21 March 2004
Arrrrghghgh!! The Lakers just barely won again, pulling out a 1-point victory over the Milwaukee Bucks in OT. I mean, really. What? I think it's poor form to only give a 60% effort during the regular season, just because your conceit convinces you that you'll sweep the postseason no matter what. Even if that's true, this kind of indifference simply demonstrates that the Lakers have no passion or love for the game, and that sucks. Can I reiterate? The Lakers. SUCK.
Anyway, the Blazers managed to get it going in the late third quarter last night against the Magic, avoiding a total embarrassment as was imminent when Orlando pulled within 2 early in the second half. Like Cheeks said, it wasn't a pretty game, but we won, so let's just move on (hopefully with some sort of idea of why we made it so difficult for ourselves and how to prevent that in the future). Theo continues his complete domination of the defense and actually makes the game worth watching, compensating for the frustrating (and boring) stagnant offense we display so often.
Today in the NBA: the Cavs got trounced by Detroit. Damn if the Pistons aren't on fire since acquiring Sheed...they're looking like a team that's going to go all the way this year. Of course, they've played a string of weak(er) teams of late (can't count the Nets, even, since they weren't at full strength with an ailing Jason Kidd and K-Mart) so the big question is can they crush a team like the Lakers. I'm betting they'd give L.A. a run for their money. Anyway, back to the Pistons-Cavaliers. Boozer had another double-double--21 points and 17 boards. I know I'm sounding like a broken record, but come on. This guy is amazing! Unfortunately, he can't do it alone, and the Cavs have now lost two in a row without the services of McInnis. Cleveland drops to 8th in the East playoff race, being chased by Paul Pierce and the Boston Celtics.
The Nuggets lost to Minnesota, putting them in a virtual tie with us for 9th in the West, a half game behind Utah, now in the 8th spot. We might be in a bit of trouble, though, as we've got Houston tomorrow, while Denver hosts the Clippers next, and Utah hosts the Wizards. Those games should be a breeze for the Nuggets and Jazz. We may have a tougher time of it with the Rockets...
...who are going to be heading into tomorrow's game (the second of a back-to-back for them) fresh off a tough loss to the Kings. Houston led all throughout, but it was like Kings-Pacers redux, as Sacramento started to pull closer toward the end. My boy Peja had 29 points and shot 5-of-10 from beyond the arc, but the real clincher was a trey hit by Vlade Divac. What? Yeah, that's right. Vlade. With the three. First time all season he's knocked one down from 3-point range (he's made 10 attempts), and boy was it timely. Houston should have had this one in hand--the Kings shot like crap again for much of the game--but their downfall was Yao's foul trouble. He had 2, and then 3, early on and eventually fouled out during a crucial stretch late in the final period. Other misc. game notes: Brad Miller was sidelined midway through the game with bursitis in his right elbow...C-Webb appears to still be only a shadow of his former self, lacking authority in the paint and shooting 4-of-18 from the field...a perceived non-call by Steve Francis at the end of the first half prompted a profane outburst to the tune of "that's bullshit" on national TV--Bill Walton had a field day with that one...Stevie Franchise later apologized to the fans and the Commish after halftime, but is expected to be suspended for his remarks. Let's hope that suspension comes, say, tomorrow? In time for it to be implemented for the Portland game. That would be swell, thanks.
The Raptors also captured a 1-point victory in OT tonight, against the Hornets. Last I'd heard in the 4th, New Orleans was up by a handful, Baron Davis and Magloire were having great nights, and it seemed the Raptors would fall further from their bid to make the playoffs. But, Vince Carter saved the day, with 42 points (8 in OT). Jalen Rose also had a big game, adding 26 points and 9 dimes.
Miami continues playing some good ball under Stan Van Gundy (generally considered the better looking of the Van Gundy brothers...not sure what I think about that, but I will say this: Jeff Van Gundy totally reminds me of Gollum. Anyone else see this? Anyone? With the buggy eyes and the three strands of hair on his head? Okay, just me, then.) The Heat took out the Wizards easily, led by rookie sensation Dwayne Wade.
In NCAA news: Kentucky, the number 1 seed overall, fell today to 9th seed UAB in a thriller. That finish was almost as crazy as the Bama/Stanford game with the lead seesawing down to the bitter end for UK. UAB's Mo Finley sank what turned out to be the deciding shot with 12 seconds left after a really smart ball fake to get an open look at the basket. UK made a run for it, but a pretty decent looking three ball from star player Gerald Fitch didn't go, and two desperate tip-in attempts also missed the mark as time expired. Damn these Alabaman teams, but I guess it makes me feel a teensy bit better about the Stanford upset. Mississippi State (2) also got booted today by no. 7 Xavier, and the 3rd seeded NC State was eliminated by no. 6 Vandy. I'm thinking the Blue Devils win it all.
