Daily NBA Summaries

BIG EAST & THE NBA (11/2/2009)

by DOUG FERGUSON

Tonight was the battle of the hot garbage with five games where all but one of which were won by teams I had finishing in the bottom 10 of the league. The fifth of these teams was the Charlotte Bobcats who I had coming in 8th in the East which looks like it is far from happening. When I drew November 4th in my “First time the Knicks and Kings win on the same night” pool I thought I was totally out of it because they would last until at least March before that happened. Turned out I was pretty close. The Rockets continue to impress while the Hornets continue to depress. In all three teams picked up their first win of the year on Monday. Here is the rundown.

Game of the Night (on paper)

Houston Rockets 113 vs. Utah Jazz 96
I have been accused of being a Rocket hater by some at the start of the year. I won’t deny it either, I’m not ashamed. To think they would be a team who could walk into Salt Lake City without their 2 superstars and walkout with an almost 20 point win would be comittable.

The Rockets moved to 3-1 led by Aaron Brooks’ 19 points and 9 assists as well as 17 by rookie swing Chase Budinger. Houston knew it would have to be a team effort this season and they have responded accordingly. Tonight their statement to that effect was putting 8 players in double figures.

Game of the Night (for real)

Memphis Grizzlies 116 vs. Sacramento Kings 127 OT
The Grizzlies have as talented a team on paper as anyone in the league.. Offensively they look it. They do a good job rebounding with a thick front line where Zach Randolph has been their most consistent player. Defensively they look like the Washington Generals.

The Kings tied the game in the final seconds on an uncontested layup by Beno Udrih. Sac-town took over in the extra period winning by 11. A huge night for Kevin Martin carried the home team to victory.

NBA PLAYER OF THE NIGHT- KEVIN MARTIN (SACRAMENTO KINGS)
Martin was considered one of those breakout players to watch this season. I don’t know if he is ever actuall going to be that franchise guy in Sacramento or anywhere else. He sure can score though. He had 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals to complement his 48 points on Monday night. Martin made a killing from outside hitting 7-10 from outside the arch.

Big East 3 Stars

1st Star- Emeka Okafor (New Orleans Hornets/Connecticut)
Okafor put up 24 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 blocks paced a Hornet team that is having trouble as they couldn’t top the lowly Knicks at MSG.

2nd Star- Rudy Gay (Memphis Grizzlies/Connecticut)
The high powered Grizzly offense was paced by Gay’s 21 points and 13 boards on the night of Allen Iverson’s return. They had no “answer” for the Kings though.

3rd Star- Wes Matthews (Utah Jazz/Marquette)

Matthews finally got some garbage time where he scored his first 6 career points in 16 minutes

PICKS!!!!!!!!!!!

Stupid bad teams come up and scrape up wins against teams on the rear end of back to back games. Only I would get beat by the Kings and Knicks on the same night.

Record- 13-7 straight up/8-9 against the spread

Headliner Game

Utah Jazz 88 at Dallas Mavericks (-4.5) 99
If Utah played like that at home last night its hard to believe they will have anything in the tank with the back to back booty end on the road.

Random Machine X3

Boston Celtics (-7) 96 at Philadelphia 76ers 86
Boston is off to another of their notorious fast starts. They are playing like the best team in the NBA right now.

Phoenix Suns 91 Miami Heat (-3.5) 96
The Suns look like they’re on the right track back but the Heat don’t go down easy at home and they are off to a good start.

Los Angeles Lakers (-7.5) 106 at Oklahoma City Thunder 97
I expect to find out a lot about both teams in this games. Can the Lakers be truly dominant? Can Oklahoma City make the first step towards respectibility?

Back to those big, long schedules that Tuesday likes to provide for us.. I will be fully tuned in due to the off night for the World Series. I have to be the most spaced out channel flipper of all time, notorious for switching off the end of games on a commercial and forgetting to put it back nearly in time. On the brightside, I am an expert at determining the winner of a game by postgame press conference attitude. I am very excited though that I get to see one of my all-time favorite athletes pitch one more time. I really want to see Pedro drill A-Rod and give that signature “what are you gonna do about it” stare. See you all on the flip.

