Split Personality Teams - NBA Basketball News And Picks

Split Personality Teams
By Martin Gitlin
Posted 7:00 am PDT 2006-12-18

Granted, winning on the road in the NBA is tough. Plane travel, unfamiliar environments and hostile crowds do tend to diminish a team's chances.

But some teams treat opposing courts as if they were diseased.

The Los Angeles Clippers are 9-4 at home, 1-8 on the road. They are merely one example. Others include Toronto (6-3 home, 3-11 road), Washington (9-3, 2-8), Cleveland (11-2, 3-7), Chicago (10-2, 4-8), Indiana (8-2, 5-10), Los Angeles Lakers (13-3, 3-4) and Golden State (11-5, 1-7).

Simply, many teams don't play with the same continuity on the road. Cavaliers star LeBron James complained about that after an 81-74 loss in Orlando on Saturday night in which his team rolled to a 23-12 first-quarter lead, then collapsed.

"I think (on the road) we kind of press too much, and at home we just play," James told The Plain Dealer. "One the road we press too hard to not make a mistake."

The Pacers are a prime example. The are 4-0 at home and 0-4 on the road in their last eight games. All four victories were by at least 11 points. All four defeats were by at least 15 points, including a 32-point debacle in Cleveland.

That might change Sunday afternoon when Indiana hosts tough Utah. WagerWeb.com lists Indiana as a 2-point favorite.

TOO LATE IN MEMPHIS? With Pau Gasol rounding back into shape, the question in Memphis is this: Is it too late for the Grizzlies to get back into the race?

Memphis was a solid playoff team last season, but now owns the worst record in the NBA at 5-19. The latest in six consecutive defeats was Saturday night against visiting Miami, 98-90.

Coach Mike Fratello's slow-down style has been criticized this season after it had worked so well last year and in his previous coaching experiences. The Grizzlies are last in the NBA in field goal percentage (.427), second-last in assists-per-game (17.2) and third-last in scoring (92.3).

The return of Dwyane Wade from dental surgery didn't help Memphis on Saturday night. He scored a season-high 41 points on 15-of-24 shooting to give the Heat a much-needed offensive boost.

DRIBBLES: While Wade, Atlanta guard Joe Johnson and New York guard Channing Frye all returned to their lineups Saturday night, two other key players left their games. Charlotte forward Sean May, who had been contributing greatly off the bench, left with a sprained ankle, as did oft-injured Boston forward Wally Szczerbiak. ... Philadelphia hung tough at San Antonio on Saturday night before falling, 103-98. The 76ers were listed by WagerWeb.com as a 16 1/2-point underdog, the largest odds in the NBA this season. It still resulted in their 11th consecutive defeat. ... The New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets, who will likely return to New Orleans full-time next season, have collapsed after a fast start. They have lost eight of their last 10, including 90-79 at home against Dallas on Saturday night. ... One reason for New Jersey's struggles is that forward Richard Jefferson is playing on a sore right ankle. He pulled himself out of a game Wednesday night, didn't play Friday against Toronto and scored just 11 points in nearly 38 minutes on 2-for-7 shooting Saturday night in a 90-82 home defeat to Detroit. The answer might be extended rest.

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