Blind Side Screen

Eulogy: 2011 Celtics

noreply@blogger.com (Seif-Eldeine) — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 19:16:00 +0000

Dear friends, family and opponents,

we are gathered here to mourn the dead end of a few NBA careers.

Shaquille O'Neal called it quits as the oldest player in the NBA and (not) playing like it with a serious ache that would not go away.

Jermaine O'Neal and Kevin Garnett are shells of their former All-Star selves, like cars with 140k on them that one day perform like a new Rolls Royce and the next day have to be taken into the shop because the check engine light is on. These guys are either going to get traded by the deadline or hurt the Celtics for years because of the opportunity cost that their contracts could get from a true contender.

Ray Allen and Paul Pierce are in that special part of their careers where they are good enough for management to stick with for awhile, and bad enough that this loyalty will prolong any rebuilding and championship mode. We are more likely to see Paul Pierce wheeled around a nursing home in a wheelchair than ever see him have a dramatic comeback in a finals game.

And, though the Celtics have only Pierce and Rondo signed for 2012, and have an eminently friendly contract for Rondo, we may see them mess this up by signing Dwight Howard and therefore getting two players who cannot handle the ball in the last 2 minutes of a close game because of poor free throw shooting.

Anyways, great idea to trade Perk! Bye-bye title hopes for next season and hello over-paying Jeff Green to be a future because if they don't the trade will look like a total waste.

Eulogy: 2011 Grizzlies

noreply@blogger.com (Seif-Eldeine) — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 18:52:00 +0000

Dear friends, family and opponents

we are gathered here to witness that having great 1 through 9 depth and an athletic team will only get you so far if you do not have a true superstar.

The Grizzlies have an Atlanta Hawks-style roster right now, one which looks promising, athletic, young and with a couple quasi-superstars (Zach Randolph and Rudy Gay) that will get you to the playoffs year-in and year-out, but will never get you to the Conference Finals.

This is the type of team that slowly drains the life out of a mid-market city's fans. Yes, they will get to see some good basketball for years, Yes, they will see a couple great players develop into second-tier All-Stars, And yes, they will see an exciting upset or two.

But every year they get their hopes up for the playoffs, every year that it seems they can make one or two upsets to make it to the Finals and every year that they realize they are a great player short of accomplishing anything special, will suck the life out of these fans.

Welcome to the over-achieving mid-market world!

Eulogy: 2011 Nuggets

noreply@blogger.com (Seif-Eldeine) — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 19:59:00 +0000

Dear friends, family and opponents,

when you trade two superstars away and your defense automatically gets 10 points better, usually that is a point to celebrate. If you cannot get past the first round because you have no one who can score on offense, it stops becoming a point to celebrate.

Yes, Denver made out better in the Melo trade than any could have expected. No, it won't matter to their future success.

Every year, one team is a winner and the rest are losers. The only successful team in the NBA each year is the championship team.

And with the guns Denver has now (and an increasingly disappointing Danilo Gallinari), they are going to have to make some great trades and signings to be anywhere near competing. Yes, they are going to be way under the cap the next two season, but one of those seasons may have a lockout and the cap is likely to decrease, meaning just about all the superstars are already signed to long-term deals.

And when your teams two big moves the last few years was to trade for Allen Iverson and Chauncey Billups way past their primes, you cannot have much faith that they are going to do the right thing with all the room they have to maneuver.

Eulogy: 2011 Hornets

noreply@blogger.com (Seif-Eldeine) — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 19:48:00 +0000

Dear friends, family and opponents,

we are here to celebrate the Hornets before the NBA decides it has no choice and ships out Chris Paul and relocates the team to another city.

Hornets' fans most likely will be able to celebrate Chris Paul forming a trio of superstars in New York to compete with the Heat. Yes, that first half season after the trade deadline will give the Knicks some kinks, but don't worry, you will get to see your former superstar go deep in the playoffs with another team!

Meanwhile, you'll get to see David West as he increasingly stops passing out of double and triple teams, and Emeka Okafor stop giving a defensive effort because the team sucks.

Then you will get to see your team getting a couple lottery picks before moving to another city, then killing it because they have some blue chips a la the Seattle, errr, I mean Oklahoma City Thunder.

Welcome to the beginning of the end for the New Orleans Hornets!

NBA Finals Predictions

noreply@blogger.com (Seif-Eldeine) — Tue, 31 May 2011 21:49:00 +0000

Am I hoping picking against the Mavs will give them some reverse mojo like it has for the first 3 rounds of the playoffs? Yes.

Do I think the Mavs will actually win the NBA Finals? No.

Unfortunately, the Miami Heat, who this year officially took the title of sports villains in so resounding a way only the Hitler's 1938 Olympic Team, Soviet Union Hockey team, the late 80s and early 90s Pistons and the 2007 Patriots were bigger villains.

Though I, too, have a venomous hate for the Miami Heat, I hope the last round put to rest who deserved the NBA MVP this year. Lebron James is by far and away the best player in the league, and if he adds a title to his resume this year, he will be a long ways down the road to being a Top 10 NBA Player of All-Time.

James does not only do everything on the court well (except shoot 3s, as him, Dwayne Wade and Derrick Rose, all MVP candidates this season, seem to have a disease that because they can shoot inside well that they can shoot the 3 well, too.... and they can't,) everything he does on the court well, he does better than anyone else.

If he wanted to be a better passer than Rondo, he could.

If he wanted to score about 30 a game like Durant, he could.

If he wanted to rebound the ball the whole game and have offenses plan around him like Howard, he could.

And if he wanted to shut down your best player offensively, 1 through 5, he could.

He is the Magic Johnson if this generation, a player who was once inserted as a rookie into a Finals game to play center instead of his natural position at point guard. Lebron is the same type of player.

Add to the mix that Wade has been his incredibly efficient self, and that Bosh has done enough to win 2 or 3 games for the Heat this postseason by himself and Miami looks close to unbeatable.

Miami also made the upgrade of starting Joel Anthony over Zydrunas Ilguaskas, and, if they are smart, they will start Chalmers over a struggling Bibby (though it seems unlikely they will actually do this.) Having Udonis Haslim back will be a small bolster to their bench as well.

The Mavericks, meanwhile, are old. So old. And I swear, even though I have been saying this the whole postseason, it will catch up with them.

