Because I love jumping to conclusions based on one game of basketball…
Spurs/Kings: We know that the Spurs are not here to fuck around. Game One was the ultimate statement game… not just to the Kings, but to the whole league. I’m still in awe of their first half. The Spurs, despite being a #1 seed, kinda flew into the playoffs a little under the radar. Not under the radar like the Grizzlies, for example, but the Mavs certainly were the trendy pick, and because of their bench and Tim Duncan’s ankle, the Spurs were perceived to have some weaknesses.
Suns/Lakers: Well, in Game One, the Lakers tried a team approach and played quite well. Luke Walton was excellent. Lamar Odom was a star. Smush Parker was a bonafide starting NBA point guard. Even Kwame Brown was getting after it. That’s the good news… the bad news is that they still lost. Kobe wasn’t hitting shots that he usually hits… and it’s hard to imagine the rest of the Lakers reproducing their results while Kobe gets it together at the same time. That’s what it’s going to take to win… and maintaining that for six more games would be difficult.
Nuggets/Clippers: George Karl said it himself… if the Nuggets can’t run, the Nuggets can’t win. They’re not a very good halfcourt team. And the Clippers have the post game and the intelligence at the point guard position to be able to slow the game down. Barring a complete lapse in composure, the Clippers should cruise in this series. Carmelo could steal one or two, though.
Mavs/Grizzlies: I don’t feel like we learned a whole lot in Game One of this one. I mean, I guess we learned that the Mavs are pretty damn good, and the Grizzlies are good, but not good enough to hang… but we knew that ahead of time. Pau Gasol just wasn’t himself, the Grizzlies left a lot of points out there, and the Grizz acted like it was a December game on a Wednesday night against Atlanta. If they play as well as they can, the might be able to take a game or two.
Pistons/Bucks: We learned that the Pistons can beat the Bucks handily while playing quite poorly. Now, things change in the playoffs, but I haven’t felt all year that the Pistons had the same discipline this year that they had the past two years.
Heat/Bulls: The Bulls can’t win the series, but… they’ve got a future. If they can snag LaMarcus Aldridge with the Knicks pick in the upcoming draft… this team could be frightening in two or three years. As for the Heat… I just don’t see it. The supporting cast isn’t good tnough. I think they’re a slight step down from where they were last year, even. Shaq’s playing at a dominant level, though… if Jason Williams turned into Derek Fisher and Antoine Walker turned into Rick Fox, I’d feel a lot better about their title chances.
Nets/Pacers: The Pacers played well, but… I really think this one was a product of a poor and unintelligent Nets performance. Jason Kidd is too good of a point guard to let the Nets settle for that kind of shot selection. And I’m sorry, but when you grab a player’s jersey, you’re getting called for a foul. It doesn’t matter if it affected the shot, if an official sees you with a handful of jersey, you’re getting a whistle. Period.
Cavs/Wizards: Well, that LeBron character’s pretty good. I was thoroughly impressed… the biggest game of his career to this point, and he stepped it up appropriately. He absolutely controlled the game. It’d be hard for anyone to maintain that level for a full series, though. I still think this one could go either way. About the Wizards, though… well, no team that plays defense like that and exhibits that kind of shot selection can be considered well-coached.
JOBS Says:
April 24th, 2006 at 10:45 am
Now is not the time for the Lakers to change their game plan. Ball distribution isn’t what got them here- Kobe shooting is, with a little support from the team. Phil says he likes what he saw, but a seven game series can creep up on you. Maybe they’ll all play like they did in game one and then Kobe will put up his usual 34+ and then they’ll be okay, but it’s still the suns and bottom line is they are better.
Atma Brother ONE Says:
April 24th, 2006 at 11:00 am
Because I love jumping to conclusions based on one game of basketball…
Hahaha, well said- we’re pretty much doing the same thing over at GSoM with our Daily Play Hype:
http://www.goldenstateofmind.com/story/2006/4/23/13338/8631
http://www.goldenstateofmind.com/story/2006/4/24/03718/4395
Happy playoffs!
JD Says:
April 24th, 2006 at 11:26 am
Vince Carter is soft with his fade away jump shots.
Rob Says:
April 24th, 2006 at 11:55 am
We also learned that ESPN needs to throw in the towel for it’s hyped Full Circle Coverage. I had no idea what this meant, so I tuned in to the Miami-Chicago game. ESPN has the usual game with the usual compliments (ie. camera angles, hosts, closeups of sweaty Shaqs, etc).
