Month: May 2006 (Page 19 of 20)

New Jersey 92, Indiana 86 (Nets lead series, 3-2)
Vince Carter isn’t choking in these playoffs…yet. Carter posted 34 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists in his second consecutive monster game. In the series, he’s averaging 30.2/8.8/5.4 on 47.8% shooting from the field. Richard Jefferson scored 24, Nenad Krstic chipped in 19 while grabbing 11 rebounds, and Jason Kidd delivered 15 assists in the victory. After an inauspicious start to the series, the Nets are finally playing like the team that performed so well down the stretch. Still, they are not dominating the Pacers, so it will be interesting to see – if they can close out the series – how they play against a better team (Miami or Chicago).

Miami 92, Chicago 78 (Heat, 3-2)
Dwayne Wade took a hard fall late in the second quarter, but x-rays were negative and he was able to return after a shot to dull the pain, finishing with 28 points, five rebounds and five assists. Miami shook off two pretty poor performances in Chicago to defend home court and give them the opportunity to close out the series on Thursday. Wade only has one day’s rest before Game 6, and I wonder how his bruised hip is feeling today.

San Antonio 109, Sacramento 98 (Spurs, 3-2)
Three words made the Spurs feel much better in Game 5: home sweet home. San Antonio shot 57.4% from the field, with Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan combining for 72 points on 26 of 40 shooting (65.0%) from the field. After playing better ball than the Spurs for three consecutive games, the contest was a letdown for the Kings, who were led once again by Bonzi Wells (38 points, 12 rebounds). Mike Bibby (eight points, four assists) and Brad Miller (10 points, two rebounds) were held in check. Game 6 is Friday in Sacramento.

Phoenix 114, LA Lakers 97 (Lakers, 3-2)
On the heels of winning the league’s Most Improved Player award, Boris Diaw celebrated with an almost-triple double, posting 25 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists in the blowout win. The Suns’ offense finally woke up, with six players scoring in double figures. Despite not playing all that well, Phoenix was in both games in Los Angeles, so Game 6 should be interesting. The Lakers do not want to come back to Phoenix to try to close the series out, so expect Kobe Bryant to be a little more aggressive offensively.

Boris Diaw spent last season on Atlanta’s bench. A year later, he’s going to win the league’s award for Most Improved Player, playing for the Suns.

Diaw set career highs in almost every statistical category including points (13.3), rebounds (6.9), assists (6.2) and minutes (35.5), playing in every game until skipping the meaningless season finale in Portland with strep throat. During his first two seasons in Atlanta, Diaw averaged 4.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists.

The Hawks tried to use Diaw at point guard and when that didn’t work out, they decided to throw him in along with two first round draft picks in the trade that brought Joe Johnson to the team. With Amare Stoudemire and Kurt Thomas out of the lineup with season-ending injuries, Diaw filled in at center for the size-depleted Suns.

Once Stoudemire returns, the Suns will be really scary.