“Be not afraid, only believe.”
Mark 5:36
This is the time, Sonic fans. Green and Gold fanatics, we stand at a crossroads, with paths so divergent even google.com/maps would fail at including them in a single page.
At one branch: the sour taste of disappointment. Color it how you wish, but if the Sonics fail to step up in game 2, then fall over themselves and drop 3 and 4 at home, this season will end distastefully. With Ray Allen and a half-dozen other players – not to mention Saint Nate – set to leave via free-agency, this season will not be remembered for the great run to the top, it will be remembered for the disastrous fall back down.
At the other branch: the sweet fragrance of redemption. Allen returns, JJ awakens, and the Sonics snatch a game 2 win before the Spurs can even jingle-jangle.
What will it take? Nothing less than a supreme effort from 3 corners:
1. Ray Allen has to – has to – make this his moment. Even if it is only to cash in this summer, Ray’s got to tell his bum ankle that it doesn’t hurt, and that he is the man to lead the Sonics to the promised land.
2. Rashard must build on his effort in the second half. The Incredible Vanishing Lewis that we saw at times on offense against Sac. and in the first half against the Spurs, the same disappearing act Sonic fans are accustomed to from this enigmatic small forward, has to leave, and the New Rashard take its place. If Lewis and Allen match Duncan and Ginobli, we’re in good shape. In game 1, the Spurs’ duo outscored our heroes by 24 points, which was, not coincidentally, almost the same margin as the game.
3. Seattle needs to find a way to get open 3’s, and make them. The Spurs are exceptional at prohibiting 3-pointers, and the Sonics are exceptional at making them. In game 1, the Spurs’ excellence outdid Seattle’s. Going 2-for-10 from long-distance will not cut it in this series.
So, there you go. 3 things Seattle must do to have any chance. If you read the Times, Steve Kelley says we have no chance. I say the Sonics can win, for the same reason they’ve won all year: they are a combination of potent offensive forces and tenacious rebounders that can wear down opposing teams over 48 minutes.
Let’s hope I’m right.
Monday, May 9
Sunday, May 8
That was fun...
A picture speaks a thousand words...
San Antonio 103, Seattle 81
Spurs lead series 1-0
Next Game: Tuesday at San Antonio at 6:30PM
Player(s) of the game:
To single out one player would be a shame. The Sonics made the entire Spurs team look like a bunch of superstars. But for consistency's sake let's do this. Tony Parker had 29 points on 11-18 shooting and had 9 points on 4-4 shooting in the 1st 8 minutes of the game. I have promised not to mention certain topics for the remainder of the playoffs so, readers, please read between
these: ---- "____ _______" -----.
Breakdown:
- Welcome back to Earth, Jerome and all us demented Sonics fans.
- If anyone attempts to justify the injuries as being the primary cause of this Sonics' loss, they will have all commenting privileges taken away.
Reasons to remain optimistic:
- Crickets chirping...
- X-rays? Negative. Hallelujah.
- Due to NBA playoff guidelines, there was no technical way that the Spurs could count that can of whoop-ass for anything more than a 1-0 series lead.
- Collison, for the few brief moments he was in there, looked like he carried some the late season, 1st round, energy minutes over into this game.
- Lewis, for a very scant few minutes in the 4th, reattached his frank and beans to his groin, and got a few promising slop points in at the end.
- (Heading to kitchen, scrounging through cabinets, looking for any more straws to grasp. Negative.)
Question(s) of the night:
- Can Ray be as effective playing ball on a sprained knee as he is playing the gee-tar and singing?
- Lewis: You've lost... that no-one-can-stop me feeeeling, woa-oah, that unstopabble feeling. Can you get it back in time to make it a series?
- Will the Sonics read and react?
Spurs. Sonics. Game 1. We're on it.
We're totally breaking their ankles!
Gametime: 5:00pm Pac Time on TNT (KJR for Paul - Ed.).
In case any of you are gonna be sitting at home watching this, feel free to do your yelling and screaming, and venting out your anger here.
Game on!
(Photo courtesy of Paul's homoerotic 70's wrestling archive. - Ed.)
Friday, May 6
And the band played on…
2005 NBA Playoffs Western Conference Round 2:
#2 San Antonio Spurs vs. #3 Seattle Supersonics
Game 1: Sunday, May 8, 5:00PM Pacific time
Bench & Starting matchups/comparison:
I don’t really feel comfortable doing one since these teams, the Sonics especially, actually have bench guys playing more minutes, and in at crucial minutes at the end of the game (at least I hope so.) For the Spurs I fully expect to see Horry taking over at the 4 spot & Duncan shifting to the 5 spot. For the Sonics I hope the finishing combination will include effective contributions of James, Radmanovic, & Collison. Lastly you can go to ESPN, Yahoo, CNNSI etc. and get a much more involved analysis than I’d give. Try Chad Ford; I think he’s got Vitaly Potapenko being the X-factor or something.
Here are the lineups that concern me:
Spurs finishing 5:
Duncan
Horry with occasions with Rasho instead
Bowens
Manu
Parker
Sonics finishing 5:
James with generous portions of Collison in an undersized rotation
Even distribution of Collison & Radmanovic
Lewis
Allen
A.D.
