Wednesday, May 25, 2011
The Heat is on
In last night's basketball game that involved the Miami Heat and the Chicago Bulls a few things happen that prevented the Bulls from winning. One, the league's MVP had a bad shooting night and he turned the ball over too many times. Derrick Rose had 7 turnovers and shot 8-27 from the field, including 1-9 from the three point line. Along with the bad shooting, he committed too many turnovers. None more crucial than the one he committed at the end of the game when they were down four looking to cut the lead to 2 and he just lost the ball, giving Dwayne Wade an easy lay-up and instead of cutting the lead to two, they went down by six basically ending the game.
Two, the Miami Heat continued to play great defense, stopping one of the best penetrating guards in the league from scoring two consecutive times in a row with the game on the line. Lebron James stepped up to the calling last night as he helped his team win by playing tremendous defense. With the game on the line twice under a minute, James recieved the assignment of guarding Derrick Rose and both times he stopped Rose, forcing him into a difficult jump shot. James who is known for doing just about everything on the court showed why he's a two time MVP as he filled the stat sheet up with 35pts, 6rebs, 6ass, 3blcks, 2stls, and two crucial stops on the opposing team's best player. As a coach what more can you ask for from a player.
The third and final reason why the Heat won this game over the Bulls was the free throw differential. The Bulls played good, they beat the Heat on the boards 42-41, they won the assist battle 20-12, they dominated points in the paint 44-24, and they had more fast break points than the heat 26-15. If you didn't know the Heat won and you looked at those stats you would think the Bulls won, but along with those stats are the difference in free throw attempts and free throws made by each team. The heat went 32-38 from the free throw line, including a controversial flagrant foul called for Chris Bosh that Carlos Boozer committed with 4:40 left in the game. This chain of events cut Chicago's lead from three to down one point. The Bulls shot 17-22 from the free throw line as Derrick Rose continued to go to the rim and try to draw fouls he only went to the line 7 times as the Heat's Bosh and James combined for more free throw attepmts than the whole Bulls team with 24, making 23 of them. This could be the reason why they lost but Boozer refused to think so by saying, "We've never been an excuse team. We're not going to start being an excuse team now. They got fouled, I guess we didn't." The Bulls didn't get the whistle last night but they did get a charge call on Lebron James with seconds left in regulation, giving the Bulls a perfect chance to win the game.
Two, the Miami Heat continued to play great defense, stopping one of the best penetrating guards in the league from scoring two consecutive times in a row with the game on the line. Lebron James stepped up to the calling last night as he helped his team win by playing tremendous defense. With the game on the line twice under a minute, James recieved the assignment of guarding Derrick Rose and both times he stopped Rose, forcing him into a difficult jump shot. James who is known for doing just about everything on the court showed why he's a two time MVP as he filled the stat sheet up with 35pts, 6rebs, 6ass, 3blcks, 2stls, and two crucial stops on the opposing team's best player. As a coach what more can you ask for from a player.
The third and final reason why the Heat won this game over the Bulls was the free throw differential. The Bulls played good, they beat the Heat on the boards 42-41, they won the assist battle 20-12, they dominated points in the paint 44-24, and they had more fast break points than the heat 26-15. If you didn't know the Heat won and you looked at those stats you would think the Bulls won, but along with those stats are the difference in free throw attempts and free throws made by each team. The heat went 32-38 from the free throw line, including a controversial flagrant foul called for Chris Bosh that Carlos Boozer committed with 4:40 left in the game. This chain of events cut Chicago's lead from three to down one point. The Bulls shot 17-22 from the free throw line as Derrick Rose continued to go to the rim and try to draw fouls he only went to the line 7 times as the Heat's Bosh and James combined for more free throw attepmts than the whole Bulls team with 24, making 23 of them. This could be the reason why they lost but Boozer refused to think so by saying, "We've never been an excuse team. We're not going to start being an excuse team now. They got fouled, I guess we didn't." The Bulls didn't get the whistle last night but they did get a charge call on Lebron James with seconds left in regulation, giving the Bulls a perfect chance to win the game.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
The Decision. Part 2!
