Yeah, yeah, yeah, we all saw what extra touches did for Josh Smith with Al Horford adios’d for muchas lunas. But that’s what Smoov is supposed to do. Starting in Horford’s stead Pachulia filled in admirably with a double-double and four dimes, while hitting on six of seven free throws and turning back a Bismack Biyombo gimme for good measure.
Lemon Face: Corey Maggette
You get what you deserve when you decide Maggette can be a contributor to your team. Not only has he never met a shot attempt he doesn’t like, he was knocking down a paltry 30% of nearly 12 attempts a game before leaving hamstrung. Maggette has never once in his 12-plus-year career played all 82 games, and not ever played more than 77, a mark he set his rookie season and only ever came close to matching once, ever again.
Lion Face: Greg Monroe
When you blow away your career high for points in a game while setting a new mark for made field goals, come one shy of tying your total rebounds, and tie your career high for made free throws in a game and do so with a perfect 100%, you’ve earned a look.
This young man is a cub no more. Y’all are on notice.
Lemon Face: The Storm
We’re in January. You shouldn’t be able to see dormant brown grass, and concrete and asphalt on the north sides of anything in Wisconsin. But until yesterday no one had to shovel a playground to get up some misty shots on a naked hoop in Milwaukee. The first decent snow storm of the season netted only 11,465 people into the Bradley Center to see Scott Skiles’ 400th career win as a head coach. That’s dismal. That’s less than the league-low leading Pistons get on average for a home tilt.
Via Flickr - The Smithsonian Institute
Lion Face: Marc Gasol
The last time Amare Stoudemire was held to six or less points the echoes of “Anything is possible!” were still bouncing off of downtown Boston walls. Doing the, um, lion’s share of the work on Amare, Gasol stumped Stoudemire soundly, keeping him to 1-7 from the floor and letting him get to a mere three rebounds to boot. There’s more than just Grizzlies in Memphis now. There’s a really big, ferocious cat too.
Lemon Face: Iman Shumpert
As the Daily Dime Live so eloquently pointed out, “Iman ShumpHURT” his team with 5-20 from the field and six turnovers. Ouch, young gun. OUCH.
Lion Face: The Guards
As advertised, Kyrie Irving and Steve Nash put on a show, going for a combined 17-27 FGs for 63% and dropping 21 dimes in the Arizona desert. But the triumphant return of Michael Redd stole the show going 3-7 from 3-land en route to 12 points, even as the Cavs downed the Suns.
Lemon Face: The Other Guards
Ramon Sessions, Boobie Gibson, Shannon Brown, and Ronnie Price combined to go 7-27 from the floor, less than 26%, in 84 minutes played.
Lion Face: The Hack-a-Dwight
Bold move, sure, but one that rarely pans out in the hacker’s favor as far as W-L is concerned. It was another, former Warriors coach, Don Nelson, then with Dallas, that birthed the strange strategy, having it backfire badly the first time it was used, on Dennis Rodman, a career 38% free throw shooter who knocked down 9-12 that historic night. This historic (for Dwight) night, Howard would post a 40/20/20 — 45 points, 23 rebounds, and 21 made free throws.
Lemon Face: The Jack-a-Dwight
Yeah, that worked out real well, didn’t it Mark Jackson? David Lee and Andris Biedrins fouled out and Jackson sent Ekpe Udoh, Jeremy Tyler, and Klay Thompson out to purposefully stop the game so Dwight could spend 18 seconds on the foul line another 22 times. The Hack-a-Shaq should have retired with Nellie and Shaq. It’s good for no one.
Honorable Lemon Face Mention: Monta Ellis, who’s now oh-for-everything in the clutch this year.
It was predictable because it made no sense. The Hawks were on the third night of the most overtimey B2B2B ever against a great Bulls team and they dominated from start to finish. Â Just over five minutes into the game, Smith had outscored Chicago 9-8 by himself, plus he had a rebound, block, and steal. His energy and the Bulls’ lack of it gave Atlanta a 17-point lead before the first quarter was over. At the end of the night, he was one steal shy of a 5×5: 25 points, five rebounds, five assists, four steals, six blocks, one turnover. Good Josh Smith streak: two games.
Lemon Face: Derrick Rose
Credit Jeff Teague and the Hawks’ trapping defense, but they shouldn’t have been able to hold the MVP to 8 points on 10 shots. Kyle Korver more than doubled him in free throw attempts, man. Kyle Korver.
Lion Face: Vlad Rad’s Three-Point Shooting
Vladimir Radmanovic checked in for Good Josh near the end of the first and immediately hit two threes. He hit two more at the end of the second quarter and the game was basically over at halftime. He finished 5-5 from downtown, after going 4-17 on threes in his previous five games. MADNESS.
Lemon Face: Deron Williams
10 points on 16 shots, five turnovers. His analyst game was spot-on, though:
Deron on the offense: "Our offense sucks. It’s just not very good right now. We’re not shooting good, I’m not shooting good."
Bibby and Vlad Rad had identical first halves: 14 points, 4-4 on threes. I’ve no idea what this means, but I’m terrified. He gets a lion face because I’m not sure he’ll ever get one again.
Lemon Face: Detroit’s Guards
Dear lord, if this is what it looks like when Rodney Stuckey’s out then I’m so glad he stayed. Ben Gordon had nine turnovers. Brandon Knight shot thirteen threes — most were in rhythm and two of the misses were to beat the shot clock, but oh boy that’s still a lot of them. Will Bynum shot 1-9. AND MIKE BIBBY LOOKED GOOD. Rough night.
Lion Face: Roy Hibbert
One of those nights that makes you feel like the Pacers could maybe, maybe do some damage in the playoffs. 20 points on 8-16 shooting, plus three blocks. He scored on a variety of hooks, a few jumpers, and a couple of tip-ins. Scary when he sprained his right ankle and had to go to the locker room, but he was fine.
Lemon Face: Toronto’s Offense
Raps score 62. Tie for 3rd lowest total in their history. Worst total since 2003.
The Raptors failed to score more than 18 in a quarter. Dwane Casey said it was fatigue. I don’t know what it was, but I didn’t enjoy watching it.
Lion Face: Goran Dragic
Dragic can thank Jeff Adrien for kicking Kyle Lowry in the foot at practice. In two games as a starting PG, he’s looked solid. 20 points on 7-10 shooting, with 8 assists. I love his nifty passing:
He was the best player on the court in San Antonio. With Manu out, the Spurs could use more 24-point nights from him.
