LeBron’s Escape from L.A.
The end of Cavs/Clippers was equal parts unbelievable as well as completely, comically predictable. Dominating LeBron and crew from the get-go, L.A. led by 14 at halftime, by as much as 19 in the third quarter, and by 17 going into the fourth. But even with the Clips’ announcers ready to celebrate (“This is fun!” one of them blurted out in the second half), you just knew The other Six was going to drop eventually. And although LeBron (32 pts, 13 rebs, 11 asts) was struggling with his jumper all night (0-6 3PA), he sparked a 25-1 Cleveland run with his playmaking, defense and strong takes to the cup, and the Clippers’ lead withered away as you could feel the crowd embracing that familiar sense of dread. A Daniel Gibson three tied it with 1:50 on the clock, and after a Chris Kaman turnover, LeBron put the Cavs on top with a pair of free throws. Eric Gordon‘s Ezallian slip-and-fall on the next possession (“My neck and my back!”) seemed like the fitting way for the Clips to lose, but The Most Selfish Basketball Player in Clippers History hit a three to prolong the inevitable. Mo Williams put Cleveland back up with an open three, which put the Clippers in the one situation every one of their fans fears most: Six seconds left, one shot to win the game, and Mike Dunleavy Sr. with a whole timeout to draw up a terrible play … And what happened? First, like always, Dunleavy put ice-cold Steve Novak in the game (who hadn’t played since early in the second quarter) as the “decoy” who everyone knows won’t get the ball; then the “play” was an inbounds to Zach Randolph (20 pts, 12 rebs), who took a couple dribbles before launching a 30-footer that didn’t hit anything. Just embarrassing. After losing that game, would anyone blame the Clippers’ season ticket-holders for staging a mass walk-out? … It was the first time all year that Kaman, Marcus Camby and Z-Bo all suited up together, with Camby coming off the bench and Kaman generally carrying himself like a man who hasn’t played in several months … Anyone else find it strange that one of the rolling panels under the scorer’s table had big Commerce Casino ad on it? These are NBA refs we’re talking about … 
Just as high on the NBA Predictability Meter was the Pacers’ second-half performance against the Jazz. After Troy Murphy dropped SEVEN threes in the first 20 minutes, check out his entire shot chart for the rest of the game: two free throws, one missed three, one missed layup. That’s it. After looking like an NBA Jam character in the first half, Commander BONG seemed to be getting the freeze-out from — guess who? — T.J. Ford and Jarrett Jack. But the sad part is, T.J. and Jarrett probably didn’t intentionally ignore anyone; they just don’t know how to not play like Capt. Jack Sparrow … Indiana hung in there with Utah well into the fourth quarter, but their youth and Utah’s experience eventually proved the difference. Andrei Kirilenko broke a tie with a three at the 7-minute mark, Paul Millsap gave Maceo Baston his own Hakeem-on-Admiral moment with a textbook up-and-under, Memo schooled Roy Hibbert into an and-one and another two-shot foul, and finally Kyle Korver delivered the dagger with a corner three that put the Jazz up double-digits and paved the way for their 12 straight win … The Bobcats, meanwhile, had their six-game win streak snapped in San Antonio when Roger Mason (21 pts) broke open a close game in the fourth with a trio of triples. Tim Duncan added 18 and 11 boards in the win … Other big stat lines from Tuesday: Larry Hughes posted 39 points and David Lee added 19 points and 18 rebounds in a win over Milwaukee; and Dirk Nowitzki scored 34 with 13 boards in a win over Phoenix, the Suns’ fifth straight loss … Gary Payton had the day off from the NBA TV studio show, leaving them with a crew of Cousin Ahmad, C-Webb and Sam Mitchell, with Mike Bibby added for a portion of the night. Not good. Mitchell called Deron Williams “Duh-RON” and seemed at least two seconds late reacting to everything (reminiscent of his coaching days) in between prolonged bouts of silence — but even he looked like Mike Epps in comparison to Bibby. We’re not even sure Bibby was awake/alive half the time he was on-air. Webber was trying desperately to carry everyone to something halfway entertaining, and Craig Sager’s cameo was hilarious, but otherwise it was rough … We’re out like the will of Clippers fans …
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March 11th, 2009 at 3:37 am
Str8baller says:
first bitchezzzzz. GAYFED Sucks …
March 11th, 2009 at 3:42 am
Str8baller says:
Lebron is the truth. MVP fo Sho… D-Who?
