The NBA is suffering from vertigo
Check the NBA standing and you just might get confused. As of Nov. 29, the Orlando Magic stands atop of the Eastern Conference division with a 11- 4 record. The Utah Jazz is the league’s best, with a 12-3 record, and teams like the Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Clippers, and Memphis Grizzlies (no surprise) are three of six playoff teams from last year who would be on the outside unable to play for the coveted ring if the playoffs begun today.
The San Antonio Spurs, one of the league’s premiere teams, is “doing what they do,” which is playing first place basketball, and Dallas Mavericks, last year’s Western Conference Champs, started slow, but have taken up resident and are tied for second place with the Houston Rockets, behind the Spurs with a 10-4 record. The Cleveland Cavaliers, who finished in second place last year behind the Detroit Pistons in the Central division, have supplanted the Pistons from their first place perch. But that should have been expected with Ben Wallace now playing in Chicago.
The Los Angeles Clippers, the best team playing at the Staples Center last season have reclaimed their familiar position in the standing – last place – and the Los Angeles Lakers, last year’s stepchild at Staples, reclaimed their familiar first place position with nine victories versus five defeats. But the purple and gold need not get comfortable because they will be evicted at some point during the season; probably sooner than later. While their record is among the league’s best, it’s safe to say it’s just a mirage. The Lakers played 10 of their first 14 games at Staples Center with six of their victories coming against teams with winning percentages south of respectability.
While the Western Conference remains the dominant conference winning 56 percent of their games, the Eastern Conference, winning 42 percent of their games, looks like a horrific train wreck. The Boston Celtics are in first place of the Atlantic division with a 5-8 record, and New Jersey Nets, last year’s division leaders are tied with them.
The Washington Wizards, Milwaukee Bucks and Chicago Bulls, all with 5-9 records, and playoff teams last year, have the New York Knicks and Charlotte Bobcats to thank for possessing records worse than theirs. But the Bulls, unlike the Lakers, have not had the benefit of playing at the crib. Waiting for the circus to leave town, the Bulls have played just four home games. But when they return home, I’m not quite certain that the circus will have vacated with Wallace and Coach Scott Skiles bickering over ‘to wear or not to wear’ a headband.
The losing bug has also infected last season’s World Champs. The Miami Heat, playing below .500 basketball, have a 6-8 record. But Shaq [Shaquille O’Neal] is recovering from knee surgery and Dwyane Wade, carrying the load while Shaq mends, may be a bit tired from having an abbreviated vacation.
The balance of the NBA may be teetering, but as the season moves forth there won’t be any confusion about who will be battling for basketball supremacy.
The Wiz win ugly, but win
A Ritz cracker looks like a gourmet meal to a man who hadn’t had anything to eat in quite some time. And the Washington Wizards ugly 96-95 victory over the Atlanta Hawks Tuesday night, when all is say and done, may have been ugly, but was still a thing of beauty. Having lost their last four games the Wizards needed a victory in the worst way.
Getting a win was big, said Coach Eddie Jordan in his post-game press conference. However he added, “I’m not happy with some decisions; lost of composer out there from certain individuals . . . but that one unit (Gilbert Arenas, Antonio Daniels, Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood, Antawn Jamison, and Jarvis Hayes) defensively in the last two and half minutes really got it done. We shot ourselves in the foot on one end, but we gutted it out at the defensive end.”
In the last three minutes of the game the Wizards (5-9) clamped down defensively. After the Hawks’ Joe Johnson hit an eight-foot jumper to tie the game 93-93, the Wizards forced three turnovers and allowed the Hawks (5-7) to score just one bucket. After pulling ahead of the Hawks 96-93, ex-Wizards, Tyron Lue hit a 15-foot jumper with :50.5 seconds on the game clock to bring his team within one point. Arenas then charged with an offensive foul, gave the Hawks an opportunity to re-claim the lead with :38.4 seconds.
Johnson, who finished the game with 33 points and eight assists, with at least two Wizards halting his penetration into the paint, passed out of the double-team to Josh Smith waiting uncontested at the 3-point arc. Smith, 3-of-16 from the field, missed the opened 3-point shot causing a mad scramble for possession of the ball. Hayes, in his attempt to gain possession, kicked the ball and was called for a back court violation. With about five seconds remaining, Johnson guarded closely by Hayes, shot and missed an 18-footer that had Jordan holding his breath during the press conference. “I’m still trying to catch my breath,” Jordan said.
