Unfortunately due to family matters I been a bit absent from posting, but that should have been settled and now I can come back and give you my daily post about the former Carolina players now in the NBA which I call “Heels in the Pros” (NBA) for 01/03/12. In all there were six games on tap last night in the National Basketball Association, of those games half had a former UNC player on their roster. With the new year ranking third in the AP and fourth in the ESPN/USA Todays polls it is nice to see that the present team is following in the shoes of players before them. So, without further ado, let’s get this edition of “Heels in the Pros” (NBA) for January 3, 2012…

In the first game of the night it’s the Charlotte Bobcats (EC ~ Southeast) going north to take on the Cleveland Cavaliers (EC ~ Central) in what is the first of three games between the franchises. The game was played in front of 14,173 at the Quicken Loans Arena. For the home team it’s long time pro Antawn Jamison, who starts at the power forward slot and tets a total of 26 minutes. In that time the 16 year veteran scores 19 points (7 for 16 ~ 2 for 5 ~ 3 for 5) to go with six rebounds, two steals, two blocks and an assist while having a +11 points differential. As far as the game went it was Cleveland (3-2, 2-1 at home) beating Charlotte (1-4, 0-2 on the road) by the final of 115 to 101. According to Jeff Sack, at Pro Hoops Central, Irving and Thompson were key in this win. With the W the Cavs second in the conference, half a game behind division leader Chicago.

Clipped from: scores.espn.go.com (share this clip)

The second game of the night with a touch of carolina blue is the one that has the Atlanta Hawks (EC ~ Southeast) going to the windy city to take on the Chicago Bulls (EC ~ Central) in what is the first of four game between the clubs. The game was played at the United Center in front of an attendance that numbered 22,166. For the visiting team we have Marvin Williams, who starts at the small forward spot, where he gets 32 minutes in all. In that time frame the seventh year man score 14 points (5 for 10 ~ 0 for 0 ~ 4 for 7) to go with eight boards, two assists, a steal and a TO while having a pts differential of +7. The other former Tar Heel on the team, Jerry Stackhouse, does not play in this one (DNP) due to a coach’s decision. In the end in this one it was Chicago (5-1, 2-0 at home) winning by a duece, taking down Atlanta (4-2, 2-2 on the road) 76 to 74. With the loss the Hawks slide to second place in their division, one game back of division leading Miami.

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Finally, in the last game of the night, we havea divisional match-up between the Portland Trail Blazers (WC ~ Northwest) taking on the Oklahoma City Thunder (WC ~ Northwest) in what is the first of four games. The game, played at Chesapeake Energy Arena, had a crowd that numbered 18,203. For the visiting squad we have seventh year pro Raymond Felton, who starts at point guard and plays 36 minutes in all. In that time the floor general scores a dozen points (4 for 11 ~ 1 for 3 ~ 3 for 4) to go with six boards, steals, two assists, a block and three TOs to go with a +7 pts differential. As far as the game went it was Portland (4-1, 1-1 on the road) winning this one by ten, defeating Oklahoma City (5-2, 3-1 at home) 103 to 93. With the W the Trail Blazers are tied for first place with OKC in the division, half a game ahead of Denver.

Clipped from: scores.espn.go.com (share this clip)

With ten days gone in the season there are no undefeated teams in the league, and four with one loss, while there is still one team without a win, the Washington Wizards, along with two teams with just one win. In all there are four teams 2.5 games (or more) back of their division leaders. In Hollinger’s NBA power rankings only the Denver Nuggets are a team with a touch of carolina blue in the Top Five. Three more join them, Spurs/Mavs/Trail Blazers, in the Top 10.

After a small schedule on Monday, with just three games with none having former Tar Heels in it, it is time to check out the games from yesterday in the National Basketball Association, as seven games were on the slate (one cancelled by the weather) and all but one had a touch of Carolina blue in it. So, without further ado, let’s get right into this edition of “Heels in the League” (NBA) for 01/11/11 and see how our beloved Tar Heels did with their professional teams…

First game of the night has the Indiana Pacers (EC ~ 2nd Central) heading to the city of brotherly love to take on the Philadelphia 76′ers (EC ~ 3rd Atlantic). The game was played at the Wells Fargo Center in front of a crowd that numbered 10,890. For the away squad we have ex national player of the year Tyler Hansbrough, who starts for the Pacers and plays 25 minutes. In that time the power forward scores 12 points (6-11 ~ 0-0 ~ 0-0) to go with nine rebounds, two assists, a steal and three turnovers while registering a -14 pts differential on the night. As far as the game went it was Indiana taking this one by the score of 111 to 103. The win puts the Pacers at 15 and 20 on the season, 13 games behind the conference leader and one ahead of the eighth seed squad.

