The Celtics’ impressive 16-game winning streak is now over. Is it a coincidence that 16 is half of 32, which is the number of games that the ’71 Lakers won in a row? I do not believe in coincidences, until I do. Which makes this iteration of the Celtics half the team of that glorious Lakers squad. All kidding aside, it was an impressive run. The team stepped up when they lost Gordon Hayward, Brad Stevens is now a legitimate Presidential candidate, Kyrie is…..well, Kyrie, and the defense has been the league’s best, by a big margin according to defensive efficiency. I tried everything in the book to jinx the streak. Voodoo dolls, shrines, sacrificing of virgins, and rubbing my scrotum with four-leaf clovers. All to no avail. I had to harken back to the past. All the way back to the ancient days of the early 1990’s. It was during that time, the secret was unlocked by the Leprechaun movies. You see, in the original, the leprechaun is defeated when the well it falls into is blown up. Explosion. Fire. In the third movie, the lepechaun is defeated via flamethrower. Heat was needed and Heat we got Wednesday night, as the Miami Heat took down the Boston Leprechauns 104-98. Who led the way? None other than Goran Dragic, aka the Dragon, who was spewing fire from all over the court: 27 points, five boards, four dimes, and one liberation. He shot 8-of-17 from the field and 2-of-4 from downtown. Waiters Island was booming, as Dion Waiters scored 26 points, grabbed two boards, and dished out six dimes. He shot 11-of-24 from the field and 4-of-10 from downtown. How do you beat the Celtics? Shoot 49.4% from the field, which was 4% higher than their season average. Translation: bring the Heat.
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Here’s what else I saw last night:
Russell Westbrook almost messed around last night: 34 points, 10 boards, nine dimes, and four liberations. He also got busy with KD and gave us a replay of a replay of a nasty eurostep. A typical night if it was 2016, but whatever. Even though the numbers and production have been down this year, due to the Melo and PG acquisitions, you had to have known that the Hulk would come out for this game. If you didn’t, you would’ve been informed from the Stocktonator, as it had RW as the number two overall play last night.
Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 38 points, grabbed six boards, dished out seven dimes, liberated one, and blocked one. He went 13-of-27 from the field and 4-of-9 from downtown. The last time THJ shot, he hit two points before crapping out. Yo, dealer! C & E and press up all my Hardaways. Let’s do this!
Khris Middleton dropped a 40-burger, with nine boards, three dimes, and four liberations. He shot 14-of-26 from the field and 3-of-9 from downtown. Keep in mind that the opposition was the Suns, Giannis wasn’t playing, and the game went into overtime. I’m not hating. I believe in full transparency. You think that would work with the ladies?
The Bulls had to travel to Utah after blowing a 19-point lead to the Lakers the night before. They lost 110-80.
Derrick Favors led the way for Jazz by scoring 23 points, grabbing seven boards, dishing out a dime, liberating one, and blocking one in 29 minutes. Do yourself a Favors!
Donovan Mitchell shot 1-of-10 from the field. He did grab five boards, dish out seven dimes, liberate one, and block one. Is he channeling his inner Landon?
Ricky Rubio scored 10 points, grabbed three boards, dished out two dimes, liberated two, and blocked one. The game was a blowout and he just recently returned from an Achilles injury. Ricky will be “Living La Vida Loca” soon enough.
Rodney Hood scored 19 points, grabbed four boards, dished out a dime, and liberated one. He shot 7-of-17 from the field and 3-of-9 from downtown. The shots are plenty in the Hood. He does not have a game with single digits in shot attempts and has two games at 20 or more.
With no John Henson for the Bucks, Thon Maker got the start and scored 16 points, grabbed eight boards, dished out a dime, and blocked three in 33 minutes. Is it really happening? I had so much optimism for Maker coming into the season, but I had given up hope. The Muppet is still the guy, but I’d keep an eye on Thon, like “looking-for-parking-at-Costco” eye.
If you care, DJ Wilson only played one minute. At least that gave me an excuse to play this:
Eric Bledsoe….REVENGE GAME!!! Everything set up perfectly for Bledsoe. No Giannis, overtime, and a shitty defensive team. Oh, did I mention……REVENGE!!!!! I wonder if the Stocktonator factors in human variables such as that. Regardless, it had Bledsoe as the 20th overall play last night.
