Ballin’: Ouch in Orlando
NBA March 26th. 2008, 8:57am
San Antonio 107, Orlando 97: If there’s such thing as a triple loss, the the Magic suffered it last night – the game, Hedo Turkoglu and Jameer Nelson. Hedo left early with a wrist injury, and Nelson with a jaw injury. The Spurs have quietly won four in a row, and it should be seven before next week’s games against Golden State and at Utah.
New Orleans 114, Indiana 106: Amazingly, the Hornets are still the best in the West (by mere percentage points over the Lakers), thanks to 35 and 16 from David West and 31 and 14 from Chris Paul, who is tied with Steve Nash for the league lead in assists.
Portland 102, Washington 82: Why we don’t get the Wizards – the Blazers were without LaMarcus Aldridge and Brandon Roy didn’t play in the second half (groin), yet still routed Washington. With four more games left on this West Coast trip, one has to wonder how tenuous that 5th playoff spot is.
Dallas 103, Los Angeles Clippers 90: Lucky thing the Mavs’ first game without Dirk was against such a bad, injury-riddled team. Josh Howard went for 32 and Erica Dampier scored 19 points and collected 17 boards in registering an easy home victory. Now, the fun begins – four of their next five are on the road, against playoff teams.
Chicago 103, Atlanta 94: We knew the Bulls would play spoiler at some point; we just had no idea Drew Gooden would be the guy possibly knocking someone into the lottery. Gooden had 31 points and took 16 rebounds as the Bulls jumbled the race for the final playoff spot in the East. Atlanta leads New Jersey by half a game, Indiana by 1.5, and the Bulls by two.
74 Responses to “Ballin’: Ouch in Orlando”
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March 26th, 2008 at 8:59 am
Why does it take jaw dropping games from Paul and West to beat the Pacers? I don’t follow bad teams, but I hear that the Pacers are doing better without Jermaine.
March 26th, 2008 at 9:04 am
Dwight Howard had 24 points and 21 rebounds, his eighth game this season with at least 20 in both categories
im praying that Hedo didnt break his wrist. The X rays were hard to tell because of the swelling, but he did only fall on it. Nelson just doesnt look where he is going on the court, he doesnt keep his head up like Keyon Dooling. Dooling did a fare job of filling in for him.
Hedo only played 10 mins and had 2 points. Our bench filled in with 42 points.
Spurs are a good team, and Orlando is the only NBA team that has never won a season series against the Spurs.
March 26th, 2008 at 9:07 am
irish…why was tim duncan, “PF”, guarding Center Dwight Howard all night? and vice versa? hmm…
OH THATS FUCKIN RIGHT, TIM DUNCAN IS A CENTER.
March 26th, 2008 at 9:09 am
well if you want to play like that today spencer, read the stats from last nights game first and see who dominated who.
dumbass
March 26th, 2008 at 9:09 am
Wow, indisputable evidence. Spence, you should fight crime.
March 26th, 2008 at 9:10 am
irish…i never said anything about duncan dominating, just that he’s a center. dwight bitch slapped him up and down the court, tho duncan didn’t have that bad of a game.
Hef…i do fight crime. im batman.
March 26th, 2008 at 9:13 am
Now you’re screwed because we’re the new gossip pages (see the roundup). Your secret isn’t safe with anyone and will be used to make you look gay.
Did you see the tights he was wearing? What, does he think he’s from Metropolis? This is Gotham, honey.
March 26th, 2008 at 9:13 am
What is the over/under on Chris Paul layups + David West dunks tonight when the Hornets play in Cleveland? 30?
I wish the Cavs had someone to check quick guards up top.
March 26th, 2008 at 9:14 am
Sorry bigtuna, our quota for Cavs fans filled up a long time ago. Take a number and wait patiently for spence and Nick P to die.
March 26th, 2008 at 9:14 am
I don’t know. Stats are misleading a bit, irish. Dwight got his in 7 extra minutes. Duncan shot better, blocked more, and shared more. It’s closer than you might think.
March 26th, 2008 at 9:14 am
rumor around town is boobie might be back in action tonight
March 26th, 2008 at 9:15 am
I’ll be in attendance tonight, Tuna, and I’d say we get rolled pretty handily.
