Archives For Southeast Division

SCH Division Preview Hub

Jefferson —  October 26, 2010 — 1 Comment

New Season - New Logo

The Salt City Hoops staff has been hard at work previewing each of the contenders in the NBA.  Sure the season starts today, but come playoff time, only 16 teams will get to play in the second season – and have a shot at the Larry O’Brien trophy and a place in the hall of NBA champions.  Add the Utah Jazz to this list, and there are 19 teams fighting for 16 spots.  Who will be left on the outside looking in?

We’ve evaluated the key matchups, sounded the high notes and the low notes, revisited (sometimes painfully) the history between the franchises, scrutinized the players and coaches, and given you an outlook for the coming season.  Here, then, to kick of the 2009-2010 NBA season are links to each of those previews:

Atlantic Division: Boston Celtics |  NY Knicks

Central Division: Chicago Bulls |  Milwaukee Bucks |  Indiana Pacers

Southeast Division: Atlanta Hawks |  Charlotte Bobcats |  Miami Heat | Orlando Magic

Northwest Division: OKC Thunder |  Denver Nuggets |  Portland Trailblazers

Pacific Division: LA Lakers |  LA Clippers |  Phoenix Suns

Southwest Division: Houston Rockets |  San Antonio Spurs |  Dallas Mavericks

Be sure to check back during the season to see how we did in our prognosticating!

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Division Previews: Orlando Magic, Southeast Division – Eastern Conference

Jeff Lind —  October 20, 2010 — 1 Comment

In the final days leading up to regular season action, SCH will be posting divisional previews of the top teams in all six NBA divisions. Come back early and often for updates.

Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE/Getty Images

Key Matchups

Dwight Howard v. Al Jefferson – On one hand you have Howard: a battle tested, 6’11″ 265 lbs, defensive beast. On the other you have Jefferson: A relatively untested, 6’10″ 280 lb, offensive low block power. These two are nearly a wash, size wise (although you can bet that Dwight will be chiseled and in game shape come opening tip), so it’ll be fantastic to see them battle on either end for big man domination. It’s no secret that Al was a little heavy when he weighed in at training camp, so here’s to the rigor of Jerry Sloan’s intense preseason workouts that will hopefully have him game-ready come Orlando time.

Vince Carter v. Raja Bell – Carter is one of the most amazing offensive players I have ever seen, and he’s (allegedly) looked good this preseason. He’s athletic, strong, has a silky smooth jump shot, and last season showed us that he still has all the moves… when he bothers to play. He’s 33 and has a propensity to disappear in important games, but he’s also playing for a contract this year and (whether they like it or not) stands as the Magic’s most potent go-to threat. Conversely, Raja Bell is the newly proclaimed stopper for the Jazz, and if he has the guts to clothesline Kobe, he won’t fear getting up in Carter’s business. How Carter reacts to Bell’s tenacious defense within the Jazz system will be the most interesting storyline in these games. Will Vince rise to the challenge and use his athleticism to play above Bell, or will he shrug off the necessary work and let one of his many wing back-ups pick up the slack?

High Notes | Low Notes

The Magic finished 1st in the Southeast division last year with the 4th best offensive rating in the NBA. They also had the 3rd best defensive rating in the league. Unfortunately, they also allowed the 4th most points by an opponent of all 30 teams, and got dispensed by the Celtics in the second round of the playoffs. Seeding from a great regular season doesn’t mean much if you can’t come up big when it counts.

History

Last season the Jazz played two games against Orlando and each squad won on their respective home courts.

On Dec. 10 in Salt Lake City, Deron Williams scored 34 points to lead the Jazz past Carter’s own 34 points, and Howard’s 18 points & 10 rebounds. With that win, the Jazz broke the Magic’s franchise-record eight-game road winning streak.

On Dec. 21, the Magic returned the favor in Orlando. Dwight Howard led the Magic to a win with 21 points and five blocks (um… yeah. FIVE). The Magic scored 64 points in the second half of that game on their way to a 104-99 victory over the Jazz.

