We Are Not Witnesses

Don't get me wrong. I love Lebron the player. There's nothing he can't do with a basketball. He is gifted.

But that's different from being God's gift to basketball. To be that you need more than talent. You need gravitas. You need the "oomph." You need to be a great teammate. Well-respected. You know, a winner through and through. (And just to be precise, one need not have a ring to be a winner; it's more of an attitude thing.)

AND you must NOT be lame.

Lebron's actions in the past couple of months have been, for lack of a better term, LAME. First there was that pregame crap he used to do with members of his team––you know, James with an imaginary camera clicking photos while the other Cavs pose. Shaq, the outspoken dude that he is, called the thing lame. He was right then. (He's also their newest teammate, but that's another story.)

Then there was LBJ walking off after losing to the Magic in the ECF. He didn't stick around to shake the hands of Howard, et al., didn't bother to congratulate his opponents. (Contrast that with the Celtics, particularly Ray Allen, who even hugged former teammate Rashard Lewis and gave an encouraging word or two.) The King said he didn't like losing, which is why he just left. That was lame.

And now the latest example of lameness: Lebron is dunked on during a pickup game, and later instructs Nike peeps to confiscate tapes of the minor event so it won't be posted on YouTube.

Dude. That's not just lame. That's just plain uncool.

Photo from here.

Rebuilding

It's hard to believe a whole NBA season passed by without a single bloody post on my NBA blog.

Which is just as well. The Celtics were dethroned, the Lakers got championship number 15, and this blog would've just overflown with negativity had I posted regularly.

In any case, a new NBA season is near. The Draft is coming up, and this is as good a time as any to reboot this blog.

Here's hoping that Boston goes all the way this time around.

The Small Fundamental

Ray Allen takes pride in doing things the same way, over and over again. If you watch video clips of him on YouTube, you'll notice his release looks the same, every time, all the time.

But if you watch him closely over the course of the season, especially the playoffs, you'll notice he does a lot of things basically the same way. The way he dribbles, the way he spins, crouches down on defense, jump-passes... it's so consistent, it's uncanny.

But then again, do we expect anything less from one of the the smoothest, most fundamentally sound players in the NBA? I mean, if you want your kids to watch someone play the game, Ray Allen is it. He does all the basics right. Dribbles with his head up. Finishes well with either his left or his right hand. Shoots with perfect balance.

Maybe the speed is no longer there; maybe the explosiveness is gone. But Allen has shown that if you really know how to play the game well, it doesn't matter. Heck, at 32 and with two surgically repaired ankles he still managed to blow past Sasha Vujacic in Game 4, and Sasha isn't exactly a wimp on D.

Ray doesn't look as intense as KG, or as passionate as Pierce, but he is one thing, and he proved it in the Finals: solid. Rock solid. He was the team's most consistent player, the guy who kept them in some games, and won others.

He sacrificed the most to give the Celtics a legitimate chance at a championship, and his sacrifices were rewarded. Now he's a winner; now he's like that other fundamentally-sound player in San Antonio: a champion.

Redemption, Thy Name is Kevin Garnett

Most players, even the great ones, are flawed. Kevin Garnett, for all his unbelievable skills, was knocked for two things: (1) his inability (or unwillingness) to take over games by scoring at will, and (2) his propensity to cave under pressure when the game was on the line.

The 2008 NBA Finals and Playoffs may have done something to change these perceptions.

It wasn't that his team won; it was that his team won with him basically disproving the theses of all the NBA "experts." He made shots when they counted. He took shots when they were needed. He didn't shrink from the Big Shot.

Yeah, he still fell short every now and then, the two botched free throws in Game 5 being his worst sins during the series. But what do you expect? This was a guy who wasn't sleeping, but was leading everyone in rebounding, who was playing mad, desperate D every possession, and who just left it all on the floor.

Now, he has nothing left to prove. Now, his critics can go find something else to critique.

Green is Great

It's been over a week since the Celtics won the NBA championship and I'm still euphoric.

Few people thought they could win it all, but they proved the "experts" all wrong. Now these NBA watchers are saying how great the Celtics' defense was, how tough they were, etc., etc. The same people who gave them grief for underachieving against the Hawks and the Cavaliers. So they can't finish games, huh? So KG can't come through in the clutch, eh? So Ray Allen's lost his jump shot, no? So Paul Pierce doesn't belong among the pantheon of Celtic greats, right?

