Jason Kidd Is Tired Of May Anderson's Partying

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The Basketball Diaries

New Orleans Hornets 99 Dallas Mavericks 94 (Hornets win series 4-1)

For the second straight year, the Dallas Mavericks have been eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, as Chris Paul and the Hornets finished them off in New Orleans on Tuesday night. Paul finished with a triple-double, scoring 24 points, 15 assists, and 11 rebounds. A lot of those assists went to David West who had 25, Jannero Pargo who had 17, and Tyson fucking Chandler who had 10 points and 14 rebounds. "A lot of people may be surprised with how this thing turned out, but we're not too surprised," West said. "Coach has a lot to do with that, his mentality. It's a trickle-down effect. We go out and we pride ourselves on competing." That coach is Byron Scott who earlier in the day won the NBA's Coach of the Year award. As for the Mavericks, who knows where this is going to lead. I wouldn't be surprised if Avery Johnson is looking for another job next season.

San Antonio Spurs 92 Phoenix Suns 87 (Spurs win series 4-1)

Suns general manager took a pretty big risk when he traded for Shaq, a move I never thought made any sense, but the reason he did it was to beat the Spurs. Well, it didn't work. The Spurs knocked the Suns out of the post-season for the second straight year. Tony Parker had 31 points, Tim Duncan had 29 and 17 boards, while nobody else on the Spurs roster managed more than 8 points. It didn't matter though. The Spurs move on to the next round where they'll be facing the Hornets in what should be a very entertaining series. As for the Suns, you have to wonder whether it's time to blow it up. I'm not sure what Shaq's plans are, but I'm willing to bet the Suns wouldn't mind if he just retired. I don't think Mike D'Antoni will get fired because he didn't make the trade for Shaq.

Detroit Pistons 98 Philadelphia 76ers 81 (Pistons lead series 3-1)

Something told me that the Pistons weren't going to come out in game 5 with the same lackadaisical demeanor they showed in game 1 of this series, and I was right. Yeah, me! They jumped out to a 14-point lead after the first quarter, and never relented. Chauncey Billups had 21, Rip Hamilton had 20, and Rasheed Wallace had 19 to lead Detroit. "We knew Game 6 was going to be an elimination game either way it went," Billups said. "We wanted to be on the upper hand of that."

Houston Rockets 95 Utah Jazz 69 (Jazz lead series 3-2)

Everything the Rockets hadn't been doing in the first four games of this series, they did last night, as they handled the Jazz rather easily to stave off elimination for a few more days at least. Tracy McGrady had 29 points, Luis Scola had 18 and 12 rebounds, and Rafer Alston scored 14 to extend the series back to Utah. The odds are still in Utah's favor considering they've only lost 5 times all season at home, but two of those losses came to these Rockets, so I guess you never really know. "We're in a great situation," McGrady said. "We know we can win in Utah because we've done it before." Yes, you're one loss away from having your season end, and you have to do it in the toughest place for a road team to win. What a great situation.

This Was Extremely Gratifying

You know, Josh Howard has been having a really tough week. Not only are his Mavs on the verge of being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs for the second straight year, but you can add to that the fact everybody is interested in the shocking "new" revelation that he smokes the sweet cheeba occasionally during the offseason. To make matters worse, he shot only 3-of-16 last night and heard boos from the home crowd (before they left early anyway).

Despite all this, he did do something to ensure that he will forever hold a special place in my heart.

Ha ha! I hate you, Tyson Chandler!

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.

The Basketball Diaries

Spurs 102 Suns 96 (Spurs lead 2-0)

This game lacked the same excitement of the double-overtime thriller in game one, but in the end the result was the same. It also featured the Suns blowing another double-digit first half lead, as the Spurs outscored the Suns 27-11 in the third quarter. Tony Parker finished with 32 points and 7 assists to lead the Spurs, while Tim Duncan had 18 points and 17 rebounds, including a monster dunk to help end a 10-0 run the Suns went on late to get back into the game. Oh, and Manu Ginobili had another ho-hum 29 points off the bench. Still, even though the Spurs now have a commanding 2-0 lead in this series, I full expect the Suns to take the next two in Phoenix, which is fine with me. I'll take as many games between these two teams as I can get.

