The Magician

It’s taken me some time to check in with a recap of this one, because to be honest, Raptors basketball is making me pretty, pretty sad these days. The boys extended their losing streak to three and dropped to 7-11 on the season yesterday, falling 113-94 to Steve Nash and the Suns at the ACC.

The Raptors never led in this one and let it get away in — you guessed it — the third quarter. After trailing by just one at the half, Toronto quickly let the Suns extend their lead to 19 before coming within eight on a Hedo Turkoglu three-point play at the end of the quarter. After starting the fourth with another and-one, Turkoglu proceeded to finish the way he’s finished every game this season — by doing nothing in crunch time. Our prized free agent finished 4-of-14 for 10 points in yet another uninspired effort.

It’s too bad, because strong games from Turkoglu and Jose Calderon (two points, seven assists) would’ve given the Raptors a shot at handling one of the league’s top teams. Chris Bosh was terrific, finishing with 30 points and 17 boards, and Andrea Bargnani kept Toronto afloat with a strong start en route to 24 points and seven boards. The Raps’ main downfall was the long ball — they finished a dreadful 1-of-20 from three-point land, compared to the 13 long range bombs the Suns dropped. If you’re a team that relies on shooting, you’re never gonna win with outings like that.

Of course, I can’t leave without mentioning the masterpiece of an effort by that young Canadian kid, Steve Nash. Nash finished with 20 points and 16 dimes, nailing that patented little fadeaway in the paint a couple times in the fourth to help put it away. The man is incredible.

Anyway, it gets a bit easier with Gilbert Arenas and the washout Wizards in town Tuesday to help the Raptors get back on track. It better be a win, because afterward it’s road time for three games.

1. Raptors - They deferred to their specialty once again with a lethargic second half against the Suns, falling 113-94. Nash dropped 16 dimes, while on the other side Bosh again workmanlike with 30 and 17. This loss isn’t much of a surprise, but as I mentioned before, with defence an impossibility – and as a friend of mine suggested the other day - why not just go out and score 120 every game like these Suns did back in the heady NHL-lockout days of ‘04-’05? If you can’t stop them, just try and outscore them (although when Hedo shoots under 29%, like he has every other game since the Orlando loss, it’s hard).

2. Grey Cup. Here’s the thing – some people still get ripped once in a while for watching the CFL, but the fact is those people doing the ripping are idiots who probably never played football. Also idiots: The clueless losers who say the CFL is superior to the NFL. Look at it this way; football is football, and a good game is a good game.

But while the game was actually entertaining as all hell, here are some criticisms:

a) Field. Maybe paint the field as if some sort of championship game was being played on it. I realize times are tough and the CFL has a long history of doing things cheap and wrong, but does it cost much to replace the Field Turf, or paint over the soccer lines or the Stampeders logo in the end zone? And while I’m on it, fuck those on-field ads too. They are cheap, ugly and distracting. I know they bring in the  $$$, but how about embracing technology and doing virtual ads on the field TSN? It would be a cleaner look.

b) Halftime shows. There’s a big reason nobody has really heard of Blue Rodeo since 1989. The reason is Blue Rodeo sucks ass.  When one tunes in to a halftime show, one should be entertained. Instead at one point I saw a couple in Riders gear making out on the field, not unlike what I’d see if I went into a shithole bar in Moose Jaw and saw Blue Rodeo was playing. Again, Ivan Fecan, if you can at least aesthetically make Canadian Idol look like American Idol, get some of your crack CTV staff to produce a decent halftime show.

c) Marc Trestman. His Alouettes won the game thanks to dumb luck, but this guy sucks. First off, he spells “Mark” “Marc”. Secondly he’s a bad coach. During the entire game he looked out of it, asking one of his assistants (who looked a lot like Roy Halladay) for backup on every down. Trestman’s claim to fame? He was once the offensive co-ordinator of the 49ers. Offensive co-ordinator of the 49ers when their offense consisted of Steve Young, Jerry Rice, Ricky Watters and Brent Jones. Yes, very complex mastering of a West Coast Offense that was invented two decades earlier and institutionalized to that franchise by Bill Walsh. Dude let’s face it, that guy in Belgium could have sat in the Niners booth and looked good with that squad.

But all that aside, one of the most bananas finishes to any football game ever. In the last 3, a non-call for pass interference, an upstairs review on a catch and a penalty on a missed field goal (Urban Meyer be strokin off over that one) which gave a second chance for the winner. The Grey Cup is usually good because it’s the one big Canadian sports event that has no ice and a few non-white people. And to think I almost turned the channel to Steelers/Ravens or to CH or whatever the hell Canwest’s creditors are calling it because they had Running Man on.

3. Bills. Nice win, I like Ryan Fitzpatrick going for the bomb immediately after the turnover and, consequentially, getting T.O. back involved with the offense. That’s my entire offensive game plan when I play Madden. Word from my peeps was the usual 60-minute-plus wait at the Peace Bridge, glad Ralph Wilson’s boys have a short week and a Thursday night date in T-Dot with the Jets.

Another loss for the Raptors against the Suns on Sunday afternoon as the Raptors again looked outmatched by a far superior team. The results aren’t entirely surprising, seeing as the Suns have the best record in the league and the Raptors are struggling something awful in the past three games.

Demar glides in for the layup

Zan for three (plus the foul)

Patience friends

Look at it this way; the Suns are where the Raptors want to be in three years. Coming into this season the team had 9 new players, we all knew it was going to take a while for them to gel and that’s what were seeing. Raps fans need to be patient. This is a process and it’s not going to happen overnight.

Come together guys

After all the talk of the Paul Pierce foul after Friday’s game, it was nice to see the team come together when Stoudamire fouled Bosh hard. Friday’s game was a bit of a tipping point for the team. How they respond to that from here on out may very well define the year.

Don’t let the schedule kill ya

We talked about it at length earlier in the season; the Raptors have a very tough schedule. And it just doesn’t seem to let up. Friday against Boston,the team with the best road record in the league, and Sunday against the team with the best record period. When will it stop? What’s important is that this team needs to keep their heads up and stay positive. They’re better then their record suggests and they need to be mindful of that. A schedule like this can break the confidence of a team. Here’s hoping they don’t let it happen.

CBC’s coverage

What’s up with CBC’s camera angles during the game? Let’s just stick to what works.

Zan of the Night

Steve Nash.

No question. I even added a period after his name. Full stop. He’s operating on a different level. If he doesn’t get the MVP playing like this it’ll just be politics.

Not Zan of the Night

Jose Calderon

Not a great game by the Spaniard.  Couldn’t  throw a beach ball into an ocean. Infact, poor shooting night by most of the Raptors this afternoon. If they’re going to win, the shots have to drop.

With the new NBA season underway we have seen a Phoenix Suns team that most of us did not expect. Last year if I remember correctly they did not even make the playoffs. This year they are sitting at top of the NBA Western Confrence. It’s amazing what one season to do. What’s more amazing is how a human being can defy age! I think everyone knows who I am talking about. He wears 13, plays Point Guard and the best part, he’s Canadian. Yes I am indeed talking about the man named Steve Nash!

Steve Nash is 35 and yet is playing as if he was oh I don’t know, LeBron’s age. Steve Nash has had 13 pro years and through all of them he can still look so good this season. Everyone was talking about how Nash’s play should slowly be declining. He sure made us look like fools this year. That teaches you a lesson, never question, Canadians. We are the silent rulers of the world! Haha, just kidding folks, but don’t be surprised come 50 years from now. Anyway back to the amazing guy that is Steve Nash!

