Ball or Nuthin' » Dwight Howard

Orlando’s Still Not a Real Contender

T Lamont — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 05:03:37 +0000

Now we see just why Dwight Howard tossed his name into the trade arena.

In the midst of a game that had all of the makings of a blowout, the Magic found a way to squander a 27-point advantage and lose – at home.

Against perennial rival Boston, Orlando had their way in the opening half. They executed, hustled and shot themselves ahead of a Celtics team that was missing its starting backcourt (Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen).

What happened in the second half, however, was nothing short of abysmal.

Stan Van Gundy allowed his team to lose focus, both offensively and defensively.

Orlando’s offense usually flows when they operate from the inside-out, taking full advantage of its nightly physical mismatch at the center position. But the reigning Defensive Player of the Year rarely saw anything come his way on the block, and the Magic lost focus in a game in which they should have cruised to victory.

Dwight Howard will have a difficult time pointing Orlando in the right direction.

The Magic went overboard to help Boston generate offense of its own, as well. Turnovers, quick shots and poor rotations highlighted some of the mental miscues that signaled their demise.

The 2011-12 season is one that will be pivotal to the success of the Orlando franchise. Howard is a hot commodity on the trade radar, and one would have to assume that a mediocre showing by his team will push him out of the door.

If tonight’s game was any indication as to what can be expected of this current assembly of players, Orlando’s in big, big trouble come April.

And in even more trouble come the 2012-13 season and beyond.

Same Players, Different Result for Hawks

T Lamont — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 18:14:53 +0000

Get Shareaholic

The enigma of the Atlanta Hawks continues.

There’s certainly no surprise that the Hawks, an ultra-talented team, have sent the Magic fishing. But, at the same time, it is a surprise.

Over the past few years, if there’s one thing that Atlanta had firmly established about itself, it has been that they are disturbingly inconsistent. Last year, the Hawks were good enough to sweep their season series with the Boston Celtics, but somehow required seven games to advance past the first round of the postseason (they outlasted the Milwaukee Bucks).

Atlanta’s former head coach, Mike Woodson, pulled the Hawks from the league’s basement, and turned them into a playoff team. But was it really him? Or was it talent from years of lottery picks? Or perhaps a huge free-agent purchase half a decade ago? It’s no secret that in the midst of the team’s development into an annual playoff participant, Woodson clashed with some of the Hawks’ best players.

Last season was clearly the best regular season effort that Atlanta had put together in quite some time. The bar of expectations was raised, simply based on the familiarity that roster members should have had with one another, as well as the maturity that each player should have made individually. However, a nip-and-tuck series with the Bucks made many wonder how an undersized, inexperienced, undermanned team like Milwaukee – who were without center Andrew Bogut – could come so close to taking down Atlanta.

And then, the bottom dropped out.

Smith and Horford match up favorably with Chicago's frontcourt of Noah and Boozer.

In the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Hawks set playoff series futility records against the Orlando Magic. To say that the Magic utterly destroyed Atlanta would be a huge understatement. Woodson’s squad were swept – losing the four games by a total of 101 points.

It certainly appeared as if the Hawks had maxed out their potential.

Now, of course, after such an embarrassing defeat, something has to change. Atlanta let Woodson walk, and brought in a fresh, new coach in Larry Drew – with ‘fresh and new’ meaning a very lightweight resume as far as NBA head coaches are concerned.

What else changed? Nothing. Seriously?

There were no significant roster changes to improve their standing among the elite beasts of the East. Miami now had ‘the Big Three.’ Boston had ‘the Fantastic Four.’ Orlando still had their MVP candidate (Dwight Howard), and a team that crushed Atlanta when it mattered most. And Chicago had renewed hope with roster additions and an improving Derrick Rose.

Predictably, the Hawks finished this regular season fifth in the conference, behind each of those teams. And guess who was knocking on their door for an opening-round series?

Howard certainly got his, but no other Magic players did.

A couple of years ago, the Boston Celtics established the blueprint on how to defeat Orlando – with single-coverage of Howard. Not doubling him on the touch stifles the Magic’s offense output for the following reasons:

- It discourages ball movement, keeping the rock of Howard’s – occasionally unsure – hands

- It encourages Howard to attempt offensive moves that he has yet to perfect

- It results in possessions in which Howard is fouled (instead of possessions where a basket is made, or a better free throw shooter is fouled)

Atlanta – with new coach Drew – obviously noted that, because it was that difference in defensive philosophy that kept the Magic at bay this time around. Orlando, a team loaded with exceptional long-range bombers, only shot 27% from beyond the arc in the series. Drew focused his team’s individual defensive responsibility, stressing that they not overreact to perceived mismatches. The Hawks used their length and athleticism to shadow the Magic’s perimeter players.

