It’s the Soliloquy of PlayoffsBy: Jonathan Pastuszek

Better late than never, that’s what I always say.

And it’s in that spirit that we pay tribute to Keith Elam, one of hip-hop’s most influential MCs of all-time, who died on April 19th from complications of cancer.

Better known as Guru, the NYC transplant via Roxbury, Massachusetts received acclaim spanning over three decades for his unique monotone delivery and socially conscious lyrics.

As part of Gang Starr with Christopher Martin, known by virtually all as DJ Premier, the group blended elements of jazz and hip-hop together in the late 80s and early 90s, influencing an entire generation of music and building the bridges that other artists used to cross over into other genres.

Never over the top, but always boastful, Guru’s distinct deep voice on the microphone generated legions of dedicated fans who grew to love his lyrics that touched on real issues present in inner-cities, hip-hop, politics, the media and other aspects of life.

Guru’s message of positivity, however, is perhaps his greatest attribute.  He will be sorely missed in music today – hip-hop has truly lost one of its favorite sons, as well as one of my favorite musicians of all-time. 

With two rounds now completed, the time is finally right to do a proper tribute to one of hip-hop’s most consistently talented MCs ever.  And it’s somewhat fitting that we do this through the lens of NBA hoops, since Guru himself was a fan of the game, and even rapped about it on occasion.

If you have never heard the understated, monotone style of Guru, then I invite you to click on each track and have a listen.  And if you’re a fan of the music, casual or die-hard, then join with me as we salute the late Baldhead Slick in the only way we can here on NBADraft.net, through basketball.  

Manifest (No More Mr. Nice Guy, 1989): Kobe Bryant 

 My fate is to be, cold makin’ history

I use sincerity, but I’m very so deep 

Off their first recorded album, Guru and Premier established themselves right off the bat as an act that could stand toe-to-toe with other jazz-rap artists at the time, like A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul.  Although the debut album never enjoyed the success in record sales of their counterparts, No More Mr. Nice Guy was well received by audiences and put Gang Starr on the New York map.

“Manifest,” a boastful track, is appropriate when used with Bryant, arguably the cockiest (and rightfully so) player in the League.  For a while, that extreme confidence was perceived as arrogance and selfishness.  Kobe’s receptive demeanor and ball-hogging placed him in a negative light for a while, and cast doubt with many over his legacy.

In past years, however, Kobe has somewhat reinvented himself, with the help of some new arriving talented teammates, and the return of an old coach.  Kobe has opened up to the media and teammates, revealing a softer, more gentle side that has given us deeper insight and understanding of a man many thought was a social enigma.  He’s the best player in the League, and maybe finally at peace with his own personality, and his place in history.

Sincere or not, Mamba is as accessible today as he’s ever been.  Maybe a little too accessible. An LA Times Magazine feature captured a side previously unseen from Mamba, and the results were… interesting.    Was Kobe inspired from teammate and advocate for abused Afghan women, Ron Artest?  Not even his 10-29 brick-fest in Game 3 against the Thunder missed the mark worse than this photo shoot.

Execution of a Chump (Step in the Arena): The Orlando Magic’s decimation of the Charlotte Bobcats and Atlanta Hawks

Cuz if you did step like the kid who did front

You will bear witness, the execution of a chump 

In a total reversal from last year, it’s the Magic, not the Cavaliers, who are rolling through the Playoffs, blowing out their overmatched opponents with ease: Eight straight wins, six games decided by double digits and three games where they’ve held their opponents to under 80 points.

Are the Magic really the invincible juggernaut that their impressive record suggests they are? Well… sort of.  Anybody who watches NBA ball, from the casual fan to the most hardened of stat geeks know that the Magic are really, really good.  They have a superstar in Dwight Howard, who is not only the most dominant defensive player in the League right now, but also an imposing force on offense who needs constant attention when he’s picking-and-rolling or down on the block.  Flanking Howard is Vince Carter, a prolific scorer who can score in bunches when he feels like it, and an endless supply of interchangeable three point-shooters, all of whom can put it on the floor when needed and find the open man.

All of that — the gigantic rejections, three-pointers and streaky scoring — isn’t what makes this team so dangerous, though.  Their all-League defense is, a credit to what Stan Van Gundy has been able to instill in his players.  The self-admitted overly intense coach has engrained a perfectionist attitude on defense amongst its players, and it’s what helps them maintain their dominance: 8-0 in the Playoffs, 27-3 in their last 30 games.  In that stretch, they’ve let up over 100 points only three times.