By winning their seventeenth banner, the Celtics said one collective "screw you" to all these pundits, and proved once again that talent isn't enough to win; it takes heart, too.

Never Underestimate the Heart of a Champion

Or its lineup.

When the NBA Finals started, nine of ten ESPN writers picked the Lakers to beat the Celtics. Only Tim Legler, I believe, chose the Celtics. Across the blogosphere, the Lakers were the favorites; J.E. Skeets and Tas Melas of my favorite podcast, The Basketball Jones, picked LA in six. I'm trying to remember a major writer who picked the Celtics to win. (Bill Simmons did, but he's a Boston fan so he doesn't count.)

I can't.

I bet another lunch on the Celtics, and, I admit, a part of me did because of the fan in me. I felt the Celtics had a chance––however slim––in seven. I believed then––as I do now––that Boston had the better lineup. A more experienced, hardworking bench; three stars, all desperate for a championship to validate their careers; role players who played their guts out every freakin' game.

Maybe LA had, on paper, a more talented, energetic lineup.

But in terms of motivation, in terms of heart, I thought the Boston Celtics would win because they want it more.

Now, with the Celtics up, 3-1, they've confirmed it.

And proven that, 22 years after the last Celtics team won a championship, defense wins championships. And that the intangibles like heart and focus and drive matter.

He Has Risen

Jesus Shuttleworth, aka Ray Allen, is back.

The jump shot always looks the same, but in the past few games the results have been disappointing. Up till today's game, his shots didn't look like they were going to fall. But today he shot the lights out, hitting five of six threes and hitting crucial shots down the stretch to help bring the Boston Celtics closer to the NBA Finals.

Hallelujah.

Unstoppable

Kobe Bryant and LA Lakers have been unstoppable in these playoffs. They're the only team left that hasn't lost at home. The possibility of them dropping two straight seems improbable. They're young. Athletic. Focused. Well-coached. Deep.

The fan in me believes the Boston Celtics can go all the way. But the guy who's been following the NBA the whole year knows differently. To beat the Lakers, you'll have to bring your A game, plus-plus––and hope they don't bring theirs––FOUR times.

Deep, deep down inside, I don't think that's possible.

(AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Swagger

Some teams have it, some don't. The Boston Celtics had it during the regular season when they steamrolled over every team in the NBA. Since the playoffs started, however, they only seem to have the Swagger when playing at home. This means they only appear unbeatable on their home floor. For a team hoping to win a championship, that won't cut it.

The LA Lakers, on the other hand, have it. They've faced tougher competition, but have won each series convincingly. Now they have the defending champs on the ropes, and they have a look eerily similar to the Chicago Bulls of the nineties. The look that says "you can't beat us."

Make no mistake, I'm cheering for the Celtics all the way. But if I were a betting man, I'd put my money on Kobe and Co.

Thoughts on Game 4

• If the Celtics win this, it's over.
• This should be the best game of the series. Boston knows if they win this, they can go home to wrap this series up. The Pistons know if they lose this on their home floor, they're going to be labeled underachievers. These are two teams with a lot of pride, so no quarter will be given, and none will be taken.
• Expect physical, nasty defense. The Pistons will try to trap ball handlers, which they did successfully to some extent in Game 3. The Celtics will continue to do what they've been doing, but will try to stay away from the cheap fouls that render big role players like Kendrick Perkins ineffective for long stretches of the game.
• Cassel will see some burn. Eddie House, with his shaky handle, is to vulnerable to the Pistons' traps.
• KG will be doubled. He's killed whoever's been on him.
• Pierce will score. With Detroit's D giving the Celtics' role players more attention, he's going to take matters into his own hands and take it to the hole.

Green is Gold

The Boston Celtics had a lot of doubters after dropping their first game at home. Then they win big in Detroit, outplaying the Pistons in almost every statistical category. The Big Three were replaced by the Big Bench, and it was Beautiful Basketball.

Just two games away from the NBA Finals, baby.

My Ballot

With the end of this season fast approaching, talk in the NBA has centered around who should win the various individual awards given out at season's end. I wish I had a vote, but since I don't, this blog post will have to do.

