Anthony Davis nearly finished with a quadruple-double earlier this month
Over these pasts two weeks, we’ve laid eyes on the “Unibrow” nearing a quad-dub in a crazy game, a Lowry 3X2, Prince James dropping a nickel times 10, and a couple rookies showing off in the month of March. We also saw Gallo turn back the clock, the Bucks distance themselves as the “cream of the crap,” and one franchise setting a new high, while another sets a new low.
This is The Weeks That Were.
I Believe I Can Fly
On Mar. 15, Anthony Davis continued to shock the basketball world with more amazing feats of athleticism and all-around skill. This baller is the baddest man east of Hawaii, and his near achievement of a feat not replicated since 1994 proves it. In a very tough 118-111 double-overtime loss to the Denver Nuggets, Davis ended with an eyebrow-raising statline of 36 points, 14 boards, seven dimes, and nine blocks. As frightening as those numbers are, what really caught my attention was how a guy who is 6’10” manages to stick it to the laws of gravity and throwdown in the same fashion as a guy with six fewer inches.
Few things are sadder than a seemingly gorgeous alley-oop being thwarted by an errant pass or a miscalculation by the dunker. Towards the end of the first quarter, we nearly witnessed this surge of disappointment when Norris Cole chucked the rock up for the alley-oop, but put a little too much air on it. Plus, Davis jumped too early on the pass, resulting in this play having the words “missed opportunity” written all over it. That freakish wingspan of Anthony Davis came in handy, though, as he managed to get high enough and stay airborne long enough to give us this:
-This GIF can be found on GQ.com
Mind. Blown. Davis is officially an albatross in disguise…or a mage. I mean, that unibrow harbors magical powers unlike anything the basketball world has encountered before.
Kyle Lowry’s Headband > Toronto Maple Leafs
On Mar. 16, the Raptors took out the Indiana Pacers, as expected, but the Pacers managed to keep things interesting for quite a while for much of the first three quarters. Kyle Lowry went on a torrid stretch during the second quarter and fueled the Raps’ offense for much of the game. Lowry’s triple at the beginning of the second quarter fueled an 8-0 Toronto run. Late in the period, Lowry assisted on two alley-oops in a three-possession span to put the Raptors up 54-40. Indiana climbed back within two early in the second half, 58-56, but the Raptors hit four treys to facilitate a 16-5 run that kept the Pacers away for good. This scoring run resulted in a 117-98 win for the Toronto Raptors, but the main story of the night was Kyle Lowry’s 20-11-10 triple-double.
Lowry played so well in the first half, that he almost secured the achievement in just two quarters of basketball. He ended the second quarter with 12 points, eights rebounds, and eight dimes. This trip-dub was the seventh of Lowry’s career and his second of the season. Plus, he now has the most triple-doubles in Raptors’ history with five. While his trip-dub wasn’t as exciting as what we’ve come to expect from Russell Westbrook and James Harden, the multiple alley-oops he assisted on certainly meant that he didn’t fail to excite as he secured the franchise record.
Lowry Lobs To DeMar! https://t.co/MCpf1fyQDE
— NBADQ (@BATTLESNBA) March 17, 2015
-This Vine was posted by BattlesNBA
Much like Anthony Davis’ unibrow, many believe that Kyle Lowry’s headband is the source of his power. I’m not much of a hockey guy, but I can surely say that Lowry donning the headband is far more exciting on his own than anything the Toronto Maple Leafs as a club can muster up.
“Highlight” Harden Scores 50 Like It’s Nothing
What would the Rockets be without James Harden? In the Mar. 20 matchup against the Denver Nuggets, forward Terrence Jones was sent to the hospital after injuring his ribs. Dwight Howard was still absent with his knee issues that have cost him most of the season, and Jason Terry couldn’t go because of his hamstring. Understandably, it’s nights like these where people are least likely to take an offensive warrior like Harden for granted.
He added another MVP-like performance that night during what has become a career-year for him, as he seemingly pushed the Rockets to a 118-108 victory. The Rocketman scored a career-high 50 points, and should have had more if it wasn’t for eight 3-pointers he bricked. All in all, it was a usual night for Harden, who took a routine 27 shots and chucked up 25 from the charity stripe.
After that game, Harden led the NBA in games with 30+ points with 29 and tied Russell Westbrook for games with 40+ points with seven. As of the afternoon of Mar. 26, he leads the league in estimated wins added (20.7), minutes played (2,578), free throws (612), win shares (14.11), and points (1,900). All of these stats point to how valuable he is to Houston and show how unstoppable he is on offense. The fact that he is not the leading candidate for the MVP award in spite of all of this, is a little staggering. I mean, he’s lifting the Rockets mostly on his own to the elite status that they experienced in the mid-1990s. If Dwight Howard gets healthy and the bench produces more offense, we may just see some more gold at the Toyota Center this June.
