The NBA Finals: There will be fouls

One hundred and thirty four. That is how many free throws we’ve gotten to witness through the first two games of the NBA finals. That is 67 free throws a game. The league average was about 48 a game during the regular season. That is a 71 percent increase in foul calls for the NBA finals. [Pro Basketball Talk]

Kurt Helin has an excellent breakdown of the countless foul calls that we have seen through the first two games of the NBA Finals.

No, your eyes haven’t been deceiving you. These are two teams that like to go at each other and play physical yet the refs haven’t really let them. I don’t think the officiating has necessarily been bad but just a little bit tight. It becomes frustrating when on the biggest stage of the year that we have to see the best players on the court plagued with foul trouble.

Woj on Gasol: “He wants his lunch money back & he’s coming for KG”

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports has a fantastic read on the convincing win for the Lakers in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, with a perspective focusing on the mindset of Pau Gasol. I always found the labeling of Gasol as soft to be pretty rediculous but Woj is right: last night Gasol completely destroyed KG. The Lakers have an advantage against every team in the NBA in terms of talent because no one has the same combination of length and athleticism. Throw in the fact that Pau has a major chip still on his shoulder and you realize how much of an uphill battle this will be for Boston. Yeah, just go read Woj’s piece. [Yahoo Sports]

The shot Big Baby took last night, Perk’s techs

I know we all like to get on Glen Davis for the constant flopping we see from him, but this was an incredible shot he took from Dwight Howard last night. It hurts my face just watching it. If that happened to me, I probably would’ve just retired on the spot (if I could still use my brain afterwards). Davis has been very good in the playoffs so it’ll be a tough blow for the C’s if he can’t play on Friday due to the concussion he suffered. Davis has already said he’ll definitely be ready to go, but we still have to see what the doctors ultimately decide. The Celtics need him because you need all the bigs you can get when you’re battling Dwight down low.

So the Magic outplayed the Celtics to force a Game 6 after being down 3-0. Unfortunately, all anyone seems to be talking about is the two questionable technical fouls that Kendrick Perkins received resulting in an ejection. Also because this gives Perk seven techs in the playoffs, he could end up being suspended for Game 6 if the league doesn’t rescind any of them.

There is no question that the techs were a bit spotty, as Doc Rivers pointed out, but it’s hard for me to feel bad for Perk. I have no idea what Perk was saying to the ref to earn the second one so it is hard to judge on that one. But let’s calm down for a minute. Having to play without Perkins was not the reason they lost Game 5 and there’s a strong chance one of his techs will be rescinded. As long as he is out there for Game 6, there is nothing to be outraged about. These calls only swing the series if one of the better defenders against Howard is kept from being on the court for the most critical game of the series.

Let things settle before throwing a fit first.

Magic Sloppy in Game 1, Fall Short

From Eddy Rivera of Magic Basketball:

After Nelson scored eight consecutive points to start the second half, Boston went on a 22-5 run and seemed to be on their way to a blowout victory as they extended their lead by as much as 20 points. Not only did the Magic’s defense break down, but the offense couldn’t do much of anything. Howard, especially, was completely out of sorts offensively and was struggling to make an impact against either Kendrick Perkins or Rasheed Wallace. But Carter kept Orlando afloat by being a playmaker on offense, whether he was looking to score or pass.
In the fourth quarter, that’s where everything changed for the Magic.

Orlando was able to buckle down defensively, cut into the deficit, and hold Boston scoreless for a little over five minutes. J.J. Redick, Nelson, and Carter were able to lead the charge on offense but it was ultimately not enough, as the Celtics were able to leave Amway Arena with a win.

There’s no denying the fact that Dwight Howard and the Magic did not give us a good performance during the first three quarters of Game 1. Howard had a very inefficient night offensively 3 for 10 from the field to go along with 7 turnovers. A lot of people are slamming Dwight for being a poor offensive player but let’s settle down. It was only one bad game and he is capable of getting in done on offense. Give the Celtics defense credit. Both Kendrick Perkins and Rasheed Wallace were able to do a rare thing: match Howard’s physical play. It did frustrate Dwight and he never seemed to get things sorted out. Howard will need to be better but let’s not start calling him a bum just yet.

I did like what I saw from Vince Carter in the second half. But Rivera brings up a great point about the job that JJ Redick did. It was a nice adjustment by Stan to go to him with the way Matt Barnes struggled to play through his injury. I couldn’t help but see flashbacks to last year’s Eastern Conference Semifinals when Redick did a great job on defense by harassing Ray Allen. He gave the Magic a lot of the hustle plays they lacked in the first half and we’ll probably see Stan go to him instead of Barnes going forward. Barnes just doesn’t look healthy enough to contribute at the moment.

I wouldn’t read all that much into Game 1 though. The Magic were sloppy and turned the ball over too much. By the time they got it going, it was too late. Maybe it had to do with their week off after their second round sweep of the Hawks. Whatever it was, I would expect them to be much better in Game 2, which almost becomes a must win for them. But let’s not advance the Celtics to the NBA Finals just yet.

