It had been EIGHT years since USA Men's Basketball had won an international competition. Then, in USA's EIGHTH game of the Olympics, the so called "Redeem Team" joined Michael Phelp's EIGHT gold medal performance as the biggest stories of the 2008 Olympics, which started on... 08/08/08.
That said, here are 8 observations about USA's 2008 gold medal run think about.
--- 1 ---
If Team USA proved that USA Basketball is still number 1 in the world, it also proved its players have a short attention span when it comes to playing defense.
At the beginning of Olympic competition, USA was serious about defense, but then visibly and statistically let up as time went by. Check it out:
70.8 = Points per game allowed by USA in their first 5 games 91.0 = Points per game allowed by USA their last 3 games
36.7% = USA opponents shooting percentage first 5 games 46.2% = USA opponents shooting percentage last 3 games
Putting this in perspective, no other team in the 2008 Olympics allowed a team to score as many as 107 points like USA did versus Spain in the gold medal game, and Spain is less than half the size of Texas.
In fact, 107 points would have won every other game in the 2008 Olympics, and would be enough to have beaten USA in 5 of our 7 previous 2008 Olympic games.
And USA's statistics for the gold medal game against Spain looked less like a "redeem team" performance based on the first 5 games of the Olympics, and much more like USA basketball has looked these last 8 years, when a talented USA team would sometimes fail to outgun their opponents.
Had USA not come up with enough points to win its shoot out with Spain, there would forever be doubt in the minds of USA basketball. If a 3 year commitment, a coach focused on TEAM play, and a group of players like this couldn't bring home the gold, who could?
Spain will be back (see #5), and when it does, USA better have a longer lasting commitment to defense than it did this year.
--- 2 ---
Praise and accolades are being heaped upon Kobe Bryant and Dwayne Wade for their heroics in the gold medal game.
Dwayne Wade carried USA early, when Bryant and LeBron James were benched with foul trouble, scoring 21 of his 27 points in the first half.
Then at clutch time Kobe Bryant came through, scoring 13 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter.
HOWEVER!
The rest of the truth is that those two shooting guards allowed Spain's 2 shooting guards to combine for 40 of Spain's 107 points. (Fernandez 22, Navarro 18)!
In fact, they allowed Spain's shooting guards to score so much that despite their heroics, Bryant and Wade were actually only +7 over their counterparts for Spain.
Remember, Navarro washed out of the NBA after playing 1 year for the Memphis Grizzlies, and Fernandez will be an NBA rookie this fall!
There is something seriously wrong when THOSE 2 players combine to score just 7 points less than the scoring performance everyone is praising Kobe and Dwayne for, and the thing that was seriously wrong was Kobe and Dwayne's defense.
Earlier in the tournament, when USA cared about defense, Fernandez and Navarro combined for just 13 points against USA.
And while Dwayne Wade did have 4 steals, most if not all came by leaving his man and gambling on a pass. In reality, Spain's guards were never pressured.
The gold medal game was the least number of turnovers a USA opponent ever committed in the 2008 Olympics.
--- 3 ---
The final score was a little bit deceptive. Spain was actually better this game than the final score would leave you to believe.
With 26 seconds left, USA got 4 free throws in a row, and possession of the ball, thanks to a foul and a technical foul on Ricky Rubio.
The flustered 17 year old Rubio then missed a lay up on the following possession.
Additionally, Spain's highest scorer, Rudy Fernandez, fouled out with 3:10 left in the game.
There are easily AT LEAST 6 to 10 points in those end of game events, for which USA can take no credit. USA was just the beneficiary of some fortunate breaks.
After Spain's first defeat to USA in pool play, Spain started playing better, and began holding its opponents to 59 and 50 points, including opponents that USA allowed to score 76 points.
Excluding their meltdown against USA, Spain is the only team that averaged less turnovers per game than USA (13.4 vs. 13.9). Given Spain's improvements, USA should not have been surprised it would present more of a challenge than it did in their first meeting, and USA should have been prepared to defend better, rather than ease up.
28 = Turnovers by Spain vs. USA in pool play 14 = Turnovers by Spain in gold medal game
82 = Points by Spain vs. USA in pool play 107 = Points by Spain vs. USA in the gold medal game
39.4% = Spain's shooting percentage against USA in pool play 51.4% = Spain's shooting percentage against USA in gold medal game
--- 4 ---
Who did Coach K trust to bring home the gold?
On the floor at crunch time were: - Chris Paul - Duane Wade - Kobe Bryant - LeBron James - Chris Bosh
And considering Kobe Bryant and LeBron James were in foul trouble since the first quarter, it is interesting who still ended up playing the most minutes:
28 minutes - LeBron James 27 minutes - Kobe Bryant 27 minutes - Dwayne Wade 24 minutes - Chris Paul 23 minutes - Chris Bosh
* Notice how USA starters Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard and Jason Kidd are not in either of those two lists?
World class blogger, Basketballogy, known for his astounding basketball intellect (not to mention his fine collection of mouse pads and his lovely singing voice), once pointed out that USA basketball's problem is not talent, it is decision making. This is especially true of Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard, although both are young and have lots of time to grow in this regard.
--- 5 ---
While USA disbands this team, searches for a new coach, and organizes its next group for a 3 year commitment, it hopes the pattern set by the "redeem team" will keep USA on top.
However, Spain promises to be a force the London Olympics as well. Spain's young back court includes Rudy Fernandez (23), and Ricky Rubio (17), Jose Calderon (26), and Juan-Carlos Navarro (28), and its front court includes Pau Gasol (28), Marc Gasol (23), and Felipe Reyes (28).
And next time, Spain will be bringing the "redeem team," in a push to get their gold medal back.
--- 6 ---
Dwight Howard shot 45.9% from the free throw line for the Olympics, which is worse than Spain's 3 point percentage in the gold medal game (47.1%).
I am still high on Dwight Howard, but clearly he was not the best center (after Yao Ming) at these games. In fact, Dwight wasn't even the best center playing for USA.
It will be interesting to see how NBA fans vote for the 2009 All-Star game, with both Chris Bosh and Dwight Howard in the east.
Additionally, Pau Gasol probably upped his stock in the eyes of NBA fans. In fact, I'd be very surprised if Shaq didn't take a back seat in the 2009 NBA All-Star game to both Yao Ming and Pau Gasol.
--- 7 ---
Why don't more players learn to shoot the runner? Juan Carlos Navarro, and his 18 point gold medal performance against world champion USA, certainly showed how effective the runner can be at the highest levels of basketball... as if France's Tony Parker hadn't already proved it.
Opposing defenses don't even get their knees bent to jump before the shot is off.
The runner makes dribble penetration so much more deadly, and causes defenses to back off and give you open 3s.
If you had a deadly runner, a deadly 3, and were a good passer, I'd let you play on MY team!
--- 8 ---
This was a 2 point game in the fourth quarter.
It was a 4 point game with 2:29 left to play.
It was a 6 point game with 1:52 left to play.
USA was just +2 in the fourth quarter, +1 in the third quarter, and +1 in the second quarter.
USA had to shoot an insane 70.3 percent from 2 point range to pull this win out.
