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.

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: Houston vs. Utah

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: Of all the series in the Western Conference this season, this one probably hosts the two most evenly matched opponents. Plus, the series these two played in the first round last season was a pretty entertaining one, and I expect this series to be more of the same. Finally, there's the great question of all: Is this the year Tracy McGrady finally gets out of the first round?

Why Houston Will Win This Series: Houston will win this series if Tracy McGrady plays well, but doesn't try to do too much. He can't let the pressure of never winning a playoff series get to him, and he must let his teammates help him out. He's been doing a very good job of this ever since Yao Ming went down, but the playoffs are a completely different animal.

Why Utah Will Win This Series: Utah will win this series if they keep playing the way they have all season. There's nobody on the Rockets that is going to be able to keep Deron Williams out of the lane, and the Jazz will run the pick and roll between Williams and Carlos Boozer all day if Houston lets them. If not, Mehmet Okur and Kyle Korver kill the Rockets from the outside with their sharpshooting.

Who Will Win This Series: Utah 4-2. Sorry, T-Mac, it's not happening this year either. Dikembe Mutombo did a nice job this season filling in for Yao, but he's a horrible matchup covering Okur, and I expect Jerry Sloan to exploit this pretty often. Plus, the Jazz are damn near impossible to beat at home and they're good enough to steal a win in Houston. If that happens, the series is over.

The Basketball Diaries

Phoenix Suns 122 Golden State Warriors 116

And with that, the already slim hopes of the Warriors making the playoffs have been dashed. The Suns blew a 17-point lead in the 3rd quarter, but were able to rally back in the 4th thanks to Amare Stoudemire, who scored 11 of his 28 in the final 12 minutes. Steve Nash also finished just shy of a triple-double with 13 points, 14 assists, and 9 rebounds. As for the Warriors, I think there will probably be a few questions asked on Don Nelson after he benched Baron Davis for the entire second half after a horrible first half. Sure, his shot was off, but when your playoff hopes are hanging by a thread, you don't put your team's heart and leader on the bench. Maybe Don has a vacation planned already, and doesn't want to reschedule.

Chicago Bulls 151 Milwaukee Bucks 135

Holy shit, what the hell happened here? I know the Bucks aren't exactly a defensive powerhouse, but giving up 151 points to the Bulls? Damn. Though, as he just has a knack for doing, Joakim Noah said it best afterwards. "It definitely wasn't a playoff atmosphere. Put it this way, if people were playing for something right now, like a playoff berth, the score would have never been like that." Oh, and Milwaukee rookie Ramon Sessions finished the game with 20 points and 24 assists. The first time a Buck has put up a 20-20 in points and assists in franchise history, and what a glorious history it is!

Utah Jazz 105 Houston Rockets 96

This was a huge victory for the Jazz, because even though it only ties them with Houston record-wise out west, it gives them the tiebreaker over the Rockets at the same time. So should the two teams meet in the first round of the playoffs (which they would if the season ended riiiiiiight....NOW), the Jazz will have the home-court advantage which is a huge bonus for Utah. They're 37-4 in the land of the Mormons, and only 17-23 in Christian America.

Elsewhere...

• Cavs 91 Sixers 90
• Wizards 117 Pacers 110
• Raptors 91 Heat 75
• Celtics 99 Knicks 93
• Spurs 101 Kings 98

The Basketball Diaries

Denver Nuggets 111 Houston Rockets 94

And that will just about do it, the Nuggets should be the final team in the west to make the playoffs. Thanks to Allen Iverson's 33 points and J.R. Smith's 23 off the bench, the Nuggets basically dominated the Rockets from the opening tip to the final buzzer. The win puts Denver a half-game up on Golden State, and all they have to do is beat Memphis at home on Wednesday and they're in. Seems easy, but remember, the Nuggets have lost to Seattle and Sacramento in recent weeks. I was a bit surprised by how lackluster the Rockets played on Sunday considering they still have an outside shot at the top seed out west, but whatever, seeds won't really matter much in the west anyway.

