The NBA All-Defensive Team was announced today. This is an award voted on by all of the league's coaches. Here's my opinion on their selections:
Kobe Bryant: There is no doubt that he can lock down on defense when he wants to. But does he put forth the effort all game long? If you watch a lot of Laker games, you can see Kobe "take off" certain possessions on defense, ala Randy Moss. But when he wants to turn it on, he's about as good as it gets on the defensive end. So I can't argue this selection.
Kevin Garnett: A no-brainer. Last year, Boston had a mediocre (at best) defense. This year, they were probably the best in the league. What changed between last year and this? Kevin Garnett (no, Ray Allen did not help their team defense). The Celtics defense has become a quick and swarming machine, and Garnett is at the hub. James Posey deserves a mention for Boston's improvement as well.
Bruce Bowen: I thought Bruce took a small step backwards this year. He is still one of the best perimeter defenders in the game, just slightly less quick. He is still deserving of this honor. It's great to see that the coaches around the league still hold him in such high regard, despite the bad-mouthing he receives from so many fans. The only reason that fans don't appreciate Bowen for all he does? He's not on their team.
Marcus Camby: Last year's defensive player of the year deserves a spot, right? Nope. Camby has always been a great weak-side help defender. But his strong suit has never been guarding anyone 1-on-1. He plays for arguably the WORST defensive team in the league. Yet he's up for defensive first team? I don't buy it, and neither should anyone else. Marcus, help to hold your opponents under 100 on occasion, then call me. I would have voted in Shane Battier, long before Camby.
Tim Duncan: I'm slightly amazed that Duncan has received this honor yet again. Not because he doesn't deserve it, but because he puts his game on cruise control for the regular season. As evidenced by the Phoenix series, and his last two healthy games versus New Orleans, there isn't a better defender in the paint than the Big Fundamental. Kudos to the NBA coaches for recognizing Timmy's defensive prowess, even when he's just going through the motions of the 82 game haul.
Let me preface my blog with this statement. I am a fan of the San Antonio Spurs. A big fan. I pay for NBA League Pass so that I can watch every game up in NY. When I'm out of town visiting the in-laws, I take the laptop so I can still watch the games over broadband. I know this team inside and out and am on the edge of my seat hanging on every shot, even during the regular season. But, I am secretly hoping that they do not win the title this year.
Why, you ask? Why would a hardcore fan wish for their favorite team to fail? I'll tell you.
The Spurs dominance over the past decade has been great. It really has. But as much as I love my team, we don't have a great future unless we have a great league. And we won't have a great league unless we share the wealth. And by that, I mean that other cities need to win the title in order to promote this game that I love. I'm not saying they should lose on purpose or anything. They are a great team, but they are certainly beatable this year.
Ratings have been on the decline. I don't blame the Spurs style of play, or fan disenchantment for the low Nielsens. Even when San Antonio doesn't make the Finals, the ratings have been poor. I blame the fact that there are a billion other channels to choose from nowadays, and way more things to spend your time on than TV. Back when we were watching Magic vs. Bird, many people still only had 4 channels. Ratings are never gonna go crazy again. Even the promise of LeBron "Witness" James couldn't bring in viewers last year. You may see a ratings spike here and there in the future, but they will never be where they once were ever again. David Stern has recognized this and is now marketing the game outside of the United States. It's a savvy business move.
But to keep the NBA popular here at home, the Spurs have to lose now and then. And they've done that with their "every other year" pattern. If they obtain the elusive back-to-back titles that they've been looking for, it will not be good for the league. Sure, it will certainly be good for me and my fellow Spurs fans. I'll be as happy as the next guy. But people are growing tired of seeing us win. The average NBA fan wants new blood. And NBA fans in cities across the country are crying out for a title for their particular team. No offense to fans of other teams out there, but some of you are total pricks. And I think that if your team had just one title, you could revert to being good, friendly people. That's my hope anyway. Would Utah fans throw things at the players on the court (like last year) if they had won a title with Stockton and Malone? Would Phoenix fans still cry about the refs after every single loss if Barkley had brought them a title years ago? Would Dallas fans still have a full head of hair if they had finished off that series with Miami?
The bottom line is that the NBA needs diverse success. People are tired of seeing the Spurs win, just like everyone that wasn't a Patriots fan was begging for a Giants victory in the Super Bowl. And we Spurs fans have experienced enough joy from the success that we've been fortunate enough to have. I'd love another title to cement this dynasty, but I would also love to see the joy in another fan's face when they experience their team's first NBA championship*. I love this team, but I love the game more.