All of Spain's statistics, including its shooting percentage were within normal ranges.
And Spain was +6 on rebounds.
The odds of USA pulling off a performance like this again are not at all has high as Spain's odds at hitting their numbers again.
USA has superior depth, quickness and athleticism. If it will put that to use on the defensive end of the court, it won't have to rely on unlikely performances to bring home the gold from London in 2012.
--- Bonus ---
Lately I've been noticing that the number of comments on a blog is in inverse proportion to the amount of time I spend on it, so I'll be lucky to get 8 comments.
Nevertheless, here are 8 great Mike "Coach K" Krzyzewski quotes for your enjoyment.
(1) "A basketball team is like the five fingers on your hand. If you can get them all together, you have a fist. That's how I want you to play."
(2) "A common mistake among those who work in sport is spending a disproportional amount of time on "x's and o's" as compared to time spent learning about people. Making shots counts, but not as much as the people who make them."
(3) "I don't look at myself as a basketball coach. I look at myself as a leader who happens to coach basketball."
(4) "I believe God gave us crises for some reason—and it certainly wasn’t for us to say that everything about them is bad. A crisis can be a momentous time for a team to grow—if a leader handles it properly."
(5) "I had a really bad temper, when I was growing up. Sport helped me channel that temper into more positive acts."
(6) "I always won in my imagination. I always hit the game-winning shot, or I hit the free throw. Or if I missed, there was a lane violation, and I was given another one."
(7) "A leader may be the most knowledgeable person in the world, but if the players on his team cannot translate that knowledge into action, it means nothing."
(8) "A leader has to be positive about all things that happen to his team. Look at nothing in the past as failure."
redeem (verb) - to do something that makes other people have a better opinion of (you), especially after you have behaved badly or failed at something. -- Cambridge Dictionary of American English.
Whoever first coined the phrase, "The road to redemption" must have understood that redemption is almost never a single act or gesture. Redemption is a road that, like all roads, must to be traveled a step at a time. Today USA took another step towards redemption with its 31 point defeat of Australia. There are 3 steps left to go.
The story line to this game is an interesting one. USA led by just 1 point at then end of the first quarter, and would have taken just a 6 point lead into the locker room at the half, were it not for a missed 3 pointer by Australia's Mark Worthington, a rebound by Chris Bosh, then a buzzer beating 3 pointer by Deron Williams. That buzzer beater is more remarkable when you realize that Williams was only 1 of 5 from the arc against Australia, the buzzer beater was his only successful 3 pointer.
After a close first half, Kobe Bryant took control for USA by scoring 9 of USA's 14 to 0 run. After that, USA slowly built on its advantage.
Australia probably thought it was playing well against USA in the first quarter, but I didn't see it that way. For some reason every American but Jason Kidd started off the game completely infatuated with dribbling. I was really frustrated.
The ball movement was so stagnant, that USA did not have an assist the entire first quarter. In fact, with 2:51 left in the third quarter, Mike Breen and Doug Collins mentioned that USA had only 1 assist the entire first half. USA moved the ball considerably better after the break though, and had 15 assists in the second half.
Also, defensively this was the worst game of the 2008 Olympics for Team USA.
Never in these Olympics has USA allowed an opponent to score so many points. Opponents have been averaging 70.8 points per game, USA but allowed Australia to score 85.
Why isn't anyone talking about USA allowing 85 points?! That is enough to have won 12 of the games played so far in these 2008 Olympics!
Opponents had been averaging just 36.7% from the field but Australia shot 43%, easily the highest shooting percentage allowed by USA.
And Australia was actually -2 in turnovers, and +2 on points off of turnovers!
The closing play of the first quarter was typical of USA's defense: after a MADE free throw by Chris Bosh, Australia put the ball in play and ran the ball the length of the court and made a lay up while collecting a foul on Chris Paul.
Australia had only 1 turnover in the first quarter, had 7 turnovers in the second, and only 3 turnovers in the entire second half. Think about that. Australia's biggest let down was in the second quarter, when Coach K played a very quick, defense minded group consisting of Williams, Wade, Bryant, James and Bosh.
In other words, when Coach K forced USA to play defense, Australia coughed up the ball like the other teams have.
USA's defense definitely slipped in this quarterfinals game from its previous performances, which troubles me. It should be getting better as games go on and mean more.
But USA's offense struggled to get going as well.
When Kobe Bryant shot his first shot of the game, 3 minutes into it, USA was already 3 of 9 (33%). That's a lot of quick and poor shots for 3 minutes.
LeBron James started 0 of 3, Dwight Howard was 1 of 3, and Carmelo Anthony was 2 of 3. And although Bryant made that first shot, he missed is next 3 and was 1 of 4 for the first quarter. For the first quarter: LeBron was 1 of 5, Howard was 3 of 6, Anthony was 3 of 5, Kidd 1 of 1, Wade 0 of 2, and Paul and Williams were 0 of 1.
And watching the game, it was clear the poor shooting was not due to Australia's defense, but due to USA's poor shot selection, particularly from the arc, which Australia's defense was daring them to take.
Defensively, Australia packed in their zone and dared the Americans to shoot from the outside (3 of 13 from the arc in the first half. And when USA did get the ball inside to Dwight Howard, they quickly hacked him; Howard had 5 free throw attempts in 14 minutes of play. And why not? Prior to this game Howard was shooting just 45% from the free throw line.
Observations:
- All 12 USA players scored.
- Australia sent in a scrub named Worthington to hammer Carmelo Anthony. To Anthony's credit, he smiled and walked away and left Howard and James to jaw with the scrub.
- USA's next opponent won't likely be intimidated by the "Redeem Team, seeing as Argentina has 4 NBAers in its starting 5.
- In the second quarter, Kobe rebounded the ball under the rim, and took such a severe fade away on his turn around jumper that he literally landed on his back on the 3 point line. I groaned that he attempted the shot, and laughed as it went in. Kobe is the best maker of bad shots I've seen.
- The NBA should change its terminology for the playoffs from "first round, second round, etc." to "quarter finals, semi-finals, conference finals, and finals." The Olympics have figured it out: that repeated uses of the word "finals" leading to the NBA Finals would be stronger product branding.
- After the game, LeBron James had this to say of Kobe Bryant, "He's the one guy on our team that's not afraid to take the final shot or guard anyone. Kobe is the No. 1 athlete out here. Beyond basketball, I think people are starting to see his personality."
- Team USA had 13 offensive rebounds in the first half, which was allowing them additional shots and a shot at staying in the game.
- Team USA was +29 in rebounding, astounding considering it was -4 in rebounds over the course of the first 4 games.
- Australia's coach, Greg Goorjian, "Going into the game, I thought we had one advantage, and that's a lot for us. I thought it was Patrick Mills. . . . I thought he was someone their point guards would have trouble with."
