Notes: Denver Nuggets vs. Golden State Warriors [11/29/12]

Golden State Warriors 106 - Denver Nuggets 105

The Good

Warriors: They managed to put together a strong enough defensive effort in the 4th quarter to comeback for the victory. The offense was not a problem in the 1st quarter. They were hitting everything in sight, until other quarters came along, and they couldn't put anything in the basket. Here's the problem, the Warriors are a jump shooting team. Without Andrew Bogut, the only option inside is David Lee. Stephen Curry and Lee's two man game can be at times overwhelming for some teams, as Lee is very capable of being an offensive juggernaut. However, on nights without a massive game from the lefty, Golden State relies on the shooting of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, who hasn't given a consistent output. These two are of the few most dangerous shooters that can hit a barrage of shots in any given night, at the same time, they can also take you out of the game.

Luckily it didn't happen tonight, in the fourth quarter of this game, Klay Thompson came back to life and brought the energy back to the rest of his guys. The sudden outburst of effort on both ends on the floor caught the Denver Nuggets off guard and they crumbled in crunch time.

Nuggets: Kenneth Faried. This guy just does everything right, he might not always show up on the box score with huge numbers, but I can guarantee you that every second he is on the basketball floor, he is going to give you a 100 percent. He never gives up on a play, he will hustle back on defense even if he didn't get an offensive opportunity and will impact the shot on the other end. I think he pinned like 4 warriors shots against the backboard.

Danilo Gallinari looks like he finally found his stroke, hitting 3 of Denver's total 10 three pointers on the night. The Nuggets need his shooting to space the floor, with Ty Lawson struggling early in the season, he needs help. If his teammates can hit shots, it will open up the lanes for the little guy to attack the basket, if not he can still kick out to get other guys going.

The Bad

Warriors: Let's face it, GSW is not a great defensive team (Yes, they have dramatically improved this season compared to the last - it is still too early to tell though), they can go from holding their own for a few good stretches, to getting ripped apart like Christmas presents. Individually, if you look at the roster, there are a lot of liabilities. The starting back court can improve, Curry has good hands, and Thompson has the length. The rest of the team, is a bit worrisome. I am going by minutes here, Carl Landry is undersized, David Lee moves like his legs are chained to a ton of cement blocks and Andris Biedrins is genetically incapable of staying in front of his man.

Andrew Bogut is the potential solution. He is, when healthy, one of the best current defending big man (there is not a lot of them). What he is missing in athleticism, he makes up for with smarts and width. The best thing is that, he can help on offense as well, like every foreign center, he is very adept to the pick and roll, can stretch the floor with his mid range shooting and pass the ball effectively. His skill set will heavily benefit the shooters of the this team and make the Warrior half court sets better.

Nuggets: Like their opponents, Denver is not great in the half court. While they can score seamlessly in transition, they cannot for some reason find a way to execute a play. If they can not get a shot off early with their quick ball movement, they will usually take up the shot clock and throw up a tough one (see Andre Igoudala. He really needs to take shots closer to the paint). A lot of this has to do with Ty Lawson, as the point guard he can't seem to navigate as smoothly as he did last year. Hopefully, this issue will fix itself, or Andre Miller is going to take his minutes.

On the other end, their defense was lacking, rotations were especially slow in the 1st and 4th quarter.
Also, Andre Miller completely botched the inbound pass for their last possession. (Jarrett Jack of GSW did too, it just wasn't as critical).

David Lee is the White Chris Webber - said obviously by Shaq.

In conclusion, Shaq is a stupid, egocentric, attention-seeking whore of an ex-NBA player that has no place on a NBA analyst panel and should F***ing grow up. You are not funny, the Ph.D you have is a joke, you have no respect for others (particularly to Charles Barkley, who did not once get into your face over conversations) and if you ever find yourself having to repeat your own punchlines to get a laugh (something you do on every single broadcast), just know that you are making a fool out of yourself. Someone please get that walking P.O.S. off TV. You were a great player and should just leave it at that, even Kenny thinks you are insane.

Via: @cjzero

Notes: San Antonio Spurs vs. Miami Heat [11/29/12]

Miami Heat 105 - San Antonio Spurs 100

The Good

Heat: They didn't get embarrassed on their home floor by a San Antonio Spurs B team.

Spurs: This is still a Spurs basketball team and can definitely hold their own. Their flawless, unselfish ball movement, although sometimes unnecessary wreaked havoc among the Miami defense. They read the Heat infamous ball handler trap quick and rewarded the screen slipping Tiago Splitter. The Brazilian's height did cause match up problems for the opponent bigs, unfortunately he did not get the ball as much as he would have liked.

