3/25/11: Need More Likes To Give Away T-Shirts

Ability to rebound a basketball is not required to have a chance at winning a free t-shirt from your favorite NBA blog, but I still need nine more people to “like” NBA247365.COM’s Facebook page before I can go the giveaway.  Any of my readers who haven’t yet hit the like button, please do so.  It takes five seconds, and once you’ve done it my updates will pop up on your news feed.  You know you want to hear from me once or twice a day… who wouldn’t?  Uh, anyway, it was a highlight-filled night in the NBA on Friday.  An NBA247365.COM kind of night…

Random Observations:

• Highlight Recap, Blake Griffin Edition:

• Highlight Recap, Shannon Brown Edition:

• Highlight Recap, Dante Cunningham Edition:

• Highlight Recap, Everyone Else Edition: Watch your head, LeBron.  Taj Gibson finishes a Derrick Rose miss.  I probably should’ve given Sam Young his own “edition”.  Birdman swats the hell out of John Wall.  See the top 10 for some of those plays and more. 
• The Bulls picked up another impressive win (18-3 in their last 21) over the Grizzlies, who have been playing exceptional basketball as of late.  Chicago didn’t shoot particularly well, but their 29 second-chance points on 18 offensive boards was the key to a 99-96 victory.  Luol Deng deserves a lot of credit as well for stepping his game up on a night where Derrick Rose and Carlos Boozer combined to go just 11-35 from the floor.  Deng made 8 of his 14 shots, including three threes and an important tip shot to tie the game at 88 with five minutes left.  Even though Derrick Rose struggled with the shot, he came up big in crunch time, as he always does.  D-Rose scored his team’s final six points (including an and-one layup that made it a two-possession game with 10 seconds left), and he was the only Bull to score in the final 3:40 of the game.  The Bulls certainly have a solid group of players around Rose… Deng, Boozer, and Noah are borderline All-Star players, and Gibson, Asik, Korver, Thomas, and Brewer are very solid role players… but it’s astounding how often that it’s Rose by himself offensively down the stretch.  The guy is just cold blooded.  The thing that has impressed me most about him over the course of his entire career is how effectively he can close out a close game.  Tony Allen, a Chicago native, talked trash and gestured to the United Center crowd on multiple occasions as he got off to a quick start with eight first-quarter points.  He was booed for the remainder of the night and would only end up with 13 points.  I was honestly hoping he would continue his first-quarter pace and have a huge night in a Memphis victory.  I’m sure that would’ve made for an unforgettable postgame interview.
• The Celtics were doubled up (30-15) in the fourth quarter by the Stephen Jackson-less, Tyrus Thomas-less Bobcats in an 83-81 home loss that looks bad even compared to their other recent Ls.  To give you a little perspective on this epic fail, here are all the players who logged minutes for Charlotte: DJ Augustin, Gerald Henderson, Dominic McGuire, Boris Diaw, KWAMAY BROWN, Dante Cunningham, DJ White, Shaun Livingston, Matt Carroll, and Eduardo Najera.  White was Charlotte’s leading scorer with 17 points.  He averages 13 minutes a game and probably has as many DNPCDs as appearances on the season.  Even though the ‘Cats had a great fourth quarter, they did their best to choke it at the end with just three points in the final 2:45… and Boston still couldn’t take it.  I honestly can’t tell you exactly how this happened because I was watching the Bulls, but here’s an alarming stat: Boston had 15 assists as a team.  Early on in the season Rajon Rondo was getting 15 assists every night by himself.  After the game, Doc Rivers called his team “selfish”…

• I can see how this could happen.  With the influx of new players everyone probably feels that they need to prove to each other what they’re capable of.  I assume they’ll get over that at some point… in fact, I didn’t expect it to take this long.  With this loss Boston falls two games behind the Bulls in the race for the East’s top spot. 
• The Clippers got a season-high 30 points from Mo Williams, a noisy 22 from Blake Griffin, and decent play from their bench which allowed them to remain within striking distance all night long against the Lakers.  However, Eric Gordon missed his first 11 shots and failed to score in the first three quarters… and LA isn’t beating LA without getting something out of Eric Gordon.  Kobe Bryant styled on him with 37 points on 11-21 as the Lakers took it 112-104 (14-1 since All-Star break).  Despite a pair of missed dunks, Ron Artest had another effective night offensively with 15 points on 6-11.  Andrew Bynum beasted on Chris Kaveman with his 11 points and 12 boards, and Pau Gasol dropped a quiet 26.  LA continues to roll… they certainly appear to be peaking at the right time while other contenders are having issues (Spurs, Celtics, Magic).  Chris Kaveman was ejected after Derek Fisher–the sneakiest dirty player in the league–hit him upside the head as he set a screen. 

