Cody's Blog » Basketball

The Newest Big Three

Cody Clark — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 23:07:31 +0000

San Antonio has Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli. Boston has Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett. The Lakers have Kobe Bryant, Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol. And now, Miami has added the NBA’s newest “Big Three” in LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh. Albeit for a slight pay cut of about 15 million less over their respective contracts’ lives, the three superstars signed contracts worth upwards of 325 million dollars. The three NBA superstars were introduced sporting their pearly white home Miami Heat jerseys on Friday complete with number changes and a new hair style from newcomer Chris Bosh. The move is the largest splash in the NBA since Boston formulated its Big Three in the 2007-2008 season, but leaves Miami in a tight spot. With all the cap room clearing and trade transactions that the Heat made to land Wade, Bosh and James, Miami now only technically has one player on their roster under contract in Mario Chalmers until the big three sign, and have only 6 total players on the roster. Even though the Heat acquired possibly the three of the biggest players in the NBA, the Heat are left with nary a remotely decent role player beside Chalmers. There are rumors flying around that the Heat are also talking to the Wizards’ sharp-shooter Mike Miller. The deal leaves them with 15 million dollars to fill out a supporting cast and as many as 6 roster spots, and in a tight spot to fill out a possible championship contending roster before the 2010-2011 season gets under way. (Photo Courtesy of ESPN)

Wheelin’ and Dealin’

Cody Clark — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 16:08:14 +0000

The first five picks in the 2010 NBA draft went pretty much according to plan. The desperate Washington Wizards took John Wall at number 1, and Evan Turner was taken number 2 by the Philadelphia 76er’s. At 3, the Nets took Derrick Favors, at 4 the Timberwolves took Syracuse’s Wesley Johnson and Kentucky’s raw center DeMarcus Cousins was taken fifth by the Kings. After that, the shakeups and trades came in huge waves. One of the biggest surprises was Baylor’s Ekpe Udoh, the self made center who was taken at number 6 by the Warriors. After transferring into Baylor, which was a much more run an gun type offense, Udoh played with a high motor and made himself a great rebounding, shot blocking beast down low. Another surprise was Butler’s Gordon Hayward, who cracked the top ten when he was taken ninth by the Utah Jazz making him the highest Butler player ever taken in the NBA Draft. The trades during draft night were also innumerable, with deals taking place left and right, sending draft picks and cash all over the place. Some of these notable deals saw Kentucky’s Eric Bledsoe go to the Clippers from the Thunder. Another trade saw Kirk Hinrich and the 17th draft pick go to the Wizards so as to free up cap space for the Bulls for the summer’s high price free agents. Another move saw the Hornets get Quincy Pondexter and Craig Brackens for Cole Aldrich and Morris Peterson. With a draft chalk full of underclassmen, only time will tell how this draft will rank among recent drafts. (Photo: David Stern congratulates #1 pick John Wall. Courtesy of Lucas Jackson/ Reuters.)

Bryant, Fisher Capture #5

Cody Clark — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 20:44:00 +0000

Fueled by a comeback led by Kobe Byrant and Ron Artest, the Los Angeles Lakers captured the 16th title in franchise history, while Laker standouts Bryant and Derek Fisher grabbed their fifth NBA titles, and first against the Celtics. Bryant shot a dismal 6 of 24 from the field, but his 23 points, coupled with Artest’s 20 and Gasol’s quiet 19 point, 18 rebound performance led the Lakers out from their early first half deficit and on to victory for the second time in as many years. For Laker head coach Phil Jackson, it was titled number 11 in his career, tying him for the most titles as a coach with longtime USC baseball coach Rod Dedeaux. The Lakers also turned the tide on what had been a lopsided NBA finals series favoring the Celtics, as they had taken 9 of their 12 meetings from L.A. in the finals, but the kicker was that they did it the Celtic way. The Lakers played a tough defensive minded, low scoring affair Friday night in game seven, which is usually the Celtics fortay. For coach Phil, this title may well have been his last, as the grind of an NBA season is wearing on his 65 year old body, and a pay cut looms in the extremely near future. However, the Lakers may still be able to sell Phil the idea to stick around to try and chase down and capture and unprecedented fourth threepeat next year in what would most likely be his final season if he does not retire this year.

Party Like Its 2008

Cody Clark — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 17:01:14 +0000

The 2010 NBA Finals are shaping up in a similar to the 2008 NBA Finals, with Paul Pierce carrying the Boston Celtics then as well as now. Pierce poured in his best finals performance of the year, turning in 27 points on 57% shooting, while Rajon Rondo and Kevin Garnett each contributed 18, and Ray Allen added 12 more as the Celtics defeated the Lakers in game 5 92-86 and seized a 3-2 series lead with game 6 and game 7 (if needed) left to play in Los Angeles. The Celtics were able to overcome Kobe Bryant’s 38 point barrage by holding all other Lakers but Pau Gasol to under double digits, and Gasol only had 12 for the second time in this series. Boston used a combination of solid scoring and great defense for the second game in a row, and now head to Los Angeles in the hope of closing out the series with a game 6 victory on the Lakers home court.