- USA's coach, Mike Krzyzewski, said this of Patrick Mills, who will be a freshman at St. Mary's this fall, "I'm glad my Duke team doesn't play St. Mary's this season. (Patrick Mills) is a great guard. He’ll be an NBA guard and I’m very, very impressed.... he really has great quickness. I love him defensively; I’m sure Brian does too. I’ve been a defensive coach my whole life and there aren’t very many people who stay with a guard – like right on him – when he has the ball – and if he’s beaten, he doesn’t retreat; he continues to play the play. He’s got to be an extremely tough-minded kid. As good as he is offensively, I think he’s got a chance to be a great defender. I think the kid has got a big time future, to be quite frank with you. He’s an impressive player. He’s got great quickness and great strength. What else can I say? he can shoot, he’s tough-minded, he’s so competitive. I mean the kid’s going to be an NBA player, there is no question about it. What a great thing to build your future on (speaking of Australia's basketball team)."
Perhaps the two most notable things about this game against Germany are:
1. How sharp USA played in a "meaningless game," and
2. How USA strayed from the winning formula it has been using so far in international play.
Because USA could force themselves to play with such sharpness in a
meaningless game like this, I'm thinking there won't be any let downs
in the medal games to come.
But it's really remarkable how USA strayed from the winning formula it used in previous games. So I should remark on it.
<> Up until now, USA was -4 in rebounding against their
opponents, but today USA was +15 in rebounding over Germany! Everyone
pretty much rebounded as they have been, except Dwight Howard, Carlos
Boozer and Tayshaun Prince stepped up their rebounding efforts
considerably.
<> USA found points inside from their big men, most notably
Dwight Howard. He scored 22 points in 19 minutes! Carlos Boozer,
though, had 6 points and 6 rebounds in just 9 minutes.
<> 59 of USA's 106 points came from forwards and centers, and
Carmelo Anthony was only 4 of those 59 points. However, because Kobe
Bryant has been playing small forward at times, that number is probably
higher.
<> The 18 turnovers USA got from Germany is the lowest of the
Olympics. And USA had only 18 points off of turnovers against Germany,
which is their lowest point total off of turnovers in the Olympics
(they had 28 against Spain, 25 against Greece, 25 against Angloa).
In other words, Germany slowed down the pace, cared for the ball
better than other teams so USA scored less in transition, and tried to
force USA's bigs to beat them from inside... and USA did!
- This was the first game USA took control of right away. The other
games, teams had success against USA until USA found their way, then
had their way with their opponents.
- Germany missed 9 of its first 10 shots, and went down 18 to 3 in the early going.
- USA never allowed Germany to score more than 17 points in a quarter.
- Michael Redd, USA's shooting specialist, was 1 of 9 from the floor and 0 of 4 from the arc in his 13 minutes of play.
- USA shot 61.1 percent from the free throw line. Dwight, you are embarrassing us! Germany's Dirk Nowitzki was 5 of 5.
- The player with the most minutes this game was... Tayshaun Prince!
Only Prince and Chris Paul had more than 20 minutes of playing time.
- Kobe missed two dunks?! Maybe someone ought to bring out an Aston Martin to motivate him to get jumping.
- The last time USA basketball was beating teams by this much, Color
Me Badd and Right Said Fred topped the charts, Wayne's World and Batman
Returns were in theaters, and Eric Clapton won a grammy for "Tears in
Heaven." That was the original 1992 Dream Team, and their competition
then was no where near as good as the "Redeem Team's" competition is now.
If you are a fan of USA basketball, this was a great game, but two
numbers indicate Team USA wasn't yet tested where it is weakest:
inside. Those two numbers are 28 and 64.
Twenty-eight. Spain committed 28 turnovers versus the United States.
For perspective, Spain committed 8 turnovers in their previous game
against Greece.
Sixty four. USA shot 7 of 11 (64%) from the arc in the first half.
For perspective, that is better than USA's FREE THROW percentage from
their previous game (56.5%).
While those 2 numbers are actually positives, they are also anomalies: unusual occurrences that may not happen again.
Of course, USA had something to do with Spain turning the ball over
so much, but then again, Spain's zone defense had something to do with
USA shooting so well from the arc. If you don't believe that, Spain's
halftime adjustments had USA shooting 4 of 14 for 28.5% in the 2nd half.
Anomalies (a.k.a. "luck") probably affect many if not most games,
but for success to be consistent, it needs to be based on something a
team can consistently do.
If Team USA can consistently shoot 64% from the arc, it hasn't shown
it so far. In fact, USA's second half 3-point shooting performance against Spain,
28.5%, is more consistent with how USA has been shooting 3 pointers in
the Olympics.
As for turnovers, remember Australia? Earlier this month (August
5,2008), the Aussies slowed down the pace to limit possessions, and
were it not for a flat 2nd quarter, Australia could have upset Team
USA. Instead of slowing down the pace though, today Spain tried to play at
USA's pace, and Spain turned over Group B's leadership to USA.
Literally.
I really think USA will earn the gold medal in 2008 Men's
Basketball, but I also think teams have seen enough of how USA plays,
where it is strongest and where it is weakest, and that opposing teams will try
slowing down the pace and caring for the ball to take away USA's easy
points, and they will try to make USA grind it out from inside.
USA's last two wins were impressive, but they scored very little with bigs posting up in the half court.
Against Spain, Carmelo Anthony scored 12 of his 16 points from the
arc. Tayshaun Prince scored 9 of his 10 points from the arc. LeBron
James scored 6 of his 18 points from the arc, and I don't know how many of the
remaining 12 points were scored in transition, but it seemed like a lot, didn't it? That's where his highlight plays come from.
But in terms of good old fashioned back to the basket bigs scoring down low on post
play in the half court, USA was probably outplayed by Spain. And Team USA was
out rebounded again (39 to 36). Can USA's bigs step up to score inside
if opponents are successful at forcing that pace on them? I hope so.
Other observations:
- Less than 2 minutes into the game (1:57 to be exact), Pao Gasol
set a screen and Kobe Bryant just leveled him to the floor. Pau smiled,
but Kobe walked by Pau without looking at him, much less helping him up
or giving Pau a pat, which Bryant did with other Spanish players
throughout the game. Commentator Doug Collins said he thought it was a
good foul, and Collins was wrong. The only message that foul sent was a message Gasol already
knew: that Kobe was more serious about beating Spain than he was about his
friendship with Pau. In reality, the only thing that stupid foul did was put Kobe
out of the game sooner.
- Team USA was called for 17 fouls in the first half, but as USA
took control of the game, refs stopped trying to help Spain and called
only 7 fouls against USA in the second half. USA did make adjustments, but it really appeared the the refs did as well.
- I was thrilled to hear Doug Collins say that Team USA's mantra is:
No bad habits. That's the motto I'm yelling during the practice of
every team I've ever coached. You think Coach K stole it from me? ;-)
- It was a 7 point game with 25 seconds left to go in the 1st
quarter. Considering the final scores in the Olympics, USA has yet to
really dominate a team from the get go. Opponents start off finding
success, then USA finds its way and then has its way with its opponents.
- 13 of 16 USA turnovers were James, Bryant, Paul and Wade.
- LeBron James and Chis Paul combined to shoot 14 of 14 from the
free throw line, substantially helping USA raise their overall free
throw percentage. The rest of the team shot 5 of 10 for 50% from the
free thrown line. Tch tch tch.