Nowitzki will be his regular self this series, but Bosh should be able to prevent him from going completely off, and the ability of both Wade and Lebron dig down against Nowitzki and recover against their own man quickly should play a big role in frustrating the big German.

Wade and Lebron's defense also should be frustrating to one of the other main reasons the Mavericks are winning: the incredible shooting of Peja Stojokovic and Jason Terry off the bench.

The one place I see an advantage for Dallas is the point guard position in the matchup between Jason Kidd and Mike Bibby. Bibby cannot shoot the ball. He cannot play defense. And he cannot rebound. Kidd is going to kill him this series, and hopefully that will finally put to bed for Spoelstra who his starting point guard should be next season.

I do not see this series as being close. If the Bulls and Celtics could not win 2 games against the Heat, I cannot imagine the Mavs winning two.

Prediction: Heat in 5

Eulogy: 2011 Magic

noreply@blogger.com (Seif-Eldeine) — Tue, 17 May 2011 18:55:00 +0000

Dears friends, family and opponents,

we are here to gather for what is probably the Magic's last playoff run with Dwight Howard.

Yes, next season we are probably going to see a Melodrama focusing on whether Howard is going to stay or leave, and with the deals the Magic made this season it will likely end in a sign and trade to the Lakers or the Celtics.

Howard single-handedly made the Magic a top-tier NBA team, winning his third Defensive Player of the Year in a row and torching the Hawks in the first round of the playoffs.

The Hawks let Howard get his down-low in a single coverage and left everyone else open to take ill-advised 3s that would never work.

And on the offensive end, they penetrating at will and with guards killed the team with the largest defensive presence inside, outside and from mid-range.

You have a couple more years of Gilbert Arenas looking like he is trying to come back from injuries, but not really giving that much effort. And, once Howard is shipped away, bye-bye playoffs for years to come.

Eulogy: 2011 Trail Blazers

noreply@blogger.com (Seif-Eldeine) — Tue, 17 May 2011 18:49:00 +0000

Dear friends, family and opponents,

we are gathered here to mourn the loss of the 2011 Trail Blazers.

Yes, they still had some players who were alive during the playoffs, even one that came back alive in Brandon Roy.

Yes, we can probably expect more injuries to happen during the next season. When are they going to change their training staff? Probably never, their ownership might as well be that woman from the "Major League" movie franchise, except for some reason they like spending more money than any other team on players they know are going to get injured.

The training staff admitted halfway through the season that, because of all the injuries the last few years, they have considered changing up their tactics. Really, it took you that long to figure out 2 or 3 major injuries a year was out-of-the-ordinary?

Anyways, we can expect the Trail Blazers to re-build through the draft on a team that is becoming increasingly injury-prone (because Sam Bowie and Greg Oden worked out so well for them.)

Another couple years of great coaching and terribly injury-prone players? Yeah, that is the formula for getting a team who's surprisingly good means surprisingly mediocre.

Western Conference Finals Prediction

noreply@blogger.com (Seif-Eldeine) — Tue, 17 May 2011 18:34:00 +0000

I have predicted the Mavs were going to lost every single round up until now, and I see no reason to change that because it has been working out so well for me.

The Thunder are more athletic, faster, stronger and, now with Perkins, are much tougher than the Mavs.

They have the best scorer in the game in Kevin Durant, who is also quickly becoming the best shooter. They have the athleticism in Sege Ibaka to challenge Nowitzki from deep, and they have the toughness inside with Kendrick Perkins that has always been Nowitzki's weakness.

The Mavericks' success in the playoffs has been predicated on three things: Jason Kidd's phenomonal play in the first round, Peja Sojokavic and Jason Terry being on fire from the bench in the second round and Dirk being Dirk.

Even with Ibaka and Perkins, the Thunder are likely only to dampen the Dirk effect rather than stop it. They, however, should be able to single cover Dirk and limit the Mavericks other options with their athleticism, something that the Trail Blazers and Lakers were not able to do.

On the offensive side, Russell Westbrook should be able to kill Jason Kidd. Kidd had a tough enough time guarding Andre Miller in the first round, especially when he posted up. Russell Westbrook will present new challenged because of his youth, speed and athleticism, but you are more likely to see him kick the ball out when he gets down low, rather than score like Miller was (Westbrook is one of the worst players in the league scoring in the basket area.)

And the person he will be kicking out to? Kevin Durant.

Prediction: Thunder in 6 (with some Thunder blow-outs)

Eastern Conference Finals Prediction

noreply@blogger.com (Seif-Eldeine) — Sun, 15 May 2011 23:41:00 +0000

The Miami Heat proved they could do in the playoffs what they could not do in during the season: close out games.

Lebron James has been one, if not the, best players in the league un the last couple minutes during a close game these last few seasons. He got that magic back in the first two rounds in the playoffs.

Dwayne Wade is still looking to get to the same level at the end of games, but Lebron looks like he can carry the load for the last few minutes while Wade has been on fire for the rest of games.

Bosh still has not had a great playoff run, but he has certainly done enough to keep this team afloat during difficult minutes with key rebounding, averaging almost 10 a game throughout the Heat's playoff run. He is not shooting the ball particularly well at 45%, but he only needs to shoot the ball well enough to draw out the opponent's defense on a team that does not have any other good shooters from 15 to 20 other than Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who has not played well at all.

As for the supporting cast, Erik Spoelstra finally made the move to put Joel Anthony as a starter instead of the struggling Ilgauskas. He will have to start playing Mario Chalmers more minutes and cutting back Bibby's minutes, especially playing D Rose, if they want a shot at this series.

As for the Bulls, they are strong defensively (at the 2, 3 and 4) where Miami is strong offensively and strong offensively (at the 1 and 5) where the Miami is weak.

D Rose shoudl have a field day against Mike Bibby and Chalmers should have difficulty scoring against Rose on the offensive end. The point guard match-up in this series is a huge advantage for Chicago, and should contribute to Chicago winning this series.

The bigger thing, however, that will contribute to a series win is a home court advantage in a series that should be really close, as you can expect each team to take one on the other opponent's floor, but no more.
Home court will leave the Bulls in the driver's seat.