• Said Fish, so called “class act”: “Some people feel fondly of me, some people don’t. That’s a part of what we do. If big guys are coming to set screens on little guys, if you’re trying to tear my head off, I’m going to try to tear your head off.”  Yeah, because Chris really tried to tear your head off.  One would think this guy would know that a screen is a legal play in the game of basketball seeing as he’s an NBA veteran and president of the Players Association.  GTFO Fisher, you’re nothing but an overrated pest who’s ridden the coattails of various superstars for the duration of your career.  If the Lakers actually had a starting PG who could even play a lick of defense (oh look, yet another opposing PG just went off for a season high on you) the championship would be in the bag.  You’re a liability on the league’s best team.  Congratulations.
• Down 42-26 with 6:13 left in the second quarter, Miami was struggling mightilly to put points on the board against the Sixers… until they went on a 23-2 run, that is.  Said run covered most of the second half of the quarter, and Miami entered the lockerroom with a 51-50 lead.  They trailed once again entering the fourth, but they out-scored Philly 34-17 in the final period and took the W 111-99.  LeBron James bashers can have some fun with this one… the King dropped just 2 of his 32 in the fourth.  Dwyane Wade had it all under control… he dropped 18 of his game-high 39 in the fourth.  Chris Bosh added 20, as did the rest of Miami’s roster.  I still don’t think this is a formula for postseason success.  The three studs aren’t going to shoot this well every night.  Someone else is going to have to do something at some point… and no one has given me any reason to believe they can get the job done.  It was more than just the scoring coming from the big three on this night, too.  They accounted for 31 of 49 rebounds and 12 of 22 assists.  They basically did everything while Mike Bibby, James Jones and friends tagged along for the ride.
• The Toronto Craptors had 56 points at the half… too bad Golden State had 84.  That’s correct: the Warriors put more points on the Craptors in 24 minutes than the Bobcats needed to beat the Celtics last night.  Credit Toronto for making a defensive stand and holding the Dubs to just 54 in the second half (total: 138).  Golden State got 20+ from four players, double figures from three more, and shot 61.4 percent as a team.  Andrea Bargnani had a big night with 7 points and 0 rebounds.  This game was so bad that not even Julian Wright, who averages 14 MPG and is hanging onto his NBA life by a thread, was interested in playing. Via the AP:

Jose Calderon also left with a strained left hamstring, and that still might not have been the worst part. Things got so bad that Raptors coach Jay Triano said he asked Julian Wright to enter the game and Wright refused.

“We were six deep already at the wing spot. I asked him to go in, he didn’t go in,” Triano said. “That’s fine. I just went back with Leandro.”

• Players refusing to enter the game when asked?  Probably time for a coaching change. 
• The Other Games: The Knicks lost again (96-102 in Milwaukee) as they failed to score 100 for the fifth game in a row.  Brandon Jennings dropped a season-high 37.  Moving right along, the Pace Makers layed an egg against the Kings and lost 93-110 on their home floor.  DeMarcus Cousins put up 18/14/5.  Dwight Howard bricked 11 of 18 freethrows, but his 21/14 led the Magic to a 95-85 victory over the Nets.  Kris Humphries did 14/10 in defeat.  Jordan Farmar might go broke, he dropped 16 dimes.  Jameer Nelson left the game with a sprained left knee.  The Cleveland Cavaliers won a game!  Their 14th of the season, 97-91 over the Pistons.  JJ Hickson, who I beched in a fantasy league, scored 24 points and grabbed 15 boards.  Even when they win there has to be some sort of FAIL along with it.  Anthony Randolph followed up his career night against Dallas with 24/15, but the T-Wolves lost 103-111 in Oklahoma.  Hey Mike D, how’s Bill Walker playing?  The Nuggets came up with 29 team assists as six players scored in double figures in their 114-94 win over the Wizards.  Chris Andersen, who I benched in another fantasy league, recorded 17/11/5 swats.  Carl Landry filled in for David West effectively with 19/6 in a 106-100 Hornets victory.  Pretty big choke-job by the Suns, who are now essentially toast.  Oh, Marcin Gortat’s nose is apparently breakable.  I know, I was shocked too.  The Blazers beat the Spurs at the buzzer courtesy of Nicolas Batum…

Quote of the Day: Tyreke Evans is back, but he’s yet to regain his powers…

“I looked at the court like it was my first time in the NBA. I haven’t been out there in a long time. It was like ‘Space Jam.’ I need my powers back.”

Photo of the Day: KG would rather not dance with Boris Diaw…

I guess the accent didn’t do anything for him. 

Donny Walsh wants a trade-back.

As if you needed more evidence as to why you don’t f@ck with a rhino.