Official NBA Playoffs Thread

[miller31time]

Blake is still years away from being a good basketball player. Amazing athlete though.

I keep looking at the box score for Blake in shock -- 1 rebound in 36 minutes of play.

That's absolutely inexcusable.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

How good is Tim Duncan. That guy just keeps on rolling.

IQ and Skill over athletic.

Blake is still years away from being a good basketball player. Amazing athlete though.

At first I thought you meant Steve Blake. He's getting hate messages on Twitter from Lakers who can't handle the truth that Kobe is getting old.

hands, I cannot figure out how Blake Griffin scored 20 but only grabbed 1 rebound against SA. He's a good basketball player IMO but he's very far from great and he really doesn't do much beyond his extreme athleticism and power dunking. What you're saying is true.

[Zonkerbl]

The game is not "run and jump"!

[Ruzious]

I know folks here love to harp on the inefficiencies of the mid-range j, but ya gotta hit some of those to keep the D honest - and that's part of the problem with Blake. Paul's p&r game won't work with Blake if Blake is setting a pick and is no threat to shoot the j. His man simply stays down, and Paul has no lane to the hoop. And Blake can hit that shot. Unfortunately, it takes half of the 24 second clock for him to release the ball on his j.

Btw, with all the talk about Wade sucking... what's up with Miller and especially Battier? This should be the perfect opportunity for him. Miami's 3 point shooting should be a LOT better than it has been - with or without Bosh.

[verbal8]

I know folks here love to harp on the inefficiencies of the mid-range j, but ya gotta hit some of those to keep the D honest - and that's part of the problem with Blake. Paul's p&r game won't work with Blake if Blake is setting a pick and is no threat to shoot the j. His man simply stays down, and Paul has no lane to the hoop. And Blake can hit that shot. Unfortunately, it takes half of the 24 second clock for him to release the ball on his j.

I think another issue is that Deandre Jordan can't do anything but dunk, so teams can really pack the paint. One thing I noticed in watching some of the Spurs/Clippers game is the Spurs were taking "easy" shots and the Clippers were taking "hard" shots. Some were even from the same distance. Parker got into the lane for a short scoop shot, with some space. On the other end, Paul was attacking rim and had two defenders right on him defensively.

It takes a lot of work to get easy shots in the NBA, but I think it is the key to long-term success in the NBA.

[FAH1223]

the Spurs get great shots every single posession... they're a well oiled machine

Tim Duncan is still great. If you look at his per 36 or per 48 mintue numbers from this season, it aligns pretty much with how he always has been. Pop has just played him significantly less minutes and the whole team is healthy.

The only thing I worry with them is a 2nd big to take pressure off. Splitter is doing a good job though

[closg00]

the Spurs get great shots every single posession... they're a well oiled machine

Tim Duncan is still great. If you look at his per 36 or per 48 mintue numbers from this season, it aligns pretty much with how he always has been. Pop has just played him significantly less minutes and the whole team is healthy.

The only thing I worry with them is a 2nd big to take pressure off. Splitter is doing a good job though

Spurs fans will be watching Ryan Richards during the Summer Olympics. At some point they will need to bring him over and have him play for their D-League team to get him acclimated to the Spurs' system.

[dobrojim]

Gotta love Wade/Lebron AND Kobe getting punk'd.

fixed

[dobrojim]

The game is not "run and jump"!

otherwise JaVale would actually be the best player in the league
every night instead of once every week or 2.

[dobrojim]

I know folks here love to harp on the inefficiencies of the mid-range j, but ya gotta hit some of those to keep the D honest - and that's part of the problem with Blake. Paul's p&r game won't work with Blake if Blake is setting a pick and is no threat to shoot the j. His man simply stays down, and Paul has no lane to the hoop. And Blake can hit that shot. Unfortunately, it takes half of the 24 second clock for him to release the ball on his j.

Btw, with all the talk about Wade sucking... what's up with Miller and especially Battier? This should be the perfect opportunity for him. Miami's 3 point shooting should be a LOT better than it has been - with or without Bosh.

+1

[Rafael122]

The Miami team is so flawed. They got it right with the Big 3, it's the other pieces they fudged up on. Joel Anthony and Mike Miller make a combined $9 million + this year. Chalmers is making $3 million. That's a lot of bad salary right there. Pat should have been smarter than that. This team doesn't have any cap space for the forseeable future unless they make a move.

