Hollinger: Top 10 playoff surprises [Archive]

danyel

05-14-2005, 10:44 AM

Has this been posted before?

6. No longer dogging it

Jim O'Brien, Terry Stotts and George Karl – each a former "Big Dog" handler – must be in shock as they watch the Spurs in the postseason. Glenn Robinson is (gasp!) playing defense. Everyone knows Robinson can drill mid-range jumpers all night long, but in the past his effort on defense has been lethargic at best.

However, the knowledge that Gregg Popovich won't play him unless he defends seems to have motivated El Perro Grande in San Antonio, because he's played commendably against the Sonics' Rashard Lewis. Robinson has always possessed the basic tools to be a decent defender – though not terribly quick, he's a good leaper and has excellent anticipation. After a decade of loafing on D, he's finally playing to his ability.

1. Manu the magnificent

So much for the focal point of the Spurs' offense being Duncan. Through seven playoff games, Manu Ginobili has absolutely dominated in his new role as the Spurs' sixth man. Ginobili is second only to Ray Allen among playoff performers with 28.8 points per 40 minutes, and he's done it while shooting 52 percent and playing outstanding defense.

As I mentioned in an earlier piece, Ginobili is one of the rare few who plays better off the bench than as a starter, so the experiment makes sense. Last season, he roughly split time between the two roles, and he averaged 2.8 points more per 40 minutes as a sub, with a .030 improvement in shooting percentage. I had expected Popovich to return Manu to the starting lineup for the Sonics' series, but if Ginobili is playing this well as a reserve, why mess with success?

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs2005/columns/story?columnist=hollinger_john&id=2058505

danyel

05-14-2005, 12:48 PM

I'm not sure how I got into the insider article, I havent payed for it, I just clicked on that same link in another board and got to see the entire article, not sure how did that happen but I thought it was an open article.

Here's the complete article

Hollinger: Top 10 playoff surprises

Big Dog playing 'D' among playoff surprises

Finally, some excitement. This season's playoffs had been a No-Doz special, with six straight thumpings to begin the second round before the Indiana Pacers scored one for the underdogs on Wednesday. But while the conference semis aren't providing as much drama as we might like, we've still had plenty of surprises this postseason.

I'm not just talking about Jerome James, either. Besides, he's back to earth now that he's playing an opponent with a two-legged center. The Seattle SuperSonics' pivot's numbers against the San Antonio Spurs in the second round (6.0 points, 4.5 rebounds per game) are more a reflection of his true ability.

However, here are 10 other surprises this postseason that have garnered less attention than James:

10. Dwyane's World

Dwyane Wade continues to find new ways to expand his game. Instead of slashing all the way to the basket, the Miami Heat super sophomore has been locating teammates at the rim with increasing frequency. On Tuesday, his 15-assist effort against the Washington Wizards included several high handoffs to Udonis Haslem and Shaquille O'Neal, and it was no fluke. Wade is second in playoff assists per 40 minutes at 9.2, a big increase on his regular-season rate of 7.0.

9. Ben's big bagel

It got lost in the shuffle after Chris Duhon tried to receive a pass with his back in the final minute, but Ben Gordon's scoreless Game 6 against Washington was a shocking ending to his rookie season. The runner-up in the rookie of the year voting was held scoreless in 11 minutes while committing five turnovers, contributing greatly to the Chicago Bulls' elimination.

But maybe we shouldn't be so surprised. When Gordon was on his game he could get scorching hot, but he also put up several stinkers over the course of the season. Just look at the clunkers amid his memorable scoring outbursts in the last month: a two-point, five-foul effort against the Charlotte Bobcats on April 2; an 0-for-10 showing against the Toronto Raptors on April 9; and a 1-for-13 episode in Game 4 against the Wizards. Gordon has shown he can score in bunches, but he'll need to improve his consistency greatly for his sophomore campaign.

8. Nick's knack

Shouldn't Nate McMillan consider starting Nick Collison at some point? While the rest of the Sonics are getting slapped silly by Tim Duncan and company, Collison has played two strong games. He's shooting 63.9 percent in the playoffs, and his 40-minute averages of 16.9 points and 11.9 rebounds are outstanding. Plus, he's one of the few Sonics with both the length and the mobility to competently guard Duncan. Despite that performance, Collison has logged only 17 minutes in each of the first two games against the Spurs.

