NBA All Rookie Team Announced

1st team
G Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls
G OJ Mayo, Memphis Grizzlies
G Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder
F Michael Beasley, Miami Heat
C Brook Lopez, New Jersey Nets

2nd team
G Eric Gordon, Los Angeles Clippers
G Mario Chalmers, Miami Heat
G Rudy Fernandez, Portland Trail Blazers
G DJ Augustine, Charlotte Bobcats
F Kevin Love, Minnesota Timberwolves
C Marc Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies

Game 7 it is

The Chicago Bulls forced Game 7 in what has already been an epic series with the Boston Celtics. The Bulls outlasted the Celtics 128-127 in triple overtime. The Bulls overcame a classic night from Celtic guard Ray Allen who posted a career playoff high 51 points. Allen was blanketed throughout the game yet still managed to hit amazing clutch shot after amazing clutch shot. John Salmons of the Bulls scored a career playoff high of his own with 35 point, knocking down impressive shots of his own. Derrick Rose continued to exemplify poise, proving why he is rookie of the year with 28 points 8 rebounds, and 7 assists. After missing the two free throws in game 5 after a tough foul from Rajon Rondo, Miller bounced back with key plays at the end of regulation. Miller finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Joakim Noah had 15 rebounds while finishing a pivotal dunk plus the foul over Paul Pierce. Glen "Big Baby" Davis continued inspired play in the absence of their emotional leader Kevin Garnett. Davis scored 23. Rondo played facilitator on this night dishing 19 assists to go with his 8 points and 9 rebounds. Once again it was the Celtics bench that was nonexistent.

Although Paul Pierce is the Celtics best isolation player, I would have liked to see Ray Allen with the ball in his hands late in the game. Allen had it going where Pierce didn't necessarily. Pierce missed him at the end of the first overtime. Ray has had the ball in iso situations throughout his career and this was time for it. Rondo was given the ball with a chance to take Rose off the dribble. I would of least liked to see some type of dribble hand off with Allen getting him going toward the basket, putting the onus on the refs. I've argued since Allen was a Celtic that Rivers has made him one dimensional. Allen was in the corner where it looked as though Salmons was holding him as the world including the refs watched Rondo vs Rose. When a player has 51 in a game you put it in his hands and live with the result sometimes, especially this time.

The final battle of this epic war will take place Saturday May 2 8:00 p.m. ET.

Houston defeats Portland

The Houston Rockets took care of business on their home floor defeating the Portland Trailblazers 92-76. Ron Artest was the offense as opposed to just the defense for the Rockets, posting 27 points. Yao Ming finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds. LaMarcus Aldrige led the Blazers with 26 points. Brandon Roy scored 22 in another tough effort with physical defense form Artest and Battier. The Rockects will now meet the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round on Monday night.

In a post game interview, directly after the game, Artest praised the Blazers and Roy for their effort. Saying Roy was the toughest player he had to guard. Artest claimed no had had ever had 40 on him, referring back to game of the series where Roy had 42 points. When TNT sportscaster Craig Sager asked about Kobe Bryant being a tougher player to guard Artest quickly returned to his original comment of Roy. I don't know if Kobe Bryant watches TNT but I wouldn't be surprised to see Kobe take the challenge of making Artest think twice about the number of people to "give him 40".

Magic finish off Sixers

Despite no Dwight Howard nor Courtney Lee the Orlando Magic ended the Philadelphia 76ers season with the 114-89 win. The Sixers didn't shot the ball very well (40%) and received "boos" during the game from hometown fans. Rashard Lewis picked up the slack offensively in Howard's absence scoring 29 points. Marcin Gortat did is part snatching 15 rebounds and 11 points replacing Howard in the starting lineup. Guard J.J Redick took advantage of his opportunity starting in place of Courtney Lee. Redick scored 15 points including five 3 point baskets. The Magic shot 53%. Philly's Andre's, Iguodala and Miller, scored 20 and 24 respectively. To make matters worse with a little under 7 minutes left, Samuel Dalembert and Hedo Turkoglu, exchanged what looked to be elbows at two different times during a possession. After a break in play the two walked up to one another nearly nose to nose. Here rather awkwardly it looked as though Dalembert kissed Turkoglu, much to his chagrin. The two were broken up as Turkoglu reacted in disgust. Turkoglu and the Magic must put the brotherly love of Philadelphia behind them and focus on the next round. The Magic await the winner of an epic game 7 of one of the most highly competitive 1st round series in NBA history between the Celtics and Bulls.

Denver sends New Orleans fishin'

Denver took care of business at home closing out their series with the New Orleans Hornets in yet another dominating victory, 107-86. Carmelo Anthony led all scorers with 34 points as he look focused at the chase of advancing to the second round for the first time in his 6 year career. Chauncey Billups exuded that same focus as it seemed to rub off on the entire Nugget team. Billups added 13 points and 12 assists. The Nuggets shot 51% from the field. J.R Smith continued is offensive exploits with 20 points of the bench against the team that once drafted him. David West was a lone bright spot for the Hornets, finishing with 24 points and 9 rebounds. Chris Paul continually saw different bodies with length all over him. Denver switched a lot of pick and role screens were athletic and long forwards like Kenyon Martin and Chris "Birdman" Anderson. Denver meets Dallas in the second round Sunday May 3 3:30 ET on ABC

Atlanta prevails at home

The Atlanta Hawks defeated the Miami Heat 106-91. Joe Johnson seemed to finally get it going offensively scoring 25 points. A key to that change was he got to the free throw line more and made them count. Johnson shot 12-15 from the line well above the 52% he was shooting prior to that. He also did the other things that makes his game so versatile adding 6 assists and 6 rebounds. Josh Smith added 20 for the Hawks despite his late game blunder. Dwyane Wade was beat up in the physical game throughout. He was still able to put up a game high 29 points. Suffering from back spasms and tough collision caused him to hit his head on the floor. Referree's foul calling is and will remain to be crusial to these playoffs. Many argue the flagrant foul on Wade's block attempt at the rim of a Maurice Evans dunk try was a bad call. Ref's have to weigh the play and the plays that lead up to them in order to come up with the best call. I will admit I wouldn't want their job at playoff time. Miami will look to regroup and hold of elimination at home Friday May 1.

Another battle in the CHI/BOS war

The Boston Celtics took game 5 in overtime over the Chicago Bulls 106-104. This is the fourth overtime in three different games this series setting a playoff record. The series is so competitive their has been 48 ties and over 90 lead changes so far. Despite Kevin Garnet being sidelined to injury and Ray Allen being in foul trouble throughout and eventually fouling out mid way through the 4th quarter, Paul Pierce stepped up. Pierce went on to hit clutch basket after clutch basket on route to 26 points. Rajon Rondo continued his excellent play scoring 28 points, dishing 11 assists and grabbing 8 rebounds. Kendrick Perkins scored 16 points, grabbed a career high 17 rebounds and tied a franchise record for blocks set by Robert Parrish with 7. Scoring machine Ben Gordon continued to show no conscious scoring 26 points. Despite a hamstring injury suffered in game 4 Gordon fulfilled the well known basketball quote, "shooters keep shooting". Gordon only shot 6-21 from the field, but got hot late in the game as usual. Kirk Hinrich was a huge spark for Chicago off the bench scoring 19 points. On the game's final play Brad Miller was hacked by Rondo. Rondo took a swipe, but for what, depended on who you were routing for. Celtic fans would say the ball, but I'd say Bulls fans would say his head. It looks as though Rondo wanted to foul preventing an easy layup for Miller. It doesn't look as the the blow to the head was intentional. Referee's elected to call a foul but not a flagrant foul. The blow required stitches. After review the league confirmed the ref's made the proper call. What do you think?

