PAUL GEORGE – PACERS:  George is definitely one of the breakout young  starts of the NBA.  He is thriving in his new team-leader role this season as the Pacers look like the 2nd best team in the East.  The 6’8 SF, has shown great versatility by dishing out a career high 4.0apg.

JARRETT JACK – WARRIORS:  Jack has emerged as one of, if not the best backup PG in the league for the fun to watch Dubs.  He is only 1 of 3 PG’s in the league to shoot over 45% from the floor, 40% from three, and 84% from the line.

MIKE CONLEY – GRIZZLIES:  Conley is the floor general for one of the top teams in the West.  The 6th year guard is also second in the league in steals and has been clutch in crunch time.

GREIVIS VASQUEZ – HORNETS:  Raise your hand if you ever thought Vasquez would be a significant rotation player in the league…anyone…anyone…exactly.  Yes, he is on a bad Hornets team, but Greivis is 21st in the league in double-doubles and 2nd in the league in assists.  Those are stats you can’t ignore!

THADDEUS YOUNG – 76ERS:  One of only 5 SF in the league to average 15ppg and 7rpg.  The athletic Young will only get better if he can work on his 3 point shot.

CHANDLER PARSONS – ROCKETS:  Parsons has busted onto the scene as one of the best 2nd round picks (38th overall) in recent memory.  The 2nd year forward is doing a little bit of everything as the Rockets look to lock up a playoff spot in the West.  Parsons is one of only 4 Forwards to average over 15ppg, 5rpg, and 3.5apg…the other three:  Pierce, LeBron, and Durant.

NIKOLA VUCEVIC – MAGIC:  With Shaq and D12 both having been shipped out of Orlando, most Magic fans thought they would never get a another quality big man again.  Enter Nikola Vucevic.  The 2nd year big man has not only displayed a fearless persona on the floor, but Nik ranks 6th in the league in double-doubles and 4th in rpg.  Looks like Orlando has found another big man to anchor the paint for years to come.

NICOLAS BATUM – BLAZERS:  Name the only two players in the NBA to average 1bpg, 1spg, 5apg, 5rpg, and 14ppg….yes of course LeBron is one….but the other is Nicolas Batum!  Versatility galore with the 5th year SF who is also shooting 37% from the 3 point line!

LAMARCUS ALDRIDGE – BLAZERS:  Yes, Aldridge is an all-star.  Yes, he is popular.  But LaMarcus is having a career year, has Portland just 2.5 out of the 8th spot, and is the only player in the NBA average over 20ppg and 9rpg.  We should be hearing more about this Blazer!

SPENCER HAWES – 76ERS:  If you play fantasy basketball, you know Hawes was close to fantasy gold from 2008-2010.  The big man gave your team points, block, assists, steals, and 3′s…all from the center position.  Well after two seasons of low numbers and injuries, Spencer is back to his old, versatile center self.  Philly’s starting center is averaging a crazy 13.6ppg, 9.3rpg, 3.6apg, 2.1bpg in March.  And his 5 made three pointers this month make this 24 year old a player with true all-star potential.

WHO IS ON YOUR TOP 10 LIST???

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[nba-video vid=games/rockets/2013/03/24/0021201042-sas-hou-recap.nba]
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HOUSTON — Danny Green was sailing in on the right side for what would been a layup that stretched the Spurs run out to 12-0 and their lead up to six points with just under 1 1/2 minutes to play.

It’s not the first time nobody saw Patrick Beverley coming.

The Lakers had made him a second-round pick in 2009 and flipped him to Miami on draft night. He had previously spent a season in the Ukraine and when the pre-LeBron James Heat were doing everything they could to free up cap room, they packed his bags and extended his European vacation in Greece.

When the Rockets finally bought out Beverley’s contract from Spartak in St. Petersburg, Russia, and brought him home on Jan. 7, his first stop stateside was the NBA D-League Showcase in Reno, Nev.

“All I want to do is get a chance to show people that I can play,” Beverley said then. “Just give me a chance.”

It was the kind of move that drew little notice around the league, a young team adding another set of young legs.

A split second after the ball left Green’s hand on Sunday night, those young legs launched Beverley skyward. James Harden felt something zooming over his head like a meteor.

“You don’t usually see little guys making a play like that,” Harden said.

The little guy’s rejection of Green was big, big, big and it became huge when Chandler Parsons nailed a 3 at the other end, Harden bagged a pull-up jumper in the final seconds and the Rockets held on for a 96-95 win.

Sometimes these so-called playoff preview games can be more than a bit overblown. But having lost three times already to the Spurs this season and giving up an average of 123 points a game, it was a statement the Rockets needed to make, if only to themselves, as the possibility of a first-round Texas Two-Step series hovers.

Harden has long since proven himself as a frontline All-Star performer this season and Jeremy Lin’s game has steadily rounded into shape. And if there’s any surprise left in the Rockets’ backcourt, the 6-foot-1 Beverley has been doing all that he can to dispel it over the past two-plus months. He’s averaging five points and just under 16 minutes per game, but it’s when those minutes often come that are of note.

Rockets coach Kevin McHale put Beverley back in for Lin to play the point with 3:50 left, the score tied at 89 and going head-to-head against All-Star Tony Parker.

“I’m prepared at all times,” Beverley said. “Throughout this whole season I’ve been put in this situation a lot more than once. Orlando game, Wizards game. I just try to go out there and do what I do. Get some stops and make some open shots.”

Beverley made shots, open and otherwise, shooting 4-for-4 for 11 points in the first half and then played a critical role with his defense down the stretch.

“Patrick had a good game going,” McHale said. “Parker was driving hard and getting fouled, so we went with Patrick out there to get a little more defense and then Chandler switched off. I thought one of the biggest plays of the game was Patrick running down that block. That was a phenomenal block.”

After Harden’s jumper put the Rockets in front and the Spurs had their last chance, it was Beverley who prevented Tim Duncan from making a handoff return pass to Manu Ginobili to get the shot San Antonio wanted.

So here is the 2012 Eurocup MVP, who began another season playing on the far side of the world suddenly smack in the middle of a playoff race.

“I was on my way home from (shootaround) today and I called my mom and told her I still can’t believe I’m in the NBA,” Beverley said. “I guess it hasn’t really sunk in yet. I’m enjoying it…I can finally show the world I can play basketball.”

Especially those who never saw him coming.

#tbt @JLin7 @JHarden13 http://t.co/2GUVSBfvAn

I normally won’t post or even enjoy a lot of the fan-made NBA memes I see, but this one is just too perfect.  A lot of that has to do with the fact that it involves Chandler Parsons posting it and a fat Asian baby.

1. Houston Rockets, Western Conference

Three Key Players for Success: James Harden, Jeremy Lin, Chandler Parsons

The Houston Rockets, who are currently sitting 7th in the Western Conference with 36 wins, were able to start their season off perfectly, trading Kevin Martin and others to the Thunder for OKC 6th man of the year James Harden, and his first game… 37 points. Second game… 45 points. Harden started his career as a starter in Houston as good as anyone could, and he has continued to lead a young Rockets team perfectly. Harden, who has a career PPG average of 15.8, has increased that hugely, scoring 26.3PPG for the Rockets, and being the go-to-man in many of the Rockets close games. The Rockets brought in Harden to join Chandler Parsons, and Carlos Delfino, while also signing Jeremy Lin from free agency. As McHale and his front office built his team, they got their final piece of the puzzle. Omer Asik decided to sign with the Rockets rather than the Bulls, and finished what McHale, owner Leslie Alexander and head of basketball operations Daryl Morey had wanted to do, build a playoff contending team to eventually challenge for the championship contending team. The first piece, a point guard, which was filled by Jeremy Lin, who exploded last season for the Knicks in a magical month now known as Linsanity, is averaging 13 PPG and 6 APG, and running the offence with Harden. Omer Asik came to the Rockets in the off season, and this season, has become a rebounding junkie. Hes averaging 11.2 RPG and 10.2 PPG, if he can develop his offence more, Houston will benefit massively, being able to go to him in the paint more often than now. For Houston to step up next season, which now I think they will, Chandler Parsons had to become a good shooter. He’s done just that. Parsons is averaging 15.2 PPG this season, 3 points above his career average, and shooting 48% from the field and 39% from the three. With Harden, Parsons, Asik and Lin all becoming better players, and learning to play together well, and with the development of a couple of rookies, the Rockets can become a huge threat and cause big upsets during the playoffs.

