The Basketball Diaries

Boston Celtics 106 Detroit Pistons 102 (Celtics lead 3-2)

For the first time all postseason, all three of the Celtics superstars played well together, and it put Boston on the brink of returning to the NBA Finals. Kevin Garnett had 33 points, Paul Pierce had 16, and Ray Allen finally got in on the act by scoring 29 points.

Ray also made a key jumper in the final minute, and sank a couple of free throws to help the Celtics stave off Detroit's comeback attempt.

"We knew the significance of this game," said Garnett, whose 33 points were his most in the playoffs this year. "You don't win this game, you put basically yourself in a corner. ... They're experienced, and they've been in a lot of pressure situations. Now it's up to us to go up there and try to get one."

Kendrick Perkins had a monster game for Boston as well, as he's becoming an offensive threat all of a sudden thanks to his dominance on the boards against Detroit. Perkins finished with 18 points and 16 rebounds, and outrebounded the Pistons 13-11 by himself in the first half.

Detroit made a valiant effort, coming back from a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter, and nearly completing the comeback. Chauncey Billups had his best game since returning from his injury, scoring 26 points for the Pistons.

The Basketball Diaries

Detroit Pistons 94 Boston Celtics 75 (Series tied 2-2)

I remember when Antonio McDyess first came into the league as the #2 pick in the 1994 draft, and those first few years he was a great player as a Denver Nugget. People forget that he came into the NBA as a Kevin Garnett-type talent, but then the knee injuries started, and robbed Antonio of a lot of his ability.

Well, on Monday, Antonio got to go back in time for a little while. McDyess scored 21 points and grabbed 16 rebounds to ignite the Pistons and help them answer the beatdown Boston gave them in game three.

"You only have so many opportunities, and they're limited, especially for me," he said. "I'm at the end of my career, and I just feel like leaving everything out on the floor."

Rip Hamilton had 20 for Detroit, Rasheed Wallace had 14, and Jason Maxiell was huge off the bench with 14 points of his own and a huge block on a Kevin Garnett dunk.

As for Boston's big three, they weren't very big on Monday. They combined to shoot 11-for-38 from the field for a total of 43 points. Boston struggled from the field as a whole, shooting only 31.8 percent from the field, including 1-for-9 from behind the three-point line.

Your Friday Post

Seeing as how I didn't have a chance to write anything last night (okay, so as I'm writing this it's still actually Thursday), and I'm currently at work now, Foul Balls is going to be taking the day off. Sorry if that ruins the start of your Memorial Day weekend. Of course, this also means there will be no Asshole Of The Week this week either.

I don't want to leave you with nothing, though, so here's a super quick recap of what the day may have looked like.

The Basketball Diaries

Detroit Pistons 103 Boston Celtics 97 (Series tied at 1-1)

Ray Allen finally remembered that he's one of the purest shooters to ever play this game in my lifetime on Thursday night, scoring 25 points, and KG and Paul Pierce combined for 50 more, but it wasn't enough to keep Boston perfect at home. Detroit was led by Rip Hamilton's 25 points, and they walked away from the first two games of this series with a split just like I said they would. I'm a genius, you see.

Morning Wood

Chicago White Sox 3 Cleveland Indians 1

Make it eight in a row, as the White Sox finished off their second straight series sweep, and dispatched of the hated Cleveland Indians. Mark Buehrle pitched seven innings of two-hit baseball, but didn't get the decision. Instead the win went to Scott Linebrink, who has been worth every penny so far, and Bobby Jenks got the save as the bullpen did it's job again.

Carlos Quentin drove in two runs for the Sox to increase his season total to 40, and he also scored the Sox' third run when Jermaine Dye singled him home. The Sox now play the Angels tomorrow night, and I'll be there, so when the win streak ends you'll know who to blame. Hooray, me!

