With the results of last night’s Game Fives of the NBA Conference Semi-Finals, the home teams are now 19-1. The NBA: Where Amazing Happens, Again and Again.
Is it truly amazing? Or is there a reasonable explanation.
After the Lakers and the Celtics both won at home by seven points (the Celtics 101-94 over the Cavaliers and the Lakers 111-104 over the Jazz), the media is once again looking for answers.
Today their search seems to have centered around an officiating conspiracy. More and more pundits are attempting to make a case for NBA officials favoring the home teams.
Duh! That one was hard to figure. When has that not been the case. Not just in the NBA, but in their developmental league, in the WNBA, and even in the men’s and women’s NCAA.
The home team always gets the benefit of the doubt. Las Vegas knows it. That’s why they always figure a plus three to five points in their betting lines. Even coaches know, Phil Jackson said the other night that he always figures the home team has a five to ten point advantage.
This is especially true when the home team is playing aggressively, and they have the crowd into it. Officials, being human and not robots, are going to overlook fouls unless they are blatant. After all, just like football, where holding can be called on almost every play, a foul could be called on almost every contested drive to the hoop.
After last night’s Lakers-Jazz game, a good many of the media are up in arms over Pau Gasol’s crucial last-minute rebound and dunk of a Sasha Vujacic jumper. Many are saying that Gasol shoved Mehmet Okur to get the rebound and put it back in.
But if you look at the game film closely, you will see that the shove came before Vujacic’s shot as Gasol was trying to get position on Okur not on the rebound.
So, was a no-call the right call in that instance? It’s 50-50, and in that case the home team gets the benefit of the doubt. Do you have a problem with that? I don’t.
In another instance, Vujacic was aggressively breaking down one side, Andrei Kirilenko reached in and tipped the ball off of Vujacic’s foot and out of bounds. One referee saw it as a no-call, the other called a reach-in foul on Kirilenko.
Have a problem with that? I don’t. No, not because I’m a Lakers fan, but because that is what is to be expected. Officials don’t get every call right. Never have, never will.
In Utah in game four, Boozer and Okur were pile-driving Gasol all over the paint. No-calls. Even last night in Los Angeles, Boozer, driving for a layup, slammed a shoulder into Gasol, who had position. Gasol went flying across the line on his backside. No-call. And that was at home.
That’s just the way it goes. Gasol has finally learned to stop complaining about the no-call, and I wish the media would, too.
I thnk Matt Harpring said it best in his quote from the Salt Lake Tribune: "Sometimes when you come down the stretch like that, it's who wants the ball more. We've got to get the ball. Those are just hustle plays. They're not going to call fouls like that. You've just got to find a way to come up with the ball."
And therein lies the story of this year’s NBA Playoffs.
THERE ARE NO TRULY GREAT TEAMS IN THE NBA THIS YEAR.
Great teams know how to win the big games on the road. No matter what. They know they have to give away at least a ten-point differential in foul calls. They know the crowd will be loud hoping to ramp up the home team and distract the visitors. But it doesn’t matter to a great team. They win in spite of the crowd, in spite of calls not going their way, in spite of the home team playing aggressively.
Again, these semi-finals prove there are no great teams in the NBA – yet.
The Celtics looked great in the regular season. Invincible. But these playoffs have shown that they are but a shadow of the great Celtic teams of the past. The Larry Byrd Celtics. The Bill Russell Celtics.
The same is true of this year’s Lakers. They are nowhere near the level of Magic Johnson’s Showtime Lakers or even the Shaq-and-Kobe Lakers of a few years ago.
The San Antonio Spurs, the reigning champions, are not the same team they used to be and are on the verge of elimination by the upstart New Orleans Hornets.
The Detroit Pistons, the only team so far to break that home-team win record in the semi-final round with a 90-89 win in Orlando to pull off a five game series win over the Magic, are not a great team. Their inconsistent play over the years including this year’s opening round playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers diminishes any claim to true greatness.
But that doesn’t mean there aren’t would-be great teams on the horizon.
The aforementioned New Orleans Hornets are a young team that will be great once they learn how to win the big games on the road. That lesson may begin tonight in San Antonio.
