Well well well... Here we go again! Preview of game 3 of the Western Conference Finals! This time the Spurs will travel to Chesapeake Energy Arena (Thunders's home court name if you are wondering) and try to secure Game 3.
I will focus more on OKC this time around, seriously for the Spurs there is nothing much to write about.
What OKC have to do to win tomorrow's game?
1) I am putting this point first as I was annoyed by the fact that OKC so far have not "use" him yet and guess what? He is their marquee player. That's right, "USE KEVIN DURANT MORE". I know you might be going like "Oh you don't say" kind of expression. But seriously man, your team have a superstar in the name of Kevin Durant and you are hardly even using him at all? How obvious OKC needs this point to be? I don't know whether the coaching staff is not making plays for him or he is not asserting himself into the game, honestly I don't care! All I know is this, KEVIN DURANT HAVE TO SHOW UP TOMORROW AND GET THE JOB DONE.
2) I have pointed out in my reactions to the aftermath of Game 2 that i spotted something that would help OKC in this game and I would like to elaborate more about it now. The thing I spotted is this and I know it might sound stupid but anyway here we go. For OKC to have a higher advantage in terms of stopping the Spurs offense strategies is this, it is either to go zone type defense (I have not seen OKC played this before, Boston did it late in Game 1 against the Heats) or to play defense "messy". As you can see I am lost for words here, basically it is to disrupt the flow or the rhythm of the Spurs offense. I realized that the more OKC played "orthodox" defensive basketball (with all the defensive strategies) they seemed to get taken apart so quickly but when late in the Game 2, OKC seem to be just playing with their instincts to protect their basket and in all honesty Spurs seemed to have struggled against that kind of instinctive play style. I think one commentator put it like this "Street Fight", that would probably be the best description of what I am trying to illustrate here.
3) Stop passing the ball the Russel Westbrook. Nah.. I am kidding, but you get my point, he has to stop taking so many shots.
4) Start James Harden.
5) Go small, with the only big man coming in the form of Serge Ibaka. Perkins, in all honesty is quite useless in this series.
These are the main things OKC have to do to stand a better chance of winning, the rest of the other points would be in my previous posts of the series which meant that I have mentioned it before.
Alright enough of OKC, now what Spurs got to do to win the game and probably secure the series?
Three main things.
1) They have to stop their once a game switch off habits.
2) During the last day or so of rest, Thiago Splitter had better train overtime on his free throws.
3) Play like how they are playing right now.
I know in the previous game, OKC came up with the hacking Splitter strategy to draw near to the Spurs but there is two ways to counter it. Before I proceed I must say this, I have not seen this from anywhere and if there are similarities out there in terms of how to counter the hacking strategy I DID NOT COPY OR COMMIT ANY FORM OF PLAGIARISM. I will touch on it briefly here and we can discuss more about it in the "Comments" section below. Basically it is to make Splitter do the in bounce pass and ask Splitter not to enter the court until the ball has travel to the OKC half. Only when the ball has traveled to the OKC half then Splitter would then enter the court. By doing this, though the hacking foul will still come but at least by doing this it eats into the clock and the number of times OKC can do this will be lessen by 1 or 2 (1 to 4 points lost). But there is a perfect way to prevent the hack strategy, I would be glad to share it in the "Comments" section below upon request.
Alright before I sign off, I would say one thing, it is not that OKC has no chance at all to win tomorrow's game but the odds are stacked against them even though they have home court advantage. But I would like to see OKC taking victory tomorrow to make the series interesting. They have a chance but they have to grab the chance with both hands when it presents itself, if not there won't be a next time. Chances like the Spurs switching off for a brief moment in Game 2 have to be taken full advantage off.
That's it for me, see ya~!
Thursday, 31 May 2012
Wednesday, 30 May 2012
Reactions to Game 2 Eastern Conference Finals (Boston Celtics 111 Miami Heats 115 OT)
Wow! What a game. Let me summarize the flow of the game and then to my reflections of the game.
Boston started the game really well, it ended after first quarter 24-18. In the second quarter, things pretty much went Boston's way and ended at 53-46. Do not let the closeness of the score fool you, Boston shot the ball really well and led as much as 15 in the first half. In the second half, in the third quarter, the Heats went on a rampage scoring 35 points. Batman (Dwayne Wade) fueled that rampage with a great rejection of Ray Allen's layup and his individual display in the third quarter. The third quarter closes out 75-81 in Miami's favor. In the fourth quarter, Boston came out strongly and went on a 13-4 run to edge the Heats by 3 points (88-85). And then things went to back and forth, back and forth, with Miami missing way too many crucial free throws to close out the game. Ray Allen hit a big three with 34 secs to go to tie the game at 99-99. And Lebron James failed to close the deal in the next two possessions and the game went into overtime. Boston led much of overtime but they didn't have much in the tank left. Especially with Pierce fouling out, the entire offense fell on Rondo shoulders who had a superb game. And the Heats closed it out 111-115, taking the victory and Game 2.
The Boston Celtics couldn't last the game, but they can lift their heads high going back to the Garden for Game 3 feeling confident they can beat the Heats.
Personal Reflections time.
Rajon Rondo
Did Rondo called Tony Parker for mid range jumper tips last night or what! The man was on fire the whole night! Raining down mid range jumpers after jumpers there was no end to it! Had a superb time at the foul line going 10 for 12. He scored his career best with 44 points! Can you believe that! He was 16-24 from the field and going 2-2 in three pointers and to top all of that up he had 10 assists and 8 rebounds. A fantastic night by him honestly both on the defensive end and on the offensive end. He had a superb first half scoring 22 points in 7-11 shooting and going to the foul line 10 times. In the second half he kind of faded a little but was still putting up productive numbers but he finished the game really strongly and hitting his only 2 three pointers at the end of the game. Overall fantastic game by Rondo, and one that he must carry into Game 3.
Ray Allen
He played way better this game than in Game 1. Though his stat sheet wasn't that impressive, but at least tonight you could see he was getting in some kind of rhythm and getting it going. Finished off with 5-11 shooting, 2-5 from the three point line. Well actually he finished off with 5-10 shooting and 2-4 from the three point line, but he shot a meaningless three pointer at the end of the game that is the reason why it was registered with one more. He hit a big time three to even the game at 99 a piece with 34 seconds remaining in the fourth. Overall he can be happy with his efforts tonight, but now he has got to get this rhythm that he had found going in Game 3.
