2/5/11: I Need A Chuck Hayes Bobblehead!

 

A plastic likeness of the defensive force known as the Chuckwagon was handed out to fans at the Toyota Center last night, and as I normally am on bobblehead nights, I was jealous.  How come they never do this in Boston?  I attend Celtics games from time to time, and the best thing they’ve ever given me is a towel.  I don’t want a f@cking towel, I want a bobblehead!  Anyway, Chuck Hayes stepped up offensively on his big night, made the top 10, and helped his team get an overtime win.  In other news, Rip Hamilton’s 13-game vacation is over, Pau Gasol entered beast mode, and the Cavaliers set a record.  Take a break from those excessive Super Bowl pregame shows and give the NBA 15 minutes of your day.

Random Observaions:

  • Highlight Recap: Tyson Chandler takes his anger out on the rim.  Josh Smith drives the lane and drops the hammerShaun Livingston lobs to Gerald WallaceNick Young catches a reverse oopJJ Hickson throws it downJamario Moon catches a long-distance lobJavale McGee takes off from the dotted lineThe Warriors finish the third with an inbound lobTop 10 plays. <<Kwame Brown’s in there.  I’m serious.
  • The aforementioned Chuck Hayes scored 15 points and grabbed seven boards as the Rockets snapped the Grizzlies’ five-game winning streak.  Houston got a game-high 31 points from Kevin Martin, who made 15 of 15 from the line.  The Rockets overcame poor shooting by knocking down 22 of 25 freethrows as well as five triples, which doesn’t seem like much, but it was significant because Memphis clanked seven of eight three-balls.  As solid a game as Chuck Hayes had on the stat sheet, he’s probably kicking himself for allowing Zach Randolph to go 8-14 for 22 points and 17 boards. 
  • Rip Hamilton is back in Detroit’s rotation after a mysterious 13-game absense.  Hamilton played 20 minutes off the bench and went 7-14 for 15 points as the Pistons beat the Bucks by 11.  Milwaukee had a rather typical night, shooting 39 percent and scoring just 78 points.  Tracy McGrady scored in double figures for the seventh game in a row, and his 20 points were a game high. 
  • Pau Gasol took advantage of a weakened Hornets frontcourt and went off for 34 points and 10 boards.  Pau had little choice but to show up against Aaron Gray (possibly the worst athlete in the league) and David West (who’s a very good player, but not an intimidating defender).  Gasol connected 13 of 17 shots, Andrew Bynum made five of his eight, and LA’s frontcourt was simply too much for the undermanned Hornets to handle.  Kobe Bryant stepped up and played a big role in closing out the game with 9 of his 32 coming in the fourth.  New Orleans made just six buckets and not a single freethrow in the final period (in which they were outscored 20-13).  The Lakers did themselves a huge favor by taking care of the ball… they gave it up just four times in the 101-95 win.
  • Josh Smith stepped up and grabbed a season-high 16 boards in Al Horford’s absense as the Hawks beat the Wizards 99-92.  Smith also dropped a game-high 29 points and swatted a couple shots for good measure.  This game was absolutely jam packed with highlight dunks.  It made up a good portion of the highlight recap, and you’ll see the best of the bunch a little later when I post the Poster of the Day.  Be sure to check back for that.  The Wizards actually outshot the Hawks in this game, but Atlanta got to the line 35 times, resulting in 26 points.  The Wizards cost themselves with 10 bricks on 18 tries from the stripe. 
  • Monta Ellis and Steph Curry gave Derrick Rose and company the business in the Bay.  The league’s most explosive backcourt combined for 56 points on 20-37 from the floor and 13-13 from the line as the Warriors snapped Chicago’s six-game winning streak.  Turnovers were key in Golden State’s 101-90 victory.  The Dubs forced Derrick Rose to cough it up nine times, Carlos Boozer four times, and the Bulls 16 times total.  The miscues helped Golden State get out on the break and score 31 fastbreak points.  The game was close until the fourth quarter…. that’s when Monta Ellis went on his own 8-2 run to begin the period, a period in which the Bulls were outscored 28-18.
  • Daniel Gibson said the following after Cleveland’s 111-105 home loss to Portland: “Every team goes through a period like this.”  Actually, Boobie, no team ever has gone through a stretch quite like this.  The sorriest team I’ve ever witnessed, the 2010/11 Cleveland Cavaliers, have tied their own franchise’s NBA record for consecutive losses, and at the same time set a new standard for single-season suckiness.  Never before in NBA history has a team lost 24 straight in one season.  Wes Matthews was determined to make damn sure history wouldn’t be avoided at his expense.  His 31 points (11-17, five threes) led Portland, who shot 54 percent as a team.  The Cavs will try to avoid making it 25 in Dallas on Monday. 
  • The other games: Dirk Nowtizki scored 25 points to lead the Mavs in a 101-92 victory over the Bobcats.  Minnesota shot just 39 percent in their 100-113 loss to Denver.  Chauncey Billups dropped 21/13 on one of his many former teams.  Paul Millsap dropped 34, his team scored 105, and the Jazz shot 51 percent… but that doesn’t really matter when the opposition shoots 56 percent, makes a season-high 13 threes, and drops 121.  The opposition was OKC, the team that’s been lighting up the league lately.  The Thunder have scored 100+ in eight of their last nine games (including four games of 111 or more).  Russell Westbrook, who isn’t known for his three-point shooting, went 4-4 from distance in last night’s victory.

Quote of the Day: Andrew Bogut was not a happy camper after Milwaukee’s loss to Detroit…

“We’re just not playing pro basketball at the moment. We have injuries. Big deal. Every team has injuries. It’s getting to the point where there’s no excuse for the way we played tonight. No excuse whatsoever.”

He continued…

“We get a scouting report every game. Read your scouting report. Know what guys strengths’ are, what guys’ weaknesses are. Offensively, know our sets. It’s February and we’re having breakdown on sets. It’s an absolute joke.”

Photo of the Day:

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