Heat erupt back to the Eastern Conference Finals

Merely seven days ago, things looked bleak for the Miami Heat. They were trailing in their best of seven series with the Indiana Pacers 2-1, and were without Chris Bosh for the remainder of the series. The Pacers had all of the momentum. Dwayne Wade was playing poorly, mustering only 5 points in Game 3. Something had to change or this team was going to be headed home early. My, how quickly things changed.

The Heat overcame a 10 point deficit in the 2nd half behind monster performances from Dwayne Wade and Lebron James, who combined for 70 points on the night. The series was tied and back in the hands of the Heat. 

Game 5 was a bloodbath. Headlined by three flagrant fouls, most overlooked the brilliant showing by the Heat in a 32 point victory, taking a commanding hold on the series. Once again, Lebron James and Dwayne Wade stepped up big when their team needed them most combining for 58 points on the night. The Heat were now just one win away from a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals. 

Indeed, Game 6 was going to be tough on the road, especially without Bosh (injured) or Haslem (due to suspension). The Pacers were off to a hot start, leading 10-2 shortly into the game. Indiana's intentions in this game were clear early: pound the ball inside. Eleven out of their first twelve field goals came in the paint giving them a 28-21 lead after the first quarter. The Heat rallied in the second quarter behind 20 points from Dwayne Wade alone and were trailing by only two headed into halftime. 

The second half belonged to the Heat, just as it had all series long. Dwayne Wade continued his outstanding performance answering almost every basket the Pacers were able to score. Wade was in one of the zones last night that are hard to explain. He hit multiple running floaters that made an ocean sunset seem dull. Wade finished the game with 41 points to lead the Heat. James chimed in with a mere 28, just as he always seems to do. 

In my mind, THIS was the Miami Heat that I have wanted to see for almost two years now. Dwayne Wade and Lebron James playing together and simply running this team. There are few teams in the NBA that can beat the Heat when James and Wade are playing in this sort of fashion. In the final three games of this series, they combined for 187 points. 187! What a performance these two put on in a span of six days. Almost reminds me of a few guys named Jordan and Pippen. 

If the Heat want to take home the hardware in June, they need to continue letting James and Wade run the show. They are at their best when James and Wade do most of their scoring, especially with Bosh out indefinitely. I have a feeling Erik Spoelstra will take a look at the last three games of the Pacers series and realize that he just needs to get out of the way and let them play. As long as these two superstars continue their hot streak, the Miami Heat will be a tough out the remainder of the playoffs.

--GM

Western Conference Finals Preview

The San Antonio Spurs are on fire. They have won a franchise record 18 consecutive games heading into the Western Conference Finals. The Spurs are the closest thing to flawless the NBA has seen in quite some time. 


The Oklahoma City Thunder are far from inferior. The Thunder have only lost 1 game in the playoffs thus far and are lead by the most dynamic duo the NBA has to offer in Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. This makes two consecutive Conference Finals for the Thunder who feel they have unfinished business. 


"It's going to be a mental challenge for us," Westbrook said when talking about the Spurs. "They haven't lost in a while and we've got to be prepared to play." 


The Thunder will stroll into San Antonio Sunday evening looking to spoil the year long rodeo that has been the Spurs season. This will be a battle of old and new. Experienced against unfamiliar. Seasoned versus fresh. The Spurs won 2 out of 3 in the regular season against the Thunder including a 114-105 win at Chesapeake Energy Arena in March. 


The matchup that sticks out to me is in the backcourt between Tony Parker and Russell Westbrook. Parker went off for 42 points in a win over the Thunder during the regular season and is averaging 19.1 PPG and 7 assists in the postseason thus far. 


Russell Westbrook is no slouch either. He has scored at least 20 points in all, but two of the Thunder's playoff games including a 37 point performance against the Lakers in Game 4. Westbrook is triple-double threat on any given night.


Tony Parker is one of the best facilitators in the game and is underrated as a defender as well. He lacks size in the matchup with Westbrook, but I don't see that as too much of a problem. Both players like to slash into the lane and look for an opening or kick it out to a shooter for a bucket. 


What makes these players so difficult to guard is the supporting casts around each of them. With Harden and Durant threatening to score at any moment for the Thunder, Westbrook often finds himself a little more open than most would think. Same goes for Tony Parker. With Duncan and Ginobili looming, defenses tend to back up when Parker drives to the rim, almost anticipating a pass rather than a score. 