The NBA's lottery was last night and as fate would have it. The Cleveland Cavaliers came out as the winners; something they didn't do a lot of last season. But with the help of this years 1st and 4th pick in the draft the Cavaliers have the ability to bounce back from a record breaking losing season as they broke the NBA record for consecutive losses in a season with 26 in a row. As they try to put that season and Lebron James behind them, they have to be careful that they choose the right players because with this year's draft not being one with a lot of star potential, it would be devastating for the Cavaliers and the state of Cleveland if their managment made some poor decisions like the Portland Trailblazers, who picked Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan and Greg Oden over Kevin Durant. Right now it's hard to tell who's going to be a star in this draft but some analyst are saying that the top 5 players are Kyrie Irving (Duke), Derrick Williams (Arizona), Brandon Knight (Kentucky), Enes Kanter (Turkey), and Jonas Valanciuanas (Lithuania). With two top five picks most people are saying that the Cavaliers should draft a guard first like Kyrie Irving and draft a big man second to help out J.J. Hickson down low. The question is what guard should they select. No one had a better year than Kimba Walker as he led his team to win the Big East tournanment and The National Championship. Then there is the NCAA player of the Year Jimmer Fredette who has tremendous shootin range from anywhere in the gym. Also the Cavs may want to consider Brandon Knight who has amazing athletic abilty and could turn out to be the next Derrick Rose who was also coached by John Calipari. As far as which big to select first it seems like everyone agrees that Derrick Williams with his shooting ability and explosiveness would be the best big. Well it seems like the Cavaliers are apart of another big "decision" only this time they can determine the outcome.
The Thunder Get Nowitzkied!
Last night's game was very entertaining if you are a fan that can sit and watch 80 free throws in a game. Despite the free throws slowing down the paste of the game, both Dirk Nowitzki and Kevin Durant had great games. Even though Durant had 40 points, last night's game wasn't about him. It was about Nowitzki and his shooting efficiency. Nowitzki shot 12-15 from the field and a record breaking 24-24 from the free throw line, breaking Paul Pierce's record of 21-21 in a game. Not only did Nowitzki only mis 3 shots but he scored in timely fashions. When ever the Thunder made a run to cut Dallas's lead down to 5 or 7, Nowitzki simply faced up Ibaka (the forward from the Thunder who tried to guard Nowitzki last night) and either went by him or shot the ball in his face, keeping Dallas on top throw out the fourth quarter. Even when the Thunder tried to play help defense or double Nowitzki he would make the proper play and kick it out to the shooters. Just like he did at the end of the fourth quarter as Westbrook tried to help, he simply made the correct pass to Terry in the corner for a three that would diminish the Thunder's hope of winning that game.
Last night's game was mostly about Nowitzki's performance but Nowitzki also had help from quite a few people. The surprise person that contributed 21 points in 16 minutes was J.J. Barea. Barea had his way with the Thunder defense as they had no answer for him. He used the pick in roll well and even create his own shots as he blew by guards from the Thunder like Westbrook and Nate Robinson. He also had help from his typical partner in crime Jason Terry who continues to hit three pointers like they're foul shots. Last night he also helped by scoring 24 points and outscoring the Thunder's bench by himself (24-22). He also had a decent night percentage wise as he shot 50% from the three point line (4-8) and 50% from the field (8-16). Although these two are suppose to help Nowitzki, the most important help he got last night was from Russell Westbrook, who shot a horrible 3-15 from the field (20%) missed key foul shots and turned the ball over 4 times. As bad as the numbers are Westbrook still scored 20 points, some say he was out of control and hazardous to his team. The ending results prove that the Thunder are going to need a better game from Westbrook and a better team defensive effort on Nowitzki if they want any chance of winning.
Last night's game was mostly about Nowitzki's performance but Nowitzki also had help from quite a few people. The surprise person that contributed 21 points in 16 minutes was J.J. Barea. Barea had his way with the Thunder defense as they had no answer for him. He used the pick in roll well and even create his own shots as he blew by guards from the Thunder like Westbrook and Nate Robinson. He also had help from his typical partner in crime Jason Terry who continues to hit three pointers like they're foul shots. Last night he also helped by scoring 24 points and outscoring the Thunder's bench by himself (24-22). He also had a decent night percentage wise as he shot 50% from the three point line (4-8) and 50% from the field (8-16). Although these two are suppose to help Nowitzki, the most important help he got last night was from Russell Westbrook, who shot a horrible 3-15 from the field (20%) missed key foul shots and turned the ball over 4 times. As bad as the numbers are Westbrook still scored 20 points, some say he was out of control and hazardous to his team. The ending results prove that the Thunder are going to need a better game from Westbrook and a better team defensive effort on Nowitzki if they want any chance of winning.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
The NBA's Final Four
When the NBA season kicked off in November who would of predicted that the Lakers and the Boston Celtics wouldn't have been included in the NBA's final four. Well, today the NBA's final four scenerio is the Chicago Bulls up agianst the Miami Heat 1-0 and the western conference finals begins with the Dallas Mavericks hosting the Oklahoma City Thunder. A lot of people may have predicted the Heat to go all the way with the big three that they have, but many people didn't have the Chicago Bulls the number one seed in the east and a blow out victory in game one. To a lot of people's surprise the Chicago Bulls have proven to be a legitimate team with the MVP of the league Derrick Rose and by having the number one defense in the league. The Bulls showcased this stifuling defense in game one, holding Lebron James and Dwayne Wade to 12 and 18 points. The Bulls were able to hold two of the NBA's premiere scorers under 20 points a piece. Also the Bulls won by such a wide margin because of their bench points and second chance points. The Bull's bench outscored the Heat's bench 28-15, and the outscored them in second chance points 31-8. The Bulls have been a shock to many this whole season and they continued to shock many people as they not only won game won but did it in a convincing fashion. The question is, will the Bulls be able to keep this up and dominate the boards and continue to make things tough for Lebron and Wade.