It's time to spread the wealth.
* Disclaimer: I will take no joy in a Suns championship. Fans of that team have squandered all of my good will with their pathetic behavior over the past few years. (Although it would be nice to see Steve Nash finally get over that hump)
I'm still trying to figure out what it is that we are supposed to be witnessing. Maybe some of the bloggers that have been all about this "Witness" campaign can fill me in.
I just can't figure out why Le'Brick is so special. Couldn't Jason Richardson do exactly the same thing as this dude?
Play like crappola, then score some points in mop-up time...
Witness.
Seriously, if you were drooling over this guy after the Detroit series, let me know why. Please do. And if anyone out there was watching the 3-D version of the game at the Quicken Arena, let me know how that was.
The following is an online petition, obviously started by some Suns fan who is angry about the suspensions of Boris Diaw and Amare Stoudewhiner:
To Whom it May Concern:
We are collectively shocked and appalled regarding the recent suspensions of Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw. There is a striking double standard apparent when situations like the hard hit Baron Davis put on Derek Fisher and Bruce Bowen's antics in games two and three go without repercussion. There is something inherently wrong when two players are penalized in such a harsh manner for doing nothing more than looking out for the best interests of a teammate. The physicality of the series has been a problem from the start and should have been addressed by the NBA before everything that transpired in game 5. The point of this is not to overturn the suspensions of the Suns players. It is obviously too late for that. What we would like, however, is an explanation from the league office regarding the rationale behind the decision that 72% of the 22,154 fans voting on ESPN deemed unfair. It would also be interesting to hear why Tim Duncan and Bruce Bowen were not fined or suspended for doing seemingly the exact same thing during the second quarter of game 4. Instead of hiding away in your offices and canceling trips to Phoenix to visit Cleveland, I think an explanation is not too much to ask when a series of this caliber is potentially ruined. Thank you for your time. Hopefully something can be learned from this and it will not be an issue in the future.
And now, let me respond as if I were the League Office.
Dear petitioners,
I understand that you are shocked and appalled at these suspensions. It is regrettable that you are going to be without two key players for game 5, but Boris and Amare were well aware of the rule that they were breaking. It's unclear to me why you compare the Baron Davis elbow and the Bruce Bowen "antics" with these suspensions. The Bruce Bowen incidents have been reviewed and dealt with accordingly. Both involved typical basketball moves, one of which was deemed to be a flagrant 1. The Davis elbow...I don't have a good reason why he didn't get a game for that. In hindsight we probably dropped the ball on that one. My bad.
I understand that you feel these penalties were harsh, but we need to remain consistent when this rule is addressed. If we let Diaw and Stoudewhiner off the hook, my office would be stormed by rabid Knicks fans.
I regret the fact that you feel this series has been too physical for your team. The last time I checked, this was playoff basketball. So stop Stoudewhining. Even Tim Duncan felt the Denver series was WAY more physical than the Suns series. So much more physical, that he laughed when asked if this was a physical series.
You mention a poll that shows a majority to believe that the suspensions are unfair. While these statistics may be true, they do not change the rulebook. 72% of Americans may feel that George W Bush is semi-retarded, but that statistic doesn't make it true. And it doesn't mean we can "un-elect" him, as much as we might want to. About the same percentage feel it's unfair that Barry Bonds will become the home run king. Guess what? There's nothing that 72% of you can do about it.
Your question about the possibility of Duncan and Bowen being suspended for coming out on the court in the 2nd quarter is an easy one to answer. There was no altercation, so the rule does not apply. Throw me some more softballs.
I'm sorry that you feel our decisions may have ruined the series. Your claim that we are "hiding away in our offices" like a bunch of cowards isn't helping your cause. Although, I must admit there is some truth to it. We knew this decision would anger either Suns fans, or Knicks fans. We took the safe route and angered Suns fans so that we could go on living our lives. We assumed that Suns fans, like their team, are soft. Knicks fans? We might as well off ourselves now and avoid the severe beating that would certainly come.
If you are reading this, then you have probably seen the video posted to YouTube where it appears that Bruce Bowen attempts to trip or kick Amare Stoudemire as he goes up for a dunk. This video shows the incident from one angle, multiple times, in multiple speeds and zooms. Many people felt this looked like a very dirty play on Bowen's part. Before anyone passes judgement on the play, I feel they need to take two other things into account.
