1. Alex Smith is not a bust.

Most anyone who follows professional football can come up with a list of players taken with one of the top 3 overall picks in the NFL Draft who fell well short of expectations: Ryan Leaf (1998), Tim Couch (1999), Akili Smith (1999), David Carr (2002), Joey Harrington (2002), JaMarcus Russell (2007). Some of these players disappeared after a few seasons, others were given more chances than they probably deserved. None was able to overcome early struggles and become a franchise quarterback.

Prior to this season Alex Smith, the number 1 pick in the 2005 NFL Draft, appeared to be just another Tim Couch or David Carr. In his first 6 years in the league, he twice lost his starting job, threw for a total of 51 touchdowns and 53 interceptions, and only once played an entire 16-game season. During that span Smith’s San Francisco 49ers never had a winning season, topping out at 8-8 in 2009.

But new 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh gave Smith a vote of confidence prior to the season, and Smith responded.

This year he started all 16 games, threw for a respectable 3,144 yards and only 5 interceptions, and led the 49ers to a 13-3 record. Saturday afternoon Smith proved that neither he nor the 49ers were a fluke. In the final 3 minutes of one of the great Playoff games in NFL history, Smith ran for one touchdown and threw for another, giving the 49ers a 36-32 win over the New Orleans Saints. The 49ers will host the NFC Championship Game next week, something they haven’t done in 17 years.

2. Vernon Davis is America’s new favorite athlete.

As great as Alex Smith was, we may well remember Saturday’s epic clash between the 49ers and Saints as “The Vernon Davis Game.” In a game full of great moments, none was greater than Davis sobbing as he jogged off the field after catching the game-winning touchdown pass. When Harbaugh embraced his teary tight end on the sideline, the pair melted the hearts of even the most cynical and callous football fans.

It was only a matter of time before America fell in love with Vernon Davis.

How can you not like this guy? Photo from Getty Images.

3. Tom Crean should have taken his wife’s name.

Less than 24 hours after Jim Harbaugh’s 49ers beat the Saints to advance to the NFL Championship Game, John Harbaugh’s Baltimore Ravens held off the Houston Texans to advance to the AFC Championship Game. While the Harbaugh brothers had a great weekend, their sister Joani’s husband, Tom Crean, didn’t.

Thursday night Crean’s Indiana Hoosiers lost at home to Minnesota. Sunday, they lost to Ohio State in Columbus in a game that was never competitive. In 3 weeks Crean may very well be heading north on Highway 37 for a Harbaugh family reunion in Indianapolis. He’ll want to have things turned around by then.

4. Aaron Hernandez can run the ball too.

Everyone knows about the Patriots’ record-shattering tight end Rob Gronkowski. But New England’s other starting tight end, Aaron Hernandez, is just as dangerous. Saturday against the Broncos Hernandez added a new dimension to the New England offense by rushing for 61 yards on 5 carries. Prior to Saturday Hernandez had only 8 carries in 33 NFL games and had never rushed for more than 18 yards in a single game.

I imagine that every defensive coordinator who watched Hernandez run for 43 yards on the fourth play from scrimmage on Saturday felt the way the Rebel Alliance felt when they realized that the second Death Star was operational or the way that Harry Potter felt when he realized that Voldemort had figured out how to fly. Of course, things didn’t end well for either the second Death Star or Voldemort. So don’t be surprised if Alex Smith goes Lando Calrissian on the Patriots in the Super Bowl.

5. Missouri Valley cannibalism could cost the conference an NCAA Tournament bid.

As recently as 3 weeks ago, bracketologists were penciling in 3 or even 4 Missouri Valley Conference teams on their mock brackets. Creighton, Wichita State, Northern Iowa, and Indiana State entered conference play with impressive tournament resumes. And Missouri State had an outside chance of playing its way in. Creighton and Wichita State are still in good shape, but conference play hasn’t been kind to their MVC brethren.

Indiana State is 2-5 in the Valley and only narrowly escaped a home loss to Evansville. Missouri State and Northern Iowa are both 4-3 and both have suffered home losses to Evansville. Matters got much worse for Northern Iowa on Sunday when the Panthers handed Bradley its first conference win.

The good news for the Valley is that the conference still has 2 teams with strong at-large resumes and 8 teams have a legitimate shot of winning Arch Madness (the aforementioned 5 teams plus Drake, Illinois State, and Evansville). If someone other than Creighton or Wichita State can nab the league’s automatic bid, the MVC can still get 3 teams in the dance.

Denver Holmes and my Evansville Purple Aces have bracket-busting road wins over Northern Iowa and Missouri State. Photo by Valerie Mosley.

6. All hope is not lost in Green Bay.

This probably won’t be much consolation for the 104,057 residents of Green Bay, Wisconsin who are mourning the Packers’ loss last night to the New York Giants, but the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay women’s basketball team is still undefeated. The Phoenix beat Detroit this weekend to improve to 15-0. With Texas Tech’s back-to-back losses this week to Oklahoma and Kansas State, the Phoenix are now one of only three undefeated teams in women’s basketball. (Baylor and Maryland are the others.) Green Bay should have no trouble running the table in a weak Horizon League. And unlike the Murray State men’s team, the Phoenix won’t have to worry about an ESPN BracketBuster game.

It will be interesting to see what the NCAA Selection Committee does with Green Bay. Despite scheduling several major conference teams, the Phoenix have only one quality win, a November 26 overtime win against Georgia Tech.

7. The Pacers have the most balanced team in the NBA.

The Indiana Pacers won 3 games in 4 days last week, including victories over the Hawks and Celtics, to improve to 9-3, tied for second-best in the East and third-best in the NBA. Seven Pacers—Danny Granger, Roy Hibbert, Tyler Hansbrough, Paul George, Darren Collison, David West, and George Hill—currently average double figures in scoring. In Wednesday’s win over Atlanta, no Pacer played more than 27 minutes; 10 players played more than 14. The lack of a go-to guy could hurt Indiana in the Playoffs. But given the team’s recent history, Pacers fans should be grateful for a winning regular season and a roster that should be attractive to free agents.

8. Chicago’s Donald Young is off to a good start in the Australian Open.

Since this is a website by and for sports fans with ties to the Midwest, it’s worth mention that one of our own advanced to the second round of the Australian Open. 22-year-old Chicago native Donald Young defeated Germany’s Peter Gojowczyk in 5 sets on Sunday. He’ll face Slovakia’s Lukas Lacko later this week.

After beating two seeded players to advance to the 4th round of last year’s U.S. Open, Young has risen to #42 in the ATP world rankings, fifth among Americans.

9. No one calls a buzzer beater like the play-by-play guy for the Lindsey Wilson Sports Network.

Lindsey Wilson College is a small, United Methodist-affiliated NAIA school in Columbia, Kentucky. Saturday the Lindsey Wilson Blue Raiders beat their conference rival Georgetown College (KY) Tigers when senior guard Chase Spreen hit a 68-foot shot as time expired. Here’s the call from the Lindsey Wilson Sports Network:

I couldn’t find the name of the Lindsey Wilson play-by-play guy. If you know his name, please leave it in the comments so that he can get credit for his fine work.

Part 1 dealt with “the men” – specifically point guards, and even more specifically the ongoing debate about who is better between Rajon Rondo and Derrick Rose (and which type of point guard is “preferred”). Click here to read Part 1.

Part 3 will published something to soon.

As for Part 2, which you are reading right now, we are going to delve into two myths that are being regurgitated time and again by fans and analysts alike as the 2011-12 season gets underway.

On to the Myths of 2012!

Myth #1:  With the crazy schedule, the “old guard” will be finished in 2012

There is an idea floating around the media right now that because of the jam-packed schedule this season (66 games in 120 days), older teams with less depth are going to take a step back this season.

