Ken talks to himself about the NBA

[C-Fan]

Sweet, the playoffs have started! Definitely pumped up about it. Before I get into playoff discussion, I just want to add one more entry to my last post:

Best nickname Tim Duncan: "T Robot." Too good. Steve Francis` nickname has lost some coin since he got traded, especially since the team`s success isn`t as bound to his game as it used to be.

One last quickie before I move to post-season talk. This page has some nice recaps of some of the better moments of the season: http://www.nba.com/features/0405review.html

OK, lets move onto the playoffs!

Before the playoffs started, here were my picks:

EAST- Detroit beats Miami in the conference finals.
WEST- Phoenix beats a team from Texas in the conference finals.
TITLE- Phoenix over Detroit in 7.

My predictions get thrown out the window if Nash gets injured.

Before Round One started, here were my predictions for how the first round series would go.

EAST

Miami vs. New Jersey I figured Miami would win this, but it would be a pretty competitive series, going at least 6 games. Don`t ever bet against Kidd and Carter, especially because RJ is coming back, and Krstic is getting good. Shaq`s lingering injury also figured to be a factor. As I`m writing this, NJ has lost the first two games. So maybe I overestimated them, but it remains to be seen. They could still conceivably make it a series, especially since Shaq has mostly been a non-factor. This reinforces my belief that Nash deserves MVP over Shaq. Would you rather play against a Nash-less Suns, or a Shaq-less Heat? The Heat can still win without Shaq, whereas the Suns...

Boston vs. Indiana Before the playoffs started, I`d probably call this an even series. Indiana has Reggie, who for 95% of his career has been better in the playoffs than the regular series, and can make a bunch of small differences. But JO isn`t 100% yet. On the Boston side... Pierce-Walker-Payton is better than most people think. I wouldn`t have been surprised with this series going either way. Now that they have split the first two games, I`d give a slight edge to Boston. But part of my heart is really rooting for Reggie. If they make the semis, that`s at least 4 more chances for Reggie to shine in the playoffs. Who wouldn`t love to see that?

Chicago vs. Washington Losing Luol Deng and Eddie Curry really hurts the Bulls. But then, Washington isn`t exactly the shining example of health either. So when the playoffs started, I gave a slight edge to the Bulls, for no other reason than they have such incredible defense, and defense does well in the playoffs. If the Bulls can contain Washington`s guards, then they`ve got a real shot, especially with Ben Gordon in the 4th. Now that the playoffs have started, I still favor the Bulls in this series.

Pistons vs. Sixers Well, considering I picked Detroit to win the East, you can guess what my prediction was here. I still think Tayshaun and Rasheed are under-rated, especially since Rasheed has healthy feet this year. But I`m also an AI fan, so I`m still rooting for the Sixers to pick up a couple victories. The contrast between the Pistons with all their playoff experience (and rings) and the young 76ers (Dalembert, Salmons, Green, AI2) is also real striking. I didn`t give the sixers a chance, and now that they`ve dropped the first two games, that opinion isn`t likely to change.

WEST

Phoenix-Memphis I predicted the Suns winning it all, so obviously I favor them to win this series. I knew Fratello would try and slow the game down against them, but come on: people have tried that against the Suns since at least December, and they still ended up with the best record in the league. The "slow-down" strategy might work against them, but Memphis isn`t the team that could pull it off.

Denver-San Antonio When I looked at the playoff matchups in the West, 2 series struck me as being potentially very very competitive. Dallas-Houston was the obvious one, but come on: 4th seed vs 5th seed is traditionally a competitive match. 2nd seed vs 7th seed usually isn`t. Yet I predicted that this would be the most competitive series in the West, as well as the one with the best chance of an upset. Denver was the best team in the NBA since the All-Star break, and there was nothing to change that going into the playoffs. I think the only team Denver is afraid to play are the Suns. Factor in that T Robot isn`t 100%, and you`ve got a series going 7, with a chance of the 7th seed winning. Denver`s victory in Game1 didn`t surprise me.