Houston Rockets 2013/14 Prediction: 5th Seed in the Western Conference, 52+ wins. 

2. Toronto Raptors, Eastern Conference

Three Key Players for Success: Rudy Gay, DeMar DeRozan, Andrea Bargnani

The Toronto Raptors, an organisation never really talked about since the days when they had high flyers Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady. The Raptors, coached by Dwane Casey, have made some big moves in the last month when the trade deadline was approaching. They sent Jose Calderon and Ed Davis to Memphis (Calderon then moved to Detroit for Tayshaun Prince) in exchange for swingman and scorer Rudy Gay. Gay has provided another avenue to the basket, and on the wings. Gay averaged 17.2 PPG in 42 games for Memphis this season, in his 19 games in Toronto so far, he has lifted it to 20.4 PPG. Gay has scored 27 points, 28 points and 19 points in his last three games for the Raptors and also inspiring his teammates to go to the next level. He joined young star DeMar DeRozan, and new rookie Terrence Ross in Toronto. DeMar DeRozan, a 3rd year guard, and Terrence Ross, a first year rookie have impressed since Gay has arrived in the lineup. DeRozan is averaging 17.5 points a game this season, with a couple of 30 point games under his belt now, DeRozan’s game is developing, and Toronto is watching him grow up before their eyes. He doesn’t shy away from the tough shot, or the clutch moments of the game. If Toronto can keep a nucleus of DeRozan, and keep Gay, Bargnani, and now Ross. Terrence Ross has brought new energy to the Raptors. He was a participant in the 2013 Sprite Slam Dunk contest where he won, on a pair of great throw downs. In his rookie season, coming off the bench, he’s averaging 6.3 PPG, and bringing good energy for the 2nd unit. If the Raptors can keep Gay, Bargnani, DeRozan, and develop Ross and Valanciunas, they will be a massive threat in the coming years.

Toronto Raptors 2013/14 Prediction: 7th Seed in the Eastern Conference, 40+ wins. 

3. Sacramento Kings, Western Conference

Three Key Players for Success: Tyreke Evans, DeMarcus Cousins, Isaiah Thomas

The Sacramento Kings in the last 5 years have been a shadow of their championship contending team of Webber, Bibby and Stojakavic. They havent been able to get the right fit, and have struggled for years now. The Kings have had to deal with owner issues also, with an imminent move to Seattle. Aside from this, they had the number 5 draft pick in the 2013 Draft and selected Thomas Robinson. They moved Robinson to Houston for Patrick Patterson and Toney Douglas, and it has bolstered their offence and defence. There is a bright future in Sacramento with Isaiah Thomas stepping up his game, scoring 13 PPG, and becoming more of an offensive player than he was last season. DeMarcus Cousins has also started to become a force in the key, having his 22nd double double today against the Clippers. Cousins is averaging 17 PPG, and grabbing 10 RPG. Cousins has been a liability due to his personal troubles, and immatureness on the court, but he has settled down in the 2nd half of the season, and has put his head down and played solid basketball. Another player that the Kings success is Tyreke Evans. Evans has been a huge factor in the Kings wins, and  is scoring 15 PPG, but more bringing youth, and energy to the starting lineup. He will be a leader in the years to come for the Kings, as they progress towards playoff basketball. The Kings will improve, there’s no doubt, it will just take time and planning. The Kings have a young roster, but are are coupled with some experienced players like John Salmons and Chuck Hayes. Sacramento or Seattle basketball is on the up, and it showed today where they beat the Clippers 116-101.

Sacramento Kings 2013/14 Prediction: 10th in the Western Conference. 35+ wins. 

Vote!

(1) Kevin Love vs. (9) Boris Diaw KLove walked all over Marc Gasol in the first round, but this French dreamboat (and Tony Parker’s BFF) will likely prove stiffer competition. Bill Walton even said, “When I look at Boris Diaw, I think of Beethoven in the age of the Romantics. This guy has got it all.” This video of Larry Fitzgerald shaving KLove’s head for breast cancer awareness might be heartwarming enough to give him the edge though.

(1) Kevin Love – Minnesota Timberwolves	(9) Boris Diaw – San Antonio Spurs

(2) Blake Griffin vs. (10) Nick Collison Nick eked past teammate KD to make it to the second round, but now he runs into ESPN Body Issue coverboy Blake Griffin.

(2) Blake Griffin – Los Angeles Clippers	(10) Nick Collison – Oklahoma City Thunder

(3) Chandler Parsons vs. (11) Carlos Delfino Like the new Pope Francis I, Carlos Delfino is an Argentinian of Italian descent. Unlike Pope Francis I, Delfino is known for his 3-point shooting, not for his Catholic teachings. We would still say he is blessed. Chandler Parsons has personalized socks that say “ratchet” and have his face on them. Hard to beat.

(3) Chandler Parsons – Houston Rockets	(11) Carlos Delfino – Houston Rockets

(4) Danilo Gallinari vs. (5) Serge Ibaka Serge Ibaka has a great name for puns (go to 41:30 for some prime examples) , and Danilo Gallinari just has a great name (will keep linking to this video of Chris Webber singing his name as long as he remains in the bracket). Really though, these pictures speak for themselves.

(4) Danilo Gallinari – Denver Nuggets	(5) Serge Ibaka – Oklahoma City Thunder

“@JacksonMark13: @ChandlerParsons Congrats on a great year. GREAT seeing U 2night!!!!! #Warriors” just be glad u don't have to c us again.

“Having some rookie that doesn’t even play talking trash as he goes by us,” he said. “Embarrassing. So we should feel terrible.”

When asked if the exchanged words meant Rockets and Warriors were developing a rivalry, Parsons dismissed Green.

“That kid is irrelevant,” Parsons said. “I guess it’s a rivalry because what we did to them with the record. I feel like every game should be like that. Every game should be physical. Every game is going to be like that in the playoffs.”

The Warriors and the Rockets have had a bit of a rivalry going this year ever since Houston put up 140 points on them in a 31-point blowout on February 5th.  The Rockets had won all three games in the season series before last night, losing 108-78 with their usually high-powered offense being held to just 32.6% FG.

These two teams basically have no chance of seeing each other in the playoffs, but they will be battling it out for the 6-7-8 seeds for the remainder of the season.  It’s refreshing to see a little bad blood in an age where every player seems to be best friends with every other player.

(via Ultimate Rockets)

Full-Game Highlights (via @gumbyhighlights):

The Warriors played great defense from the get-go, holding Houston to a season low 10 points on 3-23 shooting in the 1st quarter. In the game, the Dubs only deficit came after Jeremy Lin hit the game’s first basket to give the Rockets a 2-0 lead. After an embarrassing performance against the Bulls Friday night, the Warriors came into the game just a half-game ahead of Houston for the 6th seed. A loss would have seen the Rockets jump them in the standings, but tonight the Warriors weren’t having it. It was the kind of performance that fans could expect from the Warriors earlier in the season, when they seemed to respond to adversity better than they did success. With the 108-78 win, their hold on the 6th seed grew to 1.5 games, and their hold on a playoff spot to 3 games over the Utah Jazz. Some notes from the game:

-Andrew Bogut might have had his best game as a Warrior tonight, with 12 points, 12 rebounds and 3 blocks while hitting 4-4 on free throw attempts. He was a monster at the defensive end and on the glass, and did a good job converting scores when Houston switched smaller players on him down low.

-Stephen Curry lead all players in points (with 29) and assists (11) and pulled down 5 rebounds to go with just 3 turnovers. He finished the game 5-11 from beyond the arc, and scored 14 points during the Warriors 2nd quarter run that saw them push the lead to 23 points.

-Klay Thompson knocked down 6 of 9 3-point attempts, and outscored counterpart James Harden 26 to 21. He also collected 4 rebounds while turning the ball over 4 times. His strong perimeter defense and length helped bother Harden on his drives to the basket.

-David Lee narrowly recorded his league-leading 44th double-double (in 65 games), with 10 points and 10 rebounds. It wasn’t his best game, but it didn’t need to be with the Warriors guards combining for 55 points and 11-20 from beyond the arc. Lee also dished out 4 assists in the win.