Hornets 127 Mavericks 103 (Hornets lead 2-0)

You know, in my preview for this series I really thought that the Hornets inexperience in the postseason was going to kill them. Well, I'm an idiot, because somehow, after tauting Chris Paul all season, I somehow assumed he would just start to suck. Yeah, he's not going to do that anytime soon. Paul dominated the Mavs for a second straight game, consistently making Dallas' attempts to trap him futile. CP3 finished with 32 points and 17 assists and just carved the Mavericks up. "Sitting there watching Chris really develop into the best point guard in this league, it's amazing to watch how he's really risen his game to another level," Hornets coach Byron Scott said. "But that's what great players do. He's definitely one of the best on this league right now." Though I should mention Paul wasn't the only performer on the Hornets, as David West finished with 27 points and Peja Stojakovic had 22.

Magic 104 Raptors 103 (Magic lead 2-0)

How about that Dwight Howard? After putting up a 20-20 in game one of this series, he only managed to score 29 points and 20 rebounds as he helped the Magic narrowly escape with a victory over the Raptors on Tuesday night. With the consecutive 20-20 performances, Howard becomes only the 4th player in NBA history to do that in the postseason. The other four? A couple of scrubs named Charles Barkley, Shaquille O'Neal, Tim Duncan, and Kevin Garnett. "It was tough to come back and try to play the same way I played the first game. But one of the things [coach Stan Van Gundy] has put in my head, and [Magic assistant Patrick Ewing], is just trying to play as dominant as I could on both ends of the floor. Since the last game, the only thing on my mind, when I go to sleep, when I wake up, at the gym with the guys, is to dominate." The only thing on my mind in those situations? Adorable puppies.

NBA Playoff Previews: New Orleans vs. Dallas

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: Oh man, there are a million reasons to watch them, and half of those have something to do with Chris Paul. Not to mention there's the matchup of the greatest point guard of the future (Paul) against the greatest point guard of the past, Jason Kidd. Plus, after taking a lot longer than expected, the Mavericks have finally adapted to playing alongside Kidd, and they've been playing well lately.

Why New Orleans Will Win This Series: Because Chris Paul is freaking awesome, and they'd all like to prove that this season was not a fluke. The Hornets stood atop the Western Conference for most of the season before losing the top spot in the final week, yet they hardly got any credit for it during the year. If they take out the Mavs in the first round, they'll finally get that respect.

Why Dallas Will Win This Series: I know it's a cliche, but experience really does play a large part in playoff basketball. This Mavericks team is a few years removed from the NBA Finals, and they're playoff tested. The team they're playing against are not. Plus, it seems as if there's no pressure on the Mavs this season as nobody expects them to win anymore, which could make a big difference in how well Dirk plays.

Who Will Win This Series: Dallas 4-3. I'd like the Hornets to win this series just to ensure another round of getting to watch Chris Paul play, but I think the Mavs' experience and all around more balanced play will win it for them in the end. They split the four games they played during the regular season, with the home team winning each game, but I think Dallas can steal a game in New Orleans.

The Basketball Diaries

Denver Nuggets 115 Golden State Warriors 104

Normally a battle for the 8th and final spot in the playoffs is a pointless exercise. Odds are the team that does win it is going to end up getting their asses kicked in the first round anyway, but not this year. This year in the West the 8th seed is just as good as the 1st seed, and the Nuggets went a long way in helping make sure they lock it up. By overcoming an early 16-point deficit to beat the Warriors in Oakland on Thursday night, the Nuggets put themselves a game ahead of the Warriors in the battle for the final spot. Allen Iverson had 33 points, Carmelo had 25, and J.R. Smith contributed off the bench with 24 of his own. "Everybody knew what was at stake," Iverson said. "It's easy for players to say it's just another game. But everybody knows it wasn't just another game. It was a game that both teams felt they had to have." Even more important than that one game lead is the fact this win also gives Denver the tie-breaker if they should finish with the same record as Golden State. All Denver needs to do is win two of their last three and it's theirs, though it won't be that easy with a trip to Utah next, and two home games against Houston and Memphis. Okay, so Memphis will be easy.

