Choosing Finals MVP is no easy task
By Terry Brown
NBA Insider
Friday, June 13
((this is what I like about this article))
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Kidd: 17 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 8.3 apg, 1 spg, 0.2 bpg, 33% shooting
But do you know why he hit those four consecutive game-saving free throws at the end of the fourth contest? Because he threw up two bricks immediately before that to keep the game within San Antonio's reach. If there is any one thing that we have all learned this Finals it's that Kidd can't shoot regardless of how many times he drags his wife, mother and child to the gym for practice.
The guy is so jinxed that in every single game in this series, he has missed exactly 13 shots . . . and he's only averaging 6.5 makes per game.
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If you thought choosing a winner in this year's NBA Finals between New Jersey State and San Antonio Tech was tough, you should try voting for the Finals MVP.
With the series tied, 2-2, and games scheduled for tonight and Sunday, the NBA champion could very well be declared this weekend when we'll be stuck with choosing between four of the candidates the NBA is trying to convince us are all worthy.
If the key to defeating the New Jersey Nets was stopping Jason Kidd, then you've got to at least give some consideration to Tony Parker. It wasn't two days' worth of headlines ago that we were declaring him the next great point guard in the NBA after the way he torched Kidd on his own homecourt, scoring 26 points with four triples and handing out six assists to a single turnover.
Here's how his stats look so far:
Parker
Parker: 16.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 4.8 apg, 0.2 spg, 0.2 bpg, 39% shooting
But, then again, the series didn't end after three games. In the fourth contest, Parker went 1-for-12 for three points, three fouls and two turnovers to three assists, causing the venerable David Robinson to explode.
"He's so talented, he's got to understand he plays a big role for us, so he has to come in there and make good things happen," Robinson said in the Dallas Morning News. "You don't make good things happen by necessarily standing out there and taking ill-advised jump shots. You make good things happen by playing that good 'D' and making good transition in those situations, and we didn't do a good job of that."
So if it isn't that point guard, then maybe it's the other one who came into the series as one of the favorites, anyway. Love him, hate him or care less about his blown kisses at the free-throw line, the Nets don't even get invited to the playoffs unless he plays like a regular-season MVP in the first place. He is their franchise player, the league's best assist man and one of the game's greatest point guards ever.
Here's how his stats look so far:
Kidd
Kidd: 17 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 8.3 apg, 1 spg, 0.2 bpg, 33% shooting
But do you know why he hit those four consecutive game-saving free throws at the end of the fourth contest? Because he threw up two bricks immediately before that to keep the game within San Antonio's reach. If there is any one thing that we have all learned this Finals it's that Kidd can't shoot regardless of how many times he drags his wife, mother and child to the gym for practice.
The guy is so jinxed that in every single game in this series, he has missed exactly 13 shots . . . and he's only averaging 6.5 makes per game.
So if it isn't Kidd who's leading the Nets to victory, then it's got to be Kenyon Martin. Because weren't we supposed to be picking his teeth out of he rubble by now to identify the body? He was reportedly so overmatched by the regular-season MVP that neither he nor the Nets were allowed a chance in this series.
Instead, he gets blocked twice underneath his own bucket before grabbing another offensive rebound to get fouled and get to the free- throw line while the rest of his team falls in line behind him and yells CHARGE!
"I'm not Charles Smith, man," Martin said in the Kansas City Star. "I'm Kenyon and Kenyon don't quit or back down from anything."
Here's how his stats look so far:
Martin
Martin: 19.5 ppg, 10.3 rpg, 2.3 apg, 2 spg, 2.2 bpg, 42% shooting
But youthful exuberance and third-party references to oneself only go so far. Tim Duncan is still Tim Duncan and David Stern has children to feed. Besides, the San Antonio power forward has still outplayed the New Jersey power forward in almost every single statistical category.
Even if the Nets go on to win this series, the numbers are so compelling when compared to the other candidates that, for the first time since Jerry West won the Finals MVP as a member of the losing team in 1969, Duncan would still be the favorite. Heck, we could even re-cast the logo to mark the event. The NBA . . . it's fundamental.
Here's how his stats look so far:
Duncan
Duncan: 23.8 ppg, 16.3 rpg, 4.5 apg, 1.2 spg, 5 bpg, 48% shooting.
But even those numbers, as impressive as they may seem when compared to those of the 83-year-old often assigned to guard him, are mere crumbs when compared to what Shaquille O'Neal did to this same New Jersey team last year on his way to his third Finals MVP award.
O'Neal: 36.3 ppg, 12.2 rpg, 3.7 apg, 0.5 spg, 2.7 bpg, 59% shooting.
Believe it or not, that's more points than Kidd and Parker put together. Almost as much as Kidd and Martin combined. Take Malik Rose's dunk over Dikembe Mutombo, square it by Richard Jefferson's dunk over Kevin Willis, make it happen three or four times a game and you've got what we traditionally refer to as an MVP performance.
Remember Michael Jordan at the Buzzer. Magic in center. Willis Reed in the light at the end of a tunnel before scoring four points on only three good limbs.
So who are we left with this year? Gregg Popovich? Rod Thorn? Jewel?
Win, lose or draw, this year's Finals MVP just might be getting an asterisk.
