Eight-Second Violation: Tuesday, January 27, 2009

The final couple of weeks in the month of January are often the worst basketball of the regular season. Teams are just now getting through the first half of the season and usually dealing with a lot of injuries. Rookies are hitting the rookie wall while attempting to find DVDs in their local Best Buy that haven't purchased yet (they never end up with this movie). We're all awaiting the All-Star break because it usually signifies one of the most active periods of the NBA season thanks to the All-Star festivities and the impending trade deadline. So we need plenty of ridiculous stories to keep our minds active and our keyboards clicking.

And that my friends is why Stephon Marbury's self-indulgent, false sense of grandeur was invented.

Stephon Marbury came out yesterday and let it be known that the Celtics expressed a verbal commitment if and when the Knicks buy out his contract. He said that the Knicks were playing personal games to keep him from playing basketball with the Knicks or another team in the NBA. It seemed like the Celtics were the likely destination despite a month of reports that the Celtics probably wouldn't consider acquiring the former KG teammate. There's just one problem with all of this:

The Celtics have little to no interest in signing the malignant point guard. A source told the Boston Herald that the Celtics didn't have a verbal commitment at all. So why would Marbury claim this? Well, perhaps he's like Russell Crowe in A Beautiful Mind. Perhaps he has a certain genius that we'll never understand and he has an understanding of the world that doesn't make sense to us. In our minds, we think he's crazy but in his mind, completely different occurrences are happening.

I've dated a girl like this before and it led to her pelting my house and my roommate's car with 96 mini-powdered sugar donuts. So, it's best to stay away from Steph as he continues the crazy and keeps the interwebs buzzing. Thanks, Steph, for getting us through these slow times.


Let's Recap All of the Games from Last Night
By Zach Harper

There seems to be some happy sentiment towards the covering of every game in a brief recap.  So we'll stick with that for now.  Here are the games from last night:

Phoenix Suns 103, Washington Wizards 87 in D.C.-
Sing it with me, Shaq fans! Whoo-ha, I am a true Fu-Shnickens! The Diesel stepped up against a weak Wizards team and completely dominated. According to our friends at Truth About It, Shaq was even in a loving mood. Steve Nash continued his great charitable work as of late by dishing out 15 more assists. Over his past six games, he's averaging 13 assists per contest. The Suns dominated the fourth quarter, allowing just 14 points, to put the Wizards to bed and prove that magic is better left to the experts.

Miami Heat 95, Atlanta Hawks 79 in Miami- 
The Miami Heat rode Dwyane Wade's 35 points and the Hawks 20 turnovers/piss-poor shooting to win their 24th game of the season. The Hawks weren't competitive in the first half at all by scoring just 27 points after the first 24 minutes. The Hawks had 15 unforced turnovers and shot themselves in the foot all night long. The Hawks shot under 40% from the field (38.2%) and Mike Bibby's performance proved to sum up their effort perfectly. He scored just two points on 1-6 shooting, five turnovers, and zero assists. In fact, the Hawks only had seven team assists on the entire night.

New York Knicks 104, Houston Rockets 98 in New York City- 
The Knicks' bench took advantage of a Yao Ming-less Rockets team by scoring 52 points between their four reserves. Wilson Chandler had 18 points and Nate Robinson dropped 19 points to pace the Knicks bench as the Gotham team improved their record to 19-25 on the season, just four wins off of last season's win total. Tracy McGrady gave Houston 20 points but took 20 shots to do so and Ron Artest shot just 4-19 from the field to score his 11 points. Artest was the definition of pushing the envelope by miss nine of his 10 three-point attempts. The Rockets were unable to get anything in transition against one of the fastest teams in the league by racking up just five fast break points.