Ideal distribution of Sonics time (5 spots at 48 min = 240 minutes)
Ray Allen: 42 minutes (39min season average)
Rashard Lewis: 40 m (38)
Antonio Daniels: 35 m (27)
Jerome James: 25 m (17)
Nick Collison: 25 m (17)
Vlad Radmanovic: 25 m (30)
Reggie Evans: 15 m (24)
Danny Fortson: 14 m (17)
Luke Ridnour: 14 m (31)
Damien Wilkins: 5 m (-)
Plays I’ll be looking out for:
When Sonics have the ball:
1) Set play: Lewis and Allen on the wings, Evans slightly to one side of the key, James/Collison/Fortson setting the pick for Rid or A.D. at the top of the key. At onset of pick and roll, Lewis and/or Allen go to motion, using Evans pick to rub defenders off and find an open spot outside, usually on opposite wing they started at. Pick man rolls, PG drives and decides whether to 1) drive to the hole and shoot 2) drive & kick out to an open Lewis or Allen, 3) hit the rolling pick man or Evans.
2) Set play: Lewis and Daniels isolated on one side. Remaining players on other half with a typical configuration of Radman setup for a straightaway 3 and Allen for an elbow 3, with Evans or Fortson in position to chase an offensive board. Lewis and Daniels run a pick & post in which Lewis takes the PG to the block and sets up Calabro for a “there’s a mouse in the house!” call with a high percentage post up opportunity, or 2) defenders sloppily switch off pick and A.D. gets an open lane to the hole for an easy shot or 2 free throws, or a rotating defense which leads to an outlet pass to a waiting Radman or Allen.
3) The cat & mouse play (or the Reggie Miler special): PG with the ball at the top: 4’s and 5’s (and maybe Rashard as well) setting picks, SG running through both picks to rub his defender off of him for a catch and shoot. The effectiveness in which the Sonics will be able to get the ball to Allen off this play for a clear shot without Bowen still stuck on him like glue will speak volumes as to who’s winning the Sonics O vs. the Spurs D match up.
When the Spurs have the ball:
1) Parker and a big (Rasho or Horry primarily) executing a high pick and roll at the top of the key. The best defense against the pick and roll I’ve seen recently was from last year’s Pistons. Billups wouldn’t even have to call the switch and the big (Sheed) would AGGRESSIVELY use his mobility to close the gap on the speedy PG, and use his wingspan to prevent a quick pass out. PG would be forced to stop his dribble and/or reset the offense, allowing the defense to reset itself as well. It kinda helps when every guy on the team is a + on the ball defender. Now that I’ve mentioned Billups & Wallace… imagine Parker & Duncan/Rasho/Mohammed running this against Ridnour & James. That is a nightmare sequence. James does not possess the lateral mobility or the basketball IQ to stop Parker from driving off the switch, Ridnour does not possess the toughness to fight through the screens (just watch how many times he gives up on a screen due a lack of toughness, there are just so many hidden f**kups on Ridnour’s part that are attributed to other players it pisses me off), and or the PG will see the breakdown and pass to the cutting big man or the big man posting on Rid, which will cause defensive rotation, big man getting it a high percentage shot from a wide open teammate.
2) Duncan on the block, particularly on the left (or right?) side either facing his defender up and taking the 16-18 bank shot his defender gives him, or posting/getting by with a quick first step and driving into the key (almost never goes baseline) for a high percentage 4-8ft shot.
3) Spurs on transition: Because of the Sonics’ tendency to allow the 4’s and 5’s to go after an offensive rebound opportunity, it is paramount that Rid/Allen/Rashard and their bench counterparts stop transition penetration from Parker/Manu/Udrih and force them to setup their half court O, (and allow us to set up the D)
For the Sonics to win ALL of the following must occur:
1) Ray Allen & Rashard Lewis must come close to matching the offensive output of Tim Duncan & Manu Ginobili.
2) All indications are that the Spurs will go with a game plan of Bowen on Allen. This will mean that:
a) The Spurs game plan will be to minimize Allen’s efficiency with Bowen, minimize the output of the other 3 players with 1 on 1 D, and force Lewis to prove his ability to reliably score against the likes of Ginobili or Horry. To reiterate: Lewis must decisively win any 1-on-1 matchup against Ginobili or Horry.
b) The game plan will be to passively or aggressively double team Rashard when he gets the ball and, unlike in the Kings series, prove that he’s capable of evading the double team by going baseline to the rim, splitting the double team, or making the correct outlet pass to rotate the ball to an open man/shot.
If the Spurs are still on one of these game plans come game 3 and 4, it will mean that Rashard failed to adjust to the defense and is not capable of providing a reliable enough offensive production/output to complement Allen. Translation: We’re f**ked. An ideal Sonics situation would be Rashard being crazy effective forcing Pop to place Bowen on him and Manu on Allen, and the Sonics duo capitalizing.
