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.

Kyrie Irving scored 13 points in the last 3 minutes of the 4th quarter to defeat the Thunder.

This dude is unreal. He carried his team in the final stretches of this game by just attacking the paint relentlessly. Most guys at his position will usually settle or pull up for jump shots. But he opted to get into the heart of the defense, slicing through defenders and making ridiculous lay ups. Cleveland struck gold again, hopefully they will do the right thing this time and give him a good supporting cast.

Just a question for the Thunder, why are you switching on every single screen? Do you seriously think Kendrick Perkins can take Kyrie? Because if you did, you fell right into their trap. There is no place for Perk if the opposing team doesn't have an offensive threatening big man, so stop it Scott Brooks. Enough.

The Round Up - February 2nd, 2013.

Stats Rundown

Tony Dejak/AP Photo

One Man Team: In his first game without the mask, Kyrie Irving dragged his lottery bound team to a hard fought victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Dynamic Duo of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook combined for 60 points, but it was no match for Kyrie's 35 points (12 of 23). In the fourth quarter, with less than 3 minutes left in the game clock, the unmasked sophomore scored 13 points to take the win over the second best team in the West.

Hot Hand: Coming back from another ankle injury, Stephen Curry showed no signs of rust, dropping 29 points on 6 of 10 shooting from the three, while dishing out 8 dimes. Harrison Barnes tied his career high with 21 points (9 of 11), and 8 rebounds in the Warriors' fourth straight win.

Horns: Without Carlos Boozer, Joakim Noah and Kirk Hinrich, the Chicago Bulls still somehow managed to defeat the Atlanta Hawks by 17 points. Luol Deng led the team with 25 points (10 of 21), 14 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals. Taj Gibson added 19 points and a career high 19 rebounds. Of course both of them would play for more than 40 minutes, because you will never expect anything less from Coach Thibs.

Domination: The New York Knicks crushed the Sacramento Kings 120 - 81 at the Madison Square Garden. There is not much to say. Carmelo Anthony scored his 17,000th point, but snapped his 31 game streak with 20+ points when he finished with only 9 points on the night. Tyson Chandler grabbed 20 rebounds to become the second Knick to do it in two consecutive games since 1985-86'. Amare Stoudemire came off the bench for a perfect 10 of 10 from the field for 21 points and 6 rebounds. J.R. Smith went 7 of 14 from the three for 25 points to add to the total 19 threes that the Knicks made.

In summary:

This is the Knicks (Via: @TheKnicksWall):

And this is the Kings (Via: @TheKnicksWall):

The never ending loop of struggle faces.  

Rookie Watch: At this point, the ROY award already belongs to Damian Lillard right? The rookie from the Portland Trail Blazers had a game-high 23 points on 9 of 17 shooting, and 8 assists in victory over the Utah Jazz.

First Beard: James Harden recorded his first career triple double last night against the Charlotte Bobcats. He went for 21 points on 6 of 11 shooting, 11 rebounds and 11 assists in the W. Patrick Patterson dropped in 24 points, as did Chandler Parsons, who also grabbed 10 boards. Some bad news for the Bobcats, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist took a hard during this game, he had to be carried out on a stretcher, it is reported that he has suffered a concussion.

Sneaky: This is what happens when you don't box out, folks.

The Houston commentators just compared Chandler Parsons to Michael Jordan, showing thier extensive knowledge about the NBA. 

Highlights

Ricky Rubio everything.

Always Fancy: Ricky Rubio still can not make a normal pass, and we love him for that.

Skyscraper: Everyone benefits from Ricky, even Dante Cunningham, who went for a franchise high, 9 for 9 from the field (most FGM without a miss) in the win against the New Orleans Hornets.

In amidst of Russell Westbrook's tantrum, a poor kid was left hanging.

On Thursday night, in the Memphis Grizzlies vs. Oklahoma City Thunder game, Russell Westbrook had a little tantrum after a "miscommunication" with his teammates. The entire sequence can be seen below, accompanied with commentary from the guys back in the TNT studio.

The worst part in all of this, besides the fact that Russell Westbrook never acknowledged his mistake, was that a young fan of his, did not receive an ounce of acknowledgement, as the Thunder point guard leaves for the locker room to calm down. Completely crushing the soul of a little boy.