The Hawks will now move on to battle the conference’s #1 seed, the Chicago Bulls, led by their superstar and MVP candidate, the aforementioned Rose. Unlike most teams, Atlanta is equipped with the personnel to make things tough for Rose. Kirk Hinrich, a former teammate of Rose’s, is a tough, smart defender. If he’s able to shake off the apparent injury that he suffered last night, his ability to play offense and defense could be key for Atlanta. Al Horford and Josh Smith provide just as much strength and even more athleticism than Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer.

This Atlanta team has a real chance to knock off Chicago, and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time (since they’ve been the “Atlanta Hawks”).

And it’s all thanks to the one change that they made.

And the many others that they didn’t.

Lakers, Spurs Among Favorites to Lose Game 1′s

T Lamont — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 15:38:34 +0000

Get Shareaholic

Opening weekend of the NBA Playoffs just passed, and the games certainly lived up to their billing.

However, some teams were left scratching their heads and being thankful that the Association hasn’t adopted a March Madness style, one-and-done format. Among those startling losers were (in order of most surprising to least):

The Los Angeles Lakers

Now, of course, no one is worried that L.A. will lose this series. On the way to the championship last season, the Lakers dropped a pair of games in two different conference series (not to mention going the distance in the Finals). It definitely hasn’t been an uncommon occurrence to witness the Lakers needing to be humbled before getting their act together.

However, for them to drop Game 1 at home, is rather surprising – even by their complacent standards. It’s perhaps the most unpredictable of this weekend’s upsets – given the relatively unskilled nature of New Orleans frontcourt players.

CP3 was the latest point guard to put in work against the Lakers.

But what wasn’t surprising was witnessing the title favorites get dominated by an elite point guard. Chris Paul absolutely had his way in the Staples Center, owning Derek Fisher, Pau Gasol and anyone in a gold jersey that he crossed paths with on Sunday. CP3 made his bigs look as if they belonged in the NBA, much like he has done throughout his NBA career. On the flip side, the Lakers’ inability to control top flight floor generals has been a well documented problem. It’s one that they will overcome against the Hornets, however, due to their lack of supporting depth and size. Nevertheless, a more complete opponent with a treacherous trigger man (think Oklahoma City) could spell serious trouble for Phil Jackson’s bunch.

Orlando Magic

The Atlanta Hawks were straight up-and-down embarrassed by the Magic in the conference semifinals last season. They lost four straight games by a total of 101 points. Dayum.

What have they done since that infamous butt-whoopin’?

Let Woodson walk, and hire a cheap inexperienced head coach in Larry Drew. They traded Mike Bibby for Kirk Hinrich. And that’s basically it.

So, how can we explain the confidence with which they dispatched the Magic in Game 1?

They single-covered Dwight Howard. Orlando has always been as its best when it runs its offense through the 2010-11 NBA Defensive Player of the Year. He towers over the defense, and can make kick-out passes to knock-down three-point shooters out on the perimeter. That’s precisley how the Magic smoked the Hawks a year ago.

But what if a team single-covers Superman, forcing him to be Orlando’s offense? Well, the outcome is a 46-point, 19-rebound effort for the NBA’s most dominant interior force – and a loss for his team. Jameer Nelson was a good sidekick, contributing 27 points of his own. But no one else on the team scored more than six points. Contrast that to Atlanta, which had a pair of twenty-point scorers and a total of five players in double figures, and it’s easy to see that Drew should stick to this defensive philosophy for as long as he has bodies that can absorb the contact that Howard will deliver. And if Howard continues to shoot like he did in the series opener, that will serve as icing on the cake for the Hawks.

San Antonio Spurs

Watching the Grizzlies battle the Clippers on the last day of the regular season should have incensed Gregg Popovich.

With or without Ginobili, the Spurs will have a tough series with the Grizzlies.

In perhaps the most clear-cut display of throwing a game in the history of the league, Memphis allowed itself to get manhandled by Blake Griffin and company. Trailing by 20+ points for three and a half quarters, the Grizzlies put on a faux-run to close the game and make it appear as if they were giving effort. I’d seriously doubt if anyone bought it, though.

