Putting all your eggs in one basket

Word on the streets is that Easter is coming up. Apparently when you are going around and collecting eggs for some reason or another this Sunday, you shouldn't put all of them in the same basket. For if you do so, there is a chance something happens to that basket, and you will lose all of your eggs you worked so hard for. Even that one your cool Uncle Bill hid in the gutter.

The reason we are talking about Easter eggs is because this is exactly what professional sports does, especially the NBA. They have chosen to forgo marketing the entire league, and instead decided to, well, put all their eggs in one basket. A vast majority of games on either ESPN, ABC, or TNT include either the Boston Celtics, the Cleveland Cavaliers, or the LA Lakers. Take this last week. Last Sunday Cleveland took on the Mavericks on ABC, then D.C. Tuesday on TNT, then Orlando on Friday on ESPN, then ended the week on Sunday against the Spurs on ABC. That's 4 times in one week.

Now I'm not whining and complaining and saying that the Magic should get that much exposure, etc. Understand that.

The problem is that other than the hardcore basketball fan, no one knows what else the league has to offer. Believe it or not, good basketball is played in Portland, and Atlanta, Philly, and even Orlando. Just not Memphis.

As TV ratings are more important than pretty much anything else these days, when we reach the NBA Finals in a few months there will certainly be a discussion about said ratings. Last year, with their eggs in the same basket, the NBA hit the lotto with a Laker/Celtic matchup. The Finals scored a 9.3 Nielsen rating (does anyone actually know what these numbers mean?), up from a 6.2 the year before.

That said, who's fault will it be if Atlanta takes on San Antonio this year? Or how about Orlando vs. Utah? Obviously the ratings would be down. But wouldn't the league and ABC be better off it they had actually showcased a larger amount of the league during the regular season so if they didn't get the matchup they wanted in the Finals they would still have a product people were at least somewhat used to?

This goes beyond TV ratings. Teams that struggle in attendance often have their best draws of the year when the Lakers or Celtics come to town. Obviously Boston and LA are big towns and have teams that have been around forever but at the same time are the teams that everyone sees on TNT and are first up on SportsCenter. However, these teams don't need the help as they are already popular teams. If more teams received national coverage wouldn't that help drive attendance a bit when Chris Paul and the Hornets come to play the Bobcats?

In summary, it might be nice for the ratings and the pockets of Stern and Co. and ABC right now for only a select few teams to be on display, but for the overall health and longevity of the NBA, they would be better served to display their entire product.

Hmmmm....

While watching tonight's broadcast of the Orlando/Atlanta game I came across this interesting stat courtesy of Sun Sports:

Records vs. Other Top 4 Teams:

Orlando Magic: 6-3

• 2-1 vs CLE
• 2-0 vs LAL
• 2-2 vs BOS

Los Angeles Lakers: 4-2

• 2-0 vs CLE
• 2-0 vs BOS
• 0-2 vs ORL

Boston Celtics: 4-5

• 2-1 vs CLE
• 0-2 vs LAL
• 2-2 vs ORL

Cleveland Cavaliers: 2-6

• 0-2 vs LAL
• 1-2 vs BOS
• 1-2 vs ORL

Exactly. Hmmmm....

Now the royal flames of Pompeii bless all our senses

There are 4 minutes to go between the Magic and the Celtics. The Magic have the ball and, if we're being honest, we can admit we all know what's about to happen. The Magic will stand around the three point line while Dwight sets picks for every member of the Magic, 4 members of the Celtics, both head coaches, 6 ushers and a beer vendor. In the end, either we'll jack up a contested three, or Hedo will drive into 4 defenders and throw the ball up without ever looking at the basket. And I know this, and you know this. We know it because we've just watched it happen.

On 6 consecutive possessions.

And I shouldn't need to tell you that it happened again and again that night. The Magic scored 14 points in the 4th and only made 3 FGs the entire quarter. As in, one more FG than 2. That's embarrassing.