Gregg Popovich: “He’s a great example of sticking with it, not getting down on oneself, continuing to play, improve, listen, and right now he’s playing well and has been a significant part of what we’re doing.â€
Corey Brewer: “We didn’t know about Danny Green at all.”
Lemon Face: Stephen Jackson
Ugh, the Bucks offense is baaaaad. Jackson sort of has to fire away. But 4-18 gets you a lemon face, especially when you miss some easy ones and commit some unforced turnovers. Milwaukee was in this game — it could have been a win if Jax had hit some shots.
He played only eight minutes, but had time to go 1-5. He bricked three open spot-up threes and made a strange decision to take a jumper off the dribble. It didn’t work out.
Lion Face: Reggie Evans
This man is going to save us from Brian Cook. He had four rebounds in his first four minutes as a Clipper. Of course he did. He gets a lion face because it was exciting to see him on the court again and he chugged a red bull on the sideline. 1-6 from the line, though.
Lemon Face: Jarrett Jack
We should cut him some slack because he’s been playing so damn well, but last night was a disaster. The Hornets’ offense looked a mess and Jarrett couldn’t find his shot. The only good thing that came out of it: this opened the door for Squeaky Johnson to play 17 minutes. Hell yes.
Lion Face: Vince Carter
Vince Carter made his second start of the season and scored 13 po-… Yeah, whatever, just watch this ten times if you haven’t already:
Against the Warriors’ zone, Utah played a point guard, shooting guard, and small forward who have combined to shoot 2-20 on three-pointers this season.
In a game decided and then re-decided in the closing seconds, Harden posted a +22 (alongside Nick Collison’s +16) in 35 minutes. While many focus on the rift, imaginary or not, between Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant, another point of contention for Thunder observers is Harden’s absence in the starting lineup. If he gets starter minutes, though, does it really matter?
But this Lion Face isn’t a product of Harden’s performance; rather, it’s recognition that there may not be a cooler cat in the game today. Check Harden’s reaction on Durant’s game-winner (h/t to Royce Young):
Nothing. Nada. In a tempestuous sea of celebration, Harden was the bearded eye of the hurricane.
Lemon Face: Lamar Odom
Photo by bbheart via Flickr
Suffice to say Mavericks fans thus far view Odom’s tenure in Dallas the same way a feng shui expert might look at a padded cell. That might be an affront to empty rooms and neutral impact, in fact; Odom went 2 for 11 from the field last night, missed 4 three-pointers, and has a -.294 WS/48 on the season.
Lion Face: Dwight Howard
Yes, it came against the Nets. Yes, Deron Williams six turnovers might have been really subconscious attempts to get Howard the ball. Sure, things become infinitely easier when you’re playing 6 players against 1.8, especially if you’re a physical behemoth. But a 35% bTRR (basketball-reference Total Rebound Rate) and 67 DRtg is an impressive showing no matter how you slice it.
Lemon Face: Brook Lopez’s physiology
KNOCK IT OFF. #FreeBrookLopezFromHimself
Lion Face: DeMarcus Cousins
Cousins had a rather Cousins-y night. He shot 25% from the field, though he managed a free throw attempt for every two field goal attempts and made 7 of his 8 freebies. He grabbed 12 rebounds for 24.8% of the total misses while he was on the court – including equal effort on the offensive and defensive glass – yet he fouled out again.
And I don’t really care about any of that, because he did this to Joakim Noah:
Kings fans, you’ve played three playoff teams so far. You’re 1-2 after those games, which isn’t shabby at all. Most importantly, the Bulls – the most recent team to vanquish your fair team – are really, really good. Cream of the crop in this amazing league of basketball we all love so much. So here’s a tip:
And if you don’t want to listen to Abraham Lincoln, then I beseech you – listen to Tom Ziller.
Lion Face: Anyone who watched Lakers/Knicks in its entirety
Who knew that two of the marquee teams could play such a snoozefest? Â The Lakers are still feeling things out themselves. Fortunately for Los Angeles, Kobe Bryant is still Kobe Bryant, and he’s capable of surprising even himself. He was easily the most fun player to watch in a game that seemed to last forever.
Some will interpret that as a dismissal of Carmelo Anthony and his abilities as a scorer. Make no mistake, Anthony is one of the most thrilling offensive players in the league and a joy to watch. However, there are two related variables working against him. First, a Knicks possession isn’t simply an opportunity to watch the offense operate around and through their small forward. It’s a grand jury panel, ready to indict coach Mike D’Antoni, Carmelo and Amar’e Stoudemire for their inability to figure this all out and have the two stars play nice together. It’s hard to watch the Knicks play offense without a sense that there’s both something missing and too many of the same piece, an overlap between. And without a point guard, it’s just hard to watch the Knicks play offense.
Lemon Face: Amar’e Stoudemire
With that said, a player of Stoudemire’s caliber missing 13 for 17 from the field gets a lemon face. It’s a rule that I have.
Lion Face: Kevin Durant
All of them. All of the lion faces ever. Better luck next time, former slam dunk champion who shall not be named and thought he had won the game for his team.
A full slate of games. 12 games of NBA scheduled and yet, we were mostly left disappointed. There were only three games that were decided by single digits and only two of those were good ones.
So while the schedule makers get a Lion Face for effort, the execution of the actual games definitely gets a Lemon Face.
Let’s turn to our judges to see if they concur:
Yep, the ruling is official. Now let’s get faced!
Lion Face: LeBron James
Check out this video of some highlights from the Cavs game against the Nets:
By the way, those were only highlights from the first half of this game. When it gets to these games between the Cavs and the dredges of the NBA like the Nets and Knicks, LeBron just seems to be messing around. And when he’s messing around, he’s giving us some of the most fun and insane highlights to go with what’s scarily becoming insanely normal stat lines for him. 26 points and 14 assists in 41 minutes for LeBron tonight. Wait, why did he play 41 minutes in a game in which the Cavs were manhandling the Nets from the get-go?
Lemon Face: Mike Brown
Act like a coach, MB, and sit your superstar when the game is in hand. Why risk the injury or put miles on the odometer with LeBron when it’s completely unnecessary? Don’t forget that you’re the coach and you get to say who is coming in and out of the game… in theory.
Lion Face: Orlando Magic Rebounding Domination
58 to 29 rebounding advantage over the Warriors? 16 offensive rebounds to the Warriors 29 TOTAL rebounds?
