Empty the Bench

By Brian Spencer

In the wacky world of David Kahn, Darko Milicic has morphed into an athletically inclined religious deity, an angel in a buzzcut sent to this earth to resuscitate the bumbling Minnesota Timberwolves franchise through miraculous feats of scoring, rebounding, and shot-blocking. In the infamous words of Kahn himself, Milicic is, literally, “like manna from heaven.”

Now safely secured in Minnesota for 4 years and $20 million, after The Kahn won a contentious bidding war with the night manager at Burger Buddy in Belgrade for the unrestricted free-agent’s services, Milicic will finally blossom into that filthy inside-outside threat we heard about and drooled about 7 years ago, when he was but a millionaire baby boy, a true rags-to-riches heartwarmer from the streets of Novi Sad in the former Yugoslavia.

With the ball, he’ll wheel and deal in the post with the grace of a ballerina and the skill of a blind electrician. He’ll nail spot-up jumpers from the top of the key, pop out behind the three-point line to keep unwitting (and totally overmatched) defenders honest, and in the post… oh, me oh my, here’s where The Darko will be truly feared. A seven-footer who plays like a ten-footer, with tree trunks as arms and a battle-hardened mentality developed in New York during his successful tenure with James Dolan’s battle-hardened Knicks.

Without the ball, he’ll roam the middle of the paint like a lion hunting maimed impala, intimidating, flexing, scowling, a mean motherfucker who takes shit from nobody: not Chris Wilcox, not Fabricio Oberto, not Brian Skinner. Nobody goddamnit. This is maximum fucking Darko in your fucking face; it won’t be safe for children under the age of 18 in the Target Center anymore, so leave the kids at home, all you season-ticket holders.

Darko is not the only Phoenix The Kahn has summoned from the ashes of sub-mediocrity, however, to lead His Holy Reclamation.

On a team overloaded with point guards (and one overseas point guard prospect, the nubile Ricky Rubio), The Kahn performed the only sensible act any capable GM would: he stirred the backcourt logjam by trading Ramon Sessions, the team’s prized free-agent signee last year, to the sadsack Cleveland Cavaliers for… point guard Sebastian Telfair and combo guard Delonte West (whom will be bought out, and will spend said buyout money on 25 new Beretta M9s and a small militia of armed monkeys to patrol the grounds of his house).

With Sessions gone, and last year’s lottery pick Jonny Flynn recovering from hip surgery and searching for his missing “H”, and Rubio set to hit puberty in Spain, The Kahn will hand the keys to the Timberwolves’ clunker over to blockbuster free-agent signee Luke Ridnour, who was taken 12 picks after Darko (14th overall) in the 2003 NBA Draft. Shrewdly and silently, while all the offseason accolades have been showered on the Heat for bringing in three lottery picks from that famous ’03 draft, The Kahn has acquired two lottery selections of his own. Eat the corn kernels from his shit, world, The Kahn has bamboozled the lot of you.

Speaking of the Heat, The Kahn played them like the obvious chumps they are in giving up shits and giggles for Michael Beasley, the second-overall pick of the 2008 NBA Draft. The Kahn said everything you ever need to know about Beasley: “He’s a very young and immature kid who smoked too much marijuana and has told me that he’s not smoking anymore, and I told him that I would trust him as long as that was the case.” The Kahn was fined $50,000 by the league for his comments, but you can’t put a price on trust.

Joining Beasley on the frontlines will be fellow newcomer Nikola Pekovic, who may or may not also be immature and lie about not smoking pot. A second-round pick in ’08, Pekovic is a 6-11 machine who Kahn reportedly thinks could also develop into “manna from heaven.” ESPN enthusiastically summed up the Pekovic/Darko signings: “The Timberwolves spent $33 million to shore up their middle.”

These moves meant there was no more room for Al “Scapegoat” Jefferson, the centerpiece of the Kevin Garnett trade. He was kicked out of town for being relatively young, quite affordable, and very talented in exchange for two future first-round picks and Kosta Koufos, whom the club expects to bond with Darko nicely. The club realized that Jefferson, of course, is no Pekovic, a sentiment echoed by Zach Harper of A Wolf Among Wolves:

“Nikola is impressively efficient in scoring the ball in the post. The fact that his lowest field goal percentage is 57.4% should tell you a lot about his patience and ability to get off quality shots inside. There’s not a lot of wasted movement. For the last couple of years, we’ve been used to watching Al Jefferson pump fake eight times before awkwardly getting his shot off. It went in more than it rimmed out for a rebound opportunity but it wasn’t the most efficient way to get a good flow in your halfcourt offense. But with Pekovic, you’re going to get direct movement that gets the ball into the basket in the quickest and most proficient way we’ve seen with this franchise.”

