Lakers vs. Celtics Post-game Comments

Image from sports.yahoo.com

Now that was what I call a real game.

The Lakers have ended Boston's win streak at 19 wins with a 92-83 victory. This victory was also significant because it was Phil Jackson's 1000th victory, making him the fastest coach to reach that mark in NBA history.

The game was a lot closer than the score may indicate. It wasn't til the final minutes that the Lakers pulled away. The lead was passed numerous times back and forth up until the end of the game. The Lakers can take this victory and use it as a confidence booster for future match-ups with the Celtics; LA needed this win to prove to themselves that they could compete at the same level.

Pau Gasol and Trevor Ariza came through for LA at the right times, and they're going to need to do the same come June. Ariza had two notable hustle plays, where he ran the length of the court to save a ball going out of bounds. Both plays led to buckets for the Lakers and fan pandamonium. Pau, who only shot 3-9 in the first half, found the zone in the 4th quarter. He consistently attacked the rim and forced Garnett to work on the defensive end.

Boston on the other hand shouldn't be too worried. A lot of iffy calls went against them, and there's no doubt that the home crowd definitely helped LA pull out the W. However, what they should be worried about his how well their second line can hold up against opponents. During a critical stretch of the fourth quarter, the second line failed to get the ball to Ray Allen, who had been shooting very well for the game. Instead, Eddie House was running around picks jacking up 25ft jumpers. Doc Rivers is going to have to make sure that his backups remember to defer to the big guns when apppropriate.

Another key factor in this game was free throws, or in Boston's case, the lack of free throws. Paul Pierce and Garnett were satisfied settling for long jumpers. While they did manage to hit many of them, they failed to draw fouls and play their physical game with Laker's bigs. Normally getting to the line more 25 times a game, they only shot eight free throws tonight. In comparison, the Lakers shot 15.

In no way did this game disappoint. Congrats to the Lakers and Phil Jax for his milestone victory. Luckily these two giants will meet once more in the regular season.

Christmas Day Live Blog

First and foremost, Merry Christmas to all you Double Dribbling readers. Hopefully you all had a great time with your families.

And if you didn't, there's no need to fret yet; we've all been blessed with 5 great NBA games on Christmas day. Double Dribbling will be updating continuously today with updates on the Suns v Spurs game, and a postgame analysis of the Lakers/Celtics.

Earlier today, the Hornets got man-handled by the Magic. CP3 needs more help...but more on that later.

Suns and Spurs up now; here we go:

1st Quarter:

• Suns win tip and go right to Shaq for two straight plays: 2 pts on the first play, assist to Amare for the second.
• Suns are out of the gate HOT and up 9-0 on 4-4 shooting two minutes in to the game. Pop had to call the timeout.
• 7:08 left in the quarter. The Spurs are on the board down 13-4, and the Suns have cooled off. They are imposing their will in the paint.
• 4:30 - Tony Parker just got SWATTED by STAT. These Suns are starting to look like the Suns of old.
• 1:50 - Spurs just went on 6-0 run. Shaq is sitting on the bench, and Lopez's inexperience is evident; he came up way short on his first jumper and turned the ball over on the next play. He also looks a step slow out there - I thought this guy was supposed to be athletic.
  *Haha Yao is in Barkley's and Wade's new T-mobile Fav5 commercial. Eat the Head!
• End of the Quarter Thoughts: Phx is up 27-18. Despite the slowdown at the end of the quarter, the Suns are still doing all the right things: attacking the basket, making the extra passes, not forcing up shots. It'll be interesting to see how the Spurs respond to Phoenix's fast start. SA's shots have started to fall, and Manu is making plays off of the bench. As much as I dislike Ginobili, I gotta give him props for his game.
  
