X-Factors To Swing First Round Series Tied at One

The NBA Playoffs have lived up to thus far, with --- games going into overtime through two games of each series. Plenty of the series have gone back-and-forth with the teams splitting the first two games of the series. They are now facing a five-game series, with home court flipped to the lowered seeded team. With the series hanging in the balance, it is time for some players, and even coaches in some instances, to step up their game and start producing at the level they are capable of. Here are a list of x-factors in the series all knotted up at one that could swing the series in either direction.

Roy Hibbert, Center, Indiana Pacers – Arguably the biggest surprise of the NBA playoffs thus is the fact this series is tied at one. The No.1 seeded Pacers were embarrassed by the Hawks in Game 1, as Jeff Teague went off and the Pacers looked lost. The first half of Game 2 looked much of the same, but the Pacers were able to right the ship in the second half, destroying the Hawks 53-33.

Matt Detrich-The Star

Taking a look at the box score will show that the Pacers were able to sustain some success by having their bigs play less; namely Hibbert. Against the Hawks, who play a spread out style of offense in which everyone on the court can shoot three pointers, Hibbert is a liability, and he has shown that throughout the first two games. Hibbert has been horrendous, shooting 5-16, scoring 14 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in the two games.

It has gotten to the point now that the Pacers may be better off just not playing Hibbert. He is offering nothing positive on the court, as the Pacers desperate tries to get him going are actually doing more harm than help. They are making an already poor offense even less potent by force feeding a player that is not producing.

You can easily place head coach Frank Vogel in this spot as well instead of Hibbert. In the end, it is Vogel’s decision as to who will play and who will sit. Through two games, it is apparent that Hibbert is not helping, and other options off the bench, such as Luis Scola, would be better suited to face the Hawks.

It is a tight rope which Vogel must do his work from, as he risks alienating and sapping the confidence of a player already lacking it by benching him in the first round of the playoffs. But if Hibbert continues playing the way he has, the Pacers very well may not make it past the first round.

Russell Westbrook, Point Guard, Oklahoma City Thunder – The Thunder drew quite possibly the toughest first round matchup, as the rough-and-tough style of the Memphis Grizzlies is not an easy style to play against, especially in a series. They handled the Grizzlies relatively easy in Game 1, but Game 2 the Grizzlies showed resiliency, pounding the paint with Zach Randolph and taking home the victory. With the series shifting to Memphis, the series hangs in the balance and one man, Westbrook, has the power to swing the series for either team.

ESPN.go.com

Westbrook is undoubtedly a talented player, but he sometimes gets caught up in his own game, even though he has arguably the best scorer in the NBA and potential MVP Kevin Durant next to him. Too often Westbrook jacks up mid-range jumpers, not even getting into an offense or having Durant touch the ball. It incenses Thunder fans when he does this, especially when the results aren’t extremely positive, such as Game 2.

To be fair, Tony Allen has made life very difficult for Durant offensively, denying him the ball on multiple occasions. The ball denial Allen has shown sometimes forces Westbrook’s hand, but too often Westbrook settles for that jump shot.

With that mentality, Westbrook is playing right into the Grizzlies’ hands. Per Sports 56 WHBQ and The Oklahoman, Courtney Lee pretty much said so himself. "We're fine with Westbrook taking shots, I mean, that's kinda what you want - the more shots he takes, the less Durant takes."

They know what Durant is capable of, but Westbrook is more of a wild card. He can shoot the Thunder right out a game, and potentially the series, quicker than he can shoot them into it against a team that plays defense as well as the Grizzlies do.

Blake Griffin, Power Forward, Los Angeles Clippers – Just take a look at the box scores from the first two games of this series, and it is evident that Griffin is a no-brainer choice as the x-factor for this series.

Danny Moloshok/AP Photo

In Game 1, Griffin played only 19 minutes before fouling out, and the Clippers were defeated by the Golden State Warriors. In Game 2, Griffin did not commit a foul in 30 minutes, scoring a playoff career-high 35 points to lead a 138-98 blowout victory.

With the Warriors front line diminished because of injury, Griffin should be able to have his way offensively. Neither David Lee nor Draymond Green present much of a challenge in slowing down the explosive Griffin, who has expanded his offensive game this season. Jermaine O’Neal could give Griffin problems in spurts, but at his age he cannot compete with Griffin for an extended period of time.

