What’s in a Game?

Even with less games, one game means much less in a lockout-shortened season.

I spent some time today with Doyle running over last night’s Mavericks-Thunder game, both teams’ chances in the West, and the strenuous (or is it?) relationship between the Thunder’s stars.

TH: Last night, the Oklahoma City Thunder managed to dismantle the reigning champion Dallas Mavericks.  The loss, though, is not too surprising, as the Mavs were without Lamar Odom and Brendan Haywood, and Jason Kidd is still out with his calf injury.  Dirk Nowitzki had a spectacularly awful game (2-for-15 shooting) and Rick Carlisle was thrown out of the game after punting a ball into a boy’s face.  How do you, Doyle, feel as a Mavs fan about this loss?

DR: I don’t think that the term “dismantle” is appropriate in this instance. This was a game that the Thunder should have won since they have been deemed the Golden Child of the Western Conference. You mentioned the absences on the Mavericks’ roster last night so this should have been a cake walk for OKC, but it wasn’t. This was a competitive game with the Mavericks finding ways to either lead or stay in contention until the final minute of the game. If Nowitzki did not shoot so poorly, clearly his knee is still bothering him, and if the Mavs had some shots fall late, the outcome of this game could have been different.

TH: The one worrying thing for the Mavs is this:  Nowitzki’s had a few bad games, is this all because of the knee or could there be a mental problem that’s causing his trouble?  He’s been complacent often this season, and watching the game against the Spurs (his first game back, I know), Dirk doesn’t seem as fearless as we’ve come to expect.

DR: I’m not as concerned with Nowitzki as I’m sure many are. It would be easy to blame his issues on the lockout but that is a cop-out that is used all too often in this shortened season. We are about a fourth to a third of the way through the season so I expect Dirk to miss more time this year for rest and conditioning. This is true for almost every player who will be injured this season. I also do not think that his recent struggles are mental either. Against the Thunder he stepped into several bold shots in the fourth quarter. Those shots simply did not fall. He’ll be fine as the season progresses and despite being the face of the franchise, the Mavericks have other players who can step up and fill the void when they are called on.

Dallas has the highest scoring bench in the league and also has one of the deepest. The likes of Jason Terry, Odom (when not dealing with a stomach bug), Vince Carter, Delonte West, Rodrigue Beaubois, Ian Mahinmi, and Brandan Wright have all shown that they are more than capable of contributing to the team when called upon. Sure, Dirk being in a funk is disappointing but it is not catastrophic for the team.

TH: Agreed, and playoff seeding is going to be strange this season.  We’ve already seen how younger teams are capitalizing on bigger minutes for their stars, teams like the 76ers, Clippers, and Thunder.  If they manage to keep their high playoff seeds, it will be interesting to see how the older, more experienced teams like the Mavs, Spurs and Lakers re-allocate minutes. Last lockout, an 8th seed made it to the Finals.

But defense wins championships, and that is what ultimately gave the Thunder an edge over the Mavericks.  Without Kidd, the Mavs have to rely on a combo of Roddy B. and West, and there are simply too many contending teams with point guards who will take that matchup to task.  Western teams like OKC and the Clips would fare differently against Kidd’s perimeter defense and smart hands.  Here are a couple questions for you: Do the Thunder deserve their current record?  How do you envision the rest of their season?

DR: I’m not certain that having either Beaubois or West on the court is a bad thing against some of the elite point guards in the league. Both are younger and quicker than Kidd is and therefore have to capability of keeping pace, or at least better than Kidd, with the likes of Russell Westbrook and others. Also, both Beaubois and West bring a different set of skills to bear when on the court. West is a tenacious defender who likes to come off the bench and play alongside Terry thereby alleviating West’s need to score as much even though he is an able scorer. He is on the floor to hairy the opposing point. Where Roddy excels is by pressuring his defender on the offensive side of the floor. Much like Westbrook, Beaubois has an innate ability to penetrate the lane, though he does so with less bombast. Kidd is still a handful with his passing, court vision, and IQ but he has lost a step and the Westbrooks of the league will exploit that. Having West and Beaubois helps the Mavericks be a flexible and more difficult team to matchup with.

As for the Thunder, of course they deserve the record they have, they have won 17 games thus far and you cannot take that away from them. Bill Parcells that is famous for saying “you are what your record says you are,” and for the Thunder that means they have the best record in the West. However, that is not to say that the Thunder are perfect. In fact they are far from it. They are an extremely talented team, let me put that out there first, but they are also extremely inexperienced. On the break, OKC is one of the most dangerous teams in the league, perhaps second or third to only the Heat and Clippers, because they are fast and have the ability to finish at the rim. Westbrook is the spearhead and plays like a charging bull, lowering his head and relentlessly moving forward despite obstacles. Add the scoring threats of Kevin Durant and James Harden and you have the third most potent offense in the league. It is that offense, though, that gets the Thunder in trouble.

On the break, everything works well. However, in the halfcourt the Thunder often look lost and their offense stagnates. Frequently, Thunder players stand and watch the ball handler try to create for themselves in an isolation situation. Yes, the Thunder’s big three are great individual scorers but a Joe Johnson-esque ISO bogs down the entire offense and instills a heavy reliance on long jumpers or contested drives. With the skills that these players possess it is shocking that the Thunder are not more creative offensively, Scott Brooks, in my opinion, deserves a lot of blame for this.

When the Thunder offense is mobile in the halfcourt they create boundless mismatches but these go ignored far too regularly. In the game against the Mavericks there was a possession where Harden had the ball and was determined to take the shot, with Shawn Marion guarding him I believe, while on a switch Terry was defending Durant. Harden did not make use of the obvious advantage his team had in that situation and wound up missing the shot he took. Why Brooks is not irate or frustrated that this scenario repeats itself seemingly every game is anyone’s guess. The Thunder have a lot of growing to do if they are actually going to grow into the team everyone thinks they are. Until that happens they should be looked on as a new version of D’Antoni’s Suns. A good team that won’t make the Finals.

TH: I’m not so sure they won’t make the Finals, with the Western Conference being weaker than it has been in years.  The Chris Paul trade fiasco essentially knocked the Lakers from contention, alienating Pau Gasol and losing Odom to the Mavs for peanuts.  Dallas lost enough players over the summer that this year almost seems like a mini-Mark Cuban rebuilding effort, and San Antonio appears limited in roster movement until Tim Duncan decides to retire.  When was the last time any of these teams appeared so fragile?  Already headed this way, the lockout and compressed season has hit older teams harder than anyone would have expected.

After last year’s Conference Finals appearance, the Thunder have the experience and resilience to make it, but it hinges upon favorable seeding matchups and Westbrook’s shot selection.  Durant has shown more leadership this season, but it might take an MVP trophy for the rest of the team to realize that he’s the clear #1; also, an increased role for James Harden could produce stagnation, as he loves watching the ball leave his hand.  You’re absolutely right that the blame falls on Scott Brooks.  He needs to explain to his team, in clear terms, that Kevin Durant is the best basketball player on the Thunder.

Durant’s been strikingly supportive of his teammates, and I love it.  Superstars in the league now tend to throw their team or their coaching staff under a bus if it suits their personal aspirations, while Durant’s shown a commitment to the city, its team, and management.  But maybe they’d be a more cohesive team on the court if he were to drop the humility a tad, and stepped up and took sole ownership of the team.

DR: I’m not certain that Durant becoming more of a focal point for the offense to flow through is necessarily the right course of action. That could elicit a #MeloSystem style of offense. I would like to see Scott Brooks shoot an email to Sebastian Pruiti and request some suggestions for plays in the halfcourt. They could be much more fluid if he did.

You are right though, the West is wide open and the Thunder need to exploit it, but they need to first battle through the surprisingly tough Northwest Division. If the playoffs began today they would have to face the Trail Blazers in the first round. That is far from a desirable match…but nothing in the West will be ideal this year.

Yes, the Thunder are a good team but their mediocre defense and lack of ball movement could be their eventual undoing. Until that time they need to enjoy the ride. Oh, and…something, something, Westbrook and Durant hate each other, something. There, I think I just covered the main issue that we have been dodging.

