Is Having Two Mid-Majors in the Final Four Good For College Basketball?

March 29, 2011 – Kevin Burke

Just over two weeks ago on Selection Sunday, ESPN’s Dick Vitale, Jay Bilas and company waxed poetically and endlessly about how the Virginia Commonwealth University Rams had no business being in the NCAA tournament when schools like Colorado and Virginia Tech had better resumes. Now that VCU has somehow found their way into the Final Four after stunning Kansas, students from the Richmond school have taken much pride in letting both Dick and Jay know that they don’t know what they’re talking about.

Joining VCU in Houston this coming weekend will be the Bulldogs from Butler who beat Florida in order to get here. Of course, this isn’t unfamiliar ground for Butler who came within a Gordon Hayward halfcourt heave from becoming National Champions last year. Five years ago, I’m not sure many followers of college basketball ever heard of VCU or Butler, but that doesn’t matter because here we are. One of these two school will play David to either UConn’s or Kentucky’s Goliath on Monday night. If you love the Cinderella story, it’s a shame that these two must play one another in the Final Four rather than potentially in the National Championship game.

But is this a good thing? Do people outside of Richmond and Indianapolis really want to see VCU vs. Butler? In 2006 when George Mason (ironically from the same conference as VCU) made their improbable run to the Final Four, not many people watched. It was one of the lowest rated Final Fours and I’m sure this year will give 2006 a run for it’s money. That’s because most people want to see the Dukes, Michigan States, North Carolinas and Syracuses of the world. Not necessarily a feel good story.

Also, in championship competition, you typically want to see the best teams battle for supremacy. That won’t be the case this year since either 11 seed VCU or 8 seed Butler will be playing for the title. In all fairness, 3 seed UConn and 4 seed Kentucky (it’s hard to believe that this is UK’s first trip to the Final Four since 1998) may not be the best teams either, but they aren’t far from it. And many are OK with that because they’re UConn and Kentucky and, all things considered, they are better teams than VCU and Butler since each spent weeks in the top 10 during the regular season so not many are batting an eye that they’ve gotten this far.

Even though they’re in the Final Four, the fact that VCU’s bid is still questioned shouldn’t be forgotten or overlooked. But let’s certainly give them credit because they have put together the most impressive tournament run ever. What surprised me was how composed they were after beating Kansas – as if they expected to win. I’m torn because VCU and Butler show us that if you get hot at the right time, you can potentially become a national champion. I don’t know if that’s good or bad for the game because this year’s tournament could simply be a battle of “who got hot at the right time?” as opposed to “who’s the best team?”, which is primarily highlighted by these two mid-majors (Yes, UConn has pulled off 9 wins in 19 days, but again, they spent most of the season in the top 10 and they didn’t sneak into the tournament). That coupled with the fact these are two relatively unknown teams makes me wonder if people long for more cache this year.

Do VCU and Butler make you more or less interested in the Final Four?

If you’re looking for your everyday, predictable basketball talk, then go somewhere else, because Kevin Burke of The Kevin Burke Project brings provocative, thought provoking content about basketball as only he can. Kevin also hosts The Hoop Doctors weekly podcast show, which you can subscribe to for free on iTunes. Follow Kevin on Twitter and Facebook

Carmelo Anthony’s Top 10 In-Game Sneakers

March 29, 2011 – Ben Berry

Carmelo Anthony in a “Olympic” colorway of the Melo M4.

Carmelo Anthony in the Melo M6.

Carmelo Anthony in the Melo M7 “All-Star” edition.

Carmelo Anthony rocking the Air Jordan VII “Olympic”.

Carmelo Anthony in the “All-Star West” colorway of the Air Jordan XXIII.

Carmelo Anthony drives the lane in a Player Exclusive pair of the Air Jordan II.

Carmelo Anthony blows a shot in the Air Jordan XIII.

Carmelo Anthony throws it down in a Air Jordan XII PE.

Carmelo Anthony gets airborn in the Air Jordan XIX.

Carmelo Anthony eyes the rim in a Air Jordan XX PE.

Monday’s Weekly Knicks Notes: Week 23

March 28, 2011 – Kevin Burke

The struggles continue for the Knicks who seem primed to back into the playoffs which are set to begin in a few weeks. They are continuing to find new ways to lose to teams that aren’t as talented as they are and have lost 9 of their last 10. Even before the Carmelo trade last week, the Knicks were one of the worst defensive teams in the league and you know what? They still are.

