NBA News/NBA Fantasy News 2007/2008

[Hache Man]

Poor Rip has a bum hip

Just as fantasy playoffs fade, the real-life playoffs kick into gear…but keep in mind that Rotoworld is here all year long, pumping out updates and breaking news. On some long summer day when you're itching for an NBA fix, stop by the site for updated rumors, trades and injuries…you know, the building blocks of a successful campaign in 2008-2009.

Just pray that we never use the words 'ruptured', 'skiing', 'motorcycle', 'micro-fracture' or 'Isiah Thomas'…unless the latter is immediately followed by 'has finally been fired'.

Rasho Nesterovic—I just dropped Chris Kaman for Rasho in one league, and was actually surprised that he was still available—the next best option was either Ronny Turiaf or Josh Boone.

Here are Rasho's averages in the month of March: 13.6 points on 56% shooting, 77% free throws, 6.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.9 blocks and 1.2 turnovers in 30 minutes per game.

That line isn't too stellar, but compared to the competition it's a supergiant. The Raptors' recent lineup shift worked to Rasho's advantage—he's now established as the team's starting center and is locked into a reliable 30-minute role. More blocks and rebounds would certainly be nice from a fantasy center, but I'm unwilling to ask more of Rasho, who has never averaged more than 2.0 blocks or 7.7 rebounds in a season.

If Andrea Bargnani is still owned in your league, it's because his owner has conceded defeat (or simply lost interest).

Richard Hamilton—Rip's hip is giving his owners fits, and as he sits and licks his injury it is obvious there is no quick fix (how's that for alliteration). But seriously, his owners are in trouble.

The injured hip has been bothering him for weeks, and finally got to the point where the Pistons—who are comfortably floating into the playoffs as the number-two seed—were obligated to shut him down. To his credit, Hamilton returned long enough to harass LeBron James into a 4-of-17 shooting night—only the next day he reported significant discomfort in the offending hip joint.

So far Rip is questionable for Tuesday's game, but coach Flip Saunders already declared his intention to bench a few starters whenever the Pistons play a weak team from now until the playoffs (Tuesday's opponent is the Timberwolves). Hamilton's injury almost guarantees that he'll be one of the benched players, meaning his owners have to calculate vague but foreseeable DNPs into the equation next week. I can't recommend dropping him outright, but if you're scrapping tooth and nail to win your league, someone more reliable (say, Travis Outlaw?) seems like a wise alternative.

The Pistons bench plays consistent minutes, but they are too low for owners to benefit. Aaron Afflalo—who will start whenever Hamilton doesn't—has cracked 30 minutes just once. It is Rodney Stuckey who has the best chance of sustained value, and even he is no better than a fringe option in the vast majority of leagues (a complete lack of 3-pointers really hampers his value). UPDATE: Hamilton was inactive on Tuesday, along with Rasheed Wallace and Chauncey Billups. Stuckey scored a career-high 27 points in his second career start. He'll be inconsistent, but is worth picking up.

Chris Quinn/Daequan Cook— These two guys should have significant value for the rest of the season, provided Jason Williams doesn't return soon and spoil the fun. J-Will is supposedly returning this season, but his severely bruised thumb is in a cast and it's easy to see him shutting it down for good.

While Williams has been sidelined, Chris Quinn has proven that he can offer fantasy value even while dipping below 40% from the field.

In his last 10 games, NBA.com ranks Quinn as the second-most effective fantasy player among all sophomores, behind Rudy Gay and ahead of LaMarcus Aldridge.

In his last five games, Quinn has a ridiculous average of 3.4 steals to go along with 14.6 points on 34% shooting, 1.2 three-pointers, 28-of-33 (85%) free throws, 4.4 rebounds, 6.2 assists and only 2.2 turnovers.

Cook isn't nearly as appealing, but is worth a look in many formats if he continues to log close to 35 minutes as a starter.

Cook's averages for the month of March: 11.8 points on 37% shooting, 2.2 three-pointers, 4.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.5 steals and 1.8 turnovers. He's a lousy 62% from the free throw line, but attempts only 1.1 per game.

Returning from post-concussion symptoms on Monday, he turned the ball over six times in 29 minutes, but managed a respectable 16 points on 5-of-10 shooting, four 3-pointers and six rebounds.

Bottom line: Neither guy will save your squad, but Quinn is obviously a valuable asset and Cook is more than capable of pitching in to help you win a few categories (he's best suited to chase someone down in 3-pointers).

Emeka Okafor—Okafor has shaken off his mid-season doldrums and is playing with some energy lately, even though the Bobcats now have nothing to play for but pride. Actually, Okafor is in a contract year, so his sudden spike in energy is understandable (and likely a great relief to his agent). Okafor's last eight games have broken down nicely:

First four games: Failed to play 28 minutes in a game, averaging 5.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks.

Last four games: Played a minimum of 34 minutes per game, averaging 17.3 points on 65% shooting, 9.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocks.

This quote goes a long way toward explaining the disparity: "It started to look like [Okafor] had lost his enthusiasm," Bobcats coach Sam Vincent said on Monday. "I though it was important that some of that passion came back. He expressed some things he wanted from the team, in terms of minutes."

Bottom line: Okafor's deficiencies are at least as obvious as his efficiencies, but he has the raw power and basic skill set to be an effective NBA front-court player for the next decade. In terms of the next week or two? He's on a roll, and I can only recommend starting him while it lasts.

Chris Kaman—This quote from Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy says all you need to know: ""Have you seen [Kaman's] ankle? It really blew up. I don't think we'll see him (playing) anytime soon." Given Kaman's already-ailing back, I see very little chance of the Kaveman appearing in another game this season.

Beno Udrih—For a guy who never had elite value, Udrih has a fanatical following in the fantasy community. Owners who polished their waiver wire gem for a few months are loathe to drop him without getting back a comparable free agent. Udrih could return soon, but I'm skeptical for multiple reasons: 1) He already tried to return, lasting all of 10 minutes before his back seized up on him, 2) the Kings have been out of the playoff picture for a very long time, and 3) coach Reggie Theus recently declared fill-in starter Anthony Johnson to be a better defender than Udrih. It's time to give up on Beno this season, or at least radically adjust your expectations.

Shawn Marion—If you've been holding onto Marion for this long, odds are you won't mind hanging onto him a few days more. My original recommendation was to drop him last weekend if there wasn't any good news on the horizon—turns out there wasn't. But if you still find yourself unable to relinquish your stud to the waiver wire, take comfort in the fact that Pat Riley has said Marion might return this week (though he's doubtful for Wednesday's game). Heat beat writer Ira Winderman believes Marion's motivation to return stems from Miami's desire to test him out at small forward, in anticipation of next season—but to me this makes no sense at all. Marion is essentially playing with a different (and incomprehensibly worse) team right now, and testing his suitability at small forward would seem lower on everyone's list of priorities than preserving his injured back before a contract year. We don't have to wait long to see whether he's actually coming back, so hang on to him this week and see what happens.

Jordan Farmar/Sasha Vujacic—Neither of these guys has much value at the moment. What should be highlighted is how much they stand to gain if Derek Fisher shuts it down for a while because of the partially torn tendon in his right foot.

Fisher has been playing through the injury, but Lakers coach Phil Jackson acknowledged the uncertainty of Fisher's status on Monday: "We really don't know what's going to happen with this. We'll just have to wait and see how he's going to be and what direction it's going to take." Fisher played very well in Sunday's game against the Wizards—posting 17 points in 33 minutes of an overtime victory—but the injury will eventually require 2-3 months of inactivity to fully heal, and LA could easily rest him for a week or so prior to the playoffs.

Since the All-Star break, Sasha Vujacic is averaging 11 points and 2.5 three-pointers despite playing only 22 minutes per game. He might already be owned in your league, but absolutely should be owned if Fisher shuts it down.

Jordan Farmar's only weaknesses in fantasy leagues are blocks (0.1) and free throw percentage (67%)—outside of that, he's a reliably versatile option. That is, when he gets sufficient playing time.

In less than 21 minutes per game, Farmar is averaging 9.2 points on 46% shooting, 1.4 three-pointers, 2.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 0.9 steals.

Farmar is therefore a prime candidate for a huge month of April, should Fisher sit out at some point.

