khandor’s sports blog

Yesterday’s action finished with the following results:

W-L: 1-0
Units: +2.0

which is a nice positive step in the right direction.

Overall, after Day 12:

W-L: 14-12
Units: +5.29

Hopefully the news gets even better today.

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Thu Apr 30 2009

Game 1 – 7/BULLS vs 2/Celtics

If at all possible, the Celtics would prefer to end this series to night, rather than facing another Game 7 … only this time without Kevin Garnett, James Posey, PJ Brown and Leon Powe … against a team like the Baby Bulls with nothing to lose. This should be another hum-dinger decided in the final minute.

Boston +3/+100
CHICAGO -3/-108
Call: Boston [2 units]

Game 2 – 5/ROCKETS vs 4/Blazers

Expect both of these two teams to be playing desperate basketball tonight, not just the Blazers who are facing elimination for the first time. Houston has been down this road before … and consistently come up empty. With Dikembe Mutombo in their line-up tonight, the Rockets would win this specific game by open lengths. Deke isn’t there, however, behind Yao Ming … and the Rockets two young PG’s [i.e. Aaron Brooks & Kyle Lowry] are the ones who will need to make the plays necessary to advance to the 2nd Round of the playoffs. Can they do it, when the pressure is on? It is going to be interesting to see; that’s for sure. Increasing the PT for Rudy Fernandez; shifting Travis Outlaw down to the SF position; and focusing the Blazers’ offense around LaMarcus Aldridge, are all solid strategic moves made by Nate McMillan to keep their team afloat in this series … none of which will do them any good this evening, if Brandon Roy fails to perform in the clutch like a superstar player. If Portland is going to survive tonight, it will be because Roy makes the plays they need to win this game. 

Portland +5/-104
HOUSTON -5/-104
Call: Portland [2 units]

Game 3 – 6/76ERS vs 3/Magic

Dwight Howard is suspended for this game. Courtney Lee is out with a sinus fracture, courtesy of D12. Facing elimination … the 76rers are going to win tonight; it’s only a question of by how many points.

Orlando +5/+100
PHILADELPHIA -5/-108
Call: PHILADELPHIA [2 units]

In what should go down as one of the great playoff performances of all-time for the Celtics …

* Minus Kevin Garnett [injured]
* Minus Leon Powe [injured]
* Down by 11 points … at the the 9:27 mark of the 4th quarter
* Minus Ray Allen … who fouled out at the 5:26 mark of the 4th [with the Celtics trailing, 80-83] 

Boston got a series of fantastic performances from the other players on their team which enabled them to out-last the Chicago Bulls, in OT, in Game 4.

In particular, when you look at the Full Play-By-Play what you should see is that Paul Pierce, after starting 6-17 [FGM-FGA], made his last 5 shots:

Q4, 01:13 … Driving Layup
Q4, 00:10 … 15ft Jump-shot [isolation]
———————–
OT, 01:16 … 16ft Jump-shot [isolation]
OT, 00:36 … 18ft Jump-shot [isolation]
OT, 00:03 … 20ft Jump-shot [isolation]

when the game was on the line;

while each of:

Kendrick Perkins, +35 *
Rajon Rondo, +29 *
Glen ‘Big Baby’ Davis, +23 *

[complete Box Score]

put forth a monster individual effort for Boston.

* k-PER = [FGM - FGA] + [FTM - FTA] + TRB + AST + ST + BS – TO – PF + PTS

Q1. Do the Celtics have enough left in the tank to get past the Cavaliers and then the Lakers this season?

A1. No, they do not.

What was on display last night, however, was THE WILL it takes to become a NBA champion.

Great Stuff, all around!

Yesterday’s action finished with the following results:

W-L: 2-2
Units: -0.24

which is a minor step in the wrong direction.

Overall, after Day 11:

W-L: 13-12
Units: +3.29

Hopefully the news gets better today.

