Before the NBA Playoffs began, the marquee first-round matchup was undoubtedly the Suns-Spurs. With the history of the series a year ago, the Tim Donaghy scandal, and the all-in trade for Shaq this winter, there was every indication that this would be another classic.
But when the Spurs jumped out to a 2-0 lead at home, followed by a desultory Suns effort in Game 3, the only question was whether the Suns experiment had imploaded spectularly.
Now after the kind of effort that, frankly, have occurred in Game Three, the Suns are showing a pulse. As the Red Sox famously showed, 0-3 is not impossible (although it has not occurred in the NBA), and the defensive changes, together with the (re-)emergence of Boris Diaw (and the subsequent control of Tony Parker), means that if the Spurs don't win Game Five, the pressure starts to mount.
The other team that gambled to 'win now' -- the Dallas Mavericks -- are also looking into the abyss, and it appears that the Avery Johnson era may be coming to end in the Big D.
Showing posts with label Dallas Mavericks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dallas Mavericks. Show all posts
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Monday, March 24, 2008
Celtics Let-Down
When we last left the Celtics, they had gone through the Texas Triangle at 3-0, for a combined 6-0 against the three Texas teams for the year.
But a fourth quarter let-down against New Orleans on Saturday night was understandable; tonight's meltdown in the fourth quarter against the Philadelphia Iguodala's much less so.
After letting the Sixers stick around for 3 quarters, the Celtics stopped scoring in the fourth quarter (just 10 points in the first 11:40 of the last period), and Iguodala punished them with 10 straight points (3 dunks, 2 FTs and a jumper) and led the 76ers on a personal 10-0 run against the Cs.
There's undoubtedly a let-down after the Celtics have effectively clinched homecourt advantage, and Doc Rivers experimenting with the lineup is also a factor. But despite the good work that the Celtics have done over the past six months, there's an unease in Celtics Nation on the eve of Red Sox Opening Day (albeit 8,000 miles away in Japan).
But a fourth quarter let-down against New Orleans on Saturday night was understandable; tonight's meltdown in the fourth quarter against the Philadelphia Iguodala's much less so.
After letting the Sixers stick around for 3 quarters, the Celtics stopped scoring in the fourth quarter (just 10 points in the first 11:40 of the last period), and Iguodala punished them with 10 straight points (3 dunks, 2 FTs and a jumper) and led the 76ers on a personal 10-0 run against the Cs.
There's undoubtedly a let-down after the Celtics have effectively clinched homecourt advantage, and Doc Rivers experimenting with the lineup is also a factor. But despite the good work that the Celtics have done over the past six months, there's an unease in Celtics Nation on the eve of Red Sox Opening Day (albeit 8,000 miles away in Japan).
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Who's Afraid of Texas?
Not the Celtics, who beat the Spurs on Monday night, and stopped the Rockets' 22-game winning last night.
The Spurs win was particularly impressive, as the Celtics dug out from both a 20-point deficit in the first half (the Spurs opened the game on fire) to tie and briefly take the lead in the third, and then a 7-point deficit with 8:04 to play in the fourth quarter.
KG, who kept Tim Duncan in check (10 points), dodged a bullet when he turned the ball over on the inbounds play with 2 seconds left after a Spurs score. Robert Horry missed the open 3 that would have won the game, even though the Spurs had a time-out to spare.
Last night, the Celtics dominated defensively, especially in the third, where they outscored the Rockets 32-16.
Back-to-back wins (on consecutive nights) without G Ray Allen means that the Celtics are sending a message to the Western Conference.
They are in Dallas tomorrow night.
The Spurs win was particularly impressive, as the Celtics dug out from both a 20-point deficit in the first half (the Spurs opened the game on fire) to tie and briefly take the lead in the third, and then a 7-point deficit with 8:04 to play in the fourth quarter.
KG, who kept Tim Duncan in check (10 points), dodged a bullet when he turned the ball over on the inbounds play with 2 seconds left after a Spurs score. Robert Horry missed the open 3 that would have won the game, even though the Spurs had a time-out to spare.
Last night, the Celtics dominated defensively, especially in the third, where they outscored the Rockets 32-16.
Back-to-back wins (on consecutive nights) without G Ray Allen means that the Celtics are sending a message to the Western Conference.
They are in Dallas tomorrow night.
Monday, March 17, 2008
The Texas Triangle
With all the excitement over the unveiling of the NCAA Bracket last night, the Celtics' upcoming trip to Texas has been overlooked; the Cs play three play-off contenders in four nights: the San Antonio Spurs tonight, followed by a trip to Houston to face the red-hot Rockets (Tues), and then on to Dallas (Thurs), to face the revamped Mavs. (The Celtics also stop in New Orleans on Saturday night at the tail-end of the road trip.)
