NBA Playoffs Weekend Round Up.

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New York Knicks 85 - Boston Celtics 78

The New York Knicks laid the pipe down on the Boston Celtics to take the first lead in a potential 7 game series. Carmelo Anthony was very much like his scoring champion self, going off for 36 points on 13 of 29 shooting, 6 rebounds, 4 steals and dishing his only assist of the afternoon to Kenyon Martin for the game sealing lay-up. The rest of his Knicks teammates weren't of much help with only three other players in double figures. But it wasn't necessarily their fault either, with Melo playing ISO for the majority of the game, the beautiful New York ball movement that initially got them here, wasn't in play. Fortunately, their opponents could not buy a shot either, going absolute zero in the second half, scoring only 8 points in the 4th quarter, to add to the 8 of 20 total turnovers they had in the final 12 minutes. It wasn't all bad though, Jeff Green did have a huge first half (26 on 8 of 15 shooting, and 7 rebounds), before fading to the background.

#PIPE

Denver Nuggets 97 - Golden State Warriors 95

The Nuggets defeated the visiting Warriors because we all predicted that 37 year old Andre Miller and his magical baby hair would come off the bench for 28 points on 11 of 15 shooting, 5 assists, and to score the game winning basket against their opponents, on that dust covered body of his, right? I mean, it only makes sense that the hunched back, back up point guard of Denver would use his rather large bottom to bully his defenders for 28 points. In all seriousness, the Nuggets played a great game, holding Stephen Curry to 7 of 20 shooting for 19 points and 9 assists is not easy. But you have to feel for the Warriors, losing David Lee at this stage to a tore right hip flexor does nothing good to their second round odds. Get well, soon, fellow lefty.

Brooklyn Nets 106 - Chicago Bulls 89

To sum this up quickly, the Brooklyn Nets scored 35 points in the second quarter on an incredible 80 percent shooting, while the Chicago Bulls finished the first half with only 35 points. The Nets had a 35 point lead by halftime and if you take a look at the final score, it clearly didn't get any better for the Bulls.

This .GIF is pretty much the current state of Chicago, and unless Joakim Noah gets healthy, this will end in five. That or Derrick Rose comes back, but that is highly unlikely to happen and even if it does, there are no guarantees.

Los Angeles Clippers 112 - Memphis Grizzlies 91

In the rematch of the two hated rivals that met in the first round of last year's playoffs, things, for the most part were close, at least it was until it got to the fourth quarter, where this happened.

Despite of their size, the Memphis Grizzlies got dominated on the glass, grabbing an embarrassing 23 boards compared to Clippers' 47. Chris Paul finished with a game-high 23 points (7 of 11), and 7 assists in the win. The Clippers out-shot Memphis 74 to 71, hitting 55 percent of their attempts, while their opponents shot 47 percent from the floor.

Indiana Pacers 107 - Atlanta Hawks 90

The Pacers won and the Hawks lost. So let's just leave it at that. I don't want to waste any words on the series that no one wanted and are subjected to watch Josh Smith throw up bricks after bricks from three point land. You wouldn't want to end up like this fella here, would you?

Anyway, Paul George went off for his second career playoff triple double to become the first Pacer since Mark Jackson in 1998 to do it. He had a game high 23 points on a poor 3 of 13 shooting, 11 boards and 12 assists in the victory.

San Antonio Spurs 91 - Los Angeles Lakers 79

Kobe is great on Twitter and all, but unless he is in uniform, the Lakers have no shot at beating the Spurs and this first game is enough to prove it. The Spurs, despite shooting a horrible 38 percent from the field won handily with a injured Tony Parker, who had 18 points on 21 shots and 8 assists. Manu's God Mode self was back, hitting 3 of 5 from beyond the arc for his 18 points. Tim Duncan added 17 and 10 in their first win of the series. Dwight Howard led his team with 20 points (8 of 12) and 15 boards. The Lakers played them close early, but the lack of depth and defense is not exactly the formula they need to get past the first round.

Miami Heat 110 - Miwaukee Bucks 87

As expected, the Miami Heat took care of the Milwaukee Bucks in the first game of what will be a very short series. I think I speak for everyone when I say that we should just advance the Heat to the next round. This is completely pointless, but here are some LeBron stats: 27 points on 9 of 11 shooting, including 8 of 9 from inside the paint. He also had 10 rebounds and 8 assists in 35 minutes to flirt with a triple double, because he can.

Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis combined for 48 points on 39 shots, with this loss, Brandon has only 5 more games to owe up to his ridiculous prediction that no one should really blame him for but we should anyway because it is hilarious.

Oklahoma City Thunder 120 - Houston Rockets 91

The Rockets shot 36 percent from the field. The Thunder shot 53 percent.
James Harden had 20 points on 19 shots. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook combined for 43 on 30 shots.
And these are James Harden's tears.

I know this one is a little late, and it looks kind of rushed, but I promise the next one would be better and not full of .GIFs. That is unless you want it to be. You can't see it, but I am winking at you right now. And totally not in the creepiest way possible.

Random NBA .GIF of the Day: Ryan Hollins flops at slightest touch of Dwight Howard.

Via: @cjzero

Ryan Hollins needs to be shipped to some isolated island, and be left alone forever. Maybe he will make some animal friends along the way, but they will eventually desert him after learning who he really is. This dude is the worst.

The Round Up - March 17th, 2013.

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Wild Buck: Before the start of the second half, the Milwaukee Bucks were down by 10 points and had only 44 in the first. But that all changed when Monta Ellis, the human fire cracker, blew up for 25 of his 39 points (13 of 22) in the 45 point Milwaukee fourth quarter that pushed the Orlando Magic out of winning distance.

Here is the damaged caused by the man that has it all:

Via: @nbastats

Ellis wasn't alone in the scoring department, his front court partner, Brandon Jennings went for 15 points and 14 assists. Their resident Turkish man, Ersan Ilyasova added 20 points and 11 boards. The Magic on the other hand, got quite of a contribution from their rookie, Moe Harkless. He had a career high 23 points (9 of 17) and 9 rebounds.

Here's is the video evidence:

The Pack: In the return of Nikola Pekovic and Andrei Kirilenko, the Minnesota Wolves, with their most able-bodied squad of the past 2 weeks took on New Orleans Hornets at the Target Center. Derrick Williams erupted for a career high 28 points (9 of 16) and 7 rebounds. Down 4 with less than 50 seconds to play, the Wolves would do the impossible and go on a 6-0 run to end the game. The Hornets had a shot to win the game in the final seconds, but Eric Gordon's attempt would get denied by Andrei Kirilenko. *Sad Trombone*

Flame Trails: In the place where the winning streak that is tied for the second longest in NBA history all started, the Miami Heat would improve to 22 straight with the victory over the Toronto Raptors. Despite getting out-rebounded 51 to 26, the Heat would go 58 percent from the field, hitting everything in sight, so rebounding opportunities would be quite limited. Dwayne Wade notched his career 4000th assist with his 24 points (10 of 15) and 9 assists performance. His better half, LeBron James had 22 points (6 of 12), 12 boards and 8 assists. The Raptors played the defending champs pretty well all through out 3 quarters and headed to fourth down only three, with the score at 76 to 73. But the Raptors are the Raptors and the Heat are still the Heat, so naturally, Miami would outscore them 32 to 18 in the fourth as they go on the road in pursuit for 23rd in Boston. Rudy Gay led all Raptors with 27 points on 11 of 20 shooting and 8 rebounds.

