NBA stars shine in Sunday spectacular
By Homer D. Sayson
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 06 Mar 2012
IT was just another Sunday, another day in the NBA when eight regular season games were in the calendar.
But this one went for the ages, one that will go in the books as perhaps the finest of them all as All-Stars and future Hall-of-Famers from both the East and the West flaunted the stuff that shows exactly why the NBA is the premiere pro basketball league in the planet.
The day began with Boston versus New York, a match-up that made fans giddy over the anticipation of a point guard battle royale pitting Celtic Rajon Rondo and Knick sensation Jeremy Lin, the Harvard alum who launched the Linsanity craze.
That duel proved to be gigantic mismatch as Lin struggled with only 14 points to go with his 5 assists and 6 turnovers while Rondo pocketed his 11th career triple-double with a memorable 18-point, 20-assist and 17-rebound performance to lead the Celtics over the Knicks in overtime, 115-111.
In the second offering of the day, Kobe Bryant ignored both a broken nose and a tough Miami defense, scoring 33 points as the Lakers beat the Heat 93-83 at the Staples Centers in Los Angeles.
Kobe, who is playing with torn ligaments in his wrist, made 14 of 23 shots. He jumpstarted the Lakers to an early lead by scoring 16 points in the first quarter and going 8-of-10 from the field.
LeBron James led the vanquished Heat with 25 points, 13 reboounds and 7 assists. Dwyane Wade, the other Heat superstar, fouled out with 16 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists. Chris Bosh, the last piece of Miami's Big 3, skipped the game to attend his grandmother's funeral.
THE Chicago Bulls showcased their own star power in the early evening hours when Derrick Rose and company traveled to Philadelphia to face the Atlantic Division leading Sixers of coach Doug Collins.
Derrick Rose came through on this one, lighting up for 35 points as the Bulls escaped with a 96-91 triumph. The best team in the NBA record-wise, the Bulls are now 31-8 while the Oklahoma City Thunder of the West are a nose behind at 29-8.
In a see-saw fourth quarter which saw the Bulls' 13-point lead melt down to 2, Rose connected on an off-balance, running jumper that gave Chicago a 93-89 bubble with 20.2 seconds to go.
Rondo, Kobe and Rose all had awe-inspiring performances. But on that spectacular Sunday, New Jersey Nets guard Deron Williams took the cake with an incredible season-high mass production of 57 points as the Nets edged the Bobcats, 104-101, at the Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte.
The 6-foot-3, 209-pound Williams sank 16 of 29 shots. The 3-time All-Star went perfect from the free throw line, 21 of 21, and converted 4 of 11 triples. The 27-old Williams also had 6 rebounds and 7 assists.
Healthier now after injuries plagued the team to open the season, the Nets improved to 12-26. But they have a long way to go for a playoffs spot in the tough East.
The Bobcats, meanwhile, continue to linger in the bottom of the standings with a woeful 4-31 slate.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Homer D. Sayson.
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