SB Nation - Chris Kaman

Briefing: Wizards fumble away big lead

JakeTheSnake — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 14:55:50 -0000

Clips rally, hold on to beat Wizards 97-95 - Greg Beacham, Associated Press

Caron Butler scored nine of his 20 points in the final 2:43 for the Wizards, including a 3-pointer with 11.8 seconds left. Gordon’s 1-for-2 effort at the line followed before Boykins, the 5-foot-5 former Clipper, lost control of his dribble in the frontcourt with about 4 seconds left. "I just lost the ball," Boykins said. "It was that simple. I saw Brendan (Haywood) open up under the basket, I went to make a pass, and I lost the ball. It was a game where we didn’t execute at the end. Whenever you lose a one-possession game, there’s other possessions in the game that lead to that. We played good, but we didn’t play well enough to win."

Inconsistent Wizards dealt another tough loss - Mike Jones, Washington Times

When the Washington Wizards reported for training camp back in September, coach Flip Saunders claimed "Our Time" as the team motto and had T-shirts and caps made up with the slogan. The Wizards' home game operations staff even selected a song with "Our Time" as the main line. But instead of playing according to that theme, the Wizards have looked, sounded and played more like something along the lines of Katy Perry's "Hot N Cold," going on scoring runs, slipping into funks and falling behind only to come thundering back before going cold again.

Clippers 97 - Washington 95 - Another Ugly Win - Steve Perrin, Clips Nation

Why the Clippers dug a 16 point hole in the first place is quite another story. I don't consider myself a Wizards expert after watching them in one full game and bits and pieces of others, but in this game at least, their problem is pretty obvious - they have three players, while NBA rules allow you to have five. OK, I'll throw Brendan Haywood into the mix with Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler, but every single other player on the Wizards absolutely killed them tonight. Now, throw in the fact that of their big guns, only Jamison was particularly good (specifically, he was great) and this really should have been a relatively easy win for the Clippers. But almost nothing is easy for the Clippers - ever - and this game was no exception. Just when it felt like the Clippers should be pulling away in the second quarter, the lid on the basket sealed shut. What's particularly weird is that they must have moved that lid from one basket to the other at half time, because the third quarter started the way the second quarter ended. Over about a five minute stretch spanning the intermission, the Wizards outscored the Clippers 20-2 to take a 12 point lead.

Instant Analysis: Wizards-Clippers - Brian Jackson, CSN Washington

The Washington Wizards rarely get easy points. This season, they’ve had a tendency to settle for contested jump shots early in the shot clock. But during a four-minute stretch in the third quarter, the Wizards went on a 12-5 run with a balanced attack: passed the ball into the paint and then kicking it out to the wings. On two plays, they fed the ball inside to Haywood, who was fouled on both plays but still finished the easy dunks. As the Clippers shifted their defensive focus to the paint, the Wizards made five assisted long jumpers, including two from behind the arc. After Antawn Jamison made the final 3-pointer of the run, the Wizards led by 17 points.

Clippers Hand Wizards Fifth Straight Loss - Dave Johnson, CSN Washington

It was during this time that the Wizards seemed under control as they built a 17-point lead at 64-47 with 6:45 left in the third quarter. The team’s calm was best exemplified on a play when Arenas could have gambled on long throw up court to Butler in traffic. Instead Arenas slowed it down and then found Jamison in the lane on a bounce pass and he flipped to a cutting Brendan Haywood for a slam dunk. The calm didn’t last. The Wizards closed the third quarter more in chaos. Suddenly turnovers and bad shot selection returned for the Wizards and by the end of the quarter their lead was down to 69-67.

Washington Wizards lose fifth in a row, dropping one to the L.A. Clippers, 97-95 - Michael Lee, Washington Post

"When you've got your foot on a team's throat, you got to go ahead and finish them off. We were up 16, 17, we got to go ahead and turn that into 20, 21 and then coast in the fourth quarter," Haywood said. "The problem was, that third quarter, the end of the third quarter, we let them get their confidence going and that basically rolled over into the fourth quarter. It's time to stop fighting from behind and doing the right things when we have the lead."

Clippers 97, Wizards 95 - Michael Lee, Wizards Insider

After that one, all that I can say is that the Wizards are some creative guys. They really know how to script the most excruciating losses imaginable. The Wizards already delivered the Gilbert Arenas missed layup against Toronto and Arenas's missed free throws against Boston and Indiana (not to mention the referee review that rewarded Mike Dunleavy with two free throws with 0.1 seconds remaining). On Monday, the Wizards squandered a 17-point second-half lead, rallied back from an eight-point deficit with three minutes remaining, then failed to get off a potential game-tying shot as they lost 97-95 to the Los Angeles Clippers and the senior Dunleavy. At least on this night, Arenas won't have to take the blame for how the game ended. That's because he wasn't around for the finish. Arenas fouled out with 2 minutes, 51 seconds left, picking up his sixth foul when he tripped Clippers center Chris Kaman.

Clippers 97, Washington 95 - Kevin Arnovitz, ClipperBlog

Despite a number of dominating spurts by both teams, Monday’s game against the Wizards is a microcosmic win for the Clippers. They play strong half-court defense throughout most of the game, but lose the first half because they can’t control the defensive glass.

