Easy Like Sunday Morning

November 13, 2009 at 8:31 pm · by bteitelbaum · Filed under Game Analysis, Lakers

That’s the way it seemed for the Lakers when they beat up on the Suns last night. The final score of 121-102 does not even come close to describing the extent of Los Angeles’ domination. This was more lopsided than the hunchback of Notre Dame, and no, I’m not referring to Charlie Weis.

What a disappointing outcome for Phoenix, a team that had started the season 8-1 and was trying to establish themselves as legitimate contenders to the Lakers’ crown. Feeling rejuvenated, the new old Suns believed that they could compete with anyone.

News flash: They can’t.

They will have serious trouble against any decent team with a large, scoring center. I don’t mean just any good big man, but rather a strong 7-footer with skills to boot.

I’m not making this judgment based solely on the Laker game; that would be rash and unfair. However, if you look at this season’s young history, you will see a disconcerting trend emerging. The Suns, who went to Boston and took down the previously unbeaten Celtics, get thrown off their game when dealing with a behemoth.

Let’s start with the game last night. Los Angeles outscored Phoenix 78-48 in the paint. Andrew Bynum went off, totaling 26 points and 15 rebounds, while the entire team shot 58% from the field and 50% from downtown. This wasn’t a fluke lucky shooting game either, as the Lakers repeatedly found very good looks at the basket. They played inside-out, moved the ball, and allowed Bynum to manhandle Channing Frye, Amare Stoudemire, or whoever else tried to stand in his way. The Suns don’t have a post defender capable of making life tough for big guys, not to mention stopping them. Furthermore, if you have to double hard every possession, you will give up open shots and get tired constantly trying to rotate.

The defensive issues, though, may not even be what hurts Phoenix the most. Against the Lakers, the Suns were often taken completely out of their offensive rhythm. I attribute this to two things. Firstly, it is much harder to push the tempo after permitting a made basket. I know that the Suns still try to run, and they do so more effectively than other teams in the league, but they’re less potent after a miss. Secondly, Phoenix was found scrambling on defense a lot more than usual, which again makes it more difficult to score in transition. When you need to worry extra about rotating and boxing out, you aren’t as ready to run. All this was evident as the Suns struggled to reach the century mark on the scoreboard.

Phoenix seemed oddly uncomfortable and forced the action more than usual. They took uncharacteristic shots and looked frustrated.

Prior to the Laker game, the Suns had faced two other teams with dominant big men, the Magic and the Clippers (this isn’t your mother’s Chris Kaman). Orlando also blew out Phoenix, winning 122-100 behind Dwight Howard’s 25 points in 23 minutes. They barely beat the lowly Clippers by 2, as Kaman dropped 22 and 9.

What about the Celtics? you ask. Kevin Garnett is a great offensive big man. I’ll reiterate what I mentioned earlier, though. The Celtics do not have a scoring center. Garnett is long and has a bevy of moves, but he won’t go through or over people. Despite Channing and Amare’s defensive limitations, they won’t get physically eaten up by KG. That slight distinction is enough to cause a world of difference.

I also know that this criticism was made several years ago, when Mike D’Antoni held the reigns to Phoenix’s wild horses, but this time around they were hoping it would be different. Alvin Gentry is supposedly trying to instill the ability to play defense in specific bunches, and to do so in a way that hides their lack of size. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be working yet.

Here’s the good news: Not the many teams own the type of player that destroys the Suns, so they should have a very successful regular season.

The bad news: They still won’t be able to get out of the West.

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Oden Part 1 (Plus/Minus)

November 1, 2009 at 11:30 am · by bteitelbaum · Filed under Game Analysis, NBA

Going into this NBA season, there were several things I was determined to learn more about, among them advanced stats and Greg Oden’s evolution as a player. Lately I’ve been reading a lot about such complex metrics as PER, adjusted plus/minus, and win shares. Each of these system’s proponents believes it is the best way to quantify player value. There’s definitely some worthwhile work being done, although I’m not yet sold on any of these barometers as truly accurate ways to measure effectiveness. Just like the computer polls in the BCS, there’s a human aspect missing. There are certain solid plays, such as setting strong screens, that go unrecorded in even the most expanded box scores. So it got me thinking, what would I discover if I closely watched game tape and documented every single play made by a specific player? Could I find out why Kevin Durant’s plus/minus is so bad and whether it is indicative of his performance?

