Thursday, March 4th, 2010 at 9:09 am  |  77 responses

Big Wins, Blowout Losses

And I’m seeing red and hearing Drake.

by Holly McKenzie / @stackmack

Well, gonna deviate from standard form a bit here today. I took a complete night off from the NBA. Almost. The Raptors had their Red Party last night, which is a fundraiser for the MLSE’s Team Up foundation. I went not as media but as a guest and had a wonderful time. The surprise of the night came when we found out that Drake had been flown in to perform for the crowd of 800.

It was pretty great. Having him home in Toronto, performing for such an intimate group of people, repping the Raptors, it was lovely. Lovely because it made me think –as always– how thankful I am to get to do something I truly love with every ounce of my heart. Lovely because, I can only imagine how much of a whirlwind these past two years have been for Drake and how he is living his dream. Sure, his may involve lots of money, cars, clothes and “stuff” but at the core, he’s living out the life he wanted for himself. I feel like I’m beginning to scratch the surface of my dreams, and while I’m still wanting to work, work, work for more, I’m living it. And, loving it.

It was a great night.

Now, apparently, the Warriors did not have a great night. Neither did the Thunder. Both of these nuggets of info kind of upset me. Orlando smoked Golden State, 117-90 as Dwight finished with 28 points 12 rebounds and two of each: steals/blocks/assists. The Magic killed GS on the boards, 58-29. Um, yeah. Can you think of a game this season where another team has dominated on the glass so much?

By the look of these boxscores there were a whole bunch of blowouts. A whole bunch of games, too, but that’s beside the point. Seriously, how did OKC lose to Denver so badly. I know, second night of a back-to-back, but damn, 119-90. That’s tough. They ran all over them.

After the Nets managed just 15 points in the first quarter, they allowed the Cavs to lead by 20 after the opening 12 minutes and were never able to recover. LeBron finished with 26 points, 14 assists, seven boards, three steals and a block. Not too shabby. His guy JJ Hickson continues to get better as he had a big night and big double-double with 20 points and 13 rebounds.

Also: According to John Krolik, Delonte West was unavailable, Mo Williams was in foul trouble, and Daniel Gibson was out with a baby. Yeah, didn’t quite catch that without watching the game. Now you know.

In a Knicks win against  Detroit, Bill Walker got his first start and scored 22 points on 13 field goal attempts. Yeah, he should continue to turn some heads as long as he gets time and stays healthy. After a few rocky performances, McGrady put in 21 points, seven rebounds and eight assists. If only he could have a night like this even every second game. David Lee continues to be a beast for New York, scoring 21 points and pulling down 18 rebounds while dishing eight assists. He also had three steals and a block, too. Add in 26 points for Al Harrington and the Pistons and their lack of D didn’t stand a chance.

In a Celtics 104-80 victory over the Bobcats, this stood out: Boston was 10-for-16 from the 3-point line while the Bobcats were 0-for-9. Yikes.

In a blowout, 100-87 loss to the Bucks, Shaun Livingston scored his first two points as a Washington Wizard. I can only hope there are many more NBA points scored for SL and he can score them for any franchise, as long as he’s suiting up to do it.

My man James Herbert aka @outsidethenba on Twitter informs me that the Rockets had prepared a highlight pack for Carl Landry as the Kings were in town. Wish I had been able to see that. If you did, let me know about it, below, thanks! In Houston, the Kings pulled off the 84-81 victory. They also pulled down 24 offensive rebounds and attempted 23 more field goal attempts because of them. Crazy. What’s crazy good was Landry hitting the “game-sealing” free throws in his old home arena and finishing with 22 points and 10 boards.

Meanwhile, the Mavs keep rolling and took down the TWolves, winning their ninth straight. Surprised? Not surprised? I kinda thought it would take the new guys a little longer to slide into the offense, but they’ve proven me wrong. I don’t like being wrong, but I do like good basketball. I’m enjoying the new look Mavs.

