Golden State, You've Lost That Loving Feeling

Why do all of you have to be hating?

Ever since writing that Kevin Durant deserted the Oklahoma City Thunder, people have asked me why I have so much contempt for the Golden State Warriors now.

"It's not their problem KD signed with them."

"Of course you'd choose to be better."

"You're just bitter he didn't choose Boston."

All those statements are perfectly legit, especially the last one. (I am damn bitter because brother, he would've looked great in green and it would've been a bigger challenge than to "bye cheap jewellery" as Reggie Miller claimed.)

But I have a perfectly good reason to declare my love for the Warriors is over.

The Warriors were the NBA darlings.

They were the underdogs who became the Cinderella fairytale in earning a near-impossible 2015 NBA Championship who then went on to rewrite the records books and seize a historic 73-win season.

Everyone, including me, doubted they could even become legitimate championship contenders with their unconventional style of relying on three-point shooting.

But they paid no attention to the naysayers and continued to capture hearts and momentarily steal breathes with their heart-stopping pulsating play that revolutionised basketball.

Having saving all that, it wouldn't be fair to label them as only being an offensively-minded team as they became a premier defensive unit that were committed and focused on the other side of the ball.

Even individually, from the top to the bottom of their playing roster, every player was an unlikely success that was discarded or picked up in the draft.

Steph Curry is the most unlikely MVP in the history of any sport, let alone the size-orientated NBA.

After being drafted seventh with no real sense of excitement and a number of serious ankle injuries, Curry seemingly morphed overnight into a global superstar and caught the NBA by surprise.

In 60 years of MVP voting, Curry was the first to earn the award by unanimous decision this season, effectively claiming back-to-back MVP titles.

Other members of the Warriors championship side includes other draft projects Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Harrison Barnes who were drafted 11th, 35th and 7th respectively. Like Curry, Thompson and Green were given little hope of evolving into fully fledged starters let alone into All-Stars , while Barnes has become the Dallas Mavericks' franchise player, signing a monumental deal for $95m for four years.

Moreover, cornerstones of the team, Andrew Bogut, Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingstone, Marries Speights, and Leandro Barbosa, were all outcasts from former teams that Golden State threw lifelines to in revitalising their NBA careers.

All season long, we heard the Warriors proudly declare "Strength in Numbers".

There was once a time they refused to give up any players to trade for a bonafide star in Kevin Love. They refused to believe they weren't a championship contender without Love.

Now, all that "Strength in Numbers" talk seems like a very distant memory.

In their relentless pursuit of Kevin Durant, everything that was endearing about the Warriors was lost in a heartbeat.

In signing Durant, they lost Barnes, Bogut, Barbosa, Speights, Brandon Rush and Festus Ezeli.

The 2015-16 Warriors were arguably the greatest NBA team, even greater than the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls because they won more than 70 games in their championship defence where every team aimed up for them (unlike the Bulls' season which was their first championship since Michael Jordan returned from baseball).

The Warriors were the endearing underdogs, stealing not just a fairytale championship, but the hearts and minds of sports fans globally.

In a league of ego and selfishness, they preached a team-first mentality who many believe overachieved in reaching their goals.

But it's hard to warm to them now, after all their "Strength in Numbers" and team talk.

The Warriors have lost that loving feeling...

Game 1 Eastern Conference Quarter Finals: Washington Wizards 102, CHICAGO BULLS 93

(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

 Game 1 Eastern Conference Quarter Finals: Washington Wizards 102, CHICAGO BULLS 93

The Washington Wizards rallied from a 64-51 deficit in the third quarter to steal home court from the Bulls.

The Bulls looked ready to blow out the Wizards but were outscored 30-18 in the fourth quarter as they struggled to find anyone to score down the stretch. During the final quarter, the Bulls missed 8-of-10 field goals as the Wizards went on a 18-6 run to win the game.

It was a strong team performance for the Wizards. Nene Hilario and Marcin Gortat proved too powerful for the Joakim Noah-led Bulls. Nene dominated with 24 points and 8 rebounds, including a powerful dunk to start the game. Gortat added 15 points and 13 rebounds. In their postseason debuts, John Wall and Bradley Beal combined for 29 points and 13 assists. Trevor Ariza also scored 18 points including three 3-pointers.

