Damian Lillard is very good.
Okay, maybe we knew that already.
But watching him carry the Blazers to an incredible win against a Cavs team that was very much on top of their game tonight, and then cap it with a game-winning three… that was something else.
LaMarcus Aldridge is also very good, and so are Wesley Matthews and Nic Batum. But it’s Lillard who makes the whole thing work.
That three tonight was a thing of beauty: just enough of a jab step to get Alonzo Gee to instinctively go backwards, thus getting him off balance and out of position to contest Lillard’s three. And then he drained it, from a good couple feet behind the arc. I was watching the Cleveland broadcast, and the announcers didn’t even sound surprised. Disappointed, sure, but not surprised.
It was like it was inevitable, from the moment everyone realized Anderson Varejao’s game-tying layup had left seven seconds on the clock, that Lillard would get the ball and win the game for Portland.
They’ve got the best record in the NBA right now, and they look like they’re the best team as well.
Now let’s get to the latest news from around the NBA:
It’s hard to argue against Mike Woodson being the coach on the hottest of hot seats. In fact, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com writes, there’s actually not many others whose seats are even uncomfortably warm. And even Woodson might not be on the way to the chopping block: “NBA coaching sources maintain that Woodson, in private, understands his job security is tenuous despite the recent vote of confidence he got from Madison Square Garden chairman Jim Dolan in Dolan’s recent interview with The New York Post. But he’s also hanging in there pretty gamely. If Woody can survive the nightmare ending witnessed Monday night at MSG, where a remedial defensive breakdown and a timeout snafu sealed a 102-101 loss to Wittman’s Wizards, Woodson might get through what a lot of peers see as an unfair vigil given how much Tyson Chandler means to this team. Chandler, after all, is inching closer to a return from a fractured right fibula, which suggests that Woody and the Knicks have potentially seen the worst of their struggles. Potentially. Two things team insiders say continue to work in Woodson’s favor even after the disastrous finish against the Wiz: (1) He’s only had the influential Chandler in the lineup for four games; (2) New York’s limited options in terms of interim coaches (Herb Williams, Darrell Walker or the total coaching novice Allan Houston) add to Woodson’s shelf life.”- Of course, having seen that finish to the game with the Wizards, where the Knicks’ interior defense collapsed and then Woodson neglected to call time out with seven seconds left, it would be halfway believable if Woodson had gotten the Lane Kiffin treatment and been fired on the airport tarmac. Here’s Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News: “Just as they all knew they had three timeouts after Beal’s shot to huddle up, get a play set up and then try to win this game at the gun. That’s one approach, of course. There is also a school of thought that says that it’s just as sensible to not call a timeout, thereby preventing the defense from being able to get set up. The way it all unfolded on Monday night, you can certainly argue that Anthony did the right thing by not calling a timeout. The Knicks had their best player with the ball in his hands and he had made 12 of 19 shots to that point. But Anthony didn’t really go all-out against Trevor Ariza and Wall before desperately launching a 25-footer that missed and was followed by a loud round of boos. “I probably should have called the timeout at the end,’’ Woodson said. “But the ball was in Melo’s hands before I could even react. That is on me.” He didn’t get any arguments from Anthony. “Mike’s taking the heat,’’ he said. “If he said it’s his fault, it’s his fault.” To a point. How much is for people to decide. People like Jim Dolan.”
Across town, Jason Kidd’s seat appears to have cooled off significantly since he demoted top assistant Lawrence Frank. Maybe that’s coincidence. Maybe not. The New York Post’s Brian Lewis thinks there’s something to the second theory: “Sometimes less is more, and simpler is better. At least, that’s the case with the Nets’ scaled-back schemes that — at least appear to have — helped spark their recent resurgence. “I’ve simplified it,’’ said rookie head coach Jason Kidd. “That’s as good as it gets, when you simplify things and guys have bought in and guys are doing it at a high level right now.’’ Kevin Garnett repeatedly has pointed to the simplified schemes, and Kidd acknowledged he scaled things back on the defensive end before the team’s Dec. 7 game against Milwaukee. The Nets were just 5-14 at the time, but they’ve won four of five since, including Monday’s 130-94 emasculation of the 76ers. Kidd had reassigned assistant coach Lawrence Frank two games prior to that, demoting the de facto defensive coordinator to doing “daily reports.” Brooklyn coughed up 224 points in its next two games, losing to the Nuggets and Knicks by a combined 54 points. Since then, however, their defense has gone from sieve to stellar going into Wednesday’s game against the Wizards. “Lawrence was always kind of the defensive guy, so he was talking on defense and he was definitely long-winded when it came to teaching, so I definitely think it’s helped,’’ Deron Williams said. “We’re a veteran group, we get things pretty easily. So at times when you’re just talking and we’re not practicing, it gets a little lengthy. But I think J-Kidd does a good job of getting his points across quick and easy and then we move on.’’”
