This past Wednesday, April 29th, I became the second most accomplished 24 year-old on the planet behind NBA MVP Lebron James. Okay, maybe that wasn't too funny but this is my rookie year in the blogging world and it will take me time to get adjusted to the speed of the game. Instead of blowing out 24 candles, I thought it would be fun to give you 24 random thoughts I've had over the past week about these crazy playoffs. I actually just got back from Game 1 of the Celtics-Magic series and was able to attend Game 2 and 5 of the Celtics-Bulls series last week. Start the shot clock:
24... Ron Artest and Yao Ming have a future in comedy together after their basketball careers are over, check out this hilarious post-game interview!! Oh yeah, Yao with the great exit ...
23 ... Reserved for MJ
22... Doc Rivers could get a lot more out of Stephon Marbury if he gave Starbury some regular minutes. In the first half of the game today, Steph was able to help out with a quick 8 point scoring burst that got the Celtics back in the game. After being able to take Orlando's guards off the dribble, he didn't see the court in the second half ...
21 ... Poor T-Mac. After being o-7 in his first seven post season appearances, T-Mac finally advances to the second round ... as he rides the pine after having season ending knee surgery.
20 ... The NBA followed up their great ad campaign from last year, There Can Only be One, with another great series of ads, Where Amazing Happens.
19 ... It's nice to see Chauncey Billups finally getting the press he deserves ... check out this piece on him.
18 ... When I listen to PJ Carlisemo talk, I begin to wonder if Sprewell did some permanent damage to his vocal cords.
17 ... The economy is definitely impacting the NBA ... I bought lower level tickets to Game 1 of the Celtics-Magic series for 50 dollars!
16 ... I'm not afraid to admit when I am wrong. I thought Atlanta would give the Cavs a hard fought series.
15 ... As I have stated many times, I am the biggest MJ fan. It hurts me to say this ... but when I watch Kobe talk and play I can't help but be reminded of Michael.
14 ... Rondo kind of reminds me of a young Gary Payton. An unconventional offensive player and a great defender. Let's hope he can develop a better jump shot.
13 ... "Birdman" may be the dumbest nickname ever and commentators need to stop using it.
12 ... I wonder what Lebron James and Dwight Howard would look like if they took HGH or steroids ...
11 ... Carmelo Anthony wasn't an all-star this year ... wow ... I know he missed some games but ... wow.
10 ... If Cleveland expects to win the title, their bench needs to pick up their play. In their numerous blowouts we've seen the Cavs bench struggle to execute.
9 ... You always hear coaches say to put a hand in the shooter's face. I've never seen a defender take that phrase as literally as Shane Battier as when he plays defense on Kobe Bryant.
8 ... ESPN really should license this song from NBC and use it as the intro to all games ...
7 ... The Boston Celtics are winning games simply because they are more hungry than the other teams. With how depleted that team is, there is no explanation for how they are succeeding other than the fact that they want it more. Heart of a champion.
6 ... I want Jeff Van Gundy to be the commencement speaker at the Boston College Law School graduation for the class of 2010. I can no longer switch off blow out games because it allows for JVG to have an open mic session.
5 ... I think a cool addition to All-Star weekend would be a 3-on-3 tournament where all the players on one team have the same alma mater. Representing Georgia Tech would be Chris Bosh, Thaddeus Young, and Jarrett Jack. Wake Forest looks pretty nasty too ... Tim Duncan, Josh Howard, and Chris Paul.
4 ... I hear so many people who say that college bball is so much better than the NBA. I've grown to appreciate the college game, but the NBA is unmatched in skill and entertainment. Ask a record 7.35 million viewers for ESPN's telecast of Game 6 of the Rockets-Lakers series, I'm sure they will agree with me.
3 ... The Lakers are getting away from the depth that made them so unstoppable all season long. Bynum, Farmar, Walton, Vujacic, and the rest of the Lakers bench need to step up and get more minutes so that they can attack the opponent relentlessly for 48 minutes.
2 ... I know everyone is high on Denver and Chauncey's revival of that team has been a great story but I still don't see them getting past the Lakers or Cavaliers for a title. It really doesn't have to do with any flaw I see in their lineup, I just don't get the vibe from them yet that they are out to kill their opponent and bring home a championship.
