khandor’s sports blog

Unfortunately …

Scott Brooks showed last night that he did not learn the proper lesson from the Thunder’s 2nd half meltdown in Game 4 [i.e. Exhibit A] against the Mavericks:

Oklahoma City Thunder 96
DALLAS MAVERICKS 100
Complete Game Summary
Dallas wins series, 4-1.

If you examine the GameFlow Chart, you should be able to see clearly that:

- Only 1 of Oklahoma City’s 5 starters finished this game as a “positive” Plus/Minus player

i.e. The same player who sat on the bench for the final 20:41 of Game 4.

- This same player was removed from left last night’s contest for the final time at the 1:55 mark of the 3rd quarter … with the Thunder leading by 4 points, 72-68 … and, was then forced to watch helplessly from the bench as his teammates [i] made turnovers, [ii] missed [a] mid-range and [b] perimeter jump-shots, and [iv] failed to corral at least 3 loose balls in the final frantic minutes of the 4th quarter

- This same player [i] already has a championship ring, as a core member of the Boston Celtics’ ‘Ubuntu’ team from 3 years ago, and [ii] specializes in low-post offense, defense, and rebounding

As a result, Oklahoma City’s post-season run is now, prematurely, finished. 

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PS. Those who fail to recognize the importance of ‘outstanding coaching’ vs ‘less-than-outstanding coaching’ are simply wasting their time, when it comes to providing accurate ‘analysis’ of, “How the NBA game actually works.”

PPS. If OKC would have finished last night’s game with the following 5-man unit on the floor: 1. PG/Westbrook, 2. OG/Harden, 3. SF/Durant, 4. PF/Collison, and 5. C/Perkins; then, in all likelihood, the Thunder would now be preparing for tomorrow night’s Game 6 [in Oklahoma City].

PPPS. If OKC is going to become a significantly better team over the course of the next few seasons, then, Scott Brooks will have to become a significantly better in-game strategist/tactician, as well.

Prior to the start of this year’s NBA Playoffs, yours truly characterized the Oklahoma City Thunder as a very good young team … without a legitimate shot at winning the League Championship this season.

Q. How come?

A. Scott Brooks still has a great deal to learn about coaching, and winning important games, in the NBA Playoffs.

Unfortunately, the outcome of last night’s contest, now serves as Exhibit A, in this regard.

Dallas Mavericks 112
OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER 105, OT
Complete Game Info
Dallas leads the series, 3-1

If you examine the:

1. Play-By-Play;

and, 

2. GameFlow Chart;

from last night, you should be able to see that Kendrick Perkins [C] was replaced by Serge Ibaka [PF] at the 3:41 mark of the 3rd quarter with the Thunder leading by 7 points [75-68] … and was never re-inserted by Scott Brooks for the remainder of the game, even though:

i. James Harden [OG-SF] fouled out at the 4:33 mark of the 4th quarter with OKC leading by 12 points, 99-87;   

and,

ii. K-Perk had led the Thunder to that point with a simple “NBA Plus/Minus” rating of +9.

Kevin Durant’s 9 Turnovers are not what lost last night’s game for OKC.

Russell Westbrook’s missed free throws and jump-shots late in the 4th quarter are not what lost last night’s game for OKC.

What lost last night’s game for OKC was:

I. Scott Brooks’ decision to play the tandem of Serge Ibaka [PF] and Nick Collison [PF-C], exclusively, from the 3:41 mark of the 3rd quarter, through the entire 4th quarter and, then, almost the entire 5-minute Overtime period;

II. While still emphasizing the Thunder’s:

A. Pick & Roll/Pop game with Russell Westbrook as their primary ball-handler;

and,

B. Perceived “Individual Match-up Advantage” with Westbrook [i.e. quicker] used relentlessly to attack Jason Kidd [i.e. slower] off the dribble;

in conjunction with,

III. Their team’s inability to get “stops” late in the 4th quarter and the Overtime; 

… without Kendrick Perkins on the floor.

Despite being heralded for the “brave” decision he made in the 4th quarter of Game 2, to keep several of his bench players in the game, coming down-the-stretch … in spite of their ever-shrinking lead … the simple fact is, Scott Brooks is still a long ways off from being classified properly as a Top Notch head coach in the NBA, when it comes to making in-game adjustments and implementing specific strategies, or tactics, at the correct time, which emphasize the right things and allow his players to succeed in a major way.