That loss locked them into the eighth slot and secured a first-round date with the Spurs – a team with which they split the regular season series at two games apiece.

The other alternative? Win the game, get the seventh seed and square off against L.A. Ahem.

But when the Spurs got taken down by the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday, pundits were quick to point out the fact that the Spurs did not play Manu Ginobili.

So what? The Grizzlies didn’t play Rudy Gay. O.K., yes, Gay is out for the remainder of this campaign, but the point is that Memphis was unable to trot out its best lineup at the Alamodome, too. The truth about San Antonio’s loss should dishearten its fans. The Spurs withstood what the Grizzlies were giving them right down to the end. They made the run to seize control of the contest, which everyone knew they would. They established a manageable four-point advantage late in the fourth quarter. And yet, Memphis still found a way to win Game 1.

It’s the kind of thing that happens to teams that play against the Spurs, but not to the Spurs themselves. Mike Conley proved his worth (although his contract remains to be out of this world), Shane Battier illustrated his status as a professional, and the new twin towers (Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol) totally overmatched an aging Tim Duncan and whoever else played alongside him. The Spurs have lots of fight in them, but they are fighting against a team that knows they can win this series.

And as G.I. Joe would say, “…knowing is half the battle…”

NBA Eastern Conference Playoff Analysis

T Lamont — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 18:47:38 +0000

Get Shareaholic

With the infusion of new talent onto Eastern Conference teams – either through off-season acquisitions or trades – the playoff race east of the Mississippi (for the most part) has become much more intriguing.

There are no less than six teams that are capable of beating each other on any given night, along with the addition of some lower echelon squads which have been making some unexpected noise as well.

Here are the current Eastern Conference standings (as of games played through 3/23 ):

1. Chicago (51-19)

2. Boston (50-20)

3. Miami (49-22)

4. Orlando (46-26)

5. Atlanta (40-32)

6. Philadelphia (37-34)

7. New York (35-36)

8. Indiana (37-40)

After Indiana, there’s no need to look any further. Milwaukee and Charlotte stand two games behind Indiana for the final playoff spot. However, based on the way that they’ve both been playing, they won’t make it. The Bobcats have dropped 8 of their last 10, and Milwaukee, with its current roster, won’t be able to come through in clutch situations (as evidenced by last night’s lost to the lowly Sacramento Kings).

Let’s look at the matchups that would result based on the current standings:

Opening Round

#1 Bulls vs. #8 Pacers- The Bulls are one of the hottest teams in the Association (9-1 in the last 10), with their last two victories coming by a combined 73 points. But the Pacers sent a message in their March 18 game, with a 115-108 win in Indiana. Unfortunately, it won’t mean much when the postseason comes around. The Bulls are simply too strong, and Derrick Rose’s focus will ultimately be too much for the upcoming Pacers. But with Indy playing fairly well and New York tanking a bit, Chicago had better hope that the Knicks don’t slip into the #8 spot. Even though the Bulls have been playing great, facing NY in round one would not be what they deserved from working hard all season.

If Stoudemire and Anthony can co-exist, the Knicks could extend their stay in the playoffs.

#2 Celtics vs. #7 Knicks- Boston is one of the few teams that wouldn’t cringe at facing the Knicks in the opening round. Of course, it would make the Celtics have a tougher-than-expected series, but they wouldn’t be in jeopardy of losing it – as would some of the other teams (i.e. Chicago or Miami). As for the Knicks, they had better pick up their play and make a push for the #6 seed. That would greatly increase their chances of making it into the conference semifinals.

#3 Heat vs. #6 Sixers- Philadelphia is one of the season’s best stories. Doug Collins has this team of youngsters playing together and accepting their roles, which has led to some surprising success. The Sixers are capable of beating playoff-caliber teams (they’ve beaten Boston and Atlanta in the past two weeks), so they won’t back down. But this is a matchup that should allow Miami to coast into the next round by virtue of their talent alone.

#4 Magic vs. #5 Hawks – With Larry Drew as their head coach, the Hawks have clearly regressed. Atlanta has a total of 12 losses of 15+ points this season. Their team is far too talented to lose that badly that often. This year, Joe Johnson and company won’t have the leisure of playing an inexperienced team in the first round (last year, they survived the Bucks 4 games to 3). They’ll be tussling with Dwight Howard and the Magic who, by the way, remain a legit contender to advance to the NBA Finals. And, yes, Mr. Superman will split a lot of MVP votes with Derrick Rose. And, yes, the Hawks will lose.

