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Overall
Win/Loss Record (as of February 28th): 45-14 (first place, Southwest
Division)
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3
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This Month:
1
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Team
Statistics and League Rank (as of February 28th)
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Individual
Statistical Leaders (as of February 28th)
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Worst Player
of the Month: Manu Ginobli
 It is sad to say, but it seems as if Manu Ginobli has outlived his usefullness. At 35 years of age, he has lost much of the explosiveness that he had been reputed of having and his numerous injuries have kept him out of action for much of the regular season. Once a vital piece of the Spurs, Manu has seen his importance slide as he has been slowly phased out in favor of younger and more athletic players such as Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green. With his contract expiring at season's end, it is doubtful that the Spurs will re-up him as his age and diminishing abilities have all but sealed his fate. He is no longer the same Manu who helped the Spurs win four Championship titles and it may be time to bid him a fond yet heartfelt farewell. |
First Player
of the Month: Tiago Splitter
 One can certainly consider Tiago Splitter as one of the best NBA players that no one has ever heard. Although Forever he still remains under the huge shadow of Tim Duncan, Splitter has put forth a rather solid season averaging close to 10 points and 7 boards in under 25 minutes per game. At the same time, he has been near perfect from the field hitting close to .600 of his attempts. Throughout the months of January and February, Tiago has been a crucial contributor offensively scoring in double digits in all but four games while shooting over .500 in all but two. With such tremendous play, one has to wonder what if the Spurs chose not to resign Duncan in favor of Splitter--would they be just as good without him as with him? |
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Analysis:
Once again the San Antonio Spurs have regained the top spot in the NBA with the most wins in the regular season making most observers ask the following question--who cares? It is nothing new as San Antonio has finished every regular season winning 55 to 60 games--it is almost expected. The problem occurs after the regular season and into the post season where the Spurs have been less than stellar to say the least. In the last three years, despite posting the best regular season records in the league San Antonio has choked in the playoffs being eliminated twice in the first round. Last season it looked as if San Antonio had broken that jinx going undefeated in its conference to reach the Conference Finals; however, they were embarrassingly thwarted yet again by the Oklahoma City Thunder despite opening the series two wins to none. Like that adorable animated Mexican stereotype, Speedy Gonzales, Oklahoma City simply zipped past the Spurs leaving them in the dust and forcing them and their fans to swallow another disappointing post season performance.
Upon observing the history of the past four years, it has become painfully clear that the window has closed on San Antonio's ability to win another NBA title despite finishing among the top teams in the regular season. They still remain among the league's elite, however, only because of their past accomplishments winning four NBA Championships in the last fifteen years with only the Los Angeles Lakers possessing more NBA titles in that span of time. In fact, on can go as far as to say that San Antonio's stature is bolstered by the past so much that it has skewered the perceptions of many including their fans. The plain and simple fact is that matter how many wins a team gets in the regular season, the only thing that matters in the end is whether or not it wins a championship in the end, and in the Spurs'case, it seems that their ability to do so have finally come to an end. It has almost come to the point of monotony watching the Spurs build up so high to get to the playoff only to get knocked over with ease. One can liken the Spurs to a rerun of an old television sitcom that has long since been cancelled: you can watch it everyday and still have a chuckle no matter how many times you look at it; however as time wears on, the show begins to lose its appeal and you begin to lose interest. That is the problem with the Spurs--they seem to be stuck in this ongoing time loop in time never advancing, just simply spinning the wheels, but simply going nowhere. Despite the advancing ages of their three stars and their declining production, the Spurs still consistently fut forth the same forth and get the same results every time. Unfortunately, when the team simply does not deliver once the regular season is over as their big three no longer have the gas to continue forward with the momentum into the playoffs resulting in the team falling off time and time again. It has literally been an ongoing punchline of a joke that starts of being funny, but as time wears on it starts to stop being funny and after a while people start to lose interest. That is why despite their consistently finishing among the top five teams in the NBA during regular season, the Spurs are rarely, if ever mentioned as a potential championship contender as many have started to lose faith in this one time dynasty. Kudos to the Spurs, however, for maintaining the same consistency over the past fifteen years not showing few if any signs of decline. Many NBA teams with aging rosters often find themselves in decline after four or five years, crash and are then forced to start rebuilding from scratch--but not the Spurs. In their case, it seems as if Father Time has kept them insulated in a bubble for the entire regular season and finally lets them out once the playoffs arrive thus revealing their true age and resulting in their early post season eliminations. And that what remains frustrating for fans of the Spurs because they continue seeing this vicious cycle over and over again to the point that they have become nauseous from the continuous spinning in circles--to quote an old Smashing Pumpkins song: "despite all (their) rage, they still just rats in a cage." With the season's end coming sooner with each passing game, it is almost a forgone conclusion that San Antonio will finish with either the best record in the league, or worst, among the top three teams; however, expect the endgame to remain the same. The Spurs will end up going so far only to slip, fall and crash to back to Earth being forced to watch on the sidelines as another team goes on to win the NBA championship. What was once a team known for its consistent hard work and solid play are now earning the reputation of being a consistent source of disappointment and frustration for its fans. Sooner or later, Spurs fans will grow tired of the same old circus act and start to lose interest and do not think that will happen because it already has with the rest of the basketball viewing community. Although the team deserves credit for maintaining the same consistency over time with little or no signs of deteriorating, the San Antonio Spurs still remain stuck once their hit that major speed bump otherwise known as the NBA Playoffs. |
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Showing posts with label January. Show all posts
Showing posts with label January. Show all posts
Thursday, May 23, 2013
SDH Presents the NBA's Worst to First for January and and February: 1. San Antonio Spurs
Saturday, May 18, 2013
SDH Presents the NBA's Worst to First for January and and February: 2. Miami Heat
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Overall
Win/Loss Record (as of February 28th): 41-14 (first place, Southeast Division)
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4
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This Month:
2
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Team
Statistics and League Rank (as of February 28th)
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Individual
Statistical Leaders (as of February 28th)
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Worst Player
of the Month: Joel Anthony
 At one time Joel Anthony started for this Miami Heat team and was considered as a valuable role player on a team headed for numerous championship titles; however, now he has simply disappeared without a trace without as much as a whimper. According to his game log on ESPN.com, he played in all but nine games in the regular season; however, no one can really remember them as he barely made little or any impact while on the floor. At a price tag at nearly 4$ million this season, you would think that Joel Anthony would have a more prominent role and expect a greater impact on this team. Unfortunately that has not been the case as Joel Anthony has been virtually invisible for the bulk of the regular season and has contributed little if anything to this season's Miami team. With another two years left on his deal, expect Anthony to end up yet another bloated dead weight contract joining the likes of his teammates Mike Miller and Rashard Lewis. |
First Player
of the Month: Lebron James
 Usually this portion is reserved for the unsung heroes that get overshadowed by their team's superstars; however , Lebron James' performance was so amazing that he actually outdid himself. In the month of January, James was simply unstoppable offensively as he simply torched his opposition averaging 27.0 points per game while shooting .555 from the field. In that month, he shot .500 or better in all but two games, and as if you think he could surpass that, he went on to abusive his opponents in February scoring near 30 per game while shooting .647 from the field and a scintillating .432 from beyond the arc. To add insult to injury James not only steamrolled his defenders but also showed true overall perfection as a player posting nine double-doubles and two triple doubles to boot. Such a performance is only a testament of how truly great Lebron James is and what he can do when he utilizes his full potential. |
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Analysis:
Heading into the final stretch of the regular season, the Miami Heat has continued their "scorched Earth" policy essentially laying waste to their competition leaving nothing else but a smoking crater remaining. Although the Heat started the new year on a sour losing four of their first seven games, they bounced back by winning all but three games by the end of February. After a loss on the road against the Utah Jazz (1/14/2013), they went on a four game run torching both the Golden State Warriors (1/16/2013) and Los Angeles Lakers on the road (1/17/2013) while making short work of the Toronto Raptors (1/23/2013) and Detroit Pistons at home (1/25/2013). They hit a small speed bump on the road in the form of the Boston Celtics losing to the aging team by a basket in overtime (1/27/2013); however, the Heat bounced back by simply humiliating the Brooklyn Nets on their home court as the blew them out in front of their fans by a 20 point margin (1/30/2013). Despite starting 2013 with a less than stellar 8-5 record, the following month, Miami would go on a merciless rampage leaving nothing but ashes and rubble in its path.
February would start on a sour note losing on the road against the Indiana Pacers (2/1/2013); however, that would be the Heat's only loss as they simply breezed through the month scorching anyone who dared to get in their way. And they won in impressive fashion to say the least scoring 100 or more points in all but two games--a surprising close contest between the lowly Charlotte Bobcats (2/4/2013) and a routing of the Chicago Bulls (2/21/2013) where the Heat scored just 86 points, but held the Bulls to just 67. In their twelve game thrashing, they beat their opponents by an average margin of nearly 13 points per contest beating as but three teams by ten or more points--and these teams were not really pushovers either as six of them had .500 or better records. Miami laid waste to such powerhouses such as the Pacific Division leading Los Angeles Clippers (2/8/2013) showing no hospitality whatsoever to their guest as they blew them out the arena. The Heat then went on road to show what terrible house guests they were by slapping the Oklahoma City Thunder, who own the second best record in the Western Conference, along with their home fans across the face as they beat them rather simply by 10 points (2/14/2012).
