And once again it’s time to check out what the former North Carolina basketball players are doing at the next level by doing today’s “Heels in the Pro’s” (NBA). If you are interested in someone who might become a Tar Heel check out my small blog on isportsweb about Troy Williams. As far as yesterday went in the National Basketball Association there was a total of ten games in all, of which four had a touch of carolina blue in them. So, without any more interruptions let’s get going with this edition of “Heels in the Pro’s” (NBA) for 02/06/12…

The first game of the night has the Toronto Raptors {EC ~ Atlantic} (8-18 ~ 5-12 on the road) going to the capital to take on the Washington Wizards {EC ~ Southeast} (5-20 ~ 4-10 at home) in the third of four games between the teams, with the first two games being split. The game, played in front 14,687, was at the Verizon Center. For the team from up north it’s former Tar Heel Ed Davis, who comes off the bench for 16 minutes. In that time the power forward went scoreless (0 for 1 ~ 0 for 0 ~ 0 for 0), getting three rebounds, two steals and a turnover while having a +2 points differential in the game. As far as the game went it was Washington winning the game in OT, beating Toronto by the final of 111 to 108. With the loss the Raptors stay in last place of the division, 10.5 games behind the leader and are four games back of the last playoff spot in the East.

The second game of the night that has a touch of carolina blue is a inter conference match up between Phoenix Suns {WC ~ Pacific} (10-14 ~ 5-8 on the road) and the Atlanta Hawks {EC ~ Southeast} (16-9 ~ 8-4 at home) in the first of two games between the franchises. The game was played at the Philips Arena in front of 11,823. For the home team there are two former UNC players on the roster, the first one is Marvin Williams, who starts and plays for 32 minutes. In that time the seventh year pro scored eight points (3 for 8 ~ 0 for 3 ~ 2 for 2), to go with five rebounds, two assists, a turnover and a pts differential of +4. While Jerry Stackhouse came off the bench for just four minutes, going scoreless (0 for 0 ~ 0 for 0 ~ 0 for 0) and doing nothing much else but having a +7 pts differential. In the end, the game went to Phoenix, defeating Atlanta by 9, with the final score being 99 to 90. With the loss the Hawks slide to 2.5 back of the division leader while being in fifth place for the post season, just one game back of the fourth squad.

The next game is a inter divisional match up as the San Antonio Spurs {WC ~ Southwest} (17-9 ~ 4-8 on the road) takes on the Memphis Grizzlies {WC ~ Southwest} (12-13 ~ 7-4 at home) in the third game of four between them, with the first two going to the Spurs. The game was played in front of 13,527 fans at the FedExForum. In this for the visiting team it’s Danny Green, who comes off the bench and plays for 30 minutes in all. The former Heel guard scores two points (0 for 8 ~ 0 for 3 ~ 2 for 2) to go with four rebounds, four assists, one block and a pair of turnovers while having a 0 for points differential. As far as the game was concerned it was San Antonio winning this one, defeating Memphis 89 to 84. With the W the Spurs keeps first place by 2.5 games while being in second place for the post season, 3 games back of the top spot.

In the last game we have the Houston Rockets {WC ~ Southwest} (14-11 ~ 4-8 on the road) going to the mile high city to take on the Denver Nuggets {WC ~ Northwest} (15-10 ~ 7-5 at home) for the first of four match ups between the squads. The game was played at the Pepsi Center in front of an attendance of 14,501. For the home squad it’s former Tar Heel floor general Ty Lawson, who starts and plays a team high 39 minutes. In that time the third year point guard scores 13 points (5 for 14 ~ 1 for 5 ~ 2 for 3) to go with a game high seven assists, one rebounds, one steal and three TOs while having a -2 pts differential. In the end it was Houston taking this one, beating Denver by the final of 99 to 90. With the loss the Nuggets are now in second place in the division 4.5 behind the leader, while in fourth place for the playoff race, also 4.5 games back of the top spot.

