The Three Point Play 05.24.08: Lakers Dominate Spurs, Pistons Take One in Boston, and Baron Davis to New York?

Posted by Blake Lovell on 05.24.2008

The Conference Final round is now in full swing, as the Lakers hammered the Spurs at the Staples Center. Meanwhile, the Celtics now face a big challenge on the road after dropping Game 2. And what's all this talk about Baron Davis going to the Knicks? Find out inside this edition of the Three Point Play!



Hello once again ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to another exciting playoff edition of the Three Point Play! Game 2's of the Conference Finals are now in the books after some more good NBA playoff action. The Celtics saw their home playoff streak end, while the Lakers continued their dominance at home in Los Angeles. Let's jump right into the action.

1. Deja Vu

The third quarter woes continue for the Spurs, which is where the Lakers took control in route to a 30 point victory in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals. This was a game the Spurs would like to forget, as they didn't seem to have any energy or any type of enthusiasm whatsoever. The Lakers outplayed them on the offensive and defensive end, and you really never got the feeling that the Spurs were going to threaten the Laker lead. The Spurs didn't even contend in this game. Los Angeles was better in almost all aspects of the game. Inside shooting, outside shooting, rebounding, taking care of the ball, you name it. It was the kind of game that makes you think the Lakers are the best team in the league, and that they could very well be the favorites to win the NBA crown right now. To say I was impressed by the Lakers in Game 2 would be an understatement. They absolutely took it to the defending champions, and looked head and shoulders above any other team I've seen thus far this postseason. Everybody played well for the Lakers. Kobe Bryant played great. Lamar Odom played great. Pau Gasol played well. Even Trevor Ariza and D.J. Mbenga came in and contributed for Los Angeles. Take your pick. It was a total team effort from the Lakers.

The first half was really where the tone of the game was set. The Spurs just could not buy a basket in the first half, and there wasn't really one guy on the team that stood out as a bright spot. The champs basically got outplayed on both ends of the floor, which is something you don't see very often from this veteran team. Manu Ginobili was nowhere to be found, as he continues to struggle in this series. Despite their below average play, they were still only down nine points at the half. Jordan Farmar and Sasha Vujacic gave the Lakers a big boost in the second quarter, which allowed Los Angeles to sort of push the lead out a little bit. Charles Barkley made the statement at halftime that the Lakers arguably had the best bench in the league, and he may have a point there. These guys were consistent throughout the season, and that has carried over into the postseason. Vujacic's solid shooting ability propelled the Lakers early, as did Farmar's play on both the offensive and defensive end. As long as the Lakers can get this kind of production from these guys, and the rest of the bench (Walton, Turiaf), they are going to be tough the handle the rest of the way.

The series now heads to San Antonio, a place where the defending champions are undefeated thus far in the playoffs. The Spurs have been in this situation before. All you've gotta do is look back to the New Orleans series, as this is pretty much the same type of setup. They just need to hold their home court, and they can return to Los Angeles all square. But unlike the series with the Hornets, the Spurs have some pretty serious concerns right now. Ginobili has to figure out some way to get his game going as I'm not sure they even think about winning this series unless he shows up. And since about the midway point of Game 1, San Antonio hasn't played the kind of defense they are capable of playing. That doesn't help matters much, especially when the Most Valuable Player of the league is on the other team. The Spurs have played good in spurts defensively, but until they can prove they can stop the Lakers on a consistent basis, it's going to be an uphill battle. They absolutely got their doors blown off in Game 2, so the champs will be on the prowl for revenge. It should be an interesting Game 3, as it's really the biggest game of the series for both teams. The Spurs have to win to stay in this series. The Lakers have to win in order to avoid the Spurs gaining any type of momentum heading into Game 4. A Laker win in Game 3, and we'll be getting close to the end of an era in San Antonio.

2. Road Test

Ray Allen finally got it going. And in return, the Celtics were handed their first home loss this postseason. The Pistons came into Boston and picked up a 103-97 win in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals, allowing the series to head to Detroit tied 1-1. This was a very good game, and not just one those defensive battles you would expect from these two teams. It was back forth for most of the second half, but the Pistons kept finding a way to hang on to a small lead. Both teams came alive scoring-wise, which led to a very interesting fourth quarter, with the Pistons finding a way to hold on to a small lead and pick up the victory. I'm not really sure if this offensive explosion will hold for the rest of this series for both teams, as most of these games will probably be contested in the low 80s. These are two of the best teams in the league on the defensive side of things, so I find it hard to believe we will see many games reach the 100 point mark again. And with the series deadlocked at one now, the defense will most certainly step it up a little.

This was really a total team effort for Pistons, which is what we're accustomed to seeing with this team throughout the years. Chauncey Billups was much more effective than he was in Game 1, as he found more ways to get to the basket, and was able to create a little more for his teammates. Billups is what makes this team go, so as long as he is playing well, the Pistons are going to be tough to handle. Richard Hamilton also had a solid game with 25 points. Hamilton made some key shots down the stretch, as he was the one who continually scored for the Pistons when they began to struggle. He made big shots when he had to, which is why Detroit left Boston with their first win of the series. While those two guys were catalysts in the Pistons' success, a ton of credit has to go to the bench as well. Antonio McDyess had yet another impressive game, as he seems to be playing some of the best basketball of his professional career right now. Not only is he scoring at the rim by crashing the offensive glass, but he's been able to knock down the 15 foot jumper which is a great tool to have for any big man. Rodney Stuckey also had a breakout game for the Pistons, and I'm telling you folks, you better keep an eye on this guy not only this series, but down the road as well. He made some spectacular moves in Game 2, and was the Pistons offense for a stretch in the third quarter, and the early fourth. There is lots of potential with him, and that's already beginning to show this early into his professional career.

