Worst First Round Matchups for Top Teams: The West

Even though the dust has not settled on a very dusty Western Conference, we can still surmise as to what matchups the top dogs would least want to see to start their push towards a title. 

1) Los Angeles Lakers - 8) Portland Trail Blazers

This was a no-brainer, maybe that 17-point blowout is still fresh in my mind, or maybe its the fact that they haven't won at the Rose Garden the last eight times they've visited. That game was as poor a game as they've had all season. The Lakers tend to only get up for games like these, and they just got run over. Seeing them a potential of three times in the playoffs is less than ideal. 

Still, the playoffs are an entirely different beast and the Blazers are young team with very little experience. They have all of Joel Pryzbilla (5 games, 35 minutes) and Steve Blake (9 games, 196 minutes) with experience under their belt. I was alerted to the fact Micheal Ruffin and Raef LaFrentz have some as well, but they don't count. They Lakers are the team everyone is trying to avoid, but I get the feeling the Blazers aren't afraid. This young team has a puncher's chance, and they would relish the opportunity to beat the favorites. Nicolas Batum did a... dare I say, good job on Kobe? He made him play defense and used his agility and quickness to stay with Kobe and contest as best you can. Their matchup on April 10 (at Portland) will go a long way to easing any fears in Laker land. 

2) San Antonio Spurs - 7) New Orleans Hornets

Currently, half a game separates the 2nd seeded Spurs and the 3rd seeded Denver Nuggets, but with Manu Ginobli back, I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt. In 2008, this one went the distance, 7 games, and the Hornets made the Spurs earn it. The Hornets have been plagued all season with injuries, but I still think they have a chance. Still, they are a year wiser and have that experience from last year. The season series stands at 1-2 in favor of the Hornets, but the Spurs will fittingly close out the season on April 15 by hosting them in San Antonio. 

The addition of James Posey can be a huge asset when trying to neutralize Ginobli. Both come off the bench and the winner of the bench battle could ultimately decide who advances. Add in four All-Stars who will likely see a lot of each other (pointguards Tony Parker versus Chris Paul and power forwards Tim Duncan versus David West) and you have the makings of another seven game series. 

3) Denver Nuggets - 6) Utah Jazz

I'm still on the fence with Denver, they are winning this year, they play defense from time to time, and they have a real leader with Chauncey Billups out there. That said, I've seen them get dismantled in the first round the last few years with the same core minus Billups. 

They say basketball is all about matchups, well if that's the case, then the Utah Jazz might give the Nuggets fits. They have a slew of defenders they can throw at Carmelo Anthony (see Andrei Kirilenko, Ronnie Brewer and Matt Harpring). Their respective point guards are normally the type to be mismatches against other teams, but Deron Williams and Chauncey Billups are almost doppelgangers of themselves. Both big, strong types, both shoot the three very well, and both are the engine that drives their team. Nene and Boozer are both bruising type big men. If the Nugs want to finally make it out of the first round, they probably don't want to see this dangerous Jazz squad. 

4) Houston Rockets - 5) Utah Jazz

The 4-5 matchup changes daily, but this is what I'm going with. The Jazz have knocked out the Rockets out the past two years. This however, is an all new Rockets team, the addition of Ron Artest and the emergence of Aaron Brooks gives them a whole new look. Plus, no Tracy McGrady. 

The Jazz are pretty dangerous team and the more I think about it, nobody wants to see this team. They have a top five point guard (Deron Williams will eat Brooks' lunch, all he has to do is post him up. I don't even think Brooks' advantage in speed is enough, D-Will is deceptively quick) and a perfect pick-and-roll partner with Boozer. Yao must be the key if the Rockets want to avoid another first round exit at the hands of the Jazz. The Jazz don't have anyone who can handle Yao in the post, and he can easily score over the top of Okur and Booz. 

They split the season series this year with each team holding serve on their home court. With the traditional road woes the jazz have had, this one might come down to the home court advantage. 

Stats That Should be Kept

In the past 3-4 years, the stats revolution has really hit the NBA. While some stats ( the kind that say Brent Barry is better than his dad, or the kind that say Jason Kidd is the 2nd best player in the league) seem questionable, I feel most of the new numbers give us a lot of insight into parts of the game we don't necessarily pay attention too. I like knowing which players have low turnover rates and who has a good true shooting percentage. However, the limited categories available in NBA box scores really limits how much of a players value we can determine from those numbers.

For example, the most common offensive play in the NBA is a pick and roll. Everyone runs them, yet we have no measure for who the best screeners in the NBA are. I want to know how much better Chris Paul shoots off of Tyson Chandler screens than he does off of Peja screens. I'm sure a lot of teams keep track of these things, but there is no way for fans to get hold of them.

A lot of teams say that deflections are a key defensive number. I have heard that the Jazz make a point of trying for 10 deflections a quarter. So are teams that get a lot of deflections among the best in defensive efficiency? A lot of people talk about how certain players make "hustle plays". Shouldn't we know which players recover the most loose balls? Shouldn't we check all these things to make sure Mark Madsen and Michael Ruffin actually deserve to be in the league?

Admittedly, the NBA has gotten better about these things. Considering that we don't know how many blocks Russell or Wilt had, it is progress that the NBA tells us how many chase downs Bron gets. Hopefully, we will get to know even more about basketball in the future.

Carlos Boozer, Thou Art Pwned.

I don't normally make it a practice to yoink material from other blogs, but this is so hilarious it has to be seen by as many people as possible. So, Carlos Boozer...this is your life. 

Via Hardwood Paroxysm who in turn got it from Drexlerfan22 at clutchfans.net

Stick a Fork in 'em

The Phoenix Suns are done. 

I think Steve Nash said it best.

"No offense to that young team over there, but we weren't playing the Lakers or the Celtics," said Nash. "If we want to be in the playoffs, this is a game we've got to win. If you ask me, 'Do we deserve to be in the playoffs?' on a performance like tonight, you've got to say we didn't earn it.'"

It has been a tragic season for the once proud Suns. The whole "we are going to play defense now" plan backfired. Then when they returned to their run and gun style, they realized they traded away half their team. Then they almost traded away Amar'e Stoudamire. As if that wasn't bad enough, Stoudamire then went out for the season, just when they were getting back in the swing of things and challenging for a playoff spot. I guess a loss to the 16-56 Sacramento Kings is the nail in the coffin. 

Not to mention that this was on the heels of blowing a seven point lead IN Utah! 

It's a damn shame really, because I would've loved to see the Suns-Lakers first round match up. The media would have eaten it up. It's also a shame because the Suns have some awesome players in that locker room. You have to feel for Shaq, Steven Nash and Grant Hill. 

Their "battling" the Mavericks for the 8th and final spot, and even though the Mavs keep losing, the Suns just don't take advantage. They have a very favorable schedule when compared to the Mavericks. They have games left versus Memphis (twice), Golden State, Minnesota, and Sacramento. They also have one game remaining against the Mavericks. The Mavs have Miami, Memphis and Minnesota. The rest are all against playoff bound teams in the West who are battling for seeding as desperately as the Suns and Mavs are battling to make the playoffs. 

Watching them play is just sad. It's sad because the effort is there (at least on offense), but they just can't defend anyone. 

Nash might bolt in 2010, Grant Hill and Shaq figure to retire soon. That leaves you with a core of Stoudamire, Barbosa, and Richardson and a not so potent bench. In fact, their only serviceable bench player is Louis Almundson (who might start if Stoudamire moves to the 5). 

I guess this means I'm starting the Fire Steve Kerr campaign. I never liked him anyway. 

I really want the Suns to make the playoffs, but that's just not how tragedies end. 

