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Lakers vs. Warriors II

By Michael C. Teniente | January 8, 2009 | The Lakers' Journal

PREGAME Warriors' starting five: Belinelli, Crawford, Maggette, Wright and Biedrins Lakers' starting five: Fisher, Bryant, Ariza, Gasol and Bynum Key match-ups: This game's key match-ups are the same as the last time the teams played each other on Dec. 28. The Lakers won that game pretty handily and should win this one, too. Both teams have injured small forwards in Lamar Odom of the Lakers and Stephen Jackson of Golden State. The difference is that the Warriors have Corey Maggette to replace Jackson, while the Lakers don't really have anyone to replace Odom's rotation spot.Maggette has always been a player who likes to attack the rim. That will be a challenge for Bynum and Gasol. The Lakers will being playing the second of a back-to-back. The Lakers' starters played big minutes in last night's game against the Hornets. It'll be interesting to see how the Lakers' starters legs hold up, especially in...

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Golden State Warriors, Lakers' Journal, Los Angeles Lakers blogs, Los Angeles Lakers Championship Run, Los Angeles Lakers' games, Los Angeles Lakers' Team, Michael C. Teniente

Breaking News: Denver Deals Chucky Atkins, Fills Void

By Jamie Lucas | January 8, 2009 | Solid Gold

According to ESPN.com, the Denver Nuggets are close to finalizing a trade that would send Chucky Atkins, a sum of cash, and a first round pick to Oklahoma City in exchange for big man Johan Petro and a second round pick. Let's get to know Johan Petro for a second. He's a 7'0", 247 lb., 22 year old from Paris. He was a first round pick in 2005. In 22 appearances this season, he has averaged about 15 minutes of playing time, contributing 4.6 ppg, 4.3 rpg, and .2 blocks. He is a much needed addition to this roster; a legitimate big man to come off the bench to bring some size to our line up. This trade looks great for the Nuggets. It takes them further away from the luxury tax line, brings them a high second round draft pick, and fills an immediate need for another big guy off the bench....

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Spurs waive Tolliver

By Michael De Leon | January 7, 2009 | Project Spurs

The Spurs waived forward Anthony Tolliver today, according to Yahoo Sports.Tolliver played in 19 games for the Spurs, averaging 2.7 points and 2.2 rebounds. The rookie from Creighton played only nine minutes in the last two games for San Antonio.The 6-foot-8 Tolliver had his best game on Nov. 12 against Milwaukee, when he had nine points and six rebounds and played 28 minutes in an 82-78 loss.Tolliver played very well during summer league and training camp to earn a roster spot. He was sent down to the Austin Toros once before the Spurs recalled him on December 19.I'm not quite sure why Tolliver was waived unless the Spurs plan on signing someone or making room for a trade. I would certainly not mind them bringing in a legit center, but unless either of those two things happen, this doesn't make a lot of sense. Tolliver might not be the most...

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NBA Great Debates: Which Team is More Likely to Dethrone Boston: Orlando or Cleveland?

By Staff Report | January 7, 2009 | MVN Outsider

LeBron James - Keith Allison/Flickr.com

NBA Outsider's Amar Panchmatia and Joe Boikess debate the issue: Which team is more likely to dethrone the Boston Celtics: the Cleveland Cavaliers or Orlando Magic? Amar Panchmatia argues in favor of Cleveland: Orlando forward Rashard Lewis recently referred to the Magic as "that other team" whenever there is a conversation about the league's top teams. But although Orlando's 26-8 start is as legitimate as it gets -- and their depth, veteran leadership, and discipline is a benchmark of their stability -- there's a reason the Cleveland Cavaliers have always been able to keep the Magic at arm's length through the first 35 games this season: They're simply better. While Orlando stood relatively pat in the offseason a summer after making a big splash for Lewis, the Cavs went out and gave up next to nothing for Mo Williams, who is every bit as dynamic as Orlando's Jameer Nelson. And...

Read more | 1 Comment | Tags: Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, NBA, Orlando Magic

Three in a row

By Scott Henneboehle | January 7, 2009 | Wolves Watch

The Timberwolves have now done something they haven't been able to accomplish in two years: win three games in a row. The team beat Memphis last night to improve Kevin McHale's coaching record this season to 5-10. It's safe to say the Grizz probably won't be a playoff team, but any win is important when you've played as poorly as the Wolves did earlier this year.Reason to be encouragedTheir win over Memphis was the fifth time they've beaten an opponent on the road. It took them until January 30th last season to amass the 9 wins (home and road) they now have gotten to by Jan. 6 this year.Foye's game last night was one of the best of the season. His three pointer and block on OJ Mayo in the final minute was one of the few times that a member of this year's team has stepped up to almost...

