NBA 24/7 365

You’ve just scored 81 points in an NBA basketball game, the second most in the sixty-year history of the league.  In the process of obliterating a longstanding franchise record of one of the most storied organizations in the history of professional sports, you’ve quite literally carried your team to a 122-104 victory, inspiring 19,000 people to rise from their seats and laud you with a rousing ovation.  Only Wilt Chamberlain, a man of unthinkable legend, has ever done what you just did.  You’re currently existing in a surreal universe far beyond the top of the world.  You’ve been congratulated by coaches and teammates, taken a shower, spoken to the media, and finally gone home to reflect on the greatest night of your basketball life.  What do you do next?  According to Kobe Bryant — the man who actually did this — you don’t watch the game.

That’s a verified account, not a parody.  Upon further investigation, I discovered that Bryant had actually mentioned this in an interview published by ESPN on the 17th.  In that interview he very briefly explains why he’s supposedly not chosen to review the historic game he played exactly seven years ago tomorrow.

“To this day I’ve never seen that game. I don’t feel the need to watch it. What am I going to learn? I don’t watch those tapes. If I’m watching film it’s usually for an upcoming opponent.”

Personally, I find this more than hard to believe.  Kobe Bryant — the man whose introversion, narcissism, and obsessive passion for the game have been as well documented as his feats of basketball greatness — has never, not even once, seen the single greatest game of his life?  Nah, I definitely don’t buy that.  Not for a second.  As a matter of fact, I’d be surprised if there isn’t at least one television in each of his mansions that plays the 81-point game on constant loop.

Love the quotes, though.  The way Kobe downplays the game by so matter-of-factly stating that he’s never bothered to check it out simply because there’s nothing to learn from watching himself torch the lowly Craptors is just vintage Bryant.

Nuggets 121, Thunder 118 (OT)
***This entire game was an officiating disaster.  Sixty-one personals and two technical fouls were doled out by Bill Spooner, Zach Zarba, Mark Lindsay, who obviously blew their whistles a lot but failed to do so with any sort of consistency.  In overtime, they called three illegal screens on Oklahoma City (two of which were pretty ticky-tack) before allowing Serge Ibaka to land a pair of hits that were fit for the NFL.  Fortunately, the refereeing was so bad overall that it’s hard to argue that it favored either team.
***The difference in this game?  Corey Brewer.  Denver’s sustainable energy source outscored the entire Thunder bench 26-18.  He made three threes in the fourth quarter and brought his usual all-around hustle to the table with six rebounds, three assists, a steal, and a blocked shot.
***Russell Westbrook is an abrasive character.  The type that would be so brash as to goaltend a mascot’s halfcourt shot…

…twice.  Westbrook, obvious giver of not a single fuck, was in rare form throughout the night; he scored a season-high 36 points and sunk the three-point shot that led to overtime, but he also finished 10-26 with 7 turnovers.  In the end, Rocky and the Nuggets got the last laugh… but Russell still ought to be nominated for Hater of the Year.  I mean, goaltending a shot by the mascot? Silky Johnson himself would be proud.

Raptors 108, Lakers 103
***As badly as Pau Gasol and Steve Nash were abused at the defensive end (Calderon + Davis = 40) throughout the entirety of their combined 69 minutes and 33 seconds of unathleticness, the Lakers desperately could’ve used another 81-point effort out of Kobe Bryant.  Instead, they got one of the worst games of his life.  Having finished with 26 points on a frightening 10-32 from the floor, Kobe damn near missed a shot for every point he scored.  The really scary part?  That accounts for his fourth-quarter streak of relative hotness.  Prior to knocking down consecutive three-pointers and making four of his last eight shots, Bryant had gone 6-24 — that’s 25% — for 15 points.  That computes to a putrid point-to-brick ratio of .833.  Yikes.
***Allow me to backtrack for a moment and touch on the aforementioned defensive struggles of Steve Nash and Pau Gasol.  Actually, I’m going to leave Nash out of this because I think he actually cares.  Paul Gasol, though… what the fuck is wrong with this guy?  I’ve kind of been giving him a pass because he’s been struggling through various injuries, but if he’s healthy enough to insist on starting and score 25 points then he’s healthy enough to give defense and rebounding the ol’ college try.  Pau Gasol’s defense was atrocious in this game, and his effort on the boards was no better.  Just look at the box score — Ed Davis destroyed him.  If I’m Mike D’Antoni, Earl Clark is starting in Chicago tonight.  At 17-23, I need men on the floor who can be counted on to fight harder than this.
***Needless to say, Dwight Howard’s disqualification was the lamest ejection to take place in Toronto since Vince Carter slapped Mo Peterson.

