Game Recap: Wizards 108, Raptors 104

History felt like it was about to repeat, but some days, you just don’t deserve to win. In what can be called a great last minute effort, the Raptors came up with too little in the second half and overtime. And that was with a lot of calls going their way.

With the Raptors shooting high percentages in their past two games, it was not surprising to see them fall back to Earth for this one. A three day break can give a team a lot of time to recover, but it’ll also mean that any momentum or feeling of consistency will disappear. Carlos Delfino, Anthony Parker, Jamario Moon, and Andrea Bargnani all had horrible shooting nights coupled with poor decision making. From this game alone, it shows how vulnerable the Raptors can be when they rely solely on hot outside shooting. There just isn’t anyone on the team willing to consistently take it to the basket on this team, with the exception of Kris Humphries, who was the lone fighter in the post.

That’s not to say a guy like Andrea Bargnani didn’t do some work in the game too. Bargnani, even though he was plagued with foul trouble, attempted to rebound in this game, giving the team a solid effort for the first half. However, as the shots started bouncing off the rim, Toronto couldn’t buy a rebound in the second half. Being out rebounded by 13 against another Eastern Conference team is simply inexcusable, especially with the Raptors shooting around 30% in the third. The combination of Blatche and McGuire completely out hustled and outplayed a Raptors team that had a full compliment of players.

With Caron Butler being a scratch and the Raptors having a few days off leading up to this game a second half let down was just that much more puzzling. By shying away from the foul line and jacking up outside shots, the Raptors allowed the Wizards to run up the lead after being unable to score for almost five minutes. It was here Bosh needed to take control of the team by going to the line and showing his teammates what to do. Yes, the Wizards made large adjustments on Bosh after the first half, but that just meant that he has to try that much harder to keep a consistent effort. Frankly, it should be a slap in the face that Joey Graham was the most active player going to the basket in that quarter, and despite last second heroics by Jamario Moon and Anthony Parker, the game should have never come down to those final shots.

However, there has to be a lot of respect given to this Wizards squad for not folding. With a bunch of backups, a thin bench, and without two of their top players, they managed to come out with a win despite the Raptors’ final second comeback. There is no greater proof of this Wizards team than their display of mental toughness in the overtime period. Theoretically, Toronto should have had all the momentum thanks to their repeat performance of the improbable shot made by Mo Pete last year. Instead, the Wizards took the game to the Raptors and pulled down rebounds, attacked the interior, and made some timely three pointers as well. It’s no surprise then, that Washington beat a team like Boston twice in a row, and if the Raptors aren’t careful, the same fate could await them.

Nevertheless, the Raptors are on their way back to the ACC today. Toronto should be pretty riled up about their poor performance and hopefully, they will take the fight to the Wizards physically. It’s the tail end of the back to back, and there’s just no excuse for at least splitting these two games with Washington.

Next Game: Washington @ Toronto

Game Recap: Wizards 108, Raptors 104 (OT)

What’s up good people! Shout outs to all basketball fans across the globe (really mostly the U.S. and Canada). Sorry it’s been a minute but Spacely Sprockets was keeping me down. My man Jeff brought me outta’ retirement for a guest spot, and of course it goes down whenever the Wizards and Raps battle.

To catch you guys up, here’s the story: Gil comes back from injury, injury comes back to Gil, Gil has surgery number two, B Teezy goes into Post Gilmatic Stress Syndrome, Wizards need new leader, Butler goes bonkers and brings Jamison along with him, some key wins, some key losses, Butler gets hurt, and that, my friends, brings us to tonight’s matchup against T-Dot.

Once again we went into this game NOT at full strength, with Butler and of course Gilbert out. The thing about this year is that in the past, Gilbert was the CLEAR leader of this team hands down, he was erratic and crazy, but always found a way to win, while Butler was the steady, no nonsense tough-guy. Almost like Mel Gibson (Arenas) and Danny Glover (Butler) in Lethal Weapon. Butler has filled in responsibly in Gil’s absence putting up All-Star numbers while keeping the ship steady.