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  • jumpman3224

    Before last night’s Cavs game, I was talking with this crazy CLE fan I know. He said two things that I disagree with and I wanted to throw them out there and see if other also disagree or if it is just me. After I said, LBJ at this point in his career has to be in the top 30-35 of all time greats (SLAM had him 42 before his MVP). This guy said top 5! He also said, LBJ would destroy (not beat or give a good game…destroy) Jordan in his prime. Thoughts?

  • dw24

    LeBron is bigger and stronger than his competition. He’s not as skilled and that’s why he’s not one of my favorites. I’d put Bill Russell, Timmy D, Kareem, Magic, Larry, Kobe, Dr. J, and a lot of those guys before him. MJ would murder LeBron. MJ had the wit and athleticism and skill and he WON. LeBron hasn’t won anything. Michael even left halfway through and came back and still holds all those records and still has 6 rings. He’s a winner so until Lebron even topples Kobe’s rings I don’t want to hear it.

  • http://Slamonline.com Mvp23100

    Id mos def say hes top 5 all time brons good but not jordan good yet Up to this point in mjs career his jumpshot was in question as well but theres a few things on the court lbj does better than mike but i think theres a few people who need to go to youtube and watch some old bulls games the way mj gets downplayed i will say this i think INDIVIDUALLY right now bron is better than kobe has EVER been

  • http://www.slamonline.com MooButter

    Holly: The Cavs outrebounded the Knicks 60-31 on Monday. Same margin of 29 as Orlando last night. I watched that Cavs game and it just looked so one sided it was ridiculous. I can imagine that’s what the Magic game looked like last night.

  • http://myspace.com/brandnew Bryan

    David Lee 21 18 and 8. He sucks.

  • http://www.slamonline.com MooButter

    Lebron has “won” plenty. He just hasn’t won the finals yet. I hate that ring argument. No one doubts the greatness of Karl Malone or Elgin Baylor, do they? Slam felt they deserved rankings of 18 and 11 respectively on their top 50 list.

  • http://Slamonline.com Mvp23100

    Dw24
    thats bs you cats kill me with hes just athletic crap the mans been having 14 15 assist nights did mike and kobe do that he can play four positions on the floor his handles are on point speed above average shooter Plus a high bball iq the only thing critics can say is he hasnt won these are the first two years hes had a team it took mike 7yrs and he was what 28 29 brons 25 so kill that he cant win give him the same time for maturity everyone else got

  • http://myspace.com/brandnew Bryan

    Look I’m as realistic as it gets with Lebron. His jumper still doesn’t scare me and he’s a only a good not great rebounder but to say he’s not skilled is just false. His passing and ball handling are probably the best ever for a 6’8+ guy. Last month he put up 32.6 points and 10.5 assists. 33 ppg from a guy who isn’t even a natural scorer is outrageous.

  • http://www.slamonline.com Eboy

    Lebron may be a top 5 small forward of all-time, but that’s it for the moment. That top 5 of EVERY position is gangsta to the 100th degree and is not easy to just barge your way into. If it includes Michael, Larry, Magic, Russell, Wilt, Hakeem, Shaq, Oscar, Kareem…..wait that’s not 5.

  • http://www.slamonline.com Eboy

    As far as destroying MJ in his prime, one on one, well, your friend had to have been high, stupid or both. Mike would have destroyed him in that sort of setting. Lebron would get buckets and make some good defensive plays to force Mike into tough shots, but Mike had EVERY move in the book from a wing players standpoint and Lebron is still about 25% away from being a “complete” offensive machine, so there would be a huge advantage for MJ in that part of the imaginary game. Like Bryan said, for a dude to average 30 points a game without a full complement of offensive weapons just show’s how crazy this kid is. Lebron’s jump pass to Sideshow last night is one of those examples of the kid’s off-the-charts scary talent.

  • jumpman3224

    cosign Eboy. Also, there is so much more that should go into than individual skill. For example, all of those guys Eboy listed have rings (multiple), save the Big O. I’m not saying LeBron won’t ever get there, but not seven years in.

  • Sam

    dw24 are you kidding? have you seen him pass?

  • http://myspace.com/brandnew Bryan

    Best ever is too much Magic was better. But best of our generation.

