Have to feel for Knicks fans. Phil Jackson obviously doesnt know
anything about today's NBA. If he really thinks that 3 point shots are
bad, and doesnt see the importance of spacing the floor, I can now 100%
believe the reports of them being interested in players that play
essentially the same position as Melo (such as Greg Monroe). Now,
players at the combine have mentioned being asked about their knowledge
of the triangle in interviews with the Knicks. That means they really
are committed to running that as their primary offense, in a league
that is dominated by athletes, pace, and spacing the floor. You have to
play with pace unless you have an elite defensive team, and even then,
you still want to get out and run.
By the way Phil, the Knicks led the league in 3 point attempts the year
they won 54 games a couple of years ago. They dropped to 21st in
attempts this past season, and Oh, look at that! Worst record in
franchise history....And to answer his question, teams that shoot a lot
of 3s have won more than 60% of their games in the playoffs so far
Sunday, May 17, 2015
Quick Reaction to end of Wizards-Hawks series
Even more incredible finish to this Hawks-Wizards game, after a crazy end to Game 5. I dont think I
can remember ever seeing a team get eliminated on something like that,
but thats just off the top of my head. I think that not having Sefolosha
will hurt Atlanta in their series with the Cavs. I'm curious to see if Mike Scott can finally see more time, now that he is back from injury. I think he gives them some defensive versatility at the 3/4 spots. I have no doubt that Atlanta
can beat the Cavs, and I think they would definitely beat them with Sefolosha. I think
LeBron can still win this series though. Atlanta needs to use their
depth, and if they can stay in the rebounding battle, they'll have every
chance to win the series. If LeBron makes the type of effort to get the ball in better spots, like he did in the last couple of games of the Bulls series, he'll give himself a chance to get back to the Finals
Quick Reaction After Game 6 of Rockets-Clippers
Just saying, thats the 2nd time Houston has won by coming back from
down a lot without James Harden. There is a reason for that. They use
their athletes to be disruptive, and are better defensively, and they
move the ball better, and utilize Dwight a little more. So they get out
in transition more, and they score better in the half court. Even
without Patrick Beverly, Pablo Prigioni is still a very good defender.
They have a good matchup against the Clippers.
Huge opportunity missed by the Clippers to let Houston get back in this series, and now they have to go to Houston for Game 7, and they are in serious trouble. Have to feel for Chris Paul. It would be cool to see him finally break through and shut some people up. You have to think that he'll come out with everything in Game 7
Huge opportunity missed by the Clippers to let Houston get back in this series, and now they have to go to Houston for Game 7, and they are in serious trouble. Have to feel for Chris Paul. It would be cool to see him finally break through and shut some people up. You have to think that he'll come out with everything in Game 7
Should be interesting to see who moves on. If its Houston, I feel like
they have a somewhat decent matchup with Golden State, assuming they
play the correct rotations, and play more inside out/through Dwight Howard.
They can match them with their length and athleticism, and versatility
in some ways. That being said, I dont see either of these teams beating
Golden State, as they're on route to winning a Championship, barring
injury
Mini Synopsis of end of Bulls-Cavs series
Honestly, the Bulls have no business going home right now. This
series should have arguably been over already, with them heading to the
Eastern Conference Finals. So much had to happen for them to lose Games 4
and 5. Just poor luck, and some poor execution in big moments.
Cavs luck out once again with Kyrie Irving going down, helping their defense and allowing them to move the ball and space better offensively. Aaron Brooks is also complete garbage defensively. Not difficult for Matthew Dellavadova to knock down shots when nobody is guarding him. For all of his short comings defensively, Tristan Thompson's unbelievable effort on the offensive boards was a huge part of them moving on, as the Bulls couldnt finish off defensive possessions with a rebound.
Otherwise, LeBron totally carried them once again, and somehow willed them to winning a series they had no right to win. With Atlanta still beat up with injuries, LeBron may luck into a 5th consecutive Finals appearance...Seriously though...how much luck can 1 organization possibly have?
Cavs luck out once again with Kyrie Irving going down, helping their defense and allowing them to move the ball and space better offensively. Aaron Brooks is also complete garbage defensively. Not difficult for Matthew Dellavadova to knock down shots when nobody is guarding him. For all of his short comings defensively, Tristan Thompson's unbelievable effort on the offensive boards was a huge part of them moving on, as the Bulls couldnt finish off defensive possessions with a rebound.
Otherwise, LeBron totally carried them once again, and somehow willed them to winning a series they had no right to win. With Atlanta still beat up with injuries, LeBron may luck into a 5th consecutive Finals appearance...Seriously though...how much luck can 1 organization possibly have?
Monday, May 11, 2015
Golden State May Actually Be In Trouble
Right now, Golden State isnt playing anywhere near the way they did
all season. They are feeding directly into what Memphis wants. This
looked like it would be a really tough matchup for GS heading in, but
there is no reason that they should lose this series. Memphis is using
their postseason experience to overwhelm them right now.
