Tonight, I had a summer league basketball game. It's a men's league. It's ultimately meaningless, but the spirit of competition is strong in this league. Moreover, the talent level is pretty high, so it's a great outlet for my competitive drive.
We played the best team in the league tonight. This team has won this league for 4 years in a row. It's made up of a bunch of former all-state players, some stand-out athletes (one actually played major league soccer for a short time), and some guys who currently play in college.
One player on that team is generally considered the best player in the league. He graduated from a prep school a few years ago and went on to play for one of the best division 3 college basketball teams in the country. He's a 6'3" point guard who was a McDonald's All-American nominee (which isn't quite as spectacular as it sounds, but you still have to be a pretty solid player) in high school. He averaged over 20 points per game during his prep school days, and now starts for his college team.
He's a very good player. Very fundamentally sound. Good shooter. That said, anyone watching the game tonight would have said that I completely outplayed him.
Let me break that down: I'm a 5'9", 27 year old pharmacist who has chronic pain in his feet and ankles which isn't helped by spending 10 to 12 hours standing up at work. He's a 6'3", 20 year old, high level division 3 college basketball player who presumably keeps his conditioning up in the off-season in order to be ready for his college season. I outplayed him.
This wasn't a fluke either. I've played him before, and he simply cannot guard me. Granted, if I were to cover him, I wouldn't be able to guard him either because he has a lot of size on me. He'd just post me up all day. However, he's supposed to be a college point guard. He's supposed to be able to defend other point guards. I'm sure he's asked to guard the other team's point guard in every game he plays in college.
He can't guard me though. I'm too fast for him. Again, I'm 7 years older than him with a job that pretty much laughs in the face of anyone who tries to maintain a high level of fitness, and I'm too fast for him.
I scored 29 points tonight. I hit 7 three-pointers, most of which were the quick catch and shoot variety. I even got a chance to talk a little trash to this college player. I came down the right side of the court one time and realized I had a whole side cleared out. I crossed over hard to the left, and he bit on it. Off of the left cross, I quickly put the ball back through my legs to go right. He recovered a little bit, but he was completely on his heels, so I pumped the ball through my legs 2 more times really quickly as he kind of stammered backwards before finally just blowing right by him to the right. The only thing he could do was reach out and grab me so I wouldn't get an easy layup.
After that play, I just looked at him and proclaimed, "he's too slow," and I just repeated it a couple times for emphasis. He tried to talk trash right back to me, but what could he really say? I could get by him any time I wanted. He knew it. I knew it.
We ended up losing the game in overtime, but we really had no business being that close to that team. They're better than us. However, I'm so pleased with the way I played that I sort of consider it a moral victory.
You know... Maybe it is completely meaningless. You'll never find a stat sheet for this game. There's no media coverage of a men's summer league basketball game. There are no record books in this league. People will forget about this particular game within a couple of weeks.
It's not meaningless to me though. I knew I was never going to play in the NBA, and I chose my college for it's pharmacy program without regard to whether I could play basketball there (and for the record, I wouldn't have had a chance. I went to school at one of the best division 1 college basketball programs in the country). Even if I could have played college ball somewhere, I wouldn't have because I knew I had to build towards a future career. However, this shows me that I could have played at a higher level than high school. It shows me that the thousands of hours I spent dribbling a basketball when I was a kid weren't a total waste of my time.
Even if ultimately, whether I'm a good basketball player or not doesn't change my life in any meaningful way, I figure most other people spend plenty of time on meaningless endeavors. For example, how many people play golf in their spare time? How many of those are on the PGA Tour? Yet, they still all go out there trying to improve on their scores each time. People draw, paint, write, knit, and do countless other things to occupy their time. Do they not try to do as good a job as possible even if ultimately it won't get them anywhere?
Why should basketball be different? If anything, it's better than all that stuff. Basketball is a physically demanding sport. How many 27 year olds do you see that can go toe to toe with current college basketball players? Most of my friends have reached the age where they're starting to give up on basketball in favor of playing softball, which basically amounts to hanging out for a few innings just waiting to drink beer after the game. I, on the other hand, am still too fast for a college point guard. I can shoot a basketball as well as anyone, and I can dribble a basketball better than pretty much anyone.