John Tesh is a G

Watch this and you'll know what I mean. This brings back such good memories. ESPN/TNT, get rid of your theme for the sake of basketball lore and pay John Tesh large sums of money to use his.

All-Ninja Team

Ninja (n): player who will quietly kill the other team

There is a certain undeniability about the most dominant NBA player. Lebron, Kobe, Dwyane Wade, Dwight Howard and CP3 let you know it when they carve your teams up. But there is a breed of player that will quietly bring the other team to their knees. Its not that the other team doesn't know what hit them, they don't even realize they've been hit. So here is the official Hooptrop All-Ninja Team.

PG: Jose Calderon
While he isn't operating as quietly and isn't as deadly as last year, he is still one of the best PG's that no one pays attention to. Its easy to see why he doesn't get the acclaim of other players of similar quality. The best part of his game is what he doesn't do. No turnovers, rarely misses any shots. His 61.5 true shooting percentage is second among all guards (behind Ray Allen). He has missed 3 free throws all season. Only 2.1 TO's a game, against 8.6 assists. He never seems to be doing anything amazing, but he beats you by never helping you.
Calderon has just snapped Andrea Bargnani's neck after the the Italian missed another layup.

SG: Kevin Martin

The Kings player, not the FCC chairman. Toiling in the wasteland that is Sacramento for the woeful Kings, no one realizes what a phenomenal scorer Kevin Martin has become. Another guy with a high TS% due to his ability to shoot threes, and an uncanny ability to get to the line. Did you know he is second in the league in free throw attempts per game, behind Dwight Howard and ahead of Lebron and Dwyane Wade. The quirkyness of his jumper leaves opponents even more stunned when he drops a three on their heads.Martin whacks the Chinese warlord Yao in the head with a ball.

SF: Tayshaun Prince
Does everything his team needs, and does it better with less fan fare and Duke-ness than Shane Battier. A true glue guy, but that doesn't mean he can't get his when need be. His length makes him an excellent defender, and his shooting and basketball IQ make him an effective offensive player. And the block against Reggie Miller is one of the great ninja plays of all-time, combining stealth with sheer amazingness in a key situation.

Watch out Wade, Tayshaun might get you!!!

PF: Antawn Jamison
Scored 1627 points this year while having the ball for a combined 2000 seconds. Get the ball, flips it up from a weird angle, and somehow it goes in. Quietly 5th among PF's in PER, and quietly has snuck the w behind the a in his first name. Never turns the ball over, grabs some boards , scores some points and goes home. Has a 20-10 season, back to back 50 point games,and a 6th Man of the Year award to his name.

Ariza does not know how Antawn got over there. The Ninja thrives on his stealth.

C: Zydrunas Ilgauskas
Big Z is the second best player on the NBA's best team, yet everyone give Mo Williams more credit than him. His super long arms are key to the Cavs vaunted interior defense. Doesn't play many minutes, so his per game number are not huge, but he is a post up threat, can shoot a jumper, and even added a three ball this year (shooting 14 of 35 this year). Rarely turns the ball over, and rarely forces any shots. Might be the perfect center for a Lebron James team. Should grow his beard again though.

Z and his ninja beard.

The Shaq-Robin Lopez Exchange (transcript)

TrueHoop just posted a video recap of last night's Suns - Blazers game, during which you can see a heated moment on the bench, where Robin Lopez gives Shaq some "guff," after which Shaq proceeds to lay down the law, whilst staring him down. Henry Abbott at TrueHoop surmises about what may have transpired during this exchange, and to that end, I thought it'd be funny to play a little caption exercise (write down a hypothetical transcript of what was said), a la our colleagues down at Ball Don't Lie. Give it your best shot. (This is all just fun and games though - Robin, we're big fans at HoopTrop, keep on keepin' on.)

Shaq: What're you doing out there? Didn't you know defense comes first on the Phoenix Suns?

Robin Lopez: Listen, I'm tired of your crap, mister! (Robin wags his finger at Shaq) I'm mad as hell, and I'm not gonna take it anymore!!!

Shaq: B****, what'd you say?!?

(Robin Lopez tries to respond)

Shaq: (takes a step forward and stares him down) B****, go make me a sandwich.

(Shaq stares Robin down and doesn't move an inch.)
(Robin Lopez looks down, pauses as if trying to think of something to say, then slowly gets up off the bench and drifts sullenly towards the locker room, where he makes Shaq a ham sandwich.)

2008-2009 Moves: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

I know this season isn't over, The West is still playing musical chairs with its 2nd through 8th seeds, and the East is ironing out the middle of the pack. Still, we can clearly see of the many moves various teams made in 2008-2009, which have paid off and which have not.

The Good

New Jersey Nets draft Brook Lopez at No. 10. Regarded as the top big man prospect before the draft he was slated to go as high as No.3, but fell to No. 10, a great steal for the Nets. The Stanford Alum has defied the curse that has plagued his fellow alumnus. He has put up a stellar rookie campaign and is even considered a dark horse for the Rookie if the Year. It's easy to see why. He is averaging 13 points, 8 rebounds on 52% shooting. His block numbers (1.8 per game) have set a new Nets rookie record (besting former No. 1 pick Kenyon Martin). Lopez has turned into a steady contributor and a solid big man for the Nets

OKC Thunder take Russel Westbrook at No. 4. I thought this was a terrible move, sure they needed a point guard and Derrick Rose was gone, but Westbrook just didn't strike me as a great prospect. He still had a lot to learn, should've stayed in college a year longer. He has proven everybody wrong. As a leading candidate for ROY, he has averaged 16 points and 5 assist this season. Westbrook is very physically gifted, and he is quickly learning to use those gifts to penetrate and find his teammates.

Derrick Rose at No.1. Remember when their was a debate between Rose and Micheal Beasley for the top spot in the draft? Well, the Bulls have made the right decision. Rose is a tremendous point guard with a combination of strength, quickness and a nose for the rim that has never been seen. He is leading the Bulls back to the playoffs, and in all likelihood will be the ROY.

New Orleans Hornets sign James Posey. This one is still incomplete, Posey's real worth comes into play during the playoffs. His lock down defense and clutch three-point shooting will be a real asset to the Hornets. He has been the lone bright spot on a weak Hornets bench, and always does what is asked of him.

Ron Artest to the Houston Rockets. He's stayed under control (no brawls and a relative low number of technical fouls) and has become a leader on the Rockets. His toughness has rubbed off on his teammates, his has been like the anti-Tracy McGrady. He's played with bad ankle sprains and other nagging injuries. He has maintained his strong defense, and pushed his scoring up to compensate for McGardy's absence.

UPDATE: Mo Williams joins Lebron as a Cleveland Cavalier. Apologies to Cavs fans. Last year without Mo Williams 45-37. This year with Mo Williams 58-13, with 11 game remaining. I believe that speaks for itself.

The Bad

Elton Brand spurns Clippers, signs with Philadelphia 76ers. Not entirely his fault, although karma would disagree. He tore his Achilles tendon early into the season, had surgery, came back, then he partially tore his labrum. Opted against surgery, reaggrevated it, then shut it down because he needed surgery. Although, even when he was healthy and in the lineup he wasn't particularly productive. The 76ers have continued to play their best basketball without him. He has more years left as a sizer, but this year he has been a bust.

Speaking of busts, Baron Davis comes home to the Los Angeles Clippers. Worst team in the league, Baron plays sparingly, and is disgruntled most of the time. He doesn't get along with Mike Dunleavy's rigidly run team. Par for the course in the poorest run organization in the NBA.

The Ugly

Stephon Marbury "bolsters" the Boston Celtics back court. Ummmm, no.

