noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 15 Nov 2017 23:45:00 +0000

The case for Kyrie

Have the Celtics found their MVP?

Julian Frazer

The 2017-18 NBA season is only weeks old, and I have already had my ‘road to Damascus’ moment. In fact, Kyrie Iriving has furnished me with plenty of them. I have been transformed from an abject critic who firmly believed in the ‘he can’t win without LeBron James’ rhetoric, to an earnest fan of the Celtics' floor general. Such is the ferocity of my conversion that I now have Irving on my early-season podium for Most Valuable Player front-runners, (for reference, he’s joined by James Harden and Giannis Antetokounmpo.)

The Celtics were on everyone’s radar before the season began. Even though they traded away several big-minute rotation players - Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Avery Bradley - and would have to incorporate new pieces into a sophisticated offensive and defensive framework, analysts were confident the additions of Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving alongside Al Horford would translate into a top-two seed in the eastern conference.

But then Hayward fractured his leg and dislocated his ankle without finishing one quarter of play in the first game of the season. Suddenly the Cleveland Cavaliers had a(nother) free run to the Finals, while the Celtics would have to battle for second-best status against the Toronto Raptors and Washington Wizards. They dropped game one against Cleveland, and lost the following night to the Milwaukee Bucks. A slide down the power rankings seemed assured.

Instead, at the time of writing, they’ve won 13 straight games. Kyrie guided them to the first 10 before suffering a facial fracture in the eleventh. He missed most of that game as well as the twelfth, before reappearing in game 13 with a clear mask for protection. Much of the credit, for the wins both and without Kyrie, should rightly be paid to head coach Brad Stevens and the strong play of Al Horford, sophmore Jaylen Brown, rookie Jayson Tatum, and the whole Celtics bench. But look back over the game footage, and there is no mistaking the fact that Irving is indisputably the finest player in a green and white jersey. The Celtics do not win 10 straight games without him running the show.

For the first three years of his career, I was eager to peg Irving as a gunner. A plenty-of-points-for-a-terrible-team kind of player. Then James returned to Cleveland. I was happy to point out the difference between the two - James, the phenom who makes his teammates better, and Irving, the scorer who refuses to play on the less glamorous end of the floor. Given the evidence available to us all at the time, I stand by those assessments.

But there is new evidence and, like any worthwhile pundit, I’m happy to change my opinion accordingly.

In spite of his early season splits - around 20 points, five assists, three rebounds, 0.502 effective field goal percentage - being (slightly) lower than last year, this version of Irving is patently better than any of the Cleveland editions. He retains all of the enviable traits of earlier models, including a buttery jumper, yo-yo handle and all-world touch around the rim. But watch the tape and you will see, clearly, that Irving has become a more engaged passer (i.e. making his teammates better) and defender (i.e. playing both ends of the floor). General maturation, a greater degree of comfort with his coach, a willingness to take on more overall responsibility (and the room to do so without James on his team) are all factors contributing to Irving’s ascendancy.

The gaudy numbers put up by Harden and Antetokounmpo mean they will remain the exciting prospects in the MVP race. James is a perpetual part of this debate. New York power forward Kristaps Porzingis is winning hearts and minds (and mayoral votes) in the world’s largest media market. Here are the cases against these four: (1) Porzingis - won’t win enough games, liable to slow down in the second half of the season, and too young (he’ll win it one day, and voters outside New York won’t mind making him wait); (2) James - may not win enough games (yes, really, I’m that concerned about Cleveland, but more on that another time), and people are sick of giving it to him; (3) Antetokounmpo - his numbers will (probably) come back down to Earth, Milwaukee is losing games it should win, and, like Porzingis, he’ll have plenty of chances in the future; (4) Harden… he may win it. Even Chris Paul’s return to the court doesn’t project to take the shine off Harden’s efforts. If I were a gambling man, I’d bet on Harden and not lose sleep over the decision.

But I want Irving to win MVP. He passes or will pass the fundamental test of being the best player on the team with the best record in his conference. He has the emotive storyline - leaving James, the best player on the planet, to prove his own standing - working in his favour as well. And he passes the eye test with ease. Good news for Irving; great for the Celtics; and wonderful for a league enjoying its most exciting season in years.

Basketball Breaks Podcast 002: Can Kyrie's Celtics Crush the Cavs?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 14 Nov 2017 20:37:00 +0000

This week the guys talk East Conference, Celtics vs Cavs; evaluate the significance of LeBron's career 54-point game and how it measures against Harden's similar record; and try and guess who's going to be the NBA's next European star.

Presented this week by: Jan, Julian & A.C (aka Aaron)

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Julian vs Jamal Crawford - B-Ball Breaks Highlight

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 14 Nov 2017 20:21:00 +0000

Julian thought he could get away with criticising Jamal Crawford...he was very, very wrong.

Basketball Breaks Podcast 001: The Father, The Son and the Holy Blake

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 08 Nov 2017 21:07:00 +0000

A new international podcast on all things basketball. This episode, one week into the new NBA season we talk about early surprises, injuries, Coach Popovich, Rookies, Blake Griffin, Golden State Warriors and reflect on preseason predictions.
Presented this week by: Jan, Julian, Philip & A.C (aka Aaron)

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