The East is in the House 08'

As of 12/24/08 the Boston Celtics were riding higher than any other team and Santa Claus as they held a 19 game consecutive win streak. Christmas day arrives and Kobe Bryant's Lakers put a prompt end to that with a 9 point victory in Los Angeles. That loss may have been acceptable and expected by many, but then the Celtics lost 2 straight after Friday night's loss to a hungry Golden State Warriors squad.

So from a 19 game win streak to their first 2 game losing streak all season? It's indeed a curious case like Benjamin Button, but quite possibly the 2nd game came as a result of the first loss. Possibly the "oomph" was taken out from under them. The team was suddenly beatable and all other NBA teams took notice that it was possible to defeat the Celtics. After all the Pacers were one of the teams to do it, a team not many expect to be much of a challenger in the Eastern Conference. Stephen Jackson came up big for his Golden State Warriors to help bury the Celtics, possibly sensing a wounded squad after the Lakers loss. The Celtics are still the best there is in the league, but definitely have showed they are far from those 72-10 invinci-Bulls of yesteryear.

While the Celtics managed to gain a win on Sunday night, two other teams in the East are red hot right now. The Magic have won 7 straight games thanks to the inside-outside attack of Dwight Howard & Rashard Lewis. Add in sharpshooter Hedo Turkoglu and floor leader Jameer Nelson and this squad is one of the top 4 record-wise in the league, defeating the likes of New Orleans. The Cavs are on a 6 game win streak, behind the always-inspired King James & company.

Eastern Conference Top 8 (with Games Back):

1. * Boston --
2. * Cleveland 1.0
3. * Orlando 3.0
4. Atlanta 7.5
5. Detroit 9.0
6. Miami 10.5
7. New Jersey 12.0
8. Milwaukee 13.5

* Leads division

That said the Celtics (28-4), Cavs (26-4) and Magic (24-6) would be in the Top 4 in the West right now in terms of records along with the Lakers. Two other teams, the Pistons and Hawks look to be dangerous competitors come playoff time. It's great to see what looks like some sort of a power-shift to the East side after so many years of razzing that "the West is best". Then again the Celtics & Magic both sport former West coast stars in Rashard Lewis, Ray Allen & Kevin Garnett...

LA Grinches Steal Celtics Christmas

They weren't the team wearing green, but the Lakers played the role of Grinches on Christmas day as they stole away the Boston Celtics incredible winning streak. The Celtics were on fire heading into LA with 19 straight games won, but Kobe & company decided it was their day to shine. The Lakers held the lead from most of the 2nd quarter on, until the Celtics began to charge back behind Paul Pierce (20pts) and KG's (22pts) hot shooting hand. The game became back and forth in the 4th, but the Lakers managed to pull away in the final 2 minutes, winning it by 9 points and defeating their Finals foes from this past June. Kobe was consistent as usual but it was the effort from Pau Gasol down the stretch which helped put things away. Kobe had 27 points, 9 boards and 5 assists, several of which were passes to teammate Gasol in the lane for buckets. Gasol also added a huge block of a Ray Allen 3 point attempt during the final stretch. Trevor Ariza retrieved the loose ball for a fast break reverse jam to cap off the play.

Not only did this mark the Celtics first loss in 20 games, it was Lakers coach Phil Jackson's 1000th Career win as a head coach. Jackson achieved this milestone faster than any other coach with 1,423 games. As for the Celtics they still have a shot at matching the great Chicago Bulls of years ago who had an incredible 41-3 start, coached by Phil Jackson also.

Kobe Bryant said they would use today's game as a measuring stick for the Lakers strength this season, but does it prove the Lakers are more formidable foes than last year? The Celtics still played tough and resilient in Los Angeles against a team obviously hungry for revenge and the upperhand. Bynum showed how valuable he will be in the lane for the Lakers D. If nothing else this game only served to prove how great a matchup this truly is. Fans who watched the ABC Christmas day games definitely were given quite a present, as they also saw the Spurs knock off the Suns at the buzzer with a 3 from Roger Mason. Game 2 of the doubleheader provided an intense meeting between the champs and runner-ups of 2007-08. Come playoff time fans will be just as greatly rewarded should the Lakers & Celtics meet again in a Finals rematch.

