Whatever the outcome, let’s just pray for a cleaner contest Thursday than transpired Tuesday night in Game Three of the NBA Finals.

The Lakers got on the board Tuesday, pulling within two games to one, but it wasn’t pretty. Both teams shot like crap from the line; it was turnover city for both clubs; several key performers were in four trouble; and Boston shot under 35 per cent – yet was in position to win the game late.

Here are the RotoRob keys to the game for both clubs:

For Boston to turn things around and grab a commanding three to one lead, it obviously needs to sink its shots tonight. The C’s don’t necessarily need to shoot 49.4 per cent like they did in Game Two, but another sub 35 per cent performance isn’t going to get it done. Boston won’t win if it doesn’t sink at least 40 per cent of its shots tonight.

When it comes to sinking their shots, no one is more important than Kevin Garnett, who has struggled mightily in his first appearance in the NBA Finals. He’s shooting 35.5 per cent through the first three games, unacceptable for a post player who is putting up over 20 shots per game. The Big Ticket needs to find a way to fight for better position and easier looks because, clearly, the jump shots that he was sinking against the Pistons, aren’t falling in this series.

D is the key for Boston as it has been all season long. Let Kobe Bryant get his points (but hopefully have to use more shots to do so), but if the Celtics can again shut down the rest of the Laker starters, they’ll win this game. On Tuesday, foul trouble limited Vladimir Radmanovic to 13 minutes and he was completely ineffective (1-for-4). Lamar Odom was also in foul trouble – the second straight game he’s been rendered a non factor, although Tuesday was way worse than Game Two. In Game Three, Odom sunk just 2-of-9 in under 30 minutes of action. And Derek Fisher, one of the better Lakers in Game One, was putrid, sinking just 1-for-6 and managing just one assist.

Local boy Paul Pierce needs to play better in his homecoming than he did Tuesday. Foul trouble limited his minutes, but when he was on the court, he couldn’t drop a pea in the ocean, sinking just 2-of-14. The Truth had been on a serious roll since the final game against the Pistons; Boston needs this player back if it hopes to maintain control of this series.

How will Rajon Rondo do on a gimpy left ankle tonight? He was held out of Wednesday’s practice, but says he’ll be good to go tonight. Boston’s offense looked rather stagnant without him down the stretch Tuesday. There’s a chance Rondo won’t start tonight, meaning that Eddie House or Sam Cassell could be in the starting five for the Celtics, and that could be trouble.

For the Lakers to even the series, they will need the Pau Gasol of the first two games, not the one that struggled through a 3-for-9 shooting performance on Tuesday. It didn’t help that he missed five freebies at the line, either. Sure, Gasol has been getting the job done on the glass, but the Lakers could also use some of that intimidating presence he provided against Utah when he averaged three blocks per game. In the first three games of this series, he’s managed just one swat, and that was back in Game One.

Bryant needs to duplicate his big effort Tuesday, at least from the field. While he finally started getting to the line as often as he should be, missing seven free throws in 18 tries isn’t good enough. Yes, he has to take over the game when it counts, but it would also help if Kobe could continue to get his teammates involved in the offense like he did in Boston when his shot wasn’t dropping. Tuesday, he managed just one assist, not enough considering his touches have dropped in each of the last two games. More trips to the line is part of the story here, but the league MVP needs to be putting up close to 25 shots per game – especially when they are actually dropping like they were in Game Three.

When the Lakers are rolling, they are getting key contributions from the bench. Sasha Vujacic delivered Tuesday – pouring in a career-best 20 points in an incredibly efficient manner (7-for-10 from the field). LA needs another effort like this from The Machine – especially if the starters (besides Kobe) struggle again like they did Tuesday.

The Lakers are now 9-0 at home in the postseason, and haven’t lost a game at the Staples Center in two months. A big mountain to climb for Boston, right? Well, consider how close the Celtics were to winning Game Three despite playing like crap and watching Bryant finally stepping up. The Lakers pretty well need to win all three at home, but I don’t think it’s going to happen. I’m predicting an extremely close contest tonight, possibly decided by a single bucket. And I don’t know why, but something tells me there will be a very unlikely hero.