It's something I'm proud of. I worked really hard and sacrificed a lot of time when I was young developing these skills. My basketball skills are obviously not readily apparent to people just meeting me. That's why I like it when people I know come to watch me play. It's a part of my personality that goes mostly unnoticed, but it's such a huge part of who I am. Sometimes, I feel like you can't truly understand me until you see me with a basketball in my hands. Some guys want to show off that they can play an instrument or cook well. I want to show that I'm a good basketball player. It's a form of self-expression to me.
Anyway... I rambled on for long enough. I'm just excited that I played so well tonight. Felt like sharing. Unfortunately, the virtual masses are my only audience at the moment.
Showing posts with label sports. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sports. Show all posts
Monday, July 6, 2009
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Why I Play Basketball
The last few months have been big basketball months with the NCAA Tournament in March and now the NBA Playoffs. Basketball is constantly on my mind, so you'll just have to bear with me.
Anyway...
Basketball is actually a game that frustrates me more than it's fun for me. Every time I go out there and struggle with my jumpshot or playmaking, it eats at me. However, I keep on playing, and the reason is that nothing else in the world can provide me with the same sort of high that basketball can give me.
My favorite player, Ray Allen, recently exploded for 51 points in a playoff game (the Celtics' game 6 loss to the Bulls). He hit 9 three pointers total, and seemingly every single time Boston needed a big shot, he was there to hit it. He was most definitely in the proverbial zone, and being a future Hall of Famer and possibly the greatest shooter who's ever touched a basketball, Ray Allen is no stranger to being in the zone.
After a big game several years ago, Ray Allen once said that scoring 40+ points in a game isn't hard, at least not while you're doing it. When you're having a game like that, the game just feels so easy to you. You just feel like you have a great rhythm all game. Every jumper you take goes in. Every dribble move you make gets you open. Basically, you feel like you're just out there shooting all by yourself.
Now, I'm no Ray Allen, but I've been in those types of grooves before. Games like that are the major reason I play basketball.
Those games always start innocently enough. You come out, hit your first 3 pointer you take, and realize that your shot felt pretty good coming out of your hands. You hit the next open one. The next time you touch the ball, you ball fake to the right, take a couple hard dribbles to the left, pull-up and hit a jumper in the defender's face.
Now, you know you have it going. Suddenly, your whole mentality changes. Normally, when I play, I'm concentrating on what I have to do in order to hit my next shot. I think about getting my feet set, my shoulders square, and getting good extension on my release. However, when I get into that zone, I stop thinking about those things. Instead, I only think about how I can get open for my next shot. I stop worrying about whether I'm going to hit my next shot. Missing doesn't even seem like an option anymore. I just want to get open because I know if I can just get off a shot, I'm going to score.
The feeling is so empowering; I can't even describe it if you've never been in that situation. You just know there's nothing anyone can do to stop you. The other team realizes that you're on fire, and they start trying to do whatever they can to keep you from scoring. They start yelling to each other, "Watch the shooter on your side!!" or "Make sure to jump out on all those screens!" They start instructing your defender to "never leave him open to provide help defense," or they say "help off ANYONE BUT HIM."
Their efforts don't matter though, especially if you have a quick release on your jumpshot. I don't need a whole lot of separation to get my shot off, and I have range out to the NBA 3-point line. I only need a split second of daylight to get off a shot, and if I'm on, I can be a nightmare to cover. No defensive player can stay attached to your hip every second of every possession. Eventually, there's going to be a mental lapse. Eventually the defender will run into a screen, and I'll be able to get my shot off, and when I'm on, it's going to go in.
With each shot you make, the defense gets more and more frustrated. They start switching defenders on you. They start switching and making rotations that they normally wouldn't in an attempt to keep you from beating them. They spend so much energy trying to stop you that they leave your teammates wide open for easy layups. They worry about your jumpshot so much that even the slightest head fake will send them jumping out of their shoes allowing you to get to the basket. You're just in total control. It's exhilarating.
I've felt like this more than a few times, but usually it was in pick-up games that don't really count for anything. I don't want to share all the actual games I've ever been in the zone, but two of them really stand out in my mind.
