Sunday Morning Dimes

• LeBron James has helped the Cavs win 9 of their last 10 games, propelling their record to 10-3. The Cavaliers hold the second best record in the East, behind Boston’s 12-2 record. ‘Bron leads the league in scoring with 29.5 points a game.
• OKC Thunder have lost 11 in a row and their recent firing of coach Carlesimo only expresses the unavoidable frustration in this rebuilding stage. On the bright side, Durant continues doing his thing (21 ppg.) and Russell Westbrook is having a great rookie season, averaging 12 points and 3 assists per game while playing just under 25 minutes a night.
• Shaquille O’Neal lead an impressive night for the Suns tonight in their win. 19 points and 17 boards is great production coming from the big man. But is it really necessary watching this dude Try and dive into the fans for a loose ball with a 11 point lead and less than three mins left in the game? How in God’s name is 325 pounds of force viciously slamming into a bunch sitting, clueless set of people any more dangerous than Artest fleeing into the stands to snuff one particular Detroit fan? That’s kind of an extreme comparison, but wait ’til Shaq KO’s that two thousand dollar suit-wearing season ticket holder, or some flimsy girl, an 8 year old, a celebrity. I’m going too far, but it’d be fitting for the Suns to have a sturdy, bulky, ring of temperate glass surrounding the court to help prevent any lawsuits or numerous replays on ESPN every two months of a +300 pound, seven-footer failing to realize, “Yo, I’m not fit for this one.” I think GM, Steve Kerr, Terry Porter and the rest of the Suns already get the point that he’s hustling or that he can at least still hustle for the most part. And that whole talk about never ruling out Shaq reuniting with the Lakers is absurd. As much as I love that ‘99-’03 Lakers era, Shaq has 16 years under his belt, bro. Lakers have overcome the bullshit after O’Neal’s departure and are right where they want to be. Two wins away from a Championship last season, Kobe in his prime, Bynum evolving as the team’s center. No more distractions are needed or expected coming from the Lakers in the near future.
• Despite the cringing lack of consistency, the Pistons are officially one of the sexiest teams in the NBA.
• Hornets aren’t flossing as high as I expected them to this season, running with a 7-5 record. CP3 and West are having stellar seasons regardless. In their recent dismantling of the OKC Thunder, West had a game high with 33 points while Paul stuck 29 points, 16 assists and 10 rebounds.
• There was no excuse for missing Vince Carter’s latest homecoming game against the Raptors.
• QRich was just two three-pointers shy of the franchise record tonight. Nevertheless, Richardson nailed 7 three’s in his 34 point night. The Knicks recent garbage dump of Crawford and Randolph has set off all the nerves of speculation for 2010. While both Crawford and Randolph are talented players, they were never fit for the Knicks success, their absence won’t be felt, nah. 
• Speaking of absence felt, the Wiz dropped to 1-10 recently. Come on Gil, I know it hurts, but Christ Almighty. 
• The Lakers are 10-1, the Clippers are 2-11.
• Dallas is starting to get back on track, their four-game-winning streak has them at 6-7. 
• The Spurs sit at a steady 6-6, but humbly expect their star, Manu Ginobili to return sometime next week. 

 

Dated November 23rd, 2008

NBA on TNT Recap

Denver (4-3) at Cleveland (6-2)

Forget about that false LeBron vs. Carmelo marketing campaign, LeBron himself will always grab the casual basketball fan. If TNT really needs a match-up to spark views, keep a tab on Mo Williams and Chauncey Billups. Both are new faces that are set to positively impact the franchise for seasons to come. Williams has been averaging 14 points and five assists as a Cavalier, with his help and James’ the Cavs remain heavyweights in the East. As for Billups, since his swap to Denver, Chauncey’s been averaging 15 points and 6 assists. Behind Chauncey Billups, the Nuggets slightly clean up their sloppy play for the most part but their pathetic defense can only hold up for 1-2 quarters each game. In this one, it took two quarters before Cleveland finally pulled away with the advantage. LeBron overpowered the Nuggets defense in the end, being two rebounds short of a triple double. James’ line read 22 points, 11 assists and 8 rebounds. Anthony was a non-factor, shooting 5/12 for 18 points. His teammate, Billups scored a game high of 26 points, but missed a three pointer with 1:44 left that would’ve cut the Cleveland lead to five. After his miss, the Nuggets found a way to diminish any chances of a comeback when Kenyon Martin’s ejection led to a free throw and possession that the Cavs made the most of. Mo Williams made the tech free throw and drove in a layup to give him 24 points and help cap the win for the Cavaliers. The Cavs are now one of three teams to have 7 wins or more this season. 