The Raptors will shoot your lights out, plain and simple. They are by far the deadliest jump-shooting squad / sniper team I’ve seen in a while. No lie. The whole team can shoot, as Boston and the Bucks recently found out.

This evening we had our work cut out for us defensively, and the Raps are a hard team to put away. We hung in with the Raptors for most of the first half, with DeShawn Stevenson (20 points, 5 threes and 1 face that can’t be felt) continuing to play in “step-up” mode. Antawn Jamison (24 points, 20 rebounds), who’s shown more emotion this season than any other time continued to be “All-Star Snub” material. I hope they can let him in, for real. Andray Blatche (19 points, 8 rebounds, 1 set of injured family jewels), continues to be the Garnett Jr. we drafted him for, and Antonio Daniels (15 points, 5 assists), while still having a few mental lapses, has been your basic, serviceable point guard.

From downtown, Toronto carved us up as well as on the floor with assists galore. Jose “Mango” Calderon has eyes in the back of his head, and probably on the sides of his head, seeing his teammates through with 23 points and 13 dimes. Since T.J went out, this guy has stepped up admirably, and in past matchups, it wasn’t Ford that got us, it was a steady dose of Calderon, Bosh (37 points, 12 rebounds, 1 cool campaign video) and timely shooting that would usually do us in.

At the end of regulation, with D.C. up by three, the Ghost of Mike Ruffin reared his ugly, alien-head, as Anthony Parker, (8 points and 5 rebounds) nailed a three at the buzzer with three Wizards on his jersey.

Not again.

The ending here came out a little different than past overtimes with the Raps (no Mo Pete!), we hung around, hit some timely shots and merely outlasted Toronto on our home floor.

Next up will be a trip to the Air Canada Centre, to see if we can still cope with Butler on the bench. It’s gonna be another good one, so be on the lookout folks!

Headlines from the Fantasy Hardwood – January 28, 2008

Compiled By FantasyFanatics.com Lead Expert Rob Shaw and Brian Wagoner

On the Rise

Gilbert Arenas – Guard – Wizards – Word is that Arenas has started more extensive workouts in preparation of a return shortly after the All-Star break. This may be the time to see if you can grab him at a bargain from an owner that is getting impatient.

Al Thornton – Forward – Clippers – Thornton was a sleeper pick for Rookie of the Year going into this season. He started out extremely slow, averaging only 6.3 points in November and 8.1 points in December. Not only was he having trouble getting acclimated to the league, he was also loosing the confidence of the coach. In January, he is gaining that confidence by posting 13 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 0.7 blocked shots per game. It is probably too little, too late to be in the running for the R.O.Y award. Still, if he can continue this type of production, he could make the first team of the All-Rookie Team, helping your fantasy team along the way.

On the Way Down

Larry Hughes – Guard – Cavaliers – What happened to this guy? He used to be a solid fantasy starter and borderline fantasy star. He is still young enough to be in the prime years of his basketball career at age 29. Regardless, his numbers have gotten progressively worse each of the past four seasons. His production has hit a concerning low in January. His 8.3 points, 2.3 assists, and 36% field goal percentage should have him nailed to your bench until, or even if, he finds his groove.

Yi Jianlian – Forward – Bucks – Yi is going to be good someday, many agree, but he is not quite ready to be counted on for consistent fantasy production yet. He can frustrate fantasy owners with games of 29 points and 10 rebounds and then have 8 points and 5 rebounds the very next game. Part of the problem is that Yi gets himself into early foul trouble too often. His 8 point, 5 rebound January averages do not merit a spot on your fantasy team right now.

THE FANTASYFANATICS.COM MID-SEASON REWARDS

First Half Fantasy Most Improved: Hedo Turkoglu – Turkoglu was moved to the power forward position with the injury to Tony Battie and the signing of Rashard Lewis. He has thrived in the perimeter-based Magic offense. He is posting career highs in multiple categories. At age 28, he is older than most players that breakout. However, there is no denying that Turkoglu has given his fantasy an unexpected lift. Runner-up: Chris Kaman.

