Tag: Phoenix Suns

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NBA General

Jordan Goes For The Jugular



Yea, don’t mess with Mike

1. Just Making Room For More Carolina Blue
Michael Jordan made a rare appearance in front of the media on Tuesday in a hideous red jacket and finally chopped the head off the lead Bobcat when he told coach Bernie Bickerstaff that his services would not be desired next season. But in Jordan’s typical humiliating fashion, he didn’t fire Bickerstaff, but instead his Airness is going to try and get Bernie to provide countless hours of labor finishing out the regular season before officially being booted from the building. The move is incredibly ironic considering that while one crappy coach got canned, another crappy coach got a multiyear extension. So, now it’s up to Jordan to find a suitable replacement for the Bobkittens. Hmmmm, can you say Larry Brown?

2. Moving On Up

It took the Spurs 13 consecutive victories before they finally gained some ground on the Mavericks in the Southwest Division, but with a win over a lost Clippers team and a loss by Dallas to Golden State on Monday, San Antonio is now only seven games behind the league leaders. Talk about demoralizing! It must be brutal to rip off 13 straight, only to see a big, fat 7 in the games back column. But the good news for SA is that they should be able to stretch this streak even further by taking care of business against some of the league’s worst clubs. Milwaukee, Boston and the slumping Pacers are all waiting to get rolled before the Spurs’ next big test against the Pistons next week. The Mavs, on the other hand, have a nationally televised showdown with the Suns looming on their schedule.

3. No Shake For You!
With 11 minutes remaining in the game, Antoine Walker had a flashback to his better days in green as he exploded for all of his 13 points and helped the Heat mount a furious fourth quarter come back win against the Jazz. The two point loss, 88-86, was the first time that Utah had blown a lead at the end of the third quarter this season (14-1). The Heat were down by as many as 17 points at one point in the third quarter and trailed by 14 points entering into the fourth before Walker’s inside/outside barrage ignited Miami’s rally. Uncharacteristically, `Toine never performed his trademark shimmy shake during the onslaught. Apparently the gyrating just isn’t suiting his 30 year olds `ol bones.

Tuesday’s Player of the Day: Josh Smith vs. Philadelphia 37 min, 26 pts (FG: 11-20, 3FG: 1-2, FT: 3-4), 17 reb, 5 ast, 4 stl, 3 blk

Wednesday’s Game to Watch: Phoenix (49-14) @ Dallas (52-10) These are unquestionably the two best teams in the NBA today. Despite losing to the Warriors on Monday, the Mavericks have still won an astonishing 17 of their last 18 games en route to racking up an incredible 38 of their last 41, and on their home floor they are 20-3. But Phoenix comes into this game sporting a pretty impressive resume of their own, winning five in a row and 10 of their last 11 games. Like Dallas, the Suns have accomplished a pair of notable double-digit winning streaks. And like Dallas, the Suns can also lay claim to a 17 game winning streak this year. In addition, the Suns will have revenge to motivate them as they have been unable to knock off the Mavericks in a pair of games this season.

Buzzer Beater: In a move that was long, long overdue, the Timberwolves finally part ways with Eddie Griffin. Minnesota waived one of the most disappointing stars to ever come into the league after three all too troubling seasons in the Land of Ten Thousand Lakes. You can’t blame Minnesota for gambling on the underachieving youngster, but also can’t blame them for getting rid of the team’s constant headache. Kevin McHale is finally starting to prove that his award as the best GM in sports isn’t a total crock. Nah, it’s still absolutely bogus.

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NBA General

Around the Rim: The Beautiful People And The Unsightly

1. Hollywood’s House of Horrors
To borrow a phrase from Tom Jackson; Kobe Bryant, Phil Jackson and all of the other Lakers got JACKED UP!! Dallas showed no mercy on Los Angeles as they defeated them by 36 points, 108-72, as Jack Nicholson, Tobey Maguire, Penny Marshall and Dyan Cannon all watched on. Kobe and crew had their worst offensive output of the season in the worst home loss in franchise history. The nastiest pounding the Lakers organization had ever received in Lalaland before last night was a 35 point spanking, 144-109, by the San Francisco Warriors on November 19, 1966.