As a brief follow-up on my previous Mark Cuban vs. Credentialed Bloggers debate: the NBA overturned Cuban's idiotic ban, so he proceeded to "prove his point" by opening the doors of the Mavs locker-room to any blogger who submitted halfway decent copy to his email inbox. There is no question that Cuban's motivations lie [sic] in his distaste for Dallas Morning-News blogger Tim MacMahon. The "media theory" element of his argument is laughable—my previous column poked numerous holes in it, and ESPN's resident hoops blogger Henry Abbott (among others) has exhaustively refuted the illegitimacy of bloggers-as-journalists. Oh well. Cuban has a silver spoon, a soapbox and an axe to grind—it's a noxious combination of metaphors, and does nobody any good in the real world.

Thanks for reading along this season as I transitioned from Bench/Start to Fantasy Trends , and continue to hammer out wrinkles in the format. There might be two more columns this season, but regardless I encourage anyone still reading to write and let me know what you did and did not like about the columns. Or just anything else you had on your mind. Thanks again…and have fun this week.

[Hache Man]

Bulls need to turn Tyrus loose

Tuesday's Game News

Despite an off night for Chris Paul and Peja Stojakovic, the Hornets held on to beat the Magic. Paul still double-doubled while hitting just 6-of-19 shots and Peja hit the game-winning three. Morris Peterson had his best game since early January, but I'm not biting unless he does it again in his next one. As usual, David West double-doubled in the win. For the Magic, Jameer Nelson was surprisingly out with his concussion, allowing Carlos Arroyo to get the start. Arroyo was just awful, and I'm still fairly annoyed that after numerous reports that Nelson would play, he didn't.

Andre Miller and Samuel Dalembert had big lines for the Sixers, who won their 20th game out of their last 27 by beating the fizzling Nets. Lou Williams and Willie Green both played well, and Williams is hot. Give him a look if you need a guard in a deep league. Thaddeus Young was quiet and is up and down like a yo-yo. Vince Carter had another nice line, but you have to wonder what he'll do once the Nets realize the dream is over.

The Pistons threw a pretty hard smack to the face to owners of Rasheed Wallace, Chauncey Billups and Rip Hamilton last night by deactivating all three. The news didn't break until about 7 p.m., so there was little anyone could do about it. Tayshaun Prince and Antonio McDyess stayed in the starting five, but they could get some rest at some point, as well. Rodney Stuckey scored a career-high 27 and looks like he should be a solid play the rest of the way. Cut Chris Quinn to acquire Stuckey? Probably makes sense with Marcus Banks on the verge of a return. I am guessing the three stars will return for the next game, but it's almost impossible to figure out how many minutes the Pistons' regulars will play the rest of the way. Oh, and they made a huge comeback to beat the Timberwolves. Rashad McCants hit just 1-of-9 shots for two points, breaking a string of 10 straight in double digits.

The Knicks lost in overtime to the Bucks, as Zach Randolph returned to action from the flu and Quentin Richardson finally had a productive game. The Bucks were led by Michael Redd's 36 points and one of his best lines of the season, while Andrew Bogut returned from his broken nose for 24 points and 13 boards in 40 minutes. Bobby Simmons finally decided to play last night, going off for 24 points and leading the team in OT. I doubt it lasts, but then again, we have officially entered the silly season for teams with nothing to play for. As for Mo Williams and his measly 22 minutes and five points, reader Sean is going to fill you in on the details.

I'm a huge Knicks fan and I watched the entire game last night (gotta be a big fan to still be watching the Knicks). I also have Mo Williams on my fantasy team (as a backup now). The reason he didn't play much is because he was playing shoddy defense on Crawford. They brought in their rookie Sessions to guard Jamal and he did a really good job...Mo Williams had some bad fouls against Jamal and some bad turnovers... he also wasn't able to penetrate because the Knicks were focusing on interior D. All this led to Mo Williams only playing 22 minutes. No injury.

Sean

The Celtics handled the Bulls despite 20 turnovers, seven of which came from Rajon Rondo. Rondo still had a sweet line, if you survived the turnovers, while Ray Allen scored 22 and Kevin Garnett scored 20, and blocked four shots. bostonceltics.ws The C's are up six games on the Pistons, and you have to think KG and the other big names are fair game for a day or two off soon. Larry Hughes was awful, missing all six of his shots for two points, and it looks like I'll have no problems with my vow to never own him again (at least this year). Tyrus Thomas was big in the absence of Drew Gooden, and once again, it's time to roll TT out for your fantasy team. As I said in last night's news blurb, if Thomas actually pans out over the next two weeks, it will be the first time he hasn't actually made me look like an idiot. Don't be surprised if Gooden's ab strain ends his season and if Thomas starts the rest of the way.

Update: Looks like I spoke too soon about Gooden, as the latest news this morning has him promising to play again this year. I'm not sure it's possible for me to get excited about Tyrus Thomas without getting burned, but I'm still not convinced DG is going to play again.

Monta Ellis and Stephen Jackson both struggled last night as the Warriors fell to the Spurs, who were led by solid lines from Tony Parker and Tim Duncan. The Warriors will need huge lines out of Monta and Captain Jack tonight when they face Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavericks. Andris Biedrins came off the bench and hit just 1-of-5 shots, but should bounce back against the Mavs, as he always seems to play well against them. It would help if Nellie puts him back in the starting five. Biedrins is dealing with a sore big toe, but Nellie is the bigger problem (Insert Sgt. Hulka joke here). dallasmavericks.com

Leandro Barbosa blew up for 27 points and five threes, but was helped by the absence of Grant Hill and the ejection on Raja Bell. I'm not sure Hill's coming back this week, so continue to play LB. Steve Nash was huge again, but Shaquille O'Neal's 2-of-9 free throw shooting probably cost the Suns the game. For the Nuggets, Anthony Carter had 10 assists and six steals in the win, while Allen Iverson, Carmelo Anthony and Kenyon Martin all scored a bunch of points. I was on Rick Kamla's show last night and asked if he would cut Jose Calderon for Carter. He said no. I say yes.

Tracy McGrady hit 12-of-31 shots for 32 points, while Ron Artest hit 12-of-27 for 30 as the Kings shocked the Rockets. Luis Scola had another nice line with 20 points and eight boards, helping the Rockets out-rebound the Kings by 21. It didn't matter, as Artest's four boards, five steals and four 3-pointers were too much. Francisco Garcia suffered a knee injury, but it's not serious and he was able to finish the game, while Brad Miller was ejected after picking up a couple technical fouls. Shane Battier quietly had a huge line that included nine boards, four steals, four blocks and a 3-pointer. It would be nice if he scored a little more, but he's a solid fantasy role player.

As I posted in last night's Artest blurb, I think I've changed my mind about Artest shutting down. He was really into last night's game and Reggie Theus said they want to play the role of spoiler the rest of the way. Maybe he could sit against non-playoff teams, but I get the sense the Kings are going to pretend they're in a playoff race as they play good teams the rest of the way. There's also a decent chance Beno Udrih's season is over, which could mean big things for Garcia.

Loose Ends

I am predicting that Dirk will play tonight. In fact, I will be shocked if he doesn't play. He practiced for 40 minutes yesterday and was elevated to day-to-day. This is probably the game of the season for the Mavericks and if Dirk sits, he is probably severely injured.

Pau Gasol should play tonight as long as there's no swelling in his ankle this morning. He's been out for nine games, so it's time.

Brandon Roy will have an MRI on his groin today, but regardless of whether the results bring good or bad news, I see no reason for him to play again this season.

Chris Kaman's season is not officially over, but there's no way he plays again this year, in my opinion. You can cut him. Tim Thomas and Cuttino Mobley both sound like they will sit out tonight, while Elton Brand is set to make his return on Thursday. Want to cut Kaman for Brand? Go for it.

[Hache Man]

Return on Investment


If you've been hanging on to an injured NBA all-star hoping to get a return on your fantasy draft investment, chances are you had a pretty good day Wednesday.