NBA Christmas Wrap

Merry Christmas

With much fanfare and an obnoxious LMFAO ad that was played almost every commercial intermission, the NBA season kicked off in superb, albeit rusty, fashion. Yes, lockout legs could be seen throughout the five games that were aired but that is to be expected with abbreviated training camps. chemistry was also an issue as many teams have a number of new players to integrate into their rotations. Nonetheless, the NBA is back and fans and players are happy. A reaction:

Boston Celtics 104 – New York Knicks 106

Carmelo Anthony looked great in this game. His 17 points in the fourth quarter were the difference and why the Knicks thought it necessary to gut their team to acquire him. Throughout his time in the NBA, Anthony has proven he has a knack for performing in the clutch and he showed it on Sunday. However, the already shaky depth of the Knicks has grown even more unstable with a knee injury to rookie Iman Shumpert which will sideline him for at least a couple of weeks.

As for the Celtics, Rajon Rondo and Brandon Bass, who is finally free from the tyranny of Stan Van Gundy, were the offense with Paul Pierce missing the game. Rondo continually broke down New York’s defense and got to the rim. When Pierce comes back to the lineup the Celtics should be a more rounded offensive unit, until then this will be Rondo’s team.

Naughty: Kevin Garnett choking Bill Walker.

Nice: Carmelo Anthony’s clutch play.

Miami Heat 105 – Dallas Mavericks 94

The Mavericks raised their championship banner but that is all they had to celebrate on Sunday. Dallas came out looking flat and out of sync, in essence, they looked old. That should be no surprise because their entire core is over the age of 30. Rick Carlisle is integrating Vince Carter, Lamar Odom, Delonte West, who played well, and Brandan Wright into the rotation while dealing with key losses across the board. Jason Terry was the only Maverick who showed up to this one.

Miami looked like they were just rolled off of a German assembly line. They were well oiled and fine tuned. What they did to the Mavericks was scary. Say what you will about all the exhibition games this summer but they seem to have kept LeBron James and Dwyane Wade in game shape, that and their complete desire to destroy everything in their path. This was a blowout, like a brand new Mercedes-Benz S-Class versus a Trabant. Not only were the Heat good but they will get better. Rookie Norris Cole turned some heads with his play in 24 minutes of action. If he continues to improve he could supplant Mario Chalmers as the starting point guard.

Naughty: The Mavs’ 37.8 percent field goal shooting.

Nice: LeBron James‘ box score: 37 points, 10 rebounds, six assists.

Chicago Bulls 88 – Los Angeles Lakers 87

Forget Showtime, these are the Slowtime Lakers. That is not a knock on them, however, not in the least bit. This Lakers squad proved to be as scrappy and gritty as any I have seen. Perhaps this is what Mike Brown brings to the team, perhaps this is what a bunch of blue-collar white guys bring to a team, or perhaps this is just what happens when you lose Odom and Andrew Bynum serving his suspension. Nonetheless, I like the Slowtime Lakers. Where they do need to improve is offensive player rotation. Too many times they reverted to Hawks-esque isolation with three players around the perimeter and one near the post.

Chicago played well throughout, with the exception being the third quarter. With the game close, Luol Deng stepped up and made the big plays. It was his defense against Kobe Bryant and his steal late in the game that allowed the Bulls to go on a 7-0 run, capped by Derrick Rose‘s floater in the lane, to win the game. Rip Hamilton started for the Bulls but did not contribute much due to foul trouble therefore his time was split with Ronnie Brewer. Brewer is a solid defender with good court vision and should see more minutes this season.

Naughty: Kobe’s last shot attempt.

Nice: Rose’s floater to win the game.

Orlando Magic 89 – Oklahoma City Thunder 97

Much like the Heat Mavericks game, the final score does not do justice to the thrashing that actually occurred. Like Miami, the Thunder look ready for the season. Very ready.  Oklahoma City pounced on Orlando early and never relented. Their team is largely the same as it was last year so their learning curve is near zero when it comes to knowing each other and how to execute plays…when they are not freewheeling. Speed and athleticism are the monikers of this team and they will serve them well out of the gate. If only they could improve their shot selections *cough* Westbrook *cough*.

Where the Thunder took plenty of questionable shots when they had built their sizable lead, the Magic took even more haphazard shots throughout the entire game. I have said it many times: the Magic’s offense is terrible. There is nothing more that can be said. It looked like they thought that there was a pit of lava inside the three-point line. Get Dwight Howard the ball in the post and let him work.

Naughty: Hedo Turkoglu clearly indulged his gluttonous side during the lockout. Dude is chunky.

Nice: Kevin Durant. Need I say more?

Los Angeles Clippers 105 – Golden State Warriors 86

If ESPN had their way, this would have been a documentary about Mark Jackson and the greatness of his coaching style. Nevermind the fact Chris Paul and Blake Griffin were on the court, this broadcast was about Mark Jackson, hands down (man down). They showed a clip of him quoting Shakespeare before the game. He was the only coach shown in the huddle, mostly saying cliché motivational shit like “execution” and “focus.” That is all fine and good, but he does have a decent team that the broadcast could have talked about. I think Jackson will be a good coach but that much attention is unwarranted, especially on a nationally televised game. His first coaching milestone was the hack-a-Jordan technique he used on DeAndre Jordan.

The final score is not indicative of how the Warriors remained close for much of the game. Clearly, the Wizards of Lob are the better team but last night they showed chinks in their armor. The aforementioned hack-a-Jordan technique stymied the Clippers offense and brought it to a halt. Luckily, the Clippers have Paul, Chauncey Billups, and Griffin. All played well as they were able to outlast the Warrior. The new look Clippers are a work in progress to say the least and last night they showed it.

Naughty: ESPN’s love affair with Mark “Momma, there goes that man” Jackson.

Nice: Caron Butler‘s circus shot.

Dunks of a Generation

Blake Griffin has got me thinking…about dunks. It has been quite some time since a single player has electrified the NBA in the same manner that he has. Hell, he has made the Los Angeles Clippers relevant. So much so that statisticians were going out of their way to calculate the odds of the Clippers making the playoffs.

In the Western Conference there is no way that the Clippers can make the playoffs. I am sorry but that is simply the case. We all want to see amazing Griffin dunks in the playoffs but that is just not in the cards. At least not until he leaves the team or Donald Sterling decides to actually care about the team he owns.  All of that is beside the point, however.

The precipice of this entire article is to judge two dunks. In the current generation of NBA fandom (people in their mid twenties and early thirties who grew up watching the sport in the 1990s and then became entranced by it, while also becoming jaded at the same time, who have seen just about every monumental play [via youtube mostly] that has taken the NBA to the levels that it has presently reached) there are two dunks, out of the many which will forever ring true.

Both of these dunks are in-game slams that shook the entire notion of dunking privilege. They must be in-game jams otherwise one would find themselves in the gray territory known as the Dunk Contest (with all due respect to Dee Brown).

The question is, which is better? Can that even be determined? What factors go into judging a dunk? Are they the same vague guidelines that are attached to NBA MVP balloting or are they a concrete set of rules on how viciously destructive a dunk can be to insulting the character of a grown man? Those issues are for the fan to define. The informed fan. We, the Beef, want you to determine these factors and comment (Who am I kidding? Hardly anyone reads us) on the two following dunks.

Ignore the second dunk on the breakaway. Yes, I know it is hard but for the purpose of this article just do it (no, Nike did not pay me for that phrasing).

Compare Griffin over Timofey Mozgov to this next dunk.

Seriously, are you kidding?! Vince Carter dunked over Frederic Weis who was 7’2″. He climbed him! Sure, the French favor that whole soccer thing, but I know there had to be some “boffs” rippling through the streets of Paris once they saw that.

Which is better? Obviously as Griffin grows into a veteran player in the league his dunk will be looked on with the same nostalgia. However, take them at face value. Take them as what they are. Carter dunked over a Frenchman and Griffin climbed a Russian. (Obviously the Euroleague has a long way to go.)

Leave a comment. Vote in the comments. (Believe me, I know we will not get any comments on this article. It is a lost cause.)

Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups to Orlando is Laughable at Best

Pinstripes? Pssh...