Clippers 97, Wizards 95: Another blown lead, another loss - Craig Stouffer, Pick and Roll

Huge nights again for Jamison (32 points, 11 rebounds) and Brendan Haywood (12 points, 12 rebounds) as the Wizards seem to be getting closer -- or further. Yeah, close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades, but Washington has now lost its last five by a combined 11 points, that has to be the sign of something, right? In addition, the Big Three and Haywood were superior on the floor for most of the night, but the Clippers were the ones with the go-to players.

Clipper 97, Wizards 95 - Mike Jones, Outlet

This is crazy. Seriously. Just two weeks ago, the thing carrying the Wizards was strong bench play because Jamison, Butler and Arenas weren't playing well together. Now those three are playing well and they can't get the bench players going. It's hard to get a feel for Flip Saunders' rotations and substitutions becuase many times he appears to be grasping and hoping that he finds the key. But tonight, he went to his bench too early in the third quarter, and I wasn't the only one who thought that.

Best of Twitterville

Twitter / Kevin Arnovitz
Jamison: The man knows how to find a mismatch in the halfcourt.

Twitter / Mike Jones
Maybe Brendan should go back to blogging. His defense on Kaman is terrible this game.

Twitter / Craig Stouffer
could've sworn I just saw a #wizards hockey assist. Can't remember many of them lately.

Twitter / Michael Lee
Wiz blow 17-point lead, let Clippers go ahead 71-69 then score 9 in a row. How do you explain this team?

Twitter / Truth_About_It
Wow. Earl Boykins is no longer "The Closer", he's the smallest f-ing turnover in the world. Off his own knee. Wow.

Twitter / Daniel Eichner
Earl Boykins and I are developing a serious love/hate relationship. Would still like to see him as santa's helper tho. #wizards keep losing

Twitter / Chris C-Ford
Id rather they throw up a full court shot, than not get a shot at all

Twitter / Edward
the #wizards might be the collectivley dumbest team sports iq wise I've ever seen. Shot selection in clutch moments is just inexplicable.

Twitter / wizznutzz
Wizards so weary, the sweet cause in vain. You make love, you break love, it's all the same....manic depression is a frustrating mess

Twitter / David Malitz
god, i can't believe i actually have tickets in hand to 4 wiz games over the next month. forget bobbleheads, when's valium night?

Orlando Magic 97, Los Angeles Clippers 86

Ben Q Rock — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 07:32:59 -0000

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Dwight Howard's stellar all-around play keyed the Orlando Magic's 8th consecutive road win tonight as they defeated the host Los Angeles Clippers, 97-88. On his 24th birthday, Howard tallied 25 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, and a season-high 7 blocked shots, leading Orlando in all 5 of those categories. He also shot 7-of-10 from the field and 11-of-15 at the foul line. His brilliance took the spotlight away from Vince Carter, Rashard Lewis, and Jason Williams, the other Magic players to score in double-figures. Lewis and Williams hit 4 three-pointers apiece and Orlando drilled 14 as a team. Second-year shooting guard Eric Gordon led L.A. with 21 points on 12 shots, while point guard Baron Davis traded poor shooting (7-of-19, 18 points) for solid playmaking (11 assists, 0 turnovers) which helped keep the Clippers in the game.

Team	Pace	Efficiency	eFG%	FT Rate	OReb%	TO Rate
Magic	88	109.8	54.9%	26.8	19.4	19.2
Clippers	93	92.0	43.5%	14.1	19.6	13.9
Green denotes a stat better than the team's season average; red denotes a stat worse than the team's season average.

Tonight's contest followed a pattern that we've seen from this Magic team in recent years: it jumps out to an early lead, the opponent grinds back into contention in the two middle periods, only for the Magic to shut its offense down in the fourth period. The Magic's frequent turnovers, especially in the second quarter, led to easy transition baskets for the Clippers. In a halfcourt setting, though, their offense didn't muster much against Orlando. The Magic assigned small forward Mickael Pietrus to cover Davis, which took away his driving lanes. The crossmatch forced either Williams or Anthony Johnson to cover Gordon, who looked to post up in order to exploit the mismatch. This strategy worked for a bit, but the biggest factor in limiting the Clippers' offense was Howard's defense on Chris Kaman, an unheralded player in his seventh year posting All-Star-caliber numbers here in the early going. Kaman took 22 shots, the most of any Clipper, but Howard limited him to 8 makes, for 16 points. Excellent work by Howard, who was not whistled for a defensive foul at all, in 43 minutes of work.

Kaman did have his moments defensively, ending the Magic's first 3 possessions of the second quarter with a block and consecutive steals, including an impressive deflection of a Matt Barnes alley-oop intended for Howard. This came after Howard scored 12 points in the first period. From the second quarter on the Clippers' defense adjusted, sending quick double-teams at Howard and daring the Magic's outside shooters to beat them. This strategy worked, to a certain extent. Howard didn't make another field goal until the fourth quarter, and the Magic shot 8-of-26 on three-pointers after a blazing, 6-of-8 start in the first quarter. Orlando won this game with its defense, without question.

To be fair, an extraordinary number of the Magic's shots bounced out after going halfway down; the unkind rim victimized J.J. Redick twice in the first half alone.

