Heels on Hardwood » Number Crunchin

Raptors Road Trip – 3 Games, 3 Goals

Nat — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 00:00:30 +0000

The Raptors have looked better than expected in their first two games but the real test starts tonight as they kick off a three game road trip. Up first are the defending NBA Champion Mavericks, who have started slow out the gates but are probably salivating looking at their Friday night matchup. It doesn’t get much easier with the Magic & Knicks due up before the team heads home.

With this season being less about wins and losses, rather a learning process, I have broken down 3 issues the team needs to address to deem this road trip a success.

4 Quarters from DeMar DeRozan – 4 first half points through 2 games. It may be nice to pick up your team when they are down but DeRozan would be better served getting his team going early. Both coach and DeMar have addressed the issue and now its up to him to put his words into action. Goal: 2 games of double-digit scoring in the first half.

Rebounding from Andrea Bargnani – 10 rebounds through two games is not what the coach ordered. Even the naysayers can admit Bargnani has looked more active on both ends but the rebounding numbers don’t reflect it. Before the season coach said he wants to see Andrea pull down 2 rebounds per quarter and right now he is falling short. Surprisingly, the issue hasn’t been effort but rather those butter fingers. This trip will have him defending guys who play outside in (Dirk, Amare) and should give him an opportunity to up that rebounding average. Goal: One double-digit rebounding game.

Defensive Intensity – Early stats show the Raptors are buying into Dwane Casey’s defensive philosophies. Sure there have been breakdowns, but for the most part they are greatly improved on that end of the floor (Raptorblog broke down some stats in detail here). Coach Casey believes the team has a grasp on his defensive system, it’s just a matter of time and practice to carry it out consistently. Turnovers have been an issue early on but the guys have been active on the boards and in the passing lanes. Out on the road its easy to fall back into old habits when things are not going well but the Raptors need to stick to the game plan. Goal: Keep opponents under 45% shooting.

Number Crunchin’ — Winless No More…

Nat — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 15:12:25 +0000

If you are like me, you are trying to watch as many games as possible but still feel a step slow on that TV remote. It’s almost overwhelming, but in a good way. Unlike the NFL, where parity reigns, it took almost 2 weeks for every team in the NBA to register atleast one win. Just two teams remain undefeated, one of them expected the other not so much. There have been some early surprises in terms of performance, but can you argue that this is shaping up to be the year of the point guards?

The Night in Numbers
Every night, I scour the box scores and pick out some of the most telling numbers from the games. These numbers directly or indirectly have an impact on the final scores.

Philadelphia 76′ers 106 – New York Knicks 96
20 Points on just 11 shots for Brand as he is starting to show signs of his old self.
15% from 3pt land for the Knicks with Gallinari making 2 of the 3 they made as a team.
26-15 the Sixers won the 4th quarter, playing without Igoudala. 5 guys stepped up and scored in double digits.

Phoenix Suns 118 – Atlanta Hawks 114
10 Suns players saw the floor and all of them managed to score en route to handing ATL their first loss.
2 double dbl’s in this game. One for each team as Nash and Horford put up big numbers.
27 shots for Joe Johnson who scored 34 points. struggling early in the season, I guess he will try to shoot himself out of the slump.

Golden State Warriors 97 – Detroit Pistons 102
15 lead changes in this one but the Pistons found that last bit of something to close it out.
48 points from the back court of Hamilton and Stuckey. That kinda production will win you a few
26% from 3 were the Warriors. Curry struggled with his shot going just 3-12 from the field.

Minnesota Timberwolves 94 – Houston Rockets 120
24 Points for Louis Scola as he led the Rockets to their first win of the season.
16 Rebounds and 16 points for Kevin Love. Finally getting minutes, and making his coach look silly.
1st Career start for rookie Ish Smith as he stepped in for an injured Aaron Brooks (out 4-6 weeks).

Boston Celtics 92 – Oklahoma City Thunder 83
21 point half time lead for the Celtics. They executed perfectly on offense scoring 58pts in that time.
10 assists for Rondo feels little then you see the OKC stat, 17 assists as a team.
2 OKC players accounted for the teams total offensive output in the 3rd quarter — Durant & Westbrook

Portland Trail Blazers 96 – Los Angeles Lakers 121
53 minutes was all it took for Pau Gasol to record his 4th career triple double. (20pts, 14rbs, 10ast)
29 Points was the largest lead for the Laker who remain one of only two unbeaten teams in the NBA.
4 Blazers scored in double figures — Brandon Roy was not one of them (8pts). On the other side 7 Lakers put up 10+ points.

Number Crunchin’ – D. Rise And An Extra 5

Nat — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 10:09:46 +0000

After last weeks TNT games, all I was hoping for was 1 good one tonight. The Knicks had a ton of time off due to the whole asbestos thing and pounced on the Bulls early. Things were not looking too good until Derrick Rose exploded for a massive 2 handed slam. The dunk is already an early candidate for dunk of the year (video below) and everything that followed was gravy. The 2nd game on the schedule was a Western Conference duel and those rarely disappoint. The Thunder got in late to Portland but they had the extra pep in their step to play the extra frame. Back n forth to the end, games like this one remind me why this is the best league in the world.

The Night in Numbers
Every night, I scour the box scores and pick out some of the most telling numbers from the games. These numbers directly or indirectly have an impact on the final scores.

Fantasy Freaks
PG: Derrick Rose — 24 PTS, 1 RB, 14 AST
SG: Toney Douglas — 30 PTS, 1 RB, 4 AST, 4 STL
SF: Kevin Durant — 28 PTS, 11 RBS, 2 AST, 4 BLK
PF: Danilo Gallinari — 24 PTS, 6 RBS, 1 AST, 1 BLK, 2 STL
C: Joakim Noah — 12 PTS, 13 RBS, 3 AST, 2 BLK, 2 STL

New York Knicks 120 – Chicago Bulls 112
70 1st half points given up by the Bulls. Isn’t Tom Thibodeau supposed to be a defensive guru?
30 points, a career high for Knicks rookie Toney Douglas. Gallinari added 24 points as well.
67% from behind the arc. The Knicks were better from the outside hitting just 42% from 2.
4th straight game that Joakim Noah put up a double-double. Bulls starters were benched for the final 9 minutes as the bench made a game of it.

Oaklahoma City Thunder 107 – Portland Trail Blazers 106 (OT)
52:28 minutes played by Durant who got his shot back after a rough game vs. the Clippers.
15 offensive rebounds for the Thunder. Westbook had 6 of them, 11rbs in all and added 28 points.
7-31 from deep for the 2 teams combined. OKC you expect, the Blazers — not so much.
1 FG in OT for the Blazers. They scored just 6 points in the extra frame
8 man rotation for Nate McMillan who is running out of bodies. The team lost rookie guard E. Williams for the season and Oberto to retirement today.

Number Crunchin’ — Time to update the record books

Nat — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 19:42:15 +0000

They say records are meant to be broken right? Last Friday we had Rondo and his triple double with the 24 assists. This week, John Wall started it off by becoming the first player in NBA history to have a game with 29 points, 13 assists and 9 steals. He also joined Oscar Robertson in the record books as only the 2nd rookie to have at least 70 points and 30 assists through the first 3 games of his career. Tonight Kobe, Pierce and Rondo got in on the action. Be it a league record, team record or personal one, I never get tired of witnessing what these athletes accomplish playing the most beautiful game in the world.

The Night in Numbers
Every night, I scour the box scores and pick out some of the most telling numbers from the games. These numbers directly or indirectly have an impact on the final scores.

