The Best Bloopers of the 2013 NBA Season.

You have probably seen most of it on the blog already, but its never a bad idea to relive them.

NBA Playoffs Weekend Round Up.

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New York Knicks 85 - Boston Celtics 78

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

#PIPE

Denver Nuggets 97 - Golden State Warriors 95

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

Brooklyn Nets 106 - Chicago Bulls 89

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

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

Los Angeles Clippers 112 - Memphis Grizzlies 91

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

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

Indiana Pacers 107 - Atlanta Hawks 90

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

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

San Antonio Spurs 91 - Los Angeles Lakers 79

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

Miami Heat 110 - Miwaukee Bucks 87

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

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

Oklahoma City Thunder 120 - Houston Rockets 91

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

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

The Round Up - April 9th, 2013.

Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE/Getty Images

Oranges: The Washington Wizards have not won against the New York Knicks in the Madison Square Garden since 2006 and things didn't change last night, when Carmelo Anthony lit them up for 36 points (21 in the 3rd) on 13 of 21 shooting, 8 rebounds and 6 assists to extend their winning streak to 13. The Knicks could not miss a thing, shooting a ridiculous 56 percent from beyond the arc for a franchise record tying 20 three pointers to earn their first Atlantic Division title since 1994. John Wall of the Wizards had 33 points on 11 of 19 shooting in the 21 point loss.

Don't Call it a Comeback: Down 20 at the start of the 4th quarter, the Indiana Pacers, fueled by a late ejection of their coach, Frank Vogel, outscored the Cleveland Cavaliers 35 to 10 in the miraculous come back win at home. George Hill led the way with a team high 27 points on 9 of 15 shooting, 4 assists and 4 steals. Jeff Pendergraph didn't do much offensively, but he came off the bench with the biggest defensive play of the night, drawing a charge on a late Kyrie Irving drive in the final 16 seconds to help seal it for the Pacers. Kyrie finished with 29 points (10 of 20) and 7 assists in the beautifully executed tank job.

Cold Blooded: Kobe Bryant willed the Lakers to another seemingly impossible win for the Lakers, going off for 23 of his total 30 points (6 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 steals) in the 4th quarter against the New Orleans Hornets. Pau Gasol was huge in this one, abusing rookie, Anthony Davis for 22 points (9 of 15), and 11 boards down in the block.

A Few Notes: LeBron James and the Dwyane Wade-less, Chris Bosh-less Miami Heat rolled past their potential first round match up of the playoffs, the Milwaukee Bucks for a franchise record tying 61 wins. Fun fact, the Heat are 6-0 when LeBron plays without the other two superstars, so they are obviously useless. The reigning MVP finished with 28 points (11 of 16), 7 boards and 7 dimes, while Brandon Jennings led his team with 30 points on 10 of 16 shooting and 4 assists, as the only Buck in double figures.

The Golden State Warriors clinched playoff berth for the second time in 19 years in the win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night. Klay Thompson was absolutely unstoppable, exploding for 25 points in the first half on 9 of 11 shooting, before cooling down with a total of 30 points (10 of 19) and 5 steals. Stephen Curry wasn't shy either, hitting 9 of 21 from the field for 24 points and 10 assists. Minnesota kept it close for the most part, but getting outscored by 15 in the second half, when you never had a lead in this game, makes it really hard to comeback.

Before the weirdest ending in the history of NBA basketball happened, Phoenix Suns' Luis Scola had 28 points (12 of 20) and 8 rebounds against his former team. James Harden, on the other hand, had 30 points on 8 of 20 shooting, 6 boards and 6 assists until that weird thing happened, and he somehow ended up with 33 on 9 of 21.

Fantasy Shoutouts: Rebounding machine, Reggie Evans of the Brooklyn Nets, who displays strong resemblance to actual ogres, grabbed 24 rebounds, 3 short of tying the Nets' franchise record of 27, to go with his 17 points on 6 of 10 shooting. His teammate, Brook Lopez added 29 points (13 of 22) and 11 boards in the victory over the 38 percent shooting Philadelphia 76ers.

Chicago Bulls' sophomore, Jimmy Butler had a career night, going off for a career high 28 points on 10 of 12 shooting and 7 rebounds in one of those rare Toronto Raptors' close wins.

Highlights:

Boom: Russell Westbrook is more athletic than you.

The Round Up - April 5th, 2013.

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This is going to be a quick one, games weren't all that great yesterday, thought the schedule would be better today, but then I opened up ESPN. Anyways, here are the recaps.

Apple Man: After going off for 50 points on Tuesday and then 40 points on Wednesday, Carmelo Anthony took a day off before following both performances with 41 points on 17 of 28 shooting and 14 rebounds on Friday night in the win over the visiting Milwaukee Bucks. In the last three games, Melo, not only tied the Knicks franchise record with 3 straight 40+ point games (previously held by future Hall of Famer, Bernard King), he also became the first player since Michael Jordan to score 40 plus and shoot 60 percent in 3 straight since 1991. J.R. Smith came off the bench for 30 points (11 of 22) and 10 rebounds to extend the New York winning streak to 11. The Bucks had them early, but after the third quarter, the game was a whole different story. Who knew letting your opponents drop 42 right out of half time can cost you the lead?

