NBA Playoffs: Zo Makes a Difference; Stan Van Stay Calm; Chauncey Shows CPIII What it Means to Be an NBA PG; Steph Curry Decides; Jeremy Tyler Turns Pro
April 23, 2009 by dwil
Before Wednesday night’s game in Atlanta, Alonzo Mourning flew into the southern city to have a talk with Miami Heat star, Dwyane Wade. “He talked to me about leadership,” Wade said after Game 2 of the Hawks-Heat first round NBA Playoff series.
Whatever Mourning said, it worked.
Wade struck early and often against Atlanta and he Heat punished the Hawks 108-93 to even their series at one game apiece.
Joe Johnson, Atlanta’s Dwyane Wade, said the Hawks “got complacent.” After last season’s grueling seven-game series with Boston you would think the Hawks might have learned that there is no room for complacency in the playoffs. But apparently not.
After underappreciated Miami forward Udonis Haslem hit a 19-foot jumper, Josh Smith immediately scored to cut the Miami lead to 96-91 with 4:16 remaining in the game. At that moment the Hawks appeared poised to complete a comeback, overcoming their game-long – to that point – uninspired play. However, Haslem made another jump shot to push the lead to 98-91. On Atlanta’s next trip up the floor Joe Johnson got fouled and the Hawks still had an opportunity to stay close and pressure the Heat. But Johnson, an 82.6% free throw shooter during the regular season, stepped to the free throw line and promptly missed both attempts, deflating both the crowd and the Hawks. And though Miami’s Jemarrio Moon missed two free throws, on consecutive possessions sandwiching Moon’s misses, Johnson missed badly on a three-point try and Ronald “Flip” Murray blew a shot in close. On the Heat’s next trip Atlanta stymied several Wade attempts to find an opening in the Hawks defense. But with only two seconds left the shot clock Wade settled for a 30-foot fade-away three-point attempt ——- that banked in and stretched the Miami lead to 10 at 101-91. Atlanta never recovered.
So, what looked like a sweep or a five-game Atlanta brushing off of Miami has turned into a much more interesting playoff series. Now that Wade understands he does not have the talent around him to get his teammates baskets early in games, keep the game close, and then taking over later, Atlanta must be focused from each games outset.
And if the Hawks are capable of losing playoff games through complacency – (they also allowed Daquan Cook to make six treys and for Jermaine O’Neal to get his “J.O.” on) they are not mentally tough enough to keep the Heat from winning at least one more game, if not taking the series to a seventh game.
——————————————-
When Dwight Howard, having only attempted six shots, fouled out with 3:11 remaining in Game 2 of the Orlando-Philadelphia series and the Magic clutching to an 84-76 lead, you could hear Shaquille O’Neal laughing. Surely Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy would be caught on camera head in hands on the bench, or maniacally pacing the sidelines, his arms flailing and his face contorted in a state of panic, pushing his team to blow an 18-point lead just as his team did in Game 1. As Van Gundy apparently has – according to Shaq – his entire career as a head coach.
And after Andre Miller calmly drained a three-pointer to further cut the Magic lead to 84-79, the cameras immediately panned to the Orlando bench, wholly expected the requisite Van Gundy histrionics.
Instead, Stan Van Gundy remained calm. And his team followed his lead. Orlando score the next four points, withstood a Thaddeus Young three-pointer and closed out the Sixers 96-87 to tie their series at 1-1.
What remains troubling in the Magic Kingdom, is Orlando’s poor three-point shooting. In Game 2 the Magic made only six of 23 attempts from beyond the arc (26.1%). If Orlando cannot get more open three-point looks or convert the shots they get, they stand a very good chance of being upset by the decidedly more athletic Sixers. As it stands now, though, Orlando can travel to Philadelphia for games three and four with hope on their side.
Now if only Stan Van Gundy can hold his emotions in check…..
——————————————
After two games of the Denver-New Orleans series, Chauncey Billups has scored 67 points, has 12 assists, and has committed exactly zero turnovers. Bilups has played 69 minutes in the first two games of the playoffs against the player most pundits and fans say is the best point guard in the NBA – and already being talked up as one of the best ever – and has zero turnovers.