Credit the Clippers' defense for holding the Magic to 39 points in the second and third quarters after surrendering 34 in the first quarter alone. Orlando's turnovers and L.A.'s own deft passing on the perimeter helped them surmount what had been a 13-point Magic lead midway through the second quarter. With Kaman's post game neutralized, the Clippers had to rely on Gordon, Davis, and Al Thornton to score with a jumper or a drive to the hoop. Howard's help defense down low challenged numerous shots--and he blocked 7 others, remember--so the game would ultimately come down to whether or not the Clippers could get hot from midrange and beyond.

No such luck. DeAndre Jordan gave the Clippers their last lead at 69-68 with a dunk at the 2:55 mark of the third. The Clippers didn't mak another field goal until the 7:24 mark of the fourth, on a Thornton dunk after he rebounded his own miss. Prior to that dunk, Orlando had gone on a 14-2 to wrest momentum away from L.A.

I'm not sure what the big takeaway from tonight's game is; these sorts of wins (not to be confused with "wins" in general) have become sort-of routine. Enjoy Howard's growth, Lewis' sharpshooting, and Williams' efficient play (16 points on 11 shots, 3 assists, no turnovers), and the knowledge that you're watching a Magic team that just improved to 17-4 for the best start in franchise history.

Discussing the Los Angeles Clippers with Kevin Arnovitz of ClipperBlog

erivera7 — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 19:00:28 -0000

by David Zalubowski - AP

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Kevin Arnovitz needs no introduction but deserves one - he is an editor for TrueHoop and a writer for ClipperBlog, the latter being one of the best team blogs in the NBA. It's safe to say, in my opinion, that Mr. Arnovitz is one of the best writers who covers the league. Period.

As such, I can't help but remark on how much I admire Mr. Arnovitz's work and state how much it was a privilege for me to ask him a few questions a couple of days ago to preview tonight's game between the Orlando Magic and the Los Angeles Clippers.

Chris Kaman got off to a quick start in the first couple weeks of November but, from looking at some of the numbers and reading some of your reports, has cooled off since then. What happened?

First, Kaman was inevitably going to come down to earth. There wasn't one 50 percent jump shooter in the NBA last season, and that's what Kaman was doing over the opening stretch of the season. Second, Eric Gordon went out with a strained groin. Gordon's absence allowed teams to sag defensively, which gave Kaman less room to work 15 feet from the basket. Third, the pressure to operate as the Clippers' primary scorer might be affecting Kaman's game. Kaman has an incredible collection of assets as a big man -- ambidexterity, good foot work, strength -- but managing those assets has always been a challenge. When Kaman was killing it earlier this season, he was thinking less. The past couple of weeks, we've witnessed his trying to think his way into a score rather than just scoring.

What has Eric Gordon meant to the Los Angeles Clippers this year, on offense and on defense?

The world. When Gordon is in the starting lineup, the Clippers crush their competition. He's the first perimeter player the Clippers have had in an eternity who can stretch the floor, create off the dribble, and defend the 2. He loves to draw contact and he's becoming increasingly effective in the pick-and-roll game. The fact that the aforementioned fall off of Mr. Kaman coincided with Gordon's absence tells you everything you need to know.

Can't forget about Blake Griffin. When he returns from injury, how do the team dynamics change?

I don't think they'll change a whole lot. Given the length of Griffin's absence, I suspect he'll begin with the second unit and claim some of Craig Smith's minutes. Mike Dunleavy has stated that he's interested in experimenting with Griffin at the 3 because the rookie can check small forward defensively, but that declaration might say more about the composition of the Clippers' roster (heavy on bigs, light on wings) than anything else. Griffin is an infectious player, so Clippers fans hope he can infuse the team with "energy," but tangibly, he'll be most valuable in elevating the Clips' rebounding rate above 50.0 percent.

Is this year, possibly, the end of the road for Mike Dunleavy Sr. as head coach/general manager? What is your opinion on his future with the franchise?

Within the organization, there's a feeling that, as badly as things have gone over the past couple of years, Head Coach Dunleavy probably deserves the chance to coach a healthy squad this season (though the supply of patience is measurably less than it used to be). Does he have a future beyond 2011? Let's see how the 2010-2011 team fares -- something that will depend greatly on how successful GM Mike Dunleavy is at leveraging the team's considerable cap space and constructing a winner.

I like to thank Mr. Arnovitz for taking the time to offer his insight on the Clips.

Clipped: Clippers 104, Pistons 96

Packey — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 23:36:02 -0000

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The Pistons, who led by seven at the half, fell apart in the second half, getting outscored by 15 points to fall to the Clippers by eight.

Detroit was outscored 46-26 in the paint and a lot of that had to do with the play of Michigan native, Chris Kaman. Kaman was 11-13 and finished with a game-high 26 points. Baron Davis added 25 points and 10 dimes. The Pistons, needing someone to step up in the scoring department for the injured Ben Gordon, received that from the unlikely Jonas Jerebko. Jerebko was 8-11 shooting and led the Pistons with 22 points.