[Nivek]

I know folks here love to harp on the inefficiencies of the mid-range j, but ya gotta hit some of those to keep the D honest - and that's part of the problem with Blake. Paul's p&r game won't work with Blake if Blake is setting a pick and is no threat to shoot the j. His man simply stays down, and Paul has no lane to the hoop. And Blake can hit that shot. Unfortunately, it takes half of the 24 second clock for him to release the ball on his j.

Being able to hit mid-range shots has value -- probably moreso from a big than from a guard. Can Griffin hit that shot? Well, sorta. On shot attempts from 10-23 feet, Griffin is 232-685 for his 2yr career -- .339. Say Griffin gets all the way to average from that distance for a PF -- .401. That would add about three-tenths of a made FG per 40 minutes. Over the course of a 7-game series, that's two additional made FGs.

Which sorta gets to San Antonio. The Spurs defense is designed to give up the mid-range shot. They'll work harder to contest when they're facing a KG or a Nowitzki, but for the most part, even guys who shoot that mid-range shot well aren't worth worrying about from the mid-range. Even shooting 50% from mid-range isn't as productive or efficient as shooting 3s or getting to the rim. So the Spurs defense focuses on those two areas.

So yeah, being able to make mid-range shots is theoretically valuable. The reality is that even guys who shoot the mid-range shot well aren't hurting the defense much. Sometimes it's necessary to shoot it, but then again -- if you're the Clippers, do you really want Blake Griffin shooting 18 footers, even if he's making half of them?

[truwizfan4evr]

I enjoy watching the heat get beat badly

[Nivek]

The hand-wringing about the Heat losing IS pretty funny. Bosh is out. He's their 3rd best player, but the Heat are an unusual team because they have 2 terrific players who kinda duplicate what the other does, one good player whose skills are essential for what they do, and then a bunch of below average guys who have an NBA skill or two, but not a full game. Not a shock that they're struggling with Bosh out.

True story from the car this morning. Mike Greenberg from Mike & Mike is blathering about how the Heat need to break up Lebron and Wade. First trade idea out of his mouth: trade Wade for Carmelo. May be the most stupid trade idea I've ever heard -- even dumber than the Loy Vaught and Christian Laettner for Shaq variety. So, you have two high-usage guys who need the ball and play in the same general space. Need to break 'em up to get a different skill set on the team that isn't so duplicative. Hey, here's an idea -- let's trade one of those high usage guys for an EVEN HIGHER USAGE guy who needs the ball every time down the floor. Yeah, that'll work.

He then talked about Steve Nash taking less money to play for the Heat. Yeah, yet another guy who needs the ball to be effective?

And oh yeah, can't leave out the Bosh to Houston for Scola and Lowry idea. That'll solve everything.

My son finally broke through with the voice of reason. He said, "Why do you listen to these people?"

I said, "That's a great question." And turned off the radio.

[dobrojim]

Good call Kev.

Re the Steve Blake news - how freakin sad is that? Hate tweets because
he missed a shot. One can only wonder if the senders are big Kobe fans
who think he's a 'high-character' guy.

[Ruzious]

I know folks here love to harp on the inefficiencies of the mid-range j, but ya gotta hit some of those to keep the D honest - and that's part of the problem with Blake. Paul's p&r game won't work with Blake if Blake is setting a pick and is no threat to shoot the j. His man simply stays down, and Paul has no lane to the hoop. And Blake can hit that shot. Unfortunately, it takes half of the 24 second clock for him to release the ball on his j.

Being able to hit mid-range shots has value -- probably moreso from a big than from a guard. Can Griffin hit that shot? Well, sorta. On shot attempts from 10-23 feet, Griffin is 232-685 for his 2yr career -- .339. Say Griffin gets all the way to average from that distance for a PF -- .401. That would add about three-tenths of a made FG per 40 minutes. Over the course of a 7-game series, that's two additional made FGs.

Which sorta gets to San Antonio. The Spurs defense is designed to give up the mid-range shot. They'll work harder to contest when they're facing a KG or a Nowitzki, but for the most part, even guys who shoot that mid-range shot well aren't worth worrying about from the mid-range. Even shooting 50% from mid-range isn't as productive or efficient as shooting 3s or getting to the rim. So the Spurs defense focuses on those two areas.

