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Houston Rockets – Jeremy Lin Injury Doesn’t Get in the Way
For now, it doesn’t seem like the bruise Jeremy Lin picked up is going to be something that keeps him from playing in the next game for the Houston Rockets. In any case, his absence, and that of James Harden, meant nothing to the surging Rockets, beating the Atlanta Hawks 113-84 with Aaron Brooks and Francisco Garcia picking up the slack with an impressive performance while coming off the bench.
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Bulls vs Pistons – Starting to Move in the Right Direction
The initial shock from losing Derrick Rose for the season is over. The Chicago Bulls know what they have to do in order to make something out of this season, and that usually means returning to their famous, tough as nails defense. It’s easy against the terrible Detroit Pistons, winning 99-79, getting a bit more of the excellent form Luol Deng is in, and a surprising bench contribution from Taj Gibson.
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Heat vs Cavs – LeBron James Doesn’t Offer Hometown Discounts
Over the last few years, LeBron James has saved some of his best performances as a Miami Heat player for his returns to Cleveland and facing his former team, the scorn Cavaliers, who suddenly want their old franchise player back. That isn’t happening anytime soon, and so isn’t having it easy against the NBA champions, strolling to a 95-84 win, their 8th in a row.
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Lakers vs Nets – Jason Kidd is in So Much Trouble
It’s not enough that the Brooklyn Nets are missing their two best players while a rookie head coach, Jason Kidd doesn’t seem to know what he’s doing. During their loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, Kidd intentionally told one of his players to bump into him in order to cause a spill on the court and give him a few extra seconds to draw up a play. It didn’t help, and the Lakers still won 99-94, while Kidd probably landed himself into a heap of trouble.
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Houston Rockets – Jeremy Lin Should Be the Example For James Harden
If the Houston Rockets were a team that’s run and coached the right way, Jeremy Lin wouldn’t have to wonder about his role and position on the floor. James Harden would be a star shooting guard that isn’t too busy trying to handle the ball too much, and Kevin McHale wouldn’t be using Patrick Beverley in the starting lineup or for so many minutes in general. But the last season and a bit are showing us that things are very different in South East Texas.
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Kobe Bryant & The Lakers – NBA Loyalty Costs Money
No one has really been able to rationalize completely the reasoning behind the Los Angeles Lakers giving Kobe Bryant a two year extension that keeps him as the highest paid player in the NBA. But is this really such a bad thing to happen? It might mean the Lakers aren’t going to be able to give Bryant that sixth title ring he thinks he’s going to get, but it does make a case for franchises compensating players for some years of underpaying them.
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NBA Rumors – Chicago Bulls Trading, Not Tanking
The key word this season for many NBA teams is tanking. No one is admitting they’re doing it, but at some point this season, we’re going to see a whole lot of it. Are the Chicago Bulls part of that bunch? Definitely not, despite the Derrick Rose injury, the disappointing start, the loss to the Utah Jazz and all the talk about trading Luol Deng and possibly others to start something of a rebuilding process.
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Lakers vs Wizards – John Wall Gets to Back Up His Own Words From Time to Time
If you ask John Wall about the best point guard in the NBA, the answer you’ll get will be… John Wall. According to his last three games, including his performance, along with teammate Nene, against the Los Angeles Lakers, leading the Washington Wizards to a 116-111 victory, he’s not that far off from the truth.
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Nets vs Raptors – Momentary Relief, Not Salvation
The Brooklyn Nets are still an expensive, yet pretty bad basketball team, with Jason Kidd not really doing a great job in his attempt to lead them. But there is a bit of light at the end of the tunnel for them, as their 102-100 win over the Toronto Raptors showed, suggesting that even without their two best players, there’s still hope to create a foundation that will eventually get them into the playoffs.
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Knicks vs Blazers – When Losing and Winning Streaks Collide
One of the three hottest teams in the NBA right now, the Portland Trail Blazers, facing one of the worst, the New York Knicks? Not even a fair fight, as the 102-91 scoreline doesn’t do justice to the winners, led by the usual balanced effort from their starting five and especially Nicolas Batum and Damian Lillard, while Carmelo Anthony was completely alone on the other end, also something we’ve gotten used to seeing.