Tag: Orlando Magic

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NBA General

Around the Rim: Another rough night for the young King



A 2-0 hole would make anyone a
little nervous.

1. Second half meltdown
Cleveland had a commanding halftime lead (50-38) in Game 2 but somehow managed to bumble it away and slip into a 2-0 hole by scoring a pathetic 26 points in the final 24 minutes and losing 79-76. The Cavs had an opportunity to win the game in the final seconds but LeBron James missed a contested spinning shot in the lane that he will undoubtedly be criticized for because he didn’t dish the rock off. But this would be Rasheed Wallace‘s night as he came on strong in the fourth when he put in 10 of his 16 points, including the go-ahead bucket with 24 ticks left on the clock. If this feels familiar, it should; last year the Pistons took a 2-0 lead over Cleveland in a second round series that eventually saw a Game 7. We can only hope that the James Gang has enough heart to force another game of ultimate elimination. The Cavs will find out on Sunday night if Dorothy was right.

2. The Magic make their coach disappear

The coaching carousel continues to turn in the NBA and the latest hard, plastic pony to become available is in Orlando where the Magic decided to part ways with Brian Hill after he spent two seasons with the team. Apparently a 40-42 record along with a first round sweep out of the playoffs just wasn’t gonna cut it in the Magic Kingdom. Where Hill goes from here is unpredictable, but he will have several options available to him over the off-season. However, the Magic are now forced to find a veteran coach who can take this talented team to a level that Hill wasn’t able to. While Stan Van Gundy isn’t exactly a grizzled vet, he does have head coaching experience with a winning club filled with marquee superstars, which is a lot better resume than most cheap, available assistant’s can offer. And with Rick Adelman out of the picture there aren’t a whole lot of proven winners available out there. Whoever the Magic decide to bring in is going to have to work fast because the Orlando bigwigs are certainly unwilling to wait for results; with a budding Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson on the squad, the Magic are ready to start blossoming right now.

3. Former baller behind bars
The NBA family took a punch to the gut this week as former player Henry Charles James was sentenced to five years in the pokey for dealing drugs. James spent the 90’s bouncing from team to team but now he’s simply going to be bouncing from cell to cell in the prison system. Last summer, James was busted by an undercover police officer after making two separate deals with the officer for a total of $750 worth of crack cocaine. Police arrested him on September 7th after James brought several children along with him to the spot where the deal was to go down.

Thursday’s Player of the Day: Rasheed Wallace vs. Cleveland 33 min, 16 pts (FG: 7-10, 3FG: 1-3, FT: 1-2), 11 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl, 2 blk

Buzzer Beater: Historically San Antonio has struggled in Salt Lake City during the post season and this year the Jazz are undefeated at home in the playoffs, so it would seem that Game 3 would be the perfect opportunity for Utah to grab their first W in the Western Conference finals. But looks can be deceiving because, to this point, the Jazz have given very little reason to believe that they can turn this series around. Sure, they’ve had some fourth quarter surges behind the great play of Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams but San Antonio has simply imposed their will on the Jazz for two games now; in fact, Utah never led once during Game 2. The Jazz are going to have to get someone to step up as a third option if they are going to start chipping away at San Antonio’s 2-0 lead. However, the time for Utah is now and if they can’t win Game 3 then the Spurs will be playing for their fourth title since 1999.

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NBA General

Around the Rim: Happy Trails, Florida



I came back for this?

1. No more magic, no more heat: The two Florida franchises were knocked out of the NBA playoffs over the weekend. Swept out even. On Saturday, the Pistons took care of the Magic in Orlando. Detroit was down by 5 points with 3 minutes left but rallied to win the game and series. The Magic weren’t supposed to be anything more than a roadbump for the Pistons and the series went as expected. The Heat, on the other hand, were supposed to defend their NBA title and set up a stellar series with the Pistons. Instead, they went meekly into the night after the baby Bulls ran all over them from the getgo. The Heat were toast after losing game 3 at home on Friday night but we expected them to salvage some pride and win a game. Nope. Despite coming out quickly in the first quarter, they couldn’t keep the lead in the second half and the Bulls took care of business in the knockout game.

