By: Stephen Patterson
Showing posts with label 2011 NBA Playoffs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2011 NBA Playoffs. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Monday, April 18, 2011
Memphis Grizzlies Vs. San Antonio Spurs (Game 1) 4/17/11 (Highlights)
By: Stephen Patterson
Congratulations to the Memphis Grizzlies on their first postseason victory in franchise history with their 101-98 victory over the San Antonio Spurs.
Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol were huge for the Grizzlies, combining for 49 points and 23 rebounds in the win.
Memphis was previously 0-12 in the playoffs in their three previous trips.
This is their first postseason appearance since the 2005-06 season.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
2011 NBA Playoffs: Did Darren Collison Cost Indiana Pacers Win Against Bulls?
By: Stephen Patterson
While it might be hard to lay the blame on any one person for the way the Indiana Pacers collapsed at the end of Game 1 of their first round playoff series against the Chicago Bulls, it is pretty easy to start by looking at Darren Collison.
Rose finished the game with 39 points, six rebounds, six assists, one steal and three blocks in 39 minutes on the court.
The Bulls ended the game on a 16-1 run over the final 3:38 of the match-up, largely due to the leadership and clutch play of Rose, who had seven points during the crucial final run.
By comparison, Collison missed at least two shots (possibly three, however, I have only been able to confirm the pair to this point) during that same stretch, and wasted four critical seconds off the clock after the Bulls grabbed an offensive rebound with 18 seconds remaining in the game.
He also only contributed two of his 17 points in the second half of the contest, seemingly cracking under the pressure of the situation, although his team was in control until the final minutes of the game.
Rose also managed to find his way to the free throw line 21 times during the game, while hitting 19 of his attempts.
His 19 made free throws were the most by any player in a playoff game since Allen Iverson made the number back in 2002 while he was still with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Comparatively, Collison only went to the line three times and managed to hit only one of his attempts.
Collison wasn't the only player involved in the Pacers massive collapse at the end of the game, as no one on Indiana's team seemed to be able to hit a shot.
While Collison is a pretty good player, I think the Pacers would have been much better off having the ball in the hands of Tyler Hansbrough or Danny Granger, both of whom seemed to have the "hot hand" during the second half of the game.
However, with Collison leading the way, the Pacers failed to score during the final 3:28 of the game.
Although the collapse was pretty surprising to watch unfold at first, finding this stat made the ending make a lot more sense: The Indiana Pacers were -126 in scoring during the fourth quarter during the regular season.
Indiana was outscored by 13 in the closing quarter of Game 1.
When I further investigated Collison's performance against the Bulls I learned a few more interesting notes and stats*:
In six career games against the Chicago Bulls, two with the New Orleans Hornets and four with the Pacers, Collison averages only 9.3 points and 4.0 assists in an average of 27 minutes per game.
Rose had an usage percentage (an estimate of the percentage of team plays used by a player while he was on the floor) of 39.8 in Game 1. Comparatively, Collison's usage percentage was a mere 22.2.
When comparing the offensive and defensive ratings of the two players from Game 1, Rose came out ahead with ratings of 141 (offensive) and 115 (defensive) compared to the 126 (offensive) and 116 (defensive) ratings posted by Collison.
* All stats were found or came from working with numbers provided by Basketball-Reference.com.
After looking at all of the numbers and having watched the game live, I still feel like a large part of the blame for Indiana's failure to close out Game 1 falls on the shoulders of Darren Collison.
Do you feel the same way?
Let me know who you think deserves the most blame and why down below in the comments sections and be sure to tune in for Game 2 on Monday.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Can The Grizzlies Win Their First Ever Playoff Games Against The Spurs?
By: Tyler Ward
There are two teams in the entire NBA that have never won a playoff game: the Charlotte Bobcats (0-4) and the Memphis Grizzlies (0-12).
The sheer fact alone that the Grizzlies have been around for eight more years than the Bobcats is astounding. The Grizzlies have been given ample opportunity to win one playoff game, but push comes to shove and they can't seem to close the deal.
But now, for the fourth time in franchise history, the Grizzlies are back in the postseason.
They sealed the eighth seed with their loss to the Clippers on Wednesday and will now take on the injury-prone San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the playoffs.
This may be the best shot the Grizzlies have at finally winning a playoff game.
But let's reverse in time for a second.
For three straight seasons, the Grizzlies advanced to the postseason (2003-06) and got swept by the Spurs, Suns, and Mavericks, respectively.
Despite winning zero out of twelve games, those three seasons were arguably the best ones in franchise history. In that span, their record was 144-102.
In the seasons since, the Grizzlies have amassed a 108-220 record (excluding this season).
To put it simply, that isn't going to get you very far. The only good thing (and I use that term lightly) is that their failures have led to early draft selections, although a couple haven't turned out as well as they had hoped. (Anyone seen Hasheem Thabeet?)
There were high hopes entering this season, as the Grizzlies compiled a 40-42 record last season, narrowly missing out on the postseason.
Owner Michael Heisley and Co. used their first-round draft selections on Kansas guard Xavier Henry and Maryland guard Greivis Vasquez. They also acquired former fan favorite Shane Battier from Houston at the trade deadline and signed defensive stud Tony Allen to a three-year deal during free agency.
The acquisition of Battier alone may have helped the Grizzlies more than imaginable, as he has added veteran leadership and good defense to a young and athletic team.
Allen, consistently one of the best players on the team this season, has provided more defense to the team, along with postseason success, as he won a championship with the Celtics in the 2007-08 season.
The Grizzlies have also gone through their fair share of rough patches this season - O.J. Mayo's suspension, along with being benched, former No. 2 overall selection Hasheem Thabeet being traded, and most importantly, Rudy Gay's season-ending shoulder injury.
But they always managed to stay in games and occasionally, win them. They have overcome many weaknesses and have become a postseason team for the first time since 2005-06.
So the question remains: can the Grizzlies win just one playoff game this season?
I honestly think they can and I'm not just saying that because I'm a Grizzlies fan.
A lineup of Mike Conley Jr., Tony Allen, Sam Young, Zach Randolph, and Marc Gasol is possibly better than the lineups of the postseason teams earlier this decade. Not to mention, they have players such as O.J. Mayo, Shane Battier, and Most Improved Player candidate Darrell Arthur coming off the bench.
Taking a look at their last postseason team (2005-06), the roster favors this season's Grizzlies: Pau Gasol (80 starts), an aging Eddie Jones (75 starts), Shane Battier (81 starts), Chucky Atkins (39 starts), Lorenzen Wright (58 starts), Damon Stoudamire (27 starts), and Jake Tsakalidis (19 starts).
Throw in random players such as Bobby Jackson, Mike Miller, Hakim Warrick, overpaid Brian Cardinal, Antonio Burks, and Lawrence Roberts and in my opinion, this year's roster is way better, albeit Rudy Gay's injury.
What's the main difference between the two rosters? Defense.
Even though Battier was on both teams, his defensive abilities may be even better this season. He is perhaps one of, if not the best, outside defender. Allen, a perennial top defender, can lockdown opposing team's best guards and forwards.
Conley also reeks havoc on defense and is among the NBA's elite in steals.
Zach Randolph is also one of the best rebounders in basketball, as he is a constant double-double threat night in and night out. With the younger Gasol by his side, that makes him even better. Like Z-Bo, Gasol is also a double-double threat every night.
The Grizzlies are also one of only two teams in the entire NBA that have two players ranked in the top ten in steals per game (Allen, 5th, and Conley, 6th). The Hornets would be the other team (Paul, 1st and Ariza, 9th).
Players such as the five above would only do better in the postseason, as every thing is on the line, especially Battier and Allen, who have postseason experience.
The best thing the Grizzlies have going for them right now is that the Spurs are weak, having been rattled with injuries to some of their best players.
It may have just gotten worse for the Spurs, as Manu Ginobili went down with an elbow inury against the Suns on Wednesday. Ginobili went down hard, after colliding with Grant Hill and laid on the court, in obvious pain, for several minutes.
He immediately headed to the team's bench and then went to the team's locker room.
After examination of Ginobili's injury, the team announced that it was a hyperextended right elbow, while the X-rays turned out to be negative. An MRI is scheduled on Thursday when the team returns to San Antonio.
Tim Duncan, who is getting older, went down with a knee injury in late March against the Warriors. He did not play in the last few of San Antonio's games.
He should be healthy for the postseason, but the Spurs can't handle another Duncan injury.
However, these injuries could lead to the Grizzlies upsetting the Spurs for a rare postseason win or two.
Age also qualifies as a downfall for the Spurs, as their roster is filled with older players.
Antonio McDyess, who will see a decent amount of playing time, is one of the oldest players in the league and he may not be able to handle younger and more athletic players such as Gasol and Randolph.
To put it frankly, this is the Grizzlies' best shot to win a postseason game and there is always that slim chance that the Grizzlies could even upset the Spurs in the first round, as the two teams split their season series, 2-2.
Only time will tell, as the postseason is right around the corner.
There are two teams in the entire NBA that have never won a playoff game: the Charlotte Bobcats (0-4) and the Memphis Grizzlies (0-12).
The sheer fact alone that the Grizzlies have been around for eight more years than the Bobcats is astounding. The Grizzlies have been given ample opportunity to win one playoff game, but push comes to shove and they can't seem to close the deal.
But now, for the fourth time in franchise history, the Grizzlies are back in the postseason.
They sealed the eighth seed with their loss to the Clippers on Wednesday and will now take on the injury-prone San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the playoffs.
This may be the best shot the Grizzlies have at finally winning a playoff game.
But let's reverse in time for a second.
For three straight seasons, the Grizzlies advanced to the postseason (2003-06) and got swept by the Spurs, Suns, and Mavericks, respectively.
Despite winning zero out of twelve games, those three seasons were arguably the best ones in franchise history. In that span, their record was 144-102.
In the seasons since, the Grizzlies have amassed a 108-220 record (excluding this season).
To put it simply, that isn't going to get you very far. The only good thing (and I use that term lightly) is that their failures have led to early draft selections, although a couple haven't turned out as well as they had hoped. (Anyone seen Hasheem Thabeet?)
There were high hopes entering this season, as the Grizzlies compiled a 40-42 record last season, narrowly missing out on the postseason.
Owner Michael Heisley and Co. used their first-round draft selections on Kansas guard Xavier Henry and Maryland guard Greivis Vasquez. They also acquired former fan favorite Shane Battier from Houston at the trade deadline and signed defensive stud Tony Allen to a three-year deal during free agency.
The acquisition of Battier alone may have helped the Grizzlies more than imaginable, as he has added veteran leadership and good defense to a young and athletic team.
Allen, consistently one of the best players on the team this season, has provided more defense to the team, along with postseason success, as he won a championship with the Celtics in the 2007-08 season.
The Grizzlies have also gone through their fair share of rough patches this season - O.J. Mayo's suspension, along with being benched, former No. 2 overall selection Hasheem Thabeet being traded, and most importantly, Rudy Gay's season-ending shoulder injury.
But they always managed to stay in games and occasionally, win them. They have overcome many weaknesses and have become a postseason team for the first time since 2005-06.
So the question remains: can the Grizzlies win just one playoff game this season?
I honestly think they can and I'm not just saying that because I'm a Grizzlies fan.
A lineup of Mike Conley Jr., Tony Allen, Sam Young, Zach Randolph, and Marc Gasol is possibly better than the lineups of the postseason teams earlier this decade. Not to mention, they have players such as O.J. Mayo, Shane Battier, and Most Improved Player candidate Darrell Arthur coming off the bench.
Taking a look at their last postseason team (2005-06), the roster favors this season's Grizzlies: Pau Gasol (80 starts), an aging Eddie Jones (75 starts), Shane Battier (81 starts), Chucky Atkins (39 starts), Lorenzen Wright (58 starts), Damon Stoudamire (27 starts), and Jake Tsakalidis (19 starts).
Throw in random players such as Bobby Jackson, Mike Miller, Hakim Warrick, overpaid Brian Cardinal, Antonio Burks, and Lawrence Roberts and in my opinion, this year's roster is way better, albeit Rudy Gay's injury.
What's the main difference between the two rosters? Defense.
Even though Battier was on both teams, his defensive abilities may be even better this season. He is perhaps one of, if not the best, outside defender. Allen, a perennial top defender, can lockdown opposing team's best guards and forwards.
Conley also reeks havoc on defense and is among the NBA's elite in steals.
Zach Randolph is also one of the best rebounders in basketball, as he is a constant double-double threat night in and night out. With the younger Gasol by his side, that makes him even better. Like Z-Bo, Gasol is also a double-double threat every night.
The Grizzlies are also one of only two teams in the entire NBA that have two players ranked in the top ten in steals per game (Allen, 5th, and Conley, 6th). The Hornets would be the other team (Paul, 1st and Ariza, 9th).
Players such as the five above would only do better in the postseason, as every thing is on the line, especially Battier and Allen, who have postseason experience.
The best thing the Grizzlies have going for them right now is that the Spurs are weak, having been rattled with injuries to some of their best players.
It may have just gotten worse for the Spurs, as Manu Ginobili went down with an elbow inury against the Suns on Wednesday. Ginobili went down hard, after colliding with Grant Hill and laid on the court, in obvious pain, for several minutes.
He immediately headed to the team's bench and then went to the team's locker room.
After examination of Ginobili's injury, the team announced that it was a hyperextended right elbow, while the X-rays turned out to be negative. An MRI is scheduled on Thursday when the team returns to San Antonio.
Tim Duncan, who is getting older, went down with a knee injury in late March against the Warriors. He did not play in the last few of San Antonio's games.
He should be healthy for the postseason, but the Spurs can't handle another Duncan injury.
However, these injuries could lead to the Grizzlies upsetting the Spurs for a rare postseason win or two.
Age also qualifies as a downfall for the Spurs, as their roster is filled with older players.
Antonio McDyess, who will see a decent amount of playing time, is one of the oldest players in the league and he may not be able to handle younger and more athletic players such as Gasol and Randolph.
To put it frankly, this is the Grizzlies' best shot to win a postseason game and there is always that slim chance that the Grizzlies could even upset the Spurs in the first round, as the two teams split their season series, 2-2.
Only time will tell, as the postseason is right around the corner.
2010-11 NBA Playoff Matchups
By: Tyler Ward
It's finally here. The NBA Playoffs. The long anticipation is over and now the real fun begins.
Here's a list of the playoff matchups:
Eastern Conference:
(1) Chicago Bulls vs. (8) Indiana Pacers
(2) Miami Heat vs. (7) Philadelphia 76ers
(3) Boston Celtics vs. (6) New York Knicks
(4) Orlando Magic vs. (5) Atlanta Hawks
Western Conference:
(1) San Antonio Spurs vs. (8) Memphis Grizzlies
(2) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (7) New Orleans Hornets
(3) Dallas Mavericks vs. (6) Portland Trail Blazers
(4) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. (5) Denver Nuggets
Eastern Conference Lottery Teams: (9) Milwaukee Bucks, (10) Charlotte Bobcats, (11) Detroit Pistons, (12) New Jersey Nets, (13) Washington Wizards, (14) Toronto Raptors, (15) Cleveland Cavaliers
Western Conference Lottery Teams: (9) Houston Rockets, (10) Phoenix Suns, (11) Utah Jazz, (12) Golden State Warriors, (13) Los Angeles Clippers, (14) Sacramento Kings, (15) Minnesota Timberwolves
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