I have officially contracted NBA playoff fever. I'm back for more.
Thursday, May 3rd, 10:02 p.m.: Just watched the entire Heat/Knicks game...can't say I'm the least bit surprised at the result.
The Knicks battled hard, particularly in the first half, but the stronger team survived and eventually thrived. There's definitely something different about LeBron James this season -- this could be the year. He still gets flustered and/or frustrated at times, but those occasions seem to be in first halves. He's hungry and focused in second halves.
When LeBron was in foul trouble in the third quarter, this became Dwyane Wade's team again (momentarily). New York's defense had no answer for Wade's assortment of offensive offerings.
In my opinion, only two teams can give the Heat a run for their money: The Thunder and Grizzlies. They have the length, athleticism, speed, talent and desire. The Spurs may be a better team than the Grizzlies, but Memphis matches up better with Miami in terms of personnel.
10:03 to 10:24: Friends calling me to complain about the Knicks' loss. I don't know why they ever had their hopes up in the first place. Probably because they are Yankees fans. As a Mets, Nets and Jets fan, I know when it's appropriate to be pessimistic. They haven't applied that rationale to the Knicks in this series against the far superior Heat.
10:25: Kevin Durant is off to a scorching start and no one is terribly surprised. Law of averages.
10:26: This game has been extremely entertaining thus far -- Thunder flying up and down on both ends, Rick Carlisle nearly getting ejected, Mavs fighting back hard (as usual) from an early deficit and Vince Carter trying valiantly to channel his days as a Toronto Raptor. So far so good.
10:30: The Thunder are up 34-28 heading into a television timeout. The Mavs should be in it the rest of the way out.
10:33: Scott Brooks doesn't strike me as a spectacular head coach. I think Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden and Serge Ibaka make him seem more special than he is. Some coaches make players; some players make coaches. We're looking at the latter situation here.
10:34: A ridiculous block by Ibaka. I've never seen that before.
10:36: I can never really sense when an unorthodox Shawn Marion three is going to fall. Not this time. Thunder lead is back up to 10.
10:38: Really enjoyed watching the Clippers/Grizzlies Game 2 last night. Memphis really wants it and they're definitely the more talented team. I told my co-workers today, "Chris Paul is the best player in the series, but the next best five -- Gay, Gasol, Randolph, Mayo and Conley -- are all Grizzlies."
Blake Griffin obviously has better regular season stats than most (if not all) of those guys, but they are polished professional basketball players. Griffin is still a player who relies strictly upon his physical gifts. That will get you through the regular season with flying colors, but doesn't cut it in the postseason. You have to have skill. You have to have pure basketball IQ. You have to be a playmaker or facilitator.
10:42: OKC is trying to pull away but the Mavs are stubborn. Whoops, there goes James Harden in the passing lane. He's scary quick.
10:46: Thunder up 15 now with the ball. Westbrook should have followed his own miss there; it was his rebound for the taking. Another TV timeout.
10:47: Is Russell Westbrook a better player than Kevin Durant? I've been asking myself that question for the past month...I can't say I have a definitive answer...
I know the general public definitely sides with Durant, but that means nothing to me. I had Durant as the No. 2 ranked player in my last top 10 slideshow, but Kobe's easily back into that slot. Dwight and Rose are out of the picture. I'm looking at something like LeBron, Kobe, Durant, Westbrook, Wade, CP3, Dirk, Parker, Pierce (in that order) for the players participating in the postseason.
Something like that. Others popping to mind are Gasol, Bynum, Rondo, Al Jefferson, Garnett, Harden, Gay, Deng...damn, there are a lot of good, solid players in the league right now. Good for you, David Stern.
10:54: Should I bother looking at the second half line? It'll probably be ambiguous.
11:02: Halftime. Perfect time to get my packing done. Probably won't happen, though.
11:03: My friend just called to ask if no-hitters even matter in the MLB anymore. "Someone is taking a no-hitter into the 7th inning on a nightly basis now," he says. I can't say he's wrong. It does seem to be happening with unusual regularity.
Well I guess it's not unusual...not too many hitters left on steroids. We think. Could be other Brauns out there, I suppose.
11:04: Kenny Smith is rambling during the halftime show; who is surprised? He cuts himself off fairly often. Always amusing.
11:08: I know I should be taking interest in the 76ers/Bulls series -- now that Derrick Rose is out -- but I doubt I'll actually follow through on that. Philly is my least favorite team to watch in this playoff pool. Well, maybe the Magic without Dwight, but at least that's an intriguing storyline.
11:12: Charles Barkley is currently making an announcement about the greatness of LeBron James. I'm starting to believe in it, Chuck.
