Halftime Hype

As the Los Angeles Lakers tipoff in Portland, a fan can only hope that the basketball gods break their routine and allow Kobe & Co. to escape unscathed. If history is any indication, this game should already be added to the loss column. The Lakers are 4-18 in their last 22 meetings and the Lakers have not been able to finish a back-to-back stretch with a win at all this season.

There's a simple key to victory though that Dwight Howard touched on: the Lakers must "play big." It's no secret that the Lakers are an old, slow team. The only unique advantage that separates this squad from the other 29 in the Association is its frontcourt starring two future Hall-of-Fame, seven-footers in Pau Gasol and Dwight Howard. If the Lakers slow down this game and make the Trailblazers battle the bigs down low, the Lakers will secure a much-coveted win.

From this point on, sitting half a game ahead of the Utah Jazz, the Lakers control their destiny. Basically, they need a squeeky clean record the rest of the way. There's especially no room for error since the Jazz own the tiebreaker. A win tonight is not enough for the Lakers though. Coach Mike D'Antoni has to watch Kobe's minutes. Even if the Lakers make the playoffs - and right now that's a big "if" - will the Black Mamba have enough gas left in the tank to lead the Lakers past the first round?

Having five NBA games on Christmas Day was definietly an interesting experiment for the league. At first, it makes some sense. The NBA was trying to reach a wider demographic, so by scheduling more games, 10 teams - not the typical 4 - were involved. Therefore, it's logical to assume more fans would watch the games or come to the arenas to support their team. However, critics had voiced their opinions. Commentator Jeff Van Gundy believed the games weren't as special, sacrificing quality for quantity.

I, for one, wasn't sure what to make of it. Often times, for some reason or another, nationally-televised games are close. That certainly wasn't the case yesterday. The average margin of defeat, seperating the winners from the losers, was 14.4 points. The majority of games were lost by double digits, excluding the Magic's 9-point loss to the Celtics. If they had been closer, there would be reason to believe that the 5-game lineup could be considered a success.



Ironically, the closest game was probably one of the lesser viewed nationally, between Miami and New York. Unless you were a dedicated fan on the West Coast, you probably didn't tune in to watch the Heat play against the Knicks at 9 AM. Understandably, though, this game didn't really concern anybody on the West Coast, and as long as people on the East Coast were watching at noon, all was well. Gallinari continues to prove he's more than a three-point threat, successful on all his seven free-throw attempts and collecting 8 rebounds. As commentator Marv Albert used to say, the "high man" for the Knicks had to be David Lee with 19 points (9-14 shooting) and 16 boards. The Knicks, much like the Magic, however, had a difficult time from the perimeter, successful on only 5 of 28 threes (17.9%). It also didn't help that Al Harrington, who played 32 minutes, went 5-for-20. For the Heat, the storyline was, as usual, dominated by D-Wade (30 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists) with a touch of Beasley (19 points on 7-for-16 shooting) and Jermaine O'Neal (11 points, 8rebounds).

The Celtics-Magic game was arguably the matchup of the day, considering that the Cavs blew out the Lakers in a sleeper. It was genuinely exciting to watch the two best teams in the Eastern Conference battle it out, as the Celtics pulled off a road win. Credit to Boston, for prevailing in the wake of Paul Pierce's surgery. Rajon Rondo had an amazing performance, finishing with 17 points, 13 rebounds, and 8 assists - the only lowlight was his 8 turnovers (giving him a 1:1 assist/turnover ratio for the game). Despite Vince Carter's 27 points on 10-20 shooting and 4 steals, I had expected the Magic to win handily and exploit Pierce's absence. On the plus side for the Magic, they did convert on 20 out of 24 free-throw attempts (83.3.%), which means they did capitalize in that sense. On the contrary, I'm surprised the phrase "Hack-a-Rondo" hasn't been coined yet, as he really needs to work on his foul shots. What really seemed to kill the Magic was a tendency to settle behind the arc, hitting only 5 of their 26 three-point attempts (19.2%).



