ItsTheBlog™

A day after beating LeBron James and the Miami Heat, the Boston Celtics fell to the LeBron-less Cleveland Cavaliers. Huh?

How do the Celtics look like the Eastern conference champions they are in Game 1, but struggle mightily against a team that will fight to win 30 games this year?

Age.

Look at the Celtics starting five: Shaq (38, 19th season), Garnett (34, 16th season), Allen (35, 15th season), Pierce (34, 14th season) Rondo (young). The first four guys have 60 years of NBA experience and 141 years of age -- and that's fantastic. But it means that on back-to-back nights, it's completely conceivable that they might struggle. To compound this, the Cavs had something to prove last night in their first game without the King.

As Hayden at RhymesWithHondo put it, "[c]oming off an intense game the night before, in Cleveland against a Cavaliers team eager to prove itself without LeBron James, it stands to reason that the Celtics might have a little bit of a letdown."

So, while the irony may be there, and it may feel a bit like 2009-2010 rather than 2010-2011, this shouldn't come as a huge shock. The Celtics are built for the playoffs--when it really counts--to compete with LeBron and Miami, Dwight and Orlando, and Kobe and L.A. These regular season games are important, but they really can't be seen as too important.

Labels: basketball, Boston Celtics, etball, Garnett, Lakers, Lebron James, NBA

Well if everybody would have looked at the Heat Celtics game logically,(and who in the sports world really thinks this way?) then what happened opening night would not have a surprise at all. The defending east champs beat what right now can only be described as the US national team. If the national team really had time to gel and become a team, do you think they would have a problem beating Spain in the olympics? Probably not. Well the Celtics are like spain... With talent and athleticism. So yes of course the celtics were going to beat the Heat on opening night. Even Lebron having a run late in the game wasn't enough, because, would you look at that! Paul Pierce and Ray Allen aren't dead yet and some big shots from them were enough to put out that fire.

With all that being said, when Wade and Bosh get comfortable playing with Lebron they will easily be able to make runs of their own, and if James and Wade get hot at different times in a game then the Heat will be unbeatable. Doesn't matter what teammates they have on the floor with them, these players can carry their teams. The only difference this year is that they can take turns doing so.

-SR

Labels: basketball, Boston Celtics, LeBron, miami heat, NBA

The Lakers got their championship rings last night, and the ceremony was quite different than I expected. Each member of the 2009-2010 squad got a chance to be on the microphone, in front of a sold-out Staples Center, to say "Thanks" and to introduce the next teammate. My first thought? Is this a contest of how literate each Laker can be?

I came away oddly surprised at how professional and intelligent most of the Lakers came across. (Read: Most NBA players don't do so well in front of people.) More importantly, however, was the "family" atmosphere that came across as each player took turns introducing the next. From Lamar's "proud papa" attitude when introducing first-time champion Ron Artest to Fisher's "Kobe is the Man" speech, this Laker fan was proud.

Although, I did find it mildly amusing that the two adjectives Phil Jackson used to describe the championship ring were "terrific" and "unwearable." True to form, Jackson let none other than Justin Bieber, who was sitting courtside, wear his ring during the game last night. Gotta love LA...

Labels: Artest, champions, championship ring, Fisher, Kobe, Lakers, NBA, Odom

The folks at ItsTheLeague.com take their stab at answering the following questions about the 2010-2011 NBA Season, which kicks off tomorrow:

1. What will be the 2010-2011 Miami Heat regular season record?

Michael Boyd (MB): 63-19
Karan Lodha (KL): 63-19
Matt Reyes (MR): 56-26
Steven Rojas (SR): 58-24
Kevin Reyes (KR): 61-21
Hayden Alfano (HA): 58-24
Cody Schumacher (CS): 63-19
Jayson Moss (JM): 65-17


2. What will be the 2010-2011 Los Angeles Lakers regular season record?

MB: 64-18
KL: 65-17
MR: 59-23
SR: 53-29
KR: 59-23
HA: 55-27
CS: 58-24
JM: 63-19

3. Who will be the 2010-2011 NBA Champion/the runner-up?

MB: Celtics/Lakers
KL: Lakers/Magic
MR: Lakers/Heat
SR: Heat/Thunder
KR: Lakers/Celtics
HA: Celtics/Lakers
CS: Celtics/Thunder
JM: Lakers/Heat


4. Who will be the 2010-2011 MVP?

MB: Kevin Durant
KL: Kevin Durant
MR: Kevin Durant
SR: Kevin Durant
KR: Kevin Durant
HA: LeBron James
CS: Kevin Durant
JM: LeBron James

5. In terms of points, rebounds, and assists, what will be LeBron James' 2010-2011 stat line?

MB: 24 points, 8 rebounds, 8.5 assists
KL: 24 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists
MR: 24 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists
SR: 25 points, 7 rebounds, 9.5 assists
KR: 24 points, 7 rebounds, 8.5 assists
HA: 24 points, 7 rebounds, 10 assists
CS: 25 points, 8.5 rebounds, 7.5 assists
JM: 27 points, 8 rebounds, 10 assists

6. Who will be the 2010-2011 Rookie of the Year?

MB: Blake Griffin
KL: Jeremy Lin
MR: Blake Griffin
SR: Blake Griffin
KR: John Wall
HA: Blake Griffin
CS: Blake Griffin
JM: John Wall

7. Predict seeds 1-8 in the 2010-2011 Western Conference playoffs. In particular, who will be the Lakers' biggest threat, and why?

