Game 4 of the 2008 Finals

a few thoughts from Game 4 of the Finals, and unbelievably, the celtics are up 3-1 in the series.

- james posey was instrumental in this win. down the stretch, he played odom perfectly. even though it was a mismatch, posey caused him to miss shots and turn the ball over. on the other end he made two HUGE 3s in the left corner, one that pulled the deficit within one (two plays later, eddie house drained a jumper that put the celts up for good), and one that pushed the celtics lead up to 5 points with about a minute left. shaq was right, he knew posey was gonna help them win a championship.

- ray allen was the most consistent celtics this whole series. he kept them in the game with his 3s, and he chipped in 9 boards this game, and most importantly he help kept kobe in check most of this series. i mean if you told me this was gonna happen before the Finals, i'd laugh at you.

- garnett and pierce finally attacked the rim much more frequently. rajon rondo's injury was probably a blessing in disguise, it was because of his injury that doc rivers finally let eddie house off the bench. his shot making ability help stretch the defense, and it finally gave KG enough room to deal some damage down low. in the playoff, it's all about player matchup and adjustment, it's amazing doc rivers got this lucky.

- speaking of doc rivers, i can't believe he's outcoaching phil. i haven't see any imprint of the 9 time champion coach this whole series. i predict lakers will win this series rather easily because phil is supposed to be THAT MUCH better than doc rivers. the biggest mismatch of the Finals turned out to be pretty even, which is ridiculous.

- the 2nd point why i thought the lakers will win the championship was because the lakers have the best closer in the game in kobe, while the celtics are just shaky down the stretch because no one seems to step up. in this game, EVERY celtics stepped up. whether it's an offensive rebound, a defensive stop, an assist, a spot up 3, everyone made the correct decision AND executed them perfectly.

- with all that said, it's still possible for the lakers to come back and win the whole thing, but that's highly unlikely. not when the momentum is completely swung in celtics' favor, but 2 of the next 3 games will be in boston, if this series even last that long.

side notes:
- after a time out with 2 minutes left in the game with celtics up by 5, the camera was on the announcing crew when the action resumed on the court. Mike Breen was asking Mark Jackson about the key to celtics' run, and JVG was pointing to the court and making a disgusted/annoyed face that basically says "why the fuck are you showing us? the game is back on!" Absolutely hilarious. ABC quickly switch back to the court where we saw Kobe drove in and draw a foul. JVG is brilliant.

- after ray allen drove by vujacic for pretty much the clincher, pau inbounded the ball to vujacic when the whistle signaled a time out, and you can clearly hear vujacic clutching the ball and yell "FUCK!!!" really loudly. then of course there was the replay of him hitting a chair and saying "FUCK MAN!!" on the bench. nice.

nuggets @ warriors: the 8th seed winner

didn't realize how loud the oakland arena is until i hear it on tv, compare to other arenas.

stephen jackson is just way off today, he played terrible. he's not just missing shots. he's blowing easy layups.

matt barnes is back to himself. super utility extraordinaire. a bit extreme sometimes on his plays, high gamble high payoff i guess?

every time i see jr smith now, i think of how spurs almost got him for brent barry. JR is ridiculously good. he can catch fire any time and don't forget he started in the league as a dunker, so he has athletic ability to match. if only the spurs could grow him into the standard spurs mode, they'd be unstoppable, and he'll carry on the torch with parker after duncan retires. ahhh, what could have.

half a quarter and down 17 points? that's not recipe for success. we need some miracle.

speaking of which, warriors just pulled off a 9-0 run. baron's forcing things to happen.

azubuike excels in executing the plays, and he usually is great at playing within him role and ability, but that was lost somehow tonight. and not make the game deciding plays. baron needed to touch the ball every trip down the stretch, there's absolutely no reason why azubuike should be making game deciding plays. especially since davis was the one who sparked the 9-0 run.

iverson broke the run
and back with a 3
swish both

iverson's a killer.

the game was lost back when the nuggets busted out the zone. warriors were completely befuddled. bad shots after bad shots.

can warriors beat the suns? they should be able to take the clips and sonics. man... this may end bad for the warriors.

kobe vs lebron SLAMDUNK!

lebron james is straight up crazy. kobe is this year's MVP no doubt? is there? definitely some. but this man is clearly the best player in the league for 2-3 years now. last year he should have won. the two years before he carried the lakers solely on himself. it's pretty amazing to be play all out in every game for 3 straight years.

