Tag: around the rim

Categories
NBA General

Around the Rim: The Suns Run


1. On the Verge of History
The Suns are 4-0 since Steve Nash returned to the lineup and nobody is happier about it than Amare Stoudemire. Last night, Nash had 14 points and 13 assists with a bunch of those passes going toward helping Stoudemire score a season-high 43. Phoenix pulled out a 115-106 victory over the Hawks in Atlanta to improve to 13-0 against the Eastern Conference on the road. The Suns are now only two wins away from sweeping the East in their gyms with back to back games at Indiana and Philadelphia on Tuesday and Wednesday. While Phoenix has already obtained some lofty accomplishments this season, should they win their next pair of games they would become the first team to sweep its interconference road schedule.

2. Nets Bets Payoff
For a majority of the season, rumors surrounded the possible trades of Vince Carter and Jason Kidd from New Jersey. Well, the Nets are probably breathing a sigh of relief that they didn’t pull the trigger on any deals leading up to last Thursday’s trade deadline. New Jersey is 2-0 since the deadline passed thanks to big games from their resident superstars. Against Sacramento on Friday the duo combined for 48 points, 24 rebounds and 15 assists. Last night against the Knicks, they went off for 51 points, 13 boards and 22 assists. The good news for the Nets is that with the win they moved two games ahead of New York in the Atlantic Division. The bad news is that they are still five games behind division leader Toronto.

3. Go Go Kapono
There was no continuation of the friendly rivalry between LeBron James and Dwyane Wade in yesterday’s game between the Cavs and Heat but Miami didn’t need the services of Wade as they outplayed Cleveland in the fourth quarter of yesterday’s game. The hideous orange uniforms probably didn’t help the Cavaliers any either. The future is up in the air for Miami while Wade is seeking a second opinion before having surgery on his injured shoulder. But Shaq is beginning to round back into form for Miami after going off for 19 points and 11 rebounds in the club’s latest victory. Sounds good, but it’s gotta be a brutal blow to the Daddy’s ego that the team’s best perimeter shooter, Jason Kapono, is matching his stats by scoring 17 points and grabbing 11 boards of his own. .

Sunday’s Player of the Day: Amare Stoudemire @ Atlanta 45 min, 43 pts (FG: 14-25, FT: 15-17), 16 reb, 6 ast, 3 blk

Monday’s Game to Watch: Los Angeles Lakers (32-25) @ Utah (37-18) The rotating door in Salt Lake City continues to revolve as Carlos Boozer finally returns to the lineup but the Jazz immediately lose Andrei Kirilenko and Mehmet Okur to injuries. Both players are questionable for the game against LA, but even if they don’t make it into the game Utah will still have a decided home court advantage (22-6). The Lakers have no chance to catch Phoenix over the final stretch of the regular season as they are already sitting 11 ½ games behind their division’s leader. But the Lakers can improve on their current sixth seed position. Kobe Bryant’s All-Star MVP performance has spilled over into his current run as he has now lead his team in scoring for 12 straight games. Unfortunately for Los Angeles, they are 5-7 over that span that included the worst losing streak of Phil Jackson’s career (6 games). Still, it’s hard to feel bad for a guy that has nine rings on his fingers.

Buzzer Beater: Even though the trade deadline has passed, the rumors are still running wild. Kevin Garnett can opt out of his contract after next season and there is already speculation that he will join the Lakers after doing so. If KG can remain patient for another season then his dreams of a NBA championship could be finally fulfilled. Sure, there’s lots of time and anything can happen but if Garnett and Kobe Bryant are able to join forces and have quality role-players surrounding them, it could become a pretty dominant team. But, at this point, the talk is nothing more than guesswork and guesswork isn’t going to get The Big Ticket past the first round of the playoffs.

Categories
NBA General

Around the Rim: It’s a Ring Thing


1. Lord of the Rings to Be?
Now that the trade deadline has passed, the only interesting move left for teams to make involves the veteran champion, Scottie Pippen. Looks like the two leading candidates in the Pip sweepstakes are the San Antonio Spurs and the Los Angeles Lakers. Pippen would be an excellent addition to either team, but he could probably adapt to Phil Jackson’s system a little bit quicker since he has some past experience with the Zen Master. San Antonio would offer a better opportunity for Pippen to get his seventh ring. He’d be joining a veteran team and most likely assume a role similar to the one Robert Horry has filled for the past few years. Pippen can’t be the player he once was, but any team would be happy to acquire a guy who has big game experience as the season is reaching its end.