New Orleans Hornets 101, Philadelphia 76ers 86 in New Orleans- 
Chris Paul happened and the Sixers were completely unprepared for it. It was like watching Rocky's first fight against Clubber Lane. Paul ended up three steals away from a quadruple double and the Hornets forced 22 turnovers, which resulted in 28 points for N'awlins. The Hornets made 14 three-pointers with Peja Stojakovic leading the way with six of them. Tony DiLeo's plan for the Sixers to shoot more threes was detrimental to the team with Philly making just two of their 14 attempts.

Minnesota Timberwolves 90, Milwaukee Bucks 83 in Milwaukee-
In their first game since Michael Redd found out he would miss the next 10 months, the Bucks were unable to get anything going on offense in a slowed down, Scott Skiles type of game. The Bucks made just 1-14 threes without their best long range shooter. Al Jefferson continued his push to make the Western Conference All-Star game by scoring 23 points, grabbing 10 rebounds, and getting three steals. Ryan Gomes contributed with 22 points and eight rebounds of his own to lead the Wolves to their 16th win of the season. The Wolves have now won nine of their last 11 games in the most surprising moment on a basketball court since Billy Hoyle screwed the Stucci brothers.

Oklahoma City Thunder 94, New Jersey Nets 85 in Oklahoma City-
The Oklahoma City Thunder ruined my dream of having a team in my lifetime win under 10 games in a season by winning their tenth of the season. The Nets shot just 40% from the field and attempted just 18 free throws compared to the 38 for the Thunder. Vince Carter and Devin Harris scored just a combined 18 points and shot 6-29 from the field to drop their road record to .500 at 11-11.  This was easily the worst game of the night to watch and if you sat through the whole thing then you're probably as dedicated as Kelly Dwyer.

Portland Trailblazers 113, Los Angeles Clippers 88 in Los Angeles-
In an attempt to keep Clippers fans interested, the Blazers allowed the game to be close for the first three quarters until they put the second L.A. team away in the fourth quarter. The Blazers used a 36-15 advantage in the fourth period to blow out the Clippers for their 27th win of the season. Brandon Roy scored 22 points in the first half and finished with 33 to lead the Blazers. Portland shot 58% from the field with Travis Outlaw shooting 8-9 and finishing with 20 points off the bench. There was also one big dunk by Brandon Roy on Cheik Samb that is explained below in Section 4.   


San Antonio Spurs (29-14) at Utah Jazz (25-20) 6:00pm PST League Pass
By Brandon Gallawa
 
It really feels like the NBA is daring us not to watch this game.  They have stacked up the schedule with a number of one-sided games.  I'm going to also be watching Sacramento at Cleveland but only because I'm a glutton for punishment.  The Indiana at Orlando game should at least be entertaining.  The Pacers have been atrocious on the road, so it could also be a blow out.  And even Lakers and Nuggets fans are probably taking the night off tonight.

Meanwhile the Spurs are the only team that as currently constructed can take down the Lakers in a seven-game series.  They have been as dominant as any other team in the league since Manu and Parker have returned from injury.  They have a top-five MVP candidate in Tim Duncan.  They are also the most fun team in the league to watch if you're a basketball purist.  They run an efficient offense.  Their defense is still top-notch and should be used as its own Better Basketball video on calling out screens, helping on the weak side, switching on defense, and anything else that has to do with stopping an opponent.  Their roster is dangerously close to being the best team in the league.

The Jazz have also dealt with injuries but have not been as lucky when it comes to players returning.  Deron Williams bounced back relatively quickly after going down in the early part of the season.  He has been playing the point as well as anyone in the league averaging a double-double.  In fact the only thing keeping him from being the pace setter at point is his field goal percentage, but that might have more to do with bouncing back from injury.  Paul Millsap has filled in admirably for Carlos Boozer.  He has averaged 17.9 points, 11.4 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 1 block per game in 26 games as a starter.  He is a younger, less polished version of Boozer, and he is better defensively.

