Like really Michael Buffer. Let's get ready for Round Ball? This is 2010. Not the 1970's. Daily Recap coming at ya.
Game of the night: Portland Trailblazers 100 VS New York Knicks 95
This was easily the game of the night. Most of the games lacked excitement but this one was good all game. The Trailblazers came in to MSG and stole a win from the Knicks on their opening night. This was huge for Portland. Brandon Roy did what he usually does and put up some big numbers in the win. He worked the rookie Landry Fields most of the night for 29 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, a steal and a block. Lamarcus Aldridge chipped in with 20 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists and a blocked shot. Under-rated point guard Andre Miller had 19 points, 4 rebounds, 10 assists and 3 steals as well.
Amar'e isn't looking like the man the Knicks need him to be. He had 18 points, 5 rebound, 3 assists and 6 turnovers. The Knicks need a double double machine that can score and dominate on the boards and right now that man is looking like Wilson Chandler. He has been coming off the bench and is showing that the Knicks should have made him their franchise player even if he didn't want to be. He came in, dropped 22 points, grabbed 16 rebounds, had 2 steals and blocked 3 shots. Right now he is looking like the early leader for the 6th man award.
Team Highs
Points: B.Roy POR- 29, W.Chandler NYK- 22
Rebounds: L.Aldridge POR- 10, W.Chandler NYK- 16
Assists: A.Miller POR- 10, R.Felton NYK- 5
Steals: A.Miller POR- 3, 3 tied NYK- 2
Blocks: 2 tied POR- 2, W.Chandler NYK- 3
Other scores around the league
Washington Wizards 95 VS Atlanta Hawks 99
Sacramento Kings 107 VS Cleveland Cavaliers 104
Philadelphia 76ers 86 VS Indiana Pacers 99
Detroit Pistons 91 VS Chicago Bulls 101
Minnesota Timberwolves 89 VS Memphis Grizzles 109
Denver Nuggets 107 VS Houston Rockets 94
Charlotte Bobcats 88 VS Milwaukee Bucks 98
New Orleans Hornets 99 VS San Antonio Spurs 90
Fantasy Lines of the Night
PG: Derrick Rose- 39 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks
SG: O.J Mayo- 29 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and a block
SF: Wilson Chandler- 22 points, 16 rebounds, 2 steals and 3 blocks
PF: Luis Scola- 28points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 blocks
C: Joakim Noah- 15 points, 17 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 3 blocks
Special Shout-outs
Brandon Jennings- 20 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists. Went to work for the triple double.
Mike Conley Jr- Recording 7 steals in a game. Congrats.
John Wall- First big breakout game for the number 1 overall pick from the draft. 28 points, 5 rebounds, 9 assists. You now make it back into the ROY conversation.
I went 6-3 in my pick 'ems last night. Here are my picks for tonight.
Miami over New Jersey
Dallas over Clippers
Oklahoma City over Utah
Lakers over Golden State
So this is one of my shortest posts. Live with it. Tomorrow will be the same because it's Sunday. Sunday is for football.
Happy Halloween folks!
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Daily Recap
Hello again.
Last night, in my mind, was a good night in the NBA. Miami is starting to look better and better with every game they play. Oklahoma City had a close game in the big D and the Lakers roll into Phoenix and show the Suns why they are the defending champs. Let's get it.
Game of the night: Orlando Magic 70 VS Miami Heat 96
Opening night for the team that made the biggest roster changes this off-season by bringing in "The King" LeBron James and all-star Chris Bosh. Basically rebuilding their roster. The stadium was packed full and was electrifying to start the game. The Heat definitely gave the fans something to cheer about. Dwayne Wade led the way again with 26 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks. He went 9-20 from the floor hitting 2 three's as well. Two of those points were off of a beauty alley-oop lob from LBJ. Chris Bosh was pretty quiet again with 11 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and a blocked shot. Aside from the first night, James is looking more and more like the facilitator of the team. He was back to his near triple double numbers with 15 points, 7 assists, and 6 rebounds. He only had 3 turnovers with is his season best in 3 games. He now has a total of 20 for the year. Think I should start a LBJ turnover watch? I think so! LeBron had some fun seeing as it was close to halloween and had fangs on his mouth guard. (see picture) Good to see they can still have some fun.
(Courtesy of AP)
Orlando looked horrible in the loss. Bad news Dwight, right now, you are not the best team in Florida. Sure you blew out the Wizards in your first game of the year but you got blown out by a Miami team that has no big name center to defend you. OK I see that you have worked on your jumper and your shooting over the summer, but why are you taking jump shots against Joel Anthony. Nothing against my fellow Canadian but really? Attack the basket. Your settling for outside shots when you should be dunking or getting lay-ups against these centers in the league who can't really guard you. Anyways, other than that you still had a decent night but it all happened basically in the first half. 19 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals and a block. Unfortunately, the rest of your team forgot to show up. Maybe they forgot that they didn't need to pour it on against the Wizards so that they would be ready for Miami the next night? The only other starter that scored in double digits was Jameer Nelson who barely got there getting 10 points. You know it's a bad night when the whole team gets 5 assists total. Ouch. Ryan Anderson had 12 points, 2 rebounds and a block off the bench. Two of the Magic's starters shot 0% from the floor. Not just one but two! As I mentioned, it was an overall bad night for the Magic. You'll get 'em next time. Right?