March 11th, 2009 at 4:17 am
AB_40 says:
indiana utah was so so. This was the first time I watched utah all season and millsap is a nice player and booz always chokes in the playoffs so they havn’t got a real inside presence vs some of the huge and skilled players other teams have. therefore I don’t see them as a ‘darhorse’ contender.
If LeBron misses his first two threes he should just go in attack mode untill he gets 10/12 points on drives to get IT going after that he can try two threes again and so forth. He’s falling in love with that shot and wll it ain’t that good
March 11th, 2009 at 4:19 am
Sambuu says:
Zach 3-pointer was fugly…
March 11th, 2009 at 4:33 am
josh tha roc says:
the clippers loss was sickening…….i even thought for a moment..maybe they just needed their full lineup to start getting it going. i was wrong.
and what about the jazz…will they ever be championship contenders? looks like as good a time as ever, but they just don’t seem to be in the conversation.
March 11th, 2009 at 5:03 am
sam says:
apparently zach randolph was the 3rd option on the play.
March 11th, 2009 at 5:11 am
alf (from melmak) says:
what?! did not watched tv. mike bibby as a basketball analyst? who the heck makes up the selection committee? the three stooges? wait. it is not them. those are really funny guys. how outrageous were craig sager clothes in the show?
anyway, real test for the jazz over the next three games. again, i say their deep bench will pound their opponents to submission.
lastly, i am willing to give my meal allowance for one week to anyone who can get me a guesting stint on that nba tv show.
March 11th, 2009 at 5:37 am
Flying_Aussie_Dutchman says:
Just a question, Chris Paul had the record for longest games with a steal… Does anyone know the steak for blocked shots?.. Or any other interesting stat/streak etc?
March 11th, 2009 at 5:54 am
the_don_mega says:
@AB_40 – you got that Bron comment right on the money… he should take a page outta MJ’s book and start going to the line once your J is obviously off for the night…
and i guess Larry Hughes finally got what he wanted in NY… droppin’ buckets…
March 11th, 2009 at 5:56 am
Clipperfan says:
Mike Dunleavy Sr. should be FIRED!!!!!
March 11th, 2009 at 6:01 am
Biglang Liko says:
Mike Dunleavy’s face after Zach launched the 3. Priceless!
http://www.nba.com/video/games/clippers/2009/03/10/nba_cle_lac_0020800954_recap.nba/whatsnew/index.html
March 11th, 2009 at 6:24 am
YOUNGFED..."Yeah im from 8 mile but nothing like the movie bro." says:
YOUNGFED’S VIDEO OF THE DAY: Lebron’s fart break
http://www.king-mag.com/online/?p=11189
YOUNGFED’S BANGER OF THE DAY: Jim Jones ft. Akon
http://www.xxlmag.com/online/?p=39836
The Pistons are back….WHO WANT WHAT!!!!!
March 11th, 2009 at 6:25 am
YOUNGFED..."Yeah im from 8 mile but nothing like the movie bro." says:
………………………..
March 11th, 2009 at 6:56 am
Shrink This says:
Sam Mitchell was “at least two seconds late reacting to everything (reminiscent of his coaching days)”. Perfect.
But did he follow this up with a screaming tirade? Challenge anyone to a fight?
He was a hell of a lot better than the current raps coach though. I never thought i’d wish we had him back. Maybe Rupaul will take over coaching duties. Think Shaq would join the drag show?
March 11th, 2009 at 7:27 am
bamba says:
why is tmurph called commander bong again?
March 11th, 2009 at 8:31 am
Kante says:
Dirk was just amazing. M-V-P!
