Alex Gallard / AP Photo

Some week to inexcusably slack on my daily blog, right? Holy crap.

You’ve no doubt watched/read about all of this already by now, but let’s have a quick look at what happened over the past week:

The Jazz came back from double-digit deficits in four straight road games, after coming back to beat the Clippers in double-OT at home. Two of those wins were against the Heat and Magic on a back-to-back. Against Miami, Paul Millsap went Reggie Miller at the end of the fourth and ended up with 46 points. I’m still not sure that all of this really occurred. I’ve no idea how good Utah actually is. And I don’t think we’ll learn much from tonight’s game against the tired Thunder… but I do know they’ve been successful against teams with singular names recently.

The Pacers scored 54 freaking points in a quarter. They made twenty straight shots, before Josh McRoberts missed a three-pointer on their last possession. Mike Dunleavy scored 24 points in that quarter.

Yes, I realize that I linked back to a post on this site. I’m allowed; I didn’t write it. I couldn’t have written it.

Michael Beasley hit a ton of J’s against the Kings. He hit J after J after smooth J and ended up with 42 points. Two days later, against the Knicks, he did the same thing without getting to the line as often. He ended up with 35 points. Nick Flynt had to apologize to him.

In that Knicks/Wolves game, Kevin Love had a double-Reggie. He scored 31 points and grabbed 31 rebounds. As I’m sure you’re aware, the last person to reach 30/30 was Moses Malone 28 years ago. That same night, the entire Wizards team only grabbed 30 rebounds against the Bobcats. Love didn’t grab a single rebound in the first seven minutes of play. He outrebounded the Knicks 22-17 by himself in the 2nd half, 15 of those coming in the third quarter. He raised his rebounding average from 12.8 to 14.6 per game. Press row was counting each rebound out loud after #25. None of these sentences look like they can possibly be accurate.

Lost in Beasley’s and Love’s numbers is the fact that the Wolves’ comeback was crazy in its own right. They were down by 21 with nine minutes left in the third. In the last 21 minutes, they outscored New York 55-25. And the game wasn’t even on local TV in Minneapolis.

From a New York perspective, this game was not fun. Take a look at this recap on Bandwagon Knick.

And of course, the week had to end with something absolutely ridiculous. Last night, the Suns hit twenty-two threes against the Lakers. That’s their franchise record, that’s the most the Lakers have ever given up, and that’s one short of the NBA record for threes in a game. Jason Richardson shot 7-10 from deep and is now 31-61 on the season. Obviously, an absurd 30-footer from Hedo Turkoglu was the dagger. Makes perfect sense, this week.

Fun with stats

Joakim Noah is hitting 56% of his ugly jump shots from 16-23 feet.

Josh Smith has 1102 career blocks. He moved past Dikembe Mutombo (1,094) on the Hawks’ all-time blocks list a bit over a week ago. Tree Rollins is #1, with 2,283. Smith led the league in blocks per game before recording only 1 last night. Now, Roy Hibbert (3.0, #TeamHibs) leads the league. And JaVale McGee leads the league in block percentage – he’s blocked an INSANE 10% of his opponents’ 2-point field goal attempts.

Brook Lopez is averaging 5.9 rebounds per game. Chris Bosh is averaging 6.0 rebounds per game. Russell Westbrook is averaging 6.0 rebounds per game.

When the Warriors beat Utah 85-78 on Nov. 5, Utah’s 78 were the fewest GS had given up since beating the Clippers 109-77 in November of 2006. Eight days later, the Warriors lost in Milwaukee 79-72.

When the Wolves beat Sacramento on Wednesday, it was their first road victory since a February win against a Heat team that started Carlos Arroyo, Daequan Cook, Quentin Richardson, Michael Beasley, and Jermaine O’Neal.

The Heat are awesome in the third quarter. They average 27.3 points in the third and give up only 19.6.

As you know, the Jazz have won five straight. The last time Al Jefferson won five straight was in December 2006. That Celtics group lost 18 straight later that season.

Rashard Lewis played 25:40 against the Raptors on Saturday and, for the first time in his Magic career, did not attempt a three-pointer. Mickael Pietrus, however, attempted 11 three pointers and made 8 of them. Pietrus didn’t take any two-pointers or free throws. Also, Lewis has been in a MAJOR shooting slump – he’s only shooting 27% from 16-23 feet and 32% from three.

Also shooting poorly – Brandon Roy. His problem is different than Lewis, though. His shooting from distance has actually improved, but at the rim Roy is shooting 52% (down from 63.6% last year), within 10 feet he’s shooting 43% (down from 46% last year), and from 10-15 he’s shooting 33% (down from 47% last year). It’s safe to assume this is because of his stupid freaking knees that I’m not ready to talk about yet.

The 8-0 Hornets have yet to trail by double figures in a game.

Rajon Rondo has had 15+ assists SEVEN TIMES this season. All other NBA players have combined to do it five times.

I don’t want to put any of Darko’s terrible stats here so just click this link.

Shannon Brown is shooting 47% on threes this season, after shooting 33% last season. He’s averaging 3.4 attempts from downtown this season, up from 2.3 last season. Shot looks way, way better, as well.

Matt Bonner shot 7-7 on threes last night. Those seven were a career high and none of them touched the rim. On two point attempts, he was 0-3. You should read this post about it.

The Spurs are 8-1. That’s their best start in franchise history. THEY WILL NOT DIE.

Quoted

“This would have been a tough one if we would have lost it. I might have cried. I’m glad we won… seriously.” – Deron Williams, after playing 54 minutes in Utah’s double-OT win over the Clips back on Nov. 6. I know this quote is old, but it’s good.

“I’m a Monster and everyday is Halloween.” – Michael Beasley, after scoring 35 against the Knicks.

“Coach Sloan motivates us. He makes you want to run through a brick wall for him.” – Al Jefferson, after the Jazz came back to beat Atlanta.

“Even when we had a little trouble to start the season, at least they stayed together and worked themselves out of it. That’s the only way you have a chance. If you get [in] an ice pick fight out in the parking lot, then you have to try to solve that problem.” – Master motivator Jerry Sloan, also after the Jazz came back to beat Atlanta.

“We’re asking him to play a position he’s never played and do things he’s never had to do. He’s never had to guard Zach Randolph, have to guard Pau Gasol… I think we have to give him a little bit of a break, it’s a huge transition for him. He’s doing everything we’ve asked him to do.” – Alvin Gentry, on Hedo Turkoglu. What I wonder is WHY you’re asking him to do things he’s never had to do. He’s not capable of doing them.