Prediction: Bulls in 7

Eulogy: 2011 Spurs

noreply@blogger.com (Seif-Eldeine) — Thu, 05 May 2011 22:03:00 +0000

Dear friends, family and opponents,

we are here to mark the end of the 2011 Spurs, but also the end of their title hopes.

Duncan is hopping around like is going to be the next Kurt Thomas, yes, impressive because of his "experience" and able to make "veteran" plays, completely unable to be anything but a role player who is not going to take too much off the table but is not going to put anything on it, either.

This year was the last chance for a title, don't worry Spurs fans, it looks like Celtics' and Lakers' fan are going to be in the same place soon, and I imagine Mavericks' fan will be there soon.

Yes, this season has proved that Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili cannot carry the load themselves, and another year for Ginobili and Richard Jefferson is not going to do them any good.

The last couple years have proven this dynasty was all Duncan's. Tim Duncan will have the honor as going down as the most "fundamental" (aka boring) player in the modern game. And people will talk of him as a top 20 player with the enthusiasm that they talk about George Mikan.

For now, it seems the Spurs spent their last title hopes.

Don't worry, you can watch some white guys and George Hill launch contested 3s for the next 2 years.

Second Round Predictions

noreply@blogger.com (Seif-Eldeine) — Sun, 01 May 2011 00:59:00 +0000

Eastern Conference

1. Chicago versus 5. Atlanta

Atlanta won their series with the Magic for 3 reasons: the ability of the Hawks to dribble penetrate against the Magic, their ability to get open to knick down 3 point shots and the ability to single cover Dwight Howard with Zaza Pachulia or Jason Collins.

The first two had to do with the Magic's lack of perimeter speed and the second one had to do with Howards inability to score from the mid-range and lack of refined post moves.

The Hawks are going to have a much tougher time with the Bulls.

With Ronnie Brewer, Derrick Rose and Keith Bogans, the Bulls can stop the dribble penetration that made the Hawks a difficult match-up for the Magic and the Bulls will not give up such open looks from distance.
Jamal Crawford really killed the Magic, shooting 43.5% from the field, 45.9% from the 3 point line and scoring 20.5 points per game. Those numbers are more likely to look like 40%, 35% and 10 to 15 points per game this series, which will really hurt the Hawks because he was such a big reason they beat the Magic.

On the defensive end, the Hawks are going to have their hands full with Kirk Hinrich (who has a hamstring injury and may miss game 1) or Jamal Crawford trying to guard Derrick Rose. Hinrich is not quick enough to cover rose, though he is a good defender, and Crawford is not a sound enough defender, though he is closer to Rose's quickness. Crawford also prefers to use his energy at the offensive end, and covering Rose will take Crawford out of his offense.

Boozer should also destroy this defense. Pachulia and Collins were good against Howard (though Howard did have a monster series anyways) because they were tough around the basket. Boozer is not as one-dimensional offensively as Howard, and can face up from the elbows, put his back to the basket in the post, score from the mid-range and has great footwork and a number of low post moves.

I suspect Boozer will play in game 1, he is not a baseball player and a toe stub is not going to keep him out of a playoff game.

This series is going to be a tough one for the Hawks.

Prediction: Bulls in 5

2. Miami versus 3. Boston

This series features 7 All Stars, the most in a playoff series since 1983.

Boston will win if one of two things happen: Shaq is able to play the whole series or Mario Chalmers plays under 25 minutes a game.

Shaq completely changes this teams' offense. With Shaq in, Rondo is the most dangerous person on the court: he can penetrate at will because defenders cannot come off Shaq, he has two players to set great screens (Shaq and KG or Shaq and Davis), he does not have to shoot from mid-range as much because with Shaq (and not Jermaine O'Neal) downlow KG and Davis can play their natural games at 18 feet.

He is also a big upgrade on Nenad Kristic (who has not gotten much playing time in the postseason, with the Celtics going small with Jeff Green) on the defensive end: he will not let people get easy dunks around the basket like Kristic does.

Chalmers, meanwhile, got more playing time (25 to 20) than Bibby at the point guard spot during the first round. The Sixers' point guard, Jrue Holiday, gave Bibby fits at times and the Heat originally went with Chalmers for more time in the beginning of the series, then reverse course later in the series.

They are going to have to go with Chalmers for 25 plus minutes a game (in every game) if they want to slow down Rondo and win this series. They should have been playing Chalmers more minutes (though still off the bench because he is hesitant to shoot from the outside, and works perfectly playing with Mike Miller, James Jones and Eddie House) than both Arroyo and Bibby the whole season.

The Heat on the offensive end will rely on big games from Wade and/or Lebron. KG should have the advantage in his match-up with Bosh, especially if he is able to force Bosh to his right.

Meanwhile, Lebron and Wade each should be able to carry their team to victory once in this series, but the Celtics will limit the weapons around them enough so that is all the Heat will get.

The Heat are going to be stubborn with Chalmers' playing time, even after Rondo starts to scorch them, and it is going to cost the Heat this series.

Prediction: Celtics in 6

Western Conference

2. Los Angeles versus 3. Dallas

Los Angeles had more trouble and Dallas had less trouble than I expected in the first round.

Both these teams, because of their age, are probably happy they are facing each other instead of facing the Grizzlies or the Thunder.

Age still favors the Lakers, as they have enough experience and enough players in their prime to deal with Dallas and their aging core in Nowitzki, Kidd, Shawn Marion and Terry.

The Lakers also have such an advantage with skilled big men, and as long as Andrew Bynum can stay healthy Lamar Odom is going to kill the Mavericks off the bench.

The Mavericks' Caron Butler may return for this series to give the Mavericks added depth, but with so much time off and such a serious injury even if he does return he is not going to be a factor.

The only place where Dallas has an advantage is at the point.

Jason Kidd really killed the Trail Blazers and he should be effective again on the offensive end against the Lakers, but Fisher is not going to let him do what he did against the Trail Blazers in the first round.
That one advantage will not be enough, and the Lakers are going to dominate the Mavericks inside.

Prediction: Lakers in 6

4. Oklahoma City versus 8. Memphis

The Grizzlies and the Thunder are the future of the Western Conference. Both teams are young and have their core intact for a long time.

