Brandon Jennings Dream Team forming?

Milwaukee Bucks guard Brandon Jennings wants to build his own "Dream Team". No not to compete at the FIBA tournament or Olympics, but instead to compete with the likes of other NBA teams. Jennings' rationale is that "Everybody's trying to team up now to try to beat Kobe." Ok, so he's got a point there.

According to TMZ.com, Jennings calls out Boston and Miami. The Milwaukee star adds "So I guess me and Tyreke Evans and Stephen Curry should all call each other in the next two years and try to hook up and play on the same team."

Obviously the biggest examples of this are the Old Big 3 and New Big 3. The Boston Celtics brought in Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen along with superstar foundation Paul Pierce. Obviously they needed more players than that, and rookie PG Rajon Rondo blossomed. The Celtics went on to win another title and the first rings for those three stars.

Now we have Miami, who thanks to Lebron James and Chris Bosh, have set themselves up nicely for a championship run. Again, it won't be just three guys winning that title, but more personnel are attracted to a team with three major superstars.

There's been examples of trying to load a team with top notch talent and it not working. For example, the Lakers of years ago were big on talent including Gary Payton, Karl Malone and of course Shaq and Kobe. They were defeated in the NBA Finals but the impressive Pistons team. In 1996-97 NBA Season, the Rockets had a "Big Three" of their own with Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler and Charles Barkley. The team went on to a 57-25 record but lost to the Utah Jazz in the Western Conference Finals.

So does Brandon Jennings really believe aligning himself with Evans and Curry will bring a title to whichever city they join forces in? It takes more than those three, and those three are not near the level of either of the other Big 3's. Give em' five years maybe?

Either way, Jennings "calling out" any team for making big moves is ridiculous. The celtics have reached the Finals twice in three years since their Big 3 was put together, and only once have they won a title. The Miami Heat have yet to go on to a 82-0 season or win the NBA title. Apparently, Brandon Jennings thought his Bucks team had a shot at defeating a team with Lebron James or Kobe Bryant as the major star on it.

Does Jennings have a legitimate gripe, or should he let the season unfold first? Are teams becoming too talent heavy, or has it always been this way?

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Cavs get Jamison & Celts Knicks Nate Robinson trade

Two teams who made moves on Wednesday were the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers. Boston's move which was rumored earlier Wednesday afternoon has the Celtics sending Eddie House to the New York Knicks in exchange for the 2010 Slam Dunk champion Nate Robinson. Meanwhile, the Cavaliers didn't get Ama're Stoudemire as they'd initially hoped, but most likely got the second best option available in terms of a versatile power forward, with Antawn Jamison. The Jamison trade is a 3-team affair which involves the LA Clippers in addition to the Cavs and Wizards.

For the Antawn Jamison deal, Cleveland will also pick up guard Sebastian Telfair. The Clippers get Drew Gooden, while the Wizards receive Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Al Thornton, Brian Skinner and a Cavs first-round pick.

The Celtics trade is a bit peculiar as Boston is looking to be a serious competitor in the 2010 Playoffs and return to their glory of two years ago with a trip to the Finals. Eddie House was an integral part in their championship team providing scoring ability from off the bench. It's possible the trade for Robinson could be part of a multi-team deal which also involves Ray Allen or other members of the team. The Wizards appear to be in complete rebuild mode now after trading away Caron Butler to the Dallas Mavericks and now Antawn Jamison. Their only legit superstar remaining is Gilbert Arenas who is currently suspended for the remainder of the season due to the gunplay incident involving teammate Javaris Crittendon. It's questionable if the Wizards will hold onto Arenas following his suspensions or seek to free up more salary space.

With the NBA trade deadline looming for Thursday, Ama're Stoudemire is still the big name out there that several teams are looking to acquire. Stay tuned!

Christmas Day 2009 NBA Schedule

Christmas day 2009 offers NBA fans a nice selection of basketball games featuring the top teams and superstars in the league. This year Santa delivers us Kobe versus Lebron in an always hot matchup, as well as the Boston Celtics battling the Orlando Magic in a rematch of last year's playoff series. These are the last two teams to make the NBA Finals from the East, and both have added new personnel to compete at that higher level.

Earlier in the day, Dwayne Wade will take his high-flying scoring act into MSG to take on the New York Knicks. No word yet on whether Spike Lee will be watching from the front row on Christmas day.

