You be good to me

I’ll be good to you

We’ll be together

We’ll see each other

Walk away with victory

-Al Green

Now here’s Brian with the T-Wolves getting physical with Chris Bosh.

Now here’s where the real Cardinal-Bosh action begins

Mavs in 7 Mavs in 7 Mavs in 7 Mavs in 7 Mavs in 7 Mavs in 7 Mavs in 7 Mavs in 7 Mavs in 7 Mavs in 7
Mavs in 7 Mavs in 7 Mavs in 7 Mavs in 7 Mavs in 7 Mavs in 7 Mavs in 7 Mavs in 7 Mavs in 7 Mavs in 7

Follow Ryan @rpravato where he is the Brian Cardinal of Twitter.

(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

The more perfect a thing is, the more susceptible to good and bad treatment it is.
-Dante Alighieri

There is having the hot hand, and then there is what Dirk Nowitzki had on Tuesday night. Dirk scored 48 points to lead the Mavericks to a 121-112 victory over the Thunder in game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.

What made Dirk’s 48 points so amazing, was that he did it on only 15 shots (missing only 3), while setting an NBA playoff record for most made free throw’s without a miss (24-24). That is 3.2 points per FGA…and Dirk didn’t take one three pointer all night. While Dirk had the hottest hand ever, it was Dallas’ bench that really made the difference. Jason Terry (24) and JJ Barea (career playoff high 21) combined to score 45 while the Thunder bench was only able to muster 22 between the six of them.

Now you would think with the way Dirk shot and the Dallas bench played, that the Mavericks ran the Thunder out of the building, but with less than 2 minutes to go, the Thunder were down by only 6 behind Kevin Durant’s most forgotten 40 point game ever. Dallas actually got up by 16 points in the 4th but behind Durant, the Thunder just would not go away.

Russell Westbrook added 20 points but he shot a putrid 3-15 from the field, with several of those misses in the paint. Dallas’ 2-3 zone really gave Westbrook problems because every time he was able to dribble penetrate, he was met by one or two big bodies every time waiting to alter his shot.

As Kevin Durant just said in the post game press conference: ”I could bet my whole house that Russell Westbrook won’t go 3-15 again. You can quote me on that.” Quote you we will Kevin and I personally agree with you. Westbrook was terrible and Oklahoma City still had a very good shot to win.

The silver lining for Thunder fans is that there is no way that Dirk can pitch 3 more perfect games while JJ Barea scores a playoff career high. Adding all that up, the fact that the Thunder only lost by 9 and were in it until the final minute, is really encouraging going forward.

Game 2 in Dallas is on Thursday on ESPN and we can only hope that it is as great as game 1 was.

Nick is a contributor to Stacheketball and full time lover of all things roundball related. Follow him on Twitter because you know you want to @Jubanator14

Three teams were eliminated last night, but there are still more questions then there are answers. Is Atlanta a fluke? Can Dirk out-shoot the Lakers? How’s Kobe’s ankle? Does Dwight Howard stay in Orlando? That’s actually a good place to start.

Orlando Magic 81 – Atlanta Hawks 84

It’s kind of pathetic that the Orlando Magic couldn’t muster up a way to defeat the Atlanta Hawks, even when the Hawks did everything in their power to try and lose the game. Hawks advance to the 2nd round to face the overall #1 seeded Chicago Bulls while the Magic will go home and try to figure out what’s going to happen with Dwight Howard. If you thought #MeloDrama was annoying, welcome to #PlightHoward.

And it’s not just Dwight Howard that Orlando has to think about. There are questions surrounding the future of head coach Stan Van Gundy and general manager Otis Smith. It’s going to be one long summer in Orlando.

Los Angeles Lakers 98 – New Orleans Hornets 80

The Hornets hit a wall. Not in this game, it actually happened in the second half of Game 5. That crucial run by the Lakers sent a message that was heard loud and clear by the Hornets. The Lakers were a better team and for the first time in this series, New Orleans believed that. Momentum might not carry over from game to game but mental anguish does. New Orleans was crushed by LA’s size for the final 6 quarters of this series and they no longer believed they could defeat the 2-time defending Champs. With that said, the LA-Dallas series should be an incredible match-up. In the words of soon-to-be-unemployed  Saints running back, Reggie Bush, “It’s been fun New Orleans.”

