Built Ford Tough

Some poor play from both teams down the stretch, but ultimately the Sixers missed free throws came back to bit them in the ass. Iguodala missed 3 in the final few minutes and Brand missed another. I also am not a big fan of that final play by the Sixers considering how off Williams was with his jumper all night. I would've liked to see them go to either Holiday or Iguodala who both shot the ball much, much better than Williams did. I like what I saw from Gordan Hayward tonight. He is never going to be an all-star or anything like that, but he is a very skilled player. Nice jump shot, utilizes screens very well, doesn't force anything, solid handles and a very good decision maker. He is going to have a nice career if he continues to develop and progress like he has since entering the league. In the post, Kanter showed some outstanding footwork. He had three really nice moves including one that looked strikingly similar to a dream shake. Unfortunately, he doesn't have the softest touch around the rim yet and was only able to convert one of his three excellent post moves. I also liked what I saw from him on the glass. He uses his body well and most importantly, he doesn't wait for the ball to come to him but instead goes hard after it. He has a lot of work to do defensively, though. He was constantly out of position, slow rotating over and was abused by Hawes in pick and pops as he was way too slow closing out on Hawes and it resulted in way too many easy jumpers. Speaking of Hawes, I have been really impressed with him so far. He is battling on the glass, sticking open jumpers and his passing has really jumped out at me. I never realized he was such a good passer and it has added a nice wrinkle to the Sixers offense. They are going to be tough to stop if he continues to play like this. A much needed win for the Jazz. If they would've let this one slip away after that terrible foul from Miles and the Harris turnover right after, it would have been heartbreaking and demoralizing for this young team. Good for them to gut it out and come up with a hard fought victory.

http://blog.raptors.com/carlisle-with-some-early-praise-for-raptors/ I certainly don't hope so. As much as I hate to see the Raptors lose night in and night out (and believe me, despite my posts on here about tanking I hate seeing them lose while watching the game), this team needs a high draft pick in this years draft. There have been some very positive things so far this season, but at the end of the day, this team needs a star player and the only way they are going to get it is through the draft. It is nice to see some positive comments about the Raptors, though. Frank Vogel had some very nice things to say about the Raptors after the Pacer game and now Carlisle is giving them solid praise.

Bargnani was brilliant for the first 3.5 quarters, but his lack of conditioning, which has been a problem with him his entire career, caught up with him in the final 5 minutes of the game. He wasn't getting the same lift on his jumpers and you could tell that he was absolutely gassed out there. Despite that, I thought it was an awesome game from him. He was doing a very good job defending Dirk, mixing it up on the glass (even though he did only get 7 boards) and only had a couple of huge mishaps when it came to help defense as opposed to his usual 5+ a game. Obviously, there is no real need to comment on his play offensively as it spoke for itself. DeRozan needs to stop chucking jumpers and look to attack more. I realize that he isn't the best at creating his own shot and he does struggle a bit when forced to take more than 2 dribbles, but all of this contested fadeaway jumpers that he is taking are starting to get really annoying. He has played well for about 12 minutes (7 against Indy and 5 against Cleveland) this entire season so far. Other than those 12 or so minutes, he has been invisible outside of chucking bad jumpers. Barbosa played well and gave the Raptors a spark off of the bench. At this point, you can't really expect him to do much playmaking so as long as he is knocking down shots, I am content with him being a blackhole because it simply is his nature and role on the team. Calderon needs to look to push the ball more. The Raptors are a young team who are at their best in the open court. Outside of Bargnani and Barbosa, they really don't have anybody who can create their own shot in the half court, so he really needs to push the ball whenever he can in order to maximize Davis, DeRozan and both Johnsons' full abilities. This walking the ball up the court every time isn't going to cut it, especially when you play a cerebral half court team like the Mavs. It sucks that Bayless got hurt because he got off to a nice start in this game and they really could've used him, especially considering just how bad Anthony Carter is. Hopefully he isn't out for too long because they are really going to miss him if he is.

He is going to be out indefinitely while doctors continue to monitor his heart. Does not sound good. http://www.nba.com/raptors/news/20111230/23357/aaron-gray-medical-update

Kind of disappointed that the New Years Eve game between Canada and USA is going to be meaningless when it comes to the standings, but hopefully it is just as good as the past years when these two teams met. Over the years they have been some of the most entertaining hockey games.

