NBA Weblog

Shaq Traded to Cleveland Cavaliers

chowell — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 04:32:00 GMT

The Phoenix Suns have traded Shaquille O'Neal to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic . ESPN is breaking the news right now, as Yahoo Sports probably reported first (?). No Tweets from Shaq or Amare (yet)... Shaq has tweeted quite a bit tonight, but nothing on the trade. This move is "mostly" salary related, since it really won't make the Suns any better. Not sure it makes Cleveland any better to be honest... Realize this is a business and the Suns can't over-pay for a non-playoff...(read more)

Suns Outlook Fuzzy Entering 2009 NBA Draft

chowell — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 04:33:00 GMT

While some teams appear to have their 2009 NBA Draft plans in stone already (think LA-Griffin), the Phoenix Suns and other teams after the 1st pick are a little less clear. Starting with the 2nd pick, the NBA Draft looks to be one of the most dynamic in recent history. Not only is there no clear selection of players, but many teams are lining up for the 2010 free agent season when LeBron James and others will be available. Many franchises will be unwilling to take on huge salaries right now with...(read more)

Steve Nash on David Letterman Covering the NBA Finals

chowell — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 14:54:00 GMT

Suns' 2-Time MVP Steve Nash has been a special correspondent on the David Letterman Show the past few games of the NBA Finals. The premise is simple - Nash tries to be goofy and/or entertainint - and he does a pretty good job at it. The interviews and interaction w/ the fans is quite hilarious, but there is a stink being made about Nash's comments at the end of the segment, when Letterman implies that Steve should be in playing for the NY Knicks. Nash didn't play it off or say he was happy in Phoenix...(read more)

Suns Remove Interim Tag from Alvin Gentry's Postion; Now Officially Head Coach

chowell — Sun, 10 May 2009 18:14:00 GMT

Fresh off missing the playoffs for the first time in years, GM Steve Kerr and the Suns have officially made Alvin Gentry the head coach for at least the next two seasons. There is an option for a 3rd year, but he'll have to prove himself worthy to get that. Not a bad move for Phoenix, considering the coaching talent pool available - seriously, is there a single coach you would take over Gentry? Didn't think so. They keep the core group of guys happy, because Gentry will maintain the run 'n gun that...(read more)

NBA Awards Handed Out for 2008-09 Season

chowell — Wed, 06 May 2009 18:56:00 GMT

The NBA has been awarding players, coaches and executives over the past couple weeks for their accomplishments to basketball this season. Among the winners, include many first timers, but we should get use to the fact that they won, because we will be seeing a lot more of them in the coming seasons. 2008-09 NBA Award Winners MVP - Lebron James, Cleveland Cavaliers Rookie of the Year - Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls Defensive Player of the Year - Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic Coach of the Year - Mike...(read more)

2008-2009 Playoff Predictions

Scott Mitchell — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 15:07:00 GMT

Each year I post my (insanely inaccurate) playoff predictions prior to the start of the postseason. I some rare circumstances my picks are spot on - such as my prediction last year of a Lakers / Celtics Finals with the Celtics winning in 6 - but most of the time my guesses are horrific and gum up my entire bracket (such as last year's pick of the Wizards beating the Cavs in Round 1... whoops) or are just so divorced from reality, as in the case of picking that the Celtics would sweep the Hawks in Round 1. This year I didn't have as much time to pontificate on my playoff picks because the Western Conference seedings weren't finalized until the last day of the regular season. With such a tight bunching between the 2nd and 8th-seeded teams, every game this regular season mattered. From Chris Tomasson in Nuggets Can Thank Papovich for No. 2 Seed:

In San Antonio, they remember the Alamo. They also might remember Feb. 3. That was the night Spurs coach Gregg Popovich rested most of his top players against the Nuggets at the Pepsi Center. Playing the second game of a back-to-back situation after winning the previous night at Golden State, Popovich didn’t use Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili or Michael Finley. Although Ginobili had gotten hurt the night before, Popovich gave no concrete reason for resting the others.
The Spurs J.V. team battled well. But they fell 104-96 to assure that Denver won the season series 2-1. Well, guess what? The Spurs and the Nuggets both finished the season 54-28, with Denver, due to the tiebreaker, getting the No. 2 seed in the West and San Antonio settling for No. 3. Had Popovich used his top players that night and the Spurs won, San Antonio would be the No. 2 seed and would be in line for homecourt advantage for the first two rounds of the playoffs. Of course, an extra loss would have meant the Nuggets would have finished the season 53-29. That would have resulted in them losing the Northwest Division to Portland (54-28) and losing a tiebreaker to Houston (53-29) for the No. 4 seed.

Let's get started with this year's picks! I've put the winning team name from each series in bold.

Eastern Conference

Round 1
(1) Cleveland beats (8) Detroit - The Pistons have had a disappointing season marred by a disastrous trade. Cleveland and LeBron have been unstoppable, netting the league's best record with only two loses on their home court all year. Cleveland will win this series easily in 5. I forsee the Cavs being up 3-0 when the Pistons win a meaningless Game 4, only to have the Cavs dominantly close the series in Game 5 back in Cleveland (although a four game sweep wouldn't surprise me in the least).

(4) Atlanta loses to (5) Miami - D-Wade is a beast and here's the scary part - he could have been a Detroit Piston! I've mentioned this before many times, but we, as a society, can never forget - the Pistons took Darko as their #2 pick in the draft over D-Wade, Carmelo Anthony, and Chris Bosh. Ok, I feel better now. I see Wade putting forth a Herculean effort that cannot be stopped or matched by the Hawks. Heat in 6.

(3) Orlando beats (6) Philly - While Orlando has slipped a bit in the last bit of the season, they're in a perfect position now. They won't have to worry about the Cavs until the Conference Finals and they'd face a depleted Celtics team in Round 2. Philly will be a road bump for the Magic, who will win in 5.

(2) Boston over (7) Chicago - First, the bad news: Celtics Coach Doc Rivers announced that, after sitting out several games late in the regular season, Garnett will likely be out for the entire playoffs with a bum knee. While the Celtics have won the vast majority of their games during Garnett's absenses this season, one wonders how they will fare in the playoffs without the services of their emotional leader. This first round should be a good test as Chicago is the team that poses the greatest threat to any of the top-seeded teams in the first round. However, I don't think the Bulls have any real chance here - they're still too young and too inexperienced. There will be some interesting and close games, but the Celtics will prevail in 6.

Round 2
(1) Cleveland beats (5) Miami - Another walk in the park for the Cavs. I expect Wade will have at least one phenomenal game that overwhelms the Cavs - and the Heat have had a resounding win against the Cavs in Miami this year - but this series will serve as an appetizer for the main course - the Eastern Conference Finals! Cleveland in 5.

(2) Boston beats (3) Orlando - The Celtics are missing Garnett, they're old and tired from a six game series with the Bulls. The Magic are young and hungry and rested. It will be a good series with a couple of close games, but the Celtics experience and mettle will see them into the ECF. Celtics in 6, possibly 7.

Round 3
(1) Cleveland beats (2) Boston - The Cavs have everything in their favor going into the ECF - two "easy" Rounds, a very hungry and motivated LeBron, and a depleted Celtics squad firmly between their sights. The Celtics will have enough juice left in them to win one game at home, but the Cavs will overwhelm them in this series, winning in 5.

Western Conference

Round 1
(1) Los Angeles beats (8) Utah - The Lakers are the favored team in the West; the Jazz have been struggling late and have questions around the health of their star forward, Carlos Boozer. The Lakers bested the Jazz earlier this week. Things are not looking up for the Jazz. Even Jazz Coach Jerry Sloan admitted things are pretty bleak in Utah. While most analysts have written off the Jazz, I think they're going to give the Lakers two or three tough games, winning one or two. The Lakers have this series in the books barring any freak injuries, but the Lakers will have a couple of rough patches, especially seeing as how they are a team whose attention and energy is not always tightly focused. Lakers in 5, maybe 6.

