Posts tagged KevinGarnett at FanHouse - AOL Sports Blog

Good times all around in 2008 for Dwyane Wade!

The NBA announced the All-NBA teams tonight, and really, there wasn't anything shocking within all three squads chosen. Naturally, Kobe Bryant and Chris Paul led all vote getters, with Mamba the only member unanimously chosen (although I'd love to know who was pounding the Haterade by picking Steve Nash and Tracy McGrady over Paul for the first team).

Rounding out the first team were second tier MVP candidates LeBron James and Kevin Garnett, neither of whom was a shock at the forward slots. Dwight Howard was named first team center, in the only reasonably close voting race with Amare Stoudemire. Personally, I give the nod to D-Ho, based on defense and the value of five rebounds a game over five points per.

In another of our continuing series, five things to keep an eye out for tonight in the Cavaliers-Celtics Eastern Conference Semifinals Game 2 this evening.

1. Swamp Thing Returns: I'm going to warn you right now. I'll record this game. And I'll watch it later without commercials so I can escape the seemingly never-ending torture of having the "Go Phone" commercial song in my head ("I love you till the end of time, I swear! I love you till the end of time!"). That will at least make it tolerable. But I can't watch this thing live. It's like watching paint dry. Even if the Big 3 go off and LeBron James has a spectacular night, it'll only be interesting in the fourth. You're looking at two teams that play terrific defense and are not shooting the ball well. Game 1 was like a root canal with Sam Cassell. I've watched D-League games with better precision. So forgive me if I don't subject myself to that again. This is, of course, a sad lie, because I'm a junkie and would watch Kevin Garnett play HORSE with Kige Ramsey. Still, I'm putting the same warning on this one. If you like offense, scoring, things like that? Agent Michael Scarn might be a better bet.

2. Return of the (Cliché Redacted): LeBron had a night much like Frank TV. Bizarre and unfortunate that most people wish they could erase from their minds. 2 for 18 shooting? 10 turnovers? What in God's name happened? Some people say he just had an off night. It happens. Others say that the Celtics defense smothered him. I tend to lean towards the former rather than the latter on instinct, but after rewatching the tape, in between vomiting, I noticed that the Celtics really did put together a great gameplan. Recognizing that LeBron would be the primary ball handler, they simply brought high perimeter commit defense, and sent man-help if he tried to drive to deny him. When they tried to use screens from the Cavs big men, the Celtics simply ignored the screener and rolled under and over to double James, always keeping him in front of them. Zydrunas Ilgauskus had a monster game for the Cavs, but he's better at a spot and catch shooter, instead of off the role or on the pop. This lead to missed shot or turnover after missed shot or turnover. So why didn't they try something different, like using LeBron as the screen, or rolling a guard off the screen? Well that's because ...

There's no question that Game 1 of the Cavaliers-Celtics series was painful to watch. I mean, how many times will you see LeBron James, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen combine for just 16 points in an entire game? The only one that was on last night was Kevin Garnett (28 points), but that was mainly due to Cleveland's bad defense, especially on the last couple of possessions. Take a look at the last two times KG scored -- first to tie the game then to give his team the lead -- and then we'll discuss.

On the first play, that was definitely a nice, clutch 20-footer from Garnett. But why in the world did Joe Smith stay and double Ray Allen off of the pick and roll, when Ray hadn't scored a single point all night? Wouldn't it have made more sense to let Allen go, and get back on KG? Now LeBron started to rotate over, but decided he didn't want to leave Pierce alone at the three-point line, which is understandable. I just don't get the decision to leave the one guy who has been scoring consistently all night, just to double someone who's gone scoreless to that point in the game.

Every now and again there are some stupendous, silly, stupid, or downright outlandish individual lines from around the L. Doing Lines lets you know which one tops the list.

I've long suspected that the Cavaliers were the NBA's dirty little secret, as if the league appreciated casual fans buying into the LeBron James marketing machine but hoped they wouldn't actually bother to watch his team play. It's best to enjoy LBJ's career via YouTube clips and Nike commercials, because actually watching the Cavs play an entire game is often as exciting as watching paint dry and/or soccer.

Last night's Game 1 between the Celtics and Cavs was worse than usual as LBJ finished with just 12 points, scoring all but four at the free throw line while going a dreadful 2-18 from the field. As a team the Cavs shot 30.7% yet still managed to lose by only four as Boston's Big Three turned into a Big One-Third.

Paul Pierce scored just four points on 2-14 shooting, which is somewhat excusable if you subscribe to the notion that he wore himself out containing LeBron on the other end. But Ray Allen's night is just plain odd: he went scoreless in 37 minutes after missing all four of his shots. I know Kevin Garnett (28 points, 13-22 FG) was feeling it, but are you telling me that Doc Rivers can't call a single play in the fourth quarter that gets Allen an open look? It's just boggling.

