| 25 May 2011
Just because I haven't written about the NBA playoffs lately, doesn't mean I haven't been watching. Quite the opposite actually, as this has been as fun a postseason as I can ever remember.
And like everything else, I've got plenty of opinions on what's going on. Here are six, "big picture," thoughts, in my NBA Playoffs Six-Pack.
Enjoy
1. The Heat Are Even Better Than Expected: If you go back through my archives, you know that no one was harder on this Miami Heat team last summer than I was. I wrote not one, but two articles on “The Decision.” A few of my direct quotes on LeBron, were that he’d “always be a loser in the court of public opinion,” and followed that up a few days later by calling him, “A-Rod to Wade’s Jeter.” Simply put, I wasn’t very nice. If this were a second grade classroom, I’d have been put in timeout and had my parents called in for a conference.
So with that as a pretext, it pains me to say this, but: I’m kind of enjoying this run by Miami.
Now understand, that doesn’t mean that I want them to win the title. I was rooting for Boston last round, am rooting for Chicago now (even as the vultures circle overhead) and am still holding out hope that Dallas will be able to take them down in the Finals. To put it bluntly, I don’t want Miami to win the title. Not this year anyway.
Still, one of my favorite things about following a team in any sport, is watching them grow over the course of a season, and take on a “personality.” I’ve mentioned this theory before, most notably in my college football writing.
For example, it happened this year at Auburn. Cam Newton knew he was the best player on the field, knew he would make the big play, and knew that no matter what, his team was going to find a way to win. Eventually everyone on Auburn started playing that way, and that became their identity. It didn't matter who they played, where they played, or how they played for three quarters, they'd make the plays needed to win the game. The year before, it was Alabama buying into Nick Saban’s, “Process.” No player was more important than any other. Trust your teammates. Believe in “The Process.” It led Alabama to a title. And it’s happened countless times, in countless other sports.
As for this Miami team, it’s been interesting watching them evolve and take on a personality too.
Amazingly, for a team that reportedly cried in the locker room after a regular season loss in March, that personality has become “The mentally toughest team left in these playoffs.” All those boos early on, all those losses that were dissected like a frog in an eighth grade science class, everything that happened those first few months, it all hardened Miami and made them tougher.
And it gave them the edge they’re playing with right now. For a team that couldn’t close big games the whole year, all of a sudden there isn’t anyone who makes more plays down the stretch than these guys. On offense, on defense, it doesn’t matter; when it’s late somebody is always coming through. Last night it was Bosh with a couple buckets in regulation, Wade in overtime, with Mike Miller coming out of nowhere to make plays too. LeBron did the rest on defense. Whether you’re a Heat fan or not (and I’m certainly not), it’s hard not to appreciate a team where everyone steps up in the biggest moments of the game, instead of cowers from the spotlight.
Speaking of which, it’s the role players who’ve impressed me the most.
And to me, that’s the interesting thing nobody is talking about. Because when this group was thrown together last offseason, a lot of people (myself included) had this romantic notion that the Heat would come together from Day 1, everyone would know their role, and they’d be unbeatable from the start. Only it didn’t happen. Just like in life, nothing is perfect. These things take time. It certainly did for the Heat.
Which is the scariest thing about the Heat right now; they are just starting to put things together. Joel Anthony is providing the bulk in the paint. Miller is all of a sudden hitting his jumpers. Mario Chalmers is playing great defense. Simply put, this team is getting better by the day.
Again, I’m not saying that Miami will definitely win the title or even that I want them to.
But to turn things around this fast, to get this much commitment from everyone on both ends of the court, well, it really is something.
Staying with this series…
2. Kudos to LeBron James: Writer Jonah Keri said something that really hit home with me last night on Twitter, when he mentioned simply, “Is it ok to like watching LeBron James yet? Because he’s unreal.”
Honestly, that’s exactly how I felt at the time.
Again, to be perfectly honest, I found everything that LeBron did last summer unforgivable. Thought there’d never be a day where I could root for the guy again. But last night? Well, last night was just a thing of beauty. Especially on defense.
Say what you want about LeBron, but to his credit, in the biggest few minutes of the Heat’s season, LeBron took the biggest defense challenge he could and guarded Derrick Rose. And he did it as well as anyone has all season.
