NBA Daily Roundup (29-01-2012)

Lots of games last night, but two that really caught my attention. So lets begin with those;

Bulls v Heat (93-97) - An incredible game of back and forth. Constant scoring runs from both teams and at times lock-down defense made for an exciting contest between surely the teams that will be fighting for ECF come playoffs (sorry Pacers, Celtics, 76ers). Both the current MVP and previous MVP squaring off and promising an exciting back and forth match-up.

With no CJ Watson but more importantly no Luol Deng the Bulls came into this without one of the only SF's in the league that can genuinely challenge LeBron for size and speed defensively. With the news that Deng didn't suit up and Wade playing again I expected it to remain close until the 3rd when fatigue would kick in and the Heat would pull away for good.

Rose picked up two quick fouls in the first quarter so was sent to the bench but Miami began to build momentum sensing weakness in Lucas so Thibbs trusted his start to come back in. It worked as by the end of the 1st Miami only built a 2 point lead. Ronnie Brewer was performing admirably as he filled in for Deng and finished with 10/6 and 3 steals but he was exposed in the low block by LeBron constantly throughout the game. LeBron by the way would go on to finish with 35/11/5 and is currently the best player in the league (sorry Durant) but he is making a mockery of whoever he plays each night.

It looked like my prediction of fatigue would happen as the Heat found themselves up 11 and then up 8 in the 4th. However whoever has spent time to watch this Bulls team know that with a quality 4 man rotation in the frontcourt and the most dynamic point guard and current MVP running the show they always are in any ballgame. The Bulls pulled themselves within one point and Rose was at the line with 10seconds left. The MVP had missed no FT's in any 4th quarter this season so far (12-12 at the time in the game) but he proceeded to miss both. Rose got another chance after Wade split a pair at the other end but his floater rimmed out (while an open Hamilton was in the corner) and the game was done. A valiant effort by these Bulls and it leads me to believe that had CJ Watson been present to give Rose some rest and had Deng been available this game could have and probably would have resulted in a win for the Bulls. The ECF should be fascinating this year, I for one can't wait.

Sides Notes;

• Noah continued his mini resurgence finishing with 11/11/4/3 
• Hamilton had 5 turnovers, most of which were attempted entry passes to Noah/Boozer and against a ferocious team in the open court like Miami this cost them heavily
• Bosh continues his strong season play with 24/12 on 8-14 shooting. However Wade was more subdued on 15/7 on 4-16 shooting. Miami has played very well with LeBron as 1st option and Bosh 2nd. Now Wade is back they have to find a way for all three to be as effective, because Bosh has shown that only getting long jumpers is not going to work for this team
• Rose blamed the loss squarely on his play, despite without his 4th quarter acrobatics they would have been in no position to win. He seemed genuinely angry and down about the loss, which is what you want to see but lets hope it pushes on for stronger play as appose to any timidness (which I doubt) down the stretch.

More highlight reel play for this Miami team who are quickly becoming the most exciting to watch in the league for nightly clips. Lebron, Wade, Bosh and Rose all provide tough shots and acrobatics in the first match of four between the two this season.

Spurs v Mavericks (100-101 OT) - A fascinating match-up between two of the elder statesmen in this league. Both have been told they are told old this year but with deep rotations and two of the best Coaches/PF combos in the league its almost impossible to write them off. The Spurs, still without Ginobli, came into this one as slight underdogs against the current NBA champions, but with Kidd still nursing a leg injury it balanced out into an excellent game of basketball between two of the most consistent teams of the past decade.  The game seemed beyond reach for the Spurs as at halftime the Mavericks were up 11, stretching it to 15 not shortly after resuming. Popovich, a known advocate of resting his older starters in this shorter season stuck with Gary Neal (who led the team with 19 points), Matt Bonner, Danny Green, Tiago Splitter and James Anderson. Green pretty much the whole 2nd half. These minutes can only be positives for role players and young players finding their way come playoffs and deep into the season as they learn about crunch time and rowdy away crowds. However as so many times in the past this San Antonio squad seemed unfazed by the moment and came roaring back in the 4ht quarter, winning the period 33-22 to tie it all up and have the chance to win it with an in-bounds play and 0.5 seconds left. They managed to get off a good shot which was ruled no good but if I'm honest it looks good to me. Take a look and see what you think;

 

So into OT we went and the Mavs veterans and depth pulled out on top as Jason Terry scored the final 4 points of the extra period, and scored 26 of his season-high 34 points in the second half and overtime to lead the Mavs, who also got 21 from Vince Carter and a 10-point, 13-rebound night from Dirk Nowitzki. However this can definately be seen as a morale victory for the Spurs as most of the starters played limited minutes and yet the reserves nearly took the spoils on the road against the champions.

