NBA Recap 2012-2013
It’s been too long since I last wrote something, but don’t you worry; I’m about to be finished with school which means I’ll have much more time to commit to this blog. I’m going to have to anyway--football season is right around the corner! But before we switch gears and transition to the NFL, I wanted to wrap up the NBA season that is now behind us. Although it kills me, I must say congratulations to the Miami Heat, now the two-time defending champions. Last year they had some major luck with injuries to other teams and weren’t really tested too much; none of this was their fault, of course, but overall I don’t think it was a memorable title run. Those same slights cannot be applied to this year. The Heat earned this title and were pushed to the absolute limit to get it. But more on that in a little bit. First, there’s some things I want to say about the playoffs as a whole, and after, I’m going to include some tidbits about the draft and these first few days of free agency. It was one heck of a basketball season, and the craziness is going to keep on coming.
There is nothing quite like playoff basketball in sports. The theater and drama is unparalleled given the period of time it spans. You can argue that the NFL playoffs are more exciting because of the magnitude of each game, as is the NCAA tournament because of its unpredictability. You wouldn’t be wrong, but I think it would be like comparing apples and oranges, because single elimination postseasons are much different than a stretched out seven game series. The bad blood that stems from seeing the same opponent over and over again creates intense rivalries among the top teams. Just look at the Eastern Conference, with perennial matchups between teams like the Heat, Pacers, Bulls, Celtics, and Knicks. There were so many exciting moments during this postseason, and I want to give credit to a couple of players who became bright stars with their performance. First, I have to talk about Stephen Curry. This kid was the star of the first two rounds, as he led the Warriors to a victory over the favored Nuggets and put up a heck of a fight against the Spurs. He had some truly amazing quarters where he simply shot the lights out of whatever arena he happened to be in. Curry is already to most people, including me, the best pure shooter in the game, and the beauty of his shooting stroke is basically to basketball what Ken Griffey Jr’s swing was to baseball. He has made Golden State relevant, and next year will be must-see TV, in the same sort of way that the Seven Seconds or Less Phoenix Suns were with Steve Nash. The other guy who made a huge leap on the biggest stage was Paul George of the Indiana Pacers. Even though he is still a baby in this league, he was given the responsibility of being his team’s main scorer at the same time as defending the best player on the planet. He showed poise beyond his years in the Eastern Conference Finals, and was a majority of the reason why the Pacers shockingly took the Heat to seven games. Remember, at the end of overtime in Game One, he made all three free throws with two seconds left that would have won the game if they hadn’t given up the LeBron layup when Hibbert was on the bench. George and Curry will be two of the top seven or eight players in this league within five years.
Now, to the Finals. Subjectively, they were devastating in every way possible. These are my two most hated teams in the NBA, and are both in my top five in all of sports. Fine, I’ll give you the list. #5: Spurs. #4: Duke. #3: Red Sox. #2: Heat. #1: Patriots. I was put in the awkward situation of having to root for my arch-nemesis (remember, I grew up a Suns fan), because that’s just how much I want the Heat to lose. Objectively, however, this was the best Finals I have ever seen in person. This was truly basketball at its highest level, and us fans were lucky enough to enjoy seven games of it. This could have been a series to 15 and it would not have lost its luster. Every game had me either standing up or on the edge of my seat. Unfortunately, Game Six will be forever torched into my retinas. At least I’m not a Spurs fan. Instead of just blabbing on about everything, I’m going to cut all my points into sections because there’s so many things to talk about (I promise I won’t get to every one; I know you have lives).
