Random NBA Notes

All-star game.  I read a great post at Truehoop about the price of Mo Williams replacing Chris Bosh instead of having a big replace Chris Bosh.  Namely, they had no strong interior defense.  Mo Williams is 6'1" and his team campaigned heavily for him to make the All-Star game.  We all know these things work and he finally made it as an injury replacement for Chris Bosh.  

The price was heavy.  Look at these statistics (courtesy of Truehoop)

Points in the paint:  West 96,  East 58

Rebounds: West 51, East 38

Their two bigs (Dwight Howard and Garnett) were both starters, so they were in and out of the game together, meaning there were long stretches with legitimate center for the East, going against Shaq, Duncan, Yao Ming, Pau Gasol, Stoudamire, and David West thrown in for good measure.  

Infact all things being equal in all-star type games in the future, go with the team with the bigger players.  Height still matters, from the local Gym to the NBA all-star game.  

Phoenix Suns demolish the Clippers in the first game under their new head coach.  This was very predictable; I wish I had been playing closer attention.  They are a good team and their number one complaint was they were disjointed and playing with low energy.  Their new coach Alvin Gentry reportedly "took the reins off" and told the Suns to run and push instead of playing their half-court style.  

A couple of indicators for this pick: new coach.  This can sometimes trigger a reaction.  The biggest indicator though is the one about energy levels of the Suns.  They were playing with low energy.  So they are professionals and low energy means they are playing below their average potential level.  With a new coach and a home crowd, their energy level was due to shoot way up.  

My number one rule in the NBA is that intensity and energy matter most.  If I tried hard enough and Kobe slacked off enough, I could beat him.  Mostly Kobe slacking off, but still, the team that plays harder can win a lot of games.  Now we'll see if the Suns can have sustained superior effort, or if they will return to a normal level of effort.  Don't forget, they have Shaq (a notorious slacker).  

Also, they played the Clippers.  The Clippers are a team that is dysfunctional, with numerous players missing games for trivial injuries.  Their season is over and they have no pride or character; teams like that are likely to get blown out badly.