Fortunately, there were a couple of good games on TV Thursday (the day I had this idea), one of them being Denver vs. Portland. What a lucky strike! I could analyze Greg Oden’s impact, both from a micro and macro perspective, allowing me to explore a new statistical method while scrutinizing a player I badly wanted to evaluate. So I set my Tivo, regrettably one minute and thirty seconds after the start of the game, and then sat down Friday afternoon to get to work. Oden’s final stat line in his team’s close loss: 2-5 from the field, 2-4 from the line, 6 points, 5 offensive rebounds, 4 defensive boards, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 1 turnover, 5 fouls. His standard plus/minus was +6. In fact, I was hoping that my stat would correlate well with and perhaps validate the plus/minus. Here’s how it played out.

• The system’s foundation: Let’s call it complete plus/minus, its goal being to determine precisely how much a player hurts or helps his team. Every move Oden made was assigned positive, negative, or neutral status. Positive plays included everything from the obvious, baskets scored, to the obscure, good box-outs. The negative ran the gamut from turnovers to not hustling back on D. The neutral occurred when he was not involved in a play or did something very basic such as reverse the ball during an offensive set. My instincts told me that particular actions were more useful or damaging than others, so I decided to create an arbitrarily weighted, and exceedingly simple, points scale.
• The system’s points scale: +2 for plays that lead directly to Blazer points or gaining possession from the Nuggets. +1 for positive plays that didn’t directly lead to the above consequences. 0 for neutral plays. -2 for plays that lead directly to Nugget points or turning the ball over. -1 for other negative plays.
• The results: Generally inconclusive (possibly due to the sample size of one). Surprisingly, Oden made the exact same number of positive and negative plays. I counted nine +2 and -2 plays, and sixteen +1 and -1 plays, leaving Oden’s complete plus/minus at 0. I’m still trying to figure out exactly what that means. Did Oden really hurt his team as much as he helped them? Was it just coincidence that his team scored more points while he was on the court?
• The system’s kinks: I would love some help from a stat guru to refine complete plus/minus. I admit that grading everything on a -2 to +2 scale is far too simplistic, that there should be a more nuanced weighting technique. Additionally, adding the human aspect allows for human error. What do we do about borderline positive or negative plays? Should every good screen or good box out be counted, even if it might not result in anything at all? Lastly, should we make adjustments for who the player is guarding, for example, which might affect even details of his play?
• The system’s weaknesses: There are obviously flaws to complete plus/minus, especially a major one that I acknowledge off the bat. Keeping this stat for every player would be nearly impossible due to the sheer effort and time required. Even hordes of men would have serious trouble.

I would love feedback on complete plus/minus, as it is clearly still a very nebulous system. Hopefully I’ll have enough time in the near future to analyze more games in this manner and reach make some further conclusions.

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Purple Reign

December 28, 2008 at 12:28 pm · by bteitelbaum · Filed under Game Analysis, Lakers

Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.

No, the Lakers haven’t gone Macbeth just yet. They haven’t quite killed the king or claimed the throne. However, the weird sisters are beginning to prognosticate a Los Angeles ascendance, and uneasy lies the head that wears the crown. Alack and alas! I’m mixing up my Shakespeare again.

The bard’s perpetual display of timeless relevance does not stop there. In fact, Lady Macbeth’s incisive inquiry into her husband’s ability to murder King Duncan is the very question we asked of Los Angeles before this season and particularly before this game: Art thou afeard to be the same in thine own act and valour as thou art in desire?

After their embarrassing exit to the finals, a 39 point game 6 loss to the Celtics, it is undeniable that the Lakers yearn to write a different conclusion to this season’s final act. However, their play has not always lived up to their talent or ambition. While they have been great at times, they have also offered unimpressive performances that seem to challenge their resoluteness, willpower, or chemistry. Case in point, a blown 16 point lead against the anemic Pacers. During these last few weeks, you never knew which Los Angeles squad would show up: the one that decisively kills or the one that is nervously unsure of its character.

Though several pundits discounted the importance of the Lakers’ Christmas Day game versus the reigning champion Celtics even before it occurred – Charles Barkley said this game meant virtually nothing to the Celtics –  I disagree with that cavalier attitude. It was a clear opportunity for the Lakers to test their mettle against the best team in the league, a confident bunch in the midst of a 19 game win streak. You don’t win that many in a row unless you play with unparalleled intensity, heart, skill, and cohesion, so this was definitely a barometer game for LA. And while the thrilling finals rematch witnessed last week, a 92 – 83 Lakers win, does not give us any concrete answers, it undoubtably holds very real implications.

