The Heat need to call Kyra Sedgwick. Or Michael Jordan. They could even call Vince Carter; he made a couple of clutch shots last night. For now, the Heat might as well make Mario Chalmers their go-to guy down the stretch. He seems like the only one who can make shots for them when the game is tight. Their stars, on the other hand, are cold as ice … This season, in the last 10 seconds of a game that they are trailing by three points or less, Miami is 1-18 from the field, the worst mark in the entire league. The Heat added two of those misses yesterday after LeBron James (26 points) and Dwyane Wade (20 points) blew a layup and a jumper respectively in their one-point loss against Chicago. It was Miami’s fourth straight loss and another blown double-digit lead as Chicago made all of the big plays to come from behind in the fourth quarter … You can criticize the Big Three all you want for being unable to deliver clutch baskets, but look at the rest of the team as well. They scored just 17 points combined. And while the majority will focus on Miami’s inability to finish off games, someone needs to gives the Bulls some credit. To beat a team like the Heat three times in one season is huge for a team that wasn’t even good enough to finish above .500 last year. At this point, the Bulls have nearly locked up the number-two seed and homecourt advantage in the second round with a two-game lead in the loss column, plus the head-to-head advantage on the Heat. Derrick Rose (27 points) torched Miami all game long … The Heat have now lost five of six with the only win coming against Washington during that span. It’s been so tough for them that a few players were reportedly moved to tears after the loss. For a regular-season game? That seems a little much … A big difference in the first half for Miami was the play of Chris Bosh (23 points), who went 1-18 in the Heat’s loss in Chicago the last time they played. This time, he was much more aggressive inside and that opened up the jumper. And Miami’s defense in the first half was suffocating. They were active and they were creating turnovers and deflections. For a team that relies on getting a lot of shot attempts, this was a killer for the Bulls. But Chicago is reminiscent of the Celtics because no matter how bad it seems they are playing, you look up and they are only down four or five or six. They stay in it with defense … Read more for Chris Paul’s scary injury, Lakers/Spurs and the rest of the NBA roundup
Mark Jackson said, “It’s almost like the Miami Heat brought their big brother,” referencing the Spurs destruction of Miami on Friday night. The “big brothers” in San Antonio yesterday were the L.A. Lakers. Most basketball fans never gave up on the Lakers. Despite all of the ugly losses and the games where they played with as much intensity as a tea party, most still believe it is the Lakers’ championship to lose. Yesterday, in a destruction of the San Antonio Spurs and their 22-game home winning streak, L.A. rewarded that faith. The Lakers jumped out by 21 in the first quarter, at one pointing hitting seven straight shots. Kobe Bryant (26 points) came out looking to make a point and the rest of the team followed, Even Pau Gasol (21 points) made a three in the first half. Meanwhile, the Spurs looked slightly lethargic, throwing balls away and missing the same shots they made against Miami. With L.A., the first quarter is usually their Litmus test. It’s like Groundhog Day. Check for some energy, domination on the glass and guys other than Kobe making shots and they’ll be mentally engaged all game long. If they are giving up easy second-chance buckets, expect a struggle all night. L.A. led by as many as 28 in the first half and it was a wrap from there … As a Lakers fan, watching this type of performance should almost make you sad, knowing that the Lakers seem like they can turn in a performance like this whenever they feel like it … Scariest moment of Sunday came in the Hornets‘ 15-point win in Cleveland. During a loose ball, Chris Paul got caught in a bad position and collided head-first with Ramon Sessions. Paul immediately fell to the floor and barely moved for a number of minutes. Eventually, he was taken off the floor in a stretcher and sent to an area hospital. While it was reported after the game that he had movement in his extremities and could speak, that is always a scary thing. It is being reported as a concussion at this point … Zach Randolph‘s game defies logic. Not as tall as you think he is, can’t jump, not super-athletic; yet he never gets his shot blocked and rains murder on defenses with that rainbow jumper of his. Last night, Randolph’s moonshot over Brendan Haywood in the final second beat Dallas by one and again sent the West a message that has been steadily climbing this year like gas prices: Watch out for the Grizzlies. Since a slow start to this season, Memphis is on a roll behind guys like Randolph (27 points, 9 rebounds) and Mike Conley (17 points, 10 assists) … Other headlines from around the league: Detroit beat the Wizards by 11, led by Tayshaun Prince (20 points and a huge facial over JaVale McGee); Andre Iguodala (15 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists) came up with a second consecutive triple-double and the Sixers held on in overtime to take out Golden State by eight; Amar’e Stoudemire (26 points) led the Knicks to a huge win on the road in Atlanta by 13; the Thunder survived Phoenix in overtime behind a great night from Russell Westbrook (32 points, 11 assists); and Boston and Paul Pierce (23 points) outlasted the Bucks in Milwaukee … We’re out like home winning streaks.