MB: 1. Lakers
2. Mavericks
3. Thunder (Biggest threat because they are young and athletic, took Lakers to 7 games last year. )
4. Spurs
5. Utah
6. Portland
7. Denver
8. Houston

KL: 1. Lakers
2. Thunder
3. Dallas
4. Memphis
5. San Antonio
6. Portland
7. Denver
8. Phoenix

MR: 1. Lakers
2. Thunder (OKC will be the Lakers biggest threat with Durant having an MVP season but they will fall short of the Lakers and get the number 2 seed.)
3. Mavericks
4. Utah
5. Spurs
6. Blazers
7. Rockets
8. Nuggets

SR: 1. Lakers
2. Nuggets
3. Thunder (The Thunder will be Lakers biggest threat, and I think they will beat them. I think Kobe has an off year, I'm not saying he is done, but I think he will be playing at 60% energy all season and try to turn it on during the playoffs, and it won't work.)
4. Blazers
5. Suns
6. Mavs
7. Spurs
8. Grizzlies

KR: 1. Lakers
2. Thunder
3. Mavs
4. Jazz
5. Spurs
6. Trail Blazers
7. Nuggets
8. Rockets

HA: 1. Los Angeles Lakers (In terms of the regular season, I think all of the top five or six seeds could step up and challenge LA for the league's best record. Nagging injuries to the Lakers really could cause them to win fewer games during the regular season, especially at the start.)
2. Utah
3. Oklahoma City
4. Dallas
5. Denver
6. San Antonio
7. Portland
8. Houston

CS:1. OKC (OKC's youth and raw talent will lead them to take out the Lakers as defending champions)
2. Dallas
3. LAL
4. Utah
5. Denver
6. SA
7. Portland
8. Houston

JM:1. Lakers
2. Jazz (The Jazz have a new center and will mesh well with D. Williams dishing the ball)
3. Thunder
4. Hornets
5. Mavs
6. Nuggets
7. Trail Blazers
8. Spurs

8. Predict seeds 1-8 in the 2010-2011 Eastern Conference playoffs. In particular, who will be the biggest threat to the Magic, Celtics, and Heat, and why?

MB: 1. Celtics
2. Heat
3. Orlando
4. Atlanta
5. Chicago
6. Bucks
7. 76'ers
8. New York

KL: 1. Heat
2. Magic
3. Bulls
4. Bucks
5. Hawks
6. Celtics
7. Bobcats
8. Knicks

MR: 1. Celtics
2. Magic
3. Heat
4. Bulls (Chicago will be the next biggest threat finishing 4th in the East and will also make it to the conference finals but lose. The Boozer and Korver pieces will give them more depth at positions they lacked last season.)
5. Bucks
6. Hawks
7. Knicks
8. Wizards

SR: 1. Heat
2. Magic
3. Celtics
4. Bulls
5. Hawks
6. Bucks
7. Knicks
8. Cavs

KR: 1. Heat
2. Magic
3. Celtics
4. Bulls
5.Hawks
6. Bucks
7. Bobcats
8. Knicks

HA: 1. Boston
2. Orlando
3. Miami
4. Chicago (Chicago is the biggest threat by default, because any team seeded 5-8 will have to beat all three of the Celtics, Magic, and Heat without homecourt advantage. That's just ridiculous. Equally ridiculous, however, is the idea that Chicago could win two such series'. This is a three-horse race from the getgo.)
5. Milwaukee
6. Atlanta
7. New York
8. Philadelphia? I don't even know. I can't think of a single East team deserving of the eighth seed.

CS: 1. Miami
2. Orlando
3. Boston
4. Chicago (I dont see anyone really being a threat to the big 3 teams, but if i were to say one it would have to be Chicago, the combo of Rose/Boozer (when healthy)/Noah should be pretty tough to deal with.)
5. Atlanta
6. Milwaukee
7. New York
8. Philly

JM:
1. Heat
2. Magic
3. Hawks (Hawks want it and need it; also the Bulls, with a new team new attitude)
4. Celtics
5. Bulls
6. Knicks
7. Bucks
8. Wizards

9. Will Carmelo Anthony be traded during the season? To whom?

MB: New Jersey
KL: Knicks
MR: No trade
SR: He will not be traded, the Nuggets will have a good team and try to win with him for one more year.
KR: I think Carmelo stays put. If the Nuggets are really struggling at the deadline, they'll make a big effort to move him, but otherwise, I would guess he ends the season a Nugget.
HA: No
CS: No, I dont think he will be traded, but if he is it will be to NY
JM: Yes. Knicks

10. Will there be an NBA lockout next season? If so, what does that mean for the NBA?

MB: Better not be. Though I think there will be. If so, NBA takes huge hit. Will contract 2-4 teams.
KL: Probably... sad.
MR: Yes, they will need to cut the number of teams in the league in order to cut expenses.
SR: If there is a lockout it will kill all of the momentum this LeBron James saga has created for the NBA. More people will watch because of the Heat, and a lockout will kill those casual fans and even some hardcore ones.
KR: I sure hope not, but it's sounding more and more like a lockout is not only possible, but likely. All we can hope for is that it doesn't delay--or, worse, completely cancel--the 2011-2012 season.
HA: Yes. I don't want to talk about it.
CS: No, the league can't afford to take a hit like that, and things should get worked out in time.
JM: Hope not!

11. Who will be the NBA's leading scorer, and how many points will that person average? (Matt's version of this question: how many points will Kevin Durant average?)

MB: Durant, 30 ppg
KL: KDeez Nuts, 29.7 ppg
MR: Durant, 28.6 ppg
SR: Durant, he will average pretty much the same as last year, as I said before Kobe will cruise most of the season and lebron's heat won't have enough scoring to go around.
KR: Durant, 31.2 ppg
HA: Durant, 33 ppg
CS: Durant, 30.4 ppg
JM: LeBron, 30.8 ppg

Labels: basketball, Boston Celtics, Bulls, Lakers, NBA, predictions

So, it's been a while. But I'm trying to make a little comeback. With the NBA playoffs starting tomorrow, I figured a prediction post would be in good taste. I'll go series by series, and we'll see how I can do.