There's so much news to discuss, that we're going to dispense with our usual Dose main story format and provide you with some quick highlights of the bonanza of good health reports that Wednesday ushered in:

• When Elton Brand ruptured his Achilles' tendon in August, we thought reports of him returning in February were overly optimistic. February turned to March and then to April, but Brand finally made his season debut last night, scoring 19 points with five rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block in 26 minutes. He's been flying off the waiver wire this week with news that he would make his return Thursday. The fact that he came back a day early means that there's a small chance that Brand is still available. It's doubtful, but you should probably double check.
• Gilbert Arenas, who underwent surgery on his knee in November and last competed on November 16, made a surprise return last night after missing the previous 66 games. He only played 20 minutes, but sunk 5-of-9 from the field, including 2-of-3 from long distance, for 17 points. Chances are Agent Zero is gone from your league's waiver wires by now, but, again, it wouldn't hurt to look.
• Pau Gasol showed some rust in his return from a nine-game absence because of an ankle injury, sinking just 3-of-8 from the floor for 10 points in 32 minutes. However, he did managed seven assists, six boards, a steal and a block, while rendering Ronny Turiaf to the scrap heap. It was a great sign that Gasol was able to log that many minutes, considering coach Jackson said that he would have been happy to get anywhere from 16 to 25 minutes out of his big man. How happy are the Lakers to get Gasol back as they fight for a conference title? They went 15-4 after acquiring him, but just 5-4 while he was out. There's even less a chance that Gasol was dropped in your league, but if you're playing in a deeper league, check the wire.
• Dirk Nowitzki, out since March 23 with an ankle sprain of his own, surprised many by his return Wednesday night, helping Dallas exact some revenge on Golden State. While Nowitzki did manage a 3-pointer and a block, he sunk just 6-of-15 for 18 points and had just five rebounds in 27 minutes of action. In any league in which he's been dropped, Disco Dirk has been getting scooped up already in anticipation of his return, so chances are you're out of luck, But always, a quick look is easy enough. With Nowitzki back, Brandon Bass is now officially worthless again. dallasmavericks.com
• Finally, Wednesday also brought the return of Andrei Kirilenko, who had missed a couple of games because of a calf injury. AK-47 managed just two assists and one block, but he did sink 6-of-7 from the field for 13 points with one 3-pointer and six boards in 24 minutes. In deeper leagues, Kirilenko could very well be available. utahjazz.com

Well, now that you're done checking your league's waiver wires for the availability of that quintet of all-stars, let's peruse the remainder of Wednesday's activity…

• While Gasol was making his return, Kobe Bryant was just doing his usual thing, scoring 14 of his 36 points in the final quarter to help the Lakers take out Portland and remain within striking distance of the Western Conference-leading Hornets. Kobe was superb, adding 13 rebounds, seven assists, four 3-pointers and three steals as LA kept its hopes alive of finishing first in the conference. Although Bryant's touches are down for the second straight season, he's stayed completely healthy this year and seems to be peaking at the right time, averaging 34.4 PPG, 8.8 RPG and 6.2 APG in the past five.
• Brandon Roy has missed the last three games with a groin strain, and not shockingly, Portland has gone 0-3 without him. In late-January, Portland was still looking fine with a 25-16 record, but the Blazers are just 13-21 since and now sit only one game over .500 in the quest for their first winning season since 2002-03. Fortunately, Roy's prognosis is looking rosier than we thought. Talk that he'll miss the rest of the season has subsided and now there's a chance the Blazers' main man will be back in action Tuesday. Wait for a weekend update before activating him, of course.
• Atlanta looks headed to the playoffs after downing Toronto in OT for its fifth straight win. It was a wacky game, but one thing is clear: if Mike Bibby is still hurting, it's not showing. He enjoyed one his finest games as a Hawk, scoring 26 points with 12 assists, six rebounds, five 3-pointers and three steals. In the past five games, Bibby is averaging 21 PPG, 7.8 APG, 3.6 RPG, 1.2 SPG and has nailed 18 treys. He's logging more minutes since arriving in Atlanta, and the numbers are rising as a result. However, this game could be protested by the Raptors. T.J. Ford sunk what appeared to be the game-winning basket at the end of regulation, but officials ruled time had expired. Replays, however, showed that the clock clearly started early. This isn't the first time that Ford and the Raptors have been burned by the Atlanta scorers, assuming it was the timekeeper and not one of the refs who started the clock early. Last year, a Ford layup was simply missed altogether. No one counted it on the scoreboard and it wound up changing the course of the game as the Raptors lost.

Injury Report

Ben Wallace (back) is still out despite being cleared to play, but Daniel Gibson did return to action Wednesday after he had come out early Sunday because of an ankle sprain. Boobie's shooting (1-for-7) suggests he's still not 100 per cent, so I expect to see Delonte West continue to start at PG. While Gibson fight his way back, the big winner here, as I discussed last night, may be Devin Brown.

Tip-ins: Channing Frye has played as many as 20 minutes in a game exactly once since February 27. Can you say bust?...Unless you're desperate for treys, Vladmir Radmanovic should probably be dumped. He managed 10 points last night for his second straight double-digit scoring effort, and he's poured in six 3-pointers in the past two games, but Radman simply offers too little in any other category to be employed for fantasy purposes…Derek Fisher is playing through his foot injury, and while many have dropped him, you may want to wait on that decision. His minutes are back up in the past two games and he's averaged 15 PPG and shot well during this stretch…Lamar Odom's scoring drought continued as he managed just 12 points, and he wasn't exactly pulling his weight on the glass (eight rebounds) or in the dime department (just one assist), either. He did, however, record three blocks and two steals…Jordan Farmar is still not playing enough to justify a roster spot, but considering what he can do in limited PT (10 points and three assists in just 17 minutes), he'll be an intriguing option should Fisher's foot condition worsen…The Lakers have won 50 games 29 times and are on the cusp on securing their 55th playoff appearance in 60 years. Talk about a model organization…Travis Outlaw is among the top wire plucks of the week and that won't stop after his 23-point, six-rebound, three-assist, one-steal, one-block performance last night…Martell Webster, another hot Blazer pickup, also scored 23 points with some fantastic shooting (7-for-11, including 6-of-9 from downtown). He added a steal, but with news that Roy could return next week, Webster's value may be limited…Yet another Blazer who's garnered great interest in Roy's absence is Steve Blake, and he kept it going with 12 points, 10 assists, three rebounds, two treys and a steal…Still with the Blazers, must-own PF LaMarcus Aldridge is definitely over that ankle sprain from last week. He's recorded back-to-back double-doubles, giving him 16 on the season after he managed just six as a rookie…Talk about an all-around game -- how about J-Rich's night? He scored 31 points on 13-of-22 shooting, while adding seven assists, six rebounds, four 3-pointers, two steals and a block. Okay, so he only sunk 1-of-3 from the line, but I doubt Richardson owners will quibble over that…Stephen Jackson has enjoyed a career year, but his shooting touch has gone AWOL at the absolute wrong time. He potted just 1-of-11 for two points last night, leaving him in a 3-for-23 skid in the past two games and 23-of-74 for the last five. This slump has Jackson down to 41 percent shooting for the year. Last season, he sunk 44.6 percent of hit shots after arriving in Golden State following the mega deal with Indy…Boston has matched the best single-season turnaround in NBA history, but that glorious feat comes with a fantasy price as Coach Rivers has said he plans on resting his Big Three down the stretch. It's time to keep an eye on some of the Celtic reserves like Leon Powe, Tony Allen, Glen Davis and James Posey…LeBron James fouled out, but with 29 points in 31 minutes, it looks like he's shaken off his recent scoring slump as he helped Cleveland end a six-game losing streak on the road…Tyson Chandler nailed all 10 of his shots from the field en route to 20 points as the Hornets hammered woeful Miami to retain their Western Conference lead. Chandler added 10 boards for his career-best 35th double-double of the season…The Wizards got Arenas back as discussed, but they lost two key players last night as both DeShawn Stevenson (sprained left ankle) and Antawn Jamison (sprained right shoulder) got hurt. At this point, both could miss time, but we'll know more later today. Caron Butler also got hurt, tweaking his wrist, but he should be fine…Yes, Memphis has one of the better offenses in the NBA, but 130 points? Oh right, the Knicks were in town…Utah has reached 50 wins for the second straight year. The glory years have returned in Salt Lake City...Jake Voskuhl is probably done for the year. If this is bad news for you (and you're not in Voskuhl's family), can I please join your league?...Al Thornton, who has been a massive waiver wire darling in recent days, continues to excel. Many were worried about how Brand's return would affect the rookie, but so far, so good as Thornton had 21 points, 10 rebounds, two treys, a steal and a block last night…Andris Biedrins was back in the starting lineup, but he still didn't play much (24 minutes) and with just seven points, eight boards and a block, is unreliable as a fantasy option right now. See how the weekend goes before deciding if you want the big Latvian active next week.

Team Report

It's time to give it for the Sixers, who despite losing two straight games before beating the slumping Nets on Tuesday, have won 20 of their past 27 games. It's been an incredible turnaround for the 76ers, who were 18-30 on February 4, but have battled back to become just the sixth team in NBA history to get back over .500 after being at least a dozen games under the mark at some point earlier in that season. To put that in perspective, consider that, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, the 2004-05 Nets are the only other team to do that in the last 20 years.