Sonics vs Kings You know, I can`t even think of them as the Kings anymore. No more Webber, no more Christie, no Divac. Brad Miller`s injury... in an earlier blog entry, I predicted the Kings slipping to the 7th seed in the West. They managed to hold on to #6, but the point remains the same: this isn`t a team on a streak, this is a team which is rebuilding, and doesn`t have the confidence to advance to the semis. Sonics have won the first two games, strangely enough getting big contributions from Jerome James. I don`t think anybody saw that coming.

Houston vs. Dallas Before the playoffs started, I would have picked Dallas to win this series. Hell, Dallas was my pseudo-sleeper team of the West. I could see them making it to the West Finals, and possibly even the finals. So when they didn`t show up to play in game one, I was real surprised. But I assumed they would bounce back in Game 2. But T-Mac looks possessed, and not about to be denied from advancing in the playoffs. I don`t know what`s happened to Dallas, but they`ve shaken my confidence in them. Now it looks like Houston will win the series, but hopefully Dallas can put up a fight. I really want this series to go at least 6 games.

[C-Fan]

Quick Playoff impressions:

Nets I was real surprised they got swept. I know they were the 8th seed against the 1st, but I still really thought they would win at least a game, if not 2. They should be a much better team next year. My prediction for how this series would go was pretty off.

Dallas Before the playoffs, I thought Dallas could make the West finals, or even be an upset and make the finals. But the way they played those first two games made me have doubts. Since then, they`ve won 3 in a row, and could close out the series. I knew Dallas-Houston would be one of the better first round matchups. I wouldn`t have a problem with either team making the semis, because I like them both.

Nuggets This was my other West dark horse. But frankly, if they were to pull off an upset, their best chance was doing it early. The more Tim Duncan heals, the worse everybodys chances are. They had their best chance to make it a series in games 2 and 3, and now things look bleak. Still, the series could go on longer than people think.

Suns Like I said in my last post: slow-down tactics might be able to beat the Suns... but Memphis isnt the team that can do that. And the sweep proved that. Suns play the winner of the Houston-Dallas series, which is real interesting. If they play Dallas, its all about Nash vs Nowitzki. And if they play against Houston, that would be a great series too, because the Rockets have great defense, and you KNOW JVG would slow things down. A rockets series would have lots of key matchups too... Shawn Marion guarding T-Mac, and Amare vs Yao, with each of them unable to defend each other.

Sixers I never figured they had a chance against the Pistons, so the most I was hoping for was like, 2 incredible Iverson performances. He had a 37 point, 15 assist game, but I`d really like to see at least one more Nate Archibald perfomance before he goes on summer vacation.

[C-Fan]

OK, I`ve been scrambling lately to keep my `Zine and journal up to date, so I`ve been neglecting the monologue. But I`ve been diligently following the games online, and my folks even sent me a few good ones. Some scattered thoughts:

1. Steve Nash totally deserved MVP, and the postseason is really showing it. Does anybody think the Suns could have beat Dallas without him? He averaged 30.3 points, 12 assists, and 6.5 rebounds over the 6 game series. This guy averaged what, 15 points in the regular season? He had his first ever career playoff triple double, and in 3 successive games he set career playoff bests for assists (17!), points (48!), and rebounds (13, as part of a triple double). He closed the series by finishing one rebound shy of his second career triple double.

Shaq was the runner up for MVP, but look at the postseason. Miami made it to the East finals without losing a game, and with Shaq missing 2 games, and playing at 30% for the rest. The Heat can win without Shaq, because they have DWade. Not so with the Suns.

2. T-Mac... averages roughly 30 in the playoffs for his career... never passes the first round...

3. I still like the Pistons winning the East. Now that the Suns are down 0-2, dropping both HOME games... fuck it, I`m standing by them. Seriously, every single game they play in the playoffs this year, just means they have that much more experience for next year. They get a slightly deeper bench, and they take home a title. Shit, I doubt they would have lost both Home games in the West Finals so far if Joe Johnson were playing.