In one, I couldn't make a shot for the entire first half. I was playing terrible. I had 4 points on 4 free throws, but that was it. My team was down 18 at half and looked like we were going to be run out of the gym. I don't know what changed after halftime, but I couldn't miss in the second half. I was hitting shots from everywhere. Crazy shots, with hands in my face, fade away three's, everything was going for me. I ended up scoring 28 points in the second half (32 points total), and we ended up cutting the lead down to 2 points. We still lost, but we put a scare into a team that had yet to lose that season. At the time of this game, my career high was 26 points. I scored more points in the second half of the game than I ever did in an entire game before.
The other game was quite the opposite. I started out making shots, and I just never stopped. I came out and hit four 3-pointers in the first 8 minutes of the game. By the time I went to the bench for the first time with 5 minutes remaining in the half, I hit 5 three's. I came out to start the second half and did the same thing. I ended up hitting 4 more three's in the second half for a total of 9 in the game. By the time, I went to the bench for the final time with 10 minutes to go in the game (we were beating the team by over 20), I had 30 points (the 9 three's and one three-point play). I can't remember exactly, but I think I went 9 for 11 from the 3-point line that game. I've never shot the ball that well before... or since.
Games like those are the reason I keep playing despite my frustrations with the game. Generally, I'm a good player and a good shooter, but I really play for the small chance that I'm going to go out there and be great. So few people ever get to experience being great at something. So few people get to experience invoking awe in those around them. I'm glad that I've had that experience regardless of how small of a scale it may have been.
Anyway...
Basketball is actually a game that frustrates me more than it's fun for me. Every time I go out there and struggle with my jumpshot or playmaking, it eats at me. However, I keep on playing, and the reason is that nothing else in the world can provide me with the same sort of high that basketball can give me.
My favorite player, Ray Allen, recently exploded for 51 points in a playoff game (the Celtics' game 6 loss to the Bulls). He hit 9 three pointers total, and seemingly every single time Boston needed a big shot, he was there to hit it. He was most definitely in the proverbial zone, and being a future Hall of Famer and possibly the greatest shooter who's ever touched a basketball, Ray Allen is no stranger to being in the zone.
After a big game several years ago, Ray Allen once said that scoring 40+ points in a game isn't hard, at least not while you're doing it. When you're having a game like that, the game just feels so easy to you. You just feel like you have a great rhythm all game. Every jumper you take goes in. Every dribble move you make gets you open. Basically, you feel like you're just out there shooting all by yourself.
Now, I'm no Ray Allen, but I've been in those types of grooves before. Games like that are the major reason I play basketball.
Those games always start innocently enough. You come out, hit your first 3 pointer you take, and realize that your shot felt pretty good coming out of your hands. You hit the next open one. The next time you touch the ball, you ball fake to the right, take a couple hard dribbles to the left, pull-up and hit a jumper in the defender's face.
Now, you know you have it going. Suddenly, your whole mentality changes. Normally, when I play, I'm concentrating on what I have to do in order to hit my next shot. I think about getting my feet set, my shoulders square, and getting good extension on my release. However, when I get into that zone, I stop thinking about those things. Instead, I only think about how I can get open for my next shot. I stop worrying about whether I'm going to hit my next shot. Missing doesn't even seem like an option anymore. I just want to get open because I know if I can just get off a shot, I'm going to score.
The feeling is so empowering; I can't even describe it if you've never been in that situation. You just know there's nothing anyone can do to stop you. The other team realizes that you're on fire, and they start trying to do whatever they can to keep you from scoring. They start yelling to each other, "Watch the shooter on your side!!" or "Make sure to jump out on all those screens!" They start instructing your defender to "never leave him open to provide help defense," or they say "help off ANYONE BUT HIM."
Their efforts don't matter though, especially if you have a quick release on your jumpshot. I don't need a whole lot of separation to get my shot off, and I have range out to the NBA 3-point line. I only need a split second of daylight to get off a shot, and if I'm on, I can be a nightmare to cover. No defensive player can stay attached to your hip every second of every possession. Eventually, there's going to be a mental lapse. Eventually the defender will run into a screen, and I'll be able to get my shot off, and when I'm on, it's going to go in.
With each shot you make, the defense gets more and more frustrated. They start switching defenders on you. They start switching and making rotations that they normally wouldn't in an attempt to keep you from beating them. They spend so much energy trying to stop you that they leave your teammates wide open for easy layups. They worry about your jumpshot so much that even the slightest head fake will send them jumping out of their shoes allowing you to get to the basket. You're just in total control. It's exhilarating.
