The Fundamentals

Ken Berger of CBSSports.com:  “I understand there was a reason the Cavs were dancing, strumming air guitars, and mugging for the ABC cameras during a 107-76 evisceration of the Celtics on Sunday afternoon. Not only were they proclaiming their superiority in the East, the Cavs also were celebrating the stranglehold they have on homecourt advantage in the NBA Finals if and when they get there. With their 65th victory of the season, Cleveland would have to lose both of its remaining games and the Lakers would have to win both of theirs for the Cavs to lose their grasp on home court. (If somehow all that happened, the Lakers would get the nod because they were 2-0 against Cleveland this season.) The way the Cavs play at home — 39-1, for goodness sake — it would be hard to imagine a more confident team going into a Game 7 against the Lakers in mid-June. But … and this is a significant caveat … the Cavs are better than this. How can you be better than 39-1 at home? For one, you can show class — not crass. You can show sportsmanship — not gamesmanship. You can act like you’re auditioning for a championship, not ‘Dancing With The Stars.’”

Brian Windhorst of The Plain Dealer:  “If only Allen understood it was yet another tip of the cap to the Celtics, who enjoy playing the BeeGees ‘You Should Be Dancing’ at the end of blowouts at home, complete with a hugely popular American Bandstand clip that they just love to dance to while the losers endure it. Garnett especially. ‘We’re out there having fun,’ James said. ‘When we are on the court we don’t disrespect anybody and we don’t fear anybody. It is no disrespect to any team but we have our own thing. We’re all professionals and if you take it as disrespect then you have to do something about it.’ Perhaps the Celtics will, even if it could be a family feud with a distant cousin. ‘You do worry about those things as a coach but I have not said anything to them this year about that stuff,’ Cavs coach Mike Brown said. ‘If they back up what they are doing, then so be it. We all know that if you do that stuff and you get beat, people are going to make a big deal of it.’”

Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel:  “This wasn’t about seedings or standings or the Heat’s remarkable rise from last season’s league-worst 15-67 finish to its current 42-38 with two games remaining. It was about the greatest player in the franchise’s 21 seasons raising even his level of greatness. ‘He just has a remarkable way of rising to the occasion,’ Spoelstra said. ‘He, fittingly, had a spectacular game to lead the way.’ Of all the games that Wade has made it look easy this season, this was as effortless a 55 points as you’ll come across. Extending his range beyond the 3-point line with a career-high six 3-pointers, Wade reached 50 points with 26.4 seconds to play in the third quarter. He said he knew he would be accurate from distance after draining 20 3-pointers during warmups. ‘In the layup line,’ he said, ‘I was shooting the ball very well.’”

Michael Lee of the Washington Post:  “There was the right knee strain in October, the strained left thumb in December, the sore knee and right elbow tendinitis in January, and finally the jammed right ankle and cut above the left eye last week. The Washington Wizards have had more than their share of injuries this season, but the previous ailments all belong to forward Antawn Jamison, who has suited up for all 18 wins and all 60 excruciating losses this season. Jamison is four games from playing all 82 for the sixth time in his 11-year career and the second time in five seasons with the Wizards. But what would make him endure every tortuous game, play the third-most minutes of any player in the NBA (3,001) and absorb the physical punishment, even as he saw teammate after teammate drop? ‘I guess I’m a different breed. I’m old school,’ said Jamison, 32. ‘It’s just about pride. This is something that I enjoy doing, brings me back to being a kid. Knowing that this is what I get paid a lot of money to do and there are a lot of people that I have to entertain. For me, I just try to make fun out of this situation.’”

Gary Peterson of the Contra Costa Times:  “Over the past 10 games, he has averaged 12.4 points, 10.2 rebounds and 31.2 minutes, with four double-doubles, a 20-point, 15-rebound epic in a win over New Orleans and a vast array of jaw-dropping attacks on the rim. That’s progress. Whether it represents a truce between Randolph and coach Don Nelson, or a full and complete peace accord, well, you be the judge. Randolph, who tends to fully contemplate every question asked of him, was even more circumspect on this subject. ‘There was an issue’ with his effort and demeanor in practice, he acknowledged. ‘Things just changed. It was the two of us getting on the same page, (knowing) what both parties wanted from the situation.’ Not exactly ‘We are the World.’ Then again, Randolph doesn’t come off as the Chris Webber of the new millennium. He sees his rookie season as a life experience. And not just on the court. What gets overlooked in stories like his is that the change in lifestyle is comprehensive. And don’t forget, this grizzled veteran of 61 games is the only teenager in the NBA. ‘Now I pay bills, taxes,’ he said. ‘You go from not having so much money to having your pocket full of money. You can buy or do whatever you want.’ And has he? ‘I’m cheap,’ he said with a smile.”

