NBA Playoff Thoughts: The Franklin & Bash edition

Well we are a couple of ballgames into the 2011 NBA Playoffs and I must say that it has been nothing short of outstanding thus far. Especially the slate of games that took place last Saturday and Sunday save for that Atlanta-Orlando game. Each series has played at least 2 games and in some cases 3 games and some questions have been answered and others still linger.

So, the following are my semi-coherent impressions on what has transpired thus far with the help of some indie rock paragraph headings endorsed (not really) by the Red Rocket, Matt Bonner

Now I am ready to start… - Arcade Fire

The team that has impressed me the most so far has been the Oklahoma City Thunder. Durant and Westbrook took over in game 1, but it has been the Thunder’s physicality and play on the defensive end that has really impressed me. After a hot start early from the Nuggets the Thunder have made them take tough shots and of course it helps that Denver has a bunch guys willing to settle for jump shots and that’s even without JR Smith playing many minutes. I think OKC is really dangerous out West and can make a run past the Spurs.

Speaking of the Spurs… This Grizzlies match-up is just a nightmare for them. I think they will win the series, but it is going to take a lot of wind out of their sails. The Grizz have shown the potential to pound them in the paint harder than Tony Parker did Brent Barry’s… I’ll keep this PG, but you get the idea. I think this series is going 7 games and that means we get 5 more games of Tony Allen’s shenanigans, which is cool by me.

I am so bored… -Wavves

I have watched all of about 5 minutes of this Magic-Hawks series. From what I have seen in the box scores and what is being bantered about on the ‘net is that Dwight Howard is pretty good, but besides Jameer Nelson the Magic are bad. Plus, it helps that by all accounts Larry Drew has coached a terrible series so far for the Hawks. I love this game, but this series makes me want to watch the 2011 Chicago Cubs.

Angela Surf City… -The Walkmen

Playoff time in LA, which means the Lakers are going for a 3-peat and TNT, hammers us with gratuitous cross-promotion shots of George Lopez sitting courtside. It was a foregone conclusion going into this series was that Chris Paul was going to have a big series vs. the Lakers. The question was would that be enough for the Hornets to win one game. It was, but man were they bad in game 2? The shots the Hornets hit in game 1 were not falling in game 2. Somehow I do not think Aaron “White Panther” Gray will go 5 for 5 again in a game let alone have 5 more field goals. The Hornets played perfect in game 1 and well the Lakers played perfectly disinterested. A positive note for the Lakers was the play of Andrew Bynum in game 2 and the continued solid play of Lamar Odom, but I think this Lakers team could be in trouble.

Dance Anthem of the 80’s -Regina Spektor

I bring up the 80’s because that is what Carmelo Anthony's game 2 performance against Boston has reminded me of. Part shades of Bernard King in his Knick days and part MJ in ’86 at the Garden, Carmelo torched the Celts for 42 & 17 and almost pulled off the impossible: winning a playoff game with a roster that would struggle winning a game at an open gym. Between Amar’e in game 1 and Melo in game 2 it felt like the Knicks should have won a game in Boston. The reason they did not is pretty simple: Doc Rivers. Rivers is just ridiculous with coming up with offensive sets out of timeouts, whether it be a sideline lob or back-“trip”play to setup Ray Allen for a game-winning 3. Rivers is probably the best coach in the NBA out of timeouts and that has been the difference so far.

Walk in the Park… -Beach House

I knew this was a good match up for the Heat and outside of Thad Young’s fun game 1 performance it has been smooth sailing for the Miami Sound Machine as well as the Heat. This Miami team is very intriguing and I can not tell if this team is peaking or just taking advantage of a weak 76ers team. At some point I will have some extended thoughts on the Heat, but this series does not warrant that.

I think ur a Contra… -Vampire Weekend

Jason Kidd looking spry, Dirk’s love for all things Hasselhoff and an amusing Blazers group has made this series fun to watch. All three games have been close and we have seen a variety of players hit some big shots as well as Brandon Roy in tears because of playing time. Good times all around. The one thing that irks me about this series is JJ Barea, reserve Mavs guard, I do not know what it is but I hate Barea and find it difficult to enjoy the Mavs when he is on the floor. Other than that this series has been solid and will almost certainly go 7 games.

Closing Time… -Semisonic (yeah, I know what you are thinking)

Two things that go will with closing are coffee and Derrick Rose. All 3 Bulls-Pacers games have followed the same script with the same result every time. Indiana’s solid collection of role players gut out 45-46 minutes of solid basketball by hustling, making some tough shots and playing some decent defense, but then Derrick Rose swoops in and all that work goes to sh*t. Rose has crushed the hearts of the heartland and probably John Mellencamp as well by his clutch play. Some kudos also has to go out to Kyle Korver, who has knocked down some huge 3’s and jump shots late in the games as well. I am running out of mean things to say about Carlos Boozer by this point so I will just nothing at this point besides once a Duke guy always a Duke guy… I hope the Bulls can wrap this thing up tomorrow to get a nice little rest before the start of the 2nd round because it only gets tougher from here.


Save it for later… -The English Beat

I could go on and on about the NBA playoffs, but I need to get mentally focused for the Arcade Fire show tonight. It should be another fun weekend of games and I will probably have another post up on Monday with some more thoughts.

Till next time... RIP Gerard Smith of TV on the Radio

The 2011 NBA Playoffs: Be All That You Can Be

Lafayette "Fat" Lever being all that he can be...

No break down of the NBA playoffs is complete with out offering some predictions. Most of the breakdowns will be pretty short, so I can gear up for the NBA version of Christmas.


EAST (1) Chicago vs. (8) Indiana
Season series: 3-1 Chicago



I covered a fair amount on the Bulls in my previous post, so let’s talk about the Pacers. The Pacers I think can make this series competitive. They have some solid pieces on the perimeter with Darren Collison and Danny Granger along with some solid depth down low in Josh McRoberts, Roy Hibbert and Psycho T. The Pacers shoot the ball pretty well and work well off of screens both on the ball and away from it, which evidently is one of the Bulls’ strength on the defensive end. The Pacers might be able to steal one. Let’s hope not…

Pick: Bulls in 5


(4) Orlando vs. (5) Atlanta
Season series: 3-1 Atlanta

I don’t have much to say about this series. Because I really do not enjoy watching either of these teams play. The Hawks have had some success against the Magic because Jason Collins can match-up down low with Howard, which allows the Hawks to stay out on Orlando’s shooters. However, the Hawks have been miserable lately and in fact they allowed more points this year than they scored. Orlando has not gotten any better since the trade and at times they are down right terrible on defense when you throw out Arenas, Hedo and Ryan Anderson on the floor together. I think the Magic screen and roll the Hawks to death and pull this off, but this series will be ugly

Pick: Magic in 6


(2) Miami vs. (7) Philadelphia
Season series: 3-0 Miami

The 76ers are a great story after a tough start to the season, but this is a real bad match-up for them. The Heat can counter any funk lineups that Doug Collins will throw at them. The Heat are very good defensively and if they can get stops and turnovers, which allow them to push the ball in transition then watch out. The 76ers will not be able to control pace on the Heat like other teams may be able to down the road. It will ve interesting to see how this Heat group plays in the Playoffs together, but I do not think the
76ers will be able to test them very much.

Pick: Heat in 5


(3) Boston vs. (6) New York
Season series: 4-0 Boston

I wish CBS still had NBA games and we could get a lucid Dick Stockton to call this match-up of classic NBA teams.



What the Celtics did last year down the stretch was in part an effort to rest their players, but this year… This Celtics team looked like a disaster down the stretch. Rondo is a different player and not in a good way. And the big three is another year older. So, of course this Celtics team seems ripe for a 1st round upset… Well, it is not going to be this year. The Knicks are a nice story and it is great to see relevant basketball being played in the Garden again. However, the ‘Bockers are atrocious on the defensive end and I think they gave up 1 too many players (Ray Felton) in the Carmelo trade to be able to beat the Celtics this year. This should be fun to watch, but I think the Celtics get back on track.

Pick: Celtics in 6


WEST




(1) San Antonio vs. (8) Memphis
Season series: 2-2

After tanking their final 2 games the Grizzlies got the match-up they wanted in a 60+ win Spurs team. Wait a minute… Yes, you read that right. The Spurs come into the playoffs a little banged up with Ginobili and Tim Duncan, but I think their experience and home court advantage will allow them to push past the Grizz. I like this Grizz team, who would have been the 5 seed in the East and instead are an 8 seed out West. Zach Randolph is as tough as they come in the post and Mike Conley has played a pretty decent point. However, the Grizz struggle shooting from the perimeter and really don’t have an elite wing with Rudy Gay being lost for the season. So, I think the Spurs get it done.

