Archive for March 23rd, 2010

WATERCOOLER CHAT: NBA NEWS

BASKETBALL

With March Madness on hold until Thursday, the action was in the NBA.

In Oklahoma City, the Thunder were hoping to hold off San Antonio to prove to the world that they can hang with anyone.  The Thunder will probably nab the #6 seed in the playoffs, but they do not intend to go quietly.  Well, Kevin Durant simply WENT OFF.  He put up 45 points on the night.  However, the Spurs look faster and quicker now that Manu Ginobili is back to full strength.  And with his 21 points, the Spurs were able to hold on for the win.  Now the Spurs move into the #6 seed, putting the Thunder at #7.  No problem, but they definitely don’t want the dreaded #8 seed — that’s a first round date with the Lakers.  San Antonio 99, Oklahoma City 96.

Amar'e StoudemireElsewhere, Phoenix headed to Golden State for an offensive shoot-out.  These teams can put up points, and when the Warriors are at home, they just let it rain.  The Warriors are a very bad team defensively, so their game strategy is to quickly run the floor and score, score, SCORE.  Thing is — they don’t really care if you score, because they intend to outscore you.  Therefore, teams they play tend to let down their guard on defense because it’s a lot more fun to score than to play hard defense.  Well, last night, the Suns put on a show with Amar’e Stoudamire going for 37 points, and Jason Richardson for 34.  The Warriors kept it close, however, with a 30 point game from Monta Ellis.  But in the end, the Suns had that extra bit of gusto that gave them the win.  Phoenix 133, Golden State 131.

Finally, the Men’s March Madness may not resume until Thursday, but the Women’s Tournament is in full swing.  And last night, they had their first major upset.  #7 seed Gonzaga took on #2 seed Texas A & M and brought it all to the table.  Vivian Frieson took control for the Zags to advance to the sweet sixteen.  This has been an insane year for upsets in college basketball.  But that’s why they call it “Madness”.  Gonzaga 72, Texas A&M 71.


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