First Half Fantasy Top Rookie: Kevin Durant – Durant was the odds-on favorite to win the “Rookie-of-the-Year” award going into this season. Not much has changed going into the season’s second half. So far in his first year, he has shown some glimpses of the fantasy superstar that he will soon become. Next year may be the last time that you will be able to snag Durant outside of the first two rounds of your fantasy draft. Runner-up: Al Horford.

First Half Fantasy MVP: LeBron James – Cavaliers – This guy just continues to get better. James is averaging career highs in rebounds, assists, and blocked shots so far this season. His free throw percentage is a definite concern, especially considering the amount of attempts. Still, he does much more to help your fantasy team than 70% from the line will hurt. Runner-up: Chris Paul.

Top 10 Fantasy Ballers as of Week 12:

RANK LAST WEEK

1) Chris Paul 1
2) Shawn Marion 2
3) Baron Davis 3
4) Kobe Bryant 4
5) Caron Butler 5
6) Kevin Garnett 6
7) Marcus Camby 7
8 ) Amare Stoudemire UNRANKED
9) Chauncey Billups 8
10) Steve Nash UNRANKED

NO LONGER RANKED LAST WEEK

11) Dirk Nowitzki 9
14) Allen Iverson 10

For the first time all season, there was no movement among the top 7 players in the fantasy rankings. Two Suns make the list this week, including the first appearance of the season by Amare Stoudemire. The Suns center is enjoying a sensational return to prominence, as his knee woes appear to be a matter of the past. For the second month in a row, Stoudemire is scoring 25 points per game and grabbing 9 rebounds. His shot-blocking is also notable, as he is swatting more than 2 shots per game. Considering his ability to shoot from the field, plus the charity stripe it wouldn’t be a surprise to find that Stoudemire will continue to climb the rankings throughout the second half of the season. Steve Nash once again appears in the top ten after averaging 28 points and 12 assists throughout the week. Dirk Nowitzki will likely return to the top ten next week thanks to his consistency and scoring. Allen Iverson has resorted to taking all the shots for his team with Carmelo Anthony sidelined. He will have to play more efficiently to return to the top of the fantasy ranks.

Before the Trade Deadline: Kris Humphries

As the trade deadline approaches, it’s important to take a look at some of the so-called tradeable assets on this Raptors team. What are the strengths and weaknesses of a player, looking at the current and future possibilities, and of course salary situations.

Salary: $2.5 million this season with an extension through 2010-2011 season.

Strengths: Perhaps the toughest “big body” on the Raptors squad. A banger who has some hops and can hit some shots. He’s able to grab rebounds on both ends of the floor as well as block shots. Able to get to the line.

Weaknesses: Has some tendencies to disappear in games for stretches. Takes some bad fouls, even worse shots. Has a “black hole” complex.

Comments: As an intriguing prospect, Kris Humphries has already paid dividends for the Raptors. First, as a great trade that brought him to the Raptors for basically nothing, and then to give the Raptors an aspect of what they need from the 4-position. It’s definitely not a stretch to say that Kris is our most effective rebounder and the trail of sweat that he leaves on the floor is proof positive of this fact. The question is, on a team so desperate for rebounding, why doesn’t Kris Humphries get more minutes?

Part of the problem is that the thinking is that Kris is still mainly a power forward, which means that Chris Bosh is ahead of him on the team. Granted, he has played minutes with CB4, but his role seems to be to back Chris Bosh up. The other difficulty is that you’re never quite sure about what you’re going to get from the man known as “Hump”. As a rebounder, Kris definitely excels, but there’s always the question of his offense.

