- The Lakers are the lone superpower; they haven't been road tested, but I have my doubts about whether that will matter in the long run. This team just looks unstoppable.
- The Celtics and the Magic are the most likely spoilers. The former absolutely have to have everyone healthy and focused when the playoffs roll around, and the latter have to find a way to incorporate Jameer Nelson into their offense once he returns from injury.
- The Durantulas (OKC), Phoenix, and Houston are looking like teams you really don't want to run across in the playoffs.
- The Hornets are, a quarter of the way into the season, finally looking like they're ready for it. Chris Paul is the best player in the basketball.
- How's Shaq working out for you, Cavs? Is it finally not 2000 anymore?
--Suh for Heisman. If not him, Gerhart. If not Gerhart, Spiller, who didn't even get the invite to New York.
--This is awesome, both as a "Justin Vernon is a really cool guy" story and as a potentially very interesting musical exercise.
--And now a Larry Bird story, via Wikipedia: During one game on Christmas Day against the Indiana Pacers, before the game Bird told Chuck Person that he had a Christmas present waiting for him. During the game, when Person was on the bench, Bird shot a three-pointer on the baseline right in front of Person. Immediately after releasing the ball, Bird said to Person, "Merry fuckin' Christmas!", and then the shot went in. This was no doubt inspired by Person (nicknamed the "Rifleman") stating prior to the game that "The Rifleman is Coming, and He's Going Bird Hunting."
Wow! Those Lakers sure stood up well on Xmas Day. The Cavs issued them an absolute beatdown throughout the second half. And those classy, calm, collected Lakers fans? They were too busy throwing foam fingers in the 4th Period to actually take the loss with some dignity. The loss was at HOME too (102-87).
ReplyDeleteWhile I still think the Lakers are formidable, they have lost some of their "dynastic aura". Now the Cavs have laid the blueprint for beating the Lakers-get them significantly rattled early in the game and watch them self-destruct. This loss has definitely affected the Lakers. Whether its outcome is positive or negative in the long run will show America the determination of that team.
Shaq is definitely working out for the Cavs. His team dismantled the Lakers, and he himself is much more of a physical center than Ilgauskas ever was. This is an improvement for the Cavs when they face bigs like Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol in the Playoffs. He was never supposed to be scoring points like Gasol or Howard, he's doing his job of being a big man and playing solid defense, and that's all the Cavs want.
I'd certainly like for the Lakers to implode and have Kobe return to his old-school villain status, and they lost again tonight to the Suns--badly--so there's no telling how rough this slump could get. Unfortunately, I think it really is just a slump, exacerbated by the fact that Artest (who has been surprisingly effective and willing to be a team player) is concussed. As for the Lakers' ability to handle pressure, I think it's on the bench and Derek Fisher more than anything else; Fish is completely worthless by now (he's got fewer assists than Pau) and the bench is playing unacceptably bad ball without Luke Walton in the rotation.
ReplyDeleteI think the Cavs' success has less to do with Shaq than it does the current good-ness of its guards. Shaq is averaging 10 and 7, which isn't exactly lighting it up, as you noted; according to an advanced statistic called PER, Shaq is almost exactly at league average in terms of efficiency. His defense is all right--you're right in saying that he's more physical than big Z--but he's garbage in transition and still clogs the lane up for LBJ. Whether or not he'll hold up an entire season is a worthy question, too; the Cavs could have used a young guy like Marcin Gortat instead.
Their current run of success is, like last year, predicated on guard play. Delonte's defense is not to be slept on, but offensively speaking he's remarkably streaky for a guy who can drive to the basket. Mo's even streakier, but he's on fire at the moment and his defense is somewhat better than nonexistent (a rarity for Mo). I think that as long as the Lebron Offense can threaten to kick the ball out to capable deep shooters, the Cavs' offense will be fine. I figured that the Cavs would have beaten the Lakers last year--the point being, let's see this same production from these two against the Magic.