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CavsCast, Game #34: Cavs vs. Bobcats

By Smooth | January 7, 2009 | Cavalier Attitude

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS (27-6) VS. CHARLOTTE BOBCATS (13-22) WHEN: 7:00 PM ET, JANUARY 7TH, 2009WHERE: QUICKEN LOANS ARENA [CLEVELAND, OHIO]TV/RADIO: FSOHIO / WTAM 1100COACHESMike Brown -HC- Larry BrownPROBABLE LINEUPSMo Williams -PG- Raymond FeltonDelonte West - SG- Matt CarrollLeBron James - SF- Gerald WallaceBen Wallace -PF- Boris DiawAnderson Varejao -CT- Emeka Okafor CAVS RESERVES Lorenzen Wright Boobie GibsonSasha PavlovicWally SzczerbiakJ.J. HicksonTarence KinseyDarnell JacksonBOBCATS RESERVES D.J. AugustinShannon BrownAlexis AjincaAdam MorrisonJuwan HowardSean SingletaryNazr MohammedINACTIVES/INJURY LISTRaja Bell (CHA) [Back]Sean May (CHA) [Conditioning]Ryan Hollins (CHA)Eric Snow (CLE) [Knees]Zydrunas Ilgauskas (CLE) [Ankle]Jawad Williams (CLE)SMOOTH'S KEYS TO THE GAME Pound them early - the Bobcats are coming off of a highly-emotional, overtime win against the arguably the best team in the league. Take advantage of them early and make them play from behind.Bench scoring - whatever team wins this category, will likely win this game.Don't underestimate them - since the Jason Richardson trade, they've been a much better...

Read more | 3 Comments | Tags: CavsCast, Charlotte Bobcats, Cleveland Cavaliers

John Hollinger's Words Spell "Doom"

By Celticsfanatic | January 7, 2009 | Celtics 17

Gerald Wallace could spell doom for the Celtics, but not if they let it happen - Gerald Wallace

Cleveland will win the championship Boston and L.A. are going to challenge for the league's top record and may even get it; in fact, with Orlando running a close third in the East, the Cavs may be forced to win three playoff series without homecourt advantage in order to win the title.Unfortunately for the rest of the league, Cleveland has two massive chips on its side. The first is the expiring contract of Wally Szczerbiak. All indications point to the Cavs converting this into a useful player, which is a scary proposition given how good they've looked already. The second is that they have a massive advantage in any playoff series, and it's called LeBron James. It's not just that he's a great player; it's that he's a great player who can play all 48 minutes without any noticeable decline in effectiveness. While it's imprudent to subject him to such...

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Boston Celitcs, Cleveland Cavaliers, ESPN.com, Gerald Wallace, Houston Rockets, John Hollinger, Los Angeles Lakers, NBA, Wally Szczerbiak

Just as I'm ready to add Mitch Albom to the TWFE hit list...

By Big Al | January 7, 2009 | The Wayne Fontes Experience

the Little Fella reminds me he can still hit the ball out of the park...when he puts his mind to it. From this week's Sports Illustrated..."The Courage of Detroit"Damn it! Every once in a great while Albom channels the columnist I once thought was the best in the country. Too bad we rarely see that columnist anymore....

Read more | 4 Comments | Tags: Detroit, Detroit Lions, Detroit Pistons, Detroit Red Wings, Detroit Tigers, Mitch Albom

NBA Great Debates: Which Team is More Likely to Dethrone Boston: Orlando or Cleveland?

By Staff Report | January 7, 2009 | MVN Outsider

LeBron James - Keith Allison/Flickr.com

Read more | 1 Comment | Tags: Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, NBA, Orlando Magic

Amar Panchmatia on Celtics' Biggest Threat: Magic or Cavaliers?

