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| Dirk records Double-Double in loss | Sunday 4/27, 11:58 PM CT |
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Dirk Nowitzki had 22 points and 13 rebounds in Sunday night's loss to the Hornets.
Our View: The Hornets hadn't won in Dallas in the last 14 tries, since January 1998. Nowitzki continues to do his part for the Mavs, but in a sleep walking effort defensively the team wasn't up to task. Dirk and his mates now must go into New Orleans and steal Game 5 if they want to bring a sixth game in the series back home. |
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| West dominates Mavs | Sunday 4/27, 11:55 PM CT |
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David West scored 24 points to help the New Orleans Hornets to a 97-84 victory Sunday and a 3-1 lead in the first-round series against Dallas.
Our View: West was unstoppable at times in Sunday night's victory over the Mavs. The forward added two assists and grabbed nine rebounds. |
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| Dalembert records Double-Double | Sunday 4/27, 9:43 PM CT |
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Samuel Dalembert has been terrific in the first-round series against Detroit. The rookie had 12 points and 12 rebounds in the Game 4 loss to Detroit.
Our View: The rookie averaged a double-double during the regular season and has carried that average into the playoffs. |
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| Prince leads Detroit in Game 4 | Sunday 4/27, 9:27 PM CT |
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Tayshaun Prince scored 23 points and made all but one shot from the field in Detroit's 93-84 win over Philadelphia on Sunday night
Our View: After sleep walking through six quarters (Game 3 and the first half of Game 4), the Pistons found life in the second half tonight and have tied the best-of-seven Eastern Conference playoff series at 2-2. |
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| Grant misses Game 4 | Sunday 4/27, 6:36 PM CT |
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Suns forward Grant Hill was held out of the 105-86 win over the Spurs on Sunday.
Our View: Hill played in Game 3 with a sore right groin but was ineffective in his efforts. It's likely that Grant will either rest again in Game 5 at San Antonio, or come off the bench in relief of Raja Bell. |
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| Shaq registers Double-Double | Sunday 4/27, 6:32 PM CT |
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Shaquille ONeal had 14 points and 12 rebounds and the Phoenix Suns stayed alive for at least one more game in a 105-86 rout of the Spurs on Sunday.
Our View: O'Neal and the Suns will head to San Antonio down 3-1 in the best of seven series. |
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| Bell helps Suns avoid elimination | Sunday 4/27, 6:31 PM CT |
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Raja Bell scored 21 of his 27 points in the first half in a Sunday win over the defending NBA champs, San Antonio.
Our View: The Suns were 11-0 in the regular season when Bell scored at least 20 points. |
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| Diaw just misses Triple-Double | Sunday 4/27, 6:29 PM CT |
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Boris Diaw had 20 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists helping the Phoenix Suns stayed alive with a 105-86 beat down of the Spurs on Sunday.
Our View: Diaw shut down his best friend, Tony Parker, who he held to 18 points on the game. |
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| King James rules the day | Sunday 4/27, 3:03 PM CT |
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As the career highlights continue to pile, Cleveland phenom LeBron James continues to defy the odds and lead a team that, on paper, appears too shallow to compete for victories over squads boasting far more talent and potential. Today, King James shot 11-of-25 from the floor, 3-of-8 from long range, and 9-of-14 from the free-throw line to score 34 points, his third 30-point performance in four games against the Wizards. James also added 12 rebounds, tied with teammate Ben Wallace for the game high, and seven assists, the Cavs' team high on the day.
Our View: What else can you say about this kid? It's incredible and defies comprehension to those of us who viewed this series and firmly believed the Washington Wizards would not only compete but could take the series and move forward. Instead, James is once again taking the helm and control the fate of his squad, emerging victorious much more often than not. |
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| Jamison tops Wiz but can't avoid the loss | Sunday 4/27, 2:57 PM CT |
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The Wiz have suffered yet another loss in their NBA playoff series with the Cleveland Cavaliers and now face a daunting 1-3 deficit in the series, but we cannot point the finger at forward Antawn Jamison when the time comes to figure blame for the Wizards' shortcomings. Jamimson shot 8-of-17 from the floor and 6-of-9 from the free-throw line today to score a team-high 23 points, also grabbing the team lead in rebounds with 11.
Our View: Others are contributing points, but none are pushing the pace and cleaning the boards like Jamison. More importantly, the team is struggling in their group effort to slow down King James (a.k.a. LeBron). This was Jamison's best effort against the Cavs thus far in this series, but it was not enough. |
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| Delonte steps it up in Game 4 victory | Sunday 4/27, 2:53 PM CT |
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Delonte West stepped up his game and served as the point guard the Cavs need to make noise in these NBA Playoffs, serving as the primary source of support for LeBron James and helping the Cavs secure a win in Game 4 of their playoff series with the Washington Wizards, 100-97, giving the Cavs a stout 3-1 series lead. West shot 7-of-12 from the field and a surprising 5-of-8 from three-point range to score 21 points.
Our View: It would be nice to see West dishing a bit more to help James get others involved (just five assists on the day), but his ability to step up and score in a tightly-fought battle shows he is doing what he can to push the Cavs forward. |
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| Arenas flounders in Game 4 loss | Sunday 4/27, 2:48 PM CT |
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The time has come for the Washington Wizards to sit guard Gilbert Arenas , for once again the normally-prolific scoring threat failed to contribute to the cause and did little-to-nothing to influence the 100-97 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Arenas went just 3-of-8 from the field, 1-of-4 from three-point range, and 3-of-4 from the free-throw line to score 10 points.