Zach Randolph and the Clippers. I don't know how averaging 20-10 is bad, but it is. If you wont take my word for it, then watch this. He doesn't play defense, and has less blocks than Chicago's Ben Gordon. Anyone catch his comments to the press when they played the New York Knicks recently. He was dumbfounded as to why he was traded, going as far as saying he was better than Chris Bosh. Ummmm, no.

Did I miss anything else?

Zeke to the Clips

Here.

Are the Clippers trying to drive their fans crazy? Zach Randolph, Isiah Thomas, moody Baron Davis,  and Mike Dunleavy all on the same team. Are NBA teams really this dumb?

Where Will Amazing Happen This Year?

If you haven't seen all of the NBA's "Where Will Amazing Happen This Year?" commercial campaign this year, check them out here. Each commercial highlights a different amazing play that happened in the NBA in years past.

There's a little something for everyone. My personal favorites include the Tayshaun Prince block (Tayshaun doesn't get enough shine), the Manu Ginobili drive and shot (Manu also doesn't get enough shine), and, of course, Lebron throwing the hammer down on the Celtics at the Q.

Still, I think this next one takes the cake. I just wish they kept the camera rolling to see Baron untuck his jersey and get his shoulders dusted off by Stephen Jackson.

The Glory of Jeff Van Gundy

I don't know how everyone else feels about this but the best game broadcasting team is the one comprised of Mike Breen, Mark Jackson, and Jeff Van Gundy. The use the words "BANG!", "Puts it in!", "Oh, beautiful move!", "Momma there goes that man!", and (my personal favorite) "GOT 'EM!!!"  alone makes for a devastating drinking game. 

Jeff Van Gundy is the glue that holds that team together. His combination of real coaching insight, pop culture references, and blunt honesty puts a basketball fan in auditory bliss. OK, maybe that's a stretch, but its damn entertaining to hear the man talk. When he is not arguing with Mark Jackson about something trivial, me gives us a lot of useful insight. In fact, I would even go as far saying listening to game broadcast by Van Gundy is a learning experience. Kept within some reason, he has no qualms about speaking his mind about anything NBA related. He also has a knack for coining new words or phrases. Here are two such phrases.

Verbal Flop- The act of screaming or wailing (often followed by a flail of the arms) by a shooter when the defender strips (or blocks) the basketball (cleanly) as offensive player was going up to take the shot. This conveys the "pain" suffered by the offensive player as he tries to sell the illusion that illegal physical contact was made. This results in a foul being called on the defensive player, and two free-throws for the offensive player. 

I first heard Jeff Van Gundy say this in 2007, and he was reffering to Kobe Bryant affinity for getting a foul called when getting his jump shot stripped or blocked. Since then it has become widely used, but let it be known it was invented by JVG. 

College Call- Refers to an official's foul call for a play that involved little to no contact, as it would be in a less physical college game. Very similar to a ticky-tack foul in that many times no call could have been made. 

I forget when I heard this, but it made a lot of sense to me. This one was probably not a JVG original, but I heard it from him first.

Roger Mason Jr: Assassin

When Roger Mason Jr played for the Wiz, we talked about how much he looked like Chris from The Wire. Of course Chris's job was to shoot people. Well, this season Roger Mason Jr has been killing people at the end of games. Not just once or twice either. The list is long.

The Clippers

The Suns

The Lakers

The Celtics



The Warriors




IS YOUR FAVORITE TEAM NEXT?????

Thank You, Mitch Kupchak

Why has this man not won the Executive of the Year award, he should have won it last year. Danny Ainge? Sure okay, you get Ray Allen (in exchange for Jeff Green), get Kevin Garnett gift wrapped (which, I'm not saying was shady, but I'm just sayin'), sign Sam Cassel (used all of 20 minutes in the Finals), and win the title. Still, the best move he made was the draft day deal for Rajon Rondo. But...I suppose reviving the moribund Celtics is a worthy feat. The question is for how long? I understand that if the opportunity to win a title at the expense of long term growth presents itself, you probably go for it. But if the Celts don't win another title, they're paying the Boston Three Party a ton of money. Again, this isn't some detailed or scathing indictment of the man. He made the Celtics relevant again, jersey sales, fans in seats at the TD BankNorth Garden, and all that jazz. I think the Celtics as they are, can contend for about 2-3 more years, I think the Lakers are in the conversation for considerably longer (4-5 more years, or the length of Kobe's last contract).

One look at his wikipedia page and you learn something about Mitch (hint: he is a baller). I mean, All-American at UNC, gold medal, and he had the likes of Magic Johnson begging management to sign him? Baller.

He built a long-term juggernaut and nobody noticed, well not everybody noticed the great moves he made whilst building this long-term juggernaut. He is constantly maneuvering his roster and keeping his team in contention (minus the 2005-2007 Dark Ages, but the man needed sometime to get the wheels churning). What I like best about Kupchak, is his forward thinking and vision. Let's just take a look at a few of his moves from the year in question (and a few more recent ones) and you'll see what I mean:

• Kwame Brown + Marc Gasol for Pau Gasol?
• For the record I like Kwame (or at least pity and wish him well), but Kupchack pounced at the chance to give the Grizzlies cap and salary release to get Gasol. In Gasol, the Lakers received the perfect compliment to Kobe Bryant. A sure handed, great passing, knockdown shooting Big, who fit seamlessly into the triangle offense. Often overburdened by having to carry a team, Gasol much rather prefers, and is much better suited at playing second fiddle. I think Jeff Van Gundy was dead on when he called Gasol "the best second-best player on any team."
• Brian Cook + Mo Evans for Trevor Ariza?
• Mmmmm have you seen him play? Tremendously gifted athletically, he is quickly turning into a lock down defender. He reads passing lanes well, he is quick enough to stay with guards but strong enough to take on some small forwards. This year he learned how to shoot the three (35%). Usually Kobe had to check the opposing team's best perimeter player, but with Ariza, Phil Jackson has another option. Stick Ariza on them, and let Kobe use more energy at the offensive end.
• Finally... Andrew Bynum for nobody.
• Yes, he told Kobe to sit his ass down, forget about Jason Kidd and have a little faith. Bynum is now the Lakers' future beyond Kobe. He is long and athletic, being tutored by Kareem and when not injured has shown he can be a force at both ends of the floor.

This year, he dumped Vladimir Radmanovic on the Bobcats for Adam Morrison and Shannon Brown. He also sent Chris Mihm to the Grizzlies. All in an effort to save cash for Lamar Odom. Another good move.

So when I was watching the Lakers-Thunder snoozefest last night, I saw this. The first thing I thought was, "damn, this kid can get up" and the second was, "thank you, Mitch Kupchak."

So there's that. Either way, Kupchack should have received a stronger consideration for the NBA Executive of the Year award in 2007-2008.

Also, take down this stupid site.

The best ball in all the land

With the NCAA tournament going on, this is peak time to hear from people how awesome college basketball is. And these claims are quickly followed by talk about how pure the college game is and how much harder they try. Those kids actually pass the ball and play defense too! Well I have one thing to say to all the college basketball fans: You are dumb.

While the Tournament is a great, um, tournament, but lets not get carried away. The world's best basketball is played by the world's best players in the NBA. First of all the claims of how pure college basketball is, when all pro are just in it for money, is complete hogwash. They might as well call it the NCAA: Where exploitation happens. Players cannot make any money off of their skills, but the NCAA, schools, and college coaches are more than happy to cash in on their player's abilities. Sure college players get scholarships and some gear, but does anyone think Texas didn't make $35 thousand off of Kevin Durant. Or that Nike is giving away shoes as charity? C'mon.