Magic go up 3-2

The Orlando Magic took game 5 in Orlando 91-78 over the Philadelpha 76ers. Despite controversy Dwight Howard posted his 4th career playoff 20-20 game, posting 24 points and 24 rebounds. Magic forward Rashard Lewis added 24 points of his own. Sixer Andre Iguodala led all scorers with 26 points. Andre Miller, 17 points, and Willie Green, 16 points, contributed to the effort by the Sixers.
Howard was awarded a technical foul for elbowing Sixer center Samuel Dalembert in the back of the head after jocking for rebound position. The League would review this play and decide a suspension was necessary. Howard is suspended for game 6 in Philadelphia much to the shagrin of Magic fans. Later in the game Howard went for a blocked shot and while coming down he accidentaly elbowed his own teammate Courtney Lee across the face. Lee would leave the game. Hospital tests proved Lee to have a broken sinus. Lee will miss Game 6 as well.
Game 6 will be Thusrday April 30

Dallas takes series

The Dallas Mavericks proved to be too much for the San Antonio Spurs taking game 5 and the series in their 106-93 win. Dirk Nowitzki led the Mavs with 31 points and 9 rebounds. All 5 starters for the Mavs scored in double figures as well as 6th Man of the year award winner Jason Terry. Terry came off the bench to score 19 points. The Spurs sorely missed the scoring capabilities of guard Manu Ginobili in the postseason. Tony Parker and Tim Duncan once again did what they could in a losing effort. Duncan managed 30 points and 8 rebounds while Parker poster 26 points and 12 assists. The Mavericks await the winner of the Nuggets/Hornets series where Denver looks to close it out after a 58 point thrashing in game 4 of that series.

Portland survives to play again

Brandon Roy and the Portland Trailblazers responded with their backs against the wall to beat the Houston Rockets 88-77. Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge each had 25 points in the home victory. Steve Blake also chipped in 15 points for the Blazers. Houston was led by Luis Scola who has been having a solid series. Scola scored 21 points. Yao Ming tallied 15 points and 12 rebounds. Houston hopes their home floor will ignite them into a series victory and end its skid of first round blunders. Game 6 is Thursday April 30 9:30 ET.

Denver demolishes New Orleans

The Denver Nuggets tied a record for the largest margin of victory in a playoff game destroying the New Orleans Hornets 121-63. Carmelo Anthony led the Nuggets with 26 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists. Anthony along with six other players scored in double figures. 11 out of 12 players on the active roster scored for Denver. David West led the Hornets in scoring with 14 points. Chris Paul only managed to score 4 points and 6 assists along with 6 turnovers. The Hornets will look to bounce back while facing elimination Wednesday April 29 Wednesday.

Lakers Finish Utah

Los Angeles Lakers joined the Cleveland Cavs in the second round wait by defeating the Utah Jazz 107-96. Los Angeles was led by Kobe Bryant'a 31 points and Lamar Odom's 26 points and 15 rebounds. Despite being down the Utah Jazz didn't completely quit. Reserve Ronnie Price and Paul Millsap provided energy in a late push. Millsap finished with 16 points and 6 rebounds. The Lakers await the winner of the Houston/Portland series. Houston is up 3-1.

Hawks even series

The Hawks began Game 4 scorching and finished the game with a victory despite foul play at the end of the 1st half. The Atlanta Hawks beat the Miami Heat 81-71. It was Atlanta's first road playoff victory in almost 12 years. Ugly but I'm sure they would take it, tying the series at 2 heading back to Atlanta. Atlanta allowed frustration by calls form the official and lack there of, to affect their play. James Jones hit two 3 point baskets while being fouled in about 11 secs. Two four point plays in succession is almost unheard of. Starting Atlanta Hawks players shooting continued to struggle especially from All-star guard Joe Johnson. Johnson finished with 14 points on 5-12 shooting and 5 assists. In this series Johnson is averaging 13.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game. He is shooting 38% from the field and 22% for 3 point range. All these statistics are well below his season average where averaged 21.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 5.8 assists while shooting 44% from the field and 36% from 3. Lucky for Atlanta reserves Zaza Pachulia and Flip Murray sparked them Pachulia finished with 12 points and 18 rebounds. Murray added 11 points and clutch baskets down the stretch. A cause of concern for Miami is the well being of Dwyane Wade. Wade is suffering from back spasms and opened up the game with two air balls. Although Wade finished with 22 points 6 rebounds and 7 assists, he only shot 9-26. Jamario Moon has been diagnosed with a sports hernia that will require surgery ending his season. Game 5 will be Wednesday April 29.

2OT thiller evens series

Chicago Bulls edged out the Boston Celtics in a double overtime thriller in Chicago, 121-118. Clutch three point jumpers by both Ray Allen and Ben Gordon at the end of regulation and the 1st overtime highlighted the end of the contest. Allen finished with 28 points (8-17 fg's) , while Gordon finished with 22 points (10-22 fg's). The point guard play was once again intense between two young up and coming players. Rajon Rondo, of the Celtics, recorded a triple double with 25 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists. Derrick Rose, of the Bulls, finished with 23 points, 10 rebounds, and 9 assists. Paul Peirce contributed to the Celtics cause posting 29 points (9-24 fg's). However, the difference is the game was bench play. Reserves Kirk Hinrich and Brad Miller of the Bulls combined for 30 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals. The entire Celtic bench provided 11 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals. Pivitol Game 5 is Tuesday April 28.

Hedo does it again for Orlando

Hedo Turkoglu nailed a game-winning 3 point basket with .08 secs left on the clock. Orlando Magic beat the Philadelphia 76ers 84-81. Turkoglu finished with 17 points for the Magic. Magic starters had a balanced attack, 18 points and 18 rebounds for Dwight Howard. 17 points for Rashard Lewis and 16 for Courtney Lee. Despite only shooting 38% the 76ers rallied back late to tie the ball game as they have done all series. Although after late game heroics by Andre Iguodala and Thaddeus Young in previous games, it was Orlando's turn. In this contest Young finished with 15 points and Iguodala 13. The series is tied at two. Pivotal game 5 is Tuesday April 28.

Houston is one win away

The Houston Rockets beat the Portland Trail Blazers 88-87, taking a 3-1 series lead. Houston has come within one win of reaching the second round, something they had failed to do the previous 6 seasons. Late clutch baskets by Shane Battier gave the Rockets an edge in a highly competitive game throughout. Battier finished with 14 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists. Yao Ming provided 21 points and 12 rebounds. Luis Scola had a strong performance with 17 points and 8 rebounds. Ron Artest was also a force for Houston with 12 points and 9 assists. All-star Brandon Roy lead the way for the Blazers with a game high 31 points. A hard earned 31 points, due to a tough defensive effort from Houston. LaMarcus Aldridge added 19 points and 10 rebounds for Portland. Game 5 is Tuesday April 28.

Cavs take care of business

The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Detroit Pistons 99-78 to sweep Detroit 4-0 in their best of seven series. Many Cavalier fans made their may to Detroit form Cleveland to fill the arena full of cheer, something not scene often especially in Detroit. The Piston front office was under some scrutiny for advertising its unsold tickets to Cav's fans. Nonetheless LeBron James and his Cavs remained focused on the task at hand in their quest for a championship. James finished with 36 points, 13 rebounds and 8 assists. Mo Williams chipped in 24 points. Piston Antonio McDyess showed effort in his last game off the season scoring 26 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Journeyman Will Bynum left an imprint of his own in his final game as well. Bynum came off the bench with energy scoring 22 points. Cleveland now awaits the winner of the Atlanta/Miami
series. Miami is up 2-1 in that series.

