Final Legacy

You should know that last year's NBA Finals match-up seemed like one made in heaven. The league's two best players vying for their first NBA championship as well as undisputed supremacy over the basketball world.

Well, you should know that this year's match-up will be even better.

We're talking past dynasty against a burgeoning one that is trying to take those reigns with a another chip. We're talking perhaps the best power forward ever vs. perhaps (already?) the best small forward ever - at the height of his powers. Oh, and that best power forward ever, he's not even the best player on his team right now.

Last year there was talk of perhaps a Jordan vs. Magic comparison.
I felt, best case scenario it was more a Magic/Bird (worst case for Durant: MJ/Drexler).
But this year may be more fitting for Magic/Jordan. Does Duncan relinquish (finally) his staying power in the league and formally hand over the keys to LeBron? We never had a fitting passing of the torch from Kobe to LeBron. So will a Duncan (now making people reconsider if he is the best player from his generation) pass off suffice?

Or, will Duncan and co. write their own script and ride off into the sunset on their own terms?

Here is a question for you:
How many teams have gone to the NBA Finals three years in a row?
After the Celtics 8 peat in the 60's, only 4 franchises. The Lakers four times, The Pistons, The Bulls twice, and now Miami (3 out of 8 of those resulted in a three-peat). Only three years since it's inception, does this already grant Miami a significant place in NBA history?

Another question:
How many teams have gone to the Finals 5 times within 14 years (keeping at least one of their major stars throughout)? After the Celtics 8 peat, only three franchises have done that. The Lakers (you can pick from the 70's, 80's and 00's), the Bulls, and these Spurs.

The Spurs previous match-ups: New York, New Jersey, Detroit, & Cleveland. With the exception of perhaps Detroit, they were heavy favorites in all of those series. Kind of feels like this time around they might have met a team of equal of greater stature. How does that play out?

And how about LeBron? His first trip to the Finals he was swept by the same big three he'll be facing this time around. Throw in the Dallas series and he is 0-2 against teams from Texas. Three times the charm?

Since that Spurs/Cavs match-up we have seen three Kobe Finals (including two lakers/Celtics) and three LeBron Finals (including a LeBron/Durant and now this). Safe to say the NBA has hit the jackpot these last six years.

So what are some fo the more intriguing things to look out for?

The Bigs
Ponder this. For their respective conference Finals:
Roy Hibbert = 22 poins & 10 rebounds
David West = 17 points & 9 rebounds
Paul George = 19 points & 6 rebounds

Tim Duncan = 18 points & 9 rebounds
Tiago Splitter = 9 points & 3 rebounds
Kawhi Leonard = 11 points and 7 rebounds

So you're saying the Heat faced a collective 58 & 25 from the Pacers starting front court and now will go up against a collective 38 & 19 from that of the Spurs. Yeah...... something tells me the Heat are gonna be jumping for joy with this one.

No 7'2" center to prevent anything easy at the rim?
No one to beat the crap out of Chris Bosh and consistently push LeBron around in the post?

For all the talk about how the West is a better/deeper conference. Let me tell you what the East is: A beat-you-up/grind it out nightmare of physicality. For a team built around small ball, with no dominate post player, getting through that - two years in a row -  is an achievement.

Chris Bosh
With the physicality less demanding, can Bosh return to form?
He averaged 15 points and 9 rebounds last year in the Finals.
He's coming off 11 & 4 in the conference finals.  How big would it be for Bosh to put up big numbers? Especially if he can rekindle his shooting touch as the Spurs converge on LeBron and Wade.

The Shooters
Speaking of shooting, every big three needs supporting players that space out the floor and make the defense pay for doubling the stars right? Well compare the 3pt % (and for fun, age) from those of Miami to those of San Antonio:

Ray Allen (38) = 42% regular season, 37% playoffs
Shane Battier (35) = 42% regular season, 23% playoffs
Mike Miller (33) =  41% regular season, 28% playoffs

Matt Bonner (33) = 44% regular season, 50% playoffs
Danny Green (26) = 43% regular season, 43% playoffs
Kawhi Leonord (21) = 42% regular season, 37% playoffs
Garry Neal (28) = 40% regular season, 25% playoffs

Seems to be a concerning trend for the Miami shooters. Essentially, the Heat have gotten to this point without their offense firing on all cylinders. But not sure if they can get away with it in the Finals. The Bulls were ranked 10th (out of 16) in offense during the postseason and the Pacers 11th. Both averaged ~92 points a game. The Spurs? They ranked 3rd offensively and averaged 102 points a game!

Therefore the Heat might not be able to get away with struggling to put points of the board, they are averaging 97 for the playoffs. You can say that they struggled against the potent defense of Indiana and the Spurs should be a relief in that area. Well actually the Spurs rank slightly higher than the Pacers this post-season in defense.

What is a good sign for them is that Ray Allen hit four three during in their game 7 win over Indiana - 3 in the second is what really broke the game open. Additionally, while Miller hasn't made a ton of shots, he has been aggressive on both ends of the floor and seemed to provide a spark in the last two games of the conference Finals.

You may say: "will the supporting players/shooters really make a difference in the Finals?" They absolutely did last year with Battier, Chalmers, & Miller each having games where they scored 20 or more points in Heat victories.


Tony Tone Tone
Can you believe Tony Parker has been in the league for 12 years?!?
It's interesting, when you think of the top 5 point guards in the league his name doesn't come to mind. He is not the best statistically but he wins the most, when it matter most. In the 6 years since the Spurs last won the chip Parker has averaged 19 points & 7 assists a game in the regular season. In the last six post-seasons his numbers are 22 points & 6 assists per game.