1. You need to see another angle of the play. ESPN has shown an angle from the baseline that gave me a different take on this incident. This side angle makes it seem like Bowen is trying to get to Amare fast to foul and prevent the easy bucket. He then realizes he can't make it in time and puts on the brakes to avoid a weak foul and an and1 situation. At no point is he looking down at Amare's foot to aim for contact. There is incidental contact. No tripping motion, however.
2. After watching the clip many times, I caught something else. The contact was apparently weak enough that it didn't affect Amare's jumping motion at all. He jumped STRAIGHT UP. At the height of his jump, as he's dunking, he realized that he had felt some contact from behind and kicks his right leg way out in an effort to get the whistle blown. This causes him to come down hard on the left foot. Luckily he wasn't injured. But if he had been, I believe that he would bear some of the responsibility himself for trying to embellish the foul. The fact that he didn't give Bowen or an official a look or a shrug after the play supports the idea that he thought the contact was insignificant at the time.
It was announced on 4/27/07 that Marcus Camby won the defensive player of the year award in the NBA. I admit that he is a great shot-blocker. But it's not an award for most blocks in a season. It's an award for best defense/defender. To make my point, here's a quote from Bill Walton's commentary during the ESPN Game 3 broadcast of Nuggets vs. Spurs:
(and to set the scene, it's a fairly close game with just a few minutes to go in the fourth quarter, as the Spurs are bringing the ball up the floor)
"Can Nene stop Duncan in the paint...They got the switch now and Camby on the ball defense against Duncan. Not the strength in his game."
Nene was guarding Duncan for pretty much the whole game, and did a decent job by the way. When Camby got stuck on him when there was a switch on defense (at a very important part of the game), the color commentator felt the need to point out that Duncan had a big advantage because he just got stuck being defended by the DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR.
So my question is, what business does this guy have being the defensive player of the year? Yes, he's a great shot-blocker. Yes, he's a great help-defender. But if the experts calling the game think you are a lesser 1-on-1 defender than Nene Hilario...how are you the best defender in the league?
Before the game, the coach of the Mavs said he planned to give no more than 26 minutes of playing time in order to keep his guys fresh and injury free for the playoffs. As the game went on, the stars stayed in the game...and stayed in the game...and stayed in the game. When all was said and done, 5 players played between 31 and 36 minutes...in a game that meant nothing. Nothing that is, unless you count the mental edge that Avery Johnson thinks his team needs. He didn't want to lose this game. And he nearly did, despite the fact that Tim Duncan did not play the entire fourth quarter.
I can't wait to see these teams meet inthe Western Conference Finals. It will be a gritty, hard-fought series every step of the way. And can you imagine the intensity of each game after seeing today's "unmeaningful" match-up? It's gonna be crazy.
For the Spurs, Denver and Phoenix don't pose too many problems. But it will be a battle when they play Dallas. And if Dallas is lucky enough to get past LA/Golden State and Houston/Utah, we are in for a treat. Let's just hope that Duncan doesn't get kicked out o####ame for laughing again so we can see a true outcome. And let's also hope that Avery Johnson doesn't keep overplaying his guys so that they don't go down with injuries before the games start counting again.
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On a side-note. Referee Joey Crawford needs to be reprimanded. Kicking a guy out o####ame for laughing, without knowing for any certainty what he was laughing about, is absurd. And when that guy is one of the classiest, most professional men in all of professional sports, you definitely have to think twice before acting irrationally, as Crawford did.
In my opinion, Kobe deserves the 1 game suspension he received for his elbow to the face of Manu Ginobli.
Anyone who claims that the contact was a total accident isn't being objective. All you need to do is ask yourself when the last time was that you saw Kobe throw his arm out like that after having his shot blocked. The answer is never. He may not have known who it was that blocked it, but he did know the direction the pressure came from, and lashed out after he was blocked.
