Kleeman's Last Word

Funny Thing About Matchups...

Perhaps the single greatest difference between the collegiate game and the pros is that pesky little matchup problem that's so prevalent in the NBA.
And I'm talking matchups on both a player and team level. This is why Dallas Mavericks fans are clutching their pillows tightly and sobbing obnoxiously loud at a portrait of their deflated hero Dirk Nowitzki, as he led his team to the worst performance by a number one seed in first round playoff history. The Mavericks became the first top seeded team to lose to an eight seed in the first round, a bonehead feat, as the Golden State Warriors slammed them out of championship contention by a 25 point margin.
Part of this humiliating (and for me, satisfying) loss is owed to the awful performances of Dallas's big three, Nowitzki, Jason Terry and Josh Howard, but another is owed to the matchup problems the Mavs can't seem to overcome against Don Nelson's young and athletic run-and-gun squad.
But don't hang your head too low Mavs fans becuase several of teams have problem foes that might have you scratching your head.

1) You know how the San Antonio Spurs and Mavericks brutalized the New Orleans Hornets in 6 out of their 8 meetings, all 8 of which were wins? The same cannot be said for the Houston Rockets, who barely won the last meeting after a barrage of 3's saved them for dropping home court advantage to the Utah Jazz once and for all. The Rockets are 1-7 against the Hornets in the last two seasons and have no answer for Chris Paul.
The Spurs have blown out this squad by more than 20 points in four of their last six meetings. The Mavs handlded them pretty handily just one night after a tough win in San Antonio.
So why the hell can the Rockets not beat this team? I'm scratching my head.

2) The Spurs are thrilled they won't have to face the Milwaukee Bucks in the playoffs--yes, the God-awful, 3rd worst in the league Bucks. They dropped both meetings, and the second loss, accrued special meaning as it ended the Spurs' 13-game winning streak Why can does this meow-ish run-and-gun club give a three time champion so much trouble?
I'm scratching my head.

3) And how about this list of teams that beat Phoenix's razor-sharp offense: Seattle Supersonics, Philadelphia 76ers, Atlanta Hawks and Minnesota Timberwolves. There's no point in elaborating. I'm scratching my head.

PLAYOFF EXITS: MAYBE IT'S KARMA?
For the first time in so long you'd have to pull out a heavy textbook of NBA history, the teams from last year's Finals did not advance past the first round.
It's highly common for one or both teams to fail defending a conference title, but usually, those teams are ousted in the second or third rounds, not the first.
The Bulls swept the defending champions, who were wraught by indifference toward their awful season and injury. Golden State just hammered the Mavs worse than Hurricane Katrina, stole away the home court advantage and made NBA history.
It's hard to explain how both of these deep squads fell so badly in round one, but I wonder if maybe it's karma?
Perhaps that idea that you get what you deserve really isn't that ludicrous after all.
The Heat spent the entire regular season treating the defense of their championship like a joke. I'll give them some sympathy for the colossal injuries they had to overcome, including severe ones to coach Pat RIley, Shaquille O' Neal and Finals MVP Dwyane Wade. Even point guard Jason Williams and three point assassin Jason Kapono missed substantial time. But a sweep in the first round seems to be indicative of a season that will be remebered as highly unacceptable.
Miami barely managed a .500 record for most of the season and struggled to compete in important games.
To quote former All-Star Gary Payton, "we can turn it on in the playoffs. We'll finish strong in the regular season." Apparently not.
The arrogant champs finished their tumultuos season by losing to the Bobcats twice and failing to win at least one game against a Bulls team that was a bit more consistent, more athletic and a lot hungrier.

For the Mavs, things are a little different. The Mavericks had the 6th best regular season in NBA history.
However, they frustrated me all season long.
They crushed me in that thrilling game 7 last year. I couldn't handle them beating the Spurs on our home floor, so maybe now, justice is served. Or is it?

posted by Robert Kleeman @ 12:02 PM