Miss Milwaukee
Michael Redd (Photo. Stephen Hill)When Michael Redd stepped to the free throw line with 1.3 seconds left and the Bucks trailing San Antonio by two, you knew the game was going to overtime. But to the shock of everyone in the building, Redd bricked the first freebie, drawing a loud simultaneous groan from the Milwaukee crowd and leading Redd to punch the ball in frustration when it bounced back to him off the rim. Now needing to miss the second free throw and hope for an offensive rebound, the Bucks damn near pulled it off: Andrew Bogut pushed Tim Duncan out of the way and Redd’s intentional miss came right to him. Bogut had a good look at a lefty banker from close range but put too much muscle on it … The game-winner for San Antonio came with 13 seconds left when Manu went to his go-to move; starting to drive left before stopping on a dime, going behind the back and sticking a pull-up jumper from mid-range. Just like he’d done to Randy Foye a few games ago, Manu (30 pts, 3 stls) shook Charlie Bell with that same move … After Bell was harassed into a turnover by Manu and Bruce Bowen on the ensuing possession — which could have done a lot toward killing the Bucks’ chances if Tony Parker (26 pts, 4-10 FT’s) had made his free throws — Bucks color analyst Scott Williams opined, “I don’t think Charlie was the first option on that play.” Really? … Earlier in the fourth, Redd (25 pts) threw up a three that hit all glass, but coming out of his hand looked good. As many times as we’ve seen him in person and on TV, we’re thinking Redd is the only guy in the League who has that going for him, where every jumper looks like it’s going in upon its release. Maybe Ray Allen can be put in that group, too … Duncan had just 9 points, and didn’t even get to the free throw line until the final two minutes of the game. Great job by Bogut (17 pts, 15 rebs, 2 blks) of being physical on defense without fouling … Before Mo Williams got ejected in the third quarter, he was on his way to a classic Mo Williams night: 13 points and zero assists … Only the Suns can be down 14 with three and a half minutes left and none of their crowd has left the building. Keeping its crunch-time lineup on the floor despite the seemingly insurmountable deficit, Phoenix cut Philly’s lead down to four with 37 seconds left, but then Raja Bell was called for a questionable foul while Philly was trying to inbound (great acting by Andre Miller) that caused Mike D’Antoni to naturally flip his lid … Given free throws and the ball back, Philly still couldn’t ice it, as Grant Hill stole the inbound pass and Amare (26 pts, 11 rebs) scored on a putback to make it a one-possession game. But after Willie Green knocked down some clutch free throws, Amare couldn’t corral a high inbound pass and the Sixers were able to wrap it up … On that final turnover, Amare looked like he might’ve been pushed in the back by Reggie Evans, and the way he was jumping up and down like a kid who didn’t get what he wanted at Toys ‘R’ Us, Amare definitely thought he was pushed. We couldn’t really tell from the replay, but the evil grin plastered on Evans’ face as the Sixers closed the game out makes us think he felt he got away with something … While the Suns announcers were discussing whether Phoenix should sign recently-waived Gordan Giricek, the Suns broadcast showed a graphic of Gordan’s stats titled, “Write the Cek?” Does it really matter if Giricek signs with the Suns? It’s not like D’Antoni uses his bench anyway … The Suns are selling these poker-chip looking things that you’re supposed to take with you when you go out with your friends, and flip to decide who’s gonna be the designated driver. First 500 kids at the next game get ‘em for free! … With no Zach Randolph (foot) in the lineup, it wasn’t so much about whether the Knicks would beat Orlando (they wouldn’t), but what kind of misery Dwight Howard would inflict on them. The last time we saw Dwight play New York in person, he gave them a 22-20 stat line. This time he put up 26 points and 22 boards, punctuated by a highlight reel’s worth of dunks and one rejection where he spiked a Q-Rich offering so hard it bounced off the floor, over the Orlando bench and about 5 rows into the stands … Meanwhile, Eddy Curry posted 9 points and 6 boards. Do