Cavs-Nuggets-Suns

And so the Cleveland Cavaliers [21-18] have avenged themselves against the San Antonio Spurs [25-12] yesterday, 90-88. LeBron James yielded 27 pts, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 blocks. Three other Cavs were in double figures, Zydrunas Ilgauskas [17 pts], Anderson Varejao [12], and Daniel "Boobie" Gibson [11 pts]. On the Spurs' area, the Big Three were the only ones in huge numbers. Tim Duncan, were in double-doubles again with 20 pts, 11 rebounds, and 4 blocks. Tony Parker poured in 23 pts, 6 assists, and a black eye! Parker, though he said he's shooting 200 free throws a day, missed two crucial free throws with only 29.4 seconds remaining. The i-wish-6th-man-of-the-year Manu Ginobili had 31 pts, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists. There would've been an overtime, but Manu's shot during the remaining seconds just didn't went into the rim. And so the win goes to Cavs 90-88. "At times we're defending well and we can't score. At times we're scoring well but were not defending. It's a little bit of everything," said Duncan.

Have I told you I'm quite interested with the Denver Nuggets? Now you know. =) The Denver Nuggets [23-15] won 120-109 against the Utah Jazz [22-18]. The Jazz' "D" didn't even hurt the Nuggets , in fact it's the other way around. Marcus Camby alone throttled the Jazz. Camby had his season-high, 11 blocks, and 24 rebounds. Right on the offensive end of the Nuggets came Linas Kleiza with 41 pts [season-high]. "It was definitely a special night. I will remember this night for the rest of my life,'' said Kleiza. Allen Iverson poured in 28 pts and Carmelo Anthony added 23 pts. Camby's defensive numbers are overwhelming, I wouldn't be surprised if he's going to be the best Defensive Player this season. Oh I haven't really forgotten the Jazz. Deron Williams was the Jazz' leading scorer with 23 pts and 12 assists. Carlos Boozer had 18 pts and 11 rebounds. While Mehmet Okur [???] and Kyle Korver each had 16 pts.

Poor Kwame Brown, booed by Lakers fans. I don't wanna know the story 'cause honestly I don't have any sympathy for the Lakers. Hey don't be offended, I'm just trying to express what I feel here. I'm glad the Phoenix Suns [27-12] won 106-98 against the LA Lakers [26-12] after losing two straight to the Lakers. Steve Nash had a whopping 20 assists, such an unselfish player. 6 out of 7 from the Suns lineup were in double-figures, including Shawn Marion with 20 pts and 16 rebounds. The Lakers were shooting poorly with only 37.9 field-goal percentage while the Suns restored their offensive edge with 51.9 fg%. It's good that the Suns are back on top of the Pacific division and the Lakers on their rightful place. "It was very important. They beat us the first two times out, but we got this one tonight. That's all that matters now. We've got Minnesota tomorrow. It's one win. We still have a long way to go," said Marion.

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Wild about the Western Conference??

The Showdown

The King and the Big Fundamental face off at the AT&T Center today. The Cleveland Cavaliers [20-18] faces the San Antonio Spurs [25-11] first time this season after they were swept during last season's NBA finals. So, how will King James & Co. win? Now that the Spurs are finally complete. We'll find out soon!.. ;-)

The Phoenix Suns [26-12] visits the Staples Center to attempt a win against LA Lakers [26-11]. If the Suns win, then, they're back to top. But if they lose, they'll stay 2nd to the Lakers in the Pacific div and probably 5th in Western Conference [pls, correct me if i'm wrong]. The last time the Suns faced the Lakers, they lost. Will the Suns turn it over this time? Or, will KB24 carry the Lakers to a win even without Andrew Bynum?

Another game that everybody should check out today is the clash between "the neighbors," Utah Jazz [22-17] and Denver Nuggets [22-15]. The Jazz are playing better defense now, but will they be able to execute that big "D" well to the fast-paced style of the Nuggets?

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"The Spurs did a great job of loading and building a crowd behind Bruce as he contained me," LeBron James said.