As we all get up and begin to focus on the new year, which will include the last week of the NFL as well as North Carolina taking on Monmouth at the Dean Dome, let’s look back at the last NBA games of 2011 for the former UNC players with the first daily post of 2012 called “Heels in Pros” (NBA) for 12/31/11. In all there were seven games played in the National Basketball Association, a quartet of them has a touch of carolina blue in them. And we can also check what ESPN’s AccuScore did with their prediction of the four games. So, without further ado, let’s get going with this edition of “Heels in the Pros” (NBA) for December 31, 2011…

The first game of the night it’s the Denver Nuggets (WC ~ Northwest) going to the long beach state to take on the Los Angeles Lakers (WC ~ Pacific) in what is the first game of four between the franchises. The game was played at the STAPLES Center in front of a crowd that numbered 18,997. For the visiting squad it’s point guard Ty Lawson, who starts for the Nuggets and gets a total of 31 minutes in all. In that time frame the third year floor general scored nine points (3 for 8 ~ 1 for 3 ~ 2 for 4) to go with eight assists, three rebounds, two steals and four TOs while having a -13 pts differential. As far as the game it was Los Angeles (3-2, 3-1 at home) winning a tight one, defeating Denver (2-2, 1-2 on the road) 92 to 89. With the loss Denver is now 2.5 games behind the division leader.

AccuScore called the game correctly, giving the win to the Lakers, with the final being 103.2 to 93.6, while saying that Lawson would get 15.4 pts and 5.6 assists in this one.

Second game on tap was the one between divisional foes, as the Indiana Pacers (EC ~ Central) and the Detroit Pistons (EC ~ Central) in what is the second of three games, with the first one having gone to the Pacers 91 to 79. The game was played at The Palace of Auburn Hills in front of an attendance of 8,824. For the visiting team we have third year pro Tyler Hansbrough, who comes off the pine for a total of 28 minutes. In that time the power forward scored 16 points (5 for 14 ~ 0 for 0 ~ 6 for 7) to go with five rebounds, three steals, a block and a turnover while having a pts differential of -3. As far as the game went it was Detroit (1-3, 1-1 at home) winning this one, defeating Indiana (3-1, 1-1 on the road) 96 to 88. Even with the loss the Pacers are still atop of their division.

AccuScore was incorrect in this one, as they had the Pacers winning the game 95 to 93.5, while Hansbrough scoring 12 pts and 6.6 boards in the match-up.

In the second to last game of the night we have the Atlanta Hawks (EC ~ Southeast) going to the lone star state to take on the Houston Rockets (WC ~ Southwest) in a inter-conference match-up, which will be the only time the two squad will meet up. The game was played in front of 14,390 fans at the Toyota Center. For the visiting team from the east it’s small forward Marvin Williams, who starts and plays 21 minutes in all. In that time frame the seventh year veteran scores nine points (3 for 7 ~ 1 for 2 ~ 2 for 2) to go with four rebounds a block and a -1 pts differential. On the bench it’s 17th year pro Jerry Stackhouse, but the shooting guard does not see any action in this one (DNP). In the end, it was Houston (2-2, 2-0 at home) beating Atlanta (3-1, 1-1 on the road) by 11 points, with the final score being 95 to 84. With the Hawks’ loss they drop to one game behind the division leader.

AccuScore was once again correct in picking this one, as well as being close with Williams’ stats as they had him for 10.7 points and 5 rebounds in the game.

And finally, in the last game on tap, it’s the Utah Jazz (WC ~ Northwest) going to the lone star state to take on the San Antonio Spurs (WC ~ Southwest) in the first of four game between the teams. The game was played at the AT&T Center in front of 17,769 fans. For the visiting team we have Danny Green coming off the bench for nine minutes of playing time. The third year guard scores four points (2 for 3 ~ 0 for 1 ~ 0 for 0) to go with two boards, two asssits and a +11 points differential. As far as the game went it was San Antonio (3-1, 3-0 at home) defeating Utah (1-3, 0-3 on the road) 104 to 89. With the W the Spurs are now in first place in their division, 1/2 a game ahead of the competition.

AccuScore was right in this one once again giving the win to San Antonio by the final of 105.1 to 96, which was pretty close. One difference is that their score did not cover the spread, while the game’s final did.