Stuff To Read

• Rick Morrissey is in love with Carlos Quentin, and I can't blame him.
• Jay Mariotti loves the Sox now.
• Rick Telander says John Paxson will draft whichever player has the smallest posse.
• JoePa wants a playoff system in college football, and for you to get off his lawn.
• Will having Sidney Crosby in the Stanley Cup Finals finally be the boost that the NHL needs?
• Could the owners opting out of the CBA be the real reason Brian Urlacher wants a new contract?
• Carlton Fisk's first job as White Sox ambassador: Putting a muzzle on Ozzie.
• Mark Cuban compares buying the Cubs to getting a prostitute. (Audio)
  

Fun Fact of the Day

Since I'm not writing an Asshole Of The Week, I thought I'd do a quick little follow up on one of our old AOTWs. Remember Greg from Cleveland? He's the guy who was convinced that David Dellucci was the greatest thing to happen to baseball since, well, ever.

Well, now that the Indians just left town, I'd like to point out that the world's greatest hitter is currently hitting .228 with an OBP of .310. Wow, who could have seen that coming?

I'm taking Memorial Day off as well, so I'll see you all on Tuesday. Have a nice weekend, you've earned it.

The Basketball Diaries

Boston Celtics 88 Detroit Pistons 79 (Celtics lead series 1-0)

The first game of this series went a lot like I expected it too. Yeah, the Pistons were a lot more rested having the last week off, but they were also rusty as well. The Celtics on the other hand, showed no signs of being tired after just finishing off the Cavs on Sunday.

Kevin Garnett led the Celtics with 26 points and 9 rebounds, and Paul Pierce had 22 to help the Celtics remain a perfect 9-0 at home this postseason. Rajon Rondo also had a big fourth quarter for Boston, scoring seven points and hitting a big three late to seal the victory.

"I believe in him. I play him. I'm going to keep playing him," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said of his point guard. "I told him before the game, 'Stop worrying about them. Make them worry about you, too. You're a hell of a basketball player.'"

The bad news for Boston is that Ray Allen continued to struggle from the field. He scored nine points on 3-of-10 shooting. The Celtics are going to have a real tough time winning this series if Allen doesn't start making some shots.

I felt that the Pistons would probably take at least one of the first two games in this series, and I still think they'll win game two on Thursday.

The Basketball Diaries

New Orleans Hornets 101 San Antonio Spurs 79 (Hornets lead 3-2)

The third quarter has been huge in this series, and that didn't change last night. As had happened in games one and two in New Orleans, the Spurs led at halftime, but the Hornets came out and took over in the third quarter. The Hornets outscored the Spurs 28-11 as San Antonio couldn't make a bucket to save their lives.

David West kept the Hornets alive in the first half, scoring half of their points with 22, and finished the game with 38 points, 14 rebounds, and 5 blocks. Decent, I guess. Chris Paul had 22 points and 14 assists, and came alive in the second half after his teammates that didn't have the name West written on the back of their jerseys started sinking shots.

Tim Duncan, on the other hand, didn't have things so easy. He was only able to manage 10 points on 5-of-18 shooting, though Tony Parker did have 20, and Manu Ginobili finished with 18. The Spurs will probably go home and win game six, probably, but I'm not too sure they're going to be able to come back and win in New Orleans if they do.

Detroit Pistons 91 Orlando Magic 86 (Pistons win 4-1)

So the Pistons will be playing in their sixth straight Eastern Conference Finals after disposing of the Magic last night. The Pistons were without Chauncey Billups again on Tuesday night, but they seem to be doing just fine without him.

Rip Hamilton led the way on offense, scoring 31 points, and hit the clinching free throws at the end of the game. Tayshaun Prince didn't struggled from the field on offense, but his huge block of Hedo Turkoglu in the closing seconds more than made up for all his bricks.

The best news of all for the Pistons is that they'll now get to rest up while Boston and Cleveland keep pounding each other (same can be said for teams out west as well). I don't care who wins that series, the way those two teams are playing I don't think either will beat Detroit.

