| 18 December 2008
News and Notes
By Zach Harper
Elton Brand Dislocates Shoulder
During Wednesday night's game against the Milwaukee Bucks, Elton Brand
jumped in the air when he bought on the Luc Richard Mbah a Moute
pumpfake. When he came down, he tumbled over Mbah a Moute and awkwardly
landed on the ground with his arm taking the brunt of the force. It
caused his right shoulder to become dislocated and since he's human and
not a cyborg, he had to leave the game.
If he was Detective Riggs from the Lethal Weapon series, he would have
run over to the staunchon, slammed his body into the corner of it, and
popped that sucker back into place. He then would have taken a glock,
unloaded 25 to 35 shots with a single clip, and saved the day from some
drug dealers. Unfortunately, this isn't Lethal Weapon and Elton Brand
is still a semi-fragile power forward who seems to be prone to freak
injuries. The team doctors and trainers will run tests on Thursday and
determine how long this keeps their prized free agent from this past
off-season off the court. When his new teammate, Thaddeus Young,
suffered a similar injury last season, he missed about a month of
basketball. Perhaps not feeling like they have to throw it inside with
Brand out for an indefinite time period will allow this Sixers team to
get their running confidence back up.
Ric Bucher Loses Any Chance at Respect
Something very awkard happened last night while ESPN was showing the
Celtics-Hawks game -- there was video of Ric Bucher shooting a free
throw. I first heard about it through Twitterific on my iPhone while I
was stuck in traffic. The real JE Skeets tweeted that he shot like
Desmond Mason. When I finally sat down to the game late last night, I
came across a taped segment that showed Ric Bucher at Mark Price's
shooting academy/training center for kids who don't shoot good.
What transpired was the most awkward thing I've seen in a long time.
Ric Bucher really does shoot like Desmond Mason. I've always felt like
you can tell a lot about a person from how they play basketball. If
they look awkward shooting a basketball or dribbling down the court,
you can lose all respect for that person and never look at them the
same way. That's what happened for me last night when I watched video
of Max Headroom shooting a basketball as Mark Price looked on in horror.
Boston Celtics 88, Atlanta Hawks 85 in Atlanta
By Zach Harper
The
Boston Celtics and Atlanta Hawks built on the theory that there was a
rivalry between the two teams after the first round of last season's
playoffs and a new player was added to the mix of the elite. After last
season's seven-game series between these two teams, everyone was quick
to annoint these two teams as rivals and claim that there was bad blood
constantly brewing. I was much more skeptical of that idea and wanted
to give it a game or two more before I could conform. Well, it's
official -- the C's and Hawks flat out don't like each other and their
head to head match-ups over the next two or three years should be epic.
The Celtics brought their 15-game winning streak into
the ball game and were played to a standstill throughout this contest
by a Hawks team that wasn't impressed or intimidated. The teams
exchanged elbows, hard screens, and strong fouls throughout the game as
the tension grew and Kevin Garnett's f-bombs flowed like wine. Kevin
Garnett made up for a tough night shooting and scoring by making all
five shots in the fourth quarter and scoring 10 big points. And Joe
Johnson played the role of the goat by missing a key free throw with
two seconds left that would have tied the game. Mike Bibby missed a
quick and improbable three-point attempt with 0.7 seconds left after
Ray Allen made two free throws to make this a three-point game.
But the key to this game for the Celtics was the emergence of Kendrick
Perkins. No, he didn't score 20 points and wasn't unstoppable in the
paint. But he played incredible defense and showed that he's entered
the conversation as one of the best defensive centers in the NBA. It
seemed like every defensive rebound he had was a must and he blocked
two key shots in the fourth quarter to help the Celtics stiffle the
Hawks. Most people will look at the big dunk had by Josh Smith in the
fourth to discount these statements but that would be immature. Perkins
is officially a really good defensive player that plays fundamental D
and is an imposing, physical force.
For the Hawks, their three-point shooting kept them in the game during
the first quarter but ultimately hurt them throughout the entire
contest. They made just seven of their 24 attempts after making four of
their first nine attempts in the first period. Joe Johnson finished
with 20 points and Marvin Williams chipped in 16 but the Hawks could
never get into any kind of flow on offense.
For the Celtics, their 16-game winning streak is the third best in
franchise history and they have a chance to take a 19-game winning
streak into their Christmas Day showdown with the Lakers if they can
win their next three against the Bulls, Knicks, and 76ers.
Both Games on TNT
By Zach Harper
Again,
when there are just two games on the schedule and their both on TNT,
I'm not going to pick and choose which game to watch. It just isn't
fair. My only advice -- mute it after five minutes of Doug Collins.