Highlights as the Spurs reserves take it to the Mavericks but the usual 4th quarter heroes do just enough to pull out the win for Dallas in overtime.

Nightly Notes ;

The Lakers pulled out a 106-101 over the Wolves for just their second away win of the year, taking them to 2-7 away from the Staples centre. For them to seriously consider a title again that mark has to improve. Kobe continued his strong play with 35-14 and Gasol backed him up with 28 points. Love continued to be Love with 33-13 and Beasley returned off the bench for 18-12.

In his first game back to Denver, Billups pushed the Clippers past the Nuggets (109-105) with 32 points. All this with boy wonder Tim Tebow sitting court side

Cavaliers improved to 8-11 and Celtics dropped to 9-10 as Kyrie Iriving hit the gamewinner with a beautiful layup with 2 seconds to go. The Cavs steal the game in Boston as they continue to improve and Doc Rivers troops continue to look suspect. So far this rookie is showing it all, missing only 4 shots and has to be a lock for ROY.

Indiana continued its strong road record to 8-5 with a 21 point blowout over the Magic in Orlando. Indiana was paced by Granger with 24 points and Howard went for 24-13 (4-15 from the FT!). Pacers will definately be a concern come playoffs if they can keep up this defensive intensity. Oh and what a pick up George Hill has been thus far.

Other Games;

Raptors 94 - 73 Nets
Hawks 94 - Hornets 72

Daily Top 10;

Oh Dear Diop

Could this be the worst FT ever? I don't know but it has to be close. The crowds groans and player reaction say it all. At least Charlotte were competitive.

But Diop. Come on man. This is just painful.

NBA Daily Roundup (26-01-12)

Only two games last night, so you would imagine there wouldn't be much to talk about right? Well of course you are wrong. The night opened with Magic v Celtics (of which I watched from start to finish in HD, thanks ESPN) and Grizzlies v Clippers. Although I'm glad I didn't see this one in HD, did you see those jerseys (pics at the bottom if you can bare the eyesore), they were quite easily the two worst jerseys I have seen this year besides the new alternative the Cavs trotted out the other night. Anyway back to last nights action;


Magic v Celtic (83-91) - Still no Allen or Rondo. No problem.Celtics took this one in an absolutely ferocious comeback win in Orlando. This game really was a tale of two halves, sorry for the cliche, as the Magic opened up a 16 point lead by the end of the first quarter. Stan Van Gundy's men were swarming the Celtics, seemingly on a mission to make up for the recent hammering they suffered in Boston. Glen Davis was all over the game, hitting tough and-1 jumpers and being the pest on defense he became loved for in previous pastures. It wasn't for lack of effort that the Celtics found themselves in a big hole early, as Doc Rivers recognised the pressure on defense was at a level that could eventually turn the game in their favor. So as only the best coaches do in pressure situations he remained calm, kept faith in his squad and convinced them even while down big they could win if they kept getting the looks they were getting while remaining focused on defense.
That being said by the end of the 2nd quarter the Magic had stretched the lead to 21 points, at one point it was as much as 27 gap between the two eastern conference powerhouses. Howard was held to 4 points,4 rebounds and 3 fouls as the Celtics still without Perkins played him one on one in the post while surronding him at any opportunity the ball went up for a rebound, at times 3 v 1 to get the loose ball. Ryan Anderson however continued his hot streak finishing the first half with 12 points (ableit all in the first quarter) as he and the other role players took the fight to the Celtics. The only negative at this point was Jameer Nelson going down with a leg injury and SVG saying there was "no chance of a return" later in the game.
2nd half was a different animal, down 21 and seemingly out of the game the Celtics still went for it while giving time to rookie E'Twaun Moore while also playing Stiemsma and Wilcox. Halfway through the 3rd quarter it began. The Magic stopped hitting the tough looks they were getting over a pressured Celtics defense while the Celtics began to hit the good looks they had been getting all game. Moore, who up until this point was shooting 2-14 from the 3pt line was good for 4-4 from long range and 5-6 overall. Any sustained production like that is a huge bonus for this old Boston team.  The Magic continued their drive and kick to the 3pt man but it seems this team kicks even when a drive to the rim is the better shot, as Hedo, J Rich and Reddick continually kicked out with a better chance with the layup. The Celtics closed the quarter strong, trailing by only 11 entering the 4th.
The Celtics came out with a vengance, as within the first couple of possesions brought it to within 6. Paul Pierce played almost the whole quarter and he was huge. Drawing double teams and kicking to Bass on back to back possessions for two good jumpers for the former Magic big man. Ryan Anderson sat for a majority of the 4th quarter which led me to believe that despite his brilliant season SVG still has trust issues with his shot selection and defensive capabilities (although Davis and Hedo were horrendus on both ends). The Magic had numerous occasions were they let the shot clock expire while failing to may Boston pay from the stripe (18-31 for the game). Things got so bad as Celtics went up with a 3 from Moore, that Nelson returned to the game as the only true penetrator the Magic had. Duhon decided to play slow ball against an old Celtics defense that excels in the halfcourt, strange decision from a strange point guard. Nelson brought the intesity needed but too little too late, Pierce had taken over as the Celtics just outplayed the Magic in every area down the stretch and exposed the drive and kick or dump to Howard game that Orlando rely on so much. So the game ended on a 44-15 run from the Celtics as they ran out deserved winners.
Only question is did this show the Celtics are genuine contenders (at least better than their awful start) or are the Magic this bad?