Detroit Pistons 85 – Atlanta Hawks 94
22 points and 11 rebounds for the man allegedly on the trading block — Josh Smith.
17 lead changes in this one but the Hawks turned it up hitting 8-11 to end the game.
0-5 start for the Pistons, they look to have completely tuned out their coach.

Charlotte Bobcats 85 – New Jersey Nets 83
11,778 fans showed up at the Prudential Center to kick off Andrew Unterberger’s tour.
26% from 3 for the Bobcats. The Nets were not much better shooting just 29%
11 FG attempts by G Wallace to score 20 points. He added 11 rebounds to give CHA their 1st win of the season.

Minnesota Timberwolves 86 – Orlando Magic 128
78 first half points allowed by the Wolves. They managed to put up just 45.
7 Magic players managed to score in double figures and none cracked the 30min mark.
30 minutes was a season high for Kevin Love, scoring 22 points but still in the coaches doghouse.

Indiana Pacers 75 – Philadelphia 76ers 101
26 point halftime lead for the 76′ers as the Pacers shot just 29% in the first 24min.
12 rebounds and 25 points for Elton Brand. The first signs that he can still play!
2nd half, assistant coach Michael Curry take over for Doug Collins who is still dealing with Vertigo symptoms.

Milwaukee Bucks 102 – Boston Celtics 105 (1OT)
15 assists for Rondo adding to his rapidly growing total. His 82 through 5 games is a record.
19 turnovers for the Bucks was the killer. They held their own in pretty much every other cat.
12 of Paul Pierce’s 28 points came in OT as he joined the 20,000 point club. He becomes only the 3rd Celtics player to reach the mark.

New Orleans Hornets 107 – Houston Rockets 99
43 Points combined for the back court of Chris Paul and Marco Belinelli.
1 FT for the Rockets in the final frame. They jump shot themselves out of this one.
4 games in a row, the Rockets have led at the half and failed to win. This has gotta be a record right?

Dallas Mavericks 102 – Denver Nuggets 101
46.7% from deep. Terry went 4-6 in the 3rd and Butler hit one late that gave the Mavs the lead for good.
22 Foot Buzzer beater missed by Carmelo Anthony that would have won the game for the Nuggets.
12 points for rookie Gary Forbes who was in the starting five for an inured Nene.

Toronto Raptors 108 – Utah Jazz 125
27 points for Al Jefferson (season high). Slowly finding his comfort zone, now just needs to stay healthy.
30-16 in the assist category, the Jazz shared the ball and had 6 players score in double digits.
5 shots from behind the arc for C.J Miles. His shot to end the 3rd completely deflated the Raptors.
9 rebounds for Bargnani was a season high. He added 26 points by scoring in a variety of ways.

San Antonio Spurs 112 – Phoenix Suns 110
23 turnovers for the Spurs did not hurt thanks to Tim Duncan’s monster night of 25pts and 17rbs.
16 minutes and just 6 points for Hedo Turkoglu as he struggles to fit in with a new team. De Ja Vu?
1 game winning 3 for Richard Jefferson. He was 4-5 on the night and put up 28 points.

Memphis Grizzlies 109 – Golden State Warriors 115
1 rebound and 2 assists shy of a triple double. Monta Ellis continues to ball as he added 39 points.
7-13 three pointers made by the Warriors Dorell Wright to tally 25 points on the night.
13 assists to go with 18 points for newly PAID guard Mike Conley in 44 minutes of action.

Oaklahoma City Thunder 92 – Los Angeles Clippers 107
2 Eric’s in the Clippers starting backcourt. They combined for 44 points and 12 assists.
0-10 from 3 point land for Durant. He jacked up 24 shots and only made 6 for 16 points.
30th in the league in 3-point percentage, the Thunder went for 15% behind the arc… the Clippers hit 50%

Los Angeles Lakers 112 – Sacramento Kings 100
17 career triple doubles for Kobe. 20 points in the 1st half for the second straight game… what knee issues?
20-8 run late in the 2nd quarter put the Lakers on top and they never looked back.
4 fouls on Tyreke Evans in a span of 10 minutes. Each of them were drawn on Kobe.
37 minutes for Kobe Bryant to give him 37,528 in his regular-season career and pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s franchise record.

Number Crunchin’ – Where Mike Conley gets paid $45mil

Nat — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 08:51:30 +0000

The Memphis Grizzlies signed Mike Conley to a new 5 year, $45 million contract. There are no words. Well there are but I can’t do this justice the way Matt Moore did. He broke it down while breaking down, check it – HPBasketball on Conley (thanks to @slcdunk for compiling this). Still in shock… a picture is worth a thousand words!

The NBA: Where Heisley manages to make David Kahn look good...

The Night in Numbers
Every night, I scour the box scores and pick out some of the most telling numbers from the games. These numbers directly or indirectly have an impact on the final scores.

Portland Trail Blazers 98 – Chicago Bulls 110
40 Point explosion from Luol Deng. He scored his career high in a variety of ways and did it efficiently (14-19)
13 Assists for Derrick Rose. That tied his career high as he took a season low 11 shots. (16 points)
0-14 from 3 for Portland. RudY Fernandez jacked up 6 of them. Rare from a team ranked high in made 3′s.
60% the Blazers allowed the Bulls to shoot from the field. You can’t win giving up those kinda numbers…

Toronto Raptors 108 – Sacramento Kings 111
23 Points for Tyreke Evans after he started out slow. He added 7rbs and 5 ast.
3-6 From long range for Omri Casspi. 2 of them were daggers coming in the waning minutes of the game.
17 Point 1st Q. lead for the Raptors was erased as the Kings outscored them in each of the next 3 quarters.
19 Rebounds for Reggie Evans. 10 of them the offensive variety. Beastin’

San Antonio Spurs 97 – Los Angeles Clippers 88
1 monster SLAM by Eric Gordon. No need for words, here is the video (link)
1 flagrant 2 foul on Craig Smith. He took out George Hill who did not return to the game.
1 Tiago Splitter sighting. 10 minutes for the rookie and he got 2 points and 2 rebounds.
26 year old Spurs rookie Gary Neal scored 16pts off the bench. 4 other Spurs scored in double digits.

Number Crunchin’ – Calling All Bandwagon Fans

Nat — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 10:20:16 +0000

Two games on the schedule and both were duds. The Wizards looked horrible and got doubled up in almost every major category by the Magic. In the late game, the Jazz looked to be a step slow for the 2nd game in a row. They even managed to make the Suns, who have issues of their own, look good. Basically, the best part of the night was the Inside the NBA crew on TNT.

Before getting to the numbers, I have something to rant about. Brian Windhorst of the Heat Index tweeted that Miami still has hundreds of tickets available for their home opener vs. the Magic on Friday Night. Where are all the Miami bandwagon fans?!? You have Lebron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh on your team and can’t sell out the arena? It is not just any game either — Its the home opener against one of the best teams in the East that happens to be in the same division. The Heat fired their sales team after landing the marquee free agents. Doesn’t look like a wise move right about now. It blows my mind that people talk of moving teams like Toronto. They are pegged to be a bottom dweller, yet the Raptors brought in 18,000+ through the gates for their first game. Something is seriously wrong with this picture.

The Night in Numbers
Every night, I scour the box scores and pick out some of the most telling numbers from the games. These numbers directly or indirectly have an impact on the final scores.

