A good sign that your team is successful is when they win the majority of games at home while winning a good percentage while away from their home venue. If you’re winning 40%, then consider yourself successful.

The Dallas Mavericks can consider themselves one of the few teams in the Association that are relatively successful on the road.

Arco Arena was the venue for the Mavericks’ game against the Sacramento Kings, who were looking to continue their surprising success at home. And has been their custom as of late, a stifling defense along with timely scoring from Dirk Nowitzki helped Dallas secure a 99-91 win over Sacramento.

Taking advantage of several Sacramento miscues, which they turned into lay-ups at the other end, the Mavericks reeled off 13 straight points in the second quarter. Jose Juan Barea scored 13 points and Nowitzki had 11 for the Mavericks. Jason Thompson had 13 points for the Kings and Omri Casspi added 11. Jason Kidd scored eight points and Nowitzki had six in the third quarter when the Mavericks built the lead to 13 points and went into the fourth ahead 77-67.

The Kings ran off 11 straight points to pull to 93-87 on Donte Greene’s 3-pointer with 30.1 seconds left. Josh Howard, Jason Terry and Nowitzki all made two free throws in the final 29 seconds to help seal the victory for the Mavericks. The Kings have now dropped three consecutive games.

The Mavericks’ high scorer was Nowitzki with 25 points, 7 rebounds, an assist, 2 steals and a block while Barea added 17 with a rebound, 3 assists and a steal; Howard chipped in 16 with 3 rebounds, an assist and a steal. Drew Gooden grabbed 10 rebounds.

The Kings were led by Casspi with 22 points (including 4 treys), a career-high 11 rebounds, 4 assists, a steal and a block while Thompson added 15 with 10 rebounds and an assist; Tyreke Evans, returning from a sprained ankle, chipped in 14 with 5 rebounds, 6 assists and a steal.

Dallas (23-10) plays again on Sunday when they travel south to Los Angeles to take on the Lakers while Sacramento (14-19) remains at home to host the Phoenix Suns Tuesday night.

Why do the upstart Kings not get any respect in this league? I watched this team play back to back games against the “Golden Lakers“. The first game they went to double overtime and just couldn’t finish. But the second game they were jobbed. I’m tired of watching the refs give preferential treatment to “the golden teams.” I accept that the elite get special treatment (Kobe, LeBron, D-Wade, etc). I cannot TOLERATE when the Lakers are given the benefit of the doubt. Especially because they are at home!

The drive in which Shannon Brown was out of control WAS ridiculous (last 2 minutes). They called a foul against the Kings and it was a joke. The worst call I have seen ALL year. That foul not only changed the complexion of the game but caused Donte Green to foul out. With Green out of the game Kobe was given the edge. Granted Kobe still had to hit the 3 pointer at the end of regulation. His job was made easier by the ref’s ineptness.

I predicted the Blazers and Nuggets on the rise two years ago. Now they are among the NBA elite. Next year at this time I know the refs will be giving the calls to the Kings. Next year the refs will be aware of Donte Green’s defensive ability. He will be known around the league as the next Raja Bell or Bruce Bowen.

Until then we must tolerate the misconception that the “Kings are not worthy.” This team is loaded with talent. Geoff Petrie deserved his extension. Not only is he responsible for bringing in this talent he also brought in a fabulous coach in Westphal.

My man crush on Omri Casspi has reached a fever pitch. He has constant movement without the ball and an amazing ability to cut to the basket. His hustle and grit adds another dimension to this team. Once Kevin Martin returns to this team on January 12,  they will become an even more athletic team. Spencer Hawes is playing with finesse making good decisions with the ball while shooting well from the outside.

Jason Thompson is rebounding well and learning at an amazing clip. The wild-card here is Donte Green. Can he continue to play defense at this level? He reminds me of a George Lynch with more athleticism and shooting ability. It is well known that during training camp Green was Westphal’s whipping boy. Now I know why he was not playing to his potential on the defense side of the ball. The tough love approach is paying dividends at the halfway point of this season.

This team is only 5 games out of the playoff hunt. As long as Evans stays healthy and Kevin Martin comes back to form by the end of January this team has an outside chance at snagging the number eight seed in the playoffs. We will know their chances after the next 10 games in which they are playing tough competition. If they come through this stretch at 5-5 we may be in for a treat. It may be a bit much to expect this year but this nucleus will be in the mix for years to come. Let’s just hope that the NBA or better yet David Stern clues in the refs that Sacramento is for real.

