- Astute TrueHoop reader Michael points out that if Ron Artest was in the game where the guy got stabbed with the table leg, then he was 11 at the time. Michael also points out, though, that Artest did not specify he was playing in that game. Another TrueHoop reader says that learning the story was real made his whole day. "I haven't been this surprised," he adds, "since learning that Snuffleupagus wasn't just a figment of Big Bird's imagination."
- Where are all those people who promised to use video of Game 2 to prove that LeBron James doesn't get star calls? As it happens, last night wasn't the best case to prove that -- even the commentators were aghast at three or four of the non-calls. Not that it mattered a lick to that game. SLAM's Lang Whitaker is a Hawks fan, and writes: "I'm leaving for Atlanta this weekend and I'll be at Games 3 and 4 in the Dirty. Game 3 is going to be on ABC in prime time, and there's a good chance the Hawks will be missing three starters. Short of Mike Woodson finding a loophole in the NBA rulebook allowing the Hawks to use 10 players at all times, the Hawks don't have much of a chance. This thing might be more NSFW than those Cassie photos."
- An attempt at finding a metric to determine whether or not NBA players try harder in the playoffs. Here's one idea: Does the technology exist to measure someone's speed of movement on video? If there were such a thing, it would be interesting to know the maximum and average speeds of 100 different defenders as they close out on 3 point shooters in the regular season. Then you'd want to know the same numbers from the playoffs. Are they closing faster? That would be my first guess at something measurable that would be a marker for "playing hard."
- David Berri: "So here is the story. The Hornets without [Chris] Paul are essentially not much better than the LA Clippers [17.7 Wins Produced], Sacramento Kings [17.9 Wins Produced], or Washington Wizards [20.9 Win Produced]. Cleveland and the Lakers, though, might still be playoff teams without LeBron and Kobe. And I think this suggests that Paul - a player that nearly 30% of MVP voters did not rank in the top five in the league - should have received at least a bit more consideration for MVP."
- On Hardwood Paroxysm, Jon Nichols of Basketball-Statistics.com points out that the Houston Rockets don't force a lot of turnovers, and in essence at the same time explains why lots of steals don't necessarily prove someone (like Dwyane Wade or Allen Iverson) is an elite defender. "As always, the Rockets are a stellar defensive squad. Their defensive rating ranks fourth in the NBA and they have defensive studs such as Ron Artest and Shane Battier on their roster. In terms of holding the opponent to a low field goal percentage, gathering rebounds, and not fouling, they are great. However, along with this steadfast approach comes a conservative attitude. Guys like Shane Battier won't gamble for a steal; they'll stay in front of their man and force a tough shot. In a way, this weakness may end up being one of their greatest strengths."
- John Hollinger on teams that shoot a lot of 3s: "I've mentioned this before, but teams that take lots of 3s tend to win, and the more 3s they jack up the more successful they are. The idea that "real" teams don't depend on the 3 is based in the old-school mentality that the 3 is a novelty shot, a circus trick that has little do with real basketball. The truth is the exact opposite, though. The Celtics and Lakers last season both shot the 3 far more than the league average, as did the Spurs and Suns in 2007, and the Heat in 2006, and nearly every other quality team from the last several years -- the only low-3 teams to break through were Larry Brown's Pistons teams and the 2006 Mavericks. For a good example, look at the Magic in the playoffs. They have actually shot better in their losses (36.8 percent) than in their wins (34.5 percent) -- but in the wins they tried 23.8 triples, and in the losses they only took 19.0. That's not an accident; it's the NBA's new reality."
- They call Marcin Gortat the "Polish Hammer," but I also like the nickname "The Warlock."
- So many NBA coaches will deflect all credit to their players. It seems kind of fake, though, sometimes. Nobody can accuse George Karl of playing that game. Denver's 104.3 the Fan asked Karl if it bothered him that Chauncey Billups got credit for changing the culture of the team. Sports Radio Interviews transcribed his response: "To be honest with you it doesn't really matter to me anymore. I think the basketball people and the NBA people, the coaches in the world, understand it. That is usually led by the coaching staff more so than any one player. We're the guys that started the culture in August and September. We were doing a pretty good job with it then. I think Dahntay Jones and Anthony Carter and Chris Anderson, they didn't have Chauncey in their kind of commitment to come here and resurrect their careers. Chauncey helped that but they were already on the move in that direction."
- The secrets of being Chuck Hayes, as told by ESPN's Eric Neel (Insider): "'My foot speed gives me an advantage against bigger bigs,' Hayes explains. 'When I go face-up with a guy, I try to crowd him, chest to chest, knowing that most seven-footers can't get around me.' When he's behind a taller man on the block, Hayes says the key is placing one hand in the lower back -- 'I just like to feel where he's putting his weight' -- and taking a quick sweep at the ball as soon as the other guy begins dribbling or shooting. 'As soon as he starts to move the ball, before it gets to his shoulder height, I'm stripping, making a play for it. If he gets it above his head and we're down low, he's got the advantage. I'm trying to keep him from that position with the ball.' ... Rockets general manager Daryl Morey cites his low center of gravity as the real key to his defensive effectiveness. 'He starts off low and gets lower,' Morey says. 'You can't move him off the spot very easily, and at the same time he can move laterally well enough that Rick [Adelman] will use him to guard not just post players but 2s, 3s and 4s as well.'"
- Kendrick Perkins: Playing Dwight Howard more or less to a standstill.
- George from Basketball.org: "The NBA's policy of no fig
hting has been a good thing. Basketball is a game of finesse and beauty. Physical intimidation and fighting should not be in the game. But there is also a downside to it. Knowing there is no retaliation, some players gain a little bravado that they may not have had otherwise. Can you picture a Odom, or a Walton going up to Scola on the playground and giving him lip? Do you really think Kobe Bryant would throw an elbow at Ron Artest on the playground in Queens? Like they say, "not in a ******* NY minute". In the 'old days' guys thought twice about giving a cheap shot because they knew it would be coming back at them in spades, kind of like how Fisher retaliated. Even the toughest guys got tired of getting knocked down."
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