Since you can never get enough of basketball, whether it’s by watching the present squad, which is ranked fifth in the AP poll and sixth in the ESPN/USA Today one, who will be in action tomorrow and I will have a preview and recap of the game, or by looking at the former Heels, like I do in my “Heels in the Pros” (NBA) daily posts, I decided to try and do a preview for the games by looking at what the AccuScore (on ESPN) says of the games, which is a computer program that simulates the game over a 10,000 times, which is pretty amazing. So, without any interruptions, here is this edition of “Heels in Pros” (NBA) for December 31, 2011, preview style…

In game one, which has the Denver Nuggets taking on the Los Angeles Lakers, the computer has the home team winning by an average of 103.2 to 93.6, which would be almost double than the five point spread that Vegas has the game at. For floor general Ty Lawson it says that he should have a team high 15.4 points to go with team high 5.6 assists. In all the computer believes that the Lakers have a 81% chances of winning the game and a 49.3% of winning by over 10 points.

If the AccuScore is correct the Nuggets will be 2-2 going into the new year.

The second game is one that has the Indiana Pacers going to the motor city to take on the Detroit Pistons. The computer has the Pacers winning this one by a close margin, 95 to 93.5 with the Vegas spread being -2.5 with the visiting team favorite. For Indy it’s third year pro Tyler Hansbrough, where the forward scores 12 points and has 6.6 rebounds in the game. In all the computer is saying that 52.8% times Indiana will win, while winning big (10 or more points) 26.3%.

If the AccuScore is correct the Pacers will be undefeated at 4-0 going into 2012.

Third game of the night has the Atlanta Hawks going to the lone star state to take on the Houston Rockets in a game that the lines have the home team favorite by 1 point. AccuScore gives us an average final score of 92.9 to 91.7 for the Rockets, while saying that Marvin Williams will score about 10.7 points and have just below 5 boards in this one. The computers have the Rockets winning 57.6% of the times and winning big 14.1%. Interesting enough the comp has the Hawks winning this one big 11.6%, making it feel like the 1 point spread a bit weird.

If the AccuScore is right the Hawks will lose their first game of the season and go into the new year with a 3-1 record.

And finally, last up is the Utah Jazz going to the lone star state to take on San Antonio in a game where the spread is in double digits at 14.5 points. The compute has the score not covering, with the Spurs winning 105.1 to 96. Nothing is said about the former Carolina player on San Antonio’s roster, Danny Green, but it shows that the home squad is going to win 78.8% of the times, winning it big 12.2%.

If the AccuScore is correct the Spurs will head into the new year with a 3-1 record.

As we approach the end of the first week of pro basketball, we can also enjoy that No.5 AP/No. 6 ESPN/USA Today North Carolina is 12-2 after destroying Elon 100 to 62, while their former players are doing well in the NBA. All of this means that it’s time to once again look at the daily post “Heels in the Pros” (NBA) for 12/29/11 in a day where the National Basketball had six games in all, of which half had a touch of carolina blue, one being a head to head match up between squads that have former UNC players on them. So, without further ado, let’s get going with this edition of “Heels in the Pros” (NBA) for December 29, 2011…

The first game of the night is one between teams from the lone star state as the San Antonio Spurs (WC ~ Southwest) headed to the Toyota Center to take on the Houston Rockets (WC ~ Southwest). The divisional game, played in front of 18,267, is the first of four games between the squads from Texas. For the visiting squad it’s former Tar Heel Danny Green, who comes off the bench and plays 12 minutes, which is the most this season for the third year man. In that time frame the former UNC guard scored six points (3 for 7 ~ 0 for 2 ~ 0 for 0) to go with four rebounds and a steal while having a -6 pts differential. As far as the game went it was Houston (1-1, 1-0 at home) beating San Antonio (2-1, 0-1 on the road) by 20 points, with the final being 105 to 85.

