| David West, F, New Orleans Hornets | Thursday 5/8, 11:48 PM CT |
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| David West scored 23 points and added 12 boards and three blocks but it wasn't enough as the Hornets fell to the Spurs 110-99 in Game 3. |
Our View: This was West's second straight double-double against the Spurs and he has averaged 21 points a game over the three contests. He will likely continue to work against Tim Duncan at times, a tough matchup for the Hornets best inside presence.
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| Tim Duncan, C, San Antonio Spurs | Thursday 5/8, 11:46 PM CT |
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| Tim Duncan took only 13 shots in Game 3 but he made six of them on his way to a 16 point, 13 rebound, four block shot night. |
Our View: Duncan played a game-high 43 minutes in his second solid outing after possibly his worst playoff performance of his storied career. He will need to be even better in Game 4 if the Spurs hope to even up the series.
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| Manu Ginobili scored 31 points for the Spurs in their 110-99 victory over the Hornets in Game 3. Ginobili made three 3-pointers on the night and was 11-for-22 from the field. |
Our View: This was only the second time in these playoffs that Ginobili went for 25 in a game and it was a welcomed change since he had been held to an average of 12.5 points per game over the last four.
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| Tony Parker, G, San Antonio Spurs | Thursday 5/8, 11:41 PM CT |
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| Tony Parker may not have been able to stop Chris Paul from scoring but he did his best to keep up as he hit 12 of 24 shots on his way to 31 points (Paul had 35). |
Our View: Parker did out assist the MVP candidate 11 to nine in over 40 minutes of action. Parker has now gone for 30 points in four of the last seven playoff games as he is once again proving why he is considered such a clutch performer.
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| Chris Paul, G, New Orleans Hornets | Thursday 5/8, 11:38 PM CT |
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| Chris Paul had another MVP-type performance in Game 3 though the Hornets fell 110-99 to the Spurs to narrow their series lead to 2-1. |
Our View: Paul went off for 35 points on 15-for-25 shooting, not to mention he dished out nine assists. Paul did his part on offense but he needs to be better on defense as Tony Parker poured in 31 points for the Spurs.
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| Zydrunas Ilgauskas was probably the best player on the Cavs in their Game 2 loss to the Celtics as he scored 19 points and pulled in five boards. Impressively, he was 9-for-12 from the field. |
Our View: Zydrunas is averaging 20.5 points a game in two games with the Cavs, but both games have ended in loses negating the solid play of Illgauskas.
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| Ray Allen, G, Boston Celtics | Thursday 5/8, 10:05 PM CT |
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| Ray Allen hit only four of 10 shots on the night, but he added seven free-throws to total 16 points in the Celtics 89-73 victory over the Cavs. |
Our View: Allen, who was skunked last time out as he was held to zero points, had a much better outing though he was still far from operating at his best in almost 37 minutes of action.
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| Paul Pierce, F, Boston Celtics | Thursday 5/8, 10:02 PM CT |
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| Paul Pierce rebounded from a 2-for-14 effort in Game 1 to score 19 points on 7-for-13 shooting in Game 2. |
Our View: Pirece has been dealing with back and hip issues, but he overcame all of that tonight in a solid effort that included six rebounds against the Cavs.
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| LeBron James, F, Cleveland Cavaliers | Thursday 5/8, 9:58 PM CT |
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| LeBron James had another awful shooting game as the Cavs lost 89-73 to the Celtics to fall behind 2-0. James, who was 2-for-18 in Game 1, and he barely improved tonight as he went 6-for-24 from the field and 9-for-13 from the line on his way to 21 points. |
Our View: This is nowhere near the type of effort that the Cavs will require to beat the favored Celtics. You can't figure on him having three straight games like this, though we would have bet you he wouldn't have had two straight like this.
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| Ben Wallace, C, Cleveland Cavaliers | Thursday 5/8, 7:15 PM CT |
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| Ben Wallace was sent to the locker room with dizziness in the first quarter, but eventually returned to the bench in the second period though it's not clear if he will be able to re-enter the game, according to Cleveland.com. His return is being listed as doubtful |
Our View: Wallace has been a non-factor in far too many games this year since moving to the Cavs, but his presence on the defensive end will be missed if he doesn't return.
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| Free agents Antawn Jamison and Gilbert Arenas are both wanted back with the Wizards, according to FoxSports. "Our intent all along has been to have both of those players back and to keep our core together. And at the appropriate time, we'll sit down with both of those parties and see what we can work out," president Ernie Grunfeld said.
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Our View: Arenas and Jamison have been teammates for six years dating back to their time with the Warriors. It is important for the team to keep both players happy, but it will be a challenge to bring them both back.
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| Free agents Gilbert Arenas and Antawn Jamison are both wanted back with the Wizards, according to FoxSports. "Our intent all along has been to have both of those players back and to keep our core together. And at the appropriate time, we'll sit down with both of those parties and see what we can work out," president Ernie Grunfeld said. |
Our View: Arenas and Jamison have been teammates for six years dating back to their time with the Warriors. It is important for the team to keep both players happy, but it will be a challenge to bring them both back.