Via: SB Nation

That's not cool, bruh. The kid only wanted a high five from his favorite player, but no, you had to leave him hanging like that, scarring him for the rest of his life and now, he is going to dedicate every last second of it, planning revenge on you. One day, when you are in the mood for high fives, he will be there, and you won't remember him. Just as you reach out your hand to give him the love he once deserved, he will withdraw at the last second, inflicting the same pain that he suffered for years on to you and shaming you in front of your loving fans. You have been warned.

The Round Up - January 31st, 2013.

Stats Rundown + Short Recap

Memphis Grizzlies vs. Oklahoma City Thunder: This game was over as soon as it started, the Grizzlies had only dressed 9 players, as their new acquired pieces have not arrived in time for the game. Shorthanded, and discombobulated after losing Rudy Gay, Memphis allowed the Thunder to score 32 points in the first quarter. The contest however, would get close in the third. After an intrasquad fight between Russell Westbrook and Thabo Sefolosha, Scott Brooks benched his superstar point guard to calm him down. In the absence of Westbrook, Memphis cut a 25 point lead into 10, but that would be as close as they would get. Jerryd Bayless, in the place of Rudy Gay, led the team with 23 points (9 of 17) and 6 assists. Marc Gasol added 16 points and 7 rebounds. For OKC, Kevin Durant had a game-high 27 points on 10 of 16 shooting, 7 rebounds and 6 assists. While Russell got 21 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists.

Play Action: Nick Collison has more than one trick in his sleeve.

Palms: It must be nice to have big hands.

Dallas Mavericks vs. Golden State Warriors: Dallas never led once in this game, but they did keep it close through out the entire game. Klay Thompson exploded for 27 points (11 of 18), hitting everything in sight early. David Lee was going to get a triple double, but he would fall short of an assists in his 15 points, 20 rebounds and 9 assists effort. So instead he has to settle for his 30th double double of the season, closing in on Zach Randolph for first place. In the 4th quarter, Golden State went scoreless for 4 minutes plus, allowing the Mavs to go on a 13-0 to tie the game up with 3 minutes left. Unfortunately, their charge ended there and the Warriors would hold on for the win. O.J Mayo scored a team-high 25 points on 8 of 13 shooting to go with his 5 rebounds and 6 assists. Shawn Marion chipped in for 18 points and 17 rebounds.

Museum Figurines: Someone must have dug up the fossils of Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson from 300 B.C., revived them and put them in a basketball game. Apparently, they can still dunk.

As expected, having not played basketball for about 2000 years, Vince Carter was a little bit rusty.

Richard Jefferson looked pretty good though.

Russell Westbrook wore a plate of armor to the Thunder vs. Lakers game.

Via: @jose3030

Russell Westbrook has been known to dress a little bit weird, but on Sunday, he took it to a whole new level. I am not sure what that shirt is made out of, it could possibly be some advanced synthetic material that can conform into some type of armor that will protect him from unexpected attackers. Or it could be a tear away aluminum foil sheet that he can bake cookies with, I don't know. The shirt is retailed originally at €400 from Neil Barrett, it is on sale now for €200, which is approximately $270 US dollars. Now all you need is a man clutch that carries 10 different lenseless glasses and a pair of turquoise pants at old navy to finish your Halloween Westbrook costume.

The Round Up - January 27th, 2013.

Stats Rundown

Paul Pierce's reaction after learning about Rondo's torn ACL. (Via: @jose3030)

Missing Point: The Boston Celtics defeated the Miami Heat in double overtime without Rondo, who is out for the season with a torn ACL. Apparently, none of the Celtic players knew about it until the end of the game. Paul Pierce led the charge with his 7th career triple double of 17 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists. Kevin Garnett added 24 points on 10 of 19 shooting, 11 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocks at the TD Garden. LeBron James had 34 points (14 of 31), 16 rebounds, 7 assists and a clutch three pointer in regulation to force the first overtime. His sidekick, Dwyane Wade was rendered useless for the final 16 minutes of this game, as he failed to register a single point in the game's most important minutes.

