This past week, I’ve been tweeting and League Passing my face off and loving every minute of it. I’ve seen buzzer-beaters, incredible dunks, and one of the most captivating individual performances I’ve ever had the pleasure of watching. Here’s a recap of the week that was, using selections from the Outside Twitter account as a guide.

Monday, Nov. 9

6:55 PM: I guess as a Raptors fan I should be excited about Duncan and Parker not playing. I’m scared of the Raps letting up, though. Spurs are deep.

This is one of those times where I wish I was wrong. Manu Ginobili was brilliant, the Raptors’ defense was awful, and Toronto lost despite shooting 59% from the floor.

9:45 PM: I want that Matt Bonner dunk on a poster.

10:42 PM: This Raptors lineup is fucking FUN. I’d be rooting for them even if they weren’t “my” team.

I believe Sonny Weems, Marco Belinelli, and Amir Johnson were all on the floor at that point. The Raptors’ revamped bench has been a huge bright spot so far this season. While these new guys have flaws (i.e. Belinelli’s shot selection, Johnson’s propensity to foul), they are exciting and they bring stuff to the table that the Raptors needed. Every game, I look forward to the bench unit getting some run. It’s especially nice when Antoine Wright and Johnson are on the floor at the same time, doing their best to shed the “soft” label this club has had for years.

12:08 AM: Is Stephen Jackson reinventing himself as a distributor on this team loaded with scorers? For one game against the Wolves, the answer is yes.

There really wasn’t much defense being played here, but what Jackson did was still impressive. He didn’t look for his own shot AT ALL, choosing to create for his sweet-shooting teammates like Kelenna Azubuike and Anthony Morrow. “Coach” Don Nelson even joked about how Jackson’s agent ripped him earlier that day.

12:59 AM: Huge dunk from Jawai! Big smile on my face. Don’t care that it’s in this context.

The context: right at the end of the worst loss in T-Wolves history. It really couldn’t have been less meaningful. I’m really rooting for the Aussie to succeed, though. The Raptors had high hopes for him when they picked him up in the 2nd round of the 2008 draft, but he was soon dealt a crushing blow, mistakenly being diagnosed with a cardiac issue and barred from undergoing any physical activity. He missed training camp and never managed to get in game shape for his first NBA team. When he was traded to Dallas in the Turkoglu/Marion deal, it looked like he would unfortunately get lost in the shuffle again. But then the Timberwolves called, with their injury-riddled frontcourt requiring another big body. He still looks like he needs to drop a bit of weight in Minnesota, but he has finally been given a chance to play and has been a contributor.

1:46 AM: Working on article about the rooks. Started off writing full paragraphs, now typed “Beard! Shooting! Perfect fit! Thunder!” Ugh, bed time.

Tuesday, Nov. 10

1:28 PM: My ASG Voting: W: Nash, Kobe, KD, Melo, Amar’e. E: Gil, Wade, LeBron, Bosh, Dwight. Hardest part: No CP3. Unfair, want him instead of Gil.

Getting left off of my All-Star team was is just the start of a horrible, horrible weak for Chris Paul that saw his team lose 3 of 4 games, including being blown out by Phoenix and Atlanta. We’ll get to the rest of it soon. Also, I’d now put Brandon Jennings there instead of Gilbert. No contest.

8:34 PM: Carmelo just did the most impressive offensive thing (1:31 here) I’ve seen since that Wade “slashing through the whole D” thing.

I was watching the game with Julian and Wagman. It was one of those plays where we all went “holy shit!” when it happened and were even more impressed when we saw the replay. The degree of difficulty on that play is off the charts; Melo is unbelievable.

9:47 PM Gilbert Arenas is in danger of breaking Jason Kidd’s all-time record for turnovers in a game (14).

He finished with 12, tying the opposing team on the night and Dwyane Wade, Paul Pierce, Allen Iverson, Damon Stoudamire, and Scottie Pippen in the record book. Kelly Dwyer said he should have sat this one out and, even though I’m a massive Arenas fan, I’m not going to offer a counter argument.

10:29 PM: BRAD MILLER IS THE NEW DEREK FISHER. HOLY HELL
10:33 PM: I’ve seen this replay 20 times and still don’t know if it should count or not.

