Milwaukee Bucks Blog - The Bob Boozer Jinx : Sam Cassell

Playoff Props: Spurs Horry clean or dirty? Plus, more "What ifs" for Bucks fans

J.D. Mo — Mon, 19 May 2008 10:32:00 GMT

I'm finally ready to say it: This is not the Spurs year.

I've avoided blogging about the Spurs-Hornets series, which has come down to Game 7 in "the hive" in New Orleans tonight, because every year that I count the Spurs out, the defending champs manage to count themselves in. Pass on props to say, Manu Ginobli's magicianship or Tim Duncan's fundamental genius in the post, and the Spurs stumble. Talk up Bruce Bowen's defense and he fouls out.

I may be jinxing the Hornets, but I like the chances of Chris Paul and gang closing out the Spurs, if only because Paul's Hornets have been great at home (like all of the teams still playing this past weekend) and the officials will be all over the Spurs -- thanks to Robert Horry's illegal pick into airborne Hornets forward David West's ailing lower back. This is a context thing that goes back to last year when the Spurs bullied past the Suns in the Western Finals after Horry body-checked Steve Nash into the scorers' table (the Suns lost Amar Stoudamire in the aftermath for leaving the Suns bench). And now it's Horry again in a tight series with a controversial, if not dirty, play.

Or was it? Clean it was not -- Horry was called for a foul. But how dirty was it? Check it out:

The "What ifs" of the Larry Harris era: It was difficult to watch the Celtics-Cavs series and not think "What if the Bucks hadn't _________ ?" (Fill in the blank.) All told, there were five ex-Bucks on the Celtics-Cavs rosters. Big forward Joe Smith and guard Damon Jones for the Cavs; for the Celtics, guard Eddie House and Sam and Ray.

Game 7 featured a strong performance by House, who brought energy and experience and great shooting off the bench for the Celtics in the first half. In the second half, House, Ray and Rajon Rondo rotated in and out, taking care of the ball and leaving the game-saving for Paul Pierce (41 points). In 71 minutes, the three Celtics guards turned the ball over only four times (boxscore). The Celtics as a team turned it over only 10 times, to 14 by the Cavs. Game.

Bucks fans may vaguely remember House from the 2004-05 season. The Bucks picked him up in Dec. 2004 off the waiver wire and he played five games in a deep reserve role during the Bucks 9-20 start, logging a total of 42 minutes. I saw him against Philly in 2004, the game in which Allen Iverson went off for a Bradley Center record 54 points in a blowout of the Bucks, featuring atrocious defense by Bucks starting guards Mo Williams and Michael Redd. House looked pretty good firing threes off the bench, hitting two and scoring eight points in 17 minutes (boxscore).

House was waived in January, in favor of guards Erick Strickland, in his final year as a pro, and point guard Mike James, traded to Houston for Reece Gaines at the trading deadline. James would start for Toronto the next season while Gaines stuck around at the end of the Bucks bench for another year. Gaines hasn't played in the NBA since. Also on that 2004-05 team was 36-year-old Kendall Gill, in his final season as a pro.

Most Bucks fans would probably prefer to forget that season, the year of waiting for TJ Ford to recover from his spinal injury. Mo Williams (from Utah) and James (from Detroit) had been signed as free agents to fill in for TJ, who had no replacement because Harris had let TJ's backup, Damon Jones, go to Miami in free agency -- on a one-year, $2.5 million contract. By the second month of the season, Harris was still looking for guards on the waiver wire (Eddie House), who was just as good as any of them, yet didn't fit into Harris' equation at all, if Harris had an equation or a plan.

Can we finally say, as Bucks fans, that the T.J. Ford project was a waste of time? Injuries, free agent signings, a string of journeymen guards wearing Bucks uniforms. It was all so ... bad.

Ernie Grunfeld/Larry Harris didn't need to be shrewd to simply say "stop" after the 2003 Ray Allen trade and hold on to Sam Cassell, who had three years left on his contract. To a team trying to fill a void left by trading Allen, and with Gary Payton leaving in free agency, a veteran floor leader like Sam "I Am" was a necessity. It's not as though the Bucks were in rebuilding mode - Michael Redd, Tim Thomas, Desmond Mason and Toni Kukoc were coming back. Sam was 34-years-old, but the clown prince of basketball would play 218 games over the final three years of his contract. It defied all reason to opt for a rookie point guard going into the 2003-04 season.