 Rivers, Pierce and Pietrus share a laugh about how obvious this Magic offense is. But seriously, drive and kick thats it?

Grizzlies v Clippers (91-98) - In a matchup of who can wear the worst jerseys the Clippers took it thanks to Cp3 (18-7-7) and Blake (20-8-9) both flirting with triple doubles. Mo Williams was huge of the bench again with 18 himself as the Clippers took down one of the hottest teams in the NBA right now, the Grizz have now won 7 of their last 9. The Clippers however continue to find consistantcy issues although that would be expected from a team that overhauled its squad in the summer with no preseason or regular training. Come playoffs this team will be dangerous. However once Grizz get Randolph back and can move Speights to the bench I think this is one of the most talented teams out west. If these two clash in the 1st round of the playoffs I will definately be watching with a keen eye as to who can come out on top.

Worst Jersey matchup ever? You decide but I definately hate it.

Top Plays from last night;

State of Affairs

I have had a debates recently with fellow basketball fans about the state of America's capital representatives, the Washington Wizards. As I am sure you are all aware recently they deemed Flip Saunders surplus to requirements. I found this suprising, although not considering their record of 2-15, but I think this is a problem rooted in player mentality as well as GM movements in past years.

First of this is the 4th coach to have walked through these doors in 4 years. Players will now understand that most coaches are not here to stay, even Eddie Jordan, a former Coach of the Year was let go. Thus they can tune out coaches per disagreements or through bad patches knowing they are the first to go. This has a serious effect on team morale.
They have drafted reasonably well in picking up Mcgee, Wall, Singleton and Young in recent years. However they have also drafted Dominic Mcguire, Peter Ramos (Who?), Vladimir Veremeenko (again who?) and Oleksiy Pecherov. The last pick was before the likes of Rajon Rondo and Kyle Lowry got picked in the 2006 draft. So in the last 5 years they have wasted reasonable draft positions on players no longer in the league. Not just busts. They dont even play anymore.

The players however must be held accountable. I am one that does not confuse athleticism and raw "talent" with potential and ability to win games. The Wizards frontcourt could potentially be one of the most dominating in the league, with McGee and Blatche bringing genuine size and presence in a league lacking big men. However neither could catch the cold during a winter in Scotland (poor hands) and would fail in a maths class with tutor lessons from Einstein (low B'Ball IQ). Wall has shown serious game in his time in the league and at college level but being surronded by such fragile personailites and consistant losing will not do him any good.
I personally like Nick Youngs game, he can score in bunches, efficiently, very quickly. As Oklohoma City found out recently.
So with a core of Mcgee (23) Young (26) Wall (21) they have pieces to start with. They are not good enough to build round and I would say only Wall is off the trading block (unless someone offers something silly). But to blame to coach for this teams failures is a cop out. The palyers were poor and gave up, while the GM offered no support. I would like to see this team succed and become the new Thunder or T'Wolves which builds young and improves year on year. So far no signs of this happening but hopefully we shall start to see something good rumbling in the capital, that isnt Obama singing Al Green like it wasn't a second profession.

