Many people have been trying to hail Dwight Howard as the next Shaquille O’Neal. The comparisons are there. Howard has become the most dominant force in the league and he is leading the Orlando Magic. O’Neal was the last big man to do such a thing. There are many comparisons between Howard and O’Neal, but there are some differences.

When Shaquille O’Neal first came into the NBA, he was a scoring threat. Dwight Howard, on the other hand was more of a defensive player. At times, though, Howard is able to score the ball. In the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals, he played very well, offensively. But, most of his damage is done with blocks and rebounds.

In order for Dwight Howard to truly become a force in the NBA, he needs to develop an offensive game. At his peak, not only was Shaquille O’Neal a threat on offense, he was also a diverse scorer with many moves. Howard only has one move and it has become quite predictable. When the two played each other a few weeks ago, O’Neal exposed this.

As the leader of his team, Dwight Howard is going to have to learn how to become the Magic’s first scoring option. He is a great player and he delivers the points when they are needed the most, but he is going to have to score more points if he ever plans on leading this team to a NBA championship. Had Howard been more of a focal point on offense in the NBA Finals, perhaps the Magic would have the title right now.

….and we’re back. Reggie Miller’s here. But the Custodian is not.

The Octagon and The Franchise do not like the Bulls’ black jersey, the Champ kinda does.

Noah posterizes Carlos Boozer. wow. yes.

The Octagon:

Why doesn’t Carlos Boozer have chest hair anymore? This is disappointing.

Jim Gaffigan has become far too ubiquitious for me to properly appreciate him anymore.

After reading that Dwight Howard has an illegitimate child, I just assume every player in the NBA does now.

Cheryl Miller and Reggie Miller both working the same game?  I wonder if they travel together and what kind of relationship they have. Are they best friends? Rivals?  Is there some sort of bitter resentment among them that Reggie got to play in the NBA and is more respected due to his gender? The world may never know.

Jerry Sloan used to play for the Bulls and is now coaching against them. That hasn’t been mentioned thus far; I guess that angle lost its intrigue at least twelve years ago.

Talk of the National Geographic channel comes up. The Champ and the Franchise begin making squares with their hands. They have to explain themselves and come off as fools in the process.

Why does John Salmons have a Rashard Lewis beard?

Mehmet Okur hits a three.

okur.

The Octagon plays Party and Bullshit in the USA and sings along during the chorus. He could be a karaoke champion.

Playoffs?

oh, hey! sorry for my tardiness but I got em’

1. Los Angeles Lakers: OK, an early home schedule is good and all, and Pau Gasol is back and doing work, and everythings clicking. But, there is no but, the Lakers are the number one team in the league. However, I’m not sure Kobe’s increased scoring is a good sign or not.

2. Atlanta Hawks: Disclaimer: Yes I am writing this after watching their cold effort in their falling to the Orlando Magic, at home. But coming into Monday this team was still on fire, yes they deserve to be here now. Next week? watch out.

3. Denver Nuggets: Coming into the season I was concerned about Denver. Yes, drafting Ty Lawson is a HUGE plus, but they made no offseason moves to improve the team. But then, Carmello Anthony stepped up, he finally is dishing out points and rebounds like a true superstar. Tracking Anthony’s development at a recent trip to the pool really sold me on the Nuggets, they’ve come a long way. They had Allen Iverson around this time last year.

4. Phoenix Suns: Have the Suns winning become bland again? reference my analysis last week because nothing has changed for Steve Nash, Amare Stoudamire and Company.

5. Orlando Magic: Vince Carter takes bad shots. Sometimes. Now Dwight Howard’s lobbying Stan Van to ease up. They aren’t exactly dominating the league. Tough loss to Miami, questionable call? Don’t ask Pietrus.

6. Cleveland Cavaliers: My Cavs are doing alright. Not dominating, not losing. I also feel LeBron has not exactly turned it on yet. The win against Orlando was the most intense of the season, compared to the lackadaisical effort, a win at least, against the Pistons. The Shaq injury does hurt the depth of the team. And JJ Hickson, well expect a bromance post pretty soon from the Champ.

7. Boston Celtics: When did the Celts get so cold? Now theyre barely beating teams like Philly, Minnesota, and New Jersey. OK. No real significant injury problems. Is Iverson the answer? reference Stephon Marbury.

8. Dallas Mavericks: What’s up with past MVP’s having great seasons? Dirk, Steve Nash, Hey even AI’s back in the news. Oh well, the Mavs look alright I guess. West elite? no. Top Four seed? yes.

9. Portland Trailblazers: The three guard combo of Blake, Miller, and Roy was interesting, but maybe the Blazers weren’t as potent. Although I feel that might be a good matchup issue in the playoffs so giving those three guys time on the floor together is a good thing in my eyes. Greg Oden’s coming around too, good for him.

10. Milwaukee Bucks: OK, the Bucks can stay. Brandon Jennings.

(thats all I have to say about the Bucks)

Missing from Last Week:

Miami Heat: Wait until next week. The win over Orlando was huge, and the Champ, maybe just a little bit is starting to finally be won over by Michael Beasley, not for the game winning dunk though, although that helped a little bit.

Yeah, we’re back.

The Champ sits here in his home writing this in anticipation of tonight’s game. The Octagon is now here, good to see him. We’re still waiting on the arrival of The Franchise, and The Custodian is MIA.

The Octagon thinks Kyle Korver looks like Ashton Kutcher. Ok he has a point.

Now we see a Ashton Kutcher camera commercial, which really sucks.

We now ponder the past prospects of the Hawks drafting Chris Paul. ooooh.

That’s the Hawks uniforms: ATL? ha.

Tipoff: Still no Franchise.

The Octogan is moderately surprised when Vince Carter hits a three pointer.

Jason Williams puts up a very bad shot and misses.

Craig Sager and camo? Really? Fucking camoflague?

Josh Smith: big dunk.

The Octagon is suggesting the Magic employ a whitewash to get their hearts back into the game.

Josh Smith is talking about his maturation, not something else…

Howard’s picking up his game now.

Adam Morrison: Human Victory Cigar – the Octagon.

The Octagon points out that the longest losing streak is less games than the longest winning streak- so its easier to be really good than really bad?

Where is the Franchise? This will not go unsettled.

The Octagon thinks Anthony Johnson has breasts.

Jamal Crawford once put up 50? News to us.

Joe Johnson, the Octagon feels he's underrated.

BUCKS/THUNDER! yeah baby!

Zaza Pachulia, what a dumb foul.

Marcin Gortat should open a ski resort on his face – The Octagon

OK: If you could punch a basketball player in the face past or present who would it be?

The Champ – Tyronne Hill: to see if he could get any uglier.

The Octagon – Ben Wallace? Adam Morrison? Damon Jones?