2. On the brink: Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire had stellar games for the Suns to put the Lakers into a 1-3 hole but the big story out west is the Golden State Warriors completely outplaying the Mavericks on the way to a 3-1 series lead. Baron Davis is playing the best basketball of his career at exactly the right time. He scored 33 points and handed out a team high 4 assists in Sunday’s 103-99 victory. Meanwhile, Dirk Nowitzki is playing like the anti-MVP. His stats still lead the Mavericks and he did have those two big 3s at the end of the game but it was too little too late. Already down 2-1 in the series, Nowitzki can’t wait the final minutes to start making big shots. He’s not Robert Horry, situational big shot Bob. He’s gotta dominate from the start. The Warriors have two shots to win this thing: Tuesday night in Dallas and then back home Thursday. There’s no way they win a game 7 in Dallas if it comes down to that, even though TNT is praying for that to happen.

3. On the brink 2: The Raptors might be the higher seeded team but the Nets are absolutely taking them out to the woodshed in this series. Sunday night’s game was especially embarassing for Chris Bosh and company as the Nets more than doubled them up in the first quarter and lead by as much as 33 points during the game. That’s two games in a row that the Nets have practically gone wire to wire. The Raptors will have to come out swinging in front of their home crowd on Tuesday, if not for their fans, then for NBA broadcasters who must be disgusted with the Eastern conference this year. Two 4 game sweeps that likely will turn into 3 when the Cavaliers take on the Wizards tonight. These playoffs aren’t doing much for the perception that the East is the JV league.

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NBA General

Around the Rim: A pair of underdogs win must win Game 3’s, sorry Orlando

That kind of night for the Rockets.

1. Jazz finally tune up the band
The Rockets won the first two games against the Jazz with relative ease in Houston, but what a difference a change of scenery can make. Back in Salt Lake City, Utah held the Rockets to just 67 points in an 81-67 Game 3 romping as Houston hit just 21-of-64 shots from the floor. And the 19 turnovers didn’t help any either. Oh, and did we mention that the Rockets became the first team in playoff history to have only four players score in a game (Yao Ming – 26 points, Tracy McGrady – 24, Shane Battier – 11, and Rafer Alston – 6)? On the winning side of things, Carlos Boozer showed why he was considered to be an MVP candidate before breaking his leg earlier in the season by carrying the offensive load with a team-high 22 points to go along with a dozen boards.

And for all you Andrei Kirilenko fans out there, it looks like Masha still hasn’t convinced Jerry Sloan to get that interpreter because AK-47 finished the game with just two points on 1-of-2 shooting.

2. When the stars come out, the Suns set

After suffering a 28 point spanking at the hands of Phoenix in Game 2 the Lakers promptly opened Game 3 by falling behind by 17 points before the end of the first quarter. But LA has Kobe Bryant and no lead is safe when Kobe is in the building, and in typical Mamba fashion Bryant loaded up his team and took them on a ride as he blew up for 45 points. And, believe or not, he even got a little help from his friends as Kwame Brown scored 19 points (we didn’t believe it either, but its true) and Lamar Odom put in 18 of his own along with 16 rebounds. The game got a little chippy at the end as Smush Parker went up for a slam with time expiring and the game in hand which drew a hard foul from Raja Bell and some naughty words form Mike D’Antoni. Looks like we’re establishing quite an impressive card for NBA Fight Night as D’Antoni vs. Parker will warm up the crowd for the main event: Tim Duncan vs. Joey Crawford. Let’s get it on!

3. The Magic need to pull a rabbit out of their hat
The first two games of the Pistons/Magic series were both decided by eight points as Detroit left Mo Town with a 2-0 lead. But a funny thing happened when the series shifted to Orlando; the Magic actually got worse and suffered a 16 point beating, 93-77, at the hands of Flip Saunders’ boys. All five starters for the Pistons finished the game in double digits with Tayshaun Prince leading the way with 23 points while Cha-Cha-Cha-Chauncey Billups was next in line with 21. Meanwhile, Dwight Howard‘s limited scoring capabilities are being exposed as his All-Star caliber season is ending with disappointment. Howard has been held under 13 points in all three games while never making more than five field goals in a single contest. Hopefully Howard’s inability to lead the team offensively will motivate him during the off-season and the world will be witness to a whole new monster come next November.

