NBA free agents

This year’s NBA free agent market will automatically be less ‘exciting’ than last years, primarily because there will be no Decision 2011, at least as far as I know. There are, however, plenty of big names and players that can turn a mid level team to a conference or NBA title contender. Here are my top five unrestricted free agents this summer. These players are not listed in any particular order.

1. Michael Redd
Michael Redd had a down year due to injury. Six of Redd’s eleven NBA seasons he averaged twenty plus points per game and every year except his first (which he was also hurt) and this previous year he has averaged over eleven points per game. Redd is labeled as one of those “knock down shooters”. Redd is a Ray Allen or Jason Terry type of player that can boost any teams offensive production.

2. J.R. Smith
J.R. Smith has averaged over ten points a game six of his seven seasons. What Smith brings is a very versatile player that can use his athleticism on the offensive and defensive end of the floor. Smith is only twenty five years old and has shot at least 39% from the three in four seasons. Smith is a streaky player who can either put up five points or twenty five points with little effort.

3. Jamal Crawford
Jamal Crawford has a career average of 15.4 points per game. Crawford was the sixth man of year in 2010 and this past postseason aided in the take down of the Magic and helped give the Bulls a struggle. Crawford like Smith is a streaky player who can be streaky but plays the one or two position instead of the three.

4. JJ Barea
JJ Barea has not averaged over ten points in a single of his five seasons. It’s not the past five years that anyone cares about. It is the past two months that is what most teams are looking at. Barea made the Lakers defense look slower than a desert tortoise on a hot day, kept up with Russel Westbrook and made the Heat’s amazing defense look lack luster. Bonus is that he is twenty seven years old and his better years are still ahead of him. His quickness and ability to get to the rim is similar to Tony Parker.

5. Tyson Chandler
Tyson Chandler is also on this list because of what he has done in the recent past and because of his size. Two of ten seasons Chandler has averaged over ten points, and only twice he has also averaged over ten rebounds a game. But because of his size, 7’1”, he is an addition to any team that can use his size and better yet his defensive presence he brings to the game.

Sadly not of this matters in the near future since the NBA has joined the NFL and is officially locked out.

Why the Mavericks Should Thank the Blazers

The Dallas Mavericks just won their first NBA championship. They did it by torching the defending champion Lakers, taking on the youth and explosion of the Thunder and finally showed the big three in Miami that their talents weren’t enough to stop Dallas’ experience and perseverance. The Mavericks earned this championship, they worked hard for it and kept their cool under pressure.
But before the Finals, before the Thunder and before the Lakers, it was the Portland Trail Blazers that were first team sent packing by the Mavericks. That first series against the Blazers is what really gave the Mavericks the confidence to continue their quest for the championship.
It was game four of the first round when the Blazers scored an outrageous thirty five points in the fourth quarter to the Mavericks fifteen. Ever since that game the Mavericks have not been their previous “soft” and “choking” selves. Thanks to Brandon Roy and the rest of the Blazers the Mavericks were fed up with their poor ability to finish games and series. The Mavericks went on to win the next two against the Blazers and never looked back.
Since game four, the Mavericks were never outscored by double digits in a fourth quarter and in the following seventeen games the Mavericks outscored their opponents by combined 43 points in the fourth quarter. Congratulations to the Dallas Mavericks on being crowned NBA champions, and a minor congrats to the Blazers for giving them the kick start they needed.

Heat Strike Back in Dallas

The stat of the night was since the NBA finals format changed to 2-3-2 from 2-2-1-1-1 that whenever the series was tied 1-1 the team who won game three went on to win the championship all eleven times. While it might prove it is likely the winner of game three will win the championship these stats are always there to be broken. Cause no one wins until they win their fourth anyway, especially in a series like this with Lebron and Wade on one team and the experience of Dirk and Kidd on the other.

Game threes first quarter was very similar to game twos. High shooting percentages by both teams, and the Heat had a handful of highlights plays already. Mavericks “manufactured” points while the Heat continued to attack the paint. Mario Chalmers even had a quarter court shot at the buzzer to put the Heat up by seven points.

The out come and how it ended was, however, very different then that of game twos. Despite even the third quarter being eerily similar when the Heat pulled away and the Mavericks brought it back.

The fourth quarter is what was drastically different. Not better or worse, just different. Instead of a amazing comeback, it was a tight finish down the stretch that the Heat pulled out.

There were two things that I noticed the Heat did differently that contributed to their success tonight.

1. No early celebrations.

There was not nearly as much hoopla by the Heat before the final buzzer compared to game two. Not being at home might have been a factor but the Heat also looked more focused (minus that 3rd quarter meltdown) and ready to finish the game. I mean Bosh did not even yell after he had a monster dunk in the first half, that's as rare as MJ not sticking his tongue out as he drove the the bucket.

2. The Heat went with the hot hand

In this case, as was the case in game two, it was Dwayne Wade. What gave the Heat their initial lead and allowed them to hang on in the fourth was Wades great play and energy he brought. Game two they did not go to Wade as often late as they should have. Game three was a different story as Wade put up seven straight Heat points.

With the Heat winning game three they are the automatic favorites to win it all. Being up 2-1 helps and with the previously mentioned stat. I will stand by what I also said though, don't count the Mavericks out of it. Remember when we all did that in game two?

Too Hot for Heat, Mavs Tie Series

I began to check my email and think about going to bed early, the game was practically over anyway. Apparently the Heat were thinking the same thing I was.

The Mavericks went on a rampage out scoring the Heat 22-5 in the last half of the fourth quarter.

It was an absolute meltdown by the Heat.

I don't know if you caught Dwayne Wade on the floor after his last shot at the end of the game. Wade fell to the hardwood after his last second heave and watched the ball fly all the way until it came off the back rim. As soon as it did, he rolled over facing a referee, put on his puppy dog face,held his eye and held out his hand looking for referee to come to the rescue and bail him out.

Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic. Playing the last five minutes of the game like Wade played the first forty three minutes would have easily prevented Wade from being in this situation and he and Lebron would be two games away from a NBA championship.

But they didn't.