Brian Schmitz proposed this morning on Magic Basketblog that the Orlando Magic should make a trade for Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups. Schmitz offers Vince Carter, Jameer Nelson, and Marcin Gortat as the main trade fodder for Denver’s duo and basically puts the whole team on the trading bloc save for Dwight Howard. To say the least, this proposal has stirred the blogosphere just a little. So, would the trade work? If you have read the title of this piece then you have an under standing of the position in which it takes. Otis Smith, the general manager of the Magic, would be the one pulling the trigger on the trade proposal if it were to come to life. However, it is known that the Magic did indeed make an offer for Anthony this summer which Denver rejected. Would this time be any different and would Smith go through with any such proposal?

Otis Smith would never make this deal. Ever. He has proven over the years that he will flat-out refuse to give up any of the talent on his squad when he is looking to acquire new players. Smith believes that the team he has assembled is the one that can win. Certainly, however, the prospect of getting something in return has to be intriguing. It is doubtful that he will pursue a trade however because he keeps his players in Orlando. He would not let Marcin Gortat go to the Mavericks and instead matched Dallas’ offer only to see Gortat play 10-15 minutes a game. As a consolation, the Magic signed Brandon Bass that summer who was essentially an olive branch extended by the Mavericks so that Orlando would not match the offer sheet on Gortat. (If you believe that the Mavericks willing let Bass go in free agency then you should check the numbers that Bass produced in Dallas. They would have resigned him.) Smith matched the offer sheet that J.J. Redick signed with the Bulls this summer. He has a vice grip on the players on the Magic and has garnered a reputation as a conniving GM who is in it for himself alone.

On the side of Denver, why would they ever accept Vince Carter? He is fast becoming a candidate to end his career playing overseas like Iverson. If the Nuggets were to go into rebuilding mode, and they will if Anthony departs, Carter would not be in any equation because he is 34. Rebuilding around a 34-year-old player is never done. His numbers are decent so far this season but the Nuggets want to rebuild, not become the Detroit Pistons. Carter is the last player that the Nuggets will agree to sign if they are giving up both Anthony and Billups.

Gortat has an absolutely wonderful contract to throw into any deal for Denver’s two stars. That is exactly why Smith will not do it. If he did not let him walk two years ago then why would he let him go now? Stan Van Gundy needs him to “focus on defending, rebounding, and running the floor,” all of which do not adequately display his talents. Sure, this time the Magic would be getting some nice pieces in return but Smith would still never sign off on losing Gortat. Orlando does not have a viable backup center if Gortat leaves. Do you think that Denver is going to package in Nene as well? Doubtful. What is even more doubtful is that they would sign waiting-game contestant Erick Dampier to fill the void.

What Schmitz is proposing would also relegate Jameer Nelson to being a backup point guard, if he were not part of the hypothetical trade. Paying $6 million plus per year to a backup is not a wise investment. However, dealing Nelson is not a viable option either. Denver is well equipped for the future with Ty Lawson waiting in the wings to take over when Billups’ time with the Nuggets ends. Arron Afflalo can even fill time at the point and if Denver was to rebuild it would be around this backcourt tandem.

Schmitz also states that Orlando should jump at this trade because the Miami Heat are rumored to have an interest in trading for Billups. The Heat will not pursue Billups. I suppose the posh thing to do in Orlando these days is worry about South Beach but don’t think for a second that they can get Billups. To do so, according to Ira Winderman, they would have to either trade Chris Bosh straight up or a package of Mike Miller and Udonis Haslem. Yeah, that is a likely scenario (sarcasm). If the Heat make any moves it will be to acquire a frontcourt player not lose one.

Further, the Magic are well beyond the salary cap this year, as they have been for a while, spending $94,70,2018 on player salaries. That number is well above the luxury tax level of $70,307,000 this season. Adding Billups and then Anthony, who would subsequently want to sign an extension, would likely put the Magic well above the Los Angeles Lakers who currently have the highest payroll. This is not an ideal situation for any general manager.

This hypothetical trade, for many reasons, becomes nothing more than a dream. Why blowup a team that is 7-3 anyway? It is far to early in the season for a team to hit the panic button. Right now, the Magic lead their division and have seen their top opponent, Miami, falter out of the starting gates. Yes, adding Anthony would benefit the team, but at what cost? Gutting the roster is not the solution to the Magic’s early season imagined plight. Neither team would sit at a table and objectively listen to the other if these were real circumstances. Denver will not cede Anthony and Billups for aging, injury-prone players and Otis Smith unwillingness part with the pieces he has done everything to hold onto. This hypothetical trade deal is nothing more than a dud.

For Utah Jazz, Twice is Nice in Florida

Where there's a Will(iams), there's a way

It seems like just the other day we were writing about the Utah Jazz’s monumental comeback effort, fueled by Paul Millsap, against the Miami Heat. Well, that is because we were. So what could the Jazz even think of doing for an encore? I mean seriously, after their 22 point overtime comeback there is not much that can equal its luster. Plus, the Jazz had to play against Orlando the next day. This had all the signs of a 1-1 trip through America’s wang. Utah had other ideas.

The Jazz went into the Amway Center having played the most memorable game of the season. Of course, the Magic, at home, wanted to spoil the high note that the Jazz were riding. Orlando came out rolling and posted an 18 point lead with a minute and a half left in the third quarter. Unfortunately, the Magic did not realize that the Jazz had them right where they wanted them.

Crank up the dejavu switch to 11. Utah came storming back as most of their players had a hand in erasing the deficit. Millsap was active, scoring five points and grabbing a rebound during the run. Kyrylo Fesenko also contributed five points while Raja Bell scored two while getting a rebound and an assist. C.J. Miles added a pair of rebounds and assists as well. However, it was Utah’s star players that turned the tides.

Andrei Kirilenko contributed five points, three rebounds, and an assist during the spurt. Al Jefferson added nine points, many on second chance opportunities, and a rebound. However, the catalyst of the comeback was point guard Deron Williams. During their 13 and a half minute run, Williams scored 22 of his 30 points, had three rebounds, and dished out six assists.

It was not just the will of the Jazz which helped them pull out another comeback. Jerry Sloan switched from man-to-man to zone defense which completely boggled the Magic during Utah’s run. Apparently, Stan Van Gundy has no answer for a simple zone defense. The Jazz also used zone defense against Miami in their comeback the night before. It appears as if Sloan is taking advantage of teams by defending them the simplest way possible. Since teams tend to not even practice against the zone it is genius. Sloan is a mastermind.

Rallies are becoming old hat for the Jazz as this is the third game in a row that they have won in comeback fashion. They came back from 18 down against the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday night. I guess all these teams forgot that you never count out a Jerry Sloan coached team. Maybe they should remember that next time around. Utah outscored Orlando 39-20 in the final quarter.

Millsap finished the game with 23 points and Jefferson had 21 for the Jazz. Vince Carter finished with 20 points to lead the Magic who shot 43 percent from the field for the game. This was Orlando’s first home loss of the season.

Stan Van Gundy’s Player Management Folly

Please, Stan, we want some more.

The past four years for the Orlando Magic have been good. They have once again found success within their division, finishing first in the Southeast the previous three years, and within the conference, winning it outright during the 2008-09 season and making it to the conference finals last year. In fact, the past four years have accounted for one third of the total number of playoff appearances that the organization has made since its inaugural season in 1989-90. However, where many can find success when looking at the Magic and what they have accomplished of late, others see nothing but the glaring shortcomings of this team. They lost in the finals to the Los Angeles Lakers and looked completely dumbfounded and lost in the short five game series, that is except for Hedo Turkoglu who left the team after their finals run. The following season, matching the same 59-23 mark of the previous year, Orlando lost to the aging Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals. Is this team really as good as people think it is?

The Magic are easily one of the more talented teams in the league. They have paid their players well to keep it that way with a payroll around $93 million for the 2010-11 season. That is one of the highest in the league and well over the cap which is set at $58,044,000. Their payroll also sets them squarely into luxury tax parameters which is set at $70.3 million for the coming season. Yes, the Magic are paying a high price to remain competitive. It seems, however, that they are not getting what they paid for. Much of the money they have spent to keep players from going elsewhere or in acquiring talent is going to waste. This is especially true for players such as Brandon Bass, Marcin Gortat, and J.J. Redick. For them, it has been a hard knock life with Orlando. It has been said countless times that players should not complain about minutes on a winning team. A win is a win for everyone involved. Yet, during the regular season, more minutes for these players could translate into more wins for everyone.