After missing the playoffs the past two years, and sinking to just 35 wins last year (a total only reached after a 17-9 finish), the Sixers have ridden an improve defense this season to become one of the NBA's more pleasant surprises. If not for Doc Rivers and the Celtics' ridiculously amazing turnaround, Mo Cheeks would be very much in the running for coach of the year. Considering Philly didn't have the advantage of adding a Kevin Garnett or Ray Allen, its turnaround is pretty remarkable in comparison.

Watching the development of Louis Williams has been fun. The fact that this is his third NBA season makes it easy to forget that he's still only 21 years old. Williams keeps getting better and better as the season progresses – especially recently, with 15.4 PPG over his past five games – and is making a statement that he will soon be ready to become a starter in the NBA. He's certainly worth taking a risk on down the stretch for your fantasy team, depending on the size of your league.

Of course, Williams will be hard-pressed to overcome incumbent PG Andre Miller, who is signed through the end of next season and is enjoying his finest NBA season, scoring wise. While his assists and rebounds have slipped (as a result, Miller has just 13 double-doubles), the extremely durable PG has parlayed a career-high 14 AFG per game and a personal-best 49.5 FG percentage into a career-high in points per game.

Team leader Andre Iguodala has taken his offensive game to the next level. Although his rebounds and assists have slipped slightly this year, it's been a successful season for a variety of reasons. Iggy has stayed healthy this year, and while his PT is down slightly with the Sixers possessing a bit more frontcourt depth this season, he's shot the ball better this year and his perimeter game has continued to develop into an asset.

Samuel Dalembert had been slipping a bit recently, but he put up a monster line Tuesday with 15 points, 13 rebounds, five blocks and two steals. After a couple of injury-shortened seasons, Dalembert has proved extremely durable the last two years, and he's averaging a double-double for the first time in his career.

From a fantasy perspective, this young team offers little else, but at various times, rookie Thaddeus Young has garnered interest, while vets Willie Green and Reggie Evans are periphery fantasy options in very deep leagues.

[Hache Man]

Jamison down, Matrix done

A few of my leagues have been shortened in the past year or two to end a week and a half before the regular season ends, meaning Sunday is the final day in those. But this year, that's not even early enough. I'm not going to waste the time to begin counting the number of players who have gone down early this season, but it's frightening, although not really abnormal. That number would also be offset by the strange number of returnees we had on Wednesday night, but it's almost gotten to the point that the fantasy NBA season should probably end on Week 20, which is sad. I hate it when the season comes to an end and the earlier we shut it down, the longer the offseason, etc. But I am getting my behind handed to me in the UBC league because I'm stuck with Jerry Stackhouse, Chris Kaman and Rafer Alston in my lineup, but I had little choice or alternatives given that lineups are set weekly and the league is really deep.

The good news about losing your league in a championship game in the final week or two of the season is that it's easy to blame it on the fact so many stars shut it down early. It actually helps take some of the sting out of losing. The bad news is that the best teams in each league will struggle to play well enough in the playoffs to win a title. The system's flaw is not restricted to fantasy hoops, but is a problem in all sports. Good luck trying to set your football lineup in Week 17, and enjoy losing your baseball finale because of some September call up no one (outside of Matthew Pouliot) had ever heard of. Yeah, you can eliminate playoffs or head-to-head from your league, but the reality is that most leagues will resist change. Anyway, my UBC team still has a full week to bounce back, but I get the feeling the hole is too big to climb out of. I can still take satisfaction in having the highest scoring team in the league during the regular season, even though my team looks more like the Heat right now than the Hornets.

House of Pain

Shawn Marion is the latest star to bite the dust, shutting it down for the rest of the season with a "foot injury." Yeah, I'm sure he's bothered by some fasciitis, but I'm also sure that if he were still in Phoenix, he'd be getting ready to try to win a championship instead of getting his golf clubs out of the closet.

Antawn Jamison's shoulder injury didn't result in any structural damage and the Wizards have yet to officially qualify for the playoffs. But the guy was in serious pain as well as a sling yesterday, and there's a chance he's done until the playoffs. DeShawn Stevenson's ankle injury may keep him out tonight as well, but he says he'll try to play. Andray Blatche could have a big week while Jamison is out.

Paul Pierce is likely out for Saturday's game due to the birth of a child. At least we got some notice on this one. If and when Kevin Garnett will sit is still an unknown, but you know there's at least a DNP or two coming his way, along with Ray Allen. As Doc Rivers said, they'll get their "All-Star Break" now since they didn't get a rest back in February. bostonceltics.ws

Kenyon Martin got a one-game suspension for flagrant fouls yesterday, so he's out on Saturday. Again, at least we know in advance, which is all you can ask for at this time of the season.

Yi Jianlian is out tonight with his knee injury, so Charlie Villanueva should be a safe play. I'm guessing Yi's season is over, which is true for almost any player on a non-playoff team who suffers a hangnail or scrapes his knee on the playground right now.

Andrew Bynum is running, but that's about it. I bet he gets in a game or two before the playoffs roll around, but that's it.

Rafer Alston is now down with a hamstring injury and his return date is anyone's guess. He's doubtful for tonight, meaning Bobby Jackson should get some nice run for a few games. BJax had 11 points and four assists last night, but I bet he's even better tonight. Tracy McGrady had a huge line for the Rockets in last night's win.

Richard Hamilton missed another practice on Thursday and is a game-time decision tonight. Keep him benched. He had a great first half, and hopefully you sold high on him.

Darko Milicic is questionable tonight with a shoulder injury, but he probably won't be in many lineups. Burn me once, shame on you. Burn me twice, shame on me. Burn me six times, receive a life-time ban from my roster. Tyrus Thomas, you listening? Speaking of getting burned, the funniest part about a possible Darko shut down is that it would throw Kwame Brown back into the mix.

The Good News

The news isn't all bad though, as many guys sound close to coming back.

Brandon Roy is expected to return from a groin injury on Sunday.
Grant Hill is hoping to play tonight through a groin injury of his own.
Jameer Nelson should be back tonight after Monday's false alarm.
Carmelo Anthony (shoulder) is expected to play Saturday.
Dirk Nowitzki will get 24-26 minutes through a high left-ankle sprain. dallasmavericks.com
Mickael Pietrus could return Friday, but don't play him until you see him play.
Beno Udrih is hoping to return from his back injury on Tuesday.
Ronnie Brewer remains questionable with his groin injury.
Pau Gasol looks like he survived his return with no issues.
Gilbert Arenas also should be fine to play tonight.

Game Notes

Tyrus Thomas was (surprise) disappointing last night, Larry Hughes blew up for a near triple-double, and Ben Gordon had a nice line for the Bulls. I'm not sure where that Larry game came from, but let's see him do it again. Ty Thomas? Figures.

Ben Wallace made a triumphant return last night with six points, eight rebounds, three steals and three blocks. Nice! But let's see him do it again, as well. LeBron James had another monster line, but was bothered by back spasms after the game. He'll probably play Saturday, but you never know. Daniel Gibson's return has been a complete bust, so let him go if you want to.

Martell Webster landed in the hospital with the flu last night, while Jarrett Jack played well in his absence, netting 19 points in the loss. Jack could be a solid play the rest of the way.

Francisco Garcia had 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting to go along with three boards, three assists, two steals and a block. If you were using Anthony Johnson to replace Udrih, you should have been using Garcia all this time. Spencer Hawes returned from an ankle injury for 11 points and four boards, but I think his return does more to hurt Brad Miller than it does anything else.
sacramentokings.com
Cuttino Mobley (heel) and Tim Thomas (Achilles) were out again last night, while Elton Brand had a nice line of 15 points, nine boards, three assists, a steal and two blocks. I doubt that was enough to push you into a championship, but if so, congratulations. Especially if you sat on him all year waiting for this moment. I'm guessing Leon Powe (Celtics) might put up Brand-like numbers the rest of the way, so let's see what happens there. Nick Fazekas scored a career-high 18 points and I'm thinking he could get plenty of garbage time over these last two weeks. He was helped by the fact that Al Thornton hit just 3-of-14 shots for eight points, while Corey Maggette had another big game for the Clips. I'm still predicting that a Maggette shutdown is coming…I just don't know when.

