The Sportsfather

LEAVE THE GUN, TAKE THE BAT

Archive for the tag “durant”

14 May 2012

Crowned Performance , LeBron and Wade carry Heat

“MVP MVP MVP “ those were the chants around the American Airlines Arena prior to the Miami Heat’s second round matchup between the Indiana Pacers. David Stern introduced LeBron as the 2011-2012 NBA Most Valuable Player.

MVP MVP MVP

The award was his third in the last four years and the first for a Miami Heat player. The pregame festivities hyped the Miami crowd up and put a little tear in my eyes. For some reason I get very emotional during sports or it could have been the alcohol. It was mother’s day and I was hyped. I wanted redemption for the 2003 playoffs where Indy knocked us out up the playoffs in Wade’s rookie year.

Indy did everything right in the first quarter while Miami struggled atrociously. Miami went 1-6 to open the quarter, not what I wanted to see especially in the first game in round 2 of the playoffs. The Heat took 18 shots in the first only cashing in on 6 of them. Indy made the most of the Heat’s poor shooting, Roy Hibbert mad a skyhook over Bosh that put the Pacers up by 7 halfway through the first 19-12. Miami’s awful shooting didn’t prohibit them from getting points , The Heat were relentless attacking the rim . Of the six shots made for Miami 4 of them came inside the paint. The Heat were able to over come a bad shooting quarter and close within three of the Pacers 23-20. LeBron had six points in the first.

The big story of the second was a serious injury to Chris Bosh with 1:06 remaining in the period Bosh drew a foul on Hibbert after throwing down a crowd erupting jam. Bosh laid in agony for a few seconds and bounced up to defend on the other end, but couldn’t finish the play. The Heat announced he would not return due to a lower abdominal strain. With Bosh out for the game and the Miami down by 9 48-39, the Heat would need an MVP performance from both all-stars Wade and LeBron. Indy took advantage of the Bosh injury and took a six point lead going into half time 48-42. David West gave Miami tons of problems in the first half and scored the final six points of the half for the Pacers.

It was mother’s day and with my mom out of town I took the best Heat fan I know to the game, My Grandmother. At half time I parked my grandmother at her seat and told her not to move. The pressure of this game was getting to me, I needed to get some vodka in me to calm my nerves, when I returned Gloria was gone.

Jesus Gloria, Happy Mothers Day

I finally found her, in line at the ice cream stand with a big cup of vanilla ice cream. Jesus Gloria, I thought a Pacers fan kidnapped her. I don’t how she did it but she did, her 79-year-old cravings for ice cream willed her to the ice cream stand.  I love you Gloria, you’re the best happy mothers day.

With Bosh out the Heat needed back-ups Rony Turiaf and Joel Anthony to have big games .  The two of them combined for 13 points and 10 rebounds, for me that’s perfect. Bosh finished the game with 13 and 5 so if my math is correct that equals 26 points and 15 rebounds, I will take that all day long.  LeBron and Wade put Miami on their backs in the second half. In the third quarter the dynamic duo netted 10 points each. They had such great chemistry between them, throwing half court lobs to one another for thunderous slams. Miami was able to out score the Pacers in the third 28-22 and tie the game at 70.

LeBron looked like a tiger just let out of his cage and he was feeding on the Pacers with no regard for human life. LeBron was aggressive and his assertiveness was present in the fourth. James showed why he is the MVP, he scored 16 of his 32 points in the final quarter to go along with 15 rebounds. Wade was aggressive when he attacked the basket and was able to go off for 29 points himself. Wade and James scored 20 straight Miami points in the fourth, a string ended by a free throw from “The Warden”. The Pacers never stood a chance with the two of them playing like they did. Heat had the 45-38 rebounding edge, and allowed Indiana to make only 11 of 37 shots after halftime. Miami was able to take game one of the second round 95-86.

Miami will have a tough time against the big’s of the Pacers with Bosh out, but Joel and Turiaf should be able to hold their own. Miami showed perseverance in the loss of their teammate, which should scare Indy. If LeBron and Wade go off like they did in game one Indy has a battle on their hands.

Game 2 is Tuesday night at 7:00 from the American Airlines Arena

~show no mercy~

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10 May 2012

Heat’s championship road continues

LeBron James hugged Camelo Anthony after New York’s Season ending loss to The Miami Heat. The two had been in an even matched scoring battle for five games. Their points total was 139 each, a testament that we had just watched two of

~set fire to the Knicks~

the league’s best and most prolific scorers. It was a pleasure and I thank both of them. That is where the level playing field stopped; Miami had a sizable edge over the Knicks all series long.

