TRUE DAT! - 25th April 2011

It’s been a week since the playoffs started and already there have been several surprises.

The first and second seeds in the West are already having larger difficulties than they hoped for.

Did anyone predict a potential Grizzlies upset over the 61-win Spurs? Well, they currently hold a 3-1 advantage.

Did anyone see the Hornets making a competitive series out of their matchup against the back-to-back defending champions? Chris Paul is playing out of CP3ing mind!

Did anyone imagine that the Thunder would dominate the Nuggets?

Did anyone predict a Celtics sweep of the Knicks? Is everyone ready for a classic series between Boston and Miami?

With so many twists and turns still to come, here are a few observations for the playoffs in a daily series entitled “True Dat!”.

#1 Tony Allen is proving his worth

Sporting possibly the craziest shave ever seen, Tony Allen is definitely lifting his game. But it’s his attitude that has really impacted on a young Grizzlies team that snatched the last seed in the West. Memphis are on the verge of a first round upset over the first seed Spurs.

Tony Allen has a reputation as a defensive stopper and has proven his status as a lockdown defender. The Spurs slim hopes of progressing to the next round literally rest on Ginobilli’s injured shoulder. The problem is that Tony Allen has shutdown Ginobilli’s ability to drive the left lane, which is his bread and butter.

Of all the plays, the one that has stood out for mine was after Ginobilli scored the basket on a foul, the Grizzlies called a timeout and Tony Allen was livid with himself for the poor defensive play as he pounded the floor with his fist despite an overall strong performance.

Coupled with his former-Celtic teammate in Leon Powe, the duo have brought that Celtic grit to Memphis; the same way Kendrick Perkins has brought his grit to the Thunder. The Grizzlies are brash, physical, confident and respectful; characteristics of Tony Allen. Heck, they even sound like him as Mayo repeated an old Celtics saying- “Never underestimate the heart of a champion”.

True Dat!

#2 CP3 has the Lakers running scared

Kobe Bryant left the New Orleans Arena on crutches after the Hornets won game four 93-88 and tied the series at two wins apiece. According to reports, the Lakers wanted Kobe to get an MRI on his sprained left ankle but he refused saying that he’ll play in game 5 tomorrow.

Kobe had better play. Not only play but also play at his best because Chris Paul has the Lakers scurrying for answers. Chris Paul has been playing out of his CP3ing mind in leading the Hornets without All-Star forward, David West. The point guard matchup has long been the Achilles heel for the Lakers as they are forced to match Kobe on Paul. Paul’s quickness and agility is difficult to contain and forces Kobe to use a lot of energy and focus on defense, subsequently impacting his ability in offense.

Keep running the show CP3 cause you got the Lakers running as well. Scared.

True Dat!

#3 Hating on the Knicks

So nobody predicted a Celtics sweep of the Knicks.

However, it was troubling to read reports that Knicks rookies, Landry Fields and Andy Rautins, were booed loudly at a Yankee game yesterday.

Andy Rautins tweeted “Tix to Yankee stadium: Free (lol). Foam Fingers: 12$ Chicken tenders and drinks: 30$. Me n Fields getting booed on the jumbotron…Priceless”

Although Rautins and Fields were able to laugh off the situation, it doesn’t excuse fans’ non-appreciation of the Knicks. The Knicks were narrowly defeated in games 1 and 2 in Boston by a savvy veteran team that were able to execute. Sure there was a lot of anticipation in the Knicks’ first playoffs appearance in seven years and were completely manhandled at Madison Square Garden in games 3 and 4. However, keep in mind that the Knicks started 3-8 with many believing that the season would get away from them again. The Knicks made a midseason trade involving half their roster. Also, two of their top players in Amare Stoudemire and Chauncey Billups suffered significant injuries during the playoffs.

So New Yorkers, you have to recognise the Knicks had a solid season and made basketball relevant again in New York. Stop hating on the Knicks.

True Dat!

Awards Season

With the playoffs off and running, here is a last look at the regular-season with a presentation of the annual awards.

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER

After watching Derrick Rose literally drag the Bulls from defeat against the Pacers on Saturday, there is no plausible way to explain that anyone else is the MVP. Rose had a 39-point performance and got to the free throw line at will. Rose’s improved defense and jump shot has helped the Bulls gain the best overall record. However, special consideration goes to Dwight Howard and LaMarcus Aldridge. Howard has carried the Magic despite GM Otis Smith making a significant overhaul of the roster. Without any resistance on the perimeter, Orlando has been a one-man defense with Howard at the rim. In a team with a multitude of injuries, Aldridge has been Portland’s go-to player this season. They have remained competitive in possessing the number 6 seed in the West with many predicting an upset in the first round over the Mavs. 