There you have it: Pekovic is already better than Al Jefferson before he’s played in a single NBA game. It’s The Kahn’s world, and we’re just lucky to live in it laugh at it, right Chris Webber?

By Zachariah Blott

The World Cup kicked off Friday morning in host country South Africa, and with that the NBA Finals were completely forgotten by about 90% of the globe (including, ahem, your faithful editors at ETB). The Cup has and probably always will trump the NBA Finals in most parts of the world when it comes around every 4 years, so maybe it’s time the NBA’s players stopped swimming against the tide and joined in.

What if Team USA had access to a time machine and could start training the NBA’s future stars in the ways of the world’s most popular sport instead? Who would they target and for what positions? Lucky for you I pondered these questions and have some answers.

Here are your NBA members of the hypothetical 2010 World Cup champs (if Team USA soccer actually had a time machine, and, well, didn’t actually use it to help humanity):

Goalie: LeBron James

With his size, hops, and quick-twitch speed, LeBron would probably be the best goalie in the world. He’d pounce on any opponents who dribble their way into the middle, could block shots close to the goal that require lightning fast reflexes, and he’d easily snatch any crosses that were intended for headers anywhere in the box. His aggressive attitude would fit his massive frame well, controlling the penalty area to the point of intimidation.

Center Fullbacks: Ron Artest and Chris Andersen

Center fullbacks have to control the area in front of the goalie so that opponents never get an easy look to score. They need the physical and mental toughness to stand up to any world-class forward, and they need enough speed to cover up anything that slips by the fullbacks out on the wings or the midfielders. Not only that, they are usually two of the team’s taller players so that they can head looping crosses out of harm’s way. I’d say Artest and Andersen are just about the perfect combination of size, toughness, and attitude to ensure no one ever gets a clean look at the goal.

Left and Right Fullbacks: Monta Ellis and Russell Westbrook

You need fullbacks on the wing who are fast and annoying and all over anything that the opponents are trying to develop from the outside. They have to be relentless on defense and willing to push ahead quickly with the ball when the opportunity presents itself for a counter-attack. Ellis and Westbrook possess all the natural skills necessary, plus they’re both more than able to pester opponents into making bad decisions with the ball, or to turn poor passes into quick strikes the other way.

The rest of the NBA FIFA World Cup 2010 team after the break…

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By: Andrew Thell

Loyal Empty the Bench readers have grown accustomed to the work of regular NBA contributor Zach Blott over the last year. Zach signed on last season to cover the NBA with his unique perspective and has been delivering the goods on a consistent basis since. Readers have come to know Zach’s hallmarks: strong research, solid statistical analysis, a desire to look past the big name and easy storyline, an affinity for team play, rebounding and defense and … an undying distaste for Mr. Kobe Bean Bryant.

We’ve been proud to host Mr. Blott’s work over the last year as he’s tackled NBA-related issues from Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace’s insanity to the 2009 NBA Summer League to the very best and worst in NBA logos to the top NBA stories of the decade to the the NBA MVP race for perimeter players and post players to his controversial statistical analysis of LeBron James’ foul totals to his stellar Advanced Basketball Statistics 101.

We’ve grown quite fond of Zach’s strong contributions all over the site, as I’m sure all of you have, and so we are proud to announce that Mr. Blott has founded an NBA-specific website of his own. The new digs will be dedicated exclusively basketball news and the site goes by the name Hoops Karma. HK examines the why’s and how’s of the NBA and discusses observations of trends and happenings in-depth. Hoops Karma has already been mentioned on ESPN2′s SportsNation and given Mr. Blott’s skills and work ethic I have little doubt this is just the beginning for him. So bookmark Hoops Karma, add it to your RSS feed and follow HK on Twitter.

To get you started, some recent quality posts on Hoops Karma include:

- Lakers’ Fortunes Rest on Bynum’s Knee
- NJ’s Summer Decisions Will Make or Break the Next Five Years
- Don’t Forget About Shaq In This Free Agent Market
- Is Bad Luck a Thing of the Past In Washington?
- Hoops Summer Reading List

Check it out, you won’t regret it.

From both of us here at ETB, we wish you the best of luck Mr. Blott.

By Zachariah Blott

We all know how Kobe Bryant, Rajon Rondo, Dwight Howard, and Steve Nash have been performing during the playoffs, but oftentimes a club’s bench play can swing a few postseason games in directions the fans didn’t expect. Each team left standing sports at least one elite reserve capable of providing an offensive spark or some heady defense to keep things rolling.

