Erick Blasco

I love how I assume 180 + 58 is 208. I mean WTF? I remembered the whole order of operations and everything. I won a math bee in the 8th grade too.

Didn't watch the game...how exactly did the Suns win? How did the Lakers defend Phoenix' screens? Was anybody paying attention? Obviously Stodemire feasted, but how?

Real Deal 1) Gun to your head...you have to have a favorite NBA team. Pick one, NOW. Okay, I have to answer this question. Based on proximity and my childhood, I’d say the Knicks, and based on the team I enjoy watching play the most, I’ll say the Jazz. But I often find Knicks’ games unbearable to watch, and if the Jazz ever stop trying so hard, they’ll be just another team too, sort of like this year’s Rockets after the Kevin Martin trade. 2) You write for one newspaper/website on a professional level (not OTR). Which do you pick? With FoxSports, I’d probably just parrot Charley Rosen, ESPN has the best assemblage of top writers (and even their bloggers are really good) but I wouldn‘t stand out amongst their quantity. Even though Basketball Prospectus is very math-centered, I think it would be really cool to write for them. I’d only write online though, newspapers have more time and space restrictions. 3) ESPN Magazine, or Sports Illustrated? I used to get SI when I was younger so let’s go with ESPN Magazine, even though I’ve never read it. 4) List the following in order, based on their defensive abilities, all in their primes: Bruce Bowen, Ben Wallace, Shane Battier, Jason Kidd, Raja Bell, Andrei Kirilenko, Shawn Marion, James Posey, Tayshaun Prince, Ron Artest. I know you'll enjoy this question most, lol. Artest in his prime was the best because he could guard all wings, and some power forwards and even centers. I’ve seen him hold his own defending Eddy Curry. He was nearly flawless as a defender. Wallace could get overpowered, but he had the defensive range of Garnett. He’d be second. The seasons when James Posey was in shape, he could lock down anybody on the perimeter, and he was such an [expletive] that opponents let him get under their skin. He was super physical and moved well on the perimeter. Of course he’s only played this way for about three seasons. Battier isn’t ultra strong or athletic, but he prepares so well that he can anticipate what’s happening and force the offensive player away from what he wants to do. Plus, he’s underrated as a weak-side helper and shot blocker. Bowen was as good as you get in terms of technique. His only small criticism is that he wasn’t a terrific weak side shot blocker. Bell is tough, quick, and plays with a lot of competitive fire, but is a small notch down from Battier and Bowen. Kidd’s best attribute was that he was so much stronger than opposing point guards, but he can only guard two positions really, where these other guys have more versatility. Kirilenko could get bullied by attacking his chest. That’s a major red flag in my book when comparing defenders of this caliber. Wallace got bullied that way too, but he worked so hard, he was always fronting post threats. Kirilenko isn’t that energetic on defense. Prince falls into the same category as Kirilenko. In a vacuum, a good scorer can push him out of the way. Shawn Marion made plays, but isn’t the caliber of the other players as a stopper. So to recap: 1) Artest 2)Wallace 3) Posey 4) Battier 5) Bowen 6) Bell 7) Kidd 8) Kirilenko 9) Prince 10) Marion 5) Full beard, goatee, mustache, or nothing at all? I’ve had a full beard for about a year now and I have to say a beard. I used to have a goatee which was cool, I look like I’m 13 with no facial hair, and I look older with a beard. Plus with the beard, if a girl gives me a hug, all I have to do is nuzzle my face on her neck and it’s a wrap. 6) If you had to take one shot to win a championship Game 7, what one NBA player would you want defending you? Since I’m all about winning, Kyryllo Fesenko, cause I know I’ll be able to blow by him and get an open look! 7) Everyone is suddenly required to change their first name. What would you change yours to? I’ve always thought the name Rick was cool. It’s similar to mine, and my favorite athlete growing up was a former Met named Rick Reed. If Rick wasn’t available, I’d change my name to something stupidly ridiculous like Max Power or Rutherford B. Fragglerock, 8) Who is the best defensive player you've ever seen play? Rodman when I was younger but I couldn’t appreciate how well he played because I was too busy rooting for the Knicks to beat the Bulls. More recently, Duncan. 9) What's a special talent you have? I’m cursed at bad puns, lame jokes, sillyness, wordplay, spur-of-the-moment comedic timing. If you’re hanging out with me and have an offbeat sense of humor, you won’t stop laughing…or you’ll punch me in my face. One of the two. Also, one time I stole a burger from a Burger King semi-accidentally (it was an accident until I realized I could get away without paying). Sow now I think I have a superhuman ability to sneak out of fast food restaurants with free burgers. 