Image source: Sportige.com

I believe that this idea is resoundingly false because it operates under a few false premises:

False Premise #1: Older teams are the only teams playing a tough schedule.

Bill Simmons has bemoaned the fact that the aging Celtics have a stretch of 12 games in 19 days, and older teams like them and the Spurs will simply have to throw some of those games away.

The problem is, though, that many of those 12 games will be played against other teams that are in the midst of an equally grueling stretch.

I would play basketball five or six nights a week in college.  Obviously though, certain times would get busy and make it tough to play because we were all so exhausted.  One time during exam week, my friend Eric came and asked if I wanted to ball.  I told him, “Absolutely not man.  I’m so tired…I will play terribly.”  His response was so simple.  “Dude, who cares?  Everyone else is tired too.”

When we got to the gym, I played pretty poorly.  But it was ok…because EVERYBODY was playing poorly.

Now, if the Celtics had to play 12 games in 19 days against 12 teams that only were playing 3 games in 19 days?  Yes, that would be a catastrophe.  But it’s not that way.  The good older teams will be fine.

False Premise #2: Fatigue will hinder the good teams MORE than it hinders the bad teams.

Back to my example from exam week, what I found is that actually, the good players had even MORE of an advantage than normal because they could fall back on their basic skills that don’t go away with fatigue.

Normally, bad teams like the Cavs can stay close to good teams like the Celtics because they can at least rely on their athleticism.  Anthony Parker and Omri Casspi can keep up with Paul Pierce and Ray Allen because they can at least run around and stay active.  But when the legs go, what are Parker and Casspi going to fall back on?  Their atrocious jump shots?  Their suspect ball-handling?

I would rather have a tired Ray Allen and Paul Pierce than a tired Parker and Casspi.  Actually, I would rather have a VERY tired Allen and Pierce than a KIND OF tired Parker and Casspi.

False Premise #3: Older players will simply be unprepared for this season.

I completely disagree with this.  The fact is that teams that are good will be able to handle the fatigue BETTER than the bad teams because they ALREADY KNOW how to pace themselves for a long season.

When was the last season that Kevin Garnett played at 110% for every single minute of every single game of a season?  2001?  The crafty veterans are used to this.

On the flip side, I think the younger players will REALLY struggle.  Think about the rookies that have never played more than 40 games in a season before.  Now, they are in the NBA where they are trying to prove themselves and maybe find a way to stay on a team.  Are they going to be pacing themselves at all?  I doubt it.

There’s one other factor that fits into this that NOBODY is considering: the lockout.

When was the last time that Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Tim Duncan had a full six months off of basketball?  The answer is 1999.  That’s 12 straight years of eight months of basketball.

The truth is, I think the old guard would have been finished this year if NOT for the lockout.  But that extra time off will give the Celtics one more year to make a run at getting another title.

Don’t believe the hype.  The good teams will still be good in 2012…no matter how old they are.

Myth #2:  The Pacers are going to be good.

As a Pacers fan, this one hurts, but I need to explain.

The Pacers are definitely in a great spot right now.  They have a lot of young legs, they have cap room, they have a good coach, and they have good depth.

Their present is decent, and their future is pretty bright.  There aren’t seven other teams like that in the entire league.

However, the idea that the Pacers are going to make some sort of leap this year is one year premature.

The Pacers still have a SERIOUS problem – they have no scorer who can create his own shot.

The Pacers are in a very dangerous spot.  They are in jeopardy of having 7 good players (Hibbert, West, Hansbrough, Granger, George, Collison, Hill) and no great ones.

As we have seen with the NBA over the last 50 years, you can’t win anything like that.

What’s worse is that the only guy on their roster that could  become a great player plays the same position as the only guy on their roster that is already close to being a great player.

Image credit: Joe Robbins/NBAE/Getty via Bleacher Report

Paul George is a natural small forward, and he has the tools to be a star.  But Danny Granger already plays the three.  Do you trade him?

I think they should.  Paul George, right now, could give you 90% of what Granger gives you, and has a much higher upside.

OJ Mayo would have been perfect.  Eric Gordon would be perfect.  Chris Bosh might even be a good fit.

Somehow, the Pacers have to get a true game-changer at the 2 or the 4.  If they don’t, they will continue to be an exact repeat of last year’s team: a fringe playoff team that gets crushed in the playoffs every year because they can’t score in crunch time.

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Stay tuned for Part 3 tomorrow.

please post the video I just tweeted up on MSF…the greatest basketball video I have ever seen.

Whoa.

Coming from Jon, a certified basketball fanatic, saying it’s “the greatest basketball video” he’s “ever seen” is quite high praise. I was thoroughly intrigued to watch the video and am posting it on MSF, so it must be pretty good.

And it is.

What you just witnessed is a bunch of Chinese dudes, who love them some Indiana Pacers basketball, reenacting some of the greatest Boom Baby! moments in Pacers history.

Some people do war reenactments; these guys do Reggie Miller reenactments.

I don’t know if it’s quite the greatest basketball video I’ve ever seen, but it’s a thoroughly entertaining sixty-nine seconds of pure Pacers bliss, so certainly worth posting.

But now my question to you, dear reader, is this: what do you think is the greatest basketball video ever? Post below, and perhaps we’ll gather them all up into a post and have a fun little poll…

Said click led me to a YouTube video of Reggie Miller’s final game as an Indiana Pacer. The year was 2005 and the occasion was the East Conference semifinals against the Detroit Pistons — yes, the very same Pistons that the Pacers had their infamous brawl with the year before.

And after watching the video I had two thoughts: 1) this was indeed one of the classiest send-offs of all-time; and 2) there was a great amount of irony in Miller’s final seconds going as these did.

More on #2 in a second. First, enjoy the video:

A couple of things stand out to me:

• In case you were wondering just how adored Reggie Miller was in Indiana, wonder no more. I lived in Indiana during Miller’s career, and he is undoubtedly one of the most beloved athletes in the history of Hoosier State sports; and deservedly so.
• Larry Brown taking a timeout to give the Pacers fans a chance to send Miller off with a proper ovation is one of the classier things I’ve ever seen a coach do. I’m sure I thought this at the time, but I’d forgotten about it. Brown has certainly had some non-classy moments during his career. This was not one of them.

Now for the irony. Notice the score and time when Miller is taken out of the ballgame. It is 86-79 Detroit with 15.7 seconds left. Certainly that seems like an insurmountable lead, and I’m sure that if Ken Pomeroy or some other stathead were to calculate an expected win percentage for the Pistons it would be close to 99.9%.

But as evidence that perhaps Rick Carlisle pulled the plug on Miller’s playing time and the game a big too early, I submit this video. You may have seen it before.

Yes, that was Reggie Miller scoring six points in about five seconds. He of course later tacked on two game-winning free throws to complete his signature “8 points in 9 seconds” performance.

The memory of this most famous of Miller performances immediately came to mind when I saw him trot off the court with 15.7 seconds remaining, his team down 7 points. It doesn’t take a math whiz to realize that Miller had led his Pacers team to overcome such long odds before.

Yet now, in what was to be his final game should the Pacers lose, he and the team throw in the towel?

I realize that Detroit was slated for two free throws, so one could reasonably assume a deficit of 8 or 9 rather than 7; but again I harken back to that famous Knicks game. After Miller nailed those two improbable threes, the Pacers had only tied it up. They still needed John Starks to miss two free throws (which he did) so that Miller’s ensuing two free throws could be game clinchers.

Plus, Miller was having a good shooting night. He scored 27 points on 11-16 shooting (4-8 from downtown), so it’s not like he was ice cold and unlikely to hit a big shot. Even if he had been cold, you could never describe Miller as “unlikely” to hit a big shot.