Caveat: I tried watching this one on NBA.com after the fact using my NBA League Pass, but because I'm in Detroit it says I'm blacked out. Seeing the final score and some disturbing numbers in the box score, it looks as if it may have been a painful game to watch slip away. I'll wind up watching the game tonight when I get back to Atlanta for school. In the meantime, take what you will from what I was able to gather from the box score and the highlights after the jump:

The Clippers got to the line 13 more times than the Pistons and made 12 more.
Pistons saw solid assists numbers from both Rodney Stuckey and Will Bynum for the first time this season. Stuckey finished with seven assists and Bynum had nine.
Austin Daye had a dece day in his first career start in place of Ben Gordon. He had 13 points on 4-11 shooting.
Ben Wallace cleaned up on the glass, grabbing 16 rebounds. I haven't been to a Pistons game yet this season, but are they doing the rebound row t-shirts still?
Bynum struggled from the field for the second straight game. He was just 4-17 and finished with 14 points. I thought he was going to be the one who would step up in Gordon's absence. It seems as if he tried to do that by taking 17 shots, but they just weren't falling.
Again, I plan on watching this game tonight before the Hawks game tomorrow. I'll add my thoughts in the comments. If you watched the game, then by all means leave your thoughts of what you saw. If you want to write up your own recap, do so in the FanPosts and I'll promote it to the front page (assuming it's not written like you're Charlie from Always Sunny).

Chris Kaman's Shooting Slump

Steve Perrin — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 00:17:40 -0000

More photos » by Jeff Lewis - AP

What happened to Kaman 3.0?

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Chris Kaman started the season on fire. All of his scoring numbers were far above his career averages, and most were at all time career highs.

After consecutive shooting games in which he couldn't make anything, he's now shooting .487 on the season. His career shooting percentage is .488. That's right... the erstwhile Kaman 3.0 is now shooting worse than his career average.

After making at least half of his shots in nine of the first eleven games this season, he has now gone five straight without doing so. Ten days ago, before the New Orleans game, he was shooting .552 on the season, among the league leaders. Just four days ago, he was still shooting .531. But after going a combined, 9 for 39 since then, he's gone from the top 20 in the league in shooting percentage to his lackluster career norm in just two games. Actually, the slump is even more intense than 9 for 39. If you consider that he was 1 for 8 in the second half against Minnesota, he's actually 4 for his last 27. Wow.

I didn't watch the Indiana game, so I don't know what kind of shots he took in that one. In the second half against Minnesota he was taking the same shots he's made all season - they just didn't go in. He said much the same thing after the Pacers game. Which begs the question: will those shots start falling again? Which was the anomaly, the first eleven games where he was making shots he often misses, or the last game and a half where he missed everything?

Pacers 86, Clippers 73: Better Late Than Never, Pacers Run Past Clippers In Fourth Quarter

Tom Lewis — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 03:59:28 -0000

More photos » by Michael Conroy - AP

All's well that ends well, like this dunk by Dahntay Jones.

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The Indiana Pacers were only half good again tonight, but this time they saved their best for last to beat the Los Angeles Clippers, 86-73.

After clunking and clanking their way to a 34-point first half, the Pacers used the third quarter to work their way back into the game and then just exploded for 31 points in the deciding fourth to cruise by the Clippers.

There were a lot of moving parts that had to come together to eventually create the winning combination. Leading scorer, Danny Granger was a late scratch and remains day-to-day after an MRI revealed the Pacers resident all-star has a sprained MCL in his left knee. But Granger's absence was no excuse for the ugly first half that saw both teams shoot in the low 30% from the floor.

In fact, the Pacers only scored 34-points in the first half, ironically matching the pitiful second-half point total in the last two home losses to the Knicks and Cavaliers. Fortunately the Clippers weren't much better and the Pacers only trailed by nine at the break. The game continued to creep along in the third quarter, but the Pacers cut the lead to four heading into the fourth.

At winning time, though, the Pacers answered big time, winning the fourth 31-14 in a game that became quite intense and a little chippy. At one point Baron Davis and T.J. Ford had a silly squabble of wills with neither wanting to flinch, but it added some juice to the game and although it woke up Baron Davis at the offensive end, it also engaged Ford at both ends as he included his teammates who put forth a great team effort to close out the game. I'm convinced Davis was initially upset because Ford was actually giving him some fits with his defense.

Ford was just one of several players who wiped away a poor early effort to finish strong and find a way to win. Whether it was foul trouble or poor shooting, nearly every Pacers was struggling. But they used a strong defensive effort to stay in touch until the offense came around. In fact, the defense created some easy offensive chances. For instance, Roy Hibbert rotated over to block a Craig Smith layup early in the fourth. The block slammed off the backboard, fueling a layup by Ford at the other end and pushing the lead to four points. The Pacers would never trail again.

More on the major contributions after the jump.

