NBA Playoffs

Slightly belated highlights from game 2 of the Boston Celtics series against the Miami Heat. No KG, no worries as Ray Allen takes over and gives the Heat far more than they can handle. Here's his line:

Boston
Starters		Min	FG	3Pt	FT	+/-	Off	Reb	Ast	TO	Stl	BS	BA	PF	Pts
R. Rondo	G	34:57	2-6	1-1	3-4	+29	0	7	12	3	2	1	1	2	8
R. Allen	G	33:25	9-13	7-9	0-0	+31	1	5	3	2	0	0	0	3	25

And here are the highlights from the game:



Not to be missed from the early rounds was Patty Mills' first playoff game:

Playoffs							FG					3PT					FT					Rebounds					Misc
Date	Opponent	Score	GS	Min			M	A	Pct			M	A	Pct			M	A	Pct			Off	Def	Tot			Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	Pts
Apr 20	@ PHO	L 90-119	0	07:25			2	4	50.0			1	1	100.0			1	1	100.0			0	0	0			0	1	0	0	0	6
Apr 18	@ PHO	W 105-100	0	0			0	0	N/A			0	0	N/A			0	0	N/A			0	0	0			0	0	0	0	0	0
Total			0	07:24			2	4	50.0			1	1	100.0			1	1	100.0			0	0	0			0	1	0	0	0	6

Regular Season

FG

3PT

FT

Rebounds

Misc

Date

Opponent

Score

GS

Min

M

A

Pct

M

A

Pct

M

A

Pct

Off

Def

Tot

Ast

TO

Stl

Blk

PF

Pts

Apr 14

GSW

L 116-122

0

13:05

4

8

50.0

2

3

66.7

1

3

33.3

0

1

1

2

2

0

0

4

11

And as you can see, he had a very productive last game of the regular season. As the Suns dominate the Blazers, hopefully Mills will be given some more minutes.

The return of NBA Jam

I've been meaning to post about this for the last week or two since the rumour was confirmed. EA Sports are bringing back one of the greatest basketball games of all time, NBA Jam.

I for one cannot wait as I was a massive fan of the game ... and one of the best players! I used to go to college next to a TimeZone and when the full-size arcade game appeared it almost blew my mind. Sure, it was expensive to play but it was the NBA and I couldn't get enough. My team was the Atlanta Hawks with Dominique Wilkins and Stacey Augmon and R O G became well known as the king of NBA Jam.

Soon after, it was released for Nintendo my friends and I used to play tournaments for cash and there were some great battles over the years. You have to remember that this was before we were old enough to go out or to drink so nights of pizza, mates and NBA Jam were awesome.

I'm looking forward to seeing what the new game is like and who the players representing each team will be. EA Sports are giving you the chance to have your say voting in players for some of the weaker NBA teams. Click on the title below to go to the website and have your say.

It would be great if they had "legends teams" or the "best of" teams. The Boston Celtics with Bird, McHale & Parish (legends) or the Lakers with Magic, Kobe & Shaq (best of) would be awesome!

- : NBA Jam Blog : Exclusive News & Updates : EA SPORTS

Electronic Arts Inc. announced today that EA SPORTS™ is developing one of the most popular and culturally influential arcade basketball games ever made -- NBA JAM -- for the Nintendo Wii™. EA SPORTS NBA JAM™ revives the classic franchise with vintage NBA JAM gameplay, and all-new features that deliver a fresh new take on the game. Featuring the sights and sounds that fans of the franchise will instantly recognize, EA SPORTS NBA JAM mixes the old school with the new, to deliver a one-of-a-kind sports presentation on the Wii.

'NBA JAM is one of the most recognizable franchises in videogame history,' said Peter Moore, President, EA SPORTS. 'Diehard fans of the original game have been asking for a remake for more than a decade. We’re very excited to give them their wish this year with the return of this iconic franchise.'

Featuring gameplay that is true to the original, NBA JAM will have players spinning with ankle breaking moves to the basket and on the way to high-flying, backboard-smashing dunks. In addition to the classic experience, EA SPORTS NBA JAM will also introduce new game modes, characters and gameplay depth.

NBA JAM brought an all-new visual style to the sports videogame genre when it debuted in 1993. Now, the new EA SPORTS NBA JAM re-defines the visuals for a sports game yet again by bringing true-to-life body types, updated physics and visible player emotion to the over- the - top experience.