The Bulls tried hard but struggled offensively and shot 5-of-20 from the 3-point line. Noah led the Bulls with 10 points and 10 rebounds while Kirk Hinrich and D.J. Augustin both scored a team-high 16 points each.

The Bulls will have to recover quickly from a shattering loss in time for Game 2 on Tuesday.

Game 1 Western Conference Quarter Finals: SAN ANTONIO SPURS 90, Dallas Mavericks 85

(Photos by D. Clarke Evans/NBAE via Getty Images)

After playing all season for home court, the San Antonio Spurs almost lost it in their first game of the playoffs against Texan rival Dallas Mavericks.

The Spurs had to overcome a 10-point deficit as the Mavs lead 81-71 with 7:45 remaining in the fourth quarter.

During the third quarter, Spurs nation held their collective breath when Tim Duncan hobbled to the bench, holding his knee. But Duncan returned to put the Spurs on his shoulders to overcome the Mavs by scoring nine of his 27 points in the fourth quarter on 4-for-5 shooting in the paint.

The Spurs tied the game with 4:54 remaining before Tony Parker drove to the basket to take a 83-81 lead. Parker finished with 21 points and 6 assists.

The Mavs restricted the Spurs to 3-of-17 from the 3-point line but Dirk Nowitzki and Monta Ellis had little input in scoring only 11 points each and both shot 4-of-14 from the field. Devin Harris came off the bench to lead the Mavs with 19 points and 5 assists.

In compounding a difficult lost opportunity for the Mavs, the Spurs have a 24-4 playoff series record when winning Game 1 under coach Greg Popovich. 

Game 1 Eastern Conference Quarter Finals: MIAMI HEAT 99, Charlotte Bobcats 88

(Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)

The Miami Heat began their championship defence in the playoffs with a little more difficulty than was expected as they sealed the game with a 18-4 run in the fourth quarter.

The Heat have now beaten the Bobcats 17 straight times and although it was their first national television appearance this season, Charlotte rose to the occasion as they jumped to a 16-9 lead on the back of Al Jefferson.

Jefferson- the Bobcats only playoff-experienced starter- was 4-of-4 from the field before he left to the locker room at the end of the first quarter with a foot injury. He returned in the second quarter to finish with 18 points and 10 rebounds but his performance suffered.

After trailing the Bobcats 23-19 at the end of the first quarter, the Heat closed the half on a 19-2 run to lead 49-42 at half time.

However, the Bobcats responded after halftime on the back of Kemba Walker, who finished with 20 points, as they went on a 13-0 run to retake the lead.

Eventually, the Heat proved too powerful in the fourth quarter with LeBron James and Dwayne Wade who scored 27 and 23 points in the game, respectively. LeBron passed Larry Bird to become the eighth highest playoff-scorer.

What was already a near-impossible task, may now have become a hopeless situation for the Bobcats. In a worrying sign for Bobcats fans, and for any hope of their first franchise playoff win, Jefferson left the arena in a walking boot.

Mr. Ten Questions (with NBAmate)

Hey Peeps, I hope you have all enjoyed reading The Messenger this season. In addition to writing for myself, I have also been writing for the good folks over at NBAmate, the Australian NBA blog. 

www.nbamate.com

Led by The Chief, RobD, they go by the modest tag of "probably Australia's best NBA blog". They are really awesome and offer some great analysis and insight in their summaries. They're also hell funny! 


Everyone should definitely check it out. Check out the coveted Wall of Fame that features Danillo Gallinari (Gallinari makes the Wall of Fame)


We just finished our roundtable discussion in previewing the NBA Finals. Here are my responses. Would be great to hear what you all think of the Finals. Please leave some comments.

1. Which team was more impressive in finishing off their opposition 4-1 in the Conf Finals - the Mavs or the Heat?

The Mavs have been more impressive in playing inspired team ball with Dirk leading the way. In contrast, the Heat are riding their 2 superstars of Wade and LeBron who take turns when the other is struggling along with a bunch of role players.

2. Does the result of the 2006 Finals have any bearing on this series? Do the Mavs use it as fuel or is it ancient history?

