Purdue vs Michigan Basketball: Purdue Looks to Respond Following Poor Effort
The Purdue Boilermakers are looking to rebound from what was a very poor performance against Michigan State, a game in which they lost 83-58.
Purdue’s Robbie Hummel recorded his first career game without a single basket, going 0-11 from the field with two free throws.
Purdue couldn’t get it going offensively against MSU, shooting just 29 percent from the field and 15 percent from beyond the arc, compared to their season average of 43 percent from the field and 35 percent from the field.
Tempers were flaring and there was just something about this horrible loss that really got under the skin of Matt Painter.
The Boilermakers are ready to move on, though, as they are set to face the 22nd Michigan Wolverines at Mackey Arena.
Purdue has gotten the best of the Wolverines in five of their last six meetings and look to get back on track against them.
Purdue will need a great game if they want to beat Michigan.
Michigan has so many weapons that it will be difficult to contain everyone, but with Purdue’s stark man-to-man defense, Purdue should be able to keep the Wolverines in check, but it’s not defense that has plagued Purdue this season.
Purdue needs to get hot offensively and needs a lot of help from beyond the arc. Currently in a slump, Ryne Smith needs to show up in Mackey Arena and get the house rocking.
Along with the offensive presence, Purdue needs to come out with a lot of energy. Unlike teams of the past, this team is either ready to play or not, and they need to come out ready to play in this one or it could be a long game for Purdue.
Although this will be a close game, Purdue should win.
Purdue hasn’t lost back to back games all season. Along with their ability to rebound after tough losses, Purdue is very good against ranked teams at home.
Purdue has won five straight in Mackey Arena against ranked opponents.
Look for the Boilermakers to come out strong in this one and play with a lot of heart and energy, and prove to the fan-base that this team isn’t done despite the current displeasure.
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Hawks respond to Drew’s anger, rip Cavs (AP)
Hawks coach Larry Drew expected a strong start from his team against Cleveland. Drew was especially pleased to see Atlanta follow through with a strong finish to put away the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second half. Joe Johnson scored 25 points and the Hawks, coming off a loss that prompted Drew to say they quit, responded with their highest-scoring output of the season in a 121-94 rout Saturday…
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Matt Barnes Tells Clippers to Cool It: How Should Lob City Respond?
The Los Angeles Lakers are facing the possibility of becoming the town’s second-best team to the Los Angeles Clippers, a situation quite unfamiliar to the purple and gold, and Lakers forward Matt Barnes doesn’t like all the showboating the “Lob City” Clippers are displaying.
“They act like they won the dunk contest after every dunk,” Barnes said. “So, as players, people aren’t going to tolerate that.”
Barnes has a point. All the excitement after routine dunks is completely unnecessary, especially when these players have won nothing in their careers, except Caron Butler and Chauncey Billups.
Matt Barnes isn’t exactly qualified to call out superstar players, but you cannot ignore the fact his comments are spot on.
Barnes also has a problem with Clippers all-star Blake Griffin, saying that the talented forward flops too much.
“He’s an amazing athlete and an amazing player but he does flop a lot,” Barnes said. “You’re too big and too strong to be doing that. Then he wants to talk.
“… He’s a special athlete. Probably one of the best athletes I’ve ever seen, but all the flopping is unnecessary. That’s the way he plays and it works too, they call it, so you can’t be mad at him for it.”
Barnes was also upset over a flagrant foul called in the two team’s game on Wednesday night, when he gave Griffin a bit of a shove and was called for a flagrant foul.
Here is the play for those of you who haven’t seen it.
Barnes does shove Griffin someone as big as Blake should be thrown to the ground that easily from a soft shove.
“I looked at [the replay] and yeah, my arms did get extended but [Griffin] flailed everywhere like I threw him to half-court,” Barnes said. “I just think the refs are so quick to judge. Even after looking at the replay, I heard initially they wanted to call a flagrant 2 and I’m just like, ‘Are you kidding me?’
“I guess there’s just no hard fouls anymore. It was just a hard foul.”
The Clippers need to act like they’ve been there before, even if they haven’t.
It’s cool to get excited after sweet alley-oops, but to do that after every dunk is completely foolish and teams will lose a lot of respect for them real quickly if it continues.
The Clippers should react to Barnes’ comments by taking the high road and focusing on the upcoming season, one that is full of potential.
They don’t need to be getting into verbal battles with the Lakers, because then their focus is more on beating their crosstown rivals and not getting into the playoffs.
A young team like the Clippers cannot be distracted by the media games played by veteran players on veteran teams.
Blake Griffin and his teammates need to show some mental toughness and forget about Barnes, because in the end, the only ones who will stop the Clippers from being the best team in Los Angeles this season is themselves.
Nicholas Goss is an NBA Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report
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Kevin Durant Video: Watch Durant Respond to “Baby LeBron” Hate from Fan
Kevin Durant may only be 22 years old, but nobody can call him “baby” anything.
So, naturally, Durant took offense to a heckler who thought it would be funny to call him “baby LeBron James.”