Gary Payton II got the start and scored five points, grabbed two boards, and dished out three dimes in nine minutes. Jason Kidd definitely lost a hand of poker to Gary Payton. What else could it be?
DeAndre Liggins played 41 minutes! Man, must’ve been a really bad night for Kidd at the poker table last night. Liggins scored two points, grabbed six boards, dished out two dimes, liberated five, and blocked two.
Marquese Chriss played 12 minutes. Uh, yeah. On the bright side, twins and numerologists jumped for joy as Chriss scored 2 points, grabbed 2 boards, turned the ball over 2 times, and shot 1-of-2 from the field. Do you think the poor play is due to the fact that someone may have spelled his last name incorrectly?
Dragan Bender scored 11 points, grabbed six boards, dished out two dimes, liberated two, and blocked one in 34 minutes. Well, Spoelstra was able to make Dragic into a dragon that spews Heat. Maybe Triano is utilizing the same tactic in order to get his Dragan to spew heat as hot as the Suns.
Tyler Ulis received 32 minutes while Mike James got 21 minutes of run. Ulis scored 12 points, grabbed two boards, dished out five dimes, liberated two, and blocked one. James scored three points, grabbed a board, and dished out a dime. It was a nice run Mike, but Coach Triano doesn’t like guys with two first names.
Greg Monroe scored 22 points, grabbed 15 boards, dished out a dime, and blocked one in 32 minutes. Tyson Chandler scored six points, grabbed 12 boards, dished out a dime, and blocked two in 21 minutes. Alex Len DNP – Coach’s decision. Well, Len is from the Ukraine and it looks like Triano is bringing back the Monroe Doctrine.
The Warriors scored 91 points. Klay Thompson scored nine points on 3-of-12 shooting, Steph Curry scored 24 on 9-of-18, Kevin Durant scored 21 points on 8-of-17, and Draymond Green scored four points on 1-of-6 shooting. All you need to know about the game, besides the Warriors only scoring 91 points was this:
Paul George scored 20 points, grabbed 11 boards, dished out a dime, liberated four, and blocked two in 40 minutes. PG is the perfect complement to Russ. Melo is definitely the third wheel. OKC needs more shooting, but I’m excited to see what this squad can do when they gel.
Steven Adams scored 14 points, grabbed 12 boards, and liberated two in 37 minutes. I’m pretty sure Adams grew up boxing kangaroos, but I’d still put my money on Russ.
LaMarcus Aldridge scored 16 points, grabbed four boards, and dished out a dime in 27 minutes. LMAO!
Patty Mills scored two points, grabbed three boards, dished out two dimes, and liberated two in 24 minutes on 1-of-7 shooting. DeJounte Murray scored 14 points, grabbed three boards, dished out four dimes, liberated three, and blocked one in 24 minutes on 5-of-11 shooting. The Spurs got smoked in this one, so I don’t think Murray has overtaken Mills.
Pau Gasol scored 17 points, grabbed nine boards, dished out a dime, liberated one, and blocked three in 25 minutes. Gasol is a top 80 players. Ka-Pau!!!
Danny Green shot 0-of-5 from the field, but did grab three boards, dished out four dimes, and liberated one. When we think of green, money usually brings happy thoughts. Just remember that diarrhea can also be green.
Anthony Davis scored 29 points, grabbed 11 boards, dished out four dimes, and liberated one. What date are we putting down for the next AD injury?
DeMarcus Cousins scored 24 points, grabbed 15 boards, dished out three dimes, liberated one, and blocked two. Maybe this Twin Tower thing could work. And maybe Anthony Davis won’t miss another game the rest of the season.
Rajon Rondo scored six points, grabbed five boards, dished out four dimes, and liberated one in 23 minute. Jrue Holiday scored 13 points, grabbed a board, and dished out two dimes. Yesterday, I said the Holiday brothers were North and South Korea. The analogy makes more sense now, as Rondo is the US and has taken over many aspects of the strategery.