March 11th, 2009 at 8:50 am
Rangerjohn says:
LMAO @ dirk for MVP, that’s good shit right there
March 11th, 2009 at 9:18 am
solomon (el latino machismo) says:
i always, always thought boom dizzle would shoot the last shot… i’m disappointed, mike sr, gimme my money back…
March 11th, 2009 at 9:49 am
Big Mike says:
For Clippers fans, if there really are any, that game was a nightmare like some freaky Jason shit. Dunleavy has to be the worst coach in the history of the L. I thought he was going to explode after Zach launched that 3. They should move the Clips to Seattle. no way they can compete in LA. The Lakers own that town.
P.S.
Donald Sterling please hire a decent coach.
March 11th, 2009 at 9:51 am
loganlight says:
How is Mike still employed?
March 11th, 2009 at 10:18 am
Kobeef says:
Kryptonate and Larry Hughes combine for 71 points in a win…you can’t make this shit up!
March 11th, 2009 at 11:46 am
BROGDEN says:
I wish I was Pacer’s coach last night!!!
I can see me now…
“TJ! Call a timeout. OK. Hurry up gunnin azz…nevermind. Fellas. Alright. Huddle up. Now look, Deron’s off. They’re bringin’ alot of energy. But we’re bringin’ it too. We’ll give Millsap the pick-n-pop all day. But look at here, all we really need to do is, GIVE THE DAMN BALL TO THE TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY POUND SIX FOOT ELEVEN TEN MILLION DOLLAR BLACK-EYED WHITE MAN!
TJ: But I’m saying Coach, “I GOTTA GET MINE.”
Me: Troy’s seeing a lot of good looks out there and he’s knocking them down.
Lil’ Vince Carter:(ignoring me) “Chill TJ, if you gettin’ your’n then I’m gettin’ mine.
Me: Fellas, we’re losing focus. Now listen…
(RUDELY INTERRUPTED BY TJ FORD)
TJ: F#*% that, I’M GETTIN’ MINE!
(whistle signifying end of time-out)
March 11th, 2009 at 11:48 am
Big Island says:
The Clips are absolute garbage. Dunleavy is awful. Awful. I hope Eric Gordon gets out before something bad happens to him. I feel bad for Camby too.
How are you not going to milk a guy who has 7 threes in 20 minutes?!?! I would make him shoot until his arm fell off at the shoulder.
I don’t see Utah going too far with Memo/Millsap/Boozer as the bigs.
March 11th, 2009 at 11:51 am
Big Island says:
@Brogden
“But I’m saying coach” – LOL!! Holy shit, that is exactly how it went. LOLOL!!!!
March 11th, 2009 at 11:57 am
LakeShow84 says:
Lebron didnt escape from us..
March 11th, 2009 at 12:30 pm
Robbin says:
LeBron was outstanding! Just imagine what will happen to the Cavs once he gets injured…
http://ezinearticles.com/?LeBron-James-Dunk-Or-How-To-Increase-Vertical-Jump&id=645242
March 11th, 2009 at 12:31 pm
WinDelRoj says:
@ Brogden
That was either really funny and creative… or you are Troy Murphy and were actually there and thats exactly what went down lol
March 11th, 2009 at 12:33 pm
K Dizzle says:
@ Lakeshow – ZING! lol We chased him home and caught him there too
Z-Bo mighta been swingin in the locker room after that junk shot cuz Fred Jones, Boom and Eric Gordon were alll lookin at him like WTF? Jones was goin nuts. Damn shame how they let that game get away. The team is solid with some good talent, they just can’t execute.
After the Hiltoppers got into the tourny, it reminded me of Chris Marcus….and that Greg Oden might need to read up on him
March 11th, 2009 at 12:38 pm
DZ says:
Dime is right that Chris Webber and Sam Mitchell didn’t have any chemistry on the halftime show. But can someone tell me what is up with Ahmad Rashad? When I was a kid I thought he was a big-time announcer, like on a Bob Costas level. Is this “NBA TV wants to make themselves legitimate, so they went out and got a star, Ahmad Rashad, to host their show”, or is it “Ahmad Rashad’s career tanked and now he can only get a job on NBA TV”?
Plus, he’s not very good. In the highlights, it’s like he doesn’t know who everyone is on all the teams.
March 11th, 2009 at 12:55 pm
Taj says:
@ Brogden
Yo NBC needs writers like you, that was dope!