The Western Conference is, as Dan Rather might remark, as tight as a tick, with just 4 losses separating the top team (Houston at 46-20) from the #8 and final play-off team (currently Golden State, at 41-24; Denver is two losses back at 40-26).
The Cs would do well to split the trip (they won Saturday night in Milwaukee, 99-77), especially because guard Ray Allen remains day-to-day (he apparently will not play tonight against the Spurs). After being man-handled at home Friday night against the Utah Jazz (44-24, #4 in West), the Cs need to show that they can compete against the elite Western teams. The Jazz game was an especially long night for Rajon Rondo, who was torched for 32 points by Deron Williams.
While Boston will not get a lot of attention in a week that is dominated by the NCAA Opening Rounds, the fact that the NBA had the Celtics scheduled to make their single trip to Texas this week reminds us all how far the Cs have come since last summer.
The Western Conference is, as Dan Rather might remark, as tight as a tick, with just 4 losses separating the top team (Houston at 46-20) from the #8 and final play-off team (currently Golden State, at 41-24; Denver is two losses back at 40-26).
The Cs would do well to split the trip (they won Saturday night in Milwaukee, 99-77), especially because guard Ray Allen remains day-to-day (he apparently will not play tonight against the Spurs). After being man-handled at home Friday night against the Utah Jazz (44-24, #4 in West), the Cs need to show that they can compete against the elite Western teams. The Jazz game was an especially long night for Rajon Rondo, who was torched for 32 points by Deron Williams.
While Boston will not get a lot of attention in a week that is dominated by the NCAA Opening Rounds, the fact that the NBA had the Celtics scheduled to make their single trip to Texas this week reminds us all how far the Cs have come since last summer.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Trouble in Big D
Turns out that Devean George i$n't the only problem in the proposed Jason-Kidd-back-to-Dallas deal.
Jerry Stackhouse apparently said yesterday that if the trade went through, there's still a good chance that he would be bought out of his contract by the Nets and end up (after a 30-day wait) coming back to the Mavs for the playoffs. (Reminiscent of the Celtics trade a few years ago involving Gary Payton and Antoine Walker.)
But by talking about it openly, Stackhouse may have killed the golden goose:
The salary cap ramifications of the deal -- and the prospective buyout of Stackhouse by the Nets -- may make the trade too fragile to survive these repeated storms. Only time will tell.
If the Dallas trade falls apart, then the Utah Jazz's trade for Kyle Korver (which gives them a reliable outside threat off the bench) becomes the #3 impact trade; the Jazz are four games back in the loss column (to surprising New Orleans) for home court advantage in the West.
Jerry Stackhouse apparently said yesterday that if the trade went through, there's still a good chance that he would be bought out of his contract by the Nets and end up (after a 30-day wait) coming back to the Mavs for the playoffs. (Reminiscent of the Celtics trade a few years ago involving Gary Payton and Antoine Walker.)
But by talking about it openly, Stackhouse may have killed the golden goose:
'If Stackhouse had kept quiet, the league wouldn't have been able to prove anything,' one Western Conference executive said. 'Now, it's obvious that he talked to Mark Cuban about coming back to the Mavericks.'
The salary cap ramifications of the deal -- and the prospective buyout of Stackhouse by the Nets -- may make the trade too fragile to survive these repeated storms. Only time will tell.
If the Dallas trade falls apart, then the Utah Jazz's trade for Kyle Korver (which gives them a reliable outside threat off the bench) becomes the #3 impact trade; the Jazz are four games back in the loss column (to surprising New Orleans) for home court advantage in the West.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Arming Up in the West
Although the Celtics remain atop the NBA standings, with a 40-9 record, the Western Conference is still the most likely to produce the eventual league champ.
Three different contenders have made moves in the past 10 days to 'upgrade':
1. Dallas. In a deal that has yet to be finalized, the Mavs were set to ship Devin Harris, Jerry Stackhouse, DeSagana Diop, Maurice Ager, and Devean George for Jason Kidd and Malik Allen. George has (as of this writing) vetoed the deal based on a provision in his contract, although the bet here is that the teams will find $ome way to get George comfortable with the potential move to New Jer$ey.
Assuming the deal gets done, the Mavs have made a major move in a very competitive conference. The move would be a return to Dallas for Kidd, who was drafted out of Cal by the Mavs management (pre-Mark Cuban), and was Rookie-of-the-Year (along with Grant Hill) before being shipped to Phoenix. Although getting long in the tooth at age 34, he would provide Dallas with a 'true' point guard who might help the Mavs fill the slot that has been empty since 2004-05 when another point guard was shipped from the Big D to Phoenix.
