Gerald Green is having a 21-point-per-game sandwich for lunch today. Over his last three games Gerald has scored 26 points, had an 11-point half, and scored 26 points again. Yes, he’s doing it for a depleted New Jersey Nets team, but being on a sh!tty team doesn’t put the shots in for you. Green made an impressive 9 of 13 last night after going 14-26 (54%) in the two games prior. He’s not doing this in blowouts, either. The Nets beat the Craptors last night after being narrowly defeated by the Bucks and Rockets in their previous two. Gerald is making a lot of impressive jump shots from mid-range distance… both turn-arounds and step-backs. If you take a look at his shooting numbers since joining the Nets you’ll find that they’re quite remarkable. Via Hoopdata.com…
Small sample size and he’s definitely been feeling it, but still… to come out of the D-League and average 11 PPG on 51% from the floor over nine games is pretty impressive. Every time the Nets dump him the ball and allow him to go to work (yes, this is happening frequently) I figure he’ll miss, but he hasn’t been. Late in last night’s game the Craptors began to crowd him (he was lighting them up… scored 16 in the 4th quarter) and he made some strong takes to the rack (tried to end Bargnani’s life on one drive, got fouled). I’d like to see more of that, but it’s hard to criticize the guy right now. He’s playing great. I will say that his ball handling still appears like it could use some work. Here’s a little video highlighting some of his better moments from last night’s performance…
Although Gerald is only on his second 10-day contract, Avery Johnson would consider inserting him into the starting lineup. Says Avery: “I think if this continues to go the way it’s going, [starting him] may be something that we want to do.” Here’s to hoping that it continues to go the way it’s going. I don’t know about you, but I rather enjoy alley-oop windmills.
I’m going to present you with some facts and allow you to make of them what you will. The Los Angeles Lakers have won their last two games on the road, in overtime, by a total of 11 points. In these two games they attempted 69 free throws. Their opponents, the Grizzlies and Hornets, only attempted 18. Both the Grizzlies and the Hornets scored 40 or more points in the paint (Grizzlies had 60+). The Lakers have taken more free throws than their opponent in nine consecutive games. The last team to out-attempt them was Oklahoma City, the league’s second-leading team in free throws per game (LA is 11th, but they’re 1st by a wide margin over the past week or so). I know I told you I was going to let you make of these numbers what you will, but I changed my mind. I think a couple of star-less teams may have been shafted this week. The Grizzlies game is especially suspicious. I mean, 97 2-point shots to 5 free throws, 2 of which were technicals? Getting fouled isn’t quite as easy when you’re Quincy Pondexter as it is when you’re Kobe Bryant… and that drives me crazy. Ron Artest’s total of two fouls in 73 minutes of play in these last two games is proof that certain players are treated differently. If Ron Artest was officiated like the rest of the league he’d foul out of every game in 10 minutes. I don’t even understand that, ’cause he’s f@cking sucked for a few years now. I suppose his old reputation is still working in his favor. Derek Fisher is another one… he gets away with all sorts of sh!t.
Teams that have fired their coach (Wizards, Kings, and Knicks) are now 3-0 in the first game after the firing. Yes, I’m aware that D’Antoni “resigned.” Under the direction of Mike Woodson, the Knicks beat the Blazers by 42 points. Portland has now lost four of their last five, completely failing to compete in three of those games. If recent history is any indication I’d say the losing streak will come to an end soon. That’s my clever way of saying Nate McMillan isn’t gonna last much longer. “Sources” say some Blazer players can’t wait to see him get canned. Their recent play certainly supports that notion.
Rajon Rondo had 14 assists last night. One of them may go down as the pass of the year…
Spelling it out makes it seem even more impressive: Rondo hit Allen right in the hands with a behind-the-back pass after spinning like a top and jumping into the air. The opposite of fundamental, but the definition of spectacular. Assuming he’d realized what just happened I bet Ray was feeling the pressure like it was a game winner. You’ve GOT to make that shot. In other Celtic news, Kevin Garnett hit another big jumper. This one won the game. KG has been on fire from the perimeter lately. According to ESPN’s shot charts, which don’t always seem to be exactly correct, he’s made 16 of his last 28 attempts from outside of the painted rectangle. That’s about 57%, give or take a few percentage points on account of ESPN’s imperfections.
Reggie Evans and Kenyon Martin are unique individuals. The two of them serving as a four/five reserve combo makes the NBA world a more interesting place.
Box Score Observations: Marcin Gortat and Channing Frye combined for 51 points as the Suns won another one, and a big one at that. They beat the Jazz 120-111, meaning the two teams now have the same record (20-22). Phoenix has won 8 of 11 and they’re only three games out of 8th place. A long shot, but a shot. Evan Turner continued his strong play with 21 points, but the Sixers got crunched by the Pacers (who needed the W). How about Tim Duncan? He had 21 and 13 as the Spurs beat the Magic. John Lucas avenged LeBron’s dunk by scoring 24 in a Rose-less Chicago victory over Miami. Damn, on national TV, too. That’s embarrassing. Greg Monroe put a big smile on my face by abusing the hell out of DeMarcus Cousins. Monroe scored 32 to Cousins’ 14 (on 15 shots) as the Pistons won by 12. Rodney Stuckey dropped 35. He’s averaging 25 a game in March.
Lowlight Recap: Ralph Lawler says he’s only seen this happen one time before. That means it’s probably one of the rarest FAILs in the history of professional basketball. The double-FAIL, I guess you could call it.
