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Tag Archives: Dwyane Wade
Celtics Need Shaq More Than We Thought
What the Celtics need to remember is a little phrase that Kevin Garnett himself screwed up in 2008; “anything is possible.” He meant to say “impossible is nothing”, the slogan of his former shoe sponsor, Adidas, but that’s besides the point. What matters here is the idea behind the phrase. While the Celitcs are looking at an improbable 2-0 hole, it’s not an impossible one. CelticsBlog did most of the leg work to breakdown the Celtics chances based on the NBA’s playoff history to actually come back and win this series. According to the numbers, NBA teams have come back to win a series after going down 2-0 only 14 times.
But the game of basketball isn’t a coin flip and historic percentages don’t guarantee future results. Adjustments need to be made if the Celtics want to comeback to win. Watching the first two games, Miami seemed to outclass Boston in all aspects of basketball. in Game 1, the Heat won on virtue of their outside shooting. Not only did they hit 47% of their 3-pointers, they continually knocked down improbable jumpers from 17-20 feet out, one of the most inefficient shots you can take. The final result in the game was a 9-point victory for Miami but as a Boston fan, you weren’t that fearful. Pierce had been ejected in the game and outside of Ray Allen, no one showed up. Looking at the box score to see that Miami held the Celtics to just 42.7% shooting (Boston leads the NBA in FG%) was the most encouraging sign. There was no way Miami would stay that hot from the floor and Boston was bound to find the basket sooner or later.
Game 2 came and Miami’s shooting returned back to Earth but Boston still couldn’t find the rim and their defense seemed to be more Clippers than Celtics. Boston gave up 38 points in the paint and was only able to get Miami to turn the ball over 10 times. Add to that Miami’s game leading 44 rebounds, 12 of them on the offensive glass, and you begin to paint a picture of exactly how the Heat ground the Celtics down to pulp.
But this can’t be all the Celtics have left int he tank, can it? The Celtics beat the Heat three out of four times in the regular season and, for the most part, did it convincingly. So what’s different here?
Shaquille O’Neal.
Shaq has missed the last four games vs. Miami. Boston won the first game he missed but they had the assistance of Kendrick Perkins but dropped the final match-up of the season after Shaq was sidelined with injuries and Perkins was delt to the Thunder. In the games without a big man to clog the middle, Boston has gone 0-3 against the Heat. Not to knock Jermaine O’Neal but he’s played no more than 21 minutes in each of the playoff games vs. Miami. He’s played well,
having an overall +/- of +2 despite the Celtics being an overall -20 for the series but his limited minutes lead to long stretches of the game where Garnett or the struggling Glen Davis have to man the middle.
So, can a 39-year old, oft-injured, Shaq really be the answer? Currently, the Celtics are struggling on both ends of the floor so they can use all the help they can get. According to 82games.com, the line-up of Rondo, Allen, Pierce, Garnett, S. O’Neal played 266 minutes together and produced an offensive rating of 117 points per 100 possessions while only allowing 99 points per 100 possession and producing a +/- of +101 points. It’s not that Shaq is an all-world defender or a threat to win his 4th finals MVP trophy. He’s just big. He’s big and he can still score one-on-one due to his massive size.
One of the biggest issues Boston is having is with Wade and LeBron playing the passing lanes, essentially neutralizing Rondo’s greatest strength, passing. Rajon loves to get deep into the defense and then find the open man with a kick-out, but with Davis struggling and Jermaine not giving anything on offense, the Miami defense is able to rotate more and shoot the passing lanes in comfort. A few times in game 2 Rondo beat his defender off the dribble, got into the lane and had the defense collapse around him. He had no inside threat to hand the ball off to (Garnett loves to hang out at the 17-ft range) and was unable to get the ball to the shooters because Wade and LeBron had no need to rotate off of Allen and Pierce. The results from Rondo’s drives were a variation of a forced layup by Rondo, a blown lay up by Davis or steals on the desperation kick-out passes to the Boston shooters.
In the first three games with Miami, Boston won by a total of 16 points. In those games the Celtics had over 40 rebounds twice and had 19+ assist in all 3 games. They also got to the free throw line 25+ times in each game. Since the third game Boston hasn’t had a game of where they collected more than 39 rebounds, they haven’t had more 18 assists or gotten tot he line more than 22 times. They’ve also lost the battle for the paint. Boston scored a combined 112 points int he paint over the course of the first three games. over the last 3, they have scored just 90. They’ve also been outscored in the paint by 18 in those 3 games compared to their +22 point advantage in the paint over the previous 3 games.
