A tale of two series
Rufino III Lopez May 12th, 2006 (Visited 740 times)
The Los Angeles Clippers and the Miami Heat bounced back in their respective series in style. Both squads blew out the Phoenix Suns and the New Jersey Nets and were able to tie the series at one game apiece. Both had similar stats, with the Clippers and the Heat shooting at will from all angles, not to mention giving their opponents a dose of their own medicine on defense.
The Suns didn't seem to have an answer for the Sam Cassell-led onslaught that included Elton Brand, Vlade Radmanovic, and Cuttino Mobley, who, in Game 1, had only three points on 20% field goal shooting. This time, Cuttino had scored 23 by the start of the fourth quarter and at the time "El-Ey" was able to maintain a double-digit lead and contain the Suns, the highest scoring team in the league, from using their high-octane, fast-paced game. On the other hand, Dwyane Wade led the hot-shooting Miami Heat in Game 2 to rout the Nets and eventually, went for the equalizer. The Head went into a barrage of threes, especially in the second half, where the Head had a 20-point plus advantage over their New Jersey counterparts.
What is the scenario here? Miami and the red, blue, and white LA squad dominated their respective games by shooting well from both in and out the perimeter. Much props also belong to Posey and Radmanovic who didn't have their hot hands going in the first game but definitely made up in the second outing. Also, both the Nets and the Suns shot terribly in Game 2. It was as if they got out from the fridge to explain their cold shooting night. Moreover, it is but unexaplainable and unusual why the Suns suffered a role-reversal when in fact, they should be the one scoring a 90-plus points by the end of the third quarter. Quite frankly, that was not the Phoenix team we all saw in the regular season.
What the Suns and the Nets should do is to start out hot and never wither. Phoenix had that kind of game against the other LA team, the Lakers, in Games 5 and 7. True enough, the Suns showed their strength in those games, having their opponents play their game and pace, which most teams couldn't do, especially when they're in the Valley. Nash, Diaw, and Thomas, along with Barbosa (the best player for the Suns in Game 2), Thomas, and House, among others, should shake off their shaky performance and come out strong in Hollywood. Speed has been their name of the game and so they should run, run, and run, and make those extra passes to find the open man. James Jones, one of Phoenix's gunners from outside, and Eddie House should get more involved since they are quick and able to knock down those threes.
On the other hand, the trio of Kidd, Carter, and Jefferson should do the same as well. They can outrun the Heat but they should maintain the strength in order for them to last the whole game against the deeper Miami squad. Nenad Krstic (pardon for the wrong spelling) and Clifford Robinson should assert themselves more in the perimeter so that Shaq will be force to chase them and be able to free the shaded lane off of any towering presence (Shaq's the only legit seven-feet player in the Heat team, no offense to Michael Doleaac). Aside from that, Carter should be aware of his abilities in the post rather than taking it from the wing and driving to the hoop, although it works for drawing defenders but at least, less energy is consumed for him to last the whole game.
What the Nets have and the Suns don't? Home court. The Nets have the crowd behind them. They already stole homecourt advantage in Game 1 and they should capitalize on their home crowd. The Suns, however, are to be back in LA (for the third straight week) and face a more hostile Staples Center crowd, who were expecting an all-LA second round affair.
I still believe that both series will still be down the wire (not that I'm biased because I'm a hardcore Phoenix Suns fan since the time of Sir Charles). In order for this to happen, the smaller teams (Nets and Suns) should not let Goliath (Clippers and Heat) bully them and create an intimidating presence. This is playoff basketball anyway, and I have seen crazy things in the playoffs. Like they say, "anything can happen in the playoffs."