I've felt like this more than a few times, but usually it was in pick-up games that don't really count for anything. I don't want to share all the actual games I've ever been in the zone, but two of them really stand out in my mind.
In one, I couldn't make a shot for the entire first half. I was playing terrible. I had 4 points on 4 free throws, but that was it. My team was down 18 at half and looked like we were going to be run out of the gym. I don't know what changed after halftime, but I couldn't miss in the second half. I was hitting shots from everywhere. Crazy shots, with hands in my face, fade away three's, everything was going for me. I ended up scoring 28 points in the second half (32 points total), and we ended up cutting the lead down to 2 points. We still lost, but we put a scare into a team that had yet to lose that season. At the time of this game, my career high was 26 points. I scored more points in the second half of the game than I ever did in an entire game before.
The other game was quite the opposite. I started out making shots, and I just never stopped. I came out and hit four 3-pointers in the first 8 minutes of the game. By the time I went to the bench for the first time with 5 minutes remaining in the half, I hit 5 three's. I came out to start the second half and did the same thing. I ended up hitting 4 more three's in the second half for a total of 9 in the game. By the time, I went to the bench for the final time with 10 minutes to go in the game (we were beating the team by over 20), I had 30 points (the 9 three's and one three-point play). I can't remember exactly, but I think I went 9 for 11 from the 3-point line that game. I've never shot the ball that well before... or since.
Games like those are the reason I keep playing despite my frustrations with the game. Generally, I'm a good player and a good shooter, but I really play for the small chance that I'm going to go out there and be great. So few people ever get to experience being great at something. So few people get to experience invoking awe in those around them. I'm glad that I've had that experience regardless of how small of a scale it may have been.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Observations on the Olympics
I haven't posted in a while. Frankly, I don't have much to write about. I've been busy living life to the fullest (HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA). No seriously... I've been pretty active recently, so no time or material for the blog. Not that anyone really cares anyway...
I've been watching the Olympics pretty much non-stop for the past couple of weeks, and I have a few observations I'd like to share with you.
First in women's beach volleyball: I got a kick out of their being cheerleaders for women's beach volleyball games. The cheerleaders were were wearing bikinis, and they still had more clothing on than the girls actually playing volleyball. This is another sport that makes an interesting statement about women. Men beach volleyball players have full uniforms (shorts and sleeveless t-shirts). Women beach volleyball players wear tiny bikini bottoms and basically a sports bra. Is there any particular reason these women can't wear shorts? Is it really more comfortable to dive around in sand in a bikini than it is with more clothing on? Of course, the scantily clad (incredibly tall) women are what draw in the viewers.
On the subject of volleyball: I'm convinced that Lebron James would be the greatest volleyball player in history if he ever tried playing. Really... He'd be unstoppable. He's 6'8", jumps incredibly high, and has great quickness in speed. Plus, he's very strong, so one of his spikes would probably be about 90 mph. I dare anyone to get in the way of one of those bullet spikes. How would anyone be able to spike it over or through him? He could get so high that he could practically block or spike the ball with his head. I'm telling you, he'd be the greatest of all time.
Moreover, I'm convinced that if you took the USA men's basketball team and put them on a volleyball court with only about a week to practice, they'd be competitive. Give them a year to practice, and they'd win a gold medal in the sport. Could you imagine that team? Lebron James (6'8"), Kobe Bryant (6'6"), Dwight Howard (6'11"), Chris Bosh (6'10")... All of them are quick and can jump. You could even add Jason Kidd (6'4") to give them all perfect sets to spike the ball. Honestly... Would you bet against that team? Too bad professional volleyball players can't make $15 million per year. Watching those guys dominate volleyball might actually be more fun than watching them play basketball.
Finally, by societal norms I'm obligated to say something about The Golden Boy, Michael Phelps. By now, we've all been convinced that Phelps isn't actually human, but instead a perfectly engineered swimming cyborg. I'll spare you more talk about how great he is (is there anything left to say???). I just want to mention this new term that is being used to describe amazing athletic achievements: Phelpsian. Yesterday, the USA women's volleyball team won their 107th straight match, and the announcer described that accomplishment as Phelpsian.