Fantasy Freaks
PG: John Wall — 14 PTS (6-19), 2-3 (FT), 1 RBS, 9 AST, 3 STL, 3 TO
SG: Vince Carter — 18 PTS (8-12), 2-5 (3PT), 0-1 (FT), 5 RBS, 2 AST
SF: Hakim Warrick — 18 PTS (6-11), 6-7 (FT), 11 RBS, 1 AST, 1 ST
PF: Paul Millsap — 19 PTS (9-13), 1-3 (FT), 13 RBS, 1 STL, 2 BLK, 1 TO
C: Dwight Howard — 23 PTS (7-9), 9-19 (FT), 10 RBS, 1 AST, 1 STL, 3 BLK, 3 TO

Orlando Magic 112 – Washington Wizards 83
1st two points of John Wall’s NBA career were scored on a goaltend by Dwight.
56 Points in the paint for the Magic to the Wizards 28.
-120 combined +/- for the Wizards starters. Blatche had just 6 points and needs to step up!
69% from the field for the Orlando starters. Dwight Howard had 23 points and Carter added in 18.

Phoenix Suns 110 – Utah Jazz 94
18 Points for Hakim Warrick as he singlehandedly outscored the jazz bench.
12 Rebounds for Grant Hill on a night when his shot was not falling. Suns still lost the battle on the glass.
1 monsterous dunk from Deron Williams but it wasn’t enough to spark the Jazz who that trailed all game long.

I suggest you forget these two games happened and just watch this video on loop!

Number Crunchin’ – The Race to ROY starts here

Nat — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 11:26:13 +0000

Day 2 of the NBA season and we are treated to 13 games. Thanks commissioner Stern. I was in attendance for the Raptors/Knicks but all I could think of was getting home to catch up on the other 12 games. There were rookies in action, rebounding machines at work and dunks that got me out of seat. Yep, just another night for the best basketball league in the world.

26 teams in action... Thank God for NBA League Pass

The Night in Numbers
Quick refresher how this goes. Basically, I scour the box scores and pick out some of the most telling numbers from the games each night. These numbers directly or indirectly have an impact on the outcome of the game.

Fantasy Freaks
PG: Chris Paul — 17 PTS (6-11), 1-2 (3PT), 4-6 (FT), 4 RBS, 16 AST, 1 TO
SG: Monta Ellis — 46 PTS (18-24), 1-2 (3PT), 9-12 (FT), 3 RBS, 2 AST, 2 STL, 1 TO
SF: Kevin Durant — 30 PTS (9-24), 1-5 (3PT), 11-13 (FT), 7 RBS, 3 AST, 3 ST, 6 TO
PF: Louis Scola — 36 PTS (14-24), 8-12 (FT) 16 RBS, 1 STL, 1 BLK
C: Joakim Noah — 18 PTS (7-13), 4-6 (FT), 19 RBS, 2 AST, 2 STL, 2 BLK, 2 TO

Boston Celtics 87 – Cleveland Cavaliers 95
20,562 in attendance to kick of the Post-Lebron era in Cleveland
6 Cavaliers players in double digits scoring, led by Hickson’s 21. Doubt that ever happened last season!
0-5 from long range for Ray Allen. Can’t remember the last time that happened either.

Detroit Pistons 98 – New Jersey Nets 101
48 Points in the paint for the Nets. Most of those thanks to Brook Lopez’s 25.
10 Rebounds to go along with 8 points in 20 minutes for rookie Favors. Impressive start to his career.
11 more wins and the Nets will surpass their total from last season.

Miami Heat 97 – Philadelphia 76′ers 87
30 Points for Wade after a bad shooting night against Boston. Jones added another 20 for the Heat
9 Turnovers for Lebron James in this one. He has 17 in total through the 1st 2 games.
30 Minutes off the bench for rookie Evan Turner. Made the most of them with 16pts, 7rbs, 4ast
0 free throws taken between all 5 Philadelphia starters. WOW!

New York Knicks 98 – Toronto Raptors 93
10 Blocks for the Knicks as a team. They brought their hustle north of the border.
7 Knicks players scored in double digits. Led by Wilson Chandler’s 22. Rookie Fields went 3-6 from deep.
9 Turnovers for Amare, just avoiding the the “ugly” triple double with 19pts, 10rbs, 9TO’s
16 Rebounds for Reggie Evans. He did everything but score… just what the team needs.
12 ineffective minutes for Amir Johnson as he once again found himself in foul trouble.

Miwaukee Bucks 91 – New Orleans Hornets 95
15 rebounds, 15 points for Bogut as he made his return from that gruesome injury last season.
16 assists to go along with 17 points for Chris Paul. He never ceases to amaze me…
18 Lead changes in this one. Both teams shooting close to 43%
7 new faces on the two teams combined. Belinelli and Gooden both major contributors

Sacramento Kings 117 – Minnesota Timberwolves 116
2 worst teams in the Western Conference from last season faced off.
14 Points for rookie DeMarcus Cousins to go along with 8rbs, 5ast. Impressive
1 Monsterous dunk in the 2nd quarter from rookie Wesley Johnson. He had 13pts and 4 rbs.
20-2 run by the Kings got them back in this one. They also had 47 FT attempts.

Chicago Bulls 95 – Oklahoma City Thunder 106
31 shots hoisted up by Derrick Rose to get his 28 points. EEEK
1 scary moment as Durant went down hard on an offensive foul. He did return and scored 30
14-2 run by the Thunder in the 4th quarter sealed the deal.
13 FT’s attempted by Westbrook as he filled the stat sheet. 28pts, 10rbs, 6ast, 2stl, 1blk

Atlanta Hawks 119 – Memphis Grizzlies 104
0 points from 2nd year player Thabeet. Still shaking my head over that draft pick…
52% shooting from the field as a team, the Hawks also won the battle of the boards and dimes.
50-28 the Hawks bench outscored the Grizzlies who for the 10th year in a row lost game 1.
16 shots taken by Joe Johnson and he only made 6. He ended the night with 22 points.

Charlotte Bobcats 86 – Dallas Mavericks 101
18 Assists for Jason Kidd. 1 shy of the NBA record for most assists in a season opener.
28 Points for Dirk Nowitzki. He was the high man in the game and added 13 boards.
16 unanswered points by the Mavs to start the game. They held Charlotte to 39% from the floor
38 turnovers in this one. Ugly, but for the Mavs the W is what counts.

Indiana Pacers 109 – San Antonio Spurs 122
65 Points for the Spurs big three combined. Duncan threw in 12 boards, Parker 9 assists.
53% from the field were the Pacers but in return they allowed 122 points by the Spurs.
32-17 scoring edge for the Spurs bench who were led by Hill’s 16 points.
9 Rebounds to go with 28 points and 3 blocks for Pacers big man Roy Hibbert.

Utah Jazz 88 – Denver Nuggets 110
28 Points, 7 rebounds in 36 minutes for the man of the hour, Carmelo Anthony.
22 Turnovers for the Jazz leading to 19 Denver points. Gotta clean that up
16 Rebounds for Sheldon Williams(!!) as he got the start at PF — thought I was seeing things.
27 Points was the biggest lead for the Nuggets as a happy George Karl looked on. Nice to have him back

Houston Rockets 128 – Golden State Warriors 132
46 Points for Monta Ellis, tying his career high and very efficiently too. 18-24 from the floor.
16 Rebounds for the 2nd night in a row for Scola. He also poured in 36 points.
55% From the field, the Warriors were lights out getting 25pts from Curry and 17 from Lee.
1 best seat in the house for Yao Ming as he was held out on the 2nd game of a back to back.

Portland Trail Blazers 98 – Los Angeles Clippers 88
38 minutes was all it took for Blake Griffin to take the lead in the ROY race. 20pts, 14rbs, 4ast. WOW
15 unanswered points for the Blazers in the 4th quarter finally put this one away.
21 Offensive rebounds for the Blazers, a night after they had 18 vs. the Suns.
5 Portland starters reached double figures in scoring. Led by Roy’s 18pts.

