30 Dec 10 Game 76: Portland Trail Blazers 92, Denver Nuggets 109

Doug Pensinger/Getty ImagesThe playoffs are right around the corner and one possible match-up was on display Thursday night in the Mile High City, as the Portland Trail Blazers took on the Denver Nuggets. Although the Blazers gave much lip service to taking this game seriously, they played off tonight, matching the eerily low energy from the crowd and perhaps allowing the low intensity atmosphere to sap any motivation they may have had.The Denver Nuggets have the third best home record in the NBA, yet their home crowd is unnaturally subdued and was rarely louder than the PA system. Regardless of the Nuggets' home record and subdued fans, the Blazers needed to show they can compete with the best in the West. Tonight they did not do that.The final score was 109 to 92 in favor of the Nuggets, and the game was never really close. The Blazers gained a lead a handful of times early in the first half but were unable to sustain sufficient momentum in the third quarter and eventually lost any chance of Miami Dolphins jersey
winning by the start of the fourth. The Blazers played sloppy with 11 turnovers and the Nuggets capitalized, scoring 18 fast break points.As the Blazers have finally solidified a spot in the playoffs, many fans (including myself) consider the rest of the season as a sort of "practice run" for the post season. Games such as tonight's are not, in my eyes, so important to actually win, rather they are a good indicator of how well (or not-so-well) certain players perform and how well the team executes on offense and defense.For example, tonight Brandon Roy, who has struggled against the Nuggets in previous games, needed to show that his bad shooting in the two team's last meeting was a fluke. He did not do that. In fact, he was completely shut down again, going 3 for 13 from the field and finishing with just 14 points.Indeed, Roy was literally a non threat, as from the outset of the game he was immediately double teamed. He struggled to find his shot early (0-6 to start the game) and by the time he developed some rhythm, it was far too late to make a difference. What is more, Roy had an uncharacteristic two turnovers, which were the result of a careless mistake and the other, a mental lapse.Another non threat for the Blazers tonight was LaMarcus Aldridge, who despite great play of late, struggled to hit in the first quarter and then kept right on script the rest of the game. Aldridge played solid defense overall (per usual), yet was ineffective in help defense on Nene and very mediocre on the boards. Aldridge finished with 16 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 turnover and 4(!) blocked shots.All was not bad in this game for the Blazers however, as it is now apparent that the one player who will excel in a playoff match-up against Denver (or anyone for that matter) is Andre Miller. He finished with 24 points and one assist, often times leading the offense and single handedly keeping the Blazers within striking distance.It is clear that his extensive experience will be an absolute benefit for the Blazers this post-season. All of the "Blake v. Miller" arguments were for naught as Blake was eventually traded, but ask yourself this, was Blake (then our "Veteran point guard") ever able to do what Andre did tonight? Could he drive and get to the basket at will? Was he able to run out and lead the fast break for an easy two? No, No and No.Andre Miller's worth to this basketball team cannot any longer be disputed and I hope all Blakey lovers have finally mopped up their tears . Recognize, Miller's specific skill set that was displayed so perfectly tonight, will do the Blazers very well in the play offs and I cannot wait to watch.One catch with Andre Miller however was his low assist number. As the offense was stagnant and Brandon Roy, among others, couldn't hit a shot, it was clear Miller's ability to score was a bright spot. But at what point does Miller need to create more offense and help facilitate others to score? I think Roy's off shooting and the team's general issues Minnesota Vikings
tonight with scoring aren't Millers' fault, but in general our point guard should have more assists. Just a thought.Other notables for the Blazers include the bench. There, I said it. After throwing up 478 attempts, the bench got 24 points, with 17 (!) coming from Martel Webster alone. Congratulations. Oh yeah, J.R. Smith did go off tonight, but hey, the Blazers' bench is now actually scoring. Baby steps.As I noted above, the Denver Nuggets "home court advantage" most certainly has much more to do with the high altitude than the hostile atmosphere present at almost every other Western Conference, playoff team arena. It is bizarre how quiet their crowd is.Oh well, the Nuggets looked sluggish themselves and Carmelo Anthony had an uncharacteristically off night (way to capitalize Blazers), yet they pulled through and got the win, one they much needed.Just a couple weeks ago, the Nuggets sat at No. 2 in the West, yet a recent rough patch has left them at 5th place coming into tonight's game. They have struggled of late because they miss two important people: their coach, George Karl, and Kenyon Martin, who has been out with a left knee injury. Indeed, the Nuggets have been thrown some serious obstacles (Blazer fans know this adversity very well) and are coping fairly reasonably in many respects, despite their less than stellar record of late.Tonight, the Nuggets' top scorer was Carmelo Anthony (despite early foul trouble), who had 25 points off 10 for 21 shooting. As a team, the Nuggets outscored the Blazers in the paint 52 to 36 (Yikes Blazers) and shot 49.4 percent.Nene had 22 points and grabbed 5 rebounds while flipping 5 assists. He played perhaps his best game of the season in that he ran and moved well and he played solid interior defense all night long, making life difficult for Aldridge and to some extent, Marcus Camby. Of all players tonight, Nene impressed me the most, particularly on the offensive end.Other notable players for the Nuggets included Chauncy Billups, who had 21 points, 6 assists and 4 rebounds. He only shot 2 for 8 from the three point line, however he caught fire in the third quarter and led the Nuggets into the fourth quarter where they were finally able to pull away for the victory.J.R. Smith, the Nuggets' dynamic sixth man, was semi on fire tonight, going just 2 for 10 from the three point line (who does that remind you of?? I'll give you a hint, it starts with the letter "M"), but finishing with a respectable and important 15 points. New England Patriots jersey
Tonight's game revealed that neither the Nuggets nor the Blazers are 100% and neither team seems poised to make a serious run in the Playoffs right now. Year long adversity (the Blazers) and recent struggles (the Nuggets) have done much to degrade the efficacy of each team, yet the beauty is that the playoffs aren't a sum of the whole season.Once you're in, the regular season records and individual player accomplishments are out the window. As one of those guys said on the TNT half time show, the playoffs are all about match-ups and if Brandon Roy could figure out how to deal with the pressure on defense, I think the Nuggets pose a favorable match-up for the Blazers.Next up, the Blazers take on the Sacramento Kings at Arco Arena. Without offending any King fans, this should be an easy and solid win for the Blazers.