Dynamic Duo: Against the top ranked Indiana defense, the Oklahoma City Thunder and their second best offense, stormed their opponents out of the gym with a 22 point win. Everything was calm and close until the Thunder decided to score 25 points in the 4th quarter, while holding the Pacers to only 8. Kevin Durant scored 15 of those 25 points to finish with a game-high 34 points (13 of 21) and 9 rebounds. Russell Westbrook added 24 points on 24 shots, 7 boards and 9 assists. For those who care, Kevin Durant is still the current leading scorer in the NBA, but only by a small margin. Trailing close behind is Carmelo, who played 14 games less than the reigning scoring champ.

Walking Canes: In a game that should have never aired on ESPN or any other national network, Mike Miller took us back to the Jurassic period (Get it? It's because he's old and Jurassic Park 3D was released this week, perfect timing. This is not a plug by the way, I wish I could tell you that I got paid for that, but no. Apparently, the guys at Universal Studios were out of budget, at least that is what they told me.), with 26 points, 7 of 11 from the land of triceratops, and 5 rebounds to lead the LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Ray Allen-less Miami Heat to a win over the Charlotte Bobcats.

Reptilians: The Toronto Raptors won an actual close game, beating the Minnesota Timberwolves on a Ricky Rubio free throw miss that could have tied the game. Super efficient shooters, Rudy Gay and DeMar DeRozan combined for 51 points on a total of 46 shots. Real life caveman, Nikola Pekovic of the Wolves arrived on Earth too early, his 24 points (6 of 12) and 8 rebounds was just not enough to fend off the giant red lizards.

Don't Call It A Comeback: The Golden State Warriors fought back from 18 down to defeat the Phoenix Suns. Stephen Curry shot a poor 6 of 15 from the field for 18 points, but he did most of his damage in the other highly underrated faucet of his game with 15 assists. The Suns wasted a rare 61 percent team shooting performance and a career high 32 points (11 of 13) from Goran Dragic in their 8th straight loss.

8th Seed Struggle: The Lakers (vs. Grizzlies) and Jazz (vs. Hornets) both won yesterday, which means that they are now tied in the win column, but Utah falls behind in the the race with one more loss on their record (due to more games played).

Fantasy Shoutouts: Without Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett , the Boston Celtics would fall to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Tristan Thompson had 29 points on 10 of 17 shooting and 17 boards to finally put an end to their 10 game losing streak.

The Chicago Bulls escapes another one without 5 of their guys in the victory over the Orlando Magic. It wasn't pretty, but Beno Udrih did score 27 points (10 of 17), to go with his 5 boards and 7 dimes in the place of Jameer Nelson.

In the 18 point win against the Portland Trail Blazers, the Houston Rockets outscored their opponents in every single quarter, getting a combined effort of 55 points from James Harden (33) and Jeremy Lin (22). For the Blazers, only LaMarcus Aldridge showed up to work, going off for 32 points (12 of 19) and 13 rebounds to lead the NBA with seven games of at least 30 points and 10 boards.

The Round Up - March 25th, 2013.

Alex Brandon/AP Photo

Breakthrough: The Memphis Grizzlies, without their giant cuddly Marc Gasol bear in the middle, witnessed the first player in this season to drop 40+ points on them since Westbrook in the 2011 playoffs. And that player was none other than John Wall, who answered every single critic with a career high 47 points on 13 of 22 shooting, 7 rebounds and 8 assists to power the injury riddled Wizards (missing 6 of their players) to their sixth straight win. Emeka Okafor contirbuted to the effort with 21 points (9 of 15) and 9 boards of his own, to take full advantage of the porous Grizzlies's defense. Mike Conley scored a team-high 23 points on 7 of 14 shooting, and dished out 7 assists for Memphis.

Sting: The Denver Nuggets were just one win short of the most consecutive wins in franchise history (including ABA) and without Ty Lawson again last night, they would fail to complete the feat in the loss to the New Orleans Hornets. Down 21 at half, Denver could not get anything going offensively, shooting 38 percent from the field to comeback from the largest halftime deficit of the season. Danilo Gallinari had 24 points on 5 of 12 shooting (4 of 6 from three). The Hornets got a surprise contribution from 27 year old rookie, Brian Roberts, who stepped in place of the injured Greivis Vazquez (ankle) to deliver a career high 18 assists to go with his 13 points. Ryan Anderson added 23 points on 22 shots off the bench.

Flame Trails: While one streak falls, the other would cease to falter, as the Miami Heat captures their 27th straight win in the 14 point victory over the Orlando Magic. This wasn't much of contest, aside from the 28 points both teams put up in the 1st quarter, the Heat outscored the Magic in every period for the rest of the game. LeBron James had another near triple double, going off for 24 points on 9 of 16 shooting, 9 boards and 11 dimes in the absence of Dwyane Wade. Jameer Nelson of the Magic exploded for a game-high 27 points (9 of 20) and 12 assists in the losing effort. Orlando have now lost 7 straight games.

