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| One team traded him away, and the other team traded for him. Both teams lost today. (images from the Boston Celtics wiki and by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images) |
MIA over BOS, 99-90 (MIA up 1-0)
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| The exasperation on Paul Pierce's face says it all (image by the AP) |
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| Wade drove past everyone today (image by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) |
The physicality was evident. The jawing was persistent. Both teams were undaunted, but the Celtics couldn’t survive the Heat’s bombardment. In a series where everyone was fixated on Miami’s Big Three and Boston’s fearsome Foursome, it was this year’s forgotten All-Star 3-point Shoot-out Champion who stole the show. James Jones was the best James on the floor against Boston, although LeBron wasn’t a slouch himself. But Jones? 5 threes. Perfect 10-of-10 from the line. Clutch. And on a night when 1/3 of the Big Three only accounted for 7 points on 3-12 shooting (read: Chris Bosh), JJ more than made up for the difference. And the Celtics? They just couldn’t compete. Did the long lay-off their sweep over New York enervate them instead of energize them? It sure seemed like it. Rajon Rondo and Kevin Garnett combined for only 6-19 FG shooting and nobody else really stepped up big time to counter Jones’s hot hand. Did the Cs miss Kendrick Perkins here? Not really since no Miami big man really made an indelible impact, but he could’ve knocked some sense into his teammates or thrown a few wayward elbows to show the Heat who was boss. Instead, Dwyane Wade had his best game against Boston this season and now Miami has the initiative. Can’t wait to see how Boston will counterpunch in Game 2.
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| Boston was helpless against Miami's onslaught (image by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) |
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| LeBron James is 3 wins away from exorcising his Celtic demons (image by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) |
MEM over OKC, 114-101 (MEM up 1-0)
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| The Grizzliest Grizzlies: Zebo and the 'other' Gasol (image by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) |
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| KD's 33 wasn't enough tonight (image by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) |
Raise your hand if you really, truly, honestly expected the Grizzlies to win Game 1 in Oklahoma. I thought so. We knew Memphis would be a threat, but to dismantle the Thunder so systematically? So dominantly? Wow. Props to Lionel Hollins. They might be the NBA’s version of Virginia Commonwealth. Of course it goes without saying that the Grizz road their sizeable frontline all the way to the bank. Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol combined for almost half of Memphis’s point output and more than half of their total rebounds. Just two players. If there was any pair expected to dominate here it was the one with Durant and Westbrook on the backs of their jerseys, but Zebo and Gasol have proven to be a tough postseason puzzle nobody has been able to crack just yet. Not even Oklahoma’s own fierce frontcourt of Kendrick Perkins and Serge Ibaka could slow them down. Suddenly the mighty Thunder look like they might just fold under this unforeseen predicament. KD and Jet Zero did make some noise in the game with a combined 62 points, but Scott Brooks has to find that spark who’ll enable Oklahoma City to scrape by Game 2 and level the series heading into Tennessee. Something tells me if OKC goes down in Game 2, then that’s all she wrote.
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| Russell Westbrook and the Thunder fell face first against Memphis (image by the AP) |
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| Perkins didn't have anything on Zebo (image by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) |
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