1 ... It is nice to see Phil Jackson, Rick Adleman, and George Karl leading new teams on deep playoff runs. I remember over 10 years ago these same coaches leading the Bulls, Kings, and Sonics to similar success. They do an amazing job preparing these talented players for the obstacles that you will face pursuing a championship and it they are often overlooked for their significant contribution.
Sorry it took me so many days to write this post, I keep getting interrupted by more playoff games. Two Game 7's tomorrow night! Watch out for a post talking about these games shortly!
Monday, May 4, 2009
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Win by 1?
I never thought I would feel any sympathy for the Oklahoma City Thunder, but I have now gone through a similar experience that allows me to understand their loss. When starting this blog, I thought I had secured a key member to help start something special. In a bizarre turn of events, Leah will no longer be writing for the Win By 2 blog. Ironically, when you awake Leah's iPhone from an idle state a picture of Tyson Chandler appears. The Thunder similarly thought they had taken an important step in building a winning franchise when they acquired Tyson Chandler from the New Orleans Hornets. After a physical examination and concern regarding Chandler's toe, the Thunder were forced to terminate the deal. Leah wears some really strange boots and shoes, so it wouldn't surprise me if she had toe trouble as well. In all seriousness, this is a big loss for this young blog as Leah brought a lot of great ideas, writing, passion and experience to the table. I encourage you to read some of her articles from a column she used to write in the Tufts Daily titled "Baseline Banter":
Pomp, Circumstance, and Pressing Questions
The difference between scoring and winning
Scalabrine, and nine other reasons to tune into the NBA
Reflections on Playoff Weekend One
I'm looking for a new partner, if anyone is interested, please send me an email at kohlinator@gmail.com!Sunday, April 19, 2009
My Spring Fling
For most people in the Boston area, the arrival of spring this weekend was made known by temperatures north of David Robinson's jersey number. For me, it was the start of the NBA Playoffs that marked the change of season. Watching eight intense NBA games over two days...no better way to spend a weekend! I am consumed by the drama, excitement, and entertainment of the NBA Playoffs, enough in fact to make my girlfriend jealous of Ernie and the crew's ability to capture my undivided attention.
20 second timeout: If I had fans (thanks to my boy D'Andre for my first and only comment so far), I would would apologize to them right now for my lack of posts. Finals time for law school is approaching and David Stern unfortunately did not take this into account when planning the NBA Playoff schedule. Expect short posts over the next three weeks or so while I finish up the semester. Thanks for being patient!
Here are a couple quick observations from the weekend:
1. After watching Derrick Rose dominate the Celtics in Game 1, I started thinking about the impact of other No.1 picks in these playoffs. Of the 16 NBA Playoff teams, 9 have former No.1 picks:
2. It looks like Lebron James will win his first MVP for carrying the Cavs to the best overall record this year. This got me thinking, how have previous MVP's fared in the playoffs the year they were recognized for their regular season success? I had to go back 6 seasons (2002-03) to find the last MVP (Tim Duncan) that led his team to the NBA Championship. It will be interesting to see if Lebron can reverse this trend and overcome the struggles the last two MVP's (Kobe and Dirk) have had in the NBA Finals.
3. We saw at least 4 road teams win Game 1 of the opening round this weekend (Nuggets-Hornets are playing as I am writing), the first time in NBA history that this has happened. My prediction is all of the teams that lost (Spurs, Celtics, Magic, and Blazers) will bounce back with a victory in Game 2.
4. Most people have written in the Cavs and Lakers to make the NBA Finals. I don't necessarily disagree with this, but I think the Cavs will have a tougher road than people expect. Sure they will dominate the Pistons, but I think they will then face big obstacles in the Atlanta Hawks and Orlando Magic. The Hawks have improved and matured since last year, when they pushed the World Champion Boston Celtics to 7 games. They are versatile, athletic, and tough enough to give Cleveland fits. The Magic beat the Cavs in the season series, 2-1, including a 116-87 thrashing in early April. With Orlando's three point shooting and Dwight Howard, I really can't hand the Cavs a pass into the NBA Finals.
