Playoff Notes

  • The NBA definitely has to do something about the bullshit flagrant foul calls. More often than not, it appears that whether a foul is flagrant is determined solely by how much of a spill the fouled player takes.
  • The Heat definitely benefitted from the extra time off, especially Shaq who was extremely energetic in the minutes he played.
  • Alonzo Mourning saw limited minutes in the two previous games, but he played extensively and productively tonight. He looks like he’s close to 100% back from the calf injury in March.
  • I think I heard the Detroit announcer say “Deee-troit Basketbaaaaallll” about a hundred times during the Cavs series, but I only noticed it two or three times tonight.
  • The Pistons likely have the best starting five in the NBA right now. So how fair is it that they can bring Antonio McDyess off the bench? I guess about as fair as being able to bring Mourning off the bench.
  • And now Lindsay Hunter can shoot threes? What the hell? Why not three years ago when he was a Laker?
  • Antoine Walker started off hot from the three point line but it proved to be a negative to his game. Instead of using it as a way to get some dribble penetration later on, he settled on throwing up more ugly threes – all misses.
  • How weird was it that Riley went to the Hack-a-Shaq defense late in the fourth quarter? I remember when Mike Dunleavy did the same thing as the coach of the Blazers back in 2000. His team was ahead and totally in control of the flow of the game. The parade to the free throw line only served to disrupt that flow. Eventually, the Blazers went on to lose that series in seven games. I blame Dunleavy for going to the Hack-a-Shaq.
  • I was disappointed to see Udonis Haslem shoot so poorly. He’s one of those role players that turns a good team into a great team.
  • The Detroit starting five all shot less than 50% from the field. Except Ben Wallace who was 3 for 3 and a non-factor on offense.
  • I don’t know if “under-rated” is the right word, but Tayshaun Prince is probably the best player in the NBA who isn’t considered to be elite. I don’t think I’ve seen anyone who can consistently guard him and his defense is amazing.
  • Here’s the box score. Miami shot 56% and outrebounded Detroit by 10. Detroit shot 38% but it seemed much worse during the fourth quarter.
  • No Detroit fan attacked a player tonight, but the series isn’t over tonight.

Joe Dumars is an asshole

I don’t know how else to explain it. After examining the evidence, it can be the only conclusion. Sure, I know that he was so well-regarded by the NBA as a player that they named their Citizenship Award after him. I also know he was the only player during the Bad Boys era that was considered to be civil. But as an NBA executive, he:

  1. Was named President of Basketball Operations for the Pistons before the start of the season in 2000. Presumably, this means he is the boss there answerable only to the owner of the team.
  2. Hired Rick Carlisle as head coach prior to the 2001 season. Carlisle was named NBA Coach of the year for that season as he led the Pistons to a 50-32 record and the playoffs. The next year the Pistons posted the same record and made the playoffs again. Carlisle was inexplicably fired.
  3. Hired Larry Brown to replace Carlisle as head coach following the 2002-2003 season. Brown led the Pistons to the NBA Finals two years in a row, beating the Lakers in the first and losing to the Spurs in the second. Following the Finals loss to the Spurs, Brown was fired.
  4. Hired Flip Saunders to replace Larry Brown as head coach prior to the 2005 season.

So not only did he fire a coach who posted 50-wins in every season which he coached for Dumars, he also fired a coach who went to the Finals every single season in which he coached the Pistons. Evidently it’s not enough for Dumars to have a winning record or even to go to the Finals, but his team must win the championship every year! How insane is that?

This is precisely the kind of thing that is wrong with professional sports today. There will never be another “Dean Smith era” or “Red Auerbach era” because no team, organization or even fanbase has the patience for a losing season anymore. Did Dean Smith make the NCAA Tournament every year that he coached? Even Auerbach didn’t win the NBA Championship every year (although it seems like it). In fact, he didn’t win a championship until his 7th year as coach of the Celtics. Can you imagine a coach today keeping his job that long with no championship to show for it?

People blather on and on about the culture of selfishness that reigns among NBA players these days, but their attitude is no different than the owners and executives. Namely, “what can you do for me?” and “what have you done for me lately?” Winning in the short term has become so important that the NBA has lost sight of the possibility of winning in the long term.

And where is Dumars in all this? He is the worst possible offender. One could argue for the short-term advantages to firing a coach after a losing season, but firing your coaches after they perform exceptionally well? Inexcusable and an action that only be performed by an asshole.