- There have been several comments over the last few days questioning why it is that I haven’t commented on the NBA Western Conference Finals. This could very easily be construed as me petulantly refusing to acknowledge the Lakers. In fact, its’ quite the opposite.
- First off, let’s tip our hat to the Denver Nuggets. For two rounds, they played hyper-active, aggressive basketball, utilizing multiple weapons, havoc-wreaking defense, and of course, Birdman. They were exciting, they were unexpected (even with the 2 seed), they were dominant (kind-of). Well done.
- Okay, now that I’ve said that.
- The Nuggets had no shot in this series. None. Zero. Zilch.
- Look, trouncing the Hornets with a 50% Tyson Chandler, blocky Posey vs. last year’s spark-plug Jannero Pargo, and a largely unimpressive squad is still pretty good. Beating the Mavericks in five with a little help from a terrible no-call on an intentional foul, and an impressive size advantage is impressive. But I feel like everyone fell in love with this team a little soon.
- In college basketball, great defense is defined by defending shots and creating turnovers. This sounds pretty simple, right? Put a hand in a guy’s face, and take the ball away. One thing. This ain’t college. I noted how much success the Nuggets had against the Hornets and Mavericks by creating turnovers and then finishing wide open dunks. Easy buckets. But it’s one thing to do that against an athletically limited Hornets crew, and even a more athletic but still focus-limited Mavericks crew. It’s quite another to try it against a Lakers squad that loves to get up and down the floor. If you want to win a championship? You need to limit offensive options, contest every single shot you don’t want the opponent to take, filter the ball to the shot you want them to take (like a Kenyon Martin 14 footer), and crash the boards to limit repeat possessions. The Spurs model is difficult to replicate with personnel, but their success was predicated upon pretty simple, consistent principles. Likewise, the Cavs success this year can be traced to the same principle. Use fast breaks to augment your offense and frustrate your opponent. Don’t rely on them to turn the tide. You need to value every possession on both sides of the floor, not gamble defensively and aim for huge shots on offense.
- I couldn’t see any way that the Nuggets could maintain success against the Lakers (barring a Rockets-series-esque mental meltdown) with their style of play. Transition buckets? That’s the Lakers’ game. Athleticism? That’s the Lakers game. Only when the Nuggets slowed the game down, worked for inside buckets, controlled the boards and functioned to limit the other Lakers players while giving Kobe ground did they have success?
- At the beginning of the series, I gave the coaching edge to George Karl, just for right now. Jackson is historically a better coach, but has been terrible this postseason. From sticking with Fisher, to limiting Bynum regardless of his performance, to not working Gasol in the post enough, Jackson has been wildly inconsistent, absent-minded, and let his team remain unfocused the playoffs through. Karl, on the other hand, has had his team ready to compete in every game, worked to manage the anomaly that is J.R. Smith, and even was willing to turn to Kleiza (though not enough down the stretch). He worked on mismatches and made adjustments.
- Then he hung himself.
- I want to go back in time and be a fly on the wall for the conversation where someone inside the Nuggets locker room said “You know what we should do? We should double Kobe. If we can just stop him, they don’t have enough offense to run with us! I mean, sure, the only reason their offensive weapons are considered weapons is their ability to knock down wide open shots when the defense collapses, but hey! If we stop Kobe, we’re fine! Sure! Let Trevor Ariza spot up and measure his shot for fifteen seconds. Sure, give Vujacic and Fisher the only shots that they’re really consistently able to hit! Who cares, if we manage to stop the single best offensive player in the league who’s also a tremendous passer and who is surrounded by big, athletic supporting players who can dunk and shoot. This should work brilliantly!”
- It defies all logic that that adjustment was made. And the fact that it was made AFTER the Nuggets had already proven success without that principle is even more mind-boggling. But the only thing more vexing than that? Is that the Nuggets repeated that tactic in Game 6 after getting clog-stomped in Game 5 by it. It’s like the Nuggets thought that the only reason the Lakers were hitting open shots and getting a combined effort when there were constant open opportunities was because they were at home. I got news for you, Denver. LA can do that here, there, anywhere. They can dunk on you in a box. They can hit three pointers on you while wearing socks. They will expose that, Sam I Am.
- The other area Karl failed to make key adjustments was in his buying into the Birdman hype. I love that Chris Anderson is a terrific comeback story. I love the dunking, the blocks, the arm flapping, the ridiculousness, the tattoos, the hair, everything. He’s a lot of fun to watch. But putting him in the post versus Pau Gasol? Are you mad? Putting him in one on one defensive coverage against Kobe Bryant? Have you lost your mind? Birdman is a terrific weakside defender, and a guy who can make the small adjustments and plays to help your team win. He’s like a mascot that can ball. But he’s not a defender you turn to to make key defensive stops in the paint or otherwise. He gave up size, speed, athleticism, quickness, and talent to Pau Gasol. And yet they kept turning to him.
