Top

John Wall

February 19, 2011 by · Comments Off on John Wall 

John Wall, When John Wall arrived at the Staples Center, he and former teammate DeMarcus Cousins Kentucky was curious about the record for assists in the Rookie Challenge. They found that all New Orleans Hornets star Chris Paul-own brand with 17 Cousins and immediately promised that he would break it.

“What I knew he was not,” Wall said about his good friend and college roommate Cousins, who is best known for finishing and bulge. And although Wall opened the scoring for rookies with a pull-up jumper, the Wizards’ No. 1 overall pick made it clear that his goal was to share, develop and celebrate. He threw lobs to Cousins and Blake Griffin, Wesley Johnson hit in stride for layups and jumpers, turned a back-back pass to Gary Neal for three points. At the end of the night, Wall finished with a record 22 assists, 12 points and made three Dougie times before becoming the most valuable player to his team’s 148-140 win Sophomores.

Unlike John Wall dropped a single game record Rookie-Sophomore 22 assists Friday night, an NBA team to reach a figure in aid during a regular season game is a rare feat. According to the database Basketball-Reference.com, it happened just 194 times since the 1986-87 season (the scope of the database BBR game box score). So, roughly 0.3 percent of NBA games during the past 25 seasons. And of course, your Washington Wizards only comes in on Wednesday night in Orlando, a harvest of only eight dimes divided between Kirk Hinrich, who was three, with each and John Wall, Kevin Seraphin, Josh Howard, Andray Blatch and Hilton Armstrong.

The teams have now established a single-digit assist total of five times this season. The Orlando Magic has launched five assists in a loss of 26 points for Miami Heat in only their second game of the 2010-11 season (the day after Orlando blew out the Wizards by 29 points in their first home game of season). The Magic also had nine assists for a team losing 80-74 to the Atlanta Hawks on December 6, 2010. The Portland Trailblazers had eight assists in a 100-86 loss to the New York Knicks January 11, 2011. And curiously, New Orleans Hornets Chris Paul set up a championship season low four assists for a team in an 88-70 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on December 12, 2010.

Blake Griffin was to take it easy. If this were a baseball game, it was supposed to take a few steps out of the dugout, turned back, tip his cap to the fans, sit down and take the rest of the night off.

This is essentially what the Rookie Challenge was supposed to represent Griffin’s whirlwind three events in the route-three days during his first weekend in NBA All-Star.

The problem is, Griffin does not mean speed. It does not “relax, it’s just an exhibition” mode. If it is in the game, he will attack the rim and embarrass anyone around – the situation and circumstances are damned.

It seemed Griffin was at least trying to conserve energy in the beginning, but anyone who knows him realizes about as desperate as to tell a child not to run through a theme park.

[Source: image via BLUEDEVILNATION.NET]

Seth Curry

February 10, 2011 by · Comments Off on Seth Curry 

Seth Curry, (AP) – Nolan Smith scored 22 of his career high 34 points in the second half, and No. 5 Duke rallied from 16 points to beat No. 20 North Carolina 79-73 on Wednesday night.

Seth Curry added a season-high 22 points for the Blue Devils (22-2, 9-1 Atlantic Coast Conference).

They trailed 43-27 at the last minute of the first half and were down 14 at halftime before clamping down on the Tar Heels, 50-30 in dominating the final 20 minutes to keep hand over first place in the league.

Tyler Zeller had 24 points and 13 rebounds in his career, and John Henson added 14 points for North Carolina (17-6, 7-2), which had its series of five wins snapped and lost for the third time in a row fiercest rivalries in college basketball.

Kyle Singler finished with 10 points on 3-of-17 shooting for the Duke, but hit three key free throws in the final minute – two with 25.2 seconds left 75-70 after North Carolina had made a match single possession.

Then, after Kendall Marshall hit a free throw to pull the Tar Heels within four with 17.2 seconds left, Smith beat everyone downcourt and climbed to a breakaway dunk, but all assured the Blue Devils would to avoid their first defeat at Cameron Indoor Stadium in almost exactly two years. Duke raised its best NCAA series win at home to 33.

The Blue Devils were in the unfamiliar position of being dominated on their home court when their guards are things rolling in the final seconds of the first half, with Curry jumper to mark five seconds to start 18-6 that makes a game again.

Rider Smith of the Duke of pronation 49-45 with 14 ½ minutes, about 4 minutes before the race began Curry 13-1 that put the Blue Devils for the first time.

Curry reeled off seven points in a little faster than a minute before Ryan Kelly delivered the game only lead change. Duke’s 3-pointer put up 57-55 with 9:15 left, and three-point play by Smith about a minute later, it extended to 60-55.

Smith completed 13 of 23 and surpassed his previous career high of 33 points set a month ago against UAB. Curry hit two free throws in the final seconds to beat his 20-point performance Jan. 27 against Boston College. They helped the Blue Devils offer a comeback for the ages: Duke had not erased a deficit of half-time for that big win since 1959 when the Navy Blue Devils led by 14 at halftime.

Nobody on the list of the reconstituted North Carolina had already played in a win for Cameron – at 180 degrees, 11 February 2009, when Tyler Hansbrough and Danny Green won for the fourth time in four trips to Duke while distributing the Blue Devils their most recent loss at home.

The scholarship only Tar Heel who was on the team this year – Zeller – has not played in this match because he was injured.

But essentially the entire first 20 minutes of it, it was North Carolina that was complete control.

The Tar Heels never trailed in the first half, reeled off the first eight points and methodically stretched its lead to 16 on Zeller’s stickback with 1:10 before the break. They did so largely by outworking the Blue Devils – beat them downcourt with regularity, with the big men who dominated the paint. By halftime, Zeller scored 13 points and nine rebounds while Henson added 10 points.

Bottom