Don’t Count Out the Celts

The Celtics had a tough week. But I don’t think it’s the end of the road for Boston. This is a veteran team with resilient players who are only two years removed from winning a championship. KG is still hurt. Pierce has a nagging foot injury. Ray Allen is underperforming if we look at his career stats. Sounds like a recipe for disaster? But let’s not be so quick to jump to conclusions and write these guys off.

Doc’s players have nothing to prove. They have their rings. KG, Pierce and Allen are three of the toughest veterans in the league. Perkins and Rondo are two of the brightest young players in the Eastern Conference. They’re tough and have proven they’ll step up and play at a high level in the playoffs.

Much has been made of the Hawks beating Boston again this week to sweep the season series, but it’s not a nail in the Celtics’ coffin. Yes they’ve dropped from second to the fourth in the East after sitting in the top spot for most of November and December. But among the big minute players of the Cavs, Hawks, Magic and Celtics, outside of Shaq, only KG, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Rajon Rondo and Kendrick Perkins have rings.

Doc is a master of keeping his team together and I think we’ll see him navigate his guys through this rough stretch. And Ainge is one of the best GMs in the league. Let’s see if he makes a move to tweak his team going into the All-Star break. Celts will fill three spots on the All-Star roster – the most from any team in the East or West. Pierce, Rondo and Garnett will team up with Conference leaders LeBron, Joe Johnson and Dwight Howard to rep the East under Van Gundy.

Star Power

When a superstar player like Carmelo goes down it can be a backbreaker. As a coach you can scheme and preach, but if your players don’t believe they can win without their star you’re headed for trouble.

In Denver we’re seeing the value of Chauncey Billups. He’s a true leader at the point guard position. There’s no time for excuses or to give away games in the tough West – especially at the top of the Conference. And Chauncey is keeping the team together on the floor and putting his teammates in a position to succeed, even without Melo. He’s also picking up his production averaging 24 ppg in January and his attitude will define the makeup of the team.

With an improved jump shot and growing confidence forward Kenyon Martin is another longtime vet who’s embracing a bigger role. He had 27 points to complete a sweep of the Spurs on Sunday. The Nuggets are also getting great production from JR Smith off the bench. These guys will hold the fort until Melo returns to full force. And with him, the Nuggets will be a mighty force to reckon with come playoff time.

On the other hand Chis Paul is the latest top-ten player to get hit by an injury. His is more serious as he heads to the operating table to scope his knee. It’s also more serious for the team. Though Collison stepped in to lead Charlotte to an impressive 3-1 week without Paul, the Hornets will not fare as well as the Nuggets without their star player over the long haul.

With two rookies in the starting lineup, the Hornets lack the depth and experience to make up for Paul’s absence. He’s the engine that makes the team go. And in the West where multiple teams are battling for the last playoff spot having your engine shut down, even for a few weeks, can kill the whole season.

Road Test

Through the first part of the season the Lakers played a very unbalanced schedule. They had many more home games than road games. And they took care of business running out to the leagues best record. But over the last couple weeks they’ve been on an extended road trip.

A lot of coach’s feel you don’t know what kind of team you have until you go out on the road. When you’re traveling you face adversity on the court and off the court. You could be flying on back-to-back nights – arriving at the hotel at 4am. Players are together a lot and sometimes the little annoyances can add up and magnify fractures in the team. Or you may discover you have a tight-knit group of guys who get along well and ban together to overcome hostile crowds and tighter whistles on the court.

Even though the Lakers won the championship I’m sure Phil didn’t mind going out on the road to see how is team would take on the challenge. And I think the jury’s still out. The Lakers went 5-3 beating the weaker teams (NY, Washington, Philly, Indiana) and nabbing a last-second win over Boston.

But they lost to the Cavs and came out on the losing side of a one-point game in Toronto. The last game of a road trip is a notorious trap game and the Lakers fell into it dropping another close one 95-93 to the Grizzlies.  You like to come back home with a winning record but I expect Phil would like to see his team play with a little more urgency and make sure they have home court through the playoffs. And I’m certain he’s hoping on the other side of the All-Star break he’ll have a healthy Kobe and Artest.

East vs. West

The road to the NBA Championship runs through the Lakers. They are the champs. But Cleveland has laid the groundwork in the regular season, beating L.A. twice.