My prediction... If it hasn't already happened, we're going to get pretty sick of hearing about Michael Phelps. By now, we all know what's on his MP3 player, what and how much he eats every day, how many days per week he trains, how many hours each day he trains, and I'm sure someone somewhere has the schedule which outlines exactly when he can take a shit. Remember folks... This is swimming here. Three weeks ago, no one cared about swimming. Three weeks from now, no one is going to care about swimming... until the 2012 games when the golden cyborg decides to swim for 10 gold medals. Then the hysteria will start again. Let's just give the kid's name a little bit of a break for now so that when he does come into the national spotlight again 4 years from now, we all won't be sick of hearing about him.
I'm currently in the middle of a week off from work, and I'm enjoying my free time immensely. Maybe when I get back to the source of frustration that I call a job, I'll have more to write about.
I've been watching the Olympics pretty much non-stop for the past couple of weeks, and I have a few observations I'd like to share with you.
First in women's beach volleyball: I got a kick out of their being cheerleaders for women's beach volleyball games. The cheerleaders were were wearing bikinis, and they still had more clothing on than the girls actually playing volleyball. This is another sport that makes an interesting statement about women. Men beach volleyball players have full uniforms (shorts and sleeveless t-shirts). Women beach volleyball players wear tiny bikini bottoms and basically a sports bra. Is there any particular reason these women can't wear shorts? Is it really more comfortable to dive around in sand in a bikini than it is with more clothing on? Of course, the scantily clad (incredibly tall) women are what draw in the viewers.
On the subject of volleyball: I'm convinced that Lebron James would be the greatest volleyball player in history if he ever tried playing. Really... He'd be unstoppable. He's 6'8", jumps incredibly high, and has great quickness in speed. Plus, he's very strong, so one of his spikes would probably be about 90 mph. I dare anyone to get in the way of one of those bullet spikes. How would anyone be able to spike it over or through him? He could get so high that he could practically block or spike the ball with his head. I'm telling you, he'd be the greatest of all time.
Moreover, I'm convinced that if you took the USA men's basketball team and put them on a volleyball court with only about a week to practice, they'd be competitive. Give them a year to practice, and they'd win a gold medal in the sport. Could you imagine that team? Lebron James (6'8"), Kobe Bryant (6'6"), Dwight Howard (6'11"), Chris Bosh (6'10")... All of them are quick and can jump. You could even add Jason Kidd (6'4") to give them all perfect sets to spike the ball. Honestly... Would you bet against that team? Too bad professional volleyball players can't make $15 million per year. Watching those guys dominate volleyball might actually be more fun than watching them play basketball.
Finally, by societal norms I'm obligated to say something about The Golden Boy, Michael Phelps. By now, we've all been convinced that Phelps isn't actually human, but instead a perfectly engineered swimming cyborg. I'll spare you more talk about how great he is (is there anything left to say???). I just want to mention this new term that is being used to describe amazing athletic achievements: Phelpsian. Yesterday, the USA women's volleyball team won their 107th straight match, and the announcer described that accomplishment as Phelpsian.
My prediction... If it hasn't already happened, we're going to get pretty sick of hearing about Michael Phelps. By now, we all know what's on his MP3 player, what and how much he eats every day, how many days per week he trains, how many hours each day he trains, and I'm sure someone somewhere has the schedule which outlines exactly when he can take a shit. Remember folks... This is swimming here. Three weeks ago, no one cared about swimming. Three weeks from now, no one is going to care about swimming... until the 2012 games when the golden cyborg decides to swim for 10 gold medals. Then the hysteria will start again. Let's just give the kid's name a little bit of a break for now so that when he does come into the national spotlight again 4 years from now, we all won't be sick of hearing about him.
I'm currently in the middle of a week off from work, and I'm enjoying my free time immensely. Maybe when I get back to the source of frustration that I call a job, I'll have more to write about.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
This Post is for Manu
When talking about sports fans, you normally get 3 types:
1) The casual fan that has a favorite team, but doesn't really follow them during the year. They'll get together with a bunch of people to watch a game because of the opportunity to socialize, but most couldn't even name 3 guys on the team.
2) The fanatic- These are the fans that live and breathe based on how their team is playing. They entirely biased towards their own players, and they often spend as much time rooting against rival teams as they do rooting for their own team.
3) The sensible fan- I'm a sensible fan, and from the sounds of things, Manu, a frequent commenter of my blog, is also. Sensible fans have a favorite team, but can watch and evaluate them with little or no bias.