Eastern Conference

First Round

1. Celtics vs. 8. Hawks:
KG, Pierce, Allen, and Co. exhibited their dominance all season long. But the most impressive part wasn't the 27-3 record by New Years Day, it wasn't having only 5 losses all season to the deep Western Conference, it wasn't even their 35-6 home record. It was the fact that they sustained their ridiculous play in the months of March and April with the Big Three getting limited minutes and KG injured for much of it. These guys are for real. Scary.
Celtics in 4

4. Cavaliers vs. 5. Wizards:
This is definitely the most intriguing series of the Eastern Conference. Any team with LeBron has to be a favorite, but the Wizards proved to a lot of people that they can play this season--even with Arenas out. Now that Gilbert's back--albeit not at full strength--the teams will be battling for the chance to face the Big Bad Celtics in round 2. Home court advantage and a weak Arenas could be good news for the Cavs.
Cavs in 7

3. Magic vs. Raptors
Orlando showed a lot of people that they are for real this season, coasting to the Southeast's Division's best record and solidifying themselves as the consensus 3rd best team in the East. Hedo Turkoglu deserves consideration (if not the award) for Most Improved, and Dwight Howard isn't too far away from MVP consideration. The NBA's only Canadian team also showed it could play, but struggled down the stretch to finish 41-41. Even All-Star Chris Bosh said he's not confident in his team. Jose Calderon kept them afloat for a while, though, and they'll give the Magic a challenge. Not much of one, though.
Magic in 6

2. Pistons vs. 7. 76ers
Frankly, I'm surprised that the Sixers got this far. Iguoudala and Andre Miller are good, but these guys have benefitted hugely from the fact that the Eastern Conference is pretty darn weak. Detroit is a defensive beast and finished with the 2nd best record in the league. Philly will get one on their home court, but no more.
Pistons in 5

Second Round

1. Celtics vs. 4. Cavaliers
This is going to be a fantastic series. LeBron will be able to sit back and watch and learn as the veteran Celtics knock off the defending Eastern Conference champions. No doubt LeBron will put up a fight, but I just don't see these Celtics losing quite yet.
Celtics in 5

3. Magic vs. 2. Pistons
Hard to pick the Magic to lose, but they'll be facing a tough team with a load of experience in this one.
Pistons in 6

Conference Finals
1. Celtics vs. 2. Pistons
Veteran Big Three vs. the experienced defensive stalwarts. As good as the Big Three are though, this will be a huge test, as none of them have ever gotten past the conference finals in their careers. Unfortunately, I don't see it mattering, but this will be one hell of a series.
Celtics in 7

Western Conference

First Round
1. Lakers vs. 8. Nuggets
If there's a weak link in the Western Conference playoffs, the Lakers are fortunate to see it in the first round. Don't get me wrong, the Nuggets are the best #8 seed in NBA Playoff history (50 wins!), but when you talk about the best teams in the league, they simply don't make the discussion. Iverson, Carmelo, and crew will give the inexperienced Lakers some trouble, but not much. The Lakers are hot right now and still rolling.
Lakers in 5

4. Jazz vs. 5 Rockets
I'd like to let the Rockets 22-game winning streak about a month ago play into this discussion, but it just doesn't. T-Mac just can't seem to get past the first round in his career, and, without Yao this season, I don't see it happenening. Not to mention that Utah holds a league-best 37-4 record at home and holding home court advantage ought to help. Another first round exit for Houston is my opinion.
Jazz in 6

3. Spurs vs. 6 Suns
This is going to be my favorite matchup to watch in the first round of these playoffs. Phoenix's trade for Shaq was built to battle Tim Duncan and the defensive minded Spurs, and as the season winded down, the team seemed to gel, winning 8 of its last 11. The Spurs, on the other hand, have been struggling, and Manu Ginobili is just coming back from an injury, so his effectiveness will certainly be in question. Dare I suggest the defending champs losing in round 1? Dare to be bold.
Suns in 7

2. Hornets vs. 7. Mavericks
Pre-season, if you would have told me that the first round 2-7 matchup would be Mavs/Hornets, I would have certainly believed you. But I would have laughed if you would have suggested that the Hornets would be in the 2 slot. Yet, here we are, as Dallas finished a full 5 games behind the division champion Hornets. Chris Paul became a top MVP candidate, Tyson Chandler showed his defensive prowess, and guys like David West and Peja Stojakovic showed themselves plenty capable this season. On the other hand, the Mavs brought in Jason Kidd, but if he's helped them is up for debate. Dirk's playoff choking abilities may happen in the first round again, after the disappointing loss last season to the Warriors as the #1 seed.
Hornets in 7

Second Round

1. Lakers vs. 4. Jazz
These teams haven't met since December, so previous matchups don't mean much as a lot of things have changed. Home-court advantage will certainly help the Lakers, especially considering that Utah stellar home record I mentioned before. I'm going with the optimistic Laker fan pick on this one.
Lakers in 6

6. Suns vs. 2. Hornets
A fantastic battle of point guards in Nash vs. Paul. These two teams match styles with the run and gun game, and now the post-up battle in Shaq vs. Chandler. It's a good thing Shaq's old and Chandler can play defense.
Hornets in 7

Conference Finals
1. Lakers vs. 2. Hornets
In the battle for the MVP about a week ago, Kobe won. Both teams are inexperienced, but Kobe is the X-factor. He has been to the top, and he wants it too badly and is finally surrounded by a good enough supporting cast to let the Hornets knock him off his pedestal.
Lakers in 6

NBA FINALS
Lakers vs. Celtics
What a fantastic series this would be to watch and to re-live the glory days. The Celtics knocked the Lakers off twice in the regular season, but that was pre Pau Gasol. Garnett's a beast and will manhandle the Lakers, but if the rest of the squad can hold the Celtics in check, it could make for an interesting series. Call me crazy and incredibly optimistic, but I wouldn't be a true Laker fan unless I believed.
Lakers in 7 in the Garden in one of the best NBA Finals series in my lifetime.

Labels: basketball, Boston Celtics, Kevdog, Lakers, NBA, playoffs, predictions

Just like that, two blockbuster trades go down.

First, the Lakers blow everyone away by dealing arguably their two worst players on the active roster in Kwame Brown and Javaris Crittenton for, who? None other than Pau Gasol, former All-Star Pau Gasol. Who saw that one coming? Nobody.

