Jason Kidd set a career high with 13 triple-doubles this season when he got his 100th overall on Wednesday.
Assist of the Night: Jason Kidd
Watch as Jason Kidd taps it back to Brandon Bass for one of his 10 assists.
Dunk of the Night: Tyson Chandler
Watch as Tyson Chandler slips the screen and receives the alley-oop from Chris Paul for the slam.
Steal of the Night: Monta Ellis
Watch as Monta Ellis steals the pass, gives it up, and gets it back on a lob for the finish.
Behind the boxscore, where Dallas cannot be ignored
Dallas 111, New Orleans 98 If you're a Mavs fan, or just an NBAnik looking for a championship-level team to return to championship-level play, this had to warm your heart.
First of all, if Jason Terry is hitting shots, being aggressive, and playing like he did in 2004-05, then the Mavericks are incredibly dangerous. Terry had 30 points on just 19 shots in this win.
Secondly, Jason Kidd had a throwback game, possibly the best one I've seen him play in two years. 27 points, ten rebounds, and ten assists to just one turnover. In fact, the Mavs coughed the ball up just six times, a remarkable amount under any circumstance.
The idea that these two are just capable of performances like this against one of the better defensive teams in the NBA is very promising, especially because you know Josh Howard and Dirk Nowitzki aren't going to combine to shoot 10-36 from the floor very often.
Dallas doesn't need the Jasons to pull this stuff off all the time, but it does help to know that these guards can still put numbers up like this maybe once or twice in a long series.
New Orleans didn't play a bad game, but even smallish free throw (Dallas hit 23, NOLA 17) and turnover (nine to six) disparities can cost you a double-digit loss to a playoff team. The Hornets better learn that quickly.�
No marigolds in the promised land for Dallas, but there is hope. There should be championship hope. This team is good enough.
I am truly relieved to find these two teams on opposite ends of the Eastern bracket, because if the Pistons and Cavaliers meet each other in the Eastern Conference finals, I'm going to have to see if MJD needs help on any of his Yahoo! blogs. I know LeBron James sat the game out, and the Pistons only played their starters 12 minutes apiece, but these two teams are bad news should they hook up again. This game was drudgery to behold.
Remember last year's ECF? You might remember LeBron's brilliant takeover of Game Five, but not the rest of the run - which was marred by physical play, horrible shooting, and the typical Piston indifference. Even the memories of this game standing strong, the pairing wouldn't be worth it.
Detroit ended its season with a full head of steam: the starters combined to shoot 5-20 from the field for 13 combined points.
Washington couldn't (and didn't really want to, candidly, and thankfully) get over the absence of Gilbert Arenas, Caron Butler, and Antawn Jamison; and though the Magic didn't play their own starters for long, 32 combined minutes for Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu (combined, 26 points on 18 shots) was enough to keep the Wiz at bay.
Wizards coach Eddie Jordan already knows what he has in youngsters Nick Young, Andray Blatche (20 and 11 in just 34 minutes), but it was nice to see actual proof that Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy can play benchwarmers like Marcin Gortat (12 and 11) and J.J. Redick (18 points in 24 minutes) without having the Earth open up to swallow Epcot Center whole, with copious bouts of raging, uncontrolled copulation revealing itself in the high street.
It's OK, SVG. It's OK.
I don't think I saw Isiah Thomas get off of his sideline seat once in this game, and I took in quite a bit of it. With a whimper, y'know?
The Pacers looked great, the defense wasn't there but Mike Dunleavy Jr. came through with a strong end to a season he should be pretty proud of: 36 points, seven rebounds, six assists, three steals, three turnovers. Dunleavy looked stronger this season, and it showed in his play - he had the strength to square his shoulders easier when taking a shot after a drive, and he could handle open-court finishes better in 2007-08.
Other than Thomas' statuesque demeanor, nothing on this Knick team stood out. They shot well at times, made the opposing announcing team laugh out loud with a few ridiculous passing or jump shot tries, and basically improved their way through a rather nasty performance.