With that in mind, I'm going to give my sensible fans analysis of the Celtics/Cavs series. I might be a pharmacist, but I was a basketball player LONG before I even knew what a pharmacist was. It's the closest thing I have to a passion in life.
The Celtics' playoff woes I mostly attribute to Doc Rivers completely changing his substitution schemes from the regular season. In the regular season, Eddie House saw a lot of minutes. Leon Powe saw a lot of minutes. James Posey saw a lot of minutes. They all made big contributions to the team, but in the playoffs (with the exception of Posey, who is getting minutes but being used differently), these guys haven't been given an opportunity to help the team.
Game 6 was the first time in the entire playoffs that Eddie House played extended minutes. Doc Rivers has opted for Sam Cassell in his place for the rest of the playoffs. Cassell is great when he's hitting his jumpshots, but he's a very one dimensional player. He cannot guard a lamp post. He is simply incapable of doing anything off the dribble. Moreover, he's constantly looking for his own shot instead of trying to set up his teammates. It's not exactly a quality you're looking for from a point guard with a team that has 3 all-stars on it.
Eddie House gives the Celtics offense in an entirely different look, which makes him a great backup to Rajon Rondo. First of all, House is a very good shooter. The Cavs have to respect his shooting ability, so they can't slack off him on defense. That opens up the post for Kevin Garnett, and it also gives Paul Pierce a little extra space to drive to the basket. Secondly, Eddie House is a pretty decent defender, which is great because the Celtics are a defensive team.
As for the Celtics' all-stars... Kevin Garnett is going to be Kevin Garnett. There's really not a player who can take him out of his game. He's just too tall and too long for other power forwards to guard. He can step out and consistently make that 18-20 foot jumpshot, and his release is so high that there's really nothing anyone can do to even contest that shot. He can shoot it all day if he wants to, and I'm not saying he should. I would love to see Garnett get the ball on the block and make a few more moves towards the basket instead of fading away. However, that is the one weakness in KG's game. He's not really a scorer. He can get you 20 to 30 points on any given night, but he's not a guy that you can depend on to provide your offensive firepower. He's a complete player. He's a great defender and rebounder. He's just not a natural scorer.
This brings me to Paul Pierce. Now Pierce is a scorer. His primary function on the court is to put the ball in the basket as many times as he possibly can. He's very good at it... usually. The problem in this series is that he's being defended by Lebron James. Lebron James isn't a great defender (he's not bad though). He's just a really bad match up for Pierce. Pierce's offensive game is predicated on the fact that he's bigger and stronger than most of the players who are matched up against him. Against most players he can weave and spin his way into the lane and either finish at the rim or shoot his jumpshot over a smaller defender. Lebron James is his worst nightmare though. Lebron is quicker than he is. Lebron is taller that he is, and maybe most importantly, Lebron is much stronger than he is. When Pierce tries to use his body against Lebron, it's like he's hitting a brick wall. Moreover, Pierce isn't really good at curling off screens and moving without the ball. Most of his scoring is done through isolation sets where he tries to take his man one-on-one. Since he can't beat Lebron James consistently, the Celtics' offense kind of stagnates once it gets in Pierce's hands. Everyone waits for him to make an offensive move, but he's just not very succesful.
Finally, this brings me to Ray Allen. Ray Allen is having a HORRIBLE series. He just can't seem to get into any rhythm on the court. Wally Sczerbiak is guarding him, so it's not like he's got some lockdown defender on him. Ray's just not in the flow of the offense at all. I blame Doc Rivers for this. It almost seems like Doc never watched Ray Allen play before this season. What seems to be a little known fact by most fans of the NBA is that Ray Allen is much more than a spot up shooter. Yes, he's one of the greatest shooters to ever touch a basketball, but that ability overshadows just how complete of an offensive player he's been for the last 7 or 8 seasons. The guy has averaged around 24 points per game over that span. You don't average that many points simply by shooting 3's. Ray Allen is a great penetrator. He can shoot a variety of pull up and fade away jumpers in traffic. His best trait though is that he's extremely good at coming off screens. If you go and make it a point to be constantly setting screens for him, he'll really come to life. The guy is constantly moving. He's very good at curling off screens not only for pull up jumpers, but also finding cutters and dishing out for open jumpshots.
