Archives › Matt Moore
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NBA Playoffs Cavs Celtics Game 3: Witness the power of this fully operational elbow
May 7, 2010, 9:18 PM EDT
2 CommentsThe pendulum swings both ways. Tonight, LeBron James swung it through the Celtics’ fortress walls and left their homecourt advantage in ruins. James took over in a way we haven’t seen, maybe since his Game 5 performance against the Pistons in 07, completely dominating at both ends of the floor while getting his teammates involved.…
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Head coach Gregg Popovich said in his pregame comments that Tony Parker will start tonight, with George Hill headed to the bench. Parker presents a much tougher matchup for Steve Nash, whose hesitation dribble also gave Hill trouble. Nash has had difficulty staying with Parker for, oh, five years. Parker’s been shooting from range well,…
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NBA Playoffs: Celtics look to put the knife to Cavs' elbow…er, throat
May 7, 2010, 2:39 PM EDT
Things change just that quickly. Four weeks ago, the Celtics were meekly limping into the playoffs, looking like nothing but a stepping stone for whoever would contend for a title. The Cavaliers looked very much the best team in the league, and once again looked like this would finally be their their. Things can change…
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If there's such a thing as Twitter torture, Chris Bosh is doing it to Raptors fans
May 5, 2010, 10:51 PM EDT
Seriously, Chris, they bought your jerseys and everything. A day after Raptors’ star free agent Chris Bosh showed up at Staples for a Lakers playoff game, and less than a week after asking people via Twitter where he should go and then if he should “go,” Bosh is at it again, making headlines and knifing…
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NBA playoffs: Celtics crash Cavs' Game 2 MVP party, send series back to Boston tied 1-1
May 3, 2010, 10:18 PM EDT
There have been more embarrassing games by a number one overall seed at home after having their franchise player win the MVP. Well, one at least. But the performance by the Cleveland Cavaliers was so pathetic, and that of the Boston Celtics so dominant, this one is likely to leave a lingering stench in the…
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NBA Playoffs Celtics Cavs Game 2: Celtics attempt to charge the gates once more
May 3, 2010, 6:19 PM EDT
Celtics fans: “Okay, guys, just do what you did in the first half of Game 1, but for the WHOLE GAME THIS TIME. Got it?Ready…break!” Cavs fans: “Let’s not toy with them this time, okay guys?” The Cavs came out in the first half of Game 1 and looked shellshocked. They had no answers for…
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For several years Tom Thibodeau has been riding the coaching carousel, interviewing for head jobs. He’s been on it so long that the unicorn has his vomit stained on it and he’s permanently lost his sense of balance. But finally, mercifully, his merry-go-round may be coming to an end. The Boston Herald is reporting that…
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NBA MVP: LeBron being denied unanimous win means it's time for a change
May 2, 2010, 10:45 PM EDT
Well, the worst kept secret of the year is out, and LeBron has his second MVP award. We could wax on here about his season, the dominant play from baseline to baseline, the chasedown blocks, the versatility, the improved shooting numbers across the floor, the physical prowess, the, well, everything. LeBron James is the best…
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NBA Playoffs Bucks Hawks Game 7: Hawks too strong, too good, too much to fear the deer
May 2, 2010, 4:30 PM EDT
In the playoffs, how you advance doesn’t matter, as long as you advance. And while the Milwaukee Bucks have nothing to be ashamed of, putting on a great performance in spite of missing Andrew Bogut, the Hawks will move on to face the Orlando Magic. Lucky them. The Hawks defeated the Bucks 95-74 to advance…
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The Bulls are going to fire head coach Vinny Del Negro, right? I mean, it’s been talked about for months. And there was actually a physical confrontation between Del Negro and VP Paxson. There’s no way he survives through Tuesday. ..OR IS THERE?! Sorry, been watching old mysteries all weekend. The Chicago Daily Herald reports…
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Unraveling the truth about Avery Johnson’s coaching ability is a tricky gig. He’s 194-70 all time, which is pretty amazing. He’s also known for two of the most disappointing postseasons in NBA history, failing to cash in twice on the Mavericks when they were the best team in the league, even being ejected in the…
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Everything was going so well for Boston. Shaq missing chippies. Rajon Rondo dominating. Kendrick Perkins protecting inside. Kevin Garnett playing as well as he has this season. A lead, in Cleveland, and just a quarter and a half to close. Plus, LeBron’s elbow was making him timid. Elbow this. (Click here to see PBT’s first…