HULK SMASH!!!
Lemon Face: Top Rookie Point Guards
If you’re in the Top Three running for the 2010 Rookie of the Year award, you did not have a good Wednesday night. Brandon Jennings had just five points (on 2/12 shooting, 1/6 from three), six rebounds, five assists and six turnovers. But the Bucks won so that’s excusable. Stephen Curry scored nine points (on 3/12 shooting) and had seven assists to go with his five turnovers. He was also a -25 for the night in the Dubs’ blowout loss to the Magic. But worst of all definitely had to be Tyreke Evans. ‘Reke had nine points, eight rebounds and five assists to go with his one, single turnover. Doesn’t sound too bad especially considering they won, right? Wrong. He was dominated by Shane Battier all night and simply couldn’t get a shot to fall. He was 4/22 from the field, 0/4 from three and 1/3 from the free throw line. He nearly cost the Kings their sixth road victory of the year.
Lion Face: Shane Battier
Not only did Shane Battier manage to completely shut down what was thought to be a nearly unstoppable force in rookie Tyreke Evans but he also blocked seven shots in this game. His defense against Evans was flawless. He anticipated every single move that Tyreke made. Tyreke went to the spin move and Battier had already slid over. Evans tried to side step him to free up for a little runner in the key and Battier had his hands completely in the path of the ball. Wherever Tyreke went, Battier had already called ahead for reserved seating.
Lemon Face: The Kings-Rockets Game in General
On a night in which only three of the 12 games ended in a single-digit margin of victory, the Kings three-point win was clearly the worst of them all. The Kings refused to make shots and the Rockets refused to rebound and make shots. The Kings shot 32% from the field. The Rockets shot just 39% from the field while making only 22.7% from three and 61% from the charity stripe. They also allowed the Kings to grab 24 offensive rebounds, which factored into the Kings taking 23 more shots in this game than the Rockets did. In fact, the Kings attempted 100 shots total in this game, which is kind of insane. Plus there were only 31 combined points scored in the fourth quarter of this game. Ugh.
Lion Face: Rodrique Beaubois
Rodrique Beaubois is not only a ton of fun to say but it’s always the name of an invincible human being. This little French guy was the backup point guard to Jose Barea who was stepping in for Jason Kidd. And he dominated his 29 minutes on the floor with 17 points on nine shots, including 3/5 from three-point range. He also had four assists and a blocked shot. It’s hard to explain his style of play. The best I can come up with is he’s like watching one of those guys who can beat Super Mario Bros in like five minutes. Everything is too fast to keep up with and you’re just amazed at some of the jumps and speed this guy uses.
Lemon Face: James Posey Decision-Making
Ummm… Yeah… this happened on the Hornets last possession of the game when they were down two.
Lion Face: Kevin Garnett
Everyone is so quick to knock him down now that he’s a Boston Celtics, more visible than most players and a fiery guy that likes to try to get in the heads of his opponents. People seem to take joy in the fact that he’s battled injuries over the past two years, which is simply a white trash way to be a basketball fan. But if we’re going to bash him for being slow and incapable of doing the historically sick stat lines that he used to produce in ‘Sota we should at least make note of the rare nights from here on out in which KG looks extremely active and positively affects the game in being so. 12 points, five rebounds, four assists, four blocks and two steals isn’t changing the game but it was an encouraging effort from a seemingly-getting-healthier Kevin Garnett.
Lemon Face: Bobcats Starting Lineup
A way to fight for the a playoff spot is not getting just 40 points from your entire starting lineup. That’s not going to get an expansion franchise their very first playoff berth.
Lion Face: SSOM
Gian Casimiro, who currently runs Knick Blog, used to run Seven Seconds Or Mess. It was also a Knicks blog that celebrated/analyzed the Seven Seconds or Less era that Mike D’Antoni was bringing into Madison Square Garden. Well, on nights in which SSOM is clicking at the ole MSG it can be quite a beautiful thing. 128 points with four starters scoring at least 21 points is pretty damn fun. They shot 55% from the field, made 12 threes, turned the ball over just eight times and had 31 team assists. David Lee led the way with 21 points, 18 rebounds and eight assists. That’s just a fun night of basketball as long as you’re not the Detroit Pistons.
Lemon Face: OKC Thunder
You had a showdown date in Denver with a team you needed to measure yourself against. You also had a Kevin Durant versus Carmelo Anthony aspect to this game that was supposed to be fun, exhilarating and hopefully something that would end up on Hardwood Classics. Instead, you got a game in which the Nuggets completely dominated and peaked by obtaining a 40-point lead at one point. Carmelo slapped Durant around with a 30-19 scoring advantage. Nene, Kenyon Martin and Chris Andersen wrecked whatever excuse for a frontline the Thunder tried to throw at them. HELL! Even Anthony Carter had 12 assists off the bench. If I had to put my finger on what was the most telling stat of this game, it had to be the 26 team turnovers that resulted in 31 points for the Nuggets. That definitely didn’t help the Thunder stake a claim to the upper echelon of the Western Conference.
Lion Face: Mike Conley… wait, THAT Mike Conley? Yep, Mike Conley Had a Day
I probably shouldn’t talk about this because I’m sure Matt won’t want me to jinx it but did you see the game that Mike Conley had against a formidable backcourt combination of Darren Collison and Marcus Thornton? 21 points on 11/18 shooting, seven assists and five steals. That’s not too shabby. Especially considering that Darren Collison lit up MC Crappy Point Guard a few weeks ago, this was a nice showing by someone that owes the Grizzlies fans a few good showings in a row.
Lemon Face: Indiana Pacers sans Danny Granger
Danny Granger: 30 points, 12/22 shooting, 1 turnover
Rest of his team: 49 points, 21/54 shooting, 17 turnovers.
Guess if the Pacers pulled out an incredibly improbable win at Portland or if they were destroyed by 23 points? Go ahead; guess for me.
Lion Face: Grant Hill Will Have None of That
Travis Outlaw, you should’ve known that Grant Hill drinks Sprite.
Lion Face: Bill Walker Is Becoming Self-Aware Via Posting and Toasting, Bill Walker is getting it done. Good to see:
It was suppose to be the glorious return of the Lion Face/Lemon Face.
It really was. I was going to try to come up with a clever introduction that was befitting of a great night of basketball. It was going to warm your heart, open your minds and get you craving several hundred words recapping individual and team performances from the night before.