The Cavs have evolved as a team this season. LeBron is playing at an even higher level than last year and his teammates are following his lead. The addition of Shaq is working — he fits in with the team and has become, in his words, that “high level role player.”

Last week’s rematch against the Lakers, despite Mo Williams and Jamario Moon being out, was a good way for the Cavs to measure their progress. I know Kobe is fighting through injuries and it looks like Artest is playing hurt as well.

But the Cavs outplayed the Lakers and were able to break down the tough Laker D and on the other side to get some big stops. Looking back at the season series, the Cavs played better team ball and were having more fun on the court. It’s only the regular season, but it could be a sign of things to come for LeBron and company.

The Lakers on the other hand have to be concerned with two things: getting their hunger back and getting healthy. After the Cavs game Kobe alluded to the team not being as hungry as last year — maybe getting their rings quelled the fire in their bellies? I think that’ll change after the All-Star break.

But more importantly, it remains to be seen if lingering back troubles will restrict Kobe’s mobility and explosiveness and how much his shooting will be affected by the prosthetic he’s wearing on his finger. Kobe is as fierce a competitor as any we have in the league and in spite of these hindrances, came away from Sunday’s one-point loss to the Raptors just one assist shy of a triple-double with 27 points, a career-high 16 rebounds and nine assists. On Monday avid basketball fan President Obama hosted the 2009 NBA champs at the White House and gave a nod to Kobe for his MVP performance in the Finals.

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From Cubs to Grizzlies

After the failed Iverson experiment, the Grizzlies have come together and are playing winning basketball. With the right chemistry they’ve done a complete 180 from their 1-8 nosedive in November. At 23-19 they are fighting for a playoff spot.

A big reason for the turnaround is Zach Randolph. He’s having a monster year. He’s always been a big numbers guy but this year he’s leading the young team and is deserving of an All-Star spot. The Griz are also getting big years out of OJ Mayo, Marc Gasol and Rudy Gay. Gay knocked down a huge jumper with the clock running down to seal a hard fought victory over the Thunder last week.

And that’s what’s impresses me about the Griz — they keep notching big wins. In December they were 9-4 with wins over the Cavs, Mavericks, Nuggets and Heat. During January, Memphis has already beaten the Suns (twice), Spurs, Jazz and Trail Blazers. They are a serious team and if they can keep their young nucleus together they’ll be knocking down the old guard’s door sooner than later.

The Bruise Crew

What do Brandon Roy, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Kobe Bryant, Mo Williams, Delonte West, Leandro Barbosa, Raymond Felton, Eric Gordon, Jerryd Bayless, Tayshaun Prince and Ben Gordon all have in common? All missed games last week or played through tough injuries.

It feels like the injured list is more crowded this year than usual. And it’s seems precariously full of star players.  I know a lot of guys are looking forward to the All-Star break to heal up and get ready to make their run in the second half. Not least among them must be Nate McMillan.

I can’t remember a team suffering more injuries than the Blazers have this year and my hat goes off to Nate and his staff for holding the team together and winning. To manage to keep his team in playoff position in the very competitive Western Conference, with all the lost man games and an ever changing line-up, is incredible. Well done coach.

Hope for Haiti

Looking back on last week it’s hard not to think about what’s happening in Haiti. The reports of the destruction are astounding. But they are outdone by the fortitude and resilience of the Haitian people.  The Hope for Haiti telethon did a wonderful job of raising money and awareness. And in the NBA players are continuing to rally support for the Hatians on and off the courts.

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After Monday’s game Samuel Dalembert made a trip to his native Haiti to witness first-hand what is happening. On Wednesday he returned with a gut wrenching report just minutes before the 76ers game in which he scored 10 points and grabbed 15 rebounds. Sam has donated $130,000 to UNICEF personally and is working on raising more for the relief efforts.

Around the league Dwayne Wade and Alonzo Mourning raised over $800,000. And several players pledged to donate $1,000 for every point they scored during games in a bid to raise a minimum of $500,000 for the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund. Rebuilding Haiti is going to require a long-term commitment from all of us. If you’d like to donate call 1-877-99-HAITI in US/Canada, or go to www.hopeforhaitinow.org or www.yele.org.

Big Returns

It seems a lot of key players have missed time this season but last week there were a few notable returns. In their third game back in the Pacers lineup Danny Granger and Troy Murphy joined forces to take last  Monday’s game over the Raptors.