Number Crunchin’ – Can someone turn the HEAT on?

Nat — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 09:36:44 +0000

That is them ... after looking at the Heat boxscore

The most anticipated NBA season in recent memory kicked off tonight and did not disappoint (Unless you are one of those bandwagon Heat fans).

The Night in Numbers
Quick refresher how this goes. Basically, I pick out some of the most telling numbers from the games each night. These numbers directly or indirectly have an impact on the outcome.

Miami Heat 80 – Boston Celtics 88
500 Credentialed media in attendance… are you kidding me?!?
9 Points is all the Heat managed to put up in the first quarter
14 Turnovers between Lebron and Wade combined.
4 Celtics players scored in double digits to Miami’s 2.
17 Assists for Rondo, even though he was shooting blanks all night.
18,624 Gasps as Pierce left the floor with back spasms. He did return in typical Paul Pierce fashion though.

Houston Rockets 110 – Los Angeles Lakers 112
60 Championship rings given out. Biebster got to rock Phil Jackson’s bling! (photo credit @HPBasketball)
11 Point halftime deficit erased, largely thanks to the Laker bench.
5 Lakers scored in double digits. Let by Gasol with 29, Kobe had 27.
24 Minutes for Yao. That was the limit the Rockets had put… fitting he fouled out in his 24th
16 Rebounds to go along with 18 points for Scola. He is balling since the World Championships.
21 Turnovers for the Rockets. They did win the battle of the boards and dimes.

Phoenix Suns 92 – Portland Trail Blazers 106
18 Rebound differential as the Blazers dominated the glass. Get used to it Suns fans.
27 Minutes and just 6 points for Hedo Turkoglu. Raptors fans rejoice!
9 Turnovers by Nash. He is going to have a lot more of those with this team.
16-1 run for the Blazers to end the game.
11 Points of the final 18 were scored by Batum. Fanasty owners better run to the waiver wire!
+22 For Wesley Matthews — already making good on that major pay raise.

Destination: Miami — Scattered thoughts on Chris Bosh

Nat — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 22:32:25 +0000

The signs were all there but the biggest may have been when Bosh cropped his locks to prepare for the Miami HEAT! (yes, that was my attempt at a play on words) At some point Bosh realized he can’t do this on his own, he had earned his right to choose his destination and South Beach seemed to be the perfect fit. Earlier today he confirmed his decision on ESPN — already getting the national exposure he so desired. He was giddy as a school girl as he reveled his choice and so was his girlfriend who moments later tweeted that she is looking forward to the year round tanning *Le Sigh*.

Fans in Toronto can be angry about how he handled free agency but there are two parties involved here. Colangelo an Raptors management as a whole tried to play hardball and that may eventually cost them. From the looks of it, Bosh has decided to take less money to play where he wants. If that’s the case — good on him. He has stressed for a long time that he wants to win (3 playoff games won in 7 years is hardly a resume to boast about) and going to Miami where Pat Riley has shown he knows how to put together a winning team confirms that. The fact that Miami has just 4 players under contract is a whole nother story and should be interesting to see the pieces placed around the two stars.

Along with the winning, Bosh had said in the past that he wants to be the man somewhere. I guess no one told him that Miami is Wade County. Nonetheless, he has a better chance of being in the spotlight with Wade than with King James. Bosh never got the National exposure playing north of the border, but the losing didn’t help his case. Maybe if they won a series or two things would have been different. That’s as much on the Raptors organization as on him, the captain of the Toronto Raptors.

Right now that is my concern — The Raptors organization. They had plenty of chances to surround Bosh with good players but always picked the wrong guy. Colangelo tried to bring in friends of Bosh (see: TJ Ford and J Jack) to keep him happy but he would have been better off getting real talent around the 5 time all-star. Bosh walking and leaving the $30million is a big time blow to the Raptors. Bosh can make up some of that lost money on piggy back endorsements with Wade maybe and the face that Florida has no state taxes. The Raptors meanwhile can be blamed for Miami having the room to sign him in the first place. Colangelo did the Marion trade which allowed for Miami to clear space with the expiring Jermaine O’neal contract. Major OUCH.

There is still time for the Raptors to work something out and for the teams sake I hope they do. As stated many times on this blog — I am a season seat holder and my dedication is to this team (not an individual player) but when things like this happen I feel like I am being robbed in plain daylight. I have no ill feelings towards Bosh. Rather, a lot of great memories in 7 years with the Toronto Raptors. I will be one of the fans rooting for him as he continues his NBA journey and apologize in advance for all the fans at the ACC who will boo him.

Picture Above is via @sportscenter

Number Crunchin’ – R.E.S.P.E.C.T

Nat — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 20:01:11 +0000

Free food trumps winning??
I have been attending Raptor games for 10 years and as far back as I can remember, they have had a variation of the free slice of pizza promo. It usually goes, if the team scores 100 points or more you get a free slice of pizza the next day. During the Kevin O’Neil days there was no chance in hell the team was going to score 100 so they had this box where at the start of the game they would pull out a number like 88. Now realistically fans pay $50 on average for a ticket and that slice of pizza costs $2. It baffles me to think that the $50 is rendered worthless to some on nights when they can’t redeem the free food. There are nights when the Raptors have won but scored 99 points and you can hear the boos in the building. Last night the team had a chance to win down 3 but most people were leaving, the few left in the building were more than happy to cheer for a buzzer beating 3 that gave them a LOSS and a free slice of pizza!
Raptor fans took solace last night that they got the free slice of pizza if not the win. I want to try to find out how many people actually redeem this stuff?? I give my ticket (if the 100 point mark was reached) to the homeless man on the sidewalk so he can grab a slice the next day but now there is a limit on how many slices you can redeem. So now, said homeless man has to barter the tickets for something else he needs. How do I know this? Well one of them decided to go on a 15 minute tirade with me the last time I offered up my ticket. I know I never make it out to redeem the slice but I also know that I will not be offering my ticket up anymore either.
Apparently this is happening all over the league with Chalupa’s and Taco’s. Last night Laker fan’s booed the Hornets for playing hard to the end because they wanted their free tacos. (Hornets Hype) It baffles me that the marketing gurus behind these things haven’t figured out that they need to switch it. Make the promotion “Hold the opponent to under 100 points and get a free ______.” This way the fans are in it til the end chanting defense and that’s what the team really needs.

The Night in Numbers:

Boston Celtics 108 – Charlotte Bobcats 90
27 points a season high from Ray Allen after he clearly struggled v/s Miami with his mind more focused on his sons health.
4 game win streak comes to an end for Charlotte as the Celtics hold them to 40% from the field and 2-11 from long distance.

Washington Wizards 106 – Toronto Raptors 102
1-6 from the FT line. The Raptors resorted to playing Hack-a-Haywood trying to find ways to stop the guy who had stopped Bosh all night long.
17 turnovers on the same night they had 50 rebounds (season high). The Raptors have yet to play a complete game on both ends and we are 1/4 done with the season.

Phoenix Suns 99 – New York Knicks 126
8 Assists for Steve Nash in the game… Larry Hughes had that in the 1st quarter!
1 st game this season that the suns were held to under 100 pts. The Knicks are known to give up 110 ppg on average

Golden State Warriors 107 – Denver Nuggets 135
62 points in the paint for the Nuggets as they got a much needed 28 point blowout to get the team back on track after the loss to the Wolves.
30 minutes for Monta Ellis a night after he goes off for a career high? GSW threw in the towel early and even though they had a short bench they finally rested the kid.

Miami Heat 107 – Portland Trailblazers 100
27 points for Michael Beasley. For a guy who had a rough off-season he has sure silenced the doubters.
20 Rebounds for Greg Oden (career high) in 30 minutes but 4-13 from the floor is straight ugly from your big man.