Main Stream Media:
ESPN ~ NBA.com ~ The Sporting News ~ CBS Sports

Blogs:

Pacers Beat Sixers in Philly, Win First Road Game Since November 30, 2010 by Jared Wade of 8 Points, 9 Seconds (TrueHoop Network)
Pacers 111, 76ers 103: Everyone’s a Hero in Indiana Road Win by Nathan S. of Indy Cornrows (SB Nation)
Pacers Earn Rare Road Win, Outlast 76ers 111-103 by Stephen Rhodes (Slam Dunk Central)

Box Score — Play-By-Play

The second game of the night has the Minnesota Timberwolves (WC ~ 5th NorthWest) hosting the San Antonio Spurs (WC ~ 1st SouthWest) at the Target Center in front of 11,209 fans. For the home squad we should see shooting guard Wayne Ellington, however, once again the ex national champion under head coach Roy Williams is kept out of the game (DNP – Coach’s Decision). In the end this game went to the Spurs, winning it by double digits, with the final tally being 107 to 96. The loss drops the TWolves to 9 and 30 on the year, 23.5 games behind conference leader San Antonio and 11 games behind eighth seed Portland. (To be noted: Minnesota racked up an amazing five technicals in 10 seconds in this game).

Main Stream Media:
ESPN ~ NBA.com ~ The Sporting News ~ CBS Sports

Blogs:

Revenge of the Routine by Ben Polk of A Wolf among Wolves (TrueHoop Network)
Clown Patrol by Stop-n-Pop of Canis Hoopus (SB Nation)

Box Score — Play-By-Play

The third match up of the night with a touch of Carolina blue is the one with the Denver Nuggets (WC ~ 3rd NorthWest) hosting the Phoenix Suns (WC ~ 2nd Pacific) in front of 14,874 at the Pepsi Center. For the home squad we have speedster Ty Lawson, who comes off the bench and plays 24 minutes until he fouls out of the game. In that time frame the point guard scores 16 points (4-5 ~ 1-1 ~ 7-8) to go with six rebounds, five assists, a steal and (yikes) four TOs while having a pts differential of +28 in the game. As far as the game went it was Denver winning it by 34 points, 132 to 98, after being down 20 to 32 at the end of the first quarter. The win lifts the Nuggets to a 21 and 16 record on the season, 10.5 games behind the conference leader and two games behind the 8th seed in the West.

Main Stream Media:
ESPN ~ NBA.com ~ The Sporting News ~ CBS Sports

Blogs:

2010-2011 Game 37: Denver Nuggets 132 Phoenix Suns 98 by Charlie of Roundball Mining Co. (TrueHoop Network)
Nuggets vs. Suns recap: A going away present? by Nate Timmons of Denver Stiffs (SB Nation)

Box Score — Play-By-Play

The second to last game of this post has the New York Knicks (EC ~ 2nd Atlantic) headed to the Rose Garden to take on the Portland Trail Blazers (WC ~ 4th NorthWest) in front of 20,604 fans. For the team from the east coast it’s point guard Raymond Felton, who starts and gets 40 minutes in all. In that time the speedy ex national champ records a double double by scoring 17 points (7-16 ~ 2-5 ~ 1-2) and having 14 assists, while adding three steals and two rebounds and ending the game with a pts differential of +15. And all of this while rolling his ankle. As far as the game is concerned it was New York taking it by double digits, with the final tally being 100 to 86. The win places the Knicks with a 22 and 15 record for the season, seven games back of the conference leader and six games ahead of the seventh seed. (To be noted: The Knicks are 12 and 8 on the road, showing they are just as good when traveling as they are when playing at home).

Main Stream Media:
ESPN ~ NBA.com ~ The Sporting News ~ CBS Sports

Blogs:

“Might just be the best defensive second half I’ve seen all year!” by Osborn of Posting and Toasting (SB Nation)
Blazers-Knicks Recap: Return of Ronny Juice by Anthony Marino of Buckets over Broadway (FanSided)

Box Score — Play-By-Play

And we end this recap with what has to be one of the worst performances by any team in a long time as the Cleveland Cavaliers (EC ~ 5th Central) headed west to take on the Los Angeles Lakers (WC ~ 1st Pacific). The game was played at the Staples Center in front of 18,997 fans. For the visiting team it was power forward Antawn Jamison, who started for the Cavs and played a total of 31 minutes. In that time frame the ex national player of the year recorded six points (3-10 ~ 0-3 ~ 0-0) to go along with eight rebounds (5 offensive), three assists, two steals and three TOs while having an absurd -46 pts differential. The game was a disaster and the final score might not make it justice as LA won this by the final of 112 to 57 (one bucket from doubling up Cleveland). The loss drops the Cavs to 8 and 30, the worst record in the NBA, 21.5 games from the conference leader and 7.5 games back from the eighth seed in the East.

