The 2004-2005 NBA Season

Second Round Playoff Surprises!

2005-05-17T11:18:00.000-04:00

Just when it appeared that all four of the favorites would cruise past their lesser-talented opponents in the second round, three of them are deadlocked in their series after four games, tied 2-2. The Miami Heat are the only favorite that took care of business in the semifinals of the playoffs after sweeping the Washington Wizards, even without Shaquille O'Neal for the final two games of the series. With Shaq on the bench, Dwayne Wade has enjoyed his coming out party. The 23 year-old point guard averaged 31 points, 8 assists, and 7 rebounds in the series against the Wizards. Even though the Heat looked great in the second round, they appear to be the biggest question mark going into the conference finals due to Shaq's reoccuring injury.

Dwayne Wade

In the Pistons-Pacers series, Detroit stumbled in games 2 and 3 of their series and lost those, and game 3 was surrounded by controversy regarding the referee's call in the remaining minute that essentially ended the Pistons chances. The Pistons won game four 89-76 after Rasheed Wallace gauranteed victory. The Pistons defense proved to be the difference in the last game. I now think that this series will go 7 games, with Reggie Miller stealing game 5 or 6 with one of his famous clutch shooting performances. But in the end, I still think the Pistons will advance to the Eastern Conference finals to play the Miami Heat- who could be in trouble if Shaq does not return to health, although they have played great without him, behind the performance of rising star Dwayne Wade.

The Suns-Mavs series is on a seasaw, as each team has traded wins in the first four games of the series. But the Suns could be in trouble after it appeared that the Mavs have found out how to stop one of the Suns' key contributors, Amare Stoudemire, in game 4. The Mavericks won game 4 119-109 and held Stoudemire to 15 points on just 3 of 8 shooting, after being slowed down by double teams all game. The Suns still managed to lose despite Steve Nash scoring 48 points on a miraculous 20 for 28 shooting performance, however, Nash only had 5 assists and committed 9 turnovers. I think the tide has turned in this series even though most analysts believe that its still the Suns series. I believe the Mavs will win the series in game 7.

Another huge surprise has been in the Spurs-Sonics series. After the Spurs cruised past the Sonics on their home floor in games 1 and 2, outscoring the Sonics by a combined 29 points, the Sonics have come back to win two in a row in Seattle. Led by Ray Allen, the Sonics just squeeked by the Spurs by one point in game 3 (92-91) and dominated the Spurs in game 4, winning by a score of 101-89. Seattle took the game over in the third quarter, behind Luke Ridnour, who scored 15 of his 20 points in the quarter. Ray Allen finished with a team high 32 points.

More Blogging on the 2005 Playoffs

2005-05-10T12:03:00.000-04:00

It's business as usual for the favorites in the remaining four series of the second round of the NBA playoffs. After one game has been played in each of the four series, it looks as if the top four teams in the NBA this season will cruise to their respective conference's finals.

In the Western Conference, the Phoenix Suns crushed the Dallas Mavericks by a score of 127-102. These two teams are known for their offenses more than their defenses, and Dallas proved that the Suns are just too much for them to handle. I expect the Suns to win this series in five games and advance to the Western Conference Finals. As for the other matchup in the West, the San Antonio Spurs beat up the Seattle Sonics and finished the game with a 22 point victory, 103-81. To add insult to injury, Seattle lost their star Ray Allen in the game with an ankle injury and also lost forward Vladimir Radmanovic, who looks to be out for the entire series. The Spurs backcourt of Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili is too much to handle when combined with one of the best big men in the league, Tim Duncan. I think the Spurs will meet the Suns in the Conference Finals after a sweep of the Sonics.

Tim Duncan

Moving to the Eastern Conference, it looks to be the same story. The Detroit Pistons overpowered the Indiana Pacers in the first game of the series, winning the game 96-81. The Pistons are rested and have the depth to soar past the Pacers in this series. The Pacers are no match for the Piston's Ben and Rasheed Wallace, Tayshaun Prince, and Chauncey Billups. The Pistons will move onto the Eastern Conference Finals to play the Miami Heat, who, behind Shaquille O'Neal and Dwayne Wade, scorched the Washington Wizards in game one, by a score of 105-86. I expect the Heat to sweep the Wizards easily, as the Wiz have nobody to guard Shaq.

Three First Round Series Still Undecided

2005-05-05T00:52:00.000-04:00

With first round sweeps by the Miami Heat and Phoenix Suns, and 4 to 1 series victoris by the Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, and Seattle Sonics, there are only three first round matchups that are still undecided.

