I find it ironic that the last day I was so excited for NBA Basketball was Christmas day when the Knicks opened up the regular season with a win over the Celtics, but I find it ironic that I'm actually more excited today than I was on Christmas, oh the power of the NBA Playoffs.
This day is typically a top 5 day of my year, but this season's a little bit more special. With the Knicks winning 18 of their final 24, and with a top five defense, maybe they can win...a game (hey it's been 11 winless years) this go around. As excited as I am about the Knicks, it's very much bittersweet as they've drawn the Heat, probably the league-wide favorite to win the championship. As good as Melo and Chandler and "Mob(b) Deep" have been playing, they're looking at the league MVP, a former Finals MVP, and *insert Bosh joke here despite him(her) being a consistent 18 and 8 player* equipped with a bench loaded with shooters, who just so happen to play harder on defense than they do on offense.
Not to get corny but I almost feel like the Knicks are entering the Hunger Games, not quite as District 12, but sort of like Katniss. We have the capability to win this thing, but we really have to avoid getting caught face-to-face with the strongest competitor in the beginning, unfortunately, it's us against Cato in the first round and Cato's really really pissed.
*Is that a bad look? Incorporating The Hunger Games? Don't act like you don't have girlfriends that ask you to read books! At least it's not Twilight!!!*
Hopefully the Knicks playoff run can not only parallel Katniss's run in The Hunger Games, but also their improbably run in the 1999 Playoffs where they were the 8 seed, defeating the 1 seed Heat in the first round of the playoffs of a lockout shortened season. I'm not saying anything, but I'm just saying...
Here are my thoughts on the other first round match-ups:
East:
1. Chicago Bulls vs 8. Philadelphia 76ers
I don't want to come off like a hater, but I'm really not liking the Bulls chances this season. I don't think they've done anything to really differentiate themselves from last season (depth was never the issue), but I don't think they'll struggle with the Sixers. I don't think this is a terrible matchup for the Sixers, but I can't see them taking more than a game or two against an incredibly competitive team. I'll say Bulls in 5.
4. Boston Celtics vs 5. Atlanta Hawks
I think this is the final straw for the Celtics to win a playoff series or two. Atlanta is really thin up front, and I really look forward to Kevin Garnett and Ivan Johnson going at it just from an i like confrontations aspect. I don't know that the Celtics have an answer for Joe Johnson, but I expect Rondo and Pierce to dominate this series and get the ball rolling for the Celtics. These teams have a history of tough games, but I can't see this series taking Boston more than 6 games.
3. Indiana Pacers vs 6. Orlando Magic
This will be a great measurement of how ready the Pacers are for a playoff run. This should be a sweep, but if the Pacers get lazy, the Magic could shoot their way to a win. This is just the beginning of what's going to be an ugly couple of months for Orlando. Stan Van just keep your cool buddy. Pacers in 5.
2. Miami Heat vs 7. New York Knicks
This isn't a favorable draw for either team, but make no mistakes, Miami's the better team. As much as the Knicks have improved since Mike Woodson took over, it's still the Heat, who are absolutely on a mission that only ends with a championship. The Knicks are still a work in progress and with Shumpert having never played in the playoffs, Stoudemire still figuring out his role, and uncertainty at the point guard position. The Heat should trample the Knicks. I'm being kind, Heat in 6.
West:
1. San Antonio Spurs vs 8. Utah Jazz
The Jazz are probably happier with this matchup than if they would've drawn the Thunder or the Lakers. Not to say the Jazz stand a chance, but Ty Corbin's bunch plays a similar game and has similar athleticism. The Spurs have a lot to prove, and have a healthy Manu for these playoffs, and not to mention have been scorching since acquiring Stephen Jackson at the trade deadline. Good for the Jazz for making the playoffs, but it's gonna be at least another year until they win any games. Spurs in
4.