I think the Mavs will use it as inspiration in getting it done for Dirk and Jet who have lead their team this season. Jet’s championship tattoo made some waves within the team. However, the Mavs couldn’t stop Wade then, albeit it was with a little bit (alright, a lot) of help from the officials. What’s to say they can stop Wade, and this other guy named LeBron this time around?

3. The Mavs have a lot of depth while the Heat are heavily reliant on their starters. How important are the benches in this series?

The bench is more important for the Mavs as they are the older team of veterans. Dirk, Kidd, Marion, Jet, Chandler, Haywood, Peja and Stevenson have all played at least of 10 seasons without winning a title. The Mavs were built to be deep and versatile. As the Finals go on with an expected amount of physicality and speed of the Heat, the Mavs bench could be decisive in winning games.

4. Does the outcome of this Finals mean more to Dirk or Lebron? Who's legacy is greater impacted?

So far they’ve both lost in the Finals. I’m assuming that LeBron will win at least one before he retires. If he somehow can’t manage to win one then LeBron’s legacy is eternally tarnished along with all his indecencies. For mine, Dirk will always be known as the 7-foot-jumpshooting-German with or without a ring.

5. Who is the X-Factor player in this series? Who will be the unsung hero?

Mark Cuban is the X-Factor.  He will be on the officials like a hawk for any dubious calls (who doesn’t believe that Miami has already been the recipient of some shady officiating these playoffs?). Don’t forget Cube’s tirade on Stern after Game 6 of the 2006 NBA Finals where he was fined $250 000.

Chandler is already the unsung hero for the season. He has received minimal recognition for his defensive effort. Miami will certainly struggle with Chandler’s strong interior defense, shot-blocking ability and around-the-rim athleticism that they have yet to face these playoffs.

6. Who wins Finals MVP?

Dirk

7. What will Puerto Rican guy do?

Hopefully, his aggressive play will drive Chalmers and Bibby mad. 

8. Slightly off topic, Scottie Pippen recently said Lebron James can be greater than Michael Jordan. Is there any truth in that statement? Has Scottie lost his mind?

Not even going to justify this with a response. Pippen’s statue should be torn down like the Berlin wall.

9. Who wins the championship? (and your series score prediction)

Mavs in 6

10. Who will you be rooting for?

Lets Go Mavs!

TRUE DAT! - Finals Edition 2011

This is it. 14 down. 2 teams left standing to compete.

A dramatic rematch between the Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat in this year’s 2011 NBA Finals.

Here is today’s dose of TRUE DAT!, the Finals Edition.

#1 Misleading leads

This writer previously wrote during the playoffs that Miami is a team where a 10-point, even a 20-point deficit, is misleading and can vanish very quickly when turnovers start to amass. The Heat are an impending threat of runs.

Facing a 6-point deficit with four minutes remaining against the Celtics in game 5, the Heat went on a furious 16-6 run to close out the series. Game four against the Bulls featured a 29-9 run by the Heat after the Bulls made a 19-4 run.

This was demonstrated once again yesterday when the Heat trailed the Bulls by 12 with 3 minutes remaining yesterday. You could sense the Bulls fall into a false sense of security and LeBron and Wade made them pay for it with their trademark arcade-like turbo boost of offense. The Heat didn’t just clinch, they slammed shut the series in Chicago with an 18-3 run. 

True Dat!

#2 The Young ImpressionaBULLS

Despite offensive capitulations at the end of games 4 and 5, this Bulls team should be applauded for their season. This is a young team that is still growing. They will learn from the experience, particularly on offense, where you need to do a lot more than watch one man try to take over (cough cough LeBron, Cavs). In his first year as head coach, Thibodeau has established a defense-first mentality on the team. It was not their defensive effort that faltered them this post-season.  

Derrick Rose was this year’s MVP at the young age of 22! He is already a fantastic leader and has unnecessarily blamed himself for the series loss. Perhaps he said it as added self-motivation for the offseason. What’s scary is despite a stellar season, he still has a hell of a lot of potential remaining.   

True Dat!

#3 RiDIRKulous  

Let me start by saying that this guy has just been playing “stoopid”. It’s really crazy.

