Paul Pierce’s 30 Points Lift Celtics over Knicks in Exciting 91-89 Win
The much anticipated rematch of the Christmas Day New York Knicks and Boston Celtics game certainly did not disappoint by any means.
This game was everything you would expect in an NBA game and more.
The game came down to the wire and the fourth quarter was jam-packed with excitement. Each of the final few possessions for each team became incredibly important with the game on the line.
The Knicks had two chances to win the game; unfortunately, those big shots were taken by Landry Fields and Steve Novak, both of whom bricked their shots. And in the end, the Celtics held on to win 91-89.
This game had even more of the makings of an instant classic, though.
There were stars that shined in this game—but the matchup of Paul Pierce and Carmelo Anthony stole the show.
Pierce continued his dominance and played perhaps his best game of the whole season. He scored 30 points, grabbed seven boards (including three offensive) and dished out five assists.
His counterpart Carmelo Anthony, although not as dominant as of late, played one of his best games as well with 26 points and six assists.
But what is a great game without drama and controversy?
Well, this game was filled with that as well. With just 12 seconds left, it seemed that Pierce had converted on a play that would forever endure in his highlight reel and live on in legend to put the Celtics up by four and essentially put the game out of reach.
He had recovered the ball stripped from him with just one second on the shot-clock and, while falling backwards, threw up a three that somehow found the bottom of the net. It was initially ruled a good basket and Pierce even gave a vintage Jordan shrug.
However, the refs had different plans, and upon review it was overturned. Those refs must have had the best vision possible because that call was so close and hard to see that I have no idea where conclusive evidence could have been found.
The Celtics obviously would win anyway, but that play, as amazing as it was, will forever be forgotten.
But to me, that wasn’t even Pierce’s best play of the game.
In my opinion, his best play of the game was when he rushed a three to try to take the lead for the first time since the opening minutes, but when it was clear he was going to miss he did something unheard of in the NBA and followed his shot.
And when he and another Knick fought over the ball and it went over half court and nearlly out of bounds, Pierce sprinted there, tracked the ball down, helping the Celtics tie the game on that possession.
That kind of hustle that is refreshing to see in the NBA was evident in this game on both sides, and it was made clear how much each team wanted this win.
Even that desire to win resulted in some chippiness, which along with hustle and desire to win is necessary for a great game. There were four technical fouls in the game, one on each coach and one on Amar’e Stoudemire and Brandon Bass.
Overall, this was one of the best games of the season and a great win for the Celtics, who appear to have turned things around.
And for the captain, Paul Pierce, this was just another sign that age is just a number for him and no hindrance to his play. He can still lead this team and will do so on a consistent basis.
On top of all this, this game was also a great precursor to the Super Bowl. It got the juices flowing in the New York-Boston rivalry and was probably an indication of what will come in the Super Bowl.
Like this game, the Super Bowl is expected to be quite exciting and come down to the final possessions. Hopefully, the Super Bowl will be able to deliver like this Boston-New York game did.
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Lakers open road trip with win over Nuggets
The Lakers opened a season-high six-game road swing with a gritty win over Denver, thanks to 42 points from Andrew Bynum and Kobe Bryant.
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Patterson looks like old self in win over Suns
HOUSTON This night was going to arrive eventually for Rockets second-year forward Patrick Patterson, but in many ways it could not arrive soon enough.
By the close of his rookie season Patterson had become so integral to the success of the second unit that this season’s struggles reclaiming form off offseason ankle surgery were obvious and protracted. He was inactive for only two games to open the season, but his energy and lateral quickness and exceptional burst remained absent. Through the grind of this compressed schedule, Patterson was advancing slowly.
The Patterson of old reappeared on Friday night against the Suns, providing a second-quarter jolt that enabled the Rockets to continue pulling away for a surprisingly casual 99-81 victory at Toyota Center.
“Earlier (Friday) just with the training staff (completing) my usual routine but my routine felt easy,” Patterson said. “It felt like my legs were feeling a lot better. My quickness was there. I was telling my trainers I felt real good. Out there on the court I guess it showed.”
Almost immediately upon entering the game Patterson appeared spry. He nailed a jump hook during the final minute of the first quarter and remained active throughout the second. He had four rebounds in the period including two in succession on the offensive end that made him look as though he were bouncing on a pogo stick. He drilled a 20-footer, assisted on a Chase Budinger 3-pointer, and blocked a shot by Suns guard Shannon Brown. Patterson seemed to be everywhere all at once.