Random Clip of the day

7 foot, Ryan Hollins will learn. When you dunk on somebody and yell, you have to walk away from them and do it. You can't walk toward him first. The third year pro will learn one way or another. Hopefully this won't light a fire underneath Tim Duncan and the Spurs, who are on the brink of elimination.

Kobe's 38 leads LA

Kobe Bryant responded from his 5-24 shooting in game 3 to score 38 in a win over the Utah Jazz, 108-94. This time around Bryant shot 16-24 as he seemed focused from the tip to the final buzzer. Lamar Odom continued his strong play as he was inserted into the starting line up. Odom finished with 10 points and 15 rebounds. Shannon Brown supplied strong minutes of the bench for Los Angeles with 10 points of his own. Andrew Bynum struggled again finding himself in more foul trouble. Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer did their part for Utah. Williams with 23 points and 13 assists while Boozer supplied 23 points of his own along with 16 rebounds. Despite the numbers for the two Jazz stars, Los Angeles held a lead throughout the majority of the game. Utah will look to avoid elimination in game 5.

Wade, Heat crush Hawks

Dwyane Wade continued where he left off in Atlanta with his 29 points 7 rebounds and 8 assists in the Game 3 victory. Miami defeated the Atlanta Hawks 107-78 to take a 2-1 series lead. Jermaine O'Neal added 22 points, 10 rebounds and 3 blocks. All 5 starters scored in double figures for the Heat, while the team shot a scorching 52% from 3. Atlanta lacked energy early to go along with bad shooting throughout the game. Atlanta shot 36 %. Atlanta looks to tie the series at 2 on Monday April 27.

Dallas comes within one game for series win

The Dallas Mavericks took care of home as they defeated the San Antonio Spurs 99-90. Dallas was able to hold off the Tony Parker who finished with 43 points included 31 of those points in the 1st half. Parker tied a Spurs franchise record for points in a half held by George "Ice Man" Gervin. Josh Howard led the Mavs with 28 points while Dirk Nowitzki finished with 12 points and 13 rebounds. Jason Kidd contributed 17 points 7 assists and 7 rebounds. Tim Duncan of the Spurs aided Parker with 25 points 10 rebounds and 7 assists of his own. Unfortunately for San Antonio, no other Spur reached double digits. San Antonio will try to avoid elimination in Game 5 Tuesday April 28.

Hornets get one at home

The New Orleans Hornets held on to beat the Denver Nuggets 95-93. New Orleans sloppy play down the stretch nearly cost them the contest. Chris Paul led the Hornets with 32 points and 12 assists. Rasual Butler was effective as well scoring 17 points on just 8 shots. The game was very physical as it has been for the entire series. There were 58 personal foul calls, 29 a piece for each team. Three flagrant fouls were called and one technical as well. Carmelo Anthony led the Nuggets with 25 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists. Chauncey Billups somewhat came down to earth finishing with 16 points on 3-10 shooting. You can count on more physical play in Game 4 of the series Monday April 27 on NBATV

Houston holds on

Portland was able to contain Yao Ming again in game 3 but were unable to sneak away with the victory. Ming only scored 7 points but had 13 rebounds in the 86-83 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. Luis Scola led the Rockets with 19 points and 9 rebounds. Shane Battier added 16 points. Blazer, Brandon Roy scored 19 points but was harassed the entire game by both Ron Artest and Shane Battier. Steve Blake had a strong performance with 16 points and 10 assists. Rudy Fernandez came off the bench for Portland with 17 points, but the all around team play from Houston was too much for Portland in the end.

Another close game in Sixers/Magic series

Thaddeus Young was the hero as he hit the lefty scoop shot to put the Philadelphia 76ers over the Orlando Magic 96-94. Andre Iguodala led the 76ers with 29 points and 7 rebounds. Andre Miller chipped in 24 points 7 assists and 9 rebounds of his own. The Magic came back from a 17 point deficet behind Defensive Player of the Year, Dwight Howard's offense. Howard finished with 36 points and 11 rebounds, shooting 12-16 fg's and 12-14 ft's, including two clutch free throws to tie the game in it's final moments before the heroics of Young. Philadelphia takes a 2-1 lead in the best of 7 series. Game 4 is Sunday April 26.

James, Cavs take Game 3

Lebron James provided another dominate performance as the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Detroit Pistons 79-68. James had a near triple double with 25 points 11 rebounds and 9 assists. The question coming into the playoffs for the Cavs was who would become that second scorer to help James provide some offense. Many believe it to be all-star guard Mo Williams who struggled in game 3 shooting 1-11 with 2 points. Cleveland instead benefited from reserve forward Joe Smith who added 19 points off the bench. Detroit only managed to shoot 38% and looked demoralized after each spectacular finish by James. Frustration seemed to set in to each player especially Richard Hamilton who led the Pistons in scoring with 15. Game 4 is Sunday April 26 as Detroit looks to avoid being swept and not reaching the conference finals for the first time in 6 seasons.

Death threats

It has been reported that Boston Celtic guard Tony Allen had received death threats before Game 3 of his series with the Chicago Bulls. According to the Boston Globe, Allen, a Chicago native, had received threats in Chicago for quite some time. "Is that what you're going to write about? Is that what you're going to write about?" Allen said when asked about the threats, then walked away, the Globe reported. In April 2007, Allen was found not guilty of aggravated battery in a Chicago court. That charge was connected to a fight in August 2005 outside a Chicago restaurant.

Chicago has also been the scene of several NBA robberies as of late including Antoine Walker and New York Knick Eddy Curry. Recently Curry's ex-girlfriend and mother of his two children, Nova Henry, was slain along with her 9 month old daughter. Both were said to be murdered in front of Henry and Curry's 3 year old son. Henry claimed the 9 month old daughter to be Curry's, which he denied.

Does this make it alright for athletes to carry weapons? Should athletes carry weapons? The NBA hasn't had to deal with as many gun issues as the NFL, but where should the line be drawn for athletes protecting themselves and their family?

Jazz take Game 3

Deron Williams hit a tough clutch fading jump shot with 2 seconds left to defeat the Los Angeles Lakers 88-86. Williams finished with only 13 points and didn't shoot the ball particularly well but hit the key basket when it counted. Carlos Boozer had a monster game scoring 23 points and pulling down 22 rebounds. Kobe Bryant struggled offensively scoring 18 points on 5-24 shooting. Lamar Odom came off the bench to lead the Lakers in scoring with 21 points and 14 rebounds. Pau Gasol scored 20 but struggled from the free throw line shooting only 4-10. Kyle Korver and Matt Hapring supplied a spark for Utah scoring 11 and 10 respectively.

Dallas takes 2-1 series lead

Dallas Mavericks did what center Erick Dampier preached when speaking of Tony Parker. Well not exactly, yet effectively. Dallas put a body on Parker during his drives to the basket. Dallas stepped up its defense holding San Antonio to 32% shooting and 11% shooting from 3. The Mavs beat the Spurs 88-67. Parker was held to 12 points on 5-14 shooting. Mavs were led by All-Star Dirk Nowitzki who finished with a game-high 20 points. Josh Howard chipped in 17 points and 8 rebounds. Jose Juan Barea was inserted into the starting lineup. He poured in 13 points and 7 assists. Game 4 is Saturday April 25 in Dallas.