Some highlights from his game yesterday. Not a lot, but I figure it was better than nothing. I like that he is developing that hook in the lane, though. He has shown nice touch around the rim when finishing in traffic with layups/dunks and he has also shown that he has a nice shooting touch, so I am pleased that he is starting to show a bit more of an offensive game with his back to the basket. The competition in this game wasn't the greatest and he is by no means looking like Hakeem Olajuwon in the post, but it is encouraging to see him expanding his game to more than just a pick and roll finisher. His length, touch and quickness off of the floor will make that shot very tough to defend.

After the heartbreaking loss the Mavs suffered against OKC last night, I can see this game going one of two ways: 1. They come out and wipe the floor with the Raptors from the beginning of the game, winning by 20+ points. or 2. They come out completely flat and allow the Raptors to hang around all game, but crush their hopes late in the 4th. Either way, it is highly unlikely that Toronto wins this game. It should also be a fun game since Toronto/Dallas games always seem to be entertaining, even with the huge talent difference between the teams. I will have to catch a replay of this on league pass, though, since I work tonight.

Thanks guys.

What did Odom do during the offseason? Sit around and eat candy all day? It is kind of a joke at how out of shape he left himself get. Watching him play right now is just brutal when you see him gasping for air after 2 trips up and down the floor. He is really hurting the Mavs whenever he comes into the game. He really needs to get back in shape and fast because the Mavs need him. It was great seeing Carter knock down that huge 3 with a second left to give the Mavs the lead, and he did shoot the ball well from deep, but man, it is depressing seeing how much he has fallen since his days with the Nets, let alone his Raptor days. Back in his prime he would have risen up and dunked over Ibaka and Perkins at least 2 times in this game, but now he is forced to throw up some weak layup attempt as he just doesn't have the lift anymore. He is still a good role player with his shooting, ball handling and passing ability, but it really is sad to see just how much his athleticism has declined. That was a very impressive display of play calling to finish the game, though. Carlisle drew up an awesome play to free up Carter by using Dirk as a decoy. I think everybody in the building thought that Dirk was going to get to the elbow, pump and shoot his patented one legged fade. Instead he drew the 2nd defender and found Carter for an in rythym three. Of course Brooks drew up just as good of a play to free up Durant for the game winner. Great job from both coaches. Westbrook gets a lot of shit for his play, but not all of the blame should be placed on him. When he is on the floor with the starting unit, he has to be aggressive in looking for his offense for the simple fact that Thabo, Perkins and Ibaka can't do anything on that end of the floor other than shooting open jumpers and finishing around the rim. He does need to do a better job of picking his spots and making decisions, but with the way that starting unit is set up, he needs to look for his own offense. A great game to watch, though. Dallas finally looked like the team I expected them to be this year, but they really need Odom to get in shape.

The Sixers are a really fun team to watch that people don't seem to recognize. They play with tonnes of energy, are very well coached, play well defensively, are incredibly versatile and are always looking to run. The versatility on the team with the likes of Iguodala, Holliday, Turner and Young makes them able to throw plenty of different looks at the defense. Iggy and Turner's great rebounding from the wing allows them to really get out and push the ball, much like what Kidd did for the Nets during his days there. Guys like Lou Williams are always fun to watch when they are on their game as well. They probably aren't the most exciting team in the league, but they are definitely one of my favourite teams to watch.

19 points and 6 rebounds in 13 minutes today for Jonas in a 41 point win. He is really hitting his stride over the past few games as he seems to have gotten his second wind as he hit a bit of a wall earlier in the season, which is understandable considering how much basketball he played during the summer.

