Cherry Picking recaps the previous day's NBA playoff action.Entering the playoffs, the Nuggets-Hornets series looked like one of the most compelling first-round matchups, featuring an exciting battle between Chauncey Billups and Chris Paul, two elite point guards with contrasting styles.
Sadly, the schedule makers conspired to make this series one of the most overlooked -- each of the first two games tipped off at 10:30 PM ET, meaning fans on the East coast had to choose between spending the next morning drinking two pots of coffee or catching up with 90-seconds worth of highlights on SportsCenter.
Two lopsided Nuggets wins later, here's to hoping you chose coffee.
If the Hornets had control of this series, a 90-second highlight package the next morning would probably catch you up to speed on Chris Paul's performance: a couple of alley-oops, a few sneaky steals and a slick bounce bass between defenders to set up an easy layup and you've got the gist of it. He's a joy to watch over the course of an entire game, but if all you have is a minute and a half, you can still get almost as much fun in the amount of time it takes your toaster to thaw your frozen waffle.
To truly appreciate Chauncey Billups, though, requires an evening-long commitment. Not that he's a stranger to the occasional jump-out-of-your-seat play, but the hallmark of his game is efficiency, and that doesn't always translate to the highlight reel.
It's easy to string together video of eight made three-pointers like he did on Sunday, but how do you convey with a few clips how he's yet to turn the ball over after two games? Or the fact that he hasn't missed a free throw in 19 attempts? Or that he's shooting an obscene 60% from the field and 80% from three-point land?
To be fair, Paul usually shows as much as flash as efficiency, but not so far in the playoffs. Through two games, he's shooting 40% with nine turnovers. Yes, he's tallied a double-double in both games, but that hasn't helped the Hornets stay competitive, let alone actually win a game. Instead, it's been all Billups, all the time; it's just too bad his brilliance is on display while most of the country is asleep.
If you've been slow to catch on to what you've been missing, the schedule will finally make things a bit easier for casual fans to enjoy: Game 3 will be a Saturday afternoon matinee (1 PM ET) in New Orleans.
Doing Lines
Part of the reason so many people picked the Heat to upset the Hawks was because Dwyane Wade seemed like a lock to win at least a game or two all by himself. After a relatively quiet Game 1, that's what he did last night scoring 33 points, including a flurry of 13 straight just before halftime to give the Heat a double-digit lead they'd never relinquish. Wade, a career .285 shooter from 3-point land, nailed six of 10 from long distance while helping Miami to tie the series at one game apiece. [Box Score]
Dwight Howard and the Magic tied up their series with the 76ers, but Howard can't quite lay claim to his team's success: he actually fouled out of the game in the final minutes (albeit on an extremely questionable call), finishing with just 11 points and 10 boards. At some point before this series is done, Howard will double those numbers in a single game. Book it. [Box Score]
Watching Film
Meet Jeremy Tyler, aka, "that 17-year-old who decided to skip his senior year of high school to play professionally in Europe." It's a somewhat controversial move, but I love it, and I hope it catches on. If kids play their cards right, they can bank enough dough to pay for tuition (or just have it written into their contract that their new team has to pay for it) just in case their professional career fails to take off.
Traditionalists will moan about a lack of priorities, but if this were any profession other than athletics, would anyone complain? If Tyler were a concert pianist or a math prodigy, would it do his long-term future any good not to challenge himself as much as possible (while earning a little coin in the process)? Of course not, so finding fault in Tyler's decision would be an unfair double standard.
As I see it, bucking the system and thumbing your nose at the billion-dollar industry that is college athletics is something that anyone with a sense of fairness should applaud, not bemoan.
On the Blockquote
Ben Q. Rock on Third Quarter Collapse:
Another potential difference--and this is mostly trivia--is that Orlando converted two four-point plays in a game they won by 9 points. While Lee connected on one of his many long jumpers, Samuel Dalembert fouled Howard under the basket while the pair jockeyed for rebounding position. As he walked to the bench, Dalembert was whistled for a technical foul. Lewis made the technical free throw, Howard made the away-from-the-ball-foul free throw, and Orlando had its first four-point play of the evening. The second came when Hedo Turkoglu drew a shooting foul on Marreese Speights, made the first free throw, missed the second, grabbed his own rebound, and drilled a trey seconds later. Two huge possessions by Orlando.Hawks BasketBlog on Dwyane Wade's big night:
But that's the thing about guys like Wade, Kobe, JJ, and the other elite scorers in this league - when they are hitting shots, sometimes there's just not that much you can do. I'm still more comfortable with [Wade] shooting jumpers than camping out at the charity stripe all night. All things considered, I would prefer he take the shots he took tonight, I'd just prefer he not, you know, make so many of them.
