Yes, yes, I’m aware, the vast majority of the sports world will turn its attention to the NFL Draft tonight. Apparently, it wasn’t enough for the NFL to dominate your Saturday and Sunday for one weekend a year. Now, they get to dominate your Thursday night too. This despite the NFL Draft essentially boiling down to five seconds of intrigue (the actual pick being announced) followed by 15 minutes of ESPN talking heads shouting at each other (the time between the picks). Sorry, I’m bitter. Hey Roger Goodell, stop trying to take over the world.
NBA Playoffs: Your Complete Thursday Night Viewing Guide
Regardless, there are some pretty interesting NBA Playoff games tonight. Hopefully, you’ll fight the good fight and stand up to the man (i.e. the NFL). But first, a couple quick thoughts on last night’s games.
- The Charlotte Bobcats are doing whatever they can to beat the Magic. They're sending their legion of no-offense centers to frustrate Dwight Howard, and they're trying as hard as possible to close down on perimeter shooters. The problem is that they have literally no offense, and when all you can do is shoot jumpers, you have no chance to beat the Magic.
- Dallas followed up a great shooting night with a terrible shooting night. I know they lost, but they'll be fine. This series is probably going seven, and they have the clincher at home. Don't worry too much, Mavs fans.
- That said, they still have no answer for Manu Ginobili. They also have no answer for Tim Duncan, as long as Rick Carlisle keeps playing Erick Dampier more than Brendan Haywood. I'm an unabashed Haywood fan, so I might be a bit biased, but he's in a different stratosphere than Erick Dampier. Why he doesn't play, I'll never know. Maybe he looked at Carlisle the wrong way once.
- I have a new least favorite player: Boris Diaw. Remember how great he looked when he won the Most Improved Player? He's regressed significantly since then, and his lack of aggression is maddening. There were several plays where he had a guard like Vince Carter switched onto him, and he never tried to make a play. C'mon son.
Onto tonight!
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Chicago Bulls: Game 3, 7:00 p.m., TNT
Game 2 in one sentence: The Bulls gave arguably their best shot, and the Cavaliers still won thanks to some late-game heroics by LeBron James.
Problem the Bulls must solve to win: Get Derrick Rose to be more efficient. Pretty much everyone else on the team played way over their heads in Game 2. Especially Joakim Noah and Luol Deng. Noah dropped 25 and 13, while Deng had 20 quietly. The problem is that Rose, while he scored 23 points, didn't play all that well. It took Rose 24 shots to reach 23 points, and while he did have eight assists, he still needs to find a way to score more efficiently. He needs to drive to the basket and draw fouls, which should be easier with the friendlier home whistles in Chicago. That's Chicago's only chance, and Rose has to rise to the occassion.
Problem the Cavaliers must solve to win again: Good lord, fix that defense. I know, I know, the Bulls probably won’t shoot that well again, but Cleveland’s defensive stats were not good in Game 2. The Bulls had three guys finish with over 20 points, grabbed 13 offensive rebounds and had just four turnovers, which all adds up to an offensive efficiency of 117.2, one of their best marks of the season. There’s no reason an elite defense like Cleveland’s should struggle so badly against a terrible Bulls offense. Get back to your bread and butter, Cavs.
Totally inconsequential thing I want to see happen: James Johnson, on a fast break, with LeBron chasing him from behind. I want to see Johnson win this round.
Prediction: Chicago’s played Cleveland tough in both games, and now they have the home court on their side. That has to be worth one win. Bulls 95, Cavaliers 93.
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder: Game 3, 9:30 p.m., TNT
Game 2 in one sentence: The Thunder showed more poise and stuck right with the Lakers until the bitter end, but the Lakers executed better down the stretch to escape with a three-point win.
Problem the Thunder must solve to win: Jeff Green needs to get going. He's shooting just 6-23 in the series and has been eaten alive by Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom. He also failed at stopping Kobe Bryant down the stretch in Game 2, though to be fair, he should never have been put in that position (nice coaching, Coach of the Year). I hate to be blunt, but right now, Green is killing the Thunder. Either he needs to play less, or he needs to really pick it up. Since he's kind of been this same player for three years (i.e. he hasn't really developed much since being a rookie), maybe it's time to sit him down and give more time to James Harden and Serge Ibaka.
Problem the Lakers must solve to win again: Speaking of guys that are killing the team - did you know that Derek Fisher has more field goal attempts in this series than Andrew Bynum (22 to 19)? Fisher's hit only six of those shots, and since he's not really in there for his defense - well, why exactly is he in there anyway? You know it's a bad sign when Ron Artest is showing better shot selection than you. Fisher's killing too many Lakers' possessions with dumb shots, and that'll cost the Lakers in the tougher Oklahoma City atmosphere.
Totally inconsequential thing I want to see happen: A standing ovation from the Oklahoma City crowd. It’ll be interesting to see whether the atmosphere in OKC compares to the one in Golden State in 2007. If it’s anywhere close to that good, this game will be fun.
Prediction: The Thunder should have had the Lakers in Game 2. They’ll get them in Game 3. Thunder 103, Lakers 90.
Phoenix Suns vs. Portland Trail Blazers: Game 3, 10:00 p.m., NBATV
Game 2 in one sentence: The Suns made all the adjustments, and the Blazers were content to come home with a road split.
Problem the Blazers must solve to win: They need to figure out how to get LaMarcus Aldridge more shots. Aldridge had just eight shot attempts in Game 2, as the Suns double-teamed him every chance they got. Maybe that means getting him more open jumpers, which isn't ideal, but is still better than nothing. As SB Nation's Blazers blog Blazers Edge writes:
Hopefully the home rims will reawaken LaMarcus Aldridge’s face-up jumper. We’d all prefer to see him scoring in the paint but him taking 20 shots, 14 of which are jumpers, is far better than him taking 8 of any variety. Once Phoenix has to guard him from 20 feet the floor will open up for him and everyone else playing alongside.
Problem the Suns must solve to win again: The Suns played pretty damn well in Game 2, so there's really not much they could do better. However, Amare Stoudemire does need to become a bit more active offensively. He only had 10 shots in Game 2, and while his defense drew rave reviews from his coach, he's paid to be an offensive machine. The Suns will need a big game from Amare to steal a game in Portland's hostile atmosphere.
Totally inconsequential thing I want to see happen: Rudy Fernandez stealing Brandon Roy's jersey and playing in it. I know he says he's not Brandon Roy, but he's talking like he believes he should be treated like a star. Read this quote and tell me otherwise.
“You took only two shots,” Fernandez was told as he walked away. “Why?”
“I don’t know,” Fernandez said, smirking over his shoulder while throwing his hands in the air. “I don’t know.”
For once, I'd like to see Nate McMillan be the tough guy and say to Rudy, 'Okay, you want to be Brandon Roy? Put on his jersey and prove it.' Rudy would then miss his first five shots, and McMillan would sit him for good. Portland may lose because of it, but Nate should flex his muscles anyway.
Prediction: Portland will get a boost from their home crowd, but Phoenix has made their adjustments and I don’t see any way the Blazers will solve them, especially if Nicolas Batum doesn’t play. Suns 107, Blazers 95.
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