A King Is Crowned

Its done. The King has been crowned. LeBron James and the Miami Heat won their first title in the “Big Three” era as they defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 4 games to 1 in the NBA Finals. LeBron James monster run throughout the Finals and the playoffs continued as he tore through the Thunder for a triple double of 26 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds. However, it was Mike Millers BIG 23 points off the bench that pushed the Heat over the edge as they won by a 15 point margin but it aws much bigger throughout the game.

 

Whilst it was hugely dissapointing for the Thunder to go down, it was another huge step forward. This is a ridiculously young team here and they have the core to win a championship. As LeBron James said after the game, watch out for the Thunder!

NBA FINALS: GAME ONE

The Oklahoma City Thunder overcame a half time deficit to continue their perfect home playoff run as they defeated the Miami Heat in Game One of the NBA Finals 94-105. Kevin Durant was his usual ridiculous best scoring 36 points. LeBron James had 30 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists in the losing effort. Dwyane Wade added 19 points, 8 assists and 4 rebounds.

Russell Westbrook was massive for the Thunder, giving them the second scoring option they needed as Harden was well guarded by Wade and the Heat. Westbrook had 27 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists in a near triple double effort. Shane Battier also added 17 for the Heat giving them an unexpected boost

Celtics vs Heat: Game 5

The Boston Celtics took a major advantage against the Miami Heat as they won in Miami and can now go home to close out the series. The Celtics have gone from the “old” Celtics to a winning team.  TD Garden will surely be roaring when the C’s return home for Game 6 and KG will be doing the same.  The men in green have all the momentum heading home.

 

“They jumped on us at the beginning of the game and we just told our guys to just hang in there. Just hang in there. Don’t overreact. Hang in there. The longer we’re in the game, the better we’ll play.”
— Celtics coach Doc Rivers

LeBron James and Dwyane Wade combined for 57 points but not a single other player registered in double figures for the Heat. For the Celtics, Garnett had 26 points and 11 rebounds while Paul Pierce scored 19 points.

 

Miami vs Boston: Game Three

Marquis Daniels was certainly prepared to play as he provided the spark to help the Celtics win their first game at home. The Celtics got 20+ points from three of their big four as Garnett, Pierce and Rondo all poured in the points.

LeBron James was unstoppable as he had 34 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists but did not receive a great deal of help from his partner in crime as Wade only added 18 points.

 

Heat vs Pacers: Game Four

The Miami Heat duo of LeBron and Wade heaped the pressure back onto the Indiana Pacers as they took Game Four in Indiana by 8 points. LeBron especially had a ridiculous evening, scoring 40 points, pulling down 18 rebounds and adding 9 assists and 2 steals on the side. Unbelievable. Dwyane Wade had 30 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists.

Danny Granger had 20 points to lead the Pacers in a losing effort.

“It comes down to this: yes, you can get the ball out of their hands and make other guys make plays but you get the ball out of one of those guys’ hands and it finds its way to the other guy. It’s not just like one superhero and a bunch of role players. You’ve got to worry about the other guy.”
— Indiana coach Frank Vogel

Heat vs Pacers: Game One

The Miami Heat took an early series lead as they took down the Indiana Pacers in Game One of their series. 3-time and newly crowned MVP LeBron James dominated the game with a match leading performance of 32 points, 15 rebounds and 5 assists. Dwyane Wade provided ample assistance as he scored 29 points. However, it was not all good news for the Heat as they lost Chris Bosh to an abdominal strain early in the game. For a team that struggles with size, the return of Bosh is paramount to this teams success. He may not be the best player in a Heat uniform but he may very well be the most important.

“We are going to have to get him better shots. I don’t know if he’s going to have a huge offensive series, especially when he has to guard LeBron James for 38 minutes. That takes a lot out of your offensive game.”
— Pacers head coach Frank Vogel on Granger’s struggles.