Steve Nash is averaging 16.2 Points Per Game and 11.8 Assists Per Game. For a point guard those are good stats. Hell this is one hell of a player. One of my friends even said this about Steve, “Steve Nash equals best white player since Jon Stockton.” That’s obviously something Steve would love to hear. He has definitly earned a title like that. His play this year is definatily a reason the Suns are on top. His behind the back passes that always set up his teammates for the ball will not go unrecognized. Being a soccer player does help him with basketball I guess. I thought us Canadians played hockey though, I guess Nash is different. Here’s another fun fact to just throw out there, he is nikebasketball.com baller of the week. Exciting isn’t it?

The thing can Steve and the rest of the Phoenix team keep this up? The answer can be both yes and no. There are different ways the rest of the season could go for Steve and his team. One being good and the other being not so good, obviously. There are two very simple variations to it. Let me explain it to you. I’ll make sure to put it in ways you people will understand, not insisting anyone is dumb, just trying to help you out.

There is the possibility that as the season goes on Nash will tire out and by the end of the season he will be worn out as hell and will not be prepared for the playoffs as the Suns get eliminated in the first round. Believe me it happens. Kinda reminds me of this one hockey goalie who gets overworked. They start him for 75+ games a season and by the end of the season he is a tired old b****. No offense to the goalie as he is one of my favourites. The team seems to learn nothing from this as they keep that going over and over and over. I pray that a season comes when they finally learn, hopefully it’ll be this one as the goalie is looking very good. Anyway back to Steve.

The thing is it’s not about complete domination in the regular season, it’s about making the playoffs and then impressing there. What’s the point of playing like a champion during the regular season if you don’t get the NBA Championship in the end? So Steve don’t worry about overworking it in the regular season. Get that competitive drive in the playoffs. Whether you finish 8th or 1st doesn’t matter. Both teams have equal chances of winning the Championship(not looking at the player quality just from a seating stand point). Kinda sidetracked there from the bad possibility to a way he could fix it. Oh well maybe on one boring day when Steve has some time to himself he’ll go on the computer and by accident will end up on this site. Farfetched, but hopefuly if you ask me.

Ok so that is one possibility on how Steve’s season might go. To all the fellow Suns fans out there, let’s hope it doesn’t go like the way I just said it would. Instead let’s hope it goes like this.

There are a few different ways that the season can go well for these guys. There’s always the possibility that Nash does not tire out. That he keeps up the great play keeps the in first for the whole season and gives them home advantage in the playoffs. Then after that he can hopefully find it in him to take them far possibly to the final. Personally I think if he does keep it up he might not have it in him for the playoffs, but you can never put it past Steve Nash.

Another good possiblity is he takes it at a steady pace during he regular season having his team finish around 3rd or 4th spot and then puts it into gear in the playoffs. That would probably be the best plan because Steve would not be tired and his team has good chances of still being at home because they finished in the top 4. Then from on there again he kicks it into gear and leads them as far as they can possibly go.

So Phoenix Suns fans it’s been a hot start for the team, but will there be a hot finish? And if there is what will happen to them in the playoffs? Will they be worn out come playoff time or will they be ready to go and contend for Basketball’s biggest prize? So many questions only one way to find out. That’s keep watching the NBA season to see how everything unfolds. Hopefully we will finally see the Suns at the top or at least come close. It’s great to see Nash playing this well let’s hope his age doesn’t get in the way of his consistency and ability to keep it going. Well I’m done everyone, see ya.

Jose Calderon could learn from other point guards that don't play D. Teach him, Steve.

Ah yes, home court. After a disaster of a two-game road trip, the Raps are home this afternoon to face Kid Slovenia (that’s Goran Dragic, for the record) and the Suns at the friendly confines of Air Canada Centre. I’m on my way out to see this one and don’t have much time, so I’ll refer you to the greats at Raptors Republic for your full gameday preview.

As for me, this will be my first time checking out Steve Nash live, which I’m hoping will be as exciting as the first time I saw John Stockton and Karl Malone in the flesh in ‘97. I’m hoping for a wild one and a Raptor win.

Playoffs?

oh, hey! sorry for my tardiness but I got em’

1. Los Angeles Lakers: OK, an early home schedule is good and all, and Pau Gasol is back and doing work, and everythings clicking. But, there is no but, the Lakers are the number one team in the league. However, I’m not sure Kobe’s increased scoring is a good sign or not.

2. Atlanta Hawks: Disclaimer: Yes I am writing this after watching their cold effort in their falling to the Orlando Magic, at home. But coming into Monday this team was still on fire, yes they deserve to be here now. Next week? watch out.

3. Denver Nuggets: Coming into the season I was concerned about Denver. Yes, drafting Ty Lawson is a HUGE plus, but they made no offseason moves to improve the team. But then, Carmello Anthony stepped up, he finally is dishing out points and rebounds like a true superstar. Tracking Anthony’s development at a recent trip to the pool really sold me on the Nuggets, they’ve come a long way. They had Allen Iverson around this time last year.

4. Phoenix Suns: Have the Suns winning become bland again? reference my analysis last week because nothing has changed for Steve Nash, Amare Stoudamire and Company.

5. Orlando Magic: Vince Carter takes bad shots. Sometimes. Now Dwight Howard’s lobbying Stan Van to ease up. They aren’t exactly dominating the league. Tough loss to Miami, questionable call? Don’t ask Pietrus.

6. Cleveland Cavaliers: My Cavs are doing alright. Not dominating, not losing. I also feel LeBron has not exactly turned it on yet. The win against Orlando was the most intense of the season, compared to the lackadaisical effort, a win at least, against the Pistons. The Shaq injury does hurt the depth of the team. And JJ Hickson, well expect a bromance post pretty soon from the Champ.

7. Boston Celtics: When did the Celts get so cold? Now theyre barely beating teams like Philly, Minnesota, and New Jersey. OK. No real significant injury problems. Is Iverson the answer? reference Stephon Marbury.

8. Dallas Mavericks: What’s up with past MVP’s having great seasons? Dirk, Steve Nash, Hey even AI’s back in the news. Oh well, the Mavs look alright I guess. West elite? no. Top Four seed? yes.

9. Portland Trailblazers: The three guard combo of Blake, Miller, and Roy was interesting, but maybe the Blazers weren’t as potent. Although I feel that might be a good matchup issue in the playoffs so giving those three guys time on the floor together is a good thing in my eyes. Greg Oden’s coming around too, good for him.

10. Milwaukee Bucks: OK, the Bucks can stay. Brandon Jennings.

(thats all I have to say about the Bucks)

Missing from Last Week:

Miami Heat: Wait until next week. The win over Orlando was huge, and the Champ, maybe just a little bit is starting to finally be won over by Michael Beasley, not for the game winning dunk though, although that helped a little bit.

Former running mates Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash are leading the charge in this year’s NBA MVP race.

Source:
http://thehoopdoctors.com/online2/2009/11/early-season-mvp-candidates/

Larry Bird conquistó en tres ocasiones (1983/84-1984/85-1985/86) el premio al mejor jugador del año. El jugador de los Boston Celtics maravilló durante años con su baloncesto y con sus enfrentamientos con Magic Johnson, que obtuvo el mismo galardón también por tres veces.