Lakers fans everywhere rejoiced even before they heard the part of the deal that sent Gasol to LA. "We're trading Kwame!?" I said, excited, without even knowing where he was headed. Then, ecstatic, "you got to be kidding me!"

Gasol brings the Lakers a legitimate big man who has the finesse to play on the outside. At 7'0", he'll be the twin tower to Andrew Bynum when the young kid returns, but he is comfortable enough playing outside of the key to give the kid some space on the block. But the real gem of this deal is its timing. Bynum's out. The Lakers need someone, anyone not named Kwame, on the block for the next several weeks. Enter Pau. I love it.

Then, last night, I think I wasn't alone when I say I dismissed the rumor of Shaq heading to the Suns as "not gonna happen." But, waking up this morning to find it a "done deal" pending a physical, I was astonished.

Some have suggested that this is a retalitory move by Phoenix. They were scared of the new and improved Lake Show. Isn't that awesome?

Whether that's really true, who knows? But, Marion had been rumored to be out for a while, just no one (this blogger included) thought any deal would go down. Shaq's Heat have been miserable, and while Phoenix leads the West at the moment, it was unclear whether locker room chemistry would last into the playoffs. So Steve Kerr pulled the trigger.

Shaq brings the Suns a beast down low, but this isn't the same Shaq that won NBA Championships in LA or Miami. This is a slow, methodical Shaq--perfectly contrary to the run'n'gun system of the Suns. Is that OK?

It could be. The Suns can run and run and run, and Shaq can stay back on defense. 2 on 1 breaks don't require the Diesel to run the floor. But, when the Suns are forced into the half-court set, they'll be fortunate to have 7'1", 320 (330? 340? more?) down low to bang.

Does it help the Suns in sum? Unclear. With Marion, they risked a player who would walk at the end of the year, being that he was already unhappy. With that, Kerr saw the opportunity to bring in a beast, and give the Suns a shot to win now. Some say Shaq's already has his last run at the title, but it would seem clear that if he hasn't already had it, he doesn't have much time left.

I like the move. It's worth a shot. The Suns are the perennial overachieving regular season team and the perennial underachieving post-season team. Maybe some Shaq can help.

That is, if Pau, Kobe, and the new look Lakers don't get in the way.

Labels: basketball, Kevdog, Kobe, Lakers, miami heat, NBA, Pau Gasol, phoenix suns, shaq

NBA All-Star reserves were announced, completing the teams' rosters before the February 17 East-West matchup.

That brings the obvious questions: who doesn't deserve to be there that will be, and who deserves to be there that won't be?

First, I'm glad the fans got one thing right. They voted in Dwight Howard as the Eastern Conference starting center over Shaquille O'neal. Shaq's made this game 14-straight times until this year, including a few times where he definitely didn't deserve it, most notably last year. I like Shaq, but when you're past your prime, you can't just ride your fan-base into the game when you're playing awfully. I'm also thrilled to see a guy like Caron Butler make the East squad.

So, who doesn't deserve to be there? For the East, the glaring mistake seems to be Dwyane Wade. I like the player, I think he's good. But, other than good looks and high numbers, his team is doing miserably, which speaks nothing about his stardom. Is he a good player? Absolutely, but he's not doing the things he needs to be this season to be an All-Star.

Some are claiming Ray Allen as the biggest East snub, but I'm going to disagree. We all know it was Kevin Garnett who has transformed the Celtics, and while Allen's been a nice role playing shooter and scorer, he's no All-Star this season.

My Eastern conference pick is little known Jose Calderon, who has stepped in as a solid contributor in Toronto after the injury of T.J. Ford. Averaging 12 points and 9 assists on the season, Calderon is playing big in the minutes he gets, leading the Raptors into a battle for an Eastern Conference playoff spot.

Moving West, the story becomes more difficult. There are so many talented players that I think every player on the team has a case to be made. It's also nice to see lesser known guys like David West and Brandon Roy be honored.

Unfortunately, that leads to a long list of snubs, which includes at the top of the list Baron Davis, Manu Ginobili, and Deron Williams. They just had to draw a line somewhere. But, other than the obvious ones, how about Chris Kaman, who has broke out in a big way with Elton Brand out with injury in Clipperville? How about Kevin Martin, Sacramento's little guy who can score like a machine? How about Al Jefferson, the giant in Minnesota now that Garnett is gone who is tearing up boxscores nightly?

I guess I've answered my own question. These 3 guys all play for miserable teams. In that sense, the NBA seems to have gotten it right, but it's still fun to argue that these guys' performances could make them deserve to be there.

Labels: all-star, basketball, Dwight Howard, Kevdog, NBA, shaq, sunbs

Jason Kidd rumors are the latest to be swirling around the NBA just weeks before the NBA's trading deadline. In what has seemed like an incredibly boring trade-season thus far, it's hard not to remember what happened just before the season started. Let me remind you.

Kobe asked to be traded. Kobe backed off. Kobe asked to be traded again. Kobe backed off, but didn't rescind his demand. Rumors were hot. Nothing happened, just as I predicted. And, at this point, everyone would be incredibly surprised if anything did happen, especially in light of the Lakers' early season success.

Another hot topic suggested that Jermaine O'neal would be moved. It's February, and J-O is still a Pacer. Similar rumbles surrounded the Phoenix Suns and their desire to move Shawn Marion and the Utah Jazz with Andrei Kirilenko. No such move.

But Kidd's name has perhaps been being dangled around the longest. Last year about this time, the big news was that Jason Kidd was being offered to the Lakers in exchange for relatively unknown Andrew Bynum.

What looked like an incredible offer back then for the Lakers to jump on, Mitch Kupchak and Co. refused, holding Bynum as part of the the Lakers future. Kobe criticized in the now infamous video in the parking lot of a random strip mall. Now, you know the story. Bynum breaks out. Lakers have early success, and everyone (including Kobe) seems happy. Unfortunately, a Bynum injury has the excitement back on hold for a while.