Gear Shift: On Stephen Curry's bum ankle, the Golden State Warriors held off a late Los Angeles Lakers charge in the W. The Lakers dug themselves into a hole early, allowing a 23 point lead to the Warriors at the half. Against the broken perimeter defense of the Lakers, the back court of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson had the time of their life, going for 25 points (9 of 24), 7 boards and 9 assists; and 22 points (8 of 18) respectively. David Lee chipped in with an additional 23 points (9 of 15) and 12 rebounds. But as the Lakers do nowadays, they would make a late push in the second half, scoring 63 points to only lose by a slightly more respectable 6 points. Kobe Bryant had 36 points (11 of 27) and 8 boards, while his fellow draft mate, Steve Nash went for 21 points on 19 shots, 9 rebounds and 7 assists.

A Few Notes: The shorthanded Indiana Pacers fought off the undermanned Atlanta Hawks in the win at home on Monday night. The Pacers had a 24 point lead in the opening minutes of the 4th quarter, but would draw a blank in the next 11 minutes, getting outscored 31 to 15, which was still not enough from the Hawks to overcome the deficit that they have put themselves in earlier. Josh Smith led all scorers with 20 points on 7 of 10 shooting, 4 assists and 4 steals.

The Utah Jazz held the Philadelphia 76ers to 39 percent shooting from the field in the win to finally snap their 4 game losing streak. The Jazz haven't had much success since the trade deadline going 4-12 including this win, which puts them only one game behind the Los Angeles Lakers for the 8th spot. I guess no one wants to go to the playoffs.

The Round Up - March 23rd, 2013.

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Point Guard Wars: This game between the Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Clippers were close for the most part, until Chris Paul decided to go into God mode in the fourth quarter, scoring 11 of his total 29 points (and 11 assists) in the final two minutes to carry his team over the Nets. His fellow 2005 draft mate, Deron Williams, who was picked ahead of Chris Paul, had 18 points (6 of 16) and 9 assists. Brook Lopez added another 18 points on 9 of 14 shooting. If you were wondering where Blake Griffin was, he was kept inside Reggie Evan's beard the entire time. Reggie completely removed any substantial impact that Blake was capable of, holding him to only 11 points on 11 shots and 7 boards.

What?!

Carnivorous Bears: The Marc Gasol-less Memphis Grizzlies had a 21 point lead on the Boston Celtics, early in the 4th quarter. But then weird things happened and the Celtics second unit erupted for a 21-4 run to cut the the deficit to 4. Unfortunately, for them, that was as close as would get as they drop their 4th straight, all without Kevin Garnett. Boston are now only 1.5 games ahead of Milwaukee and is clinging on to the 7th seed for dear life. Paul Pierce had a team-high 26 points (10 of 17) and 6 rebounds. Meanwhile, Jerryd Bayless of the Grizzlies came off the bench for 30 points on 11 of 20 shooting in the win.

Defense: When the Indiana Pacers play against the Chicago Bulls, things usually get really ugly and last night was not an exception. Both teams shot under 43 percent from the field, with the team shooting the best percentage coming out on top. Luol Deng had 20 points (7 of 14) and 7 rebounds in the Bulls' win. Carlos Boozer added 18 points on 8 of 15 shooting and 10 boards. Indiana got little to no help from their bench, shooting a horrendous 39 percent as the team, with Paul George in the lead with 23 points (9 of 20) and 11 rebounds.

A Few Notes: In the absence of Ty Lawon (heel), the Denver Nuggets were still able to extend their winning streak to 15 in the near escape from the Sacramento Kings. Kenneth Faried led the way with 17 points (7 of 12) and 9 rebounds. His teammates were no slouches either, with everyone scoring at least two points for Denver. King's DeMarcus Cousins had 24 points (10 of 16) and 15 boards in the losing effort.

Fantasy Shoutouts: Kemba Walker of the Charlotte Bobcats had a game-high 25 points (10 of 20) and 4 steals, in the one point loss to the Detroit Pistons. It was Charlie Villanueva who hits the game winning lay up with 15 seconds remaining. The Bobcats had two opportunities down the stretch to win it, but Kemba Walker's jumper would fall short and Josh McRobert's put back attempt on an offensive rebound would get blocked by Rodney Stuckey.

Carmelo Anthony went off for 28 points on 9 of 19 shooting and 8 boards in the second of the back to back games against the Toronto Raptors. J.R. Smith came off the bench for 25 points (9 of 16) and 5 rebounds in the 26 point victory over the league's only team in Canada.

Stephen Curry found his shooting stroke again in this win over the Washington Wizards. He had 35 points on  13 of 18 shooting (6 of 10 from three) and 8 dimes. But like everything else in life, all good things would eventually come to an end, as the point guard rolls his ankle in the fourth quarter and never returned. However, it did help the Warriors, that John Wall would later get ejected in the same quarter after going nutzo on Klay Thompson with threats and stuff.

The Round Up - March 18th, 2013.

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Making History: The Miami Heat came back from a 17 point deficit, against the Boston Celtics for their first win in the TD Garden since 2007. With this victory, Miami would improve to the second longest winning streak in NBA history with 23, only 10 short of tying the all time record. LeBron Jame destroyed everything in his path, going for 37 points on 16 of 29 shooting, 7 boards and 12 assists. As for the Celtics, it was Jeff Green that stepped in for the absent Kevin Garnett (flu) with a career high 43 points (14 of 21) and 7 rebounds. But he would go scoreless in the final minutes, while the reigning MVP, went for 13 points in the 4th, including the dagger to seal the win.