Cavs/Celtics Aftermath Bullets

Some of my thoughts and some assorted clippings after Game 6 on Thursday night:

• This morning a co-worker asked me, “Were you surprised by what happened in Game 6?”  I thought about it and responded truthfully, “Not at all.”  If you would told me I would react this way to a Cavs loss to the Celtics in six three months ago, I would’ve called you crazy.  Funny how things change.  I thought the Celtics had a puncher’s chance going into this series, but the longer it went on, well the more we leaned towards the men in green.
• You’re always playing with fire when you’re in a 2-2 series and Paul Pierce still hasn’t had a good game yet.  Pierce finally had his good game in Game 5, and to make matters worse, so did the rest of the Celtics.  You play with fire enough and eventually you get burned.
• Brian Windhorst of the Cleveland Plain Dealer has plenty of criticisms for the Cavs, including this: “So the brutal truth is this: Say what they want, the Cavs are a great regular-season team. But no more. Following them for seven years now and trying to be as truthful as possible along the way, I missed it. I thought it would work in a series, too. But obviously I was wrong with my predictions. So were the Cavs with everything in their planning and preparation.”
• LeBron James will take the big hits from the media because he is the star.  That’s just how it works.  His Game 5 was indefensibly bad and is something the LeBron haters will throw at him constantly.  But this loss wasn’t on just him.  This was also on Mo, Jamison, Mike Brown, etc.  There were bad rotation choices, bad defense, and bad performances all around.  Hence, this is a team loss.
• For me the major problem was their defense, which during the regular season was always a major strength.  Rondo destroyed whoever guarded him and Kevin Garnett made it look like it was 2004.  It was just too easy for them.  The stats back me up: Cleveland averaged a defensive efficiency of 109 points allowed per 100 possessions.  If they averaged that in the regular season, they would rank 25th in the NBA.  Putrid.  Comparitively, in the regular season they allowed 101.5 points per 100 which ranked them 7th in the league.
• The “New York Knicks” chants were a nice touch, Boston.
• Also, Mike Brown?  Running more and some minutes fro JJ Hickson would’ve helped.  A lot, considering athleticism can overwhelm an older team.  Just a thought.
• Bob Ryan of the Boston Globe reminds us, and rightfully so, that the Celtics deserve some credit too: “Hey, America. Remember the Boston Celtics?  17 titles. The Leprechaun. Red Auerbach and his cigar. The parquet. The banners. Russ? Cooz? Hondo? Larry? A couple of Big Threes?  Tradition!  Anyway, while all you out there in the Great Beyond tuned in last night to see what fate had in store for LeBron James, the Cavaliers, the city of Cleveland, the state of Ohio, and perhaps even how the balance of power for the next 10 years in the NBA might be affected, for those who care about the fortunes of the Boston Celtics this was Game 6, and nothing more. LeBron was just another villain standing in the way of another Celtics’ championship run.  Boston is the only city in America in which people are saying this morning that the Celtics won, and thus will be playing Orlando Sunday afternoon in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals. Everywhere else, LeBron lost.  Yup, the Boston Celtics capped off a great series with a great win, controlling play for all but a few minutes, absorbing a fourth-quarter incursion and then running off 10 straight points to ensure a 94-85 triumph and answer all the pre-playoff questions as to their real worth after concluding the season with a lackluster 27-27 record.  For two months they talked the talk, assuring the world that if they got healthy they could play with anyone. But we all needed validation, and we got it.”
• One thing I’ve always questioned about the Cavs  is their maturity level.  I see a team that does a lot of celebrations and they don’t exactly act like they’ve been their before, even during the regular season.  They also haven’t exactly responded well to crisis.  Contrast that with the mentally tough Celtics, who give me the expression that they would run through a wall if it would help them win.  The Celtics dogged at times during the regular season because they were so confident they could save it for when it counts.  Enough generalizations and cliches for you in one bullet?  Ok, then!
• Gotta give the Celtics their due though.  They were fantastic in this series.  I mentioned how good Rondo and KG were, but you also have gotta give love to the bench.  Both Tony Allen and Glen Davis had outstanding series.  No one saw that coming.
• Brendan Jackson of Cletics Hub reminds us that Boston’s defense deserves some praise as well: “Watching the Celtics on the offensive end can be what heart attacks are made of- but they continue to show that defense is what wins.  The Celtics started the game shooting a shade over 60% but steadily cooled off and finished in the high forties.  How does that translate into a 9 point win?  Defense.  Just imagine what this team could look like if they start clicking offensively.”
• John Krolik of Cavs: The Blog points out that the Cavs may have assumed getting past Boston when building their roster: “I don’t know what the attitude in the locker room was; all I know is that from a team-building point of view, this team looked past Boston. Instead of making sure Shaq was ready to go against Orlando, this team should’ve spent time developing confidence in some small-ball lineups featuring LeBron at the four. By the time they realized their lack of athleticism was hurting them in this series, it was far too late.”
• On LeBron and his future, let’s not overreact too much.  We have no proof of anything.  All we know is that LeBron James has a big ego and he likes to flirt.  I recall a game in New York last year where he wore those red Big Apple sneakers.  It proved he loves the attention but he isn’t close to making a decision yet.  He might go to a big city, sure.  But no sense in acting like we can predict how this summer shapes up. 
• From Coach Calipari on Twitter: “I want to address this with the Big Blue Nation one last time, I will be coaching at Kentucky next year. Now let’s finish what we started!”  Riiiiight. 
• Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports on King James and his ego: “Winning is nice and all, and James will eventually get himself a title or two. He’s too talented. At the end of his seventh NBA season, James lost one more chance at it Thursday, and it hardly felt like the end of the world for him. He’ll get over it fast because that enormous ego will be nourished with the courtship of his lifetime, his free agency, and perhaps the hardest part will come sometime in July when James has to make a choice, pick a team and play there. Only then, the wooing of LeBron James will be complete and you have to wonder: How will King James ever live without that?”
• Finally, Tom Ziller of NBA FanHouse with a great point about what’s at stake this summer for Cleveland: “But the circumstances are even more stark for the Cavaliers, who got knocked out of the title chase by Boston on Thursday. Unlike New York, New Jersey or any of the other teams with buckets of cap space, there’s no back-up plan in Cleveland. It truly is LeBron or nothing.  If LeBron exits Cleveland as a free agent, and if the Cavs waive Delonte West (saving $4 million in 2010-11), the team would have about $12-13 million in cap space, not nearly enough to land a max-level free agent, unless they aim for a younger player like Rudy Gay. And without LeBron, without West, without free agents Shaquille O’Neal and Zydrunas Ilgauskas, what exactly is this team? Anderson Varejao, Antawn Jamison, Mo Williams and J.J. Hickson?”
• Silencio.