10) What's your favorite song out right now? I don’t listen to the radio so I have no idea. I have some of Trey Songs’ stuff on my MP3 player and he’s new enough so I guess one of the 30 “I invented Sex” remixes. I listen to a lot of Tool, Soca, Santogold, Passion Pit, and Jean Grae. I also mashed together the beginning and closing songs of Aqua Teen Hunger Force (with smooth cuts and cross fades…yeah, you know I have a Television and Radio degree!) into one track and have been hooked on that. Dancing is Forbidden! SumtiNSpecial 1 - Rap or Country music? Do you listen to country music? Does anyone listen to country music? I’ll go with country music. 2 - Summer or winter? My answer to question 1 is a lie, I listen to a lot more rap than country, but not much commercial rap. I have a bunch of stuff from the Okayplayers. And summer because I hate everything about the cold and like heat, humidity, and my July 22 birthday. 3 - Fries or Tacos? I don’t like Mexican food and have actually never had a Taco. I’m more of a southwest wrap or a Quesadilla person. So fries it is. Bounding and Astounding 1. Boobs or bottom? I’m a bottom man. 2. Favorite music group? Tool. 3. Rank them: Hakeem, Ewing, Zo, Dike Dikembe wasn’t ever an offensive factor so he’s fourth. Ewing was a notorious choke artist, he didn’t pass and wasn’t an alert defender. He’s third. Olajuwon had much more moves than Zo and was about on par with Alonzo so Hakeem is 1st and Mourning is 2nd. 4. Rank clutchosity: Reggie, Jordan, Kobe Jordan’s the definition of clutchosity (which is my new favorite word), Kobe has more ways to score in the clutch so he’s second with Reggie third, even though they’re both adept in pressure situations. 5. Who ends up with the NYK this offseason? I have no idea, I can’t predict these things. 6. Favorite movie? Airplane! One of the funniest movies ever made. Kareem Abdul Jabbar is actually in it. 7. Pizza or burger? One of those questions that really has no answer. I’ll go with Pizza since I had Dominoes for lunch. 8. Boxers, briefs, manties, thong, g-string, jock strap, loin cloth? On myself? On a woman? On a display rack? Context man! If I were wearing the items: 1) Boxers. Very comfortable. 2) Boxer-briefs. Yes, I added that to your list. 3) loin-cloth. There’s something very savage about the thought of me running around wearing a loin cloth which intrigues me. 4) Briefs. Not nearly as comfortable as a boxer. Not as much room to breathe down there. Too much information? 5) Jock Strap. If I’m wearing this at a non-sporting competition, I’m way too insecure. 6) Manties. I don’t know what a mantie is. I assume it’s some kind of panty for a man? No reason I’d be wearing that. It could also be a man-tie, which I would wear—but not necessarily on my groin. Maybe you misspelled manatee? That’s not a good look either! 7) G-String. If you’re going to have to wear female clothing, might as well make it the most provocative female clothing. 8) Thong. I would actually take the thong over the manatee. If a woman were wearing the items: 1) G-String. If a woman is going to have to wear clothing, might as well make it the most provocative clothing. 2) Thong. Reasons similar to answer 1. 3) Manties. A woman wearing a man-tie? I like women who wear ties! A woman wearing a manatee? Hell yeah!!! 4) Loin-cloth. It’s never a bad situation when a woman is wearing a loin cloth. 5) Boxers: It’s hot when a woman wears your boxers. 6) Boxer-Briefs: Better than the rest. 7) Briefs: Briefs aren’t attractive on a woman. 8) Jock-Strap. A woman wearing a jock strap is bizarre. What exactly are you protecting? Oh… 9. Least favorite OTR'er? Flash hates the Florida Gators, hates Eric Spoelstra, and has an irrational love for Michael Beasley that isn’t based on much. It isn’t like Poe who is actually very bright and bases his Beasley expectations on evidence, and knows a little bit about how the NBA works. Congratulations Flash, you’ve been called out!!! But seriously, it isn’t like a big deal, Flash is cool in my books. 10. Life ambition? I just want to find a job I enjoy (preferably writing about basketball, but editing, and producing content are fine too), get married in my early 30’s, buy a house and have kids. I’m not an overly ambitious guy. Confidence 1. Why do you like Matt Harpring? He’s a player who isn’t blessed with top notch athleticism or basketball skill, yet he’s carved out a very successful NBA career simply on the basis of playing as hard as he possibly can 100 percent of the time. That’s nothing if not inspiring that a person can find success if he seriously puts his mind to it. Harpring represents a triumph of the best aspects of the human condition. 