2. The Nowitzki Experience
The Mavericks franchise tried to give their superstar a push for MVP last night by passing out about 20,000 T-shirts to the crowd. But Dirk didn’t really need any help as he scored 31 to go with 11 rebounds, six rebounds and two blocks. There’s lots and lots of big-time talent in the league this year, but Dirk has outshined them all. The Mavs have been riding on the back of Dirk all year en route to the league’s best record on three separate 10+ game win streaks. With one of the sweetest strokes in the game today, Nowitzki has been shooting the lights out all year long as he is averaging 25 points per game. And considering that the award usually is simply handed to the best player on the league’s best team; Nowitzki is definitely in the driver’s seat for the NBA’s most prestigious individual award.

3. Headbandless Hero
Remember at the beginning of the season when everybody thought that something was wrong with Ben Wallace? Well, that doesn’t seem to a topic of conversation anymore. Big Ben might have had the greatest game of his career last night against the Cavaliers when he had 14 points, 19 rebound, five assists, two steals and seven blocks. After a slow start to the year, Wallace has methodically increased his rebounding average back to double digits (10.5). But the Bulls are still sitting five games behind the Central Division leading Pistons. Chicago could have probably benefited from a trade, but Luol Deng and Ben Gordon just have too much potential for the Bulls to let them go.

Thursday’s Player of the Day: Gilbert Arenas vs. Sacramento 45 min, 43 pts (FG: 12-22, 3FG: 3-8, FT: 16-17), 7 reb, 7 ast, 3 stl

Friday’s Game to Watch: Utah (35-18) @ Denver (26-26) Every game involving the Nuggets is interesting as everybody is waiting to see Carmelo

Anthony and Allen Iverson finally gel. So far, it hasn’t happened. In fact, the two have still yet to even play in a significant number of games together. Overall, the Nuggets are 9-4 over their last 13 games with the latest loss coming while the dynamic duo was intact. Utah hasn’t been the team they were when the season started, but they are still a very dangerous club. The Jazz have won six of their last seven as Mehmet Okur and Deron Williams continue to pick up the slack while forward Carlos Boozer continues to watch from the bench.

Buzzer Beater: As usual, we approached the trade deadline with lots of talk about superstars changing teams. But, as usual, the deadline came and went and nobody of significance was involved in a swap. Jason Kidd, Vince Carter, Pau Gasol, Mike Bibby and Ray Allen were just a few of the names dropped in the weeks leading up to yesterday. And what about Corey Maggette? Trade rumors have been swirling around him for months now as his relationship with Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy seemed to deteriorate daily. Apparently, they are going to have to tolerate each other for a few more months. In the end, only lower tier players got new addresses; Anthony Johnson to Dallas, Fred Jones went to Portland in a deal for Juan Dixon who got sent to Toronto and the Jazz picked up Alan Henderson.

Categories
NBA General

Around the Rim: There’s No Crying in Basketball!


1. Tears of a Clown
Just when it looked like things were going to start turning around for the Miami Heat, Dwyane Wade injures his left shoulder and a loss spoils Pat Riley’s return to the bench. Wade got wrapped up with Houston’s Shane Battier in the fourth quarter and appeared to be in pain as he headed for the bench with 27 points and nine assists. Eventually he was taken from the court in a wheelchair. Geez, what a drama queen. And we thought your new Eurkel commercial was the extent of your thespian talents. Seriously though; a wheelchair? But despite his theatrical exit, should this injury prove to be serious, it could spell the end of any legitimate hopes Miami had for a title defense. Before last night, the Heat had been, well, hot, winning six of seven since the Daddy made his way back into the lineup at the beginning of the month.