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Wed Apr 29 2009

Game 1 – 4/HAWKS vs 5/Heat

Momentum in this series has now shifted back to the Hawks. With D-Wade’s exact injury status still to be determined for tonight’s pivotal Game 5, there is only one possible play to be made here. 

Miami +5.5/-107
ATLANTA -5.5/-101
Call: ATLANTA [2 units]

Game 2 – 2/NUGGETS vs 7/Hornets

Would not be surprised at all to see New Orleans rise up and get the cover this evening, with an inflated number. Neither would a Denver blow-out come as a great shock. Which can only mean one thing … 

New Orleans +10.5/-102
DENVER -10.5/-106
Call: Pass

Despite the respect yours truly has for [i] Adrian Wojnarowski, as a talented writer, who chooses to ply his trade for Yahoo! Sports, and [ii] Kelly Dwyer, another talented writer, who does likewise … the cold, harsh fact-of-the-matter is that neither of these two wordsmiths hit the target today: 

Hornets’ horrow show wasn’t just on the court

Why … the Hornets have fallen so hard

in their analysis of what actually happened during last night’s demolition of the New Orleans Hornets by the Denver Nuggets.

Dis-crediting Byron Scott, at a time like this … is wrong.
Dis-crediting Jeff Bower, at a time like this … is wrong.

PART I

What needs to happen today … in the aftermath of last night’s superlative, historic, victory by the Nuggets … is the giving of CREDIT to these men & women, instead.

When you consider precisely how Denver’s current roster of 12 players and 1 head coach has been assembled over the last 12 months, since the team failed to advance past the 1st Round of the Western Conference playoffs last year, yet again, despite winning 50 regular season games: 

you should begin to understand the fantastic job which has been done with this team by Mark Warkentien [VP, Basketball Operations], Rex Chapman [VP, Player Personnel], and the other members of the Nuggets’ staff.

* Which head coach a team decides to keep & not simply throw away
* Which players a team decides to keep & not simply throw away
* Which players a team decides to use in NEW roles
* Which players a team decides to ACQUIRE from another team
* What specific Style of Play a team decides to make its own

are all key components to the success or failure it achieves, from one season to the next, relative to the other 29 franchises in the league.

What was on display last night, in New Orleans, two days after Denver gave up Game 3, in a disappointing 2-point loss to the home team, was not an horrific failure by an under-manned and under-motivated squad of 12 Hornets, but the culmination of a tonne of first-class work by the Nuggets’ entire organization, since April 2008.

———-

PART II

Nuggets dismantle Hornets, 121-63

Quote #1: “Every coach talks about playing a playoff game, every possession having value, every possession having intensity to it,” [George] Karl began. “I thought my team, probably in my career, I’ve never seen a team probably do that on every possession – do what they were supposed to do and play the game the right way – as much as they did tonight.”

Quote #2: “I don’t think I’ve ever had a team play defense like that,” [George] Karl said. “Defensively, when you play this well, offense just happens.”

Quote #3: “Every time we tried something, they countered,” [Chris] Paul said. “We didn’t play well and they executed their game plan to perfection. … Understand that while it was embarrassing and they beat us pretty bad, it still was only one game.”

D*mn Straight!

Nothing more, and Nothing less than THAT.

Yesterday’s action finished with the following results:

W-L: 2-0
Units: +4.0

which is a very nice step in the right direction.

Overall, after Day 10:

W-L: 11-10
Units: +3.53

Hopefully the good news continues today.

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Tue Apr 28 2009

Game 1 – 2/CELTICS vs 7/Bulls

The Baby Bulls make their second foray into Beantown and should be ready to fight to the finish. With the injuries on both sides of the ledger, these two teams are now very close in ability.

Chicago +7.5/-101
BOSTON -7.5/-107
Call: Chicago [2 units]

Game 2 – 3/MAGIC vs 6/76ers

Would it be a surprise in this spot to see the Sixers take a slight step backwards? Not in the least. However, if they’ve learned from last year’s experience, and can trust in their superiority on the boards they should still have the goods to go down to the wire versus this specific collection of players for the Magic [i.e. minus Jameer Nelson].