View complete game info at NBA.com

NBA's 2008 Christmas Presence

NBA fans will be given several Christmas day presents in the form of two exciting doubleheaders and some fun in Orlando. TNT, ABC & ESPN will play Santa as they bring superstars such as Lebron James, KG, Kobe Bryant and Greg Oden to all NBA faithful. Game one of the ABC set will start at 2:30PM EST & features a rematch of Western foes, the Spurs and the Suns, with Shaq, Amare & Nash facing Tim Duncan, Manu and Tony Parker. Game 2 will be a riveting rematch of last year's NBA Finals as the red hot Boston Celtics travel into Los Angeles to battle the Lakers.

Currently the Suns and Spurs are runner-ups in their respective divisions. San Antonio continues to try to overcome guard injury problems and sits in 3rd place in the Southwest at 17-10. Meanwhile the Suns are second place to Kobe's Lakers at 16-11. These two teams have battled it out in recent years' playoffs, usually with San Antonio coming out on top. The Suns continue to revamp parts of their lineup as they just recently unloaded Boris Diaw and Raja Bell, bringing superstar Jason Richardson into the mix. San Antonio seems to be the aging battle-tested team that keeps on going with what it has. While they're not dismal, they aren't the powerhouse they were in the years they were part of the "dynasty" talks.

The second game at 5PM features the Celtics dressed in Green hoping to play Grinches to Kobe's LA Santa Claus. Kobe will have his helpers including Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. Bynum was not part of last year's Finals so this will give everyone a good look at how the emerging Center performs against the Champs. Bryant's also currently in third place in the NBA scoring race, a tight race at that. Kobe's averaging 26.2 and trails his Team USA pals, Lebron James & Dwyane Wade. Wade recently outdid Kobe in a battle in Miami between their two teams. While D-Wade may be headed towards scoring champ and MVP, Kobe may be headed back to the Finals for his 4th ring. His Christmas day matchup with the Celts may help Phil Jackson dismantle the champs for their Finals rematch.

But wait, there's more.... Chris Paul and the Hornets will play Dwight Howard's Magic at 12 Noon in Orlando (ESPN). TNT will also feature a doubleheader of its own starting at 8PM when the Wizards face Lebron & the Cavs. At 10:30 PM, it'll be the young Portland Trailblazers with their young center, Greg Oden, facing Dirk & the Dallas Mavs. For an NBA fan that's 5 games to enjoy along with all your Christmas gifts and cookies...enjoy!

Happy holidays to all this 2008 Holiday Season!

Wade's Heat take Kobe's Lakers 89-87

Friday night saw a thrilling clash between NBA Superstars, Olympic Teammates and former teammates of Shaq Diesel. It was the first game of an NBA Double header on ESPN and was down to the wire. Dwyane Wade's Heat barely survived in Miami as a Kobe buzzer beater went in and quickly bounced right back out as the game ended. Even though Kobe debuted a new pair of shoes at the game (said to be Nike's lightest bball shoe yet), they weren't enough to lift his Lakers to OT, or a win. (Kobe has chosen to switch to low tops for more ankle mobility).

The two teams are on almost opposite ends of the NBA spectrum, although this year's Miami team is much more respectable than a season ago. Dwyane Wade's healthy and looking better than ever since that season-ending shoulder surgery he had. The Heat at 12-12 have the fight in them to make this year's playoffs behind their phenom leader.

Meanwhile, Kobe's Lakers are still right up there with the red-hot Celtics. It was mentioned during tonight's Heat-Lakers contest that the Lakers were at 21-3, (now 21-4), and will be eagerly anticipating a Christmas day matchup against the Celtics. It should be one interesting replay of last year's Finals, this time with Andrew Bynum in the mix.