  • jumpman3224

    Haha I didnt call him my friend, but I completely agree Eboy. And, honestly more than just pure talent and offensive arsenal. MJ in his prime would not allow himself to lose that sort of thing. Plain and simple. That was part of his greatness.

  • http://www.slamonline.com Eboy

    Oh, and Mike would have D’d his ass up in a way that no other perimiter player in the game today would and wouldn’t have given Bron space to use his strength off the dribble, so Lebron’s shooting would have had to had beaten Mike, and I doubt that would be that case. Mike may have been 30 lbs lighter, but his strength was on par with a guy like Ron Ron and his hand/foot speed was greater than that. Shame it’s just a hypothetical.

  • http://myspace.com/brandnew Bryan

    People forget how gangsta Mike was. Take it from a Knick fan, Lebron is great but he couldn’t touch a 26 year old Mike. Or a 34 year old Mike for that matter.

  • http://www.slamonline.com Eboy

    And until Lebron shows that kind of “I’ll kill you motherfu*er if you think you’re beating me” attitude, his ability to be ranked as an equal to MJ in that capacity isn’t even fair. Kobe to a lesser degree (’cause he get’s too stupid with his shot selection when he get’s into that mode), but Lebron is equally adept at setting up guys in an incredible way, so he’s definitley more like Magic overall, just with way more athleticism.

  • jumpman3224

    Exactly.

  • http://www.slamonline.com James the Balla

    Moobutter and MVP hate the ring count… surprise lol.
    MVP is … anyways lol.
    MVP man, we know man. He is the greatest ever man, we know. We just know man alright. Denver is amazing and so is Bron!! We get it.

  • http://www.slamonline.com Eboy

    AND………(sorry to hijak, it’s a fun topic)I really love Lebron’s game, his attitude (D-Wade, please take notes)and his future. The game is in fantastic hands for the next decade with guys like him, Melo, Durant, Wade, Dwight, B-Roy, etc……and also seems like there may be a much more competitve league than it was for the last 10 years or so because of it.

  • Jack Knife

    I like how sportscenter has to show us every time when LeBron jumps so high he gets his head near the rim level. And he also could play in the NFL.

  • http://www.slamonline.com Eboy

    James, sorry nobody’s sucking on the Kobester’s ballbag this morning, you may (or may not) have that chance tomorrow if they can run over the Heat tonight.

  • http://www.slamonline.com James the Balla

    Co-sign Eboy and Bryan. But the Cavs should not be allowed to play the NEts anymore lol. Last night was ridiculous!! They made the nets look like children… and Bron had a couple sick passes!! Plsu about 16 dunks.

  • http://Slamonline.com Mvp23100

    Like i said lebron may get 6 or 7 rings and still may not be better than mj to me magic is not in the convo with bron and mike personally i’ll take isiah before magic but i dont understand why people say he doesnt have a arsenal or lbj isnt a pure scorer he’s tops at scoring and does it at an efficient rate While passing blocking and rebounding

  • jumpman3224

    Damn, Eboy its been a while since I’ve see you so excited on here. Wish I woulda had you with me for this convo last night. But, yeah the game is in great hands moving forward and you didnt even mention the point guards that we will get to watch develop.

  • underdog

    Bill Walker!!

  • jumpman3224

    MVP…where you alive when Magic played? If not are there libraries or Youtube anywhere near you?

  • jumpman3224

    were*

  • T-Money

    Cmon guys, that’s not even debatable. MJ in his prime would eat Bron (or any other wing in the history of the game for that matter) alive. Bron is nowhere close to the top 5 right now, I wouldn’t put any active player in my top 5 (Magic, MJ, Kareem, Russell, Wilt). / People are still making the no-skills/all-muscle argument about Bron? He had an EASY 10 pts-8 assts in the 1Q and he wasn’t even going hard. Damn the numbers, the game has never been this easy for him. He’s basically getting what he wants everytime down the floor. There was one play where Andy set up a pick n roll and the Nets switched so he cleared his side, walked the dog with Humphries on him until he settled for a 15 footer. Guys are giving him 15 footers to prevent his drives. Crazy.