Some ballers for y'all:
Anyway, the Blazers managed to get it going in the late third quarter last night against the Magic, avoiding a total embarrassment as was imminent when Orlando pulled within 2 early in the second half. Like Cheeks said, it wasn't a pretty game, but we won, so let's just move on (hopefully with some sort of idea of why we made it so difficult for ourselves and how to prevent that in the future). Theo continues his complete domination of the defense and actually makes the game worth watching, compensating for the frustrating (and boring) stagnant offense we display so often.
Today in the NBA: the Cavs got trounced by Detroit. Damn if the Pistons aren't on fire since acquiring Sheed...they're looking like a team that's going to go all the way this year. Of course, they've played a string of weak(er) teams of late (can't count the Nets, even, since they weren't at full strength with an ailing Jason Kidd and K-Mart) so the big question is can they crush a team like the Lakers. I'm betting they'd give L.A. a run for their money. Anyway, back to the Pistons-Cavaliers. Boozer had another double-double--21 points and 17 boards. I know I'm sounding like a broken record, but come on. This guy is amazing! Unfortunately, he can't do it alone, and the Cavs have now lost two in a row without the services of McInnis. Cleveland drops to 8th in the East playoff race, being chased by Paul Pierce and the Boston Celtics.
The Nuggets lost to Minnesota, putting them in a virtual tie with us for 9th in the West, a half game behind Utah, now in the 8th spot. We might be in a bit of trouble, though, as we've got Houston tomorrow, while Denver hosts the Clippers next, and Utah hosts the Wizards. Those games should be a breeze for the Nuggets and Jazz. We may have a tougher time of it with the Rockets...
...who are going to be heading into tomorrow's game (the second of a back-to-back for them) fresh off a tough loss to the Kings. Houston led all throughout, but it was like Kings-Pacers redux, as Sacramento started to pull closer toward the end. My boy Peja had 29 points and shot 5-of-10 from beyond the arc, but the real clincher was a trey hit by Vlade Divac. What? Yeah, that's right. Vlade. With the three. First time all season he's knocked one down from 3-point range (he's made 10 attempts), and boy was it timely. Houston should have had this one in hand--the Kings shot like crap again for much of the game--but their downfall was Yao's foul trouble. He had 2, and then 3, early on and eventually fouled out during a crucial stretch late in the final period. Other misc. game notes: Brad Miller was sidelined midway through the game with bursitis in his right elbow...C-Webb appears to still be only a shadow of his former self, lacking authority in the paint and shooting 4-of-18 from the field...a perceived non-call by Steve Francis at the end of the first half prompted a profane outburst to the tune of "that's bullshit" on national TV--Bill Walton had a field day with that one...Stevie Franchise later apologized to the fans and the Commish after halftime, but is expected to be suspended for his remarks. Let's hope that suspension comes, say, tomorrow? In time for it to be implemented for the Portland game. That would be swell, thanks.
The Raptors also captured a 1-point victory in OT tonight, against the Hornets. Last I'd heard in the 4th, New Orleans was up by a handful, Baron Davis and Magloire were having great nights, and it seemed the Raptors would fall further from their bid to make the playoffs. But, Vince Carter saved the day, with 42 points (8 in OT). Jalen Rose also had a big game, adding 26 points and 9 dimes.
Miami continues playing some good ball under Stan Van Gundy (generally considered the better looking of the Van Gundy brothers...not sure what I think about that, but I will say this: Jeff Van Gundy totally reminds me of Gollum. Anyone else see this? Anyone? With the buggy eyes and the three strands of hair on his head? Okay, just me, then.) The Heat took out the Wizards easily, led by rookie sensation Dwayne Wade.
In NCAA news: Kentucky, the number 1 seed overall, fell today to 9th seed UAB in a thriller. That finish was almost as crazy as the Bama/Stanford game with the lead seesawing down to the bitter end for UK. UAB's Mo Finley sank what turned out to be the deciding shot with 12 seconds left after a really smart ball fake to get an open look at the basket. UK made a run for it, but a pretty decent looking three ball from star player Gerald Fitch didn't go, and two desperate tip-in attempts also missed the mark as time expired. Damn these Alabaman teams, but I guess it makes me feel a teensy bit better about the Stanford upset. Mississippi State (2) also got booted today by no. 7 Xavier, and the 3rd seeded NC State was eliminated by no. 6 Vandy. I'm thinking the Blue Devils win it all.
Some ballers for y'all:
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| Vince Carter | Peja Stojakovic | Dwyane Wade | Vlade Divac |
20 March 2004
Oh, by the way, just so y'all remember. I so called that Utah was going to overtake Denver for that last playoff spot. But don't count out the Blazers yet. I think we've got it in us to make a final push...so long as Mo doesn't screw up the rotations (is that asking too much?)