New Orleans Hornets 99 – Los Angeles Lakers 110
29 min = The average floor time the Lakers starters saw last night thanks to a 2nd quarter where the Hornets were held to 15 points and never really recovered
19 % from 3 point range for the Hornets who played again without Peja and CP3

Number Crunchin’ – The Circle of Life

Nat — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 21:36:24 +0000

Allen Iverson in a Sixers jersey? All is right in the world again…

SI is reporting that the Philadelphia 76′ers have offered Allen Iverson a 1 year non-guaranteed contract. This may not be a great basketball decision int he long run but for a team that is struggling and needs a boost it seems to be the perfect fit. The nostalgic fans (me included) will turn tune in to catch games as this becomes a storybook ending to a gripping career.

The Sixers have lost 7 straight games and could use some scoring. They could use assists as well, with the Princeton offense based around passing and all, but that may be asking for too much. With Lou Williams sidelined for up to 2 months, Iverson can step right in and take the starting role he so much desired. This is a win-win situation for all except probably the “OTHER” AI. Either way, this I know, I will be cheering for him til the end.

The Night in Numbers:

Chicago Bulls 97 – Milwaukee Bucks 99
14 points in the 2nd quarter en route to 22 pts, 15 rbs, 4 blk and 3 assists for Bogut as he returned after 6 games to help his team get their 9th win.
4 Bulls starters scored in double figures but they got no assistance from the bench (9 pts) which ultimately hurt them.

Philadelphia 76ers 102 – Dallas Mavericks 104
36 years old? No problem as Jason Kidd helped the Mavs in every facet of the game putting up 22pts, 11ast, 6rbs, 4stl and 3 blks.
1 boneheaded move to go along with 19 rebounds for Samuel Dalambert. Iguodala threw up the buzzer beater and Sammy decided to intercept it!!?

Memphis Grizzlies 93 – Utah Jazz 120
3 assists shy of a triple doube = Carlos Boozer who finished the night with 24-15-7. This team seems to go as he does and he has been on fire over the last 5 games.
5 points from Marc Gasol is not going to cut it especially on a night when the team played without Rudy Gay. Gasol has quietly become the 2nd most important player on this young Grizz team.

Indiana Pacers 107 – Golden State Warriors 126
45 points (career high) for Monta Ellis before he fouled out on a horrible call. He is averaging 35 ppg over the last 5 and GSW is 3-2 over that span
24 turnovers is not going to win you many ball games. Both teams were sloppy (22 for GSW) but on the road if you need all the extra possessions you can get…

Tweet of the Night
Bout time we got a win VS Chicago! Squad 6: Best Chant of the Night. “You look like a lady!!” hahahha I LMAO in my head during a FT attempt. – @AndrewMBogut after returning early from an injury and playing out of his mind.

Number Crunchin’ – Taking Care of Buisness

Nat — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 09:16:43 +0000

Frankly speaking…. its a business at the end of the day.
0-16 is nothing to be proud of but Lawrence Frank never stopped coaching… until today. It was announced early Sunday that Lawrence Frank was relieved of his coaching duties while the team was preparing to take on the Los Angeles Lakers. This was not a situation like the Hornets where it felt the players had quit on their coach but rather there just isn’t enough talent to work with. A team that is dealing with a inevitable move, a new owner and a slew of injuries, Coach Frank did the best he could with the situation. I remember the day he was hired. He lasted a lot longer than most would have guessed. He coached every possession and on most nights showed more emotion than his team could muster up. He is a student of the game and it won’t be long before he has another job somewhere but in the mean time I would love to hear his insight on one of the many NBA broadcasting teams out there.

The Night in Numbers:

Atlanta Hawks 88 – Detroit Pistons 94
1 Charlie Villanueva broken nose as the shorthanded Pistons snap a 7 game losing streak (@CV31 tweet)
24 offensive rebounds given up by the Hawks as they have lost 2 of their last 3 games.

Phoenix Suns 113 – Toronto Raptors 94
16 assists for Nash helping 6 players besides himself to score in double figures (Nash Stat)
5% (1-20) from beyond the arc as the no defense playing Raptors tried to shoot themselves back into the game.

Memphis Grizzlies 88 – Los Angeles Clippers 98
600 th win for the Coach Dunleavy (helps to be your own boss) as the Clippers went on a 22-0 run to end the game
7 points in the 4th quarter as the Grizzlies blew a 16 point lead and handed the game to the Clippers

Boston Celtics 92 – Miami Heat 85
5 Boston starters in double figures scoring, led by a monstrous 24 points (11-12 shooting) from Garnett
4 points for Wade in the decisive 4th quarter as his team has lost 6 of their last 9

Orlando Magic 114 – New York Knicks 102
3-0 road trip for the Magic as they have built a strong hold on the #1 spot in the East
5 made FG’s for Duhon is a triumph in itself, now to see if he can keep up the “hot” shooting.

Houston Rockets 100 – Oklahoma City Thunder 91
23 Offensive rebounds as the Rockets came back from a 9 point half time deficit on the back on Brooks and Landry
7 stitches to Scola’s eye followed up by a 10-0 run by the Thunder, but they could never put a hold on the game

Philadelphia 76ers 89 – San Antonio Spurs 97
16 minutes of SOLID production from Spurs rookie Blair as he hauled down 7 offensive boards
6 game losing streak as Sixers are dealing with injuries and we all wait to hear if Iverson will return to his roots…

Minnesota Timberwolves 106 – Denver Nuggets 100
17 game Nuggets home win streak broken by the Wolves who snapped their own 15 game losing streak
12 points for the Nuggets in the 3rd quarter was the breaking point and the team could never recover.

New Orleans Hornets 96 – Sacramento Kings 112
24 points from Sergio Rodriguez (Spanish Chocolate) as he dazzled fans flashing memories of “White Chocolate”
4 game win streak for the Hornets was snapped as they played without Chris Paul and Peja Stojakovic

New Jersey Nets 87 – Los Angeles Lakers 106
0-17 record for the Nets tying the record for worst start to a season on the day their coach is fired
17 pts= Avg. margin of victory for the Lakers over last 6 games. Made 13 3′s and shot 50% on the night

Tweet of the Night
I’m betting David Kahn pulled out a ladder, climbed up and snipped nets after T-Wolves victory in Denver. His vision finally validated! – @WojYahooNBA

Number Crunchin’ – Money Talks

Nat — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:55:14 +0000

Starting this segment a week into the season but it will be back as a daily feature.

Rajon Rondo cashed in to the tune of 5 years $55 million this week. I guess along with the fat wallet comes a bigger mouth. Apparently he felt the need to do some trash talking about Chris Paul and things didn’t go so well from there. Adrian Wojnarowski, has a really great column breaking it down both and talking about the direction of the Hornets. (READ HERE)
The Hornets are reeling early in the season finding different ways to lose each night. Chris Paul is doing everything he can but he can’t do this alone. Not in the West where teams beat on each other night in and night out. There was no sign of defense being played on either nights that I watched the Hornets play. My concern… are they tuning out Byron Scott as happened in NJ?

The Night in Numbers:

New Jersey Nets 68 – Charlotte Bobcats 79
7 points from the Nets in the 3rd quarter was only rivaled by the 10 spot put up by the Bobcat’s in the first
2:1 turnovers to assists in this game if not worse. It was all kinds of ugly

New Orleans Hornets 111 – New York Knicks 117
40 Minutes from Larry Hughes as he has done a 180 from preseason. Averaging 19/5.5/4, he is the early front runner for comeback player of the year!
26 Three point attempts by the Hornets and only 19 trips to the FT line. That needs to be reversed to see any success this season

Houston Rockets 113 – Utah Jazz 96
8 players finished with 10 or more points for the Rockets. No Yao and McGrady… this is the definition of a team win.
34-20 the Rocket’s outscore the Jazz in the final frame. Don’t sleep on these Rockets after a big win in SLC.