3) Tony Parker must be limited to 3 monster games min, meaning of course, in 4 of the games the Lewis/Allen duo will only have to contend/match the output of the Timmeh/Manu duo for the Spurs. This will require either one of the following or a combination:
a) Parker will pull his inconsistency act, not have a great shooting night, lack confidence in his shot to be effective on several nights. Maybe we can send Eva some lingerie and some Oysters the night prior to the game to weaken the Frenchman’s legs come game time…
b) A.D. or possibly Damien Wilkins will be effective in limiting the drives Parker takes resulting in open 6-8 floaters, lay-ins, passes to open players. Ridnour will be chained to the bench during this time and only allowed on the court when Brent Barry or Beno Udrih assumes the PG spot for the Spurs. And maybe one restroom break at halftime.
c) The Sonics will be marginal to above average in their defense of the high pick and roll.
4) Jerome James will NOT have to go Bizarro on us and chip in with 15pts & 10 boards a night. What is needed of him is to be defensively active, with fast enough footwork/reaction to stay out of foul trouble and be in proper position to alter Parker floaters & the maniacal-Manu lefty lay ins. Numbers wise the team will need a minimum average of 25 FRISKY, ENERGETIC, & SMART minutes, 8 or so rebounds, and several blocked/ altered shots a game.
5) The defensive rotation off of a Tim Duncan double team must minimize the number of wide-open Spurs 3-point shots. If the combined shooting stats from Parker/Bowens/ Udrih/Manu resulting from poor rotation results is 5 or so made treys at a 45% clip or greater, score this a failing grade. Also, proper rotation execution must be made by our 4's & 5's when our 2 & 3's go flying towards Manu/Parker/Barry beyond the arc, and they subsequently drive in. There's going to be a bunch of Supes running around like monkeys reacting to San Antonio ball movement/penetration/player movement, and its gotta play itself out like controlled chaos for the good guys.
6) Collectively, the production that the Sonics get from the 96 minutes at the 4 and 5 spots must give us a decided advantage over the Spurs counterpart sans Duncan. This means you Nick Collison, Reggie Evans, Danny Fortson, & Jerome James. You guys must at least double the output of Rasho Nesterovic, Robert Horry, & Nazr Mohammed.
7) The Radmanovic/Daniels/Ridnour trio will average roughly 22 pts/game. I’d specifically like to see this group counteract any production from Parker during the 4 Sonic victories.
For the Spurs to win:
Any scenario not containing ALL the factors stated above will provide the Spurs with a series victory.
O.K. Before you skewer me with statements like “Where’s No. 8: The kitchen sink?” please take a look each one of those addendums individually. None of them is a mountain moving request and they certainly fall within the realm of this team’s capability.
But for all of them to occur in the series? Indeed, the odds are staggering against the Sonics, and an application would need to be written for the hand of God to make a series appearance. Yes, the Spurs are that much better.
The odds are that grim for a Sonics victory. Almost as grim as… the odds of the Sonics entering the playoffs as the No. 3 seed… As slim as the preseason chances for the 2005 NW Division Championship banner to end up hanging under the Key Arena roof... As unlikely as the chances of a naïve high school kid, agonizingly watched by a nation having his lottery dreams crushed in the 1998 NBA draft, blossoming into that rarest of species: an All Star plucked from the 2nd round junkheap... As improbable as the Jerome James’ 1st round outburst coinciding with Lewis taking time to regain that unstoppable feeling & A.D. getting his legs back…
This to me is everything the playoffs are about. Dreaming the impossible dream. Seeing the mountain defiantly standing in the way of glory, and defiantly walking forward in turn. I’ll be watching this team doing the same from the nosebleeds of The Key in games 3 & 4. I’ll be in full denial mode of the task ahead of the Supes, screaming myself hoarse. I hope to see you there too. Game on.
Sonics in 7. Onward.
#2 San Antonio Spurs vs. #3 Seattle Supersonics
Game 1: Sunday, May 8, 5:00PM Pacific time
Bench & Starting matchups/comparison:
I don’t really feel comfortable doing one since these teams, the Sonics especially, actually have bench guys playing more minutes, and in at crucial minutes at the end of the game (at least I hope so.) For the Spurs I fully expect to see Horry taking over at the 4 spot & Duncan shifting to the 5 spot. For the Sonics I hope the finishing combination will include effective contributions of James, Radmanovic, & Collison. Lastly you can go to ESPN, Yahoo, CNNSI etc. and get a much more involved analysis than I’d give. Try Chad Ford; I think he’s got Vitaly Potapenko being the X-factor or something.
Here are the lineups that concern me:
Spurs finishing 5:
Duncan
Horry with occasions with Rasho instead
Bowens
Manu
Parker
Sonics finishing 5:
James with generous portions of Collison in an undersized rotation
Even distribution of Collison & Radmanovic
Lewis
Allen
A.D.
Ideal distribution of Sonics time (5 spots at 48 min = 240 minutes)
Ray Allen: 42 minutes (39min season average)
Rashard Lewis: 40 m (38)
Antonio Daniels: 35 m (27)
Jerome James: 25 m (17)
Nick Collison: 25 m (17)
Vlad Radmanovic: 25 m (30)
Reggie Evans: 15 m (24)
Danny Fortson: 14 m (17)
Luke Ridnour: 14 m (31)
Damien Wilkins: 5 m (-)
Plays I’ll be looking out for:
When Sonics have the ball:
1) Set play: Lewis and Allen on the wings, Evans slightly to one side of the key, James/Collison/Fortson setting the pick for Rid or A.D. at the top of the key. At onset of pick and roll, Lewis and/or Allen go to motion, using Evans pick to rub defenders off and find an open spot outside, usually on opposite wing they started at. Pick man rolls, PG drives and decides whether to 1) drive to the hole and shoot 2) drive & kick out to an open Lewis or Allen, 3) hit the rolling pick man or Evans.