Team Highs
Points: D.Wade MIA- 26, D.Howard ORL- 19
Rebounds: U.Haslem MIA- 11, D.Howard & M.Gortat ORL- 7
Assists: L.James MIA- 7, 5 tied ORL- 1
Steals: E.House MIA- 3, D.Howard ORL- 2
Blocks: D.Wade MIA- 2, 3 tied ORL- 1
Oklahoma City Thunder 105 VS Detroit Pistons 104
This game could have been game of the night. Late finish for OKC to win the the game, the Thunder's big three at it again but it just couldn't live up to the hype between the Florida teams that clashed. Oh well Kevin, you still got my vote for MVP. Game time. I am actually a little disappointed that this game had to go down to the wire. I know Detroit is a veteran team and is going to grind away at most teams but they are not the Pistons of the past. I'm sorry to say that Tayshaun, Rip, Big Ben, Charlie V, T-Mac and Ben Gordon are all passed their prime and can't produce like they used to. However, Ben Gordon did have a game high 32 points in the loss but was too busy dribbling to even get up a shot to attempt to win the game. Jeff Green hit a lay up with 2.5 seconds left and Gordon dribbled it to half court as time expired. There is still time for a miracle heave from your end of the floor. Rodney Stuckey put up some good numbers with 24 points, 9 assists and 5 rebounds.
Have you been Thunder struck yet? (Good AC/DC reference right there. Possible marketing ploy for Oklahoma City? Maybe) They start the season with two wins. This was an OK win if you ask me. The big three struggled shooting for most of the game but hit shots (and lay-ups) when they needed to. Jeff Green played hero tonight as he hit a lay-up with 2.5 seconds left in the game to put the Thunder up 105-104. The Pistons got the ball in but were unable to get up a shot attempt. Green finished with 21 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals and a blocked shot. Kevin Durant put up MVP type numbers again with 30 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 steals. He struggled a bit from the field going 9-24 though. It's OK KD, everyone is allowed to have an off shooting night. Finally, Russell Westbrook almost had a triple double posting 17 points, 11 assists, 6 rebounds and 2 steals. What did I tell you? This guy is making a charge for the top spot for point guards in the NBA.
Team Highs
Points: K.Durant OKC- 30, B.Gordon DET- 32
Rebounds: S.Ibaka OKC- 10, B.Wallace DET- 8
Assists: R.Westbrook OKC- 11, R.Stuckey DET-9
Steals: J.Green OKC- 3, R.Hamilton DET- 1
Blocks: S.Ibaka OKC- 2, B.Wallace DET- 3
Los Angeles Lakers 114 VS Phoenix Suns 106
The rematch of the Western Conference finals comes only 4 days into the season. Lucky us. The new look (or should I say Amar'e-less?) Suns took on the reigning champs at home. Phoenix battled all night but couldn't get it done when they needed to. Steve Nash seemed absent out there scoring only 8 points and dishing out 9 dimes. Grant Hill had a team high 21 point for the Suns in the loss. Robin Lopez (see, he does exist, wasn't making that up when I made my predictions) had a strong outing scoring 18 points, grabbing 14 rebounds and blocked a shot. 7 of those rebounds were offensive too. He is turning into a beast in the middle. Wonder what it will be like when him and his brother square off? Guess I'll have to wait till January 12th to see it.
What more can you say about the Lakers? Only one word comes to mind. Dominate. To be honest I am not a Laker fan but as an analyst writing this blog trying to be unbiased, that is the only thing I can think of to describe the 09-10 champs. They play as a whole unit and have players that can beat you at every position. Kobe Bryant had a game high 25 points to lead his Lakers to victory. He added 7 rebounds and 3 assists to his stat sheet as well. Big Pau Gasol had 21 points, 9 assists, 8 rebounds a steal and 2 blocks. This guy has been doing this for a long time. Lamar Kardashian, oops I mean Lamar Odom (sorry, had to) also stuffed the stat sheet with 18 points, 17 rebounds, 5 assists and a steal. The Lakers are still going to be the top team in the West this year.
Team Highs
Points: K.Bryant LAL- 25, G.Hill PHO- 21
Rebounds: L.Odom LAL- 17, R.Lopez PHO- 14
Assists: P.Gasol LAL- 9, S.Nash PHO- 9
Steals: R.Artest LAL- 3, 4 tied PHO- 1
Blocks: P.Gasol LAL- 2, H.Turkoglu PHO- 2
Other score from around the league
Indiana Pacers 104 VS Charlotte Bobcats 101
Sacramento Kings 100 VS New Jersey Nets 106
Atlanta Hawks 104 VS Philadelphia 76ers 101
Cleveland Cavaliers 81 VS Toronto Raptors 101
New York Knicks 101 VS Boston Celtics 105
Milwaukee Bucks 85 VS Minnesota Timberwolves 96
Denver Nuggets 95 VS New Orleans Hornets 101
Memphis Grizzles 91 VS Dallas Mavericks 90
Los Angeles Clippers 91 VS Golden State Warriors 109
(Is it just me or did a lot of teams score 101 points last night? Weird)
Fantasy Lines of the Night
PG: Rajon Rondo- 10 points, 10 rebounds, 24 assists and 1 steal
SG: Andre Iguodala- 27 points, 6 rebounds, 10 assists, 2 steals, 1block
SF: Danny Granger- 33 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1steal, 2 blocks
PF: Amare Stoudemire- 27 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks
C: Pau Gasol- 21 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 blocks
Special Shout-out
Rajon Rondo- Dropping 24 dimes in one game. Nasty.
