Tag Archives: Shaquille O’Neal

by | May 25, 2012 · 8:45 PM

Dwight Howard and the Malfunctioning Magic

Puppet master

There are several “earmuffs” moments in this piece so please think twice about reading it out loud to small children.

The past week has been even more of a ludicrous scene of Tom Fuckery than the Orlando Magic have grown accustomed to this season. Dwight Howard has subjected his team, the only one he has ever played for, to a myriad of split decisions followed by reversals, retractions, and second guessing. It is enough to drive any organization mad. Despite this perpetual distraction, the Magic plodded along, and despite Howard’s injury late in the season, still managed to make the playoffs.

They didn’t make it very far, though.

Since then all Hell has broken loose and this week has been the zenith of stupidity.

Orlando cleaned house as the team fired head coach Stan Van Gundy and ‘politely’ asked general manager Otis Smith to step down. It was apparent that Van Gundy would not last with the Magic after reporting to the media that he was aware that Howard had asked Rich DeVos, the owner of the Magic, to fire him. It made for quite an awkward moment. Van Gundy’s best line is that he doesn’t like bullshit. Howard certainly created enough of that this season. Nonetheless, Howard had his wish granted. If the Magic Kingdom is good for anything besides humidity it’s granting wishes.

As for Smith, it was clear that he needed to go. During his tenure in Orlando he did his best Danny Ferry impression by surrounding Howard with mediocre, or beyond their prime players. When he did have legitimate players on the roster (read: Marcin Gortat and Brandon Bass) those players did not fit into Van Gundy’s system and were essentially condemned to the bench. The expelling of Van Gundy and Smith had to be a joint package.

With two of Dwight’s largest nuisances removed, one would think that he would now be more complacent to stay in Orlando, but as Chris Sheridan reports, that couldn’t be further from the truth. As he stated long ago, Howard still wants out of Orlando and unlike before, it looks as though the Magic are ready to field offers for their star center.

Keeping in mind that they have an unhappy, or rather just stubborn, player to move, the Magic also need to replace their head coach and GM. This is where it gets idiotic.

For about 24 hours, Shaquille O’Neal, the Big Aristotle, was rumored to be in line to interview for the vacancy at GM. Yes, Shaq. Simply put: what a fucking joke! Luckily for everyone, it was, or at least it sort of was. It didn’t take long for everyone to question the move and speculate, correctly, that the rumor originated in Shaq’s camp only to bolster his image. There was no possible way that Shaq would ever actually be the GM of the Magic as he and Howard have had a tit-for-tat relationship since Howard entered the league. On top of that, Shaq’s comprehension of the new collective bargaining agreement is probably on par with a first grader’s ability to under stand quantum theory. Thank goodness this story ended when it did before it really caught any real traction.

And we thought Dwight’s drama was too much.

As for a replacement head coach, none other than Jerry Sloan was mentioned as a possible replacement. Sloan coached the Utah Jazz since fish ventured onto land for the first time. He has an impressive coaching resume built mostly with the likes of John Stockton and Karl Malone leading the Jazz to two consecutive Finals appearances in 1997 and ’98.

However, his departure from Utah, midseason, two years ago is the result of a tainted relationship with Deron Williams, who was the team’s All Star point guard. Spats with players are nothing new for Sloan, who rigidly coaches the flex offense. Because of this, it would not seem like a good match for Howard, who, it has been rumored, wants to have his say in how the Magic conduct their business on and off the court. Sloan simply would not put up with Howard’s shit.

Howard won’t get his way in Orlando. He has already tarnished and tainted his reputation with the organization and it is long past due for him to move on. He is still under contract for the 2012-13 season but this relationship is over. He will not sign an extension nor should he be offered one by the organization. Trading him is the only option. If it were up to Howard he would leave the Magic high and dry with his scorched Earth tactics but Orlando has the option to get plenty in return for one of the league’s most dominant big men. Once the draft lottery is complete, Howard will be shopped around. Hopefully, where ever he ends up, he will not be as big a headache as he has been for the Magic.

