The Basketball Diaries

Los Angeles Lakers 111 Utah Jazz 104 (Lakers lead 3-2)

As good as this series has been at times, it's also been incredibly boring. In each of the first five games of this series, the team that takes the lead halfway through the first quarter holds onto it for the rest of the game. The Lakers jumped out to an early lead to start the game yesterday, and they never trailed, not even for a second.

The Jazz tied the game a few times, but never capitalized on an opportunity to actually take the lead from the Lakers.

Kobe Bryant said his back felt better before last night's game, but you could tell watching him play that it's still bothering him. He was much more passive last night, and even though he finished with 26 points, not a single one came in the fourth quarter. Instead it was Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol scoring all the points at the end, as Odom finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds, while Pau dropped in 21 with six boards and eight assists.

"I just had to pick my spots," he said. "I knew I wasn't 100 percent healthy, so I wanted to get us off to a good start, give us an emotional boost. Then in the third quarter, there were moments where I had to pick it up, and I was able to do that. And in the fourth quarter, Lamar [Odom] and Pau [Gasol] took it from there."

Boston Celtics 96 Cleveland Cavaliers 89 (Celtics lead 3-2)

The way this game started, I had a feeling that Boston was finally going to give one up at home, as LeBron James came out hitting his shots and giving the Cavs a 14-point lead at times in the first half. Unfortunately for Cleveland, LeBron's scoring touch disappeared in the second half, and the Celtics took advantage.

Kevin Garnett scored 26 points and had 16 rebounds, and Paul Pierce had 29, but the man who made it all work was Rajon Rondo who finished with 20 points and 13 assists for Boston.

"This momentum, and what we did here tonight," Garnett said, "we've got to figure a way to carry this on the road."

LeBron would finish with 35 for Cleveland, easily his highest scoring game of the three played in Boston, but only 15 came in the second half. Also not helping matters was the fifteen missed free throws for Cleveland, and the fact that they hit two three pointers in the opening minutes, and only went 1-for-14 from there out.

With No Regard For Human Life

As I promised in the Diaries this morning, here's the video of LeBron's dunk last night. I'm not quite sure why Kevin Harlan would say LeBron had no regard for human life.

I didn't see him kill anybody.

The Basketball Diaries

Cleveland Cavaliers 88 Boston Celtics 77 (Series tied 2-2)

LeBron James can do it all. If you need him to put your team on his back in the fourth quarter, he can do that. If you need him to distribute the ball to his teammates, he can do that as well, as he handed out 13 assists last night. If you need him to deliver an emphatic dunk on Kevin Garnett, he can do that, and did in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter (I'm currently looking for video).

And most importantly, if you need someone who knows when and how to put his mother in her place, LeBron can do that. Which he did during the second quarter when she started saying something to Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce after a hard foul. It was though he'd forgotten that Mother's Day was but 24 hours beforehand when he told her to "Sit down and shut up."

"I told her to sit down, in some language I shouldn't have used," James said. "Thank God today wasn't Mother's Day. All I could think about is her. ... I know my mother. It's fine, we're good."

Doesn't this all seem familiar, though? No, not the stuff about LeBron's mom, but James struggling in the first two games of a playoff series, then going home and getting back on track. Last year he did the same thing against a heavily favored Pistons team, and now he's doing it against the heavily favored Celtics. The Pistons were good at home, the Celtics are good at home.

If he goes and scores Cleveland's last 25 points in game five to get the Cavs the win, the NBA would probably be better served to hire new writers.

The Basketball Diaries

San Antonio Spurs 110 New Orleans Hornets 99 (Hornets lead 2-1)

Yep, so the Spurs are definitely too old and slow to stop the Hornets. Chris Paul had another great night for New Orleans, scoring 35 points and 9 assists, while David West had 23 points and 12 rebounds, but it wasn't enough to push the Spurs to the brink of elimination.

Tony Parker seemingly answered every basket by Chris Paul with one of his own, and joined Manu Ginobili with 31 points on the night. The key difference in this game for San Antonio was that, while they still weren't able to really stop Paul, the role players hit their shots. Bruce Bowen had 12 points, all on three-pointers, and Michael Finley finished with 11 point of his own.

