Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Celtics Rally, Lakers Trash Rockets, Granger Wins Most Improved







In Boston, the Boston Celtics beat the Orlando Magic 92-88 to take a 3-2 series lead in their second round matchup. The Magic had a 10-point lead with 5:39 left in the fourth quarter when the Celtics stormed back and took the lead and take the game from the Magic. Glen "Big Baby" Davis led the Celtics with 22 points, and Paul Pierce contributed 19 points and nine rebounds. Kendrick Perkins led the Celtics with 11 rebounds. For the Magic, Rashard Lewis led the Magic with 19 points, and Hedo Turkoglu and Dwight Howard were valuable contributors also. Turkoglu had 18 points and seven assists, and Howard had 12 points and 17 rebounds. Game 6 is Thursday in Orlando.






In Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Lakers trashed the Houston Rockets, beating them 118-78 to also take a 3-2 series lead in their matchup. Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 26 points, in which he only scored in three quarters. He sat out the fourth quarter after the game was already in hand. Pau Gasol was also instrumental, scoring 16 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. For the Rockets, Aaron Brooks led the Rockets with a paltry 14 points, which was one of the reasons they lost by so much. Luis Scola scored 12 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. Game 6 is Thursday in Houston.






Danny Granger of the Indiana Pacers has won the NBA's Most Improved Player award, beating out Devin Harris of the New Jersey Nets and Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Granger averaged a career-high 25.8 points per game, which was fifth in the NBA. He also appeared in his first NBA All-Star Game this past season, being voted in by the coaches. Granger has improved his scoring average every year since he's been in the NBA, going from 7.6 points per game to his career best this year. Granger's success did not translate to success for the Pacers, who didn't make the playoffs this season with a 36-46 record.

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