Basketball Pick 'em for October 30th
I'm starting a pick 'em section with who I believe will win between each team for the night. Here are my picks.
Atlanta over Washington
Cleveland over Sacramento
Portland over New York
Indiana over Philadelphia
Chicago over Detroit
Memphis over Minnesota
Houston over Denver
Charlotte over Milwaukee
New Orleans over San Antoni
Don't bet with these picks. If you want to lose your money, just donate it to me instead. Supporting a good cause.
Till tomorrow, PEACE!
Last night, in my mind, was a good night in the NBA. Miami is starting to look better and better with every game they play. Oklahoma City had a close game in the big D and the Lakers roll into Phoenix and show the Suns why they are the defending champs. Let's get it.
Game of the night: Orlando Magic 70 VS Miami Heat 96
Opening night for the team that made the biggest roster changes this off-season by bringing in "The King" LeBron James and all-star Chris Bosh. Basically rebuilding their roster. The stadium was packed full and was electrifying to start the game. The Heat definitely gave the fans something to cheer about. Dwayne Wade led the way again with 26 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks. He went 9-20 from the floor hitting 2 three's as well. Two of those points were off of a beauty alley-oop lob from LBJ. Chris Bosh was pretty quiet again with 11 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and a blocked shot. Aside from the first night, James is looking more and more like the facilitator of the team. He was back to his near triple double numbers with 15 points, 7 assists, and 6 rebounds. He only had 3 turnovers with is his season best in 3 games. He now has a total of 20 for the year. Think I should start a LBJ turnover watch? I think so! LeBron had some fun seeing as it was close to halloween and had fangs on his mouth guard. (see picture) Good to see they can still have some fun.
Orlando looked horrible in the loss. Bad news Dwight, right now, you are not the best team in Florida. Sure you blew out the Wizards in your first game of the year but you got blown out by a Miami team that has no big name center to defend you. OK I see that you have worked on your jumper and your shooting over the summer, but why are you taking jump shots against Joel Anthony. Nothing against my fellow Canadian but really? Attack the basket. Your settling for outside shots when you should be dunking or getting lay-ups against these centers in the league who can't really guard you. Anyways, other than that you still had a decent night but it all happened basically in the first half. 19 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals and a block. Unfortunately, the rest of your team forgot to show up. Maybe they forgot that they didn't need to pour it on against the Wizards so that they would be ready for Miami the next night? The only other starter that scored in double digits was Jameer Nelson who barely got there getting 10 points. You know it's a bad night when the whole team gets 5 assists total. Ouch. Ryan Anderson had 12 points, 2 rebounds and a block off the bench. Two of the Magic's starters shot 0% from the floor. Not just one but two! As I mentioned, it was an overall bad night for the Magic. You'll get 'em next time. Right?
Team Highs
Points: D.Wade MIA- 26, D.Howard ORL- 19
Rebounds: U.Haslem MIA- 11, D.Howard & M.Gortat ORL- 7
Assists: L.James MIA- 7, 5 tied ORL- 1
Steals: E.House MIA- 3, D.Howard ORL- 2
Blocks: D.Wade MIA- 2, 3 tied ORL- 1
Oklahoma City Thunder 105 VS Detroit Pistons 104
This game could have been game of the night. Late finish for OKC to win the the game, the Thunder's big three at it again but it just couldn't live up to the hype between the Florida teams that clashed. Oh well Kevin, you still got my vote for MVP. Game time. I am actually a little disappointed that this game had to go down to the wire. I know Detroit is a veteran team and is going to grind away at most teams but they are not the Pistons of the past. I'm sorry to say that Tayshaun, Rip, Big Ben, Charlie V, T-Mac and Ben Gordon are all passed their prime and can't produce like they used to. However, Ben Gordon did have a game high 32 points in the loss but was too busy dribbling to even get up a shot to attempt to win the game. Jeff Green hit a lay up with 2.5 seconds left and Gordon dribbled it to half court as time expired. There is still time for a miracle heave from your end of the floor. Rodney Stuckey put up some good numbers with 24 points, 9 assists and 5 rebounds.
Have you been Thunder struck yet? (Good AC/DC reference right there. Possible marketing ploy for Oklahoma City? Maybe) They start the season with two wins. This was an OK win if you ask me. The big three struggled shooting for most of the game but hit shots (and lay-ups) when they needed to. Jeff Green played hero tonight as he hit a lay-up with 2.5 seconds left in the game to put the Thunder up 105-104. The Pistons got the ball in but were unable to get up a shot attempt. Green finished with 21 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals and a blocked shot. Kevin Durant put up MVP type numbers again with 30 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 steals. He struggled a bit from the field going 9-24 though. It's OK KD, everyone is allowed to have an off shooting night. Finally, Russell Westbrook almost had a triple double posting 17 points, 11 assists, 6 rebounds and 2 steals. What did I tell you? This guy is making a charge for the top spot for point guards in the NBA.