Meantime, Chris Paul, that “best” point guard, has committed nine turnovers in 72 minutes of play. And Hornets head coach Byron Scott has not allowed his “best point guard in the NBA” to play defense against Billups.
Denver has clocked New Orleans twice, 113-84 in Game 1 and 108-93 in Game 2. Now the series shifts to New Orleans where the Hornets will undoubtedly be able to play a much more physical brand of basketball, Paul’s flops will be far better received by the officials than they were in Denver, and Scott can urge his players, especially James Posey, Paul, Tyson Chandler, and David West to break out the elbows, the clutching and grabbing and the bumping that Scott’s teams are know for. The games in New Orleans will be slowed to a mid 1990s, Miami-New York playoff matchup crawl.
Games three and four must look like wrestling cage death matches for New Orleans to have any chance at winning even one game against the deeper, more talented Nuggets. Hopefully, Nuggets head coach George Karl is preparing Denver for this inevitability.
Hopefully Billups keeps the chip on his shoulder (and no one will continue to mention that Carmelo Anthony has 22-point, nine assist games) s0 so that by the end of this series all the “experts” and all the know-it-alls in the peanut gallery can finally see that Chris Paul is not even close to being the best point guard now ——————- or ever.
—————————————–
In other NBA news…..
Stephen Curry will announce his intentions for next season today at a press conference. Now, unless Davidson landed two or three top high school recruits and the Wildcats are joining the ACC, Curry is headed to the NBA.
High schooler Jeremy Tyler is skipping his senior year in high school to seek out a professional basketball career in Europe. The 6’11, 260-pound Tyler was originally headed to play for rick Pitino at Louisville.
As Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports aptly wrote:
Jeremy Tyler’s options were to:
1. Spend the next year at his local school, San Diego High, where he faces quadruple teams and isn’t experiencing much development; or
2. Transfer to a basketball factory in some rural outpost back East which has a big-time team but resembles a traditional high school in name only; and then
3. Play college ball for a few months dealing with NCAA limitations on practice time and coaching contact while competing against many of the same guys he has the last few years.
All for free, of course.
This morning on ESPN’s Mike and Mike in the Morning simulcast Mike Grenberg said Tyler’s going to Europe “doesn’t feel right.” Greenberg has never once – not ever - said one word about any tennis player who has turned pro before the age of 18. Never said a word about a high schooler who decided to hit the minor leagues – and never said a word about how commonplace a practice this has been in Major League Baseball. Never said a word about a high school hockey player receiving a contract with an NHL team and heading of to some Canadian outpost city to toil in the minors.
But when the subject is a young, black basketball player, suddenly his decision to play professionally “doesn’t feel right.”
That’s why – unfortunately, fewer and fewer – Black people tend to shout.
Thanks for the note on the Jeremy Tyler thing. You are exactly right.
It’s amazing how often black folks can point out this problem, and the mainstream media folks still won’t address it. Just amazing.
Shoot, i’m an advocate for these cats going to Europe. At least there, you will probably learn how to shoot (why can’t college players shoot these days?), see the world if you want to and earn a paycheck. You will be playing against better comp and if you have to deal with a capricious ego maniacal coach-well again you are getting paid. No NCAA crap, you don’t have to live like an indentured slave-the benefits outweigh the downsides.
Cat’s like Greenberg kill me-he should think of this as “back packing” across Europe. Y’know like white kids do before they go to college sometimes. Except in this kids case, he can be paid $500K.
Also
While Chauncey is killing, let’s not make a big deal that Paul isn’t guarding him. After all, Chauncey isn’t really guarding Chris Paul. The Nuggets have Dahntay Jones doing that because of Paul’s quickness.
So, neither player is guarding the other. Chauncey just has a worse defender on him.
zero turnovers is simply incredible.
Big Man-
You’re welcome on J. Tyler….
On CPIII:
Oh really? Oh wait, you’re in N.O. so there’s no discussing this (lol) but I’ll throw this out anyway: Rasual Butler, at 6’7″ 205, is alleged to be one of the NBA’s best defenders. Besides you and I know that Chris Paul cannot guard Chauncey; he’d get posted up and shot over so often it wouldn’t be funny.
