Empty the Bench

Boston Celtic Kevin Garnett was named the NBA’s 2007-08 Defensive Player of the Year this afternoon, and rightfully so in my mind. He was my pick for the award based not only on his individual prowess, but for the role he played in turning around the entire mindset of this team on the defensive end of the floor. Garnett finished with 493 points (with 90 first-place votes). Denver center Marcus Camby, last year’s winner, came in a distant second with 178 points and Houston small forward Shane Battier received 175 points.

Kevin Garnett Photo Credit: Icon SMI

Boston made a number of moves this offseason, including the addition of defense guru Tom Thibodeau, so we obviously can’t give all of the credit for this team’s turnaround to one player. But KG was the on-court and emotional leader who spearheaded the change in attitude that made Boston the best defense in the NBA this season. Last season the Celtics allowed 99.2 points (thirteenth-most in the league) on 46.8% FGs (seventh-highest) with 22.1 assists per game (ninth-most). This year they gave up just 90.3 points a game (second-fewest), opponents shot just 41.9% FGs and 31.5% 3PTs (both lowest in the NBA), opponents averaged 18.7 assists (the second-fewest) and Boston allowed the fewest fast-break points in the NBA. They finished with a 66-16 record, tops in the league and seven games ahead of second-place Detroit.

In addition to the team success Garnett fostered he personally averaged 9.2 rebounds, 1.3 blocks and 1.4 steals per game. Those numbers aren’t mind-blowing, and KG’s line shrunk in nearly all volume stats this season. Keep in mind he played in only 32:47 minutes a game, mostly because the Boston defense was so suffocating that they were often coasting in the second half. Back in January I made a case for KG as the second-best individual guardian of the rim, saying:

The Big Ticket guards everybody from centers to point guards, chases people to the perimeter and camps underneath, comes from the help side and bodies up, fronts to deny the ball and keeps people out of the post. What it all boils down to: if Kevin Garnett decides he doesn’t want you to score on any given play, you’re probably not going to score.

So congrats to Mr. Garnett on the well-deserved award – but he’ll be the first to tell you it means absolutely nothing if the Boston Celtics fail to capture an NBA title this season.

Tags: Kevin Garnett, Boston Celtics

- The Dream Shake – Publish the obituary tomorrow, Tracy McGrady is dead to TDS.
- My Utah Jazz – Some credit should go to AK-47 for McGrady’s fourth-quarter struggles.
- Les Bullez – The Wizards are not only stupid, they’re a disgrace.
- Chicago Tribune - An area dentist is suing Benny the Bull over a high-five gone awry.
- Blazers Edge – Breaking down the numbers of Portland’s breakout season.
- The Sports Diva – Interviewing an anonymous source within the Svenska Basketligan.
- The Big Lead – Greg Oden is McLovin, enjoys Franzia wine coolers.
- NY Daily News – Isiah Thomas has been banned from contact with Knicks players.
- HOOPSWORLD – What to look for in tonight’s Suns/Spurs rematch (other than flopping).
- ESPN – Lakers fans shouldn’t hold their breath for Andrew Bynum’s return.
- Biz of Basketball – Yeah, we didn’t know the D-League Finals had started either.
- Pistons Blog – Don’t blame Detroit’s Game 1 loss on complacency or not playing hard.

The regular season is over, but that doesn’t mean you’ve missed your chance to buy the NBA Catalog (I hear this year’s is the best ever). If Rick Barry and Larry Bird can’t convince you, then you’re a lost cause: they’re perhaps the finest on-screen duo in the history of hawking catalogs.

Before I tell you why Sunday night’s embarassing loss to the Philadelphia 76ers is no big deal, let’s get the formalities out of the way: that was sickening. Inexcusable. A terrible way to open a postseason this Pistons team has been pointing to all season long, and a bad omen for the ensuing rounds.

Not only was head coach Flip Saunders off his game, so was the All-Star backcourt of Chauncey Billups and Rip Hamilton, who combined for just 8-26 FG, 27 points, 8 assists, and 4 turnovers. Billups uncharacteristically missed 3 of 4 free throws in the game’s waning minutes (he’s the NBA’s second-best from the line behind Peja Stojakovic), while Hamilton suffered through an absolutely dismal night from the field. I have some thoughts on Hamilton and his future with Detroit, but will save those for after the playoffs are over.

After building what seemed to be a comfortable 13-point lead at the half, four of the five Pistons starters (Rasheed Wallace being the exception) stopped doing what got them the lead in the first place. They stopped hustling, they stopped making easy shots, they let an offensive nobody named Reggie Evans score 11 points and pull down 14 rebounds. Flip Saunders stopped playing his bench (something he promised all season long wouldn’t happen), and the hometown fans stopped cheering… and started booing as the final buzzer sounded.

