NBA Playoffs

Now that game one of each of the NBA playoff’s second round series is in the books, here are my thoughts on the NBA playoffs thus far. I have to be honest; I thought that the playoffs would be slightly more exciting than they have been. Knicks swept, Magic gone in 6 uneventful games, outside of a controversial tip in, not much drama in OKC. Nonetheless, the playoffs have still been entertaining. Memphis’ unlikely monumental upset, the Hornets pushing the Lakers a little more than most expected and the Heat seemed to have realized who they have on there team and are starting to play as good as Heat fans expected and the rest of the NBA feared (Although the verdict may still be out; it was just the 76ers.). Without a horse in this race, I’ve been able to watch these playoffs from a far and take in everything it has to offer. From this observation, I’ve learn three things about the NBA.

Item number one that I’ve learned; Mike Woodson is going to have a tough time finding a new job any time soon. The sports industry is sometimes perplexing when it comes to hiring and firing coaches. Rod Marinelli was the head honcho for the only NFL team to ever go 0-16, yet the Bears found him to be the best candidate for an open coordinator position. Vinny Del Negro has a job.  Yet despite some lapses in judgment, professional coaches work experience is visible to everyone and future employers often take into account what you did with past opportunities. Mike Woodson did a great job turning around the team in Atlanta; however, this year’s Hawks minus Woodson have gone further than they ever did with him. They didn’t exactly make major personnel changes either. Outside of swapping Mike Bibby for Kirk Hinrich, the 2010-2011 Hawks aren’t any different from the previous year’s model. Last year’s Hawks suffered through an embarrassingly lopsided sweep at the hands of the Orlando Magic. Facing a similarly constructed Magic team this year, the Hawks moved on to the second round with a fairly easy 6 game series win. Sure, you could say that Dwight Howard turned into ’09-’10 Lebron and put up gaudy stats while simultaneously playing uninspired basketball while his team fell apart. However, the Hawks just stole away home court from the top seeded team in the East lead by the presumed MVP. In my eyes, all signs point to Woodson. Maybe the players had just tuned him out but I don’t think NBA teams with coaching vacancies will be ringing Woodson’s phone any time soon.

Sorry New Orleans, but CP3 will most
likely be waving good-bye soon

Item number two… Chris Paul needs to be on a contender. Sorry, New Orleans, this means he needs to leave (Don’t worry you will still have Drew Brees, even if the NFL season doesn’t happen.). Paul’s knee problems let him slip under the radar this season. His worst statistical season left us thinking that players like Rajon Rondo and Russell Westbrook even eventual “MVP” Rose were better point guards. When those players develop a jump shot (You know a jump shot, something that used to be a staple for point guards) maybe we can compare them to the great point guards in the league. Paul made a statement at the beginning of the playoffs saying that the regular season doesn’t matter come playoff time. Maybe, Paul’s down statistical year was because he was pacing himself for the playoffs. In game one of the Laker’s series, CP3 reminding us that he was second to Kobe for the MVP three years ago. Paul had transcendent performances against the Lakers but it just wasn’t enough for the much less talented Hornets to push the Lakers any further than 6 games. The truth is, this is the norm for Paul. Sure he’s only played in 23 playoff games but he is the only player in the history of the NBA to average 20 points and 10 assists in the playoffs for a career (He’s actually averaging closer to 23 and 11). The only player ever. Can an NBA that is facing an impending lockout really afford to have a player of Paul’s caliber exiting after the first round or missing the playoffs entirely? I don’t think so. The simple fact is the NBA needs to get back to the glory days of the 80’s and 90’s. This means that we need super teams. Miami was the biggest off season news and Melo joining Amar’e in New York was the biggest mid season news. Now that there is more teams in the league this means that more smaller market teams may suffer. But it can be done, Oklahoma City is living proof that if you do it right and catch a few breaks small markets can compete. So when Paul leaves for a super team, know that it is for the best of the league New Orleans. The NBA needs Chris Paul in meaningful playoff games.

Oh, a face only a mother could
love... and no one else

The final thing I learned from this year’s first round, unless you live in Chicago, are a Bulls fan or are related to him, it is impossible to like Joakim Noah. The same people who loved him for the back to back championships he helped bring to the University of Florida probably hate him now. Noah getting under the skin of NBA superstars is no new news, but the way that he was able to turn a laid back, harmless team like Indiana into haters of the Noah was quite impressive. Here is a team with guys like Tyler Hansbourgh, Roy Hibbert and Danny Granger making remarks about Noah. Has anyone on this current Pacers team ever had a bad thing to say about another player? Nothing I can recall in recent memory. I mean Hansbourgh helps random kids find lost dogs in his spare time. Kyle Korver summed it up best when he recently stated that Noah is the type of player that you hate if you play against him, but love if he is on your team.