Charles Barkley Quote of the Day

“If you go out with a girl and they say she has a great personality, she’s ugly. If they tell you a guy works hard, he can’t play a lick. Same thing.”

NBA & THE BIG EAST (11/1/2009)

by DOUG FERGUSON

Today I finally get to gloat as I had an outstanding day picking games, pulling myself from the depths of under .500. I also get to slap myself for my contradictory tendancies already. I have told people all off-season that Carmelo Anthony is the best player from a current Big East school. Then I went off and chose Dwyane Wade as my preseason MVP. I will admit that its somewhat of a lingering effect from me thinking that Wade should have won the award last year but was denied do to all the Kobe slurping that goes on in this league. Regardless, Carmelo is making me look at least half smart in the first week of the season. Here’s today’s short recap as we catch our breath after week one.

Best Game of the Night (on paper)

Chicago Bulls 87 vs. Miami Heat 95

The Bulls took this game and put a ribbon on it for the Heat as they had numerous chances to take the lead and/or tie with layups that were subsequently missed. Dwyane Wade played the unselfish superstar down the stretch passing out of a triple team to the struggling Quentin Richardson who hit a 3 for the game’s pivotal shot.

Best Game of the Night (for real)

Memphis Grizzlies 123 vs. Denver Nuggets 133

Memphis proved that they have the offensive firepower to compete with anyone…..except for the Denver Nuggets. Carmelo Anthony seems to be able to get buckets at will and Nene and Kenyon Martin look like they are both poised for big seasons. Melo had 42 but was taken almost shot for shot with O.J. Mayo who had 40. Memphis looks to be the younger version of Denver but they aren’t Denver yet.

NBA PLAYER OF THE NIGHT- CARMELO ANTHONY (DENVER NUGGETS)

What can I say? He is tonight’s 1st Big East Star as well of our first winner of both Big East and NBA Player of the Week. Not much else words can say for the start Anthony has had.

Big East 3 Stars

1st Star- Carmelo Anthony (Denver Nuggets/Syracuse)

I saw someone say last week the following: “This is the year that Darko Milicic can finally prove he was worth being picked number 2″. That person is now being talked down from a 12th story window.

2nd Star- Dwyane Wade (Miami Heat/Marquette)

Scored the 10,000th point of his NBA career at age 27.

3rd Star- Hasheem Thabeet (Memphis Grizzlies/Connecticut)

In a game where the Grizzlies couldn’t stop my Gus Macker team I wonder how a guy who had 4 blocks couldn’t get more than 12 minutes on the floor.. I thought that’s why Memphis drafted him?

PICKS!!!!!!!!!!

I went 3-0 vs. the spread and heads up which is more along the lines of what should be expected of me, PERFECTION. After my sweet night I’m now 8-8 against the spread and 12-5 heads up. Back on track.

Game of the Day

New Orleans Hornets (-3) 102 at New York Knicks 89

I will continue to ride the anti-Knick train until it derails. The Hornets haven’t played too well but the Knicks can’t continue to play like they have and stay competitive.

Random Picks

Memphis Grizzlies (+1) 96 at Sacramento Kings 90

The Grizzlies just played yesterday on the road and lost but this is the Kings and Tyreke Evans’ status is in limbo. Also Allen Iverson makes his Memphis debut tonight.

Minnesota Timberwolves (+7.5) 85 at Los Angeles Clippers 90

The Clippers have played pretty well so far for a winless team but being winless pretty much takes away your privledge of being more than a touchdown favorite ever.

In a prop bet I will take Manu Ginobili -150 vs. the field on the prop of next on court bat kill. That was so cool. Sorry you probably won’t have time to consider my picks tonight so its just going to be for good old fashioned fun. But that’s how it should be.

BIG EAST & THE NBA (10/31/2009)

New York has always been the center of the sports and basketball world. New Yorkers have probably learned to expect that it is sometimes that it isn’t always the outstanding play as much as the wackiness that seems to go down in the boogie down that makes this the case. More on the Knicks in a moment. Other than the General Hospital-esque drama that seems to always hit the airways at MSG, it was a night unusually high in career highs. Lets get to it.

