What the hell man.. I keep on waiting for a thread and it never comes.

So do whatever the hell you want in this thread. Which team are you pulling for? How do they look this year?

I'm the obnoxious Celtics guy of the forum. I'm predicting 60 wins again for them. Rondo could put up borderline all star numbers. Powe and Tony Allen will overtake Posey's role, so I'm not worried about that too much. Good chance to repeat.

The popular pick to win the title is the Lakers, which is easily understandable.. But I don't think it will happen. They'll win more games, but the west last year was so clustered that I don't understand how everyone expects them to get so much distance over the #2 seed.

The west in general is really hard for me to get a read on and it's pretty much pointless to even try. What the fuck good is it to ever make picks in sports? There's such a small chance of you even being right about it, and people are just going to think you're an idiot if you're wrong. I liked the Bulls last year. The horror.

I jinxed the Cs :o

I thought the Pacers would have a mostly positive year this time around, they looked good tonight. They were getting to the hoop with relative ease, even if they only shot 40%.. And I've never stuck a fork in Marquis Daniels like many others have. Marquis is one of those "poor man's _______" guys, and I never really went along with that idea.. Can't judge too much from one game but I still like his game for the most part.

Boston shot fucking horribly though.. 35% FG, 20% 3s, 60% FTs. House won't go 1-7 from three too often, and Pierce is one of the most consistent players out there, THAT type of bomb rarely happens.

I'm rooting for the Bulls of course. I know we have a no name coach but we still have plenty of talent on the team..I know the East looks alot better this year(on paper atleast) but I still think the Bulls will make the playoffs, and Rose will be a stud

Raps.

Lookin good thus far.

Indeed they do. But I think Bosh will have to have a Garnett/Stoudemire type season to get his team anywhere important (meaning, get tougher around the basket).. So far so good. They're the only team in the Atlantic with a chance to get more wins than Boston, and they're fun to watch so that's okay by me.
I don't know if I'm sold on Philly, or Iguodala, just yet. Elton Brand will continue to be 20/10, or at least 18/9, for all of eternity, but something about them doesn't sit right with me. Their year is probably going to look a lot like the one before.

Oh hell looks like we'll see the Pistons in the conference finals again.

What the fuck good is it to ever make picks in sports? There's such a small chance of you even being right about it, and people are just going to think you're an idiot if you're wrong.
I'm breaking my own rule just this one time.

Mavericks are my team. They're pretty much solid.

And Allen Iverson to the pistons for Chauncey Billups!!!!1!!! What were the pistons thinking! Chauncey was their best player and had good chemistry with the guys he's been playing with for 4+ seasons. Iverson is just gonna fuck all of that up and Denver is gonna whoop some ass.

This gives me doubts.
Do we like the trade? Maybe not. Ain't no telling. I can't talk about it until we see what happens. Who knows?

But then again, Rasheed is fucking crazy.
I think Iverson is going to bring the excitement back, and it will be infectious. They already have a bench full of driven guys, it's the starters that need to come back around. He's never been on a team this good, and I don't care what anyone says, AI > Billups any fucking day. I feel like everyone forgot how great he is, there's not a guard in the East he can't destroy. Sometimes it's that simple. Conference finals, at least.

Denver looks good too, but the conference is just too stacked and George Karl will still go entire games without calling plays. Carmelo will be nuts this year, and their first round exit will be a little bit more competitive I guess.

i dont really follow basketball as much as I do the 3 other major US sports, but my location has forced me to being a Celtics fan. Boy, they looked awful the other night. Should be a good matchup tonight, tho.

I like Iverson but Billups is damn good..I would have to say Denver got the sweeter deal as of right now

I want to see the Oklahoma City Thunder win the championship for lulz.

Well you must not like the NBA then because that would be boring as fuck for everyone outside of Oklahoma.

In other news,

I still think the Suns will be nasty this year. Discuss.

Lebron James made his first 3 of the year tonight. He's now 1-19. HE'S HEATING UP.