Oh, and the Last time The Spurs won it all? Parker averaged 24.5 points (on 58% shooting) to go along with 5 rebounds and 3 assists per game for Finals MVP.
(FYI, Duncan averaged 18, 12, & 4 and LeBron, a pedestrian 22, 7, & 7).

There is no doubt that this is Parker's team.
But do you want to put his value into perspective?
During the conference Finals Parker averaged 24.5 point and 9.5 assists a game. That's accounting for 43.5 total points. LeBron, who carried Miami in the conference finals, averaged 29 points and 6 assists a game accounting for only 41 total points.

Perhaps LeBron is more valuable to his (and everyone's team). But Parker is putting up numbers just as good. LeBron will get his during the Finals, but can anyone prevent Parker from doing his thing?

Timmy
Okay, it's Parker 's team. But Tim Duncan made first team All-NBA at 37 (his 16th year in the league)? Who does that?
I remember watching the '99 Finals when he destroyed the Knicks (he was 23!). His bank-shot jumper was automatic.

The Heat were overwhelmed physically last series. Will Duncan's skill set this series be able to impact as much damage?

The Best
During the first quarter of game 7 against Indiana my brother texted me (in so many words):
"WTF....why isn't LeBron shooting?"

Miami took 28 shots in the first quarter (making 8 of them).
LeBron only took 5 of those shots - his first not coming until 4:45 to go in the quarter.
Indiana led 21-19.

LeBron only took 4 shots in the second quarter.
But Ray Allen had 3 threes and 10 points, Wade & Bosh were a combined 4 for 5, for 9 points.
With Miami up 15 at the half, my brother texted me again:
"LeBron with a quiet 18?"

So playing a reserved role and allowing his teammates to get involved early on, LeBron was sill able to lead the Heat in scoring at the half? For the game? 32 and 8 on 8 of 17 shooting.
Light.

That's what this guy does.
He keeps everyone involved and still scores 25-30 by default.
He dropped 45 against Boston last year and then told me directly after that he'll still pass the ball to teammates when they are open because he trusts them and knows how essential they are. He followed that up by closing out the Finals with a triple double and 13 assists.

For the heat to win, LeBron has to be the best player in the world and score, especially if Wade and Bosh, and the Miami shooters don't return to form. But I don't want the 25-8-8 guy. I want the 30-9-6 guy. I'm not too worried about him getting 30. It seems he'll do that regardless. The question is, will he have to go for 35-40 at one point in this series? I'm not sure, but I'm fairly confident that he'll know when it's time.

As these games go by, it seems more apparent that LeBron has learned when to pick and choose his spots. If anything, I think all the injuries the Heat suffered during their last two playoff runs have actually been somewhat of a blessing in disguise as they mandated LeBron to take over in so many of these games. There is a big difference between deferring then trying to find your way in the offense at crucial moments and knowing you have to dominate/can score when you want but have to take your foot of the gas at times to keep your teammates happy. For the all the Point Guard Project stuff I've done and asked "How do you determine when to pass vs. shoot?" Can it be that LeBron has mastered this better than anyone?

My one request - as hopefully LeBron continues to attack the rim.
Rather than always leading with his body and keeping the ball inside to draw the foul, I would love to see him extend his arm as the contact comes then finish over the top of the defender. He will still get the call.


The deciding factor
Could it possibly be Manu Ginobili vs. Dwyane Wade???
Remember the day when Ginobili would recklessly drive to the basket and hit those lefty lay-ups over Shaq? Or when he led Argentina over the US for the '04 olympics? Or when the euro two-step was all his before Wade and Harden co-opted it? Remember when he scored 25 points in game 7 of the 2005 Finals?

Remember when Wade averaged 35 points as the '06 Finals MVP?
When he averaged 30 against Boston and Dallas in the playoffs two year ago? Or when he dropped 40 to close out the Pacers last year?

Those days seem long gone. Now, everyone wonders if these two are on their last legs.
For the Playoffs:
Ginobili is at 11.5 points (38%), 5 assists, and 5 rebounds a game.
Wade is at 14 (45%) 5 & 5.

What better way to prove everyone wrong than by matching up against one another?
This might be the most fun to watch!




So what's it gonna be???
I'm not going to make a prediction, but I will say a few things that may make it apparent what I'm thinking.

The danger for Miami is facing a team this deep with superb ball movement that can put points on the board. Yes, Chicago and Indiana were physical, but they both didn't have more than a 5-6 man rotation. That makes a difference. And while the teams they faced had Thibodeau and Vogel, they didn't have Popovich. And when you have an all time great coach - that maximizes his team's potential and makes adjustments on the fly (not to mention ridicule the media) - you'll always be in the game and have a chance to win.

And that's the thing - if the games are close at the end, the Spurs can execute and have the star power as well as pedigree to close games out.

But, are the Heat really worried about playing an uptempo/perimeter oriented style of play?
Miami's defense isn't too shabby - they are ranked 2nd for the post-season. And the reason Indiana gave them so much trouble is that they owned the boards and got so many second chance points/lay-ups (while beating them up in the process). That is Miami's achilles and I don't envision that happening in this series.

Think about last year, Miami was pushed to 6 by Indiana then 7 by Boston. They then faced the supposedly deeper and more offensively potent Thunder yet still ran away with the thing in five games.
This year, they got beat up by the Bulls and Pacers, but survived. You don't think they'll thrive against the supposedly deeper and offensively potent Spurs?

Now think about what the Spurs have faced. Last year, after going down 0-2, Oklahoma won four in a row with their athleticism and perimeter play. This year the Spurs swept the Lakers and grizzles. Two half court teams that find their strength in their bigs. Who gave them the most trouble? The Warriors - a run and gun team that finds their strength in their perimeter play/shooting. I'm gonna say that Miami will provide more of a challenge on the perimeter than the Warriors did - especially if Wade is healthy and Bosh can make shots. And as good as Golden state was offensively, they ranked 13th (out of 16) on the defensive end. So, combine Miami's defense and their transition/athleticism/perimeter play (either shooting or breaking down the defense to get to the paint) and it might be tougher to combat.