Shooter's Stroke: The Golden State Warriors secured the 6th spot in the West in this win against the Houston Rockets. Both teams struggled early with putting the orange ball into the hoop, but it was Houston that had it worst, shooting a season low 20 percent in the first half. The Warriors, of course used it to their advantage to build a lead that their opponents would eventually fail to comeback from. James Harden and Jeremy Lin had 21 points each in the losing effort. While Golden State's Stephen Curry go off for 29 points (12 of 22) and 11 assists. Klay Thompson chipped in for 26 on 10 of 18.

Storm The Town: Russell Westbrook set Dallas on fire last night, as the Oklahoma City Thunder point guard lit up the Mavericks on 13 of 23 shooting for 35 points, 6 rebounds and 6 dimes. Kevin Durant wasn't too bad himself exploding for 19 of his total 31 points (10 of 19) in the fourth quarter in the win. However, it was neither of the superstars that would put the game away for the Thunder. That job belonged to Thabo Sefolosha, who hits the dagger from thirteen feet out to the Mavs out of their misery. Dirk Nowitzski had 23 points (8 of 10) and 7 rebounds.

A Few Notes: Still without Tyson Chandler (stiff neck) and Carmelo Anthony (knee), the New York Knicks drops fourth straight in their West Coast road trip, losing each game by an average of 20 points, including this loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday afternoon. The Knicks shot 36 percent from the field, could not buy a bucket, while the Clippers went 45 percent all around, led by Chris Paul's 20 points (6 of 12), 4 rebounds and 8 dimes.

In their second game without Kobe Bryant, the Los Angeles Lakers goes on to defeat the Sacramento Kings  on 43 points from the bench, which is comprised of only two players. Antawn Jamison went off for a game-high 27 points on 8 of 14 shooting (5 of 8 from three), and 9 boards. Steve Blake added another 16 points (6 of 11), 5 rebounds and 8 assists. On top of this silliness, Metta World Peace led all Lakers starts with 22 points on 10 of 13 shooting. In this new bizarro world that we live in, Isiah Thomas got 26 points on 20 shots and 6 assists for the Kings.

Fantasy Shoutout: To the Atlanta Hawks duo of Al Horford and Josh Smith. Horford had 22 points (11 of 21), 11 rebounds and 4 steals. While his back court mate, Smith went for 21 points on 9 of 14 shooting, 7 boards and 5 assists in the win over the Brooklyn Nets. Jeff Teague, who returned for the first time since his injury, came off the bench for a career high 15 assists and added another 11 to the Hawks' final score.

The Round Up - March 13th, 2013.

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Stay Cookin': Blah, blah, blah...The Miami Heat becomes the 4th team in the NBA to win 20 straight games in the regular season, to tie the third longest streak in league history in this victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. LeBron James went off for 27 points (8 of 19), 7 rebounds and 8 assists. His teammate, Dwyane Wade added 21 on 7 of 14 shooting and 8 boards, including a late tip in, to give the Heat a 3 point lead in less than 30 seconds to play. Spencer Hawes had a chance to cut it to one, but missed the lay-up on a well executed play. Philly had another go at it after Dorrell Wright hits a three in the corner to slash the deficit to 2, but with time running out, they had to play the foul game, which as you could tell from the result, did not go in their favor.

Yawn.

Sorrows: The Atlanta Hawks without Josh Smith, Jeff Teague and Zaza Pachulia came out on top in the final minutes to send the Lakers on the road with the loss. Despite Kobe going off for 20 of his total 31 points (10 of 31) in the third, the lack of touches among his teammates may have cost them the game. Al Horford of the Hawks kept the game close with 14 points (7 of 12), 14 rebounds and got 46 points worth of help from the ATL bench. The Lakers had multiple opportunities to win this game down the stretch but they would end up missing a few game changing layups. So Kobe did what Kobe does, he bailed out his team with a three that would cut the deficit down to 1. Unfortunately, the Mamba would miss the game-tying shot, where he severely sprains his ankle on the foot of Dahntay Jones upon landing. He will be out indefinitely.

Statement: The New Memphis Grizzlies gets their 6th straight, in this win against the Los Angeles Clippers. Memphis headed into half time with a two point, but came out to hold their opponents to only 33 points in the entire second half for the 11 point victory. Marc Gasol led the way with 21 points (10 of 14) and 5 steals. Not so newly acquired veteran, Tayshaun Prince scored his 10,000th point with his 18 points and 6 rebounds. Chris Paul also scored his 10,000th point in this game, becoming the 4th youngest in NBA history to achieve such a feat and have 5,000 assists in his career. He finished with 24 points (7 of 12) and 9 assists.

Spells: The Washington Wizards shot exactly 50 percent from the field and beyond the arc to defeat the Milwaukee Bucks at home. John Wall had 23 points (10 of 19), 6 boards and 10 assists. Martell Webster chipped in for 20 points on 7 of 14 shooting. The Bucks, down by 20 points in early the third, went on a 28 to 7 run to close it with a 3 point lead. But they would fail to keep the pressure on the Wizards, putting only 15 points in the 4th. Monta Ellis scored a game-high 26 points (12 of 19) and dished out 8 dimes.

Blow Outs: The NBA is not a place where talent is evenly distributed among teams, so sometimes we get nights like this, where 6 of the 12 games, will, well result in a blow out. Which, by definition is one team destroying the other by a large margin of points. And to save you time, I will just quickly list them out.

In Carmelo Anthony's return to the Pepsi Center in Denver, the Nuggets, as the generous host they are, handed a 23 points loss to the New York Knicks. Ex-Knickerbocker, Wilson Chandler, who was part of the package deal for Melo, led all scorers with 24 points on 9 of 12 shooting. With this win, Denver extends their winning streak to 10 and 14 straight at home. To add to New York's recent injury bug, Tyson Chandler left this game in the second quarter with a left knee contusion aftercolliding with Corey Brewer and it is uncertain when he will return. Carmelo also left this game with knee pain but did so later, and plans to drain his knee in New York. He will probably be out for at least a week. In older news, Amare has to go under knee surgery, which means he will be out for the rest of the season.

The DeMarcus Cousins-less Sacramento Kings did not hold anything back in the 121-79 beat down against the Chicago Bulls. Tyreke Evans had a game-high 26 points (11 of 13), 5 boards and 7 assists in the massacre. The Bulls shot less than 10 percent from the downtown, hitting only 2 out of their 21 attempts. Blood was everywhere.

The Oklahoma City Thunder sent the Utah Jazz home with a 23 point loss. Kevin Durant had 23 points (7 of 13), 10 boards and an unsightly 8 turnovers. While his wild partner, Russell Westbrook went for 19 points on 6 of 11 shooting, 7 rebounds and 9 dimes. Utah have now lost 2 of their last 8 games.

Donatas Motiejunas of the Houston Rockets goes off for a career high 19 points (7 of 12) and 5 rebounds in the 30 point win over the Phoenix Suns.

