Tag Archive for 'Kevin Garnett'

NBA FINALS PREVIEW

Published
by
Anthony Iafolla
on June 5, 2008
in NBA
. 0 Comments

The NBA Finals is a culmination of a painful 6 months as a Philadelphia sports fan. Beginning with the Eagles season fading away, followed by having to endure a Super Bowl with two of the teams I hate most in this world. Next up came watching the Sixers and Flyers have very respectable seasons, but also with the knowledge that they have not reached elite status just yet. Look out NHL, because the Flyguys are creeping up to elite next year. Which brings me to this point: Lakers vs Celtics. I may go on a steady diet of Vicodin and Heineken for the next couple weeks. Or just bang my head against a brick wall enough times to put me in a coma short term. Don’t get me wrong, I am extremely excited for this series. It’s just that in the NBA, these are the two teams I hate most. I’ve actually been openly praying for an NBA lockout to avoid having to watch one of these teams hoist the trophy. I have always hated the Celtics and the Lakers, however my level of hatred for the Lakers has reached a new level since moving to Los Angeles. With the stupid car flags and the damn purple jerseys floating around town wherever I go, I’m a ticking time bomb. I wonder if now that it’s the NBA Finals, those amazing Laker fans will be able to make it to the game by halftime. I know, I know. I am just complaining again. I promise I will get to the series in a minute since no one cares about my pain. One more thing, though. This is a message to all Lakers fans: KOBE WOULD NOT HAVE WON MVP AND YOU WOULD NOT BE IN LOVE WITH THE DUDE HAD CHRIS WALLACE (WITH THE HELP OF JERRY WEST I’M SURE) NOT GIFT WRAPPED PAU “ THE OSTRICH” GASOL. Whew. That felt amazing. On to the series now.

I was going to do my usual position by position breakdown, but I decided to just breakdown the series as if I was sitting with a buddy at a bar. Plus, I am tired and too lazy to do a full roster breakdown. Let me also say that if you’ve been reading my posts, I have been picking against the Lakers in every series except Denver, but as I type this, I have no idea which way I’m leaning. This is another series of interesting match-ups and storylines. There’s the obvious historical significance. Although, even though hearing Lakers and Celtics gets me excited (in a non sexual way), I do think it is over hyped. The Celtics have been away from the Finals for 21 years. Those teams in the 80’s were some of the best in NBA history. Neither of these two teams hold that distinction. We also have Phil Jackson going for a record 10th NBA title as a coach. East coast against West coast. Purple against green. The legacies of many players can be altered. Excuse me, I need to take a Vicodin.

I’m very interested in seeing how both teams decide to play it defensively. Will the Celtics trust Perkins to guard Gasol one on one and Garnett guard Odom? Perkins certainly cannot handle Odom’s quickness. I am also curious to see how the Celtics decide to defend Kobe. Obviously, Kobe Bryant is by far the best player in this series and in the NBA, so they cannot expect to stop him. I think Kobe will see a variety of defenders. Probably some Paul Pierce, a little Ray Allen, and a lot of James Posey, as well as Kevin Garnett and Perkins popping out in order to try and force Kobe to beat them from the outside. The single greatest difference between the two teams is that the Lakers have a guy who has proven he can take over a playoff game in crunch time, and the Celtics do not. Paul Pierce did it once, but I would not call that a trend. The good thing for the Celtics is that they are the top defensive team in the NBA. The Lakers have not gone up against a defense like this. The Spurs play solid defense, but they are nowhere near as quick and athletic as the Celtics. The ideal scenario for the Celtics is to be able to swarm and rotate their defense and keep Kobe out of the paint. If they can force him to give up the basketball, and his teammates do not come through, then Kobe may revert back to selfish mode. To me, the only guy other than Kobe I would trust in crunch time is Derek Fisher. Problem is, there is only Paul Pierce on the Boston side. Speaking of Paul Pierce, how will the Lakers defend him? Neither Radmanovic or Luke Walton can do it. I think Kobe will be chasing around Ray Allen, so the Celtics have a decided advantage there.

The other question I have is: will Rajon Rondo completely crap the bed in the spotlight? Boston better hope not. Ray Allen is also going to be big here. He needs to knock down shots and if Kobe is guarding him, run Kobe as ragged as possible. If I was coaching Boston, my offensive strategy would be to use my big men as much as possible. Get the ball down low and try and get the Lakers frontcourt in early foul trouble because the backups for L.A. in the frontcourt do not stand a chance. The Celtics need to dominate the defensive boards, which I think will happen. There are definitely things that worry me like Kobe Bryant going crazy on Boston, Rondo crapping his pants, and Doc Rivers being the coach of the Celtics. All in all, I think this is going to be a great series with close games throughout. I see it going the distance, and as hard as it is to pick against Kobe Bryant in a game 7, I am going with…drum roll please…BOSTON IN 7.