2. PHX. The Suns, meanwhile, rolled the dice a week ago by trading Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks for the Big Diesel. At age 35, Shaq has even more miles on the treads than Kidd (or, for that matter, Indiana Jones), but he offers the Suns something that they have not had in years: a low-post presence.
Since 1999, only one team (the 2004 Pistons) have won an NBA title without either O'Neill or Tim Duncan in the middle. The Suns, who have tried to win with a European-style fast-strike offense that has bogged down in the playoffs in each of the past three years. Despite the brilliance of back-to-back MVP Steve Nash, the Suns weren't going to win with this group.
Suns GM Tim Kerr rolled the dice with Shaq, and like Dallas, the "future is now."
3. LA Lakers. The Lakers, having seemingly settled the differences with Kobe Bryant, made their own move by acquiring Pau Gasol for his brother (Marc) and a collection of marginal NBA talent.
P. Gausol is just 27 years old, and has already been named the MVP of the FIBA World Championships (in 2006). Although the move helps the Lakers now, it also makes them contenders for the next few seasons.
The Suns and Mavs, however, can't think about tomorrow. They have to win now.
Three different contenders have made moves in the past 10 days to 'upgrade':
1. Dallas. In a deal that has yet to be finalized, the Mavs were set to ship Devin Harris, Jerry Stackhouse, DeSagana Diop, Maurice Ager, and Devean George for Jason Kidd and Malik Allen. George has (as of this writing) vetoed the deal based on a provision in his contract, although the bet here is that the teams will find $ome way to get George comfortable with the potential move to New Jer$ey.
Assuming the deal gets done, the Mavs have made a major move in a very competitive conference. The move would be a return to Dallas for Kidd, who was drafted out of Cal by the Mavs management (pre-Mark Cuban), and was Rookie-of-the-Year (along with Grant Hill) before being shipped to Phoenix. Although getting long in the tooth at age 34, he would provide Dallas with a 'true' point guard who might help the Mavs fill the slot that has been empty since 2004-05 when another point guard was shipped from the Big D to Phoenix.
2. PHX. The Suns, meanwhile, rolled the dice a week ago by trading Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks for the Big Diesel. At age 35, Shaq has even more miles on the treads than Kidd (or, for that matter, Indiana Jones), but he offers the Suns something that they have not had in years: a low-post presence.
Since 1999, only one team (the 2004 Pistons) have won an NBA title without either O'Neill or Tim Duncan in the middle. The Suns, who have tried to win with a European-style fast-strike offense that has bogged down in the playoffs in each of the past three years. Despite the brilliance of back-to-back MVP Steve Nash, the Suns weren't going to win with this group.
Suns GM Tim Kerr rolled the dice with Shaq, and like Dallas, the "future is now."
3. LA Lakers. The Lakers, having seemingly settled the differences with Kobe Bryant, made their own move by acquiring Pau Gasol for his brother (Marc) and a collection of marginal NBA talent.
P. Gausol is just 27 years old, and has already been named the MVP of the FIBA World Championships (in 2006). Although the move helps the Lakers now, it also makes them contenders for the next few seasons.
The Suns and Mavs, however, can't think about tomorrow. They have to win now.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
20-2, but 0-1
A mid-December NBA game does not usually remind a viewer of a playoff atmosphere but that was not the case tonight in Boston as the new-look Celtics put their best-ever(*) 20-2 start on the line against the Detroit Pistons. After an exciting, back-and-forth fourth quarter, the Celtics dug back from a 6-point deficit with 1:19 left (and with Pistons having the ball), only to lose with poor clock management in the last 30 seconds.
A few things we learned:
* Ray Allen still has plenty in the tank, especially after having a couple of games off to rest his legs. His turn-the-corner-and-dunk-in-traffic off a timeout with 6 minutes left turned the game around when the Cs were in danger of losing touch (down 7). And his pair of three-pointers (one from the corner off the dribble, the other from the top of the key with 18 seconds left, led the comeback.
Update: Here's the video, now up on YouTube:
* The Cs have no defensive answer for Chauncy Billups (28 pts, 8 assists in 37 minutes), especially in the fourth quarter, when he took Rajon Rondo down to the proverbial "Men's Room" on the low block. Doc Rivers tried Eddie House and Tony Allen in crunch time, but neither proved to be enough. Allen ended up effectively ending the game when he left his feet on a Billups shot-fake on the last possession, sending Billups to the line with 0.1 seconds left.