 

Dated November 13th, 2008

 

No Surprises

The first strokes of the ‘09 NBA season have taken place and the true colors of each team is beginning to unveil. The disappointments and surprises have been soaked by the sports press. The injuries have surfaced throughout the league to leave holes in numerous rosters. The stars have shined harder than ever and the praised rookies are living up to the standards. This young season can easily be cut down into sections to help defy what this season has brought forth. Here’s the first set of what was expected this season.

The Lakers (7-0) and Celtics (8-1) both hold the finest records in the league.

It’s no surprise to see last season’s NBA finalists back to where they left off. The Lakers have all collectively played their part to help put together an undefeated record to this day. Players like Ariza and Farmar are the pride of the Lakers bench. Bryant is quietly averaging around 25 points and 5 boards a game and no one is complaining because the team is clearly unstoppable. The Lakers have taken down Houston, Dallas and most importantly, New Orleans tonight. Boston hasn’t seen the roughest schedule yet, and their 16 point loss to Indiana wasn’t pretty. Paul Pierce, who’s been playing with a sprained hand the past week, sunk the game winner against a 6-0 Atlanta team tonight to silence any doubters. 

New Jersey, OKC and Washington share a combined record of 4-17.

What can be said here, these team’s lack another trade or two before they see any differences for the year. The Wizards avoided an 0-6 record behind Butler’s 27 points tonight, but their need of Arenas is tremendous. It’s good to see the NJ Nets give out free tickets to their unemployed set of fans, maybe it will encourage a couple of individuals to give the NBA a shot after watching their team get smacked around the league nightly. The only ring of lighting coming from Oklahoma City is the numbers both Jeff Green and Kevin Durant.

 

LeBron James, Chris Paul and Dwight Howard are league leaders.

After somewhat of a slow start, James has emerged as the league’s leading scorer, averaging 29.8 points a night. He’s also bringing down 8.4 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game for the Cavs. Chris Paul’s unlimited trail of double-doubles will never see an end. Chris can score the ball and dishing out an assist is seems effortless when watching him orchestrate. Paul is averaging a career-high, 21.3 points, 11.7 assists, 3.3 steals and 5.2 rebounds per game. Dwight recorded a triple double tonight for the Magic, 30 points, 19 rebounds and 10 blocks, yeah, ten. Howard is averaging 23 points a night, along with 14.4 rebounds and 3.6 blocks per game. 

Anticipated rookies living up to hype.

Number one pick, Derrick Rose leads his team in assists with 5.3, while putting up 18.8 points a night. Rose exploded for 26 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists in his last game against Atlanta. Beasley’s the team’s second leading scorer with 16.7 ppg., respectively behind DWade. Michael appears to be comfortable as Wade’s sidekick and reliability for when it comes to scoring the ball. He’s also averaging 6.3 boards per game. My personal favorite rookie, Rudy Fernandez is a 23-year-old menace for the Blazers on both sides of the ball. The Spaniard is logging healthy playing time coming off the bench and has held the best composure out of all the rookies. Tonight, Rudy scored 25 points along with 2 steals, 2 assists, 3 boards and a block. All under 29 minutes. O.J. Mayo can’t stop scoring the ball, he’s now averaging 21 points per game. His teammate and rookie, Marc Gasol is also another machine for Memphis, averaging 10.8 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. 

Brandon Roy is Clutch.