His ability to sustain that energy and athleticism was a departure from performances past. Patterson reached double figures in points seven times before totaling 12 in 23 minutes off the bench against the Suns (8-14), but this time there was no hitch in his giddy up. He was fluid on defensive rotations and quick off the floor in pursuit of rebounds.
And while his jumper remained reliable, Patterson showed no hesitancy taking smaller defenders to the block. He was reticent to do so in the early stages of his comeback, thus his aggression represented progress.
“I’m still not entirely where I want to be,” Patterson said after posting season-high-tying totals in rebounds (seven) and blocked shots (two). “But tonight was definitely a good step forward because I felt like I was more active, especially on the defensive end. Offensively I was moving better. It seemed like I was jumping a little bit better. I went down to the post rather than just shooting jump shots all the time.”
The recovery process has been arduous. With games often running in succession, whether home-road back-to-backs or stretches of six games in nine nights, Patterson couldn’t get into a rhythm. As he worked on his conditioning and redeveloping strength in his legs during the day, duty called at night. It was a ceaseless cycle that prevented him from catching up and producing as he did last season when he averaged 6.3 points and 3.8 boards following an early-season stint in Rio Grande Valley.
The Rockets (13-10) couldn’t bide their time until Patterson resembled his old self. He played and labored. When the assets that made him valuable last season fell into place against the Suns, his teammates noticed. When he returned to the bench praised was heaped upon him.
“He played great,” Rockets guard Kyle Lowry said. “That’s what we need. Once he gets his legs back ankle surgery definitely set him back a little bit and his wind back he’ll be good.
“It gives Luis (Scola) a little bit more rest. That definitely was a big part of us playing well last year.”
Bench production played a significant role in this easy victory. Lowry, Scola, guard Kevin Martin and center Samuel Dalembert sat and rested during the fourth quarter. The reserves outscored the starters 50-49 and combined for 23 rebounds, seven assists and five blocked shots. In advance of a six-game road trip that opens Saturday night in Minnesota the Rockets needed a game like this to improve their odds for success.
That Patterson, who finished with a game-high plus-13 plusminus rating, could carry the load represented as good a development as any.
“Patrick looked good,” Rockets coach Kevin McHale said. “Anytime Chase comes out and gets 10 rebounds in 27 minutes and Patrick goes out and gets seven rebounds in 23 minutes, your reserves are bouncy.”
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Magic go for seventh straight win over Cavs
Tune into Sun Sports at 6:30 p.m. to watch the Orlando Magic take on the Cleveland Cavaliers. NBA Magic territory.
While their home win over one of the NBA’s worst teams may not have been inspiring, the Orlando Magic are feeling better after a frustrating losing streak.
The Magic will try to build on the victory when they go for their seventh straight win over the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night.
After an ugly four-game skid in which it averaged 76.0 points and shot 39.4 percent, Orlando defeated Washington 109-103 on Wednesday.
The Magic (13-9), though, struggled against the lowly Wizards. They had 11 turnovers in the first half and had to hold on after Washington rallied late.
Dwight Howard had 23 points and 18 rebounds, while Hedo Turkoglu scored 13 of his 16 points in the second half. Turkoglu averaged 5.8 points, had 16 assists to 15 turnovers and shot 20.6 percent during the losing streak.
Orlando said the victory won’t mean much if it can’t carry the momentum forward.
“I think we need to look to the next game and bring the same effort and energy,” said forward Ryan Anderson, who made six 3-pointers and scored 23. “We didn’t want to focus too much on that streak because that’s a week we’d all like to forget. Those games we’d all like to forget about and we can move forward and get a win next game and just start a little run.
“This started our confidence, but we need to follow through with it.”
Coach Stan Van Gundy still has concerns about the offense, though. The Magic have averaged 18.0 turnovers over the last four games and have been hurt by the absence of point guard Jameer Nelson, who has missed the last three contests with concussion symptoms.
“It’s frustrating to me as a coach because I can’t figure out what we’re doing wrong,” Van Gundy said.
Orlando will try to win back-to-back games for the first time since a five-game run Jan. 8-17 when it hosts a Cleveland team that lost 93-90 on its own court Tuesday to split a home-and-home series with Boston.
After overcoming an 11-point deficit in the final 4 12 minutes of Sunday’s 88-87 victory in Boston, the Cavs (8-12) nearly did it again Tuesday. They trimmed a 22-point lead to two with 1:18 remaining, but the Celtics scored the next four points.
“We just couldn’t finish it off,” said point guard Kyrie Irving, the NBA’s rookie of the month for January who scored 13 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter. “They gave us their best shot and it came down to the final minutes. We’ve just got to keep our energy up for 48 minutes.”