The Franchise – Ron Artest 

Mike Bibby looks great in a chef’s hat.

Joe Johnson hits for three, we lament his leaving of the Suns.

The Franchise has finally arrived… with his sister.

Vince Carter and the Magic look to rebound in the second half.

The Octagon has been looking up basketball books on Amazon. (Hey Freelancer! put our Amazon link here)

But anyway Orlando has brought the score within four. Orlando 56 Atlanta 60

Hey Look! Dwight Howard has a type!

The Octagon is willing to take one for the blog come May.

REDDDDDICCCCCCKKKKK!!!!!

Anthony Joshnson should not be in the NBA.

Look it’s Anthony Johnson!

We hate the Fred Martin Car Guys.

So the Octagon was watching YouTube videos for the past half hour maybe?

Anywho, Orlando 80 Atlanta 71.

Where is the Hawks’ offense?

Anthony Johnson oh my lord.

OK the Magic win, the Freelancer is the best live blogger.

We really don’t have anything left to say other than: Go Herd.

Hey Look! Dwight Howard has a type!

To celebrate the Holidays I am going to post a free winning pick for every day of the week starting on Thanksgiving and going all the way to Sunday. I will also post some great sportsbook bonus so you can take advantage of some of the best in the business! Take time out to be thankful for everything in life and remember the troops that can’t be home on Thanksgiving.

Want all of my top rated plays for this week for free? Just sign up and play at any sponsor and you get them all for free! Email me at mregaw@yahoo.com for the plays!

Happy Thanksgiving to Everyone!

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Free Pick for Thursday November 26th, Turkey day!

Texas @ Texas A& M

Texas has already clinched the Big 12 South and will play Nebraska in the

Happy Holidays!

Championship game but they can’t afford to get caught napping here. This will be no problem for Texas as they are focused on going to the Championship game after the loss last year that put them out. Texas A&M has flopped in six of nine as dogs of 20 points or more and in 10 of 12 ATS off a home win. The Longhorns have scored at least 41 points in their four previous road games this season. They are 23-12-2 ATS in November and get a blowout win here.

Play: Texas -21

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Free Pick for Friday November 27th

Alabama @ Auburn

Auburn enters this game with revenge after getting blanked last year. Alabama is going to the SEC Championship game against Florida so this game is a warm up. The Tigers have covered seven of 11 against Alabama and the home team is 4-1 ATS in the last five showdowns. The Crimson Tide dropped nine of 13 ATS when giving up more than 11 points on the highway. Auburn will not win but they will keep it close.

Play: Auburn +10

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Free Pick for Saturday November 28th

Arkansas @ LSU

The loss for LSU was a tough one that will linger over to this week. Arkansas has pulled off the upset against LSU the last two seasons. The Razorbacks are 11-6 as road dogs and the visitor is 6-3 in the past nine meetings. The Tigers are 2-14 as SEC home favorites and they have floundered in 27 of 34 ATS at Baton Rouge in November. Arkansas knows hwo to beat LSU and will do it again.

Play: Arkansas +3.5

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Free Pick For Sunday November 29th

Indianapolis @ Houston
Houston will be playing on a short week and they have to get Chris Brown in the right mindset for this game. Houston has cashed eight straight as home dogs and won six of those eight SU, the only two losses at the hands of the Colts by a total of four points. The Colts have struggled within the division, dropping 14 of 21 ATS, while the Texans are 6-2 at Reliant Stadium versus AFC-South citizens. Indianapolis has won six of seven at Houston, but failed in five of seven ATS. Houston finally gets the win against the Colts.

Play: Houston +3

The NBA on TNT recently introduced a series of new commercials for the 2009-10 NBA season. The commercials star Rainn Wilson, famous for his role as Dwight Schrute on The Office, alongside NBA stars Gilbert Arenas, Deron Williams, Dwight Howard, and Derrick Rose. In the commercials, Arenas, Williams, Howard, and Rose, play the foil to Wilson’s somewhat naive, but completely annoying, cab driver.

The commercials earned generally negative reviews, but have recently come under fire for something a bit more troubling than simply being unfunny. Donal Logue, a working actor perhaps most famous for his role in the short-lived Fox series Grounded for Life, recently attacked the commercials as a rip-off of his character, “Jimmy the Cab Driver.”

Logue appeared as “Jimmy the Cab Driver” in a series of commercials for MTV in the late 90s. Judge for yourself, but from the striking physical similarities (including mustache, mullet, glasses, and indeterminate accent) to the similar structure (unwitting passenger is forced to listen to the eccentric ramblings of a cab driver), it appears Logue may be on to something.

TNT and Wilson have both publicly addressed the creation of Wilson’s NBA cab driver character. TNT would have you believe the idea came from the HBO series Taxicab Confessions.

Wilson, perhaps attempting to set up a scenes a faire defense or perhaps arguing his character is simply a derivative work, recently described the creation of his character, saying “They [NBA] had this crazy cab driver and I’ve kind of seen that character before.” Wilson went on to say:

I was very excited because the night before we shot, I was like ‘You know what? I need a mullet. I need a mustache.’ And he [cab driver] is my ode to all of my crazy cousins and relatives in Wisconsin and Minnesota. I love you guys.

Logue is not buying either explanation. The only apparent connection between Taxicab Confessions and the NBA commercials is that both take place in a taxi. As Logue points out, Taxicab Confessions focused on the outrageousness of the passengers’ confessions to an anonymous cab driver, while the NBA on TNT commercials focus on the outrageousness of Wilson’s cab driver himself.

As for Wilson’s explanation, Logue says:

He [Wilson] made it seem like there was a vague army of similar characters that came before him, all fairly indistinguishable . . . but since he wanted a mustache (I had one too), a mullet (over the course of some spots Jimmy had one) and for his character to be from Wisconsin, he was TOTALLY different.

Neither the NBA nor TNT has responded directly to Logue’s recent blog post, and TNT has yet to pull the commercials.

– Michael Quinlan

Image Source

Los Orlando Magic perdieron a Hedo Turkoglu (30 años) y ganaron a Vince Carter (32 años). El turco fue uno de los protagonistas de la gran temporada de los Magic el curso pasado, y el equipo se apoyó mucho en él, sobre todo en los momentos decisivos de la final.

Turkoglu es un jugador versátil capaz de hacer muchas cosas sobre el parqué. Su dominio del bote le permite subir el balón y apoyar al base en situaciones complicadas; tiene un gran tiro exterior que complementa con penetraciones inteligentes en las que lo mismo deja una bandeja que se echa hacia atrás para lanzar un tiro desde media distancia; maneja correctamente el poste bajo y se aprovecha de sus 2,08 cm de altura para sobrepasar a aleros más pequeños que él; sabe leer muy bien el juego y asiste a sus compañeros de manera natural. Es un buen jugador de equipo.