The Jazz still could make the playoffs, and they are as good as any team in the West when they are healthy.  They are also a very tough draw at home, so they could redeem themselves for a 25-point loss in San Antonio on November 21.  San Antonio will be looking to bounce back from their 14-point loss to the Lakers on Sunday.

Key Match-Up: Tony Parker versus Deron Williams
Parker and Williams are in the conversation of best point guard playing this season.  They aren't Chris Paul, but they are right behind him and have been putting up ridiculous numbers all season.  Both are the key to their respective team's succes s.  Williams has played out of his mind in wins this year, but his success is all about setting up teammates.  He is averaging 10.4 assists in wins this year and also shooting much more effectively.  Parker is no different averaging 21.1 points, 7.1 assists and 3 boards while shooting 49% from the field in his team's wins.  Whichever player is more effective from the field and setting up his teammates should lead his team to a win.
Prediction: The Spurs have a little too much for the Jazz



How about you get caught up in some Brandon Roy Swagger?
By Zach Harper

Thanks to Ben at Blazers' Edge, we have proof of a dunk that sent the nearly silent Twitter boards ablaze. Stu Holdren of NBA Noise agreed that he and I should file sexual misconduct charges against Brandon Roy for this baptism. I wanted to take a shower afterwards and Stu wanted a cigarette. Blazers announcer, Mike Barrett, immediately noticed that Cheik Samb lost his headband on that dunk and his color commentator, Mike Rice, quickly added, "and his pride!" 

This was one of those dunks that you could see happening four or five seconds before it went down. About three steps away from the basket, it seemed like Roy was sizing up Samb and figuring out how easy it would be to get onto SportsCenter. About two steps away, you could see that Samb was in No Man's Land and had no choice but to get dunked on. And as Roy elevated, you could feel the Clippers crowd saying, "Screw it! We need something to get excited about in this season no matter what team gives it to us."

And now I present to you, Brandon Roy pulling a Shang Tsung and taking the soul of Cheik Samb.



By Zach Harper

"'There's been a lot of talk that 'He hasn't been in the greatest of shape,' but my style is my style. I always come in at 60 and I end up at 100. There's a lot of guys that try to come in at 100 and can't maintain 100. My style is always going to be my style." -- Shaquille O'Neal on his shape throughout a full season.

At a certain point, you have to wonder if Shaq is in the right with this kind of statement or if he's just trying to justify his laziness. Guys like Tim Duncan and Kobe Bryant have learned over the years that they don't have to be pedal to the medal, 100% for 82 games before entering the playoffs. They have learned to pace themselves throughout the season and gear up to their top level of performance when the post-season begins. Maybe Shaq has been doing this for the majority of his career since joining the Lakers. Personally, I think he was lazy for a long time and it's easy for him to go back and say it was all "his style." I think it's smart for him to hold back in his later years and play his way into shape as the season progresses. Unfortunately, we'll never know the truth to it and this aspect of his career will always have some doubt and disappointment. 



Top 3 of the Night
1. Chris Paul - 27 pts, 15 asts, 10 rebs, 7 stls, 1 blk, 7-13 fg, 12-12 ft
Didn't he JUST do this? I'm thoroughly convinced now that he'll rack up the next quadruple double in NBA history. He's so good that he makes me want to stop watching basketball. How does that make sense? I feel like if I watch him and never watch another game then I'll have seen arguably the best pure point guard play of all time and it will be my final lasting memory.
2. Shaquille O'Neal - 29 pts, 8 rebs, 3 blks, 10-14 fg, 9-10 ft
I wrote about this a couple of weeks ago (Section Four) but Shaq's free throw shooting is damn impressive since he supposedly has changed to his high school free throw form. His free throw percentage has steadily increased every month this season and is shooting the second best free throw rate of his career. His 61.8% is part of the reason that the Suns have been so good with him.
3. Dwyane Wade - 35 pts, 5 rebs, 4 asts, 2 stls, 2 blks, 13-19 fg, 9-10 ft
Dwyane Wade scored 12 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter to help maintain a double-digit lead against the Hawks. This was Wade's 11th game of 35 points or more this season. It was also his 15th game this season of recording at least two blocks and two steals in the same game. So what does all of this mean? Dwyane Wade is a good basketball player.