And I'm gonna say that this guy LeBron is going prove more challenging to contain than Stephen Curry. In every facet of the game.  And not only offensively. What sort of impact will LeBron have defensively? We spoke about the numbers Tony Parker is putting up. Well, by now everyone in the world is talking about a potential showdown with LeBroan guarding Parker. And why not - for stretches, perhaps during the 4th quarter? He was able to keep Derrick Rose in check coming off his MVP season. Actually, what are the chances that we literally see LeBron guard positions 1-5......in the same game?

The bottom line? When you get into these sorts of high stakes-street fights, you want to be the team that has the best player in the world on your side. That's what Miami has. And while the Spurs are 4 games away from furthering their franchise's legacy, don't you think LeBron relishes the opportunity to cement his own as well???


Not much more to say!
Let the Finals begin!

Defeat the Repeat?

Can lighting strike three times for the Indiana Pacers???
You might recall that I sarcastically congratulated Indiana after their game 4 victory over Miami and pretty much implied that they couldn't duplicate that effort two more times in this series.

Well, it seems as if they managed to duplicate it in game 6. Compare their last two wins:

Game 4 points:                                                            Game 6 points:
1) Lebron shoots under 50% (45%)                               1) LeBron shoots under 50% (48%)
2) Hibbert shoots over 60% (63%)                                 2) Hibbert shoots 55%
3) Indy out-rebounded Miami by 19!                              3) Indy out-rebounded Miami by 20!
4) Wade held to 16 points                                             4) Wade held to 10 points
5) Bosh held to 7 points & 3 rebounds                           5) Bosh held to 5 and 4
6) Indy hits miraculous three pointer to end third             6) George hits big three late in 4th
7) LeBron fouls out of game                                          7) LeBron gets offensive foul & tech in 4th

Eerily similar.

Can it happen again tonight?
It's possible!

And here is why. For the series:
Wade has averaged 14.5 points (45%) to go along with 4.5 rebounds & 4.8 assists a game.
Bosh has averaged 11.3 points (41%) to go along with 3.7 rebounds per game.
Indy has out-rebounded Miami every game this series - a total of 61 rebounds (average 10 per game!)
Hibbert has averaged 23 points and 11 rebounds on 55% shooting.

Are you ready for a reality check?
Indiana is the better overall team this series.
No, seriously.

With all of those numbers above, how is this thing even close you might ask?
Well there is that guy LeBron James. And in each of Miami's wins he has had huge performances.
Game 1 - triple double (30-10-10) with the game winning lay-up as time expired.
Game 3 - 12 points in the second quarter (18 in the first half) to demoralize the pacers.
Game 5 - 16 points in the third quarter to demoralize the Pacers.

For the series his numbers are 28.5 points (on 52% shooting) to go with 7 rebounds and 5.5 assists a game.

But here is another crazy reality check:
LeBron's stats aren't that much greater than that of Indy's two stars. As great as LeBron has been, Hibbert has been as dominant and Paul George has been almost as good. George's numbers for the series: 21.5 points (on 50% shooting) to go with 6 rebounds and 5 assists. And in his last two games he has pretty much equaled LeBron: 27.5 points (on 58% shooting) to go along with 9.5 rebounds and 5 assists.

George also happens to have the two best plays of the series and three incredibly clutch plays (his three pointer last game to put Indiana back up by 7 might have been the biggest play of the game).

Okay, okay you get it. Indiana is a good team.
But here is the scary thing for the Pacers:
If they don't win the boards by at least 10 and if anyone besides LeBron has a decent game, then Miami is going to win. Plus they have no depth. If one of their starters gets in foul trouble then they are in trouble. And for all their front court dominance, in 2/3 games they have won, they needed all 5 starters to score in double figures.


So do you want some Game 7 keys and possible adjustments???

For Miami:

1) LeBron needs to get 10-12 rebounds. 
And this might be more important than him getting 45 points. They can't afford to get killed on the glass. Perhaps getting Birdman back will help in this regard.

2) Someone, and it can be anyone, has to support LeBron.
The Heat are 3-1 in games this series where 3-4 players other than LeBron score double figures, even if it's less than 20 points. In games where only two other players score double figures they are 0-2.
Hmmmmm.

3) Play Mike Miller more?
Shane battier is 2 for 16 this series (all three point attempts).
Ray Allen is is 13 for 56 (7 for 24 from three).
Mike Miller has only played 18 minutes this series. But he is 3 for 3 (all three point attempts). He can rebound and pass better than the other two. Plus he provided a spark last game in the 4th quarter.

4) Get easy looks for Wade/Bosh.
Run Wade off of down screens so he can curl to the basket for either easy buckets or drop off passes to a big for lay-ups. Also, run him off of some more screens on the ball. He shouldn't necessarily take 20 shots but he won't do you any good taking 8-11 shots. He shouldn't necessarily look to create for himself one-on-one but he is a rhythm player, so he won't do you any good on spot-ups. Especially now with his injuries, he has to get moving to get going.

Spot Bosh up in the corner for threes & and involve him in pick and pops. Bosh is a spot up shooter and he can he can draw Hibbert away from the basket. Keeping him involved in the offense may also motivate him to get some more rebounds.

5) Double Roy Hibbert in the post.
If not to prevent him from scoring, then to prevent him from getting offensive rebounds. Front him and get weak side help - put two bodies on him to block him out! They should probably look to double off Lance Stevenson and make him make spot-up jump-shots. They could also look to double off of Hansborough and even West at times when they are situated on the high post.