So why, why, why would you not give the great Reggie one final chance to recreate his masterpiece?

I’m hoping someone (Jon Washburn) can remember back when this happened. Was there any outcry about Reggie being pulled too early? I realize everyone wanted him to get a proper ovation, but why not pull him out with 2 or 3 seconds left when a comeback is impossible rather than simply improbable?

I mean, am I missing something here? I’m not even a Pacers fan, but just as a sports fan and someone who respects Reggie Miller’s career, I felt a twinge of rage watching this video now more than half a decade later. Anyone else?

Regardless, I figured this was more interesting than talking about more lockout mumbo-jumbo or trying to predict what overseas team Dwyane Wade will be humblebragging for next season. So thanks for indulging in this random bit of nostalgic sports musing.

As a reward for those who made it this far, here is a random picture of Miller in a pink jacket with an attractive blonde named Rachel Nichols (not, not this Rachel Nichols).

Image source: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images Entertainment via Zimbio

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That means that I love basketball, first and foremost. If the Pacers are good, my life is nearly complete. But when they aren’t, it’s alright, because I still get to enjoy the greatest game on earth.

To be honest, I think this is how most people from Indiana feel.

Pacers’ fans have been insulted a lot recently. I have been told that they are the most fair-weather of fans in all of the Midwest. And you know what, many of those claims can’t be disputed. Look at the attendance numbers. Look at what happened this year when the Pacers finally made the playoffs and the Chicago fans turned our home games into neutral floors.

What people don’t understand, though, is that the past seven years have been rough for Pacers’ fans. We got to follow one of the most competitive teams in the NBA for over ten years, and cheer on one of the more unselfish stars in NBA history. And this was very hard at times.

First, the Knicks were just better. Then, there was a guy named Jordan. Then, Larry Johnson got that bogus call during the Lockout Year. This was followed by a heartbreaking loss to Kobe and Shaq.

However, the Pacers kept improving, getting better, and making smart moves. Finally, 2005 was the year. On a cold night in November, we throttled the World Champs at their place by 15. The Pacers were simply the best team in basketball.

Then, the Brawl happened.

David Stern stepped in and screwed us over (seriously…147 to 9. That was the disparity in the suspensions. Utterly preposterous. I’m still bitter.), and Reggie Miller’s final years were wasted.

Win totals of 41, 35, 36, 36, 32, and 37 followed. All the fans of Indiana want to see is good basketball, and there just hasn’t been a lot of it. With the rise of Butler and Purdue to go along with the fact that IU fans are among the best in the nation, basketball fans from the Hoosier State have had the opportunity to follow good basketball in other mediums.

This past year, for the first time in a long time, there was light at the end of the tunnel for Pacers fans. Frank Vogel really inspired the troops, and we got some great play from young players that created some excitement for the first time since Reggie Miller.

As is often the case when a team goes through hard times, fans begin looking for problems that sometimes don’t exist. Over the past six or seven years, Pacers fans have started to believe something that is simply not true: Larry Legend is an awful GM.

You have to understand, it takes a LOT for a person from Indiana to turn on Larry Bird, but it has happened. And I, among all people, have been vocal in my disapproval of Larry Bird. At different points over the past several seasons, I have called him “turrible” (thank you, Charles Barkley), “a racist” (thank you, Tyler Hansbrough), and “a cancer” (thank you, Charlie Villanueva).

However, as the Pacers were giving the Bulls the fight of their lives this past post-season, I realized something: Larry Bird might be the most underrated AND underappreciated GM in the NBA.

Larry Bird’s Draft History

Don’t believe me? Let’s look at some facts.

Of the sixteen teams that made the playoffs this year, only three teams (San Antonio, New Orleans, and Orlando) had fewer top ten picks on their team than the Indiana Pacers, and each of those teams had a LEGITIMATE superstar on their squad (Tim Duncan and Dwight Howard – both #1 picks, and Chris Paul – a guy who probably SHOULD have been the #1 pick, but slid to #4).

That’s right, the Indiana Pacers had exactly three top ten picks on their team this year – Paul George (#10 overall), Mike Dunleavy (#3), and TJ Ford (#8). Also of note is that the latter two were NOT drafted by the Pacers, but rather acquired through trades, and neither played prominent roles for Indiana this year.

The Pacers have not had a pick inside the top five since 1988 when they took Rik Smits with the second pick in the draft. In fact, since Larry Bird took over in 2003, the Pacers have NEVER had a pick inside the top nine. And yet, the Pacers have stayed competitive, if not mediocre, for his entire tenure.

A lot of people think that Bird has been TERRIBLE in the draft, but let’s look at his picks more closely.

2003 – James Jones with the 49th overall pick in the draft.

This was the ONLY pick the Pacers had this year, and to be honest, the fact that he got a player that is STILL in the NBA, eight years later, this late in the draft, should be seen as a huge accomplishment. Only three of the players drafted after him even played a single game in the NBA.

Grade: B+

2004 – David Harrison with the 29th overall pick (last pick of the first round); Rashad Wright with the 59th overall pick (last pick of the entire draft)

Sure, you could call the Harrison pick a bust, but only four players drafted after him (Anderson Varejao, Chris Duhon, Trevor Ariza, and Royal Ivey) went on to play more games than the big fella, and he was simply the fourth best Center in a draft that only had three. While neither player ended up contributing to the Pacers long-term, Bird didn’t really “miss out” on anyone great, especially considering the Pacers had Jermaine O’Neal, Ron Artest, and Jamaal Tinsley at the positions the above players would have addressed.

Grade: C

2005 – Danny Granger with the 17th overall pick; Erazem Lorbek with the 46th overall pick

Granger EASILY turned out to be the fourth best player in the draft behind Chris Paul, Deron Williams, and Andrew Bogut.

As for the second pick, I suppose if we are nitpicking, we could point out that Andray Blatch, Ryan Gomes, Amir Johnson, and Marcin Gortat were all drafted after Lorbek, but again, with a pick that late in the draft, what can you really expect?

Grade: A

2006 – Shawne Williams with the 17th overall pick; Alexander Johnson with the 45th overall pick

Williams didn’t light the world on fire by any means, but he actually played a significant role for the Knicks this past season. Also, the only good players taken after him were Rajon Rondo and Paul Milsap. Sure, Bird missed the opportunity to pick Rondo, but so did 20 other teams, so you can’t really kill him for this miss.

Grade: C

2007 – No picks

2008 – Jerryd Bayless with the 11th overall pick; ended up flipping Bayless for Brandon Rush and Roy Hibbert.

Hibbert has become one of the top 4 centers in the East (I know, that’s like saying that Barack Obama is one of the best black presidents ever…but still) and Rush has played more games than Bayless at this point of their respective careers.

Considering the complete lack of impact players taken after the #7 pick in this draft (Serge Ibaka, George HIll, and Mario Chalmers are the only possibilities), Larry Legend absolutely OWNED 2008.

Grade: A

2009 – Tyler Hansbrough with the 13th overall pick

This was a very good draft, as Jrue Holliday, Ty Lawson, Eric Maynor, Darren Collison, Omri Casspi, Rodrigue Beaubois, Taj Gibson, Sam Young, DeJuan Blair, Chase Budinger, and Marcus Thornton were all drafted after Psycho T. But what looked like a TERRIBLE pick in 2010 really turned around this year. You could actually make the case that Hansbrough will be the second best big man from this draft behind Blake Griffin. He has added toughness, rebounding, and shooting to the Pacers, and is easily one of the fan favorites.

Grade: B+

2010 – Paul George with the 10th overall pick; Lance Stephenson with the 40th overall pick

George has the potential to be a star, and ended up starting for the Pacers for the second half of the year. He played very hard defense on Derrick Rose during the playoffs, and has enough upside that Pacers’ fans like me are saying things like, “We should trade Danny Granger for a 2-guard and just play George at the 3.”

