Erick Blasco

When have the Jazz ever had a wing who could score? Their offense has been fine running system junk for two decades. Get a post player who is tougher than Boozer and who can actually defend.

Farmar has a pair of rings, I can't fault him for wanting to try and land a starting gig. You can't say nobody would start him either---the Pacers would love him, Atlanta would take a flier, Miami would give him the chance to win a starting spot and he'd probably beat out Chalmers and Quinn, the Knicks might start him, if Detroit is soured on Stuckey, Farmar could beat him out. I'd start him over Baron Davis if I were the Clippers. Sure these aren't title teams, but for a bench player who has rings, there's nothing wrong with trying to see how good you can be as a starter. The tough part is that Shannon Brown is probably out too, and I don't believe the Lakers have more than the mid-level to offer free agents.

The one thing Maggette will do without the ball is duck into the box and punish his defender into fouling him. Only men can handle him on those weak-side cuts, not boys. Milwaukee was awful at scoring around the basket last year, and has no finishers outside of Bogut. Maggette gives them some muscle power. Since I'm assuming Salmons is also gone, the Bucks lose spacing though. There aren't a lot of shooters on the team, or even iso scorers. Teams can really sag against the Bucks unless Redd comes back midseason in shooting form. Skiles will probably run sets to take advantage of Maggette on the block, and I don't think there will be a huge problem since Jennings will find him on his cuts and since Skiles has the personality to make sure Maggette doesn't dog it. It's a risk though since Stackhouse is washed up, Redd is out, Bell and Salmons are out the door, and Carlos Delfino isn't exactly Mitch Richmond. There aren't many offensive weapons at the wing beyond Uh-Oh-Maggetteos.

Women's college basketball also uses a smaller ball. From Wiki

Also, there's one element which is being overlooked. With regards to shooting and handles, the women in the league all play with a smaller ball to accommodate smaller hands. It would be difficult for many women to shoot as accurately with an NBA ball, and would be extremely difficult to handle, cradle, and protect an NBA-size ball. There are reasons why most successful basketball players have abnormally large hands. It's been documented that most basketball players have large hands, the way many great pitchers have abnormally large fingers. You have more ways to control the ball with big hands. It's no surprise that the NBA player with some of the smallest hands in the game is Kwame Brown. Despite a solid defensive work ethic and good athletic measurables, he can't catch, he can't handle, and its hard for him to control his shot with small hands. The same effect would rub down to women in the NBA.

Oh yeah, Scola certainly gets the most out of what he has. Splitter's supposed to have more raw ability than Scola though, and that's what the Spurs can use right now. They already have two warhorses in their frontcourt. They need someone fluid who can create his own post offense. Duncan can, but not all the time anymore. Splitter would help immensely.

The words "all-time great" and "Ewing" don't really belong together.

The centerpiece of non-playoff teams and teams who can't win a playoff series? Yeah, this guy has the right attitude.

Word on the street is that he's better than Scola. If he is, this is a really big deal that will keep the Spurs near the top of the West.

How great is it to see someone with that much jubilation and joy and candor about overcoming his failures and succeeding in the most important moment of his career?

Why couldn't Sheldon Williams be out for a season instead. I think we'd all be happy with that.

Added the tweak.

