Head and Shoulders
LeBron James and Kevin Durant didn’t go head-to-head as much as you would have liked to see during Cavs/Thunder, but they did square off on the most important play of the game — and LeBron came out on top. OKC was up one in the final seconds of the fourth when LeBron got a rebound, pushed the ball upcourt and found Boobie Gibson open for the go-ahead triple. (Can you blame Boobie for constantly walking around with a goofy smile on his face? He gets paid to do one thing — shoot the ball — while perhaps the best player in the world does the hard work to make him famous, AND Boobie gets to go home to Keyshia Cole every night. That’s not even fair to the rest of us.) Anyway, Thunder ball, and it’s Durant vs. James: KD crossed over left and had a step on him, but LBJ plucked his layup out of the air for the game-saving block with two seconds left … Before that, LeBron (37 pts, 9 rebs, 12 asts) spent most of the night being guarded by James Harden and Thabo Sefolosha, while Durant (34 pts, 10 rebs) was lined up across from Anthony Parker and Jawad Williams … Meanwhile, Shaq had a favorable matchup of his own, beasting the likes of Nenad Krstic, Nick Collison and Serge Ibaka on his way to a season-high 22 points. There was a time when 22 for Shaq was hardly “beasting,” but considering he was moving around like Giant Gonzalez against the Lakers the other night, the bar has been lowered … Alert the Kobe cult followers: Mike Brown has drawn a line in the sand. “[LeBron] is head and shoulders above everybody else right now,” Brown said after the game. Have fun with that one … Had things gone a little differently, Emeka Okafor would be making just as many headlines (OK, almost as many headlines) this morning as LeBron. Hornets/Nuggets was tied in the final seconds of the fourth, and Carmelo Anthony had a mismatch with Darius Songaila on him. ‘Melo got into the paint easily, but Okafor was there waiting and sent the shot back in his face … Arron Afflalo‘s two early threes gave Denver a cushion in overtime, and even after ‘Melo (30 pts, 11 rebs) had to leave when his ankle got Bruce Bowen‘d by Devin Brown, they held on for the win … Not to say this was a moral victory for the Hornets, but Chris Paul (26 pts, 10 asts) and crew at least proved the Nuggets aren’t in their head following last year’s playoff debacle … Once upon a time, you knew what you were getting from Magic/Bobcats: Dwight Howard would unleash some form of holy hell on Emeka Okafor, and Orlando would remind the ‘Cats they’re still small-time. Now it’s more interesting. Charlotte is right in the playoff mix, and while Okafor has moved on, Dwight has been at least intriguing in his inconsistency. The boards and blocks are no problem, but he’s far from a lock to hang 25-35 points on the ‘Cats or any team right now … Last night Howard posted 10 points (4-11 FG), 20 rebounds and seven blocks against Nazr Mohammed and DeSagana Diop, and the Magic got all they could handle from the streaking Bobcats, who had won nine straight at home going into the game. Orlando led by as much as 16 in the second half, but Charlotte dominated the fourth quarter — sparked by D.J. Augustin‘s shooting (22 pts, 5 threes) — and forced overtime on Stephen Jackson‘s layup with one second left. The Magic dominated the extra frame, though, going on an 11-0 run led by Jameer Nelson (21 pts, 7 asts) and never looking back … Other big stat lines from Saturday: Brandon Jennings put up 18 points, 13 assists and three steals to lead Milwaukee past Minnesota; Dwyane Wade slapped 27 points (11-15 FG), eight dimes and three blocks on Sacramento in a blowout; Thaddeus Young had 22 and 10 boards as Philly beat Indiana; Brad Miller scored 25 to lead Chicago past Houston; and Mehmet Okur posted 20 points, 11 boards and three blocks in Utah’s destruction of the poor Nets; Goran Dragic scored 18 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter to help the Suns beat the Warriors; and Martell Webster dropped 28 and six treys in Portland’s win at Detroit … Did you see the near-brawl in The Palace? Yes, it almost happened again. It started in the third quarter when Rudy Fernandez blew past Charlie Villanueva, so CV grabbed him around the neck and threw him down. (Hey, at least he was trying to play some kind of defense.) Juwan Howard was first on the scene and pushed Charlie, and Charlie shoved Juwan back. Then everybody else got involved, and while the altercation did spill into the crowd right along the baseline, there weren’t any punches or beer cups or flying chairs or David Harrison sightings … We’re out like CV’s D …
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January 24th, 2010 at 8:44 am
yoda says:
so carlos delfino and his 24-8-8 are not good enough to post here, but brandong jenings 18-13-3 is? just asking….