The Hornets, meanwhile, didn't get much from anybody but CP3 and David West. Peja Stojakovic only had 8 points, while Tyson Chandler was the only other Hornet in double digits with 12.

Boston Celtics 89 Cleveland Cavaliers 73 (Celtics lead 2-0)

I'm guessing that after this game was over, LeBron James showered as quickly as he could, and ran to the airport. Anything to get the hell out of Boston. James struggled from the field again on Thursday, going only 6-of-24 from the field. That brings him to 8-of-42 in the series.

Despite his horrible shooting, LeBron did manage to score more points than anybody on the Celtics, with 21, but I doubt that's of much consolation. Paul Pierce had 19, Ray Allen 16, and Kevin Garnett 13, but it was enough for Boston to get a pretty easy victory.

Still, given the way Boston played on the road in the last series, there's no way you can say that the Cavs are done in this series. Plus, you gotta figure LeBron's shots will start falling at some point. They have to, right?

The Basketball Diaries

Boston Celtics 76 Cleveland Cavaliers 72 (Celtics lead series 1-0)

This one was not pretty. While Kevin Garnett scored 28 points, nobody else really did much. Paul Pierce had 4 points while making two of his fourteen shots. Ray Allen went scoreless, but in his defense, he only took four shots. LeBron at least hit double digits with 12 points, but eight of those came at the free throw line, as he also struggled from the field at going two for eighteen.

Yeah, this one was what you might call a defensive struggle.

Sam Cassell managed to have a good night, as somehow always happens in the playoffs. The NBA's only alien scored 13 points, making some big shots to help the Celtics come back after the Cavs took a lead while KG was on the bench. Rajon Rondo had 15, but most of them were scored in the first half.

Zydrunaus Ilgauskas scored 22 points for Cleveland, but didn't help out much during the second half.

Still, this is only the first game of what could be a long series. I don't think LeBron is going to shoot this badly, nor do I expect it from Pierce or Allen, so it's hard to get a real read on how it's going to go. If the Cavs can stay within four points in Boston, with LeBron stuggling to get anything going, it's entirely possible they can steal a game in Beantown like they did in Detroit last season. Seemed to work for them last season.

The Basketball Diaries

Washington Wizards 88 Cleveland Cavaliers 87 (Cavs lead series 3-2)

Although I have no real rooting interest in this series, I'm happy that the Wizards were able to pull off the victory over Cleveland on Wednesday night to extend this series at least one more game. Not because of the quality of basketball being played-it's really not that great-but because with every game these two teams play, there's a chance there will be a huge fight. Fights are fun! Anyway, Caron Butler put the Wizards up with 3.9 seconds left by driving to the hole on LeBron and making the layup. LeBron had a chance to win the game for Cleveland, but his short jumper at the buzzer didn't find it's mark, and now we're going back to D.C. for a game six. "I was messing with LeBron before the play started," Butler said. "I told him, 'Miss this shot, make it interesting and let's take this thing back to D.C.'"

Boston Celtics 110 Atlanta Hawks 85 (Celtics lead series 3-2)

Boy, I'm happy I finally took the time to watch a game of this series. I never really planned to, but after the Hawks won the last two games back in Atlanta, I figured I should probably start paying attention. Yeah, back in Boston it doesn't quite work that way. The Celtics beat the Hawks down like they should, and while the Hawks hung around for a few minutes in the first quarter, the game was never really close. "We still haven't won a road game, guys," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "We have to do it again. We have to do it on the road now. We have to go in there and play like tonight." Please do, I really don't want to watch two more of these games.

The Basketball Diaries

Cleveland Cavaliers 100 Washington Wizards 97 (Cleveland leads 3-1)

It's unfortunate that this series probably only has one game left in it, because really, it's been one of the more entertaining matchups this postseason. It all started with the trash talk about LeBron from the Wizards, then Brendan Haywood sent LeBron flying into the crowd, and now even Jay-Z has gotten involved with a diss record on DeShawn Stevenson. Which I'm guessing will be the highlight of Stevenson's career. "He's worth $500 million, and he's writing songs about me," Stevenson said before tipoff. "What does that say about DeShawn Stevenson? Ballin'!" Yes, ballin all the way to another first round exit. LeBron scored 34 points to lead the Cavs, but it was Delonte West who hit the game-winning three-pointer in the final seconds that helped Cleveland place their foot on Washington's throat.