It wasn't a huge problem last night because, as you said, their offense wasn't going anything either and even if they were able to get a few stops it wouldn't have made much of a difference due to their poorus offense. However, I wasn't specifically speakng about last nights game and was more of a general observation. They aren't going to be successful, regardless of how they play offensively, if they are letting the opposing teams point guard consistently get into the paint and create at will. There was absolutely no resistance at the point of attack and you aren't going to be able to make a deep playoff run if you are letting opposing point guards absolutely carve you up and get whatever he wants, whenever he wants it not only for himself, but for his teammates as well. Chandler being in foul trouble was a factor, no doubt about it, but the Knicks are going to have to learn to play at least above average defense even when Chandler isn't on the floor because with his playing style, there are going to be plenty of nights where he isn't able to play 35 minutes due to foul trouble. Last night it wasn't a backbreaking issue because of how they played offensively, but even if they were hitting their shots on the other end of the floor it wouldn't have made a difference if you ask me.

http://www.nba.com/2011/news/12/29/suns-redd.ap/index.html?ls=iref:nbahpt2 I guess if anybody can keep Redd healthy it is the Suns, and for that reason alone, I like this signing for Redd himself. He is never going to get back to the level he was at during his prime, but if he can stay healthy he can still be usefull as a dangerous shooter and floor spacer. As for the Suns, it is a low risk signing so you can't really fault them for that either. They don't have a lot of talent on their roster and their shooting guard rotation is hardly set in stone. If Redd can come in and give the Suns anything, it was a worthy signing if you ask me.

I haven't seen a lot of Sanders since he has been drafted, and it is only one game, but I saw more out of Leuer the other night than I have out of Sanders in the entire year since he has been drafted. Now I am not saying that he is a better prospect than Sanders or anything like that, but I do think that he has a chance of becoming just as good, if not better, than Sanders.

I agree that he will help, but he is hardly the answer since he isn't a lockdown defender (at least not yet, he does have the potential) and you can't really rely on him to run the offense at the other end, but then again, you can't rely on Douglas or Bibby as well. Woodson needs to come up with some schemes that will help hide the lack of defense at the point of attack because it will be a problem come playoff time when you consider that the Knicks will inevitably have to face somebody like Rondo, Rose, Holiday, Collison or Nelson in the playoffs. Of course, it is still very really and the shortened training camp obviously didn't help Woodson fully instill his system into his players so the issue could easily get addressed long before the playoffs.

The Knicks lack of perimeter defense is going to be a huge problem all season long. Douglas is the only player who has any sort of defensive ability, but even then, Rondo picked him apart on Christmas and Ellis had his way with him (when he was in the game) in the 4th tonight. Adding Davis to the team isn't going to solve these problems either, since he doesn't have nearly enough mobility at this point in his career to contend with the majority of point guards in this league. Gotta give a lot of credit to Rush tonight, though. He gave the Warriors a huge lift off of the bench and played a superb all around game. He was hitting shots, getting in the paint, getting on the glass and playing very well defensively. Of course, it didn't hurt that the Knicks decided to stick Bibby on him for long stretches, but you still have to give him credit for realizing the advantage that he had over him and going right at the overmatched Bibby. Ellis sucked for the vast majority of the game, but he completely picked the Knicks apart in the 4th. He stopped settling for jumpers and instead used his quickness to put all kinds of pressure on the Knicks defense and that opened up his entire game and also gave his teammates plenty of great looks of their own. With Curry out of the lineup they really needed him to step up, and even though he was awful for the first 3 quarters, they got what they needed out of him in the 4th. Brown and Maguire came in and played some great defense off of the bench as well. Some of Melo and Amare's struggles can be placed on them settling and not being aggressive, but you have to give credit for the two of them for the excellent defense that they provided off of the bench, Maguire especially. The Knicks need to get more movement in their offense. They are way too predictable at the moment and the ball does not move enough. It sticks in Melo's hands when he catches it and that allows the defense to get set and provide the necessary help. The same thing happens when Amare catches the ball at the top of the circle and sizes up his man. They need to be more decissive on the catch and not allow the defense to get set. I am impressed with how Jackson has the Warriors playing on defense, though. He doesn't exactly have the ideal defensive roster but he has really gotten his team to buy into his system so far and it is working wonders for them. If they can continue to play this kind of defense and allow it to fuel their offense, the Warriors are definitely going to be in the hunt for a playoff spot.