That’s Ken Mauer for you.

Pistons 103, Celtics 88
***When the Pistons pulled out to a 20-10 lead, Doc Rivers aimed to exploit Andre Drummond’s struggles from the free-throw line.  This strategy failed miserably as Drummond went 6-8 from the stripe and scored a team-leading 16 points.  He dunked on the Celtics five times (three lobs from Bynum) and dominated the painted area during the 20 minutes that Lawrence Frank allowed him to play.  So basically this was typical Pistons game except that they won in a blowout.
***This was the Celtics’ fourth consecutive double-digit loss to the Pistons and third straight loss overall.  Afterwards, Doc Rivers was none too pleased.  Via The Boston Herald…

“It was awful. We’re playing awful. I mean, I’m clearly not doing my job with this team, and I’m serious. I ain’t trying to take a bullet for the team, and I told them that. I said, ‘We’ve got to find something where every night all 12 guys play the same way.’ And we did it for three games in a stretch. I told them that Games 4 and 5 in that (six-game) winning streak were garbage. We just won the game.”

“I think this team wants everything easy. They want the easy way out. They want to win easy.”

“We’re taking the wrong approach. So I’ve got to either find the right combination, the right guys, or we’re going to get some guys out of here.”

Assuming Doc means business, I think this could be the end (at least temporarily) of Brandon Bass as a starter.  Bass played just 10 minutes to Jared Sullinger’s 22 in yesterday’s loss and has been generally disappointing all season long.  Rivers isn’t about to bench Rondo, Bradley, Pierce, or Garnett, obviously, so the hammer has got to come down on Bass if the hammer is indeed coming down.

Timberwolves 92, Rockets 79
***The Rockets were whistled for FIVE traveling violations and one double-dribble in this game, their seventh straight loss.  They shot 32% from the floor and turned the ball over a total of 20 times.
***With his Rockets trailing 38-44 at the half, Kevin McHale attempted to make a statement by starting D-League call up Patrick Beverley rather than Jeremy Lin in the third quarter.  Beverley sabotaged McHale’s plan by racking up a turnover, three dumb fouls, and a technical foul over a span of 22 seconds.
***This represents the third straight game in which James Harden has made fewer than 30% of his shots.  He’s missed 57 threes in the month of January and 57 of his last 80 shots overall.
***The Wolves got 23 consecutive fourth-quarter points from 10-day contract signees Chris Johnson and Mickael Gelabale.

Grizzlies 85, Bulls 82 (OT)
0:39    Zach Randolph chokes free throw 1 of 2  ::  83-80
0:39    Zach Randolph chokes free throw 2 of 2  ::  83-80
0:37    Carlos Boozer defensive rebound
0:36    Bulls Full timeout
0:25    Mike Conley blocks Nate Robinson’s first attempt to be a hero :: 83-80
0:23    Rudy Gay defensive rebound
0:21    Rudy “Pass? Why? I’m Getting Traded” Gay lost ball turnover (Jimmy Butler steals)
0:14    Nate Robinson misses 23-foot second attempt to be a hero :: 83-80
0:12    Carlos Boozer offensive rebound
0:12    Marco Belinelli tries a four-pointer for the win, but that’s actually the out-of-bounds line
0:12    Grizzlies Full timeout
0:12    5 sec inbound turnover because Vladimir Radmanovic scares Mike Conley
0:12    Bulls 20 Sec. timeout
0:06    Nate Robinson actually makes third attempt to be a hero (Marco Belinelli assists — wait, what? How is this an assist?!) :: 83-82
0:04    Jerryd Bayless isn’t even forced to make two free throws (Tony Allen assists) :: 85-82
0:00   Bulls lose in the most hilarious fashion :: 85-82

Warriors 116, Pelicans 112
***Though the Pelicans blew a seven-point fourth-quarter lead and ultimately failed to secure what would’ve been an impressive victory, an examination of the box score reveals promising performances from many of their young players.  First and foremost, Anthony Davis did long-arm things as he recorded a January high of 20 points to go along with 12 boards.  Al-Farouq Aminu, who killed the Celtics in his previous game, also recorded a double-double with 14 and 10 on 7-9.  Even Austin Rivers was relatively good, finishing with eight points on 4-6.  Robin Lopez and Jason Smith, on the other hand, collected a grand total of 0 (ZERO) rebounds in 36 minutes despite combining to be 14 feet tall.
***Former Pelicans Jarrett Jack and Carl Landry had nice revenge games.  Landry started in place of the injured David Lee and recorded an 11/11 double-double while Jack came off the bench to score 25 points and dish 12 assists.
***Richard Jefferson is alive…

…and making $10 million this year.

