a 20-20 game to go along with 5 assists and a solid 6 out of 9 free throws made for the Big Fundamental.

Heading into Game 4 on Tuesday night look for more of the same for the Spurs. While the loss in Game 2 was terrible, Duncan has shown even in LA that the Lakers have no presence in the interior that compares to him. They will continue to ride him and have him create on offense. Most importantly the Spurs are hoping that the Game 3 Manu Ginobili put up will be the norm now that he has had a little bit of rest; but the rest of the series is played every other day so he will need to keep up. The Spurs are so reliant on him to be an efficient scorer and creator on offense because besides Duncan and Parker, the scoring options are limited and inconsistent at best.

Posted by Ken Walker at 4:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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The LA Lakers did not need a furious comeback to win this game. Instead Kobe Bryant and the rest of the gang got to joke around at the end of a 30 point blowout at home against the defending champs, the San Antonio Spurs. How many huge road losses can these prideful old warriors take?

Just glance at some of the numbers and you can see the Spurs struggled beyond belief. They had two players score over double digits - Tim Duncan with 12 and Tony Parker leading the team with 13 points! SA finished with 71 points on .345% shooting including 6 / 23 from threes and a meager 5 / 10 free throws. Unbelievable numbers for these Spurs, despite how offensively-challenged they can look at times.

The story of the game was Lamar Odom coming out of his mini slump to perform efficiently as Kobe Bryant's number 1 sidekick in this bout. Odom dominated with his length, snatching 12 rebounds and 4 blocked shots to go with 20 points on 7 / 10 shooting, 6 / 8 from the line. When Lamar Odom is not shooting on the perimeter but instead using his athleticism to drive and create shots for himself and teammates, he is one of the most versatile players in the game. It was Odom and Bryant who put the Spurs away for good to start the third quarter.

Also not to be overlooked is the play of a few Laker guards who turned their play around. Derek Fisher recovered from an awful 1 / 9 night in Game 1 to record 11 points on 4 / 5 shooting and 3 / 3 free throws. Matching him was Jordan Farmar, who had been struggling throughout the entire playoffs. Throughout the year he was putting in almost 10 points a game and 1.5 threes a game in just 20 minutes. His efficient play was missed in the playoffs but he has a solid game with 14 points on 5 / 7 shooting including 2 threes. Granted he played some of that during garbage time but was playing when it was close too (he had an outstanding dunk on Ime Udoka).

Then there is that Kobe Bryant guy who won the MVP of the NBA. He shot just 1 / 5 from three point land but was 9 / 12 with the rest of his shots from the floor for 22 points 5 rebounds 5 assists. This game hardly required Kobe's best effort as evidenced by his 1 free throw attempt but his outing was efficient nonetheless.

Obviously these next two games in San Antonio are of prime importance for this year but are telling for the future as well. If the Lakers trounce the Spurs in SA like they did in this game, it could effectively be the passing of the torch in the Western Conference. Ironic in that the Lakers had sort of passed the torch to San Antonio after the Shaq / Kobe threepeat days in the mid-2000's.

Remember, the Lakers are doing this without youngster Andrew Bynum, and their robbery of Memphis for Pau Gasol has put them in an even more favorable position heading into the next 4-5 years of NBA basketball.

That said don't expect those Spurs to roll over and die, no matter the deficit. Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals is Sunday Night at 830 Eastern Time.

Posted by Ken Walker at 5:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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After the Eastern Conference Finals Game 1 ended and Boston had managed to hold off Detroit, I mentioned that road teams would be a lot more successful in this series.

Sure enough, the Detroit Pistons then take Game 2 in the Boston Garden and the series is 1-1. The score was close at 103-97 Detroit, but towards the end the Pistons kept a healthy two-possession or more lead by converting nifty plays on offense. A Ray Allen three pushed it to a three point lead but Rip Hamilton made a floater at the end of the shot clock, and then Billups made a layup after a time out and that was about it.

