Bleacher Report - Articles by Bittu Ahlawat

Suns-Lakers: A Preview

Bittu Ahlawat — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:52:29 -0500

It is the first meeting of the year between the two teams who have forged a bitter rivalry of sorts in the post-Shaq era of Lakers.

The Suns have dominated the Lakers during the better part of these last four years, with Lakers getting ousted from the playoffs during the first round twice at the hands of Phoenix.

Also, to add the hostility, the Suns have added the one-time Laker and not-best-friend of Kobe, Shaquille O'Neal.

This should be an entertaining game to watch, as both teams are playing well, play in the same division, and both are the class of the West so far in this young season. Let's take a look at what both teams have done this season and then I'll go into individual match ups, which are just as entertaining.

Phoenix Suns

Currently standing at 8-4 with a loss coming at the hands of Utah on a second game of a back-to-back on the road. Their four losses have came at the hands of some pretty tough teams in Hornets, Rockets, Bulls, and Utah—although each one was by at least 10 points.

The Suns definitely aren't that old Suns that most of us remember for their run-n-gun style of play. They have settled for a more traditional offensive style, and have been playing much better defense compared to what we have seen from them in the last few years.

Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers have the best winning percentage in the league with a record of 8-1 and are the lone team in the league with only one loss, coming at the hands on the Pistons last Sunday.

Los Angeles is coming off a victory against the Chicago Bulls, in which they played like a team that can blow out anybody—but only for spurts. Their offense is much more balanced that it has ever been, and they are trying to become a great defensive team like the Celtics, Rockets, and Spurs, featuring some very aggressive defensive schemes.

These teams have some history between few players, most notably between Kobe and Bell and Kobe and Shaq. Also, there was a little issue between Bynum and Shaq during Bynum's first season with Lakers while Shaq was still with Miami Heat.

I am sure these things will be shown over and over before the game. So lets take a look at the individual matchups.

PG: Steve Nash vs. Derek Fisher

Steve Nash does the most with the least amount of athletic ability than any other person in the league.

He isn't the quickest PG, or the best dribbler but he does all the other things that most other PG wish they had. He can shoot the ball efficiently, he can dribble very efficiently, and he has the vision to see the angles that only a handful have been able to do throughout history.

Fisher, on the other hand, is more like a backup point guard, but he has learned to play the triangle offense to perfection for this role. He can shoot the three, has the midrange jumper, but isn't as efficient as Nash at distributing or going to the rack for layups.

But to Fisher's credit, the triangle doesn't require him to do all those things, which makes him a perfect fit in the PG slot.

Fisher is known to play solid defense and he will be called upon to keep Nash in check. Also look for him to be aggressive on the offensive side of the ball to wear out Steve Nash more, who also isn't known to be a good defender. Nash is averaging 13.7 points and 7.5 assists in 32 minutes of play while Fisher is averaging 10.6 points and 2.7 assists in 28 minutes of play.

SG: Raja Bell vs. Kobe Bryant

These two probably have a more bitter history (dating back to Raja's days in Philly) between them than both team's fans are willing to admit to, although Shaq-Kobe saga is definitely much longer. Both are very fierce competitors and will be hounding each other all day long.

The Suns use Raja to make Kobe's life a living hell while he is on the court. He will be on Kobe the whole game, trying to take away every inch of open space between them to keep Kobe in check. There have been times where he has been successful and there have been times when Kobe has torched him pretty good. I wouldn't be surprised if things get chippy between these two again, as it seems it happens each time they play each other.

Raja isn't known to be a great scorer like Kobe is, but he can hit the open three and drive to the basket occasionally. Kobe has a tendency of leaving him open to go help out on the penetrator, leaving Bell open—and this has cost Lakers a few victories in the past.

Keep an eye on this matchup, as Raja's offense can be a big plus for the Suns if Kobe decides to play him too loosely. Kobe, on the other hand, is about as hard of a defensive assignment as they come. There isn't anything he can't and isn't willing to try on the floor, and he is the most feared player in the clutch.

