LeBron James, Heat survive physical Bulls in Game 3
In a physical contest, the Miami Heat overcame the hard-scrabble Chicago Bulls.
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Rockets survive with 105-103 win over OKC (Yahoo! Sports)
HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston Rockets finally found a way to close out a game in their playoff series with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
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Jason Terry goes off in OT as Celtics survive vs. Knicks
Jason Terry scored nine of his 18 points in overtime vs. the Knicks.
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Can Warriors’ Playoff Hopes Survive David Lee’s Season-Ending Injury?
David Lee‘s torn hip flexor may have ended his season, but it doesn’t necessarily mean the Golden State Warriors will be packing in their 2013 NBA playoff run just yet.
There’s no getting around the fact that Lee made the Warriors a better offensive team. On the season, Golden State scored 109.3 points per 100 possessions when he was on the floor, but just 102 when he sat.
Plus, the versatile power forward figured to play a particularly large role in the Warriors’ first-round series against the Denver Nuggets. George Karl’s club made a concerted effort to blitz Stephen Curry in Game 1, forcing the ball out of his hands in the pick-and-roll at every opportunity.
That defensive decision left Lee open a number of times between the elbow and the top of the circle, an area where he normally excels. A reliable mid-range shot, an excellent passing eye and the ability to drive with either hand have made Lee a dangerous option there all season.
That figured to be the case during the playoffs as well.
He certainly didn’t take advantage of the opportunity in Game 1, but every Golden State player (except for Klay Thompson) looked a little gun shy in that contest. Lee was going to play a major strategic role in this series.
Now that he’s out, Carl Landry will get the bulk of the Warriors’ minutes at the 4. And while he’s a solid replacement because of his superior physicality and understanding of team defense, he’s certainly not the dynamic offensive force that Lee was.
But maybe it’s not as simple as looking at the numbers and concluding that Landry represents a downgrade from Lee.
Points probably won’t be hard to come by for either team during the balance of the series; the sub-100 outputs by both clubs in Game 1 seemed to be caused more by nerves than any kind of trend we’re likely to see repeated.
And both the Nuggets and the Warriors ranked in the top 10 in offensive efficiency during the year, so there’s no reason to believe that buckets will be at a premium.
Golden State is going to score points no matter who they trot out in the frontcourt as long as Curry and Thompson are able to get open looks, so perhaps the fact that Landry is going to provide a little grit down low will count for more than it otherwise would.
Put another way, Lee gave the Warriors more of what they already getting from a number of sources: scoring. Landry gives them something that few others on the roster can: muscle.
Plus we’ve seen the Los Angeles Lakers suddenly transform into a good defensive team in the absence of Kobe Bryant, by far their worst team defender, so maybe the Warriors are in for the same kind of metamorphosis with Lee out of the lineup.
Sure, it might seem like a stretch to say that the Warriors could actually improve without Lee. But the truth is that they really don’t have to.
The Nuggets are dealing with their own nicks and bruises (not to mention more serious injuries, like the torn ACL that knocked Danilo Gallinari out for the season). With Ty Lawson suffering from a cranky heel and Kenneth Faried listed as probable for Game 2 because of a bum ankle, Denver is hardly at full strength itself.
Also consider this: Lee played horribly in Game 1 and the Warriors would have stolen a victory if not for the incredible old-man resurgence of Andre Miller.
It’s safe to assume that the Warriors will get a better performance from Stephen Curry than they got in Game 1, too. The sharpshooter started the contest by missing his first nine shots and looked strangely passive in the early going.
Bank on a bounce-back game from the Western Conference’s Player of the Month in April in Game 2.
Ultimately, Denver is just as vulnerable as the Warriors are, and while Lee’s injury probably doesn’t make Golden State’s chances to pull off an upset markedly better, it really doesn’t make them a whole lot worse, either.
The Warriors can still win this series without Lee.
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Lakers survive Kobe Bryant injury in crucial victory
Pau Gasol steps up for a triple-double in a dark moment in the Lakers’ ugly season.
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Lakers lose Kobe, survive thriller with Warriors (Yahoo! Sports)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kobe Bryant pushed his fraying body and his Los Angeles Lakers teammates relentlessly through the second half of a vital game until he felt a searing pain in his left heel.
