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Just when we thought that the Orlando Magic were exposed by the Boston Celtics as not close enough to be considered as title contenders a few days ago, the former simply silenced those who believed that notion in nearly a week later.
The Magic had just defeated the other Eastern Conference legit contender Cleveland Cavaliers 99-88, but in doing so, the Celtics were catapulted right back to the top of the NBA's overall standings.
Two Magic players registered double-double performances. All-Star Dwight Howard (22 points, 18 rebounds) and Hedo Turkoglu (19 points, 11 rebounds) led the assault against the Cavs who played terribly distracted mainly because of alleged non-calls by the officials and LeBron James' quite dismal 10 of 27 shooting.
Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic are not going to fold just yet.
Orlando (35-10) played just how they're supposed to against Cleveland. Not like the game that they lost to the Celtics where they were held to their lowest scoring output of the season thus far in a 90-80 loss. The Magic also lost to their interstate rivals Miami Heat 103-97 two days later spurning the talks that they are losing grip of their league elite status.
“We didn’t play the way we needed to against Boston,” Howard said. “In order for us to win, we have to plan our game. We fall into playing the other team’s game, we tend to lose. We played our game tonight. We ran, played inside-out, shot the ball with confidence, and that’s what we have to do when we play against a good team.”
On the other end, the Cavs got so frustrated that they lost poise and eventually lost the game bitterly. Cleveland coach Mike Brown and point guard Mo Williams both got technical fouls in the 3rd quarter for complaining about what they believed as excessive non-calls. Brown was so livid that he had to be restrained.
“The NBA is going to make calls how they see it,” Brown said. “This was a physical game, and for a guy like that to go to the free throw line six times when he drove as much as he did, it’s sad to see.”
Brown was referring to James who had a bad shooting night and went to the free throw line just six times despite being aggressive as usual at attacking the rim. To rub salt to the wound, James made only half of those free throw attempts. He also didn't refrained from constantly complaining to the referees for most of the game.
“I’m just trying to be quiet and not say anything to the refs,” James said. “But it can get frustrating at times when you continue to just get beat up and you don’t get the attention of the refs. I just try to be quiet and hopefully they’ll call it the next time.
That was the night that proved even a king's will can be strictly denied in the NBA just like his crab dribble.
With all of the drama going down on Cleveland's rear end, Orlando went about their business. Howard dominated the shaded lane while fellow All-Stars Rashard Lewis (19 points) and Jameer Nelson (18 points) together with Turkoglu did their usual number on their disarrayed opponents.
The Magic outrebounded the Cavs (48-39), shot better overall and proved as the overwhelmingly more focused team that night.
When the dust cleared, Orlando improved to 35-10 moving half a game behind the Cavs and the Los Angeles Lakers (both 35-9).
The Lakers, as we know was dragged to a down-the-wire fiinish by the Charlotte Bobcats where they lost in double overtime 110-117. Kobe Bryant fouled out in the first overtime and it became the Laker albatross that led to a Bobcat upset win.
If the Lakers and the Cavs were pulled down, the Celtics were the ones that reaped the benefits of the recent ongoings among the other elite teams. At 38-9, Boston is done with their slump and back on top.
Kevin Garnett pulls down a rebound. Can the Celtics stay on top for good this time? It remains to be seen.
The Celtics were coming off a blowout win against the hapless Sacramento Kings a day before these recent developments and their next game against the unpredictable Detroit Pistons later on today will be of utmost importance. A win will keep them at number one regardless of how the other powerhouse teams do.
January is about to end and it's still a long season. Let's enjoy the drama in the battle for homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs.
Believe it. There will be more rivetting episodes coming up.
Photo by AP
It is official. The Boston Celtics have now fully left the ugly memory of their 2-7 slump by the wayside.
The Celtics are now currently on an 8-game winning streak. Of those wins include a 90-80 stoppage of the rampaging Orlando Magic on the road to affirm their return to their old championship form just in time to keep pace with the rest of the elite teams jockeying for position at the top of the NBA standings.