Bucks 110, Blazers 104
***How large a second-half cushion did the Bucks need to beat the Blazers by six?  Only 22 points.  Portland nearly worked their magic against Milwaukee as they put together a 12-0 run beginning at the 3:40 mark of the fourth.  They’d closed to within four with just under a minute to play, but a costly missed call (Ekpe Udoh got away with tripping LaMarcus Aldridge) that resulted in a turnover would put an end to their comeback.  Unfortunately, the Blazers’ tendency to fall behind before making these crazy comebacks leaves them especially susceptible to such unlucky breaks.  They’ve fallen to 20-20 on the season now with five straight losses.
***Brandon Jennings vs Damian Lillard was as every bit as much fun as you’d hoped it would be.  The two combined to score 56 points — 30 for Jennings and 26 for Lillard — 20 of which came in the fourth quarter.
***Ersan Ilyasova sighting!  The slumping Buck exploded for season highs of 27 points and 14 rebounds, earning his keep for a change.

Clippers 94, Wizards 87
***As he tends to, Joey Crawford made himself the center of attention when he blew a gasket in the third quarter.  After calling a technical foul on Randy Wittman and a delay of game on the Clippers, a furious Crawford could clearly be heard screaming various things, including “GIVE ME THE GODDAMN BALL!!!”

This can’t possibly constitute acceptable referee behavior, can it?  How is a man this emotionally unbalanced supposed to call a fair and consistent game?  I’m no conspiracy theorist, but the fact that the NBA continues to turn a blind eye to Crawford’s questionable mannerisms is something that sometimes brings me to question the integrity of the game.
***Credit the Wizards for hanging around, but they did some awfully Wizard-y things in the last two minutes of what had been a two-point game.  I hate to say it, but John Wall kind of blew it by failing to tie the score at the free-throw line before carrying the basketball on a crucial possession within the final minute.  To make matters more humiliating, Wall played Bryon Russell to Chris Paul’s MJ on the game’s conclusive field goal.  Oh, and before before that, there was this.  Yeah… not such a good night for John Wall, even though he did have 24 points.

When I learned that Chris Johnson and Mickael Gelabale had been signed to 10-day contracts by the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday morning, I suspected that they’d likely see action that same evening against the Houston Rockets.  After all, each player was acquired purely out of necessity — with only seven healthy bodies available, the Wolves needed at least one additional player to field what the NBA considers a team.  So, using one injury exemption and another vacant roster spot recently opened up by the waiving of Lazar Hayward, the Wolves plucked Johnson out of the D-League and imported Gelabale from Spain.  Less than 24 hours later, each of them had been summoned into an NBA game… and been showered with MVP chants.  I kid you not.

Prior to being signed by the Wolves, Chris Johnson, a 6’11” center out of LSU, had spent 14 games playing for the Golden State Warriors’ Development League affiliate in Santa Cruz.  There, he’d been sharing time with other prospects but had still posted an impressive average of over two blocks per game.  In need of some height due to the expected absences of Nikola Pekovic and Dante Cunningham, the Wolves selected Johnson in part because he’d spent training camp with them last fall.  His most recent NBA appearance had been in April of 2012 as a member of the Hornets.

As for Mickael Gelabale, he hadn’t seen an NBA floor since 2008.  The 6’7” swingman was let go by the Seattle Sonics after tearing his ACL in practice, and he’s been working to make it back to the league ever since.  He represented France in the Olympics over the summer and made various stops during the fall and winter, eventually winding up with the Spanish team Valencia after his Croatian team was eliminated from Euroleage competition.  Altogether, he joined the Timberwolves with 109 games of NBA experience and over a decade of professional basketball under his belt.

Johnson and Gelabale made their first appearances for the Wolves early in the second quarter.  Johnson scratched quickly on an impressive alley-oop dunk from JJ Barea…

…but neither of the two would score another field goal in the first half.  To their credit, they had helped Minnesota take a surprising 44-38 lead, but that had more to do with the Rockets’ sluggishness and some solid play from veterans Andrei Kirilenko and Luke Ridnour.  Of all the lesser-known players who’d taken the floor, it was actually Chris Johnson’s counterpart, Greg Smith, who was turning heads; Houston’s backup center scored six points in the first half, all by virtue of the slam dunk.