Main Stream Media:
ESPN ~ NBA.com ~ The Sporting News ~ CBS Sports

Blogs:

Lakers 112, Cavs 57 (Or, Rock Bottom) by John Krolik of CAVS: the blog (TrueHoop Network)
Lakers Chew Up And Spit Out Cavaliers, 112-57 by Jeff Sack of Slam Dunk Central

Box Score — Play-By-Play

After a long absence I am once again back at it with one of my favorite things to do on my blog, the daily recaps from around the pro leagues regarding former Tar Heels, which I call “Heels in the League” (NBA). In this edition will check out the games from Sunday, January 9, 2011, where several UNC players were in action in the National Basketball Association, more precisely, there were six out of seven games with a touch of Carolina Blue in them. So, sit back and relax as we check out this edition of “Heels in the League” (NBA)…

The first game of the night feature the Sacramento Kings (WC ~ 5th Pacific) going north of the border to take on the Toronto Raptors (EC ~ 4th Atlantic) at the Air Canada Centre in front of a crowd that numbered 17,026. This is the second and last time these two franchises will meet up in the regular season, the first match up going to the Kings. For the home squad we have former Carolina power forward Ed Davis, who came off the bench and played for fifteen minutes in all. In that time the 6’10 Davis scored two points (0-1 ~ 0-0 ~ 2-2) to go with two rebounds, two assists three steals and an assist while having a +/- differential of -1 in the game. As far as the game went it was the Canadian squad taking this one by a half dozen, with the final tally being 118 to 112. With the victory the Raptors are now 13 and 24 overall and 15.5 games back of division leading Celtics and 16 games behind Conference leader Miami but only a pair of games behind the last playoff team.

Main Stream Media:
ESPN ~ NBA.com ~ The Sporting News ~ CBS Sports

Blogs:

Raptors Rapid Recap By Howland (SB Nation)
Kings Lose 10th Straight Road Game, Raptors Prevail 118-112by Stephen Rhodes (Slam Dunk Central)

Box Score — Play-By-Play

The second game with a touch of Carolina Blue is one between two teams from the state of California and in the same conference as the Golden State Warriors (WC ~ 3rd Pacific) head to the Staples Center to take on the Los Angeles Clippers (WC ~ 4th Pacific) in front of 17,696 fans. This is the second time (of four) that these two teams will meed this season, the first game having gone to the Warriors. For the road team it’s second year pro Brandan Wright, who comes off the bench for nine minutes in this game. The former pupil of Roy Williams scored six points (3-3 ~ 0-0 ~ 0-0), while adding a pair of rebounds and a block and finishing with a -5 points differential. In the end it was the Clippers taking this one by double digits, putting down the Warriors by the final of 105 to 91. With the loss Golden State is now 15 and 22 and 18.5 games behind conference leader San Antonio and just two back from 8th seed Portland.

Main Stream Media:
ESPN ~ NBA.com ~ The Sporting News ~ CBS Sports

Blogs:

I want my afternoon back by olympicmike (SB Nation)

Box Score — Play-By-Play

In the third match up of the night it’s the Minnesota Timberwolves (WC ~ 5th NorthWest) versus the San Antonio Spurs (WC ~ 1st SouthWest). The game was played in front of an attendance of 18,851 at the AT&T Center. For the T’Wolves it should be shooting guard Wayne Ellington, but he does not play (coach’s decision) in this one. The ex national champion under head coach Roy Williams is playing about 15.5 minutes per game this season, scoring just above five points per game while hitting on close to 38% of his three pointers. This is the fourth game in a row that the 6’4″ guard does not see any playing time and you have to wonder why! As far as the game went it was the Spurs winning it in a close one as the defeated the Timberwolves 94 to 91. With the loss Minnesota is now 9 and 29 for the year and trails the conference leader by 22.5 games and the last playoff team by 11 games.

Main Stream Media:
ESPN ~ NBA.com ~ The Sporting News ~ CBS Sports

Blogs:

At least they played hard by Stop-n-Pop (SB Nation)

Box Score — Play-By-Play

Another game and another one with a touch of Carolina Blue in it. This time we have the Cleveland Cavaliers (EC ~ 5th Central) heading south to play against the Phoenix Suns (WC ~ 2nd Pacific) at the US Airways Center in front of a crowd that numbered 17,031. For the traveling squad it’s veteran Antawn Jamison, who stars for the Cavs and plays a team high 41 minutes in this one. In that time frame the power forward scores 23 points (9-23 ~ 1-7 ~ 4-4) to go with seven boards, three steals, two assists and a pair of TOs while having a -10 points differential. As far as the games goes it was Suns pulling away in the last quarter after the two teams were tied beginning the last frame, with the final tally being 108 to 100. The loss drops the Cavs to a record of 8 and 29 on the year, last in the East, 21 games behind Miami and 14 games behind 8th seed Philly.