Después del dominio de Michael Jordan, donde se intercalaron jugadores como Charles Barkley, Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson o Karl Malone, vino una nueva generación en la que brillaron Shaquille O´Neil, Allen Iverson, Tim Duncan y Kevin Garnett. Y, de repente, otro blanco apareció en escena. Steve Nash, un canadiense de 1,91 de altura y una figura que nada tenía que ver con los hombres nombrados anteriormente, se adueñaba del baloncesto americano. Sus pases imposibles, su modo de dirigir el juego, sus valientes entradas a canasta, sus tiros certeros, su desparpajo y, sobre todo, el hecho de hacer mejores a sus compañeros, le valieron ser nombrado dos veces seguidas mejor jugador de la temporada (2004/05 y 2005/06).

El cetro no iba a ser abandonado por los blancos a las primeras de cambio, y Dirk Nowitzki se convirtió al año siguiente en el primer europeo en recibir el MVP. El alemán, con un estilo algo tosco, muy lejos de la estética del vuelo sin motor inventada por Air Jordan, asombró a la NBA con una muñeca y una agilidad impropias de un jugador de 213 centímetros de altura.

Pero la hegemonía blanca tenía sus días contados. Kobe Bryant, que para entonces ya tenía tres anillos, reclamó el trono que antes se le había negado, y volvió a poner en lo más alto el estilo de juego inventado por Michael Jordan.

El último rey es King James. Desde luego, se parece más a MJ que Dirk Nowitzki, pero son jugadores muy distintos. Lebron James ha inventado un nueva forma de jugar al baloncesto, y ésta se basa en ser el más fuerte sobre la cancha. Nadie puede parar a King James, al menos no cuando está en carrera y menos cuando ha iniciado el vuelo.

No cuestiono la elección de estos hombres como los mejores de los últimos 25 años, eran los mejores. Pero me gustaría destacar la dificultad que entraña ser elegido MVP cuando se es blanco. Larry Bird, Steve Nash y Dirk Nowitzki no son precisamente un ejemplo de fortaleza física. Ninguno de ellos machacaba el aro como lo hace un jugador de color, ninguno alcanzaba la velocidad de los afroamericanos, pero supieron imponer sus propias reglas, basadas en el cálculo, la reflexión, la oportunidad.

Earlier this year, Steve Nash teamed up with Vitamin Water to become the spokesman of the company. He’s done a brilliant job in his first few months, and this video is just a look back at how it all started for Nash and the folks at Vitamin Water.

Nash definitely is one of the funniest guys in the league. He gets pub, obviously, but his humor doesn’t get enough national recognition. We shouldn’t have to scour the web to realize how funny Nash is.

I think Nash and Shaquille O’Neal need to squash the “beef” and do a reality show together next summer.

Ayer hizo cinco años que le retiraron el número en Salt Lake City a John Stockton, uno de los mejores bases de la historia. 19 temporadas dirigiendo a los Utah Jazz le sirvieron para ahora ser líder histórico de la liga en asistencias con 15806 y un buen colchón al segundo Mark Jackson que se retiró con 10334 y Jason Kidd que le superará lo más probable esta semana ya que lleva 10317. Sin embargo, John Stockton se le recordará sobre todo por su sociedad con Karl Malone y sus clases magistrales de cómo ejecutar el Pick and Roll, jugada que repetían hasta la saciedad y casi siempre con la misma respuesta final: la canasta.

El Pick and Roll lo podríamos traducir como Bloqueo y Continuación. Es la jugada principal de los equipos de la NBA.  Se usa en un 18.6% de los ataques según un informe sobre el uso del Pick and Roll en la NBA de la empresa Synergy Sports.

Veamos como funciona:

Esta jugada proporciona a los equipos una infinidad de soluciones en ataque. Normalmente se inicia con el bote del base fuera del perímetro que espera un bloqueo directo de un jugador interior para iniciar la jugada. Una vez hecho, el bloqueo directo abre un amplio abanico de posibilidades para el ataque. Tres son las soluciones ofensivas básicas en esta jugada:

1. Después del bloqueo el base se queda sin defensa unos segundos y puede o tirar o penetrar a canasta
2. Después del bloqueo el pívot o alero continúan hacia canasta o hacia la línea de 3 y el base le dobla el balón para que encesten con facilidad ya que los defensores aun se encuentran intentando solucionar la posición privilegiada del base.
3. Si después del bloqueo aparece alguna ayuda de algún defensor, normalmente de algún alero, el base tiene la posibilidad la mayor parte de veces de doblar la pelota al jugador exterior que se encuentra solo para que éste disponga de un tiro cómodo (las esquinas suele ser el lugar preferido para estos tiros).

Como decía Eddie Jordan (entrenador de Philadelphia 76Sixers: “Si es Tim Duncan el que va hacia canasta, tú quieres llevar la ayuda a este jugador. Ahora si tu rival tiene a Tony Parker y Tim Duncan, tú tienes que parar la pelota, que es Tony Parker,  y dar la ayuda. Entonces tú dejas solo a algún jugador abierto. Probablemente, Manu Ginobili para el triple. Así que tú tienes que escoger el veneno que quieres”.

Y es que la efectividad de esta jugada es tal que los equipos están cambiando su configuración de plantilla. Ahora las principales piezas para un equipo son un base rápido y con buen tiro (Tony Parker, aunque su tiro no sea muy fiable), un pívot con buena movilidad (Tim Duncan) y un alero con buen tiro desde el exterior (Manu Ginobili). Estas tres piezas se sintonizan gracias al Pick and Roll.

Miami Heat y San Antonio Spurs son en la actualidad los equipos que más utilizan este recurso, ambos lo usan uno de cada cuatro ataques. En cambio, Utah Jaz ha pasado de ser la imagen del Pick and Roll con la pareja Stockton-Malone a ser el equipo que menos lo utiliza con apenas un 11% y eso a pesar de contar en su equipo con Deron Williams y Carlos Boozer, dignos sucesores de la anterior pareja de los Jazz. A Jerry Sloan (entrenador de Utah Jazz desde los tiempos de Stockton y Malone) parece que ya no le quita el sueño el Bloqueo y Continuación y ahora basa su juego en el Corta y Lee, para él primero hay que saber llevar otro tipo de juego y usar solo este recurso para cuando sea esencial, y eso para él es a la hora de finalizar jugadas o acelerar los ataques.

Phil Jackson (Entrenador de Los Ángeles Lakers) es otro de los que usa sólo el Pick and Roll cuando es estrictamente necesario. El juego de sus equipos se basa en  “Triángulo mágico”, una jugada que le ha dado un éxito altísimo y combinado con las grandes estrellas que siempre ha contado (Michael Jordan y Scottie Pippen en Chicago Bulls o Shaquille O’neal, Pau Gasol y Kobe Bryant en los Lakers por poner algún ejemplo) le han llevado a poseer ya 10 campeonatos como entrenador principal.

El triángulo Mágico de Phil Jackson es un ejercicio de geometría constante

Tener grandes jugadores es esencial para ejecutar jugada es algo que no es nada nuevo, y el Pick and Roll es una muestra clara de ello. Si antes el gran dominador de este juego era el base John Stockton ahora lo es su alumno más aventajado: Steve Nash (Phoenix Suns). El base de los Suns lo utiliza en un 59.8% de los ataques que dirige y consigue 1,06 puntos por cada posesión. Esos números son realmente espectaculares aunque Nash no es el más productivo, hasta tres jugadores superan sus puntos por posesión: Jameer Nelson (Orlando Magic) con 1,15; Lebron James (Cleveland Cavaliers) con 1,10 y Chris Paul (New Orleans Hornets) con 1,08.