2. Two Games, Five Players, 178 Points
Last night’s game between San Antonio and Atlanta saw a trio of players combine for whopping 100 points as the Spurs’ Manu Ginobili put up a season-high 40, while Tim Duncan scored 30. On the other side of the court, Joe Johnson had a team-high 30 points to match Duncan’s output. But two is always better than one and the Spurs took the contest, 103-96. During one stretch in the first half, Ginobili scored 24 consecutive points for San Antonio as he took a 27 point performance into the locker room at halftime. But that wasn’t the only game had an impressive offensive output. The New Jersey Nets’ Vince Carter (46 points) and the Hornets’ David West (32 points) combined for 78 points. Guess Vince figured that if he’s going to go out, it might as well be in style. Today at 3:00 p.m. ET marks the deadline for teams to make any trades before the postseason push begins.

3. Shining Sun
Maybe there’s something to this Steve Nash for MV-Three talk after all. As Nash rested a sore shoulder for two weeks, the Suns were outplayed by some of the more miserable teams in the league. By the time Nashty returned, Phoenix had dropped three of four games by a combined 46 points. Since emerging back into the lineup, the Suns have won their last two games by a total of 35 points. Against the Clippers, Nash scored 13 while dishing out 12 assists; he followed that with a 14 point, 13 assist effort against Boston. On a team that is as loaded as the Suns are, it’s pretty amazing that subtracting one player can create such a striking difference in performance. This isn’t like Minnesota losing Kevin Garnett or Kobe Bryant going down on the Lakers. Phoenix has two additional All-Stars in Amare Stoudemire and Shawn Marion on their ultra talented roster. Hell, even Van Halen was able to make some good music after David Lee Roth left.

Wednesday’s Player of the Day: Mike Miller @ Golden State 49 min, 45 pts (FG: 16-27, 3FG: 9-17, FT: -6), 5 reb, 6 ast, 1 stl

Thursday’s Game to Watch: Miami (26-27) @ Dallas (44-9) Everything had been lining up perfectly for an awesome Finals rematch; until last night. Pat Riley’s back, Shaq’s coming off a 20 point, 16 rebound performance, Dallas has put together a nine game win streak and Mark Cuban is taking shots at players’ leadership abilities. But a majority of the luster was removed from this match-up when Dwyane Wade started sobbing like a baby before being wheeled off the court like a geriatric coot at Country Meadows nursing home. However, the emotions should still be high as this young rivalry continues to develop. Unfortunately, without their star, the Heat are facing the difficult task of defeating the best team in the league on their home floor, where they hold a 24-3 record. But as Rudy T once said, “Never underestimate the heart of a champion.”

Buzzer Beater: We all knew that it was going to happen eventually. We all knew that “Dancing With The Stars” would come looking for NBA talent after the NFL’s Jerry Rice and Emmitt Smith showed the world what twinkle toes were all about. But that still doesn’t keep you from scratching your head at the selection. Prepare yourself to witness retired baller Clyde “The Glide” Drexler performing the electric slide in a sailor suit or the two-step dressed in the traditional attire of crotch-hugging Wranglers on NBC’s primetime lineup. Drexler could prove to be Baryshnikov, but does it really matter? At this point, he’s just another sporting icon reduced to reality-show celebrity status. And plus, how much satisfaction can he get by beating a one legged Heather Mills?

Categories
NBA General

Around the Rim: Child Support Payments are a Bitch!


1. One Last Reign?
First it was Scottie Pippen who was on the comeback trail, now Shawn Kemp is considering making a return to the NBA. But while Pippen could be back in uniform within the next few weeks, Kemp will probably not be helping any team make a postseason push until next season. When Kemp was last seen on a court he looked nothing like the young Reign Man who is considered by many to be one of the most explosive players of all time. At 36 years old, Kemp will most likely have to wait until he can get an invite from a team during training camp. Of course, he’ll have to resist the buffet line over the next six or seven months if he wants to be taken seriously by any coaching staff.

2. European Vacation
The NBA will be sending four teams to Europe in October to participate in training camps and exhibition games. It’s too bad for the fans across the pond that the teams making the trip are Memphis, Boston, Toronto and Minnesota. As of now, the Celtics and Grizzlies are the two worst teams in the entire league and Minnesota is barely clinging to the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Surprisingly, the Raptors own the fourth best record in the East. But while the overall teams are not that impressive, the individual talent should have the fans lining up for tickets. Kevin Garnett and Chris Bosh will provide the primary star power this fall, with Paul Pierce and, possibly, Pau Gasol acting as supporting actors.

