Pop Quiz: NBA Postseason Recap (Part II)

Part Two:

6. Which player had a breakout postseason in 2009?

            A. Mo Williams

            B. Rodney Stuckey

            C. Carmelo Anthony

            D. Adam Morrison

The correct response is C. If you answered A or D, you are a complete idiot. If you answered B, you must be Joe Dumars.

Don’t get me wrong. Melo’s been pretty damn good since he entered the league in ‘03. He just wasn’t on the level his fellow ’03 draftees were on. People always chose to focus on the bad with Carmelo Anthony—He didn’t play defense.

He didn’t listen to George Karl. He didn’t want you snitching in Baltimore. Etc…There was just always something negative overshadowing his immense basketball talent.

That wasn’t the case this postseason. Something finally clicked for Anthony. Maybe it was the Redeem Team. Maybe it was the presence of Chauncey Billups. Maybe it was just maturity. Whatever it was, Anthony proved he belonged in the upper echelon of NBA superstars.

Anthony powered the Nuggets through the playoffs, averaging 27 points as he led them to their first trip to the Western Conference Finals since 1985. Along the way, Anthony had several clutch plays and performances. In Game Three of the Western Conference Semi’s against Dallas, Anthony hit the controversial three that propelled the Nuggets to a 106-105 victory.

He followed that up with a playoff career high of 41 points. Against the Lakers, Anthony opened up with a monster game: 39 points on an efficient 14-20 from the floor, including  4-5 from downtown.

But we all know what ’Melo can do offensively. He’s perhaps the best scorer in the NBA.

What was really impressive was Anthony’s effort and intensity at the defensive end. It seems like Anthony finally understands the relationship between defense and success in the postseason.

Again, you can credit whatever you want for this—being around the work ethic and drive of particular Redeem Team members; AI leaving/Billups arriving; or just player and coach finally being on the same page (or at least the same chapter)—Whoever you give credit to, make sure you save a little for Carmelo Anthony. This postseason was his coming out party, and he’s only going to get better.

If you miss the next question, your occupation is either NBA Commissioner or bookie.

7.  Once again, the NBA playoffs was blemished by _____________ officiating.

            A. dreadful

            B. atrocious

            C. repulsive

            D. abysmal

The answer is D, as well as any other synonym for terrible.

If you perform your job consistently terrible, eventually you’re not going to have job. You’ll be fired, replaced by someone better, and perhaps younger. That’s the way most jobs should work. And that’s the way a lot of jobs actually do work.

Not the case for an NBA official, an occupation where there’s seemingly no relationship between job performance and job security.

This postseason, like most, was marred by consistently terrible officiating. There’s just no other way around it. The refs were flat out bad.

I mean, where do you even begin?

Do you start with the fact that the only things missing from Rajon Rondo’s frequent attacks on Bulls player were a ski mask and a Louisville slugger? Yet he was never suspended.

Then there was the infamous no-call in Game Three of the Dallas-Denver series that enabled Carmelo Anthony to hit the game winning three. This I found to be the most ironic call of the entire postseason.

Carmelo Anthony never gets the benefit of the doubt. For instance, when ’Melo is near the bucket, there basically has to be an action worthy of first-degree assault (plus evidence), or he’s not getting the call. Yet, he receives perhaps the worst call of the entire NBA postseason.  Gotta love it. 

The inconsistent and questionable officiating continued throughout the NBA Finals.

Sometimes there was a whistle, sometimes there wasn’t. You just didn’t know what to expect from the men sacredly preserving the NBA rulebook. Hell, in one sequence during Game Five of the NBA Finals, Andrew Bynum executed three illegal screens before Kobe Bryan found space for a jumper. This happened directly in view of an official.

Fouling is the one thing you can count on from Andrew Bynum! And even he couldn’t get a call! Terrible.

It’s gotten to the point where enough is enough. Officiating is really starting to take away from the NBA playoff experience. We shouldn’t have players walking on eggshells during the playoffs. It’s the playoffs. There’s going to be hard fouls in the NBA postseason. Tempers are going to flare.

We don’t need referees playing bigger roles than they should. We watch the games because of the players. We want to see them care and compete. We want to see their emotions get the best of them at times. This proves to us fans that they really do care about winning, that it’s more than a paycheck.

Bottom line:  NBA officiating must improve.

In spite of the horrible officiating, there’s no question the Los Angeles Lakers were the best team this season.

The pieces of the puzzle just fit in Lakerland. They had a Hall of Fame coach in Phil Jackson, in quest of a record 10th NBA championship as a head coach, calmly providing instructions from his comfy chair.

They had Kobe Bryant, one of the best guards in the history of the game, determined to win one without the big fella. They had an enormously talented and skilled (and suddenly tough) big man in Pau Gasol, and they had Lamar Odom coming off the bench.