Once again, despite the common perception, Larry Legend nailed this draft. And that’s not even factoring in the fact that Stephenson has showed a LOT of promise in limited minutes, and once again, for a mid-second round pick, actually has a decent amount of upside.

Grade: A-

Now, I understand the frustration. Most people would rather have a team that is really good or really bad. At least when your team is bad, you can look forward to those high draft picks and talk yourself into rebuilding efforts. But what has the Legend REALLY had to work with?

After the brawl, the entire state freaked out and basically demanded that all of the “thugs” be traded. Bird was forced to give up Jermaine O’Neal, Ron Artest, Stephen Jackson, and Jamaal Tinsley for pennies on the dollar.

To be honest, the Legend has done a fantastic job. I actually appreciate the fact that he is too competitive and honorable to allow his team to “tank” in the off-chance that they could win the lottery and end up hitting a home run with their pick. If anything, the NBA Draft has proven to be a huge crapshoot. Just look at the list of #2 picks sometimes. Just full of bust-outs.

Pacers fans, I understand your frustrations. We have gone through several meager years. But when it comes to the draft, we are in good shape.  Don’t be fooled or tricked into blasphemy.  Larry Bird.  The Legend.  Past, Present, and in the Future.

So shall it be written, so shall it be done.

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Bonus: Three Thoughts on the 2011 NBA Draft

If the NBA was a book, the preseason would be the introduction, the regular season would be the rising action, the NBA Playoffs would be the climax, and the following two weeks would be the falling action. But anyone knowledgable of literature knows we have one part left – the dénouement, oftentimes known as the moment of final suspense. Of course, that’s what the NBA Draft represents.

I always LOVE the draft, but more than any other year, I have almost NO feel for this year’s draft. However, there are three things that I feel passionately about.

Kyrie Irving has a LOT of CP3 in him to me.

I know about the red flags: he played like 2 minutes all year, he’s not as athletic as Rose/Westbrook/Rondo, etc. All I know is that the guy understands the PG position, and in a league that is ruled by PGs right now, I really think Irving will be a great player. Not a good, but a great player.

Everyone has been talking about how bad this draft is, and they are right…it’s not as good as it’s been. But personally, I think Irving will end up being better than John Wall. He just UNDERSTANDS the position. A lot like another PG that played college ball in North Carolina – Chris Paul.

Derrick Williams looks like a bust.

The guy just wants to play outside. This is a problem that’s just not going to work. He’s too slow, not a good enough ball-handler, and takes WAY too long to unload his jump shot to play consistently on the wing.

To be honest, he was born to play the 4 in today’s NBA. But even if he ends up being a PF, he seems like a more athletic Jeff Green. Sure, that’s a solid pick, but is that REALLY what you are looking for from the #1 pick in the draft? No thank you.

Minnesota should trade down and take Kemba Walker

I know everyone and their mother thinks the T-Wolves should trade down, but nobody is considering The Kemba.

Since Kyrie Irving isn’t an option (although, it would be funny to see Kahn face the conundrum of whether or not to draft ANOTHER point guard), and I don’t think Williams fits (since he isn’t playing PF over Kevin Love and Michael Beasley and Anthony Randolph are already there to fight over minutes that aren’t his natural position anyway), I think the T-Wolves should trade down and take Kemba Walker.

I have said it before, and I will say it again. I don’t think there will ever be another Iverson, but Kemba Walker is about as close as I have seen. Many teams want to take the UConn standout and turn him into a PG. Why? Let the guy do what he does best. The T-Wolves are the perfect scenario. Rubio is tall and long, and probably not quick enough to defend opposing point guards anyway. He can guard opposing two-guard (not unlike J-Kidd this year for Dallas) and starting Kemba there won’t hurt you on defense.

Past that, I really think Kemba is a winner, and I would love to see him play with a guy like Rubio – someone who would live and breathe to give Kemba all the open looks he could find.

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* – Larry Bird photo source: The Sports Bank

But of all areas in life, sports is the easiest to do it in.  Hyperbole abounds anytime somebody’s favorite team, player, or sport is mentioned.

I don’t believe what I’m about to say qualifies.  In fact, I am trying to squash the exaggerated notions about Chicago Bulls, Derrick Rose, and their playoff prospects.

Just last week, Michael Wilbon, a writer for whom I have the utmost respect, was comparing Derrick Rose to the one and only Michael Jordan.

In my opinion, that’s blasphemy.

A better comparison for Derrick Rose would be the one and only Allen Iverson.  So far in the playoffs, Rose has upped his scoring by 2.6 ppg while also grabbing another half rebound a game.  However, his shooting percentage has plummeted, his turnovers have risen, and his assists have fallen…all while taking two more shots a game.

I’m not here to say that Derrick Rose is a bad player.  On the contrary, he is a fantastic player as well as one of the best closers in the game.  He single-handedly beat the Pacers in games 1, 2, and 3.  I would never try to take that away from him.

But to compare him to Jordan is just irresponsible.  Through the first five games, how has Rose made his teammates better?  Would he really be as effective if he wasn’t averaging a ridiculous 12.5 free throws a game?

You could make a strong case that Rose should be the MVP of the league this year, but the names “Derrick Rose” and “Michael Jordan” should never even approach the same sentence.

Look, Allen Iverson was a fantastic player.  He is, easily, the single most impressive player I have ever seen on a basketball floor in person.  He led a terrible team to the NBA Finals.  By all accounts, he’s one of the 40 greatest players of all time.

The way Rose gets to the rim for a guy his size is really only reminiscent of one other player in history – The Answer.

Let’s just keep the Jordan comparison on lockdown right now.

But there is a more pressing problem that is surging through the internet, ESPN, and talk radio today.  It is the thought that these Chicago Bulls are really ready to win a Championship.

Let me mention a few things that we just witnessed over the past two weeks.

- We watched a 37-win team with no definable star carry leads deep into the fourth quarter against the “best team in basketball.”

– We watched a 37-win team nearly beat the Bulls IN CHICAGO without their best player and starting PG for the entire second half.

– We watched a 37-win team overcome a staggeringly lopsided margin at the foul line and, quite honestly, nearly win the series in four games.

– We watched one set of thugs (Noah, Boozer, and Thomas) play some of the dirtiest basketball imagined – including a play where Carlos Boozer shoved Tyler Hansbrough with TWO HANDS on a break away dunk attempt and not even get called for a flagrant foul – whine and complain that the Pacers, specifically Jeff Foster were taking cheap shots.

– We watched Joakim Noah elbow Josh McRoberts in the face with absolutely no ramifications whatsoever before McRoberts retaliated with a WHIFFED forearm to Noah’s back and got ejected.  Oh by the way, the officials replayed this on video and STILL let Noah off scott-free.

– We watched the Bulls hoist up three-pointer after three-pointer, including one with 24-seconds left in the game last night in order to pad their lead and make it look as if they were clearly the better team every game, when really, they only outplayed a 37-win team for one game.

– We watched Bulls’ fans celebrate, dance around, and heckle the backup center for an 8-seed as he shot free throws.

– We watched Bulls’ fans and players chant, cheer, and gloat after they STRUGGLED to beat a 37-win team in ROUND ONE.

I don’t ever, in all my life, watching a team like the Bulls, the number one seed, a supposed title favorite, celebrate this much after winning a series that nearly everyone expected them to sweep.

Did Jordan ever celebrate round one victories?

Did Bird?  Did Magic?

Good grief…did Iverson even do that?

No, the Bulls have already reached their goal.  They have accomplished what they wanted to accomplish coming into this season.  They squeaked by a team that had no business being on the same floor as them.  Really, look at the rosters, and if you say Chicago doesn’t EASILY have the three best players in the series…you are lying.