June 12th, 2008
Categories: BASKETBALL, RotoRob . Author: RotoRob . Comments: 1 Comment

With the NBA Finals getting underway Thursday night, we turn our attention to the hardwood, where a classic rivalry is about to be renewed.

Boston vs. the Lakers – anyone who followed the NBA during the ‘80s is well acquainted with the importance of this matchups. The memories come flooding back of classic series where championships were on the line. Three times in four seasons these behemoths battled for basketball supremacy with all the marbles at stake.

Bird vs. Byron; Kevin McHale vs. Kurt Rambis; Parrish vs. Worthy; Dennis Johnson vs. Magic Johnson; Ainge vs. Abdul-Jabbar. Those fantastic NBA Final showdowns stick with me to this day. And now it’s time to create new memories.

We all know about the Lakers’ big guns (MVP Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom), and certainly talk of Boston’s Big Three (Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen) has dominated the headlines all season.

But now that we’re down to the nitty gritty, it’s time for the world to get to know some of the other players in this drama. Specifically, the casual fan finally gets to see what Boston point guard Rajon Rondo is capable of.

The sophomore star has already received plenty of attention from both advertisers (he’s a Reebok spokesperson) and hardcore NBA followers, especially fans of the Men in Green who spawned the saying ‘You Got Rondo’d!’ to use when the budding star blew past someone with his blinding speed or dropped a sweet dime. That’s right – the man’s name is now a verb. You know you’ve made it when your name becomes part of pop culture.

In fact, a couple former Celtics and a current Patriot have joined forces to show some love to Rajon with some spots for Reebok. Jo Jo White, who starred with the Celts in the ‘70s, starts a parking lot riot; Dee Brown, who toiled in the green and white from 1990 to 1998, goes one step beyond being a Doggie Dentist; and finally, current Patriot defensive tackle Vincent Wilfork, who really doesn’t need any more pizza, scarfs down yet another one anyways.

As part of its Rondo campaign, Reebok is offering a free Rondo ringtone and wallpaper (reebok.com/rondo); hell, you can even opt into a text message program where the three corporate shills above will send you a text each time someone gets “Rondo’d” during the NBA Finals. Text Reebok to 94444 if you want in on that glorious fun.

Well, beyond Reebok’s attempts to convert Rondo into a star and give Boston a Fantastic Four, this should be one hell of a series. Boston’s NBA-leading defense going up against the Lakers’ fantastic offense – oh baby, that’s what I’m talking about. I’ve been waiting for this all year. Unfortunately, as much as I love my Celtics, they’ve just shown a few too many cracks in this postseason to make me a true believer. I hope I’m dead wrong here, but….

Prediction: Lakers in Six.

June 5th, 2008
Categories: BASKETBALL, RotoRob . Author: RotoRob . Comments: 4 Comments

Dear RotoRob.com,

I need some advice about some trade offers in my NBA dynasty league. Again, we have a 20-man roster and only draft rookies. I have the No. 2 pick in my draft and with the big two (Derrick Rose and Michael Beasley) available, I have a number of scenarios given to me from my league mates inquiring about the availability of the pick.

My guards right now are: Jose Calderon, Beno Udrih, Randy Foye, Kirk Hinrich, Rajon Rondo, Joe Johnson, Jameer Nelson and Monta Ellis.

My power forwards and centres are: Chris Bosh, LaMarcus Aldridge, Charlie Villanueva, Linas Kleiza and Andrew Bogut.

And Greg Oden will be added to my 20-man list before the draft.

I have been offered Brandon Roy and Rodney Stuckey for the chance to draft Beasley or Rose. Other picks involved would be my No. 10 and his No. 19.

I have also been offered No. 6, No. 12, No. 14 and a player to be considered for the No. 2 and No. 10 picks.