Let’s break down the top bench player on each remaining squad and how they’ve helped their teams in the playoffs to this point.

Tony Allen, Boston Celtics, G/F

Allen is an explosive athlete who can pressure opposing defenses with his aggressive drives to the hoop or opposing offenses with his tenacity on or off the ball. Through 14 playoff games, he’s shooting 53% (37 for 69), chiefly by taking it to the hole to bank in lay-ups or for short jumpers. Or to make a statement. On top of that, he’s done a decent job getting to the line when he recognizes a mismatch against a slower defender. In the Second Round against Cleveland, Allen shot six free throws in the clinching Game Six, plus another six in the series’ turning point, Game Four. His attacking presence on offense allows the Celtics to keep their foot on the gas when necessary without having to rely on Rajon Rondo to do so for the entire game, similar to Kyle Lowry’s presence on Houston last year in the post-season.

On the defensive side, Allen’s speed and size (6-4, 215) allow the defensive-minded C’s some flexibility in their lineups and versatility in their matchups. He will guard point guards, shooting guards, or small forwards depending on which other green shirts are out there with him. His ball-hawking skills have resulted in 18 steals in the playoffs, second on Boston only to Rondo, the league’s steals leader, who has 30 (though it should be noted that Rondo has played 587 minutes to Allen’s 253).

Mickael Pietrus, Orlando Magic, G/F

Pietrus is the perfect reserve for Orlando: He shoots lots of threes at a high percentage and he can play defense. During the regular season, Pietrus connected on 38% of his triples for the league’s top long-range shooting squad, hitting 1.6 per. So far in the playoffs, he’s second on the team with 24 trifectas (just behind Jameer Nelson and Rashard Lewis’ 25) at a blistering 47%. Pietrus has rung up multiple threes in 8 of their 11 post-season games, but he’s only 3 for 10 against Boston through two. Besides shooting, he’s been smart with the ball, only turning it over six times in 232 minutes.

Orlando’s other calling card is defense, and the 6-6 athlete doesn’t disappoint there either. He has the length, quickness, and intelligence to stick whomever the Magic need him to guard. He’s recorded sevel steals and four blocks, which rank fifth and third on the team respectively.

Checking out the other top teams’ top reserves, after the jump …

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By Zachariah Blott

LeBron James may have played his last game as a Cavalier, and it was a stinker. A triple-double stinker. He had 27 points (but on 38% shooting), 10 assists (but also 9 turnovers), and 19 rebounds. Not much to complain about with the 19 rebounds, but did anyone else notice he went out of his way to make even the most routine defensive boards with no Celtics around look like superhero grabs? James leapt over teammates who have obviously been trained to let him get the 50-50 ricochets, then he’d turn and sprint to half-court like he was playing capture the flag.

And that in itself illustrates the issue that many people suddenly have with James: he appears to be a lot more show than substance at times. It’s not like there weren’t signs all along. He slept below posters of himself while in high school. He hijacked KG’s pre-game white powder ritual and made sure everyone was watching him and only him while opponents were huddling up – you know, being a team. His well-known goal is to be a billionaire athlete; I’ve never read a quote by James concerning how many rings he’d like. He kept everyone in suspense for an entire year about the Slam Dunk competition he eventually skipped. You can bet he’ll drag out this summer’s free agency process for as many headlines as he can get.

So it’s officially the end of Year Seven of the most recent Next Jordan timeline, and again the Cavaliers have very little to show for James’ efforts. He won an MVP award for his individual play, but again Cleveland is out of contention sooner than they should be. Here’s a quick recap of Cleveland’s past seven years:

2003-04: James’ rookie season was a great success. The Cavs improved from 17 wins to 35, and James won the Rookie of the Year award by averaging 21 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists per.

2004-05: James amps it up, putting up pers of 27, 7, and 7 as the Cavaliers improve to 42-40, losing a tie-breaker to the Nets for the final playoff spot in the East.

2005-06: With an ensemble cast that resembles Iverson’s Sixers in 2001, Cleveland finishes fourth in the East, losing to the top-seeded Pistons 4-3 in the second round. Down 2 games to 1 in that series, James has a not-so-hot remainder of the season, shooting 41% (40 for 97) and collecting 21 assists to 20 turnovers.

2006-07: King James finally arrives in the Finals with the help of conference-wide ineptitude. In possibly the worst showing ever by the Eastern Conference during their decade-long status as second-class NBA basketball, Cleveland is one of only two teams in the East to win 50 games (Cavs 50, Pistons 53). The 41-41 Wizards were the 6 seed, the West won the All-Star Game by a zillion and it wasn’t even that close, and the Spurs swept the Cavs in the Championships. In the final series, James shot 36% (32 for 90) and had at least 5 turnovers in each of the four games. James shot a measly 42% for the entire playoffs, including 28% from deep.