Oh God that was painful. So painful I can barely talk about it. I stepped out to take a phone call midway through the second half, when the Cardinal were up by 10+ points, only to come back in the midst of a 20-4 run by Alabama that put them up by God knows how many with seconds to go. Still, things were working up to a miracle finish when some huge desperation treys from Lottich went in, and Davis put in a couple of baskets in the paint. That left us down by three with 9 seconds and some to go, and the Crimson Tide had the ball. A quick foul put Ernie Shelton at the line for two with 5 seconds. He missed both, Nick Robinson pulled down the board, ran the length of the court and found Dan Grunfeld for a decent look at the three, but it was short, bouncing off the front rim. That was about as good as you could have hoped for in terms of a possible comeback, especially with the missed free throws, when Shelton was 80% and up from the line. Sigh. So, the second round curse continues. We still have a fairly young team, but that really blows for Lottich, Davis and Kirchofer, who should have been able to cap their collegiate careers with at least an appearance in the Sweet 16. But really, when you blow a 13 point lead and go scoreless for 6, 7 minutes in a game, there's nowhere else to put the blame. Childress had an off night, Lottich couldn't find his shot until those last three-pointers, and Hernandez had a tough game, too. The critics called it; they said Stanford wasn't playing like a championship team, and for the last 7 minutes of today's game, they were exactly right. But damn if those chants of "overrated" from the anti-Stanford crowd didn't sting.
In other news: the Zags were the other big upset so far today in the second round, falling to 10th-seeded Nevada, who are playing excellent basketball, particularly Okeson and Snyder who were big from the perimeter. The Bulldogs never could close within more than 8 or 10 points, suffering from miserable shooting on the part of Blake Stepp and early foul trouble that sidelined Ron Turiaf.
In the NBA, last night's Kings-Pacers game turned out to be a doozy. After a crap first half during which Sacramento was down by as many as 17, I turned my attention to the Jazz and Cavs, only to notice the Kings starting to close in the third, until they were within 1 and even took the lead temporarily. Cut to the end of the 4th, with the Kings down 1, Doug Christie makes a killer three, putting Sacto up by 2. Jermaine answered back with a jumper, tying things up. The next two possessions saw C-Webb and O'Neal each sink a couple of foul shots, leaving everything all tied up with 24.1 seconds remaining in regulation and Sacto ball. Trying to use up as much time as possible, the Kings kept the ball until the clock ticked down to 1.2 seconds, and Bibby drained a 19-footer. Indiana could not get a last shot to go, and Sacramento narrowly escaped their third straight defeat.
Now, what of the Cavs and Jazz? Sigh. Despite another double-double from Boozer, who helped to keep things real close until the final minutes, Utah pulled away very late in the 4th to get the W. Looks like Cleveland was sorely missing the talents of one Jeff McInnis, now on the injured list nursing a sore shoulder. LeBron had a poor night, apparently due to illness, shooting 4 for 14 and ending with 14 points.
At least the Pistons beat Denver, with a solid effort from Sheed. But guess what? The Jazz are about to claim another close victory over Atlanta, who, again, kept things close until the last few minutes. Credit Jerry Sloane for some phenomenal coaching, man. But that now puts Utah even with Denver at 36-34 for that eighth spot. Portland could move to within a half game of those two teams with a win tonight over a TMac-less Orlando. Let's keep it together, boys...I've had enough heartbreak for one day, eh?
Last night's ballers:
In other news: the Zags were the other big upset so far today in the second round, falling to 10th-seeded Nevada, who are playing excellent basketball, particularly Okeson and Snyder who were big from the perimeter. The Bulldogs never could close within more than 8 or 10 points, suffering from miserable shooting on the part of Blake Stepp and early foul trouble that sidelined Ron Turiaf.
In the NBA, last night's Kings-Pacers game turned out to be a doozy. After a crap first half during which Sacramento was down by as many as 17, I turned my attention to the Jazz and Cavs, only to notice the Kings starting to close in the third, until they were within 1 and even took the lead temporarily. Cut to the end of the 4th, with the Kings down 1, Doug Christie makes a killer three, putting Sacto up by 2. Jermaine answered back with a jumper, tying things up. The next two possessions saw C-Webb and O'Neal each sink a couple of foul shots, leaving everything all tied up with 24.1 seconds remaining in regulation and Sacto ball. Trying to use up as much time as possible, the Kings kept the ball until the clock ticked down to 1.2 seconds, and Bibby drained a 19-footer. Indiana could not get a last shot to go, and Sacramento narrowly escaped their third straight defeat.
Now, what of the Cavs and Jazz? Sigh. Despite another double-double from Boozer, who helped to keep things real close until the final minutes, Utah pulled away very late in the 4th to get the W. Looks like Cleveland was sorely missing the talents of one Jeff McInnis, now on the injured list nursing a sore shoulder. LeBron had a poor night, apparently due to illness, shooting 4 for 14 and ending with 14 points.