Conference Semifinals

Bulls vs. Magic- This is a tough, tough matchup for Chicago. The Bulls are tough, but like most teams, they don’t have the ability to single-cover Howard. That also means that Orlando could possibly have their way on the perimeter with good three-point looks. Howard has worked hard to make a discernible improvement in his free-throw shooting, so the success of a ‘Hack-a-Howard’ philosophy would be limited. The Bulls’ only hope for success would be for their smaller bigs to attack Howard, and possibly coax him into foul trouble. The Magic without Howard are like the solar system without the sun, and their offense becomes much more sporadic and unfocused. And, of course, Chicago would have free reign in the paint because Orlando traded the only legit backup (Marcin Gortat) they had for Howard.

Rose has been great this season, but the positional mismatches lean in the favor of Orlando. Orlando is loaded with perimeter weaponry (Turkoglu, Agent Zero, J-Rich, J.J., Jameer), so their productivity will offset Rose’s brilliance from the guard spot. Howard’s interior dominance should prove to be Chicago’s downfall. This series is the Magic’s to lose.

Celtics vs. Heat- Here we go again. This is the battle that everyone wants to see: the ‘old’ Big Three (plus Rondo) versus the ‘new’ Big Three. The only way that this could be better is if a trip to the NBA Finals was on the line (which could happen if the Heat slip into the #4 spot, or the Celtics claim the top spot). Sure, the Celtics have owned the Heat in the regular season, controlling the series with a dominating 3-0 advantage (and an April 10 showdown looming). However, those contests were with their long-time defensive anchor, Kendrick Perkins, still manning the middle. Since Perkins was traded a month, the Celtics have suffered losses to the Clippers, Nets, Rockets, Nuggets and Grizzlies. Even though those are teams that plays inconsistently (save for Denver), they all have an interior presence (Blake Griffin, Brook Lopez, Zach Randolph) or ruthlessly use their athleticism to attack the rim. In either case, that’s not a good sign going against Miami, whose strong suit is ball penetration and possible kick-outs.

How will Garnett and the Celtics function defensively without Perkins?

The Celtics usually put things on cruise control late in the campaign to preserve their health for the postseason, but there’s a different feel to Boston recently. Perkins was the embodiment of Boston’s physicality. In a pick that I wouldn’t have dreamed of making over a month ago, I feel that Boston has relinquished its edge over the Heat. Boston has a lot of pride, but its defensive intensity gave it separation from the opposition. Jeff Green (acquired via the trade with the Thunder) is a good piece for the future, but I don’t see him making an impact in this series. Danny Ainge’s concern about now being able to resign Perk is going to cost his team this year. The Celtics’ perimeter defenders will have to play the series of their lives to get the job done after replacing Perkins with Nenad Krstic or Glen “Big Baby” Davis on the back side. I just don’t see it happening.

Conference Finals

Heat vs. Magic- Are the Heat still on the hunt for some interior playoff help? They should be. If they go with Big Z (Zydrunas Ilgauskas) in the pivot, things could get ugly. Remember when LeBron’s Cavs were smacked in the 2008 Eastern Conference Finals? That was primarily courtesy of Howard having his way with the slow-footed Ilgauskas (and Turkoglu’s superb playmaking). Of course, there’s Erick Dampier and Joel Anthony, who could both get abused and not give Miami a single point. Once again, Howard could control this series, if he quickly recognizes the double-team and stays out of foul trouble. Should Wade and James dominate? Yes. Orlando perimeter defense leaves much to be desired, but they can funnel their man into the middle where Howard would be waiting.

In a tough series, the Magic should make the Heat disappear.

And, at least for this year, Dan Gilbert will exhale.

But with about 10 games remaining for each team, there’s still plenty of jockeying left. Even more so than before, the winners will not be determined by superior talent – because that exists on almost every team in the hunt.

Instead, the focus will lie on the matchups, and how teams are able to exploit them to their benefit. But even with over 70 games played in the season, it’s official…

There’s no clear-cut ‘best’ team in the NBA’s Eastern Conference. And I couldn’t be any more thankful.

Random NBA Thoughts…

T Lamont — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 16:34:21 +0000

Get Shareaholic

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).