It sure wasn’t pretty, but championships are earned more through sweat and willpower than anything aesthetic. When everything was said and done, the Los Angeles Lakers emerged from the Boston Celtics’ defensive furnace as champions, grinding out an 83-79 victory in the decisive seventh game of the series. How the Lakers won was a surprise, coming back from a 13-point second half deficit to silence many of the conventional criticisms heaped on the Lakers. The Lakers won with defense. Despite their offensive firepower, and despite their penchant of losing focus far too often, the Lakers were exceptional defensively throughout the season, and especially in Game Seven. The Lakers continued their tactics of sagging off of Rajon Rondo, and essentially playing five-on-four vs. the Celtics. This neutralized most of Boston’s screen/rolls, plus the various curls for Ray Allen. Even when Rondo didn’t have the ball, Kobe Bryant simply sagged into passing lanes disrupting Boston’s offensive rhythm. When the Celtics did gain an edge, Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, and Kobe Bryant provided outstanding help defense plugging up the paint, and doing so without committing fouls. And in the second half, Boston’s go-to play was a simple wing isolation for Paul Pierce. Ron Artest dominated that matchup, forcing Pierce into shooting 1-7 with an assist, and three turnovers in the second half, with the made shot being a three-pointer on a broken play. The Lakers suffocated the Celtics on defense, which gave them time until their offense could come around. The Lakers did not play soft. Not only did the Lakers play alert, physical defense, but they demolished the Celtics on the glass, grabbing a monstrous 23 (23!) offensive rebounds. With their tsunami of second shot attempts, the Lakers were able to hang close until the end. The Lakers won despite a nightmarish game from Kobe Bryant. Throughout the duration of the Finals Boston concentrated its entire defense on preventing Kobe Bryant from getting to the rim. Kobe isolations were overplayed to one side of the court where a big defender was waiting. Guards would pinch off the wings, and screen/rolls would feature the big defender showing out on Bryant. The Lakers helped defeat that strategy in Game Four by having Kobe work off the ball to create open space, and in Game Six by having Kobe get into his moves quickly before the Celtics could load their help. However, in Game Seven, Kobe spent too much time dribbling the ball and not engaging his offensive moves quickly. As a result, Boston’s alert and coordinated defense forced Kobe into all manners of horrible looks. With Bryant’s overdribbling forcing himself into terrible shots, he finished a horrendous 6-24 from the floor, with two assists and four turnovers, and was an offensive non-factor until the Celtics made mistakes down the stretch. Indeed, the offensive heroes for the Lakers were Gasol, Odom, Fisher, and Artest. Never again should the Lakers supporting cast be questioned as unworthy of a championship. Still, truly great players find ways to win games. Bryant got to the line nine times in the final quarter, making eight free throws. He grabbed 15 rebounds, including 11 on the defensive end. And his help defense was terrific the entire game. Ron Artest was the hero. The Celtics tuned their help defense towards helping off of Artest. While he struggled from downtown—1-6 until late in the game—he was a powerful cutter who was active on the offensive glass and on the boards, on one possession, flat out wrestling the ball away from Glen Davis. Defensively, he effectively neutered Pierce and was a terror in the passing lanes, collecting five steals. And with a minute to go and the Lakers up three, he sank a gigantic three-pointer from the right wing that made him the toast of Hollywood. Lamar Odom was the x-factor. His help defense was exceptional, he swallowed up Glen Davis on iso situations in the second half, and he was active around the rim. The Lakers didn’t miss a beat when Andrew Bynum went to the bench, while Glen Davis was a defensive liability the second half. Derek Fisher was not washed up. While his defense was subpar, he hit big shots time and again, including the tying three early in the fourth. While Shannon Brown and Jordan Farmar contributed little, Fisher was the best offensive point guard for the Lakers. The players responded to Phil Jackson. While Doc Rivers gets an A+ for rhetoric, his cries for unselfishness and ball movement fell on deaf ears for the final two games of the series. Meanwhile, the Lakers were able to keep their composure despite a miserable offensive first three quarters. Jackson instills in his players a grace under pressure which allows them to play well with their backs against the wall. He doesn’t need to use rhetoric to fire his team up. The Lakers’ regular season wasn’t meaningless. No doubt the team was better equipped to maintain its composure at home as opposed to in Boston where they may have wilted up and thrown in the towel. By having a stronger regular season than Boston, they were assured of playing in a friendly arena with the season on the line. As for the Celtics, their second half can only be described as a choke job. Ray Allen continued his nightmare of a series—3-14 FG, 2-7 3FG. Aside from the first two games, Allen’s failed when his team has needed him to step up. Paul Pierce stubbornly tried to isolate Ron Artest on the elbow, a losing battle. Despite Rivers’ pleas for movement, Pierce took it upon himself to pound away and attack Artest one-on-one, pounding away the Celtics’ chances of winning in the process. Rajon Rondo’s inability to shoot crippled Boston’s offensive schemes. Once again, Rondo also elected to play slow basketball as opposed to attacking before the Lakers length could set up. Rasheed Wallace had one of the best games of his postseason career, posting up on the left mid-post and banking in jumper after jumper. In fact, Wallace may have posted up more times in Game Seven than in his entire post-2004 playoff career. Kevin Garnett had an efficient game, but he didn’t do anything in the final quarter offensively except lay in cookies. With KG’s ability to score in the post and pass over double teams, Boston needed to run the offense through him instead of Pierce, but KG’s always been timid under the spotlight. However, Wallace and Kevin Garnett are essentially jump shooters in the post, and weren’t able to earn any trips to the line, mustering one free throw attempt between them. Also, the duo was destroyed on the boards. Their total of 11 rebounds was seven short of Pau Gasol’s total. Kevin Garnett only grabbed a pathetic three rebounds. I guess anything is possible. Where else did the Celtics choke? The entire regular season. Boston hadn’t learned over the regular season how to put away teams, a scenario that bit them in the playoffs. The Celtics were known as a team that would blow fourth quarter leads on the way to a mediocre second half of the season, an illness that was never entirely cured, as evidenced by Game Seven. And by taking the regular season for granted, the Celtics forfeited any semblance of having a Game Seven on their home court. So the Celtics can now stew over how they choked away a championship. While the Lakers can take pride in their heart, guts, and grace garnering NBA glory.