At the beginning of the playoffs, this writer said Dirk had to raise his game substantially for Dallas to make a serious push. He certainly has not disappointed.

No one is playing better basketball than Dirk in the playoffs. At 7 feet, when Dirk is in his zone, he is unguardable. One wouldn't know how (and certainly hope they don’t) Miami will find an effective way to defend Dirk.

This writer has certainly jumped on the Mavs bandwagon. 

True Dat!

TRUE DAT! - 2nd May 2011

So here we are. The second round of the playoffs upon us.

8 down. Spurs, Blazers, Nuggets, Hornets, Pacers, Magic, Knicks and 76ers are goooooorn!

4 of the remaining bunch to be eliminated with the four series between Thunder/Grizzlies, Lakers/Mavs, Heat/Celtics and Bulls/Hawks.

Here is today's dose of TRUE DAT!

#1 Shaking the rust

There were three keys for the Celtics going into this series against the Heat. If the Celtics are successful they will need to limit turnovers, receive significant production from the bench and Rondo has to remain aggressive.

Well, yesterday, in Game 1, Rondo was unable to establish himself due to early foul trouble in which he was forced to the bench and ultimately played a minimal 32 minutes. The Celtics committed numerous turnovers in allowing the Heat easy points in transition. As for the bench, James Jones who came off the Miami bench outplayed them. The indiscernible Jones proved decisive as he hit 5 of 7 threes.

However, for as poorly as the Celtics played and as well as the Heat played (with a little help from the officials), the Celtics lost Game 1 by only 9 points. Boston made several runs in the second half after facing a 15-point deficit. The Celtics definitely looked a little rusty after a week off. But make no doubt about it; the Celtics will lift for Game 2.

True Dat!

#2 Gundy and Otis 

After a sudden exit from the playoffs, Dwight Howard posted the following comment on Facebook-

“I did my best out there. It’s hard to see us go. I love it here in Orlando but…”

After losing Game 6 against the Hawks, Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy explained, choking up a bit, “A team that fights as hard as our guys did, and I couldn’t get them over the hump to win this series, that really is disappointing to me and the job that I did as a coach. I’m just disappointed not to be able to get my team over the hump”.

However, don’t pin this on Stan.

Orlando GM, Otis Smith is responsible for dealing half of the team who had made a deep push into last year’s playoffs. Trading Vince Carter and Marcin Gortat for Jason Richardson and Hedo Turkoglu was absurd. Gortat had shown that he was capable of starting along Dwight. However, Smith preferred to start the inferior Brandon Bass and Ryan Anderson who both struggled with consistency this season. Meanwhile Gortat has flourished in Phoenix. Furthermore, Turkapoo has certainly lived to his name by continuing to stink out the joint ever since he originally left Orlando.

Furthermore, Smith traded Rashard Lewis, who is currently a free agent, for Gilbert Arenas and his $111 million contract with 3 years remaining. Arenas averaged 16 minutes per game in the playoffs and did play due to a coach’s decision in Game 3.

If history repeats itself and the Magic lose another franchise big man, than either Gundy or Smith will be held responsible. For mine, a coach is only as good as the roster he is dealt.

True Dat!

#3 Lakers/Mavs

Who knows what to expect in this series? Surprisingly, for two teams that regularly feature in the postseason, this is the first time that Dirk Nowitzki and Kobe Bryant will face each other in the playoffs.

The Lakers easily accounted for the Mavs in their last matchup in April at the Staples Centre as they won 110-82. Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol along with Lamar Odom created havoc in the interior. Jason Kidd also had difficulty defending Kobe.

It’s hard to see Dallas winning a best-of-seven series as the Lakers hold a significant size advantage. Chandler and Haywood are not big enough on their own to compete with the Lakers’ size and length.

Dirk will need to raise his game for the Mavs to have a chance at winning the series. He showed encouraging signs in leading the Mavs during the last series against the Blazers. It is imperative that Dirk uses his speed and agility against Gasol in order to create offense or drive to the rim and draw fouls.

That’s the key for the Mavs to win. Anytime a team possesses size, the best way to counter against the bigs, is to put them in foul trouble.

True Dat!