* The Pistons were able to dictate game tempo, especially in second half. The Celtics have been able to separate themselves from (mostly inferior) opponents over the first quarter of the season with a transition game based on good defense. The defense was there against the Pistons -- Detroit shot just 40.3% -- but the C's were unable to turn missed shots into easy baskets.
* Don't book the Cs for the NBA Finals quite yet. The Cs have fattened up on an easy schedule: most of their games have been against the weak East, and have only played a few games against weak West teams (Sac, Den, LAL). Boston is now 1-3 against elite East teams (0-1 against Orlando and Detroit; 1-1 against Cleveland), and has yet to travel west of Chicago. The next stretch of the season,, with a trip to the Pacific upcoming next week -- and the Celtics trip to the "Texas triangle" in March -- should be very interesting.
* All that being said, the Cs are clearly a challenge for the Pistons, and Boston fans are ready for this rejuvinated franchise. The road to the East will probably go through Detroit, and a Pistons/Celtics series could be very interesting.
(*) - Actually, equalling the best-ever start of 20-2 in 1963-4. Both teams lost their 23rd game, to go 20-3.
A few things we learned:
* Ray Allen still has plenty in the tank, especially after having a couple of games off to rest his legs. His turn-the-corner-and-dunk-in-traffic off a timeout with 6 minutes left turned the game around when the Cs were in danger of losing touch (down 7). And his pair of three-pointers (one from the corner off the dribble, the other from the top of the key with 18 seconds left, led the comeback.
Update: Here's the video, now up on YouTube:
* The Cs have no defensive answer for Chauncy Billups (28 pts, 8 assists in 37 minutes), especially in the fourth quarter, when he took Rajon Rondo down to the proverbial "Men's Room" on the low block. Doc Rivers tried Eddie House and Tony Allen in crunch time, but neither proved to be enough. Allen ended up effectively ending the game when he left his feet on a Billups shot-fake on the last possession, sending Billups to the line with 0.1 seconds left.
* The Pistons were able to dictate game tempo, especially in second half. The Celtics have been able to separate themselves from (mostly inferior) opponents over the first quarter of the season with a transition game based on good defense. The defense was there against the Pistons -- Detroit shot just 40.3% -- but the C's were unable to turn missed shots into easy baskets.
* Don't book the Cs for the NBA Finals quite yet. The Cs have fattened up on an easy schedule: most of their games have been against the weak East, and have only played a few games against weak West teams (Sac, Den, LAL). Boston is now 1-3 against elite East teams (0-1 against Orlando and Detroit; 1-1 against Cleveland), and has yet to travel west of Chicago. The next stretch of the season,, with a trip to the Pacific upcoming next week -- and the Celtics trip to the "Texas triangle" in March -- should be very interesting.
* All that being said, the Cs are clearly a challenge for the Pistons, and Boston fans are ready for this rejuvinated franchise. The road to the East will probably go through Detroit, and a Pistons/Celtics series could be very interesting.
(*) - Actually, equalling the best-ever start of 20-2 in 1963-4. Both teams lost their 23rd game, to go 20-3.
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Escape Artists
In a game that lived up to its billing, Dallas escaped Game 5 and will live to get back to Oakland on Thursday. With Baron Davis having made a scrambling 24-footer to extend Golden State's lead to 9 (112-103) with 3:20 left, the Mavericks -- and especially presumptive MVP Dirk Nowitzki -- stared into the abyss. But Dirk put the Mavs on his back, and banged consecutive three-pointers to cut the lead to 3, and the Mavs ended up closing the game out on a 15-0 run.
The Warriors, having played 45 minutes of mistake-filled (Reggie Miller counted 6 missed layups in the first half) basketball, had nonetheless stormed back from a 21-point deficit after halftime. But in the last three minutes, the Warriors tightened up and had multiple empty possessions when Dallas (by running a double-team at Davis) forced the other players to make plays. The end came when Jason Richardson turned down an open 15-footer with about 10 on the shot clock; the Warriors ended up getting a poor Mickael Pietrus jumper from the corner with about 31 second left, and the game was over.
The pressure now shifts to Warriors -- to some extent -- as the teams prepare for Game Six.
The Warriors, having played 45 minutes of mistake-filled (Reggie Miller counted 6 missed layups in the first half) basketball, had nonetheless stormed back from a 21-point deficit after halftime. But in the last three minutes, the Warriors tightened up and had multiple empty possessions when Dallas (by running a double-team at Davis) forced the other players to make plays. The end came when Jason Richardson turned down an open 15-footer with about 10 on the shot clock; the Warriors ended up getting a poor Mickael Pietrus jumper from the corner with about 31 second left, and the game was over.
The pressure now shifts to Warriors -- to some extent -- as the teams prepare for Game Six.
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