2. Where college are you attending? The where is Brooklyn. The what is Brooklyn College. 3. What is your major? I’m a Masters student in Media Studies. I picked up my undergrad from BC in Television/Radio. 4. Do you plan on writing professionally? Technically I do, I freelance for a small New York newspaper called amNewYork. If a company is willing to hire me to write, I’m willing to write. 5. Of the three (football, baseball, basketball) which is your least favorite sport? Baseball. It’s a one-on-one sport disguised as a team sport. It’s boring, has limited action, and evaluations of players are based on long-term trends instead of what players actually do in single games. Baseball’s a game for people who see the world in black and white. 6. Blondes or brunettes? Caribbean gyals 7. In your opinion what characteristic is most important in a girl, looks or personality? If a woman doesn’t look good, she’s not getting on the radar. If she doesn’t have a nice personality, she’s dropping off the radar. I’ve fallen head over heels in love with women based on their personality and have forgotten girls who look good but can’t hold a conversation, so personality. 8. In a couple sentences, who is better, Kobe or LeBron? Kobe. His competitive drive is more advanced, and his offensive game is more versatile. His greatness is in that competitive drive. In a regular season vacuum, LeBron is much better because of the force he plays with, his raw strength, and his ever-improving defense. 9. In a couple sentences, who is better, Rondo or Nash? Nash is a better shooter, and each are equally brilliant distributors. Rondo is a better athlete though and a world-class defender, so Rondo. 10. What NBA player do you compare your basketball game to? I might need some help on this. I can shoot very well but only if I’m wide open. If I am open, I have three-point range easy. Good closeouts neutralize me though. I have a good right and left hand floater off the bounce. I have good footwork in the post with turnaround hooks and multiple up-and under moves—I have on more than one occasion caused someone to say that a move I performed was Olajuwonesque. This, even though I may be the scrawniest person alive. Defensively, I have above-average quickness and long arms and I’m a pretty good perimeter defender. If someone attacks my chest or sets a screen, it’s over for me. I’m also perpetually out of shape and as soft as they come. I have no idea who this all translates to. I’ll say a 5-11 version of Primoz Brezec cause he sucks. Chosen One 1. Do you think Smitty is slacking by not starting this topic? I know, what gives Smitty? Maybe Bounding and Astounding started it as a New York thing? 2. If you could write for one magazine what magazine would it be? I don’t read sports magazines, is there any hardcore niche NBA magazine? Like something coaches would read? 3. Dream job? I’d love to be an NBA columnist for any site. There’s no real dream job though. With this economy, any job is a dream job. 4. #1 thing on your bucket list? I’d love to someday write a novel. 5. Favorite place to eat at? There’s this Italian restaurant in Manhattan called Three of Cups. Good linguine. 6. Why do you talk in the third person? Cause Erick Blasco does what Erick Blasco’s got to do. Do you have a problem with how Erick Blasco talks? Cause Erick Blasco won’t stop. He’ll just change his name to Rutherford B. Fragglerock and then Rutherford B. Fragglerock will do what Rutherford B. Fragglerock’s got to do. 7. Do you have a job? is so what is it? I freelance for amNew york (two articles a year for about $125...you know I’m living at home) and I help manage a café on campus stocking, flirting, and making sure things don’t blow up. 8. If Yao comes back healthy Houston is a top 3 team in the west? I don’t think so. There’s a lot of quality out West and Houston’s defense has suffered. They have a weird mix of tough guy role players and pretty boy scorers. They should be a playoff team, but the Lakers aren’t going anywhere, the Thunder could be dangerous, and one of the beasts out West should be better than the Rockets. Plus, for all we know, LeBron could go to Dallas or Portland or Phoenix for no reason and make these teams title contenders. 9. John Wall will be ROTY? I have no idea. I don’t watch enough college games, and when I do, the talent disparities make it hard to project. Wall could be Derrick Rose, he could be Rajon Rondo, or he could be Shaun Livingston. I don’t know. 10. Who will end with a better career Rose, Wall, or Evans? Rose is more athletic than Evans and about as tough. Plus his jumper is better. I’ll say Rose. I have no idea how good Wall will be. Seriously. No idea. Cobb 1.) Favorite sport besides basketball? To watch? College football for the pageantry. To play? Football. That and Ultimate Frisbee 2.) Dream car? I don’t drive, nor do I ever want to, so I’ll say an R train that comes on time. 3.) Chance that Joe Johnson re-signs with Atlanta(in %)? I don’t know. I don’t hang out with the guy or know his value system. He seemed upset at the fans so maybe he leaves. I’ll say there’s a 49% chance he stays. 