Phoenix Suns 105 San Antonio Spurs 86 (San Antonio leads 3-1)

The Suns came out on fire on Sunday, and maintained the intensity all day as they blew the Spurs out at home to stay alive. Unfortunately, they waited until the series was already over before they started playing. Boris Diaw had a huge day for the Suns, scoring 20 points, grabbing 10 rebounds, and handing out 8 assists as Frenchmen continue to dominate this series. Which is an odd thing to say because usually the only thing the French dominate at is getting their ass kicked in wars.

New Orleans Hornets 97 Dallas Mavericks 84 (New Orleans lead 3-1)

The Mavericks started this game where they left off in game 3, but New Orleans' bench took things over in the 2nd quarter to get the Hornets back into the game, and once they took the lead they didn't give it up. David West had 24 points and 9 rebounds, while Chris Paul had 16 points, 8 assists, and 7 rebounds to help put the Mavericks on the brink of elimination. As a side note, Mavs fans suck. After Jason Kidd got ejected in the 4th quarter for a flagrant foul on Jannero Pargo, the Hornets had a 19-point lead, but there were still 6 minutes left in the game. That didn't stop Mavs "fans" from filing out of the arena in droves. It's hard enough to come back from that kind of deficit, but it's a lot harder when your home crowd just gives up on you and leaves. I mean, it's not like there were any high school football games going on.

Detroit Pistons 93 Philadelphia 76ers 84 (Series tied 2-2)

During the first half it looked like the Sixers were going to do the impossible: go up 3-1 on the mighty Pistons. Then at halftime the Pistons remembered they were the Pistons and realized there's no effin way they should be losing to the Sixers. They came out of the locker room and absolutely dominated in the second half, turning a 10-point deficit into a 9-point victory. Even though the series is still tied at 2, Philly's only chance to win this thing was if they won on Sunday night, and I think it's safe to say Detroit's going to take this one now.

Basketball Diaries

Houston Rockets 94 Utah Jazz 92

Tracy McGrady is getting all the credit for the upset over the Jazz but not from me. Yeah, he scored 27 points - 7 critical ones in the fourth quarter - but his missed shots and boneheaded offensive foul against Andrei Kirilenko in the last 47 seconds allowed the Jazz to make it a one-point game. My vote goes to Carl Landry, who made clutch rebounds in the final quarter and a brilliant block that crushed a Deron Williams go-ahead jumper with just three seconds left, giving McGrady a chance to give interviews instead of excuses. (By the way, was that kiss Rafer Alston planted on Landry after the block just a teensy bit too sincere?)

Washington Wizards 108 Cleveland Cavaliers 72

This must-win game for the Wiz can best be summed up by Cleveland coach Mike Brown: "It was a good old fashioned behind-kicking." (I'm guessing he put it a bit differently to the team once they got into the locker room.) And they did it without Gilbert Arenas, who left the game after injuring his surgically repaired knee in the first half. DeShawn Stevenson made good on his trash talk with 19 points - Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison added 17 and 15 more, respectively. Those 15 first-half Cleveland turnovers didn't hurt either.

Toronto Raptors 108 Orlando Magic 94

It looks like Toronto wants to make this a series. After going behind by four in the first three minutes, they kicked into overdrive, took the lead and never looked back, leading Orlando by as much as 23 points. T.J. Ford, who shot just 2-17 in the first two games of the series, posted 21 points, with Jose Calderon adding 18 and 13 assists. "Right from the get-go, the Raptors were outstanding," Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. "Their point guard play was phenomenal and probably the key to the game for them. The game was pretty well decided at halftime."