If the Hawks end up beating the Magic, the Bulls could very well make it to the Eastern Conference Finals.  But they will go no further.  They can’t play with Boston.  They can’t play with Miami.  I don’t even think they can play with Orlando.

And when they lose in surprisingly feeble fashion, just remember the words of the immortal Dennis Green:

They are who we thought they were.

Punks.

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Follow me on twitter:  @The_Dr_Twitch

Well Chicago, it’s time to slow down before sounding the alarms.

If this series has taught the Bulls anything, it’s that they can come back from some very bad situations. Yes, the Bulls have made stupid turnovers and struggled in more ways than one, but that isn’t the point.

In Game 1, Chicago was down 10 late in the game and rallied to win it 104-99.

In Game 2, the Bulls saw their lead cut to 90-88 when A.J. Price hit free throws. Yet, Luol Deng’s free throws, Derrick Rose, and tight defense brought the Bulls to a 96-90 win.

Game 3 had the same sloppiness as the first two, along with a very quiet performance from Rose prior to the last 17 seconds. After that, Rose hit the game winner and Chicago’s defense held out for another victory.

And even in the 89-84 loss to Indiana on Friday, the Bulls came back fighting until the very end after being down double-digits.

Bottom line: when they need to, the Bulls can close. And what we have watched during the Bulls-Pacers series so far is nowhere near Chicago’s potential.

The argument can be made that the Bulls aren’t ready to go far in the playoffs based on the last four games against Indiana. But in the NBA, it’s all about the matchups. It’s the reason the Bulls can lose to Toronto one day and beat Miami the next.

The Pacers have studied Rose and the Bulls hard. They’ve successfully exposed weaknesses, and the two teams match up well against each other. Watching the series, it’s pretty clear that the Bulls aren’t playing their hardest. But in the first three games, did it really matter? They came out with the win. Even letting one game go to Indiana isn’t the end of the world.

Next round, Chicago will come out explosively because they have to. Each round the Bulls will play harder and harder as more gets placed on the line. We’ve seen it all season with the different matchups. Chicago can dismantle and destroy top teams but lose to Indiana in overtime.

So Chicago fans ready to jump off the bandwagon again: relax. Because this team isn’t going down that easily.

Going into Game 4 and beyond, the Bulls have some lessons to learn.

If the Bulls listen to one song before tip-off it should be “Let’s Get Physical”.

There is nothing more frustrating than watching Jeff Foster and Tyler Hansbrough beat on Derrick Rose all game long while the Bulls let the entire team take it to the hoop for layup after layup. While the Bulls defense did make some good stops, they have to start making players pay. They need to show that they want it as bad as the other team. Opponents should be scared to drive the ball.

The Bulls also need to learn to keep their confidence and composure.

After last night’s game, they should feel pretty confident about coming out with a win. In the second half, Rose was extremely quiet with only one field goal-the shot that clinched the game. Carlos Boozer played the same way, only going 1-9 in the game until a monstrous dunk with four and half minutes left in the fourth. The team as a whole shot under 40% in Game 3, and in the previous two games they were down the majority of the time.

Yet, somehow, the Bulls have turned it on when they have needed to, hitting crucial shots and tightening their defense at critical moments. That confidence and ability to consistently come out of a rut will be key in the tougher series to come.

Offensively the Bulls need more consistency going forward. Rose was unusually quiet last night, though no one should expect that to repeat itself again. The team still needs a number two to consistently provide them with a boost when Derrick is struggling, double-teamed, or beat on like this series. While Kyle Korver has proven, especially last night, that he is a solid game closer, scoring 12 points in 19 minutes, other players need to step up.

Carlos Boozer was someone I had expected to fill that number two spot. He has the body and experience  to make a difference, yet in Game 3 he went 1-9 until a notable dunk, and he also made stupid fouls. Luol Deng is another contender for the two spot, and in Game 3 showed why he’s been a topic of conversation all season, finishing with 21 points. But can he provide that kind of offensive spark consistently throughout the playoff run?

Going forward the Bulls know what they need to work on. This series is a wake-up call. Every little weakness has been exposed by the scrappy, determined Pacers, and Chicago needs to learn from that.

Regardless, it’s time to bring out the brooms at Conseco.

And no one works harder than Derrick Rose.

The end of Game 1 puts anything the Pacers or doubters say about Rose to shame. While their defense was solid and Rose went 0-9 at the three-point line, the likely MVP candidate found a way to do work.

It’s rare to find a point guard with the consistent inside game Rose possesses. Not only does he go for the shot and foul, he actually gets the “and one”. This season I find myself more shocked when Rose misses the no-look with his left hand over three defenders than when he makes it.

Rose, who had a playoff career-high 39 points, was a contributor of 14 of the Bulls’ last 18 points through scoring or assists. Kyle Korver’s three pointer with 48.4 seconds to go was key to the win, but Korver only got such a good look because of a solid set up from Rose.

All the Pacers could do was foul Rose hard, which they did multiple times. But even that didn’t stop the point guard from taking it to the hoop over and over. It’s that kind of determination that makes all the preparation and smack talk Indiana did seem ridiculous.

Rose proved that while it’s clear there is no consistent number two Bulls player to his clear spot as number one, teams are going to have their hands full.

At the conclusion of Game 1, this was not lost on Indiana, especially not Danny Granger, who had trash talked Rose prior to the game.

“He’s like the crazy stalker ex-girlfriend,” forward Danny Granger told reporters. “Every time you tell her you don’t want to talk to her, she shows up at your door again.”

In the end, despite Indiana’s best efforts, it was Chicago who came out with the win and Rose with the 39 points, 19 of those at the free throw line. And at the end of the series, it will be Chicago who comes out on top.

It’s no secret that Derrick Rose is the key for a long Chicago playoff run. Even with Indiana’s preparation and their comments on the Bulls’ star, the Pacers had no answer near the end of the fourth quarter. Derrick Rose literally did whatever he wanted. When Rose realized he wasn’t hitting three-pointers he drove. When they tried to foul hard, he went harder.

Say what you want about the Bulls and their reliance on Derrick Rose, but the reason this city isn’t too worried is because of his performance yesterday. No matter what answer or strategy Indiana tried to stop the Bulls, Rose found a way to not be stopped.

As Pacers point guard Darren Collison said, “He’s not the MVP for nothing.”

**********

Derrick Rose photo credit: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images via IndyStar.com

Despite finishing with an overall record of 37-45 (up against the Bulls 62-20), Danny Granger told ESPN not to count out the series just yet.

Granger’s comments against Derrick Rose are, in general, petty. Chicagoans might get upset and see Granger as some guy running his mouth, but in reality he’s helping his team. The Bulls have plenty of motivation and momentum going into the series. The Pacers don’t have much. Granger is creating his own inspiration to give his team the drive to play tough and competitive. But is that enough? Let’s take a look.

Granger believes the Pacers match up better to the Bulls than other teams in the East, including the Boston Celtics. But the Pacers are not without their weak spots. Granger, who averaged 20 points this season, is an offensive threat to Chicago, but the matchup with strong defender Luol Deng will restrict his capabilities as the “go-to guy”.

The Pacers do have the advantage inside, especially with the health-struggling Joakim Noah. Indiana’s Roy Hibbert has a few inches on Noah and is the team’s leading rebounder, averaging 7.6 a game. With the physical advantage on Noah, veteran player Kurt Thomas should match up better and get playing time.

The Pacers offense will rest not only on Granger, but on Tyler Hansbrough, too. While he started out the year as more of an energy factor than a scorer, Hansbrough has steadily improved to the point where he is impressively averaging 16 points and 7 rebounds. He could be the spark Indiana needs.