The Grizzlies were lucky in who they drew as an 8th seed. The Spurs are the best team in NBA playoff history ( a number 1) who drew a terrible match-up for them in the first round. The Grizzlies were everything the Spurs were not: young, athletic and fast.

The Thunder are going to be much tougher for them.

Kendrick Perkins and Serge Ibaka are going to frustrate Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol down low.
Westbrook should be able to protect the ball better than Tony Parker did and will not let Mike Conley get inside on the defensive end.

And Kevin Durant is the best scorer in the NBA.

This series is not even going to be close.

Prediction: Thunder in 5

Eulogy: 2011 76ers

noreply@blogger.com (Seif-Eldeine) — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 18:58:00 +0000

Dear friends, families and opponents,

we are gathered here to honor the Doug Collins' first year job with the 76ers.

Doug Collins has done it again, taken an underperforming group of basketball players, turned the franchise around in his first year, and like he did with the Bulls, the Pistons and the Wizards, he will work them into champion form.

What, those teams did not win championships? The players ran Doug Collins out of town by his third year every time because he worked them into the ground? You say he is the coach most able to take the goodwill he builds up in the first year and somehow have it all come crashing down against him?

The 76ers played inspiring D this season and got out on the fast break. They probably did more conditioning this year than any NBA team, a la Collins style.

They never gave up in their series against the Heat, and put in an inspiring performance despite being bounced out by the fifth game.

We have seen this story before, and guess what, it will end the same way.

Doug Collins works a team to its full potential, it does better than everyone expected, the team becomes disappointed and disillusioned Collins cannot take it over the hump and that he works them too hard and then he is run out of town.

The 76ers are hoping they are of the Bulls' and Pistons' type, who both won titles a few short years after Collins was run out of town.

They are hoping they are not the Wizards type, because, well, you know where they are at right now.

Eulogy: 2011 Pacers

noreply@blogger.com (Seif-Eldeine) — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 18:49:00 +0000

Eulogy: 2011 Pacers

Dear friends, families and opponents,

we are gathered here today to celebrate the 2011 Pacers.

Yes, celebrate a team that got knocked out of the first round of the playoffs.

In the heart of basketball fandom, a state that boasts Indiana State, Butler and one plunky Hickory High team coached by Gene Hackman, apparently just making the playoffs is something to be celebrated.
Long-gone are the hopes of an NBA title in the house that Reggie built. This mid-market team has been haunted by the ghost of

the Malace in the Palace and this has been their first playoff experience since.

Eulogy: 2011 Knicks

noreply@blogger.com (Seif-Eldeine) — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 13:30:00 +0000

Eulogy: 2011 Knicks

Dear friends, family and opponents,

we are gathered here today to say goodbye to the 2011 Knicks, the first team eliminated from the playoffs.
The Knicks have not made the playoffs for 6 years, and boy did it show. They fell apart at the end of the first 2 games in Boston and got blown out on their home court twice.

But, hope shines eternal (or at least until Amar'e gets seriously injured) in Knickerbockeland. They have two superstars, one old man who resembles someone who used to be a basketball player and 12 spare tires that can be traded in for upgrades.

Yes, in two years they might actually make it to the second round. For next year they hope to win at least one playoff game.

And, yes, somehow this qualifies as a miracle (Isiah Thomas is known to set the motions for miracles in order, finding ways to make the most valuable, best-funded and most popular franchise into David rather than Goliath.)

Yes, Thomas even found a way to mess up a trade for a player who had one team on his trade demand list (Carmelo Anthony) while he sipped pina colidas by the beach in Florida.

The Knicks gave up 3 pieces (Felton, Gallinari and Chandler), one spare part (Timofey Mozgov), a first round draft pick, a second round draft pick they received from the Warriors, and $3 million cash for a player they knew they could sign during the offseason and a point guard that was too old and too settled to want to leave Denver, plus 3 spare parts the Nuggets were happy to get rid of.

And while the Nuggets' defense immediately took off, the Knicks', who have lost their last 10 playoff games and have not won a playoff series in 10 years, struggled the rest of their season, punctuated by being the first team bounced from the playoffs.

But the future is bright with two players whose departures made their former teams instantly go from cellar-dwelling defending to one of the NBA's elite defensive team and a player Knicks' fan mut feel lucky only missed one game of the playoffs and played injured the other two....many were expecting him to lose a limb to injury or amputation this season.

So, congrats Knicks' fans, you have your playoff experience and your two stars.

First Round Playoff Predictions

noreply@blogger.com (Seif-Eldeine) — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 04:31:00 +0000

Eastern Conference

1.Chicago Versus 8.Indiana

The Pacers have been brilliant at times this season, as evident by their 144 point annihilation of the Nuggets' defense early in the season.

They have all the pieces of what should be a great offense for years. Danny Granger would probably have been a perennial All Star if he was not playing in the second most (to the late 80s and early 90s) stacked time in league history talent-wise. Roy Hibbert is the perfect person to pair with the rebound-challenged Granger. Darren Collison is having another solid year and looks poised to make some strides forward as his game develops. And Tyler Hansbrough has become more comfortable and has had some wonderful performances since seeing an increase in minutes.

Even for the future, these players look at best like a strong 2 through 5 and the Pacers will need a big-time player and a couple pieces for their bench before they are ready to compete.

Chicago has got it done the Coach Thibodeau way in his first season, with a monstrous defense effort (only comparable to Thibodeau's old team the Boston Celtics) and a middling offense that relies pretty exclusively on Derrick Rose, Luol Deng when he plays stretches when Rose is on the bench and Carlos Boozer.
Instead, Thibodeau has gone with Keith Bogans and Kurt Thomas (when Boozer and/or Noah was injured) as starters, irking the Bulls' fans in the beginning of the season. The emphasis of the defensive contributions these players have made cannot be lost and Chicago's winning ways have given Thibodeau some leeway when it comes to the fans.

The playoffs is a different animal, and Chicago will find itself missing the contributions Dwayne Wade or Lebron James (or even Chris Bosh) could have made to their playoff run as their bench shortens up.
In the first round, however, it should only cost them a game.

Prediction: Bulls in 5

2.Miami versus 7. Philadelphia

The 76ers' are a team full of semi-disappointments: players who put in the work to improve their game, but cannot, through no fault of their own, get over the stygma of being drafter too early.