But the Lakers shouldn’t let the loss get them too distraught since they can still claim a victory over the Mavs this season. That’s more than most teams can say. And they can also lay claim to the longest span of regular season home games without being defeated by 30 points or more. Sunday’s loss marked the end of that 1,521 game period that dated back to November 1969.

2. Late Bloomers
Everyone knows that the NBA’s hottest team is Dallas with 17 consecutive victories. And most know that San Antonio is also riding a double-digit win streak that has reached 12 straight. But a lot of people aren’t aware that two of the teams nipping on the heels of the league’s longest active win streak were on the verge of being in the Greg Oden/Kevin Durant sweepstakes just a few weeks ago. The Allen Iversonless 76ers are just four games away from grabbing the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference after ripping off seven straight wins that included victories over the Suns, Lakers and Pacers. Right behind Philly is Miami who has won six in a row as an invigorated Shaquille O’Neal has carried the Heat since they lost Dwyane Wade to a dislocated shoulder in late February. Thanks to a 106-104 victory over the Wizards on Sunday Miami is only one game behind Washington for the Southeast Division lead which would guarantee them one of the top four spots in the East.

3. Run For The Border
It’s not too often that a coach gets pissed off when an opposing player misses a 3-pointer, but that’s exactly what happened at the end of yesterday’s game between Indiana and Cleveland. With the game firmly in the Cavs hands, 99-84, and the final buzzer buzzing, Sideshow Bob’s biggest fan, Anderson Varejao, launched a 26-foot trey that failed to fall but succeeded in drawing the evil eye from Pacer coach Rick Carlisle. But what sour puss Carlisle didn’t consider was that the last second heave was meant to bring happiness to thousands; not mount more humiliation on a few. See, the three would have put Cleveland over 100 points which would have given everyone in attendance a free chalupa from Taco Bell. Now, don’t you feel silly coach?

Sunday’s Player of the Day: T.J. Ford vs. Seattle 37 min, 25 pts (FG: 11-15, FT: 3-4), 4 reb, 13 ast, 3 stl

Monday’s Game to Watch: Houston (39-24) @ Phoenix (48-14) The All-Star power is off the charts in this contest as five of the league’s elite will make the start between the two clubs. The Suns come into this game with the second best record in the league and, like usual, are riding a nice winning streak; four in a row and nine of their last ten. But Houston is on a three game win streak of their own as Yao Ming is bouncing back into shape way ahead of schedule. Yesterday against the Magic, Yao looked like the dominant player he was before breaking his leg in November as he went off for 37 points, seven rebounds and four blocks in a 103-92 victory. Tracy McGrady didn’t disappoint as he put up 19 points and 10 assists in the game. Nevertheless, no team wants to make the trip to Phoenix for the backside of a back-to-back.

Buzzer Beater: After a weepy Ron Artest apologized to the world on Saturday for his latest random act of stupidity, he came out and played decent ball in his first game since being reinstated. But don’t let the sniffles and tears fool you, it’s only a matter of time before Artest’s name is back in the headlines for some dumb off court decision. Eric Musselman is just hoping to get through the remainder of the regular season and any playoff run that Sacramento might see before Ron-Ron loses his marbles again. It’s like Terrell Owens in Big D; you know he’s gonna screw the franchise eventually, so all you can hope to do is milk him for 150 yards and a pair of TD’s per game until he does.

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NBA General

Around the Rim: They All Look Like a Bunch of Girlie Men, Right?



I just pop random pills!

1. What’s Wrong With Kids These Days?
Kobe Bryant’s smack to Marko Jaric’s head didn’t result in a win for the Lakers against the Timberwolves, and it probably cost Los Angeles their game against Milwaukee last night. That’s because David Stern suspended Bryant for the game against the Bucks, stripping the Lakers of his 29.2 points per game average as Milwaukee rolled to an easy 110-90 victory. Lex Luthor, er, Charlie Villanueva torched the Zen Master’s decimated lineup for 26 points on 10 of 12 shooting.

