2010 Offseason Outlook Part 1

NOTE: This was written before July 1st, so things obviously have happened since then that make some of stuff moot points, but lets call it retrospective because its still fun to think about improving most of the teams in the NBA.  I started writing this right after the draft and before the Free agent rumors pointed to the Heat trifecta or the now lovingly called villians “The Miami Cheats”.

This will be a two part post as there is just SO much to cover this offseason its ridiculous, with the biggest free agent class we have seen for over a decade and a very strange 2010 playoffs, teams where built to win these playoffs or to chase the free agent class.   So suffice to say, hardly any teams will be sitting still and are happy with the pieces that they have in place, whether they are looking to upgrade a few positions through the draft or through trades or through signing one, or two, or three big names.

Lebron James

Dwayne Wade

Chris Bosh

Amare Stoudemire

Carlos Boozer

Dirk Nowitzki

Paul Pierce

Joe Johnson

Ray Allen

David Lee

Mike Miller

The heat have 44 million dollars in cap space and are pursuing a trade or release of Michael Beasley, can sign potentially Dwayne Wade, Lebron James and Chris Bosh, but likely scenario is that Joe Johnson, Amare Stoudemire and Dwayne Wade end up on the heat, as James wont want to share the limelight with another Alpha dog and I believe that Bosh wants a sure thing and wants to play under a sure fire Alpha Dog, he is like James in some ways as a teammate, less of a leader, but has that trait of wanting to be loved be the teammates and wont take the Kobe Bryant route and leading a team by example.  Wade of course is a stone cold killer, we saw it in the Finals against Dallas, although helped along by the refs a bit, but still he DESTROYED the Mavs.    He hasnt had any help since that finals MVP performance and thats how weve ended up here, but Pat Riley dissembling the Heat down to two under contract players on a roster and 44 million in cap space.   I dont think Beasley will stick around as his contract at 7 mil per will be very useful attracting other players once the Heat blow their pimp roll on a three way of free agents, starting with Wade, Stoudemire and Allen.

The Nets are in it to win it and under that pre tense can come away from this free agent debacle improved regardless, as their young core of Devin Harris, Brook Lopez, Kris Humphries and Courtney Lee is second only to the Bulls in terms of attractiveness for a potential free agent.   But there is potential for the Nets to come away from this with no major free agents, which would put a damper on the new world order delivered by Vodka giant and mutant Russian Mark Cuban (Read: Mikhail Prokhorov).   Ive heard they have pursued Jordan Farmar, a backup for Harris or a hint that Harris wont be around next season, and have their eyes set on the big prize of a Bosh-Lebron combo meal.   If they come away from 2010 free agency empty then they are still in a very good position for 2011, which isnt as strong as the uber class, but still has building blocks and franchise players available.

The Knicks want it all, and dont really have the flexibility to get it, but Donnie Walsh has done alright getting trade assets and cap space together which could place them well for a pre or mid season trade.   In terms of trade assets, Eddy Curry has a contract far too large for most teams, but someone might take the bait, and then Wilson Chandler and Toney Douglas.   Again not a great bunch when you consider the only player left on the team to do anything useful next year will be Danilo Gallinari.   I think they will somewhat strike out in this big game and chase the leftovers in an effort to appease the fan base that has gone postal over the past three years and in the wake off the Isaih Thomas debacle.  Which means the Knicks will be better next year but its just a matter of how much better.   I think they will be pursuing James and Stoudemire hardest and Wade is a non factor in the big picture.    I would love them to be a factor again in the East as the “LEast” is getting old.

Chi-Town, this is by far the best situation for one or more free agents big names to win and win NOW.  I loathe Noah, I have done so since his early days at Florida, his defense, although looks good to a non basketball fan, is just a defensive liability and an offensive counter productive black hole.   Anyway, Rose, Deng, Brewer, and Noah are a stunning round out to a starting five completed by free agent X.   The rumblings of Wade wanting to “return home” I dont see happening, South Beach is too much fun for a guy his age, and Bosh will follow Wade more then Lebron, or so we have been led to believe after Bosh shot down a sign and trade to go to Cleveland, which was curious, or just another smoke screen in the big picture of these three “friends” flying the same flag next year, a scary proposition but ALOT of committed salary for just three players.  This is were Wade should end up, but he wont.