March 26th, 2008 at 9:16 am
Hedo killed me in fantasy last night that SOB
March 26th, 2008 at 9:16 am
sorry Nick that he had to play the entire game because of injuries. im not in the mood to sit here today and defend the team who lost two starters early in the game
March 26th, 2008 at 9:16 am
im 23, it’s gonna be awhile before i die. best you can hope for is if i get a new job that doesn’t give me dual monitors and a bunch of time to bullshit.
boobie’s back? whoohoo.
March 26th, 2008 at 9:17 am
cavs are only gonna lose by 20 tonight…i say lebron starts doing his nasty glare thing around the 2nd quarter.
March 26th, 2008 at 9:17 am
Well, the converse holds too, right irish? Sorry Duncan didn’t play as much because his team won easily.
March 26th, 2008 at 9:17 am
So Irish, how do you bash the Cavs when they have been without Sasha, Varejao, Z and Boobie?
March 26th, 2008 at 9:18 am
Actually, I’ve always heard Duncan referred to as a “PF.” His official NBA.com page even refers to him as a “Forward/Center”
March 26th, 2008 at 9:19 am
So will Reddick finally get some burn now that Hedo is out?
March 26th, 2008 at 9:21 am
i dont think cavs lose tonight, hornets traveling on a back to back cavs havent played in what seems like a month
March 26th, 2008 at 9:22 am
CRM…it’s been that way since David Robinson manned the C when duncan was drafted. then the spurs wanted to be sure he had an all-star spot because shaq was in the west (and later yao), so they just kept calling him PF.
but the way he’s used and the way plays flow around him, he’s a C.
March 26th, 2008 at 9:23 am
First stats tell all the story, now they are misleading a bit. Funny…
Gooden had 31 and 16 , but still nobody says he is a good player. At least those numbers still count even without nobody saying he is a good player!
Even more funny, Gooden since he joined Chicago he plays 1.5mpg, but he improved by 3.8ppg, 1.3rpg, 0.7apg, 0.8bpg, less 0.3tpg, shot 47,5% instead of 44,4%. Isn’t supposed to be the other way around, since he was playing with God in Cleveland and now he’s playing with Captain Kirk, Joakim Noah and Thabo Sefolosha? And remember stats tell all the story…errrr….new version sometimes they are misleading…
Yes, i’m having fun with this. Ihihih
March 26th, 2008 at 9:23 am
c’mon everybody knows duke guards dont play in the nba
March 26th, 2008 at 9:24 am
unpopular to say, but I loved watching Redick play in college. Incredible shooter. But looking at his numbers this year … man, that’s harsh.
Who will write the first Morrison-Redick FAILURES piece?
March 26th, 2008 at 9:24 am
@mike NYC- reddick played 9 mins last night. Bogans will get more mins than Reddick if Hedo is out for a long period of time
@tuna- because of all the hype they get on this message board and me believing that they are not the best team in the East when 60% of this board say they are. Cleveland fans out number the others on here, so i disagree with that as well
@nick- shut up
March 26th, 2008 at 9:26 am
If you read anything I’ve ever written on here, I said that stat totals are extremely misleading, and you have to look at rate-based stats, but yeah, you’re the man, CH4OS.
Shouldn’t you be scouting Euro league players and telling us great they are at shooting even if they can’t, um, make shots?
March 26th, 2008 at 9:26 am
gooden wasnt a bad player here per say…just disappears playing defense shoots terribly awful shots at times and just plays like he doesnt give a shit during about 1/2 of the game.
its not a shocker that he is playing better on a bad team where he is more of a scoring option that he was here in Cleveland…
March 26th, 2008 at 9:29 am
And 47.5% field goal shooting out of Gooden as a power forward is still pretty awful, so congrats Chicago, you really fleeced us!!
March 26th, 2008 at 9:34 am
Yes Nick P. Scola can’t make a shot, instead of prove otherwise. He’s useless since he only shot 44% jump shots and 51% overall.
And yes usually Euro players don’t shoot very well, usually they stink at that. They are usually known by their toughness…
But at least you are coeherent, when caught in a double standard you run away from that and fire away. Keep it going Nick P.
