How in the world can they top that

Cancel it.

NAM Y. HUH/AP

Who else is exhausted after last night?

Take Game 7 and throw it away, don’t even play it. Never mind who wins. Who cares? After all that the Celtics and Bulls have given us – six compelling games, two with single overtime, one with double-overtime and that one-for-the-ages triple-overtime gem last night – what can we ask of them in Game 7?

Can Ray Allen go for 70? Do you think Joakim Noah will ever do anything more dramatic that make a steal and then out-race Paul Pierce 55 feet for the game winning dunk, foul and free throw? Think Derrick Rose makes a more important defensive play ever than the block he had on Rondo? I swear, the kid smiled! Is Brad Miller, making clutch free throws and three-pointers, ever going to feel any better?

No way.

This has been the single most exciting series I can remember and two ask two exhausted teams to find some way to top it off in Game 7? Ridiculous.

So blow it off, let them spend Saturday night watching video of Games 1-6; let Cleveland and Orlando play for the East and the Lakers and someone play for the West and then let two teams play in the Finals but when it comes time to hand out the trophy? Make sure there are two other teams on the court.

Of course, I’m not being serious because now I’m really looking forward to a Saturday night Game 7 and the resulting hilarity on the in-game blog but I’m also fully expecting a rather drab affair. After all, you can ask for great every night, can you?

-

You know who you’ve got to thank for all this, don’t you? The Raptors.

If they don’t drill Chicago on the last night of the regular season, the Bulls don’t finish seventh and none of this happens.

Dare I say that’s another reason not to tank.

-

About last night

Not perfect, just dramatic

You know what added to the excitement in Chicago? Just enough mistakes to make us feel the guys playing – with perhaps the exception of Ray Allen – were human.

You had Derrick Rose looking like a scared rookie in the overtimes (and who could blame him), reluctant to drive, tentative with the ball.

You had Rajon Rondo losing his mind – and his game – early with some sort of wacky Classy Freddie Blassy arm-drag takedown attempt on Kirk Hinrich.

Paul Pierce must have zoned out for a minute because the foul he committed on Noah on that steal-drive-game-breaking-play was the single silliest foul I’ve seen in eons.

Maybe the next time Ray Allen, who had barely missed a shot all night, catches it beyond the three-point line with his team down three and about eight seconds left in the game and starts dribbling, some sane-thinking Bull will come off the bench and grab him around the waist because Vinny Del Negro seems to have forgotten that strategy.

Maybe next time, Hinrich will make that layup that would have sealed the deal instead of adding to the already incredible angst around the finish.

It was far from perfect, which made it more compelling.

-

One quick question

Who do you think Tracy McGrady’s betting on in the Houston-Laker series that starts Monday night?

Didn’t T-Mac tell the world Los Angeles was going to win it all last week?

Might make for some interesting time around the Rockets, no?

Anyway, I didn’t stay up for that entire game – I swear, I was exhausted after Bulls-Celtics – but the parts that I did see showed one thing: The Blazers, while great, are too young.

The Rockets, on the other hand, played with poise and composure and Ron Artest, bless his zany heart, was just what he had to be – in charge offensively and defensively and a huge factor for his team.

I don’t know if the Rockets can give the Lakers a series (and luckily I don’t have to do the setup box and prediction on that one for 48 hours or so) but they did show me something against Portland.

They got the game at the pace they liked, Artest and Battier were exceptional and Luis Scola has made a name for himself with casual fans, who now know what scouts and coaches and players have been saying for years – the dude can play.

The big story in Houston? That they got out of the first round, my buddy Jonathan tells you all about it here.

-

A wise statement indeed

The Sixers were barely off the court – after being out of the game for most of the night – when a wise man with a penchant for hitting the nail on the head, sent me the following short but telling e-mail:

Philly should be embarrassed.

And well they should.

I know teams that lack stars and starters seem to have a knack for sucking it up for a game or two but for Philadelphia to let Orlando off the hook like that was despicable.

And they fully admit it, as we read here in Marcus’s game story.