The much-hyped matchup with the Cavaliers facing the Lakers in Los Angeles ended badly - especially for the Lakers. With 4:04 remaining, and the Lakers trailing by about 20 points, Odom was ejected after receiving his second technical, Phil Jackson picked up a T after he neglected to insert a sub, and fans hurled foam fingers followed by a water bottle or two. It was just that kind of day for L.A. Kobe had a rare off-night, shooting 11-for-32 (34.4%), despite hitting all 12 of his free throws with a broken finger. Well, he wasn't totally off with 9 rebounds and 8 assists, which compensated for the play of...Derek Fisher, who finished with 0 assists, acted out of line with a technical foul and foul out of frustration against Mo Williams, followed by some jawing with Lebron James. Bynum and Gasol scored a combined total of 15 points, and according to Kobe, were simply "outworked." Artest fouled out with several minutes to go.

On the other hand, if you were a Cavs fan, you probably relished every moment of it, with contribution from Shaq (11 points, 7 rebounds), Lebron (26 points, 9 rebounds, 4assists), and most surprising, Mo Williams (28 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds). You have to be happy with your reserves, who outscored L.A.'s reserves 31-17. Overall, just a frustrating Christmas for the Lakers and their fans, with the complete opposite holding true for the Cavaliers and their fans.

The Clippers @ Phoenix game wasn't much better, especially for Angelenos, who had to endure yet another embarassing defeat on Christmas Day. Premier center, Marcus Camby, had to leave the game early with an injury and Eric Gordon could not hit a shot, going just 4-for-15. The Clippers' reserves, similar to those of the Lakers, didn't fare much better, only making 12-of-37 (32.4%). The highlights for L.A. were Kaman's 19 points and 10 boards, along with Rasual Butler's 22 points and 7 rebounds, both players increasingly becoming more relevant for the C's. For the Suns, seven players scored at least 12 or more points, showing that their bench deserves its due credit. Statistically for Phoenix, the notable players were Amare (26 points, 9 rebounds), J Rich (18 points, 8 rebounds), and of course, even at 35 years of age, Steve Nash (14 points, 8 assists). Off the bench, Admunson also managed to grab 10 boards. The story of the night, though, belonged to Grant Hill, who banked a three with three quarters of the court seperating him from the basket at the buzzer before halftime. The Clippers, who were almost at .500, now have an uphill battle ahead of them, with a record of (12-17).



Lastly, the Portland Trailblazers rode Brandon Roy's 41 points all the way to a 107-96 victory over the Nuggets. Despite 32 points and 9 rebounds by Carmelo and an impressive 12 points and 14 rebounds by K-Mart, Andre Miller's 14 rebounds and 8 assists, along with other contributions, allowed him to prevail over his former team. It was fair game until the fourth quarter, where Steve Blake drained five 3's in the last four minutes. Though the Nuggets could have used more contributions from their bench, reserve J.R. Smith mustered 20 points, although he it took 23 field-goal attempts to get there. Not to be forgotten are Birdman's 5 blocks, proving yet again that swatting the ball may, indeed, be the only thing he's good for.

At the end of the day, I, as I'm sure many of you all, was tired. Five games was simply too much, even though I didn't watch them all. Three games is acceptable, but anything more is pushing things a little too far. I couldn't watch SportsCenter, as ESPN once again decided it had nothing else to do than glorify Lebron James and nothing else and I didn't find much consolation in the rather odd Saturday Night Live Christmas Bash that I had been looking forward to. Anyway, lesson learned - hopefully.

As a Jew growing up in America, the holiday season is very different from everybody else. Besides the stark contrasts in the holidays of Hanukkah and Christmas, Americans glorify a mascot commonly referred to as Santa Claus, while the closest resemblance in Judaism consists of Judah Maccabi (excuse me if I mispelled his name). Being Jewish has enabled myself, along with many others, to profit from such things as Christmas sales, Christmas music (many songs of which were composed by Jews), and quite possibly the grandest treat of all, Christmas day NBA matchups.

They seem to have an unprecedented aura to them. For the last several years, every Christmas, I've closely watched my beloved Lakers and their respective opponent battle it out, at a time when the players and coaches would much rather relax with their families. I truly noticed the intensity of these games when the Lakers played against the Miami Heat in '04. The sheer animosity between Shaq and Kobe was just so entertaining. During the previous week, Shaq had compared himself to a brick wall and Kobe declared that he would be a Lamborghini - speeding past the proverbial brick wall. It was just great - until Shaq and Kobe became friends again on an MLK Day match-up.