While Bryant kept quiet about the incident, Jaric came out and actually supported Bryant’s behavior. “I haven’t seen the replay, but if you ask me what I thought about the play when it happened, I don’t think he did it intentionally, and I don’t think players should be suspended for things that happen unintentionally,” Jaric told ESPN.com. First Tyler Hansborough says Gerald Henderson smashing his nose into his face was accidental, and now Jaric calls Bryant’s cheap shot unintentional? It’s getting kinda hard to blame the sucker punchers when the sucker punchees condone getting their craniums cracked.

2. $5 Million Bargain
Dwight Howard’s 18 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks per game has earned him a lot of recognition this year, but he’s not going to receive his most valuable award until this summer when he becomes a free agent. Orlando is expected to offer Howard a deal which would generate the young All-Star $87.5 million over the next five years. The first year of the deal would be worth approximately $14.5 million and increase to about $20.5 million. That’s about a $10 million raise from his current salary of $4.8 million. Howard is obviously the future of the franchise and he might be the future of the league. At 6-11 and 265 pounds, Howard has one of the most chiseled bodies in all the league and he can perform feats that smaller players only dream about. Once the Magic begin giving Howard a superstar’s share of the shots, he’s only averaging 11 attempts per game, he’s going to truly become an unstoppable force on both ends of the court.

3. Dropping Bombs
After smoking virtually every team in the NBA this year, the Suns nearly dropped the ball against one of the weakest teams in the league. In fact, it took a career-high 32 points from Leandro Barbosa off the bench and an extra five minutes for the Suns could put away the Bobcats, 115-106. Phoenix’s previous five games against the Cats were won by an average of 15.8 points. Barbosa nailed seven of the team’s 19 treys which was just one shy of the franchise record. Raja Bell threw in five triples of his own in the contest to help offset some of 44 points that Adam Morrison and Gerald Wallace teamed up for. It probably wasn’t the kind of win Phoenix was expecting before the game, but winning eight out of nine games is still pretty good, regardless of the competition.

Wednesday’s Player of the Day: LeBron James @ Detroit 51 min, 41 pts (FG: 17-31, 3FG: 1-3, FT: 6-8), 7 reb, 8 ast, 3 stl, 1 blk

Thursday’s Game to Watch: San Antonio (43-18) @ Sacramento (28-32) Thanks to a ten game win streak, the Spurs have quietly moved ahead of Utah for the third best record in the league. It took a while, but SA has regained their trademark defense (league best 89.8 points against) that led them to three championships in seven years. Tim Duncan appears to be completely healthy for the first time in a long time which is bad news for opposing defenders. The Kings have won five of their last six games and sit just one game behind the Clippers for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. It will be interesting to see just how long the Kings can maintain their current high level of play without starter Ron Artest who was dismissed from the team on Monday.

Buzzer Beater: One of the league’s most admirable citizens over the past decade has been Lindsey Hunter, but being a good guy doesn’t get anyone out of a positive drug test. But it’s probably not what you think; it’s not weed, it’s not cocaine or steroids. No, Hunter proved that he was indeed a good guy by getting busted for phentermine, a pill commonly used by his wife for weight loss. Hunter’s airtight explanation for popping his partner’s pills was simply that “we do that at our house.” But regardless of reason, the little pill is going to cost Hunter a lot of money. $205,000 over a 10 game suspension to be exact. But it’s worth it; have you seen how trim he looks?

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NBA General

Around the Rim: Livingston’s Road to Recovery


1. In Kneed of Therapy
Shaun Livingston will miss the remainder of the season after ripping his knee to shreds in a game versus the Bobcats. If you just heard the diagnosis, you’d probably think we were talking about Daunte Culpepper or Carson Palmer. The MRI on Livingston’s left knee showed tears in the anterior cruciate ligament, posterior cruciate ligament, medial collateral ligament and lateral meniscus. If you saw the injury, you’d probably think you were reliving the Joe Theisman twig snapping. In addition to his ligament damage, Livingston also dislocated his patella. But the Clippers weren’t the only ones receiving bad news on Tuesday. New York also found out that they will lose their starting shooting guard. Jamal Crawford has a stress fracture in his right ankle that will require season-ending surgery. Oh well, those are the breaks.