Bottom 3 of the Night
1. Vince Carter - 8 pts, 3 rebs, 2 asts, 2-12 fg
We've been waiting for the Vince Carter who gives up on his franchise, fans, and teammates. The lethargic Vince who gave up in Toronto and showed a certain malaise  throughout much of his career when asked to pick up the slack and lead his team. In three of his past seven games, he's had eight points or fewer.
2. Mike James - 0 pts, 4 asts, 3 tos, 0-4 fg, 36 mins
The worst starting point guard in the NBA. The absolute worst. He's like the James Franco of starting NBA point guards.
3. Rafer Alston - 7 pts, 2 asts, 3-10 fg, 1-7 3fg
When a team is playing the New York Knicks, any point guard worth their weight in gold should put together a nice game. You almost always have a legit shot at getting to the basket and making something happen for their teams. Unfortunately, the Rockets have Rafer Alston who can't seem to come through when his team needs him.


Here are the Top Blog Posts from yesterday.

1. From The City Line-
Anthony Bonner subpoenaed during an exhibition game? I would have guessed Gerald Paddio
2. From Both Teams Played Hard-
Jalen Rose and Jimmy Walker -- The Ultimate Father-Son combo since Gob and Steve Holt!
3. From Ben's Suns Blog-
The Best Phoenix Sun of All Time



In today's Ask a Blogger, we're talking to the great Tom Ziller of Sactown Royalty, NBA Fanhouse, and The Sporting Blog. Chances are if you've read about basketball on the internet then you've read some of his great words on the NBA. Tom is the quintessential voice of the Sacramento Kings for fans that aren't satisfied with the coverage of the local media. With the Kings struggling this year at a near franchise low and beginning a clear rebuilding process, we wanted to get some of Ziller's thoughts on the current state of the Kings and some possible future moves.  Read on:

1. There have been plenty of rumors involving Brad Miller being traded to various Eastern Conference teams in hopes of clearing cap space for this coming summer and acquiring more assets to rebuild the Kings. Do you think that Brad Miller will get traded and if so will Kenny Thomas have to be packaged with him to get the Kings to take back less than fair market value?

I think Miller has a good chance of being traded the next few weeks. Tagging him with Thomas' contract is only one way to make it worthwhile for the Kings. Losing Thomas is roughly as valuable as getting a promising young forward or point guard, or a mid-first draft pick. The Kings have options, and not all of them include losing Thomas.

2. Coaching and point guard have been two very real issues for the Kings this season, along with many others. Who are two people that you would like Geoff Petrie to target this off-season to fill those holes in this team and how attainable do you think they are?

By all accounts, management and the players like Kenny Natt and no one would be surprised if he stuck around for next year. If not, Flip Saunders or Eddie Jordan could find themselves with Petrie at their feet. As for point guard, Ricky Rubio seems like a dream. Brandon Jennings or Jrue Holiday could be draft targets, also. I think there's no way the team signs a free agent PG; any trade for a high-priced PG would almost have to involve losing Beno Udrih, too. And that's going to be hard to pull.

3. If the Kings have a shot at getting someone like Carlos Boozer with their cap space in the off-season, do you think that they would pull the trigger on a four or five-year deal or does it appear that they're confident that they can win with Jason Thompson as their main power forward?

The great thing about Thompson is that he can probably play the five as well. He's not a real shot-blocker, but he rebounds extremely well, has some bulk to go with his 6'11 frame, and hustles his ass off. The real question in Spencer Hawes, who is 20 years old but has already been grousing for minutes. A Boozer-Thompson front line with Hawes off the bench would be fantastic. I think the team is happy with Thompson in one of the front line positions permanently.



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