Three Ball: J.J Redick was among a few players that were on fire from behind the arc last night. The Duke product dropped a career high tying 31 points on 8 of 11 threes. However, Brandon Knight's 31 points on 12 of 16 shooting would prevail in the battle, bringing the Detroit Pistons the victory against the Orlando Magic, who are now on a 5 game losing streak.

Ryan Anderson didn't do too bad himself, hitting 7 of his 13 threes for a game-high 22 points. He attempted nothing but threes in this game. Meanwhile for the Memphis Grizzlies, Zach Randolph recorded his 28th double-double of the season (20 points and 13 rebounds), the most in this NBA season in the loss to the New Orleans Hornets.

Hawk Hunter:While we are still on the subject of threes, Carmelo Anthony lit up the entire Atlanta squad by himself. Going off for 42 points on 15 of 28 shooting, a career high 9 of 12 from the three, and 5 rebounds in the win against the Hawks. Melo has tied the Knicks record for the most consecutive 20 point games with his 29th straight. Despite Atlanta outscoring the Knicks 50 to 22 in the paint, the Hawks just could not stop the Knicks from the outside. Allowing their opponent to shoot 60 percent from downtown is not a good sign. If there was a good sign for ATL, it would be Jeff Teague, who has developed into a solid scoring point guard in this seaon. He got 27 points (9 of 15), 5 rebounds, and 6 assists to give you a glimpse of his future.

Here is Melo's 42 point game summed up in less than 2 minutes.

Change Up: Kobe Bryant is ridiculous, he went off for 21 points (8 of 12), 9 rebounds and 14 assists to show off his versatility. This certainly doesn't solve all of LA's problems, but it is a start. As usual Kevin Durant had another 35 point game for Oklahoma City Thunder, however the lack of help from Russell Westbrook, who shot 6 of 22 from the field at the Staples Center, gave the Thunder, their 11th loss of the season.

Highlights

Trickery: Tony Wroten doesn't need to look when he passes.

Quick Step: Blake Griffin has it.

Boshasaurus: Jeff Green is the asteroid that caused the extinction of Dinosaurs.

Russell Westbrook do not appreciate fans trying to steal his towel.

Unlike his teammate, Russell Westbrook is not much a giver. You probably know that already from watching him constantly pull up for contested jump-shots instead of trying to get the ball to wide open teammates. Just kidding, his assists numbers have definitely gone up this year, but these jokes will always be funny.

I kind of feel bad for that Sacramento Kings fan (I am assuming this is the case, as the game was played in Sac-Town). His favorite team might be leaving his home and Russell Westbrook denied him of his sweaty towel. Can't the Kings fans get anything?

Kevin Durant gave one of his shoes away to a fan.

Look at Mr. Nice Guy here. You really can't hate him, except for when he destroys your team and put up 20 points effortlessly.

That kid has some big shoe to fill, haha. I'm sorry.

The Round Up - January 25th, 2013.

Stats Rundown

Not a great slate of basketball last night, of the 11 games played, 8 were blow outs and they weren't even the fun kind, that is unless you are a fan of the winning team.

Rocket Fuel: James Harden blasted off for 30 points (8 of 15 shooting), 4 rebounds and 8 assists in the Rockets' 3rd win in their last 10 games. If they are not careful, they might let the Lakers slip into the playoffs. This the Beard's 13th game this season with 30+ points, tying his Hairness to LeBron James for 4th most in the NBA.

Burning Motor City: When all three of the Big 3 each have double digit points, there is nothing you can really do about it, especially if you are the Pistons. In the second quarter, LeBron and Wade combined for 26 of the Heat's 30 points in the period to outscore Pistons' 20. LeBron finished with 23 points (9 of 14), 7 rebounds and 7 assists, while Dwyane traveled back in time to 2006. Putting up 29 points on 12 of 20 shooting, 4 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 steals in the win. Shout out to Greg Monroe for scoring 31 points (12-17) and grabbing 12 boards to keep the Pistons within 25 points against the reigning champions.

Boards: Dwight Howard actually tried today and got himself 17 points (8 of 12) and 13 rebounds. Maybe it is a good idea to stop faking your injury. In other Laker news, Kobe Bryant, for the 4th time in his career, played 30+ minutes and had more assists (14) than field goal attempts (10). Steve Nash had only 2 assists. I don't even know this world anymore.