For the Celtics, you've got to look at Allen's performance first. It was good to see him finally start knocking down shots, although his three point shot isn't totally back to form yet. Instead of trying to force up bad shots from outside, he made moves to get to the lane and score, and also pulled up to knock down the short-range jumper. This was exactly the kind of game he needed, except for ya know, the loss. But we keep talking about how great the Celtics would be in this postseason if Allen could get on the same level as everyone else, and it was sort of the opposite in Game 2. While Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett were solid as usual, there wasn't much help elsewhere. The guys off the bench didn't have the type of game they usually have, which certainly played a hand in the loss. Doc Rivers and his staff have to find a way to get everyone meshing together on the same night. They did it plenty of times in the regular season, but haven't done it much in the postseason, which has attributed to their road woes. At this point in the playoffs, it's going to be hard for them to just rely on one or two guys. They need everybody. The Pistons won the game because they had their main guys on, and their bench on as well. The Celtics need to figure out how to do that consistently if they want to win the title.

Now we head back to Detroit for Game 3, in what will surely be another close game. This seems like a good situation for the Celtics to pick up their first road win of the postseason. The Pistons are now in control of the series, as they have the potential of taking a 3-1 lead. Therefore, the Celtics know how important these next two games are. I think they'll find a way to pick up one of these next two games in Detroit, as they are the ones with the pressure on them at this point. They're the best team in the East, but now Detroit can take complete control if they hold their home court. The Pistons have been here before (um yeah, six years in a row), so it would not shock me one bit if they find hold serve at home, and head back to Boston with a chance to eliminate the Celtics. The resurgence of Ray Allen is good for the Celtics, and they need to hope his play carries over to Detroit. But they might want leave the disappointing bench play of Game 2 in Boston.

3. Baron to NY?

According to Newsday, who seems to have a lot of intriguing information these past couple days, Baron Davis has expressed some type of interest in playing for the dysfunctional Knicks. Davis can opt of his contract with Golden State this summer, which would make him a free agent. Personally, I think Davis could be a good fit in New York. Then again, there's a lot of people that could be a good fit for the Knicks at this point in time. Davis would be an obvious upgrade at the point guard position for the Knicks, as Stephon Marbury doesn't have the type of skills Davis has at this point his career. Davis was able to succeed for the Warriors, as they sort of played that similar up-tempo style that D'Antoni likes to play. It would give the Knicks a veteran guy at the point guard position, and would allow the Knicks to build around him. No, he's not Steve Nash. But he's still a solid a player overall, and can distribute the ball very well, and has good size for a point guard. If I'm Donnie Walsh, I'm looking for somebody to trade to get this guy. He won't fix the mess immediately, but he can definitely lift the level of play there in New York.

Even if Davis doesn't end up in a Knickerbocker uniform, there's several other situations that could benefit him. Again, I'm going off the assumption that he doesn't return to Golden State, and honestly at this point, I can't see him doing that. He didn't seem to have a great relationship with head coach Don Nelson, so it doesn't seem likely he'll be playing for the Warriors come next year. One situation that would benefit Davis would be Cleveland. He really didn't have a star player with him in Golden State, but he had a lot of good talent. Putting him with Lebron would be great for that organization, as the Cavs obviously have to make some type of move this off-season to get Lebron some help. It would make Lebron even better (yes I know, that's a scary thought) because he wouldn't have to bring the ball up the floor all the time. I'm not saying Davis will go to Cleveland at all, I'm just saying he could fit in well there. Maybe I'm just ready to see Lebron get some help. Who knows. Anyways, Davis would thrive in either of these situations in my opinion, but it seems like he's clearly interested in the Knicks at this point. We'll see what happens in the coming weeks, as I'm sure we'll start to see some deals being made around draft time. And I'd say the Knicks probably have some players they would like to get rid of at this point.

THE BONUS

- I've seen the question brought up about O.J. Mayo, and how the improper benefits discussion at USC will affect his draft status. This is ridiculous speculation in my opinion, as I can't see the guy dropping down the board just because of this. If he's got talent, somebody will take him. And he's got Top 10 talent. End of story.

- Staying on a draft topic, the consensus top five right now seems to be Derrick Rose from Memphis, Michael Beasley from Kansas State, Brook Lopez from Stanford, Jerryd Bayless from Arizona, and Mayo. This seems about right to me. You could maybe throw Eric Gordon from Indiana in there for Bayless or Mayo. What do you think?

- Newsday seems to be on a roll with these Knick related stories. This time, Newsday is reporting that Patrick Ewing will likely not leave Orlando for an assistant job under Mike D'Antoni in New York. It may not be good news for D'Antoni, but it is very good news for Stan Van Gundy and Dwight Howard. Ewing has helped Howard on his game tremendously, and that showed this season. Howard may want to include Ewing in his contract. If I were Howard, every time I had to sign an extension, I'd make sure Ewing is signing one as well. Ewing is definitely a good choice for a big man wanting to learn the game even more.

That's all for this installment. Tune in next time for more coverage of the Conference Finals.