I flipped to the OKC game because it looked like it was over when Billups was at the foul line with 0.6 on the clock. Something told me to check back on this one more time, though, and we were lucky enough to get there literally a second before the inbound pass. When Brad Miller’s desperation shot (1:40 here) went in, we all went apeshit. I’m surprised nobody got hurt. Then, there was 10 minutes of watching replays and debating over whether or not it was good. Julian and Wagman were certain it was late. I wasn’t sure. In retrospect, they were right.

11:09 PM: Numerous buzzer-beaters tonight. James Harden just hit a RIDICULOUS one to end the half. Yes, it counted.

12:41 AM: Blah. Not happy about that ending for my 2nd-favourite team (1:55 here). Thought that last shot had a chance.

Kevin Durant had 37 points on 23 shots, shooting 18-18 from the line. Wasn’t enough, though, against this powerhouse Sacramento team.

12:48 AM: Nice timing. As soon as the OKC game ended, Bill Simmons appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Still on right now.

4:37 AM: Stayed up all this time editing a podcast. Have never done that before. Crap, have to leave for work in 4 hours

Wednesday, Nov. 11

11:51 AM: B. Jennings on NBA TV yesterday

2:37 PM: Never thought I’d see Nash referred to as “the Iggy Pop of the NBA”. Can’t really argue, I guess.

7:19 PM: Every time DeRozan scores I’m… uhhh… proud? Is that what it is? Have no idea why. Anyway, I like him.

Holly MacKenzie re-tweeted this one and said “Thanks for saying it for me.” Thing is, as someone who covers the Raptors, she has talked to DeMar in a pre-draft workout, at the draft, at the Vegas summer league, and at practice all the time. It makes sense for her to feel that way; she’s been there and seen him working hard. I, on the other hand, have never met the guy. I didn’t even see much of him in college. I don’t really know how he became “my guy”, but he is. There’s something about him that makes me watch him in the same way I imagine people watch their kids. If he makes a mistake on the court, the first thing that comes to my mind is always something like “noooo, I hope he doesn’t lose any confidence” instead of something like “get that rookie out of the game”. I root for him harder than anyone else on my hometown team. This has definitely has added to my enjoyment of the Raptors this season, but it’s a bit weird. I even added him as a friend on Facebook.

10:00 PM: Feel bad for New Jersey (1:52 here). Oh man. “They end this one with a whimper” – that is correct, Ian Eagle.

That had to hurt. So much. Without Harris, this is a team full of young guys trying to scrape together wins even when they’re overmatched. To come this close, and then have a turnover like that one? Gutting.

10:14 PM: Huge 3 from Jennings. He has 23 and 9. Then he drew the 5th foul on Nene while trying to get a rebound.
10:15 PM: ANOTHER 3! Jennings! I have no words.
10:25 PM: Normally I like the Nuggets but against this Bucks team they are pure evil to me. Go Jennings.
10:27 PM: Clutch ft’s, Brandon. Nice.

I’m not apologizing one bit for all this Jennings love (and this is nothing, wait till we get to Saturday). This rookie is a wonder. We haven’t seen a small, left-handed rookie point guard who can score from anywhere on the court, keep his teammates happy, and come through in the clutch like this since Damon Stoudamire won the Rookie of the Year in 1995-1996. He is like Damon on steroids. His drives are captivating, his shot is pure, and his swagger is immense. Defenses fear him. Try asking me when the Bucks are coming to Toronto and I’ll tell you “January 22” before you finish your sentence. It’s as if God created Brandon Jennings to thank me for being a basketball fan.

10:30 PM: Switched over to HOU game for a second and saw Carl Landry get a fucking vicious block on Rudy Gay. Along with it, a nice scream.

I couldn’t find a video of that particular block, but I found this one. Insane. Landry really embarrassed Rudy that night, just like Travis Outlaw did the night before. Rough week. Sorry, Rudy. One more thing: I’m not the least bit surprised that Landry is having so much success this season. In fact, I thought he’d be scoring more than this. He was quietly a very efficient scorer for the Rockets for the past couple of seasons and he possesses passion, energy and all the other good stuff that can’t be seen in his stellar PER. Love this guy. He’s on both of my fantasy teams.

10:35 PM: Read Shoals’s piece about being either extremely pro- or anti-Jennings. Um, yep. 1st time in my life I’ve considered buying a Bucks jersey.

I looked into this. The NBA Store shamefully doesn’t have pre-made Jennings jerseys on the Bucks’ page – you have to select a customized jersey and then find his name on the list, just like you would if you wanted a Francisco Elson jersey. Also, the Bucks’ official store is on the Bradley Center’s website, which is down. (Update: Home, Road, Alternate.)