GENERAL MANAGER

For mine, this needs the playoffs to pan out. The easy selection is Miami Heat GM Pat Riley who was able to team Chris Bosh and LeBron James with Dwayne Wade. However, astute Celtics GM Danny Ainge’s calculated in-season transactions of Jeff Green, Nenad Kristic, Carlos Arroyo and Troy Murphy may payoff. This was a team that was severely injured and Ainge took the gamble to simply fill the roster with healthy bodies until the O’Neals return. With encouraging signs from Jermaine and Shaq’s anticipated return, Ainge may have the last laugh. You also have to give credit to Nuggets GM Masai Ujiri who was able to ascertain half of New York’s starting lineup- Raymond Felton, Wilson Chandler, Danillo Gallinari and Tim Mozgov- along with several draft picks and $3 million for Carmello, Chauncey Billups, Renaldo Balkman, Sheldon Williams and Anthony Carter. Many believe the trade even helped the Nuggets in playing better team basketball, as they were able to finish with the 5^th seed in the West.

COACH

In stark contrast to the carousel of coaches and disparaging headlines (re: Mike Brown, Vinny Del Negro, Eddie Jordan, Byron Scott, Mike Dunleavy), the coaching scene in general has been celebrated, as several candidates deserve significant consideration. Doug Collins has Philly playing inspired basketball; George Karl has been able to keep Denver in the playoffs despite all the Mello drama; the Hornets made significant improvements in their defense with Monty Williams at the helm; Lionel Hollins has Memphis in the playoffs; the youngest current head coach in the NBA at the age of 37, Frank Vogel, took over as interim coach of the Pacers during the year and obtained the final seed in the East; once again, Nate McMillan has the Blazers in the playoffs despite a multitude of team injuries.

However, rookie coach Tom Thibodeau is the obvious selection as coach of the year. With significant injuries to Boozer and Noah, the Bulls gained the league’s best record of 62 wins, a 21 game improvement on last year. Moreover, they have the league’s top defense.

In conclusion anyone deserves coach of the year. Except for John Kuester.

MOST IMPROVED PLAYER

If he’s not going to win the MVP then it has to be LaMarcus Aldridge. Aldridge played 81 games this season, missing the regular-season finale. He has been Portland’s go-to player since Brandon Roy was injured at the start of the season. He is averaging career-highs of 21.8 points and 8.8 rebounds along with 1.2 blocks per game. Moreover, as the focal point in offense, Aldridge is shooting an efficient .500 and has been clutch in fourth quarters. Despite struggles with injuries, the Blazers were able to attain the 6^th seed in the West largely due to Aldridge’s strong play.

6^th MAN

Up until February, Glen Davis received serious consideration as a 6^th man of the year candidate. He improved his conditioning and jump shot during the offseason. In 29 minutes per game, Davis had career years with averages of 11.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1 steal per game. However, since Davis sprained his ankle in March, missing four games, he has struggled with his jump shot.

Lamar Odom should start and it’s a cop out that he doesn’t. However, the fact that he has been so accepting of the role is enough to award him as 6^th man of the year. In 32 minutes per game off the bench, Odom has a stat line including 14.4 points per game on 53% shooting and 38.2% on three-point shooting, 8.7 rebounds and 3 assists per game. Odom provides significant length at small forward and can play as power forward too depending on what the game situation calls for. He is mobile and skillful for a big man that can handle the ball. Odom also finishes games with the starters.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER

Even though this was already awarded, Dwight Howard was the most obvious selection of all the awards this season. My lord; who knows where the Magic would be without Dwight protecting the rim. This season has proven to be most testing for Dwight. After switching half the starting line-up, Howard was still a beast in defense. Despite as much defensive resistance along the perimeter as the French army, the Magic ranked fourth in opposing field goal percentage with 43.6%. Dwight ranked 2^nd in the league for categories of rebounds with 14.1 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game along with 1.4 steals. Special consideration must go to Tyson Chandler who has brought an edge to the Mavs defense. Last season the Mavs ranked 15^th in the league for opposing field goal percentage with 45.7%. After acquiring Chandler this pre-season, the Mavs now rank 8^th with 45% on opposing field goal percentage.

ROOKIE

There’s no question that it will be awarded to Blake “Get In My Poster” Griffin. He has been nothing short of freakish this season with a continuous highlights reel every night. He finished with a line of 22.5 points on 50.6% shooting, 12.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 38 minutes per game (fifth in the league). Griffin had over 60 double-doubles this season. It was an absolute pleasure to watch Griffin that left Clippers fans ecstatic and optimistic about the future despite missing the playoffs. However, count me in the school-of-Chuck that the Rookie of the Year should be given to a true rookie. It is not as if last season was a lost cause for Blake Griffin. Blake still played in the preseason and was still able to learn with the team during the season.

Landry Fields has been a solid player in his Rookie season for the Knicks. His line included 9.7 points on 49.7% shooting, 6.4 rebounds, 1 steal and 1.9 assists per game. He played 31 minutes per game as a solid contributor and is one of the league’s best rebounding guards. In showing promising signs for the future, the Knicks refused to include him in a trade to the Nuggets. In comparison with John Wall and Blake Griffin, Landry Fields is the one whose team is in the playoffs.