The first order of business is to clear up one thing: the definition of small ball.
Charlie at the Roundball Mining Company described Denver's lineup featuring Ty Lawson and Raymond Felton as "small ball."
I often write about small ball, so I have to define what I mean to avoid confusion with his words here.
Just to be clear, when I use the term "small ball" I am referring only to the power forward and center positions and not any others.
I'm not talking about point guard, shooting guard or small forward or anything else, only power forward and center.
That crucial point must be made to stay on the same page.
Is the difference between regular-season and playoff basketball a myth or a reality?
Rob Mahoney thinks it is a myth. Zach Lowe thinks it is a reality.
You can put me squarely in the reality camp, and anyone who's watched the playoffs so far should agree.
Tom Ziller thinks we can't judge NBA coaches.
The guys over at ESPN fully disagree. They spent an entire section judging some coaches and their performances so far.
While he doesn't think you can judge coaches, Ziller had no problem judging general manager David Kahn and comparing him to an avocado.
Finally, I'm all for giving credit where credit is due; but Sebastian Pruiti gave credit where none was due.
Pruiti tries to credit Tom Thibodeau for Derrick Rose's game-winner at the end of Game 3 in Indiana, writing that Thibodeau had Rose penetrate to the side of the floor where his two best shooters were.
It would have been a great story, if only it were true.
Watching the play, you can clearly see that the play was supposed to go to the opposite side, where Chicago's worst shooters were.
But Roy Hibbert jumped out and blocked Derrick Rose's path.
That forced Rose to improvise, and that improvisation led Rose to the side of the court where his best shooters were, not Tom Thibodeau.
Tom Thibodeau didn't make the play. Derrick Rose did.
But don't let the facts get in the way of a good story.
Comment or e-mail: thenbaoutsider@yahoo.com
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