Pistol Pete- A Legacy Forgotten

Talking simply talent on the basketball court, I'm not sure a human has ever been better in his era.  Regarding his play in the NBA, his is a tragic story filled with disappointment and obstacles he could hardly overcome.  But if any of the modern players people love so much (MJ, Kobe or LeBron) had to face the same challenges, they would not have fared as well.

I was lucky enough to stumble upon "Pistol, The Life of Pete Maravich" by Mark Kriegel at a Barnes & Noble and decided to buy it.  I had seen the movie, but didn't know much else about the goofy-looking white boy who was a basketball genius.

(Being a goofy-looking white boy myself, I was even more interested)

I read the book quickly.  I couldn't put it down, except to pause and think about how incredible the stuff I was reading really was.  I even caught myself saying "wow" out loud on occasion.  I won't spoil it for you if you decide to read, but the "wow's" turn to "bummer's" towards the end of the book.  Also, at the very end is the most incredible thing about his life, and I will let you know if you message me, but again, I don't want to spoil it for anyone.

When Pete was around 8, his dad, Press Maravich, a basketball coach, invited John Wooden into their home to show off what Pete could do.  Pete put on a dribbling exhibition for the future HOFer and Coach Wooded said it was the most impressive dribbling he had ever seen.  Not just by a kid, but ever.

In junior high, Pete accepted the famous bet that he could not spin a basketball on his fingers for an hour.  Try to remember how big your fingers were then, I know mine could not have handled he pressure.  Neither did Pete's.  After half an hour, the skin on his finger started to crack and bleed.  His opponent was all but counting his winnings when Pete calmly switched the ball to a different finger like it was no big deal.  By the end of the hour, he spun the ball easily on every finger on both hands and won the bet, leaving jaws hanging open.

Throughout high school, his dad would bring him to college-level practices and Pete would dominate the competition.  He would make an NCAA player look foolish before he even had a driver's license.  There are even more famous stories I could share about this time, but I want to get to his college and NBA career.

His first year of college was spent on the freshman team because player's could only play on the Varsity for three years.  The small gym at LSU would be packed to see the Pistol and every game, hundreds of fans would get turned away because the gym was too full.  However, after the freshman game ended, and the Varsity team took the floor, the gym would clear out.

During his three seasons on the Varsity team, he dominated.  No other word sums it up quite as well.  He averaged 44.2 points per game.  AVERAGED!  Compare that to the second best player of that time, Kareem Abdul-Jabaar (before he was Kareem, of course) who averaged 26.4 points per game over his three-year career.  And Kareem was a 7-footer in a time when there were few great big men.  And, there was no three-point line for Pete to 'pad' his stats.

Players who tried to defend Pistol often admitted after the game that they would catch themselves just watching in amazement at what he could do with the basketball.  Maybe that's how he scored so much.

LSU stills plays basketball in an arena built off the success of one player.  The Pete Maravich Assembly Center is a reminder that no one will ever be as good as he was in college.

On to the professional level where most of the hating arises.  Although, one more interesting side note.  When a teacher asked a young Pete in grade school what he wanted to do, he said he would be the first person to make a million bucks playing basketball.  She laughed in his face.  Wouldn't you know, Pete was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks and signed to a 1.6 million dollar contract.  Boo-ya teachers who crush dreams!

Despite being on a horrendous team, he averaged 23.2 ppg and was named to the All-Rookie team.  Kobe didn't average that many points is a season until his FIFTH year in the league.  The Biography gets into specifics about troubles he had with teammates, particularly the black guys on the team who decided not to pass him the ball, but that is something that is probably more speculation than fact.  I'll let you decide if you read the book.

He suffered countless injuries and had chronic knee problems.  For a guy who made a living off using his legs to explode past guys then slam on the brakes, I would imagine it was pretty rough.  His career was a constant disappointment.  If he tried to recover, the owners were upset because people wanted to pay to see the Pistol.  If he played while hurt, he was lack-luster and only made his injuries worse.

His biggest regret was never winning a title and sadly, retired from the Celtics one season before a young star named Bird would take Boston to the promised land.

Throughout all his troubles, Pete Maravich still proved his greatness.  He averaged 24.2 ppg over his career (16th all-time), including a 68-point blowout to show everyone what could have been.  He was an All-Star five times and All-NBA First Team twice and Second Team twice.  He also led the league in scoring with a 31.1 average in the 76-77 season.

To say Pete should not be considered in the Top 50 or 100 is a travesty and a sin against basketball.  He accomplished all this while battling alcoholism, an over-bearing father who was also his closest friend, a mother who committed suicide and a plethora of other personal problems.  Again, I will not spoil the best part and I strongly urge you to pick up the book, but send me a message or look up how he died and that will be the best proof that he was amazing.

Western Conference Finals

Let's all take a moment for the chance of seeing the Hornets and Lakers battle and think about what could have been...