But, given all that, the teams that they’ve beaten up on in the Playoffs are all chumps.  Neither Charlotte nor Atlanta match-up well with Orlando, and neither had the requisite Playoff experience to mount any sort of challenge whatsoever. Orlando was picked by many to sweep Charlotte in the first round, and picked by some to sweep Atlanta in the second, based on their regular season dominance.  It’s been an impressive ride, but this was expected from them. The real test will begin on Sunday, when they host a hungry Celtic team playing it’s best ball of the year for a trip to the NBA Finals.

Le Bien, Le Mal (Jazzmatazz: Volume 1, 1993): The first and second round

The good, the bad

Le bien, le mal

Guru’s acclaim went further than Gang Starr through his Jazzmatazz series.  In his first of four albums that meshed jazz and hip-hop to form a unique album, “Le Bien, Le Mal” is spit half in in French by MC Solaar (not to be confused with Guru’s last, and much maligned producer, Solar) and half in English by Guru.  The distinctive song is a stand-out track on yet another underrated Guru inspired album.

Have these Playoffs been as distinctive as the Jazzmatazz series?  Yes and no.

The first round of the Playoffs, good.  Lakers-Thunder, Suns-Blazers, Celtics-Heat even Cavs-Bulls all had their moments and for the most part entertaining series that had compelling plot-lines, memorable moments and closely fought games.

The second round… yeah, not so much.  Three sweeps and a choppy six game Celts-Cavs series that saw two blowouts pretty much are all you need to know about how competitive these series were.  Yes, there were moments: Goran Dragic, and a few close ones in Los Angeles and Utah. But, overall, I was expecting a lot more.  Here’s hoping the Conference Finals are better.

ALongWaytoGo (Hard to Earn, 1994): LeBron James and the city of Cleveland

It’s a long way to go when you don’t know where you’re going

You don’t know where you’re going when you’re lost

48 days.  It’s the name of a scary horror flick set in an apocalyptic zombie-infested world that I didn’t find very captivating.

48 days.  It’s also the amount of time from today until July 1st, when Summer of LeBron will open up in a theater near you.  Compared to two years ago, when this hyped up beast started growing horns, that’s very close.  But, if you’re a Cavs fan, that is a loooooong one and a half months. 

As Adrian Wojnarowksi on Yahoo! pointed out the other day, LeBron’s potential departure from Cleveland goes way beyond just the hardwood.  If LBJ bolted, the Cleveland Cavaliers as a franchise would be worth a fraction of what they are today, lowering the value of what owner Dan Gilbert has worked hard to build up.  It would affect tourism.  It would affect the business of nearby bars and restaurants.  It would, quite simply, change everything in Cleveland.  

So what happens in the end? 

Clearly, LeBron is fed up with his surroundings in Cleveland.  In seven years, Danny Ferry has been unable to get fit the right mix of talent around him and Mike Brown hasn’t figured out how to develop an offensive system that takes pressure off of LeBron to facilitate everything.  Now entering the prime of his career, LeBron has to decide if loyalty to the state where he grew up and to the fans that adore him outweigh the possibilities of playing with an All-Star teammate another city could bring.

And that’s why his embrace with Kevin Garnett was so meaningful last night.  KG’s been down that road before.  He opted for loyalty over pure self-interest, and it cost him the prime of his career.  Does LBJ want to take that risk knowing the best years of his career could be spent in NBA Championship-less misery?

We can say LeBron cares about Ohio and the city of Cleveland, but above all, LeBron’s own image is where his heart truly rests.  His quest to become a worldwide icon can only be achieved if he’s winning championships.  In one week, LeBron has changed from being perceived as the unrivaled MVP, the best player in the League, to a preening phony that doesn’t understand what it is to lead a championship team.

LeBron’s image has taken a hit, and it’s because he’s losing.  Some of that is definitely on LeBron himself, but it’s obvious that he doesn’t have the pieces around him either.  Even if Brown and Ferry are fired, and a new and improved foundation is built under LeBron, the period of adjustment won’t be short.  It will take time to build up a perennial contender with legit All-Stars around him.

Here’s what I say happens: LeBron claims his loyalty to Akron alone, thanks the city of Cleveland for seven great years, and bolts for either New York or Chicago where he can play alongside Derrick Rose, Chris Bosh, Joe Johnson, Dwyane Wade or whatever other All-Star he chooses to play with.  Because if LBJ can get to the NBA Finals with Eric Snow, Donyell Marshall and Damon Jones prominently involved, you’d better believe he can get back there with a stud sidekick.