Rookie Watch: Bradley Beal has not failed to impress as of late, he had 16 points on 6 of 11 shooting and 4 blocks (I don't know how) in the victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves, one of the victims of the 8 blowouts.

Don't Call it a Comeback: Call it a new-low for the Boston Celtics. Just when it looked like Boston was going to leave the Highlight Factory with an easy win, the Atlanta Hawks fought back from a 27 point deficit to comeback for the double overtime victory on Kyle Korver's franchise setting 8 three pointers in the second half.

After scoring only 10 points in the first quarter, the Hawks would outscore Boston 85-54 after the first half. The Celtics are now on a six game losing streak.

Skewered Buck: Despite the Milwaukee Bucks shooting 14 of 28 (50%) from the three and Ersan Illyasova going off for 30 points on 11 of 21 shooting and 7 rebounds. They would get outmatched by another solo effort by the masked Kyrie Irving, who dropped a game-high 35 points on 17 shots to win it for his Cleveland Cavaliers. This is the 6th time this month, where Kyrie has scored 30 points or more.

Triple Double-Doubles: Three of the Chicago Bulls' starting front court, Joakim Noah (14/16), Carlos Boozer (15/13) and Jimmy Butler (16/12, his first) all got double-doubles last night in the win against the Golden State Warriors. We don't say this enough, but Kirk Hinrich has been great for the Bulls, he had 25 points on 6 of 7 threes and 4 assists to improve Chicago to a 3 game winning streak. Yay for Mr. tiny goggles.

Highlights

Long Jump: If you watch closely, Kevin Durant can extend his limbs to any desirable length.

Fake Out: Paul Millsap fooled at least three players on the Lakers with one move.

Reverse: Did you forget about Chris Bosh again?

The Round Up - January 23rd, 2013.

Stats Rundown

Gold Rush: The Golden State Warriors are not kidding around. Stephen Curry validated his All Star candidacy today by straight up outplaying Russell Westbrook. The 13 year old had 31 points on a rare 11 of 27 shooting night, where he was cold from the three, hitting only 3 of his 14 attempts. He also had 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals and a shimmy on his knees to rub it in the face of Westbrook.

Bad Russ had the worst night of his life, going for only 10 points (3 of 16), 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Kevin Durant however, picked up the slack with 33 points (10 of 17), 5 boards and 9 dimes in the loss.

Note: The Warriors are the only team that has defeated the Heat, Clippers and Thunder, so maybe they could make another miraculous run in the playoffs.

Carl Landry's legs folded at the sight of an incoming Kevin Durant and I don't blame them.

Feathers: Josh Smith has longed for a night where he actually scores the basketball with efficiency. His dreams came true today against the Bobcats, he had 30 points (15 of 24), 13 rebounds, 8 assists and 3 blocks in the win because the Bobcats are the Bobcats. The only reason that this wasn't a blowout, was due to Ramon Sessions dropping 27 points to keep the game closer than it really should be.

Oh Canada: The Toronto Raptors did it again, after building a 15 point lead in between the third quarter, they blew it again and allowed the Miami Heat to comeback for the win in overtime. Jose Calderon led Toronto with 17 points from 5 of 6 three point shooting. While LeBron James grabbed his second triple double of the season with 31 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists. Dwyane Wade chipped in another 35 points on 13 of 19 shooting and 7 assists to put the Raptors into extinction.

Don't call it a Comeback: Trailing by 17 early in the third quarter, the Chicago Bulls rallied 28 points in the 4th to outscore Detroit's 14 to take the W at home. Joakim Noah was huge late in this game, saving the ball from going out of bounds and into the hands of Marco Bellinelli, who drew a three point play to win the game.

Replacement: Filling in for the injured Tim Duncan, Tiago Splitter went 10 of 11 from the field for 25 points and 7 rebounds in the victory over the New Orleans Hornets. His teammate, Tony Parker added 24 points (10 of 18), 4 rebounds and 13 assists. No biggie, he does that in about every game.

Ripped in another City: The Indiana Pacers suffered a 20 point defeat to the Portland Trail Blazers at the Rose Garden. LaMarcus Aldridge had a game-high 27 points on 12 of 17 shooting and 6 rebounds. The future Rookie of Year, Damian Lillard got 20 points (9 of 16) and 8 assists.