Instead? We got an excrement filled gyro of NBA games with only two of them ending up with a sub-10-point margin of victory. So it’s going to be a bit of a stretch to make this a great return for what started out as the equivalent of your morning bag of donut holes but we’re going to try to persevere.
To help make up for this, I’ve hired half of a barbershop quartet called “The Gigli Identity.†Here is there hit song:
Lion Face: Nicolas Batum The last two games for Nicolas Batum have been pretty spectacular and eye opening. He had 31 points, seven assists, seven rebounds, five threes and three steals against the T’Wolves on Saturday. He followed that up with a 21-point performance against the Grizzlies last night that went much deeper than what the box score says. Batum was a big part of a 41-point third quarter for the Blazers by knocking down two threes and scoring 12 points total in the period.
Then he followed that up at the end of the game with a key block against O.J. Mayo. Mayo stole the ball on an atrocious pass by Andre Miller at halfcourt. He dribbled down the right side of the court with Batum doing everything he could to cut off his path to the basket. He stayed with him the entire time, waited for OJ to go for the layup and used his go-go gadget arms to block the layup attempt. If he doesn’t play defense like that, Mayo makes the bucket and the Blazers lead is cut to three with 30 seconds left. Instead, they get the defensive stop and close the game out with two free throws and a three-pointer to win by 10. By the way, Batum made that three.
Lemon Face: The New York Knicks Mike D’Antoni said he would have to wait until next year before he could answer whether this “wait for the summer of 2010 strategy†is worth all of the losses and heartache. And with the way the Knicks played Monday night against the Cavs, it seems unlikely it’s going to be worth it unless someone from that game switches to their uniform next season (and no, I’m not talking about Jawad Williams). The Cavs looked like they were at practice, not a regular season game. The Cavs nearly doubled the Knicks rebounding totals (60-31). The only placed the defended the Cavs decently was the free throw line where Cleveland made 16 of 27.
When a team is down 24 points going into halftime, you want them to respond in the third quarter and try to put up a fight. Even if they can’t pull out a win or even chip away at the lead, you still want them to put up a fight. The Knicks responded by scoring 11 points in the entire third period. They were down 42 headed into the fourth quarter. That’s not fighting. That’s thanking the Cavs and asking them if they may have another.
Lion Face: Delonte West Delonte West is a key to the Cavs’ winning the title this year and possibly keeping LeBron James in Cleveland for the duration of his next contract. You know how you accomplish this if you’re Delonte West? You dunk on Tracy McGrady and make the Cavs bench lose their minds.
Two things I love about this video: 1) LeBron goes back to the bench and immediately looks for the replay on the jumbotron and 2) the bench nearly can’t contain themselves, which could have resulted into a technical foul against the Cavs. They lost it and reacted like a streetball crowd. Oh hell, let me add a third thing after watching it one more time. Delonte flexing was hilarious too.
Lemon Face: Tracy McGrady You don’t see it in the video but Tracy McGrady was laughing and smiling about being dunked on. I know after all he’s been through the last two years he’s in the “just happy to be there†mode. He’s just happy to be playing. But at the same time, it’s that exact kind of attitude that has Mike D’Antoni a 45-point blowout away from jumping off the Empire State Building.
Lion Face: Bill Walker There is one good thing emerging from this whole Knicks debacle and it’s the rebirth of Bill Walker. Bill Walker had two decent games since joining the Knicks as a contract throw-in to the Nate Robinson deal. But Monday night, he exploded for 21 points on 14 shots. He scored 14 in the first half when it seemed like only he, David Lee and Al Harrington were the only ones taking this season seriously. Then he scored seven more points in the one quarter that the Knicks actually won in this game (fourth quarter). Walker had all of the tools to be a star in the basketball world. It was him and OJ Mayo. Then his knee exploded in college and he became an ordinary player. Now he’s getting a shot in the NBA and getting a feel for where he fits in on an NBA court.
Lemon Face: LeBron’s 22 points There is nothing wrong with LeBron dropping 22 points in 31 minutes of a blowout. Over the last 14 games, LeBron is putting up unreal numbers. Well okay, over his past five years he’s been putting up unreal numbers. But especially in the past 14 games, he’s either had five games in the low 20s (three games of 22 and one game of 20) or he’s had nine games in which he averaged 36.3 points, 10.0 assists, and 7.1 rebounds. In those nine games, he never scored under 32 points. So by the standards he’s set over the past month or so, a 22-point, 7-rebound, and 7-assist performance is worthy of a Lemon Face. That’s how scary good this guy has become. Wow.
Lion Face: Atlanta Hawks 4th Quarter The Hawks were up 85-79 and looking a little worried with the Chicago Bulls looking a confident in closing out this home game. Then the Hawks went on a 15-2 run to push the lead to 19. Then they threw in a 10-2 run just for good measure to turn the final score into what looks like an absolute laugher. All in all, they scored 41 points in the fourth quarter with 31 of them coming in the final 7:35 of the ball game. They ended the game on a 14/16 shooting binge with eight straight baskets at one point and a 15-3 fourth quarter rebounding advantage. That’s a really impressive way to close out a road game against a potential playoff foe.
Lemon Face: Morris Peterson Starting Just stop it, Jeff Bower. Quit doing this. Marcus Thornton is a much better player. There isn’t one thing Mo-Pete is better than Buckets at on a basketball court other than being a worse basketball player. Buckets is better in all aspects of the game. You need scoring from your shooting guard position and Buckets gives that. Morris Peterson doesn’t give that and he hasn’t given that for years. This isn’t a new development. Just stop starting Morris Peterson. Give the kid a chance.
Lion Face: Marcus Thornton Buckets (care of Hornets Hype) had another spectacular scoring barrage. He poured in 30 points against the Spurs with 15 of them coming in the fourth quarter. He made 12 of his 19 shot attempts. He made six threes. He can just flat out score. He’s like Jannero Pargo, only if Jannero Pargo was a MUCH BETTER basketball player. I don’t know if Thornton can keep this up or repeat these types of games on a consistent basis. I just know that when he’s on, it’s hard to want to watch a game other than his.
Lemon Face: LaMarcus Aldridge LaMarcus, you played 40 minutes. You grabbed two rebounds. TWO!!!! You did something similar a week ago against the Raptors and I was willing to look past it. In that game, you played 39 minutes and grabbed only two rebounds. But that’s twice in one week that you’ve played so atrociously apathetic on the boards. You’re 6’11†with a wingspan as long as the Appalachian Mountains. You’re also in the top one percentile in terms of athletic ability in the world. Maybe next time you throw out a little effort and grab at least three rebounds.