“Losing four in a row isn’t fun.” – Jamal Crawford, on snapping a 4-game losing streak.

“I think [the Pistons] are a playoff team in the East. I don’t think there is much doubt about it.” – Paul Westphal, after the Kings lost to Detroit. They could be a playoff team, but I think there’s some doubt about it.

Chris Graythen / Getty Images

The NBA season is almost here.

First of all, WOOOOO!

Second, um, hello. I come to you with my predictions for the season, along with reasons I’m excited about each and every team that I’ll be watching on League Pass from this week till mid-April. We know how difficult it is to prognosticate in October and that injuries and trades will change everything, but hey, predictions are fun! Feel free to call me out when some of the things I say look hilariously dumb a month or two from now. Here we go:

Eastern Conference

1. Miami: 66-16 (last season: 47-35)

I might actually be selling them short with 66. They’ve got weaknesses (old and slow bench, subpar centers) but their strengths are so strong that they should win most regular season games fairly easily.

I can’t imagine trying to gameplan for them. We’ve seen that it takes a total team defensive effort to limit LeBron and Wade separately. Now, they’re together, with Bosh?! They’re going to punish teams on the break and get to the line a billion times a game. It’s going to be amazing to watch.

Excited about: Finding out if they care about winning 70+, seeing if Spoelstra gets creative with his offense, and discussing LeBron’s on-court brilliance instead of his off-court madness.

2. Orlando: 60-22 (last season: 59-23)

Don’t forget how good the Magic were last season. They had the league’s best point differential and it wasn’t close. They went 33-8 in the second half of the season. Entering the playoffs, lots of extremely smart people (and I) picked them to win the East. Problem is, they ran into a Boston team playing at its peak.

This year, if Jameer Nelson and Rashard Lewis play the way they should, you still have to consider Orlando title contenders. The Heat look impossible, but you can see the Magic giving them trouble. Miami currently has no one to guard Dwight one-on-one and there are plenty of capable outside shooters here to make them pay for doubling.

There’s room for improvement on last season’s mark because Vince Carter had some truly awful stretches last season while learning the offense and playing hurt. A bounceback season is possible for VC, even though he’s turning 34 in January. His strong pre-season is evidence for this.

Excited about: Dwight Howard proving Ben Q. Rock right for saying what he said here.

3. Boston: 50-32 (last season: 50-32)

This is still a championship contender. No one wants to face them in the playoffs. When you’ve got Kevin Garnett, Rajon Rondo, and Kendrick Perkins, you’ve got an elite defense. Even with Tom Thibodeau gone.

However, as we saw last year, this team isn’t built with the regular season in mind. While it is certainly possible to improve on last season’s mark due to their painfully average second half of 2009-2010, I wouldn’t bet on it. Even with the strengthened bench – watch out, they’re incredibly deep now – the Celtics likely will lose games due to their veterans’ injuries and reduced minutes. Hopefully, though, they won’t lose any due to disinterest this time around.

Excited about: Delonte West redeeming himself, Rondo starting in the All-Star Game.

Gary Dineen / Getty Images

4. Milwaukee: 47-35 (last season: 46-36)

If you’re pessimistic about the Bucks’ chances, I understand. They vastly overachieved relative to expectations last season and Skiles has a track record of flaming out. There are difficult rotation decisions to make here and Keyon Dooling is a downgrade from Luke Ridnour at the backup point guard spot that was so important last year.

I’m going the other way, though. Counting on improvement from Brandon Jennings and hoping for only a small drop-off from Andrew Bogut, I think Milwaukee can sustain despite not being able to sneak up on teams anymore.

Drew Gooden and Corey Maggette address their desperate need for more scoring. Maggette in particular is a perfect fit for the free throw-challenged Bucks, as he is incredible at getting to the line. These two don’t play standout defense, but Skiles has incorporated poor defenders into great defensive systems before. And with the deep bench and versatility on this roster, it should happen again.

Excited about: EVERYTHING. This was one of my favourite teams to watch last season. Can’t wait to see Jennings and Bogut work the pick and roll (on both ends), thrilled that CDR has a fresh start, and hungry for a Brockman Burger.

4. Chicago: 47-35 (last season: 41-41)

Trading Vinny Del Negro for Tom Thibodeau and acquiring a much-needed low post scorer and pick-and-roll man in Carlos Boozer means the Bulls should be worlds better than last season.

I hesitate to put them in the 50-win category just yet, especially with Boozer out to start the season, but if Thibs can impart some of his defensive wisdom on Derrick Rose then they certainly have a shot at it. Rose can improve on the other side of the ball, too – even if he doesn’t become a three-point threat this season, just getting to the line more would be huge.

Excited about: An improved offense – TT is known as a defensive mastermind, but the Bulls’ problem under VDN was the other side of the floor, where they’ve already shown progress.

6. Atlanta: 46-36 (last season: 53-29)

Atlanta’s bringing back basically the same club that won 53 games last season. But with Larry Drew implementing a motion-based offense and a defense that isn’t built on switching every screen, Hawks games will be different.

To sustain their record, I’d have to bet that the potentially more entertaining offense will be as effective as their isolation-heavy offense. I’d have to bet on Jeff Teague emerging as a viable alternative to Mike Bibby and his atrocious defense. I’d have to bet on Jamal Crawford duplicating his fantastic Sixth Man of the Year campaign last season. I’d have to bet on another essentially injury-free season. Can’t do that.

Excited about: Josh Smith remaining the best player on the team and finally making it to the All-Star Game.

7. Philadelphia: 38-44 (last season: 27-55)

Call me crazy, but I think they have playoff talent. I had them at 40-42 a year ago and still think they were capable of that mark if Eddie Jordan hadn’t lost them.

Jordan was hired to make a good defensive team also a good offensive team. He ended up making a bad offensive team also a bad defensive team. Under Doug Collins, things should be different.

As has been the case for years now, there’s plenty of young defensive weapons here. They should be able to force turnovers and bad shots. And on offense, they have plenty of options. I am sure Collins will draw up a thousand plays and make sure they get efficient looks at the basket.

They still lack wing shooting, but have numerous big men who can help space the floor. For things to go right, the rotations must be balanced and everyone’s going to have to buy in. You can’t count on this happening, but I’ll be optimistic.

