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alfdogg

This week in the NBA

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Short version this week, as All-Star Weekend will get its own thread.

 

Sun, Feb. 8

San Antonio @ Boston, 1:00 ABC

LA Lakers @ Cleveland, 3:30 ABC

Charlotte @ Miami, 6:00

New Jersey @ Orlando, 6:00

New York @ Portland, 6:00

Indiana @ Washington, 6:00

Minnesota @ New Orleans, 7:00

Sacramento @ Oklahoma City, 7:00

Phoenix @ Detroit, 8:00 ESPN

Utah @ Golden State, 9:00

 

Mon, Feb. 9

LA Clippers @ Charlotte, 7:00

Phoenix @ Philadelphia, 7:00 NBATV

New Orleans @ Memphis, 8:00

Houston @ Milwaukee, 8:00

 

Tue, Feb. 10

Washington @ Atlanta, 7:00

Cleveland @ Indiana, 7:00

Denver @ Miami, 7:30 NBATV

San Antonio @ New Jersey, 7:30

Toronto @ Minnesota, 8:00

Detroit @ Chicago, 8:30

Sacramento @ Dallas, 8:30

New York @ Golden State, 10:30

Oklahoma City @ LA Lakers, 10:30

 

Wed, Feb. 11

Washington @ Charlotte, 7:00

Phoenix @ Cleveland, 7:00

Denver @ Orlando, 7:00

Memphis @ Philadelphia, 7:00

San Antonio @ Toronto, 7:00

Atlanta @ Detroit, 7:30

Indiana @ Milwaukee, 8:00

Boston @ New Orleans, 8:00

Sacramento @ Houston, 8:30

LA Lakers @ Utah, 9:00

Oklahoma City @ Portland, 10:00

New York @ LA Clippers, 10:30

 

Thu, Feb. 12

Miami @ Chicago, 7:00 TNT

Boston @ Dallas, 9;30 TNT

Portland @ Golden State, 10:30

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Nice to see the Clippers finally have most of its roster healthy, (still need Kaman back)

 

After losing seven in a row by an average of 20 points, it looks like Dunleavy finally gave up on trying to get the team to play his way and has let them "run an gun" resulting in 2 wins by 20 points. Of course it helps to have Randolph back in form. 27 threes in two games, that is what the Clippers used to hit in 2 months.

 

Hopefully they can win the last 2 games before the break. If they stay healthy I think they can be one of the better teams in the second half of the season.

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Lamar Odom just earned himself a nice payday with today's game. The Lakers snapped Cleveland's unbeaten streak at home with a subpar game from a sick Kobe, who should end up with his 2nd MVP if his team finishes with the best record in the league.

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The Knicks blew a 7 point lead with 2 minutes to go in the 4th quarter against the Blazers. They find a new way everynight to kick their fans in the nuts.

 

Don't the Trailblazers lead the league in 4th quarter comebacks?

 

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In what I'm sure will come as a huge shock, the Pacers also coughed up another fourth-quarter lead, capped off by a flu-ridden Caron Butler draining the buzzer-beater in our faces, ala Michael Jordan. And to top it all off, Mike Dunleavy is hurt again.

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Guest Vitamin X
The Knicks blew a 7 point lead with 2 minutes to go in the 4th quarter against the Blazers. They find a new way everynight to kick their fans in the nuts.

 

Don't the Trailblazers lead the league in 4th quarter comebacks?

 

Only because Portland tends to sleepwalk through the first half and then actually plays hard in the second.

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Yeah well in this case they played well in the 1st half, the Knicks took over in the 3rd after trailing by like 17 and blew a 4th quarter 13 point lead. What a fucking shit game.

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Here's my preseason predictions. Let's see how I'm doing approaching the All-Star break.

 

1. Who will win the MVP? If the Cavs win the Central Division, it'll be LeBron James. Otherwise, Chris Paul.

 

Looks like I've got this one half-right...I'm not sure if Paul will be in the race at the end, unless the Hornets go on an insane run post All-Star.

 

2. Who will win the Rookie of the Year? I'll go with naiwf's answer of Oden if he's healthy, Beasley otherwise.

 

...well, this one didn't work out too well. Right now, I'd go with O.J. Mayo by a nose ahead of Derrick Rose. Beasley may not even be the best rookie on the Heat.

