Friday, January 29th, 2010 at 9:00 am  |  86 responses

The Post Up: Close Ones

Thursdays are the best!

by Holly MacKenzie / @stackmack

Great, great, great Thursday night of games.

The Raptors defeated the Knicks 106-104 in New York, despite falling behind by 16 in the first half on the second night of a back to back. Clawing back to trail by four at the break, Toronto battled against the Knicks throughout the fourth, with the lead switching sides until the final seconds. While Jarrett Jack missed a free throw that would have put the Raptors up three, he was the one to step in to take the charge on a Harrington drive as the clock expired.

I was surprised that the final play of a game was a charging call against the Knicks.

I was shocked to see Hedo Turkoglu finish with 26 points, 11 rebounds and three dunks. If you’re on Twitter you’ll know what I mean when I say, #ball. In Hedo’s postgame interview when he was asked why he was effective offensively, he simply says “ball.” When the interviewer repeats him, he says he doesn’t have anything else to say. He meant he was effective because he had the ball, but meh. Dude has had the ball quite a bit this season, so I’m not buying that. Also, having the ball doesn’t suddenly make you jump up and grab rebounds. I’m just happy he finally had a great game for the Raptors. He had the free throws against the Lakers to get the win and appears to be building on it. Here’s to hoping it continues.

Now, David Lee was showing everyone why he should be on that All-Star list of reserves. He was also fouling the hell out of Bosh as he scored 29 points to go with 18 rebounds. He was a beast. Bosh just happened to outbeast him when it mattered, going hard to the hoop for a bucket down the stretch.

In Orlando, the Magic came back from 11 down to start the fourth and got the W as Rashard Lewis waited, waited, waited and waited some more before driving to the hoop and getting the layup with 1.3 seconds to go. On the C’s final possession of the game they were unable to get the ball into the hands of Ray Allen and Sheed was forced to take a three at the buzzer that was an ugly, ugly airball. Magic win, 96-94.

It was kind of sad and a little painful watching Lewis blow by KG on the baseline. It served as a reminder that he’s not as young as he used to be. I know he would probably want to rip my head off if he was reading this, but it’s true. And it sucks.

With 41 seconds on the clock, JJ Redick came up big, tying the game with a 3-pointer and a miss from Ray Allen from deep set up the Lewis lay in. And even that excitement couldn’t get Mrs. Doc Rivers to pay attention to the game. You guys see her sitting in the stands with her book?

In Phoenix, Jason Terry said the Suns can’t play defense during his halftime interview and then the Suns came out in the second half with some grit, hanging on to get the 111-106 victory. While Amar’e had 22 points, Nash had 19 points and 11 assists.

He was balling down the stretch.

Dirk had 19 for the Mavs and Jason Terry scored 21 in the loss. It was a huge win for the Suns against the best road team in the Western Conference.

Thoughts are with Grant Hill’s father who was taken to the hospital during the game for “precautionary reasons” after he was not feeling well.

What were your thoughts on the All Star reserves? I know Lee got snubbed, but besides that how do you think they shook out? I’m just so happy Gerald Wallace made the team. I’m also so happy Stephen Jackson has had such a great impact on that team since the trade.

Someone ripped Bargnani for averaging 6.4 rebounds per game yesterday as a center. I’ll remind everyone that All-Star Amar’e Stoudemire is averaging 8.1 boards per game on a team where he is the main rebounder (no Chris Bosh alongside him) as a player who plays under the basket. Bargnani’s average of 6.4 needs to go up, but it’s not that despicable, considering where/how he plays.

If you could only name one Hawks player and one Boston player to the All Star game, who would it be? I think Josh Smith would be my Hawks pick and he didn’t even make it. You know Rondo’s my Celtics pick.

Thoughts on the good, the bad and the snubbed?

  • Add a Comment
  • Share
  • RSS

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

← Older Comments
  • http://www.realcavsfans.com Anton

    When Greg Oden comes back, I really feel bad for whomever he’s dunking on. That’s gonna be one big facial.