Marquis Daniels, who I mentioned before, came close to a triple double. Before this game, his efficiency rating was higher than Antawn Jamison, Andrew Bynum, Kevin Martin, LaMarcus Aldridge, Allen Iverson, Ray Allen and Richard Hamilton. Yeah it's early, but I love it when guys prove me right.
In related news, Kendrick Perkins had 7 blocked shots. He is among the league's best defensive centers. I like the intensity but he needs to stop being a dick and picking up technicals, especially since he's such a good guy by all accounts.

The Spurs look really fucked. Sucks when a guy gets injured, but I do get a chuckle out of Parker putting up 55 points one night and 4 the next. Oh and The Spurs must have the worst god damn arena in the league. I can't believe the shitty music they blare in there. I hear Dream Theater on a regular basis. Dream Theater at a basketball game It's like they have 17 year old me running the place.

Why would Amare only take 10 field goals after scoring 49 2 days ago? What the hell happened in this game??

The Hawks look really good. But the Raptors gave up and put their reserves in well before they should have, which I thought was really a really shitty move.

Haha Bobcats beat Hornets.

I already can't wait to see who gets in the all star game. Too many choices. I hope this year finally break the mold of putting washed up guys with mediocre seasons in there.. It's like the people who vote haven't even watched a game since 2002. And Houston, what the fuck, they must love them some all stars because I remember seeing Luis Scola and Shane Battier sucking up a ton of votes last year. Expect McGrady to start again this year, after missing 16 games and averaging 17 points. I wonder which brilliant western conference guard(s) is going to get the snub.

I really wish Stuart Scott would stop saying BUCK and then giving his cute little definition for it, something about internal artistry and expression or some shit. What a fucking cock eyed piece of dick. Or maybe I just watch ESPN too much.

People, just because you're white honky losers doesn't mean you can't talk about basketball. Get to it.

Bucks baby!!!!!! Michael Redd and Richard Jefferson all day

But the Raptors gave up and put their reserves in well before they should have, which I thought was really a really shitty move.


Hah they gave up another one only this time they had a huge lead. Not a good sign at all.

The rockets will win the championship easily..........if they stay healthy.

Some crazy shit about Yao I read earlier:


I did a little box score review, and I discovered that Yao had four of his shots rejected this weekend (once by the Lakers and thrice by the Clippers). That brings Yao's season total of "blocks against" to 14 in seven games. That's right: The gigantic Yao is having his shot stuffed an average of two times a game. In addition, some research at 82games.com uncovered the following "stunning" revelations: Yao's effective field goal percentage on dunks is only 50 percent. Just as damning, if not more so, are the following stats: 22 percent of his "close" shots are getting blocked, 19 percent of his inside shots are getting stuffed, and 17 percent of his flush attempts are being returned to sender.

How the hell is this even possible?

Some crazy shit about Yao I read earlier:


I did a little box score review, and I discovered that Yao had four of his shots rejected this weekend (once by the Lakers and thrice by the Clippers). That brings Yao's season total of "blocks against" to 14 in seven games. That's right: The gigantic Yao is having his shot stuffed an average of two times a game. In addition, some research at 82games.com uncovered the following "stunning" revelations: Yao's effective field goal percentage on dunks is only 50 percent. Just as damning, if not more so, are the following stats: 22 percent of his "close" shots are getting blocked, 19 percent of his inside shots are getting stuffed, and 17 percent of his flush attempts are being returned to sender.

How the hell is this even possible?
wow. That is quite the statistic. I guess athletic ability>raw height.

Nah I think he has the ability to not put that weak shit up there but just... Doesn't. He could be the best center in the league, and was for a little while, so it's hard to tell what the problem is.

Nah I think he has the ability to not put that weak shit up there but just... Doesn't. He could be the best center in the league, and was for a little while, so it's hard to tell what the problem is.
Are you saying he's not the best center in the league right now? Then who is?

