Nitro

When Pierce and Allen are both hot from 3 like they were tonight, the Celtics are just about unbeatable. They were amazing tonight, as was Rondo in orchestrating everything. Disappointing performance from the Knicks, but without Billups and an injured Amare, it's just a bunch of scrubs and Melo, who can't be expected to go off every game against one of the league's toughest defenses.

This will go down as one of the closest sweeps/5-game series' in NBA history.

Before I begin, I pick Chosen One for the next KIR. Anyway... ___________________________________________________________ Confidence: 1) Origin of your username? When I was like 10 I used to be big into roller coasters, and at the Six Flags in NJ there's a roller coaster named Nitro, so that was my first user name back in like 2001. For whatever reason it stuck. 2) Blonds or brunettes? I fall for blondes, but I prefer brunettes. 3) What's your favorite NBA team? Nets 4) Have you considered maybe pursuing a career in sports journalism? Yep, I wrote for my HS newspaper, and got accepted to a few really good schools as a communications major. Since then I switched to Psychology because there's little money in journalism, and it's ultra-competitive. 5) What college are you attending or plan on attending in the future? For the last year and a half I attended William Paterson University in NJ, but right now I am not attending school. I'll go back in the fall, but probably not to that school. 6) How's rehab? Been out of rehab since March, but it was...interesting lol 7) What are the chances that Dwight gets traded to LA within the next couple years (percentage)? 30% 8) Bigger [expletive], Pau or Bosh? Bosh, because it's not cool to dive for loose balls. 9) Where does Kobe rank all-time amongst the greats? Somewhere in the top 10, between 6-10. 10) Is Derrick Rose the best pg in the league? I think CP3 and D-Will are better players, but Rose easily had the best 10-11 season. Erick Blasco: 1) Would you rather have a steering wheel replacing your belly button or a pogo stick replacing one of your hands? Pogo stick replacing one of my hands...girls would be lining up to get fingered by me. 2) Rate these creatures on any criteria you want: shark, whale, octopus, carp, ill-tempered sea bass, coral, a second shark, sea cucumber, krill. Shark, a second shark, octopus, sea cucumber, whale, carp, sea bass, krill 3) What's your favorite video game where a brunette gets killed? GTA III 4) What's your least favorite romantic comedy? Gigli 5) Name one book you think should be required reading in a college English class (or senior year high school English class). Catcher in the Rye 6) Favorite indy rock band? N/A. Favorite underground rapper is Immortal technique 7) Why did the Milwaukee Bucks struggle this season? Horrible offensive balance and a bunch of low-percentage scorers. 8) Top 10 favorite point guards whose first or last name has a "R" somewhere in there? Earvin 'Magic' Johnson, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Derrick Rose, Walt Frazier, Gary Payton, Tim Hardaway, Rod Strickland, Darrel Armstrong, Russel Westbrook 9) Rate these dogs: Terriers. Huskies. Chihuahuas, Dalmatians, Bulldogs, Salukis, Air Bud, Brian Cook. Air Bud, Huskies, Bulldogs, Dalmatians, Brian Cook, Salukis, Terriers, Chihuahuas 10) Dirk's strength as an isolation scorer and jump shooter prevents the Mavs from having much of an offensive rebounding presence, or a in interior scoring presence, limiting their ability as a team. Agree or disagree? I don't think it prevents either, but it's simply something you got to build around. I do think his abilities as a shooter can possibly enhance their interior scoring as he forces his man to stick by him at the 3pt line, which opens up the lane. The key is finding the right pieces to put around him. 11) You have a chance to win a weekend trip to Northern California or a free air conditioning unit with installation. What are you choosing? Free air conditioning unit with installation...it's hot as [expletive] out here in Florida mang!!! 12) Favorite month? May 13) Least favorite planet? Mercury 14) You've had a pretty bad day, but nothing too awful. Rate how likely you think this person will brighten your day.Will Ferrell, Colin Farrell, Mia Farrow, Brian Fellows, Bob Feller, Raymond Felton, the cast of Fargo. Will Ferrell, Mia Farrow, Brian Fellows, Raymond Felton, cast of Fargo, Bob Feller, Colin Farrell 15) Name your three favorite and three least favorite players with a rebounding percentage of above 10%. Favorite: Dwyane Wade, Amare Stoudemire, Blake Griffin Least favorite: Spencer Hawes, Carlos Boozer, Charlie Villanueva Chosen One: 1. Do you feel like a completely new person now since you are sober? Nope, it takes time. 2. How long have you been sober? 