January 24th, 2010 at 9:18 am
YOUNGFED says:
Is sayin Happy BDAY to me and my team Sucks. I here theres a Rudy Gay/Tayshaun Prince deal in the works….3 words (Make It Happen)!!
January 24th, 2010 at 10:02 am
fallinup says:
“LBJ plucked his layup out of the air for the game-saving block with two seconds left”
Look at the play again and tell me that Bron didn’t shove Kevin to his left on that last shot. Shoulda been a foul right there… but oh well. It’s the “King”.
January 24th, 2010 at 10:04 am
ab_40 says:
CV sucks cohones
charlotte is realy playing well at home this season. they’ll be the up and coming atlanta like team for the next two years.
lebron is playing at an amazing level he had 9 rebs and people are bitchin that he didn’t get the triple double that’s just crazy.
orlanddo has no particular pecking order that’s why they are hurting.
minnesota is bad 18 win bad but new jersey is 7 or 8 win bad so it doesn’t matter. if minnesota get’s the no.1 pick do they take john wall? they’ll have ramon sessions, johny flynn, john wall and ricky rubio’s playing rights. that’s two of the best young Pg’s in the world. they’ll have to starting caliber power forwards three maybe four starting pg’s corey brewer and a whole lot of nothing. they need to trade kevin love right now his stock is still high and he’s a likeable guy.
January 24th, 2010 at 10:11 am
Arno says:
There’s a foul. Lebron is not only hipchecking KD, he’s pushing him when he’s in the air.
January 24th, 2010 at 10:14 am
Wes says:
LeBron’s block on Durant was huge!
http://ezinearticles.com/?LeBron-James-Dunk-Or-How-To-Increase-Vertical-Jump&id=645242
January 24th, 2010 at 11:18 am
kudos says:
Obvious foul at the end of cavs-thunder. I live in Ohio at the present, and the replays clearly show lebron initiating all contact. Too bad, but kd should know the refs won’t call anything against lebron no matter what. -
January 24th, 2010 at 11:20 am
bsmoot11 says:
do the lebron haters on dime even watch lebron play? lebron’s been playing a really high level of basketball this season. if anything, i dont think he gets enough credit.
yea, he might be a diva. he gets a lot of flac for that, but i dont see the haters give him enough respect for his basketball performance night in and night out.
January 24th, 2010 at 11:26 am
Dagomar says:
He’s been head and shoulders better for a few years now . . . .
January 24th, 2010 at 11:30 am
E$ says:
If anybody thinks Kevin Durant is going to get a foul called in the final secs in the Quickie Loans Arena vs LBJ – Kill Yourself
January 24th, 2010 at 12:18 pm
budz says:
if that was kobe instead of kevin durant, do you think the ref will blow that whistle?
hmmmmmmmmm
January 24th, 2010 at 12:53 pm
creamio says:
WAHHH! What a bunch of cynical losers you all are. Lebron is just doing what the best player in the world is supposed to do; owning everyone. Durant faded to the left on that play, don’t be dumb.
Oh, I know, he’s the king, he gets every call… WAHHH! As if Kobe, Jordan or any other superstar doesn’t get calls. I’m sure the refs gave him 37 points 9 rebounds and 12 assists too.
Losers, whine.
January 24th, 2010 at 2:33 pm
HERO says:
The Knicks FUCKING SUCK!!!!!
They are tough to watch today.
NO EFFORT AT ALL!!!!!
January 24th, 2010 at 2:35 pm
Think says:
Maybe if Durant was a little stronger he would be able to go straight up rather than have to fade, which would help him create the contact to get a call. The kid just isn’t strong enough. Easy block by the best player in the league.