6) Zone defense? 
Paul George has been able to get to the basket at will and Hibbert owns the paint. Why not turn the Pacers into a jump shooting team and have 5 guys in the paint when the shot goes up? Miami won't do this becuase it isn't true to their identity - but they have the speed and athleticism to make the adjustment on the fly. Could Indiana make the appropriate adjustments on the fly, especially when facing a zone would be a super surprise and place them further out of their comfort than it would Miami by playing it?

7) LeBron has to have another amazing performance in game 7.
Yes, this is obvious. So lucky for Miami, this is more than likely to happen!
He has played three game 7's in his career. His averages:
34 points (46% shooting), 8 rebounds, 3 assists a game.

And also lucky for Miami, LeBron has already saved Miami by himself! Remember last year, when he   had to Drop 45 & 15 in Boston? Wade was the only other player in double figures that game with 17. Does he have to do that this time? Perhaps a performance like last year's ECF game 7 will suffice, 31 points with 12 rebounds. Wade scored 23 that game and Bosh had 19. That would be welcomed tonight.

Whether he goes for 30 or 40, forget all of that talk that going back to "Cleveland mode" has been a  detriment to his team. The most shots he has attempted in a game this series is 26 - and that was in their game 5 win. He is averaging less than 21 shots a game. I would hardly say that is too much. He needs to attack and shoot - maybe not the whole game but certainly during crucial stretches. In fact, their were times when Indiana was on the ropes in game 2 and 4, but were able to get back into it because LeBron wasn't as involved offensively. 5-6 minutes really can make the difference between winning and losing. LeBron scored 12 points in 6 minutes to close out the third in game 5 and put the Pacers away.

He will get his teammates involved, but there will be a time when he has to take over. And in general,  his dominance opens things up for his teammates, not the other way around.

And as a minor note, I don't know if putting him in too many in pick and roll situations is a good idea. He'll either face a hedging defender or get doubled. Instead, maybe use him as the screener, especially with Wade - this will force Indiana to chose between letting Wade turn the corner or helping off LeBron. Also, LeBron in the post and running him off of down screens is a good look.


For Indiana:

1) Feed the bigs
Go with what has got you here. Let Hibbert eat offensively. And let West continue to bully.

2) Isolate Paul George on the top of the key.
At this point it seems neither LeBron or Wade can stay in front of him. He has been able to get by his man consistenly to finish at the rim. If a help defender comes at him then it opens things up for Indiana's bigs.

3) Double LeBron and make him a passer
Especially off pick and rolls. Remember those two turn overs at the end of game two? They came by throwing another defender at LeBron and turning him into a passer. Besides, has anyone on the Heat shown they can consistently make plays and/or open jump shots? If Udonis Haslem beats you, then hey, what can you do?

4) Guard play
In Indiana's wins, George Hill's stats: 17.6 points (48%) with 4 rebounds and 5 assists.
In Indiana's loses, George Hill's stats: 8.3 points (30%) with 1.7 rebounds and 4.3 assists.
Pretty self explanatory, no?

5) How critical will Lance Stevenson be in this game?
In how many aspects of the game?
How about taking turns guarding LeBron - to give George a breather? Think about this, in Miami's game 5 win LeBron scored 16 points in the third quarter on 7 for 13 shooting. In the 4th quarter with Stevenson mostly guarding him, LeBron went 1 for 7 scoring three points. I'm just saying.

Also, if Miami does double off Stevenson, leaving him open for three, he shouldn't settle for long range jumpers! Rather, attack the basket for a dunk or foul. Or at the very least drive to the basket to draw a defender off Hibbert/West to open up a pass or the offensive glass. Furthermore, if the Heat send an extra defender to block out Hibbert/West - that leaves plenty of opportunities for Stevenson to crash the offensive glass himself for second chance points.

6) Keep the game close
Games in which Miami led by double figures going into the 4th, Indiana is 0-2.
Games in which the score was within single digits, either way, Indiana is 3-1.

So you're saying if the game is close going into the 4th, Indiana has an excellent chance of winning?

7) Cognizant or ignorant?
You could argue experience is important for these pressurized game 7's.
Miami has faced an elimination game on the road before as well as last's year's conference Finals game 7  at home.

This is Indiana's first elimination game on the road and first game 7.
But sometimes, being naive to the significance of the moment can be a blessing.
I guess we'll find out tonight.


How about some game 7 history for you???
Other notable game 7's, with super stars, that ultimately led to a championship:

1992 Bulls vs Knicks game 7
Jordan: 42 points (52%), 6 rebounds, 4 assists
Pippen: 17 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists
Grant: 14 points, 6 rebounds
Armstrong: 12 points, 5 assists

1998 Bulls vs Pacers game 7
Jordan: 28 points (36%), 9 rebounds, 8 assists
Pippen: 17 points, 12 rebounds
Kukoc: 21 points
Kerr: 11 points

2005 Spurs vs Pistons game 7
Duncan: 25 points (37%), 11 rebounds
Ginobli: 23 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists
Horry: 15 points, 5 rebounds

2008 Celtics vs Cavs game 7
Pierce: 41 points (57%), 4 rebounds, 5 assists
Garnett: 13 points, 13 rebounds
Rondo: 8 points, 8 rebonds, 8 assists
PJ Brown: 10 points, 6 rebounds

2010 Lakers vs Celtics game 7
Kobe: 23 points (25%), 15 rebounds
Gasol: 19 points, 18 rebounds
World-Peace: 20 points
Fisher: 10 points

2012 Heat vs Celtics game 7
LeBron: 31 points (43%), 12 rebounds
Wade: 23 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists
Bosh: 19 points (on 10 shots), 8 rebounds
Battier: 12 points

So, very rarely does the team with the superstar (or at least more than one star) lose a game 7 at home.
But very rarely is it a one man show. And while the superstar leads the way, it's not always done efficiently.