OK.  Back to reality.

#1 Lakers vs #3 Spurs

The Lakers have cruised so far against two completely different styles of play.  Denver with the shoot fast and hope someone else plays defense approach.  And Utah with the uber-fundamental pick and roll until you drop dead approach.  Lakers crushed them both.

The Spurs won a huge momentum game in double-OT to give them the edge against a dangerous Phoenix team.  Then they were outplayed (Except Tony Parker) in the series against New Orleans, but the Hornets choked in Game 7--  It should be noted the game was the Hornets to win, the Spurs played the same as every game in the Crescent City, but the shots that went down in Games 1,2 & 5, clanked in Game 7.

Therefore I do not give the Spurs much credit for that win and can't realistically think too highly of their chances in the next round.

Kobe is unguardable.  Bruce Bowen can annoy him but not stop or even contain him for a full 48 minutes.

Lamar Odom will be matched up with a smaller defender most of the time and he will see a lot of open looks from mid-range and be able to drive to the basket.

Pau Gasol vs Timmy-D will be a great match-up.  But great offense beats great defense and I don't think either plays great defense.   I expect Oh Boy Oberto and Kurt Thomas to spend a lot of time harassing Gasol.

The benches cancel each other out.  All they do is float around the perimeter and jack up threes.

EXCEPT -- Farmar and Udoka who will be the X-factors for their squads off the pine.  Udoka played amazing against the Hornets and will likely only play better this round.

The Parker-Fisher match-up is interesting.  Parker is too quick, but Fisher is crafty and knows how to compensate.  Parker will be able to drive, but the key will be the help defense, the Hornets had no answer.  Parker would either score or find a wide open shooter for three.  The Lakers must block Parker and close-out faster.

Phil Jackson and Gregg Popovich are two of the all-time great coaches, but Pop had to pull out all the stops to squeek by NO (Manu starting -- can he never be eligible for the 6th man award now?).  They both know how to win in the playoffs and win championships, but Phil has the team he wants and not much can stop him now.

Finally, look for DJ Mbenga to break out and carry this Lakers team on his back, it's MBENGA TIME BABY!

not really

LAKERS IN 5

Eastern Conference Finals

Down to four.

I must take a second and pat myself on the back for some pretty close predictions from last round.  I nailed the Pistons and Celtics series with the correct number of games. I was one game off of the Lakers series, and I hit the games, but missed the team (Which is a big deal, I am aware) in the Spurs/Hornets series.  Not too shabby.

Now for the next round.

In the East...

#1 Boston vs. #2 Detroit

What a clash of contrast this match-up is.  The big 3 who are venturing into uncharted waters as a unit, verse the team that has been together longer than most bands.  Personal experience verse team experience.

It's hard to forget that Boston has not won on the road in the playoffs.  But let's try.  And remember, the battles these teams fought against one another in the regular season.  

December 19: Lost at home 85-87.  

January 5: Won in Detroit 92-85

March 5: Won at home 90-78.

In the two Boston wins, the Celts got huge games by KG, then Glen "Big Baby" Davis.  In the Detroit victory, the Pistons shot very well from deep, hitting 45% of it's threes.  The other games were in the 30s.

It would be easy to say, Boston needs to dominate the post while Detroit just needs to hit shots for each team to win, but we all know there is more to it than that.

Detroit has developed a deep bench during the season, giving their starters time off down the stretch to better prepare the young guys for the playoffs.  The Pistons have already reaped the benefits with the stellar play of Rodney Stuckey and Jason Maxiell when Billups and McDyess suffered injuries.

Maxiell is much better now than he was in the regular season and Amir Johnson has also developed into a reliable post player.  Two options Flip Saunders can and will use to help neutralize Boston's big men.  And the combo of Billups and Stuckey allows the Pistons to keep pressure on Boston at the point guard position all game.

For Boston, containing three-point situation is a little trickier because they are not confined to a small area.  And Detroit has a plethora of players who can hit the long ball.   Realistically, Boston has to play solid, close-out defense and limit wide open shots while making sure to rebound and then simply hope Detroit misses shots.

That's the first reason I'm taking Detroit in this series.  Detroit has tangible tactics it can use to stop Boston's greatest offensive strength, Boston does not.

The second reason is the bench.  We saw in both Game 7's in the Conference Semi-Finals how crucial play off the bench can be.  PJ Brown was always in the right spot for what seemed like back-breaking buckets when Cleveland needed stops the most.  Cleveland had nothing off the bench.  Other than LeBron, they really had nothing from it's starters either though.

But the point is, the stars get 90% of the win, but who can step up and be the unexpected hero to get that last 10%.   Detroit has way more options, albeit young options, than Boston.  And Doc Rivers has not shown any faith in his bench this post-season, so he is more likely just to make his stars press and try to do too much.

It won't work, and oh yeah, Boston can't win on the road.