2007-08: James’ individual numbers in the regular-season continue to amaze (30-8-7), and the Cavs finish fourth in the East that is suddenly dominated by KG’s Celtics. After squeaking by the 43-39 Wizards in the first round, the Cavaliers put up a valiant fight against the eventual champs, going down 4-3 to Boston. James shoots a horrid 35% (55 for 155) for the series with several games that looked like his recent Game Five turd. James averaged 6 turnovers in their 4 losses.

2008-09: James wins his first MVP award as Cleveland surges to finish an NBA-best 66-16 with a really well-paid lineup that LeBron had some say in. The Cavs are surrounding him with talent he gives the OK to, and they sweep through to the Eastern Finals to face the third-seeded Magic. After James buries a dramatic Game Two triple at the buzzer to tie the series, he shoots 43% the rest of the way (43 for 101) as Orlando wins relatively easily in six.

2009-10: Again he’s the MVP, and again Cleveland sports the NBA’s top record with one of the highest paid squads. James wants Shaq. Done. James wants Antawn Jamison and gets him, even though it requires a trade-and-re-sign diss to 11-year company man Zydrunas Ilgauskas. The Cavs get by the 41-41 Bulls in the First Round and then face the aging, up-and-down Celtics. Cleveland loses in 6 (and was the lesser team in Game One) with James shooting 37% (25 for 68) and turning it over 24 times versus 29 assists in the four losses. After his much talked-about Game Five crapfest, James tells reporters that he spoils fans with his great play and feels bad for himself.

Speculating on LeBron James’ future, after the jump …

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By Zachariah Blott

For the second straight year, Celtics PG Rajon Rondo is following up a very good regular season with a tremendous postseason. The diminutive speedster went off on Cleveland Sunday night in Game Four of the second round, putting up a Oscar Robertson-esque 29 points, 18 rebounds, and 13 assists in a series-tying 97-87 win.

Although this single performance was historically noteworthy, his averages and individual lines during the entire playoffs are downright intimidating for a 6-1, 170-pound point guard. In five first round games against Miami, Rondo averaged 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 10 assists per. He also picked up 12 steals in the series, snagging at least 2 in every game.

Then it was onto the real challenge: Cleveland in the the second round. Through four games, he’s filling the stat sheet to the tune of 19 points, 8 rebounds, and 13 assists per. He has 5 steals against the league’s top team, and he’s shooting 52%.

Behind Rondo’s outstanding big-game step-up-manship, Boston has LeBron’s squad locked in a dogfight that’s now a best-of-three series.

If Rondo was putting up numbers like Chris Paul during the regular season, this would all look like superstar business as usual. That’s not the case, however. Rondo’s season was a respectable 14 points, 4 rebounds, and 10 assists per, which earned him his first All-Star Game appearance, but it certainly was no clear harbinger of what was to follow. Beyond the suddenly increased averages, he already has 1 triple-double in the playoffs after recording only 2 in his 81 regular-season contests.

Last year went the same way for Rondo. His regular season pers were 12 points, 5 rebounds, and 8 assists. Once the playoffs hit, he was a do-it-all machine, averaging 17, 10, and 10. Again, he only recorded 2 triple-doubles before the playoffs, but he went for 3 in 14 post-season games. Even with a veteran squad filled with plenty of players more than capable of contributing in every which way, Rondo has shown a penchant for taking over when it really counts.

If there’s one thing every coach would give his left arm for, it’s players who are good enough to get you to the playoffs who then really step it up once you’re there. This type of player ends up with championships and with the tag of “winner” bestowed upon him by fans – guys like Bill Russell, whose career 15-22-4 became 16-25-5 in the post-season (because it was harder to get credited with assists back in the 60′s, Russell’s assist totals often lead his team during the post-season; Bill Walton wasn’t the only one) are known as winners. Then you look at someone like Wilt Chamberlain, and his averages of 30-23-4 on 54% shooting dipped to 23-24-4 on 52% once it really mattered. The one has 11 rings, the other has 2 and was labeled a “loser” for most of his career. Guess why.

Throw in the stellar defense Rondo has displayed early in his career (he was just named All-Defensive First Team), and Boston arguably has the best point guard in the NBA right now.

Let’s take a quick look at how he stacks up against the other top 1′s around the league.

