Playoff Thoughts

Playoff Thoughts

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Lakers-Celtics, Again: Lakers-Celtics is always a fun Finals match up.  Of course, the fun was the surprise in getting this match up, more than the games that led us to this moment.  In fact, the actual games have been, for the most part, quite mundane.  Regardless of the workman like way that the Lakers and Celts have dispatched their opponents, this is a potentially very fun NBA Finals.  Predicting this NBA Finals is tough because both the Lakers and Celts struggled coming into the playoffs and have just turned it on since.  Boston looked as done as any team we’ve seen coming in and now they’ve knocked off both the Cavs and Magic (probably the two best teams in the NBA coming into the playoffs) to reach L.A..

As for Boston and Los Angeles, this is the storied rivalry in NBA history.  In fact, this will be the twelfth time the two franchises will meet in the NBA Finals.  For those readers who are not NBA history buffs, you might not know about how the Bill Russell Celts smoked the Lakers seven times from 1958-59 to 1968-69.  In the 1980s, the Magic Johnson Lakers took two of three Finals from the Larry Bird Celtics.  Most recently, in 2007-08, the historically tough Boston defense took out Kobe’s Lakers in six games.  In case you’re wondering, here are the most frequent NBA Finals match ups in NBA history:

1.    Lakers/Celtics, 11 times (Celtics lead series 9-2)

2.    Lakers/76ers, 4 times (Lakers lead series 3-1)

Celtics/Hawks, 4 times (Celtics lead series 3-1)

4.    Knicks/Lakers, 3 times (Knicks lead series 2-1)

Pistons/Lakers, 3 times (Pistons lead series 2-1)

6.    Celtics/Rockets, 2 times (Celtics lead series 2-0)

Bulls/Jazz, 2 times (Bulls lead series 2-0)

Bullets/Sonics (series tied 1-1)

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NBA Draft

NBA Draft 2010: Combo Guards

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This is a group of guards who are misfits. They fit somewhere between a PG and SG, but don’t have the type of numbers that either position would traditionally need. All either led their teams in assists or were a close second, but don’t look like NBA PGs, because they played more on the wing in college or they don’t have robust enough scoring and assist numbers to look like they can make it. All have something to like about them and that’s why I’m taking a look at them. Here are the players and their numbers:

Player

2 pt pct

3 pt pct

P40

A40

A/TO

RSB40
Rodney Green

.471

.265

19.5

4.5

1.1

7.2
Andy Rautins

.571

.407

14.6

5.9

1.7

6.7
Nate Rohnert

.558

.325

19.4

5.1

1.6

9.4
Matt Bouldin

.514

.365

17.0

4.4

1.8

8.8
Jerome Dyson

.428

.292

19.9

4.9

1.1

7.2
Jon Scheyer

.418

.383

19.8

5.3

3.0

6.0
Willie Warren

.524

.309

20.4

5.1

1.1

5.4

In keeping with the theme of this being a weak year on the perimeter, this group doesn’t measure up particularly well. For SGs and combos, a P40 of at least 20.0 has always been a necessity. Also important are a 2-point pct of at least .500 and a RSB40 of 7.0. Some of these players make it on some counts, but none hit all the numbers.

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NBA Draft

NBA Draft 2010: Remaining Point Guards

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Here is a look at the remaining PGs out there. Some players who might be thought of as PGs will be covered with the combo guards in upcoming articles. I haven’t done John Wall yet. I was planning on waiting until the end to look at the top prospects. Also with the Wizards winning the lottery, I’ll need time to ponder how the arrival of John Wall will affect the Crittenton era in DC. 

Mikhail Torrance, Alabama and Armon Johnson, Nevada: 

I had meant for this last PG analysis to be for underclassmen, and it was somehow in my mind that Mikhail Torrance was a sophomore. That makes this article a catch-all for the remaining PGs out there. This oversight was actually a good thing, because these are a couple of players who should be looked at together. Both are tall PGs who have moved into the 2nd round of the mocks and could crash round one if they continue to impress at the camps and workouts. Here are their numbers:

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Playoff Thoughts

Playoff Thoughts

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The reactions to Cleveland’s loss to Boston in Round 2 have been varied but most have been along the lines that the loss was a calamity and will set back the Cavs quite a bit.  Is this true?  Sorta.  Let’s go through the loss and try to separate fact from fiction:

Did the Cavs/LeBron Choke?

I don’t know if choke is the right word.  Clearly, the Cavs seemed to be the better team by all accounts going into the series.  There really is no one who could’ve predicted that the Celts would have Rajon Rondo morph into a transcendent guard  AND that the old guys would start playing like it was 2007-08 again (Kevin Garnett finally stopped limping while playing!).  Even so, it’s hard to explain away the Cavs getting blown away in Game 5 at home and this did not reflect well on the Cavs as a whole or on LeBron individually.  I know LeBron played very poorly in that game but the way the Celts were shooting (and the way Cleveland was defending) made a victory impossible unless James planned on scoring 55 points.

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NBA Draft

NBA Draft Preview 2010: Senior Point Guards

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When an NCAA player lasts until his senior season without turning pro it typically is not a good sign for the player. It means the player either took this long to get his name on the map as a prospect or he simply hasn’t been good enough his first 3 seasons to get a guarantee in the first round. On the other hand, it shows he’s smart and mature enough to make a realistic assessment of his abilities and go back to college, which in most cases is probably the best option for such a player. So with the senior PGs we have a group of smart players with limited ability.

I’ve mentioned before that the 2010 class of PGs is somewhat less than impressive. John Wall is obviously a potential star, but it falls off pretty quickly after him. I’ve already weighed in on Lin, Bradley and Bledsoe, who are probably the next 3. Now I’d like to look at the best remaining seniors.

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NBA Draft

NBA Draft Preview 2010: Bradley and Bledsoe

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These two should be analyzed together, because they’re in similar situations. Both were highly-touted freshmen coming into this season. Bradley more so than Bledsoe, but both were well thought of. Both landed on talented rosters where they mixed a few moments of brilliance with spending their freshmen seasons taking a backseat to teammates ahead of them in the pecking order. Both are PG size, but have yet to prove they can play the position. Both came out after their freshman years anyways, hoping their athleticism will be enough to convince some team their ordinary numbers aren’t a true reflection of their ability. Both are projected to go in the 20-30 range of round one. The one positive for both players is the fact that the PG crop is very thin this year and that’s always a good thing for marginal prospects. Here are their numbers:

Player

2 pt pct

3 pt pct

P40

A40

A/TO

RSB40
Eric Bledsoe

.516

.383

14.2

3.6

1.0

6.0
Avery Bradley

.457

.375

14.7

2.6

1.4

5.9

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