Day 30 – 31 - NBAMate

Day 30 – 31

May 24th, 2008, Author: robd

Day 30’s Playoff Votes
The Spurs shot 39.5% in this game and they still won. Duncan, Ginobili and Parker combined to shoot 34% but they still won. They turned the ball over 14 times (to the Hornets 8 ) and they still won. David West had 20-9 and Chris Paul went for 18pts-14ass-8rebs-5stls, and the Spurs still won. All this proves that you can’t read too much into the numbers, and like we already knew, the Spurs can beat you in ways that won’t show up on the stat sheet. While I’m bitterly disappointed the Hornets didn’t advance (I’ve been anti-Spurs since they beat Detroit in the ‘05 Finals), in my basketball heart (and brain) I know that the Spurs are simply better, mainly because they’ve been here so many times before. I like what Byron Scott said after game 7: “You have to go through some things before you can really understand how good it’s going to feel when you get to that next level,” Scott continued. “You don’t go from not making the playoffs to winning a championship. It just doesn’t work that way. … We’re headed in the right direction”. Word Byron. It just wouldn’t have felt right for the Hornets to brush aside the Spurs in game 7 and advance to the Western Conference Finals, not without having traveled the road before, not without paying their dues. It would be like having your first kiss with the prom queen. You wouldn’t appreciate it. You have to start with something a little more within your grasp, something a little more ugly.

3 votes - Manu Ginobili. Not Manu’s best game of the series, but he hit the clutch free throws that sealed the game, and in a game 7 that counts for everything. His eight points in the last 1:30 of the first half set up the win.
2 votes – Tim Duncan. A pretty standard 16-14 for TD. But like I said, no one shot well for the Spurs today, no one set the game on fire. The easiest 2 votes he’ll earn for the rest of the playoffs.
1 vote – Tony Parker. Was instrumental early in the fourth quarter, helping the Spurs keep the lead. Again, not one of Tony’s memorable games.

Day 31’s Playoff Votes
Before the start of this game I jumped on the TrashTalk forums to put in my predictions for this series. The gist of it:

Isn’t it funny how things have completely turned around with this match up? Detroit are now the favorites, despite Boston dominating all season long (Detroit in 6 seems to be the popular choice). Detroit were supposed to be the team that gets complacent and lazy in the playoffs, while Boston was hungrier than any body. But now Detroit are favorites, and you know what? That does not suit Detroit. We have always preferred being the underdogs, winning when no one expects us to. Now everyone seems to be saying “Detroit are gonna snatch game 1 in Boston”, and while I partly agree, the fact that Detroit have heard everyone say this means it probably won’t happen.
Maybe i’m just a nervous Pistons fan but right now i think everyone is overstating the Pistons and understating the Celtics. It may be a reflection of how the teams have gone so far in the playoffs, but if the Pistons players themselves actually believe it, then Detroit will find itself getting complacent and lazy again.
I’m gonna say that the first 10 minutes of game 1 is THE most important part of the entire series. Boston are incredibly hard to beat when their home crowd is going nuts – it really lifts them.If Detroit take the crowd out early then they should hold on to win game 1, and the series. Taking out the home crowd in the first 10 minutes of a series is a huge psychological edge. You know the saying, “first impressions are everything”?. Well, if the first impression Detroit make is “We are whooping you on you home floor” then Boston (and their fans) might go into a shell.
If this series goes to 7 games that means either A) Boston have won every home game or B) Boston finally won a game on the road. Both of those scenarios are bad for Detroit. Which is why i think if this series goes to 7 games, Boston will win.
I think KG will seriously struggle… I think Ray might find his jump shot this series…. I still think Pierce is the danger…. I think the unsung heros like Davis, PJ and Powe are capable of winning a game…. I think Stuckey needs to win us one game all by himself… I think the Celts are in trouble if Prince keeps playing how he has been…. I think Chauncey may not be as “100%” as he thinks he is. And of course, I think if Sheed brings his “A Game” then no one can beat us.
My prediction: Detroit in 6. To win games 1, 3, 4 and 6.

Turns out the Celtics won game 1, I was way off with my “KG will seriously struggle” line, and the first 10 minutes was a nightmare for the Pistons. I didn’t get to watch this game live – I watched it later in the day. But when I saw the 8-0 scoreline on nba.com I knew the game was over. KG got his confidence up with some early buckets, the Boston crowd got into it, and the Pistons never recovered.

3 votes – Kevin Garnett. In my opinion, KG’s biggest game of the playoffs. He needed to make a statement in this game. Facing Sheed and Dyess, questions would have been raised if KG struggled in game 1. But he put the team on his back early and set the tone. More importantly he sent a message to the Pistons that the Celtics have the best power forward on the court – no arguments about it. I didn’t really notice Sheed when I was watching this game, and that’s unusual because he’s one of the more noticeable guys in the league. A clear indication that KG dominated.
2 votes – Paul Pierce. Picked up where he left off in that game 7. A lot of Pistons fans though Prince would nullify Pierce in this series – a sentiment shown to be largely bullshit based on game 1. Pierce did pretty much whatever he wanted to in this game – scored when he wanted, set up his team mates when he wanted. One thing I said to my house mate when watching this game: “The degree of difficulty on Pierce’s shots is so much greater than any one else on that Boston team”. KG shoots from close in, or on open 20 footers. Ray is usually open when he jacks up threes (even though none of them have gone in lately). But Pierce takes shots with defenders draped all over him, turning, fading, falling away.. and he makes most of them. Prince got right in his face so many times in this game but it didn’t make a difference to The Truth.
1 vote – Rajon Rondo. Basically gets a vote for those two clutch jumpers late in the fourth. Down by 8 with three minutes left I thought the Pistons were still a chance. But Rondo’s jumpers killed them off, especially the three he made – considering Rondo makes like one three every ten games, that was a big shot.