This year’s Los Angeles Lakers will be great once Andrew Bynum and Trevor Ariza return to the lineup. In fact, with Bryant, Gasol, and Odom in the mix, next year’s Lakers could be devastating.
Great teams need time to gel. In the case of the Hornets, they are getting that experience this year. With the Lakers, it may take a little time next season to see how things gel once Bynum returns.
Both the Atlanta Hawks and the 76ers acquitted themselves well in the first-round against much more experienced opponents. With more experience and a top draft pick or free agent, they could become great.
But let’s not hear any more of this conspiracy bunk or complaining about the officiating. Let’s just accept that great teams overcome bad calls and boisterous crowds on the road.
Which all goes to prove: THERE ARE NO GREAT TEAMS IN THE NBA THIS YEAR.
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2 months ago
I don't blame the no-call on the refs one bit. Utah beats people up under the basket all the time, which is one of the characteristics that makes them such a formidable team. Gasol in all his frailness was literally left lying on the floor on a number of occasions. But, on the most important play of the game, a subtle shove was enough to send Mehmet Okur sprawling. Okur has to be able to take the contact because there hardly was any arm extention by Gasol.
Credit Gasol for a very cagey play that was critical to Los Angeles' victory.
And while each team in the playoffs has very noticeable flaws, all the remaining teams (with the exception of Cleveland) are incredibly versatile and multi-faceted on offense, and each and every team left is a smart defensive team.
Detroit is as good as Detroit's always been, Cleveland is on par with last year's version, and Boston is probably better than Miami's championship-winning squad. In the West, this year's Lakers, Hornets, and Jazz are infinitely better than recent Mavericks and Suns teams.
There aren't any epic teams, but each and every team remaining is a legit (and worthy) title contender which is why this is such a wonderful time to be a basketball fan.
And the idiots claim that the college game is a more pure form of basketball.
This year's playoffs is basketball at its best!!!
2 months ago
Or maybe, every team is really good. A great team wont lose at home either.
And since every team in the Playoffs in the West won 50 games or more. I would say it might be the latter.
from 2 months ago
That is totally the case, this is one of the best years the NBA has ever seen! Someone can't seriously say that theyre have been no good teams
2 months ago
I dont get the logic. As if the Hornets are a bad team?
As for the calls. There was a disperity in Utah as well.
2 months ago
First off, your whole argument is kinda stupid. Or do you like it better when the Spurs, Suns and Mavs are the only good team out West? The difference is because the team out West are so good that Home Court Advantage is the only difference between them.
Now i dont know about the East because it just sucks.
2 months ago
I don't get the logic either. If as the article contends there are no great teams in the NBA playoffs, where's the evidence? certainly not in the games. The problem with winning on the road is that everyone is at least very, very good. Maybe the writer meant there are no dominant teams in the playoffs?
I would opine there are three great teams in th NBA playoffs this year, two very good teams and a supporting cast that just may join them given a little time and good personnel moves. I judge this on the personnel, the infrastructure, coaching, and the competitiveness from start to finish of the series' so far.
My Three Great Teams:
LA Lakers - Best collection of "triangle offense" players PJ has ever had. (over 24 assists p/g in "08 playoffs) Quick, good shooters, can play half court or wide open offense, long, aggressive defenders, good rebounding, best passers 1-10 in the NBA, best player in the game right now. Playing without their best interior defender which for me would make up for their most glaring deficiency, post defense. (not bad right now, but better with Bynum)
San Antonio Spurs - Best "team" in the NBA. Play together better than anyone with possible exception of Lakers. (Jazz a close third) Veteran group that knows how to win, and will do whatever it takes to win. Good shooters, great defenders, excellent passers, and the best run and coached franchise in the league. Not nearly as good offensively as LA is but better defenders. Despite their age they can still run well at times. Some of the key components are old and this team will have to be re-tooled soon but for my money, who would bet against these guys in a game 7? Not me.