I will be at Game 2 between the Celtics and Bulls tomorrow and will write about the Celtics playoff chances after watching them play. Hope to see Leah post soon and watch out for a guest entry soon!
20 second timeout: If I had fans (thanks to my boy D'Andre for my first and only comment so far), I would would apologize to them right now for my lack of posts. Finals time for law school is approaching and David Stern unfortunately did not take this into account when planning the NBA Playoff schedule. Expect short posts over the next three weeks or so while I finish up the semester. Thanks for being patient!
Here are a couple quick observations from the weekend:
1. After watching Derrick Rose dominate the Celtics in Game 1, I started thinking about the impact of other No.1 picks in these playoffs. Of the 16 NBA Playoff teams, 9 have former No.1 picks:
- Pistons (2): Allen Iverson (inactive) & Kwame Brown
- Cavs (2): Lebron James & Joe Smith
- Magic: Dwight Howard
- Rockets: Yao Ming
- Trailblazers: Greg Oden
- Nuggets: Kenyon Martin
- Bulls: Derrick Rose
- 76ers: Elton Brand (inactive)
- Spurs: Tim Duncan
2. It looks like Lebron James will win his first MVP for carrying the Cavs to the best overall record this year. This got me thinking, how have previous MVP's fared in the playoffs the year they were recognized for their regular season success? I had to go back 6 seasons (2002-03) to find the last MVP (Tim Duncan) that led his team to the NBA Championship. It will be interesting to see if Lebron can reverse this trend and overcome the struggles the last two MVP's (Kobe and Dirk) have had in the NBA Finals.
3. We saw at least 4 road teams win Game 1 of the opening round this weekend (Nuggets-Hornets are playing as I am writing), the first time in NBA history that this has happened. My prediction is all of the teams that lost (Spurs, Celtics, Magic, and Blazers) will bounce back with a victory in Game 2.
4. Most people have written in the Cavs and Lakers to make the NBA Finals. I don't necessarily disagree with this, but I think the Cavs will have a tougher road than people expect. Sure they will dominate the Pistons, but I think they will then face big obstacles in the Atlanta Hawks and Orlando Magic. The Hawks have improved and matured since last year, when they pushed the World Champion Boston Celtics to 7 games. They are versatile, athletic, and tough enough to give Cleveland fits. The Magic beat the Cavs in the season series, 2-1, including a 116-87 thrashing in early April. With Orlando's three point shooting and Dwight Howard, I really can't hand the Cavs a pass into the NBA Finals.
I will be at Game 2 between the Celtics and Bulls tomorrow and will write about the Celtics playoff chances after watching them play. Hope to see Leah post soon and watch out for a guest entry soon!
Monday, April 6, 2009
A New Answer?
*Disclosure: I am a Yellow Jacket ('07) and love the ramblin' wreck from Georgia Tech!!
The Detroit Pistons announced on Friday that Allen Iverson would miss the rest of the season. There were many reasons that the Pistons made this trade for Iverson (salary cap, Rodney Stuckey's emergence, etc.), but one of the main reasons was to obtain Iverson's scoring prowess. The Pistons scoring difficulties have led to their playoff exit in the Eastern Conference Finals in each of the past three years. I didn't really have an issue with this trade for the Pistons. Yes, they risked losing the team chemistry that made them a joy to watch over the years, but at the same time they needed to change things up in order to compete with Boston and Cleveland.
While Joe Dumars was hoping that Iverson would be the "Answer" for the Pistons, another Pistons player has stepped up to provide the dynamic scoring option the team needed. 6'0", 185 lbs, and lightening quick ... hmmm.....sounds like Iverson. Nope! Will Bynum (Georgia Tech '05) has come off the bench to provide the scoring punch they hoped would come from Iverson. An undrafted rookie out of Georgia Tech, there has never been any doubt about Bynum's ability to put the ball in the basket. You can google and read about his short journey since graduating from Tech, but I want to focus more on why Bynum is succeeding. I've been meaning to post about Bynum's emergence for awhile now, averaging 14.8 ppg and 4.8 apg in only 24.5 mpg off the bench over the last 13 games, but I could not put off this post any longer after Bynum errupted for 26 points in the 4th quarter last night against the Bobcats.