The fact is, when Kris is on fire, he looks like the second coming of Karl Malone. He can hit the outside shot, both from standstill and from a pull up, he can drive the ball inside, he can post up, and he definitely finishes strong around the basket. Kris has had far more off-days than spectacular ones, which isn’t a problem, as he’s a bench player and can’t be expected to pull the team all the time. Nevertheless, there’s just no excuse for his lack of passing and his need to always try an offensive move or two before passing the ball out of a difficult situation. As a result, Sam’s had to bench him as he completely pulls the offense into a stand-still due to his belief in his offensive prowess. Add to the fact that he’s wildly inconsistent from the free throw line, and you wish Kris would kick the ball out of the post more often.

Nevertheless, Kris Humphries is as close to an untouchable as you’re going to get from a Raptors’ bench player. Even though the final details of his contract extension aren’t publicly available, the estimates are that he will receive somewhere between $2-4 million through 2011, which is a very manageable contract for such a young player that can still give the team unexpected rebounding. As a cheap, physical presence who isn’t a bad influence in the locker room, and one of the best interviews on the entire Raptors’ squad, Kris’ value will continue to shine through in upcoming years.

Verdict: Highly unlikely due to his valuable low contract and necessary abilities. The Raptors should only trade Humphries if it is to upgrade their rebounding situation.

Game Recap – Cavaliers 98, Lakers 95

It’s easy to look at LeBron James’ stat line this season and not think much of it anymore. It’s LeBron James after all. He’s a beast, we’re all used to it and we’ve all gotten over it. But take a closer look, it was bound to happen eventually so it’s no real surprise, but James, halfway through the 2007-08 season, is leading the entire league in points per game. Impressive enough at first glance, but this is LBJ we’re talking about, the kid with the complete game. The kid with the assists (eighth in the NBA), the steals (seventh in the NBA) and the rebounds (38th in the NBA but second amongst guards if you consider him one) is getting kind of greedy don’t you think?

In typical Kobe Bryant fashion, number 24 has been relatively quiet early on. He’s still doing his duties on the defensive end, but it’s the combined genius of Lamar Odom and – believe it or not – Kwame Brown that has the Lakers on top by five at the 5:43 mark. Speaking of Odom, the 6′9″ forward truly does look like a slightly-blown out of proportion point guard out there. On one possession Odom showed why his ball control is perhaps the best amongst players taller than 6′7″ when he found himself juking Larry Hughes out of his pants on the left side of the free throw line extended. Odom caught Hughes making a move on the ball, awkwardly tucked his elbows into his gangly praying mantis body, and spun into the paint for a layup.

Big game delay here with three minutes left in the first quarter, the roof is leaking!

At the end of the first quarter Bryant started to get his offense going and finished the frame with eight points on 4-4 shooting, numbers identical to those of Lamar Odom. If Bryant and Odom can both stay on their games today I really don’t think the Cavs have a shot. These two teams have very similar rosters, but the difference maker is Lamar Odom. Odom has the potential to be the clear cut third best player on the court, which, when paired with Kobe Bryant trumps LeBron on his own. Nothing against Zydrunas Ilgauskas, I just don’t think any of the remaining supporting casts have the potential to impact games like LO does.

Watching LeBron James drive into the key is like watching one of those When Animals Attack videos. The ones where they show the parade elephants getting spooked and trampling the crowd, or those bulls that freak out and stampede down the cobblestone streets of a tiny little village. And it works for him. I’m sure I’m not the only one who would rather get hit by a golf cart than a LeBron James driving shoulder. He finished the first half with 21 points.

Kobe Bryant looked to attack more in the second quarter and at half time has a respectable stat line of 13 points on 6-6 shooting, seven rebounds and five assists. While LeBron James is busy pummeling his way into the key, Kobe takes a much more selectively nimble approach. Watching these two players go at it is like watching a souped-up Dodge Charger play game of one-on-one against a Lamborghini.

I don’t know if he trims it or not, but I really wish Drew Gooden would let his mustache run as free as he let’s his chin.