With news of Andrea Bargnani being out for the rest of the season with an elbow injury, you would think the Raptors would be much better off without their Black Hole, but Toronto has more than one of them. As their supposedly franchise savior, Rudy Gay shoots 7 for 19 from the field for 19 points and 7 assists in the 24 point Boston win. Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett both made history in the same night of the Celtics' 10th straight home win. Pierce passed Charles Barkley for 20th on the all time scoring list and Allen Iverson for the tenth most free throws made. KG passed Jerry West for 15th on the NBA all-time scoring list.

Fantasy Shoutouts: Roy Hibbert scored a season-high 27 points on 12 of 15 shooting and grabbed 12 boards in the victory over the still very injury depleted Minnesota Timberwolves. The Pacers completely dominated inside, outscoring their opponent 52 to 24 in the paint. Ricky Rubio, coming off the triple double on Tuesday, went for 21 points (6 of 14), 6 rebounds and 10 assists in the losing effort.

Led by Stephen Curry's 31 points on 11 of 17 shooting (5 of 7 from three) and 8 assists, the Warriors took down the shorthanded Detroit Pistons on a 57 percent shooting night from the field. David Lee added 20 points (9 of 13), 15 boards and 5 dimes for his NBA leading 43rd double double of the season and 24th 20+ point and 10+ rebound game.

The Round Up - March 10th, 2013.

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Annihilation Nation: Led by Chris Paul's 20 points (9 of 12) and 14 dimes, the Los Angeles Clippers destroyed the visiting Detroit Pistons by a margin of 32 points with ease. The Pistons, after witnessing the death of Brandon Knight, were never the same, as they returned in the second half without any answers on either side of the floor. Blake Griffin racked up 22 points and snagged 8 rebounds in just 21 minutes of play. He also crossed some dudes up.

Rolling Thunder: The Oklahoma City Thunder have won 5 straight in the victory over the Boston Celtics. The C's kept it close for the most parts of this game, but OKC held them to 14 points in the 4th quarter and only 34 points in the second half on 25 percent shooting to come out on top. Kevin Durant led the way with 23 points (6 of 16), and 11 boards. Russell Westbrook added 15 on 5 of 11 shooting. It was all Paul Pierce for the men in green, as he goes for 20 points (6 of 12), 4 rebounds and 6 assists to end Boston's 5 game winning streak.

L.A. Quest: With the win against the injury depleted Chicago Bulls on Sunday afternoon, the Lakers have clinched the eighth spot and still has an opportunity to move up in the seeding if they can continue to win. The Bulls struggled to hit anything from the field, shooting 37 percent. While the Lakers hit their shots at a 45 percent clip. Kobe Bryant has returned to Earth with 19 points (7 of 16), 7 rebounds and 9 dimes. Dwight Howard dominated the glass with 21 boards to go with his 16 points (8 of 14).

Hive Buzz: Down 2 with 15 seconds left to play, Damian Lillard hits a huge three to give his Portland Trail Blazers, a one point lead in the remaining 11 seconds. But to their demise, Ryan Anderson of the Hornets would come up even bigger, completing a game winning three point play to snap a three game losing streak. Lillard would end up with 20 points (9 of 16) and 8 assists, while Anderson finishes with 20 points (7 of 15) and 13 rebounds.

Antler Attack: In the absence of Ersan Illyasova and Larry Sanders, the shorthanded Bucks made a late run to pull out with the victory against the Sacramento Kings. The Kings had it going early with DeMarcus Cousins going for 24 points on 10 of 12 shooting and 10 boards before getting ejected for a flagrant elbow to the head of Mike Dunleavy Jr. Without their scoring punch, Sacramento had no defense to fall back on, as they watch the Bucks creep from behind to take the W. Monta Ellis had 29 points on 24 shots and 9 assists.

A Few Notes: The Miami Heat improves to 18 in a row in the assassination of the Indiana Pacers to become the 9th team in NBA history to accomplish such a feat. In a special game like this, of course you would expect a big game from the Big 3, but nope. It was Mario Chlamers that scored a game-high 26 points, shot 5 of 6 from fown town and snagged 7 boards. Chris Bosh chipped in for 24 points, Dwyane added another 23. David West of the Pacers had 24 points on 7 of 10 shooting and 5 rebounds in the loss.

The Raptors without Rudy Gay, came back from 17 down to take out the Cleveland Cavaliers. Cav's' star, Kyrie Irving left the game in the third quarter after suffering a left shoulder contusion in the collision with Jonas Valaciunas. Amir Johnson stepped up for 17 points (8 of 19), and 16 boards in the place of Rudy. With a one point lead in less than 20 seconds to play, Kyle Lowry hits the toughest 2 points of his total 15 to seal the win. He also finished with 9 rebounds and 5 dimes.

K-L-O-E.

Fantasy Shoutouts: Vince Carter turned the clock back with 22 points on 8 of 15 shooting and 9 boards in the Dallas victory over the miserable Minnesota Timberwolves, who has now lost 8 of their last 9 games and remains the worst three point shooting team in the league.

In his return to Philadelphia, Nikola Vucevic went for 14 points (7 of 13) and 17 rebounds to show his former team what they missed out on. His fellow Orlando Magic teammate, Jameer Nelson had 24 points (9 of 17), 5 rebounds and 10 assists in the win. Sixers' Thaddeus Young led his team with 26 points (13 of 17), 12 boards and 5 steals.

The Round Up - March 6th, 2013.

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Don't Call it a Comeback: The New Orleans Hornets had 67 points in the first half, shot 57 percent from the field and even had a comfortable 25 point lead at one point against the Los Angeles Lakers, but everything fell apart in the 4th quarter. Up 18 heading into the last period, the Hornets did not expect much of a fight from the Lakers. If only they knew how wrong they were. For next 12 minutes, the men in purple held their opponents to only 9 points, while they go off for 33. 18 of which belonged to none other than Kobe Bryant, who once again willed his team to victory with 42 points (14 of 21), 7 boards and 12 assists. The Hornets could not find a bucket at all, going scoreless for the last 6 minutes (0 of 12 from the field). Dwight Howard (20 points and 15 rebounds) came up with a huge block late that led to a Kobe breakaway dunk, to complete a 20 to nothing run by the Lakers to end the game.

The Lakers weren't the only ones that fought back from a huge deficit last night. The Memphis Grizzlies, down 17 points in the third quarter against the Portland Trail Blazers came back to take the win without their All-Star, Zach Randolph (left ankle sprain). Marc Gasol led the charge with a game high 23 points (10 of 17) and 12 rebounds. Mike Conley added 20 points on 7 of 11 shooting and handed out 6 dimes. Blazers' rookie, Damian Lillard scored a team-high 20 points (8 of 16) in the losing effort.

Green Machine: Kevin Garnett passed Wes Unseld for 10th all-time on the NBA rebounding list with his 10 boards and 18 points (7 of 10) in the victory over the Indiana Pacers. Indiana started off hot with Roy Hibbert going off for 12 points and 7 rebounds in the first quarter, but dude would go scoreless in the rest of the game, as he watches his team shoot a horrendous 36 percent from the field. Boston, who shot a little better at 41 percent, executed a brilliant play in the final seconds to end the game on a 11-0 run.