In the random stat department: the last time an opponent had a 20/20 game versus the Jazz was on March 15, 2009. Guess who the player was? Yep. Dwight Howard (28 pts, 20 rebs).

Player/Coach Notes

Stan Van Gundy is one of the rare coaches that seems to successfully walk the fine line of player coach and disciplinarian. He calls out his players in the media, yet he always finds their forgiveness with spontaneous goofiness. He trusts his shooters, and constantly preaches defensive uniformity. He’s good, and in the past two years Van Gundy has helped the Magic finish 18 games over .500 (in each year). He’s one of my favorite coaches not named Sloan. He doesn’t lie down for garbage from players, he plays his fair share of mind games in the media, and he always seems to have a good time with it.

Jerry Sloan’s all time win/loss record against the Magic is 24/19. Since Jerry Sloan was named head coach by the Jazz in 1988, the Orlando Magic have had eight coaching changes.

Outlook

The Magic are a good  team hovering at the top of an increasingly crowded east. After getting axed last year by the Celtics, you would think that the Magic would try and reload with better weapons. Instead they settled for a Quentin Richardson downgrade (for Matt Barnes) and sending Howard to summer camp with Hakeem Olajuwon (who is hoping to return with some more refined low post moves). I like Orlando’s team and coach, and I’d love to see them compete hard for an Eastern Conference title. Unfortunately, without any additional movement or major player changes, I think we’ll see much of the same out of Orlando: a strong regular season with a mid-round exit in the Eastern Conference Playoffs.

[CAVEAT: If Vince plays up this contract year, Howard really does learn some subtle low post moves, if Rashard Lewis pulls it together on a consistent basis, and Van Gundy learns how to use Reddick effectively (who is a total stud), then these guys could be really, really scary. They just haven't shown that they can do it on the big stage yet, and the Celtics have. Give me something to believe in Orlando!]

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Division Previews: Miami Heat, Southeast Division – Eastern Conference

Mychal —  October 20, 2010 — 2 Comments

In the final days leading up to regular season action, SCH will be posting divisional previews of the top teams in all six NBA divisions. Come back early and often for updates.

Coming together like Voltron hasn't always ended well

Overview

What can be said about the Miami Heat that hasn’t been written in hyperbole? It’s like taking a frontpage ad in the New York Times telling people that Columbus arrived in America. It’s world changing news, but it’s 500 years too late.

If you haven’t heard by now and do not own a television, computer, radio, ipod, cell phone, landline phone, never been in a sports bar, don’t have at least one friend with half a brain, never watched half a second of ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPN U, ESPN Classic, ESPN Does Las Vegas, or just came out of your bomb shelter from 1963, this guy named LeBron, formerly of the Cleveland Cavaliers, who is kind of good at basketball took his talents to South Beach. Not only did he go to South Beach but he took his friend Chris Bosh, formerly of the Toronto Raptors, there, too, while Dwyane Wade re-signed with Miami. Add in Mike Miller, Udonis Haslem, and a handful of veterans past their prime that are chasing for a ring and you have a very happy Pat Riley.

This is the kind of “Wouldn’t It Be Awesome If This Could Really Happen” team that immature guys like myself make in NBA2K11. But then it really happened. Kudos to Pat Riley for pulling it off. I’m now convinced Pat Riley could sell high fructose corn syrup to a diabetic. I’m sure in another life Pat Riley was a used car salesman – and a damn good one, too.

Key Matchups

(Photo: Walter Iooss Jr./SI)

Dwyane Wade/LeBron James/Chris Bosh vs Deron Williams/Andrei Kirilenko/Al Jefferson

Call me delusional. Call me crazy. Call me a homer. But the Jazz can match up against Miami. Don’t believe me? Look at this:

Deron Williams 6’3″ 209 lbs. vs Dwyane Wade 6’4″ 220 lbs.