Everyone on this team can shoot, especially when they are wide open. All it took was some dribble penetration to draw attention for kick outs to patient shooters and the buckets naturally fell. The 10 three pointers they had in this game kept it interesting, but at the end of the day, they are just a bunch of good back up players.

The Bad

Heat: This team has yet to find their title earning defense, they look sluggish, and are always a step slower. Losing Shane Battier is a huge hit, his versatility on this end of the floor covers up a lot of holes the Miami exposes in their risky approaches. Wrinkle head's importance is irreplaceable, even more so when they have to play the defensively challenged Rashard Lewis in his place.

Dwyane Wade has not been the same player ever since he switched shoe brands, he looks old and beaten up. I am sure he will find himself somewhere in the season, but as of right now, he is a liability on defense, (just a bystander in transition) and has not proven to be a reliable offense tool.

Is it just me or are you sick of LeBron James just not going 100 percent until his team is down in the fourth quarter. This was a game that should have ended early and quickly. I understand that he wants do more than just score for his team. However if your team is on the brink of losing to second unit team, just because you want to pass the ball when you have the ability to get to the basket at will and draw 2 million fouls, you should really reconsider your game. There are times when a Superstar has to take a game over by himself. We saw already saw that in you, in the game 6 of that Boston series and the 32 point second half against the Houston Rockets. Now, we want you to hone that beast, and unleash it in the right circumstances. For God's sake, you had the chubby Boris Diaw, although a solid defender, is too slow-footed to guard you. You could have gotten right past him even if you go at half speed.

Spurs: No Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili or Danny Green. They lost and might get an undeserving punishment from David Stern, because no one out trolls the commissioner.

Oh, and Gary Neal might just be one of the worst defenders ever, he makes a 37 year old Ray Allen look like a good off the dribble, attack the basket type of player, something I can't type without giggling like one of those kids on Barney.

Emeka Okafor caught a falling Wizards fan.

Attention: This is what happens when your favorite team that has gone under a 12 game losing streak to start the season and finally wins one at home.

“I was just so excited about the first win of the season that I leaned over too far,” said the fan, who declined to be named out of embarrassment. “I didn’t realize [Okafor] was too far away.”

“He was falling over and I saw the guy,” Okafor said of the incident. “He was smiling the whole time. Before I got there he had stopped himself. I just helped put him back into the stands.”

 “He was over [the railing] but he had a huge smile on his face. He had absolutely no awareness of the danger he was in,” Okafor said with a laugh. “That’s a first for me. I haven’t seen that before.”

Imagine if the Washington Wizards was extending a win streak instead, he would have done triple bye bye birdie off his seats and planted his head right on the stadium floor. But that was not the case, he is save and alive, and has Emerka Okafor to thank for. Too bad, he will forever be remembered as the way-too-excited guy that almost killed himself in a Wizards game.

Source: Washington Post

Notes: Brooklyn Nets vs. Boston Celtics [11/28/12]

Brooklyn Nets 95 - Boston Celtics 83

The Good

Nets: Defense and they left it on the whole game. Boston could not shoot without a hand in their face or a Net right beside them. The full court press by the second unit killed the Celtics. Barbosa and company didn't even know how to respond. In the other end, their shots were falling, the pick and roll with Deron opened everybody up. Even Jerry Stackhouse went 5 of 6 from the corner three, it helps when no one was ever there to bother him at all.

Celtics: The interior defense completely shut down Brook Lopez (9 points). Kevin Garnett, and Jason Collins did not give Brook any breathing space, every time he got the ball, he was immediately bodied up and forced into a tough shot. They held Brooklyn to only 38 points in the paint, no one in a black jersey wanted to go inside.

The Bad

Nets: I didn't particularly like the play that involved Gerald Wallace bringing the ball down. They ran this play a few times, where Deron Williams will be at the baseline, waiting for a off ball screen to come up and get the ball back from Wallace. It usually ends with the defenders on Williams, and a open shot for Gerald, which is not an ideal offensive weapon.

In the second half, they stopped moving the ball, and resorted to iso-ball. Plays were thrown out the window, everyone just stood still and watched Joe Johnson dribble, while Boston creeped closer.

Celtics: Rajon Rondo got ejected from the game (So did Gerald Wallace and Brook Lopez for fighting). Without Rondo to penetrate and space the floor, the Celtics, who were already suffocated by the Brooklyn defense, had even more trouble getting a good shot. Like the Nets, they decided to not run plays and it was just chaotic.

On defense, they over helped inside too often, leaving their opponents open for easy jumpers. They were in way too deep, and had no chance to recover.

Blake Griffin's block sprained Deron Williams's wrist.