Poe, in the middle of the 90s onward, you were allowed to maul offensive players. You could handcheck them at halfcourt, you can smash cutters, you can shove around post players, the game was much more physical in the 90s. Besides, zones are gimmicks. No good defense in the NBA plays zone. Only the Suns played zone and the Lakers were impatient because of it. There were open looks all over the court though. Schemes are better nowadays, and scouting is better, but you're not allowed to do as much today. Many people argue that Jordan could've averaged 40 if he played today. I doubt he would, but he'd post better scoring and passing numbers than LeBron.

How many people had the chance to see Jordan play when they were over the age of say, 13? Until then, you're comparing Kobe to a ghost, a myth, and numbers with little actual observation. But since this is the internet... ECN, the logic is faulty. Jordan wasn't overrated, his teammates were vastly underrated. They were all offensive geniuses who were super-committed on defense. It's not a clean example, but I wouldn't be surprised if Kobe left the Lakers next year and his teammates won 50 games and made it to the second round. If you have a smart, hard-working team, you can compensate to a degree for a loss of a star, which is exactly what that Bulls team did. Also, you're punishing Jordan's '95 performance after he sat out a season and lost his only playoff series in a span of eight years. Think about that. Paul Pierce says hello. Poe, Jordan not only had raw numbers, his efficiency numbers are off the charts. How many perimeter players shoot over 50 percent from the floor? Jordan went entire seasons shooting over 50% without the benefit of being a great three-point shooter to space defenders the way, say, Kevin Durant can. And he pretty much never failed in any kind of pressure situation except when Nick Anderson stole the ball from him in 95. Kobe doesn't do things nearly as efficiently. His shot selection is subpar. You never saw Jordan dribble around and shoot, or launch needless contested jumpers. He's one of the few volume scorers who scored without taking bad shots. Plus his defense is much better than Kobe's and Kobe's a plus defender. You saw what Ron Artest did to Paul Pierce? That was Jordan. And LeBron isn't worthy of the discussion. Jordan had a much wider repertoire of moves than LeBron. LeBron has two moves. Pull-up three going left, or plow to the rim. His middle game is coming along, but great defenses can limit him. LeBron's defense actually shows potential, but I doubt he has the competitive drive of MJ and Kobe. There's a lot of Dwight Howard in LeBron, where having fun is more important than the single-minded quest of a championship that Jordan had and Kobe has.

If you're arguing that Kobe is better than Jordan (an argument I don't think possible to win), then sure why not. But Kobe's already secured his legacy with last year's title and has had a stellar Finals. So long as he doesn't implode with some kind of 3-19 performance, his legacy is secure. Besides, Kobe isn't winning Game 7, the Lakers will win Game 7 based on their supporting cast. Keep in mind, the Lakers won the only bad game Kobe's had this Finals anyway.

Yeah, I think LA takes this in Seven.