  • Teddy-the-Bear

    Bargnani is getting quite good right now. Ya’ll needs to chill. He’s not as stable as he should be, but he’ll be All-Star caliber in a few years. Yeah, I said it.
    He’s actually POSTING UP now, too. Its clear he’s developing his post game now, and he’s already playing with his back to the basket more than young Dirk was.
    Also, its misleading to call Bargnani the center… He’s more of a power forward.. And Bosh is a great rebounder playing beside him. I know, that’s not an excuse, but 6 rpg right now isn’t the worst thing for the team.

  • Teddy-the-Bear

    David Lee is playing better than Al Horford, Gerald Wallace, AND Paul Pierce. What are you talking about T-Money?

  • Teddy-the-Bear

    The only knock on Lee’s game is defense. But his scoring and rebounding are great. His skills ARE good–he can shoot the J, catch in the lane, and finish with both hands. He’s actually been ambidextrous since birth, which is a huge bonus. He’s one of the best big men in the league at running the pick and roll, and his point guard is Chris Duhon–not exactly Steve Nash or Rajon Rondo. So don’t give me that “his numbers are inflated” business. David Lee has a soft touch from pretty much anywhere inside the arc, AND he’s very athletic. He works harder than most players and he isn’t afraid to body up and get physical in the paint. He can also post up when he needs to.
    Again, Lee was CLEARLY shafted by the coaches this time around. That’s bull.

  • http://slamonline.com nbk

    Teddy – you think his argument is based off of logic, or some weird combination of trade value and potential? my guess is the latter, which means your not gonna get a good answer

  • http://dsjfhklf.com Jukai

    Just to throw something out:
    Bryan is wrong to say Shaq is doing ‘exactly what he was brought in for.’ If you think Shaq was brought in to sit fourth quarters, I have a bridge to sell you. The Cavaliers just have no offensive schemes except “hand the ball to Lebron” so it’s just easier to sit Shaq.
    James is wrong saying Artest guarded Lebron better than Ariza. Artest was getting murdered hardcore. Artest has been more of a disappointment than Shaq, because unlike the Cavs who have pieces to replace Shaq when he’s sitting, there is no good replacement for Artest (Odom is better when he’s at the four).

  • http://dsjfhklf.com Jukai

    And I’ve always hated on David Lee, saying his numbers were a bit inflated, but this year he’s impressed me. He’s no longer getting clean tip-ins or dunks, he’s driving off the baseline, taking jumpers, his spin moves are less mechanical and more to the flow of the game. I mean, he’s worked on his offense HARDCORE. His defense is still suspect, but if you watch some Knicks games, you realize it has improved ever so slightly. And because his game has moved farther away from the basket, his passing has naturally improved with it.
    So yeah, I think Lee really deserved an all-star bid. I think it was taken away when Pierce was undeservingly given a bid… that meant a center had to be picked, and Atlanta only had one all-star, so they took Hoford. If people realized Pierce sucked hard, J-Smooth would have been picked and Lee coulda been in it.

  • http://slamonline.com nbk

    what was shaq brought in for exactly? i thought it was to help defend dwight howard in the playoffs. and thats the only reason

  • http://dsjfhklf.com Jukai

    NBK: If that was the case, Shaq wouldn’t even be in the games against Golden State and Phoenix. He was brought in to yes, a) defend one-on-one against larger defenders
    BUT
    b) to provide help defense and provide blocks down low (people just run picks and rolls and switch him and get easy baskets)
    c) to provide firepower from the post and take double teams away from Lebron (they go to the post early to give him a few freebies, but they immediately shy away from it from the second quarter on because he takes away any tempo the game has and usually misses. I can count on my hands how many times I’ve seen Shaq double teamed)
    d) Leadership (hohum….)
    Now, I’m not saying Shaq has been a failure— he’s taking being benched in stride, which actually, to me, makes Shaq more of a complete player because he is doing what the team needs to win. He’s also altering his offense, getting around the defender for clean dunks instead of just trying to post all-the-damn-time. But he certainly isn’t accomplishing what he came into do. Doing ONE thing well doesn’t mean you were worth the acquisition.

