Are the Finals here already?

J.D. Mo — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 21:49:00 GMT

The 2009 playoffs are roaring by, much like my vacation ... we're only 50-some games into Brewers season and the NBA just might finish by Father's Day, which is next to unheard of.

A preview of the Lakers-Magic Final is in order for these pages, and I'm sure you're dying to read another one. That's why the makers of this blog have bestowed upon we sportsbubbler bloggers with the ability to make links. Here's Ball Don't Lie's generally outstanding Finals preview, where you'll find this curious note: Rafer Alston is "no Aaron Brooks. ..."

Say what? I think Alston's experience is a plus for the Magic, as it was against the Cavaliers and Mo Williams, whose lack of playoff experience showed in the East Finals (call it the ex-Bucks of the Michael Redd era factor). Brooks is an up and coming young point guard, no doubt about that, and he helped bring out the worst in Lakers starting point guard Derrick Fisher ... which brings me to the following ...

The "I used to like Derrick Fisher" file. Playoffs talk among NBA fans in Milwaukee (yes, we're out here and just might see if we can get the Brewers game off one of the seven or eight TVs at your favorite sports bar) usually come around to Fisher, a reaction to the Laker point guard's brutal flagrant foul on Luis Scola during the Lakers-Rockets series. What's a bullish point guard doing playing football with the Rockets power forward? You'd have to ask Fisher, whose lucky he only received a one-game suspension. Fisher's past his prime and has obviously resorted to thugery, an advantage for the Magic in the matchups. Altson is quicker than Denver Point guard Chauncey Billups and should be able to do a better job of exploiting Fisher.

Alston may want to consult the work of super genius Sam "I Am" Cassell in last year's finals. Though Cassell saw only limited action in the Celtics-Lakers series, he made the most of his minutes, going right at Fisher on two consecutive plays, popping jumpers in his face, laughing all the way. While it may not have set the tone for the Celtics 4-2 Finals win (that was Kevin Garnett's doing), it did seem to show how little respect the Celtics had for some of Kobe's complementary pieces -- and just might have had a profound affect on Fisher's psyche.

I fully expect the Lakers to start the chippiness right away in tonight's series opener.

Prediction: Lakers in 7. Kobe and Pau Gasol seem to have the taste of last year's loss to the Celtics written in their near constant 2009 playoffs scowls. The rest of the Lakers? Question marks and mismatches give the advantage to the Magic in most other areas, with Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum having their hands full with the Dwight Howard and Rashard Lewis. I'd expect Hedo Turkoglu to get the Gasol assignment, but we'll see how long it takes the Magic to find ways to put Gasol in the hands of Howard. Trevor Ariza gives the Lakers a nice edge off teh bench. This looks to be a great series between two well-matched teams. The Lakers home court advantage tips it their way.

I also just have a feeling that, love it or hate it, this is Kobe's year.

Playoff Props: FOUL ON FISHER!

J.D. Mo — Wed, 28 May 2008 06:27:00 GMT

Lakers up two, 93-91, Spurs to inbound the ball with 2 seconds left and a chance to tie or win with a three ...

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What excuse could a referee possibly have for missing that call on Derrick Fisher? It's almost as bad as some of the noncalls against Philly in the 2001 Eastern Finals against the Bucks. We know the small market blues well here in Milwaukee, and now the NBA is telling me that the defending champion San Antonio Spurs can't get an obvious call on their home court against the Lakers?

No, Barry didn't sell the call like former Buck Sam Cassell would have. Sam, as Bucks fans have seen so many times, would have flailed into the leaping defender, lost the ball and crashed all over the floor to make sure a shooting foul was called. But why should Barry have had to sell it? Fisher whacked him in the head with his elbow as they bumped. Barry was not quite in the act of shooting when Fisher jumped into him but it was still a foul! Barry, one of the best free throw shooters in the game, should have been at the line for two free throws and a chance to send the game into overtime. The game ended with the Spurs having shot no free throws in the fourth quarter.

I'm not going to go into a paranoid rap about big markets vs. small markets (although I'm tempted to post the Jim Rome rant about the officiating in the 2001 East Finals) or the league wanting to ensure that Kobe and the Lakers make the finals to increase TV ratings and profits. I don't think Kobe and the Lakers need any help from the refs to get to the Finals, and neither should you. I would appreciate it, however, if the league I love and write about found a way to stop giving ammo to people who say (and believe it when they say it) that "the NBA is just like pro wrestling."