A game before the Pistons looked out of sync, shooting .424 from the field and rarely making aggressive trips to the line. The Detroit Pistons in Game 2 did what good jump shooting teams need to do; move the ball and find the open man. More importantly the open men shot with confidence, as the Pistons were close to shooting 50% from the field. They picked up more fouls and hit their shots at a 28 / 32 clip (.875%).

The guards led the way for Detroit. Chauncey Billups had a much more effective Game 2. He still looks a little hobbled physically but he has been able to assert his will with efficient shooting and playmaking. Flip Saunders likes the 7 assists 0 turnovers, and Billups was healthy enough to get to the line 8 times making 7 of the shots.

Rip Hamilton punched in a team high 25 points with 10 / 12 free throws being made. Rip had a slick floater at the end of a shot clock in the 4th quarter - it was that type of night for Detroit. Even Rodney Stuckey put up big numbers considering he only played 17 minutes and finished with 13 points 3 assists 2 steals.

The Pistons got numbers from only 6 people but that is par for the course in Detroit, except a 7th player like Maxiell usually contributes a bit more. It was more telling for the Boston Celtics who have been relying on their bench production throughout the year, despite having the Big Three. Game 2 actually was one of the few times the Big Three were all contributing with 20+ points.

That is because Ray Allen broke out of his shooting funk, as he had 25 points in 29 minutes on 50%+ shooting. He even hit a few threes. If there is a silver lining despite the loss at home, this would be it. If Ray Allen can contribute with perimeter shooting that will be a big help in opening up the Celtic offense. Kevin Garnett had another solid 24 point 13 rebound 2 block game and Pierce led the team again with 26 points.

However there were only 3 field goals by the bench, 2 of which are from PJ Brown who has found the fountain of youth. James Posey's 1 / 5 night from the three point line did not help. With Eddie House's struggles look for the Celtics to consider bringing back Sam Cassell to play more minutes, even though he had been supplanted due to his poor performance early in the playoffs against Atlanta. The Big Three in Boston need some help and it's going to have to come from the bench or with improved offensive play by Rondo or Perkins.

This win puts Detroit in a great position heading into Game 3. The Celtics have been teetering on the brink of elimination and can no longer hang their head on their home court performance. They will have to win a road game now to regain home court, and despite coming close on a few occasions earlier in the playoffs, this will still be a tall hurdle to clear for the Celtics. Returning to Boston for Game 5, the Celtics are aiming to steal one game in Detroit and bring it back 2-2. Meanwhile the Pistons are looking for an opportunity to take the next two home games for a 3-1 series lead.

Game 3 is Saturday Night at 7:30pm in Detroit.

Posted by Ken Walker at 2:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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For the 1st half and the first part of the 3rd quarter, the San Antonio Spurs looked to have no hang over from their night that they had to spend in the New Orleans airport. But it just came out in the latter parts of the 2nd half.

Tim Duncan was pushing Pau Gasol around all night long to the tune of 30 points 18 rebounds 4 blocks 2 steals. Timmy came to play and Tony Parker was at least average, but the rest of the Spurs supporting cast really let them down by missing shots. Michael Finley was 0-5 shooting threes and Manu Ginobili really struggled and looked too tired to create. But he was also harassed going to the basket by the long arms of Gasol and Odom. Ginobili relies on drawing contact as he is getting to the rim but in this game it just ended up in weak shot attempts instead of fouls. Part of this was Manu's fault as he looked fatigued most of the game, but this brings us to another point. It would be an understatement to say that the Lakers got away with a mugging but on the road (especially Los Angeles in the playoffs) the Spurs certainly have come to accept it goes with the territory. If you saw the 1999-00 Conference Finals against the Blazers or 02-03 against the Kings then you know.

After a longer layoff, the Los Angeles Lakers looked a little lost on offense in the 1st half, and their defense was soft. Kobe Bryant scored 2 points in the 1st half. But then the middle of the 3rd quarter came with the Spurs up by 20, and the Lakers began a comeback that the Spurs were never able to quell. And it was led mostly by the MVP Kobe Bryant who had 25 points in the 2nd half. When he was not scoring he was setting up Gasol for feeds.

