The Terminator
Joe Johnson (photo. Zach Wolfe)Game 3 was Josh Smith’s time to shine. Game 4 belonged to Joe Johnson. Getting wherever he wanted to go off the dribble while unleashing mixtape moves (pity James Posey and Leon Powe), then wetting jumpers from every angle and distance, Joe went Terminator on the Celtics, putting the red beam on everyone who crossed his face and taking them out. He scored 20 in the fourth quarter and finished with 35 points as the Hawks tied up the series … In the post-game press conference Doc Rivers took on the “Hey, what are you gonna do?” approach, chalking it up to JJ simply being unstoppable on this night rather than rip his team for not being able to cover him. But could Doc have done a better job counteracting Joe’s offense? For long stretches he kept Ray Allen on Joe despite the fact Ray was getting christened on every play; he wouldn’t trap to perhaps force Joe to give the ball up before the screens and picks started coming; and he didn’t send Kevin Garnett (20 pts, 9 rebs, 6 stls) over with the double-team until it was too late … Add that onto the fact that Atlanta was all over the boards (Al Horford pulled down 13 rebounds) and their crowd was doing its thing as the sixth man, and the Celtics were walking out of Phillps with an L … Oh, and it’s not like Josh Smith played the background this time. He was a beast, going for 28 points and 7 blocks … Why was Celtic Pride on AMC last night? That’s supposed to stand for American Movie CLASSICS. Would anyone — even Damon Wayans or Daniel Stern or Larry Bird — refer to that flick as a classic? … Although the Nuggets showed some fight and played the Lakers better than they had at any point in the series, last night’s enduring images aren’t going to make the Game 4 season-ending loss look any better. You still had Carmelo Anthony watching helplessly from the bench in the last few minutes after having fouled out. You still had Kobe Bryant (31 pts) flashing that s***-eating grin all night while eviscerating Denver with pull-ups and spins in the lane. You still had the Nuggets defense getting picked apart and suffering breakdowns at the most inopportune times … Aside from fouling out, missing some layups, air-balling a three and arguing with the refs mid-play in the fourth quarter, ‘Melo had a decent night. He put up 21 points and 11 boards, delivering a vicious dunk over DJ Mbenga (join the club) and made a sick half-court bounce pass to Linas Kleiza for a wide open dunk … J.R. Smith was in his Jekyl-and-Hyde element. The bad: In one span of about 30 seconds he almost hurt Nene by drilling him with a chest bump that Nene wasn’t ready for, then fouled Jordan Farmar on a fadeaway J as the clock ran out. The good: In the fourth quarter — even before ‘Melo fouled out — J.R. (26 pts) was Denver’s go-to guy, knocking down threes to answer Kobe’s jumpers and giving the Nuggets the lead temporarily when he picked off a Kobe crosscourt pass and converted a three-point play over Lamar Odom … Was there a foul on the play that basically sealed it; when the Nuggets were down four and Kobe broke up a handoff exchange between Nene and J.R.? There was a lot of contact, but not any worse than what had been going on throughout the game leading up to that. Nene, by the way, wanted no parts of the ball in that situation, either … Usually Nuggets trainer Steve Hess (diesel White guy with dreads) sits behind the bench looking like some Navy SEALS workout demon in his Nuggets polo and sweats. But wearing a suit last night? He looked like a professional hitman ready to kill you with his bare hands … The Magic sent the Raptors home with another dominating performance by Dwight Howard (21 pts, 21 rebs) for them to think about. Orlando dominated the glass, and while they couldn’t knock down their threes for the most part (Jameer Nelson and Keith Bogans hit huge triples in crunch time), Toronto couldn’t knock down their shots when it mattered and could have gotten more from Chris Bosh (16 pts, 9 rebs) … Where do the Raptors go from here? Popular sentiment says Sam Mitchell has to have conversation with Bryan Colangelo about his job. The Jose Calderon re-signing needs to happen, and then you have to figure out if you wanna keep T.J. Ford around and continue the PG platoon. And someone — be it Mitchell or a new coach — needs to sit Andrea Bargnani down and, (1) Explain to him his role since he often looked confused this year, and (2) Make him watch 300 until he grows some hair on his chest … Before the game, Hedo Turkoglu was presented with the Most Improved Player trophy. At 29 years old, Hedo is among the older cats to win an award that has historically been given to younger men. Of