Rock the Vote
1. All-Stars
The first batch of returns from the All-Star balloting are in and the fans have spoken. In the East, its Allen Iverson, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Shaquille ONeal. The West leaders are Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady, Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan and Yao Ming. Oddly enough, if Iverson gets traded to a Western Conference team he wont make the starting five. A.I. is sitting pretty in the East as the number one guard with 595,200 votes, about 8,500 votes ahead of Wade. However, in the West he would be well behind both Bryant and McGrady. In fact, Iverson would be almost 73,000 votes behind McGrady. Theres no doubt that Iverson would make the team in the West, but it would be the first time in a long time that he didnt start in the game. But dont worry A.I. fans; you still have until January 21 to stuff the ballot box full of votes for The Answer.
2. Big Bullies
Since the news of Allen Iverson demanding a trade broke, the story has dominated the headlines. During the entire hubbub, it seems that the Ben Wallace vs. Scott Skiles feud has cooled a bit. Big Ben has stepped up his play and proven that hes more than just a headband. In the Bulls last game, Wallace had 15 points, 20 rebounds and five blocks. That sounds more like the Ben we all know and love. The Bulls are rallying around their high-dollar, off-season acquisition and have won nine out of their last ten games; pulling to within two games of division leaders Detroit and Cleveland. With Wallace focused on defense and Ben Gordon providing some serious firepower off the bench, Chicago is finally beginning to look like the team that many projected to win their division and possibly their conference.
3. Deflated Balls
Having trouble handling that slick ball? Are you hands bleeding from cuts received while dribbling? Well, youve probably been using the microfiber ball that the league is currently using. Now that the league has decided to return to the old, leather ball, you can too. Thats because Spalding, the maker of the composite ball, is giving refunds for returns of the ball. You can get $115 for sending back the ball that NBA players love to hate. So, if you wasted your money, like David Stern did, heres you chance for redemption. And in the future, dont forget, leather is better.
Thursdays Player of the Day: Yao Ming @ Golden State 41 min, 38 pts (FG: 15-32, 3FG: 0-1, FT: 8-8), 18 reb, 3 ast, 2 blk
Fridays Game to Watch: Houston (14-8) @ Los Angeles Lakers (15-7) Houston lost to the Lakers on Tuesday after making an incredible comeback to make things interesting, but it wasnt enough as L.A. won, 102-94, in Houston. Now, the teams get to do it again in Los Angeles. The Lakers are 12-3 at home this year, but will be missing a key piece as Lamar Odom sits for a month. That means Kobe Bryant has to pick up the scoring load, and that is always fun to watch. Tracy McGrady is questionable for the game but if he manages to play, this game could be become a shootout between the two stars.
Buzzer Beater: Baron Davis has been stepping up in a big way for Golden State all season long. Last night against Houston was no different as Davis went off for 34 points and eight assists. He also drained the winning three-pointer in Shane Battiers face with one second left in the game. Despite having one of his best seasons as a pro, Davis is currently tenth in All-Star voting for Western Conference guards. NBA fans, you should be ashamed of yourselves.