He'll make you pull your hair out. Even you, Charlie Villanueva.
San Antonio Spurs (15-9) at Orlando Magic (19-6) at 5pm PST
After a tough loss in New Orleans the night before (see below), the
Spurs come into the Amway Arena to take on a rested and streaking
Orlando Magic team. Both teams have won six out of their past seven
games and both teams are in the top 10 in fewest points allowed per
game. The Spurs have won seven of the past 10 meetings with the Magic
and swept the season series last year. Orlando has won four straight
home games and are 9-4 against the Western Conference this year. San
Antonio just had their six-game winning streak snapped against the
Hornets and are just 3-3 against Eastern Conference teams this season.
Key Match-Up: Manu Ginobili versus Hedo Turkoglu
If Hedo Turkoglu has been on your fantasy basketball team this year
then you know just how frustrating his season has been. Hedo has
declined significantly across the board in his play and is shooting a
career-low 38% from the field. He's had his worse play come off of two
days rest this year and finds himself in this game after not playing
the last two nights. He'll have to overcome his averages of 13.6 points
and 29% shooting when playing after two straight off days. However,
Manu Ginobili has had his best sample of games coming off of
back-to-backs this season. In his two games on the second night of a
b-to-b, he's averaging 19 points, shooting 55% from the field and has
made six of his 11 three-point attempts.
Prediction: Orlando wins with fresher legs
Phoenix Suns (15-10) at Portland Trailblazers (16-10) at 7:30pm PST
The Phoenix Suns are playing great basketball since the Jason
Richardson trade and travel to the great Northwest to battle a Portland
Trailblazers team who are coming off a 32-point blowout victory over
the Sacramento Kings to snap a three-game losing streak. This young
Blazers team is an impressive 8-2 at home so far this season and will
try to slow down the Suns offensive attack with a defensive effort that
allows the seventh fewest points per game in the league. Brandon Roy
has been playing like an All-Star this season and has averaged 32.5
points with 52% shooting in his last four games.
Amare Stoudemire comes into this game averaging 21 points and 13 rebounds since the Suns made the Jason Richardson trade and committed more to running and offense. He has absolutely dominated LaMarcus Aldridge since the young Texas alumni entered the league. He's scored 21.1 points on 56% shooting in their head to head match-ups. But LaMarcus has been a much better player this year than in year's past. With Greg Oden in the lineup, his numbers are down across the board but he's been much more of a threat on the court. He'll look to pull Amare Stoudemire out of the paint and score from the mid-range. But he'll have to get back on defense when that happens because Amare would much rather run from that position on the floor than attack the glass.
Prediction: Portland wins a tough one
How about you get caught up in some game blurbs from that great night?
By Zach Harper
Indiana Pacers 127, Golden State Warriors 120
Danny Granger scored 41 points and the Pacers outlasted the Warriors
down the stretch as the Pacers improved to 9-16 on the year. Marquis
Daniels and Jarrett Jack combined to score 47 points and Stephen
Graham, who looks just like his identical twin brother Joey, scored two
huge baskets down the stretch to help extend the lead and beat G-State.
Philadelphia 76ers 93, Milwaukee Bucks 88
If you read this article in order, then you already know about Elton
Brand and his dislocated shoulder. But maybe you didn't know that Lou
Williams scored 25 points off the bench and 12 of those came in the
fourth quarter as the Sixers improved to 2-0 under Tony DiLeo. The
Bucks suffered from their poor scoring effort in which Michael Redd and
Andrew Bogut combined to score just 12 points.
Dallas Mavericks 96, Toronto Raptors 86
You wouldn't know it from the score but the Raptors were soaring high
after the first quarter with a 33-21 lead and everyone on the team was
getting involved. Then the rest of the game happened and the Raptors
completely fell apart. Jason Terry once again went off as he makes his
case for Sixth Man of the Year with 27 points, 8 assists, and 7
rebounds.
Detroit Pistons 88, Washington Wizards 74
The Pistons went with a small lineup for much of this game and played
some of their best team basketball since Allen Iverson joined the
roster. With Rodney Stuckey at the point and Allen Iverson at the
shooting guard, the Pistons were able to dominate the combo of Mike
James and DeShawn Stevenson and they made up for Rasheed Wallace's
two-point, 1-8 shooting performance.
Utah Jazz 103, New Jersey Nets 92
Mehmet Okur and Paul Millsap were impossible for the Nets to contend
with inside and Kyle Korver took over the game off the bench as the
Jazz won for just the sixth time in 13 road games this season. Kyle
Korver had 18 points and 9 rebounds off the bench and the Jazz
slaughtered the Nets on the boards with a 53-36 performance.