4.) Facebook or MySpace? Facebook. 5.) Firefox or Google Chrome? Mozilla. Riot 1. Best Tool album? Lateralus is more biblical than the bible in terms of maxims on how people should live their life. 2. Best Tool song? Lateralus 3. Is Maynard a bit of a tool? It’s hard to be a tool when you create music that’s often about individuals improving themselves and transcending the drawbacks of human nature. Maynard is the antithesis of being a tool. 4. What's your philosophy on life? Find a way to balance things that are good for you, for your friends, and for the greater good. Never stand in the way of people who work hard for a just cause. Be positively amazed at how wonderful the world and existence can be. Be responsible, yet have fun whenever possible. Find something you love doing and do it the best you possibly can in ways that can positively impact others. Life isn’t that hard. 5. Do you want to travel? I distrust people who don’t want to travel. 6. If you could be drafted to any NBA team, which one would you choose? Miami or any of the Los Angeles teams, so I can spend half the year in South Beach or half the year in Hollywood. Waldo Derrick Favors or DeMarcus Cousins? I honestly have no idea who Derrick Favors is. No clue. If you put up his picture, I’d have no idea who he is. If Blake Griffin were in the draft this year, where do you think he would be selected? No idea. First? He’s supposed to be good. For the Nets: Avery Johnson, Mark Jackson or Tom Thibodeau? Mark Jackson is a dunce with too rigid a view on the game. Tom Thibodeau is used to being an assistant to veteran teams. He might be too harsh for a young Nets team. Johnson has charisma, character, and know-how. He’s the best of those candidates. Do you think there are better realistic candidates for the coaching spot outside of the three listed above? Kevin Harlan would always instruct his players to “have no regard for human life!” But then again, he’s not a coach. Byron Scott isn’t good with youngsters, and might not be better than Johnson. I think Van Gundy loves being a broadcaster. If Mike Brown gets fired, he’d bring the Nets to respectability—and might bring LeBron. Sam Mitchell might be better without Colangelo imposing his flawed beliefs on him. But AJ is the top candidate. Do you think Prokhorov will have a positive, insignificant, or negative effect on the Nets? The Nets have never captured the media and the fans in the Tri-State area. Unless the Nets are elite, people don’t care enough. Prokhorov brings prestige and media attention which is only a positive. The Nets are boring, and Prokhorov changes that. Brooklyn Nets or New York Nets? I’ve lived in Brooklyn since I was 5 so bring the Nets to Brooklyn! Stick with "Nets" or change the name? I’d change it. I don’t know to what, but something more imaginative. If the Nets were to sign a PF to play alongside Lopez, would you prefer Lee or Boozer? Lopez isn’t athletic so the Nets need an athlete to play alongside Lopez, which Lee is. Neither is an impact defender, both are terrific rebounders and jump shooters, and though Boozer is a better post scorer, Lee is also younger. I’d take Lee. Is the NBA going uphill or downhill? If Darius Miles isn’t being declared an elite player, the league is going uphill. Thoughts on the Barclays Center? I hope it gets built. It’ll displace some houses but nothing on a massive scale, and will really add a nice element to downtown Brooklyn. I’m for it. His Greatness 1) Boston over LA in how many games? I actually think it may be LA over Boston in 7. I’m not sure if Boston can score as efficiently on the Lakers as they have the Cavs and Magic. Gasol may be too quick for Perkins, and I have no confidence in Garnett having a good series. 2) Top 10 players? Favorite players or best players? Best players, in no order, LeBron, Kobe, Wade, Durant, Howard, Gasol, Williams, Paul, Rondo, Anthony. Favorite players, in no order, Tim Duncan, Shane Battier, Deron Williams, Kurt Thomas, Ersan Illyasova, Carl Landry, Udonis Haslem, Joakim Noah, Andre Miller, Steve Nash 3) Favorite and least favorite member? My favorite members are you, Brandon, Poe, and BFT because they debate well and focus on details. My least favorite member? I don’t know. I’m calling you out Flash!!! 4) Harpring is retired. Who is your favorite active player? Battier. But I’m not giving up on Harpring yet! 5) West > Nowitzki? …no. Damn cheap shot. 6) Expert analysis on Mikhail Prokhorov? He’s the life of the party, and that alone will make the Nets relevant. It also leads into lots of "but not the communist party!" lines. 