To any thinking fan, Thomas' ascension to the Knick throne was a mistake. The people that told you that it was a mistake to mortgage your future on Stephon Marbury were right, the people that warned against the Eddy Curry trade were right, the people that warned against the Steve Francis, Jalen Rose, and Zach Randolph (geez, how did this guy not trade for Darius Miles) were right, and yet it took until recently for some fans, MSG executives, and NBA scribes to realize that everything Isiah Thomas has done has been wrong.
Even the David Lee draft? Even finding gems in the lower rungs of the draft? Yes. Isiah traded Trevor Ariza, didn't give Lee the minutes he deserved, and his laissez-faire training camp had Renaldo Balkman and Mardy Collins a step slow and out of shape all year. Picking up Randolph Morris was fine, but keeping him out of the NBDL out of spite hurt worse. Every step forward Isiah took was mitigated by three steps backwards.
Good riddance, go away, leave my league alone.
Charlotte 115, Philadelphia 109
The Sixers might be the league's worst three-point shooting team, but sometimes they'll have nights like this: 10-21 (47.6 percent) from long range. Be careful, Detroit. Tread lightly, watch the front of the rim, and act your age.
No stopping the Bobcats on Wednesday, they really wanted to eke out a win and were really on point with the passing. Guys like Jared Dudley were hitting cutters, it was pretty cool to see (if not a little surprising, where was this spread offense all season?), and the Bobcats finished with 34 assists on 45 baskets.
Thaddeus Young, in the loss: 18 points, four rebounds, five assists, two steals, one turnover in 35 minutes. 19 years of age. We have a winner.
A couple of times over the last few weeks, the Celtics reserves have pulled away and held onto leads playing against the other team's starters, including a win over their first round opponent in Atlanta. I know the Pistons reserves did the same thing in Cleveland on Wednesday night, but I'm jus' sayin' ...
Three years from now, Vince Carter will make a guaranteed 17.5 million bucks. Good thing the Nets kept him around.
Sometimes bad decisions pay off, and sometimes bad shots go in. That's about all I can say for a game that sees Mark Blount - quite capable of hitting three-pointers, I submit - taking and making four of six treys. I only saw the two misses, so there's a bit of inherent bias working here.
Atlanta wanted to win this one, and actually had its starters re-enter the game midway through the fourth quarter. Admirable, but not the smartest move. It's not as if they have a chance against Boston, but you don't want to chance things in the midst of a game that most are going to forget by midday Thursday.
Jason Williams tried some behind-the-back passes in this one, it was fun to party like it's 1999, and I'd be shocked if any of the Miami NBDL cats have trouble finding NBA work next season.
Minnesota 110, Milwaukee 101 (OT)
I don't if it was this way for everyone, I don't know if anyone else on Earth outside of Wisconsin or Minnesota was watching a League Pass version of a Bucks/Timberwolves game, but my feed was shot. Crackles, tremolo'ed voices, messed-up visuals, and nigh on impossible to watch. So I didn't watch more than a few minutes.
Here's what I missed: Bucks rookie point man Ramon Sessions playing all 53 minutes of the overtime loss (can't remember the last time that happened, though it probably happened to Allen Iverson), and coming through with 25 points and 14 assists, with seven rebounds, three steals, and three turnovers. Ramon's stats in April read like this: 11.5 points per game, 11.3 assists, 4.9 rebounds, 3.2 turnovers and 1.5 steals in 38 minutes per game.
Here's what Chicago's starting lineup should look like next year:
PG: Kirk Hinrich
SG: Thabo Sefolosha
SF: Luol Deng
PF: Tyrus Thomas
C: Joakim Noah
Bring Aaron Gray (19 points and 22 rebounds) and Ben Gordon off the bench, banish Larry Hughes (1-6 tonight, 38 percent shooting on the season) to the end of the pine, trade Andres Nocioni for a lower-rung draft pick and potential cap relief that can be spent on re-signing the parts to what could be a special, special team.
Find a coach. Find a real coach. Show the coach a tape of this game. Understand that Noah and Thomas are this team's two best passers, and run things through those two. Drink in the potential and watch as it works when you give players consistent minutes and roles they can count on. Watch 55 wins pile up.
(Drops mic.)
