NBA Finals 2008: Los Angeles Lakers are Gold!

May 31, 2008 – Dr. Browntorious

The best there is, possibly to become the best there was, and who knows eventually he could be the best there will ever be – Kobe Bryant. Although there is much debate already amongst The Hoop Doctors on the eventual outcome of the NBA Finals, there is no doubt in my mind that this year the NBA champs will be the Los Angeles Lakers. If you think otherwise, it’s time to wake up and smell the coffee. The playoffs have been a breeze for LA so far, they cruised past Denver, had a slightly longer stay than expected with Utah and almost swept San Antonio. That’s right, almost swept the defending champs, the team that quite easily beat Cleveland last year and Detroit in 2005 (Note: Boston struggled to beat these teams during this post season run). They’ve done this by placing a high performance supporting cast around the best player in the NBA, Kobe Bryant. The NBA MVP.

Why do I feel it is a sure bet for LA to come out on top? Look at their opponent, it’s the Boston Celtics. Yes, this one is a throwback to one of the great finals rivalries in the history of the league. For all you past Larry Bird/Magic Johnson era fanatics, they were fairly even teams back then I agree. But let’s look at it today, aside from the historic rivalry, the Celtics are worn out and beat up. It took them a whopping 20 games to get to the finals, where LA only had to take 15 in the more difficult Western Conference. LA is nicely rested and ready to take and dish out a beating. Let’s start by matching up the players:

Kobe Bryant and Paul Pierce – Pierce has been great, but Kobe is a better defender and is a proven scorer on absolutely anyone in the league. Pierce was great on Lebron, but he shouldn’t expect to affect Kobe’s shooting percentage like he did with Lebron (he could always call up Bruce Bowen and ask him how that worked out). Advantage Lakers.

Kevin Garnett and Lamar Odom – I’m a fan of both these guys; however, I think Lamar is the most underrated player in the NBA. They both are amazing passers; they both grab over 10 boards a game; except Lamar usually scores about 5 or 6 less points. Advantage Celtics.

Pau Gasol vs. Kendrick Perkins – I shouldn’t even have to match these players up, Gasol is a top 5 big man in the league, versatile scorer, amazing defender and great rebounder. What’s Perkins first name? Advantage Lakers.

Ray Allen vs. Vladamir Radmanovic – Ray Allen is a great scorer, an amazing sharp shooter, but has been slumping as of late. I would be doing an injustice to Allen to compare his career to that of Radmanovic…but come on, who has been a more accurate sharp shooter in the playoffs this year then Radmanovic? Maybe Sasha Vujacic, oh wait he’s on the Lakers too. Ray Allen had a big night with 5 out of 6 threes against the Pistons, great, but Radmanovic has been lighting it up all playoffs long. Advantage Lakers.

Derek Fisher vs. Rondo – This match up is pretty close in my mind, except Derek has the veteran experience and know how to get it done in the playoffs. Do you remember the infamous 0.4 second shot? Fisher is a proven winner, and Rondo’s shot selection has been suspect in the playoffs so far this year. Advantage Lakers.

If you take a look at both teams bench, Boston has been underperforming under the playoff pressure and the Lakers are completely in sync. Lakers have Turiaf, Vujacic, Walton, and Farmar off the bench who could all potentially be starters on almost any team in the east this year. Lakers are really deep; Boston has a few solid bench players but are nowhere near as deep as LA. Watching PJ Brown and Cassell in the playoffs this year makes you think about the fine line between the value of a veteran presence, and having players that are just too far past their prime. James Posey is a great defender but when compared to Sasha Vujacic in the offensive department, this clearly favors the Lakers.

After sizing up all the players, if LA has such a better team, why is it that they only won 57 games vs. Boston’s 66? Most likely a combination of the East vs. West games played, and the Lakers have been gelling increasingly as the season has progressed.

Finally, there is the muscle factor. People say that LA is soft and Pierce, Garnett and Perkins are really tough players who throw their bodies around. Yeah…for those Lakers skeptics, did you guys watch the Utah/LA series? I think Boozer, Harpring and even Okur are much bigger, tougher opponents with regards to throwing their bodies around. Remind me how that series ended?

If you read my post where I matched up the remainder of the teams after the first round, you’ll see that my predictions thus far have been fairly accurate. Now I will make a bold prediction. The Lakers will not only win the Championship, they’ll either Sweep Boston or take them in 5. Just remember, you heard it here first from Dr. Browntorious!

Celtic or Lakers fans, feel free to post your thoughts or predictions on this one.

Eastern Conference Game 5: Perkins channels legend Bill Russell, Allen shoots the lights out

May 29th, 2008 – Dr. Dime

All year the media has been comparing this year’s “Big Three” of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen to the original Celtic “Big Three” of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish. Well if you like to talk about historic comparisons, last night in the Eastern Conference Finals a Celtic player in the first half had a performance drawing comparisons to the greatest Celtic legend of all time, Mr. Bill Russell himself. No, that player was not Kevin Garnett; it was surprisingly none other than the Celtics 23 year old center, Kendrick Perkins. Perkins was playing like a man possessed in last nights Game 5 contest of the Eastern Conference Finals.

All year we have seen Perkins play consistent defense, bang on the boards, and throw down some nice two-handers in the paint. Given the defensive attention required on the Celtics modern day “Big Three,” Perkins has filled his role to perfection all season long. However, last night was something different. Perkins was more aggressive than normal; he played with energy and confidence we had not seen to date. The man was a beast in the paint on both ends, and by just half time alone he had recorded 12pts, 13 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 block. I am sure this was the type of play that the many scouts had in mind for Perkins when he was a highly touted high school player, coming in to the league at 18, choosing to bypass college for the pros.

