| Friday May 9 | ||
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Ben Wallace C Cleveland CavaliersWallace, the Cavaliers' third-leading rebounder, left Game 2 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series against Boston on Thursday in the first quarter with what was originally called "dizziness'' and never returned. He said he expects to play Game 3 in Cleveland on Saturday night. Fantasy ImpactWallace is averaging 6.8 rebounds in eight playoff games so far, and had been playing solid defense on the Celtics in the early part of the series.. | |
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Chris Paul PG New Orleans HornetsPaul's amazing play in his first NBA playoff experience continued on Thursday as he scored 35 points and dished out nine assists, but the Spurs beat the Hornets 110-99 in Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals. Fantasy ImpactPaul is averaging 27.3 points and 11.3 assists so far in the series, often looking like the most dominant player on the court in a series full of stars.. | |
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Tony Parker PG San Antonio SpursParker had 31 points and 11 assists as the Spurs beat the Hornets 110-99 in Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals on Thursday night. Fantasy ImpactChris Paul has been getting all the hype, but Parker finally matched the Hornets' young star's performance on Thursday. He's now averaging a very impressive 26.6 points and 6.8 assists in eight games this postseason.. | |
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David West PF New Orleans HornetsWest had 23 points and 12 rebounds on Thursday but the Spurs beat the Hornets 110-99 in Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals. Fantasy ImpactWest has more than held his own so far against Tim Duncan and the rest of San Antonio's front line, averaging 21.0 points and 10.3 rebounds in the series' first three games.. | |
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Manu Ginobili SG San Antonio SpursGinobili had 31 points and six assists as the Spurs beat the Hornets 110-99 in Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals on Thursday night. Fantasy ImpactGinobili had been in a bit of a slump since looking great in the first two games of San Antonio's first-round series with Phoenix. He's averaging 19.3 points in eight playoff games overall, but has scored just 14.0 per game in the Spurs' three losses.. | |
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Ray Allen SG Boston CelticsAllen, who was held scoreless on 0-of-4 shooting in Boston's Game 1 win over Cleveland, didn't score again in the first half on Thursday, but chipped in 16 in the second half as the Celtics romped over the Cavaliers 89-73 in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series. Fantasy ImpactDating back to Game 7 against Atlanta, Allen is averaging 7.7 points on 26.9 percent shooting. But with the stifling defense the Celtics play, it's no longer incumbent upon Allen to put up big offensive numbers. After Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, a big night from Allen is a bonus.. | |
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Zydrunas Ilgauskas C Cleveland CavaliersIlgauskas was the Cavaliers' only effective offensive player for the second straight game on Thursday, scoring 19 points on 8-for-12 shooting in Cleveland's 89-73 loss to Boston in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series. Fantasy ImpactIlgauskas is averaging 20.5 points and 8.5 rebounds in the first two games of the series, but it's become evident that Cleveland needs to get its 7-foot-3 center more shots with LeBron James struggling and no one else stepping up.. | |
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Paul Pierce SG Boston CelticsPierce rebounded from a woeful 2-for-14, four-point performance in Game 1 by delivering a team-high 19 points in Game 2 on Thursday as Boston rolled over Cleveland in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series, winning 89-73. Fantasy ImpactPierce is averaging 16.6 points in nine playoff games so far, and made it clear on Thursday that he can still be effective offensively even while sharing duties on Cleveland's LeBron James on the defensive end.. | |
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LeBron James SF Cleveland CavaliersOne game after going 2-for-18 from the field and missing his last six shots, including a layup to tie the game with 8.5 seconds left, James missed his first three tries in Thursday's Game 2 and finished with 21 points on 6-for-24 shooting in the Cavaliers' 89-73 loss at Boston. Fantasy ImpactJames is averaging 16.5 points and shooting a dismal 19.0 percent in the first two games of the series. The Celtics' league-best defense has left both the NBA's leading scorer and his defensive-minded coach Mike Brown stymied.. | |
| Thursday May 8 | ||
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Pau Gasol C Los Angeles LakersGasol had 20 points, five rebounds, five assists and five blocked shots as the Lakers took a 2-0 lead in their second-round series against the Jazz with a 120-110 victory on Wednesday night. Fantasy ImpactThough Kobe Bryant is getting most of the attention for the Lakers' 6-0 start to the playoffs, Gasol is quietly averaging 21.2 points, 8.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 3.0 blocks while shooting 58.2 percent from the field.. | |