Each team has been excellent all season long. This will be one of the better series we have seen as fans in a long time. I just think that the Spurs ability to play in multiple paces will be the difference. They can run with teams at any point and just as easily slow it down into a half court battle. The home court advantage for San Antonio will be big as well. They out played the Thunder in April to obtain the top seed, and I think it will be a big factor in the outcome of this series. 


I find it hard to believe that Kevin Durant will come of short of the NBA Finals for a second consecutive season, but I just don't see any way that the Spurs are going home without a ring. They are 10-12 deep on their bench, and have a 36-year old Tim Duncan who is playing with more energy than we have seen in a long time. I originally picked the Thunder to represent the West in the NBA Finals, but like I said, San Antonio is simply stupendous. 


--GM

Can Memphis Remain Patient?

Things never going according to plan. The Grizzlies were supposed to defeat the Clippers in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs, but that didn't happen. The Clippers played spoiler in the largest of ways defeating Memphis on their home floor in a decisive Game 7 Sunday afternoon.

The entire series was unusual. We saw the Grizzlies blow a 27 point lead in the 4th quarter of game one, a nine point lead in the 4th in game three, and then win games five and six after trailing 3-1 facing elimination. No one gave the Clippers a chance in Game 7, especially not in Memphis. But the Clippers proved to be resilient enough to prevent the Grizzlies from becoming just the ninth team in NBA history to come back from a 3-1 deficit in a best of seven series. I still can't believe it.

I'm not going to sit here and pry through each game and tell you where things went wrong. I'm just not up for that at this point. But, I will tell you this. It is hard to win a series without any contribution from the two guard. OJ Mayo played the worst five game stretch arguably of his career in the final five games of the series and Tony Allen just can't score. I can sit here and tell you all that it's Lionel Hollins' fault that the Grizzlies lost or that Rudy Gay and Zach Randolph just can't play together. Give me a break. They haven't been healthy together on the court for an extended period of time in two years. How do you expect them to gel? And as for Lionel Hollins, he has saved this franchise. Three years ago people would've killed to have the success this team has had.

Its time to move forward. In a month, we will look back at the past season and see it for what it was: the best in franchise history. But you can not settle now. This can't be enough. Its now time to go out and find some pieces that can't make this team worthy of a championship. Its not the starters fault that the season is over. There just wasn't enough production from the bench to make a title run.

Start in the draft. The Grizzlies will pick in the 25th position overall. Yep, its not that great, but you can still find value at that position. The Grizzlies clearly need players who can handle the ball and/or shoot. They need a backup point guard for Mike Conley, not a two guard who will play the point, but an ACTUAL point guard. I think they need to grab a guard in free agency, so in the draft, I'd look for a sharp shooter. Multiple players stick out to me that would fit what the Grizzlies are looking for. John Jenkins, Dion Waters, and Doron Lamb will all likely be available for Memphis to choose. Any one of these guys could solve the Grizzlies' shooting woes.

You might ask, why not draft a point guard? My response to that would be that the Grizzlies just don't have time to sit and wait two or three years for a 19-20 year old to develop his game. They have the small window of opportunity with this group of players and need to win now. And clearly the city of Memphis has no patience for young players to develop. Josh Selby and Greivis Vasquez, the last two point guards and overall draft picks by the Grizzlies, have been heavily criticized for their play as ROOKIES. Memphis isn't going to sit around and wait for Marquis Teague or another young gun to develop. After all, how many players that the Grizzlies have drafted in the last 10 years are still on the team? Two. Mike Conley and Josh Selby. That's pretty unbelievable. Go out and pick up a veteran, an Andre Miller or Delonte West. Just make it someone that can handle the ball please.

The Memphis Grizzlies went 41-25 this year, the best winning percentage in franchise history. They also finished 4th in the Western Conference, their best finish in franchise history. This team has a solid core of players with Mike Conley, Rudy Gay, Marc Gasol, and Zach Randolph. So smile Memphis, good times are on the horizon. We just have to be patient.


--GM

Grizzlies Win, Force Game 7

When your back is against the wall, you must perform, and perform the Grizzlies did. The Grizzlies defeated the Clippers Friday night in an elimination game six to find themselves in a 3-3 series tie headed back to the FedEx Forum Sunday afternoon. After a loss in game 4, things looked bleak. We had yet to see a start to finish performance from the Grizzlies, but most still believed the series was not over. The Grizzlies kept battling and kept grinding and it has paid off in a big way. There is now an opportunity to play on your home floor on Sunday and advance to the Western Conference semifinals against the San Antonio Spurs.