BRING THE HEAT-CELTICS

The highly anticipated matchup between Miami Heat and Boston Celtics is finally here.

The “Key Three” of LeBron, Wade and Bosh will take on the “Core Four” of Garnett, Pierce, Allen and Rondo.

Even Paul Pierce shares the enthusiasm. “I’m excited. This is a great stage for basketball. It’s going to be great for fans and the guys we have here love these types of series”.

Ever since the Heat acquired LeBron and Bosh in assembling its “Big Three”, everyone has been waiting for a Celtics-Heat playoff series.

“We knew it was going to probably happen at one point or another,” Pierce said. “Before the season if we were going to where we needed to be as a championship team we knew we were going to have to play Miami. So it’s finally here and I’m sure it’s the much anticipated battle everybody’s been waiting on”.

As Celtics coach, Doc Rivers stated, “We assumed that when they put this team together that, if we wanted to put another banner up, we’d probably have to go through them. So it’s official. And that’s good”.

In the regular season, the Celtics won the first three meetings, including two in the first nine games of the season. The Heat won the last matchup in the beginning of April that decided the second seed in the Eastern conference and ultimately home court in this series.

LeBron boldly expressed this week, “Now we’re preparing for lunch, I guess. This was a series everyone wanted”. However, the Celtics still remain a playoff antagonist for LeBron. In two of the last three postseasons, the Celtics have been responsible for his demise from the playoffs. LeBron has long struggled against the Celtics’ stifling defense.

The Celtics’ playoff defense strives on taking opponents out of their comfort zone by forcing teams out of their first and second options and making players make individual plays. Hence, it is imperative that Bosh is a strong contributor along Wade and LeBron for the Heat to be successful.

Chris Bosh will be the key for Miami and could be the difference in the series. “LeBron and Wade are LeBron and Wade”, said Doc Rivers. “They’re going to be great players before the series; they’ll be great players after it. But when Bosh plays great, then their team is great. He’s the key guy for them”.

For the Celtics, Doc knows that, quite simply, the Celtics are their own worst enemy. For a team that takes pride in good ball movement, turnovers are like kryptonite against the Heat. The Celtics play unselfishly and share the ball with numerous passes in a single possession. This leads to many clean open shots.

However, often the Celtics find themselves racking up turnovers with their non-sticky hands.

During the second half of game four against the Knicks in which the Celtics had established a healthy lead of 23 points and were cruising to a series sweep, Doc was irate with his team for allowing the Knicks to make a mini-run after successive turnovers who cut the deficit to four in the fourth quarter.

Doc knows how detrimental turnovers are to the Celtics’ success in the postseason and especially against the Heat. In the first two meetings in the season, the Celtics had established large leads only to win narrowly by margins of 8 and 5 points. Miami is a team where a 10-point, even a 20-point deficit, is misleading and can vanish very quickly when turnovers start to amass. The Heat thrive in transition with two of the game’s best open-court players in LeBron and Wade.

Moreover, the respective benches for Boston and Miami could be decisive. Celtics President of Basketball Operations, Danny Ainge pointed out that “getting a boost from the bench could be huge”. Boston’s bench showed promising signs towards the end of the Knicks series. Glen Davis is slowly coming back into form and along with Delonte West’s shooting, should be able to keep the floor spaced for the post in also helping Jeff Green focus on defending LeBron. Green’s ability to play strong defense against LeBron, as well as occasional offense, will be crucial for the Celtics in providing Pierce ample rest

Shaq is also travelling with the team with the intention to play during the series. Shaq, along with the encouraging Jermaine O’Neal, adds a strong presence in the post; an area that is of high concern to Miami who do not have a true big man.

For the Heat, point guard Mario Chalmers and centre Joel Anthony should start, despite Spolestra’s reluctance, in place of Bibby and Ilgauskas. Spolestra believes they add spark off of a very thin bench. There have been suggestions that Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller will return from lengthy injuries to take part in the series. However, it would be doubtful that either could have a considerable effect, particularly Haslem who has missed almost the entire season.

