Kleeman's Last Word

NBA Playoffs have been unfloppingly good so far

Cedric Golden, a columnist for the Austin American-Statesman, wrote a piece in today's issue that nearly had me rolling with laughter: "Shaq grades Spurs defenders as flops."
Since when do we care about the Shaq man's whiny assessment of legitimate fouls? Why did Golden waste his and my time sticking up for the guy?
I have come to appreciate Shaquille O' Neal's paint dominance and figure he is a no-brainer Hall of Fame inductee, along with Tim Duncan.

Come on Golden, this guy has been barreling and beating the crap out of people for years. It is time the refs started whistling him for it. During his years with the Orlando Magic and Los Angeles Lakers, he received more ridiculous calls and no-calls than maybe five great NBA players have in their entire career. He was allowed to elbow, push off, shove and sometimes kick his opponents because he was a 7-foot superstar.

Things have changed now, and O'Neal knows he's not getting any more "superstar treatment." Even Amare Stoudewhiner, the very player who called the Spurs "dirty," and Suns Coach Mike D'Antoni disagreed with O'Neal and said the fouls called were legitimate.

Looking at the replays, Kurt Thomas and Fabricio Oberto did not flop. OK, I'll give Shaq the benefit on one of the calls.

I anticipate O'Neal and Stoudemire will wise up for tonight's Game 2 and stay out of foul trouble. Whether either player can guard Duncan depends on which Timmy shows at the AT&T Center. If the traditional playoff-tested Duncan arrives, he will dominate whatever defense the Suns throw his way. Or he can go back to his late regular season form, excluding the Utah Jazz and Sacramento Kings games where he was spectacular, and miss easy, high-percentage shots.

And now, some comments on the eight playoff series.

NEW ORLEANS HORNETS VS. DALLAS MAVERICKS

So yeah, what did happen to that youthful stage fright that was to consume Chris Paul and the New Orleans Hornets when the playoffs arrived? That's right, you suckers who feast on sports cliches were dead wrong.

Paul amassed an MVP-worthy regular season and led a young Hornets squad to the second best record in the Western Conference and a surprising Southwest Division title.
He scored 35 points, dished 10 assists and stole three passes-incredible numbers for a playoff debut.

If you watched him at all in big regular season games, what the hell did you think was going to happen? I sure hope the Dallas Mavericks were not pinning their hopes on that proverbial cliff for young players. If the little-Isiah was doomed to wilt under pressure, he would have done it long ago.

The Mavs, a team with a history of turning the opposing team's best player into a superstar, should be concerned. I still think this series is too even to predict a winner. My gut tells me this thing will go the distance: one team wins in game 7.

LOS ANGELES LAKERS VS. DENVER NUGGETS

Someone needs to correct Marcus Camby's foul manners. His stern defense of the rim is the lone obstacle any player in a Lakers uniform faces in getting to the rim. How inconsiderate of him to try swatting away Pau Gasol when all the poor guy wants is an easy layup or dunk.
Star forward Carmelo Anthony is kind enough to apologize. "Oh, I'm sorry, you wanted to get to the basket? I'll get out of your way."

After watching the Nuggets shame the concept of interior defense in a Sunday afternoon rout, I have to wonder if Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul Jabar wouldn't mind suiting up for a few minutes in this layup drill.

What gets me about this Denver squad is that it can play some commendable defense when a team forces it into a half-court set. Against the Lakers, whose defense was also a bit porous, these Nuggets might as well have assembled themselves in a firing squad line.

Prediction: Lakers win this series going away in 5. Denver will steal a game at the Pepsi Center when Anthony and Iverson torch the Lakers for a combined 70 points. Steal in the defensive sense? Not so much.

PHILADELPHIA 76ERS VS. DETROIT PISTONS

Every concern written about the veteran Pistons this season was validated in a Sunday upset loss to the green 76ers. The Pistons are levels above this young team in talent and experience. As the first game in this series proved, though, giving a damn also counts. Tayshaun Prince missed a wide-open jumper, Rasheed Wallace clanged a layup and Chauncey Billups, a 92 percent free throw shooter on the season, missed three of four at the line in the deciding period.

This after blowing a 16 point lead at home and the 76ers missing their own share of foul shots. This is still the Pistons' series to lose but we will see in game two if the Sixers woke them up enough to play like a championship contender.

Prediction: Pistons win the series in six games. Philly wins its first playoff game at home on hustle and Detroit miscues then the Pistons decide to stop the playing-down-to-the-competition masturbation and blow them out in games five and six..

posted by Robert Kleeman @ 7:54 AM