Hockey fans and media members are awash in consternation after a recent game between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Philadelphia Flyers. Wednesday night, the Flyers responded to the Lightning’s 1-3-1 zone by holding the puck in a formation reminiscent of North Carolina’s “Four Corners” offense. Twice, referees blew the whistle and called for a face-off due to the inaction.
Hooray for Dallas (and Basketball in General)!
Any basketball coach would appreciate the recent victory by the Dallas Mavericks in the Association Finals — unless they were a member of the Miami Heat coaching staff. A coach would not mind if the Super-Friends trio of Chris Bosh, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade won a title after overcoming some adversity that required them to improve themselves but nobody wants to see three players claim a crown without earning it, due to self-entitlement that has developed over years of acting like a person of significance without actually achieving any significant deeds. So it was a pleasant sight to watch …
Shaq: The Big Retrospective
Sport fans and the public at large will remember Shaquille O’Neal because of how he combined athleticism, skill, and charisma on and off the court. From his first season in 1992 until his seventeenth in 2009, the Big Cactus remained an impact player in the Association. Sustaining his place atop the pyramid of post players required the Big Aristotle to develop his game constantly, growing from a powerful force inside to a well-rounded basketball player. Shaq-Fu may have been initially known for breaking backboards (compelling the Association to reinforce the basket supports) as a rookie and losing a memorable battle …
Tryouts
Tryouts often seem more stressful than they need to be. Working hard and pushing one’s self is a key criteria for success, as is arriving on time (look the gym up on a map ahead of time), working hard and staying hydrated (bring a water bottle). Although a drill may have a particular focus, such as ballhandling or shooting, there are numerous other elements involved in the performance of those skills. Perhaps the drill starts or stops with a well-placed pass or requires a player to visually scan the court as they move. Athletes who take care to execute all …
Parallels
Rick Carlisle, who preceded Phil Jackson at the post game press conference Sunday, was drafted by Red Auerbach and contributed to one of the two Association dynasties of the 1980s. Jackson was drafted by Red Holzman and served as a bench player for one of two dynasties of the 1970s. Neither possessed exceptional skill although they were able to fill a role and enhance team chemistry for the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks respectively. Both espouse a similar coaching style: fluid motion offence and tough man-to-man defence, as adept at cajoling superstars as building teams. Both coaches have adapted …
Watching the League
The League is for entertainment only. Tempting as it may be, it is not sensible to take the games seriously. Professional athletes rarely provide a second thought to their partisan supporters. Even if they did care (and provided total effort, played through injuries, set a good example, used their heads, etc.), the game is almost fixed. Officiating is inconsistent and influences the outcomes of games far too frequently. Nevertheless, professional basketball offers many benefits, ranging from bursts of exceptional athleticism to occasional examples of incredible teamwork. Players and coaches can study the League and learn a great deal, providing they watch the …
Dire Straits
On Wednesday, the Toronto Raptors began their sixteenth season by losing to the New York Knicks at home. New York amassed a significant lead and Toronto’s second unit chipped away until the team was able to claim a single point lead in the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, Amare Stoudamire was able to gain excellent position in the paint and score repeatedly turning the tide in favour of the Knicks. Many fans have taken the opportunity to cast aspersion upon the squad though they can react with indignation all they want and the Raptors will carry on without them. It’s certainly more …
Movement
When a squad is outmatched, they need to play the game better than the opponent. The simplest way to do so is to create continuous movement: not only the ball but the people on the court as well. When C.S.K.A. Moscow led the Toronto Raptors at halftime during a 2008 exhibition game, it was not entirely due to the Raptors’ poor skill level; the Euroleague Champions Cup holders never stopped moving. The patterns were simple but ceaseless (flex, pass/screen away, and other basic sets). C.S.K.A. ran their offence throughout the shot clock until Toronto committed an error. On the pick-up …
