Ball or Nuthin' » Antwan Jamison

Cavs Outlast Celtics in Boston

T Lamont — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 04:27:31 +0000

Tonight, the Cleveland Cavaliers proved that it’s not how you start, but how you finish.

Despite early success in tonight’s TNT prime-time tilt, the Boston Celtics were defeated by the Cavs in Boston, 108-88. They were led by mega-star LeBron James’ 36 points, 7 rebounds and 9 assists.

This was an important win for the Cavs (45-14). Prior to this contest, the Cavs had lost 9 straight games in the TD Garden. After the acquisition of Antawn Jamison to offset the versatile Orlando Magic forwards, many viewed the Celtics as the only Eastern Conference team that can take down the Cavaliers.

If the game’s beginning would have been any indication, it would have appeared that the Celtics were well on their way to consecutive win #10 in the TD Garden.

Boston (39-20) - who came into the game with leading scorer Paul Pierce on the shelf with a finger injury and the flu – began the game in attack mode. In particular, Rajon Rondo was very effective. He opened the game exploiting the weak defense of Mo Williams – scoring eight of the Celtics first 10 points. Rondo accounted for 18 of Boston’s first 22 points – either by scoring or assisting. As the first half progressed, Ray Allen got into the act. Allen had his stroke going, hitting for 21 points (7-13 FG, 4-8 from 3). Cleveland even lost Shaquille O’Neal for the game after Celtics forward Glen Davis slapped down at the basketball when O’Neal made a move to the basket. After a brilliant first half, the Celtics went into halftime with a 56-48 lead.

Mo Williams silenced the crowd at the TD Garden on Thursday night.

After the break, Cleveland brought out its secret weapon – its smothering defense. The Cavs harrased Boston into scoring only 32 second half points. Conversely, LeBron and his crew were able to put up 60.

Boston only shot 3-21 in the fourth quarter, while the Cavs put up 35 fourth quarter points. In fact, the Cavs gained their game-changing momentum with James on the bench. Delonte West came up big with some penetrations, including one that ended in a lob pass to forward J.J. Hickson. Williams made up for his lackluster defense earlier in the game by canning a few late threes (including 5 for the game, and a total of 19 points). Andersen Varajeo hustled his way to 14 energetic points, 10 boards and 3 blocked shots.

The game justified what most believe about the Cavs. The only thing that can stop them from winning the East this year is themselves. They are young, strong and versatile (due to the off-season and mid-season acquisitions from management) and have the most unstoppable force in the game today (LBJ).

The Celtics, on the other hand, are going home tonight with broken hearts and body parts reeking of Ben Gay.

Tarheels Roster Sorely Lacking Experience

T Lamont — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 00:55:16 +0000

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On Saturday, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets were the latest underdog to upset the North Carolina Tarheels.

The loss at home dropped last year’s champions to 12-6 overall, 1-2 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Other notable losses this season include getting crushed at Clemson, and coming up short at Charleston. North Carolina lost all of its bracket buster contests against top-flight competition from other conferences. Those defeats to Syracuse, Kentucky and Texas not only hurt UNC, but they will also hurt the ACC come NCAA tournament selection time.

So, what’s gone wrong with UNC? A few things have led to their lower level of success so far this season.

Roster Shift- Last year, UNC had Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson, Danny Green and Wayne Ellington playing huge minutes. Now that those guys are all earning NBA paychecks, a lot of their minutes are being consumed by Tyler Zeller, Larry Drew II, and Ed Davis – all sophomores. Although they are skilled and talented, they were also untested in the collegiate ranks (entering this season). There’s no true replacement for experience at the college level.

No True “Go-To Player”- Even though the Tarheels’ pedigree allows them to continually recruit All-American high school players, there has always been one or two players on their roster each year that have made the clutch, game-saving plays for them. Donald Williams, Antwan Jamison, Joseph Forte, Raymond Felton, Tyler Hansbrough and Ty Lawson…

This is what UNC fans have become accustomed to seeing.

Fear Factor- The intimidation factor that UNC once held over its foes now no longer exists. Opponents are not in awe of the Tarheels the way that they used to be in years past – partially because the talent is so widespread these days. Programs like Kansas, Texas, Kentucky, Memphis, Tennessee…they’re all getting recruits that have the same talent level as North Carolina recruits.

ACC Play – Surprisingly, UNC has lots of trouble with its conference opponents. Last year, all 4 of its losses came against programs belonging to the ACC. Back in 2006-2007, UNC lost 5 games within conference. So, to see that they have fallen in 2 of their first 3 ACC games is not something new.

While the long-term outlook for the Tarheels may look bright, they certainly look like they’ll take some their share of lumps this year.

And hopefully, they’ll be able to keep some of their talented underclassmen from thinking that they are ready to receive NBA paychecks. But, of course, that’s a task that’s easier said than done.

Big Second Half Pushes Wizards Over Cavs

T Lamont — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:51:35 +0000

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For the first time this season, the Wizards were able to put all three of their All-Stars on the floor at the same time. They had to be thrilled with the final result.

The Washington Wizards outscored the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second half, 64-40, in route to a 108-91 victory over LeBron James and company in the nation’s capital.

The Wizards came into tonight’s game on a six-game losing streak. But in typical Washington fashion, they stepped up their game with King James’ arrival. The Wiz got a huge lift from forward Antwan Jamison, who returned from a shoulder injury to pour in 31 points. Washington also received key contributions from Gilbert Arenas (18 points, 8 assists), Caron Butler (19 points) and a great all-around effort from Mike Miller (17 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists).