The Basketball Diaries

Los Angeles Lakers 120 Utah Jazz 110 (Lakers lead series 2-0)

On the night when Kobe Bryant was given his first ever MVP award, he went out and showed everyone why he got it. Kobe scored 34 points, had 8 rebounds, and handed out 6 assists as the Lakers maintained their perfect playoff record, and more importantly, went up 2-0 on the Jazz.

Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol also had big nights, scoring 19 and 20 respectively (Odom had 16 boards as well) using their length and quickness to get Carlos Boozer in foul trouble, and just abuse Mehmet Okur. Derek Fisher had 22, and hit a big three in the third quarter to give the Lakers their double-digit lead back.

As for Utah, Carlos Boozer didn't get much playing time thanks to all those fouls, but he didn't do much with the time he had, finishing with only 10 points and 5 boards. He also missed seven of his 10 shots.

Deron Williams had 25, 22 in the second half, and gave the Jazz a spark at times, but they were forced to play from behind all night. Plus, Matt Harpring and Kyle Korver could never get going, but role players play better at home, and that's where Utah's going.

Orlando Magic 111 Detroit Pistons 86 (Pistons lead series 2-1)

The Pistons didn't just lose a game on Wednesday night, they may have lost Chauncey Billups as well. Billups strained his right hamstring early in the 1st quarter, and was lost for the game. He's scheduled to undergo an MRI on Thursday, and the Pistons are crossing their fingers.

If Billups is out for a considerable period of time, it could change this series.

Still, we'll have to wait on that announcement, so let's focus on the Magic. Orlando was raining threes on the Pistons, with Rashard Lewis bringing the most thunder. Lewis scored 33 points for the Magic, making eleven of his 14 shots (including 5-for-6 behind the arc), and taking over the game to finish the first half.

Speaking of thunder, Dwight Howard had a ho-hum 20 points, 12 rebounds and six blocks. In defense of his low rebound total, it's hard to get a lot of rebounds when you're swatting away so many shots.

The Basketball Diaries

New Orleans Hornets 102 San Antonio Spurs 84 (Hornets lead 2-0)

After the first game of this series, Spurs coach Greg Popovich wasn't very happy with his team's performance on defense against New Orleans' David West. So on Monday night he came up with a gameplan to help minimize West's contributions. The good news was that it worked, as West was held to 10 points on 2-of-11 shooting. The bad news is the Spurs were so worried about West that Chris Paul and Peja Stojakovic ran wild on them. CP3 finished with 30 points and 12 assists while Peja had 25 thanks to his 5-of-7 shooting behind the arc. Now, over the next few days you're going to hear a lot about how the Spurs are old and washed up, and just can't hang with the Hornets. Don't buy it. These teams have played 6 times now this season, and the home team has won each game. With all of the Hornets wins coming in the blowout variety. Don't be shocked if this series flips on it's head when they get back to San Antonio.

Detroit Pistons 100 Orlando Magic 93 (Pistons lead series 2-0)

This game turned on a pretty controversial play at the end of the 3rd quarter. After the Magic caught fire from the three-point line to get back into the game, Detroit had the ball with 5.1 left in the quarter. As they inbounded the ball, the clock stopped at 4.8 seconds, and the game kept playing as nobody noticed and Chauncey Billups hit a three. For some reason, it counted. A closer, TIMED, look showed that Billups didn't get the shot off until after 5.2 seconds, so it wouldn't have counted had the clock actually not "malfunctioned." Now, I know the Pistons won by 7, so if you took those three points away, they'd still win, but it doesn't work that way. This was a two-point game in the final minutes that only grew to seven thanks to the free throws at the end of the game. Take away those three points from the Pistons at the end of the third, and it's Orlando protecting a lead in the final minutes, not Detroit.