In the nightcap games we'll get to see several more top superstars in action, as the LA Clippers visit Steve Nash, Amare Stoudamire and the Phoenix Suns at 8PM, while Melo and the Nuggets take on Portland in the late game at 10:30 PM. Unfortunately, the two young superstars in those games are both out of action (Greg Oden, Blazers; #1 draft pick, Blake Griffin, Clippers).

Here's a look at the full NBA schedule for Christmas Day 2009:

Miami Heat at New York Knicks 12PM EST on ESPN
Boston Celtics at Orlando Magic 2:30PM EST on ABC
Cleveland Cavs at LA Lakers 5PM EST on ABC
LA Clippers at Phoenix Suns 8PM EST on ESPN
Denver Nuggets at Portland Trailblazers 10:30PM EST on ESPN

Looking forward to any of these games in particular? Who do you think will win? Feel free to comment below!

2009-10 NBA Season now playing!

The 2009-10 NBA Season is now in full swing! The latest National Basketball Association season kicked off Tuesday October 27th, 2009 with four games on the schedule. Opening night featured plenty of stars including Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Shaq, Lebron James and Gilbert Arenas. Here's a look at some of the top stories, stats and scores from the opening night's action on the hardwood.

The marquee matchup of Tuesday night featured the Cleveland Cavaliers hosting the Boston Celtics. It was the debut game for new Cav Shaquille O'Neal, but the Celts played spoilers as they won 95-89 behind a combined 52 points from the Big 3 of Pierce, Allen & KG. Garnett had 13 in his first regular game since last March while Pierce led with 23 pts. Lebron James scored 38 points along with eight assists, four blocks and two steals. His new frontcourt teammate Shaq added in 10 points and 10 rebounds. In other Celtics' news, Glen "Big Baby" Davis is out with a thumb injury caused by an altercation involving a former college teammate. The Celtics have reportedly suspended Davis for the injury as well. He received surgery on Tuesday for it and is out indefinitely as of this writing. More on that story here

The NBA champion Lakers started their season off with a nice home victory over the local rival Clippers, 99-92. Kobe put in 33 points with 8 rebounds and 4 steals, and center Andrew Bynum added 26pts and 13 boards. Ron Artest had 10 points in his debut for LA. The Clips were lead by Gordon's 21 point performance and helped by Chris Kaman's 18 points / 16 boards. Unfortunately the Clippers were without their prized rookie Blake Griffin who suffered a broken kneecap during the past few weeks. Griffin is reportedly out for 6 months and watched his team lose by 7 to the NBA champs.

Agent 0, Gilbert Arenas, is officially back in effect on the court. The star guard had been saddled by injury last season. Last night, his 29 points and 9 assists helped the Washington Wizards defeat the Dallas Mavericks 102-91.

The Portland Trailblazers look to build upon last season's success as they opened with a win against the Houston Rockets who are without Yao Ming for this season. Brandon Roy led the Blazers with 20 points. Former #1 draft pick Greg Oden recorded just 2 points but 12 rebounds in the win, while Houston was led by Aaron Brooks' 19 points.

Wednesday night will feature more teams in action with 12 games on the slate. A doubleheader on ESPN will see the Hornets take on the Spurs while the Jazz face last year's Western Conference runner-ups, the Denver Nuggets. See full schedule here.

List of Current NBA Teams 2009-10

Entering the 2009-10 season (the league's 64th), here's a look at the current list of all 30 NBA Teams, as well as a bit of a history lesson. The oldest franchises listed which have kept their original names are the Boston Celtics and New York Knickerbockers (shortened to Knicks), while the Oklahoma City Thunder is technically the newest squad, since the team used to be the Seattle Supersonics until a few years ago. Technically, Toronto Raptors or the Memphis Grizzlies are the newest expansion teams, while the Charlotte Bobcats and New Orleans Hornets merely moved around a bit.

The original NBA Team list when the league was founded back in 1946 consisted of just 11 squads:

Boston Celtics
Chicago Stags
Cleveland Rebels
Detroit Falcons
New York Knickerbockers
Philadelphia Warriors
Pittsburgh Ironmen
Providence Steamrollers
St. Louis Bombers
Toronto Huskies
Washington Capitols

As you can see several of the cities above have survived into 2009-10, yet with different names for their teams. Chicago, Detroit, Philly, Toronto and Washington all exist today but with different names. In 1948-49 several of the ABL franchises were added into the mix including the Minneapolis Lakers and Denver Nuggets.