While the Pacers have made it known they plan to focus on Rose defensively, the matchup with Darren Collison and Rose favors Chicago. Even with help on defense, Rose has shown he can get past just about anyone.

Despite have obvious number two guard issues, Chicago and its “Bench Mob” will take the Pacers out of their comfort zone and give Chicago the offensive advantage.

With two defensively-minded teams, the series should be low scoring. In the end, Chicago’s depth will outdo the Pacers’ attempts to expose their weaknesses. Even with Noah’s re-aggravatined knee slowing him down, and Brewer’s injury, Chicago’s talent will simply be too much for the Pacers to contest.

Thus ends a five-year Playoff drought—the sort of drought that younger generations of Pacers fans aren’t accustomed to. Between 1990 through 2006 the Pacers made the Playoffs in 16 of 17 seasons.

Now they’re back. We should be excited, right?

Maybe.

As a Pacers fan who has suffered through five mediocre seasons since Reggie retired—win totals of 41, 35, 36, 36, and 32 and one opening round Playoff loss—I can find plenty of reasons to be excited about this year’s team. Here are a few:

• The Pacers finished strong. When Frank Vogel replaced Coach Jim O’Brien on January 30 the Pacers were 17-27. Since then they’re 19-16. (The question is: Do they retain Vogel next year?)
• The Pacers’ last two first-round draft picks are playing well and getting better. I was wrong to complain about Larry Bird selecting Paul George over Xavier Henry in last year’s draft. After a slow start, George has acquitted himself well and has become a welcome addition to the starting lineup. Tyler Hansbrough, the Pacers’ 2009 picks, averaged 16.8 points and 7.1 rebounds during the month of March, the highlight of which was a 29-and-12 performance in an upset win over the Bulls. I couldn’t stand Psycho T when he played for North Carolina, but I’ve learned to love him as a Pacer.
• After fiddling with starting lineups for much of the season, interim Coach Vogel has found a winning combination. Since the Granger-Collison-Hibbert-Hansbrough-George lineup debuted on March 15, the Pacers are 8-5 with wins over Chicago and Boston (and Charlotte and Milwaukee, the other suitors for the East’s final Playoff spot). This five-some feels complete. There’s no need for further trial-and-error. This is the group.
• Speaking of this starting lineup, here are their ages: 20 (George), 23 (Collison), 24 (Hibbert), 25 (Hansbrough), 27 (Granger). Brandon Rush is 25; McBobs and A.J. Price are 24. This is a young team that has the potential to make a big leap in the next couple seasons, as long as there isn’t a lockout, which there probably will be.

The Pacers’ future, barring a lockout, has the potential to be bright. But my hope for the future doesn’t translate to excitement about this year’s team making the Playoffs. Here’s why:

• Since the Playoffs expanded to 16 teams in 1984, the Pacers have been the 7 or 8 seed eight times (including this season). They have never won a series from the 7 or 8 spot, and only twice have the Pacers made the series compelling (1991 as a 7 against the Celtics and 2002 as an 8 against the Nets). By clinching the East’s final spot this year, the Pacers have the distinction of being an 8 seed in the Playoffs more times (five) than any other NBA franchise. This year’s team, regardless of what happens in its remaining games, will have the worst record of any Pacers playoff team.
• The Pacers are benefiting from a system that allows too many teams to play in the post-season. Does a team that fails to win half of its games during the regular season have any business playing for a championship? In my opinion, no. But when 16 of 30 teams make the Playoffs, losing teams will frequently make the cut. (Granted, the 16/30 ratio is much better than the 16/23 ratio when the NBA expanded the Playoffs to 16 teams.) This year’s Pacers are part of the problem. Six of the seven previous low-seeded Pacers teams were .500 or better. This team will be, at best, 39-43.
• Better teams than the Pacers will be left out of the Playoffs (and get a lottery pick for their troubles). The Houston Rockets already have 41 wins. The Phoenix Suns are 2 ½ games better than the Pacers and likely will finish with a better record. Even the floundering Utah Jazz are one game better than the Pacers. All of these teams will miss the Playoffs. Even though the Pacers are one of 16 teams to make the Playoffs, they probably aren’t one of the league’s best 16 teams.

(If I were David Stern, this is what I would do with the NBA Playoffs: Any team with 44 wins would be in, regardless of conference and regardless of how many total teams would be in the Playoffs. This year, 13 or 14 teams would keep playing, 5 from the East and 8 or 9 in the West. Last year, 15 teams would have made the cut, 7 in the East and 8 in the West. No one would ever go for this plan though, because it isn’t TV friendly.)

Will I watch the Pacers play the Bulls in the first round of the Playoffs? Absolutely. Am I excited to see them there? Kind of. My hope is that the Pacers can build on this “accomplishment” and grow into a team that can consistently win 45-55 games. We’ll see.

**********

Josh Tinley is the author of Kneeling in the End Zone: Spiritual Lessons From the World of Sports. Follow him at twitter.com/joshtinley.

* – Tyler Hansbrough / Danny Granger photo credit: Photo by Elsa/Getty Images North America via Zimbio

With an Opening Night starting lineup in November 2006 that included Jermaine O’Neal, Jamaal Tinsley, Al Harrington, Stephen Jackson and a 2nd year player named Danny Granger — who I had seen outplay Wake Forest’s all-American Chris Paul two winters prior at The Pit in Albuquerque — we all had reason to believe the Pacers would be back in the playoffs come springtime.

But the same Chris Paul, now with the New Orleans Hornets, rolled Granger and the guys that night in front of a rare sell out crowd at Conseco Fieldhouse, and the Pacers floundered their way to an abysmal 35-47 record that season, trading Harrington and Jackson before the All-Star Break. Tinsley and O’Neal would soon be gone too, leaving Granger and 34 year-old Jeff Foster as the only current remaining pieces from my first Pacers season.

Despite naive renewed hope each fall, things got worse during the next three seasons in Indianapolis. The Pacers won 36 games in 2007-2008; 36 again in 2008-2009; and just 32 last season to go alongside an appalling 50 losses. During that time, they’ve fired two coaches: Rick Carlisle and Jim O’Brien.

In the final days of January 2011, after a decent November, Indiana was 17-27 and potentially headed for another embarrassing 50 loss season. They fired the aforementioned O’Brien, and promoted a 37 year-old assistant named Frank Vogel to interim head coach.

Vogel is not necessarily Brad Stevens, but he is young, calm, creative and well-prepared. The day he was hired, he declared, “I fully expect us to make the playoffs.”

The Pacers responded to him initially, winning seven of their first eight under the new coach, then promptly slumped, but managed to get on track — often led by the underrated Tyler Hansbrough (in his first full season), underappreciated Roy Hibbert, and unheralded rookie Paul George —  enough to win 6 of their last 9.

And after last night’s 136-112 steamrolling of the Washington Wizards, at 36-43 overall,  the Indiana Pacers are back in the playoffs at long last.

Frank Vogel’s record (19-16) is nothing spectacular, but the players generally play hard for him, and have beaten the Bulls, Celtics and Knicks (twice), among others, with him at the helm. (Indiana also beat the Lakers and Heat on the road back in November.)

And Coach Vogel’s January 30 prediction was intrepid and correct.

Pro basketball is more predictable than baseball, so few expect too much when the Pacers take on the Bulls in round one of the NBA playoffs next week, but it will be great to have postseason basketball back at Conseco. I’m looking forward to attending a game with a raucous crowd for the first time since Opening Night way back in November 2006.

Please don’t think that’s what I’m doing here. This is not a blind defense of Reggie Miller.

Am I a die-hard Pacers fan? Yes. Is Reggie Miller my favorite player of all time? Absolutely. Do I think he was the greatest player of all time? Absolutely not.

