Points in the Paint

» April 17, 2009 10:03 PM | By Brandon Hoffman
  • I didn’t write a preview for every first round series because A) I’ve read at least twenty previews for each series and I’m previewed out and B) There are only three first round matchups that I find intriguing. Miami-Atlanta, New Orleans-Denver, and Portland-Houston should be entertaining. In the West, I’ll take Los Angeles over Utah in 5, Portland over Houston in 7, San Antonio over Dallas in 6, and Denver over New Orleans in 7. And in the East, I’ll take Cleveland over Detroit in 4, Miami over Atlanta in 7, Orlando over Philadelphia in 4, and Boston over Chicago in 6. I wish I felt a little more confident picking Portland over Houston and Denver over New Orleans. I guess I’m banking on Brandon Roy and Carmelo Anthony, just like I’m expecting Dwyane Wade to lead an underdog Miami Heat team to victory over the Hawks. Roy averaged 21 points on 39.3 percent shooting in three meetings versus the Rockets this season, but I really think he came into his own recently. Going up against Battier and Artest should tell us whether Roy is a first or second-tier superstar. I’m betting on the former. It’s time for Carmelo to take the next step in his development. I want to see a glimpse of the big game player that led Syracuse to the national title in 2003. An NBA championship is out of the realm of possibility for the Nuggets, but ‘Melo is due for a solid showing in the playoffs.
  • Scott Howard-Cooper of SI.com:  “And the finger surgery he put off twice to ensure he would not miss any Lakers or Team USA games? He says the procedure is permanently off. He recently stopped taping the finger for games and, according to his prognosis, there are no plans for an operation. ‘I don’t see any point,’ he said. ‘It doesn’t bother me at all, so …’”
  • Chris Mannix of SI.com:  “The problem with Garnett’s injury, according to two trainers, is that it is essentially untreatable. Because of the location of the tendon, the only course of action is rest. Steps can be taken to manage the pain — ice and ultrasound are two of the most common — but the only way for it to heal is to let the body heal the tendon itself. Recovery times vary. A league source told SI.com that Jermaine O’Neal suffered from a similar injury while he was with Toronto. O’Neal missed three games in November and 11 more between January and February with knee problems but has played in 39 of his last 42 games with Toronto and Miami. ‘It really is unpredictable,’ said one trainer. ‘It’s a thin, fibrous muscle and sometimes that makes it difficult for blood to get to it.’”
  • Jason Quick of The Oregonian:  “His team is almost all hip-hop, choosing to listen to Young Jeezy and Lil Wayne, while he leans mostly toward Luther Vandross and Patti LaBelle. His team is all video games, and he is all books. His team is all about sleeping in, and he is all about his 6:45 a.m. alarm. Among the Trail Blazers, there is no doubting that when it comes to old-fashioned tastes and principles, there’s nobody more old school than coach Nate McMillan. But an interesting thing happened this season as McMillan directed the NBA’s second youngest roster to 54 wins. Mr. Old School went New School.”
  • Chris Perkins of the Palm Beach Post:  “Spoelstra has bridged the communications gap by – get this – meeting with players. Frequently. Face-to-face. That’s a departure from the league norm, as the head coach’s message usually is delivered via an assistant coach. ‘I think the easiest way is to communicate my message is going from ‘A’ to ‘B’ instead of going from ‘A’ to ‘B’ to ‘C’ to ‘D’,’ Spoelstra said. ‘It helps eliminate confusion.’ Spoelstra’s philosophy has helped the Heat get to the playoffs after a one-year absence. Miami’s players, who will open the first round at 8 p.m. Sunday at Atlanta, say they appreciate his man-to-man approach. ‘For players, it does something for them psychologically,’ team captain Udonis Haslem said. Sometimes the meetings are in Spoelstra’s office, across the desk. Sometimes he’ll grab a player for a quick film session to help make his point. Sometimes it’s a few words before or after practice. Whatever the venue, it’s face-to-face.”
  • Ian Thomsen of SI.com:  “This is why so many coaches like their chances at the three-point line: You can usually create an open shot, and you have a better chance of recovering the offensive rebound — which, in turn, leads to a shot at another three. ‘That scramble rebound when you rebound the three makes it easier to find another three,’ Karl said. ‘When you rebound the three, everybody’s thinking rebound — they’re not thinking, ‘Cover your man’ — so if you get the offensive rebound and you move it quick, you can find another open three.’ When you see players chasing long caroms that lead to unpredictable threes, understand that it’s all part of a larger strategy. ‘If you rebound the three offensively at, say, 40 percent,” Karl said, ‘it’s by far the best shot in basketball.’”
  • Brian Mahoney of the AP:  “Stern, however, said he doesn’t worry about a competitive imbalance between teams that are doing well and the ones who are struggling. ‘(Fans) want their teams to operate responsibly,’ Stern said. ‘I know it’s easy to say they just want to win, but our fans are too smart for that. I think that’s what we’re beginning to see and I can’t imagine that sports is going to be the only business that is unaffected by having to manage a budget and a set of revenues.’ Stern said ticket renewals are even with this time last year, following a season when the NBA had its third-highest attendance ever with more than 21.5 million fans and set a record for group sales. TV revenues are up, and he said a deal completed with DirecTV on Thursday will put NBA TV in roughly 10 million homes.”
  • Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times:  “A year ago, in the fourth game of the NBA Finals, the Lakers blew a 24-point lead against the Celtics. In the sixth and final game, they suffered the second-worst loss in Finals history as the Celtics celebrated in a blizzard of green-and-white confetti. ‘Last year, I thought we got there a little bit before our time, perhaps,’ Jackson said. ‘We had succeeded and had this great momentum, yet we weren’t as seasoned or schooled as we needed to be to get to that level.’ This year, the Lakers have no such excuses. They won both regular-season games against the Celtics, who have been hurt by injuries that threaten their chances at a repeat performance. The Lakers also won both games against Cleveland, the team other than the Lakers with the best shot of lifting the trophy in June. If the Lakers lose, it could be tantamount to the turmoil that gripped them after the failed 2004 championship run.”

Category: Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, New York Knicks, Orlando Magic, Points in the Paint, Portland Trail Blazers

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