-Harrison Barnes began the game hot, but finished just 4-10 for 9 points. He also added 5 rebounds in 18 minutes, but played a small role in the win. His biggest contribution was defense on Warriors nemesis Chandler Parsons, who finished the game just 2-13 (1-6 from 3PT). Parsons had been a pain in the Warriors side all year, and memorably tweeted Mark Jackson’s one-time catch phrase “hand down, man down” after the Rockets blowout win against Golden State on February 5th.

-Jarrett Jack had a nice game setting up Thompson and Curry, finishing with 9 assists to just 1 turnover. He added 8 points on just 3-11 shooting, but also played the best defense on Jeremy Lin of anyone all night.

-The rest of the bench didn’t play much of a role in the win, as  Carl Landry and Festus Ezeli finished with just 12 minutes played. Landry added 6 points and 3 rebounds, while Ezeli had 2 points, 3 rebounds and a blocked shot.

-Lin continued his success against his former team, scoring 21 on 9-16 shooting and dishing out 4 assists. His season averages in 4 games against the Warriors finish at 19.5 points and 6.8 assists on 48% shooting and just 1.3 turnovers. He also averaged 2.3 made 3s at 50% shooting.

-The Warriors next game is a back-to-back at New Orleans, the worst team, by record, in the Western Conference. It’s an essential must win for a team trying to hold off 3 others for the 6th seed, and quite possibly, the conference’s final playoff spot. The Hornets are just 2-8 in their last 10 games.

Will: Hol’on up, hol’on up I’m comin’. Welcome to casa de-…

*The door swings open only to show a sweatpants and hoodie clad Jeremy Lin standing hesitantly with a plate of spanakopita in one hand*

Jeremy: Hey Will I think someone stole your Volvo, well I mean it’s not there but there’s a Chrysler 300 on 20′s parked halfway ‘cross your lawn and driveway-

Will: Nah, chill relax Jerr, that’s just a rental for the weekend. But yo, I’ll take this-

*Will slaps the plate spanakopita out of Jeremy’s hands*

Will: None of your baller buddies are with you right now are they?

Jeremy: No, I just came by after visiting ah-ma’s place-

Will: Cool, come in, I still gotta finish prepping everything for game night.

Jeremy: Wait, what about the spanakopita, are you bringing back the tray to ah-ma’s?

Will: ‘Ay don’t worry ‘bout trite shit like that, the pitbulls will clean up the mess, Tito! Bernie! Yum-yum time!

*Two fully-grown pitbulls burst out from the patio hedges and begin rabidly vying for each piece of delectable Greek finger food* 

Jeremy: Whoa, when did you ever have dogs before Will?

Will: Dogsitting. Hurry up and close the door before they poop on the Scarface themed oriental rug.

***

Jeremy: What…Will what happened to your house?

Will: What you mean Jerr?

Jeremy: I mean, what’s all this new stuff you got up? And what’s all this new stuff you got replacing it all? When did you even move into this crib? Two weeks ago you were still at your parents place. I mean is that a, is that a stripper pole in the middle of the living room?

Jeremy: And why would you ever have a Gucci bedsheet set?

Will: Listen man certain upgrades had to be made in order to accommodate certain needs of a certain cousin’s certain set of friends that I’d most certainly like to befriend as well.

Jeremy: You’re doing it again.

Will: Doing what?

Jeremy: Alliteration and run on sentences to confuse me, you’re up to something.

Will: I most certainly am not.

*knock knock*

*Will scrambles to the front door while yelling out behind him*

Will: Aw shit here we go, Jeremy go and plug in my ipod into the speaker system and hit the ‘dank’ playlist!

***

*knock knock knock*

Will: Welcome fam’ to the hottest, most happening-est pad on the block, Cousin Will’s place!

*door swings open to reveal Golden State’s David Lee*

Will: Oh hi, yeah we didn’t order any pizza sir, you might wanna try the Garcia’s, they’re a block over

David: Hah, you must be Jeremy’s cousin, Will? I’m here for game night man, nice to meet you, I’m David Lee.

Will: You’re a basketball player? A baller?

David: Haha, I’d like to think so yeah, I played with Jeremy when he was with the Warriors.

Will: Are you sure? Jeremy said his baller buddies we’re coming over and… ain’t no one else with you or anything like that?

David: Uh, nah bro, just me, don’t worry I promise I’ll go easy on you when we play some CoD, Jeremy told me you were a boss with noob-tube.

*Will still looking confused gathers himself momentarily* Um, yeah David go on in, make yourself comfortable dude.

***

Will: Jeremy, what the shit man.

Jeremy: Listen, I know you might not have wanted the spanakopita but Will it’s a really solid snacking option in comparison to the pizza rolls David brought and the fridge full of Moscato that you got.

Will: Nah nah, I wanted to ask what’s with inviting Dave? I mean, yeah he’s a ball player, but you know I was hoping we could get a little more… you know, cooler cats.

Jeremy: Well Will Dave has been a pretty cool customer, I mean you saw the video we put up of when I was back on the island right?

Will: Yeah that was cool I was just hoping for friends that were a little more bl-

*knock knock knock*

Will: Give me a sec

***

*knock knock*

Will: I said hold up, wait a minute, let me put some pimpin’ in it, hah ha

*door swings open to reveal Toronoto’s Landry Fields*

Will: Oh I’m sorry sir are we making too much of a ruckus? I apologize I didn’t know the rest of the neighborhood could hear our festivities.

Landry: What? *chuckle* No, man my name’s Landry I’m friends with your cousin, Jeremy.

Will: *muttering* fucking Jeremy invites a white boy and a goddamn hedgefund manager look-a-like, Christ almighty.

Landry: I’m sorry, what was that?

Will: HEEEEEYY mi casa es su casa brother, come on in man!

***

Will: Cuz, you’re killing me.

Jeremy: No no no, your cousin is ever the most considerate of chefs, instead of whole milk, I’ve used lactose-free milk for the spanakopita’s pastry shell.

Will: Where did you find this Fields guy? He just laughed at my degree from Purdue, said some shit about Midwestern universities being the lapdogs of West-coast higher learning.

Jeremy: Oh that’s just Landry harping about his Stanford degree, he used to try to rag on me about academics when we played together on the Knicks.

Will: This game night isn’t turning out as exactly as I had imagined it.

Jeremy: You just told me to invite any guys that I knew-

Will: Nope. The email said, “be sure to bring the flyest, illest, meanest ballers you fucks wit Jerr”.

Jeremy: Well, don’t pass judgement until Chandler gets here-

Will: SHIT, Tyson Chandler is coming? Baddest big man in the league? O man I knew you’d come through for me Jeremy, YES.

Jeremy: Wait, I think you mis-

*knock knock*

Will: Here we go!

*as he runs down the hallway Will can be heard chanting the hook for one of Trinidad James’ many trap anthems*

***

*knock knock knock*

Will: …gold all in my watch, ayoooo WHATS GOOD MR. T. CHANDLERRR

*door swings open to reveal Chandler Parsons*

Will: …God-fucking-damn it.

*Will walks back into the house, head hanging low with only the torrent of cuss words to keep his body upright*

***

*Everyone is in the kitchen enjoying Jeremy’s steaming, home-made batch of spanakopita*

*Laughs are passed around as conversation flows easily between Jeremy and his friends*

*Will can be seen idly picking at the crust of his plate of spanakopia, Jeremy takes notice*

Jeremy: Will, lighten up man. I know it’s not what you expected, but give these guys a change they’re just as cool and fly and swagtastic as any other black player.

Will: Shit, you figured out my plan didnt you? Smart bastard. I don’t know man, I just wanted to live out that entourage life that VH1 and HBO keeps harping about. I mean, surely, black pro athletes would have been the cosign of the century.

Jeremy: Ah cmon man, you know you don’t need any of that. It’s just like last time man, this whole pursuit of, ah I don’t know. We’ll talk about it later cuz no worries.

Will: I’m sure we will *takes a bite* No doubt ’bout it.

Jeremy: Besides these are some pretty cool guys in their own right, I mean I’m know for doing something cool with every one of them. David and I balled in Taiwan, Landry and I put our academic pedigree and faith on display together.

Will: Tru, tru. What about you and Chandler?

Jeremy: O well.

Will: Hmm?

Jeremy: That’s kind of difficult to explain.