But the funny thing? And the issue that’s going to haunt the Sixers for a while? The one guy they needed more than anyone else in that entire series was Elton Brand. A low-post presence, a big who can shoot, a guy you can throw the ball to in the slow-down moments of a playoff series.

No idea how they can integrate him into that system with those players in an 82-game schedule and be successful (they sure didn’t figure it out this season, did they?) but when the playoffs roll around, he’s the kind of guy they need.

-

Usual growing pains

I know they feel like crap out in Portland today, who wouldn’t?

But the experience they gleaned in this playoff series – the first for so many of them – will be absolutely invaluable as they move on.

They’ll know the pressure, the intensity, the need to take care of every single possession better; they’ll be wiser and more experienced next year and I fully expect them to make even greater gains than they did this past season.

Think of them as this year’s Atlanta Hawks from a calendar year ago, except dramatically more talented and deep in my opinion. The Blazers seem to have the mental attributes that will allow them to learn from this rather than cower from it.

And they know it, as Kerry Eggers tells us here.

-

One from the very light mailbag, which will likely be up tomorrow morning in all its glory:

Q: Hey Doug, I was hoping you could help settle a gentleman's wager that I have with a friend of mine. Do you think there is any chance at all that the likes of Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady are going to wind up in the Hall of Fame one day?

Craig P, Halifax

A: In my opinion, there isn’t a chance in hell that either of them gets into the Hall of Fame short of buying a ticket.

-

I would love now to give you a few little Raptors nuggets, tease you with coming player moves or somesuch but, alas, another dead quiet day.

So, I’ll answer a question about it:

Q: Doug, does it seem that with each passing day without an announcement that it’s less likely that Triano will be asked back? If JP knew he wanted him, wouldn't he have made the decision public by now? Does this time mean that he is taking time to see who else is available before he makes this decision?

John G, Toronto

A: No, it means everyone took a week or so off after the season to decompress, Bryan and Maurizio are in Berlin for the EuroLeague Final Four and things are progressing on about the timeline we all expected, which is a resolution sometime in the first couple of weeks of May. And from every indication I’m getting, I still fully expect that resolution to be Jay gets the job.

-

Okay, that’s it (sorry I was late, some technical difficulties here at Casa Doug) until we do the morning mailbag tomorrow and, of course, you should join me sometime just before 8 tomorrow night to see what Chicago and Boston might have in store for us.

Comments

[pete]

Doug, I remind you of your blog title a couple days ago "Go on, top that. I dare you." So, can we expect octuple overtime, with everyone but the five starters fouling out, because they can't. Also, will the winner of this series have anything left for the next round. Orlando must be pretty happy with the arrangement.

[Nick]

LOL
Raps sure made all this happen, it's true!
What did you think of Artest and Yao's post game interview?
Absolutely hillarious.

Blogger's note: Haven't seen the interview, was dead asleep by that time

[Ellie]

Do you know who's carrying Game 7 in Canada? I really hope it's not TSN2 or Raptors TV...

Blogger's note: It's on The Score according to their schedule.

[anthony.mackay]

I'm not even going to try to describe this series, its just too good for words.

Here are my 2 cents for the day. Even if Boston wins game 7 there is no way they win the next series after the amount of minutes all those old knees and short rotations played... and they would be starting the next series on like 1 day of rest.
Its not official but it looks safe to right off their chance of coming out of the east so it appears to be a 2 horse race with the Magic and Cavs, the Hawks could pull off an upset.

Out west I'm looking forward to the Dallas Denver matchup along with the Kobe Artest matchup. I want to see Kobe light up Artest just for the hell of it, maybe drop 35 in 3 quarters and then site out the forth in vintage Kobe fashion.

Doug, if your still reading this.. who do you like in the Denver Dalls matchup? The depth is not equal but the starters look pretty balanced, Billups/Kidd, Anthony/Howard, Dirks O against K-marts D, 6th man Terry VS 6th man Smith... but I expect Nene to eat Damps lunch.

