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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 Studs and Duds: 12/29/08

By Stu Holdren | December 29, 2008 | NBA Noise

Studs:Al Jefferson, Minnesota TimberwolvesTimberwolves fans can rejoice with their second win in three games, and Al Jefferson was a major part of tonight's. The Grizzlies had no answer for Jefferson, who scored a season-high 38 points and snagged 16 rebounds in a 108-98 overtime victory. [boxscore]Shaquille O'Neal, Phoenix SunsAfter Steve Nash went out of the game in the first quarter with back spasms, the Diesel took the game into his own hands and helped the Suns get a 110-102 win against the Thunder. O'Neal put together a complete game with 28 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks and made a very un-Shaq-like 8 of 12 free throws. [boxscore]Stephen Jackson, Golden State WarriorsIn true, frantic Warriors fashion, Stephen Jackson produced his fourth 30-point game as the Warriors beat the Raptors 117 to 111. Jackson also got himself involved in all other aspects of the game as he had 7 rebounds,...

Read more | 2 Comments | Tags: Al Jefferson, Carmelo Anthony, Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Minnesota Timberwolves, NBA, Phoenix Suns, Shaquille O'Neal, Stephen Jackson, Yao Ming

Christmas Day Notes

By Zach Harper | December 26, 2008 | Talk Hoops

Just wanted to jot down a few notes about the Christmas Day NBA festivities from yesterday. As you can probably tell there ended up not being an Eight-Second Violation for today because of the juggling of family time and NBA basketball. It led me to breaking free from family and going home at around 1am. With having to get up less than six hours later for work, it seemed unlikely that an effort could be made. But I'll try to hit on a few things here to make up for it as I wake myself out of this sleepwalk. Hornets-Magic GameWho would've thought that this would be the clunker of the whole day? I actually thought that this would end up being the second best game because Chris Paul doesn't seem to let his team give up and Dwight Howard is leading this Magic team perfectly right now (he's even...

Read more | 7 Comments | Tags: Boston Celtics, Chris Paul, Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, Dwight Howard, Los Angeles Lakers, NBA, New Orleans Hornets, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, Portland Trailblazers, San Antonio Spurs, Steve Nash, Tim Duncan, Washington Wizards

Christmas Day Survival Guide

By Zach Harper | December 24, 2008 | Talk Hoops

Okay. We all need to stick together on this. Christmas comes with a lot of pressure, commitments, and responsibilities through the holiday. For those of you who do not celebrate the holiday due to philosophical or religious beliefs, consider yourself lucky this year. For those of you who do celebrate it, consider yourself screwed. The NBA has provided us with four potentially fantastic games and one match-up that looks like it will be over by the time Grandpa passes out. Here are the games with times and stations: New Orleans at Orlando, 9am PST on ESPNSan Antonio at Phoenix, 12:30pm PST on ABCBoston at LA Lakers, 2pm PST on ABCWashington at Cleveland, 5pm PST on TNTDallas at Portland, 7:30pm PST on TNTOther than the Wizards-Cavs snoozer, that is a loaded day of basketball. Unfortunately for someone like myself, I will be bouncing around from home to home on Christmas Day...

Read more | 1 Comment | Tags: Boston Celtics, chloroform brownies, Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers, NBA, New Orleans Hornets, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, Portland Trailblazers, San Antonio Spurs, Washington Wizards

Gameday Q&A: Ben's Suns Blog

By Michael De Leon | December 24, 2008 | Project Spurs

This is another in a series of Gameday Q&A's I'll be having with other NBA and team bloggers once a week. For tonight's game, I talked to Ben York from Ben's Suns Blog. Also be sure and checkout Ben's questions for me and my responses.1. What are your thoughts on the acquisition of Jason Richardson now that he's played a few games for the Suns. Do you think he gives the Suns enough to get over the hump and make a finals run?I'm not sure Jason Richardson gives us enough to make a finals run, but he certainly gives us another dimension that we were missing with Bell at the 2 guard. He is an underrated defender and a great rebounder who changes the complexion of the opponent's defense...much more than Bell. Essentially, we have the tools and players to make a run but our defense needs to improve before...

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Power Rankings: Green Comes Out on Top

By Celticsfanatic | December 24, 2008 | Celtics 17

Rajon Rondo on the Jumbotron - culhanen

Today on Celtics17, we will be having our very own power rankings! We will be breaking the top fifteen teams in the NBA. Who comes out on top? We'll see soon enough.2008 Power Rankings1. Boston Celtics - Ranked second in John Hollinger's power rankings, first in Marc Stein's power rankings, and first in Joe Boikess's power rankings, the Celtics are near the top in just about every single one. Heading into the Staples Center, they have a 19 game winning streak, and a record 27-2 start this year. Now thats impressive.2. Cleveland Cavaliers - Ranked first in John Hollinger's rankings (link above), the Cavs are one of the toughest teams you could think of in the NBA. Their league leading margin of victory is +13.04, and they have one of the most dominant players in the game, LeBron James, who is averaging 27.6 points per game.3. Orlando Magic - Their...

