NBA 2011-12 Season Storylines

The NBA lockout officially ended the day after Thanksgiving to the delight of hoops fans and of course the players, teams and owners. With the return of the NBA on Christmas day there will be quite a few big stories and stat-chasers heading into the shortened 66-game regular NBA 2011-12 season. All the teams will be in tact for this season, as far as their locations. Personnel may change as the free agency opens December 9th. Also, several top caliber players can move up higher on major stats lists, some surpassing NBA legends and Hall of Famers: * Dwyane Wade is looking to surpass Alonzo Mourning for the all-time "games played" list as a Heat Player. Wade needs fourty-some games out of the 66 this season. * Jason Kidd is closing in on 2nd place on the all-time steals list. He'll be passing a guy nicknamed "Air" Jordan if he can tally just 38 steals in this short season. * Paul Pierce can pass Larry Bird for 2nd all-time on the Boston Celtics scorer's list. * Kobe Bryant is close to passing Shaquille O'Neal at 5th on the NBA's All-time scorer's list. The other storylines will revolve around players and teams. For example, will this be an easier season for the Dallas Mavericks to repeat as champions, or will it benefit the Miami Heat? Also, which big name players will be moved for this season - Dwight Howard, Chris Paul? Those are two of the biggest names on many teams' shopping lists with the Boston Celtics, LA Clippers, New Jersey Nets, and New York Knicks among a few of the potential (rumored) suitors. There was more time spent on labor-negotiations and revenue sharing meetings than there was in training camps for the upcoming season, but many fans are just happy they'll have the sport they love back for another season. Game's start December 26th, 2011..let's ball! What will you be looking forward to the most as the 2011-12 NBA season gets started on Christmas Day?

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?

Related articles by Zemanta

• Brandon Jennings Explores His Inner Gaga [The Buck Pops Here] (deadspin.com)
• You: Brandon Jennings and John Wall rock the alley-oop (sportsviews.com)
• The Dawn of a New Era: Superstars Who Will Be Swayed To Form a Dynasty (bleacherreport.com)
• Top 25 Questions Heading into the 2010-2011 NBA Season (bleacherreport.com)

Fixing the NBA Slam Dunk Contest

(Gerald Wallace almost can't bear to watch..)

This weekend's 2010 All-Star events and activities made one glaring statement: the Slam Dunk contest needs serious revision. This year's contest was simply lackluster and the looks on the faces of other players and celebs witnessing it had to make David Stern just a bit uneasy about his product. You really have to wonder what former dunk champions Dominique Wilkins and Spudd Webb were thinking as they judged the young guys out there failing to do dunks that everyone's seen before. Even Spike Lee had trouble hiding the frown on his face as he was up close to witness a whole lot of nothing this year. TNT's Charles Barkley said it best before the winner was announced "Maybe no one will win". Spectators surely lost their time.

We all know now that the Knicks Nate Robinson was crowned the winner, via the fan vote, and wisely has announced he will retire from the competition now as its first 3-time winner. Robinson's gimmick was just like Spudd Webb's: he's a small dunker who has the crowd behind him due to his size. Nate didn't exactly bring anything groundbreaking beyond that. In year's past he used more creativity, but faltered in 2010. Now that his gimmick is over with, it's time to overhaul this annual favorite and bring back the prestige of the dunk contest.

1) Guys need to get serious - Several of the competitors looked like they just showed up to show up, but didn't bring it. Gerald Wallace did some powerhouse dunks but nothing new and seemed like he was bored to be there. DeMarcus DeRozan had the only 50 of the bunch, and even his dunk had been seen before. Shannon Brown showed up to the delight of Lakers fans, but then generated the most excitement when Kobe Bryant stood near the basket to toss the ball for an ally-oop. It seems that the use of props is the way to go, and Nate Robinson sort of did that, but it could have been better. Dunkers, bring your A game dunk material. Put a 10 scorecard over the basket, jump up pull the card off and jam. Study up on the previous legendary contest winners and put a new spin on their classic dunks. Much like Hollywood is rebooting and remaking various movie franchises, the NBA guys may need to look deep to generate interest in the contest.

