Glad to be right eventually. At the start of the playoffs in my first NBA blog, I stated Dallas would beat Miami in 7 games. Well, it only took this veteran filled squad 6 to do the job. The doubt that surrounded this team all season long was astronomical. "Experts" were saying that if they didn't make a blockbuster trade at the deadline, they wouldn't be real contenders. I didn't understand that seeing as they had one of the league's top records at the time and were playing phenomenally when healthy. Even when Caron went down, they eventually picked things back up.
They were selected as the team most likely to lose to a lower seed in the first round in the entire playoffs. Who would guard Aldridge? They handily beat Portland in 6, which should've been 5 but a Brandon Roy miracle delayed the inevitable.
They had no shot against the 2-time defending champ Lakers. Who would guard Kobe, Gasol, and Bynum? Matt Barnes had the "blue print" to beat Dallas. LA couldn't win a single game and got embarrassed in the 4th and final game of the sweep, 122-86.
Even during the OKC-Memphis that went to 7 as the Mavs waited to find their next opponent, people were saying the winner of that series should be favored against Dallas. When OKC came out on top, the youth and athleticism was supposed to be too much for Dallas to handle. Who would guard Durant and Westbrook? Dallas took care of them in 5 hard fought games, their lone loss coming when OKC's bench couldn't miss in the 4th quarter that saw Durant as the only starter to play. After that game that OKC won and tied it at 1-1, I knew the series was over. If it took that unbelievable play from their bench to barely win, they had no shot. Dallas preceded to win the next 3 games.
Miami was the popular consensus pick in the finals. One "expert" even predicted a Heat Sweep. How could a team with two of the top 5 players in the world lose a series? They dominated the first three rounds, winning each 4-1 and beating the best team record wise in the NBA in Chicago. We all know the story from there. Miami won Game 1 thanks to incredible 3-point shooting from Lebron. I knew that historically he is a very poor downtown shooter and guess what happened. He shot just over 25% from 3 the rest of the series, not to mention his inability to close games. That role went to Dirk. He lead the charge in the series saving Game 2 comeback and even when his shots weren't falling like in Game 6, he wouldn't be denied in the 4th. He shot 5-8 for 10points in the last quarter of the series.
I must say I love how JET responded to his own trash talk. People thought it would wake the beast that is Lebron James. Nope. "Let's see if he can defend me like that for seven games." He couldn't even do it for 6, getting outscored by Terry by 19 after he made that statement in the final 3 games, not to mention he outscored Lebron during the entire series. Sure, Miami has 2 top 5 players, but Dallas had the BEST player in the world. Not to mention he had all the right pieces around him along with phenomenal chemistry. Barea, Terry, and Dirk could all take over a game offensively at any given moment. Even Kidd, Stevenson, and Marion could get hot and light you up. Peja didn't play much this series due to matchup issues, but I have to give him credit because he was an integral piece during the run to the finals. Couldn't have done it without him. The lineup with Peja, Dirk, Haywood, Barea, and Terry on the floor proved to be the best lineup for Dallas in terms of +/- all playoffs long.
Miami simply didn't have the team work to win this series. Dallas simply wanted it more and played with passion. All those questions about who would guard all these star players, Aldridge, Kobe, Gasol, Bynum, Westbrook, Durant, James, Wade, Bosh, is easy to answer. First, it starts with Marion, Stevenson, and Kidd playing phenomenal 1-on-1 defense. Then, don't forget this is one of the greatest TEAMS in recent memory. They had great TEAM defense as well. It is very difficult to contain all those names 1-on-1 for long periods of time, so when defenders slip up at time, there would be another one to cover for him. That's why they were so effective.
This is a win the world needed. They needed to really see that a team is going to beat start individuals. Dallas had the world on their side, and they didn't disappoint. You really do need to work together against the top teams to be successful, not pick on older Celtics, or young 76ers and Bulls (who didn't have much playoff experience despite their top record) based solely on talent. People really aren't even mentioning the fact that Dallas not only won the title, but were pretty dominant in doing so. They finished the playoffs with a 16-5 mark, with their largest loss coming in Miami during Game 1 but 8 points. Their 5 losses came by a combined 23points. Less than 5point difference per loss average. Unreal. Undoubtedly the best team in the NBA with the best player in the NBA.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Monday, May 16, 2011
NBA Playoffs Conference Finals
I know this is a day after Game 1 of the East Finals, but in my first post about the playoffs I had the Heat and Bulls meeting in these finals, so I'm sticking to what I said in that post, which I'm starting to regret. But, I gotta stick with it.