Upset: It's the Charlotte Bobcat, so when ever they win, it is an upset no matter who they were against. The victim last night, were the Washington Wizards. Gerald Henderson led all Cats with a game-high 27 points on 8 of 16 shooting and 8 assists. John Wall of the Wizards went for 25 points (8 of 17), and 5 assists in the losing effort.

Cold Tip: The Denver Nuggets outscored the Chicago Bulls bench 71 to 17 to extend their winning streak to a franchise record 12th straight. Wilson Chandler was huge off the bench for Denver, going off for 35 points (13 of 21), and 9 boards. For the Bulls, it was little Nate Robinson that carried the offensive load, erupting for 34 points (13 of 22) and 7 assists, including the game-tying three pointer to force overtime. In the extra period, with only 16 seconds to spare, it was Andre Iguodala that delivered the knockout three pointer that would eventually win the game for the Nuggets. Chicago did have 7 seconds to make something happen, but a Joakim Noah tip-in off of a Marco Bellinelli miss, which at first glanced looked to be good, was called off later in the review for offensive interference. Here is the play in question. The problem wasn't really about the tip-in but more so about how the referees handled the situation, as Kosta Koufas pulled off the exact same play earlier but was never called. Noah finished with 14 points (7 of 10), 12 boards, 6 assists and 7 blocks in the controversial losing effort.

STRRREEETCHH.

Tick-Tock: Down 4, with only 13 seconds remaining on the clock, Blazers' rookie, Damian Lillard, who had 27 points (10 of 20), 7 boards and 7 dimes, hits a quick three to cut the lead to one. Destined to play the foul game to decide the winner, Thaddeus Young of the Philadelphia 76ers would turn the ball over to give the visiting Portland team, one last shot to win it all in the last 7 seconds. Unfortunately, LaMarcus Aldridge would come up short on the 16 footer for the win, He had 32 points (13 of 28), and 14 rebounds for his 32nd double double of the season. Jrue Holiday led his team with 27 points on 11 of 21 shooting, 8 rebounds and 6 assists to make it really difficult for the league to decide the winner of the Most Improved Player Award.

Notes: Vince Carter scored his 22,000th point in the victory over the Atlanta Hawks, to become the 28th player in NBA history to achieve such a feat.

Fantasy Shoutouts: Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors exploded for 30 points on 10 of 19 shooting (7 of 9 from three) and 11 rebounds in the 21 point win over the New Orleans Hornets. His teammate, David Lee chipped in for 20 points (7 of 9) and 11 boards, as the Warriors go above 50 percent from the field and beyond it.

In the 37 point slaughter of the Detroit Pistons, Deron Williams led the Brooklyn Nets with 31 points on 10 of 18 shooting (4 of 8 from three) and 5 assists to look like his All-Star self again.

Highlights

New Generation: It is a sad day, when your student gets the better of you in your former home. Not a good look.

Style Points: Marc Gasol doesn't need his eyes to throw a perfect lob pass for Tony Allen.

The Round Up - March 17th, 2013.

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

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

Via: @nbastats

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

Here's is the video evidence:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Round Up - March 11th, 2013.

D. Clarke Evans/NBAE/Getty Images

Top Dogs: In the battle for the best record in the west, the San Antonio Spurs trumps the Oklahoma City Thunder for the second time this season. After being down 10 in the first quarter, the Spurs would surge back to outscore the Thunder 83 to 61 in the rest of the game. In the absence of Tony Parker, Tiago Splitter stepped up for 21 points (9 of 11) and 10 boards. Danny Green added 16 points and 5 assists, including the corner three to ice the game. OKC made 19 costly turnovers that led to 25 of their opponents points to remove this game from their reach early. Kevin Durant led his team with 26 points (7 of 13), 6 rebounds and 5 dimes, while Russell Westbrook went for one of "those nights," shooting 11 of 27 for 25 points, to go with his 6 boards and 6 assists.

MoTownPhilly: On the night, where Deron Williams scores his 10,000th point, his team would fall to the Philadelphia 76ers due to a lack of bench help. Deron Williams is looking more like his former All-Star self in the month of March, going off  for 27 points on 10 of 19 shooting, 6 boards and 13 assists. His back court mate, Joe Johnson got 20 points (8 of 11) and 6 dimes. Spencer Hawes, the unlikely hero of the Sixers, surprised everyone with 24 points (10 of 15), 10 rebounds, 7 assists and a really thick beard that hides his entire neck. Philly had one of their best shooting nights of the season, hitting over 52 percent of their shots from the field and beyond it.

Playoff Race: With the win over the Detroit Pistons on Monday night, the Utah Jazz reinserts themselves into the eighth spot, once again booting the Lakers off the playoff picture. In his fourth game back from a thumb injury, Mo Williams scored a game-high 20 points and dished out 6 assists. Bad news for the Pistons, who were already without Andre Drummond (back), they will lose Brandon Knight to a sprained ankle, as the sophomore's season woes continue.

