Thursday, May 31, 2012
Thunder crush the Spurs in a must win game 3
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Heat Survive Overtime Thriller, overcome performance for the ages from Rondo
The Miami Heat defeated the Boston Celtics 115-111 in overtime to take a 2-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference Finals. Several players on both sides put together workmanlike efforts, grinding out over 40 minutes of hard fought gameplay, however no one could match the legendary performance put together by Rajon Rondo of the Celtics. Rondo played all 53 minutes of the game, not resting for even a second, scored a career high 44 points and added 10 assists and 8 rebounds. No other player in the Celtics' storied history has ever had over 40 points with double digit assists in a playoff game. Rondo excelled in draining jump shots all evening, supposedly the greatest weakness in his game, and even made two 3-pointers. Rondo's shooting forced the Heat to adjust their defensive game plan and switch on every pick and roll involving Rondo.
The Heat led by 6 going into the 4th quarter but converted only 4 field goals in the quarter. Ray Allen, hampered by bone spurs in his ankles, willed himself through 43 minutes of gameplay and scored 13 points, including a game tying 3-pointer that sent the game to overtime.
Lebron James had a chance to win the game at the buzzer, but missed a fadeaway 20 foot jumpshot over the 6'1" Rondo. James, who took 24 free throws in the game and finished with 34 points, has to be more assertive at the end of the game. He held the ball for the final shot in the game, but only began to make his move with under 4 seconds remaining in the game. If he had attacked earlier and used his size advantage over Rondo to attack the rim he would have likely been sent to the free throw line with a chance to win the game. Having said that, James' decision to take the final shot in the game is a huge step forward and may signal the end of his late game woes. After having been criticized numerous times over the course of his career as a Heat for his refusal to take over games down the stretch, Lebron's willingness to take the final shot has to be viewed as a huge positive for the Heat.
In overtime James and Dwyane Wade, who finished with 23 points despite having been limited to only 2 first half points by the Celtics, demonstrated why they are among the game's elite, aggressively attacking the hoop to close out the Celtics. Rondo had all 12 of the Celtics' points in the overtime period, which was marred by a questionable decision by the referees. The referees incredulously did not call a foul on a play in which Rondo was obviously smacked on the head by Wade, resulting in a game swinging dunk by Udonis Haslem at the other end.
The Heat's role players played very well, led by Mario Chalmers who had 22 points in 45 minutes. The Celtics poured their hearts out in the game, and their fans have to hope that they have enough left in the tank to win game 3 on their home court Friday night, in order to avoid a 3-0 deficit from which no team has ever returned in NBA playoff history.
Lebron James had a chance to win the game at the buzzer, but missed a fadeaway 20 foot jumpshot over the 6'1" Rondo. James, who took 24 free throws in the game and finished with 34 points, has to be more assertive at the end of the game. He held the ball for the final shot in the game, but only began to make his move with under 4 seconds remaining in the game. If he had attacked earlier and used his size advantage over Rondo to attack the rim he would have likely been sent to the free throw line with a chance to win the game. Having said that, James' decision to take the final shot in the game is a huge step forward and may signal the end of his late game woes. After having been criticized numerous times over the course of his career as a Heat for his refusal to take over games down the stretch, Lebron's willingness to take the final shot has to be viewed as a huge positive for the Heat.
In overtime James and Dwyane Wade, who finished with 23 points despite having been limited to only 2 first half points by the Celtics, demonstrated why they are among the game's elite, aggressively attacking the hoop to close out the Celtics. Rondo had all 12 of the Celtics' points in the overtime period, which was marred by a questionable decision by the referees. The referees incredulously did not call a foul on a play in which Rondo was obviously smacked on the head by Wade, resulting in a game swinging dunk by Udonis Haslem at the other end.
The Heat's role players played very well, led by Mario Chalmers who had 22 points in 45 minutes. The Celtics poured their hearts out in the game, and their fans have to hope that they have enough left in the tank to win game 3 on their home court Friday night, in order to avoid a 3-0 deficit from which no team has ever returned in NBA playoff history.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Spurs win 20th straight game to take 2-0 series lead over the Thunder
Labels:
James Harden,
Kawhi Leonard,
Kendrick Perkins,
Kevin Durant,
NBA,
Oklahoma City Thunder,
Russell Westbrook,
San Antonio Spurs,
Scott Brooks,
Thiago Splitter,
Tony Parker,
Western Conference Finals 2012
Monday, May 28, 2012
Wade and James dominate the Celtics in game 1 of the Conference Finals
Lebron James put up another tremendous playoff performance Monday night, as the Miami Heat defeated the Boston Celtics 93-79 in game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. James, recently named the NBA's MVP for the third time in his illustrious career, finished the evening with 32 points and 13 rebounds, and made his presence felt on both ends of the court. Teammate Dwyane Wade, an 8-time All-Star, provided James with plenty of support, scoring an efficient 22 points on only 13 shots, and adding 7 assists, including a beautiful full court pass to James, which cemented his reputation as the league's greatest quarterback.
Despite struggling through a first quarter in which they scored only 11 points, the Celtics managed to tie the game at halftime. However, Miami responded by shutting down the Celtics in the second half, allowing only 33 points. If the Celtics want to have a chance in the series they have to find a way to score more easily. Five technical fouls were called on the Celtics, including an egregious call on head coach Doc Rivers who simply uttered the words "come on Ed" to referee Ed Malloy.