The Basketball Diaries

Detroit Pistons 100 Philadelphia 76ers 77 (Pistons win series 4-2)

So this game was over after about three minutes. The Pistons jumped out to a 10-0 lead to start the game thanks to Rip Hamilton, who actually outscored the Sixers in the first quarter 13-12, and they never took their foot off the gas pedal on Thursday night. After falling behind 2-1 in the first three games of this series, the Pistons played like the team they're supposed to be the last three games and disposed of Philly rather easily once they showed up. Rip would finish with 24 points, and Chauncey Billups also had 20 to lead Detroit. "We really didn't catch a rhythm in this series until that second half of Game 4, and we really got our defense going, our offense going and things like that," Hamilton said. "And we kept carrying it over, so hopefully we can continue to do that." The Pistons now move on to face the Orlando Magic in a series that will begin on Saturday.

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.

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

Lakers 122 Nuggets 107 (Los Angeles leads 2-0)

In case you weren't already aware, Kobe Bryant is the best basketball player on the planet. When you combine the greatest player on the planet with a defense as porous as the Denver Nuggets, you're going to get quite the show, and Kobe put one on Wednesday night. After scoring 20 points in the 1st quarter to get warmed up, he finished up with 24 more in the 4th, 19 of which came during a 4:19 span. Oh, and he also managed to hand out 10 assists as well. "Tonight, the way he was going, we probably could have put 10 people on the court and probably wouldn't have been able to stop him," said Nuggets star Allen Iverson. Seriously, watching Kobe in that 4th quarter, I swore I was watching Michael Jordan again. It was phenomenal.

Pistons 105 Sixers 88 (Series tied 1-1)

Something told me that after the way the Pistons let game one of this series slip away, they weren't going to make the same mistake twice. They started the game with an early lead, and just kept building on it from there. The big difference between this game and the first one being that Detroit actually looked like they were taking things seriously again. "We were focused, really locked in on what we had to do," Billups said. "We got off to a quick start and we never let up. All five starters played good, and we all shot the ball well. That makes us tough." Rip Hamilton had 20, and Rasheed Wallace, Antonio McDyess, and Tayshaun Prince all had 16 to lead the Pistons.

Celtics 96 Hawks 77 (Boston leads 2-0)

One of the more common mistakes in watching a playoff series is assuming that when the home team takes the first two games, the series is over. More often than not, the team that's down 0-2 goes home and wins a game or two and turns it into a series again. Rest assured, this is not one of those series. This thing is done. It's been over since the regular season started, and quite frankly, the Celtics probably view this whole thing as nothing more than a glorified scrimmage to get ready for the second round.

The Basketball Diaries

Philadelphia 76ers 90 Detroit Pistons 86

So as I was saying, Sixers in four! Okay, I didn't say that but I did say that the Pistons generally always give at least one game away during a playoff series, and they gave this one away on Sunday afternoon. Detroit blew a 15-point lead and let one slip away as the Sixers stole away home-court advantage thanks to Andre Miller's 20 points and Willie Green's 17. Rasheed Wallace scored 24 points for Detroit, but he missed a pretty easy layup that could have tied the game in the closing seconds, and he wasn't deflecting any blame afterward. "I'm going to put this one on me," Wallace said. "There's no excuses. The last bunny, that was a bucket I should've made. I'm going to take this one on the chin." I'm willing to bet Detroit romps in game 2.

Los Angeles Lakers 128 Denver Nuggets 114

People talk about how Tracy McGrady has never won a playoff series in his career, but I mean, at least he's not Pau Gasol. Not only had Gasol never won a playoff series, before Sunday, he'd never won a playofff game. My how things change when you're playing alongside Kobe Bryant. Gasol scored 36 points, grabbed 16 boards, handed out 8 assists, and swatted 4 shots on Sunday as the Lakers took game one against the Nuggets. "It feels amazing, it feels great. I had a blast out there," the 7-foot Spaniard said after shooting 14-of-20 from the floor and 8-of-8 from the foul line. "We did a pretty good job, we can do better. We're happy with the win, I'm happy with the win. Hopefully there will be many more." Kobe didn't have a bad day either, scoring 18 of his 32 points in the final 8 minutes.