  • http://slamonline.com nbk

    i would have thought after what he did to phx’s offensive tempo cleveland would realize that when they signed him (it actually seems like they knew that all along considering as you said, they don’t go to him after the 1st quarter). To me Shaq is doing exactly what I expected him to do. especially w/out the phx medical staff

  • buschfire

    BOSH IS A MACHINE!!!

  • chingy

    Teddy-the-Bear knows what he’s talking about

  • chingy

    and for all who are saying shaq hasn’t done what he was signed to do, let’s just wait for the playoffs cus that’s when it really matters

  • http://raptorsrevelry.blogspot.com/ Aaron

    I say Shaq will foul out at least twice in any given series, while averaging 10 and 6. People like to hold onto his glory days though, I understand. I’m just lookin forward to his entertainment in Dallas next month…kind of like a road clown.

  • http://myspace.com/showbread Bryan

    Well I think I was 100% right so far today.

  • http://www.luketynan.blogspot.com therighttoremainsalient

    Could Amare look anymore tradeable than yesterdays DALMAV – PHX game? dude gets one rebound, is so lax on D they play Dudley, Lois and deep fryer ahead of him (actually even grant hill was all hustle and earl brought it as did Goran)… I can see amare being trade for 2 players (preferably one scoring type C/PF and a rebounding guy) and the suns getting a whole lot better STRAIGHT AWAY.

  • J-Ro

    Other off season moves not mentioned above that have helped their teams respectively; arron afflalo, drew gooden, earl watson, matt barnes, andre miller, channing frye, and Jarret Jack.

  • http://www.realcavsfans.com Anton

    Jukai, I am disappoint. What then, in your opinion, was Shaq brought in to do? Get 30 touches? He’s obviously fading but he’s making use of his abilities the best way he can, and it’s pretty damn effective against the elite teams. His biggest negative is lack of speed and perimeter D, but he still looks faster than Zydrunas “3-Second Late Reaction” Ilgauskas.
    He was brought in for D in the paint and instant post offense (also, he gets a lot of 5′s and 4′s in foul trouble early). Dude straight bullies most centers 1-on-1. That’s all he needs to do in the playoffs, period.
    And that’s the bottom like cause Stone Cold said so.

  • http://fdskjlf.com Jukai

    Anton, my man, I know you can read, so perhaps you simply missed when I listed what Shaq was brought into do and what Shaq has not done. He really HASN’T brought any D outside of hard fouls on players who may or may not have deserved it. They are a worse defensive team. And he has been awful in his post offense.
    Now, he IS doing a great job of fronting cats like Perkins, Howard, and Bynum, so that was the most important reason eh was brought in and he’s accomplishing that. But to say Shaq is ‘doing exactly what he was brought into do’ is an exaggeration hardcore. They expected him to put up his Phoenix numbers. There was many expectations that Lebron would get a secondary scorer. That ain’t exactly happened. Remotely.

  • http://www.realcavsfans.com Anton

    There is no way that the Cavs expected him to be the 2nd scorer, especially with monitoring minues, sharing them with Z, and resting him altogether.
    In the playoffs, Shaq Daddy will put down the krispy kremes and drop 30 and 10 on fools.

  • wassup

    ball

  • http://dsjfhklf.com Jukai

    Anton: They were hoping he was gonna jump right out of Phoenix and drop 20-10 off the bat bro. You sure as hell know that’s what that dolt Mike Brown thought, he more or less said it. Shaq has been a disappointment in the post (getting owned by Joakim Noah?) the same way Artest has been disappointing in the triangle, Jefferson has been disappointing in the half-court, and Rasheed has been a disappointment uhm… doing anything.

  • itaigruss

    word to big bird ^

  • http://www.realcavsfans.com Anton

    How do you know what they were hoping for? (Mike Brown doesn’t count, I don’t care what he’s hoping for unless it was an offensive playbook). Most fans were comfortable with 12 and 8, with a big impact in big games, which he has done. But I know where you’re coming from, he misses a lot of shots he used to make. His defense is pretty much flagrant fouls but it’s effective (ask Dwight and Pau). For me, to define “total failure” is he is a non-factor in big games. Take Orlando, now that they didn’t have to double Howard in vain, everyone stayed home on the shooters so overall defense goes up tenfold. I’m sure there were some people who thought he could still go 18 and 8 (playing 30+ minutes) but I never thought it was realistic on a contender. Bottom line, they got him for the playoffs and he’s been important vs. elites this season (as opposed to Cavs winning 66 but losing vs. elites last season).