It was time for Miami to close out and move on to the next one. The first quarter was repetitive of what we saw in the previous games against the two teams. Miami and New York were playing “get to know you “ basketball, just felling each other out.  Miami had a number of missed opportunities that they could not capitalize on, most notably LeBron”s monstrous block. With the Knicks up 17-14, Tyson Chandler drove through the lane only to be met by King James and the magical five-finger discount named rejected! The ball was blocked but picked up by the Knicks and Bibby drilled a three pointer that put New York up by six. Miami was able to close out the Knicks in the first quarter. Mike Miller missed a wide-open 3 and James collected the rebound. I love the fact LeBron had the confidence in Miller to fire the ball right back to him. Mike hit that second 3 effortlessly and Miami held a 28-24 first quarter lead. Miller shot 39% from downtown in the series. Not to bad considering he only shot 29% last postseason.

Miami was off and running on all cylinders, they really started to pull away in the second quarter. Mike Miller contributed another subterranean three ball and Miami was up 5. Mario Chalmers had a Marino like pass to a cherry picking Dwayne Wade who slammed it home for an 8 point Miami lead. The Heat was on fire and the Knicks called a time out with five minutes left in the second quarter. Circus shot after shot fell for the NBA’s best improbable shot maker, Dwayne Wade.  He would score 8 points in the final part of the period for Miami. The Knicks once again called on Melo to carry them to a win, He finished the quarter with 12 of the Knicks 20 points in the period but it wasn’t enough. Miami outscored the Knicks 27 to 20 in the second and took an eleven-point 55-44 lead into halftime.

I took my grandmother Gloria to the game. She is a foul mouth old crow but knows her basketball. Gloria used to love vodka as much as I do but she does not drink anymore. So I had to do the drinking for the both of us. I fondly remember the days when

The Legend Gloria

she could out drink me on any given day. Roles have now reversed. Vodka on the rocks for me is like a mint julep at the Kentucky Derby, it’s a must have. Gloria is a true fan of the game, sometimes she surprises me with the way she talks about basketball. She said turns and said to me “LeBron is doing a great job fronting that bum Carmelo”, Wow that from a 79-year-old women. It was a great pleasure spending time and watching the game with the living legend that is Gloria.

Miami did not turn down their intensity in the 3rd and kept the ball movement fluid throughout the whole period. With an eight-man rotation they got contribution from all of them. Mike Miller and Shane Battier went 5-9 from downtown for 18 points, its nice to see great production from the two of them off the bench. Miami’s ability to get out in transition and split defenders is why no team can stop them in a seven game series. Amare’s three fouls in the first five minutes of the third sent him to the bench to watch the rest of the period. It left Carmelo to dig the Knicks out of an 18-point hole, he tried but his efforts still left the Knicks down by 14, 67-81 and the end of three quarters played. Shane Battier got redemption when Melo fouled him in the act of shooting a three; it was a costly mistake, Shane hit all three from the line.

You could tell Miami wanted it more then the Knicks, they were relentless on both ends of the court. Wade, James and Bosh continued to attack the basket and put pressure on the defensive end, attacking at will and showing no regard for human life, Miami prevailed. The first series had come to an end and Miami’s road to the championship continued. James had 29 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, Bosh and Wade each scored 19 points and the Heat hammered the Knicks 106-94 in the closeout game of the series. “We do not take this for granted,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “This was a tough series. We feel very good about moving on and it’ll only get tougher from here.”

On to the next one. The Heat will test their talents against The Pacers in the next round. Look for a very young physical team next series. Still Indy is just a little speed bump in Miami’s road to hoisting the Uncle Larry’s trophy. I don’t see any problems for The Heat going forward. Miami will control The Pacers with no difficulty. The Heat won three of four games against Indiana this season.

~stay hungry, eat well~

The Sportsfather

Posted in Knicks, Miami Heat, nba, New York, Playoffs, Sports and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment
07 May 2012
1 Comment

Knicks avoid the dreaded broom

“Broken glass everywhere”. That’s what the scene looked like after the Knicks second loss in Miami. Amare Stoudemire had busted the glass of a fire extinguisher housing, slicing his hand wide open. The thoughts around the league were he’s out for the playoffs but Amare had different thoughts because he knew he was going to play again. Game four was his encore appearance. Stoudemire showed up for the game. Hand wrapped, with eight layers of  who knows what . As much as I despise New York, I must give them credit for showing up for the game.

