WHO’LL BE LEFT STANDING?

Thoughts about the remaining 2008 NBA Playoffs

UPDATED: June 11, 2008

In my opinion the lag time between games in this series continues to contribute to less-than-peak-performance from both teams. The irony here is that the NBA and the media have gone to great lengths to promote the “historic” Lakers versus Celtics match-up, and yet the schedule, created by the league for the purpose of maximizing the commercial value of the series, has caused the professional athletes involved to be out of sync. The games, quite frankly, have not showcased truly great basketball.

Normally, this loss of rhythm would favor the team playing he best defense. Unlike offense, which can be easily impacted by many factors including excessive downtime between games, defense can be delivered night-in-and-night-out by a team that is committed to the concept of hard-nosed defense. Going into the series it was assumed that Boston would play the toughest defense, but the Lakers have done well on that end of the court too.

Game Four in L.A. may, in fact, be the most important game of the series. Should the Lakers even the series at 2-2 I believe the momentum will swing their way, giving them the energy to take Game Five and return to Boston with a one game cushion. Should L.A. drop Thursday’s game they may have enough pride to win one more game but it’s difficult to see how they would ever win two straight in Boston.

Injuries are now a potential factor against Boston. Rondo is dealing with an ankle bruise. This is potentially critical in that L.A. has already apparently decided that Rondo is the weak link in the Boston offense and are cheating off him to help guard others whose offensive production is more reliable. Perhaps of greater importance, I believe that Paul Pierce’s injury has in fact slowed him in his ability to make quick first steps and also to move strong to the basket. He is now relying on finesse rather than power and speed.

In a series where a consistent level of production from superstar performers is not in strong evidence, I expect to see a continued and perhaps growing importance with regard to role players and substitute players. We may well see the entire series determined not by the big name players, but by those who come off the bench and play above and beyond their normal capabilities.

For more about Artis Gilmore --- or to e-mail
questions to A-Train --- please visit:
WWW.ARTISGILMORE.COM

WHO’LL BE LEFT STANDING?

Thoughts about the remaining 2008 NBA Playoffs

UPDATED: June 6, 2008


Game One is done.

Paul Pierce: hurt or hype?

Lakers versus Celtics: history or hype?

Let’s take the second question first.

There is no doubt but that any time the Lakers and Celtics play in a final series history is being made. We’re talking about the two most storied franchises in the history of professional basketball.

And yet --- could it be that the hype made Game One a bit less than what it could have been and should have been? Frankly, I think that the time lag between the Celtic’s last conference finals game and the first game played in the league finals was just too long. It’s obvious that both the NBA and the media want to stretch out the time between games to gain as much promotional value --- and money --- out of the events as possible. For professional sports teams, however, this causes a loss of rhythm that was very obvious in last night’s game. Kobe, who has performed exceptionally all year, had his worst game since having back problems earlier in the season. I believe that this, as well as inconsistent performances from other key players, is the result of having too much downtime. Daily practices can never match the intensity of playoff games and when teams sit too long without doing real combat, even the best squads tend to become out-of-sync.

As for Paul Pierce. Well --- you can’t fault his performance as of late. In years past he has been a scorer but not a leader. He seems now to have matured and is putting the Celtics on his shoulders. It remains to be seen how much weight he can now bear on those shoulders having obviously injured his knee in Thursday’s game. The drama of his exit and entrance is being called legendary by some and showboating by others. As always, proof is in the performance and next game will reveal the extent to which Pierce can continue to contribute.

Because of his injury Pierce now becomes more of an X Factor. Interestingly, there are more X Factors than usual in this year’s match-up. How well Gasol is or isn’t fitting in with the Lakers is an X Factor. Rondo is an X Factor for the Celtics because sometimes he plays like a champ --- sometimes he plays like a kid. If he can consistently hit his jump shots the Lakers will not be able to cheat off of him to double team Garnett, Pierce or Allen. If he is inconsistent with his jumpers, L.A. will gladly let him bang away all night. Bench performance is also a big X-Factor. Guys like Perkins and P.J. Brown can make a huge difference in the eventual outcome of the series if they contribute big for Boston. A player like Radmanovic, for the Lakers, represents the truth of the saying: “live-by-the-three-point-shot, die-by-the-three-point-shot”. Even the coaching staffs constitute X Factors. Doc Rivers, although he is showing exceptional abilities as a coach, has never been this far in the playoffs. Will he be able to master the fine craft of coaching to the betterment of this year’s team? Phil Jackson obviously knows most tricks in the book. Last night, when Paul Pierce returned to the game to thunderous noise from the Boston crowd, Jackson immediately called time out to help take the steam out of the hometown fans. That may sound like a small thing, but at this level of competition, the small things add up to big victories.