[Hache Man]

The Final Week Ahead

Game Totals in Week 24:

Four games: MIL, CHI, BOS, NOR, LAL, DAL, DEN, DET, SEA, MIN

Three games: PHI, CHA, LAC, MEM, ATL, MIA, UTA, SAC, NYK, ORL, NJN, IND, TOR, HOU, SAS, PHX, POR, GST, WAS

The recurring theme this week was the return of many NBA superstars around the Association. NBA All-Stars Dirk Nowitzki, Gilbert Arenas, Elton Brand, Jermaine O'Neal and Pau Gasol all returned to the hardwood this week. It couldn't have come sooner for the fantasy owners who have patiently held onto these players hoping for a final week explosion propelling them to the fantasy winner's circle. dallasmavericks.com

With the Fantasy Playoffs upon us, your lineup decisions are more critical than ever. The most favorable schedule next week belongs to the Denver Nuggets. They have four games, three of which (@lac, @gst, @uta) are against teams who give up over 100 PPG. Throw in the fact that they are in a dogfight for the 8th and final seed in the West and they will be playing their best players trying to win every game. Slotting Carmelo Anthony or Marcus Camby into your lineups for next week is a no-brainer. Even though Allen Iverson has said that his broken finger is "getting worse," the Nuggets need to win every game left so The Answer is going to play and you should keep him in your lineup. Other usual borderline Nuggets starters, J.R. Smith and Anthony Carter, are also pretty safe starts next week.

Golden State is the team chasing the Nuggets for that last spot in the West playoffs, so they are on the outside looking in with so few games to go in the season. You know Don Nelson wants to get into the post-season again and repeat their playoff magic from last year. The Warriors score the most PPG and also have four games next week, one of which is against the team that gives up the second most PPG in the league (@mem). For those of you who drafted Baron Davis this season, I congratulate you. This was finally the year B-Diddy was able to stay healthy the entire season, and many of you have rode Baron to your fantasy title - or into the playoffs taking place right now. You can't even think about sitting him next week. Monta Ellis has exploded into superstardom this year and was a player who well exceeded his draft position. Monta was another player who helped many teams to fantasy playoffs or even championships. Due to the favorable schedule next week, you need to have Monta in your lineups as well next week. I'm sure if you are in the fantasy playoffs, you don't need me to tell you to play Baron Davis and Monta Ellis next week. I will say that borderline ballers like Kelenna Azubuike, Stephen Jackson and Al Harrington all deserve a long look next week in most leagues.

Portland only has three games next week. When you throw in the fact that two of them are against teams that are in the top four of least PPG allowed (SAS, HOU), you really need to seriously consider looking for better options than any of your Trailblazers outside of LaMarcus Aldridge. Brandon Roy is supposed to come back on Sunday, but check back if he actually makes it back and what kind of numbers he can put up after missing the last three games with an injured groin. If Roy does make it back, it will also limit the value of other Blazers hoopsters Steve Blake, Martell Webster and Travis Outlaw who had picked up some value over the last few games.

Matrix Decoded

Shawn Marion has been shut down for the season due to his plantar fasciitis in his left heel. He will actually undergo the same OssaTron shock wave therapy that his new teammate Dwyane Wade started on for his rehab last month. The Heat have trotted out players named Stephen Lasme, Blake Ahearn, Kasib Powell and Alexander Johnson on a nightly basis over the last few weeks. I think its safe to say that before the season, less than 50% of fantasy players had ever even heard of these players, let alone had any of them on their rosters. Oh how the mighty have fallen.

Fantasy MVP LeBron James has been battling back spasms over the last few days, but BronBron has been able to gut it out and hopefully will be playing in the most crucial week of the fantasy season next week.

Paul Pierce missed the C's game on Friday night, but he wasn't injured. The Truth was with his fiancée welcoming a baby Pierce into the world Friday night. It will be safe to get PP back into your lineups next week. bostonceltics.ws

Vince Carter was held out of Friday's game with a sore right ankle. Vinsanity thinks that by sitting on Friday, he will be able to play in the Nets game on Saturday. VC has also stated that he will not shut himself down if the Nets are eliminated from playoff contention. He looks to be a relatively safe play next week, but make sure Carter plays on Saturday without incident.

Due to a left knee sprain, Bucks F/C Yi Jianlian will be shut down for the rest of the season. Chairman Yi had a decent rookie year, finishing up with respectable averages of 8.6 PPG and 5.2 RPG. Charlie Villanueva will be a very solid player for the remaining games of the season.

Antawn Jamison sat out Friday night's game with a shoulder injury and might be able to return for next week's fantasy playoffs. Check back over the weekend to see if you can get Jamison into your lineups next week.

Richard Hamilton (hip) sat out the Pistons game on Friday night, having now sat out five of the last six games for Detroit. Coach Flip Saunders has reiterated that as long as the Pistons still have a shot at the #1 seed in the East, he will continue to give his healthy starters significant minutes. Whether or not Hamilton is considered healthy by next week will be a difficult prediction to make, but more information may be available after Detroit's Sunday night game against Miami.

Brandon Roy went through an extensive practice on Wednesday and pronounced himself ready to go for Sunday. Check back here on Rotoworld after the games on Sunday to see if B-Roy made it back into the lineup and if he looks to be a safe play for next week.

Chris Kaman returned from his injured back this week, but left the game on Monday with the "worst" one he's ever had. The Kaveman is up for the Most Improved Player award this year posting tremendous season-long fantasy numbers (15.7 PPG, 12.7 RPG, 2.8 BPG) for the first time in his career. Coach Dunleavy has said that it looks like Kaman has played his last game of the year for the Clippers, so if you need a healthy body, Josh Powell may be a pretty good emergency fill-in next week, as he looks to be the starting C the rest of the season for Los Angeles. I hope you aren't relying heavily on Tim Thomas or Cuttino Mobley in your fantasy playoffs, but both players sat out Thursday's game and are considered day-to-day.

According the Lakers' GM, Mitch Kupchak Andrew Bynum is not expected back until the last game or two of the season. Bynum's knee injury has taken him out of the lineup for the last three months and probably crippled many fantasy owner's dreams of a title. Unless you have daily lineups, you may need to finally cut the big man for a healthy body. I can't believe I'm saying this, but if you need 3s, Vladimir Radmanovic might be your guy.

Beno Udrih is still out with his back injury and has missed eight of the team's last nine games. He is supposed to come back next week, but he is a huge risk especially with Anthony Johnson playing well in his place this week. Unless you are a big-time gambler, it's hard to recommend getting Beno into your lineups next week. In Phoenix, Grant Hill (groin) was looking to return this weekend, and may be a safe play next week, but check back here on Sunday night to make sure.

Michael Pietrus has now missed the Warriors' last seven games with his injured groin. I wish I had more of an update for you, but his return date is still unkown. Ronnie Brewer missed the Jazz's game on Friday night, but is considered day-to-day. Rafer Alston missed Thursday's game with an injured hamstring. Skip-to-My-Lou may be able to return for Friday's game, but either way should probably be able to return next week.

Drew Gooden missed the Bulls' game on Thursday night and may be sidelined for the remainder of the year with the ailment. If you are a risk-taker and have Tyrus Thomas on your squad, now is as good a time as any to roll the dice and put him in your lineup. After finally carving out some fantasy value, Jerry Stackhouse injured his groin this week and is questionable to return for the remainder of the season. With the return of the Big German, Dirk Nowitzki, Stack was probable cuttable anyways. Jason Terry should have even more value than normal next week. dallasmavericks.com

In addition to the NBA stars mentioned earlier, other players returning from injury this week were Hedo Turkoglu, Ben Wallace and Andrew Bogut, Spencer Hawes.


High Five:
Stats exclusively from each player's last five games

Al Thornton 5 G, 21.4 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 48% FG, 9 3-pointers
J.R. Smith 5 G, 20.0 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 4.0 APG, 15 3-pointers
Rasho Nesterovic 5 G, 16.4 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 1.4 BPG, 56% FG
Jeff Green 5 G, 15.0 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 1.0 BPG, 4 3-pointers
Earl Watson 5 G, 14.5 PPG, 7.3 APG, 3.0 RPG, 48% FG
Chris Quinn 5 G, 13.4 PPG, 7.2 APG, 5.0 RPG, 8 3-pointers
Josh Boone 5 G, 12.8 PPG, 10.8 RPG, 1.8 BPG, 67% FG
Anthony Parker 5 G, 11.6 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 3.8 APG, 6 3-pointers
Joakim Noah 5 G, 10.0 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 1.4 SPG, 2.2 BPG, 49% FG

Scoop De Ville:
Other players you should scoop onto your fantasy rosters

Marko Jaric – Averaging 10+ PPG/2+ SPG over last five games.
Luis Scola – Has scored 18 or more in three of his last four games.
Kendrick Perkins – 6 or more rebounds in four of last five games.
Steve Blake – Averaging 12.4 PPG/6.8 APG, value dependant on return of Roy.
Spencer Hawes – Could be a cheap source of blocks for the stretch run.
Tyrus Thomas – With Gooden out, he could get major minutes next week.
Francisco Garcia – Can score in bunches; 16, 17 and 21 pts in 3 of last 4.