Dwight Howard. Dwight does have a lot to work on still, but Yao can't even clear 10 rebounds per game consistently. And he's 7'6"/300 pounds. He gets stuffed with regularity and still goes up soft after 5 years in the league. Shouldn't he know better by now? I can't call him the best. If I were a Houston fan I'd be pretty close to fed up by now.. This year looks good for you guys but no championship as long as Yao is still soft.

I agree that Yao is too soft, did anyone see him get swatted by Kobe a few days ago? Same game in which the Rockets lost by 29 and Tmac shot .091 percent in 32 minutes for only 3 points. No way Houston wins the championship this year(or any year Tmac/Yao are the leaders)


LOL at the spurs, what are they gonna do without Manu and Parker...they might not win a game until one of them gets back.

Dwight Howard. Dwight does have a lot to work on still, but Yao can't even clear 10 rebounds per game consistently. And he's 7'6"/300 pounds. He gets stuffed with regularity and still goes up soft after 5 years in the league. Shouldn't he know better by now? I can't call him the best. If I were a Houston fan I'd be pretty close to fed up by now.. This year looks good for you guys but no championship as long as Yao is still soft.
He's actually been in the league for maybe 3 full seasons due to injuries. He's being a baby because he doesn't want to get injured again IMO. Not this season, but I think he will be the best next season.

411 games = about 5 seasons.. Actually, 82 x 5 = 410 so that's about as close as you can get, and most guys don't even go 5 straight years at 82+.. But I'm not gonna be an asshole and act like that matters.
But make no mistake, I'm a Yao enthusiast. On offense he's terrific and he's got a great shot. I want to see him succeed.. Just not tonight, I'd rather see the Suns take it.

LOL at the spurs, what are they gonna do without Manu and Parker...they might not win a game until one of them gets back.

They started Duncan, Udoka, George Hill, Roger Mason, Oberto. My brain is destroyed. Leading scorers, Duncan with 24, Finley with 19, Anthony Tolliver with 9.

Thank god the Hawks are better than the 8th seed this year, I don't want em.

They started Duncan, Udoka, George Hill, Roger Mason, Oberto. My brain is destroyed. Leading scorers, Duncan with 24, Finley with 19, Anthony Tolliver with 9.

Thank god the Hawks are better than the 8th seed this year, I don't want em.

How about those Bucks beating the Spurs!!! haha what did i say

Hah I don't know jack shit about the Bucks. It would surprise me to see them in the playoffs but I guess it's a possibility. I think Bogut is a little bit underrated and will earn that big contract he just got. Him along with Redd, Jefferson, Villanueva and Yi is a good core to have I guess. Ramon Sessions seems like he's good too, what's his deal? Didn't he have a 23 assist game or something ridiculous last year?

Aside - Holy Balls OKC is losing BIG to the Knicks right now.. It's early in the season but this looks like it could be a historically bad team. Just wretched.. Should be fun to keep an eye on.

Lebron James made his first 3 of the year tonight. He's now 1-19. HE'S HEATING UP.



And yet he still leads the NBA in scoring while playing less minutes than he did last year.

Cavs are number one in the East come playoffs and have the second best record overall behind the Lakers. Lebron wins his first MVP award.

I think the Cavs play the Pistons for the Eastern Championship, and LA plays the Rockets. Cavs-Lakers Finals, Lakers in 7.

Well I never said he was useless. And the Cavs do look much better now. They have a better shot of taking out the Celtics this time, and considering how close they got last time.. shit.

Lakers seem like the most talented team but ill have to wait and see if they can keep it together.

The Lakers look like the Holy Shit Good team of the year. I don't really see what kind of problems they could run into. I suppose Bynum could start to suck and begin allowing other centers to score at will on him. Or Kobe could start bitching and whining, that doesn't seem likely. Or Trevor Ariza could murder Sasha Vujacic. Or Derek Fisher could attempt 18 shots a game. So yeah unless very unlikely things happen they'll win atleast a couple playoff series.

I'm more interested in Eastern teams at the moment partly because I see more of their games. The battle for the 8 seed is going to be ridiculous. There could be eight different teams hovering right around .500 based on what's happening right now, only five teams seem like sure things.