NBA Teams list 2009-10

Atlanta Hawks
Boston Celtics
Charlotte Bobcats
Chicago Bulls
Cleveland Cavaliers
Dallas Mavericks
Denver Nuggets
Detroit Pistons
Golden State Warriors
Houston Rockets
Indiana Pacers
Los Angeles Clippers
Los Angeles Lakers
Memphis Grizzlies
Miami Heat
Milwaukee Bucks
Minnesota Timberwolves
New Jersey Nets
New Orleans Hornets
New York Knicks
Oklahoma City Thunder
Orlando Magic
Philadelphia 76ers
Phoenix Suns
Portland Trail Blazers
Sacramento Kings
San Antonio Spurs
Toronto Raptors
Utah Jazz
Washington Wizards

Antoine Walker Arrested in Vegas

As Kenny Rogers famously sang, you've got to know when to hold em, know when to fold em...Former NBA star Antoine Walker didn't heed that advice and was arrested in Nevada this past Thursday. The arrest came inside Harrah's casino at Stateline, Nevada. The charges? Walker had attempted to use fake checks and obtain credit he didn't have to the tune of $800,000 from three different Vegas casinos. A deputy on foot patrol was alerted by a Harrah's employee who had seen a TV report about Walker. Walker was arrested at one of the casino bars shortly thereafter.

Originally the former Celtics, Heat and Mavs star was issued a bail of $905,050, later reduced to just over $100,000. Walker is now free on bail but is scheduled to appear in a Las Vegas court on Monday. He had made the trip to Vegas for the American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament at South Lake Tahoe.

Apparently, Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley aren't the only former all-stars who like to gamble. The difference is neither has trouble getting the funds. Then again maybe this will serve as a wake up call and early lesson for any other NBA ballers who want to get into the gambling scene. Keep your money under the mattress, at least until the stock market rebounds.

Rasheed Wallace to Celtics, Ron Artest to Lakers

The last two NBA Champions, the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics each added a key veteran superstar to their lineups within the past week or so. Just last week, the Los Angeles Lakers signed Ron Artest, a nemesis of Kobe Bryant and the Lakers. Clips have been shown repeatedly of their fierce battle during the playoffs, including Artest's antics while jawing with Kobe. Kobe's Lakers got the last laugh with the series win and eventual championship, and then quickly gobbled up the defensive stalwart Artest in a move to help solidify their chances of a repeat. Add Artest in with Gasol, Bynum and Odom, and you've got some nice frontcourt depth going.

Meanwhile, a team that definitely was disappointed this postseason was the Boston Celtics. They were hurt most by Kevin Garnett's injury which caused his playoff absence. Although they outlasted the Bulls in 7 games, they just didn't have the frontcourt presence to compete with Orlando, who eventually went on to the NBA Finals. Smartly, the Celtics just recently signed Rasheed Wallace from the Detroit Pistons. The move comes right after Detroit landed free agents Ben Gordon from the Bulls and Charlie Villanueva from the Bucks. Cleveland also added Shaquille O'Neal in the past few weeks, Vince Carter went to the Magic during the NBA draft, and Pistons guard Allen Iverson has been hunting for a new team.

It's ironic that the Celtics and Lakers signed two of the more controversial players in the NBA, but also two extremely talented stars. These teams most likely will embrace these two hotheaded stars who tend to rack up the technical fouls, and they have the coaches and other players capable of keeping them in a less volatile state. At Boston you've got KG, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce, three amigos and class act workmen on the court, who Rasheed should fit in nicely with. Artest will be aligned with Kobe which can't be a bad thing either, and Phil Jackson is no stranger to coaching bizarre, hard to handle talent, such as Dennis Rodman.

It's hard to speculate which team has made the best moves this postseason but it seems several of the top dogs are looking to once again fight for the top position and records en route to an NBA title.

Magic oust Celtics in Game 7

Don't call it a comeback, or a repeat Finals...The Orlando Magic put that notion to rest on Sunday with a victory over the Boston Celtics 101-82. According to reports after the game, the Celtics were never quite in it. The Celtics led the game just once and for only 37 seconds, after a Rajon Rondo jumpshot early in the first quarter. The Celtics will fail in their quest to repeat as NBA Champions, and a new champ will be crowned among the Final 4 of the Lakers, Nuggets, Cavs or Magic.

During the Game 7, the Magic built their lead up as high as 14 points before the Celtics rallied to cut it to 7 by halftime. Unfortunately, the Celtics just couldn't find the proper spell to counter the offense of the Magic. The Celtics' Big 3 was obviously hurt by the absence of the biggest of the 3, Mr. Kevin Garnett who was out due to injury for the entire playoffs. The other 2/3 of the tres amigos had a combined 39 points for the Celtics as Ray Allen led the team with 23 and Paul Pierce added 16.