And it did not stop from there as the Heat would go on to ransack the homes of the Atlanta Hawks (2/20/2013) followed by the Chicago Bulls and Philadelphia 76ers (2/23/2013) beating them by an average margin of 19 points. Unfortunately, the Heat started to show signs of fatigue after wasting away the competition as they barely managed to win against one of the East's whipping boys in the Cleveland Cavaliers (2/24/2013) and had to go through overtime to put down of all teams, the Sacramento Kings (2/26/2013). In the Sacramento game, the Heat not only had to take overtime to beat the Kings, but allowed one of the worst shooting teams in the league to score 129 points and shoot an very uncharacteristic .515 from the field, considering that Miami is one of the league's best when it comes to holding their opponents down defensively. Miami had to drop a season high 141 points to beat a team who they would have otherwise snuffed out easily at any other time. Nonetheless, it was all about getting the win and they did finishing their clear domination of February as they won twelve straight reaching their win total to forty one games all but clinching themselves a playoff spot with still a little more that a month left in the regular season.
To get a better idea of how good a spot the Heat currently are in, just ponder on this--if Miami were to lose every single game for the season, which the chances of that being slim to none, Miami would still finish with a .500 record and still be eligible to qualify for the playoffs. If they managed to finish the season winning just nine of the last 27 games, they would still end up with a respectable 50 win season, a feat that most teams in the league often strive for. To put it bluntly, the Heat not only have already punched their ticket to the post season while the rest of the league battles it out, but have also secured themselves home court advantage throughout the playoffs and into the Finals. Miami is so far ahead in the East, that no one in their own conference comes near to them in the standings and if they continue at their winning pace, which would be mind boggling to say the least, the Heat will have the East in the palm of their hands. Simply put, there is literally no team that can get stand in the way of the Heat for their third straight NBA Finals appearance and possibly their second straight NBA championship crown.
Now for most fans and observers, it is basically a waiting game as the outcome has essentially been already determined--2013 will be the Heat's year yet again. Knicks fans in New York can stop gassing themselves up saying that this is the year they win a title, because it is simply not going to happen, not this year of the following three years after that. The Heat essentially have positioned themselves as the undisputed king of the Eastern Conference and barring a cataclysmic disaster, they will remain there until the trio of Dwayne, Lebron and Chris (or RUN DLC, as I like to call them) remain in South Florida. Currently they may rest second in the league in win totals just resting behind the San Antonio Spurs, but that means absolutely nothing because come playoff time, it's going to be the Miami Heat Invitational. Forget about winning a title because all the other 15 teams that qualify for the postseason will be simply vying for a spot for who will face and inevitably lose to the Miami Heat thus making this the most predictable and mundane season in NBA History. |
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Tuesday, May 14, 2013
SDH Presents the NBA's Worst to First for January and and February: 3. Oklahoma City Thunder
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Overall
Win/Loss Record (as of February 28th): 42-15 (first place, Northwest Division)
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2
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This Month:
3
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Team
Statistics and League Rank (as of February 28th)
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Individual
Statistical Leaders (as of February 28th)
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Worst Player
of the Month: Kevin Martin
 He was supposed to be the replacement for the loss of James Harden's production; however Kevin Martin has not provided that solid third option on offense as his predecessor, now with the Houston Rockets had. Although he has put forth rather respectable numbers averaging around 14 points per game, he has yet to show that he can handle the load of being that clutch performer that the Thunder will need him to be come playoff time. In January, Martin scored more than points only twice for the month, while in February, he only hit the 20 point mark. Martin has also shown the uncanny ability to completely disappear in games and his fluctuating minutes have proven that coach Scott Brooks does not consider him as reliable. Hopefully Martin will finally step out of the shadows and play the way he did in his time in Sacramento and Houston come playoff time, because they will need him to bring his A game then. |
First Player
of the Month: Russell Westbrook
 It such a pleasant surprise to see Russell Westbrook evolution from ball hogging chucker to an actual point guard. He has still shown a penchant to hoist it up when he can, but he has reined in his game to allow his teammates to catch up and contribute. Last season his teammates were more spectators than contributors on the offensive end, now they thanks to Westbrook's new found maturity, they have now become more active participants in the team's offensive schemes making the team better overall. One can even argue that it is him, not Kevin Durant that has been the team's top player as much of the team's improvement has to do with his new found devotion to being a point guard. In fact, Russel Westbrook can be considered so important that if anything were to happen to him come playoff time, it may spell disaster for the Thunder's aspirations for another NBA Finals run. |
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Analysis:
Very few teams can be considered as invincible; however, upon looking at the performance of Oklahoma City Thunder thus far this season, one can say that this team certainly deserves such a title. While other teams in the NBA have gone up and down, the Thunder have remained pretty level providing the same production and have kept winning at the same blistering pace. In the past couple of the months, OKC have been almost unstoppable losing just nine games in that span of time--just five in January and four in February. After every loss, the Thunder proved themselves quite able to bounce right back to winning and not find themselves mired in any losing streaks. So far the longest losing streak the team has had thus far has been three games--a stretch that saw them lost three straight against the Utah Jazz (2/12/2013), Miami Heat (2/14/2013) and Houston Rockets (2/20/2013); otherwise the Thunder have simply been unstoppable.