At least the Pistons beat Denver, with a solid effort from Sheed. But guess what? The Jazz are about to claim another close victory over Atlanta, who, again, kept things close until the last few minutes. Credit Jerry Sloane for some phenomenal coaching, man. But that now puts Utah even with Denver at 36-34 for that eighth spot. Portland could move to within a half game of those two teams with a win tonight over a TMac-less Orlando. Let's keep it together, boys...I've had enough heartbreak for one day, eh?
Last night's ballers:
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| Mike Bibby | Raja Bell | Chris Webber | Rasheed Wallace |
19 March 2004
Oof. My Kings are killing me. I've been following the Sacramento-Indiana game via NBA Courtside Live here at work, so I'm not getting the best picture of what's been going on, but I think the 33% shooting speaks for itself. Let's hope someone manages to thaw in the second half.
The Cavs? Also not doing so hot. Except for Booze, and maybe Z, it's looking grim. With the Blazers' luck, both Utah and Denver are going to pull off upsets tonight. Bah. So much for a happy birthday (22 years of bball fanaticism, and every team I ever root for always loses...grrr.)
Speaking of upsets, Pacific and Richmond are heading into their second halves with leads over the higher-seeded Wisconsin and Providence, respectively.
If only I could install a satellite feed in my brain, with a subscription to NBA League Pass. While I appreciate that the "live" scoreboard refreshes every 2 minutes, it's not exactly the same...
The Cavs? Also not doing so hot. Except for Booze, and maybe Z, it's looking grim. With the Blazers' luck, both Utah and Denver are going to pull off upsets tonight. Bah. So much for a happy birthday (22 years of bball fanaticism, and every team I ever root for always loses...grrr.)
Speaking of upsets, Pacific and Richmond are heading into their second halves with leads over the higher-seeded Wisconsin and Providence, respectively.
If only I could install a satellite feed in my brain, with a subscription to NBA League Pass. While I appreciate that the "live" scoreboard refreshes every 2 minutes, it's not exactly the same...
Brief mid-day update: I didn't end up watching the rest of the Spurs-Twolves game, as it was a blowout. Instead, I watched Dayton and DePaul go to double overtime, mostly due to a complete failure to convert at the free throw line for both teams. I don't understand how you can be so good at basketball, yet go 0-for-9 at the line. It's a free throw. As in, a freebie. As in, automatic points. Not as in both teams shooting less than 50% and ending up 10-for-37 or some other hideous percentage. Anyway, Dayton almost beat the higher seeded DePaul, but the one guy who was making his free throws, DePaul's Drake Diener, prevented the upset.
Ron Artest did actually get suspended one game for cracking Derek Anderson a good one in the face with his elbow the other night. He'll miss Indiana's game against the Kings today, which Sacto had better win to avoid a three-game skid. NBA.com is billing this as a potential preview of this year's NBA Finals, although nothing is set at all in either conference. Jazz and Nuggets also play tonight, against Cleveland and Detroit, respectively. Could be another night of losses for Utah and Denver (particularly Denver...the Pistons are on fire and want to go for seven straight wins). Hope Boozer and Co. deal the Jazz a drubbing. (Nothing personal against Utah; in fact, I think Jerry Sloane definitely deserves recognition for bringing a team with essentially no talent as far as he has. But, for the sake of Portland's 21-season playoff run, cream 'em, Carlos. And I mean Boozer, not Arroyo.)
Ron Artest did actually get suspended one game for cracking Derek Anderson a good one in the face with his elbow the other night. He'll miss Indiana's game against the Kings today, which Sacto had better win to avoid a three-game skid. NBA.com is billing this as a potential preview of this year's NBA Finals, although nothing is set at all in either conference. Jazz and Nuggets also play tonight, against Cleveland and Detroit, respectively. Could be another night of losses for Utah and Denver (particularly Denver...the Pistons are on fire and want to go for seven straight wins). Hope Boozer and Co. deal the Jazz a drubbing. (Nothing personal against Utah; in fact, I think Jerry Sloane definitely deserves recognition for bringing a team with essentially no talent as far as he has. But, for the sake of Portland's 21-season playoff run, cream 'em, Carlos. And I mean Boozer, not Arroyo.)