The Clippers, well lets be honest, no free agent in the right mind would go to a team owned by Donald Sterling, so no one cares, they have draft picks to lament their fan base with over time.   Enjoy another decade of mediocrity LA fans.

So heres how as a fan of the NBA and not really one team specifically would love the summer of 2010 to end up.  Rediculous as some of this might seem 90% of it is legitimate in terms of the logistics of it all, in terms of cap room and trading equal value salaries, the one wrench in my master plan for the NBA is players not wanting to go where I want to put them, but oh well, this is just for fun, hey as fans we can dream cant we?  Ill start at the bottom and finish at the top.  If your team isnt hear, boo hoo, you will be like the Cavs after Lebron decides to not return to his “hometown” team, cease to exist.

Sixers:

With the Brand contract the Sixers are reasonably speaking, crippled, meaning a free agency is nearly a wash for them, expect them to have no significant pickups through FA, so thats leaves the draft and/or trades, the future with this team is not in the now, its in the future.   So as part of my three team trade idea, Beasley arrives from the Heat, Igoudala goes to the Celtics, and Ray Allen goes to the Heat, with N. Robinson coming over from the Celtics to the Sixers.   All three teams benefit from a theoretical move like this, and Allen can go down to finish his career out as a wide open shooter with Wade in Miami.   I know they want to move Dalembert and the Kings need a center so Dalembert goes there and Nocioni and Spencer Hawes coming to the Sixers.  Their roster ends up like this:

Brand, Evans, N. Robinson, Beasley and S. Hawes, with Tony Battie, Willie Green, Thaddeus Young, Jason Kapono, Jrue Holiday and Mareese Speights.

Successful, maybe, talented and entertaining damn right.

The Clips:

Well with “The Donald”, as I shall call him from now on, as the owner, the good players will never stick around longer then 3-4 years and the vicious cycle of creating hope with fans of talented teams coming of age and showing success and then all of a sudden these great players leave for other teams as “The Donald” wont pay them their due and the team plunges back to the lottery again.   So with this roster keep in mind that I wont go the whole hog and give them the revamp they need as we all know it will NEVER happen.  So here we go:

E. Gordon, B. Davis, Kaman, R. Bell, and B. Griffin.   With a bench of Gomes, Foye, R. Butler, E. Bledsoe and Aminu.

Again talented but not a winning team most likely, but hey talented is far far better then crappy.  Free agency money is spent wisely as they arent bad at running teams, the Gomes, Foye, Butler and Bell signings seem to make sense and I dont see many other suitors for them.

The Raptors.

After Bosh leaves them unceremoniously, as Lebron leaving Cleveland will supersede anything anyone else does, the team will fall by the wayside and probably lead to the team being sold and moved, but we can only hope that this doesnt happen the Raps stay alive.   Here is my radical, yet feasible proposal, bring Carter back.  Its simple and lets Carter redeem himself to some degree, I dont care if the fans wont have him, but he wont be in a situation with pressure so he cant fold.  So anyway, Carter goes to the Raptors and Turkoglu goes back to Orlando, as that was by far the dumbest move (granted the players were the deciders and not the teams in the end) of last summer in my mind and Turk did not fit that Raptors roster and Carter is well, terrible in the playoffs and generally.   The raptors get a ticket seller, and dont tell me that people wont pay to see how Carter does back in his starter city.  So heres the roster, Im not calling anything drastic here, just an interesting trade, the Raps are dead.

Carter, Jack, Villinueva, Bargnani, and A. Johnson.   Im sorry Raps fans, thats it.  I scrapped your team for my Magic.  Turkoglu is gone even if he doesnt go to the Magic and I dont think anyone will care about Turk leaving.

The Jazz, who really need a new name btw.

Boozer wont stick around which is a shame, but lets be honest he is undersized and wont get the Jazz over the hump, he can help a team, but only a team with a good or great center.   So kiss him goodbye Utah, but hey youll get younger and better and make a run in a few years.

G. Hayward, Okur, Kirilenko (Both back from injury this year), Millsap, and D. Williams.

A thin team, but not a bad team, depends on who they sign to replace Boozer, they should really call the TWolves, as KAHN would probably trade Al Jefferson for some chewing gum off of Jerry Sloans shoes.