So who makes seeds 6-8 assuming Boston, Cleveland, Detroit, Orlando and Atlanta make 1-5?
I would guess Chicago and Toronto 6 or 7, with Indiana and Philly battling for 8 (Indy gets it), Miami and Washington just barely missing. New York will be within striking distance but end up a decent lottery team.
Not that any of that matters, 6-8 upsets aren't happening unless it's against Atlanta or Orlando or some crappy overachieving dark horse (like Philly (yes I realize I just said Philly could be anywhere from three to nine)).

The West breaks down pretty easily I think - If Dallas and/or San Antonio don't make the playoffs, it's not hard to plug in the other teams that will. Golden State and Portland, most likely. I don't see a lot of unpredictability happening over there. The standings won't change too much other than some shuffling near the top.

Also, there are a ton of really good rookies this year. It makes almost every game a good one to watch. Shit some teams have multiples. Portland has four. I think you could make an effective NBA team out of all rookies, every single position is represented well.. it's really freakish.

my sixers made a disappointing start hopefully they will gain chemistry fast.

Man the Bulls are killing me, I hope they can turn it around.

So who makes seeds 6-8 assuming Boston, Cleveland, Detroit, Orlando and Atlanta make 1-5?
I would guess Chicago and Toronto 6 or 7, with Indiana and Philly battling for 8 (Indy gets it), Miami and Washington just barely missing. New York will be within striking distance but end up a decent lottery team.
Not that any of that matters, 6-8 upsets aren't happening unless it's against Atlanta or Orlando or some crappy overachieving dark horse (like Philly (yes I realize I just said Philly could be anywhere from three to nine)).


A few days go by and I already disagree with myself. I like Indiana but Miami is too good to miss it, and Washington should be good enough to make the cut too. This is way too fucking hard.

I was wrong about the Suns because of my unreasonable (especially now) infatuation with Shaq. And I expected more out of Amare, but now I'm not really too sure he's using his head very much right now.

I might be wrong about the Pistons because I misjudged Michael Curry. Actually I never judged him to begin with, but every time I hear him speak on air he never seems like the brightest knife in the shed. I just can't shake it, the guy just doesn't seem to have the demeanor and intellect of a basketball coach. Not only that, but I feel like the team's attitude was affected by losing Billups. That loss last night was unbearable, I'd be miserable if I were a fan of that team.
Of course that's all a lot of speculation and I could be way off.

Just in case anyone wants to know, I don't know what the hell is up with Glen Davis. I really hope it blows over extremely fast and permanently. One guy with a shit attitude on this team will end their chances at another ring, they feed on positive energy so much. They can't win like they have been lately if they don't get it straight..
But if they give Rondo the ball more often, and he doesn't turn down as many shots (layups, even) as he has been, maybe they'll be fine regardless. Until lately, Rondo's lack of input on offense has been the biggest downgrade on the Celtics this season. If he's not attempting more field goals than Paul Pierce by the 2010 season (and don't fucking trade him), then the coaches are doing it wrong.

I still think the Pacers will be good.

Raps.

Lookin good thus far.

Did you approve of the Mitchell firing?

Man the Bulls are killing me, I hope they can turn it around.

I didn't realize how useless the rest of the Bulls team could look until I saw Derrick Rose play alongside them. I think they'll make the playoffs solely because of Rose. That's really the only reason I can think of but it's a good enough reason for me.

Did you approve of the Mitchell firing?

He was recently coach of the year and fired. Avery Johnson was recently coach of the year and he was fired too. I wouldn't want the fucking award if I were a coach.

there is nothing wrong with big baby. there is something wrong with garnett he cant keep his fucking mouth shut. he is now not only taunting 6 foot point guards he is now taunting his own teammates garnett is a douche he talks all kinds of shit then runs like a little bitch. in other news it looks like the sixers are finally starting to come around. they beat the pistons last night. there bench finally came through with 40 something points. lou williams finally broke out last night and iguodala looks to be getting his scoring rhythm back. im thinking dalembert is going to be traded soon he is playing like shit and is playing very limited minutes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7krGO66LYM lol

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7krGO66LYM lol
haha.

there is nothing wrong with big baby.