Lion Face: Josh Smith The 17 points and 18 rebounds were very impressive. And the four assists, two steals and two blocks are astoundingly average for him. Most of all, I’m giving him the Lion Face tonight because of this block on Brad Miller (Trey, don’t watch).
That was so angry. In some states, that kind of act of violence would get charges pressed against you.
Lemon Face: OJ Mayo I love OJAM. He’s one of my favorite players in the league to watch. He’s just so fluid and composed at such a young age. But I worry about what he’s doing to our fearless leader, Matt Moore. He’s been abysmal in the closing minutes of three of their last five games. Against the Lakers, he missed some key free throws, which eventually allowed Kobe Bryant to rip their hearts out. Against the Bobcats, he didn’t score at all in the fourth quarter. And last night in their loss to the Blazers, he made just one of three shot attempts (including that key block by Batum) and he missed three of six free throws. Please OJ, for our sake and most of all for Matt’s sake, play better at the end of games. It’s the only way you guys will sneak into the playoffs.
Lion Face: Brooks & Martin Sounds like a type of bourbon, doesn’t it? Well, it’s almost better than that. It’s a high-scoring backcourt. Over the last three games, this backcourt has scored a total of 171 points. Kevin Martin has averaged 31 points and Aaron Brooks has averaged 26 points per game during this time. Against the Raptors Monday night, they each scored 28 points on 16 shots a piece. They’re both so good at knocking down jumpers and getting to the basket. Imagine them with Yao Ming. That’s going to be a nice trio if he can come back and be healthy.
Lemon Face: The Raptors Without Chris Bosh Chris Bosh, please have a little heart for our neighbo(u)rs up north. Watch the game against the Rockets from Monday. This was a pathetic display of defense and basketball by the Raps. This is what it’s going to look like if you leave this summer. That’s a horrible thing to do to a group of people. I hear Toronto is a lovely city so that can’t be the problem. And the money looks funny so you probably always feel like you’re playing Monopoly. That doesn’t sound too bad either. Don’t do this to Canada. Don’t do this to the Raptors fan. Just suck it up, sign another three-year deal and tough it out. Thank you.
Lion Face: Goran Dragic Have you ever played basketball at a local gym and there’s a goofy looking kid who everyone assumes can’t play? He looks too young. He doesn’t quite light it up while everyone is shooting around, trying to get warm. Even when you shoot for teams, he probably fumbles the ball a little and misses badly. He’s almost like a consolation prize. As the game begins, nobody thinks he can play still and they avoid passing him the ball. Then a random carom brings the ball to him. He pulls off an incredible move against a defender, whips a pass through the lane and he sets up a teammate perfectly for a score. The next time down, he gets the ball and knocks down a jumper. He probably steals the ball the next time down the floor and takes it the other way for a score. All of a sudden, there is this realization with how good this kid is. Nobody expected. And yet here he is making a name for himself.
That’s Goran Dragic right now. Last year, nobody wanted him on their team other than the Suns. Everyone assumed he couldn’t play. Now? He’s perfectly playing the backup point guard role. He came in against the Nuggets on Monday and just ran the team. 12 points and four assists in 17 minutes later, people are starting to realize that he belongs. The Suns were +20 when he was on the court. That’s very lionous of him.
Lemon Face: Deron Williams’ Free Throwing You can’t help lead your team furiously back in the fourth quarter, get a chance to tie the game with two free throws and then miss them both. His eight fourth quarter points ended up being for naught. The 9-0 run near the end of the game was just a waste of energy.
Lion Face: Chuck Hayes Defies Logic
This is Chuck Hayes! He has no discernable basketball skill other than his ability to stay in front of a player with the basketball. He is also one of two players in the NBA who pump fakes on his free throws for no reason (you too, Andris Biedrins). Is he trying to create more space on a free shot that nobody is allowed to defend? I don’t know. So you can imagine the mind explosion that happened when I was watching the Raptors-Rockets game and he pulled this pass out of an orifice.
I wanted to see what Matt Damon had in common with each other so I typed their names into Google. I got these results:
Then I remembered they were in this scene together. Hit it, boys!
Lion Face: Carmelo Anthony 40 points on 28 shots is not bad. It’s not bad at all. In fact, I’d be willing to concede that it’s really good. What I’m trying to say is Carmelo James Anthony (Is his middle name “James?â€) is a good basketball player. He dropped 40 points on the Pistons in Detroit with 16 of them coming in the fourth quarter. He scored from all over the court tonight as he had the mid-range jumper working to complement his outside jumper and his ability to get the ball to the basket inside. The confusing thing is that he didn’t get more points and shots. When he gets into an offensive groove like that, he really should be force fed on a possession-by-possession basis. There’s no need to go anywhere else. And when push comes to shove, he should definitely be getting the ball during the last possession of the game…
Lemon Face: Nuggets Last Possession Speaking of, I do NOT like the fact that Chauncey Billups got the last shot in that game. It’s not like he’s a bad option. He used to be a really clutch player. Now? I’d say he’s about average, which gives you a 50-50 shot in theory of him getting that key basket. Whereas with Carmelo on the court, you have about a 300% chance at scoring that basket, especially on a night in which he drops 40 and his league-leading 14th game of 30 or more points. I like Jonas Jerebko and can appreciate how stereotypically Swedish he looks/is but he’s not stopping Carmelo from, at worst, getting to the free throw line on that final possession. Poor decision by the Nuggets.
Lion Face: Tony Allen? Wait, Ray Allen? Did I mean Ray Allen? No, Tony Allen! The same Tony Allen that blew out his knee after the whistle? Ya, THAT Tony Allen. You’re drunk… Maybe I am drunk, self. And maybe I shouldn’t put so much into the infamous +/- statistic. But it just seemed like when Tony Allen was on the court, good things happened for the Celtics and I feel like his +14 off the bench backs that up. Not to mention he scored eight points and had a couple of steals.
Lemon Face: Randy Foye As a Wolves fan, I’ll admit there was an irrational couple of years in which I tried to talk myself into Randy Foye over Brandon Roy. As soon as I saw the trade on draft night, I knew Roy would be the better player. I mean, after all, Kevin McHale picked him and then exiled him in one fell swoop so he had to be the better player by default. For years, I tried to see the good in Foye and yet, when he was traded with Mike Miller for the fifth pick in the draft that I figured would end up being Steph Curry or DeMar DeRozan, I was completely fine with it. Why? Because Randy Foye isn’t really that good. He’s probably better off in a reserve role for the Wizards. But in the grand scheme of things, it’s best to give up hope that he’ll ever be a difference-maker. He took 10 shots in 14 minutes against the Celtics and it got him six points. That sums him up.
