PREYING FOR A WIN!

The Hawks are in town, to start our home stand,
Forget that road trip--we were (are) undermanned!
Olynyk is out (toe), wearing a walking boot.
Rondo dissed Brad; players didn't give a hoot.

Hawks have Brand, back to back, age 34,
Hope he'll be fatigued--also no Millsap on the floor.
Last time we met, Hawks won--New Year's Eve.
That is sooooo last year. In Green we believe.

Korver: 126th straight game shooting the three,
First score of the game, no waiting to see.
Hawks led off on a 21-6 run.
Cs more TOs than baskets, bad start Q1.

"Forceful Driver" Wallace, hard to the hoop he came,
He is playing in his 800th career game.
Great steal Rondo, landed on his chin.
Need some momentum, good thing Johnson is in!

At the end of Q1 crowd finally started to shout,
On a very loud dunk when Green did bust out!
Cs within 2 to start Q2.
Anthony reminding us what he can do.

Bayless, Joel bold, Cs took their first lead,
JOHNSON FOR THREE! Ball movement we need!
Pressey, Rondo together pick up the pace,
Wallace, Bass, Green flying all over the place.

Near end Q2, Rondo to Green alley-oop!
On 54% shooting, 2 point lead Cs group.
BAYLESS FOR THREE! Wallace a crafty vet.
Korver taking threes, he hasn't missed yet.

BAYLESS FOR THREE! THREE! THREE! RONDO THREE!
Life from Teague and Brand we would rather not see.
Cs up 2 at the start of Q4,
BAYLESS FOR THREE! As a C, season high score!

Pressey, Hump, Bayless (!) contributed in Q4,
Teague bothering the Cs everywhere on the floor.
GREEN FOR THREE! Phantom fouls both ways,
Tonight I have loved the way Bayless plays!

Rondo, Wallace double doubles, in these Cs no quit,
Brad, and yes, Rondo, set the tone for it!
Among the Cs fans there is ear-to-ear grinning--
Why? Cs BY 11! Quote Charlie Sheen, "...WINNING!"

SOUR NOTES

0 and 12 on the road against the West,
Tonight in Utah Cs will try their best.
Brad has wonderful memories on this floor,
2010 Butler won, went to the Final Four.

Gotta be very careful in this Jazz joint,
They are famous for the second-chance point.
Jazz went on a 13-3 run,
Olynyk a spark mid-Q1!

Cs 6-0 run, mostly by Green,
Road trip games, aggressive he's been.
Cs within 9 at the end of Q1,
Jazz (Hayward) alley-ooping, another run.

Hah! Rondo to Green alley-oop,
Again Olynyk the spark for our group!
Rondo makes a difference just with his pass,
Great for GREEN FOR THREE, for Olynyk and Bass.

38% shooting, Cs within 13 start Q3,
Most notable in the half: Cs played no D.
A downtempo game, huge problem for the Cs,
The not-great-shooting Jazz keep making threes.

Jefferson a loud dunk, thirteenth year in the League!
Cs have that 4-games-in-6-nights fatigue.
Favors is huge, double-teaming not enough,
Kelly Olynyk needs an upper body more tough.

Cs out of sync everywhere on the floor,
Within 15 to start Q4.
GREEN FOR THREE! Then hard to the hoop,
BAYLESS FOR THREE! Signs of life for our group?

Cs went on an 10-3 run,
OLYNYK FOR THREE, been getting it done.
Rondo and Burks fighting on and off the ball,
Once again whole game Cs can't get a call!

Olynyk great steal, Bayless good shot,
Cs spent the night intermittently hot.
BAYLESS FOR THREE! West coast trip 0 for 4,
Cs lost: 110-98 final score.

THE KING(S) AND NIGH

Tonight in Sacramento two more guys we'll lack:
Sully, mild concussion, Rondo, no back to back.
Sloppy shooting both teams, Kings a 12-3 run,
A coast a coast shot--Pressey finally made one.

WALLACE FOR THREE! Love the hustle of this Vet.
McLemore's bold, young and fast, Cs can't forget.
Joel Anthony sighting, rebounds, blocks and a shot.
Rondo-like move Thomas, to the rim he got.