Team Highs
Points: K.Durant OKC- 30, B.Gordon DET- 32
Rebounds: S.Ibaka OKC- 10, B.Wallace DET- 8
Assists: R.Westbrook OKC- 11, R.Stuckey DET-9
Steals: J.Green OKC- 3, R.Hamilton DET- 1
Blocks: S.Ibaka OKC- 2, B.Wallace DET- 3
Los Angeles Lakers 114 VS Phoenix Suns 106
The rematch of the Western Conference finals comes only 4 days into the season. Lucky us. The new look (or should I say Amar'e-less?) Suns took on the reigning champs at home. Phoenix battled all night but couldn't get it done when they needed to. Steve Nash seemed absent out there scoring only 8 points and dishing out 9 dimes. Grant Hill had a team high 21 point for the Suns in the loss. Robin Lopez (see, he does exist, wasn't making that up when I made my predictions) had a strong outing scoring 18 points, grabbing 14 rebounds and blocked a shot. 7 of those rebounds were offensive too. He is turning into a beast in the middle. Wonder what it will be like when him and his brother square off? Guess I'll have to wait till January 12th to see it.
What more can you say about the Lakers? Only one word comes to mind. Dominate. To be honest I am not a Laker fan but as an analyst writing this blog trying to be unbiased, that is the only thing I can think of to describe the 09-10 champs. They play as a whole unit and have players that can beat you at every position. Kobe Bryant had a game high 25 points to lead his Lakers to victory. He added 7 rebounds and 3 assists to his stat sheet as well. Big Pau Gasol had 21 points, 9 assists, 8 rebounds a steal and 2 blocks. This guy has been doing this for a long time. Lamar Kardashian, oops I mean Lamar Odom (sorry, had to) also stuffed the stat sheet with 18 points, 17 rebounds, 5 assists and a steal. The Lakers are still going to be the top team in the West this year.
Team Highs
Points: K.Bryant LAL- 25, G.Hill PHO- 21
Rebounds: L.Odom LAL- 17, R.Lopez PHO- 14
Assists: P.Gasol LAL- 9, S.Nash PHO- 9
Steals: R.Artest LAL- 3, 4 tied PHO- 1
Blocks: P.Gasol LAL- 2, H.Turkoglu PHO- 2
Other score from around the league
Indiana Pacers 104 VS Charlotte Bobcats 101
Sacramento Kings 100 VS New Jersey Nets 106
Atlanta Hawks 104 VS Philadelphia 76ers 101
Cleveland Cavaliers 81 VS Toronto Raptors 101
New York Knicks 101 VS Boston Celtics 105
Milwaukee Bucks 85 VS Minnesota Timberwolves 96
Denver Nuggets 95 VS New Orleans Hornets 101
Memphis Grizzles 91 VS Dallas Mavericks 90
Los Angeles Clippers 91 VS Golden State Warriors 109
(Is it just me or did a lot of teams score 101 points last night? Weird)
Fantasy Lines of the Night
PG: Rajon Rondo- 10 points, 10 rebounds, 24 assists and 1 steal
SG: Andre Iguodala- 27 points, 6 rebounds, 10 assists, 2 steals, 1block
SF: Danny Granger- 33 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1steal, 2 blocks
PF: Amare Stoudemire- 27 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks
C: Pau Gasol- 21 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 blocks
Special Shout-out
Rajon Rondo- Dropping 24 dimes in one game. Nasty.
Basketball Pick 'em for October 30th
I'm starting a pick 'em section with who I believe will win between each team for the night. Here are my picks.
Atlanta over Washington
Cleveland over Sacramento
Portland over New York
Indiana over Philadelphia
Chicago over Detroit
Memphis over Minnesota
Houston over Denver
Charlotte over Milwaukee
New Orleans over San Antoni
Don't bet with these picks. If you want to lose your money, just donate it to me instead. Supporting a good cause.
Till tomorrow, PEACE!
Friday, October 29, 2010
October 28th
Whew, only two games to go over.
Game of the night: Phoenix Suns 110 VS Utah Jazz 94
Hard to give out a game of the night award when there was only two games and both were one sided the whole game. However, I am going to have to give it the Phoenix Suns VS the Utah Jazz. Only for the fact that these are two playoff contending teams each year in the Western conference. Like I had said, this game (and the Orlando game) were one sided from the very beginning. Phoenix took control and never looked back. Steve Nash was his usual self and guided his Amar'e-less Suns throughout the game. Except Nash wasn't dropping dimes like he usually does. Sure he had 5 (One to Hakim Warrick for a disgusting jam on Paul Millsap) but last year he averaged 11. Anyways, the Suns spread out their offense with everyone that played chipping in. Hakim posted a double double off the bench with 18 points and 11 rebounds. He also added an assist and a steal. New additions Hedo Turkoglu and Josh Childress added 13 points, 3 three's, a rebound, assist and steal and 2 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 steals respectively.
