Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports: “Someday, James could surpass Jordan in every way, but he’s still six titles behind him, still three behind Bryant. For James, he’s closed the gap on Kobe – maybe erased it – and this was a night when it was so easy to see the differences in disposition of these two stars. When Bryant scored his 61 on Monday, he was stone-faced sober. No joking, no laughs. That’s how he lives, too. All night, LeBron was gabbing and laughing and smiling. He fist-pumped with Spike Lee. He walked out of the final timeout playing air guitar to the music on the public-address system. ‘I think Kobe is much more focused than LeBron, much quieter,’ said an NBA executive who knows both well. ‘He doesn’t party. He doesn’t hang out. It isn’t that LeBron doesn’t approach the game in a high-end, professional way, but he’s much more carefree and fun, much more of a showman. Off the court, he’s joking and laughing. I think that, in part, each one wants to be a little like the other.’”
Paul Forrester of CNNSI.com: “‘I don’t go out there for the numbers,’ James said after the game. ‘I play my game. You saw every phase of my game tonight; the scoring, the rebounds, the assists and the defense. If a [triple-double] happens, then great, but I never look at it that way.’ James’ dive for a final, and triple-double-clinching rebound (before which James admitted a teammate had told him would secure the feat), would seem to speak otherwise, especially to a rival he is scheduled to meet Sunday as the Cavs put their perfect home record on the line against the Lakers. But not everyone uses the same language, do they? Some, like Kobe, speak in a determined downpour of points; others, like LeBron, use more measured tones. Both have proved exceedingly effective for the players and their respective teams. Unfortunately for the Knicks, New York has been made into translator for each to speak to one another before they do so in person this weekend. ‘The [Lakers] will probably get into Cleveland a day early, and I will try to reach out to [Kobe],’ James said. ‘But it’s going to be a good show.’”
Chris Sheridan of ESPN.com: “Kobe and LeBron will see each other in person on Sunday when Los Angeles finishes its current five-game road trip in Cleveland, and the two will have a chance that afternoon to measure themselves against each other not by what they did earlier in the week in New York, but by the outcome of their matchup at the Q. Both teams, along with the Celtics, have been stubbornly refusing to become the first of that trio to reach double figures in losses, and the question of who is the better player and who has the better team cannot even begin to be answered until we have Sunday’s result and this season’s playoffs to look back upon. But know this: it has to bother LeBron that Kobe is clearly more of a fan favorite at Madison Square Garden than he is right now, and I’d put money down now that when James makes his next visit to the building, he’s going to have Kobe’s 61 in his sights again — whether he’s ready to admit it by then or not.”
Neil Paine of Basketball-Reference.com: “This really serves to highlight the differences between the two megastars’ respective games… Kobe had the ball in his hands much less than LeBron, and he got his points more in the flow of the offense (remember, Pau Gasol also scored 31 against N.Y.), utilizing the long-range and mid-range game to greater effect than LBJ. On the other hand, ‘Bron was a much better all-around performer, dishing to teammates at a great rate (for reference’s sake, Chris Paul’s league-leading assist ratio is 54.2 so far this season) and pulling down rebounds at a nice clip as well (recall that Kobe had zero boards on Monday). And defensively, LBJ was also better than Kobe against N.Y. Given all that, between the two performances, which one was better? Well, (cop-out in 3…2…) I’d say it’s a tie — give Kobe the scoring edge and LeBron the win everywhere else. So naturally, the battle royale between these two hardwood geniuses rages on, with no resolution in sight.”
Jan Hubbard of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram: “Carlisle is doing what he promised to do in May, when he was hired and announced that he was going to employ an up-tempo style that utilized Kidd’s considerable talents. ‘I go into every year trying to find ways to not call plays,’ Carlisle said. ‘I’m a believer in the flow of the game, and I’m a believer that play-calling can inhibit creativity. But from time to time, it’s a necessity. You got to have stuff tailored to your personnel.’ On the Mavericks’ recent road trip, Carlisle saw a team that had inexplicable extremes: impressive victories in Philadelphia and Detroit, ugly losses in Milwaukee and Boston. When the Mavericks came home, they were 25-19, and while certainly not a bad team, they were far from threatening. So with nothing left to lose, Carlisle gave Kidd freedom. ‘Jason has an amazing ability to see and influence a game,’ Cuban said. ‘There aren’t many coaches in the league that would just turn over that responsibility, even to a great player like Jason. … Our game is just flowing so much better since we don’t have to look over to the bench for calls.’”
Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle: “There are only six last-place teams in the NBA and the Rockets already have already lost to five of them, with the mighty Grizzlies, Clippers, Wizards, Pacers and Raptors combining to hit the Rockets for seven losses. The Rockets can only give thanks that they don’t have to face the Thunder again. How many times can the Rockets regroup? How often can they look at the schedule and some practice days and believe that this time they will get it right? They have to keep working at it. That’s what teams do. And they will still likely win enough to avoid being that ninth team worthy of one of the eight Western Conference playoff spots. The time wasted while waiting to get healthy no doubt has set back the Rockets, but losses like Wednesday’s are far from unusual.”
Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News: “The abundance of Warriors’ Ts isn’t out of character from the last few years, when Baron Davis and SJax habitually got racked up for complaining and also habitually didn’t run back on defense while they were complaining. It’s the built up Culture of No-Discipline–bad on defense, not much accountability, lots of weird losses. It worked for the last two years, because hey, what are you going to do when Baron’s the best player on the team and he fades in and out of focus even in the biggest games and his fiery personality is what lit up the team. And what are you going to do when the coach is a known raconteur, who probably stays out later than most of the players and runs a system that encourages and necessitates scrambled, chaotic play, and who doesn’t do much about defense?”
Michael Grange of the Globe and Mail: “Now what’s also interesting is how the ground has shifted around Bosh in a pretty short period of time. Based on the opinions of guys on my men’s team and comments and e-mails I’ve been reading here and elsewhere; it doesn’t seem like the world would end for Raptors fans if Bosh did get moved. Maybe it’s because the crowd I’m referring to are pretty hardcore fans; the kind of people who can envision LaMarcus Aldridge and Jerryd Bayless in a Raptors uniform and get excited. I think the broader fan base might be tougher to sell on the idea and that’s no small concern: the Raptors have sold a lot No. 4 jerseys the last few years and know exactly what they have in Bosh — a mature citizen, a real pro and a pretty damn good basketball player. Letting go of a guy like that is a huge risk. But it’s not like the concept of moving him has everyone I’ve heard from in hysterics.”
Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel: “Just because Johnson is a career backup doesn’t mean he’s just some schlub out there. You don’t stay in this league 12 years without having some talent and athletic ability. He was an all-conference quarterback and shortstop in high school. Unlike most of his teammates, he’s actually played in an NBA conference final. Did you know he once scored 40 points in a playoff game? ‘He’s done everything in this league,’ Magic Coach Stan Van Gundy said. ‘He’s not going to panic. He’s been in huge games. He’s been a winner.’ Johnson’s younger teammates often gig him by walking around the locker room all hunched over while calling him ‘Old Man’ or ‘Dad’ or ‘Pops.’ You half-expected the other Magic players to celebrate his performance Wednesday by popping open a bottle of prune juice and spraying him with it.”
Chris Perkins of the Palm Beach Post: “Wade badly wanted to stick it to the fans who taunted him, especially the female fan who congratulated him for losing the game for his team. She was referring to Wade getting hit with a technical foul for slamming the ball into the floor with 20.2 seconds left and the Heat trailing 92-87. As Wade (29 points, 13 assists) sat on the scorer’s table while Tayshaun Prince shot the technical foul shot, Pistons fans taunted him. Wade, who usually ignores the crowd, turned around, gave them a thumbs up, and then went to work at the other end of the court. His three-pointer with 18 seconds left got the Heat within 92-90. Detroit immediately called a timeout. ‘I came back and gave her a wink after that,’ Wade said of his walk to the bench. ‘I appreciate the way the fans are in the game. She helped me out.’”
Tom Ziller of FanHouse: “Brand exits, the supporting cast remembers how to play, and voila! some wins. The Philly offense has been so much better without Brand, eight points per 100 possessions better. That is not a trivial amount, and it speaks directly to the problem we describe: the Sixers don’t know how to incorporate Brand into the offense. (Defensively, the 76ers are very good without Brand, and potentially great with him.) So there’s the rub: the offense will get better if Brand sits and heals, and Philadelphia might win enough games to capture the fourth or fifth seed in the East. But that doesn’t help you in April — you signed Brand to have a post defender and scorer in the playoffs. If Brand just needs some time (and not the whole offseason) to heal, can you really expect to try the bouillabaise again in late March?”
Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star: “Their 19-30 record suggests the Indiana Pacers should be solidifying offseason vacation plans. It’s a good thing they play in the Eastern Conference, however. Because they do, they are still in the playoff mix. Three of the league’s best records belong to Eastern Conference teams Boston, Cleveland and Orlando. But there is a significant drop after that in this top-heavy conference. Records are so unimpressive at the bottom half of the conference that the Pacers are only five games out of seventh place. They’re just 31/2 out of eighth. They would be 81/2 games out if they played in the Western Conference.”
Indy Cornrows: “My initial reaction to the news that Jamaal Tinsley and Raymond Brothers are ready to file a grievance against the Pacers, was to question the timing of suddenly making noise two weeks before the trade deadline after staying quiet since the summer. I figured any chance the Pacers had to move Tins was now shot, since any rational GM would just wait for the forced-hand of the Pacers to buyout or waive Tinsley. Fortunately, Kevin Lee improved the outlook for me today after I heard him on the radio a couple of times. According to Kevin, even if the grievance was filed immediately, which is not the case, it would take more than a month to work its way through the red tape before an arbitrator was ready to look at the case. Since any team interested in Tinsley’s services this year would need to add him to their roster prior to March 1st to make him eligible for the post-season, the team doesn’t have time to wait and pick up Tins on the cheap.”
Ian Thomsen of CNNSI.com: “Several league executives predicted before last season that Allen would be the star least likely to accept his role in the new Celtics offense. It says much about Allen that he was willing and able to adapt at an age when players at his position are rarely able to compete at a high level. ‘I hear so many times guys say they want to win a championship, I want to be a winner, but what they’re really saying is they want to win so long as it’s comfortable for them,” Rivers said. ‘You don’t win by being comfortable. You win by doing things out of your comfort zone to make the team better, and Ray epitomizes that to me. He’s completely come out of his comfort zone to fit into this team to make us better, and Ray has proved that he’s a champion because he’s willing to do that.’”
Bill Dwyre of the Los Angeles Times: “Both Hawkins and Baylor joked about that first year in the Sports Arena. ‘We’d come back from a two-week trip,’ Hawkins said, ‘and we’d get off the plane and they put us in vans and trucks with speakers on the top and they’d give us a script and we’d drive around the city, reading: ‘Hi there. I’m Tommy Hawkins of the Lakers. We’re back in town after a two-week trip and we’ll have five games at home. First up, the Knicks on Tuesday night.’ Kupchak, speaking later, said, ‘I’m having trouble visualizing Kobe and Pau Gasol, riding through the streets with a speaker system.’ There were stories of that first season, 1960-’61, when no local radio station had enough interest to even do broadcasts, and Lakers owner Bob Short said he couldn’t afford a broadcaster anyway.”
Alan Hahn of Newsday: “It’s a shame King is nowhere to be found among the references to Knicks history on GardenVision and most elsewhere in the building. His career was brief, but Fixers, you’ve read here before that this bloghost believes No. 30 belongs in the Hall of Fame. I documented quotes from many HOFers from his time — Bird, for one — who agree. King is living full-time in Atlanta now and his new passion is helping American companies go green: his company, Bernard King and Thompson Energy Solutions, works with businesses to reduce their energy costs and output and make them more energy efficient. To hear King explain what his company does — ‘We come in and do a survey and a study of your business and do an assessment of your facilities, assess your boilers and controls, lighting systems, everything that causes you to be ineffecient and effects your bottom line in terms of your energy costs,’ he said — shows you that, like he was as a player, King is very much driven to the success of his company.”
Art Garcia of NBA.com: “In an effort to balance the bottom line, draft picks have been sold and useful players basically given away. Imagine where an aging team — Nash, Shaq and Grant Hill are in their mid-30s — would be with young studs Rajon Rondo and Rudy Fernandez, both Suns’ picks dealt before ever playing a second for Phoenix. Kurt Thomas was donated to Seattle with two first-round choices. Nash can understand basketball moves made because of money, but he said those choices need to be factored in when discussing a championship. The Suns simply aren’t as talented as they could be because of the monetary constraints of Robert Sarver and his ownership group. ‘It’s their team and they can do whatever they want,’ Nash said matter-of-factly. ‘At the same time, when people are critical of us they should keep in mind we can very easily have a different roster. Go through and look at the players we’ve given up that were still cheap and very valuable.’” [Via SLAM]