3. Mr. MVP Returns

Steve Nash has missed the last four games and in that time, the once white-hot Suns have lost three in a row. But Nash is looking to get back on to the court tonight when Phoenix travels to Los Angeles for a game against the Clippers. And it’s not a moment to soon for his All-Star teammates, Shawn Marion and Amare Stoudemire, who were running all over the court for the West on Sunday as they combined to score 47 points. While the Suns are anxious to get back into the win column, their division lead remains intact as the Lakers are sitting a full 10 games behind. The main concern for Phoenix right now is to chip away at the 4 ½ game lead that Dallas has over the Suns for the best record in the league.

Tuesday’s Game to Watch: Denver (26-25) @ San Antonio (35-18) Playtime is over and now teams are getting serious about improving their place in the playoff seeding. The Nuggets are hoping to finally have their dynamic duo together for the road game against the Spurs after Allen Iverson received some additional rest by pulling himself from the All-Star game over the weekend. Carmelo Anthony had a great outing against the other superstars as he scored 20 points and grabbed nine rebounds in just 25 minutes. San Antonio will be looking to take advantage of their home crowd after struggling on their annual rodeo road trip. As the oldest team in the league, the Spurs were grateful for the break which allowed some of the veterans to rest their elderly bones. Even Tony Parker and Tim Duncan got to take it easy during the All-Star game as they combined for only 39 minutes in the contest.

Buzzer Beater: Baron Davis is rumored to be eyeing the 27th as the date when he will return to the court after undergoing knee surgery just last Tuesday. That would be great news for the Warriors considering that they have lost four of their last seven games. But the good news doesn’t stop there for Golden State. Jason Richardson could return by Wednesday when the Warriors host the Grizzlies. J-Rich has missed the last 22 games. Currently, Golden State is only one game away from being in the playoff picture, which would be a remarkable feat considering their string of injuries and lack of big bodies while playing in a stacked Western Conference.

Categories
NBA General

Around the Rim: Even Vegas Won’t Touch Him


1. Banished
What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, but too bad for Tim Hardaway he’ll never make it to Vegas. That’s because David Stern has banned Hardaway from appearing at any NBA functions over the All-Star weekend after he publicly blasted John Ameachi and other gays for their lifestyles. You can’t blame Stern for his decision; he can’t release a loose cannon like Hardaway and trust him to properly represent the league during their annual self promotion weekend after he demonstrated zero self control on the radio. Like it or not, Hardaway will be now always been considered a homophobic, venom-spewing hate monger instead of the originator of the killer crossover.

2. In Search of Seven
A familiar face could be returning from retirement after the All-Star break. 41 year old Scottie Pippen says he is seriously considering a comeback, but he wants to play for a contender, perhaps Phoenix. Pip says that this is the best he has felt in the past five years. The last time Pippen was in the league was during the 2003-04 season when he played for a Michael Jordanless Chicago Bulls team. Well, played might be a bit of an overstatement considering that he only saw action in 23 games. No matter how old some of these guys get, they just can’t sit at home and roll in their millions like Scrooge McDuck. Guess six rings isn’t enough.

3. High Hopes and High Hoops
Dwight Howard has big ideas for his performance during Saturday’s slam dunk competition, but it seems like the league isn’t going to let them come to fruition. Howard wants the hoop to be elevated for several of his attempts, but his requests have been oddly denied. One move that Howard has been practicing in Orlando is a 360 slam with the rim set to a height of 12 feet. Another dunk that Howard has been working on is an “East Bay Funk Dunk” type maneuver between his legs with the rim set a full foot and a half higher than the regulation setting.

Thursday’s Player of the Day: Kobe Bryant vs. Cleveland 41 min, 34 pts (FG: 9-22, 3FG: 2-7, FT: 14-15), 6 reb, 5 ast, 2 stl

Buzzer Beater: The Kobe Bryant/LeBron James is becoming one of the best individual rivalries in the game today. In the past week, we’ve seen these two compete in their only pair of games this year. In the two games, Bryant scored a total of 70 points but went home as the loser both times. James, on the other hand, put up 56 points as his team walked away with a pair of closely contested victories. It’s probably not too hard to see these two hooking up in a classic Finals series one day, but it’s definitely not this year.

Categories
NBA General

Around the Rim: Boston’s Marathon is Over



We goin’ Sizzler!

