The playoffs (kinda) start early
Paul Pierce, Dime #5
The only three games on last night’s NBA schedule just happened to provide three — well, more like two and a half — first-round playoff previews. For the Sixers, a win over Boston would even them up with Chicago for the East’s 6th seed (and the right to play Orlando), but a loss would keep them firmly in 7th place (and a date with the Celtics in Round 1). Philly had every reason to win, playing at home and having the benefit of Ray Allen being suspended for treating Anderson Varejao‘s sack like a heavy bag, not to mention Kevin Garnett being held out to rest his knee. But they still couldn’t stop Paul Pierce. Carrying a starting lineup (Tony Allen, Rajon Rondo, Kendrick Perkins, Leon Powe) that looked a lot like something from the pre-Big Three era, Pierce hit seven threes on his way to 31 points, and hit the eventual game-winner … Pierce even sat most of the fourth quarter, but Boston’s role players made up a double-digit deficit, and Pierce came back in to knock down a step-back J with two minutes left that put Boston ahead for good, then twice in the final five seconds forced Andre Iguodala (25 pts, 5 rebs, 7 asts) into throwing up bad shots that could have won it … Classic rookie duty: Marreese Speights had to get on the mic before tip-off and thank the Philly fans for showing their support all year. He also would have had to help pass out the “Free Sliders” vouchers if the Sixers had cracked 110 points … The Sixers still have a shot at moving up, if they win today against Orlando and the Bulls lose to the Knicks. If the current seedings hold up, though, one thing Doc Rivers definitely needs to spend some practice time on is transition defense. When the Sixers did get out and run last night they had some success … And at least the Sixers got Thaddeus Young back. He scored 18 and looked good on that ankle … From last night’s game, you can already see how the Jazz/Lakers first-round series is going to go, and it’s gonna look a lot like last year: Deron Williams putting his team on his back and carrying them in an ultimately futile effort … Deron (25 pts, 13 asts) was putting in work at Staples: One time he had Shannon “Chris” Brown dancing around like he was in a Doublemint commercial, crossing him up like four times in a row before finally ending the misery and burying a three; another time he left Derek Fisher frozen in time with a left-to-right cross before dunking on Andrew Bynum; and another time D-Will deked Kobe with a ball-fake on the break that had Kobe doing the “bird flying at my face” reaction while Deron calmly put in a layup … As good as D-Will was, though, the Lakers were too much. They scored easily inside — Bynum had 22, Pau Gasol had 20, and Lamar Odom added 16 — while Memo didn’t play, and rained timely threes to cap most of their big runs … “It looks pretty bleak,” Jerry Sloan said about the upcoming postseason matchup. “We’re just like a little dent in the road as far as they’re concerned. They’re very comfortable playing against us, and obviously they should be.” … Heat/Hawks wasn’t really a first-round preview, since D-Wade didn’t play, and Joe Johnson, Mike Bibby and Josh Smith only made 15-minute cameos. That left it up to Flip Murray (17 pts, 5-20 FG) and Mike Beasley (23 pts, 13 rebs) to jack shots at their leisure. ATL came away with a win in a game where nobody was trying to show the other team much of anything … It’s official now: Isiah is back in charge. He accepted a five-year deal from Florida International University yesterday. We’re not sure how clever and rowdy the Sun Belt Conference crowds get, but we can’t wait to see what taunts and chants the opposing crowds have in store when Isiah comes to town … We’re out like the Jazz …
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April 15th, 2009 at 5:45 am
thomasmmm says:
the celtics are going to be plenty mad next week.
April 15th, 2009 at 5:59 am
YOUNGFED..."Got ya dream girl, Riding in ya dream car" says:
Playoffs here we come. 8th seed what, what
YOUNGFED’S BANGER OF THE DAY: Lil Wayne
http://www.xxlmag.com/online/?p=43434
“The Drought is Over”
April 15th, 2009 at 6:07 am
John says:
Everybody talking about Cavs x Lakers … Dont count the Celtics out, they are still the Champs, and as far as I remenber, nobody took anything from them . And I m a Heat fan, by the way.
April 15th, 2009 at 6:17 am
Iannyb says:
Go Lakers the time is now
April 15th, 2009 at 6:22 am
AB_40 says:
man can’t find the shot of harpring almost crying on the bench at the end of the lakers jazz game haha that was priceless.
utah is too short, portland is too young, new orleans like the spurs are too banged up, denver is too erratic, houston has no go to scorer and dallas is well dallas… as much as I like the rockets to advance to the seccond round and play the lakers I wanna see the blazers do that even more…
hahaha philly tony allen 18 points… really? TONY ALLEN? ah well
April 15th, 2009 at 6:30 am
the_don_mega says:
if the C’s are 100% healthy… they’re a big problem for any team in the L… and i guess the lakeshow would rather have the cavs than face-off against the C’s again…
April 15th, 2009 at 7:49 am
that's whats up says:
Jerry Sloan – Motivator of the Year
Spurs need to crack the Hornuts tonight
April 15th, 2009 at 8:30 am
POPPI GEE says:
Houston Up!