11:13: My current thoughts on the Heat: I love that they play balls-to-the-wall on both ends of the court. Yeah, LeBron had "The Decision" show. Yeah, they had that stupid Big Three introduction ceremony at the beginning of last season. But really, from a pure basketball standpoint, this Miami Heat group isn't a flashy, prissy kind of team. They want it. They go after it. They play physical, hard and tough. They are skilled and savvy. I respect them. None of that matters unless LeBron gets his ring, though.
11:15: Second half is about to start and I've packed zero items.
11:17: Carlisle is going cutthroat. Mahinmi over Haywood to start the second half. It's the right decision. And there's Jason Kidd, and the Mavs are only down five. Love these f'n guys.
11:19: I need to pick up the HD cable box for my flatscreen. Nothing like an unnecessarily blurry playoff game. Nice work, Frascella.
11:20: Westbrook. Bang bang. He's a beast.
11:21: Big bucket and the foul for Delonte West. Love the way he's been playing the past few weeks. Key contributor for Dallas.
11:22: Durant squared up beautifully on that make. That's the difference for him tonight -- much better shooting mechanics. Meanwhile, there goes Westbrook again...I think he's more difficult to stop than KD...
11:28: Threes from Westbrook and Sefolosha. It might actually be getting away from Dallas now. They always seem to bounce back, but I'm not feeling it this time. Thunder may win by 12-16 points.
11:31: I thought the Mavs played about as well as they possibly could in the opening two games of this series, and that may very well be the case. That would suggest an OKC sweep. The Mavs are going to have to dig deep for another gear which may not even be there.
11:42: "Dallas just looks old at this point."- Steve Kerr
11:43: Thunder leading 75-57 with a couple seconds to go in the third. That's the way it'll end.
11:45: My response to one of my friend's texts about the Knicks, "The Nets would have given the Heat a better series. 100%."
I may actually believe that. Maybe not without Lopez, but that still leaves us with Deron Williams, Gerald Wallace, Kris Humphries and Gerald Green. Love that four. I'm so biased sometimes.
11:48: Horrendous charge call by the officials. They got together and overturned it. Refs need to stop assuming the charge. They need to call the play as it occurs. If a player is driving hard and a defender jumps in front of him, that doesn't mean he's automatically set. Let them earn the flop.
11:49: It's raining OKC threes.
11:50: Brian Cardinal is in for the Mavs. Carlisle is throwing up the white flag. Meanwhile Derek Fisher is making every three he attempts. Good for him. He's found a new home, for now.
11:53: The Mavs fans who are leaving should be ashamed of themselves. Show some respect for last season's incredible championship run. This team deserves their complete and utter support. The fans who are leaving shouldn't be allowed to attend future games.
11:54: Cardinal and Durant going at it. This is funny.
11:55: No more for me tonight. I'm actually going to pay closer attention to this blowout. So long, Dallas.
In my opinion, only two teams can give the Heat a run for their money: The Thunder and Grizzlies. They have the length, athleticism, speed, talent and desire. The Spurs may be a better team than the Grizzlies, but Memphis matches up better with Miami in terms of personnel.
10:03 to 10:24: Friends calling me to complain about the Knicks' loss. I don't know why they ever had their hopes up in the first place. Probably because they are Yankees fans. As a Mets, Nets and Jets fan, I know when it's appropriate to be pessimistic. They haven't applied that rationale to the Knicks in this series against the far superior Heat.
10:25: Kevin Durant is off to a scorching start and no one is terribly surprised. Law of averages.
10:26: This game has been extremely entertaining thus far -- Thunder flying up and down on both ends, Rick Carlisle nearly getting ejected, Mavs fighting back hard (as usual) from an early deficit and Vince Carter trying valiantly to channel his days as a Toronto Raptor. So far so good.
10:30: The Thunder are up 34-28 heading into a television timeout. The Mavs should be in it the rest of the way out.
10:33: Scott Brooks doesn't strike me as a spectacular head coach. I think Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden and Serge Ibaka make him seem more special than he is. Some coaches make players; some players make coaches. We're looking at the latter situation here.
10:34: A ridiculous block by Ibaka. I've never seen that before.
10:36: I can never really sense when an unorthodox Shawn Marion three is going to fall. Not this time. Thunder lead is back up to 10.
10:38: Really enjoyed watching the Clippers/Grizzlies Game 2 last night. Memphis really wants it and they're definitely the more talented team. I told my co-workers today, "Chris Paul is the best player in the series, but the next best five -- Gay, Gasol, Randolph, Mayo and Conley -- are all Grizzlies."
Blake Griffin obviously has better regular season stats than most (if not all) of those guys, but they are polished professional basketball players. Griffin is still a player who relies strictly upon his physical gifts. That will get you through the regular season with flying colors, but doesn't cut it in the postseason. You have to have skill. You have to have pure basketball IQ. You have to be a playmaker or facilitator.