2) Set play: Lewis and Daniels isolated on one side. Remaining players on other half with a typical configuration of Radman setup for a straightaway 3 and Allen for an elbow 3, with Evans or Fortson in position to chase an offensive board. Lewis and Daniels run a pick & post in which Lewis takes the PG to the block and sets up Calabro for a “there’s a mouse in the house!” call with a high percentage post up opportunity, or 2) defenders sloppily switch off pick and A.D. gets an open lane to the hole for an easy shot or 2 free throws, or a rotating defense which leads to an outlet pass to a waiting Radman or Allen.
3) The cat & mouse play (or the Reggie Miler special): PG with the ball at the top: 4’s and 5’s (and maybe Rashard as well) setting picks, SG running through both picks to rub his defender off of him for a catch and shoot. The effectiveness in which the Sonics will be able to get the ball to Allen off this play for a clear shot without Bowen still stuck on him like glue will speak volumes as to who’s winning the Sonics O vs. the Spurs D match up.
When the Spurs have the ball:
1) Parker and a big (Rasho or Horry primarily) executing a high pick and roll at the top of the key. The best defense against the pick and roll I’ve seen recently was from last year’s Pistons. Billups wouldn’t even have to call the switch and the big (Sheed) would AGGRESSIVELY use his mobility to close the gap on the speedy PG, and use his wingspan to prevent a quick pass out. PG would be forced to stop his dribble and/or reset the offense, allowing the defense to reset itself as well. It kinda helps when every guy on the team is a + on the ball defender. Now that I’ve mentioned Billups & Wallace… imagine Parker & Duncan/Rasho/Mohammed running this against Ridnour & James. That is a nightmare sequence. James does not possess the lateral mobility or the basketball IQ to stop Parker from driving off the switch, Ridnour does not possess the toughness to fight through the screens (just watch how many times he gives up on a screen due a lack of toughness, there are just so many hidden f**kups on Ridnour’s part that are attributed to other players it pisses me off), and or the PG will see the breakdown and pass to the cutting big man or the big man posting on Rid, which will cause defensive rotation, big man getting it a high percentage shot from a wide open teammate.
2) Duncan on the block, particularly on the left (or right?) side either facing his defender up and taking the 16-18 bank shot his defender gives him, or posting/getting by with a quick first step and driving into the key (almost never goes baseline) for a high percentage 4-8ft shot.
3) Spurs on transition: Because of the Sonics’ tendency to allow the 4’s and 5’s to go after an offensive rebound opportunity, it is paramount that Rid/Allen/Rashard and their bench counterparts stop transition penetration from Parker/Manu/Udrih and force them to setup their half court O, (and allow us to set up the D)
For the Sonics to win ALL of the following must occur:
1) Ray Allen & Rashard Lewis must come close to matching the offensive output of Tim Duncan & Manu Ginobili.
2) All indications are that the Spurs will go with a game plan of Bowen on Allen. This will mean that:
a) The Spurs game plan will be to minimize Allen’s efficiency with Bowen, minimize the output of the other 3 players with 1 on 1 D, and force Lewis to prove his ability to reliably score against the likes of Ginobili or Horry. To reiterate: Lewis must decisively win any 1-on-1 matchup against Ginobili or Horry.
b) The game plan will be to passively or aggressively double team Rashard when he gets the ball and, unlike in the Kings series, prove that he’s capable of evading the double team by going baseline to the rim, splitting the double team, or making the correct outlet pass to rotate the ball to an open man/shot.
If the Spurs are still on one of these game plans come game 3 and 4, it will mean that Rashard failed to adjust to the defense and is not capable of providing a reliable enough offensive production/output to complement Allen. Translation: We’re f**ked. An ideal Sonics situation would be Rashard being crazy effective forcing Pop to place Bowen on him and Manu on Allen, and the Sonics duo capitalizing.
3) Tony Parker must be limited to 3 monster games min, meaning of course, in 4 of the games the Lewis/Allen duo will only have to contend/match the output of the Timmeh/Manu duo for the Spurs. This will require either one of the following or a combination:
a) Parker will pull his inconsistency act, not have a great shooting night, lack confidence in his shot to be effective on several nights. Maybe we can send Eva some lingerie and some Oysters the night prior to the game to weaken the Frenchman’s legs come game time…
b) A.D. or possibly Damien Wilkins will be effective in limiting the drives Parker takes resulting in open 6-8 floaters, lay-ins, passes to open players. Ridnour will be chained to the bench during this time and only allowed on the court when Brent Barry or Beno Udrih assumes the PG spot for the Spurs. And maybe one restroom break at halftime.
c) The Sonics will be marginal to above average in their defense of the high pick and roll.
4) Jerome James will NOT have to go Bizarro on us and chip in with 15pts & 10 boards a night. What is needed of him is to be defensively active, with fast enough footwork/reaction to stay out of foul trouble and be in proper position to alter Parker floaters & the maniacal-Manu lefty lay ins. Numbers wise the team will need a minimum average of 25 FRISKY, ENERGETIC, & SMART minutes, 8 or so rebounds, and several blocked/ altered shots a game.