The only thing that can slow Griffin down against what the Warriors are capable of throwing at him is himself. In Game 1 he did not use his head, committing six fouls and not being able to help his team. In Game 2 he adapted much better to how the referees were calling the game, committing zero fouls. If Griffin is able to continue with the smart and explosive play he had in Game 2, the Clippers should be able to make easy work of the Warriors. But playing in Oracle Arena presents new challenges for Griffin and the Clippers. For their sake, hopefully he is ready for what will be a raucous crowd.

Terrence Ross, Shooting Guard, Toronto Raptors – The Raptors dropped the first game of this series, as Paul Pierce took over in the fourth quarter and willed the Brooklyn Nets to a victory. In Game 2, DeMar DeRozan looked like Kobe Bryant, scoring 17 in the fourth quarter to get the Raptors a victory and split the first two games.

Ron Turenne/NBAE/Getty Images

If the Raptors are to take any games in Brooklyn, they will need another player to step up, and that player is Ross. Through two games, he has given little production, shooting 2-12 and scoring only five points. He is 1-9 from the three point line, enabling the Nets to just pack it in and dare the Raptors and Ross to shoot it from deep.

Ross epitomizes what this series truly is; youngsters with little experience vs. veterans with tons of playoff experience. Ross, like any young player making his first playoff experience, will struggle a little and will need to get adjusted to the new atmosphere. In Game 1, the whole Raptors team looked a little shell-shocked, 39.4 percent from the field while playoff savvy Net players such as Deron Williams, Joe Johnson and Pierce excelled.

In Game 2, the roles were reversed a bit, as DeRozan put together a monster game, getting help from one of the few Raptors with playoff experience in Amir Johnson. The Nets, on the other hand, were let down by the same veterans that carried them in Game 1.

This series will ultimately come down to the Raptors youngsters growing up fast, or the Nets veterans finally running out of gas. Right now, it looks like a toss up, as they have split the regular season and playoff series in half thus far. Ross and the younger Raptors stepping up would push them past the Nets.

Jose Calderon, Point Guard, Dallas Mavericks – Calderon was a non-factor in Game 1, as Devin Harris came up big off the bench, but the Mavericks lost as they allowed the Spurs to go on a 18-3 run to end the game. In Game 2, Calderon played more minutes, and Mavericks picked up a victory, with Harris once again putting up good numbers.

Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

With Harris performing the way that he has been, it enables Calderon to go full facilitator mode. The Mavericks can rotate Harris as the backup point guard, but also give Monta Ellis some rest and be the scoring guard next to Calderon.

With Calderon on the court, things are also more opened up for Dirk Nowitzki. Calderon is a master in the pick-and-roll, as he has a devastating outside jump shot and is automatic from 18-feet. The threat he is from the perimeter to knock down jumpers forces opposing defenses to watch him, allowing Nowitzki to go to work.

Calderon has his deficiencies, namely the defensive end of the court, which is why he lands on this list. Having to defend another point guard in Tony Parker who excels in the pick-and-roll himself presents problems for Calderon and the Mavericks defensively. Calderon is essentially a swinging gate on defense, as he offers very little resistance. This puts immense pressure on the Mavericks bigs, which outside of Samuel Dalembert are not exactly defensive anchors either.

So for this series to swing either way, it will come down to how the Mavericks manage Calderon. The offense runs much smoother with him on the court, but the defense suffers. It is hard to imagine Harris continuing to play that well for three more victories in the series, as he didn’t put together production like this consecutively all season. The Mavericks are arguably the best eight seed to take on a top-seeded team, but at the same time there is a reason that they are an eight seed and the dilemma they face with their point guard position is a driving factor why.

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Knicks Fall in Deep Hole, Drop Home-and-Home to Raptors

Saturday, December 28^th, 2013

New York Knicks vs. Toronto Raptors

Post Game Recap

The Knicks once again dug themselves a deep hole they were unable to climb out of, losing in Toronto to the Raptors 115-100. The Knicks were down by more than 20 points in the second half but were able to cut it to six in the later stages of the fourth quarter. They were unable to get all the way back after a flagrant-1 was called on Tour’e Murry. Kyle Lowry knocked down both free throws and then hit a three-pointer to put the game away for the Raptors. It was too little too late for the Knicks as it once again took them getting down by a large margin before they were able to get up and compete. With the loss the Knicks drop the home-and-home with the Raptors and fall five games behind in the Atlantic Division. The Knicks will have a long time off to stew on this loss as the Knicks do not play until Thursday night in San Antonio against the Spurs as the Knicks embark on the Texas Threesome road trip.