But it boils down to the seven All-Stars especially Rondo who has to find a way against Miami “Rondo Defense” of the typical sag-and-challenge defense that most teams employ. Rondo will likely be defended by a combination of Bibby, Chalmers, Wade and Lebron throughout the game. Regardless of the defense, Garnett surmised it best when he asserted “We just need Shorty to be aggressive. Rondo’s a pain when he’s aggressive. When he’s stacking the stat line he’s a problem to deal with and we’re a problem to deal with”.

While many are confidently predicting the Heat to win in six or seven games, there are still plenty of questions to be answered.

The Heat face unprecedented expectation and have already been heavily scrutinised in its first year of the “Big Three” era. LeBron may have bitten off more than he could chew with his comments about “lunchtime” as the Heat are under pressure.

For the Celtics, they may regret its late season slump in which they finished the season 10-11 in its last 21 games and ultimately relinquishing home court advantage, not only in this series but also throughout the playoffs. They demonstrated that they could play at a high level in a hostile environment in New York. Over the last two seasons, the Celtics have succeeded on the road, which puts pressure on Miami to protect home-court advantage in games one and two.

For mine, expect the Celtics to win in six.

One thing is for sure though. This will get heated. 

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. 

This Game Of Ours

There are obvious physical benefits of playing sport. Sport is fun and enjoyable. Sport also helps improve fitness in maintaining an active and healthy lifestyle.

There are also the psychological benefits of playing sport.  Sport is full of ideals, principles and morals. It is a teacher of self-confidence, teamwork and accomplishing goals; not only in sport but also for life in general.

Sport is an outlet in life for many people.

Sport is a privilege, not an obligation. Not everyone has the blessing to have the opportunity to play sport.

However, Sunday night was a disappointing reminder of when that privilege is abused.

There were sickening scenes on Sunday night that were reminiscent of the “Malice at the Palace” when Ron Artest and Stephen Jackson ran into the stands to fight with spectators in sparking a massive brawl between players and fans.

On Sunday night, our team, Maccabi played the Trailblazers. We had established a 31-17 lead before the Trailblazers cut the lead to 33-27 with 2 minutes remaining in the game.

Throughout the game, one of the opposing players was constantly cussing and arguing with officials in disputing almost every call. After numerous warnings from the officials, he was finally awarded a technical foul shortly before halftime.

However, rather than composing himself during the halftime break, his repulsive behaviour continued. With two minutes remaining, it all culminated after he disputed a sideline call and our team coach, exasperated by his antics, called aloud that it was nowhere near going over the sideline.

This somewhat meagre comment sent him into a frenzy as he repeatedly directly threatened our coach. Maybe our coach shouldn’t have even said anything. Maybe he should’ve just minded his own business. Yet, it doesn’t come close to justifying the brawl that broke out.

Our coach was punched over the sideline before I managed to step in and pull the opposing player off in an effort to separate everyone. While I thought that it had ended I released him to only go back and continue the altercation. After he wrestled our coach to the ground, I once again tried to break up the fight only to find myself head locked by another player from the opposing team. Mind you, this was in front of family and friends in the crowd including the distressed and terrified children of the player initiating the altercation. Luckily, no one was seriously injured.

After the brawl was ended, the opposing team continued their protest over the officiating in attempting to rationalise their actions. League officials and organisers presided the matter by ordering the opposition into the administrative office.

Despite being informed that adequate penalties and lengthy suspensions would be assigned, the opposing team decided to accentuate the event by remaining outside to confront our team upon leaving. The police were called as a precaution for any event. Thankfully, they left before the police arrived.

So much for expecting an apology.

I have no tolerance for violence in society. I cannot begin to tell you how many near fights I have broken up. However, I understand that playing sport can lead to frustrations boiling over. There is nothing wrong with a good-natured stoush on the odd occasion. Sport is a focal point of proving masculinity.

What I take issue with is that he and the opposing team made multiple efforts to instigate an ugly brawl involving a coach that could have lead to dangerous violence. Furthermore, it was over a matter that was so trivial that it would not have mattered nor remembered after 5 minutes let alone 5 years.

As my friend and fellow sports connoisseur and purist expresses, “sport is an expression of our freedom; a time to zone out…entertainment as a distraction from the real world. (It is) an outlet to divert from grief and as a temporary source of joy to momentarily shield us from the folly of our modern world. Sport is a vehicle for fun and games”.