A third offer is Andrew Bynum or Thaddeus Young for the No. 2 pick. This offer comes from the guy that has the No. 1 pick in the draft.

I really like Rose and would love to add him to my group, but Beasley is also an intriguing prospect to add to my bigs.

Any thoughts on what might be the best avenue?

My other good players are Kevin Durant, Danny Granger, Luol Deng and Mike Dunleavy, Jr.

My PG situation is up in the air with Calderon asking either to be the starter or be moved. Will Foye be the PG for Minnesota? Can Udrih stay at the point for Sacramento? And can Hinrich come back from what was possibly his worse season ever?

Thanks.

Daryl

Daryl,

If I had your team I would want Rose more than Beasley. You have the forwards and centre in Bosh, Aldridge and Bogut and a crap load of so-so PGs to follow. Beasley would get lost in your shuffle, but Rose would fill the glaring weakness that I see.

Roy and Stuckey for Rose doesn’t help. Roy is more of a two-guard that can get assists and Stuckey has yet to really show us what he can do.

Three picks for two means you get deeper, but not really better as you drop out of the top five and only gain two guys in the middle of the top 10-15. So, two so-so guys and a possible impact player at six for Rose? No thanks. If he was that good he would have went top five, so No. 6 doesn’t impress me too much.

Bynum should be okay after his surgery, so if you’re sold on his recovery, then he’s an option. Do note that the Lakers haven’t slowed down offensively at all without him. As for Young, he isn’t very good and there ain’t no way in hell I let the guy picking No. 1 also get the No. 2 anyway!

From the sounds of it, the PG job in Minny is Foye’s, unless of course, the team opts to move him and pick up Jarred Bayless in the draft, something that’s being discussed as a possibility.

I wouldn’t count on Udrih, however. There’s talk the Kings are targeting Texas PG D.J. Augustin in the draft. Another possibility is they make a deal with the Raptors for T.J. Ford. Either way, many believe Udrih, as good a job as he did this year, is ticketed for the bench in 2008-09.

I can’t imagine Captain Kirk not bouncing back, but the question is where will this recovery take place? One rumour had Hinrich being included in a deal to Miami for Dwyane Wade. I doubt that will happen, but it’s quite likely Hinrich will get moved, and that actually may be a very good thing. A change of scenery could do wonders for him after such an awful season.

June 3rd, 2008
Categories: BASKETBALL, Dear RotoRob, RotoRob . Author: RotoRob . Comments: No Comments

The Celtics got a serious late scare Sunday, but remained undefeated on their home court as they finally dispatched a pesky Cavs team, taking Game Seven 97-92.

Cleveland, the defending Eastern Conference Champions, was not really given much of a chance to get back to the Eastern Finals by most, but a tremendous defensive effort kept this team in this series and allowed the Cavs to take Boston to the brink.

Of course, the fact that Boston still hasn’t won a road game in the playoffs sure helps, doesn’t it?

Boston jumped out to a nice lead early, courtesy of a 12-0 run. But Cleveland burst right back with its own 9-0 run. Celts led by five, 18-13, at the end of one, with both teams shooting like crap. It looked like we had another defensive tussle on our hands. Super.

Yet again, Ray Allen was a non-factor, finishing 1-for-6 for four points and finding himself mired to the bench for much of the fourth quarter. Allen continued his ridiculously amazing free throw shooting – he’s now 32-for-33 (97 per cent) in the playoffs to lead the NBA – but he’s simply been unable to find his range from the floor in the postseason.

While he enjoyed a nice effort in Game Four against Atlanta, Ray Ray has been almost invisible otherwise. Without him, Boston is going to be in big trouble against a well-rested Detroit team in the Eastern Finals.

Paul Pierce looked determined to match LeBron James shot for shot Sunday, and he almost did. Pierce hasn’t actually been that much better than Allen in the playoffs, but he has enjoyed a few fine games. Sunday, however, he came out like gangbusters, sinking 4-of-8 for nine points in the opening quarter, and The Truth kept canning them, going 13-for-23 overall for 41 points – his finest game of the postseason at the most opportune time.

