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Chicago Bulls – Carlos Boozer, Jimmy Butler, Joakim Noah & Nate Robinson Have Nothing to Be Ashamed Of
For the second time in three years, the Chicago Bulls lose to the Miami Heat in a playoff series, both of them lasting only 5 games. Yet with so many injuries to begin with, from Derrick Rose to Luol Deng and finishing with Kirk Hinrich, the effort, heart, sacrifice and ability that Carlos Boozer, Jimmy Butler, Joakim Noah and Nate Robinson have shown in this postseason is nothing but commendable.
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Memphis Grizzlies – Zach Randolph & Marc Gasol Grind the Life out of Kevin Durant
If last year after losing in the NBA finals Kevin Durant looked sad, he looked exhausted and empty after losing in 5 games to the Memphis Grizzlies. It’s hard to say when looked more pitiful. Zach Randolph pulled a number on him and his entire front line by destroying them in the paint, while Tayshaun Prince, Marc Gasol and Tony Allen did on the defensive end.
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Miami Heat – LeBron James Finds Answers by Lowering His Head and Grinding it Out
It’s been well established that for LeBron James and the Miami Heat to succeed in the playoffs and win NBA titles (which they’ve already done once), they won’t be able to turn away from winning by scoring in the paint. Dwyane Wade only started helping in the fourth quarter, but it was enough to put a lid on the Eastern conference semifinals series, closing it out in five games, as the big three advance to their third conference finals in three years.
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San Antonio Spurs – Tony Parker Makes Stephen Curry Look Injured
Don’t always believe it when NBA players and their head coaches speak of injuries. It’s all about perception, and when Tony Parker leads the San Antonio Spurs to a huge win in Game 5 while making Stephen Curry (with the help of others) look like someone who doesn’t really know what he’s doing for once, the injury card for Curry suddenly becomes a lot more significant, trying to make us forget the point guard in front of him is older and just as injured.
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Indiana Pacers – Paul George Defense on Carmelo Anthony Not Going Away
It’s one thing to “help” Carmelo Anthony shoot with horrible accuracy from the field; the sheer volume of his attempts from the field aid with that. But Paul George is leading the Indiana Pacers towards the Eastern Conference Finals without being too incredible on offense, but doing an incredible work on the NBA’s leading scorer in the regular season, aided by the fact that his team is annihilating their rivals on the board and in the paint.
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Oklahoma City Thunder – Kevin Durant Isn’t Good Enough to Win Without Russell Westbrook
For about three quarters, Kevin Durant and the rest of the players around him were doing exactly what the optimistic among the Oklahoma City Thunder personnel knew they should be doing in order to win the series. Knock down their shots, and try to hurry up the game as much as possible. At some point, reality hit them in the face. Without Russell Westbrook it was easy to focus on their best player down the stretch, and the guy who thinks he should be the best in the NBA wasn’t good enough to live up to his own desires.
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Chicago Bulls – Nate Robinson Finally Runs Out of Luck & Confidence
At some point, you can’t cover up for all those missing players, including Derrick Rose and Kirk Hinrich, with a point guard who is too small to make a useful defensive player. Tom Thibodeau looked at his bench and saw players he normally wouldn’t have used, but with Nate Robinson finally have the kind of game a lot of people were predicting he’d have at some point, there wasn’t much of a choice.
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Memphis Grizzlies – Making Kevin Durant Look Terrible When it Matters
It came down to defense, and there doesn’t seem to be any team that does it better at the moment than the Memphis Grizzlies, with Marc Gasol closing any lanes on their way to the rim, while Tony Allen simply did a perfect job on Kevin Durant during the fourth quarter and overtime, putting the Griz only one win away from reaching the conference final for the first time in franchise history.
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Miami Heat & LeBron James Prove Something About Toughness & Defense
There’s always something LeBron James needs to prove, and into that battle he gladly drags along the rest of the Miami Heat with him. If anyone questioned his toughness, it’s over now. If anyone thought the Miami Heat can’t play defense that simply makes their rivals look like amateurs, that’s over as well, just like their […]
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Kevin Durant Needs to be Better, But How Much More Can He Give
When you look at the transition offense the Oklahoma City Thunder had during the regular season, the best in the NBA, and what they’re trying to pull off now, you suddenly realize why Russell Westbrook is so important, despite his obvious shortcomings. Kevin Durant is trying to do everything for his team, but it doesn’t seem to be enough, and it’s not certain he has anything else to give.