Opening Night Rehearsal
Paul Pierce, Dime #5In a matchup that we’ll see play out for real on Opening Night, Oct. 28, the Celtics edged the Cavs thanks to Leon Powe’s go-ahead free throws with 13 seconds left. One thing we won’t be seeing on Opening Night is Tony Allen going off like he did on Friday, dropping 25 points (13-for-16 FT’s) in more than 40 minutes of burn. KG, Ray and Pierce made brief appearances in the first quarter, and LeBron (15 pts) went out for good early in the second quarter … Play of the game: Brian Scalabrine drove in for an ugly up-and-under layup try, which hit all backboard, but Bill Walker cleaned it up with a nice follow dunk. Of course, according to Scalabrine Revisionist History, he’ll say he saw Walker streaking down the lane and tossed him a no-look alley-oop off the glass … Darius Miles only got in for four minutes off the bench. Two games in, and his PT is already going down. Or maybe Doc Rivers just has D-Miles on that Grant Hill plan where he goes one game on, one game off … The Knicks looked good in their second preseason game, dropping 110 points on the Sixers in a road win. David Lee put up 19 points and 15 boards, while Zach Randolph finished with 18 and nine. Don’t look now, but the Knicks’ starting bigs are getting it done in Mike D’Antoni’s system. At least offensively and on the glass. Elton Brand was destroying NYK’s front line early, as he dropped 18 first-quarter points and ended up with 24 … The Knicks also got solid outings from their point guards: Chris Duhon went for 19 points, while Steph scored 13 and the two combined for just five turnovers. Is it possible the Knicks will actually be good this year? One of our writers thinks so. Read his take HERE … Remember during the Olympics and in Team USA’s pre-Olympic exhibition when Russia’s point guard J.R. Holden was giving everybody buckets? The ex-Bucknell standout is a star overseas, but yesterday his CSKA Moscow squad got mopped by the Orlando Magic while Holden went scoreless (0-for-8 FG’s). Trajan Langdon scored 12 and Terence Morris had 16 for CSKA, but no one on their side could handle Orlando’s front line of Dwight Howard (28 pts, 10 rebs), Rashard Lewis (15 pts) and Hedo Turkoglu (16 pts). Hopefully J.J. Redick took the opportunity to get contact info from CSKA Moscow’s people. He’ll need it sooner than you know … Brandon Rush scored 18 in the Pacers’ win over the Bulls, which was played on the same court used by the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the D-League. Indy looked about 70 times better than in their preseason opener, when they got destroyed by the Hornets. T.J. Ford put up 18 points, 5 boards and 5 assists this time out, getting the better of Derrick Rose, who had 13 points and six assists … We’re glad to see Roy Hibbert has been consistently getting his hair cut since going pro. He all lined-up and everything. Big Boy Roy has the size and footwork to be a solid pro, but when he’s on the same court with somebody like Tyrus Thomas (15 pts, 10 rebs, 3 blks) you see just how slow and unathletic he is for the pro game … Earlier in the day, the Pacers traded Shawne Williams to the Mavs for Eddie Jones, with some cash and draft picks involved. Although Jamaal Tinsley is still officially on the roster (he’s like that pesky ingrown hair Larry Bird just can’t get rid of), the franchise is pressing on with its public-image makeover that’s been going on since Ron Artest and Stephen Jackson were traded. The 22-year-old Williams has run afoul with Johnny Law a couple times recently, and on top of that, hasn’t delivered at all on the promise Indiana saw when they took him 17th overall in the draft. Coming out of Memphis, Williams was often compared to a young Antoine Walker, but so far has averaged only 5.6 points and 2.3 rebounds in two pro seasons. Not sure where he’s gonna play in Dallas, as they’ve already got Gerald Green and Antoine Wright occupying those “I’m young, athletic, I have potential, and I need to save my career” spots on the wing … At 10 p.m. EST tonight, the Nuggets and Suns will be on TNT, playing an outdoor game in Indian Wells, California. Allen Iverson (knee) won’t be there, but he did play in Denver’s win over the Wolves last night. Carmelo didn’t play last night, and last we heard his status for Saturday is up in the air … Could this be the year the Pistons win another NBA championship? We broke down the possibilities in Detroit’s ‘08-09 season preview. With Rodney Stuckey, Amir Johnson, Jason Maxiell and the rest of the young