10:48 PM: I generally can’t turn down a Thunder game but we’ve got Steve Nash and Chris Paul on the floor at the same time here, so… sorry OKC.

Sadly, this was my final tweet of the night. I thought that seeing two of the best point guards ever go at it would keep me going, despite getting less than four hours of sleep the night before. Nope. At some point, I apparently woke up enough to turn off the TV and fall right back to sleep.

Thursday, Nov. 12

7:13 AM: 75 1st-half pts for PHO? Clutchness from KD? F me for falling asleep. Ok with missing Westbrook’s injury live tho, wouldn’t handle that well

I woke up on the couch with the lights still on, a bit confused. Immediately checked highlights to see that Durant had taken out the Clippers without much help from the Thunder’s backcourt terror, including a game-winning jumper with 39 seconds left in the game (1:45 here). Westbrook shot 1-11 in less than 22 minutes and probably shouldn’t have even tried to come back after Marcus Camby landed on his ankle. The Portland/Phoenix game probably would have just depressed me, in retrospect. 75 points in a half sounds like fun, but I’m sick of seeing Chris Paul’s team get killed. Turned out to be Byron Scott’s final game as their coach.

7:29 AM: If you’re not a Will Bynum fan, you have no soul.

7:38 AM: “It felt good, it made me feel young again.” – DeRozan, 20 years old, on his dunk last night.

Aw… What a great kid! Shit, I’m doing it again. I’ll stop.

1:29 PM: Bryon Scott is gone. Not surprised in the least. Lil Buckets & Lil Dimes are free!

The first thing I thought about when I heard the news was that these two rooks would get to see more playing time. I was excited. No one knew who was replacing Byron at this point, though.

2:16 PM: Erm… Bower? I don’t know about this. I guess he’ll probably play the rookies he drafted, which is good. Worried about that team though.

I’m an idiot, I didn’t even notice the Tim Floyd thing initially.

2:30 PM: Sham nails it RT @ShamSports Byron Scott fired, Tim Floyd strangely hired.

I wasn’t going to include re-tweets in this thing, but he said it way better than I could.

2:47 PM: I actually get angry when I think about the Warriors. So much talent. Damn it.

Should I rant here? Do we need another rant about this organization? I’m so far beyond sick of reading about the clusterfuck that is the Golden State Warriors, and I bet you are too. I just want this to end.

8:39 PM: Came on here to see the reactions to Wade’s dunk. Love seeing there are so many people who just freaked out like I did. Thanks, Twitter.

I never thought I’d fully get into this Twitter thing like I have. I’m not just spending so much time there because it’s how you get news now; I legitimately enjoy seeing people’s commentary during games and their responses to crazy plays like this. When you’re staying in to spend quality time with League Pass and your laptop, there’s something pretty cool about seeing a ton of other people doing the same thing and loving it.

9:44 PM: Shortly, there will be a picture of 9-year-old me wearing the purple ‘dino’ uniform on the internet. I’m not sure how I feel about this.

I must say, one of the highlights of my week was when Tas Melas tweeted about the picture. The thing was sent around my office, too. One of my co-workers made it his background image. I’m not seeing any real downside to posting it… yet.

9:52 PM: Barkley, you are killing me.

11:52 PM: The Machine = The ENFORCER!

2:46 AM: Bloody hell. Didn’t quite register how FAR Shannon Brown took off from, live. Bynum, Iggy, Wade, Brown. Couple of amazing nights for dunks.

2:55 AM: “I’m in the NBA and without ACL’s and with the Spurs. Doing my dream. I’m blessed. It’s amazing.”

Friday, Nov. 13

12:02 PM: What the FUCK is this about? CB had a hell of a summer and is 2nd in the league in PER. What more do you want from him?

Um, yeah. This didn’t please me. I just don’t understand what prompted it. Chris Bosh is by no means flawless, but how does he deserve this sort of treatment? Blaming Bosh of all people for Toronto’s lack of post-season success is ridiculous. It’s a team game. And why write this now? There are games to talk about. Reading this article, you would have no idea that almost nobody has been better than Toronto’s franchise guy so far in this young season.

4:35 PM: I need to write about OKC so I have an excuse to use this pic.

5:49 PM: Rockets cut Pops, and the Raptors have a roster spot. I’m sure there are people thinking what I’m thinking.