One would think that if you are an NBA team that is without two of its offensive stars, chances are that winning games would be hard to come by. It even applies to the Denver Nuggets as they, prior to their game against the Utah Jazz at Energy Solutions Arena, were without Carmelo Anthony (knee contusion) and Chauncey Billups (groin).

Which proves that there can be an exception to the rule sometimes as Saturday would find the hero for the Nuggets being Ty Lawson; he scored 23 points, leading Denver to a 105-95 road win over Utah.

The Jazz shot 50 percent in the first half, but turned the ball over 12 times — leading to 17 points by the Nuggets. When Carlos Boozer’s shot at the buzzer was waved off after a replay, Denver led 51-47 at halftime. Lawson and Nene Hilario scored 11 apiece in the half. Denver would stick with what had gotten them that far in the third quarter. They kept Utah on the perimeter and swatted away the ball when the Jazz weren’t paying attention. Hilario took two steals in for dunks during the period, including one that put Denver up 69-59 and kicked off an 8-0 run.

Hilario added two from the foul line, J.R. Smith followed with two free throws, then grabbed an offensive rebound on a missed free throw and hit a 3-pointer for a 75-59 lead with 3:36 left in the third. The Jazz added to their own struggles by committing nine fouls and nine turnovers in the period, and Denver took advantage for a 78-68 lead entering the fourth.

Deron Williams got the Jazz within 86-77 on a three-point play, but the Nuggets answered that with a 6-0 run. Hilario put back an offensive rebound, Chris Andersen hit a jumper and Anthony Carter drove for a layup that put the Nuggets up 92-77 with 7:20 left in the game. Denver kept Utah from rallying until there wasn’t enough time for a comeback. 

Lawson led the Nuggets with 23 points, 2 rebounds, 9 assists and 3 steals while Hilario added 22 with 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 6 steals; Smith came off the bench to score 18 with 2 rebounds and 4 assists while Kenyon Martin earned a double-double, scoring 12 with 12 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals.

The Jazz was led by Boozer with 18 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and a block while Mehmet Okur and Williams added 16 apiece – with Okur grabbing 9 rebounds, dishing out 3 assists along with 3 blocks while Williams grabbed 5 boards, dished out 6 assists along with a block.

Denver (21-12) plays again on Sunday when they host the Philadelphia 76ers while Utah (18-15) remains at home to host the New Orleans Hornets on Monday night.

The Boston Celtics ended 2009 on a sour note losing their last three games of the year on a Western road trip. In the first two games the team took the court without All-Star forward Paul Pierce. In the third game a loss to the Phoenix Suns they not only were without Pierce they were now also missing All-Star forward Kevin Garnett.

Saturday as the club came home to play their first game year of 2010 they would be missing a third starter point guard Rajon Rondo. The Celtics court leader had a sore left hamstring as Boston played host to the Toronto Raptors who came to the “New Garden” sporting a five game winning streak. If the “Green Team” wanted to pull this one out. As Thomas Paine said “These are the times that try men’s souls.”

If the Boston Celtics do fulfill this long time NBA Observer’s preseason prediction and win the 2010 NBA Finals they most likely will think back to that cold night on January 2, when they relied on a mix and match crew to defeat the Toronto Raptors Saturday 103-96. Ray Allen one of just two of the teams regular starters led the team with 23 points but the entire squad stepped up big. Boston shot 51.4% (36-70) from the floor for the game as this was truly a team win in the fullest sense of the word. Chris Bosh led all players with 25 points in the loss.

The Celtics out-scored Toronto in every quarter but the fourth and by then it was too little and far too late for the Raptors. Boston held a slim 29-27 advantage at the end of the first.  The Celtics though would pick up their intensity at both ends of the court in the second and would head into the locker room at the half ahead by double digits with the score 58-48.

Neither team looked very sharp in the third quarter still Boston was able to add to their lead on top 78-67 as the period came to an end. The Raptors at no time in the final 12 minutes of play pose any kind of threat of getting back into the contest.

Ray Allen led the Celtics attack as he put up 23 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds and 2 steals while Rasheed Wallace knocked down 16 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and 1 block. Glen Davis had a strong night off the bench as he scored 15 points, 5 rebounds and 1 steal while Kendrick Perkins had a double-double with 14 points, 10 boards, 1 assist, 1 block and 1 steal. Tony Allen added 14 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, 1 block and 1 steal while Eddie House came off the bench and had 12 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds and 1 block.