By Terry Brown
NBA Insider
Friday, June 13
((this is what I like about this article))
--------------------------------------------------
Kidd: 17 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 8.3 apg, 1 spg, 0.2 bpg, 33% shooting
But do you know why he hit those four consecutive game-saving free throws at the end of the fourth contest? Because he threw up two bricks immediately before that to keep the game within San Antonio's reach. If there is any one thing that we have all learned this Finals it's that Kidd can't shoot regardless of how many times he drags his wife, mother and child to the gym for practice.
The guy is so jinxed that in every single game in this series, he has missed exactly 13 shots . . . and he's only averaging 6.5 makes per game.
-------------------------------------------------
If you thought choosing a winner in this year's NBA Finals between New Jersey State and San Antonio Tech was tough, you should try voting for the Finals MVP.
With the series tied, 2-2, and games scheduled for tonight and Sunday, the NBA champion could very well be declared this weekend when we'll be stuck with choosing between four of the candidates the NBA is trying to convince us are all worthy.
If the key to defeating the New Jersey Nets was stopping Jason Kidd, then you've got to at least give some consideration to Tony Parker. It wasn't two days' worth of headlines ago that we were declaring him the next great point guard in the NBA after the way he torched Kidd on his own homecourt, scoring 26 points with four triples and handing out six assists to a single turnover.
Here's how his stats look so far:
Parker
Parker: 16.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 4.8 apg, 0.2 spg, 0.2 bpg, 39% shooting
But, then again, the series didn't end after three games. In the fourth contest, Parker went 1-for-12 for three points, three fouls and two turnovers to three assists, causing the venerable David Robinson to explode.
"He's so talented, he's got to understand he plays a big role for us, so he has to come in there and make good things happen," Robinson said in the Dallas Morning News. "You don't make good things happen by necessarily standing out there and taking ill-advised jump shots. You make good things happen by playing that good 'D' and making good transition in those situations, and we didn't do a good job of that."
So if it isn't that point guard, then maybe it's the other one who came into the series as one of the favorites, anyway. Love him, hate him or care less about his blown kisses at the free-throw line, the Nets don't even get invited to the playoffs unless he plays like a regular-season MVP in the first place. He is their franchise player, the league's best assist man and one of the game's greatest point guards ever.
Here's how his stats look so far:
Kidd
Kidd: 17 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 8.3 apg, 1 spg, 0.2 bpg, 33% shooting
But do you know why he hit those four consecutive game-saving free throws at the end of the fourth contest? Because he threw up two bricks immediately before that to keep the game within San Antonio's reach. If there is any one thing that we have all learned this Finals it's that Kidd can't shoot regardless of how many times he drags his wife, mother and child to the gym for practice.
The guy is so jinxed that in every single game in this series, he has missed exactly 13 shots . . . and he's only averaging 6.5 makes per game.
So if it isn't Kidd who's leading the Nets to victory, then it's got to be Kenyon Martin. Because weren't we supposed to be picking his teeth out of he rubble by now to identify the body? He was reportedly so overmatched by the regular-season MVP that neither he nor the Nets were allowed a chance in this series.
Instead, he gets blocked twice underneath his own bucket before grabbing another offensive rebound to get fouled and get to the free- throw line while the rest of his team falls in line behind him and yells CHARGE!
"I'm not Charles Smith, man," Martin said in the Kansas City Star. "I'm Kenyon and Kenyon don't quit or back down from anything."
Here's how his stats look so far:
Martin
Martin: 19.5 ppg, 10.3 rpg, 2.3 apg, 2 spg, 2.2 bpg, 42% shooting
But youthful exuberance and third-party references to oneself only go so far. Tim Duncan is still Tim Duncan and David Stern has children to feed. Besides, the San Antonio power forward has still outplayed the New Jersey power forward in almost every single statistical category.
Even if the Nets go on to win this series, the numbers are so compelling when compared to the other candidates that, for the first time since Jerry West won the Finals MVP as a member of the losing team in 1969, Duncan would still be the favorite. Heck, we could even re-cast the logo to mark the event. The NBA . . . it's fundamental.
Here's how his stats look so far:
Duncan
Duncan: 23.8 ppg, 16.3 rpg, 4.5 apg, 1.2 spg, 5 bpg, 48% shooting.
But even those numbers, as impressive as they may seem when compared to those of the 83-year-old often assigned to guard him, are mere crumbs when compared to what Shaquille O'Neal did to this same New Jersey team last year on his way to his third Finals MVP award.
O'Neal: 36.3 ppg, 12.2 rpg, 3.7 apg, 0.5 spg, 2.7 bpg, 59% shooting.
Believe it or not, that's more points than Kidd and Parker put together. Almost as much as Kidd and Martin combined. Take Malik Rose's dunk over Dikembe Mutombo, square it by Richard Jefferson's dunk over Kevin Willis, make it happen three or four times a game and you've got what we traditionally refer to as an MVP performance.
Remember Michael Jordan at the Buzzer. Magic in center. Willis Reed in the light at the end of a tunnel before scoring four points on only three good limbs.
So who are we left with this year? Gregg Popovich? Rod Thorn? Jewel?
Win, lose or draw, this year's Finals MVP just might be getting an asterisk.
