Lin to the Rockets: Right move for his career

By David Shepard, OTSL Special Contributor

Jeremy Lin made the right move in deciding to play for the Houston Rockets.  Aside from making more money it is a much better move for his career and here is why.

Spin Number 1: The Rockets have been a whole lot better as a franchise over the past decade

The New York Knicks in the past ten years have had just two winning seasons. They have been to the playoffs just three times. Even more surprisingly in those three playoff series they managed a total of just one win. Their best season has been just six wins over .500 in the past decade. Not to mention they have had seven different head coaches in the past ten years. 

Meanwhile, the Rockets have had just four coaches. Unlike the Knicks they have actually won a playoff series in the past ten years. They took the eventual world champions (Lakers) to a game seven in the second round in 2009. Houston has had a winning record in nine of their past ten seasons. The Rockets have won 16 playoff games compared to the Knicks one.

Knicks vs Rockets (Last Ten Years)

                               Rockets     Knicks

Playoff Victories        16              1

Winning Seasons        9              2 

Head Coaches            4              7

Spin Number 2: Lin will have a lot more opportunity with the Rockets

There is only one player on the Rockets that has averaged more than 10 shot attempts per game for their career: Kevin Martin. There are four players on the Knicks that have averaged at least 11.5 shot attempts per game for their careers. In looking at the top four Knicks when it comes to career field goal attempts per game it adds up to 56.7. When you add up the top four Rockets when it comes to shot attempts per game for their careers it comes to 36.1. That is 20 less field goal attempts for the top four Rockets compared to the Knicks. 

What this tells you is Jeremy Lin is going to a team where there is a lot more opportunity to get his shot attempts. He will have the opportunity to be a much more efficient scorer with the Rockets compared to the Knicks.

Career Shot Attempts Per Game (Top Four Players)

        Knicks                                        Rockets

Carmelo Anthony       19.3         Kevin Martin             12.5

Amare Stoudemire     14.8         Chandler Parsons     8.7     

Raymond Felton         12.1        Toney Douglas          8.2

Jason Kidd                  11.5        Patrick Patterson       6.7

Totals                          56.7                                          36.1

Spin Number 3: Amare is on the decline

Amare Stoudemire averaged 25.3 points per game last season. That was his best output since the 2004-05 season. He scored eight less points per game this season. He more than doubled his assist total last season compared to this season. He also shot 76.5 percent from the free throw line in the 2011-12 campaign. That is his lowest percentage since the 2004-05 season. He also shot under 50 percent from the floor this season. When he has played a full season that is his lowest percentage since his rookie campaign. His 7.9 boards per game is the lowest of his career. It is safe to say that one of the two main pieces for the Knicks has dramatically declined.

That's Not Amare (Last 2 Seasons)

            2011-12    2010-11

PPG        17.5         25.3

RPG          7.9*          8.1

FG%       48.3         50.2

APG          1.1           2.6

*Career Low

While Amare may improve with the return of Raymond Felton as the Knicks starting PG (remember, STAT played some of his best basketball with Felton setting him up), Jeremy Lin's best chance for improvement will come in Houston.  Knick fans may not want to hear it, but Lin made the best move for his career.

Is Serena Better Than Tiger?

By David Shepard, OTSL Special Contributor

Serena Williams won her 14^th major title at this year's Wimbledon. Another prominent athlete has 14 slams and that is a golfer named Tiger Woods. Two angles can be taken with this.

Angle One: Which athlete will win more majors from this point forward?  Even though Serena plays a much more grueling sport, she has no intentions of retiring any time soon. Meanwhile, Tiger Woods is 36 years old and has not won a major in four years.

Angle Two: (THE ONE I’M TAKING) Can we say that Serena Williams has had a better career than Tiger Woods?  With the following I will argue why you can make a strong argument that she has.

Angle One: Serena is just as dominant as Tiger, but became a superstar at a younger age.

Despite the fact that Serena Williams played her first major three years after Tiger Woods made his debut, she has equaled his number at 14. In all fairness to Tiger, when he won the masters in 2001, he became the first golfer to hold all four majors at one time. However, Serena is the last men’s or women’s player to hold all four titles at the same time since Steffi Graff. Commentator Cliff Drysdale (a tennis lifer if ever there was one) says that Serena’s era is a whole lot deeper than Graff’s era. Woods also has a streak of playing in 12 consecutive majors without a win. Williams worst streak of her career was seven majors without a win. Her excuse was that she was 16 and 17 years old during this major winless streak. Serena won her first major at 17 years old, Tiger won his first when he was four years older.