the 23 MIP winners including Hedo, 15 of them were under the age of 25 at the time they won, including the last seven in a row: T-Mac, J.O., Arenas, Zach Randolph, Bobby Simmons, Boris Diaw and Monta Ellis … Hedo got 61 first-place votes, while runner-up Rudy Gay got 23 first-place votes. LaMarcus Aldridge finished third, followed by Al Jefferson, Rajon Rondo, Mike Dunleavy, Calderon, Chris Paul, Beno Udrih and David West. So who the hell gave Andrew Bynum a first-place vote when he only played half the season? LeBron got a first-place vote, while Shaq and Dwight each got second-place votes. And is there any doubt the person who gave Roger Mason Jr. a third-place vote is a media member who covers the Wizards? … Pat Riley has been quitting on the Heat for months; he just officially made the announcement yesterday. Riley is staying in the front office (’cause it’s easier to take over on the bench on your own whim when you’re the guy calling the shots) and handing over the coaching reigns to assistant Erik Spoelstra, news that no doubt made Bob McAdoo’s day. Funniest moment of the press conference? Heat owner Mickey Arison, looking like he’d stepped straight out of a Miami Vice taping, admitting he didn’t really know Spoelstra until he sat down and talked with him a few days ago. Did we mention Spoelstra’s been working for the Heat for THIRTEEN years? … Jason Kidd won’t be suspended for his flagrant foul on Jannero Pargo, which to Kidd’s credit, he made it look about as unintentional as you can make a blatantly intentional foul look. So Kidd will be there as the Mavs try to save their season tonight. He’ll be under watch, as will Josh Howard. We looked at J-Ho and some other guys (including ‘Melo, but you see how that worked out) who need to come through if their teams hope to survive and advance … We’re out like the Raps …
April 29th, 2008 at 3:10 am
the kid says:
first. big ups to all my haterz!!!
April 29th, 2008 at 3:15 am
kb24! says:
Whoo Hoo go LAKERS. 08 Champs.
April 29th, 2008 at 3:18 am
SooperDaug says:
Third!
You first heard it here… BOS-ATL series will go the distance!!!!
April 29th, 2008 at 3:44 am
Mark says:
wheres Travis Outlaw in the most improved vote??!! was killing up until the injury, hitting clutch buckets for fun!
April 29th, 2008 at 3:48 am
Diamond Life says:
Tonight Ray, Posey & Powe are all gonna be havin scary nightmares of JJ putting them in blenders.
After seeing JJ & Josh Smith getting wherever they want to on the court, I’m starting to think LBJ will have some huge games in 2nd round and the Cavs have a legit shot to take the series.
April 29th, 2008 at 4:17 am
Leandro says:
Carmelo’s dunk was nice and the dish to Kleiza was impressive…Unfortunately Melo isn’t a team player (like most of the Nuggets)
http://searchwarp.com/swa232335.htm
April 29th, 2008 at 4:24 am
Chosen says:
just think if the playoffs where at the park it would be bron vs sojah boy, kidd vs pargo, kg vs that guy with the big forehead, and kobe #8 vs kobe #24
April 29th, 2008 at 4:39 am
2 Easy says:
Who woulda thought that the Lakers would sweep and I mean easily the Nuggets and the Celts and Pistons would be in dog fights and the most balanced eastern conference match ups would prolly end 4-1? Out west was supposed to be tough…i guess thats teh 2nd round cause teams are just gettin it. o well maybe next year
April 29th, 2008 at 5:09 am
YOUNGFED says:
J-HO? WTF!!!!
And yall talk about K-HOVA?
BTW The God K-Hova was Murda last nite. It’s like his eyes roll to the back of his head and the basketball gods possess him.
And The “BITCHASSNESS” award goes to Pat Riiillleeeeeyyyy!!!
Dude is the king of taking over a winning squad and the bouncin’ win the S**t hits the fan. Runner up Phil Jackson or as Dime would call him “P-Ja”. lmao
April 29th, 2008 at 5:15 am
What is this!? says:
The Hawks were great! The Eastern conferense series are starting to look more interresting then the Western series, at least in the first round. The Hawks are showing some heart. It was fun to watch.
Well at least the Nuggets didn’t get blown out in game four (thats the only positive thing I can say). They actually played with a sense of urgency (something that some of the players hadn’t played with all series). Anyway, I don’t give a sh*t what they do next year, as long as Iverson leaves there. He deserves better. I used to think it was painful watching him struggle in Philly all those years and getting bumped out the playoffs…and at first was happy for him that he got out of there. But I almost can’t stand watching him in Denver, and borderline wish he would have just stayed in Philly, at least he would be playing with teammates that play hard every game and have heart.