Arenas, along with Butler led the Wizards in scoring with 21 points, committed nine of the Wizards 20 turnovers. “Gil with nine turnovers doesn’t make me happy,” said Jordan. Butler, who shot poorly from the field (3-of-10), converted all 15 of his free throws. The feat tied a franchise record for the number of attempts made without a miss and was a career high for Butler.
“I am just trying to stay aggressive, trying to stay consistent,” Butler said. “My teammates are finding me in the flow, (and I'm) getting hacked and going to the foul line and just making shots.”
“[Caron] did it in different ways; back down dribbles, drives, quick takes – I think some put backs, [and] offensive rebounds," said Jordan of Butler's frequent visits to the charity stripe. "He was just going to the body. He saw a match-up where he could use his quickness . . . he was quicker than anybody that was defending him.”
In addition to the 20 turnovers, the Wizards missed a lot of shots. “We missed a lot of open shots,” said Jordan. “You say, ‘geez, how can we miss open shots like that – you know.’ But I’m glad it ended the way that it did.”
Is Grant Hill retiring? Hill no!
According to Brian Schmitz, staff writer for the Orlando Sentinel, oft injured Grant Hill “might hang” up his Adidas’ at the end of the season.
“I actually had asked Grant about playing next season when he volunteered the notion of hanging up his sneakers,” Schmitz writes in his Nov. 28 article entitled “After this season, Hill might hang ‘em up.” Regarding the retirement talk Hill said in Schmitz’s article, “I could do that. I don’t know. There’s something to be said about going out healthy, leaving on your own terms while still being able to play at a certain level.”
While there is something to be said for leaving on your own terms – Jim Brown did it, exiting stage left as the NFL’s all time leading rusher. Barry Sanders did it when he needed only one more injury free season to become the NFL’s all time leading rusher. Now, it’s just my opinion, but if Hill plays through an injury free season there is no way in hell he’ll retire.
Hill’s seven year contract with the Orlando Magic will expire at the end of the season. While its admirable that Hill attempted with every fiber in his body to fulfill the terms of his $93 million deal, it’s no way that Hill would fight through five years of injuries and six surgeries, including suffering through a staph infection that also claimed his life; play a productive injury free season – one which has promise of making and possibly excelling in the playoffs, just to say “I’m done.”
At the start of Tuesday’s (Nov. 28) games, the 11 and 4 Magic were atop of the Eastern Conference. Hill, ninth in the NBA in field goal percentage shooting 55 percent, is second on the team in scoring (16.5) and steals (1.23), and third in assist with 2.5. Success is contagious and breeds the desire for more success. Hill is a member of a team who growth potential is super. There’s probably no other club whose future is as bright.
With the ferocious Dwight Howard, arguably the future of the NBA from the five position, excellent point guard play from Jameer Nelson and Carlos Arroyo, who are averaging approximately 25 points and seven assist per game collectively, and Darko Milicic (ranks fifth in the NBA with 32 blocks and seventh with blocks per game at 2.13), now beginning to find his way, Hill retiring doesn’t sound reasonable. Add on battle tested vets like Keyon Dooling, Hedo Turkoglu and Tony Battie, with the superstar presence and leadership of Hill and you have an organization that can potentially content for the Lawrence O’Brien trophy in a few years.
Roscoe Nance, NBA writer for USA Today, said that in his conversations with Hill, it was never revealed that the 34-year-old third pick of the 1995 draft had any plans on retiring. Although 34 and because of his injuries, Hill probably has the legs of 28-year-old. While it is possible that Hill might walk away at season’s end, for me, all this talk is just a hill of beans.
Wizards defeat the Cavs
Defense was the difference
The difference between the Washington Wizards’ win against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers last Saturday and their prior three loses was defense. After going winless for the week of Nov. 12, the Wizards losing because of poor defensive performances to the New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks and Detroit Pistons respectively, played exceptional defense on King James and defeated the Cavs 111-99.
“We got our behinds kicked tonight,” explained Mike Brown, Cavaliers' head coach.
James, who at the start of the Nov. 18 game was the league’s third leading scorer averaging 29.6 points per game, was held to 20 points, making eight of 20 shot attempts. Whenever James had the ball Wizards players swarmed around him like bees on honey. According to Eddie Jordan, the Wizards’ head-coach, Caron Butler, DeShawn Stevenson and Jarvis Hayes defensively got after James.
“DeShawn did a really good job on defending LeBron James,” said Jordan. Jarvis did a good job and Caron did a good job.”
Defensively the Wizards are one of the league’s worst teams. They rank 26th in points allowed, 21st in field goal percentage, and 28th in 3-point field goal percentage. There are 30 teams in the league. The Wizards also rank 25th in the league in rebounding, but out-rebounded the Cavs, one of the league’s best rebounding team, 41 to 37; with 15 offensive rebounds the Wizards’ scored 36 second chance points.
