The 1 Thing Each 2013 NBA Playoff Team Must Avoid
There is one thing that each of the 2013 NBA playoff teams must avoid in order to maximize their opportunity to advance to the conference finals.
From allowing isolation offense to become stagnant, to losing the rebounding battle, the one thing that must be avoided is unique to that team specifically.
Being able to avoid that one thing—like losing collective composure or getting stuck in a half-court game—increases that team’s chances of advancing to the conference finals.
The inability to avoid these things, meanwhile—whether they are directly controllable or not—could lead to elimination.
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Chandler Parsons helps Rockets avoid Thunder sweep
Even as James Harden had an off night, the Rockets finally broke through vs. the Thunder.
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Celts top Knicks 97-90 in OT, avoid playoff sweep (Yahoo! Sports)
BOSTON (AP) — Jason Terry scored Boston’s last nine points and the Celtics weathered a strong comeback by the New York Knicks, avoiding a sweep with a 97-90 overtime win on Sunday.
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Down 3-0, Celtics try avoid sweep Sunday vs Knicks (Yahoo! Sports)
WALTHAM, Mass. (AP) — Hanging on a wall of the Celtics’ practice facility, opposite the faded banners that hung in the old Boston Garden a half-century ago, is a spotless one.
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Nash trying to avoid child support
Lakers point guard Steve Nash probably won’t have the NBA playoffs to focus on for too much longer. The Lakers were blown out by 31 points in Friday’s game three match up with the San Antonio Spurs. Which helps clear some space for the other issue in his life, his ex-wife’s bid for child support. Steve and his ex-wife Alejandra Nash have been divorced for almost two years now however the child support issue is still ongoing. Per TMZ, Steve managed to find an Arizona judge that agreed with him that his ex-wife didn’t need child support. Alejandra received a hefty settlement in the divorce and Steve covers the bulk of the medical, school and nanny costs. Therefore he feels any extra money given to his ex would just go for frivolous things. Steve convinced the divorce judge — Alejandra doesn’t need child support because he made her a millionaire 5 times over in the divorce settlement. On top of that, she pulls in more than $30k a month. For her part, Alejandra says Steve makes a mill…
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Down 2-1, Nets try to avoid big hole against Bulls (Yahoo! Sports)
CHICAGO (AP) — Deron Williams is struggling. Joe Johnson is hobbled, and the Brooklyn Nets suddenly look as if they could be headed for an early playoff exit.
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Doc prefers to avoid Heat in playoffs
Boston’s playoff run is going to be tough, no matter who they face.We are a day late on this story, but it keeps getting passed around the internet. So in case you missed it, Doc Rivers doesn’t want to face the Miami Heat in the playoffs. Fair enough.From WEEI’s Green Street blog:So, Rivers is actually admitting he wants avoid the Heat?“Of course we would,” Rivers admitted when asked that very question. “But if we play them, we’ll be ready. But of course we would. Listen, I’m not that dumb. I’m not the brightest guy but come on. Really, you would love to avoid anyone [like Miami]. Listen, no matter who we play, we’re going to play a tough team. It’s going to be New York, Indiana or Miami. There’s no cakewalk for us. It’s going to be hard.”On the one hand, Doc is quite right that if it were possible, the Celtics should avoid playing Miami given the whole “They have LeBron James who is currently the best basketball player in the world and it’s really not that close” thing. Wh
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How long can a coach avoid the hot seat today?
Increasing salaries and attention may be inversely correlated to coaching job security.
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Louisville Basketball: How Cardinals Will Avoid Shocking Upset vs. Wichita State
The Louisville Cardinals get an opponent of similar style in Wichita State during the 2013 Final Four.
Allowing only 60.9 points per game and averaging 38.4 boards, the Shockers bring the tough defense and physical play to match Louisville.
In addition, Wichita State gives up a mere 39.3 shooting percentage, which is directly behind coach Rick Pitino‘s squad, who allows 39.2. Obviously the Cardinals will face their troubles to score, but defense and turnover capitalization will take this contest.
And that’s where Louisville possesses a distinct advantage.
Maintain Full-Court Press Intensity
The Shockers average only 69.4 points per game and have only hit above 80 points twice since January began. Clearly Wichita State is a defensively oriented team that brings the talent to limit open looks and dominate the interior.
However, Louisville’s press must be on its A-game the entire 40 minutes. The Shockers don’t present a fast pace, so the Cardinals will have opportunities to completely shut down Wichita State’s offense.
It has never seen a defense as effective as Louisville’s, because few schools hold Duke under 65 points.
Factor in the Shockers featuring only three players who average 10-plus points and the Cardinals won’t have any issues locking down—not to mention the Blue Devils courted five who averaged 11-plus and were still isolated.
Win the Turnover Battle
This is one area to keep a close eye on when Wichita State and Louisville tips off.
Offensively, each turns the ball over a little more than 12 times per game, so don’t anticipate this aspect impacting as much as the defense. The Cardinals generate 18.6 turnovers on average, and that ranks No. 2 in the country.
Wichita State is more than five behind at 13.1.
