Thursday, April 23, 2009

Playoff links

Well first, I will be watching GameCast tonight because I have my last night class for the semester. Don't worry I'm DVRing the game and I'm a big enough loser to watch it later even if I know the score. So please feel free to text/BBM me any substantive/editorial updates as you watch (especially anything negative you have to say about VDN!).

As always, some links ...


Kmart beat me to it
, but Bill Simmons is a good read today (but I'll quote a different section -
2. The Prodigy

Here's what you want from your much-ballyhooed rookie in the playoffs: You want him to raise his game a level, make his teammates better, play without fear, exhibit the requisite competitiveness and have a few "Good God, did you just see that????" moments. Through two games, Derrick Rose nailed all of these checkmarks unlike anyone we've seen since (gulp) Magic Johnson. You cannot say enough about him.

Of all the remarkable plays Rose made through two games, one stood out for me: With about eight minutes remaining in Game 2, Rose was hoping to foil a modified fast break. Instead of trying to beat Rose off the dribble, Paul Pierce lobbed a pass to Eddie House in the corner. Even though he was backpedaling, Rose sniffed out the pass, whirled around on the foul line, took TWO giant steps, improbably closed out on House's 3-pointer and tipped the shot. Watching it live, I rewound the play on TiVo even though the game was still going -- just for the record, I never, ever, ever rewind plays until the commercial -- and only because I was thinking, "Wait a second, he didn't just take two steps from the foul line and block a corner 3, did he?" Yup. He did.

One thing separates him from other world-class rookies who preceded him on a big stage: As far as pure point guards go, he might be the best athlete we've ever seen. If you built the ideal point guard, like how you can create a player from scratch on "NBA Live," wouldn't you basically create Derrick Rose? Lord help us if he ever learns how to shoot 3-pointers. Regardless, after Games 1 and 2, the ceiling has been removed for Rose. I am prepared for anything over the next 12 years. Anything.

...

7. The Dunce

I don't want to jinx it, but Vinny Del Negro is putting on an anti-coaching clinic for the ages. He ran out of timeouts in both games, never double-teamed Pierce when he was heating up in Game 1, didn't attack a one-legged Rondo in Game 2, put Kirk Hinrich on Allen for the biggest play of Game 2, played Brad Miller too much when the JoakimNoah-Ty Thomas combo was destroying the Celtics, and called two timeouts in the final three minutes of Game 2 to design plays for Ben Gordon, who, again, had an actual fireball shooting out of his butt. You can't just scream "go to Gordon again" from the sidelines, Vinny? Actually, why am I complaining about this? Forget I mentioned it.



Stephen Curry is entering the draft. Check out the comments here (I know, odd place for it) for all the BBS writer's thoughts.

Someone meaning to vote for the good Lopez (Brook) accidentally gave an ROY vote for the bad Lopez (Robin) -
No matter where you stand on Lopez, there can't be anyone who thinks this is anything but a mistake made by a voter who confused Robin with his twin brother, Brook. New Jersey's Lopez finished third in the voting behind winner Derrick Rose and runner-up O.J. Mayo. The point system means that Robin Lopez scored as many points as Rudy Fernandez, who received three third-place votes, and more points than Mario Chalmers, Courtney Lee and Nicolas Batum, three rookies who started all season.


I assume that this is the same moronic idiot-voter who gave VDN a COY vote.













D-Rose's top performances this season
-
April 18, 2009 at Boston

Rose ties Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's 39-year-old record by scoring 36 points in a rookie playoff debut. Rose also dishes 11 assists and makes all 12 free throws in the Bulls' OT victory.

Nov. 21, 2008 at Golden State

Reeling from a disastrous, 42-point loss in Portland, Rose scored 23 second-half points and hit two stone-cold jumpers down the stretch.





****** UPDATE *****
ESPN Poll Results
Which team will win the Bulls-Celtics series now that Leon Powe is out for the playoffs?



These are the results as of 5:45pm today ...

Blue = BULLS!!

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