7) Break down Doug Collins. Uses arcane stats like points-per-shot when most advanced stats guys use points per possession. Leads me to believe he’s a bit out of touch. Loves Derek Fisher, which he makes perfectly clear during his telecasts. Will point out the obvious, like “we’re down five, but if we made that basket, we’d be down three and it would be a one possession game.” With a young team like that the Sixers, that might be a good thing. He’s very soft spoken and doesn’t have a fiery personality. His team might tune him out. Knows his basketball principals but isn’t a huge theorist like Van Gundy, nor does he sound like a stickler for details like, say, the Riley school of the Van Gundys, Spoelstra, Rivers, and Tom Thibodeau. An average coach for an average team. 8) List a few things that OTR may not know about you. I’m half Filipino. I once threw up in three different train stations in one night (Long Island Iced Teas…sometimes you win, sometimes you lose). I play Magic cards very uncompetitively. I once drank Dos Equis and became The Most Interesting Man in the Room. With my beard, I have been compared to Tom Hanks, Jesus, and Grizzly Adams. The Thin Blue Line is my favorite documentary film. Sometimes I give people random playful karate chops without warning. I have a shirt that says “Chick Magnet” with a picture of a scrawny guy flexing his muscles. Needless to say, I’m very self reflexive. I have an idea for Jurassic Park 4 about dinosaurs in space. In it, Chris Tucker will be a character but he’ll be played by Chris Rock. I want Chris Tucker to direct the film. I read the unabridged version of Les Miserables. It is my life’s crowning achievement. I once took a girl to see Cloverfield. She got nauseous. I never got a second date. I hate seafood with a passion, though I like calamari. When I play Call of Duty at parties, I always choose sniper no matter how bad I am at sniping and how small the map is. As a result, my friends will throw games where everyone plays with a sniper in tiny maps. I have an uncanny knack for bumping into Dunkin Donuts, even though I don't often eat donuts or coffee. I come up with parody songs when I’m bored on the train or at work. Some of my favorites include: Aqua Teen Masters Student Force My name is E-Blasco The white rascal The fiasco Your wit is quick? Well mine is faster Joe Dodd is a rock star Partying hard Getting dubs from the girls At the strip bar King Flemming is royalty King Flemming is authority He’s from the Danish shore Scepter in his paw Crown on his forehead And a robe stretched to the flo-oor Uh. Check-Check it. Yeah. Uh. Check-check it. Come on, Cause we are the M.S. team! Get Patkanian drunk! Make the MFA’s scream! Cause we are the M.S. team! Get Patkanian drunk! Make the MFA’s scream! Number One in Cuny, G. and Snack Wrap (Smack That) I’m really hungry, must head over to McDonald’s If you want flavor I recommend that you follow. Cause they got this great thing that only costs a dollar I take it out, hand it to the cashier And get myself a: Snack wrap, I must implore, Snack wrap, flavor galore, Snack wrap, I want some more, Snack wrap, I’ll order four! Snack wrap, down by the shore Snack wrap, or out the door Snack wrap, on the dance floor Snack wrap, thank you senor! Anything else? 9) Who killed Biggie and 2Pac? David Stern and his NBA fashion issues. 10) Do you believe in God? Good heavens, no. I mean, Good vast emptiness of space, no. YugoRocketsFan 1. How can you not have a favorite team? I like watching basketball in general, I don’t need to corrupt my viewing of the game by artificially pulling for one team to succeed over another. 2. Most annoying member on OTR? You for inferring I look like Mr. Bean. 3. Did you cry when OTR got shut down? I was too busy crying over my final papers. 4. Has anyone said that you look like Mr. Bean Not once. 5. Whats 58 + 5 X 6^2 I hope it’s 208. 6. What should Mikhail Prokhorov rename the Nets? I think the New York Nyets is funny, especially if they don’t get an impact free agent. 7. Rockets record next year is _____ 45-37 8. Favorite cartoon? Does Robot Chicken count? Arthur used to be my jump off back in the day and Freakazoid was my favorite as a kid. 9. If there were 5 birds on a tree, and you shot one, how many will still be on the tree? Unless I used a silencer, they’d all probably get scared and fly away, so zero. 10. If you could pimpslap Kingfish, would you do it? Now why would I do that? Wade’s World 1. What position do you play in basketball? If you don't play anymore, when you were young? Never played competitively except for a class my senior year of undergrad and a semester of intramurals. I guess I played the 3 each time. 2. What are your values for players that play basketball? Try hard, have fun, share the ball. 3. Dwyane Wade is better than Kobe Bryant, agreed? Not until he develops a jumper. 4. Where is LeBron going? I have no idea. 5. Where is Wade going? No idea. I'm not Nostradamus!