Does this mean the Celtics all of a sudden have a “Big Four” as mentioned in some media reports after last nights game?

Of course not, don’t be ridiculous. What the Celtics have is an aggressive young ball player on the rise, who is hungry for a championship. Being surrounded by veteran’s without championship rings, Perkins clearly recognizes at a young age the importance of taking advantage of the limited opportunities an NBA player will have in his career to compete for a championship. If that translates into more games like that of last night for Perkins to ease the burden on the “Big Three” coming down the stretch, look out Pistons! A lot of credit has to be given to Perkins for his performance; although he was slowed a bit in the second half with foul trouble and finished with 18 pts, 16 boards, 2 steals, and 2 blocks.

Even though the Celtics had opened up an 18 point lead on the Pistons in the second half, you somehow knew the veteran heavy Detroit Pistons were going to make a significant run. And that they did in the 4th quarter. They came charging back so strong under the sharp shooting of Rip Hamilton, Chauncey Billups, and their young gun Rodney Stuckey that they were within 1 point of the Celtics in the closing minutes of the game.

However, Ray Allen picked the perfect game to break out of his series and a half long outside shooting slump by going 5 for 6 from downtown, with a couple of those coming in the clutch during the Pistons run. How big of an asset is it for the Celtics to have Ray Allen in the closing minutes of a game with his free throw shooting abilities. At over 90% accuracy at the line, Allen year in and year out ranks among the NBA elite at the line.

After each 3pter for the Pistons in the closing minutes when you assumed they would gain some ground, there was Ray Allen calmly stroking his outside shot, or appearing near robotic at the free throw line to keep the Pistons at bay. On the night Allen finished with 29 pts, on 9-15 shooting, 5-6 from beyond the arc, and 6-6 from behind the charity stripe. I guess the slump is over?

Boston won the game 106-102, to take a very critical 3-2 series lead heading back to Detroit for Game 6.

Player of the game? It was probably a tie between Perkins and Allen, but considering the number of POG awards Allen has probably received over his illustrious career, let’s give this one to Kendrick Perkins.

Bill Russell must be proud.

Lakers-Spurs Game 4: Brent Barry on fire, not enough as Lakers steal one for 3-1 series lead

May 27th, 2008 – Dr. Anklesnap

The sports blogging world and even some mainstream media folks have been more fixated the last few days on the Kobe Bryant affair rumor than on Kobe and the LA Lakers competitive western conference final pairing with the defending champion San Antonio Spurs. Kobe has been the subject of numerous rumors over the years, many of which coming after the rape allegations in Colorado a couple of years ago. Well this time the Black Mamba is fighting back.

I really don’t have much to say about the situation, I’d prefer to focus on the great battle of titans we are seeing in this series on the court. Why would a basketball fan care if Kobe has sex with Laker girls or not. It’s not like it’s a crime to cheat on your wife or have sex with ridiculously gorgeous women is it? It may be morally suspect, but last time I checked Kobe is getting paid to play basketball, not to live some sort of morally righteous life.

If the Spurs lose Game 4 this series will be all but done. We have all heard at some point or another about how hard it is statistically to come back from a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Playoffs given the current home and away structure. If there is one team that could do it, I would assume since the Spurs are gritty as hell it would have to be them. Gregg Popovich wouldn’t want to test that fate however.

Tonight the Lakers came out hot. They jumped out to a quick 14 point lead midway through the first quarter. But in normal Spurs fashion the home squad pulled back within 5 before the end of the first. Phil Jackson in his post quarter interview was clearly livid with the officials. When asked the reasons the Spurs were able to climb back into the game he said “the whistles carriers” let them get back in the game. He was referring to the 3 or 4 questionable foul calls called on the Lakers to close out the quarter. A couple of minutes later Lamar Odom picked up another ticky tack foul and had to be taken out of the game with his 3rd foul.

With Lamar Odom in foul trouble the Lakers suffer defensively, as he adds considerable length that provides better help side and on the ball defense for the Lakers. The Lakers however were able to sustain their lead to close out the half. The Spurs came out aggressive and energetic to start the 3rd quarter, but just when they seemed to be about to get over the hump and take the lead, Udoka commits one of the most asinine fouls of his career by fouling a jump shooting Sasha Vujacic from way downtown after he had already released the ball. Vujacic knocked down the three pointer, smooth as silk. Sasha hit the free throw making it a 4 point play and once again giving the Lakers a bit of a cushion.

The Lakers then closed out the 3rd quarter strong and maintained their scoring and defensive balance for most of the 4th quarter. One of the big stories of the game for the Spurs however, was the play of the heady Brent Barry. This guy is an assassin from long range. He can flat out shoot. He was 7-12 on the game, and 5-10 from 3-pt range for 23 points. Not bad for a guy that the Spurs essentially dropped from the team a couple of months ago due to roster and payroll issues, before eventually resigning him after the required waiting period.

While it was Barry that kept the Spurs within reach for most of the game, the Spurs leaned heavily on their big three Ginobili, Duncan, and Parker down the stretch. However, Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant did their share to help out the Spurs as well. After a Ginobili three, Gasol missed two key free throws, and then Kobe poorly managed the clock in the final minute of play by racing down the court and missing a layup in traffic when he could have slowed down the play and killed some time.

In the final seconds, 2.1 to be exact, the Spurs had possession down two, 93-91. After a time-out to set up their play, the ball was inbounded to none other than the hot hand Brent Barry. Brent gave a nice pump fake to Derek Fisher who left his feet and clearly came down elbow first on the head of Brent Barry while he attempted a 3-pt shot. No call. Game Over. Lakers lead series 3 games to 1.