2. Colossal Collapse
The Suns were down by 18 points at one point in the third quarter last night against the Pacers, but Phoenix came roaring back in the fourth quarter and ended up taking their 14 straight victory on the road against the Eastern Conference this year. With only one interconference road game remaining on the Suns schedule, they are one win away from becoming the first team in NBA history to go undefeated in the category. Indiana was rolling right along until 4:24 remained in the third quarter when they were leading Phoenix 77-59. Over the remainder of the game, the Suns scorched Indiana with a 45-15 run as Conseco Fieldhouse witnessed one of the most pathetic Pacers collapses of all time.

3. No Alumni Love in Detroit
Bill Laimbeer is upset that he didn’t receive any consideration for the available assistant coaching positions in Detroit before the season began. The Pistons didn’t even interview Laimbeer before hiring Terry Porter and Dave Cowens. One thing Laimbeer hasn’t done since retiring is mellow out, which could have something to do with why the Pistons don’t want to touch the original Bad Boy. Hell, Laimbeer was yelling at the referees during the worthless Shooting Stars competition over All-Star weekend. You would have thought he was back in the Finals again the way he was going off on the refs. Maybe if he could settle down a bit in his old age more NBA teams would give him consideration.

Tuesday’s Player of the Day: Jermaine O’Neal vs. Phoenix 40 min, 28 pts (FG: 13-24, FT: 2-2), 13 reb, 7 ast, 2 stl, 6 blk

Wednesday’s Game to Watch: Toronto (31-26) @ Houston (35-21) Tracy McGrady is making some noise for the MVP award as he has the Rockets in fifth place in a tough Western Conference. Since Yao Ming went down with an injury, T-Mac has stepped up big in his absence and Houston has won 10 of their last 15 games because of it. The Rockets are 20-8 at home this year, which is where they will host the Atlantic Division leading Toronto Raptors tonight. Chris Bosh has been making a run at MVP for the entire season as he averages 23 points and 11 rebounds per game. Despite losing to San Antonio on Monday, the Raptors have been playing excellent ball lately and could end up making some noise in the Eastern Conference’s postseason.

Buzzer Beater: One of the concerns brought up about the NBA’s All-Star game being held in New Orleans next year had to do with the lack of police protection. Now, does this speak poorly of the city or of the league? How many police officers does it take to handle David Stern’s fans? This is New Orleans isn’t it? They put on a little booze infested party every year called Mardi Gras that doesn’t exactly draw the most civilized of crowds. But after large crowds and additional crime swept through the streets of Las Vegas a few weeks ago, the league and city are worried about whether the recovering city is capable of hosting such a large event. I guess New Orleans can handle boobs and booze, just not ballers and bling.

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NBA General

Around the Rim: The Suns Run


1. On the Verge of History
The Suns are 4-0 since Steve Nash returned to the lineup and nobody is happier about it than Amare Stoudemire. Last night, Nash had 14 points and 13 assists with a bunch of those passes going toward helping Stoudemire score a season-high 43. Phoenix pulled out a 115-106 victory over the Hawks in Atlanta to improve to 13-0 against the Eastern Conference on the road. The Suns are now only two wins away from sweeping the East in their gyms with back to back games at Indiana and Philadelphia on Tuesday and Wednesday. While Phoenix has already obtained some lofty accomplishments this season, should they win their next pair of games they would become the first team to sweep its interconference road schedule.

2. Nets Bets Payoff
For a majority of the season, rumors surrounded the possible trades of Vince Carter and Jason Kidd from New Jersey. Well, the Nets are probably breathing a sigh of relief that they didn’t pull the trigger on any deals leading up to last Thursday’s trade deadline. New Jersey is 2-0 since the deadline passed thanks to big games from their resident superstars. Against Sacramento on Friday the duo combined for 48 points, 24 rebounds and 15 assists. Last night against the Knicks, they went off for 51 points, 13 boards and 22 assists. The good news for the Nets is that with the win they moved two games ahead of New York in the Atlantic Division. The bad news is that they are still five games behind division leader Toronto.

