Posted on January 25th, 2008 by
The NBA’s All-Star teams have been announced, and there aren’t too many surprises to be found. One interesting note is that Allen Iverson rallied in the last two weeks to pass Tracy McGrady for a starting spot on the West team. Iverson trailed the Houston forward by as many as 80,000 votes just a few weeks ago, but quickly made up ground to win the spot by 10,000 votes.
Tim Duncan was named to the West’s roster for the 11th time, and has been on the team every year since coming into the league in 1997. Kevin Garnett gained well over 2 million votes and was the leading vote-getter for either side. The game will be his first as a representative for the East squad.
Denver has two starters on the team, with Iverson, and Carmelo Anthony both getting the nod, which marks the first time the team has had two starters since 1988. Denver is currently battling Portland for first place in the division, and has a .5 game lead over the Blazers.
Sports Illustrated has the rosters and the write up here.
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Posted on January 24th, 2008 by
Orlando remains in first place in their division, with a 3 game lead over the Washington Wizards. Against the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night, three was the Magic number for another reason. In that game, Orlando set a team record for three point baskets, making 18 of 33. The previous record was 16, set against the Hawks in 1996.
During the game, Orlando shot 54% from behind the arc, and Hedo Turkoglu led the team in points and three-pointers, scoring 26 points, and making 6-8 from behind the arc. Eight Magic players made at least one three pointer, and besides Turkoglu, Rashard Lewis and Maurice Evans each were 3-6 for treys.
It’s hard to say that the Magic are one of the hottest teams in the league right now, as they are only 5-5 over their last 10 games. They have won three straight, with back to back wins over Portland and Detroit. With many other teams cooling off also recently, the Magic are playing as well as anyone, and are in third place in the Eastern Conference.
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Posted on January 23rd, 2008 by
The Spurs have been hounded by injuries over the first half of the season, and the team that once had the best record in the NBA is now in third place following a tough loss to the Rockets. With the win, Houston moved into second place behind the surprising Hornets.
The night before it was the Cavs who did in the boys in black. San Antonio may have swept Cleveland in last year’s finals, but LeBron and company used solid defense and some untimely Spurs miscues to topple the champs. Tony Parker missed two free throws with less than a minute left that would have tied the game, and Manu Ginobili missed a three as the buzzer sounded that would have won it.
San Antonio has been struggling with injuries all season, and have just recently gotten everyone back. It may take another week to regain the lost chemistry, but look for San Antonio to go on a winning streak sometime soon.
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Posted on January 16th, 2008 by
Is the fairy tale coming to an end in Boston? The team has lost 3 times in the last five days, and lost back to back games to the Washington Wizards. Currently sporting a 30-6 record, Boston still holds a confortable 10.5 game lead over the Toronto Raptors, but are there chinks in the green armor, or is there real reason to worry? In the second game, the Celtics shot the ball reasonably well for the most part, but the guard play was not up to par. The Celtics actually shot 42% from the field, better than Washington, but costly misses at the end of the game, combined with made baskets and free throws from Washington, put the game away.
The play of Boston’s point guards was a problem, as well. Eddie House and Rajon Rondo, only managed to combine for 9 points. House was 1-6 from behind the arc. Ray Allen scored 16 points, but only managed 5-14 shooting. The good news for the Celtics? After a tough game against surprising Portland, the team has back to back contests against the 76ers and Knicks.
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Posted on January 16th, 2008 by
The LA Lakers are tied for first place in the Pacific Division with the Phoenix Suns. After losing C, Andrew Bynum to a dislocated knee cap in a game against the Supersonics, holding onto that lead will be even more difficult. In only his third year in the league, Bynum has improved his game dramatically, and is quickly becoming one of the best centers in the league. After spending a couple of years getting his feet wet and coming up to speed on the league, Bynum has blossomed this year, averaging a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Bynum is expected to miss about 2 months during recovery, so the Lakers are busy looking on the discount rack for a serviceable big man to fill in. Some names that have popped up? Chris Webber, DJ Mbenga, and PJ Brown, are a few that have been mentioned.
Lakers’ fans were horrified at the image of Bynum being helped off the court by teammates and, while certainly a serious injury, fans can at least take solace in the fact that a dislocated knee is much easier to return from than a torn ligament, or even something more damaging.
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Posted on January 6th, 2008 by
A few games ago, Detroit went into Boston and dealt the Celtics their first home loss of the year. So what else would the Celtics do, but return the favor? The surprise in the game wasn’t that the Celtics won, but who led them to victory. Not one of their big three, but their rookie, the ‘Big Baby’, Glen Davis out of LSU. It was the first time all year that the leading scorer wasn’t either Garnett, Pierce, or Allen.