Boston is of course known for their stingy defensive game that has earned them an NBA championship last year. Judging from the looks of how they amassed their last 8 wins, their identity as a great defensive unit has certainly showed itself.
Kevin Garnett and the Celtics are back to their winning ways
Six of the eight wins saw the Celtics hold down the opposition below 90 points. Only the home games against the Toronto Raptors and the Dallas Mavericks had a Boston opponent hitting the century mark. The Raptors took the Celtics to an overtime duel while the Mavs had a 27-point Jason Terry explosion.
The Celtics never looked slipping on defense in those two high-scoring games though. Kevin Garnett imposed his defensive pressure on Chris Bosh as the latter became a non-factor in overtime while the usually prolific Dirk Nowitzki of Dallas was held to 18 points on only 4 of 17 from the field and 0 of 3 from beyond the arc.
The most impressive defensive performance of the Celtics as of late was their win against the Magic. Boston held Orlando to its worst offensive output this season with only 80 points. Considering that the Magic is the best 3-point shooting team, it was a defining moment for the Celtic defense to prove just how sharp they were in limiting any high-powered offense.
No doubt that the Celtics would be winning when their defense is clicking but what about their offensive performance?
The Celtic offense will always be identified with the Big Three: Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett. It has been a no brainer that these three All-Stars will be accountable for offensive production ever since they got together last season. After they won an NBA championship their new goal is to rewrite history by becoming the next Celtics team that wins back-to-back titles after nearly 4 decades.
In that mission this season, the Big Three has been responding in a somewhat balanced attack. Pierce has a team high 19.1 ppg while Allen and Garnett aren't far behind with 18.1 ppg and 16.3 ppg respectively. Somebody has somebody's back in this team as far as points are concerned so no one is monopolizing the scoring load. Sure is a good thing because pressure is much relieved on the stars of this team to produce heavily every game.
Their recent winning run is a fine example of such offensive luxury for the Celtics.
In the home and away series with the Raptors, Allen and Pierce took turns in scoring 30-plus points in each game. There was also the Dallas game wherein Pierce finished with only 8 points but Allen, Garnett and bench player Eddie House all scored 23 points each in the high-scoring win.
The most notable Celtic outside of the Big Three has been 3rd year point guard Rajon Rondo who has been obviously much improved compared to his performance last season.
A lot of rave reviews about the rise of Rondo have cropped up, but honestly, the athletic point guard could only do much but not enough to actually be one of the team's leaders to carry the type of load that the Big Three can carry on their shoulders. He may have improved this season but he cannot be an All-Star just yet. The idea of Boston having something like the Fantasy Four will just stay for now as such, a fantasy.
Not to belittle Rondo's contributions though. He surely took advantage of the position that he is in right now playing for a championship team where he can build all the confidence in his young career and everything is great for him right now. He's now averaging in double-figures in scoring with 10.9 ppg, but most importantly, he's proving to be one of the better playmakers of the league with 8 apg and one of the top defensive guards being 2nd in the league in steals with a 2.2 average. Those numbers outside of scoring shows Rondo's true value to the Celtics.
Kendrick Perkins is also back from an injured right shoulder. His return simply brings inside help in rebounding and inside intimidation. Perk is currently 5th in the league in shot blocks with 1.78 swats per contest. Together with Garnett, they form a defensive-minded frontcourt that gives opposing big men a hard time operating down low.
Celtics 6th man Eddie House also deserved special mention. For a championship team with a lean bench, House surely is a welcome contributor his performances against his former team Miami where he had 25 points on 7 of 11 shooting from downtown and his 23-point output in the high-scoring Dallas game were welcome developments at this point in the season where it’s time to step it up a notch.
As a team, the Celtics are ranked as a top flight defensive team being the best in limiting opponents’ field goal accuracy at 42.2%. Boston is also 2nd in the league in points allowed giving up only 91.3 ppg but it should not surprise us if they finish at number one in this department at seasons end. Boston is also up there in the team rebounding department with 42.7 rpg
Offensively, the Celtics are pretty above average but not as menacing as other high-powered offenses in the league but they are averaging a decent 101.1 ppg good for 9th in the league. Another great attribute of the Celtics is their shooting accuracy from the field with 48.2% which is 2nd best in the league.