Player of the Game: Amar’e Stoudemire

Without Carmelo Anthony playing the Knicks needed someone to step up offensively and Stoudemire answered the bell. Stoudemire gave the Knicks some good minutes off the bench, getting 30 of them on the second half of the back-to-back. STAT shot 9-12 from the field (5-6 FT) for 23 points. Stoudemire battled in the paint as well, grabbing nine rebounds and blocking two shots. With consistent minutes Stoudemire has looked good because he is back in rhythm. When he sits certain games it throws him out of sync. At this point with the Knicks shorthanded they might as well run Stoudemire out there as much as he can says he can handle and hope he continues giving efforts like he did tonight.

-Positives

Tour’e Murry had the one miscue late in the fourth quarter but he was a big reason the Knicks were even within striking distance. Murry had his best game as a pro in his 14^th career game. He shot 5-11 from the field and scored 11 points. He also handed out six assists and garnered three steals. He gave the Knicks some energy and effort that does not always come from some players, finishing the game with the highest +/- ratio on the team with +4. He earned himself some extra run in the coming games as a guy that will jumpstart the Knicks when he is on the court alongside fellow rookie Tim Hardaway Jr.

Tom Szczerbowski/USA TODAY Sports

Without Anthony the Knicks obviously struggle a little more to score but tonight they did well putting the ball in the basket. Other players stepped up some as Stoudemire led the way with 23 and five other Knicks scored in double-figures as well; Tyson Chandler scored a season-high 16, JR Smith scored 13, Andrea Bargnani and Hardaway Jr. scored 12 each and Murry added his 11. Overall the Knicks shot 39-80 from the field, 7-21 from three point land and 15-20 from the foul line.

Iman Shumpert has played poorly in recent games but tonight he gave one of the stat stuffing games Knicks fans had been accustomed to seeing. He went only 2-5 from the field but he added a team high eight rebounds and two assists. He also added a steal and block and was only one of three players to finish the game with a positive +/- ratio in a Knicks uniform along with Stoudemire and Murry.

Mike Woodson is a favorite of mine in the negatives section but tonight he found some players who will give him energy on the court in Kenyon Martin, Murry, Stoudemire and Hardaway Jr. He still gave JR Smith a little more freedom than you would like but he did stick to the players who were giving the Knicks a chance tonight and it was a refreshing thing to see from a team that has lacked passion seemingly all season.

-Negatives

It is like beating a dead horse but as long as it keeps happening it will continue ending up in this section. The Knicks perimeter defense is horrendous and there are no signs of it ever getting stronger. Tonight Kyle Lowry stepped up the aggressiveness offensively. He iced the game with the five-point swing mentioned in the lead but was torching the Knicks before then as well. Tonight Lowry shot 10-17 from the field (4-7 3pt, 8-10 FT) for a game high 32 points. He also added 11 assists, just showing off at that point what could have been for the Knicks had James Dolan not stepped in and vetoed the trade.

AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Chris Young

Lowry was not the only perimeter player to hurt the Knicks tonight as he had help from his fellow starting perimeter players. DeMar DeRozan did not score as efficiently as last night but he did end the night with 20 points again. Who really hurt the Knicks was Terrence Ross, who found his spot in the corner and knocked down three pointer after three pointer. On the night Ross knocked down 7-11 from deep en route to 23 points. He added four rebounds, one assist and two steals as well. For the night the Raptors, who average only seven three point makes per game, knocked down 15-32 three point attempts.

The Knicks were out rebounded once again and there was no bigger omission from the Knicks rebounding stats than Chandler. Chandler managed to grab only two defensive rebounds in the game, a sign of how much a mess the Knicks defense really is. Having to help out defenders as often as he does and the annoyance of the Knicks to switch every pick Chandler is out of position to rebound and closer to the three-point line than the basket. This enables the other teams bigs to grab easy offensive rebounds as the Raptors did tonight, grabbing 13 for the night. Bargnani only grabbed four as the Knicks “big lineup” plays smaller than their small lineup.

Bargnani was seen holding an ice pack late in the game but once again he was a no-show down the stretch. Bargnani shows aggressiveness and asserts himself early in the game but as the game goes on he starts being seen less and less. The Knicks need him to stay aggressive, especially with Anthony sidelined. With Bargnani not being aggressive players further and further down the pecking order are expected to score, which makes for the Knicks struggling more than they should be. Bargnani wasn’t the only starter to essentially get benched in crunch time as Beno Udrih was all of his minutes in the fourth quarter to Murry.