(4) Portland beats (5) Houston - Portland is young, hungry, and talented. Houston is still struggling to get out of the first round of the playoffs this decade. I think this will be a heck of a series with some memorable games, but in the end I think Portland's youth and home court advantage will give them the series in 7.

(3) San Antonio beats (6) Dallas - The Spurs are old and without Manu, and Duncan's knees have started to deteriorate on him, but they still are the Spurs, they still know how to win in the postseason, and they still have a great coach in Popavich. The Mavericks biggest problem is their lack of defensive intensity and their inability to stop fast guards, like Tony Parker. There may be a close game or two in this series, but I see the Spurs pulling through without much ado, and winning in 5 or 6.

(2) Denver loses to (7) New Orleans - The Hornets are beat up and the Nuggets have home court advantage, but I think that if there is going to be one upset in the first round, this series will be it. Denver always seems one boneheaded play or emotional outburst away from a full-fledged breakdown, and Denver's stars have never seemed as hungry as the likes of Chris Paul. Granted, the Nuggets have the Hornets beat on talent, but I think last year's push into the second round and their hunger will give the Hornets the edge and the ability to best the Nuggets in a tight 7 game series.

Round 2
(1) Los Angeles beats (4) Portland - This should be a great matchup. Two fun teams who will bring a lot of energy and excitement to the floor. The Blazers will have an exciting win or two, but I see the Lakers winning this series in 5 or 6. The difference comes down to postseason experience. There will be a few key plays in key games that the Lakers will capitalize on and that will be the difference.

(3) San Antonio beats (7) New Orleans - This year's rematch of last year's WCSFs series will be just as exciting and will have the same outcome - Spurs in 7.

Round 3

(1) Los Angeles beat (3) San Antonio - The Lakers are too fast and too deep, too young and too hungry. The Spurs are too old, without Manu, and worn from a longer and more depleting Round 1 and Round 2. Much like last year's WCF, the Lakers will blow by the Spurs, winning in 5.

NBA Finals

(1) Cleveland loses to (1) Los Angeles - The Lakers have had the Cavs number this season, winning both games against the Cavs and handing Cleveland their first home loss (and only home loss until the last game of the season). The Lakers are hungrier, too, having gotten to the Finals last year, but losing in 6. This year, with a healthy Bynum, with Phil gunning for 10 rings, and Kobe needing a ring to cement his legacy and to prove that he can win without Shaq, the Lakers will take this series in convincing fashion, winning in 6 and being crowned the world champions!

Suns Virtually Eliminated from NBA Playoffs w/ Shoddy Loss to Mavs

chowell — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 14:30:00 GMT

While still not official statistically, the Phoenix Suns are virtually eliminated from playoff contention after their horrendous showing on Sunday vs. the Dallas Mavericks , the team they WERE chasing. Dallas had their way with the Suns so strongly, that the Suns didn't even play their starters in the 4th quarter - they may have for a minute or two, but at the 8-9 minute mark, Nash, Shaq and the others were nowhere to be seen. I wasn't in town and only saw the 4th quarter, but I can imagine what...(read more)

Suns' Opponents Providing Glimmer of Playoff Hopes

chowell — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 03:37:00 GMT

The Phoenix Suns are in the 3rd quarter w/ the Sacramento Kings right now, but the two teams above them in the playoff race - Dallas and Utah - both lost tonight. Dallas is now only 3.5 games ahead of the Suns for the 8th spot. Utah has been playing horrible lately and is nearly within PHX's reach as well. While the odds are still stacked against the Suns, they just need to win their own games and not worry about what Dallas and Utah are doing. Everyone on the team has a mindset that they've entered...(read more)