Of course, it also helps when one of your players drops 29 in a quarter. That’s what Joe Johnson did last night. Here’s the AP’s Brian Mahoney: “Johnson made 10 3-pointers, most in the NBA this season, and scored a season-high 37 points to lead the Brooklyn Nets to a 130-94 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night. ”My teammates kept telling me, when you catch it, just shoot it,” Johnson said.Johnson finished 10 for 14 from behind the arc, including 8 of 10 during an incredible third-quarter shooting performance. He passed the nine 3-pointers made this season by Jeremy Lin, who also did it against the inept 76ers perimeter defense, and Stephen Curry. Johnson scored 29 points in the third, his most in any quarter in his career. But after battling an illness the last few days and with the Nets ahead 100-73, Johnson declined the opportunity to play in the fourth quarter and chase the NBA record of 12 3-pointers held by Kobe Bryant and Donyell Marshall.”
Now it’s time for trade rumors, and the dispelling thereof. Let’s start with this from Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report: “It’s no secret that the Cleveland Cavaliers have been shopping second-year shooting guard Dion Waiters, and the latest update, according to two sources who spoke with Bleacher Report, is that the Chicago Bulls and Philadelphia 76ers have emerged as the top two suitors. And both are realistic destinations based on trade assets and financial complements. According to a source close to Waiters, he “wants out” of Cleveland and “prefers to go to Philly because he thinks he’d be the best player on the team. That’s his mindset.” But would the Sixers want Waiters to play alongside emerging star point guard Michael Carter-Williams, or would they see Waiters’ arrogance—as those close to him describe him—as a red flag? Waiters had lofty expectations arriving in Cleveland as the fourth pick in the 2012 NBA draft, but the reality was that he was never going to overtake All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving as the team’s focal point. “He thought he was going to come in and be a 2-guard and be a superstar,” the source said. “He came in and was in the (Rising Stars Challenge) with half of his team last year. He worked really hard this offseason, and he came in with the mentality that this was going to be his team. And it’s never going to be his team. It’s always going to be Kyrie’s team.””- This might be nothing, but it’s interesting, especially in conjunction with the above and also the omnipresent Omer Asik rumors. Chris Vito of the Delaware County Times: “One guy in sweats walked into the coach’s office, followed by one in a business suit, followed by another in team warmup attire. Who knows, other than those three men, what was said Monday within those four Barclays Center walls. But the visual of 76ers coach Brett Brown heading into his office, trailed by general manager Sam Hinkie and small forward Evan Turner, seemed suspicious. “Nothing much right now,” Hinkie responded, when asked about what’s new on the trade front. Turner scoffed at a similar question. “We were watching film. We watch film before every game,” Turner said. “I wasn’t in trouble. Whatever happens behind closed doors is private.””
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As Dec. 19 draws near, more & more folks forecasting three-team Asik deal & Boston right there w/Philly now in terms of likely destinations
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) December 18, 2013
Another Rajon Rondo rumor popped up today, but it was quickly shot down by seemingly every basketball writer in America. Let’s go to Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com: “Another day, another Rajon Rondo trade rumor that like all the rest this season, doesn’t appear to be going anywhere. This one comes from NBC Sports analyst Donny Marshall who said on Tuesday that according to “people” he is talking to, Rondo is “likely” going to be traded to the Sacramento Kings. “You know how it gets this time of year,” a league source told CSNNE.com. “People come up with this stuff, you guys write about it, tweet about it, whatever… It’s sad. There’s nothing happening on that front.” Multiple league sources have been telling CSNNE.com for months that no team is going to make a “legitimate” offer for Rajon Rondo until he returns to game action.”- John Reid of the New Orleans Times-Picayune says the Pelicans aren’t planning on dealing Ryan Anderson: “If the New Orleans Pelicans make any trade deals before this upcoming February trade deadline, it likely won’t involve power forward Ryan Anderson. According to sources within the team, they are not currently exploring any deals involving Anderson, although he has been the subject of trade rumors in the past week.Team sources said there’s no truth to the speculation and that Anderson remains critical in their plans. After this season, Anderson has two years remaining on his contract that totals $16.9 million.”
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Unprompted after practice, Woodson says Amare is injured. Amare, unavailable at practice, goes on Twitter to say he’s not injured. Got it?
— Scott Cacciola (@ScottCacciola) December 17, 2013
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LeBron said left ankle “very stiff, very sore” after sprain last night. He’s questionable for tomorrow.
— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) December 17, 2013
- Here’s a snippet of what looks like a really good story from Chris Ballard in Sports Illustrated. Click through for a preview of the story, which focuses on Don Nelson’s life after basketball: “As for former Golden State guard Monta Ellis, now with the Mavericks, Nelson calls him “an incredible, gifted athlete” but “a pain in the ass when I had him.” One day, Nellie recalls, “I said, ‘You know, Monta, this is what I want you to do in practice today. I don’t want you to take a shot. I think you have the ability to create and make plays. If you could ever be a point guard, the way you can score, you could really be a special player.’ So he did. He found people in practice. And I said, ‘Monta, why don’t you focus on being a great point guard. They have the most fun of anybody. They’re the man, they control everything.’ ” Nellie pauses. “He said, ‘Coach, I just want to play. I just want to play.’ He wouldn’t consider that. Now, as he’s matured, he’s started making plays. To his credit, he’s a pretty good player right now. When I had him, all he wanted to do, little selfish bastard, was to shoot every time. And never pass.””
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Dan Malone is in his fourth year as a journalism student at the University of King’s College in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and spent this summer as a features intern at the Cape Cod Times. He blogs, edits and learns things on the fly for Sheridan Hoops. Follow him on Twitter.