Possessing an offense that has assist master in Peyton Siva and scorer Russ Smith, the Cardinals will fly with additional possessions. At the same time, more turnovers mean fewer possessions for Wichita State to control the tempo and survive with its defense.
Push the Pace
Regardless of its number of opportunities, the Cardinals have to up the pace versus the Shockers.
Louisville has proven to itself the ability to reach 80-plus points when needed, whereas Wichita State is not as consistent offensively. The Cardinals may have just two players who average above 10 points, but there are also two slightly above nine and Louisville is averaging 80.75 points for the tournament.
It’s also not so much about scoring quickly when facing a half-court situation.
Working the shot clock and scoring efficiently will get Wichita State on its heels early. Combine that with Pitino’s full-court press and knack for creating turnovers and the Cardinals pull in front early and don’t look back.
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Teams LA Clippers Want to Avoid in Playoffs
In a matter of weeks, the 2013 NBA playoffs will officially begin. While the Miami Heat have taken the Eastern Conference by storm, the West remains open for discussion with an abundance of contenders.
One of those teams is the Los Angeles Clippers, who rest at 49-24 and sit just .5 games behind the Denver Nuggets for third in the West. The question for the Clippers is quite simple.
Which teams should the Clippers be hoping to avoid come the postseason?
To be clear, the Clippers have the raw ability to defeat any caliber opponent. With that being said, the Clippers will enter the postseason with the same concerns as every other contender.
In a postseason setting where matchups are everything, there are certain teams that could give L.A. trouble.
While it would be easy to acknowledge the trouble with drawing the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder, those two teams’ status as elite is clear. The true question for L.A. is which of the not-so-obvious contenders could take them down.
That is a question that we can only answer once we identify L.A.’s strengths and weaknesses.
To profile the Clippers, it’s important to note that they are one of the most balanced teams in the NBA. L.A. ranks eighth in scoring offense, fourth in scoring defense and 10th in opponent field-goal percentage.
The Clippers are also fourth in assists and first in both steals and turnovers forced.
As the numbers display, Los Angeles has dominated opponents on both ends of the floor. The Clippers force turnovers, disrupt field-goal attempts, score at a high clip and move the ball.
Even as one of the most balanced teams in the league, however, the Clippers have flaws—issues that can be exposed during the postseason.
During the 2013 NBA postseason, the Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Memphis Grizzlies by a count of 4-3. That was a series that saw the Clippers come back from 27 points down to win Game 1.
The Clippers also blew a 3-1 series lead and held on to win Game 7—shortly thereafter, they were swept out of the playoffs by the San Antonio Spurs.
With all of this being established, the Clippers are a much better team in 2012-13 than they were in 2011-12. Unfortunately for those who believe playing Memphis would be a potential cakewalk, as are the Grizzlies.
Despite trading Rudy Gay, the Grizzlies have improved their win percentage by .046 over the past year and have already won four more road games.
The key in this potential matchup is the battle of interior forces. The Grizzlies have two All-Stars with Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol, while the Clippers possess All-Star Blake Griffin and athletic dynamo DeAndre Jordan.
With that being said, there is one major difference between the two tandems—Memphis is far superior in the half court.
Gasol is not only an elite defender, but he’s a world class facilitator and back-to-the-basket scorer. The same can be said for Randolph, who is a nightly threat to go for 20 points and 10 assists.
The Clippers’ mediocre half-court offense could be their undoing against a Grizzlies team that knows how to slow it down against open-court terrors such as L.A.
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are one of the hottest teams in the NBA. They’re 33-9 in 2013 and 50-24 during the season, and they have transformed transition prowess into all-around brilliance.
They’ve defeated the Clippers twice, earning double-digit victories in each of those instances.
This has to be of concern for the Clippers, as they too thrive in transition. The truth of the matter is, Denver’s starless roster has proven to be one of the most efficient transition teams in the league.
The Nuggets rank third in scoring offense and fifth in field-goal percentage.
On paper, Los Angeles matches up well against Denver. It owns positional advantages across the board and is a far superior defensive unit.
With two consecutive double-digit losses to the Nuggets, however, the Clippers have cause for concern.
As competitors, the Los Angeles Clippers have every reason to desire a series against the Golden State Warriors. If we’re believing that history dictates future occurrences, however, one thing is clear.
The Warriors have the Clippers’ number in 2012-13.
Golden State defeated L.A. in three of the four games that the two teams played this season. That includes wins by scores of 114-110, 115-94 and 106-99.
Fortunately for the Clippers, their lone win came in emphatic fashion—a 115-89 domination.
The Warriors gave the Clippers trouble in two specific areas in their three victories. The first is along the interior, where All-Star power forward David Lee has been a dominant force all season.
The other area is three-point shooting, where the Warriors are elite and the Clippers are rather average.
Golden State ranks first in three-point field-goal percentage and eighth in three-point field goals made per game. The Clippers rank 10th in three-point field goals made, but they’re also 20th in three-point field-goal percentage.
When it becomes a shootout, the Warriors will consistently emerge victorious.
That’s the danger for the Clippers in a series against the Warriors. When Golden State is not dominating with the three-point shot, Lee is a dominant offensive force in the half court.
The Clippers will be the favored team, but the Warriors are a dangerous opponent.
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