Ira Newble just crowned Lamar Odom with a forced two-hander in a crowded scrum. It’s easy to forget about players like Newble but then when you least expect it they jump out of the pack like Newble just did on Odom, reminding those of us watching from home that just about every player in this league was at one point the one of the best players in their home state.

The thing I like about Kobe this game is that he started off slowly and worked his way into the game with patience. We’ve all seen Bryant get off to a modest start in the past, only to try and force possessions once the second and third quarters rolled around, but not tonight. Even as the Lakers fell behind by as many as ten points Kobe resisted the urge to take everything on by himself. The sense of urgency that was there as recently as Friday night against the Dallas Mavericks is gone and as a result the Lakers have slowly come back to tie the Cavs halfway through the third.

Ay carumba, Anderson Varejao just owned his left ankle. That absolutely has to be a sprain at least. It’s a shame to see anybody go down with an injury as YouTube-worthy as that, but even more so considering Varejao’s season has pretty much just begun. Trailing a LeBron James circus shot, AV took off for insurance on the offensive glass, but before he could clear the ground his ankle turned the wrong way and got squashed under all 240 pounds of his Brazilian body. The scariest part? He still got at least twelve inches of air off the wrong side of his foot.

An uncharacteristic brain fart by LeBron James cost the Cavs one final shot at the end of the third quarter. After a Lamar Odom foul with four seconds left, the ball was inbounded at center court to James. Whether he forgot, or just didn’t look at the clock, LeBron ended up dribbling away the remaining seconds before firing off a useless pass at the buzzer. The reason I’m even mentioning it is because it’s so much of a surprise.

So the Lakers just cashed in on their largest lead of the game with eight minutes left in the fourth quarter. Sometimes that’s enough to confidently predict the winner of the game, but not on an afternoon like this where the league’s two most talented players are desperate to come out on top. Five minutes after I write this the Lakers lead is down to one.

LeBron James can completely manhandle Kobe Bryant if he wants to, and he has, on more than one occasion. In terms of size or strength, Kobe, despite being six years older, is no match for the burly James. That being said I can find no reason to believe Mamba won’t find a way to even the playing field.

Kobe Bryant misses a pair of free throws with four minutes left in the contest and the Lakers down by four but his error is quickly forgotten as Luke Walton strips the King on the following possession. Just as LeBron surveyed the Lakers defense to gauge his next move, Walton was able to reach around James and bat the ball back into the hands of Kobe Bryant, who then found Walton as he took off down the court on an uncontested break.

Without questioning Mike Brown’s abilities as a coach, I’ll just say, for the second time tonight, the Cavs have been unprepared heading into a critical inbound situation – this time on the defensive end. A relatively basic inbound formation under the Cavaliers basket saw Kobe break free from the pack steps ahead of the defending James. The jumper, which Kobe nailed, tied the game at 92 with two minutes left on the clock.

With the Cavs up one and 35 seconds remaining on the clock, LeBron James took control of the ball heading down the court. As anyone on the planet could have guessed, it was Kobe Bryant who took the responsibility of matching up. Whether Kobe had expected a possible drive, or LeBron James just opened up enough space for himself with a step back, the eventual game winner went fairly uncontested. The jumper gave the Cavs their 96th point and that’s all it would take for them to seal the win.

Reviewing The 2006 NBA Draft

With David Thorpe’s recent article on ESPN looking back at some of the selections in the 2006 draft and their progress so far in the NBA, I thought it would be a good idea to take a look back as well. It has a similar feel to the article by David Thorpe, but there is no middle ground here. Either the player has been a success or a bust so far in his tenure as a pro. Here’s a look at 10 players that are worth a look at:

So Far …So Good

Brandon Roy
Portland Trail Blazers
19.2 PPG, 5.7 APG, 4.5 RPG

Easily, the best player out of the 2006 draft so far, which makes sense considering most people had him ranked as the most NBA-ready player of that draft class. Still though, not many expected him to reach this level of play this young in his career. Last year’s rookie of the year winner doesn’t seem to have any thoughts of slowing down. He has helped the Blazers young players become more than just youth and in doing so he has taken a team from the bottom of the standings and has put them in playoff contention.