Interestingly enough, there are two game 7's I can think of in which the home team with the superstar did in lose (although these games didn't lead to a championship).
1995: When Indiana beat the Knicks at the Garden. New York had Ewing and were the favorites
2005: When Detroit beat the Heat in Miami. The Heat had Shaq and Wade (ironically, Wade was also injured for that game).
Does it mean anything that both cases involve Indiana and Miami?


Finally.
Make no mistake, this is a LEGACY game for LeBron.
He will go down as a top ten player all time.
But what kind of player will he be?

Oscar Robinson and win 1 championship?
Wilt Chamberlain and win 2, several years apart?
Bird or Duncan and win multiple, but never two in a row?
Or Jordan, Magic, Jabbar, Shaq, & Kobe  - Winning 2-3 tittles in a row?

As per NBA.com - in the last 50 years (since the Celtics in the 60's) only 4 franchises have won two or more titles in a row (Lakers three times, Bulls twice, Pistons once, and Rockets once).
Winning it this year puts LeBron in elite company champions wise and gives him an opportunity to do something even rarer next year.

So what will it be???

Well, ask yourself these questions:
Do you really think Wade and Bosh and Miami as a whole will put up another collective dud?
Do you really think Miami will get out-rebounded by 15 or more at home?
By default, LeBron will get 25-30 points. Do you think he won't focus more on rebounding tonight and go for more than 30 if the game is close (and it will be close)?

I'll tell you what. If Indiana can enforce the first two scenarios and overcome the latter - on the road - then bless them, they would have earned it.

But the real question is, what did we as fans do to earn such a potentially amazingly fantastic game 7?!?
So much drama, physicality, distain, pressure, and x factors and so much of the future at stake!
The only thing left to do now is to sit back, relax, and enjoy the show!

How to Beat the Heat***

Here it is!

The foolproof plan to beat the defending champs:

***This will get you a 7 point victory.

Great job Indiana!

All you need is for this exact amalgamation of events to happen only two more times^ and you're off to San Antonio!

^Actually, I might go as far to say that points 1-6 are entirely plausible. Mario Chalmers compensated somewhat by scoring 20 points. The Pacers shot 50% in game 4, the Heat shot 39%. In general, Layups beat jump shots. Now about point #7......

Game Change

Think about it.
With 4:53 to go in the third quarter last night in Indiana, the Knicks trailed by 10.
Their season slipping away.

Then within 103 seconds, with the aid of 4 three pointers (three in a row by Iman Shumpert), the game was tied.

This was it.

The Knicks three point shooting finally came alive - to keep them alive. After going 35 for 106 in the first 5 games of the series (33% - but only 31% in their three losses), the Knicks would finish game six 13 for 30 from three (43%). Throw in Melo scoring 35 points through three quarters on a super efficient 13 of 22 shooting (59% - including a stretch in which he scored 17 of 22 Knick points to keep NY in the game) - this was the Knicks at their best.

Game tied going into the fourth.
At a stand still for much of the final period, the Knicks found themselves up two with the ball, 5:04 to go in the game. Melo, isolation on the right block. The Knicks were headed back to NY for game 7.

Then this happened:

And then the Final five minutes of the game happened.
A 16-7 Pacers run that moved them into the Eastern conference Finals and ended the Knicks season.
What a difference one play can make.

Is it too much to say that if Melo dunks that ball - on Roy Hibbert - the Knicks go back to New York for game 7? And really, is it too much to say that if Melo dunks that ball - on Roy Hibbert - the Knicks play in Miami on Wednesday for the Eastern conference chip?

You want irony? Remember that dunk by Jordan on a Knicks center from Georgetown? What if Ewing blocked that dunk? Might have changed the complexion of the series (though probably not).
But now the Knicks had the team Jordan guy, and their opponent, the Pacers, had the center from georgetown. Time for some pay back right? Wrong.

Oh,  that 7'2" Hibbert guy. He finished the game with 21 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 blocks.




So where do we go from here?

For New York.
It was a good season.
Yes, it's a little disappointing that they didn't make the conference finals - since they had all the tools necessary. After the finishing the regular season on fire, arguably the 2nd best team in the league, with talk of Melo having an MVP season (hey -  he got one first place vote) the Knicks just couldn't find their groove in the post season (something changed after that JR Smith elbow).

Had they shot at a high efficiency, they would be in the conference Finals. Had they made a couple of different plays in the fourth quarter last night, they would be in the conference finals. Had Amar'e not gotten injured, they would be in the conference finals. But as New Yorkers know - that's just the history of the Knicks.

And I'm not saying that facetiously. Just honestly.
And in all honesty, this season was a success because the franchise got themselves out of the doldrums of the league and spoke about competing for a championship without making you laugh. After their previous decade of basketball, that in itself was an accomplishment.

The problem is, things aren't going to get easier moving forward.
LeBron James will be 29 next year.
Only one of Indiana's 7 man rotation this series is over 28 (plus they get Danny Granger back).
And I honestly feel that if Derrick Rose is anything like he was his MVP year, with a healthy Luol Deng, the Bulls may be the favorites.

That's not to say the Knicks can't win.
Shumpert can continue to grow.
Smith can continue to be a 6th man of the year candidate.
Amar'e can finally be healthy for a season and get back to how he played for NY in his first year.
Melo can get better as well.
And maybe the Knicks can get the most out of both Melo and Amar'e at the same time.

As always, New York thinks the Knicks can (even those of us that left the team to root for Miami).
But as always, do the Knicks think they can?


