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Elton Brand is on my Dynasty Fantasy Team
LA Clippers 99, Miami 89
LA Clippers 99, Miami 89
Preview - Box Score - Recap
By BETH HARRIS, AP Sports Writer
December 6, 2005
AP - Dec 6, 1:38 am EST
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LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Elton Brand is the first to admit it's too early in the season to entertain MVP thoughts. Don't tell that to Clippers fans, though.
Brand scored a season-high 37 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and tied his season high with six blocked shots, helping Los Angeles pull away in the fourth quarter of a 99-89 victory over the Miami Heat in a matchup of division leaders Monday night.
He punctuated the final minutes with a driving dunk and a jumper as fans chanted "MVP! MVP!"
"It feels good," Brand said. "But like I always say, though, it's just the team. Once the team wins, then the individual accolades come. I played with the Bulls and had 44 points one game and I didn't hear `MVP' once."
Sam Cassell added 18 points and 13 assists for the Clippers, who have won two straight and remain atop the Pacific Division.
"He's very solid and underrated," Cassell said about Brand. "He doesn't mind that as long as he gets respect from his peers. Everything he's doing, I expect him to do."
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Dwyane Wade scored 29 points for the Heat, the Southeast Division leaders despite losing two in a row. Jason Williams and Alonzo Mourning each added 17 points.
Wade and Mourning, who had 12 rebounds, combined for all of Miami's fourth-quarter points.
"Our lack of defense was the factor that made the difference," Mourning said. "We didn't stop their offensive drives. We were scoring and we made enough plays to win the game on the offensive end. We're a better defensive team than what we're showing, and we're hurting ourselves."
With Los Angeles ahead by three going into the fourth, Brand scored eight of the Clippers' first 12 points, extending their lead to 90-77.
"He's got the goods to be an All-Star," Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy said. "But we need to win for that to happen. As for MVP, we need to win a lot for that to happen."
After Miami ran off five in a row, Cuttino Mobley hit a 3-pointer that restored the lead to double digits.
The Clippers' Corey Maggette, who had 13 points, sprained his left foot when he landed on someone else's foot at the end of the third quarter and didn't return. He planned to have an MRI Tuesday.
AP - Dec 6, 1:37 am EST
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The Heat became the latest victim of the Clippers' defense, shooting 40 percent for the game. The Clippers' opponents had combined to shoot 41 from the floor in the season's first 16 games.
"Elton Brand was great. They did a good job of getting him the ball and we couldn't get to him. I'll take the blame for that," Heat coach Stan Van Gundy said. "They also did a great job defensively. We saw why they're the No. 1 field goal percentage defense team in the league."
The teams played an even third period, each scoring 26 points, with the Clippers never ahead by more than seven points. Maggette scored their final six points and Los Angeles took a 78-75 lead into the final 12 minutes.
The Clippers fell behind by 12 points in the first quarter, something they routinely did last season.
"This year, we've been able to sustain it," Dunleavy said. "We've been able to make adjustments, figure it out and understand better than we have in the past."
Miami played without Shaquille O'Neal, not yet recovered from a sprained right ankle that has kept him out of all but two games this season.
After the game, O'Neal said he would practice Tuesday, but probably wouldn't return until next week at the earliest. He said he still has trouble moving side-to-side.
The Clippers went retro for the NBA's Hardwood Classics Night, wearing the orange-black-and-white road uniforms of the 1970-71 Buffalo Braves, the team's original incarnation. Later, they moved to San Diego and adopted the Clippers' moniker before ending up in Los Angeles.
Notes
Miami F Antoine Walker went scoreless for the second time in his career on 0-for-10 shooting. ... The announced crowd of 19,060 was the Clippers' first sellout of the season. ... Heat assistant Bob McAdoo played for the Buffalo Braves and was honored at halftime. ... The Heat are 12-6 all-time against the Clippers in Los Angeles. ... A fan stunned the crowd by making a shot from midcourt with his back to the basket at halftime. Richard Tran, a 22-year-old junior high math teacher from Santa Ana, won a new car.
Elton Brand is on my Dynasty Fantasy Team
Your lucky...I only have Duncan and Camby as good big men.Elton Brand is on my Dynasty Fantasy Team
My bigs are Brand, Pau, Camby, Gooden, Frye
Drafted Brand, Camby and Gooden, traded for Pau and picked up Frye off waivers.
I'll be honest, I knew Brand was going to be good, but not this good. I knew Camby would be a monster on the boards and with steals and blocks, but not with the points and percentages. I thought Gooden would be closer to his 15-10 numbers he had over the final couple months... I was dead on with Pau, who's all-around game really adds a lot to a team. 17-8-5-3 most nights. Frye has been a pleasent surprise.
EDIT: BTW, it's a 12 team League. Everybody went for guards and big scorers, I went for all bigs and SF's... As of right now...
PG: Andre Miller
SG: Manu Ginobili
G: Allen Iverson
SF: Boris Diaw
PF: Elton Brand
F: Pau Gasol
C: Marcus Camby
Utility: Drew Gooden
Utility: Eddie Jones
Bench: Tony Parker
Bench: James Jones
Bench: Channing Frye
the clips are for real this season
In one of my leagues I have Duncan, Brand, Marion, Gasol.
I drafted Marion and traded he and Mike Miller for Gasol and Ginobili.
Hope the clippers get the second or third spot because they own Dallas. Kaman and Brand gives Dallas fits in the interior.
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