  • http://www.need4sheed.com Tarzan Cooper

    no mention of amare sitting the whole fourth quarter? that was kinda weird. jj redick has become a very nice nba player. he plays good d, passes well, plays team ball, and of course hits shots. i knew hed be better than adam, who is trash. 3rd pick? hahahahahaha

  • http://Www.lkz.ch Darksaber

    So not used to Anton discussing ball at length. It’s usually a funny one liner and au revoir. Nice. Watching yesterday’s BOS-ORL game, i noticed Gortat, White Choco and JJ playing large chunks of the 4th (with Gortat playing most of the 3rd & 4th) and that group along with a very energetic Lewis and an unstoppable Howard made the comeback happen. All this with Nelson, Pietrus, VC (who threw the ball away when he subbed in late) on the bench. If Orlando figures their ish out, they will be DANGEROUS in tge playoffs. That twin tower lineup picked the C’s apart and stopped easy forays to the hoop.

  • Vince5

    Ball

  • http://dsjfhklf.com Jukai

    Anton: I never said total failure, I said disappointment. He has been effective in SOME games but other games he’s more effective when he’s sitting on the bench. He hasn’t made the Cavaliers worse, per say, but having a shooter like Sasha and a team-defense guy like Wallace certainly wouldn’t hurt. Parker has been a bit underwhelming.
    And c’mon, I’m a Cavs fan, I know plenty of Cavs fans. They were still hoping Shaq was gonna be drawing double teams and fouling out the entire center lineup of opposing teams.

  • Lazaruz

    Someone explain to me how Horford is better than Bogut.

  • therighttoremainsalient

    @LAzaruz – I suppose I could make something up… but it woulnd’t really be plausible. Like so many comments on here.

  • therighttoremainsalient

    note to self: PHX actually play gritty Defense on every play when Goran Tragic and the Bench Boys from the Badlands take to the floor…

  • Jon

    You guys gotta be joking. All this arguements over nothing. The Nuggets are gonna strike gold this year. Their play has been very very solid despite losing Melo for so many games and Billups/K-Mart got some games too. Watch out.

  • http://www.realcavsfans.com Anton

    Lol yeah let’s bring Sasha and the corpse of Ben Wallace back (though his corpse looks stragely animated back in Detroit). C’mon son, you’re better than that.
    And I thought you were a Suns fan?

  • http://dsjfhklf.com Jukai

    Anton: Suns are my favorite team. Cavs are second. Hornets are third but only cause of Paul.

    I liked Sasha better than Parker, that is for DAMN sure. So what, Parker is better on the inside, Sasha is a better 3-point shooter and just as good of a defender. Why do they need Parker to drive? They have Mo and Lebron. Wallace was great for the Cavs, he just couldn’t do crap against Howard.
    I mean, they won 66 games with those guys. It’s hard to argue they weren’t good members of the Cavaliers.

  • T-Money

    66 games don’t mean anything if you don’t match up well with teams you have to beat to win a title. Ben couldn’t defend Howard or the trees from LA so he had to go. Look at Shaq’s splits, he’s rounding into shape shooting 60%+ in January. Shaq > Ben, Parker > Sasha, Moon > Wally, Powe > Joe Beast.

  • http://dsjfhklf.com Jukai

    T-Money: Shaq > Ben, Sasha > Parker.
    Wally is better than Moon, but well, Wally’s gone through his third leg surgery and probably can’t move right now. Joe Beast is probably better than Powe because POWE ISN’T PLAYING.
    Shaq is shooting 60% in January because he’s facing up and getting easy dunks from Lebron passes. They’ve gone away from him posting up.

← Older Comments
Advertisement