Dahntay Jones was a monster in the fourth quarter and his game highlights how this one went from start to finish. Dahntay had zero points and three fouls in the first half. He forced a couple of shots but just couldn't make a jumper to save his life. He even missed a couple of free throws. But he kept grinding in the second half and drew a couple of fouls on drives to the rim. The made free throws helped his rhythm and before long he was scoring from all over the court, finishing with 18 points in the second half. He even knocked down a classic Quisy three where you beg him not to shoot and then watch the ball go in. Jones also helped slow down Baron Davis after the T.J tango re-engaged the Clippers' point guard.
Luther Head was one player who deserves credit for playing well in both the first and second half. For a three minute stretch early in the second quarter, Luther scored eight straight points which kept the Pacers in the game. He also had a couple of assists later in the quarter including a sweet leave for Roy Hibbert as he rolled to the hoop for an easy bucket. In the second half, Luther continued his solid play with six more points to finish with 14. At one point, I thought JOB was going to ride Luther home, but eventually the foul-strapped Brandon Rush returned to the court.
Troy Murphy also weathered three fouls in the first half while not shooting it particularly well. He did play much better defense, though and rebounded pretty well, although Marcus Camby was a nightmare for everyone. In fact, after Camby closed the third with a 3-pointer (seriously) he had 15 points and 20 rebounds. But in the fourth, Camby could only muster up one rebound and zero points. Meanwhile, Murph continued to scrap on the glass, even keeping a couple of possessions alive on the offensive glass, and then found his stroke when it mattered most. Murph's two three pointers in the last five minutes (set up nicely by T.J. Ford) helped suck the life out of the Clippers. The final trey put the Pacers up nine and was the deciding dagger. Murph finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds.
T.J. Ford came out of nowhere to produce big time down the stretch in this one. Until the fourth, it was the same old, same old with Ford. Not exactly spilling his guts at either end and offering up a couple of mind numbing turnovers. But tonight when it mattered, Ford stood up to Baron Davis and wasn't going down without a fight. While he made a few key shots and finished a couple of nice drives at the hoop, his assists were the difference in the fourth. Ford had three key dimes in the final five minutes that all set up made three-pointers and buried the Clippers.
Roy Hibbert and Brandon Rush were a bit up and down as they both tried to play through foul trouble. Hibbert only ended up playing 25 minutes and aside from a couple of nice pick 'n roll finishes couldn't make a shot. Hibbert did hold his own defensively though and scrapping with Chris Kaman and helping to hold the Clippers leading scorer to 10 points. Hibbert finished with 3 blocks.
Rush finished the game with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Like Luther helped bolster what little offense the Pacers had in the first half with a couple of three-pointers. He struggled down the stretch, missing two free throws that were a result of two possession-saving offensive rebounds by Murphy and Jeff Foster. Fortunately, it didn't come back to bite the Pacers. Rush also felt the wrath of T.J. Ford after the two weren't on the same page during a critical late possession. Dahntay Jones mediated with an arm around each as they made their way to the bench for a timeout.
Jeff Foster and Tyler Hansbrough did a lot of dirty work during their time on the court. They actually played some together for the second night in a row. As you can imagine, the combo keeps things lively on the court. At the time in the third quarter, the Pacers needed all of the juice they could get and they provided a little boost.
When the game started, I was wondering which players might step up to fill the void with Granger sidelined. As it turned out, nearly everyone did a little something at least a little better than they have been to combine to turn this ugly game and potential fifth-straight loss into a sweet victory. Now the turkey will taste a little better tomorrow.

Why You Should Watch, Part 1: A Suns Fan's Cheat Sheet to the Rest of the League

Mike Lisboa — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 22:00:40 -0000

Coach Gentry cheers on the Suns at every game. You should, too! (Photo by Max Simbron)

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The Phoenix Suns are 11-3 and heading into a December full of must-watch games against top flight NBA teams. No Suns fan worth their salt is going to miss a match-up against the Lakers or Spurs or Mavericks. Those teams have been lifelong (or at least decade-long) nemeses to our beloved Suns and each of those games is like a basketball rite of passage.

But what about the rest of the League? Why should you watch the Suns beat up on the Timberwolves or Bobcats? And what about those random teams that never get any pub way out west like the Bucks or the Nets? Below is part one of list of things to look for and reasons to watch our Suns play every team in the NBA. Feel free to print it out and keep it on the fridge next to your official Phoenix Suns schedule or next to the remote so you can crib from it on gameday. Also included is each team's SBNation site if you'd like to learn more about them.

But mostly you should watch because it's the Suns!

Atlanta Hawks, Peach Tree Hoops: Another early season surprise, just like The Suns. The obvious angle here is former Sun, Joe Johnson, aka Daisy Buchanan aka The One That Got Away. While in past seasons, one could have argued that perhaps he was the only reason to watch the Hawks, this year Atlanta done went and put together a ball club. Josh Smith will put you on a poster after rebounding your miss that he nearly blocked on the other end and Jamal Crawford will go from 0-15 points in the blink of an eye. This is a fun team that, like the Suns, seems poised to make an unexpected run at an assumedly superior division rival (the Orlando Magic).

Boston Celtics, CelticsBlog: Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce. For me those are reasons enough to watch them. For Suns fans, KG represents an alternative dimension where the Suns won the trade lottery a few years back and miraculously transformed into a defensive championship-winning machine. Ray Allen was a Suns assassin with the Sonics seemingly ending every contest against the Suns with a 3 as time expired. And Paul Pierce is the The Truth. Probably a little underrated around these parts, Pierce is a ferocious competitor and maybe the 3rd most important Celtic in history behind Bill Russell and Larry Bird. However, time is catching up to the Big 3 and this may be the last chance to catch them before they retire/go their separate ways. Oh, and for added Suns angles, former Sun/Sun Devil Eddie House is always conscienceless good times firing 3s off the bench and Rajon Rondo causes some current fans to look at Goran Dragic coming off the bench and cut themselves since he was in fact a Phoenix draft pick that the Sarver and company sold on eBay back in the day.