Dallas Mavericks 103 – Portland Trailblazers 96

Too little, too late. Despite Gerald Wallace’s best game in a Blazers uniform, the Mavs were able to cling on to a lead on the road in a hostile Rose Garden. I really didn’t think the Mavs had that in them. Not after the collapse in game 4 and not when they nearly gave this one away, too. But they stayed resilient and closed this one out in style.  Dirk Nowitzki was brilliant in this game, going off for 33 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists on 10 of 17 shooting. I’m excited to see if Pau can limit Nowitzki or are the Lakers going to have to sit either Pau or Bynum in order to have Lamar Odom match-up with Dirk. The series will LA should be fun considering these are two of the largest teams in the NBA with a combined 11 players over 6’10″ on their rosters.

Tonight’s Game:

San Antonio Spurs @ Memphis Grizzlies – 9:00 PM EST on ESPN: Is this the last hurrah? It’s the only game of the night and the last game until Sunday’s second round match-ups tip off. It might also be the final game of the 61-win Spurs season. It’s still April, people. Who saw this coming? i can’t believe I’m going to say this but the Spurs might get crushed by double-digits tonight.

Enjoy the game and the weekend, folks!

Shane is a contributor to Stacheketball.com, LarryBrownSports.com & NBAoffseason.com. You can find him babbling about basketball all over the net or tune in as he tweets nonsense on twitter @Suga_Shane.

This might have been the single greatest day of playoff basketball I’ve seen in my lifetime. We had the Zombie Spurs, the Broingtons and the Miami Breakfast Club all make an appearance last night.

Philadelphia 76ers 91 – Miami Heat 97

Andre Iguodala finally has a good game and the Sixers lose. It was a close game throughout but the difference came when Spoelstra took a T for his guys with the score was knotted up at 60. From that point on, Miami went on a 7-0 run that gave them control of the game.

The Sixers definitely overachieved this season and they should be proud of that. They should also know that they can do the same thing again next year. And if they don’t start out 1-13, they might actually have a shot at home court in the first round.

As for the Heat, both LeBron and Dwyane had near triple-doubles in last nights close-out win and Bosh went for 22 and 11 but the questions still loom. Specifically, about how they will match-up with the Boston Celtics in the next round.

Memphis Grizzlies 103 – San Antonio Spurs 110 (OT)

What an amazing game this was. Memphis was oh-so close to closing the door on the Spurs. Not just their season but perhaps on their dynasty. But the Spurs just wouldn’t die. Someone on twitter called them the Zombie Spurs and I found that very fitting. Down 3 Manu hit what looked to be a miracle corner three with just 2 seconds left in the game that resulted from a chaotic broken play. The video review showed that his foot was on the line and it was a two. Spurs fouled Zach Randolph on the inbounds and Z-Bo hit both of his Z-Throws. With just 1.7 ticks left in the Spurs season, they drew up a play for 26-year old rookie, Gary Neal. Naturally.

Having gone 0-1 in the game and had scored just 4 points, you’d think Popovich would have gone with a different option but he trusts the rookie, immensely. Neal rose up over the double team and buried the three, resurrecting the half-dead Spurs and forever dubbing them the Zombie Spurs because they just won’t die. Spurs went on to OT and put the game away for good. Now down just 3-2 in the series, you have to wonder if the Grizzlies are shook. Then again, I doubt anything in the world can shake Z-Bo and Tony Allen. Those two are too hood for the hood.

Denver Nuggets 97 – Oklahoma City Thunder 100

Kevin Durant was Kid Delicious last night. Dropping a cool 41 points and helping his team close out the series in 5 games. But before we get into this, I want to tell you that Kevin Durant’s back court/front court call by the refs was the correct call. If you don’t know what I am talking about, let me explain. Durant caught the ball running towards the mid-court line. When he caught the ball, his foot was on the line, which is perfectly legal. His next step and dribble put his other foot on the line and the ref immediately called a back court violation. However, the ref on the baseline came running in and all three refs huddled and overturned the call. A lot of people were upset over this call and thought that Oklahoma was bailed out by the refs. In reality, this was the correct call and here is why:

The rules state that a player isn’t technically in the front court until both his feet and the ball are completely past the mid-court line. Durant never got both feet across that line since both of his steps were on the line, therefore it was the correct call to overturn the original back court violation. What ensued after the play was overturned was a complete breakdown by the Nuggets. Durant got free, caught the ball, took a few dribbles and pulled up inside the arc to nail a 19 foot jumper to give the Thunder a 100-97 lead.

When Durant is in the zone there is nothing like it in the world. A 22-year old, 6’11″ silky smooth shooter that can get almost any shot he wants. Last night he did just that. According to NBA Analyst, Kevin Pelton, the Thunder scored 18 points on their last 8 possessions which is a ridiculous 225.0 Offensive Rating. Durant had 14 of those points and an assist in that span. And it wasn’t just a one sided effort by the NBA’s scoring champ. He came up with a few key stops including blocking a J.R. Smith 3-pointer, that could have potentially tied the game with under 10 seconds to go.Speaking of blocks, Serge Ibaka had 9 of them, all of which were crucial to their victory.