That was a tough post for me to write. The Vicodin helped though. But, as a fan, I am looking forward to an exciting NBA Finals. So let’s get it started before Kevin Garnett eats someone.

NBA PLAYOFFS: Round 2

Published
by
Anthony Iafolla
on May 6, 2008
in NBA
. 2 Comments

So the first round of the NBA Playoffs is in the books.  The second round has already gotten underway, but my picks were already on paper.  And so far not too bad!  The only pick I missed was the Spurs defeating the Suns.  I have already stated that obviously my pick of the Suns making it to the finals was way off.  I also felt all along the winner of that series would make it out of the West, so that means the Spurs against the Pistons.  Like I said, Pistons in seven.  Let’s do a brief breakdown of how I see this second round playing out. 

Pistons vs. Magic

I stated earlier that I saw the Pistons in 6 here.  So far, the Pistons have taken care of the home court.  Since I write this after the series has taken shape, I think maybe the Pistons close the Magic out in Game 5.  They had their wake up call against the Sixers and now they are in high gear,  with Billups being the catalyst.  When his game is on and his shots are falling they are tough to stop.  The Pistons are just too tough defensively and the mismatches they can create on the offensive end are glaring in this one.  The Magic will steal one, but it looks like that is it. 

Celtics vs. Cavaliers

So my pick when the playoffs began was the Celtics in six.  I have to stick with it, but I will say I have some reservations about the Celtics after watching them against the Hawks.  Losing all three in Atlanta is not the stuff of a champion.  Also, Boston’s defense has been praised all year, and rightly so, but a defensive weakness was exposed against Atlanta.  The Celtics showed an inability to stop penetration.  Lucky for them, the Cavs offense does not provide a lot of slashers.  But, they do have LeBron James as we know, and the Celtics have no one to match up with him.  I think the Celtics are going to have problems in this one and Garnett really needs to step up.  For a guy that plays with as much passion as he does, the dude sure does seem to crap himself at the end of games.  He does not look to score.  Can’t have that and win it all.  This is going to be a fun one. 

Hornets vs. Spurs

Obviously I had the Suns here and had them moving on, and as I write this the Hornets have now dismantled the Spurs in the first 2 games.  They have made Tim Duncan look like Jon Koncak (I know weird reference, but it somehow popped into my head so I went with it).  Chris Paul is just ridiculously good.  It’s scary how good he is.  He has become a favorite player of mine to watch.  I still feel the old-timers will right the ship in San Antonio, even up the series and win this thing in 7.  They cannot guard Paul, but they almost need to let him score.  The Hornets become tough to beat when all their shooters are wide open because the lane has collapsed to stop Paul.  I also think the Spurs will realize they have to get the ball to Duncan as much as possible.  He should touch the ball every possession.  I think they step up, tighten up  the defense and start to frustrate the young Hornets.  Another great series to watch. 

Lakers vs. Jazz

Ok, so I have already picked the Jazz in 7 so again I have to stick with it.  For the purpose of full disclosure I must say that I live in Los Angeles and HATE the Lakers.  I convinced myself that they will lose.  I do not want to think of the flip side.  I have made a few bets that may end up making my wallet a bit lighter, but screw it!  That’s my stubborn side.  I have to be honest though.  I think I will end up wrong.  The Jazz simply have no answer whatsoever for Kobe.  I am hoping that in Utah they can ride their fans to victories but we shall see.  Let’s just say I picked the Jazz but have a feeling that I was wrong and the Lakers are going to close this out early.  They have too many weapons.  The chance that the Jazz have is to control the boards and be as aggressive as possible on the offensive end.  Take it to the Lakers.  They have to hit their perimeter shots as well or they are done.  I can’t write anymore on this because I am about to punch myself in the face repeatedly.  Maybe Mehmet Okur will average 52 points a game.  I think I hit myself too hard.  Here’s hoping the Jazz can make me look good, but I am doubting it now. 

So that’s how I see it.  I will preview the conference finals when they happen.  And if any one has seen the editor and chief of this site (AKA…my brother), tell him I’m coming for him.  Lazy ass.