East
(1) Chicago Bulls vs (3) Miami Heat
Heat in 6. They've been just as dominant as people expected them to be when the Big 3 first came together. They played hard against both Philly and Boston (which they had to because both clubs put up a hell of a fight) and made quick work of them, winning in 5 games both series. The Bulls, on the other hand, struggled against Indiana, who was a sub-500 team. Then, the Hawks gave them trouble as well. In these playoffs, Miami is playing better ball and I dont think Derrick Rose will be enough to stop LeBron and Dwyane over the course of a 7-game series.
West
(3) Dallas Mavericks vs (4) OKC Thunder
I'm not sure how I feel about this matchup for Dallas. They typically struggle facing quicker point guards due to Jason Kidd's age. The first couple rounds he had to deal with Andre Miller and Derrick Fisher. Not the most fleet of foot fellas at this point in their careers. But, Kidd was able to guard Kobe in crunch time which is a positive for Dallas. Westbrook is extremely quick though so either there's going to be a lot of help defense or someone else is going to guard him, but I don't know who else. I don't think OKC has the defense to stop Dallas enough, and as long as Russell doesn't do huge things using his speed, the Mavs should be ok. Kevin is going to have great shooting nights and bad ones, like he did against Memphis. I think the key is containing Russell, and if they do they shouldn't have a problem in this series. During the regular season they were able to contain him, as he shot 14-44 I believe. Granted, this is a completely different time of year but I still think they get it done.
Mavs in 6.
East
(1) Chicago Bulls vs (3) Miami Heat
Heat in 6. They've been just as dominant as people expected them to be when the Big 3 first came together. They played hard against both Philly and Boston (which they had to because both clubs put up a hell of a fight) and made quick work of them, winning in 5 games both series. The Bulls, on the other hand, struggled against Indiana, who was a sub-500 team. Then, the Hawks gave them trouble as well. In these playoffs, Miami is playing better ball and I dont think Derrick Rose will be enough to stop LeBron and Dwyane over the course of a 7-game series.
West
(3) Dallas Mavericks vs (4) OKC Thunder
I'm not sure how I feel about this matchup for Dallas. They typically struggle facing quicker point guards due to Jason Kidd's age. The first couple rounds he had to deal with Andre Miller and Derrick Fisher. Not the most fleet of foot fellas at this point in their careers. But, Kidd was able to guard Kobe in crunch time which is a positive for Dallas. Westbrook is extremely quick though so either there's going to be a lot of help defense or someone else is going to guard him, but I don't know who else. I don't think OKC has the defense to stop Dallas enough, and as long as Russell doesn't do huge things using his speed, the Mavs should be ok. Kevin is going to have great shooting nights and bad ones, like he did against Memphis. I think the key is containing Russell, and if they do they shouldn't have a problem in this series. During the regular season they were able to contain him, as he shot 14-44 I believe. Granted, this is a completely different time of year but I still think they get it done.
Mavs in 6.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Dallas Mavs
How bout those Mavs, huh?
No one saw that coming. I've loved Dallas all season long, but I didn't expect them to win those two games in LA. Split, but not both of them. Then, not losing focus and winning both games at home to decimate the Lakers was phenomenal. Leading up to the series, no one gave Dallas a chance, except Charles Barkley. I predicted Dallas in 6 in the last blog, but 4? Against the greatest coach in NBA history and a top 10 player? Speaks volumes about Dallas. Even when they were up 3-0, people were saying that if any team was going to come back from 3-0, it was these Lakers, and if any team was going to let it happen, it was these Mavs. Well, Dallas won Game 4 by 36 points. It wasn't even close. In Phil Jackson's last game, he got absolutely slaughtered by one of the greatest shooting performances of all time.