Amare’s Sushi Hand

The first quarter was like a boxing match. The teams were feeling each other out, but not really doing much. Amare was back and looking to make his presence felt.Despite having a hand that looked like a piece of sushi, Amare was able to get 6 points and 4 rebounds in the first. Miami struggled early on. They could not get to the charity stripe at all in the first. Carmelo put it all on the line. He would score 8 points for the Knicks. Miami had difficulty containing Melo. The pressure they put on him in the first 3 games, was not working today. The Heat got 6 points from LeBron, but were not able to take a first quarter lead. New York was ready to snap their 13 game playoff losing streak. By the end of the first, the Knicks had a two-point lead 20-18.

After a dismal performance by Miami in the first, they wanted to take charge of the 2nd period. Dwayne Wade got two early free throws and tied the game at 20. LeBron slipped through two Knick defenders, and was able to get an easy layup. He then grabbed a difficult rebound, found Rio on the outlet pass for another easy Miami bucket. Miami up by four, 24-20. After an active first by Amare, he picked up his 3rd foul and was sent to the end of the bench. Although Miami to no attempting no free throws in the first, Miami took 19 in the second making 14 of them. The Heat started the second period on a 12-0 run, going up by 10 before New York called a timeout. Tyson Chandler got a tech and almost got tossed. He would eventually foul out of the game. Miami would continue to dominate the second quarter. Chris Bosh had a 10-point quarter and Miami took a six-point lead going into the half, 44-38.

I didn’t have my usual Kettle One on the rocks today. I must have drank it all during game three. Instead I resorted to Bud Light platinum, 6.0% alcohol. It game me a nice buzz. (See photo).

White Hot Platinum

The first half didn’t provide much excitement. That all changed in the 3rd. Miami took advantage to open the second half. They would go up by as much as 11. Rio and Bosh were lighting it up. Miami’s eleven-point lead wouldn’t last. The Knicks were trying to avoid the sweep and they called on Melo put them on his back. Midway through, Tyson got a steal from Wade that led to a Melo layup. J.R. Smith caught a cross-court pass from Anthony, and buried a wide-open three. The shot put the Knicks within one of Miami 51-50. Moments later Anthony nailed a shot in Shane Battier’s face. It was a very quick way for New York to tie the game at 52. Carmelo’s offensive dominance continued. He hit a 15ft jumper and the Knicks had a four-point lead 57-53. Mike Miller and LeBron each hit big threes but Miami could not take the lead. Following three quarters played the Knicks, had a 64-61 lead. Melo had 11 for the Knicks in the 3rd. Baron Davis had a nasty looking knee injury. As he drove to the hoop, he planted too hard on his right knee. Ewwww, dislocated knee. It must have hurt. Baron was carried out on a stretcher.

The final period was a battle. Miami trailed by three entering the 4th quarter. The Heat anxiously wanted to close this series out. New York was ready to live another day. Neither team was giving an inch. Shot after shot fell for both teams. Within the first two minutes, Miami was finally able to grab a 2 point lead. With the world watching, Dwayne Wade hit a 15ft step back jumper for Miami and they led 69-67. It was a battle of two rivals in “The Garden”. I believe Coach Spo made a tactical error in his decision to leave Battier out there to guard Melo. Spo should have put LeBron on him. Carmelo exploited the matchup and was able to go off for 41 points. With 25 seconds left in the game Battier fouled Melo in the act of shooting a three. The pressure got to Carmelo and he would miss two of the three free throws. Knicks had a four point lead, 88-84 however Miami didn’t let New York off the hook. LeBron charged his way through two Knicks defenders for an And-1. No surprise he would make his free throw. Miami was only down 1 with .14 left on the game clock. After a missed shot, Bosh bottled up a defensive rebound. Miami called a 20 second timeout to discuss their final shot. Who was it going to be, Wade or LeBron? With The final shot in his hands, Wade took the ball on an inbounds pass from Chalmers. Looking up at the clock, he fumbled the ball and shot up a prayer. Clink! Just off the front edge of the rim. Knicks win. The heroic efforts of Carmelo Anthony were the reason New York was able to pull out a two point victory, 89-87.

I am not surprised the Knicks won this game. Miami shot only 41%. Carmelo was able to go off for 41. The Heat were not able to contain him on defense. Anytime a player is able to get that many open looks, your going to have a tough time winning. Miami got 22 points from Wade and 27 from LeBron.