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Final Four 2013: Predicting Winners That Survive and Advance to Title Game
The Final Four is the end of the road, so to speak, regarding the binary relationship between surviving and advancing.
And when it tips off on Saturday evening we are provided with quite a show.
Wichita State is the obvious Cinderella as the lowest seed, not to mention a mid-major school. Interestingly enough, two programs—Louisville and Syracuse—reached this level from the Big East.
Then there’s Michigan. The lone school from an overloaded Big Ten that edged past Kansas in the Sweet 16. It’s a fascinating set of programs, which will make for an exciting evening of college basketball.
Wichita State (9) vs. Louisville (1)
The Shockers continue to draw attention from all over, especially after dismantling Pittsburgh in the round of 64, upsetting No. 1 seed Gonzaga thereafter and pummeling La Salle in the Sweet 16.
Wichita State then maintained its confidence with an impressive victory over Ohio State. Featuring an offense that is capable of scoring when needed, the Shockers’ ability to win the paint is most impressive.
Averaging 38.4 rebounds per game, Wichita State has the physical play to match Louisville inside the arc. Plus, the Shockers only give up an average of 60.9 points per game and a 39.3 shooting percentage. Ultimately, coach Rick Pitino’s squad must be on its A-game.
The Cardinals will need to match Wichita State on the glass and capitalize on turnovers. Unfortunately for Louisville, the Shockers only cough it up 12.7 times per game and possess the handlers to beat the press.
If anything, expect Louisville to come out with incredible intensity. The Cardinals have the offense to outscore Wichita State, but getting an early lead and then suffocating on defense is to their advantage.
The Shockers will only equal pace by reducing the second-chance scoring opportunities of Louisville. The Cardinals, however, share the rock nicely for open outside looks and create wider lanes to drive.
Prediction: Louisville
Michigan (4) vs. Syracuse (4)
Michigan is an interesting matchup for Syracuse, because the Wolverines present the marksmanship to make the 2-3 zone obsolete.
Connecting 48.4 percent from the field, Michigan’s clutch shooting is an extreme advantage: Just ask Kansas. At the same time, the Wolverines court a strong defense that has held three of its four tournament opponents to under 60 points.
So, Syracuse’s offense has its hands full to win the time of possession battle and score efficiently.
An issue for the Wolverines, though, will be the dynamic defense of coach Jim Boeheim’s squad. It completely shut down the high-powered attack of Indiana and has asphyxiated every offense this tournament.
Although Michigan’s defense is solid, the Orange have allowed an average of 45.75 points during the madness. Trey Burke and Co. won’t be able to solely rely on the long-range jumpers because Syracuse will challenge shots and dominate the post and inside the paint for rebounds.
Driving to the elbow and dishing beneath the bucket will keep the Wolverines effective. The concern still remains with ‘Cuse’s length, however. Any time Michigan fails to score, expect the Orange to respond more consistently at the opposite end.
Prediction: Syracuse
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How L.A. Lakers Can Survive Season’s Toughest Test
With just nine games left in what could turn out to be the most disappointing season by any team in NBA history, the Los Angeles Lakers are desperately clinging to life. A mere half-game up on the Utah Jazz for the final Western Conference playoff spot, the injury-riddled Lakers are in full-on survival mode now.
L.A. has lost four of its last five games, and according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo!, even its most seemingly invincible hero is a little worse for wear.
Adding to the concern surrounding Kobe Bryant’s latest injury is Steve Nash’s new ailment, which kept him sidelined for the conclusion of the Lakers’ 113-103 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on March 28.
Oh, and at the risk of piling on, Metta World Peace is also out for the season.
So, with the team’s performance in a tailspin and the injuries mounting, how are the Lakers going to survive the toughest test they’ve faced all season?
They Can’t Do It Alone On Defense…
Much of the criticism surrounding the Lakers this season has focused on their perplexing inability to come together as a team. Despite a club full of veterans and two of the league’s most unselfish stars in Nash and Pau Gasol, L.A. hasn’t established anything resembling consistent chemistry.
On defense, that lack of unity has led to poor rotations and no communication or effort in transition.