January 24th, 2010 at 2:49 pm
nola says:
to be honest, i’ve been watching a lot of kobe and lebron games after taking interest in these “superstar” calls. charles barkley, i think, put it the best way the other day: kobe and lebron are completely different players at this point.
Lebron doesn’t need footwork or an incredible jumpshot right now. If he has a defender infront of him, he will blow past them and run THROUGH his defender or whoever is near the rim and finish strong because he is that athletic.
Kobe, however, doesn’t have that athleticism anymore after being in the league for so many years. He relies on his jump shot and his impeccable footwork. Therefore, maybe you’re right, Kobe does get superstar calls but he doesn’t have nearly as many chances to get those calls as Lebron does. Lebron gets foul calls anytime he has contact with a defender and if you watch a lot of his crossover-jumpsteps, 90 percent of the time, he takes 3 steps.
There’s no hate here for Lebron’s talent at all. It’s just really frustrating to watch the NBA sacrifice so much that MAKES this game GREAT, just for the sale of “superstar” players.
January 24th, 2010 at 3:05 pm
TL says:
^^ True, but I think Kobe still has the athleticism…he just doesn’t want to waste all that energy until playoffs. Plus, hes banged up with all these injuries so he has to definitely rely more on his shot. He’s not gonna take it to the rim strong, risking more potential injury.
January 24th, 2010 at 3:08 pm
KCL says:
Considering that Mike Brown actually has wet dreams about LeBron because his mancrush is so big Im not really paying attention to his bias comments. LeBrons not on Kobe level untill he gets a ring not before
January 24th, 2010 at 3:54 pm
Rafa23 says:
so even when kobe is 37 years old and scores 20 pts per game and lebron hasn’t won a ring, kobe is still better?
you shouldn’t confuse whole career acheimments and body of work with CURRENT level of play. lebron is playing better than anybody almost the whole season now.
January 24th, 2010 at 4:00 pm
joshua says:
what do you guys think of thois trade it gives the washington wizards a new start with a supertalent and gives them some space in the upcoming 2010 sweeptakes and if they can void gilbert his contract they could really start over
and it makes miami heat an immidiate power in teh nba for years to come
ps washington gets a first rounder too
http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=ygokeuo
January 24th, 2010 at 5:30 pm
RC says:
Good call by the refs, KD was sliding away from Lebron and LBJ got a clean block upstairs. If it was Kobe in KD’s place though I think there’s gonna be a foul. But it’s a good no call, that’s how NBA level basketball should be played. Allow a little bit of contact and not whistle on every little thing.
January 24th, 2010 at 6:06 pm
Chi-Tizzle says:
Brown is not employed without Lebron James. Probably just trying to hold his nuts hard enough so Lebron’s next team may hire him as an asst. or something.
January 24th, 2010 at 6:34 pm
baron says:
joshua,
I’m pretty sure the wizards are going to avoid picking up anyone that has had any drama this season (Beasley).
plus nobody would trade a star, much less two stars, for a bunch of scrubs like that, except for Chris Wallace of course who will probably trade OJ Mayo for Fisher/Vujacic before too much longer. His LA Champagne Room $$$ from the Gasol deal is bound to be running low by now.
my guess is that Washington will deal Caron Butler before Antawn Jamison.
January 24th, 2010 at 6:53 pm
baron says:
More decently acceptable trade scenarios for Washington:
The Warriors need ANYBODY who can play some defense and they are also sorely lacking in size. Golden State could offer Corey Maggette’s $10M/yr for (Butler + one of Blatche/Haywood/McGee). And how good would a shooter like Nick Young do in that system? The man got shackles on him in DC.
Or trade Monta Ellis for (Caron + Young + Blatche) and start all 3. But then that would make too much sense for their front office to address glaring weaknesses like that!
PG Curry
SG Young
SF Butler
PF Blatche
C Biedrins
You know the Warriors’ brass are ’bout dumber’n'hell when they had absolutely NO competition for Corey Maggette other than MLE offers coming from the teams with no cap space, and they up and offer him some roundabout figure like $10M to somehow save face for losing Baron Davis to the Clippers. (dripping with sarcasm) “Oh man, they really stuck it to LA on that one!” He EASILY could have been had for $7-8 million in my opinion, which is stellar on this one folks.