Cada vez el Bloqueo y Continuación está más estudiado por los entrenadores y plantean más complicaciones a su ejecución, sin embargo, esta jugada sigue en plena progresión en las libretas de los entrenadores y se usa hasta un 3% más que hace cinco años. En defensa, las principales opciones se basan en pasar el bloqueo de manera agresiva por delante, esperar pasivamente detrás del bloqueo o perseguir al base hasta recuperar la posición yendo por detrás suyo en el bloqueo. La más usada es la primera aunque la estadística muestra que la espera pasiva detrás del bloqueo es más efectiva (Por delante un jugador como Lebron James produce 1,20 puntos por posesión y; en cambio, defendido por detrás baja sus números hasta 0,97 puntos por posesión).

John Stockton, un base entre bases

La figura del Pick and Roll está presente en cada partido de la NBA, una vez tras otra, esto en parte es legado de John Stockton y su gran sociedad con Karl Malone, que aunque no fueron ni mucho menos sus inventores nos mostraban en cada partido como llegar a la canasta de esta manera. Cambiaron de paradigma en el juego, el ya gastado juego desde el poste alto para iniciar quedó atrás para la llegada de una jugada que hacia participar a más gente y complicar exponencialmente su defensa. Por todo esto y mucho más: ¡Gracias, John!

Apologies for another light week here at the GHHT, but busy weeks come with the territory when at The U. Since my last recap, the Pistons beat the Washington Wizards, but lost their next 5 games. Despite some recurring themes throughout those losses, I’ll go with a game-by-game approach.

Pistons: 106  Wizards: 103 – I wasn’t able to watch this game, but the box score shows a lot of the things we Pistons fans expected coming into this season. The guards and Charlie Villanueva carried the scoring load: CV31, Will Bynum, Ben Gordon, and Rodney Stuckey combined to score 91 of the Pistons’ 106 points. Detroit out-rebounded the Wizards 44-43, but that feat comes with an asterisk as Antawn Jamison did not play for Washington due to a shoulder injury. The big story of the game was the Wizards’ inability to score late in the 4th quarter. Washington went the final 5:03 without a field goal (until Gilbert Arenas hit a meaningless 3-pointer with 3 seconds left), and only scored 5 points in that time.

Mavericks: 95  Pistons: 90 – I think this game would have gone the other way for the Pistons if they hadn’t been on the second leg of a back-to-back. They looked tired at points during the game and it didn’t help that Ben Gordon made only 1 of 16 shots. Dirk Nowitzki maintained his MVP-like play in the early season with 25 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists. I was very impressed with Dallas rookie Rodrigue Beaubois. The Frenchman scored 14 points (on a perfect 6-6) in 19 minutes. Despite Gordon’s poor shooting night, I support John Kuester’s decision to give Gordon the ball in the closing seconds when a 3-pointer would have tied the game. Ball Don’t Lie’s Kelly Dwyer chimed in on this decision during his daily recap of NBA action.

So do you go to Ben Gordon, with the game on the line?

Of course you do. Hell yes, you do.

Why?

Because Gordon, and I’m paraphrasing here, is “a career 41.5 three-point shooter.”

And after Sunday’s outburst? He’s a 41.4 percent three-point shooter.

As always, great stuff from KD. Many Pistons’ fans wanted to see the ball in Will Bynum’s hands at the end of the game. I disagree. Bynum isn’t a great 3-point shooter, and you can’t trust the NBA officials to call a foul (or the Mavericks to foul in that situation) when the game is on the line. Unfortunately, Gordon missed and the Pistons took the loss. He’ll make up for it at some point this season.

Lakers: 106  Pistons: 93 – Don’t kid yourself: this was a beat-down. The Pistons’ bench was able to make things respectable towards the end of the game, but the Lakers were able to slack off when leading 88-63 after the first 3 quarters. Los Angeles dominated on the glass (44-32) and shot 47.2% on the night, even after shooting 33% in the 4th quarter. Kobe Bryant scored a seemingly-effortless 40 points. Poor Jonas Jerebko was charged with guarding the Black Mamba and looked like a rookie should in the process. Poor nights from Charlie Villanueva (2 points) and Rodney Stuckey (-30!) were a big part of the Pistons’ downfall. Still, it’s nice to see the team come back late in the game and not let the Lakers get too comfortable (Kobe was brought back into the game when the Pistons got to within 10 points).

Trail Blazers: 87  Pistons: 81 – The Pistons trailed for the majority of this game, but were consistently making small runs to get close and nearly take the lead. Unfortunately, the Blazers had an answer for every run the Pistons made. It seemed as if Brandon Roy would come up with a huge basket when the Pistons got too close. I was shocked when I saw he only scored 20 points; I thought he had at least 30. Charlie Villanueva bounced back from his poor outing against the Lakers with a 20 point effort. It would be nice to see him end up with more than 3 rebounds, but Ben Wallace grabbing 12 rebounds and a slow pace kept the amount of chances to a minimum. Surprisingly, the Pistons out-rebounded the Blazers 39-36. Portland killed the Pistons with their offensive efficiency, racking up 25 assists on 33 made field goals.

Jazz: 100 Pistons: 97 (OT) – I had a hard time paying attention to this one. Most of it had to do with the technical problems Fox Sports was having with their broadcast (especially the lack of the score on screen during the first half). Regardless, this loss was disappointing. The Pistons had a golden chance to win at Utah for the first time since John Stockton retired and came up empty. Packey summed up the night nicely at Motown String Music:

Even though it was an entertaining game, that doesn’t mean it was aesthetically pleasing.  The Pistons turned the ball over 17 times and allowed Utah to get to the charity stripe 44 times, of which they made 33, serving as the difference maker in this one.  Detroit made 21 of their 25 attempts.

Suns: 117  Pistons: 91 – The Pistons fell behind early in the 2nd quarter, trailing by 16 (58-42) at halftime and stretched their lead to 20+ in the 3rd quarter. The Suns were able to run on the Pistons at will, both after made baskets and defensive rebounds. Steve Nash continued to play at the ridiculous level we’ve seen from him this year (even by his standards) with 20 points and 9 assists. Amare Stoudemire received a technical foul early in the 3rd quarter and, like Rasheed Wallace in his early Piston days, took his game to another level. Stoudemire finished with 21 points and 5 rebounds. The Pistons, like most teams do at the end of a road trip, looked like they just wanted to get on the plane and go home.

To their defense, the Pistons have played 6 games in the last 9 days. Only one of those games was at the Palace, and it was on the second half of a back-to-back. The Pistons actually played three sets of back-to-back games in this 6-game stretch. Essentially, this was a 6-game road trip for the Pistons. Unfortunately, they were only able to come away with 1 win. The five losses came against teams with a combined 46-20 record (currently), and even that mark is held back by Utah’s 7-6 start. They took care of business against the (currently) 3-9 Wizards. The reality of the situation is that there aren’t many teams in the NBA that would come away from a stretch like this with a .500 record (3-3). There are definitely areas the Pistons need to improve (defense, general focus, Rodney Stuckey’s shooting), but don’t think that these losses are because the Pistons are a bad team. They just went up against some of the best teams in the NBA in a short stretch and weren’t able to come away with wins.

The Pistons are back in action on Wednesday against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Cleveland has been red-hot as of late, but hopefully the Pistons can come away with a November win against the Cavs for the second year in a row. The silver lining? The Clippers come to town on Friday.

Phoenix Suns es eso, un circo, puro espectáculo. Steve Nash es la estrella principal (17.2 puntos y 11.9 asistencias). No tiene parangón como domador de leones, leones que hasta su llegada eran meros gatitos y que ha conseguido que ahora sean fieros. El base diseña a su antojo el juego del equipo, y cuando los contrarios piensan que son capaces de parar el show, sale Nash mete algún que otro latigazo desde lejos y solucionado.