In short the team has some talent and raw athleticism but they need a coach who can teach them basketball essentials. Something Flip Saunders can be known for but they seem to have rejected it. Doug Collins in Philidelphia would have been perfect, because if that didnt work with his demanding, grind hard approach nothing will. This team can be a good team, but they are so far off I refuse to mix freakish athleticism with genuine NBA level talent.

NBA weekly Roundup (16/01-22/01/2012)

What a week. Improving offensive sets, some lockdown defense and injuries. Yup more injuries. I have the feeling, more so than ever, that this season will be decided by who can stay healthy longest. Case in point Chicago last night fielded a team without Rose, Gibson, Noah, and Lucas; meaning they started with CJ Watson while picking up Mike James (he is still alive?) as backup. Of course the Bulls beat the Bobcats, although Deng also picked up a knock in game and is listed as day-to-day. Now not every team has Thibbs at the coaching spot or is such a well oiled machine as the Bulls. Come playoff time and the weeks leading up to it, whoever can maintain as healthy squad as possible has to be in contention for conference finals.


Teams that impressed; 

Memphis (4-0) - Conley, Gasol and Gay are shooting a combined 60% from the field in the past week, shouldering the load while Randolph recovers. With the addition of Speights they will again have a healthy frontcourt rotation come playoff time. Gasol has been an absolute animal downlow, while recently also showing an ability to pass the ball not to dissimilar from his brother in LA, flirting with a triple double on numerous occasions already this season. To illustrate this point, he went a +102 in the 4 combined games Memphis played this week. Impressive.


Nuggets (4-1) - Took down Bucks, 76ers, Knicks, Wizards on a 4 game trip out East despite starting the week with a loss to the Jazz. The biggest win was going into Madison Square Garden and beating the Knicks in overtime despite Melo and Co's best efforts, with Gallinari going for 37/11. With each passing day this trade seems more lopsided as the Nuggets have gone 31-16 while going to the playoffs and the Knicks are 20-28.


Miami (3-1) - After a huge comeback win over the Spurs, aswell as big wins over the 76ers and Lakers, people were starting to question if this squad was more balanced with just the one alpha male in Lebron as Wade watches from the sidelines. Then the Bucks came to Florida and pummelled the Heat at their own suffocating defensive schemes, and alas normality has returned as people call for Wade to come off the injury list. Never fear however, as Eddy Curry is here! No but seriously how is this guy still on an NBA roster.

Teams that faltered;


Bobcats (0-3) - Continued rotation issues with Bismack Biyombo now the backup centre to Mullens, what an odd pairing, with Diaw being relegated to scrub minutes for the most part. Expect a trade here soon. And any squad that managed to make the playoffs last year but loses to a depleted Bulls this year does nothing but lose credit this week. Oh and they lost to the Nets and Cavs. Yes thats right, the Nets are actually winning now.

Knicks (0-3) - Losses to Orlando, Phoenix and Denver compounded a miserable week for D'Antoni's squad. Amare cant seem to get his head together and Melo is already questioning himself. New York seem to hope on a banged up Baron Davis to save this situation but with pieces that don't fit and only one real strength but plenty of weakness'es this squad is going nowere fast. Tyson Chandler was meant to bring intesity to the defensive end but as I have previously discussed he was expected to do to much and got almost to much credit for what happened in Dallas last year. And any one that has followed Amare's career knows that he plays better as a stretch 5 or with a stretch 5 next to him. Another big body, ala Shaq, clogs the lane and Amare suffers.

Top 5 Rankings (In order);

Chicago 15-3 - With the best record in the league and winning despite a rash of injuries, this team looks like they will again go deep in the playoffs. However will they be able to go one step further this time? With Derrick Rose at the helm, it would be foolish to bet against them

Thunder 13-3 - Despite a shocking loss to the Wizards, they with the Bulls have so far set the pace in their respective conferences and league wide. With Westbrook tied down for the next 5 years, the sky is the limit for this team.

