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Boston Celtics – Tanking Their Way to the NBA Playoffs
There’s lottery tanking, and then there’s the playoffs kind, when you know you’re not going to finish in a better position than you’re already in so you rest players as much as possible. The Boston Celtics aren’t going to finish above the 7th spot in the Eastern Conference, so Doc Rivers prefers battling his battles without Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, not leaving himself much of a chance.
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Houston Rockets – Jeremy Lin Continues to Thrive on his Own
With James Harden still missing and Chandler Parsons not playing as well, the load on Jeremy Lin to carry the offense of the Houston Rockets was greater than ever, this season at least. You know what? He had no problem being the man with the spotlight on him, as expected, having an excellent game while enjoying a very good one from Omer Asik in the paint to prove the point of his importance to Kevin McHale one more time.
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Memphis Grizzlies – Mike Conley Can Play Offense Too
Most of the praise the Memphis Grizzlies receive has to do with their defense, and while the frontcourt duo of Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph is appreciated for what they do on offense as well, the chance for Mike Conley to earn the same accolades for what he does with the ball is rarer, but still something that happens once in a while.
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New York Knicks – Carmelo Anthony & the Three Point Band
It wasn’t the best performance we’ve seen this season from Carmelo Anthony, but it was solid enough to lead the perfect mix of three point shooting and aggressive, drive-to-the-basket style as the New York Knicks hone in on their first division title in nearly 20 years.
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Miami Heat – Chris Bosh Steps Out of the Shadows With Game Winner
Before deciding to take his talents to South Beach and join forced with Dwyane Wade and LeBron James, there were quite a few who called Chris Bosh the best power forward in the NBA. It’s easy to forget just how good he is if given the reins to lead an offense, but without the two bigger stars on the floor, the Miami Heat did just that, and were repaid with a game winning shot that people forgot Bosh can pull off.
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Chicago Bulls – Luol Deng Keep a Rivalry Streak Going
Fighting, defending and hustling to somehow improve and maybe upgrade their NBA playoffs starting spot, the Chicago Bulls are clawing their way towards home advantage in the first series, as Luol Deng becomes more and more offensively dominant and efficient, something that should have happened earlier this season.
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Los Angeles Lakers – Kobe Bryant Breaks Records While Being Awful
The most important thing? The Los Angeles Lakers won another game, on the road of all places, to stay in the race for the final ticket the NBA has to offer in the Western playoffs. Things of less importance all have to do with Kobe Bryant, not resting a single minute, moving up the NBA’s all time scoring list, shooting terribly from the field while posting assist numbers to make us think he’s a “team” player.
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Utah Jazz – Randy Foye is Next to Keep Playoff Hopes Alive
All of a sudden, the Utah Jazz have guards, some would even call them point guards, that can score points and make a difference. Randy Foye had his best game of the season with a rare shooting night, while Mo Williams continued his late-season heroics, as the two are suddenly pushing a team that looked on the verge of an embarrassing collapse back into the NBA postseason picture.
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Oklahoma City Thunder – Kevin Durant Makes Up for an Ugly Russell Westbrook Triple Double
Even when he posts a triple double, Russell Westbrook has to do it with some awful shooting numbers, showing just how much more work has to be done in regards of taming his offensive tendencies. The exact opposite might be said of Kevin Durant, the perfect scoring machine, about to win the scoring title despite not being the player taking the most shots on the Oklahoma City Thunder.
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Houston Rockets – Jeremy Lin Kind of Basketball Without James Harden
While a lot of the success and ascent into a playoff team this season has to do with James Harden joining the Houston Rockets, the kind of basketball he forces the team to play doesn’t always benefit them and suit the rest of the players. This time, without him on the floor, Jeremy Lin didn’t break out into some memorable performance, but he was the anchor of a different, team-oriented game that might be more suitable for the Rockets’ needs.