The Basketball Diaries

Utah Jazz 90 Houston Rockets 84 (Jazz lead 2-0)

It's pretty odd, while I was well aware of the Jazz' 37-4 home record this season, I was just as aware of their 17-24 mark on the road. Still, I figured they'd be able to get at least one victory in Houston and take care of the Rockets at home. I didn't think they'd win the first two games in Houston though, virtually locking up this series already. (There's no way Houston can win 2 of 3 in Utah. Not happening.) Really, that's fine with me because the Jazz are my pick to come out of the west and lose to the Celtics in the NBA Finals. Deron Williams had 22 points and one sore ass, while Mehmet Okur had 16 points and 16 rebounds to lead the Jazz. "It's great for us to come out the way we did and not settle for the one victory," said Williams, who re-aggravated a tailbone injury. "We wanted to get both of them, get greedy. We've just got to go back now and take care of business." Tracy McGrady had 23 points, 13 rebounds, and 9 assists for the Rockets, but for the second straight game he went scoreless in the 4th quarter. Not exactly the kind of performance he needs to have if he ever wants to see the second round.


Cleveland Cavaliers 116 Washington Wizards 86 (Cavs lead 2-0)

I had high hopes for this series, what with the fact that these two have now played in the postseason the last three years, and the trash-talking going back and forth between the teams before the series started, but those hopes have been squashed so far. The Wizards look like a team that's out of sync as they try to work their three big pieces back into the puzzle, and LeBron James looks like LeBron James. LeBron scored 30 points, handed out 12 assists, and grabbed 9 rebounds as the Cavs just blew the Wizards out of the gym. Though on the bright side, at least the bad blood has remained, as Brendan Haywood was ejected for a flagrant foul on LeBron, and there were some hard fouls being handed out by both teams all night. So at the very least, maybe we'll get a fight out of this series before it's over. Unfortunately, I think that's the only thing left to look forward to, but you never know in the playoffs. Things could turn around drastically come game 3 in Washington.

NBA Playoff Previews: Cleveland vs. Washington

With the NBA playoffs beginning on Saturday, that means Foul Balls is allowed to start enjoying basketball again. So throughout the day today, I will be previewing each of the eight first round matchups.

Why You Should Watch This Series: Are you kidding? Do you remember the one-man show LeBron James put on last year to get the Cavs to the NBA Finals? Do you want to be the moron who misses the encore? Plus, both Gilbert Arenas and DeShawn Stevenson have been talking crap about LeBron already, and if there's anything better than regular LeBron, it's a pissed off LeBron.

Why Cleveland Will Win This Series: Because LeBron James has the ability to put an entire team on his back and carry them to postseason success. Plus these two teams have met the last two seasons in the playoffs, and Cleveland has emerged victorious in both series. So they know how to beat the Wizards.

Why Washington Will Win This Series: Because last year the Wizards didn't have Gilbert Arenas for the playoffs, and they didn't have him for most of the season either. Now Gil is back, and he's fresh. Plus Caron Butler's game grew to another level without Arenas around, and the two of them along with Antawn Jamison provide a tough trio for anybody to stop.

Who Will Win This Series: Wizards 4-2. I know LeBron James is phenomenal, and he's motivated, and the Cavs have beaten the Wiz the last two seasons, but he's hurting this year. His back has literally given out from carrying his sorry excuse of a supporting cast all season, and I don't see Daniel Gibson having the same kind of breakout performance he had last year in the playoffs. The Wizards talent wins out.

The Basketball Diaries

Chicago Bulls 107 Toronto Raptors 97

Finally, it's over. Now I know how those hostages in Iran felt like the day they were finally freed. Well, I guess it's not exactly the same. They were held hostage for 444 days, while I was only held captive for 180 or so, but in my defense, they never had to watch this team play and document them all season. Frankly, I could have done 444 days without this team standing on my head. Pussies. Oh! And Tyrus Thomas led the Bulls with 26 points.

Detroit Pistons 84 Cleveland Cavaliers 74

You know, I gotta be honest with you all right now. It's really hard to care about any of these games because none of them mattered as all the playoff spots had already been clinched going into last night's games. I mean, sure, some seeds may have changed but that doesn't mean much this year. All it means is that Boston and Detroit will have different teams to play on their way to meeting in the Eastern Conference Finals, and out west the seeds are damn near irrelevant. Anybody can beat anybody, anywhere. So let's just get to the elsewhere, shall we?