Chilled: The Denver Nuggets dominated the Phoenix Suns inside for their 9th straight victory. The Nuggets led by Kosta Koufos 22 points (10 of 11) and 10 boards, went off for 74 points in the painted area, exactly 42 more than their opponents. Ty Lawson chipped in for 19 points on 8 of 13 shooting and 6 assists. The Suns remain horrible and will have a lot of work to do in the summer, if they want to move on from this embarrassment of a season.

Cookin': The injury depleted and ancient New York Knicks had no answer for the Golden State Warriors last night, as their opponent outscored them in every quarter, while shooting 55 percent from downtown. Melo, who returned for the first time since his knee injury, looked horrible, going for 14 points on 15 shots. Without Amare in the lineup due to another knee surgery, the New York bench came up rather empty. Stephen Curry followed his 54 points against the Knicks in February, with only 26 points (9 of 18), 6 of 10 from three and 6 rebounds. David Lee held down the front court with 21 points, 10 boards and 8 assists to hold the Knicks to their lowest scoring game since 2007.

This picture by @JADubin5 summed up the night perfectly:

The Round Up - March 8th, 2013.

Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE/Getty Images

Long Range Bomber: Deron Williams broke a NBA record for most threes made in a half, hitting 9 of his total 11 threes (just one shy of the game record) in the first two quarters. He would finish with 42 points on 15 of 24 shooting, 11 of 16 from three, and five assists in the 17 point Brooklyn win. Reggie Evans grabbed a career high 24 boards to go with his 11 points in the effort. More details of this game is recapped here.

Vino Splash: In his 17th season in the NBA, Kobe Bryant has yet to slow down, as the Laker erupted for 41 points on 11 of 22 shooting, 6 rebounds and 12 assists against the visiting Toronto Raptors. Dwight Howard added 24 points (9 of 15) and 13 boards. Steve Nash also stepped up with 22 points of his own, hitting big shots down the stretch to pull out of the Staples Center with the overtime win. The Raptors had this game wrapped up, but miscommunication and interesting shot selections in the final minutes of the game costed them the W. DeMar DeRozan went off for 28 points (12 of 18), 5 rebounds and 5 dimes in his homecoming. Rudy Gay did not have the greatest night in terms of shooting, he was ice cold for much of the game, hitting only 7 of his 26 shot attempts for 17 points. There is nothing else left to say, but watch the video below to see the unbelievable things Kobe did to force overtime and win it for his team.

Burning Towns: The Miami Heat improves to 17 straight, in the victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. Miami is just one win away from passing the Los Angeles Clippers for the longest win streak this season. LeBron James had the usual 25 points (10 of 17), 10 boards and 5 assists, while Dwyane Wade added 22 on 9 of 16 shooting. The Sixers, lacking an offensive punch last night, had to rely on Thaddeus Young's 25 points (12 of 15) to stay within reach of this game.

Green Company: The Boston Celtics maybe old and riddled with injuries, but these guys will not back down without a fight. With the game tied at 94, both teams had a chance to put their opponents away, but a KG miss on one side and a Josh Smith miss on the other, led to overtime. Boston would eventaully come out on top, thanks to Jason Terry's late game heroics. Paul Pierce had a team-high 27 points on 10 of 16 shooting, 7 rebounds and 7 dimes. Where as, the Hawk's Josh Smith, Al Horford and Jeff Teague combined for 80 of their team's total 102 points.

Italian Dressing: Down by 1 with less than 14 seconds to play, the Chicago Bulls came up with a huge offensive rebound on a Marco Bellinelli miss, that found its way back into the Italian's hands, who, on his second attempt hits the three to win the game for the Bulls. Marco finished with 22 points on 7 of 14 shooting in the night where he hits his third game winning shot of the season. Carlos Boozer chipped in for another 22 points and 10 rebounds. Desperately hanging on to their 8th spot in the Western Conference, the Utah Jazz is not doing themselves any favors by losing 6 of their last 7 games. If their slump continues any longer, they will have to make new plans for April.

Note: In what was suppose to be a high scoring affair between the Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors, no team shot over 38 percent from the field. Rockets' sophomore, Chandler Parsons, who has been on fire as of late, scoring an average 24 points in his last five contests, had 26 points (9 of 13), and shot 6 of 8 from downtown last night. James Harden lived on the line, going 3 of 17 from the field for 20 points, 11 of which were from the charity stripe. He also grabbed 6 boards and dished out 11 assists in the victory. Stephen Curry of the Warriors did not bring his shooting touch into the building, going 8 of 21 for 24 points and 8 assists at the Oracle Arena.

Fantasy Shoutouts: The Royal Quartet of DeMarcus Cousins (22 points, 14 rebounds, and 7 assists), Tyreke Evans (25 points), Isiah Thomas (27 points, 5 boards, 6 dimes, and 5 steals), and Marcus Thornton (23 points) shredded the Phoenix Suns apart in the Sacramento win. Not to be out done, Goran Dragic of the Suns got 17 points, 16 assists and 5 steals.

The Blazers Trio of Damian Lillard (35 points and 9 assists), LaMarcus Aldridge (26 points and 5 boards) and J.J. Hickson (23 points and 11 rebounds) annihilated the Tony Parker-less San Antonio Spurs by a margin of 30 points. Portland shot a ridiculous 62 percent from the field in the win.

