Granger Of The Night:
Danny Granger — 41 points, 11 boards, 6 assists, 2 blocks, 1 steal
That’s three in a row. That may be a L.O.N. record. Somebody get the resident Archivist on it.
Beast Of The Night:
Marcus Camby — 27 boards, 19 points, 4 blocks, 2 assists, 1 steal
Awww, man. What a wasted effort. On the verge of a forth straight victory, up four in the Chi, with about 20 seconds left… the Clippers happened. Young rook Eric Gordon committed the unfathomable mistake of fouling namesake Ben Gordon on a 3. Count it. And1. Tie game. While the Clip Joint surprisingly got a shot off (Dunleavy specializes in the end of game “no shot”), Al Thornton’s fadeaway baseline 20-footer was no good. In OT, unimaginatively pounding the ball into Z-Bo, in the same spot, time after time after time, eventually caught up with them, as the Bulls took the lead for good following two offensive fouls and an entry pass turnover. Free Marcus Camby?
Playoff Intensity Of The Night:
Two games last night gave us a glimpse of spring, even in the heart(break) of the coldest winter. It’s obviously impossible to generate legit playoff intensity this time of year, but sometimes old rivalries recall the ghosts of Playoffs past. If that’s so, then let the Ceatles/Hawks be the haunting, and Spurs/Hornets the exorcism. You see, sometimes the old spooks cannot be driven away (Ceatles 88, Hawks 85), and other times, demons from the past are cast out (Spurs 83, Hornets 90).
Contraction Club Of the Night:
Washington Wizards — 74 points vs. the Detroit Pistons
The ‘Stons quietly righting the ship? Or a three-game blip against three bad teams?
Minnesota T-Wolves — 70 points vs. the Cleveland Cavs
So bad they make the page melt. So bad they don’t even make sense. So bad they sense patty melts.