Last season, Brandon Bass’ role on the Magic was limited at best. Sophomore Ryan Anderson played in more games, 63, and logged more minutes, 910, than Bass. Bass appeared in 50 games and totaled 648 minutes played. This is the same Brandon Bass who had four prior years of NBA experience before last season. Two of those years were spent with the Dallas Mavericks. During his stint in Dallas, Bass bourgeoned into a more than viable scoring and rebounding threat. Though being considered undersized for a power forward, he makes up for it with strength, determination, and hustle. All of these qualities were on full display in Dallas where he totaled 3131 minutes in 160 games in his two year stint. So when the Magic snatched up Bass, who was an olive branch from the Mavericks as Gortat had signed an offer sheet with them, it was assumed that his rise would continue alongside the likes of Dwight Howard and Rashard Lewis. Stan Van Gundy, for some reason, had other plans (or none at all) for Bass. Bass has yet to log any minutes alongside Lewis at the forward positions on the floor at any time.

Generally speaking, major free agent acquisitions are brought in to play not sit. Why would Van Gundy refuse to use such a talent and relegate it to the bench? According to Van Gundy, Bass did not effectively work within the system that he had in place in Orlando. If one has ever watched a Magic game it is clear that any “system” begins and ends with Dwight Howard or a three-point shot. That is really about it. All post play goes through Howard, if he is double teamed then he is to kick the ball out (that is if he does not force up a poor shot) to the wing so that an open shot can be found. This strategy would appear to work if one looks at their record but it is easily susceptible do defeat as shown by the Lakers and Celtics in recent playoffs. In each series, Howard was rendered useless as he was constantly in foul trouble and the Magic’s frontcourt was rendered utterly useless especially when Van Gundy continually chooses to employ Lewis at power forward when he is overmatched by players such as Pau Gasol and Kevin Garnett. Brandon Bass would be much better used against such players and especially those who back them up such as Lamar Odom and Glen Davis. Yet, Bass still rode the bench while earning $4 million to do so.

For the coming season, Bass hopes to earn more playing time, but does he really need to prove his worth? Did he not do that on the Mavericks? It is up to Van Gundy to look past his shortsightedness and give Bass more minutes. Yes, Bass is watching more tape and correcting some small mistakes but is that really enough to keep a player out of the lineup for such a time especially when the team could have used him most? No. Honestly, it should not surprise anyone if Van Gundy still does not give Bass anymore opportunities than he did last season. Van Gundy has floated the idea of playing Lewis at small forward more this year, something that is long overdue, so this is where any extra playing time would lie for Bass. Not much outside of that, though. It seems that the truth of the matter is that Bass simply is not one of Van Gundy’s “guys.” Bass rides the bench because of this not because of a system.

Keeping Bass company on the sideline is Gortat. One has to feel bad for Gortat. He does not want to be in Orlando and made it very apparent when he signed the offer sheet from the Dallas Mavericks in the summer of 2009. Now, Gortat is probably the most highly paid backup center in the league as the Magic matched the Mavericks offer sheet worth $34 million over five years. It is understandable that Gortat does not get much playing time backing up Howard but he does deserve more than he gets, especially at that price. Nor does anyone think that he is capable of much more than playing spot defensive minutes while Howard rests or sits due to foul trouble. He wants to play a bigger role on the team but those requests fall on deaf and disinterested ears. Those deaf ears obviously do not recognize that Gortat is a far more versatile player that Howard is, though Howard is working to improve his game with Hakeem Olajuwon as his mentor.

Van Gundy has stated that he is not discouraging Gortat’s interest in becoming more involved on the offensive side of the floor but when he has only played an average of 13 minutes per game over the last two seasons Van Gundy’s statement can only be seen as hypocritical. Van Gundy is strangling his talent. Per 36 minutes last season, which it takes Gortat around three games to play, he was second on the team in field goal percentage at 53 percent, second on the team in total rebounding at 11.3, and he was second overall in defensive rating at a mark of 99. Howard led all the categories mentioned but played a considerable amount more with an average of 34.7 minutes a game. These are good numbers and probably the reason that Orlando wants nothing more from him that to defend, rebound, and run the floor. To not want a player to achieve his full potential defeats the entire purpose of having him on the team. Gortat can score, he proved it this summer while playing for the Polish national team and he proved it when he helped the Magic climb back into their series with Boston in the Eastern Conference Finals last year. In that series he looked better than Howard in the short spurts that Van Gundy chose to play him. Gortat was the fifth highest paid player on the Magic last season and played only 1088 total minutes during the regular season. Only Ryan Anderson, Bass, and Anthony Johnson played fewer minutes than he did.

J.J. Redick has slowly seen his playing time improve after finding himself out of favor in Orlando a few years ago. The team and Van Gundy may have finally realized what they have since they matched the Chicago Bulls’ offer sheet for Redick this summer. Redick now finds himself a member of the Magic for the next three years to the tune of $19 million. Despite this, one really does not get the perception that he will be utilized as much as he should be. As with Bass and Gortat, it looks like Redick will have to prove that he can perform to Van Gundy’s imaginary and intangible player standards before even more minutes are allotted to him.

Last season, Redick played in all 82 of Orlando’s regular season games and all 14 of their playoff games. This was the first season that Redick had played more than 64 games. With his knack for three-point shooting, he has shot 39 percent for his career and just over 40 percent last season, it is surprising that he is not featured more in the offense especially since the Magic selected him 11^th overall in the 2006 NBA Draft. Orlando lives and dies by the three night in and night out. With Redick on the court, the Magic have a much better chance of living. To go along with his long range shot, Redick has added improved passing to his game now that he sees more minutes and averages two assists per game. With minutes come production. Somehow Van Gundy has neglected this fact.

Redick, at times, seems like the only legitimate scoring option for the Magic when Howard is in foul trouble and the oft injured Jameer Nelson in unavailable. Rashard Lewis is an overpaid (he earned $18,876,000 last season, the highest on the roster) shell of his former Supersonic’s self who has seen his numbers decline each year in Orlando. Yet, Van Gundy continues to use him as a main scoring option along with the aging Vince Carter who averaged 16.6 points per game which was his lowest per game average ever. Maybe with Carter in a contract year his production will increase. At 33 years old it is doubtful. Redick is the Magic’s shooting guard of the future and there is no better time for the future than now.

But I like my mock turtlenecks...

Otis Smith, the Magic’s General Manager, has burned a lot of bridges around the league to steal and weasel players from the grasp of other teams. Now, he must be content with watching them ride the pine (padded folding chairs rather). Last season these three players (Bass, Gortat, and Redick) earned a combined $12,693,408 to basically not play. That number will only increase this season with Redick’s new deal. If Orlando keeps matching huge offer sheets to keep players on their bench they will reach a serious impasse. They have more depth than anyone talks about and it is time that Stan Van Gundy finally acknowledges that and expand his rotation. Hopefully the new collared shirts that Van Gundy will have to wear this season will not restrict the blood flow to his brain so that he can see what must be done to minimize wasted talent.

Orlando likes to shell out massive contracts for little, if no, return and it is no one’s fault but their own. It makes no sense to pay good and talented players to ride the bench for the majority of games. Yet, that is exactly what Stan Van Gundy does. It makes one wonder if he actually knows what he has on his roster. The obvious answer is that he does not. If he did then he would play a deeper rotation and utilize effectively all the skill that the front office has paid handsomely for. Rather that continually making snide remarks about the Miami Heat (he is probably still bitter about the way in which Pat Riley dismissed him), Van Gundy needs to realize that he must play is role players if he ever wants to feel what it is like to be a champion. If he does not do that, then his days as a head coach in Orlando should be considered numbered. Not many teams can keep the competitive edge that the Magic have shown of late but if they do not translate that into some kind of meaningful victory then all they have worked for will be forgotten to all but the few steadfast Orlando fans and NBA records keepers.

Beefy Power Rankings

The preseason is underway and it’s time to rank these teams accordingly.  There are some obvious picks in the mix but there will be some surprises this season.  It’s our power rankings.

1. The Miami Heat

This is a no brainer.  Imagine the Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen signings happening 10 years before they did.  A mixture of three All-Stars built behind Pat Riley’s ego doesn’t spell CHAMPIONSHIP.  It spells DYNASTY.