The Jazz fall to an 0-2 start. New acquisition Al Jefferson came to work for his new team. After a disappointing opening night against the Nuggets, big Al showed that he could fill Boozer's old spot. He posted 20 points and 9 rebounds. Deron Williams was pretty quiet on this night putting up 13 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals. Deron, you are supposed to be the best point guard in the league. You can't be putting out numbers like that if you want to remain at number one. Especially against good teams. Step it up brother. Andrei Kirilenko and Paul Millsap both had 19 points in the game as well. Hold on a second though. Andrei, get a haircut! This guy is out there looking like Keith Urban. (See picture)
(Courtesy of NBA.com and http://www.menslonghair.org.uk/mens_long_hair_pics/mens_long_hair_8.jpg)
It's terrible. Just terrible
Game Highs:
Points: S.Nash & H.Warrick PHO- 18, A.Jefferson UTA- 20
Rebounds: G.Hill PHO- 12, P.Millsap UTA- 13
Assists: S.Nash PHO- 5, D.Williams UTA- 6
Steals: S.Nash & J.Childress PHO- 2, A.Kirilenko & D.Williams UTA- 2
Blocks: R.Lopez & C.Frye PHO- 2, G.Hayward UTA- 3
Washington Wizards 83 VS Orlando Magic 112
What a way to start your career huh John. Your team got blown out. No one other than you, Kirk Hinrich and Cartier Martin, no one could score in the double digits. Sure you played Orlando but wow. Now can you see why Gilbert turned out to be so crazy? There is nothing really I can say about this team. They player terrible, got spanked at every position and the final score showed. John Wall had a decent debut but if his team around him isn't going to show up, well then his ROY chances are looking slim. He had 14 points on 6 of 19 shooting, 9 assists which was surprising and 3 steals. He still had 9 assists when his team had 23 field goals in the entire game. Wow.
Orlando as team looked like they wanted to come out and make a statement in their first game of the year and well, even though they were playing the Wizards, they definitely showed it. Dwight proved that he has been working on his game. Hitting running hooks, banking in jumpers. He is already scary and now he is developing a mid range game. Uh oh. Now only thing he has to do is work on his free throws. He poured out 23 points, 10 rebounds, 3 blocks, an assist and a steal. The rest of the magic team contributed with an even scoring balance and everyone scored except Jason Williams who played almost 8 minutes before getting ejected for complaining and arguing with the officials. It's going to be a long season, isn't it Jason?
Team Highs
Points: C.Martin WAS- 17, D.Howard ORL- 23
Rebounds: A.Thornton WAS- 7, D.Howard ORL- 10
Assists: J.Wall WAS- 9, J.Nelson ORL- 6
Steals: J.Wall WAS- 3, J.Nelson ORL- 2
Blocks: 3 tied WAS- 1, D.Howard ORL- 3
Fantasy Lines of the Night
PG: Deron Willaims- 13 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals
SG: Vince Carter- 18 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists
SF: Hakim Warrick- 18 points, 11 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal
PF: Paul Millsap- 19 points, 13 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 assist and 1 steal
C: Dwight Howard- 23 points, 10 rebounds, 3 blocks, 1 assist and 1 steal
Special Shout-outs
Cartier Martin (WAS)- For blocking Dwight Howard straight up. It was fun to watch.
Another Epi Down. PEACE!
Game of the night: Phoenix Suns 110 VS Utah Jazz 94
Hard to give out a game of the night award when there was only two games and both were one sided the whole game. However, I am going to have to give it the Phoenix Suns VS the Utah Jazz. Only for the fact that these are two playoff contending teams each year in the Western conference. Like I had said, this game (and the Orlando game) were one sided from the very beginning. Phoenix took control and never looked back. Steve Nash was his usual self and guided his Amar'e-less Suns throughout the game. Except Nash wasn't dropping dimes like he usually does. Sure he had 5 (One to Hakim Warrick for a disgusting jam on Paul Millsap) but last year he averaged 11. Anyways, the Suns spread out their offense with everyone that played chipping in. Hakim posted a double double off the bench with 18 points and 11 rebounds. He also added an assist and a steal. New additions Hedo Turkoglu and Josh Childress added 13 points, 3 three's, a rebound, assist and steal and 2 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 steals respectively.
The Jazz fall to an 0-2 start. New acquisition Al Jefferson came to work for his new team. After a disappointing opening night against the Nuggets, big Al showed that he could fill Boozer's old spot. He posted 20 points and 9 rebounds. Deron Williams was pretty quiet on this night putting up 13 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals. Deron, you are supposed to be the best point guard in the league. You can't be putting out numbers like that if you want to remain at number one. Especially against good teams. Step it up brother. Andrei Kirilenko and Paul Millsap both had 19 points in the game as well. Hold on a second though. Andrei, get a haircut! This guy is out there looking like Keith Urban. (See picture)
(Courtesy of NBA.com and http://www.menslonghair.org.uk/mens_long_hair_pics/mens_long_hair_8.jpg)
It's terrible. Just terrible
Game Highs:
Points: S.Nash & H.Warrick PHO- 18, A.Jefferson UTA- 20
Rebounds: G.Hill PHO- 12, P.Millsap UTA- 13
Assists: S.Nash PHO- 5, D.Williams UTA- 6
Steals: S.Nash & J.Childress PHO- 2, A.Kirilenko & D.Williams UTA- 2
Blocks: R.Lopez & C.Frye PHO- 2, G.Hayward UTA- 3
Washington Wizards 83 VS Orlando Magic 112
What a way to start your career huh John. Your team got blown out. No one other than you, Kirk Hinrich and Cartier Martin, no one could score in the double digits. Sure you played Orlando but wow. Now can you see why Gilbert turned out to be so crazy? There is nothing really I can say about this team. They player terrible, got spanked at every position and the final score showed. John Wall had a decent debut but if his team around him isn't going to show up, well then his ROY chances are looking slim. He had 14 points on 6 of 19 shooting, 9 assists which was surprising and 3 steals. He still had 9 assists when his team had 23 field goals in the entire game. Wow.
