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Jeff on Jeff on Mike and Mike for Mike
So I was watching Mike and Mike in the Morning this morning and thought I’d take some notes… sort of like a recap of the show. The thing is, it’s a 4-hour show and I can only really write about basketball, so I just chose a short segment of the show to focus on and dissect with you, the fine readers of Sports Fan Paradise. The guys brought former NBA coach Jeff Van Gundy (brother of Magic coach Stan) to talk about the Game 7s fro over the weekend, and here’s what went down, with my own comments added. Discuss amongst yourselves and get ready for what promises to be an exciting 2nd Round.
What Does The Greatest Playoff Series Ever Mean For The Bulls Next Season?
Van Gundy says that pushing the Defending Champs to Game 7 (and 7 overtimes) “doesn’t really mean anything” for next season. I beg to differ, and I point to the outcome of the Hawks-Heat series as proof that it does mean something. Personally, I thought the Heat were going to win Game 7 thanks to Wade’s playoff experience. I mean, some of those guys like Haslem just won the championship a few years ago. So I thought their veterans’ playoff experience and sharp rookies (Beasley, Chalmers) would be enough to carry them to victory on the road. Alas, the Hawks ended up winning, and I think last season’s first-round defeat at the hands of the Celtics had something to do with it. They were battle-tested and ready for Game 7 and this time they had the home crowd. So I think that provided the Bulls keep their young core together, they could make it out of the first-round next year. Van Gundy says their “roster issues need resolving,” and wonders whether they can resign Gordon as a 3rd guard behind Rose and Hinrich. Will they make the right moves to fortify their roster this summer?” Stay tuned. But keep in mind, the Bulls didn’t have Luol Deng. And I know the Celts didn’t have KG or Powe but still. If the Bulls had Luol Deng, would they have won? It’s certainly something to think about. What an athletic, young team though: Rose, Hinrich, Gordon, Deng, Ty Thomas, Joakim Noah, John Salmons (a great mid-season steal), and a couple useful veterans like Brad Miller and Lindsey Hunter, who has a great half-girly/half-manly name. I could potentially see a Bulls-Blazers Finals rematch in 3 years. Watch out…
Celtics vs. Orlando
Greeny makes the point that Orlando is a little more rested and that Howard is very rested because he was suspended for Game 6 of the Philly series. The gang thinks Coach Doc did the right thing giving the team the day off. They need all the rest they can get and Orlando won’t be full of surprises. The Celtics knew the Magic were up next and I’m sure they’re ready for a more half-court type game. Van Gundy thinks Orlando will struggle to score because the Celtics’ team D can defend the pick and roll. Van Gundy predicts a low-scoring series that Boston will eventually win. Can’t really argue with this pick. I don’t think Howard can take over the series like his teammates are depending on him to do. Perkins and Davis will have their hands full but that’s 12 fouls between them and Perk is a big boy, not the toothpick that Dalembert was. The 76ers took two games from the Magic and they didn’t even have Elton Brand. Orlando doesn’t really scare me, although I did raise an eyebrow when someone mentioned that Scalabrine could be counted on to defend Rashard Lewis. As long as Tony Allen stays off the court during crunch time.
Hawks vs. Cavs
Van Gundy stands by his quote from a few days ago when he called the Hawks-Heat series one of the worst in playoff history. There was a 19 point differential on average in the 7 games. Van Gundy thinks the Hawks will probably take one game from the Cavs. I think that’s a solid prediction. I don’t think the Hawks will roll over like the Pistons did in the first round. Whatever, the Cavs will win, let’s just hope Lebron gets injured, although I’d take Ilgauskas or Mo Williams too.
How good is Denver?
Van Gundy is “impressed” with the Nuggets’ bench, calling out journeyman Anthony Carter, energy guy Chris “The Birdman” Andersen and J.R. Smith, who scores in bunches off the bench. He thinks the Nuggets’ starting five “solid” and considers the team “underrated” in general. I think they could cause problems for the Lakers in the next round. Melo is an offensive juggernaut who could match Kobe shot for shot, especially when the crowd is behind him. Nene can get physical with Gasol in the post. Billups is a playoff-tested leader, one of the smartest PGs in the league, and a great free-throw shooter. I’m just not convinced the Lakers will have a cakewalk through the Western Conference. I think the Rockets match-up against them nicely. The Artest/Battier combo could wear Kobe down. Yao and Pau should be fun to watch. I know the Rockets play better without McGrady but you have to think they’d be better off if he were still around.
Should fouls be called different during crunch time?
Van Gundy feels the refs shouldn’t call a foul when the game is on the line. He thinks the last four minutes should be called differently, and that refs should have more certainty when the game is on the line, which makes sense, but it also suggests that during the first three quarters or so, the refs can be something less than 100% certain. It doesn’t really make sense, but I get what he’s saying. Golic reports that the players want consistency but of course, if ask any player about officiating, every single one of them will have a laundry list of complaints and all of them will be different. Personally, I’m of the mind that the game should be left up to the players in the final seconds. I’m not advocating that refs swallow their whistles when the game is on the line, but unless it’s an egregious foul, I’d like to see the refs let the players play. There’re too many whistles as there is in the playoffs. The last 2 minutes of every close playoff game take a half-hour to play-out.
In an interesting aside, Van Gundy argues there should be no suspensions in the playoffs. In the MLB, players can appeal discipline, and Greeny asks “who was the last guy to miss the Super Bowl?” It’s a good point, especially when the loss of one player can significantly alter a playoff series, and frankly, I was surprised that Howard’s suspension didn’t cost the Magic Game 7 of that Philly series on the road. Now obviously, emotions are running high during the playoffs and players get a little testy, especially with the hard fouls being exchanged, but the league can’t tolerate fighting, and I think having the threat of that punishment is a good thing. Greeny agrees with Van Gundy. Golic tries to formulate an opinion using a football analogy that doesn’t fully work. Van Gundy tries to run with it but he knows it won’t work and immediately reverts back to basketball terms. All that said, the flagrant levels, 1 and 2 and what not, I’m not sure if that setup fully works for me. There’s a huge difference between 2 free throws and 2 free throws and the ball. Which brings us to…
The Rondo Call
Van Gundy sees the regular-old-foul-call as “somewhat borderline” and later “a great piece of officiating.” Basically, he feels that it should’ve been called a flagrant if it took place in the first half, but not in the last few minutes. The guys discuss how the refs should use first 3 quarters to set a tone… but let me ask, why bother setting a tone if the refs plan to abandon it when it’s most important. Van Gundy tries to take the high road and says as a coach, he wouldn’t want to win a close game on a technical foul because someone swore or something, but… we all know he’d take it in a heartbeat if he was down a point in a Game 7. A few minutes later, Dick Vitale agrees with Golic and argues for consistency.
My thoughts on the Rondo Call… It was a perfect play. It was a good, hard playoff foul. I don’t agree that he wasn’t going for the ball. It happened fast and he swung and missed. It wouldn’t have been a big deal if it weren’t the very end of the game, or if Miller hadn’t started bleeding because he bit his lip. Guys get inadvertently whacked in the face when they go in the lane hard in the final seconds of an epic Game 6. What’d he expect? Not sure I like the alternative though, where by one scenario, Doc could pick the free-throw shooter, and by the other, the Bulls can pick their own shooter, which would’ve been Gordon. Meanwhile, Rondo definitely goaltended on the Hinrich gimme layup that he missed, but the Celtics won the series (thank God!) so it’s a moot point.