Most Valuable Player

Chris Paul, New Orleans Hornets. In previous posts, I've allowed Celtic Pride to overcome my objectivity. But after watching Chris Paul play over the past few weeks, it's hard to argue against the League's best point guard. No one among the four consensus MVP candidates (which include Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, and Lebron James) does more with much less. James' team is crappy, but he hasn't elevated their play the way Paul has elevated his team's, hence Cleveland's lousy record (fourth in the East will not cut it).

Garnett has elevated the performances of the Boston Celtics, but how much better can these players be? Ray Allen and Paul Pierce are All-Stars on their own, and it's giving KG too much credit to say that it was he alone who convinced them to buy into the team concept. Allen and Pierce, as much as KG, deserve praise for contributing to the culture of winning that the Celtics now have.

If not for Paul's great season, Bryant would be my MVP. But man for man, he has a better team. The Lakers are ten men deep, and he has a great coach to boot. The Hornets' bench is laughable, even after acquiring Bonzi Wells and Mike James for Bobby Jackson.

The amazing thing about Paul is that he does his thing on both ends of the floor, orchestrating an efficient offense and giving the opposing point guard headaches on the defensive end. He leads the L in both assists and steals, while scoring just over 20 points a game, for a team that now sits atop the tough Western Conference. With him leading the Hornets, New Orleans has convincingly beat San Antonio (by 25!), Phoenix (ate Steve Nash alive), Dallas (made Jason Kidd look old), and LA (two times out of three). New Orleans, for God's sake.

Absolutely no one thought the New Orleans Hornets would be as good as they are now. They've exceeded all expectations, and they've done so because of this year's MVP, Chris Paul.

Best Defensive Player

Kevin Garnett, Boston Celtics. He probably won't win the award because his stats don't reflect the amazing defense he's played over the course of the year. He just changes the way teams play. I remember the Celtics' first game, they played the Washington Wizards, and when Gilbert Arenas drove in for a layup, KG just blocked the hell out of that ball. That was a portent of things to come. Boston has the NBA's best defense, and it's anchored on the broad shoulders of Kevin Garnett.

Rookie of the Year

Kevin Durant, Seattle Supersonics. Good as advertised, the lanky Durant has shown that he's an unstoppable scorer when he's in the groove. He should run away with this award.

Most Improved Player

Rajon Rondo, Boston Celtics. When the Boston Celtics got KG and Ray Allen, people thought that the point guard position was the starting five's weakest. But sophomore PG Rajon Rondo has played like he belongs on the court with the Big Three, holding his own against the best point guards of the L, like Steve Nash and Chris Paul. His shooting has improved immensely since last year, as teams sagging off him have painfully learned. His playmaking and decision-making is one of the reasons the Celtics are playing so well; he knows when to push the ball and when to slow it down. His defense has also been incredible, as he's used his speed to cover his man and pick off passes left and right. Few players have seen their play improve at such a degree this season, which is why Rondo should win this award.

First Team, All-NBA

Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, Kevin Garnett, Amare Stoudemire. This one was easy.

All-Defensive Team

Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, Shane Battier, Kevin Garnett, Marcus Camby. Bruce Bowen should probably be in here, but Shane Battier is, to me, the better all-around defender right now.

More KG-for-MVP Talk

Looks like I'm not the only one who thinks that Kevin Garnett deserves to be MVP for being the catalyst for the Boston Celtic's renaissance.

In this article, True Hoop's Henry Abbot discusses some ways the Boston Celtics have come up with to quantify KG's contributions on the court.

Sports Illustrated's David Dupree, on the other hand, says here that KG is "perhaps the most singularly responsible for the Celtics' resurgence, guiding them to the league's best record and changing the culture and mind-set of the team and its belief in itself," and that he deserves to be named MVP, although he probably won't win the award.

Dupree adds:

His statistics aren't that earth-shattering, as this is the first time in 10 seasons that he hasn't averaged at least 20 points and 10 rebounds (18.9 points and 9.4 rebounds going into Tuesday's games). He is shooing a career-best 53.7 percent and committing a career-low 2.0 turnovers, but he is also averaging a career-low 1.2 blocked shots and his assists average of 3.5 is his lowest in the last 11 seasons. He's also playing the fewest minutes (33.6) since he was a rookie. But his impact is immeasurable.

