It was one for the books, an eerie bizarre coming straight from the files of the twilight zone. It was an oddly and a very strange Sunday in the NBA as three of top five teams in the league crashed out one after another and it almost came very close to being four top teams, if not for a last-second rimmed-out jumper.
Sundays usually represents a glorious day but not last Sunday night (Monday morning, Manila time) as the defending champions Boston Celtics were beaten at home by the AI-less Detroit Pistons, 105-95. It was the Celtics first-ever home loss to an eastern squad this season.
Then came last year’s runner-up the Los Angeles Lakers, which got waylaid in Phoenix by a suddenly rejuvenated Shaquille O’Neal and the Suns, 118-111. It was a painful defeat for the Western pacesetters which lost for the second straight game despite Kobe Bryant’s 49 big points.
Next is the Southwest Division leading San Antonio Spurs, which got routed in Portland by the young Trailblazers five, 102-84.
Only Central Division leaders Cleveland escaped “Black Sunday” as the Cavaliers nosed out a hard-fighting Atlanta Hawks, 88-87, thanks to a free throw conversion by LeBron James and a missed-out jumper by Joe Johnson as time run out. James scored 26 points to lead the Cavs despite not hitting any field goal in the last canto.
It was the second time this season that both the Celtics and the Lakers lost on the same day. Last November 14, the Celtics were ambushed at home by the Denver Nuggets, 94-85 while the Lakers were stunned by the Pistons, 106-95.
The Cavaliers truly made a great escape on a “Black Sunday”. Could it be a portent of things to come, with the play-offs just around the corner? Let us wait and see.
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