Detroit Pistons - The bad boys are back! The second best run franchise in the league, but I won't say the same for the coaching. (jury's still out on Flip in my book) Maybe the best group 1 - 10 in the playoffs. No appreciable difference without Chauncey the last two games, including the only road win in round two in Orlando. Best defenders in the league, and the toughest match ups across the board for anyone, no free lunches against this team, anyone can score. A little too streaky and at times seem to lose focus, but right now they look and are playing like champions.
My Two Very Good teams
New Orleans - Best young collection of talent in a long, long time. These guys could be scary good in a couple of years, leaving everyone asking where the competitive balance went in the league. Got everything, shooting, leadership, length, quickness, guts and toughness. Just need to develop a little more poise and big-game experience to get over in the playoffs.
Utah Jazz - Second best collection of young talent in the league, but with more poise and big-game experience than NO. Oldest regular is Harpring if you can believe that. No holes on this team either, great defenders, most disciplined team, never loose their poise, good shooters, very big and long, but still athletic. Maybe a player of two away from the top echelon since lack of dependable second unit scoring causes problems. Commit a few too many fouls also, making the game too easy for foes at times.
The best of the rest (in order): Boston (almost top-five, but I think fading), Orlando and Cleveland (tie, both rising), Phoenix (fading), Dallas (fading), Toronto (rising), Atlanta (rising), Philly (rising).
from 2 months ago
I just don't understand how Boston fails to make it into the Top 5 of your NBA playoff teams. I can uderstand if you think they are fading, they are 0-5 on the road.
But your top 3 teams Lakers (2-2 on the road), Pistons (2-2 on the road), and Spurs (1-4 on the road) haven't exactly been killing it.
Also, the Celtics record against your Top 5 teams... 8-3. They swept the Lakers, took 2 of 3 from the Pistons, swept the Spurs, and split with the Hornets and Jazz.
By contrast the Pistons were 5-5 if you leave out the Celtics.
Just stop dismissing Boston because they lost to Atlanta, I call it an aberration.
2 months ago
Every team in the playoff right now feels they have a chance to win it all.There were a time when you know it was going to to be Boston, or L.A. or Chicago, but now you have teams that at the beganing of the season you didn't think they would be there. My pick in the finals is Boston and the Spurs.Boston have a lot of momentom right now ,the Spurs have a lot of playoff experence and team savy. Detroit is my spoiler.
2 months ago
Now, as for the article itself. I would argue it is the exact opposite.
No great teams? These are the best 8 teams in the NBA that are left in the playoffs, and yes I would put Cleveland over any team knocked out in the West.
I will say the NBA has parity, but as Xris pointed out, great teams should win on the road, unless of course they are facing another great team, who should be winning at home.
It's just my opinion, but you aren't right.
2 months ago
Hmmm,
By this logic the Detroit Pistons (the only team with a road win in the second round) are the best team out there! I could warm up to that. At least it would give some credit to a team that is perpetually under-rated.
2 months ago
NO great teams? Right. In a semi-final Conference round, could Jordan's Bull win at least one game on the road in the face of tough opponent and a tough crowd? Tell MJ, Scotty and Dennis that they couldn't. Tell Larry Byrd and his Celtics or Bill Russell and his Celtics that they couldn't bring a tough road crowd to their knees and send them home shaking their heads. Tell Magic and Showtime that they couldn't win a semi-final game on the road or even the Shaq and Kobe Laker 3-Peats.
Tell me, go on, with an honest heart, that any one of the teams left in this year's playoffs can compare to any of the truly great teams mentioned above. Those are great teams. The ones playing this year are some very good teams.
Some day, if not hit by the injury bug, like the Lakers were this year, the Hornets with another year together could be a great team. The Lakers with Bynum and Ariza could be a great team next year.
The trouble is all of you are comparing the teams to each other. Sure, one team will eventually win and be crowned an NBA champion. Will they be a very good team? Yes, they would have to be. Will they be a great team? No, not until they go into an opponents arena and show they want the game more and take it. Being a great team has as much to do with heart as it does talent.
The trouble with a team like the Pistons is that they have been known to have sporadic instances of cardiac arrest. That's one team that could definitely use a pacer. The others could just use some time and experience. The Celtics or Lakers might just get that experience tonight. But I'm not holding my breath.
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