2) Change format a bit- Over the years the format of the dunk contest has seen all sorts of changes, from having them spin a wheel to determine the dunk they had to do, to making them use a teammate, or making them dunk to music. The current time and rounds format aren't so bad, but adding two more dunkers could make it interesting. It's unknown why they've made it just four players, when in the past there were more dunkers to watch do their thing. Also, they had a "Dunk-in" this year to add the fourth guy, but those two guys are relatively unknown to the mainstream. It worked out this year, since DeRozen made the finals, but why not just have a list of ten prospective dunkers, and the fans vote on NBA.com. The six with the highest vote totals are in the contest. And having the fans vote on the finals is ok, but when it's an unknown player versus a major market former dunk winner, who has the advantage there?

3) Add in some non-NBA dunkers? It was recently suggested that they should maybe add in a guy out of the D-League who can do a 720 dunk, or even a street baller, a random fan who has some incredible dunking ability. Good ideas. Let them compete in a dunk-off, and make the prize money worthy. In relation to point #1, if a non-NBA guy is in there and showing his stuff, with prize money and pride on the line an NBA player will want to get serious to represent. Last thing the NBA dunkers want is to lose to "mere mortals" from outside their league. Maybe even add a legend who still has some hops (no not Shawn Kemp).

4) Hold an All-Star caliber dunk contest - Once again, it's time to get serious. As we all see in the All-Star game, that tends to be the real dunk contest on display as Lebron, Wade, Kobe and others woo the crowd with their skills. Over the past several years, the Skills Challenge has featured guys who have those skills and are all-star caliber players. This year's finals came down to Nash and Williams, and past winners have included Derrick Rose and D-Wade. The dunk contest should feature the game's best dunkers. Jason Richardson, Dwyane Wade, Lebron James, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant are just five names that come to mind. Vince Carter is another, but has aged beyond the contest. I'm not sure if they need to prove it, but it would be great for the fans. These are the elite dunkers of the league and they probably feel they have nothing to prove to the rest of the league, outside of winning games and rings. However, the fans are antsy and the dunk contest needs to be re-born. NBA, dunkers, and commish Stern, let's get serious!

Feel free to leave your own ideas on how to fix the slam dunk contest, or comments on whether it even needs fixin'!

Charles Barkley Taco Bell commercial - it rocks?

"The five buck box, it rocks it rocks, it rocks with a meal for lots and lots. That is lots and lots in just one box..." Annoyed yet? If you've watched any amount of TV since the Superbowl, you've likely been constantly bombarded by the Charles Barkley Taco Bell commercial. "It rocks, it rocks" Barkley rhymes and half-raps as he walks around with his Taco Bell meal. Lamar Odom even makes a cameo, but it's clear Odom isn't eating those $5 Taco Bell meals, while Barkley may have done 100 takes to get the ad right. Somewhere the Taco Bell Chihuahua is rolling over in its doggy grave (RIP).



The Barkley Taco Bell commercial aired ad nauseum during the 2010 All-Star Saturday night events. Unfortunately, unlike Barkley's commentary on TNT, the ad is not funny at all. In fact, it's rather Dr. Seuss in its style and could have been done a lot better. That's just one humble opinion though.

As evidence of Barkley's true off-the-cusp and blatant humor, a few of his quips from 2010 NBA All-Star Saturday night stand out:

"Ever notice how Gatorade doesn't work on guys who suck?" ...after Nate Robinson took a swig of Gatorade during the dunk contest.

..in reference to four Dallas Cowgirls standing behind a seated Nate Robinson, waving their pom-poms...Kenny Smith "Looks like he's gonna use them" Barkley "for what, to cool himself off?"