Despite the modest numbers, the Lakers were had a +25 advantage with Sasha Vujacic in the game. He played tight defense and made a few nice three pointers, and got to the line. His quality bench play made up for a 1 / 9 night shooting from Derek Fisher. Lamar Odom also struggled with 8 points on 3 / 12 shooting, not so much with jumpers like Fisher but Odom as unable to finish in the paint.

If the rest of the series is as classic as this game 1 comeback, we are in for another wild ride in the West. Considering the circumstances the Lakers are lucky to pull away with that one, and the Spurs are sure to want revenge for that bitter loss.

Posted by Ken Walker at 5:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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The home dominance of the Boston Celtics continues as they are now 9-0 at home and 0-6 on the road in the 2007-2008 Playoffs. The Detroit Pistons looked like a team that had a few too many days off, while the Boston Celtics did not look fatigued but instead in a flow from their Game 7 victory over Cleveland in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals.

Despite being a solid, road-tested playoff team, the Detroit Pistons shoot a lot of jump shots. In Game 1 against Boston they had an even tougher time getting to the basket, but they at least managed to pick up 6 more foul shots than the Celtics.

Kevin Garnett really imposed his will on Rasheed Wallace on both ends of the floor, putting up 26 points 9 rebounds 4 assists 2 blocks on a spectacular 11 / 17 performance from the field. In earlier games (notably on the road), Garnett seemed tentative to be aggressive attacking the rim instead of taking jump shots. After his 40 point performance, Paul Pierce had a solid night with 22 points on 50% shooting but missed all four threes he took. Ray Allen continues to struggle with his shot, shooting 3 / 10 with nary a three pointer. Doc Rivers continues to play him 40 minutes a game but it seems to be too much of a liability offensively even if he is performing well on defense.

Rajon Rondo fought Chauncey Billups all night long, recording 5 steals and holding Chauncey to just 9 points. But Billups only has 6 attempts shooting so his right hamstring is probably still an issue.

With Chauncey just coming back it was clear from the start that it was going to take some time for the Pistons to get their chemistry back. Besides Rasheed's matchup against KG, none of the Pistons played particularly bad and the game was close in the 4th quarter. Still, expect Detroit to bounce back and play a much more competitive Game 2. While home court has proved vital in the playoffs thus far, expect a few surprising road wins in this series.

Posted by Ken Walker at 8:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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With a 91-82 victory, the San Antonio Spurs have finally put away the pesky Hornets in New Orleans for Game 7. It took 7 games and three tough losses in New Orleans for the champion Spurs to regain form on the road to steal a game. Ultimately, they played like this in the other games too but folded in the third quarter for whatever reason. In game 7 tonight those lapses were not there, and despite shooting a terrible percentage the Spurs managed to control the game and certainly the tempo.

Key reserves were contributing for the Spurs as well. Ime Udoka, Michael Finley and Big Shot Bob Horry all hit 2 three pointers, and they were at key times. Bruce Bowen missed a few open three pointers but managed to knock down two of them. He was also playing lock down defense on Peja Stojakovic (3-11 from the floor, 1-5 from threes).

Throughout the series the Hornets managed to hit threes at home in transition. The Spurs did a terrific job of transition defense and hounding players like Stojakovic before shots got off. Jannero Pargo had a few open looks and missed but he managed to at least his 2 out of his 6 three pointers. But the 4th quarter showed the problems for New Orleans. The offense looked out of sync, CP3 could not create shots at will like he could in past games, and Jannero Pargo was chucking up a ton of shots. He hit some of them but they were ill advised and not high percentage. That said without his offense in the late 4th the NO Hornets would not have been even close to the Spurs.

New Orleans was playing from behind all game and their inability to hit shots was troublesome and had not been seen at home yet this playoffs. Could the pressure and inexperience finally have caught up to them in this pressure-packed game 7 situation? It is likely but playing a playoff stalwart like the San Antonio Spurs adds to this.