- For the Lakers, I questioned what it would mean for a team with this little heart, this little focus, this little resolve to beat the inspiring Rockets. I said it would mean talent trumps all those things that we typically ascribe to great teams. And this is yet another example. I’ve said this, Jon Barry’s said this, many people have said this, and it’s true. This is not an all-time great team, barring an absolutely dominant performance in the Finals (which is certainly possible). They’re not a team you’ll talk about with reverence. But the fact is, they’re in the Finals, for the second year in a row. They’ve only gone to seven games once, and that was in a series they didn’t really have to struggle with, they just had mental letdowns against a wounded animal. And if/when they win the title, no one will remember their beyond-pathetic performance where the Yao-less Houton Rockets were up 30 points on them at once point. They won’t remember and inferior Denver team pushing them in several games. They won’t remember the missed passes, the Fisher PUJITs, or Bynum’s sloppy fouls. All that will be remembered is that they won the games they needed to to win a title. So who cares what they’re weaknesses are? They may not have focus, heart, or resilience, but they do have one thing the other teams don’t. More ability to put the ball in the little rim with the net attached.
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I think Denver beat themselves after game 5 before game 6 even started. Some player anonymously commented on the officiating and how the Lakers had bought a win. It was clear that their mindset was that they played correctly and the refs gave the game to the Lakers. They came out in game six with the same crap defensive scheme and unorganized offense expecting some different result because it’d be a different officiating crew on their turf. JVG commented somewhere in the first or second quarter about how often times teams think that home-cooking will save them in the playoffs. The Nuggets thought it as did Portland and Boston this postseason.
Mr. Moore,
I can’t say how many times I have read one of your game/series recaps and felt smarter about basketball afterward. They are always in-depth and always nice angles to view things from. And of course, very well written.
If the Lakers consistently played with “no heart” they wouldn’t have won 12 games in the playoffs. It takes heart and focus to win on the road, in denver none the less. maybe they didn’t play with heart in the utah series or in the rockets series, but in the denver series they did. no matter how you slice it they played with heart. in game 6 they were unstoppable because they were focused and tried to find the open guy. they made buckets and hustled for rebounds and loose balls.
all of that takes heart, no matter how much you want to say they dont have heart or focus.. they do.
I disagree with your view that the Lakers won with no input beyond athleticism, length and ability. True enough, they are a team that is more talented than the nuggets (though Kenyon Martin would beg to differ), but I saw signs in the games that showed the lakers had heart. Lamar Odom fighting through back pains to put in an incredible performance in game 5, and a decent but invaluable performance in game 6, Trevor Ariza hitting the threes that many said was his biggest weakness, Pau Gasol becoming a defensive presence, Kobe being his usual passinate ultra-competitive self that many people take for granted, etc… To discount the wins as pure talent and height is to discount these performances where the lakers pushed beyond themselves. If the Lakers had Brian Cook, Kwame Brown, Smush Parker or even Vladimir Radmonovic, I might agree with you that the lakers might not have that much heart, but they are not there anymore.
True, they had many lapses, mainly mental. But it is who they are (and I wish they would improve upon). I, however, do not believe this is a result of arrogance, or a lack of heart.
I agree with everything you wrote except that the Lake Show lacks resiliency. This team has shown that all year. With all the injuries and lack of cohesion on the offensive AND especially defensive side, this team still won 65 games and has done ok in the postseason (relative to other Lakers squads).
Nothing has come easy and they’re still standing. I would love this team to have more focus and attention to details. Heart is in the eye of the beholder. But rolling with the punches that come your way is the definition of resilient.
I think…
:0)
“There have been several comments over the last few days questioning why it is that I haven’t commented on the NBA Western Conference Finals. This could very easily be construed as me petulantly refusing to acknowledge the Lakers. In fact, its’ quite the opposite.”
Come on, you really think anyone buys that? Look, you guys run an NBA blog here, and at a time of year where there were only two series going on, you ignored one of them. Yeah, I’m sure that the fact that the team that was winning the one you ignored happens to be your most hated team never factored in…
If the Lakers start off strong in The Finals should we expect similar amounts of silence?
Yams, I can understand your frustration, and I wish I’d had more time to cover the series. I had to make a tactical decision to cover one while real life demands sucked my energy away. I opted for Orlando-Cleveland, because for me, it was the more interesting series.
