2010-2011 NBA Season

Meanwhile, a Wizards team sporting a starting lineup of Hinrich, Young, Thornton, Blatche and McGee lead the Heat by 1 at the half. I fully expect Miami to crush them in the second half, but this would be quite the upset.

 

Wiz are up 5 with four minutes left, despite running an offense that makes a high school girls basketball team look like Alcindor's UCLA teams (crossthreading).

 

The Wiz just went through the worst 30 seconds in NBA history, outside of the Lakers in Game 2 of the 1984 NBA Finals.

Up 5, Bosh hits a 3 to cut it to 2. Howard gets fouled, makes one of two, but gets his own rebound. Again only makes one of two so they're up 4. Wizards foul Bosh on a 3-pointer. He makes two of them, Heat down 2. THey steal the inbound, Jones hits 2 free throws to tie it. Hinrich gets fouled with 12 seconds, makes one of two. Wiz give up wide open lane to Wade and he's fouled. Makes two. Hinrich drives length of the court, gets rejected at the buzzer, Heat win by 1. And they celebrate like they won the Finals, despite the fact it came against the worst team in the NBA.

I'm fairly certain we'll see a story someday, maybe not tomorrow and maybe not next year, but sometime, that Hinrich pulled a Chick Gandil in this game. He was atrocious.

 

It was ugly.

James' shot selection looked like he was still in middle school, and Wade chucked up a handful of airballs as well.

Nick Young scored, what, 30? Nick fing Young.

 

Great blog post by Dan Steinberg about Gilbert Arenas.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/dcsportsbog/2010/12/goodbye_to_gilbertology.html

 

A Connecticut women's game broke out at Staples Center tonight as the Lakers beat a depleted Cleveland squad 112-57. It was 92-41 after three quarters.

LeBron took to Twitter and saw the hand of God in the outcome.

I'm guessing it was directed to Gilbert. But still...now God was there during the decision, too? Was God occupied during Game 5 against the Celtics?

 

"If God's line is busy, you might have to 2-way him." -Ludacris

 

Blake Griffin is the definition of man among boys, especially if the boy trying to guard him is Tyler Hansbrough. Griffin has 36 points and 12 rebounds -- and there's still a little time left in the third quarter. Hansbrough, meanwhile, has 2 and 3, and Jeff Foster is in so someone has a hope of stopping Griffin, who is 15-of-19 from the floor.

There is a highlight on NBA.com of Danny Granger trying to stop Griffin on a break with a hard foul. Most players wouldn't been able to put up a shot, but Griffin brushed him off like a fly. Amazing strength.

 

I haven't seen any NBA this season. I pictured Griffin, coming out of college, to be similar to Hansbrough - a guy who was big enough in college to muscle his way to points but who wouldn't be able to do that in the NBA. Then after the knee injury I thought he'd be a decent bench player and another in the long tradition of Clipper busts.

Showed me...

 

It's not just Griffin's strength. He's got moves around the basket. Against Jeff Foster -- a good defender -- he just ripped the jock right out of him with an Iverson-style crossover and spin move to the basket. How the hell are you supposed to guard that?

The Clips started 5-21, and since then are 10-4. They might have dug themselves too big a hole to get into playoff contention, but who knows?

 

Is Griffin the best L.A. Clippers player of all time?

 

If you include Buffalo and San Diego as part of the Clippers, then you need to coinsider Bob McAdoo and I guess Danny Manning would be the greatest Clipper edging out Terry Cummings.

Marques Johnson, Bill Walton and Marvin Barnes all played for the Clips, but not as well as they did in other places.

So if Griffin keeps up the amazing 27-13-4 with a .522 from the floor he has put up in January, then it won't even be close.