Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Jeremy Lin #3

Linsanity has died down a bit. He is still producing points and assists, but the hype has gone down. I like hearing what people are saying about Jeremy Lin, however this is my perspective. Just like what Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra says, "Praise Lin for his play, not because he is Chinese." We should not judge basketball players' play, because they are from a certain culture or race, but because they are good people and good basketball players. I expect to hear a lot of negative comments about Jeremy Lin, because they aren't too many basketball players like him coming out to the NBA, not too many Asian-Americans playing NBA basketball. I also expect to hear a lot of racist comments too about Jeremy Lin. Be prepared for more comments on Jeremy Lin if the New York Knicks advance to the second round of the playoffs. I highly doubt it. The New York Knicks do not play like a cohesive unit. But although they have banded together closely under new interim coach Mike Woodson, they seem to be playing better now. I expect to hear more about this.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

The New York Knicks and their Playoff Chances

Since Mike d'Antoni resigned from coaching the New York Knicks, I have seen a big change in the way the Knicks are playing under new interim coach Mike Woodson, the former coach of the Atlanta Hawks. I think it was time for a change in management. Carmelo Anthony had grown tired of playing for Mike d'Antoni and it showed in his performance and attitude towards him and winning basketball games. Now that d'Antoni is out of the way, the Knicks are playing loose and free basketball under Woodson. What caused it? d'Antoni wanted his Knicks squad to play up-tempo basketball with more offense and less defense. Woodson wants this Knicks squad to play more defense and less offense. That's the difference between d'Antoni's Knicks and Woodson's Knicks. I think the Knicks have  a good chance in holding down the eighth seed of the East playoffs.

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Chicago Bulls NBA Finals Preview

I may be biased here, but I actually think the Chicago Bulls have an actual chance at competing against one of the best NBA teams in the world. I also think tonight's game against the Miami Heat showed they can win without their superstar point guard, Derrick Rose. Today, they beat the Miami Heat 106-102 without Derrick Rose. That says something. The Bulls' third string point guard, John Lucas II stepped up today and hit big shots. He had 24 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 assist. The Bulls have a mentality that the availability of players on the floor and bench will benefit them because the depth of the bench really says something about how a team should be run. Just like the coach's saying, you have twelve players, you play eight or nine, you win with five. Today, I liked Ronnie Brewer's splendid defense on Dwyane Wade and Luol Deng's perimeter defense on Lebron James. They made it tough on Miami's superstars to score. As for the Bulls rumors on getting Pau Gasol, I actually do think they can get a good shot at this because they would benefit from Pau Gasol's solid ball play. With a bench that has Kyle Korver, John Lucas, Taj Gibson, Omer Asik, and Jimmy Butler, you can't go wrong with a Bulls team that has sharpshooters, penetrators, people who rebound and make hustle plays and athletic plays. I also like glue guy Brian Scalabrine's energy when he does play for Chicago. His energy and contagious enthusiasm helps Chicago get ready for the fireworks. C.J. Watson filled in for Derrick Rose in his absence. He does a good job playing point guard and does his job, distributing the ball amongst his teammates. If the Bulls do acquire Pau Gasol in a trade with the L.A. Lakers, this will be huge for Chicago. Gasol will be playing alongside a star point guard in Derrick Rose and never mind the injuries. The player the Bulls coveted in the off-season to acquire Richard Hamilton, he may or may not come back with his injuries. If they don't, Chicago will still win without Hamilton.

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Jeremy Lin #2

Jeremy Lin had a good game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on February 26, 2012. He had 19 points, 13 assists, and 5 rebounds. This is the kind of game I would expect to hear from Jeremy Lin and this is the kind of game I expect Lin to have. I don't expect to hear good defenses adjusting to Lin's play and making Jeremy Lin suffer for his lack of scoring and suffocating defense on him. It is up to Jeremy Lin to decide whether it was his basketball skills that got the best of him or whether it was the opponent's defense on him. I don't really want to hear anything about the Miami Heat or any basketball team that is interested in stopping Jeremy Lin. The only player who should truly care in stopping Jeremy Lin is Jeremy Lin. In the next few weeks before the NBA playoffs, I expect Jeremy Lin to be unstoppable. His scoring should be up and so should his assists.