Raja and Kobe are averaging 9.8/2.3/1.3 and 24.3/5.1/4.0, respectively.

SF: Matt Barnes vs. Vladimir Radmanovic

Barnes has been a nice addition to the Suns to say the least, as they now have decent options at the SF position in him and Hill. He plays with aggression on both sides and is fitting in with this team perfectly.

Vlad has been struggling with his shooting this season, and there are rumblings in the La-La land asking about a possible change if he doesn't start shooting well. I really don't see it happening, as the only other decent SF on the Lakers roster is known to be slasher rather than the shooter they need. And to make the case worse, the only other longrange shooter the Lakers have (Sasha) is struggling as well.

Barnes won't have to worry about Vlad driving on him, but he will have to worry about his shooting. When Vlad's shot is falling, the Lakers are a very lethal team.

Barnes will be asked to cover Kobe as well when Raja goes to bench and/or gets in foul trouble.

Matt is averaging 12.0/5.7/1.7 in 28 minutes and Vlad is averaging 6.1/3.3/1.1 in 22 minutes.

PF: Amare Stoudemire vs. Pau Gasol

It's the Goggle versus the Beard!

Regardless of all the talk about other matchups, this is the one that will most likely decide the outcome of this game. Both of these players have been playing outstanding ball on the offensive side. Stoudemire has probably already turned in the best game of this young season (I am sure Spurs fans might disagree) and Pau is just coming off his best game against Chicago.

Stoudemire is as athletic of a big men as they come, as Gasol is as smooth in the post as there is in the league. Gasol did play great defensive basketball against Boozer, Duncan, and Garnett during last year's playoffs. He might not known for his defense, but he uses his length to his advantage very beautifully and can make the opposition PF take some tough shots.

Whoever wins this battle on the defensive side of the ball will give their respective team a great chance to win tonight. Amare is averaging 23.3/8.3/2.0 in his team-leading 38 minutes and Pau is averaging 17.6/10.1/3.1 in his team-leading 35 minutes per game.

C: Shaquille O'Neal vs. Andrew Bynum

Past versus present. One is known as one of the most-dominant big men to play for the Lakers and the other is trying to add his name to that list one day.

Shaq might not have the agility and lift he once had, but he is still a force to be reckoned with. He can still give you 30/15 on any given night—just don't ask him to do it every given night.

Bynum is trying to find his way into the offense. With so much talent around him, it's getting hard for the ball to come to the young fella. He is definitely the future of this Lakers team, and has shown the talent and ability to do it.

He is coming off a quiet 18/9 game versus the Suns (his best game this season), and is starting to get his timing back on the defensive side of the ball with offense not too far behind. If Bynum can negate the Shaq performance with his own, he will give Lakers a real good shot of winning this game in Phoenix.

Bynum does have a tendency of trying to do too much when he plays against the great post players, so look to see if Shaq can realize that and take advantage of it.

These two are also the best offensive rebounders for their respective teams, with Shaq at 2.0 and Bynum at 3.7. It will be crucial for both of them to keep each other off the glass and do a good job rebounding the ball.

Shaq is averaging 15.1/7.8/2.1 in 27 minutes of play and 10.8/8.9/1.8 in 30 minutes of play.

Benches

The Suns are finally going deep and bringing in more than just three guys off the bench.

Their main players off the bench include Barbosa, Diaw, and Hill. They all can come in and provide their team a big boost, although Barbosa and Hill have been struggling with their shooting this year.

The Lakers definitely have the best bench in the league, featuring Odom, Farmar, Sasha, Ariza as their main guys. They look to speed up the tempo when they get in the game, and this could be trouble for Suns if their bigs get caught up in this up-tempo style early, tiring them later in the game.

The Lakers bench has been the main reason they are sitting at the top of the league. If opposing teams fail to deal with them, they can easily reel off a 12-0, 15-1 run by themselves while the starters are still off the floor.