5) The defensive rotation off of a Tim Duncan double team must minimize the number of wide-open Spurs 3-point shots. If the combined shooting stats from Parker/Bowens/ Udrih/Manu resulting from poor rotation results is 5 or so made treys at a 45% clip or greater, score this a failing grade. Also, proper rotation execution must be made by our 4's & 5's when our 2 & 3's go flying towards Manu/Parker/Barry beyond the arc, and they subsequently drive in. There's going to be a bunch of Supes running around like monkeys reacting to San Antonio ball movement/penetration/player movement, and its gotta play itself out like controlled chaos for the good guys.
6) Collectively, the production that the Sonics get from the 96 minutes at the 4 and 5 spots must give us a decided advantage over the Spurs counterpart sans Duncan. This means you Nick Collison, Reggie Evans, Danny Fortson, & Jerome James. You guys must at least double the output of Rasho Nesterovic, Robert Horry, & Nazr Mohammed.
7) The Radmanovic/Daniels/Ridnour trio will average roughly 22 pts/game. I’d specifically like to see this group counteract any production from Parker during the 4 Sonic victories.
For the Spurs to win:
Any scenario not containing ALL the factors stated above will provide the Spurs with a series victory.
O.K. Before you skewer me with statements like “Where’s No. 8: The kitchen sink?” please take a look each one of those addendums individually. None of them is a mountain moving request and they certainly fall within the realm of this team’s capability.
But for all of them to occur in the series? Indeed, the odds are staggering against the Sonics, and an application would need to be written for the hand of God to make a series appearance. Yes, the Spurs are that much better.
The odds are that grim for a Sonics victory. Almost as grim as… the odds of the Sonics entering the playoffs as the No. 3 seed… As slim as the preseason chances for the 2005 NW Division Championship banner to end up hanging under the Key Arena roof... As unlikely as the chances of a naïve high school kid, agonizingly watched by a nation having his lottery dreams crushed in the 1998 NBA draft, blossoming into that rarest of species: an All Star plucked from the 2nd round junkheap... As improbable as the Jerome James’ 1st round outburst coinciding with Lewis taking time to regain that unstoppable feeling & A.D. getting his legs back…
This to me is everything the playoffs are about. Dreaming the impossible dream. Seeing the mountain defiantly standing in the way of glory, and defiantly walking forward in turn. I’ll be watching this team doing the same from the nosebleeds of The Key in games 3 & 4. I’ll be in full denial mode of the task ahead of the Supes, screaming myself hoarse. I hope to see you there too. Game on.
Sonics in 7. Onward.
Beating a Dead Horse
I swore before that I wouldn't write about this anymore, but I'm going to try one more time to explain how absolutely stupid it is to award the MVP to Steve Nash.
Shown below are the stat lines of three players, who shall be nameless for the time being.
W-L....ppg....apg...fp%...mpg...spg...to...3p%
60-22... 18... 7.... 47..... 33..... 1.5.... 3.4.. 41 (A)
62-20... 16... 12... 50.... 34..... 1...... 3.3... 43 (B)
64-18... 14... 11... 55.... 35..... 3....... 4..... 42 (C)
Now, from those stats, can you tell me which one is the MVP, and which two finished out of the top 10? Really? What number jumps out at you as the glaring example of why that player, more than anyone else, deserves to be MVP?
There isn't a number, because it's all a load of crap. As you would never have guessed, player (A) is Nash from 2003, (B) is Nash this year, and (C) is John Stockton in 1997. You'll be interested to find out that Nash finished 11th in the voting in '03.
Stockton?
He wound up 15th, with less than half as many votes as Anthony Mason, and two votes ahead of Tom Gugliotta and Steve Smith.
Folks, this is a simple case of the Emperor's new clothes. Rather than question the premise of Nash's candidacy, the media has swallowed this nonsense without debate.
Crazier still, O'Neal will once again fall short of the award he so richly deserves. The man who has been unquestionably the most dominant player of the past decade has all of one MVP trophy. Ridiculous.
Shown below are the stat lines of three players, who shall be nameless for the time being.
W-L....ppg....apg...fp%...mpg...spg...to...3p%
60-22... 18... 7.... 47..... 33..... 1.5.... 3.4.. 41 (A)
62-20... 16... 12... 50.... 34..... 1...... 3.3... 43 (B)
64-18... 14... 11... 55.... 35..... 3....... 4..... 42 (C)
Now, from those stats, can you tell me which one is the MVP, and which two finished out of the top 10? Really? What number jumps out at you as the glaring example of why that player, more than anyone else, deserves to be MVP?
There isn't a number, because it's all a load of crap. As you would never have guessed, player (A) is Nash from 2003, (B) is Nash this year, and (C) is John Stockton in 1997. You'll be interested to find out that Nash finished 11th in the voting in '03.
Stockton?
He wound up 15th, with less than half as many votes as Anthony Mason, and two votes ahead of Tom Gugliotta and Steve Smith.
Folks, this is a simple case of the Emperor's new clothes. Rather than question the premise of Nash's candidacy, the media has swallowed this nonsense without debate.