Dallas Mavericks 97 Utah Jazz 94

The reason there's only one spot left out west to play for is because Dirk Nowitzki's three-pointer with 0.9 seconds left (which answered a game tying three by Deron Williams seconds earlier) gave the Mavs a big win over the Jazz, and clinched a playoff spot. Nowitzki finished the game with 32 points, and Jason Terry scored 21, but the duo was responsible for 25 of Dallas' 4th quarter points. "I heard people say we wouldn't even make the playoffs, but now we're in," Terry added. "Tonight, we took another step in the right direction. We have to treat all these games like playoff games. We have a long way to go but winning games like these is big for us." And I'll fully admit I was one of those people who said Dallas would miss the playoffs, and I was wrong. It happens from time to time, kind of like Haley's Comet, except rarererererer.

Los Angeles Lakers 116 Los Angeles Clippers 78

The Clippers have long been the red-headed stepchild of the LA basketball scene (behind both UCLA and USC, not just the Lakers), and the Lakers beat them like it on Thursday night. The 38-point victory gave the Lakers a series sweep over the Clippers this season, and moved them within 1.5 games of New Orleans for the top spot out west. Luke Walton led the Lakers with 18 points as every single Lakers starter sat out the 4th quarter, save for Lamar Odom. Kobe finished the night with a rather pedestrian 16, but who cares, take away his points and the Lakers still win by 22.

The Basketball Diaries

New Orleans Hornets 108 Golden State Warriors 96

I understand the reasons for it, but it still amuses me that while everyone talks about how the Spurs, Lakers, Suns, or Jazz will win the West, everybody keeps ignoring the fact that the Hornets still have the best record in the conference. It's not a new phenomenon, either, as they've been on top, and stayed on top for a while. They're one of only two teams in the West that have a winning record against the playoff contenders (Utah being the other team) and they have Chris Paul, who's awesome. Paul had a triple-double(16 points, 13 assists, 10 rebounds) on Sunday to lead the Hornets to a win over the Warriors. For Golden State, the loss knocked them out of the playoff picture temporarily, but if Denver lost in Seattle they'd be tied again. So what did Denver do?

Seattle Sonics 151 Denver Nuggets 147 2OT

They lost! To Seattle! I could go into details on how many points were scored by whom, but damn man, look at that score. Everybody had 20 points. Was there a new rule enforced before the game that said teams were only allowed to use three players on defense? Kevin Durant led Seattle with 37 points, 8 boards, and 9 assists to spoil the efforts of Carmelo Anthony(38 points, 11 rebounds) and Allen Iverson (26 points, 13 assists). For Denver right now, every game is a must win, but losing to Seattle is an especially big blow. Especially to start a 4-game road trip that has stops in Oakland and Utah.

Dallas Mavericks 105 Phoenix Suns 98

The Mavs are good all of a sudden. Not only are they finally beating good teams, but they're doing it on the road. Dallas overcame a 13-point deficit in the 4th quarter by outscoring the Suns 27-9 in the final period. Dirk Nowitzki finished with 32 points, and the Mavs look like, well, the Mavs again. "Every team we'd played so far we were right there, on the road or at home," Nowitzki said. "So it feels great to get finally over the hump. I think everybody in the locker room was pretty hyped up that we had finally pulled this one out. Hopefully this could build some momentum."

Elsewhere...

• Pacers 105 Bucks 97
• Pistons 91 Heat 75
• Spurs 72 Blazers 65
• Grizzlies 113 TWolves 101
• Knicks 100 Magic 90
• Lakers 114 Kings 92
• Rockets 105 Clippers 79

The Basketball Diaries

Dallas Mavericks 111 Golden State Warriors 86

Stop the presses! The Mavericks have beaten a team with a winning record! Dirk Nowitzki returned to the lineup after missing the last four games with a high ankle sprain, and scored 18 points to help the Mavs get a big victory in the Western Conference playoff race. Though Dirk's return was nice for Dallas, it was probably the 31 points from Jason Terry that helped more than anything. The Warriors, meanwhile, now find themselves on the outside of the playoffs looking in, as they trail the Nuggets by a game for the eighth and final spot.