If it was any other top 10 star player, I'd probably give him a pass. But this is the guy that downplayed a brilliant performance by Gilbert Arenas earlier in the year when it upstaged his own game. This is the guy that minutes earlier was punching the air and bltching at refs for an uncalled "foul" while the ball was still in play and precious seconds were counting down, as the rest of his team was still playing and trying to win the game. (Thanks to Radmonovic, who kept his head on the game and not his individual glory, the Lakers stayed alive with his 3 pointer). And you could see Kobe pouting on his way back to the bench after the game-tying 3-pointer. He may have been happy that a teammate tied the game, but he was plssed that it wasn't his 3, or "and 1", that tied the game. This character trait is the same reason that he says that he'd rather have a superstar carreer with no championships like Barkley, than a role-playing carreer with lots of championships, as Robery Horry has.
Which brings me to my final point. When Kobe's final shot was slyly blocked from behind, I believe Kobe was frustrated that someone had the nerve to try and stop him from being great. And the whipping of his arm was as if to say, "Get these insects away from me. Don't they know who I am?" I know who he is. Do you?
Mark, I used to like you. I loved your enthusiasm, your will to win, and the support you gave your players. You were my favorite NBA owner, despite the fact that I'm a Spurs fan. And then you had to go and insult the city of San Antonio personally. You also disputed Jet's suspension when he obviously punched Finley in the jewels. If the roles were reversed you would have been screaming for a suspension, don't deny it. I think alot of people are in the same boat that I am, being former Cuban fans that turned when they saw your theatrics in this playoff season. What went wrong? What changed you? Why are you the person that you've become? I think you need to take a time-out and reflect on who you are and who you want to be. And you may want to think twice as to WHEN you call that time-out...
How low is the basketball IQ of Dallas Mavericks fans? They mercilessly boo Michael Finley. A guy their management tossed aside because they couldn't afford his contract. Finley played his butt off for the Mavs for many many years, was a 2 time all-star, and did much for the Dallas community. Then he gets put on waivers by his team because they no longer want him and/or don't want to pay his salary. He signed a free-agent contract with the Spurs in an attempt to win an NBA championship. A championship that had eluded him in the Dallas organization. It was not his choice to leave. Most Dallas fans must not be privy to this information or they would think twice before booing a guy that didn't want to leave his team. He claimed, after game 6 of the Spurs/Mavs series, that people have been yelling "traitor" and "whiner" at him. How is he a traitor when he was the one let go by his team? And how was he a whiner when he's the one that got punched in the groin by Jason Terry? Any man alive would be upset if that should happen to them. And the most disappointing thing of all is that Finley's family can't even attend his games in Dallas because of the things that are said to them. That's just disgusting.
I guess all I'd like to see is an initial round of applause for Finley when he plays a game in Dallas. That's the least he deserves for all the years he gave them. Boo him like you would any opponent after that, but don't treat him like a traitor when your organization was the one to discard him.
Have you ever seen a more poorly officiated NBA game?
Thank you Nick Van Exel for standing up and saying enough is enough and getting tossed out of the game. Greg Popovich couldn't take a 2nd technical foul and get tossed, but the team could afford to lose Van Exel.
Dirk Nowitzki picked up his first foul early and the game and it seemed that the officials were determined to not let him get into foul trouble. He committed obvious fouls throughout the first quarter that went uncalled. I counted 4 or 5 that were no-brainers by halftime.
It's the playoffs, and I understand that. But the game needs to be called consistently. The first few minutes, refs blew the whistle when they saw fouls. The next dozen minutes they let them play. The last 6 minutes of the first half, pretty much every call went the Mav's way.
I've seen Ginobli foul a guy by hitting him on the elbow with his chin. I've seen Brent Barry take a blocking foul when he had been set in position long before a driver jumped into him. I've seen an "inadvertant whistle" that led to a jump ball. I've seen Tim Duncan get called for a blocking foul when it was Eric Dampier that got run over by his own teammate. I've seen some crazy things in this game.
All I want is to see a game called fairly. I don't care who wins and loses as long as it's called with integrity. The San Antonio fans are classy as hell and this game had them standing up and chanting "ref you suck" on several occassions. That says a lot, because you expect that in many cites, but not San Antonio. The fans there will not call BS unless there is, without question, BS.
This blogger is a New Yorker, born and raised. I'm a huge sports fan, following pretty much every major sport out there. Sadly, this does not include hockey, NASCAR, or boxing. Hockey lost my affection during the lockout, NASCAR is not a sport, and boxing has become incredibly boring since the dawn of MMA. If you want to talk football, baseball, basketball, or MMA, then I'm your man. I could also debate NASCAR with anyone, but we would probably end up just going around in circles...
