In Sketches, we'll be taking you on a quick trip through the NBA blogosphere to get our finger on the pulse of all of the key happenings and storylines in the L today.
HOT HOT HOOPS: The Sixers never led in this game and seemed to be completely outmatched against the Heat and have done very little after a blistering hot start to the series in the first quarter of Saturday's game. Since the opening 31-point outburst, Philadelphia has failed to score more than 21 points in the following 7 quarters as the Heat have comfortably held the Sixers at bay even without dominant offensive performances by the star trio of Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh. Just 29 collective points from their starters will kill just about any NBA team's chances of winning against any opponent, especially against an elite team like the Heat. Heck, LeBron scored 29 points on his own after hitting just 4 field goals in their first matchup (all of them in the second quarter and by the rim).
BALL DON’T LIE: The biggest issue here moving forward is Chicago's sluggish play. The team made its hay in the regular season by going hard just about every night, taking advantage of opponents that were often going through the motions during the dregs of an 82-game season. Nobody drinks the dregs during the postseason, though, and Chicago's effort alone won't give the team the typical 10-point advantages they're used to. The team can talk defense all it wants when the cameras are rolling, but this is a team that needs to find its way offensively. Scoring has rarely been the strong suit for the NBA's 11th-ranked offense, and the Pacers can get after it defensively, but the Bulls will be no match for the rest of the Eastern bracket if they don't start to convert good looks.
LIBERTY BALLERS: Thad missed everything. Turner wasn't on the court. Brand looked old. Iguodala looked hurt. Jrue seemed hesitant. Hawes appeared handless. Speights was disappointing. Lou was himself. Tony Battie was...playing. Absolutely everyone is to blame tonight. Pick your scapegoat, but there's a laundry list of people that are just as at fault as the one you pick. LeBron James scored as many points (29) as the entire Sixers starting five. That's all you need to know. Miami did what they had to do. They won both games at home against a significantly worse Sixers team. Game One was close. Game Two was not. Not for a second. From the tip to the horn, the Heat outplayed, out-hustled, out-manned, and outclassed them at home. They protected their home court advantage. Could the Sixers give it right back to them in games three and four? Logic and neatness dictates that it's possible. But if you watched even a minute of this putrid stank game, you're not optimistic.
INDY CORNROWS: The Pacers have only once climbed out of a 2-0 deficit to win a series, way back in 1972, when they came back in the Western Division Finals to defeat the Utah Stars in 7 games. While that doesn’t bode well for a series victory, Pacers fans do have several 7 game series to look back on that began with 2-0 deficits. What that means is that 2-0 will be completely meaningless when Indiana takes the court on Thursday against a severely bullied Chicago team that needed another 36 points from Derrick Rose to seal the deal.
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS: As Chauncey Billups hobbled down the stairs toward the TD Garden parquet and gingerly limped toward the scorer's table to address the media, one thing became apparent Monday: The Knicks will limp into Game 2 of their best-of-seven series with the Boston Celtics without their most playoff-tested veteran.
ESPN BOSTON: After appearing in a mere 24 games this season, sitting out 58 games due to left knee soreness that eventually required surgery, Jermaine O'Neal said he's not even thinking about his health any more. "You guys are worrying about it more than I am," he said. "You guys talk about it more than I even think about it. It's just about maintaining, doing the things you're supposed to do -- the therapy, not only at the gym but at home. Last night, getting home and doing the ice, doing the boot, compression. Just making sure that you're able to get up and do the same things again the next day."
ORLANDO PINSTRIPED POST: Howard neither led the league in rebounding nor in blocked shots, but nonetheless put together a dominant defensive season. He averaged 10.1 defensive boards, 1.4 steals, and 2.4 blocks individually. More importantly than the individual numbers, though, he anchored the league's third-most efficient defense (101.9 points allowed per 100 possessions). Perhaps this view is reductive, but no team which counts Brandon Bass, Jason Richardson, and Hedo Turkoglu among its leaders in total minutes ought to be elite defensively. But Orlando is, due largely to Howard and coach Stan Van Gundy's game-planning and preparation. NBA awards usually stir up some sort of debate, but there should be no debate about Howard's merits here. He is on his own tier as a defender. Howard becomes the first player in history to win this award (Defensive POY) in three consecutive seasons.
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