Chris Bosh scored a game high 25 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block and 1 steal while Andrea Bargnani added 21 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block. Jarrett Jack had 14 points while Hedo Turkoglu would put up 12 more in the loss. Boston improves to 24-8 and they are off until Wednesday when they will be in Miami to face the Heat while Toronto is now 16-18 and will play host to the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday.

© Copyright 2009 thesackattack

How does an NBA team win a game when they shoot just 39.5% (32-81) from the floor for the game? Quite simply by holding their opponent to just 38.7% (29-75) for the contest; it also helps greatly if you have arguably one of the two best players in the Association as the Cleveland Cavaliers possess in LeBron James. “The Chosen One” scored a  game high 28 points and led Cleveland to their seventh straight victory Saturday as they topped the hapless New Jersey Nets 94-86. Cavaliers would also get a nice boost off the bench in the form of Anderson Varejao who recorded a double-double in the victory.

For those of us hoping to see history made this season and a new record in futility set there were some pensive moments this past week as New Jersey won it’s third game of the campaign. Let me reassure you though that the Nets are still on a Historic pace and if they keep winning at this rate they will beat out the 1972-1973 Philadelphia 76ers as the “Worst Team Ever In The NBA.” 

The Sixers  ended that campaign with a record of 9-73;  which means that for every 8 losses Philadelphia  would attain one win. New Jersey is currently 3-30 which if kept on its present course will turn into a  7-75 season easily the most un-productive campaign in the history of the Association. We who are are looking forward  to history being made in April look pretty secure that our goal will be met!

New Jersey actually stood toe-to-toe with Cleveland for the first 24 minutes of play before they would wilt in the third quarter. The Nets shut the Cavaliers down in the first as they would be on top at the end of the quarter 26-199. However the momentum shifted and Cleveland would hold a razor thin lead as the game reached the half with the 44-43.

The Cavaliers would start to dominate the contest in the third and as the period came to an end they led 69-61. That exact margin would be in place at the end of the fourth and Cleveland would get the victory actually without much of a fight.

LeBron James knocked  down 28 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 blocks and 1 steal while Mo Williams had 18 points, 3 assists and 2 rebounds. Anderson Varejao came off the bench with a double-double as he scored 15 points, 12 boards, 2 assists and 1 block while Shaquille O’Neal added 12 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block.

Devin Harris led the way for the Nets as he scored 22 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds and 1 steal while Brook Lopez added 20 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal. Chris Douglas-Roberts had 16 points while Yi Jianlian put another 11 points on the scoreboard. Cleveland improves to 27-8 and will host the Charlotte Bobcats on Sunday while New Jersey is 3-30 and will host the Milwaukee Bucks Tuesday.

© Copyright 2009 thesackattack

Friday’s game between the Sacramento Kings and the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center could very well be compared to the fisherman who had bad luck while out on the lake. The Kings had ample opportunity to put the Lakers away in this contest, holding a 20-point lead at one point and poised to pull off the upset.

But like the hapless fisherman, they let this one get away.

Not unlike a Hollywood script, Kobe Bryant had other plans as she drained a three-pointer at the horn, allowing Los Angeles to enter the New Year with a 109-108 win over Sacramento.

The sellout crowd let the Lakers know about their displeasure, booing them loudly after Jon Brockman’s layup gave Sacramento a 38-23 lead with 9:12 left in the second quarter. The Kings built the lead to 20 at 52-32 with a 3-pointer by Ime Udoka that capped a 26-9 run with 5:06 left in the half. Los Angeles continued to be as flat as half-empty champagne bottles left over from New Year’s Eve, shooting 37 percent from the field in the first half and trailing 64-49 at halftime.

The Lakers sensed some vigor after the break, whittling their deficit down to four on a Lamar Odom layup, but with 3:12 left in the third, Kenny Thomas’ layup put the Kings up 81-71; Odom’s two free throws would reduce Sacramento’s lead to 83-79 before Omri Casspi’s three-pointer put the Kings ahead by seven entering the final period. With 5:13 remaining in the game, Bryant drained a jumper which gave Los Angeles a 95-93 lead; three lead changes later, the Lakers would take their final timeout. Pau Gasol zoomed a nearly fumbled pass to Bryant who hit the game-winning trey just before the horn sounded.