Boston Celtics 104 Atlanta Hawks 81

Well, at least Atlanta kept it interesting for a little while. Unfortunately for Atlanta, Kevin Garnett was playing in his first playoff game in four years, and he wasn't about to let them enjoy themselves. KG scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, Ray Allen had 18 points, and Rajon Rondo had 15 points and 9 assists as the Celtics grabbed the first of what should be four straight wins in this series.

Elsewhere...

• Magic 114 Raptors 100

NBA Playoff Previews: Detroit vs. Philadelphia

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: Much like the Boston-Atlanta series, there really isn't much reason to watch any of this series unless you're a fan of either team. Philly had a very strong second half of the season to get into the playoffs, and they're a lot better than Atlanta, but they don't have a realistic shot of upsetting the Pistons here.

Why Detroit Will Win This Series: Because they're the Pistons, and winning in the postseason is what they do. They still have Chauncey Billups, they still have Rasheed Wallace, they still have Rip Hamilton, and Tayshaun Prince just comes alive in the playoffs. Not to mention that they probably have the best bench they've had in Detroit since they became a perennial powerhouse.

Why Philadelphia Will Win This Series: Because they're so pissed off at how the refs screwed them earlier this week against Cleveland, allowing the Cavs to shoot game-winning free throws after they thought the game was over, and put them in this position in the first place. They could be facing Orlando in the first round, not Detroit. So the Sixers will win this series to stick it to David Stern and the NBA.

Who Will Win This Series: Detroit 4-1. Realistically the Pistons should sweep this series, but they always seem to give at least one game away in each series during the postseason.

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

Los Angeles Lakers 124 Sacramento Kings 101

If the Lakers won this game it would clinch home-court advantage for them in the playoffs, and apparently the Maloof brothers are taking heavy action against the Lakers at the Palms, because the Kings sat everybody on their team that could have helped them win this game. Kobe finished with 20 points, and Pau Gasol had 22 as the Lakers cruised to a victory. The last time the Lakers had home-court advantage? That would be in 2000, which not coincidentally led to the first of three straight NBA championships.

New Orleans Hornets 114 Los Angeles Clippers 92

While the Lakers win ended any hopes the Hornets may have had for home-court in the playoffs, their victory over the Clippers did serve a purpose as it clinched the Southwest Division. It's the first division title in the 20-year history of the Hornets, be it in Charlotte or now in Nawlins. "A lot of people had us not even getting in the playoffs," New Orleans center Tyson Chandler said. "I don't think any of us believed that. We all believed that we're one of the better teams in the conference. If you win this division it says a lot about the team because this is the best division in basketball." Oh, go to hell, Tyson. You had nothing to do with it. If it weren't for Chris Paul you'd still be an absolute waste of cap space. (In case you were wondering if the years since Tyson left Chicago have helped ease my hatred for him, they haven't.)

Detroit Pistons 115 Minnesota Timberwolves 103

Sticking with the clinching theme, the Pistons victory over the Wolves on Tuesday night assured them of the 2nd seed in the Eastern Conference. Not that they were ever really in any danger of losing it to begin with, but I guess it's a big deal. Congratulations, fellas. "That's nice to have, but I don't think it is critical," Saunders said. "With the 2-3-2 format, I don't know how much it even means." Well, way to piss on the parade, Flip.

Elsewhere...

