Tim Duncan drags Tony Parker to the huddle.

Awww. That's the same thing my parents did when they wanted to remove me from public's eye before handing out the severest of all punishments. Real love.

The San Antonio Spurs in the past decade.

The only thing that would make this any cooler, would be an accurate track of hair growth among the players, duh.

Jimmy Kimmel's Guillermo interviews the Heat and Spurs on NBA media day.

Although Manu has driven Coach Pop past insanity in multiple occasions through out his career, he really did Pop proud with his elegant short answer. Truly a student of the game.

NBA TV's "So Much More" 2013 Finals Promo.

DUDEBROS, YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW SUPER-HYPED I AM RIGHT NOW. THINK I MIGHT GO DO A MILLION BENCH PRESSES, BUT INSTEAD OF ACTUAL WEIGHTS I AM GOING TO USE MY LAPTOP AND MAYBE MAKE OCCASIONAL STOPS TO USE THE INTERNET. I AM SURE I GOING TO DO AT LEAST ONE OF THOSE THINGS.

Tony Parker coaches the Spurs late in Game 1.

It's great that Pop has the confidence to let Tony Parker lead the huddle, but I am pretty sure none of his teammates actually understood whatever he was trying to say. Oh well, at least they had decency to pretend like they did. True teamwork, yo.

Tony Parker spins by LeBron for the buzzer-beating dagger.

OMFSDAFJKSFAKSFDFKJADSFG. WHUT? TONY PARKER IS STEALING EVERYONE'S WIFE TONIGHT.

Gregg Popovich is really worried about "turnovers" in his interview.

Considering the Spurs gave up the ball 8 times to the Grizzlies for a total of 8 steals in the first quarter, I think Coach Pop's answer is very appropriate.

Via: BLS

Memphis Grizzlies vs. San Antonio Spurs Game 2 Recap and Analysis.

USA Today

In spite of Memphis's valiant comeback effort in the second half to force overtime, the hole they dug themselves early into the game was just too big to overcome, as the San Antonio Spurs win 93-89 to take a 2-0 lead in the series.

The Grizzlies were off to a better start in game 2, holding the Spurs to only 18 points in the first quarter, after allowing 31 in their first meeting. Their defense was without a doubt an improvement over whatever it was in game 1. On pick and roll coverage, they switched appropriately, and hedged in small doses (Memphis should never hedge hard in any scenario due to their bigs' lack of athleticism, and inability to move laterally for more than a step). They reduced over-helping on penetration, rotated well for the most part, and thankfully, the Spurs didn't hit a million threes.

Defensive adjustments aside, I am disappointed in Lionel Hollins for making absolutely zero changes to the starting line up and offense until the second half. Don't get me wrong, Tayshaun Prince and Tony Allen are great defenders, but for what they give you on that end of the floor, it is not worth keeping if it means decimating your offense. Especially, Tayshaun, who has completely disappeared in this series, making no impact on either end of the floor. Same could be said for Tony Allen, but with everything he did at the end of this game, I will give him a pass. Still, he should never do anything on offense that requires dribbling.

Playing these together, falls right into San Antonio's game plan and worse, it gives away any space for Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol to work in. The Spurs are more than happy to help off, of the two most offensively plagued Memphis players to double down on the bigger threats. And it is not even just Prince and Allen, the Spurs don't care who is in at the 2 and 3 spot, they are willing to sacrifice open looks, as long as they have Zach and Marc contained in the low post. Hollins has to make San Antonio pay, by playing his more offensively equipped players (Bayless and Poindexter), which he did later, contributing to the second half comeback.

In the second quarter, the Spurs, led by Tony Parker, who finished with 15 points (6-20), 5 rebounds and a career high 18 assists, went on a tremendous run to end the first half with a 15 point lead over their opponents. The Grizzlies, without Mike Conley (18 points (6-14), and 4 assists) due to foul trouble, were out of sync. They reverted back to their old bad defensive habits, and couldn't even buy a single bucket in the quarter, shooting 24 percent from the field. They scored only 1 point (Jerry Bayless's made free throw) in the last 4:44 of the second quarter, getting outscored 31 to 18. The Spurs did most of their damage on the open floor, scoring with ease in transition to take advantage of the slow-footed Memphis team.