you think Eddy already reached his peak (last season) and it’s all going to be downhill from here, or could he still succeed in another environment? … For Deron Williams, facing Mike Conley and the Grizzlies the night after going up against Chris Paul must have been like a boxer going from a world title match to his next time in the ring against a scrub sparring partner. D-Will had 13 points and 19 assists against the rookie, as six Jazzmen (that’s what they call ‘em) scored between 13 and 18 points in a blowout win … During garbage time of Pistons/Clippers, Walter Herrmann looked like a cross between Dr. J and Connie Hawkins. Three times in the last minute or so, Herrmann drove to the basket from the left side wielding the basketball in his right hand like it was a tennis ball and getting off finger rolls. And on another play, Herrmann put some crazy English on a pass that he fired from the right-side corner that skipped along the baseline and somehow found its way to Jarvis Hayes on the left side of the rim for a layup … Andre Barrett also saw some garbage-time tick. So what was the point of waiving Sam Cassell if it puts you in a position where you’re bringing up D-League guys for point guard depth? Was Sam being that bad in the locker room? And why do we feel like Sam’s gonna pull a Shaq and all of a sudden get healthy once he signs with Boston? … According to the Clippers’ announcers — one of whom called Barrett “a little bitty guy” — Andre is 5-10, but he seriously looked like he was 5-6 out there. Has he shrunk since he was ballin’ at Seton Hall? Juan Dixon was towering over him … The Pistons won by 30 despite not having Chauncey Billups (personal reasons). It ended a streak of 276 straight games that Chauncey, Rasheed, Tayshaun and Rip had started together … We’re out like writing the Cek …
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March 2nd, 2008 at 3:27 am
knoc says:
superman or centaur?
still a monster
March 2nd, 2008 at 4:16 am
Str8baller says:
2nd….
March 2nd, 2008 at 4:25 am
Str8baller says:
I watched Walter Herrman ball in Spain a while ago when he played at Fuenlabrada and Unicaja, and I can tell u this: DUDE HAS HUGE HANDS. And he won the Spanish League Dunk Contest. I know it’s not the biggest and most amazing news to y’all but FABIO GOT HOPS…
My 2 cents
March 2nd, 2008 at 4:28 am
jamesinva says:
4th yay. hahaha damn whats up with people always postin up whos where in line. anyways phoenix has a PROB!!
March 2nd, 2008 at 5:35 am
Flying-Dutchman says:
Has Theo officially signed with the Pistons? Also Str8baller, Walter has mad shooting range on NBA Live 2008. Can he REALLY shoot that good?!
March 2nd, 2008 at 6:16 am
Str8baller says:
FD…
he was more of a slasher in Fuenlabrada… He can stroke it but not like Nocioni or Manu on the Argentine Team. He was behind Delfino even so he didn’t get a lot of PT on the National Team. He has had some tragic shit happening to him. While he was trying out for the “LA SELECCION ARGENTINA” his all family died. I think his mother, sister and girlfriend all died in a car crash. He kept hoopin. He gets mad props for that. He said bball was the only thing left in his life. And now he’s in the NBA. Nice story from a real classy guy.
Hope he can stay in the league for a lot more years.
I’d take him anyday over Scalabrini, and Brian Cardinal and Ryan Bowen.
March 2nd, 2008 at 6:24 am
Phileus says:
Thanks for the perspective Str8baller, it’s nice to hear things like that about any players, but especially foreign players we know almost nothing about.
March 2nd, 2008 at 6:25 am
Phileus says:
Uhhh not nice to hear that his family DIED… nice to be able to understand the players more… I mean.
March 2nd, 2008 at 6:40 am
Flying-Dutchman says:
Ah thats for that Str8baller. Crazy to hear about his family and girlfriend. Would’ve drove (no pun intended) most people to the edge.
I can see him causing a lot of match up problems if he can get more PT
March 2nd, 2008 at 6:40 am
Flying-Dutchman says:
thats = THANKS lol
March 2nd, 2008 at 8:00 am
YOUNGFED says:
Herriman is nice don’t why the Pistons don’t play him, maybe he can’t play D or maybe Flip just doesn’t know how to coach.
Question of the Day (part 2): Who’s had the WORST post season career. Isiah, Magic, Jordan, Bird, or Barkley.