Evan Turner, last year's 2nd overall pick, joins Elton Brand (1st), Andre Iguodala (9th), Thaddeus Young (12th) and Spencer Hawes (10th) in this group.

The 76ers have surprisingly re-branded themselves as a defensive team and have scored on the fast break, but are horrendous in halfcourt ball and rely far too much on either Brand or Iguodala to come up with something.

Iguodala was on the trading block for much of the season, which would make sense if Turner was becoming the player the 76ers had hoped (and everyone else knew he wouldn't) become. He is not, and trading Iguodala, unless they were getting something of unfair value in return, would not have made sense since the 76ers are finally doing some things right since A.I's initial departure more than 4 years ago.

The Heat have cooled down considerably since a 22 and 1 run after they started the season 9 and 8.
Bosh, Wade and James are all under career averages in turns of minutes and should benefit in that they are no longer completely carrying their teams alone come playoff time.

Despite the addition of Mike Bibby (which I thought made no sense, since Chalmers is a B level defender who could at least slow down Rondo and Rose, and now Bibby has stepped in with his Jason Kidd-like slow lateral movement and taken what could have been quality meshing time away from Chalmers and Miami's Big Three) this should be a cake-walk for the Heat.

Prediction: Heat in 4

3.Boston versus 6. New York

The Knicks and the Celtics are two teams stumbling into the playoffs.

Adjusting after major trades is difficult: the Knicks have gone 14 and 15 since the trade that brought in Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups (despite a recent 7 game win streak in which they played mostly non-playoff teams) and the Celtics started out the Jeff Green and Nenad Kristic era on a 5 game win streak but have gone 10 and 11 since.

For both teams, defense has been the problem.

How well the Nuggets have played defense (they are holding opponents to almost 10 points less a game since Melo left) has exposed how poor a defensive player Melo (and possibly even Chauncy Billups) is.
Meanwhile, after a honeymoon period that saw Nenad Kristic play some inspired offense, teams have found that they can destroy the Celtics in the paint. With Garnett's tendency to overplay the man he is guarding, and without Perkins there to back him up, plan on seeing Amar'e Stoudemire getting dunk after dunk.
The Celtics are also notorious for drawn-out series and not putting opponents away.

All this spells out a first round series that is going to wear out the old team enough to make the second round difficult at best, impossible at worst.

Prediction: Celtics in 6

4. Orlando versus 5. Atlanta

The Magic did the right thing in terms of timing with their trades. If you are going for a championship this season, pulling the trigger earlier than the trade deadline helps a lot.

Unfortunately, the trades they made hurt them instead of helped them.

Gilbert Arenas is not the player who once was and the Magic would have been better off letting Rashad Lewis play through his slump instead of trading him. He was the perfect combo to Dwight Howard in stretching the floor on the offensive end and helping somewhat on the defensive end.

When they signed Vince Carter a couple years ago, they hoped they had someone who could take on the crunch-time scoring role. What they got was a player who fell into too many jump shots and shied away from contact.

VC for Jason Richardson was the main part of the first trade they made, and essentially they got the same bombs-away from outside player they had in VC.

Still, the first trade made sense if they thought Richardson had some physical and mental toughness VC did not (and he does), but the second trade probably cost them a serious run in the playoffs.

The Magic are essentially the same take 3 point shots and let Howard get all the rebounds and put-backs they were before the trade, yet now they are down Rashard Lewis and a future first round draft pick.
Meanwhile, the Atlanta Hawks, the team the Magic swept out of the playoffs a year ago, added Kirk Hinrich this season yet have not made any major roster overhaul nor strategic change in the last 4 years.

With Josh Smith, Zaza Pachulia and Al Horford, the Hawks do not have enough forward fire power to take advantage of the hole left defensively by Lewis leaving with Howard on the bench.

They are, however, a very good fast break team with penetrating guards like Jamal Crawford, Jeff Teague and Joe Johnson, with both Johnson and Hinrich able to hit the outside shots. Plan to see more of Jeff Teague in this series as the Hawks look to take advantage of the age and lack of lateral quickness at the Magic's guard positions.

The Magic entered the playoffs hot last year and benefited in the first rouund against an unprepared Hawks' team. That is not going to happen again.

Prediction: Hawks in 6

Western Conference

1. San Antonio versus Memphis

Marc Gasol and Rudy Gay have really come along this season, and both seemed poised to make the jump to franchise players the next couple years.

The Grizzlies also have a good, young point guard in Mike Conley (even if they overpaid him to extend his contract.)

The Grizzlies put an emphasis on defense in playing new pick-up Tony Allen and Sean Young over O.J. Mayo, but Mayo still gives the Grizzlies a lot of flexibility if Zach Randolph or Rudy Gay do not have it going offensively.

And they have Shane Battier to bring in for defense.

This is not a team with one killer offensive player, but they are strong 1 to 8 like no other team in the NBA, which should benefit them hugely as playoff rotations are cut down to 8 or 9 people.

They should also benefit in playing a San Antonio team that has a few key players (Ginobili, Jefferson and Duncan) over 30.

The Spurs still have a couple good young pieces in George Hill and Matt Bonner, and Tony Parker has not reached the wrong side of 30 yet.

The Spurs were very fortunate in terms of injuries during the season and keeping up their health is unlikely because of the law of averages, the long season and the age of their key players.

The Spurs are unfortunate that they drew such an athletic and young team that has given them fits during the regular season.

Still, their 3 point shooting will be the difference in this series.

Prediction: Spurs in 7

2. L.A. versus 7. New Orleans

Chris Paul has played out of his mind this season despite injuries keeping him from using his athleticism. He has quietly become more efficient while keeping up his steal and assist numbers. He does not deserve to be the MVP, but does deserve to be in the conversation (which he is not because New Orleans is a small market team.)

The Hornets are missing their other key player in David West, which will hurt them a ton.

They also have Emeka Okafor for some much-needed rebounding and defense.

And Carl Landry is a solid player.

Other than that, the Hornets have nothing.

The Lakers, despite their recent troubles, are the cream of the crop in the NBA, and are the two-time defending champs for a reason.

With Bynum healthy and Odom coming off the bench, this team is near unstoppable.

And believe Kobe wants to prove he can 3-peat without Shaq.

