Hah! DeAndre is laughing because you lost, Perkins!
So… after typing this whole thing, I just took a moment to think about what a good day yesterday was in NBA basketball. The Clippers pulled off a comeback victory, the Mavs choked in Golden State like it was 2007, and Memphis moved up in the standings… all things that make me happy. Derrick Rose further cemented his MVP status by beasting on the Craptors, which is also cool with me… the only thing that could’ve made it better would’ve been a Bucks loss (these dudes just need to go away already… no one wants to see them play four extra games, they’re a joke, GTFO Milwaukee!). Well, I guess that pretty much covers it. Read on for the details…
Random Observations:
- Highlight Recap, Al-Farouq Aminu Edition:
- Highlight Recap, Rose Gets WAAAAAAAAAAAY Up Edition:
- Highlight Recap, Everyone Else Edition: Serge Ibaka denies what may have been the dunk of the year. DeMaR DeRoZaN… are you serious? Ronnie Brewer picks two pockets. The top 10′s got all of that and more. Why did Serge have to go and block that dunk? Yeah, a big block is cool and all, but the dunk would’ve been so much more exhilerating.
- Much of the talk about the Bulls lately has been Rose for MVP, but Chicago is quietly making a push for not only the best record in the East, but the best record in the league. With last night’s 113-106 win over Toronto, Chicago improved to 56-20, which is significant for a few reasons. With win number 56, coach Tom Thibodeau broke Phil Jackson’s record for rookie coaching victories. I think he and Derrick Rose have an extremely bright future together in the Windy City. Also, their 56th win puts them just one game back of the San Antonio Spurs, who are currently in the middle of their longest losing streak of the Tim Duncan era. The Lakers are also on the Spurs’ asses (just 1.5 games back), but they don’t have upcoming games against the Cavaliers, Nets, and Knicks (yes, I’m putting the Knicks in that group. Why shouldn’t I?). As for the Spurs… they’ve got the easiest upcoming schedule, but they aren’t rolling like the Bulls and Lakers. Still, they could get it together against Phoenix today and go 6-0 the rest of the way… they’d only have to beat one good team (Lakers. No, Hawks are not a good team). Basically, an unexpected three-team race for homecourt throughout has come together late in the season due to San Antonio’s recent injuries/choke-jobs. As for last night’s Bulls victory over the Craptors, well, D-Rose certainly didn’t do anything to lose the MVP award with his 36 points, 10 assists, and three blocked shots. Give Toronto credit for hanging around in this one, but an inevitable loss in the battle of the boards/paint eventually led to their downfall.
- The Bucks, who are hanging on to their playoff lives certain death by a thread, came into their home game against Philly off of two one-point losses in their last three games… both of them being against the two teams they need to pass to earn the right to be destroyed by the Bulls in a few weeks. Basically, they’ve choked their season away in the last three. Finally, though, they won a close one last night. Drew Gooden came off the bench and contributed 12/12 in the six-point OT victory. Four other Bucks also scored in double figures as they shot 48.6 percent as a team… however, they turned the ball over 18 times, and failed to make a basket in the final five minutes (Bogut hit one freethrow, that was it) of regulation. How sad is that? I’m sorry, but these guys suck. Lucky for them, Philly had a tough night. They shot poorly and finished up regulation with four misses, two turnovers, and one bucket by Elton Brand. Only in Milwaukee can you enter the final four minutes of a game behind, score one f@cking basket, and end up in OT. The Bucks only managed one basket in the final two minutes of OT, too… but that was also made okay by the Sixers making none. It goes down as a Bucks win, but it was more of a Sixer loss.
- With about three minutes remaining in the third, Blake Griffin decided to show onlookers his awesomeness in a nutshell. I can’t get you the video because the game is blacked out on League Pass broadband, so I’ll have to test my story telling skills. First, Blake ripped a board in traffic with his usual force. Then he took off dribbling (full-speed ahead, I might add) to the other end like a guard, and broke Kevin Durant off with a behind-the-back manuever which required him to stop on a dime. Next, his man (I think it was Ibaka, but don’t quote me on that) stepped out on him, so he backed him down all the way to the low block, exploded toward the rim, and hooked the ball into the basket. I can’t believe the people over at NBAtv didn’t include this play in the game highlights. If I was in charge it would be the intro, content, and outro of today’s episode of “Game Time.” I mean, what other power forward can do what I just described? Lamar Odom? He’s got the ball handling part covered, but he couldn’t have backed his man down with this kind of strength. Blake is really somethin’ else (as if you weren’t aware). Anyway, at that point it was looking like this play was probably going to be about the only good thing I’d be able to say about the Clipps this morning. They were down 10 at the time, and they aren’t exactly proficient in the art of the comeback. Well, this is why you don’t flip the channel on a 10-point game in the NBA. The Clippers still had just 37 points and trailed by 12 at the half, but led by Griffin’s 26/16, they struck back with a 31-point third period. They nearly duplicated that with 30 more in the fourth, and they ended up taking a 98-92 victory. Eric Gordon, who couldn’t hit a goddamn thing all night long, knocked down the go-ahead three-ball with about 40 seconds on the clock. OKC really blew this game between the 7:20 and 4:50 marks of the third… they didn’t score a single point during that stretch, while LA put 10 on the board. Russell Westbrook had a homecoming I’m sure he’d love to forget (1-12), Kevin Durant went 10-24, and James Harden’s beard finished just 3-11. I do have to give a shout out to Harden, though. I’ve been informed that he’s the NBA’s leading scorer off the bench since the All-Star break. He was expected to step up after the Jeff Green trade, and he’s done just that… and more. Props. I see a Sixth Man Award in his future if he remains on the bench for much longer.
- The Other Games: Memphis passed New Orleand and moved into the 7th spot with a 106-89 victory over the Wolves. OJ Mayo dropped 20 for the first time since February against the team that looks pretty damn smart for dealing him on draft day. The Warriors made me smile with a 99-92 win over the Mavericks at Oracle Arena. Andris and Monta are the only guys left from the ’07 squad, but I think I’ll grin every time the Dubs beat the Mavs for the rest of my life. Dallas bricked 20 threes and seven FTs in this game, and Monta Ellis toasted Jason Ki__ to the tune of 32 points on 11-20.
Quote of the Day: Dirk Nowitzki on choking…
“Basically, looks like we’ve got the three seed locked up.”
But don’t get it twisted… Jason Terry isn’t worried about the Lakers. Right Jason?
Photo of the Day: I swear Thad Young gets a breakway dunk in every single game he plays… and there’s always a sick picture of it.
Young also got himself involved in this perplexing shot with Corey Faggette (not a typo, can’t stand that bastard and his floppery), though…
Uh… human basketball hoop? Dancing With the Stars audition? I have no idea.