  

2nd Quarter:

• Jrich is excited to be ballin for a good team again. He's playin with intensity.
• 9:30 - O'neal with a nice move under the bucket, losing Duncan with a spin.
• 7:45 - O'neal with another nice assist to a cutting Barbosa on a backdoor play. I love how despite his diminished athleticism, Shaq is finding a way to contribute effectively. Duncan had a textbook baseline baby-hook on the preceding possession.
• 6:00 - Hahaha O'neal again! A smooth spin move plus baby hook for the bucket and the fans are loving it. He's got 12 points already.
• 4:30 - Tony Parker is starting to heat up; Spurs are going to need more from him if they want to win this game. For all the injuries he's been through and his age, Grant Hill still looks surprisingly quick. He just caught a nice pass from Barnes for the easy put-in.
• 2:14 - Spurs within four: 43-39. Bonner for a three...that's all this guy can really do.
• End of the Half thoughts: The Phoenix big men are tearing it up. Amare's got 14 and Shaq has twelve. They've combined to shoot 12-18. For the Spurs, being down 45-39 isn't bad considering how that half went. If Manu can start hitting some shots, they'll make this real exciting.
  *Just saw the Slam Dunk contest commercial. We've got Russell Westbrook, Rudy Fernandez, and Joe Alexander vying for a spot against returning champ Dwight Howard. Whoever ends up winning the spot, I can guarantee you this will be an awesome contest. I'm especially excited about Joe Alexander. Reports say that this rookie is SICK athletic. Rudy is also regularly on the receiving end of alleyoops, and Westbrook is one of those small guys that can get UP. All-Star weekend is going to be nice. The other two contestants are Rudy Gay and Nate Robinson.
  *Another T-mobile Fav5 clip: Old-School video game where you play the stars when they're old. Magic and Dr. J make special appearances in this one.

3rd Quarter:

• 10:29 - Shaq has 4,998 FT misses right now, 3 of them coming earlier today. He just made his last three to delay hitting that 5 grand mark for a little while longer.
• 10:02 - Duncan has come out aggressive and has two quick buckets this quarter.
• 9:17 - Jrich hits a long jumper from a Nash Pass. Did you know this guy's 3pt% is better than his FG%? Crazy stuff....
• 8:09 - Bulldozing! Crowd goes wild as Shaq collects 2 offensive boards off his own misses and throws it down on the third attempt. There's some classic Shaq for you.
• 6:56 - SA ties the game. This is why they're so good and why so many people hate them; even when the momentum seems to be going against them, they find a way to come back. Phoenix better be careful...
• 6:08 - Amare hits an 18 footer. He's been quiet this quarter. The momentum is starting to shift towards the Spurs favor. These guys are just so consistent and persistent. Duncan is hittin from everywhere.
• 4:51 - Nash with a couple of buckets to get the crowd going again. He's had a subtle 10 points and 8 dimes. 59-54 Suns.
• 2:31 - The Suns are trying to pull away, but Spurs are sticking with em. Finely just hit a triple to bring SA within three.
• You'd think with Jrich and Amare...there'd be more highlight-reel plays in this game. Jrich only has 8.
  
• Amare's back on the attack, he's got 20.
• 0:54 - Shaq misses another FT of two. 4,999...
• 0:36 -Hack-a-Shaq is in full swing. SA fouls him again...and he hits the first one...the second goes up and IN! Shaq has 20pts now. Suns up 74-69.
• Duncan hits another from the top of the key. This guy is solid as a rock
• 0:08 - Shaq is fouled again and hits another two free throws! Crowd is going crazy. He's hit 8 of his last 9 free throws.
• End of the quarter thoughts: I wonder how long Shaq can put off hitting his 5,000th miss. The Phx fans are happy, but we know better than to count the Spurs out. I've gotta bad feeling for Phx only because I know that the Spurs always do something crazy to pull the win out against these guys.

4th Quarter:

• 11:17 - STAT attacks and gets the bucket plus a FT. Barbosa has been a ghost today...actually he's been a ghost for a while. I need to drop this guy from my fantasy baskeball team.
• 10:57 - Ginobili hits another triple. This guy is heating up...
• 8:09 - Spurs on 8-2 run. Suns up by 2.
• 4:43 - Dang Shaq just missed one of two free throws. That's number 5,000 folks. Game tied 84-84.
• 3:44 - Spurs up 2, but Duncan just picked up his 5th foul. In the Shaq FT tracker, Shaq just missed 2 more free throws.
  