Charlotte Bobcats, Rufus On Fire: True story: I nearly canceled League Pass after coming across a Bobcats/Nets game a couple weeks ago. It was eye murder. That said, there's some fun to be had here. First, you can boo/cheer Boris Diaw as you see fit. Watching him play waffle croissant frustrate another team is much more liberating without worrying about how his 9 milli a year is affecting the Suns' cap situation. Raja Bell is gone, but in his place is former Suns division rival Stephen Jackson who should up the excitement quotient in the Queen City. And if you though Mike D'Antoni had a thing against young players, you can practically see the Charlotte faithful's collective head getting ready to explode as rookie lottery pick Gerald Henderson continues to ride pine even in garbage time.

Continued after the jump...

Chicago Bulls, Blog-A-Bull: Joakim Noah will make you eat your words. Derrick Rose is going to be a very good point guard for a very long time. Vinnie Del Negro has one of the best tans I've ever seen. He's the NBA's answer to George Hamilton. If you want something of a Suns angle, John Salmons shunned the Suns leading them to eventually sign Marcus Banks to one of the worst contracts in Suns history AND Luol Deng was also a one time Suns draft pick. Alternately frustrating and fantastic, there's a lot to watch any time these Bulls take the floor.

Cleveland Cavaliers, Fear The Sword: Little known fact about these Cavs... just kidding. If ever an NBA team suffered from overexposure, it's this year's Cavs. Whether or not, Shaquille O'Neal puts Cleveland over the top or drags them under, LeBron James' presence makes Cleveland must-watch basketball every time he takes the court... at least for another few months.

Dallas Mavericks, Mavs Moneyball: Well, well, well, if it isn't a rejuvenated Shawn Marion back in the Western Conference! With Jason Kidd and Tim Thomas on the roster, that's 3 former Suns who could make life miserable for their ex-team. Then there's notable Suns killer and former Wildcat Jason Terry who gets all Bill the Butcher on the Suns every time they play. And of course, Dirk Nowitzki is a straight up animal. New to the mix this year is rookie Frenchman Rodrigue Beaubois, who might be the only 6'0" player in the NBA with a go-to alley oop play drawn up especially for him. So, yeah, watch these guys.

Denver Nuggets, Denver Stiffs: This is quite simply an electric basketball team. Defensively suspect perhaps, this Nuggets team is simply terrifying on the offensive end. Carmelo Anthony's most dangerous spot on the floor is, well, the floor. From the baseline to the top of the arc, he is making opponents lives miserable this season. Off the bench, rookie PG Ty Lawson is quickly making a name for himself as a capable and dangerous back-up to Chauncey Billups' unwaveringly steady hand. These cats are slick and worth watching any time they take the floor.

Detroit Pistons, Motown String Music: The most exciting development in the world of Dee-troit Basketball is Will Bynum's transmogrification into the explosive substance, Bynumite. And he's a former Wildcat, too! Also, the Suns whupped them handily so they're good for the occasional Alando Tucker sighting. And I <3 a healthy Rip Hamilton.

Golden State Warriors, Golden State of Mind: There's a lot to like here: Steph Curry, Anthony Randolph, Monta Ellis, Andris Biedrens and hey -- it's Raja Bell! I was a big Anthony Morrow fan at Summer League and after one game, even D-League call-up Chris Hunter is making some noise. The problem is with Don Nelson running the show mailing it in, you never know what version of this team you're going to get. As a Suns fan though, with 14 games worth of hindsight, try and figure out how that rumored Amare trade would have worked out this season (my 2 cents: not well).

Houston Rockets, The Dream Shake: No T-Mac? No Yao? No problem. Sort of. After a hot start, the Rockets have cooled off to the .500 level in their last 10 games. What they lack in star power, the team is attempting to compensate for in effort and ingenuity. While that combination may make for a middling season, it also makes for smart, hard-fought basketball games that the Suns will have to earn.

Indiana Pacers, Indy Cornrows: Because Danny Granger is the brightest star you've never heard of. While off to a bit of a rough start in 2009, Granger is capable of taking over games and should not be slept on. Also, Tyler Hansbrough will help you find your dog.

Los Angeles Clippers, Clips Nation: This is a team on the verge of... something. They've got a solid if unspectacular commingling of veteran and youth presence in the starting line-up and on the bench and it will only get better once Blake Griffin joins the mix. Boom Dizzle and Eric Gordon make for an above average (and occasionally dynamic) backcourt. Chris Kaman is playing as if he is actually from another planet this year. Marcus Camby is ol' reliable and Craig Smith and Sebastian Telfair are providing serviceable minutes off the bench. In short, these Clippers are ready to break out of the cellar and into the NBA middle class, but they won't because Mike Dunleavy is a terrible, terrible coach. So why should you watch? For the novelty of seeing a team whose locker room cancer is actually roaming the sidelines in a suit.