New Orleans Hornets 106 Miami Heat 77

One sign that the Hornets are a good team is that they win every game that they're supposed to. Sure, they've suffered a few losses in Detroit, Boston, and Houston, but they take care of business everywhere else. For a lot of young teams in New Orleans' position, Wednesday night's game against the Heat would have been a trap game. Not for New Orleans. The Hornets started and finished strong, outscoring the Heat 58-25 in the 1st and 4th quarters. Tyson Chandler didn't miss a single shot, and finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds, David West had 22 points, and some guy named Chris Paul had 14 points and 10 assists.

Elsewhere...

• Hawks 127 Raptors 120 OT
• Celtics 92 Pacers 77
• Bucks 110 Wizards 109
• Cavs 118 Bobcats 114
• Grizzlies 130 Knicks 114
• Jazz 117 TWolves 100
• Clippers 102 Sonics 84
• Lakers 104 Blazers 91

The Basketball Diaries

Phoenix Suns 132 Denver Nuggets 117

Needless to say, there wasn't a lot of defense being played in this game, but that's generally the case when these two teams meet. After the Nuggets took a 70-51 lead with them to the locker room for halftime, the Suns came out in the 2nd half and outscored Denver 81-47 in the second half. That's right, Phoenix scored 81 friggin points in the second half. 35 came in the third quarter, and an astounding 46 more points followed in the fourth quarter. Amare Stoudemire did most of the damage with 41 points and 14 rebounds, while Steve Nash scored 36 points and handed out 8 assists. Even Shaq got involved, going for 20 and 12 as the Suns knocked the Nuggets out of the 8th spot in the Western Conference playoff race.

Dallas Mavericks 93 Los Angeles Clippers 86

I'm still convinced the Mavs are going to fall out of the playoffs thanks to the loss of Dirk Nowitzki, but they held the collapse off for one more day at least with a win over the lowly Clippers on Monday. Jason Kidd had 27 points, Jason Terry had 20, and Josh Howard scored 12 of his 25 points in the final quarter to help Dallas hold the Clippers off. "This was a big win on the road because of the position we're in," Kidd said after his highest-scoring game with the Mavericks. "Everybody responded against a team that plays hard. With Dirk out, I'm just looking to be more aggressive and look for my shot. The coach and my teammates have been encouraging me to be aggressive and maybe score a little bit more than in the past." The win combined with Denver's loss put the Mavericks a game ahead of the Nuggets in the standings.

Elsewhere...

• Pacers 105 Heat 85
• Raptors 104 Bobcats 100
• Hawks 116 Grizzlies 99
• Jazz 129 Wizards 87

The Basketball Diaries

San Antonio Spurs 88 Dallas Mavericks 81

The Mavericks are in trouble. Not only did they lose to another winning team on Sunday (Since the Jason Kidd trade, the Mavs are 0-8 against teams with winning records) but they also lost their best player for a few weeks. Dirk Nowitzki landed awkwardly on his leg during the 3rd quarter, and had to be helped off the court. The way things are in the west, that's long enough for the Mavs to fall out of the playoffs. "I fell awkwardly and my left leg got caught underneath of me," Nowitzki said in a statement. "I am going to get re-evaluated in the morning and I hope to have more information then." Manu Ginobili had 26 points, and Tim Duncan had 19 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Spurs.

Golden State Warriors 115 Los Angeles Lakers 111

The game was a lot closer than the Warriors would have liked, as they nearly blew a 26-point lead, but Stephen Jackson hit two 3-pointers in the final 30 seconds of the game to help Golden State hold the Lakers off. Those final 6 points gave Jackson 31 on the night. "He has made big shots for us all year," Warriors coach Don Nelson said. "I don't know how he does it. We put him in a good position where he was open." Kobe Bryant did everything he could for the Lakers, finished with 36 points, 14 rebounds, and 8 assists, but it wasn't enough.

