Awesome Game 7 between the Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento Kings, but I have a question about something I saw during the game. Why wasn't Shaquille O'Neal called for a lane violation nearly every time he shot a free throw? Do the rules in the NBA differ from college? Shaq's new free-throw style has him stepping across the line after he releases the ball. I was under the impression that the shooter couldn't step into the lane until the ball has hit the rim. Am I mistaken?
Dave Sauser
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Dear Dave,
Good observation, Dave. The rule is the same for the NBA as college. The ball must hit the rim before the shooter can cross the free-throw line. I've watched Shaq at the line carefully at games I've attended and looked for the violation you mention. There were times when it appeared that he stepped across the stripe before the ball hits the rim, but I haven't seen it called yet. The timing is very, very close -- it's not a blatant violation. And if the shot swishes, it's hard to tell if he crossed the line too soon. And there have been a lot of swishes lately. I haven't talked to the officials about it, but my hunch is that since it's so difficult to determine, they don't want to take a chance on making a call they're not sure of.
Congratulations for predicting the Lakers win over the Kings. Which New Jersey Nets player do you think will create the biggest matchup problem for the Lakers. P.S. Keep up the good job, and while you are at it, please knock some sense into Boston coach Jim O'Brien. The Nets better than the Lakers?
Mike Van-smack
Newport Beach, Calif.
Dear Mike,
No congratulations necessary, Mike. Jason Kidd is the toughest matchup for the Lakers. He's an irrepressible force from the perimeter -- much like Shaq is in the paint. Jason had a great series against the Celtics and seems to lift his game according to the level of the opposition. Phil Jackson will probably start Derek Fisher against him, and have Brian Shaw and Kobe Bryant ready to take their turns. They all have a tough job.
This will be different from the demands placed on the defense by Mike Bibby, a great shooter who is principally a scorer. Kidd is an average shooter at best and mainly a playmaker. The Lakers will try to minimize his assists by keeping Kidd's teammates from receiving backdoor and lob passes, staying with them at the perimeter when Jason drives and relying on Shaq to stop him at the hoop.
O'Brien greatly admired the way the Nets played against his team. He may have made that statement about the Nets winning the title too soon after Game 6. Now if the Kings had reached the Finals, the Nets might very well have won it all.
How can you say that the backcourt of Lakers-Nets series is even? Jason Kidd has had a better season and impact on games than Kobe Bryant, and Kerry Kittles is definitely a better player than Derek Fisher.
Pedro Guimaraes
Wyckoff, N.J.
Dear Pedro,
I match the strength of the total backcourt -- position by position. Granted, Kidd has a distinct advantage over Fisher -- he was magnificent in the Celtics series -- but don't underestimate Fish as a defender. Kobe has as much an advantage over Kittles, and I like Kerry's game a lot. Check Kobe's line from Game 7 in the Western Conference finals -- 30 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists without a TO. Plus, he was a tenacious defender, something that doesn't show in the box score. And he's a two-guard. I call the backcourts of the two teams a wash. You can call it as you see it.
Loyalty over production? Mo Cheeks, Gregg Popovich and Rick Adelman all chose the same "one" over the other. Cheeks showed loyalty to Damon Stoudamire, Popovich to Steve Smith, and Adelman to Doug Christie. Each coach had player(s) on the bench that could have provided enough production to help their respective teams beat L.A. Mo had Anderson, Popovich had Daniels and Adelman had Bobby Jackson. You've coached before. Enlighten me with the reason why a coach doesn't pull the trigger on an unproductive starter.
Henry
Evanston, Ill.
Dear Henry,
Each coach has his own way of dealing with a starter who struggles in a particular game. Most go with the policy of staying with the guys who got you there. And, there are other factors to consider other than scoring. A coach might stay with a starter who's shooting badly because he's doing a necessary good defensive job. I don't think "loyalty" is what you observed. The coach is more affected by the outcome of a game than the players. His job is more on the line, so you can be sure he's doing what he thinks will help his team the most to do just that. Over my coaching career, I've stayed with some players who were having a bad shooting night and subbed a hot hand for a cold shooter in others. A lot of it is like flying by the seat of your pants -- whatever feels right at the time.
What defines a moving screen in the NBA? I'm not even a Lakers fan, but I watched Vlade Divac and Chris Webber do the bunny-hop, shuffle step just about every time they set the pick for Mike Bibby, and on a couple of occasions watched them flop and call a foul on Derek Fisher.
Steve Warshaw
Seattle, Wash.
