Well, the Boston Celtics are the first team to advance to the second round, sweeping the New York Knicks. This series was closer than what the broom indicates. Even so, many people are calling for a new coach in New York, and I can’t say I blame them. D’Antoni’s offense-only approach, in my opinion, will never make a title contender. Some people are also saying the Melo move wasn’t good, but I think an Amare/Melo combo will only get better with more time. The supporting cast is pretty good, but with just a little more tweaking and a more defensive-minded coach, Knicks fans could be in for a treat in the next few years.
The Thunder may be on their way to sweeping the Nuggets as well, but don’t be surprised if Denver pulls out game four at the Pepsi Center. Like the Boston/New York matchup, this is a series that’s been much closer than a typical sweep series. Parity is definitely on display in these playoffs where no team is getting absolutely embarrassed.
The Bulls and Heat will almost certainly win their respective series, but it’s nice to see the Pacers and Sixers put up a good fight. Miami seemed to have momentum heading into game four, but we once again saw 1) a pathetic supporting cast fail to chip in, and 2) the superstars botch it up in the clutch when they could have pulled away with a sweep. That game was a prime example of why I don’t see the so-called “Big Three” winning a title.
I’m totally shocked by the Magic/Hawks series. Dwight Howard is a one-man show right now, and we all know that one-man shows don’t go anywhere. I remember thinking for awhile after the trades that Orlando had what it took, but aside from Howard, they are getting completely outplayed by the Atlanta Hawks. The Atlanta Hawks! Not that the Hawks are bad, but some people were picking the Magic to make the Finals, or at least advance ONE round at the minimum. Now they have to win three straight to do just that. Magic fans have to be incredibly disappointed with how badly this series has gone.
Another surprising series has been Memphis and San Antonio. I was slightly surprised when Memphis took the first game, but I figured it was mostly because Manu was out for that one. Manu’s back, though, and Memphis is up 2-1 now. I still see San Antonio pulling out the series, but their age is really showing, and I think it’ll prevent them from getting another ring.
Shock number three? The Hornets and Lakers series. I predicted the Lakers would dominate and go 4-0, but we’re seeing their huge weak spot: the point guard position. Chris Paul is downright EMBARRASSING ancient Derek Fisher and his lackluster backups. Before the series, a Lakers fan on a message board tried to tell me that Kobe could cover point guards when needed, and that Steve Blake and Shannon Brown could step in for Fisher, but I didn’t believe him then and I certainly don’t believe him now. I’ve said for quite some time that the key to beating L.A. is running circles around their point guards (remember when Rondo first became notable in the 2008 Finals?), and any team that faces them needs to take advantage of that as much as possible like New Orleans and Paul are doing.
I’d comment on the Blazers and Mavericks series, but pretty much everyone knew that would be tough.
I’m enjoying these competitive playoffs and hope you are too.
10 comments
GG says:
Apr 25, 2011
I completely agree with you about D’Antoni. He’s much like Don Nelson in that if you give him some odd pieces, he can create match-up problems and when you can run, you can play better than you really are, except when it’s playoff time. I don’t think he’s the right coach there at all. I think he really played Amare’ way too much in the regular season too, especially for someone with the history of knee problems that Amare’ has. I’m not sure they need a defensive-minded coach specifically, but they need someone who has put pieces together before, especially with the two big egos they have involved.
Also, when the Hornets are beating the Lakers with guys like Willie Green and Jarrett Jack, there’s something going on there. The Lakers look tremendously slow on defense, and it’s not only DFish. CP3 is playing some inspired basketball.
This is either going to be really good for Dwight Howard, or really bad for Orlando. At the beginning of that series, I thought that Howard had to prove himself as THE GUY and push his team over the top. He’s played well in getting his, but not in making it easier for his teammates. Then again, for whatever reason, they live by the 3 and die by the 3. I just hope Dwight doesn’t look at this as the team not putting people around him and looking for the easiest route to LA after next year.
blerd says:
Apr 25, 2011
I pretty much co-sign everything GG said.
D’Antoni’s definitely not the right coach for the Knicks. He’s gonna run into the same problems with the Knicks in the playoffs (in coming years) that he ran into with the Suns.
There’s been a lot of talk about Howard being soft, but my concern, if I’m an Orlando fan, is can this guy be a leader and push his teammates? Doesn’t seem that way.
jay says:
Apr 26, 2011
D’Antoni refuses to develop players, will banish them to the bench for a month with no explanation and will ride the starters to the point of exhaustion. We had 3 starters break down for the playoffs. He also got outcoached to the point of it being embarrassing. No timeouts in the final minute 2 games in a row. He didn’t remind his players Boston can inbounds in the backcourt. He left our worst offensive player and an 0-11 player in for the final play of the game when we had Shawne Williams sitting on the bench. No excuse for any of that. Not to mention players D’Antoni had no time for like Randolph, Milicic and Brewer have all played well elsewhere.
Howard has problems. A lot of them. But when his team goes 2-23 on 3-point shots you can’t put the blame on him as a leader. Turkoglu and Arenas have stunk for 2+ years so that’s no surprise. Reddick and Anderson not being able to hit shots is surprising to me, but I wouldn’t blame Dwight for that. I do blame him for getting a ton of stupid fouls and technicals and having to sit for long stretches because of it. In game 1 he had 31 at the half and then started playing dumb in the 3rd quarter.
blerd says:
Apr 26, 2011
Yeah, I’ll go on record and say that the definitive difference between the two teams in the Knicks/Celtics series was the coaching. If I was Mike D’antoni, I’d be embarrassed.
GG says:
Apr 27, 2011
@jay
I wasn’t really blaming Dwight, but I would like to see him put his team on his back and basically say that there’s no way they’re losing in the first round of the playoff. Some of that is leading by putting some heat on guys like Arenas and Turk for missing so many damn open shots. That’s what an MVP (not named Dirk) does. And Dwight had close to a MVP year. If not for Rose, it was probably between he and LeBron.
I just want to see that no lose mentality from Dwight, rather than the smiley Dwight we see win, lose, or draw. He is almost a monster, yet it seems like he can get so much better.
blerd says:
Apr 27, 2011
A true leader puts his team on his back and sets the tone for his teammates. Dwight doesn’t seem to be that kind of personality.
GG says:
Apr 27, 2011
Maybe someone needs to give Dwight a hotfoot before the game or something to piss him off. Talk about his momma. Something.
blerd says:
Apr 27, 2011
So you’re saying the Celtics should trade Delonte to Orlando?
GG says:
Apr 28, 2011
Don’t even need to trade him. Just sick him on Dwight’s momma.
jay says:
Apr 28, 2011
I see what you’re saying. Dwight definitely doesn’t have that killer instinct. You’d think the coaches would tell him or he’d realize that blocking the ball into the 7th row looks cool but the other team gets the ball back.