But things would take a quick turn in the third quarter, as both teams took turns trading blows, hitting everything in sight. Despite of this, the game still never felt close, even when the Grizzlies cut the lead to 10 to end the third. That is, until the Spurs' 4th quarter collapse.

With the success of the Conley, Bayless, Poindexter, Randolph, and Gasol line-up, the Grizzlies slowly trimmed the lead, while holding their own on defense. Bayless, who was supposedly the defensive burden of the group, stepped up big in the most critical stretch, and scored 18 points on 18 shots off the bench to give the Grizzlies a boost in the shooting department. On the other end, the Spurs went stone cold, shooting 21 percent from the field for only 9 points in all 12 minutes of the quarter. Memphis had 21 points. I don't know if San Antonio was rattled or tired, but when Boris Diaw entered the game for Tim Duncan, who left the game with 5 fouls, they just didn't look like themselves. They made defensive errors and stopped doubling down on Z-BO for short periods and he took advantage, completing a huge and-1 play to cut the lead to 4 with 52 seconds to play. Soon after that, Manu Ginobili turns the ball over, pulls Tony Allen down in mid-air for a flagrant 1 foul, costing his team total of 4 points (Allen's free throws, followed by Mike Conley's game tying floater) and the game was headed to overtime.

There wasn't much to say in overtime, both teams were gassed at this point, and the only well rested player left was Tim Duncan. He went off for 6 of the Spurs' total 8 points in OT, grabbed 2 boards and got a potential game saving block on Gasol to give his team a 2-0 series lead before heading to Memphis for game 3 on Saturday.

A Few Observations:

The Grizzlies have 2 distinct advantages: rebounding and defense. They out-rebounded the Spurs 60 to 46 in this game, the main difference was on the offensive glass, where they won 19 to 4, but Memphis only scored on 4 of those rebounds, that's 8 points on 19 offensive rebounds. They have to make the best out of these opportunities if they want to move on to the next round. On defense, as long as they can be their 'second-best in the league at defending threes in the regular season' selves, they will be okay.

It maybe too late, but Memphis should try a defensive scheme similar to Indiana, where they force every drive into their best defensive player. With the Spurs constantly exploiting Zach Randolph on the pick and roll, it might be wise to do that with Marc Gasol, since he is rarely targeted on those plays.

Kenyon Dooling should not see a minute in this series, at his age, he gives the Grizzlies nothing, and if I am Lionel Hollins, I am not sure if I would be okay with a Dooling and Bayless perimeter line of defense.

Last thing, I would love Ed Davis to play Darrell Arthur's minutes. Between the two, Ed is arguably the better offensive player (Darrell hasn't been the same since his injury), and is definitely more physically gifted to defend against the smaller Spurs line up. Ed's length and speed would be a huge improvement over Darrell in any pick and roll situations.

Even Tony Parker will not watch the Pacers-Hawks series.

You mean 48 minutes of Josh Smith throwing up bricks. Gross.

From Spurs Nation:

“I watch every game,” he said. “I’m a student of the game. I love watching the games. The playoffs, all the games are really good. You can always learn something.” 

Even Atlanta-Indiana, widely regarded as the dud of the first round? 

“Except that one,” he joked. “I turned that off.”

See, its not just me.

The San Antonio Spurs talks about the success of their franchise.

Not sure about the no flash thing, with Manu Ginobili being part of your squad and everything, but this is why the Spurs are the funnest. That and because they have Matt Bonner, who as you know is a favorite on this blog. Stop ragging on yourself, dude.

The Round Up - March 24th, 2013.

Scott Halleran/Getty Images

The Young Guns: The Houston Rockets looked like that had everything under control heading into the fourth quarter with the lead, but they were playing against the San Antonio Spurs and you can never count them out for a late run to take the W. Which was exactly what they did except for the winning part. The Spurs down 6 with less than 6 minutes to play, would hold the Rockets scoreless for the next 4 minutes, to go on a 10-0 run to take a 4 point lead with a little more than a minute to go in regulation. But that all ended, when James Harden decided to take matters into his own hands, after hitting a pair of free throws to cut the lead to 1, he would hit the eventual game winning 17 footer for Houston's 3rd straight win. He finished with a game-high 29 points (6 of 16), 9 rebounds and 6 assists. San Antonio had two more chances to steal the win in the remaining 4.5 seconds, except that Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili would both miss in their attempts. In his second game back from a severe ankle sprain, Tony Parker led all Spurs with 23 points (7 of 13) and 7 dimes.