Highlights

Fancy: Ricky Rubio doesn't care that you are in the way, he will just pass the basketball right through you.

Stampede: Nate Robinson got really hyped after doing good things for the Bulls.

Kevin Martin gets fouled by a ghost.

Damn it Antoine, not again.

This is Kevin Martin's second warning, which means he has to pay a fine of $5,000 dollars to the league. Good going Antoine, one more time and Kevin Martin would lose 10,000 dollars.

Caron Butler spikes Serge Ibaka's shot into the face of a NBA official.

This is the season of the NBA referees, you guys. I am telling you, in the history of NBA, there has not been so many referee related incidents. Earlier this season we had an official caught secretly working for the Miami Heat, then another one blocking free throw shots, one stalling games on national TV and one that danced Gangnam Style with a mascot. Finally, we have an innocent official getting a surprise from Caron Butler. I hope David Stern calls Derek Richardson (victim) tomorrow and give him a flop warning for that, because flinches resulting from actual hits can't put you on the floor. That is unless Caron Butler possesses an advanced, state of the art, biologically engineered arm that can send a man through the crust of the Earth and deep into the mantle. But that's probably impossible, so the only reasonable explanation is that, there must be something in the water of the LA Clippers facility that makes everyone exaggerate their body movements. In that case, I would like advise against Blake Griffin from drinking that water, he is way too hopped up on that stuff.

The Round Up - January 22nd, 2013.

Stats Rundown

The first half of the 2012-2013 NBA season is officially over, and if the second half resembles anything like the first, the postseason will be insane.

Masked Man: Kyrie Irving has been nothing but incredible for the Cleveland Cavaliers. For a guy stuck with a horrible cast, he has managed to repeatedly drag his team to victory. He went for a career high 19 points in the first quarter, to finish with a game-high 40 points on 16 of 24 shooting, 3 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals in the victory over the Boston Celtics. After starting the new year with a 6 game winning streak, Boston has fallen into a 4 game losing streak as of late.

Speaking of the Celtics, this Rajon Rondo assists stat padding is getting out of control. He is even going out of his way to help his opponents for assists. Someone needs to tell him, that basketball doesn't work like that.

Gunning: Ersan Illyasova is still occasionally able to fill up the stat sheet, the Turkish man had 27 points (10 of 17), 16 rebounds (7 Offensive), 2 assists and 3 steals. Brandon Jennings dropped 25 points (8 of 17), 7 dimes and 3 steals in the win against the Philadelphia 76ers. The Sixers allowed the Bucks to shoot 52 percent from the field, no wonder they lost even after three of their players scored 20+ points. Evan Turner led the team with 23 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists. Spencer Hawes had 21 and 12. Lastly, Nick Young came off the bench for 20 points and a dunk to put the NBA leader in blocks, Larry Sanders to shame.

You can't always get them all, Larry.

Automatic: In his first start of the season, J.J Redick went off for 26 points on 9 of 10 shooting, including 5 of 6 from the three in the victory over the Detroit Pistons. His teammate, Jameer Nelson added 14 points and 9 assists to pass Penny Hardaway for 6th place in the Magic all time scoring list.

Best of the West: Kevin Durant and his Oklahoma City Thunder took down the Chris Paul-less Clippers last night, with a 32 point (12 of 19), 5 of 6 three point shooting, 7 rebound and 7 assist performance from the potential MVP candidate. His spontaneous partner in crime, Russell Westbrook chipped in 26 points on 9 of 19 shooting, 4 rebounds and 6 assists. As for the Clippers, everyone except Blake Griffin, who had 31 points (11 of 19), 11 rebounds and 5 assists, failed to show up in the loss last night.

Random Notes: Serge Ibaka likes to play defense with his face and Blake Griffin should really leave the passing to Chris Paul.

Reincarnation: Just when Lamar Odom was starting to get a hang of this NBA thing, Kevin Durant flies in and just shatters every piece of Odom's confidence.

Highlights

Block to Block: Avery Bradley will not allow free dunks in transition, Dion Waiters.

OH-EM-GEE: Kevin Garnett just saw his life pass before his eyes.

Rocky, the Nuggets Mascot's half court shot gets blocked by Russell Westbrook.