Thursday’s Player of the Day: Kobe Bryant vs. Phoenix 45 min, 45 pts (FG: 15-26, 3FG: 2-3, FT: 13-13), 6 reb, 6 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk

Buzzer Beater: ESPN released a list of “the 30 best international players in the NBA” and in a shocking move ESPN Insider John Hollinger named Dirk Nowitzki as the baddest man in the Association not American as apple pie. Why so shocking? Well, Hollinger clearly states in his “ground rules” that “I’m not basing the rankings solely on a player’s performance this past season; instead I’m looking at the big picture.” If that’s the case, how can Nowitzki be ranked ahead of a three time champion and five time MVP (2 regular season, 3 Finals) in Tim Duncan? Or even the two-time defending MVP Steve Nash? Hey, we’ll give Dirk his props; he’s probably going to grab the MVP this season and could possibly end the playoffs with a ring on his finger but none of that has happened yet. And until it does even if it does, he’s still gotta play second fiddle to Timmy D.

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NBA General

Around the Rim: Utah gets floored by the Rockets

1. Clutch City is back on track
Carlos Boozer tied a career-high with 41 points to go along with 12 rebounds and six assists but it was his critical turnover with 20 seconds left in the game that will be remembered. Boozer dribbled the ball off his foot and helped Houston secure a 98-90 victory, giving them a 2-0 lead in the series. The Jazz started the season by jumping out to a 12-1 record but ended the year by dropping seven of their last 11 games, and if you throw in their playoff woes, they have lost nine of their last 13 contests. If that’s not bad enough, the Jazz have never won a playoff series after falling behind 0-2. Houston is riding a momentum tidal wave of monumental proportions behind the efforts of their droopy-eyed superstar Tracy McGrady (31 points, 10 rebounds, five assists). If the Rockets can hold on to their lead over the Jazz they’ll be on their way to the second round for the first time since 1997, not to mention it would be T-Mac’s first trip past the opening round in his ten year career. Just keep your mouth shut Tracy; Houstonians don’t want a repeat of your big mouthed fiasco during the 2003 playoffs.

2. The 151st best player in the league

Some observers of the game have been saying that Phoenix has the best starting five in the league, but on Monday the Suns showed that they have a pretty good bench as well. In a landslide, Leandro Barbosa took home the Sixth Man Award (and a nice sized bonus check in the process) to join the likes of Mike Miller, Ben Gordon, Antawn Jamison and others. Barbosa finished with 578 points, including 101 first place votes, to blow away Manu Ginobili (269 points) and Jerry Stackhouse (210 points). This could be the first of many post season awards for Phoenix considering that Mike D’Antoni, Steve Nash, Amare Stoudemire and Shawn Marion are all candidates for various awards. The “Brazilian Blur” averaged 18.1 points off the bench to compliment the Suns’ starters; all that’s left for Barbosa to do now is work his way into the starting lineup. And come up with a more creative nickname.

3. The Magic’s disappearing act
The series score is 2-0, but it might as well be 4-0 after Detroit put another hurting on Orlando and held Dwight Howard to just eight points on three-of-nine shooting. Howard has as much potential as any young superstar in the league but his playoff immaturity is definitely shinning through as he has only scored 21 points in the first two games. As it is every night, the rebounding was there on Monday against the Pistons but the Magic won’t even sniff a post season victory until Howard can learn that he must carry the load offensively, as well as defensively. But Howard can’t be held completely accountable for the Magic’s current situation; after all, there aren’t a lot of teams that can compete with the Pistons’ efficiency. Detroit was led by Richard Hamilton’s 22 points but it was a complete effort from the starting five that earned the team a 98-90 victory. In fact, only 10 points came off the bench during the game.

Monday’s Player of the Day: Carlos Boozer @ Houston 42 min, 41 pts (FG: 17-30, FT: 7-9), 12 reb, 6 ast

Buzzer Beater: Since Orlando has been visiting Detroit over the past couple of games, it’s needless to say that Darko Milicic has been taking some crap from the fans of his old club. But he’s not letting it get him down; well, at least that’s what he says. “I don’t really care,” said Milicic. “Back home fans used to throw the baseball (bats) and stuff at me – everything. They tried to kill me back home. That’s why I don’t really give a (expletive) about it.” We can see why a little taunting wouldn’t phase you, considering your countrymen attempted to murder you. But we wanna know why the Pistons’ fans are harping on Darko so much in the first place? After all, it was Joe Dumars who blew the pick; all Milicic did was get drafted. Last time we checked it wasn’t Milicic who passed on Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade.

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NBA General

Around the Rim: Let’s get it on!


