Pay attention and every night in the NBA you can learn a little something. We know you are busy and can’t keep up with every game, so we’re here to help with those lessons from a light Monday night in the association. Here’s what you missed while booking your vacation to Philadelphia....
The Pistons could make the playoffs. Don’t laugh, we’re serious. With the Nets loss and the Pistons win over the Raptors on Monday Detroit is now just two games out of the eight seed in the East. They have gone 9-2 in their last 11 and in the East that gets you in the playoff mix. Monday’s win was an example of what the Pistons are doing right — in the first half they struggled and had no good answer for Jonas Valanciunas (he finished the night with 31 points and 12 rebounds). But in the second half the Pistons saw Brandon Jennings get hot when they moved the offense to more side pick-and-rolls, and the Raptors didn’t have an adjustment that worked. Jennings finished with 34 points. If the Pistons make the playoffs, as Zito Madu suggests at SB Nation, we should start calling giving up something bad for you “waiving the Josh Smith.” As in “I used to smoke a pack a day but then I waived Josh Smith and breathe much better now.”
Kevin Garnett is going to get be suspended for the Nets game Wednesday vs. Memphis. Boy, that escalated quickly. Kevin Garnett plays an emotional game, and through all the years of unending trash talk and success he has been known to let his emotions get the best of him now and again. Usually against guys about half his size, but tonight Dwight Howard got under his skin somehow. So KG head butted Howard. He’s going to get suspended for that. Howard may get a fine for that slap (not even a punch really) but KG will get the big penalty here. As he should.
Tom Thibodeau is fed up with how the Bulls are playing defense. The Bulls have been pretty good defensively this season — 10th in the NBA allowing 101.7 points per 100 possessions — but that is not exactly the lock down Bulls defense we know. However, in the last five games the Bulls are giving up 106.7 per 100, which is 25th in the NBA. You can imagine how well that sits with the Zen-like Tom Thibodeau. He ripped his team after the game Monday, saying this to CSNChicago.com:
“We’ve got to decide what we’re going to be. If we’re just going to come in and try to outscore people we’re not going anywhere. I know that doesn’t work,” a displeased Thibodeau said after the game. “We’re going to have to bring a lot more intensity, and the only way you bring more intensity is by working a lot harder. It’s really that simple.”
We’ll see if Thibodeau’s message gets through.