Bryant led the Lakers with 39 points (including five 3-pointers), 5 rebounds, 5 assists and a steal while Odom scored 20 with 10 rebounds, 3 assists and a block; Gasol added 17 with 16 rebounds, 4 assists and a block while Andrew Bynum chipped in 16 with 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 blocks.

The Kings were led by Spencer Hawes with a career-high 30 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists and a steal while Casspi poured in 23 (including 3 treys) with 6 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal; Beno Udrih chipped in 19 with a rebound, 13 assists and 2 steals.

Los Angeles (26-6) plays again on Sunday when they host the Houston Rockets while Sacramento (14-18) remain at home, hosting the Dallas Mavericks Saturday night.

Nate Robinson had been nailed to the New York Knicks bench since the beginning of December. He suited up for every contest and certainly was healthy enough to play. However he had fallen out of Knicks head coach Mike D’Antoni’s rotation and no matter what the situation was his number was never called. Robinson’s agent had called for the team to either trade his client or buy him out of his contract so he could get a chance to play heading into unrestricted Free Agency.

Well with a New Year came a new opportunity; well at least for Friday night as Robinson came off the bench and scored a game high 41 points including 11 in overtime and led New York past the Atlanta Hawks at the Phillips Arena 112-108. Robinson shot 18/24 from the floor including 3/5 from outside the arc and truly dominated the extra period. Robinson’s previous season had been 24 points earlier in the campaign. New York defeated the Hawks for the second time this season after beating them 114-107 on December 4.  The Hawks lost their third straight game for the first time in the campaign. Joe Johnson led Atlanta with 28 points in the loss.

This truly was a roller-coaster of a game as Atlanta had a double-digit lead at the start of the fourth only to see it completely unravel and then the Knicks would take the win in the extra period. Atlanta would hold the advantage at the end of the first on top 26-22. However New York got the momentum in the second quarter and would head into the locker room ahead by a 55-54 margin.

The Hawks shut the Knicks down in the third and at the end of the period they led 80-67. Robinson would bring New York back almost by himself in the fourth as he would score 8 out of the team’s final 10 points including with 11 seconds to play he drove the lane putting the ball up and in and the game would be deadlocked at 99-99 at the end of regulation. The Knicks guard then finished the job in the overtime as he put up 11 of the 13 points the club scored in the period to get the victory.

Nate Robinson scored 41 points, 8 assists, 6 rebounds and 1 steal while Wilson Chandler had a double-double with 24 points, 17 boards, and 4 assists. Danilo Gallinari and Al Harrington each added 13 points while David Lee had 11 points in the win.

Joe Johnson led the Hawks effort as the guard knocked down 28 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals. Josh Smith had a double-double as he scored 24 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks and 1 steal while Al Horford also had a double-double as he added 22 points, 19 boards, 4 assists, 3 blocks and 1 steal. Mike Bibby and Marvin Williams each put up 11 points in the loss. New York now has a record of 13-20 and will play host to Indiana on Sunday while Atlanta is now 21-11 and will play in Miami as the face the Heat on Monday.

© Copyright 2009 thesackattack

The “Sacramento Bee” has reported that Sacramento Kings rookie point guard Tyreke Evans will not suit up Friday as the team travels to Los Angeles to face the reigning NBA Champions the Lakers. Evans has missed the last three games for Sacramento in which the club has a 1-2 record. The rookie has been turning a lot of heads all through out the NBA as he is averaging 20.3 points and 4,9 assists per game.

Kings General Manager Geoff Petrie knows that his rookie must be chomping at the bit to play Friday night. He told reporters “He’s still young, and he’s probably going to want to play earlier than he should. (However) we play (Los Angeles) two more times. You can see the impatience of youth sometimes.”

Actually that is exactly the kind of response any member of NBA management wants from a player. You want that player to want to rush back from an injury; however you want somebody to be receptive to what the coach tells them. It seems that is what the Kings have gotten in the form of Evans which would give them a player to build around for the next few years.

© Copyright 2009 thesackattack

Before the San Antonio Spurs took the floor at AT&T Center to host the Miami Heat Thursday, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said he’s been “not quite as impressed” as his team’s recent roll may suggest since its dominance has only been against weaker competition.

Well, it looks like Pops’ theory can officially be disavowed.