Like night and day, the Los Angeles Lakers performed a complete 180 from their horrid exhibition in Game Five of the Finals, to their scintillating 89-67 victory at home over the Boston Celtics in Game Six. Why were the Lakers able to win so easily? Because the Lakers were dedicated to executing the triangle. Instead of having Kobe Bryant isolate while his teammates stood around and watched, all five Lakers on the court were passing, cutting, and moving harmoniously. Because of this, help defenders couldn’t zone in on Bryant, while Boston couldn’t compensate for all the motion on the court.Because Kobe’s trust in his teammates and the offense was on full display. Despite only three Bryant assists, how many passes did Kobe make that led to an assist pass from someone else? Otherwise, Kobe took advantage of any Boston help mistake by getting to the tin, made his share of difficult shots, abused Rajon Rondo when Ray Allen couldn’t match up, and continued his all-around terrific Finals performance—9-19 FG, 1-4 3FG, 7-7 FT, 11 REB, 3 AST, 4 STL, 2 TO, 26 PTS.Because Kobe attacked quicker with the ball by Bryant, and with less dribbling. Boston couldn’t lock in their defense since Kobe was attacking before they could get set.Because Pau Gasol played with more force. He was always moving into open areas, drawing Celtic defenders then passing to the vacated teammate. He was also more assertive attacking the hoop, and attacking loose rebounds, while his defense was stellar throughout. After a timid Game Five, he put up a monster of a Game Six—6-14 FG, 7-7 FT, 14 REB, 9 AST, 3 BLK, 2 TO, 17 PTS.Because the Lakers were madmen on the boards. Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, and Kobe Bryant were simply more determined to rebound the ball than the Celtics were.Because with Odom playing forcefully on the glass, he was more in sync on offense and more alert on defense, as opposed to being the invisible man for most of the Finals.Because Ron Artest punished the Celtics for helping off him—6-11 FG, 3-6 3FG, 15 PTS.Because the Lakers backup guards played with confidence—7-16 FG, 2-6 3FG from Jordan Farmar, Sasha Vujacic, and Shannon Brown.Because the Lakers over-helped on ball penetration and made it extremely difficult for the Celtics to score at the rim.Because the aggression and focus level the Lakers played with on defense was much better than their inept defense of Game Five.Because the Lakers dared Rajon Rondo to beat them, but he missed layups, turned the ball over, and was a non-factor on offense.Because the Celtics didn’t match the Lakers’ energy level, especially on defense and on the boards.Because the Celtics seldom reversed the ball or made extra passes, devolving their team offensive approach rich with weak-side action into simple two-man games.Because Kendrick Perkins suffered an unfortunate first quarter knee injury, limiting the Celtics overall defense, rebounding, and toughness.Because Rasheed Wallace was plagued with foul trouble and didn’t have the touch—0-7 FG, 0-6 3FG.Because the Celtics ran far fewer Paul Pierce screen/rolls than they did to great success in Game Five.Because Nate Robinson and Glen Davis made poor decisions throughout.Because Tony Allen continues to be as bad on offense as he is good on defense.Because Sheldon Williams saw daylight.Because average offensive performances from Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Kevin Garnett aren’t good enough to overcome a lack of defensive and rebounding effort.Because the Lakers played desperate to win, and because the Celtics played with the comfort of having a Game Seven to fall back upon. Now the hoops world gets treated to a basketball crown jewel: A Game-Seven, winner-take-all, final contest with the championship on the line. The perfect end to a thrilling season!

