Tweet of the Day: Pau Gasol

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The NBA regular season awards continue to trickle out. The latest award, Defensive Player of the Year, was handed out Wednesday.

[Marc Gasol wins Defensive Player of the Year]

Los Angeles Lakers forward Pau Gasol sent his younger brother, Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol, a congratulatory tweet after the news broke.

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Marc Gasol wins Defensive Player of the Year

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Marc GasolMemphis’ Marc Gasol, who anchored the league’s stingiest defense, is the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award. Gasol becomes the first player in Grizzlies history to earn the honor.

His teammate, Tony Allen, who received my first-place vote (along with eight other first-place votes), finished fifth.

Gasol received 212 of a possible 1,089 points, including 30 first-place votes, from a panel of 121 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. Miami’s LeBron James (149 points, 18 first-place votes) and Oklahoma City’s Serge Ibaka (122 points, 14 first-place votes) finished second and third, respectively.

Players were awarded five points for each first-place vote, three points for each second-place vote and one point for each third-place vote received.

Gasol, one of only six players to average at least 1.5 blocks (1.7 bpg) and 1.0 steals (1.0 spg), led a Grizzlies defense that allowed a league-low 88.7 ppg during the regular season. According to NBA.com/Stats, Gasol’s +5.4 score differential ranked second among NBA centers; additionally, Memphis enjoyed a +7.5 score differential when Gasol was on the court compared with -3.9 when he was on the bench.

 

2012-13 KIA NBA DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR RESULTS

PLAYER             TEAM        1st Place    2nd Place     3rd Place   Total Points

Marc Gasol         Memphis         30             16                 14                    212

LeBron James          Miami                     18                   15                       14                          149

Serge Ibaka               Oklahoma City   14                   15                          7                         122

Joakim Noah            Chicago                 13                    10                       12                         107

Tony Allen                Memphis                 9                    15                       12                         102

Tim Duncan              San Antonio        11                    11                          6                           94

Larry Sanders          Milwaukee             4                    18                       16                           90

Paul George              Indiana                    8                      2                        11                           57

Andre Iguodala       Denver                     5                      3                         9                           43

Roy Hibbert             Indiana                    3                       5                         6                           36

Chris Paul                  L.A. Clippers         2                       2                         3                           19

Avery Bradley         Boston                     2                       1                          2                           15

Tyson Chandler      New York               0                      3                         2                            11

Dwight Howard       L.A. Lakers            1                       0                         4                             9

Luol Deng                  Chicago                   1                       0                          1                             6

Dwyane Wade         Miami                       0                      1                         1                              4

Trevor Ariza           Washington            0                      1                         0                              3

Jimmy Butler          Chicago                    0                      1                         0                              3

Kenneth Faried      Denver                      0                     1                         0                              3

Russ Westbrook    Oklahoma City      0                     1                         0                              3

Mike Conley            Memphis                  0                     0                        1                               1

 

StatBox Playoff Breakdown: Bulls’ defense and Grizzlies’ defensive shortcomings

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If you enjoy the weekly StatBox column that analytically breaks down some of the NBA’s most pressing and important topic, you’re in luck. Every Tuesday through Thursday during the postseason, the StatBox is expanding into playoff game analysis. You’ll not only find out why each team won and lost, but how different statistical trends can play out over the course of the series and the playoffs as a whole. First up: why the Bulls and Clippers are looking good in their quests to advance.

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Bernucca: All not lost in lost weekend for road teams

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lost weekendHey, how about those road teams in the playoffs, hunh?

It was a lost weekend that would have made Ray Milland proud.

I spent huge chunks of Saturday and Sunday at an AAU tournament and missed several games. When I finally got home and turned on the TV, I wished I was back at the AAU tournament.

If you didn’t watch the NBA playoffs this weekend, you didn’t miss much. All eight road teams lost Game 1, the first time that has happened since 2004. In that season, three first-round series ended in sweeps, four more ended in five games and the lone series that went the distance saw the home team win every game.

This weekend’s road teams lost by an average of 16 points, making it hard to tell whether they didn’t show up or couldn’t wait to get home. The Houston Rockets, who don’t play Oklahoma City again until Wednesday, actually did go home after Sunday night’s debacle.

The three games that aired on TNT on Sunday were decided by a combined 69 points. Yes, We Know Drama, and This Isn’t It. 

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SH Blog: Prigioni likely for Game 2; Clippers beat Grizzlies at own game; Cavs casting wide coaching net?

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David LeeWe’re one and a half-days into the playoffs, Miami and Milwaukee just tipped off, and so far there haven’t been any big surprises result-wise. But like last year, when Derrick Rose tore his ACL in the first playoff game, one team has already lost a key contributor, with the Warriors’ David Lee going down to a hip injury.

For more details on Lee’s injury, head over here. Also on Sheridan Hoops, we’ve got a roundup of what we learned on the first day of the playoffs from Chris Sheridan, and a column from Jan Hubbard on the Thunder-Rockets matchup.