84 days 3. What teams make it to the NBA finals? Who take the title? Lakers and Heat, with the Lakers winning the title. 4. Who is more valuable to the Heat Wade or Lebron? They are basically interchangable, but I think Wade is slightly more valuable because Jones and Miller are more capable replacing a SF than SG. 5. Why is Bosh so phony? Cuz his penis touches his vagina when he goes for a dunk. 6. Should Nash request a trade? Absolutely 7. Do you think Yao can make a semi come back? (at least be a decent role player) I don't think so. He certainly has the talent and ability to still be a productive player, but his body simply won't allow him to play even half a season, so therefor he isn't worth the money. 8. Rose is the best PG in the league hands down? No 9. What do you think of Kevin Martins season? About as much as I've thought about him before...he's a very, very efficient scorer, but does absolutely nothing else. 10. Will the Rockets make the playoffs next year? I'd say no at the moment, especially with Adelman gone. 11. What is your favorite food? Ice cream 12. What is you favorite drink (any)? Alcohol- 4Loco, non-alcoholic- Monster 13. #1 thing on your bucket list? Skydiving 14. Do you have a job? if so what? Pwning people on OTR 15. If you could punch one person in the face without consequences who would it be? My current roommate...he's like not even metrosexual, he's like a flat-out lesbian. 16. Is it ok if I ask you 16 questions? Absolutely not, your computer will self-destruct in 3, 2, 1... Cavamatic: 1) How often do you check OTR? 2-3x a day 2) How is rehab? Not in rehab, but being at a halfway house in Florida is pretty cool 3) Do you know me? Nope lol 4) Who will win it all? Lakers 5) Who SHOULD be the MVP?? In terms of value, Dwight Howard. Based on past history of the MVP award, Rose fits the criterea. 6) What would you change about the OTR forums? The ponies 8) Favorite member? Guru 9) Least favorite member? ECN 10) Who goes number one in NBA draft? Irving Pinkie Pie: 1. How's life? Sunshine and rainbows 2. Going back to college? Yep, in the fall 3. Moment that made you NBA fan? Seeing MJ play for the first time. 4. Most dominating performance you've ever seen? Live- Kobe's 62 in 3 quarters against the Mavs, On replay- Jordan's 69pt/18reb/6ast/4stl/1blk game against the Cavs 5. Next realistic year the Knicks can win championship? 2012-2013 6. Roses are red, violets are blue _________________? Ponies are gay and so are you 7. Young Money or Roc Nation? Have to pick 1, no neither... Roc Nation 8. Which lyricist do you look up to? Nas, but I try to mold my style from Big Pun/Eminem/Canibus 9. Something we don't know about you? I made the Central NJ all-star team for basketball in 8th grade 10. Do you actually believe Knicks fan will become Nets fans just because they moved like 20-30 miles? No, but a lot of parents from the Brooklyn area will take their kids to see Nets games, and they will be next-generation Nets fans down the road 11. Any chance you relapse? Yes 12. What is like to almost die? Unexplainable 13. Happiest moment of your life? My ex coming to visit me in the hospital 14. Saddest moment of your life? Thinkin my mom was dead when she was in a coma 15. Why don't you like My Little Pony? I hate ponies, get a butch moose instead Guru: 1. Why are you a Nets fan? Grew up 20min from Continental Airlines Arena, had season tickets in the '90's, been to over 100 games over the years, and I loved the Kidd Nets. 2. Fav. Nets moment? Beating the Pacers in Game 5 in the 2002 playoffs after Reggie Miller hit that crazy fadeaway from 40ft out to send it to OT. 3. Favorite type of bud? Kush 4. Will DWill sign an extension? Yes 5. Funniest thing you saw at rehab? Some guy shit himself 6. Fav. brand of cigarettes? Camel Turkish Royals 7. Do you own a car? If so, what car? Nope, only car I ever had was a '98 Altima 8. Which conspiracy theories do you believe in? Moon landing 9. If you could have any job in the world, what would it be? Pro basketball player 10. If you suddenly found yourself turned into a woman, how would you spend your day? Sticking objects of various size, texture and color into my vagina #24: 1. How's going? Chillin, chillin homie 2. You're favorite basketball shoe of all time? Jordan 12's 3. Pac, Nas or Biggie? and why? Nas, he's the best lyracist of the 3, and by far the most creative songwriter. 4. What do you like the most about OTR? Quality of posters. 5. Who are you rooting for in the playoffs this year? Miami, only because of D-Wade 6. Who do you think will be the 2011 champs? Lakers 7. Beer or hard liquor? Hard liquor 8. When did you become a basketball fan? Mid-'90's 9. Have you ever been to Europe? Never been outside the US 10. Your favorite members here on OTR? Guru, Blasco, Illwill...I really like the majority of people here, the ones I don't like know who they are