Let’s first focus on this strictly in a defensive point of view. Deron Williams has quietly put himself in the discussion as one of the best perimeter defenders at his position. We have seen him shut down Brandon Roy, Chris Paul, and other good perimeter players. He plays big for his position. He offensively can compete with Dwyane Wade on most nights. While he is not as explosive as a scorer he is a smart point guard who can get the Jazz’s offense humming like a well oiled machine of back doors and cuts. Dwyane Wade can take over a game offensively. We saw it in the Boston series in last season’s playoffs. But with Williams guarding him as well as Raja Bell don’t count on it happening.

Advantage: Neutral

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Al Jefferson 6’10″ 280 lbs. vs Chris Bosh 6’11″ 235 lbs.

Bosh is a top 5 PF in this league. He is long. He is quick. He has a silky smooth midrange game too. Unfortunately for Bosh he will be facing another top 5 PF when he faces up against Al Jefferson. If Al Jefferson wasn’t playing for the Toyota Timberwolves the last two seasons he would be in a discussion as a top 3 PF. Bosh is facing a guy who outweighs him by 45 pounds. If you don’t think that is a big weight disparity then go to your local gym, pick up a 45 pound weight, throw it at your friend, and then see how he fares. Jefferson may be outhustled a couple times in transition but Jefferson is going to love coming off a screen to an isolation that leaves just him and Bosh down low.

Advantage: Big Al

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Andrei Kirilenko 6’9″ 235 lbs. vs LeBron James 6’8″ 250 lbs.

This is the matchup that the Jazz will focus on all night. If Deron Williams and Al Jefferson are focused and on their game, LeBron can become their main concern. The key will be making LeBron feel like he has to do it by himself. Andrei Kirilenko has put more weight on this year and looks to be in better condition but LeBron is still LeBron. He’s the reigning MVP and can go into God-mode at any stage of the game. Kirilenko’s job will be pestering him, causing turnovers, and preventing LeBron from getting his teammates involved. Turn this game into LeBron vs. Utah. If he is able to get Dwayne Wade & Chris Bosh to work in complete harmony then they will have formed Voltron. Game Over.

Advantage: LeBron James

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Final Verdict

This daunting matchup is not as bad as it would seem. Yes, this is still 3 of the 5 starting U.S.A. dream team players vs Utah but don’t forget that D-Will was part of that Dream Team, Kirilenko led his Russian team to Euro gold, and Al Jefferson might be given a long look by the U.S. team after this season.

Which leads us to …

Jazz Bench vs Heat Bench

This is where this game will be won. If the Jazz starters can play sound defensively then it’ll be up to the starters to play assassins to the Heat’s aging bench. Allow me to list those on the Jazz bench who’ll be fighting for minutes:

  1. C.J. Miles
  2. Gordon Hayward
  3. Earl Watson
  4. Mehmet Okur*
  5. Kyrylo Fesenko
  6. Ronnie Price
  7. Jeremy Evans

*when healthy

Now let’s compare that to those who’ll be fighting for minutes on Miami’s bench:

  1. Udonis Haslem
  2. Zydrunas Ilgauskus
  3. James Jones
  4. Eddie House
  5. Patrick Beverly
  6. Carlos Arroyo

You know when you watch The Discovery Channel and they have a documentary on how lions hunt? Let me give you a quick summation:

Lions don’t hunt alone. They work in a group known as a pride. They are very patient hunters. They lack the stamina for a long drawn out attack. So they must wait for the perfect time to attack. Say they are hunting zebra. They will follow the herd and make a target on their weakest herd members. Who are the weak members of the zebra herd? The newborns and the old frail elders. This pride of lions will follow the zebra until the strongest of this herd are tired and need rest. So when the leaders of the herd of zebra come to a pond of water to get their much needed rest that’s when the pride of lions attack. They go for the weak of the herd and make them dinner. It’s an unforeseen attack. Most of the pride are hidden in the brush. They work in an ambush.

What does The Discovery Channel have to do with basketball? The Jazz’s bench will be Utah’s pride of lions. The Jazz will wait patiently and weather the storm of LeBron, Wade, and Bosh until they will inevitably have to get their rest. Miami will then have to send out their young bucks and frail elders. That’s when the Jazz will unleash their pride of lions on Miami’s weak, their newborns and frail old veterans.