All For One and One For All

Cody Clark — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 14:20:31 +0000

Being a bench player can be a difficult job in the NBA. Many times you don’t get into games, and if you do, you are merely giving the starters a rest and end up back on the bench in just a few minutes. That was not the story for the Celtics bench in game 4 of the NBA Finals. The C’s bench scored 21 of Boston’s 36 points, with Glen “Big Baby” Davis putting up 9 of his 18 total points in the final stanza. Another major contributor was back up point guard Nate Robinson, who scored 6 of his 12 points in the final quarter. After battling back to cut the game two three points at 45-42 in favor of the Lakers at the half, Boston came out in the second half with a new found energy, with most of it being provided by backups Rasheed Wallace (3 points), Glen Davis (18 points), Tony Allen (3 points, and Nate Robinson (12 points), even to the point where Rasheed Wallace picked up a technical for overzealous celebration, and Robinson grabbed one for taunting the much taller LaMar Odom and getting in his grill. The defense by the Celtics was extremely sound, as they held the Lakers to just 89 points, and only allowed three Lakers to barely get in double figures, as Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol held their end of the bargain, but Odom barely eked out 10 points. The bench was the reason that the Celtics won the game, and the C’s now move to 14-2 this postseason when holding an opponent under 100 total points. (Photos: Glen Davis and Nate Robinson react after stifling the Lakers in the fourth quarter. Photos courtesy of Jim Rogash and Ronald Martinez, both of Getty Images)

Nothing But Net

Cody Clark — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 12:53:18 +0000

After a dismal NBA Finals game 1, Ray Allen showed everyone why he is still the purest jump shooter left in the league today. Allen poured in seven three pointers in a row in the first half, putting up two in the first and swishing home 5 in the second period, scoring half of Boston’s first half points by himself. Those seven shots in a row set the NBA Finals record for most three point field goals in a row, and his 25-footer with 4:39 left to go in the third quarter gave him the NBA Finals record for threes made in a game with eight, passing the likes of Scottie Pippen and Kenny “The Jet” Smith. In a game that saw the Lakers dominating early and jumping out to a fourteen point lead, Allen knocked down shot after shot to keep Boston in the game, and his presence allowed the other Celtics to take over in the second half, and especially the fourth quarter, where Rajon Rondo scored 10 of his 19 points and collecting only the fifth Celtic triple-double in NBA Finals history and the first since the one Larry Bird tunred in during game 6 of the 1986 NBA Finals, scoring 19 points, dishing out 10 assists and snatching 12 sneaky rebounds for the C’s. The Lakers faltered when it mattered most in the fourth quarter, allowing Boston to outscore them 31-22 in the final quarter, propelling them to a 103-94 game 2 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. (Photo: Ray Allen buries a three in front of the Celtic bench as thousands of Laker fans look on in agony. Photo courtesy of Mark J. Terrill / AP.)

The Comeback Kids

Cody Clark — Thu, 27 May 2010 17:03:11 +0000

They are not ready to go home just yet. Down 3-0 against the seemingly better Celtic team, the Magic took a 96-92 win from Boston on the road in overtime. In that game, Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson combined for 55 points. In game 5, Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson scored 45 more points. But there was also a Rashard Lewis sighting in Orlando on Thursday night. Back from his Houdini disappearing act, Lewis scored 14 points on 6 for 11 shooting after averaging a total of 5 points a game in the previous contests. There was another reason that the Magic dominated the Celtics in game 5. They made their three pointers. Heating up in the second half of game 4, the stage was set for Orlando to make ‘em in game 5 at home, and did they ever. The Magic shot 52% from three, making 13 out of their 25 attempts. Another area that the Magic improved on that led to their blow out win to stay alive was their free throws. The Magic shot 80% from the line, with Nelson going 8 for 8 and J.J. Redick going 6 of 7 to lead the Magic in that department. Jameer Nelson had another huge game, scoring 24 points, dishing out 5 assists and added 80% shooting from three, going 4 for 5 including a shot from five feet behind the actual three point line as the shot clock was winding down in the third period to give the Magic a 13 point lead. After Rajon Rondo dominated the first three games, Jameer Nelson has made his case for why he is the best point guard in this series. Everyone contributed for the Magic, as each of the 10 players that saw action scored, and they had four in double figures, with four more guys one basket away. In a game that sponsored five technical foul calls and 54 total fouls called with one ejection (being Kendrick Perkins, who will most likely have it rescinded), the Magic dominated the game from the beginning and held on to grab a 21 point, 113-92 win and force a game 6. The Magic are only the tenth team in history to force a game 6 when being down 3 game to none, and have won 4 consecutive elimination games against the Boston Celtics dating back to the 2009 conference semifinals. (Photo: Jameer Nelson reacts as he pours in a 28 foot three oint shot to give the Magic a 13 point-lead. Photo courtesy of John Raoux AP.)

