Utah 116, Dallas 110
Look for the ‘Dallas is done’ bandwagon to have more people and speed past the ‘Phoenix is done’ bandwagon after this one. Here are the facts that those people point too.
- Dallas is 4-4 with Kidd in the lineup.
- All 4 of those losses have come against top Western Conference opponents: New Orleans, San Antonio, LA Lakers and Utah.
That would be more than enough to prove that the Kidd trade will do nothing right?
Wrong. People, just like this Suns trade needs to be given a chance, this Dallas trade needs to be given a chance. I think people just saw how Pau seemlessly slipped in with the Lakers and how they took off and expected the same in PHX and Dallas. Except it’s impossible, we may never see a mid-season trade like that again in the history of the league. Hyperbole, I know but think about it. A team gives away next to nothing to gain an All-Star caliber player who just so happens to fit a big need AND has the exact skills to excel in their system. Doesn’t happen night and day.
Dallas made a significant trade, completely changing their captain halfway through the voyage. It’s going to take time for things to gel. People should watch out because Dallas has competed in those 4 losses. All 4 games took place on the road..they were an Avery sub away from winning in San Antonio. They were a Kidd free throw from almost winning in LA. They were a 4th quarter run away from stealing one at Utah, THE toughest place to play in the NBA AND they were on the back end of a back-to-back. So let’s cool the jets on all that ‘Dallas is done’ talk and just enjoy the beautiful basketball. If you want to complain about the Mavericks, talk about how crappy of a road team they are in general (14-19 is yucky).
And beautiful it was…I can’t describe how excited I am for the playoffs. For the Jazz…Deron Williams was amazing, dishing out 20 assists, dropping 17 points with only 4 turnovers. That’s 5 assists for every turnover, the kind of assist-to-turnover ratio that would make Hollinger feel warm in places he hasn’t dealt with yet. Better news for Utah is the fact that Mehmet Okur has seemingly found his game again. Over the past 4 games, Okur is averaging 21 points, 11.2 rebounds and shooting 54.2% from the field. If Utah can get that kind of production from Okur regularly from here on out….don’t be surprised if the Jazz “ruin” the playoffs again.
I think if I was a Dallas fan or observer, the good thing I would take out of this loss is that the Mavericks didn’t fold. They were down 21 at one point and came back to take the lead in the 4th. Everyone knows that Dallas has not been known for their competitive spirit, but it seems as if Kidd has breathed some leadership, swagger and fight into this Dallas team. That will be very important come playoff time.
(Allow me to point this out, because I’m amazed by it everyday. Dallas right now is the 7th best team in the Western Conference. Are….you…kidding me? 2.5 games separates the #1 seed from the #6 seed. I haven’t been this excited since my cousins introduced me to Baywatch)
Philly 106, Clippers 80
The Sixers continue to confound me. Perhaps it speaks volumes about the quality of the Eastern Conference but they are the #7 seed and look to be pulling away from the Nets and Hawks. They are going to get a pat on the back for going 2-1 on a quickie West Coast swing that included Golden State and Phoenix. Quietly they have won 10 of their last 13 games and if they keep winning and smell .500, Mo Cheeks has to be a dark, dark, darkhorse candidate for Coach of the Year. He has to be….it’s the Sixers people. Kudos to them…they don’t have much but they are making it work. Andre Miller has been playing out of his mind lately….averaged 19.7 points and 8.2 assists in the month of February. I like how they seemingly have embraced their athleticism as of late, instead of fighting it and trying to be a grind-it-out half court time.
At the end of the day it won’t matter because they’ll be getting beaten to a pulp by Boston or Detroit.
Hornets 100, Knicks 88
Congrats New York!! You’ve joined Seattle, Minnesota, Memphis and Miami as teams who have already clinched losing records. You should be so proud. The whispers are that Isiah may have coached his last game as a Knick. I’m sorry, but I will believe it when I see it. And besides to quote The Rock ‘It doesn’t matter!’ It’s clear Isiah has no idea what he’s doing. I have tried to stay away from the Isiah-bashing because for one, everyone and their mom does it and secondly it’s just an easy target. But I mean really…no Zach Randolph and you start Malik Rose over David Lee?? I’m not hearing the whole ‘Lee played 31 minutes, Rose played 18’ or that he was trying to keep Lee in a rhythm off the bench. That makes no sense. Why the starting five isn’t Lee, Randolph, Balkman, Crawford and Robinson is beyond me. My brain is starting to hurt thinking about that mess.
Hornets got a much-needed bounce-back win after last night’s beatdown from the Wizards. Chris Paul made them ‘ooh’, ‘ahh’ and remind people why he is the closest thing we may ever get to Isiah Thomas…the player. Kudos to Tyson Chandler for getting extra beasty in MSG (15 pts, 18 rebs)