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| Jose Calderon, a free agent, has news for the Raptors - he wants to be a starter, according to TSN. "I want to be a starter. I will not be on a team in which I cannot be an important contributor." |
Our View: With T.J. Ford in the second year of a three year contract, it doesn't appear that there is room for Calderon to see more time on the court than the 30 minutes a game he averaged this year, which makes it likely he has played his last game for the Raptors.
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| Chauncey Billups is still sore (due to a strained right hamstring) and isn't sure if he can play in Game 4 on Saturday, according to the AP. He said, "Just going to take it one day at a time and see what happens. But it’s feeling sore, kind of similar to last night. I felt a little something. I’m just hoping it was a strain, what I felt. But I felt something in there. I never really had a hamstring like this before."
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Our View: The Magic won their first game of the series Wednesday with Billups out of action, and the Pistons really need him to be healthy in pivotal Game 4. The game will take place in Orlando.
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| Mo Williams, G, Milwaukee Bucks | Thursday 5/8, 2:54 PM CT |
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| Mo Williams underwent successful surgery to repair ligament damage in his right thumb on Thursday, according to the AP.
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Our View: Williams will be sidelined for six weeks but is expected to make a full recovery for the start of next season. He averaged 17.2 points and a career-high 6.4 assists in 66 games for the Bucks this season.
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| Chris Paul, G, New Orleans Hornets | Thursday 5/8, 2:48 PM CT |
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| Chris Paul rounds out the All-NBA First-Team at guard for this season, according to the Boston Globe. Paul led the NBA in assists (11.6 per game) and steals (2.7 per game), becoming the first player since John Stockton in 1992 to lead the league in both categories the same season. CP-3 also averaged a team-high 21.1 points per contest.
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Our View: Paul also led the Hornets to their first Southwest Division Title.
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| LeBron James, F, Cleveland Cavaliers | Thursday 5/8, 2:43 PM CT |
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| LeBron James claimed First-Team All-NBA honors, according to the Boston Globe. James led the NBA in scoring (for the first time in his career) with 30 points per game. He also averaged 7.9 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.8 steals, and 1.1 blocks per outing. |
Our View: This season, King James became the youngest player to score 10,000 career points. He was named to the First-Team for the second time in his career.
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| Dwight Howard has earned First-Team All-NBA honors, according to the Boston Globe. He led the NBA in rebounding with 14.2 per contest, and also averaged 20.7 points, 1.3 assists, and 2.1 blocks. |
Our View: Howard also led the NBA with 69 double-doubles, including eight 20-20 games. Howard led the Magic to its first division title since 1995-96, even more importantly.
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| Kobe Bryant, G, Los Angeles Lakers | Thursday 5/8, 2:35 PM CT |
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| Kobe Bryant has been named First-Team All-NBA, according to the Boston Globe. Bryant, who also won the MVP Award, averaged 28.3 points, 6.3 boards, 5.4 assists, and 1.8 steals per game this season. |
Our View: He earned the honor for the third straight season, and for the fifth time in his career. He also led the Lakers to a Western Conference-best 57-25 record.
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| Forward Kevin Garnett has been named First-Team All-NBA, according to the Boston Globe. He also previously won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award, as he averaged 18.8 points, 9.2 boards, 3.4 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game this season. |
Our View: He also led Boston to an NBA-best 66-16 record in his first season with the team.
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| Chris Paul, G, New Orleans Hornets | Thursday 5/8, 1:21 PM CT |
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| Chris Paul wore a protective sleeve over his left knee but participated in the Hornets' shootaround practice Thursday morning and will be able to start in Game 3 against the Spurs, according to the New Orleans Times Picayune. Paul is experiencing soreness in his knee and Coach Byron Scott said, "He's fine, but we're just trying to make sure he gets enough rest as possible so that he can give it 110 percent. We just don't need him to do all the running right now. He's in shape and it's not like he can get shape in one day. He's fine and will be ready to play."
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Our View: Paul played 40 minutes and scored a game-high 30 points in Game 2 against the Spurs. It is unknown if Paul began experiencing the knee soreness during or after that game. The Hornets currently lead the series 2-0.
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| Dikembe Mutombo has told the Rockets he will decide in the next two weeks whether to retire or return for an 18th season, according to the Houston Chronicle. |
Our View: Mutombo averaged three points and 5.1 boards over 15.8 minutes per game this season. Those figures are low, but he still has enough left in the tank to return next season.
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| Manu Ginobili is nursing a sore left ankle, but he said he will be fine to play tonight against the Hornets, according to the San Antonio Express News. Ginobili said, "I’m doing much better. Since the series has started, I start feeling a little better each game."
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Our View: The Spurs are down 2-0 in the series, and Ginobili is going to treat tonight's game as if it is the last one for the Spurs. Injured or not, you can count on Ginobili tonight as the Spurs attempt to climb back into the series.
