Dec

31

Durant Gets 31 As Thunder Bolts Past Jazz 87-86 For Fifth Straight Win!

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If we had reached the end of the NBA campaign on Thursday night instead of the end of 2009 then Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Scott Brooks would have to be getting serious consideration for NBA Coach Of The Year. Brooks has taken a team that has been a perennial cellar dweller for the last few years and turned them into one of the true “Feel Good” stories of this NBA season. Thursday night marked another huge step in the growth curve of the club as they squeezed by Division rivals the Utah Jazz by a final score of 87-86. OKC guard Nick Collison would win the contest in the closing seconds by knocking down a pair at the line.

The win gives Oklahoma City an 18-14 record tied with Utah in the NBA Northwest Division. They also now trail Division leaders the Denver Nuggets by just 2 games. Kevin Durant led the way for the Thunder as he knocked down a game high 31 points in the victory. Durant has now tied a team record by scoring 30 or more points in 6 consecutive contests.  The win was the fifth straight for Oklahoma City who are starting to gain some national attention.

This game would remain tight through out the night and truly was decided in the closing seconds. The Jazz would draw first blood as they held a slim 24-22 advantage at the end of the first quarter. Momentum would shift slightly in the second and the Thunder would hold that same slim lead as they would head into the locker room at the half on top 48-46.

Although Utah would tie the score at 54-54 when Deron Williams knocked down an outside shot with 6:18 left in the third the Jazz would never hold the lead in the period. Oklahoma City would lead at the end of the quarter with the score 65-62.

It came down to this in the fourth; with 58 seconds left in regulation and the Thunder on top 85-83 Deron Williams knocked down a shot 9 feet from the basket. The Utah guard was fouled on the play hit his shot at the line and his team was ahead 86-85. With just 4 seconds remaining Nick Collison drew a loose ball foul at the expense of Paul Millsap. Collison drained each shot and the Thunder ended the year on a winning note.

Kevin Durant led the way for his team as he scored 31 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks and 1 steal while Jeff Green added 12 points and 5 rebounds. Nick Collison came off the bench and  had 11 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block and 1 steal while Nenad Krstic put up 10 points and 7 rebounds.

Carlos Boozer would put 17 points on the board, 5 rebounds and 3 assists in the Jazz loss. Deron Williams scored 14 points, 3 assists, 2 blocks, 1 rebound and 1 steal Wesley Matthews came off the bench and added 14 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block and 1 steal. Mehmet Okur had a double-double as he knocked down 11 points, 11 boards, 4 assists, 1 block and 1 steal. Oklahoma City now sits at 18-14 and will play in Milwaukee Saturday against the Bucks while Utah also at 18-14 will host the Denver Nuggets Saturday.

© Copyright 2009 thesackattack

Dec

31

Slam Dunk Central Third Annual Man Of The Year Award

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As we reach the end of another calendar year it is time once again for one of our most popular features here at Slam Dunk Central. Yes we have reached that magical time of the year when it is time to announce the “Slam Dunk Central Third Annual Man Of The Year Award.”

Before we discuss last year’s choice and who is the person who has received the award this year, let’s go over the parameters of the award, in case you were not with us for the previous ceremonies. I thought long and hard before naming the award the ”Man of the Year Award.” I have been called the most politically correct man in the United States, which to be honest, I’m not sure if it was said as an insult or a compliment. But it would probably be true.

My first indication was to call it the “Person of the Year Award.” That being said, this is a NBA Website, therefore our award winner will be involved in some way in the NBA. Except for Violet Palmer, the NBA’s lone female referee, I can’t think of another woman that would be eligible. If Ms. Palmer is one day named the winner, or another worthy female comes into play we will change the Award name at that time. But realistically, this award will most always go to a man.

I also thought about Athlete, or Player of the Year, however the winner in our first  two years our was neither. And it will not necessarily always go to a player. The other thing is I wanted this to be an award, unlike “Time Magazine.” Their “Person Of The Year” is not an award, they make no bones about it. It is given to the person who most effects society, for good or for bad, last year for example the “Person Of The Year” was Russian President Vladimir Putin. It was not meant as a compliment. I want our award to be that an award,. It was not meant as a compliment. I want our award to be that an award, a recognition of a positive contribution not notoriety.