So what did we learn on Christmas? Here are my thoughts:

• Los Angeles was not and is not afraid of Boston. The Lakers’ body language and style of play was clear evidence of that. They weren’t concerned about the Celtics’ physicality and they more than matched the C’s trademark intensity. Boston’s psychological advantage will no longer be a factor when they meet in the future.
• Though they refuse to admit it, the Celtics miss James Posey, especially against teams with a player like Kobe Bryant. While it may not be apparent on a nightly basis – the record suggests that the improvement of Rajon Rondo and Kendrick Perkins has compensated for any bench shortcomings – it was surely conspicuous here. Firstly, Tony Allen cannot defend Kobe nearly as well as Posey; he’s simply too small. (Posey is listed at 6′8, Allen at 6′4.) When Allen was guarding Kobe, Black Mamba found it much easier to get good shots, many of them in the pinch post. Posey’s length bothered Kobe’s turnaround and pull-up jumpers and his toughness deterred Kobe’s driving ability. Though he is a relatively good defender, Allen can do neither against Bryant. Posey’s defense was a key reason that Kobe shot under 40% in 4 of the 6 finals games, whereas Allen’s deficiencies contributed to Kobe’s 13-23 performance on Thursday. I’m not trying to give Posey all the credit or Allen all the blame, but this is certainly a factor. (It might also be something to monitor if the Celtics have to match up with LeBron James). Secondly, Posey spaced the floor and consistently hit big threes. Tony Allen, a career 30% 3-point shooter, is down under 17% this season. The Lakers were content leaving him to double more dangerous Celtics, and he didn’t make them pay. He shot 3-9, 0-2 from deep, and had no serious offensive impact on the game.
• Andrew Bynum matters, even if Kevin Garnett won’t acknowledge it. It’s true that he was not a direct difference-maker on offense, with 9 points and 7 boards, but his influence was significant. There were two specific areas in which the Lakers benefited from his mere presence in the lineup:

1. Gasol’s assertiveness. His 7 points in the last two minutes are the talk of the town, and everyone is wondering where this was in the finals. Mark Heisler of the LA Times made this point: “Last spring, Gasol was single-covered and held to 14.7 points a game by the physical Kendrick Perkins. Now Perkins guards Bynum with Garnett on Gasol. As great as KG is, he won’t beat Gasol up.” Neither Heisler nor I am intimating that Perkins is a better defender than Garnett. He’s not. But he’s a different kind of defender, more physical and brutish. Garnett doesn’t abuse his marks in that manner. Additionally, Pau was afforded more rest on the bench than any game in the finals (except the game 6 debacle). While KG did a good job slowing Gasol for the game’s first 46 minutes, the Shaggy Spaniard was fresher and thus more aggressive in crunch time.
2. Defensive strength around the basket. With Bynum and Gasol sharing the court, the Lakers had two legitimate shot blockers on the court for much of the game. Lamar Odom just doesn’t give them that same capability. Andrew rejected 2 shots and Pau swatted 3. But the numbers don’t fully measure their impact. The Celtics got relatively few points in the paint. Pierce and Rondo were not effective driving to the basket. And in the second half, Garnett shot mostly jumpers. Bynum’s presence was a deterrent for the Celtics and a safety net for the Lakers.

• Trevor Ariza makes a huge difference. The stats may not show it, but he always gives the Lakers a dynamic playmaker off the bench that they lacked last year. He defends hard, crashes the offensive glass, and makes all the hustle plays. Consider the second quarter moment when Ariza chased down the loose ball and found Sasha Vujacic while falling out of bounds. Absolutely fantastic!
• I don’t know if they can do this on a regular basis, but the Lakers did a phenomenal job of defending without fouling. Pierce, who got to the line almost 9 times per game in the finals, only managed 4 attempts and Garnett didn’t shoot a single foul shot. Furthermore, Pierce’s fouls occurred away from the basket when Los Angeles was in the penalty. The Lakers gave the Celtics nothing easy and did not bail them out of tough situations. The best defensive teams, like Boston, make opposing offenses work hard for everything.

If the Lakers and Celtics again meet in the finals, will the Lakers win? We don’t know. There is a lot of basketball to be played, late season pickups to be made (cough cough PJ Brown), and injuries to be sustained. But this December game is not irrelevant. The Celtics and the rest of the league know that this Lakers team is a different beast. More than ever, the dagger in Kobe’s hand is not a figment of our imagination.