...in reference to the dunk contest winner about to be announced by Cheryl Miller Dean: "maybe no one will win"

Barkley's T-Mobile ads with Dwyane Wade and Dwight Howard were much funnier and better done. Please Taco Bell do us a favor and take this ad off the air or at least limit it to late night viewings! If not, re-write it after referring to some of the best NBA basketball commercials of all-time!

Blake Griffin out for season for surgery

The chosen one for 2009-10 in Los Angeles reportedly has seen his season end, before it even began. According to the latest reports, the LA Clippers' #1 Draft pick, Blake Griffin, will be out for the remainder of the season for surgery. Griffin was injured in the final game of the NBA preseason when he broke his kneecap. Griffin's left kneecap hasn't healed as quickly as intended, so he'll be sidelined with surgery, rest and rehab.

This makes for the second straight year that the NBA's #1 draft pick was sidelined for the majority of their rookie campaign. Previously it was Greg Oden who had microfracture surgery on his right knee, causing him to miss the entire 2007-08 season. He returned in 2008-09 and was classified a rookie, but played sporadically, never quite materializing. In this current campaign, Oden hurt his left knee on December 5, 2009 and is out for the entire season.

As for the Clippers, they'll continue to rely on Marcus Camby at starting power forward, with Craig Smith backing him up. They're near a .500 record, and have Chris Kaman, Baron Davis and Eric Gordon all playing great, but obviously having the talents of Griffin would have propelled them higher. With the draft of Griffin at #1, there were high hopes for the "other team in LA" this season, but now they've been sidelined just like their rookie star. 2010-11 will begin the rookie year for Blake Griffin, and Clippers fans hope this isn't some eery deja vu, shades of Greg Oden just a year ago.

More about the Greg Oden injury at NBA.com

Lebron James Getting Dunked On Video?

(Jordan Crawford exists, but did the dunk happen?)

Just days ago, Lebron James getting dunked on was a blazing hot search on the internet. The story is interesting in that it was a college player who dunked on Lebron named Jordan Crawford. Apparently, all videotaped highlights of that dunk incident were confiscated by a Nike representative. According to reports, Lebron made the call himself to have the tapes confiscated. Skip Bayless of ESPN's "1st and 10" called it the height of "image and damage control" saying Lebron is literally becoming a "Nike puppet". (YouTube video) Bayless said Lebron's now refused to shake hands after the Orlando loss, wears T-shirts advertising New York as if he and his entourage are headed there when free agency hits. Whether Bayless' case against Lebron is a good one that he's insecure over his perception, this story almost seems like basketball highlight censorship by the King and Nike...

According to ESPN, one of the freelance cameramen, Ryan Miller, said the following about what happened:

Miller said he had been filming all day and had his tapes confiscated only after Crawford's dunk over James.

"LeBron called Lynn over and told him something," Miller told CBSSports.com. "That's how I knew his name was Lynn. LeBron said, 'Hey, Lynn. Come here.' "

Minutes later, Miller said Merritt demanded his tape.

"There's nothing I can think of besides LeBron just not wanting it online," Miller told CBSSports.com. "It's a good story to tell people, I guess. But then again, I'm kind of pissed. I lost my tape."

Sorry NBA fans and Lebron hecklers, but the Jordan Crawford dunking on Lebron video is not found on the internet, as the only 2 videotape copies were taken by Nike. Still, some jokester fans have tried to pretend they have the leaked video, just so they could make silly highlight videos and grab YouTube traffic. So while you won't see Jordan Crawford's actual dunk on Lebron James, you can see Jordan Crawford talk about the dunk he did here at YouTube. Jordan states he's 6'4" in height and it was exciting to dunk on The King.

See more about this story at ESPN.com

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!

James is King of NBA - 2008-09 MVP

Lebron James was crowned with the NBA's prestigious MVP award on Monday May 4th, 2009, giving him yet another achievement worthy of his superstar resume. The King received 109 of 121 possible first place votes, getting 1,172 total points from media members in both the United States & Canada. Coming in second was last year's MVP, Kobe Bryant, followed by Dwyane Wade, Orlando's Dwight Howard and New Orleans Hornet, Chris Paul. What makes this award so impressive is that King James the new MVP has achieved it at the very young age of 24.