Lion Face: Rajon Rondo Over the last three games, Rajon Bow Wow has 30 assists to his three turnovers. That’s absurd. That’s absurdly absurd. He had 21 points and 11 assists against Gilbert Arenas on Thursday night. I think it’s about time we start clearing a perennial spot on the All-Star team for this Like Mike star. Plus, he does stuff like this:
Lemon Face: Jason Williams It’s not fair to him really since he was going against Deron Williams but his two points, five assists and three turnovers in 31 minutes didn’t exactly jump start this Orlando attack against Utah.
Lion Face: Ben Wallace Did you realize that Ben Wallace is still getting it done? He had 16 rebounds against the Nuggets on Thursday and it got me to look up his stats for the season. He’s averaging a block/steal combo of about 2.6 per game. He’s just under 10 rebounds per game (9.8). He’s giving the Pistons some much needed presence on the board since they’re trying to convince people that Charlie Villanueva is a “power†forward and that Jason Maxiell is over 5’10â€. Keep it up, Ben!
Lemon Face: Caron Butler Caron Butler used to be good, right? Like, really good? So what happened to him? Paul Pierce was only 2/8 from the field and finished with just 12 points and yet he STILL out performed Butler. Caron tried to make up for his 10-point performance with five assists and eight rebounds but I’m on to his ruse. Did you know he’s only averaging 1.7 assists per game this season? He hasn’t scored this low or ineffectively in his entire Washington tenure. He’s also never accounted for so few points on a basketball court since he was with the Lakers.
Lion Face: This Shot by Antawn Jamison I’ve always contended Jamison has had the best touch around the basket of anybody since he came into the league.
He’s also the best Jamison in the NBA during this time. Sorry, Harold Jamison. You too, Jamison Brewer.
Lemon Face: Mickael Pietrus
I know we all have certain issues with +/- to some degree but a zero-point, -17 effort in just 12 minutes on the court from Mickael has to mean something, right?
Lion Face: Dwight Howard oop
He just has to be a fun guy to play with. I mean, you just throw it anywhere near the basket and he goes and gets it. He’s a point guard’s dream.
Lion Face: Deron Williams Speaking of dream point guards, I highly suggest you re-watch the performance Deron Williams put on against the Magic. He literally ran the team perfectly as they racked up 120 points. You know how quarterbacks can get that alleged perfect QB rating even though they throw incomplete passes? That was the equivalent of this game for Deron. He knew he had a player that he could dominate all night. When he matched up with Jason Williams, he destroyed him. When a bigger, slower player switched out on him, he blew by him. Throughout this entire process, he was dissecting the Orlando defense with pinpoint passing and superb court vision. 32 points, 15 assists to one turnover and eight rebounds don’t just happen on a basketball court.
Through his scoring and his passing, he accounted from 45 of the Jazz 68 second half points. He ran and managed his team to textbookedly (made it up) in the third quarter when the Jazz erased an eight-point deficit and took control of this game. He had an answer for every Orlando score and then some. That is how you play point guard in the NBA. Like a damn surgeon.
Oh, well hey there Surprise Kitty! How are you? Are you enjoying your new gig here at Lion Face/Lemon Face?
Really? That’s great! Just one thing, though….
Allright, welcome back gents. Do as you will…
Lion Face:Â Durantula
As I told you earlier, I have some sort of disease where no matter how much of a Thunder game I watch, I never see Durant score. Well, that happened again tonight. He had 33 on 21 shots, and the Thunder downed the pre-Iverson Sixers. Well, the current ones. They didn’t go back in time or anything. I don’t think. Anyway, he rules, but he’s really sneaky in how he does it. I swear I watched.
Lemon Face: Toronto Raptors’ Pathetic Attempt at Defense.
Do you realize that a team set a record for most losses to open the season, Toronto? Do you have any idea of the ineptitude of the New Jersey Nets? Do you have any idea how bad you have to suck to take away the first lemon face from that? Oh, I guess you do since you gave up 146 points to a team coached by Mike Woodson who drafted athleto-forwards nine years in a row. Honestly. I tried to calculate the offensive efficiency you allowed in this game, but it turns out I need the Hadron Collider just to create that number. 152 efficiency, Toronto. So for every 100 possessions, you gave up over 150 points. So if they went down the floor, on average, you gave them a point. You were hooked on this formula. Hooked on the point. You might even say they treated you like HOOKERS ON THE POINT. And don’t be thinking it wasn’t on Bosh. Because it was. Welcome to the new trainwreck, Toronto. It’s you.
Lion Face:Â Mike Conley
No, I’m not kidding. 20 points on 12 shots, and two huge transition buckets in the fourth quarter for the much-maligned kiddo, to go along with a paltry three assists, but ZERO turnovers last night in a win over the TimberLOLves. Even if it’s temporary, good to see the guy come back from a shoulder injury and perform ilke that with all the questions people have for him.
Lemon Face: New Jersey Nets
Because they suck. Sorry, Nets fans. I’m sympathetic. But I can’t avoid giving you the sourpuss out of pity. Just wouldn’t be right. Plus you let the Mavericks shoot 17-19 from the field in a quarter last night. That’s not injuries. That’s just bad. And as much as I like CDR, he just needs too many shots to get too few buckets. So sad, this team.
Lion Face: Russell Westbrook
15 assists is a franchise high, if you don’t consider the Sonics’ stats with theirs, which I don’t think anyone wants to do. And for him to be setting up guys like that makes his terrible shooting performance (1-11) okay. The fact that he’s learning to take what comes to him and adapt his game is huge. That may be the most important thing for the modern day point guard. Not just to be able to do things well, but be willing to change your game to get a win.
Lemon Face: Ben Gordon
The little possession hijacker took 16 shots to get 18 points and watched the anemic former team of his control his Pistons from start to finish. Good season for Ben, but hell, most Bulls fans were rooting for him to make them pay.
Lion Face: Game Replays on League Pass
Not taking up space on my DVR is an awesome, awesome thing, and when something amazing happens, I can set the replay to record so I can rewatch it, and target the good games. I’ve said this before, but I’ll keep saying it so they keep it that way.