Final Verdict

The Lakers will definitely come out aggressively to set the tempo and try to take the crowd out of it quickly, Kobe is really good at that. The Suns have to make sure they don't get caught off-guard by the strength of Lakers bench, and the speed at which their big men run the floor during a fast break.

This is definitely the must-watch game of the week.

What If Only The Guards Played...

Bittu Ahlawat — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 07:24:26 -0500

I have been wondering about this topic for few years now after I saw an all star team with four 7 footers in the game once. What if only the guards were allowed to play in the game?

What I mean by that is basically if you took away the PF and C position from the teams and added two more guards (or guard like SF) into the game? Game could definitely be much more fast paced than it is today, and definitely a lot more entertaining.

A player has to be able to dribble the ball efficiently, drive and dish, and make a jumpshot, not just post moves like most centers or PFs. No more posting up other players. I mean, you could post up, but more in the sense of Paul Pierce and Kobe Bryant post up, not in the Shaquille O'Neal mode.

When most of us go out and play pick up ball, most of look to dribble, take jump shots, drive and lay up or dunk. Most of us don't go out there and try to post up players every single time. What if the same could be done in the NBA. I know NBA isn't a pick-up ball association but what if you could play the pick-up type of game with the intensity and skill level of these NBA guards.

Imagine a team from east with players like AI, LeBron, Vince, Wade, Paul Pierce, Joe Johnson, Gerald Wallace, Ray Allen, and Jason Richardson versus players like Kobe Bryant, Corey Maggette, Steve Nash, CP3, Carmelo Anthony, T-Mac, Baron Davis, J.R. Smith, Deron Williams, Monta Ellis, and Brandon Roy from the West.

Having only these smaller players will give every one of these guards more room to operate, resulting in a more athletic, up-tempo game. Most of these guys will be able to guard just about anyone from the opposing team. No more gross mismatches. I am sure blocks per game will be down but steals per game will quite up.

It should be a game where only the all-around players make it. If you can't dribble well enough, you can't make the team. If you can't shoot well enough from outside, you can't make the team. If you can't hit your free throws on an acceptable level (65%) or above, you cant make the team.

Tell me what you guys think? or am I the only one who thinks about a game like this?

What would comprise the most interesting team to watch?

Lakers-Bulls: A Preview

Bittu Ahlawat — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 06:30:24 -0500

Tonight, the Los Angeles Lakers meet for one of their two annual meetings with Chicago Bulls. Last year, Lakers took both games from Bulls and collectively have won last four of their five meetings.

Games between these two teams are always intriguing, as one team had the greatest player of all time, and other has the player who some thinks might pass him one day. All in all, it should be a good game to watch, with a few interesting matchups.

First, let's take a look at both teams progress in this young season, and then we'll move on to the individual matchups.

Chicago Bulls

They currently stand at 5-5 mark. But don't let that fool you. This team has been playing good ball and are better than what their record is showing. Their losses have came at the hands on teams Boston, Orlando, Cleveland (twice), and Atlanta. Three of five losses are with less than 10 points and two of the losses are five points or less.

This team could easily be sitting at at 7-3 mark. This team is led by a promising young point guard Rose, coupled with some veteran players like Gordon, Deng, and Gooden.

Los Angeles Lakers

They currently stand at a 7-1 mark with their lone loss coming at the hands on Detroit Pistons last Friday. Some thinks of them as the best team in the league, and definitely a front-runner to win the championship this year. This team has the best player in the league in Kobe Bryant, who has the help of veteran players like Gasol, Fisher, and Odom.

This teams probably has the deepest bench in the league, as they can go 12 deep any given day. Heck, one of these night, they might even let Jack Nicholson play last few minutes of a blowout game. All in all, this team is stacked from top to bottom, with at least two deep on any position.

Let's break the individual matchups that will be seen today.