The other match up in the NBA's final four is the Mavericks versus the Thunder. The Thunder is a very young team that may be ahead of their time. We'll soon find out as they go up against a veteran team with a dynamic superstar in Dirk Nowitzki. Nowitzki and the Mavericks shocked the world as they swept the two time defending champions Los Angeles Lakers. What was even more shocking was how they swept the Lakers and made them seem inferior and old by blowing them out in game four by 36 points (122-86). Also the Maverick's Jason Terry tied the NBA playoff three point record by making 9 three pointers, as he was 5-5 at one point and time from three point land. The Mavericks dominated the Lakers with their pick and roll offense and Nowitzki looked like his MVP form back in 06-07. With Nowitzki being a 7ft tall power forward that can play on the perimeter he poses a tremendous threat to the Thunder's big men.
On the other hand the Thunder also have a superstar who is the league's two time defending scoring champion and who is also a 6ft 10in small forward who can shoot from anywhere in the gym and is a prolific scorer. The Thunder may also have the edge at the point guard position as 22 year old Russell Westbrook may give 38 year old Jason Kidd a problem with his lightning speed and amazing athleticism. Just like Westbrook can help the Thunder be great, a lot of people think he hurts the team sometime when he takes more shots than Durant. The Thunder supporters say its not a problem because he is their second scorer and they need him to score sometimes. Westbrook has always taken a lot of shots and Durant was still been able to win the scoring title twice, so it may not be a problem but we will see as the series begins tonight at 9pm on espn. Will it be the Thunder's youth, or the Mavericks veteran craftiness, or will the Maverick's be rusting from 8 days of rest and be shocked by the Thunder at home in game one. Find out tonight.
The other match up in the NBA's final four is the Mavericks versus the Thunder. The Thunder is a very young team that may be ahead of their time. We'll soon find out as they go up against a veteran team with a dynamic superstar in Dirk Nowitzki. Nowitzki and the Mavericks shocked the world as they swept the two time defending champions Los Angeles Lakers. What was even more shocking was how they swept the Lakers and made them seem inferior and old by blowing them out in game four by 36 points (122-86). Also the Maverick's Jason Terry tied the NBA playoff three point record by making 9 three pointers, as he was 5-5 at one point and time from three point land. The Mavericks dominated the Lakers with their pick and roll offense and Nowitzki looked like his MVP form back in 06-07. With Nowitzki being a 7ft tall power forward that can play on the perimeter he poses a tremendous threat to the Thunder's big men.
On the other hand the Thunder also have a superstar who is the league's two time defending scoring champion and who is also a 6ft 10in small forward who can shoot from anywhere in the gym and is a prolific scorer. The Thunder may also have the edge at the point guard position as 22 year old Russell Westbrook may give 38 year old Jason Kidd a problem with his lightning speed and amazing athleticism. Just like Westbrook can help the Thunder be great, a lot of people think he hurts the team sometime when he takes more shots than Durant. The Thunder supporters say its not a problem because he is their second scorer and they need him to score sometimes. Westbrook has always taken a lot of shots and Durant was still been able to win the scoring title twice, so it may not be a problem but we will see as the series begins tonight at 9pm on espn. Will it be the Thunder's youth, or the Mavericks veteran craftiness, or will the Maverick's be rusting from 8 days of rest and be shocked by the Thunder at home in game one. Find out tonight.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)