The Heat will try and close the series out on Wednesday. The game is scheduled for 7:30 live from the American Airlines Arena.

~c’mon boys, close it out~

Posted in Knicks, Miami Heat, nba, New York, Playoffs, Sports and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
04 May 2012
1 Comment

Heat set “The Garden” on fire in win !

It was 6:28 pm. The 16 hours of flying might have taken toll on most people. He wasn’t most. He was Chris Bosh. Miami’s All-Star power forward was up at 3am to see the birth of his child, and on a plane back to New York by 2pm. The lights were already on when he come into the room. This room happened to be Madison Square Garden, 30 minutes before tip. Arrived and ready to play.

The first quarter was like a scene from a great movie, only it was live. The Knicks were trying to protect their home court. Tyson Chandler, fresh off winning defensive of player of the year, had a ferocious block on Udonis Haslem. Miami was unfazed , going up by six early. The Heat got back-to-back three pointers from Chris Bosh and Mario Chalmers. Rio had an effortless steal on J.R. Smith. The play gave Wade and Lebron a lob city highlight, with a life-size slam. Miami had a 19-10 lead at that point, but it did not last long. With J.R. Smith coming off the bench, he was able to give the Knicks a much-needed spark. New York would close out the quarter on a 9-0 run and tie the game at 19 apiece. Smith would finish the period with 6 points.

New York’s constant pressure on Miami, forced the Heat into bad shots. The second quarter was brutal for Miami. The Knicks extended the 9-0 run from the first to a 14-0 run. The score sat at 24-19 Knicks, early into the 2nd. It was very poor shooting from Miami. They would go 8 plus minutes without a made shot, 11 straight misses. It wasn’t until Lebron checked back into the game, that Miami was able to get some scoring. A quick bucket by Wade and 2 Lebron free throws brought Miami closer. Mario drove to the front of the rim. Surprised there was no defender around him. He made a floater appear effortless. The bucket put the Heat within two, 26-28. Miami’s run would not last very long. The Heats Achilles tendon started to haunt them “turnovers”. The Knicks were able to tune 6 Miami turnovers into 9 points. Turnovers killed Miami all half. New York would go up by 10 with 2min left in the period. The defense intensity I saw in games 1 and 2 was non-existence. Miami did make a run. With the Knicks leading 40-29, Miami would go on a 7-0 run to close the quarter. Lebron, Bosh, and Wade all scored the closing points. The Knicks had their first halftime lead in 6 meeting against the Heat, 40-36. The benches were the difference in the first half. The Knicks outscored Miami’s bench 13-1.

Thats how i drink

I was in the comfort of my own home. My usual half time drink was more like a full game drink. A cup of Kettle One .See photo

Miami came out guns blazing. The Knicks weren’t ready for the firestorm the Heat was about to bestow on them. Rio opened the second half with an open 3. Miami still Trailed 39-40. There wasn’t much going on to start the 3rd. 3 minutes into the period, Lebron picked up his 4th foul and was promptly sent to the bench. The game was at a stalemate. It wasn’t until Wade broke it open with Lebron on the bench. Dwayne smelt blood! He quickly drove past Landry Fields for an easy layup. On the next possession he stared down Melo and hit a 3 right in his face. Boom! Again he mouthed, Boom! Another 3. Wade scored 8 strait points for Miami. He would finish the quarter with 12 points. The Knicks were still hanging around. Mike Bibby hit a 3 in the final seconds. The score, 58-56 Heat.

Closing Act!! He had sat all of the third, due to 4 fouls. When Lebron came back into the game, he had been well rested. His opening shot, a wet 3. Lebron was back, Going 3-4 in a minute span for 8 points. I was in awe of what I had just seen. Lebron James in a quick flash put the Miami head up by 10. The highlight of the fourth was J.R. Smith’s dunk. He slipped through to Miami defenders, went baseline, and threw down a reverse double clutch tomahawk slam. The rest of the quarter belonged to Lebron who finished the quarter with 17. Midway through, Rio his a open 3 to put Miami up by 12, 74-62. Mario would finish the game with 19 .The Heat were able to bust the game and series wide open. Outscoring the Knicks in the 4th 29-14. New York looked worn down. Miami had played lock down defense all game, and it took its toll on the Knick players. Carmelo went 7-23 for just 22 points. The big for, I am including Chalmers, combined four, 80 points. Miami got nothing from their bench. 5 points from Miami’s bench on 1-12 shooting. Just horrendous. Miami won the game by 17, 87-70 and took a 3-0 series lead on New York.