Harden’s game has grown a lot this season, especially on the defensive side, and the game’s best highlight is clear evidence of his evolution. During the first half, Harden snatched the ball away and converted his defense into offense with a slam on the other end. Check out this baby:
James Harden nabs the steal and flies in for the tomahawk jam https://t.co/r5BOL6Th4j
— FanSided GIF (@FanSidedGIF) March 20, 2015
-This video was posted by ZprophetMMA
Just beautiful. 22 of Harden’s 50, along with seven boards and three assists, came in the first half.
March Rookie Madness
The Orlando Magic evidently found their franchise point guard, and his name is Elfrid Payton. Just two nights after achieving his first ever triple-double (15-10-12 against Dallas), Payton produced a second straight triple-double during the Magic’s 111-104 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on March 20. Payton played great defense against Damian Lillard, holding him to 18 points on just 6-of-15 shooting, and finished with 22 points on 10-of-13 shooting with 10 boards, and 10 assists.
His triple-doubles have given him national praise, but with the numbers he’s been putting up, he’s earned much more face-time than he’s received. After his second triple-double, Payton averaged 14.6 points, 6.1 rebounds, 8.8 assists, and 2.1 steals during the month of March, and is going to steal a slight amount of momentum away from Andrew Wiggins for Rookie of the Year. If Payton was like this all season, he would win the award undoubtedly. What’s crazy is that he still has lots of potential for growth, despite being an impressive well-rounded player already. He needs much work with his perimeter and free-throw shooting, but Payton does project as a shooter once he hits his prime, albeit not a dead-eye shooter. Payton’s long wingspan, athleticism, and basketball IQ could turn him into an elite difference maker down in the post too. Aside from Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker, Elfrid Payton is the rookie most likely to reach All-Star status within the next several years.
Elfrid Payton Triple-Double Highlights vs Blazers (2015.03.20) – 22 Pts,…: https://t.co/MypKkyZLxn via @YouTube
— Jo Banks Inu (@hogz4lyfe) March 26, 2015
-This video was posted by GD’s Extra Highlights
Payton wasn’t the only rookie who added to his Rookie of the Year case on March 20. Nerlens Noel and his 76ers were favored to win for the first time all season and came through as they bludgeoned the Knicks 97-81. Stuff like this from Noel explains why they won so handily:
Get out my kitchen. https://t.co/bRHfDSC5be
— Jo Banks Inu (@hogz4lyfe) March 26, 2015
-This Vine was posted by Sixers
His performance against the lowly Knicks was arguably his best of the season, as he scored a career-high 23 points on 9-of-14 shooting, while grabbing 14 rebounds. His defense is usually elite, but he took it to a whole different level in this one with three steals and five rejections. One of those swats was the brutal block he put on Lou Amundson, as seen above.
Noel certainly isn’t the Rookie of the Year, but it’s possible that he has been the best rook since the All-Star break. The ex-Kentucky baller had averaged an astounding 12.5 points, 9.7 rebounds, 2.4 steals, and 2.5 blocks in the 15 games before his beatdown of the Knicks. Noel is not a guy who people expect to become a superstar in this league, but his impact is felt on both sides of the floor, especially by the rim. He’s not just a rim-protector, though. He’s one of the league’s better pick-and-roll defenders and his long arms make him an asset when trying to clog the passing lanes.
Gallo Goes For 40
Danilo Gallinari is back folks. The man who played a huge part in making Denver basketball an exciting experience back in 2011 and 2012 gave us a reminder on March 22 of the player he used to be before injuries hampered his career. The 26-year-old fueled the team’s 119-101 destruction of Orlando with a career-high 40 points on 12-of-21 shooting, while going 6-of-13 from downtown. If “The Rooster” never tore his ACL on April 4, 2013 against Dallas, dominant shooting performances like this could have become the norm for him. Instead, it’s the first time he’s scored at least 30 points since December 28, 2012, which was when he scored his previous career-high of 39 against Dallas as well.
Danilo Gallinari Drops a Career-High 40 Points on the Magic: https://t.co/tUnRi5Xh3N via @YouTube
— Jo Banks Inu (@hogz4lyfe) March 30, 2015
-This video was posted by the NBA
Harden Sets The Pace in Indiana
Chef Curry ain’t the only player cookin’ with the sauce this season. Chef Harden is still cookin’ his way to an MVP-award with his eighth 40-point game of the season in a 110-100 win over the Pacers on March 23. To be more specific, Harden dropped 44 on Indiana, with 21 of those coming from the free-throw line. It doesn’t matter that Stephen Curry is the catalyst for the NBA’s most unstoppable team, or that Russell Westbrook can’t do anything besides rack up trip-dubs. I feel like James Harden is merely going to shoot his way to becoming the MVP.