Don’t forget that.

It's All About 18

The Celtics returned home last Wednesday to a locker room full of unfamiliar faces. After going 3-1 on a weeklong West Coast road trip, a lot has changed for the Celtics.

“It’s been a crazy week. People don’t really think about the emotions, the connections you make in this game and the friends you make on the way in this journey when you’re in the league”, Garnett said. “It’s difficult at times, to be honest with you”.

The Celtics have won their last 5 games. The “Big Core Four” of Rondo, KG, Pierce and Ray built home leads of 28 and 16 points against Phoenix and Golden State, respectively. However as the leads diminished, it is evident the new-look bench has been unable to solidify the starters’ effort. Doc Rivers and the Celtics Bench have plenty of work to do before the playoffs begin in over 5 weeks. Something Doc surely wasn’t expecting at this point in the season.

With a two-day break before facing Blake Griffin and the Clippers at home tomorrow, there will be ample opportunity to allow for integrating new players and improve team chemistry. Team chemistry is a central theme of the Celtics’ success as the team preaches solidarity; Boston is a Brotherhood. “They are my new teammates, so I welcome them with open arms and look forward to playing with them”, KG said when discussing the new personnel.

The Celtics have been plagued by injuries throughout the season. Delonte West, Semih Erden, Shaq and Jermaine O’Neal have missed a considerable amount of games due to injury as well as Marquis Daniels who suffered a season-ending spinal cord injury. Glen Davis and Von Wafer are the latest to join the list that are nursing injuries.

The bench has not been able to attain any consistency due to the unavailability of healthy players. Paul Pierce and Ray Allen are the only players to have played in every game this season (Ray came extremely close to missing last Friday’s game against the Warriors after making a game time decision). With the playoffs insight Danny Ainge was put in a hard place to try to solidify the bench.

The Celtics have made several significant moves in overhauling their roster; After essentially dumping salaries of Semih Erden, Luke Harangody and Marquis Daniels, Troy Murphy, Carlos Arroyo and Sasha Pavlovic were acquired through buyouts.  However, it was the controversial and heart-wrenching trade that sent Kendrick Perkins and Nate Robinson to Oklahoma City for Jeff Green and Nenad Krstic.

But does that rule out raising Banner 18? I wouldn’t count out these Celtics; ever. (Remember last season after the Celtics literally limped into the playoffs?)

Doc Rivers preached that the starting five had never lost a playoff series. Kendrick Perkins, along with Garnett, was seen as the defensive lynchpin of the Celtic defense that allowed Pierce, Ray and Rondo to pressure the perimeter. Perkins is the premier post-defender in the NBA as he could defend opposing centres like Dwight Howard in single coverage.  He was an integral part of Boston’s advantage in the forwards over Miami and Chicago. Perkins was all heart and soul. He had an impeccable work ethic and was the consummate teammate.

However, there are two schools of thought; one believes that Boston lost game 7 of the Finals last year due to Perkins’ absence. That is why they assembled a squad of 7 footers in the offseason. Shaq, Jermaine O’Neal and Semih Erden were brought in to combat the Lakers frontline of Bynum, Gasol and Odom.

The other school of thought is that the Celtics lost the series against the Lakers as they lacked a swingman that could play either small forward or power forward thus allowing Garnett to play centre in stretching the floor with shooting for Rondo and the Celtics. Recall the 2008 NBA Finals against the Lakers when James Posey would play the crucial final minutes with Perkins watching from the bench. One non-scorer in Rondo was hard enough let alone having two. In the 2008 Finals, Perkins averaged just 18 minutes in the five games he played (he missed game 5 because of a strained right shoulder). In game 7 last year, the Celtics established a 13 point lead with Rasheed Wallace starting before fatigue set in.

Ainge believes that the starting unit are strongest with Shaq starting. “We were leading the conference because of Shaq (while Perk was injured). We had a better record with Shaq than we did with Perk, Our offense was better and our defense was at least the same”, Ainge said. “I don’t think Perk is Perk yet. We think that by adding Green, Kristic and Murphy, we are a better team than we were”.