I’ll start with everything about the Spurs. As a team, I’m kind of amazed they put up the fight that they did. I thought they were too old to hang with the West, but I actually did think that the Heat was a good matchup for them. I legitimately thought, after they let 3-2, that San Antonia was a lock to win the series. Even with two games in Miami, I didn’t think the Heat were playing well enough to beat them twice in a row. Then Game Six happened...and just completely destroyed my hopes and dreams. Even though they were up ten going into the fourth, it was quite obvious that Miami was going to make one more run. Tony Parker hit those two huge shots and LeBron turned the ball over twice, and San Antonio had a five point lead with 30 seconds left. In other words, the series was over. The trophy was being wheeled out to the court as the Spurs choked! I pretty much had the same reaction to the collapse as I did while watching Game of Thrones’ Red Wedding: I kind of knew what was about to happen, but even as it was happening, I was still just in shock and awe as I watched in horror. The night ended the same way: me going to bed without uttering a single word. Two missed free throws, two missed defensive rebounds...I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Game Seven was another thriller that the Heat won in the final minute, ending the Spurs’ hopes at another title. It would have been the fifth for Duncan and Popovich. It really seemed like the last gasp for Ginobili. I don’t know if Parker was still shaken up by his hamstring or if he was just shut down by LeBron, but if he had given them absolutely anything in those two games, the Spurs win the title. The one time I actually wanted them to win, San Antonio had victory in their hands and choked it away. Unbelievable. Two quick positives: For those first five games, it was Danny Green’s world and we were all just living in it. That barrage of three’s (especially in Game Three, along with Gary Neal) was utterly ridiculous. He set the NBA Finals’ record for threes in only FIVE GAMES. What???? Unfortunately, the magic didn’t last, as he was, I believe, 2-19 combined in those final two games from the floor. But man, I have never seen a continued shooting display like that by a role player on that kind of stage in my life. The other: KAWHI LEONARD. Oh my god. At 21 years old, he was absolutely extraordinary, especially on the defensive end. His hands are so fast and strong, he was wreaking havoc all over the floor, and for the most part, stymied LeBron James the entire series! He became a more viable option offensively, and hit a shot that no one remembers in Game Seven: a three over LeBron with two minutes left to play to cut the lead back to 90-88 just when it looked like the Spurs were finished. Of course, the play everyone remembers was him missing one of those devastating free throws down the stretch in Game Six that might have cost his team a championship, but that isn’t fair, because he played so much higher than his expectations. He was the unsung hero for the Spurs.
Now, as for the Heat...I can’t hate on them right now. They went through hell and back to get past the Pacers and the Spurs to win this ring. They were pushed to the limit in that Finals series, and were dead to rights, but never quit, and remarkably stayed alive just enough to win the title. It’s incredible when you realize that the Heat have played in three straight Finals, LeBron played in the Olympics, and they still never wore down. I think all of those games will have a bigger impact next season, when the Pacers will be better, the Nets will be loaded, and Derrick Rose and Russell Westbrook will be back as well. The Big Three gave everything they had to win their second championship, even though Wade and Bosh struggled most of the postseason. Even though Bosh especially struggled in Game Seven with NO POINTS because he was in foul trouble, I think he gets a pass because his defense in Game Six saved this team. He should not be traded or amnestied. Another unsung hero was Shane Battier, who, after being worthless the entire series, comes off the bench in Game Seven and hits six threes. I mean, how the hell does that happen??? That Ray Allen three at the end of Game Six to force overtime will be one of the most iconic shots of the century, even in fifty years. HE NEVER EVEN TURNED AROUND TO SEE WHERE THE LINE WAS, HE JUST BACKPEDALED AND INSTINCTIVELY KNEW WHERE HE WAS ON THE FLOOR IN THE BIGGEST MOMENT OF HIS CAREER AND SWISHED THE SHOT THAT SAVED THE HEAT AND ALTERED THE LEGACIES OF SOME OF THE BEST PLAYERS OF ALL TIME; THE ENORMITY OF THAT MOMENT CAN NOT BE OVERSTATED. It’s crazy how sports works: Allen was killed by many for ditching the Celtics and joining their rival. A year later, Boston is in shambles, and Allen hits the defining shot of his Hall of Fame career to bring said rival a championship. That will be a shot which people at the game will tell their grandchildren about--you know, the ones who actually stayed around to see it instead of walking out. Again, that game will live on in my nightmares as the most horribly exciting important game of my lifetime.