Cleveland was short-handed with guards Daniel Gibson and Anthony Parker out. Rookie forward Tristan Thompson did not return after injuring his left ankle in the second quarter and is day to day.
Undrafted rookie guard Mychel Thompson is expected to get his second straight start. After playing just once in the first 18 games, he played 12 minutes off the bench Sunday, then made his first NBA start Tuesday, finishing with eight points, four assists and three turnovers.
“I just kind of stared at him for a second as he took his jacket off,” coach Byron Scott said. “It wasn’t one of those ‘Oh, my God,’ (looks). … I can’t remember the last time I put a player in a situation like that and saw him play so well.”
Including playoffs, the Cavs have lost three straight and 11 of 13 in Orlando.
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Iona Basketball: Momo Jones Scores 43 in Gaels Win over Canisius
Going into this season, the status of former Arizona point guard Lamont “Momo” Jones was unknown. Jones had transferred from Arizona to Iona College in May and had applied for a medical hardship waiver that would allow him to play for the Gaels this season.
Fortunately for Jones, his waiver was approved and he has been a major part of the Gaels record-breaking offense this season.
Even though Jones had played an outside role to the Gaels dynamic duo of Scott Machado and Michael Glover, Jones still was playing a major role in the Gaels offense and was only helping Iona achieve some of their lofty dreams.
Following a bad loss at home against Manhattan, Jones stepped up his play against Loyola, scoring 25 in a lead role for Iona’s win over a Loyola side that at the time was tied with Iona on top of the MAAC.
Jones had 20-point efforts in wins against Rider and Fairfield before having a weak game against last year’s MAAC champion, Saint Peters.
With last place Canisius at the Hynes Center last night, Jones completely took over. With his team putting together a weak defensive effort, Jones stepped in and put in one of the best individual efforts that has been seen at the Hynes Center in quite some time.
Jones scored 20 points, including the final six of the half for the Gaels’ 51-47 halftime lead.
The beginning of the second half proved to be a continuation of the first; lots of scoring on both ends with Jones leading the show.
Yet even after the Gaels went on a 10-0 run in the second half, Momo did not let up. After coach Tim Cluess decided to leave in the Gaels’ three main stars, Momo started to etch closer to the 40-point mark.
The move certainly paid off. Jones got to the 39-point mark before Taaj Ridley stole the ball from Gaby Belardo. Ridley fed the ball ahead to a streaking Jones, who laid the ball in to get to 41 points, breaking the old record of 40 points in a game at the Hynes Center by Sean Green back in March of 1991 against Siena.
The record for most points in a game for Iona is held by Warren Issac for his 50-point performance against Bates in 1964.
Jones would later make another field goal to give the Harlem native a remarkable 43 points in a game, tying Green for the second-most points in the game.
With less than a minute remaining, Jones was substituted out, causing the capacity crowd to erupt in a standing ovation chanting Momo Jones’ name.
Not to be outdone, Machado once again had an outstanding game. Machado had 14 points and 14 assists with only two turnovers, only helping his NBA credentials. Michael Glover also had a double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds in the win.
With the 105-86 win, the Gaels are now 10-2 in league play and will face Manhattan tomorrow night, knowing that a win would put them into first place in the MAAC.
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Maryland Basketball: Five Keys to a Terps Upset over No. 5 North Carolina
The Maryland Terrapins are about to start the real meat of their ACC schedule.
Maryland is now 3-4 in the ACC, after a tough two-overtime loss, at Miami, on Wednesday. The Terrapins managed to rally from 16 points down with seven minutes to play, to force overtime. However, they could not finish the job against a very small Miami lineup that was forced into play by the fouling-out of Reggie Johnson. Both Johnson, and Terps coach Mark Turgeon were ejected within a few minutes of each other, part of a crazy final ten minutes of regulation.
As a result, the Terps missed an opportunity to earn a solid ACC road win, and move above .500 in league play. Given their next opponent, it would have been a nice momentum boost to have won two straight.
Maryland’s next game is against No. 5 North Carolina on Saturday, in College Park. The Tar Heels have righted themselves nicely after a 33-point loss at Florida State, on Jan. 14.
UNC has won each of their last four games by double-digits, and allowed less than 70 points in three of them. In Tuesday’s win over Wake Forest, the Heels held the Demon Deacons to under 30 percent shooting and just 53 points.
Needless to say, Saturday will be a tough test for Maryland. However, with the game at home, the Terps have a small chance to pull the upset. Nobody gave Florida State a chance when UNC came into their arena, and look what happened there.
Maryland doesn’t have the personnel FSU does, to be sure. However, there are some things they can do—like FSU did—to give themselves a shot at getting Turgeon his first signature win with the Maryland program.
