Good news for all the readers of The Post Up Play, this will now become a daily column! TPUP will be posted every morning, (sometimes right after midnight) for your viewing pleasure. Every column will feature me attacking the big three games of the evening.
Last night the Detroit Pistons blew out the New York Knicks, with a final score of 91 to 61. Earlier this season many regarded New York as one of the premiere teams in the league, I was not one of those people. I have always felt that New York has been a cocky and overrated ball club, and now it’s showing. The self-proclaimed greatest point guard in the league, Stephon Marbury, is not ready to carry a team. Marbury has always been a great team player, but I never seen him able to play the role of team leader. Being a team player is not a bad thing, as that’s part of why Detroit has been so successful in recent years. Ben Wallace, Rasheed Wallace, Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton are not amazing players, but they do play as a cohesive unit. They know each other’s strengths and with the addition of McDyess to the roster, I expect them to be a strong contender in the Eastern Conference in the post-season.
The Orlando Magic defeated the Washington Wizards 103 to 97. Even though the Magic have fallen to third in the Southeast, they’re still a brute force in the Eastern Conference. Many attribute their success to the McGrady trade, and yes, that’s a huge role in it, but you have to give credit to Grant Hill. It’s not often that a guy who hasn’t played much in four years comes back and averages 18.7 points per game. Hill is an intelligent player who knows his way around the court. His veteran experience will definitely play a huge factor in Orlando’s success in the post-season.
The New Jersey Nets knocked down the Utah Jazz 99 to 82. They’re finally starting to get better, and are coming together as a team. This year New Jersey has had two phases, the Richard Jefferson era, and the post Richard Jefferson era. You can’t just loose your big scorer and key player to injury and expect the team to be okay, even if you have someone by the name of Vince Carter on your roster. After losing Martin, Kittles and Harris, the Nets had to due an extreme makeover this season, and they didn’t even get ABC to help them with it! However, they picked up quickly and really built a strong lineup. They took the risk of trading away some solid backups in Alonzo Mourning and Aaron Williams, for the mega-star Vince Carter. New Jersey transitioned from team ball to the all-star triangle of Kidd, Jefferson and Carter. And when the Jefferson got injured, the triangle broke. Now NJ has rebuilt their strategy, utilizing bench talent like Brian Scalabrine to the max, in order to get this team back on its feet. It is slowly working, but if New Jersey wants to have any success in the post-season, they will need Richard Jefferson to heal as soon as possible.
Thanks for reading as always folks, and here are your key players:
Player Of The Day: Vince Carter (30 points, 10 assists, 4 blocks)
Player To Watch: Chauncey Billups (16 points, 10 assists)