As the Rockets continued to struggle in the third quarter, the Timberwolves extended their advantage.  It was a 10-point lead when Gelabale checked in at the three-minute mark and an 11-point lead when Johnson entered the game shortly thereafter.  Houston wasn’t done yet, though; they finished the period on a 10-2 run, cutting the lead to just four.  Suddenly involved in a battle against an explosive offensive contingent, the shorthanded Wolves would need someone to step up.  Lo and behold, the two guys who’d just joined the team around breakfast time took over the game.  And when I say they took over the game, I mean they legitimately took over the game.

Little did we know that the offensive rebound and ensuing five-foot jump hook scored by Chris Johnson to kick off the fourth and final quarter would be a sign of such incredible things to come.  Johnson had outfought multiple Rockets to secure that rebound, and he’d continue to be quickest player to the loose balls and just generally the game’s most active participant down the stretch.  Following a pair of free throws, Johnson out-sprinted everyone from baseline to baseline, hammered home a spectacular lob from Luke Ridnour…

…and proceeded to grab another couple rebounds.  By the time he took his next trip to the stripe, Johnson had scored six consecutive points.  As he drilled another couple of free throws to put the Wolves up nine, Johnson was lauded with a faint but discernible chant of M-V-P!.  As used and abused as the MVP chant has been at NBA basketball games, I couldn’t help but get a pretty big kick out of the fact that Chris Johnson was getting one in his first game with the Wolves, fresh out the D-League.  Even Jeremy Lin (who was ironically present) had required more than one game to achieve such overwhelming popularity at Madison Square Garden.

Immediately following Johnson’s first set of MVP free throws, Mickael Gelabale began to make his own presence felt.  Gelabale made his first significant contribution at the defensive end, where he pressured James Harden along the sideline.  Harden, looking to release a three-point shot, was stifled by the aggressive defense and eventually went on to commit an awkward-looking turnover.  About a minute later, Gelabale cut to the basket and finished on a pass from Ricky Rubio for his first field goal of the contest.  Working primarily off of the ball, Gelabale wisely decided to capitalize on Rubio’s play-making abilities.  Much to the delight of about 17,000 Timberwolves fans, he spent the next two and a half minutes outscoring the league’s fifth-leading scorer 10-2.  When Gelabale’s energy landed him at the free-throw line for a third consecutive possession, the crowd showered him with his own M-V-P! chant.

As Minnesota’s parade to the foul line pressed on, the chants steadily gained volume.  The most boisterous of all was for Johnson — and deservedly so — when his final pair of free throws put the Wolves up 84-75 at the 4:41 mark.  He’d scored 13 points in just 13 minutes, and one final slam dunk would bring him up to an even 15 on the night.  All in all, Chris Johnson and Mickael Gelabale had scored TWENTY-THREE consecutive fourth-quarter points for the Wolves.  The Rockets only scored 20 as a team.  In addition to his 15 points, Johnson racked up six boards and blocked a shot.  Gelabale added totals of 11 and 4, and the Wolves ultimately secured a 92-79 victory to snap a five-game losing streak.

The Rockets, on the other hand, have now dropped seven in a row.  Having shot just 32% from the floor whilst sending the Wolves to the free-throw line a whopping 36 times… they were absolutely dreadful.  Still, what Chris Johnson and Mickael Gelabale were able to do in their respective Wolves debuts was pretty freaking remarkable.  I can’t prove this, but I’m going to confidently assert that 23 points are the most ever scored consecutively by players on 10-day contracts.  And then there’s the fact that these 23 points came in the fourth quarter of what had been a four-point game.  That’s the part that makes this really crazy — none of it was done during garbage time!

As for the MVP chants, Johnson admitted that it was “probably just for tonight, I guess.”

While Chris Johnson may never win a league MVP, he just might parlay his 10-day contract into the payday of a lifetime.  Clearly, his athleticism is NBA-caliber.  He’ll need to continue to impress with his energy and display a solid understanding of the game in order to stick, and I haven’t seen enough of the guy to make a prediction as to whether or not he’s likely to do so.  That said, he’s off to a damn good start!  The same goes for Mickael Gelabale, who will look to make a lasting impression as a scrappy wing defender.

Regardless of whether or not Chris Johnson and Mickael Gelabale outlast their 10-day contracts, this was awesome.

Golden State of Mind: Chris Johnson, a bouncy big man who’s enjoyed cups of coffee with the Celtics and Blazers, has been called up from the D-League’s Santa Cruz Warriors to the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves.  Johnson averaged over two blocks per game for the Warriors, and his slam dunk reel is well worth 46 seconds of your time.  With Nikola Pekovic ruled out of tonight’s game, Johnson could see action against the Rockets.