Hedo Turkoglu was the lead scorer for Orlando with 25, while big man Dwight Howard notched another double-double of 12 points and 16 rebounds. Rashard Lewis also added 19 points in the win. Next up for Orlando will be the patiently waiting Cleveland Cavaliers. It'll be especially interesting to see what sort of inside game Lebron has when Dwight Howard is manning the paint. The Cavs are currently 8-0 in these playoffs, but expect the Magic to take at least 1 game in a very compelling Eastern Conference Finals. The Eastern series gets started Wednesday night.

Celtics & Lakers prepare for Game 7's

The two teams in last year's finals both find themselves on the ropes this Sunday as Boston and Los Angeles have both been taken to their limit. Houston & Orlando have both managed to stretch the series to the fullest, and now we will see two enjoyable Game 7 matchups.

Orlando's Dwight Howard has guaranteed his team will beat Boston, and he just may be right. Boston's glaring weakness is the lack of KG's inside presence, while Orlando's strength is Dwight Howard. Howard had a monster Game 6 in Orlando with over 20 points and over 20 rebounds. Meanwhile, Ray Allen struggled to find his sharpshooting touch from the 3 point line. If Boston wants to win, it's going to need Paul Pierce to step it up once again in Game7 and be the hero. Regardless of who wins this one, Lebron James and the Cavs are sitting back, relaxing and awaiting the winner. Game 7 between Boston and Orlando will start at 8PM EST on TNT.

Meanwhile, Houston and Los Angeles have had some tense moments, including a game that featured over 5 players getting technical fouls. Artest seems to be doing his best to jaw with Kobe Bryant and get under his skin, but Kobe's a tough act to stop. Expect the Lakers to bounce back under the leadership skills of Phil Jackson, en route to the next round matchup with the Denver Nuggets. The Rockets try to bounce Kobe and the Lakers from the playoffs at 3:30PM EST on ABC.

When all's said and done it should be a Lakers-Cavs finals, and seeing Kobe vs. Lebron for a potential 7 game series may be many fans' dream. Any of the final teams matched up would be great, including Carmelo vs Lebron with the Nuggets taking on Cleveland. Play on!

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.

2009 NBA Playoffs - Top Teams hurt by Injuries?

For the most part the teams with the higher seeds were on the winning end this past weekend, with the exception of two Eastern Conference squads. First off, the Boston Celtics lost a tough opening game in Boston to the Chicago Bulls in Overtime. Derrick Rose was considered the big hero, as he lead the team in scoring, and Ben Gordon also added some firepower. The Bulls have been a team full of talent which hadn't truly materialized. This could be their chance to get some playoff experience and maybe be the team to eventually test the Cleveland Cavs, who won their opener over Detroit easily.

The other high seed to get shocked at home was the Orlando Magic. They were in control of the Philadelphia 76ers by double digits heading into the 4th, but Philly stayed strong and battled back to overcome an 18 point deficit. With the game tied, it was an Andre Iguaduola jumper that gave the Sixers the edge, and put the Magic into a 0-1 situation, taking away home court advantage. I'll be the first to admit, I didn't give the Sixers much chance to win, and quite possibly they enjoyed being in that situation, as the Davids who rise to the challenge and overcome the Goliath. Andre Iguoduola is increasing his star presence that much more with each winning shot he delivers.

You can never make excuses in sports, but understand that both the Celtics and Magic are currently without two stars from their rotation. The Celtics are very hurt without the services of one Kevin Garnett, who was an inspirational and motivational floor leader who does just about everything. The Magic are missing point guard Jameer Nelson, who was an All-star this past season like KG, but was unable to participate in the game. Again, both these teams have plenty of other stars, but you could make a case that their absences played a part in helping to motivate the opposing teams to victory. It's still early in the playoffs, and both the Magic and Celtics are quite capable of stealing victories on the road, so let's not jump to foregone conclusions that either team is going to fold. Both teams lost very closely contested games, and these are the playoffs. You adapt, re-adjust and reload for the next game.

One thing the playoffs always tend to bring is the unsung heroes, as players who seem lost in the shuffle, too young to be known, or over-the-hill are elevated in status or reborn and rejuvenated. Some cases in point include the Sixers' Donyell Marshall who nailed plenty of key threes against Orlando, helping the Sixers to come back and win, and the Rockets' Dikembe Mutombo, the oldest guy in the league who showed against Portland you still don't want to bring shots into the House of Mutombo. Let's hope for more great surprises as these 2009 Playoffs continue!