Shaq’s ability to be that dump-down guy for Rondo will help immensely. Not to mention, it will probably force Spoelstra to play Big Z more minutes which will send unsung hero, Joel Anthony, to the bench for longer than Miami can afford. It worked in the first three match-ups and Boston has to hope it works in the playoffs. But the key, as has been since Danny Ainge decided to ship Perkins off, will be Shaq’s health. If he can fill in the 20+ minute void that Jermaine O’Neal is leaving behind, Boston will have a good chance to get back into this series, especially with three of the next four games being played in Boston.
It’s going to take a lot of hard work and some luck for the Celtics to turn this one around. Thankfully, the Big Shamrock is finally active for game three. Now let’s see if he’s effective.
Shane is a contributor to Stacheketball.com, LarryBrownSports.com & NBAoffseason.com. You can find him babbling about basketball all over the net or tune in as he tweets nonsense on twitter @Suga_Shane.
Video: LeBron and D. Wade Wish The Rock a Happy B-Day
Can you Smellllllllll What the 39 year old Rock is cooking? You know you can!
Happy B-Day Scorpion King!
2010-11 NBA Playoffs Recap, Day 12: Breakfast, Backcourt & Zombies
This might have been the single greatest day of playoff basketball I’ve seen in my lifetime. We had the Zombie Spurs, the Broingtons and the Miami Breakfast Club all make an appearance last night.
Philadelphia 76ers 91 – Miami Heat 97
Andre Iguodala finally has a good game and the Sixers lose. It was a close game throughout but the difference came when Spoelstra took a T for his guys with the score was knotted up at 60. From that point on, Miami went on a 7-0 run that gave them control of the game.
The Sixers definitely overachieved this season and they should be proud of that. They should also know that they can do the same thing again next year. And if they don’t start out 1-13, they might actually have a shot at home court in the first round.
As for the Heat, both LeBron and Dwyane had near triple-doubles in last nights close-out win and Bosh went for 22 and 11 but the questions still loom. Specifically, about how they will match-up with the Boston Celtics in the next round.
Memphis Grizzlies 103 – San Antonio Spurs 110 (OT)
What an amazing game this was. Memphis was oh-so close to closing the door on the Spurs. Not just their season but perhaps on their dynasty. But the Spurs just wouldn’t die. Someone on twitter called them the Zombie Spurs and I found that very fitting. Down 3 Manu hit what looked to be a miracle corner three with just 2 seconds left in the game that resulted from a chaotic broken play. The video review showed that his foot was on the line and it was a two. Spurs fouled Zach Randolph on the inbounds and Z-Bo hit both of his Z-Throws. With just 1.7 ticks left in the Spurs season, they drew up a play for 26-year old rookie, Gary Neal. Naturally.
Having gone 0-1 in the game and had scored just 4 points, you’d think Popovich would have gone with a different option but he trusts the rookie, immensely. Neal rose up over the double team and buried the three, resurrecting the half-dead Spurs and forever dubbing them the Zombie Spurs because they just won’t die. Spurs went on to OT and put the game away for good. Now down just 3-2 in the series, you have to wonder if the Grizzlies are shook. Then again, I doubt anything in the world can shake Z-Bo and Tony Allen. Those two are too hood for the hood.
Denver Nuggets 97 – Oklahoma City Thunder 100
Kevin Durant was Kid Delicious last night. Dropping a cool 41 points and helping his team close out the series in 5 games. But before we get into this, I want to tell you that Kevin Durant’s back court/front court call by the refs was the correct call. If you don’t know what I am talking about, let me explain. Durant caught the ball running towards the mid-court line. When he caught the ball, his foot was on the line, which is perfectly legal. His next step and dribble put his other foot on the line and the ref immediately called a back court violation. However, the ref on the baseline came running in and all three refs huddled and overturned the call. A lot of people were upset over this call and thought that Oklahoma was bailed out by the refs. In reality, this was the correct call and here is why:
The rules state that a player isn’t technically in the front court until both his feet and the ball are completely past the mid-court line. Durant never got both feet across that line since both of his steps were on the line, therefore it was the correct call to overturn the original back court violation. What ensued after the play was overturned was a complete breakdown by the Nuggets. Durant got free, caught the ball, took a few dribbles and pulled up inside the arc to nail a 19 foot jumper to give the Thunder a 100-97 lead.
When Durant is in the zone there is nothing like it in the world. A 22-year old, 6’11″ silky smooth shooter that can get almost any shot he wants. Last night he did just that. According to NBA Analyst, Kevin Pelton, the Thunder scored 18 points on their last 8 possessions which is a ridiculous 225.0 Offensive Rating. Durant had 14 of those points and an assist in that span. And it wasn’t just a one sided effort by the NBA’s scoring champ. He came up with a few key stops including blocking a J.R. Smith 3-pointer, that could have potentially tied the game with under 10 seconds to go.Speaking of blocks, Serge Ibaka had 9 of them, all of which were crucial to their victory.