In his fifth year Danny Granger is developing into a franchise player.  He opens the court up with his athleticism and ability to stretch the floor. With these two playing well the Pacers are a totally different team. And with the bar set somewhat low in the East, Indiana could conceivably have a shot at the playoffs.

There’s been some speculation that with the emergence of Tyreke Evans Sacramento will look to trade Kevin Martin. Kevin’s been off his first few games back from injury but I don’t think it’s a given the two can’t play with each other and I’d be careful not to give up a proven player like Martin without a good look at him and Evans playing together. Too often when we see teams trade players like Martin we see them receiving 70 cents on the dollar.

Nuggets on the Rise

The Denver Nuggets, perhaps the Lakers’ toughest challenge in the West, got NBA leading scorer Carmelo Anthony back. They played .500 ball without Chauncey and Carmelo but are on the start of a little run. I think this team has a legitimate chance to come out of the West.

The leadership of Billups and the tremendous offense of Anthony surrounded by energetic, tough players will make the Nuggets very dangerous in the post-season. Last year’s playoff series was a great learning experience for the guys. Anthony looks like he’s taken the next step this year and it will be interesting to see if the team can fight their way to the next level in the postseason.

Some rest for the weary

Laker Pau Gasol was back in action Friday in a 40-point win over the Clippers. The Lakers need Gasol to stay on the court and to be the focal point of the offense during the next few in order to take the load off Kobe because there’s no way to convince #8 to sit and rest his injuries. I know it’s said over and over again but his competitive drive and will to win are unmatched.

I think Pop giving Duncan the night off this past week on the tail end of a back-to-back was a good move. Duncan’s played a lot of tough minutes with Ginobli and Parker injured this year and he’s logged a lot of minutes over hiscareer. He goes deep into the playoffs every year and played summer ball for five USA Basketball teams including the 2004 Olympic team. The Spurs are in tow for the Championship run and a healthy Duncan in the playoffs is well worth a couple of regular season losses.

Another big guy who’s logged a lot of minutes over his career is still out for Boston – Garnett is itching to get back in there but I think Doc and the team are taking the right approach being extremely cautious with Garnett’s return.  Boston is a veteran team whose season will be a success only if they win a championship. Having Garnett as healthy as possible for the post-season will be a key to meeting their goal.

The East bounces back

It was a bounce back week for the Hawks. It looks like they’ve snapped out of their lull with victories over Phoenix, Washington and Boston and remain in control of first place in the Southeast. They are 3-0 against Boston this year and won’t be afraid to see the Celtics again in the playoffs. The NBA season is a marathon and inevitably there are slumps; for young teams making their way up the ladder it’s crucial to find a way to remain confident and fight through the dips and not allow them to extend into a prolonged rut.

Chicago also looks to be turning around their season. They picked up their fourth straight game and have moved into playoff position in the forgiving East. Derrick Rose is becoming that relentless force that had Chicago near the top of the East in many pre-season predictions. Against the Wizards Friday he led his team with 37 points, six assists and nine rebounds and hit the game winner with five seconds left. It always takes a few years for point guards to develop a consistency but there’s no denying this guy has what it takes to be one of the top three points in the league. Unfortunately they can’t get too comfortable as the win comes at the juncture of a treacherous seven-game road stretch.

The Cavs had a solid road trip going 2 of 3 last week with their only loss coming at the end of a heroic shot by Jazz call-up Gaines. I don’t know what to say about LeBron. When the bell rings for the 4th quarter he is becoming Super LeBron. He went for 41/10/8 in Portland.

Then in the Golden State showed off his post game against Corey Maggette dominating down low and scoring 15 of the Cavs last 18 points to finish the Warriors 117-114. I had the chance to call LeBron’s next game in Utah and with less than 5 minutes left and the Jazz up 13 it looked like the Cavs were done. But LeBron led his team by scoring 18 points in a furious 20-2 run that put the Cavs up 6 with 32 seconds left. They would ultimately lose on a buzzer beater but LeBron brought an energy and presence that is unmatched in the League.

He continued to make his case for the MVP against the Clippers leading his team back from a double digit deficit and scoring 22 of his 32 points in the second half. The MVP award is really subjective but I look at it this way: If we took LeBron, Kobe or Dirk and subbed them with the next best players at those positions where would their teams stand? I’ll let you guys answer the question.