Random Basketball Stat of the Day

Scott Mitchell — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 00:55:00 GMT

As I noted previously, I've been getting into analyzing NBA stats recently, which seems all the rage these days. Anywho, here's a random fun stat for the day:

Guards and forwards are both more than five times as likely to have a season with more offensive rebounds than defensive rebounds. The only centers to have more offensive rebounds than defensive rebounds in a season were (when considering only players who played 41 games or more):
Chris Dudley (1987)
Ed Horton (1989)
Stacey King (1992)
Scott Lloyd (1978)
Granville Waiters (1985)

(Keep in mind that rebound stats weren't divided into offensive and defensive stats until the 1973 season.)

A few weeks ago I also added a new feature to the NBAWebLog.com homepage - statcenter's Twitter feed. statcenter routinely posts various NBA stats via his (her?) Twitter feed, which then gets displayed on this site's homepage.

Stat Crunching

Scott Mitchell — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 22:21:00 GMT

Over the past decade there's been quite the groundswell of interest in the gathering and analysis of basketball statistics. Purportedly, many NBA teams have at least one full-time statistician, if not several, trying to tease out trends and gain a deeper understanding of player and team efficiency based on the numbers. Perhaps one of the better known statistics is John Hollinger's Player Efficiency Rating (PER).

Being a numbers geek at heart, I've often thought it would be interesting to plough through some statistics and make observations or discover some insight from the sea of data. Of course, before you can analyze data, you need to get your hands on the data.

There are some websites that sell statistics marked up in the official SportsML markup language. However, being a hobbyist, I wasn't too keen on paying for stats and, fortunately, stumbled across free basketball stats in Microsoft Excel format at DatabaseBasketball.com. There are different spreadsheets for team stats by season, player stats by regular season, player stats in the playoffs, and so forth. Moreover, the statistical history dates back to the 50s and includes NBA and ABA teams, although certain stats, such as assits, weren't recorded until the 70s, and things like three pointers attempted and made were not relevant prior to the three point line. I spent some time getting the data from the Excel spreadsheets into a Microsoft SQL Server database, where I can more proficiently delve into the data. I'm still in the process of integrating all of the spreadsheets, but I currently have the team and regular season player data.

One area of interest for me has to with how the game changed from the 80s to the 90s, and now into the 00s. The 80s was typified by high scoring, fast break offense. Fun, free-flowing ball with high scoring and breakneck action. But in the late 80s the Pistons showed that defense could win championships, and the Knicks and Bulls exemplified a stronger defensive mindset. Scoring dropped precipitously. Over the past decade, the NBA has had several rule changes to encourage a faster paced game, which has brought more energy to the game and increased scoring, although not to the levels in the 1980s (or even to the levels of the early 1990s), but the offensive numbers are steadily increasing with each season this decade. I am curious as to how this change in strategy from the 80s to the 90s affected various facets of the game, and whether today's trend of more offense is going to return us to an 80s style of play or not.

I plan on writing up a more in-depth post as I continue to poke at this data, but for now consider this:

Average ppg in the 1980s: 108.6
Average ppg in the 1990s (Excluding 1998): 100.5
Average ppg in the 2000s: 96

The high-scoring 80s did not end abruptly with the start of the 1990 season, but were starting to wane from the high of 109 ppg in 1988 to 106 in 1990. From 1990 to the 1997 season scoring decreased every year, from 106 ppg down to 95 ppg. (I have exlucded the 1998 lockout year from my calculations, in which half a season was played; in this lockout year there was an abysmally low 91 ppg, but that was certainly due in part to players being out of shape when the season started.) The lowest ppg season since 1980 was 2000, at 94 ppg, but this number has been steadily increasing every year since, and last season (2007) was at 99 ppg. And this year currently stands at 99 ppg, on average. Point being, we're unlikely to see a decade ppg average eclipse 100.