• 3:04 - Jrich hits a huge three for the Suns. They're still down one.
• 1:52 - Duncan's getting frustrated with a couple of calls going against him.
• 1:20 - Spurs by 1. Crowd is on their feet but Amare can't hit. Parker goes back the other way and misses. Refs give Tony a Technical after arguing a no call.
• 0:24 - Holy moley. Game tied 88 all. Amare has missed his last three attempts right next to the bucket, but luckily the Spurs haven't capitalized either. Phx calls a timeout.
• 0:07 - Suns manage to inbound but are forced to call another timeout after the trap. With no more timeouts left, they need to inbound.
• 0:04 - Amare with a nice pass to Hill off of a backscreen for an easy lay-in! Suns up two. Spurs have 4.3 seconds to try to tie it or go for the win.
• NO FREAKIN WAY. The Spurs do it again! Parker drives, kicks to Roger Mason in the corner for the game winning three at the buzzer. The fans are silent and in disbelief. Merry Christmas Phoenix. Somehow I saw this coming. Daaang.

That's going to be all for Double Dribbling Live Blogging today. I'll be back later for a post game analysis of Lakers v Celtics.

Man, you have to feel for the Suns. Spurs win it at the buzzer again...

Why the Celtics Won't Win 72 Games

Currently on an 18-game win streak, the Boston Celtics (26-2) are on pace to surpass the once thought untouchable record of 72-10 established by the 96' Bulls. The Big 3 in Boston have been playing unbelievable ball, and have received substantial boost by the improving Rajon Rondo. While Boston fans are hyped and ready for history to be made, the rest of the league watches green-eyed (no pun intended).

Hold up a sec

I will be so bold as to make this claim; The Boston Celtics will not reach the much-coveted 72 wins mark. "Why not?" you ask. I'll tell you why. Here are the factors that will contribute to the Celtics just barely missing the goal:


Karma
I'm sure you all remember the theatrics Paul Pierce pulled in game one of the finals last June. You know the one I'm talking about; Pierce falls to the hardwood in the third quarter clutching his knee in what appeared to be gut-wrenching agony. Unable to walk on his own, three grown men carry Pierce to the bench, and wheelchair him into the locker-room. Minutes later, a "miracle" happens. Paul Pierce comes bouncing out of the locker-room to the applause and cheer of thousands of Celtic fans. Back in the game, Pierce hits a couple of game changing threes to help Boston not only take game 1, but also set the tone for the ensuing series.

Pauly Paul, you may have pulled a quick one on the nation last June, but the Basketball gods know what was really up. Real or not, that effects of that injury were clearly over-exaggerated. Game one was won on the momentum of Pierce's miraculous return. Don't be surprised if Paul Pierce finds himself sidelined for a couple weeks to a month with some injury later this regular season. With one leg of the Boston Three-Party missing, the Celtics will lose a couple of normally winnable games.
In no way am I wishing harm upon this Pierce; I respect him as a basketball player, but justice must be served. Karma is karma; it forgets no one.

Age
On a more serious note, it's no secret that the Big 3 can't in any way be considered "young". While each of the three's talents are still superior to many of their NBA counterparts, their physical condition might not measure up as well to the rest of the young guns in the league.

According to a recent report by Kelly Naqi of ESPN, Doc Rivers doubts that his players are even aware of their current winning streak. The Celtics are focused solely on winning the title next summer, and will not mind losing a few of the last couple of games in the season if it means a fully charged Garnett/Pierce/Allen for the playoffs.
*This is also something to keep in mind for all you fantasy basketball players out there. I've been screwed over a couple of times because I had superstars on teams that had no reason to play 40 minutes a night during the last couple of weeks in the regular season. Think about getting rid of these three before your league's trade deadline.

Kobe Bryant
Kobe and the Lakers now have NO excuse for losing to the Celtics. Last summer, they were missing Andrew Bynum's physicality to anchor their defense. With Bynum back this year and straight-up jacked (then and now), LA should now be able to better match-up with the physicality and rebounding of the Celtics. Bynum has also had plenty of time to acclimate to playing with Gasol. The Lakers also have no injuries to significant players. Kobe is very much aware that their game on Christmas day will be a critical measure of how well the Lakers can handle the Celtics, and that it will also set the tone for future clashes in the playoffs. Black Mamba/The Doberman will not let the Lakers lose either of the two times they face Boston this year. You can count on it.