The Sixers really took it to the Suns at the beginning of the 3rd quarter and that was really the difference in this game. I can't believe how flat the Suns came out to start the 2nd half, but give full credit to the Sixers for absolutely dominating the first 7 minutes or so and going on that 19-0 run. I really like how Iguodala's jumper is looking to start off the season. I know he missed that game tying three against the Blazers the other night, but even in that game he was 4-8 from three and tonight he went 3-3 and 6-9 from the field in total. If he can continue this hot shooting of his and become a consistent threat from deep, he is going to be a very dangerous offensive player when you consider his ability to break down the defense off of the bounce and his very good playmaking ability. It will really open up his offensive game. I also liked what I saw from Turner. He did a great job on the glass and with his excellent ball handling abilities, it is a very valuable thing to have him be able to crash the defensive glass and start the break immediately. Him and Iggy being such good rebounders from the wing spots really allows this team to get out and run and when they can get out in the open floor, they are a tough team to beat. Hawes continues his strong rebounding which is nice to see considering the Sixers lack of size. Holiday needs to reel himself in a bit, though. He has gotten off to a poor start to the season and a lot of that can be blamed on his poor shot selection. He really needs to do a better job of picking his spots and not settling for contested jumpers like he did in tonights game. He is too quick and creative to be settling for tough jumpers. For the Suns, this was just an ugly game. Nash really tried to take on more of a scoring role but his shot was off all game long. The same can be said for Hill. The only bright spots were the play of Hakim Warrick, Robin Lopez and Ronnie Price off of the bench. I believe Warrick ended up with 14 points, Price had 16 and Lopez continued to show that he can step outside of the paint and knock down the 15-18 foot jumper. He also did a nice job of battling down low, even when the game was out of reach during that 4th quarter. I have liked what I have seen from him so far in the first two games of the season.

Jack and Landry are picking the C's defense apart. I'm really impressed by the who team effort from the Hornets, though. Jack and Landry have obviously been the best Hornets on the floor, but Belinelli has done a great job of stretching the defense, Okafor has been a nice interior presence and Kaman has done a nice job on the glass despite his poor shooting. This has been a great team effort and that is why the Hornets have stretched the lead to as much as 18 points. What is even more impressive is that they have done all of this without Eric Gordon in the lineup.

Griffin is going to work on Blair right now. Blair just doesn't have the speed to stay with him as once Blake spins, he creates way too much seperation for Blair to be able to contest his shot. It also doesn't hurt that he gets those kind of lucky bounces like the one he got on that 15 foot jumper. Off front rim, bounces high in the air, hits nearly the top of the backboard and then falls in.

I don't know if he is still getting into shape because of the lockout or what, but Garnett looks like he has lost a step from last year, which is saying something considering he wasn't looking to hot last year, either. Landry is absolutely going at him tonight and teams don't seem to think twice about him being on the floor anymore. Boston is in some serious trouble if he continues to decline at this rate. On offense he continues to be nothing more than a pick and pop player as he no longer shows any desire to play inside. On the bright side for Boston, Steimsma is looking great defensively. He has 5 blocks tonight, including two in sequence on the last possession to force a 24 second violation on the Hornets.

This is why I am not nearly as high on the Clippers as many people are. Billups simply can't be your starting shooting guard if you hope to make a deep run in the playoffs. Ginobili is absolutely torching him on defense and you just know that a team with an above average offensive shooting guard is going to make it a focal point of their offense to go right at him. They really need to find a way to upgrade that shooting guard spot if they hope to make a serious run this season. Whether that is through an Eric Bledsoe trade or what, I don't know, but they have to find a way to upgrade there.

Finland with a nice 4-1 bounce back victory over the States after that 8-1 thrashing they received from Canada. Sweden also just edged out Switzerland. Canada looking like they are going to improve to 2-0 as they are up 3-0 on the Czechs and have completely controlled the play.

Don't like that shot from Augustin. There was a lot more time on the clock to settle for a catch and shoot 3 from about 3 feet behind the arc. I understand you want to get the shot up with enough time for a possible tip in, which they almost got, but it was still too quick of a shot considering it was a contested look.

Nice drive by Wade there. You can't blame Henderson for the defense as he played it about as well as you could considering the Bobcats didn't dare send another man. 3 seconds left with Charlotte down 1.

Great play drawn up by Silas there. Loads up the left side of the floor and has Henderson fade to the right corner for the open three. 95-94 for Charlotte with 12 seconds left.