Intrastate Battle: The Miami Heat fought off a 20 point comeback from the Orlando Magic to extend their winning streak to 16 games. The Big 3 combined for a total of 67 of Heat's 97 points. Dwyane Wade had 24 points (10 of 16) and 6 rebounds. While LeBron James went for 26 points (7 of 14),  including the game winning drive to crush the souls of the Magic. In his second game against Miami in this season, Nikola Vucevic got his second 20 and 20 game, scoring 25 points on 11 of 16 shooting and grabbing 21 boards to test the size deficit theory.

A Few Notes: The Charlotte Bobcats have dropped 8 straight games with the loss to the Brooklyn Nets last night. The Cats had a 10 point lead in the first half, but would come out of the second, empty handed, as the Nets held them to only 9 points in the third. Outscoring them 56 to 25 in the second half. Deron Williams has looked great since the All-Star break. He finished with 20 points (7 of 12) and 9 rebounds.

Klay Thompson knocked down the go ahead three in the remaining 15 seconds to seal the game against the Sacramento Kings. Things weren't exactly pretty, down at the Oracle Arena, as both teams shot under 40 percent from the field in the 87-83 Golden State win.

Dirk Nowitzki went for a perfect 3 of 3 from the field for 7 points in the 4th quarter to get the W for his Dallas Mavericks against the Houston Rockets in the Texas Showdown. The German sniper shot 9 of 16 for 22 points and snagged 5 rebounds in the process. Shawn Marion chipped in another 22 points. The Rockets had two chances to tie/win the game down the stretch, but James Harden failed to connect on both attempts. The Beard ended up with 28 points on 5 of 17 shooting and 9 assists. Chandler Parson helped him out with 23 points, going 5 of 8 from three.

The Cleveland Cavaliers outscored the Utah Jazz in the final quarter, 36 to 25 to defeat their opponents at home. Kyrie Irving put on an one man show late, going off for 11 of his total 20 points (7 of 20) to drag his team to another rare victory. The Jazz desperately needed this game to cushion off the Lakers from their 8th seed. But without Al Jefferson, and much help, Gordon Hayward's 25 points (8 of 17) and 7 assists was not enough. The Jazz have won only one of their last 5 games since the trade deadline. Is this an omen?

Fantasy Shoutouts: These two Atlanta Hawks have been on roll as of late. Jeff Teague had 27 points on 10 of 15 shooting and 11 dimes in the win over the Philadelphia 76ers, while Al Horford added 21 points (10 of 17), 12 boards and 6 assists.

In the point trading convention between the New York Knicks and Detroit Pistons, Raymond Felton led all scorers with 26 points (10 of 15), 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Amare Stoudemire came off the bench for a season-high 22 points (8 of 12) and 9 boards. Jose Calderon of the Pistons, was in a sharing mood. Dishing out 16 assists to go with his 10 points in the loss to the Melo-less (knee) Knicks.

Blake Griffin went off for his third career triple double against Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night. The high flying time traveler had 23 points (9 of 14), 11 rebounds and a career high 11 dimes in the win. Jamal Crawford threw more than just a between the legs pass, he got 25 points on 11 of 16 shooting in just 26 minutes of play. The Clippers also dunked a lot.

Highlights

Yawn: ZZZzzzzz.

The Round Up - March 3rd, 2013.

Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE/Getty Images

Engulfed in Flames: The Miami Heat haven't lost a game since February 1st, as they improve to a franchise record breaking 14 straight wins, in the victory over the New York Knicks on Sunday morning. LeBron James led the charge with 29 points on 12 of 23 shooting, 11 rebounds, 7 assists and a breakaway dunk to ice the game. Dwyane Wade added 20 points (8 of 16), 8 boards and 8 assists. After trailing by 14 points in the first half, the Heat came out of the break to outscore the Knicks 54 (46 of which belonged to the Big 3) to 34 in the second to defeat New York. Carmelo Anthony had 32 points (9 of 19), while Jason Kidd came off the bench to hit 4 of his 5 three point attempts for 14 points.

Storm The House: Up by as much as 19 points on the Los Angeles Clippers, the Oklahoma City Thunder that once looked likely to blowout their conference rival, would let up in the final two quarters to allow the Clippers to creep within reach for a scare. Kevin Durant had 35 points (10 of 25), and 9 rebounds. Russell Westbrook went off for 29 points (11 of 20), 6 rebounds and 10 dimes. With less than 2 minutes to play, Clippers would get their first lead of the game, but the Thunder would prove to be too much, as they pile on the lead, which they topped off with a Russell Westbrook jumper to ice the game. Chris Paul finished with 26 points on 21 shots, 6 boards, 8 assists and 4 steals. Blake Griffin and Jamal Crawford scored 20 points each in the Clipper's third straight loss to the Thunder of the season.

Power Surge: The Indiana Pacers moved to second place in the East with the win against the shorthanded Chicago Bulls. The Bulls, who were without Kirk Hinrich and Taj Gibson, could not execute late in the game, as they watch Indiana's David West go off for 31 points (11 of 18) and 7 rebounds. George Hill got 21 points on a perfect 6 of 6 from the field, 6 boards and 5 dimes. Jimmy Butler of the Bulls came off the bench for a career high 20 points, to score a three pointer to cut the Indiana lead to 3 in the last 26 seconds.  The Bulls would get two more chances to tie the game, but would fail on both, resulting in this reaction from their Coach.

Via: @cjzero

I think Thibs maybe a little mad.

Young Guns: Chandler Parsons of the Houston Rockets exploded for a career-high 32 points on 12 of 13 shooting, and 6 of 7 from downtown, to become the first player since Larry Bird in 1986 to shoot 92 percent from the field and score at least 30 points (with a minimum of 6 three pointers attempted). This was his shot chart.

Via: @nbastats

James Harden and Jeremy Lin chipped in for 21 points each in victory against the Dallas Mavericks.

On The Tracks: The Los Angeles Lakers finally reached the .500 mark with the win over the Atlanta Hawks. Despite turning the ball over 21 times, the Lakers were able fight off their opponents for the win in the closing seconds. Down 1 with 26 seconds remaining, Kobe Bryant, who led all scorers with 34 points on 13 of 27 shooting, 6 rebounds and 4 assists, drove to the rim to hit the game winning lay up. Al Horford of the Hawks, scored a team-high 24 points and snagged 5 boards.

A Few Notes: Marc Gasol of the Memphis Grizzlies played pretty well in the 26 point win against the Orlando Magic, he finished with 12 points (5 of 6), 5 boards and 11 dimes to become the first center since 2008 to dish out 11 assists.

It was all John Wall in the last minute of the contest between the Philadelphia 76ers and Washington Wizards. After hitting two free throws to put his team on top, Wall would make a huge defensive play down the stretch, blocking Evan Turner's jumper, and then following it with a 20 foot dagger to seal the win for the Wizards. Rookie Bradley Beal suffered a sprain ankle late in the fourth quarter, he is listed as day-to-day.

The Charlotte Bobcats are still a depressing bunch, falling into their 6th straight lost, after a 39 point ass-whooping from the Sacramento Kings.

A Tony Parker-less San Antonio Spurs demolished the Detroit Pistons by 39 points. Tim Duncan had 16 points (7 of 14), 11 boards, 6 assists and 5 blocks to make up for his All-Star point guard's absence, who is out for 4 weeks to recover from a grade 2 ankle sprain.