Excited about: Jrue Holiday, but maybe not as excited as Doug Collins is.

7. New York: 38-44 (last season: 29-53)

With the additions of Amar’e, Felton, Azubuike, Turiaf, and everyone’s favourite 21 year-old, Anthony Randolph, we’re looking at a possible playoff squad.

I’ve got them in the post-season because I think they’re going to be a quality offensive team. And, if D’Antoni has them practicing defense this season, they’re capable of being not-completely-terrible on that end, too.

Felton isn’t the ideal 7SOL point guard, but he’s solid for the price they paid. And Amar’e, assuming he’s as motivated as he was after the All-Star Break last season, could average over 30. With the fantastic value they got for David Lee, you have to call the off-season a success.

They really need to look at acquiring some rebounding help, though.

Excited about: Amar’e Stoudemire and Anthony Randolph finishing fast breaks.

9. Charlotte: 35-47 (last season: 44-38)

The playoffs aren’t out of the question, with Larry Brown’s track record of squeezing the most out of clubs like this. But the fact is that this team lost its starting center and point guard and haven’t replaced them.

Gerald Wallace and Stephen Jackson had to carry the team offensively last season. They’ll have to do that again, and I’m not confident they’ll have the league’s best defense again.

Excited about: Shaun Livingston having an NBA home.

10. Indiana: 34-48 (last season: 32-50)

Finally, they’ve got a point guard. The Troy Murphy for Darren Collison trade looks like a home run for Indy. But how will it translate in the win column this year?

I see Indy being terrible on the glass, average on D, and decent on offense. Sure, the offense could be better than decent if Collison, Granger, and Hibbert all have great seasons. But will that make ‘em a playoff team? I’m guessing no, even in the East.

An offensive boost would change what it’s like to watch this team, though. In contrast to their very entertaining 2008-2009 run, last year’s Pacers were a chore to watch. As the second-fastest team in the league, they proved that fast-paced basketball isn’t always exciting basketball. Here’s hoping Collison makes things fun again.

Excited about: The new and improved Roy Hibbert.

11. Washington: 30-52 (last season: 26-56)

If you’re like me, you’re a big Gilbert Arenas fan and you’re itching to see him out there again. You want to know if he can be an efficient scorer off the ball. You want to see if he’s healthy and committed enough to play solid defense.

And if you’re like me, you watched more college basketball last season than you had in years simply because of John Wall’s Kentucky team. The kid is electric and we expect big things for good reason. Just know that rookie point guards make lots of mistakes while learning on the job.

Without knowing how Wall/Arenas works out, and with the tantalizing/frustrating talents of Andray Blatche still in the frontcourt, it’s difficult to project where this team lands up. I suspect they’ll be the most inconsistent team in the league. I’ll say they improve this year, but they’ll need to make a roster move or two with defense in mind if they are to make a big jump right away.

Excited about: John Wall’s alley-oops to JaVale McGee.

12. Detroit: 28-54 (last season: 27-55)

No doubt, last year’s team underachieved. It was a deep team that had plenty of offensive firepower, yet it finished 21st in offense. Injuries to almost every key contributor had much to do with it. The team never clicked, roles were never established, and one got the feeling halfway through the season that the team was looking forward to next year.

Now, it’s next year. They’ve got something to prove. But there are flaws on this roster. It lacks a star and quality two-way players. Kuester’s going to have to figure out how to balance the rotation and define roles. Even with Jerebko hurt, there are major logjams at the 2, 3, and 4. The front office must want to see development from the young guys, but can they sit the highly-paid veterans?

The McGrady signing is confusing because of his age and the fact that they have guys who play the same positions. It’s interesting, though, because this team desperately needs a distributor. That’s a role McGrady is capable of fulfilling if he wants to.

Excited about: Will Bynum’s increased range.

13. New Jersey: 27-55 (last season: 12-70)

Last season, the Nets’ power forward minutes went to Yi Jianlian, Kris Humphries, and Josh Boone. This year, they’ll go to Troy Murphy and Derrick Favors. This alone should bump up their win total.

Their offense should improve greatly, as Avery Johnson will make sure they actually run plays. Anthony Morrow, Travis Outlaw, and hopefully a full year of the late-season version of Terrence Williams will help, too.

Avery will preach defense, but I don’t think they have the personnel to be good on that end. This is what’ll keep them out of playoff contention.

Excited about: The beauty that is an Anthony Morrow jumper and a Terrence Williams dunk.

13. Toronto: 27-55 (last season: 40-42)

Duh, the Raptors will be significantly worse this year. They lost their only elite player and their off-season moves don’t give us reason to see their-league worst defense becoming passable. Bargnani’s touch and size make him an extremely tough cover, but teams have fared a lot better against him with Bosh sitting out. Unless they hit an absolute home run with their trade exception, don’t expect much winning this year.

Toronto could be fun to watch, though. Last year’s team was maddening at times due to high expectations and Hedo Turkoglu. Both are gone, now. Any success this group finds will be a surprise. I’m looking forward to watching my hometown team, even if I have no delusions about a playoff berth.

Excited about: The Young Onez dunking on fools.

15. Cleveland: 18-64 (last season: 61-21)

It kills me to make this prediction. Cleveland fans don’t deserve this, but here we are.

What was once an elite defensive team will be much worse without LeBron and Delonte. Anderson Varejao and J.J. Hickson were efficient offensively, but never had to create shots for themselves. Mo Williams and Antawn Jamison can score, but I doubt they’re in Cleveland by the trade deadline.

It’ll be great to see Ramon Sessions get starters’ minutes and you have to hope Byron Scott lets the young guys run. You’ll want to watch the Cavs to see Jamario Moon and J.J. Hickson finishing fast breaks.

Excited about: The healthy Leon Powe.

Western Conference

Lluis Gene / AFP Photo / Getty Images

Just as they did last year, the Lakers have 70-win potential. In fact, there’s no reason they can’t improve. Their bench will be better than it was. Pau could get more touches. Kobe could be more efficient.

The other side of it: these Lakers haven’t consistently played with the discipline required to win 70 games in the regular season. They’ll abandon the triangle, coast through some possessions, and rely on their superior talent to win close games. They’re an absolute joy to watch at their peak, but we don’t know when they’ll play at their peak.

With Bynum’s knee and Kobe’s finger, I’ll say they’ll duplicate their last regular season. I also expect them to return to the finals.

Excited about: Matt Barnes and Ron Artest on the same team!