Shaquille O'neal, ahora pívot de los Cavs, no cuajó en los Suns.

El circo se ha vuelto a reinventar después de un par de campañas complicadas. Ahora ya no tienen los viejos elefantes como Shaquille O’neal (Pívot de Cleveland Cavaliers) que eran más una lastra que una ayuda, y es que la gente de hoy en día no le gustan las atracciones de circo que chirrían. Ahora el circo vuelve a brillar como antaño y ha conseguido derrotar a grandes producciones de otros géneros como las viejas películas irlandesas de Boston Celtics (Phoenix 110-103 Boston), el dramático teatro de Toronto Raptors (Phoenix 101-100 Toronto), las aventuras de los jóvenes Los Ángeles Clippers (Phoenix 109-107 Clippers), el despegue espacial de Houston Rockets (Phoenix 111-105), Los fuegos artificiales de Golden State Warriors (Phoenix 123-101 Warriors) o el espectáculo de otro domador de primera como Chris Paul, base de New Orleans Hornets, que no puedo competir con Nash (Phoenix 124-104 Hornets). Esas han sido entre otras las víctimas del auge del renacido circo en Phoenix.

La diversión en Arizona está asegurada, los Suns cuentan con todo tipo de artistas. El plato principal es Nash, pero no esta solo. El león Amare Stoudamire gusta mucho al público, toda una bestia de la naturaleza, este león salvaje sólo Nash es capaz de domarlo y su furia parece que da frutos con 19.5 puntos y 7.8 rebotes en el tiempo que lo sacan de la jaula. Después del león a los aficionados les encanta ver a Grant Hill, el viejo payaso que todavía consigue hacer disfrutar a los niños y a los no tan niños, como si de una reliquia se tratara lo utilizan no mucho, lo justo para que aún haga sentir esas sensaciones de antaño.

A continuación, entran a escena dos de los más queridos por la juventud: Jason Richardson, el hombre bala, que deleita al público con sus vuelos sin motor y Channing Frye, la mujer barbuda, un pívot que tira más de tres que de dos. Ambos dan al espectáculo un equilibrio constante que hace que la gente no pueda dejar sus asientos ni un solo momento.

La lesión de Robin López no le ha permitido debutar esta temporada todavía.

Y si parece poco esto, desde el banquillo secundarios de lujo, el show no para en ningún momento. Leandro Barbosa (11 puntos de media desde el banco) es el mago que maravilla al público con sus trucos y no deja de sorprender sacando en cualquier situación algún que otro conejo de su chistera; Goran Dragic, es el malabarista que entretiene a la audiencia cuando Nash descansa, su tarea es complicada pero sus locuras mientras está en su monociclo hacen que no se note tanto la ausencia de la gran estrella; Louis Admunson, que oposita para ser “El hombre más fuerte del mundo”, es un luchador incansable de la vieja escuela y Robin López, la nota exótica de la actuación, este tigre de bengala todavía tiene que aprender el ABC del show pero progresa adecuadamente.

Esta campaña el circo vuelve por sus fueros y recuerda tiempos felices del pasado, cuando el espectáculo estaba dirigida por la batuta de Mike D’Antoni (entrenador de New York Knicks), ahora en “La Gran Manzana” intentando enderezar el rumbo de un circo añejo, que huele a rancio y donde los enanos crecieron antes que él llegara y ahora tienen un tamaño similar al de las jirafas. El nuevo director del circo en Phoenix, Alvin Gentry, ha conseguido revivir ese espíritu festivo que poseía en esos tiempos lejanos y además les ha dotado de un instinto ganador que antes no ostentaba en aquella época. Quizás sea la última vez para que un circo sea pueda estar al nivel de las grandes superproducciones de Hollywood así que habrá que estar pendiente de hasta dónde pueden llegar estos Suns.

We’re only a few weeks into this NBA season, and already we’re seeing some interesting developments:

Last week, LeBron proclaimed that he will (probably) change his number next season. Before I tell you why he’s right and why he’s wrong, watch his explanation:

I definitely understand LeBron’s intentions here. Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player on the planet, and he has had more of a global impact on the game than anyone. Still, having respect for a guy is not necessarily a great reason to change your number. So, if he dons the number six jersey as he plans, then has a deep conversation with Bill Russell one day, will he then change his number again? I mean, Russell does have a record 11 NBA titles in thirteen seasons (eat your heart out, Robert Horry), and I don’t see that record falling anytime soon…not in today’s salary-strapped NBA. In addition, he was player-coach for the last two titles, and the league’s first black head coach. THAT’S the kind of guy that everyone should respect.

LeBron himself said that he idolized Jordan at a young age, as do lots of kids that grow up watching basketball. My gripe is that as a grown man, you shouldn’t still be wearing #23 because your idol wore that number, anyway. Unless the guy was your dad…or there’s some other meaning behind your jersey number, it shouldn’t be that important. Personally, I think players should be more like Ron Artest, changing numbers every couple of years. I’m sure the NBA wouldn’t mind that much, as those die-hard LeBron fans would have to buy jersey after jersey to keep up so they can keep idolizing their favorite player. Accordingly, grown men shouldn’t wear another grown man’s jersey. It’s just kind of lame to me to see some out-of-shape fan squeeze into a Kobe Bryant jersey. Seriously man…you could’t pull that look off on Halloween.

Lastly, that’s the type of call that has to come from David Stern and the league. When I think of an entire league retiring a jersey number, I think of Jackie Robinson. Nothing against Jordan, but Jordan wouldn’t be who he is without Jackie Robinson…or Sweetwater Clifton. Notably, Magic Johnson agrees with LeBron on the matter.

- With a win in Houston Tuesday night, the Suns have started off 10-2 with the NBA’s best record. Nash looks great right now. He’s turning it over a lot, but he always does. Amar’e Stoudemire and Leandro Barbosa aren’t exactly impressing me (or my fantasy basketball team), but Channing Frye is playing great basketball, fitting in much better than Shaq ever did. His ability to space the floor makes it much easier for Amar’e to work inside and for perimeter players to drive to the hoop.

- Speaking of Shaq, his positive effect isn’t obvious to me yet in Cleveland. They did manage to beat Orlando, but that probably had more to so with Mo Williams actually playing well, something he couldn’t do in the playoffs last year. The biggest impact I’ve seen Shaq make this year was on Gilbert Arenas’ fiance. Of course, I was eager to see the first Wizards-Cavs game since the rumor broke, but Shaq was out tonight with a bum shoulder. Even though Gil is a nice guy, I don’t know how calmly one can take such large-scale rumors about the biggest clown in the NBA smashing the mother of your two (soon to be three) children. Add Delonte’s issues and the fact that LeBron still isn’t talking about his destination next season, and that’s a lot of drama. Maybe LeBron will give the Browns a chance. I silently think they traded Braylon Edwards away to make him happy.

- Earl Boykins is back in the league, and he just made Mo Williams look stupid, running circles around him late in the game. Earl is a hell of a pickup for the Wizards bench — I’m somewhat surprised he was still floating around and available. He’s a proven bench spark plug, and could probably help any team in the league.

- In contrast, Iverson might be able to hurt every team in the league. When the Grizzlies waive you, that’s what you call rock bottom. As I previously stated, Iverson could have played his way into the starting lineup. Still, it’s probably for the best. I think AI would be wise to chill out for a little while, stay in shape, and hope some team looking for an extra boost to make a playoff run takes a chance on him.