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Carlos Boozer PF Utah JazzBoozer was held to 10 points, five rebounds and 3-for-10 shooting while plagued by foul trouble in the Jazz's 120-110 loss to the Lakers in Game 2 of their second-round playoff series on Wednesday night. Fantasy ImpactThe big Lakers lineup has caused problems for the Jazz and Boozer, who has struggled with foul trouble in each of the first two games of the series. The All-Star forward is averaging 12.5 points and 37.5 percent shooting against the Lakers, and 15.1 points and 41.7 percent shooting overall in the playoffs. He averaged 21.1 points and shot 54.7 percent in the regular season.. | |
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Deron Williams PG Utah JazzWilliams had 25 points and 10 assists as the Jazz fell behind 0-2 in their second-round playoff series against the Lakers with a 120-110 loss on Wednesday night. Fantasy ImpactWilliams struggled with his shot in Game 1, making just five of 18 attempts in the 109-98 defeat. However, he's averaging team highs of 20.5 points and 8.8 assists while shooting 49.2 percent in eight playoff games.. | |
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Derek Fisher SG Los Angeles LakersFisher had 22 points and went 7-for-10 from the field and 4-for-5 from 3-point range against his former team as the Lakers took a 2-0 lead in their second-round series against the Jazz with a 120-110 victory on Wednesday night. Fantasy ImpactThough he had six steals, Fisher was mostly quiet in Game 1, scoring just five points on 2-for-6 shooting. His 22 points in Game 2 were the most he's scored against the Jazz in six meetings with them since leaving the team in the offseason to move to Los Angeles in order to be closer to proper medical care for his daughter, who has cancer in her left eye. Fisher helped the Jazz advance to the Western Conference finals last May.. | |
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Lamar Odom SF Los Angeles LakersOdom had 19 points and 16 rebounds as the Lakers took a 2-0 lead in their second-round series against the Jazz with a 120-110 victory on Wednesday night. Fantasy ImpactIt was the third double-double of the postseason for Odom, who's averaging 13.7 points and 10.3 rebounds in the Lakers' first six games - all wins.. | |
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Kobe Bryant SG Los Angeles LakersAfter receiving his first MVP trophy before the game, Bryant had 34 points, eight rebounds and six assists while shooting 11-for-18 from the field as the Lakers took a 2-0 lead in their second-round series against the Jazz with a 120-110 victory on Wednesday night. Fantasy ImpactBryant is averaging 34.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 6.3 assists while shooting 51.5 percent from the field in the Lakers' first six playoff games - all wins.. | |
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Rodney Stuckey Guard Detroit PistonsStuckey had 19 points while playing in place of injured Chauncey Billups in the Pistons' 111-86 Game 3 loss to the Magic on Wednesday night. Fantasy ImpactThe rookie guard out of Eastern Washington played a playoff-high 34 minutes, all after Billups strained his right hamstring after getting tangled up with Orlando's Jameer Nelson on a drive to the basket. Billups was still sore Thursday, and his status for Saturday's Game 4 is uncertain. Stuckey would likely be pushed into the starting lineup should Billups be sidelined.. | |
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Rasheed Wallace PF Detroit PistonsWallace was held to 11 points and 4-for-15 shooting as the Pistons lost Game 3 of their second-round playoff series against the Magic 111-86 on Wednesday night. Fantasy ImpactWallace is averaging 16.8 points and shooting 53.2 percent in five playoff games at home, but he's averaging just 9.8 points and shooting 29.3 percent in four games on the road.. | |
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Richard Hamilton SG Detroit PistonsHamilton scored a team-high 24 points and went 10-for-20 from the field as the Pistons lost Game 3 of their second-round playoff series against the Magic 111-86 on Wednesday night. Fantasy ImpactHamilton, leading the Pistons with 19.2 points per game in the playoffs, had no problem rebounding from his worst game of the postseason. He was held to 4-for-18 shooting in Game 2.. | |
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Tayshaun Prince SF Detroit PistonsPrince had 22 points and went 8-for-14 from the field as the Pistons lost Game 3 of their second-round playoff series against the Magic 111-86 on Wednesday night. Fantasy ImpactPrince has been one of the Pistons' most consistent scoring options in the postseason, averaging 16.6 points and shooting a remarkable 60.0 percent from the field. He averaged 13.2 points and shot 44.8 percent during the regular season.. | |
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Mo Williams PG Milwaukee BucksWilliams had surgery to repair ligament damage in his right thumb and is expected to be ready for training camp in October. Fantasy ImpactHe will have to wait six weeks before beginning basketball-related activity with a splint. Williams started the first year of a six-year contract worth $51.5 million by averaging 17.2 points and a career-best 6.3 assists in 66 games.. | |
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Best Ball Players by Number: Reader Response
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