Will: Try me dude, there ain’t nothing left after today that can surprise me.

Jeremy: Well… (via reddit.com/r/nba)

(1) Kevin Love vs. (16) Marc Gasol Although K. Love has been known to make some crazy faces, that smile makes us melt. On the other hand, Marc does have that sexy Spaniard thing going for him.

(1) Kevin Love – Minnesota Timberwolves	(16) Marc Gasol – Memphis Grizzlies

(2) Blake Griffin vs. (15) Dirk Nowitzki Blake is fine and funny, starring in commercials, Funny or Die videos, and losing to #1 seed Kevin Love in Jenga. Hipster Dirk might be Dirk’s best look, but which one of these dude’s really looks better in glasses? Side note: (unrelated to his attractiveness) this story about Dirk’s “brother’s” restraining order against Mark Cuban is the probably the weirdest Dirk related story.

(2) Blake Griffin – Los Angeles Clippers	(15) Dirk Nowitzki – Dallas Mavericks

(3) Chandler Parsons vs. (14) Jason Smith It’s hard to decide what makes Chandler Parsons more attractive: his smile or his friendship with Jeremy Lin. Jason Smith stands out on a Hornet’s roster where the star’s most notable feature is his unibrow.

(3) Chandler Parsons – Houston Rockets	(14) Jason Smith – Charlotte Hornets

(4) Danilo Galinari vs. (13) Matt Bonner Danilo Galinari is so cute, even Chris Webber wants to sing his name. When Matt Bonner is not too busy nailing 3-point shots, he’s scouring the country for the tastiest sandwiches. A bearded ginger Catholic sandwich hunter- that’s gotta be some ladies’ type.

(4) Danilo Galinari – Denver Nuggets	(13) Matt Bonner – San Antonio Spurs

(5) Serge Ibaka vs. (12) David Lee Do you even need to say anything about Serge Ibaka?

(5) Serge Ibaka – Oklahoma City Thunder	(12) David Lee – Golden State Warriors

(6) Kenneth Fareid vs. (11) Carlos Delfino Kenneth “Animal” Fareid’s smile and his love for his mom’s is enough to win our hearts, but Carlos gives him a run for his money with that jaw line.

(6) Kenneth Fareid – Denver Nuggets	(11) Carlos Delfino – Houston Rockets

(7) Kevin Durant vs. (10) Nick Collison The first teammate vs. teammate match-up with the Thunder’s star taking on the charming Nick Collison. Nick may have blogged for GQ, but it’s unclear if that can compete with KD’s talent and dance moves.

(7) Kevin Durant – Oklahoma City Thunder	(10) Nick Collison – Oklahoma City Thunder

(8) Dwight Howard vs. (9) Boris Diaw Nobody has shoulders like Dwight, but the Indecision and his small head dropped him down to an 8 seed. Boris Diaw looks like he could on The Bachelor in this photo (you know – if they weren’t always white).

(8) Dwight Howard – Los Angeles Lakers	(9) Boris Diaw – San Antonio Spurs

The supporting cast around Harden kept Houston in the game for the first three quarters, led by Chandler Parsons’ 26 points on 6-8 from three point range. Omer Asik also held his own under the basket, playing nearly 40 minutes and grabbing 17 boards to go along with 6 points and a +20 plus-minus for the game. Jeremy Lin and Carlos Delfino combined for 27 points, 11 rebounds and 3 steals as well, which aided Houston’s well-balanced attack on the offensive end. 

This was another gritty victory for Houston, and it shows how far along the supporting cast has come around Harden. Parsons is improving by the day with his shooting and overall skill-level. Jeremy Lin is learning his role next to Harden, while shooting the ball considerably better from long-range and cutting down on his turnovers. Omer Asik is still grabbing every board he can, while doing enough on offense to not be a liability. Carlos Delfino has also been steady, as the quintessential shooter who shakes off every miss and never gets down on his ability. 

The players I just listed have been here all year, and therefore, they know their roles and inversely, McHale knows how to maximize their talent. Meanwhile, guys like Francisco Garcia and Patrick Beverly are fitting in nicely, while McHale isn’t sure exactly how he wants to use them all the time. On a different note, Thomas Robinson and Donatas Montiejunas are being used differently most nights, and it’s extremely difficult for McHale to figure out how to use them. while they themselves are figuring out their niches. 

I’ve touched on this recently, but McHale and the two young PF’s are in a really tough spot here. If these two guys were veterans, it would be easy for McHale to use them: he’d know their limitations and their strengths, and use them accordingly. In the current situation, McHale has to put them in and hope that they can figure out their current role, without costing the team points or wins. Houston is in a rebuilding mode, but they’d like to make the playoffs, very similarly to how the Thunder made the playoffs in 2009-10, when youngsters Durant, Westbrook, Harden and Green were in their early stages. On one hand, we’d like to head into next year knowing where D-Mo and Robinson fit, but we’re not willing to miss the playoffs to find that out. There’s no real right or wrong move by McHale here- it’s just a tough spot to be in. 

The situation is also extremely challenging for the young players, who desperately want to help the team, but don’t know exactly how they can do that. The other day Thomas Robinson took an 18 footer, and an out of town announcer said something like I don’t think that’s what the Rockets want him to do- is it fair to say that when that was one of his first 18 footers in a Rockets uniform? Against Dallas another out of town announcer said something like it looks like Montiejunas has forgotten his role on this team- but did he ever really have a role? All we as fans can ask of those guys is this: that they come out there and try has as hard as they possibly can to help the team. That’s it. 

On the bright side of this sticky situation, it’s good for rookies to get minutes for a team fighting for a playoff birth. To piggyback off that, it will be good for the entire team to get some experience, as Harden, Delfino and Asik are the only guys with any playoff experience on the team. 

Houston’s in Phoenix tonight, and then they have a seven game home-stand, which is their longest of the year. Houston’s next five games are: 

Tonight @ Phoenix

Wednesday vs. Phoenix

Friday vs. Minnesota 

Sunday vs. Golden State

3/20 vs. Utah 

3/22 vs. Cleveland

If Houston can go 4-2 in those games, they’ll be 7 games over .500 before heading into one of their toughest 4 games stretches of the season, where they play San Antonio, Indiana, Memphis and the LA Clippers. Luckily, three of those four games will be at home. If Houston can manage to go 2-2 in those games, they’ll be a couple laps ahead and in the drivers seat heading into April. 

Chandler Parsons was one of the few bright spots for Houston’s uncharacteristically inefficient offense. (Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)

By Rob Mahoney

The matchups between the Rockets and Warriors this season had typically yielded some high-scoring fireworks, but on Friday the two potent offenses conspired to play a very different game. Neither team played their best basketball; scoring lulls were endured, the decision-making on both sides was questionable and the momentum of the game was interrupted with twists and turns. Yet both teams played to a tight margin through the final minute, and Houston was ultimately able to sneak away with a weird, inefficient 94-88 victory.

• James Harden (3-17 FG, three turnovers) had one of his worst scoring performances of the season and somehow still wound up with 20 points on the night. Credit the Warriors’ occasional impatience; Harden is one of the best in the league when it comes to drawing contact, but he toyed with Golden State’s perimeter defenders and earned 14 free throw attempts (eight of which came in the fourth quarter) to counter a miserable shooting night. Those same defenders did a decent job of bothering Harden’s other shot attempts, but for the most part Houston’s explosive lead guard simply whiffed on typical, makeable shots. He missed a handful of quality three-point looks, botched a few clean looks at the rim, and played for contact on some drives at the expense of his actual shot attempts.

These things happen, even to a scoring wizard like Harden*. But the void created by Harden’s struggles needed to be filled lest Houston fall into an all-too-familiar rut, and Chandler Parsons (26 points, 9-13 FG, 6-8 3FG) was more than happy to oblige. Parsons began the evening with pinpoint accuracy from beyond the arc, and built a terrific scoring performance out from the threat of his long-range shooting. Once Parsons’ first few three-pointers fell, the Warriors began to bite hard on every shot fake, thus affording Parsons the opportunity to put the ball on the floor and challenge the rotational integrity of Golden State’s defense. He didn’t exactly destroy the Warriors off the bounce, but those opportunities generated points for Parsons off mid-range looks and created a point of leverage for the Rockets’ half-court offense.