James was scheduled to receive his MVP award in the same high school gym where he began his famed career. The media were already placing heaps of responsibility and accolades upon the young man before he even laced up his signature Nikes or shot a jumpshot as a Cleveland Cavalier. Now, James and his Cavs are poised for a possible run at the NBA title.

Lebron also joins two other high school ballers turned pro and won the MVP award: Kevin Garnett, and Kobe Bryant. Bryant & James continue to be compared by basketball fanatics as to who the current best in the game is. For this moment in time and the regular season, it may be Lebron, but that question may be restated if there's a Lakers-Cavs NBA Finals.

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!

Andrew Bynum's Playboy Mansion Fun

Los Angeles Lakers Center Andrew Bynum, who's still supposedly rehabbing from knee surgery to help his team was caught in a recent photo from a Playboy Mansion party. In the snapshot here, Bynum is seen with a Playboy bunny seated on his shoulders. The photo and sheer idea of this has outraged many LA faithful already. A blogger over at SI's fannation.com section says it seems Bynum (who was said to be several weeks away from return) is "well on the road to recovery". Bynum's been out of action since February with a tear in a ligament in his right knee.

The Playboy model he was carrying is 34 year old Nicole Narain who was Playboy Playmate of the month back in January 2002. She's been a hip hop honey video vixen for superstar videos from LL Cool J and Fabolous. According to her Wikipedia entry, she weighs just 110 pounds, which isn't a tremendous load for Bynum to shoulder. However the outrage may be more over the fact he was partying it up with alcohol and bunnies rather than resting or rehabbing the injury properly. While it's no Kobe in Colorado type scandal just yet, it definitely isn't the best publicity for the young Center who's part of the Lakers championship hopes in 2009.

Arash Markazi of CNNSI's Fannation.com wrote:

If Bynum isn't healthy enough to play, should he be able to live out his Playboy fantasy in the meantime? Maybe, but while he's rehabbing his injury and the Lakers play shorthanded without him, perhaps it'd be wise for him to keep a low profile and sit out a couple of pajama parties. The grotto and Playmates will still be there. The Lakers can only hope the same can be said for Bynum come playoff time.

On a sidenote, this isn't the first bit of controversy involving Nicole Narain either. Back in 2005, she and Colin Farrel were the stars of a sex tape which became grounds for a lawsuit to prevent anyone from selling or distributing the tape any further. Now Nicole is involved in this much more minor scandal, and it's only with Andrew Bynum. Perhaps this makes it on an episode of Girls Next Door, and if nothing else it's given the former centerfold a bit of a publicity boost right about now. Heff, take note- a Playboy models with NBA stars issue could be a hot seller.

Kemba Walker propels UCONN to Final 4

UCONN is hatching yet another new star as it gained another big victory in the 2009 NCAA tournament. NCAA basketball analyst Jay Bilas made the comment during UCONN's game against Missouri that UCONN freshman Kemba Walker came from the Bronx, New York, where some of the roughest streetball is played. That toughness and intensity enabled the young Walker to play a fearless brand of basketball, leading the Huskies to their 3rd final 4 appearance in a span of 10 years. In one play in particular, Walker drove quickly down the court charged into the midst of the Missouri players then flew underneath two defenders with a beautiful scoop shot layup. Perhaps a slight bit of Air Jordan mixed in for good measure.

The game wasn't easy for Connecticut as Missouri played ferociously all game. Bodies hit the floor, hands were contesting every shot, every dribble, every pass. It was perhaps the toughest, swarming defense that UCONN has seen all season long. However, UCONN persevered and outlasted yet another opponent. The end result was an 82-75 win behind Kemba Walker's career high 23 points. The beauty of this UCONN team is there's always a player ready to step up and take the lead, whether it's 7'3 center Hasheem Thabeet blocking shots and scoring inside, or point guard AJ Price draining 3's and driving to the hoop to dish to the open man. The West region's #1 seed UCONN now awaits the winner of Sunday's Louisville versus Michigan State matchup.

