Detroit signs Gordon & Villanueva

The Detroit Pistons looked to keep themselves alive in the hunt for another NBA Title by adding two new stars to their lineup. According to the Detroit Free Press the Pistons signed Ben Gordon, shooting guard from the Bulls, and Charlie Villanueva, forward from the Milwaukee Bucks. Gordon was the Bulls' leading scorer for the past four years, and Villanueva has been coming into his own as an impressive rebounder and potential scorer. There had been rumors going around that Villanueva might end up on Cleveland as well. Gordon's signing is estimated at $55 million while Villanueva's is at $35 mill.

Both guys are also products of the University of Connecticut, and they'll now be aligned with another UCONN alumni, sharpshooter Richard Hamilton. Hamilton's got the NCAA Title, the NBA Title. Gordon's got just the NCAA title while Villanueva has yet to taste any championship champagne. That may change now that the Pistons have added more talent to their already interesting lineup which includes All-star Allen Iverson and Rasheed Wallace.

The question is what will Chicago and Milwaukee be looking to do now that they've cleared some salary cap room? Will these teams look to add a superstar to their teams? No disrespect to either Derrick Rose or Michael Redd, but adding someone like Dwyane Wade wouldn't exactly hurt their chances at making a deep run towards the NBA Finals.

Celtics Outlast Bulls in Game 7

In what TNT NBA announcer Kevin Harlan called "the most memorable series in Playoffs history", the Boston Celtics were able to close out the Chicago Bulls in Boston Saturday night. The 109-99 victory came in large part from Ray Allen's 23 points and Paul Pierce's 20 points, with their third amigo, Kevin Garnett, cheering them on from the bench in a 3 piece suit. Ben Gordon continued shooting the lights out with 33 points, while rookie sensation Derrick Rose added 18 points for the Bulls.

This game was won for the Celtics largely due to their bench scoring. In the 1st 6 games of the series, the Celtics' bench averaged 12.7 points, but in game 7 they added 30 points when it mattered most. The Bulls bench outscored Boston in 5 of the first 6 games. Add in a ton of game deciding and overtime-forcing amazing shots, and this series was easily a classic. The Chicago Bulls once again showed they are brewing a lot of talent for a future championship contender, should they add more veteran players. Derrick Rose displayed a performance as a rookie similar to a young Dwyane Wade years ago when he first got his taste of the playoffs. If the Bulls hold onto Rose along with Hinrich, Gordon and Noah, and add those much needed vets, they'll have a good shot at advancing deeper in the next year.

See Celtics eliminate Bulls in Game 7 at NESN

Next up for the Celtics will be Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic. Will the Celtics have the inside presence without Kevin Garnett to make it past Orlando? Or will it even matter? If Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo can have some hot shooting nights and rack up the points, the outside game may be enough to propel the Celtics forward. While the C's looked smug with victory Saturday night ,judging by this series, the Celtics may be out of gas by the time they get into Cleveland.

Friday's NBA Numbers

In the words of Mos Def from his song Mathematics, "it's really just a numbers game". Stats rule everything around the NBA, just ask ESPN Sportscenter. Counting down from 15 here's a look at how numbers figured into Friday night's NBA contests.

15 assists by guard Jason Kidd against Memphis
14 rebounds for new Phoenix Suns center, Shaq
13 games total on last night's schedule
12 losses now for the Boston Celtics
11 straight wins for the Houston Rockets
10 is number of Carlos Boozer's rebounds or Deron Williams' assists
9 Pacers players suited up for a win (Nets)
8 Cavs players suited up for a win (Wizards)
7 turnovers for Knick Jamal Crawford who also had 43 points
6 game losing streak snapped by Hawks, 117-110 win over GS
5 fouls a piece for Ben Gordon & Kirk Hinrich, Bulls still win
4 points total scored by Phoenix Sun, Shaq
3 technical fouls called in Hornets vs. Rockets
2nd straight game between Portland and Seattle, Sonics win it.
1 point, the difference in the Cavs win over Wizards

Just 7 games on Saturday's slate, but more numbers to come...

UConn Ballers Make Statements

Several entries ago it was noted here that the University of Connecticut is the college/university with the most players in the NBA. And if you missed NBA action last night, players from the school definitely made their presence known.

- Ray Allen was prominent despite the Celtics' loss to the Pistons. Ray hit a huge 3 in the final 30 seconds or so of the game to tie things up. It was the other Allen, Tony (not from UConn) who cost the C's the game as Billups faked him to draw the foul with 0.2 seconds left. On the opposing side for the Pistons was Rip Hamilton who added 21 points. He and Ray matched up and defended one another during the game, with the commentators noting their alma mater. Read more about the game here.

