Eastern Conference Finals 2012

Despite the high scoring barrage the counterpart conference has been having in their series, I think the Eastern Conference Finals are much more interesting to watch. You have 6 big-time All Stars and future Hall of Famers playing on the same court. I doubt even the most loyal Celtics fans were unsure of what to make of this season when it started. They started 8-11 and most thought this would be a rebuilding season. But I didn't think so and I kept believing. The Celtics are frustrating to watch at times as game 3 showed, with little offense and a lot of turnovers. But they have heart, and they grind every game out. My peers were telling me, even in the playoffs, that the Celtics could not get this far. And now, they're one game away from the NBA Finals. Are you serious? Despite the Celtics aging, how can you not love Kevin Garnett putting up monster numbers as a center? His sweet jumper is as reliable as ever, and he's rebounding and playing defense like when he won the DPOY back in 2008. Pierce has been slow, and I think his foul troubles are because of his legs not being able to keep up. However, in game 5, that three pointer he made in the hands of LeBron James was simply the Truth. Ray Allen, who is my most favorite player ever, has been missing some wide open three's, but at least his free throws are back. At one point, he was at mid to high 60's. Last night, he was 8-8 and hit two clutch in the waning minutes.

      Let's break down the numbers, and this might surprise you.

The Truth set the Celtics free.

The Celtics actually shoot better when LeBron James is on the floor, hitting 56.8% and making over 9 three pointers. Overall, the Celtics are a +19. But we can't forget what a monster LBJ is on the floor despite what the numbers show. He is what keeps the Heat alive every single game, averaging over 30 PPG in the playoffs against the C's. Dwayne Wade even confessed that #6 is the ring leader, and when you watch him play, there is no doubt about that. D-Wade is putting in solid numbers, a little over 20 PPG but for them to win, D Wade has to take it to the rim. When he does, the Heat are unstoppable, just take a look back against the Pacers series. We all know what numbers both guys put up, but being down 3-2 in the series, it proves that just them two obviously not enough. The Heat bench is relatively not bad, but when you're subbing in Wade for Miller, that becomes a issue. The skill differential between the Big Two and the bench is just too much. And when you have only two players that can pass and handle the ball like they can, one of them is going to be needed on the floor to score and pass. Compared with the Celtics bench, Stiemsma has been a great player and he's learned a lot under KG in his first year. He played with patience on both ends of the floor and though not flashy, his rebounds and scoring were very much appreciated. Michkael Pietrus is frustrating to watch on offense. He was a great shooter while with the Magic, but it just seems to me that he doesn't have the same confidence while donning the green jersey. Defensively, he goes up against the best player and plays them well. But last night, something clicked and he was hitting those long range shots. Yes, two of them included his foot being on the line but when Rondo hit him with the baseline three (an amazing pass, mind you) he was so calm and confident when he threw it up in the net. He's also a great rebounder, and it showed in game 2 when he grabbed two consecutive offensive rebounds and last night when he got another offense possession. Dooling has  been playing well as a guard. His ball handling is decent, and his shooting has been very good for the Celtics.

Pietrus came up huge, finally knocking down his shots.

The free throws. I have never seen two superstars miss so many before. LeBron is 35-52, or at 67%. Wade is a little better at 77% but I have seen many rimming out in clutch situations. Celtics, on the other hand, have had much better free shooting overall besides game 1 when they were a measly 52.4%. In game 2, they bounced back and hit almost 90% as a team.
Critics question Rondo and his numbers, especially his assists because they think all he has to do is pass to one of the Big 3 and they'll finish. That simply is not true, and only ignorant people could say something like that. Anyone that plays basketball knows that. Rondo is on point every single time in his passes, which is why the Big 3 or any Celtics for that matter can shoot or go in the paint with rhythm rather than stumbling and hesitating with the ball in their hands. If that were true, then CP3 should have averaged more assists with the Clippers than with the Hornets. At least on paper, because the Clipper's roster looked unstoppable. In fact, CP3's assists were the lowest (9.1) it's been since his second year in the league (8.9). Anyway, Rondo is already a great player and is only going to get better. His rebounding skills for a guard are unparalleled, and that's something you can't teach. If only he can shoot more consistently, though game 2 showed a lot of hope for the Celtics fans.
I can't talk enough about Kevin Garnett. His intensity is crazy, you can tell by the way he sweats, he talks (and he talks to himself a lot, but don't try to read his lips) and the way he's been playing Celtics basketball. And the numbers prove it- he's averaging almost 20 PPG and almost 11 RPG. In the beginning of the season, Rivers nicknamed him 20 and 10 to get him to playing a high level of basketball. Doc Rivers has been praising him for his leadership and ironically, the calmness he gives the team during the post-season.
With the Celtics playing well in the Jungle, I think they can take it and get a ticket to the Finals.