Paul George went off for 25 points (8 of 12), 4 of 5 from the three, and 5 rebounds in the 29 point Indiana Pacers win over the Orlando Magic. Magic was horrendous from the field, hitting a less than ideal 39 percent of their shots.

Highlights

Quiet Talent: Kawhi Leonard is a spry young gentleman.

Bazooka: Alonzo Gee can manually and accurately launch a basketball from 70 feet and beyond.

The Round Up - March 6th, 2013.

Layne Murdoch/NBAE/Getty Images

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Highlights

Yawn: ZZZzzzzz.

The Round Up - March 4th, 2013.

Gary Dineen/NBAE/Getty Images

Buckcourt Duo: In the fight for the permanent 8th seed in their respective conference, the Milwaukee Bucks' backcourt duo triumphs over Utah Jazz's front court duo of Paul Millsap (22 points, 14 rebounds) and Derrick Favors (23 points, 15 rebounds), who stepped in for the injured Al Jefferson. Monta Ellis had the best game of his season, going off for 34 points on 15 of 21 shooting, including clutch baskets down the stretch to get his team into the playoffs. Following his 19 assists performance on Saturday, Brandon Jennings exploded for 20 points (8 of 14), and dished out a just as impressive 17 assists. Jennings, down 3 with 13 seconds left on the clocks hits a tough three pointer to force over time. Enes Kanter had an opportunity win the game for the Jazz  but he would miss at point blank range. Utah has gotten 0 points and little to no production from three of their starters for the second time in 5 games. It might be about time for some line up changes.

Of course, Brandon Jenning will shoot the tougher shot, and hit it. It is only natural.

Don't Call it a Comeback: Down 22 mid way through the second quarter, the New York Knicks were a sure bet to lose to the Cleveland Cavaliers after Carmelo Anthony left the game with a knee injury late in the first half. But, who are we kidding, the Cavs are still Cavs and they would get outscored 72 to 45 by the Knicks after their superstar trips over himself. With no one near double figures in the New York starting line up, they relied on Amare Stoudemire's 22 (10 of 15), and 6 boards off the bench. Kyrie Irving, who missed the last 3 games with a knee injury, returned for the first time last night. The Sophomore had 22 points (9 of 20), 5 rebounds and 6 dimes. Marreese Speights went off for a game-high 23 points on 10 of 14 shooting and 8 rebounds. Down three with less than a second to go, Kyrie had a chance to tie the game, but he would get blocked by Tyson Chandler, who may or may not have bribed the refs in the win.

Steve Novak was excited.

Via: @cjzero

The Orlando Magic came back from a 17 point deficit against the New Orleans Hornets to win one on the road. Arron Affalo led his team with 26 points (10 of 20), 5 boards and 5 assists. Hornets rookie, Anthony Davis had a pretty good game, going for 17 points (6 of 13), 15 rebounds and 4 blocks.

Scorged: It was not LeBron James, but Dwyane Wade  that carved up the Minnesota defense for 32 points (15 of 23), 7 rebounds and 10 assists. LeBron chipped in for 20 points on 9 of 16 shooting and 10 boards to extend the Heat's winning streak to 15. They have won every game in the streak by an average margin of 12 points. Despite forcing their opponent into 24 turnovers, the Timberwolves could not hit anything, shooting 38 percent from the field. Derrick Williams scored team-high 25 on 22 shots and snagged 10 boards in their sixth straight loss.

For those who are interested, here is the full Ray Allen and J.J. Barea scuffle (NSFW language, if you can lip read).

Gun Show: Up by 7 before heading into the 4th quarter of the no defense exhibition between the Raptors and Warriors, everything looked good for Toronto. That was until they crumbled in the 4th, going 0 for 9 from three to allow the Dubs to score 42 points in the quarter, which were 14 more than the Raptors, to send the only NBA team in Canada on the road with a 5th straight loss. Andrea Bargnani had his best game since his elbow injury, going for 26 points (8 of 18) and 7 boards. Rudy Gay added another 26 points, shooting yet another inefficient 10 of 22 from the field. Amir Johnson on the other hand, went for a perfect 10 of 10, in his 23 points and 15 rebounds performance off the bench. For the Warriors, David Lee got himself 29 points (12 of 21), 11 boards and 5 dimes. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson dropped 26 and 22 points respectively.

A Few Notes: Denver improves to league best 26-3 at home in the win against the Atlanta Hawks at the Pepsi Center. The Nuggets outscored the Hawks 70 to 42 in paint. Corey Brewer came off the bench for a game-high 22 points, hitting 11 of his 20 shots. Josh Smith scored his 10,000th point, while his teammate, Al Horford got 18 points (9 of 16) and 13 rebounds to end their 6 game road trip.

The least Javale McGee possession of Javale McGee's career. Everything is downhill from here.

Seven Trail Blazers scored double figures as Portland hand the Charlotte Bobcats, their's 7th straight loss. LaMarcus Aldridge  led the way with 23 points, 14 rebounds and 5 assists. Rookie, Damina Lillard went for 20 points and 7 dimes.