In the nightcap game, an all-time tournament classic game was had. The game went right down to the wire between two other Big East opponents UCONN is quite familiar with: #3 seed Villanova and #1 seed Pittsburgh. Pitt had been exhibiting some sloppier play in the NCAA tournament despite looking brilliant during the regular season. That sloppiness was surely exposed Saturday night as a constantly improving Villanova team took advantage and scored a basket with under a second to go, breaking a tied game. The 3/4 court drive by Nova's Reynolds was the deciding factor in a game which featured plenty of grit and an amazing stretch of 21-21 free throw shooting by Villanova. Nova now advances to the Final Four in a run reminiscent of their 1985 run, and will wait to meet the winner of Sunday's UNC vs. Oklahoma winner. This also makes at least 2 of 4 Big East teams in the Final 4, with a potential third coming if Louisville wins its game against Michigan State on Sunday.

2009 Free Agency = Possible Paycuts

(Will Bibby need a bailout in 2009-10?)


In 2010, one of the biggest NBA Free agent situations in some time, if not ever, will be the talk of the league. Eligible players like Lebron, Wade, Chris Bosh and many others will be highly sought after. The New York Knicks are amongst one of several teams interested in a franchise player as they dealt many stars away this past season to clear cap room. But prior to 2010, there's still 2009 and free agents. The NY Daily News takes a look at the 2009 Free agent class and how they may come up empty when it comes to a big payout from some team. The author reminds everyone about the tanking economy and how many NBA teams will be looking to shed salaries rather than add new pricey contracts.

"Teams are going to be looking to shed salaries, not take on contracts," said one Eastern Conference executive. "There's already a huge concern about next season in terms of ticket sales, suite sales and corporate sponsorships. Those are the three areas, primarily. With the way the economy is going, pro basketball will be no different than the rest of the business world. Teams' salary budgets and coaching budgets are going to drop. So this is not a very good summer to be a free agent."

The article mentions Mike Bibby, guard from the Atlanta Hawks, and says that his $15 million deal with the team runs out this season. Bibby's 31 and while Detroit, Oklahoma City and Memphis will all have cap room, none of them really need a point guard. That's not to say a playoff contender team won't make a move towards a player of his caliber. Still, Bibby may be forced to take a drastic paycut and stay with the Hawks, or consider the popular option players have started taking recently: bring their skills overseas to make more money- foreign money that is.

Read full article: Hard Times! With economy tanking, 2009 NBA Agents may come up empty at NY Daily News

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

Lebron James = Midseason MVP

During ESPN's NBA Shootaround show on Friday night, both Avery Johnson and Jalen Rose chose Lebron James as their "Midseason NBA MVP". Avery Johnson said he considers Lebron as having a shot at the MVP as well as Defensive Player of the Year. Jalen Rose agreed with Avery's midseason MVP, and added in that the best closer in the game is Kobe Bryant while the best point guard is Chris Paul. Host of NBA Shootaround, Looking at King James' stats in the chart below, it's clear he's on pace for the award as he's helping out with just about every important stat on the floor, offensively and defensely.

ESPN featured a doubleheader afterwards with 4 of the top 5 MVP candidates from 2007-08 as well as the 3 top teams from the league in action. Lebron's Cavs faced Chris Paul's Hornets in Game 1. Game 2 featured Kobe Bryant and the Lakers versus Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic. One of these four players could be the surefire MVP as the 2008-09 award is handed out. Last year saw Kobe take the award over Chris Paul. In reviewing the stats below each of these players is statistically sound and quite capable of putting up the tough-to-achieve quadruple double in stats. All four men were also a part of last year's Gold Medal Summer Olympics squad and according to Jalen Rose are setting themselves up as legendary Hall of Fame players.