10:09 PM: Just saw Chris Paul being carried off the floor. Heart fucking sank. Damn it.
10:18 PM: Someone say Chris Paul is okay.

This looked awful. I couldn’t concentrate properly on any basketball being played for the next little while after I saw this (was watching the fantastic first half of the Lakers/Nuggets game at the time). I don’t even know how to put into words how devastated Hornets fans would have been if it turned out to be a season-threatening injury. Then, imagine what Paul himself was going through. Gah. Anyway, it turns out he’s sidelined 3-4 weeks, which isn’t good but isn’t as bad as it could have been. (Update: Now, the Hornets announced Paul is out “indefinitely”. Damn it. I want him back soon. Selfishly, I want him back before December 20, when his team makes its annual visit to Toronto. I was going to take my mom to that game for her birthday! Not going to bother, if there’s no CP3.)

1:31 AM: Um, WHAT? Raptors, Lawson, I didn’t see any of it. Can’t get home fast enough! Ahhh
1:50 AM: I just watched that Lawson dunk 5 times in a row. And I’m not done.

When I went out to watch my friend’s band play, the Lakers/Nuggets game was very competitive and the Raptors had cut a 22-point Clipper lead to 11. This was one of the countless times I’ve been thwarted by not being able to be in two places at once. As soon as the set was over, I checked NBA Game Time Lite and Twitter on my phone. The Raptors had won by 15, the Nuggets by 26, and everyone was losing their shit over one of my favourite rookies dunking over a 7-footer. You should have seen my face. I booked it home, reveled in Lawson’s awesomeness, and watched the Raptors Game In An Hour on Raptors NBA TV.

Saturday, Nov. 14

11:54 AM: Hot damn. I’ve watched a lot of basketball, and DeAndre Jordan’s wide-left attempt last night was one of the worst FT’s I’ve ever seen.

That wasn’t the only great video to come out of this game. Check out Kevin Arnovitz’s work for ClipperBlog. Along with Rob Mahoney at The Two Man Game, online basketball analysis is going to the next level with the use of video.

4:30 PM: About to post another book review. This time, no pics of me as a kid. Just fawning over what’s one of my favourite books ever.

7:12 PM: I’m totally ready for Will Bynum vs. Earl Boykins.

Wagman gets on my case sometimes, saying “you love any little guy who shoots a lot”. I maintain that, while I definitely do like me some small point guards with swagger, he’s simplifying things. For example, I am not a big fan of Bobby Brown or Jannero Pargo. So there.

7:34 PM: Okay, I know AI’s made some mistakes here, but… The Grizz would prefer TINSLEY? Argh. Sigh.

Nothing personal against Tinsley here. When he was in shape, the guy was one of the best distributors in the game. The Grizzlies could definitely use a player like that. It’s just that this whole Iverson scenario pisses me off. It’s inconceivable to me that he signed there without even discussing what his role would be on the team. Bitching to the media won’t solve anything, obviously, but it should have never reached that point. Iverson wasn’t much good in Detroit, but it would be very sad if he went out like this. I still hope that another team gives him a chance to prove he can still play, and that, if given that chance, Iverson makes a concerted effort to fit in, share the ball, and pick his spots. Ron Artest has done this remarkably well in L.A. up to this point, so I guess what I’m saying is… A.I., be more like Artest! Good god.

7:51: Oooooh, Boykins almost converted a 3 while getting fouled. I’ve missed this guy.
7:53: Boykins has 11 points already.

This was crazy. After being out of the NBA since the end of the 2007-2008 season, Earl Boykins hit 5 of his first 6 field goals and energized his new team. Exciting stuff.

9:51: Q-RICH!!!!!! WHAT?!!?!?!?
9:55: Yes Brook!!!
9:56: Noooooooo NJ! Ahhhhhh

At this point, my buddy Justin had come over. He wanted to watch Spurs/Thunder, but I insisted that he had to see Brandon Jennings play (but I hadn’t the slightest fucking clue what we were in for), so we had it mostly on Bucks/Warriors despite him saying they were “bad teams”. Thanks to Twitter, I saw that the Utah/Cleveland and Miami/New Jersey games were going down to the wire. Managed to flip to MIA/NJ in time to see Quentin Richardson bank in a ridiculous three to tie it, Brook Lopez hit a layup to take back the lead, and Dwyane Wade hit an incredible three to crush the Nets’ hopes of finally winning a game. Exciting as hell, but I felt terrible for Jersey – this was probably even tougher than the loss to Philadelphia.

10:06 PM: There is literally no one I like watching more than Brandon Jennings these days
10:09 PM: They’re chanting “Bran-don Jen-nings” in Milwaukee.
10:10 PM: I am freaking out. This is unreal. Brandon Jennings.
10:17 PM: This kid is not human. I don’t even understand this.
10:17 PM: THIS IS WHY I WATCH BASKETBALL
10:19 PM: I feel like I’m high right now.
10:20 PM: This is too much. This is like an advertisement for the sport.
10:34 PM: I am barely paying attention when the Warriors have the ball. Just waiting for Jennings to get it back.
10:50 PM: I keep getting chills.
10:50 PM: When Jennings scores, I feel like I am scoring.
10:53 PM: HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY!!!
10:59 PM: Jennings with the rebound. Fitting.
10:59 PM: BRANDON JENNINGS DID NOT SCORE IN THE 1ST QUARTER
11:05 PM: I am completely spent
11:07 PM: How the fuck did I gain followers tonight? All I’ve done is ramble like a crazy person.
11:14 PM: Fuck you Canada, we have Euroleague right now. Okay, I’m outta here. RT @johnschuhmann Brandon Jennings interview on NBA TV now.

To anyone who saw this live, you understand. If you didn’t, well… I’m not sure I can do it justice with words, but I’ll give it a shot. This was a special performance from an extraordinarily talented player. In the third quarter, everything Jennings did worked. Threes, pull-up jumpers, floaters, layups, they all went in. In the fourth, he wouldn’t let his team lose. The Warriors made a comeback, but every time they needed a basket, Brandon would get one. He even got a key rebound. As he was dominating the game, it never even felt like he was forcing things – he was just on another level. My mind was racing, thinking about what, if anything at all, was going through his head; thinking about what it must be like to be in that arena; and thinking about all the other die-hards lucky enough to have chosen to spend their Saturday night this way, hoping to see something even one-tenth this amazing. Justin and I were screaming, jumping, and high-fiving. I frantically called a few friends to tell them what was going on. I told the guy who has Jennings in our fantasy pool that I’d trade a kidney for him. All this, and I wouldn’t even say I got carried away. This display of excellence deserved extreme reactions. Some descriptors that come to mind: thrilling, awe-inspiring, and emotional. We went out to a bar afterward and it was showing a UFC event. I struggled to talk about anything besides the game and I kept wishing all of the TV’s would suddenly ditch the brawling dudes and play a replay of The Brandon Jennings Show. This game wasn’t only great; for someone like me who recently decided to give this NBA blogging thing a serious try, it was life-affirming.

Sunday, Nov. 15

6:01 PM: Beaubois! Bynum! Pistons vs. Mavericks, I’m up for this.
6:23 PM: Has there ever been a better point guard draft than this one? Jennings, Lawson, Flynn, Beaubois, Maynor, Collison have been very impressive.
6:23 PM: That’s not even mentioning Rubio. Or Evans/Curry/Douglas ’cause they’re combo guards. I think Teague can be a player, too. Damn.

In a liveblog on The Score the other night, we were talking about the rooks and I said this was pretty much a perfect class for me. Tons of really good point guards and pretty much everyone feeling like an underdog after it was declared a “weak” draft class – I can’t ask for more. Beaubois went off against the Pistons, by the way, finishing with 14 points and 4 assists without missing a single shot in 19 minutes of action. At one point, Jason Terry subbed in for him and the announcers talked about how the Pistons were catching a break.

8:43 PM: This is exactly Marco Belinelli’s type of game

You put Phoenix and Toronto on the court and you can expect to see a hell of a lot of fast breaks and ball movement. Belinelli thrives in these freewheeling games, as he can easily find open looks for himself and use his court vision to make plays for others. Now’s a good time to admit that I wasn’t too fond of his acquisition, initially – I thought his turnover rate and his penchant for taking, um, questionable shots made him basically an average offensive player. With his defense looking poor on a Golden State team that basically ignored that end of the floor, I questioned how well his game translated to the NBA. After watching his first 10 games as a Raptor, though, I have become a fan. He has provided a spark off the bench, scoring at a very efficient rate and keeping defenses on their toes with his aggressiveness. The “bad” shots are still there, but he’s actually making a lot of them. His turnovers have dropped a bit, too, and the defense? Not great, but not THAT bad. I can admit when I was wrong.