Serena Is The Lion

Career Majors

                                                        Williams    Woods

Majors                                                 14            14

Age of 1st Major Win                            17            21

Best Streak Of Consecutive Majors         4              4

Most Majors Played Without A Win         7            12*

*Current Streak

Angle Two: Serena wins more and finishes more in contention than Tiger.

Serena Williams has as many majors despite playing her first major tournament three years after Tiger Woods made his debut. She has also played in 16 less majors. Despite all that Williams has just two less top 10 finishes than Woods in majors. Also, despite the fact that Serena is just 30 years old and Woods is 36, Williams has two more years in which she has at least one runner up finish in a major.

Williams Outdoes Woods

Career in Majors

                                                    Williams     Woods

First Major appearance                   1998           1995

Amount Of Majors                               48              64

Top 10 Finishes                                  33              35

Years w/At Least One 2nd Place          12              10

Angle Three: Serena Still Wins, greatest women’s tennis player in today's game. With Tiger this is not the case.

In the last four years Serena Williams has won five majors to Tiger's none. She has also won five grand slams at both Wimbledon and the Australian Open in her career. Tiger doesn’t have five victories at any major in his career. Serena finished in the top 10 of a major in the last four years nine times. Wood’s has only accomplished this six times despite playing in the same amount of majors. 

Williams Still Has It

Majors in the Last Four Years

                                                      Williams       Woods

Majors Won                                         5                0

Top 10 Finishes                                   9                6

Consecutive Top 10 Finishes                 7               3

Will they both go down among the best to ever play their respective sport?  Yes.  But right now the case could be made that Serena will be playing at an elite level longer than Tiger.

Have We Finally Found The Next Michael Jordan?

By David Shepard, OTSL Special Contributor

There has been much speculation concerning LeBron James when it comes to being King. Coming into this postseason it was the NBA Finals in which LeBron James had his lowest PPG in any series. In the 2012 NBA Finals James has answered his critics and then some. For the only comparable performance from a non-Big Man in the NBA finals, you have to go back to you know who (Michael Jordan). 

I will demonstrate that LeBron James is not just playing better than anyone else in the NBA right now, but he is also putting himself in Michael Jordan's neighborhood. One can finally make an argument that James is the guy we can say is truly the next Michael Jordan.

Food For Thought: LeBron had a triple-double in the close-out game. Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan and Allen Iverson have played 14 NBA Finals Series between the three of them. They have a combined zero triple-doubles in any Finals game, let alone a close-out game. 

Spin 1: LeBron is clearly the closest thing we have seen to Jordan

Since 1990 there have been four non-Big Men who have won the MVP award and played in the NBA Finals in the same season. They are Jordan, Iverson, Kobe and James. Here is how they compare the first time each player accomplished this. In all fairness Jordan did it four times, but LeBron has time to make up for that.

Despite the strong assist performance from MJ, he never had a game in the 1991 NBA Finals in which he had 10 rebounds. James did it three times in 2012. Jordan also never got to the line 10 times in a single game in the 1991 NBA Finals. In Game 2 on the road James went 12-12 from the charity stripe. Keep in mind LeBron has been harshly criticized for not attacking the hoop in years past. 

In the 2008 NBA Finals, in Games 4 and 6, Kobe scored less than 25 points; the Lakers lost both those games, including one at home. Kobe never had a game in which he had more than 7 rebounds. LeBron has not had a game in the 2012 NBA Finals in which he had less than 7 rebounds. Iverson's best game in terms of field goal percentage in the 2001 NBA finals did not match James's worst game from the field in the 2012 NBA Finals. 

Non Big Men NBA MVP's In NBA Finals (1st Appearance, Since 1990)

              James*     Bryant       Iverson     Jordan*  

Year        2012         2008           2001        1991 

PPG        28.6          25.7             35.6          31.2

RPG        10.2           4.7                5.6             6.6

APG           7.4           5.0                3.8           11.4

*NBA Finals MVP

Spin 2: James Has Done a 180 in these NBA Finals compared to his first two Finals performances

James has absolutely stepped up his game in the 2012 NBA Finals. he has scored at least 25 points in all five games. Just to put that into perspective, he had zero games in the 2011 NBA Finals where he scored 25 points. He also had six games to accomplish this. 