@NBAGuru

In that photo, you see Deron Williams getting completely stuffed by Blake Griffin and Ryan Hollins in the air doing nothing to help. This is what happened after:

From ESPN:

"When I went up against Blake Griffin (to try to dunk the ball), I landed on it. I came down and braced my fall with the right wrist, and I jammed it," Williams said after the Nets defeated the rival New York Knicks 96-89 in overtime Monday night at Barclays Center.

That certainly does not help with the embarrassment, but I guess karma came through. Deron Williams went for 16 points and 14 assists against the New York Knicks last night, while Blake Griffin had a career low 4 points (1 of 9 from the field) in the loss to the New Orleans Hornets.

At least Blake Griffin still has his luscious red curls, to what ever that thing Deron has on top of his head that for some reason doesn't look like real hair.

Here is a reminder of said block:

Jeremy Lin was mistaken for Ron Jeremy.

Yep, there are definitely similarities between Jeremy Lin and Ron Jeremy, one is a NBA point guard that became the story of the league for 2 weeks and the other is a famous adult film actor, it is like they are the same person. Honest mistake.

And way to go Jeremy Lin, enforcing every single Asian stereotype possible.

Note: To the people leaving Rush Hour jokes on the video, please stop, it is not funny and they can never compare to that broken English and high pitch voice.

Notes: Milwaukee Bucks vs. Chicago Bulls [11/26/12]

Milwaukee Bucks 93 - Chicago Bulls 92

The Good:

Bucks: The Milwaukee bench combined for a total of 56 points. Despite the early season disappointment, Ersan Ilyasova led the second unit with 18 points. The group was completely unstoppable in the fourth quarter, they outscored the Chicago starters 30 to 12 for the comeback victory. On the other end, they contested every single shot, the Bulls even helped them by turning the ball over and giving them countless second chance opportunities.

Bulls: Richard Hamilton scored a season high 30 points and abused Monta Ellis with his size. Defensively, Chicago was great in the first 3 quarters, but the ambush from the Milwaukee bench took it apart.

The Bad:

Bucks: The starting back court of Monta Ellis and Brandon Jennings could not hit a shot, they were smuggled by the Bulls defense, denied of any opportunity for easy buckets. The half court execution was terrible through out the game, transition and second chance points kept this team in it. Scott Skiles did not put in any effort to make defensive adjustments on Richard Hamiltion. He kept Monta on him and refused to offer any help, luckily his bench bailed him out.

Bulls: They blew a 27 point lead. Tom Thibodeau probably tore up his larynx and destroyed the entire Bulls team emotionally. The team basically chilled out and allowed the Bucks to take control. The defense collapsed, the offense dried up like water in the Sahara and the energy disappeared. Chiacgo was down 1 with 10 seconds to go, Beno Udrih just missed two free throws for the 3 point lead and guess what? Milwaukee got the ball back. No matter, because Mike Dunleavy threw it away in the next 3 seconds, but the Bulls come out of the timeout with a pathetic play, a contested 15 footer from Rip that bounced off to the left.

Game Over.

R.I.P. to the Bench Mob.


Oh, and I will do the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets game later, because Canada decidedly to not show this game on tv and league pass blacked it out. The best thing was that the Canada actually aired curling from last year instead, and here I thought the absence of hockey would mean more NBA. Jokes on me.

Glen "Big Baby" Davis almost killed somebody.

Imagine a big chubby 6 ft 9, 289 pound pro basketball player running into you at full speed. I am no physicist, but I am sure it can kill somebody. Fortunately, the man and woman that took the dive were fine. However it has been reported that those two people are now traumatized and will never return to an Orlando Magic game again with first row seats until Glen Davis is traded. This is not necessarily a bad thing, because the Magic are not so fun to watch right now anyways. You would think the Orlando bench would have learn a thing or two from the Phoenix seat warmers, both having to house Shaq, maybe they should take more precautionary procedures. 

Something like this:

The Man of the Lakers Bench, Robert Sacre is the Greatest Bench Performer Ever.

The guys at Believe the Hype, have just given what everybody wants for Christmas. The total compilation of Robert Sacre cheering for his team. Let me clear this up, the dancing mad man in the video is a Canadian back up center, and no, he is not a reflection of how people dance in Canada. We have way better moves than just furious karate chops, ever heard of the beaver?

The Round Up - November 24th, 2012.

Stats Rundown:

The Dynamic Duo from the Oklahoma City Thunder didn't hold back, combining for 67 points of their team's total 113. Kevin Durant went for 37 points (10 of 22), 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals and 3 blocks. Russell Westbrook added 30 points (11 of 23), 5 rebounds, 9 assists and 2 steals.

Honorable Mentions: Thaddeus Young gave the Sixers 29 points and 15 rebounds against the OKC Thunder.