David West made the most of Chris Bosh’s absence, scoring 17 points and pulling down 12 rebounds. Center Roy Hibbert also played well as he scored 17 points and had 11 rebounds while fighting through foul trouble. Danny Granger on the other hand quickly realised that he would not be getting the same shots against LeBron as he did against the Magic, only scoring 7 points on 1-10 shooting.

Heat vs Knicks: Game Four

It finally happened. It took 11 years but the Knicks have at last won a playoff game. What made it even more rewarding was that it was in front of a raucous Madison Sqaure Garden crowd. The hero of NYC for the night was Carmelo Anthony, who finally exploded in this series as he poured in 41 points. Amare Stoudemire also had 20 as the two All Stars finally combined for a winnning result. The night was marred for Knick fans though as veteran guard Baron Davis went down with a dislocated knee cap.

LeBron James did all he could to get the win for the Heat with 27 including a huge three to make the win look likely for the Heat. Dwyane Wade also added in 22 points. Despite no other player scoring in double figures, the Heat simply were not able to reign in the combined might of STAT and Melo.

Heat vs Knicks: Game One

Final score: 67-100 Miami win (Miami leads 1-0)

The Miami Heat cruised to an easy 33 point win at home against a poor New York Knick team. Both Amare Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler got in to early foul trouble to take away the Knicks only real discernible advantage as LeBron James powered his way to a 32 point win. The Heat defence completely suffocated Carmelo Anthony as they simply did not let him get the ball. Shane Battier and James both fronted Melo every time he tried to post up racking up steal after steal as the Knicks tried to get their star the ball. When Carmelo did get his hands on the ball, he was often pushed down into the corners of the court, reducing his effectiveness. Stoudemire did not offer much support either, often barreling through defenders and getting called for offensive fouls. Poor discipline and suffocating Miami defence meant that the New York Knicks simply got eaten alive.

Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE/Getty Images

The most important thing now for the Knicks to do is to put that game behind them. Learn from your mistakes yes, but move on. Miami wre always gonna come otut and make a statement on the big stage as they opened up a postseason full to the brim with expectations. Be competitive in the next game, and even if you don’t get the win, have confidence in your homecourt and get the wins there. New York City is far from a welcoming environment for a visiting team.

Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE/Getty Images

Unfortunately for the Knicks, this has been made even more difficult by the injury to possibly their best perimeter defender in Iman Shumpert, who has torn his ACL and will be out for the rest of the playoffs. All the best to Shump.

27/12/2012-Exciting shortened regular season comes to a close

In what is likely to be Deron Williams last game for the New Jersey Nets, he sat out as the Nets struggled to score all night. The now Brooklyn Nets were held to just 27 points in the first half as the Raptors built a 27 point lead. Ed Davis had 24 points and pulled down 12 rebounds as both sides played with skeleton teams. Solomon Alabi had 19 rebounds off the bench.

Ben Gordon had 26 points, including 8-10 shooting from behind the arc, off the bench as the Detroit Pistons took down the Philadelphia 76ers. As most teams are at this time of the year, most of the Sixers top players were resting up for the playoffs and looking after niggling injuries.

The Boston Celtics played the exception to the rule as their usual starting line up, barring Ray Allen, all suited up and played as they won against the Milwaukee Bucks. Avery Bradley had 14 points as Doc Rivers emptied his bench throughout the game.

The Big Three sat out for Miami as the Washington Wizards tore through the Heat at home, winning by 34 points. The lead only changed hands three times as the Wizards were dominant throughout the night. Without Wade and James in the lineup, Wall dominated the fast break. Maurice Evans led the Wizards off the bench with 18 points.

With Melo and Tyson Chandler sitting out, Amare Stoudemire proved he thrived being the man as the Charlotte Bobcats are officially the worst team in NBA history. Amare had 21 to lead the Knicks including an absolutely nasty dunk over Tyrus Thomas. Next stop: Miami Heat.

Josh Smith had 23 points 9 rebounds and 7 assists in a near triple double effort as the Atlanta Hawks took down the Dallas Mavericks. The lead only changed hands once as the Hawks comfortably won by 17 points.

