Around the League: The Five Games of Christmas

December 27 by 1 Comment

I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season. I was fortunate to have a few days off to spend some time with my family and take in all the Christmas-day action around the league.

The Knicks and Bulls tipped off Saturday’s five-game lineup. There are those who still have their doubts about New York, but they are for real and appear to be getting better and better. The Knicks beat the Bulls at MSG in a highly energized matchup, and they did it with defense for a change. The Knicks got stops when they needed them, rebounds when they needed them, and were able to put up enough points to get the win.

On the heels of a huge trade that raised concerns among skeptics, the Magic beat the Celtics in what may wind up being one of their most important victories this season. A win against the team that is arguably the best in the East should reestablish Orlando as a championship contender and restore self-confidence to the squad, which will be so important during the second half of the season. This win could signal a huge turnaround so don’t be surprised if the Magic wind up going on to an 8-10 game winning streak after ending Boston’s.

The Heat have been trying to prove that they are good enough to contend with top teams, and Saturday’s marquis matchup against the champion Lakers presented a huge opportunity for them to do just that. Though LA has not been playing their best basketball, a contest with LeBron and the Heat seemed sure to get their attention
and snap them out of their funk. However Miami’s defense was stifling, and the Heat secured an impressive road win at the star-studded Staples Center. They shut down the Lakers’ attack and showcased their greatest assets: speed and quickness which produce steals on one end that they are able to convert into easy, fast-break baskets at the other end.

The Nuggets and Thunder continue to jockey for playoff positioning in the fearsome Western Conference. Chris Andersen and Kenyon Martin have returned to Denver’s lineup. But despite getting back two of their big men, they still wound up playing shorthanded as Carmelo Anthony is spending time with his family following the tragic loss of his sister. Denver put up a good fight, but Kevin Durant led the Thunder to their first Christmas Day win with 44 points.

Monta Ellis and his Golden State Warriors put on a show for the home crowd and those watching from home. This young, athletic, guard-oriented squad has ability to explode on a given night and pulled past the Blazers to cap off the NBA action. Portland on other hand and been consistently inconsistent. The belief is that they will wind up putting together a trade in the near future in order to shake up their roster. Both teams hope they will be in contention down the stretch to the grab 7th or 8th spot in
the playoff race, but it will be difficult.

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Czar Asks You

December 23 by 2 Comments

This week the New Jersey Nets, who plan to relocate to Brooklyn, New York once their new arena is completed in 2012, played two other teams that relocated in the last decade: the New Orleans Hornets and the Memphis Grizzlies.

George Shinn originally brought the Charlotte Hornets to North Carolina during the 1988–89 NBA season and eventually transplanted the team to New Orleans in 2002-03. The Vancouver Grizzlies, along with the Toronto Raptors, were established in 1995 as part of the NBA’s expansion into Canada, but moved stateside to Memphis in 2001.

During Tuesday’s Ask the Announcers segment, Ian pondered whether a team that leaves a city should leave its nickname behind too? This triggered a heated debate among our YES crew. Nets radio color analyst Tim Capstraw suggested that the Hornets should become the Jazz (the Utah Jazz were originally located in the Crescent City); the Jazz should become Grizzlies (because they have bears in Utah); and the Grizzlies should become the Memphis Blues.

What do you think? Should an NBA team change its name when it changes cities?

 

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Gameday Dish: From the City of Blues to the Birthplace of Jazz

December 22 by Leave a Comment

The New Jersey Nets come to the Big Easy after back-to-back wins and will try to make it three in a row for the first time in almost two years. The Hornets return home after a loss at Detroit on Sunday in OT and a heartbreaking defeat at the buzzer in Indiana. Both squads are 3-7 over their last ten contests, but the Newark boys seem to be on the upswing while the Hornets have lost some of their buzz after starting the season 11-1.

The Nets ended a 10-game road losing streak to the Memphis Grizzlies last night by a score of 101-94. Center Brook Lopez led the team with a strong 26-point effort. Newcomer Sasha Vujacic came off the bench for 16 points, and seventh-year forward Kris Humphries pulled down 15 boards, including 4 on the offensive end. Coach Avery Johnson’s guys will have their work cut out for them trying to put points on the board against this stingy New Orleans team. The Hornets currently rank third in the NBA in points allowed at 92, while New Jersey is at the bottom of the league in scoring – 28th overall with 93 ppg.