Will this be Celtics Best Season Ever ...?

If your current favorite NBA team is anyone but the Celtics you may be green with envy. Currently, Boston sits pretty with the best record in the NBA, a 24-2 start. It's also the franchise's best start ever, even better than the days of the Larry Bird and other legendary squads Boston has put together.

It's no secret why the current team is doing so well, the power of 3 selfless superstars coming together for the good of the team. Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen each have the personalities of leaders who lead by example and encourage others to get involved in the effort. Paul Pierce has been a mainstay of the team for years, and suffered through adversity there, including poor seasons below .500. But now the team has reason to celebrate with a champion for the 3 superstars, and they only continue to build on that success.

Will this team outdo the Chicago Bulls team that won 70 plus games? It's quite possible at this pace. The Hawks gave the Celtics another run for their money last night, and also defeated the Cavs recently. Should the Celtics draw Atlanta again in the 2009 playoffs, things will get interesting. Also, there's no reason not to believe the Lakers can play spoilers should we see a rematch of last year's finals. While the Lakers may not have as great a record now or even at the end of the 09' campaign, Kobe, Gasol, Odom and Bynum definitely have the superstar power to match and defeat this Boston squad. Christmas day could provide an early preview of that rematch too, as the Celts travel to LA to face Kobe and his Lakers.... As for this early Boston performance guaranteeing Finals success, remember back to a Patriots team that looked unstoppable, and they were dethroned in the Superbowl by an aggressive and NY Giants team. So while the Celtics add wins, there may be another team preparing quietly to win a battle later on.

Iverson's $25,000 Fine & Coach Firings

On Tuesday the NBA fined Detroit Pistons guard Allen Iverson $25,000 for comments he made toward a fan in Charlotte. The comments came with just 6.2 seconds left in the third quarter. Detroit ended up winning the game 90-86. No report on exactly what was said by Iverson or the fan. According to Washington Post this is the second fine for Iverson since being dealt to the Pistons. His previous fine involved skipping practice on Thanksgiving day, which also resulted in him being benched for the start of the next game.

Happy trails to two former players turned NBA coaches, Sacramento's Reggie Theus and the Sixers Maurice Cheeks. At SportingNews.com two NBA "gurus" discussed the firing of Theus which took place on Monday.

BS: Are people blaming Theus for this, and if so, why shouldn't they?

TZ: Theus is taking blame, and he should. The local beat writer reported this morning that Theus had been habitually late for practices and the team bus. Theus admitted to being late for the bus. His reasoning? He didn't want to catch anyone else showing up late, for fear disciplining them would ruin the team chemistry. I find it hard to absolve Reggie, considering the biggest knock on the team has been a lack of on-court focus and discipline.

BS: Who did less coaching this year, Theus or Vinnie Del Negro? Or am I mistaken in assuming that Theus' mixed signals canceled themselves out?

TZ: Theus remained a stoic presence on the sideline; Del Negro tinkers with his rotations endlessly, it seems. At this point, I feel comfortable in stating that Theus is a better coach (makes better decisions), but Del Negro actually, um, cares.

Cheeks took full responsibility for his team's 9-14 start to the season. Cheeks was quoted as saying "Things don't always work out the way you expect them to," Cheeks said. "I take solace in the fact I did the best I could." The Sixers had high hopes for the season in which they acquired consistent star player, Elton Brand from the Clippers.

Lebron & Cavs Win Streak Ends in Atlanta

Yesterday both the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers were enjoying massive win streaks, in fact the NBA's hottest streaks around. What a difference a day makes, as the Atlanta Hawks stopped the Cavs short of reaching their franchise record Saturday night. Atlanta was able to hold on for a 97-92 victory on their homecourt, stopping Lebron and the Cavs in their streak's tracks.

The Atlanta Journal Constitution called it "the good Hawks" who showed up Saturday, able to play under control with good D, and hang tough against the NBA's elite, like the Cavs. This same Atlanta team took Boston 7 games in last year's playoffs, making the NBA world take note. The Hawks may be able to play spoilers once again come playoff time, even with the departure of Josh Childress who went over to Europe. It all rests on the play of Atlanta's young emerging talent such as Josh Smith, Joe Johnson and Al Horford.

