There isn’t a franchise player in the NBA tougher to peg than Danny Granger. The man gets paid like a superstar, and he’s unquestionably the most talented scorer and all-around player on the Indiana Pacers. He’s hit his share of game-winners and will take on tough defensive assignments. But is Danny Buckets really that guy to take his team deep into the playoffs? Is he a go-to scorer, or just a really, really, really good spot-up shooter? Over the weekend Granger gave the Knicks bulletin-board material, then went out and got hobbled, Misery-style. But last night, Granger dropped 25 points on the Clippers to lead Indiana to an upset win … Midway through the third quarter, Granger turned a three-point margin into a nine-point cushion with threes on consecutive possessions. He added another trey in the fourth quarter that stretched the lead to 19, and the Pacers cruised from there … Blake Griffin started hot, giving Dave West the business with face-up jumpers and spin moves in the lane. It looked like it would only get worse when Tyler Hansbrough checked in and Blake blew by him for a dunk, but then Hansbrough must have had a 2009 Elite Eight residual anger moment – that was the night when UNC beat Oklahoma, but Griffin outplayed Hansbrough so badly it probably cost him a few Draft spots – because he matched Blake almost shot-for-shot last night. Hansbrough finished with 17 points off the bench, while Blake posted 23 points and 10 boards … One time Hansbrough basically tackled Blake to stop him from dunking, so Blake leg-whipped Hansbrough on his way down. Psycho T had to be held back, while Caron Butler kept grinning and doing a “keep the camera rolling” pantomime that didn’t make sense. So guys get taunting techs for a glare, but Caron can play Charades out there and it’s cool? … We’re still not sure how the Pacers can use the dubstep remix of “Seven Nation Army” for their player intros and not be undefeated at home. Apparently not even the Glitch Mob can keep Roy Hibbert out of foul trouble … After Markieff Morris and Shannon Brown drained back-to-back threes to give the Suns a 10-point lead on the Heat with 7:30 remaining and the Heat called timeout, nobody would’ve blamed you for turning away from NBA TV to catch an NIT game or a re-run of Leverage. It just seemed like one of those nights when the Heat had mailed it in, when Steve Nash (9 pts, 10 asts) didn’t even have to be spectacular for the Suns to dig into Miami … But after that TO, Miami exploded for a 17-0 run that won them the game. It was like a classroom lecture: Attack Mode 303. Dwyane Wade (19 pts) got to the line. Chris Bosh (29 pts) got to the rim. LeBron James (20 pts) got to the line. Wade got to the line again. Udonis Haslem even made a cameo. Pretty much everything during the run was a dunk, a layup, or a free throw that came as a result of an attempted dunk or layup … Keep reading to see how Kobe Bryant bounced back from one of the worst games of his career …
What is it with guys who play for the Lakers going all emo once they get traded? Lamar Odom has been sulking for three months because L.A. traded him to the defending NBA champions. Pau Gasol was out of it for about two months because L.A. almost traded him to a big-market team on which he’d be the No. 1 option. And then Derek Fisher basically told the Rockets they weren’t on his level before accepting a buyout so he can sign with a contender. (The Lakers aren’t allowed to re-sign Fisher this season.) Granted, Houston isn’t the ideal situation for Fisher, but as the head of the players union, doesn’t it make Fisher look bad to his constituents stuck on teams like the Bobcats and Kings that he’s acting like he’s too good to play for a team that’s less than elite? … So with that backdrop, the Rockets – without leading scorer Kevin Martin – beat the Lakers last night, going on a 12-0 run to erase a fourth-quarter deficit. Goran Dragic dropped 16 points and 13 assists and the three-pointer with 28 seconds left that proved to be the game-winner. Dragic was standing in front of L.A.’s bench when the ball came to him, looking like he had no intention of being involved in the play. He just caught it and chucked it and it went down … Coming off that 3-for-20 game against Utah that was uglier than Gary Busey in drag, Kobe Bryant played like, well, Kobe Bryant. He took 27 shots (guarded by Chandler Parsons all night), making 10 for 29 points … Other stat lines from Tuesday: Amar’e Stoudemire had 22 points and 12 rebounds in New York’s win over Toronto; Paul Millsap scored 20 to lead Utah past Oklahoma City; Drew Gooden scored 19 as Milwaukee blasted Portland; and Marcus Thornton went for 31 points, 7 boards, 6 dimes and 3 steals in Sacramento’s win over Memphis … People are still talking about how Golden State fans booed Warriors owner Joe Lacob during Chris Mullin‘s jersey retirement ceremony. True, the whole incident took away from Mullin’s crowning moment, so in that sense it was the wrong time to boo. But how often do fans get to directly address an owner? If an owner is sitting in the front row or in his luxury box and the crowd is booing, you can play that off like they’re booing the team. But when he’s literally under the spotlight and the only guy holding a mic, the target is clear. Knowing that, and knowing they’d just traded Monta Ellis for a guy who probably won’t play this season, the Warriors should’ve known better than to send Lacob out there while the wound is fresh. Don Nelson or Tim Hardaway or one of the announcers should’ve been behind that mic … We’re out like Portland’s season.
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