29 Dec 10 LeBron's Goals Are Bigger Than Just The Regular Season

Gregory Shamus/Getty ImagesCleveland Cavalier's coach Mike Brown watched Antawn Jamison's left elbow collide directly with Chris Bosh's face April 6, and his subsequent decision to avoid a similar catastrophe has created a firestorm of controversy.LeBron James has sat the 3 games his Reebok Chicago Bears #54 Brian Urlacher Realtree camo Jersey
Cavaliers have played since the gruesome Bosh injury. Fans who have attended these games sans the King feel ripped off and misled, many analysts have been very critical of LeBron sitting, including one specifically who has ordered LeBron to refund fans and has claimed he will no longer vote for LeBron as league MVP.To me, this is no different than the Indianapolis Colts resting Peyton Manning at the conclusion of his regular season. Perhaps more than any other NBA franchise, the Cleveland Cavaliers' success in the postseason is paramount. Their entire future hinges on these playoffs. Whether or not LeBron James remains a Cavalier, whether or not Shaquille O'Neal will return, whether or not Mike Brown will retain his post as Cavalier's head coach. The Cavalier's title hopes rest squarely on the 25 year old's shoulders, and everyone knows it. With just one inadvertent elbow, or a simple tweak of the knee or ankle and championship aspirations leave as quick as a LeBron coast to coast dunk.The city of Cleveland's Reebok Chicago Bears #6 Jay Cutler Realtree camo Jersey
sports heartache's have been well documented. Potentially joining "The Drive", and "The Fumble", would have been "The Sprain" or something of the sort. Brandon Roy can attest to sustaining a serious injury in the last game or two of the regular season. Fans can complain that they didn't get an adequate return on the games LeBron missed, but it'll be water under the bridge if he can deliver a title to championship starved Cleveland.