Best Game of the Night (on paper)

Portland Trail Blazers 107 vs. Houston Rockets 111

The rematch of last years first round series out west had the same result as Houston continued to surprise. The Yao-less, McGrady-less Rockets are one of the teams in which my faithless aspirations were misplaced. The signing of Trevor Ariza is looking better and better as he put in a career high 33 points. Aaron Brooks just missed his all-time best of 30 by pouring in 28 points. Leading all scorers was Brandon Roy with 42 who has set the bar quite high with a 52 point career best.

Best Game of the Night (for real)

Philadelphia 76ers 141 vs. New York Knicks 127 OT

This was the game which springs all of the career high talk for the night. Behind career best nights from Al Harrington (42) and Danillo Gallinari (30) the Knicks rallied back from a huge 3rd quarter deficit to force overtime for the second consecutive night. The Sixers overcame blowing a 23 point lead to score the last 17 points in overtime which coincidentally coincided with Harrington fouling out to complete their massive exhale. The benching of Harrington from his starting role for Gallinari seemed to light a fire under both players. Harrington set an all-time high for a Knick reserve while Gallinari drilled 8 threes in front of old teammate Stephon Marbury. Andre Igoudala spearheaded the Sixers revival with 32 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists.

NBA PLAYER OF THE NIGHT- ANDRAY BLATCHE (WASHINGTON WIZARDS)

It wouldn’t be right if I didn’t give the player of the night to someone who put in the best night of their NBA life. Blatche popped in 30 points (yes a career high) on 15-18 shooting in the Wizards victory over the Nets. I would be remissed if I didn’t self promote by telling everyone how I picked Blatche in the 13th round of my fantasy league. Attention Clippers, Knicks, Bobcats: I love my job at NBE but I’m always listening to offers to run an NBA franchise.

Big East’s 3 Stars

1st Star- Hakim Warrick (Milwaukee Bucks/Syracuse)

Warrick came off the bench to play more minutes than any Buck starter in their first win of the season over Detroit. Warrick had 21 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals in the victory.

2nd Star- Randy Foye (Washington Wizards/Villanova)

Foye got his first start of the season in place of fellow Big Easter, injured Caron Butler. He put in 19 points and 8 assists and is looking very good teaming with Gilbert Arenas in the backcourt.

Letter to Self: One of the most effective weapons in basketball is a backcourt sporting 2 true combo guards of quality.

3rd Star- Ben Gordon (Detroit Pistons/Connecticut)

Gordon looks like he may be headed for back surgery three games into the season as he is carrying the Pistons offensively. He had 26 in Detroit’s loss to the Bucks.

PICKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Going 1-2 (5-8) vs. the spread and 2-1 (8-5) heads up with the garbage games the random machine handed me was lucky as far as I’m concerned. Rather than sound like one of those who finds everything whine about after defeat, I take comfort in the fact that the NCAA would reward the difficult schedule later in the year if I was on the bubble for a tournament bid. Lets hope the NBE athletic department gives my worn out squad a little breather in the schedule tonight to get back on track.

Game of the Night

Chicago Bulls 89 at Miami Heat (-3.5) 95

Derrick Rose looked fatigued against Boston and Dwayne Wade is due for a huge night. Wade also plays well traditionally against his old team.

Random Picks

Memphis Grizzlies (+12) 101 at Denver Nuggets 110

Memphis plays tough in this game but they still need to learn to win on the road, especially in the altitude.

Atlanta Hawks 80 Los Angeles Lakers 96 (-7.5)

The Lakers rarely load two consecutive blank rounds and the bullet they loaded Friday against Dallas wasn’t hurting anyone. If this is a team that thinks they can win 70 games that better be the last effort that looks like that this season.

To close out a Halloween night where I may have chalked a career high in miles waked with 4, we wouldn’t be doing our job if we didn’t mention Chris Douglas-Roberts’ breaking his with 25 points and Gerald Henderson tying his with 8. Unfortunately do to a few cavities that need filling I set a career low in candy bars eaten on Halloween posting a huge bagel. I look to bounce back strong after surgery next year though. Tomorrow we start the first full month of the NBA season and the month where all cool people are born, NOVEMBER. See you then!!!!!