18 March 2004
Bit of a slow night in the NBA tonight, with only three games being played. I'll get to those in a bit, but, first, let's take a look at the first night of round 1 play in the Big Dance. Sixteen games were played today, with a few surprises, including 12th seeded Manhattan knocking off no. 5 Florida and a big come-from-behind win by no. 10 Nevada over the 7th seed, Michigan State. I almost stopped paying attention to the Nevada-Michigan State game halfway through the second half, but then the Wolf Pack went on a 13-0 run over 6 minutes, during which the Spartans panicked and threw up a bunch of wild shots and made a couple of costly turnovers. End result? Nevada has its first ever tournament win in its first appearance since 1985. I'll admit that, usually, I'm not such a big fan of college ball (purists may sneer, but I'm not terribly fond of the zone and the 35-second shot clock), but March Madness is what it is: madness. The intensity and craziness of these tournament games is awesome, and there are always a ton of nail biters. The Maryland-UTEP game was real close (and I admit, I was pulling for UTEP, since I have a bias against the Terrapins, who knocked the Cardinal out of the first round a couple years back), and Alabama-SIU went straight down to the wire. Of course, there were also a couple of expected blow-outs, including a near-40 point margin of victory for the Blue Devils over Alabama State and St. Joe's trouncing of Liberty. The Cardinal defeated UT-San Antonio, with Josh Childress putting up 26 big points. I didn't see the game (yeah, CBS, thanks for deciding that Dr. Phil was more important), but apparently it wasn't as dominant a trouncing as it should have been, given TXSA's 16th seeding. Things will get interesting in the second round; many an analyst has slated Stanford to be eliminated by Alabama.
Back to the NBA. The Pistons almost pulled out their sixth straight game in which they've kept their opponents under 70 points against the Nets tonight. Even though New Jersey was clearly going to lose, they fouled Detroit on what could have been the final possession with 20 seconds left to play, because they had 69 points and wanted one more shot to break the Pistons' streak. Whoever threw up the shot for the Nets missed, but Aaron Williams tipped the ball in just as time expired, bringing NJ up to 71 points on the night. Much good natured towel throwing was observed on the Pistons bench--I, for one, am glad to see Rasheed enjoying the game. I think Detroit is a good fit for him, and a better choice than New York. And, of course, the Pistons are really loving everything he's added to their repertoire.
Memphis lost to Seattle--this follows on the heels of Bonzi Wells' $5000 fine for chucking a ball into the stands. Wells played just 18 minutes against the Sonics and finished with a paltry 7 points. Heh. It appears Radmanovic came up big for Seattle, and Ray Allen had a solid game. Pau Gasol led the Grizz. Eh, I didn't really examine the stats all that closely.
Spurs-Twolves is still in progress, but I've got the Zags-Valpo game on instead. Looks like Gonzaga should be able to run away with this one, though, so I might check back on how Timmy is doing in his return to the Spurs lineup.
Not that I paid a whole lot of attention to the NBA games tonight, but here are the ballers of night:
Back to the NBA. The Pistons almost pulled out their sixth straight game in which they've kept their opponents under 70 points against the Nets tonight. Even though New Jersey was clearly going to lose, they fouled Detroit on what could have been the final possession with 20 seconds left to play, because they had 69 points and wanted one more shot to break the Pistons' streak. Whoever threw up the shot for the Nets missed, but Aaron Williams tipped the ball in just as time expired, bringing NJ up to 71 points on the night. Much good natured towel throwing was observed on the Pistons bench--I, for one, am glad to see Rasheed enjoying the game. I think Detroit is a good fit for him, and a better choice than New York. And, of course, the Pistons are really loving everything he's added to their repertoire.
Memphis lost to Seattle--this follows on the heels of Bonzi Wells' $5000 fine for chucking a ball into the stands. Wells played just 18 minutes against the Sonics and finished with a paltry 7 points. Heh. It appears Radmanovic came up big for Seattle, and Ray Allen had a solid game. Pau Gasol led the Grizz. Eh, I didn't really examine the stats all that closely.
Spurs-Twolves is still in progress, but I've got the Zags-Valpo game on instead. Looks like Gonzaga should be able to run away with this one, though, so I might check back on how Timmy is doing in his return to the Spurs lineup.
Not that I paid a whole lot of attention to the NBA games tonight, but here are the ballers of night:
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| Rasheed Wallace | Tim Duncan |
17 March 2004
Well, it was a good effort tonight by the Blazers. Honestly, I don't think anyone expected them to stretch the win streak to 5, considering we were playing the league's best team on their home court, on the second night of a back-to-back. But, we gave them a run for their money, which was real encouraging, particularly as we were down big in a dismal first quarter. It looked like it was going to be a blowout, what with the complete lack of energy and hustle on both ends of the floor for the Blazers. The fatigue from going 40+ minutes the night before was obvious early on for the backcourt--DA, particularly, had a tough, tough shooting night, although he got a couple of good steals in. So, good things came of the change in rotation when Mo put in our reserves in the second quarter. I think Cheeks could have stuck with them a little longer--just spell DA for the night. Reggie Miller was too much for DA to handle and kept getting wide open looks at the three (the last of which sealed the deal for Indiana late in the 4th). And Artest? The man is good. A savage, yeah, but damn can he ball. The elbow to DA's face was definitely uncalled for and intentional, in my view (dude, DA wasn't even in his path...he had to go out of his way to throw that elbow), although he attempted to make amends afterwards. Anyway, Darius really couldn't control Artest tonight, so I thought Ruben could have gotten some more minutes. Shareef did some good work early on, but he continues to be unable to get any calls except for offensive fouls, which blows. He got hammered for sure on a bunch of plays that resulted in him losing the ball, with no whistle. Theo was huge, as always, with 7 blocks. The coolest thing? Watching Pacers take the ball to the hoop only to stop short and dish it back out, because they were so afraid of Ratliff. You could see them think about putting the ball up, maybe pump fake a couple of times, then think better of it and look to pass, all just because Theo was standing there.
