Sunday, April 26, 2009

Instant Classic

I called it with about five minutes left in regulation. I was on the phone with a friend and declared that this game was not only going to go down to the final seconds, but that it was destined to become an instant classic. I believe my exact words in clarifying this statement were along the lines of "I mean, not the kind of classic that is going to be replayed over and over again every year, but the kind that, surely, will be played on ESPN Classic every time the Bulls and Celtics face each other in the playoffs again." Unfortunately, my friend was a female whose response to this was something along the lines of "wait, are we talking about college basketball?" So I don't know how much my calling the nature of the game impressed her. Although when I declared that Jeff Van Gundy and I had echoed each other's exact sentiments more than six times over a single quarter of the game, she did concede that I should be a professional basketball commentator. It is an opinion that I happen to share, and I was glad to hear it confirmed, even by someone who didn't know what I was talking about when complaining about the subjectivity involved in officiating the charge vs. blocking foul call.

Indeed, game four of the Celtics Bulls series lived up to every expectation one could have had at that five minute mark in the fourth quarter. The fear at that point is always one of two things. One: either team will fall apart in the waning minutes, allowing their opponent to blow the lead open and run away with it. That this game was not headed in that direction seemed like a safe bet. Two: the final thirty seconds of the game turns into a five minute free throw festival, with the team behind never actually managing to catch up and make things that exciting. This certainly could have been the case tonight if only a couple of possessions had gone differently over the last two minutes. However, I just got that feeling, as I'm sure many other viewers did. Somewhere along the way, both these teams had made it abundantly clear that they were not going to go away quietly. And, fortunately for us, the audience, they held firmly to this promise. They even gave us that rarely achieved succession of last second three point shots, one by each team no less. Of course, when a game is sent into OT due to a gutsy shot made by a player as time is running out it is infinitely more exciting than a game that remains a tie over the last five or six possessions due to shoddy execution.

Ray Allen's three pointer to send the game into the first overtime was at once both inexplicable and completely inevitable. Inexplicable because, not only was Boston's best and most clutch three point shooter left wide open as he caught and shot the ball, but he was that wide open for two whole seconds leading up to the shot itself. How in god's name Chicago allows Ray Allen more than a split-second of day light at such a pivotal point in the game is beyond me. Of course, it is also something we have seen time and time again. And the same head coach who one second calls a play at a crucial juncture of the game which results in Big Baby Davis taking a twenty foot jump shot, manages to, time and time again, draw up plays at even more crucial junctures that allow Allen those kinds of looks which he, inevitably, hits. In this way, as Boston inbounded the ball at the end of regulation, you would have been crazy to expect the possession to end any other way.

Ben Gordon's shot to allow his Baby-but-Growing-Up-in-Front-of-our-Eyes Bulls another overtime period to try and tie this fantastic series up was even more dramatic. It was one of those off-balance, fairly well covered prayers that a player never actually practices but, somehow, manages to convert more often than they seemingly should. And, if you watch the replay extremely closely, you can see Gordon almost crack a smile as he walks back to the bench. I swear. It's just a flicker really, and afterward he immediately assumes that emotionless, expressionless, "I have no personality but I hit shots" demeanor that he has so mastered. He's like a big, cuddly teddy bear, but, you know, the opposite.

Even Paul Pierce's three point attempt at the end of the second overtime, poorly executed as the play was (note who assumedly drew that play up), sealed the game's fate not when the shot actually missed it's target but when a keen defensive play by John Salmons denied the shot even the opportunity to miss. Again, while neither team executed their game plans perfectly throughout, this game was nothing short of thrilling due to the fact that it came down to which team made the biggest play last, and not which team managed to stink more thoroughly, as is so often the case in close but, ultimately, disappointing basketball games.

Sadly, this is the first game of this series that I have been able to watch. However, I am genuinely excited at the opportunity of watching how it ends, which is certainly not the case with all of the series that are currently going on. And even as I commend myself for declaring this game a classic six or seven minutes before it actually cemented its case as one, I watch the Pistons walk away thoroughly and miserably embarrassed by a Cavs team that looks far more impressive than I gave them credit for. Indeed, I said to more than one person that that would be a series worth watching, as Detroit seemed better suited to defending Lebron James than most teams in the league. What I underestimated was just how much the Piston's offensive firepower had fallen by the wayside, and just how much Cleveland's defense had improved.

Still though, we do have a couple of exciting series going on. Philadelphia is giving Orlando all that they can handle, as the Magic come to terms with the fact that they are not going to get the open looks on the perimeter in the playoffs that they grew accustomed to taking advantage of throughout the regular season. And tomorrow night I hope to see the Hornets play their butts off in the kind of defensive effort that they have shown so rarely in the last couple of months and tie up their series with the Denver Thuggettes. As always, we will see how it all plays out.

Friday, April 3, 2009

An Answer to Allen's Musings

The writing is on the wall. Iverson is unhappy being demoted to the bench (no surprise there) and has chosen to hang it up for the season instead of coming to work each day and showing everyone how much he has matured by accepting a role he is unhappy with and being the best sixth man in the league for the last couple of weeks of the season and the playoffs (mild surprise there). He has made it clear to everyone that, if forced to choose between coming back to Detroit next season in order to play bench duty or retiring, he may in fact choose the latter (ok, that is a bit surprising... at least for him to say such things publicly at this point in this season). With all this in mind, it does appear that the brief Iverson experiment in Detroit is, for all intents and purposes, over.
Now before embarking on my rant, let me point out that my colleague Jason Whetzell has warned me not to jump to conclusions on this one. He has also, understandably, advised, that it may be advantageous for me to actually read the entire interview which Iverson gave on the subject before writing my thoughts on his position. But where would the fun be in that? No, I am happy to decry Iverson's immaturity and selfishness, even without all the facts. We are looking at a team that has performed significantly better during the absence of one of the more prolific scorers in the league. True, The Answer is not what he used to be (perhaps he would be better suited with a new nickname... The Meek Suggestion?). However, he is still capable of putting up big numbers, especially in the scoring column. Indeed, he did just that in his time as a starter for the Pistons. However, the team managed to be one of the more underperforming in the league over that same period. Since his injury, the Pistons went on a spurt of beating some of the top teams in the league and remain, though inconsistent, at least competitive.