The Boston Celtics face elimination by the Indiana Pacers on Thursday night, with the Pacers leading the series 3 to 2. This matchup has been very tough to call, as Boston opened the series with a victory, then followed with two losses, another victory, and another loss. I think the Pacers will prove to be just too big for the Celtics and they will come out victorious in Game 6 to win the series at home and advance to the second round.

The other undecided series in the Eastern Conference is between the Washington Wizards and the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls won the first two games of the series, then the Wizards took the last three. I think that the Wizards will make it four straight wins against the Bulls in Washington on Friday night to close out the series after six games. The Bulls are probably the more talented team, but they have shown their youth and inexperience in the last three games by starting the game off slowly, playing poor defense, and forcing themselves to come back from very tough deficits.

The last series is the Dallas Mavericks versus the Houston Rockets, the Mavs lead this extremely hard fought series 3 to 2. Just like the Wizards, the Mavs lost the first two games of the series, only to come back and win the last three matchups. Although I think the Rockets will win game 6 on Thursday night, I believe the Mavs' offense will be too strong for the inexperienced Rockets to defend for two straight games. The Mavs will win this series in Dallas on Saturday night, after game 7. What does everyone else think about these last 3 first round series?

No Clear Favorite in the Western Conference

2005-04-24T11:23:00.000-04:00

The Western Conference playoffs will be far more competitive than the Eastern Conference because there is no team or teams that are unbeatable. The only series that I believe has an obvious winner is the Phoenix Suns beating the Memphis Grizzlies. I believe Phoenix will win that series easily to move onto round two of the playoffs. The most intriguing matchup is the San Antonio Spurs versus the Denver Nuggets. Normally, I would pick the Spurs to win, but their best player, Tim Duncan, is playing at only about 75% with a bum ankle. Considering Duncan's status as well as Denver's recent play, I believe the Nuggets will take this series home in seven games. If Duncan's health improves, look for the Spurs to take this series and they will be the frontrunner to make it out of the West. Another hard-to-pick series is between the Seattle Sonics and the Sacramento Kings. Seattle has played great all season, up until the very end when they were held back by injuries. They limped into the playoffs, finishing the season 2-8. Because of Seattle's recent poor play and the Kings experience, I am picking the Kings to win this series in seven games. The last first round matchup in the West is the Dallas Mavericks versus the Houston Rockets. Even though the Rockets won their last 7 games of the regular season, I am picking the Mavericks to win, as they are the hottest team in the NBA.

Nash & Stoudemire

For the second round, I predict that the Suns will beat the Nuggets in six games, as the Suns have owned Denver all season long. The next matchup that I have picked is between the Kings and the Mavericks, and I believe the Dallas Mavericks will move on to the Western Conference Finals. In the Conference Finals, I believe the Suns will advance to the NBA Finals after a hard-fought, seven game series. I think the Suns, with Steve Nash, Amare Stoudemire, Shawn Marion, Quentin Richardson, and Joe Johnson, have too much fire power for the Mavericks, who play poor defense, although it has improved under new coach Avery Johnson. Check out ESPN's NBA playoff coverage and check to see who you think will make it out of the West.

My Predictions For The Eastern Conference

2005-04-23T12:44:00.000-04:00

My opinion of the playoff games in the East is that nothing matters until the Conference Championship, where I believe the Pistons and Heat will battle it out, as those two teams are head and shoulders above the rest in the East. Needless to say, I think the Miami Heat will cruise past the New Jersey Nets in the first round, as will the Detroit Pistons past the Philadelphia 76ers. I think the Indiana Pacers will beat the Boston Celtics in a first round matchup that I predict will not be decided until Game 7 in Boston. The last first round matchup in the East is the Chicago Bulls versus the Washington Wizards. This series is a battle of two young, up-and-coming teams. I believe the Bulls will pull out the series victory over the Wizards in six games. The Bulls will continue their hot play from the past few months through the first round and they will prove to simply be too talented for the Wizards.

In the second round, I think the Heat will beat the Pacers in six games. Awaiting the Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals will be the Detroit Pistons, after they beat the Bulls four out of five games to win the series. Neither of these two series will be difficult for the Pistons and Heat, as they are the East's only powerhouses that could compete for the title.

As for the Conference Finals, I will take the defending champs to beat Shaq's Heat in seven games. Pistons Ben Wallace and Rasheed Wallace will be able to contain Shaq and they will also clog up the middle, making it difficult for Miami's Dwayne Wade to penetrate the lane like he usually does. The difference maker in this series will be the Pistons depth and team experience.