- When asked to expand on Team USA’s strengths, Pau Gasol said: “They
are playing with a purpose and that’s to win and to show everyone else
that they are superior. And I think that’s the bottom line. It’s not
that they are better individually than two years ago, they are better
as a team. They have a better mentality.”
- In a post game interview with Craig Sager, Chris Paul made it
clear the Team USA wanted to make a statement with this game. Did they?
Well, ask Spain's Pau Gasol.
“They wanted to make a statement in this game, playing against us,
and they did,” Pau said. “They sent a message to everybody in the
tournament. They didn’t do it before, and now everybody knows that
they’re for real, and they’re very serious about this.”
Hot on the heals of Josh Childress's departure from the Atlanta
Hawks to play in Greece, the Hawks have just learned they may have
missed out on a promising prospect that was almost on their front door
step.
Matthew Whitton, a cop in Clayton County, Ga., and his friend Rick Dyer, a former corrections officer, say they recently found the body of Big Foot in the woods of northern Georgia.
Veteran Bigfoot tracker Tom Biscardi said he's examined the body,
and that scientists will get their chance soon. Meanwhile, the body,
photos and DNA evidence will be released at a press conference in Palo
Alto, Calfiornia on Friday.
"I think you'll find that this is the real deal," Robert Barrows of
Redwood City, Calif., told the Bay City News local wire service.
Yeah, well, that's what they said about Kwame Brown.
What I want to know is why they are presenting a body, and not a captured specimen.
And after all those "sightings" in the Pacific Northwest, if this
story is true, it's wild they finally caught up with one in Georgia.
And why fly (drive?) it to Northern California for the press
conference? Was there a testing facility for Big Foot fraud there or
something?
And could the Big Fella box out? Before, of course, his unfortunate demise.
The good news is I hear his younger brother, Marc, is playing in
Spain and will soon be playing for (of all teams) the Grizzlies.
Oh wait, that's the younger brother of the Geico caveman.
Observations about the USA vs. Angola game have me thinking USA has a problem with their "bigs," or in other words, a BIG problem.
--- Angola's 3 point shooting was about as bad as Team USA's (29%), as was their mid range game, meaning most of Angola's 76 points came inside, which is SERIOUSLY bad news for Team USA. USA's bigs were dismayingly deficient defensively, especially since Angola may be the only team in the Olympics that is smaller overall than the U.S.
--- At half time, Angola was +3 in rebounds. By the end of the game, Angola out rebounded USA by 4 (38 to 34), so USA's rebounding efforts against a smaller Angola team were horrible, and got worse as the game wore on. There was no correction at half time or any other place in the game.
The thing is, the rebounding situation is worse than you think.
53 percent of all Team USA's rebounds came from their GUARDS, not their bigs!
When you consider that bigs are, well, bigger than guards, and that at any given time there are usually 50% more bigs on the floor than guards, you can see that Team USA's bigs are definitely not pulling their weight.
Criticize Kobe's performance all you want, (I plan to), but what hurt Team USA most this game was poor efforts and results from its forwards and centers, both on defense and in rebounding.
Rebounds per minute for FORWARDS & CENTERS:
0.286 - Carmelo Anthony 0.200 - LeBron James 0.200 - Dwight Howard 0.182 - Carlos Boozer 0.143 - Chris Bosh 0.071 - Tayshaun Prince
Rebounds per minute for GUARDS
0.313 - Dwayne Wade 0.267 - Jason Kidd 0.222 - Kobe Bryant 0.190 - Chris Paul
And of course, Angola's rebounds per minute stats blow away all Team USA's big players.
--- There is no other way to say it, I'm disgusted the Team USA only shot 64% from the charity stripe (16 of 25). 7 of the 9 free throw misses were Team USA big men.
--- Unlike the rest of the country, I'm not that worried about Team USA's outside shooting. USA's 3-point shooting stats are deceptive. As a team, they did shoot 5 of 21 (23.8%), but if you remove Kobe's 0 of 8, then they shot 38.4 %. Not great, but not the end of the world either. Before his finger injury, Kobe was the most devastating perimeter player in basketball. He's not so good now, but I don't see him shooting 0 of 8 again. I'm thinking USA's perimeter game will be adequate against Greece tomorrow, provided a team-first mentality prevails.
--- This team has lost its focus, and many players are thinking of themselves before their team. Often a man ahead was ignored so the man with the ball could dunk or shoot. Deron Williams over dribbled. Chris Paul let his man blow by him so often I could swear the crowd started to yell, "Ole'!" Kobe, even if you were 8 out of 8 from the arc, those aren't the stats nor the acts of a defensive stopper. Carlos, you are a role player on this team, and your role is to defend and rebound, not blow gimmies around the basket. Dwight, trash talking? Against ANGLOLA? Really?! Come on, guys, get back on task.
--- Scoring for the United States declined by quarter as the game went on, scoring a record low 16 points in the 4th quarter. I'm sure much of this was a motivation problem, and some of it is (hopefully) a sportsmanship thing, not wanting to run up the score and embarrass Angola. Angola's scoring, by the way, increased.
--- I LOVE how clear the floor was out of bounds at the baselines and the side lines. This should be the rule for NCAA and NBA basketball as well. I can't STAND to see players flying into camera men or cheerleaders, or worse, not diving for loose balls so they don't collide with these people. There is enough money in both college and professional basketball to give the players some breathing room and still make a profit.
--- Team USA did manage to get the ball into post, especially to Dwight Howard, but usually they did it in early offense before Angola's defense was set.
--- I was embarrassed by Dwight Howard's trash talking. First of all, he isn't playing well enough to have the right. Second, even if he was, this is Angola, not the 1992 Dream Team. Get over yourself and play basketball, Dwight.
--- Only one player got up early and scouted the Greece vs. Spain game with the coaches: Kobe Bryant. When asked about that, LeBron James said that if Kobe was there, then the whole team was there because Kobe would share any information he obtained. My goodness that is LAME! Those guys had a chance to peek at the cards of their two greatest adversaries, and slept through it! ARGH! Can spoiled millionaires ever grasp it? TEAM comes first, you come second!
[Added after I originally posted this]
Restating what I've written before...
It is scary for us to pin our hopes to a team that "turns it on and off" like our current Team USA does. It would be so much more reassuring if they would just play at their full potential all the time and crush everyone, even if destroying their opponents and running up the score is seen as poor sportsmanship.
We are all hoping that as the competition gets tougher, so will they, but it's an uneasy feeling not knowing for sure whether or not they actually will, given that USA has lost before.
One thing that will help is right now all players are getting lots of minutes, regardless their production. I'm sure the minutes will be less for players who aren't proving themselves productive once the heat is on. That will help with the final score as well as the box score.
Also, there is one point that probably can't be ignored.
It is just the nature of competitors to raise their level of play as the level of competition rises. It's just who and how they are.
I remember back in the day, I lost games of horse to middle schoolers, and later that day hit 7 3-pointers in a row during a tournament.
There is just something about real competition that brings out the best in some people. Even in the NBA, some players play better against some players and some teams, the challenge just brings out the best in them. Take for example, how Gilbert Arenas plays when he plays against Kobe.