Boston dominates in Chicago

The Boston Celtics showed signs of it's tenacity that we grew used to seeing last season, in game 3 against the Chicago Bulls. The Celtics beat the Bulls 107-86 while holding Chicago to 38% shooting. Paul Pierce set the tone with his scoring early. Pierce finished with a game-high 24 points. Rajon Rondo continued his play overall with 20 points of his own along with 11 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 steals. Ray Allen finished with 18 while Stephon Marbury came off the bench to add 13. The Bulls were led in scoring by Ben Gordon who finished with 15 points on 5-13 shooting. Derrick Rose was held to only 9 points, far fewer than his epic performance in game 1. Game 4 of this series is Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.

Random Clip of the Day

This clip is funny. I love to see basketball players engaging in some type of humor. Seems like a parody of the Heineken commercial with the closets for the men and women. Thought it would be more fitting if the guys were going crazy over rings of their own, NBA Championship rings that is. That would be a bit too overzealous. The Cavs have been under enough scrutiny for "having to much fun" with their pregame rituals.

N.O. still has NO answer for Billups and Denver

Chauncey Billups continued where he left off in game 1, finishing game 2 with 31 points as the Nuggets blew out the New Orleans Hornets once again 108-93. Carmelo Anthony chipped in 22 points in the Denver win. David West of the Hornets started off much more aggressive scoring 21 points on 9-20 shooting along with 10 rebounds. Chris Paul added 14 points and 13 assists but was no where near enough for the Hornets to get over the hump. The Hornets will regroup and try to use their home crowd to get back into the series as games 3 and 4 shift to New Orleans.

Wade shows Flash-es of his normal self

Dwyane Wade tallied 33 points and 7 assists to help the Heat even their series at one with the Atlanta Hawks. Wade hit a tough fading bank shot for 3 despite tough defense from Joe Johnson to seal the deal for Miami. Wade scored 13 consecutive points in the second quarter as Johnson sat out with foul trouble. This staggered the Hawks as they inevitable were unable to fully recover. A late run by Atlanta made it interesting until Wade made the remarkable shot he admittedly did not call "bank" for. Miami's problem in game 1 was lack of scoring, particularly helping Wade who was keyed upon defensively for Atlanta. Jermaine O'Neal would change that finishing with 19 points while Daequan Cook of the Heat came off the bench to add 20 of his own. Despite having 6 players scoring in double figures Atlanta only shot 44% from the field while Miami shot 56%.

Lee sparks Magic to tie Series 1-1

Dwight Howard suffered from foul trouble eventually fouling out of the game, but it was rookie Courtney Lee who would play magician and lead the Magic to victory. Lee's 24 points lead Orlando to a 96-87 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. All 5 starters for the Magic scored in double figures, however like in game 1 could not hold a double digit lead. Andre Miller and the 76ers fought back from a 18 point deficit. Millers game-high 30 points was key in the comeback. Forward Rashard Lewis hit clutch jumpers late to seal the deal for the Magic. The series heads to Philadelphia for game 3 and 4.

NBA names Rookie of the Year & 6th Man Awards

Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls has been named 2008-2009 Rookie of The Year. Rose was the second leading scorer among rookies with 16.8 and first in assists with 6.3 per contest. Rose received 111 first-place votes and 574 points from a national panel of sports writers and broadcasters; runner-up O.J. Mayo of the Memphis Grizzlies received five first-place votes and 127 points. The only other players who received first-place votes were Brook Lopez of the New Jersey Nets and Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Eric Gordon of the Los Angeles Clippers came in 5th place in the voting. Rose became the third Bull to win the award, behind Michael Jordan and Elton Brand.

According to the Dallas Morning Star News, Dallas Maverick guard Jason Terry has been named 2008-2009's 6th Man of the Year. Terry averaged 19.6 points again coming off the bench 63 games out of the 74 he appeared in. Terry is said to be formally given the award on Friday April 24.

Lakers hold off Jazz rally

The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Utah Jazz 119-109. Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 26 points and 9 assists. Seven different Lakers including Bryant scored in double figures. Paul Gasol provided a strong performance with 22 points and Lamar Odom came off the bench to score 19 points for the Lakers. Utah guard Deron Williams led the Jazz with 35 points and 9 assists. Carlos Boozer added 20 points and 10 rebounds to help Williams and the Jazz stay in contention. The Jazz play hard but it seems that the lenght of the Lakers is too much right now for Utah. The Jazz hope to get back 7 foot center Memhet Okur as the series heads to Utah.

Roy lifts Blazers

Brandon Roy dropped 42 points as the Portland Trailblazers beat the Houston Rockets 107-103. After a somber performance in game 1, LaMarcus Aldridge added 27 points and 12 rebounds. Blazers defense also held Yao Ming to 11 points far fewer than his 24 in game 1. A bright spot for Houston was point guard Aaron Brooks who continued his strong play. Brooks finished with 23 points and 5 assists. Reserve guard Von Wafer continued to be a spark off the bench for Houston this season, tallying up 21 points of his own.

Probable future hall of fame center Dikembe Mutumbo went down with a knee injury while banging underneath the basket with Greg Oden. Mutumbo was down for several minutes and was carted off the floor by a stretcher. Preliminary tests show it to be a knee strain. However the injury will probably end the 42 year old's 18 year career.

Cavs cruise

The Cleveland Caveliers held on for a game 2 victory despite a late surge from the Pistons, 94-82. Cleveland was led by Lebron James' 29 points, 13 rebounds and 6 assists. Mo Williams had a better start to game 2 than in game 1, this time around registering 21 points and 7 assists. Cleveland held a 29 point lead early in the fourth but its reserves couldn't hold on to that lead before Williams, James and the rest of the starters were summoned to finish the job. Detroit's comeback was boosted simply by effort and hard work. Reserves Will Bynum and Aaron Afflalo helped spark that comeback scoring 13 and 10 points respectively. The Pistons will try to get back in the series as the next two games are in Detriot.

Boston evens the series in a classic

Ray Allen quieted critics and the Bulls with his hot shooting to win game 2 of their 1st round matchup. The Boston Celtics beat the Chicago Bulls 118-115 to tie the series at 1 game a piece. After beginning the game 1-4 in the 1st half, Allen exploded scoring 28 of his 30 in the 2nd half. Down the stretch of the game Bulls guard, fellow Uconn Huskie, Ben Gordon seemed to go shot for shot. Gordon carried the Bulls offensively torching the Celtics for 42 points. Gordon was so hot, it seemed as if coach Vinny Del Negro said get it to Ben and get out of the way. Rajon Rondo continued fine play posting a triple double. Rondo finished with 19 points, 16 assists, and 12 rebounds. After two games Rondo has 48 points, 23 assists, and 21 rebounds. Glen "Big Baby" Davis quietly put up 26 points and grabbed 9 rebounds while trying to fill the void of an injured Kevin Garnett. To add to Celtics injury woes, reserve forward Leon Powe tore his MCL and will miss he remainder of the season. Game 3 is in Chicago on Thursday April 23 8 p.m. ET. If it's anything like the first two games you should definitely tune in.

NBA names Defensive Player of the Year and Coach of the Year

Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard is the 2008-2009 Defensive Player of the Year. The 23 year old became the leagues youngest ever to win the award. Howard is the 5th player in NBA history to lead the league in rebounds and blocks. Howard follows in the footsteps of Ben Wallace, Hakeem Olajuwon, Bill Walton and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Howard finished the season averaging 13.8 rebounds and 2.92 blocks per contest. Howard received 542 points, including 105 first-place votes from a panel of 119 writers and broadcasters. Cleveland's LeBron James was second with 148 points and Miami's Dwyane Wade finished third with 90 points.