Where Rondo ranks among the NBA’s point guards, after the jump …

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By Zachariah Blott

Best-of-seven series in the NBA can drag on a long time and take a lot of twists and turns. They force teams that want to win to control momentum, steal a few wins on the road, and to dominate match-up disparities they should dominate. Only two teams have come out and looking like championship material, showing that they can do all of these things in the early part of the playoffs: the Orlando Magic and San Antonio Spurs.

Don’t extrapolate what I’m saying too far. I’m not about to put any money on these two when the league and its advertisers have been bombarding us with LeBron vs. Kobe, Cleveland vs. Los Angeles plot lines for two solid years. It’s not 1979 anymore; I’ve come to expect the sexy teams to win.

That being said, here are the tremendous post-season resumes of Orlando and San Antonio through the first round, plus some notes on what the other contenders have lacked up to this point.

Orlando Magic

For starters, they’re the only team to sweep their first-round series, which has to count for something. That means they won two in Charlotte, where the Bobcats were 31-10 during the regular season. Game Three was particularly telling in this series after the Magic had won both home games by carrying double-digit leads through most of the two second halves.

Charlotte lead by five at the half in the third game, and were holding even going into the fourth quarter before succumbing 90-86. The key reason Orlando had to grind out a tough final period to effectively end the series was that their customary trifectas weren’t falling. They hit only 9 of 30 deep balls (30%) in the contest, so they turned to plan B, which was dominant rebounding (43-33) and stellar defense (holding Charlotte to 42% FG and 22% 3FG). Even with their main offensive calling card neutralized, they had enough counter-punches to get the win.

Orlando re-found their downtown touch in Game Four (13-33 from three, 39%), controlling the second half on the way to a series-ending 99-90 win, making them one of only two teams to win two road games in the first round (The other? Phoenix). The Magic have shown that if they have at least one of their three strengths working for them in any given contest—three-point shooting, defensive rebounding, and team defense—they can win the tough games. Sound familiar, Cleveland fans?

San Antonio Spurs

The Spurs were the only underdog to win in the first round (a 53-29 Jazz squad beating a 53-29 Nuggets squad doesn’t count). It came against a 55-win Dallas team that was sporting some new talent, Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood, and fresh off an 8-2 finish down the stretch. The Mavericks looked to have the West’s best chance of knocking off the loaded Lakers, and their prospects appeared to be decent against an aging Spurs team. Especially one with the recently re-activated Tony Parker coming off the bench and their big free agent grab, Richard Jefferson, contributing his worst scoring and three-point shooting numbers since he was a rookie (12 points per, 32% 3FG).

Dallas threw around its muscle in Game One, outrebounding Duncan and Co. 45-37 and getting to the line 20 more times than SA (34-14). The result was a barely gratifying 100-94 victory. The Spurs know what to do in the playoffs, though, and they came through with one exploited match-up after another, shooting 48% over the next three games while holding most of Dallas’ talent in check; Nowitzki was the only Mav to both score and shoot well for the series (27 points per, 55% FG). The Spurs took all three, came out with a rest-the-starters stinker in Game Five (Duncan, 24 minutes; Ginobili, 18; McDyess, 14; Jefferson, 24; Hill, 29) without relinquishing momentum. They went home with a 3-2 lead and nearly put it to bed by the end of the first quarter (22-8) in Game Six. They rode out a run-and-gun fourth to a 97-87 win, clinching the series.

The Spurs would like to remind everyone that they always turn it on in the playoffs, regularly get big performances out of secondary guys (over the last four games, George Hill scored 20 per, shot 55%, and hit 7 of 15 bombs), are the most intelligent team by a mile, played without Parker for 26 games and without the way underrated Matt Bonner for 17, went 18-8 to finish the season, and just dismantled one of the NBA’s four best teams.

Sizing up the rest of the field, after the jump …

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By Zachariah Blott

Going down 0-2 in a playoff series isn’t necessarily a death sentence, but having to win four of five is never a situation a coach wants to find his squad in.

That’s exactly what Milwaukee’s Scott Skiles faced 1 week ago, and it wasn’t looking too cheery before then either. Not only did the Bucks lose center Andrew Bogut, their best player and defensive stopper, but they were squaring off with the third-seeded Hawks, who posted an intimidating 34-7 mark at home and went 7-3 down the stretch, including wins over the Lakers and Cavaliers.

The first two games in this series, in Atlanta, went according to form: the Hawks went up early because they have more talent and then rode out the fourth quarters to wins that were even easier than the 10-point win margins indicated. Milwaukee tried to steal one of those two games by tossing up tons of triples, something they did during the regular season (sixth-most threes in the league, which is really good when you consider that the Bucks play at a measured pace). Instead they clanked 34 of 44 attempts from downtown and were on their way home for Game Three in a 0-2 hole.