The more interesting question is how did the improved defense of the 90s affect the offensive game. Sure, fewer points were scored, but was that because there was poorer shooting or fewer attempts at shots because of stiffling defense? Or were there fewer fast break attempts? Fewer fouls, and therefore fewer free throws? Or some combination of the above? Moreover, how have these factors changed as the scoring has increased over the past eight seasons? Are we seeing a return to the conditions in the 80s or is today's offense more the product of quicker foul calls and one-on-one plays? The answers lie in the data!

Suns Still Alive, But Mavs Get a Win

chowell — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 14:47:00 GMT

The Phoenix Suns are still alive in the race for the 8th seed in the 2009 NBA Playoffs , but they still need to win 75% or more of their games and hope that the Dallas Mavericks lose a few more games at the same time. After winning 2 in a row (over crappy teams), the Suns were once again within 4 games of Dallas (after 2 Mavs losses as well), but Dallas got a much needed victory last night over the Pistons that once again pushes them up to a 4.5 game lead. With only 15 games left, the Suns are still...(read more)

Suns' Playoff Hopes Quickly Fading After Home Loss to Mavericks

chowell — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 18:20:00 GMT

Despite the Suns best effort on Tuesday night at home, they were unable to stop both Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry from scoring and ended up on the losing end, 122-117. Nowitzki routinely shot over smaller defenders and led a second half surge that strengthened Dallas' position as the 8th playoff seed, while pushing PHX further into the 9th seed and out of playoff contention . Steve Nash , Shaquille O'Neal , Leandro Barbosa and Matt Barnes all played solid ball and seemingly scored at will (at times...(read more)

Amare Stoudemire Ruled Out for Suns' Postseason

chowell — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 19:37:00 GMT

Amare Stoudemire 's doctor has indicated that the retinal tear Amare suffered is more serious than a lot of other injuries and will require significant time to heal. So much time, in fact, that Stoudemire will not participate in the postseason if the Phoenix Suns make the NBA Playoffs. The recovery time from the surgery is months and so far, the process is slow going for Amare. He has been banned from attending games even, to prevent any further injury to the eye. Of course, the team will continue...(read more)

Suns Sign Forward Stromile Swift for Remainder of 2009 Season

chowell — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 04:40:00 GMT

The Suns on Wednesday, signed forward Stromile Swift for the remainder of the 2009 season. The PF, who spent most of his career in Memphis, but most recently in Houston and New Jersey, will add some power and size for the small Suns squad. Swift is certainly no Amare Stoudemire , but he can run the floor and should be on the receiving end of many alley-oops from the Phoenix guards or small forwards. Swift is a good rebounder, but a poor outside shooter. The Suns really don't need him to shoot, so...(read more)

Amare Stoudemire Out 8 Weeks - Suns Playoff Hopes Dashed

chowell — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 18:11:00 GMT

Breaking news today... Suns forward Amare Stoudemire underwent eye surgery to repair a torn retina and is expected to miss the next 8 weeks of Phoenix's NBA season. This news likely derails any hope of the Suns catching back up in the Western Conference playoff race and making the playoffs. With the new fast pace style initiated by Gentry, this will definitely set back the team immediately. Why the surgery? STAT dropped 42 pts on the Clippers Wednesday night and played in the 4th quarter. He was...(read more)

Suns Rumored to Be Looking at Head Coaching Options

chowell — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 15:04:00 GMT

Updated 2/16/09 The Phoenix Suns on Monday did what had been rumored since late last week - firing Terry Porter as head coach. Assistant coach Alvin Gentry will replace Porter for the remainder of the season. For Suns fans, the change at coach could signify a return to the run 'n gun team that we've been accustomed to seeing the past 5 yrs. Gentry is the lone holdout in the coaching staff from the D'Antoni days and prefers the uptempo style that made the Suns so popular prior to this season. It is...(read more)

Lakers Trade Radmanovic for Adam Morrison and End Cleveland's Home Winning Streak

Scott Mitchell — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 17:24:00 GMT

