NBA Finals & Headlines

I’ve taken a few more days off since the last entry but The Raptor Core is back following Game 1 of the NBA Finals. I think we can all agree this is shaping up to be one of the best finals in the past decade, which may not be hard to accomplish. Since Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls beat Karl Malone’s Utah Jazz in 1998, the only Finals I consider really competitive and entertaining was the 2005 match-up between the Detroit Pistons and San Antonio Spurs. What should have been one of the most boring series’ of all time turned out to be a seven-game masterpiece to give the Spurs their third Championship in seven seasons. 2008’s Final could be one for the ages if everyone remains healthy so let’s get into Game 1..

Game 1: The Resurrection of The Truth

This was a pretty good game to watch unless you’re a Laker fan and very used to their crisp ball movement and efficient offence. I think it’s evident that L.A.’s big bodies – Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol – were playing intimidated basketball due to the presence of Kevin Garnett. I’m not about to claim that grown men are ‘scared’ of the Big Ticket, but they sure did play tentatively compared to what we’ve seen at other times. Then again, neither of those two had particularly good series’ against the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Final, either. I guess the likes of Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett are too much for them. There are a few things I want to touch on:

1. The point guard battle – if only for one game – was won by the Boston Celtics. Did they facilitate as you might normally expect them to do? Maybe not, but Derek Fisher was repeatedly backed down on the block by Sam Cassell and was scored over two times. If the Celtics can get production out of Cassell in this series, it really helps Doc Rivers out if Rajon Rondo isn’t having a particularly good night. At least now there’s a legitimate option off the bench. I don’t know if the veteran can keep it up throughout the series but it’s clearly why Boston signed him in the first place.

2. ESPN ran an interesting mini-story Thursday night or Friday morning about the fact Ray Allen has been the primary defender on Kobe Bryant for the three games the two teams have played against each other this season. Again, the fact Tony Allen “held” Kobe to 22 points earlier in the year and he could only manage 24 points on a terrible percentage in Game 1 doesn’t mean the MVP’s weakness has been found. I’m sure Kobe will top 30 points more times in this series than not but the Celtics’ defence has been the best in the NBA this year. San Antonio had a good strategy as well but their offence was too anemic with Ginobili held down to capitalize. That’s not the case with the Celtics because of their various scoring options. Can you believe Kobe’s shooting percentage against Boston for this season actually went UP after Game 1? That says something about their scheme.

3. Again, the Lakers’ big men are playing scared basketball. There’s no better evidence of that than looking at the statistics for the rebounding figures in Game 1. What more do you need to see that they were tentative crashing the glass and trying to go after it? Pau Gasol’s offence in the last two rounds has consisted of pretty much that alley-oop lay-up pass he gets a couple times per game and some garbage buckets around the basket. I realize this is part of the game for big men but he’s a lot more skilled and talented than just that narrow set of moves. Lamar Odom has been playing the same way as well. He still seems to be bringing the energy but the smarts just aren’t there. Like Phil Jackson asked the team as he called timeout on Thursday, “What the f*ck are you guys doing out there?” This is not Laker basketball, which is predicated on ball movement and finding open shooters on the perimeter off of transition pushes from defensive rebounds and Kobe Bryant’s penetration.

4. Injuries seem to be attacking the Celtics early. I don’t doubt that Paul Pierce was actually hurt on that play in Game 1 because he has never been known as a guy to flop or fake injuries or anything like that. Why do it in the Finals when you’ve waited your whole life to get there? It just doesn’t make sense to me that any basketball player would want the partial humiliation of being carried off the court by their teammates. What do they gain from it? Some momentum, perhaps? I doubt he was thinking of things in that way. As some of you may know, Pierce turned down the opportunity to have an MRI done and said either way, it still comes down to whether or not he feels he can play so he’d rather not know exactly what’s wrong until the season is over and the Champions have been decided. I can’t really blame him, especially after reading today that his knee is feeling considerably better except for when he does deep squats and really flexes the joint. Hopefully that improves with time before Game 2 and doesn’t intensify as the series continues into the later stages. Also, Kendrick Perkins sustained a high ankle sprain on the same play and it was questionable as to whether or not he’d be able to go tomorrow night but apparently, he will be, according to the Boston Globe. This may seem unimportant to most people but Perkins has actually been an integral part of the Celtics’ success in the playoffs so they need him out there on the Laker big men.

