NBA Delivers
Well on a slow hockey day, with the only game being Washington’s trouncing of a Rangers team that has completely melted down, the NBA cared and gave us 3 incredible games. Right now the Rockets and Portland are coming down the stretch exchanging threes’ in a crazy 4th quarter. The only game that was no contest was the Cavs game 4 dismantling of a seemingly outclassed Pistons team, thus sweeping Detroit out of the playoffs. You’d think a team that still has 3 core players from their championship team a few years back would show a little more heart, but Detroit went down with barely a whisper. How horrible does that Billups/Iverson trade seem now? Billups is filling it up for Denver vs the Hornets.
Bulls/Celtics
Incredible game today. A sunday afternoon playoff classic that would rank right up there with the best. Ray Allen with a 3 to send it to overtime. Ben Gordon responds with a 3 over Paul Pierce to send it to double overtime (is it just me or are UCONN products really tough!). Gordon with that crazy runner at the end of the 4th, the hustle plays of Yannick Noah’s kid, Kirk Hinrich missing the front end of pair a of foul shots after Chicken Scalibrani’s intentional foul, Paul Pierce with a huge 3 and a crazy and1 that pulled the Celts close in the 2nd ot. In the end it was…..John Salmons (not pronounced like the fish) who was the hero, hitting a huge 3 and then blocking Pierce’s 3 pointer at the buzzer to seal the win for the Bulls. Awesome. Can’t wait for game 5 in Boston
Blackhawks/Flames
I wrote a few days back that if you’re a Flames fan, you have to be dissapointed that Calgary is not winning that series, or even have it won. Their game 5 performance was unacceptable. How do you not come out with intensity for that game. How could their collective juices not be flowing for a game 5. Shameful.
Portland/Houston
This game is in the last minute, the Blazers have the ball down 2 with about 30 ticks left.
I always forget how huge Ron Artest is. Hard to believe a guy that big can be so quick and graceful. Brandon Roy got the clearout and drove to the basket…offensvie foul! Tough call. Game over, Rockets take strangle hold now up 3-1. A Houston/LA second rounder would be pretty sweet with the Kobe/Artest rivalry.
Doug Collins made a great point about the way the Rockets have added alot of high energy players that have made them alot more fun to watch. Lowry, Landry, the european dude with the soccer hair, good add ons to go with guys like Yao and Battier…..I love Jeff Van Gundy as an analyst. He calls it exactly as he sees it and does not seem to care what players will think of his comments. He was all over John Salmons late in the 4th for missing a key box out off a Ray Allen foul shot. Then he was on Glen Davis (maybe the wierdest body of any player in the NBA) for trying to make a steal on the much quicker Derrick Rose which led to a Scallibrani block call…..I’m really worried now about my Devils pick. I told Ryan Delong there was no way in hell that Carolina wins that series, yikes. Carolina looks like they have a little more speed and Brodeur does not look like himself….did you see the Viktor Cozlov goal today, as Bob Cole would say, “Oh Baby’! I love how he bulldozed Lundquist and put him in the net at the end of it.