- Can we name Brandon Jennings the Rookie of the Year now, or do we have to wait? I say we should just do it now — just to relieve some of the pressure on Blake Griffin when he comes back. I willmake a bold stament (and by bold, I mean not very bold at all) and say that the ROY will definitely NOT be Hasheem Thabeet.

The Houston Rockets hosted the 9 – 2 Phoenix Suns last night. Coming off a win in LA over the Lakers, this game was a great chance for the young Rockets to make an early statement to the rest of the league that they can beat anybody. A win would also have kept Houston within a game of the division-leading Dallas Mavericks but it was not to be.  The Rockets started the game on fire; their 1st 12 points all came from beyond the arc and they knocked down 5 of 6 three point attempts in the early going including Shane Battier’s 3 which gave him 23 consecutive games with a three-pointer. The defense was good by the Rockets also.

Luis Scola took a charge on Amar’e Stoudemire as he rolled to the basket on one of the pick-and-roll plays that he and Steve Nash run so well. It’s not very often that you see a charge taken on a guy who doesn’t have the ball, heads up play by Scola. 19 – 9 was the score before Alvin Gentry called a timeout to settle his guys down. But the timeout didn’t do much to slow down the Rockets.

After a made basket by Phoenix, Aaron Brooks took the in-bounds pass to the other rim and was fouled with :22 still on the shot clock. For you mathmeticians, that’s 2 seconds! I didn’t believe that he is quicker than Monta Ellis until that play. Amazing.

34 – 22 Rockets after 1.

The subs came in for the 2nd quarter and picked it up where the starters left off. Sideshow Dave Andersen looked good on the offensive end and he even blocked a shot later in the game. He has looked more and more comfortable every night. And Chase Studinger came up with another spectacular dunk around Jared “E.T. Neck” Dudley (:45 in following video) and Carl Landry seemed to dunk the ball every time he touched it. But then the Rockets showed their youth.

After Studinger’s dunk he came down and took a quick 3 without any passes and the rest of the guys started to take a lot of quick shots and turn the ball over. It was too early to sit on the ball but they should have been controlling the action and making sure to get good shots. Instead they started feeling good about the lead and the hot shooting so they got careless. The score was 49 – 34 but the sloppy play allowed a 13 – 0 Phoenix run before Brooks and the starters came back in. Chuck Hayes may wish he had just sat until the 3rd quarter though.

Stoudemire is only guy I can remember seeing who Hayes can’t handle on the block. His quickness and length were really giving Chuck problems. But the starters were still able to withstand the charge and Brooks hit a nice step-back to close the quarter.

55 – 52 Rockets at the half.

Trevor Ariza came out in the 3rd and splashed a tough jumper but the Suns still went on a 9 – 5 run to take the lead. Hayes had to sit with foul trouble only a minute and a half into the half but Landry continued his outstanding play. Landry was basically the only Rocket who could get the ball in the basket in the 3rd period. He had at least 3 powerful dunks but he took one in the face also from Jason Richardson.

82 – 78 Rockets after 3.

Studinger came out in the 4th and looked like he would lead the Rockets to victory. He drilled a 3 from the corner to start the quarter and sprinted the other way to take a charge on Leandro Barbosa not even :03 later. The Rockets got sloppy again though and it got worse when Brooks came out of the game with 9:00 to go and a 1 point lead.

His replacement, Kyle Lowry, did not have his best game. He forced his way to the rim and was blocked by Jarron Collins. The Suns picked up the loose ball and tossed it down to Barbosa for a lay-up. A 4-point swing with the game close like that can be the difference. And to compound the problem, Studinger was chased down on a breakaway by Barbosa and blocked at the rim. I don’t understand why he didn’t dunk that one too. Those 2 missed opportunities really cost the Rockets but they were not as crucial as the offensive rebound Grant Hill got.

With Houston up 96 – 94 the Suns missed a shot but Battier did not block Hill out and he was able to grab the ball and kick it out to Nask. Nash drew a foul for 2 free throws and got to the line again :20 later to make it 98 – 96 Phoenix. Apparently that meant Ariza time. Damnit.

Ariza does the same gay step-through move every time he drives. He takes 2 dribbles and pump fakes then tried to step around the defender for an off-balance jump shot. That move worked the 1st 479 times he did it this year but the scouting report is out and Ariza’s 20-point nights will be too if he doesn’t figure out how to score more efficiently. He is pathetic on isolation plays; he can only score off other guys’ creativity. Adelman needs to recognize that.

It wasn’t just him though. The team as a whole couldn’t buy a basket. They got 3 goes at it with 2:06 left and couldn’t connect on any of the 3 shots. Then Nask came down and set Channing Frye up for a 3 to make it 103 – 98. Then Stoudemire passed to Collins for an “and 1″ to put the game away.

111 – 105 final score.

Positives:

1. On a night when the Rockets didn’t shoot particularly well, Brooks still had a career-high 13 assists. Great sign for his development as a PG.

2. Landry had a career-high in points with 27. He HAS to get on the court more. Like Clyde said, 30 – 36 minutes a game.

3. I had a lot of fun at the game.  

Negatives:

1. Ariza’s stupid step-through move. That move is about as effective as a white guy taking a Hispanic girl salsa dancing. It may have seemed like a great idea but halfway through your feet get tangled up and they don’t do what your brain is telling them to do. Obviously, you don’t end up putting the ball through the nylon.

2. All you geniuses hate McGrady but, if he would’ve been out there, the Rockets would’ve won that game. Brooks has to assert himself as the closer until T-Mac is at full strength. Ariza will NEVER be that guy. Sorry.

Insights:

It would’ve been a huge win but it’s not terrible that they lost this one. Phoenix is really playing well right now and the Rockets are going to learn lessons about sitting on leads and controlling the game when they have the opportunity.

Multatuli

N.M. Cabangbang

The 2009-2010 NBA season is going to start soon. I have already been reading a lot of predictions of who is going to win it, and a lot of analysts say it is going to be Kobe Bryant’s Los Angeles Lakers again. I just hope not.

I do not care what the world says, I have never been a fan of Kobe Bryant. I am just tired of the fact that a lot people hype him up or compare him to Michael Jordan. I am so tired of that, there will never be a next Michael Jordan and Kobe will never be like Mike.

Kobe won his first three champions with the help of Shaquille O’neal. Then he won his new championship because the Orlando Magic was too young and nervous during the NBA finals. The guy is really not that great. The only thing great about him is the hype. He is a great player alright but when people start comparing him to Jordan, that is another thing. People should just get over it. He will never be Michael, he can only be Kobe.

Another thing I dislike about Kobe is that, he is right now the NBA’s symbol of a superstar. And when that happens, a lot of young kids think that superstars can win basketball games on their own. Basketball, like a lot of sports is about teamwork, not about superstars. And if Kobe Bryant continues to win, a lot of young kids will continue to believe that you do not need teamwork to win, you only need to be a superstar. So this NBA culture about NBA superstars is a bad influence to young kids.

So if I am not rooting for the Lakers, whom am I rooting for? Right now, I really like the Orlando Magic to win because I want Vince Carter and coach Van Gundy to finally win a championship. I just want this team to win because Vince Carter and Van Gundy have never won it. It would also be great for the city of Orlando. But a lot of analysts say that the Orlando Magic has no chance this coming season. So for the fear of Kobe winning again, I also have to root for the Boston Celtics and the San Antonio Spurs for insurance. (In fact, I would even welcome any team to win just as long it is not the Lakers.) Both the Boston Celtics and San Antonio Spurs play good defense and teamwork, these two teams are good examples to kids. That is why I hope they win.

