ty thomas
"No more jumpers, Tyrus. Do you hear me? Tyrus? Hello...?"

The Indiana Pacers: One night after the worst offensive performance in franchise history, the Magic blew out of the Pacers in Indiana. In the process, Dwight Howard becamse Orlando's all-time leading scorer.

Said Pumaman: "It's a humbling experience. It does mean a lot. Not too many players in this league can say that they were their franchise's leading scorer."

And even fewer players can say it happened while they had an outstanding "Trade me the hell out of here!" request with said franshise.

As for the Pacers, they shot 39 percent, went 3-for-11 from downtown and committed 19 turnovers. But remember: They are, according to Roy Hibbert, the NBA's best kept secret. So we should assume this all part of the team's plan to remain shrouded in a cloak of mystery.

Said Paul George: "We just have to take this loss and move on. It's a long season. We must continue to grow and help each other."

Good luck with that, Paul. You check the schedule lately? Your next three games are at Chicago tonight, at Boston on Friday and at Orlando on Saturday. I'm just sayin'.

The Charlotte Bobcraps: The good news: Charlotte held Carmelo Anthony to a career-worst 1 point last night...and that single, solitary, sad point was scored via a technical free throw. So it's safe to say his ass got shut the hell down.

The bad news: The Bobcraps lost by 33 points anyway. In Charlotte.

Charlotte shot 33 percent and made Tyson Chandler (20 points and 17 boards) look like Dwight Howard.

Said Byron Mullens: "It's a (self-) check. I didn't come out to play. Tyson Chandler had 17 rebounds. That can't happen. I'll take full responsibility for that."

Said Bobcraps soon-to-be-fired coach Paul Silas: "I didn't like our softness. Eight offensive rebounds? That says we didn't play hard or tough. If I'm a 7-foot guy, do I let a guard push me under the basket? I tell these guys, 'You're coming out if you do that again.' There's not much else to say.

"We just didn't have enough. We had really two players that played tonight, that's Kemba Walker and Gerald Henderson. I think Brown scored a little bit there at the end but that was it. When Carmelo Anthony goes 0 for 7, come on, you know? We should at least be in the game."

Carmelo Anthony: Here's some historical perspective on 'Melo's 1-point outing courtesy of ESPN Stats and Information:

From Elias: Carmelo Anthony did not make a field goal yet his Knicks won by 33 points. It's just the 5th time since the ABA-NBA merger in which a player was 0-7 from the field and that player's team won by at least 33 points:

Gerald Wallace SAC 0-9 2001-02
Johnny Davis POR 0-9 1976-77
Carmelo Anthony NY 0-7 Tuesday
Troy Hudson MIN 0-7 2004-05
Scott Meents SEA 0-7 1990-91

Melo went 0-7 from the field, the first time in his career that he's played more than 2 minutes and made no field goals. He's had one other game without a field goal, when he sprained his ankle 1:09 into the game in a 101-92 Nets win over the Nuggets on November 28, 2005.

Carmelo Anthony was held scoreless in the first half. It was just the fifth time in 607 career games that Anthony failed to score before halftime.
The Cleveland Cadavers: Dwyane Wade was out, LeBron James had a bad night (8-for-21 with 5 turnovers), and the Cadavers had a legitimate chance of pulling off a win against the cHeat in Miami. Then...Chris Bosh happened:


The RuPaul of Big Men scored 17 of his game-high 35 points in the fourth quarter. He went 10-for-16 from the field and 14-for-14 at the line. It was the third-highest fourth quarter explosion of his career and the 35 points represents his highest scoring output since joining the Nazgul in Miami.

Cleveland lost in part because they were in such a giving mood.

Said Kyrie Irving: "We kind of beat ourselves tonight. We had 22 turnovers and we lost by seven points."

Added Cadavers coach Byron Scott: "Stayed in the game for 48 minutes. And the only thing I'm disappointed in is the fact that we had 22 turnovers. That's killing our young team."

I'm not saying the 22 turnovers didn't hurt. I'm not. But allow me to provide some perspective: Miami committed 18 turnovers and Cleveland scored 22 points off of them. Meanwhile, the Cadavers gave up only 13 points off their 22 turnovers. So, you know, I'm just sayin'.

The Phoenix Suns: Free Steve Nash for fuck's sake! Free him! For the love of God! Please! Aaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrgggggghhhhhh!

Okay. So here's the deal. The Craptors showed up in Phoenix with an eight-game losing streak and one of the bawfulest rosters in the league. What's more, Toronto hadn't beaten the Suns since February 10, 2004, a losing stretch of 14 games.

It looked like that fail streak might reach 15 until the Craptosaurs outscored the Suns 31-19 in the third quarter. Andrea Bargnani, in his return from injury, dropped 18 points over that 12-minute span. Bargs finished with a season-high 36.

Meanwhile, the Phoenix starters combined for five free throws. Total. And Marcin Gortat had all of them.

Said Nash: "Obviously we were struggling for energy, and I think that was the key, especially in that third quarter. They beat us on all the second-effort plays. They made a lot more of the plays, hustling for loose balls or running the floor, little things like that."

