Bye Bye Celtics?

Every Boston fan knew it was coming. They dreaded it since the Summer '08, right after the biggest blowout in NBA Finals history. And how could they not? They probably didn't think it would come this quick, but it was obvious from the start that the end of the resurrection of Boston basketball was coming to an end. Danny Ainge and Doc Rivers did what they could to bring back pride into arguably the greatest NBA franchise the world has ever seen, and they knew they were bringing in aging superstars.

The plan was to give up the future for the present, to make a strong push for a 17th banner. The result: it worked. Kevin Garnett was the Defensive Player of the Year, Paul Pierce was the Finals MVP, and the Celtics tore through their opponents all season long for 66 wins, easily first place in the leagues. They had some trouble with Atlanta in the first round of the Playoffs, but soon enough, it all ended with celebration at the hands of the Los Angeles Lakers. Game 6: Final score 131-92, Boston wins.

What's the "it" I've been talking about? The breakdown of a championship-caliber team. Want another example? Check out the 21-38 Detroit Pistons, who went to like 57 consecutive Eastern Conference Finals before last year, two Finals appearances, and one championship. Pretty decent resume, if you ask me. 

The C's are still in the upper crust of Eastern Conference  teams, but for how long? Check out their latest disappointment and you'll know what I mean. Really, guys? The Nets?? Is that even possible when you have Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Rajon Rondo on your roster? Are you guys just bored, as Chris Forsberg puts it? I'm ashamed to even admit that I actually thought Boston would go all the way this year and compete for another banner. Rasheed Wallace isn't who he was supposed to be, Marquis Daniels has been fighting injuries, and Kevin Garnett is moving like he's been shot. Are those all the problems? Of course not, and the list goes on and on. 

As Sekou Smith puts it, "the end is near (now?) in Boston." Too bad they couldn't put together one last push for banner 18, especially with the talent Rajon Rondo and Kendrick Perkins have suddenly emerged with. Well then, good bye Boston, it was a good run. 

First Impressions

Who knew that this is what the trade deadline's trades would result in? A few games after what may be one of the craziest deadline's ever, we may be able to predict whether or not some trades have been good for their teams. Let's hand out a progress report, shall we? This is based on whether or not the player has given their team what they traded for. (One rule though; no F's.)

Tracy McGrady (NYK):        A+

Kevin Martin (HOU):            B

Marcus Camby (POR):         C-

Antawn Jamison (CLE):        D-

Caron Butler (DAL):             A

Tyrus Thomas (CHA):           B

Eddie House (NYK):             A+

John Salmons (MEM):          A

T-Mac played his heart out yesterday, and that's not a surprise seeing that he's clearly desperate to play and prove himself. Those 7 MPG he played off the bench in Houston for 7 games should be left off of his resume, becuase he obviously showed the world that he can still ball with the best. 26 pts on 10-17 shooting is very impressive for someone who hasn't played for all of 2010. He said that he "didn't want to be a hero" in his debut, so he didn't play too much in OT. Of course, 32 minutes was more than he expected, anyway. 

Kevin Martin, though a capable shooter, went a horrible 3-16 from the field in his debut, but what impressed me the most was that he still managed 14 pts, 5 asts, and 6 rbs. The Rockets want him to be a scorer, and it would be nice if he could get those numbers on off-nights, too. He was obviously out of sync with his new teammates, but look for him to steadily improve every night.

2 pts, 1-5 FGM. 5 turnovers. Not a defensive presence. Not the greatest night for Marcus Camby on Friday. 

I, along with GM Danny Ferry, sincerely apologize for bringing your hopes up too high about Antawn Jamison. 0-12 FGM, 2 pts, 5 blocked shots. Let's not bring up how lost he looked with the Cavs. 

Boy, do I miss those days. Who knew that some guns could do all this damage? Oh wait, everyone but Gil.

There isn't much to say about Caron Butler, Tyrus Thomas, Eddie House, and John Salmons. All four have had very solid starts with their new teams, and all are giving their teams what they wanted and more. I was impressed by Butler's really smooth transition into the Mavericks offense. He's been able to get some really nice looks and make great plays. Fortunately for Dallas, he has proved that he can be a reliable second option  next to Dirk. 

Another thing I was impressed with was Eddie House's scoring. We all know that he can light it up off the bench, as shown by his play in the playoffs the last couple of years, but I wasn't sure he'd be able to play this well in his first game. Hopefully, he and T-Mac can keep it up and bring some hope to the Knicks.

Trade Deadline Roundup

What an exciting couple days it's been lately! I just watched an amazing thriller that went into OT, Cleveland vs. Denver. Both Carmelo and Lebron put on shows, scoring 40 and 42 points respectively, and Bron notched a triple double on the way too (15 AST, 13 RBS). Antawn Jamison didn't make his debut with the Cavs yet, but according to Danny Ferry, his transition will be "seamless," so don't be surprised if he comes out hot tomorrow at Charlotte, who also made a deadline day trade to acquire Tyrus Thomas.

(Thomas will give the Bobcats a boost in the front court and allow All-Star Gerald Wallace (who knew we would be able to call him that before this season?) to move back to his natural position at small forward. Thomas will also be able to alternate between power forward and center, so that also gives the 'Cats some versatility.)

Then I watched two more top-tier teams play: the Celtics @ the Lakers. Typical Celtic defense shut down the Kobe-less Lakers, who ended the season 1-1 against the Celtics after tonight's game. Some late runs and clutch plays led to Ray Allen scoring a team high 24 points on 10 of 15 shooting as all five Boston starters scored in double figures. Both Rajon Rondo and Kendrick Perkins (could we start calling them the "Other Two" now?) had double-doubles (Rondo 14 pts, 11 ast; Perkins 13 pts, 14 rbs), and Boston only allowed 1 field goal in final 7 minutes to seal the win. With Kobe out, the Lakers tried a desperation shot at the buzzer by Derek Fisher, but the shot did not go in, leading to the final score of 87-86, Boston's first win against LA since the 2008 NBA Finals.

Before I give you the list of trades, here's a quick summary by J.A. Adande from ESPN.com:

The Cavaliers got their sought-after "stretch 4" and held onto J.J. Hickson. The Wizards satisfied their search for financial relief, young talent and a draft pick as they began the tear-down phase of their overhaul. The Boston Celtics got a boost for their bench in Nate Robinson. The Knicks got the coveted cap space to make a run at two max free agents, which is what they've promised their fans over the past two seasons of mediocrity. The Kings moved the heavy contract of Kevin Martin, who became the scoring threat the Rockets craved. The Trail Blazers got Marcus Camby to replace their two injured centers. The Bucks got shooting guard John Salmons to fill in for the latest knee blowout of Michael Redd. The Bobcats bolstered their frontline with Tyrus Thomas. The Grizzlies added to their undermanned bench by securing Ronnie Brewer. The Clippers and the Bulls got the cap space to enter the summer free-agent sweepstakes.

Now, here's what you've all been waiting for: a list of trades that occurred in the last 48 or so hours, just before the trade deadline. Many teams have been trying to add some talent to either make a push for the playoffs or Finals this season, or they were trying to get ready to be players in this summer's free agency. The list is in no specific order.

1- New York, Houston, Sacramento

New York gets: Tracy McGrady (HOU), Sergio Rodriguez (SAC)

Houston gets: Kevin Martin (SAC), Hilton Armstrong (SAC), Jordan Hill (NYK), Jared Jeffries (NYK)

Sacramento gets: Carl Landry (HOU), Joey Dorsey (HOU), Larry Hughes (NYK)

2- Cleveland, Washington, L.A. Clippers

Cleveland gets: Antawn Jamison (WAS), Sebastian Telfair (LAC)

Washington gets: Zyndrunas Ilgauskas (CLE), 2010 1st round draft pick (CLE), Al Thornton (LAC)

Clippers get: Drew Gooden (WAS)

3- Milwaukee, Chicago

Milwaukee gets: John Salmons (CHI), 2011 & 2012 2nd round picks (CHI), option to switch 2010 1st round picks

Chicago gets: Hakim Warrick (MIL), Joe Alexander (MIL)

4- Dallas, Washington

Dallas gets: Caron Butler (WAS), DeShawn Stevenson (WAS), Brendan Haywood (WAS)

Washington gets: Josh Howard (DAL), Drew Gooden (DAL, later traded to LAC), Quinton Ross (DAL), James Singleton (DAL)

5-Boston, New York

Boston gets: Nate Robinson (NYK), Marcus Landry (NYK)

New York gets: Eddie House (BOS), J.R. Giddens (BOS), Bill Walker (BOS)

6- Portland, L.A. Clippers

Portland gets: Marcus Camby (LAC)

Clippers get: Travis Outlaw (POR), Steve Blake (POR), cash (POR)

7- Philadelphia, Milwaukee

Philadelphia gets: Francisco Elson (MIL), Jodie Meeks (MIL)

Milwaukee gets: Primoz Brezec (PHI), Royal Ivey (PHI), 2010 2nd round pick (PHI)

8- New York, Minnesota

New York gets: Brian Cardinal (MIN)

Minnesota gets: Darko Milicic (NYK), cash (NYK)

9- Utah, Memphis

Utah gets: Future 1st round pick (MEM)

Memphis gets: Ronnie Brewer (UTA)

10- Chicago, Charlotte

Chicago gets: Flip Murray (CHA), Acie Law (CHA), future 1st round pick (CHA)

Charlotte gets: Tyrus Thomas (CHI)

11- San Antonio, Charlotte

San Antonio gets: Protected 2nd round pick in 2016 (CHA)

Charlotte gets: Theo Ratliff (SAS)

12- Sacramento, Washington

Sacramento gets: Dominic McGuire (WAS)

Washington gets: Protected 2nd round pick in 2010 (SAC)

NBA.com TRADE TRACKER: http://www.nba.com/news/transactions/2010.trade.deadline.tracker/index.html

Eastern Conference Locker Room Scenerio :)

I thought I would do something a little different for today's post, hope you like it!

-Lebron James and Dwyane Wade are sitting across from each other after the 2010 All-Star Game in the locker room, getting ready to leave. Wade looks admirably at his All-Star MVP trophy.-

Wade: Hey, Lebron...

Lebron: What's up?

Wade: I've been thinking lately about us being together on a team. We'd be pretty good, don't you think?

Lebron: Yeah, we'd be good alright. We played together in 6 All-Star Games, and we won an Olympic gold medal. That has to say something.

Wade: Exactly. We mesh perfectly together. We had like 20 alley-oops tonight man! How do you think I got 11 assists?

Lebron: What are you trying to get at? That you played better than me? I had that sick reverse dunk!

-does an imitation.-

Wade: Imagine if we could play together all season! You'd get a reliable second option, and I'd get mine, only it would be 1A and 1B, not 1 and 2, you know what I mean?
Lebron: That's what I thought too, but even though we'd win a lot of games and rings, it wouldn't really be good for the NBA. Who would challenge us in games? How would we know how good we could be individually? Besides, have you read this article on ESPN? It actually convinced me.
-shows him a print copy-
Wade: Even though that's has a good point, we would go down in history as probably the best team in NBA history! I bet we would smash that 72 win record and get 82!

To be continued July 1 (1st day of free agency)!

Watch your step

Hey guys. I've been really busy lately and couldn't find much time to add a new post, so that kinda explains why this is only the second post of February. And it looks like I'm not the only one who is in  a slump.

Dallas, Boston, and San Antonio, all teams that are over .500, are all only 5-5 in each of their last 10 games played, and a combined 16-22 in their last 38 games (San Antonio is 5-7, Boston is 5-7, and Dallas is 6-8). Is that really the type of record these teams want going into All-Star Weekend? Boston is 3rd in the East, and Dallas and San Antonio are 4th and 6th respectively in the West, but do their positions really show how good these teams are?

The Celtics have been suffering severely from injuries this season, and their game today against Orlando was a rare sighting of a lineup with all of their key players, but that can't explain everything. Portland (30-23) have had the worst luck of any NBA team, losing both of their centers (Greg Oden and Joel Przybilla) early in the season (and for the rest of it), as well as many other key players for periods of time. The Blazers have showed that any team can keep fighting through injuries, even if it means losing your star (Brandon Roy) and your head coach (Nate McMillan) along the way. Boston has to get their act together quickly, which means every player going out and giving it their all, not just Rajon Rondo. Injuries can't be the only excuse.

I have less to say about Dallas. Losses to the Lakers and Utah (twice) are acceptable, but losses to Philly, Phoenix, Portland, Toronto, and Minnesota are not. This team should be looking towards the Finals, but how could they after beating the Celtics and Wizards, then dropping one to the Sixers after 2 days? They have to stop giving up easy wins and start taking all teams seriously.

And now we reach the Spurs, the last team on our 3 team expedition, and also an endangered species. This team is hunted (ie. injuries) because of its rare and expensive quality of meat and skin (see Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili). Hunting is limited nowadays, although reproduction rates among the species is steadily declining (ie. aging). Survival of the fittest has taking its toll on these creatures, thus allowing younger, newer, and better adapting species (see Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Lakers, Utah Jazz) to rise in the food chain and flourish in the area (see Western Conference). Is the this the last we see of these once extraordinary and unique species? Only time will tell (ie. Playoffs).

Facebook & Twitter

Hey guys, just made Facebook and Twitter pages for this blog. Feel free to become fans/follow :) On both pages, I will keep you updated on some events in the NBA, or I will tell you about a cool site you can visit. On the Twitter page, I might have live coverage of important games. The links are on the right side of the blog, under the title "Follow me on".