If Utah’s bench comes ready to attack then they can put their team in a position late in the game to win it.

Advantage: Utah

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Division Preview: Charlotte Bobcats, Southeast Division – Eastern Conference

Chris —  October 20, 2010 — 1 Comment

In the final days leading up to regular season action, SCH will be posting divisional previews of the top teams in all six NBA divisions. Come back early and often for updates.

Michael Jordan on the bench with Stephan Jackson. Jordan bought the Charlotte Bobcats in 2010.

Who to watch

Boris Diaw

He will be interesting for Jazz fans to watch, solely because of the Melo trade rumors that proposed bringing Boris Diaw to Salt Lake City. The Jazz should pay close attention to Diaw to see if in fact he is the better player, and whether or not we should be sad that the trade was merely hearsay.

Gerald Wallace

Last year, Wallace scored 57 points in two meetings with the Jazz, accounting for more than a quarter of the points scored by Charlotte. He is a threat at both ends of the court. If the Jazz can keep him contained, and keep him from putting up double digit points every game, they should be able to win both meetings.

I can't tell if this picture is awesome or stupid. But, G Wall versus D Will? That's cool.

High Notes | Low Notes

Expect to see some great basketball being played in North Carolina- if they stay healthy. Already this year, Charlotte has several player with injuries- Dominic McGuire has a stress fracture in his shin, Shaun Livingston is still milking a bad knee, Kwame Brown has a left ankle sprain and Eduardo Najera has a hernia. Things aren’t looking up when you’ve got 4 injuries in the preseason. However, they were able to beat Miami last week despite LeBron scoring 33 points. I think Charlotte will be an exciting team to watch this year.

History

The Jazz are 7-5 all time against the Bobcats and look to be perfectly capable of increasing that to 9-5 this season. However, Charlotte has gone from an 18 win team to a playoff contender in just 6 years. Last year the Bobcats made their first playoff appearance but were promptly swept by the Magic. This year, they hope to improve even farther into the postseason. Maybe even get a win or two.

The Bobcats play in the most competitive division in the country, having to play the Magic, Heat and Hawks- all perennial playoff contenders. Last year half of the teams in the Eastern Conference Playoffs were from the Southeast division. (Coincidentally, half of the teams in the Western Conference playoffs were from the Northwest Division.)

Since becoming a team in 2004-5, the Bobcats are 188-304.

Outlook

The Jazz will have their first stab at the Bobcats on November 13 in Charlotte. The Jazz historically struggle on road games, so there is a chance that this could go 1-1.

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Division Previews: Atlanta Hawks, Southeast Division – Eastern Conference

Jefferson —  October 20, 2010 — 2 Comments

In the final days leading up to regular season action, SCH will be posting divisional previews of the top teams in all six NBA divisions. Come back early and often for updates.

The Million Dollar Man - $119 mil over six seasons (AP)

Key Matchups

The Jazz get an early dose of the Hawks, playing in Atlanta on their first extended road trip of the season – four games against Eastern Conference playoff teams.  After visits to Miami and Orlando, Utah will visit Atlanta on November 12th (on the first night of a back-to-back with Charlotte on the back end).  Atlanta visits Salt Lake City on January 5th during the New Year home stand.