And there are a LOT of these kinds of people on TeamUSA. They need the challenge to be their best.
And TeamUSA has yet to face a team that has challenged them enough to bring out the best in them.
Here is some interesting research -- so interesting in fact that you
will hear no doubt hear it again -- but remember, you heard it from ME
first! :-D Anyway...
In the last 14 years, when it has come down to just the last 2 teams
in the NBA Finals, the team with the best defense during the regular
season has won the NBA Championship every time, except for the New
Jersey Nets, and in 2001 when the Lakers beat the 76ers -- but that
year injuries caused Shaq to miss 8 games, Kobe to miss 14 games,
Horace Grant to miss 5, and starting point guard Ron Harper to miss 47,
so the Lakers regular season defensive rating is misleading. (The
previous season the Lakers had the #1 defense in the NBA).
So if you are looking for a team to bet on in the Finals, the odds are VASTLY in favor of the better defensive team.
In fact, in the last 28 years (which is all I wanted to research
back to), except for the aforementioned Laker team, and a Rockets team
that had regular season injuries to Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler,
Vernon Maxwell, Robert Horry and Ortis Thorpe, the NBA Champion was
always in the top 10 defensively.
In fact, in the last 28 years, 18 NBA Champions were top 5 defensive
teams during the regular season preceding their championships.
And in the last 28 years, only 3 NBA Finals have not had at least 1
top 5 defensive team (2006 Heat vs. Mavs, 1995 Rockets vs. Magic, and
1982 Lakers vs. 76ers), and in every instance, the eventual champs
defensive ranking was skewed due to injuries to key players such as
Shaq, Wade, Olajawon, Kareem, Magic, Cooper, etc.
So, if you adjust for injuries, over the last 28 years EVERY NBA Finals has had at least 1
top-five defensive team in it, and adjusting for injuries, the better
defensive team has won every NBA Finals for the last 14 years... unless
its point guard was Jason Kidd. Hmm, I wonder if Mark Cuban knew that
before he traded for him last year. ;)
At any rate, those statistics may take some of the mystery out of predicting the Finals.
Now that the Lakers have learned they cannot just shoot their way
past the Celtics defense, ranked #1 in the regular season, it will be
interesting to see if they up their defense in the regular season from
last year.
If they don't, then we probably shouldn't be predicting a Lakers parade next June.
If anyone is wondering where the Lakers think they are weakest, they need not look further than the fact that their last 3 personnel moves were all attempts to shore up their backcourt. --- Transaction #1: the Lakers used their sole pick in the 2008 NBA draft: Joe Crawford a guard out of the Univeristy of Kentucky. Crawford, who is 6'5" in some reports and 6'4" in others, is a solid shooter, but no ball handler, particularly under pressure.
Why would the Lakers need a point guard sized shooter who can't play point guard? Well, this IS a Phil Jackson coached team, isn't it. Jackson is known for using small forwards that handle the ball (Pippen, Odom), and shooters like Steve Kerr, Craig Hodges, John Paxson and B.J. Armstrong to spread the floor on offense, and defend opposing point guards on defense.
--- Transaction #2: the Lakers offered 6'7" shooting guard Sasha Vujacic a 3-year, $2.6 million contract, and ended up re-signing Sasha Vujacic to a 3-year, $15 million contract. That's some difference! If Sasha has peaked as a player, then the Lakers have overpaid yet again for a player. However, if Sasha continues to grow and to step up at critical times, then the Lakers did alright. But what else could they do? If Sasha got an offer from another NBA team, the Lakers would have had a chance to match it. But with Josh Childress going to Greece for $20 million for 3 years, it was feasible that Sasha, who is from Slovenia, could likewise get such an offer, particularly after his Finals performance brought him world attention, and the Lakers would not be able to match it.
--- Transaction #3: on Friday, August 1, 2008, the Lakers signed 6'5" shooting guard Dwane Mitchell. Like Crawford, Mitchell is a shooter, not a ball handler. In the d-league last year, Mitchell managed to be 5th in the league in turnovers, even though he left the d-league to play in Germany in February. In his partial d-league season, however, Mitchell averaged 20.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.60
steals in 37.3 minutes and found himself in the 2008 D-League All-Star
game. And even though he left the D-League early, Mitchell was 3rd in the league in free throws attempted, indicating he
is aggressive and takes the ball to the hole and doesn't settle for
jump shots. The kicker though is that Mitchell distinguished himself in the Lakers summer league this summer.
Given that the last 3 personnel moves for the Lakers were all attempts to improve their backcourt, obviously the Lakers are concerned with their guards.
Which leaves us wondering what they are doing with 6' 5" Koby Karl. And will Jordan Farmar be able to play himself out of the dog house he put himself into during the NBA Finals?
According to Lenovo's stats, the most effective 5 player combination for the Lakers over the course of their last 10 games of the post season was: Fisher, Bryant, Odom, Gasol and Radmanovic. I know a lot of bloggers are down on Radmanovic, but this wasn't close. This 5 player combination was at least 190% more effective than any other 5 player combination the Lakers tried. A lot of players were critical of Phil Jackson's substitutions as well during the playoffs, but it looks like he nailed the right starting 5.
Here's a quick look at the Lakers depth by position:
Four of the Lakers starting five could potentially make the All-Star team if they have good years next year. Obviously, the bench is where the worries are.
While other teams are wheeling and dealing, the Lakers are healing.
If Andrew Bynum, Chris Mihm, Trevor Ariza, and Luke Walton can make it back to their top form prior to injury, the Lakers suddenly look very deep in the front court. We don't need no stinkin' Ron Artest!
I can see why their player acquisitions have focused on upgrading the back court though.
But perhaps another area the Lakers should be improving is its coaching staff, particularly with Tex Winter in retirement. Frank Hamblen, Kurt Rambis, Brian Shaw, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Craig Hodges and Jim Cleamons don't quite do it for me.
If you are a Lakers fan, what are your fears for tonight's game? To start the conversation, how 'bout:
(1) FOUL TROUBLE
What kind of a nightmare would it be for the Lakers is to have Kobe Bryant get into foul trouble -- especially early. The Celtics can absorb foul trouble to one of their Big 3 and probably still be fine. The Lakers would be sitting ducks with Kobe on the bench in foul trouble.
(2) INJURY
We don't want an injury happening to a player on EITHER team -- after all, we don't want Celtics fans claiming the only reason they lost was because _____ was injured.
(3) TANTRUMS
At best, whining erodes your mental toughness. It puts you in the mentality of a victim, not a champion.
At worst, any brawl or similar outbreak would stain basketball's most legendary rivalry. Lakers and Celtics alike need to make their minds up now that nothing like that would happen on their watch, that they will pass the rivalry to the next generation untainted.
(4) HOLLYWOOD BALL
The Lakers can't win doing just the fun and glamorous stuff like 3-pointers, they've got to do the dirty work too, like defend and rebound.
(5) HERO SYNDROME
We don't need any Lakers breaking away from the game plan with "I'll save us" syndrome. That goes for #24 of course, but 10 times doubly so for anyone not sleeping with Vanessa Laine Bryant. Play inspired, but play within yourself.