The second game of the night is once again a Western Conference match up between the Dallas Mavericks (WC ~ Southwest) and the Oklahoma City Thunder (WC ~ Northwest). The game, first of four, was played in front of a crowd of 18,203 at the Chesapeake Energy Arena. For the visiting team there are two former Heels on the squad, with Brendan Haywood getting the nod at the center spot. The eleventh year veteran gets 23 minutes of playing time, where he scores eight points (4 for 7 ~ 0 for 0 ~ 0 for 1) along with five rebounds, a steal, a block and a turnover while having a pts differential of +16. The other Tar Heel, shooting guard Vince Carter, comes off the bench in this one for the Mavs and plays a total of 16 minutes in all. In that time frame the 14th year pro scores eight points (3 for 8 ~ 2 for 3 ~ 0 for 2) to go with three rebounds, a steal and a TO while having a +3 points differential. As far as the game went it was Oklahoma (4-0, 2-0 at home) winning this one at the buzzer, defeating Dallas (0-3, 0-1 on the road) 104 to 102. Not a bad way to go for the Thunder who had their two stars argueing the night before.

In the final game of the night with a touch of carolina blue we have the Denver Nuggets (WC ~ Northwest) taking on the Portland Trail Blazers (WC ~ Northwest) in what was a duel of former UNC floor generals and division foes. The game, first of three, was played at the Rose Garden in front of an attendance of 20,531. For the visiting team it’s third year pro Ty Lawson, who plays 40 minutes, most on his team. For the speedster it’s a 25 points game, once again a team and game high, (10 for 16 ~ 2 for 3 ~ 3 for 4) to go with eight steals, four boards, three assists and a pair of turnovers while having a -10 pts differential. On the other side, Raymond Felton, who played 34 minutes in all. For the seventh year veteran it’s a team high 23 points performance (10 for 16 ~ 1 for 3 ~ 2 for 2) to go along with six assists, five boards and a whooping four TOs while getting a points differential of +7. In the end it was Portland (3-0, 3-0 at home) beating Denver (2-1, 1-1 on the road) 111 to 102.

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

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

One interesting tidbit, with the season less than one week old there are already six teams two or more games from the top, while eight are still winless. On the other hand only four teams are still undefeated, two of them in the same division. In a shorten season this seems to be a year with lots of interesting twists and turns, with more than sixty games to go for each team you have to believe there will be plenty more drama for all the teams, including where will Dwight Howard ends up.

After 27 years of service as the bus driver to the basketball team Dave Harder, the man known to most as Super Dave, passed away unexpectedly last night. Many of the former Tar Heels have spoken about the man who “always had a smile” as Sean May said and Danny Green said he was in “disbelief” at the news. Many, many others, from Tyler Hansbrough to Bobby Frasor talked about the man that stopped at nothing to get the job done. No one would have known he was part of the team, not by the way he spoke, but he was part of the Carolina family, the fact that everytime he was out and about he worn with the out most of pride his national championship ring would verify that! He will be sorely missed, as head coach Roy Williams said in a statement today…

“Dave Harder was a part of the North Carolina basketball family and will always be thought of in that way,” Roy Williams said on Friday. “He was extremely dependable, trustworthy, and fantastic at what he did. We will truly miss him, but we will remember him every time the Carolina basketball team steps on that bus.”

With Harrison Barnes announcing he was coming back and other things not related to this blog happening my recap for Sunday’s NBA games was overlooked until now. Which means now it’s time to do my “Heels in the Pros” (NBA) for the games from Sunday, April 17, 2011. On that night we had two games with a touch of Carolina Blue, one with a team that has a pair of former Heels on the court and another as the head coach. All of these were game ones for their seven games series. So, without any more distractions/delays, let’s get going with this edition of “Heels in the Pros” (NBA) for 04/17/11…

(On a side note: On another site, CLNS Radio, where I do my podcasts, I put up a poem about Carmelo Anthony and other things about the first weekend of the NBA PO)

The first game of the night is the one that matches up the top seed in the West, the San Antonio Spurs, hosting the eighth seed, the Memphis Grizzlies. The game was played at the AT&T Center in front of a crowd that numbered 18,581. For the home team it was former national champion Danny Green. The guard came in for a very short time in the game and didn’t register anything for the box score. As far as the game was concerned it was the Grizzlies taking this one, upsetting the Spurs by the final of 101 to 98. San Antonio is now 0-1 in this series and has lost home court advantage due to the loss.