• Magic 121 Hawks 105
• Nets 112 Hornets 108 OT
• Blazers 113 Grizzlies 91

The Basketball Diaries

Detroit Pistons 110 Phoenix Suns 105 OT

The Suns had recently seemed to figure it out, winning their last seven games, but they couldn't figure out how to stop Rasheed Wallace and Chauncey Billups on Monday night. Sheed kept the Pistons out front early with a barrage of three-pointers, finishing the night 5-of-9 behind the arc for 23 points, while Billups scored 9 of his 32 during overtime to lead Detroit to victory. Also stepping up were rookie guards Rodney Stuckey and Arron Afflalo as the Pistons had to make do without both Rip Hamilton and Juan Dixon. "This game is another vindication for the young guys," said Billups. "I have an unbelievable amount of confidence in those guys." Amare Stoudemire led Phoenix with 33 points.

Philadelphia 76ers 95 Boston Celtics 90

They've been doing it under the radar, but the Sixers have been playing very good basketball as of late. Something tells me their win over the Celtics on Monday night may help garner more attention, as the Sixers have now won 12 of their last 15 games and are over .500 for the first time this season. The key last night was a 19-0 run in the fourth quarter after facing a double-digit deficit. Andre Iguodala, who led Philly with 28 points, is pleased with the win but doesn't feel the Sixers have accomplished anything yet. "It shows how hard we've worked to get back," said Iguodala. "But I think we still have to have that mentality like we're a team that's still under .500 and still fighting. It's not over yet. We've gotten to a point where we want to be, which is over .500, but we still don't have an 'X' by our name" to signify a playoff berth.

Elsewhere...

• Heat 78 Bucks 73
• Nets 106 Knicks 91
• Nuggets 120 Grizzlies 106
• Rockets 108 Kings 100
• Sonics 97 Blazers 84
• Lakers 123 Warriors 119 OT
  

The Basketball Diaries

Houston Rockets 83 Atlanta Hawks 75

The Rockets have now won 20 in a row, and are now only the 3rd team in NBA history to do so. The 70-71 Bucks did it, and the 71-72 Lakers won 31 in a row before losing. To give you an idea about how impressive a 20 game win streak is, the Knicks, Heat, Sonics, Grizzlies, and Timberwolves don't have 20 wins this season. The Rockets got off to a sluggish start on Wednesday night, but Tracy McGrady scored 21 of his 28 points in the 2nd half to help Houston shake off the pesky Hawks. "It may be the ugliest thing we've done, but it might have been the best one," Houston coach Rick Adelman said, "the way we fought through it."

New Orleans Hornets 100 San Antonio Spurs 75

I know that with the strong competition in the West, the Spurs are going to lose every once in a while, but it's the very rare occasion when they get blown out like they did on Wednesday. The Hornets held the Spurs to eight points in the 4th quarter. Eight. David West returned to the Hornets lineup for the first time in three games, and he scored 29 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Chris Paul did what Chris Paul does, and scored 26 points and handed out 17 assists. If only he played in a market other than New Orleans so he could be truly appreciated for how good he is.

Philadelphia 76ers 83 Detroit Pistons 82

The way things are set up in the East right now, this is likely going to be a 1st round matchup in the playoffs. Something tells me the results will be different once playoff time comes around. Detroit came out sluggish, fell behind by double-digits early, and couldn't fight their way out of it. Even though the Sixers didn't score a point in the final 2:27 of the game. Chauncey Billups shot as time expired clanged off the rim and the Sixers escaped with a victory. "I tried to rock and get [Rodney Carney] off-balance, but they came at me with the double-team," Billups said. "I didn't think there was enough time to get the ball to anyone else, so I had to shoot it. I got a pretty good look, but that's not the shot I want to take in that situation."

Elsewhere...