3. Go Go Kapono
There was no continuation of the friendly rivalry between LeBron James and Dwyane Wade in yesterday’s game between the Cavs and Heat but Miami didn’t need the services of Wade as they outplayed Cleveland in the fourth quarter of yesterday’s game. The hideous orange uniforms probably didn’t help the Cavaliers any either. The future is up in the air for Miami while Wade is seeking a second opinion before having surgery on his injured shoulder. But Shaq is beginning to round back into form for Miami after going off for 19 points and 11 rebounds in the club’s latest victory. Sounds good, but it’s gotta be a brutal blow to the Daddy’s ego that the team’s best perimeter shooter, Jason Kapono, is matching his stats by scoring 17 points and grabbing 11 boards of his own. .

Sunday’s Player of the Day: Amare Stoudemire @ Atlanta 45 min, 43 pts (FG: 14-25, FT: 15-17), 16 reb, 6 ast, 3 blk

Monday’s Game to Watch: Los Angeles Lakers (32-25) @ Utah (37-18) The rotating door in Salt Lake City continues to revolve as Carlos Boozer finally returns to the lineup but the Jazz immediately lose Andrei Kirilenko and Mehmet Okur to injuries. Both players are questionable for the game against LA, but even if they don’t make it into the game Utah will still have a decided home court advantage (22-6). The Lakers have no chance to catch Phoenix over the final stretch of the regular season as they are already sitting 11 ½ games behind their division’s leader. But the Lakers can improve on their current sixth seed position. Kobe Bryant’s All-Star MVP performance has spilled over into his current run as he has now lead his team in scoring for 12 straight games. Unfortunately for Los Angeles, they are 5-7 over that span that included the worst losing streak of Phil Jackson’s career (6 games). Still, it’s hard to feel bad for a guy that has nine rings on his fingers.

Buzzer Beater: Even though the trade deadline has passed, the rumors are still running wild. Kevin Garnett can opt out of his contract after next season and there is already speculation that he will join the Lakers after doing so. If KG can remain patient for another season then his dreams of a NBA championship could be finally fulfilled. Sure, there’s lots of time and anything can happen but if Garnett and Kobe Bryant are able to join forces and have quality role-players surrounding them, it could become a pretty dominant team. But, at this point, the talk is nothing more than guesswork and guesswork isn’t going to get The Big Ticket past the first round of the playoffs.

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NBA General

Around the Rim: Child Support Payments are a Bitch!


1. One Last Reign?
First it was Scottie Pippen who was on the comeback trail, now Shawn Kemp is considering making a return to the NBA. But while Pippen could be back in uniform within the next few weeks, Kemp will probably not be helping any team make a postseason push until next season. When Kemp was last seen on a court he looked nothing like the young Reign Man who is considered by many to be one of the most explosive players of all time. At 36 years old, Kemp will most likely have to wait until he can get an invite from a team during training camp. Of course, he’ll have to resist the buffet line over the next six or seven months if he wants to be taken seriously by any coaching staff.

2. European Vacation
The NBA will be sending four teams to Europe in October to participate in training camps and exhibition games. It’s too bad for the fans across the pond that the teams making the trip are Memphis, Boston, Toronto and Minnesota. As of now, the Celtics and Grizzlies are the two worst teams in the entire league and Minnesota is barely clinging to the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Surprisingly, the Raptors own the fourth best record in the East. But while the overall teams are not that impressive, the individual talent should have the fans lining up for tickets. Kevin Garnett and Chris Bosh will provide the primary star power this fall, with Paul Pierce and, possibly, Pau Gasol acting as supporting actors.

3. Mr. MVP Returns

Steve Nash has missed the last four games and in that time, the once white-hot Suns have lost three in a row. But Nash is looking to get back on to the court tonight when Phoenix travels to Los Angeles for a game against the Clippers. And it’s not a moment to soon for his All-Star teammates, Shawn Marion and Amare Stoudemire, who were running all over the court for the West on Sunday as they combined to score 47 points. While the Suns are anxious to get back into the win column, their division lead remains intact as the Lakers are sitting a full 10 games behind. The main concern for Phoenix right now is to chip away at the 4 ½ game lead that Dallas has over the Suns for the best record in the league.

