Not seeing Chris Paul in the postseason robs the playoffs of some sweetness.
Brandon Roy took us all by surprise, didn't he?
Just eight days after undergoing surgery to repair a torn meniscusin his right knee, my man was on the Rose Garden court, helping hisBlazers win Game 4 to even up the series with the Suns. The Portlandcrowd was delirious as Roy's return was easily the most shocking andemotionally palpable moment of these young playoffs.
Beforethe playoffs began, I was miffed that I wasn't going to see Roy inaction. And, truthfully, although he's technically back, he's notreally "back." As an individual, Roy's one of the NBA's clutch, marqueeperformers. You want as many of those leading men in the playoffs aspossible. But based on Games 4 and 5, it doesn't seem like that's theRoy we'll see anytime soon.
It got me to thinking about a few other people and places that we're missing this spring ...
Chris Paul:It was CP -- not Roy -- that I really wished was balling in theseplayoffs. He's right there with Kobe, LeBron, D-Wade, Dwight Howard andMelo as a dude that I want participating in every postseason. Hisvirtuosity is doing us no good in street clothes. It seems that we allhave a short memory. As recently as this time last year -- after he hitus with a memorable "22.8 ppg-11.0 apg-5.5 rpg-2.8 spg" season -- CPwas a consensus pick as the game's best point guard. The year beforethat, he finished second to Kobe in MVP voting.
But after aninjury-derailed season, he's suddenly an afterthought as everyoneanoints Deron Williams the new king. Shoutout to Deron and hisincredible performances against Denver (and a stellar season), but inmy opinion, ain't nuttin' changed: CP is still the league's best pointguard. Last week, some friends and I had a "CP vs. Deron" argument onGMail.
My boy Tony summed it up best: "CP plays on a worsesquad, averages more points, assists, steals, rebounds, and typicallymore wins. He is a better leader, has a stronger personality -- he isthe coach of the Hornets. Deron plays in a system in Utah. In Nola,Chrissy is the system."
Amen.
Get healthy, CP, and get the Hornets back to the playoffs.
Andrew Bogut:This series is already a "series" -- but only because the Hawks turninto some different, terrible version of themselves on the road. IfBogut -- the second-best center in the league this season -- wasdropping in his customary 15 points, 10 boards and three blocks ...well, then this really would be a series.
A young Shaquille O'Neal:Man I miss the young, destructive, fear-inspiring, "Most Dominant Ever"Shaq of 2000-02. Dwight Howard was nailed to Orlando's bench because offoul trouble against Charlotte. Shaq is averaging 19.3 minutes a game,mostly because the Cavs obviously feel like they don't have much usefor him against Chicago. The reduced role is nothing new for the BigWitness Protection.
Shaq's last four postseason's have gone likethis: first-round ousters in '07 and '08; chilling on a couch in '09and now this reduced-role Shaq in 2010. Going even further back, Shaqdidn't average 20 ppg for the 2006 Heat championship run. In fact, hescored 30 or more only once during the '05 and '06 postseasons withMiami. Even the 2004 Shaq -- party to L.A.'s upset loss to Detroit inThe Finals -- was only periodically dominant.
I miss thatvintage Shaq we witnessed during the Lakers threepeat. Rememberwatching Dikembe Mutombo in slow-mo, grimacing as he ricocheted off thegreatest physical force in the game's history? Remember the Shaq teamsthat simply could not be stopped? Double-team, triple-team -- it didn'tmatter, Shaq was scoring. He'd ram dunks down the hoops' throat like hewas mad at it ... with two 270-pound, 7-footers draped on his back. Imiss that Shaq.
The Oracle Arena in Oakland: The 2007playoffs was a tease I could do without. Yeah, the Oklahoma City fanshave been getting down and putting even the best playoff crowds toshame the past week. But let us not forget the preposterous atmospherethat the Bay Area folks gave the overachieving 2007 Warriors. Itcombined the volume and delirium of OKC with an astuteness and hoopssophistication that comes from several generations of fans that hadbeen rooting for the Warriors since they came to the Bay Area back in1962. Plus, as is easily seen with Raider Nation -- folks in Oaklandare psycho. We need a good, competitive team in Oakland so we can getat least two games at the Oracle each postseason.
Steve Javie:A "Get well soon" to Javie, because -- be honest -- when Javie makes acall you don't like, you react with a little more anger ... and youlike it that way.