4. Paul Shirley`s blog: http://www.nba.com/suns/news/shirley_playoff_blog.html
Too good.

[C-Fan]

Some more playoff thoughts.

Player who most increased his free agent price this post-season Tempting as it is to say Jerome James of Seattle, this is probably still Dwyane Wade`s. Hard to say. Wade was a good player before the playoffs, and he`s just gone nuts in the playoffs. So I think while he was a big contract before the playoffs, he`s probably upped his value a good bit. Jerome James came out of nowhere... went from averaging like 4 and 3 in the regular season to several 20+ 10+ games in the postseason. Of course, this DOES raise the question of: why wasn`t he playing like that before? I`m always suspicious of people who elevate their game during contract years (I`m looking at YOU, Erick Dampier).

Best series so far Probably would give this to Houston-Dallas, with Dallas-Suns in second place. The Houston Dallas game had each team unable to win a home game for the first 4 games, and several games came down to the last possession. It went to Game7, and then the Mavs made history with the biggest margin of victory (40 points! ) in a Game 7! The Dallas-Phoenix series was also notable because it was Steve Nash vs his old team, and the series was tied after 4. Then Nash justified his MVP.

Suns vs Spurs I`m still rooting for the Suns, but likely they will lose the series. Still, I hate how everybody is jumping up and down saying: "I told you so!" regarding the Suns lack of defense. Do the Suns have bad defense? Yes. Are they losing the series? Yes. Are they losing the series SOLELY because of their bad defense? Fuck no. The first two games were relatively close, until the last few minutes of the fourth quarter. It also doesn`t help that Joe Johnson was out for the first 2 games, and isn`t at full strength now that hes back. It also didn`t help that the league schedule made it so the Suns had to play Game1 like, 30 some odd hours after they closed out Dallas. The Suns have had lots of cards against them in this series, and still had some close games. Give them another year playing together (The Spurs core has been together for a while now, whereas the Suns have only been together this season) before you write off the Suns style completely.

Atlantic Division, better than anybody thought. Remember all those fears about the Atlantic Division being super weak? At the All-Star break people were thinking that only one team from the Atlantic would make the playoffs, and it might not even have a winning record. As things turned out, 3 teams from the Atlantic made it to the playoffs. Yeah, they all got peaced out in the first round (Nets were swept, Philly only took a game or 2, and Celts were out in 7), but they at least made the playoffs. That`s more than KG, LeBron, or Kobe were able to do.

Pacers are gritty as hell. After the Brawl, I didn`t figure the Pacers would make the playoffs. But they did. And they won their first series, taking out the 3rd seed in 7 games, winning 3 roud games to do so. Then they were up 2-1 against the defending champs, and then lost that series. They did this with no Artest, chronic injuries throughout, long suspensions of Jackson and O`Neal, and a visibly injured O`neal in the playoffs. I really think Carlisle should have gotten Coach of the Year this year. I gotta take my hat off to the Pacers, they showed incredible heart and strength this season, and will be a force next year if they are healthy.

Finals ratings You know David Stern is tossing and turning every night at the prospect of a Pistons-Spurs finals. That`d get awful ratings.

[C-Fan]

Remember when Shaq went to Miami and caused a stir by proclaiming: "the Heat are Dwyane Wade`s team" and everybody scoffed, because they thought he was just being diplomatic? Well, now I think a lot of people are beginning to realize that maybe the big guy was right. The Heat have shown they can win with Wade and without Shaq. Check the first two series of the playoffs. Wade can win without Shaq. But with Wade out, I really kinda wonder about the Heat`s chances. Granted, Shaq still isn`t 100%, but if I were Pat Riley and had to choose who I would rather have play at 100%, I would likely go with DWade.