kobe is like a samurai sword, he got to where he is right now through trial and fire. he wills himself to be the best in EVERY facet of the game. he's a health maniac i'm sure, making sure his body is in PERFECT condition. he has a complete set of skills. his shooting range is up to 25 feet from basket, his post moves are infinite, his ballhandling is mesmerizing, his defense is impeccable, he understands every nuance of the game to aid all his on court decisions, and his athletic ability to made sure all those skills and knowledge to be utilize to the max. all that with a mind of steel. i mean, he's playing with a half broken finger. really, what else do you want from an ideal basketball player?

the biggest difference between mr james and mr bryant is that lebron makes it look waaaaaay easier. it's so effortless to him. he's the realization of a great line in ice cube's "today was a good day": Get me on the court and I'm trouble/ Last week fucked around and got a triple double. this man IS made for basketball. he's only been in the league for 5 years, and he's already up to arguable kobe's level. and kobe's been honing his craft for 12 years in the league, that's more than TWICE the amount of time lebron has put in. lebron still doesn't understand the game as well as kobe, nor has acquired as many skill sets as kobe. he's simply PLAYING ON INSTINCT AND RAW ABILITY. that's not even scary. that's TERRIFYING! at his peak, dude can easily average 40/12/12 for a year, maybe even reaching 50/15/15! if that will be in the future, our jaws will be permanently detached.

so seriously, kobe deserves this long over due MVP. because there's a chance that from next year on, lebron's going to win it every year.

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anyone read the manga named SLAMDUNK? i love that manga (read: japanese comic). it was written/drawn in the 90's. wiki: "It was so popular that many Japanese teenagers began playing basketball after it was published." it was about some japanese high schoolers playing like nba players. the writer knew basketball really well and created very believable characters and play situations.

i'm reading it again and it's amazing how the author created characters that either modeled after yesteryear's NBA players or predicted some of today's players:

sakuragi - the main character that's basically a carbon copy of rodman. a basketball novice who's a monster on the board because of his athletic ability.

rukawa - the best player on the basketball team, akin to kobe now. an antagonizing basketball genius whose 1 on 1 skills is unmatched.

akagi - the intimidating no non sense captain who is the center has a shadow of david robinson or alonzo on him, especially the high top fade. a great defensive center who's also a main weapon on the offensive end.

sawakita - the best high school player in japan, whose style is wade's signature quickness and agility, even his mannerism. like wade in his eariler years, he only starts concentrating in the 2nd half/4th quarter, and then becomes unguardable/unbeatable.

maki - a star player who's simply stronger and faster than everyone else, and his nick name is King. yup, just like lebron james.

the hottest team in the west & the east battles

magic visiting the warriors...


the warriors are most effective when they have penetrations with quick passes. but they also need to create movement at the right time to receive the passes too.

nellie genius. attack reddick every time down. dude is just too small and slow for nba.

barnes is filling in whatever role the team needs. tonight it's knocking down shots, and he's doing it.

....

it's coming down to the wire for this game.

baron's fouling out was the undoing of the warriors. he had to foul dwight to try to prevent that rebound dunk. but everything felt apart after that. the last posession was atrocious.

with more than 10 secs left and the score tied, monta had the ball with all stephen jackson, al harrington, azubuike, and matt barnes on the perimeter. it came down to a bad 3 pointer by monta that just racachet off the board. you just kinda knew the warriors lost the game there.

in the overtime, the warriors committed 4 turnovers after the first bucket and just couldn't recover from it. baron plays wreckless sometimes, but without him the decisions making just got worse. warriors let this win slipped away.

kobe in boston

tuning in on a thanksgiving friday, lakers visiting boston. kobe vs kg/pierce/rayray. 1st quarter is over. kobe plays like a man posessed. all the shots he took were amazing. 25-16. the double pump fake and spin moves. it's ridiculous. last shot of quarter, he was trying to take it, doubled, behind the back pass to wide open jfarmar, who missed it with no time left on the clock. the pass was just a little late for farmar to get a good shot.

kobe's actions are all so quick and so precise. he can make instanteous change in whatever position his body is in. if he has ONE big time super star, the team would immediately be in championship position. i mean, this is one DRIVEN mofo and he will win games with his sheer determination. KG is also famous for his intensity. those two would be so on fire it'd be ridiculous to watch.

well now the celtics got 3 superstar and lakers got 1. kobe scared KG away. good job man.

the big 3 is just too much to handle. they all know how to play and their chem is really there.

lakers bench is playing pretty good, actually cutting the lead a bit. everyone's contributing. apparently lakers are 2nd in the L in most bench points per game.

