Author: John Paulsen (Page 872 of 937)

Miami 103, New Jersey 92 (Heat lead series, 2-1)
Tied after three quarters, the Heat scored 31 points in the fourth quarter en route to a decisive victory in Game 3, and regained home-court advantage in the process. Dwayne Wayne flirted with a triple-double, posting 30 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds, including 14-15 shooting from the charity stripe. Shaquille O’Neal stayed out of foul trouble for most of the game, and went for 19/9 in the process. If Wade is playing well and Shaq is on the court, the Heat are a tough team to beat. The Nets got 43 points from Vince Carter, who made 50% of the shots he hoisted. Nenad Krstic and Jason Kidd combined for 8-26 (31%) shooting, which really hampered New Jersey’s chances.

Phoenix 94, L.A. Clippers 91 (Suns lead series 2-1)
I attended Game 3 in L.A. and the Clippers squandered a golden opportunity to take control of the series, allowing the Suns to steal a victory. Considering that L.A. held Phoenix to 37% shooting, the Clippers problems were all at the offensive end. In the third quarter, L.A. shot a miserable 6 of 20 (30%) from the field and committed five turnovers, which allowed the Suns to build a nine point lead. For some reason, the Clippers stopped running the offense through Elton Brand, and instead used their All-Star as a screener for most of the quarter. This led to an 11-point Phoenix lead before Vladimir Radmanovic caught fire. The 6’10” forward hit four straight three-pointers and added a layup to lead his team on a 16-2 run that gave the Clippers the lead, 79-76, with just under seven minutes to play in the fourth quarter. But the Suns found themselves up by one with 0:28 to play, needing a bucket to seal the win. Steve Nash had a quiet game (12 points, 10 assists), but hit a tough fadeaway jumper with 0:03 to play that put the Suns up three. Radmanovic’s desperation three fell short at the buzzer and just like that, the Clippers’ home-court advantage is gone.

On another note, you know you’re in L.A. when the worst heckle you hear the entire game is “do something about your hair, Nash!”

ESPN’s Daily Dime has issued a list of the Top 10 point guards of all time. SI.com has their own list. Both sites have Magic Johnson #1.

My NBA memory only goes back as far as the ’80s, so I don’t feel comfortable comparing players from vastly different eras. The game has changed so much, even in the last 25 years, that it takes a degree in math to correctly compare Magic to Steve Nash. Throw in John Stockton, Isiah Thomas (the point guard, NOT the GM), Jason Kidd and even Gary Payton – who has sullied his reputation some by lingering a bit too long – and you have the makings of a good modern-era list. Some other names that should be mentioned are Tim Hardaway, Mark Price, Chauncey Billups, Tony Parker and Terry Porter. And here’s a name that you can add to this list in a few years: Chris Paul. Who am I missing?

Note: I consider Allen Iverson and Dwayne Wade to be shooting guards.

Miami 111, New Jersey 89 (series tied, 1-1)
I wonder what the win % is for a home team in Game 2 of a seven-game series, after losing Game 1. I’d suspect it’s pretty high. The road team goes into the game feeling like they’ve already stolen home court advantage while the home team – usually the favorite in the series – puts forth supreme effort in order to avoid leaving home down 0-2. Such was the case with the Heat, who continue to look awful one game and terrific the next. Miami jumped out to a 41-19 lead at the end of the first quarter and never looked back. Dwayne Wade led the way for Miami with 31 points (on 12-19 shooting), six assists and five rebounds. Shaquille O’Neal stayed out of foul trouble and was able to post 21 points and six boards in just 29 minutes. Once the game got out of hand, Nets coach Lawrence Frank should have pulled Richard Jefferson, who was questionable for Game 2 with a bruised ankle. Why Frank played him 36 minutes, I do not know.

L.A. Clippers 122, Phoenix 97 (series tied, 1-1)
This is what the Lakers wanted to do, only they didn’t have the personnel to do it. Are Elton Brand and Chris Kaman an upgrade over Lamar Odom and Kwame Brown? You bet. The Clippers’ inside duo dominated the Suns to the tune of a combined 41 points and 26 boards, including 10 offensive rebounds. In fact, here’s a shocking stat: Clippers as a team had 19 offensive rebounds, which was only two fewer than the Suns’ defensive rebound total. Phoenix should be worried – L.A. ate them up inside, and that’s not an easy thing to fix. The Clippers have the advantage in the series, and if they focus on rebounding and taking good shots, they’ll advance.