20 threes - tied NBA playoff record
9 threes by Jason Terry - tied playoff record, best in terms of percentage. The REAL 6th man. Lamar is overrated.
6 for 6 from downtown for Peja
Even Jackson himself said he's never seen a team perform that well in a playoff game ever. Lakers deserved this though. Phil Jackson made fun of the city of Dallas. Those Hollywood boys couldn't handle a team that is actually good. Barnes talked trash before the game, claiming he had the blueprint to beat Dallas. Well, they didn't win a single game and he contributed nothing. During Game 3, Lamar Odom was talking to a Dallas fan in the stands saying that they were going to win that game and the series. They did neither. After Game 3, Kobe said he still believed they were going to win the series. They couldn't even make the next game respectable. Not only did they get outplayed, they got severely outclassed, but with Andrew Bynum on your team it's almost a guarantee that'll happen. He cheap shots people like it's his job. Doesn't even make an attempt to go for the ball. Lamar couldn't handle being beaten by the better team, and neither could Ron Artest at the end of Game 2. Funny how two of the three incidents that occurred targeted the smallest player on the court, JJ Barea. Shows how tough the Lakers really are.
LA showed no heart in this series and that's because Dallas took it out of them. Dirk came through in the clutch in Games 1 and 3, something every Laker failed to do, especially Kobe. None of those games were flukes. Dallas was simply the dominant team during that series. As I said before, Kobe struggled against New Orleans, and he didn't perform well in the second round. Everyone was saying, "What is wrong with the Lakers?" after the series. No. Nothing was wrong with the Lakers. The Mavs completely threw them off their rhythm and into a spin cycle instantly after tipoff in Game 1. Everyone talked about the height and length advantage LA had. Sorry to tell you, folks, but if they can't play basketball that's not going to mean a whole lot. Dallas is the reason people are questioning the Lakers. Nothing else.
Phil Jackson stayed in search of a threepeat, but left with the worst whooping of his life. The first sweep of his historic career and the end of a dynasty came at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks.
Even now, people are saying the team that comes out of OKC and Memphis will be favored over Dallas. I'm sure that's just the way they want it, though.
No one saw that coming. I've loved Dallas all season long, but I didn't expect them to win those two games in LA. Split, but not both of them. Then, not losing focus and winning both games at home to decimate the Lakers was phenomenal. Leading up to the series, no one gave Dallas a chance, except Charles Barkley. I predicted Dallas in 6 in the last blog, but 4? Against the greatest coach in NBA history and a top 10 player? Speaks volumes about Dallas. Even when they were up 3-0, people were saying that if any team was going to come back from 3-0, it was these Lakers, and if any team was going to let it happen, it was these Mavs. Well, Dallas won Game 4 by 36 points. It wasn't even close. In Phil Jackson's last game, he got absolutely slaughtered by one of the greatest shooting performances of all time.
20 threes - tied NBA playoff record
9 threes by Jason Terry - tied playoff record, best in terms of percentage. The REAL 6th man. Lamar is overrated.
6 for 6 from downtown for Peja
Even Jackson himself said he's never seen a team perform that well in a playoff game ever. Lakers deserved this though. Phil Jackson made fun of the city of Dallas. Those Hollywood boys couldn't handle a team that is actually good. Barnes talked trash before the game, claiming he had the blueprint to beat Dallas. Well, they didn't win a single game and he contributed nothing. During Game 3, Lamar Odom was talking to a Dallas fan in the stands saying that they were going to win that game and the series. They did neither. After Game 3, Kobe said he still believed they were going to win the series. They couldn't even make the next game respectable. Not only did they get outplayed, they got severely outclassed, but with Andrew Bynum on your team it's almost a guarantee that'll happen. He cheap shots people like it's his job. Doesn't even make an attempt to go for the ball. Lamar couldn't handle being beaten by the better team, and neither could Ron Artest at the end of Game 2. Funny how two of the three incidents that occurred targeted the smallest player on the court, JJ Barea. Shows how tough the Lakers really are.