Tonight's win was far from perfect. The Grizzlies turned the ball over TWENTY times in the game overall and struggled through a second quarter that was plagued by nine hiccups. Yet, the Grizzlies still found themselves with a lead at halftime. Things were nodded up at 66 a piece headed to the fourth quarter, a period that the Grizzlies have struggled in all series long. Indeed, things looked rough when the Clippers exploded to an eight point lead early in the fourth, but there was no stopping the grit or the grind tonight. Memphis used a 10-0 run to blaze back into the lead and never looked back.

Lionel Hollins left Tony Allen in the ball game for the majority of the fourth quarter and it paid off. Allen played inspired basketball on both ends of the court. However, in the end, you can not say enough about the "brothers from another mother," Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol. The pair combined for 41 points and 25 rebounds. That is massive. The Grizzlies crushed the Clippers on the glass 48-32 behind the brilliant performance from Z-Bo. And let's not forget about Mike Conley. He clearly outplayed Chris Paul all night long. Conley finished with 13 points and 9 dimes including 3 three pointers. We all knew Conley was going to play major minutes this evening and he stepped up in the largest of moments. Way to go Mike Conley.


So, this all sets up the first Game 7 in franchise history on Sunday afternoon in Memphis. You can guarantee mayhem in the FedEx Forum all game long. The Grizzlies are now just one win away from becoming the ninth team in NBA history to come back from a 3-1 series deficit. I truly believe that the Grizzlies have figured this thing out. Get the ball inside to your bruisers, and good things will come. Continue to pound the ball inside on Sunday, and we just may have more basketball to play. See you Sunday for a game that will be the biggest in Grizzlies franchise history. I can't wait to watch it all unfold. Go Grizz.



--GM

Mickelson Inducted to Hall of Fame

Phil Mickelson was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame on Monday, receiving one of the highest honors a golfer can obtain. But as usual, Mickelson wasn't thinking of himself. He began by thanking the people who had helped him along the way in life from friends and family, to his coaches. Yet, he wanted to make sure he thanked the most important people of all: the fans. 

"The fans have made this such a fun ride," Mickelson said during the induction ceremony. "There have been a lot of highs and a lot of lows that we've shared together. There have been a lot of times where I've struggled, and it's been their energy that's helped pull me through."

That's just how Mickelson does things. He knows how much of an advantage it is to tee it up and have the gallery on his side each and every round. You can't take that kind of thing for granted.


Mickelson has earned over $55 million dollars on the PGA Tour in his career. He was won 40 PGA Tour events to go along with four major championships: 3 Masters, and a PGA Championship. Phil never made it to #1 in the world, but has been ranked #2 multiple times throughout his career. His best year was likely 2005 in which he won four times on tour and a PGA Championship to close out the season.

Mickelson will always be compared to Tiger Woods because of the time period that he played in. Woods is the best, and Mickelson along with everyone else would agree that Tiger has had the better career. However, "Lefty" is going to be one of the few players to be able to say that he got the best of Tiger Woods head-to-head in the prime of his career. Dating back to 2007, Mickelson has beaten Tiger five straight times in head to head competition and has gone on to win the tournament three of those times. Most recently, Phil beat Tiger by 11 shots in the final round at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am going on to win the tournament. Don't forget, Tiger got a front row viewing to the beat down he was handed by Lefty. That must have stung.

Charity has also been a major emphasis of Mickelson's career. He has started three different charities including Birdies for Brave, Home For Our Troops, and The Phil and Amy Mickelson Foundation. He also spends time working with "Start Smart" and the Mickelson ExxonMobil Teacher's Academy.

Mickelson has had a brilliant career. Most players would kill to have achieved the things that he has, but that's just not plausible. Mickelson has as much raw talent as any player that has ever played on tour and is truly one of the best ambassadors golf has ever seen. He is a great golfer, a family man, and a role model to every younger player out there. There aren't many arguments against Phil Mickelson.

I believe that Mickelson will not always be remembered for the things that he has done on the golf course, but more importantly, his actions off of it. I look forward to 30 years from now, when Mickelson will strike the honorary opening tee shot in the Masters. I'm sure Augusta National wouldn't have it any other way.


--GM

Grizzlies Lose Game 3, Trail 2-1.