Tuesday’s Game to Watch: Denver (26-25) @ San Antonio (35-18) Playtime is over and now teams are getting serious about improving their place in the playoff seeding. The Nuggets are hoping to finally have their dynamic duo together for the road game against the Spurs after Allen Iverson received some additional rest by pulling himself from the All-Star game over the weekend. Carmelo Anthony had a great outing against the other superstars as he scored 20 points and grabbed nine rebounds in just 25 minutes. San Antonio will be looking to take advantage of their home crowd after struggling on their annual rodeo road trip. As the oldest team in the league, the Spurs were grateful for the break which allowed some of the veterans to rest their elderly bones. Even Tony Parker and Tim Duncan got to take it easy during the All-Star game as they combined for only 39 minutes in the contest.

Buzzer Beater: Baron Davis is rumored to be eyeing the 27th as the date when he will return to the court after undergoing knee surgery just last Tuesday. That would be great news for the Warriors considering that they have lost four of their last seven games. But the good news doesn’t stop there for Golden State. Jason Richardson could return by Wednesday when the Warriors host the Grizzlies. J-Rich has missed the last 22 games. Currently, Golden State is only one game away from being in the playoff picture, which would be a remarkable feat considering their string of injuries and lack of big bodies while playing in a stacked Western Conference.

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General Sports

Odds and Ends: Is Beyonce the worst SI cover ever?



Booooooooo!

The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue sales must have been down last year because this year, they are jumping on the celebrity bandwagon by having Beyonce on the cover. How is it possible that Marissa Miller (possibly the hottest SI swimsuit model ever) has never graced the cover but Beyonce gets it? The SI cover has been pretty sacred ground… until now.

Beyonce is perhaps one of the most overrated celebrities of our time. She is the Derek Jeter of pop stardom. Hell, for someone who is desperately trying to launch an acting career, she was out-acted by an American Idol loser in a movie she should have owned. Not only that, she wasn’t even the first choice for her role.

OK, so clearly Beyonce looks super hot on the SI cover but that’s because they fixed her wig and her mustache.

In other news…

[The Offside]: It’s always satisfying to see a professional blow a goal

[Steroid Nation]: The Dominicans love their juice

[10,000 Takes]: A list of special Valentines Day presents

[The Gold Seat]: David Carr to Vikings?

[Bright Side of the Sun]: Zoo names baby tigers Raja and Nash.

And finally… Valentine’s Day Pat O’Brien Style. Forgot to get a card? You can print out our handy version.

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NBA General

Around the Rim: Sun Sits, Suns Set


1. Pain in the Nash
Thanks to a bum shoulder, the reigning two time MVP will miss this weekend’s All-Star game in Las Vegas. So far, Steve Nash has missed the Suns last three games and the team has lost two in row without their primary ball handler. By withdrawing from the game and the skill competition, Nash will have two full weeks to get healthy for the final stretch of the season. But Nash’s injury forces David Stern to name a replacement for both events. Stern has already placed Carmelo Anthony and Josh Howard on the team, which leaves players like Mehmet Okur, Zach Randolph and Elton Brand up for consideration. Deron Williams would be an admirable replacement for Nash in both situations as he is averaging 17.3 points and 9.1 assists per game.

2. For Sale
Jason Kidd is already looking for a trendy new bachelor pad, but according to rumors it might not be located in New Jersey. That’s because it appears that the Lakers and Cavaliers are both looking to acquire the point guard extraordinaire. Los Angeles has offered two first round picks, along with the expiring contracts of players like Kwame Brown, Jordan Farmar and Chris Mihm with the hopes of teaming Kidd with Kobe Bryant. But, so far, the Nets seem to be holding pat. The Cavs are in a similar situation as they are looking for someone who can relieve some of the pressure from their star before the team makes the final push for postseason positioning. But come to think of it; who couldn’t use an unselfish, fast-breaking, triple-double threat on their roster during March and April?

3. Terrifying Trio
It was seven years ago today that the world was witness to the most frightening frontcourt lineup in the history of the NBA as Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett and Shaquille O’Neal started for the Western Conference in the 2000 All-Star game. The trio combined for 70 points and 33 rebounds as the West won by a score of 137-126. K.G. was left out of the mix as Shaq and Duncan split the game’s Most Valuable Player award. Speaking of hardware, between the trio, they have two Rookie of the Year awards, four All-Star MVP’s, four regular season MVP’s, six Finals MVP’s and seven championship rings. And again, K.G. is left in the cold as the only superstar without Final’s experience.