team analysis: Southwest Division

easily the best division in the L, it boosts 3 champion hopefuls and two teams that are ready for playoffs.

rockets:

jeff van gundy is a great defensive coach, however, this team has slowly become a very offense oriented team, and JVG basically dragged the team down with his uninspiring offense. so gone is JVG, in is rick adelman, who previously coached two high power offenses (late 90's kings who never got past the lakers and early 90's blazers who never got past the bulls) and is looking to do the same with this squad.

mcgrady and yao are two of the most unstoppable offensive force in the game, so everything needs to start with them. adelman will occasionally put yao in the high post, where he can effective shoot and pass, while drawing the opposite center out of the paint. mcgrady should remain as the team's offense decision maker, whether it's scoring or playmaking, the ball needs to go through his hands because he draws so much attention. chuck hayes will continue to provide energy and grab boards, rafer alston will continue running the offense and spreading the floor with his 3s, mutombo will continue backing yao up, and shane battier will be mr intangible again.

big addition this off season is luis scola, a seasoned argentine veteran who's been in the game for 10 years. he should be able to get the starting 4 spot half way through the season. he will do whatever it takes to win, and will help out yao in the post. back on the team is mike james, who was traded for juwan howard this off season. he will provide instant offense off the bench, and will probably be splitting time with alston for crunch time minutes, depend on whos' having a good game. bonzi wells was on the team last year, but played so few and in between that he's basically a new comer this year. his size, athleticism, and scoring ability will make him 3rd option of the team (still off the bench though, the team needs battier's defense and hustle for the starting squad). last and the least, steve francis is also back on the team. the signing doesn't make much sense as the point guard spot has rafer alston, luther head, mike james, and draftee aaron brooks already. maybe they are just stockpiling talents/names for trades later, but who's gonna take steve francis, who's fallen off so much the past 3 years?

rockets is going to take a while to switch from a tightly structured defense-first strategy to a free flowing offense set, but once everyone's on board, this team should make a lot of noise and probably grab a top 4 seed in the west. biggest question mark, as usual, is the fragile health of Yao Mac. if they can play together for about 70 games, they should get favorable seeding and advance to second round, for the first time in yao mac's respective careers.

spurs:

tim duncan, ginobili, tony parker, and popovich. as long as those 4 are with the team, the spurs are a championship caliber team. practically the whole team return so they will be right back to the thick of things. their weakest link last year was at backup point, but rookie darius washington has come in and provided hustle, great defense, and some outside shooting to boot. they will consistently pound away wins in the regular season, so they can possibly have the best record by the end of season. though it won't matter to them as they are built for the playoffs, and i like them to (finally) repeat as champion.

mavs:

the mavs' psyche has been seriously shaken the last two playoff series, but they are still an elite team in the NBA. more than ever, dirk needs to prove himself as a capable leader and late game performer. this team is even more of a machine than san antonio, in terms of lack of persoanlities, and they are no good. they are efficient and faceless, which i suppose is why a lot people don't like them. i, on the other hand, just don't really have much to say about them. they will have a win total around 55-60 and advance to 2nd round, then lose to either suns and spurs. i don't think they'll advance past either of them.

hornets:

a team that was ravaged by injuries last year but was still able to make a playoff push towards the end of the season. with a healthy squad this year, they are poised to be in the playoff. peja is back and should provide the team with a lethal long range threat to loosen up the paint, tyson chandler will clean up the glass and provide the team with a huge defensive presence, and david west will do his work near the baskets and drain short jumpers. mo pete & bobby jackson are going to provide points when the previously mentioned are off their games.

the hornets is led by floor general chris paul, and he will make sure the weapons on the team are as effective as possible, with his passing and decision making. byron scott is an okay coach, so he won't exactly hold the team back nor lead the team to overachieve (though he did take the nets to two east finals, but it's probably more coz of assistant coach eddie jordan). my prediction for them is 7th seed in the west.

grizzlies:

a veteran point guard (stoudamire), 2 up and coming PG of the future (lowry, conley), a long range bomber (mike miller), a defensive big man (milicic), a rising all-star (gay), 2 athletic power forwards (warrick, swift), and a low post scoring threat (gasol). there's a lot to like for this team, and new coach marc iavaroni was an assistant coach in Phoenix, so this team will probably be an uptempo team. in the east, this team is good enough to be playoff bound; but this is the west, in the toughest division, so it's highly unlikely they will make it this year. 2-3 years down the line, if the team keeps developing this core, they can be a powerhouse.