2.  The Los Angeles Lakers

The defending champions will have the ability to compete for another title as long as Kobe Byrant Stays healthy.  The acquisition of Matt Barnes gives this defense a lot more bite and they finally have a backup point guard in Steve Blake.

3.  The Dallas Mavericks

They may be a little too high on this for some people but we need to consider how they faired after last season’s trade with Washington.  They have had an entire offseason to mold together as a team and their best pickup of free agency, Tyson Chandler, is coming off a gold performance with team USA.

4.  The Orlando Magic

Even though Stan Van Gundy can no longer sport those turtlenecks, the Magic will contend.  Yes, they lost a good defender in Barnes but their contract with Vince Carter expires at the end of the season and he could be very valuable trade bait.  If they could compete last year, they should compete yet again this season.

5.  The Oklahoma City Thunder

Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are both coming off of a great summer with team USA.  Their leadership has grown exponentially and we expect it to show on the court.  There will be thunder in Oklahoma City.

6.  The Boston Celtics

Age has always been this team’s Achilles heal and the Shaquille O’Neal signing didn’t make them any younger.  Rajon Rondo proved that he is one of the best point guards in the league last season.  Jermaine O’Neal will give some more depth to the frontcourt but Ray Allen and Paul Pierce need to prove their worth yet again.

7.  The Chicago Bulls

The Bulls had probably one of the most impressive offseasons outside of Miami.  Carlos Boozer and Ronnie Brewer alone will improve the depth on this fairly young squad.  Tom Thibodeaou’s defensive mindset will work well in Chicago and Derrick Rose is proving to be a top player in the league.

8.  The Phoenix Suns

Last season’s Western Conference Playoffs were a definite surprise for everyone.  After losing Amar’e Stoudemire, don’t expect the Suns to stumble.  Hakim Warrick will score less but accomplish a lot more under the basket with his ability to actually play defense and hustle.  Goran Dragic knows what he is capable of as well as Robin Lopez.  Don’t expect anything from Hedo Turkoglu since we really don’t know what we’re going to get.

9.  The Utah Jazz

Yes, Loosing Boozer will affect the Jazz but Al Jefferson will spark that frontcourt.  Deron Williams is getting better and better and has stated that he will turn Jefferson into a better player than he already is.  We don’t expect a veteran coach like Jerry Sloan to trip up over loosing a few key players.

10.  The Atlanta Hawks

Head coach Larry Drew is expected to ease off of the isolation offense that implemented Joe Johnson so ineffectively last postseason for the Hawks.  Expect more balance on this team now that they don’t have to worry about a deal with Josh Smith.  Al Hortford is turning out to be a pretty decent basketball player and hopefully Jamal Crawford will play with the same intensity as last season despite contract issues.

11.  The Denver Nuggets

The only thing keeping Denver at 10 is the situation with Carmelo Anthony.  Contract issues can be very distracting.  However, Kenyon Martin should rebound from last season’s injury and the backcourt is stacked with Chauncey Billups and Ty Lawson.  George Karl’s presence alone should revamp this team.

12.  The Milwaukee Bucks

Buck fever hit the nation last season with utter surprise.  Hopefully they can maintain the same level of competition this year.  Andrew Bogut finally has some help in the frontcourt with Drew Gooden and Corey Maggette will offer some veteran leadership on the squad.

13.  The Portland Trailblazers

Health is the main issue for the Blazers this season as both Greg Oden and Joel Przybilla are both coming off of serious injuries.  Luckily, Marcus Camby signed a two-year extension with Portland in April and will be able to hold down the frontcourt until both return.  They must get a full season out of Brandon Roy as well if they want to compete next summer.

14.  The San Antonio Spurs

Age will slowly kill this dying dynasty but until then, plan on one more run by the Spurs.  It’s time for Popavich to put in the young fellas and let DeJaun Blair and George Hill do their thing.  It’s their only hope with such a geriatric squad and an 82-game season.

15.  The Memphis Grizzlies

It may be time for this young Griz team to make the playoffs in the post-Gasol era.  Rudy Gay has shown that this is his team and his time with team USA will hopefully payoff.  It’s a solid core and with Zach Randolph in the mix, anything can happen.  They have several options on who to start at point guard but they really need to figure it out fast since that will determine if they are ready for the playoffs.

16.  The Charlotte Bobcats

They really took a step backwards by losing both Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton.  Stephen Jackson and Gerald Wallace are the best players on the team but they need to stay healthy (Wallace is injured all the time).  D.J. Augustin says he is ready to be this team’s point guard while it’s Tyrus Thomas’s first full season in Charlotte.

17.  The Sacramento Kings

It’s weird putting them up this high (yes, 17 would be high for some of the more recent Kings’ teams) but it all depends on the development of these young kings.  Tyreke Evans has shown that this is his show and hopefully he wont hit a sophomore slump.  Demarcus Cousins has the potential to be a great basketball player if he keeps his head on straight.  Samual Dalembert will hopefully aid in his growth as an NBA big guy.

18.  The Houston Rockets

By limiting Yao Ming’s minutes and Brad Miller already showing signs that his career is dwindling, Houston has a big problem at the center position.  Yes, they may make the playoffs but it depends on a lot of things.  Kevin Martin has already shown that he has trouble adjusting to new offenses and new players from his time in Sacramento (even he has injury problems).  He needs to kick the old habits and start scoring if the Rockets want a chance.

19.  The Indiana Pacers

It all revolves around the point guard position this season for the Pacers.  Darren Collison is good but he really needs to prove his worth.  He is going from a very deep backcourt in New Orleans to a very shallow one in Indiana.  Danny Granger needs to play with the same intensity and injuries need to be kept to a minimum.  If all this works out, the Pacers may be seeing the postseason for the first time in years.

20.  The New Orleans Hornets

An unhappy super star on the squad never helps a team.  This is exactly what is going down in the Big Easy and signing Trevor Ariza will not be a catalyst in making Chris Paul stay.  It is Monty Williams first full season in New Orleans but we have seen that this team’s problems run deep.

21.  The Washington Wizards

Over the past few seasons, we have seen that it takes a lot more than a first round pick to turn a team around.  John Wall is good but something is stirring up in Washington.  Gilbert Arenas has said that it is no longer his team and is eying an exit.  Good luck Gil.  Washington signed you to a maximum six-year contract in 2008.  You aren’t going anywhere.

22.  The Golden State Warriors

The Nelson era is over but we have yet to see if his style of ball with depart as well.  Keith Smart is going to have to implement some defense but that may be hard with a crew that is so used to running and gunning.  We will see some upsets and good games from these young guys but it’s going to take a little more than David Lee to turn it around for the Warriors.

23.  The Minnesota Timberwolves

Kevin Love is coming off of a productive summer and Corey Brewer improved a lot last season.  Michael Beasley has said that he wants to turn his life around and get serious about the game and what better place than the frozen tundra (sarcasm).  Drafting both Wesley Johnson and Lazar Haywood were steps in the right direction but it isn’t the Wolves time… yet.

24.  The Cleveland Cavaliers

Don’t feel sorry for them.  They did this to themselves.  LeBron James had no incentive to stay and management did very little to make him feel welcome by not including him in the coaching decision.  Byron Scott has a lot of work on his hands.  Antawn Jamison will be leading this team now and that wont be enough.  The only glimmer of hope for the Cavs is J.J. Hickson who showed a lot of potential last season.

25.  The New York Knicks

Amar’e Stoudemire and Eddy Curry spell out maybe one of the laziest frontcourts in the NBA.  They will win more games but Mike D’antoni has his work cut out for him.  We have already seen that he has a tendency for pissing his players off with his limited rotations.  Let’s see how that rotation works with a bunch of out-of-shape washouts.

26.  The New Jersey Nets

We have seen what Avery Johnson can do with a team that is already built (The Dallas Mavericks in 2005) but we have yet to see what he does with rebuilding.  He does an excellent job of implementing defensive schemes and the players in New Jersey will prove to be good students.  They finally have some depth with Anthony Morrow, Troy Murphy and Travis Outlaw but a reunion of Devin Harris and the little general could prove disastrous.

