In which the So-Called Expert Avoids Making a Direct Allusion to the Grateful Dead.
Hail, Drivers!
We meet again -- perhaps a little disheveled, a little tired, but with the satisfaction of a job almost done.
Below, please find a a brief analysis of the last series you'll ever see in this year's iteration of the NBA playoffs -- complete with the implications for the Driver.
Beside each team, in parentheses, you'll find two numbers. The first is the team's seed. The second is the team's SRS number (short for Simple Rating System). Developed by Doug Drinen, SRS is an attempt to look at a team's underlying points-scored and -allowed numbers, adjusted for strength of schedule (SOS). Each team's rating is their average point margin, adjusted up or down depending on the average point margins of their opponents. So, an exactly average team with an exactly average SOS would have an SRS of 0.
NBA Finals!
Teams: LA Lakers (1/4.78) v Boston (4/3.37)
Series: Tied, 0-0
Next Game: Thursday, June 03, 2010
Thoughts: As I mentioned in my most recent dispatch, the Lakers' success throughout the playoffs isn't particularly surprising. They entered as the first seed in the Western Conference, and, even though their nerd numbers (e.g. SRS) weren't all the way at the top of charts, that was very probably because of the absences of Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and Andrew Bynum, respectively, during the regular season. The talent is there. As for the Celtics -- they're situation is harder to explain. Experience is one thing they absolutely do have. That said, if you were to populate a team with Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and David Robinson -- well, that team would have experience, too. Only problem is, all those dudes are like 50. No, the Celtics aren't full of 50-year-olds, but they certainly do rely quite a bit on an aged core. That core has brought the team this far, though, and only four games separate the green-and-white from Banner 18.
Picks: There's no need to hold back anymore. You got Kobe left? Play him. You got Rajon Rondo? Play him twice*. One thing, as I note below: if you have Andrew Bynum remaining, and you think you'll have to play him at some point, it wouldn't hurt to do so sooner than later. With his knee the way it is, it's hard to say if he'll be effective -- or even playing -- at the end of this series.
*Actually, nevermind: you can't do that.
Below are your So-Called Expert's picks for the remainder of this short week.
Date: Thursday, June 03, 2010
Player: Andrew Bynum - LAL
Opposition: vs Boston
2009-2010 Averages: 15.0 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 1.0 APG (24.5 PRA)
General Thoughts: Let's get this straight: I absolutely don't think that Andrew Bynum is the best player on the Lakers. He's not even the best Laker currently available to your So-Called Expert. So why pick him? Well, here's the deal: Bynum was mostly not healthy versus Phoenix. Yeah, he played, but he didn't play much. Bynum is a good player, though, and likely a productive pick if he's getting minutes. Entering tonight with four days off between games, Bynum will very likely be at his freshest. It's hard to say how fresh that'll be exactly, as the fluid Bynum has drained from his knee on Monday has since returned. But if the Driver thinks that Andrew Bynum is better than Derek Fisher, then the former needs to be picked at some point. Tonight is the night to do just that.
Date: Sunday, June 06, 2010
Player: Pau Gasol - LAL
Opposition: vs Boston
2009-2010 Averages: 18.3 PPG, 11.2 RPG, 3.4 APG (32.9 PRA)
General Thoughts: It seems like just yesterday that I was privately -- and sometimes not-so-privately -- ridiculing Gasol for bearing a distinct physical resemblance to a slightly thinner and less hairy sasquatch. On second thought, that was yesterday. In any case, the thing these playoffs have allowed me to realize is just how talented, athletic, and smart Gasol is. Particularly revealing has been the contrast in the ways that Gasol, and LaMarcus Aldridge before him, dealt with the defensively challenged Amar'e Stoudemire. For Aldridge, who has exactly two offensive moves, Stoudemire somehow proved too much. For Gasol, not so much. Obviously, the combo deal known as Kendrick Perkins and Kevin Garnett will prove more of a challenge. But it's not like there's another series after this one.
The views expressed by RotoWire.com represent only the views of the writers; they do not represent the views of the NBA or any NBA team.