Via: @talkhoops

Yesterday, in the final minutes of the Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Denver Nuggets game, Rocky, the Denver Nuggets mascot took the court to attempt a no look half court shot to win free queso for the fans. But the little mischievous Russell WestTROLLk had other ideas.

Rocky was obviously not too amused by Westbrook's antics and attempted another shot in the next timeout, only to get blocked by the Thunder point guard again.

The trolling doesn't end there, because after all of that, Russell hits a game tying three pointer to bring the game into overtime, where the Nuggets would come out victorious. You can't always win everything.

The Round Up - January 20th, 2013.

Stats Rundown + Short Recaps

If you were busy watching football yesterday, I would like to let you know that there was actually basketball played on Sunday too.

Los Angeles Lakers vs. Toronto Raptors: Let's keep this simple, Dwight Howard got ejected from this game early with 2 technical fouls and the Toronto Raptors took advantage. Not a lot going for the Lakers in these past couple of days, besides for Pau Gasol going for 25 points (10 of 15), 5 rebounds and 2 assists in the absence of the other center. Too bad it doesn't change the fact that their defense was just as horrid. They allowed the Raptors to do what ever they wanted and even made Jose Calderon look like the best point guard in the NBA. Jose had a team high 22 points on 9 of 15 shooting and 9 assists in the victory.

If you enjoy watching terrible defense and the Lakers getting burned in every other possession, you might can a kick out of this rare Jose Calderon highlight package.

Dallas Mavericks vs. Orlando Magic: I didn't catch a lot of this game, but from what I did see, both teams were just trading baskets with each other until one of them started missing. Shawn Marion led the Mavericks with a double double, 20 points (10 of 16), 10 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals. On the other side Glen Davis had 24 points on 10 of 16 shooting, 6 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals in the loss.

Boston Celtics vs. Detroit Pistons: It was not a good day to be a New England resident yesterday. Following the Patriot's loss, their Boston Celtics get blown out by the Detroit Pistons. To sum this up quickly, the Celtics shot 16 percent in the first quarter and 40 percent for the rest of the game. Rajon Rondo nearly got the a quadruple double with 8 points, 15 assists, 9 rebounds and 9 turnovers. For the Pistons, rookie Andre Drummond dropped 16 points, and grabbed 7 boards in 20 minutes of play. If Lawrence Frank continues to limit his minutes, he should be shot into a volcano. In other news, Boston is back to .500 (20-20).

If Tom Brady gets injured, Bill Belichick has a backup QB prospect in Rajon Rondo.

 

Here's Andre Drummond destroying the defense. He went 5 of 6 from the field, scoring every single one of his points on dunks.

Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Denver Nuggets: This was easily the best game of the night, the Thunder, specifically, Kevin Durant started off slow. For some unknown reason he did not score a single point in the first quarter. But we all know that doesn't last forever. He would finish with 37 points, 20 of which came from free throws, 7 rebounds and 8 assists. While his side kick, Russell Westbrook goes for a career high tying 36 points (10 of 26), 8 rebounds and 9 assists. Despite the Dynamic Duo combining for 73 points, the Denver Nuggets came out with the victory. Corey Brewer came off the bench for 26 points on 9 of 17 shooting, and basically knocking down big shots after big shots to extend the Nuggets lead. Russell Westbrook does hit a three pointer late in this game to force overtime, however the Nuggets would out-execute the Thunder down the stretch, limiting their mistakes to take the W.

Russell Westbrook sings Ke$ha's Die Young.

Jeremy Lamb's head is sooo freakishly small, you guys. He is closer to the camera and his head is still somehow smaller than Westbrook's.

The Round Up - January 18th, 2013.

Matt Strasen/AP Photo

Stats Rundown

Kevin Durant is simply unstoppable. The Thunder swing-man scored a career high 52 points (13 of 31), grabbed 9 boards and stole two basketballs. His partner, Russell Westbrook had 31 points (12 of 26), 6 rebounds and 6 dimes against the Dallas Mavericks. This game was supposed to be over by halftime, but the resilient Mavericks came back in the 4th quarter, powered Dirk Nowitzki's 12 points, to outscore the Thunder 33 to 24 in that period to force over time. Down three, with 6 seconds left on the clock, Rick Carlisle drew up a beautiful play for a OJ Mayo basket that led to free basketball. But KD would prove to be too much for Dallas to handle, as he seals the game with a dagger that coincidentally resembled a shot he made in the last postseason.

