Reactions to an intense opening day of the 2009 NBA Playoffs

Originally published in the Miami edition of the Examiner.

I’ll be honest. I didn’t really plan on writing another article so soon after that 4,000-word playoff prediction yesterday, but here I am. After watching the majority of the action yesterday, there’s definitely some points that I had to mention. So let’s begin.

· Derrick Rose looked like Kenny Powers in his prime. Wow. What a way to begin your playoff career. Welcome to the Derrick Rose era everyone. Chris Paul, what up? Ever since he came on the scene as a freshman at Memphis, I’ve been about as big of a Rose fan as anyone. Back when Miami was auditioning D-leaguers for spots in the starting lineup, and in the process of jostling for lottery position, I remember praying that somehow Miami would grab him with the first pick in the draft (No offense, Beasley. You were up there too). In Rose, I saw a guy that despised losing with a passion (he was in tears and inconsolable after his team’s last second loss in the NCAA Championship last year), and someone who also demonstrated excellent lead-by-example leadership skills. All while playing the potentially uncomfortable role of freshman team leader. And that’s without talking about his ridiculous floor vision and athleticism. Now, he’s raising his game for the playoffs just like he did for the NCAA tournament. 36 points in his playoff debut? Clap it up.

Miami would have had Dwyane Wade and Dwyane Wade the sequel, had they been able to draft him. I swear this isn’t in the back of my mind whenever I see him play. I’m fine. Really. Beasley will probably be a top-three power forward in the league in a couple of years. I’m fine. (Every time I watch Rose dominate a game for the Bulls, I feel like the creepy ex-boyfriend/girlfriend of someone that keeps insincerely telling everyone around them that they’re, “happy for the other person now. Even if they're with someone else.” I apologize.)

· All right, I’m back. I still think the Celtics will win in seven, although it will be far from easy. As long as Pierce and Allen don’t play as badly as they did last night in the remaining games, they should be alright.

· Was anyone else watching the Portland-Houston game and wondering who looked older, Oden or Mutombo? I still can’t decide.

· I’m not going to lie, I wasn’t expecting that stinker performance from the Blazers. A couple of times in the telecast, the commentator kept reiterating that Brandon Roy couldn’t do it on his own. At the time he had something like 18 points on 8 for 18 shooting. I remember thinking to myself, “is he really doing all that much for his team?” Being the most talented player on the court doesn’t automatically mean that you’re doing that much to help your team win. While Roy is clearly an incredibly talented player, after watching a decent number of Portland games this year, I feel that he doesn’t dominate a game in the same overwhelming way that LeBron, Wade, Kobe, or even Chris Paul can (I say “even” in regards to Paul, only because I’m thinking more in terms of two guards, and even then I still can’t leave CP3 out).

While Roy can have periods of inspired play, there seems to be stretches in quarters where he just doesn’t impose his will and do something with the ball. In such instances, you can forget he’s even on the floor. He only had two assists last night, and this low number was not because he was creating a ton of missed chances for his stray-shooting teammates. He simply didn’t create that many assist opportunities when he attacked the rim. To be considered a true superstar, and not just a good all star (Yes, there’s different levels of stardom, the terms aren’t interchangeable. To me at least), you have to be able to impact the game in more ways than just scoring. Especially when you have such talented players around you, as Roy does. To put it mildly, he should be averaging a little more than just 5 assists per game.

I’m not saying he doesn’t have it in him. Brandon Roy, it’s on you. And your teammates as well. But mostly you. If they don’t step it up next game, then you have to set them up with easy chances to get them going. Let’s see what you got.

· What did I tell you about Spoelstra? Just as I predicted yesterday, today he told reporters that Haslem would be his starting power forward for game one of the Hawks series. While he didn’t say who would start at small forward, either way I think Haslem should be coming off the bench. Even if Beasley still starts (an unlikely option since he hasn’t played small forward all season), it then means that Wade will have to defend Joe Johnson and risk early foul trouble while wasting energy. I can’t say I’m not disappointed with this news. My verdict is still out on Spoelstra, as he is a rookie coach and should be cut some slack, but I can’t say I’ve been enamored with his performance thus far.