Read part 2 for more.

The Draft

So I did a draft blog a couple of years ago, Ill dig it up later, but the draft is not only a big day for the NBA bringing in the new kids but a highlight with the trades and shuffling of picks.   With the Lebron saga looming in the wings, the dramaticness of the draft is somewhat diminished, but already there have been rumblings of a Bulls-Wizards trade and we havent even started the draft yet.  This draft is somewhat wide open after the number one pick with a potential for Kentucky to have a first ever 5 first rounders in the 2010 draft and ALOT of teams are looking to change up their rosters.   The Wizards won the first pick over the we are tanking the whole damn season Nets, and it looks like they are going with John Wall as the consensus number one pick this year.    The names that have been thrown out as “Could be a question mark or could be an All-Star” players, Demarcus Cousins (A rebounding machine),Derrick Favors (Another rookie of the year in his respective conference),  , and of course John Wall, the Point guard extraordinaire.

The Wizards are on the clock:

The take nearly all the 5 minutes to announce the obvious pick of John Wall, a point guard of speed and vision, no big surprise but it will be interesting seeing what the Wizards do from here, maybe they move Gilbert Arenas and give John Wall the keys to the car.   Stern greets Wall at the podium for his photo op, and Stern cracks his first unintentional comedy moment telling Wall “Thats a surprise isnt it?”.   Genius he may be, but socially akward, Stern is at the top of the list, I dont think a worst person could be meeting teenage athletes in a public arena, its just awful.

The Sixers are on the clock:

Everyone assumes they will pick Evan Turner, but they have many many more needs then one player, so again, will be interesting to see where they go from here.   Turner goes number 2, national player of the year at Ohio State as a Junior, he is a nice 2 or 3 guard, that could maybe play well with Iguodala, averaged 20 points per game.   Seems Stern has dropped the comedy act, thankfully, and congrulates Turner.   Man that kid has a weird voice, sounds like an air bubble or helium snuck in their and got stuck.   Collins the newly christened coach of the Sixers, likes Turners defensive ability at the guard position, its always a good sign when your prospective picks best trait is his defensive ability.  They are another team that could drastically revamp their team this offseason.

The Nets are on the clock:

Mother Russia is on the phone from his yacht and jet skis sipping some cognac with this decision, I think he will go big, and not play it safe.   The Nets go with Derrick Favors another freshman from Georgia Tech, strange note is that he is only 18 years old even though he has been at college one year already.  Alot of room for improvement.

Unfortunately the wife has deleted the mysky recording of the NBA draft accidentally, so generally speaking this post is a fail.   BUT, of note otherwise from the draft retrospectively was this:

KAHN!!!!!!!!!!!! picks at number 4 and goes for Wesley Johnson, wow after the dust settled Kahn had 5 point gaurds and 4 small forwards, I have never seen a GM devote 64% of the available roster spots to two positions on the court.  Its just madness, but we have to come to expect this from Kahn, as Simmons and everyone else on the interweb has decided he is clinically insane.     No one knows what the Twolves will look like by season start, they could have some talent, but they will either sport the worst record in the league or sit just outside of the lottery for 2010-11.    Alot of trades and cut players down the line will let us know just what the Wolves will be, but atleast we get some entertainment out of it in the meantime.   Bring Rubio so atleast we can see him in the league, PLEASE!

At number 5 the Kings and Geoff “I live for the draft but trade away my players too late” Petrie pick Demarcus Cousins, which at the number 5 slot is a steal and the risk far underweighs the reward.   Cousins and Evans could become a fearsome twosome, lets hope he doesnt take Bynum time to develope.   I would love to see a Kings resurgence as its pained me to see them suffer, I jumped off the bandwagon after being a hometown fan since 1997 once I pulled the “If Petrie trades Bibby or Jackson Im out” ultimatum.    I think the Kevin Martin trade really hurt the Kings as scoring has always been there thing and Martin was a reasonably priced scoring machine, and a starting lineup of Martin, Evans, Cousins, Dalembert(ugh that leaves a bad taste in my mouth), and Omri Casspi would have been really effective and very entertaining.    So we will see what Petrie slots in for Martin and if the Kings get some veterans to go with the youth movement.  If your a Kings fan, be encouraged, as long as the Maloofs dont move the Kings to Vegas.   I wish they would just sell out and buy the Hornets and take them to Vegas, would be a much better idea for the NBA, rather then leaving a very devoted fan base in the dark, ala Seattle.