What else? My boy Eddie Gill. I called it early on, yo, he's got some skills. I still have no idea what in the hell Cheeks is doing with the backup point situation--I have never seen a coach divvy up minutes by playing each guy for two games and then rotating to the next. Then again, I suppose most teams don't have a completely excessive three guys at backup point. Still, it seems pretty clear to me that either Eddie or Dan Dickau should be getting the playing time, rather than Omar, since Omar can't shoot the ball, and we could use the offensive push from our guards (especially on a night like tonight, when DA and Damon are tired). Now, I love Dickau, and I think he could do well at backup point, but Eddie's got the added bonus of being able to create his own shot, driving to the basket and drawing the foul (which he did at least three times tonight). Obviously Eddie can shoot the perimeter shot, too. I dunno if he's as good a shooter as Dickau from long range, but I think it's tough to call who the better player is. There is the fact that Eddie is in his third year, having played extensively in the CBA and NBDL, whereas Dan Dickau has spent the majority of his two years in the league at the end of the bench (I don't think he played at all, ever, in Atlanta), so Eddie's got some good competitive experience.
Well, the Blazers were in it for a good long stretch tonight, but an offensive collapse in the 4th put the game out of reach. I can't tell you how frustrating it is to watch the shot clock run down while the ball keeps getting passed around the perimeter. Probably the last 5 or 6 possessions ended with a desperation three thrown up by Damon or DA as the shot clock expired. Granted, Zach is a good offensive force, and he can find a way to get the ball in the bucket most times, but when you've got smothering defense preventing Zebo from getting the ball, you can't keep calling that same play (Mo Cheeks, I'm talking to you). "Stagnant" always seems to be the word of the day when it comes to our offense, which is frustrating, because you do occasionally see flashes of brilliance from the likes of Darius and Ruben, cutting to the basket.
This would have been an absolutely amazing win if the Blazers could have pulled it off, but, thankfully, we didn't lose any ground in the playoff race, as the Celtics beat the Nuggets, and the Raptors edged the Jazz. Lucky for us, since I think those were games that Denver and Utah definitely had a strong shot at winning, but, too bad we couldn't chalk up another W, because how sweet would it have been to gain some major ground in the standings tonight? Well, no point dwelling on that. And we definitely shouldn't be taking it easy during this long three-day break before the next game at home against Orlando. The Magic may not be that great, but they almost beat the Lakers not too long ago, so they're capable of having big games.
Now on to the Kings-Wizards game, which is almost too painful for me to even talk about. Yesterday I griped about how having a poor shooting night would kill the Kings. Well, tonight they shot 56.2% on the game--I mean, that's amazing accuracy. But, they still walked away with another loss--Sacramento's first two game losing streak since January. The reason? Turnovers. Twenty turnovers on the night for the Kings, as opposed to 12 for Washington. This had to have contributed to the fact that the Wizards had 21 (count 'em...21!!) more field goal attempts than the Kings. And apparently, Kwame Brown totally outplayed C-Webb, ending up with a huge 30 points and 19 rebounds. So, win number 50 continues to elude the Kings, who, I'm sure, are hoping that this dry spell is going to be over soon.
Other news around the league: the Mavs continue their suckage of late, losing to the Hawks, of all teams. Dallas is rapidly falling out of the top half of the playoff field in the Western Conference, having lost five of their last eight. Tonight's defeat came despite a 30 point effort from Steve Nash, 28 from Nowitzki, and a double-double from Antoine Walker. Bummer.
The Lakers just barely survived the Clippers, ekeing out a three point victory after two missed three-point attempts by the Clips to end the game. I don't know if this whole failure to dominate inferior teams bit is merely because they don't care enough about these games to play hard for 48 minutes, or if they're really just unable to put it all together, but I hope this carries into the postseason and they get tossed out quickly.