PG: Derek Fisher vs. Derrick Rose

This one is definitely one of those "old dog vs. young blood" type of battles. Fisher is as smart of a role player as there is in this league, and Rose is as promising of a young point guard as this league has seen in a while.

One has all the court vision, athleticism, and play-making abilities you want in one, while the other one great at playing sound man-to-man defense and great team defense. Their jobs are completely different for their respective teams, as Rose tries to break the defense down with dribble and dish or look for his own shot if nothing is available.

Fisher, on the other hands, brings the ball up the court and passes it into the post to Bynum or Gasol, and then let the offense run through them and wait for a kick out from them for an open jumper or a three.

Rose wont have to worry too much about guarding Fisher and chasing him around all day, so he should have lots of energy left for the offensive side of the game.

SG: Kobe Bryant vs. Ben Gordon

Gordon has been on a tear as of late. He has had some good offensive games that has helped bring some W's to his team. He is averaging a team high 21.3 ppg with 47 percent FG percentage and 41 percent from downtown.

On the other side though, he has to worry about the best and complete offensive player in the game in Kobe Bryant. Good thing for Gordon, Kobe shot has been off a little this season, but I don't know how much you can rely on that, as he can get hot in a hurry.

Also, Kobe (when he wants to) can play best man-to-man defense on his opponent and has been putting forth the effort to play more lock-down defense on opponent's guards.

So look for Kobe to chase Gordon all around the court, trying to harass him and use his strength and length to make Gordon take some difficult shots.

SF: Vladimir Radmanovic vs. Luol Deng

Deng probably has the toughest job on anyone today. Not only will he relied on to put some points up on the board, but he will be asked to chase around Kobe on offense for the better part of the game.

Don't look for him to back down though, as he has made Kobe's nights difficult on more than one occasion in the past. Vlad will be asked to do what he does best and that is shooting the ball.

He is in the starting lineup for one reason, and that is to stretch the floor with his three-point shooting and making or missing, teams have to honor him by staying up on him instead of doubling up on Gasol or Bynum down low.

PF: Pau Gasol vs. Drew Gooden

Gooden will be asked to keep the Spaniard off the boards and try to keep him away from the block, as he has a good post move and can shoot with the either hand. Teams rather have him take the 15-footer with a hand in his face rather than keep him on the block and try to stop him there.

Gooden plays solid defense and is good on boards when he is on the floor.

He will be called upon to slow down Gasol. If he can't keep his men in check, look for the Lakers to go to Gasol down low early and often, as they have been going away from it for a few games now. This matchup might determine how this game goes.

C: Andrew Bynum vs. Joakin Noah

Bynum is an emerging star player who is the future of this Los Angeles team. But his game is not quite polished yet. His main job is to anchor this team's defense and get rebounds. Most of his scoring comes from put backs or if he gets a deep post on his man.

He can score from either hand in the post with his soft touch and has been showing a little 10-15-ft. jumper this season. Noah game is a good rebounder in the limited time he is one on the floor. His job will mainly be to keep Bynum off the boards and away from those lobs he receives from his teammates.

Bench

This is where the battle might be decided, although I do believe Chicago does have one of the better benches in the Eastern Conference (at least on paper). Lakers, on the other hand, probably the deepest bench in this league (I am sure some Utah fans might disagree).

Chicago has Thomas, Nocioni, and Hughes coming off the bench, and any of them can be a starter on just about any team. Hughes can be a very productive offensively if his shot is falling. Thomas will share some of the burden of Gooden and Noah on the front line. And Nocioni plays starter like minutes and his main assignment will be to help Deng harass Kobe all game long.

Lakers have Farmar, Ariza, Odom, and Sasha as main four guys. But they do have the luxury of playing players like Luke Walton or Chris Mihm if everyone gets in foul trouble.

Lakers bench, known as the Bench Mob or Minute Men (depending on whom you ask) looks to speed up the tempo of the game and get out in the open court. If Chicago can't keep these guys in check, this game might be over early.