And there's the argument about how NBA players don't try and don't really care. Really? Have you seen KG play? Does Kobe strike you as someone who doesn't care? How come Kevin Love shed all those extra pounds when he became a T-wolve, but didn't put in the effort as a Bruin? Sure there is a Tim Thomas or late Raptors era Vince Carter every now and then, but there are Chris Tafts and D'Andre Jordan in college ball too. What would motivate you more, the chance to take midterms or write papers, or the chance to make a few million dollars?

Now for the college players playing defense. That is the dumbest myth of them all. How come all the rookies that come into the NBA need to learn how to play defense. Don't let the floor slapping fool you. The teams have 2 defensive schemes, and they can hide weaker defenders using zones. Also since the level of athleticism is so much lower, teams don't need great interior defenders guarding the rim. Let see those defenses work with NBA shooters taking shorter threes and LeBron driving towards the basket.

The lack of a grand narrative in the tournament just makes college ball less compelling too. The signature players from last year have left, leaving us with lesser older players and new faces. If the Celtics play the Lakers in the finals, all sorts of interesting plotlines arise. If Kansas were to play Memphis, there would be no Darrel Arthur, Brandon Rush, Mario Chalmers or Derrick Rose. People say rooting for pro teams is rooting for a t-shirt, but players stay with their college teams for an even shorter period of time. There is never a good player playing his former team, or two former teammates playing against each other. I mean its basketball without the possibility of a Kobe-Shaq fued.

And of course there is the bad finishing at the rim, silly turnovers and lack of individual creativity. So while the tourney is exciting, look to the NBA for enthralling and quality basketball.

Stop the Presses: Kobe, Lebron and MVP's

This might be the best comparison between Kobe, Lebron and the MVP debate that wont go away until the award is handed out. Did I mention it was about steak and contained no statistical data?

Check it out, on TrueHoop. 

Notable highlights:

• To men, the ultimate meal is Steak. That delicious hunk of beef cooked to perfection. Well, "when it comes to steak, or basketball players in the mode of Michael Jordan, you can search the world over and do no better than Kobe."
  
• Then we get to Lebron, not your traditional "steak". More tank than sports car. More raging locomotive on his way to the basket than sleek pull-up and flawless fadeaway. Abbott wonders. "Could LeBron James be so good at scoring at the rim, finding open teammates, scoring in crunch time, and overpowering opponents at both ends of the floor that his noticeable shortcomings simply don't matter?"

An Ode to NBA Jam

Along with the personal computer, I was privy to the greatest piece of technological innovation of the '90's. That's right, I'm talking about the Super NES. More specifically, I'm talking about the best video game ever made; better than Halo, better than Call of Duty, only slightly better than FIFA, It's NBA Jam. Many have sprung up since the original, but they have all failed to capture the essence of NBA Jam. The game play was sublime (although I never did manage to perfect my defense, my go to move was to shove the opposing player and steal the ball. Yeah, that was legal). Furthermore, the phrase "he's on fire!" should be inducted into the video game Hall of Fame. 

So that, along with this awesome article (via 82.games.com) on the most productive NBA player pairs spawned this post. 

In the article the top five (by +/-) are as follows:

1. Lebron James- Mo Williams (Cleveland Cavaliers) +553

2. Kobe Bryant- Pau Gasol (Los Angeles Lakers) +480

3. Kevin Garnett- Ray Allen (Boston Celtics) +462

4. Rashard Lewis- Hedo Turgokolu (Orlando Magic) +445

5. Chris Paul- David West (New Orleans Hornets) +343

Productive? Yes, but not the pairings I would choose if I were to play Real Life NBA Jam.

Lakers: Kobe Bryant- Lamar Odom. Unstoppable and unguardable. Match up nightmares galore, who can stop these two?

Celtics: Paul Pierce- Kevin Garnett. Clutch on offense, ferocious on defense. If anyone had a shot at stopping the above mentioned pair, it would have to be these two. 

Spurs: Manu Ginobli- Tim Duncan. Leaving Tony Parker out was not easy, but it was once said that Ginobli driving to the left was better than Jordan. Oh, and Timmy might be the best power forward of all time. 

Cavaliers: Lebron James- Mo Williams. I mean, LBJ and me could probably win the NBA Jam title. I suppose Mo Williams is a slight improvement. 

Hornets: Chris Paul- David West. They will pick-and-roll you to death. If you somehow survive that, they'll just let CP3 loose. That will kill you. 

Magic: Dwight Howard- Rashard Lewis. Superman would pound you inside and guard the cup like a rabid dog, Rashard would just sit outside the three-point line and make it rain. 

Nuggets: Carmelo Anthony- Chauncey Billups. I think this is statistically the "clutchest" pairing. If its close, I'll put my money on these guys. 

Hawks: Joe Johnson- Josh Smith. Very dangerous duo. Both are potent scorers, and the freakishly athletic Smith is a huge x-factor/game changer. 

Blazers: Brandon Roy- Lamarcus Aldridge. About as fundamentally sound as you can get. Their "old man" game is deceptive, and I bet they can run a mean pick-and roll. 

Heat: Dwayne Wade- Jamario Moon. Wade can only do so much, and by that I mean, Jamario can probably sit on the bench and let Dwade win a few on his own. 

Mavericks: Dirk Nowitski- Jason Kidd. You have a big who can probably shoot it and score from anywhere and a pointguard who can get him the ball from any conceivable angle. Damn. 

Sixers: Andre Iguadala- Andre Miller. Pretty good 1-2, Miller is better than you'd think, and well you and I both know Iggy is tremendously athletic. 

Jazz: Deron Williams- Andrei Kirilenko. Yeah, I know, Boozer. Booz is the softest bruiser I know, and I'm including the guys I play pick-up basketball with. Besides, in a game up to 11, all you need is 11 D-Will crossovers. 

Pistons: Rodney Stuckey- Rip Hamilton. Blue collar types. Scrappy, and well complemented by each other. Drive and kick is their bread and butter. 

Rockets: Ron Artest- Yao Ming. Potential beast of a team. Ron can lock up anyone (with the exception of the Black Mamba), and if he feels like passing, he has Yao. Yao may or may not get blocked. 

Bulls: Derrick Rose- Tyrus Thomas. Freaks athletically speaking, however both want and need the ball. If they can make it work, its hard to imagine anyonoe stopping them. 

Suns: Steve Nash- Amar'e Stoudamire. All Nash needs to do is get the ball to Amar'e, pretty much anywhere on the floor. I think he's up to the task. Nash is also craft as hell. 

Bobcats: Gerald Wallace- Boris Diaw. Solid, not much else to say. Wallace loves to drive to the basket, Boris loves to create for others. 

Warriors: Monta Ellis- Stephen Jackson. Its tough chose from among so many players that do similar things. These are the best Golden State has to offer. If Jack can play good defense and keep up with Monta, they can be really good. 

Bucks: Micheal Redd- Charlie Villanueva. If these two can learn to pass, they can be a potent offense. Their defense on the other hand, is very suspect. 

Thunder: Kevin Durant- Russel Westbrook. I really, really like this pairing, and would love to see them against anyone in Real Life NBA Jam. Between them I think they have all the bases covered: defense, slashing, shooting. Keeping up with them would be tougher than you think. 

Nets: Devin Harris- Vince Carter. They seem to be playing pretty well in New Jersey. I'd just as easily switch VC with Brook Lopez. Just kidding. 

Timberwolves: Al Jefferson- Randy Foye. Again, I know, Mike Miller. Clearly you haven't heard about Miller's transformation. 

Pacers: Danny Granger- Jarret Jack. Just give the ball to Danny Granger. 