The Nuggets are wasting Iversons time and the rest of his prime with their nonsense. That franchise is garbage and their crowds are garbage. Get Iverson playing back in a arena where the crowds are bananas and live. AI opt out buddy…you are who we thought you were. And leave Carmelos no-heart/ quiting/ choking and turning the ball over at the wrong times in the 4th/’no snitchin’/'the weed isn’t mine, its my friends’/no real franchise player or superstar/punch-and-run/DUI having @ss high and dry and alone up there in the Rocky Mountains where he belongs.
To think I used to stick up for Carmelo whenever people would say he isn’t on Lebrons level. SMH, as a b-ball fan I have lost respect for Carmelo this season and can’t wait for Iverson to leave just so I won’t have to watch Melo play the game.
April 29th, 2008 at 5:27 am
YOUNGFED says:
“At the offensive end, Prince is shooting 66%. He went 19-for-21 in two games in Philadelphia. In Game 3, when the rest of his teammates shot 33%, he made eight of nine shots. In Game 4, he was even better, scoring 23 while shooting 11-for-12.” – Detroit Free Press
Dude thats amazing he has only missed 4 shots in 4 games thats got to be some kind of record.
April 29th, 2008 at 5:59 am
sans says:
That’s better than 66%.
Can’t wait for for Celtics to get eaten alive by Bron… and whoever he has behind him next round. Cavs__Magic looks nice.
I’m drunk as hell and ready for bed.
April 29th, 2008 at 6:16 am
GayforRudy says:
Youngfed that’s what I’m talking about. It’s lazy. Players are supposed to earn nicknames…not just be given one because they crown DJ Mbenga!
J Ho sounds like J Lo. Regardless their both stupid and lazy nicknames. Dime was ready to call Josh Smith “beast master” too. Instead he just went “beast”.
Here’s The Rundown:
J Smif went beast
Al Ho got boards
D Ho got dub-dub
C Ant got blasted by What is this!? (funny stuff)
K Bry enjoys the taste of shit
H Turk won MIP
& J Ho LOVES the weed
April 29th, 2008 at 6:17 am
control says:
Denver’s Steve Hess guy: http://www.brightcove.tv/title.jsp?title=823375667&channel=770429296
Look at that guy’s neck, it’s HUGE.
God damn Raptors, spend all season being a fan and they stink up the playoffs like that…it always seems that they hang around right until the end, then just fall off. At least I’m not a Denver fan, they have more talent and lost basically because they don’t play well as a team.
I don’t have any particular like for the Hawks, or dislike for the Celts, but I hope the Hawks take the series, if only to hear people who were ready to talk about dynasty for the Celts be quiet.
April 29th, 2008 at 6:18 am
YOUNGFED says:
Ya that must have been a typo by the paper or someones math is way retarded Sans.
April 29th, 2008 at 6:18 am
GayforRudy says:
Oh yeah and the Sixers historically HATE to guard Prince. Guy always kills them. They should probably start recognizing that and guard him especially if they are going to let Wallace rain down threes on them while not covering him either.
April 29th, 2008 at 6:31 am
penske1 says:
Wow, the Celtics were all ready to coast through to (at least) the conference finals. Glad to see the Hawks putting up a fight and giving them trouble. I didn’t think they were mentally tough enough to come in as the worst team in the post-season, get the Celtics in the first round, and get TWO wins after EVERYBODY predicting a sweep. Good for them!
April 29th, 2008 at 6:41 am
YOUNGFED says:
lol at post #13 thats some funny s**t rite thuur.
Hey Dime i’ve been looking everywhere and can’ find Princes shooting precentage anywhere I also can’t find his FGA/FGM. Can a brother get a lil help son.
April 29th, 2008 at 7:21 am
penske1 says:
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/teams/det/stats?sort=25&year=postseason_2007
That was hard…
April 29th, 2008 at 7:36 am
Bust Jlaze says:
So lemme get this straight. There’s a possibility that neither Detroit OR Boston gets out the first round, which paves the way for ANOTHER Bron Bron Finals? And then we’ll talk about how he willed his team to another Eastern Conference championship, when it was in reality just another foolish meltdown by better teams? GRRRRR….
April 29th, 2008 at 8:06 am
GEE...Self Destruction, ya headed fo Self Destruction! says:
Houston Up!
I think it was Mike Tyson who said to a female reporter or group of reporters…”I wish that you guys had children, so I could kick them in the fucking head or stomp on their testicles so you could feel my pain,”
Have to think A.I. is feeling something close to a testicle stomp in regards to being on teams where no one has the heart he has, or he has horrible coaches or he has less-than-decent players around him.
I hate that for him. He deserves better to me.