Kobe Bryant went hypernova during the second half of the Boston Celtics’ 92-86 victory in Game Five of the NBA Finals. That the Los Angeles Lakers still lost calls into question the validity of Kobe’s supporting cast. Here’s who did what and why. Pau Gasol—5-12 FG, 12 PTS—was aggressive on the offensive glass (7 OFF REB) and during a few brief moments late in the third quarter into the fourth. However, he was a non-entity on defense, and an underperformer on offense. Three of his made baskets were putbacks, one was an open jumper, and only one other was an aggressive assault on the basket. He wasn’t doubled aggressively, only got to the free throw line three times, and didn’t manage an assist. An unacceptable performance, instrumental to Los Angeles’ defeat. Andrew Bynum has no elevation, and was therefore beaten to too many rebounds. In 12 minutes, he was only able to secure a single missed shot. His defense also suffered as a result of his bad knees, and he was only able to be an offensive force when moving in straight line drives. In his stead, Lamar Odom was completely absent until the fourth quarter. While he had success grabbing offensive boards and scoring on broken plays, he hasn’t been enough of a factor in the triangle to put pressure on Boston’s defense. He’s also made poor decisions, been mistake prone, and was defenseless when guarding Kevin Garnett, or when switching onto Paul Pierce after screen/rolls. Ron Artest continued to have a nightmare performance—2-9 FG, 2 AST, 1 TO, 7 PTS. The Celtics have taken on the strategy of ignoring Artest when doubling elsewhere—like when Paul Pierce rotated across the court to defend the Lakers 1-2 screens that were so effective in Game Three. Pierce’s physicality has taken away Artest’s ability to score off the dribble or in the post, and when Artest uncorks a jumper, nobody knows where it’ll land. Artest also holds the ball too long, is a poor passer, and a questionable decision maker. Artest’s defense was countered by a bevy of screen/rolls which he’s simply too big to navigate. After Pierce softened him up with screen/rolls, he was able to hit a score of his trademarked step back isolation jumpers, and also got to the rim several times. In other words, Artest can no longer hide behind his defense to justify his performance in this series. His offense has been a disaster, and his defense is beginning to be cracked open. Derek Fisher struggled on both ends, mainly because he was flopping and trying to buy calls while the refs smartly held their whistles. He succeeded once, suckering the refs into calling a foul when Paul Pierce blocked his three early in the game. Since every coin, however, has a second side, a blatant Ray Allen charge into Fisher went untooted with the refs well aware of Fisher’s shenanigans. In the NBA Finals, acting is a dangerous profession. Jordan Farmar was out of control and forced his offense, while Luke Walton executed the offense but was too passive. Aside from Bryant, only Sasha Vujacic matched a personal expectation level needed to succeed in the Finals, and only because Vujacic’s modest 2-5 shooting performance is a step up from his normal occurrences. Even Kobe wasn’t without flaw, as he continues to pass while in the air, while failing to box out Rajon Rondo on the defensive glass. So while he had a sparkling scoring second half, and was a sagacious decision maker within the confines of the offense for the first half, there are still four turnovers and loose defensive change that directly led to Celtics stops or scores. The Lakers put on a dismal performance and had no chance given that the Celtics played their most complete game of the series. The Celtics were cognizant of getting Paul Pierce on track early, using a staggered ball screen that resulted in the Lakers switching and Pierce getting an open look. Pierce didn’t make that shot, but the Lakers established that Pierce would wind up with a big man switched onto him when the Celtics run high screens, especially because when the Lakers tried to simply show with their big man, Artest would get stuck on the screen and their interior rotations weren’t crisp enough to pick up Pierce and a free roll guy at the basket. With Pierce getting his mojo going, post ups, spot-up threes, and a healthy dose of step back jump shots were the prescriptions Doc Rivers ordered. Pierce wasn’t as much of a factor on the boards, but his defense on Ron Artest was terrific, and his decision making was near-flawless—12-21 FG, 2 AST, 0 TO, 27 PTS. Kevin Garnett may have played his best all-around playoff game as a Celtic—6-11 FG, 6-7 FT, 10 REB, 3 AST, 3 TO, 5 STL, 2 BLK, 18 PTS. He attacked the basket with drives and step-throughs instead of setting for turnaround jumpers, he was active on defense, and he neutralized Gasol. Ray Allen still can’t find the touch—0-4 3FG—but he connected on five of six shots within the arc, including twice when he posted Derek Fisher and sank short jumpers. Rajon Rondo made more plays—9-12 FG, 8 AST—than mistakes—7 TO. Tony Allen played adhesive defense despite continuing to be an offensive liability. Nate Robinson’s offensive abilities haven’t been contained yet in the series. It’s mindboggling how good Rasheed Wallace has been during the later stages of the playoffs, after having such a disastrous regular season. In Game Five, he sank a pair of jumpers, including a three, while playing exceptional team defense and individual defense on Gasol and Bynum. Sheed’s simply playing his best basketball since winning a ring in 2004. Doc Rivers also deserves credit for making all the subtle adjustments to match the Lakers. Pinching in his wings so Ray Allen doesn’t have to defend Kobe on an island, using more screen/rolls to get Paul Pierce going, featuring Kevin Garnett early so that Garnett’s energy level would surge throughout the game, knowing when to trust his bench, and when to give them a short leash, etc, etc. Phil Jackson has made a nice adjustment to get Kobe the ball with more space—running him off of weak-side down screens to dislodge his defenders from him. But now the onus is on Jackson again. How is he going to get Artest and Odom going? What adjustments will he make to the Celtics screen/rolls with Pierce? How can he spark his bench into playing solid minutes and not making colossal mistakes? How will he reverse Pau Gasol’s trend of playing worse and worse as the series moves forward? Can he perform a miraculous operation on Bynum’s torn meniscus? The Lakers now return home wounded and desperate. Let’s see if they play wounded and desperate to bring the series to a climactic Game Seven. And let’s see if the Celtics have the killer instinct to finish things off on the road in Game Six.

