SH Blog: Jackson, Curry Reinvent Warriors; Seattle Still In Play For Kings; Amar’e Will Hurt Knicks

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Stephen CurryAs the second round of the NBA playoffs surges into the weekend — with every series tied 1-1 for the first time in league history — all eyes are on the Golden State Warriors.

Klay Thompson’s Game 2 brilliance — 34 points on 8-for-9 shooting from 3-point range — evened up Golden State’s series with San Antonio heading into Friday night’s Game 3 at “the Roaracle,” but it has been Stephen Curry and Mark Jackson who have turned this organization into the NBA Finals contender it is today.

Yes, the Golden State Warriors are an NBA Finals contender today.

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Bauman: Regarding Derrick Rose, How Injuries Can Improve Shooting

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Derrick RoseWarning to the rest of the NBA, especially the Miami Heat: If history can be used as a guide, Derrick Rose is going to be a much better shooter when/if he returns during the playoffs.

Yes, that is a big “if.” Rose is expected to sit again tonight for Game 3.

But when he returns, he should return a better shooter. That’s what happens when hard-working, coachable  players have to rehab from leg or knee injuries. All they can do is practice their shot, and the thousands of repetitions – when done the right way – usually pay off with better accuracy numbers.

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StatBox Playoff Breakdown: Miami’s adjustments and how Golden State has the pieces to shock the Spurs

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Moving past the obvious in Miami’s Game 2 triumph

Carlos BoozerHow do you push past the obvious insight about Miami’s all-around 115-78 beatdown of Chicago in Wednesday night’s Game 2? What can you say besides the Heat shooting 60 percent to 35.5 percent for the Bulls? Let’s break down the major things that changed on both sides that helped lead to such a different result in Miami’s favor:

Miami’s Big Three was way more efficient in Game 2, perhaps with more determination and urgency in their games. Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh scored five more points in Game 2 than they did in Game 1 (28-23) despite taking five fewer shots. LeBron James is going to be the best player in the world every time he plays, but his two All-Star sidekicks will be key against a normally good Chicago defense.

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Sheridan: On Off Day in NBA Playoffs, Some Time For Reflection

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ThinkerCan we settle on this factoid after the first 4 days of the second round of the NBA Playoffs? The Golden State Warrors are now America’s team — unless, of course, you live in San Antonio and spend your days sticking needles into Joey Crawford voodoo dolls. Or you are Spike Lee.

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Tweet of the Day: George Karl

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The NBA’s active wins leader among head coaches, having accumulated 1,131 career victories, has now been honored with his first piece of hardware for individual achievement.

Denver Nuggets head coach George Karl was honored Wednesday as the 2012-13 NBA Coach of the Year.

Honored to receive coach of the year award. Tribute to great players and assistants. Many others equally deserving.
May 8, 2013 11:12 am via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite
@CoachKarl22
George Karl
coach karl

George Karl with the Red Auerbach Trophy.

Coach Karl led the Nuggets to the league’s fourth best record (57-25), the third seed in the Western Conference and an impressive league-best 38-3 record at home.

That’s a tall order for a team lacking a legitimate superstar that also sported the league’s third youngest roster.

Karl beat out a slew of other equally qualified candidates for the award, finishing first with 62 first-place votes ahead of the Miami Heat’s Eric Spoelstra, New York Knicks’ Mike Woodson and last year’s winner, San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich.

[Surprisingly, Scott Brooks, head coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder—who finished the season with the second best record and the top seed in the Western Conference—finished last in voting, receiving only three 3rd-place votes.]

After a 30 year career (25 in the NBA) as a basketball head coach, it only seems fitting that he won the Red Auerbach Trophy with the Denver Nuggets, considering he began coaching with the short-lived Montana Golden Nuggets in the Continental Basketball Association—where he won the coach of the year honors twice en route to two CBA finals appearances.

Two years removed from missing the second half of the season while overcoming cancer, he has now had his best regular season with the Nuggets. It is, however, not without its critics. While Denver has been to the playoffs each season that he has been there (nine in all), they have failed to make it out of the first-round eight times, including the last four straight seasons.

From the CBA to the NBA, Karl has had plenty of success but he has yet to win a championship. Thus far, he has only been to the NBA Finals once, having done so with the Seattle SuperSonics who lost in six games to the Chicago Bulls in 1996.

With the league being full of power teams, a championship in the immediate future looks fairly bleak, but anything is possible, especially for a coach capable of such a high level of sustained success, assuming he’s able to exercise his first-round demons.

 

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Tweet of the Night: Shaquille O’Neal fires back at Kendrick Perkins

Tweet of the Day: Reggie Miller

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