However, I am firmly convinced of one thing: Reggie Miller is the greatest SHOOTER of all time.

At the beginning of this season, people came to the realization that Ray Allen was going to pass Reggie Miller on the all-time three point list at some point. Almost immediately, the bandwagon of people that decided they needed to trash Reggie to prove how great Ray Allen was started rolling. Unfortunately, it was even led by my favorite writer, Bill Simmons.

Now I understand that Bill is completely biased towards Ray Allen and the Celtics. I have read his ‘Book of Basketball’ three times now, and the Celtic-worship is impossible to deny. However, the fact is that the league has basically been dominated by two teams since it was created: Boston and LA. To deny that Boston has a prominent place in the history of the league would be ludicrous.

All of that said, he’s wrong about Ray Allen.

Now before we get started, let’s just get one thing out of the way: Neither Reggie OR Ray was/is a genuine superstar. Real superstars should guarantee a playoff berth no matter how bad their teammates are (contrast Chris Bosh to LeBron James and you see what I’m saying). Does that mean they weren’t great players? Absolutely not. Reggie and Ray are incredible shooters that absolutely would have made a good team great or a great team terrifying. Anyone who ever thought that either of them could be the main guy on a championship team just hasn’t watched enough basketball.

With that behind us, let’s look at the three reasons that the bandwagon (led by Bill Simmons) has used to claim that Ray Allen > Reggie Miller.

Myth #1: Poor Ray Allen was stuck on terrible teams for the majority of his career while Reggie was able to flourish on the powerhouse Pacers.

This is just blatantly wrong. Now remember, neither Reggie or Ray was ever the type of player that was good enough to be the main guy on a championship team. But let’s actually compare the two. For the first 6 years of his career, Reggie never played on a team that got out of the first round of the playoffs. Ray Allen made it to the third round in year #5.

In years 10, 11, and 12, Reggie’s Pacers teams made deep runs into the playoffs, either losing to Jordan, the Knicks on the bogus 4-pt play, or the Lakers who were just better. In years 10, 11, and 12, Ray Allen WAS stuck on the SuperSonics in the deep Western Conference, but he was good enough to make it to the second round once.

In years 13, 14, and 15, Reggie was stuck on very young Pacers team that was built around Jermaine O’Neal and Ron Artest. They never got out of the first round. Ray, in those years thrived as the #3 or #4 option on a championship level team.

So if you are scoring at home, their early careers were both bad; Reggie had an edge in the middle; and Ray had an edge at the end. That means that neither one had a significant edge over the other, right?

This also takes into account that Reggie never played with one of Bill Simmons’ pyramid guys in his prime (Chris Mullin was beyond washed up when he played for the Pacers). Ray, on the other hand, has played with both KG and Paul Pierce.

But really, I want you to think about those 90s Pacers. Were they really THAT good? Rik Smits as option #2. Dale Davis as option #3. Mark Jackson at point guard. Who is scared by that? Are they really considerably better than Sam Cassell, Glenn Robinson, and Ervin Johnson? Are they any better?

I could make the strong case that Reggie actually made MORE out of his team than Ray Allen ever did.

No, the myth that Reggie got to play for better teams is just that – a myth.

Myth #2: Ray Allen, statistically, is going to end up blowing Reggie out of the water.

This is true, but you have to understand that the stats lie quite a bit. Believe me, I spent about two hours comparing Reggie’s and Ray’s pages on basketball-reference.com. You know what I found out? If you compare their careers up to age 35 with each other, their shooting stats are nearly identical:

PPG. Ray Allen 20.4 Reggie Miller 21.1

3Pt% Ray Allen 39.8 Reggie Miller 39.9

FT% Ray Allen 89.3 Reggie Miller 88.4

You get the idea…there really is no statistical evidence that says that either one is considerably better than the other. The only stat where Ray Allen is actually going to blow Reggie out of the water is THE OVERALL NUMBER of threes he made. And there is a huge reason for that: for the first seven years of Reggie’s career, the three-pointer was not what we know it to be today.

For instance, did you know that the league leader in three pointers made in 1987-88 would not have cracked the top 25 in 2007-08? Did you know that no one had ever made more than 200 threes in a season until 1994-95, but it has now happened for ten straight years? To be honest, to compare the two players by one thing – the number of threes they made – is a little like comparing today’s baseball players with those of the past. It’s simply not fair.

This one is my favorite. I asked my dad (who knows things) who he thought were the five greatest 3-pt. shooters of all time. He answered, “Larry Bird and Reggie Miller are 1 and 2 in some order. Then I would say that Rick Barry, Pete Maravich, and Ray Allen round out the top five.”

Now obviously, we could never prove anything about Rick Barry and Pete Maravich because they either didn’t have a three-point line, or they got them in the ABA. But the Larry Bird statement was interesting. If you asked ANYONE who the top three-point shooters were, I’m sure Larry Legend would be in there. Bud did you know that his CAREER HIGH for threes in a season was 98? That’s barely over 1 a game.

Of course, since it’s the Legend, Simmons casually throws it out and says, “If it was more of a weapon, Larry would have used it, and would have been one of the all-time leaders in the category…but he didn’t need it to be dominant.” That’s fine. And I can’t disagree. But you can’t turn around and say that Ray Allen is better than Reggie, just because he made more threes than him.

Here are some things we do know:

For the first fifteen years of his career, Reggie NEVER finished outside of the top ten in three pointers made. Ray Allen has finished eleventh or worse three times. Isn’t it safe to say that had Reggie come into the league in 1996, after the three-pointer was already a huge weapon, that he would have considerably more threes than what he does?

Without getting too Hollinger-esque into the numbers, consider this.

If Reggie Miller came into the league in 1996 and finished fifth every single year (his average was 4.9th place), he would have had 2401 three-pointers instead of 2037 after year 14. Only 33 behind Ray Allen’s mark after fourteen years. And that’s assuming he never finished higher than 5th when in actuality, Miller finished 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th three times in every single season since 1996 after the three point line was considered useful.

One more thing I would love to see is Reggie Miller running off screens in the NBA TODAY, i.e. when you aren’t allowed to touch the offensive player. Anyone that remembers Reggie running through grabs, punches, and tackles in those New York series understand what I mean. In the 90s, you were allowed to play defense. Today? Not so much. HUGE advantage for Ray Allen right there.

What does all this mean? The two players are remarkably similar shooters, and their stats are eerily identical. Either way, we can’t use the total number of threes to say that Ray-Ray was better than Reggie.

Myth #3: Reggie Miller was historically overrated because of his heroics against the Knicks.

True. Reggie Miller IS historically over-rated because of his heroics against the Knicks. But you know what else? He is incredibly UNDER-RATED for his heroics against everyone else! You all know about those Knicks’ battles. 25 points in a quarter. 8 points in 9 seconds. The game-tying three in 1998 with 5 seconds left.

People seem to forget that he was the ONLY guy in the 90s that stood up to Jordan and actually played well. No one talks about his game-winner in game 3 of the Bulls-series in ’98. They forget that Jordan once said that the Pacers’ series was the real mountain that the Bulls were trying to climb.

A turn-around 35-footer against the Nets to force OT. A two-handed dunk over 4 players to force Double-OT in the same game.

40 points against the Allen Iverson-led Sixers.

The game winner against the Pistons in the 2005 Eastern Conference Semis.

18 in the 4th against the Bucks to finish with 41.

I really could go on-and-on with phrases like “7 points in 22 seconds”, “ding-dong the witch is dead”, and others that only Pacers’ fans really know about. And this doesn’t even include any of his regular-season clutch shots.

That’s the thing, most of the world only remembers him for the NY series and not everything else.