And the Thunder's dominance was not only shown in the number of game that they had won, but also the way they did it as they resembled more a devastating hurricane destroying everything in its path leaving nothing but rubble and devastation behind. The Thunder not only beat their opponents, they simply grounded them into dust winning seventeen of their eighteen games by ten or more points by an average margin of more than 18 points. Their opponents simply could not stop the Thunder's offensive juggernaut as OKC would drop an average 104 points per game allowing them to put up 100 or more points in all but seven games. Only three teams managed to weather the Thunder's offensive barrage allowing them to score 100 points or more while still coming away with the win; however, they did not beat Oklahoma City as much they manage to survive and outlast them, which was a rarity to say the least. The Denver Nuggets only managed to scrape past the Thunder in overtime by just three points despite OKC dropping 118 on them (1/20/2013) while the Houston Rockets narrowly escaped regulation by three points having to score 122 to beat the Thunder(2/20/2013); and finally the largest margin that the Thunder lost by when allowed to score at least 100 points was ten courtesy of the Miami Heat (2/14/2013). Otherwise, save for the three teams that managed to live long enough to tell the tale of the Oak City Hurricane, the rest of the Thunder's would be opponent would simply get swept away--and not to the magical realm of OZ either. The teams that had the most success were the ones that actually managed to hold the Thunder from reaching the hundred 100 point mark as OKC was just 2-4 when held under the century mark. The biggest success stories were the Brooklyn Nets, who held the Thunder to just 93 points beating them by 17 (1/2/2013); the Los Angeles Lakers, who managed to best the Thunder by nine holding them to 96 points (1/27/2013); and the Utah Jazz, who shockingly best OKC by 15 as they held the Thunder to 94 (2/12/2013). Ironically, however, despite their penchant for struggling when held under 100 points--a rarity to say the least--OKC still managed to win by scoring its lowest point total in the season of against the Portland Trailblazers narrowly beating them by just three points (1/13/2013). Otherwise, save for a scant few exceptions, it was next to impossible for ANY team, even the best in the league, could not in any way manage to hold the Thunder back. While the Thunder simply scorched the opponents leaving noting but a smoking pile of ash and rubble in their wake, it was the team's defense that virtually snuffed their opponents not even allowing them to strike a spark. In the two inaugural months of 2013, the Thunder held their opponents to just 97 points allowing just eleven of them to eclipse the 100 point mark. Thus far, OKC literally has had a vice grip upon their opponents only allowing them to shoot under .430 from the field ranking second in the league. As if they were not punishing enough on the defensive end already, in January and February the Thunder found a way to continue tightening the thumbscrews even further to not only shatter their opponents to pieces, but to further grind them into dust. They simply showed mercy as they rose like a wave from a tsunami allowing any of their opponents any daylight to get off a quality shit then come crashing upon them laying waste to everything in its path. Unlike as tsunami wave that many consider a one time phenomenon, however, Thunder have continued to relentlessly rise and crash at the same power and intensity never showing any sign of letting up.
If this is not a true example of invincibility, I do not know what is--the Thunder has certainly gone out of its way to show that they are possibly the most devastating force in the NBA next to the Miami Heat. If they continue playing at this pace as the regular season winds down to a close, they will certainly own the West come playoff and and be all but assured a second straight NBA Finals appearance, and unlike the first time, they will not be the pushovers that got rolled over by the Heat like last season. This time, the team has matured a lot since them and have developed their arsenal to be utilized at their full potential. It will not longer be a three man show as it was last season with the rest of the teams either watching as spectators or simply cleaning up all the misses. Whoever will be facing the Thunder come playoff time will now be facing a balanced well oiled machine that is able to attack all all sides giving little relief or mercy to anyone that dare to step against them. Just punch Oklahoma City's ticket to the NBA Finals already as virtually no team in the west can stop them.
