NBA Playoffs: Only Getting Better
Bleacher Talk
May 28, 2006
When the NBA Playoffs wrapped up its first round around two weeks ago, we had said that it sure looks like the fans were getting their money’s worth with what could be considered as the best first round in NBA history. Well don’t look now, but it looks like this has been topped off by an even better second round that has featured everything that the first round had to offer plus more!
The biggest surprise had to be the near fall of Detroit to Cleveland, and the way the LA Clippers provided some scary moments for the Phoenix Suns. And just in case you were sleeping, the defending champ San Antonio Spurs were knocked out in seven games by the Dallas Mavericks. What more could you ask for? Three of the second round match-ups ended in seven games, and one of the teams knocked out was the defending champ!
I have to admit that I’m a sucker for underdogs. While I like the team play and blue-collar style of play of the Pistons, I also wanted the underdogs in Cleveland to come out on top to complete its soap opera season. Lebron James and Coach Mike Brown did a great job of getting that close to a fourth win, but the lack of a deep roster and playoff experience just had to give way. Detroit showed why its style of play should be in dictionaries as a definition (or sample) of team play. The leadership of Chauncey Billups, the clutch shooting and decoy plays of Rip Hamilton, the defense of Ben Wallace, the “I’ll do anything Coach asks of me” mentality of Tayshaun Prince, and the inside-out game + defense of Rasheed Wallace are simply unmatched.
Out in the West, I had also wanted the Clippers to score an upset to prove that they’re the team that deserves more praise in LA over that other one-man team. But each time the Clippers would come up with something, the Suns also had their own counter-punch that knocked LA off its feet. The Phoenix Suns led by two-time MVP Steve Nash have proven that you don’t have to be big to win games, a department that the Clippers wanted to exploit with the presence of Elton Brand and a bigger frontline. And with a mix and match support crew of Shawn Marion, Boris Diaw, Raja Bell, Leandro Barbosa and Tim Thomas, the Suns have proven that an offense from a run-and-gun game coupled with three-point shooting could lead them to an NBA championship. Did you know that all six the players mentioned are averaging in double digits in the playoffs? Amazing!
And this leads us to another story on offense, but this time with a some touch of defense. This year’s Dallas Mavericks under Coach Avery Johnson is so different from the previous Dallas teams that were known only for its offense. Coach AJ has taught the Mavs how to play defense and believe it or not, they‘ve responded. So forget all the talk that they can’t defend against the best in the West since they just knocked out “only” the defending champions San Antonio Spurs. Just about everyone had picked the Spurs to defend their title on the premise (among other things) that they were the only team that played defense in the West. Offense has never been a problem in the state of Texas but you can now add the Mavs to the list of teams that can play “D.” And “D” can also stand for Dallas, Defense and Dirk. Nowitski is thriving on his new role as the leader of the team in the post-Nash era and he’s also getting excellent support from a crew of players who were relatively unknown to many. Honestly now, how many of you knew Josh Howard, Jason Terry and Devin Harris well before the start of the playoffs?
The only “non-story” of the second round was Miami’s 4-1 win over New Jersey. But did I say “no story?” Let me check that because there is a story that should be raised. Many had questioned why Pat Riley brought in three veterans with a history and baggage of both on/off court problems. Jason Williams, Gary Payton and Antoine Walker aren’t exactly the NBA’s role models, but somehow, Riley felt they could help out the duo of Dwayne Wade and Shaquille O’Neal. The irony of it all is that the three new faces have accepted their new positions as role players to support Wade and Shaq. There were predictions that this acceptance wouldn’t last, but look who’s talking now? The New Jersey Nets were the hottest team going into the playoffs with the troika of Jason Kidd, Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson wrecking havoc. But I guess that’s all academic now after the 4-1 trashing that they got from the Heat.
That was just the second round of the playoffs. As we enter the Conference Finals of each side, we’ve already been loaded with tons of exciting games, the resumption of rivalries and plain and simple hardcore basketball. How much more can we take?
*** Time-out: Happy birthday to Mark Calo and Boy Ali Montes! >>> You can reach me at bleachertalk@yahoo.com and http://bleachertalk.blogspot.com.
