Do not sleep on the importance of Bosh in the Heat's quest for a title. The Pacers are a young hungry team that haven't yet learned how to finish off great teams when they have them on the ropes. Take nothing from the amazing performances by D Wade and Lebron in the second half of Game 1. They willed the Heat to a victory. Its hard to make adjustments on the fly, and honestly that young team was overwhelmed by the talent and determination by those two players.
Bosh, often the most slandered and overlooked of Miami's 'Big3' has been the most consistent player of this triumvirate. He doesn't complain about touches (*Points finger at Bynum*). He plays hard on both ends. and comes through for his team when they need him. If there is a weakness in this Heat team its the lack of depth in the front court and Bosh being out for significant time is only going to push that weakness to the forefront. The Heat should have enough to still get through this game and the series, but don't sleep on the young hungry Pacers.
Granger has to be better defensively. The MVP is going to shine regardless, but you have to make him work. Easier said than done, but if the Pacers have a chance Granger is going to have to frustrate Lebron. Make him work on both ends. He needs to take more than 10 shots this game. Chances are they are going to see a lot of high pick and rolls with D Wade and Lebron and they have to more prepared than they were Game 1.
Roy Hibbert is going to have a huge game tonight. And he needs to. Without Bosh that leaves the 3 headed work horse of Turiaf, Joel Anthony, and Haslem manning the Heat front court. He has to dominate the boards and play help defense to try and contain D Wade and Lebron penetrating for easy baskets.
Game 1 was the Pacers game to steal and they couldn't finish it off. If Granger and Hibbert play big they might have a chance at taking this game. But don't bet on it.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Lakers v Thunder Game 1
The utter domination displayed by the Thunder in last night's 119-90 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers is the start that most Lakers fans were hoping they didn't see.
Of course you could pencil in 25 for Durant pregame and no would be surprised. What is more embarrassing is the the fact he shot 50% from the field and got those points off only 16 shots consisting of mostly mid-range jumpers and three-pointers. Durant has grown in his few playoff runs and is no longer the skinny shooter that easily is pushed off his spots. He is getting the ball where he wants and has added a few new moves (I know ya'll saw the Dirk one leg fade-away).
But even after the effective game he had, the reason this was a blowout was something brought up by this blogger in my preview post. "Good Westbrook" showed up tonight. The point total is the least telling of his stat-line. 27 points aren't going to kill a good team, but he took mostly good shots ( 10-15 FG, 1-1 3PT) and had only one turnover. He dished out nine assists, grabbed seven boards, and had two steals in what might have been his most impressive playoff performance to date. Lakers found out the hard way what all of America already knows. The Thunder are serious contenders and have the look in their eyes like last year's Mavs and the Lakers they faced a few years ago. This team sent a message to these Lakers and I sure hope they got it.
In game 2, the Lakers have to make adjustments. I do not think Kobe guarding Westbrook the entire is the right move. Although Kobe is great defensively, at this point in their careers Westbrook's ability to penetrate forces Kobe to play off a little bit. Mike Brown needs to let Sessions guard him tight and force him to penetrate into the teeth of the Laker Bigs. This is playoff basketball. You have to be tough. You have to bump them off their spots. You cannot let Durant and Westbrook take turns hitting uncontested jumpers.
Lakers are okay. They didn't play bad. Bynum had a good game. 20 points 14 boards. Lakers as a team only allowed 10 offensive rebounds. Bench points were heavily favored to the Thunder and will be this entire series, but they have to get more help than just 26 points, most of which came in garbage time. If they can get some bench help and make the right defensive adjustments game 2 should be a little more contested.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are on a quest for a championship and had every look, at least for one game, that that's exactly where they are heading.
Of course you could pencil in 25 for Durant pregame and no would be surprised. What is more embarrassing is the the fact he shot 50% from the field and got those points off only 16 shots consisting of mostly mid-range jumpers and three-pointers. Durant has grown in his few playoff runs and is no longer the skinny shooter that easily is pushed off his spots. He is getting the ball where he wants and has added a few new moves (I know ya'll saw the Dirk one leg fade-away).
But even after the effective game he had, the reason this was a blowout was something brought up by this blogger in my preview post. "Good Westbrook" showed up tonight. The point total is the least telling of his stat-line. 27 points aren't going to kill a good team, but he took mostly good shots ( 10-15 FG, 1-1 3PT) and had only one turnover. He dished out nine assists, grabbed seven boards, and had two steals in what might have been his most impressive playoff performance to date. Lakers found out the hard way what all of America already knows. The Thunder are serious contenders and have the look in their eyes like last year's Mavs and the Lakers they faced a few years ago. This team sent a message to these Lakers and I sure hope they got it.
In game 2, the Lakers have to make adjustments. I do not think Kobe guarding Westbrook the entire is the right move. Although Kobe is great defensively, at this point in their careers Westbrook's ability to penetrate forces Kobe to play off a little bit. Mike Brown needs to let Sessions guard him tight and force him to penetrate into the teeth of the Laker Bigs. This is playoff basketball. You have to be tough. You have to bump them off their spots. You cannot let Durant and Westbrook take turns hitting uncontested jumpers.
Lakers are okay. They didn't play bad. Bynum had a good game. 20 points 14 boards. Lakers as a team only allowed 10 offensive rebounds. Bench points were heavily favored to the Thunder and will be this entire series, but they have to get more help than just 26 points, most of which came in garbage time. If they can get some bench help and make the right defensive adjustments game 2 should be a little more contested.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are on a quest for a championship and had every look, at least for one game, that that's exactly where they are heading.
