NBA 2010-2011 Thread

[FishforRent]

Trailblazers take down my Spurs in the opening game of our 9 game road trip. Close throughout the whole game until the later half of the 4th quarter. Lamarcus Aldridge was a beast! Scored 40 alone on us. He was fierce. Spurs tied the game with about 7mins to go then the 'Blazers pushed away. Bummer. Next up are the Lakers in LA on TNT Thursday. Hope we fair better.

Tough game for Houston. Got to see parts of the game on NBA TV Fans Choice. Looked like they could take it. Not sure why they lose steam towards the end. Seems to be mental, not physical. Dunno.

 

[JohnBM01]

Basket, foul, free throw, defense... Rockets pulled one out to win 97-96 in Utah. So we get to rest finally before taking on the Memphis Grizzlies Saturday night as part of a back-to-back. Kevin Martin hit a clutch lay-up, got fouled, hit an even more clutch free throw, and we're now 23-28 on the season. I just hope we can keep this winning going strong.

 

[Paulie]

Raptors lose their 13th straight, Bargnani's lack of defence and hustle is really beginning to annoy me now, and he's gone stone cold on offence as well, it has to be a mental thing.

Trailblazers take down my Spurs in the opening game of our 9 game road trip. Close throughout the whole game until the later half of the 4th quarter. Lamarcus Aldridge was a beast! Scored 40 alone on us. He was fierce. Spurs tied the game with about 7mins to go then the 'Blazers pushed away. Bummer. Next up are the Lakers in LA on TNT Thursday. Hope we fair better.

Watched the whole game, sorry I was going for Millsy and the Blazers. Aldridge has been a beast all season, and I'm not sure I've ever seen so many alley-oops from a single player in my short life either.

 

[FishforRent]

Noice! Spurs beat the Lakers with a buzzer beater 89-88. McDice taps in a rebound off of Duncans miss with 0.1 left to take the victory. Spurs outplayed the Lakers most of the game, but then in the last 2:00 they went cold. Lakers get a 3 pointer and a couple of free-throw and with 22sec they lead by 1. The big three all miss their patented shots over a couple of possessions on the Lakers end of the court, then McDice beats the buzzer for the win.

Next up are the Kings tonight in Sac-town. The road trip continues....

 

[a6m5]

Trailblazers take down my Spurs in the opening game of our 9 game road trip. Close throughout the whole game until the later half of the 4th quarter. Lamarcus Aldridge was a beast! Scored 40 alone on us. He was fierce. Spurs tied the game with about 7mins to go then the 'Blazers pushed away. Bummer. Next up are the Lakers in LA on TNT Thursday. Hope we fair better.

Tough game for Houston. Got to see parts of the game on NBA TV Fans Choice. Looked like they could take it. Not sure why they lose steam towards the end. Seems to be mental, not physical. Dunno.

I just saw the final score on a website. I think I did the triple-take. First couple of times, I was convinced that either I read it wrong, or they posted it wrong.

Weird.

 

[Paulie]

McDice taps in a rebound off of Duncans miss with 0.1 left to take the victory. ....

McWho-What?

So, Raptors finally won a game, I never knew that was possible!

 

[FishforRent]

McWho-What?

Yah, I know, I was trying to make a funny. Teammates call him 'Dice' and sometimes 'ice'. True his name is spelled McDyess.


So, has Garnett lost his mind? I'm watching this Mav's / Celtics game and Garnett gets fouled by Barea and doesn't like his arm being held that long so he pushes it off and starts cursing him out. Ref steps in between the two and puts his hand on Garnetts chest to move him away. Garnett then throws the Refs hands away, twice. Then another Ref steps up and talks him down. Why wasn't he thrown out of the game? He was always a favorite of mine back in the day. Humble, hard worker and massively talented. Now he's some kind of monster. He's turned into a laughing stock to me. From his antics on the podium when they won the championship, to his crazy behaviour on the court, screaming at the backboard, talking to himself all the time. Is it just me? Dunno, I preferred him when he was normal.

 

[a6m5]

Guys at work were talking about this buzzer-beating tip-in, this morning. I didn't even know that McDyess was still in the NBA, let alone with the Spurs. The guy overcame his knee(s?), he was still very solid couple years ago. Very nice to see him on the right team.