Hopefully last night’s disappointing outcome for OKC will serve as an invaluable [and extremely painful] learning experience for Coach Brooks and Misters Durant, Westbrook, Ibaka, Sefolosha, Harden, etc., when it comes to understanding properly the specific role that Kendrick Perkins needs to play on their team, going forward.

He is “The Defensive Anchor and The Rebounding Fulcrum” upon which their recent success is based, and he needs to be on the floor for their team at crunch time, if they are going to win big games against tough-minded opponents.

Approximately 13 months ago, the following question was asked in this space, in a poll:

Where will Andrea Bargnani rank in the Eastern Conference next season, as a Center? … You Make The Call

pertaining to the 2009-2010 season.

As the Raptors complete their seemingly annual summer make-over, under the watch of Bryan Colangelo/GM, in preparation for the 2010-2011 campaign, it is interesting to see how the landscape is shaping up in the Eastern Conference, when evaluating the individual players who might be expected to start at the Center position for their respective teams:

PART 1 – Based On Basketball Acumen

PART 2 - Painting By the Numbers [from hoopdata for the 2009-2010]

From Toronto’s perspective …

The more some things change, the more other things simply stay the same.

The Lakers’ defense gets it done

The Lakers pressured the Celtics all night, making life particularly miserable for Paul Pierce. The defense was all the more stifling because Kobe Bryant continued to play rover, sloughing off Rajon Rondo in the half court to plug holes and double-team the ball. Bryant’s strategy was nothing new, but the Lakers’ quickness to the ball, readiness on ball screens and relentlessness on those traps were unprecedented. Literally. The Lakers’ defensive rating of 75.3 on Tuesday night was their best mark of the season — and far and away the Celtics’ worst offensive output since opening night.

A real key was Phil Jackson’s decision to have the Lakers “trap” more aggressively vs Boston’s “Pick and Pop” offensive action, in conjunction with allowing Kobe Bryant to rotate out, at least initially, to the temporarily “open” shooter … whoever he might be … while consistently “helping off” of Rajon Rondo.

When this version of the LA Lakers plays with this sort of well-coordinated Offense, Defense and Rebounding they are simply the best team in the NBA.

Dominating an opponent on the glass is a fundamental component of being a championship calibre basketball team … at any level of the game.

What it takes to win the NBA Championship

However …

What the ability to rebound the ball successfully actually says about the nature of a specific team’s essential character is a great deal more nuanced than just this single aspect of the game.

In fact, in order for Team A to dominate Team B, in terms of Rebounding prowess, what it means is that Team A must also be able to:

First.
Get “Possession Stops” at the defensive end of the floor, by:

i. Limiting Team B’s opportunities to score easy points in offensive transition situations;

ii. Limiting Team B’s opportunities to penetrate the perimeter wall of its half-court defense to create high percentage interior FGA’s;

and,

iii. Limiting Team B’s opportunities to get uncontested mid-range and perimeter jump shots;

Second.
Secure the defensive rebound when a shot is missed, by physically out-working its opponent;

Third.
Limit its own number of Turnovers [on offense] … in order to limit Team B’s opportunities to score easy points in offensive transition situations;

Fourth.
Generate high percentage FGA’s [on offense] from sound, unselfish ball and player movement;

and,

Fifth.
Secure a number of offensive rebounds when shots are missed, by physically out-working its opponent, while maintaining:

i. Good defensive floor balance … in order to limit Team B’s opportunities to score easy points in offensive transition situations;

ii. Outstanding mental concentration;

and,

iii. Sound emotional stability.

When a team is actually capable of doing each of these things it means that its individual components are working in concert with one another, in a superior form of “collective effort/will/ability,” relative to its opponent.

The Lakers punched the bully in the mouth

As Pat Riley aptly said during the glory years of the original “ShowTime” Lakers,

“NO rebounds; NO rings.”

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PS. The unfortunate injury which Kendrick Perkins [C] sustained at the mid-way point of the 1st quarter in last night’s game will, in all likelihood, end up costing Boston this series, as the Celtics … who are also playing with a less-than 100% healthy Kevin Garnett [PF/C] … are simply incapable of out-rebounding the Lakers without him in their line-up.

The NBA Finals [v.2009-2010] tip off this evening in Los Angeles.

While Rounds 1, 2 and 3 have produced some fair-to-good basketball, this version of the Finals should prove to be an entirely different kettle of fish.

These 2 teams are quite evenly matched.

The Lakers, however, signed Ron Artest last summer for one reason only.

i.e. To have him defend either LeBron James or Paul Pierce in the NBA Finals. 