James has also made up for his struggles at the free throw line. James has shot over 82% from the charity stripe in 2012.  By comparison, in last year's NBA Finals he shot just 60% from the free throw line. He has increased his scoring in these NBA Finals compared to last year's by 62%.

2012 Is Year Of The King (James NBA Finals Career)

YEAR   2012         2011         2007

PPG      28.6         17.8          22.0

RPG     10.2            7.2            7.0

APG        7.4            6.8            6.8

Spin 3: Compared to last year, he has less support in 2012. He simply put the Heat on his back.

Dwyane Wade shot nearly 55% from the field last year in the NBA Finals.  In this year's Finals, he shot just 43% from the field. His scoring average is down by nearly four PPG. Wade had three games in the NBA Finals last season where he scored more than 25 points; he had none during these NBA Finals. Chris Bosh's decrease in PPG has gone down by nearly 22%. Bosh was a lot more efficient in the NBA Finals last year as well. He had three games in which he shot over 50% from the field; in these NBA finals, he had one.

James Is Clearly Batman (But in 2011 he had better Robins)

                     Wade                       Bosh

             2011      2012        2011      2012 

PPG       26.5      22.6         18.5       14.6

APG         5.2        5.8            1.0         0.2

FG%      54.6      43.5         41.3       45.2

LeBron James has been playing at a completely different level in this post-season starting with Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics.  He has become like Kobe and MJ - an Assassin-like Closer with a Refuse-To-Lose mentality.  It's something all the transcendent ones have and it's why The King is FINALLY an NBA Champion.

Who Would You Rather Have Wade Or Westbrook?

By David Shepard, OTSL Special Contributor

There will certainly be a lot of conversation about LeBron or Durant as the best player in the NBA over the next two weeks. The other matchup to watch will be Dwyane Wade versus Russell Westbrook. Both are widely considered the second best players on their team. Barring injury, Westbrook is on track to be in the Hall of Fame while Wade has all but locked up his status in Springfield. It begs the question, which second banana would you rather have on your team in the NBA Finals?

Side note: We know that Durant will be guarding LeBron. With Harden playing the point guard at times, Westbrook will shift to the two, having to guard Dwyane Wade. 

Spin 1: Westbrook has outplayed Wade in these playoffs

Despite being just 23 years old, Westbrook has outplayed Wade in the 2012 NBA playoffs. Keep in mind he had to do it against better overall competition. The Thunder had to go through the defending champions in Dallas as well as the Lakers, who have won 2 of the last 3 NBA championships. These match ups were in the first two rounds. Their real challenge came against the Spurs, who had won 20 games in a row.

Dwyane Wade and the Heat played the 7th seeded Knicks and then the Indiana Pacers in the first two rounds of the playoffs. Since 2005, the Knicks and Pacers coming into these playoffs, had a combined ZERO postseason series wins. The first two round's opponents for the Thunder had a combined 20 postseason series wins since 2005. Despite the tougher competition, Westbrook had more assists and rebounds per game. He has also been a lot more efficient from the free throw line.

Youth Over Experience

2012 Postseason

           Westbrook    Wade

PPG      21.7            22.9  

APG        5.6               4.1

RPG        5.1              5.0

FT%      79.2            71.4

Spin 2: Westbrook had more success than Wade at age 23

Let's compare both players at the age of 23. Westbrook has won more playoff series than Wade did at the age of 23. He has also made more All-Star appearances and All-NBA second teams. To Westbrook's credit he has also won a gold medal in the World Championship games. That is something Wade could not claim at the age of 23. 

Westbrook Has The Edge

At 23 Years Old

                                          Westbrook    Wade

All-NBA Second Teams         2               1

All-Star Appearances             2               1

Playoff Series Wins                4               3

Spin 3: Westbrook outplayed Wade when teams faced off this season

Keep in mind Dwyane Wade is in his prime. Despite being just 23 years old, Westbrook has outplayed Dwayne Wade in the two games the Heat and Thunder have played against each other this season. Westbrook also went 13 for 13 from the charity stripe against the Heat this season. 