Everyone figured the Bucks had stopped there (including me). Maybe they’d pull out an emotional Game Three in front of a crowd starved for postseason action, but no one outside of Wisconsin expected what happened next.

Milwaukee came out smoking hot at the Bradley Center in the third game, building a 17-point lead by the end of the first quarter behind stellar three-point shooting (10-23 for the game), cruising to a 107-89 blowout. Good for them, most pundits felt, and then they showed in Game Four that they could also grind it out for an entire contest in winning 111-104. This time, they did it without ever holding a big lead, but again nailing the triples that eluded them in the first two games (7 for 18, 39%).

Game Five back in Atlanta turned out to be a true beauty. With four minutes left, the Hawks were sitting on a comfortable 82-73 lead, looking to make the NBA universe right again by taking back the series’ momentum as the healthy higher seed. Instead the Bucks went into attack mode in a big-time way, nailing a couple threes, driving like crazy to get to the line (9-12 on free throws in the last four minutes), and stopping the Hawks cold, taking the game and the series lead with a 91-87 gem.

How the heck did the Bucks do it? How did they stop a series that looked like it could be a runaway train and actually take the a 3-2 lead while Bogut sits on the bench with a deformed right arm?

How the Bucks have turned the series around after the break…

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By Brian Spencer

We begrudge you not, Tyreke Evans, for your voters pushing Stephen Curry out of the Rookie of the Year limelight. But we’re not entirely happy about it.

Yesterday the good people at Sactown Royalty broke the news that studly Sacramento Kings PG Tyreke Evans will be named the 2010 NBA Rookie of the Year. It’ll be formally announced on Thursday, and it’s not an especially surprising win for Evans. As the Kings’ new face of the franchise and one of the individual players I personally most enjoyed watching this season, Evans revealed himself as one cool cucumber under pressure, an efficient game-manager conducting and performing well beyond his 20 years. His efforts didn’t translate to many wins for the Kings (25-57), but the carnage would have been much worse—maybe Timberwolves worse—if not for him.

But like my colleague here at ETB, my man crush for Golden State Warriors G Stephen Curry ultimately supercedes my respect and admiration for Evans. I’m not quite ready to have Curry’s babies—he’ll have to first complete a successful sophomore season before I consider making that sort of commitment to him—but as the season progressed, and as I saw him steadily mature into a well-rounded dynamo who, as a rookie and like Evans, is every bit capable of carrying the load for a NBA franchise, the more my thinking changed on who deserved the Rookie of the Year nod.

They’re both worthy of the honor; this isn’t meant as a diss of Evans. In an ideal world, ROY voting would have ended in a tie, like it did 10 years ago for Elton Brand and Steve Francis and 15 years ago for Grant Hill and Jason Kidd.

Team record doesn’t really come into play, with the Warriors finishing just one game ahead of the Kings in the Pacific Division standings. Statistically the two finished in nearly a dead heat: Evans averaged about 3 points more per game and was the first rookie since LeBron James to average at least 20 points, 5 assists, and 5 rebounds per. Curry established himself as one of the league’s best, most-efficient three-point and free-throw shooters, finished with about 2 steals per, and averaged 22.5 points a night over his final 34 games.

Evans was probably the more consistent player of the two over the entire season, and because of it pretty much cemented himself in voters’ minds as the “runaway winner” early in the season. Curry really only entered the conversation as a viable alternative after the All-Star break and, fair or unfair, his fireworks in the second half of the season were likely viewed with an asterik because of the uptempo system in which he plays.

I don’t buy that possible demerit and feel any such skepticism does a disservice to what Curry unexpectedly accomplished. Those who actually watched the Warriors in action saw a player who responded extremely well under pressure, one entirely unfazed in end-game situations, and one every bit as eager to set up his teammates as he was to get his own shots.

While Don Nelson’s offense-only approach certainly worked in Curry’s favor, especially on fast breaks, at times the isolation-heavy sets worked against him, too, as he was far too often tasked with creating his own shot from the perimeter. Add to that an increased reliance on his offensive talents due to the ungodly amount of injuries that oftentimes left the Warriors’ roster bereft of proven scorers outside of Monta Ellis and Corey Maggette, both of whom suffered injuries themselves.

But, again, Evans wasn’t exactly living the high life in Sacramento, either, as the leader of a team who basically decided to reshuffle the deck midway through the season after trading Kevin Martin and and finished with only two players (Andres Nocioni and Ime Udoka) older than 28. The rookie from Memphis was asked to do it all, and, well, he basically did do it all.