So yeah, not the draft expose that I wanted to write but a little top half summary of what happened.  Enjoy.

The Lake Show

The view from Halftime:

Wow I finally get some backup on the Perkins loss, Magic Johnson talks at halftime about how the offensive capability of Rasheed Wallace and Glen Davis should offset the Perkins loss on the defensive end.  I told you all!    Ron Artest is hitting shots from even the corner, he has come tonight with his eye on the prize, and doesnt have that initial “deer in the headlights” look he had on offense to start the Finals.  Even breaking my little theory on Artest not being a corner three guy, ok he didnt bust it open but he did make a couple from the side, something he has never been able to do consistently.  And hey rebounds are key, as if we didnt know that coming into this game?   Rebounding always tells you something as you rebound and youll get more shots then the other guy, even if you cant hit a barn with a beachball, out hustling the other guys for rebounds means you will still be in the game and can with stand the runs.   Allen is still dead in the water, everything he has shot in LA this time round has looked like a bad bench player getting unexpected run in a big game, CLANK!   Wallace has come up big, and even has played defense, and Rondo is running the floor again.   Kobe hasnt showed up yet, he is something like 3-15 in the first half, but hey he will keep shooting and his shots will start falling, I like where the Lakers are sitting at halftime.   The Celtics dont have the urgency on the floor that the Lakers are showing and the rebounding numbers show this.

End Game:

Wow I loved the game, such good defense, maybe the gameplay wasnt that good offensively, but hey the defense was awesome.  And being a defensive based player myself I loved every second of it, I didnt want to run a game commentary as I wanted to watch the game as a fan and not a wannabe sports writer with no fans ( self digs are always funny, come on give me that one).     I called the Artest step up, hell even Odom was alive in this game, and the Sheed/Davis combo outplayed what Perkins gave them in the previous 6 games.   Sheed, 11, 8, 2 blocks and 2 assist, and Davis, 6, 9, and 1 steal.  I like those numbers, Perkins hasnt given 17 points in a long time.  This game was going to be decided by offense as defensively there is NOTHING between these teams, especially when both sides want it more then anything else.  Back to Artest, which I believe was my call and the best redemption game ever played, I dont think many non Pistons fans will remember Artest as “The Melee” and now might just give him enough confidence to give LA a decent shot at 2011.   If Artest plays like this next year, the Lakers will have the 2 best defensive players in the NBA on one roster.  Its scary, the Lakers really need a better bench, but with what they had I think they beat out a Celtic team that was actually far superior 8 or 9 players deep.   Artests final line; 20, 5, 5 steals, and 1 assist.  Solid.    Secretly we all were cheering for Ron, this game might have meant more to his career then anyone else.  Especially seeing as Kobe delivered 20+ points every game of these playoffs, that was sick.   And I do buy the theory that guarding Rondo, who has been half what he was against the Magic, killed Kobe in the long run and he was just plain tired.  He willed himself to the line at the end of the game, especially that near dunk on Pierce, a healthy energized Kobe makes that a poster on Pierce.   Kobe was more drained then anyone not named Rasheed Wallace in these finals.   I dont think this win means as much to him as it did for Ron Artest and the Celtics, but if Kobe and Co come back for a three peat then Kobe becomes a timeless champion and one of the best Lakers of all time.  His game tonight showed his defensive talent and how much he affects a game even when he is not scoring.

Two interesting things I noticed for the game, Kobe never had the death stare that he has become so famous for in these playoffs and yet he just looked like nothing else mattered to him today other then getting the W and he never let his emotions go further then a fist pump.   Artest had the same thing going on, played like a true man on a mission, never celebrated a good play, never got in anyones face after a statement (Especially when Paul Pierce tied him up on offense, which was classic PP dickheadedness, which was an indication of how his night was going overall).  That three from the extended 17 footer was timely to say the least, and along with his And one on Garnett was a game changer.  Now I havent discussed Pau Gasol yet for a reason, this performance was expected from him tonight, he came through in the Pippen role, he has had the stats all Finals long but tonight the Lakers needed more then just numbers, they needed an interior presence, and a force on the inside, Pau was getting rebounds over defenders, blocking shots he was missing in previous games, and offensively having his way with whoever guarded him (Of note Big Baby actually guarded Pau better then I gave him credit for before this game, forced him to hit step back shots and not turnaround post shots).

