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Sports InsiderThe 2007 NBA Playoffs are here, Baby!
April 22nd 2007 09:59
Ah, the playoffs – it doesn’t get any sweeter now does it in terms of
NBA basketball? It’s a bit of Halle Berry mixed with Jessica Alba and Maureen Dowd. Perfection. The best part is that all of the teams that NBALOUD picked to win in the first round had righteous starts in day one of the proceedings. Can I get a ‘testify’?
Beginning with the defending champions who found themselves on the ropes immediately when the baby Bulls took care of the Heat, 96-91.
Luol Deng inflicted much of the hurt on the M-I-A going for 33 points with Ben Gordon and Andres Nocioni hitting clutch free throws in the dying seconds to see off the Heat.
This series is a re-match from last year where the Heat beat the Bulls in six compelling games so there is a bit of history between the two squads. Now you can add a sense of injustice from Miami who accused the refs of colluding with the Bulls to screw the Heat.
Shaquille O’Neal found himself fouling out of the game and took some verbal jabs at official Eddie F. Rush, while Dwayne Wade accused the Bulls players of flopping while getting too much love and affection from the men in grey. Pretty soon we’ll be seeing Johnnie Cochran rise back from the dead fighting for the Miami cause and uttering his immortal line ‘if it doesn’t fit, you must acquit’.
Let’s not take away anything from Deng though who had a sublime game in what already is proving to be a breakout season for the young Bull. A few more games like this and we may be kissing the defending champs goodbye.
Vince Carter was once the most beloved athlete in all of Canada. He bought attention, coolness and fame to O Canada. Now he is quite arguably the most hated former Canuck in the sporting realms. The moniker of Vinsanity is mud to the NBA fans in Toronto.
So, it is of little surprise that the crowd booed VC with gusto when the Nets came to town for game one of the opening series of the playoffs.
Unfortunately, for the lovers of Raptors basketball out there the Nets stole the first game, 96-91. They should take some comfort though that Carter had an atrocious game scoring 16 points on 5-of-19 shooting. It was the other two of the big three in Jason Kidd and Richard Jefferson who were on song which negated VC’s ineffectiveness.
RJ scored 28 points, while Kidd fell two points shy of a triple-double finishing off the night with 15 points and 10 rebounds. NBALOUD loves Kidd for the simple fact that you have a player who can still dominate the game and score less than 10 points.
Chris Bosh not surprisingly paced Toronto with 22 points and T.J. Ford joined in the shenanigans with 21 but it wasn’t enough to see the Raptors through. Nets one-up.
The Eastern Conference leading Pistons also were in action today seeing off the Magic, 100-92.
Orlando can lay a big part of the blame for their loss on some horrible free throw shooting. The team overall was so bad that it made Shaq look like Steve Nash. When you as a team miss 18 free chances for easy points you may as well kiss the game goodbye.
Dwight Howard was perhaps the biggest culprit in this brick fest when he went 3-of-11 from the charity stripe. Ugly is all anyone can say in this instance.
Detroit were far too experienced and balanced for Orlando who must go back to the drawing board or face an inglorious series sweep.
Tracy McGrady was apparently so nervous before today’s game with Utah that he should have considered using Lynx to stop the excessive perspiring. That was only the beginning for T-Mac who came out stone cold and had only one point at the halfway point in the game.
Luckily for McGrady and the rest of the Rockets he picked up his game in the third scoring an impressive 16 points and finishing off with 23. Yes, the Rockets did win, 84-75.
Up until McGrady found his mojo it was Yao Ming who did the heavy lifting who had 28 points and 13 rebounds.
The Jazz looked like they had the game in the bag leading the Rockets by nine at the half and thanking their lucky stars that McGrady was as quiet as a mouse on Christmas Eve. Then it all went pear shaped – Houston got on a run and T-Mac was white hot.
Game over. Houston leads the series.
Today’s clip is all about Luol Deng. Watch his fascinating basketball journey from the Sudan via England, then to Duke and finally starring for Chicago. Inspirational is the word.
Luol Deng had a bullish performance against the Heat in game one. (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE/Getty Images)
Beginning with the defending champions who found themselves on the ropes immediately when the baby Bulls took care of the Heat, 96-91.
Luol Deng inflicted much of the hurt on the M-I-A going for 33 points with Ben Gordon and Andres Nocioni hitting clutch free throws in the dying seconds to see off the Heat.
This series is a re-match from last year where the Heat beat the Bulls in six compelling games so there is a bit of history between the two squads. Now you can add a sense of injustice from Miami who accused the refs of colluding with the Bulls to screw the Heat.
Shaquille O’Neal found himself fouling out of the game and took some verbal jabs at official Eddie F. Rush, while Dwayne Wade accused the Bulls players of flopping while getting too much love and affection from the men in grey. Pretty soon we’ll be seeing Johnnie Cochran rise back from the dead fighting for the Miami cause and uttering his immortal line ‘if it doesn’t fit, you must acquit’.
Let’s not take away anything from Deng though who had a sublime game in what already is proving to be a breakout season for the young Bull. A few more games like this and we may be kissing the defending champs goodbye.
Vince Carter was once the most beloved athlete in all of Canada. He bought attention, coolness and fame to O Canada. Now he is quite arguably the most hated former Canuck in the sporting realms. The moniker of Vinsanity is mud to the NBA fans in Toronto.
So, it is of little surprise that the crowd booed VC with gusto when the Nets came to town for game one of the opening series of the playoffs.
Vince Carter may have sucked in his return to Toronto but Richard Jefferson was on fire! (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
RJ scored 28 points, while Kidd fell two points shy of a triple-double finishing off the night with 15 points and 10 rebounds. NBALOUD loves Kidd for the simple fact that you have a player who can still dominate the game and score less than 10 points.
Chris Bosh not surprisingly paced Toronto with 22 points and T.J. Ford joined in the shenanigans with 21 but it wasn’t enough to see the Raptors through. Nets one-up.
The Eastern Conference leading Pistons also were in action today seeing off the Magic, 100-92.
Orlando can lay a big part of the blame for their loss on some horrible free throw shooting. The team overall was so bad that it made Shaq look like Steve Nash. When you as a team miss 18 free chances for easy points you may as well kiss the game goodbye.
Dwight Howard was perhaps the biggest culprit in this brick fest when he went 3-of-11 from the charity stripe. Ugly is all anyone can say in this instance.
Detroit were far too experienced and balanced for Orlando who must go back to the drawing board or face an inglorious series sweep.
Tracy McGrady was apparently so nervous before today’s game with Utah that he should have considered using Lynx to stop the excessive perspiring. That was only the beginning for T-Mac who came out stone cold and had only one point at the halfway point in the game.
Luckily for McGrady and the rest of the Rockets he picked up his game in the third scoring an impressive 16 points and finishing off with 23. Yes, the Rockets did win, 84-75.
Up until McGrady found his mojo it was Yao Ming who did the heavy lifting who had 28 points and 13 rebounds.
The Jazz looked like they had the game in the bag leading the Rockets by nine at the half and thanking their lucky stars that McGrady was as quiet as a mouse on Christmas Eve. Then it all went pear shaped – Houston got on a run and T-Mac was white hot.
Game over. Houston leads the series.
Today’s clip is all about Luol Deng. Watch his fascinating basketball journey from the Sudan via England, then to Duke and finally starring for Chicago. Inspirational is the word.
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Comment by Nickoftime's Sanity Corner
TESTIFY!!!! lolol
Great post,
Take care,
Nick
Comment by Stanley
must be nice in the sanity corner because i am far from sane myself!