The only thing souring this victory was Russell Westbrook going Starbury. Again. Shooting an ugly 3 of 15 for 14 points and just 4 assists is bad news from your team’s point guard. To do that while ignoring your team’s best player who just happens to be the NBA’s leading scorer I tragic news. At some point coach Brooks is going to have to speak to Westbrook about his new found fame and his propensity to chuck the rock. Russell’s only been a point guard for 3 years now, before that he was always designated a 2-guard. His primary job on the court has always been to get buckets so I understand this is just part of the growing pains but you don’t want to see those pains develop into an incurable illness down the road. Maybe next season, OKC should explore running West at the 2 and Eric Maynor at the 1. Either way, this was a fun series despite spanning just 5 short games.

Tonight’s Games:

Orlando Magic @ Atlanta Hawks – 7:30 PM EST on NBAtv: I’m pretty sure this entire series has been on NBAtv. As if Stern wants Howard to not only lose the series but also suffer from terrible national exposure just so he opts out and Joins either the Knicks or the Lakers. Okay, that’s enough conspiracy talk. The Hawks should wrap this series up at home tonight. If it happens, the post-game interviews of Stan Van Gundy and Dwight Howard are going to be epic.

Los Angeles Lakers @ New Orleans Hornets – 8:00 PM EST on TNT: Kobe’s ankle is the determining factor of this game. If he’s stiff from the travel and the downtime, it’s going to be a long night. Ariza has already outscore Kobe in a couple of games and he has the same confidence he displayed in the Lakers’ 2009 championship march. If the Lakers don’t go to their bigs, we could be headed back to LA for a game 7. With that said, I think LA closes out tonight. They finally woke up in Game 5 and it looks like they are now in playoff form.

Dallas Maverick @ Portland Trailblazers – 10:30 PM EST on TNT: Portland might be all out of juice. Then again, Dallas might not be focused. They do that sometimes, especially in the playoffs. Their lack of focus already cost them Game 4 in which they blew a 20+ point lead. I origanilly picked Dallas in 7 and I’m going to stick with it. Portland wins a close one tonight.

Shane is a contributor to Stacheketball.com, LarryBrownSports.com & NBAoffseason.com. You can find him babbling about basketball all over the net or tune in as he tweets nonsense on twitter @Suga_Shane.

San Antonio Spurs 86 – Memphis Grizzlies 104

Lionel Hollins tanking at the end of the season so the Grizzlies can drop down to the 8th seed and play a 61-win team now looks borderline genius. Memphis beat San Antonio to take a 3-1 series lead. Only person I know that called the Memphis upset was Zach Lowe on The Basketball Jones’ Overdose and he probably can’t believe how things have transpired either. Last night’s game saw the 4-time champion Spurs team get out-classed by Darrell Arthur and Tony Allen. The best part about this series is watching Marc Gasol adding zeros to his inevitable off-season payday. Marc has the confidence of a 2-time world champion as if his name was Pau. Swag him the f*** out.

Andrew McNeill of 48 Minutes Of Hell tweeted during the game, “Just got a text from a friend. The Spurs window as contenders might run lockout-to-lockout, and that’s it. ” It’s remarkable that this is how things could end. Then again, would anyone be shocked if the Spurs came back and won this series? Game 5 is on Wednesday in San Antonio.

Portland Trailblazers 82 – Dallas Mavericks 93

At this point I don’t know what to think of Brandon Roy. He went just 2 for 7 in nearly 30 minutes of action last night but I can’t just throw him under the bus, none of the Blazers decided to show up last night. LaMarcus went for 12 and 9 and Wes Matthews had 8 points in 36 minutes. If it weren’t for Wallace and Miller, this game would have turned uglier, sooner. No one really checked Dirk all night and no one could keep Tyson Chandler off the glass, specifically the offensive rebounds. Tyson grabbed 20 boards including 13 offensive rebounds, a team record. Those second chance points killed Portland, who had held Dallas to just 41% shooting for the night. Dallas now has a 3-2 series advantage and I think they close it out in Portland on Thursday.