We've known for a few days now that Kobe Bryant was going to receive the MVP award. What we didn't know, however, was how the voting was going to break down. It's been widely speculated that this was a very close two-man race between Kobe and Chris Paul, but as it turned out, it really was no contest. Take a look at how the voting shook out, and you'll see that Kobe was the clear cut choice.

Kobe's first place vote margin over Chris Paul was a whopping 54 votes. And while Kobe did receive a couple of fourth place votes, no one decided to pull a Tom Ziller and leave Bryant off of their ballot completely. (Oh come on, I kid the vacationing one!)

The argument will rage on (especially in New Orleans) as to whether Paul deserved more consideration in light of his amazing season, and the fact is, we know that the award itself is more than a little flawed. But it's clear that the voters believed that this was Kobe's year, hands down. And besides, the way Paul has been playing, it appears that he'll have many more chances to take home his own piece of MVP hardware.

I think that we, generally speaking for basketball fans, don't believe that the Cavs can beat the Celtics. Which is weird, because Cleveland has LeBron James. And the Celtics just squeaked by the Hawks. Or maybe we don't think that. But Las Vegas -- who is generally fairly close to the public opinion -- sure does, staking the Celtics a whopping 9.5 points tonight (BoDog).

I find this odd. LeBron went off on the Celtics throughout the regular season, averaging 32.3 points, 9.7 assists and 7.0 rebounds. Of course, you could probably argue that LeBron went off against everyone. You could also argue that when LeBron averages 41% from the floor, not only is he trying to hard but he's not being efficient and that could lead to blowouts by Boston. Then you could go on to point out that I'm running the live blog, so a blow out is already a mortal lock (0-3 on close games if you're scoring at home.)

Still, we're talking about the best player in the Eastern Conference and the future of basketball against three old dudes trying to get some rings in the EC Semis. Besides, the worst case is you just swing by and type "BOOBIE" a bunch of times.

In another of our continuing series, five things to keep an eye out for tonight in the Cav-Celtics Eastern Conference Semifinals Game 1 this evening.

1. Three On One: Let's not kid ourselves. You're not tuning in to watch Kendrick Perkins, or Anderson Varejao, or Wally Szczerbiak. You want to see Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Kevin Garnett versus LeBron James. And typically, a three-on-one superstar match would be lopsided. But as evidenced by the Atlanta series, Boston is not firing on all cylinders right now, and Paul Pierce, who is supposed to be the offensive juggernaut for the Celtics, has been "eh." Conversely, LeBron is averaging a lot of points but still hasn't had a game where you pile on the superlatives. The Celtics are superb at home, but the Cavs are playing a bit better than the Hawks. Still, with Rajon Rondo covering West and Gibson, LeBron is going to have to pull one of his Kingly acts to get the win tonight.

2. West. No, the Other West: Delonte West was huge for the Cavs in Round 1. West had 10 points and 5 assists per game against the Wizards. He has to continue that against the Celtics. The frontcourt is where the battle will be fought, but the backcourt is where it will it will be won. If Rondo and Allen limit the Cavaliers perimeter shooters and keep West from producing baskets, the Celtics can make quick work of them, LeBron or no LeBron.

FanHouse's Round Two previews will give you the critical points of every series, so you can talk to your friends like you've been following every team in the Association all season long. Or know what the hell an Ilgauskus is.

Biggest Reason You Should Watch: LeBron James versus Kevin Garnett. No, the two don't guard each other, but the fact is that, for all intents and purposes, LeBron is the Cavs' offense and KG is the Celtics' defense. Oh, and the two teams split their four games this season, with each winning their two at home. We saw how that went for Boston in the first round, and if this thing somehow goes seven, I highly doubt LeBron allows his team to get dropped by 30-something in the deciding game.

Cleveland Can Win If: LeBron can dominate a road game and steal one in Boston. As good as the Celtics were in the regular season, something isn't right with this team yet in the playoffs if they're dropping three games on the road to a 37-regular-season-win Hawks team.

Boston Can Win If: They can hold LeBron to reasonable numbers -- say, less than 30 points per game -- and don't let Cleveland's outside shooters get loose. Delonte West and Daniel Gibson (I'm so over that "Boobie" thing) killed the Wizards in round one, so if the Celtics stay at home on those guys they should be in good shape.

Video Clip to Get You Pumped: All I'm saying is, if LeBron hits from distance like this, Boston has absolutely no chance.