For Indiana.
You have to be impressed with these guys.
No bonafide superstars. Just a bunch of rugged multi-faceted good players that all know their role. Almost all five of their starters are averaging double digits in the playoffs (Lance Stevenson averages 9.8 points per game). And they play defense (like best in the league for the regular season type defense). And they rebound (like best in the league during the post-season type rebounding) - 4 out of their 5 starters average almost 7 rebounds or more per game.

Can they push Miami?
Of course they can.
Can they beat Miami?
Well......
Anything is possible - especially if Wade is injured.
But do keep in mind, while Indiana pushed Miami to 6 last year - including a 2-1 series lead - they did so while Chris Bosh wasn't playing. And just like against Chicago, Bosh's value will really comes out against Indiana.

And let's not forget that Miami has LeBron James.

But, you could say that Indiana has...... Lance Stevenson.

As crazy as it is to think he can match up against LeBron - it might actually be worth watching. Was it me - or did Stevenson look really strong against the Knicks? In game 6 no one could stop him when he went to the basket. Nine lay-ups! See for yourself:

There were at least three times when he knocked Knicks defenders off balance when they tried to stop him. And he is averaging 8 rebounds per game in the playoffs. With Indiana's lack of depth, for sure he is the X factor this series.

Let's be clear. Stevenson is still raw and can't shoot a lick. He literally shot 2 "space balls" (not air balls) last night. The Heat will certainly take advantage of his deficiencies and they won't allow him to get easy buckets off of mistakes (both defensive and offensive). But throw in his tiny history with LeBron (making a choking gesture from the bench last year in the playoffs - which led to on the court physical retaliation by Heat reserves), and this could be fun to watch.

Brooklyn, your main man is ballin' this post-season!

In The Face!

What was the difference between the Knicks losing game 1 of their semi-final match-up against the Indiana Pacers and them winning game 2?

That's easy.
Carmelo Anthony's shooting percentage.

After shooting 38% in the first round series against Boston, Melo shot 10-28 (36%) in the Knicks game 1 loss to Indiana. In a word - yikes!

Game 2 win: 13-26 (50%).

There are several things that the Knicks need to do in order to be successful. Play defense. Make their three point shots. But by far the most important factor is Melo playing efficient.

This round presents an interesting match-up for Anthony - who is playing the 4 in a small Knicks lineup. He will be guarded Primarily by David West - a more canonical power forward. Anthony certainly has the speed and skill advantage in this situation to get any shot he wants. He can certainly get by West at will. But the Pacers also have another player named Roy Hibbert, who is 7'2" and waiting at the rim

Hibbert is averaging 4.5 blocks in the first two games (and has altered countless more).
Melo has 20 lay-up attempts in the first two game this series.
Believe it or not he has made only 7 of those attempts (35%) and has been blocked 8 times!
I'm gonna say there is some sort of correlation between Melo's shooting percentage at the rim and Hibbert's presence.

So here is a suggestion.
When Hibbert is in the game: Melo should post up or blow by his man for his mid-range shot. Or, perhaps ironically, like a point guard kick out to his three point shooters. And fear not, Melo is a guy capable of scoring 50 points without taking a singe shot in the paint.

But When Hibbert is not in the game...... do this:

Looks like a recipe for success!

And speaking of looking......


Look at the disparate facial expressions in reaction to Melo's dunk between Patrick Ewing and his companion. Actually, look at her face compared to everyone around her:

Ewing has been on both sides of this equation before - so while he may have been genuinely elated by Anthony's power move, I can understand if perhaps his emotions were tempered with empathy for Jeff Pendergraph.

She, on the other hand, has no reservations about conveying how nasty that dunk was.
Essh.
Way to not hold anything back Ms.
Way to support Melo and his efficient play.


So what do you think her facial expression was after this?

Flat top almost rim level!

Point Guard Project - Sam Cassell

Welcome to the 12th edition of the Point Guard Project.

Previous participants:
PGP1 - John Lucas
PGP2 - Luke Ridnour
PGP3 - Jrue Holiday
PGP4 - Ricky Rubio
PGP5 - Royal Ivey
PGP6 - Damian Lillard
PGP7 - Derek Fisher
PGP8 - Stephen Curry
PGP9 - Chauncey Billups
PGP10 - Derek Rose
PGP11 - Ty Lawson

Today we are joined by Sam Cassell

What you thought the PGP would be limited to only current NBA players?
Well, you thought wrong.

Why wouldn't we jump at the opportunity to talk to Sam? He played 15 years in the NBA with career averages of 15.7 points and 6 assists a game....to go along with three NBA championships.  His numbers may not seem too astronomical by today's point guard standards - but the chips mean a lot.

His first two years in the NBA he won with the Rockets. While he didn't have to do too much heavy lifting on those squads - he still made some really big plays during the playoffs (as many Knicks fans remember). After that he bounced around several teams throughout his career - but at almost each stop he had a dramatic affect on his team's performance.

He helped lead the Milwaukee Bucks to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2001 - averaging 18 & 8 that year. He helped lead the Minnesota Timberwolves to the Western conference Finals in 2004 (this was the first time Kevin Garnett got out of the first round) - averaging 20 & 7 along the way. His first year with the LA clippers he led them to the playoffs for the first time in 8 years (ultimately the 2nd round) - he averaged 17 & 6 that year. And finally, his last year in the NBA he served as a role player to help Boston win the NBA chip in 2008.

That means 1/3rd of Sam's career was spent in the conference Finals/NBA Finals. He also made one all-star appearance.

Sam is listed as 6'3" and 193 ibs. He was drafted 24th in the '93 draft out of Florida State. He currently is a coach for the the Washington Wizards and in particular works with John Wall.

Mr. Cassell, welcome to the Point Guard Project:




Summary of answers:

1) Grew up watching Jeff Hornacek. Favorite player in the NBA. When he got his time to play in the league and he saw him , he was like "wow, that's my idol right there." Hornacek was slow like him and crafty like him. He felt their games were similar.