1. He said, he said
The Spurs and Mavericks got together in Dallas on Sunday and as usual, they tore the house down with an extremely competitive game that we can only hope to see duplicated in the Western Conference Finals. The Mavs limited San Antonio to just 10 points in the fourth quarter to win 91-86, but the turning point of the game came in the third quarter when Joey Crawford decided to flex his officiating muscle by slapping Tim Duncan with his second technical as he sat on the bench laughing. Duncan claims that Crawford came into the game with a personal vendetta against him and the old man even challenged Timmy to a fight. “He looked at me and said, `Do you want to fight? Do you want to fight?”‘ Duncan said. “If he wants to fight, we can fight. I don’t have any problem with him, but we can do it if he wants to. I have no reason why in the middle of a game he would yell at me, `Do you want to fight?”‘ Meanwhile, Crawford said that Duncan called him a piece of $#*! as he walked off the court. Wow; forget about Barkley vs. Bavetta 2, we wanna see Duncan vs. Crawford in a boxing match during next year’s All-Star weekend.

2. The Oden Ordeal

So, what’s the deal with Greg Oden? We already know that Kevin Durant is bolting from the Longhorns and into the pros, but conflicting reports over the weekend are leaving people scratching their heads about Oden’s intentions. First Oden’s old man told The Indianapolis Star that his boy was leaving Ohio State because “They had an exciting season, but why take the chance on him getting hurt?” But then Mike Conley Sr., father of Oden’s teammate Mike Conley Jr., basically told the press that Greg Oden Sr. was completely out of the loop. “The process for Greg Oden is, he’s going to talk to his mom today, he’s going to talk to me tomorrow, and he’s going to talk to Thad Matta on Monday,” Conley Sr. said. “And after that, he’s going to decide what he’s going to do and when he’s going to report it.” Conley Sr. can claim whatever importance in the equation that he wants to, but we’re going to believe Oden’s pops on this one.

3. The Magic’s Magic Man
The Orlando Magic guaranteed themselves a spot in the playoffs on Sunday when they narrowly defeated the Celtics, 88-86. Thanks to the victory, the Magic are back in the post season for the first time in four years and nobody is happier about it than Dwight Howard. Not only did he hit the final point of the game on a free throw with 4.6 seconds remaining, but he is also having some monster games as his team prepares for a playoff run. On Saturday night against the 76ers, Howard scored a career-high 35 points on 14-of-15 shooting and despite a poor offensive performance against Boston (3-8 FG, 4-12 FT), Howard still managed to pull down 14 rebounds. Howard now just needs to grab 18 rebounds while keeping his field goal percentage high over the final two games of the regular season to become only the second player in NBA history to shoot 60 percent and grab 1,000 boards in the same year. Not too bad for a 21 year old.

Sunday’s Player of the Day: Kobe Bryant vs. Seattle 42 min, 50 pts (FG: 18-25, 3FG: 3-6, FT: 11-13), 8 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl

Monday’s Game to Watch: Phoenix (61-19) @ Houston (51-29) With the playoffs beginning in less than a week, it’s match-ups like these that really get you excited about the post season. The Suns and Rockets are currently the two hottest teams in the West as they enter the games with five and four game winning streaks, respectively. Houston has looked like a completely different team since Yao Ming returned to form and is providing the perfect compliment to Tracy McGrady‘s stat sheet stuffing ability. But the two superstars are going to have to be at their best when the All-Star adorned Suns come to town. Phoenix really has nothing to play for considering they have already locked up the second seed in the playoffs, but this will be a great chance to get a feel for their possible second round opponent.

Buzzer Beater: The Lakers have been in a free fall for the past three weeks, but in their next to last game of the regular season they finally locked up a playoff spot by beating Seattle 109-98. In the process Kobe Bryant became the most prolific scorer in league history not named Wilt Chamberlain by racking up his 10th game with at least 50 points as he racked up an even fity against the Sonics. Los Angeles has a tough road ahead of them with a first round match-up against Phoenix or Dallas but, hey, at least Phil Jackson’s streak continues as his teams have never missed the playoffs in his 17 years as a coach.

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NBA General

Around the Rim: King sized comeback


1. LeBron at 80% is better than most players at 100%
After missing a game versus the Celtics on Sunday due to tendinitis in his right knee, LeBron James returned to the Cavs lineup last night in Minneapolis and nearly torched the Timberwolves for a triple-double. King James finished the game with 31 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and four steals in the Cleveland victory. And LeBron’s performance came at a time when he considered himself to be “about 80-85 percent.” If that’s at 80 percent, just wait until we get to see him run the floor at full strength. Just one game separates the Cavaliers from the Bulls, but if Cleveland loses their grip on the slim lead they would slip from the second seed to the fifth seed and lose home court advantage in the post season.