KG absent from 2009 NBA Playoffs?

Devestating news for the Celtics as their inspirational leader and power forward Kevin Garnett may not be suiting up to try to help them win their second straight championship this postseason. Garnett, who injured his right knee back on February 19th only played four games since sustaining the injury. Doc Rivers was hoping to rest his All-Star forward with the Celtics up in the standings, and was also hoping for KG to return to action in the final few games of the regular season. That unfortunately never happened.

According to ESPN.com:

Rivers said Thursday he watched Garnett run at the team's practice facility and said he had to shut him down after 20 minutes because his leg was locking up. Rivers knew he made the right call when Garnett didn't put up a fight.

"He's done everything he could do to get back on the floor," the coach said. "You could tell he was trying to mask that there was pain."

Read full article at ESPN.com

To say this jeapordizes the Celtics' chances at back-to-back trophys is an understatement. KG is an emotional leader who inspires big contributions from the rest of his teammates. That's not to say Ray Allen and Paul Pierce can't effectively put on a shooting and scoring clinic, but the defensive prowess and rebounding skills of KG in the lane is a big plus. The team has been 18-7 without KG this season, which isn't too shabby, but that's not 7 game series against Orlando or Cleveland. Chicago opens against the Bulls whom they should be able to handle despite Garnett's absence. After that it will get tougher, especially with a team like Orlando and Dwight Howard. Unless the Celts can get a big contribution from an unlikely hero like Leon Powe or Glen "Big Baby" Davis, it seems as if there may be a 2 team race in the Eastern Conference. Some even say this gives Cleveland a cakewalk to their second NBA Finals in 3 years.

Danny Ainge Heart Attack Scare

The Boston Celtics had a bit of a scare earlier today when Danny Ainge, the president of basketball operations, had a minor heart attack this morning. He was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital where he'll remain for a few days. The former Celtics guard is expected to make a full recovery, but most likely won't be attending Game 1 of the Bulls-Celtics playoff series. Celtics managing partner Stephen Pagliuca provided the Boston Globe with the following info:

"I saw him at about 3:30 p.m. today," Pagliuca said. "I spoke to him and he was already joking about recovering and Eddie House breaking his record [for 3-point percentage in a season] putting him over the top. He was in good spirits. He was with his wife, Michelle, at the hospital. He was in good spirits."

Pagliuca said Ainge, the NBA Executive of the Year last season, probably won't be at Game 1 of the Celtics' first-round playoff series tomorrow night against the Bulls. Ainge did not attend the Celtics' regular-season finale Wednesday night against the Wizards because he was feeling ill.

"We're very grateful that Danny is progressing," said Pagliuca, noting that it was a tough day. "He will bounce back quickly. Danny is a warrior.

Read full story on Danny Ainge here.

Ainge not only manages the operations of the team, including the big moves that brought in stars Kevin Garnett from Minnesota and Ray Allen from Seattle, but he also spent over 7 years playing there. His playing days included 2 championships to which he added another as an executive last year. Wishing Danny Ainge a speedy recovery from Love and Basketball NBA Blog. We fully expect Mr. Ainge will continue to be the heart of the Boston Celtics!

2009 NBA Playoffs Matchups & Schedule

The 2009 NBA Playoffs schedule opens on Saturday, April 18th and seem to hold plenty of intriguing matchups and storylines. Most interesting may be the fact that the Lakers and Cavs seem on a potential collision course in the NBA Finals, which would finally pit the two arguably best players in the game against one another. A Kobe Bryant-Lebron James face-off in the Finals may be the dream of many hoops fans as well as Commissioner David Stern, but let's get through the rest of the playoffs first, giving the others a chance. After all, the Boston Celtics are still the reigning champs, and gained the services of one Stephon Marbury. The East has 3 potential suitors for the NBA Championship in Cleveland, Boston, and Orlando, while there's always room for some surprises. The Chicago Bulls have even managed to get themselves back into the hunt once again, giving President Obama reason for hope.

In the NBA's Western Conference is where the real intrigue lies, as the Lakers have been the best of the West, but you've got the tried and true San Antonio Spurs who have some chance to give them problems. The Trailblazers have split their season series with LA, while Denver, Houston, New Orleans, Dallas and Utah aren't exactly slouches either. Particulary interesting first round matchups could see Utah squaring off against San Antonio and the young, talented Trailblazers facing a powerful inside game and defensive-minded nature of the Houston Rockets team.