The Decision
Miami compiled their trifecta of superstars and boasts high hopes for the next six years. Certainly, the concept of three top players has worked in the past, on both a short (Boston 2008: Allen, Pierce, Garnett and Philadelphia 1983: Malone, Erving, Toney) and long-term (Boston 1980s: Bird, McHale, Parrish and San Antonio 2000s: Duncan, Ginboli, Parker) basis. The concept of elite trios has also fallen short just as frequently (Los Angeles 1970s: West, Chamberlain, Baylor and 2004 Minnesota: Garnett, Spreewell, Cassells). While the transactions of July 8th will give the Heat a very strong chance, it is no guarantee. There …
Ed Davis and the Off-Season
It is difficult to feel excitement for an Association draft pick outside the top ten. The Toronto Raptors were merely presently surprised that Ed Davis dropped to the thirteenth spot in the lottery. Davis could fit in nicely, replacing U.F.A. Amir Johnson in a bench role and contributing rebounding and defence to a team that sorely needed it down the stretch. However, if the team does not retain Chris Bosh and Davis must start, it will be a disastrous downgrade. Davis has some post moves but he lacks the variety of manoeuvres and the outside shooting to be effective at …
Post-Game 7 (2010) Thoughts
The Lakers may have played a poor game, Kobe Bryant may have forced too many bad shots, and Pau Gasol taken too many fadeaways. For forty minutes, Ron Artest may have kept Los Angeles in the game with key plays (despite how unlikely that may have seemed based on his play throughout the season). But when it counted, the Lakers got to the line, found the open shooter, and made clutch baskets. Whatever happened earlier in the game – and it was terribly ugly – is irrelevant now. Like the Portland Trail Blazers in 2000, the Boston Celtics blew a …
Pre-Game 7 (2010) Thoughts
Association Finals have proved anticlimactic in recent memory; even the Spurs-Pistons and Rockets-Knicks series that went the distance were tedious and tiresome. Yet I have higher hopes for tonight’s game between the Lakers and Celtics. None of the games in the series so far have been truly exciting. There have been excellent individual performances but no true back-and-forth battles between equal squads, like the 1984 or 1969 Finals. The series has been a disappointment but the increase in intensity shown in Game 6 offers a chance for redemption tonight. Both teams are banged up but others stepped forward, especially the …
Stream of Consciousness, Part VI
According to ESPN.com, Doc Rivers’ run onto the court to call timeout before an eight-second violation was a critical moment of Game 2 (Forsberg, 2010). Certainly, it was an alert manoeuvre that saved a possession but why didn’t any of the players call timeout first? All five Celtics on the court abdicated leadership by doing nothing, like the Orlando Magic did in their series in the Conference Finals (J.J. Redick dribbled the ball up the court instead of calling timeout; Vince Carter had the attention of the referee but used the opportunity to raise his arms and complain about a …
Phoenix Actually Has a Good Chance
Pundits have made the Lakers favourites ahead of the Suns in the 2010 Western Conference Finals but I do not think that Phoenix’s predicament is as dire as it first seems. One of the main arguments in favour of Los Angeles is the matchups in the paint. In previous years, the Suns had lost because other teams outmanned them in the paint but I don’t think the matchups are that unfavourable. Phoenix boasts a playoff defensive rebounding percentage of .757, compared to .717 for the Lakers. While San Antonio and Portland do not have an elite post rotation like Bynum, …
Blue Devils and Raptors
I like ball movement. I like player movement. I even like it more when the two coincide. I like the Duke Blue Devils. I like the Toronto Raptors. So the twenty-four hour period that began at 21h00 on Saturday night contained both highs and lows. There was one primary reason that Duke beat West Virginia in the National Semi-Finals: motion. Golden State beat Toronto Sunday afternoon for the same reason: motion. I like motion.
Los Angeles 109, Toronto 107
Coming down the stretch of the Lakers’ 109-107 victory over the Raptors Tuesday night, it was easily apparent which team was more accustomed to the pressure of a close game. Los Angeles was able to take high percentage shots more consistently and get to the line more frequently than their opponent. Toronto was unable to take advantage of the bonus free throws to which they were entitled and made several questionable turnovers. Furthermore, when Lakers defenders squeezed Raptors guards, teammates seemed frozen on the spot and timeouts were required to save the possession. Jarrett Jack had to bail himself out …