Cleveland Cavaliers 93, Minnesota T'Wolves 70
LeBron James had 32 points and sent the Timberwolves to an 11-game
losing streak. The Cavs defense was suffocating allowing just 40.8%
shooting from the field, 1-14 shooting from the free throw line and
only giving the Wolves 15 free throw attempts for the entire ball game.
Delonte West scored 21 points as he continues to look like a cartoon
character on the court. Things have gotten so bad in Minnesota that
LeBron James received a standing ovation from the Minny crowd when he
left the game. THAT'S how bad this has become.
Chicago Bulls 115, Los Angeles Clippers 109 OT
Eric
Gordon made a horrible rookie mistake when he fouled Ben Gordon on a
three-point attempt with just 20 seconds left in regulation. The
three-pointer was made and Ben Gordon tied the game with the subsequent
free throw to send the game into overtime. The Bulls were able to
neutralize the effort by Marcus Camby (19 points, 27 rebounds) and Zach
Randolph (30 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists) with Ben Gordon and Andres
Nocioni each going for 22 points.
This game started out looking like a WNBA game with a 15-14 score after the first 12 minutes but it picked up in the second half. The Hornets played stifling defense and benefitted from Matt Bonner's point-shaving performance in the fourth quarter as they allowed just 13 fourth quarter points from the Spurs. Chris Paul had 19 points and 12 assists and David West scored 21 points with two huge three-pointers in the fourth to bring the Hornets back from a seven-point deficit. Chris Paul got a steal for his 106th consecutive game to set an NBA record.
By Zach Harper
"If I want to get booed, I'll go on the road. It's really tense right now. When you're down three points at home and you're getting booed, that's kind of disheartening. Whether the crowd knows it or not, they play a big part in the game." -- Chris Bosh after being booed by the Raptors fans.
I completely understand feeling the need to boo your team at home when they're playing like crap and haven't put together a good stretch of basketball in over a month. I understand that frustration -- after all, I'm a Wolves fan. But Raptors' fans need to be careful about booing Chris Bosh. Don't piss him off and make him sour towards playing in Toronto. If he leaves in 2010, this franchise will be in serious trouble. Now send him a nice muffin basket and call him tomorrow just to say, "Hi."
Top 3 of the Night
1. Marcus Camby - 19 pts, 27 rebs, 4 blks
Even in the loss, Marcus Camby deserved the top player position for the night. He never quit in this game and attacked the glass relentlessly. 27 rebounds is not something that happens very often and it's all effort.
2. Danny Granger - 41 pts, 11 rebs, 6 asts, 17-17 ft
My mancrush on Danny Granger has officially hit a dangerous point in my lifetime. I'm another 40-point game in the next week away from getting a DG tattoo on my chest and finding out where his family lives. This guy is playing at an unreal level right now.
3. Kendrick Perkins - 8 pts, 10 rebs, 4 blks
Kendrick Perkins is quickly becoming the best defensive center in the NBA. He was a physical presence inside, a presence on the boards, and did a great job of showing and helping on all of the pick-and-rolls. It was a great game on the defensive end by Perk last night.
Bottom 3 of the Night
1. Joe Johnson - 20 pts, 7-8 ft, 3 stls
He had a fine game but missing the free throw that could have made it a tie game was inexcusable. Primetime players have to make those free throws and force that game into overtime.
2. Michael Redd - 6 pts, 5 asts, 2-13 fg
Nobody else seems willing to say it or fails to realize it because of his past reputation but I'm more than happy to talk about it. Mike Redd is no longer a good basketball player. He can still score but overall, his game has slipped significantly and he should be no more than a number three option on a good team.
3. Matt Bonner - 7 pts, 3-15 fg, 1-8 3fg
I'm pretty sure that Matt Bonner had money on the Hornets because he helped blow the lead for the Spurs in the fourth quarter. He was 1-6 in the fourth and missed 12 shots overall. He shouldn't even take 12 shots.
Here are the Top Blog Posts from yesterday.
1. From Free Darko-
Shoals uses Upside and Motor's NBA Archetypes to talk up the age limit. Couldn't agree more
2. From Basketbawful-
Christmas gift? How about NBA quote t-shirts?
3. From NBA Fanhouse-
Great Stuff from Will Brinson on the Rodney Rogers loss
To check out today's media fun, click this link and scroll down to Section 8.
Thanks for reading today's Eight-Second Violation. Send your comments, criticism and words of praise to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
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