Cleveland Cavaliers Head Coach Mike Brown has been named the 2008-2009 Coach of the Year. Brown coached the Cavs to the best record in the league this year 66-16. Brown received 55 first-place votes and earned 355 total points from a panel of 122 sports writers and broadcasters, who awarded five points for first, three points for second and one point for third. Houston's Rick Adelman was second with 151 points, one ahead of Orlando's Stan Van Gundy. Both got 13 first-place votes. Portland's Nate McMillan was first on 15 ballots and finished fourth with 127 points.

An article on ESPN.com seemed to sum up the award for Brown quite nicely.
"Like his first year in Cleveland, LeBron James' 2nd NBA season ended without a trip to the playoffs. The miss was inexcusable to Cavaliers rookie owner Dan Gilbert, who set out an immediate coaching search so it wouldn't happen again. Gilbert plucked a highly regarded assistant off Indiana's staff, a likable guy who vowed to instill a defense-first identity in Cleveland. The hiring wasn't well received. "Who the heck is Mike Brown?" Cavs general manager Danny Ferry recalled as the overriding sentiment back then. Four years later, here's an updated answer: coach of the year."

Spurs Bounce Back

Tony Parker would not be denied as he led his San Antonio Spurs to victory in Game 2 of their Series. Parker finished with 38 points and 8 assists as the Spurs dominated the Dallas Mavericks 105-84. Parker seemed to roam and finish in the paint at will scoring a majority of his points in the lane. The bench for Dallas was no spark in this game contrary to game one. The starters played no better as the combination of Josh Howard and Dirk Nowitzki shot 6-22 for 21 points. Center Erick Dampier of the Mavericks was not happy with Parker's dominance. "Every time he drives the lane, we have to put him on his back," Dampier said, according to The Dallas Morning News. "The first foul has to tell him he's in for a long night." Game 3 will be in Dallas on Thursday April 23.

Iguodala Clutch Jumper Win's Game 1

Andre Iguodala had 20 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists along with a tough game winning jump shot to give the 6th seeded Philadelphia 76ers the game 1 victory over the Orlando Magic. Although it was Iguodala's late game heroics that sealed the win, the 76ers unsung hero was Donyell Marshall who scored 11 points in 11 minutes including three 3pt baskets. Orlando was led by Dwight Howard's dominance down low, posting 31 points and 16 rebounds.

Home Team Blowouts

Both the Atlanta Hawks and Denver Hawks thoroughly destroyed their respective opponents in game 1 of their 1st round series. Atlanta beat the Miami Heat 90-64, while Denver beat the New Orleans Hornets 113-84.

Josh Smith had highlight dunk after highlight dunk after highlight dunk, as the Heat looked helpless to stop him or any of his teammates. Smith had 23 points and led all 5 starters who finished in double digit scoring. Dwyane Wade struggled scoring only 19 points on 8-21 shooting.

Chauncey Billups introduced his playoff savvy to Denver and more importantly to the Hornets as well. Billups knocked down 8 3pt field goals on route to tying a NBA playoff record for most 3's in a playoff game. Billups sparked the Nuggets early and often while finishing with 36 points and 8 assists. Sixth Man of the year candidate J.R. Smith sealed the blowout with a relentless offense effort down the stretch tallying 19 points off the bench. Chris Paul paced the Hornets with 21 points, 11 assists and 5 rebounds.

Judging from the competitive nature of both Paul and Wade, the outcomes of game 2 in their respective series will surely be much different. Both series' resume play Wed. April 22.

Lakers Role

Kobe Bryant and the Lakers held on to defeat the Utah Jazz 113-100. Bryant led the Lakers with 24 points and 8 assists. Trevor Ariza contributed with stellar defense along with a career playoff high of 21 points of his own. Despite a dismal 1st half from the Jazz Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer made a concentrated effort to get their team back in the game. Williams finished with 16 points and 17 assists while Boozer had 27 points and 9 rebounds. The Jazz missed starting center Memhet Okur. The 41% 3pt shooter missed game 1 with a hamstring injury and is questionable for game 2 as well.

Houston dominant

Yao Ming of the Houston Rockets looked very dominant on the road against the Portland Trailblazers in their 108-81 victory. Yao scored 24 points on 9-9 shooting from the floor and 6-6 from the free throw line. Another miraculous aspect of his night was that he only played 24 minutes. After slight foul trouble early in the 2nd half, coach Rick Adelman decided to sit Yao. Adelman basically didn't require Yao's services after that point with the game seemingly out of reach. Starting point guard Aaron Brooks had a strong night as well posting 27 points and 7 assists. Ron Artest was a pest defensively as he had the task of guarding all-star Brandon Roy of the Trailblazers. Artest did a sound job up front with effective team defense to help limit Roy to 21 points on 10-23 shooting from the floor. Roy was much if not all of the scoring presence from Portland on this night. Game 2 of this series is April, 21 10:00 p.m. ET

Mavs steal Game 1 on the road

The bench for the Dallas Mavericks came through big in game 1 of their series with the San Antonio Spurs. Although it seemed as though whomever coach Rick Carlisle called upon seemed to contribute off the bench, JJ Barea in particular seized the moment. Barea finished with 13 points while playing pesky defense on All-Star guard Tony Parker. 6th man of the year Jason Terry finished with 12 points while Brandon Bass scored 14 respectively off the bench. Not to be out done, solid starting forward Josh Howard led the Mavs with 25 points. All-Star Dirk Nowitzki finished with 19 points and 8 rebounds. The Spurs All-Star duo of Parker and Tim Duncan combined for 51 points. However the Spurs bench had only one second half point. Game 2 of the series is Monday April 20th 2009 9:30 p.m. ET

James on a mission

LeBron James and the Cleveland Caveliers seemed to be on mission taking care of business in game 1 against the Detroit Pistons. James finished with 38 points 8 rebounds and 7 assists as the Cavs blasted the Pistons 102-84. The Cavs seemed to turn on the gas at just the hint of any Detroit run. Rodney Stuckey paced the Pistons with 20 points.

Rose Blossoms

Derrick Rose lead the Chicago Bulls to an upset victory in game 1 of their playoff matchup with the Boston Celtics 105-103 in overtime. Rose scored 36 points, tying Kareem Abdoul-Jabbar's NBA record for most points scored by a rookie in their first playoff game. Rose shot 12-19 from the floor and 12-12 from the free throw line while adding 11 assists. Rose put on a performance for the ages despite a strong showing from opposing point guard Rajon Rondo. Rondo lead the Celtics with 29 points 9 rebounds and 7 assists. Former Uconn guards Ray Allen, of the Celtics, and Ben Gordon, of the Bulls, struggled shooting in the game. Gordon heated up to pace the Bulls with 12 of his 20 points in the 4th quarter. Allen however did not, finishing the game 1-12 for only four points.

