Well, it was a great season fellas. But Indiana and Philly, you might as well start to wrap it up now. It’s summertime. Both the Pacers and Sixers put in huge efforts to try to get back into their respective series. But both squads melted down the stretch to many of the same issues: no star player to calm them down in the halfcourt and find shots, and an opposing defense that was just suffocating. Say what you want about them, but Miami and Chicago are getting it done. And tears? Brandon Roy ain’t about that life … He complained earlier this week about his minutes and opportunities, but Brandon Roy (16 points) was the difference in Portland’s five-point Game 3 win over Dallas. With the W, it’s a brand new series at 2-1. Roy, after saying he nearly came to tears in Game 2, was ready and animated. The crowd gave him a huge ovation when he checked in, and the former superstar proceeded to drop buckets. He hit four huge second-quarter shots that helped to quell a Dallas run. Then, he was the ignitor of a game-deciding run that stretched from the third to the fourth quarter. Portland ended the third quarter on a 9-3 run. Then, they continued the momentum with a 12-2 run to start the fourth to push it to 13, their largest lead of the game. Roy’s only 20-point game since Christmas also came against the Mavs in March. He must like this matchup … Still, give credit to Dallas. Portland hit them with an avalanche of energy early and the “soft” Mavs never folded. They actually controlled much of the game throughout, thanks to Dirk Nowitzki (25 points, nine rebounds) and Jason Terry (29 points, seven assists). Actually, besides those two, no one else in blue even hit double figures … Wesley Matthews (25 points) came out ripping the cords. He netted four threes before the first quarter was even halfway over. We aren’t sure if any of them ever hit the rim. With the way Portland came out, we thought the game was destined for a blowout … Late in the game, Jason Kidd hit a shot that at first looked like a two, even on replay. But a third opinion showed that the refs got it wrong and that it was actually a three. With the game still in the balance, it was a pretty big play and helped set the stage for an actual series now. OMG, the NBA is rigged. It’s rigged! … Keep reading to hear how the Bulls and Heat grabbed 3-0 leads …
Once again, it was a wire-to-wire dogfight between the Pacers and the Bulls and once again, Chicago came out on top behind a bucket from Derrick Rose, 88-84. They are now up 3-0. Indiana will definitely come to play in Game 4; they’re a lunch-bucket team. But they’ve given their best shots and don’t have a damn thing to show for it. Tied up in the final 20 seconds, Rose (23 points, only 4-18 from the field) blew right past everyone on Indiana’s defense, so fast that the help was just way too late. He hit the lefty layup over three Pacer players, in what was Rose’s only bucket at the rim the whole game. Paul George played him well all night. Why wasn’t he guarding him on the final possession? The Bulls got the ball to their playmaker and then everything sorted itself out. The Pacers final possession was a nightmare, the complete opposite. Danny Granger (21 points) and Darren Collison played hot potato until Granger finally had to shoot a contested three that was way off. That’s why having a star in the playoffs is so important. Even though he couldn’t make a shot all night, Rose made the difference … In Game 2, George showed the unbelievable potential he has as a defensive player. Last night, he was all over Rose in the first half. He kept him out of the lane (the only time Rose did get there, George came from behind for a ridiculous block) and held the future MVP to just nine first-half points along with four turnovers. Indiana as a team was playing the point guard much more aggressively. Off of every screen-n-roll, they trapped Rose, often 35 feet from the hoop and took Chicago out of their offense … In the first half, Indiana was getting contributions from everyone. Even the crowd was holding it down; the energy in the building was crazy. The Pacers were right there, but could never break it open or get the lead they really needed … Kyle Korver hit a couple of fourth quarter threes, but Luol Deng (21 points, six rebounds, six assists) was really the only other Bull to contribute a lot offensively … In the fourth quarter of their 100-94 win over Philadelphia, Dwyane Wade (32 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists) and LeBron James (24 points, 15 rebounds) strangled the life right away from the Sixers’ season. Those two, and Chris Bosh (19 points), combined for 23 points in the final frame. By the time the spanking was over, the Heat had themselves a 3-0 lead in the series, and a once fire-breathing Philly crowd was mute. The Sixers led for most of the night. But down the stretch, the two Miami stars went back and forth, scoring at the rim and on jump shots. Just like the IND/CHI game, you could really see the difference between the two teams. The Heat have two guys comfortable with making decisions in the fourth quarter. The Sixers have Andre Iguodala running around scared to shoot, and a bunch of other guys willing to shoot, yet aren’t good enough. We still gotta show love for Jrue Holiday (20 points, eight assists) and Elton Brand (21 points, 11 rebounds). They were ballin’ … Wade and LeBron finished back-to-back fast breaks in the third quarter with the second being a Wade dunk after LeBron went through-his-legs then behind-his-back before throwing a bowling-ball pass to Wade … Philadelphia said they were going to come out with a lot more energy than they did in Miami, and they were right. They jumped out 9-0 and led throughout the first half, defending much more aggressively and finishing inside. Even without that one star player to create shots, Philly manufactured shots through a lot of ball movement. They ended the half with 15 assists on 20 made buckets. Still, Miami just never goes away, and have way too much talent to get blown out. The Sixers played nearly as well as they could and yet only led by two at the half. It felt like they had given their best shot, and were walking back to their corner with their head down, knowing the Heat were still standing and ready to counter … Every time Iggy gets a dunk, we always think “F$%^ you Nate Robinson!” … We’re out like Andre Miller‘s hair.
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