Category: NBA (Page 339 of 595)

      Lakers take Game 1

      May 20, 2009 /

      With an efficient 39 points from Carmelo Anthony, it looked like the Nuggets might pull the upset in Game 1, but a key steal by Trevor Ariza and some clutch play from Kobe Bryant sealed the Laker win, 105-103.

      The Lakers struggled early on, and with Anthony scoring 16 points in the first quarter, the Nuggets led by eight after the first period. As the game wore on, it became clear that the Nuggets are simply tougher than the Lakers. Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Kenyon Martin, Nene, Chris Andersen, Anthony Carter, and even Dahntay Jones — they’re all tough players, both mentally and physically. How many Lakers fit that description? Kobe? Yep. Derek Fisher? Yep. Anyone else? Not really.

      But Kobe is a closer. He had 18 points in the fourth quarter, 40 on the game. He literally carried the Lakers offensively. And he did a great job on Billups for most of the game before having to switch to Anthony to try to slow him down. I was really impressed with how Kobe and Melo battled throughout the game. Anthony really stepped up on the glass and defensively, even though Bryant went off in the final quarter.

      The Nuggets made a few mental errors down the stretch. Carter’s bad pass led to the Ariza steal, and K-Mart had a bad, bad foul on Kobe Bryant when the game was tied with 0:30 to play. The questions about the Nuggets remain — do they know how to win in the clutch?

      This looks like it’s going to be a great series.

      NBA, NBA Finals

      Clippers win NBA Draft Lottery

      May 19, 2009 /

      Almost a year after they lost Elton Brand to free agency, the Los Angeles Clippers will have an opportunity to replace him with Blake Griffin after striking gold in the NBA Draft Lottery.

      Even the Clippers can’t screw this one up…

      Here is the full lottery order:

      1. Clippers
      2. Grizzlies
      3. Thunder
      4. Kings
      5. Wizards
      6. Timberwolves
      7. Warriors
      8. Knicks
      9. Raptors
      10. Bucks
      11. Nets
      12. Bobcats
      13. Pacers
      14. Suns

      NBA, NBA Draft

      Lakers/Nuggets Preview

      May 19, 2009 /

      Kobe Bryant called his team “bipolar” and the Lakers have done nothing to disprove that diagnosis in these playoffs. They were pushed to a Game 7 by a Rockets team that had no business winning Game 4 or Game 6 without Yao Ming. When the Lakers are on their game, there aren’t too many teams in the league that can hang with them. When they are scatterbrained and unfocused, they lose. For Kobe and Co., it’s more of a question of chemistry and psychology than it is strategy, tactics or personnel. The Nuggets don’t have anyone that can stop (or even slow down) Kobe, so if the rest of the Lakers show up, they should win this series.

      How do the Nuggets pull off an upset? First, they need Chauncey Billups and Carmelo Anthony to get hot. Melo’s matchup with Trevor Ariza is important — Anthony needs to dominate. They need to find a way to score even when the Lakers are focused defensively, and that means they need to feed Nene the ball inside. He averaged 16 points and seven boards against Dallas, and needs to continue that fine play in the Conference Finals. It’s important that he keep Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom engaged defensively.

      Off the Denver bench, J.R. Smith has been hot and he needs to stay hot. There isn’t anyone on the Laker bench that can stay with him, other than maybe Shannon Brown. If Sasha Vujacic tries his over-aggressive “humping” style defense, Smith is going to make short work of him. If Smith averages 18+ in this series, the Nuggets have a puncher’s chance of springing the upset. Conversely, the Denver bench really needs to make the Laker role players work for their points. Denver needs to force Kobe into taking 25 or 30 shots per game. If they do, it will mean that the triangle offense isn’t working very well.

      The Lakers won the season series, 3-1, and with home court advantage, it’s no surprise that they are a 2:5 favorite in the series. These Nuggets won’t lay down, and they are playing some great basketball right now. If L.A. phones it in, especially at home, Denver could pounce.

      NBA, NBA Finals

      John Wall picks Kentucky

      May 19, 2009 /

      After a long dance, top high school recruit John Wall is headed to Kentucky to play for John Calipari.

      Wall, ranked the No. 1 point guard, No. 5 overall, on the ESPNU 100, informed Miami coach Frank Haith Tuesday morning that he had committed to Kentucky. The reasoning, according to a source, was because he just wanted to play for Calipari.

      If Calipari had stayed as coach at Memphis, there would have been no drama in Wall’s commitment. Privately, Calipari was convinced Wall would have chosen the Tigers, but the coach’s departure to Kentucky created a soap opera in the renewed recruiting chase.

      Wall teased Duke, and actually gave Miami an informal commitment last week, according to a source close to the situation. But ultimately, the Word of God Christian Academy playmaker out of Raleigh, N.C., didn’t stray from his original plan: He chose to play for Calipari, except the pursuit for a national title will be out of Lexington instead of Memphis.

      According to sources, this had been an issue for Wall’s adviser, Brian Clifton, who likely will be the one to represent Wall when the player eventually declares for the NBA draft.

      A source close to the situation at Duke said multiple times that if Clifton were making the call, Duke would have been selected. But Wall, according to sources, made the decision.

      Dajuan Wagner, Derrick Rose, Tyreke Evans…It’s clear that Wall sees Calipari as a conduit to the NBA, not that he’d have much problem becoming a lottery pick at Duke or Miami. It will be interesting to see how Calipari uses both Wall and Eric Bledsoe, who also recently committed to Kentucky.

      College Basketball, High School Sports, NBA, NBA Draft, News

      The Conference Finals: The four trades that got us here

      May 19, 2009 /

      We’re down to four teams…Cavs/Magic…Lakers/Nuggets…

      What do they have in common? Star power, efficient offense, pretty solid defense, good coaching…check, check, check and check.

      But how about an aggressive front office?

      Each of these four teams made a major trade in the last two years.

      July 11, 2007: The Magic sign Rashard Lewis
      This was a sign-and-trade, not a straight free agent signing, but the Magic only had to give up a conditional second round pick. The upside for the then-Seattle Supersonics was a trade exception worth $9 million. The contract (six years, $110 million) seemed outlandish at the time, and Lewis is still overpaid, but the Magic did what they had to do to get him. He’s a great fit for what Orlando is trying to do. They are built like the Rockets were in the Hakeem Olajuwon era — find a big man who commands a double-team, and surround him with great shooters. Lewis is the Magic’s version of Robert Horry in that he’s a lanky, versatile, sharpshooting big man. Strength-wise, he’s not built like a typical power forward, but since the NBA has gotten smaller and quicker over the past few years, he can get by against most teams. Offensively, he creates all sorts of problems for opposing power forwards as he can drill the long ball (career 39% from 3PT) or take it to the rack. He’s also pretty good in the post when teams try to defend him with a smaller player.

      Sure, the Magic overpaid on that contract, but I think it’s safe to say that if they hadn’t, they wouldn’t be in the Eastern Conference Finals right now. Lewis is a big, big part of Orlando’s recent success. GM Otis Smith deserves a lot of credit for having the cojones to pull the trigger on this deal.

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      NBA, NBA Finals

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