They played an NBA basketball game at Madison Square Garden last night, but at times it looked more like a UFC fight. Three players–Troy Murphy, Ray Allen, and Carmelo Anthony–left the game bloodied up to some degree. Allen got it worst as he was hit by a Jared Jeffries flying elbow while trying to grab a rebound. Ray would require seven stitches after the game to close the wound, but he played on like a badass with blood leaking out from under his bandage for a while. It wasn’t quite on the level of Steve Nash’s nose, but it was pretty hardcore.
Random Observations:
- Highlight Recap, Derrick Rose Edition:
- I’m not even going to bother with anything else… I haven’t come across any further footage that is worth your time.
- The Knicks got off to a hot start with 25 points in the first quarter and 51 in the half. The pace of the game was to their favor and the Celtics looked straight up terrible offensively. There was no movement, fluidity, or chemistry to what they were doing… a lot of their shots were forced off of a one-on-one move because the shot clock was about to expire. They had put just 37 points on the board at the break, which put them in a 14-point hole. Kevin Garnett came out agressively in the second half and dropped eight straight Cs points in the first four minutes of the third, cutting the defecit to single digits. New York suddenly began struggling to put the ball in the basket… they scored just 18 points in the quarter, and their lead was down to six. Paul Pierce took over in the fourth with 13 points… Boston took an 88-86 lead with 3:09 on the clock on a Rajon Rondo layup… and the Knicks failed to score for the rest of the night. This was really the tale of two halves. The first was all Knicks, and the second was all Celtics. What changed? Shots stopped dropping. It happens. For the 5 billionth time, that’s why the Knicks are fatally flawed. They can’t score, they can’t win. Random Carmelo-related observation: Ronny Turiaf was visibly frustrated with Melo on multiple occasions as he failed to see him as he stood wide open in the paint. Anthony got off to a great start, but finished the game just 7-17 from the field. I guess both of these teams simply have chemistry issues. The Knicks are pretenders as of now, but they’re certainly better than they’ve been since the trade even if they continue to skate on their offensive firepower. I’m not really worried about the Celtics. I think they’ll get it figured out sooner rather than later. Oh yeah, KG was excellent in this game with 24 points and 11 boards. He took matters into his own hands when his team needed a few buckets. I wish he’d do that more often.
- The Nets built a 12-point lead over the Pacers about midway through the second quarter, and it appeared that they would head into the lockerroom with a solid cushion. They ended up squandering that entire lead in a span of 3 minutes and 45 seconds and lost the game 102-98. New Jersey trailed by as many as 10 in the fourth… they made a bit of a comeback, but Indiana knocked their freethrows down and Sasha Vujacic tossed a few long-range bricks. The starting centers combined for 44 points and nine rebounds in this game. The starting point guards did 27 points and 12 boards. Brook Lopez and Roy Hibbert: you should be ashamed of yourselves. Kris Humphries failed to record a double-double (nine points), but did grab 14 more boards. This win puts the Pace Makers at 31-40… good enough for a two-game lead over the Bucks for eighth in the East.
- The Spurs crushed the Warriors 111-96, but the news from San Antonio is bad. Tim Duncan left the game with a sprained left ankle. He’ll likely be out a few weeks, which means he’ll be back just before the playoffs begin. It’s not the worst thing that could’ve happened, but it’s certainly a crappy time to be losing major players to injury. Teams obviously want to be playing their best ball going into the playoffs, but this injury could leave Timmy and his Spurs looking a tad rusty. As for the blowout over the Warriors… Coach Popazit picked up a technical foul about midway through the third. The Spurs were called for a total of three fouls for the rest of the game. Golden State does heave an awful lot of jumpers and often take relatively few freethrows compared to their opponents, but I’m just sayin’… Anyway, Manu Ginobili was the game’s leading scorer with 28 points. Tony Parker dished 15 of SA’s 29 assists.
- Eight Bulls scored in double-figures (including Carlos Boozer, who is back from injury) as Chicago absolutely demolished the Queens 132-92. It was Chicago’s highest point total of the year… they shot 61.2 percent from the field and connected on 12 of 17 threes. The Kings turned the ball over 22 times while assisting on just 19 of their 32 buckets. DeMarcus Cousins accounted for eight of those f@ck ups. Said coach Westphal: “DeMarcus’ turnovers stand out tonight. However, he is a young, gifted player who has a few things to learn about decision-making.”
- The Other Games: Dwight Howard made 9 of 11 shots and 10 of 12 freebies as he put 28/18 on the Cavaliers in a 97-86 Magic win. Dwight may have recorded some damn Wilt Chamberlain digits if his dumbass teammates didn’t hoist 28 three-pointers. Note to Orlando Magic coaching staff and personel: JJ Hickson, Samardo Samuels, Ryan Hollins, and Luke Harrangody can’t stop Dwight Howard. Neither can anyone else in the league. That is all. Uh, let’s see… eighth place Memphis made another big move towards the playoffs with a 103-85 victory over 11th place Utah. Unfortunately, Tony Allen was not asked to share his thoughts on TV after the game. The Nuggets abused the Raptors 123-90 in Denver. Ty Lawson was the game’s leading scorer with 23. Andrea Bargnani fought hard in defeat grabbing three rebounds to go along with his 20 points.
Quote of the Day: Big Baby on Spike Lee’s hat…
C’mon son!
Photo of the Day:
Yes, Jason Thompson: THAT JUST HAPPENED! Someone should stick this in his locker as a motivational tool.
