The Orange County Register blog (Art Thompson III) reports on the Clippers: Thirty-six starting units have been used in 80 games. That includes 21 lineups that have been used just once. Even more striking, 17 different players have started a game for the Clippers this season, including four players – Sam Cassell, Richie Frahm, Ruben Patterson and Aaron Williams, who no longer are with the team.
Month: April 2008
Isiah Thomas praises Knicks fans
The New York Post (Marc Berman) reports the following (via blog, not print): If he gets serenaded with a final round of “Fire Isiah’’ chants tonight, Isiah Thomas admitted it will be OK. “Whatever comes out and whatever is said and done, the fact that they’re there (is good),’’ Thomas said. “Because we’ve been in lot of arenas where there’s apathy, fans don’t care. When I first got here, people didn’t come to the games.’’ “I honestly love the way they supported our team through these difficult times,’’ Thomas added. “There’s a certain aspect of losing that really, really sucks and the fans have a right to voice it when it sucks…Because we’re in the locker room voicing that too.’’ … Asked his emotions about this possibly being his last home game as Knicks coach, Thomas said, “I haven’t allowed my mind to drift that far. You try to be one with what is. You prepare yourself for every situation and you deal with it.’’
Giant David Stern teleconference
A new giant interview with David Stern, as conducted via telephone by various media members, is a must-read for everyone who follows the league closely.
Everything that was said is here.
Carmelo Anthony pulled over for suspicion of DUI
Denver Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony was pulled over by police on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol.
His lawyer, Dan Recht, issued the following statement early Monday afternoon:
“Carmelo was pulled over late Sunday night on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol. He cooperated by consenting to a blood test, the results of which will not be available for approximately two weeks. There was no accident and no one was hurt. Like anyone in a similar situation, Carmelo has to wait for the results of the blood test. He regrets putting himself in this situation. In the meantime, Carmelo will try to stay focused on his family and his team. Carmelo apologizes to his fans, the Denver community, his teammates and the Nuggets organization for the distraction this is causing them.”
Also, Denver Nuggets Vice President of Basketball Operations Mark Warkentien issued the following statement today: “We are aware of the situation involving Carmelo Anthony. We are currently gathering information and we will have no further comment at this time.”
Apr. 13: Sonics 99, Mavs 95
The AP reports: Standing at midcourt, hearing his home fans roar as they never have during his rookie season, Kevin Durant wore a giddy smile, lifting his arms and asking for more from the appreciative crowd. “Save Our Sonics,” they replied in deafening unison. If this was the end of the Seattle SuperSonics, they went out with a rare victory and feeling well loved. “I almost cried, to be honest with you. People kept saying it might be the last game in Seattle,” Durant said. “It was phenomenal.” Durant scored twice in the final 45 seconds, and the Sonics rallied from a six-point deficit in the final 3 minutes to beat the Dallas Mavericks 99-95 on Sunday night… Earl Watson led Seattle with 21 points and 10 assists, while Nick Collison had 18 points and 11 rebounds as Seattle scored the final 10 points and handed Dallas a second straight loss. Durant finished with 19 points, 13 coming in the second half.
Apr. 13: Nuggets 111, Rockets 94
The AP reports: J.R. Smith’s 23-point performance sparked Denver to a 111-94 rout of the Houston Rockets on Sunday night that both clarified and cluttered the wild Western Conference playoff race. “That’s all he’s got to do is come into the game and the energy is there,” said Allen Iverson, who scored 33 points… This was a surprisingly easy win for the Nuggets, who raced to 43 fastbreak points as the Rockets shot 34 percent. Denver pulled away with a 10-0 first-half run sparked by consecutive 3-pointers from Smith. Luther Head lead Houston with 19 points and McGrady scored 16. Marcus Camby grabbed 14 rebounds, all but one of them off the defensive glass, and blocked seven shots for Denver, which led 61-44 at halftime and never looked back.
Apr. 13: Magic 104, Bulls 84
The AP reports: Hedo Turkoglu scored 24 points, and the Orlando Magic beat the Chicago Bulls 104-84 to reach the 50-win mark for the first time in 12 years on Sunday night. Dwight Howard added 19 points even though he sat out the fourth quarter, and Rashard Lewis added 18. Orlando got a much-needed win after dropping six of 10 and losing to lottery-bound New York and Minnesota in that span… Andres Nocioni led Chicago with 22 points and Luol Deng added 19, but it wasn’t enough to stop the Magic from reaching 50 wins for the first time since 1995-96.
Apr. 13: Cavs 84, Heat 76
The AP reports: Daniel Gibson made a 3-pointer and three straight free throws early in the fourth quarter to give Cleveland some cushion while LeBron James rested, and the Cavaliers moved closer to the East’s No. 4 seed with an 84-76 win over the Miami Heat on Sunday night. Delonte West scored 18 points, Zydrunas Ilgauskas had 14 and 14 rebounds and James finished with 13 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists for the Cavaliers, who didn’t play well again but had enough to hold off the pathetic Heat… Ricky Davis scored 17 points and Daequan Cook and Earl Barron had 13 apiece for Miami (14-66), whose dismal season is nearly over.
Apr. 13: Lakers 106, Spurs 85
The AP reports: MVP candidate Kobe Bryant had 20 points, five rebounds and five assists before sitting out the fourth quarter, and the Lakers routed the defending NBA champion San Antonio Spurs 106-85 for their seventh win in eight games… Lamar Odom, the only Los Angeles starter to play in the final period, added 17 points and 14 rebounds before coming out for good with 4:26 remaining. Pau Gasol had 14 points and 11 rebounds, Derek Fisher also scored 14, Jordan Farmar added 11 points and Ronny Turiaf scored 10 for the Lakers, who outscored the Spurs 53-32 in the second half… Tony Parker had 20 points, seven rebounds and five assists, but was held to two points after halftime. Tim Duncan added 16 points and 12 rebounds and Ime Udoka scored 14 for the Spurs (54-26), who lost for just the third time in 13 games.
Apr. 13: Pistons 91, Raptors 84
The AP reports: Detroit finished the game with its “Zoo Squad”—Jarvis Hayes, Amir Johnson, Jason Maxiell and rookies Arron Afflalo and Rodney Stuckey. The group averages just 22.8 years of age, but the youngsters have proven their worth in back-to-back wins over Washington and Toronto… Stuckey led the Pistons with 18 points, while Maxiell and Billups added 14 each. Chris Bosh had his 30 and Rasho Nesterovic added 18, but T.J. Ford (10) was the only other player to reach double figures… Detroit used all 12 players before halftime, but still took a 50-45 advantage into the break. The Pistons outrebounded Toronto 23-13 in the half, including a 7-2 edge on the offensive glass.