Darius Miller scored 12 points, grabbed three boards, dished out two dimes, and liberated one in 28 minutes. Miller continues to get run, as he’s received at least 20 minutes in each of the past five games and has scored in double-digits in four of those games. E’Twaun Moore and Dante Cunningham kind of suck, so there’s opportunity.
Orlando plays at the sixth-fastest pace, while Minnesota is 24th in defensive efficiency. Therefore, it wasn’t a shock to see the Magic put up 118 on the Timberwolves last night. Minnesota is so bad at defense that even Terrence Ross had a big game: 22 points, six boards, and one dime on 8-of-14 shooting.
Nikola Vucevic scored 11 points, grabbed 14 boards, dished out four dimes, and blocked one on 5-of-13 shooting. Kind of a disappointing game, as KAT is one of the worst defenders in the league right now.
Aaron Gordon scored 26 points to lead the Magic, grabbed nine boards, dished out three dimes, and liberated one on 11-of-18 shooting. He did not top 20 points in five straight games before last night, so it was nice to see him bounce back. With that said, it was the Timberwolves.
Jimmy Butler once again led the Timberwolves to victory, as he scored 26 points, grabbed three boards, dished out three dimes, and liberated two.
Taj Gibson scored 24 points, grabbed nine boards, dished out two dimes, liberated two, and blocked one in 40 minutes. Taj went straight Animal Planet-style and just jacked Gorgui’s job. Dieng! Let’s check on Dieng to see if he’s alright:
Karl-Anthony Towns scored 18 points, grabbed 13 boards, and dished out two dimes. I still love KAT, but I obviously had him too high in the preseason. Just not enough usage and shot attempts to go around. His shot attempts are down from 18 to 14.4. Meow….
Jeff Teague scored 22 points, grabbed three boards, dished out 11 dimes, liberated two, and blocked one. This is a ceiling game for Teague. It’s like sex after having two kids. It will happen once in a while, but don’t expect it every night.
Maximilian Kleber got another start for the Dallas Mavericks. Was a starting position auctioned off at a recent charity? He’s actually started three games. Is he marrying Rick Carlisle’s daughter? Hmm, Abby Carlisle is 13 years old, so that’s probably not it. Abby has a crush on Maximilian. Ding ding ding! I can just hear it now. Daddy, please play my Maxi tonight. Please, oh please, oh please. But honey, I have to do what’s best for th…..WAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH! I HATE YOU! HOW COULD YOU?
Wesley Matthews scored two points, grabbed a board, and dished out four dimes. Matthews is a pain to own because the range of outcomes is so vast. He can score one point or drop 20 while filling the stat sheet. I’m a sucker for minutes, shot attempts…and obviously pain.
JJ Barea scored 10 points, grabbed a board, and dished out 11 dimes. Seriously, all JJ does is perform.
Seriously. I think I play him every night. I have more confidence in him than I have in myself.
Nerlens Noel played….himself. Two points in four minutes.
10 Grizzlies received double-digit minutes. Please click on the video above again. Marc Gasol scored 14 points, grabbed 10 boards, dished out four dimes, and blocked one. He went 5-of-15 from the field. His usage is close to 30% without Mike Conley in the lineup. Should be higher.
Mario Chalmers continues to start at point guard and scored six points, grabbed seven boards, dished out eight dimes, and liberated two. He shot 2-of-11 from the field and 0-of-5 from downtown. Not so super.
Dillon Brooks scored 13 points, grabbed two boards, dished out a dime, and blocked one in 32 minutes. He’s getting the run, but owning him ain’t really fun.
Chandler Parsons scored 11 points, grabbed a board, and dished out three dimes in 24 minutes. He will probably top out around 25 minutes per game. As I look at the game logs….yup. Last four games: 24, 24, 25, and 25 minutes. I’m beginning to think something catastrophic would happen if he played 26 minutes. Do the Grizzlies have a dedicated stopwatch guy that sits behind the bench and keeps track? What happens when he’s played 24 minutes.
The Rockets destroyed the Nuggets 125-95, so minutes and all that good stuff have to be put in the proper context.