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by | September 9, 2011 · 12:54 PM

Shaq gets a Statue

Brandon Bass sighting

Shaquille O’Neal has always been larger than life and now he has a statue that is larger than him. LSU, O’Neal’s alma mater, unveiled a 900-pound bronze statue of the “big fella” on Thursday located outside of their basketball practice facility. Of course the statue depicts O’Neal’s signature move from college: the dunk. (Who would want a statue of him taking free throws?) O’Neal played three seasons at LSU, averaging 22 points and 14 rebounds, before entering the NBA Draft in 1992 and being selected first overall by the Orlando Magic.

The Big Shaqtue

O’Neal retired from the NBA earlier this summer but has something on the horizon:

“I’ll always come back every first football game. A lot of people don’t know this
but hopefully I will graduate in December and become Dr. O’Neal.  I’ve been
working on that the last four years. I didn’t want to let a lot of people know
until I actually became a doctor. I’m working on my dissertation now and
hopefully I’ll be Doctor O’Neal. Unfortunately, I will no longer answer to
“Shaq.”  You will have to call me Dr. O’Neal.”

Dr. Shaq sounds better, don’t you think?

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by | July 9, 2011 · 11:38 AM

NBA Lockout Day 9: Beef Stew

The stew is served

Nine days into the lockout and a big heaping bowl of Beef Stew will cure what ails you. Now, if only the teams and players would take a helping from the Crock pot we would all be in better shape. Oh well, on with the Stew…

Yao Calling it Quits

As the space shuttle Atlantis lifted off on Friday morning it ushered in a new era in NASA’s history as it will be the last mission flown by the shuttle. Mission control in Houston, as it has done many times before, took over control from the Kennedy Space Center as the shuttle and its rockets climbed into the sky. It was a bittersweet moment as the future of American space travel now has questions surrounding it. On the same day, though not as grand in its scope as human exploration beyond Earth, the city of Houston was met with more bittersweet news.

Yao Ming, the seven-foot six-inch center for the Houston Rockets announced that he planned to retire. The Rockets spend a small fortune acquiring the rights to Yao from the Chinese government and selected him with the number one overall pick in the 2002 NBA Draft.

His career will be noted for moments of greatness mixed with nagging injuries that limited and eventually sidelined his career. Yao is one of only two players over seven feet tall to have averaged 20 points and ten rebounds for a season. The other is Shaquille O’Neal, who also retired this summer.

Here at the Beef we were never avid supporters of Yao as we have taken the stance that the breed of player which he was is a dead position in the league. However, his contributions cannot be dismissed. With Yao came the global marketing of the NBA. Yes, there were foreign players before him but none of them had the appeal and marketability that he had. He is responsible for the boom in popularity the league has seen in China over recent years. If it was not for Yao would NBA players regularly sign with Chinese clubs as their NBA careers are dwindling? Would there be talk of a barnstorming tour of China if the lockout persists? No. Yao opened the doors and the NBA is better for it.

Turkey on Rye

With Deron Williams planning to suit-up for Besiktas, Allen Iverson‘s former team, the interest in Turkey has never been stronger especially after the team announced that it would pursue Kobe Bryant as well. There is just one problem though, how does a lower tier Euroleague team have the sway, and by sway I mean money, to lure NBA talent to play for them? Williams’ one-year deal is said to be worth $5 million. However, the team has not released any numbers in terms of compensation. In Williams’ case, Besiktas’ coach Ergin Ataman said that the team’s president, Yildirim Demiroren, would find a sponsor to provide his salary.

When and if Williams touches down in Turkey he will likely not be the only NBA player on his team. Zaza Pachulia, of the Atlanta Hawks, has also structured a deal to play with Besiktas is the lockout cuts into the NBA season. It is always nice to see a friendly face in a foreign country.