28 Dec 10 Pat Riley Upstages NBA Playoffs: Say Bye Spoelstra, Hello Dynasty

Eliot J. Schechter/Getty ImagesThe Free Agent Bonanza of 2010 hasn even begun but it the biggest news there is right now.The Boston Celtics are currently playing the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game Two of their Eastern Conference Semi-Finals matchup, and the Phoenix Suns will be taking on the San Antonio Spurs in Game One of their Western Conference Semi-Finals matchup. Both series look to be incredible, knock-down, drag-out affairs that could go seven games.Yet, both have been upstaged tonight by a story coming out of Miami.Apparently Reebok Denver Broncos #15 Tim Tebow Realtree camo Jersey
Pat Riley, yes the Pat Riley, the President of the Miami Heat, has re-upped his contract. What more important than that (for that alone would be nothing but a minor blip on the radar), is the fact Riley won rule out coaching the Heat next season.Now, before anyone gets the wrong idea, Riles did couch the amazing news in the form of the following statement, Ill do whatever is in the best interest of building the team here. Period. Whatever it takes, OK? Ill let you fill in the blanks. If some free agent were to say I will come here but you must do this, well, hell, if that happens that day, then I might have to give it some thought.Some thought?You can bet that thought process would take less time than a little. Riley would be telling that potential free agent (you can pencil in LeBron James or Chris Bosh name here), that hell be the one taking the reins and coaching the team as soon as they asked.In fact, you can bet your bottom dollar Riley isn even planning on waiting for a free agent to ask. He gonna be using that as a selling point in trying to entice LeBron or Bosh right from the start.Coach Spo, you might as well start packing your bags and brushing up that resume, buddy.We all know all too well what happened the last time Riley built a championship team. He first elevated his former assistant, Stan Van Gundy, to be the Head Coach, then quietly booted him out the door (read Van Gundy resigned for family reasonslol) as soon as he felt the team was ready to really make a title run in 2006.So, with Spo he obviously not gonna wait a full year after he built the team. For unlike the 2005 team he built with Shaq and Wade, I think Riley pretty confident the team he gonna build over the summer is gonna contend for a title this coming year.In fact, I have a feeling he already got LeBron signed on, and knows for a fact there not a team in the NBA that will challenge a squad hell build with James and Wade on the team.So, again, coach Spoelstra, you best get ready to find new employment, because Riley is takin over, rover.Spoelstra is quoted as saying Riley talk of building a dynasty, I think that why we all love working for Pat. He thinks big, he really does. You have to embrace that when you work for him. I think it an exciting mentality. Reebok Green Bay Packers #12 Aaron Rodgers Realtree camo Jersey
Everything he does, he thinking about how to direct this team to a championship and that really galvanizes everybody here that working in this building.I couldn agree with you more, Eric. Only thing is, I don think youll be working in that building much longer. Unless, of course, you can handle being demoted so Riley can feed his ego.Ill be the first to admit Ive never thought Riley was a great in-game coach. In fact, Ive written numerous times about just that. However, Eric Spoelstra is his protg, and is in the exact same basic mold. I was actually contemplating doing an article on that, saying that I felt Spoelstra wasn the one to lead the Heat to a title.Well, apparently Pat Riley feels the same way, and is laying the foundation to oust his two-year experiment and return to coaching.Will this guarantee us a title? If President Pat Riley is capable of landing LeBron James or Chris Bosh, along with another All-Star to pair with D-Wade, I think it just might, no matter my feelings of Riles ability to coach Xs and Os. He a master motivator, and with that amount of talent, that about all hed need to be.So, get ready for the wild offseason ahead, folks. These playoffs are only the preliminaries to the real championship run. The run that will determine who will be hoisting the championship trophy for Reebok Green Bay Packers #52 Clay Matthews Realtree camo Jersey
the next five to seven years.My money on Riley and the Heat enticing LeBron James to join D-Wade in South Beach to build a dynasty for the ages (you can read what moves I believe Riley should make to build that dynasty here), and now we know who will be coaching those great teams, Pat Riley himself.Game On!Quotes taken from Yahoo! Sports article "Riley Gets Extension from Heat, Eyes Future" by Tim Reynolds