EA SPORTS NBA JAM is currently in development at EA Canada in Vancouver, BC and will be available for the Nintendo Wii videogame system in 2010. The game has not yet been rated by the ESRB or PEGI.

Ray Allen - season high

Our boy Ray Allen hasn't set the world on fire this season so far, scoring more than 20 points on just one occasion through the first five weeks. Now, don't get me wrong ... Ray is certainly no Jacques Vaughn (notorious for slow shooting starts to the season), he's been solid but it wasn't until yesterday that he really put on a show.

Against the Charlotte Bobcats Allen led the way for the Boston Celtics with a season-high 27 points. Since we're all about basketball shooting, it wasn't the points that really stood out for us, it was the rest of his line from the boxscore. Ray got his 27 on an outstanding 6 of 9 from the field, including 5 of 6 from downtown and a perfect 10 of 10 from the free-throw line. The 5 triples and 10 attempts from the line were also both season highs so far.

He wasn't just putting on a shooting display, although he definitely did that ... but he also pulled down 5 boards, dished out 5 assists, had a steal, a block and just one turnover.

Sometimes the numbers don't always tell the full story but Ray's line from last night was sensational as was his game.

Green with envy

Its now less than two days until the NBA season kicks off and I for one can't wait.

However, I'm green with envy as a couple of my friends (JVG, Nick & Keith) are at the season opener between the Boston Celtics and the Cleveland Cavaliers. That's right, live at Quickens Loan Arena ... KG, Ray Allen & Paul Pierce vs Shaq & LeBron!

I've been a Boston Celtics fan since the late 80's and despite being "only" the first game of the season, this is truly a marquee matchup. I saw the Celtics play back in their dark years in the late 90's and its been way too many years since I've been to the US. Hence my (Celtic) green with envy comment ...

Basketball Shooting Lessons from Ray Allen

Thanks to a FaceBook update from the Boston Celtics, I came across an auction being run at the moment where you can get basketball shooting lessons from Ray Allen.

As you know by now, Ray Allen is one of my favourite shooters and if I was 15 years younger and still coming up in the game, I would be ALL over this! The current bid is $950 with 30 days to go, it'll be interesting to see where it actually ends up.

If you want to be shown step-by-step how to shoot a basketball and learn everything you need to know to improve your shot and don't want to spend thousands of dollars and can't make it to Boston ... why not just sign up to our Basketball Workshop for a fraction of the cost?

charitybuzz | #10075 - Basketball Shooting Lessons from Ray Allen of the Boston Celtics

Description: Spend 30 minutes with NBA Champion Ray Allen of the Boston Celtics and learn shooting rituals from one of the purest shooters in the history of the NBA.

Shoot some hoops with one of the Boston Celtic's most integral and successful players, Ray Allen. Considered to be one of the most accurate 3-point shooters in the history of the NBA, Ray Allen is an extremely accomplished and skilled player, being a nine-time NBA all-star and an Olympic gold medal winner as a member of the 2000 USA team. Don't miss you chance to improve your game while playing with and learning from one of the NBA's greatest shooting guards.

Donated by: Ray Allen

Terms: Includes: a private basketball shooting lessons from Ray Allen of the Boston Celtics. Valid for 30 minutes for 2 people in Boston. Winner must be patient and flexible in scheduling due to Ray's very busy schedule.

More action from the NBA off-season

There have been some more big name movements in the NBA over the last few days. I mentioned it in my post last week and it was confirmed yesterday the Boston Celtics got their man signing Rasheed Wallace to a two-year deal. Talk is now wondering whether he will start or come off the bench and which 'Sheed will indeed turn up this season.

One of the top free-agents this summer has been Hedo Turkoglu (pictured right) from the Orlando Magic. Rumour had him going to Portland which I don't think would have been great for him or them but thankfully at the last minute he instead signed with the Toronto Raptors. The deal is reportedly for 5 years around $56 - 60 million and goes to show you what well-timed form can do for you. Having big expectations for Hedo this season I drafted in the early rounds of my fantasy league and he under-performed for much of the year. In the play-offs he had some great games, hit a few clutch shots and hello pay-day!!

NBA news

It may be getting to crunch time in the NBA as we head in to the conference finals but its seemingly been a very quiet couple of days. With a couple of the series finishing early we had 2 days off and then 2 games yesterday and today was another day with no games scheduled.

Yesterday was game 7 for the Lakers vs Rockets and also for Celtics vs Magic.