Current stats for the four MVP candidates:

Lebron James 27.7 PPG, 6.90 RPG, 6.7 APG, 2.0 SPG, 1.3 BPG
Cleveland Cavaliers (30-7)

Chris Paul 20.8 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 11 APG, 2.91 SPG, 0.1 BPG
New Orleans Hornets (23-12)

Kobe Bryant 27.2PPG, 5.3 RPG, 4.7 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.4 BPG
Los Angeles Lakers (31-7)

Dwight Howard 20.2 PPG, 13.8 RPG, 1.5 APG, 1.0 SPG, 3.2 BPG
Orlando Magic (31-8)

Somewhere Over Thunder's Rainbow...

Ironically, a team that comes from one of the most rain-prone cities in the US, now finds itself being pounded by Thunderous losses, night in and night out. While teams like Boston, Clelveand and Los Angeles have 6 or less losses, Oklahoma is hoping to get that many wins right about now. Definitely a team in transition and in search of identity, but not a team without potential cornerstones for success.

USA Today takes a look at one of the few bright spots amongst the hurting Thunder, with rookie Russell Westbrook. Westbrook earned rookie of the month honors in December, and admits he didn't even know such an award existed. Still the rookie doesn't mind winning it as his play alongside Kevin Durant's has given the team some hope for the future. Right now last year's 4th overall draft pick, Westbrook, ranks third in scoring for rookies, right behind two ROY candidates in Derrick Rose & OJ Mayo. Westbrook's name isn't part of the talks for that season award quite yet, but should he continue his current path he might have a shot.

Currently, OKC is bottom of the NBA barrel, winning just 4 games, while losing 30. They've become that team that other teams see coming up on the schedule and realize they can breathe easy and pick up an extra W. Just the other night, Kevin Durant did showcase a bit of that competitive nature though, and hit a huge 3 against Denver in the final seconds. The only problem was Denver's Carmelo Anthony came right back to seal the Thunder's fate, hitting a game winning 3 of his own. The Nuggets left the court all smiles while once again the Thunder could simply shake their heads.

But this is to be expected from a team that is in all senses of the term, an expansion team. Their coach Scott Brooks even had a taste of that expansion life when he played for the Minnesota Timberwolves, who ironically are slightly better than Oklahoma is this season. Over at TheSpoof.com they go as far as to fake a rumor that Kove Bryant might be traded to the Thunder, but only when Cuba becomes our 51st state. While they don't have a household name like Kobe, the Thunder's Westbrook and Durant are stars in the making who definitely give life to a young, talented squad and show promise for the future. The New York Times has a recent article which mentions that even if W's aren't there in Oklahoma, fans still show up but they're only concerned with the home games.

From NYTimes:

“Our fan base is still really not in tune with the rest of the league and even our team on the road,” Cornett said. “I don’t get the sense that if you walked into a restaurant and our team is playing a road game, that it’s a given that they are going to be playing it on TV. The market just hasn’t matured in that respect. To them, the N.B.A. is 41 home games, and the rest will take time to develop.”

So the fans are half into the team. Now the team needs to get more than just 2/5 of the team to give way more than 50% effort to cross that .500 mark within a few seasons.

Read Westbrook's honor gives dismal Thunder a bright spot at USA Today

BuzzerBeaters & East Guards

Several great buzzer-beaters in Friday night's NBA action. The Oklahoma Thunder (former Sonics) were on cloud 9 after young superstar Kevin Durant knocked down a huge 3 to put his team ahead. With just seconds remaining though Carmelo returned the favor, hitting a three to give the Nuggets the win, coach George Karl's 900th. Can it get any worse for the Thunder? When it rains on them, it pours...

Vince Carter also hit a 3 to win the Nets game Friday night. The Nets continue to be amongst playoff contenders in the East behind the standout play of Guard Devin Harris, who was acquired in the Jason Kidd trade. Recently though the Nets were offering a ticket to any of 5 home games for just 75 cents. Maybe a move to Brooklyn and bringing the King to town will see better ticket sales.