Main Stream Media:
ESPN ~ NBA.com ~ The Sporting News ~ CBS Sports

Blogs:

Cavaliers Run Out Of Gas In Fourth, Suns Win 108-100 by Jeff Sack (Slam Dunk Central)

Box Score — Play-By-Play

And we close this post with a East vs West game as the New York Knicks (EC ~ 2nd Atlantic) host the Los Angeles Lakers (WC ~ 1st Pacific) at the Mecca of Basketball, Madison Square Garden, where 18,997 were in attendance for the game. For the home squad we have former Heel point guard Raymond Felton, who is the starting guard for the Knicks and in this one played 36 minutes in all. In that time the ex national champion at Chapel Hill scored a dozen points (4-14 ~ 2-6 ~ 2-2) while getting eight rebounds, two steals, a pair of assists and having a pts differential of -19. In the end this was all about the Lakers, who won the contest by the final of 109 to 87. The loss drops New York to 21 and 15 on the season, putting them sixth in the conference, 7.5 games back of the conference leader and 6 ahead of the seventh seed.

Main Stream Media:
ESPN ~ NBA.com ~ The Sporting News ~ CBS Sports

Blogs:

Lakers 109, Knicks 87 by Mike Kurylo (TrueHoop Network)
“This game is very, very constipated.” by gian casimiro (SB Nation)
Lakers Pull Away In Second Half, Pulverize Knicks 109-87 by Jeff Sack (Slam Dunk Central)

Box Score — Play-By-Play

First game of the night does not just have one Heel in the game, but three. It is the one between visiting Charlotte Bobcats and the home squad Cleveland Cavaliers played at Quicken Loans Arena (or as the locals say “the Q”). For the home team it is Antawn Jamison, who played for Dean Smith from `96 to `96, is one of the key pieces for the Cavs, starts and plays for 21 minutes in this one. In that time the ex NPOY while at UNC scored just four points off a bad shooting night (1 for 9 ~ 0 for 2 ~ 2 for 2) to go with eight rebounds (2 offensive), two assists, a steal, a block and three turnovers. The next Heel, Jawad Williams (four year player at UNC under both Matt Doherty and Roy Williams), comes off the bench for a dozen minutes. In that time the ex 2005 national champ scores just a pair (1 for 4 ~ 0 for 1 ~ 0 for 0) to go with two points, an assist and two TOs. Finally we have Daniel Green (another four year player in Chapel Hill), who gets the most minutes of the three, with 23, while scoring the least, one point (0 for 5 ~ 0 for 1 ~ 1 for 2), to go with five boards, three steals, two blocks and a pair of turnovers. In what was definitely a low scoring game the Cavaliers would take it by double digits, defeating the Bobcats by the final tally of 87 to 72. With the W Cleveland is 1 and 0 in the pre-season, but I doubt they are going to forget the player that left anytime soon, wins or not!

Main Stream Media:
ESPN ~ NBA.com ~ The Sporting News ~ CBS Sports

Blogs:

CAVS: The Blog (TrueHoop Network) by John Kronik
Fear The Sword (SB Nation) by John Bena
Slam Dunk Central by Jeff Sack

Box Score — Play-By-Play

The next game on the night with a Carolina player being on the floor is the one pinning the Washington Wizards and the Dallas Mavericks, a game that was played at the American Airline Center. For the home team we have Heel big man Brandan Haywood, who was at Chapel Hill from 1997 to 2000 playing for both Dean Smith and Bill Guthridge. Now, in his tenth season in the pro’s the seven footer is the man in the middle for Mark Cuban’s squad. In this one he played just 19 minutes, scoring seven points (3 for 5 ~ 0 for 0 ~ 1 for 1). He also added three rebounds, one assist, one steal, a block and a pair of turnovers. In a tight game, in this one it was Washington taking it by three points, defeating Dallas by the score of 97 to 94. With the loss the Mavs go to 0 and 1 in the pre-season.

Main Stream Media:
ESPN ~ NBA.com ~ The Sporting News ~ CBS Sports

Blogs:

Two Man Game (True Hoop Network) by Rob Mahoney
Mavs Moneyball (SB Nation) by LJ Rotter

Box Score — Play-By-Play

And finally, in the third game of the night with a Tar Heel playing, it’s the Orlando Magic going to the lone star state to take on the Houston Rockets in a game that was played at the Toyota Center. For the visiting team of the sunshine state we have Vince Carter, who went to UNC for three years and played under Dean Smith in that time, who started for the Magic and getting 25 minutes (2nd on his team) and scoring 14 points (2nd on his squad) (5 for 11 ~ 1 for 3 ~ 3 for 3). Carter also added five rebounds, three assists, a trio of steals and three TOs while having a -6 in the pts differential category. In this one it was Orlando winning it, getting it done by nine points, as they defeated Houston by the final tally of 97 to 88. The Magic are 1 and 0 in the off-season, but it’s nice to see the Howard/Carter combo getting the most shots and the most points.