Western Conference Finals 2012

The NBA conference finals are well on their way with both series at 3-2 and the Spurs and Heat on a surprisingly brink of elimination and thus having to go home for the off-season. It's very interesting and exciting to see the momentum ebb and flow between each game, as both favorites of respective conferences were up 2-0 but the "underdogs" have risen to the challenge and have taken 3 games back. Here's an interesting statistic: only seven teams have been able to erase the 2-0 deficit from 1969 to 2003. However, since the change of a seven game series playoff, the deficit has been less daunting. From the 2004 Lakers, 7 teams have been able to do what the other 7 teams did over the previous 35 years. This trend is definitely following what the Thunder and Celtics have been able to do. 84% of teams who win game 5 in a 2-2 series go on to win the series.

Another commonality is that between each series, there is an old and experienced veteran team desperately clinging on for one more chance at the title. On the other hand, there is the younger team that has proven itself for the past couple of years but yet has fallen short of glory and the championship. If the older team wins, they call it experience; if they lose, they call it age and frail bodies. If the younger team wins, they call it hunger and strength; if they lose, they say it's their youth and lack of experience.

Western Conference: San Antonio Spurs vs. Oklahoma City Thunder

Did anyone else feel uncomfortable whenever Fisher was on the floor for the Lakers the past two seasons?? I would scream at the television, wondering why coach Phil Jackson would give him so many minutes. He took bad shots, airballed his three pointers, missed layups, and was too short to guard the younger point guards. Not anymore, though. Derek Fisher, playing possibly out of anger, vengeance, and a chance to prove himself, has been playing phenomenally better with the younger Thunder team. He still struggles on the floor, but he did have an exceptional night, scoring 13 points on 6-8 shooting in the game 1 loss.

Don't leave this guy open. Ever.

The bench has been key for this series. In games 1 and 2, the Spurs bench was overwhelming. Stephen Jackson, Matt Bonner, Manu Ginobli (debated whether or not I should include his name on here), Gary Neal, Matt Bonner and Tiago Splitter all gave meaningful minutes to rest the starters. Let's also not forget their shooting, especially from the three point line. In game 1, the bench hit 7 out of the 8 three point shots made for the Spurs. As a team, they were 8/24. In game 2, the bench hit 4 out of the 11. In game 3, the Spurs hit 8 of the 11 made. In game 5, the bench hit 5 of the 11. However, in the losses, the starters have looked lost and out of sync. Tony Parker, who was on fire for the first two series, could not hit his usual mid-range. He has only been 39% from the field in the subsequent losses. The bench for OKC, though they have been subtle in their scoring, make up for their size and toughness. I have seen Nick Collison dunking over the Spurs twice now. Derek Fisher, again, has been a leader and taking decent shots. If yet the OKC Thunder need another shooter, Daequan Cook will be there. Harden has been reliable, hitting 50% in the series so far. He is known as a shooter but in a game 2 loss, he was 10-13 and only attempted one three pointer.  Harden can definitely finish at the rim, it's amazing how he can blow by so many defenders and lay the ball in like it's a warmup with grace.

Ginobli scored 34 points in the game 5 loss.

For game 6, Popovich needs to start Ginobli again at the expense of Danny Green. Green has not been playing well at all in this series and Ginobli gave the 3rd quarter spark to get the Spurs back in, finishing with 34 points and 17 apiece per half. The Spurs need that "nasty" they had in games 1 and 2, as well as making those extra passes. Tony Parker cannot continually to drive in in the fastbreaks because the Thunders defense can easily pick him up in transition. Kevin Durant has been phenomenal in his mid-range and simply does not miss. Westbrook has been a little too crazy and looks like a former version of himself, but if he can calm down and hit his jump shots, that'll be good enough. Ibaka has been working on that jumpshot as well, and it looks like the Spurs are going to have to put a body on him to prevent the easy scoring.