But wait, the replays clearly showed Derek Fisher fouled Brent Barry. What does that mean? It means we will see that play replayed on sports center over and over again for the next few days.

I guess Phil Jackson is no longer angry with the “whistle carriers” after that one?

Celtics-Pistons Game 4: “Mr. Big Shot” Never Disappoints

May 26th, 2008 – Dr. Browntorious

Lately when I watch NBA playoff games I can’t help but think that no matter what the 2008 season is destined to finish with a throwback to one of the greatest and most consistent rivalries in the history of the NBA. The Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Wait a second, not so fast…

There are two pretty darn good teams that may have something to say about it. The Detroit Pistons and the San Antonio Spurs. As good as the Celtics and Lakers have been for a good chunk of the history of the NBA, the Pistons and Spurs have been equally as dominant in their own right over the last decade. The Spurs have won 3 of the last 5 NBA Championships, and the Pistons have had an unbelievable run of playing in 7 straight Conference Finals which include a finals appearance and an NBA Championship.

In the Eastern Conference Detroit and Boston is a bit of a toss up as to which team is better defensively. They are both unbelievable tight. You can tell just by watching the players’ faces, it literally pains them when the opposition scores a hoop. In the Western Conference, San Antonio is clearly the better defensive team and has arguably one of the best team defenses the NBA has seen in a decade or more. They’ll need it though, because the Lakers are definitely the most potent offensive threat left in the 2008 playoffs. That said, the Lakers are not just a team that is looking to out score their opponent, as they have a decent team defense with a lot of long, athletic players. Oh yeah, and Kobe isn’t too shabby as an on or off the ball defender.

After the Celtics got their first road win of the season in Detroit at the Palace of Auburn Hills on Saturday night, I had a feeling the Pistons would come out hot tonight. And after they jumped out to a 10-0 lead on the Celtics, I realized that was an easy call as these Pistons are too proud to get run over two straight games in their house. Some people may criticize the Pistons for being overconfident to a fault. I disagree, I think you need as much confidence as you can get, and as much swagger as you can summon to beat a team with the type of players the Celtics have. The Celtics had a phenomenal regular season, but I think too many teams got star struck or intimidated by Boston’s “Big Three” and gave up mentally before the game even started.

You really need to believe you are the better team, to actually “be” the better team. And trust me; the Pistons always think they are the better team!

A few quick observations about tonight’s game:

• What surprised me the most about Game 4 tonight was the Celtics grit. It seemed the whole game like the Pistons were blowing out the Celtics by at least 20 points. They had momentum, key stops, good shots, ball movement, and energy. However, every time I looked up the Celtics were grinding away and keeping it close. With 4:30 left it was only a 5 point lead for the Pistons. No matter how bad the Celtics play they are never completely “out of the game.”

• Ray Allen did bounce back in Game 2 of this series, however he shot poorly in the Celtics win on Saturday, and tonight he was terrible as well. He even missed two clutch free throws with less than two minutes to play in the game. This is particularly alarming given Allen is normally one of the best and most consistent free throw shooters in the league.

• The Detroit Pistons get a fair amount of production from their young players. Flip Saunders certainly gets a lot more productivity out of his young blood then Larry Brown ever would have. Jason Maxiell and Rodney Stuckey were excellent tonight, with Maxiell arguably the most productive Piston in the game tonight.

• Rip Hamilton is ugly to watch and has longer fingernails than most girls, but damn he’s quick off the ball. Even a player in as great a physical shape as Ray Allen had a tough time keeping up with him defensively.

• Rondo and Cassell are both playing extremely weak this series. If one of them doesn’t step up and put a couple of good games together, the Pistons might win this series.

• James Posey is a guy I’d love to play with. He does pretty much everything from drawing charges, to bombing long range, to dropping sweet dimes, to even acting as an on and off the court cheerleader. The guy is the ultimate teammate. Probably an underrated part of the Miami championship run in 2006.

• Remember when McDyess was the most explosive player in the NBA? I barely recall anymore either, but the type of player he has transformed into is probably twice as valuable to the Pistons. McDyess has really developed a great all-around game, and is definitely the first real success story of the players robbed of their athleticism by micro fracture knee surgery.

• Chauncey Billups has never made anyone question his nickname of “Mr. Big Shot” The guy flat out hits shots in the clutch, game after game on the biggest stage. He seemingly never takes a bad shot. Great shot selection, great leader, and “King of Clutch.”

Detroit 94, Boston 75.

Series tied 2-2.

Back to the Garden for probably the most important game of the season for either team. For some it will be the most important game of their careers. Who is going to step up?