Lebron James
If you want me to rate his night tonight, I can tell you honestly it wasn't good. He didn't shoot the ball well tonight going 7-20 in shooting and 18-24 at the foul line. Besides this, another reason why I can say with assurance he didn't play well is because he turned into what the media calls him "The Frozen One", and to be frank its quite unfortunate for Boston whom did not have have anything left to punish the Heats for it. First, he missed 2 free throws when he was awarded a clear path foul. And in the following given possession Miami failed to convert. That there guys if everything was done as how it should be, Miami would have won the game somewhere in the fourth but unfortunately it didn't. Lebron let nerves get to him and he missed those 2 crucial free throws. And before the end of regulation time (clutch time), he missed the layup but wasn't his fault, a tough layup to convert anyway, BUT they got the rebound and the ball went to Lebron hands again. Went one on one against a smaller Rondo, overpowered Rondo but failed to convert the clutch jump shot and the game went into overtime. But that's not the end, at the start of overtime, he got two free throws again which would give Miami the lead but he failed to convert both free throws. Now my friends, this is a problem. It's fortunate for them (Miami), Boston didn't punish them for it but I am sure Boston would not be so kind the next time around if these kind of things happen again.
Dwayne Wade
Dwaybe Wade started the game really slow, and I mean REAL slow. He scored his first 2 points of the game only in the second quarter and was 1-6 in shooting at the end of the second quarter. But he picked it up in the third and to get things started, he served up a monster rejection of Ray Allen's layup and finished the game with 8-15 shooting. I want to be fair here, Wade himself also missed some crucial free throws that could have put Miami out of Boston's reach but he failed to convert. He shot quite poorly from the foul line going 7-11 in that category. Overall he started real slow and was practically non-existent but finished the game strong.
Conclusion
It's really unfortunate that Boston did not win this game as I felt that they should have take Game 2. But they will be happy to know now, they match up quite well against the Heats and would have a great chance of taking this series. Minor things for Boston to tweak here and there, especially in how to prevent the offense from going flat and turning into a isolation game for Rondo to bulldoze past the Heats defense. That they have to solve but other than that, they just have to keep this up and should be able to take Game 3 at home. Miami on the other hand have alittle more problems on their hands to solve. One of the problems is that their offense is pretty stagnant for some reason and they have to find a solution to that but credit the Boston's defense for that. If not for their (Miami) good performance at the three point line tonight, Boston would have taken this game comfortably.
Alright that's all from me, see ya~
Boston started the game really well, it ended after first quarter 24-18. In the second quarter, things pretty much went Boston's way and ended at 53-46. Do not let the closeness of the score fool you, Boston shot the ball really well and led as much as 15 in the first half. In the second half, in the third quarter, the Heats went on a rampage scoring 35 points. Batman (Dwayne Wade) fueled that rampage with a great rejection of Ray Allen's layup and his individual display in the third quarter. The third quarter closes out 75-81 in Miami's favor. In the fourth quarter, Boston came out strongly and went on a 13-4 run to edge the Heats by 3 points (88-85). And then things went to back and forth, back and forth, with Miami missing way too many crucial free throws to close out the game. Ray Allen hit a big three with 34 secs to go to tie the game at 99-99. And Lebron James failed to close the deal in the next two possessions and the game went into overtime. Boston led much of overtime but they didn't have much in the tank left. Especially with Pierce fouling out, the entire offense fell on Rondo shoulders who had a superb game. And the Heats closed it out 111-115, taking the victory and Game 2.
The Boston Celtics couldn't last the game, but they can lift their heads high going back to the Garden for Game 3 feeling confident they can beat the Heats.
Personal Reflections time.
Rajon Rondo
Did Rondo called Tony Parker for mid range jumper tips last night or what! The man was on fire the whole night! Raining down mid range jumpers after jumpers there was no end to it! Had a superb time at the foul line going 10 for 12. He scored his career best with 44 points! Can you believe that! He was 16-24 from the field and going 2-2 in three pointers and to top all of that up he had 10 assists and 8 rebounds. A fantastic night by him honestly both on the defensive end and on the offensive end. He had a superb first half scoring 22 points in 7-11 shooting and going to the foul line 10 times. In the second half he kind of faded a little but was still putting up productive numbers but he finished the game really strongly and hitting his only 2 three pointers at the end of the game. Overall fantastic game by Rondo, and one that he must carry into Game 3.
Ray Allen
He played way better this game than in Game 1. Though his stat sheet wasn't that impressive, but at least tonight you could see he was getting in some kind of rhythm and getting it going. Finished off with 5-11 shooting, 2-5 from the three point line. Well actually he finished off with 5-10 shooting and 2-4 from the three point line, but he shot a meaningless three pointer at the end of the game that is the reason why it was registered with one more. He hit a big time three to even the game at 99 a piece with 34 seconds remaining in the fourth. Overall he can be happy with his efforts tonight, but now he has got to get this rhythm that he had found going in Game 3.
Lebron James
If you want me to rate his night tonight, I can tell you honestly it wasn't good. He didn't shoot the ball well tonight going 7-20 in shooting and 18-24 at the foul line. Besides this, another reason why I can say with assurance he didn't play well is because he turned into what the media calls him "The Frozen One", and to be frank its quite unfortunate for Boston whom did not have have anything left to punish the Heats for it. First, he missed 2 free throws when he was awarded a clear path foul. And in the following given possession Miami failed to convert. That there guys if everything was done as how it should be, Miami would have won the game somewhere in the fourth but unfortunately it didn't. Lebron let nerves get to him and he missed those 2 crucial free throws. And before the end of regulation time (clutch time), he missed the layup but wasn't his fault, a tough layup to convert anyway, BUT they got the rebound and the ball went to Lebron hands again. Went one on one against a smaller Rondo, overpowered Rondo but failed to convert the clutch jump shot and the game went into overtime. But that's not the end, at the start of overtime, he got two free throws again which would give Miami the lead but he failed to convert both free throws. Now my friends, this is a problem. It's fortunate for them (Miami), Boston didn't punish them for it but I am sure Boston would not be so kind the next time around if these kind of things happen again.