And rightfully so. They paid good money to see what should have been a gimme win. What they got instead was 1 1/2 quarters of vintage Deeeeeeeee-troit basketball and 2 1/2 quarters of the brand of basketball that ushered the Pistons out of the Conference Finals each of the last two seasons: complacent, unemotional basketball.

Okay.

It felt good to get that off my chest and out of the way. Visit any Detroit Pistons online message board today and you’ll read similar sentiments, albeit expressed in a much more juvenile, harder-to-read format.

But what you probably won’t find is the following sentiment: as twisted and unnecessary and ridiculous and frustrating as it may sound, sometimes this Pistons team needs losses like this for them to really get going. Believe me, I’m sick of it and I wish it wasn’t true. They’re too good to need a good kick in the ass to get motivated to beat on a lesser opponent.

This happened once before, however—losing homecourt advantage in the first round to a team they clearly should have swept. When, you ask? Back in the 2004 playoffs. That’s right, the year they won it all.

More on the Detroit Pistons and how they can quickly turn it around after the jump…

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- AJC.com – “I ate some wings and I asked for Ranch dressing, but it wasn’t Ranch.”
- The Bratwurst – The Milwaukee Bucks have already found a new head coach.
- Give Me The Rock – One writer names his year-end award winners with a fantasy spin.
- Sports Sayers – I’ve also heard Bosh looks like an ant-eater crossed with Jar-Jar Binks.
- Fan IQ – A video tribute to one of the most entertaining coaches in NY Knicks history.
- The Lenin Closet – Another tribute to the Knicks, this time in depressing t-shirt form.
- Celtics Blog – Celtics fans are loving that sickening loss by the Detroit Pistons last night.
- Ball Don’t Lie – And yes, it was a bad loss… but losing three more to the 76ers? Please.
- Bright Side of the Sun – A cozy, fireside chat with Phoenix Suns rookie Alando Tucker.
- Sports by Brooks – Carmelo Anthony had to know Lakers’ fans wouldn’t forget his DUI.
- We Rite Goode – NBA bloggers voted for stuff and things: here’s the final round.
- Ghosts of Wayne Fontes – Crappy NBA fans, this one is for you.
- Half Court Heave – New NY Knicks GM Donnie Walsh is already getting called out.

As long as the Los Angeles Lakers survive through the 2008 NBA playoffs, Empty the Bench’s West Coast correspondent Christopher Thell will be submitting a local fan’s take on his beloved Lakers postseason trials, tribulations and successes. In this first edition he discusses what went right and wrong in Sunday’s victory over the Denver Nuggets.

Let me preface this postseason journey by saying just how gosh darn nice it is that Smush Parker no longer plays point guard for the Lakers. How sweet and truly wonderful. Regardless of what happens, whether the Lakers choke and lose to the Nuggets in the first round – or whether they summon all of their collective courage and acumen to win the title – I don’t have to watch Smush Parker anymore. The fact that he ended this season with the Clippers is not only fitting, but seems to point toward an unmistakable order in the universe.

That said, wow – what a great first-round game to be a Lakers fan.

True, the Lakers were sloppy at times and didn’t impress with their defensive intensity, but at no point during today’s game – even when the Lakers trailed by as many as nine in the second quarter, or when the Nuggets cut a 19 point lead down to ten in the fourth quarter – did I ever feel like a Lakers victory was in doubt.

I mean, when you get 16 points from Fluke Walton, you know things are going the Lakers way.

More on the Lakers Game 1 victory after the jump…

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The 2007-08 NBA playoffs are in full swing, but there’s still time to familiarize yourself with all the teams and matchups that will represent the Association in the first round of elimination. With that in mind, we’ve gathered all of Empty the Bench’s legendary previews in one handy location to make it easy for you, dearest readers, to find them, study them, and collect them.