Number Don't Lie

Thunder vs. Heat  - Regular Season

           Westbrook    Wade

PPG       20.5           20.5

APG        4.0             3.0

RPG        3.5             3.5

SPG        3.0             3.0

This is going to be a great match-up to keep an eye during the Finals.  The up-and-coming Westbrook against the established veteran star Wade.  Whichever Second Banana has the better series could very well determine whether it's LeBron or Durant who gets to raise the Championship trophy.

Kevin Garnett Or Tim Duncan - Who truly is the greatest power forward ever?

By David Shepard, OTSL Special Contributor

There has been a consensus that Tim Duncan is the greatest power forward in the history of basketball. However, after watching the rejuvenation of Kevin Garnett in his 17th season, I have to reconsider this premise.....One can argue that Garnett with his recent performances may move Duncan aside from the title of greatest power forward of all time, here are the facts.

Spin 1: Garnett has been much better in the conference finals in 2012

Duncan is averaging six less points per game in the Thunder series compared to the previous series against the Clippers. He also picked the conference finals to shoot his worse field goal percentage in the playoffs. He has not had a single 20-point, 10-rebound game in the conference finals. 

Garnett on the other hand has had three games in the conference finals where he has gone for at least 20 points and 10 rebounds. In one game Duncan finished witha total of two rebounds. Garnett's low in the conference finals is 8. The other big thing to keep in mind. Garnett's team is on the verge of going to the NBA finals,  while Duncan's Spurs are on the brink of elimination. 

Garnett Is Superior

2012 Conference Finals

              Garnett          Duncan

PPG          21.6              15.4

RPG          10.8               9.0

FG pct       48.9              42.6

Spin 2: Duncan has always had a lot more help

Keep in mind that for Tim Duncan's first 6 years in the league he played a long side first ballot of famer David Robinson. In the last 10 seasons he has played with Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker. They have a combined six all-star appearances. In Garnett's 12 years in Minnesota he never played with a single player that had multiple all-star appearances while playing with Garnett. 

In all fairness to Duncan, Garnett has had the luxury of playing with future hall of famers Ray Allen and Paul Pierce for the last five seasons. He has only been healthy/active for four of those campaigns. He is on the verge of making it three finals appearances in the last 4 healthy seasons for him. Duncan has been healthy/active for 14 seasons, and has always had the benefit of playing with players who had multiple all-star appearances. He has made four finals appearances in 14 seasons to a potential three in four years for Garnett. Again if you look at some career numbers with less help, Garnett's seem to be favorable.  

Despite Less Help

Garnett vs Duncan

                                             Garnett       Duncan 

All-Star Appearances                  14             13

NBA Defensive First Teams          9              8

Rebounding Titles                         4              0

Spin 3: Garnett hasn't just been better in the conference finals, but in the playoffs as a whole in 2012

Garnett has nine games in which he has gone for 20 points and 10 rebounds in the playoffs thus far. Tim Duncan has just one. Garnett has not shot lower than 48.9% from the field in any series. Duncan has shot under 47.0% in two different playoff series. 

In being a power forward, rebounding is such a key component. Duncan has finished with double figures in rebounds on 7 different occasions. Garnett has doubled that number so far with 14.

Playoffs Belong To Garnett

2012 Postseason

              Garnett       Duncan

PPG         19.9             16.8

RPG         10.8               9.0

FG pct      50.0              49.7

Spin 4: Career Wise Garnett stacks up with Duncan despite coming straight from high school

Keep in mind that Duncan had the advantage of playing four years at college, Kevin Garnett entered the NBA straight out of high school. As a result it took Garnett longer to get acclimated to the NBA. Having said that, both players numbers are pretty similar when you look at their overall career numbers. While Duncan has scored and rebounded with a little more efficiency, Garnett has truly separated himself as a distributor of the basketball. 

Mirror Images

NBA Careers

              Garnett     Duncan

PPG         19.3          20.3

RPG         10.6          11.3

APG           4.0           3.1

While this is the year that the San Antonio Spurs finally became Tony Parker's team and the Boston Celtics are well on their way to becoming Rajon Rondo's team, the linchpins of both teams are still their respective big men.  And with both closer to the end of their Hall of Fame careers than the beginning, we should enjoy both Duncan and Garnett while we still can.