 

[JohnBM01]

You win 'em however you can. The Rockets needed overtime to silence the Grizzlies 95-93 on a smart play late to not give Memphis any chance of landing a late bucket. A sluggish first half for the Rockets was vastly improved in the second. The Rockets got a stop in the closing moments of Overtime. Then, Kyle Lowry saved the ball out of bounds with about 5 seconds left in Overtime and basically heaved it out into the backcourt. The poor Grizzlies player who caught the ball tried to heave the ball from 70+ feet away to try to win the game... and (obviously) failed. It was a CRAZY play, but it ended up in a Rockets' win. We'll basically need to win all of our games before the All-Star Break to get above .500 for the first time ever this season. Up next for the Rockets is a trip to Mile High- Rockets at Nuggets on Monday night. Then, we have a four-game home stand heading into the All-Star Break.

Got to love basketball, folks!


[UPDATE] Congratulations, Cleveland Cavaliers... you tied your own record for most straight losses during the course of a season. Epic fail. I was snooping around the Cleveland Cavaliers' Facebook fan page to see what Facebook people thought. Here is a brief synopsis (names undisclosed):


"keep the streak going... losers... 24 losing skid... worst in NBA history..."

"Why is there even a Like button on this? Another sad day to be a Cleveland sports fan."

"New record!!"

"How long before they move out . This season is hell."

"I hope u continue this losing streak into next season!!!"

"CAVS YOU GUYS SUCK!!! YOUR JUST GIVING FREE WINS TO EVERY TEAM YOU GO AGAINST!!!!!!!" (I almost sensed this is similar to what some Texans fans would say after a Texans loss)

"mannn we was close to tht win"


LeBron's departure from the Cavs just debilitated this team severely, hasn't it? Their next game- at the Mavericks on Monday night. Yikes!

 

[a6m5]

Interesting night.

Rockets beating Memphis knocks Memphis out of the eighth Playoff seed, and the Blazers avoiding loss to the Cavs - who set the record tonight for the longest losing streak at 24 - gets right back into the eight spot.

Some of you are aware how all our centers are cripples. Greg Oden's as good as gone. Joel Przybilla's back, but with limited mobility. Marcus Camby's still out. Tonight, Coach McMillan decided to utilize Dante Cunningham, our second year combo-forward at center. He accidentally got elbowed in the head, did not return. What are you gonna do?

 

[JohnBM01]

I still think Portland is plenty talented. I edited my previous post to include more thoughts on Cleveland losing their 24th straight. It's just sad to fathom how you can go from strong to weak in short order within the course of two seasons. I think they were the first to 40 wins last season... and the first to 40 LOSSES this season. Just back-breaking for the Cavaliers.

Even if as an 8th Seed, do you think the Trail Blazers are still a playoff team (or at least capable)?

 

[a6m5]

It is over for the Blazers. Our #1, Brandon Roy's knees are widely believed to be done. When he comes back, he is expected not to be nearly the player he was before.

Our #2, at least in prospect, Greg Oden.... Very similar situation as Roy, I suppose. While he is expected to come back from his injury: 1) He will play like an athlete who's had many major injuries & surgeries 2) Might not even be on the team when he comes back

LaMarcus Aldridge - The player many expected to be our #3 guy, some(including myself) thought he was a #4 behind Nicolas Batum, he rose to the occasion, he is clearly now our leader, and the best player. Our current top-3 also includes Wesley Mathews(from Jazz), and Nic Batum(I think he was a Houston pick lol).

Rudy Fernandez, Andre Miller, Marcus Camby, Joel Przybilla, these are some of our major pieces, but I fully expect the Blazers to try to move any of them before the trade deadline. I think I posted here before how the Blazers are now in the rebuilding mode. Rich Cho, our rookie GM has confirmed, or insinuated that we will be active, but with a long term process in mind. Long term means that they will go young. Young players & draft picks, which equals tearing down the team, starting over. Not good news, but best thing we could do, the smartest thing you could do, if you want to build a contender.

I hope Houston does the same. While there are always exceptions, they should try to unload all that they can now. Keep only younger players who will be there when your team is ready to compete again. I hate seeing team like Dallas, who fails year after year with the same core(NOWITZKI!), but they think the answer is to tweak the roster.