The only thing souring this victory was Russell Westbrook going Starbury. Again. Shooting an ugly 3 of 15 for 14 points and just 4 assists is bad news from your team’s point guard. To do that while ignoring your team’s best player who just happens to be the NBA’s leading scorer I tragic news. At some point coach Brooks is going to have to speak to Westbrook about his new found fame and his propensity to chuck the rock. Russell’s only been a point guard for 3 years now, before that he was always designated a 2-guard. His primary job on the court has always been to get buckets so I understand this is just part of the growing pains but you don’t want to see those pains develop into an incurable illness down the road. Maybe next season, OKC should explore running West at the 2 and Eric Maynor at the 1. Either way, this was a fun series despite spanning just 5 short games.
Tonight’s Games:
Orlando Magic @ Atlanta Hawks – 7:30 PM EST on NBAtv: I’m pretty sure this entire series has been on NBAtv. As if Stern wants Howard to not only lose the series but also suffer from terrible national exposure just so he opts out and Joins either the Knicks or the Lakers. Okay, that’s enough conspiracy talk. The Hawks should wrap this series up at home tonight. If it happens, the post-game interviews of Stan Van Gundy and Dwight Howard are going to be epic.
Los Angeles Lakers @ New Orleans Hornets – 8:00 PM EST on TNT: Kobe’s ankle is the determining factor of this game. If he’s stiff from the travel and the downtime, it’s going to be a long night. Ariza has already outscore Kobe in a couple of games and he has the same confidence he displayed in the Lakers’ 2009 championship march. If the Lakers don’t go to their bigs, we could be headed back to LA for a game 7. With that said, I think LA closes out tonight. They finally woke up in Game 5 and it looks like they are now in playoff form.
Dallas Maverick @ Portland Trailblazers – 10:30 PM EST on TNT: Portland might be all out of juice. Then again, Dallas might not be focused. They do that sometimes, especially in the playoffs. Their lack of focus already cost them Game 4 in which they blew a 20+ point lead. I origanilly picked Dallas in 7 and I’m going to stick with it. Portland wins a close one tonight.
Shane is a contributor to Stacheketball.com, LarryBrownSports.com & NBAoffseason.com. You can find him babbling about basketball all over the net or tune in as he tweets nonsense on twitter @Suga_Shane.
#Fastball-Miami Heat v Philadelphia 76ers Game 2
The Miami Heat gave the Philadelphia 76ers what I like to call “the ol’ ruffin stuffin” (in honor of Michael Ruffin) in game two of their first round playoff series. The Heat won 94-73, in a game that was basically over in the first quarter. The Heat held the 6ers to a mere 31 points in the first half. Shelvin Mack and Matt Howard combined for 0 points in the half–barely worse than what they managed to score in the NCAA National Championship game. Evan Turner actually had the best game of any Philly player (on the offense end) scoring 15 points on 6-10 shooting and adding in 6 boards and an assist.
The Heat were led by strong performances from LeBron James and Chris Like-A-Bosh, but their games were overshadowed by the apparent MVP, Joel Anthony–I kid. However Anthony was barraged with MVP chants from the American Airlines Arena crowd when he got to the free throw line. As Reggie Miller so keenly pointed out, Anthony has probably never heard MVP chants relating to his own name. The one highlight of the game was when Joel Anthony blocked a shot that sparked a Miami fast break ending in a Lebron James alley-oop all up on Jrue “I get banged on” Holiday. Dwyane Wade wasn’t quite himself on the court tonight–he was recovering from a migraine that held him out of practice the previous day. Wade did however take rookie Evan Turner to school in the post a couple of times. Turner absolutely could not hang with LeBron or D-Wade on the defensive end, but that’s no shock.
Prior to the series I predicted the Heat would sweep the 76ers and go on to win the Larry O’Brien trophy. Even though a little piece of me died when I made that prediction, I am feeling pretty good about it right now.
Game 3 will tip at 8:00 p.m. ET on Thursday in Philadelphia. Maybe the home crowd can help a seemingly overmatched Philly team notch at least one win in the series. I may be wrong, but I doubt it.
Photo Cred: Getty Images
Follow Matt on Twitter if you love sports or the fact that Miley Cyrus is tweeting again @Matthouston91 In addition to Stacheketball he founded and runs the sports site Momentum Three. He just got retweeted by Charlie Davies #Score.
Double Dribble Podcast Ep.002 – FINALLY!