4. Memphis Grizzlies vs 5. Los Angeles Clippers
Yikes. This is the series that everyone is already hailing "must watch series of the first round," and with the players involved it has to be. The Grizzlies were one of the scariest teams in the playoffs last season upsetting the 1 seed Spurs in the first round then taking the conference favorite Thunder to 7 games in the semifinals. As good as they've been since, I think Chris Paul is the best player in the series and I think he will dominate and get the Clippers to the second round. We've seen him carry worse Hornets teams, and I think he continues his playoff prowess this year. Clippers in 6.
3. Los Angeles Lakers vs 6. Denver Nuggets
This is going to be a great series. I hate how enjoyable the Nuggets are to watch play because of all of the Knicks sentiment on that team, but they really play a high-energy, everyone gets involved, run hard score harder style of ball that a slightly disheveled Lakers team may not be able to handle. I'm not putting this on Ron Artest, but the Lakers don't have any depth on the wing, and that's where the Nuggets strive. Kobe and Bynum are still the two best players in the series, but the Nuggets are gonna give them a run for their money. Lakers in 7.
2. Oklahoma City Thunder vs 7. Dallas Mavericks
You don't often see Conference Finals rematches in the first round, but this year it's because the defending champs are a shell of what they were last season. You still can't rule Dirk Nowitzki out, but the Thunder are going to be one of the toughest outs this postseason and you can bet your bottom dollar that Kevin Durant will not allow his team to lose in the first round. The Mavs won't have any kind of answers for Westbrook and Harden, and Dirk sold his soul for last season, don't expect him to repeat his performance. Thunder in 5.
Regular Season Awards:
MVP: LeBron James
Yup, another season of 27, 8, and 6, but it's 14-1 that matters. While the Heat ran shit in the East for the second straight season, LeBron particularly took his team of role players and a Bosh to a 14-1 record in games without Dwyane Wade, proving that he's going to win games and be the most dominant player in the league no matter who he's playing with. If you take LeBron off of the Heat they're completely out of the championship picture, which you could probably also say about Kevin Durant, and Chris Paul (even though the Clippers probably aren't in the picture anyway).
Runner Up: Chris Paul
Rookie of the Year: Duh, Kyrie Irving
There wasn't another rookie to play this season, except Rubio who was a fake rookie, that you watched play and thought "this guy's going to be a star." As effective as Klay Thompson and Kenneth Faried were down the stretch for their teams, Irving dominated games as a scorer as well as a distributor (with a pretty weak cast). Irving absolutely lived up to the hype this season, and will make the Cavs one of the peskier teams in the East next year if they can draft a scorer to play with him.
Runner Up: Kenneth Faried
Defensive Player of the Year: Tyson Chandler
It could essentially be Dwight Howard every season as nobody dominates the paint like he does (if I'm not following this formula than why should LeBron be MVP? Cause he's LeBron), but Tyson Chandler took the Knicks from a bottom-three defense the last couple of seasons to a top-five defense this season. Props to Iman Shumpert and Mike Woodson for sure, but Chandler dominates the boards on both ends with tip outs and effort, and keeps the paint cleared out for the most part for his team. Despite Carmelo Anthony's scoring spree this past month, Chandler is the Knicks most important player and is a leader on the defensive end.
Runner Up: Serge Ibaka
*Note: I'd like to apologize for my East Coast bias on that last one. The Knicks are the 7-seed in the East and get covered more than almost any team in the league because they play in New York. Their best defensive player isn't necessarily more important than anyone else's best defensive player, and I apologize if I've offended anyone by not considering Ibaka or Howard. With that said, being able to watch him consistently and seeing the amazing turn around for the Knicks defense this year, he's more than a valid candidate for this award.
Most Improved Player: Ryan Anderson
While Andrew Bynum's numbers really spiked this season, I feel he's had the capability to score and rebound the way he did this year for the past couple of seasons. He didn't suddenly emerge as a different player for the Lakers, the Lakers started using him differently and he had a fantastic season. With that said, I think guys like Ryan Anderson and Ersan Ilyasova really were the most improved players this season, as they've been impactful role players the last couple of seasons but really stepped up big for their teams this year. Anderson became a 16 and 8 guy this season, and if he had a better player or two next to him the Magic might win a playoff game.