Los Angeles Lakers 106 San Antonio Spurs 85

Speaking of the top seed out west, it's no longer held by the Hornets, as the Lakers' victory over San Antonio on Sunday moved them to the top. One more win against the Kings on Tuesday, and they get home-court advantage. Kobe Bryant had 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists, while Lamar Odom had 17 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Lakers team over a Spurs team that played like it has nothing to play for at the moment. Which I guess they don't.

Orlando Magic 104 Chicago Bulls 84

So what if the Bulls lost, there are only two games left in this miserable excuse of a season, and then the playoffs will start and I can start enjoying basketball again. It's a celebration, bitches!

Elsewhere...

• Pistons 91 Raptors 84
• Cavs 84 Heat 76
• Sonics 99 Mavs 95

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

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

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

Houston Rockets 91 New Jersey Nets 73

Make that 19 consecutive wins for the Houston Rockets. Of those 19 wins, the last 10 have come by double-digits which ties an NBA record. Of course the biggest news is that win #19 moves the Rockets to within a game of the Lakers and Spurs in the race for the #1 seed out west. Tracy McGrady led Houston with 19 points, though he only played a little more than two quarters as the Rockets toyed with the Nets all night. "It's impressive, and we keep adding on games," point guard Rafer Alston said. "It's fantastic to have your name mentioned and your team mentioned with some of the best teams, some of the best players to ever play the game. It says a lot about our ballclub."

San Antonio Spurs 107 Denver Nuggets 103

It's not often that the Spurs lose two games in a row, and it's extremely rare that they lose three in a row, so I think it would have been impossible for Denver to come out of this one with a victory. Tim Duncan scored 23 points and grabbed 18 rebounds to help the Spurs pull back into a tie with the Lakers atop the Western Conference standings. Manu Ginobili only had 13 points, but he did manage to hand out 14 assists which are always helpful. "Manu stepped up and was passing the ball great -- finding people left and right," Duncan said. "So we had good efforts all the way around."

Cleveland Cavaliers 88 Portland Trailblazers 80

Oh, look, LeBron had a triple-double. Yawn. It's only the 7th time he's done it this season, so frankly, I feel as if he's just rubbing it in at this point. 24 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists as the Cavs held on in a tight contest to beat the Blazers on Monday night. Of course, after the game, LeBron showed that "humility" we all love so much. "As an individual, I didn't feel I played particularly well," he said. "If you didn't play well and you have a triple-double, something is wrong. I could have played better."

Elsewhere...

• Magic 123 Hawks 112
• Celtics 100 Sixers 86
• Clippers 99 Heat 98
• Mavs 108 Knicks 79

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

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

Houston Rockets 94 Washington Wizards 68

See, Yao Ming was holding the Rockets back. The Rockets were able to win their 13th straight game only hours after learning that the face of the franchise and communists everywhere, Yao Ming, is out for the season with a broken foot. The 41-year old Dikembe "Who wants to sex" Mutombo started in Yao's place, and scored 4 points, grabbed 8 rebounds, and blocked 4 shots. In other words, Houston better feed Tracy McGrady like crazy the rest of this season if they think they're going to have any chance of making the playoffs now. Which they won't.

Miami Heat 107 Sacramento Kings 86

The only bigger longshot in the NBA than the Rockets making the playoffs at this point is the Miami Heat winning a game. That never happ....what the? Holy shit! The Heat actually won a game. I guess that means the Rockets have a chance after all. (Just kidding.) The Heat's victory over the Kings on Tuesday night was their first in a month, snapping an 11-game losing streak. "I know we've had it in us," a visibly relieved Heat coach Pat Riley said. "I don't know where it's been. But tonight, we played extremely well. We just played a complete game for 48 minutes. I feel like a mosquito in a nudist colony. I know what to do. I just don't know where to start." You know, it's weird. That's exactly what I was thinking too.