But that's what the Bucks did. GM Grunfeld stayed on after the firing of coach George Karl, through the drafting of TJ -- and a week later swung the Sam Cassell/Ervin Johnson for Joe Smith trade. Almost as if to say, "we might have made a mistake," one of Larry Harris' first moves as GM was to get even more point guard help, signing Damon Jones to a free agent contract. The other guards were Strickland and Brevin Knight. Jones would lead the 2003-04 Bucks in assists.

With a rookie and Jones at point guard, Redd took over the offense. Forward Tim Thomas was a little more than disgruntled by mid-season and was traded for Keith Van Horne. TJ went down for the season with 26 games to go. The Bucks down the stretch squandered the #4 playoff seed and round one home court advantage, falling to 6th and a first round matchup with eventual NBA champion Detroit. None of this occurs if Sam Cassell is a Buck. But Sam "I Am" was busy making the All-Pro team in Minnesota, and, with Kevin Garnett, leading the T-Wolves to the best record in the league and the Western Conference championships.

What if the Cassell trade never happens?

The immediate benefit is no rookie point guard or string of undersized free agent point guards for three years. Some of those players are effective journeyman pros: Damon Jones, Mo Williams, even Mike James. TJ Ford, too. But the differences between them are slight. Case in point Sunday: Eddie House, not TJ Ford or Damon Jones, played a key role in winning a playoff game seven, to say nothing of Reece Gaines. It was as if Larry Harris was a kid in the little point guard candy store, trying different flavors of the same type of player.

Immediate problem number one is at power forward. Keep Sam and there is no Joe Smith. No great loss there. As steady rollin' as Joe is, he played only 2/3 of the games while a Buck and Harris gave up on him in 2006, trading him for Ruben Patterson, whom Harris let go a year later. Another waste. But the 2003-04 Bucks need a power forward (the Bucks were still paying millions to two PFs whose playing days ended in 2003, Anthony Mason and Jason Caffey.) Luckily, there are two players in the 2003 NBA draft (the Lebron draft) who can help: Nick Collison, a 6'9" forward out of Kansas, picked #12 by the Supersonics; and David West, five years away from being victimized by Robert Horry, 6'9" out of Xavier, drafted #18 by the Hornets. Hindsight being 20/20 and West the more athletic player, averaging 20pts and 9rbs per game for NO this season, the Bucks draft West over Collison. While West develops, the Bucks fill the void with journeyman veterans, and there are plenty of those in the NBA. The Bucks had one in 2003-04, Brian Skinner.

Cassell, Redd, Thomas, West, Mason, Kukoc, Skinner -- this is a playoff team, one that's good enough for a four spot but not good enough to beat Indiana or Detroit in conference semis. The Bucks still have a couple of problems. The centers are Joel Przybilla and Dan Gadzuric. Instead of trading Pryz to Atlanta, the Bucks hang on to him. They also hang on to Skinner heading into 2004-05, as they have no 2004 draft pick. At this point, Kohl is probably over the luxury tax because Caffey and Mason are still on the payroll. The Bob Boozer Jinx at work.

Cassell also presents a problem. He's a free agent in 2006, and would likely leave Milwaukee. Sam's happiness is a fleeting thing. Harris has to figure out how to get value out of Sam in a trade before it's too late. Good thing Timmy and Dez are around. Sam/Timmy or Sam/Mason is a nice package for any number of teams. Dallas is looking to move Michael Finley. Finley's expensive, but Sam/Timmy balance it out, and Harris has until February to make the deal. 2004-05 probably isn't a playoff year, and it's a good year to fall into the lottery. The Bucks are looking forward to 2005-06 when Caffey and Mason are finally off the books. Sometime during the year, Sam/Timmy are traded for a scoring small forward and possibly a reserve guard or PF. No danger of the forward being Bobby Simmons -- too much value in the Bucks package. Best option is Finley.

2005 draft, the immediate need is point guard now that Sam is gone. Center is the secondary need. This is a good thing because Deron Williams and Chris Paul are in the draft, and the Bucks are lucky. They don't get the #1 pick in the lottery but are lucky enough to get Deron Williams (like Utah, the Bucks have Deron rated higher than Chris Paul; it couldn't be helped). The future looks bright.