Well, when you have 3 future HoF players and a an all-star PG, there really isn't much the coach can do to screw things up in terms of getting a quality shot off from a great player. Usually Pierce or Allen are given the opportunity to hit the big shot, but tonight Rivers had the luxury of giving it to Kevin freaking Garnett as yet another option to win the game. D'Antoni had Melo and a bunch of bench warmers to work with...he gave it to Melo who made the correct play, and the guy that ended up trying to make a play to put the Knicks up had the best shooting night of anyone on the team.

That's the issue, the players that were on the court. When you're working with a bunch of bench warmers who had done little to nothing all game, there's not much you can do except give Melo the ball and expect him to make the correct play. If you were expecting D'Antoni to create this amazing play to get one of those guys an open dunk at the rim against one of the best defenses in the league, you're fooling yourself. BTW, Jeffries was 5-7 from the field tonight, and was the 3rd leading scorer tonight for the Knicks (with Melo and Douglas, who was 5-16, scoring more than him). As I said, with what D'Antoni had to work with, there wasn't much more that could be done.

Melo had no opportunity to get a shot up after he hit that 3 in Pierce's face, they were doubling him every touch, and had a double waiting before he even would get the ball. D'Antoni's not at fault here, the Knicks shouldn't even have been within 20pts of the Celtics with Amare and Billups out. Melo was absolutely amazing.

Eh, it's a nice change of pace, the mustache alone was getting old.

Yeah, that's ridiculous that he didn't at least crack the top 5, although there is no way I give the award to an elite perimeter defender over a guy like Howard.

Not Morey's decision...

LINK

Yeah, that was a heart-breaking loss for the Knicks, but they shot themselves in the foot with the uncontested alley-oop play out of the timeout. The offensive foul on Melo was a flop by Pierce, and the KG trip should have been an offensive foul, but that is prototypical Celtic basketball that you can't do much about. However, that alley-oop was inexcusable, and probably cost them the chance to win the game, or at least send it to OT.

He's not that hard to defend in the sense that he doesn't have a ton of moves, but the moves he does have are nearly impossible to stop, especially when his jumper is on automatic.

Ultimately, there's only two concrete facts that really show who was the most effective scorer this season- Volume +efficiency. House shot under 40% from the field, and under 40% from 3 this season, while Bibby shot around 44% from both, and per 36min House had to take 4 more shots to get 4 more points. Brown and Odom both scored 16 points per 36min, but Odom shot OVER 10% better from the field, and shot 4% better from 3. Brown scored less than 2 points per 36min more than Bynum, but needed 5 more FGA to get that mark. Unless you are vastly overrating volume in your ratings, there is no way Brown and House should statistically be so high, let alone so much higher than those other players.

Young didn't have the position on Wade for it to be an offensive foul. It should either be a no-call or a foul on Young, because he was impeding his progress. Ideally, it should be a no-call, but that's the way the NBA is officiated now.