Shout out: To Byron Mullens of the Charlotte Bobcats, the 7 footer finished with 27 points (9 of 15 shooting, 5 of 11 from three), 8 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks in the overtime win over the Washington Wizards.

Boards: I don't know if this is actually real, but Carlos Boozer grabbed 19 rebounds (8 Offensive) to go with his 22 points for the victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. Someone please confirm this.

Dishin': Jrue Holiday handed out 13 assists in a bad shooting night, 3 of 11 for 6 points in the overtime loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Thief: Chris Paul robbed the Atlanta Hawks of 7 basketballs, despite his 19 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists, the Clippers still fell at the Highlight Factory.

Rookie Watch: Harrison Barnes did more than just embarrass Nikola Pekovic on nation television (You will see what I mean), he also had 10 points (4 of 7 shooting) and 11 rebounds in the win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Time Machine User: Kobe Bryant did get 19 points (6 of 11 shooting), and 5 assists in the blowout win over the Dallas Mavericks, but the honor goes to Ray Allen. 5 rebounds and 17 points, 3 of which placed the Miami Heat a single point ahead of the Cleveland Cavaliers with 18 seconds left in the game for the victory.

Washington Sadness: The Wizards lost again in overtime. John Wall and Randy Wittman will probably not be back for this franchise.

John Wall is probably wondering why he even dressed up in a suit for this game. (Via:@MikePradaSBN)

This is Randy Wittman's "I am going to be out of a job soon face." (Via: @TasMelas)

Michael Jordan Owned: The victory over the Washington Wizards gives the Charlotte Bobcats their 7th win, tying their win total from last season (66 games) in just 12 games. Thank you Mike Dunlap and Rich Cho.

Wanted List: DeMarcus Cousins dunked on Derrick Favors and will probably get suspended for 5 games for the highlight. (Jokes, but he did get ejected for a minor retaliation bump on Enes Kanter and it made the referees look like they were out to get Cousins thrown out.)

Whoops: You are doing something wrong if Andris Biedrins gives you the look of disappointment, Draymond Green. Do not try to take another man's rebound and then score on your own basket. (Via:@cjzero)

Metta World Threes: MWP knocked down 5 of 7 three point attempts to add to his 19 point total. On most days, those are ill advised shots but Mike D'Antoni don't care. Just don't expect it to keep happening.

Human Ostrich: Chris Bosh scored his 13,000th point today. Congratulations, your neck extends as your total points pile up.

Trick Tricks: Kevin Love would rather pass the ball to himself than actually give the ball to Greg Stiemsma on offense.

Highlight of the Night: Breaking News - Harrison Barnes is missing from the Golden State Warriors locker room, his status is uncertain. Update - Nikola Poekovic has brutally ripped the spine off the rookie and is drinking his blood (using the small intestine as a straw) as he yells "You No Dunk on Pekovic, Dunk and You Die."

Notes: Los Angeles Lakers vs Memphis Grizzlies [11/23/12]

I decided to do away with the feed, and start a new series. Where I will break down the good and the bad for both teams in a specific game.

Memphis Grizzlies 106 - Los Angeles Lakers 98

The Good:

Grizzlies: Mike Conley and Marc Gasol tore the Lakers apart, the two man game they played was beautiful and executed to perfection. Marc Gasol is the ideal complimentary big man, on pick and rolls, he can pop out for an easy 15 to 18 footer or roll hard for the lay in. His passing ability benefits Conley, they ran simple give and go plays, where Marc stood at the top of the key and always found the cutting point guard. 

The defense was active in most stretches, they gambled a lot by over helping on Dwight Howard, which did make the indecisive center to rush his shots. In the fourth quarter, he finally capitalized on the help and found the open shooters (the Lakers got 3 three pointers in a row, which counted for the 3 assists he had in total).

Lakers: Not too much. The team did hit 12 three pointers to keep themselves in the game. Antawn Jamison (16 points) came back to life, giving the bench some needed scoring. Kobe Bryant did Kobe Bryant things in late game, knocked down tough jumpers, got to the free throw line and finished with 30 points.

Besides Dwight Howard's presence that made the Memphis bigs hesitate before making their move, there was absolutely nothing good about the Lakers defense.

The Bad:

Both teams gave up a lot of points on turnovers. Memphis' 17 paved way for 24 points and LA's 18 for 29.

Grizzlies: This game went away from the post too early. Obviously Dwight Howard played in to that equation, but when Zach Randolph had Antawn Jamison in position there is no reason to not get the ball to him. I thought Marc Gasol was too willing to pass early, he should have went to work more.

The gambling on defense might not have been necessary, Grizzlies are a pretty solid individual defensive team, they were fortunate that the Lakers didn't use it to their advantage until the fourth.