I gotta go with Isiah with Jordan in a close 2nd. Isaih for his stat sheet he has bankrupted the CBA literally(LOL), Ruined the Knicks, and Kissed Magic (LMAO). Now Jordan ruined the Wizards, Drafted Kwame Brown, his Divorce 160 million lossed (I’d have drink just to write that Damn check).
The Award for WORST postseason EVER!…..Goes to ISIAHHHH THOMASSSSS…..!
Let me know what ya’ll think.
March 2nd, 2008 at 8:02 am
sans says:
on another note, I’m going to start issuing t’s to children that flop without contact. 13 and up, and immediately upon the action occurring. No longer will I call the “no contact at all, however some kid just dove backwards onto the floor for no reason at all” block call, I’m just going to issue an absurd amount of technical fouls for the next five years.
Manu Ginobli is a great basketball player, individually talented and able to make clutch play after clutch play, like an All-Star should, but he has helped further the development of a disastrous and personally irritating trend in basketball, not able to be formed entirely by Vlade Divac.
Oh, and the Tim Duncan Push should be called everytime it causes the perpetrator to gain the basketball. Refs should let it go so long as it doesn’t gain an advantage for the violating player, but the “over the back” push should be whistled everytime it causes a displaced player to lose a rebound.
Man, I’m gonna set a record for technicals in 2008-2009.
I’m out like the NBA Officials standing up to Kobe after they blow their whistle.
March 2nd, 2008 at 9:44 am
mavs all the way says:
“Ray Allen can be put in that group,too..”
- man, he must be the first guy on that list…
“..could he(ecity) still succeed in another environment?”
- i hope,but i doubt it.
props to hermann and to Str8baller as well. i thought the only thing u can write is first… lol
and it’s gotta be isiah,YOUNGFED. i hate to admit it but it’s gotta be my man mj23 running second…
out like ecity’s peak…
March 2nd, 2008 at 10:28 am
Str8baller says:
mavs all the way..
I just do that “first” ish in the mornings… Got a lot of people mad, so I’ll quit doing it. But I got mad stories to tell. Specially about a lot of the overseas cats…
Just need time and the opportunity to tell ‘em
March 2nd, 2008 at 10:55 am
jz_smoove says:
wtf? eddie curry got 6 rebounds! SIX!!! yup, he jus peaked.
hermann is a baller alright. i picked him up on my fantasy squad last season and he was giving me mad points for cheap. he was racking up 20-30 pts for me for cheap. so i followed his exploits after that and found out for real, this dude is a baller. i am saddened that he has to go play for pistons though where his talent is tucked on the bench. he should be a starter in most other teams.
March 2nd, 2008 at 11:10 am
Hollowhustla says:
It wasn’t Raja that got the foul, it was NASH!! He was trying to slow Willie Green from getting the inbounds and got caught pulling his jersey. The replay showed it and it was right after he hit a 3. Nash is looking very ordinary since Shaq. He was already a defensive liability, but teams are now blantantly abusing him. Grant Hill/Bell made Ig look like an All-Star,. He was hitting j’s, step backs, 3′s, fast breaks dunks, & oops. Shawn Marion would’ve been defending all that!
March 2nd, 2008 at 11:28 am
Dennis Castro says:
Sammy D did everything he could to give the Suns that game. From a defensive 3 seconds call in the last 2 minutes(!) to constantly not going under on the pick and rolls to defend Nash. Nash hit at least 2 three’s because Sammy didn’t go under to defend the pick and roll.
As much as he changes/alters/blocks shots and rebounds, he has no bball IQ whatsoever. It’s so frustrating watching him play and if he hasn’t got it by now, I don’t think he’ll ever get it.
If the Sixers can get out on the break consistently, they are a playoff caliber team. They’re one of the better fast breaking teams in the league.
And Reggie Evans is the man! Every team needs a guy like him to do the dirty work and when he helps on the double teams he really disrupts the offensive player and forces a turnover more often than not.
March 2nd, 2008 at 12:17 pm
word says:
fucking reggie evans. could Nash have any more turnovers? WTF is going on with my team right now, I don’t understand how we haven’t played D in like 6 years and then we wonder why games like this are lost.