Detroit Pistons

No matter which of these two teams makes it to the NBA Finals, I believe that the Eastern Conference representative (either Detroit or Miami) will take home the title and beat whoever opposes them from the West. For more coverage of the NBA playoffs, visit the NBA playoffs homepage.

Shaq For MVP?

2005-04-22T11:21:00.000-04:00

When I consider Shaquille O'Neal for the NBA's MVP, I look at several factors, including: offensive production, defensive production, and team's performance. After comparing Shaq's stats to the stats of the frontrunner for the award, Steve Nash, I have concluded that Shaq should win the MVP. Shaq has averaged 22.9 points (12th in the league), 10.4 rebounds (6th), 2.34 blocks (6th), and shot an amazing 60.1% from the field, which is first in the league. Shaq also brought a strong defensive presence and consistently handled opposing centers. He led the Miami Heat to a 59-23 record, as the team cruised to the number one seed in the Eastern Conference. His team improved 19 games from last season, when the team had Caron Butler, Lamar Odom, and Brian Grant, who were all sent to the Lakers in the trade to acquire Shaq.

Shaquille O'Neal

Then there is Steve Nash, who averaged 15.5 points, 11.5 assists (1st), and 3.3 rebounds per game. Steve Nash is also a defensive liability, but he makes up for that with his fast paced style of play. The argument for Nash is based on the Suns improvement after acquiring the point guard this past offseason. The Suns finished with a league best 62 wins, after losing 50 games last season, by far the biggest improvement in the league. I argue that the Suns acquisition of Quentin Richardson and the growth and experience of Amare Stoudamire and Shawn Marion have also had a huge contribution to the team's improvement. Plus, I believe that Nash's supporting cast is far superior to Shaq's. Both players are great candidates for MVP, but only one can win the award, what do you think...

The Coach of the Year Is...

2005-04-20T23:35:00.001-04:00

The race for the Coach of the Year award is usually a contest between two or three coaches. This year, I could make a case for 5 different coaches, each of which had great seasons. Personally, I would have to give the award to Denver's George Karl, who came in to coach the Nuggets 42 games into the season. Due to the fact that he did not coach for even half of the season, it is unlikely that he will actually win the award. George Karl inherited a Nuggets team that had high expectations before the season started, but were the NBA's biggest disappointment by the middle of the year. Enter George Karl. Coach Karl coached the young Denver team to a 32-8 record after the team started 17-25 without him. He got the team to buy into his system and urged his players to believe in themselves. He resurrected Carmelo Anthony's season after he had a tumultuous first half; Anthony improved in all relevant statistical categories under Karl. Entering the playoffs, Denver is viewed as one of the hottest teams in the entire league and they are looking to contend in the playoffs.

George Karl

The other 4 coaches that will be heavily considered for the award are Seattle's Nate McMillan, Phoenix's Mike D'Antoni, Indiana's Rick Carlisle, and Chicago's Scott Skiles. McMillan led the Sonics to a 52-30 season in 2004-2005, a huge 15 game improvement over last year, despite not adding any new key contributors. D'Antoni led the Suns to the best record in the entire league, winning 62 games this season, after the team lost 50 games last season. His coaching job was aided by the addition of point guard Steve Nash. Rick Carlisle has turned an injury- and suspension- bitten team into a playoff team. Carlisle has led the Pacers to a 44 win season despite losing most of their starters for significant portions of the season. Lastly, there is Scott Skiles, who has led the "baby Bulls" into the playoffs despite the team's youth and inexperience. The Bulls started the season with 9 straight losses, but Skiles turned the season around and now the Bulls have one of the league's top five records since January. It is a very tight race for the Coach of the Year award, who does everybody think should win?

Who Will Be This Year's Rookie of the Year?

2005-04-13T13:37:00.000-04:00

As the 2004-2005 season winds down, with about a week remaining, its about that time to project who will win the postseason awards. One of the most interesting competitions is for the Rookie of the Year trophy. At this time, it looks as if it will be a three-headed race, between the Charlotte Bobcat's Emeka Okafor, the Orlando Magic's Dwight Howard, and the Chicago Bull's Ben Gordon.