John Lucas had 25 points off the bench as the Bulls finished off their regular season with a 32 point win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. With the win the Bulls claimed the Number One overall seed throughout the playoffs, ensuring that they will have homecourt advantage no matter how far in they go.

The Memphis Grizzlies claimed home court advantage for the first time in franchise history as the Memphis Grizzlies won over a seriously slumping Orlando team. Marc Gasol had 22 points to lead all comers while Hedo Turkoglu returned to the line up with a 18 point game.

The New Orleans Horents only scored 6 points in the final quarter as they lost to the Houston Rockets. Chase Budinger had 27 points to lead both teams as the Hornets shot themselves in the foot with their terrible final quarter.

JaVale McGee had 19 points over a vertically challenged Minnesota Timeberwolves as the Nuggets won by 29 points. Riddled by injuries, the Wolves gave rookies and bench players the start in a game that had no point.

Like most playoff teams, the Utah Jazz rested their starters but still had enough to beat the Portland Trailblazers. Rookie center Enes Kanter showed some of what Jazz fans have been ranting about, scoring 12 points in 33 minutes of play.

Literally half the Laker team sat the game out as the veteran group prepared themselves for the playoffs. However, their reserves were unable to pick up the slack as they lost to the Sacramento Kings. Jimmer Freddete had 10 points off the bench while DeMarcus Cousins led all comers with 23.

Australian guard Patty Mills had a career night as he 34 points and 12 assists as he was given the start once more against the Golden State Warriors. DeJuan Blair had 22 points and 13 rebounds as well to help the resting Spurs to the win.

5/4/2012-LeBron leads Heat over OKC as Nash hits game winner

Toronto outscored Philadelphia 20 points to 7 as the Raptors upset the 76ers 99-78. Bargnani scored 24 points for the Raptors while Jose Calderon handed out 13 assists in the win

Jordan Crawford’s 28 points were not enough to lift the Washington Wizards over the Indiana Pacers. Danny Granger’s 20 points led the Pacers to a 109-96 victory.

The Spurs survived Boston’s late game charge to win by 1 point. Avery Bradley lead all comers with 19 points off the bench while Danny Green had 14 points for the Spurs.

The Hawk’s bench had 52 points as the Atlanta Hawks blew out the Charlotte Bobcats by 27 points. Rookie point guard Kemba Walker had 21 points in the loss.

Monta Ellis had 30 points and 8 assists as the Milwaukee Bucks consigned the Cleveland Cavaliers to yet another defeat. Ekpe Udoh got the start for the Bucks as likely RoY winner Kyrie Irving sat out for the Cavs.

David Lee’s 31 points proved too much for the Timberwolves as they lost 97-94. Kevin Love had 29 points and 12 rebounds but there wasn’t a great deal of help from a short handed Wolves team.

6 players scored in double figures for the Hornets as they beat Ty Lawson and the Denver Nuggets. Lawson had 22 points but it wasn’t enough for the Nuggets as they lost by 2 points.

LeBron James had 34 points and 10 assists as the Heat evened the ledger against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Kevin Durant and Westbrook combined for 58 points, but also had 13 turnovers, 9 of them Durant’s.

Dirk Nowitzki had 23 points and Jason Terry had 15 points off the bench as the Dallas Mavericks used a big 4th quarter to defeat the Memphis Grizzlies. OJ Mayo continued his push for a start, leading the Grizz with 17 points off the bench. Gilbert Arenas had 8 in the loss.

Despite two 20 point games off the bench from Anthony Morrow and Gerald Green, the New Jersey Nets lost to the Portland Trailblazers. LaMarcus Aldridge had 24 points for the Blazers while Nicolas Batum had 20 points and 10 rebounds.

Steve Nash hit the game winning layup as the Phoenix Suns took down 8th seed competitor Utah. Michael Redd had 19 points off the bench for the Suns.

The Los Angeles Lakers took a 2 game lead in the Pacific Division, winning by five. Andrew Bynum lead the way for both teams with 36 points, but it will be Blake Griffins ridiculous poster dunks that will steal the headlines. Caron Butler led the Clips with 28.