It got so bad that with under a minute to go, I got a text message from a friend of mine in Connecticut that simply read: "The Magic's offense blows," and I couldn't really disagree with it.

The Magic offense is a conundrum: an offense full of quality scorers who can't create a shot for themselves or anyone else. Rashard Lewis can play the post but seems afraid to be a go to post player in the 4th. Dwight Howard seems ready to be a go to scorer in the 4th from the post, but no one will give him the ball in the last 18 minutes of games. Hedo thinks he can take people off the dribble, but anyone who has watched him play this year could attest to that being untrue. Rafer Alston can't finish at the rim. Courtney Lee is a rookie.

In the end, the Magic don't have anyone who can, when defenses tighten, can take their man off the dribble and create instant offense, be it for himself or his teammates.

Except one.


This is where Jameer Nelson is missed the most.

Nelson had proven time and time again throughout his career that, when motivated to, he can penetrate on any point guard in the league. That ability to penetrate, combined with his incredibly high FG% on jumpshots made him an absolutely awesome force in the 4th quarter on ISO plays. Play off him, he'll hit 20 footers all day. Crowd him, and he'll walk up, down over and all into the paint like you weren't even there. And if he gets to the paint and help comes, the Magic have a small army of shooters eagerly waiting for the ball.

And there was also this guy in the middle named Howard waiting for rebounds/alley-oops.

That's all I could think about watching those last few minutes against Boston:

Watching as Derek Fisher repeatedly backed off Nelson, only for Jameer to bury jumper after jumper in his face.

Remembering how Nelson spent so much time going into the paint against the Raptors in last year's playoffs, you'd have thought he was investing in real estate there.

I thought about his clutch shots earlier in the season, his constant creating during the 4th quarters when the Magic's offense would bog down. How he'd create wide open looks for Lewis and Turkoglu. How he'd find Courtney Lee slashing for midrange jumpers. How when it got too bad, he'd just take it to the hole himself.

And then I thought: "Oh sweet God, we just turned the ball over again."

Get well soon, Jameer.

Tonight: Celtics @ Magic

Tonight at 8 PM on the ESPN Orlando will host the Boston Celtics in what might be the biggest game of the year for both teams. At stake is the 2nd spot in the Eastern Conference and thus home court against the other team should both advance past the first round. Currently both are tied in the loss column with 18 losses. Kevin Garnett will be back for Boston, as he logged 12 points in 18 minutes against the Clippers on Monday.

Boston has taken 2 out of 3 this year from Orlando, with the Magic's only win being in Boston against a Celtic team missing both Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo.

Again, for those of you who will be in attendance, it is an 8 PM game and be loud enough to drown out those damn Celtic fans.

Here is what the internet has to say about tonight's game:

• The Canadian Press notes that Doc Rivers is more concerned with getting his team healthy than gaining homecourt advantage.
• The Boston Herald reminds us that Orlando's magic number to clinch the division is 1.
• John Denton of the Florida Today understands the importance of tonight's game.
• As Ray Allen told the Boston Globe, "We've been talking about Cleveland and Orlando all year, [The Magic] beat us last time here on our floor, so this is a big game for us."
• If you gamble, the line is Magic +3.5.
• Even the LA Times is talking about tonight's game.
• HoopsWorld touches in the amount of hype Cleveland and Boston gets.
• And finally, here is the Orlando Sentinel preview and Schmitz blog post on the game.
  

Orlando @ Boston Highlights

Here are some highlights from yesterday's 86-79 win over the Boston Celtics. Also, check out the Orlando Sentinel's story on the game as well as today's Daily Dime over at ESPN.

Coming this week

This week Orlando plays three pretty big games as they try to find some consistency. Tuesday the now off and running Phoenix Suns come to town followed by New Jersey on Friday. The week is capped by a visit to Boston on Sunday.

Phoenix Suns @ Orlando Magic: Tuesday, March 3, 7:00 PM. SunSports and NBATV

The Suns enter the game winners of two straight, including a big with against the Lakers on Sunday. The Suns are now 6-2 since Alvin Gentry replaced Terry Porter as coach after the All-Star break.