The number one contender for this trophy, in my mind, is Emeka Okafor, who was the 2nd overall pick in the draft last summer. Okafor came out of the University of Connecticut after winning the national championship during his third season with the Huskies. He is a young, promising power forward/center that will be the cornerstone for the new Bobcats franchise for several years to come. Emeka leads all rookies in both scoring, averaging 15.3 points per game, and rebounds, averaging 10.9 rebounds per game (fourth overall in the league). He also adds 1.7 blocks per game. The only knock against Okafor is that he has missed 8 games this season with back problems, and he has not translated his good statistical performances into wins for the Charlotte franchise, which is a truly difficult task considering they are a new franchise.

Emeka Okafor

I project the first runner-up will be Dwight Howard, who was the selected first overall in last year's draft by the Orlando Magic. Howard is only 19 years old and has performed better than he was expected after entering the NBA straight out of high school. Howard was only the second high schooler to be selected first in the draft, the first- Kwame Brown- has been a huge disappointment thus far in his career. The power forward has been a great energetic complement to a Magic team that already had a load of talent, including stars Steve Francis and Grant Hill. Howard posts 11.7 points per game, third among rookies, 10.1 rebounds per game, seventh overall in the NBA and second among rookies, and another 1.7 blocks per game. Howard is seventh in the league in field-goal percentage at 53 percent. He has started in every game for the Magic this season. Howard has been a large contributor to a Magic team that has drastically improved since last year's lackluster performance.

Dwight Howard

Ben Gordon, a rookie for the Chicago Bulls, is a player that I see being voted as the second runner-up for the rookie of the year award, behind Okafor and Howard. This young guard came into the league in a similar situation as his college teammate, Okafor, after playing at UConn for three years he also left for the NBA after he helped lead the team to a national championship. Gordon has emerged as a pleasant surprise for an up-and-coming Bulls team. The 6'3" shooting guard was selected eighth overall in the draft. He has provided the Bulls with a much needed spark off of the bench, averaging 15 points per ame in the 77 games that he has played in thus far this year. Gordon is second among rookies, behind Okafor, in scoring and is also amongst the league leaders in 3-point field-goal shooting percentage, at about 41% for the year. More importantly, Gordon has proved to be one of the most clutch performers in the league as he has led the entire league in scoring per game in the fourth quarter. Of the three players vying for the Rookie of the Year trophy, Gordon's team has performed the best and will be the only contender to play in the playoffs. Ben Gordon has had a large impact on the Bulls this season and has helped propel them to the playoff level. Gordon also appears to be the leading contender for the sixth man of the year award as the leagues best bench player.

Ben Gordon

Robinson In For Spurs; Deng Out For Bulls

2005-04-05T19:08:00.000-04:00

There were two noteworthy transactions in the NBA on Tuesday, both with playoff implications. First, the San Antonio Spurs signed former all-star forward and number one draft pick Glenn Robinson, to a free-agent contract for the remainder of the season. Then, the Chicago Bulls placed their rookie forward Luol Deng, on the injured list and is expected to miss the remainder of the regular season, as well as the postseason.

The Spurs, desperate for some depth and scoring help, signed Glenn Robinson for the remainder of the year. This move is in response to injuries to Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and Devin Brown. Sources have said that Robinson was the Spurs second option and pursued him after failing to lure Karl Malone out of retirement.

Glenn Robinson might be more trouble than he is worth, but only time will tell with this experiment. The veteran forward has not played in more than a year due to "injuries". He appeared to be healthy at the beginning of the season when he was on the 76ers roster, but as soon as he was sent to the bench in favor of rookie Andre Igoudala, Robinson left the team for "personal reasons". He failed to return to Philadelphia's lineup, citing various injuries. Robinson brings experience, skilled shooting, horrible defense, and a bad attitude to the Spurs. Robinson was cut by the New Orleans Hornets in early March, after being acquired from Philadelphia in a trade.

The veteran forward is excited about the opportunity to resurrect his career and also contend for the title, as the Spurs currently hold the second seed in the Western Conference. The Spurs are only 4-3 since Duncan, the team's leading scorer and rebounder, was sidelined with a sprained ankle. Their scoring and shooting percentage has suffered in Duncan's absence. It is still unclear whether or not Duncan will return for the regular season, or if he will be available for the playoffs.

As for the Chicago Bulls, Deng's injury thins out a Bulls lineup that already lacked depth. Deng, a 6'8" rookie out of Duke, has a torn ligament in his right wrist. His injury requires surgery and will keep him out until next season.

