Well, guys… I overslept. Considering that I basically stay up all night every night, I suppose this was bound to happen. Due to my failure to wake up in a timely manner, we’ve got “Things That Happened” rather than “The Starting Lineup.” It’s basically the same, just a little more abbreviated and to the point. My apologies — I’ll turn up the volume on the alarm clock.
***The Miami Heat, our reigning NBA champions, lost their third straight game to the Washington Wizards. Is a Bobcats-Lakers relationship developing here? I don’t know about that, but I can tell you this: the Heat waltzed into Washington, coasted into crunch time, and loafed on out of the Nation’s Capital with a 101-105 disappointment to consider.
Based on their body language, I don’t think Miami approached this game with even the slightest bit of focus. Their demeanor appeared extremely casual even as the game pressed on into the latter part of the fourth. On one occasion, LeBron James literally skipped up the floor, fancy dribbled, threw up some bullsh!t at the rim and watched it get tossed by Kevin Seraphin. At the end of another offensive possession, LeBron and D-Wade were both knocked down. Instead of jumping up and running back on D, the two of them sat on the floor and left their teammates to play 3-on-5. Wade eventually picked himself up and sprinted back, but Jordan Crawford was already sinking a jump shot. Both players seemed perfectly fine on the ensuing offensive possession, leading me to believe that they probably didn’t need to lay on the floor for 10 to 15 seconds. On top of all that, there was at least one other important sequence where LeBron missed a driving shot and elected to stand around and mope about it rather than play defense.
I believe the Heat coasted through this game with a sense of entitlement, and that’s why they lost. You’ll probably hear about LeBron’s failure to make shots down the stretch (he bricked a pair of threes in the final 30 seconds or so), but that wasn’t it. I mean, yeah, those shots would’ve won Miami the game… but it shouldn’t take shots like those to defeat the Wizards. The Heat got themselves into a predicament by treating the game like an exhibition, and they never really adjusted their approach… even when the Wizards were in the driver’s seat. Pretty incredible that LeBron can record a triple-double (26/13/11, 12-24) in a game where it didn’t even appear that he gave half a sh!t.
***Oklahoma City hung on to beat Brooklyn 117-111 despite a 38-point third quarter from the Nets. I didn’t see the end of this game, but I did catch the part where Kevin Durant tried to earn himself a perfect 10 on the Starbury Scale. Check this out…
Up top, that was nearly one hell of a Mozgov. Durant’s one-footed takeoff made it a little different from a traditional Mozgov, but it would’ve been equally incredible. Consider yourself lucky, Andray Blatche. Timofey Mozgov, Pau Gasol, and Kendrick Perkins haven’t exactly experienced their finest days since their tragic encounters with Blake Griffin, suggesting that no one ever truly recovers from being Mozgov’d.
Note: Deron Williams, who’s been struggling through a season-long shooting slump (39.2%), matched a season high with 10 made field goals. His 33 points also represent a season high, as do his 5 made three-pointers (on just 9 attempts).
***The Houston Rockets came back from down double digits in the fourth quarter to beat the Lakers 107-105. Less than a year ago I, along with a few hundred others, watched a young man named Greg Smith play at a small auditorium in Portland, Maine, a city of about 60,000. Yesterday, I joined millions of people in watching this same young man score 21 points against Dwight Howard and the Los Angeles Lakers. Right in front of our eyes, Fresno State’s Greg Smith is turning himself into quite the success story. Against the Lakers, Smith scored 13 points in the fourth quarter alone, including the contested layup that tied the score at 102 along with the free throws that made it a two-possession game with 15 seconds to play.
As Orlando did, Houston employed a hack-a-Dwight strategy down the stretch. Even though they ended up taking a two-point lead, the Rockets stuck with their plan for five possessions between 3:17 and 2:09. Howard did hit his last 3 in a row, but made just 5 of 10 overall. Meanwhile, Houston put 7 points on the board.
It’s pretty remarkable that the Rockets were able to win the game with James Harden and Jeremy Lin going 5-27 from the floor. Credit the aforementioned Greg Smith, but also Toney Douglas. He became something of a punchline in New York, but this is the second time he’s successfully finished a close game for Houston. Douglas scored 9 of his team-high 22 in the fourth, including the huge three-pointer that gave his H-Town boys their first lead of the game (2:38).
Note: Though James Harden shot horribly, he remained aggressive, got to the foul line (9-11), and made a couple of key non-scoring plays. It was Harden’s penetration that created Greg Smith’s game-tying layup, and he also grabbed the offensive rebound that led to Smith’s crucial free throws.
***Paul George bounced back dramatically from a scoreless outing against the Warriors. George, who had missed 16 of his last 18 shot attempts, went 14-25 from the floor as he dropped a game-high 34 points. Surprisingly, George went just 1-3 from downtown. He did the majority of his work in the mid-range and painted areas, scoring five field goals in the lane and seven between 12 and 22 feet. Yes, I realize that 5 + 7 + 1 does not = 14. The people at ESPN clearly failed to plot one of his buckets. We’ll give Paul the benefit of the doubt and call it a slam dunk, making it a total of six scores in the paint. George’s assertiveness helped the Pacers beat the Bulls 80-76, creating a three-way tie for first in the crusty central. The Central is currently the only division in the league without a winning team (Bulls, Bucks, Pacers all .500).
***Zach Randolph posted one of the biggest lines of his career as he led Memphis to a come-from-behind victory over Phoenix. Randolph’s 22 rebounds were a few short of the high-water mark, as were his 38 points (Grizzly career high)… but his combined total of 60 points and rebounds matched his previous best. Coincidentally, the last time he achieved such a figure was during his time with the Blazers, when he put up 47 and 13 against the Grizzlies (fun fact: Randolph’s first ever 30/20 game was also against Memphis).
Getting back to the game at hand, Randolph scored 16 of his 38 in the fourth quarter and overtime. He made three consecutive jump shots in OT, causing pandemonium at the Fed Ex Forum. Complete highlights below, but make sure you also click here to watch Tony Allen get crunk to chants of “Zee-Bo, Zee-Bo, Zee-Bo!”
***Assorted Observations: Philly/Minny box score, ’cause I skipped that game. Lance Stephenson putback dunk? Okay. Russell Westbrook did in fact debut the Jordan XX8s, and he looked a little less stupid than I thought he would (the tall socks and leg sleeves helped his cause). An alternative summary of what happened in Houston. You know, LeBron’s a pretty good dude… but alas, the King does not have a handshake for everyone.