Golden State Warriors 105 Seattle Sonics 99

One of the team's poised to feast on the rotting corpse that is the Rockets playoff chances is the Warriors, and they did their job on Tuesday night. Monta Ellis had 30 points, Baron Davis had 20 points and 10 assists, and Austin Croshere (!?) scored 14 points to lead Golden State over the Sonics. Croshere has played like 3 minutes all season, yet there he was in the third quarter scoring all 14 of his points without missing a shot. "The last few years, my role has been to be ready, not knowing if you're going to get a DNP or play 27 minutes," Croshere said. "That's tough for younger players, but I've been doing it for a while now. ... It felt good to be out there. I didn't really do anything special. We've got four great scorers out there, so I was just reading the double-teams and getting to the basket." I didn't even know he was still alive.

Elsewhere...

• Magic 102 Nets 92
• Bucks 105 Cavs 102
• TWolves 111 Jazz 100
• Suns 127 Grizzlies 113
• Lakers 96 Blazers 83

The Basketball Diaries

Houston Rockets 110 Chicago Bulls 97

The Houston Rockets were the hottest team in the NBA going into their matchup with the Bulls on Sunday night, and the Bulls didn't want to get in their way. After keeping it close for about three quarters, the Bulls ran out of gas, and the Rockets started raining three-pointers to pull away. Luther Head, Tracy McGrady, and Bobby Jackson all hit threes on consecutive Rockets' possession to stretch a 5-point lead to 12, and the Bulls never recovered. "With Tracy healthy and playing well, they are a tough team to stop," Bulls coach Jim Boylan said. "Houston got penetration and found guys spotting up at the corners. It wasn't just one guy, but their entire team." Larry Hughes and Drew Gooden scored 13 and 12 points respectively in their Bulls debuts, and Tyrus Thomas led the Bulls with 18.

Detroit Pistons 116 Phoenix Suns 86

So far the Shaq trade doesn't seem to be working out so well. After beating the Celtics on Friday night, the Suns got their asses handed to them on Sunday by the East's other beast, the Detroit Pistons. Rasheed Wallace had 22 points, Rip Hamilton had 18, and Chauncey Billups and Antonio McDyess chipped in with double doubles to lead Detroit. "This was a big game for us," Billups said. "You know how we are, man, when we play against other elite teams, we lock in. We lock in big-time. I thought everybody played great today -- everybody." Shaq had 7 points and 9 rebounds, as the Suns 11-game win streak against the Eastern Conference came to an end.

Elsewhere...

• Cavs 109 Grizzlies 89
• Magic 112 Kings 93
• Celtics 112 Blazers 102
• Raptors 115 Knicks 92
• Mavs 99 TWolves 83
• Lakers 111 Sonics 91

The Basketball Diaries

Houston Rockets 112 Miami Heat 100

Holy shit do the Heat suck. With their loss to the Houston Rockets on Thursday night, the Heat have now lost 25 of their last 26 games. As Charles Barkley said at halftime, they're tanking it for the lottery pick. The Rockets meanwhile are like the Heat, except exactly the opposite. They're the hottest team in the NBA right now, as Thursday was their 10th straight win, and 14th in their last 15 games. Yao Ming had 23 points, and Tracy MacGrady had 21 to lead a Rockets team that said goodbye to three players through trades earlier in the day. "Everything happens for a reason and we've got to understand that this is a business," Carl Landry said. "We've got to be positive about the situation and try to go on and continue the winning streak."

San Antonio Spurs 100 Minnesota Timberwolves 99

The Spurs have historically been a second half team, so if they're going to break out of their early season doldrums (San Antonio's standard for doldrums being 36-17) it has to start by beating teams like Minnesota. They did just that on Thursday night, but it wasn't anywhere near as easy as it should have been. Manu Ginobili scored 44 points for the Spurs, and they needed every single one of them, including his game-winning shot with 6.2 seconds left. "I always try to get to the rim, but Foye took over my left pretty good and my counter move is always step back right," Ginobili said. "I got lucky there, took a good shot and it went in."

Elsewhere...