Highlights

Erased: Blake, administrative officer of Gryffindor rejects Nick Collison's application letter.

Routine: Booooooooring.

February NBA Bloopers.

Oh man, even though Pau Gasol played only three games in the month of February, the NBA still had a include a clip of the Laker, that's how much of a laughing stock the team is now. I mean, they skipped all of the Javale McGee slip ups in a NBA blooper reel. It's a crime, really.

The Round Up - February 28th, 2013.

Gary Dineen/NBAE/Getty Images

Wild Thing: After blessing us with a great Wednesday night of NBA games, the Basketball Gods decided to punish us with a game between the Chicago Bulls and Philadelphia 76ers on National TV. The results weren't exactly the insult to basketball, that we expected. We actually got a pretty good one man show from Joakim Noah. The bunhead led the Bulls with his third career triple-double on a game-high 23 points (8 of 12), 21 rebounds and 11 blocks to send the Philadelphia 76ers home with a 7 game losing streak. Noah becomes the first player since 1998 to record at least 20 points, 20 boards and 10 blocks in a game and is the first ever to do it while shooting at least 65 percent from the field. Carlos Boozer added 21 points (5 of 13) and 12 rebounds. On the other side, Jrue Holiday scored 22 points on 19 shots. Spencer Hawes chipped in for 20 points on 18 shots and 15 boards for the Sixers.

Joakim Noah will have none of yourself silly shot attempts.

Point Gawd: The Indiana Pacers minus Roy Hibbert took on the Los Angeles Clippers last night and got dominated inside without their big man in the middle. David West had a team-high 22 points (5 of 14) and 6 rebounds. Paul George got 20 points on 18 shots and 5 assists. The Clippers made a huge push in the third, where Blake Griffin scored 10 of his 18 points to take the lead, which they would eventually hold on to before the buzzer sounds. Griffin finished with 7 of 10 shooting from the field and grabbed 14 rebounds. Indiana made a late 11-0 run in the final minutes, but Point Gawd, Chris Paul descended on to the court to score 3 clutch baskets to extend the lead after every deficit cut. The Clippers point guard registered 29 points on 11 of 18 shooting, 6 rebounds and 8 assists to hand the Pacers' their first home loss since December 7th.

What is the point of fouling Blake Griffin? Do yourself a favor and just get out of the way.

The Chase: Only 2 wins away from .500, the Los Angeles Lakers entered the Staples Center last night to take on the Minnesota Timberwolves to get one step closer to their mission. And it got a lot easier when Wolves' center, Nikola Pekovic left the game with a left abdominal strain in 9 minutes of play. Ricky Rubio did everything he could with 13 points (5 of 11), 8 rebounds and 13 assists (9 of which were accomplished in 14 minutes of the first half) in a game where Minnesota never led. J.J. Barea came off the bench for 20 points (8 of 14), and 5 assists. A determined Kobe went off for 22 points n the first half, finishing the game with a total 33 points (13 of 22), 5 rebounds and 5 assists. With his two steals on the night, Kobe stole his career 18,000th basketball, becoming the 15th player in NBA history to do so. The Lakers connected on half of their three pointers, knocking down 16 of their 32 attempts to defeat Minnesota for the 21st straight time.

Classic Ricky.

Kobe is a product of German Engineering. Thank you, science.

The Round Up - February 14th, 2013.

Stats Rundown + Short Recap

Hoped you guys enjoyed your Valentine's day. If you missed the 2 games on last night, here is a short recap.

Emerging Rivalry: LeBron's record breaking 30 points on 60% shooting is finally over, but he still finished with a ridiculous 39 points on 14 of 24 shooting, 12 rebounds and 7 assists in the victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Heat opened this game up with a 15 point lead in the 1st quarter. Bosh added 20 points (10 of 14) and 12 rebounds. To the Thunder's dimay, Kevin Durant struggled early in the game, going without a field goal made in the entire 1st and half of the 2nd quarter. But he would make it up to his team by  going 8 of 10 in the 4th to score 22 of his total 40 points. Russell Westbrook chipped in 26 points (7 of 19), 5 rebounds and 10 assists. OKC was able to cut it close when Dwyane Wade fouled out of the game with less than 4 minutes to play. However, the late effort was not good enough to overcome the initial deficit.

Advanced Jump-shots: Bored of LeBron absolutely crushing your team inside? Well how about outside?

The New LA: The city is under new management. The woes of the Lakers continued on Thursday night in another loss in front of their home crowd. The Clippers ended this game in the first quarter, scoring 15 points in the first 5 minutes of the game, while holding their opponents to zip. The Lakers would not make a field goal until 6 minutes+ into the game. They had multiple opportunities to capture a lead to swing momentum to their side, but had no luck (or defense for that matter). Blake Griffin went off for 18 points in the first quarter, outscoring the entire Lakers team in the opening 12 minutes of the game by 1. The aerodynamic forward finished with 22 points (11 of 15) and 10 rebounds. Point Gawd, Chris Paul got 24 points (8 of 14) and 13 assists. Kobe did his best with 20 points on 7 of 13 shooting, 5 boards and 11 dimes, as his team gets dangerously close to missing the playoffs.

LA Jams: Look out below.

Extra

Sager Suit: Your soul. He wants it. (Via: @jose3030)

Uncensored: DeAndre Jordan has a potty mouth.

Stars and Stripes: Russell Westbrook represents his country to the fullest.(Via: @cjzero)

The Round Up - February 10th, 2013.

Stats Rundown

A few blowouts on Sunday, but the close games were fun.

Via: @SBNation

Cookin': LeBron James has yet to be inefficient in this season. With his 32 points (12 of 18), 7 rebounds and 4 assists yesterday, James becomes the first Heat player to score 30 points in 5 consecutive games. He shot 71 percent from the field in those 5 games. Dwyane Wade chipped in 30 points on 12 of 18 shooting, and 5 assists in the win against the struggling Los Angeles Lakers. LA kept it close through the first 3 quarters, but collapsed in the 4th. Kobe Bryant had 28 points (11 of 19), 6 rebounds and 9 assists.

Aerial Strike: Kobe turns the ball over and fuels an amazing LeBron alley oop finish.

To which Kobe say.

Via: @cjzero

Stay classy, Bean. Children are watching.

Camera Trickery: It is not what it looks like. (Via: @cjzero)

Point God'd: Despite Carmelo Anthony going off for 42 points on 14 of 26 shooting and 8 rebounds, the lack of help from the rest of the Knicks could not overcome the team effort from the Los Angeles Clippers. The "Tribe Called Bench" outscored New York's second unit 48 to 15. Jamal Crawford had his way with 27 points (12 of 22). Chris Paul added 25 points (10 of 17), 6 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 steals in the victory.

Launch Pad: Blake Griffin can dunk from anywhere.

Burnt Out: The Phoenix Suns drops a third straight game in the loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Nobody on the Suns scored into the double figures, except for Markieff Morris, who scored a team-high 12 points on 13 attempts. Russell Westbrook led the way for the Thunder. The fashionista had 24 points (8 of 15), 6 assists and 4 steals.