March 26th, 2008 at 9:39 am
Double standard being my unchanged preference for rate-based stats? I ran away from that how again?
You da man, CH4
March 26th, 2008 at 9:41 am
Irish I told you Dwight would have a beast of a game. Sucks if Hedo wrist is broken though.
March 26th, 2008 at 9:43 am
yeah you sure did. this will be the first time all year that Hedo will miss a game if he is out. i could care less if Nelson is out for the whole year
March 26th, 2008 at 9:44 am
So wait Irish, if I am reading you right when you miss your starters you suffer?
Maybe that’s why the Wizards have sucked all year.
March 26th, 2008 at 9:46 am
tell me when i said we suffered from the injury wiseass
March 26th, 2008 at 9:47 am
I can’t believe I am going to interject here…but Duncan is used like a center..in a perfect world…He is the prototypical PF..scorer, rebounder, can pass, play inside and out (less now as he has gotten older) He plays like McHale, Karl Malone, Gilmore…that is what a PF should be…in the NBA now with that lack of centers he is a center but if he was such a good center why is it every year that the Spurs are bringing in people to do Center thinks like rebound, block shots, play in the box…
March 26th, 2008 at 9:47 am
im not in the mood to sit here today and defend the team who lost two starters early in the game
March 26th, 2008 at 9:49 am
well if you want to throw a stupid comment out cbh ill respond to it
i never once said we suffered, but once again you were late to the party and wanted to chip in with your two cents.
March 26th, 2008 at 9:51 am
Boston Vs. Phoenix Tonight. Championship preview
March 26th, 2008 at 9:52 am
When I look at the Hornet’s roster I still wonder how in the hell is this team so damn good? I know CP3 is great is David West really that good? Byron Scott deserves some coach of the year love.
March 26th, 2008 at 9:53 am
Shit, Irish. Chill out, dude. Not every comment on here is a personal attack against you. Count to ten, take a few deep breaths, back away from the keyboard. Whatever you need to do.
March 26th, 2008 at 9:53 am
Tyson Chandler is awesome too.
March 26th, 2008 at 9:55 am
@atl- last time you commented on here was to say something to me about how you watched Dwight Howard. now your on here again commenting to me
what is the deal?
March 26th, 2008 at 9:55 am
Irish, I think you add to the comments section but seriously, if you’re going to give it and say my team sucks, then you should be able to take it back when I throw it your way.
Oh and it’s my computer, I’ll be late to the party if I want to.
March 26th, 2008 at 9:58 am
@cbh- cmon now. One loss because of injuries is a whole lot different than your season being screwed
March 26th, 2008 at 9:59 am
this party blows…there’s no blow. or hookers. or booze. and im at work. wait a second, this isnt a party at all.
March 26th, 2008 at 10:00 am
True but when your team is beating my team’s ass in the standings, I have to take what I can get. Especially on the same night they get stomped on by the Blazers. I thought they were going to start making a run at Cleveland for the four seed, not going to happen most likely.
March 26th, 2008 at 10:02 am
@cbh- like i said before, thanks for the division lol
March 26th, 2008 at 10:03 am
hey, how come nobody has mentioned the fact that the 76ers are the hottest team in the East right now? i dont want to face them in the first round, that’s fo sho.
March 26th, 2008 at 10:05 am
Bottom line is 3-8 in the East is irrelevant
March 26th, 2008 at 10:07 am
Champion of the NBA finals is coming out of the EAST
March 26th, 2008 at 10:08 am
Irish–just trying to keep this a halfway fun environment. People talk trash all the time. You seem to be the one that takes it personally. Whatever, man. But for the record, I’ve commented roughly 100 times since the last Dwight Howard comment, but again, whatever.
March 26th, 2008 at 10:08 am
so the cavs, with a player nobody on the 1 or 2 teams can defend, or the magic with a C neither team has an answer for, are irrelevant? both the magic and cavs have had success against boston and detroit, to write them off is pretty shortsighted.
March 26th, 2008 at 10:11 am
@atl I take back what I said about Mike Bibby he’s working out alot better in Atl than Kidd in Dallas, Hawks might even hold on to the last playoff spot.