May 28, 2006
When the NBA Playoffs wrapped up its first round around two weeks ago, we had said that it sure looks like the fans were getting their money’s worth with what could be considered as the best first round in NBA history. Well don’t look now, but it looks like this has been topped off by an even better second round that has featured everything that the first round had to offer plus more!
The biggest surprise had to be the near fall of Detroit to Cleveland, and the way the LA Clippers provided some scary moments for the Phoenix Suns. And just in case you were sleeping, the defending champ San Antonio Spurs were knocked out in seven games by the Dallas Mavericks. What more could you ask for? Three of the second round match-ups ended in seven games, and one of the teams knocked out was the defending champ!
I have to admit that I’m a sucker for underdogs. While I like the team play and blue-collar style of play of the Pistons, I also wanted the underdogs in Cleveland to come out on top to complete its soap opera season. Lebron James and Coach Mike Brown did a great job of getting that close to a fourth win, but the lack of a deep roster and playoff experience just had to give way. Detroit showed why its style of play should be in dictionaries as a definition (or sample) of team play. The leadership of Chauncey Billups, the clutch shooting and decoy plays of Rip Hamilton, the defense of Ben Wallace, the “I’ll do anything Coach asks of me” mentality of Tayshaun Prince, and the inside-out game + defense of Rasheed Wallace are simply unmatched.
Out in the West, I had also wanted the Clippers to score an upset to prove that they’re the team that deserves more praise in LA over that other one-man team. But each time the Clippers would come up with something, the Suns also had their own counter-punch that knocked LA off its feet. The Phoenix Suns led by two-time MVP Steve Nash have proven that you don’t have to be big to win games, a department that the Clippers wanted to exploit with the presence of Elton Brand and a bigger frontline. And with a mix and match support crew of Shawn Marion, Boris Diaw, Raja Bell, Leandro Barbosa and Tim Thomas, the Suns have proven that an offense from a run-and-gun game coupled with three-point shooting could lead them to an NBA championship. Did you know that all six the players mentioned are averaging in double digits in the playoffs? Amazing!
And this leads us to another story on offense, but this time with a some touch of defense. This year’s Dallas Mavericks under Coach Avery Johnson is so different from the previous Dallas teams that were known only for its offense. Coach AJ has taught the Mavs how to play defense and believe it or not, they‘ve responded. So forget all the talk that they can’t defend against the best in the West since they just knocked out “only” the defending champions San Antonio Spurs. Just about everyone had picked the Spurs to defend their title on the premise (among other things) that they were the only team that played defense in the West. Offense has never been a problem in the state of Texas but you can now add the Mavs to the list of teams that can play “D.” And “D” can also stand for Dallas, Defense and Dirk. Nowitski is thriving on his new role as the leader of the team in the post-Nash era and he’s also getting excellent support from a crew of players who were relatively unknown to many. Honestly now, how many of you knew Josh Howard, Jason Terry and Devin Harris well before the start of the playoffs?
The only “non-story” of the second round was Miami’s 4-1 win over New Jersey. But did I say “no story?” Let me check that because there is a story that should be raised. Many had questioned why Pat Riley brought in three veterans with a history and baggage of both on/off court problems. Jason Williams, Gary Payton and Antoine Walker aren’t exactly the NBA’s role models, but somehow, Riley felt they could help out the duo of Dwayne Wade and Shaquille O’Neal. The irony of it all is that the three new faces have accepted their new positions as role players to support Wade and Shaq. There were predictions that this acceptance wouldn’t last, but look who’s talking now? The New Jersey Nets were the hottest team going into the playoffs with the troika of Jason Kidd, Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson wrecking havoc. But I guess that’s all academic now after the 4-1 trashing that they got from the Heat.
That was just the second round of the playoffs. As we enter the Conference Finals of each side, we’ve already been loaded with tons of exciting games, the resumption of rivalries and plain and simple hardcore basketball. How much more can we take?
*** Time-out: Happy birthday to Mark Calo and Boy Ali Montes! >>> You can reach me at bleachertalk@yahoo.com and http://bleachertalk.blogspot.com.
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