I guess I will just get ready for disappointment in the playoffs .. AGAIN. Nash is never going to get a damn ring.
And Eddy Curry plays like he Shaq’s age, I forget that dude is like 25. Thats messed up.
March 2nd, 2008 at 12:22 pm
word says:
also, in light of my effort to stop pretending the Suns are getting to the Finals I will say I hope Boston wins the championship, Garnett deserves it. And Cassell too (at 38 this is gotta be his last chance, unless he Dikembe Mutumbo’s it..), and thank you Brandon Roy for coming back the other night and defeating Kobe’s ego that we all know is hungry to win another Ring, which I truly don’t want to happen, although I don’t want the Spurs to win even more.
March 2nd, 2008 at 12:53 pm
Hollowhustla says:
Cassell already has 2 rings with Hakeem “The Dream” Olujawon, Robert “Big Shot Bob” Horry, Kenny “The Jet” Smith, Vernon “Mad Max” Maxwell, Clyde “Glide” Drexler, & Mario Elie. Houston Rockets (1994-1996) knocked off David Robinson and the Spurs in ’94 & Shaq & Penny in ’95.
March 2nd, 2008 at 1:21 pm
Dank says:
did anyone else see David Lee getting dunked on by D-Howard and then his moronic attempt to give him a forearm shove at the end of the play? are you colossally fucking kidding me David? what are you going to do? pull out some kryptonite and hope you dont get your ass handed to you?
it goes to show the disgrace that is that entire Knicks roster, and the shit years ahead of them with a bunch of hotheaded players who care more about fighting than playing ball. Renaldo Balkman has got into it with Lebron, Nate Robinson, well, who hasnt he got into it with? his own teammates even, and Mardy Collins with Melo and JR Smith. it would make sense to be tough and get into fights every once in a while, IF YOUR TEAM FUCKING WON or if you were a team known for playing good D. but when your down 20 like the knicks always are, it just looks fucking retarded
March 2nd, 2008 at 1:45 pm
Nick Barnes says:
Mardy didn’t get into it with Melo. Melo’s fist got into it was Mardy’s chin and Mardy didn’t even see it coming. Then Melo turned into Champ Bailey with the Pro Bowl backpedal.
March 2nd, 2008 at 1:53 pm
Dennis Castro says:
Word, give the trade some time. It’s going to take a while for Shaq to integrate himself to this PHX team.
The trade was made specifically for the playoffs. I think Kerr was willing to concede a couple of playoff spots if it meant being able to run an efficient half court offense in the playoffs, which any team wanting a chip has to be able to do.
March 2nd, 2008 at 2:45 pm
Tim says:
Juan Dixon played great last night…missed one shot the whole night…i like him much more than Flip Murray…Dixon will actually pass the ball. And Herrmann is awesome…his hands are so big he can palm a basketball with his index finger and thumb!!! On the local Pistons broadcast, the Greg Kelser said he can palm an oversized basketball with ease too…
so that means the Pistons have 11 quality players than can contribute…have fun guarding that in the playoffs…
I didnt even mention the possible Theo Ratliff help too…
Makes me wonder…is Detroit the deepest team in the NBA?
March 2nd, 2008 at 3:18 pm
Ian says:
hollowhustla
got a bit mixed up there
it was knicks in 94 and spurs and magic in 95
peace
March 2nd, 2008 at 8:41 pm
chance says:
yep, sam i am got his rings against the knicks in 94 and the magic in 95.
i can see fabio herrmann really flourishing in an environment like the raptors or maybe SA or the Mavs… for obvious reasons
March 2nd, 2008 at 9:31 pm
Utes Fan says:
They did knock out the Spurs in the conference finals in ’95. When Robinson won the MVP and Hakeem proved to everyone who voted who the real MVP was that season. In ’94 Hakeem won the MVP and beat Stockton and Malone and the Jazz in the conference finals and then Ewing and the Knicks in the finals
March 2nd, 2008 at 11:15 pm
Celts Fan says:
Didn’t know that stuff about Hermann’s family. crazy… Saw Hermann play internationally a few times and with the Bobcats on NBATV last year. He can definitely play. He’ may not be a starter (not good enough defensively) but he’s a really good shooter, has a great basketball IQ, and is more athletic than you’d think for a dude that looks like he should be in a soap opera, and should be in the rotation somewhere, and I think is still good enough Flip should give him 15 minutes as a change-of-pace, bench scorer type.