Philadelphia +8.5/-112
ORLANDO -8.5/+104
Call: Philadelphia [2 units]

Game 3 – 3/SPURS vs 6/Mavericks

The first elimination game this post-season for Gregg Popovich & Co., who should be able to survive … but just barely. Dallas will do everything possible to close it out on the road, knowing full well that a veteran team like San Antonio would still be a very dangerous outfit in a raucous Game 6. 

Dallas +5/-106
SAN ANTONIO -5/-102
Call: Dallas [2 units]

Game 4 – 4/TRAIL BLAZERS vs 5/Rockets

Physically, the Rockets have superior forces to the Blazers … as long as Martell Webster [G/F] is sidelined. The team which Kevin Pritchard is constructing in Portland, however, is going to benefit tremendously from the experience gained in this playoff series … win or lose. Expect the Blazers to play with tremendous gusto this evening and get a W on their home court. The Rockets have no intention of conceding this affair, however … given their littany of past 1st Round Playoff failures … which should set the scene for another classic “last-possession” finish in the Rose Garden.

Houston +5.5/+100
PORTLAND -5.5/-108
Call: Houston [2 units]

FINAL SCORE: HORNETS 63, Nuggets 121
Complete Game Info

———-

“Every coach talks about playing a playoff game, every possession having value, every possession having intensity to it,” [George] Karl began. “I thought my team, probably in my career, I’ve never seen a team probably do that on every possession – do what they were supposed to do and play the game the right way – as much as they did tonight.”

———-

Denver now leads this series 3-1 … and, it’s going to be very interesting indeed to see what specific numbers the line-maker decides to put up for Game 5, after this type of historic annihilation in Game 4.

Two highly interesting points of view …

Steve Kerr – the lost interviews, part I
A mid-April conclusion to the Suns season just leaves more time for second guesses about last season and first suggestions about next season.

Suns General Manager Steve Kerr tackled both departments after a 46-36 that was better than 17 other NBA teams’ records but considered by many as the most disappointing outcome in the league. The season was marred by Leandro Barbosa’s absence and an uncomfortable coaching change early and Amare Stoudemire’s and Barbosa’s injuries later. In between, Kerr shook the team’s core up by trading Boris Diaw, Raja Bell and Sean Singletary to Charlotte for Jason Richardson, Jared Dudley and a 2010 second-round draft pick.

“I don’t see a massive overhaul as being necessary,” Kerr said. “We won 46 games in a season in which we endured a lot of turmoil, from the coaching situation to the injury to Amare to a pretty big trade. We had a lot of change.

“I know all of us in that room feel like that 46 should have been about 52, 53. I have no doubt that this team is a very, very competitive good playoff team. Unfortunately, we didn’t make it. That doesn’t mean we’re going to blow up the team and start over. It also doesn’t mean there couldn’t be some changes. We have to evaluate everything. We could’ve done better. This was not a championship team. This was a very good team that could’ve done better but we have to improve and we have to make improvements this summer.”

———-

Shaq – the lost interviews, part II
The Suns talked about trading O’Neal at midseason and will explore the idea again. He has made himself a tradeable commodity despite the $20 million price tag ($21 million cap number) and the Suns will be looking to begin to transform itself into a younger team. Part of that redesign could include seeking a center who is more mobile to defend and help defend.

“I realize every summer something might happen,” O’Neal said. “Something will change. I just told Steve (Kerr) that ‘I’ve been under a lot of general managers but no one treated me the way you did,’ ” O’Neal said. “Whatever happens, I understand the business and we all just have to move on. Steve was great. At the trade deadline, he didn’t have to call me and ask me if I wanted to go. A lot of guys would’ve just did it. He promised me if something would go down, that he’d call me and he called me. I love him for that. I respect him for that. I played for a lot of great GMs and he’s up there.”