NBA Playoffs: Who Is Best Point Guard Remaining?

by David Shepard, OTSL Special Contributor 

With the NBA playoffs at full height the best point guard still playing has been Tony Parker. Russell Westbrook and Rajon Rondo do get a majority of the headlines, but Parker has outplayed both Rondo and Westbrook in these playoffs thus far. This is certainly a golden age for point guards in the NBA, but it is the polite and underrated Tony Parker that may be the best point guard remaining in these playoffs, and here is why....

Spin 1: He is outplaying Westbrook and and Rondo in the 2012 Postseason.

Despite the fact that Tony Parker has been in the league for 11 years he is still getting the job done. Rondo and Westbrook combined don't have that many seasons under their belt by the way. First off, Rondo and Westbrook have a combined 9 losses in the 2012 postseason, Parker has none. Parker has shot at least 50% from the field in two different playoff series, Rondo and Westbrook have not done this in a single series thus far. 

Parker is a better all around scorer and distributor of the basketball than both Westbrook and Rondo. Parker has gone for 10 assists at least twice, while Westbrook has no games in which he has hit that mark. Rondo's postseason high has been 23 points, Parker has scored at least 23 points on four different occasions. He has managed to do this while playing less games than both Rondo and Westbrook. 

Parker Best Point Guard This Postseason?

                       2012 Playoffs

             Parker    Rondo   Westbrook 

PPG         20.5      15.3         23.7

APG          7.1       11.9         4.8

FG pct      47.1      44.9        45.2  

Spin 2: Tony Parker is a flat out winner

Parker has a combined three NBA championships including a finals MVP under his belt. Rondo does have a championship, but zero finals MVP's. Parker has 20 postseason series wins, that is more than Rondo and Westbrook combined. Rondo has had the luxury of playing with three sure-fire first ballot hall of famers (Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen) for the past five seasons. He has 11 postseason victories over those past five years. Tony Parker played with only one sure-fire first ballot hall of famer during his first full five seasons (Tim Duncan). He also won 11 postseason victories over that same time frame. 

Mr. Parker Shines In Playoffs

Notable Point Guards Postseason Careers

                       Parker      Rondo      Westbrook  

Titles                    3              1                 0

Finals MVP's        1              0                 0

Series Wins        20            11                 4

Spin 3: Parker has more than just the experience, he has the numbers too

Parker has more career playoff points than both Rondo and Westbrook combined. He has also played in 148 postseason games and counting. That is 28 more postseason games than both Westbrook and Rondo combined. To Parker's credit he has never missed a single postseason since he has been in the league. Rondo and Westbrook can't make that same claim.

Experience Counts For Something

Notable Point Guards Postseason Careers

                           Parker    Westbrook  Rondo

Points                   2,796       789          1,206

Assists                    753       197             773

Games played        148         34               86       

No matter how you slice it, Tony Parker is head and shoulders above the remaining point guards in the NBA Playoffs.

Editor’s note: Dave filed this story prior to Rajon Rondo’s spectacular 44 point, 8 rebound, 10 assist performance in the Celtics game 2 overtime loss to the Heat. Though I doubt even that would change his mind on Parker.

Reply to: 

Could This Be The Greatest Spurs Team Ever?

Could This Be The Greatest Spurs Team Ever?

By David Shepard, OTSL Special Contributor

Is this the greatest San Antonio Spurs team ever?  If they were to win a championship this season, they would be just the fourth NBA franchise to win the title five times.  When you examine the points per game differential, the 36-year old Tim Duncan's resurgence and their overall depth/balance, one could very well make an argument that this could be the greatest Spurs team ever assembled.

Spin 1: They are winning and scoring more than they ever have

In all their runs for a title the Spurs have never gone 8-0 in their first 8 games. They have done that in this postseason.  They have also through their first 8 games not allowed an opponent to score 100 points.  They had not accomploshed that in their first 8 games in any of their championship runs either.

The Spurs are also averaging 102.5 points per game, that is more than any other year through their first 8 games in which they won the title.  Their points per game disparity is +13.7 through their first 8 games.  That is by far the greatest point per game differential they have had compared to any of their previous 4 NBA championships runs.

