Author: John Paulsen (Page 874 of 937)

Cleveland 114, Washington 113 (OT) (Cavs win series, 4-2)
I can’t imagine sitting the entire game, only to be inserted on my team’s final possession in overtime, and be expected to make the game-winning shot. But that’s what Mike Brown expected of Damon Jones, and he delivered, allowing the Cavs to advance to the second round. Before the heroics of Jones, LeBron James once again led the way tallying 32 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. The Wizards got another great game from Gilbert Arenas (36 points, 11 assists, five boards), who has established himself as one of the NBA’s most effective offensive players. But back to LeBron. He still has a tendency to settle for long range jump shots leading up to crunch time, but when the game is on the line, he’s usually going to the hole. He needs to continue to attack the rim relentlessly if Cleveland is going to have a realistic shot of advancing past round two. The team also needs to get Drew Gooden and Zydrunas Ilgauskas involved on the post if they hope to score consistently on the Pistons, who are a far better defensive team that Washington. Lastly, Larry Hughes needs to remove his head from his ass and provide some decent spot up shooting to help his team. He went 3-17 in Game 6, and most of his shots weren’t even close.

San Antonio 105, Sacramento 83 (Spurs win series, 4-2)
Everyone is acting like it was only a matter of time before the Spurs dispatched the Kings. If not for a very fortunate bounce on a Brent Barry three-pointer in Game 2, the Kings could have easily been up 3-2 looking to close out the series at home in Game 6. But the champs are the champs and you can’t deny the effort and execution they put forth Friday night. The game was close until halftime, but the Spurs broke away in the third quarter and were able to coast for much of the second half. Tony Parker continues to play well, scoring 31 and leading six Spurs in double figures. San Antonio goes on to play Dallas in a matchup of the two best teams in the West.

Meanwhile, Sacramento has all their stars signed for next season except for Bonzi Wells, who will have some suitors in free agency after a terrific series against San Antonio. He averaged 23/12, while shooting 61% from the field. Otherwise, the team has a nice core group with Mike Bibby, Brad Miller, Ron Artest, Kenny Thomas, Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Kevin Martin. All they need to do is resign Wells or find a shooting guard in the draft or free agency. If they keep this group together (and keep Rick Adelman) they should find themselves somewhere in the #4-#6 range heading into the playoffs next season.

Phoenix 126, L.A. Lakers 118 (OT) (series tied, 3-3)
In what many are calling the best first round in NBA Playoff history, the Suns/Lakers matchup has been the best series. From Kobe Bryant delivering the Lakers an unlikely victory in Game 4, giving L.A. a 3-1 advantage, to the Suns scrappy play in Games 5 and 6 to even the series 3-3, this has been a battle for the ages. It’s a story that could have been ripped from a Hollywood script – you’ve got an unlikely hero (Steve Nash) going up against formidable enemies (Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson), facing all sorts of adversity along the way.

The last time Phoenix visited L.A., disaster struck. They blew a five point lead with 0:12 to play, eventually losing, 99-98, in overtime. This time, the Suns found themselves down, 105-102, when Tim Thomas hit a three with 0:06 to play to force an extra period. In overtime, Phoenix took control, going on a 15-6 run from which the Lakers would never recover. Steve Nash had a great game, scoring 32 and dishing out 13 assists. Shawn Marion went for 20/12, while the league’s Most Improved Player, Boris Diaw, tallied 19 points and seven assists. But the two most valuable contributions came from a couple of Phoenix role players. Leandro Barbosa filled in for a suspended Raja Bell by scoring 22 points on 7-9 (78%) shooting. Tim Thomas, acquired from Chicago during the season after injuries to Kurt Thomas and Amare Stoudemire decimated the team, went for 21/10, and hit two crucial three-pointers late in the game. Kobe Bryant had his first huge scoring game of the series, dropping 50 on 20-35 (57%) shooting. His supporting cast played well, but L.A. just doesn’t have enough firepower to compete with the Suns when they are scoring like they did in Game 6. The two teams travel back to Phoenix for Game 7 on Saturday (8:30 PM, TNT), and if the game reflects the series, it should be a battle.