2. Indiana locks up losing record

With eight games remaining in the season for Indiana, they have already clinched a Pacer benchmark that hadn’t been touched in a decade. Thanks to a 15 point loss at the hands of the Pistons, Indiana secured the franchise’s first losing season since 1996-97, which was also the last year that the Pacers failed to make the playoffs. But, that’s what happens when you go 3-18 over your last 21 games. Jermaine O’Neal refused to talk to reporters after the game as his frustrations continue to mount. This season could be last time O’Neal suits up in the yellow and blue; but a change of venue would be good for O’Neal. Unless he wants to follow in Kevin Garnett’s footsteps and simply decides to sink with the ship.

3. No Dirk, no problem
The Dallas Mavericks were forced to take the court against the Kings without their superstar and MVP candidate, Dirk Nowitzki, due to a nasty case of food poisoning. But the Mavs still managed to stay the course without their stud and defeated Sacramento by four points, 97-93. The loss of Nowitzki didn’t weaken the club, as the Kings hoped it would, but instead it simply allowed for other players to step up offensively and fill the scoring void. Josh Howard led the way for Dallas by scoring 29 points to go along with eight rebounds, while Jason Terry finished the game with 27 points. Oh, but that’s not enough 20+ point games by one team in a game; Jerry Stackhouse came off the bench to rack up 23 points of his own.

Tuesday’s Player of the Day: Gerald Wallace vs. Washington 44 min, 34 pts (FG: 16-24, FT: 2-5), 14 reb, 1 ast, 3 stl, 2 blk

Wednesday’s Game to Watch: Toronto (41-33) @ Orlando (34-40) The Raptors are coming off a close, three-point loss to the Heat last night but are still sitting one game ahead of Miami for the third spot in the East. Chris Bosh continues to impress as he scored 24 points and grabbed 11 rebounds against Miami’s stout frontcourt. But Bosh will have to take on another All-Star big man as Dwight Howard will look to slow down Bosh in the paint. Howard’s numbers have fallen a bit since the season began but he is still only .7 rebounds per game away from becoming the youngest player ever to win the league’s rebounding title.

Buzzer Beater: Apparently, the Memphis Grizzlies are prepared to offer Billy Donovan a multiyear deal. As a two-time NCAA champion, Donovan really has nothing left to prove on the collegiate level so it would make sense to advance his career to the next stage. But, then again, the Gators could probably smoke the Grizz at this point so it’s not going to help his legacy any to jump on the back of the sorriest team in the NBA. In the end, this will be a financially motivated decision for Donovan; the only question remaining is will the cash be stuffed into his pockets by Florida, Memphis, Kentucky or someone else?

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NBA General

Around the Rim: Memphis wins again?!


1. The Grizz are rollin’!
For the first time all season, the Grizzlies have finally won two games in a row after they knocked off the Lakers on Tuesday and then the Trailblazers last night. Pau Gasol has been playing some excellent ball lately but it took an entire team effort to overcome Zach Randolph and his 43 point, 17 rebound performance. What’s even better fot Memphis is that they actually have a shot at extending this win streak. Tonight they will to Seattle to play a banged up Sonics squad before receiving a pretty tough test Golden State on Sunday. The Warriors sit just one game out of the playoff picture, so they should ready to put away the Gizz if they truly want to make a post season appearance.

2. Total eclipse of the Suns

It’s not very often that the Suns are the team getting run up and down the court by their opponents, but that was exactly what happened last night as the Warriors gave Phoenix a taste of their own medicine. Golden State opened the game by scoring 45 points in the first quarter before finishing the first half with a whopping 77 points and a 14 point advantage. The Suns struggled to fill the hoop with as much frequency as their opponents until the fourth quarter when they managed to outscore the Warriors 18 points but that was only good enough to get them within five points at the final buzzer. The Suns have been slipping in the standings lately, thanks to a 6-4 record over their last 10 games, and now they are just two games ahead of the Spurs for second place in the West. Next Thursday the two teams will get together for what should be a barn burner in San Antonio.

3. Chicago showdown
With a two point victory over the Pistons last night, Chicago was able to clinch a post season spot. Ben Wallace had a big game against his old team and helped to reverse a trend that has been plaguing the Bulls since Michael Jordan retired. Since 1998, the Pistons have owned the Bulls inside of the house that Jordan built, also known as the United Center, to the tune of winning 15 of their last 18 in the building. Now, Big Ben knows what it is like to be on both winning sides of the rivalry, but he almost didn’t get the chance to enjoy it. With under three minutes remaining in the game, Ben Gordon went to the line and missed three consecutive free throws which left the door open for the Pistons to take over. But Gordon lucked out and these two could just be warming up for a seven game series in the playoffs.