Monday, May 14, 2012
Rapid Reaction 76ers v Celtics
This game had all the makings of probably the most boring game of these playoffs until a fury filled fourth quarter. In the end the 76ers made enough plays to steal a game from Boston. Good teams find ways to win especially in the ugly games. In this instance Young A.I. and the 76ers proved to be the better team on this day and outlast Boston and head back home with the series tied. Boston played very lethargic most of the game and seemed disinterested. They made a few runs in the fourth but Philly had an answer for everything Boston threw at them. Its not every game that you get Boston's Big 3 combine for less than 40 points and this was Philly's game to lose the whole way. This young team grew a lot in game two of this series, the key will be if they can take control game 3 at home and not let the veteran Celtics negate this game by stealing back the next game. No one is giving these 76ers a chance in this series, including me, but they are well on their way to filling up the bandwagon.
Thunder v Lakers
This Western Conference Semi-Final match up is going to be slighted more contested than a lot of people will be willing to give credit to. How quickly the average fan dismisses a team after a few bad games. After game four of the Lakers/Nuggets series everyone wanted to give LA a first class ticket to the finals to take on the Miami Heat. Insert horrific games five and six for LA and complete in utter domination by the Thunder over the Mavericks, now everyone thinks this series is going to be over in five. Taking a closer look at the match ups and the season series its easy to see how this series, might turn out to be one of the best series in this postseason.
I need not go on about Kevin Durant or Kobe Bryant. Those two guys are going to get their numbers regardless. It will be the other four starters and bench play that will determine the winner of this series. The most intriguing of these match ups will be the Lakers Bigs against the Thunder Bigs, and Russell Westbrook against Ramon Sessions/Steve Blake.
On paper the Lakers have a supreme advantage in the front court. The combination of Bynum/Gasol is a tandem this league has not seen since Young Timmy and The Admiral. They both can create shots for themselves, each other, and every other Laker off the low block. The problem with both of these guys is they have to be motivated to play great basketball. It is very possible for these guys to tank and this series be done in 5, but that is not something I would bet on. What helps out is that the Thunder front court is probably the weakest offensive front court left in these playoffs. Bynum/Gasol won't have to work to hard to defend these guys in the post. It will be their job to control defensive rebounds and limit Ibaka/Perkins/Collison second chance opportunities from offensive rebounds. If the effort is there then Lakers control the series, if they let Serge Ibaka go all JaVale McGee then it will be a short stint for Lakers.
Russell Westbrook has been giving the Lakers buckets since he entered the league. And this series should be no different. The issue that comes up with Westbrook is always shot selection and turnovers. He will make plays that have u jumping from your seat; sometimes rejoicing and other times in utter disbelief. He will have the size advantage over any of the Laker point guards and really is the only Thunder player with an absolute advantage against his match up. I like to compare him to Rex Grossman. Amazing talent, shows flashes of brilliance, won games with his talent, but often times makes a bonehead play that costs his team the game. Westbrook has a little more "Good Rex" in him and should easily dominate this series. But if Sessions can force some turnovers, frustrate him, make him take contested tough shots, then the Lakers stand a chance to pull off the upset.
I do think this series will go 7 games with the Thunder winning. Game 7 in OKC that crowd and KD will make sure of that. But for all of you who just feel the Lakers are going to lay down and get blown away, I'm not buying.
I need not go on about Kevin Durant or Kobe Bryant. Those two guys are going to get their numbers regardless. It will be the other four starters and bench play that will determine the winner of this series. The most intriguing of these match ups will be the Lakers Bigs against the Thunder Bigs, and Russell Westbrook against Ramon Sessions/Steve Blake.
On paper the Lakers have a supreme advantage in the front court. The combination of Bynum/Gasol is a tandem this league has not seen since Young Timmy and The Admiral. They both can create shots for themselves, each other, and every other Laker off the low block. The problem with both of these guys is they have to be motivated to play great basketball. It is very possible for these guys to tank and this series be done in 5, but that is not something I would bet on. What helps out is that the Thunder front court is probably the weakest offensive front court left in these playoffs. Bynum/Gasol won't have to work to hard to defend these guys in the post. It will be their job to control defensive rebounds and limit Ibaka/Perkins/Collison second chance opportunities from offensive rebounds. If the effort is there then Lakers control the series, if they let Serge Ibaka go all JaVale McGee then it will be a short stint for Lakers.
Russell Westbrook has been giving the Lakers buckets since he entered the league. And this series should be no different. The issue that comes up with Westbrook is always shot selection and turnovers. He will make plays that have u jumping from your seat; sometimes rejoicing and other times in utter disbelief. He will have the size advantage over any of the Laker point guards and really is the only Thunder player with an absolute advantage against his match up. I like to compare him to Rex Grossman. Amazing talent, shows flashes of brilliance, won games with his talent, but often times makes a bonehead play that costs his team the game. Westbrook has a little more "Good Rex" in him and should easily dominate this series. But if Sessions can force some turnovers, frustrate him, make him take contested tough shots, then the Lakers stand a chance to pull off the upset.
I do think this series will go 7 games with the Thunder winning. Game 7 in OKC that crowd and KD will make sure of that. But for all of you who just feel the Lakers are going to lay down and get blown away, I'm not buying.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)