Crazier still, O'Neal will once again fall short of the award he so richly deserves. The man who has been unquestionably the most dominant player of the past decade has all of one MVP trophy. Ridiculous.
Breaking (Nussbaum's Heart) News: Nash is MVP
Photo courtesy Chico's Bail Bonds
According to this newsflash from Marc Stein, it's all but official.
I'm irked they didn't even wait until the SupersonicSouljas turned in their ballots for the 2005 SUPERSONICSOUL-GLOW AWARDS. That could've at least split the vote A-Rod vs. Junior-style and given Shaq the Juan Gonzalez.
Antonio says No-No to Tomatoes!
Breaking news!
Nussbaum's favorite Supersub Antonio Daniels, who is about to face his former team the Spurs in the second round of the NBA Playoffs, doesn't eat his veggies according to the Seattle P.I.:
"I've come to the point where I quit asking him," said (his fiancée) Sonia. "He does not like any kind of vegetables."Yes, playoff fever is affecting my brain. (Or is it effecting? Holy crap, my brains is scrambled!)
Except for potatoes. He'll eat those baked or mashed.
He likes steak. Chicken, too, but he'll ask for it without any sauce. He's so predictable that the staff at Benihana's knows he likes fried rice without the onions.
His game-day routine is just as rigid. Before every home game, he goes from the team's shootaround to the same taqueria and orders the same thing: Two almost-jumbo burritos. He eats one, most often with teammates Damien Wilkins and Allen. He takes the second one home, eating it after his nap.
Read the rest of this shocking story at the Seattle P.I.
Match Game
If I were running USA Today, the first thing I’d do is give a raise to the guy who makes those cool matchup charts. You know the ones, where you’ve got the Sonics on one side, the Spurs on the other, and a check mark by each position player who has an advantage. Then you add up the advantages, and whichever team has more wins. Of course, it gives equal weight to the power forward position as it does to the bench, but, hey, it’s quick and easy and everyone loves it.
Well, I’m not running USA Today. I’m writing for some blog that’s the equivalent of the Valley Daily News. Actually, that’s an insult to the Valley Daily News. I think we’re more like the equivalent of Voice of the Valley, but without tractor ads.
That said, here’s my breakdown of the matchups in this series. You’ll have to imagine the check marks.
POINT GUARD – Mr. Longoria v Frodo
Edge: S.A.
Like the erstwhile Luke, Parker started out slowly in the first round, not that that stopped him from jacking up 17 shots in both game 1 & 2. A horrific 3-point shooter (below 30% in both post- and regular-season), Parker is a good option to leave alone outside the perimeter if the Sonics decide to double on TD. He turned the ball over much more than Ridnour, but his quick offensive moves make up for this fault. You only need to see his 21 ppg average against Seattle this season to know that he will have his way with Cool Hand Luke.
OFF GUARD – Jesus Shuttlesworth v My Sworn Enemy
Edge: Seattle
Now, it remains to be seen if Brent Barry will continue to start for the Spurs, being that his 34-year-old legs are going to have to chase around arguably the hottest player in the NBA right now, Ray Allen. Bones was an afterthought in the Spurs’ offense, going scoreless as often as he hit double-figures. Count on Bones to stand around outside the line and wait for the pass for a flat-footed 3, then give Manu a pat on the ass when Pop calls him to the sidelines. Expect Bruce Bowen to get the majority of time guarding Ray, if for no other reason than to take him out of the fantastic zone he’s currently enjoying. Nate’s planning on running lots of screens for Allen to free him up, but both MacMillan and Allen are expecting a much tougher go of it this round.
SMALL FORWARD – Rashard v The Instigator
Edge: Seattle
Bowen averaged an abysmal 3 points on 25% shooting in round 1, and is nowhere near the offensive threat Lewis is. ‘Shard did most of his scoring down low against the Spurs this season, and converted a high percentage (65%) of his non-3-point shots in four games. At 6’7”, Bowen’s going to need help on ‘Shard, and Lewis’ ability to pass out of the double-team will be crucial. (Cut to the hoop, Jerome!) A perennial member of the All-Defense Team, Bowen will spend much of his time on Allen, leaving us to wonder: Just who the heck is Brent Barry going to guard?
POWER FORWARD – TD v Mr. Glass
Edge: S.A.
Cancel those parade plans, Sonic fans, Tim Duncan has not left the building. While he played inconsistently against Denver, Duncan still averaged 22 points, including a 39-point barrage in game 4. TD averaged 26 against Seattle this year, one of his better marks against any team. Don’t expect to see too much of Evans in this series, though, as Mr. Glass played fewer than 20 minutes per game against the Spurs due to his extreme disadvantage against Duncan.
CENTER – Mohammed v The Hefty Bag
Edge: Seattle
This is a tough one to call, inasmuch as you have to predict which JJ will show up. Is it the second-coming of Dikembe Mutombo a la round 1, or the JJ we saw for the past 3 seasons? Mohammed is no stiff, either, but his 6’10”, 250-pound frame will get a workout against Big Game James. Even if JJ comes down a notch off his incredible series against Sac, he’s still a vital weapon for Seattle’s offense, and a useful shot-blocker on defense.
Well, that’s enough for one day. I’ll let Booth, Paul, or chunky go over the benches, coaches, mascots, etc. I’m gonna go look for Larry King’s column in the paper.