Any more questions?

I think Bass makes defensive mistakes but I wholeheartedly agree with your sentiments on Anderson. The Magic needed to do something different and Anderson isn't something different. Bass plays with a lot of energy and could've woken the team up. Jeff Van Gundy said last night that the Magic---and I'm paraphrasing---aren't winning a championship until they get an angry four man with a ferocious competitive nature. In that respect, I agree with you. Maybe Bass can be that guy.

It's mostly a counter to the praise he receives for his decision making around screens. That decision making hasn't been as sharp against the Celtics.

Elite defensive centers make elite defensive plays. That includes handling dribble penetration, hedging on screens, and being alert from the weakside. The myth is that Howard is an elite defensive center, yet Boston is picking his defense apart. Contrast this with Pau Gasol, whose baseline rotations and ability to hedge deep on screens have neutralized some very good ball-screen offenses in Utah and Phoenix. Hello Drive In, Orlando's season goal is to win a championship. How they perform in these playoff series' against the best teams in the league DOES define them. They didn't add Vince Carter to have a nice regular season. This team exists to compete for championships. They made the Finals last year. Saying they can't build a team to beat one team or another is absurd. You build a team to beat EVERY other team. The Celtics, with how they are playing, can beat every other team. The Lakers can beat every other team. If there are mismatches, you coach and gameplan away those mismatches, and you have players with championship heart so they work hard and eliminating mismatches. Go watch Derek Fisher push around Steve Nash and neutralize Deron Williams and say things like the Lakers can't worry about Phoenix or Utah because they have to worry about 28 other teams. If you want to be considered great, be great. Does Orlando have my respect as a very good team? Yes. But this series and next series are their seasons and they've been systematically dismantled against Boston. If Howard wants to be great, hedge properly on a screen, make your rotations on time, and play championship-level basketball. Isn't that what greatness is? Playing at a championship level? Playing at a very good level can dominate the Hawks. The Celtics aren't the Hawks. The Celtics require championship level basketball to beat. They require greatness to beat. Dwight Howard hasn't played great at all. Same with Gortat. You want to be a great backup, stop turning your head and stop playing soft. Even production guys in ABC's production truck see it.

The Pistons used to play defense this way and the Spurs beat them in 2005. Of course Boston is playing terrific basketball, but all-time greats can still produce against great defenses. I'd be shocked if the Lakers went into Boston and had their entire offense disintegrate the way Orlando's has. Forget help defense for a second, that takes away the shooters, Dwight Howard is operating one-on-one. This is supposed to be the best center in the game. He should dominate one-on-one coverage, or at least be respectable. He's had two games where he's been essentially useless. And for being the defensive player of the year, his own help defense has been picked apart all series. This Boston team lost once to the Heat and could've lost a second game. Plus they were down 13 in Game One to the heat. They lost twice to the Cavs before Cleveland quit. This Boston team isn't the Chicago Bulls, and to strictly genuflect on their own greatness assumes that the Magic are getting great performances that simply aren't good enough. The truth is that Howard's post moves still aren't at an elite level, Carter isn't a competitor, and Orlando's spacing doesn't work against a team that can show and recover. Only one of those three things are Celtics-related. Plus, Orlando's defense and effort failed them in Game 3, and they're supposed to be a great defensive team too. With the way the Lakers defense is playing, do you think a Lakers-Celtics game will have a final score of 65-60? No, great players will step up. Orlando's great players aren't all that great though.