Lakers: The Los Angeles Lakers features one of the best front courts in the NBA, yet the team only scored 24 points in the paint, compared to the 40 by their opponents. It amazes me, how this is a problem. They have refused over and over again to go to the post, Dwight (7 points) had only 7 shot attempts in the 39 minutes he played. What is even more amazing was that in one possession, Darius Morris decided against re-posting their star center and instead take Conley on the baseline to put up a miserable attempt. Howard is at fault too, I know he may not be 100 percent recovered from the back injury, but if he settles for one more lay up or short hook, Laker fans better be ready for disappointment. He has to dunk the ball, he can't shoot free throws, so why not get the damn basket. At this point, I am starting to agree with Shaq, which either means I am spiraling towards insanity or you are not playing like you are suppose to.

About Pau Gasol, well this sums it quite nicely:

Like I said earlier, Kobe Bryant did Kobe Bryant things, and it was not exactly a good thing. He shot 7 for 23 from the field, and he basically decided to play hero ball in the fourth. I just don't think he trusts his teammates, he kept jacking the first shot available against Tony Allen's tough defense and complained for fouls on the shots he missed.

So far, the Mike D'Antoni pace offense is not there, not the speed nor the pick and roll game. I am certain I did not see a single successful pick and roll, where the screener finished with the basket, hopefully Steve Nash will fix it (His return have not even been determined, as a matter of fact, he can't even jog yet).

Their defense is incredibly terrible. I don't think the guys standing in the perimeter, in front of their assignment can actually move. It is a good thing they have Dwight Howard though.

The Round Up - November 23rd, 2012.

Stats Rundown:

Everything Houston Rockets, 72 points in the first half against the New York Knicks and blowing them out 131 to 103 (The Knicks knocked down 17 threes and still got blown out). James Harden remains super efficient, 33 points (7 of 15 shooting, and 16 of 16 on the charity stripe), 9 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 block. His fellow Rocket, sophomore Chandler Parsons scored a new career high, 31 points (13 of 17 shooting, 4 of 7 from three), 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals and a block.

Boards: Mo hair, don't care. Anderson Varejao grabs anything in the air, 17 rebounds (11 OREB) to go with his 19 points in loss to the Orlando Magic.

Dishin': Rajon Rondo is stat whorin' his way to the 36th game with a double digit assist, his 16 assists, 8 rebounds and 6 points helped edge out the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Shout out: To Greivis Vasquez of the New Orleans Hornets, 25 points (10 of 13 shooting) and 14 assists in the overtime loss to the Suns.

Thief: Byron Mullens is a 7 foot center for the Charlotte Bobcats and somehow stole from the Atlanta Hawks 6 times in the loss.

Rookie Watch: Damian Lillard is taking advantage of Anthony Davis's injury to really put himself in front of the ROY race. 28 points (11 of 17 shooting, 4 of 8 from three), and 8 assists in the victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Honorable Rookie Mentions: Dion Waiters had 25 points and 5 assists for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Andre Drummond gets his first appearance on the list, 13 points, and 13 rebounds for the Detroit Pistons win over the Toronto Raptors.

Time Machine User: Paul Pierce showed the young Thunder how the old dudes do things, 27 points (8 of 16 shooting) in the Boston victory.

Reverse: Tyson Chandler who usually does the blocking, did not do the blocking, Daequan Jones did.

Hot Starts: These guys take things very seriously in the first quarter.
Al Horford had 14 of his 26 points and 5 of his 13 rebounds in the quarter. Carmelo Anthony and Chandler Parsons finished it with 18 points each. In the first 9 minutes against the Indiana Pacers, Tony Parker went 7 of 7 for 14 of his total 33 points and 5 of his 10 assists. Andrea Bargnani actually did something for the Raptors, scoring 17 of his 34 going into the second quarter.

Skates: Lance Stephenson did Tony Parker things to Tony Parker. Age must be a thing.

 

Lovin ain't Winnin: The Minnesota Timberwolves are 0-2 with Kevin Love back in the line up, they will be fine after some time, but Kevin Love is still kind of scared.

NBA.com

Burnin' the Bugs: The Phoenix Suns went on a 39-9 run to comeback from behind to tie the game against the New Orleans Hornets and win it 111-108 in overtime.

Mile High: Andre Miller is the best and Javale McGee too.

Jokes on you: The Charlotte Bobcats put ZaZa and Ivan Johnson on the kiss cam because they can and it is funny. (Via: @andytoddcook)

Scoopity scoop: Jamal Crawford only plays NBA effective street ball, Gerald Wallace gave it a go too.

Highlight of the Night:  Deron Williams will never attempt a dunk again.