Did you SEE him?? He was fucking crying. He played like ass just like the rest of the bench at the time, then started acting all sulky just outside the huddle. Kevin wasn't really out of line and this particular situation and Glen started crying over it.

I can't really defend Garnett for all of the other crap he pulls. A lot of people don't approve of it. I don't like some of it, but I do think it's overblown now that he's a Boston athlete that wins games, since everyone hates that. I don't think it's too much for him to crawl on the floor defending point guards, but waving his finger in Jose Calderon's face was probably overdoing it. Generally he is right on the line, rarely crosses it, and when he does it's not really that much worse than a lot of other guys in the league.

He was recently coach of the year and fired. Avery Johnson was recently coach of the year and he was fired too. I wouldn't want the fucking award if I were a coach.

No coach is safe. I don't have any evidence, but I was thinking about it the other day, and Doc Rivers might now be the longest tenured coach in the East, which is kind of ridiculous (or maybe Lawrence Frank? I dunno). Sometimes the firings are justified but it's getting out of hand now. Mitchell always seemed like an okay coach to me, but it's really hard to tell when you don't follow a team.. Well, there are exceptions, Dunleavy Karl and Curry all look pretty bad right now.

I already can't wait to see who gets in the all star game. Too many choices. I hope this year finally break the mold of putting washed up guys with mediocre seasons in there.. It's like the people who vote haven't even watched a game since 2002. And Houston, what the fuck, they must love them some all stars because I remember seeing Luis Scola and Shane Battier sucking up a ton of votes last year. Expect McGrady to start again this year, after missing 16 games and averaging 17 points. I wonder which brilliant western conference guard(s) is going to get the snub.


Well McGrady is thankfully behind Bryant and Paul but not quite enough for me to feel safe yet. He is averaging 15.6 points and has only missed 7 (out of 22) games.

Maybe it's because the Chinese vote has cooled down on Yao - It's all about Yi now. Yi is quite obviously the third best forward in the East, why else would he have all those votes? It's weird that Luke Ridnour ended up with so many votes and Bogut didn't. Ridnour - 123,104, Jameer Nelson - 116,228, Joe Johnson - 94,847, Rajon Rondo - Fewer than 64,000.

The fans only vote for the starters, right? My memory has crapped the bed. The starters do all look solid.

Also, Grizzlies - 8-15? Are they that good??

mo cheeks got fired thank god i love what he did for the city in the 80's but he simply cannot coach this team for shit. hopefully we pick up avery johnson.

Mo seems like a really good guy, sucks for him it just wasn't working in Philly. Hard to tell if it was his fault, but that team looks pretty messed up right now. I don't think Avery would be a bad coach for those guys. The Sixers seem pretty much devoid of primadonnas and I don't think those types work well with him.
Atleast you guys aren't the Raptors, they look even more screwed.

Picks for the championship?

Trailblazers.

I hope you don't have money on that.
I would guess Celtics or Cavaliers, whichever team with fewer injuries by the time they meet up in the playoffs. With both teams at 100% I pick Boston.

now elton goes down with our new coach trying to figure his game plan out hes gonna be out a month. we are running more under dileo which i like. our need for a shooter is desperate hopefully we can make a trade for one involving dalembert. but there is still some upside to the team our rookie speights is playing great and lou williams is starting to play great and the energy reggie evens brings to the game is unbeatable.

I hope you don't have money on that.

But Brandon Roy is a machine.

I hope you don't have money on that.

They have a good, solid, young team. Maybe not this year, but if Oden and Alrdridge develop into what they're supposed to be, they will be serious contenders. Rudy Fernandez is going to be a premier 3-point shooter. And Brandon Roy, is Brandon Roy.

Also, Grizzlies - 8-15? Are they that good??

http://www.nba.com/games/20081219/CHAMEM/boxscore.html
NO.