Tyreke Evans and Stephen Curry are both primed for perennial All-Star status. They’re both worthy of Rookie of the Year recognition. If I had a ballot, though, I’d vote for the guy whose baby I’m more inclined to have. Here’s looking at you, Steph.

By Zachariah Blott

Veteran defending champions should take care of inexperienced clubs who some considered lucky to make the playoffs. Teams who lost multiple starters due to injuries have no business hanging with higher-seeded teams that are fully intact. Squads overflowing with talent don’t get pushed aside by rosters that were considered too old years ago.

A lot of things that shouldn’t be happening in the playoffs are taking place right now in the Western Conference. In fact, the current standings of all four series are a bit surprising. If things keep up, we’ll have to stop saying “should” and “shouldn’t” as early as this weekend.

#1 Los Angeles Lakers vs. #8 Oklahoma City Thunder (tied 2-2)

One week ago, this match-up looked to be a thanks-for-coming butt whopping delivered by the defending champs upon the playoff newbies. The Lakers’ frontline trio of Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum, and Lamar Odom averaged 44 points (on 33 shots) and 29 rebounds per, comparing favorably to the 1981 championship Celtics’ frontline, which is generally regarded as the best in NBA history. (That would be Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, who combined for 50 points [on 41 shots] and 25 rebounds per.)

LA also has Ron Artest, the NBA’s premier perimeter defender, and Derek Fisher, a super-clutch PG with four rings. Throw in one of the highest-paid benches that features a great mix of veterans and young up-and-comers, and it just didn’t seem fair. And then you add Kobe Bryant to the mix. Dear god.

The Thunder have excitement and a fun-to-watch quality on their side, but despite their long-term projection as a possible NBA powerhouse, they frankly have no business being in this series after four games. Their starting lineup has a combined 600 career playoff minutes, not quite two-thirds of what Kobe had last year alone. It was assumed Artest would make it difficult for Durant to score, the Laker bigs would bully Oklahoma City’s afterthought-of-a-frontline around the paint, and experience would easily push youthful exuberance right out of the playoffs.

At this point, though, the Thunder are looking to become only the second #8 seed ever to knock off the top seed in a best-of-seven series (#8 Golden State beat #1 Dallas in 2007). Los Angeles predictably took the first two, but both contests were close. The Lakers won Game One by eight, 87-79, but they were outscored by the Thunder over the last three quarters. Game Two was a nailbiter, with LA prevailing 95-92 behind a dominating rebounding performance (49 to 37) and Kobe’s splendid 13-15 free throw shooting.

Then the series swung over to Oklahoma City and things got interesting in a hurry. Kevin Durant threw his stick figure body into the mix for 19 rebounds and James Harden scored a big 18 points on only 7 shots off the bench in a 101-96 Game Three win. And then the Game Four shellacking happened, a 110-89 Thunder victory that wasn’t even that close. Now the Lakers are trying to figure out how to handle a green squad that’s sticking the defensive screws to everyone’s pick to win the West.

It’s now a three-game series with OKC holding all the momentum. Durant really hasn’t blown up yet in any game this series and Russell Westbrook’s speed is proving to be too much for a veteran Laker squad. Everyone predicted the Lakers would prevail within 5 games; now they’ll be lucky just to prevail.

Catch up on the rest of the West after the break…

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By Zachariah Blott

Orlando Magic vs. Charlotte Bobcats

1) There is just no defense to stop a team with multiple three-point shooters in the starting lineup and multiple three-point shooters off the bench. If there was, Larry Brown would have found it by now. Instead, the Magic have hit 23 trifectas through two games, which were two easy wins even with the Bobcats having a higher FG% and grabbing more rebounds. Don’t forget that many of Orlando’s long-range shooters have hard-to-defend height (6-10 Rashard Lewis, 6-10 Ryan Anderson, 6-6 Mickael Pietrus, and 6-6 Vince Carter won’t stay 0-9 outside).

2) Turnover margin is the most important stat that almost no one looks at. Of the Four Factors, turnover margin is the second-most important number when evaluating why a team wins or loses. So far, the Bobcats have turned it over 5 and 7 times more than the Magic, which creates 4- and 5- point swings at numerous points throughout a game. Something to keep an eye on in the second round if Orlando gets through: these turnovers have more to do with Charlotte’s O than the Magic’s D. Charlotte was the only team in the league to turn the ball over on more than 15 percent of their possessions this year (15.1).