AK47 vs. Joe Johnson

Granted, AK and Joe Johnson play different positions of the floor, and have completely different games.  Still, I’ll be interested to see how Utah’s max contract mistake compares to Atlanta’s max contract man.  In the Summer of LeBron, who would have thought that Joe Johnson would have come away with the biggest payday of 2010?  Joe Johnson is a solid player, to be sure – consistent to say the least [averaged at least 20 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and a steal in each of his past five seasons].  Johnson’s offensive success comes primarily from isolation plays – Utah can concede 20 points to Joe Johnson, especially if it means keeping the other players uninvolved in the offense.  In the Conference semi-finals last year, Orlando kept JJ quiet (only 12.8 points and less than 30% from the field).  That’s a lot of cheddar for someone who essentially choked in the biggest games of the year for his team.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big Kirilenko fan…  I still remember watching his first game in Utah from the nosebleeds in the former-Delta Center. I turned to my Dad and told him that the young Russian was something special. Following the 2004 All-Star campaign, he definitely made a strong case for max money.  His first season after the max deal? Injury plagued – he sat out half of the games.  Hindsight, as they say, is 20/20, and $17.9 million this year seems a little steep for a 12 points, 4 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and a block.  AK only played in 58 games last year, but provided some much needed energy off the bench and found ways to contribute when his number was called.  I was worried that the trade rumors might have injured his famously frail ego, but he’s shown quite the opposite in the preseason.  AK has been firing on all cylinders, and if he stays healthy, will have a huge impact this season.  It doesn’t hurt that its a contract year, either.

Al Jefferson v. Al Horford

Standing 6’10″ and putting up a double-double in points and rebounds, Al is one tough big man.  Which Al, you ask?  Why both, of course.  Al Jefferson is just a year older and averages a couple more points, but essentially, these two players share many of the same traits.  Al Horford has less experience in the league (he spent some time developing his game with Joakim Noah and Corey Brewer at Florida – and helping his team earn an NCAA championship).  Horford shoots nearly 80% from the free-throw line (Al Jefferson is just 70% from the charity stripe).  Horford has posted better numbers during each of his three NBA seasons.  It will be exciting to see these two mirror each other when the Jazz and Hawks take the court.

How will Al stack up against "Big Al"? (Fernando Medina/NBAE/Getty Images)

High Notes | Low Notes

The more things change, the more they stay the same – at least in Atlanta.  This Hawks team will look quite a bit like the Hawks teams of the past.  Atlanta is not a great rebounding team – and it does not defend very well on the perimeter.  The core is young, but they have played together in the same system for a while now.  Even with a coaching change (see below), there’s not much different in Atlanta.  While the starting 5 are respectable, the bench leaves much to be desired.  Expect more of the same from Atlanta – a winning team that is simply not built for the playoffs.

History

Utah leads the all-time series 47-38.  Atlanta swept the season series from Utah last year.  Prior to 2010, Atlanta had not won in Utah since 1993 when Dominque Wilkins, AKA the Human Highlight Reel posted 43 points against the Jazz.  AK and D-Will watched that home dominance streak end in street clothes – in what was a very close game.  Joe Johnson scored 11 points in the final frame to overcome Utah’s lead and guide Atlanta to a victory.

Player/Coach Notes

Larry Drew was named Head Coach of the Hawks this summer.  Prior to being named Head Coach, Drew served six seasons as lead assistant to ousted Hawks Coach Mike Woodson – in other words, don’t look for any significant changes due to the leadership change.

Drew is just one of the hundreds of coaching changes in the NBA since Jerry Sloan was named as Utah’s Bench Leader.  In fact, with the retirement of Bobby Cox (GM of Major League Baseball’s Atlanta Braves), Jerry Sloan is now the longest serving coach in all of professional sports.

Former Number 2 overall pick Marvin Williams will start at SF for the Hawks.  Marvin Williams never developed into the all-around player Atlanta had hoped.  I’m sure Atlanta would like to have the 2nd pick in 2005 back – leaving both D-Will and CP3 on the table for the Jazz and Hornets, respectively.

Outlook

Atlanta is mired in the best and deepest division in the Eastern Conference.  Atlanta is a playoff team, for sure, but I’d be surprised if they make it out of the first round in the upcoming year.  As a lower seed in the East, they will likely be paired with Boston, Chicago, Orlando or Miami – all of whom can beat ATL in a 7 game series.  I am not convinced that the Jazz have improved enough on the road to guarantee an early road win in November against the Hawks.  I do know, however, that the Jazz are capable of beating the Hawks – and should win both games this year.  Utah is too deep to allow Atlanta’s starting five to control a game.

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Contact Jefferson W. Boswell at jeffersonboz [at] gmail [dot] com

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