Fast forward to this season, and the Kidd to the Lakers rumors are still running. At least one ESPN blogger thinks that the Lakers could (or should) still be a player in the sweepstakes, this time with Lamar Odom as the centerpiece of the deal. The LA Times suggests that the Lakers won't be a player in the negotiations.

Instead, it's the Mavericks, ironically the team that drafted Kidd, who are looking to acquire the 34-year old point guard. Several strange packages have been mentioned, the most popular involving the help of a third team--the Portland Trail Blazers. Young guys like Channing Frye, Jarrett Jack, and Travis Outlaw are likely to be sent to New Jersey, while the Nets send Kidd to the Mavs, who send Devin Harris and likely Brandon Bass to the Blazers. Jerry Stackhouse could also be involved.

The other kink in the chain in LeBron James, who is quietly lobbying for Kidd to come to the Cavs. Neither situation sounds half bad for Kidd. Playing with Dirk or playing with LeBron.

My thoughts? I hope he's moved. Kidd deserves another chance at success, and unfortunately it's not going to happen in New Jersey. After taking to the Nets to the Finals twice, they've dropped off severely.

But, it seems that Kidd in Dallas, Cleveland, or even Los Angeles would turn any of those teams into an instant contender. I'm going to guess that Mark Cuban sees this and tries pretty hard to get Kidd as much as he can, if Kidd moves at all.

Lakers are out and the Cavs are a long-shot. Expect it to take a week or two, but I'm going to guess that Kidd moves to Dallas before the deadline.

Labels: Bynum, Jason Kidd, Kevdog, Kobe, LeBron, Mavericks, NBA, New Jersey Nets

Despite being America's golden child of basketball, LeBron can indeed get in a little bit of trouble himself.

On December 30, LeBron was pulled over just south of Cleveland on Interstate 71 (I drove I-71 this summer heading from Cleveland to Columbus/Cincinnati!). He received a ticket.

Big deal, right?

Wrong.

The King was going a cool 101 MPH. That's quick.

Granted, it was 2:43 A.M., but the last thing you'd want to hear is that the world's most famous basketball player was killed driving 101 MPH down the freeway because he thinks he's invincible.

LeBron had his attorney enter a "not guilty" plea, and a hearing is scheduled for Feb. 11.

Just another candidate for the "Idiot of the Week" award. But, in LeBron's defense, at least he wasn't drunk too...

Labels: basketball, Cleveland, idiot, Kevdog, LeBron, NBA

Yes, they lost to the Bobcats, but they're still 30-4.

In the spirit of posting videos, if you haven't seen some of ESPN's commercials featuring the Big 3, they're pretty hysterical. It's good to see these guys having fun with life and win at the same time. (Though some may disagree.) Enjoy.





Also, another of my personal favorites, though its only tangentially Celtics related in that Bill Walton played for them a long time ago.

Bill Walton may be the worst commentator in basketball history. Watch him get over-excited about Boris Diaw (Who? Exactly).



"When I look at Boris Diaw, I think of Beethoven and the age of the romantics. This guy has got it all."

Wow, thanks Bill.

Labels: basketball, bill walton, boris diaw, Boston Celtics, idiot, Kevdog, NBA

So the NBA decided that the Hawks and Heat will have to replay the final 51.9 seconds of their Dec. 19 game in which the Hawks won 117-111.

With 51.9 seconds left in OT and the Hawks leading 112-111, Shaquille O'neal "fouled out" with just his 5th foul. For whatever reason, this was not caught, and the Shaq-less Heat went on to lose.

The Heat, after figuring out that the center only had 5 fouls, appealed to the league, who made the decision today to have the game be replayed. When you go to ESPN.com archived scores and click on December 19, it shows that 51 seconds are remaining in the game. In other words, whatever stats were accumulated in that final time frame have been eliminated from the record books.

My question? What impact will this have on fantasy teams? Will the stats retroactively change? I guess it's not a huge deal, but strange nonetheless.

The game will be replayed in March, when the Heat visit the Hawks again. Interestingly, as the NBA was likely trying to re-create the scenario of the game, Shaq is always a question mark and may be injured, as he is currently. If Shaq isn't healthy in March when the time comes, will the game still be replayed? It would appear so, but what's the point? Perhaps I'm missing something.

Anyway, it's incredibly interesting, and this is the first time since 1982 that a portion of a game has had to be replayed. In 1982, I heard that the team who filed the complaint did indeed come back and win.

Both teams records have been temporarily changed, with the Hawks being stripped of their win, and the Heat not being handed their loss quite yet. Pretty strange scenario, but it will definitely be interesting to watch.

With that, in the wake of some scorekeeper's stupidity for thinking Shaq had 6 fouls, I leave you with one of my favorite videos exhibiting some NBA player's stupidity. Namely, Allen Iverson.

If you haven't watched this before, you'll enjoy it.

Labels: basketball, hawks, heat, iverson, Kevdog, NBA, shaq

Sure, sure, the Red Sox won the World Series, and the Patriots are 1 win away from a clean 16-0 sweep of the NFL's regular season.

But, how about them Celtics?

Just a year removed from absolute futility (2nd worst record in the NBA at 24-58), the Celtics are 23-3, and looking like they won't slow down.

The Big Three (Garnett, Allen, Pierce, in case you've been asleep for the last several months) tends to get off to a hot start, the bench generally sustains it in the 2nd quarter, and the "Boston Three Party" (as a recent ESPN commercial calls them) rips everyone apart in the 3rd quarter.

Then, they rest. 20 of the 23 wins have been by 10 or more, 10 of those have been by 20 or more. The Celtics aren't just winning' they're destroying opponents.

The balance is also quite impressive. Pierce leads the way with 20.7 ppg. Allen's not far behind with 19.4, and Garnett's hot on his tail at 18.9. Not bad, eh?

And the best part? The stars aren't bickering. None of this 'I'm not getting enough shots,' or 'X (read: Kobe) is stealing my points.' These guys genuinely want to win and it shows. They share the ball, and they get open looks. It works.