Thursday’s Player of the Day: Zach Randolph vs. Memphis 40 min, 43 pts (FG: 16-26, FT: 11-16), 17 reb, 5 ast, 2 blk

Friday’s Game to Watch: Utah (47-24) @ San Antonio (51-20) The Spurs almost dropped an easy game against the Hornets on Wednesday, but they had a late rally and won their fifth game in a row to pull within 2 ½ games of Phoenix for the number two spot in the Western Conference playoff picture. But they are going to have to play for a full 48 minutes against the Jazz if they expect to pick up a victory. Utah has already wrapped up their division title and they have won four of their last five games thanks to Carlos Boozer who has been putting up some of his best games of the season of late. There are so many great individual match-ups when these two teams get together, hopefully we can see these two hook it up at some point in the post season.

Buzzer Beater: In October, the Cavaliers and the Magic will be meeting up for a pair of preseason contests on a neutral court in China. Talk about a road trip! Good thing there are a lot of youngsters on these squads who can recover from jetlag in a jiffy. Dwight Howard and his boys will be playing an additional game against the Chinese national team in between the other contests. But this should be becoming routine for the NBA starved nation, after all, David Stern did send their native son Yao Ming along with the Rockets to play against the Kings back in 2004. And next year the United States will send an outfit of the NBA’s best and brightest talent to Beijing for the Olympics. They did qualify for the Olympics, didn’t they?

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NBA General

Around the Rim: He’s Magically Offensive!


1. The Kid Has Potential
If there were any Dwight Howard doubters before Friday, his performance against the Spurs should have served as a revelation. At one point, San Antonio led by 18 points but Howard led his team all the way back to a tie with .2 seconds. What happened next was easily the play of the year. Howard took an inbounds, alley-oop pass from almost halfcourt and slammed it down with one hand as the buzzer sounded to give the Magic a 106-104 victory at home. It was the first game winner for Howard in his young career, and the first game winning dunk with under a second remaining since Jerry Stackhouse did it in 2002. If that’s not enough for one night, the game capped a three game performance in which Howard shot an astonishing 33 of 37 (89 percent). That’s the best three game shooting streak in the history of the NBA by anyone not named Wilt Chamberlain.

2. He’s a Wizard, Not a Psychic
Gilbert Arenas is a great player but he’s not going to be mistaken for Nostradamus anytime soon. Arenas predicted he would drop at least 50 on the Trailblazers in his blog a few weeks ago, but it didn’t quite work out the way Arenas foretold. Agent Zero ended the game shooting a pathetic three for 15 from the field and was held without a basket (0-8) from behind the 3-point arc as Portland rolled to a 94-73 victory. The nine points scored was Arenas’ third lowest total of the season. Looks like Arenas is going to have to wait until March 20 for another chance at revenge against Blazers coach Nate McMillan for his role in leaving Gilbert off the U.S. national team last summer. The Wizards have now lost four of their five games since Antawn Jamison went down with a left knee sprain on January 30.

3. Green with Envy
Paul Pierce is back, so what? In his first start since December 20, Pierce scored a game-high 29 points against the Timberwolves, but having their star back still doesn’t seem to be enough to get the Celtics a victory. Boston came up two points shy against Minnesota last night as Kevin Garnett racked up his second triple-double in three games with 26 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. K.G. apparently has no sympathy for the woes of the men in green. The loss is the 18th consecutive for Boston as they slowly approach the single season record of 23 losses in row, which is currently held by both the ’96 Grizzlies and the ’98 Nuggets. And there’s no relief in sight for the Celtics who have six of their next eight games on the road, including a brutal five game Western Conference swing.

Sunday’s Player of the Day: Kobe Bryant @ Cleveland 43 min, 36 pts (FG: 12-24, 3FG: 1-5, FT: 11-11), 7 reb, 6 ast, 1 stl

Monday’s Game to Watch: Los Angeles Clippers (25-26) @ Detroit (31-18) Chris Webber has solidified his role within the team in the past two weeks and thanks to a six game win streak, the Pistons have shot to the top of the Eastern Conference. Detroit is 16-9 at home this year, which isn’t good news for the Clippers. Los Angeles has struggled to gather victories on the road where they are only 8-18 so far. The Clips are barely hanging onto the last playoff spot in the West as the Hornets, Timberwolves, Warriors and Kings are all looking to jump into the postseason picture.