Main Stream Media:
ESPN ~ NBA.com ~ The Sporting News ~ CBS Sports

Blogs:

Magic Basketball (TrueHoop Network) by Eddy Rivera
Orlando Pinstriped Post (SB Nation) by Ben Q Rock
Howard the Dunk (FanSided) by Andrew Melnick

Box Score — Play-By-Play

Cavs vs Celtics

For the visiting squad, as I said above, Antawn Jamison, the eleven year veteran, was the only ex UNC player to get minutes. The power forward started and played 29 minutes in all. In that time frame Jamison was able to have a very good game as he registered a double double on the night. He scored 20 points (7 for 15 ~ 0 for 2 ~ 6 for 7) to go along with 12 rebounds (5 offensive), two assists, a steal and a turnover while having a pts differential of +27 (second best on the team/game). So far in these playoffs the ex NPOY has scored in double figures seven out of eight times, three of those being double doubles and is averaging 17.5 points (shooting just short of 50% from the field: 52-105) and 8.0 rebounds per game. On the other side, for the home team, it’s ex UNC big man Rasheed Wallace, who comes off the bench and plays 15 minutes. In that time the 14 year vet scored just two points (1 for 2 ~ 0 for 0 ~ 0 for 0) to go along with a rebound and a -7 pts differential.

And while my opening paragraph gave the score away, the points differential between the two Tar Heels should leave no doubts! Cleveland came out in the first quarter and told their opponent and their crowd that this game was over before it began with a 36 to 17 showing. The second 12 minutes also went to the visiting squad, this time a lot closer, with the Cavs outscoring the Celtics 29 to 26, meaning that the home squad went into the locker room trailing 65 to 43. It would not get any better in the second half as Cleveland would take the third quarter by 4 points, 31 to 27 (96 to 70) and the fourth by three, 28 to 25, making the final score 124 to 95.

Main Stream Media:
ESPN ~ NBA.com ~ The Sporting News ~ CBS Sports

Box Score — Play-By-Play

Celtics vs Cavaliers

As the National Basketball Association keeps moving on last night we had yet again another game involving ex North Carolina players. It was the Cleveland Cavaliers, with its three Heels, hosting the Boston Celtics and their one. After the first game, where the Cavs came behind to beat the Celtics by the final of 101 to 93 most people figured this would be a good game, probably no one thought the outcome would be what it was. The telecast of the game, which was on TNT, began with the MVP presentation to LeBron James, and that might just have been the best highlight the home team had in this game. For the visiting team from Bean Town we saw Rasheed Wallace have a heck of a game, playing 18 minutes and scoring 17 points (7 for 8 ~ 3 for 4 ~ 0 for 0) in that timeframe. The ex UNC big man also had two rebounds in this game while having a -2 pts differential in the game. (Wallace had scored a total of 21 points up to this game). On the other side of the ball Jawad Williams and Danny Green were a non factor, with the first coming in for a minute scoring no points (0 for 1 ~ 0 for 1 ~ 0 for 0) and nothing else, while the second didn’t even suit up for the game. Who did suit up and play 36 minutes was Antawn Jamison. The power forward scored 16 points (6 for 11 ~ 2 for 5 ~ 2 for 4), which was second best to James’ 24, to go with six rebounds (1 offensive), a block and two TOs while having a -13 pts differential.

The game was tight at the end of one, with the visiting team winning by four, 26 to 22. That was the same margin as both teams went to the locker room as Boston led Cleveland 52 to 48. The third quarter is where the game broke up, with the Celtics outscoring the Cavs 31 to 12, giving them a 83 to 60 lead going into the final twelve minutes of the game. And while the home team did outscore its opponent in the final quarter 26 to 21 it was definitely nowhere close to enough as the Celtics tied up the game by winning this one 104 to 86. With the series now switching to Boston and the Cavs having lost the home court advantage Game 3 has the making to be a great one, giving this series the possibility of becoming a real good one as well.