Dear Steve,
A player setting a screen for a teammate may not move into a defender. If the screener moves but doesn't make contact with the defender, no foul has occurred. The latter seems to happen a lot -- the screener moves, but the defender moves too, trying to get around the screen. In most cases, no foul is called. The league has come off the hard interpretation of this rule, however, and some minimal contact is permitted. If I recall the incident you're referring to, Fisher drove right through a legal screen set by Divac. I felt the officials made the right call in penalizing Fisher.
I know a lot of people will focus on C-Webb's misses in Game 7 against the Lakers, but very few will focus on the fact that he had 11 assists and could have had more if Doug Christie would have made a shot. What's your take on C-Webb's performance?
Felix Lopez
Bronx, N.Y.
Dear Felix,
I thought Webber had a solid Game 7 -- 20 points, 11 assists/two turnovers, eight rebounds, two blocks and a steal. That's a pretty strong line. He had no reason to question himself when he looked in the mirror the morning after.
You were a great coach and know a lot about basketball. Tell me why Phil Jackson is really that great of a coach. I think if you give Jeff Van Gundy or Pat Riley the same talent that Phil has they will have the same result Phil had in the past. Honestly, I think Phil is good, but he isn't as great as Riley. What's your thought? I think Phil is just lucky to be in the right place at the right time! Phil and JVG are at the same level, and Riley is just better than all other coaches in the NBA today. Riley had so much success in developing teams from scratch and had so much success in the past during the regular season. Just look at the 2001 season when Alonzo Mourning wasn't around. Riley still had a lot of success. If you put Phil in Riley's shoes, I don't think the Zen master would have the same success as Pat.
Jake
New York, N.Y.
Dear Jake,
Phil would never put on Riley's shoes. He doesn't want to develop a young team. He'll only take on a team that has all the ingredients to be a winner. You can't fault him for that. And he's done an outstanding job directing those kinds of teams in Chicago and Los Angeles, teams that weren't exactly burning it up before he got there. I rate Phil an excellent, albeit different, coach. Could he take a young team and make it a winner? That's something we'll never know.
You hear so much about Kobe being the best player in the league. Why don't more people give Tracy McGrady more credit? Their numbers are almost identical except for one big fact, Shaq. Tracy put his team on his back and led them to the playoffs. I wonder if Kobe would accomplish the same thing if he did not have the most dominant player ever behind him. So basically, why Kobe and not Tracy?
Antione Bennett
Detroit, Mich.
Dear Antione,
I'm one who thinks Kobe is deserving of the highest rating as an all-round player. TMac is a close second. I give Kobe the edge because of his skill at crunch time. He seldom comes up empty when the game is on the line. TMac is at the brink of the same status. He needs a tad more focus and drive over 48 minutes.
The Lakers without a doubt are going to win the NBA Finals. I think they will sweep New Jersey or take it in five games. If the Lakers win, does this championship put Kobe and Shaq in the top five for best players (Shaq is one of the best five, but Kobe really), or best duo ever? Personally, I think Kobe is already better than MJ, and he's not even in his prime yet!
Ruben
Cleveland, Ohio
Dear Ruben,
You may be jumping the gun by declaring the Lakers an automatic winner over the Nets, but there is no doubt that Shaq and Kobe are carving an impressive niche for themselves in NBA history. They're the two most dominant players at their positions in the league at the present time and are extremely competitive and clutch. There have been other great duos -- Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Larry Bird and Kevin McHale, Jerry West and Elgin Baylor. But before they have finished their NBA careers, Shaq/Kobe may well be remembered as the best ever.
Why was the Charles Barkley rule created if it is never called? The Game 7 of the Sacramento series is a great example. In the final two minutes, Shaq is given the ball on the lower block but waits until everyone cuts and then backs in Webber and shoots a hook. He had the ball for more than five seconds. I don't understand because it's hard enough to stop Shaq. But when he has seven seconds down low, it's impossible.
Rick DeCristofaro
Hanover, N.H.
Dear Rick,
The five-second rule pertains to dribbling back to the basket in the post area. The count starts when the post player dribbles, not when he catches the ball. The count stops when he picks up the ball, passes, shoots or has the ball deflected. I saw no violations with Shaq in this regard.
I'm no Celtics fan, but I've got to take umbrage with your statement that Kobe Bryant has more "dimensions" to his offensive game than Paul Pierce. What, exactly, is it that Kobe can do that Paul can't? Both seem to get to the hole and the line at will, and I would argue that Paul's a better outside shooter.
Scott Ehrlich
Amherst, N.H.
Dear Scott,
I'm also a big fan of Pierce. He's a better long-range shooter than Kobe, no question. I say Kobe has more dimensions to his game because of his passing skills (a weakness in Paul's game), his defense and his ability to come up with the right play at crunch time. I'd take both guys on my team in a heartbeat.