LeBron needs a separate section for himself, not out of respect (okay, maybe a little bit), but out of necessity, because he is so polarizing an athlete. I am known to be a LeBron James critic, to say the least. I’m not one of those bandwagon haters, either, who joined the ranks only after the decision; I never particularly, even during his Cleveland days. The last few years in Miami just exacerbated the issue. Before I take some shots at him, I have to give credit where credit is due. The major knock on James prior to the Finals was that although he had become so much more well rounded, he had never really scared anybody with his jump shot. We saw it the first six games of the series: the Spurs played off him, dared him to shoot, and blocked off the driving lines. LeBron did shoot, and had a relatively atrocious percentage from outside. For most of the first six games, James struggled and was held in check. I think it took him four or five games to even get above 20 points. However, Game Seven was the night he vanquished all doubts about his skills, or lack thereof. LeBron, in my opinion, fully earned the nickname of the King for the first time, by stepping up in the biggest game of his life. He made five threes and made the Spurs pay for playing off him. When the title was hanging in the balance at the end of the seventh game, James hit two pull up jumpers to ice the game and seal the championship, doing what the Spurs could not the game before. Even though I was obviously angry about the result of the series, I could not be depressed, because if I knew that if LeBron won by making those dreaded jump shots, then he truly deserved to win. In the game he needed to win, he faced his fears head on and eliminated the one flaw in his offensive repertoire. He deserved the Finals MVP, and his second ring.
Now, with that said...there are things that bother me about him. It is the main reason I despise the Heat with every fiber of my being. The arrogance level of him and the entire team, on the court, is absolutely pathetic and inexcusable. It must be said, that off the court, LeBron has never had any incidents or been in trouble, and I applaud him for that. But I get to hate him when he gets inside the lines. It started way back when the Big Three were introduced together, and they acted like they were already crowned. LeBron made the “not five, not six, not seven...” remark, and I thought, “okay LeBron, that’s fine to say, but you better back that up and I hope you never get there”. He is undeniably the most talented player in the world, but he plays the game cheap and hypocritically. When he makes a drive to the basket and finishes at the rim, he screams like a hooligan at the crowd and kisses his flexed biceps so everyone knows how strong he is, which is defensible showboating because he is that strong. But if he is going to do that, then he can’t pretend he’s weak, and that’s what he does every single time he flops on defense. Are you trying to tell me that he’s strong enough to finish over seven footers but when someone half his size bumps into him slightly, it’s enough force to send him flying down to the floor? It’s disgraceful, and if he tried that in the eighties when MJ played, he would get mocked and actually thrown to the floor by the tough guys back then. And then, of course, he makes theatrical gestures every time a foul is called against him, or when he does not get a call while driving to the basket, as though he is a god and the refs should bow to him. This is the ultimate form of arrogance, and it is something that is teammate Dwyane Wade does even more than James, to the point where late in the fourth quarter in an NBA Finals game (I believe it’s Game Five), Wade yells at the ref with his arms out instead of getting back on defense, leaving Danny Green wide open to hit a transition three that ices the game. Oh, and don’t even get me started on the rat that is Mario Chalmers. It’s absolutely sickening to see them win when they don’t have the class of a champion. Their “fans” have taken the same approach, I guess, as shown when they left Game Six early when it looked like they were about to lose. If LeBron leaves in 2014, I guarantee the arena will immediately behalf empty. I am against everything the Miami Heat stand for.
