The Atlanta Hawks’ bus got in an accident after the morning shoot-around in Milwaukee. The real tragedy was their performance in Game 4.
Though dominant at home, the Atlanta Hawks are proving they are mere roadkill away from Philips Arena. Despite the loss of Bogut, the upstart Bucks are beating the once dominant Hawks rather easily at the Bradley Center. Game 3 was a blowout and an embarrassing loss for a 50-win team. On Monday, the Deer took it to the wingless birds 111-104 to tie the series at 2.
John Salmons and Brandon Jennings continue to pester the Hawks. Salmons poured in 23 and Jennings contributed 22 points and 6 assists. But it was the hot shooting of Carlos Delfino (22 points, 6 of 8 from the 3 point line) that spelled doom for Atlanta. Delfino was emblematic of the entire Bucks roster on Monday: hustling, taking smart shots, and converting from the charity stripe. As a team, the Bucks shot over 55% and were 88% from the line on 32 attempts. They took nearly 15 more free throws than they averaged in the prior 3 games.
I would say Game 4 was 50% Milwaukee’s great play and 50% Atlanta simply not being ready for primetime. I love a good underdog story, but the talent of Atlanta is too deep to be troubled by this Milwaukee team. Mike Woodson needs to share a lot of the blame. He has never had success on the road in the playoffs. Though it will likely not derail the Hawks this round, you can bet that against Orlando, zero road wins means a quick summer vacation.
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Final stat line for LeBron James: 39 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists. Add in 21 points from Mo Williams and 19 from Antawn Jamison. You’d expect the Cavs to cruise to an easy victory, right? Wrong!
The balanced scoring of the Chicago Bulls led them to victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 3 on Thursday, 108-106. Derrick Rose had another stellar game, posting 31 points and 7 assists on 50% shooting. But it was the scoring of little Kirk Hinrich (27 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds, 75% shooting) and the rebounding of loud-mouth Joakim Noah (15 rebounds) that made the difference. Add Luol Deng’s 20 points and good contribution from the bench, at this was Chicago’s game.
But it was not as easy as they would have liked. Up by 21 points in the third quarter, the Bulls let the Cavs make a grand comeback. With less than a minute to go, the normally steady free throw shooting of the Bulls left them. Misses by Hinrich, Rose, and Deng gave Cleveland a chance to win at the end, but Anthony Parker’s three point attempt was off the mark.
LeBron had a monster game, but he hurt his team with the one true weakness he has — free throw shooting. LBJ was 7 of 13 from the charity stripe and the team as a whole shot only 65% from the FT line and 44% from the field. Compare that to the stellar percentages of the Bulls — 50% FG, 76% FT — and you have your difference in the game.
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The Cleveland Cavaliers got up big against the Chicago Bulls and never looked backed. But the performance of Derrick Rose was something to watch.
The Cavs beat the Bulls 96-83 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference series at the Q. LeBron James did his best on both sides of the ball finishing with 24 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 BLOCKS! The Cavs as a team swatted 12 balls, 10 in the second half. Mo Williams carried a heavy load at point guard dropping in 19 points with 10 dimes. Newly acquired Antawn Jamison was his ever-steady, quiet self, adding 15 points, 10 rebounds, and an impressive 3 blocks.
It was the depth of Cleveland that was the real difference. For once, it was not the LeBron + 4 game. Shaq, having not played since late February, came back with a strong performance, posting 12 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 blocks. Varejao brought the energy with 15 rebounds and helped counter his bizarro self, Joakim Noah.
The offense of Chicago went through Derrick Rose. He had 28 points on 28 attempts and added 10 assists. His 7 TOs cost the Bulls but Rose has shown that he plays better in big games. The loss of another big scorer, losing Ben Gordon last year and John Salmons at the trade deadline, reduce the options of Chicago. Luol Deng was only 5-15 shooting, finishing with 12 points.
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The NBA’s Western Conference has given out all its invitations to the post-season party. Now all the remains is the seating chart.
The post-season is set in the West. The following teams are confirmed as playoff bound: LA Lakers, Dallas, Denver, Utah, Phoenix, Oklahoma City, San Antonio, and Portland. But other than LA, who leads the West by 5 games, all of the other seeds are up for grabs. Just 3 games separate 8th from 2nd place, and four teams are tied for the second best record.
Given the recent news that Bynum did not suffer and ACL tear, you can bet that no one wants to face the Lakers early. That places even more importance on getting in the 2nd or 3rd position. I also wouldn’t want a first rounder with a dangerous Oklahoma City team. Given the weapons they have, they could take almost anyone down. Phoenix remains a fan favorite and Amare’s recent play could propel them as spoilers. A healthy Brandon Roy improves Portland’s chances and Dallas has played some terrific basketball since the fleecing of Washington for Caron Butler and Brandon Haywood.
Only a week and a half remain of the regular season. While many teams are planning vacations or tanking to get a better draft slot, 7 teams in the West will be fighting for their playoff life — even though they’ve already qualified.
The Atlanta Hawks dominated the LA Lakers thanks in part to major contribution from the bench. As the playoffs near, solid bench play is key for a long post-season run.
Joe Johnson led the Hawks in scoring with 25 points (including 5 three pointers) as the Atlanta Hawks dropped the Lakers 109-92 in Atlanta. JoJo has been the teams leading scorer all year long and will be counted on to hit some big shots in the playoffs. But on Wednesday night, it was the play of the Atlanta bench that secured an easy victory. Leading sixth man of the year candidate, Jamal Crawford finished the game with 14 points which is 3 points below his average. The real difference was the contribution of Maurice Evans (18 points) and Zaza Pachulia (10 points, 10 rebounds). If the Hawks get production beyond Crawford off the bench, they can be dangerous.
Despite 28 points from Kobe Bryant, the Lakers were never that close in the second half. The lose was only the fourth time the Lakers have dropped back-to-back games this season. With Boston losing to Oklahoma City, the Hawks moved into third place in the Eastern Conference. The victory over the Lakers continued a nine game win streak at home, though still a far cry from 20 games won at the Omni in the 1996-97 season.
The OKC Thunder trounced the 76ers and are close to clinching a playoff spot. The Thunder represent the future of the NBA and you should rejoice in their success!
Yahoo! Sports reports on Tuesday’s victory:
For three quarters, Kevin Durant put on quite a show for about 50 friends and family members who made the short trip up I-95 from his hometown of Washington, D.C.
There was no need to play for most of the fourth while his teammates were adding to a big lead.
Durant had 26 points and 10 rebounds, Jeff Green added 16 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder cruised to a 111-93 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday.
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