NBA News, Notes, and Observations: May 20, 2008

The NBA's version of the Final Four kicks off tonight with Game 1 of the Celtics/Pistons series. With that in mind, I couldn't think of a better time for a new round of News, Notes and Observations.

But first, this week's trivia question:

Who was the youngest coach in NBA history?

1) Are you happy now, Utah?

Derek Fisher provided the state of Utah with a parting gift on Friday night and yet the Jazz chose not to accept it.

Fisher, an 86% free-throw shooter during the regular season, missed what would have been a game-clinching basket in the final seconds of Game Six. The Jazz had two chances to tie the game with a three-pointer but Mehmet Okur and Deron Wiliams both missed wide-open looks.

Can the Beehive State finally move on now and let it go?

For those people who are still complaining about the free-throw discrepancy between the Jazz and Lakers over the course of the series, keep in mind that the Jazz led the NBA this season in personal fouls. The Lakers, on the other hand, finished 16th.

2) The return of Stone-Cold Stojakovic

Nobody can be surprised about Peja Stojakovic's horrible Game Seven against the Spurs last night. Stojakovic was 3-for-11 from the field for 7 points, including an abysmal 1-for-5 from 3-point land.

This wouldn't be the first time Peja laid an egg when his team needed him most. One need only look back to Game Seven of the 2004 Western Conference Semi-Finals when he scored just 8 points on 3-of-12 shooting against the Timberwolves and in Game Seven of the 2002 between the Kings and Lakers in 2002 to see a pattern. In that game, Stojakovic was 3-for-12 for just 8 points.

In fairness to him, he did have one decent Game Seven in his career. He had 17 points and 9 rebounds against the Mavericks in 2003 but the Kings lost the game.

If Stojakovic wasn't making so much money ($12 million) I wouldn't give him such a hard time. But he was brought to New Orleans for these types of games and he should be criticized accordingly.

3) What's at stake for the Final Four.

Each of the four teams remaining has different stakes heading down the stretch of these playoffs.

For the Spurs, this is their fourth opportunity to do something they've failed to do three previous times in the playoffs—repeat as champions. Another title would solidify their standing as the team of the milennium's first decade.

For the Celtics, they need to prove that their regular season wasn't a fluke and that it was worth it to mortgage the team's future for a chance to return to glory.

For the Pistons, this is their chance to prove they're not the NBA's Atlanta Braves and that they haven't just benefited from being in a lesser conference.

For the Lakers, it's all about proving the Shaq trade worked out alright and that Kobe Bryant can win a ring without the Big Yesterday.

I can't help but think that this Laker team would almost have to repeat next year in order to legitimize this year's title.

You could definitely make the case that this team could compete with the 2006 Miami Heat. But it would be hard to argue that there's another champion from the past twenty years that they could beat.

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