By Brandon Rosage | January 7, 2009 | MVN Outsider

NBA Outsider's Amar Panchmatia added to his case from Wednesday's "NBA Great Debate," arguing that the Cleveland Cavaliers stand the biggest threat to the Boston Celtics' title defense -- not the Orlando Magic. Panchmatia took shots via phone from MVN Radio's Brandon Rosage regarding the Cavs' poor record against the Celtics and the best of the rest from the much-improved Eastern Conference. In the interview, the Cavalier Attitude blogger also pitted Cleveland's lineup against Orlando and Boston, boasting their untouchable home court play, but conceding need for the low-court presence the best teams in the league already have. The audio interview serves as a companion to today's feature "NBA Great Debates: Which Team is More Likely to Dethrone Boston: Orlando or Cleveland?" at NBA Outsider....

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NBA Power Rankings: New Year, New Number One

By Joe Boikess | January 6, 2009 | MVN Outsider

Dwight Howard - Keith Allison/Flickr.com

It's been two weeks since the last edition of my power rankings, where the East's mighty trio of Boston, Cleveland and Orlando took the top three spots. But that was last year, and now that 2008 has come and gone, it's time for a new leader: the Lakers. There was plenty of repositioning elsewhere as well, including the Detroit Pistons re-entering the top-10 for the first time since mid-November.1. Los Angeles Lakers (27-5) - Technically the Lakers are still a half-game behind the Celtics for the NBA's best record, but after L.A. beat Boston pretty convincingly on Christmas Day, then downed both Utah and Portland by double digits, there's no question who should be #1.2. Cleveland Cavaliers (27-6) - LeBron couldn't rally the Cavs past the Heat last week on his birthday despite dropping 24 of his 38 in the second half, and I can forgive him for that. But...

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NBA Stock Market: Stuckey Has Pistons Pushing Forward

By Joe Boikess | January 5, 2009 | MVN Outsider

Tayshaun Prince is Detroit's most consistent player (Photo via flickr.com/Jeffrey Simms Photography)

Every week here at NBA Outsider we look at which teams and players are hot and who's not from the Association. Here's the contenders for the first week of 2009...Rising:Detroit Pistons - Rip Hamilton, Rasheed Wallace and Antonio McDyess have all missed time recently for Detroit, yet the Pistons have somehow found a way to win seven in a row. Their latest win came on Sunday night when a last-second Allen Iverson floater was goaltended by the Clippers' Al Thornton to give Detroit the 88-87 win. A big part of their success has been the play of Rodney Stuckey, who is averaging just under 23 points per game during their seven-game winning streak. The Pistons are 13-3 with Stuckey as the starting point guard, and it clearly seems obvious at this point that he'll be sticking around.Kevin Martin (Kings) - Martin had missed 22 of Sacramento's first 24 games with...

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Boston Celtics, Charlotte Bobcats, Dallas Mavericks, Detroit Pistons, NBA, Sacramento Kings, Utah Jazz

Five Questions: Talking McHale, Wittman, and Love with T'Wolves Blog

By Anthony Hall | January 2, 2009 | MVN Outsider

It's not easy being a Minnesota Timberwolves fan. Early-season ineptitude caused team owner Glen Taylor to finally put his foot down, make a coaching change...and replace Randy Wittman with one of the most hated men in Minnesota sports, Kevin McHale. If that wasn't bad enough for T'Wolves fans, the team has proceeded to go 2-10 after the switch to McHale.College Wolf of T'Wolves Blog was kind enough to sit down with MVN for an interview and tell us just how bad things have gotten in Minnesota:1. The Randy Wittman and Kevin McHale eras have both been miserable failures in Minny -- which coach on the market WOULD be a good fit for this team? You're correct that the DimWittman (and McFale) eras have been abject failures. It will be a joyous day if/when/please god the McHale coaching era is over and Taylor FINALLY (hopefully) brings in a real coach from outside...

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NBA Power Rankings: East on Top

By Joe Boikess | December 23, 2008 | MVN Outsider

So much for the 1 vs. 2 matchup of Celtics-Lakers on Christmas Day. The Lakers' two losses dropped them below the Cavs and Magic to their lowest spot in these rankings all season, but that could change if the Lakers manage to end the Celtics' incredible streak when they visit L.A. on Thursday. The Hornets and Rockets both moved up after last week, while the Nuggets and Mavericks dropped. There's also a new team occupying the dreaded #30 position in MVN Outsider's last power rankings of 2008.1. Boston Celtics (26-2) - A win tonight at home against the Sixers would mean that the Celtics would be heading to L.A. on a 19-game winning streak. Has there ever been a more anticipated NBA game during the month of December?2. Cleveland Cavaliers (23-4) - Q: What's scarier than the fact that LeBron is only averaging 36 minutes per game? A: How he'll...