In our first award ceremony our choice was extremely unconventional; we went with University of Florida head coach Billy Donovan, who actually signed a contract to be the head coach of the Orlando Magic. But after he made the commitment, to the Magic, he had to face the people he was leaving. You have heard the phrase “an eleventh hour decision” this was more like 12:15. But in the end he did the right thing, he followed his heart. He realized that he did not need the extra money, the extra glitz, the extra glamour. When he went back to Gainesville, and saw the heartbreak in people’s eyes, he knew he could not leave.

Our second year saw the trophy go to the man who put “Planet NBA” back on it’s access and restored the natural order of things after an absence of 22 years. He rebuilt and restored the glory of a franchise, as well as the Association’s most passionate rivalry. Television ratings and the NBA cache went soaring through the roof, mainly due to the actions of this one man. The winner of Slam Dunk Central’s Second Annual Man Of The Year Award was  Boston Celtics Executive Director of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge.

This year for the first time a player has been picked to win our award; and if you are regulars to this page you may be somewhat shocked in who the selection is. Once again there were plenty of good choices that we could have bestowed the honor on.

We shall head to the Sunshine State first where there were two very worthy candidates in Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade and Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard. Wade coming back from injury the year before just about by himself turned around the fortunes of his team going from the lottery back to the Playoffs. Howard  is by far the Premier center in the Association in this era. There right now is “Superman” and then there is everybody else. How ever neither of these young men were given the award.

Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose who was named NBA Rookie Of the Year last season showed the Association that he is indeed the real deal. He also showed that with the right partner in the back-court as he had last year in Ben Gordon he can be half of one of the best back-court tandems in the NBA. Unfortunately for Chicago they did not think Gordon fit in even though he led the team in scoring last season. He is now in Detroit and the Bulls are in the midst of the “Vinny Del Negro Death Watch” as the team has gotten off to a terrible start this season.  

Chauncey Billups was traded from the Detroit Pistons to the Denver Nuggets in the first month of the season and Billups was nothing short of spectacular. He turned the team from just another Playoff team in the Western Conference to the team that took the Lakers through a very tough NBA Western Conference Finals. Neither Billups or Rose was the choice for the award.

Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star forward LeBron James won his first NBA MVP Award this past season. It was an award that he should have won the year before as well. James led Cleveland to the best regular season record in the NBA and Home Court advantage in the NBA Playoffs.

The Cavaliers then swept their first two Post Season series, but then they hit a wall named the Orlando Magic. The Magic dictated the flow of the series and because of that they would win the Eastern Conference Finals and send the Cavaliers home early. James then had a nightmare of a summer in the media as it seemed that NBA observers were finding more faults every day. James will most likely win our award in the not too distant future but alas this was not the year.

When it came right down to it there was only one logical choice to win the ”Slam Dunk Central Third Annual Man Of The Year Award.”  He not only won his fourth NBA Title but he has taken himself from being a Pariah just a couple of years ago  to a hero right now. The winner of the “Slam Dunk Central Third Annual Man Of The Year Award“ is none other than Los Angeles Lakers All-Star guard Kobe Bryant.

Do not for one minute under-estimate how well Kobe has restored his reputation. A few years ago after the controversy in Denver Bryant was losing sponsors quicker than Tiger Woods is the last couple of weeks. However Kobe’s career may have hit bottom in the Summer of 2007 when he had his infamous phone conversation with Stephen A Smith on “ESPN Radio.”

Smith, who did award winning work a few weeks ago breaking the Iverson retirement story; was at the time employed by ESPN and had Kobe on a phone interview on the “Dan Patrick Show.” Bryant was frustrated in the way the team’s season had ended and the fact that the team did not acquire another superstar to play with him. He spouted off that things had reached the breaking point and he could never play for the Lakers again.

Calmer heads however  prevailed and Kobe would be in for training camp with the team. The Lakers made a blockbuster deal as they acquired Pau Gasol from the Memphis  Grizzlies and the Lakers made it to the NBA Finals before falling to the Boston Celtics. 

Kobe most likely had started the redemption of  his public image in that season but he would enhance it greatly the Summer of 2008 in Beijing as he took an active leadership role on Team USA and helped the team win the Olympic Gold. Kobe’s sponsors returned (unfortunately a by-product of that; it also gave  birth to those creepy puppets) and then he was the key reason that the Lakers won the NBA Title this past season.

