Well, we have one series tied at 2-2, and if the basketball gods smile on us we are on our way to four Game 7s. We can’t all be that lucky, can we? But we can hope. (Note to self: Powerball reminder).
But if we are going to get to four Game 7s, we are going to need to see some improvement from at least one player on each trailing team (plus the Warriors, who are tied 2-2 but are at a substantial experience deficit against the time-tested San Antonio Spurs).
More on those four guys in the video below — plus some data to back up my points:
GOLDEN STATE: Andrew Bogut has become a mental midget when Greg Popovich has gone to a Hack-a-Bogut strategy, but otherwise he has been one of the key players for the Warriors because of his rebounding and his defense against Tim Duncan. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a player jog quite so much when everyone else around him is sprinting, but Bogut did manage to get himself into position for 18 rebounds Sunday as the ‘Dubs evened the series. But if Golden State is going to pull off the improbable and win this thing, they are going to need a 35- to 40-point night out of Curry, who set the NBA record this year for most 3-pointers in an NBA season. Loved seeing Klay Thompson go 8-for-9 on 3s, but not expecting to see that again from him. From Curry, yes. Thompson, no.
NEW YORK: Jason Kidd hasn’t hit a big bucket in ages, and he hasn’t hit a bucket of any kind in six consecutive games. Yes, he was a difference maker in the Knicks’ Game 2 victory at Madison Square Garden when his energy plays (and those of Pablo Prigioni) turned the tide. But Kidd is a guy who knocked down more than a handful of back-breaking 3s over the course of the season. And with J.R. Smith in an extended slump, Carmelo Anthony shooting at a low percentage, Raymond Felton struggling from outside and coach Mike Woodson talkins about turning to Chris Copeland or Steve Novak for some shooting (the Knicks made only three 3-pointers in Game 3), I think they guy they need to lean on is the guy who is overdue. If Derek Fisher can do it, so can his elder.
OKLAHOMA CITY: I like Sam Presti. I think he is a good guy. I applaud the job he did in building the OKC Thunder into what they have become. I will forever remember the Kurt Thomas trade as maybe the most lopsided deal in NBA history (Thomas and two 1st-round picks went to Seattle for a second-round pick to get the Suns out from under the luxury tax,) But I think Presti screwed up big-time when he created an artificial deadline for James Harden to accept a $54 million contract offer, and he compounded the problem by trading Harden when he did (it could have waited until the deadline, at the very least). The Thunder wanted to be able to pay Serge Ibaka his market rate, so they traded their third-most important player to accommodate their fourth-most important player. And now that Russell Westbrook, their No. 2 player, is done for the year, they are in deep trouble if Ibaka doesn’t become more of an offensive weapon. His point totals in Games 1, 2 and 3 have been 5, 11 and 13. Fisher has been a much more dangerous weapon.
CHICAGO: This is the only series in which I am pointing a finger at a player toward someone on the team that is leading the series. We should all applaud and appreciate the way Dwyane Wade has evolved his game in the years since LeBron James arrived, taking much higher percentage shots and moving comfortably into a more deferential role. But this is taking it a little too far. When you are being outscored by teammate Norris Cole (43-39) in the series, there is a hint of a problem. Wade is shooting only 8-for-37 from outside of 5 feet, and it would not surprise me to see the Chicago Bulls give him a little operating room to see is they can mess with his confidence and demeanor. Hey, it’s worked with LeBron. Maybe it’s time for coach Tom Thibodeau to pick on someone else.
Chris Sheridan is publisher and editor-in chief of SheridanHoops.com. Follow him on Twitter.