I’ve mentioned more than a few times on Monday’s Weekly Knicks Notes that New York needed a defensive presence down low more so than they needed Carmelo, Chauncey or anyone else for that matter. When the Carmelo deal went down, Corey Brewer was acquired from Minnesota. Brewer is a solid perimeter defender so I was hopeful that he would make a difference. However, Brewer was released not too long after the trade, so there went that idea. But a few days later, New York acquired former Knick, Jared Jeffries after Houston bought him out.

Once a big time scorer in college at Indiana, Jeffries has become only concerned with defending and grabbing boards. That’s exactly what the Knicks need but Jeffries isn’t big enough to make the type of difference that they need.

The Knicks are still one of the best scoring teams in the league and they are fueled by an offensive minded coach. While the team (who hasn’t had that many practices together since the new faces were acquired) must adjust to one another on the court, head coach Mike D’Antoni much adjust to the type of talent that he has as well. He must implement a defensive mindset. He doesn’t have a choice.

Before Carlos Boozer got to Chicago, he was a subpar defender. But lucky for Boozer, Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau is a defensive minded coach and Boozer actually looks like a competent defender in that system. It’s amazing what coaching can do. D’Antoni can’t keep operating as usual because the team will never be successful that way. What kills me is that in just about every post-game conference after a loss, he expressed his displeasure with what happened on the defensive side of the ball even though he’s not a defensive minded coach.

Everyone is frustrated. Fans, coaches, players…everyone. “I don’t care how good your offense is, you’ve really got to score 120-something to beat a team like that. Our defense is what’s going to make or break us, I believe”, said Chauncey after the most recent loss to the Bobcats.

The Knicks are now two full games back of Philadelphia for the 6^th spot in the East. They have a three and a half game lead on the Pacers who are 8^th. I’d like to think that they can hold on enough to not miss the playoffs. Three of their next four games are against New Jersey, Cleveland and Toronto – teams who will not be in the playoffs if they started today. They need to win those not only for morale, but to really make sure they’ll be playing late April.

Kourt Kicks: 3/27

March 28, 2011 – Ben Berry

Boston Celtics vs. Minnesota Timberwolves:

Kevin Garnett in the Anta KG1.

Miami Heat vs. Houston Rockets:
LeBron James in the Air Max LeBron VIII PS drives on Chuck Hayes in a Peak shoe.

Atlanta Hawks vs. Cleveland Cavaliers:
Baron Davis looks to make a move in the Li-Ning BD Defend while guarded by Kirk Hinrich in a pair of Converse Sicks.

Sacramento Kings vs. Philadelphia 76ers:
In the Converse EB3, Elton Brand eyes Samual Dalemburt in the Nike Hyperfuse.

Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Portland Trailblazers:
Russell Westbrook in a Nike Hyperfuse PE looks to make a move on LaMarcus Aldridge in the Air Max Hyperdunk 2010.

Los Angeles Lakers vs. New Orleans Hornets:
Kobe Bryant and Chris Paul in the Zoom Kobe VI and CP3.IV respectively.

Memphis Grizzlies vs. San Antonio Spurs:
Tony Allen in the Nike Zoom Brave IV is defended by Mike Conley in the adidas adiPure.

Golden State Warriors vs. Washington Wizards:
John Wall shoots an off-balance shot in the Reebok Zig Slash while Stephan Curry looks on in the Nike Air Max Fly By.

Dallas Mavericks vs. Phoenix Suns:
Rodrigue Beaubois drives the lane in the Nike Hyperfuse while Steve Nash defends in Nike Zoom Low Go.

The “Final Four” of Lakers’ Playoffs Moments of 2010

March 28, 2011 – R.S. De France

In time for the NCAA Final Four, The Hoop Doctors would like to take a look back to the Los Angeles Lakers’ 2010 playoff and finals run. Here are the “Final Four” of Lakers’ playoff moments from 2010:

1. “Artest’s Game-Winner,” Phoenix Suns, Western Conference Finals, Game 5

In a 2-2 series against the Phoenix Suns, the Lakers were stuck in a hotly contested battle in the final moments of game 5. With the score tied and the Lakers on offense, Ron Artest secured an important offensive rebound. Instead of running down the game clock and setting up the offense, like the Coach and team wanted, Artest bricked a relatively open 3-pointer.