I honestly think that if the Celtics want to be successful in these playoffs, Doc Rivers needs to take the handcuffs off Ray Allen. Just let him go out there and do his thing. He's one of the best clutch performers in the league, but you have to give him a chance to show it. Let him create his own shots. Let him pull up for 3's on a fast break. Give him an isolation set where he can freeze his defender with a dribble move, then step back and knock down a jumper. People love to compare him to Reggie Miller, but the fact of the matter is that he's closer to a Kobe Bryant in terms of all-around offensive ability than he is to Reggie Miller. Ray can, and has many times in the past, carry a team. Just make it a point to get the guy at the very least 15 to 20 shots, and you'll see that confidence and that swagger come back. Once he becomes a scorer again, the Cavs all of a sudden don't have any way of guarding the Celtics. Everyone else will start to open up, and the offense will really start to click.
I just want to say one thing about Lebron James now... I love watching Lebron play because in every single game, he'll do something that no other human being on the planet could ever dream of doing. The man is a freak of nature. He's 6'8" and 260 pounds of pure muscle who's as quick as a point guard and can jump out of the gym. He's like a run away freight train when he gets on a fast break or gets a full head of steam driving to the basket. There's nothing you can do but foul him, and you almost have to tackle him to ensure that he still won't finish the play on you. That's why it's scary for any team to play the Cavs, and that's especially why Boston is fearing game 7. At any time, Lebron could get hot from the outside, and there's absolutely nothing anyone on the entire planet can do to stop him. We saw it in the Detroit series last year when Lebron scored 30 of his teams last 32 points. Three's were falling. Pull-up jumpers were falling, and of course, if you decide to take away that jumpshot, he's always going to be able to drive and dunk all over your team. He's a force of nature. Luckily, his outside shot isn't that consistent yet. If that consistency ever comes, he could score 40 per game without breaking a sweat. There'd simply be no way to guard him.
Anyway... that's all for now. I just felt like talking about basketball.
1) The casual fan that has a favorite team, but doesn't really follow them during the year. They'll get together with a bunch of people to watch a game because of the opportunity to socialize, but most couldn't even name 3 guys on the team.
2) The fanatic- These are the fans that live and breathe based on how their team is playing. They entirely biased towards their own players, and they often spend as much time rooting against rival teams as they do rooting for their own team.
3) The sensible fan- I'm a sensible fan, and from the sounds of things, Manu, a frequent commenter of my blog, is also. Sensible fans have a favorite team, but can watch and evaluate them with little or no bias.
With that in mind, I'm going to give my sensible fans analysis of the Celtics/Cavs series. I might be a pharmacist, but I was a basketball player LONG before I even knew what a pharmacist was. It's the closest thing I have to a passion in life.
The Celtics' playoff woes I mostly attribute to Doc Rivers completely changing his substitution schemes from the regular season. In the regular season, Eddie House saw a lot of minutes. Leon Powe saw a lot of minutes. James Posey saw a lot of minutes. They all made big contributions to the team, but in the playoffs (with the exception of Posey, who is getting minutes but being used differently), these guys haven't been given an opportunity to help the team.
Game 6 was the first time in the entire playoffs that Eddie House played extended minutes. Doc Rivers has opted for Sam Cassell in his place for the rest of the playoffs. Cassell is great when he's hitting his jumpshots, but he's a very one dimensional player. He cannot guard a lamp post. He is simply incapable of doing anything off the dribble. Moreover, he's constantly looking for his own shot instead of trying to set up his teammates. It's not exactly a quality you're looking for from a point guard with a team that has 3 all-stars on it.
Eddie House gives the Celtics offense in an entirely different look, which makes him a great backup to Rajon Rondo. First of all, House is a very good shooter. The Cavs have to respect his shooting ability, so they can't slack off him on defense. That opens up the post for Kevin Garnett, and it also gives Paul Pierce a little extra space to drive to the basket. Secondly, Eddie House is a pretty decent defender, which is great because the Celtics are a defensive team.
As for the Celtics' all-stars... Kevin Garnett is going to be Kevin Garnett. There's really not a player who can take him out of his game. He's just too tall and too long for other power forwards to guard. He can step out and consistently make that 18-20 foot jumpshot, and his release is so high that there's really nothing anyone can do to even contest that shot. He can shoot it all day if he wants to, and I'm not saying he should. I would love to see Garnett get the ball on the block and make a few more moves towards the basket instead of fading away. However, that is the one weakness in KG's game. He's not really a scorer. He can get you 20 to 30 points on any given night, but he's not a guy that you can depend on to provide your offensive firepower. He's a complete player. He's a great defender and rebounder. He's just not a natural scorer.