Orlando as team looked like they wanted to come out and make a statement in their first game of the year and well, even though they were playing the Wizards, they definitely showed it. Dwight proved that he has been working on his game. Hitting running hooks, banking in jumpers. He is already scary and now he is developing a mid range game. Uh oh. Now only thing he has to do is work on his free throws. He poured out 23 points, 10 rebounds, 3 blocks, an assist and a steal. The rest of the magic team contributed with an even scoring balance and everyone scored except Jason Williams who played almost 8 minutes before getting ejected for complaining and arguing with the officials. It's going to be a long season, isn't it Jason?
Team Highs
Points: C.Martin WAS- 17, D.Howard ORL- 23
Rebounds: A.Thornton WAS- 7, D.Howard ORL- 10
Assists: J.Wall WAS- 9, J.Nelson ORL- 6
Steals: J.Wall WAS- 3, J.Nelson ORL- 2
Blocks: 3 tied WAS- 1, D.Howard ORL- 3
Fantasy Lines of the Night
PG: Deron Willaims- 13 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals
SG: Vince Carter- 18 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists
SF: Hakim Warrick- 18 points, 11 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal
PF: Paul Millsap- 19 points, 13 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 assist and 1 steal
C: Dwight Howard- 23 points, 10 rebounds, 3 blocks, 1 assist and 1 steal
Special Shout-outs
Cartier Martin (WAS)- For blocking Dwight Howard straight up. It was fun to watch.
Another Epi Down. PEACE!
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Day 2 Recap
Howdy y'all
There were 13 games last night and tons to talk about. So in the famous words of Mario, "Here we go!"
Game of the Night
Chicago Bulls 95 VS Oklahoma City Thunder 106
Now on the other side of the court, you saw the big three that OKC has to offer the world. No these guys didn't all sit around and decide that they would play together, (everyone is making fun of the Heat, why can't I?) these guys have grown into their own special big three since they were each drafted by the organization. My MVP vote, Kevin Durant, one of the best lines of the night. 30 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals. However, he did have 6 turnovers in the win. My most improved candidate came out of the gate running. Literally. This guy is all over the board in statistics. 28 points, 10 rebound, 6 assists, 2 steals and a blocked shot. He also went 12-13 from the free throw line. Thank you Russell, you are making me look so good right now. Espn, email me for my number. I could take over for Jon Barry or Wilbon. Anyways, Jeff Green also stepped up and show what he was made of adding 21 points, 4 rebounds, a steal and a blocked shot. This team is scary good. I can definitely hear the Thunder rolling in the NBA.
Team Highs
Points: K.Durant OKC- 30, D.Rose CHI- 28
Rebounds: R.Westbrook OKC- 10, J. Noah CHI- 19
Assists: R.Westbrook OKC- 6, D.Rose CHI- 6
Steals: K.Durant OKC- 3, T.Gibson & J.Noah CHI- 2
Blocks: T.Sefolosha & S.Ibaka OKC- 4, J.Noah CHI- 2
Other notable games
Boston Celtics 87 VS Cleveland Cavaliers 95
OK Cavs fans. Your team beat a Celtics team, who the night before beat LeBron James and the new look heat. So what! You have to understand that this is the beginning of the season. Sure it was an upset because Boston is one of the top 3 teams in the East, but to get all emotional and excited because LBJ couldn't do it. C'mon now, you people should know better than this. Leave the man alone. If the Cavaliers can beat James and the Heat when they actually play, that is a different story. Many experts have predicted the Cavs to win around 20 games. You are getting excited for all the wrong reasons. The Cavs announcer proved that the organization is pitiful. His comments were, "Sometimes the name on the front is bigger than the name on the back." Whenever I heard this, I actually laughed. This whole situation is funny to me. You can't be mad at LBJ's decision. Sure you can be mad at the way he conducted himself in revealing it. But that is it. The fans, city and organization made him into their "hero". Yet they couldn't find the pieces to compliment him in order to win a title. What did you think he was going to do. Stay? It showed this offseason.
Anyways, that was my daily rant. Back to the actual game. I actually liked how the Cavs played in this game. Good execution on offense and got some big stops on defense when they needed it. My boy J.J Hickson is the new face of that franchise. Or at least he should be. 21 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist and a block. 8-11 shooting from the floor and 5-6 from the free throw line. Overall, those are pretty remarkable numbers. Look for this guy come all-star time. Ramon Sessions, a new addition for the Cavs, came in and filled the roll of the absent Mo Williams nicely. Sure he was no Daniel Gibson but handled himself nicely with 14 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds, and 2 steals. Gibson chipped in 16 points, 8 assists, 4 rebounds and a blocked shot off the bench. Look for the Cavs starting line-up to change sometime soon with Gibson and Jamison possibly starting for Moon.
Boston's big three struggled a bit coming off their big season opening win against the highly hyped up Heat. Rajon Rondo took the reigns and led the team in scoring, assists and steals. Garnett had a difficult time matched up against Hickson recording 9 points, a team high 15 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals and a blocked shot. Shaq played just over 21 minutes in the loss. He added 7 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists.