Runner Up: Ersan Ilyasova
Sixth Man: James Harden
Harden played almost 30 minutes a game for the Western Conference's most dynamic offense, and often ran the point when paired with Westbrook in the backcourt. He's not the fuel that makes that offense go, but he's one of the most important moving parts averaging almost 17, 4 and 4. He's not only an incredibly gifted athlete, he's tremendously efficient, finishing the season with a higher PER than guys like Paul Pierce, Deron Williams, Steve Nash, and Ty Lawson. Harden plays well at every tempo, and is a star in this league despite his bench status.
Runner Up: Al Harrington
Coach of the Year: Tom Thibodeau
Gregg Popovich really doesn't make this choice easy at all, and you don't often see a guy win this award two years in a row, let alone his first two seasons as a head coach, but it's gotta be Thibs! Say what you want about Popovich brilliantly cycling out his role players season by season, but he's working with the same core of Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, and a less efficient Tim Duncan for the past 10 seasons now (with three championships for that crew), the rest is just fill in the blanks. The Bulls went 18-9 without Derrick Rose this year, and with Luol Deng and Rip Hamilton missing games, it's incredible that the Bulls were able to take home the Eastern Conference's best record. It's not a runaway, but give credit where credits due.
Runner Up: Gregg Popvich
First Team All-NBA
C - Dwight Howard
F - LeBron James
F - Kevin Durant
G - Chris Paul
G - Kobe Bryant
Second Team All-NBA
C - Andrew Bynum
F - Kevin Love
F - Paul Pierce
G - Russell Westbrook
G - Tony Parker
Third Team All-NBA
C - Tyson Chandler
F - Blake Griffin
F - Carmelo Anthony
G - Dwyane Wade
G - Rajon Rondo
First Team All-Defense
C - Tyson Chandler
F - Serge Ibaka
F - LeBron James
G - Rajon Rondo
G - Kobe Bryant
Second Team All-Defense
C - Dwight Howard
F - Shawn Marion
F - Josh Smith
G - Iman Shumpert
G - Tony Allen
First Team All-Rookie
G/F - Klay Thompson
F - Kenneth Faried
G - Isaiah Tomas
G - Ricky Rubio
G - Kyrie Irving
Second Team All-Rookie
F - Kawhi Leonard
F - Chandler Parsons
G - MarShon Brooks
G - Brandon Knight
G - Iman Shumpert
Apr 1, 2012
My Letter to Mark...
Dear Mark,
Let's be honest, you thought of it probably before any of us Jets fans thought of it, and just like us, you thought of it half-serious/half-jokingly, right? I mean, the biggest circus in professional sports is available, why wouldn't the biggest circus of a franchise take a chance on him? Whatever the ratio of serious to kidding was for each of us, none of us really thought it would happen because we all knew it just didn't make that much sense. I mean, Woody, Mike, and especially Rex keep talking about how they're committed to you (they gave you a freaking extension the week before!), and as a sensible fan I'm committed to you too.
Everyone who watches you guys play consistently knows that you need another tackle to protect you, and it's no secret that your receivers and running backs are getting progressively worse. Even the defense, Rex's prized possession, hasn't made the evolution that we thought we'd see after the first year of this roller-coaster ride.
But while it's been a roller-coaster ride, it's been a whole lot more ups than downs, and I want to thank you for that. Mark, I can't lie, you've had your pretty awful moments; where were you for the first half of the 2010 AFC Championship? And how about the end of this past season? We're counting on your leadership, we used to refer to you as the Sanchize, we need you to be the man! With that said, thank you for the playoff road wins, the fourth quarter comebacks, and quarterback play that a Jets fan really isn't used to seeing.