Sonny Boy

Sonny Weems was one of the first players to show interest and then actually sign a contract to play overseas when the lockout started. However, it was not announced where he would sign although he already had a one year contract that did not have an opt-out clause. Now we know where he will play. Weems will play in Lithuania next season for Zalgiris Kaunas, the same team that Omar Samhan plays for.

Are they News Worthy?

While players around the league seem to be leaping at the opportunity to play overseas, one player has a different stance. Jonas Jerebko of the Detroit Pistons, though being a Swedish national, has no intentions of pursuing playing time in Europe or elsewhere. He wants to remain in the NBA. Detroit has offered him a qualifying offer of $1 million and will be able to match any offer he receives from other teams, when the lockout is over, as he is a free agent.

Where as Jerebko wishes to remain in the NBA, his teammate DaJuan Summers had different plans. Summers inked a two-year deal to play in Italy when the Pistons did not extend a qualifying offer to him earlier this summer.

Another player looking to play overseas is Adam Morrison. Yes, the same Adam Morrison who was drafted by the Charlotte Bobcats and eventually wore a suit on route to a ring with the Lakers. He did not play in the NBA last season and is looking to take his career elsewhere. Morrison may not have to look across oceans for playing time, however.

Canada’s newest basketball league, the National Basketball League of Canada, is looking to attracted minimum level salary NBA players to join their ranks during the lockout. Chances are this would be appealing to some current NBA players who are currently weighing their options and are not excited about the possibility of playing outside of North America. One has to imagine that the choice to play in Canada would be relatively safe as well, unless they somehow gain the following of the Vancouver Canucks and fail their fanbase horribly.

Can’t do no Wrong

After making it official that Frank Vogel would be the team’s full-time head coach, the Indiana Pacers have hired former Portland trail Blazers’ general manager Kevin Pritchard. He has been brought in a director of player personnel. Pritchard’s duties will include that of scouting and helping the team make decisions in free agency, whenever it eventually takes place. He is best known for turning around the franchise in Portland which was struggling after its “Jailblazer” days in the early part of the millenium.

While most teams have been relatively quiet during the lockout and watching their players sign contracts to play overseas, the Pacers have been making all the right moves to better themselves as an organization. This is a team on the rise in the league and it would not be surprising if they are mentioned as an elite team in the Eastern Conference in the coming years as their personnel and front office decisions have been on-point thus far this summer.

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by | June 1, 2011 · 4:53 PM

Young Shaq

Shaquille O’Neal‘s retirement has me feeling somewhat nostalgic today, as I am sure many of you have also been. I have been perusing YouTube watching videos of him dunking, swearing on live television, rapping about Kobe, and everything really. But this one video caught my attention. It is a clip of him playing one-on-one with Ahmad Rashad before he was drafted. He is about 20 years old in the video. It is easy to see that Shaq was dominant from a young age.

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by | · 2:01 PM

Shaquille O’Neal is Retiring

Retirement calling

The Big Aristotle announced that he is planning to retire in a video he posted on Twitter Wednesday afternoon. Twitter, as we all know, is a better form of direct communication that actually informing the team that he plays for that he planned to retire. He has always been the most quotatious and possessed the most social media savvy. Shaquille O’Neal played 19 professional seasons after being a standout at LSU. He has career averages of 23.7 points, 10.9 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game.

O’Neal asserted his dominance in the league early on in his time with the Orlando Magic taking the expansion franchise as far as the NBA Finals in 1995. It was not in Orlando where he would find his ultimate level of success.

O’Neal left the Magic in 1996 to join the Los Angeles Lakers where he would form, along with Kobe Bryant and head coach Phil Jackson, the first NBA dynasty of the 21st century winning three consecutive championships from 2000 to 2002. During this time, O’Neal enjoyed the most fruitful statistical production of his career.

However, not all was well in Lala Land and the O’Neal left the Lakers. He would win just one more title throughout the remainder of his career and shortly after that would see dramatic dips in his performance, playing time, and relevancy as he bounced from one team to another. That is not what he will be remembered for though.