Blogger's note: I have yet to digest any of the second-round series; I need a bit of time to think about 'em

[Mike Nice]

You're a pencil-neck geek Smith! ;)

[Lorie]

What more CAN you way about last night's game that doesn't come off making it sound like some bizarre event straight out of Ripley's Believe It Or Not? It was completely amazing! But you know what I am really enjoying about this series? It's how it takes me back...to those great sporting events you remembered watching when you were just a kid, and didn't know anything about luxury taxes, collective bargaining agreements or how much dollars really run the show, and sports seemed to be about great players making great plays in great games with heart and desire and for nothing more than the pure love of the game. Never want this series to end...and can only hope for a truly fitting finish (in 5th OT?) on Saturday night!

[doug]

I think the Lakers-Rockets series could be interesting....to me it's all about the center position in that series, as Yao is all alone the loss of Deke hurts the Rockets a great deal, and also Bynum has had a rough playoffs thus far...so if Yao can stay out of foul trouble early and be a factor it will be one of the keys...also in that last question when a blogger asked about Jay Triano's contract, what am i missing he says "JP" would have made a announcement by now..did they mean BC as there is no JP with the Raps,(or is there) the only JP I know is a seamhead in more ways then one...

[Pharaoh]

LOL... Classy Freddie Blassie! Love it Doug! I didn't realize you were a pro wrestling aficionado.

If the Celts do advance, do you think they'll have enough gas left in the tank to handle the Magic?

Blogger's note: I haven't really thought that much about a second round; let's see how this one plays out

[Patrick]

Morning Doug,

As Nick mentionned, the post-game press conference with Yao and Artest is worth seeing (something about Ron and going into the crowd :P).

Just out of curiosity, how early can the Raptors start scheduling draft workouts? Is it completely moot right now given that the lottery hasn't taken place?

Thanks!

Blogger's note: They can schedule them starting now, I beleive. But don't expect anyone in for some time.

[Joe T.]

Wow! What a game last night. I am really looking forward to Game 7. And I had similar thoughts about it all last night that THIS feels like the championship matchup and it's a shame one of these teams will be, when all is said and done, "just" another First Round exit...

Doug, do you think the league will follow through on its own rules and suspend Rondo for taking a swing/elbow at Kirk Hinrich's head before the refs separated them? They've already set one dangerous precedent where Rondo is concerned (that it's OK to hit a guy in the face as long as the ball is on its way to the hoop and within three feet of the defender's hand). Although I don't think they'd have the guts to follow their own rules in this case, I think a suspension for Game 7 is definitely in order...

And speaking of Rondo, I'm somewhat surprised (well, OK, not really, given how the NBA seems to officiate the Celtics) that he wasn't called for goaltending on that missed Hinrich layup. He may not have touched the ball above the cylinder (though it was close) but he certainly grabbed/bumped and vibrated the rim before the ball had finished bouncing around up there...

Oh, and Allen wasn't perfect last night either. If he had his left foot back an inch before he shot that ball from the corner, it would've been a game-tying three...

Finally, one more question: have John Salmons and Ben Gordon ever both touched the ball on a Bulls possession where someone other than one of them ends up taking the shot? It must be a rarity if it's happened at all...

Blogger's note: I don't think there'll be any suspensions, nor should there be

[peter]

Come on Doug, no props for the "Polish Hammer" - Marcin Gortat of the Magic?!

He was impressive replacing "Superman" - 5/8 FG, 11 pts, 15 boards, 4 steals

I am telling you, he would be a great big to have coming off the bench for the Raps. He's a no-nonsense type of guy, goes out there and gives 110%, solid D, great on the boards... some things the Raps bigs lack imho.

Blogger's note: Oh yeah, he played a very, very good game when his team needed it most. Hats off to him, no question

[Takashi]

Doug your april 29 blog looks really bad now if you think about.

Here is one of your quotes

"Go on, top that; I dare ya

They were rocking in Boston - and Portland - last night.
Okay, what’s next? Every game goes to overtime? Someone goes off for 60? Buzzer-beaters at every buzzer imaginable?