1. Reason for Celebration
After a franchise-record 18 consecutive losses, the Boston Celtics can finally experience the thrill of victory again. You have to give Boston some credit for winning in convincing fashion, but there’s no reason that the finger pointing can’s be directed at Milwaukee. It’s already bad enough that the Bucks have become the answer to a trivia question on Sports Jeopardy by breaking the Celtics streak of futility; however, to get blown out by 20 points in the process should be unacceptable. But it’s tough for a team lacking talent to mount a successful comeback after falling down by 13 in the first quarter. Just ask the Celtics.

2. I Got a Golden Ticket!
After Jason Kidd withdrew from competing in the All-Star game this Sunday, David Stern was forced to, once again, assign another player to the squad. Joe Johnson was the lucky recipient of an All-Star credential for the Vegas weekend. Johnson’s 25.1 points per game ranks as the tenth best in the league and last night Johnson lead his Hawks to victory over the Clippers by scoring a team-high 27 points. With four other players being replaced in the game, this year equals the 1996-97 game where Clyde Drexler, Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, Alonzo Mourning and Shaquille O’Neal all missed the midseason contest.

3. Bull Headed
It’s looking more and more like Pau Gasol will be shipped to Chicago. The only holdup seems to be John Paxson’s unwillingness to send Luol Deng or Ben Gordon to Memphis in exchange. But if the Bulls want to have the size and strength to bang with the big bodies from Miami and Detroit in the postseason, then Paxson will have to overcome his reluctance. The pairing of Gasol and Ben Wallace could be what elevates Chicago into the elite level, where everyone thought they would be before the season began. Paxson should try to hold on to Gordon if at all possible, but if the only way to gain Gasol is through the loss of Gordon then he is going to have to suck it up and pull the trigger.

Wednesday’s Player of the Day: Deron Williams vs. Cleveland 43 min, 33 pts (FG: 14-23, 3FG: 1-4, FT: 4-8), 6 reb, 12 ast, 2 stl

Thursday’s Game to Watch: Dallas (43-9) @ Houston (33-18) Something has to give in this game as both teams enter with excellent situational records. Dallas is an impressive 19-6 on the road, while Houston has done a good job of winning on their home floor (19-6) this year. The Rockets could really use a win over their division rivals as they are currently sitting 10 games behind the league’s best record. Tracy McGrady has led the Rockets to victories in eight of their last 10 games while the team continues to wait on the return of Yao Ming. Dallas once again holds the league’s longest active win streak by taking their past eight games.

Buzzer Beater: Derek Fisher has been in the league for 11 years and during that time he has been trusted by his teammates to take numerous big shots. Hopefully, players feel comfortable with Fisher’s ability to handle responsibility because he will take over as president of the NBA Players Union this weekend. Fisher is the current vice president of the union and will succeed Antonio Davis. This year has been turning out pretty decent for Fisher so far. In addition to the promotion, he is also an important contributor to the league’s third best team as Utah has gone 35-17 this season.

Categories
NBA General

Around the Rim: Second Rate All-Stars



Vegas bound

1. Wrecked West
All-Stars are dropping like flies and now, in addition to Carlos Boozer and Yao Ming, Steve Nash and Allen Iverson will both miss the contest for the West. Mehmet Okur and Ray Allen were named as their replacements by David Stern on Tuesday. Stern also inserted Carmelo Anthony and Josh Howard into the squad for Boozer and Ming. Now, there are a total of 16 All-Stars in the Western Conference but it appears the East will be assigned a new player soon after Jason Kidd announced he will miss at least one more game with a strained back. No word yet on who could replace Kidd, but we do know that the Hornets’ Chris Paul will replace Nash in the skills competition.

2. He’s Not All Bad
Ron Artest has been playing great lately with at least 20 points in eight of his last nine games but, last night, Artest put together the best offensive output of his career. Artest went off against the Rockets and scored 39 (5-7 3-pointers) points and grabbed eight big boards for the Kings, but it wasn’t enough as Sacramento lost to Houston in overtime. The Kings are now sitting in the basement of their division as Artest and Mike Bibby have both become hot commodities with the trade deadline approaching. The latest rumor had Bibby heading to Cleveland for Cavs forward Drew Gooden.