O’Neal will be remembered for his dominant play during much of his career. He will be remembered for the new backboards that the league had to begin using because he kept toppling them with his strength. He will be remembered for his numerous “Shaq-isms” and for his 15 All Star appearances.And he will be remembered for being a Miami Beach police officer and for dancing with the Jabbawockeez. And let us not forget, he will be remembered for his numerous movies (Blue Chips was awesome) and rap albums.

The accolades that O’Neal has received are numerous. He was the NBA Rookie of the Year in the 1992-93 season, he has three All Star Game MVP’s, three NBA Finals MVP’s, and the NBA MVP. To go along with the hardware, O’Neal was also selected to the All NBA First Team eight times during his career. Internationally, he was a member of the bad-boy Dream Team 2 which took home the gold medal at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.

He scored 28,596 points over his career which places him fifth overall in NBA history. His 13,099 rebounds are good for 12th all time. He is a shoo in for a first ballot Hall of Fame induction.

Now that he has retired the only question is “what’s next” for O’Neal. One can only hope that he will join TNT so that he and Charles Barkley can establish what would be one of the best duos that television has ever seen.

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by | May 24, 2011 · 10:15 AM

Ri-DIRK-ulous

Rising above

The beliefs of many have been shattered this postseason. For years those who are less knowledgeable but rather vocal have been quick to defame and tarnish Dirk Nowitzki. They were quick to blame him for the Dallas Mavericks’ playoff missteps. Labels of soft and choker were pinned upon him. However, that will not be the case any longer. Of course he will have his detractors, those who refuse to give any amount of credence to his game, but they will be ignored as conventional knowledge has accepted Nowitzki’s game finally. Better late than never.

Game Four against the Oklahoma City Thunder will go down as one of the greatest comebacks in NBA playoff history and it was fueled by Nowitzki. With 5:08 left in the fourth quarter the Mavericks were down 15 to the Thunder, who were, along with the crowd, celebrating wildly. If only they knew how premature their celebrations would become. Dallas rattled off a 17-2 run to tie the game in regulation forcing overtime. Nowitzki scored twelve of the 17 points including two free throws, after Nick Collison was finally called for a foul on him, to tie the game as ice coursed through his veins. He would go on to tally 40 points for the game.

To those naysayers who have always jumped at the opportunity to throw the first stones at Nowitzki after a playoff defeat Game Four was an affront to their beliefs. They were left reeling like Harold Camping when the Rapture never came. This was Nowitzki’s second 40-pint outburst during the series, he scored 48 in Game One. He became the first player since Shaquille O’Neal in the 2000 Finals to have two 40-point games and shoot 60 percent or better in those games. Those are just a few more marks on Nowitzki’s bloated playoff résumé.

This postseason, as the nation has an opportunity to re-acquaint themselves with Dallas’ future Hall of Famer, Nowitzki has put on a clinic. Not only that, but he his making a case for the best clutch performer in the league. Those with knowledge know that Kobe Bryant does not perform well with the game on the line. Nowitzki’s Efficiency Rating in the clutch is an astounding +62.7. That is almost double both Dwyane Wade‘s and LeBron James‘ ratings. His rating skyrockets while his turnover ratio plummets to zero. Nowitzki does not turn the ball over in the clutch. This does not mean that his defenders are not trying to wrest the ball from him. They most certainly are only to the tune of sending him to the line 29.3 times during the last five minutes of a close game.

Not only in the closing minutes of a game as Nowitzki been key but in the fourth quarter he has thrived all season including the playoffs. Against the Thunder he has scored 46 points in the fourth quarter. He had 10 points in Game One, 16 in Game Two, and 10 in both Games Three and Four. In the final frame he has shot a combined 58.6 percent.