Sin embargo, los Orlando Magic decidieron deshacerse del turco para fichar a Vince Carter, un jugador consagrado que nunca ha estado cerca del anillo. El ocho veces All-Star aterrizó en Orlando con el objetivo de ponerse por fin el anillo en el dedo. La trayectoria de ambos jugadores ha sido muy distinta. A pesar de tener una edad parecida, la percepción es que la carrera del americano está en declive, mientras que la del turco sigue creciendo. Turkoglu completó temporadas bastantes grises hasta que en 2008 le dieron el premio al Jugador Más Mejorado de la NBA. En cambio, las lesiones y el hecho de no haber participado nunca en un proyecto importante hacen de Carter un jugador que huele a rancio. “Air Canadá”, como era conocido en Toronto, posee un estilo de juego completamente diferente: es un buen tirador y, pese a sus problemas físicos, sigue siendo un gran matador. Se le acusa de individualista y de abusar de sus tiros. Desde luego, no es el jugador de equipo que es Hidayet.

Pese a todo, la realidad es que, a día de hoy, Hedo Turkoglu promedia en Toronto, su nuevo equipo, 14,4 puntos, 4,9 rebotes y 4 asistencias por partido. Vince Carter, por su parte, mete 18,7 puntos, coge 4,5 rebotes y da 2,2 asistencias por partido. Hay que añadir que Turkoglu juega 4,5 minutos más que Carter por partido.

Es cierto que, el porcentaje de acierto del turco es mejor que el de Vince, pero la realidad es que el role de líder lo cumple mejor Carter. Los Orlando necesitan un jugador que tire del equipo en los momentos difíciles, aunque eso suponga un riesgo. Dwight Howard no es esa clase de jugadores, principalmente porque jugar sólo dentro de la zona limita mucho. En cambio, un escolta como Carter con 1,98 cm de altura es capaz de crear opciones de canasta incluso ante una buena defensa.

Por ello, el intercambio de Carter por Turkoglu ha sido acertado, aunque eso suponga para Orlando siete millones de dólares más de ficha.

(Técnicamente no puede hablarse de intercambio porque Turkoglu se fue como agente libre y Carter llegó a Orlando a cambio de Rafer Alston, Tony Battie y Courney Lee).

Segundo partido de Pau Gasol y segunda victoria consecutiva de los Lakers. El español hizo ayer 15 puntos, 7 rebotes y 6 asistencias en la victoria de los angelinos (que gran Bynum!) ante los anárquicos Thunder. Los Lakers se aproximan a la cabeza del oeste, pero hay algo turbio: de sus 13 partidos ha jugado 10 como local, mientras los Suns han jugado 9 de sus 14 fuera de casa.

ACTUALIZO: Habéis visto la canasta de Kobe por detrás del tablero?? ya está en youtube

Calderón y sus Raptors sucumbieron ante la profundidad de banquillo de los Magic. El extremeño de oro hizo 16-2-4, el día que Jarret Jack hizo 11 asistencias. En los Magic, demostración de variedad, con victoria en Canadá, pese al discreto partido de Howard (y discreta temporada….), al escaso acierto de Rashard y Carter, y a la baja de Nelson. Ahí estaba Jason Williams para recordar sus mejores momentos.

En el resto de la jornada destacar la victoria sobre la bocina y en la prórroga de los Celtics (qué gran Pierce!!). Canasta de KG sobre la bocina, pese a su mal partido (y mala temporada!!). En los Knicks, tonterías de Nate Robinson aparte, se ve mejoría.

Destacados:

• Paul Pierce: 33-9-6, 6 triples, 1 robo, 2 gorros, 9/17 en campo y 9/10 en libres. Perdió 3 balones y tuvo un domingo especialmente inspirado
• A.Bynum: 25-9-0, 1 robos, 2 tapones, 9/11 en campo y 7/7 en libres. Casi infalible
• Kobe: 26-6-7, 2 robos, 4/4 en libres y 0 pérdidas. Consistente
• Al Harrington: 30-9-2, 5 triples, 1 robo, 10/21 en campo y 5/6 en libres. Gran sexto hombre, pero racheado
• Wade: 31-6-3, 3 triples, 1 robo, 3 gorros, 12/21 en campo. Notable
• Nash: 20-0-9, 1 triple, 7/8 en campo y 5/5 en libres. Otro consistente
• David Lee: 22-15-3, 1 robo, 7/12 en campo y 8/9 en libres. Perdió 5 balones. Un borrón en su gran partido
• Jason Williams: 16-5-3, 2 triples, 2 robos, 5/9 en campo y 4/4 en libres. No perdió balones. Gran vuelta de este veterano
• Narz Mohammed: 18-5-0, 2 robos, 2 gorros, 8/10 en campo y 0 pérdidas. Sorpresa agradable
• Rondo: 14-9-10, 4 robos. Mal día en tiros (5/13 fg: 4/8 en libres). Cerca del triple doble de nuevo

Troy Murphy Trophy

• K.Perkins: 16-13-1, 4 gorros, 6/7 en campo. Contundencia

Otros destacados:

• Ibaka cogió 13 rebotes; D.Howard 12.
• Mario Chalmers repartió 9 asistencias, Jarret Jack estuvo bien con 11
• Marcus Thornton metió 5 triples
• Sheed robó 4 balones
• Espectacular Ibaka con 5 gorros

Vaya día:

• Mal día en el tiro: Sheed (0/6), Harden (2/15) y Hughes (2/11). Mal también el cuarteto: Duhon, Jeff Green, Powell y Odom con 1/6
• Grandioso bombardero Harden. El novato hizo un rotundo 0/10 en triples. Y lo hizo a lo grande, en su año de debutante y en el Staples. Hay pesos pesados en los Thunder?? Pues que le den un tirón de orejas.
• Johnson hizo un 2/5. Hablo de Amir
• James Jones tiró 3 veces en 38 minutos
• Sin rebotes: Nash y un tal DaJuan Summers
• Sin asistencias: Bosh

Nuestros galardones:

• Zapatilla de oro: Vince Carter tiró 24 veces a canasta
• Mario West: DeSagana Diop jugó 2:32 minutos. Mal día para los “Marios”
• Benito: Rasheed Wallace 0 puntos, pero 4 robos
• Concha Velasco: Russell Westbrook hizo 6 pérdidas. Yo apuesto por el amigo Russell para el premio anual
• Seleapareciólavirgen: Jarret Jack con sus 11 asistencias. A que no lo repite?

La pregunta del día:

¿Qué jugador que el año pasado colocó 6 tapones en toda la temporada hizo ayer 2 gorros? (Es decir, dos más que los que puso ayer Dwight Howard)

It was a tough one to lose today as Vince Carter once again got the better of his former team.  Watching him out there is both energizing and demoralizing if you are a fan.  The crowd was once again all over him for the entire game but he seemed to feed off of the poisonous energy for one of his better games since coming back from injury.  The Raps went cold in the 4th quarter and Carter stuck it to them like an ex girlfriend dating your best friend.