And The Winner Is…

Published
by
Anthony Iafolla
on April 23, 2008
in NBA
. 1 Comment

The NBA MVP will be announced soon, and most experts believe that the winner will be Kobe Bryant.  The top candidates this season are Bryant, Chris Paul, LeBron James, and Kevin Garnett.  The MVP is always a tough argument because there is so many criteria that one can look at in order to determine the winner.  Is it the most VALUABLE player?  Is it the best player on the best team?  I think it’s a little bit of both. Well, I am going to break down the top four candidates here, with a focus on the debate between the top two in my opinion: Bryant and Paul.  At the end, there will be a clear cut winner. 

LeBron James 

Statistically speaking, LeBron James had the best season of any player in the league.  He led the league in scoring at 30 a game, averaged 7.2 assists ( 8th in the league), and averaged 7.9 boards per game.  He was also 3rd in minutes, shot 48% from the field, and was 10th in steals at 1.84.  I believe you could vote LeBron James as the MVP every year based on the fact he is the most unstoppable player in the NBA.  Problem is, in order for him to win, he must carry his team to the top, and this season it did not happen.  Its not his fault his team is mostly crap, and without LeBron they are a lottery team, but this season there are too many other candidates more worthy, so LeBron finishes 4th on my ballot. 

Kevin Garnett 

When Garnett was traded to the Boston Celtics it instantly energized the team and its fans.  His presence and determination and focus catapulted them to a title contender.  Add Ray Allen to the mix and you had 3 future hall of famers playing together, all of whom are starving for their first title.  Garnett’s stats do not blow you away, but he is in the debate for taking a storied franchise from the lottery to the best record in the NBA.  His presence as well helped transform the Celtics into maybe the best defensive team in the NBA.  I do believe that the Celtics would still be a top 5 team in the east without him.  With Pierce and Allen, and Rondo at the point they could contend in the East, but Garnett takes them to the top.  In most years, I would have no problem with KG as the MVP.  But this has not been most years.  So, 3rd place it is. 

The top 2: Kobe vs. CP3 

So here we are.  As stated earlier, it looks like Kobe will probably win with Paul finishing a close second.  Kobe Bryant probably should already have an award on his mantle.  Last year, he was the sole reason that his team made the playoffs.  He is the best player in the NBA today.  He finished second in the league in scoring, 9th in steals, averaged 5.4 assists and 6.3 boards.  He led the Lakers to the best record in the brutally tough Western Conference. 

Chris Paul led the league in assists with 11.6 and steals with 2.7, as well as scoring 21.1 points a game.  He was 3rd in the league in assist to turnover ratio at 4.6.  With apologies to Steve Nash and Deron Williams, Chris Paul is absolutely the best point guard in the NBA.  He led the young Hornets to the 2nd seed in the aforementioned Western Conference.  Watch a Hornets game for 2 minutes and you realize that if he stays healthy, you are watching a man that will go down as one of the greatest point guards we have ever seen lace ‘em up.   

My ballot would have Bryant 2nd and Chris Paul as the 2008 NBA MVP.  Kobe is the best player in the league, and if there was a Player of the Year, it would be him.  Both men have taken their teams above expectations.  Bryant might only be the MVP because his bitching and whining in the off-season regarding his supporting cast seemed to motivate them,  especially Andrew Bynum.  Chris Paul’s teammates seem to love the guy.  It has never seemed to me that Kobe’s teammates like him, they are afraid of him.  I give him credit for being more of a team guy this year, but let’s be real, the dude wanted out up until the half way point in the season.  That is not an MVP to me.  Chris Paul makes every guy on his team infinitely better.  The Hornets rode Paul all the way this year.  Everyone figured at some point they would come down to earth.  It never happened.  I also would argue that Bryant’s supporting cast is better.  He had the best up and coming center in Bynum, Lamar Odom, who is now the 3rd option with Bynum hurt, and let’s not forget the Gasol hijacking (I mean trade).  When Lamar Odom is your 3rd option, and 4th when fully healthy, you have a pretty stacked team.  The Lakers bench is also the best in the league.  I’m not saying West, Chandler, and Peja are not a good supporting cast, but with no Chris Paul, they would be mediocre players, with the likely exception of West.  Also, remember that the Lakers were 28-16, which is certainly not bad before they made the trade for Gasol, and they went 29-9 after the trade.  This team does not finish at the top without the trade.  The great part is, we may get to see these two face off in the Western Conference Finals.  Now that would be fun! My vote is for Chris Paul for MVP.  Only problem is, my vote does not count.