Buzzer Beater: The feud between the Wizard’s centers has escalated as Etan Thomas and Brendan Haywood came to blows once again. Thomas was suspended by the team for two games after throwing a punch at Haywood during the team’s practice on Friday. Thomas said the punch was in retaliation for an intentional elbow; “This cat decides to hit me with a cheap shot during practice and I reacted,” said Thomas. This was round three between these two after coming to blows for the first time last season an

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NBA General

Around the Rim: Christie Mania



“Who wears the pants?”

1. Newlyweds Again
After being waived by the Dallas Mavericks in 2005, Doug Christie is hopeful that he will be able to make a return to the NBA soon. Supposedly, Christie would like to rejoin the Raptors, where he spent five years from 1995 to 2000. Of course, he would have to get approval from the old lady. Maybe he could run it by her during the couple’s 12th wedding (no joke – they renew their vows every year), which will occur on July 8. But in the meantime, there are plenty of things to occupy their time. Primarily, themselves. In addition to pitching a second season of their reality TV show, Committed: The Christies, to several networks, the couple now has a self absorbed film which is based on their lives. The Christies Un-Cut, is written, directed, starring and sold by the estrogen pumping Christie and his wife, Jackie, and is available online for $19.95.

2. Can He Rebound?

We have a new leader in the NBA when it comes to rebounding. After holding the leagues best average for almost the entire season to this point, Dwight Howard was surpassed on the list. Not once, but twice. Kevin Garnett and Marcus Camby are now tied for first in the category with both averaging 12.6 per game which is only slightly better than Howard. With a couple low totals in some recent games, Howard’s average is now 12.5. The slide could motivate Howard as he looks to make history this season. At 21, should Howard end the season with the league’s best average he would become the youngest player to ever win the rebounding title.

3. Shooting Guard

The Golden State Warriors just got Stephen Jackson, but they might already be regretting their decision to bring him on board. Based on some probation issues, he must appear in a Michigan courtroom on Friday where he could be incarcerated immediately for 93 days. But because of an incident outside of an Indianapolis strip club when Jackson shot his gun at least five times, there is a possibility that Jackson could be placed in prison for up to five more years. Things have really gone downhill for Jackson since he played an important role in bringing San Antonio their second championship in 2003. Larry Bird must be relieved that Jackson’s not weighing the Pacers down with his problems anymore.

Wednesday’s Player of the Day: Dwyane Wade @ Indiana 46 min, 32 pts (FG: 12-22, 3FG: 1-3, FT: 7-8), 5 reb, 8 ast, 5 stl, 3 blk

Thursday’s Game to Watch: Dallas (35-8) @ Chicago (24-19) The Bulls have only lost six games at home this season but they have been struggling lately, going 5-7 in 2007. There have been lots of trade rumors surrounding Chicago over the past few weeks but Ben Gordon and some other pieces might be too high of a price to pay for Pau Gasol or Kevin Garnett. On the other side of the court, the Mavs recent successes have been well documented and they have no interest in making any major moves. Dallas is on track to having home court advantage throughout the playoffs, especially if they continue stringing together double digit win streaks. Chicago could really use the boost in confidence that would accompany a win over the Mavericks.

Buzzer Beater: It’s not too often that you hear about a professional sports franchise imposing a curfew for their team, but Jerry Sloan doesn’t mind sticking out. This year, Utah players must be in their rooms by midnight when traveling on the road. Sloan said he has never made a team abide to a curfew before but some troublesome preseason behavior involving four players and an exotic dancer changed the coach’s mind. Sloan is old school; he’s not going to put up with immature behavior that tarnishes the franchise’s image. There’s a reason that Karl Malone and John Stockton’s teams never had a bedtime when playing on the road.

Categories
NBA General

Around the Rim: West Coast Players



Soon to be Road Warriors

1. Home Cookin’
What ever happened to those purple jerseys the Lakers use to wear? Or the blue ones that the Warriors wore? Well, those are LA’s and Golden State’s road uniforms and they’ve been collecting dust for most of the season. With ten home games already in the books, Golden State leads the league, just ahead of Los Angeles’ nine. So far, the Lakers have taken advantage of the circumstances, going 8-1 at the Staples Center. The team opens the season with 17 home games compared to only seven on the road, with one “road” game being against the in-city rival Clippers. However, after that span, the Lakers get to rack up the frequent flyer miles with 20 of the next 28 games coming on the road. The Warriors are in a similar situation by starting the season with 16 of their first 23 in the Oracle Arena, followed by ten of the next 13 on the road. Looks like those dark colored jerseys will get some use after all.