We’ll get to see two of the NBA’s top point guards Chris Paul and Devin Harris go at it tonight. Former First Team All-NBA player (2008) and 3x All-Star Chris Paul leads the NBA in steals and is fourth in dimes per game. And All-Star Devin Harris has recently hit his stride, averaging 19.5 ppg and 7 apg over New Jersey’s last four games. Lopez will have his hands full with Hornets’ Emeka Okafor, a seventh-year center from UConn who had arguably his best game of this season in the loss to Indiana with a season high 15 rebounds. He also scored 19 points, had 3 blocks and 2 steals.

This should be a special night for New Orleans native Avery Johnson, who has remained connected to his hometown and will no doubt be greeted by many family and friends at the Arena. When New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton was hired back in ’06, he enlisted the local inspiration (who was coaching the Mavericks at that time) to serve as a motivational speaker for the team in its first training camp. Avery continued to be an ardent supporter and made subsequent pregame appearances including the Saints’ first home game in the Superdome after Hurricane Katrina and the 2010 Super Bowl. The Saints went on to become Super Bowl XLIV champs and Payton rewarded Johnson for his role in the team’s success with his very own Super Bowl ring.

Avery Johnson is hoping for a similar rise-to-success story for his Nets. Last night’s victory in Memphis, the home of the Blues, coupled with a win tonight against the Hornets in Crescent City, the birthplace of Jazz, would be sweet, sweet music to Nets Nation. Ian Eagle and I have the call at 8:00 PM ET on YES.

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Czar Asks You

December 17 by Leave a Comment

 

The Celtics came out on top in Wednesday’s photo-finish contest against the Knicks, but their superstar point guard Rajon Rondo went down in the heat of the battle.

Rondo rolled his left ankle in the fourth quarter and will be out of action for a couple weeks. Rondo leads the league in assists, and he’s second in the league in steals.

How will the Celtics fare with their playmaker on the sidelines? Do you think Boston will be able to hold on to the number one spot in the East without him?

 

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Gameday Dish: Nets and Wizards Looking to Reboot

December 16 by Leave a Comment

The Washington Wizards will pay a visit to the New Jersey Nets tonight in Newark. The Wiz have yet to come out on top away from home this season and are currently on a 5-game losing streak. The Nets are winless in 8 and trail behind the Wizards with the worst record in the East. One thing is for certain tonight – one of these squads will pull out of their early-season tailspins and walk away victorious.

The Wiz, playing without first overall pick PG John Wall and sixth-year PF Andray Blatche, fell to the visiting Los Angeles Lakers Tuesday night 103-89 in D.C. Both of these leading scorers are expected to be out of action again this evening, as well as Yi Jianlian, who will miss 2-4 weeks with a sprained right MCL.

The Nets also have to contend with some major adjust-ments to their roster. SG Anthony Morrow, who ranks third on the team in scoring with 12.8 ppg, will be sidelined for the next 2-3 weeks due to a hamstring injury he suffered during warmups before Tuesday’s 82-77 loss to the Sixers. Meanwhile Sasha Vujacic, who was sporting yellow and purple at the Prudential Center just a few days ago, might debut his new red, white and blue duds tonight.

New Jersey acquired combo guard Vujacic and two first-round picks yesterday in exchange for Terrence Williams, Joe Smith and two second-round picks. The former Laker and NBA champion should bring some needed energy on the defensive end and top-notch outside marksman-ship on offense. The Nets can certainly use his scoring abilities as they currently rank 29th in the NBA in points per game at 92.7. And veteran Vujacic’s championship experience will be valuable to this young Nets franchise that is in the throws of rebuilding and learning how to win.

This game is the first of three meetings between these Eastern Conference teams this season. The Wizards have bested the Nets the last 5 times they’ve played and beaten them 4 consecutive times in New Jersey. A bright spot for New Jersey is seveth-year PG Devon Harris, who has averaged 23 points in his last four meetings with Washington.

Tonight Ian and I go up against Steve and fellow YES announcer Marv on TNT. Should be interesting to see how the ratings compare. You can help out Bird and the Czar by tuning into Wizards @ Nets at 7:00 PM ET on YES.

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