27.  The Philadelphia 76ers

It will take more than Evan Turner to turn this team around.  Andre Iguodala has proven that he isn’t a primary scoring threat and Allen Iverson and Andre Miller attributed to his early career success.  There isn’t much else in Philly to take the attention away from him.  Don’t expect much.

28.  The Los Angeles Clippers

Baron Davis showed up for the season out of shape.  Eric Gordon played well in the FIBA Championship but has shown that he is injury prone.  Blake Griffin is showing signs of promise but do we really expect a rookie to turn it around for the other team that plays at Staples Center?

29.  The Detroit Pistons

They are being sold.  That’s about all that they got going for them.

30.  The Toronto Raptors

They will be athletic with Leandro Barbosa, Julian Wright and the growth of DeMar DeRozan but Toronto will suck.  General manager Bryan Colangelo has shown that the Raptors are not done dealing but there really isn’t much for them to offer or even acquire that can turn this franchise around.

Raptors Fall from Food Chain

Bryan, don't turn around!!!

Raptor Nation, we hear you.  The Great White North’s sole basketball franchise (since the Vancouver Grizzlies moved to Memphis in 2001) is in trouble.  Chris Bosh is shopping for a place in Miami while Hedo Turkoglu is looking for a new apartment in Phoenix.  We have compared the organization to a revolving door before but it’s looking even more and more like that today.

Aside from Bosh and Turkoglu, names such as Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady, Shawn Marion and Jermaine O’Neal have nauseated fans for some time now as the team has done nothing but fallen short time after time.  This season, they made a late push for the playoffs that ultimately failed as the Bulls grasped the eighth seed with a mere 41-41 record.  They never went higher than six games over .500 last season as Bryan Colangelo made moves (moves?) to try and secure Bosh beyond 2010.  Amir Johnson has never averaged seven ppg in any of his five years in the league.  Sonny Weems is a versatile player that can move from both guard positions to small forward.  However, he never got minutes in Denver and along with Johnson, wasn’t going to convince Bosh to stay.

Well, he’s gone now and Toronto’s inability to retain talent is about to set them back… again.  Granted, Jose Calderon is a great point guard and DeMar DeRozan should turn out nicely but other than that, it’s looking bleak for Canadian basketball.  It’s obvious that Colangelo wants to go with a more upbeat, Euro-style ball team but it’s never really materialized.  It’s hard to form a system with players coming and going and on top of all that, most are trash anyways.  Paying Hedo that much was an embarrassment for a player than ended up faking sick to go out partying and they made no attempt to retain Anthony Parker.

This offseason, the pressure was on to resign Bosh and it seems as though no fallout plan was ever developed should that fail.  Earlier this month, the Bobcats agreed to a trade that would have sent Boris Diaw and Tyson Chandler to Toronto.  The next day, the deal fell apart when Charlotte traded Chandler to the Mavericks.  Diaw would work well with what Colangelo is trying to develop but I wouldn’t call it a dramatic signing.  Now, it’s looking like a sign-and-trade with Orlando for Matt Barnes is on the rocks as well.  Toronto’s recent signing of Linas Kleiza used up most of the team’s $5.8 million mid-level exception.  Barnes would be expected to sign a deal in the range of $4 million and Toronto can’t afford to sign him in an outright contract.  Long story short, it doesn’t look like Otis Smith and Orlando are going to put much more money into a guy that was only with the Magic for one season and this trade will ultimately fail.

So what now? Well, Toronto needs to get in line with the rest of the teams that are walking away from this free agency with close to nothing.  It was an aggressive market there for about a week but everyone went fairly quickly.  The salary cap didn’t drop as expected and the great “Shake-Up” that was predicted really didn’t play out like a lot of teams such as Toronto expected.  The list of NBA free agents is getting smaller and smaller but with a lack of funds, the Raptors really don’t have a lot of room to make moves anyways.  It has been rumored that the team should be willing to trade Calderon but that would just be a step backward for a team that is already in the midst of a complete identity crisis.  Building a team like they have and then trading the point guard who works well in it would be completely destructive to what they have already built even though it may not look like much.

It’s a dog-eat-dog league and the Raptors never had the teeth to make the moves needed to improve.  Rebuilding is in the works but Toronto needs to figure out what they really want to be first.

Eastern Conference Round One Predictions

Start your engines

They did it. In the East, every team in the playoffs has at least a .500 record. You cannot say that often. Good for them. However, simply having all eight teams at .500 or better does not make the conference as strong as its counterpart where all eight teams have at least 50 wins. Nonetheless, a team from the East has just as much of a chance at winning the NBA Championship as one from the West. Everybody is equal for now, on Saturday this will change.

1. Cleveland Cavaliers vs. 8. Chicago Bulls

I wrote some time ago that the Bulls would make the playoffs because Toronto was not good enough to win the games they needed down the stretch to make it. What was not foreseen was the injury sustained by Chris Bosh sidelining him for the remainder of the regular season. The Raptors did not prove me wrong and sputtered to a finish. C’est la vie, Toronto. Chicago put the fate of their playoff lives in the hands of Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah. Noah stoked the flames when he returned from injury and was a catalyst to get the Bulls into the playoffs. They are in now and they face the team that Rose referred to as simply “LeBron” when he said the Bulls would make the playoffs. It would be improper, despite the other quality players surrounding the Cavaliers’ central figure, to correct Rose’s notion of who the Bulls face.

To congratulate the Bulls the man who is responsible for Chicago’s six championships personally paid them a visit after the Bulls defeated the Charlotte Bobcats to get the last playoff spot. Michael Jordan was in the Bulls locker room after the game giving the team his well wishes. It is not every day that His Airness personally expresses a message of luck to a team that just beat his. This should serve to boost and motivate the moral of an already fired up group.

During the regular season the Bulls beat the Cavaliers twice. This scrappy team knows how to play them. The Bulls also have history on their side going into this matchup as they have never lost a postseason series to the Cavaliers. Will history repeat itself? Noah has stated that he wants “to try to shock the world” and beat the Cavaliers in the first round. If the Bulls were to accomplish this it would be the biggest upset since the Golden State Warriors defeated the Dallas Mavericks in the 2007 playoffs. Waiting for the Bulls, however, is a “different monster” who will stop at nothing until his post season dream is realized. For the Bulls, it will be an uphill battle.

Chicago’s backcourt matches up favorably with their counterparts in Cleveland. Rose and Kirk Hinrich are a good combo set with Rose exhibiting the flash and get to the cup quickness and Hinrich being able to hit from all points on the floor as well as create off the dribble. Luol Deng has the potential to score at will from the three spot and at 6’9” can shoot over Cleveland’s guards, but it is unlikely that he will get that mismatch often. Chicago’s best players are Rose and Noah. They rely on them to fight and scrap. Noah is especially talented with his ability to score and rebound in buckets. However, he, along with the other Bulls centers, is going to have his hands full.

Shaquille O’Neal is returning from his thumb injury for the playoffs. His size and physical presence will likely disrupt every play that comes near the paint for the Bulls. Brad Miller, Taj Gibson, and Noah will have to alternate shifts against the big Aristotle and avoid foul trouble. Shaq, however, is not the top concern for the Bulls. Their main concern is to try and contain a force of nature. LeBron James presents matchup problems across the board. Committee defense and switching on screens may be the Bulls only option if they hope to slow him down. A healthy Hakim Warrick would also serve the Bulls well in their defense of James. Warrick’s size and length are enough to hamper James’ abilities but probably not enough to stop them all together. If Warrick is not healthy, duties will fall to Deng who is one of the Bulls best defenders. It will be interesting to see what strategy Vinny Del Negro employs to stop the Cavaliers attack, either try and stop James or let James run free and shut down the rest of the Cavaliers.

Series Prediction: For some reason this series has an eerie feel about it. On one side you have the team that prognosticators and analysts have fawned over all season and on the other you have a tough never say die team that took matters into their own hands and won when they need to most. Do not be surprised if this series plays itself out over the course of seven games; conversely do not be surprised if it lasts a mere four. Could Lebron’s rest become an issue? Doubtful. Will any of Cleveland’s guards slowdown Derrick Rose? Probably not. To be safe, Cleveland wins in five too close for comfort games.