*To be fair, Harden (11 assists) did an outstanding job of manufacturing open looks for his teammates once his own shot began to betray him. Even an off night wouldn’t deter Harden from driving into the teeth of the defense, from which he was able to set up Parsons and Carlos Delfino for wide open shots in the corners. The Rockets’ offense obviously clicks on a different level when Harden is connecting on his jumper more consistently, but falling back on Harden as an off-the-dribble playmaker pans out as a fine contingency.

• It was a bit shocking, to say the least, to see two offense-first teams grinding out possessions to little effect. Houston ultimately won the day by scoring at a rate of 97.9 points per 100 possessions — a few shades worse than the league-worst efficiency of the Washington Wizards, and roughly 13 points worse than their own season average. Golden State, needless to say, wound up scoring at an even lesser rate, largely due to the struggles of every rotation player outside the Curry-Thompson-Lee triumvirate. The shooting on both sides was roundly underwhelming, in part because neither squad was particularly crisp in its execution. The Rockets, to their great fortune, worked out many of the kinks in their offense early — or at least enough of them to coast in the final minutes on free throw attempts alone. The Warriors, on the other hand, found all kinds of creative ways to sabotage their own possessions, culminating in David Lee misfiring on an outlet pass with 10 seconds remaining. These were some truly ugly performances from two teams that regularly pile up points and execute well, but the dog days of March spare none.

• Mark Jackson and Kevin McHale aren’t necessarily master strategists, but it was fun to see the tetê-à-tetê in the rotation decisions between the two coaches. In the second half, McHale began to capitalize on the presence of Golden State’s Festus Ezeli — a non-factor on offense — by switching Omer Asik onto the far more threatening David Lee, who had been giving Houston trouble all night by overpowering smaller defenders from the left block. It was a wise move, and one that paid immediate dividends for the Rockets. But Jackson yanked Ezeli from the game rather quickly and replaced him with Andrew Bogut, a dramatic change. Bogut may not be in peak form, but his size, wealth of moves, and ability to score with both hands would make him a difficult cover for a wing player to guard in a cross-match situation. McHale, who had been riding a small lineup with Carlos Delfino as his nominal 4, opted to switch Asik off of Lee once again as to not give up too much of an advantage to Bogut.

The temptation for McHale to pull the plug on his matchup manipulation was understandable, yet I can’t help but think that Jackson pulled a fast one on the Rockets there. Lee had done good work throughout the night from the low post, and has a great understanding of how to control a smaller defender on his back. Bogut, for all his strengths, is still a bit of an offensive wild card at the moment with pretty striking conditioning issues. Houston may have given up a bit more size by pitting Delfino against Bogut, but I suspect that the Rockets could ultimately have lived with the center’s baby hook-heavy offense if it meant getting the ball out of the hands of Lee, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson.

Lin started off slow in tonight’s game. It’s probably the worst he’s played in a while, in terms of being too passive. I’ve been very happy with Lin’s play as of late, but in tonight’s game, he played passively in the first half. The thing that I’ve noticed about Lin, lately, is that he’s had a lot of really strong starts. He’s been playing better in the first half than in the second. Well, partly it’s because he’s been absent in the fourth quarter in the past three games. But he has been uncharacteristically strong at the beginning of games and then he slows down in the third quarter. Tonight, he started weak and turned things up in the third quarter. I have a feeling Lin’s ankle or something is bothering him, because Lin looked slow and he looked like he was recovering from an injury or something. He fell down a lot and didn’t have enough lift. That’s concerning. Hope he’s not injured or something.

Rockets have now taken three games from the Warriors. It was a huge game tonight and Rockets pulled it out. Rockets had a horrible second quarter (late in the first and into the second quarter)–one of the worst they’ve played in a while. There was no ball movement. Things did not look good in the second quarter and it looked like the Warriors wanted the game more and would be able to get the home win. But Rockets pulled it together in the second half with a spark from Lin in the beginning of the third quarter. He was scoring and making plays and put the Rockets ahead by 6 points. I missed a lot of the third quarter after that, so not sure what happened, but Warriors came back to take the lead. Then it stayed a tight game after that with both teams picking up the intensity. Of course, tonight, McHale didn’t dare bench Lin, so Lin got to play in the fourth quarter.

Parsons, once again, had a hot shooting game. He’s been on the last five or so games. I think he’s scored 20+ points 5 or so games in a row. He was a huge factor in keeping us in the game. Once again, McHale relies too much on Delfino. I actually like Garcia’s game more than Delfino and was happy to see Garcia in the game in the fourth quarter. But then McHale took Garcia out and replaced him with Delfino, which I thought was a mistake. Garcia is very aggressive defensively and he goes after loose balls. He also has range. I think he provides more than Delfino and he doesn’t have a bum elbow. Garcia is a guy I’d like to see play more and Anderson, too, of course. But with Garcia, Anderson has no hope of getting minutes. McHale really needs to reduce Delfino’s minutes drastically. We have too many players on the bench to deserve more minutes. Every time Garcia is in there, he works his tail off. And when Garcia is on the bench, he’s constantly standing up and cheering or coaching. I’m not sure what he’s doing, but he’s always so vocal on the bench. I think he’s a better veteran presence than Delfino. But McHale has some sort of blind love affair with Delfino, in which Delfino can do no wrong. It’s probably because Delfino was essentially the only veteran, but now that McHale has Garcia, I’m hoping he gains a more realistic perspective on Delfino’s game.

Harden has been off the mark ever since his ridiculous OKC performance. Looks like his knee is really bothering him. Doesn’t have the same explosiveness and he’s not finishing like he used to. In fact, the entire Rockets team missed a bunch of baskets at the rim tonight. It’s not the only time they’ve done that. Rockets will have games where they’ll do that in bunches. Tonight was one of those nights.

Tonight’s game was vital for playoff standings. I think Warriors needed this game more than the Rockets, because now the Rockets own the tie-breaker. Rockets showed a lot of grit by not folding after their horrible second quarter performance on the road. They kept hanging in there and did whatever they needed to pull out a win. It wasn’t the prettiest game, but a win’s a win. Our guys look banged up, though. So that’s a concern. Lin and Harden look like they’re playing hurt. Good thing they have an “easy” opponent tomorrow. But I have a feeling it won’t be an easy win. Phoenix have a lot of former Rockets who will be gearing up to get some revenge on their old team. Still, I expect a win. Would be psychologically damaging if we lost tomorrow after this big win. It would be like giving up this big win. Rockets still haven’t figured out their rotations, as to be expected. So that’s going to be an ongoing concern. Good thing they have a favorable schedule pretty much the rest of the way to the post-season, which includes a long home stretch, where they’ll have lots of much-needed practice time. I’ll be looking to see if McHale starts favoring Garcia over Delfino. I really hope so, because I really like what I’ve seen from Garcia’s limited minutes.

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It’s not a question of if we make the playoffs. We will. And when we get there, I have no fear of anyone — Oklahoma City, San Antonio, Denver…whoever.
– Kobe Bryant

Over his 17 seasons in the NBA, Bryant could always guarantee that he’ll do something absolutely amazing with the basketball just about every time he steps onto the court.

He can shake off an 0-for-10 shooting start to bury a half dozen jumpers and an opponent in a fourth-quarter blink of an eye.

He can duck and whirl through traffic, change hands with the ball and squeeze through a crack in the defense for a clutch how-did-he-do-that bucket.

He can rise up with a hand in his face, almost down his throat, and knock down an impossible 3-pointer with the sheer grace.

He can lead a 20-0 comeback in the final 6 1/2 minutes to pull out a dramatic and critical 108-106 win over the Hornets.

But no matter how many times or how emphatically he says it, what Bryant cannot guarantee is all that can happen with the teams in front of his underachieving Lakers in the Western Conference standings. For even if the Lakers put on a strong finishing kick — say 14-6 or 13-7 — they will still likely need one or more of the Warriors, Rockets and Jazz to tumble.

Can it happen? Sure. Will it happen? Nothing guaranteed. Sometimes it’s not about the hunter, but the prey.

No. 6 — Warriors (35-27)

Back in those long ago days of early February when his team was threatening to compete for the No. 4 seed and home-court advantage in the playoffs, coach Mark Jackson liked to shake his head and scowl at the doubters who didn’t think his Warriors could run and shoot and play defense all at the same time. Maybe those doubts were just premature. Over the past five weeks, the Golden State defense has fallen off any one of the area’s picturesque bridges and sunk to the bottom of the bay.