Thank you Slow-mo, for the funniest Blake face yet.

Kendrick Perkins will be guarding Rajon Rondo tonight.

Kendrick Perkins and Rajon Rondo were the best of bros, after all they were on the same Boston Celtics team that won the Championship in 08'. Three years later, the ugly goatee wearing big man got traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder and the bros had to go on their separate ways with their respective team. Although they dearly miss each other, being part of the Celtics somehow allows you to be able to completely cut out all of your emotions, just ask Kevin Garnett.

They are still cool, but Perk still wants to shut Rondo down and maybe prevent him from continuing his 35 games with double digit assist streak.

From John Rohde of the Oklahoman:

Asked if Perkins was going to check Rondo tonight, Brooks smiled and said: “Absolutely. Perk is begging me to do that. That would be fun. I’m sure the fans would love to see Perk getting down in his defensive stance, pressuring the ball. I don’t know how fun that would be for me watching it.”

I am not too sure it is a very good idea for Scott Brooks to put a 6ft 10 guy on a 6ft 1 point guard that is currently playing out of his mind. After all, Perkins couldn't even guard his position against Marc Gasol, who embarrassed the hell out of him.

(Yes, I am very well aware that the Thunder sometimes switches on the pick and roll, leaving the point guard for Perkins to defend, and it is always hilarious watching him taunt. For future assignments, remember that smacking the floor repeatedly and encouraging a guard to shoot a wide open shot is not really defense.)

Via: PBT

Sign the Petition to stop Dwight Howard from wearing his headband.

Via: @cjzero

I may or may not have started this petition, but for those of you who keep up with the blog (Thank you), you would know that I hate all of the accessories Dwight Howard wears, from the newly added headband (which he might be wearing because he is a super immature adult that wasn't allowed to wear one in Orlando. And just like a teenager that rebels everything their parents does, he wears it just to say "Ha-ha, in your face, I am wearing a head band and you can't do anything about it because you decided to trade me away for nothing) to the f--king stupid sleeves.

Thanks to Harry Erickson, we might be able to do something that can change the world. What was his reasoning to start the petition? Well:

It looks ridiculous.

I cannot put it in any other way. So if you believe in this cause, please join us, the 293 supporters to make Laker games a better viewing experience. We only need 207 more people, you help would be much appreciated.

Jack Taylor scored 138 points in a NCAA game and Kobe loved it, Melo not so much.

Yea, that dude in the middle is Jack Taylor, he doesn't play in the NBA, and probably never will, but he will be remembered as the guy that scored 138 points in a Division III NCAA Basketball game. You read it right, he scored 138 points out of his team's total 179 points. They beat their opponents by a margin of 75 points and Kobe loved everything thing about it.

From Dave McMenamin:

Reporter: Kobe, a college kid scored 138 points tonight and took over 100 shots ...

Bryant: "Wow ... No kidding? Where?"

Reporter: Grinnell college in Iowa.

Bryant: "Really? Wow. That's impressive. That's crazy. I don't care what level you're at. Scoring 138 points is pretty insane. How many 3s did he shoot?"

Reporter: 71.

Bryant: "Holy sh--. How many points did they score as a team?"

Reporter: 179.

Bryant: "What?!"

Reporter: No other starter had double figures.

Bryant: "That's incredible."

Reporter: Dude on the other team scored 71 points and lost.

Bryant: "That's amazing. He must have been wearing the Mambas, man. Only Mambas have no conscious to shoot the ball like that."

Reporter: If you did that, would people be celebrating you?

Bryant: "Would people be celebrating me if I scored 138 points? You know how it is, some people would, some people wouldn't. They can all kiss my a-- as I'm sure he feels the same way. If you score 138 points, you kind of have a license to tell people to f--- off."

A very Kobe like answer, the plug for his shoe was totally necessary and hilarious. I bet Kobe now wishes he went to college and destroy every trace of that record. Maybe that is what he will do after he retires, although it is completely impossible due to stupid rules, there was a 59 year old college football player.

When Carmelo Anthony, a fellow point-getter heard the news, he didn't give much praise and was actually critical.

"I never heard of nothing like that. That's like a video game," Anthony said, an incredulous look on his face. "How can you shoot 100 times, though?"

He joked that from now on when someone asks if he's taking too many shots, he'll mention "that someone shot it 108 times."

The notion of Carmelo's disgust at someone shooting over a 100 times in a single game is very laughable. Hopefully for the Knicks, he won't play up to that excuse because that wouldn't be too good for the team that has finally found an identity.

Then again, Jack Taylor might secretly be Melo 5.

Source: NY Daily News

Vintage Rasheed Wallace Moment - "Ball Don't Lie."