Boston's excited, and they should be. I've gone to 2 games this year, and they were both blowouts. The stars got to rest and clown around on the bench while the crowd was able to smile and enjoy themselves. The atmosphere in the TD Banknorth Garden is so much more focused on the game, yet relaxed, as compared to the past 3 years. Before, the crowd was intense, but they knew they had an awful team to root for.

Now, they get to enjoy the victories. I'm sure it will become much more intense in the spring and come playoff time, but for now, it's new excitement.

They've got a long way to go and plenty to prove. There will be blips in the road (as evidenced by the 87-85 loss to the Pistons last week), but, so far, I'm certainly impressed.

And all of Boston gets to smile as it slowly takes over the sports world.

Labels: basketball, Boston, Boston Celtics, Garnett, Kevdog, NBA, Pierce, Ray Allen, Red Sox

So how about Andrew Bynum?

After all the issues this summer--from trade rumors galore to the internet video of Kobe bashing the big man in the parking lot of a strip mall--Andrew Bynum is finally coming into his own.

The young center finished with 28 points and 12 rebounds yesterday to play wingman to Kobe's 38 points as the two led the Lakers to a 122-115 Christmas Day Victory over nemesis Phoenix Suns.

Bynum's even earning praises from his opponents. "They've got a legitimate big man," says Shawn Marion. "Bynum killed us," says Coach Mike D'Antoni. "He looks really good and did a great job today," says Raja Bell.

Not bad for the guy who Lakers fans and Kobe wondered why the heck Mitch Kupchak refused to trade him for Jason Kidd.

He's no superstar yet, but he's averaging over 12 points and 10 rebounds per game, and only improving. Alley oops keep coming, and Bynum keeps putting them down. He's cleaning up the glass, dunking it down (I think I saw a stat where he's 2nd in the league in dunks this season), and playing great defense with many blocked shots.

At 18-10, the Lakers are finally looking good. Who would have thought just a two months ago that they'd be mentioned among the West's best? I couldn't be more thrilled.

Labels: basketball, Bynum, Kevdog, Kobe, Lakers, NBA

Phil Jackson has agreed to two-year contract extension to remain in Los Angeles through 2010. Who'd of thought?

All the signs were pointing against this one. Kobe wants out. The Lakers blow (sorta), and tensions have been high with just about everyone in the Lakers front office. Buss got a DUI, and no one likes the way Kupchak handles things.

So why does Phil stay?

Rewind about a month. It looked like everything was about the blow up in La-La land. Kobe was on a tirade, and about to be moved any second. Phil was friends with Kobe, then mad at Kobe. And Phil said he'd revisit the extension issue around Thanksgiving time.

Fast forward to now. The Lakers are a modest, yet decent 8-6, good for 2nd place in the Pacific Division. No one expected the Lakers to be here at this point in time--probably especially not Phil. They've knocked off some high-quality opponents, including Phoenix, Houston, and Detroit. Kobe's shut his mouth for the time being, and the bench is playing much better than anyone expected.

In other words, Phil's worked some of his magic to calm everyone down, and now he's even made Kobe realize, it seems, that L.A.'s not so bad.

Plus, it probably helps that he's still dating the boss' girlfriend. I'm sure that had a bit of an impact.

Either way, great news for Lakers fans, and he'll make between $11 and $12 million over the next couple years.

Can we get a solid free agent to come to LA in the offseason to appease Kobe and get back into title contention? Perhaps this is the first step.

Labels: basketball, Jerry Buss, Kevdog, Kobe, Lakers, NBA, Phil Jackson

Just as the Lakers were off to a decent 4-3 start, and the world had basically shut up about Kobe being traded, this hits.

The Pistons and Lakers reportedly agreed to a deal that would send Kobe to Detroit for Richard Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, Amir Johnson (who?), and a first round pick to the Lakers.

Kobe, fortunately, used his veto power to stop the deal dead in its tracks. I read that ESPN's Ric Bucher reported this, but I haven't read this on ESPN.com so it is just a rumor at this point, and it was reportedly denied as being agreed to by the Pistons. Either way, it seems clear that something was on the table.

1. What are Jerry Buss and Mitch Kupchak thinking? Kobe's kept his mouth shut, and the team is playing with good chemistry thus far. Quit trying so hard.

2.What are Jerry Buss and Mitch Kupchak thinking? Tayshaun's a decent player, but he's not one to build a squad around. Hamilton can score, but he's not the presence at SG that the Lakers would need to replace Kobe. Who's Amir Johnson? This would also bring in a plethora of G/F on the team--just the problem that exists now. At least get a big man out of the deal. The Laker lineup would be smaller than it is now. Fisher-Hamilton-Prince-Odom-Mihm/Bynum/Brown. I'm not a fan.

The rumor mill was hot with the idea that no trades had surfaced, and Kobe wasn't saying anything stupid to insinuate that he still wanted to be moved. The Lakers have beat the Suns and the Rockets now in this young season, and they seem to be playing quite well. Why, if you're Kupchak and Buss, are you still trying to move him?

What does Kobe's veto mean? Does it mean that he was refusing to play in Detroit? Does it mean that he was refusing to play with a depleted Detroit squad? (If it does, he must be refusing to play anywhere, because with that deal, he'd still be playing with Billups and Rasheed Wallace. He can't be moved for free). Or does it mean that he wants to be a Laker after all?

I think it is some combination of all of those questions. Kobe's not goin' anywhere, as I said when the season started.

Labels: basketball, detroit pistions, Jerry Buss, Kevdog, Kobe, Lakers, NBA

Who said that it was going to take time for the "Big Three" in Boston to gel?

I know it's only 4 games, but so far, so good, for the newest trio in Beantown. Boston moved to 4-0 last night with a victory over the Atlanta Hawks (2-3). That follows victories over the Washington Wizards (0-5), Toronto Raptors (3-3), and Denver Nuggets (3-3). So, I know what you're thinking. They are sooooooo good that they can beat all the teams that are .500 and below. Big deal.

Wrong. It hasn't been so much about just winning, but it's been how they've won those games.