Nowitzki means everything to the Mavericks. That is why they made their strongest push to resign him last summer, foregoing the circus that engulfed much of free agency. In these playoffs, Nowitzki has shown why he is so valuable. When he is on the bench, the Mavericks’ offensive rating drops from 114.44 to 98.63. Their rebounding percentage drops from 50.3 to 42.9 and their true shooting percentage goes from 59.3 to 51.2. Those are just a few of the declines, and there are many, that Dallas experiences when Nowitzki sits.

Now that the media has flooded its coverage of the Mavericks with the amazing statistics that Nowitzki has put up throughout his career, the haters, detractors, and those who just had no clue have run out of ammunition. Dirk Nowitzki is one of the best players in this generation. Period. There can be no questioning that. He is a lock for first ballot Hall of Fame induction. The scrawny kid from Würzburg, Germany has become an unstoppable force. He now sits just one win away from returning to the NBA Finals. A return trip will give him the opportunity for vindication and possibly revenge. As he has shown all postseason, he does not miss his opportunities.

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by | May 5, 2011 · 9:11 AM

They Are Who No One Thought They Were

Take dat wid chu.

The city of Los Angeles is in shock and it is not because of a botched breast augmentation or one too many injections of Botox. No, it is because their team, the team they depend on so that they can be seen on national television, the Los Angeles Lakers are down 2-0 in a best of seven series with the Dallas Mavericks. Not only are they down 2-0 but the two games they lost were at the Staples Center. Right now the best thing the Staples Center has going for it is Youtube highlights of Blake Griffin, who just won rookie of the year.

This is the first time the two franchises have met in the playoffs since 1988 and the series has lived up to its billing, for one team at least. The Dallas Mavericks came back from a 16 point deficit in the first game of the series to win 96-94. This victory due to their extended bench which outscored the Lakers’ reserves 40-25. Phil Jackson was not overly thrilled about the developments in game one and went as far as emulating his star play in saying that he, and his team, was “worried.”

Kobe Bryant had said, after the Lakers game one loss, that he (I am paraphrasing here) was worried, and that the Maverick could beat the Lakers. Yes, Bryant is talking about the same Lakers that were a shoe-in to three-peat yet again. Bryant is also talking about the team with the most feared frontcourt outside of Dwight Howard. These are the Lakers, are they not? They are lords over the Western Conference (when the San Antonio Spurs are out of the equation), right? Who can possibly beat them?

The Dallas Mavericks.

Early on in game two, head coach Rick Carlisle set the tone. It wasn’t anything Marv Albert and Steve Kerr picked up on instantly, but it created an arena in which the Mavericks could operate on their terms.

Carlisle controlled the matchups. It was obvious to see from the start. When he went small and Dallas extended the lead, Phil Jackson was forced to adjust. Carlisle and Jackson have met before in the playoffs. Jackson got the best of him the first time they met. But, can one really say that when the team Jackson had before was a Bryant/Shaquille O’Neal team? No. That was the equivalent of Jordan/Pippen in 2000-03. It cannot be ignored, but it cannot be ignored in the same manner as Barry Bonds’ single season home run record cannot be ignored.

Phil Jackson and his Lakers had no answer in game two. Bryant provided and answer occasionally, but that was only to keep his team close. Close is never good enough, though.

The Dallas Mavericks played their tempo throughout the game. It would be easy to say that 40 of the 48 minutes were dominated by Dallas. The Lakers were lethargic and could not contend with a superior opponent. Los Angeles is not used to an opponent who can match them physically in the frontcourt. They have had a cakewalk to the finals the past few season. Now, they have a test. Now, they are losing.

Here at the Beef, especially this author, we love Ron Artest. However, we love him more in a pinstriped Indiana Pacers’ jersey than we ever could in purple and gold. In this series, he is little more than a distraction. The media will always want to remember him as the protagonist of the Malice in the Palace. That is not who he is any longer, though. He is still Ron Artest (and will potentially be suspended for game three), but Tony Allen has stolen his title in terms of defensive will and tenacity on the court.