The Round Up - February 26th, 2013.

Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

Late to the Throne: To everyone's surprise, the Sacramento Kings took the reigning NBA Champions, Miami Heat, to a thrilling double overtime before heading on the road with the inevitable loss. DeMarcus Cousins led the Kings with his 26th double-double of the season, grabbing 15 boards and scoring 24 points (10 of 17), 2 of which, forced the first overtime. Marcus Thornton exploded off the bench for 36 points, on 8 of 12 shooting from beyond the arc, and 3 assists. In the second overtime, LeBron James went full super hero mode, going off for 11 of Heat's 17 points in the extended period to finish with a total of 40 points (14 of 23), 8 rebounds, and a career-high 16 assists. Becoming the first player in NBA history since Kareem in 1983 to shoot at least 64 percent (minimum of 200 shots) from the field in a calender month. Dwyane Wade added 39 points on 19 of 28 shooting, 8 rebounds and 7 dimes.

Chippy: Things got a little out of hand down at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indiana when the Golden State Warriors came to visit. Stephen Curry went off for 23 of his game-high 38 points in the first half. He shot 14 of 20 from the field and missed only 3 of his 10 attempts from the three. Despite the big game from their point guard, the Warriors would come up short in the end due to a lack of production from other players. Indiana's David West had 28 points (12 of 16) and 7 rebounds. Paul George chipped in for 21 points (9 of 17) and 11 boards.

Brawl: Because of course, David Lee, Roy Hibbert and Stephen Curry are the toughest dudes in the league.

Broken Horns: The Cleveland Cavaliers snapped their 11 game losing streak to the Chicago Bulls in the 101-98 win. The Cavs, without Kyrie Trving, depended on Dion Waiters's 25 points (10 of 16) and Shaun Livingston's 15 points (6 of 11). Carlos Boozer and Luol Deng of the Bulls combined for over half of Chicago's points with 53 total, unfortunately no one else but Kirk Hinrich on the team scored in double figures to be of any help.

Slow Motion: Despite not having a single fast break point last night against the New Orleans Hornets, the Brooklyn Nets still left New Orleans Arena with the W. Deron Williams got a game-high 33 points (10 of 21) and 8 assists, while Brook Lopez goes for 20 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists. The Hornets didn't do that well in the fast break points column either, scoring only 9 points in transition. Greivis Vazquez had 20 points on 20 shots, 8 rebounds and 7 assists in his team's third loss in four games.

German Monster: Dirk Nowitzski has returned to form as of late, he had 21 points (8 of 16), and 20 rebounds in the loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks, who shot a horrendous 6 of 21 in the first quarter, turned it up in the remaining periods to finish with a game-low 42 percent from the field. Monta Ellis led the charge with 22 points on an inefficient (as usual) 8 of 17 shooting, 9 assists and 6 steals.

Pain and Sorrow: Please take a moment now and honor the efforts of these teams. I will be thinking about you guys when I break down into tears, watching the last episode of Boy Meets World. The Bobcats put up a valiant effort in the 22 point loss to the LA Clippers. Gerald Henderson and Blake Griffin both led their respective teams with 24 points each. Don't forget about the Sixers, as they fall to the Orlando Magic by 14 points. And the Timberwolves, who were once promising, but has taken a step back with an injury riddled roster in their loss to the Phoenix Suns, the worst team in the west.

Fancy: Ricky Rubio is not he only one that can spice up their passes.

Highlights

Hang Time: Still unfair.

Lob City: The Clippers has removed all the just about every magical aspect about the alley-oop. This was not what the Flint Tropics envisioned when they created the play.

The Round Up - February 24th, 2013.

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Back on Track: Kobe was 2 of 37 from beyond the arc coming into this game, but it seems the Black Mamba has forgotten all about it as he goes off for 38 points (13 of 21), 4 of 5 from the three, 12 rebounds, and 7 assists in the victory over the Dallas Mavericks. 14 of his points came in the 4th quarter where Kobe went for a perfect 5 of 5 from outside the paint and also finished with a career 31,000 points, becoming the only 5th player in NBA history to do so. Dirk countered with his best performance of the season, going for his first double-double of the 2013 with 30 points on 11 of 19 shooting (4 of 4 from three), and 13 boards. His former teammate, Steve Nash, showed signs of life in the Lakers' third straight win after the All-Star break, scoring 20 points and handing out 4 assists.

#CountonKobe: To pump fake you out of your shoes (Via: Reddit).

Nice Try: The Cleveland Cavaliers, trailing by 18 points in the half to the Miami Heat, came back from the break to take the lead in the third, thanks to C.J. Miles's solo 11-0 run. But in typical Cleveland fashion, they would fail to hold on to their lead and watch the Heat get away with the win. LeBron James led the way with 28 points on 10 of 19 shooting, and 8 dimes. Dwayne Wade added, 24 points (11 of 22), 5 rebounds and 6 assists. Rookie, Dion Waiters of the Cavs had a team-high 26 points on a surprisingly efficient 11 of 17 shots.