7. Foster goes bananas

Speaking of guys who deserve more playing time, how about Jeff Foster? Coming off the bench for the Pacers, Foster has been simply brilliant. His 18.0 rebounds per 40 minutes leads all playoff performers, and he's shooting 56.5 percent from the floor. Moreover, he remains a pest on defense with his quick feet and long arms. He didn't miss a shot in a seven-point, 13-rebound effort in 21 minutes against the Detroit Pistons in Game 1, but that was just the warm-up act for his 14 points and career-best 20 rebounds in the Pacers' Game 2 upset.

6. No longer dogging it

Jim O'Brien, Terry Stotts and George Karl – each a former "Big Dog" handler – must be in shock as they watch the Spurs in the postseason. Glenn Robinson is (gasp!) playing defense. Everyone knows Robinson can drill mid-range jumpers all night long, but in the past his effort on defense has been lethargic at best.

However, the knowledge that Gregg Popovich won't play him unless he defends seems to have motivated El Perro Grande in San Antonio, because he's played commendably against the Sonics' Rashard Lewis. Robinson has always possessed the basic tools to be a decent defender – though not terribly quick, he's a good leaper and has excellent anticipation. After a decade of loafing on D, he's finally playing to his ability.

5. Miami's glass ceiling

In winning their first six postseason games, the Heat have done lots of things well on offense. They shot 52.6 percent from the field, hit 45 percent on 3-pointers, and averaged nearly 35 free-throw attempts a game.

What they haven't done, however, is hit the offensive glass. Despite the presence of Shaq in the middle, the Heat have rebounded just 22.8 percent of their missed shots, the worst rate in the playoffs. What's confounding is that their current opponent, the Wizards, ranked 26th on the defensive boards during the regular season, yet the Heat has just 16 offensive rebounds in the two games. If the Heat start converting second chances on their rare misses, they'll be unstoppable.

4. Big Ben chimes in

Defensive player of the year Ben Wallace suddenly has become Mr. Offense. With opponents focused on stopping the Palace Guards, Wallace has taken advantage of the openings to post some of the best scoring numbers of his career. Wallace blew up for a career-high 29 points in a first-round win over the Philadelphia 76ers and dropped 21 on the Pacers in the Pistons' Game 1 win Monday. During the playoffs, he's averaging 12.6 points per game, nearly doubling his career average of 6.5.

3. Indy-nial

The Pacers managed to top the Boston Celtics in the first round and steal a game from the Pistons in the second, but no thanks to their offense. The Pacers rank last among playoff teams in scoring (87.9 ppg), field-goal percentage (39.4 percent) and second to last in turnover rate (16.8 percent of their possessions).

Ranked by "Offensive Efficiency," my measure of points per 100 possessions, only the Denver Nuggets have been less effective than the Pacers. At least the Nuggets had an excuse – they were going against the mighty defense of the Spurs. In contrast, the Pacers played seven games against a middling Celtics defense and still couldn't find the basket. Now that they're facing the Pistons, the task won't get any easier.

2. Reserves Heat up

Few perceived the Heat's bench to be a strength, but perhaps we should reconsider. Both Alonzo Mourning and Keyon Dooling have been outstanding in the playoffs, combining for 17 points per game on 71 percent shooting. That gives Stan Van Gundy a quality seven-man rotation, allowing the Heat to thrive even when Shaq and Wade take breathers.

The Heat's bench would be more effective if Christian Laettner could get going. The backup power forward looked half asleep in a three-minute stint against the Wizards in Game 2, and after a strong regular season, he has only nine points in his past five appearances.

1. Manu the magnificent

So much for the focal point of the Spurs' offense being Duncan. Through seven playoff games, Manu Ginobili has absolutely dominated in his new role as the Spurs' sixth man. Ginobili is second only to Ray Allen among playoff performers with 28.8 points per 40 minutes, and he's done it while shooting 52 percent and playing outstanding defense.

As I mentioned in an earlier piece, Ginobili is one of the rare few who plays better off the bench than as a starter, so the experiment makes sense. Last season, he roughly split time between the two roles, and he averaged 2.8 points more per 40 minutes as a sub, with a .030 improvement in shooting percentage. I had expected Popovich to return Manu to the starting lineup for the Sonics' series, but if Ginobili is playing this well as a reserve, why mess with success?