February 5th is the next big game day for the Celtics as they get a visit from bitter rival Los Angeles Lakers. But before that, Boston has four more games to go through. Tonight will be against the moribund Sacramento Kings at home and will be in Detroit for their last game of the month against the blow hot blow cold Pistons. Their first two games in February will be against two much improved teams right now. The Celtics will be at home to play rising star Al Jefferson and the rest of the Minnesota Timberwolves and then they will be in Philly to test if Elton Brand’s return to the Philadelphia 76ers will prove interesting.
Best case scenario of course is that Boston sweeps these four games and rack up a 12-game winning streak before facing the Lakers. But then again, the Pistons can pull off a surprise or the Wolves could make another upset win so the Celtics should still be wary as ever.
The Celtics are obviously contenders being the defending champions and all that but the important thing is that they never fall to a horrible slump that they had the last time. Boston is pretty much aware at this point that they cannot afford another meltdown now that the Cleveland Cavaliers are one up on them in the Eastern Conference.
This is no time to be slipping.
Photo by AP
The Los Angeles Lakers have turned the tough Western Conference into a territory all their own. The Lakers had just obliterated, their closest pursuers, the San Antonio Spurs to the tune of 99-85 to take a 6-game lead and overwhelmingly dominate the West.
The Lakers had just completed their second 4-game winning streak since January 7th. One of the highlights of those winning runs was their equally impressive 105-88 win against Eastern Conference leader Cleveland Cavaliers.
The only flaws in their last 10 games were back-to-back losses to the same Spurs at the SBC Center and at home to the latest member of the NBA's elite class, the Orlando Magic.
As of the moment, all four elite NBA teams are taking a day off the hardwood and the Lakers are the ones at the top with a 35-8 record, a half game ahead of the Cavs.
Lakers hall of famer head coach Phil Jackson has no apparent concern about his team as of the moment given that they are are full strength especially with Jordan Farmar back in the line-up and seemed never missed a beat contributing 14 points in his first game back.
Jackson simply has no doubt in his mind right now about the Lakers' chances to finish with the league's best record at seasons end now that everything seems to be falling into place here in the second half of the season and peaking at the right time come post-season.
The recent most exciting sign of great things to come for the Lakers is the overpowering show of force of 4th year pro center Andrew Bynum.
Soon enough Andre Bynum will evolve into a beast-like performer in the NBA hardwood
Bynum blasted his way into the interior against the Los Angeles Clippers and finished with a career-high 42 points and pulled down 15 boards taking advantage of the Clippers' depleted frontcourt.
The following night, Bynum exerted himself once again top scoring for the Lakers with 23 points and had a game-high 14 rebounds against the also problematic Washington Wizards.
And just recently, in the win against the Spurs, Bynum had another double-double performance with 15 points, 11 rebounds and 4 blocks giving All-Star Tim Duncan all that he could handle.
With the way Bynum is going, it definitely is an omen that the Lakers will be extremely immovable once the playoffs rolls around the corner. With him and Pau Gasol, the Lakers have an excellent combination of power and finesse at the frontline. Both players figure well in the field goal efficiency rankings and in the rebounding departments. Bynum is also ranked 6th in the league in shot blocks.
This recent positive development in the Laker frontline gives All-Star Kobe Bryant less burden in games knowing that Bynum and Gasol are the ideal options in case he decides to dump it down low for higher percentage shots.
Bryant is third in the league in scoring with a 26.3 ppg output but he also has a modest team-best 5.2 apg showing that he mostly creates for the Laker offensive where their two big men are benefactors. Gasol is the second leading scorer for the Lakers with 17.5 ppg while Bynum is next at 13.7 ppg.