Flaming Engines: Without Dwyane Wade, the Miami Heat took on the fearsome Charlotte Bobcats in hopes to extend their winning streak to 26. Those hopes were soon dashed when the Bobcats opened the game up with a 19-8 run, but because they are the Bobcats, of course their lead would not last, as they watch the reigning NBA champions finish the game on a 101-58 run in the 32 point win. LeBron James registered for his 35th double double of the season, making it a career high. He had a near triple double, going off for 32 point on 11 of 14 shooting, 8 rebounds and 10 assists.

Too Close to the Sun: Despite Goran Dragic exploding for 31 points (10 of 19), 9 boards and 12 dimes for the Phoenix Suns, the lack of effort from everyone else was not enough to put away the Joe Johnson-less Brooklyn Nets on Sunday night. Down 12 at halftime, the Suns outscored the Nets 33 to 20 in the third, led by Wesley Johnson, who scored 17 of his total 21 points in the quarter to make this game watchable. But Phoenix would fall just short in the final 12 minutes, in the Brooklyn win. Deron Williams had 20 points (8 of 15), and 11 assists. His center, Brook Lopez added 21 points on 6 of 16 shooting and 5 rebounds.

A Few Notes: Do you know how bad things have gotten for the Minnesota Timberwolves? Even when they hit 50 percent (6 of 12) of their threes as the worst three point shooting team in the league and went 50 percent from the field, they still weren't able to beat the Bulls, getting out rebounded by 20 boards in the Chicago win. Carlos Boozer was among two other Bulls with a double double, getting his 34th of the season, with 19 points (9 of 15) and 12 rebounds. Nate Robinson came off the bench for 22 points (9 of 16) and 10 dimes in the absence of Joakim Noah. Derrick Williams led the Wolves with 28 points on 11 of 18 shooting and 5 rebounds.

The Utah Jazz threw another one away, in the loss to the Dallas Mavericks. A few more of these and they will be officially out of running for the 8th spot that currently belongs to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Fantasy Shoutouts: The Atlanta front court of Al Horford and Josh Smith caused all sorts of problems for the Bucks in the Hawks win. Horford had 24 points (10 of 16), 7 rebounds and 6 assists. Josh Smith added 23 points on 9 of 17 shooting and 9 boards. The Hawks ended the game on a 7-0 run in the final 40 seconds to complete the comeback victory.

Kevin Durant went for 24 points (10 of 17) and 10 rebounds, while Russell Westbrook chipped in with 21 points (9 of 18) and 9 dimes in the 20 point win over the Portland Trail Blazers. OKC held Portland to only 41 percent from the field, as the Western Conference Champs shot 52 percent on their home floor.

The Round Up - March 22nd, 2013.

Mike Ehrmann/NBAE/Getty Images

Sorry guys, it's been a bad week. I know it's late, but it is better than never.

Torched: To the surprise of no one, the Miami Heat, trailing by 3 at halftime to the Detroit Pistons, would outscore their opponent 52 to 35 in the second half for their 25th straight win. Despite getting a season low 5 points from Chris Bosh, the Heat still won by 14 points on LeBron's career best field goal percentage tying performance. The reigning MVP had 29 points on 12 of 15 shooting, 8 rebounds and 8 assists. Greg Monroe of the Pistons led his team with 23 points (10 of 19), 15 boards and 6 dimes, but got virtually no help from his teammates as they shot 41 percent from the field, while the men in white went 56 percent on their home floor.

Free Basketball: Up 3 after a pair of Tony Parker free throws to put the Spurs ahead with only 10 seconds left to play, the Jazz looked like they were going on the road with another loss on their schedule, but Marvin Williams had other ideas, hitting the game tying three to sent the game into overtime. Unfortunately for Utah, their luck would end there, as San Antonio doubles their points scored in overtime for Coach Popovich's 900th win, making him the second coach to ever do so with one team. Tim Duncan also reached historical mark of his own, surpassing Shaq on the all time rebounding list for the 13th most in NBA history. He had 19 points (4 of 13), 16 boards and 5 assists. Tony Parker returning after missing 8 games due to an ankle injury, went for 22 points (8 of 13) and 5 dimes. Mo Williams of the Jazz finished with a game-high 23 points on 9 of 17 shooting and 8 assists in their 8th straight road loss.