Bear-fection: In his fifth game with the Memphis Grizzlies, Tayshaun Prince posted a perfect 8 of 8 shooting for 17 points in the victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Wolves have lost 8 straight games on the road and dropped 10 of their last 11 games. It has been a rough season for the pack, the number of injuries to their key players have completely taken them out of the playoff chase.

Ov3rtime: This was the game of the night. After three overtimes at the TD Garden, the Boston Celtics walks away with their 7th straight win. Paul Pierce exploded for a triple double, he got 27 points (7 of 20), 14 rebounds and 14 assists against the high octane Denver Nuggets. Down 3 with only 10 seconds left to play in the second overtime, the Truth knocks down a three to extend the game.

Jason Terry came off the bench for 26 points. Kevin Garnett scored an additional 20 points to go with his 18 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 blocks. As for the Nuggets, Ty Lawson went for a game-high 29 points (13 of 22), 6 rebounds and 9 assists. Their 9 game winning streak has now ended.

French Special: The Brooklyn Nets gets served at home by the San Antonio Spurs. Tony Parker led the charge with a game-high 29 points on 12 of 21 shooting, and 11 assists. The Spurs have done pretty well without Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili.

Short of Beards: The Houston Rockets have only one James Harden and even though he had 30 points on 10 of 20 shooting, 6 rebounds and 4 assists, it was not enough to take down the Sacramento Kings. The trio of Isiah Thomas, John Salmons, and DeMarcus Cousins combined for 66 points in their first consecutive win in the month of February.

Highlights

Near Escape: Ed Davis may have dunked on Nikola Pekovic, but revenge is in store and you don't want to know what Pek has in mind. Hopefully, it is not too cruel and won't leave too much of a mess.

Vision: Gustavo keeps his Eye-on cutters.

Explosion: Dwyane Wade catches the Lakers snoozing, or what they call defense.

The Round Up - February 8th, 2013.

Stats Rundown

Career Milestones: Kyle Korver sets a new Atlanta Hawks franchise record for making a 3 pointer in 43 straight games. Keep in mind, this is only his first year with the team. However, his happy night would come to an end with a loss to the New Orleans Hornets. Led by Grevis Vasquez, who got his first career triple double on 21 points (7 of 15), 11 rebounds and 12 assists, the Hornets snaps their 5 game losing streak on the road.

You can Call it a Comeback: The Los Angeles Lakers came back from a 20 point deficit to defeat the Charlotte Bobcats for the first time at home since 2008. Kobe Bryant had zero points in the first half and would score all of his 20 points in the second. He finished with 6 of 15 shooting, 7 rebounds and 8 assists. Meanwhile, two Bobcats went for double doubles. Byron Mullens got 20 points and 12 rebounds. Gerald Henderson added 20 and 10.

Block of the Year: Gerald Henderson goes for the two stats for one special.

 

Mighty Beardness: In case you haven't noticed, James Harden has been killing it in Houston. The facial hair wearing man went off for 20 points on a perfect 8 of 8 shooting and 8 assists in just the first half. His totals would come to 35 points (13 of 16), 4 of 5 from three, 7 rebounds and 11 assists in the victory over the Portland Trail Blazers. LaMarcus Aldridge had a good game for his team, scoring 31 points (14 of 23) and grabbing 11 boards. The rookie, Damian only had 18 points but he becomes the first person to score 900 points and hit 100 threes in his first 50 games. I would say his future is pretty bright.

Scruffiness: Congratulations to Jason Kidd, who got his 12,000th assists last night in the win against the Minnesota Timberwolves. This game was close to the end, right until Carmelo decided to be himself and destroy everyone in his way. Melo had a game-high 36 points on 13 of 26 shooting, and 9 rebounds. The Knicks bench completely dominated their opponents, outscoring them 40 to 21. Speaking of the bench, enjoy this hilarious Steve Novak celebration. (Via: @cjzero)

Dunk Goggles: Amare Stoudemire is not hurt anymore, but Greg Stiemsma will be when he catches himself on Sports Center.

Combo Breaker: The Detroit Piston snapped the San Antonio Spurs' 11 game winning streak, despite of Tony Parker's best efforts (31 points and 8 assists). Greg Monroe led the charge with 26 points (9 of 16), 16 rebounds and 5 assists.

Big Man on Campus: In the loss to the Chicago Bulls, Al Jefferson, the lone offensively skilled big in the NBA, dropped 32 points on 15 of 22 shooting to go with his 13 rebounds. 

Miracles: The Toronto Raptors won another close game, you guys. The Indiana Pacers put up a good fight but could not execute at the end to take the win. David West had 30 points (11 of 20), and 8 rebounds. Paul George continues his stellar play with 24 points (8 of 19), 14 rebounds and 5 assists. Just when it seemed like it was over for Toronto, Amir Johnson stepped up and came out of no where to force overtime. His 4 points in 7 seconds will be posted later in the blog. Rudy Gay did not have a great shooting night, going for 9 of 25 for only 23 points, but he made the bucket when it was his turn to save the day.

 

The Chosen One: LeBron James is in his prime and nobody can stop him. In his last 4 games, he went 43 of 59 from the field, shooting a highly efficient 73 percent. That is 123 points on only 59 attempts. This man is ridiculous. (Via: @EyeOnBasketball)

Against a full, but not healthy Clippers squad, the Heat won by 21 points with ease. LeBron had 30 points (9 of 11), 5 rebounds and 6 assists. Dwayne Wade chipped in for 20 points (8 of 16), 6 rebounds and 7 assists.

Highlights
#KDISNOTNICE: Kevin Durant will have none of your defensive silliness.

Uncle Drew: His alter-ego, Kyrie Irving will make all of the shots.

The Round Up - February 6th, 2013.

Stats Rundown

Jason Terry has a unique taste in head bands. Via: @mcten

There were 13 games last night, but only a few of them were worth watching.

Burnt Beard: Despite James James Harden going off for 36 points on 10 of 16 shooting, 12 rebounds and 7 assists, his teammates would fail to produce enough to defeat the Miami Heat. LeBron James led his team with 32 points (11 of 18), 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Dwyane Wade added 31 points (9 of 18), 5 rebounds, 8 assists, 4 steals and a touch down from his own free throw line.

Glove: Mini LeBron, Eric Bledsoe had great game again in the place of Chris Paul. The back up point guard got 27 points (9 of 21), 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 6 steals and 3 blocks in the victory over the Orlando Magic. The Clippers snapped their 3 game losing streak.

Dishin': Jeff Teague has taken his game to a whole new level this season. He had 22 points on 7 of 10 shooting, 2 rebounds and 13 assists, one of which fed the hungry Ivan Johnson on the break against the Memphis Grizzlies.

Time Machine User: The Boston Celtics are still getting it done without Rondo and Sullinger. In last night's win against the Toronto Raptors, the men in green gets their 5th straight win. Kevin Garnett scored 11 of his 27 (11 of 18) in the 4th quarter to help outscore the Raptor 30 to 16 in final 12 minutes. The grizzled veteran also grabbed 10 boards for a double-double.

One Gear: Since John Wall's return, the Washington Wizards have completely transformed into another team. With the victory over the New York Knicks yesterday, they have now won 7 of their last 8 home games. Carmelo Anthony led the Knicks with 31 points on 10 of 23 shooting, 9 rebounds and 3 assists. While John Wall goes by everybody for 21 points (8 of 18), 5 rebounds and 9 assists.

