The NBA: Brick By Boring Brick

LeBron James and the Heat lost their 2nd straight
OT game, no thanks to awful shooting in the clutch.
(image by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

 *Unless otherwise specified, all images are by the Associated Press.

We all know LeBron will score. We all know LeBron will make the highlight reel. We all know he’ll be an All-Star. We all know he’ll be in the MVP conversation. We all know he can win games. These are things we’re used to. We’re numb to them. For all his overwhelming talent and marketability, it’s a little ironic and sad that we only really talk about LeBron James when he screws things up. And this loss to the Clips can be considered Exhibit 1 for the 2011-2012 season.

It’s not Miami’s first loss, but it stings because of how they lost. They scored just 3 points in OT. They missed 14 of their 34 charity attempts. James missed 12 field goals and 8 free throws. The timing of those misses was awful, too. He missed 4 charities in the last 6 minutes of regulation and 3 straight field goals in the extra inning. No doubt the Heat lost this game brick by boring brick.

Does this mean James and the Heat will get trampled and go on a downward spiral? Oh we could only be so lucky. They’ll bounce back. James will erupt for a huge game. He’ll get his swagger back. We won’t talk about him for weeks because the Heat will string wins again. For now, however, he’s in our sights. He screwed up. That’s how it is.

After the JUMP, key stat-stuffers for today’s games:

SAC over TOR, 98-91 – DeMarcus Cousins displayed the talent that everyone has always known he had, and now the Kings have their first road win.

IND over ATL, 96-84 – Danny Granger pumps in 24 as the Pacers check their skid and stop the Hawks’ winning run.

NYK over PHI, 85-79 – The Knicks halted Philly’s league-leading win streak and now have a 4–game run of their own.

CHI over WAS, 78-64 – Wizards are brought back to earth after getting win #1 yesterday, thanks mainly to 5’11 John Lucas.

DAL over BOS, 90-85 – Mavs win the Battle of the Oldies.

OKC over NOH, 95-85 – KD drops a double-double for the Thunder’s fifth straight victory.

SAS over HOU, 101-95 – The Texas rivalry favors San Antonio as Tony Parker wins the PG war with Kyle Lowry. TD also passes Larry Bird on the All-Time Scorers list.

DEN over NJN, 123-115 – Jordan Farmar explodes for 26, but the Nets continue to flounder.

LAL over UTA, 90-87 – Kobe has his second straight 40+ night. Yes, he’s already 33 years old.

ORL over POR, 107-104 – Big win for the Magic over the West’s second-best team (as of the moment). Portland finally drops one at home.

LAC over MIA, 95-89 – LeBron built a house of bricks where Staples used to be.

Super Scorers (Top scorers of the night!)

Kobe Bryant (LAL) – 40

Kevin Durant (OKC), Tyreke Evans (SAC) & Paul Millsap (UTA) – 29

Kobe Bryant chugs along with his broken wrist,
scoring 40 on the Jazz in a tight win.

Ragin’ Rebounders (Top rebounders of the night!)

DeMarcus Cousins (SAC) – 19

Luol Deng (CHI) – 15

Javale McGee (WAS) & Omer Asik (CHI) – 14

Dynamic Dishers (Top playmakers of the night!)

Deron Williams (NJN) – 13

Andre Miller (DEN) – 12

Chris Paul (LAC) – 11

D-Will is putting up great stats, but his team ain't
showin' up on a consistent basis.

Terrific Thieves (Top thieves of the night!)

Rudy Fernandez (DEN), Jason Terry (DAL) & Andre Iguodala (PHI) – 4

Boomin’ Blockers (Top blockers of the night!)

DeAndre Jordan (LAC) – 6

Javale McGee (WAS), Andrew Bynum (LAL) & Omer Asik (CHI) – 5

Sharpshooters (Top 3-point shooters of the night!)

Jordan Farmar (NJN) – 6

Anthony Morrow (NJN) – 5

A LOT with 4

Jan. 11, 2012 First Five

C – DeMarcus Cousins (SAC) – 21pts, 19rebs, 1stl, 1blk

F – Kevin Durant (OKC) – 29pts, 10rebs, 4blks, 3 asts, 3 triples, 1stl

F – Kobe Bryant (LAL) – 40pts, 8rebs, 4asts, 1stl, 1blk

G – Tony Parker (SAS) – 28pts, 8asts, 5rebs, 1stl

G – Chris Paul (LAC) – 27pts, 11asts, 6rebs, 3stls

DeMarcus Cousins is slowly getting into a groove.
He might just be the biggest surprise this season.

Honorable Mention:

Paul Millsap (UTA) – 29pts, 9rebs, 3stls, 1ast

John Lucas (CHI) – 25pts, 8rebs, 8asts, 1stl

Carmelo Anthony (NYK) – 27pts, 9rebs, 5asts, 3stls

 

For a full summary of the day, here’s today’s NBA Daily Zap: