Momma There Goes That Man

I was recently interviewed by Sam Holako of the ESPN Truehoop Blog Raptors Republic. We discussed the possibility of Chris Bosh going to the Lakers, the Lakers playoff success to this point and possible replacements if Phil Jackson ends up leaving. Here’s a snippet of the interview:

Sam Holako: Chris Bosh was linked to the Lakers around the trade deadline with Bynums name coming up as possibly coming back to the Raptors. Given that Bosh just gave his wishlist of 5 destinations. the Lakers being one of them, how interested would Kupchak/Buss be in making a deal work?

Phillip Barnett: It would be impossible for the Kupchak/Buss contingent to not take a look at possibly making a move for Bosh, but at this time, I don’t think any deal would happen. I think a lot of it will hinder on how effective Andrew Bynum is against the Celtics in the Finals (this is, of course, assuming that both Conference Finals play out the way they’ve began), but in the end, I see ‘Drew in a Lakers jersey next year. There are just too many factors that lead me to believe that the Lakers are, and will remain, content with their Gasol/Bynum front court, no matter how versatile they’ll look on paper with Bosh on the floor.

SH: Even though they are championship contenders for the next 3-4 years, you have to start looking to the future. Chris Bosh represents the type of player who fills both short and long term needs of a team that needs to be relevant at all times.

PB: Andrew Bynum has shown flashes of becoming a better center than Dwight Howard, he just hasn’t really had a chance to prove that he can be consistent because of injuries. If a deal is done that sends Bosh to Los Angeles, Bynum’s propensity to be injured for long stretches of the year.

Chris Bosh would open up the Lakers offense tremendously as he is a better face up player than Pau Gasol is. I think he could fit in great in the triangle offense playing at the pinch post and with Gasol on the low block. He wouldn’t have to shoulder so much of a scoring load with Gasol and Kobe on the floor with him and would immediately give the Lakers the most athletic front court in basketball. The Odom/Gasol/Bynum lineup hasn’t worked out as well as some thought it would, but I think it could work a whole lot better if Bynum is substituted for Bosh. But then again, with the economy not as solid as it once was, having three of the top 20 contracts on your payroll wouldn’t be such a great idea (Kobe, Gasol and Bosh). Also, ‘Drew has been a great anchor for the Lakers defense when he’s been able to stay on the floor. Although Bosh isn’t terrible defensively, I don’t think he can replicate what Bynum has been able to do for the Lakers this season.

Lastly, Jim Buss, Jerry Buss’ son, does not want to give up Bynum. ‘Drew was his personal project, his first draft pick and has been very stubborn when talks of moving him have come up. Jim is the future of the Lakers organization, or better or for worse, and when it comes down to it, I have a tough time seeing him giving up Bynum right now. Not when he’s seen flashes of Bynum’s potential.

You can read the rest of the interview here.

“They’re Comin To Get Ya!”  That’s how I would sum up the swag and attitude of my Boston Celtics. Send that message in certified mail to the Los Angeles Lakers and all their fans. Tonight is Game 4 between Orlando and Boston and I’m not even gonna preview that game cause the series is over thanks to the Orlando Magic Tricks and their heartless squad.

I have so much to look forward to in this year’s NBA Finals. Boston finally heading back to L.A. to retrieve what was theirs all along, the Championship Title. They were crowned in 2008 but suffered a devastating loss in 2009 without Garnett and were unable to repeat Championships. KG is back, healthy as ever and can even be accused of playing possum the entire regular season. But even KG’s healthy return isn’t the biggest news outta Boston. Rajon Rondo has emerged as an elite PG in the league and is proving it every night on the court. He’s taking the ball handling skills of Nash and Kidd and mixing them with the fearless drives of Tony Parker and the rebounding hustle of Carlos Boozer. With his phenomenal arm length and unshakable nerves, this 6’1 matchup nightmare is leading the Celts to the promised land and in better time than the Lakers.

Something else I will be looking forward to is meeting, interacting and debating with all you Laker Lovers out there. I can’t imagine there to be a shortage of you guys and gals, especially with my boy Phil Barnett throwing down Pro-Laker propaganda over there at ForumBlueAndGold.com. Seriously though, if you get a chance check out his review of last night’s game, which I’m sure Boston scouts are reviewing over and over today. I love you Laker fans and hope to be mixin it up with y’all soon enough. Lord knows we can debate for days over the potential matchups on the court along with all rotation possibilities.

Whew!! I love the Playoffs!!!!!