ESPN blogger Truehoop expressed similar sentiments after the game. Hear, hear. I second those.

Celtics-Pistons series in need of desperation: Some drama wouldn't hurt either. Neither team looks concerned at all about this series, though that should change tonight in pivotal Game 5 in Boston. I didn't like the Pistons chances against the Celtics and I still don't (the prediction evidence is way down at the bottom of the "Free Ray Allen" post) -- but here it is knotted up at 2-2. I'm fully prepared to be wrong about the Pistons, though with point guard Chauncey Billups hobbled, they'll need some playoff magic to keep their backs off the wall.

The East finals has been a showdown of the conference's best in need of a story. This past weekend, the going ticket was the rivalry between former UConn players Ray Allen and Rip Hamilton. While that was a fair enough tale for a holiday weekend, it didn't hold that much interest even for the AP writer of the story, who left his theme behind in favor of Ray's revelations about his gameday shooting rituals and other idiosyncrasies -- which are, in fact, more interesting than the Rip-Ray rivalry. Ray treats the art of shooting with a religious reverence, though it's a solitary pursuit mixed more with meditative science and superstition; fascinating stuff -- and still only a matter of time before all that juju starts to work for him.

Again, the Celtics don't seem desperate for Hall of Fame shooting from Ray, though it would give them some breathing room. The Pistons and Tayshaun Prince aren't likely to let Paul Pierce go off on them the way Pierce did against the Cavs; and if the Celtics are going to lose shooting 20-foot jumpers as they did in Game 4, Ray Allen should be the player shooting them, not Kevin Garnett. ...

Sam Cassell, the clown prince of the NBA, has been back in Doc Rivers' rotation the last two games. Doc went to journeyman guard (and former Buck) Eddie House off the bench with Paul Pierce as point forward for the better part of four games. The result was a widely spread clearout offense for Pierce that worked against the Cavs but runs into a wall against Detroit's better defenders (Prince again). Good, bad or hilarious, it's good to see Sam back on the court.

NBA DRAFT - The Chad Ford Watch: ESPN draft columnist Chad Ford has gathered more information about what NBA teams are looking for in the draft and has somehow found new incoherence regarding the draft prospects of the Milwaukee Bucks. In today's installment of the Chad Ford Watch, Ford has the Bucks taking Russell Westbrook out of UCLA. Why? Because Eric Gordon will be taken by the Clippers at #7. Why will the Clippers take Gordon when they wouldn't last week? Let's go now to Chad Ford:

"The Clippers need a point guard, but it may be a little high to take D.J. Augustin or Russell Westbrook here. With Corey Maggette likely hitting free agency, the Clippers will need a big-time scorer who can shoot and get to the rim. Gordon looked like a top-three talent before a late-season slump. He looks like a bigger, better version of Ben Gordon."

So, Chad, let me get this straight. The #7 pick is too high for a team looking for a point guard to take Westbrook, but it's OK for a team NOT looking for a point guard to take Westbrook at #8. That's incoherent. Before the lottery, this writer recalls that you had no problem drafting D.J. Augustin 7th when the #7 was the Bucks probable pick, but now #7 is too high for Augustin? That's even more incoherent. Am I foolish to expect these mock drafts to make sense or that you do, in fact, have "the latest word?" Chad, you're not giving me much incentive to sign up for ESPN Insider.

Ford doesn't seem to really know what many teams will do, which he as much as admits r.e. our Bucks:

"It's tough to project the Bucks right now. New GM John Hammond is ready to make changes, but where does he start? Their biggest need is at small forward, but this is probably too high for Donte Greene or Joe Alexander. One thing Hammond wants to emphasize is defense, and Westbrook could be an excellent addition. He can play both guard positions and be a Leandro Barbosa-type scoring threat."

The Bob Boozer Jinx take: If the Bucks want Leandro Barbosa, it would make more sense for John Hammond to trade Michael Redd to Phoenix for Boris Diaw and the real Barbosa than it would to draft a could-be, shorter version of Barbosa in this draft. Hammond helps his Bucks more by scouting out which teams might want the #8 pick, or certain players in the draft, and using the pick to complete trade possibilities (Dan Gadzuric and Bobby Simmons come to mind). As far as keeping the pick, this is looking like the type of draft where the best idea might be to take the biggest player available and hope he develops (this could be construed as an argument for DeAndre Jordan if it comes to that).

Milwaukee Bucks Blog - The Bob Boozer Jinx : Derrick Fisher

Are the Finals here already?

Playoff Props: FOUL ON FISHER!