As for LeBron himself, I think his ceiling is a top five player of all time, maybe even as high as number two. He can never pass Michael Jordan, and anyone who says that he is better does not know anything about basketball; they are just frontrunning bandwagoners living in the moment with no perspective and historical knowledge. The argument isn’t really that hard to make either. It is very possible, if not probable, that James will end up with better core statistics than MJ (points, rebounds, assists, etc.). That’s as far as you can go debating for LeBron. I am of the opinion that James will never pass Jordan in championships. Right now the tally is 6-2. If LeBron wins five more, then we’ll talk. But the fact is, LBJ has won two out of four Finals he has been in, while MJ went 6-6 with 6 MVPs. If the Spurs had not collapsed in Game Six, that number could easily have been one out of four. Michael Jordan never even needed seven games to win a championship. He took two years off in the nineties, came back, and his Bulls won the record 72 games the following year! What if he had played in the NBA those two years? We could, potentially, be talking about EIGHT TITLES IN A ROW. People say that LeBron succeeded with a Cavs team that was horrible, which is fair. However, the entire Eastern Conference last decade was abysmal, and when teams got better, he couldn’t beat them (’08 Celtics, ’09 Magic, etc.). At the beginning of Jordan’s career, he faced off against Bird’s Celtics, Isiah’s Pistons, Magic’s Lakers, Hakeem’s Rockets, Ewing’s Knicks, Barkley’s 76ers.... LeBron couldn’t win a title until he joined forces with his number one rival in the conference, added Chris Bosh as well, and still couldn’t win his first year because he choked in the fourth quarters against Dallas. In the last three years, the Heat have made the Finals all three times and won twice; at the peaks of his career, MJ won the Finals three straight times, TWICE. Too many teams are getting better today (Pacers, Nets, Thunder, Bulls, etc.) that I don’t think LeBron can win four more titles, especially not with an aging Heat team. If you’re a LeBron supporter, that’s fine, but there are absolutely no arguments you can make that trumps what I just wrote. We’ll see what happens for the rest of his career, but I think at best LeBron can be number two. And that’s still very high praise.
Okay, now that we finally got through all of that, here are some quick points on the draft. I’m not a draft expert, and I have no idea how to rate prospects, so whatever I’m about to say comes straight from gut instinct. I do love watching college basketball, though, so I’m not a fool, either. Before I get to the players, I want to say that I loved the interaction between Stern and the fans, with the booing and the jokes, and then the standing ovation right at the end as he made he final pick announcement ever. Then, after applauding Adam Silver (the next Commish) all these years, he got greeted with a boo to signify the passing of the torch. Great stuff. As for the players, I’m not going to talk about any second round draft picks or international guys (how many of them actually pan out? no huge star like Rubio here) because why bother. Out of the (relatively) big names, here are some guys I like or don’t like.
The Cavaliers taking Anthony Bennett at number one was a bit of a shock, but I didn’t really mind it. Remember, nothing or no one is a sure thing in a draft, especially this one, and Bennett can fit into that team is a undersized, high energy four guy who can crash the glass, kind of like a better offensive Reggie Evans. Do I think he’ll be great? Not necessarily. But in this draft, if he stays healthy and can give them 14-9 with a high motor, he’ll compliment the young guards Kyrie, Waiters, and now Jarrett Jack.
I love Victor Oladipo, and I was really frustrated when he went to the Magic, because they suck and he has a chance to be great. People compare him to Dwyane Wade, but I don’t think he’ll be able to score enough to warrant that comp. He could be the second best player on a championship team at his ceiling, and maybe average 17-6-4 with like 2 steals and 1.5 threes a night and great D. Just a great overall player. Again, he just has to get out of the abyss that is Orlando.
As a Suns fan, I really wanted them to get this pick right, and I think Alex Len has a nice future if he develops well. He’s over seven feet, so he could be a great big man to have for years to come. I’m happier to have him then if they would have had Noel. I think he can be a better Omer Asik in a couple of years, averaging like a 15-13 and 2 blocks. At least that’s what I hope, anyway.
Other guys I like in their roles: Trey Burke (major “it factor”, will get good minutes right away), Steven Adams (OKC needs a big center to replace Perkins), Reggie Bullock (great shooter at UNC, disappointed he went to Clips - don’t like them - but he can be a quality role playing SF), and Tim Hardaway Jr (big time shooter, I think good match for the bright lights of MSG, this just feels like a good fit).
Also, here are some guys I am not a fan of, and I think will really underwhelm:
Otto Porter Jr (decent college player, not good enough to beat a 15 seed in the tourney, an all-around solid talent but no defining skill), Noel and MCW (sorry, 76ers fans, I think Dieng will be better than Noel, and Burke over Carter-Williams), Mason Plumlee (obligatory hatred of rich white guy who played at Duke). Supposedly next year’s draft is supposed to be loaded, so I’ll have more to say next year. Just remember: the best player out of this draft will be Oladipo, biggest disappointment is Noel. Top Ten Under the Radar Guy Who Will Play a Surprisingly Big Role On a Playoff Team in the Next Three Years: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (DET).