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Saturday, May 11, 2013
SDH Presents the NBA's Worst to First for January and and February: 4. Los Angeles Clippers
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Overall
Win/Loss Record (as of February 28th) : 42-18 (first place, Pacific Division)
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1
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This Month:
4
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Team
Statistics and League Rank (as of February 28th)
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Individual
Statistical Leaders (as of February 28th)
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Worst Player
of the Month: Caron Butler
 To think that just a few years ago Caron Butler was one of the league's up and coming young players in the league. Now at 33 years of age he is no longer the factor he once was and has become less and less of a factor in his advancing age. His proficiency and impact on the offensive end has steadily declined throughout the years and he is no longer the lock down defender that he once was. Butler certainly has not lived up to the 8$ million salary that he is currently being paid by the Clips. With his contract expiring at the end of next season, watch Butler become one of the names being circled around in trade rumors as LA would look to part ways with him sooner rather than later. |
First Player
of the Month: Matt Barnes
 How ironic it is that Matt Barnes, a player who shares the same age as Caron Butler and produces as much as he does yet still only makes a fraction of what Caron makes. In what can be considered as one of the greatest injustices. Matt Barnes, despite being almost equal in every way to Butler gets paid only 10% of what Butler will earn at the end of the season. At just 854,349$, Barnes is by far the lowest paid NBA players in terms of what he has been contributing to his team. I doubt that you can find any starter caliber players that contributed 10 points, 5 boards, 2 assists and a steal per game on Barnes' salary. The Clippers certainly got more than their value out of that paltry contract that they signed Barnes to, and hopefully they will do that right thing and offer him more as he certainly deserves it. |
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Analysis:
For the Los Angeles Clippers, it has to be one of the most frustrating seasons in the team history despite this being their greatest season in franchise history. For the first time in franchise history they own first place in their Pacific Division after decades of wallowing at the bottom for so long. What was once considered as one of the greatest laughing stocks in the history of professional sports has now become an elite franchise capable of possibly reaching the NBA Finals. Unfortunately, despite all the hard work and stellar performances throughout the regular season, the Clippers neither get the respect and acclaim it so desperately desires, they still have to play second fiddle to a team that has struggled throughout the season and has been scratching their way to get the final playoff berth. Regardless of what the Clippers have accomplish in what can be considered as a story book season, they still remain overshadowed by their inner city nemesis, the Los Angeles Lakers, which must be one of the hardest pills to swallow.
Before it was not that big a deal as historically the Clippers had been looking up at the Lakers season after season; however, now it is the other way around as the Clippers are at the top of the mountain while the Lakers scratch and claw to keep their heads above water. Yet despite the massive paradigm shift in the NBA, many media outlets still still keep their attention on the Lakers, focusing on all their troubles, rather than showing a little love to the Clippers who after years of futility have finally made it to the upper echelons of the league. Still they remained ignored for the most post, as they always have been, in favor of a team that has been, by all accounts, an utter disgrace after making two off season moves that were supposed to return it to championship contender. What makes this even more maddening is that the Clips are not being upstaged by a team that is better than them, but instead have gotten the cold shoulder in favor for a team that has been their inferior for most of the season. It should be them that should be getting the attention and acclaim that they rightfully deserve, not some overpaid and underwhelming train wreck such as the Lakers. Just look at all the current headlines and see how much of them are devoted to the much maligned Lakers than their neighboring franchise whom they have been literally been eating dust from. In the city of angels and national media, most reports are centered about all the Lakers troubles lamenting on the team's poor performance and lack of cohesion instead of the infectious positive and cohesive team chemistry and camaraderie that Clippers have shown throughout the season. More attention has also been put on this supposed friction between the Lakers' two superstars Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard instead on the in sync connection between the Clippers' Chris Paul and his teammates on both the offensive and defensive ends of the floor. It is as if the Clippers have been spending the entire season jumping up and down waving their hands and screaming at the top of their lungs "here I am, look at me," while everyone has their focus on a Laker team that has fallen from grace. It is as if the Clippers can never win because win or lose, they will always be forced to take the back seat in favor of the Lakers. In a way, the media cannot be blamed too much for their over emphasis on the Lakers' woes rather than the meteoric rise of the once lowly Clippers because that is the way it has always been. The Lakers historically has