February 20, 2005. J.J. Redick drops a career-high 38 points. Chris Paul has 27 points, six rebounds and seven assists. Duke gets the W. Tonight on TNT, Redick is balling like he knows it’s March, although CP3 will still be out in the nightcap when the Hornets take on the Nuggets. Once again, Redick gets the W.

A whole lot of things didn’t make sense about last night’s Grizzlies/Hornets game. It didn’t make sense that Mike Conley (26 pts, 7 asts, 5 stls) was sticking jumpers like Mark Price. It didn’t make sense that Darren Collison (17 pts, 14 asts, 5 stls) and Marcus Thornton (24 pts) kept playing like the best backcourt in the League. It didn’t make sense that Emeka Okafor had one whole rebound. It didn’t make sense that Aaron Gray and Hamed Haddadi guarded each other for about 10 minutes and the sport of basketball wasn’t set back 30 years. But most improbable thing, according to one Hornets’ announcer, was the shot that eventually won Memphis the game … Read More »

If you didn’t watch the standings or check the box scores, you’d think the Orlando Magic were actually struggling.

Halfway through the season, you can pick a negative story line surrounding the defending Eastern Conference champs and somebody, somewhere has already run with it: Dwight not getting the ball enough; Rashard’s game falling off like he really needs PED’s; missing Hedo and/or Rafer more than they thought; Jameer dealing with more injuries; overpaying Gortat; under-playing Brandon Bass; team meetings regarding Stan Van Gundy’s infectious negativity … You could even throw celebrity Magic fan Tiger Woods and his status collapse onto a pile that should be screaming “NBA Finals hangover.” Read More »

It’s not that Rashard Lewis isn’t clutch. Anybody who watched him take down the Cavs and scare the Lakers with some big-time shots in last year’s playoffs knows better than that. But the way Raw Lew sent the Celtics home last night — not with a corner three or a turnaround jumper, but with a strong drive to the cup past one of the best defenders in the world — it was the last thing you’d expect out of him … Read More »

It seems like all the attention of All-Star Saturday Night goes to the Dunk Contest. That’s completely understandable, considering the other events they do or have done in the past like The Skills Challenge or 2Ball (remember that?). One event that always has the potential to be exciting is the Three Point Shootout. Who could forget that image of Larry Bird hitting that final shot and raising his arm in the ‘88 Three Point Shootout in Chicago. Read More »

Some extended thoughts from the last night’s games that weren’t big enough to warrant an entire column …

WANTED: SOONER SHOOTER Before we start talking about Oklahoma City as a juggernaut for the next decade, or even as a tough out in the 2010 playoffs, the Thunder need to get another shooter.

After Chris Paul shredded their D for an easy layup with 11 seconds left in the fourth quarter, OKC trailed by three. Obviously they would have to go to Kevin Durant, as he’s not only their go-to superstar, but also the only real three-point threat on the court, with James Harden (35% from deep) running a distant second. Read More »

At least that’s who the Wizards must have felt like they were playing. As the Gilbert Arenas saga finally reached some kind of conclusion, there was no more ironic opponent for Washington last night than the Cavs. You could tell the Cleveland announcers didn’t want to get too soapbox-ish when they know Delonte West could see a similar (or worse) punishment when his legal situation irons out, and the Cavs players were said to “wholeheartedly concur” with David Stern’s decision on Arenas; a smart move if you want to stay on Stern’s good side before he decides on Delonte … As for the game, the Wizards were done before tip-off. Read More »

In the past few weeks, it seems the Knicks have found a winning formula and Nate Robinson isn’t one of the ingredients. Although he is perfectly healthy, the diminutive guard has not played in the Knicks’ last nine games due to coach Mike D’Antoni’s decision. In that stretch, the Knicks are 6-3 and when Nate is in the lineup, the team is just 0-9 when he scores 19 or more points. Whether or not those stats imply that the Knicks are better without Robinson in the lineup is debatable. But by the looks of D’Antoni’s actions, the coaching staff seems to think that’s the case. Read More »

Beast of the Night: Steve Nash put up 16 points, 2 threes, 5 rebounds, 13 assists, 2 steals and 2 turnovers last night in a losing effort in Portland. He shot 64 percent (7-11) from the field but didn’t shoot any free throws. Nash continues to thrive in the Suns’ return to their run-and-gun style of play, as his points, threes, assists and shooting percentages are all up from last season. Read More »

At the end of the third quarter last night, Dwyane Wade hit a pull-up three with one minute remaining, putting Miami up 87-60. But don’t think he was celebrating. When J.J. Redick tried a layup in transition moments later, Wade lurked behind then swatted it off the backboard. “If he was a guy who could dunk the ball, it would have been a little different,” Wade said. “But since I knew it he was going to lay it in, it made it a little easier to time it.” Sorry J.J., but you gotta at least attempt to flush it on the break.