The Cleveland Lebroniers
Let's not forget the man-child. Lebron and the Cavs took the Celts to game 7 last year in the Eastern Conference finals, and fell short primarily because Lebron had no consistent help on the offensive end. Now I know that the Celtics have already beat the Cavs three times this year (narrow wins I might add), but those wins were all within the first month of the season. The Cavs are now on a roll, and at times look unstoppable. Mo Williams has figured out his role in the offense. Ilgauskus is playing fairly consistent ball. Delonte West has also improved to be an adequate plug-in at SG. If Lebron continues being the beast that he is (and he will), the Cavs can take the Celtics no problem. These two teams face-off three more times this season. Chalk up at least two losses for Boston from those meets.

Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan? Yup. If MJ feels truely threatened by the Celtics' attempt at his Bulls's record at any point, he will come out of retirement for the third time and personally ensure that Boston doesn't reach 72. You don't think MJ could still step in for a game or two, drop 30 points and a buzzer-beating game-winner on the Celtics? I know I do.

Taking all these factors into consideration, and adding some random variables (like those Atlanta Hawks, who are bound to win one against the Celtics), Boston is destined to come close, but not hit that magic number 72.

*Please note: The preceding passage was written by a bona fide Boston Celtic hater.

NBA's New Ad-Campaign

Thanks to AlanaG for these leaked NBA commercials scheduled to air on Christmas day.

Personally, I really liked the previous series of "Where Amazing Happens" ads. But the most recent version did seem to get repetitive. Instead of the melodic piano tunes of yester-year, the NBA has decided to go down the comedy route. Of the three new ads posted below, Lebron's has to be the best. Looks like Lebron gets pumped up with some Cyndi Lauper. He's also rocking Beats by Dr. Dre (everyone who's somebody seems to have those).









Drop a dime and let us know what you think of the new campaign

Asian American Basketball

I stole this link from DimeMag. It's an insightful article on the status of Asian-Americans in basketball (or the lack thereof). Definitely worth a read, let me know what you think.

Being an Asian-American myself, I do agree with many of the claims of the article. From a young age, Asian parents apply a lot of academic pressure on their children - sometimes overwhelming pressure. Traditionally, Asian parents won't butter the facts to any extent. As a kid, I wanted to be an NBA player. My parents made it clear to me that I wasn't athletic nor skilled enough to make it. When you hear that at age 7, you believe it.

I'm not saying that I could have actually made it anywhere had I received proper encouragement; turns out my athleticism is average at best, and my self-motivating abilities suck. But I'm sure there are a number of kids out there that could have gone places if their dreams hadn't been crushed so early in their adolescence.

On the other hand, I have also met number of successful Asian athletes in my day. People who I believe, if had spent enough time practicing, could've played college ball. The question then becomes, why don't they?

The truth is that most Asian Americans innately recognize that it would be easier to make a living through academic routes rather than athletic. A friend of mine states,

"I don't know too many asians who feel like they "need" sports to get into college and have a future. i think that says something about the amount of effort/desperation that we put into sports."

Waiver Wire Watch (12/18/08)

Waiver-wire watch will be a series of posts keeping you updated with a collection of players close to being fantasy relevant, not must-pick-ups. Acquisition of the listed players will depend on your own team needs. However, make sure to keep an eye out for these guys.

Mike Conley has been somewhat of a disappointment this season. While many expected the second year player to improve, Conley has experienced a drop across most stat categories. Despite his underwhelming performances thus far, his only real competition for the point position is Kyle Lowry, who hasn't done much to impress anyone either. Conley is currently averaging 8pts, 4assists, and 3 rebounds in 25 mins. You'd think with Mayo and Gay at 2 and 3, Conley would be able to dish out a few more assists. He has the potential to bust out given some more minutes, but I wouldn't hold my breath.

Kyle Korver has been relatively quiet this year. However, Jerry Sloan has recently expressed his unsatisfaction with his current starting lineup, and has proposed to shake things up a bit. Ronnie Brewer and CJ Miles are on their way out of the starting five, and Korver is looking to take one of those spots. If he starts, look for 25-30 minutes a game. "Ashton" Korver won't provide much else besides 3 pters, but he shoots good percentages and keeps his turnovers low, so he won't harm your team either. Look for him to be Jason Kapono of the West. Speaking of Kapono...

Jason Kapono has seen enough minutes to be fantasy relevant, but has not produced with the minutes granted. Though he has shown flashes of brilliance, he is wildly inconsistent. In his last five games, he's scored 5, 17, 7, 16, and 25 points while shooting 28%, 46%, 21%, 40%, and 68% respectively. He's getting his shots, but isn't making them on a consistent enough basis to warrant a roster spot. However, if you're up for a risk, Kapono could pay off huge.

