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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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Eight-Second Violation: Tuesday, December 6, 2009

By Zach Harper | January 6, 2009 | Talk Hoops

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 true that NBA 2K9 is the Matrix for anyone that we want to turn into Neo and give them free reign on the pixilated battle ground that resides in my XBOX 360. I have seen Kevin Ollie and his mustache drop 62, Steve Francis play like he actually still existed, and Earl Watson perform like Larry Bird and Isiah Thomas settled their difference, had a love child, and named him after Earl Monroe and Matt...

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Boston Celtics, Caron Butler, Crab Dribble, Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors, Indiana Pacers, LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, NBA, New Jersey Nets, New Orleans Hornets, Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs, Stephon Marbury, Toronto Raptors, Utah Jazz

Tonight's Magic-Heat Preview

By Joe Lombardi | January 2, 2009 | Believing in Magic

Sorry everyone for the lack of posts this week, It has been a busy week with the holidays. I hope all of you had a happy holiday and have a great new year.The Orlando Magic will be taking on the Miami Heat tonight at the Amway arena where the Magic will be looking to extend their home winning streak to ten games as well as win their tenth straight game against their in-state rival. Orlando has dominated the Heat in recent match-ups due to the absence of their all-star Dwayne Wade, who missed five out of the nine previous match-ups.Dwayne Wade, the NBA leading scorer is coming into Orlando tonight fresh off a big win against the Cleveland Cavaliers with 21 points and 12 assists. Last time Wade played against Orlando he had 36 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists. He will be looking to have another big night against...

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CavsCast, Game #31: Cavs vs. Heat

By Smooth | December 30, 2008 | Cavalier Attitude

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS (26-4) VS. MIAMI HEAT (16-13) WHEN: 7:30 PM ET, DECEMBER 30TH, 2008WHERE: AMERICAN AIRLINES ARENA [MIAMI, FLORIDA]TV/RADIO: FSOHIO / NBATV / WTAM 1100COACHESMike Brown -HC- Erik SpoelstraPROBABLE LINEUPSMo Williams -PG- Mario ChalmersDelonte West - SG- Dwyane WadeLeBron James - SF- Shawn MarionBen Wallace -PF- Udonis HaslemZydrunas Ilgauskas -CT- Joel Anthony CAVS RESERVES Anderson Varejao Boobie GibsonSasha PavlovicLorenzen WrightJ.J. HicksonTarence KinseyDarnell JacksonHEAT RESERVES Marcus BanksYakhouba DiawaraChris QuinnDaequan CookMichael BeasleyJamaal MagloireMark BlountINACTIVES/INJURY LISTJames Jones (MIA)Dorell Wright (MIA)Shaun Livingston (MIA) [Knees]Eric Snow (CLE) [Knees]Wally Szczerbiak (CLE) [Knee Contusion]Jawad Williams (CLE)SMOOTH'S KEYS TO THE GAME Effort and Intensity - these intangibles came out in the 4th quarter versus the Heat and the Wizards but not the rest of the game. The Cavs need to be giving their full effort or else they could be in for trouble.Offensive output - aside from LeBron and Mo giving the Cavs production, no on else is...

Read more | 36 Comments | Tags: CavsCast, Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat

A Quick Look at the Cavs' Early Dominance

By nxnn | December 29, 2008 | Cavalier Attitude

The Cleveland Cavaliers has surpassed everyone's expectations - except possibly their own - so far this season. With a 26-4 record, the Cavaliers have already won 12 more games than they had at this point last season. This success can be seen in many areas, most of which revolve around the addition of Mo Williams and his successful integration into Mike Brown's rotation. Mike Brown has had great success in his four years with the Cavaliers, notching a 171-105 record at the helm. However, with all of this success, his team has not yet been able to take their game to the next level. One of the biggest flaws with Mike Brown's system as it integrates with the Cavaliers roster was his reliance on a strict rotation. Without great depth at the guard position, the Cavaliers had much difficultly remaining in games with scorers like Z and LeBron on the...

Read more | 4 Comments | Tags: Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Damon Jones, Dwyane Wade, Eric Snow, Larry Hughes, LeBron James, Miami Heat, Mike Brown, Mo Williams

LeBron Bloodies Haslem; Cavs Drop Heat, 93-86

By Amar Panchmatia | December 29, 2008 | Cavalier Attitude

Highlights ll Box On the same day the NFL's Detroit Lions went an infamous and obscenely inept 0-16, the Cavs flipped the script and remained the only undefeated team at home in the NBA all season - at 16-0. Two and a half years (two and a half years!) ago, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade staged an epic one-on-one dual on this very court at Quicken Loans Arena in April of 2006. LeBron scored 47, Wade scored 44, and the Cavs won on that afternoon, 106-99. But it was Wade's Heat who would have the last laugh, as Miami would eventually go on to win the franchise's first-ever NBA title two months later.These Cavs, however, are better than any of Wade's Miami teams have been. And although they tried their best to make that hard to believe on Sunday night at The Q, the wine and gold again prevailed by...