Artest has become a non-factor  in this series. Who can he legitimately guard? Dirk Nowitzki can shoot over him and Shawn Marion can drive by him. He is out of place. The only player that he can flummox anymore is Peja Stojakovic and that is only because it is not difficult to defend a spot-up shooter. Yet, that is not to say that Stojakovic cannot get by Artest using the dribble. As he did so in both games.

Dallas controlled just about every aspect of game two. No, scratch that, they won the game handily and therefore controlled the game throughout. Even when the Lakers gained the lead, for the fleeting moments that they did, it did not appear as they had any semblance of control on the game. Dallas was making a statement, and that statement came from Würzburg, Germany.

Nobody in the NBA can guard Nowitzki. His off-legged jumper is something that will go down in the annals of NBA history as something that can never be duplicated. Charles Barkley said that when you guard Nowitzki you need a cigarette and a blindfold. Phil Jackson, Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, and Ron Artest have masked their eyes and are presently smoking. What Nowitzki has done would be incomprehensible had we not seen him execute his offense to perfection for the past 13 season. Even though we have seen it before, it is not any less remarkable and is still spectacularly difficult to defend.

The Mavericks have always been considered a soft, jump shooting team. Fair enough, they were. But ask the Lakers if that is what they are currently. Dallas has grown, not only in size but in toughness. Tyson Chandler has changed the mentality in Dallas.

Los Angeles’ lauded big men have met their match through two games in the Western Conference Semi Finals. Andrew Bynum has not played like the young, overhyped center that some mistakenly believed he was, but more like the young, oversized player who is not used to taking on a challenge equal in stature to himself.

Dallas has big men to match the Lakers. When Chandler is on the court, Bynum’s numbers drop. He has only averaged 12.8 points and has an efficiency rating of -7.2. That rating is indicative of the Mavericks’ defensive resolve thus far in the series.  It is not just Chandler who is giving Bynum fits, as he is no longer swiping at the ball and instead holding his ground and not committing the foul. Along with Chandler, Brendan Haywood has also stepped up to become an unsung hero of the playoffs for the Mavericks as well.

With Haywood on the floor, Bynum’s rebounding numbers drop from 11.4, in the two games, to 8.6. His overall efficiency sees a decline as well from 1.1 to -17.1. Added to that is the fact that, through this series so far, Haywood has been accountable for every block the Mavericks have recorded while he is on the floor. Mark Cuban paid the money for a two-headed beast in the middle and that beast is dominating the defending champions.

The Mavericks are still a jump shooting team, however. This has worked against them in the past, but not so far against the Lakers. Taking the ball into the teeth of the Lakers’ defense is exactly what Los Angeles baits their opponents into doing. The Mavericks are stubborn. They still remember that Don Nelson taught them (the ones he coached at least) that the best shot is a jump shot. Only this Dallas team does not rely entirely on it.

In the two games against the Lakers, the Mavericks have employed and offense predicated on ball movement. Sure, occasionally Jason Terry holds the ball for too long and is forced into a low percentage shot but the Lakers have yet to fully capitalize on such situations. Dallas knows that driving into the paint against the Lakers is folly to an extent. But they must do it anyway. It opens up passing lanes and, as game two displayed, it leaves perimeter shooters such as DeShawn Stevenson and Stojakovic open.Three-point shooting has been key for the Mavericks thus far.

When the Mavericks do capitalize in the paint it is with J.J. Barea. So far the Los Angeles has yet to check him. In fact, they never will. Barea’s speed on the court is something that no Laker can contend with. Shannon Brown will be a step or two behind him and wholly out-of-place in terms of defensive positioning. It is testament to Barea’s courage that he competes for the same ground  on the floor that Bynum and Gasol feel is their birthright to defend. Having Steve Blake guard Barea is laughable at best right now.

The Dallas Mavericks learned from Brandon Roy. Roy torched them and lead his Portland Trail Blazers to victory in game four of the opening round, thereby tying the series 2-2. People doubted the Mavericks’ resolve. Portland never won another game in that series. Now, Dallas is on a four game win-streak. Most everyone had them written off on six in the first round but , surprise, these are not the old Dallas Mavericks. This is a team who has won four in a row and three straight on the road. Doubt them no longer.