What about the next games?

Although Boston has home court advantage, games three, four and five are played in L.A. This makes it EXTREMELY important for Boston to win Game Two.

Will they?

Boston has been great at home, but I give the edge to L.A. in Game Two. Although they didn’t necessarily show it last night, the smooth effective offense of the Lakers will be back in rhythm during the next game and, of great importance, the rust will be off Kobe Bryant. Boston’s defense is outstanding and the Celtics are my sentimental favorite, but I just feel that Laker firepower will be on display during Game Two and will create a significant mountain for Boston to overcome in this series.

For more about Artis Gilmore --- or to e-mail
questions to A-Train --- please visit:
WWW.ARTISGILMORE.COM

WHO’LL BE LEFT STANDING?

Thoughts about the remaining 2008 NBA Playoffs

UPDATED: June 1, 2008

Kobe Bryant is on a mission.

Unless something unexpected happens --- which is always possible in professional sports --- I don’t see anything or anyone stopping Kobe from leading the Lakers to the NBA championship in 2008.

The match-up between the Boston Celtics and the L.A. Lakers will certainly make the NBA, the media, and many old school fans very happy. As any student of the game knows, there is no more “classic” rivalry in basketball, with L.A. holding 16 total championships and Boston 14. In head-to-head wars, however, Boston holds the advantage with 8 championships to two.

The 2008 series will be fascinating to watch because of the Laker’s tremendous offensive capabilities versus Boston’s proven defensive talents. The X Factor in the finals, I believe, will be the degree to which Boston’s “Big Three” of Garnett, Pierce and Allen can translate a hunger for victory into a team effort sufficient to contain Kobe just enough to open the door for the Celtics to outpace L.A. One edge that they will have in that challenge will be home court advantage with the first two games being played in Boston where the Celtics have been almost unbeatable all year.

Still, I return to the fact that Kobe is leading an all-out crusade to win it all. He feels that he has a lot to prove. He wants to show the world he can win it all without Shaq. He has had an M.V.P. year and he will only push harder and harder now that the trophy and championship ring are with reach. To date, Kobe has scored at will but has also involved his teammates. Gasol has not always been consistent but he provides a big added weapon for L.A. that cannot be ignored.

Look forward to some hard fought games. The Celtics will play like true warriors but my guess is that Kobe’s mission will result in another NBA championship for the great Laker’s franchise.

For more about Artis Gilmore --- or to e-mail
questions to A-Train --- please visit:
WWW.ARTISGILMORE.COM

WHO’LL BE LEFT STANDING?

Thoughts about the remaining 2008 NBA Playoffs

UPDATED: June 1, 2008



Kobe Bryant is on a mission.

Unless something unexpected happens --- which is always possible in professional sports --- I don’t see anything or anyone stopping Kobe from leading the Lakers to the NBA championship in 2008.

The match-up between the Boston Celtics and the L.A. Lakers will certainly make the NBA, the media, and many old school fans very happy. As any student of the game knows, there is no more “classic” rivalry in basketball, with L.A. holding 16 total championships and Boston 14. In head-to-head wars, however, Boston holds the advantage with 8 championships to two.

The 2008 series will be fascinating to watch because of the Laker’s tremendous offensive capabilities versus Boston’s proven defensive talents. The X Factor in the finals, I believe, will be the degree to which Boston’s “Big Three” of Garnett, Pierce and Allen can translate a hunger for victory into a team effort sufficient to contain Kobe just enough to open the door for the Celtics to outpace L.A. One edge that they will have in that challenge will be home court advantage with the first two games being played in Boston where the Celtics have been almost unbeatable all year.

Still, I return to the fact that Kobe is leading an all-out crusade to win it all. He feels that he has a lot to prove. He wants to show the world he can win it all without Shaq. He has had an M.V.P. year and he will only push harder and harder now that the trophy and championship ring are with reach. To date, Kobe has scored at will but has also involved his teammates. Gasol has not always been consistent but he provides a big added weapon for L.A. that cannot be ignored.

Look forward to some hard fought games. The Celtics will play like true warriors but my guess is that Kobe’s mission will result in another NBA championship for the great Laker’s franchise.