Deng was of to a great season for such a young prospect, being only 20 years old and lacking significant basketball experience. The forward averaged almost 30 minutes per game, along with 11.7 points and 5.3 rebounds in his 61 games this season. This injury is a significant loss to a Bulls franchise that hopes to make the playoffs for the first time since Michael Jordan left after his 1998 championship season. The Bulls are currently seeded fourth in the Eastern Conference and are only four and a half games behind Detroit for the Central Division lead. The team will have to rely more heavily on other youngsters like Kirk Hinrich, Ben Gordon, and Tyson Chandler.

This untimely injury comes as starting forward Eddy Curry remains out after just recently leaving the hospital for treatment of an irregular heartbeat and forward Othella Harrington is expected to miss time to be with his wife who is close to delivering a child. After placing Deng on the injured list, the Bulls activated rookie center Jared Reiner, who is returning from a strained hip flexor injury. Reiner is not expected to have a significant impact as he has only averaged 1.2 points and 1.8 rebounds in his 11 games played with the Bulls.

Cavaliers Fire Silas

2005-03-28T11:29:00.000-05:00

Last week, on Monday, March 21st, Paul Silas was fired as the Cleveland Cavaliers head coach. Prior to the move, the young Cavs had lost nine of their last 12 games. After a great start, when Cleveland was in first place in the Central division, the team has taken a rapid slide in the standings and is now fighting for a playoff position.

General manager Jim Paxson and owner Dan Gilbert cited the team's poor performance and recent slide as the reason for making the change. The team also released Paul Silas'son, Stephen, who served as an assistant coach under his father. Paxson introduced Brendan Malone as the interim head coach.

In addition to the Caveliers underperforming under Coach Silas, there have been several distractions throughout the season due to the coach's behavior. The first of these distractions this season came early in the season when Silas threw point guard Eric Snow, a well-respected veteran and team leader, off of the bench and sent him to the locker room, after the two exchanged words over the coach's philosophy. The act was seen across the nation as being unnecessary and immature, and it set a horrible example from a coach who is supposed to lead a young team. The next problem came the week before the coach was fired, when he made a derogatory remark about Utah forward and former Cavalier, Carlos Boozer. Silas made the remark to the media the day prior to Boozer's first return to Cleveland after leaving the team as a free agent last summer. Silas was fined $10,000 by the team for his remark and he later apologized for the embarassing episode. Then, in his last game coaching the team before being fired, Silas benched starting guard Jeff McInnis without giving a reason, even though the veteran was dressed and available to play. His substitute, Eric Snow, was held scoreless in the loss to Toronto.

Silas took over the Cleveland Cavaliers head coaching position before the 2003-2004 season, when he was given the responsibility to develop young superstar Lebron James to reach his potential. Silas led the Cavs to an 18-game improvement in the team's record from the prior season. However, the coach appeared to lose control in his team and showed a lack of respect for his players after jumping out to a 30-21 record this season. The team's inconsistent play and distaste for Silas sealed the coaches fate in Cleveland.

Don Nelson Steps Down

2005-03-21T15:04:00.000-05:00

In a surprise move after Saturday's morning shootaround, Dallas Mavericks coach Don Nelson called his team in for a group meeting, where he told the players that he was going to retire as their head coach after 27 seasons in the league.

Nelson, who is second in NBA history in career wins, then handed to job over to his former player and coaching protege, Avery Johnson. His move took the entire team by surprise, as they are in the middle of the season, with high hopes for the playoffs. The 64-year-old coaching legend cited "family and other reasons" as the cause of this abrupt move. Nelson will remain with the Mavs, holding a position as a consultant in the front office.

The Mavs were 43-22 when he retired, but posted only an 8-6 record since the all-star break. However, the team holds a 10-4 record when Avery Johnson has coached the team on an interim basis this year. Don Nelson has personally taken the responsibility to groom Johnson into a coach, by letting him coach the team by himself at different points during the season and he was in charge of practices, which is rare for an assistant coach. Johnson has shown great potential as a coach and he is widely respected around the league.

Some people speculate, including myself, that this was a calculated move by Don Nelson. Apparently, his heart was not into coaching this season and he frequently lost focus and skipped games. I believe that he wanted Avery Johnson to be the heir to the coaching throne in Dallas, and in order to ensure that Johnson was given the position, Nelson had to quit in the middle of the year and hand Johnson the job himself. If Nelson quit at the end of the year, I believe that Mavs owner Mark Cuban would have pursued a higher profile coach, like 8-time champion Phil Jackson, who is currently available.

Jermaine O'Neal Optimistic About Return for Playoffs

2005-03-19T16:40:00.000-05:00

Jermaine O'Neal, the Indiana Pacers All-Star forward, announced on Friday night that he will miss the rest of the regular season after sustaining an injury to his right shoulder. However, O'Neal was hopeful about the chances that his shoulder would be healed in time for him to play in the first round of playoffs, which are scheduled to begin in the last week of April.