The NBA's regular season ends Wednesday and the Cavs could potentially be a frightening 40-1 at home for the season. Their 1 loss of course comes to the other frightening phenomenon in the NBA, the 2008-09 LA Lakers.

The playoff teams have all been determined so there won't be any major drama in these final few days of regular season play, but here's how things stand as of today:

Western Conference playoff teams:

#1 seed: LA Lakers
#2 seed: San Antonio Spurs
#3 seed: Denver Nuggets
#4 seed: Houston Rockets
#5 seed: Portland Trailblazers
#6 seed: New Orleans Hornets
#7 seed: Utah Jazz
#8 seed: Dallas Mavericks

Eastern Conference playoff teams:

#1 seed: Cleveland Cavaliers
#2 seed: Boston Celtics
#3 seed: Orlando Magic
#4 seed: Atlanta Hawks
#5 seed: Miami Heat
#6 seed: Philadelphia 76ers
#7 seed: Chicago Bulls
#8 seed: Detroit Pistons

Sports Illustrated breaks down the potential 2009 NBA Playoff matchups and projections.

Stay tuned as the 2009 NBA Playoff matchups and schedule are announced...

Askmen Predicts NBA Finals Rematch

Popular online men's magazine, Askmen.com, has a recent article up entitled "Top 10: Reasons Why It Will Be a Lakers-Celtics Final". Included in their reasoning for this rematch are things such as the fact that the Houston Rockets are injury-prone and the Hornet's haven't improved since last season. Also a valid point made may be, that no other teams' offseason moves will make a big enough difference in terms of pushing a team into title contention. So far, it's seemed to be only a handful of teams mentioned in 2009 title talks, with the Celtics and Lakers always considered hot, and the Cavs and Magic capable of catching serious fire in the playoffs...

Here's Askmen.com's 10 reasons we'll see Lakers-Celtics this June:

No.10 - None of the off-season moves had noticeable impacts
No. 9 - The Denver Nuggets are a paper tiger
No.8 - The Houston Rockets are injury-prone
No.7 - The New Orleans Hornets haven't improved
No.6 - The Dallas Mavericks & the Phoenix Suns have regressed
No.5 - The Detroit Pistons have fallen off
No.4 - The San Antonio Spurs lack proven depth
No.3 - The Cleveland Cavaliers & the Orlando Magic are a step behind
No.2 - The Los Angeles Lakers' depth can't be matched
No.1 - The Boston Celtics are a year older

Number 1 reason makes plenty of sense, as the Big 3 are a year older and wiser with their first title under wraps. But as you can see from the above, several teams were basically dissed by the online men's mag, especially the Cavs and Magic who have been amongst the top 4 teams most of this season. Lebron James showed 2 years ago he's got the skill, poise and raw talent to lead a squad to the promised land (although not the title per se). Dwight Howard has taken on the role of the new-age Shaq, providing the Orlando Magic with the most dominant big man in the game today. Don't count either out just yet...

Several analysts have recently picked what could be a more realistic Finals matchup, with the Lakers in the West meeting the Cavaliers from the East. It would make for another NBA dream matchup, which would feature the two best players the NBA has to offer going head to head for the title. Kobe vs. Lebron, center stage...

Read full article - Top 10: Reasons Why It Will Be a Lakers-Celtics Final at Askmen.com

70 Wins for Cavs or Lakers?

Jerry Crowe in his recent LA Times Sports column mentions the tough milestone of winning 70 games during an NBA season. It was last accomplished by the unstopa-Bulls back in the 1995-96 season, lead by of course Michael Jordan. The Boston Celtics tried to hit the 70 win mark ten years earlier during the 1985-86 season. That was the Celtics team which featured Larry Legend and Kevin McHale. They lost just 1 game all season at home, yet failed to achieve a 70 win season.

Looking at the NBA standings, there's three teams that have been considered legitimate contenders for 70 games in 2008-09; the Los Angeles Lakers (currently 28-6), the Cleveland Cavaliers (currently 28-6), and the aforementioned Boston Celtics (currently 29-8). As the season was steamrolling ahead for the Celtics not long ago, the talk was that this team had that milestone all but achieved. For some reason, the Celtics have been having a miserable time since losing to the Lakers, then the Warriors, then the Blazers, Knicks and most recently the Houston Rockets. The Celtics would only be allowed two more losses for the rest of the season to hit the 70-win mark. The injury bug has hit them, and many analysts continue to say they need some more depth, such as the problematic New York Knick, Stephon Marbury.