Vince drives past Turkoglu on his way to another dominating performance against his old club

Zan for Three

Perimeter Defense

Is it just me, or could we put this one in here every game?  Gee, I wonder if word is getting around the league that Calderon, Jack, and Derozan can’t guard the outside.  The Magic took advantage of the terrible D all afternoon.  JJ Reddick looked like he was wearing his Duke uniform as he knocked down big jumper after big jumper, Jason Williams glided to the net with ease and then there was Dark Lord of the ACC that once again dominated, especially in the fourth quarter.  You can handle Carter having a big game from a coaching standpoint but making Reddick look like an All Star is where you have to draw the line.  Get a hand in his face, hell, force him to the basket where he isn’t that effecient.  The guy is about as one-dimensional as they come so why not get up on him and guard the three? Belinelli was seriously missed today.

Derozan

Heir Canada got schooled today, plain and simple.  The teacher dominanted  the pupil.  Derozan didn’t really show up today and ended the game with only 1 point.  If he plans on keeping his starting job he is going to have to pull up his socks and start living up to his self annointed nickname. He looked more like Air Canada circa 2004 when he started phoning it in.

Vince

The guy loves to stick it to Toronto fans.  It hurts a little inside everytime he does it. It’s like a slow motion car crash:  you know it’s coming but you can’t  look away.  Once again he used our hate to fuel the Magic’s victory, that and our terrible defence on the perimeter.   He was a true game changer and snatched away what could have been a huge victory.  It is scary to think this guy now plays with Dwight Howard, Rashard Lewis and Jameer Nelson….the Magic are stacked.

Honorable Mention…

Amir Johnson

Quickly becoming a fan and blogger favourite.  Provided key minutes and points off the bench today.  Looks like a keeper.  Keep your feet moving on defence and avoid that foul trouble though.

Zan of the Night

Air Canada

Who else?  The guy is pure Evil.  He has been dubbed ‘He who shall not be Named’ and tonight he gave the Raptors D the Imperius curse.  Once again the Evil one shoved our boos right back down our throats and enjoyed every minute in doing so.

Not Zan of the Night

Jose Calderon

Dude, play some D! He’s beginning to resemble a pylon out there on a regular basis. He is a black hole and everyone in the building knows it. Offensively he missed three big buckets in the 4th that sealed victory for the Magic…not a good day at the office.

Another thing: Did anyone see Jay break the clipboard over his knee?  That was awesome! The only thing that would have been better would be have been if he turned green and his arms ripped through his suit.  I like the passion and anger.  This is what Jose’s Defence is doing to all of us.

Here we are at the 1 month point in the NBA regular season. This week has been a great one. One thing I have noticed to this point, the good teams are winning, the bad teams are losing. There is a pretty big disparity in the top teams and the bottom teams. I understand trying to get free agents in the off-season coming up and some teams have dumped players in hope of picking up these great players, but do you think they are going to want to go to a team that finishes 20-62? I wouldn’t. I know damn well LeBron doesn’t want to go to the Knicks with the team that they have now.

Performance of the Month

This time, I am looking the best performance of the month. A lot to choose from but its got to go to the YungBuck3 (his Twitter name) Brandon Jennings. He dropped 55 against the Golden State Warriors, which takes away from the performance a little bit because they are not good plain and simple, but still, 55 points is 55 points. Here is a clip of that night when he served the Warriors the speed limit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFBg1LLYC_k

Play of the Week

Here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pawMSgU-E-k&feature=player_embedded

The one bad thing about this weeks play of the week, it didn’t count. Kevin Garnett made a shot from the other team’s foul line after time expired in the 2nd qurter against the Golden State Warriors. This is something we all do every time we go into a basketball gym, chuck up a full court shot and see if we can make it. Most of the time, we don’t. That one lucky time we do make it however, it’s always “OH MY GOD DID YOU SEE THAT!?!?!?!” It’s something very hard to do, and that’s why we get so excited when we make the shot. Garnett made the shot even harder then it usually is. He did a spin move into the shot, and then chucked it one-handed. Most of us shoot it like we would pass a chest-pass, but we just chuck it up. The one-hander is a lot harder than the chest-pass shot. Unfortunately, it was after time had expired. Get’em next time KG.

Stock Up, Stock Down

Let’s start in the eastern Conference and the Orlando Magic. They are on a 5-game winning streak. Two of the wins were quality while the other three were over “cupcake” teams. They took down the Celtics in a 83-78 victory, which was very impressive. Now, the Magic know they not only can contend with the C’s, but can also beat them. They also beat the Raptors which is not a team to sleep on. What I like about this streak is that the Magic are getting it done from every position on the court, not only Dwight Howard. Jameer Nelson dropped 16 one game, Rashard Lewis tracks a double-double the next, Vince Carter leads them with 26 against the Celtics, and sharp-shooter JJ Redick lights it up for 19 the next. If the role players can take some of the pressure off of Superman, there chances of getting back to the title round rises tremendously.

Moving on to stock down, the New Jersey Nets. Need I say more? Like really, 0-13. They are horrible. It’s pathetic that the metropolitan area has a combined 3 wins total. That area is the mecca of basketball in the entire world and yet, they have 3 wins. They really don’t even deserve my time. A few years ago, they were winning rings with JKidd, VC3, and RJ. Now, they are 0-13. You guys don’t even get pictures.

I’ll stop bashing on the NJ Nets and move on to stock up in the west. The Mavs get this weeks stock up. They are on a 5-game winning streak where they beat the Spurs in a 99-94 thriller. Dirk Nowitzki is playing at a MVP lever. When he is on, no one can stop him. There is no one in the league that can match up with a 7-foot shooter. He is the best big man shooter in the history of the league…EVER. If you think there is a better shooter 7-feet and over, please name him. Jason Terry is a great compliment to Dirk. When they get the pick-n-roll working with those two, they are very hard to beat. Shawn Marion was a great pick up for them even though he was injured in the Spurs game and did not play. In the latter-end of the season, this squad will be one to reckon with.

The Timberwolves take stock down in the western conference for the second straight week. I wasn’t sure if it was possible for a team to get this award 2 weeks in a row, but the T-Wolves managed to pull it off. Any team on a 12-game losing streak deserves it. After trading away Garnett, the Wolves have been on a drastic decline. Liek the Nets, the really don’t deserve my time to look for pictures for them. Congrats Timberwolves for the 2nd straight week.

Eastern Conference

The way I see the East taking shape, right now, I only think two teams can contend for the Eastern Conference Championship. The Magic and Celtics are clearly the 2 best teams. However, the Atlanta Hawks are playing great ball right now and you can never count out LeBron. I still can’t put these two teams on the first tier with the Magic and C’s, but we will see how the rest of the season continues to progress. It should be a tight one in the east.