P.S. Cleveland is a horrible team. I've said all along, Danny Ferry, their former GM, this is on him. I still firmly believe that their downfall was signing of Ferry. The current losing streak though, that's on the players. Have a little pride!

 

[Paulie]

You forgot Millsy, the best point guard in the NBA, you have him. Nah I joke. Raptors are already in re-build mode, but when does the young talent pay off with wins?

 

[JohnBM01]

We're at Denver tonight, but with no Aaron Brooks. He's suspended tonight because of conduct detrimental to the team. He somehow went AWOL in the 4th Quarter in Saturday night's game vs. Memphis in frustration. I sure hope this doesn't seal his fate with the Rockets like when Von Wafer was with my Rockets. Not many pro sports teams have too much leverage in taking certain actions. Even if the Rockets do shake up their personnel, AB would be a huge loss (as if he hasn't been already).

Every win basically counts at this stage, so the Rockets just need to step up again. Whether or not this happens will depend. We need every win we can get to have any playoff hopes at this stage of the season.

 

[a6m5]

Aaron Brooks would look great in Blazers jersey, I agree.... anywho!

You forgot Millsy, the best point guard in the NBA, you have him. Nah I joke.

Best Australian point guard in the NBA nicknamed Patty, I agree.

 

[JohnBM01]

It was a battle of the K-Marts in Denver, and the K-Mart in Rockets Red (Kevin Martin) helped his boys beat Denver 108-103. We get to enjoy some home cooking before the All-Star break: a four-game home stand. We're back home to host the Minnesota Timberwolves Tuesday night. After the All-Star Break (Feb. 17 - Feb. 21), we're on the road at Detroit and then at Cleveland. The Rockets are now 25-28 on the season.

Speaking of All-Stars, much-deserved All-Star spot for one Mr. Kevin Love.

 

[Paulie]

Best Australian point guard in the NBA nicknamed Patty, I agree.

Don't ya'll be dissin on Patty now! He brings an energy boost to your team off the bench and his speed cetrainly helps him create plays- although he needs to work on his shooting.

Speaking of All-Stars, much-deserved All-Star spot for one Mr. Kevin Love.

I am of the opinion it should definitely have been Aldridge.

 

[astrosdude91]

I went to the Rockets game on saturday. I had gotten free tickets from doing the Rockets Run. They were at the very top of the Toyota Center, but it wasn't too bad. The Rockets were trailing most of the game, but we somehow got a win.

The one and only picture I took that night:

 

[JohnBM01]

I've never been to a Rockets game, but I have been to Toyota Center to see a game. I only saw the Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund Game back in 2005 or 2006. It is still a lovely arena. I think I still remember having one of our fine Clutch City hot dogs. Yummy! Anyhow, yeah. It's a cool place.

After a physical game in Denver, we're home to host the Minnesota Timberwolves. Time to see if the Rockets can keep a good thing going in this back-to-back. Aaron Brooks will be back after his one-game suspension. If you have NBA TV, hope you enjoy whatever will be tonight's Tuesday NBA Fan Night game.

Enjoy tonight's games!

 

[astrosdude91]

I've never been to a Rockets game, but I have been to Toyota Center to see a game. I only saw the Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund Game back in 2005 or 2006. It is still a lovely arena. I think I still remember having one of our fine Clutch City hot dogs. Yummy! Anyhow, yeah. It's a cool place.

That was the first Rockets game I've ever been to. I've only been to the Toyota Center for various concerts. And I got to run across the court at the Rockets Run finish line!

 

[JohnBM01]

One note I forgot to make mention of... congratulations, 2010-2011 Cleveland Cavaliers- you are the biggest losers in NBA history, beating YOUR OWN RECORD! They lost 99-96 at Dallas last night. They did make it interesting by trying to hit a three to force Overtime. That try failed... just like the Cavs' season. These Cavs may have better luck taking down college teams at this point rather than in the NBA. Unlike college, though, you don't have the luxury of being a big team taking on teams like New Jersey Institute of Technology or Savannah State to help cure your losing woes.