Vinsanity: This is insane, because Vince Carter, who is approximately 3,000 years old dropped 29 points (10 of 17) on the Thunder and even got a vintage routine dunk on the big man of the opposing team. What a trip down memory lane.

This is exactly why you don't play Kendrick Perkins late in the game.

Rookie Watch: The Washington Wizards are good now guys, seriously. Ever since John Wall returned to the team, they have won the last 3 of their 4 games. The best part is that he makes Bradley Beal even better. The rookie shooting guard had 23 points (8 of 13), 3 rebounds and 4 assists in the victory over the Denver Nuggets at home.

Honorable Mention: To Ty Lawson's 6 assists, 2 steals and 29 points (11 of 16), 23 of which came in the third quarter, where the little man from UNC exploded for 23 points, knocking down all nine of his field goal attempts. Too bad John Wall rejected your game winning field goal attempt.

Time Machine User: Did you know that Tim Duncan has never lost a home game against the Golden State Warriors? The Spurs are 28-0 and Tim Duncan added another win to the total last night with his 24 points (9 of 16), 10 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 blocks to keep the streak alive.

Fast Pace(r): Paul George of the Indiana Pacers scored 18 of his total 31 points (11 of 19) in the first quarter, to match the exact same amount Houston had in the same period of time. The man with two first names also got 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 5 steals and legitimate considerations for a spot in the All Star reserves.

Oh Canada: You can always count on the Toronto Raptors to crumble in the second half. Up 17 points at halftime, the Raptors came out into the third scoring 13 points while allowing the Philadelphia 76ers to an easy 29 points. Jrue Holiday added another strong performance to his All Star campaign, going for a career high tying 33 points on 13 of 23 shots, 5 rebounds, 14 assists and 3 steals in the overtime victory. He scored the team's final 14 points, including 12 in overtime. Where would the Sixers be without him?

FROLO: Your Andrew Bynum hair update. It is okay to be frightened. (Via: @Ez_mo_bee)

Two Horns: With the win against the Boston Celtics at the TD Garden, this marks the fifth time in the last 8 games, where both Carlos Boozer (19 and 20) and Joakim Noah (14 and 13) recorded a double double. This game was close from the start to the finish. Despite Rajon Rondo's 30 points on 12 of 21 shots and 7 assists, the Bulls pulled it out in overtime thanks to some late game heroics. In the final seconds of the game, Kirk Hinrich knocked down a jumper to force overtime. Even though Marco Bellinelli almost lost the game for the Bulls with a terrible possession, he redeemed himself by hitting the a tough turn around fade-away for the win. The Bulls are still undefeated on Fridays.

Rondo is shocked. (Via: @CorkGaines)

Highlights

Trick Tricks: Marc Gasol fooled the Kings into believing the basketball disappeared.

Grave Digging: Brook Lopez is just asking for death with transition defense like that. I am glad Josh Smith granted his request.

The Round Up - January 16th, 2013.

Stats Rundown

Via: @ESPN

Still questioning LeBron James's superiority compared to the rest of the league? Does his 25 points (11 of 20), 7 rebounds and 10 assists in the victory over the Golden State Warriors change your mind? How about after reading this list of things he accomplished in this game. LeBron becomes the youngest to score 20,000 points in NBA history, at 725 games, he is the 8th fastest to do it. He also becomes the 55th player and the 6th non-guard to dish out 5,000 assists. Add those two up, he is the 12th player to have 20,000 points, 5,000 assists and 5,000 rebounds. That's pretty cool.

This is one of those 20,000 points that I may have spoken of.

You can now return your jaw back into its original position, keeping your mouth open too long can be quite dangerous.

MJ vs. LBJ Career Comparison Chart. (Via: @ESPN_Numbers)

Okay, enough LeBron love, I will never forget you for blocking Derrick Rose in the Eastern Conference Finals and crushing what was the remaining of my soul.