Heading into the 2008-2009 season, few teams have a brighter future than the New Orleans Hornets. Many believe Chris Paul was the best player this year with his ridiculous assist totals and his efficient running of that offense. New Orleans is lacking in the bench with only 6 total players in Game 7 logging more than 5 minutes. Also, only Chris Paul and David West can create shots. This usually isn't a problem because Chris Paul can seemingly always create shots but even he runs into problems when double teamed and the ball is forced out of his hands.

Heading forward we have the Western Conference Finals on Wednesday in Los Angeles. A classic matchup between two teams that have matched up 6 times in the past 10 years in the playoffs (LA winning 4 times SA winning twice). But they have not played recently so the makeup of the teams is completely different. The Lakers are going to have issues inside without Andrew Bynum. Pau Gasol has been a solid addition to make the offense flow and have good help defense, but he is too thin to handle Duncan alone. Bynum would have provided that beef but the Lakers must make do. Home court has proven to be important in these playoffs but at the same time the Spurs just took a Game 7 away from home. How about the MVP Kobe Bryant? The Spurs have always brought out the worst in him and the best in him at the same time.

Posted by Ken Walker at 10:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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Last night saw two more home teams take home a win in Game 5. The Cleveland Cavaliers kept it close but failed to make the necessary Free Throws and overall were stagnant offensively. This has been a defensive series certainly and the home team has won every game not surprisingly. Cleveland has gotten closer to an upset in Boston, as Boston has not even been competitive late-game in Cleveland. That said, Boston does not need to win a road game to win this series. If Cleveland can take another home game in Game 6 Friday Night, they can give themselves another shot in Boston in Game 7. Remember though the Atlanta Hawks got blown away in Game 7 at Boston.

The other series saw the LA Lakers and the hobbled Kobe Bryant take down the terrible-on-the-road Utah Jazz. Kobe only need 10 shots from the floor to score 26 points (helped from 13 / 17 free throws). In the home games in Los Angeles you see a Kobe Bryant that is much more willing to get his teammates involved and he also tends to take more free throws (which is an indictment of how aggressive he is playing but also at home he gets more easy foul calls). Same with getting his teammates involved; they all tend to play better at home. Gasol looked like he was getting roughed up in Utah and couldn't handle the physicality. But he responded in Game 5 with 21 points 6 boards 8 assists 4 blocks and Lamar Odom had a breakthrough game with 22 points 11 rebounds 2 blocks with .666 FG% from the floor. Vujacic was one of the only weak spots, shooting 1 / 11 from the floor (1 / 8 shooting threes). Again, this series will be sent back to Utah where one of the best home teams tries to send it to Game 7 like Cleveland and San Antonio are trying to do.

With home / road splits you tend to assume that the home team is getting more calls and essentially playing the game the way they want it played. The Utah Jazz are probably the best example of why it is how it is because they are such a physical ball club. At home they are more apt to be allowed to play physically, whereas when they are on the road the officials are much more likely to call ticky-tack fouls (but with the Jazz they are so physical that they warrant a ton of foul calls anyway).

Another thing you find is that role players are much more key at home. Superstars will get their numbers at home or on the road (though they tend to be less efficient on the road), but it is the role players that disappear or make an impact based on being home or away. Harpring on Utah for example scores about 5 points a game in LA but in Utah he gets over double digits. Paul Millsap has proven to be a better rebounding / put-back presence at home as well.

Posted by Ken Walker at 1:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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These two Western Conference Semifinals (and the 2008 Playoffs in general) are showing how advantageous home court.

With the Los Angels Lakers / Utah Jazz series, you are seeing a once unstoppable offense in Los Angeles become inefficient as the series grows. A huge part of this is Kobe Bryant's back. Kobe was 13 / 33 from the floor, missing 20 shots. He is 1 for 16 shooting threes in Utah. He got to the line 17 times in Game 3 but only 10 in Game 4. It will be hard for him to get as many as he did early in the series if his back is bothering him. Charging to the rim and taking hits probably won't be the offensive strategy. Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol had monster nights but it was not enough to win in OT.