As for guards in the East, ESPN NBA Analyst Jeff Van Gundy was saying he thinks PG's Jameer Nelson, Jose Calderon and Devin Harris are all deserving of All-Star spots. His co-analyst Mark Jackson let him know that they won't all be playing in Phoenix this February, so it will be interesting to see which guys get the nod. With Billups departure, Iverson is back east. Then you've got superstar guards like Dwyane Wade and Ray Allen, so the bench will be interesting.

Speaking of Ray Allen's Celtics, there's now rumors that Boston is interested in acquiring Stephon Marbury. Newsday reported:

On Friday, a source-based report on ESPN.com suggested that the Celtics are interested in signing Marbury once he completes a buyout with the Knicks, who are owned by Cablevision, which also owns Newsday. Walsh, who has given Marbury permission to talk with other teams to find a new home, said he had no indications that the Celtics, or any NBA team, had a sincere interest.

The Celtics were caught off-guard by the report, and general manager Danny Ainge had no comment Friday about Marbury.

A KG-Starbury reunion would be something to see, but would it help or hurt the Champs? Marbury's been a star in the past but his on/off court problems are always a danger to teams he plays for. Read Newsday's full article here.

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...

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!

Wade's Heat take Kobe's Lakers 89-87

Friday night saw a thrilling clash between NBA Superstars, Olympic Teammates and former teammates of Shaq Diesel. It was the first game of an NBA Double header on ESPN and was down to the wire. Dwyane Wade's Heat barely survived in Miami as a Kobe buzzer beater went in and quickly bounced right back out as the game ended. Even though Kobe debuted a new pair of shoes at the game (said to be Nike's lightest bball shoe yet), they weren't enough to lift his Lakers to OT, or a win. (Kobe has chosen to switch to low tops for more ankle mobility).

The two teams are on almost opposite ends of the NBA spectrum, although this year's Miami team is much more respectable than a season ago. Dwyane Wade's healthy and looking better than ever since that season-ending shoulder surgery he had. The Heat at 12-12 have the fight in them to make this year's playoffs behind their phenom leader.

Meanwhile, Kobe's Lakers are still right up there with the red-hot Celtics. It was mentioned during tonight's Heat-Lakers contest that the Lakers were at 21-3, (now 21-4), and will be eagerly anticipating a Christmas day matchup against the Celtics. It should be one interesting replay of last year's Finals, this time with Andrew Bynum in the mix.

Will this be Celtics Best Season Ever ...?

If your current favorite NBA team is anyone but the Celtics you may be green with envy. Currently, Boston sits pretty with the best record in the NBA, a 24-2 start. It's also the franchise's best start ever, even better than the days of the Larry Bird and other legendary squads Boston has put together.

It's no secret why the current team is doing so well, the power of 3 selfless superstars coming together for the good of the team. Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen each have the personalities of leaders who lead by example and encourage others to get involved in the effort. Paul Pierce has been a mainstay of the team for years, and suffered through adversity there, including poor seasons below .500. But now the team has reason to celebrate with a champion for the 3 superstars, and they only continue to build on that success.

Will this team outdo the Chicago Bulls team that won 70 plus games? It's quite possible at this pace. The Hawks gave the Celtics another run for their money last night, and also defeated the Cavs recently. Should the Celtics draw Atlanta again in the 2009 playoffs, things will get interesting. Also, there's no reason not to believe the Lakers can play spoilers should we see a rematch of last year's finals. While the Lakers may not have as great a record now or even at the end of the 09' campaign, Kobe, Gasol, Odom and Bynum definitely have the superstar power to match and defeat this Boston squad. Christmas day could provide an early preview of that rematch too, as the Celts travel to LA to face Kobe and his Lakers.... As for this early Boston performance guaranteeing Finals success, remember back to a Patriots team that looked unstoppable, and they were dethroned in the Superbowl by an aggressive and NY Giants team. So while the Celtics add wins, there may be another team preparing quietly to win a battle later on.