As we reach the end of 2009 we find that Los Angeles once again has the best record in the Association. It is incredibly tough for any NBA club to win Titles in consecutive years. I have already written that I do not believe that the Lakers will be in the Finals next June. However if there is anybody that could lead a team to accomplish that feat it would be “Black Mamba.” That is why Kobe Bryant has been named the winner of  the “Slam Dunk Central Third Annual Man Of The Year Award.”

© Copyright 2009 thesackattack

Dec

31

Deja Vu All Over Again! Celtics Lose Third Straight As Suns Burn Them 116-98

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Here We Go Again!

Art Alexakis Everclear

For the second straight season the Boston Celtics are ending December on a very sour note; and once again the troubles have started on the West Coast. Last year they started with a Christmas Day loss to the Los Angeles Lakers at the Staples Center. This  year it was two days later against the other team from the “City Of Angels“  the Clippers who started the Celtics tailspin as they dropped a game to the Clippers last Saturday 92-90. Monday they would drop their second straight as they fell to the Golden State Warriors 103-99.

Wednesday they faced an actual quality opponent in the Phoenix Suns and Boston was severely undermanned. They had already played the last few games with out small forward Paul Pierce who is out with a knee injury. Wednesday the Celtics also were without power forward Kevin Garnett who also was on the bench with a knee injury.

Boston truly never had a chance as they Suns scorched them 116-98. Channing Frye had a double-double and both he and Amare Stoudemire scored 26 points apiece. Eddie House led the Celtics off the bench with 19 points as the team lost its third straight game.

The Celtics have nothing to hang their head in shame about in this loss; if they were able to defeat Phoenix on their home court without two of the “Big Three” it would have been quite an accomplishment. However it came after losses in two games that they should have won handily. After defeating the Orlando Magic at the Amway Arena on Christmas Day Boston looked unstoppable. After three straight losses to finish out the year the Celtics look like a team that needs to go back to the drawing board.

Phoenix basically put this game away in the first 12 minutes of play and the next three quarters was just playing out the clock. The Suns led 30-20 at the end of the first quarter. Boston would find their offense in the second however the Suns still won the quarter and they would be on top 61-49 as the contest reached the half.

The two teams took the court in the third and the Celtics would find themselves even further behind at the end of the period as Phoenix had a margin of 90-73. Boston at no time during the fourth came even close to getting back into this game.

Channing Frye recorded a double-double with 26 points, 10 boards, 2 assists, 2 blocks and 2 steals while Amare Stoudemire also knocked down 26 points, 7 rebounds and 1 block. Leandro Barbosa came off the bench scoring 17 points, 4 assists, 4 steals and 2 rebounds. Jason Richardson added 12 points  while Steve Nash contributed 11 points in the victory.

No real standouts for the Celtics in this game as Eddie House led the club with 19 points off the bench while Ray Allen scored 15 points and Shelden Williams came off the pine and added 14 points. Rajon Rondo and Kendrick Perkins would each knock down 13 for the club while  Tony Allen had 12 more. Phoenix with the victory is now 21-12 and will host Memphis on Saturday while Boston now has a 23-8 record and will host Toronto on Saturday.

© Copyright 2009 thesackattack

Dec

31

West’s Double-Double Helps Hornets Fend Off Heat 95-91

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David West (#30)

New Orleans Hornets forward David West has, as of late, been offensive – but in a good way.

West on Tuesday against the Houston Rockets lit up the scoreboard for 44 points and was looking to make his presence known Wednesday night as the Hornets welcomed the Miami Heat to New Orleans Arena. While Chris Paul is still the leader of the team, West is making a case for being CP-3’s wingman as he drained six points in the last 55 seconds of the game, leading New Orleans to the 95-91 win over Miami.

The Hornets led most of the first half and was able to widen its lead with reserves in the middle of the second quarter. Rookie Darren Collison led two fast breaks to perfection, finishing one with a soaring dunk and the other with a pass to Darius Songaila cutting through the lane for a layup as he was fouled. Marcus Thornton capped the surge with a 3-pointer, giving New Orleans a 39-28 lead. Quentin Richardson made a pair of 3s late in the second quarter to pull Miami as close as 46-40. Then West, who had 10 points in the first half, scored inside to help the Hornets take a 48-40 lead into halftime.