Yet ESPN2 showed a different version of the game. The only camera angles (I saw) were from cameras looking *down* at the floor. The play-by-play was painfully done by Saunders and others who were obviously not at the game. The few minutes I suffered through watching this reminded me of the famous Far Side cartoon of a bird’s view of the world. I kept seeing a bullseye on Wade’s head.
Was ESPN2’s coverage actually watachable? And what was the point? It would have been nice to have had a different playoff game on, so maybe the first round will finish before summer. For now, any Game 7s needed will take until - geez louise - May 7.
I want to like the NBA, but three days between games 1 and 2? WTF?
Point23 Says:
April 24th, 2006 at 11:56 am
Is Kobe intentionally messing with his teammates’ heads? How confused are the rest of the Lakers going to be in Game 2 when he shoots 35 times? What happens to everyone else’s confidence when Kobe basically says, “Hey, I tried to let you guys play, but well…you just aren’t that good. Please get back out of my way now.” 82 games of Kobe shooting without reprucussion, and then in the biggest game of the season to date, he defers and distributes? This series is over. Brilliant, Kobe.
bill g Says:
April 24th, 2006 at 12:06 pm
What happens to everyone else’s confidence when Kobe basically says, “Hey, I tried to let you guys play, but well…you just aren’t that good. Please get back out of my way now.”
this is the first game through the painfully long season that the whole supporting cast has gotten their shit together at the SAME TIME. i’m all for passing and getting teammates involved but this has to be one of the worst teams built around a superstar that i’ve ever seen. questionable center at best, 2nd string PG playing starter minutes, son of guy that used to have ugly red hair and absolutely no bench to speak of whatsoever.
did you hear dantoni say that he feels kobe could still get his 81 but that the rest of the team couldnt put together another 30 to get them the W? nice
CheeseheadPete Says:
April 24th, 2006 at 7:41 pm
All the Pistons need to do is show up and stay healthy. Don’t play more games then they have to against the hapless does.
Andy Says:
April 24th, 2006 at 9:52 pm
Pacers/Nets: I think the key is that the Pacers have routinely phoned it in against crappy teams and shown up for the bigger games, and that for whatever reason the Pacers always play the Nets well. They’ll do well until Jamaal Tinsley decides it’s time to come back prematurely from his injury and single-handedly ruin the team. Again.
Then, in the offseason, Bird will trade Anthony Johnson for Stephon Marbury citing his oft-used rule of “There’s no attitude problem that I wouldn’t want on my roster,” and I will commit suicide as the Knicks cruise to a 4-seed in the playoffs.
Rhondda Nunes Says:
May 1st, 2006 at 1:11 am
WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED AFTER GAME 2:AN UPDATE:
KINGS vs. SPURS.
1)That what we allways suspected about RonRon is true; he’s good at messin’ with other people’s heads. At this moment, particularly ‘el Argentino’. That’s the beauty of RonRon. He gives the Kings swagger like ‘Sam I am’ does for the Clipjoint.
2) Tim Duncan may have a great rep as a defensive playa but he can’t stop ‘Reef. I love how ‘Reef is going right at him offensively in his 1st playoff series of his career. Good for him.
3)Bruce Bowen we know from previous experience is a great, great defender. but he doesn’t have an answer for Arthur Bonzarelli.Great time for Bonzi in the low post to have the best game I’ve ever seen from him.
It’s not so much that the Spurs were so dominant in that 1st game, it’s that the ‘real Kings’, the post-Artest kings, didn’t show up because they were complacent from beating the Spurs in their gym at the end of the season. Any team can be complacent & have a bad day at the office, witness the Pistons the other night against the Bucks.
It’s gonna go to 7. Just like Miami & the baby Bulls.
Rhondda Nunes Says:
May 6th, 2006 at 4:11 pm
Well, like my ‘bro that lives in Chi-Town likes to say:
“Oy vey”….I was hoping the Kings-Spurs matchup would go to 7, ditto for the baby Bulls.
& I hate to sound superstitous, but the Kings never do well when I’m not watching the game. I wasn’t able to see the 1st half ‘cuz’ I was gigging, & look what happened.
(& for the record, I was gigging during the 1st game of the series & looked what happened there)….Oy vey.