The Hoop Doctors NBA Mock Draft 2008

Draft Order	Team	Projection	Position	Stat Line
1.	Chicago Bulls	Derrick Rose	PG	14.9ppg, 4.7apg, 4.5rpg
		At 6’4”, Derrick’s above average size and quickness for a point guard will make a tough cover for any opposing point guard. Given Rose is a Chicago Native, Paxson better get this one right or Bulls fans will lose all remaining faith in the Execs. College Team – Memphis
2.	Miami Heat	Michael Beasley	PF	26.2ppg, 12.4rpg,1.6bpg
		This is a no-brainer for Pat Riley. A SF/PF high flying combo of Beasley and Marion would bring in the fans and no doubt bring the Heat back to the post-season in the East. However, don’t sleep on the possibility of Riles dealing the pick down for a couple of quality players. College Team – Kansas State
3.	Minnesota Timberwolves	O.J. Mayo	PG	20.7ppg, 3.3apg, 4.5rpg
		Although some skeptics have him dropping as of late, we are still high on O.J. This cat has amazing size and athletic abilities for a point guard. He’s NBA ready. Although more of a scoring PG, in Minnesota that may be a perfect combo with Big Al Jefferson’s skill set. Strong PG like a Billups or B. Davis. College Team – USC
4.	Seattle Supersonics	Jerryd Bayless	PG/SG	19.7ppg, 4.0apg, 2.7rpg
		This year’s draft will have more PG’s in the top ten than in the past. Although most Bayless skeptics aren’t quite sure if he’s really a PG or a SG. He’s a bit of a tweener size wise. The Hoop Doctors like his game and think he can finally rid the Sonics of the Earl Watson/Luke Ridnour debate that is boring fans to death. College Team – Arizona
5.	Memphis Grizzlies	Brook Lopez	C	19.3ppg, 8.2rpg, 2.1bpg
		After arguably one of the most lopsided trades in NBA history for Pau Gasol this season, the Grizz have a hole in their front line that Kwame Brown could never hope to fill. Maybe the selection of Lopez to log time at the 5 spot will start to heal the pain? College Team – Stanford
6.	New York Knicks	Eric Gordon	PG	20.9ppg, 2.4apg, 3.3rpg
		The signing of Mike D’Antoni and his brand of high octane offense signaled a changing of the guard in NYC. Some may be concerned about a logjam of combo guards, but in D’Antoni’s system there is no such thing. The more the merrier. College Team – Indiana
7.	LA Clippers	DJ Augustin	PG	19.2ppg, 5.8apg, 1.2spg
		I’ve been hearing lots of rumors about Elton Brand being a bit unhappy with the personnel moves of the Clipper execs. But until a time that Brand is moved, he’s their franchise man and more than enough skill at the PF spot. DJ might be a bit undersized but he’s got tons of upside. College Team – Texas
8.	Milwaukee Bucks	Kevin Love	PF	17.5ppg, 10.6rpg,1.4bpg
		With Bogut, Yi, and Villeneuva already young prospects on the Bucks front line, we had some heated debates about this pick. In the end though we just couldn’t justify letting Kevin Love drop any further. Keep in mind Yi has a decent mid-range game, and Villeneuva loves to step out for the long balls. College Team – UCLA
9.	Charlotte Bobcats	Danilo Gallinari	SF	14.9ppg, 4.2rpg, 1.7apg
		If Tyler Hansborough didn’t decide to head back for another year, we would have to assume MJ would have been lobbying for him. Although Danilo is young and a bit raw, he has that international experience that allows him to play beyond his years already. Huge upside potential. College Team – None
10.	New Jersey Nets	DeAndre Jordan	C	7.9ppg, 6.0rpg, 1.3bpg
		The Nets need a Center. There is no question that the 5 spot is their biggest weakness. DeAndre Jordan is a 7-footer with a huge wingspan and good timing. He’s generally knocked for being a bit soft. Might be a risky pick, but so was Andrew Bynum right? College Team – Texas A&M
11.	Indiana Pacers	Anthony Randolph	PF	15.6ppg, 8.5rpg, 2.3bpg
		Randolph may be skinny but a bit more size will come with age. He has pretty good handle and a soft touch, so you could always give him some burn at the 3 spot. Picture this kid running with Granger, Dunleavy, and Tinsley. Could but fun to watch. Could develop into a poor man’s Chris Bosh. College Team – Louisiana State
12.	Sacramento Kings	Russell Westbrook	PG/SG	12.7ppg, 4.3apg, 3.9rpg
		The Kings need a point guard bad. And although some would argue that Russell Westbrook isn’t a true point guard, who says the Kings system requires one. Coupling Westbrook with Kevin Martin in the backcourt creates a ton of match up problems for the opposition. With Artest at SF it makes it even more difficult. College Team – UCLA
13.	Portland Trailblazers	Donte Green	SF	17.7ppg, 7.2rpg, 2.0apg
		It’s almost unfair for the rest of the NBA that the Blazers are getting another high pick. This team in 3-4 years will be so good it’s scary. Think of a lineup of Oden, Aldridge, Green, Webster, and Roy. Wow! College Team – Syracuse
14.	Golden State Warriors	JaVale McGee	C	14.1ppg, 7.3rpg, 2.8bpg
		Golden State is a finely tuned offensive machine. McGee could contribute on the glass, and has excellent timing on his shot blocking ability. Although skeptics knock his shot-selection, luckily there is no such thing as a bad shot in Golden State. College Team – Nevada
15.	Atlanta Hawks to Phoenix Suns	Kosta Koufos	C	14.4ppg, 6.7rpg, 1.8bpg
		With the Suns running with Shaquille O’Neal and a new coach next year, I’m sure their style will be a bit more balanced offensive/defensive. If that’s the case they will need a decent true center to back up O’Neal for his usual 20-30 missed games. College Team – Ohio State
16.	Philadelphia 76ers	Chase Budinger	SF	17.1ppg, 5.4rpg, 2.9apg
		One of the most improved and surprising teams last year, the 76ers could really use some more scoring punch. Budinger is just what the doctor ordered. Since they traded Korver they have needed some more players with an outside touch. Budinger provides this and more. College Team – Arizona
17.	Toronto Raptors	Chris Douglas Roberts	SG	18.1ppg, 4.1rpg, 1.8apg
		Besides Bosh and Calderon did any Raptor player this year do anything offensively besides shoot threes? CDR is a slasher, with a killer first step. Pure scorer, which is just what the Raptors need to complement their outside game and Bosh’s beastly inside game. College Team – Memphis
18.	Washington Wizards	Brandon Rush	SF	13.3ppg, 2.1apg, 5.1rpg
		Brandon has been on the radar for years, and we think he’s finally ready to contribute. The Wizards could use his mental toughness and confidence. His first couple years he could be a good backup for Caron Butler. College Team – Kansas
19.	Cleveland Cavaliers	Nicolas Batum	SF	8.5ppg, 3.5rpg, 2.7apg
		Very athletic player, who works hard on both ends of the floor. Doesn’t need a lot of touches or points to affect the game in a positive way. Could be another good role player alongside Lebron James. College Team – None
20.	Denver Nuggets	Tywon Lawson	PG	12.7ppg, 5.2apg, 2.7rpg
		Tywon is going to be one of the fastest players in the league. Aside from being lighting quick, he’s a great passer and has enough confidence to quarterback an NBA team. A lot of skeptics are concerned with his size, but we think his size is not an issue, because he has decent footwork, and Camby to correct some mistakes. College Team – North Carolina
21.	Dallas to New Jersey Nets	Darrell Arthur	PF	12.8ppg, 6.3rpg, 1.3bpg
		New Jersey needs more of a scoring punch so they don’t have to rely so heavily on Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson. Arthur could round out their team a little bit and give them an added plus of a few blocked shots. College Team – Kansas
22.	Orlando Magic	Courtney Lee	SG	20.4ppg, 4.9rpg, 2.1apg
		Took the unlikely Western Kentucky to the Sweet 16. A phenomenal scoring talent with a great mid-range game. Would be another scoring threat for the Magic to help free up the double teams on Dwight Howard. College Team – Western Kentucky
23.	Utah Jazz	Roy Hibbert	C	13.4ppg, 6.4rpg, 2.2bpg
		Tough, smart, and competitive. The perfect fit for a Jerry Sloan team. Utah has a lot of bigs that play more of a mid to long range game, so the addition of a true center would be a welcome sight for the Jazz. College Team – Georgetown
24.	Phoenix Suns to Seattle Supersonics	Marreese Speights	C	14.5ppg, 8.1rpg, 1.4bpg
		Great post player. He is a bit undersized at Center, but would be a great addition in Seattle who are pretty weak on their front line, with very poor rebounding performances. College Team – Florida
25.	Houston Rockets	Robin Lopez	PF	10.2ppg, 5.7rpg, 2.3bpg
		Since we have to assume that the great Dikembe Mutumbo truly can’t play forever, it’s time for Houston to start thinking about a good backup for Yao. Robin is a great shot blocker and a decent role player. Listed as PF, but at 7’0” he might be a better resource as a backup C. College Team – Stanford
26.	San Antonio Spurs	J.J. Hickson	PF	14.8ppg, 8.5rpg, 1.5bpg
		Hardnosed player that loves to pound the offensive glass. Could be a good energy role player for the Spurs. Another one to add to their list of tough rebounders. College Team – NC State
27.	New Orleans Hornets	Jason Thompson	PF	20.4ppg,12.1rpg, 2.7bpg
		Jason is raw as hell. Criticized for poor defensive efforts, but playing on a team with Chris Paul directing the traffic the Hornets can’t go wrong here. Paul will make Thompson an even better scorer, and if Thompson slips this far, a lot of people may end up shaking their heads in the future. College Team – Rider
28.	Memphis from LA Lakers	Joe Alexander	PF	16.2ppg, 6.1rpg
		Aggressive player that likes to get to the rim and free throw line. Another scorer to help fill the void left by Pau Gasol. College Team – West Virginia
29.	Detroit Pistons	Alexis Ajinca	C
		7’1” tall with a ridiculous wingspan. He’s from France and just as most European’s has great fundamentals. We have him at 29 now, but as the June draft date nears you may see this cat move up as high as the top 15. He seems to be raising more and more eyebrows with his play. College Team – None
30.	Boston Celtics	Devon Hardin	C	9.3ppg, 7.4rpg, 1.2rpg
		Big body, aggressive, and tough. He is the type of player who would thrive with a defensive team. The perfect fit for the Celtics and Tom Thibodeau style of defense. If he slips to the Celtics they will be ecstatic. College Team – California