After dethroning King James, and exposing the Orlando Magic, the Boston Celtics have been the flashlight revealing all the warts of the Eastern Conference’s upper class. Their 94-71 Game 3 destruction of Orlando was particularly illuminating. Here’s what the Boston mythbusters have discovered. Myth: Dwight Howard is an elite defensive center. Truth: The Celtics suffered minimal defensive pressure from Howard. As a helper, he was frozen in his tracks on a pair of Rajon Rondo floaters that he was too timid to close out on. He also took a poor angle when showing and recovering on a screen leading to a Kendrick Perkins layup. At times he was asked to defend Glen Davis or Kevin Garnett, where their range pulled Howard away from providing help defense at the rim. He would get stuck in no-man’s land and leave Garnett or Davis open for uncontested 20-foot jumpers. Even when guarding Kendrick Perkins, he was frequently late or non-existent in his rotations. He also isn’t able to properly defend screens at the three-point line. On one particular play, he was so far off a Ray Allen screen that he realized too late that he needed to close out or Allen would sink a jumper. A sloppy closeout later, and Allen had blown by him and dunked. While Howard has become better at defending low or middle screens, and is more timely in his rotations than in the past, he still doesn’t have the ability to play championship-caliber defense against premier offenses. Myth: Vince Carter is the missing piece to Orlando’s puzzle. Truth: Carter always was, and still is, Mr. Softee. His first shot attempt was on Orlando’s second possession of the game—a brainless early-offense three that bricked out. From there it only got worse. Without clear lines to the basket, he’d drive partway to the hoop, pick up his dribble, and make forced bailout passes, killing precious seconds off the shot clock in the process. As usual he was disinclined to take contact, and displayed exactly how non-competitive he is, when early in the fourth quarter, on a beeline to the basket with the Glen Davis and Kevin Garnett converging on him, he eschewed going up strong by attempting a dipsy-doo reverse layup. While Carter’s not a selfish player, his passing leaves much to be desired, and his defense—whether failing to maintain contact with Ray Allen around screens, or being torched in isolations by Paul Pierce, or making poor closeouts when defending Tony Allen driving after setting a screen—was repeatedly abused. Hedo Turkoglu has his flaws, and certainly had a miserable season with Toronto, but his vision and passing are better than Carter’s, his shooting is less affected by small guards closing out, and he plays with much more confidence. In truth, the Carter-Turkoglu deal has been a wash. Myth: Jameer Nelson is a terrific pass-first point guard. Truth: Nelson’s passing is made easier because defenses are often spaced out by Orlando’s shooting and Howard. In trying to thread the ball through tighter quarters, Nelson’s lack of vision and comparatively sub-par passing skills have been attacked by Rajon Rondo. He made poor passes and poor decisions ad nauseum in Game Three. Nelson’s best attributes have never been his passing and decision making, but have always been his moxie and his toughness, but against the Celtics he would rather pick up his dribble 14-feet away and look to pass when Boston wasn’t helping. When Nelson is reluctant to make plays and provide the toughness Orlando needs, the Magic become a very ordinary basketball team, and looked that way in Game Three. Myth: Orlando’s spacing will generate open looks for Rashard Lewis. Truth: Boston’s ability to blow up screens by fighting through picks and showing hard prevents the Celtics from scrambling their defense in rotation. This allows help defenders to stay closer to their original checks. This combined with the range Garnett covers defensively has forced Lewis to try and create his own offense, something he’s not adept at. Myth: Matt Barnes is a tough, hard-nosed player. Truth: His poor play may be excused by a bad back, but there’s no excuse for his cheap shot push on Kevin Garnett. Barnes may think he’s tough, but when he’s missing layups and getting routinely overpowered by Paul Pierce, it says otherwise. Myth: Dwight Howard worked diligently on his offense this offseason. Truth: His limited post arsenal led to all manners of clangs against the steadfast work of Garnett, Davis, Kendrick Perkins, and Rasheed Wallace. He missed his first five shots, and didn’t score until a failed Davis flop job awarded Howard with a dunk. Howard’s offensive numbers were terrible considering what‘s asked of him—3-10 FG, 1-4 FT, 7 PTS. Myth: The Magic are a great rebounding team. Truth: Orlando’s rebounding numbers are inflated by Howard. With him sufficiently banged around inside—7 REB—the Magic only grabbed three offensive rebounds compared to Boston grabbing 39 defensive rebounds. Myth: Marcin Gortat is a top-notch backup. Truth: Gortat turned his head too often and is soft defensively. Myth: Mickael Pietrus is an All-NBA caliber defender. Truth: Boston posted him with Pierce to neutralize his athleticism. On the other side, because Boston’s closeouts have been textbook, Pietrus has only gone off from downtown in garbage time—2-5 3FG. Myth: Jason Williams is a championship-hardened veteran. Truth: Williams rode the coattails of Dwyane Wade, Shaquille O’Neal, Udonis Haslem, and James Posey to his NBA ring. He repeatedly made bad decisions with the ball and was absent on defense with Miami, and exhibited all his old bad habits in Game Three. Myth: The Celtics are too old, too slow, and too far past their prime to contend for a title. Truth: The competition of the playoffs has kindled the old fire. After falling behind to Miami by double figures in the opening game of the playoffs, the Celtics have rekindled their vaunted defense. Rotations are alert and on time, hedges are hard, screens are always recovered to, and shortcuts are never taken. Offensively, the extra pass has always been the rule, and their versatility overwhelms opposing defensive shortcomings. And whenever their play stagnates, Rondo is always able to make a sensation play. The full extent of Boston’s desire was displayed when Jason Williams casually attempted to pick up a loose ball, while Rondo sprinted, dove, reached under Williams with one arm, grabbed the ball, got up, and scored a layup while Williams failed to contest the shot. The Celtics are playing at a level only seen during the 2008 NBA Finals. With Orlando’s best players unprepared for championship-level basketball, only the Lakers stand in the way of a second title in three years. Fortunately, there won’t be a long wait until that dream series comes to fruition.

He was expected to be a game-changing superstar right away. People drooled over the kid the way people drool over John Wall, and he's shown little to back up the hype. 15 points, 6 rebounds, and little defense looks a little anemic for a second overall pick when Kevin Durant is putting up 30. Andrea Bargnani puts up 17 and 6 with slightly more defensive impact and what has that done for Toronto? Top two picks can't be decent...they need to be special, especially with guys like Russell Westbrook and Brook Lopez taken afterwards. Right now, Beasley is an above-average scorer who projects into being a good scorer, but not a great scorer because he only knows how to score in iso situations, he doesn't have a great feel for the game, and he's not all that creative a player. The styles of play are different, but he looks like a future Antawn Jamison type, and that isn't all that much to get excited about. He's 20 years old, he should improve...but how much do players with limited feel for the game actually improve?

lol, I was going to ignore the question but since you put the now in caps I guess I have to answer it!

