Because the NBA is such a showcase for amazing athleticism, it’s easy to believe that success in the sport is only a physical thing.
As the first weekend of playoff basketball showed, that’s not entirely true. There is a reason that coaches talk a great deal about the mental game. This might seem a bit surprising. After all, basketball isn’t exactly chess. A guy who is really tall and fast and can hit a jump shot should be able to succeed. Right? Not necessarily.
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Month: April 2009
It remains to be seen where he ends up on draft day, but few guys have free fallen more since the end of the season than Ball State QB Nate Davis. Davis had an incredibly impressive start to his season this year, and Ball State turned into a national sweetheart after running through the regular season undefeated. He’s got a nice arm, he can scramble, and he plays an exciting style of game. There was talk then that he could even be a first round choice. But then things went awry. Ball State lost to Buffalo in the MAC title game, and then got crushed by Tulsa in theGMAC Bowl. Davis had eight fumbles in those games and the questions started to come up. Things didn’t get better when he was lacklustre at the Combine. The ultimate sign of the depth of his problems was evident when only one team showed up to his pro day. That’s ugly.
For the next two weeks I’m going to be away from my computer and out of town. That means that I have pre-written the stuff you will read for the next two weeks, and that in turn explains why it won’t be nearly as news-driven or current as it usually is. Hopefully, though, it’s still going to be interesting and worthwhile. I’ll be focusing on two main events – the NFL Draft the first week, and the Kentucky Derby the second week – and I’ll throw in some other stuff as well.
Arguably no position in team sports is as important as an NFL quarterback. Pitchers can dominate in baseball. But they only do it once every five days. NBA point guards are somewhat similar to quarterbacks. But a team can have a mediocre point guard and do well using the passing skills of the rest of the team. Think of the Los Angeles Lakers. Derek Fisher is hardly anyone’s top player.
The first round of the NBA Western Conference playoffs features the number one seed Los Angeles Lakers (65-17) against the eighth seed Utah Jazz (48-34). In the three-game season series between the two clubs, the Lakers won two. Of all NBA clubs, Los Angeles posted the second-best record, while the Jazz had the 12th best mark in the league. Los Angeles won seven of its last 10 and two straight. Utah has gone 3-7 in its final 10 contests.
The second best team in the Western Conference, the Denver Nuggets (54-28), will meet the seventh seed New Orleans Hornets (49-33) in the first round of the NBA playoffs. In the four-game season series the teams split with the Nuggets, taking the last meeting, which was played on March 25, 101-88. Denver went 8-2 in their last 10 games, and the Hornets were 4-6 over their final 10.
Continue reading “Denver Nuggets Versus New Orleans Hornets”
In the East, the Atlanta Hawks (47-35), who captured the fourth seed, will play the Miami Heat (43-39), the fifth seed, in round one. The Hawks took the regular season series three games to one. In their final meeting on April 14, Atlanta beat Miami by just two points. Only four games separated these teams in the standings.
In round one of the NBA Eastern Conference playoffs, the Orlando Magic (59-23) will compete against the Philadelphia 76ers. The third seed Magic swept the three-game series against the sixth seed 76ers. And although the Magic have not lost to Philadelphia in the regular season, they have not exactly been dominant. Their largest margin of victory was 10 points, while the other two games were decided by two and six points.
The third seed San Antonio Spurs (54-28) meet the sixth seed Dallas Mavericks (50-32) in the initial round of the Western Conference playoffs. This year, the Spurs and Mavs split their four-game season series with San Antonio winning a wild 133-126 overtime contest.
Continue reading “San Antonio Spurs Versus Dallas Mavericks”
In the first round of the NBA Western Conference playoffs, it will be the fourth seed Portland Trail Blazers (54-28) against the fifth seed Houston Rockets (53-29). The Rockets took the season series two games to one. Their one loss was a 101-99 OT contest. When they beat Portland, they did it by four and then by 14 points.
Continue reading “Portland Trail Blazers Versus Houston Rockets”
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