Charlotte Bobcats won their seventh straight at home against the Suns on Saturday. Steven Jackson was a great pick up for them – he brings leadership and a dynamic element to the floor. He can put the ball on the floor, post up and is a solid jump-shooter. His offense is important but his confidence and tenacity will be invaluable as Larry Brown tries to lead his team into the playoffs.

Hold on LeBron . . .

. . . Says Mr. Gaines of the Utah Jazz. I was at that game and what a wonderful moment for Sundiata Gaines. It’s why we love sports. Gaines a rookie from the D-League on a 10-day contract thwarted LeBron James’s comeback effort as time ran out hitting his first career 3-pointer in front of a thrilled Utah crowd. With Deron Williams out and the game looking like it had swung Cleveland’s way due to a tremendous effort by the King, Jerry Sloan played out the last 32 seconds masterfully. Kyle Korver hit an incredible trick shot from behind the backboard; Cleveland broke down at the foul line; and Sundiata Gaines took advantage hitting a shot he’ll remember for the rest of his life. And so will a lot of people in the building. It’s a lesson to all the players in the D-League: keep working hard and your time can come.

In other buzzer beater news, Jamal Crawford buried a 28-footer over Jared Dudley as the clock expired to give the Hawks a 102-101 victory over the Suns. Jamal has hit some big shots in the past. But now he’s making them for a playoff bound team. It’ll be fun watching Carl Landry of Houston and Crawford battle it out for the Sixth Man award.

Will the new Spurs pack the same old punch?

I’ve been to San Antonio a couple of times in the past 10 days and have seen signs of the Spurs gelling.  I believe they will be a threat that opponents won’t want to face in the playoffs.  Matt Bonner and Michael Finley are both close to returning, which will put the team at full-strength for the first time this season.  And Roger Mason, George Hill and DeJuan Blair have progressed more quickly than expected because they’ve logged a lot of minutes filling in for some of the injured stars.

But beyond Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobli and Tony Parker it’s a whole new squad that hasn’t gone through the battles that made the Spurs arguably the team of the last decade. And I think we saw that evidenced when Dallas scored 42 in the fourth quarter to cap a comeback victory in San Antonio last week.  That wouldn’t have happened to a Duncan-led defense of a few years ago.

So while the Spurs are 10-3 in their last 13 and only a game behind the Mavs in the loss column, we’ll need to see them win a few tough ones down the stretch before we can begin to answer the only question that matters to Pop and the old guard: Are the new Spurs ready to win a championship?

Kicking it up a notch

Dirk Nowitzki is playing at another level this year and when it comes time for winning, he’s willing the Mavericks to victory. In San Antonio last week Dirk was off for most of the game but became the best player on the floor in the fourth — scoring 16 of his 26 points, hitting two big 3s and leading his team to an improbable comeback victory over the Spurs.

He produced his 11th double-double of the season in the previous win at Detroit — and in Saturday’s loss to the Jazz Dirk scored 29 while Jason Kidd put up 19.  I love the addition of Shawn Marion and how the team looks with Dirk at the 5. They’re a tough team to match up against.

Gauging the East

When we talk about the Celtics we usually begin with a remark about The Big Three. But Kendrick Perkins and Rajon Rondo have had as much to do with the team’s success as anyone. Rondo is one of the top two-way guards in the East right now and he affects the outcome of games on both sides of the court. Thursday we saw him hit a buzzer-beater in Miami to take Boston to OT for the win and then cap off the week with a triple-double in Toronto.

The X factor in Boston is Rasheed Wallace, who had his best game as a Celtic with 29 points against the Raptors. With the uncertainty of KG’s knee (he missed his fifth straight game) the Celtics need Wallace to stay fully engaged in the regular season and give them important minutes, especially on the inside.  He’s one of the smartest players in the league and can do damage passing or scoring from the block.

The Hawks broke their losing streak with wins over the Celtics and the Nets before dropping one to the Magic, who’ve lost four of five, in addition to their leading scorer Vince Carter — who suffered a shoulder injury against the Wizards.  Orlando is one of the deeper teams in the league, but it may take a little more time for Stan to find the rotation he’s most comfortable with going into the playoffs.