Star Tribune: The Wolves have also signed French Olympian and former Supersonic Mickael Gelabale.  Gelabale hasn’t played in an NBA game since March 2008, and he only made a total of 109 appearances over the course of two seasons in Seattle, but you might remember him from the second round of the ’05 draft.  His hair was pretty epic.

ESPN Chicago: Joakim Noah still doesn’t like Kevin Garnett, and that was evident during and after the Bulls’ road victory over the Celtics on Friday.

Pro Basketball Talk: The sun rose in the East on a Friday evening in Philly.  I almost wrote something about Jrue The Damaja’s 33-point, 14-assist effort this morning, but I couldn’t get over the recent misfortune of the Toronto Raptors.  Notice, not a single Craptors in that entire post.  I feel that badly for them.

Crab Dribbles: Tracy McGrady’s Chinese saga continues its surprising upswing.  Yesterday, T-Mac recorded a double-double to lead his Qingdao Eagles past Stephon Marbury and the reigning-CBA-champion Beijing Ducks.

Youtube: Watch Paul George drop a barrage of three-point bombs on James Harden’s Houston Rockets.  Also, be sure to take note of the pair of unassisted, isolation jumpers he knocked down in the face of Carlos Delfino.  This is the new Paul George, folks — he dribbles, he drives, he posts, he toasts — after he eats your layup attempt for breakfast.

Youtube: Ty Lawson didn’t do much in the first, second, or fourth quarter of Denver’s disappointing loss to Washington, but he was pretty freaking good in the third.  Watch the clock and count his points.  I hope you’re good at math.

Broken Yellow Lines: On Monday, two of the season’s most spectacular poster dunks were thrown down by Taj Gibson and Kevin Durant.  As for Anthony Tolliver and Marcin Gortat, Gibson and Durant’s respective victims, here’s what may have been going through their heads just prior to being humiliated.

Courtside Collective: When in England, Rasheed Wallace… well, is still Rasheed Wallace (and therefore still the best).

Fox Sports AZ: The Suns fired Alvin Gentry yesterday, but they haven’t yet figured out who will take his place on a long-term basis.  Maybe they should make Marcin Gortat a player-GM, as he’s firmly decided on one candidate already.  Earlier today, Gortat could be found on Twitter openly campaigning for Stan Van Gundy.  SVG and Michael Beasley, a match made in basketball heaven.

Currently on a four-game losing streak, the Toronto Raptors have suffered their share of painful defeats this season.  With overtime losses to the Bulls and Sixers on Wednesday and Friday, the Raptors have fallen to just 1-4 in overtime and 2-5 in non-overtime games decided by five points or less.  A poor record in close games — it’s a classic indicator of a bad team, and at 14-26 the Raptors are indeed a pretty bad team.  Maybe not quite as bad as their record indicates, however.

With one second left in overtime of Wednesday’s aforementioned loss to the Bulls, Amir Johnson put the ball on the floor and drove to the rack.  With the Raptors down just two, Johnson was hit on the arm by a reaching Joakim Noah as he ducked into the paint.  Wisely, Johnson made an obvious shot attempt as he fell to the floor.  His awkward floater came up a foot or two short, but that didn’t matter — Johnson would be headed to the foul line with an opportunity to tie the game and force a second overtime period.

Except Johnson never went to the free throw line.  Instead, the Raptors were given the ball out of bounds and Jose Calderon proceeded to brick a rushed three-pointer.  Considering that he had just one second to work with, Calderon did get a pretty nice look for the win… but I’m sure the Raptors would’ve preferred to take their chances on a pair of uncontested 15-footers.  Yesterday, the NBA acknowledged that they should’ve been given the opportunity to do so.  Via NBA.COM…

With one second remaining in overtime of the Chicago Bulls-Toronto Raptors game on January 16, officials called a foul on Chicago’s Joakim Noah as Toronto’s Amir Johnson gathered the ball while driving to the basket. The officials ruled the foul was on the floor but upon review at the league office, the video replay confirmed that the foul should have been called a shooting foul with Johnson receiving two free throws.