Here are five things Maryland must do in order to knock off North Carolina.
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Huge second half lifts Bucks over Heat
Brandon Jennings drained three 3-pointers in a critical stretch of the fourth quarter as Milwaukee outscored Miami 58-37 in the second half.
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Rubio talks trash with Bryant over Olympics
MINNEAPOLIS Last Sunday’s game between the Timberwolves and the Lakers featured two of the most exciting point guards in basketball, the elder already proven as the best in the game and the other heralded as one of the first greats in the NBA’s newest generation.
One, Kobe Bryant, has set an almost unattainable standard at the position. He’s stoic and tough, intimidating even in his friendliest moments. The other, Ricky Rubio, represents the future. A talented rookie, he’ll be flipping behind-the-back passes long after Bryant retires, but off the court, Rubio is as unassuming as Bryant is unapproachable.
But Rubio and Bryant do share one trait: an overwhelming confidence that’s become more overt in Bryant over the years but remains obscured in Rubio by his youth and thick accent. After Sunday’s 106-101 Timberwolves’ loss, though, Rubio’s easy self-assurance was on full display.
A video that Complex Magazine posted to its website captures a postgame exchange between the two point guards, in which Rubio has the audacity — or perhaps naivete — to talk a bit of trash with Bryant about the upcoming Olympics in London. Here’s what they (and Bryant’s teammate Pau Gasol) had to say:
Bryant, to Rubio and Pau Gasol: “You talking about London?”
Gasol: “Oh yeah.”
Rubio: “You’re gonna be there?”
Bryant: “Yeah.”
Rubio: “You know you’re getting the silver medal. You know that.”
Bryant: “****! I’m taking bets. If I win, I get the keys of Barcelona.”
Rubio: “I bet what you want.”
Bryant: “I’ll take it!”
With the U.S. team not yet decided but already limited to a 20-man roster that will be difficult to narrow to 12, Rubio’s challenge is a big one. But for the rookie point guard, the exchange was just a light-hearted joke.
“It’s just we talk about if he’s going to go to the Olympic games,” Rubio said. “You know, I always try to be the winner. It’s normal that we talk like that, but we’re just having fun, you know.”
Rubio played against Bryant in Beijing at the 2008 Olympics, where the Spanish team lost to the United States in the championship game and came away with silver medals. He’s also built a relationship with Bryant through his close friend Gasol, and the two point guards have been in contact through their work with Nike. To Rubio, Bryant isn’t a stranger or a celebrity; he’s just a talented older player, as approachable as any other opponent.
Bryant is likely a lock for one of the U.S. team’s 12 spots in 2012. Rubio’s teammate Kevin Love also is among the final 20 names in consideration and has a good shot of traveling to London. Love said that he heard about the exchange after it happened and was hardly surprised by it.
“That’s Ricky,” Love said. “He’s a confident kid. He likes to have fun with people on and off the court. He always keeps it light, so for him to talk trash to Kobe, that was pretty fun.”
That’s the thing — talking trash is normal, a part of every game for some players. Even on the court, it’s not mean-spirited, Rubio said, but just a way for players to express themselves and challenge each other. So of course Bryant did his best to get inside Rubio’s head throughout Sunday night’s game, and the rookie’s post-game challenge was just an extension of that conversation.
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Wolves look for team effort win over Pacers
The Minnesota Timberwolves have failed in three attempts at a .500 record this season. A home game against the Indiana Pacers might help them finally achieve that goal.
The Pacers, meanwhile, will try for a season high-tying third straight win on Wednesday night at the Target Center.
Minnesota (10-11) hasn’t been at .500 this late in a season since it was 22-22 on Jan. 30, 2007, and gave itself another chance Monday with a 120-108 victory during coach Rick Adelman’s return to Houston. The Timberwolves trailed by two points at halftime but pulled away with a franchise-record 42 points in the third quarter.
In his third game back from a sprained right foot, Michael Beasley tied a franchise scoring record for a bench player with 34 points.
Kevin Love added 29, narrowly missing his fourth 30-point game in five contests. Rookie point guard Ricky Rubio matched a season high with 18 points and had 11 assists for his fourth double-double in six games.
“It was a really good team win,” Adelman said. “A lot of guys played and a lot of guys contributed.”
Minnesota will try for its seventh win in 10 games by continuing its recent success at the Target Center against Indiana (14-6), which has dropped five of six there. The Timberwolves’ latest home win over the Pacers was a 101-75 rout March 9 that tied their most lopsided defeat in 2010-11.
