The Post Up: Steph Arrives, Again

by Holly MacKenzie

It’s Wed., Dec. 17. You know what that means? It means, I get to fly home today! Yes, yes, yes. Can’t even express how excited I am to see my friends and family. A group of five girls I went to high school with (including myself), are all home for the first time since high school graduation five years ago. How did I graduate five years ago? My goodness.

So, Steph sitting courtside (or maybe baseline, I’m not positive), at the Lakers/Knicks game last night. I didn’t think it would really happen, but if course, it did. And of course, he spoke with the media and of course, they showed him on TV way more than they needed to.

My favorite was how at ease he is with getting to sit and watch ball while getting paid. And when he referred to the team as “we”. That Steph, what a crazy character.

Those Knicks. What crazy characters. They took it to the Lakers and they were running things for the first half. Then we had a battle the rest of the way through, right down until the final seconds.

Who would have expected this? I certainly did not. Impressive, especially on the second night of a back-to-back.

Even more so when you realize they used seven players last night. SEVEN.

And, Nate Robinson. Say what you want about him, you can’t deny that guy is crazy when he wants to be.

I’m absolutely shocked at the Knicks. I’m enjoying them. A lot. They are building chemistry and are growing together, it’s nuts. That D’Antoni, no wonder Nash misses him.

Kobe also passed Clyde Drexler to become 21st on the NBA all-time scoring list last night.

Tracy McGradyLuckily for you guys, we’ve got some notes coming from that one. Can’t wait for those.

Okay, so Tracy McGrady with a triple-double. That was wonderful to see. Made me do a double-take, but also made me smile. Good for him.

I’m not writing about the Thunder/Clippers or the Blazers/Kings because I really didn’t see any of either game and that Blazers game was an entire blowout anyway.

The interview with Shaq and the guys in the NBATV studio was great. I like Shaq a lot when he’s being funny. He just sounds like so much fun to be around. His “slow-motion” free throw, the footage of his 18 year-old self smashing the backboard, it was the perfect ending to the night.

The New Orleans/Memphis game was also an enjoyable one. Of course, the Lakers/Knicks matchup was the game of the night (yes, I realize how weird that sounds), butI was thrilled to see Chris get those five steals and most importantly, tie the NBA record for consecutive games with a steal. He’s crazy. The great crazy.

The end of the Charlotte/Chi game was also a good one. It was really fun watching Augustin take over and make things happen, both at the end of regulation and overtime. I’m not sure about that foul they called to put him on the line where he hit the game-tying free throws, to send the game into overtime, though.

Before I end this here, my thoughts are with Gerald Wallace who has left the Bobcats, again due to death in the family. While he just returned from losing his grandmother, he has also suffered the loss of his father.

Charlotte 110 Chicago 101 OT

In the duel of the rookies, DJ Augustin got this one as he dropped 29 points on the Bulls in an overtime victory last night. At the end of the game, it was Augustin who came up huge for the Bobcats, selling the refs into believing that he was fouled behind the three-point line by Rose. After hitting all three free throws with 19 seconds remaining, the game went into overtime. In the extra session, the Bulls collapsed while the Bobcats pulled away thanks to Augustin who dropped in four consecutive free throws in the final minute of overtime. Emeka Okafor had 20 points and 13 rebounds for the Cats while Raymond Felton scored 20 points to go with 7 assists. Tyrus Thomas led Chicago with 22 points and 9 rebounds, Ben Gordon scored 25 points and Rose was held to only 6 on the night.

New Orleans 91 Memphis 84

In a game where Chris Paul had a chance to tie Alvin Robertson’s record of 105 consecutive games with a steal, not only did he grab one, he grabbed five as the New Orleans Hornets used a strong fourth quarter to defeat the Grizzlies, 91-84. While the game was intense, the intensity only helped the Hornets as it hindered the Grizzlies who were looking to continue their four-game winning streak, but came up short. Paul finished with 18 points, 9 assists and the 5 steals while David West also scored 18 and James Posey scored 15 off of the bench. Rudy Gay led the Grizzlies with 28 points as OJ Mayo scored 20 in the loss.

Houston 108 Denver 96

While the rest of the NBA world seems content to count out Tracy McGrady he came up huge for the Rockets with a triple-double to lead his team to victory over the surging Denver Nuggets, 108-96. While Yao Ming scored 32 in the game, it was Tracy’s show as he finished with 20 points, 14 boards and 10 assists on the night . Using a 13-2 run to start the game, the Rockets led by six points at the start of the fourth and the bench came up big with Ron Artest scoring 20 points and Aaron Brooks adding 18 as the starters were able to enjoy the victory and most of the fourth from the bench. Carmelo Anthony scored 22 points for the Nuggets while JR Smith added 17 and Linas Kleiza had 13.