Dwayne Wade
Dwaybe Wade started the game really slow, and I mean REAL slow. He scored his first 2 points of the game only in the second quarter and was 1-6 in shooting at the end of the second quarter. But he picked it up in the third and to get things started, he served up a monster rejection of Ray Allen's layup and finished the game with 8-15 shooting. I want to be fair here, Wade himself also missed some crucial free throws that could have put Miami out of Boston's reach but he failed to convert. He shot quite poorly from the foul line going 7-11 in that category. Overall he started real slow and was practically non-existent but finished the game strong.
Conclusion
It's really unfortunate that Boston did not win this game as I felt that they should have take Game 2. But they will be happy to know now, they match up quite well against the Heats and would have a great chance of taking this series. Minor things for Boston to tweak here and there, especially in how to prevent the offense from going flat and turning into a isolation game for Rondo to bulldoze past the Heats defense. That they have to solve but other than that, they just have to keep this up and should be able to take Game 3 at home. Miami on the other hand have alittle more problems on their hands to solve. One of the problems is that their offense is pretty stagnant for some reason and they have to find a solution to that but credit the Boston's defense for that. If not for their (Miami) good performance at the three point line tonight, Boston would have taken this game comfortably.
Alright that's all from me, see ya~
Boston Celtics vs Miami Heats (Eastern Conference Finals Game 2)
I am a little tired tonight and as there is nothing much to write, I am going to keep this short and simple.
Advantage after what I have seen in Game 1: Miami Heats (isn't it obvious?)
What the Celtics need to do to win this game?
1) Rajon Rondo need to show up! Not like how he did in Game 1 where he had 4 turnovers in the first 4 minutes. But the Rondo that we are accustomed to seeing, the one who makes triple double like a walk in the park needs up show up and get it done.
2) Ray Allen needs to put what he has been experiencing so far behind and remind us once again why he is one of the best shooters of the game. Its good to hear that the Celtics does not intend to sit or "bench" Allen for his dismal performance so far but continue to put faith in him. The thing is they don't really have any other choice, there is no other player in the bench (no disrespect to the Boston bench) who is able to fill Ray Allen shoes at all. There is no decent replacement either.
3) Kevin Garnett needs to exert himself early in the game and take full advantage of the matchup against the Heats which is fully in his favor. Once that is done, things will start to flow for Boston, holes will open up for Allen to shoot and the offense for Boston will flow better. Kevin Garnett started off the game really slowly that is why the Celtics struggled to score in the first quarter. Well not just Garnett but the entire Celtics fell asleep in the first quarter.
4) The Celtics have one simple and main goal in this coming Game 2 and that is to last and finish the game. If they cannot even do that like what we have seen in the third quarter onwards in Game 1, the Heats will bulldoze Boston once again and take Game 2 with ease. Pierce faded away as soon as the game started for Game 1. I guessed it must be the fatigue, but no excuse this time the Celtics have alot to prove after Game 1.
What the Heats need to do to win this game?
Simple. Continue what they did in Game 1 with Lebron James and Dwayne Wade elevating their game. But I guess if the same Boston the one in Game 1 show up for tomorrow, I guess Lebron and Wade don't even have to hit fourth gear to lead the Heats to a victory.
Conclusion
Bosh is likely to miss tomorrow's game. I don't see any reason to risk Bosh at this moment. The Heats in all honesty, is in cruise control.
Alright, that's all for me and see you guys tomorrow!
Advantage after what I have seen in Game 1: Miami Heats (isn't it obvious?)
What the Celtics need to do to win this game?
1) Rajon Rondo need to show up! Not like how he did in Game 1 where he had 4 turnovers in the first 4 minutes. But the Rondo that we are accustomed to seeing, the one who makes triple double like a walk in the park needs up show up and get it done.
2) Ray Allen needs to put what he has been experiencing so far behind and remind us once again why he is one of the best shooters of the game. Its good to hear that the Celtics does not intend to sit or "bench" Allen for his dismal performance so far but continue to put faith in him. The thing is they don't really have any other choice, there is no other player in the bench (no disrespect to the Boston bench) who is able to fill Ray Allen shoes at all. There is no decent replacement either.
3) Kevin Garnett needs to exert himself early in the game and take full advantage of the matchup against the Heats which is fully in his favor. Once that is done, things will start to flow for Boston, holes will open up for Allen to shoot and the offense for Boston will flow better. Kevin Garnett started off the game really slowly that is why the Celtics struggled to score in the first quarter. Well not just Garnett but the entire Celtics fell asleep in the first quarter.
4) The Celtics have one simple and main goal in this coming Game 2 and that is to last and finish the game. If they cannot even do that like what we have seen in the third quarter onwards in Game 1, the Heats will bulldoze Boston once again and take Game 2 with ease. Pierce faded away as soon as the game started for Game 1. I guessed it must be the fatigue, but no excuse this time the Celtics have alot to prove after Game 1.
What the Heats need to do to win this game?
Simple. Continue what they did in Game 1 with Lebron James and Dwayne Wade elevating their game. But I guess if the same Boston the one in Game 1 show up for tomorrow, I guess Lebron and Wade don't even have to hit fourth gear to lead the Heats to a victory.
Conclusion
Bosh is likely to miss tomorrow's game. I don't see any reason to risk Bosh at this moment. The Heats in all honesty, is in cruise control.
Alright, that's all for me and see you guys tomorrow!