The Lakers took care of business behind a massive night from Pau Gasol (21 points, 18 boards). The Rockets on the other hand couldn't buy a bucket, shooting just 37% from the field and 64% from the line. The game was essentially over by half time with the Lakers up 51 - 32 and they cruised home from there.

It was the series in the East that had my attention tho. I really wanted to see the Celtics get up but unfortunately it was not to be. Orlando was on song jumping out to an early lead, the Celtics came back in the 3rd, but Orlando went on a run at the start of the 4th and it was too much for Boston to cut back.

Hedo Turkoglu was the killer shooting 9 of 12 from the field including 4 of 5 from downtown for a game high 25 points. I watched the last few minutes online and it was Hedo who hit the daggers down the stretch (10 of his 25 points came in the final term). Other than Dwight Howard (12 points, 16 boards, 5 blocks) who is always rock solid, the other player who stepped up for the Magic was Mickael Pietrus who provided 17 points off the bench (6 of 7 from the field including 3 of 3 from deep).

Despite a solid night from Ray Allen (23 points on 9 of 18 shooting), Boston struggled from the field shooting just 39% ... which is never going to get it done. Full credit to the Celtics for making it this far without superstar Kevin Garnett.

Next up is the conference finals. Denver vs Lakers and Orlando vs Cleveland. Its looking very much like a Kobe vs LeBron championship series but I'll be cheering for the underdogs in both of the games.

Here are the highlights from the Celtics game:

Kobe vs LeBron ... Nike commercials

We're down to 4 teams left in the NBA and its looking more and more like a Cleveland vs Lakers Championship Series. This has to be the match-up David Stern would and the powers that be in the NBA was hoping for. Last season it was the battle of two rival teams, Lakers and the Celtics, this year it could well be the match-up of two of the current superstars, Kobe and LeBron. In the lead up to, Nike has a very funny series of commercials airing at the moment.

Free-throw shooting ... Boston Celtics style

Thanks to channelsurfing.net I watched the final minutes of the Celtics - Magic game today. I followed the game for the first few quarters via the Yahoo boxscore and despite the Celtics having home-court advantage, they were down most of the way.

This was an important game in the series with it being tied at 2 games each. The next game is in Orlando so if Boston had lost they would have to win game 6 on the road which is no easy feat.

Despite struggling from the field for much of the game, it was a clutch triple from our boy Ray Allen that gave Boston the lead for the first time at 86 - 85 (I think?). From there, they had a few big offensive boards and took care of business at the free-throw line.

With the game and series on the line, firstly it was Eddie House knocking down two, then Ray showed his prowess and finally even Glen Davis made his two when it counted.For the record, the Celtics were a perfect 21 of 21 from the free-throw line. With the game being so close, any miss could've cost them dearly.

So next time your coach is on your back about making your free-throws, remember how important they were for Boston today. You know Ray Allen and Eddie House (and probably Glen Davis too) have certainly spent plenty of time practicing their free-throws for occasions just like this.

Eddie House, doing what he does best

And what he does best is shoot ...

With Paul Pierce playing limited minutes due to foul trouble, Eddie House stepped up off the bench and delivered some much needed offensive help to Ray Allen and the Boston Celtics.

I've mentioned him a couple of times before on this blog, Eddie House lives and dies on his shooting. When he's on ... look out! Last night was definitely one of those nights.

The only surprise to me from his stat line is that he didn't take more from downtown. Only 4 attempts from deep, I didn't know he ever stepped inside the arc!

Bench		Min	FG	3Pt	FT	+/-	Off	Reb	Ast	TO	Stl	BS	BA	PF	Pts
E. House		27:35	11-14	4-4	5-6	+9	0	4	2	2	1	0	1	4	31

Ray Allen, Ray Allen, Ray Allen

Yes, I'm a little late in posting this, but you knew it was coming eventually. In game 6 of their series against the Chicago Bulls, Boston Celtic's shooting guard Ray Allen exploded for a career playoff high 51 points. Here's his stat line from the night:

Boston

Starters

Min

FG

3Pt

FT

+/-

Off

Reb

Ast

TO

Stl

BS

BA

PF

Pts

R. Allen

G

58:44

18-32

9-18

6-7

+1

2

5

3

3

3

0

0

1

51

I mentioned when we gave him the Shooter of the Month award that Ray is a perfectionist and this was clearly evident in the post-game press conference. I was in the gym that afternoon so caught it on SportsCenter. Despite his fantastic performance, after his team lost, Ray was only thinking about the shots that he missed and the ones that got away.