Ballers deserving a mention tonight:
What else? My boy Eddie Gill. I called it early on, yo, he's got some skills. I still have no idea what in the hell Cheeks is doing with the backup point situation--I have never seen a coach divvy up minutes by playing each guy for two games and then rotating to the next. Then again, I suppose most teams don't have a completely excessive three guys at backup point. Still, it seems pretty clear to me that either Eddie or Dan Dickau should be getting the playing time, rather than Omar, since Omar can't shoot the ball, and we could use the offensive push from our guards (especially on a night like tonight, when DA and Damon are tired). Now, I love Dickau, and I think he could do well at backup point, but Eddie's got the added bonus of being able to create his own shot, driving to the basket and drawing the foul (which he did at least three times tonight). Obviously Eddie can shoot the perimeter shot, too. I dunno if he's as good a shooter as Dickau from long range, but I think it's tough to call who the better player is. There is the fact that Eddie is in his third year, having played extensively in the CBA and NBDL, whereas Dan Dickau has spent the majority of his two years in the league at the end of the bench (I don't think he played at all, ever, in Atlanta), so Eddie's got some good competitive experience.
Well, the Blazers were in it for a good long stretch tonight, but an offensive collapse in the 4th put the game out of reach. I can't tell you how frustrating it is to watch the shot clock run down while the ball keeps getting passed around the perimeter. Probably the last 5 or 6 possessions ended with a desperation three thrown up by Damon or DA as the shot clock expired. Granted, Zach is a good offensive force, and he can find a way to get the ball in the bucket most times, but when you've got smothering defense preventing Zebo from getting the ball, you can't keep calling that same play (Mo Cheeks, I'm talking to you). "Stagnant" always seems to be the word of the day when it comes to our offense, which is frustrating, because you do occasionally see flashes of brilliance from the likes of Darius and Ruben, cutting to the basket.
This would have been an absolutely amazing win if the Blazers could have pulled it off, but, thankfully, we didn't lose any ground in the playoff race, as the Celtics beat the Nuggets, and the Raptors edged the Jazz. Lucky for us, since I think those were games that Denver and Utah definitely had a strong shot at winning, but, too bad we couldn't chalk up another W, because how sweet would it have been to gain some major ground in the standings tonight? Well, no point dwelling on that. And we definitely shouldn't be taking it easy during this long three-day break before the next game at home against Orlando. The Magic may not be that great, but they almost beat the Lakers not too long ago, so they're capable of having big games.
Now on to the Kings-Wizards game, which is almost too painful for me to even talk about. Yesterday I griped about how having a poor shooting night would kill the Kings. Well, tonight they shot 56.2% on the game--I mean, that's amazing accuracy. But, they still walked away with another loss--Sacramento's first two game losing streak since January. The reason? Turnovers. Twenty turnovers on the night for the Kings, as opposed to 12 for Washington. This had to have contributed to the fact that the Wizards had 21 (count 'em...21!!) more field goal attempts than the Kings. And apparently, Kwame Brown totally outplayed C-Webb, ending up with a huge 30 points and 19 rebounds. So, win number 50 continues to elude the Kings, who, I'm sure, are hoping that this dry spell is going to be over soon.
Other news around the league: the Mavs continue their suckage of late, losing to the Hawks, of all teams. Dallas is rapidly falling out of the top half of the playoff field in the Western Conference, having lost five of their last eight. Tonight's defeat came despite a 30 point effort from Steve Nash, 28 from Nowitzki, and a double-double from Antoine Walker. Bummer.
The Lakers just barely survived the Clippers, ekeing out a three point victory after two missed three-point attempts by the Clips to end the game. I don't know if this whole failure to dominate inferior teams bit is merely because they don't care enough about these games to play hard for 48 minutes, or if they're really just unable to put it all together, but I hope this carries into the postseason and they get tossed out quickly.
Ballers deserving a mention tonight:
 |  |  |  |
| Theo Ratliff | Ron Artest | Kwame Brown | Eddie Gill |
16 March 2004
Holy Jesus, the Blazers-Bucks game tonight almost gave me an aneurysm. So, there were a lot of great things early on in the game for my boys, the Trailblazers--we had good ball movement with a couple of nice breaks ending in alley-oops by D-Miles off the lob pass from Zebo. We saw flashes of the Shareef Abdur-Rahim of old (pre-trade)...I can't tell you how sweet it is to see the guy be the aggressor in the paint and take the ball strong to the hoop instead of the usual hesitation on the double team, resulting in the turnover. But, after seizing a commanding 20 point lead in the 3rd, Michael Redd got the hot hand and our offense dynamism vanished. Some big mistakes that Mo Cheeks could have tried to put a lid on sooner: better D on Redd--double team the guy when he starts draining jumpers and treys left and right. Also, Zach was having a tough timing getting open down the stretch, but someone else should have tried to cut, rather than letting the shot clock expire (twice) or forcing the perimeter shot (multiple times). Still, major props to the boys for battling it out to the bitter end, and Damon? I love you, man. I knew there was a reason I wear these Mighty Mouse pajamas. His tremendous hustle to snatch up the loose ball after Zach had it knocked away (and was totally fouled in the process, yo) and miraculous off-balance shot to put Portland up by 1 with 0.6 seconds left was absolutely awesome. And how cool was it to see Shareef and all the guys run out on the court in excitement? Joe Smith got a real good look at the basket on that last possession, even though I maintain that the Milwaukee timekeeping monkeys didn't start the clock until waaaaay after the ball was inbounded (with 0.3 secs left after Darius tipped the first inbound attempt, there is no way a guy could catch the ball, come down, and jump again before releasing without the time expiring, okay?). Thankfully, it didn't go, and the Blazers pull away with a thriller of a victory that puts our win streak at 4. We're going to have it tough tomorrow, though, with the second game of a back-to-back on the road, and at Indiana, no less. We're 9-2 against division leaders this season, but the Pacers have got the best record in the league, and there's no answer for Jermaine O'Neal.