BIG EAST & THE NBA (10/30/2009)

Hello Hello and welcome to the the first big Friday night of the season. Much to cover so we can get straight to the point.

3 Stars for Friday

1st Star- Dwayne Wade (Miami Heat/Marquette)

Wade had 32 on the road in Indianapolis and without too many big time performances on the night, it makes him number one by default.

2nd Star- Ben Gordon (Detroit Pistons/Connecticut)

The efforts on the night brought Gordon and Wade about even but Gordon’s loss at home was trumped by Wade’s win on the road. 25 points and a surprising 7 rebounds for BG in the loss to the Thunder.

3rd Star- Emeka Okafor (New Orleans Hornets/Connecticut)

A double double of 10 points and 13 rebounds as well as making his presence felt with a big 4 blocks is exactly the kind of numbers the Hornets expect out of Okafor.

Best Game of the Night (on paper)

Chicago Bulls 90 vs. Boston Celtics 118

It seems like just yesterday I was in a hotel room in Ft. Wayne, IN trying to balance the first AAU tournament of the season while watching Game 7 between these two teams in what many think was the best playoff series ever. Its a good thing this game wasn’t a part of that series because this one wouldn’t be considered on any best of lists. The Bulls played sloppy and were pretty much out of it by halftime. After a fast start in the third it was a garbage time extravaganza. Paul Pierce with 22 and Ray Allen with 20 paced the Celts in their 28 point victory.

Best Game of the Night (for real)

New York Knicks 100 vs. Charlotte Bobcats 102 (2OT)

Since I picked Charlotte to go to the playoffs I was understandably concerned about how bad they got destroyed by Boston in their opener. When I checked in after the first quarter and saw they were up by 17 I felt better. Then I started to see the slow comeback and it made me feel dumber again. Eventually in a move resembling referees who hadn’t participated in preseason and were too out of shape to endure 3 OT’s, the Bobcats were bailed out. A clean block by Al Harrington was called a foul and D.J. Augustin hit 2 foul shots with 1 second left for the win. Raymond Felton had 22 for the Bobcats.

NBA PLAYER OF THE NIGHT- STEVE NASH (PHOENIX SUNS)

I got a cold whiff of 4 years ago when I looked at the box score of the Suns win over the Warriors. 18 points and the first 20 assist game of the year in the NBA. Its good to see Phoenix putting up games in th 120’s again. It just seems right.

Picks for the Day

3-1 heads up (6-4) and 1-3 (4-6) against the spread yesterday. Being sub-.500 isn’t really my style but ask the Celtics if they care about their record breaking start last season. Here’s 3 for tomorrow.

2 Randoms

Sacramento Kings 76 at San Antonio Spurs 96 (-16)

I hate spreads like this in the NBA. Its pretty much equivalent to USC -45 vs. Washington in football but USC usually covers those.

Charlotte Bobcats 79 at Cleveland Cavaliers 106 (-14)

And another great selection by the random machine. I’m more confident in this one as I am getting sour on Bob’s Cats very quickly. To think I once considered Michael Jordan might just be God. God would definitely never pick a team like this.

Game of the Night

Portland Trail Blazers (-4) 97 at Houston Rockets 89

Its another rematch of a playoff series from last year and that’s about all we can hope for in a night full of garbage games. If Houston can be good this year I think that Rick Adelman deserves an awful lot of credit.

Today is really Halloween and because I don’t believe in ghosts and I don’t have kids to take trick or treating I have to admit that it is a holiday consisting mostly of rating which girl looks the hottest as Strawberry Shortcake, Snow White, or Rainbow Brite. It always seems to be one of the best holidays for me somehow though. No matter if its the paranormal, girls, or really bad NBA games that drives your Halloween pleasure please make sure that everyone makes sure to have their parents check their candy before they eat it.

BIG EAST & THE NBA (10/29/2009)

by DOUG FERGUSON

Hello, hello everyone! I promise this is the last time I will be a homer but DA BULLS! Now that I got that out of my system we can talk more about Carmelo Anthony. There won’t be a 3 stars tonight but Carmelo put on the best performance of the three day old season. 41 points in Portland with just about no help from his team. He absolutely carried the Nuggets in the 4th quarter with 19. Nevermind Greg Oden missing 2 free throws with 1 second left. Nevermind Rudy Fernandez scoring 22 off the bench for Portland. Tonight was all about ‘Melo’.