(6) TITANIC CAPTAIN COMPLEX
If the ship is obviously going down, don't resign yourself to the fate of going down with it. Most of us didn't like to see the Suns eliminate the Lakers without Kobe trying to do SOMETHING extraordinary about it. I admired his restraint, but if the game plan clearly hasn't worked for 45 minutes, it probably isn't going to work the last 3 minutes either, so go for it!
(7) TRUNKINESS
This is a military term for people who are anxious to go home. We don't need any Lakers starting their summer vacation early. Everyone needs to do everything to support the success of their team, including cheering on the bench. Leave it all on the floor and pick up no regrets.
(8) POOR OR UNEVEN OFFICIATING
I don't want to see calls favoring Boston because they are the home team. I don't want to see calls favoring the Lakers to extend the series. I don't want to see calls favoring all-stars. I just want to see a fair and well-officiated game, and if they can't do that, then at least do not be biased, or worse, be zealous to not appear biased and blow your whistle according to some ill-conceived quota system. Please, just call the game and call it well.
(9) WHAT IF THE LAKERS AREN'T GOOD ENOUGH?
The Boston Celtics are the best team money can buy. They had the best record in the regular season. They have the best defense in the NBA. They hold the record for the biggest turnaround in the history of the NBA. They swept the Lakers in the regular season. The Celtics have 3 all stars who are probable hall of famers. They have an assistant coach, Tom Thibideau, who is a defense guru and the mastermind of the best defense in the NBA. They have a veteran bench that has outplayed the Lakers' bench all series.
The Lakers have their starting center out for the season, their backup center's been out for 2 seasons, and their power forward is now playing center. Their key players, Bryant and Gasol, hadn't even played together for half the season prior to the playoffs. The Lakers defense ranked 19th in the NBA, meaning it's closer to the bottom than to the top. They have just 1 all star.
Maybe the Lakers just aren't good enough THIS YEAR to beat the Celtics.
Maybe this is just the Celtic's year.
Well, that's a fear I can live with.
I'm okay with Kevin Garnett finally getting a championship ring. I'm happy for Ray Allen if he gets to ride on a float with his kids. I'm relieved for Danny Ainge, who may have been fired had he not pulled off the trade of the decade.
And one thing that makes it easier to be this happy for the Celtics is ... next year Bynum will be back! :-)
Ignore the swank of people brandishing predictions. It's all wishful thinking anyway. No one knows who might get injured, or who might step up for the game of his life. This series has been unpredictable and still is.
And ignore those who would have you believe the Lakers are lucky to be down 3 games to 2. The truth is, the Celtics are lucky as well.
Yes, it can be argued that the Lakers have not dominated the Celtics at home, but then again, the Celtics have not dominated the Lakers in Boston either.
With potentially 2 games left of the NBA season, here are 4 reasons for the Lakers to feel confident and the Celtics to perhaps feel a bit uneasy.
REASON 1 -- The Celtics have struggled with the Lakers in Boston as well as in L.A.
Lest we forget...
Game 1:
- It was a 2 point game to start the 4th quarter. - It was a 4 point game with 5:43 to go. - It was a 5 point game with 1:49 to go.
With better defense and rebounding (35 to 51!), the Lakers could easily have stolen game 1.
Game 2:
- The Celtics had a 22 point lead to start the 4th quarter - With 22 seconds left in the game, it was just a 2 point game.
Again, the Celtics barely won, despite the advantages of a HIGHLY suspect +28 free throw differential, and a 39 to 46 rebounding advantage.
Game 3:
Lakers won (by the way, for the first time, rebounds were almost even: 56 to 57).
Game 4: - The Lakers led with 4:22 left to go. - It was a 3 point game with 0:40 to go.
Game 5: - Lakers won (rebounds exactly tied 51 to 51)
As you can see, this series could have easily already been won by the Lakers, had the younglings taken defense, rebounding, and ball movement seriously.
Yes, it can be argued that the Lakers have not dominated the Celtics at home, but then again, the Celtics have not dominated the Lakers in any of their victories over the Lakers, including the two in Boston.
Conclusion: Every game in any town is up for grabs.
REASON 2 -- The Lakers have steadily been overcoming their deficiencies as the series progresses.
The Finals started with the Celtics overpowering the Lakers on the boards by 12 rebounds a game. Not any more. Rebounding went from a Celtics' feast, to dead even.
The Lakers likewise improved their assists, from 20.5 per game as a team to 21.7, meaning they probably improved their ball movement.
Also, the Celtics used to own the Lakers in the 3rd quarter, to the tune of +10.8 points per game in games 1 through 4,. Not any more. The Celtics were -6 in game 5. That is a 16.8 point improvement for the Lakers' 3rd quarter performance.
With 2:35 left in the disastrous 2nd quarter, Jordan Farmar launched an air ball 3-pointer, the Celtics got the long rebound, and 8 seconds later, Ray Allen buried a 3-pointer. The Lakers brought the ball down court, and struggled against the Celtics defense until Kobe broke them down with dribble penetration. Then with just a few seconds on the shot clock, Bryant passed the ball to Farmar at the arc, where Farmar had just shot an airball seconds earlier. Farmar had to shoot and Kobe knew it, but Kobe trusted Farmar and Farmar buried the 3-pointer as the shot clock expired. You could almost see Farmar's confidence grow, and he became more productive and was on the floor to finish the game for the Lakers.
The Lakers are evolving. Whether it is rebounding, ball movement, 3rd quarter performance or teamwork, they're improving.
By contrast, the Celtics are diminishing by attrition. Key players are out or hobbled. The longer the series goes, the more you have to believe the Lakers have the advantage.
The key to power is growth. A growing root can split a rock.
REASON 3 -- Clutch plays at clutch time.
Celtics coach, Doc Rivers, calls on his players to not take hero shots. In game 5, they may have taken a good thing too far.
Garnett had a chance to tie the game in the critical closing moments, but missed back to back free throws. Pierce had two critical turnovers in clutch time.
When the chips are down, the Celtics are not making the big plays you need to in order to close out close games.
By contrast, the Lakers have the best closer in basketball, even if he's been struggling. If game 6 or game 7 is close, the Lakers probably have an advantage.
REASON 4 -- The Bigger They Are ...
The Boston Celtics are the best team money can buy. They had the best record in the regular season. They have the best defense in the NBA. They hold the record for the biggest turnaround in the history of the NBA. They swept the Lakers in the regular season. The Celtics have 3 all stars who are probable hall of famers. They have an assistant coach, Tom Thibideau, who is a defense guru and the mastermind of the best defense in the NBA. They have a veteran bench that has outplayed the Lakers' bench all series.
The Lakers have their starting center out for the season, their backup center's been out for 2 seasons, and their power forward is now playing center. Their key players, Bryant and Gasol, hadn't even played together for half the season prior to the playoffs. The Lakers defense ranked 19th in the NBA, meaning it's closer to the bottom than to the top. They have just 1 all star.
The Celtics are the better team, and commentators Marc Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy said so during game 5.
So why can't the mighty Celtics close out these upstart Lakers then?