Lemon Face: No replays of NBATV Games.
I don’t need 8 hours of Gametime replays, here, people. Reshow the damn Thunder game.
But there is a new sheriff in town at giving Lion Faces and Lemon Faces and it weighs about four ounces. Hit it, Surprised Kitty!
Lion Face: Andrew Bogut Ozzie! Ozzie! Ozzie! Oy! Oy! Oy!
Andrew Bogut returned like Yahoo Serious could have only dreamed of! After missing six games with a leg injury, he scored 22 points and grabbed 15 rebounds against one of the best defensive and rebounding big men in the league in Joakim Noah. He also dished out three assists, stole the ball three times and blocked four shots. On four of his five offensive rebounds, the Bucks ended up scoring for a total of 10 second chance points. He kept the Bucks afloat in the second quarter with his 14 points while Milwaukee made just five of 15 shots outside of the Aussie. He truly was a Young Einstein last night. Get it? Young Einstein? Yahoo Serious? They’re both Australian? It’s clever!
Lemon Face: Bulls’ Game-Tying Attempt I actually don’t really have a big problem with the final play for the Bulls when Derrick Rose set up Brad Miller for a game-tying jumper. It was an open look for a solid mid-range shooter. The thing I wonder about is why give that shot to someone who had only taken one shot in the entire second half? Why not give it to John Salmons who was making almost everything? Why not give it to Luol Deng who scored 22 points? Oh Vinny Del Negro, why do you do these things to Bulls fans? Haven’t you put them through enough with your timeout distribution in the playoffs?
Lion Face: Jason Terry
I seriously can’t tell the difference between this man:
And this man:
Because they both throw daggers…
Lemon Face: Samuel Dalembert
Seriously, Sammy – what in the hell were you thinking out there? I mean, it’s one thing to get over zealous and try to tip in a missed game-tying shot. It’s another to completely wipe away your team’s chances to possibly tie a game by goaltending your own teammate’s jump shot!!! What is the thought process there?
Lion Face: Andre Iguodala Not only does Andre Iguodala fill out a stat sheet like Sean Marks fills out an empty spot on an NBA roster but he also hits some HUGE shots when called upon. He scored 19 points in 34 minutes on the floor with four rebounds, four assists, four steals, two three-pointers and a block. Through his passing and scoring, he accounted for 12 points in the last four minutes of the game. He made a big three to tie the game with five seconds left. And then he had an overtime-inducing jumper get wiped away by his own teammate. He’s turning into one of those guys you want taking the shot in important situations.
Another Lion Face: Jrue Holiday
Get some, DrewDrueDruDroo Jrue!
Lemon Face: Memphis Grizzlies basketball You are KILLING Matt Moore! KILLING HIM!!!!
Lion Face: Carlos Boozer 24 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists, three steals, one block and 9/14 shooting on a night in which he’s +24 on the court? What is it – a contract year? Oh…
Lemon Face: Pacers Shooting I can’t tell you exactly how many missed jumpers came up short when the Pacers players let them fly in Oakland last night but I can estimate that 60 of the 48 missed shots by Indiana hit front iron. My math might be a little off on that. It seemed like every time there was a three chucked up by Mike Dunleavy, Jr or Troy Murphy, it hit front iron and turned into an instant scoring opportunity for the Warriors. Actually of the 18 missed threes by the Pacers, the Warriors were able to turn around and score 20 points off of those misses. I have no idea if that’s good or bad. But I do know that 20 points is the difference between the Pacers winning and losing this game.
Lion Face: Corey Maggette After Monta Ellis fouled out (we’ll get to that in a bit) with 6:03 left in the game, it was Corey Maggette and his shoulders who scored nine of Golden State’s final 20 points to close out this game and the victory. I don’t like to give Corey Maggette much credit for anything other than his ability to get to the free throw line and have aesthetically pleasing shoulders but his scoring did help keep the Warriors in a full momentum swing and ward off any final push by the Pacers.
Lemon Face: Monta’s Sixth Foul Was it a bad call by Danny Crawford? Absolutely. Mike Dunleavy, Jr slid in to the charge after Ellis left the ground. It WASN’T a flop as some people on Twitter were calling it. If you think it was a flop then you have no idea what a flop is. It was a good attempt to take a charge; it was just late. And it should have been called a blocking foul against the Clippers’ coach’s son. Instead, it was Monta’s sixth and final foul of the evening, leaving the last six minutes of the game without Ellis assaulting the 50-point barrier. You avoid that call by playing it safe and pulling up for the jumper. It was a terrible call but Monta should have avoided putting himself in that situation.
Lion Face: Monta Flippin’ Ellis As for everything else Monta did last night, he was FREAKING brilliant! Lord knows I’m not a Monta Ellis fan but you can’t deny that he’s been nearly perfect offensively over his past five games (35 points per game in that stretch). At one point tonight, the ESPN box score had him playing 41 of a possible 37 minutes on the court and I believed the statistical impossibility as fact. That’s how crazy his time and efforts on the court have been lately. He’s been more aggressive Lamar and Khloe Odom in a candy shop. He attacks the basket in a way that gives the defense no chance of stopping him.
He does stuff like this in a double-digit deficit game that acts as the galvanizing turning point to get his team back on track:
He’s knocking down the mid-range jumper, which gives defenders enough trepidation that they freeze when he begins his attack. This gives him an unfair advantage. Sure, he’s bad at racing mopeds but now that he has his speed and quickness back, nobody even remembers he missed all of that time last season. 45 points on 15/27 shooting and only one made three is absurd. 176 points on 67/128 shooting with just four made threes over a five-game period is NOVA-esque.
Lemon Face: The Dallas Mavericks’ manifest destiny.
No matter how much the Mavericks try and begin a new era, that playoff series in 07 continues to haunt them. A disaster team, runs them off the floor in the fourth, with shots that should be defensible. What magical power do the Warriors’ jerseys have over Dallas coaches? You’re watching the late game lineup of Kidd-Barea-Terry fail over and over again (you might as well trot out Mugsy Bogues in that lineup and call it good), and yet Carlisle sticks with it. But then, that’s why they call it a bum rush, and why they say you can’t stop it.
Lion Face: Antawn Jamison
32 points on 23 shots, 14 boards, 8 on the offensive glass. Someone on Twitter noted how crazy it is that he gets so little recognition. At his age, still pouring it in. Why does this guy not get the Ray Allen swan song? Oh, that’s right, because Gilbert Arenas is a space cadet and the Wizards are cursed. That’s right.