New Jersey 96, Indiana 90 (Nets win series, 4-2)
Indiana put up a fight, but in the end, it just wasn’t enough. The Nets overcame a career night by journeyman Anthony Johnson (40 points) to put the Pacers away in six games. Richard Jefferson scored 30 and Vince Carter scored 24 while Jason Kidd was two points shy of his ninth playoff triple double. The Pacers were once again without Peja Stojakovic, who missed his fourth game of the series. The Nets will go on to play the Heat, while the Pacers face uncertainty in the offseason. Stojakovic is a free agent and Stephen Jackson has already indicated that he wouldn’t mind a trade this summer. Danny Granger looks to be a nice prospect, so I’m not sure resigning Stojakovic is the right move. The Pacers are fairly deep at guard, with Johnson, Sarunas Jasikevicius and Jamaal Tinsley, but they should be starting Johnson at point guard which means that Tinsley would be an overpaid backup (33.6 M over the next five years). In the frontcourt, O’Neal is signed through 2009/2010, and has been great when he’s not saddled by injuries. He could use some help up front either in the form of a scoring small forward (Stojakovic) or a free agent center.

Miami 113, Chicago 96 (Heat win series 4-2)
Boy, it’s hard to figure this Miami team out. At times, they look unstoppable and, at other times, they look unmotivated and sluggish. Many questioned the offseason additions of Antoine Walker, Gary Payton and Jason Williams, who collectively don’t have a reputation of creating team chemistry. But when the team shares the ball and plays together, they are tough to beat. Shaqulle O’Neal had 30 points and 20 rebounds, playing his best game of the series. Dwayne Wade chipped in with 23 points and six assists. Chicago’s “Big Three” (Kirk Hinrich, Andres Nocioni and Ben Gordon) combined for 64 points on 47% shooting, but it wasn’t enough to keep the game close.

Chicago is in a good position going into the offseason. They finished the season as one of the hottest teams in the East, and thanks to Isiah Thomas and that Eddy Curry trade, they look forward to a top three pick in the draft. With Hinrich, Nocioni, Gordon, Luol Deng and Chris Duhon, they are loaded at guard and small forward, but are desperate for a power foward who can score inside to play alongside defensive-minded Tyson Chandler. There has been talk all season of the possibility of landing Kevin Garnett in a trade, and if they can find a way to do it without losing Hinrich or Nocioni, they’d be wise to pull the trigger. However, it’s going to be tough because the Bulls just don’t have the big-salary players to match Garnett’s 20 M salary.

Cleveland 121, Washington 120 (OT) (Cavs lead series, 3-2)
Things were looking a little grim for the Cavs, down by one with 3.6 seconds to play in overtime. They had already squandered a seven point lead with 1:18 to play in regulation, giving Washington all the momentum going into the extra period. But the Wizards allowed LeBron James to catch the ball going towards the basket and the young superstar did the rest, slicing his way along the baseline before exploding towards the front of the rim for a layup between three Washington defenders. The shot was incredible – there’s maybe one other guy in the league that has the skill set to pull it off (Kobe Bryant), but he usually settles for jumpers. James finished with 45 points, seven rebounds and six assists, shooting a remarkable 61% from the field. Overshadowed by James’ game, Gilbert Arenas went for 44/5/4, marking the first time since the 2001 NBA Finals (Allen Iverson and Shaquille O’Neal) that two players in the same playoff game scored 40 or more. These teams seem very evenly matched, so there is no telling what will happen on Friday when the two meet again in Game 6.

Detroit 122, Milwaukee 93 (Pistons win series, 4-1)
In a result that won’t surpise anyone, the Detroit Pistons dispatched the Bucks and will now await the winner of the Cavs/Wizards series. Lost in all the LeBron James/Gilbert Arenas drama, Richard Hamilton had a fine game, scoring 40 points on 15 for 23 shooting. Milwaukee was impressive in their blowout win in Game 3, and it looked for a moment that this might turn into a series, but the Bucks just aren’t ready defensively to compete with the Pistons.

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.