Yes, the Mavericks have been up 2-0 before, but this time it is different. This time there will be no phantom calls that Stern calls down to his minions. Oh yes, the Lakers will fight. They must and Bryant will spearhead their assault. But, what can they do at this point? They have yet to get a meaningful stop, they are getting out coached, and Nowitzki is playing as if his defenders were rag dolls. This is Dallas’ series to win. The Lakers, after years of coasting through the Western Conference Playoffs, have finally met their match. Dallas has stung the champs and Los Angeles will not recover.

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by | May 1, 2011 · 11:05 AM

Eastern Conference Playoff Predictions: Heat vs. Celtics

Point authority

Time for lunch.

2. Miami Heat vs. 3. Boston Celtics

What we know is that the Miami Heat wanted to see the Boston Celtics in the playoffs. They have wanted to meet them on this stage since the two teams squared off in the first game of the season. Well, now the Heat have their wish. This team, manufactured with All-Stars, will finally have a chance to prove to themselves and everyone else that they are indeed a worthy playoff contender capable of going head-to-head with the Celtics for the right to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals and potentially the NBA Finals.

Both of these teams posted outstanding defensive numbers during the regular season. Boston had the second best team defensive rating of 100.3 while the Heat were fifth with a rating of 103.5. This will lead to a grind it out series that both of these teams like to play. In the first round, Miami did not have an easy time with the Philadelphia 76ers, save for one game. They won that series by relying heavily on their defense and their ability to draw fouls and get to the free throw line. As for the Celtics, they swept the New York Knicks but had to contest and double-team a red-hot Carmelo Anthony who willed the Knicks through the series to make close despite the complete lack of defensive effort by his squad against Boston.

Marquee Matchups:

Rajon Rondo vs. Miami’s backcourt

Rondo has been called the head of the snake, and for good reason. In the three wins that the Celtics had against the Heat during the regular season, Rondo had no less than 10 assists. Miami will be tasked with trying cut off that head if they are to have a chance at moving to the Eastern Conference Finals. Tasked with the main duties of guarding Rondo will be Mike Bibby and Mario Chalmers. Neither of these players are ideal for duties before them. Chalmers, during the regular season, had a plus/minus of -10.7 when Rondo was on the floor. As for Bibby, well, he is not noted for his defense.

Due to this the Heat will likely employ a platoon defense against Rondo with Dwyane Wade, who averaged only 13 points per game against Boston, and even LeBron James at times. It will take a team effort to slow down or stop Rondo from dissecting Miami’s defense. What has to be disconcerting for Miami, though is that Rondo is averaging 12 assists in the playoffs so far and is averaging 19 points. Bringing a double-team to trap Rondo may be a good option to get the ball out of his hands but the Celtics could capitalize on such a scenario by getting an open look for Ray Allen.

Paul Pierce vs. LeBron James

James has the advantage in this matchup because of his size and strength. These advantages were apparent during their regular season meetings as Pierce’s number, per 36 minutes, were down across the board when James was on the floor. James limited the number of shots that Pierce took to 10.8 per game. His season average in field goal attempts was 13.3. Pierce’s field goal percentage also dips while James is on the floor from a season average of 50 percent to 42 percent when James is defending him.

James, however, does not see a considerable decline in any of his numbers when Pierce is on the floor with him. What is concerning is that James’ plus/minus, which was a 7.3 during the season, drops to a -1.1 with Pierce guarding him. When Pierce is not on the court, James’ plus/minus skyrockets to 34.8. Clearly, Pierce does something right but that discrepancy is also a testamate to the team defense of the Celtics’ starting five.