The Cavs looked good this week, especially in their throwbacks last night. Sometimes I wonder what it would’ve been like to have had LeBron throwing up 41/10/8 alongside Daugherty, Nance, Price and the rest of the guys back when I was with Cleveland! But then I snap out of my dream and return to the reality of being just another fan and admirer.  I’m not sure anyone maximizes the opportunities the defense gives him better than LeBron. He’s either going to hurt you himself or put his teammates in a position to score easy baskets.  His supporting cast is more versatile this year and I think we’ll see that pay off in the post-season.

Will the Wiz impact the playoffs?

The Hornets have really turned things around winning their sixth straight in Washington last night.  Chris Paul continues to lead the charge, racking up 26 points and 14 assists – his third double-double in a row.  The Wizards on the other hand continue to struggle, dropping 13 of their last 18 games.

In light of the disappointing season so far, which culminated in the indefinite suspension of Gilbert Arenas last Wednesday, President Ernie Grunfeld has some big decisions to make as to whether he feels the Wiz can still make a run in the Eastern Conference race during the second half of the season or if he should dismantle the team and start anew.

If he decides to retool it could impact the dynamic of the postseason because the Wizards certainly have some attractive pieces for teams that are contending. Caron Butler can create his own shot out on the floor and he’s a tough guard in the post. Jamison would be a tremendous asset for any number of top teams because he’s a versatile big who can shoot with range.

Young Guns

Young guns Derrick Rose and Kevin Durant, who face off in Chicago tonight, were named Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week.  Rose’s play has noticeably improved from earlier in the season and last week we saw him average 26.7 PPG, 5.7 assists and 5 boards, highlighted by the 30-point, seven-assist, six-rebound effort in Saturday’s win over Orlando, the Bulls’ fourth in a row.  With Rose coming into form and several pieces of the puzzle returning from injuries, hopefully the whispers about Vinny Del Negro will quiet.

I can’t say enough about what 21-year-old Kevin Durant is doing this year.  He’s making an impact in all facets of the game and his points come easily in an Iceman-esque style. He’s on a seven game streak of 30+ points per game and last week led his young team to three wins averaging 34.3 points to go with 7.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.8 steals. OKC is now tied for eighth place in the West and I wouldn’t be surprised if they made some noise in the playoffs.

The King Breaks His Curse While Atlanta Takes a Turn for the Worse

“Old” man LeBron James isn’t quite ready to give up his thrown yet. The King turned 25 last week and he celebrated his birthday by going for a season-high 48 in completing the sweep of a back-to-back against Atlanta.  He had some help from Anderson Varajao who made an improbable three-pointer, his first career three, to seal the victory and gift wrap LeBron’s first birthday victory of his career. I bet Shaq didn’t expect that his Phantom VI Rolls Royce would be outdone.

LeBron also became the youngest player to reach 14,000 career points when the Cavs defeated the Nets 94-86 for their seventh straight win.

After losing back-to-back games against the Cavs the Hawks continued their disappointing week dropping a tough one to the Knicks in overtime. Nate Robinson returned to the lineup for the Knicks after spending a few weeks at the end of Coach D’Antoni’s bench and had a monster game, putting up 41 points.  Led by David Lee’s inspired play, the Knicks are digging out of the 1-9 hole they dug to start the season and are only a half game out of the eighth spot in the East.

The Injured List

The top team in the East has lost a top player: Celtics’ Kevin Garnett has missed two games and could be out for at least 10 more days while he recovers from a hyper-extended right knee.  I hope that’s all it is.  Last year Garnett played in just four games in the final two months of the regular season and missed all of the playoffs. Without Garnett, already banged-up Boston will suffer as he’s the heart and soul of the team, especially on the defensive end.

Back over in the West Pau Gasol left Sunday’s Mavericks’ matchup with a left hamstring strain.  This is no doubt of concern for Lakers fans as Gasol is a key piece, if not the key piece, to the Lakers puzzle. He missed 11 games earlier in the season with a strain in his right hamstring and the team just wasn’t the same without him. Pau’s one of my favorites and I hope he’s back quickly. But if he’s out for an extended period let’s see if Bynum steps up his production with more touches and space to operate in the lane.

Off the court the Wizards are garnering unwanted attention. Peter Vescey broke the story in which Gilbert Arenas and his teammate Javaris Crittenton allegedly drew guns on each other in the team’s locker room over a disputed gambling debt.  Not surprisingly this incident has already ignited endless speculation and condemnation.  No use fanning the flames until all of the facts are brought to light.