March 26th, 2008 at 10:12 am
just imagine the powerhouse ATL would be with Chris Paul…ugh, it’d be one big alley-oop line.
March 26th, 2008 at 10:13 am
@JB–Agreed. I think you have to give all of these guys time. Shaq and Phoenix are starting to look a lot better than at first, too. Some guys just take a little longer, while some can fit in instantly (like Gasol).
Plus, the Bibby trade was phenomenal for the Hawks because we got rid of a bunch of shit to get him, and he’s better than anything we could draft next year (and we have him for next season too). So, playoffs or not, I’m happy with the trade.
March 26th, 2008 at 10:19 am
@atl- its funny you say i take it personally. i dont, but when you have to comment back to twenty people on one thread it gets old. you may have commented over 100 times since than on other threads, but the last time you commented here was that Dwight Howard reference. if im wrong, than i dont see you on here and im on this thread all day
March 26th, 2008 at 10:24 am
Amare>Howard
/Preps for a throwdown
Oh who am I kidding. Even I can’t back that up. But Amare would beat him in a one on one game…………….. If the Paint was illegal to enter.
March 26th, 2008 at 10:26 am
Good point spencer Josh Smith would love it. He actually wanted to play in Atlanta too.
March 26th, 2008 at 10:26 am
Detroit is the only irrelevant team in the East. You know they’re gonna lose before the finals, it’s just a matter of when.
March 26th, 2008 at 10:27 am
The champion will probably come from the East – the west champion will have to battle it out against three real teams, while the east champion will have a cakewalk until their conf finals.
March 26th, 2008 at 10:30 am
Hey a friend of mine said he would take Dr J over Jordan. I laughed then told him he was crazy and that in his prime Scottie Pippen would have eaten Dr. J for lunch. Any comments.
March 26th, 2008 at 10:35 am
dr J was the shit, but he wouldve gone 3-15 against Pippen.
March 26th, 2008 at 10:44 am
Dr J vs Pippen is interesting neither were the best player on their teams (Billy c then Moses and MJ)but when Scottie wasn’t having panic attacks..umm I mean migraines..he would put the stamp down on Dr J…I was always curious to see if MJ and Pippen played against each other in practice and how MJ did
March 26th, 2008 at 10:46 am
Dr J ate shit with Pippen for lunch?
March 26th, 2008 at 10:46 am
I’m pretty confident in guessing that he killed Pippen in practice.
March 26th, 2008 at 10:50 am
Nick…I am not saying it was a true lockdown…but did it help MJ become a better player..did it increase Pippen’s defense…one of those things I would love to know…I read in Strahan’s books (which was terribly written) that Jumbo Elliot made him a better player because that guy was so dirty Strahan had to throw the kitchen sink at him everyday in practice to succeed…
March 26th, 2008 at 10:53 am
I have no doubt it made MJ a better player, as Pippen was the best perimeter defender of his time (perhaps behind only MJ himself), but I still say he killed Pippen. Probably had to work a little harder than normal to do so, though.
March 26th, 2008 at 11:09 am
Nick, I always thought that with the naked eye, Pippen was the superior defender.
March 26th, 2008 at 11:14 am
Cavs might probably win tonight, they have a knack for playing their best against very tough teams, and have really been good at home and bad on the road of late.
P.S. Drew Gooden aint shit.
March 26th, 2008 at 11:24 am
Gooden in 5 less minutes (playing time matters right guys?) is averaging 1 more point and one less rebound than Odom, while shooting a significantly better free throw percentage, gets to the line a little more… – since getting to Chicago.
Neither fit into the triangle and neither wil be playing for the Lakers at this time next season!
March 26th, 2008 at 11:28 am
i always thought the Cavs getting rid of Gooden was a bad move
March 26th, 2008 at 11:30 am
i still don’t like gooden. his numbers were alwyas solid…his hands, not so much. he had to go, lebron was a cunt hair away from killing him on court and id rather the King be happy than the Neckstache.
March 26th, 2008 at 11:41 am
He’s still shooting really poorly. He thinks he’s KG on too many nights and settles for 18 footers. If the guy would just dunk on someone ONCE in his life, I’d like him so much more.
F him.