Here are the standings after a month of action:

1. Boston Celtics (10-4) (previously 1st in the East)
2. Orlando Magic (11-3) (previously 2nd in the East)
3. Atlanta Hawks (11-3) (previously in 4th the East)
4. Cleveland Cavaliers (10-4) (previously 3rd in the East)
5. Miami Heat (8-5) (previously 5th in the East)
6. Milwaukee Bucks (8-3) (previously 7th in the East)
7. Chicago Bulls (6-6) (previously 6th in the East)
8. Toronto Raptors (6-8) (previously 8th in the East)
9. Indiana Pacers (5-6) (previously 9th in the East)
10. Philadelphia 76ers (5-8) (previously 10th in the East)
11. Detroit Pistons (5-9) (previously 11th in the East)
12. Charlotte Bobcats (4-9) (previously 12th in the East)
13. Washington Wizards (3-9) (previously 13th in the East)
14. New York Knicks (3-10) (previously 14th in the East)
15. New Jersey Nets (0-13) (previously 15th in the East)

Western Conference

In the West, one thing has stood out to me after this week. No one can beat the Lakers. Did you see how easy everything has been for them with Pau Gasol back in the lineup? This is one of the best front lines of all time. Adding Ron Artest into the lineup gave them something Trevor Ariza did not, another big man. Ron can play both a guard position and a forward position if needed. The Lakers have 5 players that can play in the post, causing so many match-up problems. Pau, Andrew Bynum, Lamar Odom, Ron Arter, and Kobe can all score from the post. Most teams only have 2 or 3 post players at most. I really don’t think anyone can stand in the Lakers way of a repeat besides injuries.

Standings after 4 weeks of play:

1. Los Angeles Lakers (10-3) (previously 1st in the West)
2. Dallas Mavericks (10-3) (previously 5th in the West)
3. Phoenix Suns (11-3) (previously 2nd in the West)
4. Portland Trailblazers (10-5) (previously 3rd in the West)
5. Denver Nuggets (9-4) (previously 4th in the West)
6. San Antonio Spurs (5-6) (previously 7th in the West)
7. Houston Rockets (8-6) (previously 6th in the West)
8. Utah Jazz (7-6) (previously 8th in the West)
9. New Orleans Hornets (6-9) (previously 12th in the West)
10. Oklahoma City (7-7) (previously 9th in the West)
11. Los Angeles Clippers (5-9) (previously 11th in the West)
12. Sacramento Kings (5-7) (previously 10th in the West)
13. Memphis Grizzlies (4-9) (previously 14th in the West)
14. Golden State Warriors (4-8) (previously 13th in the West)
15. Minnesota Timberwolves (1-12) (previously 15th in the West)

Special thanks to Yahoo! Sports for all of their great photos. Keep an eye out for next week’s updates as well. Thanks for the read and feel free to leave any comments you have.

]]> http://oddmanic.wordpress.com/2009/11/22/raptors-come-up-short-against-orlando/ Mon, 23 Nov 2009 01:17:05 +0000 oddmanic http://oddmanic.wordpress.com/2009/11/22/raptors-come-up-short-against-orlando/

Toronto’s bench shows game but can’t seal the deal at the ACC

It was one of those games that could have gone either way…if the Magic were playing Cleveland or Boston. But against the Raptors on Sunday afternoon, Orlando kept up the pressure and proved the Raps are once again a predictable squad as the game winds down.

Orlando came back from a weak first quarter and traded momentum with Toronto until both teams let their second line players ultimately decide their fates. Jason Williams, starting for the injured Jameer Nelson, and J.J. Redick hit decisive threes in the fourth quarter to put Orlando up by 10 and an eventual victory, 104 – 96.

“I think that our bench is deep,” Redick said. “We missed Vince and Rashard for several games early in the year. We’ve played with that lineup before and we’ve been successful.”

Vince Carter, who was customarily booed all afternoon, finished with 24 points, twelve of them in the third quarter. The former Raptor started the game poorly but kicked it up a notch in the second half…literally.

“The first half was a rough one,” Carter said. “I was just trying to be aggressive, trying to get into the paint, just make plays. Make the referees decide what is what. I think I was a little overly aggressive, playing a little too fast. I was trying to get there but not really playing under control. The second half when I changed my shoes, it was OK.”

Andrea Bargnani struggled for the Raps, scoring just 11 points to go along with 9 boards and fouling out with 4 minutes left in the game. Chris Bosh scored 22 points but was contained well by the Magic who made him settle for jumpers most of the game. Hedo Turkoglu was a non factor, scoring twelve points on 3 of 11 shooting from the field, while Calderon scored 16 points but managed just 4 assists.

The bigger story may have been the disappearing act of DeMar DeRozan. The rookie failed to step up against Carter and was not a factor at all throughout the game. Once again, speculation on whether or not DeRozan will still have the starting job when either Wright or Evans returns is swirling around the ACC. Head Coach Jay Triano appears to be trying to instill confidence in the young guard, but what is it costing the Raptors in the interim? DeRozan scored 1 point and 1 rebound in just over 17 minutes of playing time.

Meanwhile, Jarret Jack continued his strong play of late, handing out 9 assists to go along with 8 points and 7 rebounds.

The Raptors fall to 6 – 8 on the season and will face the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday at the ACC.

Bosh and Superman are set to battle

I see you’re not gonna sit this one out with an “injury”, hey Vince? Alright, I’d be lying to myself if I said Carter didn’t love coming to Toronto and torching the Raptors. Air Canada and the Magic are in for the second time this season, tipping at 12:30 this afternoon at the ACC. As always, check out the full preview over at Raptors Republic.

I honestly believed coming into this season Orlando would be worse off with Carter than Hedo Turkoglu, but as much as it kills me to say it, I was wrong. Vince seems to have found the perfect scenario — one where he’s not pressured to be the top guy, or better yet, one where he can routinely take nights off and people won’t notice because Rashard Lewis and Superman will pick up the slack. Yeah, Turkoglu was killer in the clutch, but Vince has been known to hold up alright come crunch time when he feels like it. The Magic, behind Carter’s 18.1 points per game, come in at 10-3, including a 125-116 win in Toronto on Nov. 1.

As usual, the key for the Raptors will be D’ing up, especially on the perimeter against a team like Orlando. The Magic drilled 17 threes in their previous win over Toronto, and that came without Carter, who’s averaging almost three per game. Chris Bosh & co. will also do well to attack Dwight Howard early and try to get him in foul trouble.

Anyway, fresh off a home win over Miami Friday, it would be nice to make it two and a row with a walk in the park coming in the form of Indiana on Tuesday.