DETROIT PISTONS IN 6

Second Round Predictions

Before I take some more amazing guesses at what will happen in the second round of the NBA playoffs, I'd like to reflect on the First Round for just a moment if that's ok with you.

If it's not, go scroll yourself down a bit...

In what was the most anticipated post-season in recent memory, the suspense was somewhat short lived.  Only one series went to 7 games, and while Atlanta did good job of sustaining suspense and the potential excitement that a miracle could be performed on the one team who is already planning for it's post-championship locker room bash, I doubt anyone really gave the Hawks any chance in that Game 7-- which was over before halftime.  That series showed Boston is vulnerable on the road, but almost unbeatable at home.

Detroit needed to be pushed in order to wake up from the coma it's been in while it coasted through the final month of the season, but responded with the force and thoroughness we've come to expect from the Pistons.

Washington did everything wrong, and lost to Cleveland, which makes sense.

And Orlando looked good as it showed Toronto the door in just 5 games.

In the West, the big story was finally getting a chance to evaluate all the blockbuster trades in the playoffs.

Lakers looked really good...

Dallas looked really bad...

Phoenix needs more time, which they may or may not have...

And on to my partially educated guesses

STOP SCROLLING NOW!

OK,

Because Round 1 ended after 3 games of Round 2 started, I get a head start, and if you look at how I did in the First Round, I could use it.

#1 LA Lakers vs. #4 Utah Jazz

The Lakers looked way better than I expected against Denver, but Denver took a firm, NO DEFENSE policy which may have helped LA look so good.  It reminded me when I tried out for my 8th grade basketball team, we would run drills against another player to test speed.  This series was like the fastest kid on the team getting paired with the overweight kid who is impossible to block out, but needs to take a break from tying his shoes because he gets too winded.  Not very close.  Utah on the other hand beat a streaky but talented Houston team, that was without it's star point guard from 2 and a half losses.  If the Rockets had a healthy Rafer Alston, Tracy McGrady would have finally made it to the second round, and we would have two of the all-time great scorers going head to head.  But we don't (Thanks Rafer's ankle) and we get to watch the Jazz use great teamwork to stop Kobe and pals.

Utah is a great home team, but so-so on the road.  Sadly for them, every team left is a great home team, so that won't save them.  They do have a decent arsenal of defenders to throw at Kobe, but you can't stop the inevitable (Kobe scoring).  Utah has a balanced attack that could provide enough points to win a couple games, but unless they catch fire or start playing with a newfound passion, they will succumb.

LAKERS IN 5

#2 New Orleans Hornets vs. #3 San Antonio Spurs

This series holds a special place in my heart.  The Bees are the team I'm pulling for this year because I got to watch them in OKC the last two years and the Spurs are the team I'm sick of watching and would like very much to lose.  I will rant on the Spurs in a later blog, but I will try to focus on the series for now.  Both teams won impressively in the first round over opponents plenty of people thought would win.  The Chris Paul-Tony Parker matchup has me drooling, despite the Spurs assigning Bruce Bowen to cover Paul, the top 2 (Sorry Deron Williams) points guards in the league are squaring off.  Gauging from the first game, that the Hornets won going away, which means they were in the process of increasing their lead s the game ended, Byron Scott intends to take one of the three SA stars out of the game completely.  New Orleans did a great job shackling Duncan, and held him to just 5 points.  I expect more of the same, but the Spurs adjusting and causing some problems.

This series will go 7, and everyone will start talking about the inexperience of the Hornets and all but count them out.  But remember, they have home court advantage, and experience can be earned.  Look for Chris Paul and David West to earn it.

HORNETS IN 7.

IN THE EAST

#1 Boston Celtics vs. #4 Cleveland Cavaliers

I'm sure plenty of people are doubting Boston's chances after stumbling against the lowly Hawks, so I will try not to follow the crowd.  However, I underestimated the Cavs new team and they impressed me against a talented but dysfunctional Wizards team.  LeBron is always impossible to factor.  I am spotting the Cavs two games that I expect him to win on sheer will and tenacity.  But Boston is too tough at home, and King James won't have the kind of miracle game he did last year to bump off the Pistons.  This will be exciting to watch the league's best team go against the league's best player.

CELTICS IN 7

#2 Detroit Pistons vs. #3 Orlando Magic

If I had to pick one Cinderella team this year, I would pick the Magic.  With the presence of Dwight Howard in the middle and the ability to shoot three's Orlando is a tough team to beat, just ask the Raptors.  But Detroit is built to win a championship.  They are the deepest team in the history of the NBA.  With four guards and four big men who could see significant time on any other team, Detroit has been ready for the playoffs for months.  And Philly did Orlando no favors by slapping this Detroit team with two wins.  Now the beast is awake and ready to destroy everything in it's path.  It helps that Howard hurt his hand, but that would make little difference, Detroit is hungry and they know how to get fed.

PISTONS IN 5