The suitably named new Celtic, Jeff Green, gives Doc Rivers and the Celtics the elusive, athletic running mate for Rondo to finish on the fast break. Rondo is no longer a one-man fast break as Green showed against the Warriors. Green scored 21 points, many of those coming from simply outrunning his opponent down court and finishing at the basket.

“Jeff is probably one of the most versatile guys I’ve been around,” KG said. “He does a lot of things that, he just makes it look simple. I can’t put it into words right now. I’m glad he’s an addition to our team”.

Moreover, Green will be able to provide some flexibility as he can play as an oversized small forward or allow Doc to employ a smaller line-up with Green at the four and Garnett at the five.

Although Perkins provided a strong inside presence against the Lakers, Ainge figured that it wouldn’t matter if they couldn’t get past Miami or Chicago in the East. Make no mistake; Green was acquired to help defend against the likes of Luol Deng, Carmello, LeBron and Kobe (if it comes down to it).

With a potential bench consisting of Green, Davis, West, Kristic and Jermaine O’Neal, there is an added element of flexibility. West can ably back up Rondo and Allen, Green can spell Pierce or Garnett and Davis can also cover at centre or power forward. This is a more dynamic bench who are young and athletic while providing an ability to stretch the floor with solid shooting.

There is no doubt that the Celtics will miss Kendrick Perkins. He was committed to his game as he recovered from a serious knee injury; Always gracious to the fans and supporters; Loyal to the team and provided chemistry in a very close locker room; Dedicated to the success of the team.

“It’s very emotional, especially for me”, said Pierce. “I had a chance to see Perkins grow up from Day One, fresh out of high school. The guys around this locker room are hurting to see Perk go”.

What accentuated the impact of the trade was how unexpected it was. Hearing news of the trade almost felt like an April Fool’s joke.

Furthermore, Ainge has made a high-stake gamble that Shaq will be healthy enough to help in the playoffs. It’s not enough that Shaq has missed 21 games with a multitude of injuries already this season but at 39 years old, there is nothing to indicate that Shaq will be able to provide 20 minutes a game in the playoffs.

Ainge has also vowed that Jermaine O’Neal will return and provide meaningful minutes. Jermaine O’Neal has played in just 17 games this season and has missed the last two months. You would not be at fault if you had little faith as to what impact Jermaine could have after having arthroscopic surgery on his knee last month.

At this point, it’s almost laughable that both O’Neals will be available for the playoffs. Having said that, if Ainge had not made any moves, the Celtics would have had a very slim bench. Nate Robinson, Kendrick Perkins, Semih Erden and Luke Harangody are all currently nursing injuries for their new teams.
Ainge knows exactly what he did; he took a calculated gamble. He addressed team injuries. He exchanged toughness, post-interior defense and potentially affected chemistry for athleticism and youth on the bench while providing flexibility at multiple positions.

Ainge is confident heading into the payoffs with a healthy KG who has been more aggressive recently. With Rondo continuing to run the show alongside Pierce and Ray, Ainge was in no doubt that Doc and his “Big Core Four” could incorporate their new teammates. Give Doc credit here; Ainge would not have made the trades if he didn’t have faith in Doc and his ability to manage individuals. Doc is the leading candidate as coach of the year. With a multitude of injuries this season, Doc has lead the Celtics to sit atop the Eastern conference standings.

The Celtics recognize chemistry as one of its main strengths. They know how important chemistry is. “To me chemistry is everything”, Pierce said. “It doesn’t matter what type of talent you bring in or what type of talent you have on your ball club. People underrate what chemistry brings. This is one of the tightest units, one of the most together teams that you could probably think of, especially because we’ve been together for so many years. So hopefully we can integrate the new guys that we’ve got coming in and they can pick up things pretty quickly, and make the adjustment in lifestyle to just how we are off the court”.

This season is all about banner 18. Ainge gambled with the short window of opportunity that is present with the Big Three. He knows he’ll receive the brunt of criticism if the Celtics don’t win it all this season. “I’m alright with that”, Ainge said. “Blame me all you want. Do I get all the credit if we win?”

He won’t get all the credit. But after trading one of Boston’s most endearing characters he will get all the blame if they fall short of capturing Banner 18.

Anything else apart from 18 just doesn’t cut it.