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When the San Antonio Spurs beat the New York Knicks in the 1999 NBA Finals, it was considered a championship coronation for long-time Spurs center David Robinson.
With plenty of help from second-year power forward Tim Duncan, that title validated Robinson’s career. But more importantly, it spawned a run of sustained success that is incredibly unique in the NBA, especially for a small-market franchise like the Spurs.
This is the part of the playoffs where things get interesting — or they don’t.
If the Rockets win Game 3 against an Oklahoma City Thunder team that will be without Russell Westbrook, then it’s an interesting series. If the Rockets lose, don’t waste your time on Game 4.
Same thing with Spurs-Lakers — although the urge to watch El Lay’s funeral might actually make Game 4 a compelling view.
If the Knicks win tonight in Boston, it’ll be another pity party to view on Sunday. If the Celtics win, that’s a whole different story.
That’s the beauty/ugly factor for you, and I discussed the possible twists and turns in several NBA playoff series in this interview with Marc Malusis on WFAN in New York.
Enjoy.
(Yesterday, Chris Bernucca tried to influence my official NBA ballot with his choices for postseason awards. Today, we get more of the same from Brian Geltzeiler of Hoopscritic.com and SheridanHoopsRadio. I’ll publicize my picks after I cast my ballot in the wee hours of Thursda morning-CS)
The dying days of the NBA regular season are upon us. A few teams that are in the playoffs are still jockeying for seedings, and we won’t know until late Wednesday night whether it is the Los Angeles Lakers or the Utah Jazz who will qualify for the final spot.
Strangely, the Lakers can finish as high as sixth with the right confluence of events.
Or, they could be packing their bags for the offseason on Thursday morning if they lose to the Houston Rockets and the Utah Jazz manage to defeat the Memphis Grizzlies.
In the East, all that’s left to be determined is who will face the No. 3 Indiana Pacers and the No. 4 Brooklyn Nets. Chicago holds the tiebreaker edge over Atlanta.
This is also the time of year when I take the opportunity to hand out my own unique docket of awards that I have dubbed The Geltzies. Many of these are my take on traditional awards that the league gives out, and many of these are the polar opposite of that.
Without further ado, I present to you the third annual edition of “The Geltzies”
All eyes in the NBA are on the Miami Heat — and with good reason. They get the Cavs tonight in Cleveland, the betting line has opened at 5 points (?), and the number of the night is 24 — the amount of consecutive victories Miami should have when all is said and done.
But enough about them … for now.
As we approach the stretch run of this NBA season, we have no shortage of interesting and competitive races for playoff berths and playoff seeding.
Fresh off my maiden voyage to the M.I.T. Sloan Sports Analytic Conference in Boston, I have been spending more time dissecting advanced stats.
One of the important principles in using advanced stats to draw conclusions is to also know which stats don’t paint a complete picture.
I have found that looking at some of these team stats can tell us a lot on why good teams are good and why certain teams overachieve and conversely underachieve.
The San Antonio Spurs currently have the best record in the NBA after their 105-93 victory over Oklahoma City last night.
In looking at their overall rankings, it’s not hard to tell why.