The Los Angeles Lakers and Charlotte Bobcats have announced a trade today: the Lakers send Vladimir Radmanovic to Charlotte for Adam Morrison and Shannon Brown. This trade is more about freeing up some cap space for next year rather than making a big move. Radman and Morrison are two players who see only limited playing time and neither player's absence will affect either team significantly. Adam Morrison was a phenomenal college player at Gonzaga and was selected third overall in the draft in 2006, but has not adjusted well to the NBA. Early in his career he had a knee injury, and he's never had the speed or defensive sharpness needed to make it big in the NBA. It's safe to say that so far his professional career has been a disappointment. Interestingly, Morrison was the first round pick by Charlotte, which was at the time (and still is) headed by Michael Jordan. MJ was also the executive responsible for the Wizards drafting Kwame Brown, another player whose professional career never panned out and who played for the Lakers. I don't expect Morrison will see nearly as much PT as Kwame got in those years he played with the Purple and Gold.

The Lakers won their sixth straight game today capping off their six game road trip by besting the Cleveland Caveliers 101-91. Kobe Bryant was reportedly feeling under the weather and didn't have a major impact on the game, but Lamar Odom played very well, with 28 pts and 17 boards, both season highs. Prior to Bynum's knee injury, Lamar was coming off the bench and was playing limited minutes when compared to previous seasons. With Bynum's absence from the lineup, he will be called on to start games and will need to stack up boards and easy points like he did today.

Despite Bynum's injury, I think it's safe to say that the Lakers are the hottest team in the league as we head into the week preceding the All Star Game break. They have the best record (41-9) and have beaten the Celtics and the Cavs on the road in the last week, as well as winning against Cleveland and the Spurs at home in the past three weeks. Of course, we are still a fair stretch away from the postseason, and anything can happen between now and April, but if the Lakers can stay healthy and focused they are going to have another very successful postseason. On Tuesday the Thunder come to LA and then on Wednesday the Lakers fly out to Salt Lake City to play the Jazz. The team is then off until Tuesday the 17th, when they play at home against the Atlanta Hawks.

Go Lakers!

Amare Stoudemire Subject of Trade Rumors

chowell — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 03:03:00 GMT

Latest Amare Stoudemire Trade Rumors/Updates 2/18/09 With less than 24 hrs until the NBA's trading deadline ends tomorrow afternoon, the Suns appear to be standing pat, at least with regards to Amare Stoudemire . After firing Terry Porter and returning to the fastbreak pace of old, PHX appears to be content w/ the core of players on the current roster. I still believe the trade for Jason Richardson and Jared Dudley will pay dividends down the road. Both players bring energy and a positive attitude...(read more)

Another Season, Another Bynum Knee Injury

Scott Mitchell — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 04:15:00 GMT

Last Saturday in a game against the Memphis Grizzlies, the ever-improving center Andrew Bynum suffered an injury when Kobe Bryant collided into his right knee. The result was a torn MCL and will be out 8 to 12 weeks. That means his return date, if it happens at all this season, would be sometime in April. It also means he would (likely) be out of shape and out of sync with his team. Last year Bynum suffered a similar injury in January, but in his left knee. That injury sidelined the budding Bynum, but doctors were optimistic and announced that he'd be back in 8 weeks. Unfortunately, 8 weeks turned into the rest of the season, and Bynum was not on the active roster come the postseason. His lack of size, energy, and skills were part of the reason the Lakers stumbled in the Finals, as they were routinely outsized and outplayed underneath the rim. And not to be too dire, but Kobe is suffering from his own set of ailments - his finger and shoulder, for instance - yet I somehow doubt Kobe would go on the IR unless his legs were broken or his shooting arm amputated.