Now here’s all the latest NBA news and rumors as we wrap up the first weekend of the playoff season. There’s lots more to go, folks.

 

  • In what was anticipated to be perhaps the tightest of the first-round series, the Clippers knocked off the Grizzlies in Game 1. Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com writes: “It wasn’t exactly the bruise-fest we expected it would be. The officials didn’t really allow for that, calling 57 fouls and four each on Blake Griffin and Zach Randolph well before the end of the third quarter. It seemed every time Griffin and Randolph were about to go at it, one was called for a foul that led them to the bench. Griffin eventually fouled out with 3:32 left after scoring only 10 points and grabbing five rebounds. Clippers center DeAndre Jordan had an equally subpar game, scoring three points, grabbing eight rebounds and sitting out nearly the entire fourth quarter. Despite those performances, the Clippers not only dominated the game but dominated the boards, outrebounding the Grizzlies 47-23. “It’s going to be physical every single game, that’s the way he likes to play and that’s the way you have to play him,” Griffin said. “As long as at the end of the game we’re winning that rebounding battle and we’re up, I’m cool with it.” “
  • Marc Gasol: "We got beat at our own game."
    @MadelynBurke
    Madelyn Burke

Some more interesting Clippers talk:

CP3 on Bledsoe: "There’s no way he can be here next year because we probably won’t have enough money to pay him."
@ArashMarkazi
Arash Markazi

CP3 on Bledsoe: "He should be a starting point guard in this league next year.”
@ArashMarkazi
Arash Markazi

CP3 won't talk about his future but the way he's talking about Bledsoe's would lead you to believe CP3 is here long-term.
@ArashMarkazi
Arash Markazi

Bledsoe is under contract next season at $2.6 million but Clippers will certainly be in the market to deal him after CP3 re-signs.
@ArashMarkazi
Arash Markazi

  • Another one of the more exciting matchups on the first day of the playoffs (on paper, going in) was the Nets and the Bulls, and in this one, the Nets came out on top. Here’s Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News: “(Deron) Williams ripped Chicago’s defense to shreds, finishing with 22 points and seven assists, highlighted by that jam in the third quarter that would have been unthinkable just one month ago while he battled ankle injuries. “It just happened,” Williams said. “I just was trying to show some guys in the NBA I might be able to compete in the dunk contest next year. My legs feel good, my ankles feel good right now. I’m excited to be back in the playoffs.” Brook Lopez, competing in his first playoff gamer, pounded the paint, adding 21 points and five rebounds. The Nets shot 56%. “Brooklyn hit us with a haymaker,” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said.”
  • Noah's foot is absolutely killing him. He iced it twice in the locker room. He says he will play Monday but it looks hard for him to move.
    @NickFriedell
    Nick Friedell
  • Here’s Marc Berman of the New York Post with some Knicks news: “Knicks coach Mike Woodson said if yesterday had been a Game 7, starting guard Pablo Prigioni likely would have suited up on his balky right ankle in the first-round playoff opener against the Celtics. Woodson said he believes Prigioni will be ready for Game 2 on Tuesday and for the Knicks, that is a good thing. That’s because Woodson started Chris Copeland at the wing, and he appeared hampered by a recent shoulder surgery and seemed a bit overwhelmed in his playoff debut. Copeland, recently a scoring beast, was scoreless in 12:46, going 0 for 3 in the Knicks’ 85-78 win.”
  • Jennings on comments: "What am I supposed to say? Let's try our best and hope to win a game? Everybody's writing us off anyway."
    @EthanJSkolnick
    Ethan J. Skolnick
  • Bob Finnan at the News-Herald in northern Ohio looks at some candidates for the Cavs’ now-open coaching job, which he notes is widely rumored to be led by Mike Brown: “A source close to former Miami and Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy said Van Gundy has no interest in coaching any of the three current openings in the NBA: in Philadelphia, Detroit or Cleveland. Ex-Portland and Seattle coach Nate McMillan might have some interest in the Cavs’ job, but if the Sacramento Kings move to Seattle, he’d be earmarked for that position. Former Milwaukee coach Scott Skiles is available. He’s hard-nosed and a defensive coach, but he is known to wear down everyone around him with his relentless style. There are several up-and-coming assistant coaches who could draw interest from Cavs general manager Chris Grant. One of them could be Denver assistant coach Melvin Hunt, who spent several years on Brown’s staff in Cleveland. Hunt also worked under Phil Jackson with the Los Angeles Lakers. He is currently Nuggets coach George Karl’s lead assistant and is well-respected around the league. Hunt has a good background in coaching defense and in developing young talent. He works very closely with the Nuggets’ young stable of big men.”

  • Byron Scott will be candidate in Milwaukee if interim coach Jim Boylan not retained, Bucks sources say.
    @SamAmicoFSO
    Sam Amico