Orlando 11-4 - I had trouble ranking them above the Heat because their squad is still thin but with Howard averaging close to 20/20/3 on the year and Ryan Anderson playing some of the best stretch 4 offense in the league this team is dangerous. If Nelson and JRich can start to bring their A-Game its not too farfetched to see at least a conference final appearance. Howard has been that good.

Miami 11-5 - The Big 3 have been cut to the Big 2 temporarily but still find ways to win. Mike Miller will help if healthy and Norris Cole/Chalmers continue to put in a solid rotation at PG. Now if only they could get anything besides fouls out of Eddy Curry they would have a deep bench too.

Denver 12-5 - A week of impressive wins and devoted team play (take note Wizards/Kings) has this star-less Nuggets team looking as dangerous as ever. With the possible addition of any of the free agents they have out in China returning in the coming months, could they be this years 04/05 Pistons? I doubt it but they will be fun to watch.

Stat Line(s) of the week;

John Wall v Houston - (38/6/8/4) this seems to be the turning point of his season so far.
Howard v Lakers - (21/23) while limiting Bynum to 10/12. Trade you say? what trade?
James v Lakers - (31/8/8/4/3) a line it seems we have become accustomed too. No wade, no problem as Lebron simply took over.
Aldridge v Toronto - (33/23/5) I do realise this is against the Raptors, but still!
Gallinari v Knicks - (37/11) in MSG, against Melo. Sweet revenge for the sharshooting Italian.

Play of the week;

Derrick Rose with this incredible layup right in the heart of the Celtics. 

Coule use this or Billups gamewinner over Dallas a few nights later, but I'm going to with Fisher purely because of Lamar Odom giving Kobe the evils in the above screen (before pressing play)

 Bosh with the nice coast to coast dunk, all part of the thrilling come from behind blowout.

NBA Daily Roundup (18/01/2012)

Nuggets 108 - 76ers 104; In a hotly anticipated matchup between possibly the deepest teams for each respected conference, Denver managed to squeak by a Spencer Hawes-less 76ers squad. Andre Miller came back to haunt his old stomping ground to the tune of 28-10-8, showing the game that has made him one of the most versatile and consistant PG's over the last decade. Nene also seems to be finding his groove for the Nuggets chipping in with 20/14/3, helping the Nuggets compete down low with the 76ers.
The 76ers got solid production off the bench yet again, in particular Turner and Young, but were just edged out in OT. They shot as a team a dissapointing 44% from the field without bringing the same defensive intesity that we have become accustomed too from this team this year.
I still like both teams as dark horses in the playoffs, but despite this loss I feel with Doug Collins at the helm the 76ers could be a genuine problem for any matchup they have come the post season.

Wizards 105 - Thunder 102; You read that right. The NBA's bottom dwellers somehow took down the hottest team in the NBA with a second half push and 4th quarter explosion to the tune of 33 points. Thunder were in control early on, with Westbrook displaying the skills that has earned him a reported designated contract in the region of $80million, going off for 36/7/5 while shooting over 50%.  Durant chipped in for 33/8/2 but the rest of the starters combined for 8 points.
This game was however all about the Wizards as Nick Young along with Jordan Crawford caught fire in and put the offensive load on their back as John Wall struggled with his shooting touch (although did end with 25/7/8). After Blatche hit a LONG three to end the 2nd quarter you could almost feel the momentum shift into Washingtons favor, although with this team that is no guarantee of a victory. They pulled this one out, against heavily favored opponents, and perhaps this could be the start of a win streak. Or at least competitive basketball. We can all dream right?


Dallas 89 - Clippers 91; Another trip to Staples centre, another game winning 3 in the final seconds. Step aside Fisher, this time Big Shot Billups was the hero for the LA team, as he hit a 3 with only 1 second to go. Although the shot was huge, I can't say enough about the screen Griffin set to get him open, which leave Kidd trying to jumpthrough Blakezilla to get his hand in Billups face. Blake himself put up 14/17/7 which makes me think he really can't be in his second year, this kid is so good! However I still believe Kevin Love is better, but thats an arguement for another time. Also Mo Williams was strong going for a season high 26points off the bench, with the kind of play that the Clippers must have hoped for when holding onto more than their fair share of Point guards.
For Dallas, another crushing loss to a good team in the West, with 17 points apiece from Dirk and Delonte West. This Dallas team will be fine in a few weeks as Odom becomes fully integrated, Beuabois gets fit and the squad begin to work on the kind of team chemistry that got them the trophy last year.