But you know what? Why are we holding his playoff greatness AGAINST him anyway? Does that make any sense whatsoever? What if I told you to think about Michael Jordan, but you weren’t allowed to think about ANY of his game-winners. Good-bye “The Shot.” So long Bryon Russell. The three-point barrage never happened. Just think about the regular season Michael Jordan that played in the first 47 minutes.

Is that fair? Of course not. But that’s what people are trying to do when they think about Reggie. Just like all of those memories ADD to the Jordan legend, the Reggie moments ADD to his legend.

The Bill Simmons’ Bandwagon would have you believe otherwise. They want you to listen to bogus stats like “Reggie Miller only shot 33% on clutch threes from 1996-2005.” Of course, they neglect to mention that more than half of that time period was AFTER Reggie’s prime.

They tell you to stop thinking about Reggie’s clutch moments. Why? Because actually, Ray Allen has so few of them.

They give you cute stories like, “Ray Allen was 0 for 12 one night and they still gave him the ball with the game on the line. He missed, but I believed 100% that he was going to make it. That’s how good he is.” My response? Reggie never went 0 for 12 in a playoff game.

The love to talk about Ray Allen’s 8 three-pointers in Game 2 of the NBA Finals. Of course they fail to mention that he then missed over 16 straight.

At the end of the day, Reggie and Ray are remarkable players. They could absolutely push your team over the top if you had the right pieces in place. I would have loved to see Reggie Miller play as the 3rd option just one time in his prime. I will never be able to.

But that’s ok. From where I’m sitting, Reggie is still better than Ray. Statistically, they are equal. If anything, you could say that Ray Allen was more blessed with good teammates than Reggie. But when it came down to the final shot, game on the line, live or die, I’m taking Reggie Miller every single time. Anyone would. Well, anyone that refuses to listen to people that discount clutch as important.

**********

* – Reggie Miller shooting over Ray Allen photo credit: Robert Scheer Photo via IndyStar.com

– In a game that is often very confusing for me, the Milwaukee Bucks put an end to that 12-game winning streak business in Dallas, defeating the Mavs 103-99.

Based on recent years, this shouldn’t come as a too much of a surprise to anyone who follows both of these teams (so probably just me). Milwaukee and Dallas rarely play dull games; they’re one of the random, star-crossed pairings in the NBA universe that for reasons basketball-related or otherwise just works. Also, there could still be some karmic payback for the whole Nowitzki-Tractor Traylor switch-off, which is probably fair.

All told, this was a huge win for the Bucks, who have just begun a killer Western Conference portion of their schedule and need things to start breaking their way. It was satisfying to see Milwaukee’s constant effort and willingness to keep plugging away finally pay off in the form of big shots dropping for the likes of Brandon Jennings, Ersan Ilyasova and John Salmons. Andrew Bogut (21 points on 10-for-12 shooting, 14 rebounds) and the Milwaukee bench kept the team afloat when Dallas couldn’t miss in the first half, and Dirk (30 points on 24 shots, 7 boards) played well, but had to work for everything he got.

– The Miami Heat have won nine straight by double-digits and LeBron James made this shot. Dwyane Wade had 32 points on 13 shots, which sounds mathematically impossible. Then again, I had to take a math course in college for no credit, so I may not be the best source on this matter.

No, the Heat are not beating great teams, but they are engaged in these wins. Instead of awkward forces and back-and-forth changes in whose possession is this?, they are embracing the situation at hand, not the overarching big picture. It’s great players not over-thinking things and just playing great basketball. And in the end, that’s the best thing for their big picture.

– Elsewhere, the Bulls have won six in a row, handling the Pacers 92-73, as they have officially claimed the non-Miami Scariest Team in the League title.

– Portland and Memphis played an ugly game.

– It is pretty terrifying what happened to David Lee’s elbow (if you’re eating or something, it’s kinda gross) when Wilson Chandler’s tooth wound up in it. Especially considering it could have been worse. Maybe this helps put the Warriors current seven-game losing streak, which continued with a 108-95 loss in Utah, in some perspective. Otherwise, I can’t think of a whole lot of good that’s happening with Golden State.

** Bucks photo courtesy of the AP.

Twitter: twitter.com/griffingotta

Email: griffingotta@gmail.com

The Miami Heat. Holy shit. Road game in hostile environment? Yup. Opposing team strong in the front-court and point guard positions, Miami’s two biggest weaknesses? Yup. A focused, unrelenting, fast-paced, ice-cold statement win? Yes, yes, yes and yes.

For the first time this season, the Heat played The Game We Were All Waiting For, when everything looked beautiful and terrifying at the same time. Have we finally seen the Dark Passenger?

What can ya do?

– The Minnesota Timberwolves continued their recent run of challenging good teams for long portions of games before relenting sometime in the fourth quarter, this time falling to the Thunder, 111-103. Basically, the T-Wolves are an entertaining mid-level video game boss, with Kevin Love and Michael Beasley as the venomous tentacles/shoulder-attached gun turrets.

– Derrick Rose was ruthless in the final minute of play in Cleveland, and the Bulls scraped out an 88-83 win, extending the Cavalier losing streak to six in the process. I wonder what Rose’s favorite Skittle flavor is. I hope, like me, it’s purple. But I’m guessing it’s red for loyalty’s sake.

– Carmelo Anthony did not want to take the chance of George Karl’s 1,000th career win coming in Boston, because ‘Melo knows how much George Karl hates Dunkin’ Donuts. So he sat this one out, and the Celts won, 105-89. Also, Anthony’s knee hurts.

– Boy, was that Raptors/Knicks game fun. Andrea Bargnani blew up for 41 points on 24 shots, and probably deserved a fate kinder than Raymond Felton’s winning three that touched every edge of the rim; but you know, the Knicks have won six in a row with their own awesome kinetic style, and that, they tell me, is good for basketball, so I’m cool with it. Sorry, Andrea.

– Now THAT’S a tip-in. Andrew Bogut applied the perfect amount of touch to a perfectly thrown in-bound pass from Luc Richard Mbah a Moute as time expired and the Bucks got a muuuuuch needed home win over the Indiana Pacers.

– Even a game as crappy as the Hornets’ 93-74 win over Detroit cannot lessen the sadness of this news. J.E. Skeets summed it up pretty well on Twitter last night.

– The Spurs kind of kept the Golden State Warriors at an arm’s length for the entire game in their 111-94 win. Apparently they couldn’t, however, put an arm or even a hand up on Warriors bench player Reggie Williams, who shot 8-for-10 from three on the way to a 31-point night.

– John Wall sat this one out and, since he’s the young leader of the Wizards, the rest of the team took the night off in Sacramento as well, losing 116-91. It’s easy to be a follower, after all.

– The Suns went through all the trouble of erasing a 14-point fourth quarter deficit, only to have Rudy Gay (22 points on 12 shots) make a game-tying three to send the game into overtime, where the Grizzlies would go on to win, 104-98. Also, Zach Randolph hates the sun, er Suns — Z-Bo pulled the shades down, shooting 15-of-19 from the floor on the way to dropping 34 points and grabbing 17 boards.

– The Lakers/Clippers battle of Los Angeles was a very enjoyable nightcap. Or as enjoyable a nightcap can be without whiskey, one supposes. The Clips freaking had this one. Blake Griffin was pounding away on Lamar Odom in the post, Eric Gordon was taking and making big shots, the youth was revolting.

Heck, even when they naturally left the door open at the end, they denied Kobe the ball. They made Derek Fisher something other than a spot-up shooter. And still, he flipped up a driving layup at the buzzer and boom. It was over. The Clippers are definitely a fun watch, so long as you’re not a Clippers fan. That was rough.

**Williams photo courtesy of the AP.
**Bucks photo courtesy of the AP.

Twitter: twitter.com/griffingotta

Email: griffingotta@gmail.com