I feel like going off about the Celtics right now, who are leading NY 24-8 with 6:05 left in the 1st.. I don't know if people realize how little Paul Pierce has to do when he's on the floor. He's been a top level offensive player for a decade or so, and all he has to do out there this year is defend, rebound, and move the ball. That is his job now. You see the same thing with the Lakers and Kobe to an extent, but they still need Kobe to explode every so often. Pierce could score 12 points a game until the end of the season and they'd still be a juggernaut, maybe even more so. This is the most shocking thing about this team this year, not Rondo. Everyone watching the games has known about Rondo, I don't quite think he's an all star this year, it would be a shock if he made it because he didn't get off to a great start. But he's close just like I said he would be.

Celtics have shot 19-25, I know it's just the Knicks but Scalabrine and Gabe Pruitt are getting minutes early in the 2nd. Only one Knick has any rebound, probably Lee. This is an absolutely silly beating. Even if the bench blows ir it's good to see them open up a game so perfectly this far into a streak.

Which makes the last two losses bearable.

I find myself changing my mind about Garnett a little bit though. He does need to cool it. The other day it was Marco Bellinelli that was getting the treatment. Bellinelli, Gallinari and Bargnani are like Jesus in Italy. Any Italian watching that game probably wants to put KG in a pine box.

At this point, I really wouldn't mind seeing him get smashed out on the court, if only as an attitude adjustment. Hell, even if some shithead like Quentin Richardson broke his nose. The ensuing media coverage would be crazy, it's all he'd ever hear about, and he'd be a fucking idiot to try to pick on a little white guard ever again.

It's the big mouth and cheap shots that bother me - he can keep crawling on the floor as much as he wants because that rules.

There's a reason Garnett only does this stuff to piece of shit players too...

Dude is a huge pussy.

That sadly appears to be the case. On the other hand, he pulled this stuff in Minnesota a little bit too, and not nearly as many people got worked up about it. I still do feel that the fact that he's a Boston athlete that wins games intensifies the hate to a sort of unreasonable level.. But hell, now even I sort of want to see him get his ass handed to him. They're up 30 on the Kings right now, maybe Brad Miller will go apeshit, who knows. Anything to get him to cut it out, because it's really annoying and I don't particularly want to root for that.

Edit - the lead is even bigger now, Brad has just picked up a technical and set a sort of cheap shot screen on Ray Allen. Maybe I will get a Christmas present after all.

I'm a professional basketball player. I won't disclose what team(I don;t want you fuckers finding me) but I *might* be playing the Celtics in an upcoming games. Anything you guys wanna see?

I'm a professional basketball player. I won't disclose what team(I don;t want you fuckers finding me) but I *might* be playing the Celtics in an upcoming games. Anything you guys wanna see?

pop kg in the mouth, do it or you're a LYER :mad:

Update for anyone who's not paying close attention:

The Celtics won two in a row (home & away w Toronto) and are STILL 4-6 in their last 10 games. .5 behind Cleveland and percentage points behind Orlando.

Portland has pissed off the whole world by releasing an e mail to every team in the league threatening with litigation if anyone signs Darius Miles (who will fuck their cap space if he plays two more games). Says an anonymous GM out west, "fuck that guy".

7'6" Yao Ming has had 11% of his shots blocked and McGrady still appears to be a huge bitch, who is somehow just barely out of the starting lineup at the all star game.

The Pacers have lost 24 games, 16 of which were by: 6, 4, 2, 2 (in OT), 1, 3, 7 (in OT), 5 (in OT), 4, 8 (in 2OT), 1, 3, 2, 6, 2 and 3. Granger is 4th in PPG.

9 seed Dallas is only 2.5 games behind 2 seed San Antonio.

Milwaukee is somehow still winning more than Philly, Toronto, and Chicago, and ten other teams.

The Celtics are only a half game behind Cleveland, but the Cavs are two games up in the loss column.

