What Cleveland Must Do to Reach the 2009 Finals
July 1, 2008
We at SOMM are continuing a series on how the 14 play-off teams that did not make it to the 2008 Finals can make it in 2009. (If time permits, we may also do lottery teams). If you are a dedicated fan of one of the teams, let me know and we may also feature your thoughts when we get to your team.
Amar from Cavalier Attitude at http://mvn.com/nba-cavaliers/ was gracious enough to share some thoughts on how the Cavaliers might improve this off-season:
A few months ago, somebody said that if defense and rebounding alone won NBA championships, then Cleveland would have had a parade in June of ‘07. They didn’t, so you can figure out what that means.
It also means that the Cavs have those two aspects of the game down. But anybody who watched the Cavs intense seven-game second-round series with the Celtics can vouch for the fact that Cleveland needs another scorer besides LeBron James to get buckets. It really doesn’t matter who that guy is, whether it be a big man in the post or a sharp-shooter on the perimeter. Somebody else has to help LB shoulder the load, and that somebody else isn’t on the roster - at least not yet.
NBA League Pass: Does David Stern Own ESPN? …A Look Back at the OTHER Ref Scandal
June 19, 2008
Once again, congratulations to the Boston Celtics. Now please excuse the poor etiquette while I rain on the NBA’s and Boston’s parade today by bringing back the name Tim Donaghy. I’d be inclined to display better etiquette if ESPN was on their job.
Last week D-Wil covered much of ESPN writers initial reaction to Tim Donaghy’s recently exposed allegations of referees influencing games. Although there were some dissenters many ESPN writers like Marc Stein, Stephen A. Smith, and Ric Bucher all came out to dismiss Donaghy’s claims with a quickness that rivaled Stern himself. Either a) they are professionally influenced; b) they truly believe that Donaghy’s claims are bogus; or c) the foundation of the game is being threatened, and they want to protect the game they know and love from further harm. My best guess is option C, as it is easy for them to rationalize that “the ends justifies the means” instead of stating — at minimum – ”let’s investigate this further”. Read more
What Detroit Must Do to Reach the 2009 Finals
June 19, 2008
We at SOMM are starting a series on how the 14 play-off teams that did not make it to the 2008 Finals can make it in 2009. (If time permits, we may also do lottery teams). First up, the Detroit Pistons, who lost to Boston in six games in the Eastern Conference. Besides my own thoughts, I asked both a Pistons blogger and a dedicated fan for three ways the Pistons can improve. If you are a dedicated fan of one of the teams, let me know and we may also feature your thoughts when we get to your team.
CELTICS WIN… and Expose “The Winner Myth”
June 18, 2008
Last year Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen were unable to lead each of their teams into the playoffs. Today they are all world champions.
Last year Doc Rivers coached the Celtics to the worst record in the NBA. This series he out-coached 9-time champion Phil Jackson at every conceivable turn.
Last year Celtics General Manager Danny Ainge, coming off a trade that exchanged Sebastian Telfair for Brandon Roy, was ranked by most as one of the worst GM’s in the entire NBA. This year Ainge was named the NBA Executive of the Year after his acquisitions of Garnett and Allen. Read more
The NBA Finals: Where Zen Buddhism Confronts Ubuntu, Part 2
June 16, 2008
See my last post for more details about Ubuntu. This time, I wanted to take a more careful look at Phil 
Jackson’s Zen Buddhism and how it affects the Lakers. But first, I must address a concern a few commenters brought up on the last post. To those of us who are outsiders, we might wonder whether the team’s rituals really mean anything. After all, just because a team chants “Championship” after every practice does not mean that it becomes a championship contender, right? So does Paul Pierce really think “Ubuntu” as he goes up for every shot, or is Kendrick Perkins working extra hard to rehabilitate his shoulder just because of the togetherness of the team?
Lakers Game 4 Collapse More a Beginning Than an End
June 13, 2008
When you think about it, it is amazing that the Los Angeles Lakers even made it to Game 5 of the 2007-08 NBA Championship series. This young team with only two players over 30 and only three born before 1980 has made it farther than even they expected and should be commended for their achievements.
However, after four games of this NBA Finals, the team’s emotional and experiential youth has come out, shown itself, and is shining through the haze of three losses that could easily have been four.
Now, after the brutal Lakers collapse in Game 4 the Boston Celtics should close out the series in five games. It is difficult to think that LA can recover enough to see that Game 5 is meaningful enough to win. And the light at the end of the tunnel appears to be too far in the distance for this young team to care to want to run toward it.