Ok, finally, finally, a few quick hits on free agency. First, what’s up with all the coaching changes? The Doc situation with Boston was crazy, but he’ll be happy in LA, and I like Brad Stevens coming up to the NBA. George Karl getting fired was surprising considering he had literally just won Coach of the Year like ten minutes prior. The guy who I really think got shafted was Lionel Hollins. This guy just led Memphis to the Western Conference Finals by thrashing the Clippers and the Thunder, and he gets canned? What gives? Also, why hasn’t anyone picked him up yet?
As for the players: love Bledsoe coming to the Suns, even though I don’t know how long he’ll be there. At least he’ll be exciting. Redick on the Clips will be devastating; he’ll have tons of open shots, and can be on the floor in crunch time because of his free throw percentage. Plus, Doc could run out a small ball lineup of Paul, Crawford, Redick, Barnes/Bullock, and Griffin. Jarrett Jack signed with the Cavs, giving them guard depth, and taking pressure of Kyrie to score all the time. I’m not sure why Kyle Korver resigned with the Hawks; like Redick, he’s a classic “sign with a contender to give them instant three point shooting off the bench” guy--I mean, look at what Ray Allen just did, he could have been useful! Also don’t know why the Bucks signed OJ Mayo when it seems like they are trying to tank. Now they’ll be in no man’s land next year, with a pick like number nine in the draft.
Now for the big names. The Dwight Howard saga is finally over as it seems like he will sign with Houston, unless he changes his mind right before he signs his contract. I like this move for him, even though I dislike Dwight himself. They immediately become a contender, although the West is a gauntlet, but any team with Dwight and James Harden with some pieces surrounding them should be enough to get a top four seed. Josh Smith signed with the Pistons, who will have a pleasantly delightful team next season and should make the playoffs with a lineup that includes Knight, Caldwell-Pope, Smith, Monroe, and Drummond. Spacing will be a problem but that starting five is solid, especially the frontcourt. Andre Iguodala signed with the Warriors which is huge, and will keep them relevant. Their small ball lineup will be devastating, with Curry, Thompson, Iggy, Barnes, and Lee. Iguodala brings defense, athleticism, and leadership, and even though they aren’t that deep, the Warriors will be exciting and a team to be reckoned with next season. Side note: oh my god, look at the West for next year. Spurs, Thunder, Grizzlies, Rockets, Warriors, Nuggets (maybe), Clippers, a possible breakout for the Trail Blazers (they should pull a Rays and drop the “Trail”), T-Wolves, and the Pelicans (!). What a loaded conference. Finally, we come to the Boston-Nets trade that sent Paul Pierce and KG over to Brooklyn. It made me really sad when the announcement came out, because those Boston teams were so fun to root for, and had so much heart. Even when they were starting to fall apart in 2012, they still pushed the Heat to seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals after leading 3-2. However, Brooklyn just got a lot scarier. Depth will be a problem of some sort, but Pierce and Garnett only have to be the fourth and fifth scoring options on that team if they need to be. The starting five of Williams, Johnson, Pierce, Garnett, and Lopez can take on the Heat right now and, if they commit to defense like they should with KG on the team, would probably come out on top against the starters of Miami. I’m not saying that the Nets will overtake the Heat in the Eastern Conference this year, but they will be a force. The obvious question mark with that team is Jason Kidd as head coach, which I’m still kind of stunned over. He is the biggest wild card/x factor of the Eastern Conference; if Kidd is somehow a naturally great coach, then this team could easily reach the ECF, or could just as easily be one and done if he struggles. One thing is for sure: I think that the Nets will be better than the Knicks.
Well, this post is Exhibit A of why I never say that my writings will be quick. Basketball is definitely on the rise, and next season is sure to be exciting. With many of the teams on the bottom tanking (allegedly) for better draft lottery odds, the Association will be very top-heavy, meaning that when the playoffs roll around, there are going to be incredible matchups starting in Round One and just getting better from there. I hope everyone enjoyed this season, and I can’t wait until the 2013-2014 edition of the NBA!