The Memphis Grizzlies lost another tough one Saturday afternoon to the Los Angeles Clippers leaving them in a 2-1 series deficit. What makes the loss even more bothersome is that the Grizzlies had a seven-point lead going into the fourth quarter. We have seen the Grizzlies struggle in the fourth quarter already this series. Their offense seems to go stagnant late in games, failing to convert possession after possession. Indeed, at times, they are able to get away with their lack of offense, but not today. The defense was not the suffocating manor that Grizzlies fans have grown to cherish. At one point, I noticed four defenders stationary watching Chris Paul knife right down the center of the lane for a score. That won't get it done in the playoffs, plain and simple. All of this occurred with the team’s best defender on the bench in Tony Allen. There were two straight possessions that O.J. Mayo gave up straightforward baskets to Chris Paul, yet Lionel Hollins refused to sub in Allen.

Allen changed the entire culture of this Grizzlies franchise, and yet for some strange reason played all of a minute in the fourth quarter. I will never understand Lionel Hollins substitution patterns. He left Mareese Speights in the ball game way too long today, as Marc Gasol sat on the bench and watched Speights give up two consecutive offensive rebounds leading to Clipper points. Yet, in spite of all of this, the Grizzlies had the ball with 8.3 seconds left and a chance to win the ball game. However, Rudy Gay’s final jumper went begging and the Grizzlies fell 87-86.

This series is not finished yet. What concerns me is that people continue to talk about the fact that the Grizzlies are the superior team. Yes, that may be true, but the better team doesn’t always win. A series is not decided by opinion. The Grizzlies still have to play, and play they must. Monday night in Los Angeles is the closest thing to a must win ballgame and may be the biggest game in franchise history. Indeed, game 7 against the Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals was huge last year, but no one expected Memphis to win that game or series for that matter. The series with the Clippers is one that the Grizzlies should win. They are the favorite. It’s time to put up or shut up. Win on Monday or you will be headed home down 3-1, facing a difficult path to a series victory. However, a victory will change everything including the outlook on the series. Homecourt advantage will return to its rightful owner if the Grizzlies can pull out a win on Monday. Its time for the Grizz to show that grit and tenacity that got them to the playoffs. They can't afford not to. 

--GM 

The Big 3 Have Life

Just when we thought that it was over, the Celtics have done it again. After beginning the season 14-10, trade rumors flooded the city of Boston as most believed that the "Big 3" were done as a group. After all, Paul Pierce is 34, Kevin Garnett will soon turn 36, and Ray Allen is almost 37. "Trade them while you can still get value," some said. But Danny Ainge knows that the Boston Celtics organization is built upon loyalty. Paul Pierce, the most valuable at the this point of the big 3, has been with the team for nearly 15 years. He just recently became the 2nd leading scorer in franchise history, trailing only Larry Bird. Trading Pierce wasn't an option. Ray Allen was almost traded to the Memphis Grizzlies for O.J. Mayo and a pick, but the trade fell through at the last moment.

Yet, here we are, just a couple of days into the 2012 NBA playoffs, and the Celtics are back for one final run. The Celtics were embarrassed in game 1 against the Hawks, trailing by as many as 19 points in the first half. Not to mention Rajon Rondo was ejected from the game in the 4th quarter for arguing a foul call and then bumped into the official, meriting not only the automatic ejection, but a suspension for game 2. Nobody gave the Celtics a chance in game 2. No Rondo, no Ray Allen due to injury, and Pierce & Garnett played one of the worst playoff games in game 1, that we have seen since the group joined forces back in 2008. But that is why they play the game ladies and gentlemen.

This leads me back to my original point: the Celtics have done it again. Facing a large level of adversity, Paul Pierce put together a brilliant performance that included 36 points and 14 rebounds leading the Celtics 2nd half comeback and a game 2 victory. Kevin Garnett added 15 points, and 13 boards. Things are looking up for the Celtics. The series is now tied at 1 game a piece heading back to Boston. Rajon Rondo will be back for game 3 from suspension and it has been reported that Ray Allen is likely to play as well. Don't forget what is happening in the Chicago-Philadelphia series. With no Derrick Rose, the 76ers have life. If the Celtics were to get through the first round, they would face either a Chicago team without Derrick Rose, or the 8th seeded Philadelphia 76ers. No longer would the Celtics have to face the Bulls at full strength.

This is the last run for the Celtics with this unit. That is pretty clear. With the way things are shaping up, a run back to the Eastern Conference Finals is very achievable. All they need is a few things to go their way. Oh and don't forget, if the Celtics were to matchup against the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals, they would be pretty confident. Boston beat Miami both times the two teams met in the regular season. Watch out for the Boston Celtics folks. The Big 3 may not be done, just yet.


--GM