Championship Runs, First 8 Games
                ‘11-12*       ‘06-07     ‘04-05    ’02-03    ‘99#   
W-L            8-0             6-2           6-2         6-2        7-1
PPG         102.5           93.0       100.5       93.0     91.8 
Opp PPG   88.8           86.0         89.4       86.0     84.6
*Haven't Won Championship
#Shortened lockout season

Spin 2: Tim Duncan Has Found the Fountain Of Youth

Given Duncan's caliber of play this postseason he has found the fountain of youth.  Duncan's postseason high last season was 16 points.  Duncan has played in 8 postseason contests so far, in six games he has scored more than 16 points.  Last playoffs Duncan failed to convert on 50 percent of his field goal attempts in 4 out of 6 games.  In 8 games during these playoffs, he has converted on at least 50 percent of his field goal attempts six different times.  That is quite the contrast from last season.

A Different Tim Duncan Last Two Postseasons
                2011-12      2010-11
PPG           17.6            12.7
FG pct        54.0            47.8
FT pct        79.2             62.5
 

Spin 3: The Spurs have more depth and balance than ever before
 
The Spurs, in any of their title runs, have never had 4 players shoot at least 50 percent from the field through their first 8 playoff games.  In this postseason they have 5 players doing just that.

During their current postseason run they have six players that are averaging at least 8 points per game.  They are so deep, that it includes two players off the bench.  That is higher than any of their other 4 NBA championships through their first 8 games.

Spurs Championship Runs (Players With At Least 100 Minutes Played)
                                    ‘11-12*    ‘06-07         ‘04-05         ‘02-03        1999#
Averaging 8 PPG            6            4                  5                 5               5    
Shooting  50 pct              5            3                  2                 2               1
*Haven't Won Title Yet
#Shortened Lockout Season

When you add it all up a serious case could be made for this being the best Spurs team of all time.  At worst, this could be the first Spurs team to win a championship in a even numbered year!

Kobe or Kevin?

Who Is The Best Player In The Lakers-Thunder Series

by Dave Shepard, OTSL Special Contributor

A lot of the attention is going to the Metta World Peace and James Harden Rivalry. What might be going under the radar is the fact that two of the most prolific scorers in the NBA are also facing off. It truly begs the question, right now who would you take as the best player in this series, Kobe or KD?

Spin 1: Kobe Has Played Better This Postseason

Kobe despite playing in the league for 11 more seasons than Durant is averaging more points per game and dishing the rock with greater efficiency in the playoffs. Kobe has done this despite playing in a grueling seven game series, Durant has only played four games thus far. Kobe has scored 30 points at least four times in these playoffs. Durant has only had one 30-point game in the 2012 postseason.

Kobe is Still The Superior Player
           2012 NBA Playoffs
              Bryant     Durant
PPG          29.1        26.5
APG           5.0         3.8
RPG           4.6         7.5

Spin 2: Durant has more support than Kobe

Both Westbrook and Harden are averaging more points per contest than both Bynum and Gasol. Harden and Westbrook are largely considered to be the other 2/3 of the Big Three for the Thunder, comparable to Bynum and Gasol for the Lakers Big 3. Both Bynum and Gasol combined are averaging less than 30 points per game so far in these playoffs. Meanwhile, the other part of the big three for the Thunder in Westbrook and Harden are averaging more than a combined 40 points per contest in the playoffs.

Niether Harden nor Westbrook had a game in which they scored less than double figures. Bynum and Gasol have had two so far between them during these playoffs. The Thunder played against the reigning NBA champions. The Lakers bigs were going against an undersized Nuggets team, a squad that had 0 All-Stars. As a result of that Durant has more fire power than the Lakers.

Kobe And Durant Support System
                                                        2012 NBA Playoffs
                                           Gasol + Bynum       Westbrook + Harden
PPG                                                     29.6                               40.6
Single Digit Scoring Games             2                                   0


Spin 3: Wins In the Playoffs Never Lie and Experience Always Comes Into Play

Kobe Bryant also happens to be third all-time in playoff career points. He has scored 5,484 points in his postseason career. He is 504 points away from passing Michael Jordan for the most all-time. Bryant has led the NBA playoffs in most points scored in a single postseason on five different occasions. Kevin Durant has never accomplished this feat once, despite being a three-time scoring champ during the regular season. Kobe has clearly had the advantage in team success as well.

