Our quick look around the NBA, or what you missed while wondering what kind of Little League coach sues one of his 14-year-old players…
Greg Oden, Miami Heat. He made it back, and that is the story. Tonight he had six points on 2-of-3 shooting in 8:24 on the court — what matters is that he was on the court at all. Greg Oden, the modern poster child for how knee injuries (three microfracture surgeries) can derail a career, showed what happened when he refused to give up. He may not be what was expected of a No. 1 pick but that he’s here seeking a measure of redemption is great for the game nonetheless. More than four years since he last set foot on an NBA court he was back out there for the Heat, playing in an NBA game.
We as fans celebrate the amazing athleticism in the NBA, the intelligent play we see, the drama of the game, the beauty of it, as we should. But there will be no better human story in the NBA this season than the fact Greg Oden made it back on the court — most people would have taken the money (more than $23 million in salary from his rookie deal) and spent the rest of their life on the couch bemoaning what might have been. Or, they might have crawled into a bottle. Oden had some rough years but he didn’t give up, he worked diligently through more rehab than you or I would tolerated, and he made it all the way back. That is something we should be celebrating as fans, as lovers of the game, and as caring human beings.
J.J. Redick, Los Angeles Clippers. The Clippers missed J.J. Redick (he just got back Friday from a broken wrist). Los Angeles likes to start games running Redick off a few picks to get a quick catch-and-shoot (think how Doc Rivers’ teams used Ray Allen in Boston) and it worked against Dallas as Monta Ellis is not exactly fond of chasing a waterbug around the court. Redick hit is first few and his confidence back — he had 23 points on 8-of-11 shooting in the first half, and 33 points for the game on 14 shots. That included a key three late to make it a one-point game during the Clippers comeback. “I’ve not seen a lot of guys that missed the amount of games that he’s missed and come back this sharp,” Doc Rivers said after the game. “When you think about it he had a broken wrist, so it’s not like he’s been hurt shooting, he’s not been able to shoot through this time and yet he comes back and… he’s a tough dude.”
Victor Oladipo, Orlando Magic. It was the best game of the rookie’s season — 35 points on an impressive 15-of-24 shooting. He picked up 14 of those in the second quarter on 5-of-6 shooting — he was attacking the paint in the quarter and getting to the line, then he showed his range and knocked down a three. Oladipo is one of three guys seriously in the Rookie of the Year running (Michael Carter-Williams and Trey Burke are the others) and it is games like this that make you think he might be the best of the group in a few years.
Miami Heat. That’s three losses in a row to below .500 teams: the Knicks, Nets and now they fell by 17 to the Wizards. Dwyane Wade should have taken the night off, he was terrible at both ends of the court. Really this losing streak is part of a bigger trend — 9 of Miami’s 11 losses this season are to teams below .500 (Indiana and Golden State are the exceptions). With all due respect to the Wizards and the two teams out of New York (they are all playing better lately) this is as much about where the Heat are at mentally right now, and it’s not where they should be. They will still be the East’s two seed, the issue is they are not building good habits toward the postseason. Indiana is.
Jimmy Butler, Chicago Bulls. This is an “A” for effort. Butler gets to be first in line for the ice bath — he played 60:20 in the Bulls triple-overtime win over the magic. That is the most by any NBA player since Jalen Rose played 61 for the Pacers back in March 2001. In all that time Butler racked up 21 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists.
Jared Sullinger, Boston Celtics. Boston snapped its nine-game losing streak and Jared Sullinger was the reason — 25 points on 7-of-14 shooting, plus 20 rebounds. Maybe it was a trade bump, maybe it was Boston being more focused on the defensive end, but whatever the reason the team looked better and Sullinger looked the best he had all season.