2) First memorable Point guard match-up (or person he hated to play against): Kevin Johnson. Yes. Yes. Just speed... with a jump shot. He was John Wall with a hell of a jump shot. Had a hell of a first step. He was trouble.

3) Definition for the job of a point guard: Extension of the coach. Got to be able to pull guys together
and communicate on the court like the coach wants you to. You are the coach on the court, you orchestrate everything.

4) Pass vs shoot: He liked to shoot. But the game tells you what to do. If you play it the right way. Some nights he had to score 30, some nights he had to get 14 assists. He had the luxury to do both.

5) Typical workout: Never worked on ball handling. Just gifted and natural with ball handling. To work on it.....you got to dribble. No drill will teach you. There are certain gimmicks guys practice - bouncing two balls, between the legs - but those are just gimmicks. You have to be able to handle the ball. Change speeds, change directions - with pressure on you. Dribble the ball with pressure on you. Can't really teach that.

As far as shooting - wasn't a great three point shooter. So really mastered the mid-range game. Thought every pull-up jump shot was going in. Some times it didn't. But thought it was going in.
Make a 1000 shots a day - Pull-up jump shots, mostly off the dribble. Never got too many shots off the pass, his game was catered to shooting off the dribble. And utilized a lot of pick and roles because he couldn't out quick nobody.

6) For aspiring point guards: Oh. It's a hard job. It's a demanding job. But it's a fun job.
There are a lot of responsibilities to being a point guard, especially on this level (NBA). Everyone wants the ball. You just have to maintain a strong mind. And make the next play.





Wow. This was fun.
There are some guys that you can tell just love to talk about basketball. Line up the questions and they'll knock 'em down! Sam Cassell is one of those guys. He was just gushing and smiling while dropping knowledge. And after the interview, when I said "thank you," he shook my hand! It was as if he was saying, "thank you for letting me rap about the game."

I never would have guessed Hornacek was his favorite player. Besides that fact that Hornacek was a shooting guard - would you expect a black kid from Baltimore to grow up idolizing a white guy playing in Phoenix/Utah? But that is part of the beauty of the game - what it transcends. Surprises aside, perhaps recognizing a similar style of play (slow and crafty) is an important thing. Such a commonality with someone in a profession you dream about having enables a certain confidence that it is possible to achieve it yourself. It provides sort of a tailor made blueprint.

There are a couple of things that really interest me here.

Remember last time, with Ty Lawson, I brought up the fact that he mentioned that he doesn't really work on ball handling? Here is what I said:

"Why waste time with convoluted moves when you can simply blow by your man? And what is complicated about a quick change of direction to create space......and if worse comes to worse, just use a screen to either get by your man or create a mismatch on a switch. 

Perhaps more than anything, the essentials of ball handling for points are: changing speed, changing direction..... and mastery of the pick and roll. All of these are suffice to keep your defender at a disadvantage"  

Well, Sam Cassell told me that he never really worked on ball handling and that:

"No Drill will teach you......bouncing two balls, betwen the legs - those are just gimmicks. You have to be able to change speeds and change direction.......and utilize(d) a lot of pick and rolls." 

Wow.
How amazing is it that Sam Cassell  - perhaps a future hall of famer - essentially said the same exact thing?!? Not bad for a biomedical scientist. I guess you can say that "I'ma get Bucks like Milwaukee cause like Sam, I Ca-Sell."

But let me just clarify something. It is important to work on ball handling - just in a fundamental way. There are perhaps several essential moves/adjustments (crossover, changing speeds, hesitation, protecting the ball) that through repetition develops conditioning and strength as well as a level of comfort when faced with pressure by a defender. And of course you can always get creative - nothing wrong with having a diverse repertoire in you tool box. Most you'll never use, but will have just in case a situation in a game requires it.  The trick is to make sure you practice game relevant moves.

I also love Sam's description of his practice routine for jump shots. He knew his strengths and weaknesses. "Not a great three point shooter - so master the mid-range game." "couldn't out-quick no one, so utilize a lot of screen and roles." And therefore "practice pull-up jump shots, off the dribble."
For practice, form fits function. And for point guards, that means handling the ball a lot and trying to penetrate - which means shooting off the dribble and coming off screens. Now get up a 1000 of those shots a day!

Finally, working in a genetics lab you learn to appreciate evolution. How unexpected it can be but looking back, how purposeful it is. So think about this lineage development:
Jeff Hornacek to Sam Cassell to Chauncey Billups to John Wall.
The middle might be unsurprising but could you have suspected the origin or current iteration?

How about a slow and crafty shooter becoming a slow and crafty point guard? This step, Hornacek to Cassell, is perhaps a minor step in terms of evolution - a merging of functional skills that may be found in cis.  The Cassell to Billups path is more of a duplication event that validates the importance of this new trait/type of player for overall fitness/survival in the ever changing landscape of the NBA. So what's the next logical jump in terms of evolution? How about transferring all these crafty shooting/balling handling skills as well as the leadership qualities of a point guard to a freakish athlete? How much of a major leap is this? Now we're talking about the merging of traits found in trans - functional skills and physical attributes.

Can't wait to see what John Wall evolves into!

Of course, while some components of this evolutionary process are genetic - it by no means is a passive event. Much of the skills have to be learned and practiced to a level of mastery. And that indeed is a difficult job. But when considering the end results - it can surely also be a fun job!

Much thanks to Sam Cassell for his time!
I hope you enjoyed this edition of the Point Guard Project!
Stay tuned for more!

Point Guard Project - Ty Lawson

Welcome to the 11th edition of the Point Guard Project.