I don’t know how any night in these playoffs can top last night."

http://thestar.blogs.com/raptors/2009/04/go-on-top-that-i-dare-ya.html

Now today you are saying the same thing

"How in the world can they top that

Cancel it.

Take Game 7 and throw it away, don’t even play it. Never mind who wins. Who cares? After all that the Celtics and Bulls have given us – six compelling games, two with single overtime, one with double-overtime and that one-for-the-ages triple-overtime gem last night – what can we ask of them in Game 7?

Can Ray Allen go for 70? Do you think Joakim Noah will ever do anything more dramatic that make a steal and then out-race Paul Pierce 55 feet for the game winning dunk, foul and free throw? Think Derrick Rose makes a more important defensive play ever than the block he had on Rondo? I swear, the kid smiled! Is Brad Miller, making clutch free throws and three-pointers, ever going to feel any better?

No way."

Is the NBA Doug Amaizing happens!!

[john]

Congratulations to all the Rockets fans on your team series win. The jinx is finally lifted and now you can go on to focus on your next assignment, the Los Angeles Lakers.

About the game, it was as exciting as compared to Game 3-5 but this was a typical classy performance from the Rocs. Finally both Yao and Ron had their biggest nights. Most of it was due to the Blazers defense shifting their focus on Scola who was doing most of the damage in the last 3 games.

About the Lakers series. Well it is obvious that Kobe Co. are overwhelming favourites to win it but you'll just never know what surprise the Rocs might have for them.

Here is my re-cap on Game 6 and appreciate your thoughts on how do you see the Lakers will turn out?

Blogger's note: Not sure yet, haven't taken any time to really think about it

[johnny r]

Hey Doug,

I would like your take on why I and many other basketball fans should take the NBA seriously and not believe that outcomes are being somewhat pre-determined.

- In game 5 of the Philly/Orlando series, Dwight Howard does not get ejected for an elbow to the head, and Orlando wins.
- In game 5 of the Boston/Chicago series Rondo swipes Miller in the head, is no where near the ball, and a flagrant foul in not given.
- In game 6 of the Boston/Chicago series Rondo gets a way with a flagrant 2 foul and is allowed to stay in the game.

Call me crazy, and I know its not like the NBA would do something like this, but I mean how can us fans take these games seriously when theres blatant violations of rules at certain times/for certain teams.

And don't get me started on the whole.. that's a foul at the start of the game/not at the end of the game... that's a foul but you're a rookie ... thats a foul in the regular season/not in the playoffs... A foul is a foul and should be called equally at all times, if not, this game is fixed...

Please no sarcastic answer Doug :)

Blogger's note: No sarcasm here at all; just an honest suggestion that if you feel the whole thing is faked or scripted or pre-determined, why get yourself all worked up watching and why not go find some other idle-time pursuit that you can believe is legitimate? That's all I feel compelled to say at the moment.

[pete]

Would "the Polish Hammer" be one of best nicknames in the NBA today? Also, any chance of a miraculous KG return on Saturday

[Harut S.]

Thanks for the great coverage last night Doug! I'm pretty sad that Portland's out, they were my favourite going into the playoffs. Do you think if they keep their starters and their key bench (Outlaw, Rudy, Oden), and improve a lot on guys like Oden this summer, they'll be serious competitors of the top west spot next year? Any chance of that stuff even happening in the first place?

[GM]

I'm not sure there have been six compelling games in the Boston-Chicago series, unless you count a 21-point game compelling.

I also want to ask about John G's reference of "JP". Even if he meant "JT" it wouldn't make sense. Is there a JP in the organization? (I always hate it when commenters use initials for every player. It may save them a fraction of a second in typing, but it adds a few seconds in reading, trying to figure out who they mean.)

And I don't think there was a jinx on the Rockets. They've won a championship, afterall, and been to the finals. The jinx was a personal one on McGrady and as far as I'm concerned is still on, even if he comes back to play at some point in these playoffs.