Grizzlies: Rudy Gay- OJ Mayo. They'd probably have to learn to pass the ball first, but after that, they can score in droves. 

Knicks: Nate Robinson- David Lee. They'd probably fare pretty well in Real Life NBA Jam's Dunk Contest. If there was one. 

Clippers: No one. They aren't allowed to play. (okay fine, maybe Baron Davis and Zach Randolph)

Raptors: Chris Bosh- Jose Calderon. Marion is a shell of his former self, so don't even get me started. Bosh and Calderon make a very good one-two punch. It'd be so over if Calderon could take Bosh's free-throws. 

Kings: I shouldn't even bother. Kevin Martin. That's it. 

Wizards: Gilbert Arenas, and Caron Butler. I doubt either of them would ever be on the court together, healthy I mean. If they do, they'd probably reach the Real Life NBA Jam playoffs and lose to the Cavs. 

No more Starbury

One of the great anti-climactic parts of the season has been the end of the Stephon Marbury saga. After seeing his first 20 odd days with the Celtics we have to wonder, did we honestly spend that much time for the first four months of the season discussing the future of a backup guard who now averages 2.9 points a game on 30% shooting? Did the Knicks actually pay him $19 million this year? Did this guy once call himself the best point guard in the league?

The answers to all of these questions is a resounding yes. Now the new question is does Marbury even warrant a place in the NBA? All that we have seen till now points to a resounding no. Its not just the shooting either. He has a turnover rate of 19.0, and his rebound rate is 3.5. Those numbers are mediocre, and the TO rate is unacceptable for a point guard who was brought in because Eddie House couldn't handle a full court press.

You could attribute some of this to rust, but Marbury has been declining for the past few seasons. And given the chemistry issues he presents, there are a lot of teams that wouldn't sign him even if he were playing at a near all-star level. Having lived in New York when Marbury was the best high school player in the city, I hate to say it, but Starbury has a lot to show in the rest of the season if he wants to stay in the league. I wonder if any Italian teams are looking for a PG.

I See You, Sacramento

Here's an interesting stat I stumbled upon via Basketball-Reference.com. The Sacramento Kings this season are allowing their opponents to shoot a whopping .403 3-point field goal percentage in games completed thus far. Here were the league leaders (or should I say losers?) in opponent 3-point field goal percentage for the last 20 years:

2007-2008: Indiana Pacers, .386
2006-2007: Memphis Grizzlies, .389
2005-2006: Portland Trail Blazers, .381
2004-2005: Atlanta Hawks, .379
2003-2004: Orlando Magic, .377
2002-2003: Los Angeles Lakers, .380
2001-2002: Cleveland Cavaliers, .394
2000-2001: Washington Wizards, .396
1999-2000: Milwaukee Bucks, .391
1998-1999: Toronto Raptors, .372
1997-1998: Vancouver Grizzlies, .385
1996-1997: Denver Nuggets, .393
1995-1996: Milwaukee Bucks, .397
1994-1995: Milwaukee Bucks, .395
1993-1994: Dallas Mavericks, .362
1992-1993: San Antonio Spurs, .361
1991-1992: Milwaukee Bucks, .367
1990-1991: Denver Nuggets, .386
1989-1990: Philadelphia 76ers, .370
1988-1989: Milwaukee Bucks, .368
1987-1988: New Jersey Nets, .361

Alright, you get it. A few things to notice... First, the recurrence of the words "Milwaukee Bucks." Second, it looks like the Kings are on pace to allow the highest opponent 3-point field goal percentage for at least the last 20 years. Granted, there are still several games left in the season, during which the 08-09 Kings may drop down to the level of, say, the 1995-1996 Milwaukee Bucks (.397), or the 2000-2001 Washington Wizards (.396), but I was surprised nonetheless to see a team allowing opponents to shoot over 40% from 3.

UPDATE: The NBA 3-point line made its debut during the 1979-1980 season, and the Kings' current pace of allowing opponents to shoot .403 from 3-point land would, indeed, be a record high. Here's to a historic season, Sacramento!

Basketball Teams as Football Clubs Part II: The West

And now Part II, this one looks at the teams in the Western Conference (Chuck wrote half of it). 

For another look at Part I, go here.

Los Angeles Lakers- FC Barcelona

Too easy. The Lakeshow has climbed to the top of the West much like Barca has reached the top of the table in La Liga, by way of their offensive juggernaut. The Lakers are third in the league in scoring (108.2 per game) while Barcelona is tops in the Spanish league. Both squads are buoyed by offensive stars; in Los Angeles it is Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and Lamar Odom and in Barcelona it is Thierry Henry, Leo Messi and Samuel Eto'o. The most interesting similarity is found between Kobe Bryant and Samuel Eto'o, prolific scores who are arguably the best of their generation. Kobe led the NBA in scoring in 2005, and 2006 while Eto'o went on a similar binge while leading La Liga in goals scored. Both were nearly traded/transferred after a few disappointing years, before coming back better than ever (Kobe was 2008 MVP, while Eto'o is on pace to have his best season after nearly getting sold in the summer).

San Antonio Spurs- Juventus

Perennial contenders. In one word, consistent. Both organizations have achieved great success this decade. Both are build on an excellent defense combined with a few transcendent offensive talents. Pavel Nedved and Alessandro Del Piero share the same static/dynamic ying-yang relationship that Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili have. However, as these duos are aging and they have fallen behind the current juggernauts in their leagues (Lakers and Internazionale). More of the offensive burden has fallen on a diminutive playmakers (Tony Parker and Seba Giovinco). With no titles in the lasts two years, both organizations are hoping their old lions have one more run in them. Now if only there were rumors of the Spurs having ties to the Texas mafia (because Juventus was recently embroiled in an Italian mafia match-fixing scheme).

New Orleans Hornets- Arsenal FC

Young, exciting and full of potential. This describes Byron Scott's Hornets and Arsene Wenger's Gunners perfectly. These two squads feature free-flowing offenses that dazzles the eyes and confounds defenses. Arsenal has long been known for its beautiful ball movement and superb finishes. The Hornets run the fast break as well as anyone and often end transitions with a sublime alley-oop dunk from Chris Paul to Tyson Chandler. These high-octane offenses both rely on something they have an abundance in field generals. In the NBA this means great guard play, specifically the point guard position and the Hornets have the very best in Chris Paul. Arsenal in turn, rely heavily on their midfield. Cesc Fabregas an Theo Walcott anchor this position better than anyone in the Premiership. Coincidentally, both clubs have been hampered in their title chase by injuries this year.

Dallas Mavericks- Real Madrid

Serious contenders that have fallen of the pace. As recently as 2006 the Mavericks had gone to the NBA Finals, and in 2007 the had one the best seasons in NBA history going 67-15. Unfortunately, nothing came out of those seasons. They currently sit 8th in the West and are holding on to the final playoff spot. Similarly, Real Madrid won La Liga in 2006, 2007 but have struggled mightily in Europe's biggest tournament. They have made early exits for the past three years. With both these clubs, this has not been for lack of talent. The Mavericks have 2007 MVP Dirk Nowitski, future Hall of Famer Jason Kidd, and All-Star Josh Howard. Real have Ballon D'Or winner Fabio Cannavaro, Iker Cassilas, and living legend Raul. Rather than talent, it seems they suffer from a lack of depth. That and inconsistency. A lot of inconsistency. Real play well domestically, but struggle on the international stage. The Mavs can play as well as any of the top teams, but routinely lose to the NBA's cellar dwellers.