He sunk four treys, dished five dimes and picked up a couple of steals. Pierce’s offensive heroics were definitely needed with both Allen and Kevin Garnett (to a lesser extent) struggling. While KG pulled down 13 rebounds en route to his third double-double in the past four games, he wasn’t sharp from the field, sinking just 5-of-13 for 13 points.

Pierce’s explosion also helped offset that monster James game the Celts have feared was coming. King James nailed 14-of-29 shots for 45 points, and after a sluggish start to the series, LeBron really turned it on over the final three games, but it was not enough.

As per his claim, LeBron James and the Cavs never appeared desperate as they whittled the Celtic lead to three points late, but Boston was able to thwart the upstarts, setting up the Eastern Conference final against Detroit that seemingly the whole world has been projecting for months.

For Boston, Rajon Rondo’s shooting troubles continued, as he went just 5-for-16 over the final two games after stringing together solid efforts in both Game Four and Five. On the plus side, Rondo helped out across the board with eight assists, eight rebounds, a steal and even a block. This kid is maturing into a fine point guard before our eyes, averaging 6.5 APG during the playoffs. I don’t like his chances going head-to-head against Chauncey Billups in the next round, but the beauty of the Boston attack is that it does not rely strictly on Rondo as a facilitator.

Unsung hero of the day for Boston: P.J. Brown. The veteran stepped up when the Celts needed it down the stretch, with ten points, six boards, a steal and an assist. But the rare scoring burst only told a fraction of the tale, as Brown turned in several hustle plays, including a huge tip to keep a drive alive late.

Cleveland’s lack of secondary scoring doomed the team again. Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who came up big against the Wizards and was so good in the first two games in Boston, disappeared again. He went just 2-for-8 for eight points with just one block. And unlike Friday, when at least he played a key role on the glass, Sunday he managed just five boards. To his credit, Big Z was giving it his all, diving on the floor to force a jump ball with a minute to play. Still, 10-for-34 shooting for the past four games is not what the Cavs were counting on from their big man.

Delonte West continued to impress me, sinking 4-of-8, including two treys, for 15 points with five assists and a steal. I was very down on West, believing he just didn’t have what it took to be a one, while perhaps lacking the shooting touch to play the two guard spot. Clearly, he was lost in Seattle, a team so desperate for a point guard. But in Cleveland, where he is not expected to be the primary ball handler because James will carry that load, he’s found a home and surprised me with his steady play. The key for West has been his aggressiveness, as he’s doing a superb job of getting to the line. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that he’s sinking 85 per cent of his freebies, either. If you’re looking for a 2008-09 sleeper, add West to your list.

May 18th, 2008
Categories: BASKETBALL, Game report, RotoRob . Author: RotoRob . Comments: 1 Comment

Dear RotoRob,

Francisco Garcia has been dropped in my dynasty league. I have some candidates for dropping to pick him up:

Kirk Hinrich
Nate Robinson
Jameer Nelson
Jordan Farmar (I hesitate to drop him, because I think he is talented enough when given the chance)
Thabo Sefolosha
Linas Kleiza
Charlie Villanueva

Do you think any of these guys are worth keeping at all?

Daryl

Daryl,

I worry about Robinson and Hinrich the most out of those guys. N-Rob is just so small and the Knicks don’t seem to have enough faith in him to play him constantly. Hinrich may be about as good as he is going to get right now. I’m not sold on Robinson as a PG because all he does is score. He doesn’t get numbers in assists or steals and that is what makes a PG. I don’t care if he’s a former Slam Dunk Champ – dunk him off your team. As for Captain Kirk, he was a massive disappointment and he did a great job of dragging the Bulls down with him this season.

May 3rd, 2008
Categories: BASKETBALL, Dear RotoRob, RotoRob . Author: RotoRob . Comments: No Comments