3. Hornets Get Stung
The Hornets were in position to move into the playoff picture last night, and all they had to do was beat the pathetic Grizzlies. But it wasn’t New Orleans’ night as Memphis picked up their first division win of the season with an exciting 108-104 victory at home. It was the Grizzlies third crack at the Hornets this year; in all Memphis was 0-13 versus division foes (0-4 vs. DAL, 0-4 vs. HOU, 0-3 vs. SA, 1-2 vs. NO) before they finally picked up a win. Tyson Chandler went bananas, grabbing a franchise record-tying 23 rebounds while matching his career-high in points with 17. With the win, the Grizzlies are now only 11 ½ games out of the playoff picture. Keep up the good work guys.

Tuesday’s Player of the Day: Dirk Nowitzki @ Milwaukee 43 min, 38 pts (FG: 15-28, 3FG: 2-6, FT: 6-6), 11 reb, 8 ast, 2 stl

Wednesday’s Game to Watch: San Antonio (34-18) @ Detroit (32-18) The road trip continues for San Antonio and so far the Spurs have been on a pretty bumpy ride. SA is 3-4 during the stretch but gained some confidence last night after blowing out a struggling Nets team. Detroit will prove a tough task as they are 17-9 at home this year and currently riding a seven game win streak. Much like when the Pistons added Rasheed Wallace to their squad mid-season a few years ago, Detroit is becoming better and better as the postseason approaches.

Buzzer Beater: It took a few seasons but Eddy Curry is finally living up to the draft day hype. He scored 19 points against the Lakers last night and scored the go-ahead basket with seven seconds remaining. Curry is even received some All-Star consideration and if Jason Kidd misses the game, Curry could still be injected into the Eastern Conference’s lineup but it’ll be tough for the commish to pass on a high scoring Joe Johnson.

Categories
NBA General

Around the Rim: Sun Sits, Suns Set


1. Pain in the Nash
Thanks to a bum shoulder, the reigning two time MVP will miss this weekend’s All-Star game in Las Vegas. So far, Steve Nash has missed the Suns last three games and the team has lost two in row without their primary ball handler. By withdrawing from the game and the skill competition, Nash will have two full weeks to get healthy for the final stretch of the season. But Nash’s injury forces David Stern to name a replacement for both events. Stern has already placed Carmelo Anthony and Josh Howard on the team, which leaves players like Mehmet Okur, Zach Randolph and Elton Brand up for consideration. Deron Williams would be an admirable replacement for Nash in both situations as he is averaging 17.3 points and 9.1 assists per game.

2. For Sale
Jason Kidd is already looking for a trendy new bachelor pad, but according to rumors it might not be located in New Jersey. That’s because it appears that the Lakers and Cavaliers are both looking to acquire the point guard extraordinaire. Los Angeles has offered two first round picks, along with the expiring contracts of players like Kwame Brown, Jordan Farmar and Chris Mihm with the hopes of teaming Kidd with Kobe Bryant. But, so far, the Nets seem to be holding pat. The Cavs are in a similar situation as they are looking for someone who can relieve some of the pressure from their star before the team makes the final push for postseason positioning. But come to think of it; who couldn’t use an unselfish, fast-breaking, triple-double threat on their roster during March and April?

3. Terrifying Trio
It was seven years ago today that the world was witness to the most frightening frontcourt lineup in the history of the NBA as Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett and Shaquille O’Neal started for the Western Conference in the 2000 All-Star game. The trio combined for 70 points and 33 rebounds as the West won by a score of 137-126. K.G. was left out of the mix as Shaq and Duncan split the game’s Most Valuable Player award. Speaking of hardware, between the trio, they have two Rookie of the Year awards, four All-Star MVP’s, four regular season MVP’s, six Finals MVP’s and seven championship rings. And again, K.G. is left in the cold as the only superstar without Final’s experience.