team analysis: Pacific Division

lakers:

kobe kobe kobe. the best player on the planet, the most polarizing player in the NBA. the biggest story for this team is obviously the future of kobe as a laker, after he publicly demanded a trade and recinded it and demanded it and recinded it. good times all around. i won't believe kobe will be traded until he wears a uniform without the words "Lakers" in the front. he's more than just a basketball player for the Lakers organization. he's the star power that make the Lakers relevant in fickle LA, and there's no other players who can fill in his shoes outside the basketball court (unless they can get 2-3 all stars back in return).

as for the rest of the team, there really isn't much. lamar odom is another do-it-all talent who just can't get a break from terrible string of bad luck in his life. his game actually compliment kobe's, and he is probably more instrumental to the team sucess than kobe because he sets up the offense, and he is a big body who can take it inside but is just as comfortable outside. bynum is another year older and he is getting better with his kareem-taught post moves. derek fisher's return provided the team with much needed veteran leadership (especially important at the point) and outside shooting. his addition cannot be underestimated.

the sucess of the team hinges greatly on the development of the youngsters on the team. that would mean kobe dialing back a little and encouraging his teammate to play within phil's triangle (which is the same song we all sang for 2+ years). i don't think i've ever seen phil with so little control of his team, so unless there's some sort of break through in team meetings, expecting them to struggle the rest of the way, and maybe barely sneaking into the playoff.

warriors:

after last year's unbelievable and improbable surge near the end of the season that had the warriors sneaking into the playoff for the great upset of the mavs in the first round, it seems like it's going to be a letdown year this season. GSW favorite son jason richardson was shipped to charlotte for mr brandan wright, who may become the future big man of the franchise. i assume the warriors are thinking they need to create room for monta ellis to shine, which i don't really object to. al harrington, stephen jackson, matt barnes, and pietrus are all going to continue their do-everything style of play. (last year this time jax was being torched for shooting a gun in the air after some nightclub incident, and this year he's one of the tri-captains of the warriors. amazing difference a year made.) i have high hopes for italian import belinelli, who should fit right in with warriors' run-and-gun style of play. andris biedrins should build on last year's sucess, and learn to stay out of foul trouble, as warriors have close to zero big man and they need him for easy buckets and defense/rebounding.

however, as we all know, warriors go as baron goes. he was magnificent in last year's playoff, and will need to bring the same intensity and leadership (not to mention the scoring and directing traffic) for the warriors to have same type of sucess as last year. they have a good chance of making the playoff, but is not a team that's built for the postseason. in fact, there's a very good chance that they won't make it this year. the top 6 teams in the west are set, and i think hornets are going to make it as the 7th seed this year, which leaves one spot for lakers and warriors to fight for. i have more faith in kobe and phil than baron's shaky health and nelson's system. good luck to them though.

clippers:

elton brand is a certified low-post/rebounding all star and shaun livingston is an exciting up-and-coming point guard. too bad they are in street clothes now and can't exactly help out the clips. they still have a decent lineup with kaman in the middle, maggette at the 3, cat mobley at the 2, and sam cassell running the show. however, kaman has been inconsistent at best since he got the contract last year, maggette is still being shopped around, and cassell is starting to be too old to play significant minutes. good thing they signed brevin knight, right? they have the talent to get into the postseason, just not exactly the right mix. elton brand is the engine and the glue for this squad, so if he comes back and get himself back to 100%, they can still fight for the last playoff spot. but so far there's still no update when exactly he'll be back, so that chance is slim.

kings:

mike bibby, kevin martin, ron artest, shareef abdur-rahim, brad miller. that's a pretty good starting 5, right? however this team became completely irrelevant the past year after their stella playoff series with the spurs, and seems to continue this depressing trend this year. new coach reggie theus won't be able to make anything out of this team. wtf happened with the kings?

suns:

off the top of my head, i can't think of a better starting line up in the L. Phoenix boosts 3 current all-stars (one of which is a 2 time MVP, and one that can become an MVP in about 2-3 years) and a former all-star. everyone knows about their exciting high octane offense and their regular season sucess. with this team it's about getting a championship, though it doesn't seem like their off season moves had increase the chance. in fact i think it has gone backward.

granted mr grant hill will be a very valuable addition to this team with his all around game, but trading away kurt thomas for money reason is terrible, as he was the only post defender the suns had. aside from Amare, the only big men they have are sean marks and brian skinner. basically amare is the sole big man on the suns squad, and with his tender knees, how can you bank on him guarding duncan for a full 7 game series after the 82 game season (and at least a series or two before the suns meet the spurs)? if somehow they advance past the spurs, the championship is theirs. simple as that.