Denver Nuggets 109 Toronto Raptors 100

Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony were the stars of this game, as they scored 36 and 33 points respectively, but Kenyon Martin was the real reason the Nuggets beat the Raptors on Sunday. His defense on Chris Bosh in the 4th quarter was the key as he held the big man scoreless in the final 12 minutes. "Kenyon Martin's defense on Bosh was incredible and got better as the game went on," George Karl said. "You win games with stops more than making shots. I thought Kenyon was the star of the game." Of course, Bosh is so good that even with Martin's defense, he finished only one assist shy of a triple-double (17 points, 12 rebounds, 9 assists).

Elsewhere...

• Wizards 95 Pistons 83

Basketball Diaries

San Antonio Spurs 102 Chicago Bulls 80

I'd like to thank the Bulls for accomodating my college basketball viewing schedule by getting their asses kicked early, and allowing me to stop paying attention. The Spurs destroyed the Bulls on Thursday night, using a 22-4 run in the 2nd quarter to open up a 53-33 lead. They never let it go. Hell, they built on it. At one point late in the 3rd the Spurs were up 74-47. I checked the score during a commercial break in the college tournament, and thought I'd stumbled onto UCLA-Mississippi Valley State on accident. Needless to say, the Bulls deserved the boos they heard last night. Their play in the game very much mirrored my attitude towards watching it on television. None of us wanted to be there.

Boston Celtics 94 Dallas Mavericks 90

And the Celtics sweep Texas. Dirk Nowitzki managed to score 24 points and grab 19 rebounds for the Mavericks, but it wasn't enough to overcome Boston's big trio. Paul Pierce scored 22, Ray Allen had 21, and Kevin Garnett had 20 points. Both Pierce and Garnett also finished with 13 rebounds. The win made the Celtics the first team to go 6-0 against the three Texas teams in a season since the Milwaukee Bucks in the 99-2000 season. They're also the first team to go 3-0 on a Texas road trip since the Kings in 2001. Which is all just a lot of words saying that the Celtics are the best team in the NBA. By far.

Los Angeles Lakers 106 Utah Jazz 95

The Jazz' 19-game win streak at home came to an end on Thursday night thanks to Kobe Bryant and the Lakers. Kobe scored 27 points, and Lamar Odom added 21 and 12 rebounds as the Lakers came out of the gate on fire. They made nine of their first ten shots and had a 24-point lead in the 2nd quarter. Carlos Boozer had 23 points and 15 rebounds for the Jazz in a losing effort.

The Basketball Diaries

Boston Celtics 94 Houston Rockets 74

It would have been a bit more poetic had the Celtics been able to manage 96 points so that they could have ended the Rockets 22-game winning streak with a 22-point victory, but the point is still the same anyway. As has been known all along, the Rockets streak was amazing, but it still didn't make them the best team in the NBA. That title has belonged to the Celtics all season, and they let the Rockets know all about it. Paul Pierce led the way with 20 points, while Kevin Garnett had 22 and 11 boards. Leon Powe also had a big game off the bench, dropping 21 points of his very own. That means in two nights the Celtics have beaten the Spurs and Rockets, and they'll look to sweep Texas on Thursday night. As for how the Rockets feel about the streak ending? "It's not disappointing," Tracy McGrady said. "It's a hell of a team over there. They outplayed us. I've never seen a defense like that. I mean, if they play defense like that, night in and night out, the NBA is in trouble because that was defense at its finest." And Tracy would know. He only managed 8 points on 4-of-11 shooting.

Los Angeles Lakers 102 Dallas Mavericks 100

For a while on Tuesday night, it looked like the Lakers were going to get an easy win in Dallas. Kobe Bryant scored 20 of his 29 points in the first half, as Los Angeles built a 25-point lead in the middle of the 3rd quarter. That's when Kobe stopped scoring, and the Mavs went on a run and got to within a last second Dirk Nowitzki jumper to win the game. Unfortunately, after Dirk fumbled the inbound pass and got two Lakers in the air on a ball fake, he dodged both and took an impossible shot that caromed harmlessly off the backboard. Had he just jumped into the Lakers, he's got three free throw attempts to win the game.

