Tag: reggie jackson

Yes, Baseball Has Problems, But So Does Basketball

The other night, Padres’ young superstar Fernando Tatis Jr. swung at a 3-0 pitch with his team winning 10-3, and you would have thought an earthquake occurred.

There was a huge discussion on baseball’s “unwritten rules”, and how the game is stuck in the past, despite a show of support for the San Diego shortstop from Hall of Famers Johnny Bench and Reggie Jackson.

Maybe we aren’t reading the right things, but it seems the only people bothered by Tatis’ dinger were the managers of the Padres, and the team they were playing that night, the Texas Rangers.

And remember, the Friars’ skipper, Jayce Tingler used to work for the Rangers and may be friends with Chris Woodward, the Texas manager, and may have just been trying to take heat off Woodward’s caveman comments.

Still, it lead to discussions about the popularity of the National Pastime and why it seems to be dying, in the words of a former pro football player turned media person.

Look, there are plenty of things baseball needs to address. The defensive shifting, which led to the launch angle movement within the game, has led to lower batting averages and more home runs. A commercial once proclaimed “chicks dig the long ball”, and the round tripper is no doubt exciting.

It becomes less so when there are four or five of them in every game.

The emphasis on the home run has also led to more strikeouts. It used to be an embarrassment for a batter to whiff more than 100 times per year. Last season, the World Champion Washington Nationals had six hitters fan more than that.

Without question, baseball needs more action in the game. More baserunning, more stolen bases, more great defensive plays.

However, when people condemn baseball and prop up professional basketball as so exciting, we are here to tell you that’s baloney.

If the halcyon days of the NBA were the times Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and Michael Jordan were on the court, the way the game is played today pales in comparison.

Today’s game is dominated by the long range jump shot. Why? One of the reasons is the same reason baseball is suffering a bit in style of play. Analytics have told basketball people three pointers are more “efficient” than two pointers.

Most teams in the league use the three as their primary weapon, and it is accomplished by having one player try to break down the defense, have the defense collapse on him and pass it outside for a long distance jumper.

The shooter is usually open because of the way defense is played today. Defenders aren’t allowed to use their hands to deter movement, so they have to play off the offensive player in fear they could blow past them and get to the rim.

So, while baseball has become a strikeout or home run sport, hoops has become a three pointer or layup game.

The Indiana Pacers took 32% of their field goal attempts from beyond the arc this season. Seems like a lot, right? They shot the least amount of threes in the NBA this year. Half of the shots the Houston Rockets take are three pointers.

Just 10 years ago, Orlando led the league in long range shots, with 35% of their field goal attempts being three pointers. Memphis was last at 15%. The Grizzlies still finished 40-42 that year.

The other reason was the success of the Golden State Warriors, who won three titles in the last five seasons, behind the shooting of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. However, when the Warriors won their first title in 2015, they didn’t lead the league in three point attempts, they were 4th.

The title led to teams copying the style, which is where we are today for the most part.

There is an old boxing term that styles make fights, but it seems like in today’s NBA, most teams play the same style.

The game has marginalized the big man, which was the staple of the game throughout its history. You have to wonder how effective Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar would be today, or if they could get on the court at all.

Basketball has just as many problems as baseball, but right now, the sport is the darling of the media and the younger generation. Sometimes popularity doesn’t mean good.

The best thing would be for some team to buck the trend and be successful. Then everyone will follow them.

MW

Sizing Up Cavs Vs. Pistons

The Cleveland Cavaliers open the post-season Sunday afternoon at Quicken Loans Arena against the Detroit Pistons, and it doesn’t figure to be as easy as last season’s path to the second round.

As you well remember, the Cavs swept the Boston Celtics a year ago, in a series most known for the Celtics’ physicality.  We all recall losing Kevin Love for the balance of the playoffs after his arm was pulled out of its socket by Kelly Olynyk.

We say it won’t be as easy because the conference as a whole is better.  Boston was a below .500 team (40-42) in the 2014-15 season, and this year, the Pistons are 44-38, which would have given them the 6th seed a year ago.

That said, the two teams do have some similarities.  Both are playoff newcomers, it has been since 2009 that Detroit has been in the post-season, while the Celts were very young a year ago.

Both squads are led in scoring by their point guards.  Reggie Jackson leads the Pistons with an 18.8 average, and both Kyrie Irving and Mo Williams (when he was starting at the beginning of the year) had problems containing Jackson.

However, he is just a 35% shooter from behind the arc, so logic dictates that Cavs’ defenders make him knock down a few shots from outside and take away the drive initially.  That will be something to watch early in the series.

Unlike Boston though, the Pistons have a dominant presence inside in Andre Drummond, who averaged 16.2 points and 14.8 rebounds per game.  Detroit ranked second in the NBA in offensive boards throughout the season, so it is incumbent on the Cavs to limit the guys from the Motor City to just one shot.

Drummond’s achilles heel though is his free throw shooting.  Making just 35.5% of his tosses, it is very likely we will see a lot of deliberate fouling on Cleveland’s part to force the big man to the line, or perhaps to the bench.

It is hard to see coach Stan Van Gundy keeping Drummond on the floor in a close game because of this problem.

Still, it seems like Drummond could be a factor if Tristan Thompson cannot handle him on the boards.  We know Thompson is terrific on the glass as well, but the Piston is better.

And because Thompson isn’t really an offensive threat, it leaves Drummond free to contest shots around the basket, meaning the Cavs better have their perimeter game working.

When Channing Frye is in the game, he should get some open looks because Drummond doesn’t want to play outside.

This makes Lue’s handling of Timofey Mozgov more curious.  The big man will be needed in this series and in a potential matchup with Toronto in the conference finals

Mid-season acquisition Tobias Harris has been very good for Detroit since coming over from Orlando, but he pales in comparison to LeBron James, who will be his match up.

As usual, the Cavs biggest opponent in this series will be themselves.  If Irving and Kevin Love are scoring, it opens things up for JR Smith, and those four can put up 100 points between the quartet.

They also need to move the basketball and lock themselves in on defense.  If they don’t forget that is their recipe for winning, it should be a short series.

But make no mistake, these Pistons have some weapons which have been problems for the Cavaliers.  If they don’t pay attention to detail, Detroit could steal a game or two.

JK