Ok, before I say anything about last night’s game, I have to go on a mini-rant. Why? Because those “expect great” WNBA commercials are back. That’s right, I saw one during the game last night for the first time since last summer.
Yes, as a matter of fact I would say that… and don’t worry, I won’t watch you. It’s not that you settle for midrange jumpers, or don’t try to play defense… it’s that you can’t make the midrange jumper when you do settle for it, and the girl you’re guarding can’t score even when you do slack off. Basketball is basketball my ass. I think they had Kobe and Dwight reciting that line in the version I caught yesterday… so each of those two drop a few notches on my totem poll for blatantly lying to innocent NBA viewers. Some of these young, impressionable kids may not know that you’re full of it, guys… they may actually tune into a WNBA game expecting great, and come away more disappointed than the day they found out Santa Claus was fake.
Well, my rec league team makes the majority of our layups, and we can all hit the rim from the three-point line… so yeah, probably!
Moving right along to the NBA–where you really can expect great–LeBron James has done it again. Done what again? Come up big late in a close game. What do you mean, “done it again?” LeBrick iz teh choke artist!!!1 Well, not really… I mean, yeah, I think he mailed it in against the Celtics last season; and yes, he missed his share of “big” shots during the regular season… but last night was the second time in three games that he put his team on his back late in the fourth and carried them to victory in a game that really did matter.
Each of the three buckets you just saw came in the final 4:30, a stretch during which LBJ dropped 9 of Miami’s last 12 points in the 85-75 W. Aside from LeBron’s clutch performance? It was defense–and Udonis Haslem–that won Miami this game. Chicago scored just two points during that stretch that LeBron dominated, and they only managed 10 in the entire fourth quarter (29 in the second half). Miami was able to successfully bottle up Derrick Rose for the entire game, something that no one’s really been able to do all season long. Rose hardly got any good looks at the rim, and when he got free for open jumpers, he missed most of them (finished with 21 on 7-23). He missed all four shots he took in the fourth quarter, and I’m not sure what’s more alarming: that he missed them all, or that he only got four. We all know D-Rose is a fourth-quarter assassin with an uncanny ability to leave the first three quarters in the past and step his game up, but last night, he was never able to create any opportunities for himself down the stretch. Credit Miami’s defense… it was the best effort on D-Rose that I’ve seen all year long. They contained him, and as he tacked on a few missed shots that he normally makes, he was completely neutralized.
As for Udonis Haslem… he played Taj Gibson’s role from game one.
What the video doesn’t show you is his rejection on D-Rose that preceeded the first poster dunk. Miami built momentum as he made those three highlight-reel plays, and his 4-4 shooting in the third is what kept Miami out front to finish up the third quarter. I didn’t expect much from Haslem in these playoffs… I mean, he missed the majority of the regular season, and there’s no way he was feeling in rhythm as he got up off the bench having played under seven total minutes in two playoff games. This is the first time he’d played a significant minute since November of 2010, and he came up absolutely HUGE. Without his 13 points off the bench, Miami probably loses this game. Maybe I’m crazy, but I don’t see Juwan Howard making those plays. If Haslem can contribute anything like this on a somewhat regular basis, that could be exactly what the Miami Heat need to get the job done this season. That being said, I’m not counting on it. I’ve found that guys sometimes tend to play really well immediately upon returning after a prolonged absense, but then struggle for a little while. I’m sure Haslem was running on pure adrenaline last night, but there’s no way he’s in game shape. I think his play could reflect that in upcoming games… but maybe not.
I’ve got to give some props to Taj Gibson even though the Bulls dropped this one. Taj scored all eight of his points in the fourth quarter… he single-handedly kept Chicago afloat from the 12-minute mark until LeBron’s takeover. Derrick Rose did set up two of Taj’s buckets, so I suppose he did do a little something in the fourth, but it was hardly a Rose-like quarter, obviously. Anyway, I think it’s safe to say that Taj Gibson has out-played Carlos Boozer so far in this series. If I had a nickel for every makable layup that Carlos Boozer missed, I’d have a solid 15 cents. Dude needs to step the f@ck up–it’s time.
Kyle Korver could’ve made a huge difference in this game had he been able to knock a few shots down. He had multiple open looks from three during the fourth quarter with the game hanging in the balance, but he missed them all. One of ‘em was halfway through the rim, but it spun out. His only bucket (1-7) came in the second quarter… Chicago is really missing the boost he provided throughout the first round.
To sum that all up… it was another defensive struggle, but LeBron bounced back from a rough game one and took over down the stretch, finishing with 29/10/5 on on 12-21. Miami turned the ball over too many times and gave up a lot of offensive rebounds, but Chicago was unable to make shots… it all kind of evened out in the end, and the game was right there for the taking by either team. Credit LeBron James for grabbing the Bull by the horns (no pun intended). Like I said, it’s the second time he’s done this in three games. Keep that in mind next time you call him a choke artist.
The statement play had Chicago won this game:
You gotta love Omer Asik. He fits into the NBA’s image about as well as Brian Scalabrine, but you’ve got to respect him, because he always makes plays, and I’m not talking about midrange jumpers. He’ll meet you at at the top, bang it in your face, fight you for a rebound… pretty much everything that you’d assume he’d never do upon first glance.
What a badass! It kind of makes me sad that the Bulls lost… this could’ve been such an epic moment. Speaking of epic moments, LeBron’s was capped off with one of the most awkward celebrations of all-time…
Mike Miller… dude… since you forgot how to play basketball, do you think you could at least try to become a half-decent towel waver/chest bumper? You’ve had like one good game all season, and it was against the f@cking Craptards… find a way to contribute, dammit!