2. Orlando Magic vs. 7. Charlotte Bobcats

Nobody expected the Bobcats to make the playoffs this season. Yet, here they are. Snagging Stephen Jackson this season was a steal for them as he almost instantly clicked with his new squad and propelled them toward the playoffs. The Bobcats also have a new face higher up in the team ranks. Well, in all reality his face is not so new to the team but his position is. Michael Jordan became the majority owner of the NBA’s second youngest franchise this year. This will be the Bobcats’ first trip to the NBA’s second season and greeting them are the defending Eastern Conference Champions. Roll out the welcome mat.

(Much of the following has been taken from a previous article I wrote to save time and my fingers.) The matchup of the Bobcats and Magic has the potential to be the lowest scoring series in the modern playoff era as these teams rank number one and two in team defense and defensive efficiency with Charlotte being first in team defense and Orlando being first in efficiency.  Orlando has been the league’s best team since the All Star break and looks to continue this trend into the Playoffs. Maybe the Bobcats have been planning this matchup all season because they five players listed as centers on their roster and that does not even include Tyrus Thomas who is listed as a power forward. Larry Brown will of course have to shrink his roster down for the playoffs but it can be taken for granted that he will have plenty of bodies to throw at Dwight Howard throughout the series. Having many bodies to wear down Howard is a key to this series for the Bobcats. If they can get Howard into foul trouble or simply get him fatigued and force him to the bench it will open up lanes that Charlotte can use to get high percentage shots and not run the risk of seeing the ball in the third row. Honestly, teams must get really annoyed when Howard gives them the ball right back.

Simply put, Orlando is good, real good. (I cannot believe I admitted it but circumstances forced my hand.) They will be heavy favorites to return to the Eastern Conference Finals coming into the playoff but they should not get that far ahead of themselves just yet. Charlotte stands in their way. Orlando does not match up well against the likes of Stephen Jackson and Gerald Wallace. Vince Carter is not a noted defender and will have his hands full with Jackson. It is possible that Matt Barnes, Jackson’s former teammate in Golden State, will be called upon by Stan Van Gundy to guard him but then this likely gives either Carter or Rashard Lewis defensive duties against Wallace. Mickael Pietrus factors to play a large role in the series with his efficiency and the defensive end of the court and his ability to stretch the floor on the offensive end with the three-point shot.

What should be the biggest factor in this series is the Magic’s penchant to fire up the long ball. This season they set the NBA record for made three-pointers with 841. The previous record was 837 set by the seven seconds or less Suns during the 2005-06 season. It is rather astounding that a team considering that this season’s Magic team is the complete antonym to D’Antoni’s doctrine in Phoenix when the Suns set the previous record. Orlando does, however, live and die by the three. If it is not falling they have little hope of winning a game. Jameer Nelson will be key in this regard. He has been heating up of late and if this trend continues he could propel the Magic forward with his outside shooting. J.J. Redick has also been playing well this season displaying that he is no longer just the face up jump shooter he was at Duke. He now has the ability to put the ball on the floor and get to the lane. (Kid has also beefed up like crazy.) It will be a tall order to stop the Magic’s outside shooting but it should be the number one priority of the Bobcats.

Series Prediction: Charlotte has brought in playoff veterans to help guide the team to where it wants to be in players, their head coach, and their owner. This wealth playoff knowledge should serve the Bobcats well as they enter their first ever test of the postseason. Stephen Jackson, Larry Brown, and Michael Jordan all have rings which is more than anyone in the Magic’s organization can say (except White Chocolate). These rings will undoubtedly be on display around the Bobcats’ locker room to motivate the team. Motivating Orlando is their sense of failure and an unfinished business from last season. Charlotte will surprise many in this series, but a surprise is only just that. It does not translate to the second round. The Magic will win the series in six games.

3. Atlanta Hawks vs. 6. Milwaukee Bucks

This would have been a great series. It could have gone seven games and been a knockdown, drag out, slugfest. Sadly it will not be. The loss of Andrew Bogut has completely curtailed any belief that the Bucks could pull off a first round upset. It is rather unfortunate that this had to happen too. Milwaukee was hitting stride and clicking on all cylinders after the acquisition of John Salmons from the Bulls. They were poised to be the dark horse, err…deer rather, in the Eastern playoff picture. With Bogut anchoring a stingy Skiles coached defense and a proven offensive attack even with Michael Redd out for the season (again) they were scary. “Fear the Deer” the saying went. But then Bogut came crashing down. Since the injury to Bogut the Bucks are 6-7 after going 40-29 with him in the lineup. This does not bode well for a team looking for its playoff series win since losing in the Eastern Conference finals in 2001.

Atlanta has played with the big boys in the playoffs before and they expect to do better this year than they did last after going home in the second round. They have added fire power to their lineup this season with the addition of (the Kobe Beef’s sixth man award winner) Jamal Crawford and have watched as Josh Smith (our DPOY runner up) has grown into a statistical monster who eats up boards, hounds the ball, and swats shots like flies. Offensively the Hawks have the second most efficient attack in the league with a rating of 111.9. Their offense will be tested by the Bucks defense but without Bogut clogging the middle they pose little threat to Atlanta.

Expect Joe Johnson to put on a display worthy of saying, “Hi, I’m Joe Johnson and this summer I become an unrestricted free agent. Here is what I am good at. Wouldn’t you like me on your team?” The Hawks would certainly like to keep Johnson right where he is. Johnson is the main weapon in the Hawks arsenal and will pace the team throughout their playoff run. Any potential wild cards that may appear this season for Atlanta does not seem like a likely occurrence as each player knows their role and performs it to a T.

Series Prediction: The “if only’s” abound for Milwaukee but without Bogut their playoff aspirations have become mere dust in the wind. Atlanta will win the series in five games.

4. Boston Celtics vs. 5. Miami Heat

On paper the Boston Celtics should run away with this series. On paper the Boston Celtics have a stingy defense that shuts down opponents with ease. On paper this is a team that was built for the playoffs. On paper this is a team of champions who know how to win. On paper I can draw a picture of myself with hair like Aaron Eckhart surrounded by Scarlett Johansson, Alicia Keyes, Hillary Duff, Mandy Moore, Rachel McAdams, and Beyonce in a harem on my own tropical island. What the hell, let me pencil in Megan Fox too as a cheap gimmick. Oh, and while I’m at it lets throw in Salma Hayek and Carmen Electra. What a lovely drawing. Ah, the joys of paper potential. Boston has stumbled into the playoffs tripping over their own feet. This is not the same team that people said could challenge the Cavaliers for the Eastern crown at the start of the season. Their last good defensive performance came against the Mavericks on 20 March and their defense has looked anemic since. In their last meeting with Cleveland the Celtics blew a 22 point lead which would have cost them the game if LeBron James could have made a few more free throws down the stretch and not taken an ill advised three on a fastbreak. This month the Celtics have lost to Houston, New York, and Washington. Last time anyone checked none of these teams were postseason bound. They are playing for lottery positions. FDR once said that they only thing we have to fear is fear itself. In the Celtics case they need to fear themselves, their ineptitude on the court, their age, and a certain player who will face them in the first round.

(Some of what is included in this paragraph is reprinted from an earlier article.) Dwyane Wade is the Miami Heat. He has them playing at a high level and streaking at the right time. Miami is 18-4 since the start of March and has its eyes set on the second round. Wade will not let the frail and withered Celtics stop him. What this series will turn into is Dwyane Wade’s audition tape for free agency. Expect him to slice through Boston’s feeble and aging defenders, scoring frequently and at will. The only player the Celtics have on their roster that is capable of keeping up with Wade is Rajon Rondo. However, Rondo is too small and lacks the strength to guard Wade. Certainly guard duties will not fall to Jesus Shuttlesworth; he has never been known for his defensive capabilities and will likely see little time guarding him. The task of defending Wade will fall to Paul Pierce. Pierce has somehow molded himself into a serviceable defender since the acquisition of Kevin Garnett but will remain a step behind the slashing Wade who is expected will make mincemeat of the Celtics lethargic frontcourt when getting into the paint. If Kevin Garnett wants to complain about fouls he should have saved his breath for this series. Sources have just informed me that Dwyane Wade has just purchased a new condo on the foul line for this series and plans to make it his permanent residence. In every series that Wade plays in during the playoffs the spectral calls of 2006 follow him. This series should be no different.

