Get out the Broom: The Lake Show Cancelled Early

What a series. For the Dallas Mavericks at least it was. The two time defending champs found themselves to be helpless against a much improved Dallas squad led by an extremely motivated Dirk Nowitzki and reborn Jason Terry. But as much of a rout the series appeared to be, there was not a single national analyst- with the exception of Charles Barkeley- who thought the Lakers would fall in usch spectactular fashion. Very few expected a Dallas win, much less a sweep, and for the anti Kobe Bryant crowd the emphatic sweep gave them even more ammunition. The Mavericks seemed like a team firing on all cylinders, dropping in 3s, playing timely defense, and executing their deadly pick and roll offense to perfection. But as much as this series proved to be a statement for Dallas- tagged with the unfortunate label of playoff "choke artists"- it was a powerful indictment of the Los Angelos Lakers, flying high not so long ago. What does it all mean?



1) Forget the notion of Dallas being too "soft" to make a run to the title this year. Amidst the chippy play of the Lakers, and the absolutely brutal clothesline of Barea by Ron Artest, the Mavs held their own on the defensive  end as they held the defending champions to 88 points per contest and did not wilt in the spotlight of the playoffs as they have in the past few seasons. This was not a team that shot their way to an unlikely upset, but rather a deep and talented squad dominating on both ends of the court against the two time defending champions.



2) Dirk Nowitzki may be the best power forward in the league. With the decline of Tim Duncan, and Nowitzki's continued brilliance- Ten straight seasons of 20+ points per game with the 10 time All Star forward never missing more than a handful of games in any season during his career- has him at least in the conversation, if not the favorite, for the best power forward in the game. A position, unlike center, which has no lack of talent around the league with perennial All Star candidates Amare Stoudamire of the Knicks, Pau Gasol of the Lakers, and Zach Randolph of the Grizzlies all qualifying at the position. If he leads the Mavericks to their first title in franchise history, there will be a very strong argument for Nowitzki as one of the best power forwards perhaps in all of NBA history. But that is a matter for an entirely different article. But just as intriguing is...

3) The decline of Kobe Bryant. Maybe this statement is a knee jerk response to the Lakers' loss to Dallas, but does anyone else think the great Black Mamba is nearing the end of his reign at the top of the league? There are already strong arguments for LeBron James and Dwayne Wade as better players, and even more shocking was the fact that for much of the past series Nowitzki, not Bryant, often looked and acted the part of the best player on the court for either team. Its been quite awhile since anyone has challenged Kobe Bryant in the playoffs when he had the level of supporting cast of the current Lakers- say what you want but Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, and Andrew Bynum still compose the best front court trio in the league- and it was a damning indictment of the five time champion as he clanged a deep three off the rim to end Game 1, and perhaps giving the Mavericks all the momentum they needed to easily handle the struggling Lakers.

4) Something is clearly WRONG with the Lakers right now. How can a team boasting arguably the best player of our generation, thought to be in his prime still, the most versatile player in the game (Lamar Odom), and two All Star caliber bigs in Bynum and Gasol and still get swept out of the playoffs by a talented, but inferior, Dallas Mavericks squad? There are so many questions marks with this Lakers team, and why their vaunted defense and dangerously efficient triangle offense was made to seem inept by a Dallas team that was not even considered a strong bet to advance past Portland in the first round. They did not have the look of two time defending champions, and now Phil Jackson will most likely ride off into the sunset with 11 championships. Without the Zen Master at the helm, what will happen to the increasingly erratic team on the floor for Los Angelos? Will Bynum ever live up to his potential? What has happened to Pau Gasol? And what to do about an aging superstar (Kobe Bryant), and a pair of underachieving former All Stars (Ron Artest and Lamar Odom)? Not to mention an absolute black hole at the point guard position, headed up by the plodding Derek Fisher and one trick pony Steve Blake. It seems impossible that a team as talented and seasoned as the Lakers can have so many question marks, but a four game sweep at the hands of a team they have dominated in recent years has opened the door to such inquiries.

NBA PLAYOFFS: The Year of the Grizzly?

Watching this year's NBA playoffs should have led you to several conclusions, with the most probable (or improbable depending on your own views) finish awaiting us at the end of it all.

1) The San Antonio Spurs, who finished with the second best record in the NBA at 61-21, led by the aging trio of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili are not the Spurs of years past. Watching the Grizzlies tank the last few weeks of the season in order to set up a first round match up with the Spurs seemed to many like an emboldened move, but not only did Memphis beat San Antonio- the first time that an 8th seed has defeated the 1 seed since the opening round has expanded to a seven game format- but they completely outclassed a banged up San Antonio squad running on fumes.

2) Chris Paul, coming off a disappointing season during which he averaged a career low 15.9 ppg and under 10 assist per game for the first time in 4 seasons, proved that he is still in the conversation for the best point guard in the game. Without fellow All Star teammate David West and surrounded by a group of misfits and castoffs (Marco Belinelli, Willie Green, etc.) CP3 had his way with the vaunted Lakers defense, pushing the defending champions to 6 games on his own willpower. While this provides an indictment of Derek Fisher's increasingly eroding skill set, it also provides a strong argument for Chris Paul as the best pure point guard in the NBA today.

3) The Grizzlies are the REAL DEAL. They score over 50 ppg in the paint, leading the league, and often win the battle of the boards night in and night out. Led by the rejuvenated Zack Randolph, an undersized power forward with questionable athletic ability, the self proclaimed underdogs easily handled the Spurs in the first round and stopped the surging OKC Thunder in Game 1 of the ongoing second round. The names do not jump off the page, and on paper they seem over matched and undermanned especially considering the season ending injury to second leading scorer Rudy Gay. With talent and youth at every position, the Grizzlies seem poised to make a deep run in this year's post season. My bold prediction? Memphis will advance to the Western Conference Finals against Los Angelos and push the Lake Show to 7 games in an instant classic.

4) Joe Johnson has been belittled, criticized, and repeatedly questioned about his supposed lack of production after signing the HIGHLY CONTROVERSIAL max contract extension in the off season. While he has yet to live up to his massive contract's expectations, during these playoffs Joe Johnson has showcased the talent that led to the Atlanta Hawks luring the former 6th Man of Year award winner away from Phoenix. Indeed the Hawks are 5-0 in the post season thus far when Johnson scores over 20 points, including last night's stunner on the road against a sputtering Chicago team when he scored a game high 34 points on an insane 66.7% from the field including 5 for 5 from deep range. While he disappointed many throughout the season, averaging only 18.4 ppg and leading an underachieving Hawks squad to an unsatisfying 5th place finish in the regular season, a deep run in this year's playoffs will go a long way to appeasing the same fans who booed him off the the court in Atlanta not too long ago.

5) When its all said and done, can we not say the Miami Heat are poised to capture an NBA championship in just the first season of the Lebron Wade Bosh experiment? They obliterated the Philadelphia 76ers in just 5 games, and out-muscled a Boston Celtics team built on its tenacity in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals. Where does this leave the rest of the NBA? Can any of the remaining playoff teams match up defensively with the three headed monster of Miami? With two of the best players in the league working in harmony, there is no doubt that this superstar and veteran laden team is championship or bust. There is little doubt in my mind that the Heat will represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals this season, and their potential opponents (Lakers, Mavericks, Grizzlies, or the Thunder) do not match up very well on paper at least. My pick? Heat over the Lake Show in 6 not so very close games.