always been LA's golden child always excelling and being well behaving winning the approval of the lion share of the Los Angelites. The Clippers on the other hand, were viewed as a screw up sibling who many have considered the embarrassment that people would either ridicule or simply dare not mention. Now the table have turned and now it is the Lakers who are now the screw ups while the Clippers have cleaned themselves up and turned their lives around for the better. Unfortunately instead of congratulating and appreciating the Clippers' turn around, everyone has been focusing on scolding the Lakers and lamenting on how and why their golden child has fallen from their path. Regardless of the lack of attention, this fact remains abundantly clear: the Pacific Division that has spent most of it's history in Laker hands now belong to the Clippers and it is no ways going to change anytime soon. While the Lakers trudge and plod through the remainder on the season trying to get to the finish line in order to qualify for a playoff berth, the Clippers' future has already been set. Short of a cataclysmic event which will see the Clips losing every game for the rest of the season, nothing and no one in the Pacific Division stand in the Clippers' way. So go ahead and fawn over a fallen giant people because while you shed tear and spread blame for the Laker debacle, the Clippers will be on their way heading to a possible NBA championship. Once that happens, maybe just maybe eyes will finally turn on the Clippers as they watch and witness the crowning of a new King of LA, |
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Wednesday, May 8, 2013
SDH Presents the NBA's Worst to First for January and and February: 5. New York Knicks
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Overall
Win/Loss Record (as of February 28th) : 34-20 (first place, Atlantic Division)
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5
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This Month:
5
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Team
Statistics and League Rank (as of February 28th)
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Individual
Statistical Leaders (as of February 28th)
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Worst Player
of the Month: Jason Kidd
 After a splendid start of the season where he looked as if the great point man of old, Jason Kidd wore down as the season progressed as he saw his numbers take a drastic turn for the worst. At the end of December it seemed as if Kidd's rather poor performer last season with the Dallas Mavericks was mere anomaly as many doubted that he still had anything left. Upon arriving to New York Kidd started the first half of the season on fire averaging close to ten points, four assists and four rebounds per game while shooting an astounding .452 from beyond the arc as well; however, once 2013 arrived, Kidd's shooting touch had all but disappeared as his number dropped across the board as his numbers dropped by near half by the end of January. His ultimate low was in February where he was practically invisible as he average just 2.7 points per game while shooting an anemic .196 from the field. Fortunately for the Knicks, Kidd's play has not dragged them down as the team still remains atop the Division and second place in the Eastern Conference standings; however, it looks bleak for the future of this future hall of famer as his career looks to come at a close. |
First Player
of the Month: Tyson Chandler
 Say what you want about him being a one trick pony who has no real offensive skills other than scoring put backs and recieve alley oop passes--Tyson Chandler has finally arrived and his risen to become one of the NBA's elite big men. His play has been phenomenal thus far, especially on the boards where he averaged more than 13 per game. At the same time he maintained a solid presence on the offensive end averaging close to ten points per game connecting on .630 of his shot attempts. His efforts had finally been recognized when he earning his first All Star game appearance being selected by the league's coach as a reserve to represent the Eastern Conference. Granted, at 30 years old, Chandler has shown that he will never elevate into a franchise player; however if he continues to play at the same level, he will remain a key contributor on this Knicks team and any other team that is fortunate to have his services. |
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Analysis:
As the end of the regular season comes closer with each and every game, the New York Knicks have continued to remain a dominant force in both the Eastern Conference and the league itself. Currently , they rest comfortably on top their Atlantic Division and are second only to the current NBA Champion Miami Heat in the East. Save for the Heat, there is virtually no one else in the East that stands in the Knicks' way as the rest of the East who are currently under them provide little or no competition whatsoever. Their cross town rivals, the Brooklyn Nets, who were expected to challenge the Knicks for the Atlantic Division crown, have severely fallen flat on expectations while the Indiana Pacers, who currently hold the top spot in the Central Division, have also been short of impressive either. Both the Chicago Bulls and Boston Celtics, two teams who owned the East last season, have fallen under hard times and are barely hanging on while the Atlanta Hawks remain as the same middle of the pack team that is headed nowhere. With the rest of the East being a virtual joke, it is almost a no-brainer to pencil in the Knicks as the Miami Heat's opponent in the upcoming Eastern Conference Finals of the NBA Playoffs; however, what is interesting about the Knicks is that although they share a near stranglehold with the Miami Heat on the East, their numbers do not match the results that they have been producing.