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Santa Stern Left More Than Coal

December 25, 2008 at 8:45 am · by bteitelbaum · Filed under Game Analysis

I know what you’re thinking: As a Jew on Christmas, I should either be at the movies or eating Chinese food. Well I’m sorry if I refuse to legitimize the stereotype. While I may have engaged in those activities on Christmases past, this year is going to be different. Realizing the plight of his people, NBA Commissioner David Stern has given us a full slate of fascinating games: Hornets vs. Magic, Spurs vs. Suns, Celtics vs. Lakers, Wizards vs. Cavaliers, and Mavericks vs. Trail Blazers. The best teams in the league… the best players in the world… uber-compelling storylines. What more could you ask for? It’s raining outside but I couldn’t be happier. I would like to share my holiday spirit, so I will be blogging throughout the day. In fact, I will post after every half of every game. Enjoy!

New Orleans Hornets at Orlando Magic 

Pregame

• There are very few noon start times in the NBA, and it could throw off one of the squads. Advantage Orlando, the team that has the advantage of being at home. 
• Chris Paul and Dwight Howard almost always do their thing. Whoever wins the battle between David West and Rashard Lewis might spur his team to victory.

Halftime Score: Magic 61 – Hornets 31

• Wow this is a blowout! I actually feel kind of bad for the Hornets. How can Christmas not be ruined? It’s the early game, and they now have the entire day to mull over their ineptitude. Someone get the eggnog ready, because Chris Paul needs to drown his sorrows.
• The Hornets are getting destroyed in almost every statistical category. They are being outshot by 26%, outscored by  24 from behind the arc, outrebounded by 11, and outassisted by 10. It’s just one of those games where one team came to play and the other left it’s sneakers at home.
• The Dwight Howard effect is in full force. Tyson Chandler has 0 points, 0 rebounds, and 3 fouls.
• I never thought a Paul-run team would only have 3 total assists in a half.
• I evidently need to get an arm-sleeve… the three best players on the court are wearing them.

Final Score: Magic 88 – Hornets 68

• What a terrible second half! Both teams seemed like they wanted to get out of the arena as soon as possible. Sometimes blowouts devolve into bad, boring basketball, but this was maybe the worst I’ve ever seen. The Magic scored a measly 27 points in the last two quarters.
• Chris Paul’s NBA record 108 game steals streak has sadly come to an end. I really appreciated this streak and I am sad that it is over. Speaking of CP3, this was one of the worst games you will ever see him play (5-14, 12 points, 4 assists). I’ve also never seen him lose his composure like this. Although only briefly, he was yelling at teammates and gesturing wildly. I know he was frustrated, but I just didn’t expect Paul to ever look unprofessional or immature. Hey, we’re all human.
• It’s surprising that both teams combined for only 21 turnovers in such a lopsided game. I would have expected the Hornets to turn the ball over more than 10 times in order for the Magic to obtain such a big lead. However, the Hornets merely couldn’t hit the ocean from a boat (33.3% from the field, 4-16 from 3-point land). 
• I am repeatedly impressed with how comfortable Rashard Lewis and Jameer Nelson look this year. Instead of pressing, they are really letting the game come to them. And Nelson is shooting 53%, 43% from 3!? Incredible.
• Stojakovic’s health is actually going to be an important thing to monitor throughout this season because Rasual Butler is just far too inconsistent to be a capable replacement. He followed up a solid 17 point performance by missing literally every shot he took.
• LeBron might not just be the best basketball player on the planet; he might also be the coolest person on earth. His new commercial is priceless.

San Antonio Spurs at Phoenix Suns 

Pregame

• This game features 3 former NBA MVPs (Nash, Duncan, and Shaq). While Nash and Duncan are still the focal points of their teams’ offensive efforts, Amare and Tony Parker are arguably more important to overall success.
• I may have to watch this game on mute because I hate Hubie Brown. He starts every replay with something like, “Now look here, you can see what’s going on right here.” We’re obviously looking Hubie… this isn’t radio.