With the victory, their fourth in nine games, the Wizards remained tied for third place in the Eastern Conference’s Southeast division.
After playing almost even during the first-half, the Wizards completed their magic and made the Cavs disappear during the third quarter, outscoring Cleveland 31 to 16. During the quarter the Wizards held their opponents to 30.4 percent shooting, 14 percent from the arc.
“We did a good job last night in the first half, but in the third quarter we stepped way down,” explained Wizards’ forward Antawn Jamison. “Tonight, we definitely came out in the third quarter the way you’re supposed to come out.”
The win according to Jordan was about will and determination.
“It was more will and determination,” said Jordan. “We said more than the game plan and more than making shots, which we hadn’t done in a long time, it was about will. It was about what team needed it the most and what team would show that it needed it the most. We made shots and we kept the juice defensively.”
With the Wizards traveling to Texas this week to play the Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks and then to Memphis to tangle with the Grizzlies, the win was big. “We needed it,” said Jordan.
In the closing moments of the game, Hayes trying to block Shannon Brown’s landed violently bumping his head and back. He sustained a back bruise. After lying on the floor for several moments Hayes was removed on a stretcher with his head and neck secured. He was taken to Sibley Hospital were his x-rays were negative. He is listed as day-to-day. Hayes is coming off of two seasons where he has suffered patella injuries.
Arenas plays zero defense
Gilbert Arenas is considered by many industry experts as one of the NBA’s brightest stars. He’s also been donned the face of the Washington Wizards. But despite his lofty accolades the two-time All-Star is cheating the Wizards and their fans. While Arenas thrills the Verizon Center crowd with his offensive explosiveness, he plays about as much defense as the number on the back of his jersey – zero. Just like he gives his jersey away at the end of each game without a care, he also plays a vital part in giving away potential Wizards victory with his non-existence defense.
During the pre-season Arenas said he wanted to take his game to the next level by manning-up and playing defense like Kobe Bryant.
“I’m going to take that challenge this year by stopping the best players,” said Arenas. “I’m going to have to stick the Kobes and the Tracy McGradys out there. If players are seeing me go out there willing to take that challenge, they will do that with me. It’s about setting an example and leading with my play. That’s what the best do. MJ [Michael Jordan] did it on both ends. Kobe does it. That’s what’s next for me.”
Unfortunately, Arenas’ walk has failed to measure up with his talk. Last Sunday against the New Jersey Nets I counted at least eight times during the game’s second-half and overtime period when Arenas chose to defend under the pick oppose to fighting over it; something that’s stressed in high school when learning to play defense. This lack of defensive effort on Arenas’ part creates (1) separation – jump shooters love separation because it makes for an easier jump shot – (2) uncontested passing lanes, and (3) causes defensive mismatches.
On one crucial play during the game’s closing moments, Arenas chose to defended under the pick and New Jersey’s guard Jason Kidd passed to Vince Carter, who made a 25-foot three-point basket to cut the Wizards’ three-point lead to one-point, 85-84. A few plays later, the Wizards needing a defensive stop to help insure the win found Arenas out of position three times on one defensive serious. Fortunately for the Wizards Carter was called for an offensive foul.
After having a three-point lead with less than three seconds remaining in the game, the Wizards lost by 12 in overtime. Better defense from the face of the Wizards will result in fewer loses and more wins. Just like a point-guard is responsible for setting the tone for how his team performs offensively, the guard defending the point-guard sets the tone for how his team performs defensively. Defensively, Arenas is often out of position; seldom will lift his hands to create opposition when his man attempts to make an entry pass, and rather than move his feet and exert effort to keep the offensive player in front of him, will allow players to feint him out of position. He then takes halfhearted strikes at the balls trying to give the appearance that he is putting forth an effort.
Arenas’ lack of defensive intensity often causes a domino effort. As his man constantly enters the paint, Arenas’ teammates are leaking into the lane, like they are suppose to do, trying to assist number “0.” Subsequently they become exposed allowing their men wide open jumpers; the case in the New Jersey game. New Jersey’s Bostjan Nachbar, the benefactor of those defensive breakdown, connected on six of eight field goal attempts, scoring 15 points off the bench. All six baskets scored by Nachbar were assisted by Kidd – Arenas’ man.
If the Wizards are going to become one of the NBA elite teams, then Arenas, their elite player needs to stop cheating the Washington Wizards and play some All-Star defense.