Kobe Is The Master
                       Playoff Careers
                       Bryant     Durant
Points               5,484       743
Series Wins         33          3
Titles                     5             0

No matter who your pick is, this series is going to be must see TV.  It'll be NBA Playoff basketball at its best!

Could Vinny Del Negro, After All The Turmoil, Be Coach Of The Year?

By Dave Shepard, OTSL Special Contributor

There were many questions regarding the future of Vinny DelNegro with the Clippers franchise this season. Those reports peaked as little as three weeks ago. Since then, the Clippers are 11-2.

The Clippers have a chance to finish with one of the five best records in the NBA when the season finishes on April 26^th. Instead of this coach losing the locker room, I will argue that he should be in strong contention for Coach of the Year.

If the Clippers finish out the season at this pace, Del Negro will have been responsible for the WINNINGEST REGULAR SEASON IN CLIPPERS FRANCHISE HISTORY. The Clippers have been around for 42 years and have had a Hall of Fame coach in Jack Ramsey, but have never had a team finish over .600.

Clippers Best Coaching Records - Single Season

Coach	Win%	Season
Vinny Del Negro	.617*	2011-12
Jack Ramsay	.598	1974-75
Mike Dunleavy	.573	2005-06
Jack Ramsay	.561	1975-76

*6 Games Remaining

Mike Dunleavy won Coach of the Year in 1998-99 and reached the 1991 NBA finals in his first year as a head coach. Alvin Gentry is 125-99 in the past 3 seasons. He is doing this with a 38 year-old point guard at the helm. Bill Fitch is a multiple winner of the NBA coach of the year award. He possess 944 wins as a head coach in the association.

The three previous Clippers coaches who have coached at least full season before Del Negro have proven themselves to be quality NBA coaches to say the least. However, it is Del Negro who by far puts up the best win percentage compared to these three coaches during his Clippers tenure and this just this season alone.

Four Most Recent Clippers Coaches (with at least one full season)

Coach	W-L Record	Win%	Season
Vinny Del Negro	69-73	.486	2010-Present
Alvin Gentry	89-136	.400	2000-03
Mike Dunleavy	215-326	.397	2003-10
Bill Fitch	99-229	.302	1994-98

This is just Del Negro's fourth season as a head coach, yet he is having the best season of his career. He is on pace to win 41 games in 2011-12. If he does that he will match his career high. Keep in mind he has only had the opportunity to coach 66 games due to the NBA lockout, in all other years he coached a full 82 game schedule.

They are tied in the loss column with the Lakers in the Pacific division. They have done this without Chauncey Billups who played just 20 games before an achilles injury caused him to miss the rest of the season. He was the Clippers third leading scorer and was second on the team in assists.

Not A Mini Vinny Anymore - Del Negro's Coaching Career

Season	W-L Record	Win%
2008-09	41-41	.500
2009-10	41-41	.500
2010-11	32-50	.390
2011-12	37-23	.617

Chris Paul has had one season in which his team has finished with a higher winning percentage than .617. That was the 2007-08 season with New Orleans, the year that he came in second in the MVP voting. That was also the year his coach, Byron Scott won the NBA Coach Of The Year Award.

Keep in mind that Del Negro lost a finals MVP and a five-time All-Star in Chauncey Billups this season. He was limited to just 20 games this season due to a season-ending achilles injury. Chris Paul played in 80 games in the 2007-08 season, his career-high. In a condensed 66-game season he has missed five games already.

That Hornets team also had a guy by the name of Tyson Chandler who has not made an All-Star team. He did however lead the league that season in offensive rebounds. He also finished second in field goal percentage.

Vinny Coach Of the Year? Greatest SeasonsFeaturing Chris Paul

Team	Hornets	Clippers
Coach	Byron Scott*	Vinny Del Negro
Win%	.683	.617
Combined All-Stars minus Paul	5**	6**
Games missed by Paul	2	5
Games missed by #3 Scorer	5***	40+

* Won Coach of the Year

** Players who played at least half the season

*** Peja Stojakovic averaged 16.4 PPG

Put it all together and it makes a great case for Vinny Del Negro to be the 2011-2012 NBA Coach of the Year.