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| Steve Francis exercised an option on Wednesday to stick with the Rockets in 2008-09, the Houston Chronicle reports. The guard is coming off surgery to repair a torn quad tendon in his right leg. |
Our View: Whatever the Rockets will pay him next season, it's too much. Francis hasn't been worth a fantasy roster spot since the first half of the 2005-06 campaign.
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| Chauncey Billups will likely play in Game 4 against Orlando on Saturday, according to the AP. Billups left Wednesday’s loss in Game 3 early in the first quarter, and will have a precautionary MRI on his strained right hamstring Thursday. Coach Flip Saunders said, "We’re shooting for him to play on Saturday. He’s sore right now. We won’t know for the next 24 hours where he’s really at. But all indications are that we’re shooting for him to play Saturday."
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Our View: Billups is officially listed as day-to-day. The Magic won their first game of the series Wednesday with Billups out of action, and the Pistons really need him to be healthy in pivotal Game 4.
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| James Augustine has been added to Orlando's active roster, according to Florida Today. JJ Redick has been placed on the inactive list due to tendinitis in his left foot. |
Our View: Augustine only averaged 1.6 points over 6.0 minutes per game this season, and isn't expected to make an impact against the Pistons.
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| J.J. Redick has been placed on the inactive list by the Magic on Wednesday, according to Florida Today. The team stated the reason to be tendinitis in Redick's left foot. Forward James Augustine was added to the active roster. |
Our View: Redick has been displeased all season with his playing time and once requested a trade. He only averaged 8.1 minutes (and 4.1 points) per game in the regular season.
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| Brian Cook, F, Orlando Magic | Thursday 5/8, 7:24 AM CT |
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| Brian Cook is unlikely to play in the series against Detroit, according to Florida Today. Cook broke a bone in the top of his right hand on March 31, causing him to miss the last eight games of the regular season and the first-round playoff series against the Toronto Raptors. Coach Van Gundy said, "He's not going to play in this series. I just don't see how he does unless all of a sudden his hand gets 200 percent better and he gets some practices in. You'd have to really see some good things from him in practice. You'd be putting him into an impossible spot without practice. You'd like to have him at full strength, but not where he's at now."
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Our View: Cook only averaged 4.7 points and 2.1 rebounds over 12.4 minutes of action per contest this season, and won't be missed by Orlando, or fantasy playoff rosters.
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| Kobe Bryant, G, Los Angeles Lakers | Thursday 5/8, 12:43 AM CT |
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| Some call him Mamba, some call him Kobayashi, and we all call him MVP. Regardless of your moniker of choice, there is no denying Kobe Bryant's contributions to the Lakers' 120-110 win over the Utah Jazz in Game 2 of their playoff series. Bryant shot 11-of-18 from the field, 1-of-2 from three-point range, and an outstanding 11-of-12 from the free-throw line to score 34 points, also adding eight rebounds and six assists to the cause. |
Our View: Bryant has scored at least 30 points in five of six playoff games for the Lakers thus far (scoring 22 in Game 3 versus Denver), including 49 points in Game 2 against the Nuggets and 38 in Game 1 against Utah. He's raising his game, getting his teammates involved, and proving worthy of the recently-awarded MVP trophy.
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| Derek Fisher, G, Los Angeles Lakers | Thursday 5/8, 12:36 AM CT |
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| The Los Angeles Lakers have taken a definitive 2-0 lead in their playoff series with the Utah Jazz, bolstered by tonight's 120-110 win in Game 2. Laker PG Derek Fisher put his best foot forward in the win, shooting 7-of-10 from the floor, 4-of-5 from long range, and 4-of-4 from the free-throw line to score 22 points. |
Our View: Fisher didn't add the traditional passing benefits we expect from the position, but his scoring was a deciding factor in game that was hard fought and key for the Lakers moving forward.
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| Pau Gasol, F, Los Angeles Lakers | Thursday 5/8, 12:31 AM CT |
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| The Lakers have seized a stronghold in their continued efforts for an NBA title, taking a definitive 2-0 lead in their series over the Utah Jazz with a 120-110 win in Game 2 this evening. Lakers center Pau Gasol contributed nicely to the effort, going 6-of-11 from the field and 8-of-12 from the free-throw line to score 20 points, adding five rebounds, five assists, and a whopping five blocked shots in the win. |
Our View: Gasol has been the key addition for a team now starting to take form as a dominating presence in these playoffs. His offensive skills are renown and obvious, but he's also contributing on defense and that should have fans excited.
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| The Utah Jazz watched each of the their starters and two of their reserve players post double-digit scoring totals, but the effort fell short as the Lakers now own a 2-0 series lead, putting a 120-110 win on the Jazz this evening. Utah PG Deron Williams led the team, shooting 9-of-17 from the floor, 5-of-5 from three-point range, and 2-of-2 from the charity stripe to score 25 points, adding 10 assists to the cause. |
Our View: Williams has been the team's offensive catalyst all season long, but this game shows he is unable to do it alone.
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