  • http://www.slamonline.com Eboy

    MVP….I wrote, I think, that Lebron’s arsenal was somewhere in the range of being 75% complete, in comparision to Michael’s game. That’s not an insult to Lebron’s game in the least. He’s just not the same type of scorer that Michael was at this particular point in their careers. Unless Lebron can average 37 a game like Mike did when he was 25, then I’d feel differently. Also, Isiah was nice, a HOF’er, a legend and gangsta in his own way AND a champion, but he could never, EVER f*ck with Earvin. That’s not even fair to him, let alone your comment.

  • T-Money

    Eboy: don’t hold your breath on Bron averaging 37 now that the team is really good. He’s got mouths to feed on offense, it’ll never happen. That’s not where his mind is and he’ll never put up 27-28 shots a game. In fact, he’s scoring LESS now than he was 304 years ago and his assts numbers keep going up. However, I still expect somewhere close to 40 in the playoffs.

  • http://myspace.com/brandnew Bryan

    I agree with Eboy about the future these dudes are the truth. I think Wade mopes but it must be hard to go from finals mvp + champion to barely competetive. If Wade and Lebron play together I think you’re really going to see something special. Lebron can tail back his scoring and focus on defense and rebounding and Wade can go into MJ mode. That would seriously be epic. By the way, just to stick the nail in the coffin of the Mike v. Lebron debate, Lebron’s best season so far can’t touch MJ’s third best season. 32.5 8 boards 8 assists 2.5 steals. Off the charts man. That’s without shooting 3′s and in the hard fouling , jordan rules 80′s.

  • http://myspace.com/brandnew Bryan

    Lots of chatter last night that Bill Walker is already better than Lil Nate. I’m a big Walker fan, and was pretty excited about that pickup for them because he’s young and athletic and could really develop given the chance and barring injury but I gotta say that after 2 games , that kind of talk is premature.

  • http://Slamonline.com Mvp23100

    Jumpman yes i was around look what earvin had around him yes the man was great by all means but that lil 17 18 with 10 or 11 assist means nothing If you take him off showtime and put him somewhere like atlanta Like dominique and no disrespect to wilt and bill but i dont discuss dudes we never seen play The games evolved so much who knows what type of factor they would be kareem og 20 yrs i dig top 5

  • http://jayemmbee.blogspot.com Clutch Performer

    Jordan would straight eat lebron no questions asked
    theres a reason why its called going into MJ mode.
    Mike is an awesome defender and he wouldnt back down like todays defenders when lebron tries to barrel in the lane. mike post up game was just dirty hes the reason why guards go into the paint now

    and dont forget Jordan hates to lose, hes great for that, and for turning up a notch when he needed to, especially if the opponent started to brag, if lebron chirps its over. Michael is incapable at losing ego games or huge games, which is why hes 6-0 in finals, and when ever someone said another player was his rival or was better e.g. clyde drexler, he lit them up . he stands to prove hes the best, make no question besides lebron career cant mess with mjs
    MJ in Prime is Godly

  • T-Money

    I don’t think Wade REALLY wants to play with Bron. That’s just an uninformed guess though. He seems to like being the top dog and that’s just not going to happen with Bron. They are both very, very good but there would be a clear pecking order between the two. Don’t think for a second that Bron would be okay with the offense not running through him and not eating first. Bron focussing on defense and rebounding? Yeah, that’s not happening.

  • LA Huey

    Y’all see that hopping bounce pass LBJ skipped to Andy? That was so purrrrty!

  • jumpman3224

    You couldn’t take him off Showtime. He was Showtime. Every champion ever has had other talent around him (Isiah had Dumars, Rodman, Lambeer, Vinnie Johnson, Aguirre). And honestly Magic could do a lot with less around him. For example game six 1980 NBA finals. The heralded “Magic starts at center game” Magic took the court with the following: Wilkes, Nixon, Cooper, Chones and Landsberger. All HOFers right? Magic’s numbers that game 42, 15 and 7.

  • jumpman3224

    Also, he was a rookie at that time.