Ray Allen brilliant in defeat - BostonHerald.com
But laments points lost in razor-thin showdown

By Steve Bulpett / Celtics Beat
Friday, May 1, 2009

CHICAGO - Ray Allen scored 51 points in 59 minutes of a 68-minute game. There are few words that can adequately describe how brilliant his performance was, how he found ways at the most critical times to beat a defense bent on stopping him.

Were basketball an individual game, he would have been smiling as he walked down the United Center hallway in his fine suit. But the numbers that truly matter - 128 for the Bulls, 127 for the Celtics - eclipsed Ray’s ray of sunshine.

After scoring his career playoff high, Allen was left to think about the ones that got away.

“After the game, I was thinking about the plays I missed,” he said. “When you are on the losing end, that’s what you remember.”

Allen came out firing, with nine points in the first quarter and 20 in the second. The strategy looked more than sound. If Ben Gordon was going to be suffering through a hamstring problem, then make him really suffer by going right at him.

Basketball Shooting

Why do you want to become a great shooter? What will come of all that time in the gym? The lonely hours spent perfecting your form, honing your craft. The great ones have put in the work so that come game time, when their team needs them most, they're ready, they deliver.

Last night was yet another example of what separates the truly great shooters from the good. Our favourite NBA shooter, Ray Allen coming through for the Boston Celtics when they need him most.

Game 1, Ray shot just 1 of 12 from the field. The truly great shooters know that everyone has bad days and they have the confidence to bounce back and keep shooting. They don't shy away from the spotlight, they revel in it and they want to show the world that an off-night won't stop them.

So we get to game 2, 10 seconds left, scores tied:



For the record, here's Ray's line from the night:

Boston Celtics (1-1)

			Field Goals				Rebounds
	pos	min	fgm-a	3pm-a	ftm-a	+/-	off	def	tot	ast	pf	st	to	bs	ba	pts
P.Pierce	F	43:55	8-19	0-1	2-3	+5	0	8	8	3	2	1	4	0	4	18
G.Davis	F	41:17	12-21	0-0	2-3	+20	4	5	9	0	3	1	1	1	1	26
K.Perkins	C	32:19	7-9	0-0	2-5	+12	7	5	12	0	3	1	3	2	2	16
R.Allen	G	38:47	9-18	6-10	6-6	+5	0	3	3	5	4	0	0	0	1	30
R.Rondo	G	40:03	7-18	0-1	5-8	+17	7	5	12	16	1	5	2	0	5	19

With Ray Allen's heroics, what will get slightly less talk than it deserves is the shooting performance of young gun, Ben Gordon from the Chicago Bulls. Gordon has had a great season (coincidentally in a contract year) and this was one of his best.

Chicago Bulls (1-1)

			Field Goals				Rebounds
	pos	min	fgm-a	3pm-a	ftm-a	+/-	off	def	tot	ast	pf	st	to	bs	ba	pts
J.Salmons	F	39:24	6-17	1-5	4-5	-7	1	1	2	2	1	1	2	1	3	17
T.Thomas	F	20:25	2-7	0-1	2-2	-21	0	4	4	0	2	0	1	6	1	6
J.Noah	C	38:50	6-9	0-0	1-1	-4	3	5	8	3	4	2	1	4	0	13
B.Gordon	G	43:31	14-24	6-11	8-9	-1	0	1	1	0	2	1	0	0	0	42
D.Rose	G	34:25	5-11	0-0	0-0	+1	2	4	6	7	2	0	2	2	0	10

Routine excellence is Allen's secret

Because we believe there is no such thing as too much Ray Allen, here's a good article I found earlier when I was researching his Shooter of the Month award. Click on the title below to read the full story.

Routine excellence is Allen's secret - The Boston Globe

By Jackie MacMullan
Globe Staff / April 20, 2008

WALTHAM - The routine is paramount. People don't understand that. They see Ray Allen, his head meticulously shaved, his jersey tucked carefully into his shorts, his socks pulled up to precisely the same length, and they are drawn to his silky jumper. Can you blame them? It is so smooth, so fluid, so seemingly effortless.
more stories like this

Everyone wishes they could shoot like Ray. They tell him that all the time. They are envious, they say, of his God-given talent.

'An insult,' says Allen. 'God could care less whether I can shoot a jump shot.'