Oh man, I am so glad Sheed is back in the league. Without out him, the game just isn't same, the art of trash talk is nearly extinct. At least we don't have to worry about it for now, because we still have the Professor, maybe he can instill some of his skills into his fellow teammates. I am kind of surprised nobody laughed at the old guy on the court just yelling anything he can think of, I can't even stop watching this without cracking up. I guess Doc Rivers never warned his son about Sheed, you can never miss the first free throw from a foul by the man with a hole in the middle of his hair, otherwise these amazing moments in the NBA happens, and I, thank you.

Via: @jose3030

The Feed: Denver Nuggets vs. Memphis Grizzlies [11/19/12]

Recap:

The Denver Nuggets edged out the Memphis Grizzlies for a 97 to 92 victory that snapped Memphis's 8 game winning streak. The Grizzlies that lived in the paint and grabbed every single rebound just got outworked by the Nuggets. They gave up 50 points in the paint and allowed Denver to grab 47 boards, 21 of which were offensive. Where as Memphis only had 12 offensive rebounds of their total 33.

The Nuggets defense held the Grizzlies starting front court to only 28 points. Zach Randolph (12 points (6 of 15 shooting) and 13 rebounds) didn't even get to the free throw line once and his partner, Marc Gasol (16 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists) was not given enough touches (only 7 shots attempted).

Despite the early season struggles, Danilo Gallinari finally found his shooting stroke today, leading his team with a game high 26 points and 5 rebounds. Javale McGee added 15 points and 8 rebounds off the bench. Denver's second unit combined for 34 points, outscoring the opposing bench by 11.

Down in the first half, the Grizzlies fought back with a 11-2 run that re-inserted themselves back into the game. However, in the final minutes of play, they suffered a drought, and allowed the Nuggets to end the game on a 8-0 run. Memphis had an opportunity to take the lead in less than a minute to play. In a 1 point deficit, Rudy Gay was forced into a bad pass by Andre Iguodala. The costly turnover turned into a game sealing three pointer on the other end by Gallinari.

Offensive End:

Memphis failed to consistently post up their big guys, if they don't get 20 points from at least one big, they are unlikely to win. The usual open shot from a kick out in the post just didn't fall. Their bench have finally returned to Earth, and the spectacular three point shooting in the 8 game winning streak crumbled. They did score 29 points on the Nuggets' 17 turnovers.

Denver survived off the charity stripe, hitting 20 of their 28 attempts. Gallo was aggressive to the basket and earned 10 points off the line. The offensive rebounding led to quite a bit of points. When this team pushes the tempo, they are at their best. In the half court, only Andre Miller can find something, Ty Lawson could not help his team on offense in any way.

Kenneth Faried's overall activity on both ends on the floor is amazing, he never stops moving, has great ball awareness and is the only person that can go toe to toe with Zach Randolph in rebounds.

Defensive End:

The Grizzlies transition defense was awful, they allowed easy layups and scrambled to find their defender.  Although Ty Lawson did not do much damage, he got to weave inside paint without any pressure. The lack of boxing out is very unlike this Grizzlies team, 21 offensive rebounds for the Nuggets is just unacceptable.

The Nuggets did a great job of collapsing on the Memphis front court, if it wasn't for the terrible perimeter shooting from the Grizzlies, they might not have pulled out with the victory. Kosta Koufos is a solid post defender, and Javale McGee was there to help.

George Karl tinkered with his line-ups during the game, defensively McGee and Koufos was the best. It was weird when he inserted his small line up that included neither of the above players, but he realized it early and made the substitution.

The Round Up - November 18th, 2012.

Stats Rundown:

Kevin Durant gets his first career triple double tonight in the victory over the Golden State Warriors. He scored 25 points (8 of 16 shooting, 3 of 5 from the three), grabbed 13 boards and dished out his first 10 assists. He has only had more than 8 assists twice in his career, what a ball hog (jokes, I would rather him shoot more than allow Russell Westbrook carry the offensive load). (Via:@johnschuhmann)

Board Monster: Anderson Varejao is still very good at getting rebounds, grabbing 15 in the loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Dishin': A day after Rajon Rondo got 20 assists against the Raptors, Jose Calderon decided do his best impersonation of the Boston guard. Handing out 18 assists in the victory over the Orlando Magic.

Thief: Russell Westbrook robbed the Golden State Warriors 5 times in the Oklahoma City Thunder win.

Butter Fingers: Rajon Rondo and Roy Hibbert both lost the basketball 6 times in their games. Roy Hibbert is continuing to disappoint, failing to be the star that the Indiana Pacers have paid a max contract for.

Rookie Watch: Damian Lillard registered 16 points, 3 assists and 3 steals in the victory over the Chicago Bulls.