Nick Young started off the season on fire. In fact, I even had him on my own team for a good 3 weeks. However, since mid-November, the 2nd year player that was supposed to step up in place of injured Gilbert Arenas fell off the map. Like Eddie Jordan, Ed Tapscott is keeping a short leash on all his bench players. Recently, the Washington Post reported:

"I'm going to take a little blame for Nick's troubles," Tapscott said. "I've had him thinking a little too much... Some guys are better just playing in the flow, so I gave him the release today. I said, 'Look, I'm going to play you the full segment and leave you alone and let you play.' "

In other words, Young is in line for more minutes once again. And it's not like the Wizards are going anywhere at the moment. Optimistically, Young will be a good source of points with an occasional three. Other than that, don't expect much else in peripherial stats.

Marreese Speights is the guy I'm actually most excited about on this list. Elton Brand just went down yesterday with a dislocated shoulder, and is expected to be out at least a month. In his abscence, look for Speights to get more minutes and produce. This Florida product has an NBA ready body, and can bang with the bigs of the East. The 76ers are in desperate need of some reliable post production, and while Thaddeus Young will get some of Brand's minutes, he's not a traditional PF. In his last game, Speights put up 12pts, 7 rebs, and a steal while going 6-7 from the free throw line in 18 minutes. With Brand out of the picture, look for him to get at least 25 minutes a game.

Lebron "The Six" (Lebron VI's)

Here's a link to a wordsearch-ish type of thing from Nike.com promoting Lebron James's newest shoe, The Six.

The Drive Inside

Basically, you need to find 16 words/things that motivate and inspire Lebron to do what he does. If you're up for the challenge, give it a shot. But if looking at the image gives you a headache, I've gone through the trouble of finding all 16 words and posted them below.

Once you complete the wordsearch, you're entered in a drawing to win a pair of The Six. Yes, I know you're probably not going to win, but it's worth a shot right?

Lebron The Six Answers

• witness
• family
• basketball
• akron
• vision
• four horsemen
• winning
• chosen one
• respect
• Lebron jr
• bryce maximus
• passion
• rising son
• ohio
• gloria
• fearless

(make sure you keep the two-word answers separate as two words)

Good luck with that.

Name the NBA Teams

You think you know NBA Basketball?

Try this nifty quiz and see how many NBA teams you can list off the top of your head.

I got 23/30

Brandon Roy - Your next elite combo guard

Brandon Roy is a beast. His last 3 games, he has scored 101 pts, including a career high of 38 pts last night against the Clippers. Additionally, Roy is good for at least a steal or block every game, and is averaging 5 reb, 5 ast, and a 3pt made per game.
Throw in a FG% hovering around .500 and a FT in the upper .800s, and you have yourself an elite fantasy option right there.

The scary part, Roy is still improving... As his young team around him gains more experience, and Roy has more confidence when to defer to better shooters, or post presences, Oden or Aldridge, and when to create his own offense, Roy can pick his spots and best-case scenario, Roy can evolve into a threat for 35 pts, 10 reb, or 10 ast any given night.

If you are in a fantasy league, and own Roy, you would be very tempted to sell high on him right now, but DON'T. This is not a fluke, it is in fact merely a harbinger of things to come.


Plus, the dude's got a flair for the dramatic, as evidenced by this buzzer beater from earlier in the season.

ROY BEATS ROCKETS AT BUZZER

JRich to Phoenix in 5 Player Deal

The NBA's latest 5 player trade just sent Jason Richardson, Jared Dudley, and a future 2nd round pick to Phoenix for Raja Bell, Boris Diaw, and Sean Singletary.

Not that the Bobcats were going anywhere this season anyways, but I'm not sure what Michael Jordan is thinking up there in Charlotte's executive offices. Richardson was their top scorer, and giving him away leaves them with who? Gerald Wallace? Emeka Okafor?

Maybe Jrich was meshing with Larry Brown's system. Who knows? It was so sudden.

Bell and Diaw are valuable additions to the team. Optimistically, Larry Brown can put together a vague poor man's version of the Pistons circa 2004: no star player, great team chemistry. Realistically, Bobcats are about to get a nice lottery pick this year.