It's amazing how quickly the Celtics went from challenging the 72 win Bulls for best team of all time to being the third best team in the East behind Cleveland and Orlando.

Milwaukee is somehow still winning more than Philly, Toronto, and Chicago, and ten other teams.

Because they're good?

Because they're good?

Yeah, they're pretty good, better than everyone expected which is why I said somehow. Just like, Washington has somehow lost 30, Minnesota somehow won 5 straight, etc. Do you deny that the Bucks are overachieving a little bit? An NBA team that puts Luc Mbah a Moute on the floor for 25 minutes a game wins almost as much as they lose, and P.S. It's the Milwaukee Bucks, I'm not allowed to be a little bit surprised?

Mbah a Moute is one of the best rookies this year and could develop into a Bruce Bowen type player(as a defender). If he develops a few go to offensive moves, he'll be great.

He's the best rookie defender and it really isn't close.

I know :\
He's good at lots of other stuff too. But no one would have called that, is all I'm saying.

Seems like there's usually one of these players a year; a long, athletic kid that was lost among the others in college but flourishes in the pro game.

I do disagree that he does other stuff well right now. He's primarily just a versatile defender capable of guarding three spots(2,3, or 4). If he's able to improve his offensive game, he'll guarantee himself a starting spot in the NBA for a long time. Until then though, he's just a defensive specialist.

He gets some rebounds and has a decent shooting percentage for a rookie at his size too, so I got the impression that there was a little more to him, but I haven't watched a lot of Milwaukee games so it was sort of a shot in the dark.

My Springer-esque final thoughts about the NBA as we know it. Let's get as much discussion is as humanly possible here.

I try to hold back the homer stuff as much as I can, but Leon Powe is going to be a great player. Every single other guy on that team could not pan out, as far as I know, but Leon I just know will be great no matter what, barring something ridiculous. If your team ever has the chance to acquire him, pray before bed every night that they will, because he'll probably be a value. Other Celtics give me a good vibe too, but I'm not going to homer out here, the only 99.9% sure things in Boston are Mike Gorman and Leon Powe.

Lebron will win multiple championships, if I had to guess stating in 2010 (still crossing fingers for one more for Boston this year), and I think he'll get more than one with Cleveland. 5 banners in Cleveland by 2018 or so is not unreasonable. I'm still not really sold on the depth of the 09 Cavaliers, but I don't hate them (come back Delonte :( ), and James is the best player I've ever seen. I saw Jordan, but couldn't really appreciate him as much back then. Even if Lebron isn't better yet, he will be. Congratulations napoleon_complex, assuming he doesn't leave, and I don't think he will. But who knows.
And obviously, he has pretty much already won MVP. Kobe still in the running. Everyone who says Wade is a retard or from Miami AND a retard.

There are four teams that can beat any other team in a playoff series. Orlando isn't one yet, San Antonio still is. This is more of a prediction than anything, since I haven't tuned in to enough Magic games, but holy shit.. Jameer Nelson? Is he going to really keep this up?


Pacers = Still the sleeper. Remember Dunleavy last year?

im gonna miss you. i always enjoyed your analysis.

My Springer-esque final thoughts about the NBA as we know it. Let's get as much discussion is as humanly possible here.

I try to hold back the homer stuff as much as I can, but Leon Powe is going to be a great player. Every single other guy on that team could not pan out, as far as I know, but Leon I just know will be great no matter what, barring something ridiculous. If your team ever has the chance to acquire him, pray before bed every night that they will, because he'll probably be a value. Other Celtics give me a good vibe too, but I'm not going to homer out here, the only 99.9% sure things in Boston are Mike Gorman and Leon Powe.

I'm sorry, but what?

Powe, in the Boston games I've seen this year hasn't even been very good, let alone great. Every time I see him he's an offensive black hole(i.e. he'll never pass the ball back out no matter what the situation).

Granted, he's by far Boston's best bench player(though that's not really much of an accomplishment this season), but I don't see greatness. I doubt he's ever a legit NBA starter, or even sixth man of the year type player.