By Tony Mejia
ProBasketballNews.com
For whatever reason, the Toronto Raptors didn't get off to very good starts in the opening two games of their first round series against No. 3 seed Orlando, results that ultimately cut short this season's playoff stint.
The "for whatever reason" is coyly brought to you by Raptors coach Sam Mitchell, who leaned on the phrase following Game 2 despite knowing exactly why his team stumbled to a 35-18 deficit in the second edition of a series that appeared to be up for grabs.
Simply put, Mitchell made the same mistake twice.
Toronto's head coach changed his starting lineup prior to Game 1, replacing Jamario Moon with Andrea Bargnani to field his three tallest players as his starting front line in order to combat Dwight Howard. The experiment was similar to the error Avery Johnson made against Golden State prior to Game 1 of the 2007 postseason, allowing an opposing team's personnel to dictate your moves. It subsequently failed miserably. The Raps looked confused and were blitzed by a Magic team that shot 80 percent for the quarter, effectively running away to hide.
Bargnani told me he'd known since the day prior to the series opener that he'd be starting, but starting point guard T.J. Ford said he had no clue until the opening introductions. Not surprisingly, the Raptors were out of sync, fumbling away an opportunity to put doubts in Orlando's heads.
Despite the poor start, Mitchell diminished the importance of his lineup change roughly an hour before the start of Game 2 and trotted out the same starting five. He was then treated to the Magic surging ahead to a 14-4 edge, embarrassing his team with a parade of dunks and layups.
Making matters worse, Toronto clawed back into that second game by going smaller, relying more on Moon, Jason Kapono and Carlos Delfino to erase a large deficit and ultimately set up a potential game-winner from Chris Bosh.
"Once they changed their lineup, it was obviously very difficult," Stan Van Gundy said. "They can do a little bit of what we do, take one good big guy, spread you out... we struggled with that. I won't think we'll see that (starting) lineup again. I always tell you guys that nothing in the NBA surprises me. That would surprise me."
We never did see the Bargnani-Bosh-Nesterovic lineup again, but the damage was done. Toronto's hole was dug. As the old NBA cliche goes, you can't win a game in a first quarter, but you can indeed lose it. In the Raptors' case, it can cost you a series, too.
For now, Mitchell's job is safe, at least until Mike D'Antoni is officially available. If the Suns coach does sever his ties with Phoenix, landing with the Raptors would be an ideal fit, from his relationship with front office fixtures Bryan Colangelo and Maurizio Gherardini to the makeup of the team's roster.
Bargnani, the No. 1 pick of the 2006 Draft, struggled in his sophomore season and would likely benefit from D'Antoni's ability to creatively get the most out of gifted offensive players.
If bounced, Mitchell would undoubtedly land on his feet and grab a top job within a summer or two, potentially heading south to join Donnie Walsh on the Knicks' reclamation job. No matter where he ends up, even if it's right back in Toronto, he'll have a valuable lesson learned under his belt. Tinkering with your team at the start of a postseason is a no-no, especially since it lets an opponent dictate your strategy, putting it in your team's head that its not good enough.
For the moment, his goof is the most egregious error of the 2008 postseason, though he has had some competition.
The following are five other instances where mulligans appear to have been in order:
1. Phoenix would love to have back a number of instances during their doomed series with San Antonio, but hindsight does indicate that the majority of errors involve Shaquille O'Neal. From biting on Manu Ginobili's drive and leaving Tim Duncan open beyond the arc during the closing seconds of overtime of Game 1 to playing right into Gregg Popovich's Hack-a-Shaq strategy by shooting 50 percent (32-for-64) from the line, O'Neal had a rough first postseason stint with the team he figures to retire with. Those who want to blame D'Antoni for leaving him out there throughout the series must realize his hands were tied because he didn't want to diminish his center's confidence, particularly since his acquisition was management's decision.
2. Carmelo Anthony calling his team out for quitting in Game 3 of Nuggets' eventual sweep at the hands of the Lakers was no mistake. He included himself in the criticism and raised the bar for an inspired performance in their next outing. What Denver should wish away is that George Karl benched Allen Iverson for much of that fourth quarter in that third game, lending credibility to the quitting accusations and creating tension within the ranks. Karl said he was looking for more professionalism, while Iverson thanked the fact that he wasn't young and foolish anymore, hinting that he might run off at the mouth if this had happened five years ago. With Iverson able to opt out of his current deal and Karl reportedly coming back, two very strong personalities have to look each other in the eye and determine if a positive working relationship can continue.
3. Gilbert Arenas respects his organization's decision to let him try out his sore knee in postseason competition, but it ultimately will end up costing the Wizards their lives. Washington's most talented player simply wasn't himself against the Cavs and contributed to the 3-1 hole his team found itself in before he shut it down for good. Although he got off to a solid start shooting the ball in the opener, his presence affected the effectiveness of fellow All-Stars Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison, who never really looked at ease in trying to incorporate him back in the mix. The fact is that this particular Wizards team had adjusted to life without Arenas well, transitioning into the grind-it-out defensive squad that persevered in Game 5. If they had to do it over again, Washington would've benefited from Arenas shutting it down before Game 4, a critical home loss after which Arenas declared "I'm out there limping around on one leg not really helping the team." For the series, he averaged 10.8 points and 2.8 assists, totals not substantial enough to justify disrupting this particular team's rhythm.
4. Dallas was on its heels from the opening minutes of their series against New Orleans. In fact, the Mavericks looked so overmatched that you wonder if they don't wish they couldn't turn back the clock to the final game of the regular season, tanked at home against the Hornets and settled for a No. 8 seed and a date with the Lakers. Although L.A. looks formidable, the Mavs match up better against them and would've probably lasted longer than the five games they held on for against New Orleans. From Dirk Nowitzki not retaliating more violently to David West caressing his cheek to Jason Kidd's poor shooting to Josh Howard's disappearance and admission of smoking weed during the offseason, their ousting was a collective Texas-sized disaster that Avery Johnson ultimately wound up paying for with his job. As the old saying goes, you can't fire all the players.
5. Utah could've enjoyed substantial time off prior to a Western Conference semifinal series against the Lakers had Deron Williams' game-winning drive on their final possession of Game 3 been different. Down 93-92, Williams twice missed cutters to the basket who would've either scored or been fouled and ultimately settled for an off-balance jumper that was blocked by Carl Landry. The Jazz had cut a 93-86 deficit down to one in the final two minutes and would've demoralized Houston by completing the comeback, going up 3-0 and heading towards a sweep. Ironically, the final play was one of Williams' few miscues in the contest, finishing with a game-high 28 points and 12 assists.
Tony Mejia is a regular contributor to Pro Basketball News. Comment on this story by sending an e-mail here.
NBA PLAYOFFS: May 2, 2008
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