Team Highs
Points: J. Hickson CLE- 21, R.Rondo BOS- 18
Rebounds: A. Varejao CLE- 10, K.Garnett BOS- 15
Assists: D.Gibson CLE- 8, R.Rondo BOS- 9
Steals: R.Sessions CLE- 2, R.Rondo BOS- 3
Blocks: 4 tied CLE- 1, K.Garnett BOS- 1
Miami Heat 97 VS Philadelphia 76ers 87
Did James, Wade and Bosh set up a schedule when each would take over a game? Starting to look that way doesn't it. James took over game one against Boston. Last night was Dwayne Wade's turn. He went off last night coming off a 13 point, 6 turnover output on opening night. 30 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocked shots later and Miami has their first win of the season. Seems fitting that their first win would be fueled by Dwayne Wade. After all, wasn't it his team to begin with? (That's right LBJ and Bosh. Just because you have the max contracts and Wade took less money doesn't make you two the franchise players. Got it? Good, now that we have that out of the way) LBJ settled in with 16 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds, 2 steals and a blocked shot. However, the biggest thing that stand out on the stat sheet was his turnover, again. In their opener, even though he has 31 points, he also had 8 turnovers and last night he had 9. LeBron, What are you doing! You need to take care of the ball better and stop trying to force passes. Let the game come to you and make smart decisions like I know you can. 17 turnovers in 2 games. Awful. That is one word that I will not say that often with association to LeBron. Bosh turned out 15 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and a block. Personally, I would have signed someone else that can turn in those number for less money. Just saying.
The Sixers looked better than they did last year. Which isn't saying much but hey, at least it's some sort of improvement right? The Sixers offense was spread around pretty evenly with the second overall pick, Evan Tunrer, leading the way with 16 points. A.I was pretty quiet with 10 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals. Elton Brand was my surprise player of the night in this game. After so many injury problems, he came out and battled all night and recorded 12 points, 9 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks. This team is starting to come together and has the potential to break out in the East.
Team Highs
Points: D.Wade MIA- 30, E.Turner PHI- 16
Rebounds: D.Wade & C.Bosh MIA- 7, E.Brand PHI- 9
Assists: L.James MIA- 7, L.Williams PHI- 7
Steals: D.Wade MIA- 3, E.Brand PHI- 3
Blocks: D.Wade MIA- 2, E.Brand PHI- 2
Other scores around the league
Detroit Pistons 98 VS New Jersey Nets 101
New York Knicks 98 VS Toronto Raptors 93
Atlanta Hawks 119 VS Memphis Grizziles 104
Sacramento Kings 117 VS Minnesota Timberwolves 116
Milwaukee Bucks 91 VS New Orleans Hornets 95
Charlotte Bobcats 86 VS Dallas Mavericks 101
Indiana Pacers 109 VS San Antonio Spurs 122
Utah Jazz 88 VS Denver Nuggets 110
Houston Rockets 128 VS Golden State Warriors 132
Portland Trailblazers 98 VS Los Angeles Clippers 88
Fantasy Lines of the Night
PG: Russell Westbrook OKC- 28 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals and a block
SG: Monta Ellis GS- 46 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals
SF: Kevin Durant OKC- 30 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals
PF: Luis Scola 36 points, 16 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block and 0 turnovers
C: Roy Hibbert IND- 28 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 blocks
Special Shout-outs
Josh McRoberts- For Dunking on Dejaun Blair. Represent Big fella.
Blake Griffin- My boy. Went to work last night.
Wesley Johnson- Showing that he is in the hunt for ROY this year too. Don't forget about him.
I'm out!
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Predictions
Hello all,
I know usually this takes place prior the season starting but I'm late. Big deal, wanna fight about it? Ok. These are my predictions for player awards.
MVP
It's gotta be KD baby. If you look at how far Kevin Durant has come since stepping into the league, you would see that it is his time to take over as the most dominant player in the NBA. This guy has it all. He can step out and shoot the 3 or step into a mid range jay. He can post up the smaller positional players he will face all year. He can attack the basketball and isn't afraid to get your autograph to put on the poster that he just made of you. He is an underrated rebounder and can also dish out some tasty dimes. Now that he has the pieces around him to make a playoff run, other than a dominant center, he should take MVP honors home.
Other considerations: LeBron James. You can see that from the first game. He went into Miami, Wade's team, and took over while his other superstar companions struggled. Once the Heat start to mesh and everyone finds their role, they will be scary. Will it be this year? Only time will tell. But don't hold your breath for James to make it 3 in a row. Sorry LBJ. We're still cool right?
Defensive Player of the Year
How can you oppose to Dwight Howard taking home this award again? He is the best rebounder and he gobbles up shot attempts like Hungry Hungry Hippos. There is no debate who will win this award.
Other considerations: Kobe Bryant or Ron Artest. Even though they are on the same team, they still go to work. They shut down some of the top players night in and out. If one doesn't, the other one does. Maybe the NBA should make a combined defensive award?
Most Improved
Oklahoma City Thunder players are hotter than banned shoes by the NBA. (Yeah that's my dig at Athletic Propulsion Labs or APL for getting the NBA to basically do their marketing for them. Good job guys. More money in your pocket). Russell Westbrook is turning out to be the next Jason Kidd. He is becoming a triple double machine. Having one of the best players and role players who can knock down shots on your team will allow you to get dimes. He is a good defensive rebounder for his position and can grab the occasional offensive board or put back. This is his year to show that he is ready to be one of the elite point guards in the NBA.