Honorable mentions;

Steve Nash going into MSG and forcing a win against the Knicks with 26/11. Rumblings that he may be in a Knick uniform come next summer. Awesome!

Deron Williams drops 24/10/8 on the Warriors as the Nets pick up another win. Things are still bad but at least this Nets team is showing signs of life.

Marc Gasol going for 22/12/7 in a OT win over a Hornets squad that still clearly lacks Eric Gordon's shooting touch.

Shoutout to Dwight Howard going for 24/25/3 in a OT loss to a talent Spurs team. This magic team is competitive but clearly wont go deep into the playoffs without some help for Superman.

NBA Daily Roundup (17/01/2012)

Last night there was some interesting games to say the least. We had comebacks, players going off and a relative upset. As always I will cover those games I saw or had a particular interest in, while having a shortened "shout out" section at the end;

Charlotte v Orlando; Magic really gave Charlotte a pounding in this one. Bobcats pulled it close a few times but there was always the feeling that the Magic could and would pull away when needed. Jameer Nelson scored 8 points in the final 2minutes (6-6 FT) to ice the game. Dwight continues to play through trade rumors dropping 25/17/4 with 4 blocks. He has always given the Bobcats trouble and this was no exception, while Hedo continues his mini resurgence (haha @ Micah for dropping him in fantasy leagues, as I'm sure most did) putting in 15/4/3 with two 3's.

I like this Bobcats team alot, they have talent youth, and stay competitive. Their record is nothing to write home about but they are taking steps in the right direction as DJ Augustin continues to play at a career high level, with a young exciting backup in Kemba Walker. Henderson (aka Hendo) has shown promise all year with a more refined game and additional minutes, pouring in 22 points on the always tricky Orlando defense.
On a side note Diaw got dropped to the bench again in favor of BJ Mullens. Who would have thought that at the start of the year, but with the latter showing an increasingly varied game, Diaw has to make the most of the minutes he is afforded before the ineviatble trade.

Clippers v Jazz; With Cp3 resting again, leaving the helm to Billups, the Clippers struggled. Blake could only muster 10 points as "Lob City" got it handed to them on a plate. Salt Lake City remains a tough arena to go too, with Jazz fans notoriously rowdy and sometimes ignorant (youtube Derek Fisher taunts). The Jazz have quietly put together a 9-4 record out west, with some serious talent in the frontcourt in Kanter/Favors/Millsap/Jefferson and will be a headache as always come playoff time. However the lack of a true scorer in the backcourt or playmaker will be their downfall. But still a typical Jazz season ahead, aiming for lots of victories but no championship games to show for it.


Bulls v Suns; As above another allstar point guard M.I.A, this time also the current MVP in Rose but Chicago showed why they are such a force and handily beat the Suns by 21 points. Nash went for his 25/14 statline we have become so accustomed to while Gortat went for 14/15, with no other real mentions for the Suns.
The Bulls however this team is downright scary most nights as Boozer shook loose for 31 points and Noah chipped in 13/12/3. A versatile, talented frontcourt with Gibson/Asik backing them up is going to be the foundation this defense is built on and will decide how far they go come playoffs.
Luol Deng has to make the allstar team this year. He plays the most minutes on one of the best teams in the league, while contributing in numerous areas. He plays defense on the best wingmen on the opposing team, while scoring and contributing efficiently. If he doesnt make it then the NBA is rigged...oh wait didn't the NBA/Stern already decline trades for power reasons in the summer past, forget I said anything.

Heat v Spurs; Easily the game of the night in terms of sheer excitement and drama for the first 3 quarters before it turned into a blowout late on. The Spurs were up 14 at the half thanks to a midcourt buzzer beating 3 thanks to Danny Green (another spurs steal) and consistant play from Blair and Leonard. Lets just re-read that sentence. On a perennial contender the 3 biggest contributors are 2nd round draft picks. This Spurs organisation know what they are doing.

