NBA Playoff Thoughts: Boston-Orlando; LA-Houston

Was Boston tired? Or did they just have problems getting into the flow of their Game 1 matchup? Is Orlando 28 points better than Boston? Or are they the NBA equivalent of an NCAA team that is not as talented as its opponents and must rely on three-point shooting?

The answer to all four questions could be yes. The answer to all four questions could just as easily be no.

Perhaps the answer is both yes and no.

For over a half Boston appeared too tired to put forth maximum effort on defense as Orlando used a 37-7 run to sprint to a 28-point lead. Or Orlando was too good, too talented, too efficient for the Celtics.

For the final 20 minutes of play the Magic’s three-point shots failed them, the Celtics defense played with a purpose and effort missing in the game’s initial 28 minutes, and Boston showed why they won a championship last season as they closed to within four points of the Magic with 1:36 remaining in the game.

But on consecutive possessions Rajon Rondo threw a bad pass and Ray Allen had his three point attempt rattled in and out twice before bouncing away from the rim. But even with those two empty trips Orlando could not quite put away the Cees. With .22 remaining in the game and the Celtics trailing 91-87 Paul Pierce drove by and through the grabbing of Rashard Lewis and into a laterally-moving Dwight Howard, who also had both feet straddling the charge-block arc. 

Foul right?

Wrong.

Somehow the officials refused to make a call that for at least three quarters of Monday night’s game was a foul. Rather than a two point game with perhaps three possessions each left for each team, the non-call effectively ended the game. And though Eddie House converted a three point attempt with .06 left in the game to cut the Magic lead to 93-90, two J.J. Redick free throws later, the game was done.

This morning on ESPN’s First Take Rob Parker yelled into his microphone and at Skip Bayless, “You want players to make plays to win the game, not for referees to blow whistles!”

A more inaccurate statement could not be made. Though Parker’s misguided sentiment is shared by a majority of sport watchers and sports writers, it is not the feeling of the players themselves. All players want the game to be called consistently from the opening tap to the final horn – all players. The official’s inconsistency is the bane of NBA, NFL, and MLB players’ existences (for baseball an inconsistent strike zone is ultimately bothersome to every player, coach, and manager).

And officials are well aware of the discrepancy between the athletes’ and the writers’ hopes for officiating the games. If members of the media were more in tune with the athletes’ want in this matter, the resultant pressure on officials to be more consistent would lead to far fewer accusations of in-game improprieties by officials.

But back to the matchup, Dwight Howard had his usual monster-looking double-double, 16 points and 22 rebounds. Monster “looking” because D-Ho (pun intended) is the only big man who can score close to 20 points, pull down 20 or more rebounds and not dominate a game. The game changer for Orlando was Rafer Alston. The Magic point guard’s defense of Rajon Rondo was enough to disrupt the Boston offense for the game’s first 28 minutes. It was only after Rondo decided to use his speed to push the ball upcourt no matter the circumstance that he gained an upper hand on Alston.

By then the score was 65-37 with a little more than eight minutes left in the third quarter.

And Alston’s ability to drive the lane on Rondo allowed Rafer to create rotation problems for Boston and leave open Orlando shooters on the perimeter. 

For Boston to defeat Orlando they must play a full 48 minutes of defense, Ray Allen cannot have 2-12 shooting nights, and Rondo must understand that it is up to him to control the game’s tempo; without Kevin Garnett the Celtics must consistently push the ball to win. And Rondo must step up his defense of Alston. It is evident that the young point guard is used to KG behind him to swipe away mistakes and has become a lazier defender than he was in his rookie season,

For Orlando to repeat their success of the first 28 minutes of Game 1 they must slow the tempo take advantage of the mismatches created by the versatility of Hedo Turkoglu, who at 6’10″ can take opposing power forwards off the dribble and shoot threes and Rashard Lewis, who can post up opposing small forwards as well as strike from long range. Finally, but importantly for Orlando, Dwight Howard must, through his statistics, make noise. From the game’s outset Howard must demand the ball and show the Celtics he cannot be stopped. And if the game is close near its end, Howard again must flex his muscles and dominate Boston’s bigs. His 20-20 games must be full of spin moves and vicious dunks; quick pivots into the lane and unstoppable jump hooks.

 

So, was Boston tired? Or did they just have problems getting into the flow of their Game 1 matchup? Is Orlando 28 points better than Boston? Or are they the NBA equivalent of an NCAA team that is not as talented as its opponents and must rely on three-point shooting?

The answer to all the questions is both yes and no.

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Rather than write something long and drawn out about the Houston-LA game, I have just a few comments.

Kobe Bryant was obviously feeling the effects of the flu far more than he let on. With the game on the line and with constant defensive challenges from Ron Artest and Shane Battier, and with a dunk-over-able 7’6″ Yao Ming waiting in the lane, something had to be physically wrong with Bryant for him not to drive every chance he got.

Phil Jackson must play Jordan Farmar more against Aaron Brooks. The diminutive Brooks proved far too quick for Derek Fisher or Shannon Brown. Also Farmar can shoot the three and, being bigger than Brooks, can muscle him on the offensive end of the floor.

The Lakers will not shoot 2-18 from behind the arc in any other game in the playoffs.

Why referees continue to whistle Andrew Bynum for fouls they would call on no other starting center in the NBA – and especially in the lax-called playoffs – is baffling… and very disconcerting. It seems that Bynum is rendered useless and is forced to sit with two fouls within the first five minutes of the game.

This pattern is not just disconcerting ————– it smells of something very fishy.

And how the uber-aggressive Rockets with their decidedly hands-on method of defense,could be whistled for only 14 fouls while the Lakers were called for 26 fouls is ——————- suspect. 

Los Angeles had more assists, more rebounds (twice as many offensive rebounds), more steals, and fewer turnovers than Houston ————– and lost.

Hmmmmm.