Game 2 Outlook: Rinse & Repeat

As good as the Celtics were defensively in Game 1, Kobe Bryant was right about simply “missing bunnies”. Even though the D collapsed on him very well and forced him into tough, contested shots, he also missed some opportunities he’d normally hit. Will it happen again in Game 2? Who knows, because it’s not like Kobe has torched the Celtics this season. They need to clean up the looks they gave him in Game 1, hope Pierce and Perkins are ready to go and also let Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett know that if The Truth isn’t near his usual production, they have to pick up the slack and try to put up better numbers. For the Lakers, it’s easy to outline but not as easy to do: defend everyone better, move the ball more around the perimeter, clean the glass on both ends, do not be intimidated and penetrate because this Boston team is wounded. It would be great for Boston to win this game and head to Staples Center for three games up 2-0, knowing they still have a chance to come home and close it out if they can get one on the road. On the other hand, the Lakers getting a split would still be in their favour because they have the next three games in their building. It would be like Game 1 didn’t really mean anything unless it comes along with Game 2. I’m not a fan of the 2-3-2 Finals format but I can understand why they did it. Anyway, my official prediction is I expect Kobe Bryant to score around 36 points and here’s the variable: if Paul Pierce has his mobility, the Celtics will find a way to win again. If he’s hampered by that knee, the series will head to Los Angeles tied at one game apiece. Go Celtics!

The Toronto Raptors’ Draft News

Yes, the Raptors still hold the 17^th pick in the draft and had their first workouts this past week. You can find short videos of media scrums with the players at http://www.nba.com/raptors/news/2008_draft.html There are also a couple videos of Jim Kelly, director of player personnel for the Raptors, talking about some of the guys that were worked out.

I don’t have a lot to say about these guys since I don’t know much about them all. Here are some random thoughts:

1. Ryan Anderson seems like a nice talent out of Cal but the Raptors already have bigs with perimeter games – no need to draft another.

2. Jason Thompson out of Rider was intriguing for his athletic ability, according to people in the media that were actually present at the time parts of the workouts took place.

3. Robin Lopez out of Stanford really is Anderson Varejao 2.0 but his offensive game is very limited right now, something that will definitely not sit well with Bryan Colangelo. He’s a hustler, though.

4. Chris Douglas-Roberts out of Memphis seems like a pretty good player and he was key in the school’s run to the NCAA Tournament Final. I like his size and energy but I don’t know if he’d be the right fit for the Raps.

5. Bill Walker out of Kansas State is intriguing to me. His athleticism is something to behold and he seems like the type of swingman that can develop into a very useful piece. However, he can’t start in the NBA yet and I think the Raptors desperately need a new starter at the shooting guard or small forward position.

6. Brandon Rush out of Kansas is another good guy the Raptors might take a look at. He had a knee injury that has apparently completely healed and if that’s the case, he would fit one of their needs. He’s a 6’6 swingman that can play defence, has athleticism, a very steady jump shot and potential for the future.

On June 3, the following players were in Toronto for workouts but no videos were posted on Raptors.com: Wayne Ellington and Danny Green of North Carolina, Shan Foster of Vanderbilt, Jamont Gordon of Mississippi State, Malik Hairston of Oregon and Courtney Lee of Western Kentucky. This was pretty much a day of guards working out, followed by bigs on Wednesday and swingmen prospects on Thursday.

More workouts will probably be scheduled in the coming weeks for the Raptors to continue to gauge the talent of the players projected around the 17^th overall pick in the draft. It’s hard to say which player I’ve thrown my support behind because so much could change between now and the time the Raps make their pick on June 26. They could move up, down or even out of the draft so the possibilities are endless, especially when we’re talking about a team with so many trade options involving expiring contracts, etc. Right now, I still think the Raps should get their big man in the draft and swingman on the trade market but I’ll say my two early favourites are Brandon Rush out of Kansas and Robin Lopez out of Stanford, just because he plays with so much energy and fire.

Headlines

“Phoenix Hires Porter As Coach”

Link: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3431024

Looks like the Phoenix Suns have found their man and will formally introduce him to the public on Tuesday. Terry Porter played in the NBA for 17 seasons then ended up as head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks for two years before working as an assistant with the Detroit Pistons this year. Steve Kerr has gone young at the coaching spot and I’m interested in seeing what Porter will do with the Suns. He didn’t really leave much of a coaching style ingrained in my mind from Milwaukee so I can’t say too much about this move except that it’s an interesting one. What about someone like Avery Johnson? Either way, the Suns are about one season away from being in full-fledged rebuilding mode when Steve Nash’s contract expires.