With their absolute obliteration of Atlanta in Game 7 today, the Celtics stayed alive in their run for the finals. But did they do enough to get back in the title conversation? Did the even ever leave the conversation?

They didn't leave Vegas's consideration. Even before Game 7, Bodog had Boston at 2/5 odds of winning the East. !!! The only team which hadn't advanced to the second round ... and they were still overwhelming favorites over the Pistons (5/2), Magic (7/1) and Cavaliers (17/2).

But can we forget Philips Arena so quickly? Boston had three shots to win on the road, and failed each time. Against the Hawks, who played magnificent basketball in spurts but is certainly several tiers worse than Detroit and Orlando. The Celtics couldn't stop Joe Johnson or Milk Williams during stretches ... LeBron James is coming to town Tuesday. Boston's team defense is spectacular 80-90% of the time, and looked as such in Boston's four home wins. In Atlanta? It was middling at best.

No one would disagree that Boston's path suddenly doesn't appear so certain. But a good chunk of the population seems to agree this series was more of a blip than an indictment. We'll see.

Boston found the clamps in its bag of tools, and those clamps have been placed around Atlanta's offense. We're just into the third quarter after Boston destroyed the Hawks in the first two frames, holding Atlanta to 16 points in the first and 10 points in the second quarter. Boston scored 44 of its own in the half, and lead by 18 at the break.

No Hawk's shooting better than 33%, and the team had 10 turnovers in about 42 possessions. (Awful.) Meanwhile, Boston's offense was good enough, minimizing mistakes and getting to the line for 10 first-half FTAs. Kevin Garnett, a whipping boy in Game 6, came out super-strong with 6-of-9 shooting for 12 points.

But this sort of brilliant team defense is what got the Celtics here, and this is what they'll need to take down Cleveland (with the best scorer in the universe, LeBron James) and the winner of Detroit/Orlando (both top-8 offenses).

UPDATE: As I publish this, Boston started the second half on a 12-2 run. They've doubled up Atlanta, 56-28.

UPDATE #2: Atlanta's obviously frustrated, and Milk Williams just mauled Rajon Rondo. 62-32 Boston, with five left in the third. The Hawks' new goal is to hit 50 points for the game. That is not a joke.

UPDATE #3: Boston must really be pissed about the events of the past two weeks. Still hustling, still hot-doggin'. Salim Stoudamire (who was supposed to be a toss-in in the Mike Bibby trade) is the only guy keeping the Hawks from being held under 50. 73-37 Boston, 2-1/2 left in the third.

UPDATE #4: Holy God! KG just leveled Zaza Pachulia on a monstrous screen 80 feet from Boston's basket. A huge grudge hit, with the Celtics up 30. Garnett's dirty ... but awesome. Doc Rivers yanks The Ticket, and someone's leaving this game with a bloody nose. My money's on Kendrick Perkins.

In another of our continuing series, five things to keep an eye out for tonight in the Hawks-Celtics epic game this afternoon.

1. Amazing: How in the world did we get here? This wasn't supposed to happen. I mean, seriously, this wasn't supposed to happen. There's no precedent for this. At least the Warriors last year had favorable matchups and a history of winning. Atlanta was sub .500 and there's not a single man-on-man where you give Atlanta the clear-cut edge, outside of Ray Allen vs. Joe Johnson. The number of ridiculous events in Atlanta, of simply unfathomable playoff moments is staggering. Staggering. You want five things to keep an eye on today? How about four quarters and post-game? This series is

2. Desire: You can talk all you want about free throw discrepancies (which is valid) and a conspiracy to get the Celtics on TV more often (which isn't), but at the end of the day, the Hawks wanted Game 6 more. They fought for every rebound, struggled for every loose ball, played with passion, desire, and focus, and closed out the game with big shots. The Hawks wanted it more. At some point, you have to look at this series and start to wonder if the Celtics spent too much time patting their own backs. And if they come out and play with zero heart, no intensity, and a lack of focus, the Celtics will be the victim of the biggest upset in NBA history. The best thing for the Hawks is that they're playing with house money at this point. They have zero pressure on them. They were supposed to go home a week ago. If they can play with passion and fire, with no pressure, they might be able to create "Where 'An Amazing Upset' Happens." But that idea seems to crumble when you look at the fact that Game 7 is at ...

The Celtics -- 66-16 -- will not win a single road game in their first-round series ... and there's still a chance they miss out on a trip to the second round completely. Similarly, the Atlanta Hawks -- 37-45 in the regular season -- will not lose a single home game in their first-round series ... and there's still a chance they win a trip to the second round. Both of these matters are absurd on their own legs. Combined into one series of events? Holy crap.