Do not take the Lakers' recent struggles as evidence for how this team is going to play during the playoffs.

Prediction: Lakers in 4.

3. Dallas versus 6. Portland

Portland again manages to make something out of nothing, having another run in the playoffs despite tons of injuries.

Andre Miller may be the most underrated in a league suddenly dominated by point guards. He has been getting it done for over a decade with little fanfare.

Brandon Roy is still working back from injury and probably will not add much to the Trail Blazers' playoff run.

LaMarcus Aldridge is the key here, and with a match-up against Dirk Nowitzki he should be able to push the big German around.

The Mavericks are the only team comparable to the Celtics in being on their last legs.

They failed to make a deadline deal that could of yielded a key piece or built them for the future, instead going with the horses they have.

In a league full of great point guards, Jason Kidd is not going to get it done defensively. Miller may not be the best point in the league and may not have the speed to make things hard like other point guards might, but this is not going to be a match-up that favors the Mavs.

Jason Terry and Shawn Marion are not the players they used to be.

The Mavericks are going to rely on Tyson Chandler to be the difference in stopping Aldridge at the rim when he beats Dirk, and that is not something that is going to go the Mavs' way.

Prediction: Trail Blazers in 7

4. Oklahoma City versus Denver

Denver has made great strides defensively since their trade deadline deal, and they have been the only team to make a major deal and click right away.

Arron Afflalo has been missing in the action a lot recently, and getting him back into the lineup and adjusted playing with his new teammates may be the straw that breaks the camel's back.

With the trade, this team is full of players without playoff experience, and they do not have a go-to player nor even a legitimate number 2 option.

The Nuggets did the best they could giving Carmelo's imminent departure, but they are still two players away from being anything more than a whisper during the playoffs, their success since the trade deadline notwithstanding.

The Thunder, meanwhile, have some playoff experience under their belts and even more importantly Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook saw some real pressure to perform with the whole world watching during their time playing for team USA.

Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins are a lethal tandem defending around the rim and should only get better as the years go by.

Despite this being a number 4 seed against a number 5, it is more like a number 2 seed going against a number 7.

Prediction: Thunder in 5

Top 10 Basketball Pet Peeves

noreply@blogger.com (Seif-Eldeine) — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 02:19:00 +0000

1. kicking the basketball

2. people who cannot handle losing

3. people who cannot handle winning

4. people who play offense and no d

5. people who do not run the floor

6. people who do not box out

7. people who say your fouling when you are not fouling

8. fancy moves from players who have no business trying them

9. fancy moves that do not get the team closer to scoring a basket

10. losing because of a lack of effort or winning despite a lack of effort (then shoving it in the other team's face)

5 Star Players' Games if They Were Rap Song

noreply@blogger.com (Seif-Eldeine) — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 15:00:00 +0000

1.Kobe Byrant- "Hit'em Up" Tupac

Kobe Bryant plays a relentless game that seeks revenge on all those who doubted he could do it without Shaq. His statement "I got more rings than Shaq" is comparable to Tupac's "little homey's" line "Get out the way yo, get out the way yo, Biggie Smalls just got dropped."

Now that Shaq has teamed up with the Celtics, and other Kobe mortal enemies Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, he has the chance to hate on Shaq's buddies like Tupac hated on "Lil' Kim yah coked up or doped up, get your little junior mafia whopper click smoked up."

And just like with Tupac, the Celtics, the Knicks, the Bulls and the Heat don't want to see "the West Side ride the night" and for the East Coast Kobe is still "the Thug that you love to hate."

2. Steve Nash - "Young Forever" Jay Z

Steve Nash and his 11+ assists has us believing, just like Jay Z, that he has a long time to stay relevant and that he is going to be "forever young."

Nash lives where "the sun's always out and you never get cold."

Like this song, Nash's game is so smooth that you do not realize his "flow" is going at a decent pace.

And the "champagne's always cold," because Nash is never going to win a title and that shit is going to stay on ice.

3. The Miami Heat Big 3- "Fight for Your Right to Party" Beastie Boys

"Coach [Spoelstra] wants us to work, and we just wanna chill" said Chris Bosh early in the season.

Miami is still fighting for the right to party, with a 2 and 10 record against the major contenders this season and trying to take their talents and their dancing skills to South Beach.

Spoelstra is the uncool parents and the Big 3 are the Beastie Boys, trashing the place, partying.

Their game fits this song, as it is fast-paced and often messy.

4. Ray Allen - "Dear Mama" Tupac

Every Celtics' home game is like an ode from Ray Allen to his mother.

She is just about always there supporting him and shouting praise from the stands.

And for Ray Allen, there is "no way [he] could pay [her] back" and through the NBA "drama there is no way [Ray] can always depend on [his] mama."

5. Amar'e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony - "Rapper's Delight" Sugar Hill Gang

The New York Knicks play a care-free run and gun game that is as light as the first song to take rap commercial.

Like this song, the Knicks have no depth and do not worry about defense of their home.

Why the Slow Down in Posting and When Are the Basketball Bloggers' Awards?

noreply@blogger.com (Seif-Eldeine) — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 20:07:00 +0000

I am in the middle of looking at new options for web design and hosting to improve the quality of this site.

I want to keep the feature you see in the right column on the new site hosted on my own domain.

As such, I will be unable to post for the next couple weeks.

This, along with some personal commitments both Neil Paine and New York Vinnie (2 of my 3 judges for the awards), will delay the bloggers' awards. Luke Ewalt has already voted so we have 1 down of 3! And I have 4 or 5 descriptions of nominations to finish.

I will update you on the progress of these thing as soon as possible.

Also, my friend Patrick Antoine has designed a sick logo for the awards. I will release it within the next week and give you my contact information if you are interested in Pat designing a logo for your own blog or website. He is inexpensive and very good.

Mellow Out On Melo

noreply@blogger.com (Seif-Eldeine) — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 14:58:00 +0000

In Bill Simmons' recent mailbag, he agreed with a reader that called Carmelo Anthony a "13 year-old, manipulative girl."

You Have a Job and You Want to Go Somewhere Else

So, you have a job and you want to go somewhere else. You have told your boss's about this 9 months in advance. You have told them money is not an issue, the issue is both location and being on a cutting-edge team in order to do your best work. You have told them your wife does not like the location. You have told them you want to be closer to home. And you have told them all this without spreading it around the office that the people you work for just simply are not making the cut anymore.