Reigning MVP LeBron James posted his usual great stat line – 34 points and 9 assists – but the lack of productivity from his teammates is what ultimately doomed the Cavs. Three other players contributed 10 points. James’ sidekick Mo Williams was 2-13 for 6 points.

LeBron didn't do much smiling on Wednesday night.

Cleveland’s lack of effectiveness down the stretch has its effect on LeBron. He made a bad pass (turnover), missed a couple of jumpers (one of them being an airball), and was hit with a technical foul for arguing a call on a play on which he felt he was fouled by DeShawn Stevenson. Big men Shaquille O’Neal and Andersen Varajeo sat out the game with minor injuries – so the Cavaliers were missing some interior toughness. It’s obvious that James had to press to make plays because no one else was stepping up for Cleveland.

To the contrary the Wizards had plenty of players stepping up – especially in the second half…which was when it mattered. The Wiz also dominated the boards 49-33, including 23 combined boards from Jamison and center Brendan Haywood.

Their will be two big tests for the Wizards. First, they’ll need to stay healthy – and given their track record that will be a difficult thing.

And their second test is to remain focused and win ball games against opponents who don’t have LeBron James on their roster.

Wizards Hit by Early Injury to Jamison

T Lamont — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 04:12:06 +0000

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The last couple of years for the Washington Wizards have been a nightmare. Unfortunately for them, they haven’t been able to wake up.

Just when things were starting to look good for the Wiz, they get hit with another big blow in the injury department. During an October 14th preseason game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, forward Antwan Jamison partially dislocated his shoulder attempting to block an opposing shot attempt.

The 2-time All Star is estimated to miss anywhere from 8 to 13 regular season games. Jamison was one of Washington’s rocks last season - playing in 81 games and averaging 22 ppg and 9 rpg.

New Wizards’ Head Coach Flip Saunders:

“Everyone goes through sequences where they lose some players. You don’t want to have extended time. You’d better lose somebody early rather than lose them late.”

Antwan Jamison is well reputed for his off-court professionalism.

Regardless of the semi-positive tone from Flip, the franchise and its fans have to be disheartened by this turn of events. This is a team that has went years without the player that is regarded as its franchise player (Gilbert Arenas) due to an injury that turned out to be more bothersome than expected. Its only legitimate low post threat, Brendan Haywood, was out all last year. The Wizards also lost a considerable number of games from key guys like Caron Butler and Deshawn Stevenson.

Now, the one player who seemed unfazed by the injury bug gets infected. Jamison’s quiet, steady performance is unspectacular, but extremely necessary for Washington’s success. The power forward position is a spot where the Wiz are very thin. Antwan’s 22 points, 9 boards, offensive versatility, professionalism and leadership will all be missed by Washington.

Wizards’ guard/forward Caron Butler:

“It continues to happen. We’re going to remain optimistic and remain positive and see what happens.”

Let’s all hope that Jamison can heal quickly. And put an end to the nightmare once and for all.

LeBron’s Losing Longevity

T Lamont — Sat, 23 May 2009 03:44:53 +0000

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After Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, there was the 6’9″, 250-pound LeBron James – the 2008-2009 NBAMVP – being supported at center court by two Cavaliers trainers. Despite putting up 49 points and providing the backbone for Cleveland’s offensive repertoire, his franchise fell short by one point.

The saga was made worse due to the fact that Mike Brown pretty much acknowledged that he could not give his star player a split second of rest down the stretch. Brown actually called a timeout with about 3-4 minutes left – - just to give LeBron some rest – so that he could finish the game off.

James was doing it all in Game 1. He had 6 rebounds, 8 assists, and 3 blocked shots to go along with his 49. He initiated the offense (bringing the ball up the court), and finished the plays (he made 20 field goals). He played great help defense – even getting a couple of Dwight Howard’s shots in the process.

Yet after all of the highlight material that he provided, all that I can remember is the spent, helpless image of him at the conclusion of the contest.

I think LBJ owes it to himself to be the very best that he can be, for as long as he can be. So, here’s my list of suggestions for ways that he could lengthen his greatness:

Get a real coach. Mike Brown refuses to be a real coach. Instead he chooses the let the megastar run the team, which happens to be wearing on the youngster’s durability – and here’s why. Coach Brown (and I use that phrase lightly) needs to design plays to put LeBron in a position to score – and limit the twists, turns, bumps and grinds that he incurs on a nightly basis. Also, by designing plays with ball and player movement, James’ passing and improvisation will be even more effective.
Put pressure on the Cavs to get a complementary scorer. That’s right – add me to the list of people who know that Mo Williams is not the answer. He’s a streak shooter, but what LeBron needs is a guy who can fill the basket night in and night out. Somebody who puts up 20 every game – without fail. My idea of players who would fall in this category would be Michael Redd, Antwan Jamison, Chris Bosh, Kevin Martin…one additional big-time scorer trumps a crew of above-average NBA players – without question, that’s a guy who is completely confident is his ability to put points on the board. Having such a player will take a huge chunk of pressure off of LeBron.
Be more selfish. I think we all remember Michael Jordan in his early years. The driving, the abuse he took every game. James needs to perfect that pull-up jumper early in his career. Stop taking the ball to the basket and getting busted up to help your teammates get open shots (which they may or may not make). Drop that mid-range shot down. Save your body some contact in the process.