I watched a lot of Memphis Grizzly games during Kyle Lowry’s first couple seasons in the league. I always appreciated how hard he played and how he could change the pace of the game with his speed, but I never saw him being anything more than a solid back up/spark off the bench type of player. He stands just 6’0 (that’s what he’s listed at… he’s probably like 5’10), and he lacked a three-point shot (20-something percent from 07/08 through 09/10). A lack of height combined with a lack of a three-ball tends to limit what a six-foot NBA player can accomplish. Kyle must’ve realized that, because this season he’s stroking it from downtown. Excluding his rookie season in which he played just eight games, Kyle is shooting a career-high 36.9 percent from distance. That’s a near 10 percent improvement since just last season. He’s already made about three times as many triples as any previous season, so this has nothing to do with a decrease in attempts, either. In fact, he’s taken a career-high 255 thus far. He made 4 of 8 last night as he scored 19 points in Houston’s big win over the Kings… so I figured he could have the intro section. I love to see a player’s hard work pay off. That’s precisely what has happened here. One could say that Lowry is just filling the space between the Aaron Brooks and Goran Dragic (I think this kid will be a player) eras, but right now he’s the starting point guard for a +.500 team that has won seven of eight, and he deserves a lot of credit.
Random Observations:
- Highlight Recap: Decent top 10 today…
- Kevin Love made a little history last night with his 51st consecutive double-double (23/17), tying Moses Malone for the longest streak of it’s kind since the NBA-ABA merger in 1976. Malone’s streak covered two seasons, so Love’s was already the best ever for a single season. Despite the historical digits, Kevin and the T-Wolves were defeated 108-105 by Brian Cardinal and the Mavericks. That’s correct, Brian Cardinal and the Mavericks. Former Timberwolf and rarely-utilized Cardinal was brought off the bench early in the second half due to Dirk Nowitzki’s foul trouble. He ended up doing a pretty damn accurate Diggler impersonation. The Custodian knocked down three consecutive triples between the 8:05 and 6:05 marks of the third. Dirk would return with a minute left in the period and score 13 of his 17 points in the final 13 minutes. Minnesota led by seven entering the fourth, but gave the lead up during two scoreless minutes at the start of the quarter. They would have another two minute drought later on during which the Mavs stretched the lead from two to seven. Minny fought back and took a one-point lead with 2:15 on the clock, but Dallas went on to outscore them 12-8 (really 12-5, Wayne Ellington hit a meaningless heave at the buzzer) the rest of the way. Rick Carlisle credits Cardinal (12 points, 4-5 threes) for the victory: “Without Cardinal, I don’t think we’d have won the game. His activity, rebounds, loose balls, deflections, shot-making completely turned the game around.”
- Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire can put a ball in a basket. The two of them combined for 65 points on just 31 shots as the Knicks crushed the Jazz 131-109. Most of the other Knicks players are pretty good scorers too. Toney Dougles added 20 in last night’s win. Landry Fields, Shawne Williams, and Chauncey Billups can all fill it up from beyond the arc. There is one Knickerbocker who just doesn’t fit the mold, though. His name is Jared Jeffries, and he has played precisely 99 minutes and 47 seconds since being traded to New York from Houston. In those 99 minutes and 47 seconds he has managed to score just one point. You can thank InsideHoops poster BagelRed for that little fun fact.
- I’m going to let Tony Allen, who handed the Thunder 20+ for the second time in a row, sum up Memphis’ 107-101 victory over Oklahoma City…
- I’m going to have to agree with the guy who YouTubed this video: Tony Allen absolutely should do every post-game interview. Here’s the one from last time they beat the Thunder for those of you who never saw it. Not only do I think TA should be the subject of every post-game interview, I think the NBA would be more fun if the Thunder and Grizzlies played each other weekly. They’ve matched up four times this season, and not once was a game decided by 10 or more points. Not one time did either team fail to score 100, either. As for last night’s contest, Allen certainly did bother Kevin Durant, who had a below-average night with 23 points on 8-20 from the field. He fired 10 threes and scored just four points in the paint. OKC’s total of 46 paint points were 22 fewer than Memphis’. The Grizzlies also had edges in fast-break points (21-14), points off of TOs (15-9), and freethrows made (17-11). Mike Conley and Tony Allen scored 20 points each to lead Memphis. Zach Randolph surprisingly failed to record 20/10 for the second game in a row, but his team still won the battle of the boards.
- Jarrett Jack filled in for Chris Paul pretty nicely with 23 points, and the Hornets were able to hang with the Bulls right up until the final three minutes… in which they failed to score a single point. Chicago finished up the game on an 8-0 run after going through a four-minute drought of their own in the middle of the fourth. Both teams played so poorly offensively that the Bulls only lost 60 percent of a ten-point lead during that stretch. Derrick Rose led Chicago with 24 points and nine assists, but he shot just 8-21. This game really showed how valuable Chris Paul is to the Hornets (not that it wasn’t already clear). Not only could they not score in crunch time, they came up with just 10 team assists.
- Brandon Bass is a solid player, but he’s no Dwight Howard. Orlando fell to the Portland Trailblazers 89-85 without Superman Jr due to techincal foul difficulties. His absense shows in the points in the paint category (36-22, POR). LaMarcus Aldridge went for a team-leading 24 on 10-18. Tons of threes were fired in this game. You expect that from Orlando, but from Portland? With no Dwight Howard roaming the key? I have no idea why they launched 25 long-balls. They made just eight of ‘em. Orlando hung around by making 11 of their 22. I don’t have a stat on this, but I imagine that teams don’t often win when they only get to the line nine times. The Magic did exactly that. Dwight, you’re going to have to learn how to control your temper, because you are this team. This was Portland’s sixth straight victory on the road.
- The Other Games: The Bobcats, who traded their season away at the deadline, dropped their fifth straight in a 92-87 loss to the Clippers (who have somehow won three in a row). Blake Griffin scored 17 points and grabbed 15 boards. The Kings, who trailed just 65-68 at the half, lost to the Rockets 123-101. DeMarcus Cousins had 20 points at halftime… he finished with 20. That pretty much sums this one up. The Rockets are now 7-1 since the All-Star break, but remain three games out of the playoff picture. Goran Dragic had me experiencing deja vu wearing his number three jersey. For a second I would’ve sworn that it was Bobby Sura scurrying around out there. Man, what I would give to send the NBA back to ’04 for a day…
Quote of the Day: Ron Artest knows a lot about problems… and he feels that crying is a perfectly acceptable way to deal with them.
Photo of the Day:
Amare: “Yo, they were cryin’, son! Cryin’!”
Melo: “Two things I ain’t never do: cry, and play defense.”
Amare: “Word!”