2. Portland: 53-29 (last season: 50-32)

Portland overachieved last year when you consider the ridiculous assortment of injuries it had to face. With fewer injuries, a young core one year older, and a full season of Marcus Camby, this team should be among the league’s best.

Stat people love this team and it’s clear why. The Blazers are deep at every position, Brandon Roy is a year removed from being “just a step behind Kobe,” Greg Oden is a monster at both ends when he’s healthy, and Nic Batum seems poised to break out. I just hope they’re at full-strength come playoff time.

Excited about: Rose Garden going f’ing crazy in the playoffs.

3. San Antonio: 51-31 (last season: 50-32)

The West will be tough, but don’t expect the Spurs to go away. They won 50 games with disappointing seasons from Tony Parker and Richard Jefferson. Now, with Tiago Splitter giving Timmy some help on the inside, they’ve improved.

Duncan and Ginobili are still producing and I don’t expect that to change. Sure, Tim’s not the dominating defensive presence he once was, but he’s still effective there and a game-changer on the offensive end. They probably won’t get a full season from Manu, but George Hill can capably fill in and The Poo God is still one of the league’s very best two-guards when he’s healthy.

Excited about: DeJuan Blair, 21 years old, starting in the NBA without ACL’s.

Nathaniel S. Butler / Getty Images

4. Oklahoma City: 50-32 (last season: 50-32)

Despite OKC being my favourite team to root for, I’d be surprised if these guys increased their win total from last season.

Even with improvement from almost everyone on the roster, wins will be hard to come by in the West. And last year was a special, special season for the Thunder: In addition to finding that magical chemistry that made NBA freaks fall in love with them, they somehow managed to remain injury-free. They’d be incredibly lucky to duplicate that.

Excited about: More minutes for the lovable Serge Ibaka and the bearded James Harden.

5. Utah: 49-33 (last season: 50-32)

Their 8-0 preseason made me rethink this team a little. I thought they’d start slow again, with Okur out and Jefferson getting himself settled in. Now, though, I’m thinking maybe we won’t have to wait for the new year to let out a collective “holy crap, this team is good!”

With Korver in Chicago and Matthews in Portland, it’s important for the Jazz to get some production from Raja Bell and Gordon Hayward.

Excited about: Paul Millsap being featured in the offense again, Al Jefferson playing on national television, and Raja Bell at full health.

6. Dallas: 46-36 (last season: 55-27)

The Mavs are old and they overachieved last season by winning tons of close games. Nonetheless, they are a good basketball team.

Dirk is a treasure and he’ll continue putting up monster numbers without wasting possessions. I hoped they’d get more for Dampier’s nonguaranteed contract, but Chandler should play well with Jason Kidd. Hopefully he can stay on the floor.

The problem is that they still don’t have an elite wing creator to pair with Dirk… or at least not a proven one. If I’m Rick Carlisle, I’m playing Roddy Beaubois 30+ minutes a game because he’s the only hope Dallas has of making a significant improvement this year. If he can come close to sustaining his awesome per-minute stats from last year, this team could be on the right track. The problem, of course, is keeping Kidd/Terry/Butler/Marion happy with the reduced minutes that would result.

Excited about: Rodrigue Beaubois, just like every other NBA diehard is.

7. Denver: 44-38 (last season: 53-29)

There’s talent in Denver, but things aren’t looking great for 2010-2011. Obviously, the most important storyline here is what happens with Melo. After that, though, you have to wonder how they’ll do up front with the Birdman and Kenyon Martin having knee issues – this team was only average on defense last season.

Ty Lawson should get more minutes and look for his own shot more often. This’ll help. Al Harrington will help, too. But we’re still waiting for J.R. Smith to put it all together and there’s no way to know when that’s going to happen. Assuming Melo sticks around, I’m comfortable saying this is a playoff team, but uncomfortable predicting anything better than that.

Excited about: More gems like this.

7. Houston: 44-38 (last season: 42-40)

You already know Yao’s playing a maximum of 24 minutes each night and he’ll skip some back-to-backs. He’s still going to transform the way this team plays.

They’re going to have to get used to playing two different styles on a regular basis: with Yao, they must make a concerted effort to feed the post in the half-court. Without him, they must push the ball in the style they did last year. It’s going to be up to Aaron Brooks to pick his spots offensively. (Hint: cut down the field goal attempts when the big man is out there.)

The Rockets certainly have the pieces to be a much better offensive team than we saw last year. We don’t know, however, if they can get back to being the defensive force we were used to until Yao’s injury. With Aaron Brooks and Kevin Martin sharing the backcourt, and Yao struggling with mobility, this will be a challenge.

Excited about: Yao! And probably my favourite bench in the league: Kyle Lowry, Courtney Lee, Chase Budinger, Patrick Patterson, Chuck Hayes, and the suddenly-intriguing Ish Smith.

9. Memphis: 42-40 (last season: 40-42)

Like the Thunder, Memphis was able to avoid major injuries last season. With that luck, an unexpected All-Star campaign from Zach Randolph, and the emergence of Marc Gasol as an All-Star caliber player as well, they exceeded expectations.

Their undefeated preseason is definitely encouraging. Historically, teams that roll through the preseason at least make the playoffs. And with the way this team should dominate the offensive glass and score at the basket, that’s a realistic goal. It’ll be tough in this conference, though.

The Grizzlies brought back their important players and added Tony Allen and Xavier Henry. If Darrell Arthur can give them something and there’s improvement from OJAM and Gasol, they could do some damage. I’m just not convinced that they’ll be playoff-bound with that bench and that defense.

Excited about: Marc Gasol getting more touches. Please, Basketball Gods, make this happen.

Christian Peterson / Getty Images

10. Phoenix: 40-42 (last season: 54-28)

Of course, it’s possible that Phoenix will return to the playoffs. With Steve Nash and plenty of shooters, their offense should be very good. (I say this despite them making less than a quarter of their threes in the preseason.)

The problem is that, without Amar’e, I don’t expect them to be GREAT offensively. And if you’re going to be as bad as I think the Suns will be on defense and on the boards, you need a fantastic offense to make up for it.

Look for Nash/Lopez and Nash/Warrick pick-and-rolls. Look for Turkoglu to be better than he was in Toronto, but nowhere near worthy of that crazy contract. Look for Josh Childress’s awesome mini-fro. But don’t look for a team anywhere near as good as it was last May.