Bench Barrage

Cody Clark — Wed, 26 May 2010 18:38:24 +0000

Knowing when to pull your starters and how long to ride your bench guys can be very tricky business. For Phoenix Suns coach Alvin Gentry, the decision was easy. Let ‘em play! The Suns bench, led by an awakened Channing Frye and a solid Leandro Barbosa who each had 14 points each, gave Gentry key minutes in each quarter of play, particularly in the fourth. The bench played nine of the twelve minutes of the final quarter, and turned a 2 point deficit into a 13 point lead with the flick of their wrist. The bench players for the Suns out-shot their starting counterparts, shooting 45% (9 for 20) from three while playing the zone defense perfectly against the normally efficient Laker team. The Lakers still scored 106 points, but it was the Lakers starters versus the Suns bench for most fo the game. The Lakers guard Kobe Bryant did score 38 points and dish out 10 assists, but he was the only one contributing, as Pau Gasol only had 15 points while in foul trouble for much of the game and Lamar Odom also only added 15 points. The story of the game was the effectiveness of the Phoenix Suns bench, as they carried the Suns to a game four victory and a 2-2 series tie heading back to Staples Center in Los Angeles. Goran Dragic also posted 8 points, while Louis Amundson had 7 and sharpshooter Jared Dudley added 11 for the Suns bench. (Photo: Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire congratulate the bench during a timeout. Photo courtesy of Chris Carlson AP.)

Not So Fast

Cody Clark — Tue, 25 May 2010 18:31:39 +0000

Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard and point guard Jameer Nelson knew that had to come up big in game 4 if they wanted any chance to extend their season and avoid a sweep from the Boston Celtics. Their 55 total points spoke for themselves. The Magic’s rejuvenated pick and roll offense allowed Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson to prosper all night, as they wreaked havoc on the usually solid Celtic defense, as they gave up more than 95 points for the first time in their last seven postseason games. In the first quarter, the Magic showed life in their game they hadn’t previously revealed in the past three games, as their up-tempo, run-and-gun style scored them 31 points, which gave them a 31-26 lead over the Celtics. The magic took a slight step back in the second, only scoring 20 points, but did take a four point lead into the half. In the third period, sixth man J.J Redick scored 10 straight Magic points including going 3 for 4 from three point line, bolstering the Magic lead. With two minutes to go, Orlando held a 7 point lead, but saw that dissolve as Paul Pierce and Ray Allen took over down the stretch. Paul Pierce got an and one on a locking foul and after the free throw, a botched last play led the two teams into overtime at 86-86. In overtime, the Celtics laid a huge egg, shooting 2-10 (both of those Ray Allen threes), while Jameeer Nelson scored the first six OT points on two bomb three pointers, and the magic held on to get a gut check, 96-92 win to avoid the sweep. Howard finished with 32 points, 16 rebounds and 4 blocks, while Nelson contributed 23 points, 5 rebounds and 9 assists. Perhaps the biggest contributor, however, was J.J. Redick, who scored 12 huge points on 60% shooting from beyond the arc. Trying to become the first team in history to come back from a 3-0 series deficit, the Magic will lay it all on the line again on Wednesday as they look to try and froce a game six. (Photos courtesy of Winslow Townson AP)

Take That!

Cody Clark — Mon, 24 May 2010 19:55:38 +0000

For the past four days, the Phoenix Suns have listened to naysayers that said the Suns were finished after a mere two games. Before last night’s game, Amare Stoudemire vowed that 1; he would go off in game 3, and 2; that the Suns weren’t going quietly. Lets just say he is now 2 for 2 in his predictions. Amare Stoudemire scored 42 points and brought down 11 rebounds, giving him his third 40 point game of his playoff career. Perhaps the bigger feat, however, was that he shot almost as many free throws (18) as the entire Laker team did (20), and made 78% of them. Stoudemire also shot 63% from the field as he led his Suns to a game 3 win over the Lakers. The Lakers led by 3 at the end of the first quarter, but the Suns outscored the Lakers 25-15 in the second to take a seven point lead into halftime. Derrick Fischer and the Lakers wouldn’t go away however, and Fischer’s 11 third quarter points allowed Los Angeles to pull within three heading into the final stanza. The Suns took control of the last quarter with their super effective zone defense and used Amare Stoudemire’s 13 points to turn a three point lead into a 118-109 win. For the first time this postseason, the Lakers have lost when Kobe goes for 30 or more points (he had 36, 9 rebounds, and 1 assists), and the Suns found something that works on defense. The game was still played in the 220-230 total point range, but if the Suns play like they did yesterday again in game 4 at home, this series can get very interesting very quickly. (Photo: Stoudemire reacts after drawing the foul in the fourth quarter. Photo courtesy of Matt York AP.)