Now, this admission of wrongfulness from the league doesn’t necessarily mean the Raptors would’ve won the game even if the correct decision had been made by the officials.  Johnson, a 70% free-throw shooter, obviously would’ve needed to make both, and then the Raptors would’ve had to win the second overtime.  Neither occurrence is a given.  However, an obvious error was made and it cost the Raptors a fighting chance, if nothing else.  Clearly, that’s discouraging… especially when you consider the league’s admission of another crucial mistake in Toronto’s one-point loss to Charlotte on November 21st.  Via InsideHoops.com…

Too little, too late.

The NBA admitted on Thursday to missing a foul on the decisive play of Toronto’s loss to the Bobcats a day earlier.

“On the final possession of Charlotte’s 98-97 win over Toronto on Nov. 21, the game officials missed a foul by Charlotte’s Michael Kidd-Gilchrist against Toronto’s Andrea Bargnani on a jump shot. Bargnani should have been given two free throws and the clock stopped with approximately 2.4 seconds remaining in the game,” read the missive at NBA.com.

Credit the league for admitting the error, but it won’t do much for the Raptors.

At this point, Toronto must be feeling a little snakebit.  Officials will inevitably make mistakes against each and every team over the course of this 82-game marathon, but it’s unusual to see a team receive two acknowledgments of such crucial wrongdoing from the league office in a single season.  Unfortunately for the Raptors, a third could be on its way.

With eight seconds to go in the fourth quarter of Friday night’s game, Alan Anderson knocked down a pair of free throws to give his Raptors a four-point lead over the Sixers.  Spencer Hawes answered quickly with a two-point score, but all Toronto had to do was inbound the ball and make another couple free throws.  Had they done so, victory would’ve been all but assured.  Instead, they went on to lose in overtime.  With just five seconds left, the Sixers were able to get the ball back and score a layup to tie the game at 96.  The bucket was legit, but the “bad pass” that resulted in a Toronto turnover was more of a blatant pushing foul on Nick Young.

To be honest, it never should’ve come to this.  The Raptors had a 17-point halftime lead which they squandered by being outscored 29-13 in the third quarter.  However, they did bounce back to score 23 in the fourth, and I don’t think it was Alan Anderson’s intent to walk out of bounds and fall on the floor with five seconds left and his team up two.

To the Raptors’ credit, they seem to have focused all of their postgame reflection on the blown lead.  That’s probably a good plan, as it appears that they’re going to have to maintain big cushions throughout crunch time if they ever want to snap this losing streak.

Let it be known that in the [I tried to count all the games three times and came up with three different numbers between 500 and 700] game of the 2012/13 NBA season, Kevin Durant became the first to achieve 50 points.  Durant dropped a career-high 52, actually; 21 of which came at the free throw line (on the same number of attempts).  Shawn Marion, who gave up 17 of the 52, thought this number of free throws was decidedly too many: “It’s hard to beat anybody when you’re playing five-on-eight.”

Regardless of whether or not there’s any validity to his point, it should be noted that there is no record of Marion taking objection to the 24 free throws attempted by Dirk Nowitzki against the Thunder on May 17th, 2011.  Getting back to the game at hand, Durant made just 13 of 31 shots from the floor.  He missed nine in a row in the fourth quarter as the Mavericks came back from down eight* (JUICE), including a great look at a 22-footer that would’ve won the game at the buzzer.  Despite his struggles, Durant continued to shoot the ball, and he shot it well in overtime.  Beginning at the two-minute mark, KD produced three consecutive buckets.  The third — an insanely difficult one-footed, one-handed runner over the outstretched arm of Shawn Marion — gave Oklahoma City a 116-114 lead which they’d never relinquish.  His complete highlights can be seen right here…

What is not shown in the above video nor any highlight video that I can find is one of the all-time great “fuck it!” shots by Mike James.  James, who played the entire overtime in place of Darren Collison despite Collison’s 15 points on 5-8, broke off the designed play on the Mavericks possession that followed Durant’s aforementioned floater.  With the Mavs down two and about 15 seconds to go, James was switched onto by Kendrick Perkins.  Apparently looking to exploit the mismatch, he audibled out of whatever Rick Carlisle had designed and isolated Perkins beyond the top of the key.  James did not proceed to drive on the slow-footed defender, however.  Instead, he did this:

Gilbert Arenas: Screaming “YOLO!” since before YOLO had a meaning (one of many reasons we thought he was nuts).

Obviously, there are a couple of minor differences between the shot in the video and the actual shot by James:

• James’ shot didn’t go in.
• James isn’t prime Gilbert Arenas.
• Dirk Nowitzki did not play for the 2007 Wizards.
• The Mavericks were losing, not tied.