As of now, the Big 12 still exists. Despite teams leaving, the Big 12 might try to raid C-USA and the Mountain West to fill itself up. You might see Texas and Oklahoma and the like leave, but the Big 12 will go after Memphis, TCU, Houston, Tulsa, and UTEP to fill the void, much the same way the Big East took on Louisville, and USF when Miami, Virginia Tech, and Boston College left.

The play of Boston’s reserves in their 96-89 Game Two victory over the Los Angeles Lakers has gotten well-deserved attention. Nate Robinson’s explosive offense, overwhelmed a Lakers defense so used to defending Rajon Rondo’s lack of range. Rasheed Wallace continued his exemplary defensive postseason. In back-to-back series, he’s successfully shut down Dwight Howard, while severely limiting the effectiveness of Pau Gasol. Tony Allen’s ankle is fully healed, and he’s been the defensive stopper the Celtics have needed to curtail Kobe Bryant’s basket assaults. But the biggest story out of Game Four was Andrew Bynum’s inability to play more than 12 minutes. With Bynum unable to play, many of the things the Lakers did successfully over the first three games of the series were unable to be sustained. With Bynum’s length, strength, and surprisingly alert defense around the basket, Boston had trouble scoring in the paint with him in the game—especially when pairing with Pau Gasol. However, in Game Four, the Celtics took advantage of Gasol and Odom’s comparatively smaller, weaker defense for profit down low.Glen Davis particularly took advantage of Bynum’s absence, using his quick feet to create space against Lamar Odom in the paint or off the dribble, and then using his massive frame to shield off defenders. When Bynum has helped on Davis, though, Big Baby can’t use his body to muscle Bynum out of the way, and Bynum’s length has made it near impossible for Davis to finish in traffic.With Bynum out and Odom in, the Lakers monopoly on the boards came crashing down. Boston grabbed 16 (!) offensive rebounds in Game Four.Also, while Odom had his moments taking Davis off the dribble, Bib Baby’s quick feet, and his teammates’ alert rotations and quick hands swiping at dribbles make it tough for Odom to get to the hoop. It’s simply harder to get from the perimeter to the basket as opposed to having Bynum set up mere feet from the hoop where he can use his extreme length to finish over Davis.Should Odom or Gasol wind up gassed or in foul trouble, the Lakers will have to rely on minutes from inferior players, such as D.J. Mbenga and Josh Powell.Indeed, while each team has advantages in some areas, and disadvantages in others, the series has been battled to a near draw. Should Bynum not be able to go, the scales will firmly be tipped in Boston’s favor. It represents the biggest turning point in the series. Of course the Lakers tried to pick up the slack. Kobe had an outstanding floor game, with correct decisions mixed in with brilliant shooting. With Boston adjusting their on-ball isolation and screen coverage, the Lakers ran more weak-side down screens to give Kobe openings along the perimeter. His passing was likewise sharp, despite his poor-assist to turnover ratio. Many of his passes put teammates in good positions to score, or make extra passes leading to good looks. If anything, Kobe was too passive, forcing the ball into openings that weren’t there. Pau Gasol still didn’t get enough attempts—6-13 FG, 9-10 FT, 21 PTS, and couldn’t find his own easy baskets because he only grabbed a single offensive board. Ron Artest’s poor shooting has gotten into his head. He’s now extremely timid to let loose from the outside, and Paul Pierce has taken away his ability to score inside. All Artest can do is work hard on the offensive glass—4 OFF REB. Sasha Vujacic, Shannon Brown, and Jordan Farmar were all outplayed by the Celtics’ bench counterparts. Meanwhile, Boston won despite missing 13 layups and innumerable open shots. Kevin Garnett was often wide open as a safety valve at the free throw line whenever the Celtics ran a screen/fade or any kind of off-ball action at the basket. He simply missed four wide open uncontested jumpers. Ray Allen found daylight in transition and off his perpetual motion, but still couldn’t find the touch—4-11 FG, 0-4 3FG. On some occasions, he’d put the ball on the floor after the Lakers smartly chased him off the line, but his finishing near the basket has been inept since the start of the series. Paul Pierce ran high screen/rolls to shake loose of Artest early in the game, rebounded strong, and always made the right pass—but was an afterthought after the initial quarter. Rajon Rondo was able to shake and bake, but couldn’t drop the ball in the oven, missing six layups (!). Tony Allen missed layups, and exhibited poor shot selection. Aside from an important late three, Rasheed Wallace was invisible on offense. But in Bynum’s absence, Glen Davis was able to produce a monster game—7-10 FG, 18 PTS—while Nate Robinson playmaking has gotten him off the bench and into the good graces of Boston’s coaching staff. Despite so many subpar performances, Boston’s ability to capture Game Four is a disheartening turn of events for the Lakers. How the Lakers respond without Bynum (or with him severely hobbled) will determine whether or not they win this year’s championship.