Eastern Conference

- It’d Be the Biggest Upset in NBA History (Good Luck, Atlanta): Boston Celtics vs. Atlanta Hawks Playoff Preview – Read the Preview

- Get Back to Where You Once Belonged: Detroit Pistons vs. Philly 76ers Playoff Preview – Read the Preview

- Dinosaurs Facing Extinction (Again): Orlando Magic vs. Toronto Raptors Playoff Preview – Read the Preview

- You Want It, You Got It: Washington Wizards vs. Cleveland Cavaliers Playoff Preview – Read the Preview

Western Conference

- Outgunned: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Denver Nuggets Playoff Preview – Read the Preview

- Past, Present, and Future: New Orleans Hornets vs. Dallas Mavericks Preview – Read the Preview

- Bleached Bones in the Desert: Phoenix Suns vs. San Antonio Spurs Playoff Preview – Read the Preview

- Rematch Special: Utah Jazz vs. Houston Rockets Playoff Preview – Read the Preview

Kobe Bryant Photo Credit: Jeff Lewis/Icon SM

Los Angeles Lakers: 57-25, 1st seed
Denver Nuggets: 50-31, 8th seed
Head-to-Head: Lakers on series 3-0

Prelude

A testament to just how strong the West has been this year, only seven games separate the eighth and first seeds and both are 50-win teams. This matchup isn’t the typical cakewalk you expect in the first round for a one seed, as the Los Angeles Lakers will have to contend against a roster featuring superstars Allen Iverson, Carmelo Anthony and Marcus Camby. That’s a lot of star power for such a heavy underdog, and it should make for some wild games. The offenses will be on overdrive — throw in Kobe Bryant and you have three of the NBA’s top four scorers from the regular season. The Denver Nuggets put up 110.7 points a game, the second-most in the league, while Los Angeles manages 108.6 points per, good for fourth-most in the league. Both of these squads can score. The difference will be defense, or the lack thereof in Denver. The Nuggets are giving up 107 points a night, the second-worst defense in the NBA. Los Angeles hasn’t been elite this year, but they only allow 101.3 points, which places them in the middle of the pack.

It should be interesting to see how these two coaches match up. George Karl’s teams have earned a reputation for underachieving and choking in the postseason, and you have to consider an eight seed a disappointment for any team featuring that Iverson, Melo and Camby trio. Karl is also an extremely ornery and bull-headed coach who wears his players down, fluctuates minutes, makes rapid lineup changes and isn’t afraid to put somebody in the doghouse at any point. Compared to Karl, Phil Jackson’s relaxed brand of leadership makes him look like a cuddly teddy bear. Jackson is largely going to sit back and let his players play, simply making the necessary defensive adjustments and substitutions. He’s had tremendous success at this level, and he isn’t going to get rattled — and he won’t let his team either.

While I consider the Denver regular-season performance a let down, the fact that the Lake Show sits atop the West is remarkable. The contentious summer in Los Angeles when most NBA observers thought there was a slim chance that Kobe Bryant would finish this season in a Lakers jersey seems like a very long time ago. It’s hard to imagine that Sports Illustrated predicted this team would miss the postseason. Now they sit with top seed in the Western Conference and likely MVP Kobe Bryant firmly committed to this team, having one of the most effective and least selfish seasons of his career. Kobe has been able to adapt his game to teammates and situations. Before Bynum went down Kobe had his Lakers atop the ultra-competitive Western Conference for a spell. Then he took on the scoring load and sustained them until the Paul Gasol trade. After Pau came to town, he adjusted and adapted to the arrival of another star who needs the ball. Over the last year Kobe has adapted to and built his game around a completely new team, and they’ve become one of the four best teams in the NBA.

ETB breaks down the Lakers-Nuggets series and rolls out our predictions after the jump…

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Boston Celtics: 66-16, 1st seed
Atlanta Hawks: 37-45, 8th seed
Head-to-Head: Boston swept season series 3-0

Prelude

It’s not like the Boston Celtics needed any further motivation heading into the postseason.

After adding All-Star veterans Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett last summer and stripping their club of over half of its promising-but-unproven talent in the process, the Celtics instantly transformed themselves from one of the NBA’s youngest and least successful teams into one of its top contenders. Many predicted an adjustment period because of the drastic roster upheaval, but there was no such thing in the cards for this team. Boston stormed out to an astonishing 29-3 record to start the season, quickly establishing themselves as an incredibly tough squad to beat in Boston and a premier defensive unit. They never looked back, and have coasted through the better part of the regular season with little more to play for than to fine tune their efficient machine.

And it hasn’t just been KG, Allen, and Paul Pierce behind the success. Second-year PG Rajon Rondo has improved his overall game drastically compared to his rookie season, bumping his per-game averages up in field-goal shooting (49%), points (10.6), assists (5.1), rebounds (4.2), and steals (1.7). James Posey has given the team toughness, tenacious man-defense, and an outside scoring threat off the bench in his first season with Boston. Starting center Kendrick Perkins has been a beast on the blocks, while fellow youngsters Leon Powe and Glen Davis have developed into reliable low-post bangers capable of putting up big stats when needed. For as “old” as their core is, like the Detroit Pistons the Celtics have still reserved lots of room (and minutes) for a few potential building blocks of the future.