Blogger's note: I'm sure the guy meant BC and just had Jays on his mind.

[Manny]

The Rockets are a much better team without Tracy McGrady. The ball moves around more and everyone gets a touch, unlike when T-Mac would just hog the ball and kill the offense.

[rob]

Doug,
Do you take youth over experience in a game 7?

Blogger's note: Well, is fresher legs or having been there before? I don't know the answer and really don't have an opinion, actually. You could make valid points on either side. Experience certainly didn't help the Celtics get over the top in Game 6 but older Bulls (Miller) made key plays.

[Juan]

I think Johnny R makes a reasonable point. I can understand the concept of "playoff fouls" being called differently than during the regular season, but there seems to be a startling lack of consistency across the games. I also agree with his comment about the Celtics. I don't think you can just smugly reply "Don't watch if you don't like it". We're fans who love the game, and a great many fans feel the league looks a bit 'bush' right now.

Blogger's note: Anyone who thinks the outcome of NBA games is fixed and pre-determined is better off watching something else.

[City Country]

Hey Doug, just making sure that you have eventually seen that Heinrich didn't miss that late lay-up, but rather Rondo redirected it/goaltended it. He 100% for sure did touch it and slightly redirect it too, as well as being in the cylinder. No wonder Heinrich was so confused.

And I too am a 'meddling with the games' NBA playoffs skeptic. But for me it is not that they totally 'fix' all the outcomes and exactly who will win, but rather that they 'influence' particular (not all) games towards certain outcomes. When they want a game 7 or a certain team to have better chances of winning a series. This is less strong of a claim than a mass and omnipresent conspiracy, but I think if you deny this softer claim too, it is you with your head stuck in the sand rather than just psycho fans who shouldn't bother watching. Even the suck up ESPN writers are openly talking about this issue. For me, the 2002 Sacramento/LA Western finals, game 6 is the cornerstone example. I feel bad for Brad Miller.
So yeah, influencing (towards an end), not fixing. And remember, we all know any claim that 'nba referees have never 'influenced' a game towards some intended end' is flat out false, aka Donahey at the very least. Bavetta was very strongly indicated too.
P.S. Stern fixed the Ewing draft by bending the corner on the Knicks envelope and choosing to hand pick them out of the bubble himself so he could reach in and grab the bent corner envelope. Check out the video on it.

[GM]

"Anyone who thinks the outcome of NBA games is fixed and pre-determined is better off watching something else."

I hear where you're coming from, but it's not as simple as that. If enough people cared enough and made their grievances public, maybe the league would do something about it. Or maybe that's what you're trying to say. If people stop watching, the league would be forced to react?

You don't just ignore a problem and say like it or lump it. The games may not be fixed, but there still might be a big problem in the way certain glory teams get breaks that other teams don't. And if you really love a sport, you want to see it at its best.

[Peter]

Wow, I just watched the CTV news at noon here in Toronto. They go to the TSN sports desk for the sports, and they didn't show a SINGLE basketball highlight. Not only that, they didn't mention a score or anything at all about a basketball game. Wow. Not a split second of coverage over what you and others have called perhaps one of the best NBA playoff series ever. Unreal, but surprisingly not at all unbelievable!

[Lorie]

To expand on what Peter just said...our local city newspaper (not Toronto!!!) didn't have a single line of NBA playoff coverage, at least in the print edition - again...There is lots hockey, (domestic and international) soccer, baseball, cycling, horse racing and the usual high school stuff. I keep threatening to cancel the subscription...this could be the final straw.

[City Country]

GM is very right. Saying 'if you are not 100% in (i.e. unquestioningly), then STFU', is a very problematic attitude. It's like the mainstream attitude in the US where 'if you're not 100% unquestioningly in support of the current governmental administrative body, then you must be anti-American' (highly used by the Bush admin).

The idea is that such a person is the person who truly really cares about America (or the integrity of the NBA), as they are concerned enough about what they hold so dearly to want it to be right and to be critical of deviations from the purported course.