Despite their first loss in some time, Cleveland is still considered amongst the NBA Eastern Conference elite, as well as part of a short list of possible title winners this season. Lebron continues to remain the focal point, accomplishing stats, feats and highlights unseen before as he moves closer each day to free agency. So Cleveland will continue to measure itself against Boston, while the Hawks of the East will strive to put together a team (or draft a megastar) capable of playing at that championship level.

Read more about the Cavs & Hawks at AJC.

Cavaliers & Celtics Keep the Wins Comin'

(Which player's team will outdo the other's in 2008-09?)

The two hottest teams in all the NBA right now are definitely the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics. As the Cavs keep on winning, so do the Celts. Currently Cleveland has won 11 straight, but Boston is better winning 14 straight games. Each team added to their win total on Friday night.

On Friday night Cleveland took out the Sixers 88-72 to improve to a 20-3 record on the season. Meanwhile in Beantown, the Celtics defeated the New Orleans Hornets 94-82. Boston sits at a 22-2 record, just slightly better than the red-hot Cavs. The Celtics are on their best winning streak since 1981-82 when they won 18 straight, while the Cavs can achieve their franchise record for consecutive wins with a win Saturday night in Atlanta. Last year, The Houston Rockets won over 20 straight games making them one of the most impressive teams in all of pro sports. Even more amazing, they won many of the games without Yao Ming. Will Boston or Cleveland better that streak this season?

These two teams met in last year's playoffs, with the result being an extended series, but the Big 3 triumphant over King James, mostly thanks to captain Paul Pierce. Currently James is right where he should be, atop the thrown as NBA leading scorer (30 ppg). The Big 3 are nowhere to be found in the top 10 scorers, as they don't need to be. The Celtics pride themselves on outstanding Team D and unity. Paul Pierce is the closest to the 10 spot for scorers, at 34th in scoring, while KG is down at 45th. Seasons ago, these two were in the top 10, but no need for that now. Contributions from these guys vary by game, with Ray Allen the lead scorer a few nights ago. Sometimes it's KG, sometimes it's Pierce, but that's acceptable when you're a solid unit and the current champs.

Curious as to when these two ultra-hot win machines will collide? The Celtics and Cavs don't play until the new year, on January 9th, 2009 in Cleveland. As far as the Celtics first possible loss, the Lakers might be the team to do it in a Christmas day showdown at 5 PM in Los Angeles...

See more about the Celtics and Cavs impressive win streaks, and the rest of NBA's Friday games.

Suns & Bobcats Swing Deal

The Suns and Bobcats swung a 5 player trade on Wednesday with the Bobcats Jason Richardson heading to Phoenix, and Raja Bell and Boris Diaw now heading to Charlotte. According to an NBA.com interview with Richardson he was initially surprised at the trade, not having heard about it, but once it hit him, he was pleased to be bringing his skills to Phoenix where Shaq and Nash are playoff bound again:

NBA.com: How satisfying is this deal, especially because you helped build what was going on in Golden State and you had to leave that winning culture to a rebuilding program? To know that you're entering a team that has a lot of recent success, how much does that energize you?

Richardson: That's exactly right. I think my whole career I've been on rebuilding teams. It's been tough because I've only been to the playoffs once and even with that team, we didn't have a winning record. So if you give me the choice to play with guys who have been there before, who have won it, that's a rush. I've never had that in my career, guys of that caliber.

Here's a look at the exact details of the trade:

Phoenix Suns acquire:
G Jason Richardson
F Jared Dudley
2010 2nd-round pick

Charlotte Bobcats acquire:
G Raja Bell
G Sean Singletary
F Boris Diaw

The former slam dunk contest winner Richardson, now will suit up for his third team in his NBA career. Richardson started out in Golden State, then was traded to Charlotte, and now brings his high-flying and potential high-scoring game to Phoenix. Both teams seem to benefit here, although Charlotte gets two solid veterans with defensive skills and playoff experience. Of course, the Bobcats need to make those playoffs first, but in the East it's always possible with teams finishing with .500 records and making the post-season.

