SUCKA FREE 4: Who didn't suck in the NBA last week

Vince Carter of the NJ Nets didn't suck
Last week: 25pts, 8 rebounds, 11 assists
VC has been dropping dimes, getting double digit assist games against Milwaukee and Memphis.

Lamarcus Aldridge of the Portland Blazers didn't suck
Last week: 24 pts, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block
Lamarcus had three twenty point games against the LA Lakers, Detroit Pistons and Golden State. The Blazers sit a game and half behind the Nuggets in the Northwest.

Pau Gasol of the LA Lakers didn't suck
Last week: 20 pts, 10 rebounds
PG 20-10 averaged 20-10 last week with a huge game against Golden State. He had 33 points, 18 rebounds and 2 blocks against the Warriors. Check out the dish by Pau in this clip:

Philadelphia 76ers didn't suck
Last Week: Won 4 in a row
The've won four in a row knocking off Houston, Milwaukee, Charlotte and Atlanta. They sit in the third spot in the Atlantic Division.

Minnesota Timberwolves didn't suck
Last Week: Won 5 in a row
The Wolves are only 11-25 but are on a streak beating mediocre teams Golden State, Chicago, Memphis, OKC and Milwauekee. The Wolves are 4th in the Northwest. They squeaked out a win against the Bucks 106-104 even without Kevin McHale (ejected) and Al Jefferson (fouled out)

Photo credit: (Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images)

Read more...

SUCKA FREE 3: Who didn't suck in the NBA last week

Who DIDN'T suck in the NBA last week?


Marcus Camby of the LA Clippers didn't suck
Last Week: 16.5 pts, 19 boards, 2.8 blocks
He had a couple of 20 board games against the Detroit Pistons and the Phoenix Suns. The Clippers still suck but Camby has been a beast on the boards.

Kobe Bryant of the LA Lakers didn't suck
Last Week: 35.5 pts, 5reb, 4assts, 3 stls
Kobe had 40 against the Jazz as the Lakers have been rolling over opponents.

Shaquille O'Neal of the Phoenix Suns didn't suck
Last Week: 23 pts, 11 reb, 2.3 blocks
The 52-year old is still chugging along and still putting up all-starish numbers as the Suns have won three in row.

Troy Murphy/Danny Granger of the Indian Pacers didn't suck
Last Week: Granger 26 pts, 5 assts, 4 reb and 1.8 steals, Murphy 13pts & 15 rebounds
The Pacers combo combined for an average of 39pts and 19 rebounds for the young Pacers squad.

Detroit Pistons didn't suck
The Pistons have won 7 in a row knocking off some bad teams last week in the Sacramento Kings and LA Clippers. Rodney Stuckey was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week including a 39 point performance against the Kings.


LA Lakers didn't suck
The Lakers have won 5 in a row and were 8-2 in their last 10. With the Celtics slumping, the Lakers moved up to be the best team in the NBA. That Phil Jackson is one smart cookie. Check out this silky smooth pass by Pau Gasol last week against the Jazz:

Photo credit: (Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images)

Read more...

Iron LA Lakers KO Little Raps

Ok, just to start off, those goggles that Vlad-Rad wear are pretty darn cool. They are very 90’s Antoine Carr-esque.



Raps vs. Lakers result: Mike Tyson beat Little Mac.
The Raps got knocked out by the Lakers 112-99. It wasn’t an ugly beating as some thought it would be and on a positive note, it turned to be somewhat of a good display for the Raps.

Here’s the post-fight recap:

Did they follow Doc Louis’ advice? Yes & No

Did they copy Detroit?
Raps were unable to copy the Pistons and hold the Lakers to under 100pts which means they didn’t defend well. Lakers shot 51% from the field and they also outrebounded the Raps 54-36. If you play a team that averages almost 108 ppg, you have to play tighter defense and hold them to 25 pts per quarter or less to compete. The Lakers ended up scoring 32 in the first.

Did they increase offensive production?
Yes they did. There was a well-balanced attack from the starting lineup where all Raps starters scored in double figures. Bosh & Jose both had 12 pts, Bargnani had 14 & 11 boards, Moon finished with 11 and AP led the way with 19.