Anyway, just last December the Lakers took on the Boston Celtics in another epic clash. Still relishing their championship victory, the C's were riding on a strong winning streak as they rolled with their heads hung high into Staples Center. Having given up a 24-point lead in the NBA Finals mere months prior, as well as the series, the Lakers were ready for revenge. It was the ultimate storyline. As well all remember, the Lakers won. But, at the end of the day, the atmosphere in the arena made it seem like a trophy was at stake.

Typically, in the past there have been a couple of Christmas day games. Tomorrow, however, there are a seemingly unparalleled total of five games, each with their own unique plotline. At noon ET, the games kick off with the Miami Heats at Madison Square Garden against the gradually improving New York Knicks. These teams don't have any agressive history other than a nasty Knicks loss during the season opener. The highlights of this game should mainly consist of D-Wade's presence and the Knicks wearing green jerseys.



Next, Boston faces off against the Magic in Orlando, featuring two Eastern contenders. If the Lakers vs. Cavs game headlines the Christmas festivities, this game comes in a close second. I'm looking forward to seeing the battle of the bigs with KG vs. Superman. Interestingly enough, Boston has a 12-1 road record, while the Magic are 12-2 at home. The main catalyst will be Paul Pierce's absence, which should allow Vince Carter to have a game-changing presence. A side-show to observe in this game would be Rondo vs. Jameer Nelson, one rising player against an All-Star guard.

Then, the game we've all been waiting for, the Cleveland Cavaliers playing against the Los Angeles Lakers - in L.A. Shaq eyeing Phil Jackson. Shaq vs. Kobe. Pau Gasol/Andrew Bynum vs. Shaq, and most noteworthy of all, Lebron James vs. Kobe Bryant. Some fans may recall the confrontation Shaq and Andrew Bynum had. Well, now I'd like to see how the big men clash, whether it be Gasol or Bynum against the Big Diesel. This game is even more exciting than the Miami-Lakers games of the past, as before it was limited to Shaq vs. Kobe, now it's Shaq against Kobe and Kobe vs. LBJ. Granted, this game won't be an indicator of who's better between LBJ and KB, but it will intensify the debate.

Following the game of the decade, the Clippers are hoping Angelenos still have enough left in them to root for the Clippers as they journey to Phoenix to take on the Suns. Coincidentally, the Brazillian Blur, Leandro Barbosa, is expected to play his first minutes since November. This may be the most under-publicized match-up of the day. Baron Davis vs. Steve Nash and Chris Kaman/Marcus Camby vs. Amare Stoudemire. Baron is no longer the spectacle he was in Golden State and Steve Nash may not be as exciting as he used to be, but these are still two of the league's best point guards going at it. For those who haven't followed him, Chris Kaman is proving himself to be a legit post threat and Marcus Camby is still the dauting rebounder and shotblocker of years' past. Nevertheless, Amare Stoudemire has only improved his game since the run-and-gun days, and with well-seasoned post moves, it would be reasonable to assume that whoever has the most points in the paint will ultimately win this game.

The day concludes with the Denver Nuggets looking for a win in Portland against the Trailblazers. This game really doesn't make much sense to me, in terms of fan appeal, except for Andre Miller playing against his old team(mates). Other than that, I would analyze Brandon Roy vs. Billups and Aldridge vs. Nene. Chauncey has done an amazing job in his tenure for Denver so far, but so has Roy. Both can score and get assists. Tomorrow, they will probably be forced into some one-on-one situations and that their decisions will surely affect the outcome of the game. Also, the young Aldridge will have to manage against a big, well-experienced, and probably stronger Nene in a fight for rebounds. I take back what I said; this may turn out to be a good matchup after all.

Generally, the NBA always delivers some form of Christmas entertainment or another. And as you're unwrapping presents or feasting or watching the Saturday Night Live Christmas Bash, like myself, don't forget to watch the NBA's gifts to you.