Photo. Monte IsomEventually Deron Williams will admit that it burns him up whenever Chris Paul gets more props than he, ’cause it’s become too obvious at this point. D-Will’s entire second year in the League was like a big middle finger to everyone who wondered aloud if the Jazz had made a mistake by drafting Deron over CP, and last night’s events happened too close to Deron’s All-Star snub to just be a coincidence. Simply put, Deron smashed CP, giving him 29 points (11-for-13 FGs) and 11 dimes while leading Utah to a piecing over the formerly-hot Hornets. Chris had 6 points, 6 dimes and 5 turnovers. Deron was crossing up CP and going at the Hornets’ bigs with a vengeance; one time he caught Tyson Chandler flat-footed and dunked on him after blowing past CP on the perimeter … Oh, and Carlos Boozer beasted David West for 19 points and 17 boards. Is West headed for one of those totally forgettable All-Star appearances where he scores 2 points? … The Hornets’ defense has been terrible over this current three-game losing skid. Last night they spent a lot of time standing around watching Utah knock down shots. And the Jazz didn’t even have Andrei Kirilenko, the latest NBA player to get touched by this apparently pandemic flu bug going around the League … Nuggets/Blazers went to overtime and down to the wire, with Allen Iverson (25 pts) trading buckets with Portland’s crunch-time trio of Travis Outlaw (16 pts), Brandon Roy (26 pts) and Jarrett Jack (17 pts). Iverson hit a go-ahead triple with a few seconds left in the fourth, and Outlaw had a good look at a jumper that missed but he was fouled on the follow-through by Kenyon Martin. Outlaw missed the first and made the second FT, and in overtime, Iverson stuck the game-winner in Jack’s eye on a free throw line pull-up … Could Mavs/Magic be a Finals preview? We can’t definitely say no. Dallas got the W in Dwight’s house despite a triple-double from Hedo (13 pts, 12 rebs, 13 asts). The Mavs jumped on Orlando early and the Magic seemed to expend all their energy coming back before running out of gas at the end … Josh “Beastmaster” Smith’s line almost gave our Fantasy Doctor a religious experience: 19 points, 6 boards, 9 assists, 4 steals and NINE blocks. One of those dimes was a sick no-look feed to Josh Childress where Beastmaster got into the lane with a behind-the-back dribble and hit Childress with a quick pass from the hip with his back to him … T.J. Ford is back. He put up 4 points, 4 dimes and 2 steals in 16 minutes off the bench in a rout of the Heat, plus a baseline dunk on 7-footer Earl Barron. Well, it would have been on 7-footer Earl Barron if 7-footer Earl Barron had bothered to challenge 5-foot-11 T.J. Ford … In their post-Super Bowl delirium, the fans at the Knicks/Clippers game were in a mood decidedly more pleasant than what we’ve seen at almost every other Knicks game we’ve been to over the last couple of years. Even when the home team blew a comfortable halftime lead and eventually the game, there were only a smattering of boos and no “Fire Isiah!” chants. And when R.W. McQuarters, Kevin Dockery and Sam Madison of the New York Giants showed up near the end of the third and were announced between quarters, the crowd went bananas. A solid five-minute standing ovation that only got louder and louder (will the Knicks ever get shown that kind of love in their gym?), and continued well after those guys were done showing off their Super Bowl caps and jackets. And can you imagine the noise if Strahan, Plax or Eli Manning had showed up? The championship parade is actually gonna start today on the same block as the Dime headquarters, so the scene should be crazy … Some creative jokester sitting near us quipped, “Brady and Moss are gonna miss the Pro Bowl — their pride is injured.” HA HA HA! Never heard that one before … Our Editorial Assistant, Andrew Katz, got a few minutes before the game with Sam Cassell, which you can read HERE. We were a little surprised to see Sam rocking a sweater/jeans/boots combo pre-game; we expected less Kanye and more Jay-Z from him … Q-Rich was lights-out from the get-go, clearly fired up to be playing his old team — Q had stopped by the Clippers’ locker room before the game and talked to some of the guys — and looking as sharp as he’s looked in years. Q was busting out jab steps, a quick first step, and couldn’t miss from deep, and had 14 points late into the second quarter. Then Q went up