 

After senselessly covering the Sixers vs. Magic game on TNT instead of match-up, Brandon Roy and the Blazers defeated the Houston Rockets in overtime. This match-up was already set to be one to remember when Roy hit a turn around jumper late in overtime with 1.9 left to put the Blazers up by 2. With 0.8 left in the clock, it seemed assuring that Portland was going home with a win until Yao Ming snatched the inbound pass for a turn around 11-foot shot to tie the game. To make matters worse for the newly shocked Portland, it turns out Ming was fouled while shooting. Yao knocked down his free throw, giving Houston a 99-98 lead. “00.8″ was read on the shot clock before Blake inbounded the ball to Brandon Roy. With the game on the line, Brandon sprinted to catch the ball and heaved a 31-foot buzzer beat to send Houston home with a loss. 

The game overall was one of the finest in the early season. With two defensive juggernauts in Ron Artest and Brandon Roy, the game was settled through rough one on one match-ups with the game on the line. Roy turned out with 17 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists. His teammate, LaMarcus Aldridge was also a menace for Portland’s attack with 27 points and 9 rebounds. McGrady’s efforts were marked with 30 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists.

 

Philadelphia Sixers (2-3) v. Orlando Magic (2-2)

Caught this one from the start.

• Dwight Howard falls into foul trouble early when he picked up his second personal foul in with less than two minutes into the game.
• Philly’s averaging 19 turnovers per game heading into this contest, their losses are well backed by their careless control over the ball.
• Iguodala’s frustrating start for the season continues, after scoring his only two points in the fourth quarter of last night’s game, he picks up his second foul to sideline him for the the rest of the first quarter.
• Both teams had their sloppy starts, but Orlando collected themselves to a 7-15 lead with 5:43 left in the first quarter.
• Watching Andre Miller go 0-3 in short jumpers and failing to keep up to Jameer Nelson is almost as bad as watching Brand struggling to find the open man when he’s doubled. 
• Rashard Lewis sinks his fifth free throw of the gun to fuel the 7-0 run for the Magic. Lewis has 10.
• Orlando evolves into an unstoppable offensive onslaught. Jameer continues whizzing past Miller, Lewis and Turkoglu are finding their way to the basket and Philadelphia shows no signs of offense. 9-22 Orlando.
• Lou Williams finally checks into the game along with Rush for some offense. Williams should keep up better with Nelson.
• Orlando’s tempo explodes all over Philly, with points off turnovers and three pointers. 16-30 Orlando at the end of the first.
• Second quarter starts, stars are back in for both Philly and Orlando with Iggy and Howard. 
• Despite the 5 straight points from the Sixers, Orlando’s offense remains overpowering for Philadelphia. 
• Brand is paying was a Huge chip on his shoulder after the fat contract signing, and it’s showing. Elton appears to be trying too hard to make a difference to the team but the only difference so far is the Sixers having a post-player doubled.
• Another foul from Dwight Howard, he lags back into the bench. With Brand in, the Sixers’ slim hope of making a push to make this a ball game remains alive. 25-39 Orlando.
• Iguodala is attacking and Rush has sunk both of his two jump shots. Still, Philly’s offense remains hanging by a thread with Brand scorelessly struggling.
• With Howard out, Orlando’s 16-point-lead is cut to six with an 8-0 run by the Sixers. 35-41 Orlando.
• Game continues at a steady pace, Orlando extends their lead to 11 as Andre Miller hit a couple of shots for the Sixers. 43-54 Orlando at half.
• Magic come back into the game beautifully, running their desired plays to develop a 17-point lead. 
• Credit to Stan Van Gundy and the Magic coaching staff, for successfully figuring out the Sixers on both sides of the ball. Most notably on defense. Their doubling of Elton Brand whenever he sees the ball has forced the Sixers to rely on jumpshots they can’t make. 
• Thad Young’s 2/11 shooting forces Cheeks to slide in Kareem Rush for better shots. 
• Orlando Magic’s starting five is completely destroying Philadelphia on both sides of the basketball. 45-66 Orlando.
• Philadelphia continues trying to slide back into the game but Orlando doesn’t allow anything.
• Andre Miller’s jumpshot is the most broken stroke I’ve ever seen. Finally LouWill steps in for him.
• The Magic held a 23 point lead over the Sixers at one point in the third, but Philadelphia somehow cut the lead to 9. Dalembert has done all he could to frustrate Howard and both Young and Iguodala have helped the Sixers make this dull competition a realistic one.
• With Elton Brand out, the Sixers are playing their game from last season, with a more comfortable feel. Thad Young at the 4 spot is proving to be efficient for the Sixers offense. Young leads the bunch with 17 points.
• Nine minutes left in the game, the score is set at 72-80. The Sixers are scoring sparingly throughout the game and are making the most out of the open shots missed by the Magic. 
• Less than a minute left and Orlando leads by 12. The Magic have suffocated Elton Brand to the fullest leaving Philadelphia’s offense with nothing to rely on but bricks, bricks and more bricks. Philadelphia shot 38% from the floor tonight. The Magic appear to be so far ahead Philadelphia after this win. Philadelphia need to do some serious changes to their attack, their spacing is disgusting and it’s shocking they didn’t expect Brand to ever get double-teamed throughout this long season. 
• Both swingmen, Turkoglu and Lewis, tagged 20 points and 8 rebounds for the Magic. Howard scored 14 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks under limited play.
• Andre Iguodala tried too hard tonight for Philadelphia, 16-11-8 but it’s obvious nothing is clicking for this team offensively. Young continues to lead Philadelphia in the scoring department with 19 tonight. 