Thursday, May 5
Beat S.A.! Beat S.A.!
Frankenstein must be destroyed!
Now that the Spurs have finally dispatched the pesky Nuggets, they will be facing our beloved Supersonics in the second round, starting this Sunday in San Antonio. That can only mean one thing: BASKETBALL BLOG DEATHMATCH!
That's right, our pal Matthew over at the foul-mouthed Spurs Blog is sure to be talking some heavy smack in the coming weeks, so I say let's get the jump on 'em! Get out the pool cues and chains - We're calling you out, Matthew!
(And when I say "we", I mean Nussbaum, because I fight like a sissy.)
Where have the NBA Giants gone?
An experiment gone awry... & The Next Coming?
Now that we have this brief respite from meaningful Sonics games, at least until the Spurs handle their business, here’s some filler material, until the folks here at The Soul tackle the task that is the 2nd round analysis:
Some of you young’uns may not believe this, but there was a time not too long ago when the NBA actually had centers with skill.
I went back to the early 1990’s, particularly years 91- 93 and came up with this list.
The Elite:
Patrick Ewing- HOF
Hakeem Olajuwon- HOF
David Robinson- HOF
Shaquille O’neal- HOF
Pretty Darn Good:
Alonzo Mourning
Dikembe Mutombo
Brad Daugherty
Not so much, but still offensively talented/serviceable*:
Kevin Duckworth
Vlade Divac
Moses Malone (still had a few miles left in years 90-92)
Rik Smits
Derrick Coleman
Robert Parish (HOFer but not in the late 90’s, still serviceable from 90-92)
Rony Seikaly
Sam Perkins
*(Please go to basketball-reference.com to refresh your memories on some of these guys before you start ROFLMAO, and understand I’m merely saying they did have some skill.)
There were 27 teams in the League: Of those, 4 had HOF’ers, 7 had All Stars, and 15 had decent centers with marginal offensive capabilities/game affecting ability.
Here’s my point: during that age, there were a bunch of teams who had centers with capable offensive game or game influencing capabilities. You couldn’t deny the face staring straight at you from the 7’ body tossing 8ft jumpers over your team: they were beings that had to be deliberated on and accounted for. If you went into a playoff series facing one of those 4 teams with the HOF’ers or one of the 7 teams with the All-Stars without someone/something to combat them, they would make you pay, probably with your playoff life. I believe the reaction to this was two-fold:
1) Where/how can I get me one of those?
2) Where/how can I get me someone to stop one of those (particular the select studs at the top.)
For those teams on the outside looking in on this phenomenon there was one particular reaction: we can build one of these guys for our team.
And so the novel idea was formed: Size was the premium and talent & skill the by-product of work/experience that could be nurtured into the player given time. Like a Chia-pet, a team could simply purchase a starter kit from K-mart, add water, sit their ass on a lawn chair, and watch their investment grow into a gifted center of equal offensive/game changing ability. (One example: Purchase (1) gangly 7’-0” rookie, sit on bench, watch games from bench, hire once great center to teach aggressiveness, teach skill, work out X amt of hours to change body to desired product, add 20-30lbs, wait 2-4 years – become All Star.)
GM’s whom fans and owners entrusted with their teams fate thus began the their ill-fated experiments. What came out of their laboratories was a Frankenstein monster for the NBA: a mutated being bearing only a passing resemblance to the giants they were meant to imitate. They walked around with awkward gaits, had barely acceptable control of their appendages, were zombie-like in their reactions/ hand eye coordination and they mercilessly terrorized their cities for years on end with their terrifying long-term multi-million dollar contracts.
All of you people entering this Supersonic team site know very well of these creatures I speak of. Jim McIlvaine… Calvin Booth… Chris Dudley… Michael Olowakandi… Rasho… Adonal Foyle…Brian Grant… Non-Bizarro Jerome... Potapenko… The monsters were unleashed on the League and nothing was ever the same again.
But, just like Mary Shelley’s story, the fan realized (or should have, at least) that the true monster was not the misshapen being now forced to wander the world in shame in their tricked out Cadillac Escalades, but rather the mad, God-playing, GM’s that created them… (Translation: F**k you Wally Walker.)
Fast-Forward to the present time:
Check out the list of centers in the league today:
The Elite:
Shaq- HOF
Pretty Darn Good/O.K.:
Yao Ming (some may throw him in with Shaq)
Not so much, but still offensively talented/servicable:
Z. Ilgauskas (maybe he should be with Yao)
Brad Miller
PF’s 6’-10” or less in height/playing stature, playing the 5 spot with offensive game or impact power:
Amare Stoudemire
Ben Wallace
Emeka Okafor
Rasheed Wallace
Marcus Camby
Frankenstein’s still roaming around in the league:
Mark Blount
Shawn Bradley
Brian Grant
Booth
Raaaasho
Olowakandi
And on and on….
(The omission in this list is the cause of this post; please bear with me.)
Take a look at that list:
There is just one guy who can truly dominate the game from the 5 spot. There are only 2 others who you could justify as having a decent enough offensive game. The rest of them? Either A) they’re 6’something” PF’s disguised as “centers” in the 5-spot who you could/should better defend with 6’something” players of your own, or 2) 7’ stiffs without sufficient offensive skill to need to truly concern yourself over/ require some crazy acquisition on your teams part to counteract.