Oklahoma City Thunder 101 – Denver Nuggets 104

I didn’t see this game but I got home just in time to see the post-game interviews and read all the tweets. Russell Westbrook was a trending topic in my timeline. The tweets were hilarious but the context wasn’t and that was deserved. I check the box score and I see that the Thunder point guard put up 30 shots and missed 18 of them including a few crucial baskets at the end of the game. Yesterday I said that this game would be indicative of exactly what the Thunder are capable of. If they close out this game strong and sweep the Nuggets, we should all be very scared. I’m scared, but not for other teams, I’m scared for Oklahoma. What transpired is what I’ve always been afraid of for this team, selfish, inefficient play. Hopefully this isn’t a sign of things to come and Westbrook will soon realize that Durant is the closer, not him. Oklahoma has a chance to close the series out at home on Wednesday.

Tonight’s Games:

Atlanta Hawks @ Orlando Magic – 7:30 PM EST on NBAtv: Atlanta leads this series 3-1. This means the  Hawks have three chances to win one game, starting with tonight. Which most likely means that Atlanta won’t win tonight because they are Atlanta. Orlando wins this one if their 3-point shooters actually make some 3-point shots. The strange part of this series is that Atlanta’s shooters haven’t been shooting well, either. Orlando might get unlucky and find their stroke on the same night Atlanta does.

Indiana Pacers @ Chicago Bulls – 8:00 PM EST on TNT: The Pacers did some good things in games 3 & 4. They went to a trap defense and saw some results. Good enough results that they limited Derrick Rose — even before he sprained his ankle — and forced a Game 5.  Although Chicago leads this series 3-1 and many thought this would be a sweep or at worst 5-games, Indiana has been right there. This could easily be a 2-2 series or even a 3-1 series in favor of Indy. That last bit might be a stretch but don’t forget the Pacer held a significant 4th quarter lead in every single game. If this team figures out how to actually close a game out — they almost blew a double digit lead in game 4  as well — they might steal at least one more game in these playoffs. Still, even with Rose’s bum ankle, I see Chicago closing it out tonight.

New Orleans Hornets @ Los Angeles Lakers – 10:30 PM EST on TNT: I’m not sure what to expect anymore. I never thought one man could beat the 2-time defending world champs, let alone do it twice in four games. The thing that gets me is that Chris Paul has been stellar, but it hasn’t been inconceivable. It’s not like he had to score 60 points for the hornets to win. He simply had to have a great Chris-Paulian type game of 20+/15+/5+. That might sound out of this world, but Chris nearly averaged that a few seasons ago, so asking for him to do it two more times in the three games left in this series is not that far fetched. Especially with Kobe playing on a sprained ankle which he refuses to get an MRI on, there might be no one on this Lakers roster than can defend Chris Paul. Lakers are going to have to simply outsize New Orleans, something which they are inexplicably having trouble doing.

Links Of The Day:

The No-Look Pass: Check out Rey-Rey’s daily recaps of playoff action!
The Basketball Jones: Holly MacKenzie with two pieces just as good as the performances that inspired them: Chris Paul & Brandon Roy
Negative Dunkalectics: The joys of gambling on the NBA.
John Schuhmann of NBA.com: Chris Paul is red-hot, via StatsCube.

Join me on twitter tonight for a ridiculously good time.

Shane is a contributor to Stacheketball.com, LarryBrownSports.com & NBAoffseason.com. You can find him babbling about basketball all over the net or tune in as he tweets nonsense on twitter @Suga_Shane.

The Portland Trail Blazers are now down 2-0 in their first round playoff series against the Dallas Mavericks, mostly in part due to Jason Kidd’s youthful play, the Blazer’s difficulty shooting and a lack of production from their bench.

One of the most important pieces for the Blazers coming off the bench is three-time all-star Brandon Roy, who finds himself with a much smaller role than ever before. With Wesley Matthews playing so well as the starting shooting guard and Roy coming off his knee injuries, Brandon Roy continues to be a reserve.

Usually he still gets a good bit of time on the court as the sixth or seventh man, but in Game 2 against Dallas, he came off the bench after Patty Mills and only saw eight minutes on the court.

Roy spoke to reporters after the game:

“There was a point in the first half, and I was thinking ‘You better not cry,”’ Roy said. “I mean, serious. I mean, there was a moment where I felt really sorry for myself. Then I was like, nah, you can’t be sorry for yourself. I’m a grown man, but there was a moment there that I felt sorry for myself. Especially when I think I can still help.”

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little hurt, or disappointed,” Roy said. “But the biggest thing is to keep moving, to try and keep my spirits up. But it’s tough man. I just …. I just always thought I would be treated better. That was a little disappointing for me.”

Considering Dallas has taken to clogging the paint and forcing Portland to shoot over their defense to beat them, Brandon Roy is an important part of this Blazers team. Getting him going is imperative for Portland’s chances to turn this series around. As it stands now, Roy is shooting one of eight from the field for two points.