• Blazers 92 Sonics 88

The Basketball Diaries

Chicago Bulls 114 Golden State Warriors 108

Maybe it was the fact that the he knew he'd get a lot of playing time with Ben Gordon, Kirk Hinrich, and Luol Deng in street clothes, or maybe he was just pumped up about Duke's win over North Carolina on Wednesday, but Chris Duhon brought his A-game last night. Duhon scored a career-high 34 points as the Bulls beat the Warriors in Oakland for the first time in ten years on Thursday night. "I took open shots, got my rhythm, and they continued to keep falling," Duhon said. "Being the only guard tonight, it gives you extra confidence knowing that you could be a little bit more aggressive. Even if you miss a few shots and make a couple of mistakes, Coach is going to continue to keep playing you, so you just play a little bit more loose and don't play mind games with yourself."

Houston Rockets 92 Cleveland Cavaliers 77

Tracy MacGrady spent most of his Thursday night seemingly looking around for a bucket to throw up in. Luckily for Tracy, Yao Ming and Rafer Alston were able to pick up the slack for their sick teammate. Yao scored 22 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, while Rafer Alston scored 17 points. LeBron scored 32 points for Cleveland, but the Cavs severely missed Drew Gooden, as the Rockets killed them on the boards all night.

Elsewhere...

• Sixers 101 Heat 84

The Basketball Diaries

Chicago Bulls 109 Charlotte Bobcats 97

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, if the Bulls could play the Bobcats every game they'd be the greatest team the NBA has ever seen. I mean, even Joakim Noah looked like an offensive threat last night, scoring a career high 17 points and grabbing 6 rebounds. Ben Gordon also had another big game coming off of the bench to lead the Bulls with 22 points. Ever since Jim Boylan took over, the Bulls are 3-1 and it seems everything Boylan is trying is working. "Sometimes you go the way the game is going," Boylan said about his decision to go big to counter Charlotte's three-guard lineup. "If things are going well for you, then your enthusiasm and your concentration and our focus is really sharp. Tonight [Noah] was very focused, his energy was infectious to our guys and it really gave us a lift." Luol Deng also had a big night, scoring 21 points and pulling down 13 boards.

Detroit Pistons 106 Washington Wizards 93

While everyone continues to focus on the Boston Celtics, the Pistons are just somehow managing to fly under the radar, and they're still the team to beat in the Eastern Conference. On Wednesday night the Pistons won their 10 straight game to improve to 25-7 on the season. Rip Hamilton had a big night for Detroit, scoring 20 points while getting 7 rebounds and dishing out 9 assists.

Boston Celtics 97 Houston Rockets 93

Though don't get me wrong, even though I think the Pistons are still the best team in the Eastern Conference, it doesn't mean I think the Celtics suck or anything. I mean, with their latest win over the Rockets they've improved to 27-3 on the season. And yes, if they keep playing this way for the rest of the season they'll finish the season with 74 wins and beat the Bulls mark of 72 victories in a regular season. Fortunately, they still have to play the Pistons three more times.

Elsewhere...

• Cavs 98 Hawks 94
• Grizzlies 90 Pacers 72
• Nets 96 Magic 95
• Bucks 103 Heat 98
• Kings 107 Knicks 97
• Blazers 90 TWolves 79
• Mavs 121 Warriors 99
• Jazz 110 Sixers 107
• Hornets 95 Clippers 81

The Basketball Diaries

Los Angeles Clippers 97 Chicago Bulls 91

Are they ever going to win? If there's anything good to take from the Bulls latest loss, it's that they actually looked alive last night. So if this was kindergarten, the Bulls would have gotten a gold star. Cuttino Mobley would have gotten the biggest gold star of them all after scoring 33 points for the Clippers on 13 of 17 shooting. I don't know when Mobley became good enough to drop 33 on somebody, but the absence of Elton Brand does strange things I guess. Corey Maggette returned home to Chicago and added 18 points and 10 boards for LA. Luol Deng led the Bulls with 22 points. Joakim Noah also made his debut last night, and scored two points with 4 rebounds and 3 blocks in 19 minutes.