Derrick Rose Cuts out of Practice

Derrick Rose is usually making cuts on the basketball court to avoid defenders and sneak to the hoop for layups. But according to recent reports, the rookie guard missed practice due to a bad cut in his arm. The reason for the incident? Rose explains that he was slicing an apple in bed, got up, forgot he had a knife in his bed, then went to lay back down and cut his arm. The "gouge" in his arm required 10 stitches and Rose to miss Bulls practice on Monday.

Some aren't buying the apple/knife story, saying it sounds far-fetched. Is Rose a cutter, as in non-basketball cutting? Was Rose involved in a knife fight with his other self? Was there some sort of altercation that Rose is covering up? Was he attempting to self-tattoo or even worse? It's hard to speculate on that, but with the recent NFL situation involving Plaxico Burress shooting himself, we now have Rose knifing himself. No suspensions, fines or other penalties have been levied against Rose though. Let's hope all's well with the rookie guard who's been making a great impact in Chicago during his freshman campaign.

On the positive side, here's an article discussing Rose's transition to the leadership role in Chicago:

Chicago Tribune article on Derrick Rose.

Forbes Ranks NBA Franchise Values

What's your favorite NBA organization worth? According to a recent Forbes ranking of NBA Franchise Values the average NBA franchise is worth about $379 million. Topping the list, the New York Knicks are the Most Valuable at $613 million. Their overall value rose 1 percent from last year. Their value will most likely rise even more if they can land Lebron James and/or other big names in the coming free agent war of 2010. One of the report's authors feels we could see NBA franchise values drop should the current recession be a lengthy one for the US economy.

Here's the top 10 NBA Franchises by Value:

1)New York Knicks
2)LA Lakers
3)Chicago Bulls
4)Detroit Pistons
5)Cleveland Cavaliers
6)Houston Rockets
7)Dallas Mavericks
8)Phoenix Suns
9)Boston Celtics
10)San Antonio Spurs

From Bloomberg.com:

The value of the Knicks rose 1 percent over the last year, with $29.6 million in operating income last season and revenue of $208 million. The Knicks are owned by Cablevision Systems Corp.

The Los Angeles Lakers ranked second for the fourth straight year, gaining 4 percent to $584 million. The Chicago Bulls were third at $504 million, the Detroit Pistons fourth at $480 million and the Cleveland Cavaliers fifth at $477 million.

The three teams with the biggest gains were the Portland Trail Blazers, NBA champion Boston Celtics and the Oklahoma City Thunder, who moved from Seattle during the offseason.

The Thunder surprisingly moved up on the list due to the fact they moved out of Seattle. The team now plays in a soldout arena (for now) and the owners keep all the revenue. The franchise moved up to 24th on the list at $300 million.

Even NBA real estate is hurt by the credit crisis. According to the article, the New Jersey Nets are the franchise most effected by the economy right now. They've been trying to borrow money to build a new $950 million arena which would allow the team to move to Brooklyn.

Read the full Bloomberg article here.

See the full list of NBA Franchise Values here.

In a related Forbes.com piece, they discuss the best clutch players for the buck. The survey only considers player who average 5 or more points in the 4th quarter. Coming in at the top spot, the San Antonio Spurs guard, Manu Ginobli who made $9 million in 2007-08 and has a 57.4 % clutch shooting percentage. Coming in at #2 and #3 were Steve Nash of the Phoenix Suns and of Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers. Kobe's clutch-time shooting % is 44.8 when the games on the line and his 2007-08 pay was close to $20 million. While these numbers might not give you an edge in fantasy hoops leagues, they definitely might help you place bets or choose your team in NBA Live.

See the Best Clutch Players slideshow at Forbes.com.