Phoenix Suns- AC Milan

Former powers looking for a way back to the top. Both teams are known for their magical training staff that magically heals older players. AC Milan have used that trick to keep Paolo Maldini, David Beckham, Pippo Inzhagi and Nesta going, where as the Suns have rejuvenated Steve Nash, Shaquille O'neal and Grant Hill. Both have fallen back a little in the past couple of years (Milan missed the Champions League last year, the Suns look like they will miss the playoffs this year). Both have imported a past his prime, former best player in the sport to try and stop the slide. Ronaldinho (Former FIFA POY) being the equivalent of Shaq (Former MVP) for the Rossoneri. The fact that they hold the same hatred for Juventus that the Suns faithful have for the Spurs just makes the it even better.

OKC Thunder-Aston Villa

Both are filled with young talent, and have the traditional big guns worried about the next few seasons. While Villa has had a better season, they still seem unlikely to make the Champions League, just like the Thunder will not be making the playoffs. Like the Thunder they have a great young offensive player (Kevin Durant/Ashley Young), a superior athlete (Russel Westbrook/Gaby Abonglahor), and a heady glue guy (Jeff Green/Gareth Barry) as a foundation on which to build.

Being Shaqtastic

As a Laker fan I don't think I'm allowed to like Shaq. He broke up a sure thing by asking to be traded, he had a not so favorable frestyle rap about Kobe (that, all things aside was pretty damn creative if it was indeed spontaneous). The truth however, is that I love the Big Fella. He gave his prime to the Lakers and gave his all to the city. Four trips to the NBA Finals, three consecutive NBA titles, and one of the greatest little man-big man combos in NBA history. 

He's come a little bit under fire lately for rants against former coach Stan Van Gundy and Chris Bosh, it seems people have grown a bit tired of his antics. Not me, I think Shaq makes the NBA fun, he's like a giant teddy bear. Van Gundy and Bosh just forgot that a teddy bear is still a bear, and you don't poke a bear. Also, they broke the Big Man Pecking Order Code Ordinance 2257

Regardless of how you feel about Shaq, you have to admit, he brought a showmanship and a gregarious attitude, the likes of which we've never seen (and may never see again). His list of nicknames alone is impressive: The Big Aristotle, The Diesel, Shaq-Fu, the Big Baryshnikov, the Man of Steel, the Big Shaqtus, and most recently, Shaqovic. Tell me if I missed any. 

I think this intro speaks volumes of the man. 

Shaq's interactions with the media have been hilarious. I usually turn off the TV after a game is over, but never when Shaq plays. His post-game interviews are never to be missed. Exhibit A. Exhibit B. Exhibit C. Can you dig it?.....Can you dig it?

Basketball Teams as Football Clubs Part I: The East

Here at Hooptrop we are deeply devoted and madly in love with basketball, but occasionally we stray and cheat on basketball with her hot older cousin, football (or soccer as its known here in the states). 

Football's influence on basketball is very apparent, especially among international players who may have grown up playing football before finding hoops. This has been well documented in a very good article by the NY Times. 

In addition to the the usual fandom (Kobe's a huge FC Barcelona fan, and Nash supports the Premiership's Tottenham Hotspurs), football was an integral part of reigning MVP Kobe Bryant's game, and 2004,2005 MVP Steve Nash. 

"I'm comfortable [with basketball] footwork because I played soccer," Bryant said, "from changing up rhythms to foot speed, to being comfortable with having my right foot as my pivot foot and my left foot as my pivot foot."

All this got me to thinking, since the two sports are so interconnected there must be some similarities between NBA Teams and European Football Clubs. What I found was how closely some clubs and teams resembled each other. 

This is Part I, highlighting the teams in the NBA's Eastern Conference. 

Cleveland Cavaliers- Liverpool FC

Vastly improved teams on the cusp. Liverpool has hovered around the top of the Premiership, finishing 2nd, 3rd, 4th but never 1st. With only a few weeks remaining they trail Manchester United by only 5 points. The Cavaliers share in this elusive chase for a championship. In 2007 The Cavs reached the NBA Finals (only to be swept in four games by the San Antonio Spurs). Last year they fell to Boston, losing to the eventual champs in seven games. However, both clubs have reloaded. Liverpool added goalscorer Fernando Torres and he has paid dividends (leading them in scoring for the past two years, including a stellar 2008 campaign). The Cavs also added a scoring punch by pairing Mo Williams with Lebron James. Speaking of King James (widely regarded as the best player in the NBA), Liverpool is led by its own superstar, Steven Gerrard. Recently budded the best player in the world by Zinedine Zidane. I know its a bit of stretch, but both players do it all for their team. They score, assist, tackle, defend, etcetera, etcetera. 

Boston Celtics- Machested United

Storied franchises who have returned to greatness. It was a pretty easy pairing, defending champs who show no signs of slowing down. The Celtics won the 2008 NBA titles behind triple star power, selfless team and a staunch defense. It was a similar formula for the Red Devils en route to their double (Premiership trophy and Champions League trophy). Paul Pierce and Ray Allen led the offensive charge, while Kevin Garnett anchored the defense for the C's. Much in the same way England international Rio Ferdinand guided Manchester's defense. The combination of Wayne Rooney and Christiano was more than enough to lead United's deep offense. 

Orlando Magic- Chelsea FC

Ummmm, they're both blue? This one was a toughie, but I'm convinced they have some very comparable qualities. Both teams are tremendously talented. The Magic have great balance with Dwight Howard inside and Hedo Turkgolu, Rashard Lewis and Jameer Nelson on the perimeter. Chelsea are strong at every position and have considerable depth. Injuries have prevented both squads from reaching their full potential. Jameer Nelson was lost for the season for the Magic. Didier Drogba, Micheal Essein and Deco have missed some times for the Blues. Despite all their injuries they still find themselves in a heated battle at the top of the standings. Chelsea are only points behind Manchester United, while the Magic are currently trying to hold off the Celtics for the 2nd seed in the East. 

Miami Heat- Los Angeles Galaxy

I was racking my brain on this one. Then it hit me. Terrible teams led by a larger than life star. Dwayne Wade and David Beckham. Their respective teammates are average at best, but both hope to reach the summit by sheer force of will. So far, so good for Dwade. We will have to wait for Becks to return from Milan in July to see if he can finally lead the Galaxy to the promised land. Or at least the playoffs. 

On Losing to the Cavs

I'll admit it. I'm not a huge Lebron James fan. I am still a fan, how can you not be? I am in sheer awe after he soars for a thunderous dunk. In one sequence he dribbles from the top the key around two of Boston's best perimeter defenders and dunks on the 2008 Defensive Player of the Year, with what Kevin Harlan would say is "no regard for human life!" On defense, he comes up with the most ridiculous blocks on the fast break. Most of the time he's not even in the camera shot, until he is. Right J-Rich? 

Anyways, I say this because, I was certain the Cavs would lose at home to the Magic on Tuesday. Up four with three minutes to play? Didn't matter to Lebron who calmly led his team back, and then cool as ice drilled a three (when they were only down one) in the last minute. Just as I was certain they would lose to the Clippers (this was foolish of me, I briefly forgot it was the Clippers). Then, last night, they were finally going to lose at home to the Blazers. That's when Hurricane Lebron touched down. 

It is then that I realized you have three options (maybe four) when playing the Cavs. Two of the three has you losing to the Cavs. Get Blown out, lose a close one to Jame's heroics, OR do the blowing out. Amass a large enough lead that there is no way Lebron can come back. 10 points with two minutes to play would probably be sufficient. The Lakers are a prime example of that. They blew em out on MLK (17 points), and they won again in March (10 points). I suppose you could also pray the Lebron misses a game winner. 