Last game Thomas and Bayless got into it--why?
Who knows? Thomas called Bayless a "fake tough guy."
On 28% shooting, Cs within 7 end Q1.
Green really struggled, got nothing done.

Like it was for Marbury, tough on Rudy Gay,
Teams seem to get better when he goes away.
Cs some ball movement, JOHNSON FOR THREE!
Bayless coast to coast, a little energy we see.

Kings, with the refs help, went on an 8-0 run,
Cousins hassled Hump--techs, each got one!
HUMP IS A BEAST-gotta love his D,
Cs a 10-2 run, (finally) GREEN FOR THREE!

Johnson great steal!! Everyone loves this kid,
Cs within 8 end Q2--stopped the skid.
Bayless and Hump have a good thing going,
But Cs' D breaks down, weaknesses are showing.

Gay heated up, finally Bass hard to the hoop,
Excellent effort from the Cs' short-handed group.
Watching Bayless is often fun,
Every time to the hoop he screams, "AAAAND ONE!"

GREEN FOR THREE! Kings aren't missing:
Shooting threes--off the glass they are kissing.
On 40% shooting, Cs within 7 end Q3.
Green more aggressive, many free throws has he.

JOHNSON FOR THREE! OLYNYK FOR THREE!
Hump season high!  Cousins?? Crazy is he!
Landry flagrant on Olynyk, the call on the floor,
On his first free throw, Olynyk tied the score!

Kings continued to go on a scoring run,
Cs worked hard, just couldn't get it done.
Cs missed free throws, hurt them most tonight.
Cousins shoving Hump! So many missed calls, not right!

WHAT AN AMAZING NIGHT WE HAD:
WALLACE WAS THROWN OUT AND SO WAS BRAD!
Coach used no expletives, no techs were given,
Ref didn't like Doc! This is the life Brad's livin'!

These Kings/refs are nuts, best to get out of town,
Cs played with all heart, they should not feel down.
Green and Hump together can share the game ball,
Even though to the Kings by 7 we did fall.

"WE'RE MIRRORS OF EACH OTHER." Magic Johnson on Larry Bird

In The Association, Cs and Lakers are at the bottom,
Injuries? New guys? Sad record? Both got 'em.
Talk about lottery picks and deliberate tankings--
Rivalries can happen anywhere in the rankings!

Happy Birthday, Rondo (tomorrow), your cake can be green,
Since you weren't swallowed up (phew) in that trade machine.
No Nash; last minute decision, Gasol will play.
Kobe's angry "psycho competitor" Blake was sent away.

Imagine how Brad felt on his first Trade Deadline Day
When his entire team could have been traded away!
GREEN FOR THREE! Inspired! Plays better on the road,
Home crowd pressure seems to make him implode.

Rondo to Green, glorious alley-oop!
Gasol the most reliable in the Lakers group.
Two quick steals by Olynyk, ball movement, touch pass,
All the guys stayed with it, the job was finished by Bass!

To beat the shot clock, RONDO FOR THREE!
Johnson's energy and enthusiasm is fun to see.
On 48% shooting, Cs up 9 to start Q2,
Lakers a 9-0 run on just what Kaman can do.

Pressey is auditioning to be backup PG,
Still question whether that is what he can be.
Tough game to watch, Cs up 2 end Q2,
GREEN FOR THREE! So much he can do!

In one month MarShon is on team number three,
With D'Antoni's Lakers he can shoot, play no D.
Simmons (with Gorman) telling stories galore,
Not analyzing the not-much-happening on the floor.

Sully continues to work hard on the glass,
Gathering himself well at the hoop is Bass.
Wallace and Bayless great give and go,
Cs Bench sparking a game that was painfully slow.

Cs up 11 to start Q4,
Bass the best C on the floor.
Lakers suddenly went on their "quarterly" run,
MarShon stared down our Bench on the tying one.

WOW! Kaman's (?) Lakers are suddenly on fire,
Thanks to Farmar, and MarShon, their new hire.
Refs no more calls for the Cs, Lakers shot after shot,
Brad yelling on the sideline, happy he's not.