If Ron Ron does his job properly, from a physical standpoint, and can play Da Truth to a virtual stand-off, then … all else being equal … the Lakers will be hoisting another championship banner to the rafters when the 2010-2011 kicks off in the fall.

It really is as simple as that.

Enjoy what should be a real hum-dinger of a series!

While it might be true that Darko Milicic is properly described as being a great many different things … including, possibly, the biggest bust in the last 10 years of the NBA Draft … it should also be duly noted that he is clearly not one of these, as well:

————

For lack of a few crucial stops, Wolves lose 13th straight

Though the Wolves have won only one game since the 7-foot Serbian arrived in mid-February, Rambis said he has seen flashes of a player so promising seven years ago, when he was drafted ahead of [Chris] Bosh, Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade.

“And I think he can be a lot better,” Rambis said. “As he gets in better shape and gets more comfortable and more confident, you’ll see him stretch his game.”

In fact, he’s already done that offensively. Milicic scored a season-high 16 points against the Lakers last Friday, and appeared to be more confident about taking good shots.

“The guys are learning how to use him,” Rambis said. “I’ve told him, whenever he’s comfortable, I’m OK with him shooting inside, outside, [from the] elbow, long distance. But he has to have the confidence to do that.”

For Milicic, who is still only 24 years old despite being a seven-year NBA veteran, it’s a matter of playing the way he was taught back in Serbia.

“I’m just trying to relax. I got used to playing this American way of running crazy, playing too fast. I’ve got to slow it down,” Milicic said. “When I came [to the U.S.], I stopped playing basketball the way I know how to play. Playing too fast, running like chickens without heads.”

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If he can successfully return to the roots of his “multi-headed” individual game … by learning how to slow down and play within the confines of the Triangle Offense, let’s say, with Ricky Rubio/PG, at the helm, beside Al Jefferson/PF, Kevin Love/PF, Corey Brewer/OG-SF and the T-wolves upcoming 2010 Lottery Selection …

Is there really any good reason to believe that Darko Milicic, at the still relatively tender age of 24, 

is somehow incapable of putting up “15 and 8″, on a game-to-game basis …

against the other “25 and under” starting calibre Centers, in the NBA today

EASTERN CONFERENCE		WESTERN CONFERENCE
ATLANTIC		NORTHWEST
Boston	Perkins, K [25]	Denver	Petro, J [24]
Toronto	Bargnani, A [24]	Utah	Fesenko, K [23]
New York	–	Oklahoma City	Ibaka, S [20]
Philadelphia	Speights, M [22]	Portland	Oden, G [21]
New Jersey	Lopez, B [21]	Minnesota	Milicic, D [24]
CENTRAL		PACIFIC
Cleveland	–	LA Lakers	Bynum, A [22]
Milwaukee	Bogut, A [25]	Phoenix	Lopez, R [21]
Chicago	Noah, J [25]	LA Clippers	Jordan, D [21]
Indiana	Hibbert, R [23]	Sacramento	Hawes, S [21]
Detroit	–	Golden State	Biedrins, A [23]
SOUTHEAST		SOUTHWEST
Orlando	Howard, D [24]	Dallas	–
Atlanta	Horford, A [24]	San Antonio	–
Miami	–	Memphis	Gasol, M [25]
Charlotte	–	Houston	–
Washington	Blatche, A [25]	New Orleans	–

… over the course of the next several seasons?

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In what group would you place Darko Milicic amongst the other "25 and under" starting calibre Centers in the NBA today?

• 1-5
• 6-10
• 11-15
• 16-21

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Craig Kwasniewski [The Association], a die-hard LA Lakers fan and season-ticket holder, smacks one a clear country mile, when reviewing the precise reasons why the Boston Celtics SHOULD simply “stay the course” with their latter-day version of the Big Three:

Celtics Should Keep Ray Allen for One Last Ride with The Big Three

I think it’s insane to break up The Big Three so soon after hanging banner 17.  Shouldn’t they be allowed to give it one last shot together?  Shouldn’t we consider that this might be a rough patch in a long season?  Why break up a good thing so quickly, did you not forget the 22-year championship drought?