Despite owning the second best record in the Eastern Conference, there still remains a few issues concerning this team that can make even the most die hard Knickerbocker fans scratch their heads thus giving reason to doubt their team ability to contend for a title. Upon closely scrutinizing the numbers that the Knicks have produced thus far, one can see quite a few statistical anomalies that show that they are not as good a team as they may appear to team. For starters, despite ranking among the the top scoring teams in the league, their offense has been rather inefficient as they ranked in the bottom third of the league in field goal percentage. In addition, they do not seem to be the greatest defensive team either as although they hold a +3 point margin advantage over their opponents, they still allow them to shoot the ball at a rather efficient clip at almost .460 shooting from the field. Along with allowing their opponents to out shoot them on a regular basis, the Knicks have also being losing the battle of the board thus far this season, albeit by a rather slim 0.5 margin. Usually when looking at teams with winning records, especially among those who sport the best records in the league, there is no such disparities--in fact it is the complete opposite. Upon noticing the number of the top five team in the league, one would notice that they always maintain superior offensive and defensive efficiency against their opponents holding down their opponents production while scorching them on the other side of the floor. The first place Miami Heat can be seen as a perfect example out performing their opponents while at the same time producing at a far higher efficient rate. They outscore their opponents by a rather high margin of +7.9 points while at the same time out shoot at an impressive .496 while holding their opponents to just .440 shooting. The only disparity that Miami has shown is that they have been out rebounded by their opponents; however that can be attributed to them missing less shots thus limiting their opportunities to grab rebounds. The Knicks on the other hand are completely different as they shockingly get out shot and out rebounded by their opponents, yet still manage to win their games regardless and still remain with a better record than teams who have actually conformed to the aforementioned statistical paradigm. Usually a team that allows their opponents to not only out shoot but also out rebound them are on the opposite side of the win column; however, the Knicks by some divine fluke seem to have turn that idea on its head. So they question remains: how have the Knicks managed to put up such an impressive record yet still allow themselves to get grossly outperformed, from a statistical standpoint, by their opponents? It does make any real logical sense and it most definitely puts into question the Knicks ability to to win their first round series let alone be able to reach the Conference Finals to meet the Heat once the NBA playoffs get underway. Upon looking at their numbers, one can certainly see holes in the Knicks' game plan and opponents will certainly look to exploit them once the post season arises. No matter how well the Knicks will finish in the regular season, their ability to be a true contender still remains a huge question mark. Although there is plenty of joy in the Big Apple of their team's record by a fan base that have suffered numerous indignities for they past few year, such numbers as their team have produced thus far do not instill much confidence from numerous observers to say the least. They certainly do not look as a viable championship contender or even a suitable barrier for the Miami Heat if they manage to even meet in the Eastern Conference Finals. There are so many variables that make fans think twice about backing a Knick team that has so many unsatisfactory facets that hold them back. More than likely, instead of contenders, the Knicks may prove to not only their fans, but also the league and those in the professional sporting world, that they are more pretenders than anything else. |
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Monday, May 6, 2013
SDH Presents the NBA's Worst to First for January and and February: 6. Indiana Pacers
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Overall
Win/Loss Record (as of February 28th): 36-22 (first place, Central Division)
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7
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This Month:
6
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Team
Statistics and League Rank (as of February 28th)
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Individual
Statistical Leaders (as of February 28th)
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Worst Player
of the Month: Gerald Green
 After what many saw as a breakthrough season last year, Gerald Green has proven by his poor performance this season how looks can be deceiving. Green started the season rather disappointingly as he posted rather mediocre numbers averaging a little over seven points per game while shooting under .400 from the field. It would not get any better for Green as his numbers plummeted at 2013 as his scoring dropped to 5.5 points per game while shooting .261 from the field by the end of January. On February, Green was essentially nonexistent as he played just four games and average 1.8 points per game while shooting .158 from the field. What could have and should have been a savvy dark horse acquisition for the Indiana Pacers has become a full fledged bust as Gerald Green has proven to be disappointment yet again. |
First Player
of the Month: Lance Stephenson
 His numbers may not jump out at you, but Lance Stephenson has probably been the most solid and consistent Pacer player thus far this season. Unlike his teammates whose numbers seemed to have bounced up and down as the season progressed, Lance Stephenson's have remained relatively stable scoring a solid eight to nine per game while consistently shooting .450 or better. He may not be the flashiest player nor the most noticeable as he does not take that many shot attempts; however, what few shot attempts he may takes, he had been rather efficient in connecting. At the same time he does all the little things as well woth his scrappy defensive play and rebounds rather well for a shooting guard as he has average slose to four per game this season. While most of the focus has been centered around his All Star teammate Paul George, Lance Stephenson can certainly be considered as one of the Pacers'unsung hero that has propelled the team to be amongst the Eastern Conference's elite. |
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Analysis:
It took them a few months, but the Indiana Pacers have now started to perform and produced like the elite NBA team that many envisioned them to be at the start of the season. At the end of 2012, the Pacers looked average at best barely skimming five games over the .500 mark while leading a rather sad, week, and poorly performing Central Division; however, now at the end February, the Pacers have elevated themselves out of the shadow of mediocrity to rise among the top teams in the league. It did not look as good at the end of January when the Pacers went a passable 9-6 as they finished the month losing three of their last four games; however, that all changed once February came around. It was upon the arrival of February that the Pacers went from simply a good team to become a great team as they simply crushed their opponent as they went 9-3 winning in rather impressive fashion against rather impressive competition. Now awake with their eyes wide open, the Pacers look to make believers out of those who have doubted them for much of the season as they look to prove that they are a more than worthy adversary and contender for a NBA title.