Love that fire, CB

Raptors basketball just wouldn’t be Raptors basketball without the nightly heart attacks, would it? Tonight’s came in the form of a 23-point third quarter lead dwindling to one late in the fourth, but Chris Bosh and Jarrett Jack led a late push en route to a 120-113 win over the Heat in Toronto’s return to the ACC.

Bosh was magnificent tonight, going 10-of-14 and finishing with 29 points and 12 rebounds and Jack made a pair of clutch threes from the corner in the final three minutes, finishing with a season-best 17 in 31 minutes off the bench. Andrea Bargnani had 24 and 10 and Hedo Turkoglu had arguably his best game as a Raptor, scoring 19 points to go with five boards and eight assists.

Of course, this one came with it’s share of second half head-to-wall banging, as the Heat went about 27 possessions in a row late in the third with a bucket. Bargnani was eaten alive by Joel Anthony and Mario Chalmers had a riot at the hands of Jose Calderon, scoring a career-high 30. Even when it looked like the Raps were putting Miami away midway through the fourth, Calderon managed to lose Chalmers on back-to-back possessions for threes to pull the Heat right back in. On the bright side, a handful of Toronto defenders did a commendable job on Dwyane Wade, holding him to 10-of-24.

I know the NBA is a game of runs, but it doesn’t always have to be. With that said, it would be nice to see the boys put it to bed next time they jump to a double digit lead in the second half.

So, a win in the first game back after four straight out west leaves the Raps at 6-7. Superman and the Magic, who beat Toronto at the ACC Nov. 1, are in town Sunday.

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Free College Football Sports Betting Pick for Saturday November 20th

TCU Vs Wyoming

TCU showed the world last week that they deserve the top ranking they have. They jumped to #4 in the country and with that came an inflated line. TCU has struggled a bit on the road in November (4-9-1 ATS). Wyoming is 13-5 ATS off a SU win and 5-1 ATS at home with revenge off a straight up and ATS win. Letdown is a real possibility with this inflated line.

Play: Wyoming +31.5

15 Team Teasers and parlays!!

Quuuuuuuuuuuuelllllllllllllllllllll match de basketball mes amis!
Le College Charles-Lemoyne visitait le Mistral d’André Laurendeau, dans un des plus beaux matchs de l’histoire du basketball! Oui oui, il était de la même intensité qu’un match de série de la NBA. Ce match qui à nécéssité la tenue de 2 prolongations, auquel les 2 équipes Juvéniles AA se sont livré une bataille à couper le souffle, aura finalement été remporter par l’équipe locale, le Mistral.
Du côté d’André Laurendeau, soulignons la belle performance de Simon Charette en prolongation, De Marvin Boucicaut, Rambo et Anthony Muir lors du temps règlementaire.
2 joueurs recrues en était à leur première expérience en basketball AA, soit  Jérémie et Steve qui ont fait de courtes présences remarqués.

Cela porte la fiche du Mistral 1-0.

2 matchs s’en viennent cette semaine, voyons si les joueurs de David McDermott et de Naïm Guessous pourront lancer une séquence victorieuse, alors qu’ils joueront à Châteauguay Valley mardi 17h et à Magdelaine, jeudi à la même heure.

Faits saillants du match:

-2 dunks de Marvin Boucicaut,
-Des 3 points de la part de Marvin et Francis Boucicaut et de Jérémie
-Les arbitres ont fait un travail irréprochable
-Faute technique à Stanley, qui fut assis sur le banc par son entraineur suite à cette erreur. On s’attend à 2 très bon matchs de Stanley cette semaine, lui qui tentera de faire parler son talent et oublier cette faute.
-Anthony et Rambo furent sortient du match pour avoir eu 5 fautes chacun.
-Défensive exceptionnelle de la part de Nick, à en faire rougir Dwight Howard.
-250 Push-Ups pour Naïm, car il était trop joyeux. Ce qui n’as pas plus à l’entraineur-chef David McDermott.

Marvin, Stanley, Steve, Francis, Kevin, Jay, Rambo, Anthony, Dave, Nick, Simon, Jimmy and Naïm…C’est le plus beau match de Basketball que j’ai vu de ma vie et c’est tout un honneur pour moi d’avoir été présent à ce moment mémorable en tant qu’entraineur associé.

Naïm Guessous

The start of another NBA season is upon us once again. This fresh start will undoubtedly  raise the converstaion which inevitably comes up every year…Who is the best player in the league? I’ll go through my top 5 and why.

1.) Kobe Bryant. Los Angeles Lakers.Shooting Guard.

Is there even any explanation needed? The man is a beast and not only is he one of the best players in the league, he’s one of the best players in the history of the game. This season he has come out on fire, averaging  30 points a game which will surely end the notion that his game is declining. Recently, the Black Mamba dropped 21 points against the Bulls which helped him pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the Laker’s all time scoring list. Best in the game? Without a doubt.

2.) Lebron James.Cleveland Cavaliers.Forward.

Although I agree that he is a dominant force in the game, he has to come in second in Kobe just because he hasnt learned how to make his teammates better when it matters most. Yes, all those pre-game rituals look good but it has helped him and his teammates out none in the playoffs. Some people like to mention Lebron in the ranks of Kobe and Jordan…but they both have rings.Multiple rings. Lebron has…none. So until he gets AT LEAST two rings, I dont believe he can be put on either of their levels. With that said, LBJ is still a monster on the court. The man is like a  center who can shoot the ball and run down the court faster than most point guards in the league. Averaging 28.3 points a game and 2 or 3 ridiculous highlights on ESPN every night, James is obviously going to be the one Kobe passes the torch to when his time is up.

3.)Dwayne Wade.Miami Heat. Guard.

This man is not only one of the best players in the game but he is also one of the most underrated. What would the Miami Heat be without D-Wade?Yeah, I dont know either. Its hard to even imagine.  If he had actually had a teammate worth mentioning, he could easily be in the MVP talks year in and year out.He’s averaging just below Lebron in points with 27.6 a game. If the Heat’s management doesnt do what it can to upgrade his supporting cast, look for him be wearing another team’s uniform next season.

4.) Chris Paul.New Orleans Hornets.Point Guard.

And You thought D-Wade didnt have a supporting cast? The New Orleans Hornets are a joke…WITH Chris Paul. I cant help but feel bad for this guy. You know if he played for an actual contender he’d have a ring by now. He’s doing all he can dropping almost 24 points in a game,  but his team still loses. Regardless of his team’s play, he is still one of the top PG’s and players in the league.Could you imagine if he was on a team who could use a solid point guard such as the Lakers or the Cavs?Scary.

5.) Dwight Howard.Orlando Magic.Center.