Oh Matt, that is definitely not the right way to get on SportsCenter.

Storms: The Oklahoma City Thunder held off a late run by the Orlando Magic to send them off with a 6th straight loss. Arron Affalo left this game in 13 minutes of play after suffering a hamstring injury, and was later confirmed to be out for the rest of the season. In his place, Moe Harkless stepped up for a career night going off for 25 points (11 of 18), and 9 rebounds. But it was no match for the combined efforts of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, as the duo went for 25 points and 8 boards; and 19 points, 6 rebounds and 9 assists respectively.

Trios: Josh Smith's 24 points (9 of 21), and 10 rebounds. Al Horford's 15 points (7 of 18), 17 boards and 5 assists. Jeff Teague's 21 (8 of 11), and 7 dimes were not enough to best the Portland Trail Blazer's own trio on Friday night. LaMarcus Aldridge had 20 points on 20 shots and 13 boards. Damian Lillard went for 22 on 8 of 16 shooting (4 of 5 from three) and Wesley Matthews added 28 points (10 of 18), hitting 5 of his 7 threes attempted in the Blazers' second win of their east coast road trip.

Don't Call it a Comeback: In the return of Kobe Bryant (ankle) and Pau Gasol (foot), the Los Angeles Lakers would blow a 18 point lead in the second half to make way for a Washington Wizards comeback victory. The Lakers was just sloppy on both ends of the floor, giving the ball away 17 times, leading to 21 Wizards' points. The turning point of this game was the third quarter, where Washington (without two of their starters) outscored the the men in gold 31 to 17. Trevor Ariza was huge off the bench, exploding for 25 points on 7 of 12 shooting from behind the arc. He was left wide open through out the entire game, with Kobe never once making the correct rotation to prevent the shot. John Wall chipped in with 24 points (9 of 19), 6 rebounds and 16 assists. Dwight Howard had 20 points (8 of 9) and 15 rebounds, while Kobe Bryant shot 8 of 18 from the field for 21 points and 11 assists in the loss.

Fantasy Shoutouts: In his second game after draining his knee, Carmelo Anthony looked a lot more like Carmelo Anthony, going for a game-high 37 points on 14 of 31 shooting and 6 boards in the win over the Toronto Raptors. Raptor's Alan Anderson came off the bench for a career high 35 points (11 of 18) and 6 rebounds, but his effort alone was unable slow the Knicks down, as they shot 54 percent in the Air Canada Center. Rudy Gay left this game in 14 minutes play with a back injury.

Highlights

Left on a Island: Paul George catches the Milwaukee Bucks sleeping and yams one on the league leader of blocked shots.

Fancy: The Spanish are really good at adding totally unnecessary theatrics to an easy pass, but we love it.

Tony Parker was almost a Boston Celtic.

Remember the 2001 draft? You know the one where Kwame Brown headlined above prospects like Tyson Chandler, Pau Gasol, Joe Johnson, Zach Randolph and Tony Parker. Well, before Tony became a San Antonio Spur and the biggest steal of the draft at 28th (first round), he was "promised" to be a Celtic. But Boston would end up breaking that promise and drafted Joseph Forte with their 21st pick, who we could tell by the look of disappointment in Bill Simmons's face was not wisest of all decisions.

Blake Griffin, Chris Paul, and NBA players mic'd up at the All-Star weekend.

Coach Pop would be the coolest grandpa ever. The NBA needs to stop teasing us with these all access videos, just mic everyone up already. Can't you take a hint? We want to give you all of our moneys.

Bonus: NBA dads and their kids hanging out.

CP4 > every kid in the world.

The Round Up - February 21st, 2013.

Stats Rundown

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Engulfed in Flames: The Miami Heat extends their winning streak to 9 in the win over the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night. LeBron James led the way with 26 points on 11 of 15 shooting, 12 rebounds and 7 assists. The reigning MVP is shooting a career high 57 percent from the field in this season, and just looks hungry for another ring. Dwyane Wade added 17 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists. The Bulls gave up a season high 27 turnovers in the loss, resulting in 24 points for their conference rival. The early mistakes completely took Chicago out of the game, as none of their players would finish with more than 14 points.