Additionally, what analysis was I going to provide in this series that would have been both genuine and interesting? What, “Wow, when Lamar Odom plays to his potential, the Lakers are nigh unstoppable!” ? That’s not rocket science.
How about “You know, Pau Gasol is clearly taller than the Nuggets and has great touch.” Again, this is nothing to post on. I could go with “J.R. Smith sure is a streaky shooter!” or “Nene dunks hard!’ But I knew the truth. The Nuggets were this year’s Jazz. A good team that found itself in the Conference Finals through fortune and momentum, truly outclassed by a better team.
If the Lakers come out and blast the Magic, which they could well do, I’ll cover it. I covered the Lakers all season, including when they drilled the Cavs twice and shoved crow down my throat. I’ve tried my best to give them credit for their success without lying to Lakers fans and feeding them talk of the “resiliency” they’ve faced. Let’s be honest. They haven’t. But they’re the most talented team in the NBA, and that could very well be enough.
But don’t be mad just because one outlet elected not to find “Wow, Kobe Bryant is good’ to be an interesting story.
Is nobody else writing here anymore or is it just you? I understand real life taking precedence and all that, but aren’t there like 3-4 other authors for this blog?
In any event, that Lakers-Nuggets series was plenty competitive, IMO, and was not the dull affair you are trying to say it was. Most people though the outcome was in doubt, myself included. But like I said above, the point is that you guys are running an NBA blog here, and at a time when there were only two series going on you ignored one of them. At a time when there was only one game a day, you went silent for half the time. If the Finals turns out to be lopsided one way or the other will you guys blow it off too for not being interesting enough? If you can’t muster enough interest in a Conference Finals that went 6 games after being 2-2, why are you writing about the NBA in the first place?
See, but since I’ve been reading your stuff for a while, I know you guys are real passionate about the NBA, you in particular, so I really don’t think you were so bored by the WCF that you had nothing to say. I think it really was just that you don’t like having to write positive things about the Lakers (you’re strongly hinting at that in your above comment anyway). I get that, and it doesn’t really bug me. I come here with that understanding, and honestly I like reading the detracting point of view. Frankly it would be more upsetting to hear that you didn’t write anything because you’re so bored with the NBA at this time of year that there was no point in making a comment. I mean, if the NBA is losing the authors of a TrueHoop network blog as an audience, then the league is really in trouble.
“Additionally, what analysis was I going to provide in this series that would have been both genuine and interesting? What, “Wow, when Lamar Odom plays to his potential, the Lakers are nigh unstoppable!” ? That’s not rocket science.
How about “You know, Pau Gasol is clearly taller than the Nuggets and has great touch.” Again, this is nothing to post on. I could go with “J.R. Smith sure is a streaky shooter!” or “Nene dunks hard!’ But I knew the truth. The Nuggets were this year’s Jazz. A good team that found itself in the Conference Finals through fortune and momentum, truly outclassed by a better team.”
Wow, when Dwight Howard plays to his potential, the Magic are nigh unstoppable!
You know, Rashard Lewis is clearly taller than the Cavaliers and has great touch.
Mo Williams sure is a streaky shooter!
James dunks hard!
Hey, but you didn’t provide that analysis, did you? Considering that the Nuggets almost won game 1, did win game 2, and routed the Lakers in game 4, you could’ve mentioned why the better team was struggling so much, why the team with no focus is losing to the team with just-as-bad focus, why Denver was holding their own in rebounding, etc. I really enjoyed your analysis of the Cleveland-Orlando series, and see no reason why you couldn’t have do the same with the LA-Denver one.
“I’ve tried my best to give them credit for their success without lying to Lakers fans and feeding them talk of the “resiliency” they’ve faced. Let’s be honest. They haven’t.”
No, they haven’t. Nor have any other team in the league. I’m not sure how one “faces resiliency.” Perhaps you mean face adversity and overcoming it with resiliency? If so, we have Bynum getting injured again in the middle of the season, and still managing a pretty good record without him, just like Cleveland did without West and Ilgauskas, Orlando did without Nelson and Boston did without Garnett. If you think the Lakers didn’t face adversity, or alternatively didn’t overcome that adversity with resiliency, what kind of adversity/resiliency are you looking for?
did u even watch any of the games? the nugs played anderson cause nene was in foul trouble most of games 5 n 6.. the lakers didn’t win because they pushed the pace of the game.. but because they learnt to control it.. to be patient and slowly probe denver’s defense to find the holes.. they won with brilliant ball and player movement.. and denver did switch back to single coverage on kobe in the 2nd half.. at which point kobe destroyed his defender to seal the series..