LA showed no heart in this series and that's because Dallas took it out of them. Dirk came through in the clutch in Games 1 and 3, something every Laker failed to do, especially Kobe. None of those games were flukes. Dallas was simply the dominant team during that series. As I said before, Kobe struggled against New Orleans, and he didn't perform well in the second round. Everyone was saying, "What is wrong with the Lakers?" after the series. No. Nothing was wrong with the Lakers. The Mavs completely threw them off their rhythm and into a spin cycle instantly after tipoff in Game 1. Everyone talked about the height and length advantage LA had. Sorry to tell you, folks, but if they can't play basketball that's not going to mean a whole lot. Dallas is the reason people are questioning the Lakers. Nothing else.
Phil Jackson stayed in search of a threepeat, but left with the worst whooping of his life. The first sweep of his historic career and the end of a dynasty came at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks.
Even now, people are saying the team that comes out of OKC and Memphis will be favored over Dallas. I'm sure that's just the way they want it, though.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
NBA Playoffs Round 2 Predictions
I've got finals coming up so I'll make this quick.
East
(1) Bulls vs (5) Hawks
I see too much talent, size, and athleticism on Chicago to have this be a close series at all. Perhaps, though, Indiana laid the blue print on how to slow down Derrick Rose. Bulls in 5.
(2) Heat vs (3) Celtics
The matchup everyone wanted to see. The new boys against the old guns. Boston swept Miami during the regular season, but I expect both teams to hold serve at home all series long. Heat in 7.
West
(2) Lakers vs (3) Mavs
This is going to be an exciting series as well. No one is picking Dallas to win it, just like last series. Kobe didn't have a great series against the Hornets, and if that trend continues, Dallas should win this one with relative ease. Mavs in 6.
(4) Thunder vs (8) Grizzlies
OKC is not going to let Zach Randolph do his thing like he did against San An. They also don't have the defensive talent to contain Durant, Westbrook, and Serge Ibaka. Thunder in 6.
East
(1) Bulls vs (5) Hawks
I see too much talent, size, and athleticism on Chicago to have this be a close series at all. Perhaps, though, Indiana laid the blue print on how to slow down Derrick Rose. Bulls in 5.
(2) Heat vs (3) Celtics
The matchup everyone wanted to see. The new boys against the old guns. Boston swept Miami during the regular season, but I expect both teams to hold serve at home all series long. Heat in 7.
West
(2) Lakers vs (3) Mavs
This is going to be an exciting series as well. No one is picking Dallas to win it, just like last series. Kobe didn't have a great series against the Hornets, and if that trend continues, Dallas should win this one with relative ease. Mavs in 6.
(4) Thunder vs (8) Grizzlies
OKC is not going to let Zach Randolph do his thing like he did against San An. They also don't have the defensive talent to contain Durant, Westbrook, and Serge Ibaka. Thunder in 6.
NBA Playoffs Round 1 Wrap Up
First, let's wrap up Round 1.
East
(1) Bulls - (8) Pacers
Indiana put up a damn good fight every game, and well could've won this series, but just too much Derrick Rose early on. The Pacers had him under wraps a couple games and did an excellent job stopping him, but at that point the Bulls had it won.
(2) Heat - (7) 76ers
Philly did the same thing and Indy. The young Sixers squad came out to play and never game up in any of the games. Lots of heart from those young folks, but not nearly enough to topple King James and Co.
(3) Celtics - (6) Knicks
Games 1 & 2 easily could've gone to NY and completely changed the complexion of the series, but Boston hit the big shots in both those games and left the Knicks demoralized in MSG. Boston finished them off their with ease.
(4) Magic - (5) Hawks
This was the most surprising series to me. Perhaps I completely overestimated the Magic. I still don't think the Hawks are a great team. I simply think Orlando played terribly during the series, aside from Dwight Howard, and no one could step up to help him out.
West
(1) Spurs - (8) Grizzlies
I anticipated a hard series for the Spurs, but I didn't think they'd lose it. I'm not too surprised, considering Memphis matches up phenomenally against San An. This was probably the one team SA didn't want to face in the playoffs. There were a couple games that could've gone either way in the series, one went to the Spurs and the other went to the Griz. Could've been a different story had SA taken the first tossup game. I'm sad to see the legends that are Tony Parkey, Manu Ginobili, and THE Tim Duncan go so early. Always a great team to watch and I hope they come back strong next year.
