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Archive for the ‘Paul Pierce’ Category

The Celtics held off a late surge from Kobe Bryant and Co. to beat the Lakers 92-86 in Game 5 Sunday. L.A. now faces the unenviable task of winning two games in a row against the Celtics, albeit at home. Otherwise they relinquish their 2009 crown and lose to a hated rival two times in three years — not a good look when you’re trying to put together a “greatest of all-time” resume. Yeah, Kobe. I’m looking at you.

Boston won by playing great team defense and hitting open looks — as a team they shot an incredible 56.2 percent from the field, which is insane when you consider a) this is the NBA Finals and b) they hadn’t shot over 45 percent in any of the previous games. They got stops when they needed to and knocked down their free throws (what few they got) when it mattered. It was as complete a performance as we’ve seen since Game 1, when the Lakers absolutely tore the Celts apart.

In terms of individual performances, Paul Pierce broke out of his Finals slump with 27 points. Kevin Garnett had his most complete game of the series, scoring 18 points to go along with 10 rebounds and five steals. And Rajon Rondo contributed his usual usual: 18 points, 8 assists, 9-of-12 shooting from the field.

However, the play of the night belonged to His Black Mambaness, Kobe Bryant.

Kobe scored 38 points on the night (19 in the third quarter alone), including the following one-handed alley-oop. At this point I was convinced he wasn’t going to miss a shot until MJ unretires a third time. That’s how on fire he was. (Video courtesy of NBA.com)

Kobe eventually cooled down and ceded the ball to Pau Gasol for a few possessions — until that point I didn’t think Gasol even existed anymore. I thought he had disappeared like that girl who tried to sail around the world. (I can say that now, right? She’s been found and everything? Okay, cool.) That didn’t go well. Gasol flopped around and fumbled the ball away like it was 2008, finishing with just 12 points on a very un-All-Star-like 5-of-12 shooting.

To insult to injury, Gasol also got blocked. And he got blocked hard. Like I want to erase you, your kids and everything everybody ever knew about your life hard (a.ka. the Enemy of the State block).

Kudos to Tony Allen for the best weak side assault we’ve seen since King James got eliminated.

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Hello friends. Basketball Fiend here. Welcome to the NBA Finals.

It’s Lakers-Celtics again this year, which means there’s excitement in the air. Excitement from Lakers fans (revenge!), Celtics fans (we didn’t expect to be here!) and ABC (we don’t have to suffer crappy Suns-Magic ratings!).

I’m excited too. Lakers-Celtics is the matchup I was hoping for. Not only are they the two most talented teams in the league (sorry, Orlando), they’re also part of the most vitriolic feud in basketball. Which means they inherently bring the best out of each other. Which translates to a hard-fought series at worst; an all-time classic series at best. There are no losers here — unless the Lakers win; then we’re all losers (comical Phil Jackson XI hats aside).

When it comes to Lakers-Celtics, the rivalry is always the biggest and best storyline. The animosity between these two franchises (hell, these two cities) transcends everything else — kind of like how the great directors (Spielberg, Scorsese, Tarantino, etc.) always take top billing of whatever movie they’re doing. Other factors (Kobe, Phil, Doc, Rondo, Pau, the Big Three) are important. They’re just never as important as the rivalry itself.

This happens for good reason. L.A. and Boston are meeting for an NBA-record 12th time in the Finals — the Celtics have bragging rights with a 9-2 Finals advantage, creating a rare inferiority complex for fans in L.A. They’re not used to being on the losing end of anything.

Some say the rivalry angle is “played out,” but those people are crazy. NBA fans outside of Phoenix, Orlando and Cleveland couldn’t have hoped for a better Finals matchup. Lakers-Celtics is as dramatic as it gets, especially considering the amount of talented players and combustible personalities involved. From Cousy and Russell battling West and Baylor in the 1960s to Bird and Magic’s famous duels in the 80s to Kobe and Pau going head to head with the Big Three in 2008, you’d be hard pressed to find a rivalry with a richer history.

With that said, talking about the rivalry gets tedious after a while so let’s explore some of the other storylines in play.