Previous participants:
PGP1 - John Lucas
PGP2 - Like Ridnour
PGP3 - Jrue Holiday
PGP4 - Rickey Rubio
PGP5 - Royal Ivey
PGP6 - Damian Lillard
PGP7 - Derek Fisher
PGP8 - Stephen Curry
PGP9 - Chauncey Billups
PGP10 - Derek Rose

Today we are joined by Ty Lawson

You might have heard the Miami Heat had a 27 game winning streak recently.
Well the Denver Nuggets weren't too shabby during that stretch either with a 15 game winning streak of their own. And Ty lawson had a lot to do with that winning. During that run, after which the Nuggets currently find themselves as the 3 seed in the western conference, Lawson averaged about 20 points and 6 assists a game.

Drafted 18th in '09 out of North Carolina (after leading them to a NCAA championship), Lawson is in his 4th year in the league. This season he is putting up career numbers: 16.9 points (on 46% shooting) and 6.9 assists a game.

He is listed at 5'11" (no sure if I believe that) and 195 ibs.

Mr. Lawson, welcome to the Point Guard Project




Summary of answers:
1) Grew up watching Allen Iverson & Michael Jordan. Tried to emulate Iverson and Chris Paul when he got into college.

2) First memorable point guard match-up: Chris Paul in New Orleans.
Chauncey Billups was hurt so he got to start and the first half was killing - like 17 points 5 assists! Paul only had 8 assists (only?). But in the second half he showed why he is Chris Paul - ended up with 30 and 12. Was definitely a battle though, he finished with 25 points & 7 assists.

3) Definition for the job of a point guard: be a manager, do what the team needs when they need it. Goes from setting people up for get easy shots to taking over games at a certain points. (When he refers to tonight having to take over a game - he was taking about his game in Boston, when he scored 29 points to go along with 8 assists and 6 rebounds).

4) Pass vs shoot: early in the game try to get people involved and see if they are knocking down shots. If people aren't knocking down shots you have to take it into your own hands. Most point guards can get to anywhere they want on the court. So once you get there you have to be able to knock down shots.

5) Typical workout Not too much ball handling - unless on the court playing pickup. Try different things, even in practice. Work more on Shooting: step backs & floaters. Also work on Passing with left hand. In the summer, make at least 500-600 shots a day. During the season make 100 a day after practice.

6) For aspiring point guards: Keep working on your craft. More ball handling- so you can get anywhere on the court. But once you get there you have to be able to knock down the shot. If you're a speedy point guard those are the two things that can make you deadly. One of the best at that right now is Kyrie Irving. He can get anywhere on the court and he can make the shoot. So you have to honor that. And when you do (honor the shot) he can go by you, so you are at his mercy.




Wouldn't you expect a player like Ty Lawson to grow up watching Iverson? A super quick guard that gets anywhere on the floor he wants to score? In fact, the more I interview point guards in the league - as the position has evolved into that of a scorer - the more I see how big of an influence Iverson really had on this generation.

A couple of things that are interesting to me.
Ty Lawson doesn't really work on ball handling. Now, I'm not sure how much he did when he was in high school or in college (in fact or aspiring points he says it's key), but it seems as a pro further development of this skill isn't a necessity for him. Kind of counter intuitive for a point guard, no? Well maybe not when you consider his speed and the advantage it grants him in terms of always having a step on his defender. In fact, in this case it makes sense that less is more. Why waste time with convoluted moves when you can simply blow by your man? And what is complicated about a quick change of direction to create space as your defender is still catching up to your initial move? And if worse comes to worse, just use a screen to either get by your man or create a mismatch on a switch.

Pretty straight forward no?

Perhaps more than anything, the essentials of ball handling for points are: changing speed, changing direction (a nice crossover does the trick most of the time - and doesn't have to be like Iverson's) - which is embellished by your speed, and mastery of the pick and roll. All of these are suffice to keep your defender at a disadvantage.

Of course, not everyone is as quick as Ty lawson. And I would argue these types of point guards might have to work on their craftiness and ball handling skills a little more. Would it make sense to say that there is an inverse correlation between a player's speed/athleticism and how many tricks they need to have with the ball? Of course, having speed/athleticism and skills are a defender's worst nightmare.

Regardless of how it is manifested, it is enlightening to hear Lawson say it is a necessity for point guards to be able to get to any spot on the floor. But while ball handling is an essential component to making that happen, being able to knock down shots is an essential component for taking advantage of making it happen. In fact, in his praising of Kyrie Irving, Lawson mentions how the defender "has to honor his shot." And this, perhaps more than anything is what puts the defender "at his mercy" and enables him to get by the defender.

How ironic.
A point guard has to be able to shoot to be effective. A point guard has to make the defense honor his scoring ability to be able to facilitate. Rather than running a team/offense and then taking what the defense gives you (if you're open, shoot) you have to make the defense play you (look to shoot) and then work off of that. Kind of turns the traditional notion of a point guard on it's head.

Truth be told, no matter how fast you are defenses can adjust how they play you. And if you can't shoot the ball a team will simply play off you several feet daring you to shoot. This is sort of the game plan when defending Rajon Rondo - which makes makes it even more amazing that he is still able to lead the league in assists. But if you can shoot, defenses sort of have to pick their poison between allowing you to penetrate and facilitate or score the ball on jump shots.

Finally, when to pass vs shoot seems to be an easy decision in this case. Early on, you're looking to get others involved and giving them the opportunity to makes plays. But if things aren't working out, you have to flip the switch and "take over the game."

Both attributes, in the right proportion, are essential to be successful: Make everyone around you better, but if need be score at will by getting anywhere you want on the floor.

Sounds fair enough for contemporary point guards.

Much thanks to Ty Lawson for his time!
I hope you enjoyed this edition of the Point Guard Project!
Stay tuned for more!