Main Stream Media:
ESPN ~ NBA.com ~ The Sporting News ~ CBS Sports

Blogs:

Celtics Hub (TrueHoop Network) by Brian Robb
CAVS: the blog (TrueHoop Network) by John Krolik
Celtics Blog (SB Nation) by Jeff Clark
Fear the Sword (SB Nation) by AncientMariner
King James Gospel (FanSided) by Cody Norman
Slam Dunk Central by Jeff Sack
Red’s Army by Big Mck
Celtics Life by TB727

Box Score — Play-By-Play

Celtics vs Cavs

And so, just like that, the second round of the NBA began last night. In front of one another two teams with a touch of Carolina Blue. The visiting Boston Celtics taking their Heel, Rasheed Wallace, during the off season, while the Cleveland Cavaliers having Jawad Williams from last season, drafting rookie Danny Green and having brought in veteran Antawn Jamison this February. The good thing, if you are a Tar Heel like I am, is that you know that for sure there will be an ex North Carolina player going to the Eastern finals this year. However I doubt that either the Celtics or the Cavs are thinking about just getting to the conference finals, they both have their sights set on the ultimate prize in the National Basketball Association: the championship trophy! The game, played last night at the Quicken Loans Arena (or as the locals call it “The Q”), began what should be a great series. As it has been for most of the season it was a packed house, with 20,5612 fans in attendance.

For the visiting team from the East Coast Rasheed Wallace got just 13 minutes in all. In that time from the ex pupil of Dean Smith scored two points (1 for 5 ~ 0 for 1 ~ 0 for 0) adding two rebounds, an assist, a turnover and a pts differential of -1 on the night. On the other side, for the home squad, only power forward and ex NPOY Antawn Jamison got to see the court, while Williams suited up but didn’t play (DNP – Coach’s Decision) and Green was not even suited up. For the 12 year vet it was a so-so performance, as he played 37 minutes in all. In that time he scored just 7 points (2 for 6 ~ 0 for 1 ~ 3 for 6) but had a team high nine rebounds (1 offensive) to go with two blocks, a steal and a pair of TOs along with a pts differential of +11.

The game was in control of the Celtics for most of the first half, as they lead by six (26 to 20) at the end of the first quarter and brought the lead to double digits going into the locker room, 54 to 43. However all of that was cancelled in the third quarter as the Cavs outscored their opponents by a dozen, taking a one point lead into the final 12 minutes of the game, 79 to 78. In the last quarter it was mostly all Cavs all the time as they took the first game of the series by the final of 101 to 93.

Main Stream Media:
ESPN ~ NBA.com ~ The Sporting News ~ CBS Sports

Blogs:

Celtics Hub (TrueHoop Network) by Brendan Jackson
CAVS: the blog (TrueHoop Network) by John Krolik
Celtics Blog (SB Nation) by Jeff Clark
Fear the Sword (SB Nation) by AncientMariner
Slam Dunk Central by Jeff Sack
Red’sArmy by BigMck
Celtics Life by Mike Saver
Gino’s Jungle by Travis

Box Score — Play-By-Play

Antawn Jamison

After taking care of the Chicago Bulls in five games and now looking at the Boston Celtics in the second round, which begins tonight 8:00 p.m. EST at the Quicken Loans Arena, Antawn Jamison is focused on the games at hand that might also be looking at something he has never gotten: a championship. Jamison, who averaged 34.8 MinsPG ~ 19.4 PPG ~ 7.4 RPG ~ 1.6 APG versus the Bulls, was brought to C-Town to be the missing piece to a title winning team. The 33 year old power forward has been in the league for a dozen years, having played with Golden State, Dallas, Washington and now Cleveland (coming over in a deal this Febraury). Like it or not, this could be the last chance for the Tar Heel to get to the promised land, something that has to weigh heavy on him. However, on a team that has LeBron James, seeking his first title as well, Shaquille O’Neal, looking for his fifth, this could be the perfect storm for Jamison. And while I am not sure if the Cavs are the best team right now, and still believe there is more behind the elbow injrury to James, I wish the best to Antawn Jamison as he tries to get his ring.

And if Jamison did win it all he would have plenty of Heels to celebrate with, as the Cleveland Cavaliers also has Jawad Williams and Danny Green on their roster.

NBA Playoffs 04/17/10

Welcome to the first post season edition of “Heels in the League” (NBA) recapping the games from yesterday, Saturday, April 17, 2010. In all there were games, all four had a touch of Carolina Blue, one of them being a head to head match up. For the complete rundown of the games from a non-UNC look you can always head to ESPN’s Scoreboard Page. But for now, let’s sit back and relax as we go through this edition of “Heels in the League” (NBA) for the games from 04/17/10…

The first game has the top seed Cleveland Cavaliers taking on the eighth seed Chicago Bulls. The game was played at the Quicken Loans Arena in front of a sold out crowd that numbered 20,562 and is the first game of a best of seven series. For the home town team we have a trio of Tar Heels: Antawn Jamison, who starts for the Cavs and gets a total of 33 minutes, Jawad Williams, who comes in with a minute to go in the game and Danny Green, who does not even suit up for the game. For Jamison it’s a double double night, with 15 points (7 for 14 ~ 1 for 4 ~ 0 for 0) to go with 10 rebounds, three blocks, a steal and three TOs while having a pts differential of +15. Williams played about sixty seconds and did not register anything while having a pts differential of 0. As far as the game went, it was Cleveland taking control of the game in the first half and managing the game in the second, defeating Chicago by 13, with the final score being 96 to 83. Game 2 of the series is set for Monday, April 19th in Cleveland.