X-Factors:

Shaquille O’Neal will not play in game one. He is practicing with the team and could play during this series…maybe. Doc Rivers and the Celtics are not releasing much information on O’Neal’s condition. Because of the uncertainties surrounding the future Hall of Famer, Boston will need a larger contribution from Glen Davis than they did in the first round. Baby Davis, as Hubie Brown likes to call him, averaged just six points against the Knicks. Miami’s frontcourt is not offensively daunting outside of Chris Bosh, who will be checkmated by Kevin Garnett, but they are good rebounders. Boston will also need zombie Jermaine O’Neal to play well for them like he did in the first game against New York.

For the Heat, the broken record continues to skip. They need someone other than their big three to step up at times and knockdown shots when the team needs them. This will have to be either Chalmers or Bibby since Udonis Haslem will not play in the series.

Prediction:

This has the potential to be an extremely physical series but the Celtics have the Heat’s number. They proved it all season. When the Heat beat Boston in their last meeting during the regular season, the Celtics were coasting and the game could have meant less to them. However, it meant the world to the Heat. Miami knew they would have to go through Boston. They want to be great and the Celtics will be their trial by fire. One can never count out a hungry team with something to prove and Miami has everything to prove in this series. Celtics defeat the Heat 4-2.

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by | April 24, 2011 · 5:51 PM

Knicks face questions about the future after being swept by the Celtics

Sorry, Spike

Remember all of those late season struggles that the Boston Celtics experienced? Of course you do not, you fickle minded fool! That was then and then was the regular season. Boston has had the same M.O. for the past couple of seasons and that is to coast all the way to the post season where the games actually matter. That is exactly what they did again.

Boston won game four against the New York Knicks after the Knicks almost completely wiped away a 23 point deficit to trail by four with roughly seven minutes left in the fourth quarter. Unfortunately for the Knicks, the Celtics are not the Dallas Mavericks.

Now, Boston will advance to meet the winner of the Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers series. As the Heat are up 3-1 in the series it is likely that they will be the ones to advance because no team in NBA history has ever come back from and 0-3 deficit to win a series.

The lingering question for the Cetics right know is the condition of Shaquille O’Neal and whether he will return to action soon. However, after the way Boston handled the frontcourt in New York, Miami’s should not prove to be that difficult as they rarely see the ball come their way on offense.

As for the Knicks? They are going fishing. This offseason promises to be one laden with questions about the future of the organization. New York has the option to pick up the final year on Chauncey Billups‘ contract which is worth approximately $14 million. Whether or not they want to spend that money on an aging veteran who provided little for them this season has yet to be seen. Billups is just the marquee name on the list of players that may find new homes next season. Anthony Carter, Roger Mason Jr., Kelenna Azubuike, Shawne Williams, Derrick Brown, Ronny Turiaf, Jared Jeffries, and Shelden Williams are all free agents this summer. That leaves a very sparse lineup in New York.

Another big question that is looming is whether General Manager Donnie Walsh will remain with the team. There have been rumors that if Walsh were to leave the organization Bryan Colangelo might step in to fill his vacancy as he is likely on his way out as general manager  in Toronto. Also, who really knows if Mike D’Antoni’s job is safe after speculation that Anthony does not fit well into his system and after the Celtics manhandled the Knicks, who did not show much effort on the defensive end of the floor,  in the playoff.

One thing is certain, if the Knicks are smart, they will build around Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire for the long term. If they do not pick up the option on Billups their top priority should be a point guard. They had a good one in Raymond Felton before he became one of the many pieces in the deal to bring Anthony to New York.

Oh, and we all know that somehow Isiah Thomas is going to be brought up more than once this summer. Consider yourselves warned, Knicks fans. It is going to happen.

Image via Swag Diaries

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by | April 21, 2011 · 4:32 PM

Shaq Posterizes David Robinson during 1996 All Star Game

Since the Celtics made the GIGANTIC mistake of bringing in Shaquille O’Neal, the world is forgetting how dominating he was.  Yes, forget about the movie Kazaam and the Shaq Diesel album and instead remember this monster that defined the position with over 28,500 points and 13,000 rebounds amassed during his career.

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