Here is a team that many critics felt would have trouble accommodating three big scorers such as Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, yet with two weeks left in the season, the Celtics are the league's best defensive team. From Day One, Garnett said that the offense would take care of itself and that champions are made at the defensive end. He made that his mission, and the Celtics have responded by allowing NBA lows in points (90.2) and opponents' shooting (41.9 percent).

Perhaps the most interesting thing about Garnett this season is that when he missed nine-straight games in late January and early February with an abdominal strain, the Celtics went 7-2. The argument can be made that if he is so valuable, his team shouldn't have won so many games without him? But the reality of it could be that he has helped instill such confidence and belief in each other that his team can win, at least for the short term, without him.

Celtics coach Doc Rivers, however, puts forth an intriguing proposition. Rivers argues that while it's true that the who should win the MVP award is debatable, who should win Defensive Player of the Year award isn't, because to him, it clearly belongs to KG.

Somehow, I think all these things mean crap to KG. All he wants at the end of the season in the NBA Championship, and it's obvious that he'll do anything––i.e., sacrifice his stats, downplay MVP talk––to get it.

And that's why he deserves to be MVP.

Kevin Garnett, MVP

When it comes to choosing the L's MVP, I'm averse to choosing a player on the basis of his stats. Yes, statistics reveal much about how well he's performing. But numbers alone do not an MVP make. If that were the case, then Lebron James, the triple-double machine that he is, should probably win the award every year.

I've always been partial to winners and players you make their teams better, and usually judge the MVP-ness of a player by assessing his impact on the team he plays on. On this basis, I really felt that Jason Kidd should've won the award in 2002, when he brought the New Jersey Nets to the Finals. The Nets made a dramatic turnaround that year, with players like Kenyon Martin, Kerry Kittles, and yes, even Lucious Harris, suddenly looking like the great, solid players people knew they weren't.

Jason Kidd raised their games then, just as Kevin Garnett has raised the games of this year's Boston Celtics.

Yeah, his stats are underwhelming. He has, for the first time in years, failed to average at least 20 points and 10 rebounds a game. He is no longer among the league leaders in double-doubles, a title he contested annually with the Tim Duncans and Shaqs of this world. That he has chosen to not give a f*ck about his stats, and pour his heart and soul into the NBA's best team should serve as an example of how to judge the L's MVP. In the end, the stat that matters the most is a team's win-loss record, and how big a part a player contributes to that record.

Boston is on track to make the biggest one-season turnaround in League history. It has what Houston Rockets superstar Trace McGrady called the best defense he had ever seen in his career, a statement bolstered by the fact that the Celtics established a record for the least number of field goals by an opponent in the shot-clock era when it held the Miami Heat to 17 field goals in a blowout win. The Boston Celtics are where they are because of a defensive intensity unmatched in recent history, and the success of this D can in a large part be attributed to Kevin Garnett, who anchors the defense and has inspired his team-mates––including fellow stars Paul Pierce and Ray Allen––to play the best defense in their lives.

Garnett has raised his team's play in a way that Lebron James and Kobe Bryant haven't. The Cavs are nine games shy of the 50 games expected from a serious contender. The Lakers, while doing very well, have not consistently played at the level of Boston, even with a roster that is as good––if not better––than the the Celtics'. Chris Paul, while without a doubt the only reason New Orleans is a real threat in the Western Conference, has carried his team as much as KG has, but not as successfully.

This year's MVP race will probably be very, very close, with most pundits already making it a tossup between Kobe Bryant and Lebron James. I say throw out the stat sheets and choose a guy whose play––not his stats––has made his team the best in the League: Kevin Garnett.

The Western Conference

The teams, ranked according to their playoff seedings, in three words or less.

