L.O.N.

As seen on SLAMOnline:

Granger Of The Night:

Danny Granger — 41 points, 11 boards, 6 assists, 2 blocks, 1 steal

That’s 3 in a row.  That may be a L.O.N. record.  Somebody get the resident Archivist on it.

Beast Of The Night:

Marcus Camby — 27 boards, 19 points, 4 blocks, 2 assists, 1 steal

Awww, man.  What a wasted effort.  On the verge of a 4th straight victory, up 4 in the Chi, with about 20 seconds left… the Clippers happened.  Young rook Eric Gordon committed the unfathomable mistake of fouling namesake Ben Gordon on a 3.  Count it.  And-1.  Tie game.  While the Clip Joint surprisingly got a shot off (Dunleavy specializes in the end of game “no shot”), Al Thornton’s fadeaway baseline 20-footer was no good.  In OT, unimaginatively pounding the ball into Z-Bo, in the same spot, time after time ater time, eventually caught up with them, as the Bulls took the lead for good following two offensive fouls and an entry pass turnover.  Free Marcus Camby?

Playoff Intensity Of The Night:

Two games last night gave us a glimpse of spring, even in the heart(break) of the coldest winter.  It’s obviously impossible to generate legit playoff intensity this time of year, but sometimes old rivalries recall the ghosts of Playoffs past.  If that’s so, then let the Ceatles/Hawks be the haunting, and Spurs/Hornets the exorcism.  You see, sometimes the old spooks cannot be driven away (Ceatles 88, Hawks 85), and other times, demons from the past are cast out (Spurs 83, Hornets 90).

Contraction Club Of the Night:

Washington Wizards — 74 points vs. the Detroit Pistons

The ‘Stons quietly righting the ship?  Or a 3-game blip against 3 bad teams?

Minnesota T-Wolves — 70 points vs. the Cleveland Cavs

So bad they make the page melt.  So bad they don’t even make sense.  So bad they sense patty melts.

As seen on SLAMOnline:

Line Of The Night:

Danny Granger — 27 points, 9 boards, 5 assists, 5 steals

Granger, again?  Aw yeah, again and again.  Dude is nasty.  Two straight L.O.N.nies nasty.  Unfortunately, at 8-16, looks like he and his Pacers are at least 1 year away from any sort of primetime love, but the true heads know.  And the Wiz fa sho know, after last night.

Near Oscar Robertson Of The Night:

Rajon Rondo — 25 points, 9 boards, 8 assists, 3 steals

Just let C-Webb tell you.  Double R is getting it done, he’s getting it in, he’s getting in his bag, and he’s going in, too.  Can he grab an Eastern Conference All-Star guard spot?  D-Wade, A.I., Joe Johnson?  Devin Harris?  Jose Calderon?  Dare we say… Derrick Rose?  If Peezy is out for any time with this knee injury does he step it up and end all debate?  Will he get a quadruple-double this year, with a line that includes 10 behind-the-back pass fakes in one game?

Contraction Club Of The Night:

Charlotte Bobcats — 79 points vs. the ATLiens

Boris Diaw showcased his all-around game in this one, dropping 25 on his former team.  The Cats have no reliable 2nd option on offense, though, which caught up with them in the 4th quarter when they could only manage 11 points.  Maybe an improved D, but definitely a generally horrid offense.

Eat Your Breakfast Of The Night:

Not only did rook Ryan Anderson drop a career-high 21 points to lead his Nets to a road win in the T-Dot last night, he also enjoyed an extra serving of the most important meal of the day.  After losing his man, who was shading towards Chris Bosh at the elbow extended,  Joey Graham received a pass in the corner, went baseline, then BOOM!  EAT YOUR BREAKFAST, RYAN!  Bet you never had a Canadian bacon, graham crackers sandwich, homey!

What is in Paul Millsap’s Wheaties bowl, lately?… J.R. Smith tied the Mavs, BY HIMSELF, in the the 4th quarter last night, 17-17.  The Garbageman strikes again… Yeah, that’s 15 in a row for Boston.  That’s a ratings bonanza if they can hold onto that until Christmas Day…

Line Of The Night:

Danny Granger — 42 points, 7 boards, 6 assists

Career-high points… all-around game… young, blossoming star… still a loss.  Now 7-15.  Our answer?  Cut Josh McRoberts.

Worst Of The Night:

The Minnesota Timberwolves.  An utter and complete disgrace.  Never before has it been clearer than seeing them trudge through a game last night against perhaps the model franchise in the League, San Antonio.  Ya’ll should boycott that “product” up there, Minnesotans.

Near Larry Bird Of The Night:

McGradles — 24 points, 10 boards, 9 assists, 1 steal

Gotta love looking at the schedule and seeing the defenseless Warriors for the night of your return from an injury.  That’s a soft landing.

Contraction Club Of The Night:

Philly Freezer — 72 points vs. Cleveland

The Sixers took on the nickname of hometown MC, Freeway, last night, shooting an ice cold 43% from the field.  This type of play has become the norm for Cavs opponents, though, during their dominant 11 game winning streak.  And speaking of Freeway… he has been coming hard so far during his self-proclaimed “Month Of Madness“.

Miami Cold — 73 points vs. Atlanta

This was a horrid game.  Neither team shooting over 38%?  Gross.

Dirty Jerse — 79 points vs. T-Dot-O

The breakout game of the Jay Triano Era?  Or simply a fluky, frigid night that saw Vince Carter shoot 0-13 from the field?  Irregardless, can the fantasy heads out there get an answer on the Moon/BargnaniEntreatment?

Debut Of The Night:

Jason Richardson — 21 points, 3 boards, 3 assists, 1 blocks

Well, for one night, it all made sense, just like Lonnie told us it would.  J-Rich came, he scored, Suns won.  But lots of questions remain for a still morphing Phoenix squad.

Debacle Of The Night:

The L.O.N. offices have endured most of the Clippers train wreck of a season.  Hey, we get limited number of HD games and we love Ralph Lawler.  What can we say?  Guess what night the DVR broke, though?  Yeah, the night they win a double-OT thriller in Portland — another team we love to watch.  Awesome.

The Pistons haven’t won a title since Mehmet Okur left.  Four seasons from now, will we be saying, “New Orleans hasn’t contended since Jannero Pargo left”?…  Shocking news of the night:  Corey Maggette remains out indefinitely with a hamstring injury… Why is J-Crizzles struggling in seemingly his dream offense?…  The Bobcats sign Juwan Howard.  The Fab Five lives…