The big men are still a problem, and Zaza Pachulia is now in the mix. With no Bogut coming in, the Bucks match Atlanta's 4-year/$14 million offer to Zaza and keep him. Przybilla's still on the team and Gadzuric needs to be signed, but not for six years/$36 million. Maybe the Bucks don't keep all three. There's less money for free agent Redd, too, because the Bucks are paying the scoring small forward (Finley?) received in the Cassell trade. Besides, Cassell never allowed Redd to take over the offense and become a gaudy 25-ppg scorer. The reason this ever happened at all (it shouldn't have) was that Redd took advantage of rookie and free agent point guards, and inexperienced coaches. Sam has had a reality-inducing impact on Redd's game, and the Bucks save up to $20 million on Redd's 2005 contract.

The 2005-06 Bucks: Rookie Deron Williams PG; Michael Redd SG; Michael Finley SF; a developing David West PF; a goofy bunch of non-scoring centers but Zaza looks better and better, and he can shoot. Off the bench, Damon Jones/Mo Williams/maybe somebody like Marquis Daniels (from Dallas); Toni Kukoc is in his final year and the Bucks still have Desmond Mason. No, it's not a mighty bench, but the nucleus of the team with Deron at point is good enough to upset the Cavs in round one of the playoffs. Terry Porter, by the way, is still the coach. He even wins some 2005-06 Coach of the Year votes.

Bucks fans are downright optimistic about their team. They prove it by buying tickets. At the 1-4 spots, the Bucks have one of the better starting groups in the league. The Bucks and Cavaliers are the up and coming teams in the East, with the Baby Bulls and Wizards struggling to keep up. David West is becoming a force. Some observers say the team has "good chemistry" and should contend for years if the right piece or two is added. The 2006 draft is a lousy one, but the Bucks don't have a great pick anyway. A good big man would be nice, and that's something to work on.

Overall, the Bucks-o-sphere is a happy, happy place. ....

All because the Bucks held onto to their veteran point guard, Sam "I Am" Cassell, just a little while longer.

Playoff Props: Free Ray Allen!!!

J.D. Mo — Sun, 18 May 2008 21:53:00 GMT

PICKING UP GAME 7 ACTION at the start of the 3rd quarter, as Paul Pierce has hit another three for his 29th point to put the Celtics up by six. The forwards have dominated play all day and the shooting guards - Ray Allen and Wally Szczerbiak have been wise to stay out of the way. Lebron is hot to start the second half.

Rondo miss - "If you're Doc Rivers you've got to start thinking about Eddie House ..." ABC/ESPN analyst Jeff Van Gundy comments, as Ilgauskas collars the rebound. Lebron hits a three; Pierce counters with a three. The forwards are on FIRE. What a show.

In Milwaukee, the small forward position has been all but eliminated, but the position is alive and well in Game 7. Point guard play is still important - the edge all series goes to Delonte West - but the forward play has relegated the shooting guards to role players, the big men to pick and roll outlets. Cleveland and Lebron play this way every night, but Boston? The Cavs have upset the Celtics offensive balance, and now Boston is playing Cavs-ball. ... Or, maybe there was never really enough ball to go around in Boston. .... Escaping notice from analysts Van Gundy and Mark Jackson is that Doc Rivers has started big forward 38-year-old PJ Brown in the 2nd half. Celtics up eight.

Ray cannot hit!!! Two wide-open three-looks within a few possessions. If Ray drains those, the Cavs are reeling going into the 4th quarter. Instead, Ray's back on the bench with Rondo and the Celtics go back to the Eddie House one-guard offense, which means the ball will be in Pierce's hands for the next six minutes. Final seconds of the third quarter, Pierce at the line. Celtics by five going into the 4th.

Here's a link from Basketball Prospectus.

Prospectus says: "Mike Brown and Doc Rivers have set NBA basketball back about eight years, taking us back to the micro-managing control freaks who dominated the game at the beginning of the current decade."

This has been the type of series only Jeff Van Gundy and his point guard, Mark Jackson, sitting next to him for ABC/ESPN, could love. Van Gundy happens to be one of the coaches to whom bball prospectus is referring.

Another ex-Buck on the floor, Damon Jones from the 2003-04 team: "Damon Jones with a wide open look from the corner ...." It's off this time (he had made one earlier). Jones is filling in at guard for Boobie Gibson, sidelined with a separated shoulder.

8:30 remaining now, "Celtics trying to hold on."

Rondo back in the game, Allen and House on the bench.