For Utah, Deron Williams led the way as he has done so many times in his short career. 29 points, 8 / 8 from the FT line, 3 / 4 from 3 Pt, 14 assists / 4 turnovers and 2 steals. He could have won the game in regulation but helped take over with Okur in OT for the victory. Boozer was just 5 / 15 from the field after his breakout game in Game 3. Even though the Jazz got this game from LA, considering how important home court has proven to be the Jazz are going to need a better effort from Boozer down low. Boozer along with Kobe's health are the obvious key's heading into a huge Game 5 late Wednesday Night.

Posted by Ken Walker at 6:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

AP Photo / David J Phillip
After two blowout defeats, the San Antonio Spurs have taken game 3 in San Antonio to pull the series' deficit to 2-1 against CP3 and the N.O. Hornets.

Throughout the early going it looked as if New Orleans was on their way to a sweep of the Spurs. Even at home, they had no answer for Chris Paul's play-making ability and David West knocking down jumpers. As the 2nd half went on, the Spurs began to pull away. Once Chandler picked up his fourth foul and had to leave the game, it became much easier for Ginobili and Parker to get to the rim with no significant shot blocker. Ginobili hit a few threes right after Chandler left as well, breaking the game open for good.

This is the problem with the Hornets, as they lack depth especially a lack of bigs. Bonzi Wells and Melvin Ely had some costly errors in turnovers / poor shots, and their lack of size means they have no deterrent when the enemy gets to the rim (sans Chandler).

Like Game 4 against Dallas, New Orleans will be tested having to secure a win in a veteran opponent's home court. It will be important to get Peja and Morris Peterson involved early on offensively. The team shot 2 / 11 from 3 point land. This is after hitting 10 threes (5 by Peja) in game 2. Meanwhile the Spurs hit 11 threes with Ginobili, Finley and Bowen having at least 3 each. This switch in statistics is typical of a series that switched venues and look for these strengths to continue in Game 4.

We saw a switch on defense and Bowen was guarding and locking down Peja, leaving Parker on Paul to get lit up. But the Spurs were content letting Paul get his, so long as they could limit his support. And you certainly could not ask any more from Chris Paul who so far has 4 turnovers and 34 assists (along with close to 30 points per game).

Chandler got a few dunks, but he really only scores when Paul has him set up for an alley-oop. Their main bench offense comes from Jannero Pargo but he was a paltry 1 of 7 from the floor for 2 points. When Peja / Morris Peterson are not scoring much as starters, it is imperative that at least one member of the bench is having a decent night offensively.

While Parker and Ginobili had terrific, 30+ point nights, Tim Duncan scored a modest 16 points. He did assert his power on defense with 4 blocks and 13 rebounds.

We know the Spurs can recover after a loss, and they proved it in this game. They did not blow out New Orleans like the Hornets blew them out in Game's 1 and 2, but a win is a win and this is Spurs style. Can New Orleans respond? If they do not take game 4 in San Antonio, we are looking at a pressure-packed game 5 in New Orleans. They have not succumbed to the pressure yet but we have not seen them in a close playoff series yet, against a quality opponent like SA (sorry Dallas). Maybe they can take game 4 and ride the wave to Los Angeles, but I have a sneaky suspicion that San Antonio is going to pull this series out in 6 or 7 games. Either way Sunday and the rest of this series is bound to be full of drama between two Western powers.

Posted by Ken Walker at 6:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

With how MVP-to-be Kobe Bryant is playing right now, it will be a tall task for one of the other western conference powers to take down the Lakers. His best assets are his ability to get a good shot off whenever he wants, his propensity to dominate in the fourth quarter, and his innate ability to get to the free throw line better than anyone in the league.

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On Sunday Kobe sliced and diced the Utah Jazz to the tune of 38 points off 50% shooting from the floor and 21 out of 23 free throws, both career highs. The Jazz have a great defense but the Lakers are formidable at all 5 spots on the floor now that they have Gasol in the middle. This is not the first time Kobe has lit up the Jazz in recent times; last year he had a 52 point game and has averaged over 30 points against them the last three years including a few more 35+ point games. While the Utah Jazz play good team defense they struggle against an overpowering athletic specimen like Kobe Bryant and they really have no one at the rim to meet him unless they pit Kirilenko on him.