for a triple and got Bruce Bowen-ed by Cuttino Mobley and had to leave … We normally don’t advocate booing children, but at halftime when the Knicks did the kids’ talent show, this little girl butchered Whitney Houston’s “The Greatest Love of All” worse than Randy Watson … Sonics announcer Kevin Calabro called Aaron Gray a “battle wagon.” Gray was part of a Bulls big-man crew that dominated Seattle in the paint, scoring at will inside and getting a ton of offensive rebounds. Gray had 14 points, Joe Smith had 25 points and 10 boards, Big Ben had 7 points and 10 boards, and Joakim Noah had 7 points and 6 boards … More good news for the Dime crew, as yesterday we launched our partner site with Nike: BeBetterThanLebron.com. The premise of the site is simple - it’s dedicated to finding the player who will some day be better than arguably the best player in the game today: LeBron. From college guys to high schoolers to little kids, anyone can submit their video “application” for future fame. Every week we’ll go through all the submissions and pick our favorite entry, and the winner gets a brand-new pair of LeBron V sneakers. Check out the site HERE and let us know what you think … We’re out like hiding the grudge …
February 5th, 2008 at 6:17 am
chance says:
Can’t believe you didnt mention Jack’s fastbreak boo boo that could’ve won the game for the blazers
February 5th, 2008 at 6:20 am
YOUNGFED says:
BEASTMASTER (LOL)
February 5th, 2008 at 6:20 am
chance says:
good to hear that TJ’s back… and dunking…!?
February 5th, 2008 at 6:38 am
E-ROC says:
like Deron Williams over Chris Paul. I just see “it” with him than I do with Paul. Paul will no doubt be a special, special player. I just think Williams has championship ring written all over him.
February 5th, 2008 at 7:36 am
Josh says:
Deron is getting better every game! What about Paul?
http://www.squidoo.com/DeronWilliams
February 5th, 2008 at 7:50 am
Amar says:
well, what do you expect when deron gets snubbed from a ’snubbed list’ by DIME? if you guys were that good, and got such few props, you’d have a chip on your shoulders too.
and seriously, CP got raped like it was his first night in jail.
February 5th, 2008 at 7:50 am
Amar says:
no mention of korver’s 6 threes? if he was still in philly we would have heard about it . . .
February 5th, 2008 at 8:50 am
djKianoosh says:
considering all the talk last year of denver being ‘melo’s team, is it safe to say now that this is AI’s team? Melo resembled a role player last night while AI took and made some critical shots: the three (off a melo assist, granted) with a minute to go and the game winner in OT. and btw, ‘melo takes way too many jumpers usually. Last night he got a ton of points off offensive boards, which he needs to continue to do…
korver is in such a great role for him right now. just do whatever you have to do to keep Deron and Boozer happy. and keep hittin those shots! their offense is extremely efficient when he’s shooting a high percentage.
February 5th, 2008 at 8:58 am
Top Gun says:
No mention of Korver’s 6 treys…or Jarrett Jack’s crucial turnover when they had the 2-on-1 fast break, or how the Raps beat The Heat by 32…by the the way, Ford’s dunk was real nice, especially since he’s 5′11.
Atlanta’s one of the best teams to watch at both ends of the court.
February 5th, 2008 at 9:00 am
GEE...from post to post baby? says:
Deron, Chris, Jason and Wade in the skills challenge.
Kover did go off. I must admit Kover is bringing it and more than ever I am really thinking this ain’t your Johnny Malone Jazz anymore. Utah is serving some serious notice.
Real quiet like, Houston is slowly creeping up on West teams. By Thur. when they face LeBron, the Rockets could be in the 8th or 7th spot. The West is so hard right now.
That Beastmaster name is horrible. Dude gets a nickname from a movie and series where a guy could communicate and see through animals. Naw pimpin…that is not the hit.
I hope TJ doesn’t get injured again cause he just seems to not have the best success at avoiding injury. Glad to know he is at least not being timid.
There is a strong possibility Denver could not make the playoffs this year. Granted a lot of that is due to really strong West teams. If Denver doesn’t make the playoffs this year though, with the squad they have…..They need to go on shoot the dueces to G.K. and let him walk on by. Denver should be in the top three in the West with the squad they have easy.