Drama in Blowout

The Denver Nuggets (54-27), at the time, beat the Sacramento Kings (16-65), also at the time, 118-98. J.R Smith scores a career-high 45 points on 11-22 shooting from the field (11-18 from 3), including setting a franchise record for 3 point field goals in a game. With those records you would assume that seems about right, correct? However there was some drama and issues behind the naked eye of the box score. Early in the first quarter Kings forward Spencer Hawes went up strong for a dunk and was fouled hard by Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin. Martin was assessed a flagrant foul. While Hawes seemed to re-injure an already troublesome knee, that has already undergone microfracture surgery and surgery to repair a torn meniscus. After watching Kenyon throughout his entire career I would believe that this foul was not intentional. It looks as if he is attempting to wrap up Hawes before his dunk attempt which Martin has done numerous amounts of times before. The right thing to do? Maybe not, players have had that look as if to say, "damn" after they are being held on their way for 2 points. Nonetheless MRI showed nothing more of a strain for Hawes. King owner Joe Maloof responded by calling the play "thuggery". "That was thuggery," Maloof said, "and you can quote me on that. Kenyon Martin wasn't trying to block the shot. He went right at Spencer when he was running full speed and at the [height] of his jump, when he was most vulnerable. Completely unnecessary. The Nuggets might not want to hear this, but there was no excuse for that, and he [Martin] needs to apologize to Spencer and our organization. That just wasn't right," Maloof added" Maloof is entitled to his opinion however I question his choice of words. Thuggery? If Matt Harpring, who is just as likely to give an opponent a hard foul, were to have fouled Hawes would Maloof call it thuggery? I highly doubt it. He chose to call it this for the simple fact of Martin's many tattoo's and perceived image. Martin did however apologize to Hawes after the game, but refuses to apologize to Maloof. "I'm not apologizing to him whatsoever. I don't owe him or the Sacramento Kings an apology," Martin said. "I apologized to the person I needed to apologize to when I saw him when I was leaving the game. If you don't know the circumstances -- he wasn't there, he wasn't in Denver -- then he should worry about his team getting better and getting out of last place," Martin said.

Another member of the Kings organization seemed upset at the end of the contest. King guard Bobby Jackson was not pleased with J.R Smith's career night. “That’s not being professional,” Kings guard Bobby Jackson said. “At the end of a game, if a guy’s hot, you’re already up by 20, sub him out. Get somebody else in there. You just can’t do things like that. This league is not about that. It’s like they wanted to embarrass us and put on a show. You’ve got to be respectable. You’ve got to respect this game. That’s not respecting the game.” After a Smith 3-pointer gave Denver a 100-83 advantage with 6:55 left in the fourth, he tried seven more 3-point attempts. He made three, missed two and was fouled on the other two, making all six free throws. One came with 32.9 seconds left and the Nuggets up by 20. “He played well tonight,” Jackson said. “Why let him continue to do that? If we were a dirty team, we could have taken him out of the game, and going into the playoffs, what are you going to have? Most teams aren't going to let you do that to them. At the end of the day, he’s going to shoot the ball every time he gets it. I think it’s upon the coach to take him out the game. He’s already at 30 points. There was no way we were going to come back.”
When I first read of this I thought of how the Nuggets had beat up on the Isiah Thomas coached New York Knicks. At first thought, I blamed Thomas for blatantly encouraging Mardy Collins to foul J.R. Smith on his way for a highlight dunk on a way to a blowout win in New York. As a professional you obviously don't want to get blown out, but at the same time your level of play should dictate the outcome not come to such a wide margin. As a player, you should not and can not have intentions on hurting a player regardless. Now again the same Denver team is a similar situation of being accused of running up the score. Is it George Karl's fault? Is this showboating? Should he adjust subbing for moral reasons and shy away from controversy?
In this instance maybe it's not the Nuggets fault the Kings weren't playing any defense? Either way it's a tough call. I agree Smith probably shouldn't be on the floor late in a game that was already decided directly before the playoffs were about to start. These athletes are the best of the best. Their competitive nature is superior. It's not like they are in middle school where kids feelings are involved and the game is more about sportsmanship more than it's raw seek of winning and money. I can never get mad at another player for kicking my butt, that's what I'm setting out to do. I'd be more angry with myself than a coach or opposing player if they are torching me for 40 points.

KG out for Playoffs?

Concern for the Boston Celtics organization and their fans has risen today with the news of the worry for Kevin Garnett by his coach Doc Rivers. Garnett injured himself on Feb. 19 and missed the following 13 games. He played sparingly during the next four games, until the team decided to rest Garnett for the duration of the season to rest him and hope he heal in time for the playoffs. Not that the playoffs are nearly upon us, Rivers is unsure Garnett is ready to participate. "It's not official that he's out for the entire playoffs, but it's official as far as I'm concerned," Rivers said before practice at the team's workout facility. "I just don't see how. I hope I'm wrong, but I just don't see it." Rivers watched Garnett run up and down the court at the facility for about 20 minutes before he decided to shut him down because the knee seemed to be locking up on Garnett. Rivers said he knew he made the right decision when Garnett did not show much objection. "He's done everything he could do to get back on the floor," Rivers said. "You could tell he was trying to mask that there was pain." Will KG miss the playoffs? Or will he miraculously return with avengeance like Paul Pierce returned from his wheelchair last season in the Finals? The Celtics will open up the playoffs Saturday in Boston at 12:30 p.m. ET against Chicago on ESPN.

Playoff's?!?!

It took all 82 games of this years NBA season to settle each playoff position for the 2009 NBA Playoffs. The playoffs will begin Saturday April 18th 12:30 p.m. ET. It seems the NBA has recruited Kanye West's 'Amazing' song for promotion to the playoffs. Fitting? Here are all the matchups for both the Eastern Conference and Western Conference.

Eastern Conference

#1 Cleveland Cavaliers (66-16) vs. #8 Detroit Pistons (39-43)
#2 Boston Celtics (62-20) vs. #7 Chicago Bulls (41-41)
#3 Orlando Magic (59-23) vs. #6 Philadelphia 76ers (41-41)
#4 Atlanta Hawks (47-35) vs. #5 Miami Heat (43-39)

Western Conference

#1 Los Angeles Lakers (65-17) vs. #8 Utah Jazz (48-34)
#2 Denver Nuggets (54-28) vs. #7 New Orleans Hornets (49-33)
#3 San Antonio Spurs (54-28) vs. #6 Dallas Mavericks (50-32)
#4 Portland Trail Blazers (54-28) vs. #5 Houston Rockets (53-29)

Player of the Year

PLEASE MUTE HIGHLIGHT MUSIC DURING VIDEO!!

Today Oklahoma Sooner sophomore Blake Griffin was named Associated Press college basketball player of the year. The 6'10 forward averaged 22.7 ppg and 14.4 rpg while shooting 65.4 %. Griffin becomes the schools first ever player of the year. He earned 66 out of 71 votes from the media members who weekly chose the Top 25 schools. The only others to earn votes were, last year's winner, Tyler Hansbrough of North Carolina and Pittsburgh's DeJuan Blair.

Last week the AP All-American teams were named.

1st team: Blake Griffin (Oklahoma), Tyler Hansbrough (North Carolina), DeJuan Blair (Pittsburgh), James Harden (Arizona State), Stephen Curry (Davidson).

2nd team: Hasheem Thabeet (Connecticut), Ty Lawson (North Carolina), Luke Harangody (Notre Dame), Jodie Meeks (Kentucky), Jarel McNeal (Marquette)

3rd team: Terrance Williams (Louisville), Toney Douglas (Florida State), Sam Young (Pittsburgh), Sharon Collins (Kansas), Gerald Henderson (Duke)

The Trend Continues?

Last month I showed you some miraculous half court heaves during warm ups by LeBron James and Dwight Howard. James some how has topped himself (which for some reason doesn't seem to surprise me much anymore). He hit a 3/4 court under handed fling on "one take" prior to his 60 minutes interview last week.
Not to be out done, Portland Trail Blazer Greg Oden, showed some skill or luck (depending on who you ask) in front of some young Blazers fans. Oden's heave although he claims different is questioned for authenticity.