Excited about: Another year of Steve Nash, another year of JMZ.

11. New Orleans: 39-43 (last season: 37-45)

A healthy Chris Paul is worth more than two extra wins in a vacuum, but almost every team in the West improved.

Paul has carried weak supporting casts before and this year he’s actually a part of a very solid starting unit. This team is shallow, though. In fact, the bench is so blah that it makes sense for Marcus Thornton to play the 6th man role despite being clearly superior to Marco Belinelli, horrendous preseason shooting notwithstanding. I dig the Jerryd Bayless acquisition and I like me some Pops, but I think they need more help.

Excited about: Chris Paul reminding people he’s a legit MVP candidate when he’s at full-strength.

12. Golden State: 36-46 (last season: 26-56)

David Lee, Lou Amundson, Dorell Wright, Jeremy Lin, Rodney Carney, Charlie Bell, Dan Gadzuric, and half a season of Ekpe Udoh > Corey Maggette, Anthony Morrow, Anthony Randolph, Kelenna Azubuike, Ronny Turiaf, and C.J. Watson?

Not exactly.

But it’s not as simple as that. These Warriors should be much better than last year. With Don Nelson out of there, this team should play some defense. Reggie Williams won’t have to play power forward. Andris Biedrins will actually get on the floor. Brandan Wright might finally get a chance.

The Steph Curry/David Lee pick-and-roll will be almost impossible to stop. Monta Ellis could go back to scoring efficiently. There are plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the W’s right now. I just get the feeling they’re a year away, in this conference.

Excited about: Staying up late to watch these guys put up lots of points, Bay Area fans finally seeing this franchise move in a positive direction.

13. Sacramento: 35-47 (last season: 25-57)

If DeMarcus Cousins is as good as I think he is, Sacramento’s offense just got a lot better. And with a full season of Carl Landry and improvement from their young guys, the Kings should have made some progress on the offensive end anyway.

Samuel Dalembert might be seen as simply an expiring contract, but he should be huge for the Kings on D when he returns from injury. The Kings haven’t had a shot-blocker in ages and desperately needed an anchor last season. Spencer Hawes may be full of potential, but he’s never going to be that guy.

The second-year bump from Evans and Casspi along with the Cousins/Landry/Dalembert/Thompson frontcourt makes it tempting to predict an OKC-like leap in the standings. While I’d LOVE to see it happen, I’m betting against it. Still, there will be progress.

Excited about: DeMarcus Cousins making a couple of GM’s look very, very foolish.

14. Los Angeles Clippers: 31-51 (last season: 29-53)

The Clippers were awful again last season. Baron Davis was better than the year before, but he still launched way too many ill-advised threes. Despite a great season from Chris Kaman, they were 28th in offense. And if you’ve paid for ESPN Insider and read Hollinger’s preview, then you know that they only had the point differential of a 21-win team.

This year, with Blake Griffin, they should be better. But he’s the only reason I’m optimistic. Baron Davis came into camp out of shape and I’m not confident that Vinny Del Negro is the answer here. As with any of Baron’s teams, there’s potential for a huge turnaround because we know he has an incredible amount of talent. I just don’t see how you can trust that he’ll harness it the way we want him to at this point.

Excited about: More highlights like this.

15. Minnesota: 22-60 (last season: 15-67)

I want to give them more than 22 based on talent, but I see them underachieving on offense and being terrible defensively.

Kind of like last year, where they finished 29th in offense despite having Al Jefferson and Kevin Love on the team… and were so bad defensively that Darko Milicic seemed like a revelation to their General Manager.

The difference is, this year, if they underachieve like I think they will, it’ll be even more annoying. This team really has talent. David Kahn made some puzzling off-season decisions, but Wesley Johnson, Martell Webster, Luke Ridnour, Nikola Pekovic, and Anthony Tolliver are rotation players. Minnesota actually has real depth here.

I’d love to see a more-than-7-game improvement, but I’m worried that tons of turnovers, players struggling with the system, and embarrassing interior D will keep them in the West’s basement.

Excited about: Kevin Love finally getting the minutes he deserves.

Mark J. Terrill / AP

We start with the Clips, move on to the teams dominating the preseason so far (ORL, MEM, UTA), and touch on the expectations for the Thunder and Andrea Bargnani. We go over some interesting preseason stat lines and end with Julian complaining about Shaq being a statue and Ron Artest’s shenanigans.

Runtime is 42:04.

Click here to listen to the podcast.

Recommended links:
Lee Jenkins on the Thunder
Sebastian Pruiti on Andrea Bargnani
Ben Q. Rock on Vince Carter

Pat Sullivan/AP

We know Houston’s trade deadline deal was very, very good. Few would argue that Carl Landry is a better fit than Kevin Martin and it’s not hard to understand the value of a 22-year-old big man with potential and future first-round picks, especially considering the track record of the man who has the power to use them.

It’s important to note, though, that Daryl Morey would have done the Landry-Martin swap even if he had not received all those goodies from the Knicks. If we’re to believe the reports that surfaced late last Tuesday night, the Rockets were prepared to receive Sergio Rodriguez and Kenny Thomas (and their expiring deals) from Sacramento to complete the trade if New York was not going to be involved.

Noam Schiller analyzed this version of the deal and came to the same conclusion as I did: it’s good for the Rockets. Martin is a better player than Landry and he fits better with their other core pieces. But here’s the thing: Martin makes way more money than Landry, at least until the end of next season. And while I prefer Martin overall, I wouldn’t argue he’s THAT much better than Landry. In fact, I agree with Tom Ziller when he says that Carl Landry is essentially the power forward version of Kevin Martin. They’re both extremely efficient scorers who play below-average D and don’t create for others often.

Here’s where it gets tricky. If you’re a GM, should you prefer the power forward version of Kevin Martin or the shooting guard version? Conventional wisdom in the NBA dictates that you never trade big for small. Yet the most revered GM around has done just that, with players who have similar strengths and weaknesses, and he reportedly would have done it even without getting other assets as sweetener.

Morey, as a guest on The B.S. Report, said the following about the deal: “We lost a lot with Carl, but we felt like between Jordan Hill, draft picks, and a good trading situation that we could address that situation a little bit easier than picking up a 2-guard like Kevin Martin.”