(2) Lakers - (7) Hornets
NO startled LA early on, but not even a tweaked ankle from Kobe was going to let them lose this series. LA was just the better team.
(3) Mavs - (6) Blazers
This was a more lopsided series than it showed. After a Game 4 Portland victory, I said the series was over. Dallas won. It took everything from their no name players and has-been superstar Brandon Roy to win that game. Not to mention Dirk and Terry shot terribly and you BARELY win the game. Portland needed everything to go right for them and everything to go wrong for Dallas to squeak by games. The Mavs came back the next two games and handled them to finish the job.
(4) Thunder - (5) Nuggets
Lots of firepower from both teams, but too much Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. Both very fun teams to watch.
East
(1) Bulls - (8) Pacers
Indiana put up a damn good fight every game, and well could've won this series, but just too much Derrick Rose early on. The Pacers had him under wraps a couple games and did an excellent job stopping him, but at that point the Bulls had it won.
(2) Heat - (7) 76ers
Philly did the same thing and Indy. The young Sixers squad came out to play and never game up in any of the games. Lots of heart from those young folks, but not nearly enough to topple King James and Co.
(3) Celtics - (6) Knicks
Games 1 & 2 easily could've gone to NY and completely changed the complexion of the series, but Boston hit the big shots in both those games and left the Knicks demoralized in MSG. Boston finished them off their with ease.
(4) Magic - (5) Hawks
This was the most surprising series to me. Perhaps I completely overestimated the Magic. I still don't think the Hawks are a great team. I simply think Orlando played terribly during the series, aside from Dwight Howard, and no one could step up to help him out.
West
(1) Spurs - (8) Grizzlies
I anticipated a hard series for the Spurs, but I didn't think they'd lose it. I'm not too surprised, considering Memphis matches up phenomenally against San An. This was probably the one team SA didn't want to face in the playoffs. There were a couple games that could've gone either way in the series, one went to the Spurs and the other went to the Griz. Could've been a different story had SA taken the first tossup game. I'm sad to see the legends that are Tony Parkey, Manu Ginobili, and THE Tim Duncan go so early. Always a great team to watch and I hope they come back strong next year.
(2) Lakers - (7) Hornets
NO startled LA early on, but not even a tweaked ankle from Kobe was going to let them lose this series. LA was just the better team.
(3) Mavs - (6) Blazers
This was a more lopsided series than it showed. After a Game 4 Portland victory, I said the series was over. Dallas won. It took everything from their no name players and has-been superstar Brandon Roy to win that game. Not to mention Dirk and Terry shot terribly and you BARELY win the game. Portland needed everything to go right for them and everything to go wrong for Dallas to squeak by games. The Mavs came back the next two games and handled them to finish the job.
(4) Thunder - (5) Nuggets
Lots of firepower from both teams, but too much Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. Both very fun teams to watch.
Monday, April 18, 2011
NASCAR at Talladega
Unreal. It was pretty much summed up in ESPN's headline of the race. It was along the lines of, "If you weren't thrilled by the finish at Talladega on Sunday, then NASCAR really is not for you." They even went so far as to state, "If you weren't thrilled by Talladega on Sunday, wake up." Truer words have never been spoken. This is as exciting as it gets, folks.
The intensity of that last lap can't be described. It was an eventful race throughout with a couple crashes taking out some people like Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne, Matt Kenseth, and Kyle Busch. Jimmie Johnson and Dale Jr were almost caught as well, but they were able to avoid anything disastrous by merely side swiping each other and still able to say in the race.
On Saturday, Dale Jr stating he thought that the whole tandem thing was silly, saying he preferred old school racing better when it was just straight up. Well, perhaps his perspective has changed after what he did on Sunday. With less than a lap to go, he got behind teammate Jimmie Johnson and they both rolled to the inside of the track by getting under teammate Jeff Gordon, the leader at the time. Next thing you know, the 6th and 5th place Earnhardt and Johnson, ended in 4th and 1st, respectively.