Orlando Magic lead 2-0. Next game: Saturday in Charlotte

Atlanta Hawks vs. Milwaukee Bucks

1) Andrew Bogut’s defensive presence is what drove the Bucks. Milwaukee’s improvement from last year to this year can be attributed almost completely to their improved D, which roadblock centers are always the most important piece of. After a nasty arm break, the big Aussie isn’t playing in the postseason, which has allowed Atlanta to get away with Offensive Ratings of 118 and 111 in their first two wins. Milwaukee’s offense is definitely not strong enough to keep up with this sort of onslaught.

2) Good luck figuring out who to lock down in Atlanta’s starting lineup. All five have gone for double-digits in both games, including the underrated trio of Josh Smith, Joe Johnson, and Al Horford. In Game 2, all three scored at least 20 on a combined 29-47 shooting (62%). Don’t forget that the Hawks also bring Sixth Man of the Year Jamal Crawford off the bench. He averaged 18 per during the regular season, able to both get to the rim and shoot spot-up triples.

Atlanta Hawks lead 2-0. Next game: Saturday in Milwaukee

Boston Celtics vs. Miami Heat

1) Admit it: you forgot about the Celtics and assumed their team plane crashed somewhere. After playing .500 ball for the past two months, Boston came out and jacked the fourth quarter from Miami in Game 1, taking it big-brother style, 21-10 for a 9-point victory. Then everyone remembered that the Celtics are filled with Playoff-tested vets who play unselfishly and bust their humps on defense. Even with Garnett riding the pine due to a one-game suspension, the C’s had Game 2 locked up early in the 3rd quarter, winning 106-77.

2) Dwyane Wade really, really needs a new supporting cast. He’s been forced to do everything as the rest of his starting lineup has provided him with exactly one double-digit scorer each game. Michael Beasley should be a far more consistent contributor by this point (his college stats were better than Durant’s, in the same conference no less), but his head may not be in it. It looks like Wade will re-sign with Miami this summer, but they better bring in another max-contract guy or it won’t become long before that 2006 ring looks about 15 years old.

Boston Celtics lead 2-0. Next game: Friday in Miami

Cleveland Cavaliers-Chicago Bulls

1) As much as we know who all of LeBron’s teammates are, he really is doing most of this himself, which spells doom for later in the playoffs. There is no reason an eighth seed that played poorly down the stretch is hanging around with a team that was 20 games better during the regular season. The Cavs have had only one overpowering quarter in each of the series’ three games; otherwise the two squads have been pretty even. James is doing his usually dominating thing, and then you got … uh … Antawn Jamison? Mo Williams? Admit it, you think Cleveland’s second-best player is Anderson Varejao, a reserve. There is no way a club that’s barely staying ahead of this Bulls team is making it to the Finals unless, well, you know.

2) That being said, Cleveland will continue to win some games if they keep shooting 49% and averaging 24 assists per 38 made field goals a night. A huge part of this is obviously due to LeBron’s contagious passing chops, but don’t forget that they have plenty of smart players (Anthony Parker, Varejao) and legitimately decent passers (Shaq, Williams, Delonte West). A lot of this has to do with playing Chicago, but ball movement and smart shot selection really do get internalized after a while.

Cleveland Cavaliers lead 2-1. Next game: Sunday in Chicago

Breaking down the rest of the first-round matchups, after the jump …

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- Dwight’s Haiti Fund – Help Dwight Howard raise money for Haiti (and maybe win $500).
- Rip City Project – Blazers get high marks for guarding the Suns’ pick-and-roll in Game 1.
- Ball Don’t Lie – Should Michael Jordan be the face of the Charlotte Bobcats?
- MLive- Trading Rip Hamilton should be Joe Dumars’ top priority this summer.
- Detroit Bad Boys – Perhaps Hamilton will go to Utah in a deal for Carlos Boozer?
- ESPN – There’s a special place in Mark Cuban’s heart for the San Antonio Spurs.
- The Big Lead – How the NBA Draft would look if every player was available.
- NBA FanHouse – Marcus Camby is thrilled to be spending another 2 seasons in Portland.
- We’re Bucked – So, Bucks fans, would a seven-game series be sufficient?
- Alone in the Corner – The NBA’s 2010 All Non-Defensive Team, starring Jonny Flynn.
- Stacheketball – Now Chris Bosh has to stay in Toronto.
- Sports Radio Interviews – David Lee, apparently, wants to stay in New York.
- Basketball.org – Rebounding, blocked shots, and the NBA Playoffs.
- D-League Digest – Mark Tyndale is poised to make some noise in the D-League Playoffs.
- Hoops Addict – The ripple effect of Dwyane Wade is being felt in Switzerland.