 |
| Dwight Howard lost his cool and got ejected in Game 4. That might have been his final game as a Laker. (Image from: USA Today) |
#GoneFishin #Dwightmare
The tumultuous season of the Lakers finally came to an end after the Spurs swept them. The Lakers had no chance to win this series and they failed to even keep one game close. Most of the Lakers played hard on their final game except Dwight Howard who got ejected in the 3rd quarter after complaining too much to the referees. The Lakers were down big when Dwight got tossed and without him, the season was basically over. It felt as if Howard just lost interest in Game 4 and lost interest in his team. Getting himself ejected seemed like taking the "easy way out". There's a big chance that Howard played his last game for the Lakers and if that is the case, how many Lakers' fans would be happy that he's gone?
#Sweep #NoShow
The Bucks never led in Game 4 although they kept it close up to the 4th quarter until Miami decided to turn up the pressure and end the series. Brandon Jennings was a non-factor for the 3rd straight game and was unable to support his brash comments about beating the Heat in 6. Even without Dwyane Wade, Miami did their business and accomplished their 1st sweep in the Heat 3 era. Kudos to Udonis Haslem, Ray Allen and Mike Miller for stepping up with D-Wade missing the game. It also helps a lot when LeBron James drops 30 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists. The Heat has won 12 straight games dating back to the regular season and now they will have a lot of time to rest their bruises while waiting for the winner of Nets-Bulls.
#TheJet #StayingAlive
Jason Terry has been a disappointment during his first regular season with the Celtics. He was also a non-factor in their first 3 games vs the Knicks until Terry came alive in the overtime session of Game 4. The Jet made a key three and some free throws in OT to keep the Celtics' season alive for another game. Boston almost lost the game after being up by 20 points but the Knicks came back thanks to Raymond Felton and Iman Shumpert. JR Smith missed the game due to a suspension and that certainly helped the Celtics steal one game. Carmelo Anthony still scored 36 points but he had to hoist 35 shots while making only 10. Paul Pierce, Jeff Green and Kevin Garnett all had big games which the Celtics need to replicate to win Game 5 in New York.
#SizzlingHot #DubNation
Stephen Curry had one basket while having ankle problems during half time. Still, Curry played in the 3rd quarter and exploded for 22 points. He was sizzling hot, similar to his past 3 games where he averaged 30 points on 55% shooting. A close game suddenly turned into a rout and the Warriors are comfortably up 3-1. Curry had lots of help too coming from Andrew Bogut who dunked on multiple Nuggets and Jarrett Jack who continues to make key shots and good decisions. Ty Lawson had another good game but he needed more help since Faried and Chandler failed to score at least 10 points. Coach Karl made a puzzling decision by letting Andre Miller guard Curry during his 22-point explosion. Expect George Karl to make the necessary adjustments for Game 5 by putting Iguodala or Lawson on Curry more.
#Stats #News
- Melo launched 35 shots which is the 2nd highest this year (Kobe had 41)
- Ray Allen was the Heat's 2nd leading scorer vs the Bucks
- Bryant sat on the Lakers' bench after Dwight got banished to the lockers
- Tony Parker had 23 points in 26 minutes
- Only 8 teams have managed to win after being down 3-1 in a series
Stephen Curry (Warriors) - 31 points, 7 assists, 3 rebounds, 4 steals.
#Highlights of the Night
Dwight Howard quits on his team
Andrew Bogut over JaVale!
#Tweets of the Night
"He doesn't know how to post up. I like him a lot as a person, but as a player he's got a long way to go." -Chuck on @DwightHoward
LN: Dwight, I've been swept before but I never let my team down by getting kicked out of the game.