Paul would complete a three-point play, giving New Orleans a 61-51 lead. Late in the period, Paul found Emeka Okafor inside for a dunk and then hit a jumper in the final seconds, putting New Orleans up 73-59 heading into the fourth quarter. The Hornets took their largest lead when Songaila’s jumper made it 77-62 early in the fourth quarter, but Miami suddenly turned the tide with a 10-0 run highlighted by Dwyane Wade’s transition 3 and Udonis Haslem’s three mid-range baskets.

With the Hornets desperate for offense, West and Paul got them going again, with West hitting a jumper to stop Miami’s run. Soon after, Paul banked in a 30-foot, bailout 3 at the shot-clock buzzer, putting the Hornets up 82-76. Miami kept chipping away, however, and the Hornets needed West’s jumper with 54.3 seconds left to regain the lead at 89-88. After Daequan Cook missed a 3 for Miami, West was fouled on the rebound and hit two free throws, then hit two more foul shots after rebounding Okafor’s block of Haslem’s shot in the lane.

West led the Hornets with 21 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal while Paul added 18 with 5 rebounds, 9 assists and 4 steals; Devin Brown pitched in 16 with 6 rebounds while Okafor poured in 15 with 14 rebounds and a block. Wade led all Heat scorers with 22 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 blocks while Richardson poured in 14 (including four 3-pointers) with 8 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal.

New Orleans (14-16) plays again on Saturday when they host the Houston Rockets while Miami (16-13) makes the short trip to San Antonio to take on the Spurs Thursday night.

Dec

30

Nets Snap 10-Game Losing Streak, Beat Knicks 104-95

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Yi Jianlian

As I have always said, despite the New Jersey Nets being easily the worst team in the NBA, eventually they do win a game. But to be fair, their opponent on Wednesday was the New York Knicks.

Perhaps it was because the Nets had their opening day lineup for the first time since the second game of the season or maybe the Knicks were simply outplayed – I suppose it doesn’t matter. What does matter is that the Nets outshot the Knicks 51%-44.6% and went to the charity stripe more often (27-16), allowing New Jersey to dispose of New York 104-95 at the IZOD Center.

New Jersey took control midway through the second quarter, hitting nine straight shots from the field to open a 57-44 lead. Yi Jianlian had three baskets in the run and Chris Douglas-Roberts two, the last on a fastbreak layup. David Lee kept the Knicks close, scoring eight of his 16 first-half points including a layup in the final second of the half.

The Nets continued their hot shooting in the third quarter, opening with a 12-2 spurt to push the lead 72-55 on a dunk by Brook Lopez, who had nine points and nine rebounds in the quarter. The Knicks had their chances in the fourth quarter when the Nets only made six baskets, but they also struggled — hitting nine baskets while turning the ball over seven times. The closest the Knicks got was eight points, all in the final minute.

Jianlian led the Nets with 22 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks while Lopez added 21 with 14 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 4 blocks; Douglas-Roberts and Devin Harris scored 17 apiece – with Douglas-Roberts grabbing 5 rebounds, dishing out 4 assists along with a steal while Harris grabbed 7 boards and dished out 8 assists.

The Knicks were led by Al Harrington from off the bench with 25 points, 9 rebounds, an assist and 3 blocks while Lee added 24 with 15 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks; Wilson Chandler chipped in 15 with 7 rebounds, 4 assists and a block.

New Jersey (3-29) plays again on Saturday when they host the Cleveland Cavaliers while New York (12-20) visits Atlanta to take on the Hawks Friday night.

Dec

30

Birthday Boy LBJ Gets Double-Double While Cavaliers Get Win Over Hawks 106-101!

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While December 30, is not officially a holiday in the city of Cleveland, Ohio it is certainly celebrated as if it were. You see LeBron James birthday is December 30 and if LeBron James was never born the Cavaliers most likely would be based in Seattle these days. However on that June day in 2003 the team’s history and fortune brightened considerably.