However come second half the Spurs wilted as Mike Miller (6-6 3's, remember him?), James and Bosh took over. James was everywhere hitting a season high 4 3's while pileing up stats as only LBJ can to finish with 33/10/5. Bosh was nice too, letting loose for a nasty dunk on Splitter and finishing with 30/8/5/4. This Heat team are dangerous finishing 16/26 from long range all while a certain D-Wade rested on the bench. Out east it is clearly between themselves and Bulls with 76ers on their heels.

Spurs however remain a team to reckon with, as Ginobli continues to nurse that hand injury. Just how far they go toward the end of the year will largely count on the continued development of the younger players such as Splitter/Leonard/Blair/Green. And they definately cant have such a lack of effort that Popovich has to call them out as "soft" and "chucking it in".


Honorable mentions - David Lee closed the game out in the 4th for warriors over Cav's, struggling to miss a shot while gathering backbreaking offensive rebounds and ending on 29/9/3.

Houston go as Kyle Lowry goes, as he returns for a modest 13/5/5/3 and carries his team to a win over Detroit. Lowry has been having a breakout year thus far, making the decision to let Aaron Brooks go seem evermore justified.

Nuggets got another win last night, over a tough opponent in the Bucks, as they currently can lay claim to one of, if not the, deepest teams in the league. Now imagine they resign chandler, K-Mart and JR Smith? Sounds like another inevitable failure too me, but none the less a great team to watch.

NBA Daily Roundup (16/01/2012)

The following caught my eye for a number of reasons but if I pass over any games, I apologise, and we can address it in the comment section;

Thunder v Celtics; Rus-sel West-Brook. Dude went off in the last few minutes! Back to back 3's (career percentage of about 25%) knocked the wind out the sails of the Celtics and put this game to bed. Westbrook was all over the court dishing to Sefolosha for 2 of his own from long range while dialing up and taking over when he needed to. When the Thunder attack this aggressively while maintaining a balance, its tough to see who can stop them. Oh yea they also have a guy name Durant, KD35, Durantuala. He was pretty nice too dropping in 28/7/4 while 9-20.

The Celtics. Man, they are done. Rondo is the heartbeat and Allen is playing out of his skin (some one needs to check his birth papers, no way is he older than most these lazy SG's I see most games) and yet they still struggle to win?! Season is done, blow the team up, trade pierce and Allen/KG if you can get good value on expiring contracts. Next year build around rondo while holding onto Bass, Green and thats about it.

Lakers v Dallas; Two teams struggling to hit top gear or reach the lofty expectations before season tip off who have recently found some momentum. So go figure when everyone said they needed to be younger and more athletic (to support defensive coverage) that the 37year old PG would decide this again. Fisher hit an ice cold 3 with 3seconds to go while Kobe gave Lamar some words which seemed to upset Mr.Kardashian.

Both teams have good pieces, Bynum is becoming a real force with Kobe defying age and injury time and again. They can make some noise out west but I doubt that LA fans just want noise.
Dallas, I like the depth, they are playing solid defense (i always though Chandler got a bit TOO much credit) and they have Dirk. They will be fine but come playoffs do we see the one and done Dallas of old or championship calibre team of last year?

Orlando v New York; Magic took this one even with Howard going for only 8 points and fouling out. Of course that meant that Ryan Anderson stepped up again to the tune of 30 points, 7 rebounds and 7 THREE POINTERS! This magic team won't win anything anytime soon but with some real versatile talent and the most dominant big man in the game, they are a nightmare to play.

The Knicks are really poor, with the lack of a true point man exposing their flaws. Heavily focused on offense, despite the rumblings of otherwise, and limited defensively. Baron Davis may help if he can bring his form from the clippers before the trade but I see nothing more than a second round appearance for the Knickerbockers. Not what you hope for when you clear your salary cap and get Amare, Melo and Tyson.


Honorable mentions - 76ers as a team keep rolling, as the more polished east coast version of the Nuggets. This team is dangerous and is just a quality SG away from really being dangerous (perhaps Turner can be that?)

Kevin Love continues his roll to the season going for 33-11-3 over the Kings, while him and Rubio form a lethal combination. Im hearing he may get offered 4 years for $60million, something tells me that wont be enough.