Elsewhere...

• Mavs 111 Hornets 98
• Pacers 132 Knicks 123
• Magic 103 Wizards 83
• Bobcats 115 Sixers 109
• Celtics 105 Nets 94
• Heat 113 Hawks 99
• TWolves 110 Bucks 101 OT
• Rockets 93 Clippers 75
• Nuggets 120 Grizzlies 111
• Spurs 109 Jazz 80
• Suns 100 Blazers 91
• Sonics 126 Warriors 121

The Basketball Diaries

Chicago Bulls 101 Cleveland Cavaliers 98

It was Bizarro Day in Cleveland on Thursday, apparently. Normally it's the Bulls who are blowing double-digit leads in the second half, but on Thursday night it was the Bulls fighting back from a double-digit deficit. The Bulls overcame a 17-point Cavalier lead in the second half to snap a six-game road losing streak. Larry Hughes led the Bulls with 25 points, but it was the five of Ben Gordon's 24 points at the free throw line late that sealed the deal. "It says a lot about our guys to get down 17 on the road against a team like this and fight our way back," interim coach Jim Boylan said. Really, Jim? What's it say? Now that the team has no chance of making the playoffs and ensured themselves there's no way in hell you'll be back to coach the team next season, they're ready to start playing now?

Houston Rockets 95 Portland Trail Blazers 86

You have to feel bad for the Blazers. After losing on Thursday night, they find themselves at 38-38 on the season, and 15 games out of the playoffs out West. If they played in the Eastern Conference, that 38-38 record would be good enough for the 8th spot. Of course, if Portland played in the East, they'd probably have 10 more wins and be the #3 seed. Anyway, Tracy McGrady scored 26 of his 35 points to lead Houston to the victory, as the Rockets moved to within 2.5 games of the Hornets for the top spot out West. Too bad 2.5 games out of first puts you in sixth place. If the West had a slogan, it would be, "Just like the NL Central, only with good teams!"

Elsewhere...

• Kings 110 Clippers 98

The Basketball Diaries

Philadelphia 76ers 121 Chicago Bulls 99

Seriously, do any of you out there really think the Bulls have any shot at still making the playoffs? I know they beat the Hawks on Tuesday night, but you can't honestly believe they're going to magically stop sucking do you? If you do, it's obvious you didn't see last night's game. The Bulls got blown out of the gate by the streaking Sixers, and never recovered. A couple of hours later they laid shattered on the floor. Actually, that's not true. They would actually have to give a shit for that to happen. Instead they all went out for ice cream afterwards. Aaron Gray bought for everybody, what a guy.

Boston Celtics 117 Phoenix Suns 97

I have to admit, I was kind of excited about this game. The Celtics are the Celtics, and the Suns finally seem to have adjusted to having Shaq on the team. So I figured this game was going to be very entertaining, and it was, but only if you are a Celtics fan. For the second straight game, the Suns lost to an Eastern Conference powerhouse as Kevin Garnett scored 30 points and Paul Pierce had 27 as Boston relatively coasted through the game. "I couldn't have imagined it a year ago," Pierce said, thinking back to the seven-for-one trade that bought Garnett out of Minnesota over the summer. "The whole face of the Celtics turned around when the trade happened with this guy. Everyone talks about MVP, and they talk about numbers, but this guy has changed the whole culture around here."

New Orleans Hornets 100 Cleveland Cavaliers 99

Chris Paul has long referred to his teammate David West as the "17-foot Assassin." If the Cavaliers didn't know why he does that, they found out on Wednesday night. Paul dished off his 20th assist of the night to West, and David drained a 17-footer with .6 seconds left to give the Hornets a road victory in Cleveland. "We knew we were going to have a chance to get the ball to Chris Paul and let him create," Scott said. "We knew we were going to get a good look at it. If we got the shot, we didn't want to leave a lot of time on the clock. It was .6 when David nailed it. It worked to perfection."

Elsewhere...