LeBron James and Company Get Embarrassed

Photo via NBA.com

It wasn’t pretty last night in Cleveland.  We all knew the setup going into last night’s Game 5.  The heavily favored Cavaliers were involved in a 2-2 series against the older Boston Celtics.  Game 5 was the night we all expected the Cavs to come through with a big time effort and wrestle away control of the series.  Being at home, where they were so great all year, the Cavs surely wouldn’t drop a second home game this series to a team that most would consider that they are better than.

The night was a disaster though for Cleveland.  Not only did they lose Game 5 and fall into a 3-2 series hole, but they were embarrassed, as they were thumped by the Celtics 120-88.  LeBron James will take most of the hits for this kind of lousy performance, as that is the kind of responsibility that comes with being the star player.  James had a terrible night as he shot just 3-for-14 while totaling just 15 points.  He wasn’t all that aggressive either and it was probably one of the worst games I remember seeing King James have.  All the LeBron haters/Kobe lovers will be out in full force for the next 24 hours.  That’s for sure.

What Charles Barkley said on Inside the NBA last night echoed what a lot of us felt after watching Game 5.  Like Chuck, most of us were left extremely disappointed.  Here is what Charles had to say:

As a fan, and I’ve said all year that I think LeBron James is the best basketball player in the world, but I am 100% disappointed.  Not the fact that he did not have a good game, but his mentality.  Like, I go back.  I played against a Michael Jordan, a Karl Malone, a Patrick Ewing.  Listen, their gun was going to be empty by the end of the game.  And I did not see that tonight.  Clearly it happened in Game 2 but tonight, in the biggest game of the season, I did not see the aggressiveness that I needed from an MVP at all.

LeBron does need to take a hit for last night’s effort.  He is the start and he was inexcusably terrible.  His teammates were equally bad, however, as this was an example of complete ineptitude by a team.  It would be nice to see Mo Williams step up and hit some shots, or at least not get destroyed by Rajon Rondo.  It would also be great if Antawn Jamison could figure out a way to avoid having Kevin Garnett look like the KG of 2004.  But in Game 6, a huge challenge, it will all be up to the King.  On the road, they will need a big time performance from the MVP.  It has to be tough to bounce back from this big of a drubbing in a big game of the series, but if anyone can do it, I would think it would be LeBron James.

I also urge you to check out the post that Kevin Arnovitz did over at TrueHoop, which includes a very nice video breakdown of LeBron’s struggles in Game 5.

Finally Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports brings up an excellent point after a troublesome postgame quote from James: no more excuses from LeBron.  It’s time to get it done.

No more excuses. Not now, not after this biblical bottoming out that pushes the Cleveland Cavaliers to the brink of an unthinkable collapse. And yet, after Tuesday’s ferocious failure of his professional career, the encompassing embarrassment of a 120-88 Game 5 loss to the Boston Celtics, James dismissed his unthinkably poor performance with this colossal cop-out: “I spoil a lot of people with my play. When you have three bad games in seven years, it’s easy to point them out.”

Who is he to be indignant after he gave a playoff game away? What’s he ever won to be so smug to the masses? That’s what drives the Celtics crazy about James. Eventually, he will understand his greatness isn’t measured on the hit-and-runs through NBA cities across a long season. It’s measured now, in the teeth of the battle, when a tiny guard, Rajon Rondo(notes), has stolen his stage and nearly a series.