What started as a 21 point win against the lowly Detroit Pistons (1/30/2013) to cap off a unimpressive January turned into a five game win steak where the Indiana Pacers made short work of rather impressive competition. They started February win an impressive 13 point win against the East's top team, the Miami Heat (1/1/2013) then followed that with double figure margin wins against their division rival Chicago Bulls (2/4/2013) and Eastern Conference playoff mainstay, the Atlanta Hawks (2/5/2013). They followed those three impressive performances by simply squashing the Philadelphia 76ers by 19 holding the team to just 69 points and .348 shooting from the field (2/6/2013). Indy suffered a couple of minor setbacks losing rather close games--both in overtime--to the Toronto Raptors (2/8/2013) and the Brooklyn Nets (2/11/2013); however, the Pacers bounced back in splendid fashion winning their next five straight games by an average margin of nearly 22 points per game with the most notable being a 34 points spanking of the New York Knicks (2/20/2013), a team in possession pf the second best win total in the East.
Altogether Indiana won a grand total of 18 games and went from being a team that hovering around mediocrity with a mere 18-13 record by the end of 2012 to raising themselves at third place in the East with a 36-22 record. With such an impressive performance, it begs one to answer the question: if the Pacers were capably of playing so dominantly in January and February, how come they did not do so at the very start of the season. They had the same team at the end of November as they did in the end of February virtually injury free, save for the one that has kept last season's leading scorer Danny Granger sidelined for most of the season. In fact, if someone would have told those who follow the NBA that the Pacers after starting their season at 7-8 would go on and take third place in East Conference, they would not have taken that prediction seriously at all. One can also go as far to say that the Pacers' ascension from mediocrity to NBA elite can be considered by many observers as one of the best comeback performances of the 2012/2013 NBA season and what makes this even sweeter for Indy fans is that their team has done so well without the help of a majors marquee player as the other teams in the Eastern Conference has.
Sure, the team has been blessed thus far by the improved play of Paul George, whose impressive performance earned him a selection on the Eastern Conference All Star Team; however, he certainly cannot be placed in the same boat as the Heat's Lebron James or the Knicks' Carmelo Anthony. George is not even in the same league as notable second tier players such as Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett or even a player such as Atlanta's Josh Smith, who has yet to receive even his first All Star selection. In any instance, the Pacers do not have any real names that pop out at the fans or the media as they have kept relatively low profiles throughout much of the regular season. Yet despite not have the star power as the two two teams ahead of them, or even the marquee names of the team's under them, they Pacers have risen up to reach the plateau of the two of the best teams in not only the conference, but overall in the league as well.
Despite posting such an impressive performance to finish the month of February among the top three teams in the East, the Pacers still remain rather flawed entering the final stretch of the regular season. Regardless of the huge jump in scoring from averaging under 92.0 points at the end of December to close to 95.0 by February's end, the Pacers still remains a team that still struggle on the offensive end as the still rank near the bottom in scoring and field goal percentage while at the same time rank among the worst teams when it come to committing turnovers. Their defense still remains top notch as ranked among the best teams in the league in points and field goals allowed; however, despite such impressive defensive intensity, the Pacers rank near the bottom of the league in forcing turnovers. They still have little or no idea how to turn defense into offense as they still lack the ability to make their opponents pay on the offensive end with the team's reality poor shooting and inability to finish on the other side of the court. It will be very interesting to see whether or not Indiana can overcome their weaknesses as they head into the regular season's final stretch.
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