Tonights the night!
Dallas will have some motivation after being ripped and almost losing their last game. Still the word tonight is resolve! Going in and taking it.
Plus the rest of the West is going to have W and L’s too!
So we gonna look good regardless.
Tonight I am a straight Denver and N.O. fan lol!
Will be hoping they handle theirs!
the_don_mega you are right the Celts are still a real problem when healthy. Teams better bring it every game.
It’s on tonight!
April 15th, 2009 at 8:38 am
V says:
Was Jerry Sloan trying to motivate or has he really given up?
April 15th, 2009 at 8:51 am
that's whats up says:
well, I was being sarcastic.
maybe Sloan has nothing left to get his team motivated.
I mean, they had a decent season but seriously have underachieved. They have the talent to be a top 5 team in the league but the chemistry just isn’t there.
April 15th, 2009 at 8:54 am
Brown says:
You can’t take the Celtics seriously until Garnett shows he can play more than 20 minutes a night. Without a healthy KG, that team is done.
April 15th, 2009 at 8:58 am
Brown says:
Is it me, or did the Jazz start stinking when Boozer came back to the lineup? I think it’s safe to say that his ticket out of Utah has already been punched.
April 15th, 2009 at 9:03 am
solomon (el latino machismo) says:
no way sloan’s giving up like that… it outta be some reverse psych or something…
April 15th, 2009 at 9:23 am
itsakademiks says:
i had been waiting for this since last night
was i the only one cracking up when barkley was like
“SPEEDY CLAXTON!!!? i thought he was dead”
“sorry mr. and mrs. claxton but i really thought he was dead”
me and my girl bust out laughing at then and when they showed barkley’s reaction after gettin kneed by bradley and you wouldve swore son got shot.
April 15th, 2009 at 9:40 am
Poster boy says:
Playoffs gonna be real good this year if the Heat take out the Hawks and the Cavs take out whoever 8th then we gonna see D-wade and Lebron second round Thats gonna be just as good as Kobe and Lebron…. well almost as good
April 15th, 2009 at 9:49 am
Poster boy says:
And just a question who do u think will have more +30 point games in the playoffs
Lebron
Wade
Pierce
Kobe
April 15th, 2009 at 9:50 am
calvin brodus says:
Big mile high ups to Amar!
i don’t care how much sloan hates, you can count me in as jazz fan for the first round.
should be a battle tonight between nuggs and blazers. nuggs looking to clinch the second spot and break the record for best season in franchise history. the nuggs are tied for best season record right now. portland is real tough at home. im biting my nails already!
April 15th, 2009 at 9:55 am
Diego says:
Sorry, but Wade won’t have that many 30-point games because the Heat will be out in the first round. There is a reason the Hawks are the higher seed folks–they are the better team!
But LeBron vs. JJ (whom most of you haven’t seen much of, unfortunately) could be quite a dual.
April 15th, 2009 at 10:12 am
Amar says:
the game last night was just sick.
kobe doesn’t get to the FT line until the 3rd quarter, utah’s bench is doing their thing . . . and then boom, it’s all over.
nice to know that utah can almost hang with the lakers for 3 quarters on their court with TWO starters out for the Jazz. (2 of our 4 best outside threats — as evidenced by the jazz having to make plays for AK to take threes in the 4th)
utah has problems against the length of the lakers, or at least will also do so when they go to war with boozer, millsap and collins. i know the nba is trying to protect bynum right now, but he didn’t want any part of fesenko (two non-fouls when fes was keeping bynum out of the paint) — who is the same size, has greg oden’s reach, and is way more athletic than anyone else that big on the jazz. too bad fes doesn’t have jerry’s trust.
sloan isn’t throwing in the towel, he’s not that type of guy. he’s using reverse psychology — he does this at times.
still, lakers in 5 or 6 at the very least — expect changes this off-season for utah.
April 15th, 2009 at 10:14 am
Big Moose says:
btw chi plays toronto 2nite an not da knicks byt either way its a winnable game
+ so far chi’s past 2 games against orlando weve blown dem out so watch out 4 da bulls
April 15th, 2009 at 10:15 am
Amar says:
thanks CB — maybe next year we can do something similar?