9:08 PM: Durant has 38. Lawler just said “he should never pass the ball.” Still over 8 minutes left.
9:25 PM: I feel like a bad Raptors fan. Can’t ignore the end of this OKC game.
9:33 PM: Durant is probably thinking about having another slap fight. Damn it, game over.

I don’t feel like that bad of a Raps fan at this point, since I watched the stuff I missed a few hours later. I love Raptors TV. You know what I’d love more, though? If the Canadian version of League Pass aired game replays. Anyway, onto that Thunder/Clippers game – there was 8:43 left and the score was tied when Durant hit for 38. He then missed a three-pointer on their next possession and didn’t shoot again until he made a jump shot with 4:25 left to bring his team within 1. Somehow, that was basically the end of Durant’s contribution. The remainder of the game saw Russell Westbrook and Jeff Green committing turnovers and missing shots, with Durant’s final shot being a meaningless missed 3 when down by 8 with 17 seconds left in the game. I know this team is young, but there’s no excuse for this. Durant is one of the best offensive players in the game and he was unstoppable to the tune of 40 points on this night. Scott Brooks (who drew up a great play to get Jeff Green an open corner 3 late in the game, only to see him miss it), Westbrook, and Durant himself all have to be held accountable for the fact that he vanished at the end of this one. Very frustrating.

10:01 PM: “Amir Johnson has been spectacular tonight.” – @RaptorsDevlin. Yup. Love it love it love it.
10:04 PM: Haha, I see there’s a stretch of 4 almost-consecutive Amir Johnson tweets on my feed. This makes me happy.

I’m a big Amir Johnson fan. In fact, I think I’m the second-biggest Amir Johnson fan in this city. He is a beast on the boards, a quality defensive player when he’s not fouling people, and an energy guy. Seeing him get a season high in minutes played and finish the game with only 3 fouls put a big smile on my face. There’s not much that’s sweeter than seeing young players starting to realize their potential.

10:16 PM: Ballsy shot by Turk. Ballsy.
10:18 PM: Swirsky would be screaming about onions right now. Oh man. TURK!
10:21 PM: I was 100% sure that Turk shot was going in. Then I was 100% sure that Nash one was going in. Ahhhhhhhhhh.
10:23 PM: Crushing. Great game, but crushing.

The end of this 1-point defeat was tough to swallow. Toronto’s big free-agent acquisition, playing despite a banged up hip, hit HUGE back-to-back jumpers in crunch time. The next sequence: Nash getting an and-1 on a layup (to put the Suns up 1), Turkoglu and Nash each just missing the kind of shots you expect these guys to make at the end of games, and then, with the game on the line, Turkoglu missing a step-back after a rare ball-handling hiccup while matched up with Channing Frye. The Raptors haven’t won against Phoenix since Nash signed with them in 2004. So close.

11:02 PM: OMG I just saw the Ariza/Artest shoe thing.

11:11 PM: Aaron Brooks loves playing the Lakers.

The speedy little point guard abused L.A. again, scoring 33 points on 23 shots while grabbing 6 rebounds (!) and dishing out 4 assists in a Rockets victory. We know Derek Fisher has lost a few steps defensively, but you still have to be impressed by Brooks. He raises his game when he plays the champs.

11:36 PM: Really appreciate how the Rockets have played this season.

The last game of the week, and it’s damn appropriate. Here’s a team that hasn’t seen a minute from its two stars making close to $40 million this season. Their record is 4-3 and they have beaten the Lakers once and lost to them by just 1 another time. Show their roster to a casual fan and they will not get excited – Brooks, Landry, Trevor Ariza (who the Lakers honoured with a very classy championship ring presentation and tribute), Shane Battier, Luis Scola, and Chuck Hayes won’t get a lot of votes for the All-Star Game this season. But all of them, along with Kyle Lowry, David Andersen, and Chase Budinger, have been a joy to watch this season. They play hard, they play together, and they don’t get blown out (with one exception). On paper, they don’t look like they have the personnel to be a good offensive team, but Rick Adelman has them playing above-average offensive basketball thus far. The defense? Even without Yao, they can play D. Chuck Hayes is nothing short of brilliant on that end of the floor and you don’t need me to tell you about Shane Battier. When you watch League Pass all the time, you inevitably have some teams that draw you in more than others. For me, if the Rockets are playing, I’m probably watching. Unless Brandon Jennings is on another channel, that is.