Money > Geography

The problem for Kansas is that its football program is a non-factor and it doesn't have the academics to really interest the Big 10. Basketball isn't as lucrative as football is as a moneymaker. I have no idea what happens to what's left of the Big 12. Maybe it dissolves or maybe it adds some Mountain West teams and Houston and SMU the way the Big East expanded. If it adds Memphis, it could still be a relevant basketball conference even if the rest of the conference leaves.

So why are you using past stats to qualify Dirk if this is all about the here and now? And lost that ring virtually by himself, after only getting to the Finals after a dumb foul by Manu Ginobili. He got to the Finals on the strength of that call and a defenseless Suns team, then proved he didn't have what it takes to knock off an elite team. He then lost to one of the worst Finals champions of all time. You can't name a team the past 20 years that was worse than Miami. Dirk let that team win four in a row. Can you please look at the fourth quarter numbers of some of the playoff games he's played in? Look at his 4th quarters against the Spurs and Heat that year. Look at his fourth quarters against the Warriors the next year, and Denver last year. Then tell me with a straight face that the best post scorer in the league is fundamentally worse than a great jump shooter. Then tell me with a straight face that Dirk can pass, handle, rebound, defend in all the aspects needed to play great defense, and rebound better than Dirk. Then remind me why Dirk is better than Gasol? This year's Gasol wasn't punked by anybody in the playoffs, and this year's Gasol is who I argue is the best big man in the game. Nobody is arguing that Memphis Gasol was the best in the business. And you have a different value system than I have. Getting deep in the playoffs against inferior competition, providing you have a title-caliber team, means nothing. The Lakers season is failure this year if they lose to Boston, as is Boston's. Orlando and Cleveland had failed seasons. Denver had a failed season. You don't get brownie points for going deep in the playoffs unless you overacheive like Phoenix did. Dwight didn't play hard the first three games of the series. You can't call yourself great and not play hard and find yourself down 3-0. Greatness can have a day off but never from a lack of effort. Nice try labeling JVG as a horrible coach, when he's one of the best defensive postseason coaches of all time, and had awful rosters consisting of the brittle T-Mac, a soft Yao, and mediocre role players. Teams could double Yao for profit. He doesn't pass as well as Gasol. It's why, aside from a series against the defenseless 2004-05 Mavs, and a good series in the first round last year, his postseason stats are underwhelming. With Gasol, you can't play him straight up, and you almost can't double him because his passing is so good. Who cares what you do from October to Feburary? From January to March, how many people thought the Celtics could win a title, and how many nitpickers were poking apart the Lakers? The Raptors were the worst defensive team in the league this season. Not all of that is Bosh, obviously, but the guy's defense is just as bad all the other guys on the team. Bosh has too many plays where he loses focus, and doesn't have the repertoire of Gasol. Of course Bosh, Yao, and Dirk are all really good, but this is Pau Gasol we're talking about. He's simply dominated all comers this postseason, and is a better defender. Gasol has grown as a player. He's much more alert defensively, handles contact better, and has expanded his offensive game. I haven't seen much from Bosh to indicate that he's expanded his game more than Gasol has. But forget the role, what have you seen from each as a player. The criticisms of Gasol all stem from his first option role as an inferior player. If he played the way he plays now on those Grizzlies, they'd win a playoff series, at least.

He's right on most of them (When Rondo is out of control, he's sliding around Fisher, makes minimal contact, and Fisher flops) but so what? We could do this to every player and find out when they make mistakes, and do this to every ref and find missed calls (Except Steve Javie). What does this prove aside that the refs aren't that great, something we already know?