Eddie House was a Buck for five games in 2004-05 season. Larry Harris picked him up off the waiver wire in Dec. 2004 then released him few weeks later, in favor of Mo Williams, Mike James and Erick Strickland? Five ex-Bucks on these teams. Ray and Sam and House for the Celtics (three of the four Boston guards who get PT). Joe Smith and Jones for the Cavs. Of the six guards playing today, three are ex-Bucks (Jones, Ray and House - Sam is on the bench). I can't resist thinking how the Bucks fate could've been different. Slickless Larry's overconfidence in Mo Williams and Michael Redd probably got the better of him in the end -- $142 million for those two. Meanwhile, here are all of these former Bucks guards in Boston, playing in a game that is bigger than any the NBA has put on the floor so far this season. ...

Pierce hits again - 39 for Pierce. Lebron hits a three. 83-80. Garnett dunks. Celts by five. James misses a three. Five minutes left.

An open Rondo misses. Delonte West has gone back to not guarding him, but by and large, Rondo is keeping his cool, not trying to do too much. I'm feeling that I've been too hard on Rondo, who's only in his second year. PJ Brown is there for the rebound and lay-in!!! Celtics by five. Brown has played nearly the entire second half at power forward/center with Garnett. Perkins and Big Baby have been spectators. Posey gets some minutes.

2:20 left. One-point game. Celtics ball. Doc Rivers goes to Ray Allen and Eddie House for the final two minutes. Free Ray Allen!!!

Jump ball. Celtics James Posey had time to get a timeout in that scrum - Ilgauskus never had a hand on the ball. Bad call by the officials. Could've been a foul on Z. On the tip, Pierce dives to the floor, saves it and gets the time out, even though Delonte West has his hands wrapped around the ball. Somebody chuck a rule book at these refs. 58 seconds left - Garnett ignores Ray on the wing and misfires a 20-footer. Bad judgement, KG. Free Ray Allen!!! KG redeems by grabbing a tough rebound on a James miss, dumps the outlet to Pierce and Pierce, making smart decisions all day, gets it upcourt to Ray, the best free throw shooter in the playoffs. Ray is fouled, hits two and is now 33 of 34 from the line in the playoffs. Celtics by five. 18 seconds left. Celtics hold on if they hit their free throws.

Pavlovic hits a three for Cleveland! Three point game with 9 seconds to go. Pierce now to the line. ... 8 seconds left. He hits two. The first one takes a crazy bounce and falls. Assist to the ghost of Red Auerbach. Cavs down five, needing a miracle. ... Game. 97-92 Celtics. Pierce finishes with 41, a game for the basketball gods.

The Detroit Pistons will practice in Detroit tonight (Chauncey Billups said at halftime that a practice is scheduled), and pack their bags for Beantown tomorrow. Tuesday night, 7:30 Central. Celtics-Pistons Game One. I don't like the Pistons chances at all in that series, and I don't see it going seven games.

Tomorrow night in the hive in New Orleans, the Hornets and Chris Paul try to hold of the defending champion Spurs, who, up to their usual dirty tricks, have disabled an opponent -- this time it's forward David West, popped in his ailing lower back by Robert Horry, the culprit who last season body-checked Steve Nash in the Suns-Spurs Western Conference Finals. ... Dare I say it? This year is not the Spurs year. ... There, I said it.

Playoff Props: Celtics-Cavs Game 7

J.D. Mo — Sun, 18 May 2008 12:10:00 GMT

Celtics-Cavs Game 7 today, just as Al in Ohio would've predicted if he had made a prediction that didn't give him an out.

For Game 7, Al's going out on a limb:

"I'll take the Cavs and the points!"

There's that Cleveland optimism again. The Celtics are giving eight to the spread.

This game is a tough call. Can the Celtics and the ghost of Red Auerbach pull out another defensive gem in a second consecutive Game 7? Can Lebron finally shake Paul Pierce and dominate? Which Rajon Rondo will show up? When will Ray Allen detonate and have a Ray Allen game? (If he does it's over).

The best thing the Celtics have going for them is Kevin Garnett and Cavs guard Daniel "Boobie" Gibson's separated shoulder. Gibson, the Cavs best three-point shooter, is out, leaving it up to Cleveland's starting guards, Wally Szczerbiak and Delonte West, to make up the difference. (Note: Gibson's injury probably isn't serious enough to rule out the Michael Redd trade.)

"With Gibson out and the Celts seeming to have figured out how to control Z, I'm not sure LeBron can do it himself on the road," Al says.