- Rudy Gay hit a huge three over Tim Duncan with time expiring to win the game for the Memphis Grizzlies. Rudy's been having a huge season and this is further evidence of his talent and potential to become an All-Star. More about Rudy's heroics

- Ben Gordon was the key for the Bulls in their win over the Wizards. Gordon notched 22 points in the win, leading the charging Bulls as they try to move back towards respectability in the East. More about Gordon's efforts

- Caron Butler while on the losing side for the Washington Wizards recorded his second career triple double. His stat line: 29 pts 11 rebonds 10 assists

Of course there were some lesser performances and no shows. Emeka Okafor had just 6 points and 9 rebounds with his Bobcats team beating the Utah Jazz. Kevin Ollie of the Sixers and Donyell Marshall of the Cavs were both DNP's for Wednesday night. Besides that though the University of CT players seem to be representing in the NBA this season.

The Bad News Bulls?

Something is amuck in the Windy City. The Bulls are definitely the biggest surprise of the early NBA season as many fans are seeing. This team, predicted by many to be one of the top 3 out of the East has come out of the gates with a winless start, 0-4. Unexpected and almost inexplainable. According to a recent Chicago Sun-Times article, one bright spot was rookie Joakim Noah's recent debut. Despite that, one would have to wonder why is this team not winning games?

Looking at the Bulls' stats, you have 4 guys scoring in double digits, with Ben Gordon leading the way at 20.5 points. Kirk Hinrich's production and Ben Wallace's production seem off and sub-par compared to what either player is capable of. Hinrich was a point guard for a Team USA squad a few summers ago and now seems like he's a rookie with just 11.5 ppg and 4 assists per game. Wallace is also playing like a bench role player picking up just 4.3 rebounds a game and 1.5 blocks. This isn't the guy Chicago wanted to land from the former champion Pistons. They wanted the Big Bad Ben, capable of snatching tons of rebounds and intimidating offensive minded players.

Bright spots for the Bulls are Tyrus Thomas who's pulling almost 7 boards a game and 8.3 points, and veteran Joe Smith who's also giving about 10 points a night and almost 7 rebounds. But overall this team of tremendously talented players needs to start finding ways to produce and win, or they will be competing for a lottery pick, not a spot in the Finals.

On the other hand you have a reverse surprise, the Los Angeles Clippers who are undefeated without Elton Brand. They recently defeated the aforementioned Bulls. It's amazing and suspicious all at once in a very tough Western Conference.

It's Early for the East

The clocks have been moved back 1 hour for Daylight Savings Time, so it's early on the East coast. It's also early for the Eastern Conference, but there's been some interesting developments so far.

- The surprise of the young NBA season so far would have to be an undefeated Indiana Pacers team. The Pacers have gone 3-0 beating the Memphis Grizzlies, Washington Wizards and Miami Heat. The Pacers team webpage is already saying the Pacers are a team who's able to find ways to win and asking if they might fit into the playoff picture. If so, the East is more competitive than we all thought. The Bucks and Sixers haven't looked terrible so far and they were predicted to be near the bottom of the Conference this season. Remember, it's still early.

- The other surprise although it is early is the Chicago Bulls. They've dropped games to both the Pacers mentioned above and the Bucks, who are two teams you might have considered out of contention this year. Looking at stats, Ben Gordon is leading them and is one of 5 double-digit scorers. Ben Wallace's numbers look subpar with just 4.5 rebounds per game, 2 assists and 1.5 blocks. They need his rebounding and defensive help, although Tyrus Thomas may take that on. Again, it's early and you can't possibly believe a team like Chicago won't turn things around and go on a win streak. Getting Kobe would have been nice, but now that it seems unlikely, the Bulls can get on track. The Bulls despite their losing ways are giving away an SUV on their website.

-The Celtics aren't so much a surprise. The Big 3 did their thing in their opening game and defeated the Washington Wizards. Ray Allen, KG and Pierce combined for over 60 points in the win which is a good sign of things to come should they stay healthy. It didn't help either that Gilbert Arenas talked a bit of smack to Boston and it fans on his blog.

- Gilbert Arenas is also considered to be struggling, as his stat lines aren't looking nearly as nice as last season. Gil's coming off an injury and rehab and is most likely still working himself back. However, he seems to like making premature blog statements against teams like the Boston Celtics. Bad idea.