77-38. Anyone know what that means? That was the score of the Celtics-Nuggets game at halftime on Wednesday. Halftime. Ridiculous.

23.8, 22.5, 21.5. How about these 3 numbers? Those are the points per game totals thru the first 4 of Garnett, Pierce, and Allen, respectively. How's that for consistency?

Pierce, Allen, Pierce, Garnett. These are the leading scorers in each game, respectively. What's that mean? They're sharing the wealth and the glory. More importantly, they're sharing period. These guys are old enough, experienced enough, and smart enough to know that it takes teamwork to win, and they are showing it.

20, 13, 13, 19. These are Garnett's rebound totals. What a beast. People are shooting, and they'll inevitably be missing, and who but the "Big Ticket" is there to snatch the board? To whoever disagreed with my MVP assessment, you're seeing KG make a good early push. The team is 4-0, and he's leading the way with 23.8 ppg and 16.3(!) rpg. Not enough touches to go around? I don't think so.

Is it too early to make any generalizations? Absolutely. Have they challenged some of the tougher teams in the league? Definitely not. Will there be blips in the road? Without a doubt. But, it's impressive, so far.

Labels: basketball, Boston, Boston Celtics, Kevdog, Kevin Garnett, NBA, Pierce, Ray Allen

Today marks one week through the season, and the conclusion of a heck of a week for me. As I enter back into the blogosphere, let's take a brief look at the past week's surprises in the NBA.

We'll start with my favorite subject: Los Angeles Lakers - Kobe and Co. lost in the opener barely, after a heck of a comeback effort that was thwarted by a Shane Battier three in the final 5 seconds. Then, the Lakers bounced back with a thrashing of their Pacific Division rival Suns, and a 10-point defeat of last year's Northwest Division champion Utah Jazz. Sure, it's one week, but after 3 games, I don't think anyone thought they'd survive to be 2-1. And, yes, it's only been one week, but so far, Kobe's still around and the rumors have slowly quieted down. I expect them to pick up again soon after a few losses, but I'm holding to my "Kobe Won't Be Traded This Season" prediction.

Chicago Bulls - I was at the United Center this weekend to watch the Bulls play the Phildelphia 76ers. (Blog on that to come). But, the point is that the Bulls, supposed championship contenders, looked pretty awful. They've had a lot of rumors swirling around them, most notably regarding KB24, but these guys have been talked about a lot as serious contenders, and they are off to an 0-3 start. Not only that, but who have their opponents been? New Jersey (bad), Milwaukee (awful), and Philadelphia (worst). Yes, it's only week 1, but it wasn't a pretty way to start off their run at a championship. Maybe they really do need Kobe.

Mike Dunleavy Jr. - Maybe he was just on the fantasy team I played against last week, but Dunleavy played out of his mind. The career 11.1 ppg, 4.9 rpg notched 22 ppg and 9 rpg through his first 3 en route to an opening start of 3-0 by the Indiana Pacers. I got his autograph in Hawaii a few years ago. I may have to dig that out and sell it if he keeps playing well.

LeBron James on Opening Night - I think there was a collective gasp when everyone found out that James was held scoreless in his first half of the NBA season, and held to just 10 points for the night against Dallas in the reigning Eastern Conference champ's season opening loss. It wasn't pretty, but LeBron, unsurprisingly bounced back to score 45 against the Knicks the following game. Phew.

There's plenty more, and plenty more to come. We'll just have to wait and see!

Labels: basketball, Bulls, Chicago, Dunleavy, Kevdog, Kobe, Lakers, LeBron, NBA

Today might well be my favorite day of the year. Aside from schoolwork and other obligations, the NBA season starts tonight. That means free trials of NBA League Pass and Stat-tracker, but als a beloved 9 months of knowing that I can turn on the TV virtually every night and see some good solid NBA basketball. I'm looking forward to it.


This season is quite an interesting one with a lot of questions. Many stars are demanding/have demanded trades, some have backed down. The Spurs are quietly still the league's best team. The Celtics may be threatening them, though. Young teams like the Bulls, Jazz, Rockets, and Cavs all may have a shot, and the run-and-gun Mavs and Suns in the West could also challenge the NBA champs.

That said, let's make some predictions before the season kicks off tonight.

1.Will Kobe be traded? - You heard it here, first. NO. Kobe will be a Laker at the end of the year. I'm 95% sure of this for 2 reasons. First, it's practically impossible to pull off a deal of this sort in the NBA, especially with Kobe's "no-trade clause" which allows him to veto whatever deal he wants. Read: Kobe doesn't want to go to anyone but a contender, and doesn't want to go to any contender that has to gut their team in order to get him. Who does that leave as his options? Nobody. The Bulls seem to have the best chance, but the package they would have to offer would include Luol Deng, Ben Gordon, Joakim Noah, and likely more--too much to get rid of by Kobe's or anyone else's estimate. Second, Phil Jackson will lobby hard to keep him around. His comments this past week are simply motivating words to get him to perk up. Why would Jackson want to be around a team of scrubs after accomplishing so much in his career? He doesn't, and if Kobe goes, there's no question Phil will be gone soon after. Jerry Buss will get over his tantrum, Kobe will learn to deal with it, and Derek Fisher will make things at least a little happy in LA. No deal.

2. Will the Spurs Repeat? - Again, likely against the grain of what everyone else is saying, but I say NO. I think the league is more wide open than ever this year. The Mavs, the Suns, the Jazz, and the Rockets all have the chance at winning the west and knocking off the reigning champs. Then, you can go even further and say the east has gotten that much better. The Celtics will certainly compete, the Pistons are always there, and the Bulls (with or without KB24) also have a shot. This doesn't even include LeBron and the Eastern Conference Champion Cavaliers. I think the Spurs are great, but they've got an uphill battle in their quest to repeat. My prediction for the NBA finals: Suns over Celtics. That'd be a fun series to watch.