Lebron is a force of nature in the closing minutes of a close game. I direct you to the video: 

• 1:48 Game is tied, and Lebron blows past three Blazers and makes the driving layup
• What the video wont show is James blocking Travis Outlaw's jumper that would've tied the game
• 1:53 More Lebron, a really tough hanging back shot puts them up four
• 2:00 Misses the game winner (a shot he makes 8 out 10 times)
• In OT, it was all Lebron, all the time: he scores the first points on his driving layup
• He then takes to the lane, where he drops back to back running hook shots, sealing the game. Although to be fair, the game was sealed when the game got close. 

The CP3 Dribbling Box-Out and Other Signature Moves

I think I've seen posts on this topic elsewhere in the blogosphere, but I think it's worthy of a HoopTrop shout-out nonetheless. Chris Paul (CP3) is arguably the best ball-handler in the league right now, with an amazing ability to keep his dribble, and he has this thing he does which I'm sure a lot of people have noticed, and which I don't think any other player before him did - I call it the "Dribbling Box-Out," for lack of a better term.

The CP3 Dribbling Box-Out
If Chris Paul's on the break and finds himself just in front of his defender, he'll kind of slow down, hunch over a bit and stick out his rear, as if he's boxing the other player out, while maintaining his dribble. If the defender runs through him, CP3 might fall over, drawing the defensive foul, or, if the defender manages to dodge him, he will have disrupted the defender's motion so that he can burst down the floor with his defender veering to the side.

CP3 also does it in the half-court setting, boxing out his defender as he dribbles in the paint or elsewhere, maintaining some space for himself to operate. Sometimes, it looks like he's playing in the post, trying to back up his defender, except that he may be nowhere near the basket, and he might be backing up his defender away from the basket, or in some other odd direction. Here's some video evidence:

1:10 - check out how he gets in front of his defender, then starts bumping into him, as if he's trying to post him up towards the 3pt. line; he creates some space then bursts for a floater.

1:26 - this isn't the best example, but notice how he dribbles in front of his defender on the break to create contact; I've seen better examples where he'll just stop in front of his defender who ends up barreling over him.

2:14 - same drill as 1:10; kind of a subtle example.



5:12 - he gets in front of D. Fisher, backs him up a bit, then lets fly a floater.



0:47 - there's a very brief clip of it here, as he backs up Dirk away from the hoop.



Anyways, I was thinking about this style of play, which strikes me as pretty innovative (I don't know if there's ever been a PG to maintain his dribble and box out players in all kinds of random directions all over the floor - correct me if I'm wrong), and it reminded me how certain professional skateboarders are credited with inventing certain tricks (Eric Koston is often credited with the "K-grind," and Rodney Mullen invented the flatground ollie). But I also started thinking: How many other basketball players have "invented" signature tricks like this? Did Michael Jordan have some kind of innovative signature move?

To this end, I thought I'd open up this question to the blogosphere and try to list as many of these "signature moves" as possible, starting with the CP3 Dribbling Box-Out. Here are the others I thought up (are there any others you can think of?):

1) Tony Parker - teardrop. I don't know if Tony Parker "invented" this, but he does it so often and to such perfection that I think most people consider it a signature Tony Parker shot.

2) Manu Ginobili - Euro 2-step. Similarly, I'm not sure if he "invented" this, but it sure seems like he popularized its use in the NBA. Dwyane Wade now employs the Euro 2-step pretty often on his drives to the hoop, and I've seen Lebron James and even college players use it.

3) Rajon Rondo - that wrap-around fake behind-the-back pass. We've all seen it. He palms the ball and fakes a behind the back pass as he's taking his 2 steps towards the hoop. Again, Rondo probably wasn't the first to do this, but he does it often enough that it's become a signature move.

4) Kevin Garnett - blocking after-the-whistle shots. I think we all got familiar with this last year, and KG may very well be the first player to block all shots after the whistle with such consistent passion. (For those of you that don't know, KG is all about defense, to the point that if an opposing team's player shoots a practice shot after a foul was called or play was stopped for any other reason, KG will jump up near the hoop and block the shot before its gets a chance to go in.)

5) Lebron James - chase-down block. This had been done many times before, but Lebron James has chased down so many players on the break to block their layups/dunks (or 360 dunks if you're Jason Richardson hahaha) that this has become a kind of signature move.

6) Anderson Varejao - flop. Just kidding, Andy. You're the man.

The NBA, where blogging happens.

I read about basketball a lot, I mean A LOT. I never miss a post on the top basketball blogs, I check my favorite team's official site daily for the latest interviews/reports, I have the ESPN and SI NBA tabs bookmarked.

Still, out of all these I think the material I enjoy the most is the stuff done by the players themselves, without the filter of the media. The Internet, and in particular web 2.0 type stuff (see twitter, youtube, and blogs) allows players to reach fans directly and in a whole new way. Rather than formal sit down interviews, we get to see Chris Bosh's humorous side or what Shaq is thinking/doing.

Various players have "blogs" but only a handful post regularly. The player blog graveyard is vast and includes the likes of Carmelo Anthony, Ben Gordon, Marcus Camby, Luol Deng and countless others.

The most famous of player bloggers is Agent Zero, Gilbert Arenas. His comical antics and quirky style remind us that multi-millionaire basketball stars are people too. He writes honestly and earnestly. I remember reading a post that sparked controversy because he had mentioned that his vote didn't count, or that wealthy athletes should vote for McCain because republicans have better tax policies. He also blogs about personal things in life, like his relationships with friends and family. It's easy to see why his blog gets so much attention.

Chris Bosh has also hit the web, and is probably one the most tech saavy players out there. He has a blog, a youtube channel, and a twitter.

This brings us to twitter. A relatively new thing, short texts about what someone is doing or thinking. Players are catching on and asking followers for advice on various topics and even to disclose their locations. Shaq was the twitter pioneer and routinely discloses his location and interacts with fans. Charlie Villanueva famously twittered at halftime of a recent victory, causing some controversy. Here's a list of NBA twitterers:

http://www.twitter.com/THE_REAL_SHAQ

http://www.twitter.com/cbosh

http://www.twitter.com/CV31 (Charlie Villanueva)

http://www.twitter.com/tysonchandler

Luke Walton is also a regular blog poster with some nice info. When talking about his playing style he wrote something that spoke volumes, he said, "A pass is as good as two points. That’s what I was taught and that’s what I believe."

Tyson Chandler is also a blogger, check out his latest post. It's a good one. Check out Dwight Howard's blog too. Oh what the hell, here have some more: Pacers Travis Diener and Troy Murphy.

There you have it, all the player blogs, and twitter pages you could have ever asked for.

Steve Nash gets himself some MLS

We all know about his soccer skills, as evidenced by the the video below. And now Nash is part of the ownership group that will bring his beloved Vancouver Whitecaps to the MLS. Also part of the ownership group is Steve Luczo, one of the part-owners of the Boston Celtics.

Mike Miller's Transformation

After a highly touted 07-08 campaign, in which he averaged 16.4 pts, 3.4 assists, and 6.6 rebounds per game on .502 fg% and .432 3p%, Mike Miller has been having something of a disappointing season, seeing his scoring drop to just 9.9 pts per game, rounding out at 4.2 apg and 6.2 apg on .487 fg% and .369 3p%. Sure, the assists seem to have increased a tad bit, but the overall dropoff still earned him free agency status in many fantasy leagues this year, despite high expectations.