Farmar's return was also cited by coach Jackson as a key factor for the Lakers' further efficiency saying that Farmar's speed and quickness brings in a change of pace from Derek Fisher who specializes more on half-court sets. That fact maximizes the Lakers' versatility and flexibility with their high-powered offensive type line-up.
Currently, the Lakers are the best offensive team in the league with a 107.6 ppg average. They are also tied for 1st place in team rebounding with the Indiana Pacers with 43.9 boards an outing. The Lakers are also top 3 in field goal percentage at 47.7%. Those numbers prove how offense is the main weapon of the Lakers considering how coach Jackson utilizes the talent and versatility of his roster.
Defensively, the Lakers aren't that bad at all but they are certainly close to being an average defensive team. They are 14th in points allowed giving up 98.8 ppg. But the good thing is they are giving their opponents a hard time in getting to that output by forcing the opposition to 44.7% shooting from the field.
The Lakers are the clear-cut best in the Western Conference and are in the thick of things in the battle with the three other elite teams in the league from the Eastern Conference. Does this mean that the rest of the Western teams would be counted out for the Western Conference championshp and a stint in the 2009 Finals? Not quite but it is a really long shot to topple th Lakers from their lofty perch at the moment.
So far, the only teams from the West that had been able to inflict a loss on the Lakers are the Spurs and the New Orleans Hornets. And judging from the results, the Lakers can only be beat if the opposing team overpowers them offensively or just drag the Lakers to a close game and beat them in the closing seconds. The former is definitely easier said than done while the latter is the most possible way to beat the Lakers at this point.
The Hornets needed monster games from Chris Paul (32 points, 15 assists) and David West (40 points, 11 rebounds) to completely outplay the Lakers 116-105 while the Spurs needed to endure a Laker 4th quarter rally, Roger Mason's key 3-point play and Trevor Ariza's travelling violation to survive in their home floor with a 112-111 win.
As the season continues to its homestretch, it will be even more difficult to keep up with the Lakers. This is definitely bad news to the rest of the Western Conference and the rest of the league as well.
Photo by AP
Mike Bibby pulls through in the clutch to save outrebounded Hawks, Spurs crush Pacers, Nuggets prove better than Kings even without Carmelo Anthony, and Paul Millsap stars in win against the Wolves.
These events marked the four-game sked of the NBA last January 20th
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On the left we have a team owner who behaved like a hoodlum like the player he accused of being one and, at the right, we have a general manager who tried to screw a basketball player's career buy e-mailing the rest of the league how desperate they are to save their own hides from a salary cap problem.
Mark Cuban, team owner of the Dallas Mavericks and Portland Trail Blazers GM Kevin Pritchard have two disturbing stories of how people behind the scenes of NBA teams turn out to become eye sore's for fans and pundits alike
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When talking about the race between the elite teams in the NBA, the likes of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Lakers, and the Boston Celtics constantly crop up at such a topic early in the season.
Welcome the new member of the league's Top of the Line Club: The Orlando Magic
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Just recently, the Minnesota Timberwolves' 5-game winning streak was snapped with a loss to the Miami Heat at home thus suffering their first loss of the new year.
Randy Foye and the T-Wolves seized the opportunity to rack up 5 straight wins
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The Los Angeles Lakers and the Cleveland Cavaliers both have identical 29-6 records leading their respective conferences and are in the way of each other for the top spot in the NBA standings.
With the Boston Celtics experiencing difficulty in recovering from their unbelievable slump, the Lakers and Cavs have successfully seized the opportunity and took over
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Everybody is wondering how a championship caliber team like the Boston Celtics could actually fall in the slump that it's in right now. Wasn't this team the one who just set a franchise record 19 straight wins? Aren't they the owners of the best 29-game start in NBA history at 27-2 making league observers concede to its eventual successful defense of the title?
Doc Rivers and the Celtics are being tested.
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There were six games last Sunday. Four upsets, one near-upset, and one clear win by the Los Angeles Lakers who were the big winners in that day.
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Comment by Evenard M. Panes
on Can the BIG 3 Bring the Celtics Back to Glory?
bibbzbasketball
Thanks for the comment Dexter