Looking at Bynum's build, you may confuse him for one of the running backs in Georgia Tech's triple option. Bynum uses his quickness and strength to shake off defenders and then attack the basket relentlessy. I'll never forget his drive to the basket, my freshman year at Tech, to win the 2004 Final Four game against Oklahoma State. His ability to change direction, his build, confidence, handle, and heart make me think of him as a hybrid between Nate Robinson and D-Wade. I think what I love the most about Bynum is the fact that he uses his talents to get to the basket and does not just settle on outside shots as many young players do. I hope players entering the league follow Bynum's example and bring the same energy and excitement to the game that he does. You reading J-Critt?
The Detroit Pistons announced on Friday that Allen Iverson would miss the rest of the season. There were many reasons that the Pistons made this trade for Iverson (salary cap, Rodney Stuckey's emergence, etc.), but one of the main reasons was to obtain Iverson's scoring prowess. The Pistons scoring difficulties have led to their playoff exit in the Eastern Conference Finals in each of the past three years. I didn't really have an issue with this trade for the Pistons. Yes, they risked losing the team chemistry that made them a joy to watch over the years, but at the same time they needed to change things up in order to compete with Boston and Cleveland.
While Joe Dumars was hoping that Iverson would be the "Answer" for the Pistons, another Pistons player has stepped up to provide the dynamic scoring option the team needed. 6'0", 185 lbs, and lightening quick ... hmmm.....sounds like Iverson. Nope! Will Bynum (Georgia Tech '05) has come off the bench to provide the scoring punch they hoped would come from Iverson. An undrafted rookie out of Georgia Tech, there has never been any doubt about Bynum's ability to put the ball in the basket. You can google and read about his short journey since graduating from Tech, but I want to focus more on why Bynum is succeeding. I've been meaning to post about Bynum's emergence for awhile now, averaging 14.8 ppg and 4.8 apg in only 24.5 mpg off the bench over the last 13 games, but I could not put off this post any longer after Bynum errupted for 26 points in the 4th quarter last night against the Bobcats.
Looking at Bynum's build, you may confuse him for one of the running backs in Georgia Tech's triple option. Bynum uses his quickness and strength to shake off defenders and then attack the basket relentlessy. I'll never forget his drive to the basket, my freshman year at Tech, to win the 2004 Final Four game against Oklahoma State. His ability to change direction, his build, confidence, handle, and heart make me think of him as a hybrid between Nate Robinson and D-Wade. I think what I love the most about Bynum is the fact that he uses his talents to get to the basket and does not just settle on outside shots as many young players do. I hope players entering the league follow Bynum's example and bring the same energy and excitement to the game that he does. You reading J-Critt?
Monday, March 23, 2009
Intro-Duncan
Already from the above title you can tell I won't be the one making you laugh on this blog, but I found the title fitting after being in San Antonio yesterday for a great match up between the Spurs and Rockets.
For those of you don't know me, my name is Raghav (pronounced Raw-gov). I was drawn into the world of the NBA by the reflection of light off his Airness' bald head and have been a fan ever since. I could bore you with details of my early on basketball memories and inspirations, but I'll allow those of you interested to refer to this wikipedia page containing, more or less, my life story.
The NBA has given me an opportunity to be a fan, a critic, a skeptic, an optimist, a believer and much more. My goal for this blog is to give those of you who are also passionate about the NBA a forum to read and discuss issues around the league.
For now, I'll check the ball to Leah. First to 11, win by 2......
For those of you don't know me, my name is Raghav (pronounced Raw-gov). I was drawn into the world of the NBA by the reflection of light off his Airness' bald head and have been a fan ever since. I could bore you with details of my early on basketball memories and inspirations, but I'll allow those of you interested to refer to this wikipedia page containing, more or less, my life story.
The NBA has given me an opportunity to be a fan, a critic, a skeptic, an optimist, a believer and much more. My goal for this blog is to give those of you who are also passionate about the NBA a forum to read and discuss issues around the league.
For now, I'll check the ball to Leah. First to 11, win by 2......
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