As I heard this, my mind immediately jumped to the scarcity of excellent 2’s in the NBA. I’d very briefly brought this up in a previous post, as a reason why Marco Belinelli’s below-average defense off the bench might not hurt the Raptors too much. This blockbuster trade just gives me an excuse to think about it again. To get an idea, here’s a table of the players who have a PER above 17.0 and play at least 20 minutes per game (sorry, DeJuan), sorted by position.

PER By Position

• First glance: Wow. That’s unbalanced, right? You have your mega-stars in Wade, Kobe, and Roy, and then there’s a drop-off. Only 7 shooting guards are in the table, compared to 20 power forwards and 18 point guards. We always hear about the lack of good centers, but they outnumber the SG’s. And as for the other wing position? Only 10 make the cut.
• Let’s get this out of the way, though: PER isn’t perfect. I think it overrates big men a little bit, it doesn’t account for defense (which is why you don’t see Varejao or Perk here), and it’s not meant to be a substitute for watching basketball games. It’s pretty good, though, as far as catch-all stats go. I’d go on, but I’d prefer to direct you to Matt Moore’s post from this morning.
• Kevin Martin, part of the inspiration for this post, doesn’t even make it. You should treat him as if he did, though, as he’s right there at 16.9. Martin is generally a standout in this metric – in the three seasons previous to this one, his PER sat at 19.2, 21.0, and 20.1, respectively. This season, he’s regressed in his free throw attempts and his shooting from distance. I expect his numbers will start to climb back up soon.
• I expect a similar improvement from Monta Ellis down the line, who is also at 16.9. He undoubtedly is a quality player, but is having one of the strangest seasons in recent memory. His inefficiency is dragging her PER down, but we know that he is capable of being an efficient scorer because we saw it in 2007-2008.
• I should mention that SG’s also suffer here because of down years from Vince Carter, Ray Allen, Ben Gordon, Jason Terry, and Rip Hamilton. At Ben Gordon’s age and considering the injury-plagued season he’s had, there’s a good chance he eventually gets back to the 17.0 mark he had last year in Chicago, but the others are questionable. We’ve seen very good and very bad performances from those veteran SG’s, so we can’t be sure if they are going to return to that 17+ mark. Also, it’s worth noting that there are good players at other positions who don’t make the cut: Lamar Odom, Rashard Lewis, Chris Kaman, Stephen Curry, Rudy Gay, Caron Butler, Jameer Nelson, Paul Millsap, Kenyon Martin, Andrea Bargnani, and Mehmet Okur come to mind.
• You can quibble with the positions if you like. I used the ones listed at hoopdata.com (which is also where I got the stats). The only player I switched was Marcus Camby, who is listed at power forward but is playing center now for the Blazers. You can argue that Tyreke Evans and Nate Robinson should be shooting guards, but I can just as easily argue that Andre Iguodala and Joe Johnson are small forwards. Positions are blurry now. Even though LeBron is listed as a SF, it’s obvious that his true position is simply “LeBron.”

With all those caveats, I think that the PER table does a pretty good job showing the scarcity of quality two guards in the NBA. To further illustrate this, take a look at who Kelly Dwyer would have chosen for the All-Star game this season.

The wild cards for the East reserves: Al Horford and Josh Smith. The snubs: David Lee and Paul Pierce. Oh, and he would have had Rajon Rondo starting in place of Allen Iverson. For the West’s wildcards, he chose Deron Williams and Zach Randolph. The snubs? The Gasols and Nene. He also mentions Greg Oden, Kevin Love, Carl Landry, and Carlos Boozer as playing All-Star quality basketball. None of these players are shooting guards.

Here’s the point: the league doesn’t have many two-guards who do two-guardy things at an All-Star level. If I’m a GM, I ideally want my starting 2 to be able to shoot, slash, and get to the line at a very high rate. Hopefully, he’d play good defense as well. There just aren’t a lot of players like that right now. I’m not arguing that a good two-guard is more important on the basketball court than a low-post scorer and I’m not saying Minnesota should dump Al Jefferson this summer for a wing.¹ I’m not arguing, either, that this is particularly different from other eras.² What I’m saying, though, is that because of the dearth of quality shooting guards around, they have more value. We should start thinking about overpaying good shooting guards the same way that we think about overpaying good centers.

All of this means that if your favourite team employs O.J. Mayo, Eric Gordon, or DeMar DeRozan, you should be rooting extra hard for him to become a star if only to make your GM’s job easier. It also means I’d happily take the shooting guard version of Kevin Martin over the power forward version of Kevin Martin.

Larry W. Smith/Getty Images

PURE JOY. Wednesday, January 13, 2010 was a phenomenal night in the NBA.

As I’m starting to write this, there are still games on. Generally, that’s not how you do a recap. I just wanted to begin while I still have this big, stupid grin on my face.

This isn’t the first time this season where the action on my television has turned me into, basically, a giddy child. Hell, this isn’t even the most hysterical I’ve been this season (check where I talk about Jennings’s 55 here). But damn, there were some great close games and I don’t know if there’s been a night where there have been so many positive things to talk about. So let’s talk about them, it’ll be fun.

Lakers 100, Mavericks 95

Andrew Bynum: Oh what fun it is to watch a real, honest-to-goodness post-up big man do his thing. Erick Dampier is (seriously) a very good defender, but Bynum ate him up right from the beginning of the game with his quick moves and his soft, soft touch. His line? 22 and 11. 8-11 from the field. You don’t know how happy it makes me to be able to talk about his GAME rather than a trade rumour. I hope he continues to play like this and the rumours cease. Are we remembering that this kid is only 22? Yeah.

Ron Artest: Since his concussion, he has had a few sub-par performances. He might be past all that now, though. 16 points on 5-5 FG, 1-1 3PT, and 5-6 FT. 11 rebounds, too. Can’t ask for more, and I haven’t even mentioned his most important contribution: defense. It’s so great to see it working out well in L.A. – I didn’t see it going down like this, but sometimes there’s nothing sweeter than being proven wrong.

Kobe Bryant: He played 11 minutes in the first half and didn’t do much of anything, with back spasms so obviously slowing him down. The one shot he attempted had about 10% of the lift his J normally has and his mortality startled me. In the second half, though, Kobe looked like a different player. Not his usual self, mind you, but there was some energy and he wanted the ball. And, with his team inbounding the ball with 42.5 seconds left, he received it and hit the biggest bucket of the game, a jumper over Josh Howard. He only scored 10 points on 11 shots in 35 minutes, but I’ll remember that shot. And the fact that he played when so many others wouldn’t have.