The Spurs shot lights-out (53.2%) while enjoying a huge third quarter with able assistance from Tim Duncan, and San Antonio beat a winning team for the first time in a month with a 108-78 victory over Miami – the most lopsided Spurs victory this season.

The first quarter wasn’t at all indicative of the final outcome as both teams fought it out, with the Heat taking a 6-point lead on a Michael Beasley layup with 4:48 left in the period, but Duncan’s jumper with 46 seconds remaining briefly gave the Spurs a 26-24 edge before settling for a 26-26 standstill entering the second quarter. San Antonio took control as they put together a 11-4 run, which put them up 37-30; Manu Ginobili’s three-point play, courtesy of a technical foul assessed to the Heat’s Quentin Richardson, gave San Antonio a double-digit lead. A Dwyane Wade dunk would send the Heat into halftime down by nine at 58-49.

A tip-in by Duncan off a missed George Hill free throw would extend San Antonio’s advantage to 84-61; although Duncan scored 13 in the first quarter, the Spurs didn’t need him much, especially after halftime as he shot 10 of 13 from the field and didn’t play in the fourth quarter. San Antonio, as you’ve probably suspected already, took their regulars out of the game and brought in the reserves for the bulk of the fourth quarter and coasted to  the victory.

Duncan was the Spurs’ high scorer with 23 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals while Ginobili added 18 with 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals; Tony Parker chipped in 15 with a rebound and 9 assists. The Heat had only two players in double-digits, led by Beasley with 26 points, 8 rebounds and an assist while Wade added 16 with 2 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals, but committed 7 turnovers.

San Antonio (19-11) plays again on Saturday when they travel to Washington to take on the Wizards while Miami (16-14) returns home to host the Charlotte Bobcats – also on Saturday night.

If we had reached the end of the NBA campaign on Thursday night instead of the end of 2009 then Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Scott Brooks would have to be getting serious consideration for NBA Coach Of The Year. Brooks has taken a team that has been a perennial cellar dweller for the last few years and turned them into one of the true “Feel Good” stories of this NBA season. Thursday night marked another huge step in the growth curve of the club as they squeezed by Division rivals the Utah Jazz by a final score of 87-86. OKC guard Nick Collison would win the contest in the closing seconds by knocking down a pair at the line.

The win gives Oklahoma City an 18-14 record tied with Utah in the NBA Northwest Division. They also now trail Division leaders the Denver Nuggets by just 2 games. Kevin Durant led the way for the Thunder as he knocked down a game high 31 points in the victory. Durant has now tied a team record by scoring 30 or more points in 6 consecutive contests.  The win was the fifth straight for Oklahoma City who are starting to gain some national attention.

This game would remain tight through out the night and truly was decided in the closing seconds. The Jazz would draw first blood as they held a slim 24-22 advantage at the end of the first quarter. Momentum would shift slightly in the second and the Thunder would hold that same slim lead as they would head into the locker room at the half on top 48-46.

Although Utah would tie the score at 54-54 when Deron Williams knocked down an outside shot with 6:18 left in the third the Jazz would never hold the lead in the period. Oklahoma City would lead at the end of the quarter with the score 65-62.

It came down to this in the fourth; with 58 seconds left in regulation and the Thunder on top 85-83 Deron Williams knocked down a shot 9 feet from the basket. The Utah guard was fouled on the play hit his shot at the line and his team was ahead 86-85. With just 4 seconds remaining Nick Collison drew a loose ball foul at the expense of Paul Millsap. Collison drained each shot and the Thunder ended the year on a winning note.

Kevin Durant led the way for his team as he scored 31 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks and 1 steal while Jeff Green added 12 points and 5 rebounds. Nick Collison came off the bench and  had 11 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block and 1 steal while Nenad Krstic put up 10 points and 7 rebounds.

Carlos Boozer would put 17 points on the board, 5 rebounds and 3 assists in the Jazz loss. Deron Williams scored 14 points, 3 assists, 2 blocks, 1 rebound and 1 steal Wesley Matthews came off the bench and added 14 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block and 1 steal. Mehmet Okur had a double-double as he knocked down 11 points, 11 boards, 4 assists, 1 block and 1 steal. Oklahoma City now sits at 18-14 and will play in Milwaukee Saturday against the Bucks while Utah also at 18-14 will host the Denver Nuggets Saturday.

© Copyright 2009 thesackattack