1. Kobe Approaching Jordan Status

Two years ago, I didn’t think I’d be discussing this topic. I considered it an impossibility. Kobe as good as Jordan? No way. Kobe’s selfish. Kobe can’t win without a bigger superstar leading the way. Kobe can’t elevate the play of his teammates. Obviously I was wrong.

The Lakers’ championship win last season was emphatic and convincing — as was their romp through the playoffs leading up to this matchup with the Celtics — and Kobe has been a big part of that. He averaged 30 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists throughout the playoffs in ‘09 and has posted similar numbers in the postseason this year — with better shooting percentages to boot.

More than anything, though, last season’s championship proved he is a true alpha dog and the kind of player who can raise the quality of play of those around him — which was one of Jordan’s best qualities.

If the Lakers can overtake the Celtics in the Finals, it’ll be Kobe’s fifth championship, putting him just one title behind MJ.

Jordan still has a number of bragging rights over Kobe — his playoff numbers are better, he has won more Finals MVP awards (six to Kobe’s one) and he never lost a championship series (something Kobe has done twice) — but the gap is closing.

Regardless of what happens in the Finals, the Lakers will be title contenders for at least two more seasons — all of their principle players are under contract until 2012 — perhaps more, putting Kobe in a position to pass Jordan in terms of rings.

That alone wouldn’t be enough to etch Kobe’s name higher than Jordan’s in the Pantheon of Basketball Greats, but it would certainly make for an argument worth having. (Quick tangent: I would absolutely hate it if this happened. Jordan has been considered the greatest of all-time since I was 13 years old and, like many basketball bloggers, I grew up idolizing him. I don’t want to see him dethroned. On top of that, I’m a Kings fan, making Kobe the equivalent of the Smoke Monster to me. Needless to say, I’ll be rooting vehemently for the Celtics in this series.)

From a legacy standpoint, it’s important to Kobe to beat the Celtics. And when Kobe’s motivated, there are few who can stop him. Are the Celtics up to the task?

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(Photo credit: guardian.co.uk)

The Celtics dodged a bullet Tuesday as reports that Paul Pierce suffered a broken foot were refuted. Pierce does not in fact have a broken foot, but a sprained one, according to a Celtics press release.

BOSTON, MA - The Boston Celtics announced today that forward Paul Pierce suffered a strained left mid-foot during the first quarter against the Washington Wizards on February 1. He is currently listed as day-to-day.

An initial report by David Aldridge of NBA.com quoted a “league source” as saying Pierce’s foot was broken and he would miss a significant amount of time. I’m not in Boston, but I can imagine the news touched off a small riot. Now that the report has been proved false, I can’t imagine how angry Celtics fans are with Aldridge.

In the end, it’s not Aldridge’s fault — he just reported what he heard from his source — but nonetheless, I don’t think Celtics fans are going to bring out the welcome wagon next time he comes to Boston.

The loss of Pierce would likely have meant the end of Boston’s championship hopes. Now that he’s listed as “day-to-day”, you can almost hear the sigh of relief from Celtics fans.

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(Photo credit: Boston.com)

The Celtics’ injury woes just got worse. David Aldridge of NBA.com is reporting that Paul Pierce has a broken foot.

More from NBA.com:

Already reeling from a spate of injuries to key players, the Boston Celtics may have lost All-Star forward Paul Pierce for a significant period of time to a broken left foot, according to a league source.

The team does not know for sure if Pierce’s foot is broken after X-rays taken Tuesday; more tests are scheduled. But it “looks that way,” the league source said.

The Celtics are hopeful that even if the foot is broken that Pierce won’t be out of the lineup for long. But they are not yet certain of that.

Pierce suffered the injury as he fought with Wizards forward Caron Butler for a loose ball in the first half of the Celtics-Wizards game Monday night. His initial impression was that the injury wasn’t serious, but obviously that conflicts with Aldridge’s report.

Pierce was named to the All-Star team for the eighth time in his career last month. He is the second All-Star to go down to injury this week. On Sunday Chris Paul decided to undergo surgery for torn cartilage in his knee.

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(Photo credit: ESPN)

1. “The LeBron of Point Guards.” Those are SI.com’s words. Not mine. I’ve been saying it for awhile though. Tyreke Evans is an unstoppable force. For more national ‘Reke content, check out Ian Thomsen’s excellent column on Evans’ competitiveness.