Celtics – Pistons Game 2: Jesus Shuttlesworth is Back!!

May 22nd, 2008 – Dr. Dime

All year I’ve heard people talk about the regular season and first two rounds of the Eastern Conference playoffs being a mere formality for the Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons, as it would be an inevitable meeting of these two defensive specialists. Well I kept telling people not to count out Lebron and his one man show. In a way I guess we were both right, as Lebron’s Cavs pushed the Celtics right to the edge but couldn’t close it out.

So here we are, Eastern Conference Finals, Celtics vs. Pistons. Shocker. Boston Celtics were the best defensive team in the league this year allowing the fewest opposition points per game. The Detroit Pistons have been the best defensive team in the Eastern Conference for the last decade. For those of you that like high scoring offensive highlight reels, forget about this one, it’ll be tighter than a Nun on a Sunday!

Boston jumped out to a 1-0 lead in this series on Tuesday by having their way with the Pistons in the Boston Garden, 88-79. Unfortunately for Boston, the Pistons are coming into this game with the NBA record for most straight Game 2 wins in the NBA Playoffs. Their streak coming in was sitting at 8 straight Game 2 wins.

Detroit came out in the first half of tonight’s Game 2 playing absolute lockdown defense on the Celtics. The only Celtic players seemingly able to break free for some half decent looks on offense were Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. That’s right, two thirds of “The Big 3.” Anyone who has been following the Celtics over the last few weeks has probably noticed the major shooting struggles of Ray Allen. The man I prefer to call “Ray Ray” or “Jesus”, from his acting days as Jesus Shuttlesworth in the movie He Got Game, has been horrible from 3-pt range and even from the field in general.