Speaking of best record in the league, we come to the Kings-Nets game, wherein Sacramento was attempting to be the first team to 50 wins on the season and clinch a playoff berth in the West. Sigh. I love my Kings to death, but, really, anytime a team is so purely offensive-minded, they're bound to get slaughtered every now and then, because it's inevitable that they're going to have a poor shooting night. And when that happens, the lack of strong defense means that the game won't even be close. Brad Miller is an outstanding addition in this regard, but Brad alone isn't going to stop the onslaught of a Nets team that's shooting 49.4% on the night. Combine that with a miserable 37.8% field goal percentage from the Kings, including a horrendous 1st period where Peja went 3 of 4, but everyone else on the Kings team missed every single shot they took (making them 0 for 14), and Sacto should be thankful that the margin of victory wasn't larger than it already is. If the Kings want to win it all (and I think they can and should), they've got to really go to C-Webb in the post when playing good defensive teams and their perimeter shots aren't falling. And they should work on trying to get that best record in the league to end the season to ensure home court throughout the playoffs. Arco's notoriously tough to play in, so they've got to take advantage of that.
Other news around the league: the Cavs handily defeated the Bulls tonight. My boy, Carlos Boozer, had another double-double, with 22 points and 13 boards. I bet a lotta teams are regretting not picking this guy up in the draft (he was the 35th selection overall in '02...35th!) I gotta say, I'm liking the Cavs a lot this year (even with Jeff McInnis, who is actually doing a lot of good things for them) and I think they've got a good young team that's going to really be a presence in the East in years to come. Not too much else of note for me tonight--my main concerns are when Utah and Denver play, since they're the chief obstacles to the Blazers grabbing that eighth spot in the West. Memphis did win again, beating the Sixers. The Grizz are a sore subject for all Portland fans, but what can I say? Hubie Brown is kicking some ass, man. Ninety-seven years old, that man is, according to the Chuckster. Hee.
So. To recap, tonight's ballers are:
Speaking of best record in the league, we come to the Kings-Nets game, wherein Sacramento was attempting to be the first team to 50 wins on the season and clinch a playoff berth in the West. Sigh. I love my Kings to death, but, really, anytime a team is so purely offensive-minded, they're bound to get slaughtered every now and then, because it's inevitable that they're going to have a poor shooting night. And when that happens, the lack of strong defense means that the game won't even be close. Brad Miller is an outstanding addition in this regard, but Brad alone isn't going to stop the onslaught of a Nets team that's shooting 49.4% on the night. Combine that with a miserable 37.8% field goal percentage from the Kings, including a horrendous 1st period where Peja went 3 of 4, but everyone else on the Kings team missed every single shot they took (making them 0 for 14), and Sacto should be thankful that the margin of victory wasn't larger than it already is. If the Kings want to win it all (and I think they can and should), they've got to really go to C-Webb in the post when playing good defensive teams and their perimeter shots aren't falling. And they should work on trying to get that best record in the league to end the season to ensure home court throughout the playoffs. Arco's notoriously tough to play in, so they've got to take advantage of that.
Other news around the league: the Cavs handily defeated the Bulls tonight. My boy, Carlos Boozer, had another double-double, with 22 points and 13 boards. I bet a lotta teams are regretting not picking this guy up in the draft (he was the 35th selection overall in '02...35th!) I gotta say, I'm liking the Cavs a lot this year (even with Jeff McInnis, who is actually doing a lot of good things for them) and I think they've got a good young team that's going to really be a presence in the East in years to come. Not too much else of note for me tonight--my main concerns are when Utah and Denver play, since they're the chief obstacles to the Blazers grabbing that eighth spot in the West. Memphis did win again, beating the Sixers. The Grizz are a sore subject for all Portland fans, but what can I say? Hubie Brown is kicking some ass, man. Ninety-seven years old, that man is, according to the Chuckster. Hee.
So. To recap, tonight's ballers are:
 |  |  |
| Damon Stoudamire | Carlos Boozer | Michael Redd |
Well. You had to figure it was only a matter of time before the massive jumble of basketball-related thoughts roiling in my head spilled out into the physical world.