And Zero turnovers for a point guard in an offense where he has the ball all the time in the NBA is, as MODI said, simply incredible – period.
Dwil
First thing, I hate the Hornets. They are not this city’s real team. They tried to run to Oklahoma City at the first sign of trouble and they only came to New Orleans because the Charlotte people got tired of them. I’m not a Hornets fan by any stretch, although I am hoping for them to destroy Denver because I hate the Nuggets now.
Rasual is a decent defender against other threes, but asking a small forward, which is what his traditional position is, to guard a point guard is a tough cover. I agree that Chris Paul would get posted up, but Chauncey would get left in his tracks if he had to chase Chris Paul around. Neither Chauncey nor Chris Paul can guard tthe other player consistently, so if you’re going to dock Paul, you have to dock Chauncey.
Finally, Chauncey is killing, there’s no question about it. He’s having an amazing series, but he’s also got a lot of help around him. Shoot the Nuggest won 50 games last year and they won 54 this year.
What up Dwil.
Yeah I have to agree with Big man neither player is guarding the other. Billups can’t guard Paul because of his quickness and Paul can’t gaurd Billups because of his size and strength.
But Paul did guard Billupe for the 1st qrt last night. But Billups never guarded him at all last night.
The Nuggets are the 2nd most talented in the playoffs after the lakers. Billups maybe running the show but he has far more offensive weapons then Paul. And that shows because the Hornets can’t guard Nene, Anthony, Smith and Billups.
Its still amazing what Paul has done. Its pretty much him and David west. But no one on that team on the outside can create their own shot….just Paul. So everyone depends on him.
Where as Denver has 3 dudes on the outside who can create.
As for Greenberg and ESPN F him and his network.
They just mad cause someone figured out a way to run away from the plantation and be compensated at the sametime.
From what I read about Jeremy Tyler, he is a very smart kid. He comes from a well to do family. In which his dad owns a few businesses. Tyler will go overseas and his dad will stay one year and his uncle the next.
Tyler may actually be able to get into the NBA darft with the foreign racist loophole. In which foreign players can enter the draft at 18 but must be 19 when the season begins.
Hopefully he can get on one of the smaller European clubs and get some PT. A lot of these European teams don’t care to play young players (especially a young blk american). Better then riding the bench on one of the bigger clubs.
But at his size I doubt riding the bench on some of the bigger clubs would hurt his NBA stock.
Now the million dollar question is how are NCAA, Euro teams and the NBA react to this. If it becomes a trend does the NBA set up a new rule where all players can’t enter the draft till 21???
I doubt that they don’t want to stop the flow of foreign players. Do they put in a rule where any player that leaves the states and plays overseas can’t play in the NBA until they are 21?
Do the European teams clamp down on their Foreign limmit rules (I call it the keep the american players I.E. Black players off the team). In which only a certain amount of foreign players can be on each team. Because surely if the flood gates open the European leagues will look much different then they do now.
Or do they just get rid of the Foreign limits all together to get the young american talent. So that they can develop them then let the players get drafted and have to buyout their contract?
So a 500K investment in a player can end up being a $4 million profit?
Does the NCAA get with the NBA and try to pressure them to make sure that the talent stays home?
How about teams like UNC, USC etc. Who have endowments in the Billions.
We all know that many of these star players get paid under the table. So if a European club is going to offer highschooler 300K like Jennings. Does a team like USC offer him 300K under the table. Instead of the usual nice BMW car and 30K cash?
Man I could see all this stuff spinning out of control.
I am happy for the young brotha. But this whole thing is bigger then him.
Yeap Big man Denver is just too talented.
The lakers are the only team in the whole league that has more talent.
Also as far as Miami the reason they won was because Miami didn’t try to run with them. Miami slowed the tempo and didn’t take quick shots. Plus they went into O’neal more letting him set the tone.
The thing with ATL is that none of the young players like Smith or Hortfod have developed since last year. Williams is better at shooting 3s but thats it.
Smith still has no post game and a streaky jumper.
So they have the inability to play in the half-court. Not counting that the only Bibby and Joe Johnson can pass well. Plus only Joe, Bibby and flip can consistantly hit a shot from the outside.