Tuesday, 29 May 2012
Reactions to Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals (Oklahoma Thunders 111 San Antonio Spurs 120)
What did I just say eh? The points that I pointed out in the preview of this game came to past! Which you can find it here: http://my40cents.blogspot.com/2012/05/oklahoma-thunders-vs-san-antonio-spurs_29.html
But for now lets get down to business. Outstanding first three quarters by the San Antonio Spurs, they literally gave a basketball clinic to OKC in showing them how to play basketball. Outplayed, outclassed, out scored period! I wish I could write and describe what transpired in the first three quarters but man! You really have to watch it for yourself. Defensively almost perfect in the first three quarters, shutting Kevin Durant out and forcing him to take tough shots. Not just him only but forcing the entire OKC team to take tough shots. Offensively it was perfect in the first three quarters and especially in the third quarter. I was speechless with what I saw, great movement of the dribble, perfect timing of the penetration by the guards, outstanding pick and rolls, best usage of screens I have seen so far this season and the list just go on and on. In short, everyone stuck to their role, played to their optimum level, no unnecessary dribbles or passes just simply the best and that itself is also not a good enough description of what had happened. Trust me, try to get your hands on the replay of the game and watch the first three quarters and you will get what I mean. I don't want to write anything more about it otherwise I would just be disrespecting the offensive game the Spurs had in the first three quarters and especially the third quarter. Tony Parker had a tremendous game tonight with a game high 34 points in 16/21, 76 percent shooting. That my friend is what you call a man who is on fire tonight. Parker literally and I mean literally bulldozed past Russel Westbrook and Westbrook had no reply at all and looked lost. Throughout the game Parker steamrolled Westbrook, and taught Westbrook how to play point guard. It was an exhibition! A clinic my friend! Tony Paker, ladies and gentlemen is on a whole different level or class or whatever you want to call it than Russel Westbrook.
The third quarter closed out with a foul fest on Thiago Splitter which he did reasonably okay, good enough for Spurs to hang on. And in the fourth quarter, this is where all the experience the Spurs has come into play. And it was experience that finally led them past the young and courageous OKC. Duncan's experience both in the passing game and in inbound plays came up big and he made huge plays for the Spurs down the stretch. And when things start to get really feisty, there is always the good old Manu Ginobili. He made huge baskets down the stretch to calm the nerves down for San Antonio and kept OKC from getting too close.
I started off in this article saying the points I wrote in the preview of this game came to past, you might be wondering "huh?" Here is why it came to past.
1) James Harden should start. First of all, he literally almost played the entire game, second of all with him on the floor OKC is just better both defensively and offensively (tonight's game just further strengthens the point) and lastly OKC has NO BENCH TO TALK ABOUT. So seriously any suggestions or ideas that he should not start the next game should be thrown out of the window as of now.
2) I wrote all three players, Durant, Westbrook and Harden have to shoot at least 60 percent to 65 percent for them to have a shot at winning. Durant came in at 10/17 that is 59 percent, Westbrook came in at 10/24 that is 41 percent and Harden came in at 10/13 which is a whopping 77 percent. They were close tonight in achieving it. If all three of them were to fulfill that 60 to 65 percent criteria they would stand a great chance of winning Game 3.
3) Somebody should just tell Russel Westbrook to stop taking too many shots. Need anymore persuasion by me on why he shouldn't take so many shots?
4) I think it is either Kevin Durant who heard his coach's instruction wrongly or Scott Brooks (the coach) just swap his left side of his brain with his right side. Kevin Durant was non existent at all in the game! DO NOT LET the boxscore of 31 points fool you people! He started the first quarter well, but for some inexplicable reason he just TOTALLY DISAPPEARED in the second, in the third was no better! By the fourth quarter I was sure he had already left the stadium! You must be thinking I am crazy, trust me I am not. ONLY 3 shots attempted in the second quarter, ONLY 4 shots attempted in the third quarter and ONLY 3 shots attempted again in the fourth. That is a total of 10 shots, let me repeat it 10 SHOTS in 36 minutes and that is three quarters of the entire game! Come on OKC! Durant is an ALLSTAR who is a scoring machine, who can pass the ball almost as well as Lebron and dictates the game! This is completely UNACCEPTABLE people! Almost OUTRAGES to think about that he only took 10 shots in 36 minutes. Start making plays for Durant! From what I have seen today, the Spurs cannot stop Durant at all! I don't want play any blame game on anybody because I did not play the game myself or was at courtside myself. But what I want to say is this, the coaching staff of OKC better start making plays for Durant and Durant himself better start asserting himself on the floor. What I have seen today on the floor today by both parties (Durant and the coaching staff) was inexplicable, unexplained, mind blowing and out of this world and OKC better hope this does not repeat again if not I can tell you this with 100 percent guarantee, they won't win the series.
5) Spurs switched off. It happened from late in the third to the middle of fourth quarter. OKC didn't take enough advantage of it, yea they did manage a mild effort but it wasn't enough to punish San Antonio. San Antonio's experience manage to ride them past this time around but I am not so sure the next time they would be so successful if this happens again especially IF KEVIN DURANT STARTS SHOOTING! As you can see, I am terribly annoyed by the disappearance of Kevin Durant in this game.
Conclusion
The Oklahoma Thunders, I believe have seen and gain something from this game though they lost. Even I who is slouch is able to catch a glaring factor that would help boost their chances of winning Game 3, and I would probably touch on it more in the preview of Game 3.
Before I sign off, I would like to say one last thing, great job to Gregg Popovich for the outstanding coaching I have seen in this game. He even managed to flip the tables to Tony Parker who was by far the best player in the court just because of one bad play in an outstanding third quarter. My hats off and salute to you Mr Popovich!
But for now lets get down to business. Outstanding first three quarters by the San Antonio Spurs, they literally gave a basketball clinic to OKC in showing them how to play basketball. Outplayed, outclassed, out scored period! I wish I could write and describe what transpired in the first three quarters but man! You really have to watch it for yourself. Defensively almost perfect in the first three quarters, shutting Kevin Durant out and forcing him to take tough shots. Not just him only but forcing the entire OKC team to take tough shots. Offensively it was perfect in the first three quarters and especially in the third quarter. I was speechless with what I saw, great movement of the dribble, perfect timing of the penetration by the guards, outstanding pick and rolls, best usage of screens I have seen so far this season and the list just go on and on. In short, everyone stuck to their role, played to their optimum level, no unnecessary dribbles or passes just simply the best and that itself is also not a good enough description of what had happened. Trust me, try to get your hands on the replay of the game and watch the first three quarters and you will get what I mean. I don't want to write anything more about it otherwise I would just be disrespecting the offensive game the Spurs had in the first three quarters and especially the third quarter. Tony Parker had a tremendous game tonight with a game high 34 points in 16/21, 76 percent shooting. That my friend is what you call a man who is on fire tonight. Parker literally and I mean literally bulldozed past Russel Westbrook and Westbrook had no reply at all and looked lost. Throughout the game Parker steamrolled Westbrook, and taught Westbrook how to play point guard. It was an exhibition! A clinic my friend! Tony Paker, ladies and gentlemen is on a whole different level or class or whatever you want to call it than Russel Westbrook.