Ok, the Celtics, disappointment and now Id say, the end of an era.  I hope like hell Boston does not sign Allen to a new deal, he is dead, would only be good coming off the bench, but he wont do that.   Now I wouldnt say that it is Allens fault, but at a certain stage running around like the energizer bunny gets old and your body cant take it anymore.  He has to be just an offensive player to be effective, playing both ends as a starter just kills him.  He is not in Reggie Miller stratosphere for shooters but he has been periodically awesome these playoffs.   I think he can still be effective as a spot up shooter, but as a number one offensive option, hes effectively done.    Rasheed looks to be done, he deserves this to be how he leaves the game as he has been a focal point whether good or bad of the NBA since the TrailBlazers.   Thanks for the memories Sheed, your crazy, but in a good way, he just seemed to have spent a seasons worth of energy on one Finals appearance, all he had left in the tank.   Paul Pierce, wow he played mostly awful in the Finals, I do feel that his game has changed greatly as a direct response to Rajon being ball dominate and progressing as a player.   But Pierce did NOT get the ball in his hands enough these playoffs.  Doc Rivers needed to shift the focus off of Ray Allen once his shots werent falling and run pick and roll situations after the Rondo fast breaks failed from time to time.  Pierce can still be very effective, he has size and is crafty as hell, he has had to re adjust his game with the diminished first step but has developed a killer side step mid range jumper that is unequaled in the NBA.  Kobe has the fallaway, but Pierces side step is almost unguardable and his shot technique is still excellent when he goes to it.   I think this team changes drastically in the offseason and I hope they rebuild around a new pick and roll mate and with Rondo and an athletic swingman that he can run with.  The Celtics defensively I dont think can recover from this game.  It has that far reaching implications.    I do believe KG will stick around for another 2-3 years but they need to find a reliable player to back him up, assuming that Rasheed is done and Davis moves into a different role.  KG can still be very effective if his minutes decrease greatly and his avoids another annoying injury.   As for Rondo, well the biggest whole in his game is SHOOTING, plain and simple, he needs to spend all offseason with a shot doctor.   Can someone give Dirk’s guy a call?  Or the guy that helped Lebron learn how to turn talent into a shooting stroke.   If he can hit the midrange, the occasional 3 and go with a Chris Paul game, say averaging 20points, 12 assists, and 8 rebounds a game, then the Celtics can make another run next year.   So a huge turning point for the Celtics and with Doc Rivers future being a key to a rerun.

The Lakers plain and simple need to clear the bench and GET RID OF LAMAR ODOM!   Maybe trade a couple of guys to clear room for a guy like Kyle Korver, or you sign and trade for Amare or Bosh for Bynum and Odom?   An imaginary trade but hey they could make something like that work.   And upgrade the backup point, you can still run Fish as the starter but you need him to be playing 18-20 minutes per and have a player that shows promise but can learn off of Fish and step up to run a lethal Lakers offensive unit.   Anyway, its late that was EPIC and I am tired.  Check in for more on the draft, the offseason, and what moves I would do for the playoff teams as a fake GM.  PEACE OUT.

Game 7 Baby!

So 120+ games for both teams comes down to one game, 48 minutes of action to determine how the new decade of NBA basketball starts.   No matter who wins this game history is made, the Cetlics the half hearted underdog, and the Lakers the team everyone picked to be here.   The season had some surprises, but generally speaking I think at the begining of this season more then a majority of people knew the safe money was on the the rematch of the past two years Champions.   I might be alone in coming out to say that, but seriously if you picked the Cavs you obviously havent seen Lebron’s supporting cast play on their previous teams, if you picked the Magic you are jumping the gun early on Dwight Howard, who might be Superman but acts more like Robin in big games offensively, and Carter is NOT the answer (whatever the hell that question might be), if you picked the Mavs Im sorry your insane (I will come back to this in a follow up post on how the offseason and next season will shape up), and if you picked the Suns to make the finals, here have a pat on your back, you should have put money on them getting as far as they did.