I got the Game 2 ECF clip to work. It could be more organized with regards to the content---it feels scattered because it's analysis and breakdowns of individual plays that don't have relation to each other. Also there's a lot of focus on what some players do wrong while overlooking what they do right, particularly Carter. That being said, I have no disagreements with any of the judgments made, and I love the attention to detail. Good find Years.

I wish I could watch this but for some reason I haven't had much success playing youtube vids the past two weeks.

He'll base all his lineups based on his point-per-shot statistic he breaks out every game. ...I hope Kevin Harlan becomes his assistant coach. "Iggy, you need to drive in transition and kick out to Kapono to hit 'em right between the eyes!!!"

Beasley's just better than Hickson. There's really nothing Hickson does that makes me say, this guy clearly does this better than Beasley. He's just a backup, floor-spacing, athletic power forward who can defend a bit. Before you guys say, well that's a lot of good qualities, how many minutes has Brandon Bass gotten this season? Hickson is a better defender than Beasley, but Beasley's better offensively in most respects. I'd take Beasley.

I see I'm the only one who liked the old Jazz uniform I remember when they first came out with those uniforms, they used to have a black alternate that I thought was sick.

No they don't actively try and lose, but they don't play with any incentive to win if they have a guaranteed first pick. A lottery removes shenanigans if teams do try to lose. And the revenue lost by a bad season can skyrocket in time with a superstar draft pick. The one bad season the Spurs had in the 90's has paid off a thousand fold by what Tim Duncan has brought, to name an example. Virtually every single franchise that has won a title or competed for a title has had the benefit of an elite draft pick on their team, or has used the pick in a trade to acquire someone. What is the rationale for giving playoff teams lottery chances? The lottery should still only help non-playoff teams as ways of reversing some franchises. The weighted lottery keeps awful teams from automatically having top tier draft choices, while still giving them terrific chances of having those top tier draft choices.

The last few fouls I saw being probably wrong were Redick's charge call, Perkins' moving screen, and Rondo's travel. It's easy to assume every single call is going against the Magic when you're wearing blue-colored pinstripe glasses. Critical mental mistakes, some lack of execution, and pinpoint play by Boston are what has put the Celtics up 2-0. Not the refs.

My goodness Vince Carter. Needless fadeaway and then two missed free throws.

Well said.

A long, long time ago, Minnesota and Boston had the best odds of going first and second, and instead, Portland and Seattle got the first two picks. The pick that Minnesota would've had would've been Greg Oden, and while Mike Conley is only an average player, at least he's been much healthier than Oden and doesn't have the risk of having his career being derailed at any time. The player that Boston would've taken would've been Kevin Durant, a superstar, but Boston parlayed the #5 pick into Ray Allen and won a championship they probably wouldn't have won with a rookie Durant. Meanwhile, Portland hasn't gained all that much from having the first pick. The moral of this story is that having the ping pong balls bounce your way doesn't always guarantee success, and losing the lottery isn't the end of the world. John Wall could be very average in the pros, and whoever the Nets and T-Wolves draft could be very productive.

I don't mind the lottery. It adds a bit of a potential drawback for massive losing, while still allowing terrible teams to have high draft picks. The worst the Nets could've been this year was 4th. They're 3rd. Should they have been first? Perhaps, but the slight bump down is a bit of justice for playing some of the worst basketball in the history of the NBA for much of this season. There's no justification for the Wizards having the number 1 pick, but that's how the balls dropped. If you don't have this randomization, nothing would stop horrible teams from trying to lose and getting away with it. The only alternative would be to reverse the draft order which is another terrible idea. All drafts are rewards or compensations for losing. The NBA's isn't that much different from the NHL's either. From what you've described of the NHL, only five teams end up in a lottery and only for the top spot. There's not much drawback for a team with a potential first pick winding up picking second, and mediocre teams are screwed completely. In the NBA, at least there isn't a complete lockout for teams that had better seasons than the dregs of the league.

I'm imagining guards picking up at about 15 feet with those jump shooters. With bad defenses though, it wouldn't help. Just pointing out that since everybody is goo goo for Wall, everyone was goo goo for that Michael Beasley guy a couple of years ago too. Things don't always work out.

Two things---one, Robin Lopez and Pau Gasol look more related than Robin Lopez and Brook Lopez. Two, all the Derek Fisher haters are being treated to a clinic of how to nuke Phoenix' high screen/rolls that only a handful of point guards can put on. There's a reason why Fish has all those rings. He really played terrific defense on D-Will in the second round as well.

I love the subtext of the comment. Here's what KG really says: "Take the money and go to some Western Conference team so I don't have to play you 4 times a year in the regular season and again in the playoffs. By the way, F-U Minnesota."