Are You Being Manipulative?

What have you done that has manipulated the situation for your benefit? You did not negotiate with your bosses in order to artificially raise the price on your services. You are still giving your all at work everyday. You have given them 9 MONTHS instead of the two-week notice in order for them to prepare for your departure. You have made clear the reasons that they cannot retain your services.

Why Do We Hold Athletes to a Different Standard?

The perception of athletes is that they "play" a "game" like they do nothing in between games and only show up when the lights are on and the stadium is packed.

There seems to be a great number of sports writers and fans who either never played a sport or completely forgot what it is like to be on a team.

The work put into making a team successful (whether junior high or professional) is completely different than the play the average person at the Y puts into his game.

And even when you play with those people at the Y, who are the best? The guys you see at random hours during the day before they play pickup working on their game.

Those best players at the Y put in tons of work just to be the best among that group of guys, imagine how much work it would take to even make the NBA, let alone be one of it's best players.

Do the Players Owe Us Anything?

A big, resounding fat NO.

WE owe them something.

We owe them for all the hours they put into the gym.

We owe them for wrecking their bodies in every game and wrecking their bodies when we are not watching.

We owe them for being so square in the public eye that they cannot go to their favorite places without getting harassed.

We owe them for putting themselves out for scrutiny in their enemies' gyms 41 nights a year.

And mostly, we owe them for showing us what hard work and dedication can get you (and what it can't.)

And the thing we owe them is allowing them to make the best decisions for themselves and their families while appreciating all they have done for us.

Back to BAasics

noreply@blogger.com (Seif-Eldeine) — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 12:09:00 +0000

I may be the only one
on the court to wear
beat up running shoes recommended
by my doctor for my weary knees.

The rest of the guys
wear younger shoes
in more colorful hues
like white and yellow
or black and red

and attached to their shoes
are names like Melo
or Jordan or Lebron or Kobe,
while my name is basic,
my shoes simply a pair of Aasics.

And they make pretty plays
in their pretty shoes-
for they do not fear to lose
because they forgot to box out
or they are too busy on the offensive end, a pout
preventing them from transition d.

But who needs defense,
when you look so pretty?
Just need shoes, the right color, the rights hues
and a name to fit thee.

Pickup Speak

noreply@blogger.com (Seif-Eldeine) — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 23:30:00 +0000

There are many things
one hears
between the bouncing of the basketball,
some are light, little notes
the player gives himself,
like "follow-through,"
or "box-out,"

most often,
these notes are during a bad day-
and quickly become "C'mon Billy!"
or they begin to blame their opponents,
"What the fuck, Collins!
Ease off me," they say,
calling a foul.

Then there are the point guards,
always the encouragers on offense,
saying "nice shot!" or "good re!"
to their teammates,
and also calling for a
"pick and roll," or "pick and pop."

And on defense it is the bigs,
warning "pick left,"
or "give him help,"
or "box out!"
to the guards who allow their man
to get into the paint and steal the rebound.

Then there are the Ray Allens of the court,
who run around endlessly,
whose defender the bigs on defense have to warn
of picks, whose point guard can no longer tell him
"nice shot!" because of the sheer energy it takes
to shout that so many times,
and Jesus Shuttlesworth
running around the court with those soft footsteps,
the only talking he does
when the ball kisses the net.

Why Do I Want the Mavericks to Swap Kidd for Nash?

noreply@blogger.com (Seif-Eldeine) — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 20:05:00 +0000

Nash is a great player, as evidenced by his two M.V.P.s (even thought I do not think he deserved these.) At 36, he is still playing near or at the level of these seasons. He does everything you want from your point guard on the offensive end: he penetrates at will, he does not overdribble, he keeps the ball moving and, most importantly, he makes the right decisions. He also has the added benefit of shooting like an elite shooting guard.

Kidd was a great player, he is no longer the type that can dribble penetrate, he still makes good decisions but he has been ravaged by declining skills and his offensive role has basically been relegated to spot-up specialist.

Why, then, would I love to see a swap of Kidd for Nash so that if my Celtics meet the Mavericks in the Finals they would have a much better chance at winning?

One forgotten aspect of basketball analysis has been personalities. Personalities matter on the court and a team must have the right mix of personalities in order to succeed.

Nash makes basketball fun and exciting. He relishes getting his teammates open and going on the fast break with him. Even at his age, his enthusiasm and effort are visible to anyone watching the Suns play.

Jason Kidd does not have near the same type of temperament. He is a killer on the court and makes the hard-nosed play guys half his age would not be willing to sacrifice themselves for. And this personality rubs off on a team where the leader, Dirk Nowitzki, has more of a Nash-like temperament. Two Nashes do not make a fight, and the Mavericks need Kidd in the mix for his personality and leadership skills much more than they do for his basketball skills.

Their differences can be shown on the defensive end.

Nash is still athletic and quick, and can keep up with the quick, young point guard generation developing in the NBA. No one, however, would confuse Nash with someone who is even mediocre at the defensive end. The problem seems to be basketball IQ rather than effort or athletic ability.

The problem some players have, whether professional or just pickup players, is the play THEIR defense instead of the defense tailored to the player and team their covering and their own skill set and team. Nash stays with his defender using his quickness, but this is not the best way to cover a lot of point guards. Some point guard, such as Rajon Rondo, should be given space to shoot, should be played in the passing lane and should be ciphened off to a big man in the paint on a drive. The reason players like Rondo need to be pushed into help D around the basket is they are way too nifty shooting from close range to be handled by someone their own size.

Kidd has lost the ability to chase these quicker point guards or stop them on the drive. He, however, has trust in his teammates behind him and still knows how to cut the angles down so the opposing point guard is pushed into a bad shot. This is a skill Nash has never had.

The other part of this equation is how teammates will react to an addition.

Nash has a similar personality to Nowitzki, and his fun-loving, selfless play is just going to hurt the team.

Imagine Nowitzki and Nash, who are buddies, constantly passing up good shots because they want to get the other and other teammates involved. How would this help the Mavericks?