Prediction: Phoenix will score points, and probably quite a bit of them. On the other hand, Orlando can score points also (You're welcome for the crack TPASTBM analysis). Shaq will score 17 but only grab 3 rebounds. However, on the other side Dwight will put up 27 and totally dominate Shaq on the boards with 16. Throw in 3 blocks for Dwight.

The key to this game is Steve Nash, who didn't suit up in the win against the Lakers on Sunday. Right now it is anyones guess if he plays. If he sits, the Magic win. If he plays, the Magic still win. Score: Orlando 115, Phoenix 109

New Jersey Nets @ Orlando Magic: Friday, March 6, 7:00 PM. Fox Sports Florida

The New Jersey Nets are trying to get themselves back into the playoff picture after sitting inside for most of the season. Frankly, (Is that a Lawrence Frank pun?) the Nets have been all over the place this year. Taking a look at their schedule, they have had lost 8 of 9, then won 4 in a row, then lost 5 in a row, and followed that up by winning 2 of 3. So, who knows what we are going to get on Friday.

Prediction: In their only previous meeting this season Orlando came out on top, 101-84. Dwight led the Magic with 30 points and 16 boards while Devin Harris paced the Nets with 28 points and 12 assists. Look for similar numbers again on Friday by both players. However, in the previous matchup Vince Carter did not play, so look for him to add an element of difficulty for an Orlando team that is having a hard time keeping quality scores from getting their share. Score: Orlando 105, New Jersey 102

Orlando Magic @ Boston Celtics: Sunday, March 8, 1:00 PM. Fox Sports Florida HD

Well, it's time to play the Celtics again. The Magic are 0-2 this season against the reigning world champs. The Celtics beat down on Orlando by 19 earlier this year in Boston and took the matchup in Orlando by 10. That said, the Magic are due to play well against these guys. In case you haven't heard, Stephon Marbury plays for them now.

Prediction: Dwight has struggled in scoring against Boston this year, putting up 11 and 15 in the two games. He will struggle again. Rashard and Hedo will pick up some of the slack, but not enough to break Boston's luck against the Magic. Score: Boston 97, Orlando 85

Pa-Pa-Pa-Power Rankings

It's Wednesday, and since we do things how we want here at TPASTBM, it's Power Rankings time. So, umm, here we go...

"Older than time itself, Man has always known the calling. Light of the light, strength of the soul, ignite this eternal power inside of me. I am Ninja! I am pure of heart, body, mind, and spirit. Join with me now as I become one with the Power of Ninja! It's Mighty Morphin' Power Rankings Time!"

1. Celtics (37-9) - They're on a 8 game winning streak, which is making people forget about their troubles earlier this month.

2. Cavaliers (35-8) - With only a loss to the Lakers, the Lebrons look to take their act into Orlando on Thursday. Besides the game, millions of fans await Gary Payton and Chris Webber's analysis.

3. Magic (34-10) - The Celtics loss? Didn't hurt that much. The Miami loss? Yeah, that one stung alittle. The Indiana win? That helped a bit. Winning against the Lebrons on Thursday, and maybe me and the Magic can snuggle again.

4. Lakers (35-9) - They were hugging it out with a win against the Spurs, but losing to the Bobcats at home might have made the record scratch in the locker room.

5. Spurs (30-14) - Zzzzzz...I mean a quality win at Utah on the road is always a plus. The Spurs continue to be, well, the Spurs.

6. Hornets (27-14) - This team doesn't scare me nearly as much as they did last year. Something about them I just can't put my finger on yet.

7. Nuggets (30-15) - Carmelo Anthony is close to returning, which spells trouble for the rest of the West. Don't be surprised if they are bumped up above the Hornets if they beat them Wednesday and then beat an improving Bobcats squad on Friday.

8. Trailblazers (27-17) - Oden looks decent, Aldridge looks good, Roy looks great. But in the interest of not losing our minds, lets wait til they can post a .500 road record before we annoint them the team of the future.