Other than that they were pretty much exactly the same… which is absolutely hilarious considering that James was in the D-League like a week ago.  From the Texas Legends to nationally-televised Gilbert Arenas impersonations… Mike James, I salute you.

*According to Mavericks commentator Mark Followill, Dallas has led in the fourth quarter of all 10 of their games in January, yet they are just 5-5.  Depressing.

As people who enjoy the game of basketball, I think we can all agree that the intentional foul to prevent a fast break is one of the worst things ever.  The NBA obviously thinks so, as they came up with the clear-path rule to discourage potential foulers from spoiling the fun.  While the implementation of this rule has certainly helped to prevent exciting fast breaks from being ruined by buzzkilling fouls, there is no way to eliminate the practice of intentional fouling entirely.  Some players have become so accustomed to fouling that they continue to do it despite the clear-path penalty, and then there are other situations where the rule doesn’t even apply.

In the following video, Darren Collison commits what was ruled a clear-path foul.  He did so in an effort to break up a two-on-one run out involving Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, which was sure to end spectacularly.  Thankfully, despite Collison’s foul, it still did.

Russell Westbrook: Advocate of natural energy solutions.

Now, of course this sequence would’ve been way cooler if the windmill had counted, but Westbrook probably would’ve refrained from attempting such a difficult dunk had the whistle not been blown.  So, in this particular instance, we can sort of be glad that Collison fouled… which got me thinking, why can’t other players do what Westbrook did here and finish the break despite the foul?  I mean, why allow showtime to be cancelled by some douchy point guard that’s just mad he can’t jump high?  That shit’s not cool, nor is it necessary… so don’t let ‘em get away with it!

Next time Blake Griffin gets clear-path fouled I want/fully expect to see a 360-between-the-legs-off-the-backboard-backflip-barrel-roll jam.  There is absolutely no logical reason why this cannot and should not happen.

Believe it or not, we’ve just about reached the midway point of the 2012/13 NBA season.  With the All-Star break right around the corner, many basketball heads are busy assessing the half seasons had by premier players in order to determine who deserves to make the trip to Houston for the association’s 62nd annual showcase.  Here at NBA247365.COM, we’ll get around to that eventually… but today, I wanted to take a look at some of the league’s best reserves; more specifically, those who play fewer than 20 minutes per game.

In order to compose the following eight-man list — my “All Under 20 MPG Team” — I sorted the entire NBA by average minutes played and considered a variety of factors, including players’ individual numbers and the impact they’ve had on their respective teams.  The impact of a player who spends over half the game on the bench can be a hard thing to measure, but in considering both my own observations and a variety of statistics I think I’ve used a reasonable system to reach my conclusions.  The format of the team is G/G/F/F/C, just like any All-NBA roster, but with three extra “wild card” players tacked on as well.

Information listed: [minutes per game, net +/- per 48 minutes] & various stats (per 36 minutes).

G: Eric Bledsoe [18.9, +4.1] 16.5 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 5.1 APG, 3 STL, 1.3 BLK

Pound for pound, Eric Bledsoe might be the best athlete in the NBA.  A defensive game-changer, Bledsoe is an energetic ball hawk and the league’s most effective shot blocker at his position.  While his offensive game could still use some refinement, Bledsoe is hardly a loose cannon.  He’s responsible in his shot selection (46.4% FG) and can be relied upon to make solid decisions with the basketball.  Bledsoe is the ideal change of pace guard; he loves to push the ball in transition and just generally tends to make positive things happen when he’s on the court.  His ability to do a little bit of everything at both ends of the floor is extremely unique and highly valuable, and he seems to have a knack for sparking Clipper runs by making momentous plays.

G: Will Bynum [16.8, -5.3] 17.2 PPG, 6.9 APG, 1.3 STL, .448 FG, .412 3FG

Will Bynum is the only player in my starting lineup whose presence hasn’t netted his team a positive +/-, which kind of surprises me as he’s been key in a lot of recent Pistons comebacks.  Though he got off to a slow start and is definitely a hit or miss player, I can’t deny Bynum a spot on this team considering some of the huge games he’s had lately.  Since exploding for 31 points against the Hawks on December 26th, Will has been averaging 14 a game and the Pistons have gone 5-4.  In a win over Miami, he put on one of the most impressive performances by any reserve this season when he scored 13 of his 25 in the fourth quarter.  In a three-point loss to Utah he single-handedly brought Detroit back to within a bucket from down 13 in under four minutes.  Admittedly, these occasional instances of dominance occur rather randomly, but how many players who get under 20 minutes per game are capable of making such an impact even on an irregular basis?  Overall, Bynum’s numbers are strong and efficient and he’s made a difference when he’s been on the floor.