• Hawks 115 Bucks 96
• Raptors 89 Pistons 82
• Nets 124 Pacers 117
• Knicks 103 Heat 96 OT
• Rockets 97 TWolves 86
• Spurs 97 Clippers 88
• Wizards 104 Sonics 99
• Kings 107 Grizzlies 106 OT
• Bobcats 108 Lakers 95

The Basketball Diaries

New Orleans Hornets 108 Chicago Bulls 97

So how do the Bulls respond after blowing an 18-point lead during a 40-point 4th quarter against the Sixers on Friday night? By blowing an 11-point lead against the Hornets, of course! Chris Paul literally carved the Bulls up during the 4th quarter as the Hornets outscored the Bulls 33-13 in the final frame. Paul finished the game with 37 points and 13 assists. "It was all Chris Paul," said Tyson Chandler, who finished with eight points. "The little man was all over the floor. It was incredible. It's one of the best performances I've seen from him yet. He, at least to me, made his bid [Monday night] to consider him the MVP." Ben Gordon scored 31 points for the Bulls, but he was guarding Chris Paul, so he gave up more than he got. Only 16 games to go.

Boston Celtics 93 San Antonio Spurs 91

The Celtics have played well against the West all season, but you have to figure a three-game road trip through Texas against the Spurs, Rockets, and Mavs isn't going to be easy. Even for them. It sure didn't look easy on Monday night as the Spurs jumped out to a 22-point lead in the first half as Boston played it's 2nd straight game without Ray Allen. The Celtics fought back though, led by Paul Pierce's 22 points, Rajon Rondo's 20, Sam Cassell's 17, and Kevin Garnett's 21. "A lot of teams may have buckled," said Rajon Rondo, who scored 20 points for the Celtics. "But we knew we had to execute. Continue to get stops on defense and we knew the game would change for us, and it did." Manu Ginobili led San Antonio with 32, but the Spurs have lost 6 of their last 7 games, and have fallen to 6th place out West.

Orlando Magic 104 Cleveland Cavaliers 90

The Magic buried the Cavaliers in a three-point barrage on Monday night. The Magic converted on 14 of their 32 3-point attempts to help overcome a bad shooting night everywhere else, led by Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu who drained three each. Lewis finished with 21 and Turkoglu 18. Of course, the reason those guys were open is one Dwight Howard, who didn't make any 3-pointers of his own, but did manage to finish with 23 points and 13 rebounds for the Magic. "The main focus is to get the ball inside to Dwight," Lewis said. "Obviously he demands so much attention and they can't guard him 1-on-1. They try to clog the paint and they leave us wide open out on the wing, so we take what they give us." LeBron finished with 30 points for Cleveland, but the rest of his team still sucks, so they lost.

Elsewhere...

• Pacers 110 Knicks 98
• Hawks 105 Wizards 96
• TWolves 99 Clippers 90
• Grizzlies 98 Bobcats 80
• Jazz 96 Raptors 79

The Basketball Diaries

Phoenix Suns 123 Golden State Warriors 115

The Suns seem to have found the formula for winning with Shaq on the team. What they did on Thursday night was simple, yet effective. They just didn't play him. Instead, the Suns reverted to their former selves and spent all night running up and down the court with the Warriors, and it paid off with a win. Amare Stoudemire had 36 points and 11 rebounds, and Steve Nash had 21 points and 13 assists to lead Phoenix. "We're still in a training camp mode really for the rest of the year," Nash said, "but we're learning. I think we're getting more accustomed to playing both ways and how we can change on the fly and be comfortable and efficient." Baron Davis finished with 38 points for Golden State.

Washington Wizards 101 Cleveland Cavaliers 99

What a day for Caron Butler. Not only was it his 28th birthday on Thursday, but he got to play in his first game in over a month for the Wizards. Butler finished with 19 points with the Wizards, as all five of Washington's starters finished in double digits. "Swag at an all-time high," said Butler, sporting a sharp suit with a purple-and-white tie and matching handkerchief after the game. "Feeling good. Good win. Birthday. Going to go out with the team into the city and celebrate right now." LeBron James scored 25 points for Cleveland, but he missed a three-pointer at the buzzer that would have won the game for Cleveland.