Truth Is Usually A Dangerous Concept, But For Tex Winter It Was Natural
Tex wore the truth as a natural, everyday part of his attire. Like an old pair of basketball shoes. And he delivered the truth dead on, at eye level.

He didn’t use the truth to adorn himself, to make himself look better. He simply provided feedback. He told people what he thought.

——————————————–

Like countless others in this world, yours truly, who just happens to dwell in this little corner of the blogosphere, owes an indefinable debt of gratitude to Tex Winter.

Best wishes to you, Sir. 

Yesterday’s action finished with the following results:

W-L: 1-0
Units: +2.0

which is another solid step in the right direction.

Overall, after Day 9:

W-L: 9-10
Units: -0.47

Hopefully the good news will continue today.

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Mon Apr 27 2009

Game 1 – 5/HEAT vs 4/Hawks

Marvin Williams [F] missed Game 3 for the Hawks. Until his status for Game 4 is clarified, making a solid call here is not a possibility for yours truly. There is very little to separate these two teams. Each is capable of handling the other, on a given night, and even a minor injury can tilt the balance precipitously one way or the other.

Atlanta +5/-106
MIAMI -5/-102
Call: Pass

Game 2 – 7/HORNETS vs 2/Nuggets

The 2nd road game when leading a series 2-1, as the higher seed, having just dropped Game 3, is a solid proposition in the NBA Playoffs. Denver should be a solid play tonight.

Denver +2.5/-107
NEW ORLEANS -2.5/-101
Call: Denver [2 units]

Game 3 – 1/LAKERS vs 8/Jazz

The Lakers do not want to make the trek back to Utah for a Game 6. However, there are worrisome signs on the horizon for LA. Tonight’s game should bring a close to this series but the Jazz should also have enough fight left in them to make it a close affair until to the final few minutes of play.

Utah +12.5/-109
LOS ANGELES -12.5/+101
Call: Utah [2 units]

Yesterday’s action finished with the following results:

W-L: 1-0
Units: +5.0

which is a solid step in the right direction.

Overall, after Day 8:

W-L: 8-10
Units: -2.47

Hopefully the good news will continue today.

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Sun Apr 26 2009

Game 1 – 7/BULLS vs 2/Celtics

Can see this game shaking out either of two ways. The Bulls adjust successfully to the increased intensity required in Game 4 and use their quickness effectively to get both the W and the cover; or, the C’s gut out a closely fought road battle, as the defending champs simply not wanting to make a return trip to the Windy City for a Game 6. To many unpredictables right now for this corner.

Boston +3/+100
CHICAGO +3/-108
Call: Pass

Game 2 – 8/PISTONS vs 1/Cavaliers

Right now, Cleveland is simply too strong for Detroit … but, each of their 3 W’s, thus far, could have actually tipped the other way, as far as the cover is concerned, if a key shot attempt would have had a different outcome in the 4th quarter. No the type of situation this corner likes to play into.

Cleveland -8.5/-101
DETROIT +8.5/-107
Call: Pass

Game 3 – 6/76ERS vs 3/Magic

As long as the line-maker continues to put up a number that fails to value the positive match-ups which are in Philadelphia’s favour, the Sixers remain the correct side in this series.

Orlando -4/-105
PHILADELPHIA -4/-103
Call: PHILADELPHIA [2 units]

Game 4 – 5/ROCKETS vs 4/Blazers

Will be decided in the final minute once again, as far as the cover is concerned, with the Blazers battling hard to earn their initial stripes on the road in the playoffs. If the Blazers are going to win this series, if will come with W’s in Game 6 [at home] and Game 7 [in Houston]. Prefer to sit back and watch this one unfold, after the finish on Friday night where the Rockets should have been home and cooled out, but couldn’t close the door late on a back-door cover by Portland.

Portland +4.5/-102
HOUSTON -4.5/-106
Call: Pass

——————————–

In general, patience is a virtue when attempting to battle back to the positive side for net units in Round 1 of the playoffs after a negative start. Baby steps first, before trying to run full tilt.