The Cavs and Lakers are allowed 6 more losses each, and if they hit the halfway point on that pace, it's a realistic goal for the two teams to get 70 wins each. Each has a Jordan-esque superstar with Kobe Bryant and Lebron James. Both are considered lethal scorers capable of doing the other things needed to really take over a game. It's also been said each has vastly improved on their defense, especially Lebron who wanted to add to his repertoire. These are the sort of ingredients of a Jordan-type baller, hungry for MVP awards, NBA titles, and 70-win seasons. Judging by the competitive drive of both players to be the best in the league, and any team facing these two in the 2nd half of the season could be in for a rough game.

Celtics Slump: Lose Sixth to Knicks

After starting the season on an impressive win streak and looking capable of smashing the 70 win mark this season, the Celtics have now found themselves on the losing end for the sixth time. Sunday night it was the lowly New York Knicks who knocked out the Celtics 100-88 behind Wilson Chandler's career-high 31 point performance. This was the Knicks first win against Boston since April of 2005, snapping their own 8 game losing streak against the squad.

For the losing Celtics captain Paul Pierce lead the way with 31, while Ray Allen added 16. Kevin Garnett was extremely cold and appeared to hurt his leg in the 3rd. KG had just six points all game on 1 of 6 shooting. It was in the 3rd when KG threw an around the back pass to set up a dunk. The All-Star forward appeared to land gingerly and returned early in the fourth with his leg wrapped below the right knee. The Celtics are still on track to finish the season 70-12, if they can regain their winning ways.

Just a day ago, the Celtics had handed the Washington Wizards a convincing loss in a 108-83 win in Boston. But with three losses during a four game West road trip and the latest loss, the Celtics seem to be in search of their ability to put together win streaks. On the season the Celts have lost to the Lakers, Warriors, Blazers, Nuggets, Pacers and the Knicks. Of those teams only 3 are legitimate playoff contenders, with the majority being West Coast teams, including last year's Finals opponent in LA. Many analysts believe the Celtics may try to add New York Knick guard Stephon Marbury who's been seeking a release from the team. Rumors have circulated that a deal will be done once Marbury's been bought out. Nonetheless, the addition of some new key personnel could be just the answer the Celtics require to get back on track during this slump.

The East is in the House 08'

As of 12/24/08 the Boston Celtics were riding higher than any other team and Santa Claus as they held a 19 game consecutive win streak. Christmas day arrives and Kobe Bryant's Lakers put a prompt end to that with a 9 point victory in Los Angeles. That loss may have been acceptable and expected by many, but then the Celtics lost 2 straight after Friday night's loss to a hungry Golden State Warriors squad.

So from a 19 game win streak to their first 2 game losing streak all season? It's indeed a curious case like Benjamin Button, but quite possibly the 2nd game came as a result of the first loss. Possibly the "oomph" was taken out from under them. The team was suddenly beatable and all other NBA teams took notice that it was possible to defeat the Celtics. After all the Pacers were one of the teams to do it, a team not many expect to be much of a challenger in the Eastern Conference. Stephen Jackson came up big for his Golden State Warriors to help bury the Celtics, possibly sensing a wounded squad after the Lakers loss. The Celtics are still the best there is in the league, but definitely have showed they are far from those 72-10 invinci-Bulls of yesteryear.

While the Celtics managed to gain a win on Sunday night, two other teams in the East are red hot right now. The Magic have won 7 straight games thanks to the inside-outside attack of Dwight Howard & Rashard Lewis. Add in sharpshooter Hedo Turkoglu and floor leader Jameer Nelson and this squad is one of the top 4 record-wise in the league, defeating the likes of New Orleans. The Cavs are on a 6 game win streak, behind the always-inspired King James & company.

Eastern Conference Top 8 (with Games Back):

1. * Boston --
2. * Cleveland 1.0
3. * Orlando 3.0
4. Atlanta 7.5
5. Detroit 9.0
6. Miami 10.5
7. New Jersey 12.0
8. Milwaukee 13.5

* Leads division

That said the Celtics (28-4), Cavs (26-4) and Magic (24-6) would be in the Top 4 in the West right now in terms of records along with the Lakers. Two other teams, the Pistons and Hawks look to be dangerous competitors come playoff time. It's great to see what looks like some sort of a power-shift to the East side after so many years of razzing that "the West is best". Then again the Celtics & Magic both sport former West coast stars in Rashard Lewis, Ray Allen & Kevin Garnett...