Read more | 1 Comment | Tags: Anderson Varejao, Ben Wallace, Cleveland Cavaliers, Danny Ferry, Delonte West, Detroit Lions, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Miami Heat, Mo Williams, Udonis Haslem

CavsCast, Game #30: Cavs vs. Heat

By Smooth | December 28, 2008 | Cavalier Attitude

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS (25-4) VS. MIAMI HEAT (16-12) WHEN: 7:00 PM ET, DECEMBER 28TH, 2008WHERE: THE QUICKEN LOANS ARENA [CLEVELAND, OHIO]TV/RADIO: FSOHIO / WTAM 1100COACHESMike Brown -HC- Erik SpoelstraPROBABLE LINEUPSMo Williams -PG- Mario ChalmersDelonte West - SG- Dwyane WadeLeBron James - SF- Shawn MarionBen Wallace -PF- Udonis HaslemZydrunas Ilgauskas -CT- Joel Anthony CAVS RESERVES Anderson Varejao Boobie GibsonSasha PavlovicLorenzen WrightJ.J. HicksonTarence KinseyDarnell JacksonHEAT RESERVES Marcus BanksYakhouba DiawaraChris QuinnDaequan CookMichael BeasleyJamaal MagloireMark BlountINACTIVES/INJURY LISTJames Jones (MIA)Dorell Wright (MIA)Shaun Livingston (MIA) [Knees]Eric Snow (CLE) [Knees]Wally Szczerbiak (CLE) [Knee Contusion]Jawad Williams (CLE)SMOOTH's KEYS TO THE GAME Keep an eye on Wade - Wade has been off to a phenomenal start this year and when matched up with LeBron, the best will usually come out. The Cavs need to be ready to defend him all night, especially Delonte.Effort - we saw the team gliding against the Wizards and barely get the win. If they put...

Read more | 2 Comments | Tags: CavsCast, Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat

Szczerbiak Out For A Week, Maybe More

By Smooth | December 28, 2008 | Cavalier Attitude

Cav fans can get used to seeing this image for the next week or so. Keith Allison (flickr)It looks like the Cavs will be without Wally Szczerbiak for at least a week, if not more, according to Brian Windhorst of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.The Cavs are going to be without Wally Szczerbiak for at least the next two games, both against the Miami Heat. Szczerbiak has a right knee contusion, which he suffered and then aggrivated over the last couple games. He underwent an MRI on Friday at the Cleveland Clinic and it revealed just a bruise. The Cavs have said they expect him to miss about a week. Szczerbiak is one of the key pieces in the Cavs rotation coming off the bench. He is averaging 6.6 points and 2.6 rebounds on 41.8% from field, 30.6% from 3-point range and 84.9% from the free-throw line. He had a strong...

Read more | 1 Comment | Tags: Brian Windhorst, Cleveland Cavaliers, Darnell Jackson, J.J. Hickson, Lorenzen Wright, Miami Heat, Mike Brown, Sasha Pavlovic, Wally Szczerbiak

NBA Power Rankings: New Year, New Number One

By Joe Boikess | January 6, 2009 | MVN Outsider

Dwight Howard - Keith Allison/Flickr.com

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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

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

NBA Stock Market: Mavericks getting back on track

By Joe Boikess | November 20, 2008 | MVN Outsider

var iamInit = function() {try{initIamServingHandler(234,183,276630,"http://cdn.pis.picapp.com/IamProd/Resources/Css/css2.css")}catch(ex){}}()Last night was a busy one in the NBA, with two-thirds of the league in uniform and on the court. A number of intriguing matchups took place, including the Cavaliers at Pistons, Mavericks at Rockets, and Bulls at Trail Blazers. Which teams came out on top, and who has been playing well of late? Keep reading to find out who's been looking good, and who might be needing another pep talk from Lou Holtz.Rising:Dallas Mavericks - One of the more intriguing story lines throughout the early part of the season has involved the three Texas teams. Both the Spurs and Mavericks have been struggling, while the Rockets have been trying to figure out how to best integrate Ron Artest into their gameplan. On Wednesday night, the Mavericks got their second chance to show the world that they are still a force to be reckoned with, as...Read more

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Miami Heat, NBA, NBA Outsider

NBA Stock Market: Parker, Spurs finally get a win

By Joe Boikess | November 6, 2008 | MVN Outsider

The Spurs' Tony Parker (flickr.com)

Beginning today and continuing throughout the season on Thursdays, I will be analyzing various teams and players from around the league to give you a general view of the ever-changing atmosphere that is the NBA. Which teams and players are moving up, and which ones are dropping? Read below to find out, in NBA Outsider's first edition of its NBA Stock Market.Rising:San Antonio Spurs - It was very weird for me to see the Spurs, a team that has always had success for about as long as I've been a basketball fan, in last place in their division at 0-3 just a day ago. But after yesterday's 129-125 double OT win over the Wolves, a win that required Spurs point guard Tony Parker to explode for a NBA season-high 55 points and 10 assists, San Antonio finally got its first win of the young season. The Spurs won't be anywhere...Read more

Read more | 1 Comment | Tags: Amare Stoudemire, Andre Iguodala, Los Angeles Clippers, Mario Chalmers, Miami Heat, NBA, NBA Outsider, Philadelphia 76ers, San Antonio Spurs

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