As great as I made LeBron James sound, he is still human (we are still doing tests to confirm) and will make a mistake or two.

Looks a little familiar.

West Side Worries: Tony Parker didn't get MVP love from Charles Barkley for no reason. After dropping both games to the Clippers earlier in the season, the San Antonio Spurs point guard had 31 points (12 of 16), 7 assists and zero turnovers to guide his team to victory. The Spurs were on fire from everywhere on the field last night, knocking shots down at 59 percent from field and 47 percent from beyond the arc. Blake Griffin scored a team-high 17 points on 17 shots. San Antonio have now won 16 of their last 17 games.

Normally, there would be highlights from the games in this post, but there weren't anything spectacular last night.

Just for fun, in case you were wondering, Charles Barkley does not make an attractive woman. (Via: @cjzero)

Have a great day. If you still can.

The Round Up - February 19th, 2013.

Stats Rundown

It's the start of the second of  half of the season, every game from now on changes your playoff odds, and eliminates the weak.

Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images

Ice Cold Joe: Joe Johnson has done it again. Down 3, with less than 7 seconds in regulation to play, Deron Williams finds Joe Johnson at the top of the key for the tie breaker. Where Joe will go on to hit another last second basket to give the fans in Brooklyn the win. Joe had 24 points on 10 of 18 shooting, Deron and Brook both added 19 of their own. Brandon Jennings is still trying to prove his max-deal contract worth, as he finished with 34 points (13 of 26), 6 rebounds and 7 assists.

This was what the Nets have to say after the win.

Jay Z Approved. Troll so hard.

Rookie Watch: Bradley Beal has continued to to be factor in the latest stretch of games for the Wizards. He had 25 points on 9 of 19 shooting in the loss to the Toronto Raptors. Newly acquired Rudy Gay remains his inefficient self, going for 24 points on 25 attempts. His teammate, DeMar DeRozan also chipped in 24 points but on a more efficient 9 of 18. John Wall was a non-factor in this game, registering only 9 points on a horrible 1 of 12 and 7 turnovers.

Pumped: Jonas Valaciunas can't stand that Nene doesn't have a last name.

End of the Road: Two lottery bound teams of the East went at each other last night. The result was a blowout victory by the Charlotte Bobcats, which apparently is possible  Gerald Henderson opened up the first quarter with 14 of his total 24 points, finishing 8 of 16 from the field and 10 boards. Byron Mullens added 20 points (8 of 17) and 12 rebounds to end the Cats' 7 game losing streak on the road. Nikola Vucevic of the Orlando Magic scored a team high 18 points (9 of 16) and grabbed 11 rebounds.

Back Home: In his first return to Detroit, Tayshaun Prince and his new Memphis Grizzlies teammates took out the Pistons, outscoring them 62 to 30 in the second and third quarter. Zach Randolph led the way with 15 points (6 of 11) and 10 rebounds, while no Piston put up more than 13 points.

Boards: First time All-Star Joakim Noah proved his worth with 15 points (6 of 11), 17 rebounds and 5 assists. Luol Deng had a game-high 20 points on 7 of 13 shooting and 5 rebounds. The rookie with one eyebrow got 15 points (6 of 13) and 10 rebounds in the loss.

Brow-ness: Anthony Davis got word that the he will be a Pelican next year, so he started working his wing-span.

Ring Head: Michael Jordan will have mixed feelings about this one.

Via: @rosetojordan123

Gold Rush: The Denver Nuggets improved to 23-3 at home with the victory over the depleted Boston Celtics. Ty Lawson and Danilo Gallinari both dropped 26 points on the men in green, who only had Jeff Green's 20 points to retaliate. Paul Pierce shot a horrendous 2 of 14 from the floor and fouled out with 6 seconds left to go.

Cold Streak: The slump continues for the Golden State Warriors as they fall to a six game losing streak with this loss to Utah. Stephen Curry did all he could with 29 points (12 of 22), 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Giant person, Al Jefferson scored 24 points (11 of 18) and 5 boards for the Jazz.

Scorched: Despite the Portland Trail Blazers' effort, their starting group that combined for 91 of the team's total 98 points were outmatched by the Suns' balanced scoring. Goran Dragic dished out 10 of his career high 18 assists in the first quarter to go with his 16 points on 5 of 13 shooting.