[Hache Man]

The Fantasy Hoops Awards

With only one full week to play and then a 1-2 game week after that, there's little use for waiver wire pickup news these days. Ramon Sessions is a nice pickup given the Mo Williams injury, and maybe Raef LaFrentz can help you after Joel Przybilla's broken hand. Wilson Chandler, Nate Robinson, James Posey, Leon Powe, Josh Powell, Rodney Stuckey, Jeff Green and Jason Maxiell will all probably be useful this week, but instead of trying to guess who Marc Iavaroni is going to play this week, or which star will be the next to shut it down early (Corey Maggette looks like the answer), I've decided to hand out the NBA Fantasy Awards.

This column might be better showing up next week, but your league should really think about stopping play at the end of Week 23, as things become just too unpredictable over the final week and a half.

I'm planning on making Monday's Daily Dose a Waiver Wire column, so look for it at noon.

Fantasy MVP - LeBron James

James is currently sitting fourth behind Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant and Amare Stoudemire on the Basketballmonster.com player rater, but it's simply because of his poor free throw shooting. LeBron's numbers are at 30 points, 8 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 1.8 steals, 1.1 blocks and 48% from the field. Free throws are LeBron's Achilles' heel, as he hit just 72% from the line. He's also not helping things by shooting over 10 of them per game, but we knew this going in. The fact he's outscoring Paul by nine points, getting four more boards and a block per game more than CP3 makes me think LeBron is still the guy you want to build your team around. Paul gets four more assists per game, one more steal and shoots it better from the line, but I don't care.

Runner Up - Chris Paul

Paul may have been the best value pick of the year, as he probably didn't even go until the second round in your league. In the two leagues of mine I took a quick look at, Paul went with the first pick of the second round and the last pick of the second round. Nice. If I were drafting my team for next year today, I'd go with LeBron No. 1, Kobe No. 2 and Paul No. 3. Paul is still wiry enough that I worry about injuries, but he certainly didn't have any problems this year and has a legitimate shot at winning the real MVP award. Congratulations if you drafted Paul this year.

Fantasy ROY - Al Horford

Kevin Durant's higher on the player rater, but his dreadful shooting percentage on many nights leads me to Horford. Horford didn't hurt you anywhere this season, and was arguably the second best player on his team, which appears to be headed to the playoffs. I'd personally rank him third, behind Joe Johnson and Josh Smith, but some acquaintances in the "know" actually think that Horford was behind only JJ in terms or real value for the Hawks. Horford was good for nearly a double-double every night, averaging 10 points and 9.6 rebounds, while hitting 50% of his field goals and 72% of his free throws.

Runner Up – Kevin Durant

Durant caught most of the headlines and was given the ROY award the day Greg Oden got hurt. He averaged close to 20 points to go along with 4.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.9 steals and shot 42% from the floor. He was on pace for a much lower shooting percentage, but tore it up in March. He shot 41% in November, 41% in December, 40% in January and 38% in February before exploding for 53% in March. His future is incredibly bright and I think his shot will be much better next season. But for this year, Horford was consistent from the start, played like a veteran and did more good than harm for his fantasy owners. Of course, just after I wrote this, Durant had his best game with a tough double-overtime win over the Nuggets.

Fantasy Sleeper of the Year - Hedo Turkoglu

Turkoglu was taken with the 96th pick in one league and wasn't drafted in League Freak (but I grabbed him off waivers in Week 1). The fact he is currently ranked as the No. 22 fantasy player is remarkable, but he had a great season. He averaged 20 points, 6 boards, 5 assists, a steal and 2 threes per game while shooting 45.4% from the floor. The nice thing about his season was that he was very consistent from week-to-week, meaning he rarely did anything to let his owners down.

Runner Up – Mike Dunleavy

Dunleavy's season was very similar to Turkoglu's. The numbers were similar, their consistency was similar and Dunleavy finished at No. 25 on the rater. I don't really trust him to do it again next season, but will have to see if the Pacers are blown up in the offseason.

I was going to do a "Value Pick" award, but it's essentially the same as the Sleeper award. My picks for best value of the year are Jose Calderon, who was not drafted in your league, and Andre Miller, who was taken somewhere around the fifth or sixth round. Calderon ended up coming in at No. 34 on the rater, while Miller clocked in a No. 40. Had Miller not gotten off to such an awful start, he would have finished much higher. He averaged just 14.8 points and 4.5 assists in November, while racking up 20 & 8 in February. And Calderon was fantastic in place of T.J. Ford, and more than any player in the league, needs a full-time starting gig. JC could also be added to the list of guys who disappeared down the stretch, but he was excellent for 3/4 of the season.

Fantasy Bust - Ben Wallace

This one was not tough to come up with. He's the biggest name sitting at the bottom of the player rater, clocking in at No. 148. That means that he shouldn't have theoretically even been owned or drafted in most leagues, but his boards (8.6), blocks (1.6) and steals (1.3) kept owners holding on. It probably wasn't worth it, as he was often injured and usually looked like he would have rather been just about anywhere else than at a basketball game. He averaged just five points, shot a typical 43% from the line, and incredibly hit just 39% of his shots from the floor. I'm not sure how he managed that one, but he hit just 37% of his shots with the Bulls this year. Big Bust. Big Bricks. Big Fro. Bust Wallace had a terrible year.

Runner Up – Andres Nocioni and Ben Gordon

Nocioni averaged 13 points and five boards to come in at No. 110 in the player rater, while Gordon averaged 19 points, but will finish the season with just seventh-round value. I'm not really sure it's their fault, as Jim Boylan is not winning the hearts of fantasy owners or Bulls fans. I had Gordon in one league and never had enough confidence in him to use him over the first few months of the season, while Nocioni never really seemed to find a spot in the Bulls' rotation.

I was going to do a separate category for "Most Disappointing," but it's basically the same thing. That said, I tried to find guys who had decent, yet disappointing seasons, but weren't actually busts. My most disappointing players are another set of teammates – Gerald Wallace and Emeka Okafor. Wallace played in 62 games and averaged 19 points, six boards, 3.5 assists, 2.1 steals and 0.9 blocks per game. The blocks were disappointing, but he helped make up for them by hitting a career-high 71 3-pointers. He didn't have a bad season, but was injured at the wrong times and didn't give his owners the blocks they were looking for. He finished at No. 48 overall, but I was looking for a Top 25 finish. Okafor was more of a true disappointment, despite averaging 13.5 points, 10.6 rebounds and 1.7 blocks. He came in at No. 70 after being taken in the fourth round of most drafts, and all his numbers were down this season when compared to last year. His lackluster season can probably be blamed on his coach, Sam Vincent, who could never decide if Okafor was his center or power forward. I'm still optimistic that Okafor will turn into a beast soon, and he should end up being a value pick next year.

Fantasy Ironmen - Baron Davis and Marcus Camby

Two of the league's most injury-prone players got it done this year. Baron is in the running for MVP and hasn't missed a single game, while Camby will probably win the Defensive Player of the Year award and has missed just three games with six to play. I'm not sure why, but we stayed away from suggesting that these two would go down this year. Call it a lucky guess. Baron is ranked No. 5 on the rater, while Camby comes in at No. 10. Impressive.

Fantasy Defensive Player of the Year - Marcus Camby

Camby's 13.3 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 3.7 blocks should seal the deal for him. Josh Smith is next at 8.2 boards, 1.5 steals and 2.9 blocks, while guys like Shane Battier (a steal and block), LeBron James (2 steals and a block) are on the outside looking in. Chris Paul leads the leagues in steals at 2.7 per, while Baron Davis is second at 2.4. Camby had a fantastic season and gave his owners everything they could hope for this year.

Fantasy Invisible Man - Shane Battier

Battier's been shutting people down lately, doing a number on Kevin Durant and Al Thornton last week, and might be the best pure defender in the league. He's a role player, and gets very little fantasy love, but comes in at No. 62 overall. He's averaging 9.3 points, 1.8 threes, 5.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.2 blocks. He's only hitting 43% of his shots, but he always makes for a solid player to slot into your lineup or keep on your bench. He certainly doesn't do much to hurt you, outside of not scoring much.