2. Statement Game
Orlando took a three game win streak and the best record in the Eastern Conference into Salt Lake City on Monday night; they left with a victory and dealt the Jazz their first home loss in the process. It was just the third loss of the season for Utah but their second in a row. The Magic led at the end of every quarter behind the output of the young kid with veteran skills, Dwight Howard. Howard put up another double-double with 21 points and 16 rebounds. The Magic are the surprise team in the East this year and already sits four games ahead of second place Atlanta in a struggling Southeast Division. And early on, it sure appears as if the Eastern Conference really has only three true Finals contenders; Orlando, Detroit and Cleveland. The health of Grant Hill will prove to be critical for the Magic organization this season, more than ever, as another ankle injury could end his career. As far as Howard goes, if he keeps up at this pace he’s going to be a rebounding champion, legitimate MVP candidate and possible conference champion before he turns 22.

3. Triple-Double
While it’s still early in the season and there are still months to go, Jason Kidd is coming awfully close to averaging a triple-double. Who knows if this could be maintained over the entire season, but in 13 games, Kidd is averaging 12.8 points, 8.1 rebounds and 9.2 assists. The scoring should remain constant; the assists could easily top ten with the firepower on the Nets. The toughest obstacle for Kidd is going to be improving his rebounding average by two boards a game. His current average is a career high and that is 1.6 rebounds higher than his career average. There is no comparison should Kidd replicate the feat performed by Oscar Robertson in 1961-62 when he averaged 30.8 points, 12.5 boards and 11.4 assists. Regardless, to average any triple-double would be one of the most spectacular seasons in the history of the game, and just having the talent to even come close to such an accomplishment is amazing in itself.

4. Double-Double
While nine out of the top ten scorers in the league are guards or small forwards, don’t be fooled into thinking that the big men aren’t ballin’ this season. According to the statistics, this is the best crop of big men in, at least, six years. This year there are 11 players that average a double-double in points and rebounds. Seven of the 11 have numbers better than 20 points and 10 rebounds per game. When compared to past seasons, the increased production from the paint patrollers is undeniable. In 2005-06, six players averaged double-doubles while only three pulled down at least 20 points and 10 rebounds. 2004-05: seven 10/10; two 20/10. 2003-04: nine 10/10; five 20/10s. 2002-03: five 10/10; three 20/10s. 2001-02: six 10/10; two 20/10s. 2000-01: nine 10/10; six 20/10s. Carlos Boozer and Kevin Garnett currently lead the way with 11 double-doubles each, followed closely by Dirk Nowitzki, Tim Duncan and Dwight Howard with ten each and Chris Bosh with nine. Am I the only one seeing double now?

5. See-Saw Battle
Thanks to a 45 point game by Allen Iverson at Miami on Monday night, the NBA now has a new scoring leader. The effort put Iverson at 31.7 points per game for the season, six-tenths of a point ahead of Denver’s Carmelo Anthony. AI has put up quite a three game streak, starting with 46 against Chicago, followed by 31 versus Cleveland and now dropping 45 on the Heat. But don’t get too comfortable with Iverson’s status, Anthony has a game tonight against Memphis and Melo has put up nine games of 30 or more in his last ten contests. It’s likely Iverson will return to second on the list by tomorrow.

Monday’s Player of the Day: Dwyane Wade vs. Philadelphia 45 min, 33 pts (FG: 10-18, 3FG: 0-1, FT: 13-14), 7 reb, 13 ast, 1 stl, 2 blk

Tuesday’s Game to Watch: Minnesota (6-7) @ Houston (9-4) Houston is shaping into one of the elite teams in the western conference thanks to a dominating season by Yao Ming. It finally seems that Tracy McGrady is content to lower his numbers in order to improve Yao’s production, and it’s paying off in the win column. The Rockets are currently 5-1 at home. Kevin Garnett has the Timberwolves’ hopes and dreams sitting squarely on his shoulders, again. Minnesota has to get more help for KG if they are going to make it to the post season. But for tonight, you can expect another box score busting at the seams for Garnett, who leads the team in every major statistical category except assists.