Final Verdict

Chicago will be able to stay in this game if they can tighten up their defense against Pau and Kobe, and they do have the capability and the men needed to do the job. The key will be how good the bench play will be of both teams.

NBA Playoffs: Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks Falling Apart

Bittu Ahlawat — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 18:37:57 -0400

Dallas and Phoenix have a lot more common that just the friendship of Nash and Dirk. Both of teams have great players, both are great regular season teams, and both find ways to beat themselves in the playoffs.

Few season ago, Suns were the darlings of the NBA. They had one of the biggest turnaround in the history of the NBA, played a loose style basketball that reenergized the whole NBA and made watching non-defense playing teams fun again. I swear they brought a whole new concept of launching a shot before the viewers could blink more than 3 times. They had pieces to make a deep run in the playoffs for years to come. They had the best PG in the league, an emerging Power Forward in Amare, one of the best, if not the best, all around guy in Marion, a defensive specialist in Bell, and probably one of the best bench player in Barbosa.

Mavericks on the other hand, had just let go of Nash, made Dirk "THE MAN" of the team and asked him to lead them to a championship. After losing to his close buddy Nash in 05, they back much stronger in 2006, going all the way to the finals and losing to Heat in 6. Something they could never let go of. But it seemed like they had all the pieces to keep coming back to finals just about every year. They had best big-shooting man in Dirk, do-it-all Josh Howard, a proven scorer and clutch shooter in Terry, an up and coming young PG and an owner who was willing to do whatever is necessary to win now.

In 2007, Dirk and Mavs were ousted in first round after winning 67 games in regular season and pheonix was clobbered by San Antonio in 6 games in the conference semifinals. Then comes the 2008, Pheonix trade their style of play and their best all around player for an aging HOF Center with playoff experience and Mavs trade their future away for an aging HOF point guard with playoff experience.

Fast forward to the playoffs and after 2 games, both team are down 0-2 to their opponents and probably headed out of the playoffs very soon unless their opponents just collapses in the next few games.

The question is, where do these teams go now? Is it time to wipe the slate and start rebuilding early since the players they have on their team are still worth something. Or do you keep going at it the same way again next year with probably the same results again next playoffs with emerging new powers in the west like NO, and LAL. What will Cuban do? Will he ship some of his players out and stop paying all those high salaries for first round exits or will he keep his faith in them? Will Steve Kerr become the next Mitch Kupchak? Not for trading Shaq away but FOR Trading Shaq. I have a feeling that the front offices of these two teams will be very busy through the offseason and if either or both of them do decide to break up, there are lots of team out there who will be on the lookout.

LA Lakers vs Denver Nuggets: Game 2 Predictions

Bittu Ahlawat — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 12:03:38 -0400

As most of you who saw the game one of LA-Denver series would know, both teams saw things they didn't expect from their opposition. There were numerous things that went right and wrong for both coaches. Now, lets a closer look at what went right and wrong for both teams:

Denver Nuggets:

Pros:

Defense of K-Mart on Kobe. Now, there aren't many players that can contain Kobe alone. I thought K-Mart did a great job on Kobe in the first half of the game and about midway thru the third quarter. He was able to turn Kobe into a jumpshooter (34 % FG) when his jumper wasn't falling.
Getting some easy fast break buckets. Toward the end of first quarter, they got few uncontested layups when lakers failed to get back on defense.
Bench Play. Their bench shot 61% put together (71% if you take out Najera). Their bench was the reason they stayed in the game throughout. They kept them in the game early and late.
Denver had 13 more fast breaks points and 6 more offensive rebounds than the lakers.

Cons:

Shooting: this team is known to be a good scoring team but when your star players shoot under 45% on mostly jumpers, thats a recipe for disaster. Also, Free throws shooting. They shot 5 more free throws than the lakers and made 4 less than them. Surprisingly, this was a contribution mostly from Iverson.
Defense: They let the lakers best two players shoot 65% from the field and let the bench shoot over 50%. Not to mention let Kobe go off in the 4th quarter after doing such a marvelous job most of the game.
Composure: This is such an underrated part of the game. You have to pick your battles on when to battle rafrees. Down 15+ points, bickering with them after a whole full possession is not the best way to end the game. Also, this gives the other team free free-throws (enough to let players like Kobe get their shots going).