Random Pic of the Day
Latest NBA Playoff Photos
ATLANTA - APRIL 22: Flip Murray #22 of the Atlanta Hawks drives to the basket against Jamario Moon #8 of the Miami Heat in Game Two of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2009 NBA Playoffs at Philips Arena on April 22, 2009 in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2009 NBAE. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/NBAE via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Joe Johnson
NBAE/Getty Images
ATLANTA - APRIL 22: Flip Murray #22 of the Atlanta Hawks puts up a shot against the Miami Heat in Game Two of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2009 NBA Playoffs at Philips Arena on April 22, 2009 in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2009 NBAE. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/NBAE via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Flip Murray
NBAE/Getty Images
ATLANTA - APRIL 22: Dwayne Wade #3 of the Miami Heat drives against Maurice Evans #1 of the Atlanta Hawks in Game Two of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2009 NBA Playoffs at Philips Arena on April 22, 2009 in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2009 NBAE. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/NBAE via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Dwayne Wade;Maurice Evans
NBAE/Getty Images
ATLANTA - APRIL 22: Josh Smith #5 of the Atlanta Hawks puts up a shot against Jermaine O'Neal #7 of the Miami Heat in Game Two of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2009 NBA Playoffs at Philips Arena on April 22, 2009 in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2009 NBAE. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/NBAE via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Josh Smith;Jermaine O'Neal
NBAE/Getty Images
DENVER - APRIL 22: Kenyon Martin and Dahntay Jones Celebrate with Chauncey Billups #7 of the Denver Nuggets during the game against the New Orleans Hornets during Game Two of the Western Conference Quarterfinals during the 2009 NBA Playoffs at the Pepsi Center on April 22, 2009 in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2009 NBAE (Photo by Garrett W. Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Kenyon Martin;Dahntay Jones;Chauncey Billups
NBAE/Getty Images
ORLANDO - APRIL 22: Rashard Lewis #9 of the Orlando Magic grabs a rebound against the Philadelphia 76ers in Game Two of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2009 NBA Playoffs at Amway Arena on April 22, 2009 in Orlando, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2009 NBAE (Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Rashard Lewis
NBAE/Getty Images
ORLANDO - APRIL 22: Dwight Howard #12 of the Orlando Magic dunks against the Philadelphia 76ers in Game Two of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2009 NBA Playoffs at Amway Arena on April 22, 2009 in Orlando, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2009 NBAE (Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Dwight Howard
NBAE/Getty Images
ORLANDO - APRIL 22: Dwight Howard #12 of the Orlando Magic dunks against the Philadelphia 76ers in Game Two of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2009 NBA Playoffs at Amway Arena on April 22, 2009 in Orlando, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2009 NBAE (Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Dwight Howard
NBAE/Getty Images
ORLANDO - APRIL 22: Rafer Alston #1 of the Orlando Magic shoots past Andre Miller #7 of the Philadelphia 76ers in Game Two of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2009 NBA Playoffs at Amway Arena on April 22, 2009 in Orlando, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2009 NBAE (Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Rafer Alston;Andre Miller
NBAE/Getty Images
ORLANDO - APRIL 22: Rashard Lewis #9 of the Orlando Magic grabs a rebound against the Philadelphia 76ers in Game Two of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2009 NBA Playoffs at Amway Arena on April 22, 2009 in Orlando, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2009 NBAE (Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Rashard Lewis
NBAE/Getty Images
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
4-23-2009 @ 7:24AM
obamaizadope said...
Hard to believe a great player, and leader like Chauncey has been with 5 different teams. Amazing.
Reply
4-23-2009 @ 7:25AM
Gary said...
It's nice to see the Nuggets at 2-0 and the Pistons at 0-2 , , good luck mr. big shot
Reply
4-23-2009 @ 12:13PM
nc0gnet0 said...
Chauncey was overlooked by the national meida during his entire tenor at Detroit. Nice to see him finally getting the accolades he deserves. Whatever in Gods name Joey D was thinking when he traded away Chauncey I will never know, as he brings alot more to the table than that piece of work known as the "wrong answwer".
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