Kidd is someone who demands the ball less than Nash (good for the Mavericks because they already have Nowitzki and Terry, both players who like to have the ball in their hands) and who's penchant for making diving plays and grabbing tough rebounds is much more established than both his teammates' and Nash's. This personality is bound to rub off on his teammates on some way.

The last thing to consider is acquiring Nash would require a keep overhaul of an offensive and defensive system that is working so well right now. The Mavericks are one of 7 title contenders (the Spurs, Celtics, Heat, Bulls, Lakers and Magic being the others...I do not think New Orleans will keep up this pace) and making a trade that will re-make their whole chemistry mid-season for a team that does not have another two or three years (or maybe even one) makes no sense.

If their players and Nash three years younger and if they had the opportunity to bring someone on that losing Kidd would give up in terms of personality, skills and chemistry, it would make sense. Right now, it would be a terrible decision, and such a decision would mean the end of the Mavericks' season at best in the Western Conference Finals, but more likely the second round.

KD: What Other Famous People Were Doing at the Age Durant Is Going to Win His Second Scoring Title

noreply@blogger.com (Seif-Eldeine) — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 12:15:00 +0000

Obama: graduating from Columbia University

Eminem: cooking and dishwashing at Gilbert's Lodge

Edgar Allen Poe: raising $170 from his fellow cadets to pay for his 3rd volume of poetry

Bill Gates: personally wrote lines of code in his business center in Albuquerque, Nex Mexico

Alexander the Great: Had just passed into Asia Minor with his army (modern day Turkey)

Shakespeare: was at the beggining of his "lost years" which lasted until he was 28

Che Guevara: was touring Argentina on a "motorcycle" (really a bicycle with a motor attached to it)

The Prophet Muhammed (Peace Be Upon Him): 3 years away from marrying his first wife, Khadijah, and 18 years away from what he considered adulthood, when he was revealed the first lines of the Quran

Johnny Cash: selling appliances and studying to be a radio announcer

Tupac Shakur: just getting the Thug Life crew together

Mozart- was travelling around Paris, increasing his debt while looking for a job

Martin Luther King Jr.- plagiarizing whole lines of his thesis in order to graduate college

Malcolm X- earned the nickname "Satan" in prison for his disdain of religion, one year away from beginning to tell people about Islam

Sigmund Freud- 2 years away from starting to smoke CIGARETTES. (I don't think he ever would have become famous if he stuck to cigarettes and did not switch to cigars)

Michael Jackson looked like this

Who Is the Most Important Player on the Miami Heat?

noreply@blogger.com (Seif-Eldeine) — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 18:05:00 +0000

The most important of the Heat 3 is Chris Bosh. He is not near as effective a player as Wade or Lebron. The reason he fulfills the title as "Heat's Most Important Player" is his strategic importance.

As I discuss in "Top 10 Isolation Players," Wade and Lebron fill very similar roles for the Heat. Bosh fulfills a unique role that the Heat cannot do without.

Bosh is so important because his midrange shooting pulls a big man from the paint. This allows Wade and Lebron to attack in the most effective aspect of their games: dribble penetration that leads to finishing at the basket.

Without Bosh in the mix, the Heat have no one that can pull a big man from the basket. Udonis Haslem can provide a little space with his 12 to 15 foot range, This is not nearly as much space as Bosh provides.

Without Bosh in the mix, teams can load up the paint with bigs to stop Wade's and Lebron's penetration. No, you are not going to stop them. You can severely limit their impact on a game.

Bosh is also so important because the Heat do not have a great point guard. A point guard can do a lot of the same things strategically a big man who can stretch the floor can do. With dribble penetration, he can clear the paint and then draw out a big man by kicking the ball out to a wing and coming out of the paint.

The Heat have made the right decision in starting Chalmers over Arroyo. He will do a better job at this important strategical aspect than Arroyo. He still cannot come near what Bosh brings to the table in enhancing the game of Wade or Lebron.

Why Are Kobe Bryant and Ray Allen Successful Way into Their 30s and Antoine Walker and Allen Iverson Not?

noreply@blogger.com (Seif-Eldeine) — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 15:09:00 +0000

On ABC's broadcast of the Lakers-Celtics game yesterday, an analyst mentioned how Kobe Bryant actually made it to the arena before Ray Allen. Ray Ray is known for being the NBA player most likely to make it to the arena before anyone else.

These two are head and shoulders above the rest of the league when it comes to effort. This not only means making it to the arena before anyone else, it also means taking care of their bodies in the weight room.

Antoine Walker was known as the first player on the court and the last player off. Allen Iverson was notorious for his rant on "practice" and for his effort on the court.

Why Are Antoine and AI Out of the League?

Let's get out of the way what needs to get out of the way: when it came to playing basketball, Antoine Walker was one of the hardest workers in the league, and when it came to sacrificing your body for your team and pushing yourself to your physical limits Allen Iverson was the best in the league.

The problem with these two was not their effort on the court. Both were notorious for not putting the effort into strengthening and conditioning their bodies in the weight room. A professional NBA player can overcome this until they are 30. Once they hit age 30, lack of conditioning and stengthening will always hit a professional athlete, and all-of-a-sudden they will become ineffective players.

How Do Ray Allen and Kobe Bryant Get it Done?

One of the big secrets of successful high school prep basketball programs is that they often force their players to run cross country if they do not play another sport during the fall. Cross country is the perfect sport to condition for basketball: it involves flexibility, stamina and above all a focused effort in the weight room to improve core strength and prevent injuries.

Ray Allen and Kobe Bryant are notorious for their efforts in the weight room, and Ray Ray is notorious for his running and conditioning program.

In his article, "Kobe just one star defying age curve," Bill Simmons references the improved abilities that NBA players have into their later years because of advanced science that has affected the way players condition, eat, sleep and make their bodies flexible.

I do not have any knowledge of what Kobe and Ray do outside the weight room. I would be willing to bet they are also considerate of their diets, sleep and flexibility training.

What Does This Mean for Toine and AI?

Unfortunately, for two players I loved to watch, and two players who gave everything they had when they were on the floor, their effort off the floor and in the weight room will probably prevent them from ever reaching the NBA again.

These players, who could have still been among the NBA's best, and one (AI) who should still make it to the Hall of Fame, will never again see the light at the end of an NBA tunnel.