Anyway, here are a few reasons why the C’s should keep Ray Allen and give The Big Three one last chance at a title:

The long regular season. Relax Boston… I know it’s cold and miserable back east and the long winter is getting to you but you really need to be reminded how The Association works.  The NBA regular season is a very long 82-games over six months. Mix in preseason and hopefully a long postseason and you’re looking at a 8 or 9 month season. Veteran teams always seem to hit a lull somewhere between Christmas and Easter. It’s impossible to bring playoff efforts when your key players are in their 30′s… it’s just not possible (and the ones that did, like the Pat Riley Heat teams in the late 90′s collapsed in a heap by playoff time).  Just ride out this rough patch, usually teams find their second wind around March Madness.

Don’t be so quick to blow up the Big Three.  Counting playoffs The Big Three era has lasted about 2 1/2 seasons for a total of 253 games.  Actually that sounds like a good number of games… a good run at legitimate title contention, right?  Not really when you consider that the C’s were last legit contenders when Bird retired in 1992.  That’s 15 seasons with 6 brief postseason appearances (and only one conference championship appearance in 2001-02 with the Jim O’Brien chuck-and-duck era) for a grand total of 1,275 games.  Suddenly 253 games doesn’t sound like a lot does it?  Maybe you might want to remember the long drought before sending off a future hall-of-fame guard for a quick fix.

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In the judgment of yours truly, Craig’s take is 100% on the money.

Although Ubuntu! may not have enough left in the tank this season to be able to actually win-it-all, again … with the Lakers, Magic and Cavaliers being as strong as they are right now … it sure as heck DESERVES THE OPPORTUNITY TO TRY, at least, ONE MORE TIME, even bloodied and battered.

Simple put … that’s THE RIGHT STUFF of which True Champions are made, whether or not they, in fact, succeed on the court together.

For the benefit of those who may not have read it yet …

Can Toronto Build a Winner Around Bosh
When we put the entire picture together, it doesn’t look too good for fans of Toronto.  The Raptors will still employ the services of Calderon and Bosh, and these players produced about 21 wins last year.  And it’s possible that Turkoglu, Jack, Evans, and Johnson can contribute another 15 wins.  After these players, though, who else is going to produce significant quantity of wins?  And if no one else produces much, how will Bosh believe that the Raptors are building a contender?

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is a first-rate take by David Berri on the Raptors’ current situation.

Since his arrival in the NBA, 6 seasons ago, Chris Bosh has firmly established himself as one of the very best Big Men in the League … with an individual game that’s unique, as an under-sized Center, and in need of support from a group of talented teammates. Unfortunately, what has also happened during this same time-frame, repeatedly, is that the team’s ownership group [i.e. MLSE] and upper management have demonstrated an inability to make sound basketball-related decisions around him, based on an over-riding Plan of Attack geared toward the building of a championship-winning calibre team in Toronto, through the proper acquisition and retention of Top Notch NBA talent, which includes executives, coaches, support staff and players.

Understanding exactly what the Boston Celtics actually did 3 summers ago to transform their team into a legitimate title contender:

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1. Retain the services of a very good and already-proven NBA head coach;
2. Hold onto their already-established franchise player [i.e. Paul Pierce];
3. Trade an upcoming top draft pick for a 2nd established franchise player [i.e. Ray Allen];
4. Include their younger burgeoning talent [i.e. i. Al Jefferson, ii. Ryan Gomes, and iii. Sebastien Telfair] in a major trade for a 3rd “stud” player [i.e. The Big Ticket];
5. Keep a bedrock player like Kendrick Perkins [C], as a building block for their future team;
6. Draft another young stud at the PG position [i.e. Rajon Rondo], who other teams over-looked/under-valued; and, then,
7. Filled out the remainder of its roster with very serviceable players with great attitudes who were committed to winning a championship above all else.

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means that all is NOT lost for the Raptors, as long as they begin to identify accurately what their actual strengths and weaknesses are, relative to their competition.

What “regular Raptors fans” need to do is spend some more time figuring out who on their team fits properly into the corresponding roles of Wyc Grousbeck [i.e. MLSE?], Danny Ainge [i.e. Bryan Colangelo?], Doc Rivers [i.e. Jay Triano?], Paul Pierce [i.e. Chris Bosh!] and Ray Allen [?], Kevin Garnett [?], and Al Jefferson [i.e. Andrea Bargnani!!!], etc., and less time putting down the 5th best player in the brief history of the team [i.e. CB4] and his designated running mate [i.e. El Matador].

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PS. Those who think that Danny Ainge [GM] was operating without an over-riding Plan of Attack, based on his Basketball Acumen, simply do not know how the NBA actually works, or how a team needs to go about building a championship-winning organization, at the highest level of competition.