When a team(The Cavs) go and trade for a guy just to stop you…you’re a dog. While Howard is still a little raw offensively, he is a force in the post. The man is a walking double-double, averaging 18 points and 10 rebounds a game. He took his team to the finals last year and competed with the champs. A few more bounces in the Magic’s favor and Howard would have a championship ring and a MVP title under his belt. With the addition of Vince Carter, look for Howard and the Magic to again compete for a title again this year.

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Thursday Night Free Pick: Colorado is trying to end a season that has been one of the worst seasons in a long time. The straight up winner has prevailed by double-digits in 14 of the past 17 meetings between these Big 12 rivals. The Cowboys have cashed 11 of 14 as favorites and at a 14-5-1 clip at home versus conference competition. They are also 10-5-2 ATS in their last 17 finales at Pickens Stadium. The Buffaloes are 4-13 as dogs with revenge. This game is a blowout and Oklahoma ST cruises and wins by 30 points!
Play: Oklahoma St -18

The Orlando Magic made it to the NBA Finals last June.

I thought I would begin with that in case you had forgotten…

Last year, the Magic were considered a part of the “Big Three” when it came to the hierarchy of teams in the Eastern Conference.  Yet it wasn’t necessarily a “1a, 1b and 1c” scenario, i.e. these three teams were ranked as well: At the top were the previous NBA Champion Boston Celtics, followed by the Cleveland Cavaliers led by MVP LeBron James, and third were the young-and-surely-talented-still-not-quite-there-but-definitely-close-to-the-top Orlando Magic.  Some may have had the top two switched because of the Kevin Garnett injury and/or because of Cleveland’s better record in the regular season, but in any case Orlando was generally given the least amount of respect of the three.  And what happened come playoff time?

Orlando punched them both in the mouth.

In Round One, the Magic easily went by the 76ers in six games.  Round Two featured one of the biggest match-ups in the entire playoffs, with the Magic winning in an epic game seven in Boston by nearly twenty points, winning that series against the Celts.  The next round wasn’t an easy time either, but the Magic prevailed over the Cleveland Cavs when the entire world was awaiting a ‘LeBron vs. Kobe’ Finals.  With the Magic spoiling the dreams of fans, along with those of the players themselves, the team made it to the final round where they were simply outplayed by the best team in the land: the Los Angeles Lakers.  Part of me was rooting for the Magic because I really don’t like the Lakers (actually, a lot of me felt that way), but also because I could see the potential in what the Magic were doing; they had beaten two teams that were considered the best teams Orlando’s conference.  To me, that was impressive enough, and that impression has carried over to this year.

Obviously the team is much different this year.  There is no Hedo Turkoglu or Courtney Lee, not to mention a slew of injuries that is certainly making head coach Stan Van Gundy pull his hear out (we all know how animated that guy can get).  However, there are some changes this year that I believe have been for the better.  First and foremost, the trade to get Vince Carter in the offseason was a championship trade – normally I wouldn’t be much in favor of giving away young talent like Courtney Lee, but when you are contending for a championship the way that the Magic are you can afford to give up potential for proven stardom.  Carter was not the only addition that was made to the team either: the Magic also added Brandon Bass who, like Dwight Howard, can clean the glass and provide an enforcer-type mentality to the second unit.  The acquisition of Matt Barnes was also a good move in my opinion, as it is another scoring option on the outside that won’t necessarily slash to the hoop like Carter or Rashard Lewis will, but will keep the defense honest on the perimeter.

So, if it isn’t clear enough, it seems to me that this team got better in the offseason.  In addition to being a purely more talented team than last year, there are two other ways that I believe that the Magic will prove their dominance in the East.  The first is in the number of ways the team can beat you; the offense and defense create ‘pick your poison’ situations.  First, and especially once Jameer Nelson is healthy once again, the guard play is outstanding.  Vince Carter is still a pretty good passer, Nelson was an All Star a year ago and still one of the best players on this team.  Second is the shooting.  I already talked about Matt Barnes a bit, but when Rashard Lewis, Vince Carter or J.J. Reddick get hot, you might as well forget throw up the white flag.  In addition to being good scorers, Carter and Lewis are also good slashers, able to get to the rim and cause defenders to decide whether to overplay or loosen up to protect the drive.  Then you have the big man in the middle, Dwight Howard, doing what he does best: dominate the paint.  There isn’t a center in the league that is remotely up to Howard’s standards, and I wouldn’t expect anyone to get there soon, which is a testament to how good he really has become.  The thing about all of these ways the Magic will beat you is it isn’t a matter of being mediocre at any of them, but rather the talent on the team allows for greatness at each position to excel because they’re not all going to get the attention on defense.  Defensively, Dwight Howard is going to give any opposing team chills, especially when it comes to the defensive boards and his shot blocking ability.

Finally, what this team lacked last year was experience, and losing in the Finals was an experience that few teams get.  Though the growing pains were hard to handle at the time, I’m sure the team learned a lot about what it takes to be not just a contender, but a winner at the championship level.

Ultimately, these are the reasons why I believe the Magic are destined for greatness this year.  So step aside Cleveland and Boston; it may still be the big three, but the true number one resides in Orlando.

Skullcandy have just released another Six headphones onto their NBA Player Series. They originally launched the Deron Williams and Andre Iguodala signature series , now adding Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, Derrick Rose, Kevin Garnett, Dwight Howard, and LeBron James to their roster. SC will be adding more player’s to the bill real soon so stay tuned until then check the pic’s after the jump.

Big Monday Night Football Game!

The Ravens play the Browns on Monday Night!

It was another great NFL Sunday as I nailed my NFC Game of the Year with a big win with the Panthers over the Falcons. Now I am back with another winner in tonight’s Monday Night Football game between the Ravens and the Browns. I am a documented 61% in the NFL this year and tonight will be another winner in the NFL. Don’t miss this game tonight!

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Tonight’s Free Pick:

Portland Blazers +3.5

The Blazers can get revenge for an earlier meeting they lost at home to the Hawks. The Haws have been very surprising and have played very well beating some of the elite teams in the league. The Blazers will be ready and have proven to be road warriors this year on the road. The Blazers are 24-9 ATS in their last 33 games overall and 5-0 ATS in their last 5 road games. The underdog is 8-2 ATS in the last 10 meetings and the road team is 10-2 ATS in the last 12 meetings.

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There were plenty of great matchups in the league this week. We really got to see who can hang with who at the top of both conferences and what teams are for real. Let’s start week 3 off with a little P.O.W. action.