27 Dec 10 Celtics in Good Form Heading Home, Will Seek Sweep Of Magic

Kevin C. Cox/Getty ImagesDon't make Paul Pierce angry. You won't like him when he's angry.Dwight Howard shouldtake heed of thiswarning entering Game 3 in Boston. Howard made the mistake of committing a flagrant foul and throwing Pierce to the ground with just over four minutes Reebok Arizona Cardinals Larry Fitzgerald Realtree camo Jersey
left in the second quarter. Pierce was not happy about the hard foul, and made it known by ringing off seven straight points, giving the Celtics an end-of-the-half boost. He finished with 28 points.Rajon Rondo continued his playoff streak with 25 points and eight assists, and the Celtics once again got solid play on both ends of the court from key bench players Rasheed Wallace, Tony Allen, and Glen Davis. Orlando got 16 points off the bench from JJ Redick, but little help came from their other reserves Mickael Pietrus, Marcin Gortat, and Jason Williams. Reebok Baltimore Ravens #5 Joe Flacco Realtree camo Jersey
Silent again was Rashard Lewis, who finished with just five points on 2 of 6 shooting.Despite a man-child performance from Dwight Howard in the form of 30 points and eight rebounds and crucial late buckets from Vince Carter and Jameer Nelson, the Magic were unable to overcome the small Boston lead and lost Game 1 after Carter missed two free throws with 32 seconds left that would have pulled the Magic to within one.The series now heads back to Boston for Games 3 and 4 and a potential sweep for the 17-time champion Celtics. A feisty TD Garden crowd always gives their team a leg-up at home, and the Celtics will look to capitalize on the good energy and send the Magic home with their season wrapped up.In a post game interview after Game 2, Paul Pierce looked Reebok Baltimore Ravens #27 Ray Rice Realtree camo Jersey
directly into the camera, predicted a series sweep at home, and made every Celtics fan (including myself) giddy with Finals excitement.I don't usually condone brash playoff predictions, but from the mouth of Pierce, I can't help but agree.The Truth will set us free.