This brings me to a string of games in February and March:

2/17@Was L 111-103 fg: 6-12, 3p: 2-7, 18 pts, 6 ast, 8 reb
2/18@Mia W 111-104 fg: 2-4, 3p: 1-1, 7 pts, 9 ast, 9 reb
2/20 Ind L 112-105 fg: 7-12, 3p: 2-3, 18 pts, 5 ast, 8 reb
2/22 Lal L 111-108 fg: 6-10, 3p: 2-5, 14 pts, 5 ast, 4 reb
2/24@Tor L 118-110 fg: 4-10, 3p: 0-0, 9 pts, 9 ast, 12 reb
2/25 Uth L 120-103 fg: 9-11, 3p: 1-3, 21 pts, 6 ast, 8 reb
2/27 Por L 102-82 fg: 6-7, 3p: 0-0, 16 pts, 4 ast, 5 reb
3/1 Hou L 105-94 fg: 3-5, 3p: 1-1, 7 pts, 5 ast, 6 reb
3/3 Gsw L 118-94 fg: 3-8, 3p: 2-3, 11 pts, 4 ast, 13 reb
3/6 @Lal L 110-90 fg: 0-4, 3p: 0-2, 0 pts, 9 ast, 5 reb
3/7 @Por L 95-93 fg: 3-5, 3p: 1-3, 7 pts, 5 ast, 7 reb
3/9 Was L 110-99 fg: 5-10, 3p: 2-5, 16 pts, 5 ast, 9 reb
3/11 Mem W 104-79 fg: 6-12, 3p: 3-5, 18 pts, 3 ast, 11 reb
3/13 Nyk L 102-94 fg: 3-8, 3p: 1-3, 12 pts, 7 ast, 11 reb
3/14 Cha W 108-100 fg: 3-5, 3p: 1-3, 7 pts, 7 ast, 6 reb

Do these numbers remind you of anyone? Perhaps an aging Maverick, last name Kidd? 0 pts, 9 assists, and 5 rebounds on March 6th (you know what I'm talking about)!!!

All I've got to say to Mike Miller is DO YOU, son. Forget the haters. If you wanna be Jason Kidd, BE JASON KIDD. Big ups to the T'wolves handling business at 20-48 in the Northwest division.

The Great Debate

A disclaimer and a gigantic shout out before I begin. First, this will not be the last thing written on HoopTrop about one of the tightest MVP races in recent history. It will be the first, an appetizer if you will. Second, major props to www.82games.com, the most comprehensive collection of useful and interesting basketball statistics on the web. Very user friendly, even for a noob like me. I pull 80% of my material from there.

Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, Dwyane Wade. As they say, there can be only one. Early on, and even through the first half of the season it was a two-horse race. Kobe in the West and King James out East. Seemingly out of nowhere, Wade has catapulted into the race and is now a serious contender. Spare me the CP3 talks, I think he's a candidate but these three have dominated the headlines.

It got me to thinking about what it takes to be an MVP in the NBA, and what voters value. As I researched it, a few things were evident: the MVP had high doses of leadership in individual statistics, team-wide success, and "clutch" play. Most of the time individuals led (or were in the top five) the league in scoring, assists or rebounds. Furthermore, they had led their teams to respectable finishes in their conferences (usually 50+ wins and a high playoff seed). The degree to which they did these things varied. Most recently the "clutchness" metric has been added to further differentiate candidates. I'll glaze over over the first two, but I was most captivated by the notion of how clutch a player has been. The comparisons were very rudimentary, and meant only to show one of the many ways these three players can be compared. We can literally go on and on comparing by league rank, by position, the possibilities will make your and my head explode.

Individual Statistics

Scoring (avg. pts. per game): 1. Dwayne Wade- 29.9 2. Lebron James- 28.7 3. Kobe Bryant- 27.8

Field Goal Percentage: 1. Wade- 49.3% 2. James- 48.9% 3. Bryant- 47.4%

Three-Point Field Goal %: 1. Bryant- 34.2% 2. James- 33.6% 3. Wade 30.8%

Free-Throw %*: 1. Bryant- 86.8% 2. James- 77.4% 3. Wade- 76.7%

True Shooting %**: 1. James- 58.7% 2. Wade- 57.3% 3. Bryant- 56.6%

Rebounds (avg. rebounds per game): 1. James- 7.5 2. Bryant- 5.4 3. Wade- 5.1

Assists (avg. assists per game): 1. Wade- 7.6 2. James- 7.2 3. Bryant- 5

Team-based Success

Wins: 1. James (54-13) 2. Bryant (53-14) 3. Wade (36-31)

Playoff Position: 1. Bryant (1st-Western Conference) 2. James (1st-Eastern Conference) 3. Wade (5th-Eastern Conference)

Clutch Statistics***. This is where I think it gets interesting. When we have exhausted all team-based and individual measures, fans always turn to "who is more clutch in crunch time?". We can beat this philosophically to death, but I will not. I'm just going to look at cool stats compiled by www.82games.com. These stats are computed based on 48 minutes of clutch times (Yeah, I don't really get it either, just go with it).

Total Points: 1. Bryant- 60 2. James- 51.9 3. Wade- 51.4

Free-throw %: 1. Bryant- 91% 2. James 85% 3. Wade 73%

Field Goal %: 1. James- 50.9% 2. Wade- 49.5% 3. Bryant 49%

Three-Point Field Goal %: 1. Bryant- 44% 2. James- 43.8% 3. Wade- 28.6%

Assists (avg. assists per 48 minutes): 1. James- 12.6 2. Wade- 10.1 3. Bryant- 5.9

Rebounds (avg. rebounds per 48 minutes): 1. James- 13.7 2. Bryant- 9.1 3. Wade- 5.2

Turnovers (avg. turnovers per 48 minutes)****: 1. Bryant- 2.8 2. Wade- 4.3 3. James- 5.5

Still with me? I was going to draw conclusions from my "findings", but realized a. these weren't any real "findings", and b. any conclusions drawn would be made on such shaky ground, that it'd be better off not compromissing what little basketball intelligence I have. I will instead leave that to you (the concluding, not the comprimising intelligence). A few quick notes:

The collection of clutch stats. This was interesting in that it showed a lot of things that had gone unnoticed before. I found it quite interesting that of each players clutch points Kobe and Wade were only assisted on 14% of those, meaning they do a lot on their own. James was not far behind at 25%, but I do think this speaks about their desire to have the ball in their hands at crunch time. Each player has a collection of clutch makes (Lebron's buzzer beater against the Warriors and his winner against Orlando come to mind. Wade's got his steal and buzzer beater in 2OT against Chicago. For some reason, all of Kobe's clutch buckets in closing seconds seem to be bested only seconds later: his three against the Spurs, another agaisnt the Jazz, and most recently against the 76ers.).

Overall, I think Lebron's individual stats are just out of this world, he has both Kobe and Wade beat. Team success is shared by Kobe and Lebron, as they have guided their teams to the top of their respective conferences. I give a slight edge to Kobe for winning the season series against the Cavs (only loss at home) and the Celtics. Clutchness is a very tightly contested affair. I think Wade is making a lot of headway (he has been absolutely carrying his team), Kobe is less flashly, but no less effective. He quietly puts in jumper after jumper, slowly suffocating a team in the closing minutes, but not necessarily dealing a knockout punch. Lebron does a little both, he can erupt in the 4th as easily as he can sink a game-winner.

* I found it interesting that James shoots a better percentage than Wade, Lebron is normally known as a relatively poor free throw shooter.

**True Shooting Percentage calculates what a player’s shooting percentage would be if we accounted for free throws and 3-pointers. True Shooting Percentage = (Total points x 50) divided by [(FGA + (FTA x 0.44)]

***Clutch is defined as: 4th quarter or overtime, less than 5 minutes left, neither team ahead by more than 5 points

****I found it interesting that Bryant, normally regarded as turnover prone, had the best avg.