So back to this game, intangibles are dead, there is no motivation story needed, no big speech that the teams need to make to themselves on what to do, the only fact, leave it out there on the floor, if you come out of this game not exhausted you wont have won a title.   Ill come out with 3 keys to tonights game, and surprisingly 2 out of 3 fall on the Celtics.   1, The frontcourt, backcourt and coach need to rebound the ball.  Game 6 was about how the Celtics were outhustled and outrebounded by the Lakers, I even commented in my last post about how often it was a Laker overload in the key on a shot, whether offensive or defensive, the Lakers focus was getting the ball in their hands.  Rondo only had 5 rebounds in Game 6 after averaging just under 8 rebounds a game in the finals, the Celtic offense relies upon Rondo getting the ball early in possession, as early as the initial defensive rebound and then pushing the ball for the fast break or secondary fast break.  If the Celtics dont get those quick buckets in that situation they get stagnant in a constant run of halfcourt offenses.  Ive heard alot how the Celtics need to slow it down against the Lakers and really focus on running crisp clean plays.  But lets face it the Lakers are a halfcourt team, the triangle was not designed with the fast break in mind.   If this is a fast paced game the Lakers will suffer as their second unit is the only way they feel comfortable running the ball.     2, the Celtic frontcourt needs to score, simple as that, the defense is so good that the only points not scored in the paint are coming from Pierce and Kobe, players that can create their own shots.   The Garnett, Davis, Wallace combo needs to knock down open shots and score in the halfcourt post up situations.   If a team starts scoring from the post the outside opens up and defensive players cant play defense just focusing on their assignment, they have to always be checking on the post and cutting to the hoop from the wing gets easier.   This is why I dont believe the Perkins injury hurts them in the short term situation of a game 7.   If the Celtics get points from their frontcourt it negates the defensive presence that you are missing with Perkins, Garnett and Perkins never really light it up offensively, Garnett is more of a jump shooter these days and Perkins has been scared of the ball everywhere not near the hoop.   Davis and Wallace are NEVER afraid to shoot the ball, they always want to score and they are really not bad defensive players.  You need to remember that Wallace was the center of the Pistons championship team that won with defense, just hard nosed simple defense, so hes no scrub.   And Davis was the defensive undersized stalwart of the LSU tigers.   The only way you can argue that Perkins is better then a Davis/Wallace is against that extra height of Bynum and Gasol, Gasol can turn around with his Euro trash jumper from 5-10 feet out and Bynum can get to the rim off of broken plays.  In game 5 Davis was infinitely better then his LA counterpart, Odom, and was the big story coming through with the big 3rd quarter and Celtic win.   3, Here comes the LA point, Kobe and either Artest/Odom need to attack the rim, there havent been that many successful shooting games, bar Allen game 2 and Kobe game 5.   Outside shooting will not win this game, the defense is too good from both teams, outside shots are not consistently wide open, there are no slackers defensively on either team, ok I lie Odom sucks (I will expand in an Odom/Artest post at a later date).   The Celtics have been leaving Odom and Artest open on anything 20-30 feet from the rim, they need to knock that down, I am leaning more towards Artest being big as he knows the gravity of what a game 7 win would mean for his career, how the Melee jokes would be dead, how people would actually care about what makes up Ron Artest rather then judging him on the exterior and not asking any questions.  Artest is a warrior, plain and simple, he went through a rough time after the Melee, but hey who wouldnt, you have to respect him, and how he seeks out the big moment and the big story as he wants to meet and exceed everyones expectations of him.   If Artest comes out and dominates the ball, plays both ends of the floor and puts his heart out there tonight, he is the hero, Kobe’s sidekick, and best of all a champion.

So thats my take on the game tonight, Im feeling a Lakers win, not because of a Celtics meltdown, but that Kobe death stare coming out for the 2nd half and Artest being the dark horse, just remember when he does come through in this game that I picked it.    The media has really focused on how badly the Perkins injury affects the Celtics defense but again I contend that he is more of a motivational leader then a defensive stalwart, but his one on one defense, which I do admit is upper class, means that Gasol will become the focus of the Lakers team defensive effort and that means they will chose to let Kobe play the Allens with one on one coverage (good luck with that btw).   Again the Celtics defense is too good as a team for one player to really change everything for them for one game, long term yeah it could change the team drastically, but for one game as important as this, they will be fine.    The big players will play big, and the support players will play with fire, this game will come down to the wire, and we will have PLENTY to talk about no matter what happens in this game.   This is what we wait for all season, breaking down game tapes, cheering for your teams and against everybody else, no matter if you team is in these epic, there is no other word for this rematch, game then you are still here as a happy fan just watching it with a smile on your face.

