LeBron Still Unable to Solve Boston’s Defense

New year, new team, same result.  Such is the story for the reigning MVP LeBron James when he takes on the Boston Celtics.  Although LBJ remained able to put up the best statistical line of this past Sunday’s afternoon tilt with 22-7-7 (some may argue that Rondo’s 11-10-10 was better), he is continuing to struggle against the Celtics in a way that starkly opposes his effectiveness against the rest of the league.

In contrast to other teams that allow a defender to play squared-up with LeBron prior to bringing help, the Celtics defend James in a manner that will push him towards another Boston defender.  Instead of aggressively making a move, this seems to play into James’ psyche.  He hesitates instead, taking time off of the clock and not gaining an offensive advantage for the Heat.  When Boston plays him perfectly, LBJ is forced into taking a bail-out jumper or some other type of tough field goal attempt.

When asked about it, Bron-Bron brought up the manner in which he used to struggle in contests with Detroit.  And he admitted that, right now, the Celtics give him that same degree of difficulty.  But just like in 2007 – when he needed Daniel “Boobie” Gibson to step up to help him eliminate the Pistons – LeBron’s going to need the consistency of Miami’s outside shooters (Mike Miller, Eddie House and James Jones) if he is planning on getting over the hump against Boston.

And we all know that the road to the NBA Finals will go through Boston.

Dwight Howard’s Surprising Domination of L.A.’s Interior

Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol…you just got punk’d.

Against more of Los Angeles’ opponents, Bynum and Gasol are bullies on the interior.  They dominate the boards, score at will, and clog up the lanes to deter opponents from attempting easy baskets.  But on Sunday, they took turns getting manhandled by Dwight Howard (31 points – on 13-16 shooting – and 13 rebounds).  Howard was so dominant that only one other Magic player scored in double figures (Jason Richardson, with 12).  Granted, every Orlando player who saw some floor time scored at least 4 points, however, Howard was the sole consistent offense for the team.

In the Lakers' last three games (all losses), Bryant has shot 24-62 (38.7%) and averaged 18 points per game.

Boston (surprise!) has illustrated the perfect blueprint on how to defend the Magic.  If a team has a player with the capability to, at the very least, control Howard one-on-one, then the other Magic players are rendered ineffective because they are primarily adept at catching and shooting.  The Celtics have been able to stifle Orlando’s fluidity with this strategy, and it seems that the Lakers may have attempted to do the same.  But the Lakers only scored 75 points, and no team is going to win many games with that point total.

But the bigger issue for L.A. has been focus and motivation.  The Lakers have dropped games to some suspect teams of late (see Charlotte, Cleveland), and the All-Star break couldn’t be coming at a better time for Phil Jackson.  I’m sensing that Lakers’ management is grappling with whether they should make a move before the trade deadline or not.  It seems that the team has finally become impenetrable to Jackson’s motivational tactics (i.e. media criticisms and sharp, almost comical, soundbites), and some alternative method is going to be required for the champs to truly regain their focus.     

Griffin is Great, But the Clippers Need E.G.

Although, Blake Griffin had a year to sit back and soak in the NBA before taking the court, no one expected him to take the league by storm like he has.  B.G. is averaging monster numbers (22.7 ppg, 12.7 rpg, 3.5 apg), and the Clippers are reaping the benefits of having a bonafide force down on the blocks.  Griffin’s game is definitely going to require more refinement, but he’s showing all of the signs of being a player who wants to continue to improve.

As for the Clips, they’ve struggled of late – mainly due to the absence of guard Eric Gordon.  The former Indiana star is putting up over 24 a game, and is sorely missed late in games when a big shot or play is needed.  In his absence, the Clippers have gone 3-9, including a recent 24-point loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.  This was an unfortunate setback for an improving team.  Prior to Gordon’s injury, Los Angeles has posted wins in 12 of its last 17 contests.

What Happened to the Bucks?

After such a surprising season that saw them come within a game of advancing to the Eastern Conference Semifinals, the Bucks were viewed as a team with great promise.  And considering they lost Andrew Bogut to that horrific arm injury late last season, there’s good reason to believe that a fully-healthy Milwaukee team would have upended Atlanta in the postseason.

But in 2010-11, the Bucks have welcomed some new faces – and it hasn’t been for the better.  The names are recognizable – Drew Gooden, Corey Maggette, Earl Boykins, Keyon Dooling and Chris Douglas-Roberts – but this group lacks the cohesion among themselves that Scott Skiles was able to develop with last year’s roster. 

However, in addition to the team’s dedication to synergy, it was the backcourt that primarily energized Milwaukee’s efforts.  This season, second-year point guard Brandon Jennings has missed a significant amount of time after needing surgery on his foot.  And perhaps the largest mystery has been the play of John Salmons.  Salmons, always a skilled, versatile player, practically elevated the Bucks into a dangerous unit when he joined the team for its final 30 games.  This season, his points per game average (19.9 to 13.2) and field goal percentage (46.7% to 38.4%) have suffered tremendous drops, and he’s barely resembled the triple-threat that he was last season. 

The Playoffs Need Stephen Jackson

In case you forgot, he makes love to pressure.  Last weekend, Jackson nailed a tough – and I mean, very tough – game-winning fadeaway jumper to propel the Bobcats past the Hawks.  Any win is a good one for the ‘Cats.  If you Google the phrase “playing to their level of competition,” you’re almost certain to have some resulting links that reference the Bobcats.  In their last six games, they’ve beaten Boston, L.A. (Lakers) and Atlanta, while they’ve suffered losses at the hands of New Jersey and Indiana.

Stephen Jackson's passion for the game would make the playoffs more intriguing.

But regardless of Charlotte’s inability to avoid their annual flirtation with the Eastern Conference’s final playoff spot, one thing is clear – Stephen Jackson’s ferocity and edginess would make the postseason much more interesting.

For that reason alone, I’m personally pulling the Michael Jordan to continue to practice with his team.  Maybe his competitive spirit can rub off, and empower Paul Silas’ group to do enough to capture that #8 spot – and give us all a shot of Captain Jack in the playoffs.     

Will Memphis Ever Get Over the Hump?

Just when it appears that the Grizzlies are on their way, their momentum gets broken. 

After going 8-2 in their last 10 games, Memphis finds themselves at 31-26.  Now that record is only good enough for fourth place in the Southwest Division, but Lionel Hollins’ team is currently tied with the disjointed Utah Jazz for the eighth spot in the Western Conference.  And they actually have the potential to increase their standing, as they only reside one loss behind New Orleans and Denver, and two losses behind Portland.  

So, while things were looking up, they came to a screeching halt last night when it was announced that Rudy Gay (19.8 ppg, 1.69 spg) will miss at least 4 weeks with a left shoulder injury.  They get this news right after having O.J.Mayo return to the lineup following a 10-game suspension for the consumption of a supposed nutritional drink he purchased at a gas station (at least Rashard Lewis can understand, right?).  With Zach Randolph anchoring their interior scoring, Memphis should be able to find a way to overcome the loss of Gay.  Tony Allen played well in Mayo’s absence, and can be counted on to play hard and fill in the gaps. 

Even if the Grizz advance to this year’s postseason, the likelihood of them moving past the first round is slim to none.  However, if the nucleus of this team can stay together for another year, they have the extremely legit potential of turning the corner (as did the Atlanta Hawks in 2008-2009).

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