Read more | 4 Comments | Tags: Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, NBA, New Jersey Nets, New Orleans Hornets, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers, Power Rankings, San Antonio Spurs, Utah Jazz

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...

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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

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)

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

NBA Roundtable: Breaking down Wednesday's trades

By Michael De Leon | December 11, 2008 | MVN Outsider

I got a chance to talk to Ryne Nelson of SLAMonline, Stu Holdren of NBA Noise, Zach Harper of TalkHoops and Ben of Ben's Suns Blog about the two trades that sent eight players packing and on flights to their new NBA homes Wednesday.The biggest trade had the Phoenix Suns sending Boris Diaw, Raja Bell and Sean Singletary in exchange for Jason Richardson, Jared Dudley and a 2010 second round pick.In the other trade, the Wizards acquired Mike James from the Hornets and Javaris Crittenton from the Grizzlies, while the Hornets get Antonio Daniels from the Wizards. Memphis comes away with a future first round pick.Listen in as we talk about the winners and losers, how this trade affects each team, and if Jason Richardson can help get the Suns over the hump and into the finals. Oh and we have some not too kind words about Mike James as...Read more

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Top ten surprises of the NBA season so far

By Jon Burkett | November 18, 2008 | MVN Outsider

With most teams past the 10 game point in the NBA season, subplots and storylines are emerging. While the Lakers and Celtics are clearly the top teams in the league, LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers are playing well as the best of the rest. Other teams have not been up to the challenge. Heading in to Tuesday's action, here are the top ten surprises of the NBA season so far... 10. Mark Cuban's alleged insider trading - The league's most entertaining and passionate owner has been on the wrong side of David Stern before. He has a reputation for being a bit of a rogue, but always follows the law. The most surprising aspect of the story to me is public reaction fueled by speculation. Sure, the NBA is still reeling from image issues of the Tim Donaghy scandal two summers ago. But every piece of gossip is not...Read more

Read more | 3 Comments | Tags: Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clipppers, Milwaukee Bucks, NBA, NBA Outsider, New York Knicks, Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers, San Antonio Spurs, Washington Wizards

NBA Week 3 Power Rankings

By Joe Boikess | November 17, 2008 | MVN Outsider

If one thing has been made clear through the first two-plus weeks of the season, it's this: the Lakers and Celtics are still the cream of the NBA's crop. Although both L.A. and Boston lost to teams that most would argue are inferior opposition last week, I doubt anyone that has been closely following the league thus far would cite those losses as justification for dropping either of them in anyone's power rankings.However with that said, one could debate all day as to whether the Lakers or Celtics deserves to be #1. Last week I had the then-undefeated Lakers occupying the top of my rankings, followed closely by the Celtics. L.A. still has the fewest losses of any team in the league, and they also possess the largest point differential out there (+14.4). So, in the words of Terrell Owens, "the proof is in the pudding."1. Los Angeles Lakers (7-1)...Read more

Read more | 8 Comments | Tags: Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Los Angeles Lakers, NBA, NBA Outsider, Phoenix Suns

NBA Stock Market: Ford's play has Pacers soaring

By Joe Boikess | November 13, 2008 | MVN Outsider

Indiana's Jermaine O'Neal (flickr.com)

A week ago I tabbed the San Antonio Spurs as the team on the rise after Tony Parker led them to their first win of the season. Then Parker went down with a badly sprained ankle, sidelining him for about a month, and the Spurs have since managed only one win. This only proves that things can change in an instant in the NBA. Here's my risers and fallers for this week...Rising:Indiana Pacers - Indiana's schedule to begin the season was about as tough as it gets: games at Cleveland and at Detroit, and two home meetings with the Celtics and Suns. But after starting out 1-3, the Pacers have won their last three after notching a couple wins over the Nets and one against the lowly Thunder. T.J. Ford has carried much of the load during this latest win streak, getting within a few rebounds or assists shy of...Read more

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Andrei Kirilenko, Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers, NBA, NBA Outsider, Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs, Toronto Raptors, Tracy McGrady, Utah Jazz

NBA Week 2 Power Rankings

By Joe Boikess | November 10, 2008 | MVN Outsider

A week ago there were seven undefeated teams left. Now there's only two, and who would have thought that one of them would be the Hawks? Atlanta is the big winner this week, but they weren't the team that made the biggest rise in my week 2 power rankings...1. Los Angeles Lakers (5-0) - After a 2-0 week was punctuated by a dominating win against the Rockets, the Lakers are one of only two undefeated teams remaining.2. Boston Celtics (6-1) - More impressive than Boston's spoiling of Iverson's debut in Detroit has been the play of Tony Allen and the C's bench.3. Phoenix Suns (5-2) - The Suns rested Shaq during their loss to Chicago last week, but he sure did make his mark the next night, notching his first 25/10 game since last November.4. Atlanta Hawks (5-0) - Losing Josh Smith for a few weeks will hurt, but Atlanta...Read more

Read more | 1 Comment | Tags: Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, NBA, NBA Outsider, Phoenix Suns, Utah Jazz

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