As a result of Boston’s Game 4 comeback each Lakers player should know that Boston gave away Game 3 and that they did not earn a victory. The Lakers have allowed the Celtics to set each game’s tone and dictate play and tempo at every turn and has proven that it lacks the ability to push back once shoved.
It is a soft team that plays to the Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar image of “Showtime” but has nowhere near its substance. And yes, the comparison is between multiple Hall of Fame basketball players on one team and a young group with the potential to be very good, but with only one true star.
Lakers-Celtics: Live Blogging Game 4, Boston Comes Back to Win 97-91
June 12, 2008
4th Quarter
KB is doing nothing bit shooting jumpers and the other players are missing their shots. The spacing is horrid and the Lakers are gambling on defense rather than playing straight up.
Since no one appears to be paying attention to this, I’m going to stop recording everything….
After a KB dunk, 81-77 Lakers with 5:49 left in the game…. Anything in the mid-90s should mean defeat for Boston. It will be interesting to see if LA can get there. This will mark the second time in this series that LA will have 50 points or more at the half and fail to get to 100 points…. Posey hits a three after Allen body-blocks a Lakers defender. Somehow Posey has not fouled out of the game… Gasol hits w/ 24-second clock running out… KG fouled… 4:45. KG makes both 83-82. LO misses layin as Posey backs away. House hits J 84-83 Boston. Gasol bad pass - TO.
The game has gotten scrambled just the way Boston needed it to be to have any chance of winning and LA cannot regain their flow. Pierce misses three Allen rebound…. Allen reverse…. 86-83. Farmar misses three 2:24 left. Garnett walks and gets away with it and hits short J, 88-83 (11-2 run)… 2:10 left.
It’s difficult to determine, but the game suddenly got very physical without the same calls as the first half, which is distinctly to Boston’s advantage. Celtics players that were in foul trouble suddenly got no more fouls called on them so Rivers could play his normal rotation without worry. LA has scored less than 30 points in the 2nd half.
KB makes two FTs. Pierce goes to line on another phantom call after Pierce clearly throws his arm into KB’s face and pushes off. Pierce makes 1-2. 89-85 1:41. Pierce fouls KB, 1:38. KB layin, 89-87…. Posey hits three 92-87 Fish hits two. 92-89. Pierce dips shoulder into KB flops and gets call 46.8 left - foul on KB….
46-21 Celtics in 18 minutes, 96-91…. House makes 1-2 FTs, win 97-91. LA scores 33 points in the 2nd half. Posey got his 5th foul with 2:15 left in the 3rd and played the rest of the game.
Anyway, LA did not move the ball. LO rarely got the ball in the 2nd half, the triangle collapsed. Fisher disappeared. Gasol was weak, and the Lakers fell apart defensively.
Besides the game getting mucked up and overly-physical, LA did not respond - at all. They played stunned and sheepish and were a step slow on too many possessions in the 4th quarter.
This is what happens when Pau Gasol is your center and your team is really, really young.
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3rd Quarter
Pierce fouled by Vlad (shooting)… makes both… Odom misses…. KG hits J…. KB hits J… Rondo hits floater… Pau misses Perkins misses…. KG misses J. Allen boards… KG reverse… LO fouled by Perkins (Perkins hurt - left arm)… 9:35… separated shoulder?…. LO makes both 62-48… Brown misses… Vlad layin off LO pass… KG misses… KB hits long two… 66-48… KG TO 8:22 left…. Posey in for Brown…. LO TO. Posey was in defensive 3-seconds zone - not called… Posey misses three… KB misses, LO fouls. Fish hits J… 68-48, 7:06.
Pierce layin… KB misses… Posey misses three… Vlad fouled on way to bucket… makes both. Pierce layin… Vlad misses three…. House hits three 70-55, 5:17…. Pierce fouls KB twice on reach-ins and forearms him on the spin, no calls…. Allen fouled makes both…
Perkins - left shoulder sprain.
KB oop to Gasol dunk… 4:22. Posey misses three… LO fouled by Posey (4th) - Cry me a Rivers complains…. Posey was holding his jersey… Fish misses three… Posey layin. 72-59 3:22. LO TO Allen layin 72-61. Timeout LA… KB misses… Pierce finally called on push - no, KG on moving screen…. Gasol fouled by Posey (5th) 2:15. Gasol makes 1-2… Tony Allen (!) in to counteract Ariza…. Pierce layin and fouled by —– no one. Makes FT 73-64… Gasol fouled on dunk - no call. But Gasol goes up very very weak…. House makes three 73-67… 1:15 Farmar leave House open. KB misses.
