Category Archives: Playoffs

Dirk Nowitzki’s Career Night Leads Dallas Over Oklahoma City in Game 1

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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

2010-11 NBA Playoffs Recap, Day 13: Eliminations

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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.

 

2010-11 NBA Playoffs Recap, Day 12: Breakfast, Backcourt & Zombies

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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.

2010-11 NBA Playoffs Recap: Day 11, Black Socks And Beatdowns.

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Last night was, in a way, disappointing. Maybe I’m a bit spoiled from the incredible action the playoffs has given us already? As Sebastian Pruiti pointed out to me on twitter, last night was the first time in 9 straight days that we didn’t experience wire-to-wire excitement, and that’s something we should all be willing to live with. He’s right, it could be August already and we’d have to suffer through 2 hours of MLB highlights.

I’ll leave our supposed national past time alone for now and get on with business; most of the games turned into blowouts late but there was some substance there. My favorite result of last night’s action was everyone tweeting vintage Kobe dunks. That dude used to merk everyone.

Atlanta Hawks 86 – Orlando Magic 101

I mentioned yesterday that Orlando’s shooters will eventually get hot and it happened in this game. Atlanta just had to hope it would come on a night where their own shooters also caught a flame. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen and the result was a 15-point loss that wasn’t even as close as the final score indicates. The highlight of this game was J.J. Reddick’s hilarious post-game interview on the podium, which happened to be the first of his playoff career. Outside of that, this game was insufferable.

Atlanta still leads the series 3-2 and Game 6 is a home game at Phillip’s. For their sake, I hope this game was just them packing it in and trying to close out at home because if it wasn’t, things could get interesting.

Indiana Pacers 89 – Chicago Bulls 116

Real quick on the Pacers; this game was ugly but it wasn’t indicative of how your season went. Interim head coach Frank Vogel went 20-18 during his tenure and absolutely needs to be hired as the head coach for next year. He showed us a lot of value whether it was in guiding this team with leadership or drawing up situational plays.  This team still needs one more key piece but their cogs are all legit. Granger can be a great #2, Collison is a good point and Paul George might be an All-Star in the making. Keep your heads up, Pacer fans, and make sure you keep your team in town, too!

This was a close out game and that’s exactly what Chicago did. I’ll save you the Rose rhetoric and point you at my key players: Noah, Deng & Gibson. Those three men are as important to this team as is MVP favorite, Derrick Rose. The way they lock down the wing and the middle of the court allows Chicago to get crucial stops which lead to those magnificent Derrick Rose finishes at the other end of the court. Most of these Bulls have elevated their games in the post season and that’s scary for opponents considering this team lead the NBA in wins. What’s scary for the Bulls is that Carlos Boozer has disappeared. If anyone has seen him, please notify the proper authorities.

Overall, these Bulls are lovable. They play hard and they play the right way, every single night. It’s displayed in Deng’s demeanor, it’s voiced in Rose’s humble interviews and it’s strung up in Noah’s smile. When Joakim went into the stands after the game to hug his grandfather it made you realize that these guys are the real deal. They love what they do and they are proud of the work they have accomplished. And they aren’t done yet.

New Orleans Hornets 90 – Los Angeles Lakers 106

I just want to point out that the Lakers wore black socks and black shoes at home today. If you aren’t entirely familiar with NBA on-court fashion, home teams typically wear white shoes and socks to coordinate with their lighter colored home uniforms. But the Lakers wanted to send a message to themselves as well as the Hornets and it worked. The NBA should make everyone wear black on black attire, it just looks meaner.

Chris Paul started out the game with 8 assists in the first quarter but finished the game with 12 and the Hornets got blown out by the end of it. A few things contributed to this. First of all, the Lakers played their first complete game of the series. And when I say complete, I mean that even Derek Fisher scored 13 points. The Lakers five starters and Lamar Odom all scored in double digits. And when the better roster is playing better basketball, you just have to sit there and take their punches, not much New Orleans can do to counter that. One thing that I can fault the Hornets with is sitting Chris Paul for two extended stretches that probably cost them a chance to win this game. First one came in the second quarter as N.O. let a 9-point lead slip as Paul rested. The second came in the 4th where L.A. blew the game wide open as CP3 got his usual rest. Chris ended up playing 41 minutes in the game but it’s how and when those 41 minutes came that hurt the team.

One thing that should be worry some for LA should be Kobe’s ankle. I know he had two throwback throw downs, including decapitating Emeka Okafor (twice!), but he wasn’t he usual self. I’m guessing he had a healthy Cortisone shot before the game and that relieved enough pain for him to actually participate, but his defense and play-making wasn’t there.  He finished the game with 19 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 turnovers and got outscored by Trevor Ariza (22 points) on the other end. Hopefully, this is nothing serious as Lakers haven’t put away this series just yet, leading 3-2 and headed back to the Big Easy.