Kaman threw Sully hard to the floor.
Brad positive, encouraged the guys to score!
Alternating quarters we play the same,
2 bad, 2 good won't win the game.

Bazemore played his first game as a Laker,
Suddenly he became a reliable shot maker.
Somehow Farmar outplayed Rondo in Q4!
The Lakers bench continued to score.

Cs lost. It's very hard to think of a positive spin.
Ainge says NOT a great draft--turns out we're in.

THE SUN WILL COME OUT...TOMORROW

All the Cs, including Brad, must ignore the trade chatter,
Only at 3PM tomorrow will any of this noise matter.
Rumors: Rondo, Bass, Green, Hump...scary quiet on AB....
4 games in 6 nights, different time zones there are three.

Tonight we're in Phoenix, Ryan McDonough GMs them,
He worked years with Ainge--each says the other's a gem.
Suns have their "Dragon (Dragic)," and their own Green,
Whose skills in Bledsoe's absence have been seen.

SULLY FOR THREE! Finally a C did score.
Wallace two quick steals, Cs are running the floor!
Our Green looks so comfy with his jump shot,
Answered each time by what the other Green's got.

Bass goes up hard with two hands on the ball,
Like 'Nique's two-handed shot, he makes us recall.
Bass nice block! Cs within 8 end Q1,
Good to see Barbosa back in The Valley of the Sun.

JOHNSON FOR THREE! Cs a 10-2 run,
JOHNSON FOR THREE! Watching him is fun!
Morris Twins on the same team, so neither can boast;
Suns have a Plumlee, there's one (Nets) on each coast.

Suns' turnovers hurting them. Cs within 2 start Q3.
In the second half the Cs need to play some D.
Three hoops in a row, Cs lead--all Bass!
Still wanna keep him--hustle and class!

GREEN FOR THREE! Rondo's back, you can see:
Guys are getting the ball right where it needs to be!
Frye shouldered Wallace hard to the ground.
Wallace, scrum, "time out!"--veteran moves so sound.

Suns a 15-1 run, mostly on that fast break,
Advantage of their lead (10) the Cs could not take.
On consecutive threes (buzzer), Cs within 5 start Q4,
Tucker, fined for flopping, throwing himself to the floor!

To start Q4 four quick fouls called on the Cs,
Bodies flying everywhere! Rondo coast to coast. Geez!
Rondo a double double, made three shots in a row,
When he's in the game, tempo is no longer slow!

Great block by Bass! Green in the fray,
The refs are letting these guys play.
OLYNYK FOR THREE! Guess who made the pass?
Did I mention the great game that was played by Bass?

Suddenly in Q4 calls went just one way,
Not for the Cs. Need I say?
Frye bumped Wallace to the ground then made a three,
C'mon--another foul the refs didn't see?

Tucker's wild, fouled out, flopping and fouling like mad,
No tech?? Complains loudly that every call on him is bad.
Sully got hobbled (calf cramp?), he fell to the floor,
Cs fought hard, within 6 at the end of Q4....

See you Friday (with Bill Simmons) in LA,
Who will (still) be a C after Trade Day?

SPUR OF THE MOMENT

LeBaby says he is destined to be on Mt. Swishmore--
Says someone has to be bumped if there can be only four.
Of  course, there's Jordan, Russell, Magic and Bird,
Robertson? Pettit? Duncan's, Kareem's...names were heard.

Last game at the Gahden (Spurs) before the All-Star break,
By 2/20, which of these Cs will the other teams take?
Practically all the Cs' names churning through the trade machine,
Mostly Bass, Wallace, Hump, even AB--of course, Green.

Resprained ankle the MRI results for AB,
Hope not long term--conservative with him we'll be.
Cs' best D stats are with Wallace and Green on the floor,
Spurs (best road record): no Parker, no Ginobli, and more.

What's the story with the phantom calls on Bass?
Happens every night--refs' decision en masse?
Cs at 8% shooting (yep). Spurs a 13-2 opening run.
RONDO FOR THREE! FOR THREE! One way to get it done!

Olynyk very aggressive, down the floor he can run.
GREEN FOR THREE! Cs within 6 at the end of Q1.
Hump good D! Block! Sweet shot--Olynyk, too,
PRESSEY FOR THREE! Cs grab a lead early Q2!