Lebron's done it before, last year against the Pistons, and that's where Cavs fans place their hopes. But they also have a wild card that could flip the Cavs way -- Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo. Doc Rivers has completely ignored my advice to play Sam Cassell when the offense is struggling -- in fact, he's done the opposite and went so far as to bench Sam in Game 6. Look what happened -- the Celtics went nine minutes without a bucket -- that's right, NINE minutes, spanning the last six minutes of the first half and the first three of the second.

The Cavs outscored the Celtics 24-2 in that stretch, which began when Doc rested Ray in the second quarter and continued until Ray hit a layup in the third. The Celtics never recovered. It was a replay of the game in Atlanta when the Celtics went eight minutes without a field goal in the fourth quarter, yet Doc stuck with Rondo until the final minutes of the game when he pulled him for Cassell, too late.

True, this Doc Rivers version of the Muhammad Ali rope-a-dope (Doc's version doesn't work) seems to be a road phenomena. But if it's sink or swim with Rondo again today, Doc Rivers and his point guard may be the next best thing the Cavs have going for them after Lebron.

Lakers almost RULE!!! The Lakers were one better than the Celtics, Cavs, Spurs and Hornets. Kobe and friends avoided game seven and won a game on the road. Lakers fans will now demand that commish David Stern cancel the rest of the playoffs and declare the Lakers champs. Why? Because its OVER!!! LAKERS RULE!!! I hate to admit it, but the Lakers do seem to be separating from the rest of the pack in the West.

To me the reason these series' have been so close (including the Pistons-Magic series, which was much closer than 4-1) is the obvious one: there's not much of a gap separating the top eight teams from one another. Top 10 if one includes a healthy Houston Rockets and the Phoenix Suns. The Jazz were very close to pushing the Lakers to game seven, and only needed to shoot a little bit better than a terrible 33% in Game 6 to get there.

The boo birds were out in Utah, with Andrei Kirelenko (passport-gate) and Carlos "brick shot" Boozer taking the brunt of it. (Boozer reminds me so much of Terry Cummings - including the bricks - that I wonder sometimes if it isn't the 1987-89 Bucks I'm watching during Utah telecasts; Okur plays like a lot like Jack Sikma, and Kirilenko's a dead ringer for Fred Roberts; it's kinda scary).

Still, I'm sticking to my week-ago rant about Bucks fans forgetting the Jazz as a Bucks trading partner. Utah's nearly on par with the Lakers now, and I don't foresee Jerry Sloan messing with a good thing in the offseason. Sloan's not one to panic - and he doesn't have a history of making big trades.

Playoff Props - What's up Doc?

J.D. Mo — Mon, 12 May 2008 00:19:00 GMT

After another surpisingly out-of-synch playoff performance on the road by the Boston Celtics, Celtics coach Doc Rivers finds his team in a difficult situation with its starting point guard, 21-year-old Rajon Rondo. Rondo finished with zero assists in Game 3 against the Cavaliers on Sunday and was thoroughly outplayed by the Cavs' Delonte West.

Rondo's not ready to help the Celtics win it all; that was all too clear Saturday night. On Doc's bench is the answer: the clown prince of NBA guards, Sam "I Am" Cassell, offensive genius. Yet Rivers has been slow to pull Rondo when things are going badly.

At one point in the 3rd Quarter of Saturday night's game, the ABC cameras found West on defense, playing one of the saggiest one-man zones I've seen in the NBA. He wasn't even guarding Rondo, clogging the paint instead to make life difficult for KG and Paul Pierce. As the minutes passed, the Celtics struggled to cut the lead to 15, then watched it fall back to 20. No team in the NBA would dare to not guard Sam Cassell. Yet Sam sat. Rivers finally went to Cassell at the start of the fourth quarter and the Celtics pulled to within 12, but could get no closer.

With Rondo in the game, Paul Pierce fought for shots and Ray Allen scarcely shot at all, turning playmaker when he did get the ball. Unselfish play by Ray, but that's what Rondo should have been doing, instead of driving the ball at Big Ben Wallace, Z-Ilgauskus and Lebron James. Is Rivers worried about deflating Rondo's confidence in the playoffs? Or is it a team chemistry thing because Sam is the new guy? Whatever the case, Rivers has been far too much of a players' coach where Rondo is concerned, and it's part of the reason the Atlanta series went to seven games.