The third quarter closed out with a foul fest on Thiago Splitter which he did reasonably okay, good enough for Spurs to hang on. And in the fourth quarter, this is where all the experience the Spurs has come into play. And it was experience that finally led them past the young and courageous OKC. Duncan's experience both in the passing game and in inbound plays came up big and he made huge plays for the Spurs down the stretch. And when things start to get really feisty, there is always the good old Manu Ginobili. He made huge baskets down the stretch to calm the nerves down for San Antonio and kept OKC from getting too close.
I started off in this article saying the points I wrote in the preview of this game came to past, you might be wondering "huh?" Here is why it came to past.
1) James Harden should start. First of all, he literally almost played the entire game, second of all with him on the floor OKC is just better both defensively and offensively (tonight's game just further strengthens the point) and lastly OKC has NO BENCH TO TALK ABOUT. So seriously any suggestions or ideas that he should not start the next game should be thrown out of the window as of now.
2) I wrote all three players, Durant, Westbrook and Harden have to shoot at least 60 percent to 65 percent for them to have a shot at winning. Durant came in at 10/17 that is 59 percent, Westbrook came in at 10/24 that is 41 percent and Harden came in at 10/13 which is a whopping 77 percent. They were close tonight in achieving it. If all three of them were to fulfill that 60 to 65 percent criteria they would stand a great chance of winning Game 3.
3) Somebody should just tell Russel Westbrook to stop taking too many shots. Need anymore persuasion by me on why he shouldn't take so many shots?
4) I think it is either Kevin Durant who heard his coach's instruction wrongly or Scott Brooks (the coach) just swap his left side of his brain with his right side. Kevin Durant was non existent at all in the game! DO NOT LET the boxscore of 31 points fool you people! He started the first quarter well, but for some inexplicable reason he just TOTALLY DISAPPEARED in the second, in the third was no better! By the fourth quarter I was sure he had already left the stadium! You must be thinking I am crazy, trust me I am not. ONLY 3 shots attempted in the second quarter, ONLY 4 shots attempted in the third quarter and ONLY 3 shots attempted again in the fourth. That is a total of 10 shots, let me repeat it 10 SHOTS in 36 minutes and that is three quarters of the entire game! Come on OKC! Durant is an ALLSTAR who is a scoring machine, who can pass the ball almost as well as Lebron and dictates the game! This is completely UNACCEPTABLE people! Almost OUTRAGES to think about that he only took 10 shots in 36 minutes. Start making plays for Durant! From what I have seen today, the Spurs cannot stop Durant at all! I don't want play any blame game on anybody because I did not play the game myself or was at courtside myself. But what I want to say is this, the coaching staff of OKC better start making plays for Durant and Durant himself better start asserting himself on the floor. What I have seen today on the floor today by both parties (Durant and the coaching staff) was inexplicable, unexplained, mind blowing and out of this world and OKC better hope this does not repeat again if not I can tell you this with 100 percent guarantee, they won't win the series.
5) Spurs switched off. It happened from late in the third to the middle of fourth quarter. OKC didn't take enough advantage of it, yea they did manage a mild effort but it wasn't enough to punish San Antonio. San Antonio's experience manage to ride them past this time around but I am not so sure the next time they would be so successful if this happens again especially IF KEVIN DURANT STARTS SHOOTING! As you can see, I am terribly annoyed by the disappearance of Kevin Durant in this game.
Conclusion
The Oklahoma Thunders, I believe have seen and gain something from this game though they lost. Even I who is slouch is able to catch a glaring factor that would help boost their chances of winning Game 3, and I would probably touch on it more in the preview of Game 3.
Before I sign off, I would like to say one last thing, great job to Gregg Popovich for the outstanding coaching I have seen in this game. He even managed to flip the tables to Tony Parker who was by far the best player in the court just because of one bad play in an outstanding third quarter. My hats off and salute to you Mr Popovich!
Oklahoma Thunders vs San Antonio Spurs (Western Conference Finals Game 2)
I am going to keep this short as much of what I want to say would be the same as what I have already wrote in the preview of Game 1, which can be found here: http://my40cents.blogspot.com/2012/05/oklahoma-thunders-vs-san-antonio-spurs.html
Basically if OKC wants to win tomorrow they only have one option and that is "Make use of Kevin Durant more". Not just in terms of scoring, but create isolation opportunities for him, getting him down low to make use of his length and getting him to facilitate more instead of just relying entirely on Russel Westbrook or James Harden.
They might have to start James Harden, and if I were the coach of OKC, I would give it a gamble for various reasons. I know this have been debated before whether James Harden should start or come out as a bench player but this is the San Antonio Spurs and I think he should start. People have cited if James Harden were to start it would deplete the OKC's bench strength. But against San Antonio Spurs who has one of the deepest bench in the league, what is there to compete? OKC literally has no bench at all to talk about in the first place! This is the Western Conference Finals people! Not some regular season game! Another good reason to start James Harden, this is to allow OKC to facilitate the basket more, why you might ask. The answer is this "The tendency of Russel Westbrook taking too many shots as a point guard!". In Game 1 we saw it, and the results were devastating when the shots do not go down. So start James Harden, to allow better facilitating and transition of the ball. I am not saying OKC should bench Russel Westbrook, because he is too valuable to be bench. Play him in the other guard position, after all he is a 2 guard type player!
The Spurs, I don't have to say anything add anything more, do what they have been doing and they will ride with Game 2 in the bag. It is just that the Spurs have a tendency to switch off suddenly, and OKC should take maximum advantage of that and things should be interesting. But if the switch is switched on all night long, man! I hate to say this but Spurs will take Game 2.
Well that's all for me! See you guys tomorrow!
Basically if OKC wants to win tomorrow they only have one option and that is "Make use of Kevin Durant more". Not just in terms of scoring, but create isolation opportunities for him, getting him down low to make use of his length and getting him to facilitate more instead of just relying entirely on Russel Westbrook or James Harden.