With the unbelievable 88/48 tandem, Jimmie was able to steal the victory by .002 seconds, tying the closest finish in NASCAR history. It that stat isn't shocking in itself, what about Mark Martin, finishing in 8th place, finishing .145 seconds behind winner Jimmie Johnson. That's how close the race was between the top 8 drivers. Absolutely absurd. Dale pushing JJ, Mark Martin pushing Jeff, Kevin Harvick pushing Clint Bowyer.
Phenomenal weekend for Hendrick Motorsports. They became only the 3rd team in history to claim the top 4 starting positions, with Jeff Gordon leading the way by winning the pole. During the actual race, though, they still performed. Jimmie Johnson in 1st, Jeff Gordon in 3rd, Dale Jr in 4th, Mark Martin in 8th. Again, all 4 separated by .145 seconds.
I can't restate enough how sick that pass down low was by the 88/48 combo. Dale knew having Jimmie in front was the faster duo and he put himself in a position where he couldn't win the race, but he made it happen for his teammate. Marvelous selflessness from Dale. This is definitely going down as one of the best races in the history folks. I don't think we've ever seen such a close finish within the top 8 like that, and I'm not sure it's ever going to happen again.
The intensity of that last lap can't be described. It was an eventful race throughout with a couple crashes taking out some people like Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne, Matt Kenseth, and Kyle Busch. Jimmie Johnson and Dale Jr were almost caught as well, but they were able to avoid anything disastrous by merely side swiping each other and still able to say in the race.
On Saturday, Dale Jr stating he thought that the whole tandem thing was silly, saying he preferred old school racing better when it was just straight up. Well, perhaps his perspective has changed after what he did on Sunday. With less than a lap to go, he got behind teammate Jimmie Johnson and they both rolled to the inside of the track by getting under teammate Jeff Gordon, the leader at the time. Next thing you know, the 6th and 5th place Earnhardt and Johnson, ended in 4th and 1st, respectively.
With the unbelievable 88/48 tandem, Jimmie was able to steal the victory by .002 seconds, tying the closest finish in NASCAR history. It that stat isn't shocking in itself, what about Mark Martin, finishing in 8th place, finishing .145 seconds behind winner Jimmie Johnson. That's how close the race was between the top 8 drivers. Absolutely absurd. Dale pushing JJ, Mark Martin pushing Jeff, Kevin Harvick pushing Clint Bowyer.
Phenomenal weekend for Hendrick Motorsports. They became only the 3rd team in history to claim the top 4 starting positions, with Jeff Gordon leading the way by winning the pole. During the actual race, though, they still performed. Jimmie Johnson in 1st, Jeff Gordon in 3rd, Dale Jr in 4th, Mark Martin in 8th. Again, all 4 separated by .145 seconds.
I can't restate enough how sick that pass down low was by the 88/48 combo. Dale knew having Jimmie in front was the faster duo and he put himself in a position where he couldn't win the race, but he made it happen for his teammate. Marvelous selflessness from Dale. This is definitely going down as one of the best races in the history folks. I don't think we've ever seen such a close finish within the top 8 like that, and I'm not sure it's ever going to happen again.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
NBA Playoffs Game 1s
With the first couple days of the playoffs done, it's already been exciting and surprising.
The Bulls squeaked by the Pacers who went ice cold the final two minutes.
Hansbrough played great for Indiana and Danny Granger came alive in the 2nd half but their choked down the stretch to give the game to the Bulls. I feel like that was their best shot to steal a game, and now they wont get any closer than that.
The Heat got all they could handle against the 76ers.
The Sixers came out firing, but Miami settled in and hit big shots. Philly came back but it just wasn't enough. AI did a great job on LeBron. I could see this being a pretty exciting series if Philly can keep LBJ under control and make it a D-Wade focused game.
The Celtics needed late game heroics to be bailed out against the Knicks.
The Knicks had this one in the bag but Ray Allen was huge all game and hit the game winner. NY can't dwell on such a heartbreaking loss and come back next game. Very physical game. Should be a great series.
The Magic got manhandled by the underdog Hawks.