To be fair when I say “horrible” I mean for Ray Allen standards. Everything is relative right? Ray Allen is probably the best pure shooter the NBA has ever seen. I realize there may have been better 3-pt specialists, a select few better from the free throw line, and maybe even better mid-range jump shooters. But when you consider a players ability to shoot from anywhere on the floor at a high percentage over the period of their entire career, no one is even close to the pure shooting abilities of Ray Allen.

That’s what makes Allen’s shooting struggles so shocking for fans across Celtic Nation, and so disconcerting for the Boston Celtics coaching staff and personnel. The timing is terrible for an Allen shooting slump, as the Celtics try to put the finishing touches on their ultimate goal of winning an NBA championship. It almost cost them their season in Round 2 as Ray Allen averaged a mere 33% shooting from the field for the entire series, which was a huge contributing factor to the Celtics just barely squeezing out the win to advance past the Cavaliers.

In Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals against Detroit, Ray Allen shot just 3 for 10 from the field. Fortunately the Celtics are good enough to weather the storm while Allen struggles. Would tonight’s Game 2 be the night for Ray Allen to get back to being Jesus himself, Mr. Shuttlesworth?

In the first half Allen had just 5 points, but he played solid on both ends of the floor. The Celtics were down 7 pts at halftime. In the third quarter Allen came out aggressive and hot, knocking down shots from various spots on the floor. Allen brought the Celtics back in a hurry giving the Celtics a quick lead midway through the third quarter. I started sitting up on the edge of my seat thinking this is it…. “Jesus, make everything right in the world again.” Then he picked up his fourth foul. Doc Rivers kept him in, thinking it was better to leave the hot hand in the game.

Then Rip Hamilton gave Jesus the pump fake. Damn you Rip and your crafty pump fakes. Ray Allen picked up his 5th foul and Doc Rivers was forced to sit him.

As expected the Pistons made another run heading into the fourth with a nice little 9 point cushion. After a couple of quick baskets by the Pistons, Doc had seen enough and decided to risk it, and put Allen back in the game. He was rewarded by a couple of quick layups and a powerful baseline dunk by Jesus Shuttlesworth.

The 11 point lead of the Pistons was quickly cut to 5, with 5 minutes left in the game. Then it happened. Jesus Shuttlesworth threw up a fade away 3-pt shot. Cash Money. Next offensive set for the Celts, they know what to do, give Jesus the rock. Allen cuts to the middle and pulls up for a sweet jumper to bring the Celtics within two.

That’s as close as the Celtics would get though as Rip Hamilton, a great high percentage jump shooter in his own right, hit back to back jump shots to help the Pistons pull away.

And although Ray Allen hit one more three, the Pistons won 103-97 to tie the series 1-1 heading back to Detroit. When all is said and done though the Celtics have to feel pretty good that Jesus has risen, and hopefully will be their scoring saviour for the remainder of the 2008 Playoffs.

Lakers vs. Spurs Game 1: Kobe, Better Late than Never!

May 22nd, 2008 – Dr. Browntorious

After watching Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals tonight between the LA Lakers and San Antonio Spurs, I felt like I just had some strange form of NBA déjà vu.

Haven’t the Spurs already played this team? Hmmm….

Oops wait, their opponents jerseys are a different color this time. First they played a purple team, and then they played a blue team, now they are playing a yellow team.

Seriously though, what are the major differences in playing style between the Suns, the Hornets, and now the Lakers. All three of the Spurs opponents thus far have been strong offensive teams, mediocre defensive teams, and have a one two scoring punch focused on a superstar tandem and an up-tempo style of play. Think Steve Nash-Amare Stoudemire, Chris Paul-David West, and now Kobe Bryant-Pau Gasol. Although the first two tandems would normally try and pick and roll teams to death, the Kobe-Pau tandem is more focused on isolation plays for Kobe Bryant combined with lob or drop passes for Pau Gasol off of defensive double teams on Bryant. When you really watch Pau Gasol closely with the Lakers, he acts as sort of a bona fide garbage man. Although given his skill and ability he’s more like the entire cleanup crew.

With that being said, half of that Lakers tandem IS Kobe Bryant, one of the greatest scorers we have seen in the NBA since Michael Jordan left the game. The interesting thing about this series is going to be watching Kobe’s offense facing one of the greatest defensive teams this league has seen in the last decade. I can already smell a heated clash at some point between Kobe and defensive specialist Bruce Bowen.

Kobe Bryant was magnificent in the second half of Game 1 against the Spurs. But last time I checked an official NBA playoff game is still 48 minutes long. Kobe seemed to be nonexistent in the first half of Game 1, allowing the Spurs to jump out to a large 20 point lead early in the third quarter. Phil Jackson characterized Kobe’s first half play by saying he must have “taken a vacation to the Bermuda triangle, instead of playing in the Lakers offensive triangle.”

Every player is entitled to play like a dog from time to time, given they are only human. But what you don’t want to see if you are a coach is your star player come out of the gates in an important Conference Finals opening game with little to no energy on either end of the floor. Being the star player on a team has its responsibilities. One of which is to set the tone for the rest of your teammates early in games. This doesn’t mean you have to necessarily score a ton early on. This can be something as simple as dropping a few nice dimes, working your tail off on defense, or making some hustle plays. The important thing is just to give the role players something to feed off of.

Tonight’s example of this type of leader was Tim Duncan. The “Big Fundamental” came to play tonight, as always, from start to finish. Duncan worked the glass, hustled on both ends, and was focused throughout. Finishing with 30pts and 18 boards 2 steals and 4 blocks, Duncan is the “Big Stat Stuffer.”

So the Spurs must have won easily right? Nope. Final score 89-85, Lakers.

Why? How?