Memphis Grizzlies 116 – Sacramento Kings 127 (OT)
18 Productive minutes for Allen Iverson as he saw his first game action of the season. Oh yea and he is already bitchin’
48 Points for Kevin Martin as he went 7-10 from distance in a hard fought victory over the Grizzlies.

Minnesota Timberwolves 90 – Los Angeles Clippers 93
20 Turnovers for the Clippers and they still managed to squeak out their 1st win
24 Points for Al Jefferson in a loss but he looks to have healed well from last seasons injury.

Number Crunchin' – Method to the Madness

Nat — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 12:15:51 +0000

Stats and ways to evaluate the performance of a player have been evolving every since records were kept. Enter John Hollinger who has taken NBA statistics to a whole new level and not always do they tell an accurate story. First there was PER, then the Daily Power Rankings and two days ago we were introduced to VA (Value Added). This new stat is supposed to take into consideration the amount of time the player is on the court to measure his effectiveness not just by quality but also quantity. I like looking up crazy stats, I like finding anomalies, but Hollinger is pushing it once again coming up with another formula that he justifies with an arbitrary constant that he can’t break down. He got bashed on PER because players who played 15 minutes of garbage time had a better numbers than a starter, now with VA, his numbers are trying to tell us that stats say Wade brings 3 times more wins to the Heat than Charlie Villanueva brings the Bucks. I am not convinced, are you?

The Night in Numbers: The TNT rule was in full effect as on this night the League went 3 for 3 on blowouts!

9 Game losing streak in Auburn Hills was snapped as the Lakers, led by Kobe’s 30-8-7, were able to put away the pistons 92-77
20-0 Run by the Lakers to end the 3rd sealed the fate of the shorthanded Pistons who got a solid night from Will Bynum – career high in Points (25) and Assists (11)
13 of John Salmons 27 Points came in the 3rd Quarter which helped the Bulls grab the game by the horns and hand the heat their 2nd straight loss.
4 Double-double’s in the last 5 games for Tyrus Thomas who has found some consistency with his role on this Bulls team that has won 6 of their last 7 games.
6 game win streak came to an end for the Suns, they allowed the Blazers to shoot 60% from the floor and were stuck playing catch up through most of the game.
12 Rebounds to go along with a season high 29 Points for LaMarcus Aldridge as he notched his team leading 18th double-double in the win.

Bracket Breakdown: 3 for 4 on yesterdays picks…. a lot better than my bracket was going! The early games were a snoozefest – Pitt barely squeaked out the win and UConn didn’t really need Thabeet’s 15-15 for the win over Purdue. The late games didn’t disappoint though – Mizzou brought it right from tip, never really giving Memphis a chance to settle in and in Boston, Barack knew whats up as Villanova jumped on the Blue Devils sending them packing for the season. There are 4 more open spots to round out the Elite 8 and Friday’s games may have a few upsets in store.
My Picks: Louisville over Arizona, Syracuse over Oklahoma, Michigan St over Kansas, North Carolina over Gonzaga

Number Crunchin' – Double Dribble

Nat — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 21:23:19 +0000

An 18 Hour dribble Marathon was taking place while the Phoenix Suns were engaged in a must win game v/s The Utah Jazz. 25 contestants started the day at 6 AM and last man standing would get to go on a road trip with the suns next season. This is just one of the many ways the Phoenix Suns have grabbed the attention of their fans. They already dominate twitter – with a representative from every branch of the organization. The team held a “Tweetup” night offering Suns tweepers special ticket prices and the opportunity to mingle before the game with an appearance by @the_real_shaq. They were also one of the first teams to create a social network for their fans and have creatively managed to keep everyone talking about all things Suns. Other NBA teams need to take a look at the model the Suns are working with because with the economy the way it is “Entertainment” is usually pretty low on a persons list compared to bills and mortgages. There are tons of tools that the internet and media have to offer to keep fans interested in the team even if they can’t make it to the games and the Suns have used them brilliantly. It helps that the team is winning but this connection they have been able to make with the fans builds a team loyalty that some of the other teams in the association would benefit from.

The Night in Numbers: (I lost my original post so here is a compressed version)
40 FT’s taken by the Raptors compared to only 9 by the Bucks as the raps win back to back for the first time since Feb 22nd
2 point win for the Wizards as they got to play spoiler dropping the Bobcat’s 2 1/2 games back of 8th in the East.
5th Straight 20+ point game for Thad Young as he lead the Sixers to a win over the Wolves
2 Separate runs of 11-0 and 8-0 in the last 8 min of the Heat/Pacers game helped Indiana come out with a 2 point win (thnx @BTPH) 2 Rebounds shy of a triple double for Lebron – seems we talk about one of these every night with him now!
25 Shots to get 42 Points and 10 assists for Tony Parker as he continues to lead the Spurs team in a much needed win against the Hawks who managed to clinch a 2nd straight playoff birth in the loss
1 OT was needed to settle the shootout where the Knicks and Clippers both shot over 55% – Mike Taylor of dunking fame went off for a career high 35pts and 8rbs to help the Clippers get the W @MSG 2 Game suspension for Nene – Luckily it didn’t hurt the Nuggets as they were able to handle the Hornets just fine on this night.
8th 20-20 night this season for Dwight Howard as the Magic were able to hold the last minute push by the Celtics to get the win
3 Players for the Mavericks scored 20+ in a win over GS who were playing on a back to back
13 players combined in double figures but the suns came up big when it mattered getting a huge night again from grant hill who had 26

Bracket Breakdown: This has to be the only time of year when Thursday’s are my favorite day of the week! Its time to dance again and we have 4 games on tap tonight. This year has been far from dramatic as only a 5th seed and 12th seed managed to squeak into the sweet 16 -If you picked a whole lot of upsets your bracket is probably totally busted. I happen to be one of those people so I figured why not make some picks for tonight to keep this fun!
UConn over Purdue – Pitt over Xavier – Mizzou over Memphis – Duke over Nova

Number Crunchin' – Do the Right Thing!

Nat — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 13:30:49 +0000

Chris Bosh turned 25 today and the media had a birthday present waiting for him. Early today the news leaked of his pending lawsuit accusing him of being a deadbeat dad and from there out media and blogs took over. I am at every game and couldn’t help but notice Allison was missing on the sidelines this season where she was known to garner attention, I had also noticed a large rock on her finger last season and mentioned it to a friend. I am sure there will be a lot of he said – she said to follow but as we know there is always 2 sides to the story and somewhere in there you will find the truth. Over the past 2 years CB4 has taken it upon himself to create an image and market himself as a geeky, goofy likable guy. He blogs, he makes home videos and tweets but this mess is something he is better off keeping private. I am not going to sit here and make assumptions but if said allegations are true I just hope he takes Russell Peters advice…”BE A MAN… DO THE RIGHT THING!”