Main Stream Media:
ESPN ~ NBA.com ~ The Sporting News ~ CBS Sports

Blogs:

CAVS: the blog (TrueHoop Network) by John Krolik
Fear the Sword (SB Nation) by Ancient Mariner
King James Gospel (FanSided) by Cody Norman
Waiting for next Year by Brendan
Slam Dunk Central by Jeff Sack

Box Score — Play-By-Play

Moving on here is the only head to head match up of the night as the sixth seeded Milwaukee Bucks took on the third seeded Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena in front of a crowd of 18,729. This was the first game of a best of seven series. For the visiting squad we have Jerry Stackhouse coming off the bench to play a total of 27 minutes. In that time the veteran shooting guard didn’t have a great night scoring wise, getting only six points (3 for 10 ~ 0 for 3 ~ 0 for 0) to go with two rebounds, an assist, a steal and a -1 pts differential. On the other side, for the Hawks, it was small forward Marvin Williams, who started and played 27 minutes as well. In that time frame the ex national champ from `05 scored 12 points (4 for 5 ~ 0 for 0 ~ 4 for 4) to go along with four rebounds (2 offensive), two assists, a steal and a pts differential of +6. In the end it was Atlanta winning this one by ten, defeating Milwaukee by the final of 102 to 92. Game 2 of this series will be held on Tuesday, April 20th at Philips Arena.

Main Stream Media:
ESPN ~ NBA.com ~ The Sporting News ~ CBS Sports

Blogs:

Hoopinion (TrueHoop Network) by Brett Lagree
Bucksketball (TrueHoop Network) by Jeremy
Peachtree Hoops (SB Nation) by hawksdawgs
Brew Hoop (SB Nation) by Frank Madden
Slam Dunk Central by Jeff Rhodes

Box Score — Play-By-Play

In the next game with a touch of Carolina Blue it’s the fourth seed Boston Celtics hosting fifth seed Miami Heat. This is also the first game of a best of seven series and it was held at the TD Garden in front of 18,624 spectators. For the home town team it’s ex UNC big man Rasheed Wallace who comes off the pine and plays for 14 minutes in all. In that time the center scores four points (1 for 1 ~ 0 for 0 ~ 2 for 3) to go with a rebound, an assist, a block and a turnover while having a pts differential of +7. In what was a very low scoring game that had a wild finish due to some scrapping between players it was Boston taking this one by nine points, defeating Miami 85 to 76. Game 2 of the series will once again be at the TD Garden on Tuesday, April 20th.

Main Stream Media:
ESPN ~ NBA.com ~ The Sporting News ~ CBS Sports

Blogs:

Celtics Hub (TrueHoop Network) by Brian Robb
Celtics Blog (SB Nation) by Jimmy Toscano
Slam Dunk Central by Jeff Sack
Red’s Army by BigMck
Celtics Life byMargaret
Gino’s Jungle by Alyssa F.

Box Score — Play-By-Play

Lastly, with the only game from the Western Conference, we have the other 4/5 match up with the Denver Nuggets play host to the Utah Jazz. This is the first game of a best of seven series, played at the Pepsi Center in front of 19,155 fans. For the home town squad it’s rookie Ty Lawson, who comes off the bench and gets 22 minutes. In that time the speedster and ex national champ from `09 scors 11 points (3 for 8 ~ 2 for 3 ~ 3 for 4) to go with six assists, three rebounds, a steal and a +16 pts differential (which was the team’s second best). In a high scoring affair that its fair share of runs on both sides it was Denver defeating Utah by a baker’s dozen, with the final score being 126 to 113. Game 2 of this series will be played on Monday, April 19th at the Pepsi Center.

Main Stream Media:
ESPN ~ NBA.com ~ The Sporting News ~ CBS Sports

Blogs:

Roundball Mining Company (TrueHoop Network) by Jeremy
Denver Stiffs (SB Nation) by Nate Timmons
Nugg Love (FanSided) by madness
Slam Dunk Central by Stephen Rhodes

Box Score — Play-By-Play

Eastern Conference 1st Round

Yesterday I gave you the ten ex North Carolina players that will be going to the NBA post season in a small post. Today, in this small post, I am going to give you more details on the match ups that will either begin tomorrow or Sunday. (On a side note: looking at the way the games are set up it just boggles my mind, as the post season is so long that momentum goes out the window). As I said yesterday for anyone that follows the ex Heels in the Pro’s this should be a fun year with eight (out of 16) teams having a touch of Carolina Blue on them, several of them with the athletes to make it deep into the post season. Before I get into the numbers let me first congratulate ex UNC player and new owner of the Charlotte Bobcats Michael Jordan for having his team in the post season for the first time in team’s history. And now it’s time to look at the teams…

The Cleveland Cavaliers, the number one seed in the East, with the best record in the NBA at 61-21 (.744 winning percentage) is going to go against the Chicago Bulls. These two teams met four times in the regular season, with the two teams splitting the series. Interesting tid bit about the series is that the Chicago Bulls are the only team in the playoffs to have a minus points differentials as it scores 97.5 and allows 99.1 points per game.