Dave Feschuk of the Toronto Star:  “Maybe four months ago, when Bryan Colangelo fired Sam Mitchell and promoted Jay Triano to interim head coach, the following words sounded plausible to Raptors fans. ‘This team’s a lot better than an 8-9 record,’ Colangelo, the Raptors president and general manager, said back in December. ‘I think the players will respond favourably to a different voice now. That’s not to discredit Sam. It’s just, sometimes, change is necessary.’ Colangelo’s brand of change – a December swap of coaches and an all-star-break trade that sent Jermaine O’Neal and Jamario Moon to Miami for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks – didn’t change much in Raptorland, at least not for the better. But change will be the order of an off-season that begins after Wednesday’s season-capping game in Chicago. There are big decisions ahead, obviously, all of which will hinge on Chris Bosh, whose long-term presence in Toronto is no sure thing. Bosh addressed the crowd before last night’s 111-104 win over the Sixers, but his deadpanned platitudes – ‘Thanks to the fans and we’ll see you next season,’ he said – hardly passed for definitive proof that he’ll be around here come the fall and beyond.”

Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic:  “‘My first priority is to sit down and listen to Steve and (Suns Managing Partner) Robert (Sarver) and hear what their wish is and what their plan is for the team,’ Nash said. ‘I can be a part of us revamping here. ‘I’m under the impression they want to talk an extension, and I do, too. Hopefully we can find ourselves in a position where we can revamp and be back in the playoffs and hopefully be a contender. Hopefully I’ll be a part of the plan.’ Nash, 35, still is a special offensive player. If he maintains his fifth consecutive 50 percent field-goal shooting season in the final two games, Nash would become the first player in NBA history to record three seasons in which he shot 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from 3-point range and 90 percent from the free-throw line. Nash went from averaging 13.8 points under Porter to 19.1 once interim Alvin Gentry restored the team’s Nash-and-dash style. Nash’s assist-to-turnover ratio went from 2.6 -to 1 to 3.7 -to 1. Nash does not help the Suns’ glaring weakness, defense. If he is still the first line of defense, there might have to be a defensive upgrade in his backcourt sidekick (Jason Richardson) or the back line of defense (Amaré Stoudemire and/or Shaquille O’Neal).”

Mitch Lawrence of the Daily News:  “As a group of reporters walked away from Vince Carter’s locker late Saturday night, the Nets’ captain had one final thought: ‘I want to get to ninth.’ The Nets have almost no shot of finishing one spot out of the playoff race in the East. With only two games left, including Monday’s home finale against Charlotte, they trail the Bobcats and Pacers by two games each. But Carter’s no-quit attitude is what has Nets officials pumped up, even in another disappointing lottery season. The team’s last captain, Jason Kidd, didn’t exactly show a fighting spirit when things were heading south in his final season. ‘A lot of people sign up and love it when it’s good,’ Lawrence Frank said. ‘Vince has embraced this situation; he’s been able to take the good with the bad. His character has shown throughout and that’s what captains do. You have to take the good with the bad. Just because the water’s a little choppy doesn’t mean you get out of the boat.’”

Tom Enlund of the Journal Sentinel:  “The Bucks knew they would need patience with Alexander in teaching him the pro game and that has proved to the case. ‘The mental part is absolutely the hardest part,’ Alexander said. ‘Physically, there’s nothing wrong with the skills that I have. I can do that, which just shows you how much mental preparation and work that goes into the games because someone like me who physically can obviously play, I wasn’t able to play when I first came in. That shows how much strategy and thinking and mental control (is involved).’ Among the problems Alexander has encountered has been harnessing his energy and just being in the right place at the right time on the court. ‘I didn’t know where to be,’ Alexander said. ‘It’s not about thinking too much. It’s just not knowing where to be. The professional game is a game of inches and angles where if I’m facing slightly the wrong way, I’m going to get burned. Or, 6 inches to the right or left and I’ll be in the right spot. So those are little things that you have to learn and it takes a long time to do that.’”

Cavs the Blog:  “Taking more of his threes off the dribble than any player in the league except for Steve Nash and Dwyane Wade, LeBron shoots a respectable 34% from deep. What’s really scary is that LeBron started the league in a horrible slump from deep, and has shot over 40% from three since the all-star break. I don’t really need to tell you how good LeBron is at getting to and finishing around the basket, but if you need a number he converts 72% of his shots from that area. The midrange game is really the one hole in LeBron’s offense-as I’ve gone on and on about on this blog, he’s really not comfortable with any sort of pull-up moves in the 12-18 foot range, prefers to go full speed and attempt to finish every drive instead of balancing and settling for a tear drop or mini-jumper, and doesn’t really have post moves he likes. He shoots 37% on his midrange shots. (That is bad, but not quite as bad as it seems- only Jameer Nelson shot better than 50% on midrange jumpers this season. Kobe Bryant, for example, is at 44%.)”