So yeah, being able to make mid-range shots is theoretically valuable. The reality is that even guys who shoot the mid-range shot well aren't hurting the defense much. Sometimes it's necessary to shoot it, but then again -- if you're the Clippers, do you really want Blake Griffin shooting 18 footers, even if he's making half of them?

See, this is maybe the 1 basic thing about basketball strategery that I disagree with you aboot. It's not just about what the percentages are on this shot - it's just as much about what the effect on the entire offense is. If Griffin doesn't present a threat there, there's no lane for Paul to drive, and without that lane Paul becomes strictly a jump shooter, and he's not the great player we know Paul to be.

It also goes to the difference between a contested mid-range jumper and an open mid-range jumper. The percentages of those 2 shots are generally very different. An open shot should be a high percentage shot - and a good shot - as opposed to a contested mid range jumper. If I'm coaching LAC, I DO want Griffin shooting OPEN mid-range jumpers. If he's covered outside, I DON"T want him shooting mid-range jumpers - not just because it's a bad percentage shot, but because it means somebody's covering him - so there's room for Paul to drive up the middle or to hit Jordan inside.

They've already got a spacing problem with Jordan's inability to do anything outside of the paint. If Griffin provides nothing outside of the paint, their offense isn't good. That DOESN'T mean he needs to become just a jump shooter. It means he's gotta be more than 1 dimentional as a scorer - just like powerhouses such as Alonzo Mourning and Karl Malone learned early in their careers.

[verbal8]

Good call Kev.

Re the Steve Blake news - how freakin sad is that? Hate tweets because
he missed a shot. One can only wonder if the senders are big Kobe fans
who think he's a 'high-character' guy.

Yeah that really sucks about Blake. Especially people mentioning his family.

Blake's quote from wiretap:

"It's pretty disappointing that there are a lot of hateful people out there, but you move on," Blake said. "I just don't appreciate it when it's toward my family. You can come at me all you want but when you say things about my wife and my kids, that makes me upset."

Read more: http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/22 ... z1vF2P4jXY

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

the Spurs get great shots every single posession... they're a well oiled machine

Tim Duncan is still great. If you look at his per 36 or per 48 mintue numbers from this season, it aligns pretty much with how he always has been. Pop has just played him significantly less minutes and the whole team is healthy.

The only thing I worry with them is a 2nd big to take pressure off. Splitter is doing a good job though

What fascinates me is how SA is featuring new additions to their tried and true stars.

Kawhi Leonard is a rookie. Danny Green was in the D-League and with Cleveland parts of last season. The Spurs got rid of Richard Jefferson and replaced him with a familiar face, Stephen Jackson. A guy many wrote off after his years in Phoenix is Boris Diaw. He languished with Charlotte, but suddenly he is a main cog in the well-oiled machine. If Duncan is the same as he ever was, only in less minutes, it seems to me Boris Diaw is also as good as he ever was. (Blatche comes to mind here. I could see Andray on a team like the Celtics doing well.) Finally, Splitter emerged from seeming like a bust to overtaking Blair's minutes. People talk about the Spurs lacking bigs, but if Blair isn't even in the rotation they have some depth. DeJuan isn't tall but he can be a Reggie Evans type player, given playing time. Finally, Popovich uses a lot of players. I like Gary Neal a lot. He could start and put up huge numbers for the Wizards at SG IMO.

It is too early to just hand the title to the Spurs, because Duncan's health and both Parker and Ginobili are needed. But yes, if they stay healthy, I think Popovich will coach them past OKC and to the Finals where I expect them to meet Boston, if things hold up the way they're going now.

[tontoz]

True story from the car this morning. Mike Greenberg from Mike & Mike is blathering about how the Heat need to break up Lebron and Wade. First trade idea out of his mouth: trade Wade for Carmelo.

My son finally broke through with the voice of reason. He said, "Why do you listen to these people?"

From the mouths of babes....

[dobrojim]

What fascinates me is how SA is featuring new additions to their tried and true stars.


snip

Maybe the Buden guy from that org should be the call for next Wiz coach.
Last time they had a really high pick IIRC was Duncan which seems like
another lifetime ago. Sure he's a HOFer but they've been phenomenal
at mix-matching pieces and getting great value late in the draft in
order to win chips.