In losing 10 of 13 games that dropped them from elite status to suddenly hanging on for playoff lives, the Warriors gave up 112 points per game. Even in ending their skid with a win over the Raptors, they surrendered 118. The Warriors have often looked lifeless, confused, unfocused of late.

“We’ve been bad,” Jackson told reporters before Wednesday night’s 87-83 win over the Kings. “We haven’t been good. Overall, we haven’t protected the paint, we haven’t controlled the perimeter. There was a time when our defense was in the discussion for the best in the game, and we’ve gone through a tough stretch. If we expect not just to make the playoffs, but if we expect to do the damage that we want to do, we’ve got to be better. And we understand that.”

Of course, the Warriors have played most of the season without their two top defenders, center Andrew Bogut and swingman Brandon Rush (who was lost for the season after two games). Yet it’s a sense of urgency and effort recently that has set off the alarm bells.

“Regardless of where we’re playing, nobody is going to allow us to walk into a victory,” said guard Jarrett Jack. “We’ve got to go out there and take it. That’s not going to change unless we decide to change.”

There are two significant changes that should help the Warriors stop their slide and hold on. First, they’ve got Bogut back in the lineup after missing six games with back spasms. He not only guards the rim, but plays quarterback barking out orders from behind the defense. The Warriors are 8-6 (.571) with him in the lineup and 27-21 (.563) without him. No matter what the basic stats or advanced metrics say, the Warriors believe they’re far better off with Bogut manning the middle.

“For anyone to sit here and say, ‘We’re better without Bogut,’ is absolutely crazy,” Jack told Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle. “He’s a tremendous asset to our team. His interior defense has saved us on many, many, many occasions.

“Anybody who is even hinting that we’re better off without him is not cool and is inaccurate. I would definitely go against that thinking with everything that I have.”

Of the four teams in the race for the final three playoff spots, the Warriors also have the friendliest finishing schedule with 14 of their final 20 games — and nine of last 12 — at home. They have just three sets of back-to-back games and have more of their fate in their own hands than any of the other three teams with five games against Lakers (2), Rockets (2) and Jazz (1).

The details

20 games remaining: 14 home, 6 road.
(11 vs. current playoff teams)

Back-to-backs left:

Friday vs. Rockets
Saturday vs. Bucks

March 18 at Rockets
March 19 at Hornets

April 11 vs. Thunder
April 12 at Lakers

Head-to-head vs. other playoff hopefuls:

0-2 vs. Rockets
Friday — home
March 17 — road

1-1 vs. Jazz
April 7 — home

0-2 vs. Lakers
March 25 — home
April 12 — road

No. 7 — Rockets (33-29)

When general manager Daryl Morey traded away two of his solid young forwards in Patrick Patterson and Marcus Morris at the trade deadline and brought in Thomas Robinson, it was a big-picture move. Oh, his Rockets and their long-suffering fans would enjoy and benefit from the postseason experience, but the big game hunt is next summer when Houston could have cap room to sign two max-level free agents.

Having said that, the Rockets, with their fast-paced offense, the virtuoso efforts of first-time All-Star James Harden and his running point guard sidekick, Jeremy Lin, have proven to be one of the league’s most entertaining teams. But even with the youngest roster in the NBA, they’re not looking over their shoulders at the Lakers. They are 3-3 since the trade-deadline shakeup, alternately looking capable and clueless, often within the same game.

“I could care less about the Lakers,” said forward Chandler Parsons. “If we win our games, maybe the Jazz will lose and help the Lakers get in if everybody wants them in. We control out own destiny right now.

“(Kobe’s) confident in his team and I respect that. He can’t guarantee us losing games. He can’t guarantee the Jazz losing games. Those are just words to me.”

“I have no idea how far away (in the standings) they are,” said Lin. “I actually have no idea. I just think for us, I’d rather look forward, look at the seventh and sixth seed than I would the ninth … If we do a good job, we should be able to move up, and we won’t have to worry about anybody catching us.”

“We’re not at a point where we’re going to be setting these lofty five-month goals or three-month or three-week goals or whatever,” said coach Kevin McHale. “No, I’m not even thinking about the playoffs.”

The Rockets have proven throughout the season that they are capable of beating many of the best teams (OKC, New York, Memphis, Chicago, Atlanta, Brooklyn) and losing to some of the worst (New Orleans, Philadelphia, Sacramento, Washington, Toronto).

For the past three seasons, the Rockets have missed the playoffs by one spot. Last year, they coughed up the No. 8 seed to Utah by losing six in a row and seven of their final nine games. This time around, it would seem the presence of Harden should prevent a repeat, though they did drop seven straight in January.

Their schedule appears favorable with 12 of the final 20 games at home, with four sets of back-to-backs left and three of them conclude against a team working with a full night’s rest. If the race goes to the wire, the season finale will be a doozy when they face the Lakers in L.A.

The details

20 games remaining: 12 home, 8 road.
(10 vs. current playoff teams)

Back-to-backs left:

Thursday at Warriors
Friday at Suns

March 29 at Grizzlies
March 30 vs. Clippers

April 5 at Trail Blazers
April 6 at Nuggets

April 14 vs. Kings
April 15 at Suns

Head-to-head vs. other playoff hopefuls:

2-0 vs. Warriors
Friday — road
March 17 — home

2-1 vs. Jazz
March 20 — home

2-1 vs. Lakers
April 19 — road

No. 8 — Jazz (32-29)

It would seem that if the Lakers are going to fulfill Kobe’s promise and bounce all the way back into the playoffs, the Jazz are the most likely trampoline. The simple reason?A schedule that has produced two consecutive blown road win opportunities in Milwaukee and Cleveland. Additionally, Utah has five losses in its last six games.

The challenge continues as the Jazz will play six of their next nine on the road, where they are already a miserable 10-21. In the middle of that is a tough pair of home games against the Grizzlies and Knicks. Toss in a Texas Triangle trip though Houston, San Antonio and Dallas and then close out the season at Minnesota and Memphis and the rope could slip right through their hands.

Did we mention that center Al Jefferson has been sidelined for three games by a sprained ankle?

“I never counted the Lakers out,” Jefferson said. “I knew sooner or later they’d get it together. But we got where we got because we play well. That’s what we’ve got to continue to do. It’s going to be a dogfight. If it was easy, everybody’d do it.”

“I think we know the standings,” said guard Gordon Hayward. “The (locker room) board over there gets updated and we realize each and every game is important.

“I don’t think it’s pressure. I think we’ve all been through pressure before so we’re just going to make sure we play our game and take it one game at a time.”

“It’s obviously important. We want to make sure we get to the playoffs and have the chance to fight for the whole thing. That’s the reason why you play. We can’t have any slides, especially on these road trips. All these teams are bunched up and a four or five-game losing streak could put us out of the playoffs.”

But what would another 8th-place finish would do for the Jazz as a franchise? Has anyone on the current roster benefitted from the 4-0 wipeout by the Spurs last season? And how much of the Jazz that we see now will be back in October?

“I said from Day 1 of training camp, this could be a [top 4 seed] playoff team,” said the veteran Jefferson. “I still feel that way. The way I felt in training camp was, we could compete against anybody. Once we get in the playoffs, I think we have a chance against anybody in the first round.”

Most around the league were surprised when Kevin O’Connor and Dennis Lindsey didn’t pull the trigger on a deal at the trade deadline to unload either Paul Millsap or Jefferson to free up minutes (and a starting role) for Derrick Favors.

Utah’s so-called “Core Four” of Favors, Hayward, Enes Kanter and Alec Burks is the future of the franchise. But the reluctance of coach Tyrone Corbin to commit to them — especially Favors — has frustrated Jazz fans and likely stopped Utah from taking a necessary step forward. It’s a team in that is stuck between the present and the future, also in need of a point guard and too often it shows.

“You’re always aware of what’s going on with your opponents,” Corbin said. “You can’t get crazy about it, you can’t control it. The only thing we can control is what we do. So we want make sure we put more emphasis on what we’re doing and how we’re playing, more so than worrying about somebody else winning or losing to give us an opportunity to move up.”

No guarantees. No matter what Kobe says.