An efficient game from Pau Gasol helps too (18 points 10 rebounds 5 assists 2 blocks 1 turnover). You have to wonder how Gasol feels losing his twelve playoff games for the Memphis Grizzlies and now winning his first 5 (maybe more) with the LA Lakers. As if he needed a reminder...things are a bit different in Los Angeles.

The Jazz played a poor offensive game but stormed back in the second half. Their home / road splits have been well documented, as they are a nearly unbeatable team at home but have been subpar against good teams on the road. Unfortunately for them stealing a road game against LA will prove much more difficult than ailing Houston, but they must do this at some point in this series if they hope to continue on. Since Kobe had so many free throws it was obvious that Utah was racking up fouls at an outstanding rate. Boozer and Kirilenko left the game while Korver and Brewer (Kobe's main defender) picked up 5. Boozer also had 7 turnovers on the offensive end. Utah also was 4 / 19 shooting three pointers with an 0-5 effort from Okur and 1-6 from Deron Williams. Overall Utah was being pushed back and shooting too many jump shots as opposed to quality shots at the rim. Typical problem for inferior road teams. Game 2 is Wednesday Night, and the Jazz will need to hold Bryant in check and shoot better than .379% to tie the series going back to Utah.

Posted by Ken Walker at 2:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It is hard to believe there had to be a game 7 in the 1st round series between the #1 seed Boston Celtics and #8 seed Atlanta Hawks. Nearly all the pundits had the 66 win Celtics take this series in 4 games against the lowly, sub-500 Hawks.

But then a strange thing happened. Or not so strange. Clearly regular season records are not necessarily relevant when playoff time comes. The San Antonio Spurs prove this yearly by sleepwalking through the regular season with their top starters playing 30-35 minutes a game. Playoffs are more about which teams are playing hot and particular matchups within the game.

Matchups are what made the Celtics / Hawks series so compelling. While the Celtics have three absolute studs in Kevin Garnett Ray Allen and Paul Pierce, overall the Hawks are brimming with athleticism. Josh Smith, Al Horford, Josh Childress and of course Joe Johnson have taken it to Boston physically. Much like Golden State did to Dallas last year, The Hawks made the older more experienced team look slow and unathletic.

Also home court was pivotal with each home team winning each game. So having the better regular season record helps in that regard definitely as both teams were completely different based on the venue. The Hawks were overwhelmed in Boston, getting blown out in all the games and the last one by 40+ most of the game. Meanwhile the Hawks still had a ton of confidence when playing in a packed Phillips Arena in Atlanta. And the Celtics were the ones who looked nervous and did not knock down their shots.

The other factor with home court is foul calls (Lakers in early 2000's anyone?) The Hawks shot a ridiculous 47 FT's in game 6 but have shot a fraction of that when playing in Boston. Part of this is a lack of aggressiveness to the rim and better team defense by Boston. But a lot of the calls Atlanta was getting going to the rim against the Celtics, these were no calls in Boston.

Amazingly this was the only 7 game series in round 1 yet it was supposed to be a sure fire sweep. Still this is the best thing to happen to the Atlanta Hawks franchise in quite some time and could propel this young team to greater heights in coming years. Energizing the Philips Arena was a plus as they normally are not known for their crowd noise. Performing more consistently in the regular season especially on the road will allow this team in the future to grab a higher seed and put themselves in a more realistic situation to make some noise in the playoffs.

But Kevin Garnett and friends closed them out and it's time for the Cleveland Cavaliers, who have been resting since their game 6 victory in Washington. The Cavs took the Eastern crown last year and we all saw what The King LeBron James can do in the playoffs. Only Kobe Bryant can take over a game like James did against Detroit. Was the Atlanta series a wake up call for the Celtics or a harbinger of things to come for a team that does not look as playoff ready as their record would indicate. Remember, Garnett / Allen / Pierce have failed numerous times to take their teams over the top, so they will need to prove themselves even if they are the veterans. Garnett in particular will need to be more efficient and take charge in fourth quarters as he is a significant matchup problem for the slow bigs in Cleveland.

Posted by Ken Walker at 11:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)