Thats why I said Miami in 6 and I still believe it. Also folks forget that O’Neal help to put everyone at their natural position and gave miami a post up game and a shot block. So Hortford will have to play defense. But at the same time ATL players are having their shots contested in the paint because of O’Neal.
I don’t care what offense woodson puts in. If Williams, Hortford and Smith do not develope more they will never have a decent half court offense.
Dwil,
On Greenburg and the “this doesn’t feel right” crap? Screw that little insignificant bitch. What doesn’t feel right to Greenie? That a black kid decided not to let a HS coach at a bball factory or a college coach with millions in the bank make money off his back? What doesn’t feel right to me is how ESPN will jump up and down on a HS kid’s decision, a decision made legally and at the age of majority, to control his own destiny as he sees fit.
My nephew (he’s black last I checked) is going to go to Europe after HS graduation and he’s accepted into college for Spring semester on a deferrment. Why NOT go somewhere other than the local Dairy Queen to hang out? Or the local mall? He can learn a lot more about the world going to Europe than he can just being in the U.S. Might do him some good. Bravo to Jeremy Tyler for thinking outside the box.
Greenie is so sorry if he were shit, he wouldn’t even stink.
Phil Deez,
“If he were shit, he wouldn’t even stink.”
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!
You can’t dock Chauncey, not with a bigger man guarding him to start the game and Posey guarding him off the bench. Why would you put Chauncey on Paul when the better on the ball defender if Dahntay Jones? Paul is the only offense that the Hornets really have when you consider West is more of a catch and shoot PF than he is a banger.
They’re both great team leaders but in this series, Billups is running things and showing the youngster how playoff basketball is played. There’s a reason the Pistons made the conference finals all those years in a row and won 50 games and now they’re not even sniffing 45 wins.
Thank you Boney.
And word up to one of The Towns finest Leon Powe. You get that knee all stitched up again and go get yourself a nice new contract. Never and I repeat NEVER has a more deserving, hardworking and strong person been put to the test like our young Leon. In an era of egotistical, whining, sniveling, what-can-you-do-for-me, easy money athletes these days no one person has been tried and tested and had to work harder to make it. Here’s KNOWING that you can and will make it once again. Maybe we’ll even luck out and the Dubz will sign and bring you home. Lord knows they could use you.
Headfake-
Here Here!….
Big Man-
…also, hope know I was kidding about not being able to discuss CPIII w/ you (that’s what the “lol” was for).
Well, the “Around the Horn” gurus have spoken. A young black basketball player forsaking high school to play in Europe…….WRONG, WRONG, WRONG!!!! I guess now I can sleep tonight after this pronouncement.
Dwil
I didn’t take it personally, I was just clearing up my allegiances.
I think y’all are giving Chauncey too much credit.
Check out what Origin said. A healthy Nene, Kenyon and Birdman is a nasty frontline rotation. Plus they bring Kleiza and JR Smith off the bench. The Nuggets are deep and I haven’t even mentioned Melo yet.
The Hornets don’t have enough bodies. I thought Denver might choke, but Chauncey is too clutch for that, so I expect the Nuggets to come back to Denver up 3-1.
Really interesting point on whether Tyler’s move outside the U.S. for his senior year of high school would qualify him as a “foreign” player in the eyes of the NBA. If this kid’s family is, in fact, financially secure, I wonder if they’d consider a lawsuit in a year if necessary. The only way this policy gets overturned is successful litigation or the fear thereof. The truth of the matter is that by the time the thing worked its way through the appeals process, Tyler would be 19. The only motivation to continue at that point would be the desire to prove a point and establish a precedent for others. (In other words, he’d want to become the Curt Flood of the NBA.)
When it gets to the point where someone is thanking Boney, then something has gone horribly wrong…
It doesn’t matter how deep the team is, Billups has 0 turnovers in 2 playoff games against a team whose point guard did what? Lead the league in steals?
Depth or no depth, New Orleans hasn’t been able to stop Billups and he’s a starter. This isn’t about Kleiza, their big men or JR Smith. It’s about old man Billups teaching young Paul a thing or 2 about playing playoff basketball. No team in the Western Conference, other than maybe Utah, has a point guard that can stop Billups in the playoffs.