Old Timers: The San Antonio Spurs extended their winning streak to 4 after defeating the Sacramento Kings at the Sleep Train Arena. Tony Parker led the way with 30 points (10 of 20) and 11 assists. Danny Green, the fiend from three went for 21 points, shooting 5 of 8 from downtown. King's Isiah Thomas continues to thrive in his new starting spot, he got 22 points (6 of 10) to prove that height is not an issue.

Highlights

Little Man Move: Isiah Thomas squeaks by the forest of the San Antonio Spurs.

Sliced: Damian Lillard is a lot more athletic than we thought.

Chris Paul and Tony Parker nutmegged Chris Bosh.

Chris Bosh had a rough night at the 2013 NBA All-Star game, but that didn't stop him from being all sorts of funny. Chris Paul, enjoy your MVP trophy for now, soak it all in, because Bosh is coming after you. I don't know what exactly he has in mind, just get ready, it is always better to be safe than sorry.

SOON. Via: @WorldofIssac

Never change Bosh, please don't ever let anyone come between you and your weirdness.

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 - 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.

The Round Up - January 19th, 2013.

Stats Rundown

Wild Bucks: Brandon Jennings and Ersan Illyasova combined for 57 of Milwaukee's total 110 points in the victory over the Portland Trail Blazers. Jennings had a game high 30 points on 9 of 20 shooting, 8 assists and 3 steals. While Illyasova did a little bit of everything, getting 27 points (10 of 14 from the field, 3 of 3 from the three), 14 rebounds, and 4 steals in only 26 minutes of play.

Return of the Point: After sitting out three games for the Los Angeles Clippers, Chris Paul returned with 22 points (6 of 16), 4 rebounds and 11 assists against the also recently healthy John Wall led Wizards. In 31 minutes of play, John Wall came off the bench for a game-high 24 points (7 of 16), 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks in the second loss for Washington since John Wall's return.

It's okay John, how are you suppose to stop a man that can disappear at will.

Golden Back Court: Three guards of the Warriors scored at least 20 points last night against the New Orleans Hornets. Stephen Curry had 20 points, 7 assists and 4 steals. Klay Thompson got 29 points on 11 of 16 shooting, he scored 24 of those points in the first half on a perfect 4 of 4 from the three. Jarrett Jack came off the bench to drop 25 points (7 of 13) and 12 assists to snap their 3 game losing streak.

Rookie Watch: Anthony Davis got 20 points on 9 of 12 shooting, 12 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 blocks and a lawsuit for the elder abuse of Richard Jefferson in the loss to the Golden State Warriors. It is seriously unfair to go against all of that length.

Grit N' Grind Basketball: When a team has a game against the Memphis Grizzles or Chicago Bulls, you can expect things to get ugly. So it is only natural for things to get hideous, when they play against each other. Despite the game going into overtime, the score was 85 to 82 for the Grizzlies. The Bulls only had 40 points midway through the 3rd quarter, watching this game would be equivalent of dragging your eyes across pit full of sand. Marc Gasol had a great game going off for 19 points on 7 of 10 shots and 8 rebounds. For the Bulls, sophomore Jimmy Butler stepped up in place of the injured Luol Deng to finish with 18 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals.

Minnesota HINDEREDwolves: Without Kevin Love, Alexey Shved, Nikola Pekovic and Dante Cunningham, the Timberwolves took on the high octane offense of the Houston Rockets and somehow survived with the win. Andrei Kirilenko led the way with 21 points (8 of 11), 11 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals. In seek of personnel in an injury riddled roster, Minnesota picked up Chris Tyler from the Santa Cruz Warriors of the D-League. In his first appearance for the Twin City, he was 4 for 4 from the field for 15 points and 6 rebounds. It might be a wise to give him an extension on his current 10 day contract.

Highlights

Needle Threaded: Bouncing the basketball pass 5 defenders to your teammate for a wide open lay up doesn't usually happen, but when it does, it is on the Bobcats.

Time Travel: What is this? Are we back in 2005? Yesterday, we had Vince Carter actually dunking on Serge Ibaka without snapping his knees on the landing and now we have Richard Jefferson doing the impossible. Bionic limbs can do wonders.