Nikola Jokic scored 17 points, grabbed six boards, dished out three dimes, liberated two, and blocked one. What a Joker!
With Paul Millsap down, Wilson Chandler started at PF, while Will Barton slid into the SF position. Chandler was terrible, scoring two points, grabbing five boards, dishing out a dime, and blocking one. I’m not worried about Chandler. Barton scored 20 points, grabbed six boards, dished out three dimes, liberated two, and blocked two in 36 minutes. I guess that starting lineup suits him well.
Many thought that Kenneth Faried would start for Millsap. Faried DNP – Coach’s decision. Ok, then. Tres Lyles played 24 minutes and scored seven points, grabbed three boards, dished out three dimes, liberated one, and blocked one.
Juan Hernangomez played 18 minutes and scored nine points, grabbed three boards, and dished out a dime. Juan can flat out shoot, so if he starts getting 20 minutes a game, he could provide some nice stats from downtown.
Eric Gordon did not play due to a right calf issue.
Chris Paul played 28 minutes and scored 23 points, grabbed two boards, dished out 12 dimes, and liberated three. He went 8-of-11 from the field and 4-of-7 from downtown. That’s what I’m talking about!
The game got so out of hand that Zhou Qi got 12 minutes of run. Six points, two boards, one dime, one liberation, and one block by the 21-year-old, seven-footer from China. Ni hao.
Serge Ibaka scored nine points, grabbed two boards, blocked four, and dished out a dime. Awww shiznitz. Ibaka 8. Blake 6.
OG Anunoby scored three points, grabbed a board, and dished out a dime in 16 minutes. With Norman Powell back, minutes will be hard to come by. I do think there’s a chance he gets more run as the season wears on, especially since he can guard multiple positions.
Pascal Siakam played 29 minutes and scored eight points, grabbed eight boards, and dished out four dimes. Jonas Valanciunas only played 18 minutes and scored eight points, grabbed six boards, dished out a dime, and blocked three. JV has played fewer than 20 minutes in five of the past six games. Welcome to Varsity, Pascal?
Jarrett Jack played 32 minutes. He scored two points, grabbed four boards, dished out two dimes, and liberated two. Frank Ntilikina, aka the Frenchise, only played 16 minutes and scored seven points, grabbed a board, and dished out a dime. Hornaceck don’t know Jack!
Al Horford only shot 3-of-10 from the field, but grabbed nine boards, dished out four dimes, liberated one, and blocked two. Love and marriage….
Marcus Smart checks so many boxes. Plays a ton of minutes. Contributes in every category. Except for the fact that he can’t shoot!! The ulitmate punt points and fg% player.
Josh Richardson went 0-for-5 from the field, grabbed three boards, dished out a dime, and blocked one. JRich may give Smart a run for his money. I don’t blame you if you move on from JRich. I’m a stubborn mule, though.
Blake Griffin messed around last night.
26 points, 10 boards, 10 dimes, and one liberation. Of course, no blocks.
Wesley Johnson got the start for Danilo Gallinari and scored 24 points, grabbed a board, dished out a dime, liberated one, and blocked one in 36 minutes. Damn, Wes was just filling the quota for the peripheral categories.
With Patrick Beverley out for the season due to knee surgery, Austin Rivers got the start and scored 18 points, grabbed two boards, dished out five dimes, liberated two, and blocked one in 37 minutes. Cry me a Rivers.
John Collins got the start for the Hawks with Mike Muscala sitting. Collins scored 14 points, grabbed 10 boards, dished out three dimes, and liberated four in 38 minutes.
Damian Lillard scored 30 points, grabbed three boards, dished out two dimes, liberated one, and blocked one. You know what’s coming:
Shabazz Napier scored 13 points, grabbed three boards, dished out four dimes, and liberated two in 27 minutes. Napier continues to get run and produce. He’s played over 20 minutes in the past five games and scored in double digits in four.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson scored 20 points, grabbed six boards, and dished out two dimes in 25 minutes. I don’t understand why he doesn’t get more run. Bueller?