Green Light: In the absence of Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan, Danny Green and Tony Parker took over against the also injury riddled Minnesota Timberwolves. Danny Green hit a career high 8 three pointers on 12 attempts to drop 28 points in the win. Tony Parker chipped in for 31 points (11 of 23), 5 rebounds and 8 assists.

Miracle Whipped: The rivalry between the Dallas Mavericks and Portland Trail Blazers have become increasingly interesting over this season. Tied at one a piece for both teams, Dallas decided to take the lead in the series on OJ Mayo's 28 points (11 of 14), 4 rebounds and 5 assists. Portland's LaMarcus Aldridge put up a good effort with 27 points on 11 of 22 shooting, and 10 rebounds, but his team would fall short.

Highlights

Wingspan: DeAndre Jordan abuses poor Nikola Vucevic.

Fancy: You would think DeJuan Blair could guard that pass. Seeing that he probably has to deal with it in practice when Manu Ginobili does it on him.

The Round Up - February 3rd, 2013.

Stats Rundown

Threes games were on yesterday in case you didn't notice in the whole Superbowl Scramble and fortunately no power outage were involved in any of these three.

PG Absence: What does the Los Angeles Clippers and Boston Celtics have in common? Well, both of their All-Star point guards are missing and have knee injuries (one obviously more serious than the other, but you know what I mean). The Clippers can't seem to function without CP3, and have now lost 5 of their last 7 games including this one in Boston. On the other hand, as the injuries pile up on the Celtics, no Rondo and Sullinger, Boston have managed to pull out a 4 game winning streak. Paul Pierce led the way with a team-high 22 points (7 of 16), 5 rebounds, 4 assists and the signature step back 3 in the final seconds to ice the game. That was nice and all, but it would have been better if the Celtics held on to the 19 point lead they had in the half. Eric Bledsoe had a good game in the place of CP3, 23 points, 7 rebounds and 10 assists. Blake Griffin added 20 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists.

Elderly Abuse: It is still elder abuse if you are both old?

New Beginning: Two games into the Rudy Gay era, and the Raptors already look like a legitimate playoff team. Even though they would fail the Miami Heat test, they did manged to hang in the game until the fourth quarter, where the Heat decided to do Heat things. In the return to Toronto, Chris Bosh showed no mercy, going off for 28 points, and 5 rebounds. The other 2 of the Big 3, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade combined for 53 points. Rudy Gay kept the game close early scoring 20 of his total 29 points in the first half, while his partner, DeMar DeRozan drops 27 points. Yea, there is quite a mismatch in the production between the two teams, if you read it correctly.

Slipped: Stats-wise, Pau Gasol have looked great in the place of Dwight Howard, but Pau has lost more than just a step in his game. His defense is horrible, he can't hit anything in the mid range and is botching lay-ups. He had 23 points on 10 of 18 shooting, 10 rebounds and allowed to to happen to him.

Ball gets stolen by a rookie big man and then gets dunked on by a sophomore. The circle of life, everyone. As for the Pistons, Greg Monroe got 20 points (9 of 14) and 11 rebounds. Detroit had a chance to win this game on this play.

But..., Kyle Singler couldn't get the pass there on time, which is totally his fault because Andre Drummond could literally dunk from anywhere inside the charity stripe.

Oh yea, and this happened.

Kobe threw a lob to Early Clark with 0.4 seconds left in the 2nd quarter and is actually happy about it. This must end, this is not the Kobe Bryant I know. It is freaking me out, man.

NBA Bloopers of January 2013.

This edition comes with cartoon sound effects.

Caron Butler used his veteran tricks to fool Jonas Valaciunas.

Down 27 points, Caron Butler decided to fake out the rookie, Jonas Valaciunas for an extra steal to up his fantasy value. I hope you didn't bench him.

The Round Up - February 1st, 2013.

Stats Rundown

Twelve games on last night, and only two away teams came out with a victory. The other 10 teams held it down in their own home.

Toronto Pterodactyls: After signing Rudy Gay, the Toronto Raptors have officially changed their nickname to the Pterodactyls. It is really fitting now that they have three athletic dunk contest material players playing in the Air Canada Center. Missing Chris Paul for the sixth straight game, the Clippers struggled on both ends of the floor. The Raptors held their opponents to a franchise low 30 points in the first half and 46 in the third. Rudy Gay came off the bench for 20 points on 8 of 16 shooting, and 3 rebounds. His smaller counter part, DeMar DeRozan got 19 points and 7 assists. In a surprise to us all, Amir Johonson also scored 19 points, and grabbed 16 boards to go with it. This is the most exciting Raptors squad to watch in a while, hopefully they can start winning games.

Terrence Ross has not been invited to the Dunk Contest yet, but the Captain of the East team, Dwyane Wade wants him, so it will likely happen. Too bad he has to go against James White of the New York Knicks. If you don't know who he is, I suggest YouTube and make sure nothing fragile is near you.

New Additions: All three teams in the recent "Rudy Gay" trade won today. Jose Calderon didn't suit for the Pistons, but his new team still won, beating the Cleveland Cavaliers by 18 points. Tayshaun Prince came off the bench for the Grizzlies to register 14 points (7 of 11), and 3 assists in their win against the Washington Wizards.

Gold Rush: With the 15 point win over the New Orleans Hornets, the Denver Nuggets are now on a 6 game winning streak. Andre Iguodala led the team last night with a game-high 24 points on 10 of 14 shooting, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals. Ty Lawson added 21 points and 13 assists.

 

Andre to Andre.

Antidote: The Indiana PAcers defeated the Miami Heat for the second time this season, staying 2-0 agains the reigning Champions that took down out in the second round last year. For the third time in his career, Ray Allen was held scoreless, this was the second time of this month.  Without any help last night, LeBron James carried his team with 28 points (9 of 17), 6 rebounds and 3 assists in the loss. David West single-handedly extended the Pacers' winning streak to 13 straight at home. He dropped 30 points on 12 of 15 shooting, grabbed 7 boards, dished out 5 assists and had zero turnovers.

Homecoming: In the return to his hometown, Tyreke Evans went off for 29 points on 11 of 18 shooting, 4 rebounds and 4 assists. Isiah Thomas chipped in for 24 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists in the victory. Meanwhile, Thaddeus Young dropped a team high 23 points on 11 of 17 shooting, and 15 rebounds for the Philadelphia 76ers. His All Star teammate, Jrue Holiday had 21 points, 7 assists and a hideous 8 turnovers.

FROLO: The versatility of Bynum's hair is equivalent to Michael Beasley's. If anyone is bringing cornrows back to Philly, I am glad that it is Andre Bynum. (Via: @machinegunbrian)

Hot and Cold: The Los Angeles Lakers tied a franchise high in three pointers made in the first half, hitting 10 of them before half time. Up 29 points in the early third quarter, the Lakers would suddenly miss everything, allowing the Wolves to cut it close. But Minnesota would run out of time, and was left stuck in the hole they dug themselves into. The Lakers have won 20 straight games against the Wolves, the longest streak against any opponent. Might as well never let them win, after taking their name, am I right? Pau Gasol led the way with 22 points (8 of 15), and 12 rebounds. Kobe Bryant flirted with another triple double last night, he had 17 points, 12 rebounds and 8 assists. This new Kobe is scaring me, not like afraid to play him kind of way, more like what the hell is happening kind of way. Not good.