guys allowing the vets to stay fresh, they might have enough to get over that Eastern Conference Finals hump. The Pistons put Washington on smash in their exhibition matchup last night, holding them to 62 points. Andray Blatche summed it up for the Wiz, finishing with 4 points on 2-for-12 shooting, with four turnovers and he fouled out. ‘Sheed led Detroit with 12 points … It took a minute, but Shavlik Randolph finally pulled off the Christian Laettner Jr. act Duke fans were expecting back when he was THE MAN in high school and was supposed to be a superstar for Coach K. Shav went 9-for-9 from the field and made his only freebie, scoring 19 points to go with 10 boards and three blocks for the Blazers in their win over the Hawks. Shav better get ‘em up now, ’cause even if he makes the roster, he’s getting ZERO burn once the games start to count. Greg Oden had 11 points and 5 boards for the Blazers, Jerryd Bayless had 15 and 7 dimes, and Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge went for 14 points apiece … That’s two straight awful showings from Larry Brown’s Bobcats, as they didn’t crack 80 and got run through by the Grizzlies last night. This is starting to look way too much like the LB/Knicks catastrophe, and Brown has already found the one thing he’s gonna nag the team about all year: Vince Carter’s Syndrome, otherwise known as taking too many jumpers and not attacking the basket enough. “We have to teach these jump shooters to dribble-drive and get to the rim,” Brown said after the game in which Charlotte shot 3-for-16 from deep. It’s not the first time he’s made a statement like that concerning this squad, and it definitely won’t be the last. This won’t end well … We’re out like Eddie …
October 11th, 2008 at 5:40 am
Bruce says:
Good job Dime, back from a good night out and a new post.
October 11th, 2008 at 5:47 am
knoc says:
im having nightmares about that jerryd bayless trade! damn team shoulda kept him
October 11th, 2008 at 6:28 am
Damon says:
yeah, what did bird think?
bayless is a potential star, exactly what we needed.
sry larry, but thats another mistake…
October 11th, 2008 at 6:31 am
j from la says:
im glad basketball is back. pistons window is closed for winnin a chip tho. bill walker looks cool and the knicks look ight. THE BOBCATS SUCK!!!! larry brown needs to retire. o yea for all u dumbasses and haters out there if i wanna say first cuz im the first post im gonna say first. outro
October 11th, 2008 at 6:33 am
smity far away says:
i wouldnt be mad to see new york keep it up. It’s time for all the teams in the east to be relevant again (which will help the whole league obviously).
@ Dime
I thought the magic/moscow game was in orlando. thats what the boxscore says at least…
October 11th, 2008 at 6:36 am
smity far away says:
“o yea for all u dumbasses and haters out there if i wanna say first cuz im the first post im gonna say first. outro”
smh
October 11th, 2008 at 7:15 am
YOUNGFED says:
Is it me or is Bayless looking better than D Rose. Also to all you Pistons haters yall better check the Resume (6 straight conference finals) ain’t nobody else doing that. So yall need to back up and respect the kings.
Just putting this out there but if Brand stays healty the sixers are gonna be a PROBLEM. Also for all the Zach Randolph haters dude is a beast and it’s looks like him and Lee are looking to make a case for the Knicks.
THE EAST IS BACK AND RUNNING ISH. HOLLLLLAAAAA!!!!!
October 11th, 2008 at 8:00 am
THA NEXT HIGHFLIYA!!! says:
Why is Scal still playing ball? I saw the highlight on sportscenter and Bill walker dunked that shit nasty. Scal misses it badly and D-Miles doesn’t get any burn?!?!
We talkin about practice(had to add that)
October 11th, 2008 at 9:40 am
Dagomar says:
So Bron got 15 just in the first? I know it’s just the preseason but it seems like he’s figured out this Celts team . . . .
Brand sounds like he’s going to be strong for Philly. Is he now the second-best PF in the East, or does the title still belong to Bosh? Watch out for the 76ers this year, I think they’ll be a very strong playoff team.
Gonna be a long, long year for Brown and the Bobcats I think. Karma finally caught up to him. It’s hard to say what exactly is going on there, because while they don’t have any A-listers they do have some talent. Maybe the team just lacks a leader . . . or maybe Brown’s style of coaching doesn’t work anymore.
October 11th, 2008 at 10:10 am
lee says:
Has Eddie curry’s heart failed yet in the knicks running style or didn’t he play last night.