Despite how hard it is for teams to win Game 7s on the road, I like Detroit`s chances in Miami if Wade sits out. Pistons-Spurs finals... can you say low ratings? Reminds me of a few years back when the finals was Spurs vs. Nets... ugh. I don`t see it being nearly as bad a blowout though.

I`m already starting to think about what teams I will root for next year. That sounds kind of fairweather, but the way the teams change these days, its hard to really stick with a team, since in a couple years it can be completely different. I stuck with the Mavs 4 years, which is something, and I decided to root for Phoenix the day they got QRich (and had already picked up Nash... Nash leaving Dallas was the last straw to make me drop my Mavs), before they started winning (for reals, check out my first entry).
That said, you never know what trades will go down in the offseason, so I don`t want to throw out too many names too early. But at the moment, I really think that the Nets will be a force in the East next year, and the Warriors will at least be entertaining. I`m real curious to see what happens with the Sonics and all their expiring contracts. I also think the Sixers will be a lot better next year too.

[C-Fan]

I gotta admit it: my interest has dropped off considerably since the Suns got knocked out. But I`m glad that one of the teams I picked (before the playoffs began) for the finals made it there, and the other one put up a decent fight in the conference finals.

I still think Detroit has a chance. The Spurs are undeniably good, but Parker can be streaky, and Ginobili is unproven... I can see him having a couple bad games. Still, when you have TRobot on your team, you always have a chance to win. Pistons picked up game 3 today, but it won`t be a real series until it is tied at 2s.

Read online today one of the best nicknames in sports: TNTs Steven A. Smith is always really loud and obnoxious, trying to sound witty, but he just comes off as annoying. He also generally doesn`t know what he`s talking about. Barkeley is a loudmouth, yes, but he spits the truth more often than not, and even occasionally admits when he is wrong. But Steven A. Smith not only is a loudmouth, but he`s also usually clueless. That`s why I laughed out loud when I read somebody refer to him online as: Screamin A. Smith. Beautiful.

The biggest news this week though has to be the Lakers re-hiring Phil Jackson less than a year after they fired him. Wonder how Kobe feels about that? The most interesting theory I read about this, wonders if this is the Laker Organization`s way of reigning in Kobe after a disastrous year. Like, Kobe forced out Shaq and Jackson last year, couldn`t carry the team by himself, the Lakers missed the playoffs, and now Jackson is back as a way to put Kobe back in his place. The intriguing idea here, is the thought that the Lakers Organization may have hired Jackson as a way to make Kobe unhappy, and to get him to request a trade.

The whole Jackson back with the Lakers thing is also interesting even without the conspiracy side of things. Why? This will be the first time Jackson really coaches a mediocre/bad team. Yeah, he still has Kobe. But not much else. If he can win with this team, then he will truly cement his legacy as a great coach, and silence the doubters who credit his success only to having the luck of coaching Jordan, Pippen, Shaq, Kobe, etc. I`m definitley curious to see how next year`s Lakers turn out.

The other thing I`m curious about is what will happen to the Sonics in the offseason. Their coach, their best player, and like 6 other guys all have contracts that expire in the summer, so I`m real curious to see who they keep, and who they don`t.

[quadgun]

3-3

I'm going with Detroit!

But I do like the way Ginobili plays.

It'll be interesting, I'll make sure to watch it.

[C-Fan]

Thank God the Finals have gotten interesting. The first 4 games were so bad, but these last 2 almost made up for them. Off the top of my head, I think this is the first Finals Game 7 since 1994...

I have written proof in my diary that I was sticking with the Pistons even when they were down 0-2 in the series. I predicted before the playoffs started that the Pistons would make the finals, so I stick by them to win it (since my projected west, and overall winner didn`t make it).

But the biggest news of the day has to be that a lockout has been averted. Excellent.

[quadgun]

Yeahuh! Not too much longer! Oh yea!

In the words of Eminem sometime somewhere.

Detroit What!