As much as I love Rose, for the first time maybe in his career, he was simply outmatched. Rose couldn’t drive past LeBron. He couldn’t bully his way into the lane. Quite frankly, he couldn’t do anything. Instead he was stuck taking bad fall-away jumpers and turning the ball over when he did try to pass. It’s not often (if ever) that Rose gets completely taken out of the game on offense, but that’s what happened last night. As my buddy Mark, a huge Bulls fan said, “That s*** was so frustrating. He (LeBron) killed Rose.” When's the last time you've ever heard anyone say that?
Speaking of LeBron, if you want to blame him for some things that happened in the past, so be it. That’s your prerogative. Just make sure to appreciate him in the present.
While Derrick Rose was a deserving MVP this year (no one was more valuable to his team), just remember that LeBron James is still the best basketball player in the world.
And right now, it’s not all that close.
3. Staying With The Bulls: So I’ve had this theory for a long time, but don’t think I’ve ever unleashed it on the website. But I figure after last night’s game, now is as good a time as any. It’s called the “Blow Your Load,” game. And Chicago had theirs last night.
So what’s a “Blow Your Load,” game? Well, thinking about the playoffs, it’s pretty safe to say that nine times out of 10, the better team is going to win a seven games series right? That’s just the nature of the beast. Anyone can steal a game or two, but it’s rare that anyone can take four out seven if they’re not better.
Essentially the “Blow Your Load,” game is when the less talented team is down in a series, knows they’re going to lose, and literally puts every egg they have left their basket to try and win that one game to swing a series. Basically, they show up one night and completely play over their heads. They start playing the best defense you’ve seen them play. They dive on the floor for loose balls. Get contributions from guys you’d never expect. Make shots they don’t normally make. Essentially, they’ve blown their load, done everything they can to steal that win. Sometimes it works, but even then it’s usually not enough to swing the series. Sometimes it doesn’t, like with the Lakers this year in Game 3 against Dallas this year. Once Los Angeles lost that game, you knew there was no chance they were taking Game 4, right?
Well Tuesday night was definitely Chicago’s “Blow your load,” game.
Simply put, I haven’t seen Chicago play that hard on both ends of the court all postseason. They had guys playing over their heads, and making shots they wouldn’t normally (Speaking of which, where the hell did that Ronnie Brewer three-pointer come from?). But while I can’t speak for anyone else, I think it’s safe to say that once the game went into overtime, it was clear Chicago was done. The Bulls had played about as well they could in regulation, and even then it wasn’t good enough to pull away and steal the win. They blew their load trying to win in regulation. And when they didn’t, it was pretty clear they had nothing left in the tank. Five minutes later, it was official. Miami won in overtime.
So now, for all intents and purposes this series is done. As I half-joked on Twitter last night, I don’t even see a reason for these two teams to fly back to Chicago for Game 5. Miami is clearly the better team, so is playing one more game really necessary? How about we just save on the airfare, invoke the mercy rule and call it a series, huh?
But while this Chicago season seems to be done…
4. I’m Not Ready To Write Off The Bulls Going Forward: With Miami blitzing through Chicago in this series, the easy narrative to write is, “Welp, no need to watch the NBA for the next five years. Nobody is beating Miami.” Except, I honestly don’t believe that. Quite frankly, I think this is just the start of several fun years of Miami-Chicago playoff battles.
So what do we make of the Bulls after this series? They seem to be one year, and one player away from being a real threat.
On that “one year thing,” much like Oklahoma City (more on this coming) it seems like this loss is just part of the gradual evolution of this team. As the old saying goes, “Young doesn’t win in the NBA,” and it’s been proven time and time again. Everyone has to take their lumps. Jordan and Pippen’s Bulls teams lost to the Pistons in 1988 and ’89 before they broke through. Kobe and Shaq had some tough times too. It seems that this is it for the Bulls. They will be back.
And to their credit, one thing that’s been indisputable in this series is that they’re not afraid of Miami. Chicago isn’t as talented as the Heat, but looking up and down their roster, there are a whole bunch of guys that believe they belong on the court with them, and aren’t going to back down. Derrick Rose isn’t afraid. Neither is Taj Gibson. Joakim Noah definitely isn’t (Although since Noah is certifiably nuts, we need to take everything involving him with a grain of salt). Chicago will be back, and when that happens, they’ll again be ready.