Despite the Lakers strong record (currently 39-9 with a 12 game lead in their division), this injury is certainly a setback as they return to their roster from the second half of last year. A roster strong enough to get them into the Finals, but not strong enough to win it all. This year their roster has another year of experience and Pau Gasol has had more time to be integrated into the offense. Pau's also playing with more chutzpah than last year. Compare his performance in the Christmas game this year against the Celtics, when he stepped up late in the 4th and hit several big shots, many of them driving to the basket. In last year's Finals he often looked lost and intimidated. And this year he is playing quite well, both with Bynum in the lineup and without. His stats are on par with his stats last year, but he seems to come up big more often, more comfortable to take an important shot, whereas last year he seemed to be more hesitant, perhaps still feeling out his role on the team and how Kobe would respond if he took a big shot and missed.

What's more, this years Western Conference is weaker than last years. The Spurs are a year older (so old, it seems, that Pop gave Duncan, Manu, and Parker an entire night off!), injuries about for the Jazz and Hornets, the Suns players miss D'Antoni and don't seem to much like playing for their new coach, and while Denver and Portland have a lot of upside, I can't see them beating the Lakers or Spurs in a seven game series. But the East is a Beast this year, with the Celtics, Cavs, and Magic all playing an exceptionally strong first half of the season.

So what's the short term battle plan? The Lakers star players need to step it up a notch, and they have already done so. On Superbowl Sunday Kobe netted 61 in New York against the Knicks, setting a record for most points scored in MSG. And Gasol has had a couple of monster games where he's scored over 30 and racked up more than 10 boards. Tomorrow's game on the road against the Celtics, after playing a game today against the Raptors, will be a good litmus test. Will the Lakers be able to raise their game to the level of the Celtics, who are riding a 12 game win streak? Can Kobe and crew up their game and beat Boston in both of their games this season? I doubt it, given the back-to-back and being in the midst of a long road trip, but a W will sure give the Lakers much needed mental fortitude and a sense that this Celtics team can be beaten sans Bynum. (There's another big game on Sunday in Cleveland against the Cavs that should serve as another litmus test.) Another short term option would be to get another big man on the roster. Perhaps some team will take Lamar Odom and a draft pick for a reliable big man. Don't forget, last year around this time they landed Pau Gasol from the Grizzlies, so you never know what might happen.

Long term, the Lakers are going to have to plan on being Bynum-less the rest of this season. While the doctors say he might come back before the postseason, I am not optimistic given the history. With a healthy and hungry Bynum I think the Lakers are the deepest team in the League and are certainly capable of winning it all. Without Bynum, the Lakers still have a lot of depth and skill and are still the best team in the West, but their ascention to the Finals is more in doubt without Bynum. I still am picking the Lakers to make it to the Finals this year, but I think they are going to lose to a hungry Cavs team spearheaded by the unstoppable LeBron James.

Suns Blowout Kings in PHX

chowell — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 04:36:00 GMT

The Suns demolished the Kings Monday night in an easy victory, 129-81. This was the largest margin of victory at the Suns arena. PHX was up by 50 pts at the end of the 3rd quarter, so the starters did not need to play the 4th and the bench maintained the lead until the end. PHX was led by Jason Richardson (24), Amare (25) and Hill (14) points, respectively. We dominated on the boards for once, 59-35 - not even close. No Suns player had more than 9 rebounds, so it was a total team effort. The team...(read more)

In This Case, One Out Of Three Ain't Bad!

Scott Mitchell — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 22:56:00 GMT

The Lakers had the toughest three-game stretch of their season the past six days, matching up against the always dangerous San Antonio Spurs, the hot Orlando Magic, and the unstoppable Cleveland Cavaliers.

The first game against the Spurs was, perhaps, their toughest, as it was on the road and the second game in a back-to-back. Yet the game was close and down to the wire, with the Lakers up by two with less than a minute. However, San Antonio's newest big shot baller, Roger Mason, who scored 18 points it total, hit the most crucial three by draining a jumper while getting fouled by Derek Fisher. The bucket tied the game and the subsequent free throw put the Spurs up by 1. On the final possession, Kobe Bryant passed to a cutting Trevor Ariza who got whistled for traveling when his feet got tangled up with a Spurs players.