The Timberwolves are still very fancy with their passes.

Highlights

Russian Connection: This is more of an example of Kobe Bryant's off ball defense. Really great.

Ironman: So nice, he did it twice.

Kobe Bryant explains his jersey chewing habit.

Rick Bowmer/AP Photo

"It's disgusting but my father taught me when your mouth gets dry, just suck the sweat out of your own jersey"

That's gross, especially when you can have cups of water and Gatorade ready at your command.

Via: @melissarohlin
--------
Bonus Quote: In regards to his willingness to pass as of late, this was Kobe's response.

"I really liked shooting at the hand hoops," says Bryant. "My field goal percentage really went up. The hand hoops kind of catch my shots even if they're a little off target. The rim never does that. It's pretty neat."

That is a very Kobe Bryant way of thinking of things. Whatever works for you, man.

Via: Sports Pickle

The Round Up - January 30th, 2013.

Stats Rundown

Via: @cjzero

Up-do: Michael Beasley must have taken my advice and stopped eating chicken tenders + fries before games. The man of many hair-dos came off the bench for a game-high 27 points on 12 of 20 shooting, 6 rebounds and 5 steals to end the Lakers' 3 game winning streak. The Lakers had a 13 point lead early the fourth quarter, but gave it up once Dwight Howard left the game after a shoulder injury. They gave up a 19-8 run to the Suns and remained winless on the road in 2013.

Not-So-Fun Fact: Steve Nash had only 2 assists in this game, which ties for the fewest he has ever delivered in a game.

Maybe if Kobe dunked this, he would have at least got his third. (Via: SB Nation)

Where is Kobe and what did you do with him? We now live in a world where Kobe rondos in transition. For shame.

FROLO: Sorry Bynum, for the first time, your hair was not the best of the night. (Via: SB Nation)

Tiny Assassin: Tony Parker is holding it down for his Spurs in the absence of Tim Duncan. The French point guard had 22 points (9 of 10), 7 assists and 3 steals to take down the Charlotte Bobcats. This win in San Antonio is their 17th straight, which ties for the third longest streak in their franchise.

Energy Ball: In his first 9 minutes into the game, Nate Robinson came off the bench to score 14 points on 6 of 6 shooting for his total 24 points (9 of 11). He also handed out 4 assists, stole 3 basketballs and completed his first dunk since the 2010-2011 season in the victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.

Stacey King must be off the medication that helps keep his composure during Bulls games.

Rookie Watch: Anthony Davis went for 14 points (7 of 9), 7 rebounds, and 2 blocks in only 22 minutes of play against the Utah Jazz. The Utah would come out on top thanks to the Giant 2. Paul Millsap had 25 points and 10 rebounds. While Al Jefferson added 22 and 5.

Eat Your Words: After trash talking LeBron and the Heat up prior to the game, Reggie Evans would be the one that fails to back it up. Tied at 49 at halftime, the Heat came out of the third quarter to outscore the Nets, 36 to 14, and forced 8 turnovers. The Nets were so bad that Mario Chalmers was able to grab his own rebound on his ass. As you would have guessed, LeBron James's fingerprints were all over this game, he led his team with 24 points (10 of 18), 9 rebounds and 7 assists in the 20 point victory over the Brooklyn Nets.

Joe Johnson did kill off the last remaining Boshasaurus in the loss.

No Defense Necessary: When two teams with highest pace in league, Houston Rockets (1) and Denver Nuggets (3) play against each other, defense will be non existent. Jeremy Lin led the Rockets with 22 points (8 of 15), and 5 assists. His majestic facial bearing partner, James Harden got 21 points on 6 of 13 shooting, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. However, the efforts of the two were not enough to trump Danilo Gallinari's 27 points (10 of 17) and the late 17-0 run they allowed Denver.

Exhibit A of the non-existent defense.

 

Javale loves his Italian Food.

Boards: Blake Griffin got his 19th double double of the season last night with his 26 points (11 of 17) and 13 rebounds in the win over the injury riddled Minnesota Timberwolves.

Setting Records: Carmelo Anthony set a new Knicks franchise record with 20+ points in 30 straight games. Tyon Chandler dropped a team-high 21 points on 10 of 11 shooting, to go with his 7 blocks and 5 assists. For the Magic, J.J. Reddick has been hot off the bench lately, he had 29 points (9 of 14) in another loss for the Orlando Magic. More bad news, Glen Davis will be out for the season with a broken foot.

What is better than Iman Shumpert's hi-top fade? Children with Shumpert wigs, of course. (Via: @netw3rk)

Flocks: The Atlanta Hawks defeated the Toronto Raptors with help of their starting front court of Josh Smith, who went for 20 points (7 of 16), and 11 rebounds, as Al Horford chipped in for 22 points (10 of 15), 10 rebounds and 6 assists. There was a questionable no-call in this game that potentially lost the game for the Raptors. Down with 1 with 5 seconds left, after grabbing an offensive rebound off Alan Anderson's miss, DeMar DeRozan went back up for the win, but would miss the shot due to a foul that was unfortunately not called. The Raptors have now lost 10 games this season when tied or leading with 2 minutes left in the fourth. Maybe Rudy Gay can solve the problem.Or maybe the league can stop apologizing to the Raptors and do something about the refs.

Highlights

Swats: Avery Bradley will not allow Isiah Thomas to deliver his Pizzas.

Fancy: Ricky Rubio still can not throw a normal pass to his teammates.

According to Kobe Bryant, if he was a point guard, he would be the best.

With the Lakers struggling to find consistent success in their season, Kobe Bryant has opted to be a facilitator in the past week to get his teammates going for the first time in his career. Not only has he dished out 10+ dimes in the last 3 games, he actually has less field goal attempts than assists in all three victories. While I do believe this sudden change in Kobe's demeanor benefits his team, there is something that just feels wrong with this "New" Kobe.

Frankly, I think we can all agree that scoring Kobe is a cooler Kobe. If he shared the ball as much as he had in the past 3 games of this season, his career would have never been linked to Shaq drama (including a rap about tasting butts), Smush Parker stories and every single appealing thing about the Black Mamba would cease to exist.

Can you imagine a world with a Kobe like that? I don't even want to live in that world.We have come to know Kobe as a man that strives for nothing but perfection. A man, wired completely different than others. Basketball was his obsession and all he wanted was to be the best. Some would say he was a maniac, as he works hours on hours in the gym, alone. Shutting the whole world out with the sound of the basketball swishing through the hoop. His accolades speak for themselves. He has won multiple titles by being the offensive mastermind that forgets his teammates' existence and will shoot over double teams. We groan as the ball is released, but cheers explode as we watch him make those all too familiar shots that were once deemed impossible. If he wasn't the scorer he is today, we would never have a Kobe that makes Matrix references and that is not okay.

This dude is the coolest. No one will ever have his supreme confidence and ability to answer questions with nonchalance. He didn't even bat an eyelash when he said that he would be the best point guard if he ever played that position.