Pick: Spurs in 6


(4) Oklahoma City vs. (5) Denver
Season series: 3-1 Oklahoma City

I am hoping the average score of this series winds up to be in the 128-124 range. I think the Thunder have the look of at least a conference finals team... Maybe more. The Nuggets are as fun to watch as any team in the NBA. It is shame that these two teams have to meet up in the first round, but at least this will be entertaining. The big question is who do the Nuggets turn to down the stretch? Because they really play well as group, but they do not have that go-to-guy you need for a tough basket in crunch time. The Thunder pushed the Lakers last year, but much like the Bulls this Thunder team has yet to win a playoff series let alone a playoff game on the road. Westbrook has taken his game to another level this year and the addition of Perkins bolsters their front line and allows Durant to play his more natural position in the 3 spot. This has the making of one of those classic late 80’s / early 90’s Western Conference playoff match-ups like the Suns-Supersonics.



(Oh My.....!)

So, over course that means this series will be boring to watch since I just spent the better of this paragraph hyping it up. The Nuggets make it interesting, but I really like this Thunder team.

Pick: Thunder in 6


(3) Dallas vs. (6) Portland
Season series: 2-2

This series will be really fun to watch. The Blazers are going to throw the kitchen sink at Dirk and pretty much every NBA expert likes the Blazers. Either way I think this series goes 7 games. The Blazers struggle shooting the ball and the Mavs have been pretty average down the stretch. I tend to like the Blazers ability to mix and match different lineups a little more than the Mavs, who are missing some key components (Butler and possibly Beaubois). Rip City gets it done, but it is close.

Pick: Blazers in 7


(2) L.A. Lakers vs. (7) New Orleans
Season series: 4-0 Los Angeles

Chris Paul is a great point guard and facilitator, but without David West the Hornets have no shot. It will be interesting to see if Bynum plays at all for the Lakers and if so how effective will he be? Also, let’s see what teammates get chicken pox from Steve Blake

Pick: Lakers in 4




Finals Pick:

Heat over the Thunder in 6.

I think the Heat slightly edge out the Bulls in 7 and the Thunder push past the Lakers in 6. Obviously I hope this does not happen, but I just have a strange feeling about this Heat team. The Thunder pick is more becuase I just do not want to pick the Lakers.

Till next time... Here is some Warpaint from yesterday at Coachella

Breakfast with the Bulls

Only the Bulls… Your one and only Chicago Bulls.


Let’s see 60 wins: check; front-runner for MVP: check; coach of the year: check; Went from close to last in the league to 12th in offensive efficiency: check.


I could go on and on about all of the accomplishments and accolades that the 2010-2011 Chicago Bulls have achieved so far, but the main question is will it mean anything if you ain’t got that ring? Yes and No. That is such a cop out answer on my part…


The first thing this team has done is at least brought the Bulls back into the sports conscience of this town for the first time in along time. Did you see that Rose dunk? Man, I hated Noah when they drafted him, but that guy works his tail off… People are actually watching this Bulls team, which for awhile was very difficult. Trust Me. Tom Thibodeau has proven to be a tremendous hire for the Bulls. What they have done on the defensive end is just incredible. Their team defense has been the best I have seen in the NBA in a few seasons. Especially for not having many great individual defensive players; I mean when Kyle Korver can actually play in crunch time and defend somebody you know your coach has a done a hell of a job.


I remember reading an article early in the season where Derrick Rose was talking about the start of every practice, which is usually began by spending 20-30 minutes on defensive closeouts. That’s a drill that teams in grade school work on, but it’s also what separates this Bulls team. It is the little things that the Bulls are willing to do that has made them so successful up to this point. Also, it helps when you buy into your coach’s message from the top on down.