The Night in Numbers:

6 players from both teams scored in double digits, as the thunder won the Assist, Rebound and FT categories but still managed to lose by 18 to the Lakers
2 Blocks for Thabo Sefolosha on Kobe Bryant – Thabo has a story to tell his grandchildren while Kobe will have forgotten his name by tomorrow (or maybe he never knew it at all)
1 point shy of free Big Mac’s for the fans @ the United Center as they booed the Bulls in a 99-91 win over the Pistons who played without Sheed, RIP and AI
20 Points for Will Bynum as he scored a couple of first’s tonight – a career high and an interview on TNT to boot
26 Seconds on the clock when Roger Mason Jr. (24pts) drained the game winning shot as the Spurs squeaked out the win against the Warriors
27 points for Monta Ellis, 1 of 5 Warrior players in double figures – Don Nelson continues to play mind games as Jamal Crawford rode pine in dress clothes
13 straight home wins for the Jazz as they kept rolling, getting big games from D Will and Millsap along with 3 other players in double figures
14 FT’s attempted by the Rockets in a loss to the Jazz- Unacceptable when Yao Ming is on your team and the tallest player on the other team is a 3pt shooter!

Bracketology – NBA Style: Having March Madness withdrawals? Fear not there is some NBA action you can get in on and there is something for everyone
For the NBA Fan – BDL Bedlam Tournament “Where amazing happens” and “I love this game” are slogans for the NBA, this tournament is an entertaining take on the going on’s of the season.
For the Fellas – NBA Dance Brackets You don’t need courtside seats to get close to the cheerleaders but like march madness there is the risk of heart attacks. Ladies: You can always get in on the fun and use a different criteria to make your picks… Next team to have a cheerleader knocked up by a player?
For the Ladies – Hot Baller Tournament The NBA is full of eye candy and Sarah over at Hornets Hype has the breakdown… Really, I could always use some more visuals of Shirtless Rashard Lewis in my life!! Fellas: Don’t hesitate to take part this, it’s the internets and no one is judging

Number Crunchin' – Chak De!!

Nat — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 13:50:57 +0000

The Toronto Raptors became the first team to broadcast a NBA game in Punjabi today as CBC simulcasted the game on two channels. Hosts Parminder Singh and Harnarayan Singh crossed over to hoops, building on the success they have had calling Leaf games in Punjabi which is the 4th most spoken language in Canada. This is not the first time the Raptors have embraced the South Asian community, every year with the help of “superfan” Nav Bhatia the raptors host Baisakhi Night (a Sikh holiday) which has featured in the past, an elephant presenting the game ball and a very skilled tabla player. The duo did a fairly good job in calling the plays but did slip up at times naming players and spent a great deal of time trying to break down the rules of the game. I did find it amusing that they used a popular term that is now synonymous with sports in India, “CHAK DE” every time the Raptors came through on a big play. It translates to more of a “LET’S GO” but it was nice to see them using terms that would make their viewers relate to the excitement of the game. I am not sure if this was a one time experiment but surely Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment is hoping this is another step to bring on a whole new group of fans on board.

The Night in Numbers:
2 Blocked shots in the final 22 seconds of the game as D Wade came up huge on both ends in a Heat victory over the Pistons
1 Ejection for Pistons coach Michael Curry helped the Heat ice the game that the Pistons dominated for the first 40 minutes as Haslem made 4 straight FT’S
100 FG’s attempted by the Raptors as they went on to blow out the Clippers 100-76 in a battle of the bottom feeders
2 Offensive Rebounds for the Clippers in the game when their back court of Gordon and Davis went 6-25 from the field
1 Double-Double of 19pts and 17rbs including a layup that sealed the win for the Rockets over the Spurs catapulting them to #2 in the west
45 of the Spurs 85 points came from the combination of Duncan and Parker – Kurt Thomas got the start over Bonner who played 21 min off the bench
30 Point lead after 3 quarters for the Thunder as they manged to hold off the Wolves 37 point 4th Quarter and come away with the win
25.8 PPG over the last 5 for Durant as he continued to produce coming back from that ankle injury with a line of 30-8-5
2 Assists shy of a Triple-Double, as Lebron did everything but pass the ball to himself to achieve the goal finishing with a line of 30-11-8
16% from 3 ball territory for the Nets as they tried to shoot their way back into the game led by Vince who went 0-4 from distance but tallied 25pts on the night
2 Hornets joined Peja and Chandler on the walking wounded list, as Ryan Bowen and Hilton Armstrong were both nicked up in the win over the Warriors
4 Straight games riding pine in a suit for Jamal Crawford as Nellie keeps toying with fantasy owners who could use the extra help in their league playoffs
27 Points for Andre Igoudala after he started the game going 10 of 10 from the field helping the Sixers get their 35th Win in the game v/s the Kings
19 Turnovers for the Kings offset their efforts as 6 Players scored in double figures with Spencer Hawes missing his first triple-double by 1 assist

Bracket Breakdown:
Sunday evening concluded the 2nd round of March Madness as the strong survived. My brackets are looking OK with 13 sweet sixteen teams still alive, but these 4 days have just re-enforced how weak this years draft class really is. With the Raptors looking to be heading to the lottery I can’t help but feel concerned that we will get stuck picking based on upside and potential again. Should James Harden stay another year in school? Will Blake Griffin be the biggest bust of the 2009 draft class? I don’t have these answers but this years tournament has been lacking that excitement factor that makes me not want to miss a game!

Number Crunchin' – Home Sweet Home

Nat — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 13:30:46 +0000

The Cleveland Cavaliers ended the night with the best record in the association at 55-13. Halfway through March they Cav’s have secured their first division title in 33 years and done it with a home record of 31-1, with the Lakers coming in 2nd at 31-5. Looking at their upcoming schedule, I don’t see why the Cav’s should lose another game at home until the playoffs and I don’t think they can afford to. Lebron has come out and said that he wants to play out the rest of the season to make sure they secure home court where they have been absolutely dominant. With the fairly new NBA finals format, the team without home court has to try to sweep the middle three games which is a daunting task. Seeing that the Cav’s have lost their last three games on the road v/s the teams in the hunt for home court by double digits, this may be the most important goal they need to achieve in the regular season.

The Night in Numbers:

41-28 Record for both teams as the Hawks kept rolling at home with a win over the Mavericks
31 3′s taken by the Maverick’s compared to only 13 FT’s taken – The Mav’s only converted on 19% of those three’s
4 Triple-Double’s for Lebron James in March including tonight where the Cav’s needed an extra 5 min to close out the Blazers
42.5 FG% was the average between the two teams tonight – Not pretty, but the Blazers got help from Frye (14) as did the Cav’s from Joe Smith (12)
50 was the magic number tonight as the Lakers converted on 50% of their 3′s and shot 50% from the floor to get the win over the Warriors
52 of the Warriors 106 points came courtesy of Ellis and Azubuike who carried the load as Jackson and Maggette struggled and shot a combined 7 for 25.

Bracket Breakdown:
I must have checked my brackets at least 20+ times throughout the day and 13 of 16 is not too shabby but unlike most years there were not too many upsets on Day 1. The story of the day wasn’t a typical Cinderella one, rather it was the absence of Jim Calhoun on the sidelines as UConn got the win over Chattanooga. 11 of the 16 games were decided by double digits and the only game that resembled an upset was W. Kentucky over the Illini. On this day Tyler Hansbrough became the leading scorer in ACC history grabbing the title from JJ Reddick, Roburt Sallie made 10 3′s a NCAA record to help Memphis come away with the Win and Robert Maynor had a chance to pull an upset over UCLA with the ball in his hands in the closing seconds of what was arguably the best game of the day.

Here’s hoping to a better day 2!!

Number Crunchin' – Air Force 1

Nat — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 12:40:09 +0000

March Madness is upon us and the president wants in on the action! Everything Pres. Obama has done to date has solidified him as the right choice in the eyes of the younger generation as he repeatedly has been able to reach out on things they can relate to. First came Twitter, then the refusal to give up his blackberry, followed by showing up at a Wizard’s game to cheer on his Bulls. Earlier today the president made an appearance on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” and now he has been seen filling out his NCAA brackets. From the video above its pretty evident that he is a true fan of the game breaking down his choice of picks, giving props to Izzo and Calipari whilst showing love for some of the players. Really… has there ever been a cooler president?