The details

Remaining schedule: 11 home, 10 road
(12 vs. current playoff teams)

Back-to-backs left:

Friday at Bulls
Saturday at Knicks

March 24 at Mavericks
March 25 vs. Sixers

March 29 at Trail Blazers
March 30 vs. Nets

Head-to-head vs. other playoff hopefuls:

1-1 vs. Warriors
April 7 — road

1-2 vs. Rockets
March 20 — road

2-1 vs. Lakers
Series completed

Steve Aschburner and Andrew Aragon contributed to this report.

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DALLAS – What Mike D’Antoni must think of these young, run-and-gun, jack-’em-up Houston Rockets.

“They are an exciting team,” said Dallas Mavericks forward Shawn Marion, a staple on D’Antoni’s seven-seconds-or-less Phoenix Suns. “And, on the floor, they are a team I haven’t seen in a long time.”

Maybe since your Suns teams, Shawn?

James Harden and Co., are turning conventional basketball on its ear, spurred by the analytics revolution that suggests mid-range jumpers in today’s game are a waste of time. The Rockets aren’t without flaws — namely a defense that allows far too many points — as was the case in Wednesday’s 112-108 loss at the Dallas Mavericks, a tough one to swallow as Houston tries to solidify its playoff position.

Their offensive approach, however, continues to defy convention at a pulsating pace. The Rockets score the majority of their points in three ways: Drives to the basket for the majority of their high-frequency points in the paint, free throws and 3-pointers. Consider in Wednesday’s game that 100 of their 108 points came from those three areas — 38 points in the paint, 26 points from the free-throw line and 36 more from beyond the arc.

“That’s Rockets basketball,” Harden said.

Houston is the youngest team in the NBA and, at 33-29, it is poised to make the playoffs for the first time since 2009. They’re tied for the league lead in scoring at 107.0 points a game with Oklahoma City. They’re second behind the Knicks in 3-pointers attempted per game (28.7) and 3s made per game (10.6), fourth in free throws made per game (18.9) and second in points in the paint per game (46.5).

“We’re doing what suits us best,” said Rockets forward Chandler Parsons, who had 23 points and was 5-for-8 from beyond the arc against Dallas. “We don’t mind what other people do. That’s the way we should play. That’s the best style that we play is up and down with the personnel we have. I think that suits us best. I think it’s a perfect situation, a perfect style for the way we play, how young we are; we got shooters, we got playmakers. I think there’s no other way to play.”

Last month, the Rockets tied the NBA’s all-time 3-point record by draining 23 against the Warriors. Since the All-Star break, Houston has increased its 3-point attempts to a whopping 32.3 a game. They went 19-for-46 in a two-point loss at Washington two weeks ago. In the last seven games, the Rockets have attempted 30 or more 3s five times.

“They shoot about 25-30 3s a night, and that’s a lot of 3s,” Marion said.

Yes it is. But the exchange is worth it. In those seven games, the Rockets are 102-for-226 from beyond the arc for an astounding 45.1 percent. After Wednesday’s 12-for-32 performance (37.5 percent), they’re shooting it at 37.0 percent on the season.

“I don’t think, with our offense, you can’t put a number on it [3-point attempts],” Parsons said. “We go up and down so fast that sometimes in the flow of a game shots are there and sometimes they’re not. So, I don’t think the 3s hurt us. I think it’s just part of our game and if we have open shots we’re going to take them.”

The question, assuming the Rockets hold onto their playoff spot, is if this style can win in the grind-it-out postseason. Of course, Houston won’t be favored to beat either of their most likely postseason foes (OKC or San Antonio) so it might take another year or two of seasoning before the Rockets come of age and their style becomes dissected in the playoffs like the D’Antoni’s old Suns.

“We know the difference now between good 3s and bad 3s,” Harden said. “So, when guys are open I think everybody on the team is going to say shoot the ball.”

That’s exactly what they’re doing.

The unavoidable truth about the Dallas Mavericks: They aren’t good enough.

Oh, there are nights when they don’t make the other team look like the Harlem Globetrotters, as was the case in Sunday’s blowout loss at Houston. “They sliced and diced us, particularly in the third quarter,” Dallas coach Rick Carlisle recalled. “It was like Meadowlark Lemon was out there throwing behind-the-back passes and the music was playing. That’s how it looked. We got to do better than that.”

Wednesday was a night when Dallas “looked better than that,” if only slightly, riding a changed starting lineup — Brendan Wright and Mike James were with the first-teamers, creating a 19th different starting quintet for this year’s Mavs — and the offense of Dirk with the defense of Marion.

Yes, Dirk missed a couple of late shots. But he scored 22 — and this team is better off with Nowitzki missing shots than they were on Sunday in Houston, when the club’s ineptitude limited him to eight shots.

Yes, with no help from whistles, Marion fell shy of keeping a lid on the crafty James Harden, though the lefty did miss a pair of late-game shots — a 3-pointer for the lead and a drive to tie — allowing Trix to come away the victor on a night when Harden scored 28 but Marion moved into 25th place all-time in the NBA in steals.

(Marion also scored 22 points, often by working his way to being the receiver on a series of Dallas fast-breaks.)

And yes, the work of James was dubious as he teamed with Darren Collison to struggle mightily at the simplest bits of point-guard execution. They both made somebody named “Patrick Beverley” (a 6-1 D-League call-up) look like a morphing of Chris Paul and Rajon Rondo.

Oh, and one more thing: Carlisle had spent the two days preparing for the rematch preaching about things like “professionalism” and “disposition” and “posture” and “attitude” and his Mavs almost blew that, too. With Dallas clinging to a six-point lead misway through the fourth, the pesky Beverley blocked the 7-0 Dirk’s shot. Nowitzki reacted with a frustration foul on Carlos Delfino, and then picked up a T as well.

“We weathered everything,” Carlisle said later, “and that is a sign of character.”

Fortunately, Dirk eventually returned and combined with O.J. Mayo to nail big shots late. (In fact, Dirk/Mayo/Vince combined for 22 of the Mavs’ 25 fourth-quarter points.) And then B-Wright (who was offensively helpful with 12 points) stepped up to combine with Marion for a stop of one of the game’s most difficult guys to stop.

Harden, who has discovered a way to get superstar calls that defy his relatively short time in the NBA, made a living at the line (16-of-16). He looked for more of the same when Houston was down two with seconds remaining as he fought past Marion, entered the lane, and had his interior shot challenged by the springy Wright.

I was able to stay on him longer and make it hard for him,” said Marion of Harden, who shot only 5-of-17 from the floor. “He had some calls go here and there, but at the same time, he is just so aggressive that he is going to make them blow the whistle. I think we have to make it hard for him.”

Marion and Wright forcing the miss gave the Mavs the game. And with Utah’s loss, 27-33 Dallas is now 4.5 behind the eighth-place Jazz. (Houston sits in seventh. Dallas still needs to find a way to leapfrog over the Lakers and Blazers.)

A lot of this was about keeping hope alive. A lot of it was about the aforementioned alterations. And yes, some of this win was simply about pride.

“After what happened in Houston, it was embarrassing, as a man, as a player and as a Dallas Maverick,” said Mayo, who Carlisle said experienced “his best game of the season, without question,” with 13 points, 12 assists and six boards. “We really wanted to come in here and show.

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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Hey Everyone!! I hope you all are doing well and everyone is staying healthy and happy. I have been so busy with real life lately that I have not had the time to properly watch the games and do blog posts, which saddens me because I miss Jeremy and all of my devoted readers. I am also soo grateful to my readers for being willing to share their Houston Rockets’ experience with me and everyone else. I would not be able to bring you these “Insider Reports” without the help of my Lin Ladies near and far…and this one is no different!! Thank you so so much to Lin Lady, “Mrs. Lin” for sharing her experience with us!!

Insider Report brought to you by “Mrs. Lin”:

“I’m so mad I didn’t make it for the player introductions, but I did have a great time. Luckily, security at the Barclays Center is super cool, they didn’t even check my bag (oops on their part) which makes me mad cause then I could’ve brought my professional camera and get better quality pictures, but I guess this is good enough. I felt a disconnection between Jeremy and the team which showed in his performance, along with his teammates not trusting him with the ball. He didn’t smile not once, and his swag was completely missing. He was doing plays from the corner… it made me so upset to watch. Maybe it’s because he’s upset with the Morris, Patterson and Douglas trade? I just wish he played with more potential, more soul for the game you know?

