NBA Western Conference Playoffs: Baron Davis Plays the Hero

Sang Nguyen is right: Golden State's dismantling of the Mavericks wasn't a miracle.

It was an upset, of course—but there's plenty of evidence that Dallas was overmatched against the Warriors.

When Dirk did get in the post, he was too timid, settling for rushed shots and harmless kick-outs. That's not a recipe for taking over a game.

Dirk has shown an inability over the past two seasons to overcome quick, aggressive man-to-man defense, even against inferior defenders. And let's not forget his telling the media that he lacked confidence because of the Warriors D.

Since when do potential MVP's lack confidence?

Dirk is still a very talented player, but he's been officially exposed as an incapable leader. Forget Steve Nash—if voters are suckered into giving Dirk the MVP award, I suggest the trophy be promptly handed over to Baron Davis.

Another point: Avery Johnson was overmatched against Don Nelson. Johnson started the series small—which was the right thing to do before putting DeSagana Diop back in the starling lineup for Game Two.

The rub: Johnson really had no clue as to how to match up with Golden State.

Why not put Erick Dampier in the post and run the offense through him? Dampier's offensive game isn't abysmal, and he would have been able to draw fouls against the smaller Golden State defenders. Alternatively, why did Devean George get so many minutes when he was too slow to run with the Warriors' jet-setters...and too inefficient on offense (20 percent FG shooting) to justify his defensive lapses?

Johnson's biggest mistake may have been resting his starters in a late-season game that the Warriors needed to win to make the playoffs. Instead of laying the hammer, the Mavs allowed Golden State to waltz into the postseason.

The Warriors played desperation basketball for a month before the playoffs began, and it showed in the first round. Dallas' performance down the stretch also carried into the series: They played lazy, nonchalant basketball.

There were plenty of heroes on the Golden State side. Nelson's penchant for free-flowing offense is a perfect fit with these Warriors, who were able to overwhelm Dallas with sheer firepower.

Davis was particularly outstanding. Given unlimited freedom in the Warriors offense, he became more of a distributor than he's ever been in his career (go figure). Even with an injured hamstring, Davis set the tone by abusing Jason Terry and Devin Harris—and his aggressive play created plenty of opportunities for Stephen Jackson, Jason Richardson, et al. to light up the scoreboard.

Also give credit to Chris Mullin. Mullin and Nelson realized that Golden State needed more scorers to make Nellie Ball work—and that Mike Dunleavy and Troy Murphy were too unathletic to succeed in a fast-paced offense. Mullin took a chance on the volatile Jackson, whose play was instrumental in knocking off the Mavs.

In a way, the series was just like old times for the Mavericks. Don Nelson was back in town...and once again, there was no D in Dallas.

Western Conference Notes

Suns vs. Lakers

This series went exactly as expected: Phoenix was overwhelming on offense, and Steve Nash was able to have his way with the Lakers defenders.

The only game the Lakers stole was the one in which they aggressively doubled Nash on screen/rolls at the top of the key. After Game Three, Suns coach Mike D Antoni limited the number of screen/rolls and instead let Nash make creative use of his superior talent. While Kobe had his spectacular moments, he was often too tired down the stretch (see Games One and Five) to take over the game by himself.

Spurs vs. Nuggets

San Antonio did all the little things right, and Denver made all the critical mistakes.

Even when the Nuggets went on runs, the Spurs never changed their game plan: Parker and Ginobli driving and kicking, Tim Duncan posting up and looking for outside shooters.    

Robert Horry was huge for San Antonio, whether it was racing down the court to block an Allen Iverson fast break attempt or knocking down a huge three to break Denver s heart in Game Four.    

Though Iverson and Carmelo Anthony both had good series, each came up short when it mattered. Iverson missed innumerable layups. Carmelo missed his most important shot of the series, a three-pointer in Game Two with less than a minute to go and the Nuggets down by five.     

Still, there were some encouraging signs for Denver. While Anthony still struggles in the clutch, he had the best playoff series of his career. With Iverson on the team, Carmelo has less pressure on him to be The Guy, which should help him grow. Nene Hilario also blossomed, looking to be worth every penny of his new $60 million contract.

If the Nuggets can get a defensive-minded wing, a point guard who can defend and hit jumpers, and a creative scorer off the bench, they'll have a core group that will make them very formidable down the road. 

Rockets vs. Jazz

This has been quite the series, with each team winning all of their home games.

Yao Ming's production has been a function of size, not skill. Mehmet Okur has pushed the Ming Man around, and forced him to resort to finesse jump shots. Carlos Boozer has also taken advantage of Yao's inept defense.     

Utah has been creative in trying to stop Tracy McGrady. Matt Harpring has repeatedly taken T-Mac in the post, forcing McGrady to expend a lot of energy on defense. Harpring has also been in T-Mac's chest on D, with help from Derek Fisher, Andre Kirilenko, and Gordon Giricek.

At the same time, it isn t a stretch to say that McGrady has played the best ball of his career against Utah. His 26-point, 16-assist performance in Game Five was simply extraordinary.    

Okur's offense and Kirilenko's all-around game were MIA until Game Six. Meanwhile, Houston's role players have been present at home and absent on the road. Needless to say, it's been a very fun series to watch—and I'm excited to see how Game Seven plays out on Saturday.

 

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