Monday’s Player of the Day: J.R. Smith vs. Golden State 23 min, 28 pts (FG: 10-18, 3FG: 6-11, FT: 2-2), 4 reb, 1 ast

Tuesday’s Game to Watch: Toronto (27-24) @ Chicago (29-23) This could be a preview of things to come in the playoffs as these two would be facing off if the postseason began today. But due to a weird seeding clause, Toronto would hold the home court advantage despite sitting 1 ½ games behind the Bulls in the standings. But unfortunately for the Raptors, this game is occurring in Chicago where the Bulls are 20-6 this season. Toronto has been pathetic on the road (9-17) even though Chris Bosh continues to earn legitimacy as an MVP candidate. At least Toronto can look forward to not playing another road game until February 24, while the Bulls have to play nine of their next 15 games away from home.

Buzzer Beater: The Warriors playoff hopes took a serious blow when the team found out that Baron Davis would have to undergo surgery to clean up his left knee. Davis was hurt in a game against Charlotte on February 3. Golden State is currently within a game and a half of the final postseason slot but they have lost six of their last nine games and have a five game Eastern Conference road trip that is quickly approaching. Even if Stephen Jackson can manage to keep himself out of the big house, the Warriors chances of moving forward without Davis are somewhere between slim and none.

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NBA General

Around the Rim: David’s Dilemma


1. Save Face or Send a Message?
In an ironic twist of fate, commissioner David Stern now holds Carmelo Anthony’s All-Star future in his hands. Earlier in the season, Stern dished out a 15 game suspension to Melo for his involvement in the New York brawl. Now, the commish is responsible for assigning two players to the west’s team to replace the injured Yao Ming and Carlos Boozer. Anthony got snubbed by the coaches and the fans this year despite leading the league in scoring. Stern backed off the synthetic ball issue after player complaints continued to mount; will he be able to forgive and forget when it comes to Melo? If Anthony doesn’t make the squad, he would become the first player ever to miss the All-Star game while leading the league in scoring.

2. Wade’s Way
Dwyane Wade carried the weight of his entire team during the fourth quarter of last night’s game against the Cavs as he single-handedly outscored the entire Cleveland team. In the final 12 minutes, Wade went off for 24 points while LeBron’s boys could only muster 23. Making matters worse for Cleveland is that they held a 12 point lead with less than eight minutes remaining. The 24 points were also a Heat record for points scored in the final quarter. Wade finished with a fat 41 point game to go along with five assists, three steals and two blocks.

3. Low Blow
After writhing around on the floor because of an allegedly inadvertent pop to the face by Kobe Bryant on Sunday, Manu Ginobili decided to dish out a little “unintentional” punishment of his own last night. With about nine minutes remaining in the game, Ginobili drove to the hoop and delivered a running knee shot right to Amare Stoudemire’s unborn children. As most men would do, Stoudemire crumpled to the ground before jumping up and looking to throw down. After the game, Stoudemire said that he thought the knee was on purpose and called Ginobili a flopper; he was right on both counts. (We also want to point you to this hilarious video of Avery Johnson getting too excited and hitting Josh Howard in the nuts by accident.)

Thursday’s Player of the Day: Amare Stoudemire vs. San Antonio 43 min, 24 pts (FG: 9-18, FT: 6-7), 23 reb, 1 stl

Friday’s Game to Watch: Los Angeles Lakers (28-18) @ Indiana (24-21) The Kobe Show has hit the road, and it’s going to be a while before the performance returns to Hollywood. Tonight’s game is the third in an eight game road trip for the Lakers; so far they’re 1-1. The Pacers have only lost seven games at home this year behind the great play from Jermaine O’Neal, who was named an All-Star last night. Indiana has also won four of their last five with the last win coming at the expense of the pathetic Celtics. The same Celtics that Kobe scored 43 against on Wednesday.