3. Who will win the MVP? - I got to go with Kevin Garnett here. He's going to rejuvenate the Boston lineup, the city of Boston, and the eastern conference in general. Duncan may play as good as ever, Nash and Dirk, too. But, KG will be the most valuable player, not just to the team, but to the city and the entire eastern conference.

4. Rookie of the Year? - Hard to not say Kevin Durant here, and I will. When Oden went down, everyone knew this was the consensus. His injured ankle in the preseason wasn't good, but I think he'll bounce back quickly and perform.

5. Any big moves before Christmas? - Neither Marion, Andrei Kirilenko, nor Kobe will be traded. I honestly believe that the Lakers are going to attempt to placate Kobe and bring somebody big in and get rid of Odom. Jermaine O'neal? Maybe. My guess is that no big trades happen before Christmas. The trade deadline in February, though, may be a different story.

6. What about the Mavs? - This is one of the most interesting (Read: saddest) stories in the NBA. After compiling the league's best record, the Mavs bowed out to the #8 seeded Warriors in round 1 of the playoffs. Then, we didn't hear much from that. Realize that this probably pissed them off, but also realize that the style they play just isn't conducive to playoff basketball. They call Dirk to "go-to-guy," but I can't think of any big situation where Dirk has, well, come up big. Even after going up 2-0 in the 2006 NBA Finals, what happened? Choke. The Mavs are a great team, but down the stretch, they tend to choke. Whether it be at the hands of the Suns, Spurs, Rockets, Jazz, Warriors (again), or, dare I say, Lakers, I predict another exit for the Mavs without making it to the Finals.

Comment and post your predictions. Tell me why I'm wrong, but let's check back in June, and we'll see what happens. I love this game!

Labels: basketball, Boston Celtics, Dirk, Durant, Kevdog, Kevin Garnett, Kobe, Lakers, Mavericks, NBA, Phil Jackson, predictions, San Antonio Spurs

Ever since Jerry Buss opened his mouth and said that the Lakers would still field offers for their superstar, the news has been abuzz. Perhaps I was wrong. I said that Kobe wouldn't be leaving and this was just Buss' rhetoric to appease the superstar. While I'll still hold to my opinion, despite just about every noteworthy sportswriter disagreeing with me, I think Kobe will still be around this season.

That said, Kobe apparently didn't take the news too lightly. He skipped 3 days of practice with the Lakers, citing sore knees, but it seems that the rumor mill simply claims that Bryant's just pissed. Then came reports yesterday, denied by Kobe, that he cleaned out his Laker locker. Kobe, rather, said he "reorganized" his locker. Crazy media.

That said, Kobe didn't sound too thrilled with the Lakers. When asked if he'd played his last game with the Lakers, Kobe said:

"I don't know, talk to Mitch and Mr. Buss about that."
"I'm just getting ready. If I'm here, I'm ready to strap it up."

Granted, this doesn't sound like a very happy man. But, in my opinion, the media has blown this way out of proportion for a couple of reasons.

First, as Buss stated in his original comments that pissed everyone off, you CAN'T get anything close to equal value for Kobe Bryant. And because of that, Buss won't pull the trigger on anything quickly. Buss is a Hollywood guy, and he knows the scene. He knows that the LA fans won't settle for a lineup of Josh Howard, Jason Terry, Kwame Brown, and Lamar Odom. Even the hottest rumor has a package from the Bulls centered around Luol Deng and/or Ben Gordon. Yes, they are good young players, but come on. Buss made this mistake once, getting back no superstars for that other superstar the Lakers traded to Miami in 2004. He won't make the same mistake twice.


Second, every thing Kobe does or doesn't say is being way too read into. Fox Sports released a great column today, mocking the situation. I was glad to see I'm not the only one that thinks that this has been pretty ridiculous.

So what does it all mean? I'm sticking to my opinion. Kobe's a Laker, and he will continue to be a Laker for a while. How long? Who knows? I think he'll remain all season, personally. The Lakers have no NEED to move him yet as he can't opt out until after next season. Come next summer, if things don't get better, they may want to move him so as not to risk him walking away for nothing. But, until then, the dust from this big game being played will settle, Kobe will play, and the Lakers will continue to be mediocre.

Best case scenario: the whole incident lights a spark in Kobe and he comes out and dominates and thrusts the Lakers up the standings. I'm not holding my breath, but I can dream, right?

One thing is for sure, we'll continue to monitor every move that Kobe makes, whether he plays in the preseason games, how he does, whether he high fives his teammates or yells at them. In any event, it's an interesting thing to watch it be Kobe and Phil vs. the world, as opposed to Kobe vs. Phil. Who would have ever thought that they would be allies? Stay tuned.

Labels: Bryant, Jerry Buss, Kevdog, Kobe, Lakers, NBA, Phil Jackson, stalemate, trade

The New York Knicks announced today that former star guard Allan Houston will make a comeback this summer, signing a contract with the squad that he led to the 1999 NBA Finals.

This isn't a huge shock, as news began to break more than a month ago that suggested Houston would attempt a comeback. But, it's definitely interesting news. Houston last played in the 2004-2005 season, but managed to appear in just 20 games due to a knee injury which ultimately caused him to "retire." Prior to that, Houston last played a full 82-game season in 2002-2003, averaging a career-high 22.5 points.

So, what does this mean for the Knicks? Not much, really. Basketball-wise, it can't mean too much. The guy is 36 years old, and yes, he was a solid shooter/scorer in his day, but out of the game for more than 2 years, it's unclear what Houston can bring to the Knicks.

Morale-wise, I guess this has to be a bit of a boost. Houston was the face of the franchise for years before the injury, and they haven't finished better than 33-49 in the years since Houston's departure. In the wake of the Isiah Thomas sexual harrasment scandal and acquiring often in trouble Zach Randolph, Knicks fans can rejoice in Houston's addition to the squad.

Just don't be surprised to not see him make much of an impact. The guy's old, has bad knees (and presumably other injury-riddled parts), and just wants to finish his career with some dignity. Too bad this wasn't the shot that ended his career...

Labels: 1999, Allan Houston, class act, Kevdog, Knicks, NBA, New York