Band of Ballers – The Basketball Blog for Hoops Junkies

Sad KD

So I just saw a graphic on ESPN2 saying that in the last 15 years, there have been 67 instances of a team leading by 15 or more with less than 5 minutes to go in the NBA Playoffs. In those 67 instances, only once has a team come back and won the game. We all just witnessed it, this lone outlier of a game. The Mavs hung around all night and were in striking distance distance until the 4:48 mark when Kevin Durant hit a three to put the lead up to 15  at which point my buddy Jacob (a die hard Spurs fan, no less) and I looked at each other and said; “well that’s ball game”. We were both sitting on my living room sofa where we both had watched the entire game up until this point.

It was then that Jacob asked me; “When you’re team is getting slaughtered, do you like to change the channel to just some random show out of disgust?”

“No (irritated)…I like to let the Mavs toy with my emotions…I’m sick like that”, I respond.

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These are some casual observations I’ve made as I’ve been watching the NBA playoffs this post season

1. Kobe and the Lakers aren’t right
Anyone watching the Lakers this post season can tell you that these Lakers aren’t right. The thing you keep hearing about from all these talking heads is that these Lakers are ‘old’. What?? isn’t this the same team that this summer had everyone saying they’ll contend for the next 5 years because they locked up Gasol, Bynum, Artest and Kobe long term? And now, not even a year into this they’re too old? Doesn’t add up for me. These guys have one problem in my opinion, and it’s a lack of chemistry. When you see this team play, one thing is crystal clear; they don’t like each other. Everyone on this team seems scared of Kobe (except maybe Artest) and it also seems that Kobe’s ultimate agenda is to add to his legacy. There’s no doubt in my mind Kobe would be furious if the Lakers won the title but Bynum or Gasol was named the Finals MVP. I’d challenge you die hard Laker’s fans to present an argument otherwise. This in my opinion is the problem for the Lakers. It’s what prevents the role players from diving for loose balls and taking charges – things that are critical to a team facing an ultra scrappy, super athletic team like the Thunder (speaking of super athletic, did you see this dunk on Lamar Odom?). Maybe the Lakers are just too cool, too Hollywood to be concerned about the NBA and all it’s trappings.

On another note, if the Thunder somehow pull off this upset, is this the greatest 1st round upset of all time? My list of 1st round upsets goes like this right now 1)2007 Mavericks beat by the Warriors 2)1994 Sonics beat by Denver (the ‘Mutombo Crying on the floor‘ series) 3)1999 Heat beat by the Knicks (Allen Houston Runner). Where would the Lakers getting beat by the Thunder rank in there? Well it depends. If Kevin Durant goes on to win multiple titles and MVPs for years to come, this upset will be seen more as Kevin Durant’s coming out party than an ‘upset’. A key ingredient in an upset being remembered as an upset is when the team doing the upset had no business winning. If Durant is destined for NBA greatness, then his greatness will tarnish the upset shine of the series. I don’t think Kobe will let that happen though. I’m 100% certain that for the Thunder to win they’ll have to beat Kobe in ‘NBA 2K9′ mode in a Game 7 in LA for that to happen and if you haven’t played NBA 2K9, I’ll just tell you it’s the most infuriating, unfair and entertaining experience to play against the Lakers when Kobe’s in this mode. Factor in the my Puppets Theory, and there’s no way the Lakers lose this series. Ok, there’s a way, but it’s highly unlikely. Ok, it’s just unlikely.

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Everyone seem to be real fired up about the playoff this year and with good reason. This year there are a ton of story lines out there. In order from least to greatest here are the five storylines that I find most intriguing heading into the NBA’s annual tournament.

5. The Wild West – I’m not a NBA stat nerd. I don’t necessarily dislike NBA stat nerds like John Hollinger or Henry Abbott but I think at the end of the day, you either know basketball or you don’t. I didn’t need a +/- sheet in front of me ten years ago to know that Allen Iverson’s 32 points were less valuable than Kobe’s 23 points. Put me in a basketball gym full of NBA players and let me and John Hollinger pick teams and my money’s on my team winning more than John Hollinger’s. Of course any Joe Shmoe can say this (this would be a great reality show right?) but this is my blog and damnit, I believe it. So as I digress, let me get to my point; I think this is the most stacked lineup in either conference in NBA history but I refuse to look up the stats to prove it. Hey, I’m not an NBA stat geek. I just know the game. I’m a throwback of sorts when it comes to blogging and this year’s western conference is a throwback to the days when there were only 11 teams in the entire league and you played everyone six times. Out of the 8 western conference teams, the only team that could lose in the first round and be called a legitimate upset is the Lakers. Seriously, I have a buddy who claims in his heart of hearts that he thinks the no.7 Spurs are a legit favorite to win over my beloved no.2 seed Mavericks. And you know what? Personal biases aside, he’s got a legit argument. When have you ever been able to say that about a 2-7 seed matchup?

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