Honorable Mention: To Kyrie Irving, who once again dragged to his team to victory. He had 31 points on 13 of 24 shots, 3 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals against the Portland Trail Blazers. I don't even know how Cleveland pulled it out without making a field goal for 8 minutes at some point of the game. Can you imagine LeBron James teaming up with Kyrie Irving. It is a possibility, but I am scared it might stunt Kyrie's growth.

Career Highs: Alan Anderson of the Toronto Raptors tied his career high of 27 points, shooting 10 of 18 from the field after getting his teeth knocked out of his mouth against Brooklyn yesterday. Jeff Teague went for a career high 28 points (12 of 18), 4 rebounds and 11 assists for the Atlanta Hawks. The ATL victory snaps the Nets' 7 game winning streak.

Early Start: Carlos Boozer and Russell Westbrook both scored 25 points in the first half in their respective games. The difference? Russell got to pack it in early in the blowout win over the Denver Nuggets. He had 32 points on a rare efficient 12 of 20 shooting, 2 rebounds and 4 assists in 28 minutes of play. Boozer had to go to overtime against the Raptors. He finished with a season high 36 points (16 of 24), 12 rebounds and 3 assists. Despite getting outscored by the Toronto Bench, 66 to 18, the Chicago Bulls came out on top, thanks to a game sealing dagger from Luol Deng.

Rookie Watch: If John Wall is hurting Bradley Beal's play, it surely didn't show last night. The rookie shot 6 of 7 from downtown for a career high 26 points to go with his 3 rebounds and 6 assists in the Sleep Train Arena.

Triplets: It was a great effort by the Wizards, but you can't stop the Kings when three of their players drop 21 points on you. John Salmons had some fun, DeMarcus Cousins got 16 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals and Marcus Thornton added 8 boards and 8 dimes. You can blame John Wall for ending Washinton's 3 game winning streak, as he missed 2 crucial free throws with less than 30 seconds left in the game. The mid-range struggle continues.

Time Machine User: Tim Duncan is still alive and schooling dudes. The Big Fundamental had 19 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 5 blocks in the victory over the Memphis Grizzlies, who could not stop the Spurs from making baskets. They allowed the Spurs to shoot 58 percent from the field and 50 percent from the three. To make things worst, they couldn't score themselves. Not a single field goal from the 6 minute mark of the 3rd quarter to midway through the 4th. That is 11 minutes without a field goal. Note: Zach Randolph left early in this game due to a strained lower back.

Highlights

#KDisNotNice: No, seriously. After the dunk, he got a technical for giving a few words to Keneth Faried.

R.I.P.: Geez J.J. Hickson, you don't have to do Alonzo like that.

Nick Collison reveals what his Thunder teammates do on the plane.

In most NBA plane stories, it involves players sleeping, getting their picture taken while sleeping, and embarrassed on Twitter by their teammates. In other situations, a lot of gambling occurs on the plane, NBA players have an excessive amount of money, so it only makes sense they make their travel as enjoyable as possible, at least until someone doesn't pay up and they start fighting. The Oklahoma City Thunder are a unique team, and has some weird personalities. As one of the younger teams in the NBA, they often set unofficial new trends on and off the court, which includes things to do on plane rides as well. I will let Nick Collison, one of the more normal members of the Thunder to fill you in with the deets, or in this case, tweets.

From GQ:

@nickcollison4 What really goes on during team plane rides?
I'm on the plane right now, so let me fill you in. Kendrick Perkins is knitting a sweater. He's really into knitting. Scarves, sweaters, mittens, etc. Russell has his pottery wheel out again. It makes a mess but it helps him relax after games. He made me a vase. It's sooooo dope. Hasheem, Reggie, Perry, DeAndre and Jeremy Lamb are in a heated debate over which budget cuts congress needs to make in a debt reduction deal. Actually, it's kind of hard for me to write with all the yelling. Serge is painting a portrait of Thabo while Thabo paints a portrait of Serge painting a portrait of him. KD and Eric are playing Jenga, while all the coaches shoot dice.

I am pretty sure he's joking, because I can't possibly believe any of that. I am not doubting the possibility of their hidden artistic talents but some of those things don't work on the plane. Jenga and painting (I am guessing on canvas) is impossible with the turbulence. But I can totally see Russell Westbrook wearing his hipster glasses, and some sort a fancy scarf with a beret on his head doing pottery. Seems like very normal thing for Russell to do.