Again the Lakers will win and Artest will be the story, just my prediction.

Game 6: Kobe Time?

So Im picking a Laker win by 15 today, they are back home, the Celtics didnt really push the Lakers out of Boston as much as the Lakers had a horrible twin games in the middle.  I mean LA is a number one seed, they went to Boston and won the pivotal game 3 giving them home court advantage back.  Ray Allen has been dead pretty much all of the playoffs with the exclusion of game 2, which oddly enough was distinctly a one half affair, whereas Kobe has gotten his points with a low percentage or a high FG percentage.   I think this game is almost a gimme for the Lakers and Boston would be stupid to accept that but they might end up just banking on the fact that they have a 1 game cushion as they have the 3-2 series lead.   Anyway the bench could very well determine who wins game 6, the LA bench was awful in game 5.   But so was every other player with a Laker jersey on.   Boston’s bench came up huge when the starters didnt really show up in game 5.   So we will just have to wait and see what happens in this elimination game for LA, the first they have faced in a while.

I think Gasol, Odom and Artest really are key to this game, the Laker bench will be there as they are at home, but I dont think they swing the game.    Artest needs to find his confidence and return to his 2003 offensive prowess, he isnt in the right spots to be successful, I said how he wasnt a corner 3 point shooter, but at the weak side in the triangle that is the most open shot.   He needs to drive to the hoop on anyone that is guarding him as his bulk and speed really give him the advantage when he wants to get to the rim.    The Lakers have two main offensive threats in Kobe and Pau but they really need a reliable 3rd option that is in the form of someone who can create their own shot.   Ariza never did this, but his baseline 3 point shooting was excellent and so was his spacing as a UCLA product.   Artest just doesnt have that off the ball spacing intelligence that makes a good weak side shooter.  He started his NBA career being a player that can create his own shoot as he always had the ball in his hands on those Indiana teams, nothing like the regimented Triangle offsense.   So what Im trying to say is Artest is key to this game for the Lakers, Kobe will get his, Pau will come out with aggression (well the Euro style of aggression, ala Sasha Vujacic, please can we see the Gasol that was rookie of the year in 2001 with dunks and drives on Duncan, Robinson, and Garnett), and Artest needs to create when the Celtics nail their defense in stretches and Kobe or Pau cant get a shot.

The key for the Celtics is getting Allen and Pierce involved.  Simple, no fancy gimmicks, the Celtics screens, which have been awesome up until game 2, have sucked ever since.   Allen hits atleast two screens, which usually create atleast 3-4 feet spacing for Allen to launch his shot on the reverse.    But lately this hasnt been happening, Allen gets maybe one screen and then tries to get a rescreen coming back to the same side.  Is Allen out of energy?  At times he has looked like a marathon runner on the last leg of the race, gasping for air and nearly falling over.  He just isnt getting his legs under him for his shots, making Allen put it to the floor or try and create a 2nd shot, which he hasnt done since the Bucks.

Wow, that was maybe payback for the 2008 waxing that the Celtics gave the Lakers on the way to the title?  Maybe a statement game?  Whatever it was, the difference was no Pierce, and no Garnett, I dont think the Perkins injury really hurts them as the Lakers still only put up 89 points, as compared to 105 ppg in the first 3 rounds.   I prefer Wallace and/or Davis over Perkins anyway, he doesnt have the length to go against the twin towers so why not go with players that can deliver on both ends?   Artest was aggressive from the tip and showed some offense for the first time in a while, he hit two threes from not the baseline, which I called btw, which gave him the confidence to attack from then on.  He was in on rebounds and had the drive to the basket more then any other Laker not named Kobe.    Rebounds really were a telling difference in this game.  Celtics didnt have any motivation to get to the hoop after shots, even the Rondo factor wasnt there.   They just played flat, unmotivated and uninspired.   Celtics better pick their s**t up for game 7 otherwise the Lakers and Kobe will blow them out of the water.