Tonight’s Games:

Philadelphia 76ers @ Miami Heat – 7:00 PM EST on TNT: If the Heat, who lead the series 3-1, can’t close this out tonight, I’m going to have to seriously discount them as a contender going forward.

Memphis Grizzlies @ San Antonio Spurs – 8:30 PM EST NBAtv: This game is going to be too good to be stashed away on NBAtv. Memphis might shock the world tonight and close this series out. On the road. Against the Spurs. A 61-win Spurs. Can you fathom all of that? Mike Conley, Tony Allen, Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol could actually beat the 4-time NBA Champion Spurs in 5 games in the opening round of the playoffs. It could happen tonight!

Denver Nuggets @ Oklahoma City Thunder – 10:30 PM EST on TNT: I honestly don’t think this game will be close. The Thunder messed around last game and still nearly pulled off the win. Game 5, at home with a chance to clinch the series and advance, you have to bet on Durant.

Links of the Day:

NBAPlaybook.com – This play sums up the Spurs’ woes this series.
HoopSpeak.com – Let’s take a look at the New Orleans Pick’n'Roll sets.
SB Nation’s Bay Area Blog – The latest news on the Anaheim/Sacramento/Rochester Kings/Royals
DailyThunder.com - Royce explains Russ.

That’s it for today and as always, don’t forget to join the party on twitter 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.

 

 

Kobe tweaks ankle, to have MRI

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AP Photo

Kobe Bryant will undergo an MRI and an X-ray on Monday after injuring his ankle late in the fourth quarter of the fourth quarter of Game 4 of the first round series between the Los Angeles Lakers and the New Orleans Hornets.

 

Kobe sat shortly after rolling his ankle but returned to end the game in the loss to the Hornets.

According to Lakers beat writer for the Orange County Register Kevin Ding, the Lakers are calling it a sprained ankle. Marc Spears of Yahoo! Sports also reports that Kobe expects to play in Game 5 regardless and specified it more as a “left foot” injury.

Oklahoma City Outlasts Denver To Take 3-0 Series Lead

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Foul or no foul? You make the call.

It took a career high in points (22) and rebounds (16) from Serge Ibaka and a late defensive stand, but the Oklahoma City Thunder are one game away from advancing to the 2nd round for the first time since they were in Seattle after a 97-94 game 3 victory over the Denver Nuggets.

Oklahoma City was up by 10 points with just under a minute to play but a Ty Lawson layup, a terrible inbounds pass from Kendrick Perkins, two JR Smith three’s, and some missed free throws helped make that a much closer game that it should have been. After Smith’s 2nd three pointer of the last minute, the Thunder were able to break the Nuggets press without getting fouled, leading to an Ibaka dunk with 10.5 seconds to play, when this happened (via @dailythunder):

Personally I thought James Harden did a tremendous job in forcing JR Smith into a tough shot, but then again, I am a Thunder fan.

Kevin Durant lead the way for the Thunder with 26 points and 6 assists while Russell Westbrook almost messed around and got a triple-double with 23-9-8.

Denver is now in the impossible position of trying to come back from a 3-0 hole, something no team in NBA history has done. After the way they lost tonight though, I highly doubt this series makes it back to Oklahoma City as I just don’t see Denver have that “it” in them to gut up and win a game in this series, let alone 4 in a row against a team they have lost to 5 times this month alone.

The Thunder will have a chance to win their first series as the Thunder franchise with game 4 on Monday in Denver.

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

Oklahoma City Blasts Denver To Take 2-0 Series Lead

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(picture via DocFunk)

Oklahoma City used a balanced attack to blitz Denver 106-89 to take a 2-0 lead as the series shifts to Denver.

Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook scored a combined 44 points, 28 fewer than in game 1, but it was James Harden’s 18, Serge Ibaka’s 12 and Nick Collison’s 10, and improved defense across the board that made the difference in the game 2 victory for Oklahoma City.

Oklahoma City started the game on a 14-5 run and they never looked back as they pushed that lead to 43-17 early in the 2nd quarter. The Nuggets did cut the Thunder lead to 10 on several occasions in the 4th quarter, but every run that they made was met by a quick flurry of points from the Thunder.

Oklahoma City has now won four straight against Denver and in all honesty, are one win away from locking this series up. If Oklahoma City comes out in game 3 and blows out the Nuggets for a second straight game, I am afraid that Denver will fold and give up.

Denver, with game 3 in Denver on Saturday night, now has a couple of days to try and regroup and figure out this Thunder team; but if Oklahoma City can bottle up the way they played in the first half tonight,  it won’t matter and we will see a sweep.

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

Brandon Roy Disappointed in Self, Playing Time

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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.