I mean, you've turned the ball over a lot, which we all know maddens Rex more than a gross, callus infested foot, but you're also just three years into your already successful career. Last year was the year that you were supposed to make the jump into the top tiers of quarterbacks. Little do people know that your third-year numbers were comparable if not better than those of Eli Manning, Ben Roethlisberger, and mister Jets critic Joe Namath. You've been good and getting better, but it hasn't been good enough for our shit-talking coach, the New York media, and our overhyped, under knowledgable fan base. I don't know what they expect out of you when your right tackle lets guys hit you like it's his job, your number two and three receivers your first two seasons are gone, and your offensive coordinator only knows how to call screen plasses, slants, and RB draws, but apparently you underwhelmed what was expected out of you.
Here's where you're gonna learn Mark, that no matter what you do, you can't win with this organization. You play well enough to win 28 regular season and four playoff games in your first three years (more wins than a Jets quarterback has compiled in a three-year span since Namath from 1967-69), with an intelligent and innovative offensive coordinator on everyday of the week but game day, making big throws after said coordinator keeps you on a short leash long enough to get behind, and it still isn't good enough.
Well here's what I'm going to tell you, keep your head up and let Tim take some of the pressure off of you. I, and most knowledgable football people know, that it takes more than three seasons to really grow into the quarterback position. You've been good more than you've been bad, something I can't say for your new teammate, adversary, whatever we're calling him these days. Let these "geniuses" figure out how to run a wildcat offense, and you just make your plays when you're in the game, which for the time being, has to be somewhere between 65 and 75 percent of the snaps.
I know that's not the number you want it to be, but contrary to popular belief, we believe in you! We don't really believe in Tim. Despite his success and moxy, he makes you look like Aaron Rodgers when it comes to pocket passing, which is what wins in this league. I'm going to be honest with you, the defense and running game have been pretty good the majority of your tenure, so we're not all as attached to you as I am, and Tim's going to come in and play his ass off because he doesn't know how to do anything less. I believe that you put in work, I believe that you want to win as bad as anyone, now you need to make your teammates believe it, and you have to really play smarter to avoid those dumb boo birds.
Stop dicking around with Santonio on Twitter and actually command his respect. Invite Tim to Jets West and get everybody on the same page. You're not going to win this QB battle with your good looks, you have the tools to beat him out and be the starting quarterback of this team. Remember how you made everyone fall in love with you before the 2009 draft? Well get back on that hustle, times 10. We've seen you at your best and we've seen you at your worst, unfortunately New York finds a way to bring out the worst in people, now's the time for you to overcome that!
If you were playing anywhere else you'd have at least this next season and maybe the one after to keep proving that you're developing, but with this organization you don't always get what you deserve. We consistently under appreciate the guys who need our support, and give more to the guys who suck but sell jerseys. It's a vicious cycle, but know it's not you, it's us. It is kind of part you, but it's not really you, it's the position you play and the lack of success the team had last season. Who else can say they beat Peyton Manning and Tom Brady in back-to-back road playoff games?
I guess essentially what I'm trying to say to you Mark is I'm sorry that you're in the middle of the same old Jets being the same old Jets, but we brought you and Rex in to differentiate from that pattern, and up until the end of last season, it seemed that the transformation was taking place. Just because Tim thinks he's a quarterback, know what Rex knows; he's going to be more of a running back that is (semi)capable of throwing the football from time-to-time. Keep putting in work, become Tony Sparano's best friend, and show us how badly you want to KEEP winning.
These three years have been the best three years of my life as a Jets fan. It's funny how quickly everything soured when we stopped winning games, but non prisoner of the moment needs to realize that par for the course would have been a 4-12 season last year, not one where we almost made the playoffs and competed against some good teams. As long as you're my guy I don't want to call your team the same old Jets, and I just want you to know that you have my support, and you deserve every Jets fans support this season moving forward.
Make this your team, keep making the progress that you're noticeably making every season, and lead the best way you can, by example. That first pick or that first 3-and-out is going to be tough, but it's not gonna be the end of your season or career even...hopefully. Then again, you are a Jet. Keep your head up buddy.
Best Wishes,
Jared Mintz
P.S. Please don't punch Rex in the face this season.
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