NBA
ESPN
Sporting News
CBS

Pounding the Rock (SB Nation)
Air Alamo (FanSided)
Projest Spurs (Bloguin)
Slam Dunk Central

The other game of the night had the #5 seed Denver Nuggets heading to the Oklahoma City Arena to take on the #4 seed Oklahoma City Thunder in front of an attendance of 18,203. For the visiting squad from the mile high city we have the pair of point guards and national champions in Raymond Felton (`05) and Ty Lawson (`09). For Lawson, who starts and gets 34 minutes, scores 10 points (4 for 7 ~ 0 for 1 ~ 2 for 2), to go with five assists, four rebounds (2 offensive), three steals and 2 TOs. Felton, who came off the bench for 33 minutes, scored 12 points (4 for 11 ~ 0 for 4 ~ 4 for 5) and added eight assists, one board, one steal and a pair of turnovers. In the end it was OKC taking this one, defeating Denver by the final of 107 to 103.

NBA
ESPN
Sporting News
CBS

Denver Stiffs (SB Nation)
Nugg Love (FanSided)
Slam Dunk Central

With today being the beginning of the NBA Playoffs I figured it is time to get the Heels in the Pros (NBA) have a come back on The Fifth Corner. Below is the complete listing of the National Basketball Association first round (with times and tv coverage) playoff schedule. Then of course, since this a North Carolina blog after all, I will add all that I can about any former Tar Heel in the eight series. A brief run down shows that five series have at least one UNC player playing in them, one has a couple of floor generals along with a head coach and finally another one has an executive that are all from Chapel Hill. Here is the complete run down of the first round and below the list the former Heels in each of them…

Western Conference

(1) San Antonio Spurs vs (8) Memphis Grizzlies

Game 1 – Sun April 17 Memphis at San Antonio 12:00PM TNT
Game 2 – Wed April 20 Memphis at San Antonio 7:30PM NBA TV
Game 3 – Sat April 23 San Antonio at Memphis 6:30PM ESPN
Game 4 – Mon April 25 San Antonio at Memphis TBD TBD
Game 5 * Wed April 27 Memphis at San Antonio TBD TBD
Game 6 * Fri April 29 San Antonio at Memphis TBD TBD
Game 7 * Sun May 1 Memphis at San Antonio TBD TBD

For San Antonio we have Danny Green, who was picked up late in the season by the team and you can follow him on twitter under the nic @DGreen_14. Green played at UNC for four years and won a National Title in 2009 under head coach Roy Williams. On a side note I can not believe that NBA.com still has him in a Cleveland jersey.

(2) L.A. Lakers vs (7) New Orleans Hornets

Game 1 – Sun April 17 New Orleans at L.A. Lakers 12:30PM ABC/R
Game 2 – Wed April 20 New Orleans at L.A. Lakers 7:30PM TNT
Game 3 – Fri April 22 L.A. Lakers at New Orleans 8:30PM ESPN
Game 4 – Sun April 24 L.A. Lakers at New Orleans 8:30PM TNT
Game 5 * Tue April 26 New Orleans at L.A. Lakers TBD TBD
Game 6 * Thu April 28 L.A. Lakers at New Orleans TBD TBD
Game 7 * Sat April 30 New Orleans at L.A. Lakers TBD TNT

In this one we have the General Manager of the Lakers, Mitch Kupchak, who played under head coach Dean Smith from 1972 to 1976.

(3) Dallas Mavericks vs (6) Portland Trail Blazers

Game 1 – Sat April 16 Portland at Dallas 8:30PM ESPN
Game 2 – Tue April 19 Portland at Dallas 8:30PM TNT
Game 3 – Thu April 21 Dallas at Portland 7:30PM TNT
Game 4 – Sat April 23 Dallas at Portland 2:00PM TNT
Game 5 * Mon April 25 Portland at Dallas TBD TBD
Game 6 * Thu April 28 Dallas at Portland TBD TBD
Game 7 * Sat April 30 Portland at Dallas TBD TNT

For the third seed Dallas we have seven footer Brendan Haywood, who played in Chapel Hill from 1997 to 2001 where he recorded the first ever triple double in school’s history. You can check out Haywood’s pro career here.