Dirk Nowitzki: The only reason Kobe needed to hit that shot was that Dirk had made a huge three-pointer on the previous possession, tying the game up and capping an 8-0 run. He was, typically, brilliant in the 4th Q., where he scored 15 of his 30 points. In that 4th Q., he hit a jumper to become the 34th player in NBA history to pass 20,000 career points. For this, the crowd gave him a terrific standing ovation. It’s a bit mind-bending for me every time I see a player pass a milestone like this – I remember when this guy was a rookie with silly hair and I hadn’t the foggiest idea he would ever be close to becoming an All-Star, let alone the sure-fire HoF’er he is today. Oh, and speaking of hair – he celebrated his achievement with a new look.

Spurs 109, Thunder 108 (OT)

DeJuan Blair: The man of the night, in my books. The first thing I noticed when I turned on this game was that Tim Duncan wasn’t playing. The second thing I noticed was that Blair was making life miserable for OKC. From the opening tip, this rookie was dominant inside and I loved it. He’s always a beast on the glass and he always finds a way to score after grabbing offensive rebounds, but last night he was a big threat on the pick-and-roll as well. Check out this unbelievable line: 28 points (11-17 FG, 6-8 FT), 21 Reb (10 Off), 2 Blk, 2 Stl, 2 TO, 6 PF in 31 minutes. I can’t say enough about this. 31 minutes! Yeah, this game went into overtime, but he didn’t even play big minutes for a regulation game. Yet, 28 and 21. Absolutely insane. Need I remind you that he has no ACL’s? No, you knew that already. Let’s appreciate this guy and enjoy it every time he gives a big Eff You to the teams who passed on him in the draft.

Tony Parker: So I guess this was bullshit, then? Haha, kidding. Jesse Blanchard of 48 Minutes Of Hell was on-point – Parker’s been hampered by plantar fasciitis for the past little while and his production has suffered for it. In this game, though, you would never have known. He, like Blair, came out on fire in the first quarter, where he scored 16 points on 7-9 shooting. He finished the game with 28 points and 8 assists and generally looked like the TP we’ve come to expect, getting where he wants on the floor and finishing way easier than logic would dictate.

Manu Ginobili: 0-10 from the field, 0 points. But he had 7 assists, 4 rebounds, 3 steals, 1 block, and one of the biggest plays of the season:

This breathtaking hero play allowed Richard Jefferson to hit what would turn out to be the game-winning jumper with 9.1 seconds remaining.

Russell Westbrook: Here’s the line: 25 points, 13 assists, 6 rebounds. Awesome, right? Well, the fact he needed 24 shots to score those points makes it a bit less awesome, but that’s okay for this 21-year-old. We know that he’s made significant strides in his all-around game and is continuing to improve with every game. Sure, he missed what would have been a game-winner at the end of OT, but this game doesn’t go to OT if he doesn’t hit that huge jump shot with 3.8 seconds left in regulation. Big game, in a great game.

Rockets 120, Timberwolves 114 (3OT!)

Corey Brewer: He sent this game into overtime with a shot from halfcourt. No analysis necessary.

Wayne Ellington: The rookie who started the season off shooting so, so poorly came up BIG. 7-12 from the floor, 3-4 from downtown. This includes the shot from distance that tied the game at 105, setting up the third and final overtime period.

Shane Battier: His three-pointer in the third overtime to give the Rockets a 6-point lead was a dagger of sorts. I also saw him get a huge block in one of the overtime periods. He actually finished with 5 (!) blocks in this game, a weird accomplishment for a guy who almost never tries to block shots on the man he is guarding. Funny thing is, he has a 6-block game to his name this year too. Check the boxscore and you’ll see he also registered 2 steals and 12 rebounds (7 offensive) in 49:34.

Aaron Brooks: A career-high 43 points in… 59 minutes and 25 seconds of action. What a night. What a looong night for the Wolves, trying to guard him. 14-30 FG, 6-9 3PT, 9-12 FT. Don’t tell me it’s not that impressive per-minute, don’t complain that he “only” got 5 assists. The man scored 43 points in an NBA game. Not easy. [Also, he only had one freaking turnover. One.]

Chuck Hayes: Love, love, love this line: 10 Pts (5-6 FG), 17 Reb (4 Off), 6 Ast, 4 Stl, 2 Blk, 4 TO, 6 PF in exactly 50 minutes. There are not a lot of players in this league capable of putting up this line. I mean, only taking 6 shots in 50 minutes, and making almost all of them? The 17 boards are a career-high, as are the 6 assists. I suppose this shouldn’t be surprising, given that he played 50 minutes, but it’s so very impressive to be able to play that many minutes with the intensity and focus that he possesses. He’s the Rockets’ second-shortest starter, but he’s battling as a center every single night. He’s loving it, too, and I’m loving watching him. Brilliant basketball player.

Al Jefferson: 26 points, 26 rebounds. Fine, 26 shot attempts too. It’s still a beautiful line and he made several key baskets in the overtime periods. It’s well worth noting that his rebounding total is a new franchise record. Setting a franchise record for rebounding on a team that had Kevin Garnett for the majority of his career? That’s gotta feel good.

Pacers 122, Suns 114

Danny Granger: Here’s the guy that was rated so highly in fantasy basketball as the season began: 33 points (11-22 FG, 5-9 3PT, 6-8 FT), 8 Reb (1 Off), 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 3 TO, 4 PF in 40 mins. He led his team back from a 24 point deficit, which is very hard to do in the NBA. You know what’s harder? Doing that in two consecutive games. The Pacers had rallied behind Granger against Toronto just two days prior, when they were down by 23 points. I kind of doubt this has happened before.

Dahntay Jones: After receiving a DNP-CD against Toronto, Jones played 25 minutes in this one and scored 11 points on 6 FGA’s, with 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and a block as well. I hated seeing him in the doghouse and hope that he will stay away from there from here on out.

Mike Dunleavy Jr.:30 points for Lil Dun and it’s the first time he’s done that as a Pacer. The last time he scored 30 was the final game of the 2007-2008 season. Dunleavy only needed 26 minutes and 14 field goal attempts to get that impressive total, which means he had a game that can only be described as “supereffingefficient.”

Steve Nash: He can’t be happy, with his team giving up such a huge lead. No one on the Suns seemed happy about letting Milwaukee come back against them the night before, and now to do the same thing but not even pull out the win? Awful. Still, I’ve gotta show him some respect. He managed his 20/9 in just 27 minutes because he had to get seven stitches to fix his busted lip after taking a first-quarter elbow from Earl Watson. Apparently, a tooth went through his upper lip. Tough guy.