Goggles: The New York Knicks holds off the visiting Philadelphia 76ers in the win. Despite shooting 6 of 18 from the field, Carmelo Anthony finished with 29 points and 7 rebounds. Amare Stoudemire came off the bench for a near perfect game. Going off for 22 points on 9 of 10 shooting and 5 rebounds. Stat has been great at adjusting to his new second unit role, and is slowly dissolving the worries that Knicks fans once had with consistent play. For the Sixers, bad news continue to surface. According to coach Doug Collins, Andrew Bynum is still far way from being 100 percent. On the bright side, their All-Star, Jrue Holiday had 30 points (12 of 24), 5 rebounds and 5 assists.

Running Engine: The Portland Trail Blazers snapped their 7 game losing streak in the victory against the Boston Celtics. This game was close from the very beginning, but Wesley Matthew's 24 points (8 of 11) and late game threes sealed the game for Portland. Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett combined for 46 of Boston's total 86 points in the loss.

Off Target: Every member of the Chicago Bulls might need prescription glasses after this 29 percent shooting performance (the lowest field goal percentage of the season) in the loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday night. The Bulls were absolutely horrendous in this game, and was out of it by the first half. Kevin Durant got 19 points on 19 shots and 16 rebounds. While Russell Westbrook scored 23 points on 10 of 17 shooting and punished Chicago with dunks.

Highlights

Fancy: Ricky Rubio's passes are still out of the this world ordinary. I don't think he can actually pull off a normal chest pass.

Skates: The Bean still got some moves.

Off The Board: Marshon Brooks passes to himself against the Memphis Grizzlies.

The Round Up - February 12th, 2013.

Stats Rundown

Closer: Do you remember when the Raptors would always get into close games and lose by a single basket? Well, since they have added Rudy Gay, they don't that a problem anymore, at least not as often. In the absence of Andre Iguodala, Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler, the Denver Nuggets would fall to the Toronto Raptors, thanks to the late game heroics of Rudy Gay. Rudy finished with 17 points on 6 of 14 shooting and 4 rebounds. DeMar DeRozan led his team with 22 points (8 of 18) and 8 rebounds. This game was not just a two man effort, John Lucas III came off the bench to hit 4 of his 5 threes in the fourth quarter. He and Alan Anderson combined for 22 of the Rap's 27 4th quarter points. Ty Lawson put up a valiant effort of 29 points (12 of 20) and 9 assists, he had an opportunity to win the game for Denver, but his floater with fall short.

Savior: Rudy Gay will have his way.

 

Makin' History: In his last 6 games, LeBron James have scored at least 30 points in each contest and shot 72 percent from the field. Of his total 92 shot attempts, 54 of which were inside the paint and he converted 46 of them. These numbers make him the first player in the NBA to score at least 30 points at 60 percent (or more) in a 6 game stretch. Yesterday, against the Portland Trail Blazers, he had 30 points on 11 of 15 shooting and 9 assists in the victory. Chris Bosh added 32 points (13 of 16) and 11 rebounds. While Dwyane Wade went for 24 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists.

Legend in the Making: This man will finish as one of the top 2 greatest players in the NBA.

 

The Blazers played a great game, they started off hot, but were not able to keep it up in the fourth. Allowing your opponents to go on a 18-5 run to end the game isn't likely going to help you win games. The future Rookie of the Year, Damian Lillard scored a game high 33 points (10 of 18), LaMarcus Aldridge stepped in for 29 points (13 of 20) and 5 rebounds.

Bear Hug: The Memphis Grizzlies defeated the Sacramento Kings on Marc Gasol's 24 points (8 of 13) and 12 rebounds. Tony Allen, yea you read it right, Tony Allen chipped in for 19 points on 8 of 12 shooting and 8 rebounds. DeMarcus Cousins had 23 points (8 of 15), 7 rebounds and 5 steals in the Kings' 5th straight loss on the road.

Jam Up: Tony Allen can do more than just defense.

 

BIG men game: The bigs of the Jazz bullied the Thunder inside all night. Al Jefferson, took away of OKC's lunches with 23 points and 7 rebounds. Kevin Durant countered with 33 points on 11 of 16 shooting, 6 rebounds and 5 assists, but his resistance was futile in the loss.

Serge Protector: Ibaka will allow none of your weak lay up attempts.

 

Sick Joke: Someone please tell me that this isn't true. In the Lakers' victory over the Phoenix Suns, Kobe Bryant only scored 4 points and had 9 assists. He did not attempt a single field goal in the first half and was actually able to live with himself. Who is this guy? And why are you messing with Kobe. I mean, his first and only field goal make was in the last 2 minutes of the game, what in the world is going on?

Outplayed: After the Rockets dropped 140 points in their last match up, the Warriors were looking for some revenge at home. However things didn't work out to their favor. James Harden went off for just another night of 27 points (7 of 22), 7 rebounds and 3 assists. Chandler Parsons helped with 21 points (9 of 15), 8 rebounds and 9 assists. The duo of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson combined for 49 points on 40 attempts (Klay shot 9 of 21 from the field).

Extra: Ivan Johnson has his own big head, Terrence Ross's dunk was pretty cool, Kobe was a fish in his past life and Dwight Howard finally took off his silly head band.

The Round Up - February 8th, 2013.

Stats Rundown

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

The Round Up - February 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.