LaMarcus Aldridge
Portland Trail Blazers
17.3 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 75.8 FT%

He was getting comparisons to Toronto’s Chris Bosh prior to his drafting and we now know why. He has the size, the shot, the versatility and the athleticism to be a real threat down-low, a combination of skills not many NBA players possess. He has gotten a lot more playing time than people expected because of the injury to “old wise man” Greg Oden. With his Kevin Garnett like shot release, it makes it real hard for other big men to guard him as they don’t know whether to play off him or guard him closely.

Rudy Gay
Memphis Grizzlies
19.4 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 1.49 BPG

Probably the most athletic player taken in the 2006 draft class, he has shown that he can create excitement on both ends of the floor. Mostly known for his acrobatic dunks, he is quickly getting recognized as a player on the defensive end as well. He’ll be even better once he starts reducing the amount of fouls he takes. However, he needs to be on a more productive team to know whether or not he is a future superstar in the making or just a really good player.

Jordan Farmar
Los Angeles Lakers
9.7 PPG, 2.8 APG, 1.1 SPG

By watching him play, you quickly realize why the Lakers took Farmar with the 26th pick in the 2006 draft. He has really blossomed into a dependable guard off the bench who can not only shoot, but dish it out as well. His defensive game isn’t all there yet, but when it is in a few years he should easily be counted upon to lead this Lakers team in the backcourt. I wish he would get a few more minutes though to show his potential, as he only gets 20 minutes per game on average. More playing time with Kobe never hurts.

Paul Millsap
Utah Jazz
8.5 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 51.3 FG%

He’ll rarely take you out of your seat on the offensive end, but it is his defensive presence that gets him into this top five. He can guard almost every position on the floor depending on who he’s up against because unlike most big men, he is mobile. He is easily the steal of the 2006 draft and because of this a thumbs up to the Utah scouting staff for doing their homework. Every team in the league can use this type of player; every team in the league had a chance to draft him.

So Far …So Bad

Shelden Williams
Atlanta Hawks
2.7 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 36.1 FG%

Just like the Bobcats the Hawks had numerous options selecting at 5th overall, and yet they chose someone who is sitting on the bench many nights and is showing no progression whatsoever. It isn’t his fault he was drafted where he was, nor is it his fault they felt the need to draft Al Horford in the 2007 draft, who might I add is turning out to be quite the player. He wasn’t bad last season, but like Morrison he wasn’t good either. It’s kind of like he was just there, like he’s kind of just there on the bench this season.

Adam Morrison
Charlotte Bobcats
Out for Season

Although he had an okay rookie season, there wasn’t really that feeling that he was going to progress into a star in this league. There was a feeling that he had sort of maxed out his potential in his first season. However, it’s gotten even worse for him as he is slated to miss the entire 07/08 season which doesn’t help at all. He doesn’t have a lot of tricks up his sleeves and unless he really changes his game, he won’t be much more than the third or fourth guy off the bench in the future.

Andrea Bargnani
Toronto Raptors
9.0 PPG, 3.4 APG, 38.1 FG%

Many expected Bargnani to be a 14-17 PPG guy this season, but it hasn’t panned out. With being the #1 overall pick comes a lot of pressure, pressure Bargnani didn’t have to deal with last season as Bryan Colangelo, general manager of the Raptors, stated that he wasn’t going to light the league up as he would be more useful down the road when he learns the NBA system. However, with his season last year, good enough to finish second in the rookie of the year voting, there was tons of pressure on him coming into this season. Pressure he just hasn’t learned how to deal with.