Los Angeles Lakers, Silver Screen and Roll: "Hate Leads to Suffering; Or, How I Learned to Stop Suffering and Appreciate the Los Angeles Lakers." I'm not sure when I stopped hating the Lake Show, but it's a relatively recent phenomenon. There's just too much good basketball happening when they're on the court. Kobe Bryant is the pre-eminent basketball technician in the league right now. Pau Gasol might be the most sophisticated power forward in the NBA. Andrew Bynum is morphing from man-child to man with each passing minute on the court. Lamar Odom is the Ghost of Earl Clark Future and Ron Artest has gone from dangerously crazy to lovably eccentric with a change in area code. Oh, and that guy on the sidelines has 12 rings (2 as a player... haters) to legitimize any complaints of "Fakerism." For weaknesses, Derek Fisher is showing his age and then some and that bench is the basketball equivalent of Russian Roulette (there's about a 1 in 6 chance they will cost the Lakers the game). But you know, watch for the hate. It feels good, doesn't it, young Skywalker?

Memphis Grizzlies, Straight Outta Vancouver: Because Allen Iverson is must-watch basketball! Watch these guys so that 2 years from now you can say you were there when... Rudy Gay announced his presence with authority, O.J. Mayo came into his own, Zach Randolph quietly resucitated his career, Marc Gasol began working his way out of Pau's shadow, Jamaal Tinsley was brought into stabilize (!) a team's roster, and Hasheem Thabeet began fading into obscurity. It's kinda like watching the X-Files before the X-Files was cool (and that also started in Canada!).

Miami Heat, Peninsula is Mightier: Because if you don't watch, Dwyane Wade will throw himself at you and you WILL be called for a foul. While it's easy to mock Wade's penchant for reckless drives and refs tendencies to bail him out, it's impossible to argue that he's not a hardwood hurricane when this team needs him to be. Without Wade, this team's win total is somewhere in the 30s, but with him, they're a dangerous playoff foe... which isn't to say there isn't some talent around him. Udonis Haslem defines "unsung hero" outside of Miami-Dade County. Jermaine O'Neal and Quentin "P90X" Richardson are both having mini-renaissances this season and youngsters Mario Chalmers and Michael Beasley provide inconsistent if effective support to their leading man. But mostly, it's all about Wade being a force of nature that you can watch from the comfort of your home without worrying about losing your home in the process.

To be continued....

Gold Lion: Grizzlies beat the Clippers 106-91

djturtleface — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:16:01 -0000

More photos » by Lance Murphey - AP

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Mike Conley might not have responded well to the push Marcus Williams has been making for his job, but the Grizzlies certainly responded well to Conley's foul trouble, both with Williams and O.J. Mayo running the offense. The Grizzlies offense absolutely tore up the Clippers, shooting 54% from the field and getting to the line 19 times with 17 hits on those free ones.

After another big 3rd quarter push, just like against the Wolves, the Grizzlies took control and never even thought about looking back. Memphis has now won two in a row, and even if the Timberwolves and Clippers aren't exactly playoff teams, that's still something.

You can get more at Clips Nation, or hop over the jump for a longer recap.

Zach Randolph got dirty on offense, shooting great and passing effectively despite only earning one assist for that work. Rudy Gay and O.J. Mayo were just splashing every jumper they took, often open catch-and-shoots, a rarity for the Grizzlies. But again Marc Gasol stole the show on offense. Big Gasol was nearly perfect from the field, and he even dished six dimes. The high-post Gasol attack was on display tonight.

And while the offense definitely was the shining star in this game, the defense was pretty solid too. I actually liked what Zach was doing, how often do you see dude get four fouls? Not often, but he should try it more often. Craig Smith, a surprisingly decent offensive backup, got his buckets, but Zach protected the rim better than normal.

I even liked the bench out there. DeMarre's jumper was a little less crooked, and Hasheem Thabeet returned to look a little less goofy against the Clipper scrubs. Sam Young led the second unit again, but I thought he looked to pass a bit more than usual.

Rockness Monster: Marc Gasol might be the Grizzlies best player. He just keeps showing new moves and more vision every game this season. Last season Marc had definite limitations; he banged the boards and showed flashes of other skills. This year the younger Gasol is dangerously close to mastering the high-post.

U-Turn: Marcus Williams played better with the starters than he does with the subs. He clearly defers more often, and even though he shouldn't be shooting threes with that wonky jumper, Williams played well within himself. Look, he's still a terrible defender and seems to have no concept of when to push or slow things down, but results are results. And Mike Conley is terrible.

Bitter Limon: I bet you can guess... Mike Conley shoots 0-4 from the field, has 2 assists to 2 turnovers, and collects 5 fouls in just 16 minutes on the court. I didn't realize you could so much damage in so little time.

Sleeping With the Enemy: Well, Baron Davis certainly didn't do his team any favors, and nobody else bailed the Clippers out, as hard as Chris Kaman might have tried. Al Thornton might be out of the league in three years, and Rasual Butler got revealed as a product of Chris Paul like he was a Scooby-Doo villain. What else is there to say about this team? Without Eric Gordon, they're not very good.

Give Me Two: Grizzlies vs. Clippers Preview

djturtleface — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:05:09 -0000

by David Zalubowski - AP

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Tonight the Grizzlies will get their first second look at a team when the Los Angeles Clippers visit Memphis. Chris Kaman is eating a rack of ribs as I speak. Baron Davis is trying to get the sauce out of his beard.

Get over the jump for my preview, and stop by Clips Nation for their rather comprehensive look.

I don't believe in Coach Hollins, but I also don't believe that you can truly judge a coach until you see how he reacts to playing a team the second time. Hollins has slowed down the Grizzlies in the past few games, which has caused their efficiency on the offensive end to plummet and hasn't addressed the defensive issues either.