Memphis took it too the bulls, winning by 16, ableit with no Rose. However memphis has no randolph and if they can stay afloat with quality wins like this there is no reason they can't be the threat everybody had envisioned come playoff time.

John Wall sighting! 38/6/8 as the wizards finally win. oh wait no, this is the wizards and even a career night from your PG and you still manage to lose. Fantasy owners must be cursing the drafting of any of these guys who seem to have the combined IQ of...well of Andray Blatche. So yeah see you in the lottery guys, your season is already a failure.

Halfway through the EPL

As an Arsenal fan it has been a tough few months. We have suffered embarassing defeats (8-2 @ United, 4-3 @ Blackburn etc) while also producing some credible results and generating momentum to climb the table come christmas. However I feel we are pretty much maxed out at the moment unless Wilshere comes back and becomes a true bonafide star, with the likes of Ramsey, Walcott and Miyachi (i have faith) developing into what we all hope they should do. However the signing of Henry is paper over cracks, a true alternative was needed, I understand January is a hard month to buy but there are players available. I have the uptmost faith in Wenger but I understand how competitive this league is currently, minus the Billionaires playground that is Man City.

Besides my beloved Arsenal, what a season Newcastle are having. I watched them pummel United 3-0, what a result, with 2 brilliant goals from Cabaye and Ba to boot. Both have been huge hits up north and have to be considered for signings of the season.

Chelsea dont look like a team to worry about, regardless of position. The look old, tired and out of ideas. I do believe AVB will bring them glory however that takes time, something Chelsea are far from famous for.

Stoke and Fulham have both impressed me, both spearheaded by good managers who know how to win with the resources provided.  Bryan Ruiz and Dembele look fantastic for Fulham, while Stoke seem to know how to win as a team, with no real individual needed instead beating you 11 vs 11.

It looks like a tough year for Blackburn, Wolves, Bolton among others, suprising to some but again the competitiveness of the league means a run of bad results can really leave you looking up at the table (I should know Arsenal were 17th not long ago!)

I do feel the title is Man City's to lose, and would take an epic catastrophe for anyone else to claim it, but you never know with Ferguson still at United they may just by themselves 3 extra games at the end (or 10 minutes added time, whichever does the trick)!

NBA Season so far

Tip off was only 2 weeks ago, happy christmas and lets have a great 2012, but already so much is developing in the league. Here is my take on the current issues;

Injuries - This has been a huge problem already and with such a shortened season dont expect anyone to stay 100% all year. Its a crazy schedule with back to back to back games, and players are going to feel it. If you play fantasy league like myself get ready for some hectic chopping and changing all year as players go down with muscle pulls, tears and breaks.

Struggles - So far the Lakers, Mavs, Spurs among other "veteran" teams have got off to slow starts with the general consensus among NBA analysts that they will all be fine come playoff time. I have my concerns however for all three whether it be down to losing key pieces (Mavs + Lakers) or just old father time catching up (all 3 teams have this issue). The west is stacked with Clippers, Wolves, Thunder, Warriors stockpiling some major young talent. Without any major trades it is a matter of time before the young guns come to take their spot.

Breakouts - One of my favourite teams for the past few years has got to be the Indiana Pacers, they have been a mess but what an exciting mess. They have a legit go to scorer in Granger, a potential great centre in Hibbert and great pieces at PG SG and PF with the addition of West. I really like this team to make noise in the Eastern Conference and I think come playoff time they could be a serious headache in the first round.

Individuals - I think Deron Williams is set for a serious down year on what is truly an awful Nets team, who when he is out surely have a top5 worst starting 5 in NBA history. I can't see Battier maintining his excellent defensive work for much longer, which is lucky for the NBA otherwise this Heat team would be a nightmare. But I do see breakout years for Irving ( if a number 1 guy can breakout?!), Rubio who already looks like he can run a team in his sleep, Ed Davis, DeRozan, Paul George among others.

Thats all for now

PS how great is it to see TMAC halfway balling in the ATL! still got game, just no knees to match it

Intro

Welcome to my blog were I will be making noted opinions about the current state of the NBA (National Basketball Association for those that don't know.
I will give the facts while also giving my personal take on any current news or results in the league.
I am an avid OKC Thunder fan, with interest in the Lakers, Wolves, Warriors among others.
Hopefully you enjoy my blog and if you disagree, well feel free to debate.