The smaller moments in the series shouldn't be surprising -- Joe Johnson drilling a dagger as the shot clock expires late in the fourth, Al Horford being a tough mofo and goading Paul Pierce into stupid technical fouls, Marvin Williams having one good game out of six by attacking the basket at will. The smaller moments already experienced in Games 1-6 would be fine in a 4-2 Boston series win, great building blocks for the future.

But in a series that goes all the way? They take on a lot more importance (says Captain Obvious). Forget about chinks in the Boston Armor -- these are full-blown flesh wounds, and there's a possibility they could be fatal. I mean, look at how Atlanta won Friday: good defense, and they got to the line a ton. The top seven Hawks in the rotation all got at least 6 FTAs; only Kevin Garnett and Leon Powe got at least that many for Boston, and the Hawks ended up with 22 more attempts.

It's pretty indicative of how the Hawks have played in Atlanta: aggressive, fearless, tough. If they can duplicate that just once in Boston, they'll be the victors in the (new) Greatest NBA Upset Ever, and the world will implode. I can't wait.

In another of our continuing series, five things to keep an eye out for tonight in the Celtics-Hawks game tonight.

1. If The Hornets Are Thin, The Hawks Are Transparent: Game 5 Celtics bench points: 35. Game 5 Hawks bench points: 14. Yikes. Zaza Pachulia followed up the tough guy from Game 4 by scoring 2 points in ten minutes with no rebounds. Josh Childress, dunk machine? 5 points in 26 minutes on 2 of 8 shooting, and did I mention he had 4 of his shots blocked? When the team with the amazing starting lineup crushes you with their bench? That's a bad sign, kids. The only way the Hawks can keep up with this team is if they get some level of production off their bench.

2. It's Over When the Big Ticket Says It's Over: Kevin Garnett has pretty much decided he's had enough with the Hawks' fun and games. In the last two games he's scored 40 points, 14 rebounds, 8 assists and 3 blocks. In Game 5 he was a monster, devouring the Hawks with the kind of lethal intensity we anticipated going into the postseason. The problem with Garnett is that there's really no way to match up with him. You can put Al Horford on him, but Horford's a rookie and Garnett's range is too good. You can put the headbutter on him, but it's only going to make him mad. The Hawks need to let Garnett get his and focus on auxiliary support.

Maybe it's unfair to put just Josh Smith on the front of the Celtics - Hawks Game 5 Live Blog. But then again, if the Celtics were about to eliminate the Hawks, we wouldn't be having this little shindig. It is only because the Hawks, and specifically Joe Johnson and Josh Smith, have taken us to the brink of Armageddon that we are talking about this. So in that case it's fitting.

There is a shockingly large amount of public opinion that actually believes the Hawks can pull this off. And that scares me; I want them to win in the New Garden, and I think they can win there, but when too many people start hopping on a bandwagon, I always get a little nervous. Of course, no more nervous than Kevin Garnett could possibly be, considering the number of head explosions that would occur if he didn't make it out of the first round this year. We'll be kicking here starting at 8:00 pm EST for an 8:30 tip. Drop by and leave comments.

In another of our continuing series, five things to keep an eye out for tonight in the Hawks-Celtics game tonight.

1. In Which Joe Johnson Tries To Re-Ignite: Joe Johnson was the story in Game 4, scoring 20 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Hawks to a series tie. For a team that prided itself on being the best defensive team in the league, Atlanta's ISO for Johnson shredded the Celtics time and time again. The key tonight will be to see how the Celtics respond defensively. Gambling with Rajon Rondo on Johnson might not be a bad idea, given Rondo's physical nature and the fact that Mike Bibby has slowly devolved into goo. The size differential is alarming, but Rondo's freakish athleticism could be the neutralizer and besides, it's not like Johnson was going to the post game in Game 4, anyway.

2. And Then Garnett Killed Everyone And The Villagers Rejoiced And Screamed "Go Sawx!": Kevin Garnett has had leadership, manhood, and toughness have been called into question after getting punked by ... wait for it ... Zaza Pachulia. After Garnett used a little bit of his toughness on Pachulia, Pachulia decided to headbutt the Defensive Player of the Year to show he's not afraid of him. Garnett, instead of annihilating Pachulia, for whatever reason, be it smarts or a lack of fortitude, chose to back away, scream, and accidentally shove a referee. Let this be a lesson, kids. Accidentally shoving referees and headbutting superstars is fine, but standing up and walking three feet off the bench is not. Anyway, Garnett is likely to come out roaring, and he needs to, as this team is in desperate need of leadership, and won't be finding it from its coach. I expect Garnett to get ridiculously hot tonight.