Outside of Wade, the Heat matchup rather nicely with their aging blunder counterparts. Their frontcourt consists of Jermaine O’Neal, Udonis Haslem, and Michael Beasley. Expect this trio to out rebound the hapless Celtics in almost every game of the first round. But what the series will come down to essentially is the scoring duel between Wade and Pierce. Both players look to be their respective teams leading scorers each game and this will not change. Boston’s bench is a joke other than Tony Allen and Big Baby when it comes to actual contribution.

Series Prediction: The most anticipated part of this series will be how quickly Boston loses its cool. I’m going to guess either ‘Sheed or KG is assessed a technical foul around three minutes into the second quarter of game one. Boston and its management might want to reassess the win now policy that they enacted several years ago. Sure they won a title but in all reality what did it truly cost them. Their team is so old (how old are they?) that they have destroyed their future and may lose many of their players in free agency this summer. Miami might also lose its best player this summer too. Dwyane Wade sold his property in south Florida last month so the outlook is grim for the Heat. However, they do have the ability resign Wade, add a max player and another player at $9-10 million this off season with the cap room they will have available. As for now they will have one last hurrah with Wade firmly at the helm. Miami wins in seven.

Playoff Matchups Begin to take Shape

Expect a tough close first round matchup between the Lakers and Thunder

It will come down to the final night of the regular season and when the final buzzer has sounded the outcome of the playoff matchups shall finally be set in stone and the speculation and guess work will be over, in terms of seeding only. Without speculation many writers and analysts would be out of the job. Not much has been determined yet. However, after last night’s round of games two playoff matchups have been decided as well as a few other seeding possibilities being narrowed down.

In the ever wild West the Dallas Mavericks have secured at least the third seed. If they should beat San Antonio in their final game tomorrow night they would be the number two seed in the West and would face San Antonio in the first round of the playoffs. Tonight if Denver wins at Phoenix or Utah loses at Golden State the Mavericks will be the second seed. If the Mavericks enter the post season as the third seed their opponent would be the Portland (Murphy’s Law) Trailblazers. The only two seeds that the Spurs and Blazers can hold are the sixth and seventh. Portland holds the tie breaker over San Antonio having swept them in the three games in which they met this season. (Thanks to dallasbasket.com for this simple break down.) Therefore if Portland wins its final game and the Spurs lose, the Blazers will be sixth and the Spurs the seventh. If the fates of the teams are reversed in their final games so would be their seeding.

The Cambyman fueled the Blazers to victory with 30 point and 13 rebounds, in Brandon Roy’s absence due to a knee injury sustained against the Lakers, last night against the Oklahoma City Thunder. This victory gave the battered Blazers the tie breaker over the Thunder and keeping them out of the final playoff spot in the West. This means that the Thunder will be given the task of playing the Lakers in the first round of the playoffs. Some have begun speculating that the Lakers deliberately lost to Portland on Sunday so that they would face the young and inexperienced Thunder in the first round. The Zen Master may have miscalculated however. The Blazers, with all their injuries and especially the one just suffered by Roy, would seem to be the “safer” bet as a first round opponent. Oklahoma on the other hand is a complete wild card. They are not playoff experienced and are young. Ron Artest will undoubtedly be tasked with guarding NBA scoring leader, Kevin Durant. Kobe Bryant will probably guard Durant some too as is his preference to guard the other team’s best player in the playoffs but Artest will get the bulk of the duties. To say that the Thunder have no defense for Kobe Bryant would be a foolish and uneducated statement. Thabo Sefolosha is a Kobe killer, always has been. Kobe will have a hand in his face contesting every shot. The Lakers also have no answer for Russell Westbrook. If Derek Fisher is expected to keep the speedy Westbrook in front of him it will be a long series for Fisher. Having Farmar on the court for any extended amount of time to guard Westbrook is just not an option in the playoffs.

This series poses to be a fascinating dichotomy. On one side you have the Lakers, a highly regarded team (by the general media yet not so much here on this site) with a bevy of playoff experience among them. Los Angeles entered the season as heavy favorites to repeat as representatives of the Western Conference in the NBA Finals with much emphasis placed on the notion that they should repeat as champions. They have a former MVP who has won before and a Hall of Fame coach that has ten championships under his belt in twelve trips to the finals. On the other hand you have the upstart Thunder whose average age 25.1 years. Their roster is composed of few players who have even been to the playoffs. Essentially they are a raw and hungry group that have no expectations weighing down their shoulders. It is likely that their fan base will grow exponentially during the first round as the underdog is frequently favored by fans. The outcome should lend itself to a Lakers’ victory, especially if Andrew Bynum does in fact return for the playoffs at a comparable performance level. Oklahoma City should have the ability to make it a six game series as the playoff atmosphere inside the Ford Center will be reminiscent of a Sooner’s football game, which is the closest possible comparison that people in that part of the country can relate to. The Lakers are expected to win but in the West anything is possible.

Although seeding has yet to be fully determined in the East at least one matchup has been set. The Charlotte Bobcats will face the Orlando Magic. The matchup of the Bobcats and Magic has the potential to be the lowest scoring series in the modern playoff era as these teams rank number one and two in team defense and defensive efficiency with Charlotte being first in team defense and Orlando being first in efficiency.  Orlando has been the league’s best team since the All Star break and looks to continue this trend into the Playoffs. Maybe the Bobcats have been planning this matchup all season because they five players listed as centers on their roster and that does not even include Tyrus Thomas who is listed as a power forward. Larry Brown will of course have to shrink his roster down for the playoffs but it can be taken for granted that he will have plenty of bodies to throw at Dwight Howard throughout the series. Charlotte’s best matchup would have actually been against the Cavaliers, having won three of the four meetings between them this season, but the ‘Cats are better than the teams jockeying for the eighth seed and therefore seeded seventh.

Yet, this is not as favorable a matchup as it would seem for the Magic. They do not match up well against the likes of Stephen Jackson and Gerald Wallace. Vince Carter is not a noted defender and will have his hands full with Jackson. It is possible that Matt Barnes, Jackson’s former teammate in Golden State, will be called upon by Stan Van Gundy to guard him but then this likely gives either Carter or Rashard Lewis defensive duties against Wallace. Mickael Pietrus factors to play a large role in the series with his efficiency and the defensive end of the court and his ability to stretch the floor on the offensive end with the three-point shot.

Charlotte comes into the playoffs in much the same way as Oklahoma City. Like the Thunder, the Bobcats face a team that was featured in the NBA Finals last year in the first round. It is also their first time to reach the playoffs in franchise history. Unlike the Thunder, however, the Bobcats have many more players on their roster who have experienced the playoffs. Several have even played in the finals, DeSagana Diop and Jackson, with Jackson having won a championship. The accrued experience of the Bobcats’ players added to the knowledge and experience of their head coach (who has been given permission to seek a coaching job elsewhere when the season ends) could lead this team to play at a level that catches many by surprise. They also bring to the table the consummate champion in their new owner. These combined elements will prove to inspire the team against the reigning Eastern Conference champions. The combined wisdom of Brown and Jordan will serve to punch many holes in Orlando but in the end the Bobcats shall not see the second round.

As the playoffs continue to take shape and matchups are revealed the story of the NBA will begin a new chapter. In the East the top four seeds are the story. It is they who are prone to move forward to the semifinals. In the West, the story is much more prone to chaos and disorder. Parity is universal in the West as the playoff teams have sought to permanently relinquish the hold of the old dogmatic playoff seeding caste system. The playoffs are supposed to be the great equalizer between teams but this myth has only begun to play itself out in the past several years. Yet the NBA’s caste system remains unchanged in its highest form as a mere seven teams since 1985. Parity among teams has yet to be allowed to translate to parity among champions. With the playoffs beginning on anew on Saturday hope itself arises anew. Hope that each team plays at the level above and beyond its own capabilities as only it holds its destiny in its hands. The playoffs are a new season and before the first jump ball each team is equal, each team is connected. It can only be by the cessation of this connectivity that a team can advance. Possibilities are endless today for what June may hold. As of today only two series are set and the future holds only the speculation and unpredictable variables that analysts are paid to gossip and debate upon. What is known is that the teams remaining shall strive on untiringly towards the end goal: the NBA championship.