Each one of the four series (excepting DET/CLE) features well-matched teams where the series should be close. The biggest surprise obviously was what happenned in Miami. It remains to be seen the extent of RJ's injury but Game 1 in the Heat/Nets series must've been a HUGE wakeup call for the Shaq-n-Wades. Just like when he was with the Celtics, the Nets were able to contain any upside from Shake-n-Bake Antoine and all the other Shaq-n-Wade helpers and cruised out to an early 22 point lead which was a big enough cushion to sit RJ for the majority of the 2nd half due to what is being termed as a "mild ankle sprain" (though RJ's expression sure didn't look like it was very mild). If he can get back and healthy for Game 3, the Nets should be in good shape to defend their newfound homecourt advantage in this series.
They call him "trois day" and yes he has always been handsome. Perhaps Tony P. can get him a date with Teri Hatcher during the offseason.
PHX - what can you say? - Steve Nash is the MVP, Mike D'Antoni is the Coach of the Year, Boris Diaw is the Most Improved Player, and Shawn Marion is like a team of hard-working Mexicans doing all the work that nobody else wants to do and getting no credit for it either. But still he consistently brings down 20 and 12 and guards the toughest matchup on the other team. The Suns' coaching staff charted Marion in Game 7 with 20 deflections, all while guarding Lamar Odom (who is probably about a half-foot taller than him) and Kobe Bryant (who Charles Barkley claims is the "best basketball player in the world"). TWENTY DEFLECTIONS! Why don't they chart this as a fantasy stat? It could be argued that deflections are just as meaningful if not more so than blocks (though a block would be considered a deflection as well) but this is an argument for the Bill James crowd in the offseason.
Robert Horry bites Jerry Stackhouse in a Spurs comeback victory in early March which essentially decided the home court in this series. After the game, the Riverwalk in San Antonio was plastered with signs that read "Thanks Dick Bavetta!"
One other quibble I had with the Round 2 Game 1s: Jerry Stackhouse what are you thinking? Your team is down by two with 3 seconds to go and your enormous center seals off the lane for you for an easy tying layup and what do you do? Back it out to the 3 point line for a contested three-pointer? I hope you realize this makes absolutely no sense and, furthermore, I hope you realize that this is why you've been traded so much and now must come off the bench despite your outsized talent. It is your peasized brain that fritzes out in the playoffs that keeps you from being a household name. One would hope you are not still afraid of Robert Horry biting you like he did on March 2. Oh you are? Well maybe the Little General will sit you down in the last 5 minutes of this one. He definitely should. Even if Marquis Daniels sometimes loses his head and inexplicably throws the ball away, I bet he would have taken the sure 2 points and gone into overtime and not tried to play hero and failed miserably.
3 comments:
Suns - Nets. If RJ is healthy this is looking a lot more likely than it was just a week ago. They play similar brands of ball. Their PGs come from the same pass-first-and-push-it pedigree. And remember before there was the Pistons there was the Nets. It was the 02-04 Nets who were the team that kept knocking the Pistons out of the playoffs and then along came Sheed and the injuries to K-Mart, Kidd, and RJeff. This year marks the first year since their NBA Finals teams that the Nets top 3 players are coming in at 100%. If the Pistons play the Nets in the E Conf Finals AND the Nets are all healthy, you could see 7 games. The teams split their season series 2-2, with each team winning one game on the other's home floor.
Suns - Nets??!??!?!?? Are you are krack Kralls?
oops, are you ON krack...?/???
Post a Comment