2014-15 NBA Season Opening Night Game Schedule

The 2014-15 NBA season officially tips off on Tuesday, October 26th and there’s three marquee matchups on the slate. The NBA schedule will begin at 8 p.m. EST with TNT providing a doubleheader for fans to enjoy. That will feature the reigning NBA champion Spurs as they get their championship rings and then take on the Mavs. Kobe Bryant and the LA Lakers will bring showtime to the nightcap game as they host Dwight Howard and the Houston Rockets.

Guess the Basketball Star - FREE Android game!

One other game is not being televised nationally and that features Anthony Davis’ Pelicans as they host the Orlando Magic. Tip off for the game is just after 8 p.m. EST. As of this report, the Spurs are 7 1/2 point favorites to beat the Mavs, the Pelicans are nearly 10-point favorites to defeat the Magic, and the Rockets are 6-point favorites over the Lakers.

2014-15 NBA Opening Night Schedule:

Dallas vs. San Antonio 8:00 p.m. EST (TNT)

Orlando vs. New Orleans 8:00 p.m. EST (FS-Florida)

Houston vs. LA Lakers 10:30 p.m. EST (TNT)

By the way, both opening night TNT games will also be available live online through the TNT Overtime website. This site provides a unique live look at the game with multiple camera feeds. There’s also a player cam which keeps track of one player from each team as voted on by the fans ahead of the game. Dirk Nowitzki leads the way for the Mavs at 38% of the vote while Kawhi Leonard leads the way for the Spurs with 35% of the votes. Tony Parker has 22% of votes for San Antonio as of this post.

Are you ready for NBA basketball to get going? We sure are! Let us know any of your season predictions below!

Kobe Bryant is Lakers new All-Time Scorer

LA Lakers star Kobe Bryant further added to his legend on Monday night when he became the franchise's all-time leading scorer. Bryant surpassed legendary Lakers star Jerry West, albeit in a losing effort to the Memphis Grizzlies. Bryant finished the game with 44, but oddly wasn't the one taking the final shot for his team. Instead he kicked the ball out to Ron Artest for a missed three as time expired. Rudy Gay had 25 points including a 3-pointer with 29.5 seconds remaining. New All-Star, Zach Randolph, had 22 points and 17 rebounds to lead Memphis to the victory, 95-93 over Los Angeles.

Bryant set the new Lakers scoring record against the former Vancouver team now playing in Memphis. Ironically, Bryant's all-time scoring record in a game, 81 points, was set against another Canadian NBA franchise, the Toronto Raptors. Bryant's record-breaking basket was a light dunk late in the third quarter.

Kobe was gracious towards the former Lakers all-time scorer:

"It's a great honor to say the least," said Bryant, who broke the record of the man who later drafted him as the Lakers' general manager. "[West] taught me so much when I was 17 years old. He showed me a lot about the game, the jump shot and spin moves and all the others." - ESPN.com

Pau Gasol's younger brother, Marc had a kickout pass to Rudy Gay for the 3 that helped the Grizzlies under 30 seconds. The Grizz continue the hunt for a possible playoff spot this season, while the Lakers look to bounce back from the loss. And despite a Lakers loss, a few important points were made. Kobe's now got 25,193 for his career.

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

Lamar Odom getting married to Khloe Kardashian

The recent buzz has been all about Los Angeles Lakers star Lamar Odom, not for his recent championship ring with the Lakers, not for his $33 million contract extension signed in July, and luckily not for any off-court legal problems. The recent news is that Lamar Odom is getting married to Khloe Kardashian, famous sister of Kim, from "Keeping up with the Kardashians" and "Khloe and Kourtney take Miami", both of which air on the E! television channel.

Well known celeb-diva, paparazzi booty queen, Kim Kardashian, who was most recently linked to running back Reggie Bush of the NFL's New Orleans Saints told People.com:

"They're very, very happy," Kim told People.com. "They are literally inseperable. Khloe thinks he's amazing and makes her laugh and smile constantly."

The news may come as a big shock to many fans of either of these stars. According to reports, Odom met Kardashian at a party in Los Angeles and the two really hit it off. They dated for just over a month, and soon were engaged. A wedding is tentatively planned for Sunday September 27th, 2009. The reason for Lamar Odom and Khloe Kardashian getting married so quick wedding is due to Odom's upcoming schedule involving the NBA season. All's fair in Love & Basketball, but don't we see so many Hollywood style marriages end fast? I guess it's good to start fast and get it over with quicker? Feel free to leave your thoughts on this recent NBA transaction off the court for Lamar Odom...