Self-interest vs. what’s best for all.  It’s a moral decision we as people struggle with all the time. Does the Chosen One want to pick the best situation where he can win rings, build his image back up and become the global icon he desires?  Or, does he stay true to his state, save the city of Cleveland and try to go down as the hero of Ohio?

It’s a long way to go until July 1st.

The Militia (Moment of Truth, 1998): The Phoenix Suns’ second unit

I ain’t one to succumb to no man, but to command

And scoop up the troops when it’s time to take a stand

Emphatically, deep strategies leave casualties

I creep gradually, til everybody knows

For the first eight minutes of the game, basketball is played by the best.  Five starters from each team line-up beside each other, tip the ball off, and begin to fight in the battle for the early round advantage.  Here, the score is often unimportant, as the game is in its infant stages with plenty of time left still to develop.  Match-ups, tempo and physicality are all explored as each team attempts to force their planned style upon their opponent.

Then, teams start reacting and the chess match begins.  Either stemming from foul-trouble, fatigue, mismatches, individual performance and/or general substitution patterns, substitutions are made and the game changes from a battle of the best, to a more unpredictable form.

Obviously, these players coming in aren’t as good as their teammates who start.  Otherwise, they’d be starting off the game themselves.  But, the subs, while not as well-rounded, do certain things very well and have carved their niche as an NBA player by doing these select things extremely well.  Often, three or four subs are used in conjunction with a more talented starter who is able to command the ball offensively without the expense of decreased efficiency.

The Suns, however, do it a little differently.  They march out The Militia, a bench unit completely separate from the starters.  An eclectic group featuring Goran Dragic, Leandro Barbosa, Jared Dudley, Louis Admunson and Channing Frye, the Suns’ bench gives the team an advantage in raw numbers.  Ten deep, the Suns can play up-tempo for 48 minutes without worry of fatigue while also frustrating opponents’ defense in the half-court.

Most second units’ job is to hang in there just long enough so that when the starters come back in, the difference in score is minimal.  Because of the drop of in talent between the two units, the bench is used in short spurts at the end of the first quarter and into the second, so that rest-time can be maximized during the long break in between quarters.

But, the Suns do things differently.  The Dragic-Barbosa-Dudley-Admunson-Frye unit is their third most used unit, and with a +2 point differential in just over 55 minutes of Playoff game-time, it’s a unit that can be trusted in long stretches.  And make no doubt about it: With aging starters like Steve Nash and Grant Hill playing deep into the postseason, every bit of rest is important.  And as with +/-, don’t believe everything at face value.  If you’re not careful, the Milita will ambush you from out of nowhere.  Just ask the Spurs, who still have first-degree burns from the 26 fourth-quarter explosion from Dragic in Game 3, and Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker, who were run out of the gym – and eventually the Playoffs – by the Suns’ second unit late in Game 4.

Kobe, Nash and the Lakers’ size are all important things to watch for, but make no mistake about it: The paper-thin Lakers will need to account for Phoenix’s bench, arguably the biggest reason why they are in the improbable position of playing for the franchise’s first NBA Finals since 1993.

Credit Is Due (Full Clip: A Decade of Gang Starr, 1999): The Boston Celtics

You know you got to give the credit… where it is due

Give the credit ya’ll… where it is due

The dominant Playoff headlines thus far have all revolved around LeBron James and his inability to deliver a team with the best regular season record into the Finals for the second straight year.  The world revolves around the King, everything else is just minor.

If you read all those headlines and believe everything people tell you, well you, sir, are in trouble in this thing called life.  And you’d also be foolishly ignoring the excellent display of team basketball by the Boston Celtics, who despite their advancing years and overall grouchiness, completely outplayed their counterparts for much of the series.

The Big Three as we knew them are gone, but the Big Unit (No not Randy Johnson) has emerged as the best five-man team in the League right now.  Rondo races, Allen swishes, Pierce leads, Garnett manages, and Perkins intimidates.  All of them defend together and share the ball.

Individually, none are good enough anymore to carry the team for multiple games.  But, they don’t have to.  Their highly organized, help-the-helper defense was a thing of beauty to watch against the Cavs.  When in possession of the ball, their collective ability to recognize and exploit individual mismatches while maintaining an unselfish, find-the-open-man philosophy was refreshing for those who watched this team lumber through the regular season without emotion.

The credit must be given here, people.  The Celtics won this series by executing the stuff that made them champions in 2008.  

R.I.P. Keith Elam 1961-2010

Jon Pastuszek can be reached at [email protected]