It doesn't seem to matter when the Celtics are playing in the Garden, but on the road, Rivers has to be quicker to go to Sam when the offense is struggling. If Sam, at 38, wears down, go back to Rondo, but don't give Rondo the reins in the 3rd Quarter on the road -- unless Doc is willing to sacrifice a championship for an "experience" playoffs for Rondo. If the Celtics fall short of the NBA Finals (they're by no means a shoe-in for conference finals) Rivers failure to make game adjustments will be the first thing called into question.

Trust in Sam, Doc. You won't be sorry.

Steady rollin' Joe The Celtics-Cavs series is THE one for Bucks fans. There are future Bucks to watch in Cleveland's Danny Gibson and Wally Szczerbiak ( I finally spelled it right - I think) -- How you doing on that Michael Redd, trade, Lebron? And there are ex-Bucks to watch in Ray and Sam "I Am", and, coming off the Cleveland bench, Joe Smith (Damon Jones is on that bench too, but rarely leaves it).

Joe had a steady-rollin' game Saturday - 24 minutes, 17 points on 7/8 shooting, 6 rebounds, 4 fouls. Smith made a couple of more shots than he normally would, but as Bucks fans know, his game was not that different than it ever was. Smith doesn't force anything, takes good shots, rebounds, plays D and gives his team a chance to win, though he won't be "the guy" winning it.

Smith, 32, came to the Bucks from the T-Wolves in the 2003 trade for Sam Cassell and Ervin Johnson. It was Ernie Grunfeld's last trade as GM, which coincided with the drafting of point guard T.J. Ford. Two weeks later, the woeful era of GM Larry Harris began. Smith started at power forward for two years, averaging 11 pts., 8 boards per game (which makes him one of the more productive power forwards in Bucks history). The following year, Smith came off the bench behind Jamal Magliore and Andrew Bogut, but was hobbled with injuries for much of the year - no doubt the effects of the Bob Boozer Jinx at work again at the Bucks PF position.

"Slickless" Larry eventually traded Smith to Denver for forward Ruben Patterson in Aug., 2006, trade #5 in a series of six dubious Larry trades that left Charlie Villanueva as the only player resource standing. Apparently Harris, never known for his patience, didn't feel like waiting for Smith to fully rehab his knee. The Bucks let Patterson go to the LA Clippers as a free agent in 1997.

In other words, in true Slickless style, the Bucks got nothing for Joe Smith. By the transitive property of the tradelines, this also means the Bucks got nothing for Sam Cassell, who, when he was traded for Smith in 2003 was under contract with the Bucks for another three seasons (at about $6 million per year) -- and should not have been traded at all.

What if the Bucks kept Sam? Instead of drafting T.J., the Bucks draft a forward in 2003 (say, David West). Terry Porter, in his first year as coach, has a leader on the floor in Sam (who was 2nd Team All-NBA 2003-04), and a developing big forward instead of injury prone Smith. Michael Redd's development as a scorer is more natural and team-oriented, and Redd never becomes the black hole or the $51 million, three-year contract problem that he is now. Sam controls the offense; Redd's contract extension doesn't get insane. Tim Thomas is happier (for a while anyway), the Bucks win more and there's less for Slickless Larry to foul up in 2005. Terry Porter keeps his job. Let's stop there, as it's beginning to look like this topic would be better as a post of its own.

In the meantime, Sam "I Am" fans have the Celtics-Cavs series, and Joe Smith and Ray Allen too.

And there's this, which I found whilst surfing around today. It's samcassellonline.org, the unofficial Sam Cassell website, created by a few of the LA Clippers faithful. Now that's good stuff.

Playoff Props: "Dammit Ray!"

J.D. Mo — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 17:52:00 GMT

Strange Days for the Celtics So how does a team that went 37-45 in the regular season, the youngest team in the playoffs, shock basketball fans everywhere by deadlocking the best team in basketball 2-2 in the first round of the playoffs?

The series that was the best excuse for going back to the bye system - remember the week off Nellie's Bucks teams got at the end of each season - is now one of the more befuddling matchups in sports. And Joe Johnson, the Hawks shooting guard noticed only by Hawks fans at this year's All-Star game, has arrived.

Johnson scored 35 points last night, 20 in a Jordan-esque fourth quarter. The Celtics entered the fourth quarter with a 10-point lead, only to watch helplessly as Johnson and the Hawks outscored them 32-17 to take game four of the seven game series.