Their opponent, the Atlanta Hawks, have been building towards this day for a decade. Their last playoff appearance came back in 1999, when they eliminated the then-stagnating Pistons in the first round before being knocked off in the second by the New York Knicks. (My, how things have changed.) Led by two of the best players casual NBA fans have never heard—SG and first-time All Star Joe Johnson along with explosive F Josh “J-Smoove” Smith—the Hawks would have finished in 12th place overall in the Western Conference, but managed to squeeze out the Indiana Pacers for the 8th and final spot in the top-heavy East.

If you haven’t seen much of the Hawks this season, despite their sub-.500 record they really are a fun team to watch, especially since ex-Sacramento Kings PG Mike Bibby arrived in a trade-deadline deal. Johnson is one of the league’s best pure scorers and excellent at creating his own shot, rookie Alfred Horford is our pick to win this year’s Rookie of the Year award (10 points, 9.7 boards, 50% FG, 1 block/per), and the aforementioned Smith can fill up a stat sheet with the best of ‘em: in this his fourth pro season after entering the league straight out of high school, the 6-9 Smith averaged 17.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.5 steals, and 2.8 blocks. And he can drain the longball. Yes, the kid is absolutely filthy.

He’s also still a very immature player at times, which brings me back to the Celtics not needing any further motivation to squelch the little weasel that is the Atlanta Hawks. There’s nothing wrong with confidence in yourself and your teammates—let’s face it, the Hawks are going to need plenty of it over the next week or so—but Smith (and Josh Childress) probably could have kept this stuff behind closed doors:

Atlanta forward Josh Smith has said his team is “going to shock the world” by upsetting the Celtics. Teammate Josh Childress has said he doesn’t think “there’s any position where you can say we are severely undermanned against them.”

The Boston Celtics beat the Atlanta Hawks by an average of 14.3 points during their three regular-season meetings.

ETB breaks down the Celtics-Hawks series and rolls out our predictions after the jump…

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Detroit Pistons: 59-23, 2nd seed
Philadelphia 76ers: 40-42, 7th seed
Head-to-Head: Season series tied at 2-2

Prelude

Seven straight 50+ win seasons. Five consecutive Eastern Conference Finals. Two NBA Finals. One NBA championship. And, still, it’s not enough for these Detroit Pistons.

For all the success the Pistons franchise has experienced for the better part of the last decade, there’s still an empty pit in the stomach of its management, its players, and its fans. Two trips to the finals were nice, but there probably should have been two more. NBA titles are hard to come by, and that thumping of the Los Angeles Lakers back in 2004 was oh so very sweet, but the loss in a grueling seven-game series to the San Antonio Spurs the following year cut deeply. And then of course there was the disappointing ECF losses to the Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers, two teams they were probably better than but whom outplayed, out-strategized, and ultimately outdid the favored Pistons in six games each.

When you know you could have played better, could have lasted longer, could have a few more rings on your fingers, the bad taste left in your mouth is hard to rinse out.

But here they are again, Central Division champs and the East’s 2nd-seeded team with a 59-23 record. Here they are with another chance to get it done as quickly and painlessly as possible in the early rounds of the postseason. And here they are, once again, determined to cement their legacy as one of the best teams in NBA history. The core group—you know who they are by now—has no interest in another silver medal. They know the inexplicable skepticism that has dogged their NBA dominance will linger on unless they win it all. They know they have the talent, depth, and experience to get there: now they have to actually do it.

The upstart Philadelphia 76ers, though very respectful of their opponent, could care less about the Pistons quest to fully realize their legacy. Pegged as a lottery-bound team deeply entrenched in the post-Allen Iverson rebuilding process, head coach Maurice Cheeks guided his team to one of the best records in the Eastern Conference since the All-Star break and a final regular season tally of 40 wins and 42 losses. They’re gutty, they’re extremely athletic, and once they grab that long rebound or force a turnover they’re adopting with a pack mentality and running wild on a fast break back the other way.

Led by rising star Andre Iguodala, underrated veteran PG Andre Miller, and one of the better shot-blocking and rebounding bigs in the East, Mr. Samuel Dalembert, the Sixers have improved faster than anyone anticipated. For what they have in promise and raw talent, however, they lack in experience compared to Detroit: Pistons’ starting SF Tayshaun Prince, alone, has played in more playoff games than the Sixers’ entire roster combined. Rebounding specialist Reggie Evans is the only Sixer of note who has won a playoff series.

David vs. Goliath? Not quite, but it’s pretty damn close.

ETB breaks down the Pistons-76ers series and rolls out our predictions after the jump…

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