Kenny Smith picked him to win the MVP. Charles Barkley brought out an opinion I’ve been preaching for a long time when he called him the best pure scorer in all of basketball. They brought up three points of jump shooting, ability to post his man up, as well as taking his man off the dribble. I would like to add a fourth skill to that set and that is ability to get to the foul line and convert when he gets there. Anthony was 18-19 from the charity stripe on Thursday and he his THE reason for Denver’s 2-0 start.

Elsewhere Dajuan Blair cooled off a bit on Thursday as rookies will, getting into a little foul trouble early in San Antonio’s loss to Chicago. Blair had 6 points and 4 rebounds in 13 minutes against the Bulls.

Fridays 3 Random Picks

In something that won’t be seen much, I went 0-2 straight up (3-3 for season) and 1-1 with the points (also 3-3 for the season). Since I’m not much for mediocrity, we will turn it around tonight with a bunch of dogs and one big favorite. Particularly interested in the rematch between Bulls and Celtics in Boston.

Cleveland Cavaliers 91 at Minnesota Timberwolves 82 (+11.5)
Minnesota will surprise a lot of teams this year I believe. Will Al Jefferson healthy they are actually a decent team.

Washington Wizards 87 (+6.5) at Atlanta Hawks 85
Gilbert Arenas convinced me he was back in Washington’s opener. As long as he doesn’t get hurt during this one the Wiz should be able to cover at least.

Orlando Magic 105 (-9) at New Jersey Nets 87
In my only favorite pick of the night I think Vince Carter will be motivated to beat the team who traded him with relentlessness.

Game of the Night

Chicago Bulls 90 (+12) at Boston Celtics 98
Contrary to popular belief getting rid of Ben Gordon and his inept defense is a positive for the Bulls. If anyone watched last year’s playoff series knows that 12 points is way too much for this one.

Everyone be careful in his or her last minute pumpkin carving endeavors PLEASE! Furthermore, no matter what anyone tells you, any age is acceptable for trick or treating and “myself” is an acceptable costume. What really matters is the love of candy. If you love it enough, you will not miss the chance to get free candy in bulk and variety. And one last thing about Halloween. Communities, please enlarge the window of trick or treat hours. I know if my town did that I would promise to not knock on any doors that don’t have the porchlight shining bright. Happy Halloween everyone. I hope the goblins don’t get you.

BIG EAST IN THE NBA (10/28/2009)

Wow!!!! Action all over the place tonight. Some of the west teams flexed their muscle while Cleveland starts the season 0-2 with a loss at Toronto. Lots of Big East players making huge contributions already including a pair of highly drafted rookies that are still making the case the they played in the best conference ever last year. Also, Carmelo Anthony shows that the talk of him being a sleeper for MVP isn’t too far fetched.

3 Stars for Wednesday

1st Star- Carmelo Anthony (Denver Nuggets/Syracuse)

I watched this game from tip to tip and he dominated throughout. Its not often that I find myself saying a 30 point 8 rebound 5 assist stat line doesn’t tell the whole story. Nuggets beat the Jazz by 9.

2nd Star- Jeff Green (Oklahoma City Thuder/Georgetown)

I know a lot of other experts saying this is the breakout year for Green. He filled up the columns tonight all be it vs. the Kings. 24 points 8 rebounds 3 blocks 2 assists 1 steal in a huge night for Green.

3rd Star- Terrence Williams (New Jersey Nets/Louisville) and Jonny Flynn (Minnesota Timberwolves/Syracuse)

The two lottery picks were both huge in the best game of the night as the T-Wolves upended the Nets by two. Double-double 15 and 10 for T-Will off the bench and 18 points in 29 minutes (or a scratch over 1/3 the minutes he played in Syracuse’s game against UConn in the Garden last year….however you feel like putting it).

Decent nights for Dwayne Wade (25/5/5) and Troy Murphy (14/10/7) as well in a full night.