A day after scoring 66 points at Rucker Park, Durant went indoors to compete at the indoor ProCity gym in the Big Apple.
He “only” scored 41 points.
After missing a few shots, a fan in the stands decided to start yelling “baby LeBron” and Durant looked more confused than anything. He flashed the thumbs down and basically told the guy to shut his trap.
But like any extremely annoying heckler—he didn’t.
After missing a free throw late in the game to tie up the score, the heckler decided to bust out the next move in his arsenal.
“Ruuuusseeeeell Westbrook” began to echo from the stands and this time other fans began to join in on the fun. For some reason, the fans yell for him to take off his jersey. Umm…why?
That one broke the camel’s back, and Durant shut the heckler up for good when he drilled a cold-blooded three to tie the game with only a few seconds left on the clock. He was all smiles running down the court and even glanced up to find his new friend.
Durant’s team ended up winning in OT and gave the heckler one last wave before saying goodbye. For the second day in a row, Durant amazes the NYC crowd. He is a rare talent in the NBA and it’s great to see him showing it off in street parks and small gyms.
It’s the most intimate way to show a heckler why he is yelling at the wrong guy. The most likable player in the league doesn’t have much material for hecklers to dish his way. His game does all the talking.
The Drantcula strikes again.
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Miami Heat: How Will LeBron James Respond in Game 5?
The minute Game 4 of the Heat vs. Mavericks matchup was over, everybody was asking how will LeBron James respond come Game 5. The common answer had you believing he would break Wilt Chamberlain’s record of 100 points in one game. Maybe 64 points and would break Michael Jordan’s record for most points in a single playoff game. Most accuse him of wanting to be like Jordan anyway. What better way to silence critics than to top your idol?
Realistically neither one of those is going to happen. Too many points in this era for one player, especially when you’re on a team with two other superstars. So the question remains, how will LeBron respond?
The answer is simple, who cares? LeBron James will be LeBron James. How do I know? Because how many performances like Game 4 can you actually remember from him? You can count them on one hand. If you’re missing a couple fingers, you could still do it.
The thing with LeBron James is that everybody has been so spoiled, we have all taken him for granted. Everybody expects 30-plus points, seven assists and eight rebounds. The rare occasion he doesn’t fulfill everybody’s standards, he has fallen off, he quit on his team, he couldn’t handle the pressure or whatever the new excuse of the day is.
LeBron James will put on a LeBron James performance and lead his team to victory, because at the end of the day that’s all that matters. Who cares about how many points he scored? He only took 11 shots. Even if he made all 11 shots, that leaves him with 22 points, which still isn’t good enough for the media. They expect even more.
Who cares if he had four turnovers, which was the same amount as Jason Kidd, who scored zero points and played 39 minutes, the same amount as Dwyane Wade, who scored a game-high 32.
James was accused of not shooting the ball enough. Jason Kidd only shot the ball three times, missed all three and again, was on the floor for 39 minutes. He must have quit on his team to prove a point or he can’t handle the pressure.
In fact this is the second most minutes Kidd has played in a playoff game this season and the fewest points he has scored. Of course the expectations are different, but what’s fair for one person is fair for everybody. Nobody is safe any longer.
Kidd had the fewest assists he’s had this entire playoff season as well. A dazzling three, which means he had one more turnover than assist. Again, he played 39 minutes.
James did finish with nine rebounds, of which only Dirk Nowitzki and Tyson Chandler had more, the two seven-footers on the court who the Heat couldn’t box out if they were wearing stilts. He tied the entire Mavericks team (excluding Chandler) with three offensive rebounds.
After a Game 3 performance, James was asked why he was “shrinking” in big moments. The reporter was referring to points scored in the fourth quarter. Is it just about points now? Rebounding, assists, blocks, steals, these things don’t count in basketball anymore?
How about defense? James has kept Jason Terry in check the entire series. A guy who has scored 20 or more points seven times in the playoffs this year has yet to score more than 17 in this series. He is also shooting 31 percent from beyond the arc which is the lowest for any part of the season, including each playoff series the Mavericks have been in this year.
James, Wade and Bosh didn’t come together to score lots of points. They came together to win championships, and lots of them. Who cares who fills up the stat sheet with the most impressive stats? Wade had a superb Game 4, scored lots of points, but the Heat lost, so what does it matter? If it was all about scoring, we’d be watching the Nuggets vs. Knicks in the NBA finals.
So, how will James respond in Game 5?
Maybe he’ll have a triple double. Maybe he’ll fall just short of one, and finish with 20/8/9. Or maybe, just maybe, he has another game like he had in Game 4, but the Heat win. Are we still talking about James’ poor performance? Would it really matter then?
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LeBron James: How Will LeBron Respond to Jason Terry’s Comments?
Will LeBron James Lead the Miami Heat to a Game 4 Win?
The Miami Heat are currently making their case as one of the best team defenses to ever play the game. No team has scored more than 93 points on them during the playoffs, and I don’t believe the Dallas Mavericks will change that stat.