Kobe Bryant is scary good. He had only 2 pts in the first half, the Spurs were up 20pts early in the third quarter, then Kobe must have decided he felt like winning. Mid-way through the third quarter Kobe hit a three, then a fade away, then a drive to the hoop, then some more jumpers. All of a sudden by the final minutes of the game, the Spurs were the ones trying to claw their way back into the game.

It must be terribly frustrating for a coach watching a player of Kobe’s caliber just “turn it on” at will as he did in the third quarter, knowing that he has the ability to dominate a game but only comes to play in spurts in such an important game in your championship run.

Who knows…maybe Kobe is just pacing himself. And contrary to what parents have been telling their kids for years, at the end of the day the team remembered is the one who wins, and the LA Lakers did that tonight.

If Kobe decides to bring it for 48 minutes a game the rest of this series, it will be all Lakers. If not the Spurs experience will probably result in wins more often than not in these chippy close games, especially the ones in San Antonio.

To paraphrase the great Phil Jackson: Kobe, there is plenty of time to visit the “Bermuda Triangle” in the off-season. For now just focus on the “Lakers Triangle.”

Chicago Bulls win Draft Lottery with only a 1.7% chance!

May 20th, 2008 – Dr. J-Water

The Chicago Bulls tonight won the NBA Draft Lottery.

Yes, you read that correctly. After finishing with the leagues 9th worst record and a 33-49 regular season mark, the Bulls had only a 1.7% chance of winning the NBA draft lottery.

Since 1994 when the lottery format was brought in for the NBA draft, only twice has the team with the worst record in the regular season won the lottery. With that said, I still don’t think anyone was expecting the Bulls to come out of this one on top. I hope the Chicago Bulls owner tracks down that lucky ping pong ball for a souvenir, as the way it bounces may turn out to be worth millions.

The Miami Heat had a 25% chance to win the lottery with this seasons worst record at 15-67. The Heat ended up with the second pick in the draft. Although they dropped down a draft spot from the lottery odds, I doubt you will find many Miami Heat executives crying over their missed opportunity.

Why not?

Because this years NBA draft is pretty much a two horse race for the number one pick. If anything this alleviates all the pressure from the executives in the Heat front office. Now they won’t have to be the ones to decide between PG Derrick Rose and PF Michael Beasley. Whichever player the Bulls pick, the Heat will defacto take the other.

After the Chicago Bulls were announced as the winner of the draft lottery, their representative Steve Schanwald, executive vice president of business operations, was shown fist pumping then smiling for the remainder of the event.

Following the lottery Schanwald said: “After this season, we needed a break and I think we just got one tonight.” The Bulls had a rocky season after coming in to the year with high expectations. They made multiple roster moves, and even fired two Coaches in Scott Skiles and Jim Boylan. Earlier this month they were in talks with Mike D’Antoni about retaining his services for their head coaching position, although they were ultimately passed over in favour of the New York Knicks who could offer D’Antoni a bigger paycheque. Well maybe karma has a way of working these things out, as the Bulls tonight defied the odds and locked in their choice of future stars. I’m sure winning the lottery will accelerate the Bulls search to fill their vacant coaching spot.

Now the pressure is on the Bulls to decide between Beasley and Rose before June 26th. I’m sure that’s a dilemma that a lot of NBA executives would love to have right about now. Over the coming weeks we will hear a lot about who the Bulls should pick given their current roster. I assume after the stinker of a year Kirk Hinrich had at the PG position, the Bulls will go with the young and explosive Derrick Rose to run the point and have Hinrich back him up.

The draft will once again take place in New York. I’m sure June 26th can’t come soon enough for Bulls fans.

The full first round leader board is set as follows:

1. Chicago Bulls
2. Miami Heat
3. Minnesota Timberwolves
4. Seattle Supersonics
5. Memphis Grizzlies
6. New York Knicks
7. LA Clippers
8. Milwaukee Bucks
9. Charlotte Bobcats
10. New Jersey Nets
11. Indiana Pacers
12. Sacramento Kings
13. Portland Trailblazers
14. Golden State Warriors
15. Atlanta Hawks (to Phoenix)
16. Philadelphia 76ers
17. Toronto Raptors
18. Washington Wizards
19. Cleveland Cavaliers
20. Denver Nuggets
21. Dallas Mavericks (to New Jersey)
22. Orlando Magic
23. Utah Jazz
24. Phoenix Suns (to Seattle)
25. Houston Rockets
26. San Antonio Spurs
27. New Orleans Hornets
28. LA Lakers
29. Detroit Pistons
30. Boston

NBA Draft 2008: Michael Beasley or Derrick Rose?

May 19th, 2008 – Dr. Anklesnap

Tomorrow is the NBA draft lottery and although we are in the middle of an exciting NBA playoff run with our final four teams about to kick off the Conference Finals, the buzz is starting to mount around the league on how the ping pong balls will bounce. Who will get the number one pick? Will the 250 out of 1000 chance the Miami Heat have in the 2008 NBA draft to get the number one pick, come through for them to instantly increase their fortunes? Who will be the number one pick, Kansas State power forward Michael Beasley or Memphis point guard Derrick Rose? While tomorrow night two of those three questions will be answered, unfortunately we will have to wait until June 26^th in New York for the answer to the third.

The Hoop Doctors have spent a lot of time debating the potential picks from this years draft pool. While there has been much agreement on who will be the top 5 or 6 picks in the draft, there have been lots of heated arguments about who will go number one. A couple of the Hoop Doctors believe teams should draft for talent regardless of their roster needs, as this league is one that is often dominated by the all-stars. And the other Hoop Doctors believe teams should fill their gaps by drafting the best available player for the position where they are the weakest to make their team more well-rounded.

What do you think is the smart move for a franchise with the top pick in the NBA draft?