The Spurs damn near signed Maggette for the MLE, and boy I wish they had because Richard Jefferson is fuckin’ killing me ova here! You wanna talk about a colossal waste of $15 million dollars…I need better results, Richie Rich!
. . . . .
Well the Raptors are notoriously “soft”. Think adding a Jamison or a Butler there would have an impact T-Dot fans?
Tired of Turkoglu already? Ship his ass out for Caron and get some defense in the mix. Hell try to get Nick Young for Belinelli or somebody while your at it.
PG Calderon
SG DeRozan / Young
SF Butler
PF Bosh
C Bargnani
. . . . .
Clippers, okay you need to get rid of Kaman or Camby. Let’s pick Camby since he is in the twilight and notoriously fragile. Besides, Kaman actually looks like he is fulfilling his side of the contract now. We are talking about trading (Camby + Thornton + somebody) for Jamison for next season to look like:
PG B.Davis
SG E.Gordon
SF Jamison
PF B.Griffin
C Kaman
You can switch the positions of Jamison and Griffin, but Jamison will have better shooting range so I put him as the technical SF.
. . . . .
Portland,
Trade Andre Miller for Caron Butler? Or do the right thing and send Jerryd Bayless, bless his talented soul, to someone that will play him heavy minutes, like the Wizards for example. Whatever at this point, trade him for Nick Young.
I hear y’all are hurting for bigs. I think Brendan Haywood would make a fine addition before the trade deadline. Andre Miller, or (Rudy + Bayless) would be a good offer. Looks like Martell gets meaningful minutes over Rudy today anyhow.
January 24th, 2010 at 9:21 pm
JHUSTLE says:
Aight Dime the next post has gotta be how my mavs just destroyed the knicks by 50. FIFTY POINTS???!!! Woooooooow just burn the garden to the ground after that one. That team should be ashamed of themselves thats a 2k10 score not a real life nba game score. SMFH
January 24th, 2010 at 9:53 pm
ShowKase says:
Chandler Parsons is my hero. Twice.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ROgD5IWVU0
January 24th, 2010 at 10:02 pm
POPPI GEE says:
Trevor Ariza 3-14 FG? 1-7 3pt FG?
Heard that dude has taken 14 or more shots in just about every loss.
Ariza experiment = Free Agent Fail!
Does being the best player all season even matter when it comes down to the playoff and you walk away with diddly?
So ok sure yea LeBron is the best and can turn kool-aid into vitaminwater and never has boogars in his nose. Great.
Come playoffs Kobe still likely walking away with the trophy.
Expecting some serrrrious trades to happen in the next couple of weeks! Yea exciting!
January 24th, 2010 at 11:22 pm
johnny kilroy says:
@poppi, yeah ariza experiment epic fail. he’s definitely no scoring machine.
artest is looking like an epic fail also. the dude has lost a step to defend in the perimeter.
vince not making good in orlando. jamal crawford surprisingly’s the best pick-up from the pool.
January 24th, 2010 at 11:46 pm
Orange says:
@Jhustle
Boston lost like that sometime first half of the decade. i forgot against who though. can’t remember if it was when the C’s made the playoffs or during those down years before Kg and Allen on the team. might of been in 02 or 04.
January 25th, 2010 at 9:36 am
eyes says:
@8…Could that be a problem wth basketball. Lebron has earned it on offense & defense. While Kd has a while to go. Foul is Foul no matter who or where it is. Homecourt advantage should only include familiarity & fans. Lebron has to do something when it counts to be head & shoulders above everybody. He sure is Refs & Stern above everybody else.
To make everyone jump out the window. With Kd’s limited physical strength. He may actually have as good or even better scoring options legally than BRON BRON. I still think lbj is an undercover Pg. Check his stats since mo absence. They’re a Tmac,Iggy,Gay, or Jamison away from a chip. Kevin Martin would work well too.