In the final moments of the game, Kobe Bryant was forced into launching a 3-point attempt while he was double-teamed by Steve Nash and Grant Hill.

After the miss, Ron Artest rebounded and scored the game-winning bucket. Later Coach Phil Jackson, and others, remarked how no one in NBA history had, perhaps, gone so quickly from a goat to a hero.

2. “Gasol’s Game-Winner,” Oklahoma City Thunder, 1^st Round, Game 6

In a challenging series, highlighted best by a 110-89 Lakers’ loss in game 4, the end of Game 6 was the defining moment for L.A. Bryant tried to bail the Lakers out, but his missed shot led to a Pau Gasol rebound that will live-on in Lakers’ lore.

3. “D-Fish Delivers in Clutch,” Boston Celtics, NBA Finals, Game 3

Heading back to Boston, where the Lakers had been dismantled in Game 6 of the 2008 Finals, Kobe Bryant and others had difficultly coming up with buckets down the stretch of the game. Scoring 11 of his 16 points in the final quarter, Fisher came up with the play of the game, a coast-to-coast driving layup, as he was fouled by 3 Boston Celtics (Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and “Big Baby” Davis). For the Lakers, and especially Fisher, it was a remarkable play. It was essentially a 1-on-4 play that gave the Lakers a 7-point lead with less-than a minute to go. As soon as he got the board, Fisher started pacing up the left side of the floor, the other Lakers lagging behind. The Celtics, too, it seemed were more concerned with keeping pace with the Lakers than staying ahead of the ball. It seemed once Davis, Allen, and Paul Pierce were inside the half court line, they hesitated getting into defensive position. They saw Garnett on Fisher, and seemed to think, collectively, Okay, KG’s got that. That hesitation where maybe Allen and Pierce exchanged words, and Davis may have lost sight of the ball was enough of an opening for Fisher. Once D-Fish slid by KG, Allen raced back, but it was too late. Davis should have been further back to help. Defense won the Celtics the 2008 title, but a defensive lapse was the last nail in the coffin for the Celtics in game 3.

4. “Kobe’s 37 Points Take Down his Old Nemesis, Suns,” Phoenix Suns, Western Conference Finals, Game 6

This series meant a lot to Bryant and the Lakers because the Suns had knocked the Lakers out of the playoffs in 2006 and 2007. Then, there was the harsh (and I believe overly harsh) criticism Bryant received after the losing in Game 7 (2006) after the Lakers (7^thplace) had taken an improbable 3-1 series lead against a very talented and balanced Suns’ team (2^ndplace). After blowing that series, many people came down hard on Bryant, who finished the game 8/16 from the field, 4/8 from 3-point range, and 24 points. I always thought Bryant stuck with the team strategy that Jackson was pushing, and that his teammates should have taken more heat for that loss. It’s not like Bryant did not pass the ball—no one else made shots. The other Lakers’ starters were all pretty bad from the field.

Smush Parker 4/13, Luke Walton 6/13, Lamar Odom 5/14, Kwame Brown 2/10

In the 2010 closeout game (WCF Game 6), Bryant erased any doubters left over from that earlier series. It actually seems a bit silly as we look back from 2010, but in 2006 people were questioning whether or not Kobe Bryant was even a good closer. For the last few years, now, though, Bryant has been considered by many to be the best closer in the game.

Looking back at the 2005-2007 Lakers, it looks pretty clear that Kobe Bryant knew it was “all on him.” And he showcased his talent, scoring 81 in 2006 (2^nd all-time), scoring 40 points or more in 9 consecutive games (1 of 3), scoring 50 points or more in 4 straight games (2^nd only to Wilt Chamberlain) in 2007. In the playoffs, though, you could see Bryant’s lack of confidence, not in himself, but in his teammates (perhaps aside from Odom). And, Bryant said basically as much himself: put him around guys like Smush Parker, and what did you really expect to happen? Now, put him around a cast of all-star level talent (Gasol, Odom, and Andrew Bynum), Bryant has been (and still is) ready to roll.

