Points in the Paint

» May 27, 2009 8:43 PM | By Brandon Hoffman

John Schuhmann of NBA.com: “In the first two games in Cleveland, the Cavs didn’t execute that gameplan as well as they would have liked. In Game 1, Howard destroyed them in the paint to the tune of 30 points. And in Game 2, Turkoglu and Lewis combined for 44 points, hitting 6-of-11 from 3-point range. But over the last two games, the Cavs have improved defensively and, as much as possible, taken away the Magic’s strengths. Lewis and Turkoglu combined to shoot just 10-for-22 from the field in Game 4 on Tuesday. And while Howard did some damage at the start of the game and was huge in overtime, he was relatively quiet most of the night. For the most part, the Cavs’ defense forced the ball where they wanted it to go. When they doubled Turkoglu on high screens or helped on Howard’s rolls to the basket, they stayed home on Lewis and made somebody else take the shot. Rafer Alston led the Magic with 17 field-goal attempts in Game 4, while Mickael Pietrus had 13. And that’s what Mike Brown and his staff wanted. The Cavs did what they were supposed to do.”

Tom Sorensen of The Charlotte Observer: “Here he is, the biggest name in Charlotte sports. And neither he nor his team has become part of our town. When was the last time you saw him? And I’m not talking about the Kentucky Derby or a club in Cancun. When was the last time you saw him in Charlotte? Michael doesn’t watch the Bobcats from a private suite. He watches them from a fortified bunker. I’ve criticized him numerous times for refusing to mingle with mere fans. But I can see why Michael prefers the bunker’s invitation-only solitude. Dealing with fans can be messy. Some gawk. Some drool. Some don’t know when to walk away. But they are the customers. If you succeed, it’s because of them. A wise man once told me that to make a business work it has to serve. Could be any business. Could be a restaurant, an auto-parts store or a professional sports franchise. Doesn’t matter. We’ve all patronized businesses that thought they were doing us a favor. We rarely go back. A business has to serve. Like Bob Johnson, Michael is accustomed to being served.”

Kevin Ding of the Orange County Register: “The Lakers lost Game 2 of these Western Conference finals in part because Jackson benched Bynum just after halftime and didn’t trust him again the rest of the game. Pau Gasol logged the entire second half, and Denver grabbed the lead with 29.6 seconds left when Kenyon Martin scored on a play where the Lakers epitomized the critics’ ‘soft’ label: Lamar Odom was pushed out of the way, and Gasol flopped to the floor. Afterward, there was a flicker of controversy about Bynum and Jackson. Jackson tried to quell it, saying before Game 3 that the whole issue was ‘tremendously overdone.’ Jackson noted how he sits right next to Bynum during the team’s video study sessions and advises him on specific things. Jackson also said he had talked with Bynum after practice the previous day. So after Game 3, I asked Bynum about that conversation Jackson said they had. Bynum sat in brief, confused silence, then slowly said: ‘I vaguely even remember. He might’ve. I don’t even remember.’ Quality time, huh?”

Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee: “Hedo didn’t become Hedo until these past two seasons. Spurs coach/boss Gregg Popovich questioned his jump shot and made little effort to re-sign him after his subpar 2003-04 postseason. Orlando moved in quickly with a five-year deal, but it wasn’t until Stan Van Gundy jilted the Kings and married the Magic that Turkoglu fully evolved. ‘Stan coming in here, it was really like the beginning for me,” Hedo said. “He tells me how good I can be, how I can do many things.’ Turkoglu’s demeanor has always been deceiving. His deep-set eyes, half-smiles and slow speaking manner disguise a quiet confidence and competitiveness, and he plays at a pace and rhythm all his own.”

Jerry West on his statement that LeBron has surpassed Kobe, via Sports Radio Interviews: “LeBron Jamesis a unique kid. He can play 4 positions, I don’t know if there’s anyone in the league faster, I don’t know if anyone can jump higher, I don’t know if anyone except Kobe Bryant who will compete at a higher level. I said something that I wish I wouldn’t have said to be honest with you, because it was in no way demeaning to Kobe Bryant. I love his passion, I want him to win a championship without Shaquille O’Neal because I think it would vindicate him…I do think that watching him play has always been special. If I had to watch a player play, there’s about 4 players I would pay to watch play on a regular basis and Kobe Bryant is certainly at the top of that list…Late in the game, who you gonna take to make a shot, who you gonna take in the last quarter of the game? Kobe Bryant’s still the best in the league.”

Bruce Arthur of the National Post: “Over the past four seasons, Bosh has reached an appreciable but almost dead flat numerical plateau. His points per game have been 22.5, 22.6, 22.3, and 22.7. His rebounding numbers have ranged between 8.7 and 10.7; his assist numbers between 2.5 and 2.6; his blocked shots between 1.0 and 1.3. He has shot between .487 and .505, with the number trending slightly downward each year; he has attempted 8.3, 8.6, 8.3, and 8.0 free throws per game. Oh, and he has missed 12, 13, 15 and five games, and the Raptors have not won a playoff series.In other words, he has become an all-star, a fine and respectable player, and a 6-foot-10 metronome. ‘I don’t think he’s going to get any better,’ says one NBA source who has scouted Bosh extensively. ‘I love him, but he is what he is — he’s a jump-shooting power forward.’” (Via TrueHoop)

Howard Beck of The New York Times: “It has gone virtually unnoticed, but a unique generation of N.B.A. stars hit something of a collective pinnacle over the past week. The moment warrants some reflection, because it might never happen again.Three of the N.B.A.’s final four teams are led by prep stars who skipped college — Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers), LeBron James (Cleveland) and Dwight Howard (Orlando). It’s only the second time that has happened since 1995, the year that Kevin Garnett sparked the preps-to-pros migration. Bryant followed Garnett’s lead in 1996, opening the floodgates for teenage stars. Their era peaked with the 2001 draft, when four high schoolers were taken in the top eight, and Kwame Brown became the first teenager to go No. 1. But James (No. 1 in 2003) and Howard (No. 1 in 2004) are probably the last of their kind.”

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