29.4.08
NBA: Johnson, Smith soar high as Hawks even series
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Kobe leads Lakers sweep of Nuggets, Magic advance with Howard's third 20-20.
ATLANTA - Al Horford contesting Kevin Garnett's jumpshot in Game 4 of their best-of-7 series. The Hawks won, 97-92. (photo taken from : celtics247.com)Series tied, 2-2.
Young, inexperienced, impressive.
In Games 1 and 2, the Hawks merely fitted the first two description, getting blown out by the NBA team with the best record. But in the past game, and in this one, they were simply living up to the third one.
The Hawks delivered in the fourth quarter, and blew the C's 10-point lead heading into the final quarter, evening the series with a 97-92 win. Johnson sparked the youngest team in the NBA Playoffs with 35 points, 7 out of 10 in the final period, and Smith gave another fine performance with 7 swats, and 28 points, 12 in the fourth.
The Celtics started on fire, as opposed to the Hawks who missed like crazy. But they managed to bounce back with spurts of their own, and finish the first half with a 3-point lead. Game 5 is on Wednesday, ET, (Thursday in the Philippines), at the Garden in Boston.
Emdyey's say: The Hawks are coming of age, despite being a very young team. The Celtics, however, seemed to have lost some confidence, coming from an earlier loss, in Atlanta as well. The Celtics have to find their touch, and fix their chemistry, or they'll be making history by being the second first-seeded team to lose in the first round. The Hawks are on a roll, and this win should be a very huge confidence boost for them. They are still underdogs, though. Miracles and upsets happen in the NBA, but the C's have a majestic history to continue and live up to.
Expect the Celtics to fight back and save their season, and their line up.
Orlando Magic 102, Toronto Raptors 92.
Orlando wins series, 4-1.
With his third 20-20 of the series, Howard lived up to his "Superman" moniker, as the Orlando Magic finished off the Toronto Raptors, to be the first team to advance in a series for the first time since 1996, when they still had Shaquille O'Neal in his earlier seasons, a player widely compared to Howard.
Despite his team's three-point shooting woes, and the task of guarding Chris Bosh, which he did very well, Superman carried his team with his inside plays, finishing with 21 points and 21 boards. Chris Bosh, on the other hand, was limited to 16 points and 9 rebounds. Jameer Nelson and the Most Improved awardee Hedo Turkoglu pitched 19 and 18 points, respectively.
The Orlando Magic is currently waiting for the winner of the Detroit Pistons-Philadelphia 76ers series.
Emdyey's say: Shades of Shaq's greatness are showing in Dwight Howard. With Most Improved Hedo Turkoglu and overpriced Rashard Lewis on the frontcourt with him, the Magic can go a long way in the playoffs, with still lots of room for improvement.
Expect them to give their next opponents a good hard fight. They might even win their next series.
Los Angeles Lakers 107, Denver Nuggets 101.
Lakers sweep Nuggets, 4-0.
An MVP-ish stat line, and the heart of the team leader that helped sweep another 50-win team, and get more resting time. The leading MVP candidate proved that he possesses these, and that he can deliver indeed.
Kobe Bryant, that is.
"He is unbelievable," teammate Luke Walton said.
Indeed. The 12-year veteran helped spark his team, as they fought off any surge the Nuggets threw at them with 30 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists. Gasol helped finish them off with 21 points.
The Lakers are the only team to sweep their opponent in the current playoffs, and the second team to advance, next to the Magic who won earlier. They are currently waiting for the winner of the Houston-Utah series.
Emdyey's say: Kobe's time is now, and he's not backing out from anything. A sweep of the Nuggets is just the Lakers' and Kobe's first step in reliving the franchise's glory days. This victory should cap off Kobe's win in the MVP race.
Expect them to go far, with Kobe in his top gear, Gasol performing well as his sidekick, and the whole Lakers cast pitching in. Whether or not Bynum would be back, the Lakers will roll.
That's it for today. Until next time.
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