26 Dec 10 Game 5: Was It Fixed?

Doug Benc/Getty ImagesFixed. It a word that seldom comes off of my tongue. But after the recent Celtics game and 5 losses my tongue has become loose. At the start of the game, Howard drove to the basket for a dunk as Pierce stepped in front to take the charge and he did - except there was no call. The San Diego Chargers jersey
whistles seemed to never blow, never blowunless a player in Green was nearby. A whopping 7 technicals were handed out over the course of one game with a majority of them being handed to the C. Perkins was thrown out of the game last night for a cheap foul. Now, I don know what he was saying, or even if he said anything but that T did not need to be thrown. Now Perk is a talker, everyone knows that. But youre going to throw him out of the game for walking away? This makes no sense at any angle you look at it. It reminds me of the ejection Artest got after getting in Kobe face in last seasons playoffs. No, Im not saying Perkins was going to fight but the ref threw him out and called the foul because of his history. You can always escape it, even in the NBA. How a situation is handled the first time is how similar situations are handled throughout the player whole career. They are labeled. It not right but it happens. Had that been Ray Allen arguing a call then walking away we probably wouldn have seen this. Especially if it was a star player like a Dwight Howard who argues calls just as much as Perkins. This is just horrible. I know this is quite a throwback but it sort of reminds me of the Lakers Kings Series. Something about this game just doesn feel right. It feels... well, fixed.Now in no way I am I saying that the whole game wasn the Celtic fault, you have to put points on the board, play defense and play smart. But this T changed the whole game and maybe the series. The Celtic weren allowed to play a physical game, but the Magic sure were. On Howard first attempt Pierce planted his feet and drew a charge. But it wasn called. I sat up and looked for the foul butnothing was called. Then Glenn Davis receives an elbow to his face courtesy of Dwight Howard that gave him a concussion, nearly knocking him out. Now, yes it was an accident, but so is Nelson supposedly tripping on a pick and roll. If youre going to call one call, call them all. Did they do this?No.This game smells fishy to anybody who watched it or heard about it. Ive never seen such bad officiating in my entire short 17 year old life. I would almost like to play that game over, but we all know that is impossible. So now they have to move on, potentially down two big men. And to think that it all started with one ejection from the game. This brings that us against the world attitude back into Glenn Rivers hands. So now we need to see the grit that this team possesses and they will have to San Francisco 49ers jersey
grind one out. If not, I believe they lose the series. The one sided play in Orlando was horrendous and may happen again if there is a return for game 7 so why chance it? I don want to step on anybody toes about these issues but it is how I feel. In a world now where basketball is based more around money and profit it not too hard to believe. Im mean, 3 series sweeps in one of the more competitive rounds can be too great financially. And then your money train that is LeBron James is thrown out by a group of men thought to be too old. Let face it, the Celtics were the spoilers this year and after one a deciding game now, they maybe foiled. So the refs made sure it wasn close at all. They put players into foul trouble and therefore stopping aggression against defense and offence, so now there is and will be another game played. This makes the NBA look horrible and greedy. The 22 no shooting fouls on only key players does look strange. The only thing I wonder is who is behind this operation if there is one? Stern? The refs? Ive talked to fans from other teams and even people who just watch these playoff games for sport. No one understands what happened in that game. I have yet to talk to a Magic fan yet but Im sure some will disclose what happened. It sucks for them because their team actually played a pretty good game. The Magic shot their threes for the most part and played pretty good defense. Some shots were opened, though, by the calls. But either way it will be overshadowed by this because it did aid them even if they didn want it. What I say when I talk with my friends is bunch of ifs. My dad had a poem called If he was taught to recite in college (any member of the Omega Phi Psi fraternity should know what Im talking about). The poem basically explains that ifs get you nowhere; you have to do. So now it is time for the Boston Celtics to ante up. The Celtics have to move on and use this experience as the flame to light their match so that they can start playing with the pride Seattle Seahawks jersey
and skill we all know they have. To any one in the organization who reads this, know Im behind my team 100% for better or worse. Im also sure Im not the only fan that feels that way. So when the lights come down at the end of the series, Celtics know that we have your backs even if others don.

25 Dec 10 Phoenix Suns: Why Steve Nash Is the Game's Most Underrated Player

Christian Petersen/Getty ImagesSteve Nash of the Phoenix Suns seldom gets the credit and recognition that he deserves. The Canadian star doesn't want it either, though. He's really taken off during his time with the Suns and now is looking for the ultimate elusive achievement: an NBA championship. Detroit Lions
Nash has evolved into one of the best in the game since coming to Phoenix. Now in his seventh year in Phoenix, Nash still has "it." That "it" is the thing that not all NBA stars possess nowadays. "It" being the selflessness of Nash. Nash has averaged a double-double in each of his seasons except one while in Phoenix, all of which were by way of points and assists.The Suns have counted on Nash to lead them and now look to win an NBA championship with him as their leader. They've supplied him with role players and scorers to help his cause, but Phoenix can't seem to escape the West.Despite some "dogfights" with the Los Angeles Lakers in recent years, they just can't win out and represent the West. With Nash as their leader, anything is possible, even an NBA championship.Steve Nash isGreen Bay Packers jersey
the best player in the NBA year-in and year-out as far as I'm concerned. He does nothing but make all others around him better and is the ultimate team leader. In his back-to-back MVP years, he really delivered for the Suns and changed the model of the NBA star. Ezra Shaw/Getty ImagesNash became a star in his own way in those seasons and helped transition the league in terms of their star players. Today, the NBA and its fans still wish to see the high-flying show-boaters, we all do. But their appreciation for selfless players like Nash is coming to light now.It's no secret that Nash could win MVP every year. If the MVP voters took the acronym literally, he would. Which player is most valuable in the league? That would be Nash just about every single NBA season. He really is one-of-a-kind in this Houston Texans jersey
era and has transformed into a wizard on the court. That being said, Nash is clearly the game's most underrated player. His ability to make all of his teammates better is remarkable. Even without stars like Amar'e Stoudemire, Nash still finds ways to get it done for the Suns.