Yeah, I know winning championships is not about being a good example or about sympathy votes, it is not about the good teams nor the good players. It is about the great teams and the great players. And that has always been true along the way but it has never stopped me from hoping that maybe unselfish players such as Steve Nash, Yao Ming, and Grant Hill will someday hoist the Larry O’ Brien trophy. That is why when the Chicago Bulls played against the Utah Jazz, I wanted Karl Malone and John Stockton to win. That is why when Los Angeles Lakers was up against the Indiana Pacers, I wanted Reggie Miller and company to win. That is why when Alonzo Mourning (Miami Heat)and Kevin Garnett (Boston Celtics) finally won an NBA championship, it lifted my spirits up.

I always have been rooting for the underdog to win. I want everybody to win because a lot of people are happy when they win. Winning is such a great feeling. Maybe watching too much Rocky films has made me into this. Maybe being a Filipino in a country such as ours made me into this. Maybe it’s because a lot of us are underdogs. We all love those “rags to riches” or FPJ movie storylines. We all want to see those inspiring movies come to life. And sometimes these stories do come true. It happened when The Detroit Pistons won against the Los Angeles Lakers with no superstars, just role players. It happened with teamwork and defense of the Celtics’ in 2008.

So I hope it happens this NBA season, we all need the inspiration. Go Orlando! Go Spurs! Go Boston!

Sometime in 1995 before the NBA season started I went to a sports shop and my mom bought me my first ever fitted hat. That’s a big moment in a boy’s life. Graduating from the snapback to a fitted hat is comparable to finding that first piece of armpit hair, at least it was, now mainstream MTV skater kids ruined the whole trend.

The hat was none other than a Vancouver Grizzlies dome piece. A lot of people asked me why I had a Grizzlies hat at that time, but why not? They were new to the league, they had a bear in the logo and cool colors, plus if they became good, I could brag and say I was their first fan.

The hat’s brim was eventually was bent and cracked by my friend Brad (he paid me back for it a year later) and then left behind at basketball camp, which eventually meant it was thrown on the roof of my high school.

I miss that hat, but more importantly, I miss the Vancouver Grizzlies.

Make no doubt at it — the Grizzlies sucked.

They never won more than 23 games during their six years spent in British Columbia and after a short time of “trying” to make hoops work in the Western provinces owner Michael Heisley took the team to Memphis, Tennessee.

I can only imagine what would have happened if the Grizzlies were to take Steve Nash instead of Shareef Abdur-Rahim in the 1996 NBA Draft. Nash is the best Canadian basketball player  of all-time (he grew up in British Columbia), and easily one of the best players of our generation — two MVP’s and at 35 years-old still playing at an MVP level.

I won’t blame GM Stu Jackson for not taking Nash. Abdur-Rahim was a really good player and injuries shortened a very promising career for him. Rahim was taken with the No. 3 pick and Nash didn’t go until the 15th, so it makes sense. Nobody thought Nash would be this great, nobody.

If Nash would have went to Vancouver, maybe things would have been different, but unfortunately they weren’t. It stinks, Canada deserves more than one team and Vancouver deserves another shot with a better owner and a much better GM.

This isn’t over, trust me…

BRING BACK THE VANCOUVER GRIZZLIES!

Diese Woche nicht the flashy but the simple One. Nash-zu-Stoudemire, schon 1 Million mal gesehen aber immer wieder gut, weil eben simple und effektiv. Bleibt nur zu hoffen, dass “Nashemire” uns noch ein weilchen erhalten bleibt!

While I’m guilty of not blogging for a while, it has been to my advantage to look at the NBA not necessarily from a day-to-day basis but rather comprehensively over the last couple weeks.  Teams have played about 10 games or so, which is a perfect opportunity to see what these squadss are really about.  With all this being said, this is what I’ve seen thus far out of the NBA:

~Is Chris Kaman the best Center in the West? You may think, “Sam, it’s kind of funny to think about, but realistically there is no way.”  What I would say to that is if we want to talk real, let’s look at the statistics: 22 points a game, over nine rebounds, a block and a half, as well as a 55% field goal percentage and 76% free throw percentage.  How does that stand up to the rest of the league?  Well, the 22.3 points is thirteenth in the league, and nine rebounds are in the top twenty among all players as well.  I don’t think this is going to stay this way over the course of the season, but who would have thought that the bright spot for the Clippers would be Chris Kaman.

~Atlanta is pretty darn good – I’m writing this just after the Hawks narrowly beat the Blazers in overtime at home, but nonetheless you can’t ignore what Atlanta has accomplished this season.  The Hawks as of Monday evening are 9-2, including wins over Denver, Boston on the road, and the Blazers twice, not to mention one of those two losses coming on the road at the Lakers.  I said in my preseason goals that Atlanta was on the verge of doing something pretty great, but that was before I realized how good Josh Smith and Jamal Crawford really are.  They may not need another player, but rather just a little more time to establish themselves as a team to beat in the East.  So, look for Atlanta to continue this stretch, because they are indeed for real.

~Milwaukee and Phoenix are much improved: This seems like an obvious statement, but I really am quite surprised with how well these two squads are playing.  For Phoenix, Amar’e Stoudemire is still a superstar and one that we are now realizing how missed he really was a year ago.  We are also learning that Steve Nash is continuing to be the Eighth Wonder of the World: This is a man that has already won two MVP awards, and his coaches are praising him to the point where they are saying he is playing better now than he did when he was dominating the league three years ago.  Is he ever going to slow down?  Moving to Milwaukee, it’s clear that Brandon Jennings is the best rookie at this point in the season, and many believe that he has already locked up the Rookie of the Year Award.  My roommate is also convinced that Jennings is going to be the best player of all time (which I think is a bit of a stretch, but I suppose time will tell).  However, I’m not totally sold on the Bucks quite yet – Jennings is good, and yes he is averaging 26 points a game, but we also have to remember that he is basically the only scoring option while Michael Redd is injured.  Also, it’s seven games into the season!  There is absolutely no way Jennings will shoot 57% from beyond the arc as he has done in the first part of the season, and there have to be a few rookie mistakes thrown in there.  Though 55 points is hard to deny, let’s cool it just a bit – I’d like to see it happen for at least half a season before I consider dominance.  But, Milwaukee has new life, that is for sure.

~Minnesota and New Jersey are dreadfully bad: When you already have a ten-game losing streak and it’s mid-November, you know something is going wrong.  At least they both have bright spots in Al Jefferson (Minnesota) and Devin Harris (New Jersey).  But other than that, there isn’t much to be excited about.

~Cleveland and Portland fans, poor starts mean nothing: At least when it comes to the first couple games.  Everything is going to be fine, and is the way that it is supposed to be: Cleveland at 7-3, Portland at 8-4.  LeBron is still LeBron, and the young Blazers are still developing every day.  Now we know moving forward that if you start at .500 in the first six games it’s not the end of the world.

~I may be a homer, but Greg Oden is showing flashes of pure dominance: When Oden is in the game, and that is becoming the case more and more this season, there is some offensive strife but defensive brilliance shown. Oden is averaging nearly two and a half block in just 23 minutes a game (by far the least amount of minutes of anyone in the top ten in this category), which is currently second in the league.  And when Oden plays well, so do the Blazers: During the eight Portland wins, Oden is averaging eleven points and over eight rebounds in just under 25 minutes of play.  The man, even if his stats aren’t as gaudy as say Dwight Howard or Tim Duncan, is efficient to say the least.  He gets it done when he is on the floor, and the more reps he gets the more effective the Blazers become.

That’s all for now, I promise to post more often, and tell your friends about Hoops Hysteria!