Spurs’ rookie DeJuan Blair also deserves a mention posting a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds off the bench in 22 minutes in his proffessional debut.

Tonight’s Picks

Last night I went 3-1 straight-up and 2-2 against the spread where Golden State proved they are just as awful as Houston and the Hornets failed to keep it close in San Antonio. Tonight Derrick Rose is expected to make his return to the court as the Bulls open at home (FINALLY!) and Denver will get a tested playoff team for the second night in a row, this time on the road in Portland.

San Antonio Spurs (-4) 89 vs Chicago Bulls 82

The Spurs made a big old statement last night and even though they have to play the 2nd half of a back to back on the road, the fact is that they are very good. The Bulls are good but not as good as the Spurs.

Denver Nuggets (+6) 103 vs. Portland Trail Blazers 106

Surprised to see the Nuggets getting no respect as 6 point dogs in this one. My 2 personal sleepers for MVP (Carmelo Anthony and Brandon Roy) face off early.

Watching Melo put it on the Jazz was awesome last night. It is becoming more apparent that I need the NBA package whatever they call it these days. Thank God for NBA Network though. Tomorrow both games are on national TV though so its going to be ok for now. Now I have to go get my Kenny Powers costume ready for Saturday night. POWERS OUT!!!!! I’ll see everyone tomorrow.

BIG EAST IN THE NBA OPENING NIGHT SUMMARY (10/27/09)

by DOUG FERGUSON

Big East 6th Men Rule Opening Night in the ‘Association’

The big issue as far as the Big East goes on opening night in the National Basketball Association was Ron Artest making his debut with the Lakers. ‘Ron Ron’ watched his teammates receive their championship rings on Tuesday night while scoring 10 points in a Lakers win over the Clippers. He was not however, able to make the days 3 stars on the four game slate.

1st Star- Randy Foye (Washington Wizards/Villanova)

Foye played his first game as a Wizard scoring 19 points off the bench in what was the surprise of the night as Washington picked up a win in Dallas.

2nd Star- Kyle Lowry (Houston Rockets/Villanova)

It is apparent that it will be a long year in Houston but Lowry played well scoring 12 points and dishing 8 assists off the bench in a loss to Portland.

3rd Star- Ray Allen (Boston Celtics/Connecticut)

The headliner game of the night was in Cleveland where Boston gave the Cavs half of their home loss total from last year. Allen was a big part of the balanced attack with 16 points.
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On Tap for Today (10/28/2009)

The first night with a full schedule of games (12) jumps. ESPN debuts their coverage with what looks to be the two best games of the night. New Orleans travels to San Antonio where there will be a good matchup of Big Easters on the floor at times as Dajuan Blair makes his debut after an impressive preseason. Emeka Okafor makes his highly anticipated debut for the Hornets.

In the late game, Carmelo Anthony starts another season for the Nuggets as they open at home against the Jazz. The Nuggets are expecting a lot this season out of not only Carmelo but former Cincinnati Bearcat Kenyon Martin.

3 Random Picks for the Day

Every Day I will be picking 3 games at random both straight up and against the spread. I am going to keep track of the record throughout to prove how smart I am. I was going to tell my friends to bet accordingly but that would be equivalent to insider stock trading so I decided against it. Here is the first installment…

New York Knicks 97 vs. Miami Heat 109 (-6)

One day the Knicks might prove to me that they are worth picking EVER

Charlotte Bobcats 86 vs. Boston Celtics 102 (-10.5)

I expect some things from Larry Brown’s squad this year but Boston is too proven at home.

Houston Rockets 79 vs. Golden State Warriors 91 (-6.5)

I think this might be the first time a Don Nelson team ever held someone under 80 but no Yao + no T-Mac = big trouble in H-Town.

Game of the Night

New Orleans Hornets 91 (+8.5) vs. San Antonio Spurs 95

The Spurs are another team I have big plans for this year and they should win at home.

Enjoy the season everyone. I know for one I am happy to have Charles Barkley back on TV and I will continue to lobby for him to get his own late-night talk show. Until that day comes my nights will be free to watch all the NBA I can handle and bring it to NBE visitors.

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