Klay Thompson and Harrison Barnes need to get in the post more. Klay Thompson needs to back Tony Allen down b/c right now, he is letting him destroy him on the perimeter. They should feature Harrison Barnes a little more as well. The Warriors arent moving the ball the way they have all season either. Too many times have they taken poor shots, pulling up for 3s, or isolating on the perimeter. You cant do that against a defensive team like Memphis. Also, way too many bad turnovers. That was a problem for GS in the past, but this year it hasnt been there. They need to fix that. There is zero reason for Memphis to have 21 fast break points in any game. If GS can do those things better, and stay in the rebounding battle, they should win. Right now, they have an unfortunate injury to deal with, as Marreese Speights went down. This probably means that its time for David Lee to give them such huge minutes. He has been on the bench all year, and obviously hasnt been much of a fan of that. Now is his opportunity to show why he is still currently their highest paid player, in the biggest minutes he has ever played in his life. Otherwise, GS may actually be in some big trouble in this series
Klay Thompson and Harrison Barnes need to get in the post more. Klay Thompson needs to back Tony Allen down b/c right now, he is letting him destroy him on the perimeter. They should feature Harrison Barnes a little more as well. The Warriors arent moving the ball the way they have all season either. Too many times have they taken poor shots, pulling up for 3s, or isolating on the perimeter. You cant do that against a defensive team like Memphis. Also, way too many bad turnovers. That was a problem for GS in the past, but this year it hasnt been there. They need to fix that. There is zero reason for Memphis to have 21 fast break points in any game. If GS can do those things better, and stay in the rebounding battle, they should win. Right now, they have an unfortunate injury to deal with, as Marreese Speights went down. This probably means that its time for David Lee to give them such huge minutes. He has been on the bench all year, and obviously hasnt been much of a fan of that. Now is his opportunity to show why he is still currently their highest paid player, in the biggest minutes he has ever played in his life. Otherwise, GS may actually be in some big trouble in this series
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
Mini Game 2 Preview Cavs-Bulls
I didnt get a chance to type up a full synopsis of the 1st round, nor have I had the chance to post my 2nd round predictions. Hopefully, I'll get that chance in the next day or so. For now, here is a mini preview for Game 2 of the Cavs-Bulls series
As I mentioned, if the Cavs continue to play the way they did against the Celtics, and really for the entirety of the regular season, they will be swept by the Bulls. They have failed to use LeBron James correctly all season. Now, they need to change that. LeBron needs to be at the 4, and Mike Miller and Shawn Marion need to play more. Surrounding LeBron with shooters will help them space the floor, and they may have some issues rebounding the ball, but playing smaller lineups will also allow them to switch pick and rolls defensively. As for their issues scoring in the half court, they need to get LeBron in the post. They need to get him (or Kyrie) the ball on the move. They need to run actions for him at the elbow. This will allow him to get to the free throw line more, as well as get easier opportunities. Having LeBron (or Kyrie) try to run the offense off the dribble on every single play, while they get the ball 35 feet from the basket, and their teammates stand and watch, isnt going to be very consistent. Sometimes it may work, as we saw against Boston, but that is just b/c LeBron and Kyrie are such great scorers.
That being said, the Bulls had some stretches of stagnant offense themselves in Game 1. They were able to get by with some perimeter shots, but they cant rely on that in Game 2. Derrick Rose didnt take a single free throw in Game 1. He made some jump shots. He definitely needs to be more aggressive in Game , and they cant allow themselves to be flat on the perimeter. I felt that they missed some mismatch opportunities. Any time James Jones is guarding Pau Gasol in the post, you obviously need to feed Gasol
As I mentioned, if the Cavs continue to play the way they did against the Celtics, and really for the entirety of the regular season, they will be swept by the Bulls. They have failed to use LeBron James correctly all season. Now, they need to change that. LeBron needs to be at the 4, and Mike Miller and Shawn Marion need to play more. Surrounding LeBron with shooters will help them space the floor, and they may have some issues rebounding the ball, but playing smaller lineups will also allow them to switch pick and rolls defensively. As for their issues scoring in the half court, they need to get LeBron in the post. They need to get him (or Kyrie) the ball on the move. They need to run actions for him at the elbow. This will allow him to get to the free throw line more, as well as get easier opportunities. Having LeBron (or Kyrie) try to run the offense off the dribble on every single play, while they get the ball 35 feet from the basket, and their teammates stand and watch, isnt going to be very consistent. Sometimes it may work, as we saw against Boston, but that is just b/c LeBron and Kyrie are such great scorers.
LeBron knows that he has to do everything for them if they are going to
advance. That has to start tonight. Otherwise, dont be surprised if
they get swept or lose in 5 games, and you cant blame the loss of Kevin
Love on that
That being said, the Bulls had some stretches of stagnant offense themselves in Game 1. They were able to get by with some perimeter shots, but they cant rely on that in Game 2. Derrick Rose didnt take a single free throw in Game 1. He made some jump shots. He definitely needs to be more aggressive in Game , and they cant allow themselves to be flat on the perimeter. I felt that they missed some mismatch opportunities. Any time James Jones is guarding Pau Gasol in the post, you obviously need to feed Gasol
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