Monday’s Player of the Day: J.R. Smith vs. Golden State 23 min, 28 pts (FG: 10-18, 3FG: 6-11, FT: 2-2), 4 reb, 1 ast

Tuesday’s Game to Watch: Toronto (27-24) @ Chicago (29-23) This could be a preview of things to come in the playoffs as these two would be facing off if the postseason began today. But due to a weird seeding clause, Toronto would hold the home court advantage despite sitting 1 ½ games behind the Bulls in the standings. But unfortunately for the Raptors, this game is occurring in Chicago where the Bulls are 20-6 this season. Toronto has been pathetic on the road (9-17) even though Chris Bosh continues to earn legitimacy as an MVP candidate. At least Toronto can look forward to not playing another road game until February 24, while the Bulls have to play nine of their next 15 games away from home.

Buzzer Beater: The Warriors playoff hopes took a serious blow when the team found out that Baron Davis would have to undergo surgery to clean up his left knee. Davis was hurt in a game against Charlotte on February 3. Golden State is currently within a game and a half of the final postseason slot but they have lost six of their last nine games and have a five game Eastern Conference road trip that is quickly approaching. Even if Stephen Jackson can manage to keep himself out of the big house, the Warriors chances of moving forward without Davis are somewhere between slim and none.

Categories
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

Categories
NBA General

Around the Rim: Chicks Dig the Long Ball



Dirk prepares for 3pt contest

1. He’s Got An Outside Shot
The All-Star festivities are now complete as the NBA has announced the participants of the league’s 3-point shootout. At the top of the list are a couple of the best players in the game as Gilbert Arenas and Dirk Nowitzki agree to work double duty by participating in the long bomb competition and the actual All-Star game. In addition to the All-Star duo, Jason Terry, Jason Kapono, Mike Miller and Damon Jones will participate. While Dirk is having a great campaign so far, he might be getting a bit of preferential treatment when it comes to his outside proficiency. Good thing he’s the defending champion because, although his percentage is spectacular, he has only connected on a total of 46 treys. That’s 39 fewer than Jones’ 85, which is the fewest amongst the other five competitors. Oh well, get ready for more Larry Bird comparisons than you can shake a stick at.

2. Seamless Transition
The integration between Chris Webber and the Detroit Pistons is reaching completion. C-Webb has become a vital contributor with an all around effort that has helped Detroit climb to the top of the Eastern Conference. The Pistons are on a five game winning streak after knocking off the Lakers last night as Webber put up one of his most complete efforts as a modern day Bad Boy. During the team’s hot streak, Webb has averaged a solid 16 points, seven rebounds and four assists to compliment Detroit’s other high profile stars. Since being inserted into the starting five, the Pistons have gone 9-2 as Webber’s presence opens passing lanes, giving his teammates open shots. But the assist has to go to Philly for letting go of Detroit’s newest role player.

3. Disappearing Act
The Wizards have been struggling since Antawn Jamison went down with an injury. In fact, Washington has only been able to win one game out of four after sitting atop the Eastern Conference during most of December and January. In the three losses, the average margin of defeat is 17.7 points. Apparently, Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler shouldn’t have been receiving all of the glory during the team’s hot streak. Jamison was playing some of his best ball before the injury, averaging 19 points and eight rebounds. Right now, the Wizards are just looking to pick up some wins before Jamison returns, which is scheduled to be by the end of the month.

Thursday’s Player of the Day: Ruben Patterson @ New Orleans 49 min, 28 pts (FG: 10-23, FT: 8-10), 16 reb, 3 ast, 5 stl

Friday’s Game to Watch: Houston (31-17) @ Dallas (40-9) The Mavericks are running away from their home state competition and Houston is currently sitting at third in the Southwest Division, nine games behind Dallas. Houston has won six of their last seven games thanks to a rejuvenated Tracy McGrady who has been carrying the Rockets during the absence of Yao Ming. The Mavs have an impressive 23-3 record at home, while racking up a remarkable 26 wins in their last 28 games. Dirk Nowitzki is an early MVP candidate after leading the Mavericks to the league’s best record.

Buzzer Beater: Chris Paul is good, he’s really good. The Hornets have gone 4-2 since Paul returned to the team after sitting out with injury for the past month. New Orleans is even winning some close games since Paul came back. After pulling out a two point victory over Denver in overtime on Wednesday, the Hornets took down the Bucks in a double overtime affair last night. And even though Paul struggled from the field (3-17), he dished out 10 assists that contributed to six other players scoring in double digits. Amazingly, the Hornets are only 1 ½ games away from moving into the playoff picture. The Clippers and Nuggets had better watch their backs.