Spurs play a system that is so well-schooled,
Whether their D is off, or their offense has cooled.
Are we showcasing Hump? Great all-around spark!
In Boston I would like his...sneakers to park!

Green crazy hard to the hoop! Cs within 4 end Q2.
Start Q3, Cs ball movement, Wallace scored, too.
Duncan poor shooting, not a happy guy,
Looking at the refs like they're the reason why.

Our Green vs their Green. This Q we're showcasing Bass?
Another C on whom I hope the other teams will pass.
Phantom fouls on the Cs--for Duncan--during Q3,
The kind of Not-Basketball we hate to see.

Just Olynyk, Hump double figs, Cs within 5 start Q4.
Spurs are making threes, the difference in the score.
Purple sneakers--Black History Month--worn by some Cs,
Who need to recover from their Missing-Shots-Disease.

RONDO FOR THREE! Shooting percent better--great!
Duncan fell down, of course, phantom call--late.
Tonight is the end of Sully's double double streak.
Cs (except Sully, Olynyk) should have a restful week.

Spurs went on an 11-0 run,
Sully defending Duncan was not fun.
RONDO FOR THREE! What a night for him,
Olynyk's second double double, finding his rhythm.

Almost a triple double, for Bayless a great night,
Bass, too. Cs will soon learn to finish a game right.
Tip to buzzer, these Cs want to win it,
No matter their skill level, their hearts are always in it.

PASS THE BUCK(S)

Rondo's scheduled out; bad ankle, so no AB,
Whose shooting was off, limping you could see.
Pressey and Wallace getting the start.
Sully East Player of the Week, skill and heart!

Bucks: hold the Mayo (couldn't resist); BKnight alone.
No Ilyasova, Butler, Sanders--fractured orbital bone.
Bucks have won just nine games, that's all they could do.
Against the Celtics? That's where they got two!

Tough time of year, with the trade deadline looming,
It's hard on the players--Cs' front office is booming.
One thing about Bass has to make you love him:
He's smooth--for his kids he's learning to swim!

Only nine players tonight are dressed in Green,
Except for Sully, just jump shots we have seen.
An aggressive, athletic Green has come to play,
"Forceful Driver" Wallace scrappy in his usual way.

Worrying me a little is great playing by Bass.
Do you think on him Ainge will decide to pass?
WALLACE FOR THREE! Cs a 16-8 run,
Great play Bass! Cs up 2 at the end of Q1.

Giannis Anteokounmpo, easier to spell than say his name,
Bucks love him for energy, joy, great smile--and his game!
PRESSEY FOR THREE! With CJ, great give and go,
Skill of Henson and Wolters against the Cs does show.

PRESSEY FOR THREE! Green to the hoop--love to see!
On just 39% shooting, Cs up 3 start Q3.
Pressey was called for a trip(4th!)--he was ten feet away.
Wow! Definitely time for the refs to let the guys play.

Green looks so fluid, incredible body control,
Gotta love when he takes the ball to the hole!
Zaza has always been an irritant, he's the birthday boy.
Each time down the floor some cheesy physical ploy.

Off the bench a spark when in came CJ!
Brad is positive, encouraging when our guys play.
On (better) 43% shooting, Cs up 2 start Q4,
Green making shots from all over the floor!

OLYNYK FOR THREE! GREEN FOR THREE!
Three on one, Bayless, great charge we did see.
Unusual play for Olynyk--hard to the hoop, score!
Then that lefty hook, big man running the floor!

Tough for the short handed Bucks, Henson ankle sprain,
Came down on Zaza's foot, you could see his pain.
Pressey, Sully, Olynyk, one big highlight,
Or just Jeff Green--most of the night!

Two undermanned struggling teams fought to the finish,
Whether wins or losses the Cs heart doesn't diminish.
Third game in four nights, Cs-Bucks series evens,
Proud of the guys must be (Fans and) Coach Stevens.

Cs hustled, PRESSEY FOR THREE, Green at his peak!
Sully's 7th double double, Cs by 16...
ONE is the streak!