Dunleavy HAS TO be done after this year… That look after ZBO’s shot spelled one of 2 things:
1)”Zaaachh.. I needed you to draw iron on that” In which case, my 2 Yr old sister coulda drew up a better play
2)”Zaaaachhh… That’s not what I drew up” In this case he’s totally lost the respect of his squad.
March 11th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
doc says:
The Pacers coach should be screamed by Larry Legend.
March 11th, 2009 at 2:16 pm
BROGDEN says:
Thanks for the love y’all!
I literally lost my voice screaming at my tv “GIVE IT TO TROY” “GIVE IT TO TROY” “GIVE IT TO TROY”
I see why Hibbert wasn’t a lotto pick…
Why was KAMAN starting again? He JUST came back.
Bad sequence at the end of the CAVS game (well if you’re a CLIPS fan) Losing teams seem to do stuff like that.
And you’re WRONG DIME! I was thinking NOVAK all the way.
Props to LA’S OTHER SQUAD for not folding in the clutch. I mean, they fought hard, they were winning throughout the whole game, they blew a big lead at the end and they ultimately lost the game but they DID NOT quit…
they just played CLIPPERS BASKETBALL.
March 11th, 2009 at 4:15 pm
Amar says:
I strongly contest that the Jazz bigmen (Boozer, Okur and Millsap) are NOT a bad group, nor are they holding the Jazz down. when you look at the other 7 teams in the west playoffs right now they are pretty favorable.
Teams used: LAL (Gasol, Bynum, Odom); SAS (Duncan, Bonner, Thomas); HOU (Yao, Scola, Landry); Utah (Boozer, Okur, Millsap); POR (Aldridge, Oden, Przybilla); NOR (West, Chandler, Armstrong); DEN (Nene, Martin, Anderson); DAL (Nowitzki, Dampier, Bass)
Simplified Totals:
LAL: 43.0 ppg (53.7 fg%), 25.5 rpg, 7.6 apg, 1.9 spg, 4.1 bpg
SAS: 32.9 ppg (50.6 fg%), 20.4 rpg, 5.7 apg, 1.5 spg, 2.9 bpg
HOU: 41.8 ppg (54.8 fg%), 23.4 rpg, 3.8 apg, 1.6 spg, 2.4 bpg
UTH: 49.9 ppg (51.5 fg%), 28.0 rpg, 6.0 apg, 2.8 spg, 1.9 bpg
POR: 32.2 ppg (56.3 fg%), 22.6 rpg, 2.8 apg, 1.9 apg, 3.0 bpg
NOR: 33.7 ppg (51.8 fg%), 19.6 rpg, 3.3 apg, 1.4 spg, 2.9 bpg
DEN: 32.7 ppg (54.3 fg%), 19.9 rpg, 4.1 apg, 3.2 spg, 4.7 bpg
DAL: 39.4 ppg (54.3 fg%), 19.8 rpg, 4.0 apg, 1.4 spg, 2.8 bpg
Utah is 1st in PPG (+FGM, +FTA) and RPG (including a whopping 8.7 o.rebounds per game). They are 2nd in AGP, SPG, FTM and three point shooting (1.3/3.0 per game, 71 – 162 on the year for an average of 43.8%).
The stats aren’t perfect because I fudged them to include Oden and Bynum instead of using Mbenga and Frye. For a point of ref, the best team in the West (LAL)’s top three bigmen are 1st in only APG and BPG, and 2nd in D.RPG, Tot.RPG, FTA, and PPG.
Utah beats all the other teams in this metric, and also when you average out the pure value / minute / ‘average’ member of the three player group. Utah’s problems aren’t producting from their big three inside guys.
Booz – 16.6 ppg, 10.7 rpg
Memo – 18.1 ppg, 8.1 rpg
‘Sap – 14.3 ppg, 9.2 rpg
I’m pretty sure you’d want that from your top 3 bigmen on your favorite team, in terms of production.
March 11th, 2009 at 4:21 pm
Amar says:
* that 49.9 ppg for the Jazz is actually 49.0 ppg. 0 and 9 are close together on the keyboard.