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Lakers, NBA, NBA Outsider, New Orleans Hornets, Orlando Magic

NBA Stock Market: Rondo Keeping Celtics on Record Pace

By Joe Boikess | December 22, 2008 | MVN Outsider

Rajon Rondo surveying the floor (Photo via culhanen/flickr.com)

Note: We at MVN Outsider have re-organized our posting schedule in an effort to make our sports coverage more well rounded and timely. For those of you expecting to see the NBA Power Rankings today, that post has been moved to Tuesdays. With these changes, get ready to see more fresh content every day on every major sport. Thanks, and enjoy!Rising:Boston Celtics - Honestly, this team has been on the rise this entire season, piling up wins at a rate that we haven't seen since the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls. They now have won 18 in a row and have tied the league mark for the best start (26-2) for a team with two losses. Their recent success has been due in large part to the play of point guard Rajon Rondo. When the team needs him to score, he does it (as we saw on Sunday in the C's win...

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons, NBA, NBA Outsider, New York Knicks

Chances Are That Brandon Roy Has Made a Fool Out Of You, Too

By Amar Panchmatia | December 19, 2008 | MVN Outsider

Most of America slept while Portland Trail Blazers guard Brandon Roy was busy dropping a career-high 52 points on the Phoenix Suns on Thursday night as chants of "M-V-P" rained down from a packed house at the Rose Garden. Of those who were either sleeping or simply not paying attention, at least 105,345 believe that Dallas' Jason Terry, who doesn't even start for his own team, is more deserving of an All-Star starting spot than Roy. Just ask them: They casted a vote to prove it. Another 332,222 will tell you that Tracy McGrady deserves it more despite the fact that T-Mac has been in and out of the lineup and is averaging 16.5 points and 4.6 assists to Roy's 22.3 and 5.2, respectively. Still another 162,286 will tell you that Jason Kidd and his 9.3 points for a terribly underachieving Dallas team deserve it more than the leading scorer...

Read more | 3 Comments | Tags: Boston Celtics, Brandon Roy, Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, Dwight Howard, Houston Rockets, Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers, Manu Ginobili, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers, San Antonio Spurs, Tracy McGrady

Phillip Barnett's Q&A with Tee Calee

By Zach Harper | January 6, 2009

Posted By Talkhoops.net Senior Writer, Phillip BarnettUnlike any other genre in music, geography for hip-hop artists is just as important, if not more important, than the talent the artist possesses because of the subject matters that have become associated with rapping. Because of the come-from-nothing, drug selling, gang-banging stigma that hip-hop has unnecessarily been stuck with, it's hard to accept an emcee coming from Topeka, Kansas as opposed to someone coming from Queens, New York....

5 recommendations | Discuss

NBA Great Debates: Which Team is More Likely to Dethrone Boston: Orlando or Cleveland?

By Staff Report | January 7, 2009

3 recommendations | 1 Comment

Eight-Second Violation: Monday, January 5, 2009

By Zach Harper | January 5, 2009

By Zach HarperCeltics Free FallNearly two weeks ago, the Boston Celtics were 27-2 and threatening to tear down the doors to the exclusive 70-win Club that was founded by the '95-'96 Chicago Bulls. Now, thirteen days later and the Celtics would be ecstatic to just put together two straight wins. The Celtics have faltered from their Christmas time road trip that has featured four losses in six games and now has the Celtics barely...

3 recommendations | Discuss

Week 11 Power Rankings

By Zach Harper | January 6, 2009

This week, I had Brandon Gallawa rank the teams and I split the comments with him. Usually, we average out our rankings, come to an agreement on the ties and then comment but with being sick, I put the responsibility on him. Here are the Week 11 Power Rankings:Week 11 Power Rankings1. Los Angeles Lakers | Record: 27-5 | Previous Rank: 2nd | Last Week: 2-0 Upcoming Schedule: NOH, at GS, IND, MIAComments: Lakers fans...

2 recommendations | 2 Comments

Eight-Second Violation: Tuesday, December 6, 2009

By Zach Harper | January 6, 2009

By Zach HarperMarbury Potential Hard For People To Give Up OnWhat is it about potential, skill sets, and athleticism that makes us all clamor for those who don't deserve the attention? Is it because not even one percent of the world can accomplish the things that we see on the hardwood/parquet floor every night? Is it because we can make anybody in NBA 2K9 a threat to be great?(First side note: It really is...

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