The more you think about it, the more amazing it is.
The Celtics are a brilliant defensive team.
Just ask LeBron James. In his first 5 games against the Celtics, LeBron James shot 31%. LeBron also averaged 5.4 turnovers a game. Were it not for LeBron's 11.2 free throws per game, he would barely be found in the scoring column. :-)
Likewise, Kobe has been hampered by the Celtic wall.
In the 1st 3 rounds of the playoffs, Kobe shot 51%. However, against Boston's defense, Kobe has shot 42.2%. Defensively, the Celtics are doing something right.
In fact, the Lakers abandoned the triangle altogether late in the game, game 5. With Kobe and the ball at the top and the floor completely spread, the Lakers simply dribbled down the shot clock and then attacked the rim, improvising shots then fighting hard for rebounds.
The Lakers bench has been a serious disappointment in the Finals. Ronny Turiaf has more fouls than points, and only 3 rebounds in 5 Finals games. In game 5, Chris Mihm had 0 points, 0 rebounds, 1 turnover and 2 fouls in just 2:46. Luke Walton had 5 fouls in 10 minutes, two of them being very dumb fouls in the 4th quarter which put the Celtics in the penalty early.
"We'd like to have our bench give us a better bump," Jackson said. "Right now their bench is playing a little bit better than ours is. We've got some guys performing off the bench but not the unit."
When you consider all this, there is no WAY the Finals should still be going, yet not only have the Celtics not been able to close out the pesky Lakers, but the Lakers have had a chance to win all the games they've lost. Even in Boston.
No, the Lakers are not in a great position. They are facing elimination, down 3 games to 2, and playing the final 2 games in the heart of hostile territory.
But then again, the Lakers have been at a SEVERE disadvantage the entire series, and yet they are still here!
Seriously, this series is still up for grabs. The only prediction I would listen to is the guess that from here on out, the games will probably be ugly and hard fought, as these two weary, battled-tested conference champions attempt to impose their will on the other.
So please, ignore the blathering fan-prattle and pompous prognostications. This series has not been decided either way, neither is it the low-ratings sweep the Spurs had over the Cavs. This is hoops drama at its highest: this is another chapter of the most storied rivalry in basketball. Both teams have earned respect, and it's time we all gave it.
Chris Mihm was the difference maker for the Lakers in game 5
of the 2008 NBA Playoffs. I realize this flies in the face of
conventional wisdom, but think about it.
In game 4, the Lakers had a 21 point 1st quarter lead, but ended up losing the game.
In game 5, the Lakers had just a 17 point 1st quarter lead, (so the Celtics had them just where they wanted them), until Phil Jackson pulled out his secret weapon: Chris Mihm.
Mihm had 0 minutes in game 4 and the Lakers lost. Mihm had 2:46 in game 5, and the Lakers won.
Obviously, Chris Mihm was the difference! (Yes, I'm kidding.)
But seriously folks, I actually do think Chris Mihm was the difference maker -- well, not Chris Mihm per se, but the
fact that Phil Jackson had the courage to play Mihm, particularly after
the squall of criticism Jackson weathered for his game 4 player
substitutions.
To me, this proves that Phil Jackson still has the courage, creativity and brilliance it takes to win. I am honestly impressed, and you should be too.
The Mihm experiment obviously failed; he had 0 points, 0 rebounds, 2 fouls and 1 turnover in 2:46.
But then again, Ronny Turiaf actually has more fouls than points so far in the NBA Finals, thus putting a very good free throw shooting team on the line. And in 50+ minutes over 5 games, Turiaf has grabbed whopping total of 3 measly rebounds.
He's not exactly earning his minutes, is he? For comparison's sake,
backup point guard Jordan Farmar has 10 rebounds so far this series, more than three times the total of the Lakers backup center.
Seriously, with production like that from Turiaf, and with DJ Mbenga in street clothes, Phil Jackson would have been an imbecile not to give Chris Mihm a try.
Chris Mihm was once one of the better centers in the league, but
thanks to injuries Mihm has basically not played basketball in 2 years.
It wasn't like Phil put Mihm in during a critical point of the game. Jackson experimented with Mihm early in the game and when the Lakers had a 17 point lead.
So, given Turiaf has been MIA, and Mbenga was unavailable, that it
was early in the game and the Lakers had a 17 point lead, didn't it
make sense to give Mihm a try? And the fact that playing Mihm surprised
everyone, that Phil Jackson was the only person to see that this
substitution made sense, doesn't that make Jackson brilliant?
Had Mihm played well, Phil might have even been able to play
him again in the second half and move Pau Gasol to power forward, Lamar
Odom to small forward, and play Kobe Bryant with whichever other guard
is playing well. Alas, Mihm looked terrified out there and played
terribly.
The same courage and creativity it takes to give Mihm a try, is the courage and creativity it took for Jackson to bench Michael Jordan in game 6 of the 1992 NBA Finals, with the Bulls down big against the Trailblazers, and play long forgotten reserve, Bobby Hansen.
And this is the same courage and creativity it took to play Jordan Farmar
(with Fisher, Bryant, Odom and Gasol) at crunch time of an elimination
game. Farmar hadn't been playing well in the playoffs, but in game 5,
Farmar was effective at blowing by Sam Cassell and Eddie House to get to the rim and finish with a layup, or by assisting a teammate to easily score.
Without that courage and creativity, and with Vujacic having a bad game, Phil would have had to go with Radmanovic at crunch time. Who feels good about THAT decision?
Oh wait, I hear you: what about Trevor Ariza?
After game 4, I was one of the many clamoring for Ariza to get more minutes
in game 5, but when I saw Ariza on the floor in game 5, I got worried.
Ariza passed on totally open shots, literally. Trevor Ariza earned a
seat on the bench by failing to shoot when open. The Celtics defense is bad enough 5 on 5, but if the Celtics are able to guard the remaining Lakers 5 on 4, the Lakers are dead.
Lest I give Phil Jackson too much credit for Farmar's success, I have to mention Kobe Bryant as well.
Remember when Farmar launched an airball 3 pointer? The very next play,
Kobe Bryant passed the ball to Farmar at the arc, and Farmar knocked
down the 3-pointer. Kobe Bryant unimpeachably manifested confidence in
Farmar, even when he had a good reason not to. I'm sure that built
Jordan Farmar's confidence, and helped him to play better the rest of
the game.
Kobe Bryant, for those too jaded to see it, really does make his teammates better.
Of course, Chris Mihm wasn't really the difference in game 5, Phil Jackson and Kobe Bryant were.
I just thought I'd use Chris Mihm to point out to those whose
faith in Phil Jackson might be wavering how brilliant Phil Jackson
really is, so fear not, and be believing.
Here is another way of looking at this. In the Finals, the Celtics are averaging 96 points per game. The Lakers are averaging 92 points per game.
That isn’t that much to make up, is it? In fact, the Lakers
seriously could have swept the Celtics had they defended 5 points
better … which, from what we’ve seen, seems VERY doable.
The Celtics averaged 100.5 points per game during the regular season, so they are -4.5 in the Finals.
The Lakers averaged 108.6 in the regular season, so they are -16.6 in the Finals.