Sacramento Kings 96 Portland Trailblazers 85

It's hard to have a meaningless game between two Western Conference opponents, but it's going to happen once in a while, and Thursday night was once in a while. Ron Artest had 22 points to lead the Kings to a win, but no closer to a playoff berth. "I wanted to come out with energy and try to set the tone," said Artest, who had a season-high six steals. "This time of year you have to fight through fatigue, play hard, and see what happens."

The Basketball Diaries

Chicago Bulls 107 Cleveland Cavaliers 96

Stop the presses! The Bulls have won two games in a row! They even beat a real team this time. It was an all-around effort for the Bulls, as six players finished in double digits scoring wise, led by Luol Deng and Ben Gordon who each had 23 points. As is normally the case, the Bulls weren't able to stop LeBron as he followed his 50-point performance in New York on Wednesday with 39 points on Thursday, but he didn't get much help from his teammates. The Bulls pulled away in the second half against what seemed to be a Cavs team who was losing their legs on the second game of a back to back. Joakim Noah also had a big game for the Bulls, as he responded to coach Boylan's wishes that he be more aggressive, and finished the game with 13 points and a career high 20 rebounds. Ten of which came on the offensive glass. Oh, and if you're wondering, Ben Wallace never had a 20 rebound game with the Bulls. He did manage 2 points and 10 rebounds for Cleveland on Thursday, though.

Houston Rockets 113 Dallas Mavericks 98

The Rockets have now won 17 games in a row, and are 5-0 without Yao Ming. The Mavs were without Dirk Nowitzki (suspended one game for clotheslining Andrei Kirilenko to avenge Hitler), but I don't think it would have mattered much. They've really struggled since Jason Kidd came to town, and they don't have Tracy McGrady. T-Mac scored 31 points and 9 assists to lead Houston, and Rafer Alston had 24 as well.

San Antonio Spurs 108 Indiana Pacers 97

Speaking of hot teams from Texas, the Spurs racked up their 11th straight win over the Pacers. Manu Ginobili lit it up for the Spurs, missing only three of his 13 shots on the way to 28 points. Tony Parker had 19 points and Tim Duncan had 12 boards, but only 6 points. Of course, they didn't need them anyway. "They're just really solid," Mike Dunleavy said. "They've got three great players. On any given night two of them are going to have very good nights. ... They have their principles and stick to them."

The Basketball Diaries

Cleveland Cavaliers 95 Chicago Bulls 86

The Bulls played like crap all day yesterday, yet somehow, with 9:55 left to play in the fourth quarter they still led 76-68. Then LeBron James came back in the game. LeBron led the Cavs on a 27-10 run to send the Bulls to yet another loss, finishing with 37 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. "I just live for the fourth quarter," James said. "When the games are close, that's when I like to do work. We were just able to take the life out of them." You assume they had life in them to begin with. Oh, and since I know you're wondering, Ben Wallace had 7 points and 8 boards, while Joe Smith had 8 and 6. I will say, that even though the Bulls lost, it was nice seeing Ben blow easy baskets for another team.

Los Angeles Lakers 108 Dallas Mavericks 104

Much like LeBron did against the Bulls, Kobe Bryant waited until it really counted before taking over the game against Dallas on Sunday. Kobe finished with 52 points, but 30 of them came in the 4th quarter and overtime. Pau Gasol also 17 points and 14 rebounds for the Lakers. Dirk Nowitzki led the Mavs with 30 points and 13 rebounds, including a three-pointer with 2 seconds left in the 4th quarter that sent the game into overtime. Unfortunately for Dallas, it just wasn't enough.

San Antonio Spurs 93 New Jersey Nets 83

Don't look now, but the Spurs have won 9 in a row. Tony Parker had 25 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists to lead San Antonio, including a couple of key baskets late to help the Spurs overcome a deficit. "He finishes games nicely, making shots in the fourth quarter that he's not making in the first half," said Nets point guard Devin Harris. "That's what makes him so tough. You've got to remember that he was an NBA Finals MVP and he knows how to finish." Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili aren't half bad either, as Duncan finished with 13 points and 14 rebounds, and Manu had 17 points.