I think it was Powe that looked like he was on that classic basketball game “Arch Rivals” where they slip on the floor on a wet spot. J.J. did him so nasty.
Congrats on the Hawks. Hmmmm the Hawks did better than the Nuggs. Crazy.
George Karl should be called “The Plague”.
So did Kenny and Crew put Jose Calderon on the “Gone Fishin” deal last night I missed it?
Lakers looked real good all the way through their series. Teams will have to bring it. As of right now I feel they are better off without Bynum in the mix. Granted next year I am sure he will be great to have. They should leave well enough alone because right now they are clicking on these chickens real nice!
Kobe is just retar…wait …insane! LOL LOL
April 29th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
foscheezeeee says:
I know TJ Ford deservingly recieves a lot of heat because of his selfish play, but if you are a Raptors fan (I’m not), you gotta be concerned about Andrea Bargnani play over the course of the season. I know it’s only been 2 years, but if you the top pick, you supposed to wreck on dudes and have a huge impact. I don’t see him play a lot because I don’t live in Canada, but everytime I have seen him I haven’t been impressed, he just look “Soft”.
I was impressed with how the Lakers always play together, but when it gets close, they always go through Kobe and he delivers. Sign of a good team. SA does the same thing, but they have 3 guys who they can go through.
Dwight Howard is unreal, they quietly taking care of business and I expect them to give Detroit all they can handle in that series (assuming Detroit beats Philly). If Chauncey is playing at his usual though, then his matchup with Nelson will be the key. And they did sweep Orlando last year, but that squad didn’t have Rashard Lewis and Hedo is playing at an All star level this season.
April 29th, 2008 at 2:05 pm
marcus says:
@22
as someone whos been a raptors fan since mighty mouse, watching bargnani is painful especially knowing that if we had roy or rudy we would have been so much better
April 29th, 2008 at 2:09 pm
Captain America says:
Hawks in 7!
April 29th, 2008 at 2:20 pm
Three Stacks says:
They put Chris Bosh and TJ Ford on the Gone Fishin’ thing, not Jose Calderon. Even though Calderon deserves more recognition than Ford does.
April 29th, 2008 at 2:38 pm
GEE...Don't be mad UPS is hiring! says:
DIME what the deally been trying to get on all day!?!?! with only 26 comments I guess others been having trouble all day.
Question? Is there anything I can do or need to do when I have trouble getting on to the site, or is it jus a sit and wait thing?
April 29th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
Joe says:
That refrence to 300 was outstanding, if Bargnani watches it on a loop all summer long maybe he’ll grow some hair on his peaches. And how delusional are the Toronto writers that said (this year) that Bargnani is currently better and has a much higher celing than LaMarcus Aldridge? He must have been hanging with Josh Howard that day
April 29th, 2008 at 2:56 pm
djKianoosh says:
finally gettin my dime fix for the day. damn that was rough…
as for the ‘Enver Nuggets, I have to wholeheartedly disagree that JR Smith was any good last night. yeah he got numbers, but that hides the fact that he launched some bizarre and idiotic shots late in the game that effectively killed their chances at taking the lead when they were rolling. that was right about the time Kobe started getting focused like only he can. I can’t stand watching JR Smith play anymore. and I’m not even a Denver fan. I can’t imagine what ya’ll go through with this knucklehead. He’s like Dalembert for the Sixers. always showing flashes, but always reverting to doing something stupid. they are both a turnover waiting to happen.
I’d love to see a Dwight Howard vs Lebron Eastern finals. that would be cool, as long as the Magic win.
just hatin on lebron, that’s all. i admit it. dont know why.
but let’s be real. no way philly and atlanta move on. both Boston and Detroit know it’s time to wake up and dispatch these ‘young’ teams. at that point, the 2nd round matchups will be very interesting.
looking forward to seeing the Spurs’ response tonight.
April 29th, 2008 at 2:58 pm
Dave says:
so does anyone think this Houston Jazz game tonight will be a brawl? If Scola stays after Boozer and Stacey Mac gets going this could go 6. Jazz still haven’t played a real good game this series so there’s a chance of a blowout if they get rolling.
What’s with McGrady messing up D-Will’s name? Someone with a name that could be a girl name shouldn’t be busting on someone who just dunked on you and is up 3-1. Maybe if TMac would’ve made team USA he would’ve know Deron’s name because they would’ve been teammates.
April 29th, 2008 at 3:05 pm
GEE...Self Destruction, ya headed fo Self Destruction! says:
Houston Up!