Performance of the Week

This week’s P.O.W. comes from the Thursday night match-up between the top 2 team’s in the West. The Lakers and Suns was a much-anticipated game this week. It was great to watch the Lakers dominate the entire game. They really stepped up and showed Phoenix who the best team in the West is, even without top-5 big man in the league Pau Gasol. My Performer of the Week however, does not go to Kobe or Lamar Odom or even Ron Artest. It goes to the up-and-coming big man Andrew Bynum. He played like a beast this game. Dominated the paint on both sides of the court. Bynum is finally starting to play at the caliber he is capable of playing at. I always knew Andrew had this potential inside of him and it was painful watching him play at such a low-level in previous seasons. His numbers may be a little bit inflated due to Pau Gasol’s injury so far in the season, but he is getting it done. Bynum is the main reason that the Lakers are going to repeat this year. So far, Andrew is averaging a double-double with 21 points a game and just over 11 boards. On Thursday night, he recorded 26 points and snatched a game-high 15 rebounds. If he continues at this pace, there is really no one that can stop the Lakers. Last year in the NBA Finals, Bynum only scored 6 ppg and averaged 3 rebounds per game. If he continues at this pace, there is really no one else in the West that will be starting at center in the all-star game. Congrats to A Bynum.

Play of the Week

This play made me create a new section for the blog. You probably already know what it is. If you haven’t seen Dwayne Wade’s total annihilation of Andersen Varajeo, here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7H6H0Lmiyg

Now, that was an amazing play, don’t get me wrong. My favorite part about it wasn’t the actual dunk itself, however. We have seen this type of play before by the NBA’s top athletes. LeBron, Kobe, Dwight Howard, and Wade have all embarrassed other player’s before. The way that Andersen Varajeo reacted really made it awesome. A few plays later, Varajeo started a little war of words with Wade and gave him a little hip bump. After exchanging words, Varajeo got up in Wade’s face like he was going to intimidate Dwayne. Reggie Miller was doing the play-by-play for this game and all he was saying was, “HIS FEELINGS ARE HURT!! HIS FEELINGS ARE STILL HURT!!” It was just awesome to see Dwayne Wade smile at Varajeo knowing he posterized him. Even Michael Jordan, who was sitting front row, had something to say about it to Pat Riley, who he was sitting next to. I mean, we all know you got dunked on dude, you don’t need to make it a bigger scene than it already was. Just take your jersey off, hit the showers, and get on the team bus early if that ever happens again.

Stock Up, Stock Down

For Stock Up in the East, I am forced to go with the Atlanta Hawks. They went 3-0 this week with a win over the horrific Knicks (114-101), a victory over the number 1 team in the east, the Celtics (97-86), and Josh Smith led the way against the Hornets with 17 points and 17 boards in a 121-98 blowout. They have an all-start player in Joe Johnson, a great supporting cast around him, and a potential 6th man of the year coming off the bench in Jamal Crawford. This team is young and energetic. I expect them to make a run in the Eastern Conference playoffs as they did just a couple years ago, taking the Celtics to 7 games. I believe this team can keep this up for all 82 games unless an injury to one of their core players happens.

Let’s see, where to go for stock down in the east, so many to choose from. I am forced to go with the Washington Wizards on this one. They have an overall record of 2-7 and are 0-2 this week. They got murdered by the Heat, where the best player in that game was Brendan Haywood with 13 points and 11 boards (really????? when is the last time we heard his name??) and then they took a loss by 3 from the Detroit Pistons. They have Gilbert Arenas. That alone should get you 3 wins in thee weak eastern conference. It’s not like they have a bad supporting cast. I’m not sure what is going on down in the nation’s capitol. Let’s hope they can turn it around.

In the west, stock up goes to the Portland Trailblazers. With a record of 4-0 this week, there really wasn’t anyone else that I could have given it to. All 4 wins came over quality opponents. I told everyone in my preseason blog that this was the team to watch for in the west. They have the 3rd best shooting guard in the league in Brandon Roy. They are one of the youngest teams in the league. This combo makes them dangerous. Every player on this squad is hungry and gets after it game-in and game-out. Like the Hawks, I believe this team will be able to compete in 82 games this season. When it comes to playoffs however, we will see how their youth plays its part.

The Timberwolves take stock down in the west. Like the Blazers, they were the clear-cut winner, well in this case loser, for this award. They went 0-4 this week with all 4 losses coming in double digits. I don’t really see any hope for this team in the near future. They basically gave up Garnett to the C’s, a horrible trade in my opinion. Al Jefferson is a beast, but he can’t carry this team in the strong western conference. This team probably won’t win 20 games this year. No hope for the T-wolves.

Eastern Conference

Standings for the Eastern Conference after the 3rd week of action:

1. Boston Celtics (8-3) (previously 1st in the East)
2. Orlando Magic (7-3) (previously 2nd in the East)
3. Cleveland Cavaliers (7-3) (previously 4th in the East)
4. Atlanta Hawks (8-2) (previously 5th in the East)
5. Miami Heat (7-2) (previously 3rd in the East)
6. Chicago Bulls (5-4) (previously 6th in the East)
7. Milwaukee Bucks (5-2) (previously 8th in the East)
8. Toronto Raptors (5-5) (previously 9th in the East)
9. Indiana Pacers (4-3) (previously 13th in the East)
10. Philadelphia 76ers (4-6) (previously 7th in the East)
11. Detroit Pistons (5-5) (previously 10th in the East)
12. Charlotte Bobcats (3-6) (previously 11th in the East)
13. Washington Wizards (2-7) (previously 12th in the East)
14. New York Knicks (1-9) (previously 14th in the East)
15. New Jersey Nets (0-10) (previously 15th in the East)

Western Conference

Here is how the West wraps up after 3 weeks:

1. Los Angeles Lakers (7-3) (previously 1st in the West)
2. Phoenix Suns (9-2) (previously 2nd in the West)
3. Portland Trailblazers (8-3) (previously 6th in the West)
4. Denver Nuggets (7-3) (previously 3rd in the West)
5. Dallas Mavericks (7-3) (previously 5th in the West)
6. Houston Rockets (6-4) (previously 4th in the West)
7. San Antonio Spurs (4-4) (previously 7th in the West)
8. Utah Jazz (4-6) (previously 8th in the West)
9. Oklahoma City (5-5) (previously 10th in the West)
10. Sacramento Kings (5-4) (previously 12th in the West)
11. Los Angeles Clippers (4-7) (previously 9th in the West)
12. New Orleans Hornets (3-8) (previously 11th in the West)
13. Golden State Warriors (3-6) (previously 13th in the West)
14. Memphis Grizzlies (2-8) (previously 15th in the West)
15. Minnesota Timberwolves (1-10) (previously 14th in the West)

That does it for this week’s wrap up of all NBA action going on around the league. Photos are courtesy of Yahoo! Sports giving me action shot after action shot to make this blog look pretty. Leave a comment, or two, if you feel like it. I’d like to see other peoples opinions of what they think. Giving shout outs this week to my boy Nicky Neidlinga the thrilla. Check out his music at www.myspace.com/3pac1

Also got to give a shout out to Joey “The Young One” Peabody. Holding it down in R-wood hardcore.