- April 8th: Bulls 109, Cavaliers 108
- March 19th: Cavaliers 92, Bulls 85
- December 4th: Cavaliers 101, Bulls 87
- November 5th: Bulls 86, Cavaliers 85

The first four games of the series will be played as follow:

- Game 1: Saturday, 17th (3:00 p.m. EST) – Chicago at Cleveland (Quicken Loans Arena)
- Game 2: Monday, 19th (8:00 p.m. EST) – Chicago at Cleveland (Quicken Loans Arena)
- Game 3: Thursday, 22nd (7:00 p.m. EST) – Cleveland at Chicago (United Center)
- Game 4: Sunday, April 25th (3:30 p.m. EST) – Cleveland at Chicago (United Center)

Prediction: Cavs in 5

The number two team in the East, with the second best record in the NBA at 59-23 (.720 winning percentage), will take on another team with a touch of Carolina Blue in the Charlotte Bobcats, seventh in the East, with a record of 44-38 (.537 winning percentage). The two squads met four times this season, with the Magic winning three of the games and the Bobcats winning the last one. The tid bit for this game is that no Larry Brown (another Tar Heel) coached team has been swept in Y2K, last time being 1999.

- March 14th: Bobcats 96, Magic 89
- January 23rd: Magic 106, Bobcats 95
- November 16th: Magic 97, Bobcats 91
- November 10th: Magic 93, Bobcats 81

The first four games of the series will be played as follow:

- Game 1: Sunday, 18th (5:00 p.m. EST) – Charlotte at Orlando (Amway Arena)
- Game 2: Wednesday, 21st (7:00 p.m. EST) – Charlotte at Orlando (Amway Arena)
- Game 3: Saturday, 24th (2:00 p.m. EST) – Orlando at Charlotte (Time Warner Cable Arena)
- Game 4: Monday, April 26th (7:05 p.m. EST) – Orlando at Charlotte (Time Warner Cable Arena)

Prediction: Orlando in 6

The third match up in the East, once again a head to head series with Tar Heels on both sides, is the third ranked Atlanta Hawks, 53-29 (. winning percentage), going up against the sixth ranked Milwaukee Bucks, 46-36 (.561 winning percentage). These two franchise met three time in the regular season, with Atlanta taking two out of the three games, none of the games were won by double digit margins. The tid bits in this one are simple, with Jerry Stackhouse the Bucks became a better team, but losing Andrew Bogut puts them back down into the mediocracy area.

- April 12th: Hawks 104, Bucks 96
- March 22nd: Bucks 98, Hawks 95
- February 28th: Hawks 106, Bucks 102

The first four games of the series will be played as follow:

- Game 1: Saturday, 17th (5:30 p.m. EST) – Milwaukee at Atlanta (Philips Arena)
- Game 2: Wednesday, 21st (7:00 p.m. EST) – Milwaukee at Atlanta (Philips Arena)
- Game 3: Saturday, 24th (2:00 p.m. EST) – Atlanta at Milwaukee (Bradley Center)
- Game 4: Monday, April 26th (7:05 p.m. EST) – Atlanta at Milwaukee (Bradley Center)

Prediction: Atlanta in 5

And the last series with a touch of Carolina Blue in the East is the one that have the fourth ranked Boston Celtics, 50-32 (.610 winning percentage) and the fifth ranked Miami Heat going at it. These two teams played three times during the season, with the Celtics sweeping the series, but never winning by over seven points in the games. The tid bit for this game is that both teams had the same record at home (24-17), but the Celtics were three games better than the Heat on the road, winning 26 compared to 23, which also means that Boston had a better record on the road than at home.

- February 3rd: Celtics 107, Heat 102
- January 6th: Celtics 112, Heat 106
- November 29th: Celtics 92, Heat 85

The first four games of the series will be played as follow:

- Game 1: Saturday, 17th (8:00 p.m. EST) – Miami at Boston (TD Garden)
- Game 2: Tuesday, 20th (8:00 p.m. EST) – Miami at Boston (TD Garden)
- Game 3: Friday, 23rd (7:00 p.m. EST) – Boston at Miami (American Airlines Arena)
- Game 4: Sunday, April 25th (1:00 p.m. EST) – Boston at Miami (American Airlines Arena)

Prediction: Boston in 6