Fantasy Magic Man – Shawn Marion

Despite playing in just 62 games and being traded to the worst team in the league, Marion still managed to come in at No. 24 overall, giving him second-round value. It's disappointing considering he was likely taken in the first round of your draft, but with so many things working against him and so few games played, it's amazing he'll still finish in the Top 25 or so cumulatively.

Fantasy Breakout Player – Rudy Gay

Gay will finish around No. 20 overall and contributes in all categories, including scoring, threes, steals and blocks. He should be taken in the early second round next year, and is only going to get better from here on out. Given that he played for such a bad team and shaky fantasy coach, his numbers look even better. Josh Smith didn't exactly break out this season, as that happened last year. But he's going to finish at No. 12 or 13 overall, and should be a first-round fantasy pick for the rest of his career. Monta Ellis also overcame the Nellie factor and a slow start to post huge numbers this season.

Biggest Fantasy Injury – Yao Ming

Gilbert Arenas' injury was obviously the most devastating fantasy injury this season, as he was taken in the Top 5 in most leagues and missed almost the entire season. But the good news is that he should come back strong next season. Yao played well for his owners until he went down again with a stress fracture in his left foot. But the biggest concern is that this was the third straight season Yao has played 57 or less games due to a foot or leg problem, and we have to wonder if he's going to ever be fully healthy again. I was watching a documentary about his rookie season on IFC the other day and he was on a trainer's table with a bag of ice on his foot when I tuned in. Arenas' injury was the most devastating, but Yao's injury concerns will have a bigger impact at next year's drafts. Think twice before drafting him.

Biggest Disappearing Act – Mo Williams & Chris Kaman

Both of these guys were enjoying huge seasons until their team's terrible records and injuries caught up with them. We had some notice on Kaman, who really didn't do much over the last month, but the loss of Williams has cost many of you a fantasy championship. Hopefully you were able to replace him before he hurt you too badly, but these were just two of many players who pulled a Houdini over the playoff stretch.

Least Valuable Fantasy Coach – Marc Iavaroni

Iavaroni wins my award for worst fantasy coach, as he couldn't seem to make up his mind all season. He is probably responsible for a less than stellar season from Mike Miller, and the disappointing rookie season for Mike Conley. We could never figure out what he would do with Hakim Warrick, Kyle Lowry, Javaris Crittenton, Juan Carlos Navarro, Darko Milicic and Kwame Brown. Yeah, he was wise enough to run Rudy Gay out there consistently, but the rest of the Memphis lineup was nothing more than a fantasy headache.

Isiah Thomas, Don Nelson, Jim Boylan, Sam Vincent, Randy Wittman and Avery Johnson also deserve some attention. The reasons are obvious on Isiah, but the biggest mistake he continued to make over the last two years was his reluctance to play David Lee. Well, and the Stephon Marbury fiasco, not to mention countless other shady things he did this year.

Nelson is always a favorite for this award and owners of Andris Biedrins and Al Harrington probably will disagree with Nellie not winning the thing. Boylan took over for Scott Skiles but the Bulls actually looked worse, and the rotations were a nightmare. Just ask an Andres Nocioni owner. Vincent is begging to keep his job, but given his team's poor effort this season and the apparent misuse of Emeka Okafor, and Michael Jordan just might fire him soon. Wittman could never decide on a starting lineup, but things did get better near the end. At least he didn't mess with Al Jefferson. And Avery Johnson is doing his best to screw up the Mavericks. He's made plenty of bad in-game decisions this year and makes the list if, for nothing else, his use of Jason Terry this season.

MVP Fantasy Coach – Mike Woodson

This is obviously a fantasy award, as Woody isn't going to win any awards in real life this year, unless the Hawks somehow beat the Celtics in Round 1 (um, yeah). Oh, and they still haven't even locked up the No. 8 seed and have to play in Indy this week. But as far as fantasy coaches go, Woody was great. He basically played a seven-man rotation, giving solid minutes to his starters, allowing Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Marvin Williams, Mike Bibby and Al Horford to be reliable on a weekly basis. In addition, Josh Childress got his minutes and had value as well. Thanks, Woody, for not keeping owners guessing (and possibly getting your team into the playoffs).

George Karl quietly did a nice fantasy job in Denver, Doc Rivers used a set rotation that could be relied upon and Jerry Sloan was quite predictable as well this season. He also buried the hatchet and let Andrei Kirilenko return to form (sort of), although AK-47 still didn't really live up to the hype. utahjazz.com

Look for Monday's Dose as I'll tackle waiver wire questions there.

[Hache Man]

Dose: The Waiver Wire Edition

Monday's Dose is here with a recap of Sunday's news, injury news, risky plays and possible hot pickups given the volatility with rotations at this time of year. My apologies for some repeating of information, but I think it was necessary.

Sunday Wrap Up

Big Numbers

Kevin Durant – 37 points and a couple huge threes to beat Nuggets.
Jeff Green – 35 points in double-OT win over Nuggets.
Elton Brand – 19 points, eight boards, four blocks Sunday.
Josh Powell – 22 points, 10 boards, steal, block, 11-of-14 shooting Sunday.
Vladimir Radmanovic – 21 points, 14 boards, five treys in Sunday's win.
Wilson Chandler – 23 points, eight boards. Played 30 seconds in previous game.
Mike Miller – 34 points, eight threes, 10 boards, six assists Sunday. Wow.
Jeff Foster – 16 points, 15 boards as Jermaine O'Neal limited to 20 mpg.
Ramon Sessions – Eight points, 10 assists for Bucks Sunday.
Brandon Bass – 19 points Sunday, but too inconsistent.
Andris Biedrins – 17 points, 15 boards Sunday. Will Nellie keep playing him?
Al Harrington – 16 points, eight boards in start. Will he stay in the lineup?
Monta Ellis – 35 points, 10 boards, four steals. He's rolling again.
Chris Paul – Another triple-double for this year's MVP.
Carmelo Anthony – 85 points in his last two games as Nuggets falling out of race. utahjazz.com

Not big numbers, but newsworthy

Rashard Lewis – 2-of-12, six points. Hedo Turkoglu buzz-killing him.
Jason Maxiell – 10 points, seven boards, three blocks in start. Might be worth it.
Rodney Stuckey – 19 points off bench. Automatic fantasy pickup right now.
Stephen Jackson – 3-of-11 for six points. 32-of-98 in last seven games. How? indianapacers.com

Welcome Back

Ron Artest – 7-of-20 shooting, 19 points Sunday. Will he keep playing?
Darko Milicic – 12 points, five boards, three blocks in a start. Will it last?
Jason Williams – Scoreless in eight minutes of return.
Brandon Roy – 18 points in return from groin injury. Aggravating it a concern.
Cuttino Mobley – Back from heel injury, filled stat sheet on Sunday.
Kenyon Martin – 10-of-16, 22 points, nine boards in return from suspension.
Damien Wilkins – 11 points in return from personal leave.
sacramentokings.com
Ouch – Injury news from the weekend

Corey Maggette – Left Sunday with hammy, iffy rest of the way.
Joel Przybilla – Broken hand Sunday – Season over.
Francisco Garcia – Sprained right ankle Sunday. Risky play.
Luke Walton – Out with hamstring Sunday. Day-to-day.
Antonio McDyess – Rested on Sunday. Will probably get one more off.
Richard Hamilton – Lingering hip injury – Very risky play.
Rafer Alston – Hoping to play Wednesday. Aaron Brooks big Sunday.
Andrew Bynum – Reports that he won't play until playoffs.
Vince Carter – Needs ankle surgery, Nets are close to elimination. Yikes.
Bostjan Nachbar – Back injury, will probably shut down when door closes.
Marcus Banks – Out for season with hamstring. Hello, Chris Quinn.
Chris Kaman – Still hoping to play. Very risky start.
Antawn Jamison – Wants to play Wednesday. We'll see.
Tim Thomas – Wants to play through Achilles, but what's the point?
Drew Gooden – Ab strain not healing, hello Tyrus Thomas.
Gilbert Arenas – Another DNP on the horizon? A little risky.
Gerald Wallace – Groin injury might end his season. Risky, capital R.
Nene – Groin injury. Kleiza and Najera benefit.
Brad Miller – Leg injury keeping him out, but could return.
Beno Udrih – Iffy for the week w/ back, but could play Tuesday.
Mo Williams – Season could be over with abdominal strain.
Martell Webster – Irregular heartbeat could end season.
dallasmavericks.com
Risky Plays This Week