(Sources: latimesblogs.latimes.com, people.com, usmagazine.com)

NBA 2009-10 Season Schedules

The 2009-10 NBA Season will kick off in style on TNT Tuesday Ocotober 27th with an NBA doubleheader. In game 1, last year's Eastern Conference Finals Runner-ups, the Cleveland Cavaliers will go up against the NBA Champs from 2 seasons ago, the Boston Celtics. Lebron James and Shaquille O'Neal will have their first regular season contest together while the Celtics look to welcome Kevin Garnett, and recent pickups, Rasheed Wallace & Shelden Williams. In the second game of the night, it will be a battle of the two LA's. Kobe Bryant's NBA Champion Lakers will be taking on the in-town rival Los Angeles Clippers with their #1 draft pick, Blake Griffin. Two other games will go down on opening night; Washington takes on Dallas, while Portland hosts Houston.

The next night will be yet another doubleheader, this time airing on ESPN. Game 1 will feature Tim Duncan, Richard Jefferson and the San Antonio Spurs battling Chris Paul, Emeka Okafor and the New Orleans Hornets. In the second game of the night, Carmelo Anthony and the Denver Nuggets will go into Utah to go against Deron Williams and the Jazz. October 28th features a total of 12 NBA games on the slate.

The NBA Champion Lakers won't see their NBA Finals opponent from 2009, the Orlando Magic until Monday, January 18th, 2010. The Magic will have to wait until March 7th to host the champs at home. There will be a Christmas day treat for NBA fans as Kobe's Lakers visit Shaq, Lebron and the cavs in Cleveland for an afternoon contest.

In addition to various local sports coverage of games around the country, the usual networks will air plenty of games this season, with ESPN, ABC and TNT all showcasing some of the top matchups.

The NBA season will wrap up on Wednesday, April 14th 2010 as the Playoffs will kick into high gear soon thereafter.

NBA Preseason schedules will also be announced withing the coming weeks.

View Team by Team schedules here for the NBA 2009-10 season

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.

Lakers win 15th NBA Title, Bryant MVP

Kobe Bryant has finally done it. An NBA Title achieved in the absence of Shaquille O'Neal, and possibly he's gotten those nasty critics off his back that it couldn't be done. On Sunday night, a week before Father's day, Kobe held up his two daughters after the game as his wife Vanessa came onto the court to congratulate her hubby. The Lakers won it 99-83, and despite playing the Magic at home, managed to make big statements in the first and last games of the series.

The Lakers pieced together the key components of this team starting last season with the acquisition of Pau Gasol. However, they ran into the Celtics green featuring the Big 3, and KG, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce won their first championship rings. This season was a different story, and while it looked like LA would be clashing with Cleveland, D-Howard and the Magic made it a different story. Howard tied a playoff record for double doubles with Duncan and Charles Barkley, an impressive feat in and of itself, but the big man was unable to will his team to win with the likes of Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom playing down low. Meanwhile Kobe shot and scored at will, as he usually does, and Derek Fisher continued hitting big shots.

The Lakers outscored the Magic in the middle two quarters, with a 30-18 performance in the 2nd quarter. Interestingly enough, the Lakers didn't dominate the paint, or outdo the Magic in overall fast break points. While the Magic were worthy opponents keeping the games close throughout the series, they were no match for the superior team and a man destined to win title #4. Kobe Bryant you may now take your MVP award for this NBA Finals victory....now both he and Shaq have 4 titles. More Game info at NBA.com.

Funny enough, immediately following the win, The Real Shaq was going Twitter crazy:

# Congrats in spanish pau gasol, muchas gracias pappacito10 minutes ago from TwitterBerry

# Congrats to u to d fish, big shots the other day. Enjoy my man enjoy10 minutes ago from TwitterBerry

Congrats to you to phil jackson. When the general doesn't panic the troops don't panic. You are the greatest now.13 minutes ago from TwitterBerry

and probably the funniest Tweet of the night went out to #24:

Congratualtions kobe, u deserve it. You played great . Enjoy it my man enjoy it. And I know what yur sayin rt now "Shaq how my ass taste "15 minutes ago from TwitterBerry

All's well in Twitter and Tinseltown, and this concludes our broadcast of the 2008-09 NBA season. Stay tuned for the 2009 NBA Draft, coming soon....

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!

Andrew Bynum and Rihanna Together?

Let the rumor mills and gossiping start, Andrew Bynum and singer Rihanna were recently spotted out on the town together in California. Bynum and Rihanna were reportedly seen sharing an intimate dinner at Mastro's Steakhouse in Beverly Hills on this past Friday. According to what a source told X17 online: "The twosome was "very couple-y, sitting real close to each other in the car" after leaving the venue".

This is the same Rihanna who several weeks ago had forgiven her boyfriend of 4 months, Chris Brown, who beat her up in his car right before the Grammy's on February 8th. 19-year old Brown recently plead not guilt to the charges of felony assault and making criminal threats. The couple had chosen to take some time off away from each other to reflect on the relationship. Apparently Brown and Rihanna are seeing other people now. The couple had reconciled weeks ago, but there's also been recent reports that Chris Brown was seen visiting a tattoo parlour with Girlicious singer Natalie Mejia. Mejia hasn't said they're an official couple but has said things are going well lately between them.