In Game 6 in the 2010 Western Finals, Bryant was “on” from the opening tip, taking charge and leading the offense. He was so dominant, so unbelievable, that he even found himself, late in the game, giving Alvin Gentry a pat (ala Michael Jordan) after making a flat-out unreal shot. What is best about this play is how hard the Suns worked on defense, basically keeping the Lakers out of even getting into their offense until less than 10 seconds left on the shot clock. Then, the Lakers found Bryant, and with about 5 ticks left on the shot clock, Bryant took a dribble or two, made a little space between him and Grant Hill, rose and nailed a deep jumper, giving the Lakers a 7-point lead with only 34 seconds left.

Honorable Mentions: Games 6 & 7 of the NBA Finals v. Boston Celtics. Game 6 featured an amazing all-around performance by the Lakers, as well as a Jordan Farmar dunk on Kevin Garnett. Game 7 featured Ron Artest coming through, again.

Rob S. De France is a College and University instructor of English Composition living in Los Angeles. He has a B.A. in English and an M.A. in Rhetoric, Composition, and Writing. De France has played, coached, and officiated competitive high school basketball in California for many years. Recently, De France, his wife, and another colleague started an internationally read magazine at Shwibly.com.

Is D’Antoni On the Way Out Of New York?

March 28, 2011 – Allen Moll

Is there already a Coach Mike D’Antoni countdown in New York?

It’s not exactly a secret that he was against the dismantling of the club’s opening day roster to bring in Carmelo Anthony as the 2nd superstar to play alongside Amar’e Stoudemire for the foreseeable future. It also doesn’t help things that his former roster that was shipped to Denver, now known affectionately as the Knuggets have suprisingly overachieved to a 12-4 mark while the new look Knicks have floundered, playing sub .500 basketball during the same stretch.

This is New York. It’s known as “The City That Never Sleeps” and if you have the unfortunate chance to listen in on some late night sports chatter on the radio, you’ll know that someone has to be a scapegoat for all the losing going on in Gotham City.

Team owner James Dolan just mortgaged the team’s future on a handful of top tier players and as the old saying goes that, “sh** rolls downhill,” more times than not that brown substance tends to wind up on the coach’s doorstep. Just ask Erik Spoelstra in Miami, who seemingly has Hall of Fame coach Pat Riley breathing down his neck everytime the new look Heat go on a losing streak.

Stoudemire and Anthony still haven’t figured out how they fit together in D’Antoni’s uptempo offense while new point guard Chauncey Billups has missed some time due to injuries. A few lone bright spots have been the steady play of rookie sensation Landry Fields (10.1ppg, 6.6 reb), who is having as good a rookie campaign as anyone not named Griffin or Wall, and 2nd year floor general Toney Douglas, who has notched four 20 point games, including 2 double-doubles in the month of March.

Although the roster was gutted in the Melo trade, a team led by Stoudemire, Anthony, Billups, and Fields should be good enough to at least make a 2nd Round Playoff appearance…shouldn’t they?

It looks improbable right now as the Knicks are clinging to their post-season lives as the 76ers have leap-frogged them for the 6th spot in the Eastern Conference standings. With roughly 10 games to go in the regular season, the Knicks hold only a 3 game lead over 8th place Indiana.

While falling out of the Playoff picture altogether seems an impossibility at this point, an impending 1st Round tilt with the Boston Celtics seems like a huge mountain to climb as the struggling Knicks don’t match-up well with the green and white.

Would a 1st Round exit mean an end to the D’Antoni era? If it is, don’t cry for the coach as he would be owed another $6 million and just might be relieved to have this whole Stat and Melo mess behind him.

Allen Moll has been a lifelong NBA and NCAA College Basketball fan who watches and studies games religiously, and coaches youth basketball in his native Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania. Allen also provides content to Bleacherreport.com, Upperdeckblog.com, in addition to being a tenured NBA and NCAA columnist for TheHoopDoctors.com.

THD’s Kevin Burke Chats With Former Georgetown Head Coach, John Thompson

March 25, 2011 – Kevin Burke

A few days ago, former Georgetown head coach, John Thompson, returned to familiar surroundings – the sidelines, for the first time since he retired 12 years ago. Wearing his signature white towel draped over his shoulder, the legendary coach was back to teach dozens of high school basketball players the fundamentals of the game and life as part of a “POWERADE game science clinic.”