(4) Oklahoma City Thunder vs (5) Denver Nuggets

Game 1 – Sun April 17 Denver at Oklahoma City 8:30PM TNT
Game 2 – Wed April 20 Denver at Oklahoma City 7:00PM TNT
Game 3 – Sat April 23 Oklahoma City at Denver 8:00PM ESPN/R
Game 4 – Mon April 25 Oklahoma City at Denver 8:30PM TNT
Game 5 * Wed April 27 Denver at Oklahoma City TBD TBD
Game 6 * Fri April 29 Oklahoma City at Denver TBD TBD
Game 7 * Sun May 1 Denver at Oklahoma City TBD TBD

This one is where have a boatload of former Heels. Two on the court and the head coach. First, George Karl, the coach of the Nuggets, who has been with the team since 2005. Then we have two point guards that are both National Champions, Raymond Felton for the 2005 squad and Ty Lawson for the `09 team. Felton is on his third NBA squad, second this season, having played for the Bobcats and Knicks before coming to Denver. Lawson has always been with the Nuggets and you can follow him on twitter.

Eastern Conference

(1) Chicago Bulls vs (8) Indiana Pacers

Game 1 – Sat April 16 Indiana at Chicago 12:00PM ESPN/ESPN3D
Game 2 – Mon April 18 Indiana at Chicago 8:30PM TNT
Game 3 – Thu April 21 Chicago at Indiana 7:00PM NBA TV
Game 4 – Sat April 23 Chicago at Indiana 2:30PM TNT
Game 5 * Tue April 26 Indiana at Chicago TBD TBD
Game 6 * Thu April 28 Chicago at Indiana TBD TBD
Game 7 * Sat April 30 Indiana at Chicago TBD TNT

In this one we have another National Champ from Chapel Hill, Tyler Hansbrough, who is getting better by the game with his stats and can be followed on twitter under @THANS50

(2) Miami Heat vs (7) Philadelphia 76ers

Game 1 – Sat April 16 Philadelphia at Miami 3:30PM ABC/R
Game 2 – Mon April 18 Philadelphia at Miami 7:00PM TNT
Game 3 – Thu April 21 Miami at Philadelphia 8:00PM TNT
Game 4 – Sun April 24 Miami at Philadelphia 1:00PM ABC
Game 5 * Wed April 27 Philadelphia at Miami TBD TBD
Game 6 * Fri April 29 Miami at Philadelphia TBD TBD
Game 7 * Sun May 1 Philadelphia at Miami TBD TBD

None from North Carolina in this one, but if you want to root against someone, Philly has a Duke player to zeron in Miami (just a thought).

(3) Boston Celtics vs (6) New York Knicks

Game 1 – Sun April 17 New York at Boston 7:00PM TNT
Game 2 – Tue April 19 New York at Boston 7:00PM TNT
Game 3 – Fri April 22 Boston at New York 7:00PM ESPN
Game 4 – Sun April 24 Boston at New York 3:30PM ABC/R
Game 5 * Tue April 26 New York at Boston TBD TBD
Game 6 * Fri April 29 Boston at New York TBD TBD
Game 7 * Sun May 1 New York at Boston TBD TBD

No one from Chapel Hill in this one either and not easy who to go with, as the Knicks have a former player from that school 8.5 miles away from UNC and Boston have someone from UK. (Wishing in a double elimination here, but it’s not possible).

(4) Orlando Magic vs (5) Atlanta Hawks

Game 1 – Sat April 16 Atlanta at Orlando 7:00PM ESPN
Game 2 – Tue April 19 Atlanta at Orlando 7:30PM NBA TV
Game 3 – Fri April 22 Orlando at Atlanta 8:00PM ESPN2/ESPN3D
Game 4 – Sun April 24 Orlando at Atlanta 7:00PM TNT
Game 5 * Tue April 26 Atlanta at Orlando TBD TBD
Game 6 * Thu April 28 Orlando at Atlanta TBD TBD
Game 7 * Sat April 30 Atlanta at Orlando TBD TNT

Finally, a breath of fresh air as we once again have a Tar Heel in this series. For the Hawks it’s Marvin Williams, a fifth year veteran while being a one and done at UNC after winning a national title.

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