LeBron James Full Interview

Random Clip of the Day

With all due respect to Mount Mutumbo, I found this clip quite funny. Each reaction to dunking on Dikembe made this video just about as much as the dunks did. To his credit he was such a great shot blocker that it added icing on the cake when you did catch Mutumbo. He is ranked second in most block shots in his career. But unfortunately for him, he didn't block any of these.

Turmoil in Motown

It seems as though Allen Iverson is frustrated about his play. Iverson recently came back from a lower back injury were he missed 16 games. During this period guard Richard Hamilton, who was delegated to the bench after Iverson joined the squad, seemed to flourish as well as the rest of the Pistons. Playing both Hamilton and Iverson starting the game together simply did not work and head coach Michael Curry was left with no choice but to choose one. After displeasure from both players, Curry chose to start Iverson. Detroit never really showed signs of improvement during Iverson's stint in the starting line up, before his injury. Since Iverson's return Detroit is 1-3. He's averaged 18.7 minutes, 7.7 points, and 2.7 assists.

"I'm in a position now that I've never been in my whole life," Iverson said. "It's harder than I thought it would be. With the back injury, I have to sit out at the start, then go in, then sit again. It's tough to really get going. I take my hat off to the guys who can come off the bench and be effective. It's tough for me. I'm struggling with it. I'd rather retire before I do this again," Iverson said. "I can't be effective playing this way. I'm not used to it. It's tough for me both mentally and physically. If I'm able to go out there, I should be able to get it done and I can't right now. It's my fault. I have to be able to overcome the adversity and do what I have to do. I just have to find a way to get it done. Not being 100 percent makes it harder and you can see that I'm not 100 percent."

Allen's Trey Saves the Day

Ray Allen's game winning three gave the Boston Celtics 111-109 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats in double overtime. Last season Allen had similar late game heroics in Charlotte. With less than nine minutes left in the game the Bobcats held a 12-point lead. The Celtics rallied behind Rajon Rondo and Paul Pierce. Pierce finished with 32 points, while Rondo finished with 21 points and 9 rebounds. Although victorious without superstar Kevin Garnett, is this tight game with the Bobcats a sign of deeper issues with the Celtics?

Shaq flop?

There is quite a bit of buzz around the basketball world about this play. Shaq has been adamant with his feelings towards players taking a dive and flopping when he makes his strong moves in the lane. Here it looks as if Shaq attempted to take a charge on a Dwight Howard move down the stretch of the Suns/Magic game on Tuesday. In all honesty about 70% of all charge calls are "flops" because it is very rare to see a player actually hit another player with enough force and velocity to knock him down. Nevertheless this is not seen often from O'Neal. Many announcers say it is a first ever flop, but that's inaccurate. Magic Head Coach Stan Van Gundy went on to say during a post game interview addressing the "flop" by saying, "I was shocked, seriously shocked and very disappointed because he knows what it's like. Let's stand up and play like men, and I think our guy did that tonight." Van Gundy, former coach of O'Neal while in Miami, didn't seem to express this very jokingly. Shaq was not amused. He went on to bash Van Gundy Wednesday, repeatedly calling him a frontrunner and a master of panic.
"Flopping is playing like that your whole career. I was trying to take the charge, trying to get a call. It probably was a flop, but flopping is the wrong use of words. Flopping would describe his coaching," O'Neal said. "I'm not going to just sit abound and let nobodies take shots at me, and he is a nobody to me. And if he thinks he can get in a little press conference and take shots at me like I'm not going to [give] something back, he's got another thing coming."
"I said I flopped, but flopping is falling and crying and complaining to the ref. I tried to take a charge. The rules say when a guy comes into your chest and you fall, that's an offensive foul, and that's all I tried to do. I fell, didn't complain, he made a great move, spun and dunked it, but flopping is the wrong choice of words. So that's all I've got to say about that, but again, I despise frontrunners, I despise them. And that's what he is to me."

Van Gundy would respond Thursday morning before practice by saying "Obviously I struck a nerve and hurt his feelings. Shaq's a very sensitive guy. If I hurt his feelings, I'm sorry. I'm pretty sure that every player who's ever played for me doesn't hate me," Van Gundy said. "Now we'd have to do a survey, but I've coached a lot of guys, and I'm pretty sure there's one or two that don't hate me. I don't know that any liked me. But I'm pretty sure there's one or two who don't hate me. So I don't worry about that because, quite honestly, I don't think it's true."

In my opinion, as much one would think "Shaq is too big for flopping", I think its smart and explains part of his longevity in the game. He is able to put his preconceived notions to the side and adapt to the evolution of the game today. Taking charges is a huge part of the game, game changing like a huge dunk for a team. Seeing Shaq attempt a charge "flop" or no "flop" goes to show you why he can still hold his own and be a dominating force at the age of 36.

Price and Huskies drop Marquette

#2 ranked Connecticut Huskies defeated a tough #10 Marquette Golden Eagles team on the road, 93-82. A.J. Price led the Huskies with a career high 36 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists. Stanley Robinson chipped in with 19 points and 10 rebounds of his own. Hasheem Thabeet once again was a deterring force underneath the basket notching 14 points and 15 rebounds and 5 blocks. The win gave Connecticut Head Coach Jim Calhoun his 800th career win. Jarel McNeal paced Marquette with 26 points and 5 assists. Along with losing the game the Golden Eagles also had the misfortune of losing point guard Dominic James, who broke a bone in his foot during the early moments of the contest. According to Marquette Coach Buzz Williams James will get surgery and miss the remainder of the season.

New Trend?

Is this the new thing to do nowadays in the NBA? Shoot half court bombs during the pregame warm ups? First Dwight Howard, now LeBron James got ready for their respective games by practicing these miraculous heaves. Maybe this is why Devin Harris can hit running 45 foot shots during games. Doubt it, but it looks good.

Amazing Shot from Harris

Devin Harris took this amazing shot tenths of a second before time expired to beat the Philadelphia 76ers 98-96. Players gathered around the scorers table for several minutes while referee's checked the replay on the miraculous shot. Andre Iguodala hit one of two free throws with 1.8 seconds left on the clock allowing the Nets one last opportunity to win the game. Harris did just that in dramatic fashion. The all star finished with a game-high 39 points.

Nasty Nate

Nate Robinson is maturing into a consistently solid NBA player. Yea I said it. Early in his career it would be safe to say he drove Knick fans crazy more than he made them happy. As of late he has been a bright spot for New York. This month he has been averaging 23.6 points per game, 5 rebounds, and 5.2 assists all in his 5-9 180 lbs frame. During his last 5 games he had been averaging LeBron James type numbers (30 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists) including this 41 point performance. Robinson completely took over the game in the second half scoring 32 of his 41 points on 11-18 shooting. After winning a very entertaining dunk contest during all-star weekend, Robinson has used that momentum to elevate his game and try leading the Knicks back to the playoffs for the first time since the 2003-2004 season.

Wade gets 50 in loss

Dwyane Wade had a career high 50 points along with 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Wade shot 17-30 from the field while his teammates managed to shot 20-59. Despite Wade's heroics the Miami Heat fell to the Orlando Magic 122-99. Dwight Howard led the Magic with 32 points and 17 rebounds.

Rafer Alston aka Skip to My Lou, looked good at the point, playing slightly more of a facilitator to his new Magic teammates than their injured all star point guard Jameer Nelson. It's still questionable to see if Alston can keep Orlando in the NBA title discussion quite like Nelson had them. Alston experience and familiarity with Head Coach Stan Van Gundy make probably make him the best candidate to do so.