This is also the same Andrew Bynum who plays center for the Los Angeles Lakers, who had been rehabbing a knee injury for months and was also seen at Playboy Mansion party carrying a playmate around on his shoulders. Life is good for the young Lakers star, who really isn't a star on the basketball court like he seems to be out in Hollywood.

(Story source: AceShowbiz.com)

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...

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.

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.

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!

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.

NBA Defenders, Contenders & Pretenders

According to a recent Page 2 article by ESPN's Bill Simmons, there's a clear six-team list for this season's NBA title contenders: Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavs, LA Lakers, San Antonio Spurs, Utah Jazz & New Orleans Hornets. Simmons contends that the Celts, Cavs & Lakers are high probability with the other 3 less likely to win it all.

Defenders: Moreso than last season, Boston is playing with targets on the players' backs as reigning NBA champions. The Celtics have just 2 losses this season and seem to be on pace for a possible return, once again plowing through competition. Many analysts questioned whether not holding on to James Posey would hurt the team. They still have the big 3, an emerging Rajon Rondo, and last year's success to build upon.

Contenders: If you peruse through the latest NBA standings, the Lakers are ahead of the pack with a 12-1 record, and are on fire this season. Most likely they are still hungry after losing to Boston in the Finals, and with Andrew Bynum's return they are definitely improved in the paint. The also have that pesky #24, the reigning MVP, Mr. Kobe "Killer Instinct" Bryant..

Then comes the Cavs, and we all know that Lebron continues to lead the way in Cleveland along with his supporting cast. Not only that, but he is going to be the most sought-after free agent in some time and is under constant scrutiny to perform. Most free agents up the level of their game, and Lebron is constantly on the rise. The Knicks recently cleaned up their pricey roster for a chance at acquiring the young phenom. Expect Lebron's Cavs to give the Celtics serious challenges come playoff time as Lebron continues improving, which is scary at his age and level of talent.

Simmons mentions that the Hornets seem to be faltering, making them the possible Western Conference pretenders. He argues that perhaps the team isn't in love with coach Byron Scott anymore. ">Read the full article here

In addition to Simmons' 6 contenders mentioned, you could argue that there's several teams in the league capable of getting hot near playoff time. The Lakers 1 loss came at the hands of the Pistons who now enjoy the services of one Allen Iverson. The Mavs are on a 6 game win streak right now, and they were in the Finals several years ago. Dirk is a former MVP while Kidd was nearly a former MVP. There's also the new-look Nuggets with Billups at point guard, the new look Rockets with Artest helping on D, and those Phoenix Suns with good ol' Shaq & Nash.

If the NBA playoffs started today, here's the teams competing:

Eastern Conference:

1) Boston 13-2
2) Cleveland 11-3
3) Orlando 10-4
4) Detroit 8-5
5) Atlanta 8-5
6) Miami 7-7
7) Philadelphia 7-7
8) New York 7-7

Western Conference:

1) L.A. Lakers 12-1
2) Houston 10-5
3) Denver 9-5
4) Phoenix 10-5
5) New Orleans 8-5
6) Utah 9-6
7) Portland 9-6
8) San Antonio 7-6

Perhaps the Knicks have the most to be thankful come Thanksgiving 2008; a .500 record, a chance at the playoffs, and a major chance at landing King James in a season or so.

Lakers Perfection Continues

The Lakers are sitting pretty at 7-0 as the last undefeated team in the NBA. Last night they held off the ultra-talented Chris Paul-lead New Orleans Hornets to remain unbeaten. With Andrew Bynum back after last season's devastating knee injury, it adds even more talent to the squad and fuel to the Lakers' fire. A Seattle Post-Intelligence article details how Andrew Bynum is a major contributing factor in the Lakers' early season success. They definitely have the hunger thanks to losing to the Celtics in last year's Finals, but with Bynum they can compete even closer to the level of the C's. At 22 years old and imposing, Bynum gives an inside presence along with bigs like Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom to help rebound and intimidate those attempting to score in the paint. Those Big 3 plus Kobe make for one deadly quartet, and will possibly be the NBA champs in 09'.

According to the Seattle Post-Intelligence article, the Lakers biggest threat may come from the Phoenix Suns. I'd argue that the Mavs, Hornets and Spurs all have the potential to get hot at any point in the season and offer true threats to the Lakers. Add Houston and Utah. and there's 7 of this year's playoff teams. The Portland Trailblazers have what it takes to make the #8 spot, should Oden remain healthy for the remainder of this season. Should LA finish 1 and Portland 8, that definitely makes for an interesting playoff debut for Mr. Oden, and quite a challenging test for the young Andrew Bynum.