Heat 93, Knicks 87

In the opening game of a 5 game Christmas Day set, the Knicks and Heat started things off right with what would turn out to be a solid game. The Knicks, 8-3 in the month of December got behind the Heat from the beginning but put on a late rally that almost turned into a victory. Unfortunately for the Knicks, the Miami Heat are home to one of the best rally killers. His name is Dwyane Wade. Chipping away at a late 10 point margin, Wade was able to hit big shot after big shot to keep the Knicks down. Wade had 30 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists, while Danilo Gallinari played well, putting in 26 points. David Lee pulled down 16 rebounds and hit some pretty big shots to keep the Knicks close.

Who’s Naughty? Al Harrington shot 5-20 from the field. He also got frustrated late in the game, getting a stupid technical.

Who’s Nice? Michael Beasley was huge in the beginning of the fourth quarter, keeping the Heat afloat while Wade rested.

Celtics 86, Magic 77

Before I even begin, I have to start by saying that this was one of the ugliest games I’ve seen from Orlando ever. Orlando scored 8 points in the second quarter. Orlando shot 33% from the field. Orlando needs to teach Dwight Howard some post moves. Because I watched the game, I can’t even say the Celtics solidly knocked the Magic out by playing stellar defense. It was instead horrible shot selection from Orlando. The only Magic player attacking the basket (at times) was shockingly, Mr 3 Point Chucker, Vince Carter. Coach Van Gundy repeatedly emphasized the horrible shot selection, but none of the Orlando players listened. It pains me to say it, but Rajon Rondo was a huge difference maker in this game, with 17 points, 13 rebounds, and 8 assists. Kendrick Perkins bothered Dwight Howard all night, holding Big Shoulders to a horrible 5 points (Dwight did however, have 20 rebounds ha!). The Celtics controlled this game from the beginning, and it was sad to see Orlando unable to respond, even with the Celtics missing Pierce.

Who’s Naughty? The whole roster of the Orlando Magic.

Who’s Nice? Tony Allen filled in well for Pierce, with 16 points, and tons of hustle plays.

Cavaliers 102, Lakers 87

Finally. The game that everyone was excited for. The game definitely didn’t live up to what we all thought it could have been, however we definitely saw that the Cleveland Cavaliers are a lot better than we thought. WELCOME TO THE CAVALIERS ERA!!!!! Sike. The Cavs played well from tip off and led the whole way. Up by as much as 20 at times, the Lakers just could not cut into the deficit. A huge factor in this game was the strategy of having Big Z and Shaq on the court at the same time to diffuse the effectiveness of Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol. Gasol looked lost on the court at times, and avoided the paint. Bynum looked tentative and was kept busy on defense. Kobe did all he could in this game, with 35 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists, and 3435 complaints. The rest of the Lakers just didn’t show up, with the next highest scorer being Artest, with 13 points. Lebron put in 26 points and also had 9 assists, but he also received some help from Mo Williams, who had 28. The game got ugly enough at the end, that fans threw foam fingers onto the court, while Derek Fisher resorted to cheap shots. Unfortunately for the rest of the league, the Lakers will come out firing in their next games, likely leading to a solid winning streak.

Who’s Naughty? Derek Fisher. Dude. Did you really cheap shot Mo Williams. Then you get in LeBron’s face?? That’s smart.

Who’s Nice? Jamario Moon hit some ridiculous shots to keep driving the nail into the Lakers coffin. He had 13 points total.

Clippers 93, Suns 124

In what turned out to be the easiest matchup to predict, the Suns slaughtered the Clippers with an onslaught of scoring, winning by 31. Let’s look at some of the Suns’ player point totals: Amare Stoudemire- 26, Jason Richardson- 18, Jared Dudley-18, Steve Nash- 14, Goran Dragic- 13, Leandro Barbosa- 12, and Grant Hill-12. Typically, if 7 players score in double figures, a team is off to the right track. The Clippers were never in this game, and quite frankly, looked as though they didn’t care much to be there. Phoenix shot over 50% from the field, and 50% from behind the arc. Baron Davis had a luckluster 12 poins, while Rasual Butler led the Clippers with 22 points.

Who’s Naughty? B Diddy. What’s up man? This was your time to make a statement.

Who’s Nice? Grant Hill. You are the man. Your half court bankshot 3 pointer was awesome. Described the whole game in 1 shot.

Nuggets 96, Blazers 107

With a two point lead heading into the fourth quarter, the Nuggets fell silent offensively as the Blazers poured in 33 points to the Nuggets 20. My boy Nene, who I’ve been (over)hyping up all season, played arguably his worst game of the season, putting up Kevin Garnett type numbers, with 9 points and 3 rebounds. Chauncey Billups also didn’t step up and hit any shots to help the Nuggets rally. It’s not like he was cold, it’s that he only took 7 shots in the whole game. Brandon Roy went Dwyane Wade mode in the fourth quarter, pouring in a game high 41 points. The Nuggets had noone who could contain Roy (shout out to Dahntay Jones). Carmelo was also nasty, dumping in 32 points, but the Nuggets lacked any inside presence to attack Portland’s weak interior. Steve Blake was huge off the bench, with 5 three pointers, adding to his 17 points. This was a big win for Portland, as they continue to play strong with a semi depleted roster.

Who’s Naughty? Aaron Affalo. Brandon Roy made you look like garbage. Play defense with your legs, not your hands haha.

Who’s Nice? Birdman. 19 minutes played….5 blocks haha.

-G