10:42: OKC is trying to pull away but the Mavs are stubborn. Whoops, there goes James Harden in the passing lane. He's scary quick.
10:46: Thunder up 15 now with the ball. Westbrook should have followed his own miss there; it was his rebound for the taking. Another TV timeout.
10:47: Is Russell Westbrook a better player than Kevin Durant? I've been asking myself that question for the past month...I can't say I have a definitive answer...
I know the general public definitely sides with Durant, but that means nothing to me. I had Durant as the No. 2 ranked player in my last top 10 slideshow, but Kobe's easily back into that slot. Dwight and Rose are out of the picture. I'm looking at something like LeBron, Kobe, Durant, Westbrook, Wade, CP3, Dirk, Parker, Pierce (in that order) for the players participating in the postseason.
Something like that. Others popping to mind are Gasol, Bynum, Rondo, Al Jefferson, Garnett, Harden, Gay, Deng...damn, there are a lot of good, solid players in the league right now. Good for you, David Stern.
10:54: Should I bother looking at the second half line? It'll probably be ambiguous.
11:02: Halftime. Perfect time to get my packing done. Probably won't happen, though.
11:03: My friend just called to ask if no-hitters even matter in the MLB anymore. "Someone is taking a no-hitter into the 7th inning on a nightly basis now," he says. I can't say he's wrong. It does seem to be happening with unusual regularity.
Well I guess it's not unusual...not too many hitters left on steroids. We think. Could be other Brauns out there, I suppose.
11:04: Kenny Smith is rambling during the halftime show; who is surprised? He cuts himself off fairly often. Always amusing.
11:08: I know I should be taking interest in the 76ers/Bulls series -- now that Derrick Rose is out -- but I doubt I'll actually follow through on that. Philly is my least favorite team to watch in this playoff pool. Well, maybe the Magic without Dwight, but at least that's an intriguing storyline.
11:12: Charles Barkley is currently making an announcement about the greatness of LeBron James. I'm starting to believe in it, Chuck.
11:13: My current thoughts on the Heat: I love that they play balls-to-the-wall on both ends of the court. Yeah, LeBron had "The Decision" show. Yeah, they had that stupid Big Three introduction ceremony at the beginning of last season. But really, from a pure basketball standpoint, this Miami Heat group isn't a flashy, prissy kind of team. They want it. They go after it. They play physical, hard and tough. They are skilled and savvy. I respect them. None of that matters unless LeBron gets his ring, though.
11:15: Second half is about to start and I've packed zero items.
11:17: Carlisle is going cutthroat. Mahinmi over Haywood to start the second half. It's the right decision. And there's Jason Kidd, and the Mavs are only down five. Love these f'n guys.
11:19: I need to pick up the HD cable box for my flatscreen. Nothing like an unnecessarily blurry playoff game. Nice work, Frascella.
11:20: Westbrook. Bang bang. He's a beast.
11:21: Big bucket and the foul for Delonte West. Love the way he's been playing the past few weeks. Key contributor for Dallas.
11:22: Durant squared up beautifully on that make. That's the difference for him tonight -- much better shooting mechanics. Meanwhile, there goes Westbrook again...I think he's more difficult to stop than KD...
11:28: Threes from Westbrook and Sefolosha. It might actually be getting away from Dallas now. They always seem to bounce back, but I'm not feeling it this time. Thunder may win by 12-16 points.
11:31: I thought the Mavs played about as well as they possibly could in the opening two games of this series, and that may very well be the case. That would suggest an OKC sweep. The Mavs are going to have to dig deep for another gear which may not even be there.
11:42: "Dallas just looks old at this point."- Steve Kerr
11:43: Thunder leading 75-57 with a couple seconds to go in the third. That's the way it'll end.
11:45: My response to one of my friend's texts about the Knicks, "The Nets would have given the Heat a better series. 100%."
I may actually believe that. Maybe not without Lopez, but that still leaves us with Deron Williams, Gerald Wallace, Kris Humphries and Gerald Green. Love that four. I'm so biased sometimes.
11:48: Horrendous charge call by the officials. They got together and overturned it. Refs need to stop assuming the charge. They need to call the play as it occurs. If a player is driving hard and a defender jumps in front of him, that doesn't mean he's automatically set. Let them earn the flop.
11:49: It's raining OKC threes.
11:50: Brian Cardinal is in for the Mavs. Carlisle is throwing up the white flag. Meanwhile Derek Fisher is making every three he attempts. Good for him. He's found a new home, for now.
11:53: The Mavs fans who are leaving should be ashamed of themselves. Show some respect for last season's incredible championship run. This team deserves their complete and utter support. The fans who are leaving shouldn't be allowed to attend future games.
11:54: Cardinal and Durant going at it. This is funny.
11:55: No more for me tonight. I'm actually going to pay closer attention to this blowout. So long, Dallas.
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