Why . . . Grant Hill is a Future Hall of Famer

In a preview piece written before the start of the 2001 season, Sports Illustrated's Ian Thomsen wrote of the Orlando Magic: "Though the Magic (are) by no means a title contender this year, (they) will be among the elite teams in the Eastern Conference. With nine first-round picks over the next five years, and with the city of Orlando an ever-attractive destination for free agents, the Magic (are) in excellent shape to gradually add the muscle needed to go all the way." While the rest of SI's staff begged to differ (they picked Orlando to finish first in the East and ultimately lose to the Blazers in the Finals), there was no debate that the Magic's addition of the newly-formed super-duo of Grant Hill (coming off a season in which he'd averaged 25-6-5 and dragged a sub-standard team to a playoff appearance) and a very-young Tracy McGrady would elevate the franchise to new heights in the succeeding years.

Beyond the misfortunes which ultimately undermined those dreams, and beyond the obvious and, quite frankly, spooky parallels between the Magic's situation in the summer of 2000 and the Heat's in 2010 (right down to the addition of Mike Miller and the vociferous criticisms launched against a superstar small-forward for leaving an economically-depressed Midwestern city for the Sunshine State), perhaps the most under-appreciated aspect of the failures of the Magic to capitalize on their luck and guile was the damage inflicted upon the public and media perceptions of Grant Hill's career. Leading into the 2001 season, Hill was widely-considered to be one of the best all-around players in the game, whose stellar play had (unfortunately, and seemingly inevitably) inspired writers and fans to draw comparisons to that of Michael Jordan; following the conclusion of the 2004 season, Hill had, due to an assortment of injuries, been able to participate in only 47 out of a possible 328 games since joining Orlando. Coupled with the meteoric rise of Tracy McGrady, Hill was all-but forgotten and his legacy seemed to be forever tarnished by unfulfilled expectations.

And unjustly so, I might add. While there are undoubtedly many who would balk at the suggestion that his career is Hall-of-Fame worthy, I have to remind my imaginary skeptics that Hill's career before joining the Magic ten years ago was in-and-of itself enough to garner that distinction. In his first six years, Hill averaged 21.5 ppg, 7.9 rpg, and 6.3 apg on 47% shooting, numbers which compare favorably to those posted by LeBron James (27.8 ppg (though he averaged four more shots a game than Hill), 7 rpg,  and 7 apg on 47% shooting) and Scottie Pippen (16.9 ppg, 6.8 rpg, and 5.2 apg on 49% shooting) in the first six seasons of their respective careers. He was also selected  to five All-NBA teams (1x First Team, 4x Second Team) and five All-Star games, and finished third in MVP voting in 1997 after averaging 21 ppg, 9 rpg, and 7 apg on 49% shooting and leading the Pistons to fifty-four victories (their best win total since 1990).

Of course, one cannot simply dismiss the impact Hill's injuries had on his career; they undoubtedly robbed him of his prime years, and submarined any chance the Magic had at contending for a title in the first half of the 2000's. However, the true extent of the damage to his abilities has been somewhat overstated over the last few years; after all, despite being beleaguered by health issues in five out of six seasons in the 2001-2006 stretch, Hill was able to return briefly to form in 2005 (averaging 19 ppg on 50% shooting and making the All-Star team), and has from 2007-2010 (a period in which he has only missed twenty-seven games) reinvented himself into an extremely effective role player on playoff teams in both Orlando and Phoenix. Indeed, this past post-season saw Hill assume the duties of a defensive ace for the Suns in their unexpected run to the Conference Finals, and come up with plays like this (at the age of thirty-seven, no less):



While he is obviously no longer the player he was, his ability to remain effective despite his history of injuries and his age is a testament to his overall talents. Tempting as it is to wonder what could or should have been, Grant Hill's legacy as it stands now is one which is both inspiring and worthy of the highest recognition; one hopes that writers, fans, and media personalities will remember this when he becomes eligible for the Hall of Fame.

The Return of Ubuntu

A month ago, I thought the Celtics were done. Finished. Caput. I thought, like many others did, that age had finally caught up with the Big Three; that whatever chemistry issues were plaguing the team over the last couple of seasons had finally come to destroy the unity which had propelled the franchise to its 17th championship in 2008; that Cleveland and Orlando had stockpiled enough talent to maintain a stranglehold on the East for not only this season, but also for the forseeable future as well. In short, I thought that (to use an already overused cliche) the championship window was firmly shut, and that the next few seasons would prove painful as the team's stars aged and the young players (including Rajon Rondo) would prove unable to carry a team by themselves

Man, was I wrong. Perhaps it was foolish to write off a team which, over the last two seasons, had proven time and again that it was capable of performing at the highest level when required, regardless of the circumstances. In fact, I could, at this juncture, copy and paste the entirety of Rudy Tomjanovich's "heart of a champion" speech into this space, and go on and on about the grit and resolve of this particular squad, and observe how Ragin' Rajon Rondo has entered the "best point guard in the league" debate as a result of his dazzling play during this postseason. I could, in other words, list all the reasons why we shouldn't be surprised with the Celtics right about now, and thus bore my non-existent audience with things they are undoubtedly already aware of.