After much contact Sasha called for a weak foul…. Allen makes both 73-69 41.2 left… Farmar airball. Brown dunk, 73-71, 21-3 run (31-15 in quarter)…..
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2nd Quarter
Celtics off to slow start (older team?)… Sasha fouls….
Steal by Ariza on Allen…. Foul on Powe… 11:25. Sasha misses Ariza gets away with push, slams - 37-14…. on replay, Posey faked…. Powe fouled. 1-2.
Walton misses three Powe carries (6th TO)…. Cektics playing better defense. Gasol loses Walton pass… Ariza blocks Allen…. Farmar misses layin….9:45. KG hits. Walton misses three… KG turn-around on Walton… 37-19. LA stagnant… Walton three 40-19…. Posey fouled by Ariza, 8:13 left.
Boston appears to be finding its defensive groove against the LA reserves. They might cut into the lead from here, even when the Lakers starters return…. KB no field goals… Posey hits both… 40-21.
LO layin off KB pass…KG misses… Farmar misses layin. KB steals, Cassell fouls… 7:03…42-21…. Sasha three 45-21, 6:40. … Powe misses - Rivers complains….foul on Cassell 6:10. Pierce returns.
TO by Sasha… steal,,, Farmar misses J… Cassell misses three… Pierce flops on KB - foul Bryant… Timeout, 5:26.
It’s clear now that Boston is overly-worried about KB (FGs, 6 assists) and the rest of the Lakers are in rhythm and are killing the Cees.
Posey misses three (28%)… KB misses J… KG over LO. 4:40…. Vlad musses three. Allen makes three on defensive breakdown, 45-26… Jackson calls timeout, 4:06.
KB misses… Posey fouled. 3:50. Makes both… Gasol misses… Posey three 45-31… Fisher TO… 3:11. Pierce J 45-33… Fish drives, makes and is fouled by Posey, 47-33 - 2:36 left… Fisher makes FT…. Gasol dunk, 50-33, 1:52. Rivers cries about defensive 3 seconds - gets call…. 1:47 Allen makes FT. Posey three 50-37. Vlad shot goal tended by KG - not called… Cees miss three Fisher fouled by Posey, 59.5 left in half. Fish makes both, 52-37.
Pierce rams into Bryant KB, KB called for foul… it looked like KB was in the arc…. Pierce makes both 52.2…. Gasol misses Fish pass… Pierce misses…. Gasol rolls to rim, gets pass from Fish makes layin, fouled by Perkins 54-39, 9.1 left Gasol makes FT… Pierce pushes Vlad into Rondo, but not called, 5.2 left… Rondo misses first. makes second… Farmar three at buzzer…
58-40 at the half.
So after the Celtics big run, LA only loses three points off 1st quarter lead. 58-40.
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1st Quarter
Javie, DeRosa, and Washington are the refs…..
LO goes straight to the hoop - goal tend KG.
Ray Allen attacks for a layin…. Fisher TO. Pierce misses a three… Fisher fouled by Rondo on the drive. Fish makes both…. Pierce TO Kobe misses three… Allen misses thee badly… leads to a run out and Kobe gets fouled going to the rim.
The game does look like it has a better flow than Game 3. KB misses second but Perkins commits foul… LO to Gasol - 7-2.
KB steals Pierce steals, KB steals Gasol air ball - technical on Rivers… Fish misses technical…. Rivers complains pretty much all the time… KG misses reverse…. LO gets pass on cut - slam… 9-2. Lakers look sharp… Rondo hits open J. LO another layin.
KG pushes on another screen Perk jump hook - 11-6…. Gasol misses out on Cees 7:45.
Vlad three on pass from LO. Rondo misses - steal - Pierce misses, LO on fast break layin…16-6 - 6:31.
Timeout Celtics.
LO’s line 4-4, 2 boards, 2 assists…
KG misses. Kobe misses J, LO boards over KG, KG fouls LO on shot. LO misses first FTA - PJ Brown in for KG, LO makes second - 17-6. TO pierce 5:53.
Vlad - three 20-6.