Nut-crushing reality: This was Toronto's first win over the Suns since Captain Canada joined the team.

Said Channing Frye: "We're professionals and we have to figure it out, take the criticism and keep moving forward."

In possibly related news, Frye went 1-for-7 from the field.

Added Suns coach Alvin Gentry: "We've got to continue to work. We've got to continue to be united. We've got to continue to try to get better. That's the only thing as a coach that I know how to do.

"There's nobody that's going to quit. We're not going to let anybody quit. We'll continue to try to figure it out and try to turn our season around. Nobody is going to throw in the towel, I know that."

The Minnesota Timberwolves: According to the AP game notes for the Craptors-Suns game: "Entering the game, the only active win streaks longer than the Suns-Raptors were Portland's 16 straight over Minnesota and the Los Angeles Lakers' 15 in a row over Minnesota."

The Memphis Grizzlies: So much for that seven-game winning streak. The Care Bears shot 38 percent from the field and made Marcus Camby (22 rebounds plus 5 blocked shots) look like the second coming of Bill Russell.

It took the Griz more than nine minutes to hit a shot to start the second half, going 0-for-12 during that span of time.

Said Memphis coach Lionel Hollins: "When you're a little bit fatigued, it's hard to keep attacking. You want to settle, and we did settle too much."

Chris' Lacktion Ledger:

Magic-Pacers: Louis Amundson amounted to very little, despite five boards in 13:11 - three fouls and turnovers each led to a 6:5 Voskuhl. Fellow Indiana resident Jeff Pendergraph cashed in after just 85 seconds for a 1.4 trillion!

Cavs-Heat: Ryan Hollins negated a three-point performance in exactly 12 minutes with a quartet of fouls for a 4:3 Voskuhl.

Raptors-Suns: Robin Lopez laid an egg from the field in 3:46 and added two fouls for a +3 and a 2:0 Voskuhl!!

Labels:

20 Comments:
Anonymous JJ said...
I've pretty much given up on Nash getting traded this season. Both Suns and Nash seem to be stupid and stubborn when it comes to that matter. I just hope he signs with a contender afterwards. If he resigns with Suns, I'm going to personally kick his ass.

Blogger beep said...
free Marcin Gortat too I'd say

Blogger chris said...
To echo what JJ said...

Free him!

Does Steve Nash WANT to be free? his behavior doesn't seem to suggest so.

Blogger kazam92 said...
Steve Nash doesn't want to be free because he's "old school." He's just too loyal I guess.

Anonymous Anonymous said...
"Good luck with that, Paul. You check the schedule lately? Your next three games are at Chicago tonight, at Boston on Friday and at Orlando on Saturday. I'm just sayin'."

Uh, you realize Boston is garbage this year? That Indiana has been playing better than them all season, and that the Boston game is sort of a break from the tough games before and after it?

Oh yeah, I forgot, the writers at this site are blind, stupid Celtic homers. Whoops!

Anonymous Cetti said...
pretty thin line between loyalty and stupidity in that case, if you ask me.

Anonymous Shrugz said...
Steve Nash is like when Homer (in the Simpsons) was chasing his roast pig around town.

It's still good it's still good!!!

Blogger Basketbawful said...
"Good luck with that, Paul. You check the schedule lately? Your next three games are at Chicago tonight, at Boston on Friday and at Orlando on Saturday. I'm just sayin'."

Uh, you realize Boston is garbage this year? That Indiana has been playing better than them all season, and that the Boston game is sort of a break from the tough games before and after it?

Oh yeah, I forgot, the writers at this site are blind, stupid Celtic homers. Whoops!


Well, if you'd read this site closely over the years, then you'd know I grew up in Indiana and, consequently, a Pacers fan. So, you know, nice try.

While the Pacers certainly have a better record, they're also ranked 28th in Strength of Schedule, according to BBR. Further, BBR's Simple Rating System has Indy and Boston ranked 17th and 18th, respectively, meaning the teams aren't that far separated in terms of statistical performance.

Now throw in the fact that Friday's game against the Celtics is 1) on the road and 2) Indy's third game in four nights (and part of a four games in five nights stretch), I would say it's gonna be tough for the Pacers to come away with a win.

But, hey, I obviously know nothing about basketball and am blinded by my love for the Celtics.

Blogger Savio said...
Dear Basketbawful, i wanna ask you why did you talk so shortly about Bargnani? He is playing really well but he seems do not achieve the coverage he deserves... I know, he's playing for one of the all time bawful team in history, but come on... Maybe it's not enough bawful for you?

Anonymous Anonymous said...
Well, if you'd read this site closely over the years, then you'd know I grew up in Indiana and, consequently, a Pacers fan. So, you know, nice try.

--Then you should probably show them some more respect, since they're much better than the Celtics this season.

While the Pacers certainly have a better record, they're also ranked 28th in Strength of Schedule, according to BBR. Further, BBR's Simple Rating System has Indy and Boston ranked 17th and 18th, respectively, meaning the teams aren't that far separated in terms of statistical performance.

---Every power ranking out there has the Pacers higher, including Hollinger's which takes strength of schedule into account.