 

3. Who will be the Coach of the Year? Maurice Cheeks, Philadelphia

 

I may be the first person ever to see his COTY prediction get fired before Christmas.

 

4. Who will be named to the All-NBA First Team? Kobe, Paul, Amare, Garnett, LeBron.

 

Looks like 4/5, with Dwight Howard in Amare's spot. I think you could possibly get away with Duncan in Garnett's spot, as well.

 

5. Who will be the NBA's Most Improved Player? Marcus Williams, Golden State. He's the only guy that really springs to mind at the moment.

 

Can't even crack the rotation for Golden State. A lot of people have different definitions of what this award is, and it usually ends up going to the person with the most increased stats, regardless of whether he really "improved" or just got a significant increase in minutes. Yes, I'm still bitter about Dunleavy's snub last year. Anyway, going by the usual criteria, my pick here is Rodney Stuckey.

 

6. What team had the best offseason? Philadelphia.

 

7. What team had the worst offseason? Golden State.

 

8. Which team will be the most improved over last year? Philadelphia. The acquisition of Brand, IMO, makes them a top 5 team in the East.

 

Brand hasn't panned out all that well, but sadly, a top 5 spot is still not out of the question for this team in the Eastern conference.

 

9. Which team will be the biggest disappointment? Houston. Every year we hear the "darkhorse to win it all" talk, and every year they fall in the first round. And I guess Miami, since everyone thinks they're going to be so great for some reason.

 

Houston has to be the answer here. Another injury-plagued season for McGrady, Artest in and out of the lineup, and the Rockets are 4th in the Southwest and 7th in the West. That matches them up with the Spurs in round 1, and if that sticks, it will indeed be another first-round exit. Miami is in a solid spot in the East, largely due to a pansy-ass schedule through the first couple months of the season (I think SOS was something like 43%). I do think they'll hang on and wind up in at this point, but they'll be sent fishing in short order.

 

10. What was the best offseason move? I like the Hornets signing James Posey. One of the biggest criticisms of the Hornets was their lack of depth, and this is a solid answer.

 

It was a good move, but the biggest move has to be the Spurs getting Roger Mason. Very solid guard play, and has made some huge clutch shots, beating the Celtics, Lakers, and Suns.

 

11. What was the worst offseason move? James Dolan vetoing the release of Stephon Marbury. But that shouldn't shock anyone.

 

I stand by this answer.

 

12. Who will make the playoffs that didn't last year? Portland, Indiana (yeah yeah, I know, homer.)

 

Well...I got this one half-right.

 

13. Who will not make the playoffs that did last year? Denver, Atlanta

 

Another big-time whiff here, as both teams have noticeably improved from last season.

 

14. Who are the best five players in the league, position aside (weak-sauce question, I know)? In no particular order: Kobe, Paul, James, Iverson, Garnett.

 

Replace Iverson with Wade and Garnett with Dwight Howard.

 

15. Who will be the division winners? Boston, Detroit, Orlando, Utah, New Orleans, LA Lakers

 

Half-right as of right now. Looks like Detroit and Utah will be misses, still plenty of time for the Hornets, though.

 

16. Eastern Conference Final: Boston over Detroit

 

Cleveland will take Detroit's place here. I still like the Celtics, but wouldn't be too surprised if the Cavs won.

 

17. Western Conference Final: New Orleans over LA Lakers

 

I think this is another Lakers/Spurs matchup. New Orleans isn't really any better than they were last year, and still don't have the depth to take out either of these teams.

 

18. Who will win the NBA Title, and who will they beat?: Boston over New Orleans

 

If Bynum makes a full recovery, I think the Lakers win the title. If he doesn't, they may not get by the Spurs again. Let's not forget that Ginobili was playing injured in that series.

 

19. Who will be the #1 pick in next year's draft? I don't know.

 

I still don't really know. I guess Rubio or Blake Griffin.

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That Milwaukee being most improved was a decent call of mine. They aren't the most improved, but they are much improved. However, I certainly didn't anticipate three really good players getting hurt. One away from last year's win total, but there's no way they make the playoffs now.