If/when Denver makes it to the Conference Finals you will see Kobe on Billups and I don’t want to make KevDog mad here but if Denver makes it… I think Denver beats LA.
i disagree about depth not playing a role. if billups didn’t have carmelo, nene, and jr smith hanging around spreading the floor, things would be a lot harder for billups. he’s going crazy right now and i don’t think anyone on the hornets could stop him without those guys, but without the cast around him he’d be running into a lot more help defense. i think it’s a mix of him knowing how to play playoff basketball and also having so many weapons around him that he has enough space to make it happen.
Boney, you think Denver beats LA?
Are you typing high?
IF, I repeat, IF, the Nuggets get to the conference Finals, they will lose. Why, because the Lakers are a better all-around team and the Nuggets are currently playing an inferior and undermanned team.
Billups has looked good so far. But, if it’s all about an old dog schooling a young boy, why has Billups traditionally struggled so much against Cleveland when he’s been guarded by people like Boobie Gibson?
Nah, the Nuggets are just a deeper, better team right now. If you think it’s all about Billups, you haven’t noticed what Kenyon has done to West on defense and what Nene has done to Chandler. You are ignoring that the Nuggets have six, maybe seven legit players, while the Hornets currently have two, maybe three.
If you watched the series where Daniel Gibson got the benefit of a lot of calls and non-calls in the 1 game that he had against Detroit, you already know the answer to your question.
You already know that when Billups and the Pistons play the Cavaliers, you know that Larry Hughes and Sasha trapped at the half court. Daniel Gibson never gave Billups fits. Hughes and Sasha should give Billups fits, they’re 2 and 3″ taller than he is. And if Billups ever did get hot, LeBron would be on him. CLE’s starting backcourt was Hughes and Sasha, and Gibson only had one game against Detroit in that series and again, was the benefit of many calls.
Billups struggled against the Spurs in the 2005 Finals for the same reason, trapped at the half court and then when he got hot Bowen would be on him. This season, against CP3 with the NBA nation watching, Billups has shown it is about an old dog teaching the young buck. Everyone is quick to write off Chauncey just because he doesn’t steal 2 or 3 a night, and fill it up with 20-25 points or have highlight reel dunks. AI fans and Detroit fans experienced a very rude awakening when Billups went to Denver and they finished #2 in the West. Just like Minnesota has been looking for a point guard ever since Chauncey left for the MLE.
I never said Denver was all about Billups either, but you remember last season when it was the same motley crew out there together… no offense was being set up, it was just stand around and watch AI and Melo try to take their man off the dribble and then play no defense, even with Nene and Kenyon. Since 2001 as Billups has gone (good or bad) so has his team. I haven’t ignored any fact about Denver being “deep”, but I also know that they wouldn’t have won 54 without Billups. The help defense wasnt there because so many men were in the paint because they blew by their perimeter defense.
Billups is the reason why Denver won 54 games this season. With as much time as Melo missed this season, they might’ve not even made the playoffs without Billups
and if you question Gibson not getting the benefit of calls and non-calls… how does a guy who stands at the 3 point line go to the free throw line 12 times, on your home court.
Doesn’t change anything, all it takes is watching Denver play San Antonio in the next round to see how Chauncey does against a Gregg Popovich defense to see exactly why Chauncey struggles.
Chauncey has dominated the playoffs in other aspects – Lakers, Magic, Nets, Sixers, etc. Cavs and Spurs? Same defensive philosophy, same scheme, same outcome. This time it won’t be Bowen on Billups because of Bowen’s limited abilities now, but don’t be surprised if Billups is trapped as soon as he brings it across halfcourt.
aaron dw,
Billups isn’t like Paul, Rondo, AI, Tony Parker or even Rodney Stuckey… he doesn’t take the ball to the rim and try to get to the free throw line. Even if he didn’t have depth in his favor, he’d still be open from 3 because his offense would still dump the ball in the post and work off movement rather than 1 on 1 because that’s not how the offense was set up.
Billups does go in the post occasionally on smaller defenders but.. you put 6’7 Butler or 6’7 Posey on Billups? That’s respect. And him knocking down 3s in the bigger man’s face? that’s not about his depth and help around him it’s his ability.