• Magic 110 Clippers 88
• Celtics 111 Sonics 82
• Knicks 91 Heat 88
• Nets 104 Cavs 99
• Jazz 114 Bucks 110
• Mavs 118 Bobcats 93
• Nuggets 108 Grizzlies 86
• Warriors 117 Raptors 106

The Basketball Diaries

Detroit Pistons 116 Chicago Bulls 109

So it's pretty clear that Jim Boylan has completely lost this team, right? There was the Tyrus Thomas suspension (Tyrus played 4 minutes on Sunday)from last week, then Aaron Gray (Aaron played 2) blew up at Jimmy over the weekend over playing time, and Chris Duhon flew to North Carolina to take in the UNC/Duke game on Saturday night without telling anybody. He then slept through the Bulls morning shootaround on Sunday and was benched. Still, it didn't seem to bother anybody as Duhon, Kirk Hinrich and others spent the closing minutes of the Bulls loss to the Pistons on Sunday laughing with each other on the bench. Without Ben Wallace, Joe Smith, and Adrian Griffin, the Bulls locker room is in need of a leader, and Jim Boylan sure as hell isn't it.

Phoenix Suns 94 San Antonio Spurs 87

Shaq finally pulled through for the Suns. The Diesel, who just turned 36 a few days ago, scored 14 points and grabbed 16 rebounds to help Phoenix shake out of a slump and take down the red hot Spurs on Sunday afternoon. Shaq even elbowed a fan in the face while diving into the third row for a loose ball. Steve Nash also had 19 points and 14 assists, though he's not ready to say that this win really means anything. "There's a lot of teams with size in the West," Steve Nash said. "We added size, let alone a guy with championship experience. One win isn't going to say we're a finished product, but we're on our way, I think, to improving and getting to a place where we're going to feel confident once the playoffs come around."

Sacramento Kings 114 Los Angeles Lakers 113

With the Spurs loss earlier in the day, the Lakers had a perfect opportunity to put a little distance between themselves and San Antonio in the race for the #1 seed in the Western Conference. Unfortunately for the Lakers, Kobe Bryants 18-foot jumper in the closing seconds clanged off the rim, and the Lakers lost for only the 2nd time in their last 15 games. Beno Udrih hit the game winning free throws for the Kings, and led the team with 25 points and 10 assists.

Elsewhere...

• Sixers 119 Bucks 97
• Raptors 114 Sonics 106

The Basketball Diaries

Boston Celtics 90 Detroit Pistons 78

And with that, the Celtics become the first team in the NBA to clinch a playoff spot, and with only 23 games left to play. Kevin Garnett scored a season high 31 points to lead the Celtics past the Pistons in a matchup between the only two teams in the East worth anything. The win also gave Boston a victory in the season series against Detroit, taking two of the three meetings. "It was good to beat them in the regular season and win the series, but this is a team we're probably going to see in the playoffs," said Paul Pierce, who scored 15 points. "They'll be a better team by then." Chauncy Billups led Detroit with 23 points.

Houston Rockets 117 Indiana Pacers 99

When the Rockets found out they were going to be without Yao Ming for the rest of the season, I made no secret of the fact I thought it meant they had no chance of making the playoffs in the West. Well, all Houston's done since Yao went out is go 4-0 and extend their win streak to a franchise record 16 straight. Tracy McGrady had 25 points, and Rafer Alston added 21 to propel the Rockets. "It's all about confidence," McGrady said. "We have great chemistry and guys know their roles here. We all are playing so well, we just can't really count on one guy."

Denver Nuggets 126 Phoenix Suns 113

So that Shaq trade still isn't working out very well. Carmelo Anthony had 30 points and 13 rebounds, Allen Iverson had 31 points and 12 assists, and just about everybody in a Denver Nuggets uniform dropped in 20 points against the reeling Suns in Denver on Wednesday night. "Guys like Carmelo and A.I. are going to get theirs," Shaquille O'Neal said. "But when J.R. Smith comes out and shoots those wild shots that he was making, then they are a hard team to beat."

Elsewhere...

• Magic 122 Wizards 92
• Bobcats 118 Warriors 109
• Raptors 108 Heat 83
• Cavs 119 Knicks 105
• Hornets 116 Hawks 101
• Bucks 118 Sonics 106
• Grizzlies 100 Nets 93
• Jazz 105 TWolves 76
• Clippers 116 Kings 109 2OT

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