But, hey, I obviously know nothing about basketball...

--You're right about that part.

Blogger Wormboy said...
Bosh is a legit Big Three guy when playing crappy teams. Which is another way of saying that he's not that great.

And re: Carmelo. Dude. You can't get layup even? Or get fouled? Against the BOBCATS? Lame.



And about Nash. You can call it loyal. You can call it "old school." I call it not being a dickhead. Since when was it acceptable for a man under contract (y'know, those legally binding things?), making millions of dollars, to DEMAND that his legally binding contract be altered just to make him happy? In what fucking universe is that acceptable? I call it whiny spoiled brat bitches breaking the law. I also think it's a commentary on our society in general when we fail to be flummoxed by such behavior, and such behavior isn't met with universal disgust and condemnation.

So yeah, Nash doesn't do that. Probably the best for word Nash's behavior is "integrity." "Professionalism" comes to mind as well, a trait woefully lacking in the NBA. The fact that people can't recognize it as such has nothing to do with Nash.

I'll add this: the NBA league office is so bitchy about fining players and coaches when the criticize the league and its officiating in any way, but how the hell do they not fine players for demanding trades in public? Me, I'd like a 5 game suspension without pay when a guy says that in public. It's a far greater threat to the integrity of the league than any criticism of the officials.

Anonymous JR said...
Well, I'll just leave this here.

http://www.iamagm.com/news/2012/01/24/comedy.bosh.iguodala.try.out.some.ballet.photo

Blogger Basketbawful said...
Then you should probably show them some more respect, since they're much better than the Celtics this season.

I don't have to show respect at all. Not the point of this site, in case you missed it.

Every power ranking out there has the Pacers higher, including Hollinger's which takes strength of schedule into account.

The Pacers are ranked 15th in Hollinger's PRs, which makes them a middle of the pack team...three spots away from the Celtics, who are ranked 18th. And they're separated by about two points on Hollinger's scale. That's "much better" than the Celtics? Really? Do you know what "much" means?

And, like I said, the Boston game is going to be their third game in four nights. That matters. I know you've got some kind of chub going for the Pacers, and good for you, but you need to take circimstances into account. I never said the Celtics were better. You're the one getting caught up in the better or worse debate. I just pointed out the Pacers are about to hit a rough patch in their schedule. If you disagree, then you don't understand how scheduling and road play affects NBA teams.

Anonymous JJ said...
Wormboy,

I don't think Nash should demand trade publicly a la Dwight. I would agree that's not professional. But, about the contracts, I think you're confusing sports contracts with a typical employee contract.

A typical employee contract would usually bind a person to a "team". And to leave the company, they might have to sign a noncompete agreement, which in sports, would be like telling LeBron he can't play basketball anymore for X number of years after he leaves the Cavs.

However, we all know sports contracts only guarantee dollars, not the place of employment. Teams can trade players and players can demand to be traded. I think teams publicly shopping a player and players publicly demanding a trade are both generally tasteless unless both parties somehow agree to it. But, I see nothing wrong with a player demanding a trade if the management has proven to be incompetent and/or their goals conflict (ie. team is rebuilding while player is a veteran looking for a ring), as long as the demand is internal and player isn't "checking out" while waiting for change of scenery. A sports player's career is relatively short so it's perfectly respectable and reasonable to look out for numeral uno, especially when you know the management would do the same.

Anonymous Naz said...
If a Celtics team without Rondo or Ray Allen can whip the shit out of the Magic like they did a few nights ago, a tired Pacers team doesn't stand a chance.



Also for the record I wasn't aware that holding Orlando to a franchise low 56 points meant that the Celtics are garbage this year.

Anonymous Anomynous said...
Hey anomynous, you're just trying to be an asshole and you're not even doing a good job. What are you doing here anyway? Seems to me like you don't get the point of this blog.

By the way, anybody else here that can't stand that asshole Steve Smith on NBA.com? He's basically Mark Jackson without the catchphrases (which, you might think, is a good thing, until you realize there's nothing left without them but clichés and some hot air).

Anonymous AK Dave said...
Nice to see a good ol' fashioned trolling on this site again. It's been awhile.

JJ- word. Also: breaking a contract is not "breaking the law." That would imply that a contract is a law- which it is not. Laws are made by legislatures, not NBA teams (thank god).

Anonymous Czernobog said...
@JJ When a basketball player signs a contract, he agrees to get paid a large sum of money to play basketball. That's it. And that's pretty damn good. No one guarantees them rings, no one guarantees them star-caliber sidekicks, no one guarantees them anything besides getting rich for playing a game.

No GM in the league goes to the media saying "we're interested in shopping so-and-so." And when a player publicly demands a trade, it puts their employer in a bind, because it lowers their trade value. It's decidedly unprofessional. I don't see how anyone can see it as anything other than being a bunch of overgrown spoiled brats.

Anonymous Anonymous said...
Hey! Big surprise! No "Worst of the Night" on a night where the Lakers win.

If the shenanigans don't stop soon, I'm not coming back to this site.

Anonymous Anonymous said...
Is it just me, or is Mike Miller bleeding from his nose and mouth in that Bosh video?