Houston 93, Los Angeles Clippers 75
The Rockets can play defense. Man, o', man can these guys play defense. Every bone in my body told me that this team - even taking into consideration the defensive gifts and presence of Tracy McGrady - wouldn't have a chance at the playoffs after Yao Ming went down. And yet, here they are. And while every bone in my body tells me they won't have a chance against Utah in the first round, why start doubting this bunch now?
As far as the Clippers go, I truly wish they had rolled the dice on any number of NBDL point guards before taking a flier on Smush Parker. Parker couldn't tell you the name of our current Vice President, he's no good for any team; and, if you want to bring in an older player to learn the plays, why not throw some well-earned cash at Randy Livingston?
Livingston, the 2016 NBA Coach of the Year, would at least bother to learn the plays.
I took two things away from this meaningless game, and while it's just one man's voice (and what a voice it is!) I implore you to listen:
*Rudy Gay finished the game with just 12 points on 14 shots, with seven rebounds, six assists, and five turnovers. And yet, there were moments in this game where he showed the sort of ability that could result in an All-NBA appearance at some point. Whether it's with Marc Iavaroni or not, I tell you, I'm not concerned about that. This man needs to be a focal point.
*He sometimes shoots Denver into wins with his derring-do, he has skills, and he has All-Star potential (though he'll never sniff an appearance). I still wouldn't want J.R. Smith on my team. The sheer amount of plays he takes off on both ends more than mitigates the contributions that end up winning games.
I'm not saying coach George Karl doesn't need to find more minutes for Smith in the playoffs over Anthony Carter, that's not the issue. What needs to happen is for the Nugs to try and find a better solution besides a guy that is starting to make Ricky Davis look like Bobby Gross.
The Jazz don't match up well against San Antonio, but that doesn't do much for the shock that results from this one. Utah couldn't execute its offense (ranked second in the NBA with 115.8 points per 100 possessions), ended up with 89.9 points per 100 p's, and never had a chance against a Spurs team that took all those missed shots and turned them into run-outs and their best offensive game in weeks.
I really don't know what to take from it. Some things you can't explain away, beyond the obvious (the Spurs make life hellish for screen/roll devotees, Carlos Boozer is a bit undersized in the face of Timmy the D, Mehmet Okur is a bit frustrated by an Argentinean that deigns to follow him out to the three-point line), but you'd like to think talent would out at some point.
I thought that the Jazz would make a better showing in last year's Western Conference end-game, but they didn't, and they didn't have much luck tonight. The Jazz against the Spurs might be a lost cause. Bugger.
Twenty minutes, forty-six, for Steve Nash and Shaquille O'Neal. Combined. I'm happy about that.
I'm not happy about Grant Hill's groin strain, nobody's talking about it, and it looks to be the kind that could keep him out of the entire postseason run, even if it stretches into June. Let's just ignore it, for now. No room for drags.
Portland competed but couldn't keep the concentration once the Phoenix reserves hit the floor for good. Sean Marks will do that to a man. Nate McMillan's team is looking forward to 2008-09, and I can't blame them.
In 42 minutes over a SuperSonic win, Kevin Durant had the game we've been waiting for: 42 points on 25 shots, 13 rebounds, six assists, five turnovers, a steal, two blocks, stop writing out stats and take a walk around the block because I'm a little ticked - this game wasn't televised!
Couldn't tell you if Baron Davis was moping or mopping the floor with Luke Ridnour, couldn't tell you if Stephen Jackson had gone gunnin' for the man that stole his water, haven't a clue as to how rookie Jeff Green turned in 27 and ten boards.
But I don't have to worry about such things anymore. The playoffs, man, the playoffs are mere hours away.
I had a blast tending to these BtBs for the first time since the 2000-01 (!) season, and appreciated your views to no end. It gets better, I'll remind you, now that these things start to count, those heads get shaved, the sneakers run black, and the postseason commences.
Playoffs, man. Playoffs. It's a good time to be awake.
NBA TV Top 10: April 16
Watch the Top 10 plays from Wednesday night, including Ray Felton's tough, off-balance bank in the lane.
NBA TV Fantasy Hoops: Low Five
NBA TV's Mike Yam, in his final Low Five of the year, gives you his First-Team All-Fantasy.
No comments:
Post a Comment