[quadgun]

not looking good

[C-Fan]

Spurs win. I`m disappointed Detroit didn`t repeat, but at the same time, I`m glad the finals turned into some good drama. I see Detroit back in the finals again soon though... their contract strcuture insures they will be good for a while. And so ends the NBA season... I will likely make one more post in it, wrapping up my thoughts on the season, but first I need to attend to my fanzine.

[quadgun]

Tim Duncan MVP!

I guess he deserves it, but I wanted like Ginobili to get it.

[C-Fan]

Holy crap! The biggest trade in NBA history happened today, involving 5 teams and 13 players! Craziness. I have to say, I think the Miami Heat are a much better team now because of it. Its weird to see how strong the East has become in the last couple years.

Anyway, check out the starting line up for the Heat next year.

pg- Jason Williams (formerly of the Grizzlies, an And One style point guard with great passing ability, but a bad tendency to shoot threes).
sg- Dwyane Wade. All Star, one of the top ten players in the league for sure.
pf- Udonis Haslem. Solid enough.
sf- Antoine Walker! Holy crap!
C- Shaq.

So pretty much 4 of 5 of their starting line up are All-Star caliber players. Of course, the question is, will their chemistry be any good? But on paper, it looks decent. Should be interesting.

While Im here, I have to say that the Nets look like they will be excellent next season. Healthy Richard Jefferson, Vince and Kidd meshing so well, emerging Nenad Krstic, and most importantly, Shareef Abdur Rahim looks like it will be real strong.

After the brawl last year, everybody knew that either the Pistons or Heat would win the East, but now, I think there are 4 teams in the East with a legitimate shot at the champs. Im also real curious to see how the Suns do next year. With one year of chemistry under their belt, they could be even more dangerous. But then, losing Quentin Richardson makes them less scary on the perimeter, and I think he was one of their better defenders. Still, Kurt Thomas is much needed defense and size. Definitely excited to see how next season develops.

[HG]

Jason Williams the white kid? Or jason williams the black guy who murdered someone with a shotgun or something?


The white guy is crazy! And One style, and more!



The heat lineup =

Will be interesting to see how Udonis does...

[C-Fan]

Jason Williams with the tattoo on his fingers that reads: `WHITE BOY`

[HG]

Does he have the smiley on his pinky or ring finger?

[shreddaily]

Anyway, check out the starting line up for the Heat next year.
pg- Jason Williams (formerly of the Grizzlies, an And One style point guard with great passing ability, but a bad tendency to shoot threes).
sg- Dwyane Wade. All Star, one of the top ten players in the league for sure.
pf- Udonis Haslem. Solid enough.
sf- Antoine Walker! Holy crap!
C- Shaq.

sniff, sniff, sniff...stinks like LA 03-04

[C-Fan]

I disagree. LA 03-04 didn`t work for a few reasons. Kobe and GP just plain didn`t fit in to the Triangle Offense, or rather they didn`t want to play it. The Heat play a much freer system, and none of the players are as selfish as Kobe or GP. Also, Udonis Haslem is definitely better than Devean George, and everybody is like half the age of Karl Malone. Seriously though, Dwyane Wade showed last year that he can play with Shaq better than Kobe could, and I think the other guys can work out. Antoine Walker did a decent job sacrificing touches for the sake of the team back when he was with the Mavs. If he and Jason Williams decide they are serious about a ring next year, I think they have a good shot.

[C-Fan]

Bought a college basketball shirt today, even though i dont really watch college basketball. Sort of a weird feeling. Its a UNC shirt, and at less than $5, I had to buy it, even if I feel kinda like a poser. Love the color. Besides, I got to thinking about all the alumni from the school who I really like, and it became a no-brainer.

Here is a list of my favorite UNC alumni.

1. Rasheed Wallace.
2. James Worthy
3. Michael Jorden
4. Vince Carter
5. Antawn Jamison
6. Jerry Stackhouse
7. Sam Perkins

[shaggster]

sg- Dwyane Wade. All Star, one of the top ten players in the league for sure.

easily best thing to come out of wisconsin since beer and cheese