They might have to start James Harden, and if I were the coach of OKC, I would give it a gamble for various reasons. I know this have been debated before whether James Harden should start or come out as a bench player but this is the San Antonio Spurs and I think he should start. People have cited if James Harden were to start it would deplete the OKC's bench strength. But against San Antonio Spurs who has one of the deepest bench in the league, what is there to compete? OKC literally has no bench at all to talk about in the first place! This is the Western Conference Finals people! Not some regular season game! Another good reason to start James Harden, this is to allow OKC to facilitate the basket more, why you might ask. The answer is this "The tendency of Russel Westbrook taking too many shots as a point guard!". In Game 1 we saw it, and the results were devastating when the shots do not go down. So start James Harden, to allow better facilitating and transition of the ball. I am not saying OKC should bench Russel Westbrook, because he is too valuable to be bench. Play him in the other guard position, after all he is a 2 guard type player!
The Spurs, I don't have to say anything add anything more, do what they have been doing and they will ride with Game 2 in the bag. It is just that the Spurs have a tendency to switch off suddenly, and OKC should take maximum advantage of that and things should be interesting. But if the switch is switched on all night long, man! I hate to say this but Spurs will take Game 2.
Well that's all for me! See you guys tomorrow!
Monday, 28 May 2012
Reactions to Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals (Boston Celtics 79 Miami Heats 93)
One word would signify this morning game and that is "Speechless". Before we get into that, lets talk about some other aspects of Game 1.
First Quarter:
Boston started game 1 really slowly, and got whopped 11-21 at the end of the first quarter. Committing 4 uncharacteristic turnovers by Rajon Rondo, shooting was poor, basically everything didn't went well for the Celtics. Lebron had a great first quarter went 6 for 9 in shooting (need to clarify on this), and had 13 points already in the first quarter.
Second Quarter:
Boston Celtics owned big time in this quarter. And I felt this was the only quarter that Boston ever showed up in the game at all. Great defense, good solid offense, Garnett doing his things, Pierce started to assert himself in the game and managed to tie the game at the end of the second quarter 46-46. In short, it was all Boston.
Third Quarter and Fourth Quarter:
There is a reason why I merged this two quarters together because it was a replica of the first quarter and no second quarter type basketball from Boston. Boston started the third quarter really slowly again. Heats went on a 9-2 run early and basically never looked back ever since.
Why I am speechless:
There are several reasons for this:
1) The officiating was horrible mainly in the sense at which the technical fouls were given "SPEECHLESS" and probably some nitpick fouls here and there. Come on man this is the Eastern Conference Finals! Not some regular season game!
2) The Boston Celtics looked clueless and flat from the start of the third quarter all the way to the end of the game, which actually made the game unbearable to watch. Their offense looked clueless and repetitive, everyone was so disorganized I don't really know what to make of it, speechless man!. Their defense looked tired, I know they switched to zone-esque defense late in the game that is probably the move they should have done earlier and not later. This is actually probably the first time I seen the Boston Celtics played this bad on a big time stage.
3) Ray Allen. He looked like a man dejected with no confidence in his shooting, an area which he have tirelessly worked to perfect on. He made only 3-7 from the free throw line which is completely uncharacteristic and eye popping of him. In short, he really need to find his stride soon, I do not know if the ankle injury is bugging him or anything but this was one night he would want to forget and should just put it all behind him and get fired up for the second game. Really disappointing night for him, and his run in the playoffs so far.
4) The Celtics free throw shooting tonight. One word "horrendous", it is something that I don't even feel like writing about it.
5) Boston had no idea what to do when Wade and Lebron took turns to guard Rajon Rondo. Credit to Wade and Lebron for the defense but Boston didn't know what to do with it seriously. Come on man, this is the Eastern Conference Finals, you have to be prepared Boston! By the way I was just remarking to my brother yesterday before the game, that Miami should just put Lebron on Rondo and that would be it for Boston. If even I can see that, even more so for the Celtics! They should came up with something in anticipation when the situation arise, this is not the first time they are playing against each other, so no excuse for them to look clueless and had no idea what to do.
Conclusion
It turned out both Lebron and Wade didn't even need to elevate their game at all to win this game. Boston simply just died out from the third quarter to the end, maybe it is the fatigued that is setting in from the one six game series and one seven game series they experienced so far. But whatever it is, as past champions, they have to put it all aside and step up.
Lebron have an alright game, started really well in the first quarter. Kind of fade away in the second quarter but kicked it up a notch in the third and fourth quarter. Wade too had an alright game, consistent throughout.
Shane Battier came up big for the Heats on both ends on the floor tonight. Great in defense great in offense, overall a great game by him tonight.
The Big Four (Garnett, Pierce, Allen, Rondo) and Co better get recharged and come up with something during this one day of rest that is coming up, if not we would have a shorter than expected Eastern Conference Finals series.
First Quarter:
Boston started game 1 really slowly, and got whopped 11-21 at the end of the first quarter. Committing 4 uncharacteristic turnovers by Rajon Rondo, shooting was poor, basically everything didn't went well for the Celtics. Lebron had a great first quarter went 6 for 9 in shooting (need to clarify on this), and had 13 points already in the first quarter.
Second Quarter:
Boston Celtics owned big time in this quarter. And I felt this was the only quarter that Boston ever showed up in the game at all. Great defense, good solid offense, Garnett doing his things, Pierce started to assert himself in the game and managed to tie the game at the end of the second quarter 46-46. In short, it was all Boston.
Third Quarter and Fourth Quarter:
There is a reason why I merged this two quarters together because it was a replica of the first quarter and no second quarter type basketball from Boston. Boston started the third quarter really slowly again. Heats went on a 9-2 run early and basically never looked back ever since.
Why I am speechless:
There are several reasons for this:
1) The officiating was horrible mainly in the sense at which the technical fouls were given "SPEECHLESS" and probably some nitpick fouls here and there. Come on man this is the Eastern Conference Finals! Not some regular season game!