Dwight Howard did everything he could and more in this matchup. 31 points in the first half and still being down? I don't know what the rest of his team was doing. If they continue to play so one-dimensional they will get swept. They're a versatile team, though, so I expect them to come out strong next game.
The Spurs came back in the clutch, but the Grizzlies ultimately took it back with a Shane Battier 3.
Matt Bonner came up huge with back-to-back 3s in the final minutes, but Battier's triple proved to be the decider. Richard Jefferson got as good a look as you're going to get in this league to tie the game but he hit back iron. I knew it was going to be a struggle for San An. Memphis is tough, but when Ginobili comes back it's over.
The Lakers got stomped by the Hornets and CP3s amazing performance.
No defense by these Lakers. Got pushed around in the paint all day. Pau Gasol is going to need to play better on both ends of the court if they want to win this series, and that's exactly what I expect him to do.
The Mavericks toughed it out against the Blazers in the 4th thanks to Dirk and J-Kidd.
After struggling all night, Dirk was extremely aggressive in the 4th and went to the line 13 times and nailed all 13 of his free throws. 18 points in the 4th and the dagger 3 from Jason Kidd iced this game for Dallas. The Mavs went almost 11 minutes without hitting a shot. If they can play that poorly and Dirk can shoot that poorly (7-20) and they STILL win the game, Portland is in trouble. Dallas did everything they could to give them the game and they couldn't take advantage. This series is as good as over.
The Thunder and Nuggets traded blows until OKC came out on top.
I feel like these two teams will be scoring in triple digits often. Great game by both teams and especially by Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. This young duo is exciting as any to watch and if they stick together and do some real damage in the future. They're already going to do a good amount this postseason.
The Bulls squeaked by the Pacers who went ice cold the final two minutes.
Hansbrough played great for Indiana and Danny Granger came alive in the 2nd half but their choked down the stretch to give the game to the Bulls. I feel like that was their best shot to steal a game, and now they wont get any closer than that.
The Heat got all they could handle against the 76ers.
The Sixers came out firing, but Miami settled in and hit big shots. Philly came back but it just wasn't enough. AI did a great job on LeBron. I could see this being a pretty exciting series if Philly can keep LBJ under control and make it a D-Wade focused game.
The Celtics needed late game heroics to be bailed out against the Knicks.
The Knicks had this one in the bag but Ray Allen was huge all game and hit the game winner. NY can't dwell on such a heartbreaking loss and come back next game. Very physical game. Should be a great series.
The Magic got manhandled by the underdog Hawks.
Dwight Howard did everything he could and more in this matchup. 31 points in the first half and still being down? I don't know what the rest of his team was doing. If they continue to play so one-dimensional they will get swept. They're a versatile team, though, so I expect them to come out strong next game.
The Spurs came back in the clutch, but the Grizzlies ultimately took it back with a Shane Battier 3.
Matt Bonner came up huge with back-to-back 3s in the final minutes, but Battier's triple proved to be the decider. Richard Jefferson got as good a look as you're going to get in this league to tie the game but he hit back iron. I knew it was going to be a struggle for San An. Memphis is tough, but when Ginobili comes back it's over.
The Lakers got stomped by the Hornets and CP3s amazing performance.
No defense by these Lakers. Got pushed around in the paint all day. Pau Gasol is going to need to play better on both ends of the court if they want to win this series, and that's exactly what I expect him to do.
The Mavericks toughed it out against the Blazers in the 4th thanks to Dirk and J-Kidd.
After struggling all night, Dirk was extremely aggressive in the 4th and went to the line 13 times and nailed all 13 of his free throws. 18 points in the 4th and the dagger 3 from Jason Kidd iced this game for Dallas. The Mavs went almost 11 minutes without hitting a shot. If they can play that poorly and Dirk can shoot that poorly (7-20) and they STILL win the game, Portland is in trouble. Dallas did everything they could to give them the game and they couldn't take advantage. This series is as good as over.
The Thunder and Nuggets traded blows until OKC came out on top.
I feel like these two teams will be scoring in triple digits often. Great game by both teams and especially by Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. This young duo is exciting as any to watch and if they stick together and do some real damage in the future. They're already going to do a good amount this postseason.
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