Line Of The Night — 12/06/2007
Line Of The Night:
Josh Smith — 28 points, 7 boards, 7 blocks, 2 assists, 2 steals
This Hawks team is exciting, and it starts with Josh Smith. He is so nasty. He led the team in scoring, and made key plays down the stretch, but it was Joe Johnson who sealed the deal with a smooth jumper as time expired. Hawks and Playoffs in the same sentence?
Near Triple-Double Of The Night:
Marko Jaric — 18 points, 9 assists, 8 boards, 3 steals
If Adriana Lima is truly serving as the muse behind Marko’s recent outburst, then that is comedy. Hey, everybody has their own motivations.
Dwyane Wade — 21 points, 10 boards, 9 assists, 1 block
This stat line is somehow in the same family as Mark Jackson’s “fake hustle”, as it really doesn’t tell the true story. D-Wade is still not quite right, as evidenced by his 9-26 shooting performance. With an on-point D-Wade, the Heat win this game. He better get there soon, or it will be a long summer in Miami. 4-14?!?!?!
And we’re still creeped out by that scene with him on the mic in his Converse commercial.
Revolutionary Status Of The Night:
Travis Outlaw, welcome to the club. Outlaw has been on our radar ever since we saw in his box scores that he could block a million shots per minute, despite his non-7-foot height. Then we saw him play and saw flashes of freakish athleticism. However, over the years there have been plenty of guys like this who never put it all together to become actual basketball players. Looks like that has finally happened this year with Outlaw. Watching Portland’s recent game against Memphis, it became clear Outlaw was becoming a complete player. Along with the funk mcnasty dunks and blocks, he now has a 3-point jumper, as well as a T-Mac-esque rise-up mid-range J. Then, to seal the deal, he hit this buzzer-beater and, last night, he had a little something for Daequan Cook. EAT YOUR BREAKFAST, DAEQUAN!!!!
Ladies and gentlemen, your newest L.O.N. Revolutionary, Travis Outlaw.
Rookie Of The Night:
Corey Brewer — 18 boards, 5 assists, 4 steals, 1 block
Where did this come from? Dude is paper thin! He’s a natural though, and if he’s permanently moved ahead of Rashad McCants for PT (but can’t they play at the same time), expect All-Rookie Team status from here on out.
Word to Dallas: Your ish is soft, son… Does anyone really know what the hell the Chuckster was trying to say about A.I. last night, as far as passing is concerned? Just to make the issue even murkier, A.I. dropped 12 dimes last night… We really like how this young Portland team is built… David Lee, Malik Rose and Jamal Crawford amongst pallbearers at Don Marbury’s funeral…