Love had 21 rebounds in that game as Minnesota posted a 66-46 advantage on the boards, and he and Beasley each scored 16 points. With 21 points, Tyler Hansbrough was the only Indiana player with more than 13, and Danny Granger missed 17 of 19 shots while finishing with just 10.
Granger is a career 29.5 percent shooter in Minnesota, his worst in any opponent’s building, but has helped during a pair of strong scoring performances for the Pacers. He had 24 points during a 106-85 rout of Orlando on Sunday — Indiana’s fourth win in five road games — then topped 20 for the fourth straight contest during a 106-99 home victory over New Jersey on Tuesday.
Paul George led the way in that second straight win with a career-high 24 points. Roy Hibbert contributed 18 and 14 rebounds despite having his broken nose set the day before. The Pacers, who are off to their best 20-game start since going 16-4 to open the 2003-04 season, topped 100 points once in their first 18 games.
“We continue to grow our identity,” coach Frank Vogel said. “Paul George really carried us through some offensive stretches. He’s a heck of a weapon at both ends.”
Granger and Dahntay Jones had 19 points apiece during a 116-105 home win over Minnesota on Feb. 11. The Pacers have produced 109 or more points in seven of their last eight against the Timberwolves, but Minnesota has proved equally adept at scoring on Indiana with at least 101 in every game in that span.
The Pacers will be short-handed for this game with George Hill out indefinitely after sustaining a small fracture in his left ankle in Tuesday’s victory. Jeff Foster is expect to remain out for the rest of the week with a sore lower back.
The status of Minnesota reserve J.J. Barea is unknown due to a sprained left ankle, as is Darko Milicic’s because of an illness.
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LA Clippers Blake Griffin’s Posterizing NBA Dunk over OKC’S Kendrick Perkins
Yesterday’s web trending results confirmed that a ferocious dunk on a respected defender will monopolize coverage on every sports media outlet.
But, even when a posterizing play sets the sports media world ablaze, history will prove that one electrifying dunk does not guarantee a player’s long-term NBA success.
Just ask Kenny Walker, Gerald Green, Harold Miner, Isaiah Rider, Fred Jones, Desmond Mason, Nate Robinson, Cedric Ceballos and Jason Richardson—all former NBA Slam Dunk champions. Surely, these guys could fly as well as punctuate their dunks with style and aplomb. They all enjoyed respectable careers, yet none of these high-flyers will be enshrined in the NBA Hall of Fame.
Yes, as the aforementioned can attest, soaring, gravity-defying slams do not guarantee long-term success in an ultra-competitive league where athletically gifted basketball players jockey for physical superiority and strive for that gaudy, diamond-encrusted NBA championship ring.
The LA Clippers’ Blake Griffin needs to understand that his dunking prowess will bring fans to their feet and feed media outlets with ample fodder from his fantastic finishes. However, Blake’s sensational slams should always take a backseat to refining his already good game. Griffin must continue to get better if his eyes are focused on multiple rings and a future bronzed bust in Springfield, MA.Though the freakishly talented Griffin has emerged as one of the NBA’s most tantalizing talents, basketball fans should not race to crown him the next superstar worthy of adoration until the former Oklahoma Sooner wins his first playoff series and demonstrates a more rounded and polished game.
Griffin plays for a historically bad franchise known for early exits from the NBA postseason. The Clips have upgraded dramatically this season with the addition of NBA superstar Chris Paul and stalwart guard Chauncey Billups, but this “other NBA team in Los Angeles” will require much more from Blake Griffin than alley-oop flushes and rim-rocking slams.
The Clips need a leader with a complete game that he brings every night.
Griffin’s 21.3 ppg scoring and 11.1 rpg rebounding in the NBA have impressed so far this year, but his overall game, necessary for him to soar as an NBA elite player, not dunker, must improve.
Griffin must learn to take better care of the ball, which he turns over at least three times per game. He’s not a three-point shot threat having attempted two so far this season. His Dwight Howard-like 50.8 percent free-throw average makes him a liability at the end of games. And, despite ridiculous natural hops, Griffin barely blocks one shot per game.A fantastic finisher? Absolutely! An electrifying dunker? Probably none better in the game. An elite NBA player? Not yet.
However, every basketball player on the planet is pulling for this high-flying, Kia-selling, immensely likeable, awesomely talented young man from Oklahoma.
May a future posterizing print of Blake Griffin don the walls of basketball-loving kids’ rooms everywhere one day. But, not of Blake dunking in traffic; rather, of Griffin holding the Larry O’Brien trophy!
Straight talk. No static.
MIKE – aka Mike Raffone – thee ultimate talking head on sports!
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