Time Machine User: Kobe Bryant is playing out of his mind this season, 22 points, 11 rebounds and 11 ASSISTS and 3 steals. This is his 18th triple double in his 17th season in the NBA.

Head Band Boo Boo: Jason Kidd received a cut during the game, and needed 7 stitches to the side of his head, which explains the strange head band positioning. It is somehow very amusing.

FROLO: Just a daily update on Andrew Bynum's funk-a-licious hair.

Injury Update: @GotEm_Coach got actual footage of Andrew Bynum injuring his knee in the bowling alley.

I ain't no Slouch: One of the famous Washington Knuckleheads, Andray Blatche, has blossomed into a solid player in Brooklyn. He actually went 10 for 10 from the field up until the middle of the third quarter. He finished with 22 points on 11 of 12 shooting in only 19 minutes of play. Who is this guy?

Shameless Records: Rajon Rondo kept his double digit game streak alive to 34, but it was in a 20 point blowout loss to the Detroit Pistons. Doc Rivers had to keep Rondo late in the game for him to get those 10 assists. He even called timeouts to draw up plays for the point guard to find someone to score. Something Boston struggled to do today.

Elbow Room: Ron Artest AKA Metta World Peace have no voluntary control of his elbows, they keep flying around hitting people in the head, "accidentally." Jeremy Lin is unfortunately one of those unlucky recipients. I am sure James Harden have useful advice to recover from a hit like that.

Sunday Night Football:  MWP is probably playing the wrong sport.

Número Uno: Pau Gasol scored his 15,000th point tonight, making him the 10th foreign player in NBA history to do so. He is also the first Spanish player to reach that mark.

Highlight of the Night: Russell Westbrook haven't dunked on someone in a while, so he felt like he had to remind people that he can still in fact jump very high.

The Feed: Golden State Warriors vs. Oklahoma City Thunder [11/18/12]

Recap:

The Oklahoma City Thunder electrocuted the Golden State Warriors, 119 to 109 in a memorable night for Kevin Durant. The three time scoring champion registered his first career triple double, finishing with 25 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists. His fellow All-Star teammate, Russell Westbrook added 30 points, 7 assists and 5 steals.

It was clear from the start, the Warriors had no answers for the duo. The mismatches in all positions, plus the lack of a consistent defensive effort, allowed their opponents to score at will. The offense (24th in the league) was not particularly great either, Klay Thompson (4 points, 2 of 8 shooting in 23 minutes) has not taken the extra step that was expected from his surprising rookie campaign. Stephen Curry led his team with 22 points (9 of 17 shooting. 4of 8 from the three) and 6 assists. He kept his team in the game for the second half, but the missing help from his teammates failed to make a late comeback run.

The Thunder shot lights out from behind the arc, hitting 13 of their 20 attempts (65%). And they have Kevin Martin to thank for it. The unorthodox shooter knocked down 5 three pointers for his total 23 points. Despite shooting 52 percent from the field, the Golden State Warriors just could not get a stop. If they want to take the next step, into a future playoff bracket, coach Mark Jackson has find a way to manage the offensive talents (there's a lot of them) on his team, and make them play defense.

Offensive End:

This is OKC, and their identity is Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. If it is not drawing defenders for a kick out, they will find their own way to get buckets. Russell Westbrook destroyed Stephen Curry today, he posted him up, facialed him multiple times with his patent transition 15 foot pull up and got pass him whenever he wanted.

Shots were just not falling for GSW in the first half, they had a lot of open looks, but they failed to capture it. Stephen Curry and David Lee got going in the second half. After the break, the Warriors ran a lot of off ball screens to free Curry of Russell Westbrook for open shots. David Lee was more comfortable against Thunder's interior defense, he had 19 points and 10 rebounds in the loss.

Golden State has a lot of trouble with half court sets, especially in the first half. They couldn't score unless it was early in the shot clock against an unsettled defense. It got better in the second though.

The second unit led by Jarrett Jack is more patient, and attacked the basket often. They totaled 58 points in the paint to Thunder's 32, which doesn't happen often for a jump shooting team like the Warriors.

Defensive End:

The Thunder weren't that great defensively today, they did get lazy when they got a huge lead and allowed the Warriors to sneak back in within 10. They basically won by being better at trading baskets.

The Warriors defense needs work, none of the starters can hold their own against the Thunder's 5. this maybe an age issue, hopefully they will improve as the season goes by.

Notes:

• Jeremy Lamb has a ridiculously small head, what a creepy head to body ratio. And he has those T-Mac tired eyes, except his eyes are a lot bigger, we are talking Tarsier big. 
• Let me show you:

I know, I can't tell the difference either.