The Suns are done. Marion was too vital to that team and losing him and slowing down for Shaq changes them too much in my opinion. It opens up the floor for Amare to work off Shaq, but they’re a slower team now and don’t just cause havoc (offensively, and to your whole gameplan cuz teams used to get caught up and try to play like the Suns, take bad shots, and be down 20 before the shell-shocked coach would call a timeout. Not anymore) They don’t wear you down like they have done, so they’re not scoring as much and they’re only slightly better defensively (Marion could force tons of TOs.) Amare’s still capable of going off enough they could pull it together, but it doesn’t look promising to me…
Mardy did get into it with ‘Melo. Say what you will about the backpedaling, but he and Mardy were jawing at each other and Mardy said something, and Melo swung. It wasn’t a sucker punch, just the first punch. I feel like Melo would’ve devastated Mardy Collins too, why he backed out like a bitch I’ll never understand…
I think Eddy Curry could be salvaged. He’s big and can score. You need someone like a Marcus Camby and Tyson Chandler next to him to control the paint defensively and let Curry handle the bulk of the low-post scoring. I don’t think he’s ever gonna be a starter on a contender, but he could still be an effective player in this league in the right situation (so next to someone the exact opposite of Zach Randolph) if he can just put down the twinkies. If not, he’s eating his way out of the league just like Tractor Trayler and Oliver Miller.
March 2nd, 2008 at 11:54 pm
Desert Storm says:
I love all the geniuses who are preaching the downfall of the Suns or the ever famous “The Suns are done” What are you, a fortune teller? Everyone knew short-term this trade would hurt. This was a trade made for the playoffs where Shaq could better match up with the trees in the west. It’s common knowledge that if you have a athletic, mobile center (Chandler, Rasheed, Dalembert) who runs the floor, you can catch the Suns nappin. Look past the hype and pay attention. The last 5 losses are Warriors, Lakers, Pistons, Hornets again and Philly. Apart from Iggy playin like an all-star in the sixers game, you can’t really call the other 4 losses upsets. When u remove an integral part of your team like Matrix and replace him with Shaq, it might take awhile for them to click. You don’t change your style of play 50 games in(which the Suns are the only team who made a major trade this season are tryin to) and start rollin right away. So, Celtics fan, worry about who’s gonna guard Lebron and worry about how your age and short bench gonna match up with the Pistons’ depth and youth;
and word, fair weather fans like you are the fans we don’t want. You would give up on your team with 23 games left after a big trade made to try to win a championship. You’re not a Suns fan cuz if you were, you’d at least wait til their season was done before you start gettin all defeatist. 23 games and countin
I’m out
March 3rd, 2008 at 12:13 am
ScoGo says:
E-City could definately succeed somewhere else — like my morning pick-up games in downstate Illinowhere (not far from the place where a high school senior version of Eddie played a game in the state tournament where he pulled down two rebounds). Hey “Celts Fan,” funny line about being better if he played next to Tyson Chandler. Those guys spent too many seasons in Bulls uni’s posing as Dumb and Dumber to EVER be considered salvageable.
March 3rd, 2008 at 10:00 am
Juanito says:
That stat about the starting streak for Chauncey, Sheed, Rip and Tay is wrong. Prince is the only one who has started all those games. Billups missed two starts back in November and Rip missed the first two games of the year because he had a kid. Sheed had an ankle issue earlier this year as well..
March 3rd, 2008 at 11:36 am
dagwaller says:
Eddy Curry: 12.8, 4.6, .5, and .5 bpg in 25.4 mpg.
Darko Milicic: 6.6, 6.0, .9, and 1.8 bpg in 24.3 mpg.
Darko’s also 3 years younger.
Just sayin.