NBA really shouldn’t announce any awards till after the playoffs. I think they announce them early just for ratings. For instance say LeBron gets it (which I think he will) and he is going up against Detroit. It’s gone be tonight the MVP of the L will go against the Detroit Pistons. The NBA is like the CIA, and I can’t even hate em’ cause they good at protecting their players, image and all else. Need Sterny as a government official lol.
February 5th, 2008 at 9:51 am
bigdoggchad says:
Last night was he first time I watched a Trailblazers game with their play by play guys and they are the worst homers I ever heard. If it wasn’t such a close game I would have turned it off cause they made it that unbearable to listen to. Good win for Denver now they have to stop the red Jazz. Does any other superstar get worse treatment from the refs than Melo? If that was D-Wade last night he shoots 20 FTS.
February 5th, 2008 at 9:53 am
bigdoggchad says:
red hot jazz
February 5th, 2008 at 9:53 am
Celts Fan says:
What a great game last night in Portland.
Anyone see Brandon Roy just tie up and rip the ball from AI on the break?
How about Martell Webster try to take a charge and bounce back up with literally just enough time to jump to get up and reject a J.R. Smith dunk?
I saw every Blazer diving all over the floor for every loose ball.
Nate’s got ‘em playing right up in Portland. Fun team to watch with a really bright future…
February 5th, 2008 at 10:16 am
Sam I Am says:
DID I EVER MENTION , How much I LOVE the NBA…football is awesome but basketball is life!!!
February 5th, 2008 at 10:38 am
Celts Fan says:
eh I’m still a little sour on football today. I don’t know how my team let the press clippings go to their heads after a season (almost a decade of them actually) saying all the right things. Belichick got outcoached by Tom Coughlin (!?!) BADLY and Brady, who to his credit, took the team down the field for what could’ve been SB winning drive #4 on his resume, was outplayed by the slow Manning brother that no one took seriously as a QB as recently as last month.
ya basketball is life, but what is this “football” game you speak of? Ugh…
February 5th, 2008 at 10:43 am
Celts Fan says:
Tragic ending to a dream season. Bring on pitchers and catchers in 9 days, and more importantly, KG, Ray, and Paul in 9 hours! (and with that, I promise my SuperBowl rants are over.)
February 5th, 2008 at 10:47 am
chrisGO says:
yup, i agree the “Beastmaster” nickname is bad….at least its not as horrible as the previous “Centaur” for D-How.
Dime, you need to step your nickname game up
February 5th, 2008 at 10:54 am
2 Easy says:
I can honestly say that Ive said from day 1 that Deron is better than CP3. I kno that I wrote that CP3 is an MVP candidate however deron is the better overall point he just has more weapons and when its all said and done the Jazz SHOULD be ahead of the Hornets in the overall standings. Im excited for the Blazers, the only thing thier missing is a low post scorer and if Oden can live up to his hype next year their a scary ass team. When I found out TJ was playin I was like wow thats far ahead of wat i thought, then i saw this dude dunk and i was like hes not holdin back and u gotta respect that. By the way in the skills competition i like that lineup but i wanted Calderon there simply cause hes been playin too well not to be involved in somethin come all start weekend but I guess enough Raptors are gonna be there (4-5) im not sure whose in the 3 point competition yet. My joke of the nite, i was tellin my boy if I was moss or Brady i wasnt goin to the pro bowl after that and right as i said that we saw they werent goin and Moss didnt even have a reason lol! Im happy for NY but I wanted to see 19-0 so badly so the 72 dolphins would FINALLY shut up. ah well maybe next year
February 5th, 2008 at 11:02 am
MSkittle says:
The only guy who should be on a Better than Lebron website is Kobe.
February 5th, 2008 at 11:04 am
gayforfudy says:
I need Keeper League trade advice. Any one with an opinion?