Chicago Bulls 112 New Jersey Nets 96

I had the option of watching one game on Tuesday night: Rockets/Celtics or Bulls/Nets. Which one do you think I chose? I hear the Bulls tried to blow another huge lead but actually held on to win a game that has huge playoff implications. Well, as huge an implication can be when a team is still 27-40. Luol Deng had 20 points, and Drew Gooden had 19 points and 11 rebounds. Ben Gordon also came up big in the 4th quarter as he scored 10 of his 17 points in the final frame.

Elsewhere...

• Pistons 136 Nuggets 120
• Heat 112 Bucks 106
• Kings 122 Warriors 105
• Suns 111 Blazers 98

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

Utah Jazz 116 Dallas Mavericks 110

The Utah Jazz were on a roller coaster ride on Monday night. The Jazz blew a 21- point lead before going on a 16-0 run in the fourth quarter to complete their 16th straight home victory. Deron Williams had 17 points and 20 assists to lead the Jazz. "Everybody right know is fighting for their lives and fighting for a playoff spot. It was a fun game to be a part of," said Deron Williams. "I wish we would have held on to that lead. We let that slip away. We knew they were going to make a run, but we should have put them away a little earlier." Carlos Boozer led the Jazz with 28, and Mehmet Okur had 20. Josh Howard led the Mavs with 25 while Dirk Nowitzki scored 23, but the Mavs fell to 4-4 since acquiring Jason Kidd.

New Orleans Hornets 100 New York Knicks 88

The Hornets had a little too much trouble with the Knicks before Chris Paul helped his team finish the game on a 10-0 run, and get out of Madison Square Garden with a victory. Paul finished the game with 27 points, 19 of which came in the second half, and had 8 assists and 5 rebounds. He's so good that even Isiah Thomas noticed. "As I said before the game, he's great. He's just as good in person as he is when you watch him on tape," Knicks coach Isiah Thomas said. "I thought Nate in the first half did a good job in terms of applying pressure and trying to keep up with him, and then he got in foul trouble and I thought that took away some of his aggressiveness."

Philadelphia 76ers 106 Los Angeles Clippers 80

Yeah, because you really care about anything that happened in this game. Long story short, Philly outscored the Clippers over a regulated span of 48 minutes.

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

San Antonio Spurs 97 Dallas Mavericks 94

Tell me if you've heard this story before. The San Antonio Spurs get off to a "slow" start to their season, and everyone gets all "What's wrong with the Spurs!?" when all of a sudden the All-Star break comes, and the Spurs get hot. It happens every season, but each time it seems as though everybody forgets all about it. Well, after beating Dallas on Thursday night the Spurs have now won 7 in a row. Tim Duncan had 31 points and 15 rebounds, while Manu Ginobili added 17 and Michael Finley dropped in 16 to round out San Antonio's attack. Dirk Nowitzki led the Mavs with 28, while Jason Kidd had 7 points and 10 assists, as Dallas fell to 3-2 since trading for Kidd.

New Jersey Nets 120 Milwaukee Bucks 106

Is there a greater showcase game for the Eastern Conference than Nets/Bucks? I can assure you that this will be the only time these two teams are in a Diaries together for the rest of the season (unless they play on a Thursday night again) but I didn't have many other options for this morning. Devin Harris, recently acquired in the Kidd deal, did make his New Jersey debut and he didn't disappoint. Devin scored 21 points and handed out 5 assists in only 21 minutes. He even had the home crowd chanting his name. "That was like college," Harris said. "I hadn't heard that since I left Wisconsin. Like I said, I don't want to replace anybody. I just want to be myself and play as hard as I can and get them to accept me for who I am."

Elsewhere...

• Lakers 106 Heat 88
  

The Basketball Diaries

Dallas Mavericks 102 Chicago Bulls 94

It doesn't matter what uniform he's wearing, if the Bulls are going against Jason Kidd, odds are they're going to lose. In his first home game as a Maverick, Kidd scored 11 points, had 9 rebounds, and dished out 8 assists to finish just shy of his 100th triple-double. "I was happy to be back home. This is where it all started for me," Kidd said. "I didn't get an opportunity with that franchise [the Mavericks of the mid-1990s] like this one. This is different and I'm going to take advantage of that." Dirk Nowitzki had 29 points and 10 rebounds as well. The Bulls were led by Ben Gordon's 25, but for the second straight game they were severely hampered by stupid turnovers. Oh, and the fact that they suck. That held them back a bit as well.