LA Grinches Steal Celtics Christmas

They weren't the team wearing green, but the Lakers played the role of Grinches on Christmas day as they stole away the Boston Celtics incredible winning streak. The Celtics were on fire heading into LA with 19 straight games won, but Kobe & company decided it was their day to shine. The Lakers held the lead from most of the 2nd quarter on, until the Celtics began to charge back behind Paul Pierce (20pts) and KG's (22pts) hot shooting hand. The game became back and forth in the 4th, but the Lakers managed to pull away in the final 2 minutes, winning it by 9 points and defeating their Finals foes from this past June. Kobe was consistent as usual but it was the effort from Pau Gasol down the stretch which helped put things away. Kobe had 27 points, 9 boards and 5 assists, several of which were passes to teammate Gasol in the lane for buckets. Gasol also added a huge block of a Ray Allen 3 point attempt during the final stretch. Trevor Ariza retrieved the loose ball for a fast break reverse jam to cap off the play.

Not only did this mark the Celtics first loss in 20 games, it was Lakers coach Phil Jackson's 1000th Career win as a head coach. Jackson achieved this milestone faster than any other coach with 1,423 games. As for the Celtics they still have a shot at matching the great Chicago Bulls of years ago who had an incredible 41-3 start, coached by Phil Jackson also.

Kobe Bryant said they would use today's game as a measuring stick for the Lakers strength this season, but does it prove the Lakers are more formidable foes than last year? The Celtics still played tough and resilient in Los Angeles against a team obviously hungry for revenge and the upperhand. Bynum showed how valuable he will be in the lane for the Lakers D. If nothing else this game only served to prove how great a matchup this truly is. Fans who watched the ABC Christmas day games definitely were given quite a present, as they also saw the Spurs knock off the Suns at the buzzer with a 3 from Roger Mason. Game 2 of the doubleheader provided an intense meeting between the champs and runner-ups of 2007-08. Come playoff time fans will be just as greatly rewarded should the Lakers & Celtics meet again in a Finals rematch.

View complete game info at NBA.com

NBA's 2008 Christmas Presence

NBA fans will be given several Christmas day presents in the form of two exciting doubleheaders and some fun in Orlando. TNT, ABC & ESPN will play Santa as they bring superstars such as Lebron James, KG, Kobe Bryant and Greg Oden to all NBA faithful. Game one of the ABC set will start at 2:30PM EST & features a rematch of Western foes, the Spurs and the Suns, with Shaq, Amare & Nash facing Tim Duncan, Manu and Tony Parker. Game 2 will be a riveting rematch of last year's NBA Finals as the red hot Boston Celtics travel into Los Angeles to battle the Lakers.

Currently the Suns and Spurs are runner-ups in their respective divisions. San Antonio continues to try to overcome guard injury problems and sits in 3rd place in the Southwest at 17-10. Meanwhile the Suns are second place to Kobe's Lakers at 16-11. These two teams have battled it out in recent years' playoffs, usually with San Antonio coming out on top. The Suns continue to revamp parts of their lineup as they just recently unloaded Boris Diaw and Raja Bell, bringing superstar Jason Richardson into the mix. San Antonio seems to be the aging battle-tested team that keeps on going with what it has. While they're not dismal, they aren't the powerhouse they were in the years they were part of the "dynasty" talks.

The second game at 5PM features the Celtics dressed in Green hoping to play Grinches to Kobe's LA Santa Claus. Kobe will have his helpers including Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. Bynum was not part of last year's Finals so this will give everyone a good look at how the emerging Center performs against the Champs. Bryant's also currently in third place in the NBA scoring race, a tight race at that. Kobe's averaging 26.2 and trails his Team USA pals, Lebron James & Dwyane Wade. Wade recently outdid Kobe in a battle in Miami between their two teams. While D-Wade may be headed towards scoring champ and MVP, Kobe may be headed back to the Finals for his 4th ring. His Christmas day matchup with the Celts may help Phil Jackson dismantle the champs for their Finals rematch.

But wait, there's more.... Chris Paul and the Hornets will play Dwight Howard's Magic at 12 Noon in Orlando (ESPN). TNT will also feature a doubleheader of its own starting at 8PM when the Wizards face Lebron & the Cavs. At 10:30 PM, it'll be the young Portland Trailblazers with their young center, Greg Oden, facing Dirk & the Dallas Mavs. For an NBA fan that's 5 games to enjoy along with all your Christmas gifts and cookies...enjoy!

Happy holidays to all this 2008 Holiday Season!