Head-to-head total points: Deron for Andre Iguadala
+1 point for each: Pt, Reb, Stl, Ast, Blk
-1 point for each: TO
February 5th, 2008 at 11:36 am
Ian says:
2 easy
standings last time i checked the hornets had a better record
last time i checked paul had better numbers than williams
and last time i checked deron has a way better team
paul can do more with less than deron
gayforfudy
take andre for fantasy
February 5th, 2008 at 11:58 am
Ian says:
from the dime
Monday’s Best
Josh Smith, Hawks forward — Nearly a triple-double and a 5×5 (five or more points, rebounds, steals, assists and blocks). Whew. Finished with 19 points, nine assists, nine blocks, six rebounds and four steals in a 96-91 victory over the 76ers. The last player to have 9-plus blocks and assists in a game was David Robinson against Detroit on Feb. 17, 1994. He had 10 and 10.
i miss the admiral
February 5th, 2008 at 12:21 pm
dagwaller says:
Gee, I agree that if the Nuggets miss the playoffs (unlikely), George Karl should get fired.
But top 3 talent? Hahahahaha! They have a declining Iverson, who admittedly can still play at a high level. They have a single faceted scorer in Carmelo, and they have a single faceted defender in Camby. Outside of that, they have…Linas Kleiza? J.R. Smith? Where’s the rest of that top 3 talent? I think that the Celtics, Pistons, Suns, Jazz, Spurs, and the Lakers (well, let’s see on that one) might have some beef with you. To say nothing of the teams currently in the playoffs (Hornets, Magic, Mavs) or ones that might end up there (Rockets).
Josh Howard had a sick play where he ran down an opposing fast break, got the steal, ran back with 4 seconds left on the shot clock and made a runner from the 3 point line. Pretty good.
February 5th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
GEE...from post to post baby? says:
No Dag I said they should be in the top 3 TEAMS in the west. Honestly with the experience and youth they have, they really should be better than they are.
Hey I know I am going back here but did anyone see the game some days ago with the Knics and Blazers. Tell me you all saw how Nate got Blake I think it was and then Blake came back and got Nate. They was crossin each other nasty like.
Anyway someone should seriously be letting Josh Smith in the All-Star game.
Aight what are your favorite All-Star Game moments.
I got to go with when Karl Malone got mad cause Kobe didn’t want his help on D. Hilarious.
Anytime the Last Don was playing a pg and bringing the ball down the court.
All of Tracy’s off the backboard to himself dunks.
Magics 3 where he kept his hand up, after the whole HIV deal.
P Double shooting a ridiculous shot because (I forget who the coach was) the coach wasn’t giving him pt in the All-Star game, so he comes in and shoots a crazy shot lol.
Anybody got any other All-Star game memorable moments?
February 5th, 2008 at 1:19 pm
dagwaller says:
Crap - sorry, Gee!
February 5th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
Phileus says:
Agree with MSkittle. Who would have the balls to say they’re gonna be better than LeBron? Every month’s winner’s career should be closely followed to see if they put up or shut up.
February 5th, 2008 at 1:32 pm
Amar says:
I love how all these guys come out and say that CP doesn’t have good team mates. First of all, Tyson is like a top 5 lotto pick who inhales rebounds (especially on the offensive glass), blocks shots, throws it down and shoots like 80% fg. Does utah have a big 7 footer who does any of that? No. The only person who is even close to 7 feet on the jazz roster plays for the d-league. Secondly, Paul is a great penetrator, what makes the team so much better is they have Peja. Some of you kids may have forgotten this guy because he was injured last season, but this guy shoots the ball the way Drazen wished he could. Peja is a 6′10 three point ace. CP has this other guy, West, who is a double double machine who has an inside game and range to 18 feet. CP has two of the best change up guards in the game in Pargo and Bobby Jax, both guys get steals like no ones’ buisness and hit threes like crazy. Then there’s one of flint’s finest in Mo Pete, who drains corner threes like Sabonis drains bottles of vodka. Ely isn’t an all-star, but he gets the job done. The Hornets are a very well structured team, and they have a progressive head coach . . . but whenever the hornets win “it’s all because of chris paul”, and when they lose “it’s because his team sucks”. That’s a double standard, if Utah is better, why do the hornets have 2 times as many allstars?
Paul isn’t in this alone. He’s a good player, but as his college career (and current nba career) show, his brilliance does not always amount to team wins in big games.
February 5th, 2008 at 1:50 pm
Celts Fan says:
Agreed with everything you said Amar until, “CP has two of the best change up guards in the game in Pargo and Bobby Jax”
ummmm, what?