I seriously do hope the Cavaliers can get out of this losing funk as soon as they can. Yeah- you don't have LeBron, but you still have a fairly good bunch of players that can turn around any game that has gone stinky. They just got to step up and play harder. The "L" word sometimes even comes into form- luck. This can and will be turned around.

I think only the 1976-1977 Tampa Bay Buccaneers have the longest losing streak among the four major pro sports with about 26 or 27 straight games lost. Surely want to avoid THIS dubious distinction.

 

[a6m5]

Don't ya'll be dissin on Patty now! He brings an energy boost to your team off the bench and his speed cetrainly helps him create plays- although he needs to work on his shooting.

You are being a big time homer right now.....

I am of the opinion it should definitely have been Aldridge.

While I couldn't care less about All-Star Games, as I believe they are waste of time garbage, somethin', somethin'(censoring myself), I do tend to agree with you more than the selection of Kevin Love. Love is not a bad choice, however, putting up meaningless numbers in process of losing unbelievable number of games..... I'd pretty much sum that up as "sad". But this is exactly what All-Star Games are about. Meaningless garbage. Real "All-Star" fans should be concerned with start playing in mid (or late, I forget)April.

I don't get caught up in them, as they are nothing more than a distraction IMO. In their defense though, LaMarcus did not play at the "All-Star" level for the whole season, so I don't think he truly deserved it either. Real reason why it was Love over Aldridge? I think it was because Love played for Team USA, when LaMarcus(real name:L-Train) opted out, choosing to work on his game instead. After seeing his play this year, I must say, L-Train chose wisely. 👍

 

[FishforRent]

Spurs start off this week's marathon with a win over Detroit 100-89 at the 'Palace'. Shot 56% from the field and moved the ball well, especially toward the latter part of the game, when it was only a 5 point difference, to pull away. Defense showed up in the 2nd half combined with hot shooting from behind the arc again. Tonight's game starts a 4 game in 5 day stretch in 4 cities in 2 countries . Next up, off to Toronto and the Raptors tomorrow night. Then a day off and then another back to back in Philly and then DC.

At 43-8 so far this year, the Spurs need to not lose focus with the next games and put these guys out of their misery. All back marker teams (except maybe the Sixers) that the Spurs should beat as long as they don't overlook any one of them. So far SA's been good at not letting up or taking anyone lightly. So far they're just playing steady. Which is good, because every team is gunning for them. Happy to be a Spurs fan right now, for sure. 👍

 

[JohnBM01]

So far, so bad. Rockets failed late to let the T-Wolves win 112-108. DAMN IT!!! F:censored: any chance of reaching .500 at this stage. We're now hosting Dallas on Saturday night. The Rockets played pretty well and finally failed. We basically let Minnesota hit some clutch threes late. And in the end, we lose by four.

Make that a 25-29 record. GET YOUR S:censored: SORTED OUT, ROCKETS!!! (finding something to break)

 

[a6m5]

Blazers and Clippers rumored to be trade partners. Good for them.

 

[FishforRent]

Game two of hell week ends with a 111-100 victory for the Spurs over the mostly healthy Raptors (sorry Paulie). Competitive game with the Spurs being up by 2 at the half and down by 3 starting the 4th quarter. Opening salvo of the 4th quarter put the Spurs back up and defense kept the Raptors from coming back. Toronto plays SA hard and always have, especially in CA, where they usually beat us. It seemed to take the Spurs all game to figure out what the Raptors were doing with their offensive sets, but as the 4th quarter started SA started contesting everything and all the time. Once SA figured out the double pick n roll thing that Toronto was doing they held back the comeback and Spurs offensive boards and put backs (Blaire is a beast) crept the lead up to a 10pt and never let it go. A day off then to Philly on Friday night which should be another great game.

 

[a6m5]

Go Jazz, baby! 👍

They fired their headcoach of 23 years, Jerry Sloan. I moved to the States in 1987, started really following the Jazz in late 80's, and the entire time, Jerry Sloan was the coach of the Utah Jazz.

While I hate the Jazz with passion, Sloan was a really good coach. A great coach in some sense. The rumor is that Sloan had a blowout with Deron Williams, and the organization possibly siding with Williams. Don't know how much of it, if any of that is true. But considering something of this caliber taking place mid-season, this is a huge deal. Again, over 20 years of me following the NBA, Jerry Sloan = Utah Jazz.