Halftime Score: Suns 45 – Spurs 39

• As a diehard Lakers fan, it kills me to watch Shaq play like this. He looked young and spry, especially on that powerful 1st quarter dunk. Let’s see if he can keep it up.
• Suns are outrebounding the Spurs, who are the best defensive rebounding team in basketball.
• You have to give credit to the Spurs, specifically Popovich and Duncan, for coming back from that early deficit. Popovich’s teams never get rattled or uncomfortable, and Duncan just put the offense on his back. He’s still got it. When Parker and Ginobili start hitting the shots that they usually make, I think the Suns might be in trouble.
• Secondary scorers are going to need to step up. Aside from Parker and Duncan and Shaq and Amare, there has been very sparse production. Whoever gets it from an unexpected source (Roger Mason, Matt Bonner, Grant Hill, Matt Barnes) will win this game. And what happened to Leandro Barbosa this year? Numbers are down across the board, and this first half yielded only 9 minutes and 2 points. Terry Porter has not been good for his game.
• I was reminded of the reason my mom hates Hubie Brown. He calls the free-throw lane the “painted area” and she just can’t stand it.

Final Score: Spurs 91 – Suns 90

• Big shot by Roger Mason, who was clearly unfazed by the pressure of the moment. He’s been a very nice find for this Spurs team. R.C. Buford and Co. always seem to find talent in unusual places. That’s the best front office in basketball. And let’s also give kudos to Tony Parker for maintaining presence of mind and understanding the clock. He has such a good sense of the game. He dished out 8 assists and only turned the ball over once. Fantastic player.
• The Suns are definitely a work in progress on offense. There’s no way that Nash’s court vision has declined, so he’s either lost a step or his teammates aren’t always moving to the right spots. Granted, they are now working Jason Richardson into things and still trying to find themselves, but that pick and roll between Nash and Stoudemire used to be deadly. 
• Spurs only turned the ball over 6 times. They seem to never beat themselves, which usually gives them a decent chance at beating the other team.
• Congrats to Shaq for missing his 5000th free throw. He hit 9-10 at one stretch in the second half, but then realized that he hadn’t reached the milestone and decided to miss a few during crunch time.
• I don’t think either of these teams can win the west.
• Hubie wasn’t that awful. Or maybe my joyous holiday spirit has clouded my perception. 

Boston Celtics at Los Angeles Lakers

Pregame

• I’ve heard several pundits say the same thing over the past couple days: That the Lakers need this game more and so will play with more desperation and intensity than the Celtics. I agree that they need the win more, but the argument is specious. All season the Celtics have played with more fire and determination than any other team in the league, and I don’t expect that to change now. Does that mean I think Boston will win the game? No, because I believe that the Lakers at their best can beat the Celtics at their best, especially at home. We haven’t seen that from the Lakers recently, but don’t be surprised by a turnaround.
• Which Kobe will we see this afternoon? Scoring Kobe or passing Kobe? I think the Lakers need a balanced Kobe to win.
• Lamar Odom had trouble with the physicality of the Celtics’ bigs during the Finals. Will his matchup with the second unit temper this problem?
• Let’s pay attention to the effect of Andrew Bynum’s presence.

Halftime  Score: Lakers 51 – Celtics 45

• Unfortunately, we just had a flood in the kitchen and I had to postpone watching the game. I am catching up now on Tivo so I don’t have much time to write. Both teams look good, though, and LA is really bringing the heat defensively. Should be a great second half. 

Final Score: Lakers 92 – Celtics 83

• Regular season games don’t get much better than this!!! I have too much to say about this one, though, so I’ll save it for a separate post.
• Breen, Van Gundy, and Jackson are definitely the best commentating crew in basketball.
• Charles Barkley might haunt my dreams wearing that tight black bodysuit with white balls.

Washington Wizards at Cleveland Cavaliers

Pregame

• How many times (in the actual game rather than in commercials) will LeBron make me say, “WOW!”?
• I hope, from a fan’s standpoint, that this game stays competitive. 

Halftime Score: Cavaliers 49 – Wizards 47

• LeBron “WOW” count is only at 1, that backdoor alley-oop dunk. But those plays are almost becoming routine, so I might want to give this one a mere “wow.”
• Even though this game is close, I get the sense that Washington has no chance.
• This Cavs team has swag. Even when they got down early, they still looked supremely confidant, as if they weren’t concerned at all. In my opinion, that is the biggest difference with them this year: Every single player carries himself as if this team should win every game they play.
• Mo Williams is a shoot-first point guard, but he is not an only-shoot point guard. He has 6 assists to go along with his 12 points. He also has no fear and exceptional range.
• Anderson Varejao is developing a body of work to rival the greats of flopping (Vlade Divac, Robert Horry). His 2nd quarter acting job on Darius Songaila was first rate.
• Mike James is one of those players that will score a bunch and keep your team in a lot of games, but I just don’t think he’s a winner. 

