I slacked off of the playoffs for a while simply because I was tired of discussing blowouts. For a while there, it looked like Round 2 was going to be full of sweeps.
Well, now only one sweep is certain. The Washington Wizards tonight faced a Miami Heat team that was without Shaq at the MCI Center down 2-0. Instead up stepping up and making this a real series, they alllowed Dwayne "Mighty Mouse" Wade to go buckwild. And I'm tired of Alonzo Mourning flexing his bicep every time he makes a play. We know he's got muscles. We know he thinks he's a beast. But the whole schtick gets tired the first 100 times you do it.
Tomorrow the Wizards should go to the local bait and tackle store, because they're about to go fishin. I suggest some nightcrawlers, a few boxes of crickets, and maybe some rubber fish.
In the other game of the night, it seems as if San Antonio took a game off. That's alright. Every good team is allowed one of those. It simply means they'll close out the series in San Antonio, rather than at Seattle.
However, the AP's Tim Korte and the Sonics's Antonio Daniels must have been smoking something tonight:
Allen had an impact despite shooting 0-for-6 in the final period and Vitaly Potapenko forced Tim Duncan into a missed 4-footer at the horn, lifting the Sonics to a 92-91 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday night.
``In the playoffs, a lot of times it comes down to one stop,'' said Antonio Daniels, who had 18 points and eight rebounds. ``Vitaly did a great job of defending with his body. He forced him into a tough shot.''
Cmon. Duncan got the ball just inside the perimeter where he DROVE to the basket for the four foot baby hook. There wasn't anything complicated about that shot; Duncan has hit that bucket so many times he could hit it in his sleep. If Potapenko was playing great defense Duncan would have never gotten that close to the basket. Duncan simply missed the shot, that's all.
Seattle should be happy about that win, because there was no way they could win the series if they fell 3-0. But guys, you're still down by a game to what is probably the second best team in the league. Jerome James should have taken a hint when Antoine Walker pulled that stunt after Game 6 of the Pacers/Celtics series, just to get blown out by 40 in Game 7. I'm sure the Wizards wish they weren't so cocky after they talked smack to the Heat after beating the Bulls, too.
As for the other two series, Indiana/Detroit and Phoenix/Dallas, they're both tied at 1 a piece and are shaping up to be pretty decent.
Right now I've ignored the consensus that Indiana simply doesn't have enough gas to beat the Pistons, as they are now gearing up for two games at home. But if they can get another game out of Jeff Foster like he had on Wednesday night, Detroit will be in trouble.
What makes Foster's big game impressive was that he scored 10 offensive boards against the guy that is probably the best center in the league, Ben Wallace. Wallace is a beast, and is the defensive anchor for the defending World Champions. But Foster has said he's been working on his game in the paint, and only time will tell if that was simply a mere fluke.
Regardless, Indiana is a dangerous team, with a dangerous player that's looking at every game as survival. This is Reggie's last stand, and he plans to leave everything on the court. Detroit will have to sweat a little, but I still think they'll pull it out.
Dallas/Phoenix is a virtual tossup, but I'm starting to lean towards the Suns. Amare Stoudamire is the difference maker, and he'll consistently get you 30 a game. Finley had a great Game 2, but I don't think he can do that consistently the whole series. Nor does he have enough gas to hold Shawn Marion the whole series either. They're going to need Jason Terry and Josh Howard to step up in the later games.
Tomorrow night will tell whether Round 2 will be interesting, or whether we should simply look ahead to the conference finals.