O'Neal spoke to the media for the first time since hurting his should on March 3rd in a loss to the Denver Nuggets when his arm was pulled back while he was driving to the basket. He discussed the injury during the third quarter of Friday's game against the Lakers, a 103-97 victory for the Pacers. He had been silent about the injury because he did not want to become a distraction for his team and he did not want to steal the spotlight away from the other 14 players on the team, as they attempt to make a run for the playoffs.

As for the injury, O'Neal said that his shoulder was dislocated during the March 3rd game, but he popped it back into place. The injury caused a tear in the capsule of the shoulder joint. According to his doctors, O'Neal said that the problem can heal with time, but if it does not heal on its own, then he will need surgery. If he does need surgery on his shoulder, it would sideline him for an additional six to seven months while it heals, which would cut into next season as well. If O'Neal returns to play prior to his shoulder fully healing, it could slip right back out of place and he would risk tearing the muscle completely, which could potentially be a career-threatening injury. Currently, Jermaine is rehabbing the shoulder twice each day, iciing it, and taking medication for it.

The All-Star forward is among the league leaders in scoring averaging a career high 25.1 points per game. His team, the Pacers, are battling for a spot in the playoffs. Up to date, they have posted a record of 33-31, and are holding onto the 6th seed in the Eastern Conference. O'Neal expressed his confidence in the team on Friday, saying that he is confident that the Pacers would continue to win games. He says the team will deal with his injury the same way they have dealt with the many injuries and suspensions thus far this year, including injuries to Reggie Miller, Jamaal Tinsley, Jeff Foster, Jonathan Bender, and Scot Polard. The Pacers are 22-19 with O'Neal in the lineup this season, and 11-12 without him, but they have recorded a 5-2 record since O'Neal's injury on March 3rd.

The 2005 Chapter of the Shaq-Kobe Feud

2005-03-18T12:47:00.000-05:00

It was the most talked about topic coming into the 2004-2005 season. The rivalry between Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant had finally boiled over after the Lakers loss in the 2004 NBA Finals to the Detroit Pistons last July. Two of the brightest stars in the league could no longer coexist in Lakers uniforms.

After winning three NBA championships together on one of the best teams in NBA history, Shaq and Kobe's days as teammates officially ended on July 14, 2004 when the LA Lakers traded Shaquille O'Neal to the Miami Heat in exchange for Caron Butler, Brian Grant, Lamar Odom and a future first-round draft pick. Many speculated that Kobe forced that trade and threatened the Lakers front office that he would sign elsewhere last offseason when he was a free agent, if Shaq remained a Laker.

Their rivalry intensified when a story was leaked during this past fall that Kobe Bryant mentioned Shaquille O'Neal's infidelity with his O'Neal's wife, when Bryant was being questoined about a rape accusation. Furthermore, Kobe told investigators that Shaq used to pay his mistresses to keep silent about their affairs.

The duo first met on the court this season on Christmas night, when Shaq and Kobe never made eye contact, nor did they greet each other before or after the game. Shaq and the Miami Heat traveled to Los Angeles and won that contest by a score of 104-102 in a game that ended in overtime. In that game, Kobe registered 42 points and 6 assists, while Shaq score 24 points and snagged 11 rebounds.

The Heat and Lakers met up for the second and final time of the 2004-2005 season on Thursday night. Before the game, Shaq and Kobe actually exchanged a few pleasant words before Shaq extended his arm to shake Kobe's hand, but Kobe did not see Shaq's offering until Shaq had already pulled his hand away, in what was the most awkward scene of the night. The only other notable encounter between the two came in the second quarter when Bryant aggressively drove the lane, only to be met by O'Neal. Kobe bounced off of Shaq and he hit the floor hard, embracing his leg after the impact. As expected, O'Neal looked pleased with the outcome of the play when the whistle blew, even though he was called for a foul.

As for the game itself, it was hardly a close contest, as the Heat rolled to a 102-89 victory on their home court. Shaquille O'Neal finished the game with 25 points, 12 rebounds, 4 blocks, and he shot 11 for 19 for the game. Kobe Bryant scored 26 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and chalked up 3 assists after shooting just 2 for 17 in the second half (8 for 23 for the game). However, the biggest player of the game was not Bryant or O'Neal, but the second-year Heat guard Dwayne Wade, who teamed with Shaq to lead the Heat to victory. Wade ended the game with 27 points, 8 boards, 5 assists, and he shot 8 for 16 from the field.