Personally, I think Sloan is done. He's pretty old. And though he just signed an one year extension earlier this week(lol), I think he's been wanting retirement for awhile now.

If he comes back with another team, that would be entertaining as hell. If he retires like I expect him to, best of luck to him with that. I value him much higher than I do the Jazz organization. Sloan and Stockton were alright. Even Malone, until he signed with the Lakers. Loser.

I sure hope this causes the Jazz to be in lottery for next few years.

Edit:

After repeated clashes with star point guard Deron Williams(notes) and a belief he had become undermined with ownership, Jerry Sloan resigned as the Utah Jazz coach after 23 seasons, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.

The increasingly contentious relationship between Sloan and Williams boiled over when they clashed at halftime of a loss to the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night. The showdown between Sloan and Williams became so heated on Wednesday, at least two Jazz players feared that the coach and star could come to blows – even though the confrontation ended before reaching that point.

Sloan, 68, had agreed to a one-year contract extension in the past week but his growing frustration became public after a long meeting with Jazz general manager Kevin O’Connor following the team’s loss to the Bulls in Salt Lake City.

Sloan, the NBA’s longest-tenured coach, and his longtime assistant, Phil Johnson, resigned together on Thursday.

Sloan’s relationship with Williams had grown progressively worse over the course of the season, league sources said, and the coach had tired of dealing with the team’s best player. The frustration escalated on Wednesday night when Sloan and Williams clashed in the locker room at halftime.

“He decided right there in halftime that he was done,” a league source told Yahoo! Sports. “He felt like ownership was listening more to Williams than they were to him anymore. He was done.”

One source said Sloan had become tired of Williams “blaming everything on everyone else.” Still, Williams, who can become a free agent in the summer of 2012, has remained the Jazz’s best and most consistent player after the departure of several key teammates. Williams has always had a reputation for wanting to win badly and being a strong leader.

After feeling undermined, one source said Sloan told Jazz owner Greg Miller that if this is how he wanted to run a franchise, he could do it without him as coach.

Assistant coach Ty Corbin has been named acting head coach, and league sources expect the team will move to secure him as Sloan’s long-term replacement in the near future.

Link Props to his head assistant. Much respect to your loyalty. 👍

 

[JohnBM01]

I want to congratulate Ray Allen for setting the All-Time 3-point shots made honor. He surpassed Reggie Miller last night for first all-time. I even saw the 3-point bomb as it happened. Understandably, Boston was proud to see Ray Allen knock down the three to make history. It was about as cheerful of a moment like when Craig Biggio hit #3,000 for my Astros years ago. The Celtics, however, lost to the Lakers last night.

 

[FishforRent]

Game 3 of hell week.......not so great 👎 Honestly probably the worst game I've seen this season, from both teams; Spurs fall 77-71. 76ers and the Spurs shot 35% from the field, around 20% from behind the arc and many turnovers apiece. Wicked bad game. 12 points for the Spurs and 14 points for the 76ers in the 3rd quarter, and not much more apiece in the 4th. At one point the teams shot 3 for 27 in that 3rd quarter. Eweee. So be it.......tomorrow night they go to DC and team up against the Wizards. Hopefully a better shooting night. Anything would be better than tonights. Wow.

Congrats to Ray Allen on the record! 👍 Not a record that will be broken anytime soon. Nearest player is over 800 shots away and just as old, so it will have to be one of the up and comers to try. Allen started in '96 so it'll be awhile. I was also watching it live. The crowd was very into it! It was a cool thing to have experienced, even if only on TV.

 

[JohnBM01]

I saw your boys go down in Philly, FishForRent, as I was watching NBA TV. Tough luck for the Spurs. It was a BIG win for the Sixers. However... not as big a win as another one as...

...THE CAVALIERS' 26-GAME LOSING STREAK IS OVER!!!

The Cavaliers FINALLY got their first win since Dec. 18, 2010 as they took down the Clippers. The 26-game losing streak is now over. They won 126-119 in Overtime in Cleveland. The Cavs are 2-0 in Overtime this season.


Tomorrow night, I hope my Rockets can get themselves some wins to feel good heading into the All-Star Break.