February 5th, 2008 at 2:09 pm
K-Dizzle says:
This is damn near a wash with the Paul/Williams debate. Being a Laker fan, I’d take either one before I took JKidd. The comparisons are pretty simple to see tho. DWill is just like JKidd with a jumpshot while CP3 plays like a young Isiah. Think it’s important to mention that this is the Hornets first injury-free season so the winnin shouldn’t be a shock cuz they were killin last year when they were healthy. They lost like something ridiculous, like 250-300 man-games due to injury and still almost got into the 2nd season.
Nuthin better than watchin TJ droppin dimes and that one baseline crush last night. Miami might fold before the all-star break. Chris Bosh outscored the 5 starters by himself in the first half and it looked like it was all ugly facials. When’s this dude gonna get his respect as one of the best young big men in the L?
Dag
I agree with your original argument. Denver is not a top 3 team in the west. They not better than the Suns, Spurs, Mavs, Jazz, Rockets or Hornets IMO
February 5th, 2008 at 2:11 pm
K-Dizzle says:
or my lakers
February 5th, 2008 at 2:27 pm
Kudabeen says:
Are the Nuggets Camelo’s team? He disappears a lot. Is that Iverson’s fault or is it about Iverson having the most heart to finish despite matchups or pressure. Iverson was taking bad shots, but Melo wasn’t even demanding the ball…
Just an observation…
February 5th, 2008 at 2:41 pm
What is this!? says:
@dagwaller
Why is it always someone who is sitting at home talking about someone is “declining”? Sometimes I wonder if some people that posts comments here even watch b-ball. Iversons game is far from declining. That guy leads that team in ppg, assists and steals and leads the LEAGUE in minutes played. What else does he have to do for you? The reason why he doesn’t score as many ppg as he used to is because he has a team with so much fire power that he doesn’t need to. Duh. I swear I think some fans are programmed to say a player is “declining” after they reach the age of 30, nomatter how well they are playing. You can’t judge Iverson by average NBA cats…the man is a freak of nature, period. I’m starting to wonder if that dude is going to ever slow down. Probably not…just to keep you haters talking.
And I agree with “Gee” that they are one of the most (if not THE most) talented team in the NBA, and yes they should be in the top 3 in the West at all times. I will say that given their situation with injuries to their key players and line-up changes, for them to still compete and stay in the mix of things is impressive. I think that team has only had like 5 games where everyone was healthy playing together. I couldn’t imagine anyone, not even the Spurs, that would have been able to stey competetive this long with 2 or 3 of their key players out at any given time. So kudos to them.
February 5th, 2008 at 2:47 pm
What is this!? says:
…And people worry too much about “who’s team it is”. Nobody is making a big deal about it up in Boston when K.G and Ray Allen came…nobody made a big deal about it when Shaq went to Miami. So why is everyone bothering Melo and Iverson about it? Who cares…just win the games!
And now everyone is getting on CP3 for having a bad game? Just last week he was the “best PG” and an “MVP canidate”….now he isn’t sh*t? I swear the bandwaggoning never fails to amaze me. smh
February 5th, 2008 at 3:17 pm
KobeHater says:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkwCVcDc_mM&NR=1
Kobe is gay, here’s the proof
February 5th, 2008 at 3:37 pm
GEE...from post to post baby? says:
What is this!?
Denver needs a health and wellness trainer then so they can stop being injured lol.
I was laughing at how people were throwing CP3 under the bus today. I was thinking same thing you wrote…dang just last week he was supposedly the best pg in the L. and getting comparisons to Kidd and Nash and all.
I agree it’s 1 game, and things happen. I am not going to say Deron is not going to get his when they match up, but I am going to say CP3 won’t always have a game like that.
You all let me down though, couldn’t nobody come up with a memorable All-Star game moment?? I am sure I didn’t name them all?
February 5th, 2008 at 3:42 pm
Amar says:
Celts fan — I guess I’m speaking from limited experience. As a jazz fan (since ‘87) I’ve seen tons of guys like pargo and bjax torch the jazz. Bjax has always played well against utah, back when he was in sactown especially. pargo had like 22 points in something like 12 mins vs. utah last night.
