Mike D'Antoni on facing the Spurs, as quoted by Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic: "They are champions. They'll be ready. Just like Ginobili that you think he's out but there's no way. I know him too well and he'll be 100 percent. All of them will be. It's a knock-down, drag-out kind of thing. We've got our work cut out for us but they do too. ... We just think we're a better team than we were then and I guess we'll test it out. It will be a great series. It'll be fun. The fans will want it. We want it. They want it. Just where it left off last year."
Some of the fanciest numbers out there support the idea of LeBron James as MVP.
I have been asked lately how teams prepare for the playoffs when they don't know until the last minute who they are going to face. The answer, at least for the Lakers, is that they spend a ton of time preparing for multiple teams, and then throw a lot of that work in the trash.
Sports Illustrated's Jack McCallum has fascinating insight into how NBA coaches set up last second shots: "Indeed, in many ways the inbounder plays the most significant role. (Two seasons ago Jackson was so concerned about his inbounds passer that he considered trading for forward Toni Kukoc, a former Bull whose career was winding down with the Milwaukee Bucks, just for last-shot throw-ins.) Before an inbounder becomes an active part of the play on the court -- and often he'll wind up getting a return pass and taking the last shot himself -- he must get the ball in within five seconds while his target is being grabbed or otherwise constrained, as referees are unlikely to call a foul in this situation. "Since you may not get a call on a low clock, the main thing you have to do is make every move forceful," says Boston Celtics guard Ray Allen, a recognized last-shot master over the last decade who had two game-winning three-pointers earlier this season. 'If you're coming off a screen, you come hard. If you're beating someone into the lane, do it hard.' Once the ball is in play, there is also the question of whether to attack a specific defender. D'Antoni used to draw up plays with that in mind, then kick himself when the opposing coach took that player out of the game. So he stopped doing it. On the other hand, Denver Nuggets coach George Karl is known for going at a player who just missed a crucial free throw at the other end, figuring he might be depressed and distracted -- the kick-'em-while-they're-down approach. Defensively, the major last-shot considerations are these: If you're up three, should you deliberately foul to avoid a potential game-tying three-pointer? And no matter what the score is, should you stick with your defensive principles or try to scheme the play, perhaps with a matchup zone? There are no absolutes, but in general NBA teams do not foul and do not use gimmicks. 'Guys in our league get shots off too quickly to deliberately foul,' says an Eastern Conference coach. 'You don't want to put the decision on whether or not a guy was shooting in the hands of a ref. They love to call continuation.' And as far as switching up on defense, teams just aren't that good at it. If a player makes a tough last shot, so be it. But if someone is left wide open because of a lapse in an unfamiliar defensive alignment, the coach has some 'splaining to do."
Ron Hitley of Hornets247 on the upcoming Hornets vs. Mavericks series: "Even though we have the higher seed and home court, I figure the pressure is mostly on Dallas going in. If the Hornets lose the series, people will just say 'oh well, they're young and inexperienced, give 'em some time.' On the flip side, a quick exit for the Mavs would probably be seen as disastrous, since they've had massively disappointing Playoff losses the past two seasons and they traded away a good young point for an older one who's supposed to get them over the top now or never."
Tim Kawakami of the Mercury News: "After tonight's game, as players milled around and said good-bye to each other, Baron Davis sat patiently and answered every question and didn't deny that he wants an extension (sounds like three or four years tacked on to next year's $17.2M) from the Warriors pronto. Which is interesting, because earlier today Chris Mullin said he would not negotiate an extension before Baron's opt-out date. Very specifically asked and answered."
Reggie Theus makes some interesting comments implying Ron Artest is a more clutch scorer than Kevin Martin, which the numbers defy. One guess: Ron Artest might be the player more in need of public affirmations from his coach.
The flaw of the Executive of the Year award is that good front office work does not come in one-year increments. Jones on the NBA: "Basically, outside of Danny Ainge and his Celtics remake, it's almost impossible to judge a GM based on one year's work. For example, Mitch Kupchak has been building this Lakers squad for years. Yes, he made the Gasol and Ariza trades this year, but he's been building this team for years. He acquired Walton in 2003, Odom and Vujacic in 2004, Bynum and Turiaf in 2005, Farmar and Radmanovic in 2006, and Fisher this past off-season. In other words, it took years to build this Lakers team. The same could be said for the Hornets Jeff Bower. He picked up David West in 2003, Chris Paul in 2005, Peja Stojakovic and Tyson Chandler in 2006, and MoPete and Julian Wright this off-season. And what about what Sam Presti is doing for the Sonics? This season, he picked up Kevin Durant and Jeff Green and was able to take a trade exception and turn it into three first round picks. He's also created a ton of cap space, setting up the Sonics for a very bright future. Obviously his team is heading in the right direction, but we probably won't see the positive results of his wheeling and dealing for at least a few seasons."
Home court advantage has meant a series win in 75% of recent playoff series. Author Bill Woten writes: "It's worth noting, however, that only one eventual champion had homecourt throughout the playoffs (Spurs, 2003). The past four title winners were all forced to win at least one series that they started on the road. Curious as to why SA pushed hard to get the No. 3? Yes, they drew the Suns in the first round. But Phoenix hasn't won a single road series in five years (0-2)."
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar takes issue with a plotline of the movie (not the book!) Horton Hears a Who. As the father of a daughter, I feel what he's saying. A lot of movies paint little girls as passive.
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