This year “The Chosen One” got to celebrate at the Q Arena as he recorded yet another double-double including a game high 48 points and the Cavaliers swept a rare two game home and home series against the Atlanta Hawks Wednesday with a 106-101 victory. Cleveland had defeated the Hawks in Atlanta on Tuesday night by a 95-84 margin. The win was the sixth straight for the Cavaliers who have 9-11 and they have gone 26-6 since dropping the first two games of the campaign. Joe Johnson led the way for Atlanta with 35 points in the loss.

The Hawks were looking for vengeance in the first for their loss the night before and they would grab a 30-23 lead at the end of the quarter. They looked like they were on their way to a very lopsided victory in the second quarter as they would enter the locker room at the half on top 64-52.

Cleveland was able to knock a bit off their deficit in the third quarter and would be back within single digits as the period came to an end with Atlanta leading 85-77. That is when LBJ got into party mode as Cleveland started to methodically chip away at the Hawks lead.

The Cavaliers would pull ahead at 94-93 with 4:41 left to play when James drove to the hole putting the ball up and in. The two opponents would trade the lead back and forth over the next few minutes until with 17 seconds left in the game Cleveland forward Anderson Varejao connected on his first trey of his NBA career from 26 feet out and his club went ahead to stay 104-101.

LeBron James recorded a double-double as he knocked down his season high 48 points, 10 boards, 6 assists, 2 blocks and 2 steals while Mo Williams also had a double-double with 14 points, 10 assists, 5 rebounds and 2 steals. Anderson Varejao came off the bench and scored 14 points, 9 rebounds and 3 block while Shaquille O’Neal added 11 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 block.

Joe Johnson scored 35 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals while Mike Bibby had 20 points, 6 assists, 3 rebounds and 1 steal. Josh Smith and Jamal Crawford each added 11 points while Al Horford put up 10 more. Cleveland now has a record of 26-8 and will play on Saturday as they travel to New Jersey to take on the Nets while Atlanta is now 21-10 and will host the Knicks on Friday.

© Copyright 2009 thesackattack

Dec

30

CP-3, West’s Huge Efforts Wasted; Rockets Soar Past Hornets 108-100

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Aaron Brooks (#0)

It isn’t every day that two players on the same team have excellent overall games while the bench collapses. Yet that’s exactly what happened Tuesday when the New Orleans Hornets visited Houston to take on the Rockets at Toyota Center. Both teams shot well, yet despite a career high of 44 points by David West and Chris Paul’s 11th career triple-double, a big fourth quarter helped Houston beat New Orleans 108-100.

The Rockets hit 14-of-18 shots, including five 3-pointers, during an 11-minute stretch between the first and second quarters. The Hornets shot 56% (20-of-36) over the first 18 minutes to stay within striking distance. Both teams shot well in the first half, but the Rockets built a 61-51 lead. With West on the bench for the start of the fourth quarter, Houston quickly took an 87-86 lead. West returned, but Aaron Brooks promptly hit his fifth 3-pointer. Brooks picked up his fifth foul seconds later and went to the bench.

Battier was fouled by James Posey on a 3-pointer from the wing with 5:25 left and swished the free throw to give Houston a 96-86 lead. West hit consecutive baskets to match his previous career high (40) and Emeka Okafor converted a three-point play with 2:51 left to draw the Hornets within four. Okafor fouled out on Houston’s next possession. Devin Brown sank a 3-pointer to cut Houston’s lead to 100-98, but Trevor Ariza drove for a dunk, then sank a free throw. Paul missed on a drive, Landry rebounded and hit a free throw with 27 seconds left to secure the win.

Brooks led the Rockets with 27 points (including 5 three-pointers), a rebound, 4 assists and a steal while Shane Battier added 20 (including 5 treys) with 2 rebounds, 3 assists and a block; Carl Landry came off the bench to pour in 18 with 6 rebounds, 2 assists, a steal and a block while Luis Scola earned a double-double, scoring 13 with 12 rebounds.

The Hornets had only two players in double-digits, led by West with a career-high 44 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals while Paul secured his 11th career triple-double by scoring 16 points, grabbing 11 rebounds and dishing out 10 assists along with 2 steals and 2 blocks. Houston (19-13) plays again on Thursday when they host the Southwest Division-leading Dallas Mavericks while New Orleans (13-16) travels to Miami to face the Heat on Wednesday.

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