Did they take advantage of injuries?
Well, this didn’t work in the Raps favor. There seemed to be a lot of talk of J.O. starting against the Lakers but turned out that he had to sit out. To add to that, Andrew Bynum was good to go for this game and he put on a good showing with 18pts & 10 reb. Had J.O. started, it probably would have affected the Raps gameplay. Chris Bosh was forced to deal with Pau and Bynum guarding him where J.O. may have been able to relieve some of that pressure.

Did they let Kobe score 81?
No, he only ended up with 23 in 29 minutes. I don’t know if it was good defense or that Kobe sat out most of the 4th with the game in hand. Either way, he didnt light up the Raps for another 81.

Did Bosh prove his MVP worthiness against the Lakers & the reigning MVP?
Yes and No. Bosh's teammates played better but Bosh’s game was rusty, settling for jumpers as opposed to driving to the hoop.....and his jumper was ugly last night. Unfortunately, he had a brick wall to face with Pau and Andrew Bynum. Did it expose his ineffectiveness against a stellar team? Maybe.

In summary, the Raps put up a good effort against a tough team in the Lakers. They were able to pull it close at times but Lakers would go on a run. Andrea Bargnani seems to look better each game and looking more comfortable with his game. Raps were also able to get decent production out of their bench from Jason Kapono and Joey Graham. Raps have Denver (Tuesday) and Utah (Friday) up next.

Read more...

KOBE BRYANT'S PUNCHOUT!! - I think the Raps can beat the LA Lakers!

Remember Mike Tyson's Punch-out!!? Tonight's matchup feels like a matchup between Little Mac and Mike Tyson but I think Raps can beat Kobe Bryant! Ok, Ok, Ok.....I know it may be a stretch but here's what the Raps have to do to beat the Lakers.

Here's the Tale of the Tape:

LA Lakers

Record 13-1

Home Record 8-1

Offense 107.5 ppg

Defense 93.7 ppg

Home Offense 108.9 ppg

Home Defense 95.4 ppg

Toronto Raptors

Record 8-7

Away Record 4-3

Offense 97.9 ppg

Defense 98.9 ppg

Away Offense 92.1 ppg
Away Defense 93.1 ppg

If this was Punch-Out, Doc Louis would be in your corner telling you to "Join the Nintendo Fun Club today" or "Dance like a fly, bite like a mosquito!" or to do this:

"Copy Detroit, Raps!"

OK, so the record alone speaks for itself. Kobe's Lakers are the best team in the league. The Lakers own one loss this season BUT that came from a matchup at HOME against an Eastern Conference team in the Detroit Pistons. Detroit kept the Lakers under 100 points and played tough defense on Kobe. So if the Raptors can match that defensively, they'll have a chance.

"Increase Offensive Production!"

Defensively, the Raps statistically match up with the Lakers. The biggest mismatch? Offense. Lakers average 107 points per game vs. the Raps 97 points per game. How can the Raps overcome this? More offensive production from starters Anthony Paker and Andrea Bargnani. When the Pistons beat the Lakers, all 5 starters scored in double figures including Kwame Brown.......yes, KWAME BROWN! Raps need some decent offensive production from guys off of the bench like Joey Graham (let's put together a string of good games!) and some big buckets from Jason Kapono.

"Take Advantage of the Injuries!"

Let's see how the injury factor plays out. It sounds like Andrew Bynum is playing through a foot injury and Jermaine O'neal may be a game-time decision. If J.O. can go tonight, that should be a huge help to the Raps' offense and defense. In my opinion, the Raps win the bigs matchup with Bosh-Bargs-O'Neal vs. Pau-Radmanovic-Bynum.

"Don't let Kobe score 81!"

This will be the biggest challenge for the Raps.....shutting down Kobe Bryant. The Raps' defense has been questionable this season. Anthony Parker/Jose Calderon have to contain to Kobe. The Pistons kept Kobe to 12 of 30. Raps may have to pull Joey Graham off the bench to play some rugged defense on Kobe to hopefully throw him off his game.

"You the man now, Bosh! Live up to the MVP chatter"

Chris Bosh has to live up to his MVP chants. The biggest challenge for him is to compete against the reigning MVP. The Raptors also have to prove that they are a playoff contender this year, and prove that they can move past the first round. Chris Bosh has been a beast but now he has to show that he can make his team better, and increase production out of his teammates Andrea Bargnani and Jose Calderon.

A win may be unrealistic, but if the Raps can at least go 12 rounds with the Lakers, they'll make some noise around the league.

Read more...