In the process, Johnson made his coach, Mike Woodson, look like an offensive genius. Woodson simply isolated Johnson (at Johnson's suggestion) one-on-one against Ray Allen, whose defense last night was about as soft as the defense he usually played when he was a Milwaukee Buck. Charmin soft. Textbook matador. After one driving Johnson basket in the fourth quarter, the TNT cameras panned to Celtics coach Doc Rivers, just as he was screaming, unmistakably, in all silent-screen actor obviousness, DAMMIT RAY!!!

Not to let Rivers off the hook. Doc was thoroughly outcoached by Woodson. As Woodson's Hawks formed their isolation set possession after possession, Johnson starting nearly at half court in one corner against Ray as the rest of the Hawks gathered along the opposite sideline, Rivers had no answer. He just left Allen to defend Johnson and all that open court by himself. "DAMMIT RAY!!!" was all he had.

Rivers last night might have turned in one of the worst-coached games of the postseason were it not for Denver coach George Karl's pathetic job all last week against the Lakers. (I digress). The only basket the Celtics scored in the first EIGHT minutes of the 4th quarter was a three-pointer by Ray Allen, easily the best Celtics player on the court in the final 12 minutes. Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce looked like rec league players.

Some of it was just bad, dumb luck - the Celtics worked hard for some good shots that, in the 4th, just rattled out. But great basketball teams make their own luck, and that's where the Celtics fell short. (Nope, not gonna go for any of those hackneyed Irish cliches).

Bucks fans watching the game had to wonder why Rivers left Sam Cassell on the Celtics bench until the final 1:30 of the game. Sam "I Am" will find a way for his team to score more than four points in eight minutes. The trick is to put him in the game and give him the ball. Even George Karl understood that.

Come to think of it, any coach who has Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Sam Cassell at his disposal yet, minute after minute, puts the ball in the hands of a guy named Rajon Rondo, deserves all the trouble that Joe Johnson and the Atlanta Hawks can give them.

“Basketball is a strange thing,” Cassell said after the game. “Strange things happen.” (Like another former Buck, Zaza Pachula, squaring off against future Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett).

After last night's game, I'm having a difficult time picturing the Celtics beating Lebron's Cavaliers in the East semifinals - assuming the Celtics manage to get past the Hawks in this first round.

George Karl, the overrated Having watched the Nuggets more than most NBA teams this season other than the Bucks, I've come to the conclusion that George Karl was absolutely full of it during his five years as coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, especially on defense. George Karl is no defensive coach.

Karl's Denver Nuggets, led by Allen Iverson, last night became the first 50-win team in NBA history to be swept out of the playoffs last night by Kobe and the Lakers. Karl's greatest talent as a coach is to take supremely talented teams and make them playoff underachievers. He did it in Seattle (two surpise first round flops). He did it in Milwaukee in three mediocre regular seasons in five years. Now he's done it in Denver.

Not to lay it all on Karl's doorstep. Allen Iverson and fellow guard J.R. Smith, who led the Nuggets reserves, were the only two Nuggets players who seemed to give a headband that their season was coming to an end. Carmelo Anthony's looking round and melo - if he doesn't lay off the potato chips, beer and weed, he's going to turn into Antoine Walker.

The disappointing West The ultra-competitive Western Conference has been anything but in the playoffs. With a few notable exceptions (game one of the Spurs-Suns series, which left the Suns demoralized), the Western matchups have been yawners. The vast majority of the great playoff basketball being played this year has come in the East. Cavs-Wizards has been intense. Pistons-76ers has been a war. The Hawks, again, the youngest team in the playoffs, have stunned everyone against the Celtics.

The Lakers are as good as advertised, maybe even great. But the Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets and Denver Nuggets stumbled into the playoffs burnt out from the long regular season. Maybe 82-games is too many. Some of the older players just look tired (Jason Kidd, Marcus Camby, Kenyon Martin - 30 years old and two knee surgeries). Injuries have taken their toll (Houston).

It's no coincidence that the younger teams are beginning to emerge. The Orlando Magic, the Hawks, the Sixers, and the Chris Paul-led Charlotte Hornets have all impressed. Dallas, Detroit, Phoenix are beginning to wane. I'd say that about the Spurs but I know better. The Celtics are being tested.

Lebron James and the Cavaliers nursed injuries all season long and only won 45 games. But the Cavs are built for the playoffs, not the regular season, and they are proving it. Like the Spurs, they're a seven-game series team.

The regular season is only a snapshot of NBA basketball in time. Sometimes the camera lies, and this seems to be one of those seasons.