Bernucca: Who is stepping up in the postseason?

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Curry-sportsillustratedOne of the most intriguing elements of the NBA playoffs is what the spotlight reveals about certain players – especially those who weren’t expected to be in the spotlight at all.

We expect established superstars such as LeBron James and Kevin Durant to welcome the pressure of the postseason and elevate their play. That is part of the reason they are among the game’s best players.

It is also not that surprising to see very good players such as Stephen Curry and Mike Conley lift their games. The only doubts we may have had were created by the fact that their previous postseason experience was limited.

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Bernucca: Melo Needs to Take a Pass on Hero Ball

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Carmelo AnthonyHere’s the bottom line on Carmelo Anthony’s recent play. Using the measuring stick of points per shot, it is his worst four-game stretch of the postseason since the first four playoff games of his career.

Furthermore, when compared alongside other worst four-game stretches of contemporary solo superstars, it is near the bottom.

Following Sunday’s loss to Indiana in the Eastern Conference semifinals opener, the Knicks are 1-3 in their last four games, including 0-2 at home. Their only win saw them nearly squander a 26-point lead in a matter of minutes as they repeatedly force-fed Anthony (and, to be fair, J.R. Smith) in isolation situations.

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Bernucca: Future murky for Lakers, biggest underachievers in NBA history

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Dwight HowardBefore Game 4 of their Western Conference first-round series against the San Antonio Spurs, the Los Angeles Lakers handed out white towels to fans at the Staples Center.

Apparently, someone in the marketing department didn’t understand symbolism. By halftime, those towels had become flags of surrender for the Lakers, the biggest underachieving team in the history of the NBA.

Dwight Howard offered his own symbolism, figuratively throwing in the towel midway through the third quarter. Unwilling to grit his teeth and bang and bump his way through all of another telling, embarrassing loss, he got himself ejected, starting his offseason of uncertainty with an hour’s headstart on his teammates.

Dwight Howard, human surrender flag. Yeah, there’s the sort of toughness you want to build a franchise around.

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Bernucca: All not lost in lost weekend for road teams

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lost weekendHey, how about those road teams in the playoffs, hunh?

It was a lost weekend that would have made Ray Milland proud.

I spent huge chunks of Saturday and Sunday at an AAU tournament and missed several games. When I finally got home and turned on the TV, I wished I was back at the AAU tournament.

If you didn’t watch the NBA playoffs this weekend, you didn’t miss much. All eight road teams lost Game 1, the first time that has happened since 2004. In that season, three first-round series ended in sweeps, four more ended in five games and the lone series that went the distance saw the home team win every game.

This weekend’s road teams lost by an average of 16 points, making it hard to tell whether they didn’t show up or couldn’t wait to get home. The Houston Rockets, who don’t play Oklahoma City again until Wednesday, actually did go home after Sunday night’s debacle.

The three games that aired on TNT on Sunday were decided by a combined 69 points. Yes, We Know Drama, and This Isn’t It. 

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Nets vs. Bulls Preview: Five Key Factors

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nets60bulls small logoIs it even worth bringing up Derrick Rose’s name?

To quote the man himself: “Only God knows.”

Heaven forbid we should get some clarity out of the former MVP, who has been practicing with the team for more than a month and keeping everyone on edge – to the point of frustration – with the waiting game surrounding his return. If he decides to give it a go in Game 1, it will be the one-year anniversary of the very same game – the first one of the playoffs – in which Rose suffered his torn ACL last season.

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