Cavs 93, Lakers 87

In what was considered round 2 of the most exciting matchup of the year, the LeBron and Kobe show was one for the ages.

Too bad the game came down to Pau Gasol. Gasol, not having the best night of the season, was blocked by Anderson Varejao to prevent the go-ahead basket with 50 seconds left. LeBron got hold of the ball, and drove court to court to garner a lead they wouldn’t lose again. In addition, Gasol missed both free throws that would have tied the game on the following possession.

After a questionable holding call on Ron Artest, Varejao put the game away from the free throw line.

LeBron also won the “battle of the puppets”, as I like to call it. He finished with 37 points in 40 minutes (to Bryant’s 31), shot 13-25 (to Bryant’s 12-31), and got his teammates involved (LBJ’s 9 assists to Kobe’s 4). As for everyone else – J.J. Hickson had a solid game for the Cavs, scoring 11 points and collecting 14 rebounds.

Call it what you want, but the sweep the season series against the Lakers is pretty impressive for LeBron and Co. Now, should these teams meet in the finals, let’s see if Cleveland can keep up the winning. Even more glaring, however, is the depth with the Lakers. I hope other key players start to step it up against some of the elite teams in the NBA, or they will have trouble in the playoffs.

Finally, I will finish off by saying – LeBron’s puppet is way cooler.

Elsewhere in the NBA:

Nuggets 105, Clippers 85

This game was all but over in the third quarter. In case you missed it, here’s five things you need to know about this game:

1. Despite the loss, Chris Kaman is that good. It’s not pretty, and he isn’t the most attractive face in the NBA, but he is an old-school low post player who has an incredible jump hook (which he can do with both his left and right hands). He drew double teams tonight from Denver’s big men. Why you ask? Because the Clippers ended up with 48 points in the paint.

2. Both teams were really tired - it made for a sloppy game. The Clippers and the Nuggets were both coming off wins the prior evening, and the game appeared to have no energy. Denver was making sloppy passes, causing turnovers, and committing unnecessary fouls in the first half. The Clippers got into foul trouble early, and didn’t play the caliber defense that has shown marked improvement over the previous years. Oh yeah, and they were 1-17 from the three point line.

3. I said to the TV, “That’s the dagger.” every time Denver had an open look from downtown in the third quarter. I believe I said it three times over a span of 5 minutes in the third quarter. LAC was not getting back in transition, leaving players like Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups open for three. You can’t expect to stay in a game when that happens. This led to a 34-17 advantage for Denver to start the second half. By that point, it was all but determined.

4. Ricky Davis… Made his 3 shots in the first quarter, everything but net the rest of the game. He’s just proving to everyone (again) that he’s a bust.

5. Ty Lawson is really, really quick. He bursts of speed was more than the tired legs of the Clippers could handle. Nice game for the rookie (11 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists in 20 minutes).

Until next time,
-Duts