Buzzer Beater: How did the fans get the West so wrong? Steve Nash has won the last two MVP’s and his biggest competition for this year’s award seems to be Dirk Nowitzki, yet both players were forced to make the team via a coach’s vote. The fan vote has become a pathetic popularity contest where performance is apparently irrelevant. Heck, health doesn’t even matter to the fans; Shaq got voted in despite playing in only four games by the time the votes were due. To borrow a phrase from Bill Walton; “How sad.”

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NBA General

Around the Rim: Latrell Sprewell is in good form


1. Grocery Budget
Latrell Sprewell is back on the court; no wait, sorry. Latrell Sprewell is back in court as his babies’ momma is filing a $200 million lawsuit accusing Spree of breaking a long-term cohabitation deal and then roughing her up last month in their home. Allegedly, Sprewell slapped a phone out of Candace Cabbil’s hands as she attempted to dial 911 and then he dragged her down a flight of stairs by her feet. Spree has not played in the NBA since leaving Minnesota in 2004-05 after turning down a three-year extension because he was insulted by the paltry pay. Apparently, Latrell’s right; $21 million isn’t enough to feed his family. It’s more like $200 million.

2. Suns Set
It took a monumental effort from Kevin Garnett to overcome the monumental effort from Steve Nash, but the Phoenix Suns have finally fallen. After 17 consecutive wins that spanned a period of one lossless month, the Timberwolves were able to capitalize on a rare poor shooting fourth quarter by the Suns; 44 points, including 15 in the final period, from The Big Ticket didn’t hurt either. With a win, Phoenix could have tied the 1969 Knicks, 1982 Celtics and the 1996 Bulls with the fourth longest win streak in league history. Instead, the Suns will begin from scratch as they attempt to build up a third streak of 15+ consecutive wins.

3. Time to Move On
Despite having one of the best seasons of his career, it appears that New Jersey is determined to shop Vince Carter before the trade deadline passes. Carter’s name has been floated around all over the league but it seems that the main contenders in the Vinsanity sweepstakes are Memphis, Utah and Seattle. Pau Gasol, Andrei Kirilenko and Ray Allen are the main possibilities to replace Carter in Jersey. The Nets just can’t seem to move ahead in the depleted Atlantic Division; it would be irresponsible of the front office to be content with a sub .500 record and it’s become painfully obvious their talent pool is not going to gel. Gasol could become an excellent compliment to Jason Kidd if he can remain healthy.

4. Skills Showdown
The NBA might have a hard time getting the big name superstars to compete in the slam dunk competition, but the league’s elite appear to be lining up to get a crack at the skills challenge. Dwyane Wade, the winner of last year’s event, will return to defend his crown against some of the best ball handlers in the game. Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash and LeBron James will be dribbling, passing and shooting it out with Wade on All-Star Saturday. Nash is the only other player with experience in the event, after he won the challenge in 2005. In addition to being the only participant without a ring or MVP award, King James will be the only non-guard competing in the event.

Monday’s Player of the Day: Kevin Garnett vs. Phoenix 39 min, 44 pts (FG: 18-29, 3FG: 0-1, FT: 8-10), 11 reb, 2 ast, 3 stl, 1 blk

Tuesday’s Game to Watch: Detroit (25-17) @ Washington (26-17) Washington has only lost four games at home this year behind Gilbert Arenas’ MVP level of play. The Wizards currently have the best record in the Eastern Conference and before being blown out by Phoenix last week, the last time the Wizards had dropped a home game was back on December 9. Detroit, on the other hand, has done a majority of their damage on the road. The Pistons are only half a game behind Washington as they continue to work Chris Webber into the game plan. This will already be the fourth time these two teams have hooked up with Detroit winning two of the previous games, including one win in Washington.

Buzzer Beater: When looking at the NBA spectrum, you have two polar opposites serving as the bookends for the league. On the winning side of things, there’s Phoenix who has won 17 of their last 18. And then you have the Celtics, losers of 11 in a row and 18 of their last 20. Clearly, Boston is one of the more pathetic franchises in recent history and with Paul Pierce out for at least another week; it’s not going to get any prettier for Bean Town. At this point, the only thing that can save the Celtics’ season would be a number one pick in the upcoming draft.