I think it was Mike Tyson who said to a female reporter or group of reporters…”I wish that you guys had children, so I could kick them in the fucking head or stomp on their testicles so you could feel my pain,”
Have to think A.I. is feeling something close to a testicle stomp in regards to being on teams where no one has the heart he has, or he has horrible coaches or he has less-than-decent players around him.
I hate that for him. He deserves better to me.
I think it was Powe that looked like he was on that classic basketball game “Arch Rivals” where they slip on the floor on a wet spot. J.J. did him so nasty.
Congrats on the Hawks. Hmmmm the Hawks did better than the Nuggs. Crazy.
George Karl should be called “The Plague”.
So did Kenny and Crew put Jose Calderon on the “Gone Fishin” deal last night I missed it?
Lakers looked real good all the way through their series. Teams will have to bring it. As of right now I feel they are better off without Bynum in the mix. Granted next year I am sure he will be great to have. They should leave well enough alone because right now they are clicking on these chickens real nice!
Kobe is just retar…wait …insane! LOL LOL
April 29th, 2008 at 3:09 pm
Dave says:
Does anyone else notice all of the uncomfortable hugs that Gasol lays on all of his Laker teammates? Kind of grosses me out when he rubs Kobe’s melon.
April 29th, 2008 at 3:40 pm
dh says:
didn’t it seem like the lakers – nuggets game was ‘up for grabs’ in the 4th?
looked like kobe was the only one who ‘grabbed it’. thats where he reminds me of mike the most (even more then the fadeaway j).
just my 2 cents…
April 29th, 2008 at 3:50 pm
Jeffrey says:
The Enver Nuggets (No D) are overrated. They don’t play defence (hence the “enver” name). There home crowd should just yell “fence” instead of “defence”
April 29th, 2008 at 4:19 pm
Dennis Castro says:
Anyone else find it fitting that if you follow the first letter of the first name and first 2-4 letters of the last name nickname logic, Carmelo’s is “C ANT”….
April 29th, 2008 at 4:37 pm
Brown says:
@foscheezeeee
It’s REAL painful being a Raptors fan. I’m a Warriors fan too, and I got the business this year from anyone I know who’s a fan of any other playoff team.
As for Bargnani, I was concerned the second his name popped up two years ago. I couldn’t believe the Raptors were going to spend a #1 pick on a guy who didn’t fill any of their needs. They had Charlie V, and he was a soft, outside shooter who could occasionally put the ball on the floor. As a GM, you HAVE to address the needs of your team, either through the draft or trades. Bargnani is a 4, plain and simple, and will never be a 5. He’s a poor-man’s Dirk minus the competitive spirit. I think this has to fall on Colangelo’s shoulders. He effed up that draft royally. When you’re building a franchise around Bosh, you don’t need to waste high draft picks on power forwards. They needed a wing player to complement Bosh, something he’s never had since VC left.
Colangelo needs to get some quality players on the Raps roster, cuz they look bad on paper and on the court, and that’s the GM’s fault, not the coach’s. I’ve always been worried that picking Bargnani would stunt the Raps’ development. Bosh needs a running mate for the franchise to have a chance, Bargnani ain’t it and never will be. He could turn into a decent player, but not an impact player, which is what a #1 pick is supposed to be.
April 29th, 2008 at 6:03 pm
for real says:
The SD on the side of Dalembert’s mohawk stands for SHIT-ASS DUMB
April 29th, 2008 at 6:03 pm
for real says:
……but I can’t turn away
April 29th, 2008 at 8:15 pm
daquest?on says:
i hate that the nba puts games on nba tv
April 29th, 2008 at 8:28 pm
daquest?on says:
i dont feel that bad now hahahahah dallas is out yeaaaaaaaa
April 29th, 2008 at 9:22 pm
for real says:
my favorite player is Manu Gibaldspot.
That guy is Dope !!!
April 29th, 2008 at 11:11 pm
mj>kb! says:
How do u fix Denver?
Larry Brown sounded like an option but he going to another team.
If George Karl is back AI has to opt out??? How can Denver really keep Karl as a coach?? Seems like he has lost his passion to coach? He just sits there. I can’t see adding Artest as the answer and I will hate to hear the bs thug talk even more if he did come…those were some BS foul calls on Nene…actually quite a few questionable calls both ways…didn’t like refs changing calls or calling them real late either…
Thought it would be better in Denver. They played the ONLY team in the league they didn’t beat at all this year but to get swept and be the only 50 win team to ever get swept in round 1…
Where could AI go if he did opt out? Would like to see him get a legit chance at a championship…
April 30th, 2008 at 9:09 am
one66soul says:
Where’s Ashton?
ZAZA Punked KG