This brings me to Paul Pierce. Now Pierce is a scorer. His primary function on the court is to put the ball in the basket as many times as he possibly can. He's very good at it... usually. The problem in this series is that he's being defended by Lebron James. Lebron James isn't a great defender (he's not bad though). He's just a really bad match up for Pierce. Pierce's offensive game is predicated on the fact that he's bigger and stronger than most of the players who are matched up against him. Against most players he can weave and spin his way into the lane and either finish at the rim or shoot his jumpshot over a smaller defender. Lebron James is his worst nightmare though. Lebron is quicker than he is. Lebron is taller that he is, and maybe most importantly, Lebron is much stronger than he is. When Pierce tries to use his body against Lebron, it's like he's hitting a brick wall. Moreover, Pierce isn't really good at curling off screens and moving without the ball. Most of his scoring is done through isolation sets where he tries to take his man one-on-one. Since he can't beat Lebron James consistently, the Celtics' offense kind of stagnates once it gets in Pierce's hands. Everyone waits for him to make an offensive move, but he's just not very succesful.
Finally, this brings me to Ray Allen. Ray Allen is having a HORRIBLE series. He just can't seem to get into any rhythm on the court. Wally Sczerbiak is guarding him, so it's not like he's got some lockdown defender on him. Ray's just not in the flow of the offense at all. I blame Doc Rivers for this. It almost seems like Doc never watched Ray Allen play before this season. What seems to be a little known fact by most fans of the NBA is that Ray Allen is much more than a spot up shooter. Yes, he's one of the greatest shooters to ever touch a basketball, but that ability overshadows just how complete of an offensive player he's been for the last 7 or 8 seasons. The guy has averaged around 24 points per game over that span. You don't average that many points simply by shooting 3's. Ray Allen is a great penetrator. He can shoot a variety of pull up and fade away jumpers in traffic. His best trait though is that he's extremely good at coming off screens. If you go and make it a point to be constantly setting screens for him, he'll really come to life. The guy is constantly moving. He's very good at curling off screens not only for pull up jumpers, but also finding cutters and dishing out for open jumpshots.
I honestly think that if the Celtics want to be successful in these playoffs, Doc Rivers needs to take the handcuffs off Ray Allen. Just let him go out there and do his thing. He's one of the best clutch performers in the league, but you have to give him a chance to show it. Let him create his own shots. Let him pull up for 3's on a fast break. Give him an isolation set where he can freeze his defender with a dribble move, then step back and knock down a jumper. People love to compare him to Reggie Miller, but the fact of the matter is that he's closer to a Kobe Bryant in terms of all-around offensive ability than he is to Reggie Miller. Ray can, and has many times in the past, carry a team. Just make it a point to get the guy at the very least 15 to 20 shots, and you'll see that confidence and that swagger come back. Once he becomes a scorer again, the Cavs all of a sudden don't have any way of guarding the Celtics. Everyone else will start to open up, and the offense will really start to click.
I just want to say one thing about Lebron James now... I love watching Lebron play because in every single game, he'll do something that no other human being on the planet could ever dream of doing. The man is a freak of nature. He's 6'8" and 260 pounds of pure muscle who's as quick as a point guard and can jump out of the gym. He's like a run away freight train when he gets on a fast break or gets a full head of steam driving to the basket. There's nothing you can do but foul him, and you almost have to tackle him to ensure that he still won't finish the play on you. That's why it's scary for any team to play the Cavs, and that's especially why Boston is fearing game 7. At any time, Lebron could get hot from the outside, and there's absolutely nothing anyone on the entire planet can do to stop him. We saw it in the Detroit series last year when Lebron scored 30 of his teams last 32 points. Three's were falling. Pull-up jumpers were falling, and of course, if you decide to take away that jumpshot, he's always going to be able to drive and dunk all over your team. He's a force of nature. Luckily, his outside shot isn't that consistent yet. If that consistency ever comes, he could score 40 per game without breaking a sweat. There'd simply be no way to guard him.
Anyway... that's all for now. I just felt like talking about basketball.
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