Tyrus Thomas
Chicago Bulls
5.3 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 1.1 APG

Some would argue that Thomas shouldn’t be on this half of the article, but he just hasn’t produced as much as someone picked as high as he was should. There are various reasons for this, including the fact that he can’t seem to find any consistent minutes. His comments about the slam dunk contest in his rookie season didn’t help his image around the league. Thomas shouldn’t be considered a 2006 draft bust for long, chances are that he’ll develop into a solid double-double player once he gets more playing time after Chicago makes some roster changes.

J.J. Redick
Orlando Magic
3.7 PPG, 0.4 APG, 0.4 RPG

I really had high hopes for Redick coming out of Duke however, like others that don’t get enough minutes, he just hasn’t been able to put it all together –or any of it. He might still develop into a Jason Kapono type of player, a second or third guy off the bench who can change the momentum of the game in five minutes. It is doubtful though if he will be able to accomplish such things in an Orlando uniform.

It’s hard to believe that four of the top five picks from 2006 are on the negative side of this article, but that’s just the way it is. It is still very, very early in their careers as NBA players and it only takes a five-game stretch for the confidence of some of these kids to flourish or flounder, it’s the story of professional sports, how long it takes these guys to learn that lesson is the real story.

Game Recap – New Orleans @ San Antonio

Wait, what? The New Orleans Hornets are in first place in the Western Conference? What gives? What year is this? Where am I? I mean, I knew they were good but I didn’t know they were this good.

This is a big game for me since both Tyson Chandler and Chris Paul play big minutes on my fantasy hoops team. Oh yeah, and that Tim Duncan guy does too. It looks like Chandler is trying to draw some early fouls on TD, regardless of whether this works or not, I like it. Chandler’s already scored four points and we’re barely a minute into the game.

Speaking of fantasy basketball, David West just walked by the camera, another fantasy stud. He’s coming out firing and why not? Man, the Hornets are a deep team. I suddenly feel stupid for freaking out so much earlier.

Ahh! Tyson Chandler, instead of drawing fouls, just picked up his second!

On another note, not to say Peja Stojakovic would be overly handsome or anything, but bright yellow is not his color. Teal? Probably not. Black and purple? Maybe. But it’s good to see him on the court this year anyway.

Tim Duncan is so big, so patient and so smart it makes me wonder how long he’ll be able to dominate at such a high level. It’s logical to assume that his production will take a hit as he approaches his mid-thirties, and I guess it already has if you look at the stats long enough, but then something tells me, if anybody can avoid aging then Tim Duncan can. He’s the basketball equivalent of Denzel Washington, whereas Shaquille O’Neal is Sylvester Stallone.

Does Chris Paul get credited with an assist if the person he passes to has their shot goaltended? They better, or Robert Horry owes me two fantasy points.

Jannero Pargo just had one of those moments where he found himself with the ball a couple feet behind the three-point line and with all the confidence in the world. He’s been doing well lately, but after waiting for his teammates to get themselves open, decided to jack a long bomb and came up empty. Really empty. Like more than a foot to the right of the basket empty.

I’ve never really noticed this, but the Hornets are constantly coming up with acrobatic catches for awkward passes, they look like a bunch of wide receivers out there. I’m pretty sure though, that that just means they throw a lot of bad ones.

There’s an army of dancing children wearing little Tim Duncan jerseys on the court during a timeout here in the second quarter. I wonder how Tim Duncan feels about that. I wonder how I would feel about that? Imagine how you would feel about it? Weird.

This is a close game so far in the first half. Exciting too. David West and Peja Stojakovic have carried most of the load for the Hornets early on, and TD, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker keep doing their thing for the Spurs. Halfway through the second the Spurs are up 35-34.

Excellent shot-clock-beating, turnaround, pump-heave by Morris Peterson. I’m still not used to seeing him anywhere other than Toronto though. He has to be the undisputed king of circus shots, or at least up there in the royal family. What he did this time down was corral the ball halfway between the key and the three-point line, curled around Fabricio Oberto who was standing there being tall, jumped to the side, clutched the ball to avoid the outstretched arms of Oberto and banked it in.