Perhaps instead of "The Answer" a name like "The Prayer" would be better suited.

So where does Iverson, in all of this, get off coming out and saying to everyone that he is unhappy with his current role and practically threatening his superiors as the entire team prepares for its playoff run? Indeed, this is the Iverson that we have all come to know and expect, no matter how many new surroundings and chances he is given along the way. And this is all coming from a person who commended the Billups for Iverson swap at the time, stating that it would certainly significantly improve both teams. That's right, I am embarrassed to say that I was sucked into believing that this was possibly the best roster for Iverson to thrive in, given that he had never really been surrounded by as talented a group and one as capable of scoring but as agreeable to deferring shots to others. The mistake I made was not seeing that Iverson's particular brand of offense does not mesh with the Pistons' offensive scheme in any way, shape or form. On a team where consistent ball movement and half court set plays are so imperative, having a player eat up the shot clock with horizontal dribbling before finally barreling towards the hoop and trying to create on his own was less than ideal.
So that contradiction in styles brings me to my next point: what does Iverson's future hold? You have to believe that he will not be wearing a Pistons uniform come next season. And the idea of him simply up and walking away from the game entirely seems farfetched, though not altogether undesirable. But what team would A) want him; and B) be capable of acquiring him by next year?


Why so pensive, Allen? We have the solution to your predicament.

The proposal I am about to make is a painful one for me, given that the team I am to suggest has a particular place in my heart. Featuring two players formerly employed by my number one team, another player who plays as gutsy a game of basketball as anyone in the league right now, and a coach who is attempting to convince us once again that old-school coaching can work given the right roster and, of course, a phenomenal coach. That's right, I am talking about the Charlotte Bobcats. It doesn't hurt that a couple of months back I declared that this team would have one of the most impressive finishes to the season. And lo and behold, the Bobcats have been routinely beating good teams (even some great ones), have been playing above .500 basketball since the All Star Break, and are making a push for the playoffs (a push that will, ultimately, prove futile since Detroit isn't actually bad enough to fall off and allow the Cats in... irony?).
I have also previously made the point that the one thing that the Bobcats truly lack which could propel them to the next level (granted, the next level for them simply means a second-tier, Eastern playoff team... but that's a hell of a lot better than what they have been historically) is a true scorer. A go to guy. Someone who, when the game is tight and the seconds are ticking away, can be handed the ball, given the floor, and let go to work. What is Allen Iverson if not this? And what coach has Iverson had the most success with in his career? More significantly, what coach has had more success in motivating Iverson to play good, team basketball? That's right, none other than the head coach of the Charlotte Bobcats, Larry Brown.
It is, if nothing else, an intriguing thing to consider. Is there another team out there that could potentially benefit from the addition of Iverson the way the Bobcats might? Is there another roster full of great role players more suited for him. Is there another team that plays at such a deliberate pace which allows for isolation plays on the offensive end? Is there another team that seems so close to making the leap to relevance? Surely, you cannot answer yes to all of these questions, and that is why this move seems so tantalizingly plausible.
Again, as someone who has officially drank from the "New Iverson" Kool Aid and come out thoroughly red in the face, I am saying all this thoroughly aware of the possible pitfalls. And, again, this is not a change that I necessarily want to see occur. Besides seeing a player who I don't particularly enjoy watching play for a team that I do very much enjoy watching, it would mean a number of other things. Gerald Wallace, one of the most "balls to the wall" players in the game right now, would have to take a back seat to Iverson in scoring. That is not necessarily a bad thing for the team, though, as Wallace, for all his talent, isn't really geared to be a main scoring option. He is an ideal second or third option who gets a lot of his points off hustle plays. He is also the only player in the league who wears a mouthpiece while playing but never actually puts it entirely in his mouth. Seriously. Watch a Bobcats game and tell me if you can ever spot Wallace without that mouthpiece dangling halfway out of his mouth.


I'm sorry, Gerald, but maybe if you put your mouthpiece in you wouldn't be breaking your ribs all the time.

The change would also mean Raja Bell would be relegated to spot on the bench. Again, probably not a terrible thing for him, as his age makes playing a full season with starter minutes a chore. However, the team would lack his long range marksmanship and his vocal leadership on the floor. Also, it would require letting some players go in order to free up the cap space. They'd probably have to let Raymond Felton walk, but they have the young stud D.J. Augustine to step up in his absence. And it may require a trade or two to get rid of some existing contracts for smaller ones, a task that will not be that easy to accomplish in current economic conditions. But, while the Cats don't have a huge amount of financial flexibility heading into the off season, they are in a better position than most of the league.
That's it. Just some food for thought. Like I said, if nothing ever comes out of this, I will not be disappointed. However, if Allen Iverson is really examining his options moving forward, and wants to end up somewhere where he will not only start, but could actually be performing for the greater good of an entire team, he should start dropping some hints to his agent real soon that Charlotte could be his destination of choice.