Phoenix's offense has been in a recent funk. Jrich may potentially give it a spark and allow them to run a bit more like they used to.

Lebron Posterizes Toronto

For your viewing pleasure:
Here are some highlights of Lebron's complete destruction of the Raptors from last night. The 4th dunk is the straightup ridiculous.



I couldn't even look this good on a 7ft rim...

Fantasy Market (12/9/2008)

Image from www.all-nba-all-basketball.com

Sorry to have gone such an extended period of time without updating the blog. Final exams are coming fast, which equates to less time for blogging. However, a lot more time should clear up after the 17th. Without further ado...

Buy Low

Kevin Martin: Under normal circumstances, Kmart2 is a highly efficient scorer. He's capable of putting up 22+ points a night while shooting a respectable 45% from the field. This year was supposed to be his year; Ron Artest was shipped out of Sacramento to Houston, making Martin the clear cut first option on offense. However, an ankle sprain has severely dampened the start to this young phenom's season. After missing 12 games last month, Martin attempted to come back too quickly and re-aggravated his injury. There's no doubt that those fantasy owners out there who used an early draft pick on him are frustrated, making Kmart a perfect buy low candidate. Ankle sprains have plagued the league this year, and each sprain has sidelined their respective player for an extended period of time. However, Kmart at 100% is a great asset in pts, 3pters, and FT%. Despite the current abscence of a timetable for return, Kmart is worth targeting in your league.

Mike Miller: This season, the Timberwolves have resorted to spreading more shots around to the younguns on the team like Foye and McCants. As a result, Miller has experienced a significant droppoff across a number of statistical categories. However, the Timbercubs are far from proving that they can even be competitive with the rest of the west with the system they're currently running. Just yesterday, Kevin McHale announced that he would replace Randy Wittman as headcoach of the Twolves. With McHale at the helm, expect the Twolves to look for more production from Miller. I predict that he'll be able to at least raise his statline back to last year's level, if not higher. He has also recently missed two games due to a minor ankle sprain, so you could potentially use that to your advantage in targeting for him.

Deron Williams: I don't know how low you could actually acquire him for, but Deron hasn't had the hottest start to the season. After missing numerous games at the beginning of the season, and making one premature attempt at a return, Deron's ankle now seems to be completely healthy. Though his assist numbers have picked up right where he left off last year, his shooting has been subpar at best. He's averaging just under 12ppg (18ppg last year), and is shooting .41FG% (down from 50% last year) at the moment. Expect these numbers to rise significantly in the coming months. Boozer has been out with an injury the past couple of weeks, dampening Williams's production. Once (or if) Utah can get running on all cylinders, Deron will continue his qualitative and quantitative growth as a player. Williams will challenge CP3 for the league's best point guard title. Expect averages of 20pts, 11 assists, and 1.5 threes after the new year.

Sell High

Paul Millsap: The Jason Maxiell of the West has been an absolute monster in Carlos Boozer's abscence. Starting in Boozer's place, he's been averaging 17pts, 11rebs, 1.4stls, and 1.1 blocks while shooting ridiculously well from the floor and respectably from the line. The only problem is that Boozer is close to returning, and Millsap will return to his role coming off the bench. Trade him away while you still can for a low-end consistent starter like Rip Hamilton.

Allen Iverson: The Answer has been anything but since being traded to the Pistons. Curry and the Pistons have already discovered what Karl and the Nuggets have known for the last 2 years; AI can't run the point. Getting shifted to SG in the starting line-up might be the spark Detroit needs, but I doubt it. Rodney Stuckey isn't really a pure point guard either. The Pistons are a mess right now, and AI absolutely must stop dominating the ball for them to succeed. His point production is down, FG% isn't great, and TO's at a high rate. Use is name appeal and get rid of him if you can.

OJ Mayo: I have been hating on this guy all year, and thus far he's proven me wrong. Don't sell him immediately; he's been lighting it up from everywhere for the Grizz and doesn't look like he's slowing down. But come the All Star break, I expect him to cool off a little like so many rookies have in the past. The fatigue of the long NBA season will catch up, causing a slight statistical drop across the board. Shop him around and see what kind of value you can get in return; there's no rush to get rid of him yet.