New #1 in College Basketball

Following a busy weekend of college basketball. The Pittsburgh Panthers earned the #1 rank in the latest poll. On Monday Pittsburgh beat then #1 (now #2) Connecticut behind the dominate play of DeJuan Blair's 21 points and 23 rebounds. Blair continued his dominating play on Saturday with a 20 point 18 rebound performance, setting a school record with 41 rebounds in 2 games. The Panthers mauled DePaul 80-71.

Greivis Vasquez led the unranked Maryland Terrapins with triple-double over the 3rd ranked North Carolina Tarheels in Overtime. Vasquez finished with 35 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists. Not only did Vasquez score the first 16 Maryland points, he also lead the Terrapins back from a 16 point deficit to force overtime before closing out his outstanding performance with a eye-opening victory.

Blake Griffin and the Oklahoma Sooners' hopes at a #1 ranking were put on hold by the Texas Longhorns. Texas defeated then #2 Oklahoma 75-63 behind hot late shooting from A.J. Abrams, who finished with 23 points. Griffin was accidentaly hit in the face causing him to leave the game with a concussion. Despite being without possible player of the year in Griffin, the Sooners kept close behind the strong play of freshman Willie Warren. Warren finished with a game high 27. Griffin's status is questionable for Monday's game against #15 Kansas.

Stephen Curry and the Davidson Wildcats lost to the #22 Butler Bulldogs 75-63. Curry, the leading scorer in Div. 1, struggled to find his rhythm early missing his first eight shots. Curry missed the previous game with an ankle injury while insisting the ankle felt fine by the start of the Butler game. Curry finished 6-23 shooting, for 20 points. below his 28.6 average.

Duke extracted some revenge over Wake Forest with a solid 101-91 victory. Gerald Henderson led Duke with a career high 35 points (11-15 shooting). Jon Scheyer, whom was asserted into the starting line up as the point guard, added a career high of his own with 30. Last month, Wake Forest beat Duke in Winston Salem on a last second shot.

New Top 25...

James shows Milwaukee why he is King

LeBron James pulled out the full arsenal of maneuvers scoring a "double nickel" Friday night. James filled up the highlight reel with something contrary to what we are used to seeing him do. Make three's. James hit 8 three point bombs, 4 of which came during a 3 minute span where he notched 16 points. LeBron may have borrowed Stephen Curry of Davidson's touch and forgot to give it back. Zydrunas Ilgauskus summed up the performance best saying, "It was almost like watching a video game." That's exactly how James looked, hitting fade-away three point baskets and running jump hooks down the lane. Surprisingly, we weren't granted any high-flying dunks from James.

On a side note Anderson Varejao's flop sparking a small skirmish in the second half was classic Varejao. I thought the NBA was supposed to fine and penalize excessive flops? Varejao is one of the worst in the League with this. I'm all for the Cav's being so team oriented that they back each other during scuffles and even go as far as as a team physically checking on injured players when they are down on the court. However, Ilgauskus had no business making his way toward Charlie Villanueva after he knocked down Varejao. It led to the domino effect of emotion. I can see this creating future problems that the League will have to deal with especially in the playoffs. Issues similar to the ramifications of the Steve Nash/Robert Horry charge attempt/ body block (depending on if you're a Suns or Spurs fan). The league should set a standard distinguishing the difference between a peacemaker and an instigator in a situation. Possibly penalizing the instigator more heavily. I didn't see the game live so I don't know if it happened but Ilguaskus should have been awarded a technical at least.

Sooners # 1?

If Oklahoma can beat Texas Saturday night, the Sooners will more than likely become the nation's number 1 ranked team in the polls next week. The Big XII for the third consecutive year has arguably the best player in the country, in Blake Griffin. Griffin dominates with his own style of play different yet similarly to former Big XII players of the year Kevin Durant and Michael Beasley. Freshman Willie Warren has been overshadowed by Griffin yet has had a solid freshman year, including this ferocious dunk. Looks like Griffin isn't the only Sooner that has NBA scouts buzzing.

Garnett out 2-3

Kevin Garnett strained his knee during the alley-opp attempt late in the 1st half. Head Coach Doc Rivers said that Garnett was willing to give it a go in the 2nd half, but Rivers quickly declined not wanting to risk further injury to his all-star and future hall of fame player. According to reports Garnett's MRI disclosed a strained muscle behind his knee. This will put him out 2-3 weeks. The Celtics will continue their road trip without Garnett, facing the Suns on Sunday. Both teams will be without their respective all-star forwards. Both teams are also lobbying to sign former Sacramento Kings forward Mikki Moore. Moore was waived on Feb. 19th

Breaking News: Amare Out For Season

Apparently Amare Stoudemire was hit in the eye once again during the Phoenix Suns route of the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night. Despite scoring 42 points, Amare aggravated a previous eye injury he sustained in the preseason this year. He will have season ending surgery to repair a partially detached retina in his right eye. Although Amare should fully recover from this injury, it is a crushing blow to the Suns who looked to make a run for a higher seed in the Western Conference playoff as they reentered the beloved faced pasted style offense with the new head coach Alvin Gentry. Is the Suns season over along with Amare's?

Pre Trade Deadline Week

It was a very eventful week of transactions before the NBA's trade deadline. There were no Pau Gasol type trades from last, that will probably have an effect on any championship level teams at the end of the year. Yet in still interesting moves were made.

• Orlando Magic acquire Rafer Alston; Houston Rockets acquire Kyle Lowry and Brian Cook; Memphis Grizzlies acquire Mike Wilks, Adonal Foyle and Magic's first round draft pick.
• New York Knicks acquire Larry Hughes; Chicago Bulls acquire Tim Thomas, Jerome James and Anthony Roberson
• Knicks also acquire Chris Wilcox; Oklahoma City Thunder acquire Malik Rose
• Sacramento Kings acquire Rashad McCants and Calvin Booth; Minnesota Timberwolves receive Sheldon Williams and Bobby Brown.
• Kings also acquire Andres Nocioni, Drew Gooden, Michael Ruffin, and Cedric Simmons; Bulls receive Brad Miller and John Salmons.

The Knicks roster will look better. Larry Hughes could possibly have a re-resurrection in his career with the opportunity to play with New York. D'antoni's system should be a great help toward that. Getting out and running similarly to what he did during his stint in Golden State should excite Knick fans. Hopefully it will not stunt the development of Wilson Chandler in the process. Wilcox adds another big athletic body. Wilcox in the fast paced style the Knicks have should be able to finish around the basket and use his athleticism in the open floor while allowing David Lee to be more fresh at the end of games.

I like Sacramento's moves as well. Although they won't be making a playoff run this year, I think they can be competitive with their young talent. McCants off the bench gives them scoring when Kevin Martin is getting rest. Nocioni will get the opportunity to play more without Loul Deng to share time with. Young players Spencer Hawes and Jason Thompson will get more opportunity with Miller gone. Drew Gooden is solid and should get more touches with the Kings.

Chicago will benefit with a true center presence in Miller and John Salmons has improved each year he's been in the league, he adds depth to the both guard and forward positions.

The biggest question from the week that was is if Alston will pick up where Jameer Nelson left off. With Nelson's season ending injury, the Magic were in need of a point. They picked up Tyronne Lue, who is a decent backup to assist another solid backup in Anthony Johnson. It will be interesting to see how Alston and the Magic mesh.