Friday 4/13
> I know I risk losing you right off the bat by opening with a game of also rans, but it’s the weekend, so bear with me. The final score had the Bucks beating the Celtics by two in Boston, but the real story was the play of Leon Powe down the stretch. If you are one of the five people that regularly read my stuff you know that I have been touting Powe all year long as a rookie that can play. Well in the final 4:01 last night with the Celts down eight Leon scored 9 of their last 13 to bring Boston within two. Nice. I apologize in advance, but I have to drop some Hollinger stats on you. LP’s PER is 14.75 and he averages 14.7 pts/40 min, 12 reb/40 with a true shooting percentage of 55%. Keep your eye on this guy.
> In the Hornets final game in Oklahoma City the Denver Nuggets were able to overcome the frenzied home crowd and finish the game on a 17 to 4 run to win by two. NO/OKC had the ball with :17 seconds left and chance to win or tie but came up just short. First Chris Paul missed a driving lay-up. Then Devin Brown got the rebound but missed the put back. Finally Bobby Jackson missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer after the rebound was tapped out to him. Just a superb comeback by the Nugs under very difficult conditions. Followed by a fantastic finishing flurry by the Hornets to cap the game of the evening.
> Indiana fell two games behind Orlando in the Eastern race for #8 by losing to the Heat by four in Miami. It doesn’t take a genius to see that Jermaine O’Neal is struggling at the moment. JO has been playing with a sore left knee & ankle (and another ailment he won’t reveal until the season is over) for three months now. And when Jermaine is not right, the Pacers aren’t good. It’s that simple. In seven games in April JO is averaging 15.2 points on 35.7% shooting, down from his season averages of 19.4 and 43.6%. Not good at all for Indy’s post season chances.
In a related story, I think it’s safe to say that Al Harrington & Stephen Jackson are better players than Troy Murphy & Mike Dunleavy Jr. Don’t you?
> In Chicago Thabo Sefolosha hit a 3-pointer as the shot clock expired to make it 100-79 with 3.7 seconds left in the game to send Bulls fans home with free Big Macs. However, unlike New York on 4/10, Charlotte didn’t get all upset and pouty. Instead the Bobcats accepted the fact that they got beat badly like grown men.
> The Lakers, who are a pathetic 2-8 in their last ten, play host to Seattle on 4/15 in an absolute must win for my boys. I know the SuperSonics are playing out the string right now, but that doesn’t matter because they are a very tough match up for LA. In their three previous tilts this year Seattle has averaged 112.7 PPG on 48.2% shooting from the field & 45.3% from three. The Sonics have also out rebounded the Lakers 41.7 to 37 RPG and turned the ball over less too 13.7 to 17.3 TOPG. Granted, LA does lead the season series 2-1, but this game is not a gimmie by any stretch of the imagination.
> New York is officially the tenth team eliminated from the playoffs. Let the record show that the Knicks are 3-13 since President/coach Isiah Thomas received his contract extension.
> Games of note today…
- Orlando at Philadelphia
- New Orleans/Oklahoma City at Houston
- Phoenix at Utah on NBATV
> In the Hornets final game in Oklahoma City the Denver Nuggets were able to overcome the frenzied home crowd and finish the game on a 17 to 4 run to win by two. NO/OKC had the ball with :17 seconds left and chance to win or tie but came up just short. First Chris Paul missed a driving lay-up. Then Devin Brown got the rebound but missed the put back. Finally Bobby Jackson missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer after the rebound was tapped out to him. Just a superb comeback by the Nugs under very difficult conditions. Followed by a fantastic finishing flurry by the Hornets to cap the game of the evening.
> Indiana fell two games behind Orlando in the Eastern race for #8 by losing to the Heat by four in Miami. It doesn’t take a genius to see that Jermaine O’Neal is struggling at the moment. JO has been playing with a sore left knee & ankle (and another ailment he won’t reveal until the season is over) for three months now. And when Jermaine is not right, the Pacers aren’t good. It’s that simple. In seven games in April JO is averaging 15.2 points on 35.7% shooting, down from his season averages of 19.4 and 43.6%. Not good at all for Indy’s post season chances.
In a related story, I think it’s safe to say that Al Harrington & Stephen Jackson are better players than Troy Murphy & Mike Dunleavy Jr. Don’t you?
> In Chicago Thabo Sefolosha hit a 3-pointer as the shot clock expired to make it 100-79 with 3.7 seconds left in the game to send Bulls fans home with free Big Macs. However, unlike New York on 4/10, Charlotte didn’t get all upset and pouty. Instead the Bobcats accepted the fact that they got beat badly like grown men.
> The Lakers, who are a pathetic 2-8 in their last ten, play host to Seattle on 4/15 in an absolute must win for my boys. I know the SuperSonics are playing out the string right now, but that doesn’t matter because they are a very tough match up for LA. In their three previous tilts this year Seattle has averaged 112.7 PPG on 48.2% shooting from the field & 45.3% from three. The Sonics have also out rebounded the Lakers 41.7 to 37 RPG and turned the ball over less too 13.7 to 17.3 TOPG. Granted, LA does lead the season series 2-1, but this game is not a gimmie by any stretch of the imagination.
> New York is officially the tenth team eliminated from the playoffs. Let the record show that the Knicks are 3-13 since President/coach Isiah Thomas received his contract extension.
> Games of note today…
- Orlando at Philadelphia
- New Orleans/Oklahoma City at Houston
- Phoenix at Utah on NBATV
posted by D$ at 11:30 AM
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