It now appears obvious who was the most valuable Laker during the team's three-peat as NBA champions, which was one of the many sources of the rivalry between Kobe and Shaq. To analyze this argument, one can dissect the effect that the Shaquille O'Neal had on both the Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Lakers, respecively. The Miami Heat finished the 2003-2004 NBA season with a 42-40 record and a return to the playoffs. This year, with the addition of O'Neal, the Heat have dominated the league and are the current owners of the NBA's best record at 51-16. It also appears as though the team is even improving, as they have won 11 straight games. On the other hand, the LA Lakers have been unable to play at a consistent level, and have sputtered to a 32-32 record this season, including a three game losing streak. The 2003-2004 Lakers made it to the NBA Finals and lost, and finished the regular season with a record of 56-26. Evidently, as Shaq changed teams, he drastically improved his team and has helped the Heat emerge as the leading contender to win the champioship this year. Meanwhile, Kobe is struggling to lead the Lakers into the playoffs, as they are currently the 10th seed in the Western conference and are 1.5 games behind the 8th seed.

The Battle for the 8th Seed in the West Intensifies

2005-03-11T15:20:00.000-05:00

With a little less than six weeks to go in the NBA's regular season, the competition for the 8th and final playoff spot in the Western Conference is heating up. It has become fairly apparent that the first seven playoff positions will belong to Phoenix, San Antonio, Seattle, Dallas, Sacramento, Houston, and Memphis, with their seedings likely to change. That leaves the Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Lakers, and the Minnesota Timberwolves to battle it out for the the 8th seed.

The Denver Nuggets seemed like a sure bet to miss the playoffs back in January, when the team was 8 games below .500. But after the team replaced interim head coach Michael Cooper with George Karl on January 27th, the team has flourished behind the solid play of Carmelo Anthony, Kenyon Martin, Marcus Camby, and Andre Miller. Denver is beginning to live up to the high expectations that were set for them before the season started. The Nuggets are 14-4 since Karl, who the NBA named February's Coach of the Month, began coaching the team and have emerged as the leading candidate for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Nuggets are currently riding a 7 game winning streak. They are set to play at San Antonio tomorrow, then they will start a 7 game home stand on Sunday against Phoenix, Charlotte, LA Clippers, Milwaukee, Washington, LA Lakers, and Sacramento. The Nuggets currently have a record of 31-29.

The Los Angeles Lakers are currently tied with Denver for the 8th playoff spot. The Lakers, who are a young team that has faced a number of distractions this season including their coach's retirement and various injuries, are growing together as a team. The team's biggest problem this season has been their lack of consistency. Kobe Bryant has had to learn how to play with newcomers Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, Chucky Atkins, Chris Mihm, and the rest of LA's revamped roster. The Lakers have won 3 out of their last 4 games after losing 4 straight. They are 5-5 in their last 10 games, and they started a 6 game road trip on the right foot after beating the Dallas Mavericks 100-95 last night. The Lakers continue their road trip against Eastern Conference teams, including Charlotte, Washington, Philadelphia, Miami, and Indiana.

The third team battling with the Lakers and the Nuggets are the Minnesota Timberwolves, who have failed to live up to the high hopes set after last season's run to the Western Conference Finals. The Wolves are currently in 10th place in the West with a record of 31-31. They cannot seem to find a way to get this team playing to their potential. The Wolves' long-time head coach Flip Saunders was fired on February 12th when they had a record of 25-26. They have gone 6-5 since Kevin McHale took over as the interim coach and are 6-4 in their last 10. They will continue to try to gain some momentum as their season winds down, in order to make a push for the last playoff spot. Minnesota has a very hard upcoming schedule playing Orlando, Dallas twice, San Antonio, Mempis, and Houston, with 4 of their next 5 games on the road.

Blazers Fire Maurice Cheeks

2005-03-02T16:20:00.000-05:00

As the Portland Trailblazers continue their slide down the standings in the Western conference to 12th out of the 15 teams, management fired Maurice Cheeks after three and a half years as the teams head coach, as reported on the Blazers website. Cheeks was the scapegoat for the team's failure to reach the playoffs last year, and they will likely miss the playoffs again this year, even though the team has the talent. The Blazers have lost 7 of their last 9 games.

At the same news conference, the Blazers announced that the team's president of player personnel,Kevin Pritchard, will take over as the interim head coach.