Dave E. Gold

(theg0at)

NBA History doesn’t like your kind, Orlando Magic and Phoenix Suns. It hates you, it loathes your existence and, if history repeats itself, you will fail in your conference finals matchup. Unlike what natural logic would dictate, this has nothing to do with who your opponents are, either. We’d expect the two most storied franchises that this league has ever seen, the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers, to have everything to do with it; but no, it’s not them, it’s you – or more importantly, your style of play.

You see, Orlando and Phoenix, during the course of the last 20 years, no team has won the NBA title with the best three-point shooting percentage (PHX) or taking the most three pointers during the course of the season (ORL). Those are bad omens going forward for both of your franchises. You must understand, three-point shooting is not what you want to live and die by in this league, but it’s how both of you guys play, and I assume that it won’t end well for you.

From its humble numbers in 1990, three-point shooting has become increasingly more important over the years, but still hasn’t become the single most important factor for championship contention. We’ve seen three point percentages rise from a .331 league wide average in 1990 to a .355 league wide average in 2010.

Of the last 19 champions, only nine of them shot over the league wide, three-point shooting percentage average. During that same time, only three NBA champions had more than 200 more three-point attempts than the league wide average. The ’94 and the ’95 Houston Rockets were the only two champions over the past 20 years that shot a higher three point percentage than the league wide average and had more than 200 more three-point attempts than the league wide average. Also, 1993 featured the only NBA Finals where both teams finished in the top five in three point shooting percentage [Chicago (2) and Phoenix (3)].

In the last two days, both Dave E. Gold and our good friends over at Ed The Sports Fan lightly touched on this. You need a post game or you need Michael Jordan. The Lakers and Celtics both have superior post players than their respective opposition, so conventional wisdom – and NBA history – are stacked up against two of the best three-point shooting teams in the NBA. I’m not really into gambling, but if I had to bet, I’d put money on the traditional powers. Looks like we’re headed toward another Lakers-Celtics Finals, and I can say that based on the strength of the three-point shooting of the Magic and Suns.

-Phillip

Yes folks, Dwight Howard and company suffered their first playoff loss on Sunday, courtesy of the Boston Celtics. While Howard was doing his version of the pregame “I’m An Idiot” dance, the Celtics sat back and waited for their opportunity to remind the Magic what the playoffs are really about. And boy they did, taking the Magic to school and picking up right where the left off with Cleveland. The quiet beasts have arisen from their regular season nap and are pouncing on any and every young pup sniffing and pawing in their direction. I couldn’t help but provide some quick visuals of how I would some up the manner in which Boston handled the young, naive and arrogant Orlando Magic. I would say the following two clips do a good job.

this one is more to the point…

All season long the Boston Celtics have just been minding their business. Like the old dude on the bus or the German pimp walking the streets, just going about their way. Then come along these thundercat teams, like Orlando who think they can just roll over Boston cause of their age. But I tell you what, it ain’t gonna happen and here’s why:

The Boston Celtics are the kings of defense and when proper defense is implemented there is no need for double teaming your opponent. Unfortunately, Orlando thrives off of  Dwight Howard being double teamed because it opens up the 3pt shot for them. From there, Dwight is great at kicking out the ball to the open man or when that isn’t an option he can always draw the foul off the double team and go to the line. Now he won’t make more than 50% of those free throws but he’ll have serviced his team by racking up fouls on the opposition’s big men. Everyone on Orlando’s squad can drop 3′s and that’s what makes them so deadly and dominating to most teams. The Magic are used to this pattern and has gotten comfortable with the notion that they can sit back and pick their shots behind the arc cause someone will always be open. But this is not so with Boston because good ‘ol Danny Ainge made sure that this particular Boston roster was custom tailored to take on the Orlando Magic more so than the Cavaliers during the postseason. The Celts are deep when it comes to hefty big men so they can all take turns banging with Dwight. Sheed already seems to own Howard down on the post and the crafty vet is able to do it by being scrappy and psychological, exactly what Boston needs from him in this series. The minutes Sheed racked up gave plenty of rest for Perk and his knees and cut deep into the mind of Orlando’s immature meal ticket.

Tonight, look for Orlando to try to make the necessary adjustments of rotating the ball quicker with their swing passing around the arc and for Howard to step up and create his own shots in the paint. On the Celtics’ side, look for Pierce to become more aggressive earlier in the game and  for the bigs to get even more physical with Howard down in the paint. This is gonna be a great series and a physical one at that. But Dwight is too immature and one-dimensional to carry the Magic to The Finals on his own. At this point, I think he’s still surprised and offended that the Celtics refuse to double team him.

Dave E. Gold

(theg0at)