Chris Paul just lobbed a pass over a mass of bodies in the key to a flying Tyson Chandler but it was broken up with authority by Manu Ginobili. It seemed believable, that Chandler could exist by himself in a world above the rim while the rest of the players fought for position on the ground, but then out of nowhere Ginobili’s floppy little arm reached up and slapped it out of the air. You don’t belong up there. Hacks!

It looks like New Orleans is getting frustrated with Manu’s Ginobiliness and I say that because Mo Pete came awfully close to rearranging his bald spot with an elbow in the backcourt. Then while Chris Paul was bringing up the ball, he, for no reason other than to be a weasel, veered into Ginobili as the two crossed center court and actually got the call. I guess Ginobili and karma do a lot of business with each other.

Third quarter now and Chris Paul gets called for a move not unlike the one he just tried to pull on Ginobili in the second! This time he tried to trip up a trailing Bruce Bowen but got called for the offensive foul. Paul really does have a sneaky side, just ask Julius Hodge.

An NBA TV graphic just said Paul and Chandler have hooked up for 39 alley-oops this season. These are the type of stats that should be made easily accessible to fans. Just like charges taken. We always hear complaining about how they don’t keep track of charges taken, and how they should, but then somebody on TV will come out and say so and so is averaging however many charges per game this season. They have to be hidden somewhere, and I’m determined to find out where.

David West is money and has been all game. But nobody even thinks about covering him. I guess it’s easy to assume that a player with his build should have to move closer to the basket to get his points but he doesn’t. He reminds me of a Best of Brian Cook Mixtape. Don’t laugh. Dude’s got 24 point on 11-15 shooting.

As time winds down in the third quarter the Hornets are on top by half a dozen. I honestly don’t expect them to keep up with the Spurs in the fourth and final, but then again I never expect anybody to ever keep up with the Spurs, the best team of this generation – by far.

Hornets up twelve in the fourth quarter, that’s got to be one of their biggest leads of the game. Go figure, the commentators just confirmed it.Tim Duncan is looking extremely mortal in the key with Tyson Chandlers bony outstretched arms in his face. I like this for the Hornets, but not for TD’s production and thus my fantasy team.

Question, where does Manu Ginobili rank amongst the best guards in the league? Probably better than you think. Certainly better than I find myself thinking every few weeks until I actually end up watching him again. It’s just hard to say he’s top-ten or top-15 without swallowing hard and grimacing a little.

New Orleans has stretched the gap to 21, make that 23, as Chris Paul nails a fadeaway from the top of the key at the end of the shot clock. Okay, as I slowly work on writing this paragraph the Hornets keep adding to the lead so let’s just say they’re up a lot with three minutes left in the game.

The Spurs are here and everybody’s healthy, so what does a win like this mean for a team like the Hornets? It’s easy to rally off seven wins in a row against teams like the Milwaukee Bucks and the Seattle Sonics, but you can’t fake a convincing blowout over the reigning champions.

Ime Udoka on San Antonio reminds me of Jason Hart, I love how aside from the internal core of the Spurs (Duncan, Ginobili, Parker, Bowen, and we’ll say Robert Horry too), the rest of the team is nothing more than a revolving door of journeymen and NBDL call ups. Today’s Fabricio Oberto and Franciso Elson are yesterday’s Rasho Nesterovic and Nazr Mohammed. Michael Finley is Devon White who was Stephen Jackson. Yet they always find their way to the top of the barrel. Is it a testament to Greg Poppovich? The team chemistry established by the returning guys? Who knows, but whatever it is, it works. Works meaning every other night other than tonight against the Hornets. Ouch!

Well the game’s over and New Orleans came out on top 102-78. I’m impressed. I can’t help but look at the Spurs’ 42% field goal percentage, or the fact that they hit just two of the 20 triples they attempted, but at least some of that has to be credited to the Hornets’ defense.

Umm. See ya?