Elsewhere...

• Celtics 98 Hawks 88
• Pacers 128 Hawks 106
• Wizards 101 Hornets 84
• Bobcats 110 Raptors 98
• Sonics 111 TWolves 108 OT
• Rockets 103 Nuggets 89
• Warriors 110 Blazers 104
• Kings 120 Heat 109

The Basketball Diaries

Chicago Bulls 113 Indiana Pacers 107

On Tuesday the Bulls were supposed to have a day off, but instead they chose to hold practice since newcomers Drew Gooden and Larry Hughes hadn't had a chance to practice with the team since coming over from Cleveland. It made a bit of a difference. Hughes scored 29 points, while Gooden had 10 points and 15 rebounds as the Bulls got their first win since shipping Ben Wallace to Cleveland Hughes and Gooden joined the team. "Our chemistry is starting to come together a little bit," Chicago coach Jim Boylan said. "There's a lot of things that go into changing a team ... but at the end of the day, it's basketball and they do what they do out there."

Boston Celtics 92 Cleveland Cavaliers 87

Well, the Cavs traded for Ben Wallace and Wally Sczerbiak because they thought it would give them a better chance against the Celtics and Pistons in the East. Their first chance to prove it came on Wednesday night, and if early returns are to be believed, the trade did nothing for them. Kevin Garnett had 18 points and 11 rebounds, and Ray Allen had 22 points to lead the Celtics. LeBron scored 24 points for the Cavs, but did so on 7/24 shooting from the field. "When you have an off-shooting night like this, it's tough to pull a game out," said James. "Especially against the best team in the league." I like to call it The Ben Wallace Effect.

New Orleans Hornets 120 Phoenix Suns 103

If I'm a Hornets fan, I'm hoping my team gets a first round matchup with the Suns in the playoffs. The Hornets and Suns faced each other for the fourth time this season on Wednesday night, and for the fourth time this season the Hornets sent the Suns home with a loss. Chris Paul had 25 points and 15 assists to help shake New Orleans out of a three-game losing streak. "We match up with them pretty well," said Hornets forward David West, who scored 27 points. "C.P. and our guards have an advantage over their guards with their speed and ability to get up and down the floor. ... It just happens that Phoenix is one of those teams that we feel confident against." The Suns are now 2-3 since trading for Shaq.

Elsewhere...

• Hawks 123 Kings 117
• Sixers 101 Magic 89
• Raptors 107 TWolves 85
• Knicks 113 Bobcats 89
• Jazz 103 Pistons 95
• Nuggets 138 Sonics 96
• Blazers 82 Clippers 80

Ben Wallace And Joe Smith Are Going To Cleveland

Well, the Bulls did pull off that trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers, even if the details are a bit different than what was first reported.

The Ben Wallace era in Chicago has come to an end.

A little more than one and a half seasons after Bulls general manager John Paxson and then-coach Scott Skiles made a splash by signing Wallace away from the Detroit Pistons for $60 million over four years, the Bulls have agreed in principle to ship the center, along with Joe Smith and a future second-round pick, to Cleveland as part of a three-team deal that included Seattle.

The Cavs also received Wally Szczerbiak and Delonte West from the SuperSonics. Chicago also sent Adrian Griffin to Seattle, which also acquired Ira Newble and Donyell Marshall from Cleveland.

The Bulls will receive Larry Hughes, Drew Gooden, Cedric Simmons and Shannon Brown from Cleveland.

I'll have a lot more to say about this trade tomorrow, but my initial reaction from a Bulls standpoint is positive. Not even looking at who we've gotten back, we were able to shed Ben Wallace and his contract, and that pleases me.

On the flip side, I'm not sure where the hell Larry Hughes is going to play as he joins a Bulls backcourt that already has more than it's fair share of small shooting guards. We got enough guys to miss jump shots.

Bulls Trade In Works?

According to ESPN's Ric Bucher, the Bulls have been working on a trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers that would send Ben Wallace and Chris Duhon to Cleveland, and we'd get Larry Hughes.

There are only 45 minutes until the deadline, so if it's true we'll know shortly.