Our View: Of course, with the Cavs now nursing a 3-1 series lead, the decision to sit Arenas, even if made, may be too late. This team was playing well without the man that tends to serve as the team's scoring catalyst and put forth their best effort in a Game 3 win after Arenas had adjourned to the locker room with continued health struggles. Today he got the start, and once again the Wiz take the fall. |
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| Paul holds key for series | Sunday 4/27, 2:00 PM CT |
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If the Dallas Mavericks are going to even their NBA playoff series with the New Orleans Hornets, they need to find a way to stop guard Chris Paul . Through three games, Paul has averaged 27.7 points and 12.3 assists per game, solidifying beliefs that he may be worthy of MVP votes for the season.
Our View: However, there is hope. The Mavs managed to hold Paul to just 16 points on 4-of-18 shooting from the field, an effort that helped produce the 97-87 win for the Mavs as the Hornets failed to produce another option capable of putting Dallas on their heels. It is quickly becoming obvious this series may ride on the production of the prolific point guard now respected as one of the top talents in the game today. In the first two games, Paul went over 30 points and was a regular visitor at the free-throw line. It's not enough to batter him around, for he will hurt you at the charity stripe (24-of-28 for the series). Get him to miss shots from the field, and from that, hope may be born. |
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| Arenas in starting lineup for the Wiz | Sunday 4/27, 12:52 PM CT |
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Gilbert Arenas is in for the Washington Wizards today as they face their Game-4 matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference playoffs, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Our View: Arenas has been severely limited in mobility and offering on the court outside of scoring and left Game 3 after what appeared to be a re-aggravation of the leg injuries that have bothered him all season long. At this point, it would seem wise to keep Arenas on the bench as the team posted their best outing of the series without him, taking a 72-108 win for their first victory over Cleveland in the series. Keeping a prolific scorer like Arenas out of action would be tough to swallow, but it is hard to argue with the need to consider such a move. |
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| James looking for support in Game 4 | Sunday 4/27, 10:47 AM CT |
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As the Cavaliers seek to get a strong hold on their Eastern Conference semifinal series with the Washington Wizards in Game 4, currently leading the series 2-1, it is hard to deny the lack of support around LeBron James is the top concern of the day. Through three games, James has just 19 combined assists with 12 of those helpers coming in the Game 2 win.
Our View: In their Game 3 72-108 loss to the Wiz, only one other player posted a double-digit scoring total, that being backup shooting forward Devin Brown. Guard Delonte West scored 16 in the first game of the series but has scored just EIGHT combined points since. Center Zydrunas Ilgauskas has been the main vein of support for James, scoring 22 points in Game 1 and 16 in Game 2, both resulting in wins. However, he managed to shoot just 4-of-10 from the field in Game 3 and posted a lowly nine points. Both of those players need to make strong contributions of the Cavs are going to support James and move their playoff hopes forward. |
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| Nash, Suns need reversal of fortunes | Sunday 4/27, 10:39 AM CT |
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The Phoenix Suns will take the court today with hopes of avoiding a sweeping defeat at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs, and getting Steve Nash on track should be priority in that effort.
Our View: Nash was one of few bright spots for the Suns in Games 1 and 2, tightly-fought battles where Nash scored 25 and 23 points respectively with 23 total assists. However, in the Game 3 115-99 loss, Nash was absolutely blanketed by top San Antonio defensive specialist Bruce Bowen, holding the Suns' point guard to just seven points and nine assists. If Nash can't do his job, the Suns will be headed towards an off-season full of questions that, according to rumors, could result in the firing of coach Mike Diantoni. |
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| Deron continues to serve Rockets with frustration | Sunday 4/27, 10:03 AM CT |
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The Utah Jazz have seized a dominating 3-1 lead over the Houston Raptors in the Western Conference playoffs, and the blame can be put squarely on the shoulder of point guard Deron Williams . In this series, Williams has shot 30-of-55 from the field, a whopping 54.5%, and has made 7-of-12 shots heaved from three-point range, averaging 21.8 points per game and 9.0 assists per game in the series.
Our View: Of course, having center Mehmet Okur average 13.3 rebounds per game is a huge advantage, but Williams is setting the pace and seems destined to push his teammates to the top of their game. The Jazz are one of the top teams in the league but are facing a rather daunting challenge for their existence in the West, a conference bloated with teams that could take the title. Deron Williams is the difference maker for this team and should serve as the defensive focus for teams that lie ahead. |
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| Nelson seals win despite lackluster stat line | Sunday 4/27, 9:56 AM CT |
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While the box score may not reveal just how potent his efforts were in giving the Orlando Magic a 3-1 series lead over the Toronto Raptors on Saturday, point guard Jameer Nelson was the straw that broke the Raptors' back with a late-game flurry that sealed the win, according to SLAM Sports. Nelson was given a full tongue lashing from coach Stan Van Gundy at the end of the third quarter, telling him, "You've got no aggressiveness." After the game, Van Gundy admitted he was trying to light a fire under the point guard, and it worked. Nelson scored 10 consecutive in a four-minute span to end the game and seal the win for his team.
Our View: Nelson has been struggling with back spasms and the team is attempting to treat the pain with Tylenol, but it now appears coach is not going to let those concerns slow Nelson down. The team is playing fantastic basketball and looks to be the top competitor to face Eastern Conference favorite Boston for the right to play for the NBA title. Keeping Nelson on track is a priority and should give the Magic the shot needed to emerge and move on. |
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