April 15th, 2009 at 10:21 am
Big T says:
@Amar
Actually, the only reason Utah stuck around in the 1st half was due to fouls. Shooting 29 FTs from the charity stripe is outrageous for 1 half of ball. 29 FTs for the Jazz in the 1st half… Kobe is benched with foul trouble, and the Lakers still take a lead into half time.
April 15th, 2009 at 10:48 am
calvin brodus says:
count on it amar.
i just read that both nuggs and portland are 9-1 over their last 10 games. expect a playoff atmosphere in that game for sure. both teams have seeding on the line and both squads are fire right now.
northwest division is coming up. two teams with 50+ wins and the jazz at 48. thunder will be MEAN in a couple of seasons. i think the SW division will drop off in the next few years, but NW has plenty of youth and is far from peaking. NorthWest on the come up!
April 15th, 2009 at 10:50 am
YOUNGFED..."Got ya dream girl, Riding in ya dream car" says:
YOUNGFEDS VIDEO OF THE DAY: KOBE AKA K-HOVA
http://blogs.sohh.com/sohh_tv/2009/04/013114.html
April 15th, 2009 at 10:51 am
LakeShow84 says:
LOL Amar..
For reals though.. 29 fts in the first half WITH Kobe sitting out most the 2nd quarter and we still held the lead at the break?? yeah it was nice to see you guys “hang” with us in the first half..
i expect a shalacking.. but im about to be glued on the JJ vs Dwade duel.. thats going to be mainy.. especially since i expect the Hawks to wilt away and leave JJ to do it all himself again.. he and Dwade will make for quite a show..
and where are the Bynum haters at?? can my boy get some kinda props?? if you guys cant admit that kid is already in the top 5 centers in the league then you still drinking that haterade..
April 15th, 2009 at 10:58 am
Vohaul says:
“The Sixers still have a shot at moving up, if they win today against Orlando and the Bulls lose to the Knicks.”
Correction: if the Bulls lose to the RAPTORS…
April 15th, 2009 at 11:21 am
Amar says:
lol LakeShow
I know it’s impossible for a lakers fan to admit that their team also fouls . . . the FTs are awared to the more aggressive team, and utah WAS that in the first half.
no way that kobe is anchored to the bench in the playoffs, i fully expect kobe to get the wade treatment in the playoffs.
as for the “hang” comment, yeah, it took you guys till the 4th quarter to beat a team without two starters.
why does bynum need props for taking jarron collins to school? some low expectations you must have of him.
April 15th, 2009 at 11:29 am
teegee says:
Um, Philly is playing CLEVELAND (not Orlando) — in Cleveland — tonight, while the Bulls are hosting TORONTO (not the Knicks).
BIG advantage, Bulls. Because the Cavs want to tie that all-time mark for the best home record, while Chicago has been all but unbeatable at home of late.
April 15th, 2009 at 11:59 am
LakeShow84 says:
Come on Amar..
i can admit we foul.. shit i think Kobe gets away with ALOT on D but 29 ft’s in a first half?? isnt that what you Jazz fans were whining about in last years playoffs?? but all of a sudden its the most aggressive team right??
lol just like a Jazz fan to find light in another gloomy season.. hey tell you what you guys “hung” in a game that couldve gone either way and wouldnt have meant shit to us.. you guys were trying to send a message.. oh well see you next year.. thats our message..
And i wouldnt want a Jazz fans opinion on a true center.. you talking about missing your center who jacks threes and has little post game or defense?? please you would cry Argentina if you could trade Bynum for Okur.. our center plays like a man and yours barely looks like one.. lol Boozer and Okur.. no wonder you guys are on the verge of jack..
April 15th, 2009 at 12:00 pm
Dave says:
Lakers are on a different level than everyone else, they played with the Jazz most of the game and then finished them when it came time. Boozer is the most gutless, worthless, pathetic excuse for a player I’ve ever seen play. DWill, Harp, and Milsap may be the only players Sloan dresses for the Lakers series, the outcome is already decided, but at least those three will give an effort. I really don’t see anyone beating LA in the West.
April 15th, 2009 at 12:00 pm
LakeShow84 says:
Bynum would/will slaughter Okur..
April 15th, 2009 at 12:59 pm
BERN BROGDEN says:
@11 and @12 — BROWN :: YUP, YUP, YUP – agreed.
April 15th, 2009 at 1:52 pm
D.Head says:
So I was thinking about something last night this is my question. What if a real superstar said they wanted to really prove they were the best to play the game? what if a player the caliber of a Lebron or Kobe said they would take a paycut and go play for the clippers or Grizzles just to prove they were the best would you call them crazy or respect them even more?