That top starts with Derrick Rose. There is a million different ways you could argue whether Rose is the MVP or not, but to me the thing that has made him so valuable to this team is the attitude that he brings to every game. The way he has fully embraced Thibodeau’s message and led his teammates on the court are to me the qualities that makes him the MVP besides some of the ridiculous games and plays he has had this season. A lot of star players are difficult to manage at times and do not take kindly to criticism by their coach. A perfect example of what makes Rose different would be when the Bulls played in Atlanta in March. The Bulls held a pretty comfortable lead in the game around the 3rd quarter when the Hawks came down and ran a screen & roll. On the play Rose allowed himself to be screened easily, which led to the Hawks scoring an easy bucket. Thibodeau immediately called a timeout and gotten in Rose’s face about the play. Rose did not pout or ignore his coach instead he acknowledged he made a mistake and said my bad. In a game where the Bulls won by a comfortable margin that told me a lot about Rose and the respect he has for his coach and the way he plays the game. And I think that the willingness of Rose to buy-in has reverberated throughout this team. It really is a likeable group to watch play the game of basketball.


All of that is great, but the really business at hand starts on Saturday. The Playoffs… I have seen the numbers thrown out that every time the Bulls have won 60+ games they have won a title. Well, that’s great in all, but you need to remember up until this point the highlight of the post-Jordan Bulls has been losing a 7 game series to a Garnett-less Celtics team. Having home court advantage will be a huge plus for this young team and the way as scary (Noah and Brewer) as it was how they kept their foot on the pedal all the way through the regular season that is also a plus for this team. They kept that edge and swagger heading into the playoffs because at this point the Bulls do not have that switch like the Lakers or potentially the Celtics have where they can just turn it on or off at the right time.



With all that said this team needs to win a playoff series. Going from no playoffs series’ wins to an NBA Finals is a big leap. Do I think the Bulls can make that leap? Sure… They will beat Indiana, but then the hard part starts. You can throw out regular season records when it comes to the playoffs. Your benches shorten up; you don’t have to account for long road trips or back-to-back games. After the first round I think the East will be a dog fight (predictions tomorrow) and I think the Bulls will be able to handle their own, but it is not a sure thing by any means.


This is where I come full circle on this Bulls team. Like I said they have done the little things right all year to put them in this position. Now it is time to continue to execute, defend and hit some big shots if you want to advance. The NBA playoffs are exciting as it gets at least for me. It is finally nice to have a dog in the fight again.


Tell next time… Another week & another farewell: Goodbye, Free Darko.

This video is not Bulls related, but I could not resist the combination of Pearl Jam and Shawn Kemp. Enjoy!

A sort of a Playoff Primer

This would have made a better bronze bust...

Good morning, Mr. Magpie. We are one week away from the start of the NBA playoffs, which makes me giddy. I have long since tired of watching meaningless regular season games prominently involving non-playoff teams like the Utah Jazz and the Atlanta Hawks. Sh*t!! The Hawks made the playoffs?? In this post I would like to kind of layout a schedule of what “valuable” insight I will be offering during the playoffs.

First off a big congrats needs to go out to the Bulls of Chicago for clinching the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference. This Bulls team continues to amaze on the defensive end and again words can not describe how awesome it is to watch Derrick Rose night in and night out.

I think home court advantage will serve this Bulls team very well especially against battle tested teams like the Magic, Celtics/Heat and hopefully the Lakers down the line. For as great as this Bulls team is they have yet to win a playoff series and playoff basketball is a whole different animal than the regular season.

As for my “writing” during the playoffs I hope to have a least a little blurb up each day or at least every other day once the games start next Saturday. I will probably be rolling out a playoff preview by next Thursday once all the matchups are set in stone. From there the posts will consist of some game diaries, links to all things NBA, thoughts on the Bulls (since they are actually relevant again) and some other little nuggets and tidbits with guest appearances possibly along the way.

In non-NBA related news I would recommend that anybody check out the new Strokes album “Angles”, which is a welcome return from what I felt like was a fairly underwhelming previous album. It has the feel of an early ‘80’s Cars record with splashes of the Strokes’ earlier material. Some other releases that the cool kids on the interwebz are buzzing about that are quite good is the debut album by Yuck, an English band which sounds like it was made in 1993. Also, the new Pains of Being Pure at Heart album “Belong”, which is a solid follow-up from their debut disc. If you have not done so yet do yourself a favor and start watching “Justified” on FX. Trust me it’s worth it.

Till next time people…

Farewell LCD Soundsystem… It was a great run