Detroit Pistons 98 Denver Nuggets 93

The Nuggets have now lost three straight to Eastern Conference opponents, although, at least this time they lost to a good team. (First two were the Bulls and Milwaukee.) Chauncey Billups scored 20 points for Detroit, playing in his hometown, but nearly cost the Pistons the game late. A foul on J.R. Smith during a three-pointer with 6.5 seconds left gave Detroit a chance to tie the game, but luckily for Billups and the Pistons, Smith missed two of the three free throws and Detroit escaped with the win. "He made a good play. He got me off-balance with the crossover," said Billups, who scored 20 points. "I couldn't argue or nothing. The only thing I was thinking was, 'OK, it's 6.5 seconds, we're going to get it in and I'm going to make up for it.' He missed the shots, so it was great."

Washington Wizards 95 New Orleans Hornets 92

The Hornets have now lost three straight, and this time they have Washington's DeShawn Stevenson to thank for it. The Hornets led all night until Stevenson's free throws gave Washington a 0ne-point lead with 14.4 seconds left, and then after the Hornets tied the game, Stevenson drained a fadeaway three-pointer at the buzzer to win the game for the Wizards. His first career game-winner. "[The shot] felt good coming out of my hands," Stevenson said. "I was shooting it pretty good all night. Some went in, some went out, but I was happy that one went in." Stevenson's 33 points were a career high.

Elsewhere...

• Raptors 102 Pacers 98
• Spurs 89 Hawks 74
• Celtics 104 Clippers 76

The Basketball Diaries

New Jersey Nets 110 Chicago Bulls 102 OT

It doesn't matter who the Nets have on their team, the Bulls just can't win in New Jersey. The Nets may no longer have Jason Kidd, and his replacement, Devin Harris, may be out for two weeks, but it didn't matter, Marcus Williams filled in for both with 25 points. Richard Jefferson had 24 and Vince Carter had 33 to round out the Nets victory. "There has never been anyone in the locker room who did not have confidence in Marcus," Jefferson said. "You look at who he played behind and the tough spot he's been in. No one was surprised. He did a good job on the defensive end, too."

Los Angeles Lakers 130 Phoenix Suns 124

It was Shaq's first game as a Phoenix Sun, and what a coincidence, it was against the Lakers and his good friend Kobe Bryant. Shaq only played 29 minutes for Phoenix, but he did manage to score 15 points. Really, he looked better than I thought he was going to, but it was his first game in a month. I still want to see how he looks after playing a few games, see if all that running catches up to him. "I'm in better shape than I thought I was," he said, "the adrenaline factor and just being out there with the guys." For the Lakers, Kobe didn't seem to mind his dislocated finger, scoring 41 points to lead the Lakers. Pau Gasol added 29 points.

New Orleans Hornets 104 Dallas Mavericks 93

It was supposed to be all about Jason Kidd's first game back with the Dallas Mavericks, but Chris Paul wasn't going to let anybody else steal the spotlight in his home building. Paul tore the Mavericks apart on Wednesday night, scoring 31 points, dishing out 11 assists, and making 9 steals. Yes, you read that right. Nine steals. Jason Kidd meanwhile had nearly as many turnovers (6) as he did points (8) for Dallas. "He made some great passes and some of the time guys weren't looking for the ball," Dallas coach Avery Johnson said. "This is kind of like a mini-training camp. We just don't have a lot of time. But at the same time, we need every practice and every game for everybody to get on the same page and everybody to get used to playing with Kidd."

Elsewhere...

• Cavs 106 Pacers 97
• Sixers 124 Knicks 84 (The Knicks are good)
• Raptors 127 Magic 110
• Bucks 103 Pistons 98
• Kings 119 Hawks 107
• Warriors 119 Celtics 117
• Clippers 100 Grizzlies 86

I Have A Lot Of Nothing To Say

I don't have much to say about yesterday's congressional hearings about whether or not Brian McNamee ever stuck some needles in Roger Clemens' ass. The truth is, I didn't watch a single second of the hearings.