Allen Crabbe played 30 minutes and scored 15 points, grabbed four boards, dished out two dimes, and liberated one. As long as he gets 30+ minutes and drains 3’s, I don’t care what his hair looks like.
Joe Harris played 29 minutes and scored 18 points, grabbed five boards, dished out four dimes, liberated two, and blocked one. Shout out to the New York Local Union. That’s power. The Nets played the Cavs? Oh, that may have had something to do with it.
JR Smith played 33 minutes and scored three points, grabbed two boards, dished out a dime, and liberated one. He went 1-of-4 from the field. What exactly does he do out there on the court exactly?
Jose Calderon played 20 minutes. Enough said.
Dwayne Wade played 28 minutes and scored 18 points, grabbed four boards, dished out five dimes, and liberated one. The last six games have gone: 18, 8, 23, 7, 15, and 3 points scored. I remember these questions from the SATs. The next number in this set is______.
John Wall scored 31 points, grabbed a board, dished out 11 dimes, liberated one, and blocked one. Bradley Beal scored 22 points, grabbed four boards, dished out two dimes, liberated two, and blocked one. Both played 41 minutes and the Wizards still lost 124-129 to the Hornets.
Markieff Morris scored 14 points, grabbed eight boards, dished out a dime, and blocked one in 34 minutes. He’s baaaack, which is meeeehhhh.
Dwight Howard scored 26 points, grabbed 13 boards, dished out three dimes, and blocked one. It’s too bad Dwight was always concerned with what others thought of him. He always aimed to please. I hope one day I can visit a parallel universe and see Evil Dwight. Oooooohh.
Nicolas Batum reinjured the same elbow that kept him out earlier this season. As of now, there’s no word on the extent of the injury. Regardless, Jeremy Lamb should be scooped up if available. He started the second half in Batum’s place and scored 24 points, grabbed seven boards, dished out five dimes, and blocked three. He’s a baaaaaaaaaad man.
Kyle Kuzma scored 17 points, grabbed two boards, and liberated one in 36 minutes. He shot 7-of-17 from the field and 3-of-7 from downtown. I saw someone compare him to Rashard Lewis. I can see it, although I think Kuzma is a better ball handler. Anyways, can’t wait to see what Kuzma develops into.
Brook Lopez scored four points, grabbed one board, and blocked one in 17 minutes. Foul trouble. As a result, Julius Randle played 29 minutes and scored 14 points, grabbed eight boards, dished out two dimes, liberated two, and blocked one.
Lonzo Ball scored 11 points, grabbed seven boards, dished out 11 dimes, and liberated one in 37 minutes. He shot 4-of-8 from the field and 3-of-5 from downtown.
Zach Randolph scored 22 points, grabbed seven boards, dished out seven dimes, and liberated three in 30 minutes. “I told you Randolph was the missing piece, Vlade. I told you!” said Vivek after the game.
Willie Cauley-Stein scored 26 points, grabbed six boards, dished out a dime, and liberated two in 28 minutes. “And people were giving us shit for drafting Willie at #6 back in 2015. Shiiiet! You with me, Vlade?” after Vivek’s fourth bottle of champagne.
Buddy Hield played 15 minutes and scored 10 minutes. “Why the fuck is my Steph Curry only playing 15 minutes? Talk to me, Vlade!”
Frank Mason played 26 minutes and Bogdan Bogdanovic played 27 minutes. Mason scored 11 points, grabbed five boards, and dished out seven dimes. BogBog scored 14 points, grabbed a board, dished out seven dimes, and liberated two. Mason has played over 20 minutes in each of the past four games and scored in double digits in three. BogBog has been getting consistent minutes in the low-to-mid 20’s, but his production has been all over the map. He has scored double digits in the past thre games, though.
An interesting development lately has been the lineup with De’Aaron Fox at PG with George Hill at SG. Hill did not score, grabbed three boards, and dished out a dime. Before last night’s dud, he had scored in double digits in each of the past five games.
Whew….that was an endeavor. Anyways, I want to thank all of you for reading. I enjoy writing this daily post, but I am nothing without you guys. Wishing all of you a Happy Thanksgiving! Get fat, drunk, and do whatever it is you do! Until next week.