With team like last year's Magic and this year's Suns proving that pace and defense aren't inversely correlated, I'd like to hope that Hollins sticks with his intuition and lets the bulls run tonight. Let Rudy do his thing against Al Thornton and Rasual Butler, Zach Randolph doing what he wants whether Hollins likes it or not, and maybe let O.J. Mayo try to be the primary ball handler with Butler matching up against him.

Defending the Clips should be much easier tonight, with them coming off a long loss last night and Eric Gordon, who is every bit as much a franchise player as O.J., out still. Baron Davis will be a gamebreaker. By my estimation a nice night from Boom Dizzle will probably win it, a bad game will lose it.

Look for all the Grizzlies to have another nice night offensively, but for Rudy Gay to bounce-back in particular. Marc Gasol should have a bit of a down night dealing with Chris Kaman and Marcus Camby, both of whom are effective against players like himself, but if Zach Randolph has a heart, he'll play it out tonight.

As much as I hate to knock on what little wood the Grizzlies have left, I'm going to stick my neck out and predict a Grizzlies win in this one. The team has said the right things to the media in the wake of Iverson-gate, and I like their chance to be focused after this long break in the schedule.

Game 10 Preview: Los Angeles Clippers at Oklahoma City

Zorgon — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 23:48:41 -0000

More photos » by Chris Carlson - AP

Can Russell Westbrook become the next Baron Davis? Well, he has to get past him first.

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This also counts as an open thread, so feel free to post your thoughts during the game here.

Time: 6:00 PM Central Standard Time

Place: The Ford Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

TV: Fox Sports Oklahoma, Fox Sports Net Prime Ticket

Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1)

Enemy Blog(s): Clips Nation, ClipperBlog

Backstory: We're almost an eighth of the way there, and things are looking good!

Since we've last seen the Clippers, they've lost to Toronto in an embarrassing fashion. Now they're on a 3 game losing streak, and seeing how badly they've played lately, I really , really doubt the Thunder have much of a chance of losing this one. Nobody has come back from injury, Russell Westbrook (our worst performer of last time) has beaten Tony Parker in a fierce battle, and it's in our house this time.

Below: Matchups, Prediction

Matchups:

Center: Nenad Krstic vs. Chris Kaman

Last time, Chris Kaman had a better game overall than Krstic, but he was much less efficient. I mean, 9-26 shooting is pretty unacceptable for a center by my standards. I'll say that the same goes for this game, with Kaman scoring more points and grabbing more rebounds, but with Nenad Krstic doing less with less minutes and less opportunities.

Power Forward: Jeff Green vs. Marcus Camby

This will be a defensive battle, for sure. Last game, neither of them was able to score on a consistent basis, and Camby won the battle of the intangibles. If Green wants to win this game, he's going to have to get a 3 point shot going.

Small Forward: Kevin Durant vs. Al Thornton

Al Thornton is probably the most efficient Clippers player, but I doubt he'll have a better performance than Kevin Durant. Expect him to get roughly half of KDs numbers.

Shooting Guard: Thabo Sefolosha vs. Rasual Butler

Thabo Sefolosha had a horrible night last time, but at least Rasual Butler was able to rebound the ball for his team. I'd like to think that Sefolosha will do better this time, but there's no big scoring threat for him to stop, so I think we might even be better off starting James Harden at this point. Rasual Butler will outperform him by a bit.

Point Guard: Russell Westbrook vs. Baron Davis

This is the matchup I want to see again. Last time, Westbrook got injured, and Baron Davis outperformed him in every single way. But, Russell Westbrook had a great game against Tony Parker, doesn't seem any worse for the wear, and probably wants to show his stuff against this Clipper team. I'll give Baron Davis the win, but I still truly hope that Westbrook can rebound from his bad performance last time.

Battle of the Benches

Last time, the only players who mattered on the bench were James Harden and Kevin Ollie. I wouldn't expect that to change for us, as Collison and Thomas aren't huge game changers, but I'd expect more out of Craig Smith and Sebastian Telfair on the Clippers side of things. Smith is a nice inside scorer and rebounder, while Telfair can distribute just as well as Baron Davis can.

Coaching and Intangibles

The Thunder are on a two game winning streak, have beaten this team before at home, and are at home themselves. The Clippers are without two of their best players, on the road, have lost 3 straight, and have only beaten the lowly Timberwolves, Warriors, and Grizzlies. I'd say the intangibles are in our favor.

Bottom Line

If the Thunder can get solid production from the guards, make sure that guys like Chris Kaman, Marcus Camby, and Craig Smith don't have productive games inside, and drop a few threes, then they can win this game. It may sound like a lot, but it's no herculean task. Again, these are the Clippers we're talking about.

Prediction: Thunder 95, Clippers 90

6-4? Like Kevin Garnett, anything is possible!

How do you think the game will go? Vote in the Poll!

And, again, feel free to drop any comments you might have during, before, or after the game below. I'll be in the Ford Center cheering the team on, but I'll be back to write a recap later tonight. Go Thunder!

Poll

Who's going to win tonight?

The Oklahoma City Thunder

16 votes

The Los Angeles Clippers

10 votes

26 votes | Poll has closed