From all the "highlights" I did see and hear throughout the day though, I'd have to say Clemens came out of all the proceedings looking the worst. It's as though he was under the impression that the louder you talk the more innocent you are, and he never seemed to really answer any questions.

So since I didn't really watch it, everybody else is talking about it, and there are no other real big stories in sports to talk about right now, I'm just going to hit a whole bunch of different topics today. It is Valentine's Day after all, so think of today's post as a heart-shaped box full of all different sorts of chocolates.

Foul Balls

Devean George Is Doing Dallas a Favor - I already wrote about the Mavs/Nets trade that didn't happen yesterday thanks to Devean George in The Basketball Diaries this morning, but I didn't say why I thought that George was doing the Mavs a favor.

Did you see all the people the Mavericks were going to send to the Nets for Jason Kidd? Devin Harris, Jerry Stackhouse, DeSagana Diop, Devean George, Maurice Ager, $3 million, two first-round draft picks, a couple of Cowboys cheerleaders, a cowboy hat, 15 head of cattle, and the first born of every family in Dallas.

All for a soon to be 35-year old point guard who isn't going to get the Mavericks to the NBA Finals anyway. If Jason Kidd couldn't lead the Nets to a better record in the Eastern Conference with Richard Jefferson and Vince Carter at his side, what in the hell is he going to do in the Western Conference with Dirk Nowitzki and Josh Howard?

Don't get me wrong, I think Jason Kidd is one of the greatest point guards in the history of the game, but he's not the answer in Dallas. At least not at that cost. Devin Harris is never going to be Jason Kidd, but at 24 he still has all the potential to become one of the top point guards in the NBA for years to come. Kidd has a season or two left in him.

Then there's the fact that the Mavs would have sent two future first round picks to the Nets as well, thereby assuring that in a few years when Kidd does retire, the Mavs will be left with nothing but an aging Dirk Nowitzki and no draft picks to bring in new talent.

Dallas isn't going to get through the Western Conference this season, with or without Kidd, but by not making the trade they give themselves a better chance of getting back to the NBA Finals in the next few years.

Ryan Dempster Is Confident - Ryan Dempster has always been the "class clown" of the Chicago Cubs clubhouse. He's also the team's only ninja. I'm not sure whether Dempster was joking around with the media yesterday, but he made a rather bold statement about what he expects the Cubs to do this season.

"I think we're going to win the World Series, I really do," Dempster told reporters as pitchers and catchers reported to camp. "I wouldn't show up here and have worked as hard as I did, and everyone worked as hard as they did, to not believe that. I think it's funny when people make predictions or they say things and people are like, 'Oh, how can you say that?'

"You believe it. You really do. Enough of all the … curse this, the curse that, the goat, the black cat, or the 100 years [without a championship]. … Whatever it is, we're a better team than we were last year. And last year we made it to the playoffs, and it was a battle to make it, to have a rough April and be 10 [games] down and kind of grind our way to first place. I just feel like our chances are better."

I admire Ryan's confidence, though I'm not sure I can really support what he's saying. Will the Cubs get to the playoffs again this season? Probably, I mean their division was horrible last season and it's only gotten worse this season, so it's damn near impossible for the Cubs to not win the division just by showing up to the park everyday.

Will they win the World Series though? Well, they'd have to win a playoff game first, but if the Colorado Rockies can get to the World Series, I see no reason why the Cubs can't get there. There's no way in hell they'd win a 7-game series against the Red Sox, Angels, Tigers, or Indians, but they can get there.

I Hope Terrelle Pryor Doesn't See This - With the nation's top football recruit, quarterback Terrelle Pryor, still undecided about where he's going to go to school, there's still a lot of recruiting being done by the three teams apparently left on his list: Michigan, Ohio State, and Penn State.

Obviously, I want Pryor to go to Penn State because I'm a Nittany Lions fan, and Michigan and Ohio State suck.

The recruiting isn't just being done by the schools themselves though, as fans have taken to posting YouTube videos on the internet trying to convince Pryor to attend their school.

I'm just praying Pryor hasn't seen the following video because, if he has, I don't think he's going to go to Penn State.