Cheeks had a tumultuous tenure as the Blazers head coach trying to manage the league's most immature team. Several of the players were arrested for possession of maurijuana, among other crimes, over the past three and a half years. Some of the trouble makers that the coach had to look after included Bonzi Wells, Damon Stoudamire, Rasheed Wallace, Qyntel Woods, and Darius Miles. Although most players like and respect Cheeks and consider him a "players' coach," it was almost impossible for him to make the players cooperate and stay out of trouble, on and off the court.

Trade Deadline Deals

2005-02-25T15:00:00.000-05:00

There was a frenzy of moves at the NBA trade deadline on Thursday, February 24th. There was a total of eleven moves throughout the league, which can be viewed on the NBA website with all other current league news.

The Sixers grabbed all of the headlines with their two trades. First, the Sixers traded undersized power forward Kenny Thomas, veteran forwards Corliss Williamson and Brian Skinner to the Kings for the 5-time all-star Chris Webber, and rarely used reserves Matt Barnes and Michael Bradley. The Sixers drastically improved their chances to win their division and contend for an Eastern Conference championship, while the Kings added much needed depth at the forward position and they unloaded Webber's maximum contract that will reach $20 million per year in the next three seasons.

The Sixers made another trade with the Hornets, sending the disgruntled small forward Glen Robinson to the Hornets for former 6th man of the year, Rodney Rogers, and the injured Jamal Mashburn, who is not expected to play this year and will retire at the season's end, but was included in the deal for salary cap purposes. This trade gives the Hornets salary cap relief, whereas the Sixers gained much needed depth after trading away 4 contributing forwards.

The Hornets continued to wheel and deal with a move that sent point guard Baron Davis, a 2-time all-star who has battled the injury bug throughout his career, to the Warriors for point guard Speedy Claxton, 35 year-old forward Dale Davis, and cash. The Hornets did not get value in return for Baron Davis, however, they were able to unload his large contract and his bad attitude that was said to have distracted the team.

The Warriors made more waves when they received two young forwards with high upsides in Nikoloz Tskitishvili and Rodney White in return for the gritty role player in Eduardo Najera, a power forward, a young reserve in Luis Flores, and a future 1st round pick. The Warriors got talent and youth which they hope to develop along with the other seven players on the team that are younger than 26 years-old. The Nuggets acquired a solid defender and rebounder who should help them make their push for the playoffs in Najera.

Another big headlining trade was a deal that sent sharpshooting small forward Antoine Walker from the Hawks back to the team that drafted him, the Celtics, for veteran guard Gary Payton, veteran forward Tom Gugliotta, center Michael Stewart, and a future 1st round draft pick. The Celtics are hoping that this gamble pays off by helping them fend off the Sixers, Raptors, and Knicks in the Atlantic Division. This move gives the Hawks more room under the salary cap by escaping Walker's large contract.

The Celtics then sent young European guard Jiri Welsch to the Cavaliers for a 2007 1st round draft pick. This deal will bolster the Cavs' backcourt, while the Celtics added an always valuable draft pick.

The Knicks also made a deal that brought them to solid young forwards in Malik Rose and Maurice Taylor. The Knicks traded Nazr Mohammed and Jamison Brewer to the Spurs for Malik Rose and 1st round picks in 2005 and 2006, a move that allows the Spurs to unload Rose's contract for soon-to-be free agents Mohammed and Brewer. Then the Knicks traded veteran reserves Moochis Norris and Vin Baker to the Rockets for Maurice Taylor. Norris and Baker rarely contributed for the Knicks, but the Knicks had to take on yet another high salary with Maurice Taylor.

The Rockets also traded away Reece Gaines and 2nd round picks in 2006 and 2007 to the Bucks for Mike James, whose 3-point shooting and defense helped the Pistons win the championship last year, and journeyman Zenden Hamilton.

The Bucks made an even bigger deal in sending the often-criticized Kieth Van Horn to the Mavericks for reserve forwards Calvin Booth, Alan Henderson, and cash. The Mavericks added a shooter in Van Horn and the Bucks improve their defense and rebounding at the power forward position.

In the last move to round up the coverage of the trade deadline deals, the Heat re-acquired Steve Smith in a trade where they sent forward Malik Allen to the Bobcats. The Heat gain Smith's veteran leadership and strong character, as well as salary cap flexibility. The Bobcats added more young talent to their youthful team with the hardworking rebounder Malik Allen.

Things to Come

2005-02-22T11:39:00.000-05:00

I will be commenting on various news and notes concerning this NBA season throughout this semester.