Don’t take this win for granted. The Knicks are Bad. Miami still has a tough road ahead.

Miami will try and close out the Knicks, Sunday @ 3:30 . Live from MSG.
~stay healthy my friends~

Posted in nba, Sports and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
05 Apr 2012
1 Comment

Heat send Statement

The first quarter, a terrible shooting quarter by Miami , but still kept themselves in contention only down by two 21-23 a lot of turnovers by the Heat cost them a first quarter lead . Dwayne Wade pimp slapped a Ibaka shot but fumbled the pass for an easy layup , it irks me when we don’t capitalize off good defensive plays . Lebron hit 2 big treys to help keep it close . Looks like the the MVP race is on . Durant is a bum !

The Heat came out kinda flat in the start of the second quarter , okc started to catch a little fire going up 33- 25 with 8 min left due to bonehead turnovers by Miami . The Heat just kept taking terrible shots while the Thunder were taking advantage . A Rio 3 sparked the crowd a little bit but only cut the deficit to 6 with six min Togo in the second . We really need to start pounding the paint and spacing the floor , AND NOT LETTING WESTBROOK IN THE DAMN LANE ! With 6:33 left on the second things were looking like an all out brawl was gonna break out when Westbrook made a flagrant foul on James . The Heat made a nice run with threes by Rio and the King to cut the into the lead only down by 2 with 3 min left 41-43 . I guess the almost brawl lit a fire under them. Who says the Heat are better without Wade !!! After a Lebron steal and tomahawk slam that shook the arena , Wade comes down with his own . Heat took the lead with 1:30 left and the place was Crazy and got even more crazy when Lebron hit a buzzer beater in Sefolosha’s dome to take a 50-49 lead at the half.

Halftime was usual for me went to the bar grabbed a double grey goose on the rocks and smoked a cig outside with my friends , my brother asked me who would win in a fight Ud or Westbrook. C’mon Ud is from Miami , there’s no chance for Westbrook .

The Heat kept pressure on the Thunder to open the 3rd quarter with Lebron showing why he’s the real MVP . Miami kept the pressure on the thunder , making shot after shot locking down on defense . The crowd kept chanting Westbrook sucks ! Which I took place in , I love when we hate on the opposing team . Chris Bosh came alive in the 3rd after a dismal first half .

On a side note i checked and found out the Marlins lost 4-1 in their opener

The Heat continued to hold a lead despite terrible and I mean terrible shooting % only 38 from the floor deep into the 3rd. Durant hit his own buzzer beater , beating the shot clock leaning 3 seconds left in the quarter . Lebron vs Durant MVP race continued with Lebron keeping the edge at the end of the 3rd with 28 PTS to Durants 21 . Heat held a 7 point lead 80-73 . It sadden me that the Marlins lost the opening day to a Albert pujols less cards .

Nothing went right for the heat to open the fourth , the thunder opened up with a 6-0 run I was not happy . The Thunder continued to show strength going on a 10-0 run to take a 83-82 lead . That being said Shane Battier hit back to back threes to regain a nice 5 point lead 88-83 . Heat dancers are sexy just saying , but my wife is sexier Some skank got tossed for trunking to grope Pat Riley , it was classic . UD was a monster on the glass grabbing crucial rebounds . 2 min left an the crowd came alive the Heat held a 1 point lead 94-93 I didn’t want to sit down but everyone else was . Sometimes I hate the fans in Miami bit they were still loud and finally got on their feet wit .42 sec left and the Heat didn’t relinquish the lead , two big misses by Kendrick Perkins and two big makes by Wade were a big difference making in the Heats 98-93 victory over the Thunder . Despite only shooting 37% the heats defense proved to be far superior to the Thunder, when the Heat needed a stop they got it .

Lebron edged Durant in the MVP race with 34 PTS 7 REB .10 AST Lebron proved why he is the MVP . The big 3 scored 65 not a great number but it got the job done . The heat dominated on the outside perimeter 30-15 but just about every other stat the Thunder were victorious . But that doesn’t mean anything unless you win , they didn’t heat did .

Hatem Love em ? Heat win , like Spo said “its all about our truth” truth is the Heat were better tonight .

Don’t Hate Or Else

The Sports Father

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