2) The Boston Celtics looked clueless and flat from the start of the third quarter all the way to the end of the game, which actually made the game unbearable to watch. Their offense looked clueless and repetitive, everyone was so disorganized I don't really know what to make of it, speechless man!. Their defense looked tired, I know they switched to zone-esque defense late in the game that is probably the move they should have done earlier and not later. This is actually probably the first time I seen the Boston Celtics played this bad on a big time stage.
3) Ray Allen. He looked like a man dejected with no confidence in his shooting, an area which he have tirelessly worked to perfect on. He made only 3-7 from the free throw line which is completely uncharacteristic and eye popping of him. In short, he really need to find his stride soon, I do not know if the ankle injury is bugging him or anything but this was one night he would want to forget and should just put it all behind him and get fired up for the second game. Really disappointing night for him, and his run in the playoffs so far.
4) The Celtics free throw shooting tonight. One word "horrendous", it is something that I don't even feel like writing about it.
5) Boston had no idea what to do when Wade and Lebron took turns to guard Rajon Rondo. Credit to Wade and Lebron for the defense but Boston didn't know what to do with it seriously. Come on man, this is the Eastern Conference Finals, you have to be prepared Boston! By the way I was just remarking to my brother yesterday before the game, that Miami should just put Lebron on Rondo and that would be it for Boston. If even I can see that, even more so for the Celtics! They should came up with something in anticipation when the situation arise, this is not the first time they are playing against each other, so no excuse for them to look clueless and had no idea what to do.
Conclusion
It turned out both Lebron and Wade didn't even need to elevate their game at all to win this game. Boston simply just died out from the third quarter to the end, maybe it is the fatigued that is setting in from the one six game series and one seven game series they experienced so far. But whatever it is, as past champions, they have to put it all aside and step up.
Lebron have an alright game, started really well in the first quarter. Kind of fade away in the second quarter but kicked it up a notch in the third and fourth quarter. Wade too had an alright game, consistent throughout.
Shane Battier came up big for the Heats on both ends on the floor tonight. Great in defense great in offense, overall a great game by him tonight.
The Big Four (Garnett, Pierce, Allen, Rondo) and Co better get recharged and come up with something during this one day of rest that is coming up, if not we would have a shorter than expected Eastern Conference Finals series.
Boston Celtics vs Miami Heats (Eastern Conference Finals Game 1)
Alright, its finally here... Well at least for me, I am actually more intrigued with this series than the western conference one.
Let us get down to business.
Which team is going to win this game: I don't know.
Well you would probably be swearing under your breathing after reading the previous sentence and I don't blame you for that. Let me give you a reason why I said "I don't know", because tomorrow's game has so many "Ifs" around that make it hard to decide (it's different for the Spurs and OKC game). But what I would do is highlight some aspect of the game and let the game unfold itself tomorrow.
Point 1
The only way the Heats is going to win tomorrow is this: Both Lebron James and Dwyane Wade elevate their game play to one that is of higher standard than what we have seen so far from the both of them. Reasons for this is because one Chris Bosh is indefinitely out, they lost a key player in their team and now the team's offense relies heavily on Lebron and Wade. Two, Boston is capable of some mean team defense that few teams are able breakdown. With two of the most talented players residing in the Heats, both those players should know that they are capable of breaking down the Boston's defense. And quite honestly it will be interesting to see what they do on the court tomorrow. But the bottom line is this, if the Heats want to win the game tomorrow, both Lebron James and Dwayne Wade have to show up. And if both of them show up tomorrow, the Heats have a huge advantage on their side.
Point 2
Boston have to make full use of their inside game tomorrow. With Bosh out, the Celtics have an immensely big amount of advantage down low. The onus is on Kevin Garnett to establish his game early down low and take control.
Point 3
Boston better make sure the right Rajon Rondo shows up. Let's be honest here, if Rondo is not playing well or having an off night, i am sorry man the Celtics have an extremely high chance of losing.
Point 4
If Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett all decide to turn the clock back and play as if they have no knocks at all, the Heats are in for a long night.
Point 5
If its clutch time for the Heats, please create the play for Dwayne Wade and not Lebron James. Need me to say anymore?
Point 6
The fourth quarter of this game will be pivotal for several reasons. First of all, it is to see of Lebron would turn into the Frozen One for yet again, or will he prove us all wrong. Secondly, this is where Boston are at its most dangerous, if their back is against the wall, be sure we will be in for a surprise.
Conclusion
Its hard to say who will take the first game tomorrow as there are a whole bucket load of reasons, but I am not going to list them all out and just going to leave us with these two points.
1) Both Wade and Lebron have to show up. Not one, but both.
2) Paul Pierce and Ray Allen watch out for the both of them. They are pivotal if Boston wants to grab the first game tomorrow.
Let us get down to business.
Which team is going to win this game: I don't know.
Well you would probably be swearing under your breathing after reading the previous sentence and I don't blame you for that. Let me give you a reason why I said "I don't know", because tomorrow's game has so many "Ifs" around that make it hard to decide (it's different for the Spurs and OKC game). But what I would do is highlight some aspect of the game and let the game unfold itself tomorrow.
Point 1
The only way the Heats is going to win tomorrow is this: Both Lebron James and Dwyane Wade elevate their game play to one that is of higher standard than what we have seen so far from the both of them. Reasons for this is because one Chris Bosh is indefinitely out, they lost a key player in their team and now the team's offense relies heavily on Lebron and Wade. Two, Boston is capable of some mean team defense that few teams are able breakdown. With two of the most talented players residing in the Heats, both those players should know that they are capable of breaking down the Boston's defense. And quite honestly it will be interesting to see what they do on the court tomorrow. But the bottom line is this, if the Heats want to win the game tomorrow, both Lebron James and Dwayne Wade have to show up. And if both of them show up tomorrow, the Heats have a huge advantage on their side.
Point 2
Boston have to make full use of their inside game tomorrow. With Bosh out, the Celtics have an immensely big amount of advantage down low. The onus is on Kevin Garnett to establish his game early down low and take control.
Point 3
Boston better make sure the right Rajon Rondo shows up. Let's be honest here, if Rondo is not playing well or having an off night, i am sorry man the Celtics have an extremely high chance of losing.
Point 4
If Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett all decide to turn the clock back and play as if they have no knocks at all, the Heats are in for a long night.
Point 5
If its clutch time for the Heats, please create the play for Dwayne Wade and not Lebron James. Need me to say anymore?