As the Celtics kick off their campaign for an NBA championship tonight in the opening round of the playoffs against the Atlanta Hawks, Allen will leave nothing to chance. He will line up for the tip exactly as he has for his other 73 games. His pregame ritual does not waver: a nap from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m., a meal of chicken and white rice at 2:30, an arrival time at the gym at precisely 3:45 to stretch. Allen will shave his head, then walk out to the court at exactly 4:30. He will methodically take shots from both baselines, both elbows, and the top of the key.

Ray Allen ... clutch shooting

You know we love Ray Allen from the Boston Celtics, so you just know that I was going to talk about his game-winning heroics in the Philly game yesterday.

I've mentioned before that if you want to learn how to shoot a basketball or if you want basketball shooting tips, as well as spending time on the practice court you need to watch and study the best shooters. And the best shooters deliver when it matters most, when the game is on the line.

For the game, Ray had 23 points, 9 of 18 from the field, including 3 triples and 2 of 2 from the line. But it was what he did in the final minutes of the game that made the difference, check out the footage below of Ray Allen coming through in the clutch.

And one more thing, how about the circus shot Paul Pierce?? John Rillie is proud of his in-game shots for the HORSE challenge, but can he top this one?

NBA highlights

After my post last week about NZ basketball day, today I actually found a Sean Marks highlight!!



Following on from all the love that Eddie House from the Boston Celtics has been getting over the last few weeks, here is the recap of the game including a few of his career-high 8 triples.

Eddie House at it again ...

Last week I highlighted a basketball shooting display put on by two Boston Celtics, Ray Allen and his less well-known back-up Eddie House. Two games later and Eddie House is at it again, this time destroying the Sacramento Kings.

Eddie top scored for the Celtics with:
28 points, 10 of 13 from the field, 8 (a career high) of 9 from downtown in just 20 minutes of court-time

Every team needs a role player and Eddie House definitely knows his role on this Celtics team. He's your spot-up shooter that provides a scoring punch off the bench (when Ray Allen needs a rest). I watched a bit of footage of Eddie in action this morning and basically all he does is get himself open on offence and plants himself just behind the three-point arc. No creating off the dribble, just get open and wait for a kick-out pass from a teammate.

Knowing his strengths, Eddie House has carved out an 11 year NBA career basically being a great basketball shooter that can knock down the three-ball.

Basketball shooting - Celtics style

Each week I like to point out a great basketball shooting display and thanks to the crew at Dime for pointing out this one (below). Yesterday in the NBA, Eddie House from the Boston Celtics exploded for 20 points in a quarter against the Miami Heat. He finished with 7 of 11 from downtown, 9 of 15 from the field for 25 points in just 26 minutes of court-time. Eddie House is one of those shooters that can just catch fire at any moment. He's also one of those players with no fear (and no conscience), he's never seen a shot he didn't like it and provides an offensive spark off the bench for the defending champs.

Side note: not to be out-shone by his back-up, our boy Ray Allen also put on a basketball shooting display of his own. Ray was 9 of 12 from the field, 5 of 6 from downtown and 4 of 4 from the line. Quality!

Bringing Down the House | Dime Magazine (www.dimemag.com) : Daily NBA News, NBA Trades, NBA Rumors, Basketball Videos, Sneakers

… Where the Celtics couldn’t miss, however, was from the perimeter. Ray (27 pts, 5 threes) and Paul Pierce knocked down a few to give them the early lead, and in the second quarter it turned into The Eddie House Show on the way to a Boston blowout. House dropped 20 points in the quarter, hitting six threes and shooting pretty much every time he touched the ball (and within 0.4 seconds of touching the ball). He ended up with 27 points on 7-of-11 beyond the arc

Basketball shooting performances

We've had a few technical issues around here over the last few days but thankfully that seems to be almost fixed now. To catch up on the action from the last couple of days in the NBA, there were a couple of red-hot basketball shooting performances.

Firstly one of our favourites, from the Boston Celtics, Ray Allen yesterday against the Raptors yesterday:

36 points, 11 of 14 from the field, 8 of 10 from downtown and 6 of 6 from the line

When Ray is on, there's very little opposition teams can do to stop him. He's not the same player he was when he was in Milwaukee or Seattle but he's still deadly.

Not to be outdone, this line today from Mehmet Okur (pictured right) from the Utah Jazz against the Pacers:

43 points, 13 of 19 from the field, 3 of 4 from downtown, 14 of 15 from the field.

Behind Dirk Nowitzki, Mehmet is probably the second best basketall shooting bigman in the league. The 6'11" Turk can score both inside and out and has range well past the 3 point line.