9. Rockets (28-18) - At least Yao has stayed relatively healthy. But even in a game he didn't play, there isn't much excuse for losing to the Knicks.

10. Suns (25-18) - Shaq made nine of ten free throws in a win against Washington on Monday. That's nice, but I'm sure we're not the only ones who seem to think this is about 15 years too late for the big fella.

11. Heat (24-18) - Miami broke their ten game losing streak to Orlando on Saturday night. Congrats on that one.

12. Mavericks (25-19) - Magic great Darrell Armstrong joined the coaching staff on Monday. Good news for Dallas area coffee sales.

13. Hawks (26-18) - Losers of two in a row and six out of their last ten, they seem to have not yet recover from the back to back losses to Orlando several weeks ago. But you have to give them some credit as we here at TPASTBM would have quit after that 121-87 throbbing back on January 9th.

14. Jazz (25-21) - Word on the hard knock streets of SLC is, aside from talk of the four game losing streak, is that AK-47 might have surgery on his bum ankle. Ohh, also, if the playoffs started today Utah would be out. Not good.

15. Pistons (24-19) - Deeeeetrrrrooooiiiittttt Baaassskkkeeettttbbbaaallll has lost seven of ten and Coach Michael Curry is having to deal with the internet. Again, not good.

16. 76ers (21-22) - Philly is finally starting to play some decent basketball and recently had a seven game win streak which included wins over New Orleans, Portland, Houston, Atlanta, and San Antonio. It's about time.

17. Bucks (22-26) - Your team has serious problems when you're having thoughts like: "We sure miss Andrew Bogut," and "Maybe Charlie V isn't as bad as we thought."

18. Bobcats (19-26) - They finally start getting it together, they're winning games, they're on their way to a victory in LA, and then Andrew Bynum almost kills Gerald Wallace. Frankly, someone should almost kill Andrew Bynum.

19. Nets (20-25) - What happened, Devin Harris? At least Brook Lopez looks like a winner. How did he fall in the draft again?

20. Bulls (18-27) - Only the Wizards have a worse road record. Kirk Hinrich won't help a team that has to rely on Aaron Gray at center.

21. Knicks (19-25) - There is no greater indictment of the pitiful quality of East centers than David Lee for the all-star game.

22. Raptors (18-28) - Remember when the addition of JO was going to change this franchise? Well, I guess it technically did. At least Bargnani is finally playing like he knows how to.

23. Timberwolves (16-27) - Kevin McHale the coach is doing alot better than the executive.

24. Pacers (17-28) - The mustache brigade was playing well until getting hammered by Danny Granger's new favorite team.

25. Thunder (10-35) - KD continues to impress and his squad is getting more and more competitive.

26. Warriors (14-31) - Doesn't Mark Cuban have to absolutely order his mascot to ride a moped for Monta Ellis first road game back from injury.

27. Clippers (10-34) - Al Thornton says all this Derrick Rose stuff is nonsense and we find out that Eric Gordon's nickname is the Hobbit.

28. Kings (10-36) - The Kings last victory over an Eastern Conference Foe: March 16, 2008 against the Raptors.

29. Wizards (9-35) - They blow leads. They lose games they should win. Andray Blatche and Nick Young play like crazy people and they frequently have to play Darius Songaila on opposing centers. At least JaVale McGee looks like a winner.

30. Grizzles (11-33) - Imagine if the Magic hired Brian Hill for a 3rd stint. Im sure Memphis fans are thrilled with the Lionel Hollins hire but judging by this they are not.

Thanks to IMDB for the kickin' quote and Atravovi for the Power Rangers image.

Friday's Pun Watch

Here are Friday mornings puns after the Magic fall 90-80 to the Boston Celtics.

Celtics are up to old tricks: Like magic, they win 7th straight

- Boston Globe

http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2009/01/23/celtics_are_up_to_old_tricks/

Poof! C's drub Magic

- ESPN

http://espn.go.com/

More Pulitzer Price level headlines and journalism to come...