F: Nick Collison [19.4, +10.9] 10.7 PPG, 8 RPG, 2.6 APG, .625 FG, .756 FT

I’m pretty sure most of us can agree that Collison shouldn’t even qualify for this team because he ought to play too much.  Basically, Collison does the stuff that Kendrick Perkins is supposed to do — he rebounds, defends, sets screens without moving, and makes shots when left unguarded — but because he’s a little bit smaller, much more reasonably compensated, and totally unselfish, he doesn’t get to play as much.  Simply put, Nick Collison is the consumate backup power forward.

F: Jared Sullinger [19.4, +5.3] 11.2 PPG, 10.7 RPG, 1 BLK, .508 FG, .750 FT

In his first NBA season, Jared Sullinger has already become a regular contributor for the Celtics.  Selected in the latter part of the first round, he’s displayed a variety of characteristics that aren’t always typical of rookies, let alone 21st-overall picks.  Most notably, Sullinger has had little trouble adjusting to the physicality of the league.  While his defense could still use some work (he fouls a lot — over six times per 36 minutes), he’s very effective in mixing it up in the paint.  He doesn’t shy away from contact, he rebounds the basketball, and he finishes 70% of his shots at the rim (first amongst all rookie PF/Cs).  Additionally, Sullinger has displayed some impressive post moves as well as a respectable short-range jump shot.  He’s good enough for a spot on this list right now and at age 20 he only figures to get better.

C: Andre Drummond [19.8, +1.8] 13.2 PPG, 13.4 RPG, 3 BLK, 1.5 STL, .601 FG

Despite his incredible physical gifts, Andre Drummond dropped to ninth in the draft because he was supposed to be a project.  Instead, he’s made an immediate and sustained impact for the Pistons.  Drummond is leading all reserves in double-doubles (6) and ranks second in blocks and rebounds.  Impressively, he does all this without fouling all the time.  Even on a per-36-minute basis, Andre is just 135th in the league in fouls.  Additionally, while he isn’t the type of player you dump the ball to in the post, he has been a capable offensive contributor possessing more coordination and touch than anyone gave him credit for.  How many centers can make this play?

6th: JaVale McGee [19.1, -0.1] 19.1 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 3.7 BPG, .559 FG, 1.000 3FG

JaVale McGee will still leave you scratching your head from time to time, but his otherworldly athleticism has made him a game-changer off the Denver bench.  Unfortunately for the Nuggets, they pay JaVale like a quality starter… but that’s another story.  In 41 appearances, McGee has recorded either 15+ points or 3+ blocks 23 different times.  Coming from a reserve, those are the sort of numbers that can alter the course of a game.  Take Denver’s 92-89 road win over the Pacers, for example, when McGee scored 20 points on 9-9.  Without his barrage of slam dunks, do you think the Nuggets pick up that three-point victory?  As frustrating as he can be sometimes JaVale has certainly won the Nuggets more games than he’s lost them.

7th: Jimmer Fredette [14.4, -6.4] 20.5 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 3.3 APG, .431 FG, .435 3FG

Jimmer Fredette has the worst net +/- of any player to make this team, but to hold that against him would be to insinuate that he assigned himself to the Sacramento Kings.  Jimmer has been a much-improved offensive player this season, shooting an impressive 43.5% from three-point range and a respectable 43.1% overall.  While he still has his shortcomings — particularly on the defensive side of the ball — Jimmer has become capable of creating his own offense, something he couldn’t do at all last season.  He’s scored in double figures every time he’s played 20+ minutes and has generally looked pretty good during his limited opportunities.

8th: Charlie Villanueva [16.3, +5.6] 17.2 PPG, 7 RPG, 1 BLK, .426 FG, .387 3FG

Charlie Villanueva is the second most highly paid player on this list, and by a wide margin.  Clearly, his level of productivity doesn’t warrant anything close to the $8 million per season the Pistons are paying him.  However, players’ contract situations were not taken into consideration in the construction of this team — only their on-court performance — and CV has been effective in stretching the floor since Lawrence Frank let him out of the doghouse in late November.  He’s made at least one three-pointer in 20 of 26 appearances since then, and, amongst power forwards, only Ryan Anderson shoots as well from distance on as many attempts per game.

Honorable Mention: Houston’s Greg Smith has been an excellent complement to Omer Asik in 14 minutes per game for the Rockets.  He’s had a couple of big showings in Rockets victories and tends to be a steady offensive contributor.