Hawks 94, Wizards 82

Jamal Crawford: 14 of his 22 points came in the 4th quarter. This is his 2nd 14-point 4th Q. in less than a week. Antawn Jamison had made it a 66-64 game early in the period, but Crawford is making a habit out of taking over at the end of games and making sure his team comes away with a W. Perhaps we need a nickname for him that reflects this, but for the love of God don’t let it be “Big Shot Jamal.”

Antawn Jamison: It came in a losing effort, but it was impressive. 25/19/3 on the night. 17 of those points came in the 2nd half, as part of a push to come back from their 12-point halftime deficit. I hate that he’s stuck in Washington right now, but I love that he’s continuing to play hard and produce like the more-than-solid player and true professional that we know he is.

Celtics 111, Nets 87:

Ugh. I don’t want to look at numbers for this one. Check these videos out, though. One is Tony Allen almost hitting his head on the backboard whilst slamming home an alley-oop; one is Bill Walker being Bill Walker.

Knicks 93, Sixers 92

David Lee: You would have understood if he had skipped this game, as his grandfather passed away on Tuesday. Instead, he played and played well: 24/9/2 in a winning effort.

Sam Dalembert: You would have understood if he has skipped the game, as several of his relatives and friends in Haiti have yet to contact him since the horrific earthquake on Tuesday. Instead, he played and played well: 12/21/1 with a block and a steal.

Heat 115, Warriors 102

Dwyane Wade: He may not be averaging the MVP-level numbers he did last season, but he got ‘em this time. 35/7/9 on 10-15 shooting, with 3 steals as well. Oh, and he shot 15-15 from the line. So as to appear human, he turned the ball over 7 times as well.

Jermaine O’Neal: Also just took 15 field goal attempts and he scored 25 points. His +26 was the highest of anyone in the game and I’d be tempted to call it a “vintage” JO performance if he had just blocked a shot. In watching the final quarter, he looked great and looked like he was having fun.

Corey Maggette: He followed up his 32 points on 14 shots vs. Cleveland with 25 points on 11 shots here. This man has some obvious holes in his game, but he can definitely score and get to the line with the best of ‘em. 11-11 from the charity stripe tonight. He’s far from my favourite player to watch and you can hate him if you want, but know that this kind of efficiency is rare.

Anthony Morrow: I love watching this man shoot and I love seeing that he scored 24 points on 14 shots. I just love that he TOOK 14 shots – in his previous 3 games combined, he had just 13 attempts. 30 minutes tonight for Morrow and it should be that way every damn game. Come on, Nellie, realize what you have here. 4-5 from downtown.

Hornets 108, Clippers 94

Chris Paul: 15 points, 15 assists, 4 steals, +27. That’s what Chris Paul does. But most importantly, his team got a W. Happy to see that, even though I’m really, really feeling for the Clippers given yesterday’s AWFUL news about Blake Griffin.

Peja Stojakovic: 20 points on 8-14 shooting, 4-6 from downtown. He led the AP recap and I can’t think of the last recap I wrote where this was the case. Peja can be absolutely deadly when he spots up behind the arc and defenders are seduced into watching Chris Paul rather than getting out there on the three-point threat.

Nuggets 115, Magic 97

Carmelo Anthony: 27/7/5, shooting 8-15 FG, 2-5 3PT, and 9-9 from the line. It’s his second game back from injury and he did the things he didn’t do in the first game: rebound and get to the line. His team was down by three at halftime, but he scored 9 of his points in the crucial 3rd Q. where the Nugs outscored the Magic by 16.

Matt Barnes: He’s been starting lately for Orlando and he had a season-high in points in this game, finishing with 28. 9 boards, 3 steals, and a block show that he was doing his normal all-around thing during the 37 minutes he played. Unfortunate that his great performance couldn’t have come in a closer game.

Blazers 120, Bucks 108

Rudy Fernandez: He’s the only one I can feel happy for in this looks-much-closer-than-it-was game. The Blazers had a 33 point lead in the second half and the Bucks needed a 37-23 4th Q. to make the final look respectable. This was Rudy’s first game since Dec. 1 and I suppose there was a little rust – he went 1-5 in his 15 minutes, missing all four of his three-pint attempts. When he entered the game, the fantastic Portland fans gave him a standing ovation. Wish I had seen it live.

Fun With Stats

The Lakers won the 3,000th game in franchise history. They’re the first team to reach that mark.

Kobe Bryant needs 60 points to reach the 25,000-point plateau. If he wasn’t so far from 100%, I might make a crazy prediction that he’ll reach it next game.

Charlie Bell came into the game against Portland with 399 career three-pointers made. He hit 2 in the game. Over 400 threes? Not bad for a guy who a lot of people thought wouldn’t make it in the NBA. Not bad at all. MSU! MSU!

Quoted

“Yeah, I’m not retarded.” – Dirk Nowitzki, when asked if he knew the standing ovation was for him scoring 20,000 points.

“Crazy shit did happen.” – Gregg Popovich, on how the Spurs won.

I don’t even know if (Tim) Duncan could have done this tonight.” – Scott Brooks, on DaJuan Blair.

“He was 0-for-10 and he made the biggest play of the game. He basically won the game for them.” – Scott Brooks, on Manu Ginobili’s save.

“That’s one of those NBA games where you don’t want to see a winner. It’s two great teams battling.” – Jeff Green, on OKC/SAS.

“It was a great game. Thank you, thank you, thank you to the basketball gods for allowing us to win.” – Gregg Popovich, on OKC/SAS.

Tweeted:

@SI_ChrisBallard: Every time Serge Ibaka scores for Thunder – like now, after putback – the OKC PA plays the Chewbacca roar. Corny, but it does crack me up

@stackmack: J. Flynn and overtimes go together like cookies and milk. 3OT here we come!

@jeskeets: We might have to retire “Whoa Boy” after tonight’s ridiculous fantasy lines …

@bruce_arthur: This whole night in the NBA has been a #leaguepassalert

@Thirty2zero: I scored 43 in my new shoes. We won. And in 20 minutes it’s my birthday. I love this game!

@dmorey: Incredible effort by the guys on a back to back. Solid D. AB/Scola offense and Chuck/Shane defense were huge. Happy Birthday @thirty2zero .