It’s hard to pay attention to the game while you’re there live vs watching it on TV, so I didn’t get to really comprehend any plays lol. And I also am a very bad videographer since I missed his important plays. Oh and while my friends were there for Brooklyn, I obviously was there for the Rockets haha so it made for a lot of tension when they won. My highlight from the game is when I called his name from across court and he actually heard me and looked up! I also sat next to a guy who was there for the same reason I was, to see Jeremy! There were a lot of Houston fans there too, like a whole 2 sections dedicated to them it was pretty cool. Made me very proud to know he still has fans in NY. But what made me really upset is he still has groupies lol. I cursed one of them out because I’m crazy haha. Hope you all enjoy my video and pictures. Can’t wait until he comes to play in NY again!”

This video is freaking awesome!! The personal touch of this video made it better than any ESPN or NBA highlights video!! I was listening to Mrs. Lin talk and it’s crazy how much I sound like her (or she sounds like me lol). Also my 2 favorite parts: at 3:13…when you were telling Jeremy to make the basket “for K”, was that a shout out to me?! If so, you are soo freaking awesome x100 Mrs Lin!! Even though, Jeremy didn’t make the basket, I don’t feel so bad because he didn’t make the basket “for God” either lmao! And at 3:49…OMG….you filmed a butt shot and then Jeremy poked his butt out a little more…like he just knew it was on camera for the world to see!! You are a woman after my own heart. I have been waiting for a filmed butt shot for like ages and all the other reporters suck at that. That’s why we need a fangirl to do some film commentary and video…b/c fangirls know what we are looking for and what we want to see!! Again…awesome video and thank you so much for taking the time to put this together!!

Perfect shot of his arms!! You must have a really good camera Mrs. Lin!!

Another angle of his arms and his back. This man is delicious looking in any angle!

It’s like he’s the only one on the court and all eyes are on him.

***All these pics, commentary and video are courtesy of “Mrs. Lin” and I have reprinted them with her permission! Please credit her and this blog if you decide to repost them. Thank you in advance!!***

Thank you all very much for your patience as I go through my real life responsibilities. I will be back soon and I promise everyone plenty of spazzing out photos…I mean have you seen all the ones from All-Star Week. There is just not enough time in the day to drool over all the saliva inducing pics!!! Also below is an interview with Chandler Parsons that is really honest and open.

Video: Chandler Parsons on RocketsCast Live. He talks about his friendship with Jeremy Lin at 13:00 and tries to dispel rumors of McHale not liking Jeremy Lin at 15:00. It’s a very long video but worth listening to as they talk about how he is “the best bargain in the NBA that is not Lebron James”. CP is another awesome and genuine guy. I can’t help but to love my Rockets!

In the Houston Rockets blowout of the Dallas Mavericks last night Chandler Parsons put on a shooting display.  The small forward poured in a career high 32 points on 12-of-13 from the floor.  He made six two-pointers, six three pointers and two free throws.  All done in less than 30 minutes on the court.

The funny thing is that the Rockets second-year man made all of his shots from either within 2 feet or from beyond 22 feet.  Take a look at Parsons ultimate inside/outside threat shot chart here.

All Topics: Career high 32 points last night against Dallas | In a zone last night | Tied with Utah for 7^th in the Western Conference Playoff race | Try not to scoreboard watch much | The vibe in Houston right now | Growing pains | The future being very bright in Houston | Last week’s midseason training camp | Every game being big | The teams spacing | James Harden | Harden gives him room | His hair | Justin Bieber | Bieber is a talented dude | NCAA Tournament | Playing Jim’s alma mater in the NCAA Tournament | Orlando Johnson | Playing in France |

Mar 4^th 2013

Chandler on the attention his lettuce receives: “I’m not really surprised; it’s a good head of hair.” 

[cbs-audio url= http://nyc.podcast.play.it/media/d0/d0/d1/d2/dA/dL/d0/12AL0_3.MP3 download=true name="Chandler Parsons" artist="Mar 4th 2013"]

Shawn Marion #0 of the Dallas Mavericks and Carlos Delfino #10 of the Houston Rockets battle for a rebound on March 3, 2013 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. Copyright 2013 NBAE (Photo by Bill Baptist/NBAE via Getty Images)

HOUSTON (AP) - Chandler Parsons felt like he couldn’t miss. When he finally did, he wasn’t aware that he also missed matching a team record.

Parsons scored a career-high 32 points on 12-for-13 shooting and the Houston Rockets snapped a nine-game losing streak to Dallas with an easy 136-103 win over the Mavericks on Sunday night.

Jeremy Lin and James Harden added 21 points apiece and Lin had nine assists for the Rockets.

Parsons sank his first 11 shots and helped the Rockets outscore Dallas 44-17 in the third quarter to blow open a close game. Parsons made his fifth 3-pointer with 3:57 left in the quarter, then missed a 3-point try he forced on Houston’s next possession.

“I got a little carried away,” Parsons said. “I was feeling it, so I just shot it up
there.”

If that one had gone in, Parsons would’ve tied Yao Ming’s single-game franchise record for field goals without a miss (12 for 12), set in 2009 against Miami. Parsons didn’t know about Yao’s mark until after the game.

“Now I really feel like an idiot,” Parsons said.

O.J. Mayo scored 18 points and Shawn Marion had 14 to lead the Mavericks, who dropped six games behind Houston for the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference. The teams play again in Dallas on Wednesday night, their last meeting of the regular season.

“This game was all about disposition and attitude,” Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said.

“They had the stronger disposition and the stronger attitude and we’ve got to change that.”

The Rockets led 64-61 at halftime, then opened the third quarter with a 15-0 spurt.

Parsons sank his third 3-pointer, and he and Lin finished fast-breaks with layups to push the lead into double digits. Vince Carter was whistled for an offensive foul as the Mavericks’ offensive execution fell apart.

Dallas missed its first six shots out of the break before Brandan Wright’s driving layup. But the Rockets continued to hit all the open shots the Mavericks gave them and consecutive 3-pointers by Parsons and Harden pushed the lead to 25.

“The third quarter was ugly,” Carlisle said. “I don’t have a good explanation for it, other than they picked up their game and we didn’t match it.”

The Rockets blew 17-point leads in consecutive losses to Washington and Milwaukee before they beat Orlando on Friday night. Houston just poured it on when they got the big lead on Sunday night.

“In the past few games, we have built leads and given them up,” Lin said, “so it was good to see us just really build on that.”

Dallas had as many turnovers as it had field goals (6) in the third quarter, and Patrick Beverley’s layup just before the buzzer made it 108-78.

Rookie Thomas Robinson, acquired from Sacramento last week, had 10 points and eight rebounds for Houston.

Nowitzki was held to eight points and committed three turnovers for Dallas.

“We want to get him the ball and we need good things to happen,” Carlisle said. “The problem was, we just couldn’t guard these guys.”

Dallas started 9 for 14 from the field and hit its first three shots from 3-point range. Harden, averaging 26.3 points per game, missed five of his first seven shots.

When he missed another driving layup, Parsons dunked home the putback, two of his nine first-quarter points.

The Mavericks stretched the lead to eight early in the second quarter. Francisco Garcia, seeing his first action for Houston since he was traded from Sacramento last week, sank two 3-pointers and a pull-up jumper to close the gap.

Dallas started 8 for 15 from 3-point range and led 50-41 midway through the second quarter. Houston’s starters were back on the floor by the 5-minute mark of the second quarter and the Rockets started to take control with a 14-4 run.

Houston’s defense stiffened in the final minutes of the half, forcing six turnovers. Parsons had a 3-pointer, then added a breakaway dunk after a long pass from Lin to put Houston up 62-59. Parsons went 7 for 7 and scored 18 points and Lin had seven assists in the first half.

NOTES: Dallas G Anthony Morrow sat out with a hip injury. … Nowitzki, averaging 21.2 points and 10.4 rebounds in his previous five games, went 2 for 8 from the field and had only four rebounds. … Houston’s 44 third-quarter points was a high total for any quarter this season. … The Rockets have hit at least 10 3-pointers in 35 games this season. … Tracy McGrady, who played for Houston from 2004-10, had a courtside seat.

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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