February 5th, 2008 at 4:04 pm
GEE...from post to post baby? says:
Amar can we bring Mark Eaton back? LOL
February 5th, 2008 at 4:10 pm
What is this!? says:
LOL @ “Gee”….yeah Denver needs something because I have never seen a team with worst luck then theirs when it comes to injuries…it makes no sense what so ever. That team is real scary when everyone is healthy. Like I said, just the fact that they are in the position they are in, even with the injuries, goes to show how resiliant this team is. People act like they don’t know that it is literally like 5 games seperating them from the #1 spot in the West, had Denver been healthy and won a few games they should have won (and played some damn DEFENSE!)…whos to say they wouldn’t be sitting on top of the West right now? I’m just saying as deep as the West is, its open for the taking and it is a very tight race. The West playoffs are going to be bananas this year! But you know, any team with Iverson on it will get their fair share of HATERS regardless, add Melo to the mix and it is HATER NATION! LOL! Thats why I don’t take the ignorance from some on this site seriously.
And yes, its always funny to watch the hypocrisy and bandwaggoning that goes on this website. It’s always a case of “what have you done for me lately”. Gotta love the “real” b-ball fans. Smh. CP3 is the TRUTH, like you said the guy had a bad game after 3 months of balling out of his mind…lets give him a break.
Stay blessed.
February 5th, 2008 at 5:09 pm
Amar says:
it’s easy to give a guy a break if he was playing in a game of no consequence . . . but cp to play against his main rival (deservedly labled or not), in a game that has tiebraker implications (there’s only like 3 games difference and it’s not even the asbreak yet) . . . and get worked over looks pretty bad.
if he can’t get up for a game like that, then maybe he’s just a volume player for the regular season (like dirk)?
February 5th, 2008 at 5:22 pm
Celts Fan says:
come on Amar, he was in foul trouble throughout, and even the best throw out a clunker every once in a while.
and the “Whose team is it?” talk in Denver is cuz both guys have been lone stars throughout their entire careers, so like it or not, that talk will come out. It seems dumb since it looks like they get along fine and don’t care who takes the last shot, but I can see why that crap is still coming up (not to mention, it was assumed that AI went to Denver to transition into the 2nd part of his career where he can’t/won’t do it all by himself, and he’s only showed up, been a great guy, and kept on doing his thing, in a more efficient way! I swear this guy’s gonna retire at age 38, still hanging 25ppg on guys, doing his Cassell thing…)
February 5th, 2008 at 5:23 pm
Big Al says:
i thought tj ford was like 6-4??
February 5th, 2008 at 6:09 pm
dagwaller says:
What is this?:
Whoa whoa whoa! I don’t hate the Nuggets. I like the Nuggets. I like Allen Iverson. I’m just saying that they’re NOT in the top 3 in the league, talent wise. They’re just not. They have three stars and a bunch of role players. That’s a recipe for success in the NBA, ask anyone except for the Pistons. But those role players don’t have more talent than the role players on the teams I listed, and if they did, their record would better reflect it than anything you can say.
Personally, I’m kind of tired of people anointing them as “one of the most talented teams in the league”. That’s right, I guess, as long as you list all those other teams ahead of them. What does that even mean? That the rest of the league doesn’t have any talent? Here’s talent: Marcus Camby doesn’t have any offensive talent, and the rest of that team doesn’t have much defensive talent.
Iverson isn’t bad by any means. If you recall from my original post, I said that he’s still playing at a high level. Just not top 5 players in the league level, like he was. When you go from being top five to below that, that’s “decline”. Look it up. Again, I qualified that he’s still playing at a high level - I would hardly call that “hating”.
February 5th, 2008 at 8:51 pm
devereaux says:
I’m a jazz fan, so this is gonna be biased, but what ever.
CP3 won rookie of the year, and everybody was sayin that the jazz made a bad pick with Deron, yet they ended up 1/2 game out of the playoffs and a 41-41 season his rookie season with an injured boozer when they were 26-56 the year before. CP3 didn’t improve his team that much during his rookie season.
On top of that, this is the second year that Deron should have been in the All Star game. Yes, Paul deserves it, maybe more than Deron at this point, but in the big games such as the western conference finals and the playoffs last year? Deron was money.
CP3 was injured last year, Deron wasn’t, yet he still didn’t get the props that CP3 is getting when he is healthy. The thing is, Deron has a history of steppin up when the game matters, such as last night. Until CP3 gets to the playoffs and plays lights out, recognize that Deron is a great point guard as well as CP3.