Joe Freeman of The Oregonian:  “After the Trail Blazers left Staples Center in Los Angeles and boarded Blazer One for a flight back to Portland on Saturday night, shooting coach John Townsend climbed into his seat, reached inside his carry-on bag and pulled out his laptop computer. Townsend keeps more charts, graphs and diagrams than a high school statistics teacher. And each piece of data stored in his laptop provides intricate details on a wide array of Blazers shooting statistics — from month-by-month illustrations of Brandon Roy’s free throw shooting to a breakdown of Travis Outlaw’s career three-point success. Townsend updates the statistics after each game, and when he punched the numbers following the Blazers’ 87-72 victory over the Clippers, this was the gratifying realization glaring back at him: He’s part of the most prolific three-point shooting team in franchise history. With two games left in the regular season, the Blazers have made 577 three-pointers, the most in franchise history and the ninth most in the NBA this season.”

Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel:  “Oddly enough, the Magic are finishing it the way they started it — with a lack of defensive intensity and focus. They lost their first two games of the season, to the Atlanta Hawks in their home-opener, and then fell to the woeful Grizzlies in Memphis. But the Magic had 80 more games to regroup — and they did, sprinting to a 33-8 record at the midway point. This time, they have only two games remaining until the playoffs begin and are worn mentally and physically. ‘I don’t know what to call this,’ center Dwight Howard said of the team’s play before labeling it ‘a little funk. I just know we have to get out of it soon or we are going to be in trouble come playoff time. We have to do something about this.’ Howard didn’t do much about it in New Jersey, scoring just seven points and adding eight rebounds. He played only 26 minutes, however, as Van Gundy tried to give key players a breather. Van Gundy is in a tough spot. He wants his club to recapture its mojo — not to mention its offensive and defensive prowess — while also trying to monitor his starters’ minutes.”

Mark Heisler of the Los Angeles Times:  “On the seventh day, the Lakers finally rested, or as much as they’re going to. OK, so it was the seventh day of the last full week of the regular season, and the Lakers didn’t get everything they came for, as the following checklist shows. Wins: 64, with one game left, meaning they won’t get to the 70 people talked about last fall. Finish: No. 1 in the West, No. 2 to Cleveland overall, barring miracles. Momentum: Riding a one-game winning streak, after beating the Memphis Grizzlies, 92-75, Sunday night. Point differential: No. 3 at 7.5, trailing only Cleveland’s 9.1 and Boston’s 7.6 . . . with the Celtics going without Kevin Garnett for all but 78 minutes since the All-Star break. In the good news for Lakers fans, it was only the regular season, so anything they didn’t do means little, compared with what they’re in position to do now. Aside from warming up the audience, harvesting gate revenue and giving aspiring teams like Charlotte and Phoenix a purpose, the regular season is actually a six-month warmup to a two-month tournament.”

Bullets Forever:  “The way to win with a team led by Gilbert Arenas, Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison is to do it with an elite offense and an average defense.  Historically, Flip Saunders has been an elite offensive coach that also can build an above-average defense, though perhaps not a transcendant one.  It’s a perfect fit from that perspective.  No doubt about it, Flip Saunders was the best offensive coach on the market.  He turned Detroit from a defensive-first team that struggled to score to an offensive juggernaut, per possession, using largely the same cast of players.  More specifically, it was under his watch that Chauncey Billups went from a shoot-first sniper to an under control pure point guard.  Billups’ three highest assist percentages and PERs came in Saunders’ three years coaching the Pistons.  This fact is particularly important when you consider that, hey, we have a point guard who we pine to undergo a similar transformation.”

Marcus Thompson II of the Contra Costa Times:  “How did the executive who pulled the strings to turn around a doormat franchise wind up the roommate who can’t move out quickly enough? How did the architect behind Golden State becoming relevant again wind up a lame duck? The answer depends on whom you ask. For most of the season, two schools of thought have emerged from the organization. There are those who believe Mullin is a victim of ego-tripping team president Robert Rowell. They believe Mullin is underappreciated and disrespected, and he was all but forced out when his authority was undermined. Conversely, some quietly contend Mullin hasn’t been held accountable for his mistakes. They criticize him for wasting money, poor communication and disappearing this season. The philosophical differences, personality clashes and infighting surrounding the organization’s two most powerful non-owners have left a black cloud over the Warriors all season. With the 2008-09 campaign coming to a close, things are set to come to a head.”