Webber’s comes leaps and bounds, McHale is solid, and Andre does a great job hosting. Really enjoying their work this season in between games.
Lemon Face: Mike D’Antoni
Hey, I figured out what it’ll take Mike to play Toney Douglas (12 points in just under 17 minutes). HELL FREEZING OVER. Good, God, Mike. I’ve defended your Duhon love the past few weeks, but the time has come!
Lion Face: Kobe Doin’Work
34 points on 20 shots. I’m pretty sure he’s going to start hitting four point shots soon.
Lemon Face: Jazz
Lost to the Thunder. At home. OKC’s better. They’re not that much better.
You know, if only there were a video clip that explains this concept…HIT IT, MATT AND BEN!
Lion Face: He Eats Apples, Red Delicious, And They Must Be Nutritious, Because He Never Misses, He’s Dirkalicious
The old is new is old is new again.
Old Man Nowitzki is an MVP candidate. Mark it. They’re not made in November, but he’s done enough to go ahead and etch his name on the list. 41 and 12 for the big man, and no need for assists, since the possession ended with him. 15 of 29, nabbing 41 with only one three. That’s bezerk, given his range. Moreover, his play down the stretch wasn’t just nailing shots in his wheelhouse. The tip to put them up two at the end of regulation was heady. The and-one drives he nabbed late were just gritty work that you don’t expect from him but he looked confident in nailing. He’s got the electrifying thing going where he touches the ball and the whole building, the concession guys and the announcers hold their breath. Brilliant work, tonight, and he was the reason the Mavs won that game. Catch the Nowitzki Experience, coming to your town soon.
Lemon Face: The Cleveland Cavaliers Basketball Organization
Man, where to start. Mo Williams, reverting back to, um, Mo Williams at 2 of 13 for 6 points? J.J. Hickson plummeting back to earth with 6 points? How about Lebron? Surely his 34 and 9 is enough to warrant him another excuse from lemon face discipline! Not so fast, my leige. How about 6 turnovers, 4 fouls, and getting blocked once? Oh, no, we’re not done. How about complaining about the officiating after getting your ass handed to you? Seriously, did dominating a tired Hawks team in the 2nd round last year just make him think he’s supposed to win all the time, and if he doesn’t he gets to act like John Cusack at a media session? But more than James is this. This was not a rivalry. It wasn’t. The Wizards hated the Cavs and the Cavs ignored the Wizards and that’s hot it was. But somehow, someway, Cleveland has managed to lower itself to Washington’s level, and now, folks? After a creaming like this? It’s a rivalry. And even though the Cavs have owned them historically and have matchup advantages all over, rivalries are a weird thing. And they have a strange way of biting you in the ass when you least expect it. Like, oh, say, tonight.
Lion Face: Antawn Jamison
31, 10, and a win over their rival ain’t a bad way to welcome them back to the game. Now if the Wizards can just, you know, keep this momentum and keep playing like this instead of doing what they did the last time they won a big game (opening night) and wandering around in their own poo. Maybe Jamison really is the heart and soul of that team, and he just needed a role player like Zero around to support him. Maybe that’s the secret of the Wiz. Id (Butler, Ego (Jamison) and Super-Ego (Arenas) all together at last. Enhance. Clickety clickety. Enhance.
Lemon Face: The Toney Douglas Experiment
So much for the youngster coming in and making an impact. Gets the start and rolls out 12 minutes, 4 points, and 2 fouls before being banished once more. I’d blame D’Antoni for not playing him more, but you have to get the feeling the word’s come down that AI is incoming and while they weren’t going to scrap the plan an hour before gametime, Douglas was going to have to woo. No woo.
Lion Face: Al Harrington
Hey, I’m an Al guy, and I know his limitations and problems and all the reasons to hate him. But 26 on 13 shots (!) in 30 minutes is Lion Facey, especially when it results in a rare win for them thar Knickerbockers. He’s only good for about three of those a year, but when he’s good, he’s great, in a, you know, Al Harrington way. <3 U, Al.
Lemon Face: Anyone that elected to watch Philly versus Charlotte.
I’m all for mediocre basketball. I am. There were no winners there. May God have mercy on your soul.
Lion Face: Joe Johnson, I mean, Josh Smith, I mean, Al Horford, I mean, oh, hell. THE ATLANTA HAWKS AGAIN.
You know how you’d see Johnson go Nova, and say “Man, if they could just get someone, anyone else producing for him, they’d be pretty good.”?And then you’d see Smith do something incredible and say “Man, if only he could play consistently with a modicum of intelligence and have some artillery support, they’d be pretty great!”? It’s all coming together. Johnson wasn’t having one of his “pull it out of his backside” nights like against Portland the other night. This was work. Pump faking, range shooting, defender slipping, screen using work. And Smith? Hold on, you might want to sit down. You ready? Josh Smith…
used the low post. I know. I’m not ready for this world either. I don’t care that he was up against Beasley and Shavlik Randolph. It’s the fact that it actually occurred to him. Strike up the banjo, billy ray! We got ourselves a hoedown!
Lemon Face: The Portland 4th Quarter
I don’t know what happened, since I was watching the main game, so I’ll let Blazers fans fill me in. Not paying attention? Just went cold? Lost your damn fool minds? Letting Detroit put up 31 to your 17 and letting them make a game of it is just dangerous. That’s Ben Gordon over there. Watch yourselves. This is a minor lemon face, because you did hold them to 12 points in the third, but still! Finish, people, finish! Step and turn and one and two and JAZZ HANDS! FINISH!
Lion Face: Marc Gasol, AKA the best player on the Grizzlies
Gasol finished with 16, 8, 6 with 1 steal and 2 blocks in the elusive win over the Clippers, which makes this game like the slow hyena that can’t control its vocal chords chasing down the elk that feasts on McDonalds leftovers. Except that would be in Africa, so leftovers are unlikely. Hmm. Fine then, this is like me managing to get through that analogy successfully. Regardless, Gasol only needed 8 shots tonight, and he’s the one Grizzlie player that works the whole game through. Imagine what he’d be lke on a real team with real coaching. Don’t worry though, at least the Grizzlies know what they have with him enough not to draft a center with their #2 pick.
Lemon Face: Indiana
You lost to a team that is excited and hopeful about AI coming in. Time to re-evaluate that hot streak, there, buckos.