Dwight Howard hasn’t been right about much this season, but he was spot-on in his postgame analysis on Thursday.
L.A. lacks a single above-average individual defender on the perimeter, which means their help-and-recover rotations have to be precise. When they aren’t—and for much of the year, they haven’t been—the Lakers’ defense hemorrhages points.
To stop the bleeding, Howard and his teammates have got to view their defensive efforts as collective, and not individual.
…Or on Offense
On offense, the same thing is true.
Too often this year, the Lakers have been plagued by inconsistency on the offensive end. Part of that is attributable to coach Mike D’Antoni‘s apparent inability to conform his strategy to the personnel on the roster.
He’s used Gasol as everything from a starting center to a backup stretch-4.
Compounding the problem has been Bryant’s sporadic reversion to his infamous hero-ball style. Interspersing his selfish stretches with others in which he has seemed hellbent on piling up assists has made for an unpredictable, often clunky offensive attack.
Gasol has been jerked around plenty this year, but his ideas on what to do to fix L.A.’s offense before it’s too late are good ones:
The truth is that D’Antoni‘s free-wheeling style gives Bryant too much freedom. When he wants the ball, he goes and gets it. And once he’s got it, the rest of the Lakers are at the mercy of whatever point he’s trying to prove that day.
Whatever L.A. can do to make Bryant a part of the offensive machine, rather than its sole operator, is probably a good thing.
Manage the Pain
It might be tempting to look ahead at the Lakers’ remaining schedule and try to single out games in which they could rest their ailing stars. Perhaps L.A. could rest both Bryant and Nash for the March 30 contest against the Sacramento Kings. Or maybe the tilt on April 9 against the New Orleans Hornets could provide a break.
But time is short, and frankly, it’s too late to take any games off.
Part of the reason for that harsh reality is that the Lakers haven’t proved themselves to be good enough to pencil in any sure wins on the schedule. The Kings and Hornets may both be lottery teams, but the Lakers are a half-game away from sharing that distinction.
We’re not talking about the San Antonio Spurs here. The Lakers are a borderline playoff team that absolutely has to be at full strength to have an advantage over even the most seemingly harmless foes.
In addition, the Lakers need their stars in the lineup because the bench simply isn’t good enough to compete. If Nash can hobble around for 30 minutes, that’s a damn sight better than whatever a fully healthy Chris Duhon would provide.
D’Antoni has shortened his rotation to eight players of late for good reason: the reserves comprising the deeper reaches of the Lakers bench can’t play.
Bryant says he’ll be fine, and Nash’s injury may not be a major one. Those are two pieces of good news for the Lakers because no amount of lineup tinkering or strategic rest is going to help them now.
They’re well past the point of managing minutes, or even the schedule. Instead, L.A.’s stars are just going to have to manage the pain.
So, Here We Are
It turns out that the Lakers’ toughest test isn’t really a single test at all. Instead, the entire catalog of issues that have plagued the team all season have suddenly come together at once, collectively threatening to snuff out L.A.’s flickering playoff hopes.
Poor chemistry, questionable coaching moves, a lack of depth, age and injuries are all in play now.
If the reeling Lakers can’t put aside selfish play, come together and fight through the accumulated aches and pains of a hellish season, they’ll ironically share in one thing when the dust settles: the epic disappointment of a wasted year.
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How to Survive Becoming an NBA Poster
Ever since Jason Terry was put on the proverbial poster by LeBron James, the Boston Celtics’ shooting guard has gone 3-of-14 from the field and hasn’t hit a three-pointer in the past three games.
While it’s doubtful the dunk had any sort of adverse effect on Terry’s mentality, he clearly hasn’t been the same since he became part of James’ personal highlight reel. Against the New Orleans Hornets two nights later, Terry went scoreless for the first time in more than two months.
Shooters like Terry are prone to their hot and cold streaks, so his recent woes are likely nothing more than a regression to the mean. But over the years, players have reacted differently after they’ve been posterized.
Let’s hope Terry finds himself in the class of those who were able to successfully put such a traumatic incident behind them.
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MVC would survive, maybe grow, if Creighton leaves
The Missouri Valley Conference commissioner says “we’re not defined by one institution.”
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