Houston Rockets 89 San Antonio Spurs 81

The Rockets ended their four-game losing streak to the Spurs in Houston last night thanks to Yao Ming. Yao scored 28 points and grabbed 13 boards to help the Rockets improve to 4-1 on the young season. Tracy McGrady only managed 12 points after struggling from the field all night, but he did manage to grab 9 boards and dish out 6 assists. The real reason the Rockets won this game though was that they cleaned up on the glass. The Rockets grabbed 25 offensive rebounds on Tuesday night. San Antonio could only manage 4. "It was a huge advantage that we gave up," Manu Ginobili said. "It's pretty hard to win like that."

Cleveland Cavaliers 108 Golden State Warriors 104

Whatever it as that the Warriors were doing at the end of last season, and against Dallas in the playoffs that made them so good, they're not doing it now. The Warriors are now 0-4 on the year after losing to LeBron and the Cavs on Tuesday night. LeBron nearly pulled off a triple-double, coming up just one assist short. He'd finish with 24 points, 14 rebounds, and 9 assists. A decent effort, I guess. He did it all with a swollen eye after catching an elbow in the face during the first quarter. "It bothered me some, and it's bothering me now, but I had to be there for my teammates," said James. "If I could barely see, I still had to be out there."

Elsewhere...

• Suns 115 Bobcats 83
• Nets 87 Hawks 82
• Knicks 119 Nuggets 112
• Bucks 112 Raptors 85
• Magic 111 TWolves 103
• Kings 104 Sonics 98
• Hornets 118 Lakers 104

The Basketball Diaries

Dallas Mavericks 107 Houston Rockets 98

I'm not sure what made Mavs coach Avery Johnson think taking Jason Terry out of the starting lineup was a good idea, but it's working out pretty well. Terry scored 31 points off the bench for Dallas on Monday night, and took over the 4th quarter while Dirk Nowitzki and Josh Howard were on the bench with foul trouble. Terry went on his own personal 10-0 run against Houston to turn a 5-point deficit to a 5-point lead the Mavs didn't relinquish. "He just had that look in his eye and his shot really looked good," coach Avery Johnson said. "We are very surprised when he misses; we're kind of spoiled these days." Nowitzki had 19 points and 9 boards, Josh Howard had 21, and Jerry Stackhouse had 16 to help pace the Mavs. Tracy McGrady scored 35 points with 8 assists for Houston, but it wasn't enough.

The Basketball Diaries

Phoenix Suns 106 Seattle Sonics 99

So I've been able to see the Sonics play the last two nights, which means I've already seen them play twice as many times this season as I did last. Here's what I've learned about them so far: Kevin Durant is good and will be the rookie of the year. A shocking prediction, I know. After scoring 18 points in his NBA debut on Wednesday, Durant scored 27 points on Thursday night. Unfortunately for him, the Suns are a much better team than the Sonics, and they showed it in the fourth quarter as they pulled away from Seattle. Amare Stoudemire had 23 points and 11 rebounds, and Steve Nash scored 18 points while dishing out 12 assists. The Suns are still the Suns, but they have no chance in hell of beating the Spurs in a seven game series as they're currently constructed. Stoudemire's backup right now is Brian Skinner. I think that's all I really need to say.

Detroit Pistons 91 Miami Heat 80

It's the regular season so that means Dwyane Wade and Shaq can't play in the same game. Wade took his turn sitting out last night, but the Pistons were kind enough to sit Rip Hamilton in the interest of keeping things fair. Tayshaun Prince picked up all the slack for Hamilton though, as he scored a career high 34 points to lead Detroit to the win. Early feelings on both of these teams, Detroit's still good, but they aren't as good as the Pistons teams we've seen the last few years. The Heat? They're more athletic this season, but I don't think they're going to be any better than last year. Of course, considering either Wade or Shaq are always hurt, you never can tell.

Houston Rockets 106 Utah Jazz 95

The Rockets got a little revenge on Thursday night, as they beat the team that ended their season last spring, the Utah Jazz. Tracy McGrady went off for 47 points as the Rockets won their second game of the season to improve to 2-0. The Jazz meanwhile are now 0-2. Carlos Boozer scored 30 points and grabbed 16 boards for the Jazz, while Deron Williams scored 18 and handed out 13 assists, but it just wasn't enough to overcome McGrady and the Rockets.