“Doug Collins Out As Candidate For Bulls Job”

Link: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3430388

This one is surprising. I thought everything was almost set in stone and awaiting the stamp of approval over there in Chicago for Collins to return but it didn’t happen. He and John Paxson came to a mutual agreement that they should forget about the previous arrangement and now the Bulls are looking at Vinny Del Negro – someone with no previous coaching experience – to take the helm. If that happens, it’ll really leave me scratching my head as to what is up with John Paxson. A guy like Avery Johnson is still on the market and you’re considering someone with absolutely no head coaching experience in the NBA? The Bulls need a teacher that’s been there next season, not a young guy to restart with.

“Staying In Seattle A ‘Losing Proposition’ For Sonics?”

Link: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3430610

Clay Bennett, owner of the Seattle SuperSonics, wants the team moved to Oklahoma City for next season. He claims that such a move could result in a profit of $20 million over the next two seasons rather than a $60 million loss if they stay in Seattle. That loss figure represents roughly 20% of the price Bennett paid to acquire the franchise in the first place so from a business standpoint, what he’s saying makes a lot of sense. I don’t think Oklahoma City can support a basketball team long-term but then again, there hasn’t been a lot of public support backed by finances in the city of Seattle either. I don’t know what’s going on up there because it’s a good sports market and media market in general but if it has to move, so be it. I just wished it could stay in the Northwest and move to Vancouver, who could really flourish with an NBA franchise again. It’s a shame the Grizzlies were taken from them so soon.

“TV Rating For Game 1 of the NBA Finals Highest Since 2004”

Link: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs2008/news/story?id=3429821

Game 1 of the Finals between the Celtics and Lakers scored an average rating of 8.7 on ABC this past Thursday, which is up 38% from the average rating during the Cavaliers/Spurs series last season. No real surprise there. It’s the highest Game 1 rating since 2004 when the Lakers played the Pistons, attracting a 9.8. Hopefully these two teams can crack a 10.0 before everything is said and done in the next week or two. A Game 7 would be epic.

“Nets Fielding Calls For Draft Picks”

Link: http://www.realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/52881/20080607/nets_fielding_calls_for_draft_picks/#

The New Jersey Nets have picks 10 and 21 in the first round of the draft and have gotten a lot of calls. According to their GM, Kiki Vandeweghe, people are realizing it’s a deep draft and may be seeing people they like lower down in the order. It also tells him that if they keep both picks, they could get some pretty solid pieces. For the Nets, if they could swing one or both of those picks with a player into a good big man, it’d be very helpful. I’m sure they’re trying to move Richard Jefferson or even Vince Carter if a team feels like taking on his contract. One of those two, along with Devin Harris and a new big man down low to score would be a nice core to build around for the future because they’re bone dry right now.

“Bucks Tell Redd No Trades On Table”

Link: http://www.realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/52879/20080607/bucks_tell_redd_no_trades_on_table/#

John Hammond and Scott Skiles both assured Redd that he was not actively being shopped and anything he hears out there to the contrary is a rumour. Of course, they didn’t say they weren’t listening to offers, either. The Milwaukee Bucks have so much talent on their roster but they were downright terrible last season. How can you be that bad with guys like Redd, Mo Williams, Andrew Bogut, Charlie Villanueva, etc.? The coaching staff had no clue how to get Bogut the ball down low, which is ridiculous considering he’s one of few big men in the Eastern Conference with legitimate post skills. Moves have to be made down there but I’m not sure if trading Redd is the right one. He’s accounts for a huge chunk of their scoring.

“Garnett To Be Featured on Cover of NBA 2K9”

Link: http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2008/06/06/tough_ticket_to_come_by/?page=2

Yes, for you video game fans, Kevin Garnett will be on the cover of NBA 2K9 next season. 2K8 was a huge success and Chris Paul was on the cover this year. He was injury-free and runner-up in the MVP voting so maybe that bodes well for KG next season, unlike the NFL’s famous “Madden Jinx”, where the cover player ends up injured for that season. The list of such victims is long, including Michael Vick, Ray Lewis, Shaun Alexander, among others.

Also, how about Chris Bosh’s piece on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno Thursday night? That was some pretty funny stuff. You could kind of tell what the network wrote for him and what his ideas/improvisations were. I was impressed. Congrats to CB4 on a job well done.. maybe he’ll be playing in the Finals someday.

That’s about it for this entry of TRC. I hope you enjoyed it and I’ll probably be back for something on Monday unless something comes up between now and then. I’m thinking of doing a review/preview of each game of the Finals if this gets a good response. Also, don’t forget that on June 16^th, I will be co-hosting a live blog with James Borbath over at the Dino Nation Blog so stay tuned for that because it’ll be all Raps, all the time. Until next time..

-Mark R.

[The Raptor Core]