The Celtics’ defense is very obviously having an effect on the
Lakers. Therefore, regardless their substitution pattern, it seems
HIGHLY unlikely that the Lakers could come up with 16.6 extra points in
the 3 remaining games of the Finals, and satisfy us spoiled fans with
the offensive success we’ve all grown accustomed to seeing from them
all season. Consequently, we really need to get over our offensive
criticisms of the Lakers and quit beating them up over it.
The answer is in defense, 5 more points of it.
Is there enough room for improvement in the Lakers defense to prevent the Celtics from scoring less than one basket per quarter?
Hold the Celtics to 22 points per quarter, hold a big gold trophy next weekend.
I can't believe how quickly the blogging world has turned on Phil Jackson. And while were at it, I do not get the criticisms I've been reading of Sasha Vujacic or Pau Gasol. Phil is NOT to blame, unless you think that players not taking their coach seriously is the coach's fault.
About the only explanation I can find for people knocking Jackson,
Gasol and Vujacic, is that these fans are JUST LIKE the Lakers' players
... they are too focused on offense, and do not take defense seriously enough.
"Defense wins championships" is not just a cliche', it is the truth,
and Lakers players and fans alike seem to think the Lakers can win a
title allowing the Celtics to score 98, 108 and 97 points per game, even when the Celtics have allowed their opponents to score only 90.3 points per game all season long ... and the Celtics were no where NEAR as motivated as they are now to defend.
The math doesn't add up!
Pay attention to the post game comments, and you can see the that the Lakers are not on the same page as their coach. Phil Jackson alone seems to understand that the Lakers need to take defense more seriously.
These young Lakers have NOT played good defense all year, and that has put them at odds with Jackson. To be specific, the Lakers had the 19th best defense in the NBA this season, allowing opponents to score 101.4 points per game.
By contrast, the Celtics allowed their opponents to score an average of 90.3 points per game.
Given that pace slows down in the playoffs, it is more than reasonable to assume that, for the Lakers to win ANY game against the Celtics, the Lakers will need to hold the Celtics to 90 points or less.
The ONLY time the Lakers did that these Finals, they won. Shouldn't
THAT be enough evidence to convince them? Hold the Celtics to 90 points
or less, you win. Don't do it, and you lose. Four games have borne that
out, how about believing it now?
In the 1st quarter of game 4, the Lakers held the Celtics to 14
points. That defensive effort, combined with the Lakers' rebounding and
ball movement, created easy offense for the Lakers as well, hence the
21 point Finals record.
After the first quarter, the Lakers defense let up. In the 3rd
quarter, it was exactly as bad as it had been all season. The Celtics
scored 31 that quarter.
Remember the sound bites of Phil Jackson in the locker room and on
the floor at half time? Repeatedly he warned his players, "Win the 3rd
quarter. Are you listening? Win the 3rd quarter and we'll be fine."
Phil Jackson coached in the CBA, where playoff seeding was determined not only by wins, but how many QUARTERS a team won. If
Jackson could get the Lakers to think in terms of winning quarters,
then he could get a more consistent defensive effort all game long, rather than the big effort at the beginning that vanishes until the 4th quarter when it is painfully obvious it is needed.
After the game, Kevin Garnett commented on how surprised he was that
the Lakers were not giving the effort in the 2nd half that they gave in
the 1st half.
SUBSTITUTIONS
For all of you baffled by Phil's substitutions, he was not
subbing for offense. He was subbing for defense, to stop the bleeding.
Phil Jackson understands what, apparently, not everyone does: the
Lakers are NOT going to outscore the Celtics. The Celtics will not
allow that. Therefore, the Lakers are going to have to hold the down
Celtics scoring to win.
If I were coach, I'd tell my players that the magical number is 22, that way he might be able to make the Lakers give a more consistent defensive effort. If the Lakers can hold the Celtics to 22 POINTS PER QUARTER, the Lakers will be in a position to win.
A NEW HOPE
As a reminder, the Lakers could have potentially won all 3 of the games
they lost. The problem always was, they let the Celtics score too much.
The series is not over, but if the Lakers players don't wisen up, defend, rebound and move the ball, it will be.
ABOUT PAU AND SASHA
Not only am I not critical of Phil, I don't get these criticisms of Pau.
Pau is NOT the Lakers starting center, guys! Bynum is! Pau is playing out of position, as is Ronny Turiaf. If healthy, Bynum and Mihm
are supposed to be the inside force, and Pau will do his scoring on
lobs as he cuts to the rim, not post up play. And Pau has the foot
speed to keep up with the Boozers in the league, and the length to
really bother them defensively.
As for Sasha letting Allen "walk" by him at crunch time, the worst
thing Sasha could have done was foul Allen, that would have been a
guaranteed 2 points for the Celtics. Of the 1000's of people who
have played in the NBA over the decades, Ray Allen is the 7th best free
throw shooter to ever play in the league. By letting Allen by him,
Sasha was presumably sending Allen to help, BIGS that would alter
Allen's shot or cause him to pass the ball. The team defense is to
blame here, not Sasha.
In truth, the team defense is to blame for the hole the Lakers are in. Not Phil Jackson, not Kobe's shot selection, not Radmanovic's lack of hard fouls, not Sasha's letting Ray Allen go by.
Seriously guys, if you are looking critically at the Lakers offense, you are looking at the wrong side of the floor.
The Celtics have the best defense in basketball. That best defense, was NEVER more motivated than it was last night. Naturally, the Lakers are not going to perform as well as expected against that, even the great Kobe Bryant. To expect otherwise is to ignore reality.
If the Lakers score better Sunday, cool. But if it happens, it will
be because the Laker defense has allowed them to run out for easy
scores. It won't be because they've magically solved the Celtics
defense and can now score as everyone expects them to do.
The Lakers need to defend to win.
That's easy to overlook because it is so cliche' to keep saying,
"Defense wins championships," but the saying has endured for a reason.
And frankly, the Lakers (and probably their fans) don't take defense
seriously yet.
And so it was, that the Lakers #24, in his 24th Finals game of
his career, was part of a 24 point meltdown that is now in the record
books.
All that will be but a footnote though, if the next Lakers record is to become the 1st team to overcome a 3-1 deficit.
That record is the Lakers' for the taking, if they will rebound, move the ball, and play defense as if this season depended on it. Because it does.
It had been EIGHT years since USA Men's Basketball had won an international competition. Then, in USA's EIGHTH game of the Olympics, the so called "Redeem Team" joined Michael Phelp's EIGHT gold medal performance as the biggest stories of the 2008 Olympics, which started on... 08/08/08. 
redeem (verb) - to do something that makes other people have a better opinion of (you), especially after you have behaved badly or failed at something. -- Cambridge Dictionary of American English. 
Perhaps the two most notable things about this game against Germany are:
If you are a fan of USA basketball, this was a great game, but two
numbers indicate Team USA wasn't yet tested where it is weakest:
inside. Those two numbers are 28 and 64.
Here is some interesting research -- so interesting in fact that you
will hear no doubt hear it again -- but remember, you heard it from ME
first! :-D Anyway...