Other considerations: Robin Lopez. That's right. I just said Robin Lopez. You know, brother of Brook, plays for the Phoenix Suns? With Amar'e Stoudemire out of the way, he can flourish into a decent big man. Between him and Hakim Warrick playing the pick and role option with Steve Nash, his numbers are going to go up. And he is a force on defense and that is going to show this year.
Rookie of the Year
What happens when you run into a wall? If your Blake Griffin, you jump over it, float in the air, do a 360 and then hammer that wall down. Sorry John Wall. You are not my rookie of the year. Nothing against you, but how can you not take a healthy Blake Griffin to be ROY? Did you see him in the preseason? Dunk here, dunk there, dunks everywhere. He has some areas he needs to work on but overall he will be a dominant player on a not so dominant team. With a PG like Davis, he will get a lot of looks for alley oops or passes when he shakes off a defender. With his athleticism and size, it's going to be a fun show for the other team in L.A.
Other considerations: John Wall. With Gilbert acting like he doesn't want to be overshadowed by the young guy, it will be Wall's team to handle. Watch the turnovers though. Everyone else on that team does that enough.
6th Man
Jamal Crawford will yet again take home the hardware. He is the spark the Hawks team feeds off of. With Atlanta being a playoff bound team in the East almost every year, he has been the go to guy off the bench to come in, score in bunches and sometimes even let him take the last shot. He has been clutch in the past and can still put up some ridiculous numbers.
Other considerations: Glen Davis. Big Baby. He provides a spark off the bench no matter what the score is. He can create his own shots and a big body presence helps him and the Celtics out, even with all the new additions to the front court.
Stay tuned for more folks!
I know usually this takes place prior the season starting but I'm late. Big deal, wanna fight about it? Ok. These are my predictions for player awards.
MVP
It's gotta be KD baby. If you look at how far Kevin Durant has come since stepping into the league, you would see that it is his time to take over as the most dominant player in the NBA. This guy has it all. He can step out and shoot the 3 or step into a mid range jay. He can post up the smaller positional players he will face all year. He can attack the basketball and isn't afraid to get your autograph to put on the poster that he just made of you. He is an underrated rebounder and can also dish out some tasty dimes. Now that he has the pieces around him to make a playoff run, other than a dominant center, he should take MVP honors home.
Other considerations: LeBron James. You can see that from the first game. He went into Miami, Wade's team, and took over while his other superstar companions struggled. Once the Heat start to mesh and everyone finds their role, they will be scary. Will it be this year? Only time will tell. But don't hold your breath for James to make it 3 in a row. Sorry LBJ. We're still cool right?
Defensive Player of the Year
How can you oppose to Dwight Howard taking home this award again? He is the best rebounder and he gobbles up shot attempts like Hungry Hungry Hippos. There is no debate who will win this award.
Other considerations: Kobe Bryant or Ron Artest. Even though they are on the same team, they still go to work. They shut down some of the top players night in and out. If one doesn't, the other one does. Maybe the NBA should make a combined defensive award?
Most Improved
Oklahoma City Thunder players are hotter than banned shoes by the NBA. (Yeah that's my dig at Athletic Propulsion Labs or APL for getting the NBA to basically do their marketing for them. Good job guys. More money in your pocket). Russell Westbrook is turning out to be the next Jason Kidd. He is becoming a triple double machine. Having one of the best players and role players who can knock down shots on your team will allow you to get dimes. He is a good defensive rebounder for his position and can grab the occasional offensive board or put back. This is his year to show that he is ready to be one of the elite point guards in the NBA.
Other considerations: Robin Lopez. That's right. I just said Robin Lopez. You know, brother of Brook, plays for the Phoenix Suns? With Amar'e Stoudemire out of the way, he can flourish into a decent big man. Between him and Hakim Warrick playing the pick and role option with Steve Nash, his numbers are going to go up. And he is a force on defense and that is going to show this year.
Rookie of the Year
What happens when you run into a wall? If your Blake Griffin, you jump over it, float in the air, do a 360 and then hammer that wall down. Sorry John Wall. You are not my rookie of the year. Nothing against you, but how can you not take a healthy Blake Griffin to be ROY? Did you see him in the preseason? Dunk here, dunk there, dunks everywhere. He has some areas he needs to work on but overall he will be a dominant player on a not so dominant team. With a PG like Davis, he will get a lot of looks for alley oops or passes when he shakes off a defender. With his athleticism and size, it's going to be a fun show for the other team in L.A.
Other considerations: John Wall. With Gilbert acting like he doesn't want to be overshadowed by the young guy, it will be Wall's team to handle. Watch the turnovers though. Everyone else on that team does that enough.
6th Man
Jamal Crawford will yet again take home the hardware. He is the spark the Hawks team feeds off of. With Atlanta being a playoff bound team in the East almost every year, he has been the go to guy off the bench to come in, score in bunches and sometimes even let him take the last shot. He has been clutch in the past and can still put up some ridiculous numbers.
Other considerations: Glen Davis. Big Baby. He provides a spark off the bench no matter what the score is. He can create his own shots and a big body presence helps him and the Celtics out, even with all the new additions to the front court.
Stay tuned for more folks!
Welcome
This is my blog for basketball fans and fantasy hounds. I will be giving you my opinion and thoughts about the season, player awards, trades, game reviews and much more throughout the regular season. More posts to follow.
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