  • will

    Well, Mike was actually still a gunning 23 year old when he averaged his 37. It was also the year he had his lowest REB average ever and his lowest assist average until his comeback seasons. HOWEVA, Mike did have probably his best all around numbers year at 25 averaging 32.5, 8, 8 and 3. A shade better overall than what LBJ is putting up now (30, 9, 7, about 2). Even as a self-admitted Lebron hater, I have to give it up to the guy because he’s doing incredible work. It seems taboo to rank a guy that high when he’s still mid-career but honestly he would give anyone fits – even MJ. I don’t think either would “eat” either IMO.

  • http://slamonline.com mvp23100

    true im very aware of that game they both had defining games and i know you need good players to win something in the L but its not clear cut ones better than the other numbers are very similar their both accomplished and because of the showtime lakers that pushes peoples perception that magic was much better its propaganda nobody liked the bad boys like that and isiahs rep always had negativity around it but looking at them individually only thing magic had that zeke didnt was height

  • http://www.slamonline.com Eboy

    Magic didn’t need to be a big scorer on the squad(s) he ran with during his prime. Isiah needed to be that, a big time scorer, moreso than Magic needed to be. Zeke was a great leader, Magic was one of the best in all of team sports, not just basketball. And yes, Magic had height as his main differentiating factor between him and ALL his contempories at that time at the PG position (Mark Jackson, Stockton, Mark Price, Zeke) and basically made the ability to be a huge point guard (or a big dude with point guard like ability) something guys like Lebron, Odom, Penny have tried to mimic since that time. The list of dude’s with comparitive skills to Magic is a WAY shorter list than it is for small guards that can score in big numbers like Zeke. Just saying.

  • http://www.slamonline.com Eboy

    In other words, Magic took the Oscar Robertson skill set and molded in his own way, making it a model that guys STIll try and get to. I’m not sure that Isiah would be even mentioned in a top three argument of small guard scorers all-time. Magic is definitley in the top three as a point guard all-time, without debate.

  • jumpman3224

    The 80s Lakers were great because of Earvin Period. He wasn’t great because of them. That’s not hype or propoganda or anything. He was showtime. That would be like saying people overrate MJ because the 90s Bulls were so compelling and dominant. All of Magic’s numbers were better including championships. I’m not taking anything away from Isiah, but c’mon.

  • T-Money

    ”Magic is definitley in the top three as a point guard all-time, without debate.” Whaaaaaaaaaaat?!?! Where’s the debate? Magic is the best point guard of all time. End of discussion.

  • http://slamonline.com CB 34

    @ eboy: I agree with most of what you’re saying but i don’t think magic could have averaged 30 for a season if he wanted to. Even if he needed to, he couldn’t average 32 to 34 a night. He’s not a scorer by nature although he had an advantage over the smaller guards. His outside game needed a lot of work. He operated from the post and on drives.He benefitted just as much as the other lakers did from him. It’s a 2 way street. Having big game james, kareem, wilkes, byron to pass to makes a point guard’s life much easier.

  • http://slamonline.com CB 34

    @ t-money: Magic is the obvious answer there but don’t be so quick to dismiss stock. Stock’s assist and steal totals will never be touched. I’m almost certain of that. The only reason he doesn’t come up is because he never won a chip and dude was as low key as any nba superstar could be.

  • http://Www.lkz.ch Darksaber

    Umm, mind if i just make a short comment amongst the usual “LBJ better than XYZ” discussions here? MAVS. Please carry on…

  • http://www.slamonline.com Eboy

    Dark, your boys deserve love. No doubt.

  • http://myspace.com/brandnew Bryan

    Magic didn’t need to score big but put in some big scoring seasons too. 23 points 11 assists and 8 boards is no joke. 19.5 11 and 7 for a career? How can anyone question that dude? Zeke was great too, my first basketball memories are of him torching the Knicks year after year, but he couldn’t touch Magic. You can’t even compare them cause they were just so different as players, one a jitterbug scorer with hops the other a cerebral mostly earthbound floor general. Love the 80s though wish I was old enough to really know what was going on back then.

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