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NBA Playoffs Celtics Cavs Game 1 Halftime: Celtics have all the answers so far
May 1, 2010, 8:32 PM EDT
For all the improvements the Cavs were supposed to have made, in Game 1, the Celtics looked like they had all the answers. The Celtics lead 54-43 at the half, Rajon Rondo has 19 points and 8 assists, LeBron James looks hurt and the Cavs look lost. The Cavs worked to get inside position on…
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Kid cannot get healthy. Just can’t do it. Mike Bresnahan of the LA Times is reporting that Andrew Bynum has a “small tear” in the front cartilage of his right knee. According to the Lakers’ medical staff, the tear is asymptomatic, with Bynum being completely unaware of the tear. Unfortunately, the tear started as what…
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The thought was that the Bulls, though undoubtedly having some front office troubles and suffering with a lack of scoring, were in pretty good shape. They have the cap space to sign a max free agent (if possible, Dwyane Wade, if not, Chris Bosh, and the last plan is likely Joe Johnson). And one of…
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Well, the Coach of the Year ran into the Coach of the Century and the old timer won. But you have to say it was a hell of a series for both teams. Here’s a selection of both coaches’ post game comments. http://nbcprobasketballtalk.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/33399740
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It’s right that it should go this way. These two never faced one another last year, and now that the Celtics are at full strength and the Cavaliers are ruling the roost, we need to settle this. The 2008 Champions, seeking to regain what they feel is their rightful title. And the Cavaliers, aiming to…
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The Phoenix Suns, despite what they will tell you, must be feeling a sense of dread. They’ve seen this script so many times, it’s etched into their memory like a bad family movie stuck on repeat. Robert Horry. The hipcheck. The Duncan Three. Parker bloodying Nash’s nose. Michael Finley. Burce Bowen. The hipcheck. The hipcheck.…
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Bet you never thought you’d wind up missing Oklahoma. Oklahoma City brought something else to these playoffs. The crowd was part of it. A sea of blue (and once, white) that wrought a college atmosphere with an NBA intensity. A full house, stocked to the brim of maniacs, devoted under one cause, the continued survival…
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Greg Oden is about as much of a Blazer as you are at this point
Apr 30, 2010, 12:28 PM EDT
Hey, remember when Greg Oden was the fun-loving, big-hearted savior of the Blazers who would push them over the top? Yeah, those were fun days. Blazers Edge posted an interview 95.5FM in Portland did with the young behemoth prior to Game 6 versus the Suns, and instead of the usual chipperness and easy to swallow…
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NBA Playoffs Suns Blazers Game 6: The clock has run out on Portland's tree of woe
Apr 30, 2010, 1:30 AM EDT
No shame here. Portland shouldn’t hang their heads for a minute, not for a second. They fell 99-90 to the Phoenix Suns and were eliminated from the playoffs, but they gave the world the fight no one thought they had in them. Without Greg Oden, without Joel Przybilla, and without a healthy Brandon Roy (or…
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NBA Playoffs Heat Celtics Game 5: Celtics move on, Heat move to summer of mystery
Apr 28, 2010, 3:04 AM EDT
The rumors of the demise of the Boston Celtics have been greatly exaggerated. The Celtics didn’t dominate the Heat in Game 5 of their first round series in Boston, but they left no doubt. They are still a contender, and Miami is not. Boston, looked at by many, including your devoted author here, as a…
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LeBron James injures arm in clinching series win over Bulls
Apr 28, 2010, 12:55 AM EDT
UPDATE 4/28 12:55 am: LeBron said his arm went numb at the free throw line but seemed relatively unconcerned about this speaking to the press postgame. Here is the quote: “It bothers me because I don’t know what it is,” James said. “Hopefully it doesn’t continue to bother me. But I’m not concerned. Cleveland fans…
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Dwyane Wade talked to his hand and destroyed the Celtics to get the Heat a game in Miami. But most people consider this series to have ended when Paul Pierce stuck the dagger in in Game 3. It was a maelstrom of both the Celtics’ excellence and the Heat’s failure to execute. The Heat watched…
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NBA Playoffs Blazers Suns Game 5: Suns no longer messing around, we think, maybe
Apr 27, 2010, 1:06 AM EDT
You know what so many playoff series come down to? Inevitabilities. It’s inevitable that Denver’s chaotic group of misfit toys will all turn around and fire on themselves at some point. It’s inevitable that the Celtics’ age will become a non-cliche’d, genuine liability against the brand new supercomputer of the moment. It’s inevitable that the…