If he dies does his salary still count towards the cap ?? Maybe this is why the knicks Hire D’Antoni …
October 11th, 2008 at 10:13 am
VERTMAN says:
Your NBA knowledge sucks, Dime. Most of you know your stuff, but some of these writers on here have NO clue. I’m out like Dime will be in 1 yr. due to lack of sells. Maybe you’ll be able to keep this online version.
October 11th, 2008 at 10:55 am
jz_smoove says:
NOBODY remembers who lost to the eventual Champs, let alone conference finalists hardly…as in nobody cares. how is repeatedly going 2nd, 3rd or 4th overall make somebody King?
in the dictionary, champs = kings.
not champs = losers.
October 11th, 2008 at 10:56 am
jz_smoove says:
i aint hatin, jus sayin…
i like the pistons theyre good, but not great anymore.
October 11th, 2008 at 11:38 am
Willis says:
sweet the kings must be a dynasty
also smack they played last night you should try and mention them at least
October 11th, 2008 at 12:14 pm
Celts Fan says:
Roy may be slow and whatnot, but Big Al and Perk aren’t exactly sleek, fast athletes, and one just averaged 20 and 10, the other was a starter (admittedly the 5th best one) on a title team last year. Ty meanwhile, hasn’t lived up to 2nd overall billing (and I liked the kid, still think he’s got a bright future) so maybe athleticism isn’t everything. 7′2″, 280 means you can (theoretically anyway) play the Perk role of just taking up space and gobbling up anything that goes anywhere near you. At the VERY LEAST, he should be a damn good backup.
October 11th, 2008 at 12:23 pm
Celts Fan says:
btw, I know Scal’s deal is guaranteed, but why can’t we just buy that bum out? I don’t want Miles (we need to cut 1 guy, it’s between Darius, Gabe Pruitt, Bill Walker/Giddens - not happening, and technically, I guess Powe and Big Baby.) OR, we could just buy out useless Scal. I don’t want Darius, but I DEFINITELY don’t want Scal. That guy is completely useless
October 11th, 2008 at 12:26 pm
schoops says:
I wonder if JJ found it weird looking at his future self in Trajon Langdon?
October 11th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
Dre Baldwin says:
That Magic- CSKA gsme was in Orlando, not Russia. Nice try at the joke, though.
October 11th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
dapro says:
“Coming out of Memphis, Williams was often compared to a young Antoine Walker, but so far has averaged only 5.6 points and 2.3 rebounds in two pro seasons.”
Now he can be compared to an old Antoine Walker
October 11th, 2008 at 2:05 pm
Tobi says:
Bron was rocksolid:
http://www.squidoo.com/LebronJamesDunk
October 11th, 2008 at 5:03 pm
Homeless J says:
What I really like about Bayless is that he had a reputation for being all offense and a shot jacker in college and now he’s working really hard on his defense and letting Nate McMillan mold him into a good defensive point guard who can dish out assists and has a smooth jumpshot, reminiscent of one of my all time favorite players, Gary Payton. I could definitely see him winning the permanent starting spot by the end of the season.
October 11th, 2008 at 5:20 pm
jimmhumm says:
What’s up with Iverson having a KNEE injury? Yahoo sports has it as an ankle?
THem cats are trash!!! THey have two things holding them down MJ and Larry Brown. Understand they are a talented team and should be 5th in the east like the Wiz in 2001-2002 and the knicks with LB at the helm. These guys are too hard on players and expect perfection. Look of J-Rich to hit the trading block harder than Kimbo Slice hit the mat.
October 11th, 2008 at 6:15 pm
Jason says:
Monta Ellis suspended 30 games by the Golden State Warriors for the violation of his contract.
October 11th, 2008 at 7:13 pm
Skeeter McGee says:
Sup peoples I’ve been gone for a little bit hope y’all been doing aight…
I gotta ask a basketball related question, but its very random. Has anyone played both of the new NBA video games (Live 09 and 2K9)? Which one is better in your opinion? I’d really appreciate the input and no, I’m not a nerd, just wondering…
Don’t look now but maybe the Knicks might make the playoffs this year? That should stir things up haha…
October 11th, 2008 at 11:26 pm
rodnets says:
Dear Dime:
Las night I saw OKC Thundersonics - Sacramento game and a figure stood nearby OKC bench. It was him, Robert “Englund” Swift. Nine ten I’ll never sleep again!!
Peace