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Guest Vitamin X

I don't know, Ramon Sessions is playing pretty darn well in Michael Redd's absence, as evidenced by his 42 point effort last week. They might still come through.

 

Still think they should get moved to Seattle, though.

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I'll go with Alf and see how I went...

 

1. Who will win the MVP?

I don't think there's any doubting here. LeBron James will finally (I say finally like he's been chasing it ten years) be voted MVP.

Easy prediction to make, so I'll take no credit here. I think he's a shoe-in.

 

2. Who will win the Rookie of the Year?

OJ Mayo. You may laugh, but hey, now's the time for outlandish.

I'm a believer, even though I just traded him in my other fantasy league!!

 

3. Who will be the Coach of the Year?

Phil Jackson

I think Mike Brown will take it out, but Jackson wouldn't be a surprise either. Fairly decent prediction.

 

4. Who will be named to the All-NBA First Team?

Dwight Howard, Amare Stoudemire, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul

Duncan will supplant Amare, apart from that, spot on.

 

5. Who will be the NBA's Most Improved Player?

Mickael Pietrus

Pietrus has been good this season, but Harris and Granger are the two contenders.

 

6. What team had the best offseason?

Portland

I still stand by this, getting Rudy and Oden into the team meant that they had the best off-season.

 

7. What team had the worst offseason?

Golden State

Oh yeah.

 

8. Which team will be the most improved over last year?

Portland

Pretty much.

 

9. Which team will be the biggest disappointment?

Phoenix

28-22 isn't a great disappointment, but they should be at 30-35 wins right now.

 

10. What was the best offseason move?

TIE: Elton Brand's signing to the 76ers/Mo Williams trade to Cleveland

Half right, half wrong.

 

11. What was the worst offseason move?

Nuggets trading Camby for nothing

Turns out Nene can play. Whoda thunk. Camby's been great for the Clips when he's been there though. Pity MD Sr's in charge.

 

12. Who will make the playoffs that didn't last year?

Portland

No worries here.

 

13. Who will not make the playoffs that did last year?

Atlanta

Wrong on this one. They've been good, and should get the 5-6 seed and play Orlando in a fun series.

 

14. Who are the best five players in the league, position aside (weak-sauce question, I know)?

Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul and Amare Stoudemire

Replace Amare with Howard and I was dead on.

 

15. Who will be the division winners?

Celtics, Cavaliers, Magic, Lakers, Rockets, and Jazz

Denver and those damn Spurs screwed me up here.

 

16. Eastern Conference Final:

Cavaliers over Celtics

Standing by this.

 

17. Western Conference Final:

Lakers over Rockets

Lakers over Spurs, in actuality.

 

18. Who will win the NBA Title, and who will they beat?:

Lakers over Cavaliers

As evidenced by the 2-0 regular season series...

 

19. Who will be the #1 pick in next year's draft?

Blake Griffin, apparently...

I don't get to see any college games, but this hasn't changed.

 

20. Make one bold prediction.

Yao and T-Mac will only miss a combined 15 games this year, and the Rockets will win a playoff series.

HA!

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Let's see how I did

 

1. Who will win the MVP?

 

LeBron James will claim his first of many MVP trophies

 

Looks like this will most likely happen. I can see Kobe winning it again if the Lakers finish with the best record.

 

2. Who will win the Rookie of the Year?

 

Derrick Rose

 

OJ Mayo is making a charge at it, but this could still happen.

 

3. Who will be the Coach of the Year?

 

Larry Brown will win COY for guiding the Bobacats to their best record in history.

 

He can still do this, got them playing decent ball

 

4. Who will be named to the All-NBA First Team?

C:Dwight Howard

PF:Tim Duncan

SF: LeBron James

SG: Kobe Bryant

PG: Steve Nash

 

I was right with three, Duncan is having a good year, wtf was I thinking with Nash?

 

5. Who will be the NBA's Most Improved Player?

 

A bold prediction: Lamar Odom

 

Too bad Jameer Nelson got hurt, it's going to be him. Lamar can still have a big season though.