Final Score: Cavaliers 93 – Wizards 89

• Sometimes good teams have to win ugly games against bad teams. They’re not all gonna come easy. Cleveland continues to build character.
• LeBron now hits clutch free throws… Scary. 
• Mo Williams takes better shots than Delonte West. Mo was 7-14 while Delonte was 6-18. If neither of them settles for bad jumpers, instead choosing to move the ball and attack the rim, they will become more dangerous offensively.
• I was about to say that Antawn Jamison remains  one of the most underrated players in the league, but I doubt that’s still true. People know what he is. I do think, though, that Jamison scores more quietly than anyone else. Without looking at the box score, I would not have believed that he dropped 28.
• The one major flaw I saw in Cleveland was their pick-and-roll defense. Mike James got a ton of easy midrange jumpers and Jamison popped for a bunch of threes. 
• Wally Szczerbiak is very slow. Like, slower than Luke Walton. 
• Yesh! Marv Albert’s still got it.
• Will I get a job on TV if I wear garish suits and ridiculous ties like Craig Sager? 

Dallas Mavericks at Portland Trail Blazers

Pregame

• I’m sad that this is the last game of the day. I am still in my pajamas and haven’t left the couch in hours. This is the life.
• Since going 13-3 between November 6 and December 3, the Blazers are just 4-5. Four of those losses were to Boston, Denver, Orlando, and Utah, some of the best teams in the league, but if the Trail Blazers want to be considered legit, they need to win some of those games.
• The Mavs have not beaten a team with a winning record since Dec. 6 against Atlanta. Does anyone outside of Dallas consider them a contender?
• I haven’t seen Oden play since opening night, but I haven’t been too impressed with his highlights or stat lines. Tonight should be a good barometer; Dampier and Diop are big and physical, but not great. 
•  Nowitzki and Roy have been on tears. Can either Aldridge or Josh Howard slow them down?

Halftime Score: Mavericks 59 – Trail Blazers 55

• Well, nobody is stopping Nowitzki (24 points) or Roy (15 points). I still think that slowing one of those two guys will be the key to victory.
• The tempo and style of this game have been right up Jason Kidd’s alley. He still knows how to run a fast break (8 assists). His weaknesses are on defense and in the half court.
• Brandon Roy is a very mature scorer. He can get to the basket, finish with either hand, post up, shoot, and he rarely takes bad shots. I don’t know if anyone in the league makes the game appear as slow as he does. Everything just seems easy. It’s interesting that Dallas started Devean George on Roy instead of Josh Howard. I guess they wanted a more physical presence. That didn’t work, as Roy repeatedly blew past George.
• I forgot how quick a release Jason Terry has.
• Oden doesn’t look comfortable on the court. The game still seems to move too fast for him. 
• I need to find a nickname for the two backup Spaniards on Portland. Sergio Rodriguez and Rudy Fernandez are a nice duo. But can they play defense?

Final Score: Mavericks 102 – Trail Blazers 94

• This is a very solid win for the Mavs. Portland had been great at home and played a good 3rd quarter, but Dallas wanted it more down the stretch. They were quicker to the ball, made all the hustle plays, and clamped down on D. 
• JJ Barea was quite the difference maker. He is instinctive and fearless, qualities that make up for his physical flaws. Forget the points and assists, he had 8 rebounds, 4 of which came on the offensive end. Portland did not pay enough attention to him or attack him enough offensively. Carlisle must really trust him, because he was running the team down the stretch (not Jason Kidd).
• Dirk didn’t score in crunch time, but Dallas found easy shots almost every time. That’s a testament to the rest of the guys. And Dirk still managed to pour in 30 on only 18 shots.
• I guess I jinxed Roy. He scored 7 points in the 3rd quarter and none in the 4th. And he looked visibly upset with the refereeing, though he did get to the line 9 times. Part of the problem was that he wasn’t getting the ball within the flow of the offense. He had to work too hard for looks.
• Why didn’t Rodriguez play a minute in the 2nd half? He had 9 points in the 1st.
• Portland attempted 14 more free throws than Dallas, but only made 6 more. Great teams don’t miss valuable opportunities from the charity stripe.

5 games, 3 meals, 2 snacks, 6 bathroom breaks, and 13 hours later, I am still on my 1 couch. If only 2009 can be this sweet! I hope all of you out there had a Christmas as meaningful and enlightening as I have. Sleep well, and dream sweet dreams of things you will never do in real life. Oh, and if you take some Vitamin B12, there’s a better chance you’ll remember in the morning.

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