2. More on the Kings-Wizards game Wednesday night: the Kings may not have sold out ARCO Arena, but Dollar Beer Night was still a successful promotion; and Truth About It breaks down the Tyreke Evans steal frame-by-frame.

3. 6 Players Who Need to be Traded: Jerryd Bayless (agree), John Salmons (agree), Richard Hamilton (agree), Rudy Gay (disagree), Sergio Rodriguez (disagree), and Amir Johnson (agree). Four out of six approval rating. Well done, Shoals.

4. Dwyane Wade will be spending Saturday on Ustream, hosting a charity event, cooking a “special meal” and giving viewers a sneak peak at his sneaker collection. Should be fun, but I guarantee you it won’t hold a candle to Stephon Marbury’s legendary Ustream marathon. Unless D-Wade’s “special meal” is Vaseline that is…

5. Derrick Rose models for GQ. Blah blah blah blah blah. Paul Pierce is blogging for Boston.com. Nas lays down a sick flow for Maxwell, the remix.

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November was a great month for facials. No, not that kind of facial! Posterizing dunks! This is a basketball site, people. Not a beauty parlor!

Greg Oden was memorialized by both Joakim Noah and Derrick Rose last month, earning him the infamous distinction of “most posterized.” Oden also blocked 34 shots in November, though. So he shouldn’t feel too bad.

Best dunk obviously goes to Dwyane Wade for his vicious throwdown on Anderson Varejao, but Paul Pierce and Andre Iguodala deserve credit as well. It was a good month for dunkage.

H/T Ball Don’t Lie.

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(Photo credit: respectkobe.com)

The Sporting News released its Top 50 NBA Players list Thursday with the help of a panel of over 100 players, coaches, former players, front office executives, and announcers, including: Hubie Brown, Mike D’Antoni, Joe Dumars, Tim Hardaway, and Jerry West.

Overall, it’s a solid list. I’m picky, though. I had some problems with it. Not the least of which is that Dickie V had a vote. (Does he even watch NBA basketball?)

Here’s a breakdown of the Top 50 with commentary:

The Top 5

Kobe Bryant topped the list, while LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Dwight Howard, and Tim Duncan rounded out the top 5.

I have no problem with Kobe at number one. He’s the best player on the best team in the league. He plays good defense. And he’s arguably the most dangerous offensive player in the league after training with Hakeem this summer. Yes, LeBron  was the MVP last year. But the two are neck-and-neck at this point, and Kobe has the better team. It makes sense to me that he’s number one overall.

LeBron and D-Wade are gimmes at the two and three spots. They’re the second and third most dangerous players in the league, respectively. Both have led their teams deep into the playoffs, and both are MVP candidates on a yearly basis.

Dwight Howard, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, makes sense at number four. He’s the most dominant center in the league, and he led his team to the Finals last year. No argument here.

I was glad to see Tim Duncan round out the top 5. He’s arguably the best power forward of all-time, and the Spurs have a legitimate shot at the championship this year. He deserves to be mentioned alongside Kobe, LeBron and D-Wade as the league’s best.

Great top 5. The panel did well with this.

The Next Five

Spots seven through ten went to Chris Paul, Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nowitzki, Carmelo Anthony and Paul Pierce.

Here’s where I begin to have a problem. Garnett is clearly not as good as Nowitzki this season. Dirk’s a top 5 scorer and one of the most league’s most dangerous closers. KG’s having one of the worst statistical seasons of his career, averaging just 14.2 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. He’s the 41st best rebounder in the league, for crying out loud. Putting KG above Dirk is like putting Jessica Alba above Megan Fox. It just shouldn’t happen. Dirk is hands down a better player right now. He should be seventh, and KG should be somewhere between 12 and 15.

Other than Garnett, I think the panel got the top 10 right. Chris Paul, when healthy, is the best point guard in the league. Dirk is playing like a man possessed. Carmelo Anthony is the third toughest player to defend in the league (behind Kobe and LeBron). And Paul Pierce is shooting over 50 percent from the field for the first time in his career. All good choices.

Replace Garnett with Steve Nash or Deron Williams and I’m a happy man.

More analysis after the jump, including thoughts on Yao, Shaq, Elton Brand, and Andrew Bynum.

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