The Heat pride themselves on their defense. They love taking the best players on the other team and shutting them down. Miami knows that defense is just as important if not more than offense.
However, one Maverick doesn’t believe in this Miami defense. Jason Terry recently told Dallas Morning News that, “Portland, by far, has the best ‘D.”
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That probably wasn’t the smartest of things to say because the Heat are going to make him pay tonight.
Terry didn’t stop there. He continued with his thoughts on LeBron James’ defense. Terry said LeBron is a good defender, but he doesn’t believe that LeBron can fully shut him down.
I’m welcoming the challenge, he said. We’re going to see if he can do it for seven games. That’s going to be the challenge. Right now, it’s Game 4. Can he do it again in Game 4? He wasn’t able to do it in Game 2. He did it in Games 1 and 3, so Game 4 is another opportunity.
So how will LeBron handle these comments from Terry? LeBron has done a good job handling the media, but will he stick it too Terry on the court?
Terry called LeBron out, which probably wasn’t the best idea. LeBron has a lot to think about heading into Game 4. Will he try to answer his critics by finally closing out a finals game? Or will he stick to his defense and shut down Jason Terry?
My prediction is that LeBron will do whatever it takes to win. Dwyane Wade will continue his dominance on offense, which means LeBron will keep playing tough defense.
Good luck to Jason Terry tonight because he’s going to need it.
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NBA Finals 2011: How Will LeBron James Respond to Daniel Gibson’s Comments?
How Well Will LeBron James Play in Game 2?
You may or may not recall that LeBron James had some interesting words to say after beating the Chicago Bulls to reach the NBA Finals. LeBron took a bit of a shot at his former teammates back in Cleveland. Per Cleveland.com:
I wanted to team up with some guys that would never die down in the moment, James said. The opportunity presented itself with this great organization and we made it happen.
Well Daniel Gibson wasn’t too happy with that statement. He took to a local radio show podcast to let his feelings be known.
The way it’s said, you can’t help but take it personal. … I don’t think great players should feel the need to say this about a team or say that about a team.
Gibson has a right to be offended. Yes LeBron didn’t have top notch teammates, but he shouldn’t hate on the players that management gave him. Clearly the big guys upstairs weren’t doing their job well enough.
READ MORE: 2011 Final Report Cards for All 30 NBA Teams
Gibson went on to add that maybe LeBron could never do it by himself.
Great players shouldn’t have to do that. So I feel like it’s kind of an admission. He might have needed some help. He might have needed to go somewhere and find someone who is a little greater so maybe he wouldn’t die down in those moments.
A bit of a cheap shot, but Gibson is just giving his two cents on the matter. I highly doubt this will mess with LeBron all that much. LeBron has been hated on so much this season it has become second nature to the All-Star player.
So will LeBron retaliate with words tonight? Or will he just let his play do the talking?
I’ll go with the latter on this one because LeBron James is taking over Game 2. He wants a commanding 2-0 lead before playing three games on the road. James have been a clutch closer this post season, and that isn’t going to fizzle away over night.
LeBron will hopefully only let his play do the talking. It’s tough to know what he’ll say in the post game press conference when asked about the issue.
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Boston Celtics Kevin Garnett Being Called Too Old To Keep Up By Chalmers: KG Will Respond On The Court
‘His (KG) face during the duration of the game gets longer and longer, so we just want to keep running on them. We know they’re an old veteran team, and our young legs, we want to use them to our advantage.’ ‘I think when it comes to the fourth quarter, we have an extra push,’ Chalmers said.
-Mario Chalmers After Game Two Win
Lost in all the comments from Boston after the game two loss was a very telling comments by one Mario Chalmers. If there was ever fighting words, these are them. I personally do not know why Chalmers would poke a caged lion. It is O.K. to be confident after winning two big games. It is even O.K. to think the comments Chalmers said. However, Chalmers thinks giving motivation to one veteran Celtics team that is both hungry with their backs to the wall and more than capable of coming back in this series with two games at home is a great idea?
Chalmers comments seem innocent enough. The problem is that I doubt the Celtics like being called too old to finish off t…
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Mavericks respond to coach, rout Knicks (AP)
Dirk Nowitzki insisted he saw right through coach Rick Carlisle’s motivational ploy. Tyson Chandler said it didn’t bother him one bit. Sure thing, guys. It had to be something else that turned the Dallas Mavericks from “soft” one night to as dominant as they’ve been all season the next.
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Kevin Garnett Likely to Respond on TD Garden Court to Phil Jackson’s Verbal Jab
It doesn’t take much to get under Kevin Garnett’s skin — typically, the slightest hint of a bad call from a ref or an elbow from opposing big guy is enough to set him off. So when you call KG out and it makes waves in the national media, yeah, that’s probably going to raise red flags for the Celtics’ forward. Phil Jackson knows this, and there were definitely ulterior motives at play when the Lakers coach took a little jab at KG earlier this week. “He is who he is,” the Zen Master said of his own power forward,…
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