I don’t know exactly what happened, but much like the woolly mammoth, the great centers of the NBA have disappeared, with only a few still in existence. Maybe it’s a cyclical thing and in its next manifestation the League will once again be the land of talented giants. Regardless, I think it would be wise to 1) learn from the past mistakes of our ancestor GM’s and B) not feel the need to risk unleashing further abominations in a league which no longer requires a solution to great centers.
And now here comes 2005 playoff Jerome James, lumbering around right in front of our very eyes. How appropriate is it that we have a genuine Sasquatch sighting here in Key Arena, in the Pacific Northwest. We’re awestruck at the sight. Could it be? Is this real or am I dreaming? WTF is going on here!?!
I’ve called him Bizarro Jerome on occasion because of the infrequency of his appearances on our planet. But now, these 5 straight playoff game sightings… Is he a creature genetically brought back from the DNA of the extinct NBA Center of the past? I’m stumped. But you know what? If I’m a GM and this offseason I’m faced with the decision, I take a look at recent history and I make certain I don’t become the Frankenstein of my team.
Jerome James: Free Agent? You can take him, I’ll pass.
Wednesday, May 4
Round One Report Card
J.J. would've received an A+ if he hadn't worn a garbage bag like a crazy person.
With the first round in the books, I thought it’d be interesting to revisit how each Sonic did. Here’s a quick and dirty on the contributors to OUR FIRST SERIES WIN ON THE WAY TO A CHAMPIONSHIP, BABY! YOU SUCK, SAC-O-TOMATOES! KINGS? HUH, YOU GUYS AREN’T EVEN JESTERS!
Okay, I’m calm again, so here goes:
Ray Allen – A+. I think even the biggest Ray-hater (yours truly), has to admit he stepped it up to historic proportions. An average of 32 points, 2 steals, 5 boards, and 5 assists is positively Jordan-esque, and add in a tremendous 2nd-half in game 4 when the Sonics really needed him, and, well, he just could not have done any more.
Luke Ridnour – B-. I’m sorry, but shooting 31% from the field won’t cut it. His lack of D on Bibby didn’t help, either. Saying that, you’ve got to wonder why he rates even a B-, and that’s where his tremendous ballhandling and lack of turnovers raised his grade. 1.5 turnovers in 30 minutes is fantastic, and Cool Hand Luke deserves all the credit for that. His game improved as the series wore on, and I expect him to do reasonably well in round 2.
Rashard Lewis – B+. Lewis’ D on Peja was the unsung story of this series. The Kings’ SF was dynamite in games 4 and 5, but in games 1 to 3 he was a nonentity, and Lewis deserves credit for that. Yeah, Peja was injured and he always stinks in the playoffs, but Lewis still managed to hold him in check. Shard’s offense showed up in games 4 and 5 (not coincidentally, when Peja began to score as well). Count on big things from him if the Sonics meet the Spurs, as SA is going to have matchup hell guarding him (he shot 51% against the Spurs this season).
Reggie Evans – C+. After a 15-rebound performance in game 1, Mr. Glass sort of disappeared in the rest of the series. His frenetic energy was always appreciated, but he was never the best PF on the Sonics: that role belonged to Nick Collison.
Jerome James – A-. Unbelievable. I was trying to explain to my wife how incredible his transformation was, and the only way I could was to tell her to imagine if next week she decided to run the Vancouver Marathon, and not only finished, but beat out all those Kenyan chicks. Again, unbelievable.
Nick Collison – B+. You’ve got to love this guy. I didn’t appreciate his game early in the season, but his knack for finding the ball is wonderful, and he handles the rock in the paint better than any Sonic big man – JJ included. His 15-point, 9-board performance in game 5 has me looking forward to a full season of him as a starter.
AD – B-. The only reason he doesn’t grab a C is his fantastic job in the 2nd half of game 5. Anybody else notice that Luke rode the pine for the entire 4th quarter while my man AD ran the show? Like Ridnour, he handled the rock well, and, like Ridnour, he shot like crap most of the series. AD’s tendency to dribble around the court can drive you nuts, but his tenacious D and passion is always appreciated.
Radman – C-. 6 points per game is lousy for a guy whose defense is subpar to begin with. A decent game 2, but other than that, a non-entity.
Fortson – C-. Like Radman, a non-entity. Like Radman, his only decent game was in game 2, but his proclivity for fouls and T’s earned him too much bench time to be of any use. The Sonics need his tenacity and ability to draw fouls, they don’t need his constant complaining and ridiculous fouls.
Tuesday, May 3
Sonics stuff Sac, Win Series!
Brad Miller: "My new fighting technique is unstoppable"!
Led by seven (!) players in double figures, the Supersonics beat the Kings 122-118 to win the first round series 4-1.
Ray Allen, who became the first player in Sonics history to score 30 or more points in three consecutive playoff games, led the team with 30 points. Rashard Lewis, who had struggled early in the series, had 24.
After the game, Jerome James got a big ol' garbage bag out and started waving it around. Nobody knows why.
The Supes will play the winner of the Spurs/Nuggets series. Get your second round tickets here (when they go on sale).
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