And yet, I can't but help feel that this doubt was justified for much (if not all) of this particular season. While the decision to "pick their spots" and not go full-bore during the dog-days of winter ultimately payed off, the lethargy which accompanied many of the Celtics' performances left many (including myself) with a bitter taste in their mouth; this was especially true when these lackluster performances were contrasted with the efforts of the two seasons prior. The teams of 2008 and 2009 were memorable and likable because of the fire they brought to virtually each game, especially on the defensive end; it was as if every contest was a test of their pride and will, whether they were playing the Nets on some random night in February or the Lakers in the Finals.

The beginning of this season was no indication of a shift in attitude or effort, and the Celtics were, with their victory over the Magic on Christmas Day, possessors of a 23-5 record, which in and of itself left one with the hope that they were capable of winning another title. Then, as a result of a variety of injuries and the onset of Sheeditis (a horrible, horrible disease which strickens its victims with extreme laziness and apathy), they began to slip and struggle for much of the rest of the regular season. Their hearts and minds appeared to be elsewhere, their efforts marked by a distinct lack of interest; again, this disinterest in the vagaries of the season ultimately paid off, and now they find themselves in a position to exact vengeance on the Magic for last year's loss in the Semifinals and advance to their second Finals appearance in the last three years. It's too bad that it took them until the middle of April to show us that they were still capable of that.

Note: if this report proves to be true, then this Celtics victory may (as Bill Simmons pointed out earlier today in his podcast with Sean Grande and Brian Windhorst) have just irrecovably altered the future of the NBA. While the speculation regarding LeBron and his impending free agency has been a feature of league-talk for the last two seasons or so, most of the chatter has been concerned with the possibility of James signing with the Knicks (obviously); if he were to sign with the Bulls, that would not only portend terrible things for New York, but also for the Eastern Conference as a whole.

Let me illustrate this point with simple mathematics:

LeBron James + Derrick Rose + Joakim Noah + competent supporting cast = dynasty

True Grit or: Your Home Court Means Nothing

Ever since their Game 4 loss to Oklahoma City in the First Round, the Lakers have been on a tear. While their margins of victory over the Thunder and the Jazz have been relatively unimpressive (except for their Game 5 blowout of OKC), the toughness they've exhibited since that aforementioned humiliating defeat at the hands of Kevin Durant and company has quieted some of the talk regarding their focus and chemistry issues. The narrow victory they eked out against the Jazz tonight in Salt Lake City, despite the brillant play of Deron Williams and Kyle Korver and the return of Andrei Kirilenko, is further confirmation of the fact that the Lakers, no matter how unlikable and passionless they may some times appear to be, are champions in the truest sense of the word. They could have at any point given up, and taken comfort in the fact that they would have retained home-court advantage regardless of the outcome; instead, they refused to wither in a physical game in front of a hostile crowd, and stole a one-point victory against a team with its back against the wall.

Despite his hesitancy to pass in the first quarter, Kobe played a magnificent game (35 points on 13-24 shooting, 7 assists, and several cluch plays in the final minutes of the fourth), as did Ron Artest (!) and Derek Fisher (!), both of whom provided L.A. a spark with their outside shooting (!!!). While they shouldn't expect the latter two to play as well as they did going forward (indeed, Fisher's performance was akin to Lazarus rising from the dead), the Lakers have to be encouraged that they were able to pull out a road win, despite the apparent inability of their bench players to play well anymore (really, 8-24 from the field, guys?). A sweep is, at this point, not out of the question considering the disheartening way in which the Jazz lost (poor, poor Wes Matthews), though one shouldn't be surprised if the Lakers are unable to stifle the desire to finish up the series at home.

Also: the less that's said about the Orlando-Atlanta series, the better. However, I find it remarkable that the lower seeds in each conference are having such a hard time defending their home court. Atlanta and Boston were hammered by their visiting opponents, and the Jazz and Spurs lost tight, physical games in front of crowds who traditionally have swung more than a few games in their favor. Strange times, folks.