That's the issue, riding a player is an easy way to pick up a foul call, especially against a guy like Wade who will take the contact and sell the foul by fading away. You have to not let him get that step in the first place, and if you do you have to contest him at the rim and hope your big man is there for protection.

That's subjective, but when it's called all over the league amongst stars and non-stars, then it's fair game and the norm. To use it to show how biased the refs are against the Pacers/Sixers is stupid.

There was no way that was a charge...that play is a pet move by a number of players, star or not. It was a bump on Young because he impeded Wade's progress (he didn't take the right angle on Wade's drive and wasn't quick enough to avoid that contact), and Wade sold it by taking the bump and fading away. Now, you can argue the foul was called due to Wade sticking out his leg, but it's not a play to cause much fuss over because the initial bump is a play the refs will call about 90% of the time.

As I posted before, it was a foul before he even jumped up for the shot. Young impeded Wade's progress, Wade took the hit and faded back. I agree it's an iffy call, but a ton of players make a living off the same call...Maggette, Kevin Martin, etc...

Getting rid of Tony Allen I can understand because he doesn't provide much offensively, and the Celtics needed some offensive firepower behind Allen/Pierce. Even though he's a great defender, he was expendable, and great interior defense often has just as much of an effect on elite perimeter players as the actual on-ball defender does. However, getting rid of Perkins, who is still young and was one of their anchors defensively, was a terrible move, especially since both of the O'Neal's are injury risks and are on the brink of retirement.

I don't think it has to do with promotion, but rather contracts and how often players switch teams in the NBA, namely superstars who can change the balance of power so easily.

Neither of them take many FTA's, so FT% shouldn't mean much....Bibby has had a TS% of over .600 with the Heat, while House was at .535. I don't know how House was better at scoring when Bibby shot 6% better from the only area of the floor House is effective at, and that's from 3. Again, House's quick trigger and ability to use screens is nice, but at the end of the day he's inconsistent from 3, and shoots below 40% from the field. Bibby is an ultra-consistent 3pt shooter, and is much better at making plays with the ball in his hands than House is.

First off, he simply doesn't have the skillset to be a key scorer. He's not a great 3pt shooter, and he too often settles for the quick 3 rather than attack the basket, where he is most effective. However, since he is a bit undersized, he can't finish at the rim as well as many of the great scorers in the league can, and he doesn't know how to draw contact to get to the FT line often. His ballhandling skills are adequate but not above-average, and he has no midrange game. He also doesn't have many polished pet-moves to get himself easy looks, so he usually just settles for a quick 3 or a reckless drive to the basket. Bynum is an elite offensive post player in the league, with his size, soft touch and solid footwork. When he's healthy, he can be depended on to consistently score in the post (although he refuses to pass out of the post, but that has little to nothing to do with scoring ability). Odom is a mismatch athletically for most players at the 4, and his ability to handle the ball and make plays off the dribble makes him a difficult guard. He also shot the 3pt shot very well this year, and he also is good at getting 2nd chance opportunities off the glass. In-depth enough? I meant with the ball he cannot create his own shot, and while he is very good at coming off screens and shooting with a quick trigger, he is inconsistent from 3pt range, somewhat nullifying his advantage in that department. Meanwhile, Bibby is a far more consistent 3pt threat, is much better at creating off the dribble, and is also better at finishing at the rim. I don't see why Bibby is lower than House.

Why do you think Corey Maggette always gets to the FT line? And I don't believe he's a superstar, nor does he play for a big market team...

He got fouled before he even kicked his leg out...

That's all fine and dandy, but the Sixers were among the bottom of the league ALL SEASON in FTA's, while the Heat were among the top of the league. NOT A SINGLE PLAYER ON THE SIXERS AVERAGED OVER 4.5FTA'S DURING THE REGULAR SEASON. Now, why would you expect it to be any different in the post-season? It has nothing to do with Stern wanting to advance the Heat, it has to do with Philly having very few players capable of drawing fouls with great consistency, while the Heat have arguably the 2 best in the entire NBA. That would have been one extra free throw. Show me how many plays in the game Wade and LeBron got free throws on, and tell me how many of them shouldn't have been called fouls.