Hot-handed forward misfires potential game winner against the Suns

The most competitive game against a top tier team this season turned sour for the Toronto Raptors as Hedo Turkoglu missed a shot at the buzzer, handing the Raps a heart breaking loss to the Suns, 101-100.

The miss, combined with Phoenix’s stellar shooting from the free throw line, solidified victory for the first place Suns.

Amare Stoudemire celebrated his 27^th birthday scoring 30 points, including a 10-11 night from the stripe. Steve Nash dominated fellow guard Jose Calderon, throwing down 23 points and adding 9 assists. Calderon finished the contest with just 8 points, going 3 for 7 from the field.

Stoudemire and Nash bounced back after mutual poor performances against the Lakers. The Suns’ tandem left the Raptors wishing for the kind of clutch experience the Phoenix club is known for , with Nash driving the lane, drawing the foul and scoring with 38.9 seconds left, extending the Suns home court win streak at 4 games. Channing Frye’s 6 three pointers once again exposed Toronto’s weak perimeter defense, while Stoudemire’s inside play gave Phoenix a one-two punch all night long.

“Anytime you have a game like that, especially as a team, it feels great,” Stoudemire said. “This was a bounce-back game.”

Chris Bosh had his 8^th double double for the Raptors, scoring 25 points and pulling down 10 boards. Turkoglu finished with 20 points and Andrea Bargnani chipped in with 17.

The Raptors can take a few small victories in the loss as the team finally showed it can compete against a formidable opponent like the Suns. The team shot well in the first 3 quarters but ended the game shooting just 39% in the final 12 minutes. Despite the low percentage, Toronto managed to hold the Suns when it mattered, forcing Phoenix to make clutch shots of their own.

Phoenix is currently undefeated at home this season, their 4 and 0 record matched by just the Western Conference’s Milwakee Bucks and Atlanta Hawks. The club is 9-2, good for first place in the Western Conference, and have scored over 100 points in every game so far this year.

Toronto falls to 5-5 and is a half game behind the 8^th seeded Chicago Bulls. The team travels to Denver for a game versus the Nuggets on Wednesday.

I'm waiting for you, Turk

Hedo Turkoglu had a chance to steal my heart. Down one with a shot to win at the horn, Turkoglu’s first potential game-winner rimmed out tonight from about 20 feet, handing the Suns a hard-fought 101-100 victory over the Raps.

I realize it’s still early and he can’t make ‘em all, but it’s been a rather uninspiring first three weeks in Raptorland for Turkoglu. Sure, he made a couple biggies to keep Toronto in it in the fourth tonight, but with a pair of chances to win it (he missed a three on the prior possession), it would’ve been nice to see him seal the deal. He finished with 20 (tying a season-high) on just 8-of-20 from the field, though that was with a sore hip, as Matt Devlin reminded the television audience every 11 seconds of the first quarter.

In all, it was a nice road effort — one the Raps should’ve had in the end. After getting lit in the first quarter, Toronto’s D actually put together a solid effort, switching on Steve Nash and Amar’e Stoudemire’s little two-man game nicely, keeping the Suns from killing them with the pick-and-roll. Still, Nash and Stoudemire managed to get theirs (23 and 30, respectively) and Channing Frye nailed six threes and finished with 20. Aside from the big three, the remainder of Phoenix’s lineup was 9-of-33.

Chris Bosh led Toronto with 25 and 10 rebounds, though he could’ve had even more against a weak Phoenix interior that had nothing in the way of a shot blocking presence. Jose Calderon started strong but finished with eight points and seven assists, forfeiting a bunch of ball-handling opportunities to Turkoglu late. Andrea Bargnani had 17 but grabbed just four boards for the Raps, who were out-rebounded 46-39.

The loss sends Toronto to Denver on a losing note, as I’d originally expected. Still, after getting my hopes up with a lead much of the night, this one is a little tough. Oh well, might as well get this road trip done and out of the way while we can. The Raps and Nuggets go Tuesday night, followed by a date with the Jazz on Wednesday.

A very exciting game ends with a bitter pill to swallow for Raps fans.  Nash and Hedo went at it in the fourth quarter like a Spy vs. Spy episode and the team came within one shot of beating a very good scoring team. That my friends was offence at it’s finest. And what’s not to love about that. I felt like I was watching NBA Jam.

The Zan for Three

Kid Canada

Steve Nash drives to the basket for two on his way to another dominating performance

Nevermind which country he calls his home, people should be checking Nash’s passport to make sure he’s from the planet Earth.  He was unstoppable tonight.  Angry Raptor fans might point the blame at Calderon, but in Jose’s defense, Nash has been making everyone in the league look like Wile E. Coyote chasing the Roadrunner.  He is playing at another level right now – probably on his way to MVP contention once again.

Turkish Delight

Turkoglu is becoming such a joy to watch. He’s a smart player the Raptors can depend on for leadership late in games.  Yes, he missed two jump shots to potentially win the game, but we were only in it becaue he took us there.

He shoots when it makes sense, he made a couple of unreal passes and a few of his pull up jump shots were unstoppable.  If this is “just hitting your stride” then watch out.  He was almost a scratch tonight too.

Late Game Braincramps

It’s the 4th quarter, your best player is shooting 50%,, tell me again why you are taking ill-advised 3pt shots at the beginning of the clock?  Get the ball inside!  It really isn’t rocket science.  Chris Bosh was hitting his shots and was dominating the game.  Why not give Bosh the ball and see what happens?  A few better choices during the 4th quarter and this one goes to the visitors.

(Plus one)  The New Agent Zero

He looks a little like the villain in the Pink Panther cartoons but he is playing the part of the good guy on Jay Triano’s bench right now.  Marco Bellinelli has become a reliable player off the bench.  He shoots the ball well, makes smart passes and plays good defense.  For the second game in a row Belinelli provided key minutes off the bench and provided some mismatch problems on the offensive end.

Zan of the Game

Steve Nash

The guy is probably the best player in the NBA right now.  No offense to Lebron, but Nash is making everyone on the Suns look like a Hall of Fame candidates.  And that’s with hair in his face.

Not Zan of the Game

Jarrett Jack

This guy is struggling big time. He hasn’t performed at the shooting guard and he hasn’t done his job as the back up point guard. It is early in the season but he needs to step it up.  We need him if we are going to win games.

And another thing…

Is it just me or is Steve Nash starting to look like Neil Young?  Just saying.

Bosh heads to the desert tonight

Believe it or not, there may actually be a team in the NBA that plays worse D than the Raptors. Unfortunately, they’ll also light you on fire on the other end. If you hadn’t figured it out (which you would’ve by reading the title of this post), Chris Bosh and the boys are running with Steve Nash and the Suns in Phoenix tonight. Full preview over at Raptors Republic, as usual.

The Suns have actually turned some heads this season, which makes sense given they rid themselves of some dead weight by dumping Shaq Diesel and retreating to their run-and-gun attack. Sure, they’ll never win a championship with it, but as long as Nash is in town it’ll be their best chance to win games. Kid Canada has Phoenix at 8-2 and has numbers rivaling those of his back-t0-back MVP seasons in 2005 and 2006 (17.1 ppg, 11.8 apg and 53.9% from the field). The Suns did, however, got some wind taken from their sails in a 121-102 loss to the Lakers on Thursday.

To be honest, I’m not liking Toronto’s chances in this one. On the bright side, that might make it a bit easier to stomach if they lose — at least easier than the losses in Memphis and San Antonio. The Raptors and Suns get it tipping at eight from US Airways Center.