Point 6
The fourth quarter of this game will be pivotal for several reasons. First of all, it is to see of Lebron would turn into the Frozen One for yet again, or will he prove us all wrong. Secondly, this is where Boston are at its most dangerous, if their back is against the wall, be sure we will be in for a surprise.
Conclusion
Its hard to say who will take the first game tomorrow as there are a whole bucket load of reasons, but I am not going to list them all out and just going to leave us with these two points.
1) Both Wade and Lebron have to show up. Not one, but both.
2) Paul Pierce and Ray Allen watch out for the both of them. They are pivotal if Boston wants to grab the first game tomorrow.
Sunday, 27 May 2012
Oklahoma Thunders 98 San Antonio Spurs 101 (Western Conference Finals Game 1)
There is a reason why in the last post i wrote "Experience, overall matchups, coaching and bench... nuff said. Or you want more?" Today's result just further strengthen what i wrote. If you realize i also did mention "Or you want more?" It is because there are other factors which obviously i did not list them down. And one of them showed up in this game and that is Manu Ginobili. He had a great game, and put it in simple terms he got it going and score impact points as I would call it, basically points that impacted and mattered in the game.
In my previous post, I mentioned Russel Westbrook has to make at least 60 percent to 65 percent of his shots if not OKC will be in deep trouble because of the amount of shots he is taking. And guess what! he did not shoot at least 60 percent in fact he shot a miserable 7/21, and that is barely hitting 30 percent.
Well to be fair to Westbrook, James Harden himself did not shoot particularly well 6/16 that is is about 37 percent. If you realize i did not write 7/17 as what they do in the official stat sheet and the reason for that is because that last shot Harden took came at 0.00 time in the fourth quarter and at that point in time it didn't really mattered anymore.
Kevin Durant has a fair game but they have to make more use of him, in terms of facilitating and making scoring situations for him. He was forced too far off today. Durant did not shoot what i expected him to do but it was acceptable. The only person who shot well for OKC is the good old Derrick Fisher who shot 6/8 and at one time came in 5/5 for shooting.
It seems that Serge Ibaka only played 28 minutes. Well good decision by OKC because unfortunately for Ibaka though he is a monster defensive machine, but offensively he has no game at all (no post up game etc).
Spurs bench came up BIG tonight partially fueled by Ginobili, they came up with 52 points in total. For the OKC bench... Well probably wouldn't be even worth mentioning it in comparison to the Spurs's bench.
Both teams traded baskets early, going back and forth in the first two quarters, OKC came up big in the third but when it mattered in the fourth Spurs went one gear higher and left OKC in the dust.
Before I would like to sign off, once again I would like to stress this point and because i need to stress it I am going to bold it. Kevin Durant, Russel Westbrook , James Harden have to be at their best if they are even going to stand a chance against the Spurs. And lastly, MAKE use of Kevin Durant more (not just in terms of scoring) and with his talent and scoring prowess, OKC would stand a good chance in the next game.
Oklahoma Thunders vs San Antonio Spurs Game 1 (Western Conference Finals)
Before we begin, I would to share some of my thoughts. I initially wanted to do a detailed analysis for this game in this post but I guess I am too lazy today so I shall keep it short. Here we go.
Advantage: San Antonio Spurs. Why? Experience, overall matchups, coaching and bench... nuff said. Or you want more?
The only way for OKC to win this game or even the series is this: Kevin Durant, Russel Westbrook, and probably James Harden have to be at their best if not, I am sorry OKC will be going home.
I am particularly more concerned with Russel Westbrook and I will tell you why, one of the main reasons why the Thunders looked so good against the Lakers is because Westbrook has been performing. Why is that a problem you might ask? It is a problem because as a point guard, Westbrook is taking an average 19.6 shots in the postseason. If he is going to turn into Russel Westbrick like we have seen in the regular season, the Thunders are in for a rude awakening. OKC has only one main scorer and that is Kevin Durant. He is a pure scoring machine and the Thunders have to make the full use of him and not Westbrook to stand a chance of winning this game. And if Westbrook decide to let his ego out, and if he miss at least 60 to 65 percent of his shots, it will take a herculean effort from OKC to win the game/series.
But lets not get all too pessimistic about Westbrook. If he is on song, with Kevin Durant feeling the mood, man! OKC stands a good chance of winning this game.
Well that's all I have to say for this game.
P.S. One more way for OKC to win this game, they better hope the 1 week rest the Spurs had will work against them.
Advantage: San Antonio Spurs. Why? Experience, overall matchups, coaching and bench... nuff said. Or you want more?
The only way for OKC to win this game or even the series is this: Kevin Durant, Russel Westbrook, and probably James Harden have to be at their best if not, I am sorry OKC will be going home.
I am particularly more concerned with Russel Westbrook and I will tell you why, one of the main reasons why the Thunders looked so good against the Lakers is because Westbrook has been performing. Why is that a problem you might ask? It is a problem because as a point guard, Westbrook is taking an average 19.6 shots in the postseason. If he is going to turn into Russel Westbrick like we have seen in the regular season, the Thunders are in for a rude awakening. OKC has only one main scorer and that is Kevin Durant. He is a pure scoring machine and the Thunders have to make the full use of him and not Westbrook to stand a chance of winning this game. And if Westbrook decide to let his ego out, and if he miss at least 60 to 65 percent of his shots, it will take a herculean effort from OKC to win the game/series.
But lets not get all too pessimistic about Westbrook. If he is on song, with Kevin Durant feeling the mood, man! OKC stands a good chance of winning this game.
Well that's all I have to say for this game.
P.S. One more way for OKC to win this game, they better hope the 1 week rest the Spurs had will work against them.
Saturday, 26 May 2012
NBA Playoffs 2012 (Eastern Conference Finals)
My first post and I am going to start of, with something short and simple.
Sorry Philadelphia 76ers, you know it and I know it and I hope the world knows it. Only the Boston Celtics now and I am again re-emphasizing "now" is capable of beating the Miami Heats.
Sorry Philadelphia 76ers, you know it and I know it and I hope the world knows it. Only the Boston Celtics now and I am again re-emphasizing "now" is capable of beating the Miami Heats.
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