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Knicks Fall to Raptors as Offense Falters Late

By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

Friday, December 27^th, 2013-12-28

Toronto Raptors vs. New York Knicks

Post Game Recap

The Knicks have no one to blame but themselves after losing to the Atlantic Division-leading Toronto Raptors tonight at Madison Square Garden 95-83. The Knicks let a 12-point third quarter lead slip through their hands as the offense crumbled without Carmelo Anthony leading the way. James Dolan told the players and coaching staff that no moves were going to be made; a move that should have calmed some people with trade rumors swirling; all it did was make them as complacent as ever on the court. Mike Woodson said yesterday he still expects this team to repeat as Atlantic Division champs and did nothing to back him up. The struggles the Knicks went through in the fourth quarter is where they can point for the poor ending. With or without Anthony this was a game there for the taking and the Knicks could not take advantage, something that has become commonplace this season. The Knicks will look to bounce back tomorrow night against this same Raptors team in Toronto. They will have to do it without Anthony again, who is not making the trip to Toronto with the team.

Player of the Game – Beno Udrih

Frank Franklin II/AP Photo

With the Knicks so short-handed in the backcourt Udrih was forced to play big minutes and he responded in a positive way again. Udrih was not happy that Woodson picked him out for poor performance. After calling out Woodson for his comments made after the Christmas Day debacle against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Udrih came out and played a good game tonight. Udrih was a scoring threat, stepping up without leading scorer Anthony on the court by pouring in 15 points. He also added 10 assists, giving him his first double-double as a Knick and highest assist total of the season. He was also aggressive and a pest on the defensive end, tallying four steals. Udrih has run this team to the best of his ability and the lack of offensive fire power cannot and should not be placed on his shoulders.

-Positives

The Knicks, for all their short comings on the offensive end, were able to get it going from beyond the three-point line. The Knicks knocked down 10-19 from long range, good for 52.6 percent. Tim Hardaway Jr. led the way for the Knicks, knocking down 4-5 and ending the game with 15 points. JR Smith added 3 of his own and Andrea Bargnani added two as well.

Speaking of Bargnani, he looked engaged and aggressive early on, seeming to be motivated by playing against his old team. He finished with 18 points and a season-high 12 rebounds. He also added two blocks to his stat line for the night. Bargnani did not play as well as he could have though given the opportunity he had with Anthony sidelined.

For at least one half the Knicks were able to keep the Raptors under control on the offensive end. The Knicks held the Raptors to only 40 points in the first half as they went into halftime with a nine point lead.

For what seems like the first time all season the Knicks were able to hold opposing point guards to less than outstanding games. Trade target Kyle Lowry did not score much, totaling only 10 points for the game but he did hand out 11 assists. His backup fared even worse, shooting 1-7 and scoring only four points while compiling four assists.

-Negatives

Tyson Chandler, in his fourth game back from injury, was dominated by Jonas Valanciunas. Valanciunas has been having a coming out party since Rudy Gay was traded to the Sacramento Kings and the Knicks did nothing to stop it. Valanciunas finished the game with 16 points and a career high 18 rebounds as he dominated the paint throughout the night. Valanciunas very active front court mates, Amir Johnson and Tyler Hansbrough, gave the Knicks some problems as well as the two combined for 12 rebounds and the constant movement and activity the Knicks do not get night in and night out from their bigs.

Frank Franklin II/AP Photo

The perimeter defense for the Knicks was improved but once again not well enough. While the point guards did not fare as well, the other wing players did just fine. DeMar DeRozan led the way with a game-high 25 points on 7-13 shooting. He was a frequent visitor to the foul line, taking 14 free throws and making nine. Terrence Ross made the Knicks pay from the perimeter as well, knocking down 3-6 from deep and finishing with 11 points. Reserve wing John Salmons hit the go ahead three-pointer with 8:07 remaining to give the Raptors the lead for good. Salmons finished the night 3-7 from three point land and 11 points as well.

Whatever Iman Shumpert is doing he needs to change because it is not working for him. The starting shooting guard is in a rut like no other as he played only 12 minutes tonight because of a combination of foul trouble and unproductive minutes. Shumpert virtually goose-egged the box score, grabbing only one rebound and getting one steal. Shumpert will continue losing minutes to Hardaway Jr. (possibly not a bad thing) and Smith (probably not a good thing) if he continues to play so poorly. It is disappointing that Shumpert is not taking advantage of all of the chances presented to him as the Knicks could really use a boost from the third year shooting guard. Being the player brought up most frequently in trade rumors, being told he would not be traded was thought of as something to calm Shumpert down. Instead he looks as if he has checked out and is ready to move on from the Knicks.

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