The Pistons had their 11 game winning streak snapped, while Boston ran their streak to 8. This game was full of streaks and lost leads. Detroit lost leads of 12 and 10 points at various times, and at one point in the first quarter, the Pistons went on a 17-0 streak. For the Celtics, Ray Allen had an off night, finding himself in foul trouble often, and only managed 8 points. Davis finished with 20 points, and 4 rebounds, shooting 80% from the field in only 23 minutes of action.
This certainly won’t be the last time these two teams square off this season, and it’s great to see the rivalry back underway.
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Posted on January 6th, 2008 by
Most fans and pundits thought that Portland was doomed to spend another few years living in the Western Conference basement when their first round pick, Greg Oden, was placed on the IR with knee problems before the season began. Too young, too inexperienced, not enough time together, were what the critics were saying about the team before the season got underway. Well, the season is about half over and the young Blazers are proving everyone wrong.
With their latest victory–a double overtime road victory against the Bulls–the team has won 15 of the last 16, and is tied for first place with the Denver Nuggets. Against the Bulls, six players scored in double digits, and the team shot 50% from beyond the arc. What makes the victory all the sweeter for the Blazers, though, is the resolve and heart that the team showed on the road. Down by 14 in the third quarter, Portland charged back to force overtime, and then used a combination of tough defense and free throws to put it away.
Lamarcus Aldridge was a huge factor for Portland, scoring 14 and grabbing 13 rebounds, while Brandon Roy led the team with 25 points. Ben Gordan scored 32 for the Bulls and was all but unstoppable, except late in the 2nd overtime, when he was stripped by Jarrett Jack, who made a layup and was fouled by Gordon. Jack made both free throws, and the game was all but over.
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Posted on January 4th, 2008 by
The Spurs have had their fair share of problems over the past few weeks, with a rash of injuries sidelining Duncan, Parker, and now Ginobili for several games. The team has been able to hold on to first place in the division, but the injuries have certainly cost them several games recently.
The Nuggets are in a tie for first in their division, so last night’s matchup between the two was an important one. Not to mention that the Spurs were responsible for bouncing Denver from the playoffs last year.
The Nuggets are a team built around their offensive stars, but it was their defense that earned them the win against their foes who are built around pressuring opponents. Denver’s defense plagued Tim Duncan all night, and although he ended up scoring 20 points, he was only 7/20 from the field, and had four turnovers. Kenyon Martin, who was held to only 4 points in the game, was a master on the defensive end, recording seven blocks in the contest, and causing Micheal Finley to miss a three that would have tied the game as the clock ran out.
Beating the Spurs when they were without Ginobili is not as impressive as beating a fully healthy team, but the Nuggets have to be happy with the revenge win, and to hold onto first place.
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Posted on January 1st, 2008 by
There are several hot teams in the NBA, but the race in the East seems to be coming down to two teams, who are both playing lights out basketball that is taking the league back to the glory days of the 80s. The Pistons are in the middle of a 10 game winning streak, where they’ve been dominating opponents by an average of almost 17 points per game. They aren’t the ‘Bad Boys’ of the late 80s-early 90s, but they are winning like them. Detroit is running away with the Central Division with a 24-7 record, and is now holds a comfortable 9.5 game lead over Indiana. In fact, the Pistons are the only team in the division with a winning record.
The only other division with a greater disparity between the leader and the rest of the pack is in the Atlantic, where the Celtics boast the best record in the league at 27-3, and have a 10.5 game lead over the Raptors. The Celtics are owners of a nice streak of their own, having won 7 in a row.
In the Southeast division, the Magic are in the closest race in the East, where their 22-11 record gives them a 4.5 game lead over the Atlanta Hawks. If the Eastern Conference Finals come down to the Celtics and the Pistons, basketball fans will be overjoyed to have what looks to be a great post-season, after a quite a few less than stellar ones.
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Posted on December 27th, 2007 by
One of the bigger surprises of this year’s NBA season is the play of the Lakers who, after beating Phoenix on Christmas day 122-115, are just one game behind the Suns for first place in the division. After an offseason which saw Kobe Bryant pout, fume, and demand a trade, the team has rallied to an 18-10 record with Kobe and the spare parts that he wanted to sell for scrap during the summer.
Andrew Bynum, which at various times in his short career, has been on the receiving end of some of Bryant’s barbs, has stepped up his game this season, and seems to be feeling more comfortable in his NBA skin. Against the Suns, Bynum played like a veteran and not like the 20 year old he actually is. The 7-footer scored 28 points, 12 rebounds, and four assists to complement Bryant’s 38 point performance. Bynum has provided the inside presence that the team has lacked since Shaquille O’Neil left. Although certainly not playing at a Shaq-like level, Bynum is averaging a double-double this season.
Bryant wanted Bynum out in a package deal for Kevin Garnett during the offseason, and certainly getting the Big Ticket in LA would have helped, but if Bynum continues to come along as he has been so far this year, the youth movement in LA may well end up with LA being an unlikely contender in the West.
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