George Karl: And, finally, a super "Getwell soon" to coach Karl, who's been away from the team undergoingtreatment for throat cancer. The Nuggets obviously need him, but thisis also his fifth decade as part of the NBA family. He's coached 22seasons and missed the playoffs just three times. So, yeah, theplayoffs are a little weird without Karl, especially under thesecircumstances. We'll all be glad when he's back on the sidelines in amock turtleneck, flashing his trademark smirk.
It got me to thinking about a few other people and places that we're missing this spring ...
Chris Paul:It was CP -- not Roy -- that I really wished was balling in theseplayoffs. He's right there with Kobe, LeBron, D-Wade, Dwight Howard andMelo as a dude that I want participating in every postseason. Hisvirtuosity is doing us no good in street clothes. It seems that we allhave a short memory. As recently as this time last year -- after he hitus with a memorable "22.8 ppg-11.0 apg-5.5 rpg-2.8 spg" season -- CPwas a consensus pick as the game's best point guard. The year beforethat, he finished second to Kobe in MVP voting.
But after aninjury-derailed season, he's suddenly an afterthought as everyoneanoints Deron Williams the new king. Shoutout to Deron and hisincredible performances against Denver (and a stellar season), but inmy opinion, ain't nuttin' changed: CP is still the league's best pointguard. Last week, some friends and I had a "CP vs. Deron" argument onGMail.
My boy Tony summed it up best: "CP plays on a worsesquad, averages more points, assists, steals, rebounds, and typicallymore wins. He is a better leader, has a stronger personality -- he isthe coach of the Hornets. Deron plays in a system in Utah. In Nola,Chrissy is the system."
Amen.
Get healthy, CP, and get the Hornets back to the playoffs.
Andrew Bogut:This series is already a "series" -- but only because the Hawks turninto some different, terrible version of themselves on the road. IfBogut -- the second-best center in the league this season -- wasdropping in his customary 15 points, 10 boards and three blocks ...well, then this really would be a series.
A young Shaquille O'Neal:Man I miss the young, destructive, fear-inspiring, "Most Dominant Ever"Shaq of 2000-02. Dwight Howard was nailed to Orlando's bench because offoul trouble against Charlotte. Shaq is averaging 19.3 minutes a game,mostly because the Cavs obviously feel like they don't have much usefor him against Chicago. The reduced role is nothing new for the BigWitness Protection.
Shaq's last four postseason's have gone likethis: first-round ousters in '07 and '08; chilling on a couch in '09and now this reduced-role Shaq in 2010. Going even further back, Shaqdidn't average 20 ppg for the 2006 Heat championship run. In fact, hescored 30 or more only once during the '05 and '06 postseasons withMiami. Even the 2004 Shaq -- party to L.A.'s upset loss to Detroit inThe Finals -- was only periodically dominant.
I miss thatvintage Shaq we witnessed during the Lakers threepeat. Rememberwatching Dikembe Mutombo in slow-mo, grimacing as he ricocheted off thegreatest physical force in the game's history? Remember the Shaq teamsthat simply could not be stopped? Double-team, triple-team -- it didn'tmatter, Shaq was scoring. He'd ram dunks down the hoops' throat like hewas mad at it ... with two 270-pound, 7-footers draped on his back. Imiss that Shaq.
The Oracle Arena in Oakland: The 2007playoffs was a tease I could do without. Yeah, the Oklahoma City fanshave been getting down and putting even the best playoff crowds toshame the past week. But let us not forget the preposterous atmospherethat the Bay Area folks gave the overachieving 2007 Warriors. Itcombined the volume and delirium of OKC with an astuteness and hoopssophistication that comes from several generations of fans that hadbeen rooting for the Warriors since they came to the Bay Area back in1962. Plus, as is easily seen with Raider Nation -- folks in Oaklandare psycho. We need a good, competitive team in Oakland so we can getat least two games at the Oracle each postseason.
Steve Javie:A "Get well soon" to Javie, because -- be honest -- when Javie makes acall you don't like, you react with a little more anger ... and youlike it that way.
George Karl: And, finally, a super "Getwell soon" to coach Karl, who's been away from the team undergoingtreatment for throat cancer. The Nuggets obviously need him, but thisis also his fifth decade as part of the NBA family. He's coached 22seasons and missed the playoffs just three times. So, yeah, theplayoffs are a little weird without Karl, especially under thesecircumstances. We'll all be glad when he's back on the sidelines in amock turtleneck, flashing his trademark smirk.
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