 

 

Dated: November 6th, 2008

Parker Hangs 55 in Double OT

Words don’t lie; Parker achieved the rare milestone tonight. In a early regular season game marked by perseverance and big shots, Parker outshined a scale of great performances against a double overtime game in Minnesota. Tony Parker notched 55 points, 10 assists and 7 rebounds while leading the Spurs over the T’Wolves. It was a closer game than many expected, but it immediately turned into one of the finest games of this young season when Parker refused to let his Spurs lose with his 20-foot buzzer beater, drifting the game into a second overtime. The Spurs, who haven’t faced a 0-4 start since ‘73 were running on a thin line when players such as Al Jefferson and Mike Miller refused to go down without a fight. Tony played the most minutes in the game with fifty, his effort tonight saved San Antonio in many ways. Duncan also helped the bunch with 30 points and 16 rebounds. Ginobili still remains out of the team until mid-December due to his ankle surgery, his loss has swollen the team’s effectiveness in scoring, leaving more shots for Parker, Mason and Finley. On a side note, Roger Mason Jr. slapped 26 points in this contest for the Spurs. Parker’s performance tonight was thrilling and essential for the Spurs.

Statistic Leaders (Nov.5)

POINTS

1. Joe Johnson (30.0)

2. Danny Granger (26.5)

REBOUNDS

1. Dwight Howard (14.5)

- Andris Biedrins (14.5)

ASSISTS

1. Chris Paul (12.0)

2. Steve Nash (10.0)

FIELD GOAL PCT

1. Udonis Haslem (.706)

2. Shaquille O’Neal (.700)

3PT FIELD GOAL PCT

1. Kareem Rush (1.000)

2. Jason Kapono (.833)

BLOCKS

1. Dwight Howard (4.5)

2. Josh Smith (3.5)

STEALS

1. Josh Smith (3.5)

2. Anthony Parker (3.33)

TURNOVERS

1. Stephen Jackson (4.5)

2. Danny Granger (4.0)

Detroit’s New Bad Boy

New flash hit early this morning-Allen Iverson, the aspiring sensation for all undersized ballers in the early cracks 2000 millennium era, has been swapped once again to another franchise. The 8-time All-Star just spent a season and a half with the Denver Nuggets after he was traded away from his recognized prime team, in the Sixers. Heading into the first steps of this 08-09 season, Iverson’s play faced stern concern as his scoring has drastically dropped to 18.7 points per game. Still, Iverson’s career avoids from dwindling down to diminishing stats as he stands aside the team’s young up-and-comers.  

Unlike his bitter swap from Philadelphia to Denver, Iverson’s exit seems to be more sensible of a trade for both teams, despite its unpredicted happening. Chauncey Billups, Antonio McDyess and Cheikh Samb are the three players included in the trade that are expected to slip on the offensive-minded Nuggets line-up. Well, besides Antonio, who’s already made it clear he seeks a buyout of his contract so he may return back to his Pistons. Billups’ transfer to the Nuggets is one of the fortunate events to happen to Denver in a while, his unselfishness and independent elements towards scoring the basketball will help offensive slaughters like Carmelo and J.R. Smith to get going alongside him. Will all respect, the Nuggets obviously don’t skyrocket to a contender, but avoid any chances from becoming one of the Western Conference’s crew of cake teams. 

The Detroit Pistons on the other hand are adding the 33-year-old Iverson, who’s sure to shake the team-oriented play this team’s been effective and respected for. Iverson’s arrival isn’t going to abolish the team’s overall way of scoring. Some of the many key traits Billups brought to the Pistons was his killer-instincts that evolved throughout the closing minutes of any close game, and Chauncey’s zip passed to Hamilton for Rip’s flawless mid-range pull-up. Regretfully ignoring Billups’ calm sense of dominating leadership over a starting five (minus Prince) that once grazed the 2006 All-Star Game all at the same time. Allen Iverson’s undeniable electric scoring will be sure to temporarily heal the stabbing of Billups’ departure from Detroit for their fans. 

The true winners of the trade could be said to the Denver Nuggets. Their desperate needs for a guard after trading away Andre Miller is officially resolved. Billups’ game is ridiculously hard to take for granted, especially for a the Nuggets, who are fortunate to add this guard to the bunch for who (really) knows how long. Surely, the Pistons will have a faster offense behind Iverson, who’s a spark plug for scoring the ball. It will take time, frustrations surrounding shot selections and shot attempts will settle, but Iverson is prepped for a confident stint in Detroit.

Saturday Dimes

Bullets for Saturday, Nov. 1st, 2008

• Behind Joe Johnson and Josh Smith, Atlanta’s rally over Philadelphia was just disrespectful. Johnson supplied the scoring, but Smith touched all bases with his numbers. Smith had 14 points, 11 boards, 3 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks tonight. This team continues to show to the league that last year wasn’t a fluke, as they slide to 2-0.
• Dalembert and Brand are absorbing the glass for Philadelphia, tonight they combined for 27 total rebounds. But Philly’s recent loss is already bringing concern, especially on the defensive side. 
• Basketball is back in Indiana. A toothless Danny Granger lost his front two teeth tonight but not the game. The Pacers collectively showed up tonight against the Champion Celtics. The final score wasn’t even close at 79-95. 
• In points, Hedo had 21, Lewis hung 26, Howard slammed 29, Pietrus stuck 20 to the face of Sacramento. The Kings dropped to 0-3 in a 103-121 final. Dwight also nabbed 14 boards and 5 blocks.
• Gerald Wallace stat line: 34 points, 3 assists, 9 rebounds and 3 blocks.
• As expected, the Hornets are coasting through their first week in the regular season. Chris Paul hung 24 points and dished 15 assists to drive the Hornets past the Cavaliers.
• LeBron dished out 13 dimes of his own against the Hornets.
• Jason Kidd hauled 9 boards tonight while also having 7 assists and 4 steals. Dirk scored 21 and the Mavs picked up their first win of the season, leaving them at 1-1.
• Derrick Rose appears to of gotten the gist of the NBA speed. Rose scored 26 points and had 6 rebounds to help Chicago get past Memphis tonight. Gooden cleaned the glass with 20 rebounds.
• Calderon scored a career-high 25 points for the Raptors tonight. He’ll be sure to set plenty of new career highs this season in Toronto. Bosh scored 20 points and had 10 rebounds. 
• Carmelo struggled in his season debut, shooting 5/15 for 13 points. He also debuted his ban of the braids. Kobe’s 33 points helped the Lakers get past the Nuggets though.
• A.I.’s numbers are dropping. 13 points and 7 dimes tonight.
• Without Baron Davis and Marcus Camby, the Clippers dropped to 0-3 after losing to Utah. 
• Amare Stoudemire exploded for 23 points and 13 boards and the Blazers weren’t able to hold off the Suns. 
• 3-0 teams: Toronto, LA Lakers, New Orleans and Houston
• Winless teams: Washington, Oklahoma City, LA Clippers, Sacramento and San Antonio (!).