#Game Recaps
Final Score: Boston 97, New York 90 (OT)
Boston, MA
(Sports Network) - After being pushed around by the New York Knicks in the
first three games of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series, the Boston
Celtics showed some fight. Jason Terry scored Boston's final nine points of
overtime, beginning with a tie-breaking 3-pointer with 1:32 left, and the
Celtics staved off elimination with a hard-earned 97-90 Game 4 decision over
the Knicks at a raucous TD Garden. Terry finished with 18 points, with Paul
Pierce putting up a team-best 29 and Jeff Green adding 26 to help Boston force
a Game 5 that will be held Wednesday at Madison Square Garden. Kevin Garnett
did his part as well by pulling down 17 rebounds and recording nine of his 13
points in the second half and OT. Playing without NBA Sixth Man of the Year
J.R. Smith, suspended for the contest after being assessed with a flagrant
elbow of Terry during Friday's 90-76 New York victory in Game 3, the Knicks
struggled to a 34.4 percent field goal percentage. New York still managed to
overcome a 20-point second-half deficit and send the game into extra minutes
behind a dominant third quarter, during which Raymond Felton dropped in 16 of
his 27 points. Carmelo Anthony topped the Knicks with 36 points, but went just
10-of-35 from the floor and 0-for-7 from 3-point range. Iman Shumpert compiled
a double-double of 12 points and 12 rebounds in defeat.
Final Score: Miami 88, Milwaukee 77
Milwaukee,
WI (Sports Network) - The Heat recorded their first series sweep in the
playoffs since LeBron James and Chris Bosh joined Dwyane Wade in Miami. But the
Heat didn't need Wade's services in Game 4 of their first-round Eastern
Conference playoff series against the Milwaukee Bucks. James led the way with
30 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and three steals as Miami took down
the Bucks, 88-77, to post the franchise's fourth postseason series sweep. Ray
Allen and Udonis Haslem added 16 and 13 points, respectively, for Miami, which
swept a playoff series for the first time since the 2005 Eastern Conference
Semifinals. Bosh tallied 10 points and four blocks. Wade sat out Sunday's
playoff game to rest his bruised right knee. He averaged 13.7 points, 7.0
rebounds and 6.3 assists in the first three games of this series. The Heat will
face either Chicago or Brooklyn in the next round. The Bulls lead that series
by a 3-1 margin. Monta Ellis ended with 21 points and eight assists for the
Bucks, who haven't won an opening-round playoff series since 2001. Mike
Dunleavy and J.J. Redick donated 17 and 10 points, respectively.
Final Score: San Antonio 103, LA Lakers 82
Los Angeles,
CA (Sports Network) - The San Antonio Spurs ended the Los Angeles Lakers'
drama-filled season in sweeping fashion. Tony Parker had 23 points and the
Spurs dominated the Lakers, 103-82, on Sunday to sweep their first-round
Western Conference playoff series. The Lakers had never been swept in a first-
round series since the playoffs expanded to 16 teams during the 1983-84 season.
Los Angeles was swept just once previously in an opening-round playoff series in
franchise history (1967, 0-3 to San Francisco). It was a disappointing end to a
season that started with so much hope for the Lakers, who acquired All-Stars
Steve Nash and Dwight Howard in the offseason. After an 0-8 preseason record
and a 1-4 start to the regular season, head coach Mike Brown was fired.
Assistant Bernie Bickerstaff was named the interim coach until Mike D'Antoni
took over as the full-time head coach. Los Angeles made a late push to make the
playoffs but lost Kobe Bryant (torn Achilles tendon) in the process. The Lakers
were plagued by injuries in this series, and played Sunday's game without the
services of Metta World Peace (left knee), Nash (hamstring), Steve Blake
(hamstring) and Jodie Meeks (ankle). The second- seeded Spurs, who handed the
Lakers their earliest playoff exit since 2007, will either face Denver or
Golden State in the next round.
Final Score: Golden State 115, Denver 101
Oakland, CA
(Sports Network) - Stephen Curry's sore left ankle didn't seem to affect his
shooting on Sunday night. The Golden State sharp-shooter scorched the nets for
a game-high 31 points, including 22 in the third quarter, as the Warriors
surged past the Denver Nuggets, 115-101, to grab a 3-1 series lead in their
Western Conference quarterfinal matchup at Oracle Arena. Curry went just
1-for-3 for seven points in the first half, but finished 10- for-16 from the
floor to go with seven assists in helping the Warriors earn their third
straight victory. Jarrett Jack followed with 21 points and nine helpers, while
Carl Landry tallied 17 points in the victory. Ty Lawson led the Nuggets with 26
points and six assists and Andre Iguodala added 19 points and eight rebounds,
but it wasn't enough to keep Denver from finding itself in a do-or- die
situation. The Nuggets will look to extend the series in Game 5 on Tuesday in
Denver.
0 Comment