Hawks Magic Summary

Best Player in the Series: Jameer Nelson. You know what, this series was the least interesting by far of the 1st round, and there really was nothing worth recapping. Want a summary? Here's one. Orlando's second straight year of turning over part of the core didn't help this team get back to the Finals. Again. Jameer now goes in the file of great Orlando Magic predictions: Tracy McGrady, how does it feel to be in the 2nd round? Good? Well, turns out you blew your 3-1 lead, and you never made it. Jameer, telling Derrick Rose you'll see him in the 2nd round? Sleeping dogs are best left alone, especially if they're a little mad already.

Worst Player in the Series: Brandon Bass. Two years ago, the Orlando Magic were fun to watch because they were so unconventional. How many pick and rolls can you possibly run with five guys? With two capable playmakers (Alston and Turkoglu), and three viable screeners (Turkoglu, Lewis, Howard) with different skill sets, they were tough to stop, and compelling to watch. Blowing up that team meant becoming conventional, and ruining the spacing their offense used to have. Turk out, VC in? More conventional, less spacing. Lewis out, Bass in? More conventional, less spacing (Why did Otis Smith roll the dice with huge trade after huge trade instead of paying Turk after '09 and seeing if that core could win it all. Does he get paid a percentage of salaries involved in trades or something?).

Jerome James Award: Jamal Crawford. Jamal Crawford is probably the best clutch player on the floor for the Hawks (I wonder less about Joe Johnson getting to the rim now, and more about him even getting enough space for a free throw line jumper in crunch time). But there's a problem. In the playoffs, we just assume that every game comes down to three possessions in the last minute, and it seems like if you're money then, nothing else matters, you get to do the postgame interview. I don't agree. Pushing a tie game into an 8 point game early in the 4th quarter and playing keep away for 5 minutes is just as valuable is breaking a tie in the last two minutes. If Jamal doesn't tighten it up against Chicago in the first three and half quarters, the Hawks may learn that lesson. Real quick.