The Night in Numbers:
63 of the Celtic’s 112 points were scored by the combo of Pierce and Rondo in an OT win over the Heat who were missing Wade
21 Points for Beasley as he stepped up to lead the Heat who came up just short – Would have helped if Cook had made more than 4 of his 14 shots!
7 Game road losing streak snapped by the Bulls as they got one in Oklahoma led by Derrick Rose who scored 20 of his 25 in the 2nd half
2 Rookie of the Year candidates went head-2-head in the game with Rose coming out on top- Solid season for him should nab him the hardware
17-4 Run in the 4th quarter helped lift the Nuggets to win a close one in Memphis – Melo sealed the deal with 5 points in the last 33 seconds
42 Points for the Grizz rookies – Not many teams can boast those type of numbers and still be in the running for the #1 pick
37% From the field won’t cut it on most nights as the Bucks fell victim to the Magic – Maybe @CV31 needs to tweet at halftime to get energized!
21 FT’s attempted by Dwight Howard (28-12-7) who matched a career high with the 7 helpers and was joined in double digit scoring by 4 other magic players
0:02 on the clock when Randy Foye missed a game winning shot as the Wolves hung in the game all night against the shorthanded Hornets
29 Productive minutes played by Hilton Armstrong, 12Pts-8Rbs, as he stepped in for Tyson Chandler who was out with an injury
11% shooting from 3 for Mike D’Antoni’s Knicks as they fell to the Nets at MSG and flip flopped in the standings, dropping to 12th in the East
34 PPG average for Vince Carter over the last 3 games as the Nets try to keep pace after losing Devin Harris indefinitely to a shoulder injury
1 Win tonight over the Kings got the Bobcats to 30 Wins (10th in the East) – Larry Brown is relevant again and has his team playing some solid basketball
0 minutes for Martin (King’s scoring leader) as he missed the game v/s the Bobcats – The Kings have not beaten an Eastern Conference team all season.
35-10 in 34 minutes for Danny Granger playing his second game since returning from the injury in a loss v/s the Blazers
12 Minutes for Oden as he got back on the floor after missing over a month – The Blazers had 6 players in double figure scoring led by Roy who had 20
2 OT periods were needed for the Rockets to put away the Pistons in a game where Yao Ming came up huge posting a line of 31pts, 15rbs, 2ast and 4Blks
20 Rebounds by McDyess was not enough as the Pistons rallied to stay in the game withought Rasheed and RIP but only managed to shoot 37% from the field
2 Double-Double’ from Nash and Shaq in the win over the Sixers – Barbosa left the game after playing 2 min with a hyper extended knee
3 Players for the Sixers had 20+ Pts, but they were bested by the Suns who had 4 players with those statistics
20 Assists for Baron Davis v/s the Wizards en route to a victory with solid contributions from E Gordon, Novak, Al Thornton and Kaman
24-11-7 Line for Antwan Jamison as he remains the only Wizard’s veteran who has managed to remain healthy and lead the young guys on the floor.

Ice Packs:
The season is coming to an end and the injuries are piling up for teams. Today was not a good one for NBA teams but even more frustrating for Fantasy team owners who need every last block in their league playoffs. Below is a roundup of what went down in the association that may have a direct effect on your “Dream Team”
Celtics – Ray Allen (Elbow) and Powe (Knee) DNP v/s Miami (details)
Pacers - Troy Murphy (Calf) sat out v/s Portland (details)
Trail Blazers – Batum (Ankle) and Aldridge (Head) injured v/s Indiana (details)
Heat – Dwayne Wade (Hip) missed the game v/s Celtics (details)
Suns – Leandro Barbosa (Knee) left the game v/s Sixers (details)
Hornets – Tyson Chandler (Ankle) did not play v/s Timberwolves (details)
Pistons – Rip Hamilton (Groin) Wallace (Calf) DNP v/s Rockets (details)
Wizards – Caron Butler (Hamstring) travelled with team to LA but DNP (details)

Number Crunchin' – Cheers!

Nat — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 12:40:16 +0000

St. Paddy’s day came and went and along with it the NBA cashed in once again. As they have done in the past, several teams not named the Celtics donned an alternate jersey to celebrate the occasion and in turn created another way for the league to boost jersey sales. Tonight, the Bulls wore the green alternates for a match up against the Celtics – I for one am not a fan of the gimmick as I kept confusing who is who and where the game was being played. I am not knocking the league for trying capitalize on this but I can’t imagine a Raptor fan wanting to own a t-shirt with a Celtic logo on it, or a Laker fan ever being caught dead in one of these. I really wonder how profitable this whole scheme is for the teams who implement it because I am not buying what they are tryin’ to sell!

The Night in Numbers:
43 Points for Lebron as he connected on 4 three’s and contributed 15 Points in the 4th to seal the victory for the Cav’s
8-27 Combined for Rashard and Hedo hurt the Magic tonight – Stan Van Gundy obviously didn’t care as he called for Lewis to take the last shot
16 Offensive Rb’s in the game for the Hawks which was also the difference in total rebounds as the Hawks took care of the Kings
4 Game streak of 30+ points was snapped as Joe Johnson only managed to put up 20 on this night
56% From the field allowed by the Pistons as the Mavericks handed them another loss to bring their record to 33-33
4 3′s hit by Arron Afflalo which helped keep the score respectable – Dallas led by as many as 17 pts even though they were outscored by 20 in the paint.
1 team wearing Celtic green game came out with a win tonight as the Bulls got 5 players in double digit scoring led by Salmons who had 38
4:22 Minutes played by Leon Powe before he left with an injury – Being thin upfront Pierce was forced to play PF and ended the night with 37pts
24 Points for Tony Parker as he led the Spurs to victory – He has led the team in scoring for 3 straight games averaging 22 pts in March
0 Minutes for Sheldon Williams – What a life!! Earns a fat paycheck, gets to wear custom suits everyday and goes home to a C Cup
3 Straight double-double’s for Carlos Boozer as the Jazz took care of the Wizards in their first game back from a 5 game road trip
13 Shots taken by Juan Dixon to score 14 points – Who does he think he is… Mike James???
32 4th quarter points allowed by the Lakers in a loss to the Sixers - The “Killer Instinct” was a No-Show
18 Turnovers hurt the Lakers – They controlled the boards, moved the ball and shot from the field better than the Sixers
29 Points for Monta matching a season high as the Warriors ruined Baron Davis’ homecoming – after the game @Baron_Davis thanked his fans via twitter
3 Players for the Warriors had 20+ pts including Magette who is averaging 20 ppg in the 27 games he has come off the bench

Seen Last Night:

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Twitter has caused a stir in the NBA after Charlie Villanueva decided to post a tweet at halftime of the Bucks/Celtic’s game over the weekend. Today the news made it to prime time as the NBATV folks on “The Beat” discussed the infraction at length essentially believing that it should be frowned upon. I for one thought it was funny and kinda cool but to each their own… What did you think?
Action: @cv31 -”In da locker room, snuck to post my twit. We’re playing the Celtics, tie ball game at da half. Coach wants more toughness. I gotta step up,”
Reaction: “You know, (we) don’t want to blow it out of proportion,” Skiles said. “But anything that gives the impression that we’re not serious and focused at all times is not the correct way we want to go about our business. (Source)
Result: @cv31 – Well guys, no more halftime tweets for me – I’ll leave it at that, won’t comment on it any further. But I still got love for ya. Stay tune.