24 Dec 10 2010-11 NBA Predictions: Who Should The Sacramento Kings Start at Small Forward?

Donte Greene, Sacramento Kings ForwardJed Jacobsohn/Getty ImagesPaul Westphal has been the recipient of a substantial amount of criticism for his musical chairs starting lineups. A year ago, players and fans alike grew very irritated at the constantly fluctuating starting unit. But in defense of Miami Dolphins jersey
Westphal, his lineups were as inconsistent as the players featured in them. In 2009-10, no position saw more instability than small forward.Desmond Mason, Andres Nocioni, Francisco Garcia, Dominic McGuire each held the distinction at different times, but the brunt of the starts went to either Omri Casspi or Donte Greene. The roster for 2010-11 has been pared considerably. Gone are Mason, Nocioni and McGuire. Garcia remains, but most within the organization feel he is more productive at shooting guard. Leaving the battle in familiar hands, Casspi and Greene. The coaching staff's conundrum is how remarkably similar the two players are. Both are 22 years old, both have prototypical NBA small forward bodies (Greene 6'11", 226 lbs.; Casspi 6'9", 225 lbs.), both boast very solid three point shooting (Greene .377, Casspi .369), neither are strong free throw shooters (Greene .643, Casspi .672) and both compete hard on the defensive end. The situation the Kings find themselves in is an unusual one. Typically the competition for a starting spot is between an incumbent seasoned veteran and the young, up and coming stud. With these two, this is a couple of youngsters who see the prize and their only competition is each other. And it's going to be this way as long as these two don the purple. There are 14 teams in the Western Conference jockeying to dethrone the LA Lakers from their perch of dominance. Nobody in the league has more size to alter shots and snag rebounds than the Lakers, Minnesota Vikings
but Sacramento did a lot this off-season to address those shortcomings. The point is this: Paul Westphal wants a giant starting five as well, in order to adequately compete with the Lakers, Celtics, and the Magic in the front court. Therefore, I believe the attribute that will earn Donte Greene the job is his 6'11" frame. When Samuel Dalembert returns from his strained groin in four to six weeks, the Kings will have the 6'11" Dalembert, 6'11" DeMarcus Cousins, 6'11" Jason Thompson, 6'11" Donte Greene, 7' Hassan Whiteside and the 6'9" Carl Landry. Compare that size and length to last year, where our last line of defense was provided by Spencer Hawes. Yikes. The prudent move here for the Kings is to name Donte Greene the starting small forward, do so quickly, and keep it that way. His confidence, consistency, and chemistry with the guys will grow immensely. With this defined role, Greene will no doubt become a better player on the road as well (a major bug-a-boo for him in his first two years in the league). TheNew England Patriots jersey
sky is the limit for the Baltimore native. Donte improved in almost every category from his rookie to sophomore year, why can't he make a similar jump from year two to three? With his unique combination of size and skills, it's not a stretch to think Donte could become a Tayshaun Prince, Rashard Lewis, or Jeff Green caliber player in this league. As far as Omri, the role of designated sixth man off the bench is nothing to be embarrassed about. If Casspi embraced the opportunity to provide that spark the way many others do in the NBA, it would give some identity to a bench unit that has been among the NBA's most anemic in recent seasons. Both would still get solid minutes, it seems like a win-win proposition. Beno Udrih, Tyreke Evans, Donte Greene, Carl Landry, DeMarcus Cousins. Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?