The Lakers also discovered a premiere stopper in Trevor Ariza, and who can forget about old reliable, Derek Fisher, always coming up clutch in the postseason. They had all the pieces necessary to win the championship this particular NBA season, and they put those pieces together.

They put their egos aside and just went out and did their respective jobs.

When the most talented team is able to do this, they usually come out on top, and that's exactly what happened. 

However, it’s impossible for any team to head into the next season without questions to be answered.

But first, a short-essay tribute question for Derek Fisher, a player I greatly respect and appreciate as a fan.

8. Like Kobe Bryant, Derek Fisher won his fourth title as a Laker. Briefly summarize the importance of Fisher.

Derek Fisher is the ultimate professional. He’s a stabilizing force in the backcourt for Kobe that is willing to do whatever it takes to win. Fisher thrives in pressure situations and is an extremely clutch shooter.

When there’s a big shot to be taken, we expect Fisher to take and make that shot. He may be 34, but he remains an important piece of this Lakers championship team heading into next season.

OK. Time for some more serious questions the Lakers must answer.

Here’s the toughest question on the test:

9. Which of the players below should be the Lakers' top priority this offseason?

            A. Trevor Ariza

            B. Lamar Odom

You can make a very strong case for either of the two Lakers.

I would have to say the correct answer is A, Trevor Ariza.

Look, Lamar Odom’s a great player that can do a lot things very well on the basketball court. I recognize that having a player of Odom’s talents as your sixthman is a ridiculous luxury that few teams in this league have.

The problem is, Odom’s been the definition of inconsistency throughout his career. You just never know what you’re going to get from Odom. He can dominate for stretches, but he can just as easily disappear for stretches. He’s basically the less-tumultuous, championship version of JR Smith, and that’s still scary. The point is, Odom’s a wild-card.

That being said, with Trevor Ariza, you can count on him to do one thing night in and night out, and that’s defend the hell out of the opponent’s best offensive player.

You simply can not ignore the importance of having that x-factor on your perimeter in the postseason. Guys like Ariza (from James Posey and Bruce Bowen back to Scottie Pippen and Michael Cooper) are extremely difficult to find, but critical for a championship run.  

At a long 6’8’’ and athletically gifted, Arizais the ideal defensive stopper in today’s NBA game with his ability to guard multiple positions. His assignments this postseason ranged from top-level point guards like Deron Williams to 6’10’’ playmaking forwards from Turkey.

He was particularly spectacular in the Western Conference Finals, where he not only came up with those two eerily similar steals that sealed Lakers victories in Games One and Three, he limited Carmelo Anthony (who had been dominant throughout the postseason), to 34 percent shooting in the final four games of the series.

There’s also this:  Ariza went 40-84 (47.6 percent) from beyond the three this postseason, and showed his ability to get to the rim.

I recognize the fact that his 2009 postseason three-point percentage is not anywhere indicative of what he shot during the regular season (31.9 percent) or for his career (29.9 percent), and that basically all his three-pointers were wide open attempts, but he obviously has confidence in his shot and is only going to continue to develop and expand his offense.

The bottom line: when you take into consideration Ariza’s stellar defense and his offensive potential, he’s the perfect complement to Kobe Bryant on the perimeter. Possibly, a Pippen to Kobe’s Jordan. And you can’t afford to let a possible Pippen go when he’s only 23.

(That may be a bold comparison, but I truly believe Ariza is the perfect complement for Kobe Bryant on the perimeter.)

But there’s another reason I’m taking Ariza, and it actually has nothing to do with him

It has to do with a highly skilled big man from Spain.

Final Question:

10. Can the Lakers repeat if they’re able to keep Trevor Ariza but not Lamar Odom?

The answer is hell yes, with potential for a three-peat.

Before you say “but Odom and Gasol play so well together,” I understand this. It’s great watching them play together. It really is. But…

Does everyone realize how freakin’ good Pau Gasol is?

This guy is a stud.

Odom leaving means an even bigger offensive role for Gasol, which is a great thing for the Lakers considering he averaged 18.3 points on 58% shooting from the floor.

Gasol is so incredibly skilled and talented offensively; featuring him a little bit more certainly can’t diminish your chances for another NBA championship.

All things considered, if you still have Phil Jackson as your coach, Kobe Bryant in his prime, Pau Gasol as your second option, and Trevor Ariza locking dudes up, multiple championships (again) are not out of the question for the already spoiled Lakers franchise.

You might need a certain point guard to hit a shot or two, or maybe an overpaid big man to spare a few tough fouls.

Regardless, the pieces are still there in Los Angeles for the championship puzzle.