Coach Thompson kicked it off by talking to the group about the importance of training and hydration, the science behind the game, work ethic, education and character. Then Thompson and his staff led the group through some drills as well. Prior to all of this, The Hoop Doctors had the privilege of chatting with the Hall of Famer about a bunch of basketball related topics.

Rodney Stuckey Posterizes Chris Bosh

March 25, 2011 – Joshua Sexton

It would be an understatement to say the Pistons have had a disappointing season. Not only do they have a 25-46 record, but the team has had enough internal strife this season to last a lifetime.

However, Pistons fans were treated to one of the better dunks of the season Wednesday night when Rodney Stuckey posterized Chris Bosh.

In his first season in Miami, Chris Bosh has had somewhat of a hard time finding his niche on the team. In addition, he has even been called out by usually soft spoken Kevin Durant as being a “fake tough guy”.

On any note, check out Stuckey’s throwdown after the jump.

Joshua Sexton is a lifelong basketball fanatic, who watches as many games as possible. In addition, He has played and coached the game at the high school level. He has recently started writing about the game of basketball.

Did Coach K Outcoach Himself By Bringing Back Kyrie Irving?

March 25, 2011 – Kevin Burke

I have always thought that perhaps coaching in the professional ranks can be overrated at times, but it cannot be overstated in college. Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski and his 900 wins are synonymous with the college game, but he clearly committed a coaching blunder by bringing back freshman Kyrie Irving for the NCAA tournament to the extent that he did.

In college ball, chemistry is critical especially since these guys are so young. Duke cruised through the regular season to a 30 – 4 record and another ACC tournament title. They were fueled all year by their leader and ACC Player of the Year, Nolan Smith. Nolan had a sensational senior campaign for the Blue Devils and has earned the right the be a Naismith Player of the Year finalist. When the ball is in his hands the majority of the game as the Point Guard, it’s nearly impossible to beat Duke.

However, right before the tournament began, Coach K announced that he was bringing back Kyrie Irving for their tournament run. Irving missed 3 and a half months and 26 games because of an injured right big toe. In his absence, Nolan Smith ran the show with precision. Ironically, what Kyrie does best as well is handle the ball which is why I thought his return would disrupt chemistry. Don’t get me wrong, Kyrie is extremely talented but he had no business being out there as long as he was last night.

I was mainly against bringing back Kyrie because I’m always against rushing a young player back from injury and up until the announcement, we were never introduced to the notion that he may be back for the tournament which led me to believe that maybe he wasn’t fully healthy. I was also against bringing him back because I knew it would disrupt chemistry, which is why I politely asked Mr. Krzyzewski to pump his brakes on Podcast 45 before the tournament began.

Against Arizona, Kyrie had the ball in his hands on the perimeter more so than Nolan did. Kyrie is plenty capable, but why now? When Nolan had the ball, he didn’t seem like himself. Perhaps some of his confidence was rattled by Kyrie’s presence because Smith finished with just eight points on 3 – 14 shooting and a game-high six turnovers. Meanwhile, Kyrie poured in a team-high 28.

In last week’s game against Michigan, Kyrie played just 21 minutes to Nolan’s 38. Although Duke just narrowly beat the Wolverines, their offense seemed more in sync because Nolan was the primary ball handler and everyone is used to playing with him. Against Arizona, Duke more or less had to learn how to play with Kyrie on the fly since Coach K announced before the game that Kyrie would play “significant minutes.” Not only did Kyrie play 31 minutes but he took a team-high 15 shots.

Even though he only played a handful of games this year, I feel as if Kyrie is the best player on Duke’s roster and if he were healthy all year and the team had the chance to develop chemistry with him, Duke would’ve stood a much better chance at beating Arizona last night (although the Wildcats and Derrick Williams played as well as you will ever see a college team play). But to ask the team to learn how to play with Kyrie during a Sweet 16 game was a terrible gamble by Coach K. I’m not saying that he shouldn’t have reinserted Kyrie if he was healthy, but it was clearly the wrong decision to play him as much as he did. Coach K may have lost the game for Duke as much as Arizona’s nearly flawless game won it for them.

Kourt Kicks: 3/24

March 25, 2011 – Ben Berry

Dallas Mavericks vs. Minnesota Timberwolves:

Jason Terry jumps looking for the open man in the Reebok Zig Slash while Wesley Johnson looks on in the adidas Crazy 8.