"Our offense let us down and we couldn't stop [Clippers guard Sam Cassell]. Give them credit, they defended well. Our offense, for whatever reason, just wasn't clicking at all, and we just didn't play well." - Mike D'Antoni, Suns coach, on Clippers-Suns game

Another Sluggish Start

I've always hated the San Antonio Spurs' sluggish starts and 2nd half comebacks. Yesterday, the San Antonio Spurs won against the Philadelphia 76ers, 89-82 with their usual slow-moving style. They won I know but I wasn't impressed about their 39.5 field goal percentage that's very close to their previous 31.9%. Manu Ginobili, as usual, was great and poured in 4 3-pointers during the 4th quarter [his only field-goals, thefirst 6pts were free throws] to secure the 89-82 win for the Spurs. "I was feeling good with the shots, they just weren't falling in. I guess I just needed one," said Ginobili. Tim Duncan added 18 pts, 16 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 blocks. Michael Finley and Tony Parker each had contributed 14 pts. As for the Philadelphia 76ers, who were shooting very poorly too, were only shooting 38.2%. Good thing Manu got his shooting tempo back in time and stepped up from the rest of the Spurs. "..And he's firing away anyway, and they go down for him. So he felt it. And he gets one to go down, he gets two to go down. All of a sudden he's on a hot streak and you want him taking those shots,'' Duncan said.

>>>Wizards makes it two over the Celtics
The Washington Wizards had beaten the Boston Celtics two times this season even with the absence of Agent Zero. "We always seem to come back strong when our backs are against the wall. We did it Saturday night and we did it tonight in a tough road game. To beat these guys in back-to-back games considering how they've been playing is something special.'' Antawn Jamison said.

I Was Wrong

Okay, so I was wrong in expecting that the San Antonio Spurs would win against the Detroit Pistons and coach Gregg Popovich a 600th win. The San Antonio Spurs are 23-11 dropping behind the Dallas Mavericks, Phoenix Suns, LA Lakers, & Portland Trailblazers [!!!]. The game between the San Antonio Spurs and the Detroit Pistons proved that the Pistons want to put an end to their losing streak. "We could lose five or six games in a row, but we're the type of team, we don't hang our heads and walk around moping,'' said Rasheed Wallace, who collected 23 pts, 15 rebounds, and 2 blocks. The Pistons outscored the Spurs during the 1st half. As for the Spurs, well, they're still trying to get into their rhythm with 43.3% shooting percentage that's much better than 31.9%, right? "This is a good team. I think, in my opinion, this is one of the teams we'll see in the finals,'' Wallace said. "So, it's always a good game with us and San Antonio.''

“It's still basketball, it's still a game we all love. It's still a matter of going out there and having fun,” said Michael Finley. Righteous, that is. But the truth is I'm starting to get distressed and desperate. I know I shouldn't be looking at the standing just yet, but the Spurs are now on 5th spot. The Spurs have to get back into their rhythm. They don't have back-to-back games this month, so, they better get back soon or they'll be knocked out soon by New Orleans Hornets & Denver Nuggets.

Antonio McDyess said “just walking” into the AT&T Center last year “made me sick to my stomach.”
"Perseverance, I guess that's the word. We are a veteran team, and we showed that tonight in the way we erased a blowout." said Rasheed Wallace.

Feels Like 2005

Have I ever mentioned that one of my favorite Eastern Conference teams is the Detroit Pistons? [maybe on my previous blog] Anyways, I like the Pistons buy hey I'm a loyal San Antonio Spurs fan, so, I go for the Spurs. The Detroit Pistons visit the AT&T Center to face the San Antonio Spurs, first time this season. Both teams lost to their previous games, the Pistons to the Dallas Mavericks while the Spurs to the Golden State Warriors. Both, the Pistons and the Spurs are good defensively but both are having difficulty on the offensive end. Watching these teams clash for the first time this season feel like visiting the memory of the 2005 Finals. Hmmm.. Can't wait to go home and watch NBA Live!.. Thank goodness there's the NBA Live to replay the highlights of the day's games.

Herrmann: the Piston to watch out for
Pistons-Spurs Stats @ NBA.com
Spurs not worried about standing, for now
Ginobili off the Bench??