1. LA Lakers: Kobe M-V-P
2. New Orleans Hornets: They can sting
3. Houston Rockets: First round knockout
4. Utah Jazz: Picking and rolling
   
5. Phoenix Suns: Running in place
   
6. San Antonio Spurs: Not repeating
7. Dallas Mavericks: So screwed
8. Golden State Warriors: Upset City
   
9. Denver Nuggets: Thanking Dirk
10. Portland Trailblazers: Waiting for Oden
11. Sacramento Kings: KJ for Mayor
    
12. LA Clippers: Familiar territory
    
13. Minnesota Timberwolves: Envying green
    
14. Memphis Grizzlies: Not like D'Antoni
    
15. Seattle Supersonics: Moving

Kevin Garnett: Turning The Other Cheek

How appropriate, given the Holy Week, to see NBA superstar Kevin Garnett turn the other cheek in the face of (dumbass) allegations by Minnesota Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor that KG "tanked it" in the homestretch of last season.

Says Taylor:

"It was more like KG tanked it. I think the other guys still wanted to play. But it sure changed the team and didn't make us [as good]."

Garnett didn't hit back. "First off, I want to say Glen Taylor was good to me when I was a Timberwolf and I'm a Boston Celtic now," Garnett said. "I'm not going to be going back and forth saying tasteless things. That's not my character."

KG doesn't have to say anything. His actions and his 13-year career speaks for itself. He's always played his guts out, and in the worst of times in Minnesota, he never forced a trade or sulked, as some of his contemporaries have done recently.

Kevin Garnett has always had class. And he proved it here.

Boston: Where Amazing Happens

In honor of the Boston Celtics, a video I made that says it all.

Big Green Defensive Machine

The Houston Rockets' Tracy McGrady paid tribute to the Boston Celtics' defense after their 94-74 thrashing at the hands of the NBA's best team:

"I've never seen a defense like that. I mean, if they play defense like that, night in and night out, the NBA is in trouble because that was defense at its finest."

The Celtics ended the Rockets' 22-game win streak convincingly, beating the streaking Rockets by 20 big points.

Making the win more impressive was the fact that it came a night after Boston's equally impressive two-point victory over the San Antonio Spurs, whom they beat, 93-91, after rallying from 22 points down.

Kids, This is How to Play Defense

I only learned today, via an article by ESPN's John Hollinger, that Houston Rockets forward Shane Battier has never made NBA All-Defensive Team. Holy crap. The NBA is full of injustice (Isiah Thomas, still with the Knicks), but this one just takes the cake. There are a couple of players who are known for playing excellent defense, something that's rewarded by spots on the All-Defensive Team, i.e., Ron Artest, Marcus Camby, and Bruce Bowen. To me, Shane Battier has always been a part of that list; that he hasn't been officially recognized for his tough (and very smart) D is a travesty.

The photo above, taken during Houston's fantastic win over the LA Lakers, illustrates just how effective a defender Battier is. He gets in your face--literally and figuratively. As Hollinger astutely points out in his article, Battier doesn't try to block the jump shots of scorers like Bryant; he finds a way to stick his hand over the shooter's face as the latter releases his shot. The feat is harder than it looks or sounds. If you watched Battier cover Bryant in the Houston-LA game, you'll notice that Battier slides his whole arm in between Bryant's arms when Kobe takes a shot.

It's not only that Battier does this, it's that he does this every time. EVERY TIME. He's friggin' relentless. Hollinger points out that Battier covered Kobe with almost no help from his team-mates, and Hollinger is right. Battier hounded Bryant like a shadow, and, more impressively, he never let up. A Battier defensive play in the fourth quarter shows just how persistent he is. Bryant brushes Battier off a screen, spinning off the screen (watching Kobe dribble is a thing of beauty) and then quickly rising of his feet to take the jumper; Kobe thinks Battier is gone; so do I; but then Battier runs around the pick and leaps to block what Kobe thought was an open shot.

After the game, Battier was slumped in the shower room and said that a guy deserves a couple of beers after running after Kobe for forty-plus minutes.

I say give this guy a keg.

(Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE/Getty Images)

Twenty-two!

I had to wake up at four in the friggin' morning to watch the Houston Rockets win their twenty-second straight game, but boy, was it worth it. Years from now I'll be able to say that I watched history unfold, to say that––should the Rockets fall to the Boston Celtics tomorrow, as I believe they will––I saw (1) the Rockets win the last game of the second-best winning streak in League history; (2) Shane Battier make Kobe Bryant look human; and (3) watch Houston rocket from tenth to first in the Western Conference, in the span of two months. Houston, 104, LA, 92.