One play in particular was one of the most impressive I’ve seen during the month of March. Harden put on an impressive show of ball-handling skills on George Hill to nail the step-back as the shot clock expired in the game’s final minute. The bucket gave Harden his 41st point of the night. In Hill’s defense, he gave it his all on this play. He defended Harden as well as anyone could, staying with him despite the crossovers, spin move, and numerous jab steps. If Harden didn’t do his stepback, Hill totally would have his hand in Harden’s face. Sorry Georgey, but in life, sometimes your best effort just won’t be good enough.
Good Lord. James you're just mean. https://t.co/1OF0zAW64h
— Jo Banks Inu (@hogz4lyfe) March 30, 2015
-This Vine was posted by Hiren Joshi
Fear The Deer
-This GIF can be found on GIFSoup.com
The GIF doesn’t do the Milwaukee Bucks justice on just how impressive this game-winning bucket was against the Miami Heat on March 24. Miami was up by 12 in the final five minutes after being in control throughout the entire game. Missed shot after missed shot later, the Heat had their backs against the wall with 17 seconds left in the game and Dwyane Wade at the charity stripe. After Wade missed one, Bucks’ Ersan Ilyasova nailed a free throw of his own before Michael Beasley and Jerryd Bayless got tied up for the jump ball with fewer than 11 seconds remaining.
Beasley, who is much larger than Bayless, surprisingly lost the tip. Bayless then proceeded to attack the basket and miss the layup. The ball was suddenly knocked away from the paint, with Zaza Pachulia improbably beating Goran Dragic to the rock. The Bucks’ big man then perfectly hurls the ball out to the young, promising swingman Khris Middleton who beats the odds by the draining a game-winning triple with Wade in his grill. The Bucks stepped up and secured a crazy 89-88 win. The sheer luck and unlikeliness of all of this must be seen via video:
Khris Middleton game-winner buzzer-beater three-pointer: Miami Heat at Milwaukee Bucks: https://t.co/PwtmHeDN9x via @YouTube
— Jo Banks Inu (@hogz4lyfe) March 30, 2015
-This video was posted by watchnba201415
The Bucks took that momentum to their next contest on March 26 against the Pacers, which was the only NBA game on that night. You were likely too busy watching the Kentucky Wildcats, so allow me to fill you in on Ghostface Ilya’s best game. The oft-overlooked, underrated forward put up a career-high 34 points on Indiana. There weren’t any expectations surrounding his performance after he bricked his first shot. As a result, nobody imagined that he would drain his next 12 attempts. Just look at all this green!
The Turk finished the game with a +19, suggesting that he was the biggest reason why the Bucks were in control throughout and were able to hang on as the Pacers made a fierce comeback attempt late. The Bucks have played sloppily since the All-Star break and recently endured a six-game losing streak. However, their wins against the Heat and Pacers have gone a long way towards their efforts to secure the sixth seed.
The Tale of the Golden State and the Empire State
Am I the only one who thought there was something hilarious about the Knicks losing for the 60th time this season on the same night, March 28, the Warriors won for the 60th time this season? After all, this is the first time in either team’s history that the Warriors have won 60 and that the Knicks have lost 60. What makes it funny to me is that the symmetry of these two milestones comes after Steve Kerr was faced with the decision of coaching either the Warriors or Knicks just this past offseason. Pretty obvious which decision was the right one now, I guess.
What’s especially interesting to think about, though, is how different things might be if the Knicks had been able to draft Stephen Curry in 2009. Curry was drafted by the Warriors at seventh overall, with the Knicks just missing him at the eighth spot. Curry ultimately wanted to play ball in New York, and the Knicks were set on drafting him if he fell to them. Plus, New York boasted a much more talented team that year than what it’s got now. Their roster had young (at the time) talents like David Lee, Nate Robinson, Wilson Chandler, and Danilo Gallinari. Curry’s sophomore season, 2010-2011, was also Lee’s All-Star season, and we would have been able to see what Curry could have been in Mike D’Antoni’s notoriously fast-paced system. Oh well…knowing how poorly the Knicks were managed, they probably would’ve included Curry in the trade to get Carmelo Anthony.
Jonathan Ebanks is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Jonathan, check out his archive and follow him @hogz4lyfe.