On Friday, the Lakers returned home to face off against the Magic, whose 31-8 record was certainly on par with the Lakers (31-7). Dwight Howard had a monster game, netting 25 points, pulling down 20 boards, and blocking three shots. Jameer Nelson helped ice the game with 15 fourth quarter points. The Lakers didn't keep this game as close as they did in the Spurs game two nights before, and ended up losing 109-103.

Last night the Lakers welcomed another Eastern Conference power, this time winning in style, 105-88. This game had a scary moment - Kobe Bryant dislocated the ring finger on his shooting hand in the 2nd quarter. The trainer re-located it and Bryant returned to action, albeit clearly playing in pain. The good news is that the X-rays were negative, there was no fracture. In aftergame comments Bryant noted that this was the greatest amount of pain he's ever played in, but that he doesn't expect to miss Wednesday's "away game" against the Los Angeles Clippers.

As it stands, the Lakers are curretly sitting atop the Western Conference at 32-8, five games ahead of their nearest competition. Unfortunately, the wear and tear of the season is starting to impact this squad. Kobe's finger aside, the Lakers have had Lamar Odom in and out of the lineup as of late. And backups Jordan Farmar and Luke Walton have been beseiged by injuries, as well. Hopefully the Lakers can continue to avoid any major injuries, like Andrew Bynum's season-ending injury last January, or Ariza's broken foot, which took him out the majority of the regular season.

Go Lakers!

Celtics Destroy Suns in 2nd of Back-to-Back East Coast Games

chowell — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 05:40:00 GMT

For the Phoenix Suns , their current 6-game Eastern road trip could not have started out worse after being destroyed by the Boston Celtics . Down by about 30 points all game (after 2nd quarter), it was obvious the Suns just didn't have it on their 2nd of back-to-back games. After narrowly escaping with a victory against the Toronto Raptors the on Sunday, the (tired) Suns could not handle the pressure the Celtics applied early. Total domination... nothing else can explain the loss. Amare Stoudemire...(read more)

Suns Lose on Granger's Last Second 3-Pointer

chowell — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 05:10:00 GMT

The Phoenix Suns started sluggish against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night, but put together a late run in the 4th quarter to push a 110-110 tie w/ 0.9 seconds left. Unfortunately, the defensive scheme didn't take into consideration that Danny Granger was lights out on the night, and they allowed him to get open at the top of the key and drain a 3-pointer. The Pacers defeated the Suns 113-110 in Phoenix... stunning the home crowd, who like me, saw this game going to OT. Shaquille O'Neal sat...(read more)

D'Antoni, Knicks Set to Showdown in PHX w/ Suns

chowell — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 20:11:00 GMT

Fresh off the trade for Jason Richardson and a victory over the Orlando Magic on Friday night , the Phoenix Suns are set to face off against former coach Mike D'Antoni and the New York Knicks Monday night. In what is becoming a war of words and/or a "he said/he said" battle, D'Antoni is quoted as saying that Steve Kerr is responsible or him leaving the Suns. Suns owner Robert Sarver on the other hand, is backing his GM and saying that PHX wanted D'Antoni to stay. Sarver is of course, doing what you...(read more)

Raja Bell, Boris Diaw Traded to Bobcats for Jason Richardson

chowell — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 14:45:00 GMT

On Wednesday, the Phoenix Suns began purging their lineup of malcontent players who weren't buying into head coach Terry Porter 's new system, as well as GM Steve Kerr 's vision of where this team is going. The Suns traded D'Antoni mainstays Raja Bell and Boris Diaw to the Charlotte Bobcats for Jason Richardson , Jared Dudley and a 2nd round pick in 2010. In addition, newly acquired guard Sean Singletary was also shipped in the trade. He was, of course, acquired in the offseason from the Houston...(read more)