 

6. What team had the best offseason?

 

 

New Orleans Hornets, following by the LA Lakers for just bringing everyone back healthy

 

James Posey hasn't been the difference in New Orleans yet, the Lakers were spot on until Bynum got hurt.

 

7. What team had the worst offseason?

 

Golden State Warriors

 

Ding ding ding

 

8. Which team will be the most improved over last year?

 

Miami Heat

 

Good call here.

 

9. Which team will be the biggest disappointment?

 

Out on a limb: Philadelphia 76ers

 

Brand has sucked the life out of this team, expected them to be much better.

 

10. What was the best offseason move?

 

Posey to New Orleans

 

Not looking too good

 

11. What was the worst offseason move?

 

Clippers signing Baron Davis, only to lose Elton Brand

 

Another good call

 

12. Who will make the playoffs that didn't last year?

 

Miami Heat

 

13. Who will not make the playoffs that did last year?

 

Atlanta Hawks

 

Glad I'm wrong in this case

 

14. Who are the best five players in the league, position aside (weak-sauce question, I know)?

 

Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, DeWayne Wade, Paul Pierce, Chris Paul.

 

Replace Paul Pierce with Dwight Howard and we got a winner.

 

15. Who will be the division winners?

 

Pacific: Los Angeles Lakers, Northwest: Portland TrailBlazers, Southwest: New Orleans Hornets

Central: Clevland Cavs, Atlantic: Boston Celtics, Southeastern: Miami Heat

 

I underrated the Spurs, Nuggets and Magic big time.

 

16. Eastern Conference Final:

 

Celtics v. Cavs

 

17. Western Conference Final:

 

Lakers v. Blazers

 

Will be Lakers v. Spurs.

 

18. Who will win the NBA Title, and who will they beat?:

 

Los Angeles Lakers will take the title and will beat Boston in six

 

I'm crossing my fingers with this one

 

19. Who will be the #1 pick in next year's draft?

 

Don't know

 

20. Make one bold prediction.

 

The Phoenix Suns will not make the playoffs this year.

 

This needs to happen.

 

 

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Mo Williams is gonna get his All-Star game nod after all, as he's filling in for an injured Chris Bosh.

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The Knicks have the pieces to at least put a fair proposal on the table. David Lee, Wilson Chandler and the expiring contracts of Jerome James and Malik Rose (totaling roughly 13.8 million) would work under the cap and give the Suns two good young players. One potential hangup is the fact that Lee will be a free agent after this year and would require a decent investment from the Suns, though it would be about half of what Stoudemire makes. And I think the Suns would want some draft picks too. If you get to the point where it's Lee, Chandler and a couple first rounders it becomes questionable from the Knicks perspective, but when you have the chance to get a stud like Amare you have to take it. At the very least I'd say this year's pick is off limits and you would offer the 2010 first rounder and maybe another a couple years down the line.

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The Suns would definitely want more back than that. Not to diss David Lee or anything, but he's an expiring contract and a significant downgrade from Amare. They want to get back a blue-chipper that they can build around. It's just unfortunate that Steve Kerr might think that Tyrus Thomas or Andres Biedrins is that guy.

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I don't think Sarver would mind getting back essentially expiring contracts. The Suns want to save some money. And I think Lee can approximate what Amare gives them, at least average around 16 and 10. I don't think he's a significant downgrade from Amare.

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I like Biedrins a lot, but he's also signed for 6 years and 54 million. Lee could probably be signed for less than that, say 6/44-48 or so. And Wilson Chandler is no slouch either, he's one of the best young players in the league right now. I don't think Golden State has a second player of that caliber to offer up. On the other hand the draft picks coming back from the Warriors might be better.

 

It's all hypothetical, but I think if the Knicks were to make an offer like that it would be one of the better ones that Phoenix gets.

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Some people have mentioned Detroit making a play for Amare. They could try it in a last ditch effort to get back to the top of the East, but I just don't think it would work out. Would be interesting if it did happen though.

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Pacers' last six games:

 

vs Knicks - loss.

vs T-wolves - loss.

@ Sixers (no Brand) - loss.

vs Magic - win.

@ Wizards - loss.

vs Cavs - win.

 

I just don't get this team sometimes.

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