Still, they are one guy away. I’m not the first, and won’t be the last to say that they really do need an upgrade at the shooting guard position. At his advanced age Keith Bogans isn’t the answer (although quite frankly, I don’t think he was the answer when he was young either), and neither are Kyle Korver or Brewer. Sure they’re like a basketball odd couple (“One can’t play defense. The other can’t play offense. See what kind of zany misadventures they get into when their two worlds collide, tonight on Fox!”). But at this level, with this much on the line, you just can’t get away with either one on the court at the end of the game. And right now, one of them always is.
Again, give the Bulls a year and a new shooting guard, and I firmly believe they can take Miami. These things are a process, and Chicago is at the beginning of theirs.
Now, let’s quickly move over to the West, where I’ve got to admit…
5. I Can’t Watch The Thunder Anymore: They’re just too darn frustrating.
Because while everyone wants to talk about Kevin Durant not being assertive enough, or Russell Westbrook being too assertive as the storyline of this series, neither is Oklahoma City’s biggest problem right now. What their problem is, is that they’re simply not making the most of their advantages in this series; namely youth, quickness and athleticism.
Seriously, let’s think about this for a second. Name one position where Dallas is younger, quicker or more athletic? Go ahead, I’ll wait…
…
Having trouble? It’s hard to blame you, since…there isn’t one!! Maybe Tyson Chandler is a bit more athletic than Kendrick Perkins when they’re matched up. But that’s about it.
Yet for whatever reason, Oklahoma City refuses to take advantage. Why is Serge Ibaka taking 15-footers, when he could be abusing someone in the post? Why is Russell Westbrook taking jump shots (ever!), when he can get to the rim at will? And why is Kevin Durant settling for three’s, when every time he takes it to the hoop he either gets fouled, makes a bucket, or in most cases both? Understand, Oklahoma City took their huge lead in Game 4 when they were attacking the basket. They lost that lead when they started settling for bad shots.
Which is why much like Chicago, I still think Oklahoma City is still a year away. They just don’t play smart enough for long enough, and don’t play to their strengths nearly enough, to beat a team as talented as Dallas. Like most young teams the Thunder have success when they stick to the game-plan early, but when it’s time to make plays late, they get the same look as my dog every time I turn on the vacuum cleaner: That of sheer horror.
Oklahoma City will get over the hump. It just won’t be this year.
6. Finally, Onto Dallas: Let’s start at the top, and start where everyone wants to, with Dirk.
And let me start by saying that I’m going to defer to someone else on all this Dirk stuff. I’m not a basketball historian, so I have no idea if he’s the 10th best player of all-time, the 30th best or the 300th best. I can’t tell you if he’s better than Larry Bird, since I'm too young to have seen Bird play in his prime. What I will say, is what I’ve been telling friends for years: There isn’t a more consistently excellent player from night-to-night in this league than Dirk is. He never takes a game off. He never misses shots he should make. And right now, he’s the better pure scorer in the league. With all due respect to the Durant lovers out there, as we’ve seen in the last two postseason’s, if you really get into Durant physically, really guard him, he can be slowed down. But Dirk? To be quite frank I have no idea how you stop him.
Let’s talk about the rest of the team though.
What’s interesting about this Dallas team is that I hardly think it’s the best of the Dirk era, and probably would be even better than they are now if Caron Butler was healthy. But like we see all the time in basketball, sometimes everything just comes together in the right place, at the right time for a particular team. it usually doesn’t last (think the ’09 Nuggets) because of injury or ego, so when you’ve got it, you need to take full advantage.
Which is why I think Dallas might very well take home the title this year. Simply put, they’ve got a lot of guys on this roster, who’ve come close but never gotten over that hump. Dirk and Terry played in the ’06 Finals. Shawn Marion got pretty darn close a bunch of times in Phoenix. Tyson Chandler made the Western Conference Finals in New Orleans one year.
And the sad reality is, this is probably the last chance saloon for all these players. To expect this group to stay this healthy, and play at this level, this late into the postseason ever again, well, it just doesn’t seem realistic. It’s looking more and more like it’s 2011 or bust for the Dallas Mavericks.
Assuming they win tonight, we’ll see if they can finish things in the NBA Finals.
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