Los Angeles Lakers

Pros:

Inside Game: Lakers were able to establish their inside game from the early part of the game and they dictated the whole game from the inside. Pau couldn't played any better and same could be said of Lamar Odom. Their great passing (33 assists vs 20 for denver) started because of this.
Outside Shooting: Lakers shot 45% from downtown (54%, not counting Kobe's horrible shooting). Lakers play their best when their outside shot is falling. For some odd reason, usually when they are hot from outside, they also pass the ball around so much more fluidly as well.
They played good defense on Denver's two best players, leading them to shoot in low 40's from the field.

Cons:

Dribble Penetration Defense: When the Nuggets wanted to drive to the basket with their mind to it, they were able to do it very easily for layups. JR and Kleiza did this to them repeatdly at one point in the game and Lakers had no answers for it.
Offensive Rebounds: Lakers got 6 less offensive rebounds than the Nuggets. Combine this with some better free throw shooting from the Nuggets, this could be an issue in the future for the Lakers.
Kobe's Horrible Shooting: He was 35% from the field, going 9 of 26. Pau and Lamar was able to carry this team today but if they want to get anywhere deep in the playoffs, this type of shooting from their best player will result in a loss more times than not. Even when he got 18 points in fourth quarter, he was still only 3 of 9.

Final Verdict:

Denver Nuggets: I am sure George Karl will be beating this in their heads as well, they have to stay home on Laker's shooters. They are going to have to pick their poison on whether to let their shooters be open or let Pau and Lamar operate one-on-one down low. They cant give both to Lakers like they did in 1st game. Lakers are not a great one-on-one team on the outside other than Kobe. Beside him, no one can create their own shot if the are being played one-on-one. Their best bet might be to stay home on the shooters and let Camby and Martin play one-on-one on Pau instead of coming from perimeter to double them. Lakers are too good of a passing team to not make them pay for doubling inside. Remember, Phil Jackson been practicing on how to find open players when inside is doubled since Shaq use to roam in LA. On the offensive side, they have to, HAVE TO, drive to the basket. They got about 3-4 players who can do that easily from the outside and yet only 2 of them did it and only for a little spurt. Free throws issue will be solved, I wouldn't worry too much about that. Remember, they only lost by 14, considering both of their best players shot horrible, got 13 less assist, one of their players got thrown out (although late), 4 Technical fouls, and bad free throw shooting. Just to give an example, AI makes 4 out of those 6 free throws he missed, combined with little more composure meaing 4 less Techs, it would be a 6 point game. So all isn't lost for the Denver. Also, I have read it countless times from Denver Fans that JR and Kleiza should play more instead of Carter. Actually that was the case already the Nuggets. Carter played 18 minutes, compared to 23 for JR and 38 for Kleiza. Now maybe starting JR instead of Carter to rejevunate Nuggets might be another option.

Los Angeles Lakers: They have to play better defense on the dribble penetration from the Nuggets. You can bet AI, Melo, JR, and Kleiza will be doing a lot more of it in the 2nd game. Also, they got 6 less Off. Rebounds than the Nuggets. Denver might not have been able to make them pay it in the first game but that will not always be the case. Also, they wont be able to survive this series if Kobe keeps shooting like he did in the first game. They also need to take more advantage of the mismatches that are being created by George Karl making Martin guard Kobe. Radmanovic needs to go better job of using his height advantage against smaller opponents like Luke Walton was doing. Kobe needs to take advantage of Carter's size, or lack thereof, on the offensive side of the game.

I still see this series going to about 6 games or so in the favor of the Lakers but one would be considered a fool to think that someone like AI will just his hand down and not have anything to say about it.