Even without Chris Bosh, Miami's all-star power forward who is out indefinitely with an abdominal strain, the Heat dominated the Celtics in the paint, out rebounding the Celtics 48-33 and blocking 11 shots compared to only 1 blocked shot by the Celtics.
Even without Chris Bosh, Miami's all-star power forward who is out indefinitely with an abdominal strain, the Heat dominated the Celtics in the paint, out rebounding the Celtics 48-33 and blocking 11 shots compared to only 1 blocked shot by the Celtics.
Labels:
Boston Celtics,
Chris Bosh,
Doc Rivers,
Dwyane Wade,
Eastern Conference Finals 2012,
Lebron James,
Miami Heat,
NBA
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Nats sweep the Braves
The Washington Nationals swept the Atlanta Braves in front of a national audience on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball, winning 7-2. Gio Gonzalez who started for the Nats won his 5th straight game, throwing 10 strikeouts in the process. Gonzalez's effective fastball curveball combination flummoxed the Braves who managed only one hit in the 7 innings that Gonzalez pitched. Gonzalez, who was acquired by the Nats from Oakland this past offseason, is among the MLB leaders in all the major pitching statistics, and leads the league in strikeouts, wins and opponents' batting average. The Nationals provided Gonzalez with excellent run support, including an 8th inning home run by Bryce Harper, the team's electric rookie Outfielder and former first overall pick in the MLB draft.
Labels:
Atlanta Braves,
Bryce Harper,
Gio Gonzalez,
MLB,
Washington Nationals
Spurs take 1-0 Series lead in impressive win over the Thunder
First half thoughts from Game 1 of the 2012 Western Conference Finals
1. Battle of the 6th men
The series between the San Antonio Spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder features a battle of the top two 6th men in the NBA. Manu Ginobili ended the first quarter on an absolute tear, knocking down several difficult shots including a fadeaway three pointer at the buzzer, and finished the half with 10 points off the bench. Ginobili's production is huge for San Antonio which is desperate for a player who can join Tony Parker in creating easy shots for both himself and his teammates. James Harden, the 6th man of the year struggled with his shot, converting on only 1 of 9 shots in the half. Oklahoma City will need him to shoot better in the second half in order to stay in the game when Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook rest on the bench.
2. San Antonio turnovers
In recent years coach Gregg Popovich has transformed San Antonio from a slow paced defense oriented team into one of the highest scoring teams in the NBA. San Antonio attempted to play the first half at a pace that bordered on out of control. After committing 14 first half turnovers which lead to countless easy buckets for the Thunder who excel in transition, the Spurs must take care of the ball better in the 2nd half in order to force the Thunder to try to score in the half court, which the Thunder struggle to do when they aren't making their jump shots. Durant and Thabo Sefolosha used their length and athleticism to disrupt the passing lanes, combining for 6 first half steals.
3. Kevin Durant, scoring extraordinaire
Durant, a Washington D.C. native, is the NBA's three time defending scoring champion at only 23 years old. Durant led all scorers with 13 first half points, including several incredibly difficult jumpers over Kawhi Leonard, the Spurs rookie shutdown perimeter defender. Although scoring 13 first half points is nothing special for Durant, his performance this deep in the postseason at such a young age is nothing short of spectacular. This season Durant has continued to develop his overall game and has expanded his effect on the game beyond merely scoring by substantially improving both his passing and defense. Durant has already matured into arguably the greatest clutch player in the NBA, and as the game progresses his play will only continue to improve.
2. San Antonio turnovers
In recent years coach Gregg Popovich has transformed San Antonio from a slow paced defense oriented team into one of the highest scoring teams in the NBA. San Antonio attempted to play the first half at a pace that bordered on out of control. After committing 14 first half turnovers which lead to countless easy buckets for the Thunder who excel in transition, the Spurs must take care of the ball better in the 2nd half in order to force the Thunder to try to score in the half court, which the Thunder struggle to do when they aren't making their jump shots. Durant and Thabo Sefolosha used their length and athleticism to disrupt the passing lanes, combining for 6 first half steals.
3. Kevin Durant, scoring extraordinaire
Durant, a Washington D.C. native, is the NBA's three time defending scoring champion at only 23 years old. Durant led all scorers with 13 first half points, including several incredibly difficult jumpers over Kawhi Leonard, the Spurs rookie shutdown perimeter defender. Although scoring 13 first half points is nothing special for Durant, his performance this deep in the postseason at such a young age is nothing short of spectacular. This season Durant has continued to develop his overall game and has expanded his effect on the game beyond merely scoring by substantially improving both his passing and defense. Durant has already matured into arguably the greatest clutch player in the NBA, and as the game progresses his play will only continue to improve.
Labels:
Gregg Popovich,
James Harden,
Kawhi Leonard,
Kevin Durant,
Manu Ginobili,
NBA,
Oklahoma City Thunder,
Russell Westbrook,
San Antonio Spurs,
Thabo Sefolosha,
Tony Parker,
Western Conference Finals 2012
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
First Post
This is the first ever post in the Pickled Sports blog. Years from now people will consider this an historic moment!
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