The playoffs are FINALLY here. Listen in on the Double Dribble Podcast as Ben Swanson joins Erroll and Shane as they breakdown playoff match ups, highlight advantages and give you their first round series predictions. A lot of interesting takes including some shocking upset predictions. Who? Tune in to find out!
Ep 002 – FINALLY! 2011 First Round Playoffs Review by Shane Baker
Adorable Video: The Heatles Cry On Their First Date
I hope this all works out.
I wonder how many “Match-ups” from Match.com are ruined by AshleyMadison.com
X’s & O’s: Why LeBron Needs To Post More.
LeBron James has some outlandish standards to live up to. Some by his own doing, others due to the sheer brilliance of the men who’s shadows still shade LeBron’s achievements. two of those men, Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, have had incredible success late in their careers in the mid-range and post-up game. Naturally, as fans, we require nothing less of the 26-year old James. Right or wrong, that is the curse of being great.
This season, LeBron promised to start going down to the block a little more. Last night was one example of this. Although the Miami Heat lost an inexplicable 5th game in a row, this one to the Portland Trailblazers, there was still a few positive inferences we can draw from the game. One of those conclusions is that LeBron James on the block can be deadly for defenses.
When LeBron hits the lower block, he instantly creates a mismatch (then again, where DOESN’T he create a mismatch?). When you force the defense to switch to a smaller defender, the mismatch becomes even greater in favor of the Heat. LeBron is so big and so fast that a double team is almost a necessity on the block. With the smaller defender, some teams might even send a triple team.
This play took place early in the game wanted to get an easy bucket in the half court set. (please excuse the low-res pics).
To start the play, LeBron James starts at the wing with the ball in his hands. Chris Bosh plays as the pinch-post at the elbow. Mario Chalmers cuts through to the low block. LeBron will then pass Bosh the ball.
Here Mario Chalmers sets a back-screen for LeBron James, this forces Andre Miller to switch off Chalmers and onto LeBron in order to prevent an easy back door pass from Bosh. LeBron, who already physically and athletically dominates most defenders, has an even bigger advantage over the Miller, who is a point guard.
Will notice two things about the play in the image above: LeBron has gotten great post position on the smaller Miller and Bosh has stepped out all the way to the 3-point line.
LeBron’s great position advantage coupled with his physical advantage almost forces Portland to bring the backside double. At the same time, Nic Batum, who was defending Chalmers, floats down to essentially triple-team LeBron in the post.
Notice how Portland’s players all have to rotate over a man to provide backside help here, which is almost insane to think about, considering LeBron is being triple teamed. Most players lack the skill set to create out of this position and will most likely turn the ball over or force up a bad mid-range jumper. LeBron doesn’t exactly have a back-to-the-basket game, but his brute strength & speed (especially compared to Miller’s molasses-esque game) make him a nightmare for defenses when he gets anywhere near the basket.
Back to Chris Bosh. He spaces out the floor nicely and creates a ton of space for a cutter to flash from the weak side of the play. This is where having two Superstar players will pay off.
LeBron can now turn and face the basket. What he sees is a semi-open Chalmers (who is a 36% 3-point shooter), Erick Dampier (who has sealed off the smaller Wes Matthews under the basket), and his best friend and fellow superstar, Dwyane Wade (who is as open as can be in the middle of the lane).
LeBron James, who is already one of the biggest small forwards in the game, can easily scan the court over the mismatched defender when he turns around. Lebron is also one of the premiere passers and play makers, averaging 7.1 assists per game. That combined with the fact that the help defense leaves players open is toxic for any defense. LeBron can now turn around and pick who he wants to earn an assist off of.
Naturally, LeBron choses the option anyone would go with, passing to Dwyane Wade. Like I mentioned before, this is where having two superstars pays off. Once Wade is this deep, he can do whatever he wants, especially when he has no defender on him.
One last thing I wanted to point out was how Dampier uses his body to screen Wade as he drives to the basket. It’s not a direct pick on anyone, it’s more of a wall. Still, it’s the little things like this and the spacing by all five players that creates a wide open layup out of a halfcourt set.
Oh yea, having two megastars doesn’t hurt, either.
I was running some numbers last night from 82games.com and noticed that LeBron as a SF racks up a PER of 26.6, which is a Hall of Fame level performance. But when LeBron shifts to the power forward or the low post spot for Miami, his PER production jumps up to 36.6. Just to put that in perspective for you, Michael Jordan has the highest single season PER at 31.84. Unfortunately, LeBron has only used up 11% of Miami’s minutes at the PF spot.
Shane is a contributor to Stacheketball.com, NBAoffseason.com and LarryBrownSports.com. You can find him babbling about basketball all over the net or tune in as he tweets nonsense on twitter; @Suga_Shane.