Foul on Fisher…. Eddie House for Rondo. Pierce misses, foul on LO (but Perkins goes over his back). Block by KB foul on KB hits Brown’s wrist….. Brown makes 1-2. TO by Lakers. 4:51.
House misses. Fisher hits J - 22-7. Perkins misses. LO J 24-7. 3:43. House misses three…. Timeout LA 3:20…. LO 36-7 Brown misses Vlad misses three.. Pierce drives lane for two Vlad blocked by Perkins Allen hits three 26-12, 2:03…. KB fouled by Perkins (2nd), 1:58. Boston in penalty….. Posey for Perkins…. KB hits both 28-12…
Ariza in… Rivers screams for foul on Ariza - foul called. Posey misses layin… Gasol fouled by Brown… Gasol makes both 30-12. 1:07.
House misses three foul on Allen (Ariza) 51.1… Ariza makes 1-2 Gasol board… Ariza three 34-12, 32.1. House banks from front of rim 34-14…. Gasol fouled by Posey (dirty hack)… 4.7 left Gasol makes 1-2… allen misses three 35-14… largest lead after one quarter in NBA history…..
—————
This is the key game for LA. Win and there’s hope. Lose and it’s basically over.
Rajon Rondo says he’s going to play and that his sprained ankle will not make him any slower. He is playing without taking a cortisone shot….
It’s time for Derek Fisher to step up tonight, time for Lamar Odom to hit some jumpers. The Lakers cannot expect two of Boston’s Big Three to be off tonight.
Doc Rivers should go back to pounding the ball inside to Kevin Garnett. what Rivers usually does is put Kendrick Perkins up the lane on the opposite side of KG so if the double comes from his man - Odom - Perk just dives to the rim and receives a pass from KG for an easy layin or dunk. Meantime Rondo floats to the high wing and Pierce goes to the top of the key (or vice versa with Rondo). That way, if KG has room to move but the double comes from his front he can hit Pierce of Rondo diving into the lane or standing open at the top of the key.
The goal is to put pressure on the Lakers rotation defense, which can be sloppy at times. And when they are scored upon a few times, they seem to get deflated too easily.
This should be Rivers main half court offensive set….. we’ll see.
Also, it is 8:45 and not a word of Tim Donaghy. I heard something today on that front - that ESPN is actively turning away from investigating any more on the Donaghy incident - and that their new “investigative unit” might be already coming to an end.
If true, that’s what happens when you’re a league representative and you try to do journalism that a media outlet unencumbered by any relationship to a league does…..
Celtics-Lakers Videos
June 12, 2008
Leading you into Game 4, here are some 80’s Celtics-Lakers video links. I’ll finish up my thoughts on Zen Buddhism and the Lakers in a day or two.
The first is Boston winning in 1984: NBA
The second is LA winning in 1987: NBA
The third is Magic honoring Larry during his retirement ceremony: NBA
Enjoy the game!
Donaghy’s Allegations Threaten Stern, the NBA and Beyond
June 12, 2008
Tim Donaghy’s initial allegations of game-fixing have finally come to light. Interestingly, what was known months ago is being divulged just weeks before his July 14 sentencing date.
The timing of the release of allegations cannot have been accidental as it has allowed the conversation surrounding Donaghy’s claims to be framed in a way that casts the deposed official and his compelling story appear in as bad a light as possible.
It allowed David Stern to impugn Donaghy’s character as only a lawyer could:
“The reality is that … he’s a singing, cooperating witness who is trying to get as light a sentence as he can. “We said it in July and we’ll say it again on the first anniversary: There’s one criminal here.”
And Stern, no matter their decrying the commissioner’s actions, is backed by basketball writers and columnists in the mainstream press. Take, for instance, this passage from ESPN’s Marc Stein’s recent article on the Donaghy affair:
Lakers-Celtics Game 3 Postgame Quotes and Notes
June 11, 2008
-Doc Rivers said Boston has to win a game when Kobe plays well and thought Sasha Vujacic was the key to Game 2 but took heart in the fact that his team played poorly and still had a chance to win.
“The good part of the game was that our defense was pretty good… We had a chance to steal the game when we were off. Foul problems hurts us as well.”
“I thought we moved the ball extremely well in the third quarter but went into the I’m going to win the game mode.”
Rivers was asked why his team stopped going to Kevin Garnett on the block in the third quarter. The coach explained that, “It just happened. I thought one thing they did was pressure Eddie so that we couldn’t get into our offense. Then Kevin went out and that was the end of that.”
