NBA Finals: Ugly? Yer Dern Tootin!

[Tammo29@xxxxxxx]

June 17, 2003
NBA Finals: Ugly? Yer Dern Tootin! 
Joe Schaller
    

Another Mini Slam for Duncan: 
Tim's triple-double in Game 6 will be remembered however it was Game 1 which 
should go down as one of the all time Finals greats. With 6 assists and only 
one turnover Duncan came within one assist of a Grand Slam, a feat which I have 
yet to record.

Tim Duncan, San Antonio 101 vs New Jersey 89, June 4 (Finals Game 1)
Scoring: (32pts x 2) - 17fga - 14fta = 33
Rebounding: 20 rebounds
Disruptive Defense: 3 steals + 7 blocks


Finals Allstars: 
Top performers for this years Finals were Duncan, David Robinson, Speedy 
Claxton, Jason Kidd, Aaron Williams and Kerry Kittles.

TPR scale: 120+ superstar, 100+ allstar, 80+ starter, 65+ bench, 60 = min 
wage

A bonus for minutes played is added to TPR.

minutes_San Antonio_TPR_"bonus_score

263_Tim Duncan______180__26__206

213_Stephen Jackson__18___21__39

212_Tony Parker______49___21__70

172_Manu Ginobili____74___17__91

171_Bruce Bowen_____28___17__45

161_David Robinson___146__16__162

127_Malik Rose_______52___13__65

75__Speedy Claxton___114__8___122


_____New Jersey

265_Jason Kidd______91___27__118

229_Richard Jefferson_63__23__86

225_Kenyon Martin___62___23__85

188_Kerry Kittles____87___19__106

151_Jason Collins____43___15__58

125_Lucious Harris___39___13__52

82__Dikembe Mutombo_63___8__71

74__Rodney Rogers___5___7___12

71__Aaron Williams___101__7___108


***It was the perfect set-up for the Nets. Essentially drawing a free pass to 
the Finals in the wimpy East they got their best draw with the 
turnover-prone, free throw-missing, fourth quarter-shaky Spurs. In such a defensive match-up 
all a club needs is to win a few close ones, hope some breaks go your way and 
if you're lucky the opponent may self-destruct. The Nets got the 2 close wins 
handed to them yet all things considered this should have been a sweep. Bear 
in mind, folks, the Nets would have been first round toast in the West.


***Premature Spin:
 We should know by now that you can't judge a player by one game or series. 
Last year Nick Van Exel flopped in the playoffs, this year he was great. After 
going 21 for 34 in his first playoff game it was proclaimed to be proof that 
Allen Iverson was Olympics worthy- He never came near to that performance the 
rest of the way. After performing poorly the first 3 rounds Tony Parker starts 
the Finals with 3 strong games and the buzz is all about his superiority to 
Jason Kidd- we all know what happened after that. At one point Bill Walton was 
raising Kenyon Martin to the level of Tim Duncan. Mike Bibby inflated his value 
with one outstanding series versus the Lakers- will the same overreaction 
occur with Speedy Claxton?


***After struggling the first 3 rounds Kerry Kittles came up big in the 
Finals. Kittles' steals/turnovers ratio is astounding and carried that into the 
Finals. David Robinson also saved his best for the Finals.


***In contrast to Kittles, Stephen Jackson may have hit some big shots, 
however his ballhandling was horrible. His 7 turnovers in game 2 (26 for the 
series) was largely responsible for the loss as was his horrible shooting in Game 4.


***As one of the top performers for the entire playoffs it is hard to 
understand how Aaron Williams could only manage 71 minutes for the Finals. He may not 
have the bulk for one on one defense like Jason Collins (151 minutes) however 
he is a far superior scorer, rebounder and ballhandler.


The Ultimate Achievement: 
Now that Michael Jordan has tarnished his legacy David Robinson becomes the 
only NBA player to spend his entire career with one team and leave with a 
championship. During his peaks years The Admiral was strapped with a supporting 
cast the likes of Tracy McGrady's Magic. Will McGrady draw the same unfair 
criticism?


***: Is Jason Kidd overrated? Yes! Is he the top point guard in the league? 
Yes!


What Comes Around: 
Remember K-Mart's criticism of Keith Van Horn after last years Finals? Does 
this mean you lack heart, K-Man?


Politically Correct or Just Stupid?: 
How many times did we hear from the pundits, "These are the two best teams in 
the league"? I was flabbergasted at how many actually picked the Nets to win. 
Frank Hughes of espn.com seems to be one of the only experts who got it right 
("What to Watch When Joumana isn't on Your Screen", June 4). Good stuff, 
Frank!


T.V.Ratings: 
If David Stern had took my advice (see "Playoff Format Sucks") years ago the 
t.v. ratings would not be so disastrous. The fans aren't stupid and they know 
this was all decided in the Western Semi-finals and Finals.


Did You Notice?:
 In pre-game introductions in San Antonio Tony Parker is from Paris. In New 
Jersey he's announced "from France".


Name that color man: 
"What creativity! What imagination! What vision! What a mind! What insight! A 
monumental achievement that only a virtuoso could perform! He's the maestro, 
the wunderkind painting the Sistine Chapel! Throw it down!


Total Performance Ratings (The Total 12)

Scoring

Scoring Efficiency

Ballhandling

Rebounding

Disruptive Defense

One on one Defense

Team Defense

Team Game Pace

Positional Norms

Schedule Strength

Projected Improvement or Decline

Teams Wins Adjustment
Ratings indicate productivity per minute played. See my feature "The TPR 
Formula" for more information.


Joe Schaller
    
    <A HREF="http://schallertpr.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=194816";>http://schallertpr.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=194816</A>