Last week a source with knowledge of which way the Heat are leaning said if they get the first pick they probably will take Derrick Rose, though Heat officials continue to caution the public that there is no decision yet. Although some Rose detractors are concerned with his perimeter shooting, almost all scouts would agree that at 6’3” tall Derrick Roses’ size for a point guard is a huge plus. The Beasley detractors on the other hand are concerned that at 6’9” tall he may fall into the fate of many highly touted college power forwards, and be faced with NBA struggles once he is playing against players of his size and strength on a nightly basis.

After discussing the draft with some contacts in the scouting world, and debating the candidates with anyone who wants to chat about how the bounce of the ping pong balls can change the fortunes and direction of a franchise, I wanted to weigh in formally. Here are my choices for the top ten draft picks based on the current team odds of getting a particular pick from their regular season records.

Dr. Anklesnap’s Top 10 NBA Draft 2008 Candidates:

1. Miami Heat

Who: Derrick Rose

Stats: PG, 6’3”, 190lbs, 19yrs

School: Memphis

2. Seattle Supersonics

Who: Michael Beasley

Stats: PF, 6’9”, 235lbs, 19yrs

School: Kansas State

3. Minnesota Timberwolves

Who: O.J. Mayo

Stats: PG, 6’5”, 199lbs, 20yrs

School: USC

4. Memphis Grizzlies

Who: Brook Lopez

Stats: C, 7’0”, 260lbs, 20yrs

School: Stanford

5. New York Knicks

Who: Jerryd Bayless

Stats: G, 6’3”, 199lbs, 19yrs

School: Arizona

6. Los Angeles Clippers

Who: Danilo Gallinari

Stats: SF, 6’9”, 209lbs, 19yrs

School: International

7. Milwaukee Bucks

Who: Eric Gordon

Stats: SG, 6’3”, 215lbs, 19yrs

School: Indiana

8. Charlotte Bobcats

Who: Kevin Love

Stats: C, 6’9”, 255, 19yrs

School: UCLA

9.Chicago Bulls

Who: DeAndre Jordan

Stats: C, 7’0”, 260lbs, 19yrs

School: Texas A&M

10. New Jersey Nets

Who: D.J. Augustin

Stats: PG, 5’11”, 175lbs, 20yrs

School: Texas

So there you have it, those are my votes. Now if you were an NBA GM who would you be lining up to take with the top picks in the draft this year?

Celtics/Cavaliers Game 7: The ‘House’ Rule? Pierce IS “The Truth”

May 19th, 2008 – Dr. Dime

When the Boston Celtics finished the regular season with an NBA best 66 wins, most NBA fans (especially those in Green) were ready to hand over the Eastern Conference title to the Celtics. Winning only 3 series against teams in the weaker Eastern Conference should be a breeze for the Celtics right?

Not exactly. Out of nowhere the Celtics have developed serious struggles on the road. For anyone who hasn’t been following the first two rounds of the playoffs the Boston Celtics have yet to win a road game. That’s right; they are 0-6 on the road in the 2008 post-season. This from a team that also had a league leading 31 wins on the road this year.

Lucky for the Celtics, having the league best record and the home court advantage all the way through the playoffs means they can theoretically win the NBA Championship without ever winning a road game. Of course that would mean they would need to be perfect at the Boston Garden for their entire playoff run.

Heading into yesterday’s Game 7 against the Cleveland Cavaliers the buzz in NBA circles has been about two keys to this game. Most Celtics supporters have been wondering which one of the Celtics “Big Three” would step up their game with the season and their championship aspirations on the line. The Cavaliers supporters have been praying that someone, anyone, would give Lebron James some help on the offensive end. To answer both questions, Paul Pierce had a monster game for the Celtics and absolutely no one stepped up to give King James a hand.

So with that being said, was a big game from the great Lebron James, with virtually no help from his teammates, enough to beat the Mighty Boston Celtics?

Not this time.

In the first half the Celtics dominated the Cavaliers on both ends of the floor. For this series, one of the lowest scoring of all time, that translated into a 10 point lead for the Celtics at half time.

Although Paul Pierce finished the first half with 26 points by picking apart the Cavs with his smooth jumper and ability to get to the rim and draw fouls at will, it was the hustle plays of the spark plug Eddie House that had the Boston Garden a rockin’.

Then at the start of the second half the Celtics came out flat. From there on in it was a battle between Paul Pierce and Lebron James. With the two All-Stars exchanging blows, the question clearly became who would be able to take the other’s biggest hit and keep on attacking?

Pierce hits the smooth Jumper with a hand in his face. Lebron takes it to the cup, And 1. Pierce with the spin move floater. Lebron hits the three from waaaay downtown.

These two heavyweight scorers kept on scoring and scoring. The plays for both coaches were seemingly get Pierce or Lebron the rock, and everyone else get the hell out of the way!

So in this one on one battle it was fitting in the closing minutes when Lebron steals the ball from Pierce to take it in for an easy dunk and close the Cavaliers to within 1 point of the Celtics.

Then a minute later it was also fitting when Paul Pierce slips the Lebron James weak box out on a jump ball to steal a possession from the Cavs in the closing minute of play.

Can these two players, Pierce and James, be any more clutch in a Game 7? Unfortunately the season is ending for one of them. Sorry Cavs fans, but that player is Lebron James. As well as King James played, he just didn’t get any help.

And in the closing seconds of the game it couldn’t have been scripted any better with Pierce hitting two clutch free throws, then who else getting a steal to seal the win for the Celtics, but Eddie House.

So, what are the House Rules?

I guess that Pierce really is “the truth” in Boston.

97-92 Boston. Look out Pistons.

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