Bill Simmons agrues that Orlando creats havoc by having a center like Dwight and PF/4 that can shoot 3's like Rashard. Give me a break, I had to email him and remind him of Clutch City 95 with Dream, Clyde, and Horry (who played the 4 spot and knocked down 3's all day). This team would kill the current Magic squad. Rashard dreamed of being Horry while watching him put up buckets during his days in the Fonde summer league. Dream would also murder Dwight and would have him flying all over the court trying to block his shots. Clyde vs. Hedo... no need to comment. http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/090603&sportCat=nba Quote from today's story "Here's what we know: Accident or not, Orlando's nucleus and mindset are perfect for the current era. The slash-and-kick game is in vogue, 3-pointers are going up … I mean, you WANT a team that plays like this, and you're better off playing smallball than any other style. Orlando has the perfect "power forward" for the modern game, namely Lewis, a matchup nightmare on one end and someone with enough size to bother most low-post players on the other end. In the '80s, this couldn't have worked; he would have had to guard McHale or Parish on Boston, Barkley or Moses on Philly, Sampson or Hakeem on Houston and so on. In the '90s and early '00s, once expansion diluted talent, it could have worked if anyone thought of it. Then the '06 Suns and '07 Warriors proved you could contend by going small." "The big difference between the '09 Magic and everyone else before them: They can play smallball without getting destroyed on the boards thanks to Howard. In their 19 playoff games so far, they finished with more rebounds only six times; in the Boston series, they were outrebounded in six of the seven games. But the Magic were never outrebounded by more than eight boards; only three times were they even outrebounded by seven or eight. That's why the Magic don't have off nights. Teddy KGB would say they had alligator blood: They hang around and hang around and hang around and you can never just wipe out their chips. They're like the NBA's first "Moneyball" team in this respect. Over 48 minutes, the percentages and numbers will usually work in their favor." Please email Simmons and wake him up, quick.
you're right, but he seems to have just forgotten about horry who not only did it for houston, but sa and la
All of this Boston - Lakers series makes me happy If we can somehow get to the finals next year and play Orlando, man they are a great matchup for us. And it seems we do a pretty nice job against the Lakers as well.
Rashard Lewis is a joke. I guess that is a little strong but him playing PF for a team going to the Finals lets you know just how watered down the game has become. The Magic didn't face any team with an interior presence that forced him to play defense. Actually, he was able to roam around on defense and exert little or no effort. Horry actually hit the jumper, rebounded and could play some pretty damn good post defenese and some fantastic weakside defense. Rashard Lewis is Tracy McGrady with less physical talent and a better outside shot. What a waste. It will be funny if Bynum actually contributes in the Finals. That would force Howard to play him while Rashard Lewis gets absolutely torched by Pau Gasol. As a Rocket fan I can only imagine how great it would be if they had made it to the Finals with a healthy Yao who would school D. Howard while Scola brought Rashard into the post and abused him.
Are you saying Rashard's defense slowed Davis down or are you arguing the Rashard did face a true post player in Davis?
Gotcha. I guess he is decent but I meant an actual player who was a low post presence not a guy getting buckets (on jump shots) because nobody else on the team could throw a stone in the ocean except for Rondo.
3 point shooting by Horry was critical cause he was not really a post player. Also Horry stepping out that far forces Grant to help out on Dream, so Dream could have his way with Shaq.
Rashard is not a joke. you are right about Pau and Scola owning him down low, but rashard would own them on the other end. At least rashard has the DPY to back him up down in the block... They won't be able to double team rashard out in the perimeter. Think about it... Pau, there best rebounder is going to have to chase rashard around. Dwight is going to have a field day on the offensive glass. The only person that can truly defend him is odom.. Ariza may be able to do a good job on him. Rashard is not a joke..
Horry didn't start at the 4 until deep into the playoffs in '95. It was basically a 10-12 game thing. Orlando has been playing this way the last two years I believe. Lewis is a far superior offensive player to Horry. I haven't paid much attention, but I imagine Horry is much better defensively however, when he was actually trying, which was maybe 20 percent of the year.
I actually emailed him because in the same column he didn't mention Elie's kiss of death shot against Phoenix among the all-time great playoff shots.
You're right he is no joke. I corrected myself in the next sentence because he is a pretty good player. I guess what bothers me is that league is to a point where the "smallest" 6'10" player in the league is at the PF for a team in the NBA Finals. Sure, he creates a mismatch because he camps at the three point line on offense but it sickens me that more teams either don't or can't (because they lack the personnel) take him down in the post and beat him up. The league is so watered down when it comes to big men. 15 years ago Rashard Lewis would last all of about 2 minutes at PF in the playoffs until he got destroyed down low. Aaah the good old days. With the size, athleticism and talent the Lakers have it will be a huge black mark on Phil Jackson's legacy if he can't find a way to exploit Rashard Lewis' defense and physical weakness in the post while not letting him get good looks offensively.
i agree, this is not like last year. if LA doesnt win this year (and im certainly not rooting for them), it will look pretty bad for kobe and Phil. even though it shouldnt because their record is pretty damn good, in the public modern eye where everyone is looking to take people a peg down, it would be bad.