Ray Allen – C's will rest starters some more. Play at own risk. bostonceltics.ws
Paul Pierce - C's will rest starters some more. Play at own risk.
Kevin Garnett - C's will rest starters some more. Play at own risk.
Gerald Wallace – Groin a huge concern. I'd bench him.
Drew Gooden – Ab strain could end his season.
Ben Wallace – Bad back, terrible numbers a big concern.
Richard Hamilton – Lingering injury makes him very risky.
Chauncey Billups – Rest, minutes factor always a concern.
Antonio McDyess – Rested Sunday, play at own risk.
Rasheed Wallace – Likely to sit out one or two along the way.
Andris Biedrins – Will Nellie keep giving him run?
Al Harrington – Is he or isn't he a starter?
Rafer Alston – Hoping for Wednesday – Bench until you see him play.
Jermaine O'Neal – Irate w/ 20-minute limit. Shutdown w/ loss to Hawks?
Corey Maggette – Hamstring injury could prompt shutdown. Hello Al Thornton.
Tim Thomas – Achilles' injury – Could play, but very risky.
Chris Kaman – Wants to return from ankle injury, but what's the point?
Luke Walton – Out Sunday with hamstring. Not producing much anyway.
Jason Williams – Played eight minutes Sunday, but Quinn's the guy.
Daequan Cook – Awful Sunday, but at least playing.
Josh Boone – Knee injury slowing him down. Hello, Stromile Swift?
Vince Carter – Nets on verge of elimination – Shutdown probably coming.
Bostjan Nachbar – Back injury could end season soon.
Grant Hill – Always a risky play, but healthy this second.
Brandon Roy – Aggravation of groin injury a concern, but playing.
Francisco Garcia – Hurt ankle Sunday, questionable.
Brad Miller – Out with leg, but could return.
Ron Artest – Always game for a surprise DNP, but played Sunday.
Beno Udrih – Wants to play in next one. Bench until you see him.
Jose Calderon – Struggling behind T.J. Ford.
Ronnie Brewer – Questionable for Monday w/ groin. Risky.
Gilbert Arenas – Out Saturday, may sit again w/ back-to-back Sat/Sun.
Antawn Jamison – (Shoulder) Wants to play Wednesday. We'll see.
Mo Williams – Season could be over – Hello, Ramon Sessions.
Martell Webster – Irregular heartbeat could shut him down.

Potential Waiver Wire Pickups

Rodney Stuckey – Should be owned in all leagues. With Pistons resting, Arron Afflalo, Jason Maxiell, Jarvis Hayes, Amir Johnson and Juan Dixon all deserve a look.

Leon Powe – Playing at a high level and should be owned in most leagues with starters resting for Boston.

Josh Powell – Career-high 22 Sunday, automatic play until Kaman returns
Chris Quinn – Banks out for year, Williams hurting. Automatic fantasy starter.
Ramon Sessions – Mo Williams done for year? Should be a hot pickup.
Nate Robinson – Never know about minutes, but probably worth a shot.
Tyrus Thomas – Gooden's injury makes him look good. Play Heat Tues.
Jeff Green – Inconsistent, but will play down the stretch. Shouldn't be available.
Spencer Hawes – Playing well, but return of Miller would hurt him again.
Devin Brown – Unknown is starting, scoring for Cavs. Worth a flier.
Jeff Foster – Double-digit rebounds look good with O'Neal limited to 20 mpg.
James Posey – Should get plenty of run for resting Celtics.
Kendrick Perkins – Could rest a game, but not as risky as C's Big 3.
Tony Allen – Should get plenty of run for resting Celtics.
Eddie House – Should get plenty of run for resting Celtics.
Linas Kleiza – Has played well in last two. Loss of Nene helps.
Travis Diener – Big on Sunday, could earn him more minutes.

Earl Barron – 20 and 4 on Sunday, but only in deep leagues. Someone has to play and score for Heat - Joel Anthony, Stephane Lasme, Blake Ahearn all have potential, but not for the weak at heart.

Damien Wilkins- 11 points Sunday, could be worth a flier if you're desperate.
Luke Ridnour – Big line (19 and 8) Sunday, but Watson is still the starter.
Wilson Chandler – Scored 23 Sunday, but will he play in the next one?
Raef LaFrentz, Channing Frye – Someone needs to replace Przybilla. Yuck.
Fred Jones – Decent option if he gets minutes. Big "if."
Darius Songaila – Worth a start if Jamison doesn't play.
Andray Blatche – Ditto.
Cuttino Mobley – Returned from heel injury. Will get run if Maggette's out.
Earl Boykins – Starting to play, but only for the desperate owner.
James Jones – Could get run if Webster is done. Keep an eye on him.
Matt Carroll, Jared Dudley, Jermareo Davidson – Someone is going to step up if Wallace is out with groin. I'd rank them this way.

[Hache Man]

Is LeBron going to get a rest?


Things are quiet around the NBA with last night's NCAA Finals giving the Association a day off. And what a game that was, eh? Hopefully you didn't tune out with Memphis up nine with two minutes to play.

As for your fantasy team, most of the questions you're asking are tough, and I'm not sure anyone has the answers you're looking for. Setting lineups is tricky business these days, but the best thing to do is weigh your options carefully, read between the lines and go with your gut. There are 11 games tonight, so let's take a quick look.

Atlanta @ Indiana - It may not feel like it, but this might be the game of the night. If the Pacers win, they'll creep to within two games of the Hawks for the No. 8 see in the East, while the Hawks would just about seal the deal with a win. From a fantasy perspective, we should all be rooting for the Pacers, as that will keep players from both teams on the court for as long as possible, and would likely even have a trickle down effect on the Nets. A Hawks win tonight could mean the end of the line for guys like Jermaine O'Neal and Vince Carter, and the earlier the Hawks clinch, the sooner Joe Johnson, Josh Smith and Mike Bibby are going to get a night or two off. But in reality, you guys know who I want to see win this one, even though it simply means a first-round exit at the hands of the Celtics. indianapacers.com

Minnesota @ Charlotte - Must see TV? Um, no. For the Wolves, Al Jefferson says his body is wearing down at the end of his breakout season. He's not lying, after producing just two double-doubles in his last nine games. Due to the loss of Corey Maggette, I've got Minnesota's Craig Smith in a lineup this week, which should be interesting, if nothing else. The Bobcats will be without Gerald Wallace, and I'm 95% certain he's done for the year with a groin injury. Matt Carroll, Jared Dudley, Jermareo Davidson and Earl Boykins will all see a boost. If I had to pick two of the four, I'd go with Carroll and Boykins. Oh, and for what it's worth, the Cats will also likely be without Derek Anderson tonight, not that anyone outside of his mom will notice.

Chicago @ Miami - Must see TV, Part II? Um, no. I'm guessing Drew Gooden's season is over due to an abdominal injury, although that's not official. Tyrus Thomas should continue to get plenty of run in his place. The Heat will once again run a bunch of guys out there you've never heard of, and it's possible that Blake Ahearn could win someone a fantasy championship. As someone once said – "That ain't right."

New York @ Detroit - There is nothing coming out of New York about the Knicks right now. But you can tell by the tone of Marc Berman's blogs and columns that he's done. Not done as in quitting, but no one is as ready for the Knicks season to be over as Berman. As for whether or not you should have Wilson Chandler in your lineup tonight? I'm leaning toward "no." Dude blew up for 23 points the other night and played 30 seconds in his previous game. Maybe if the Knicks were playing the Heat I'd be game. But Detroit, even when playing backups, plays solid defense. Richard Hamilton isn't likely to play for the Pistons tonight, but is hoping to return tomorrow. Chauncey Billups, Rasheed Wallace, Tayshaun Prince and Antonio McDyess are all going to be day-to-day, and won't play more than 20-ish minutes anyway, making Rodney Stuckey look automatic, and giving Jason Maxiell, Jarvis Hayes and company hope of having some fantasy value.

Utah @ New Orleans – Deron Williams missed Monday's practice with an upset stomach, but should play tonight. Outside of that, all is quiet for both of these teams. utahjazz.com

Boston @ Milwaukee – Paul Pierce is very unlikely to play tonight, especially since he skipped the trip to Milwaukee on Monday to stay home with his new baby. He could travel today and they're not ruling him out, but it would be shocking to see him play. Kevin Garnett also sounds doubtful to me at this point, but he has a better chance of playing than Pierce. Of the Big 3, Ray Allen has the best chance of playing tonight because of his history with the Bucks. This is all speculation from Marc Spears, but what he's saying makes sense and I'm on board. Either way, Leon Powe, James Posey, Tony Allen and Eddie House are all likely to hit double digits tonight. For the Bucks, Mo Williams has yet to be officially shut down for the season and is listed as day-to-day with his abdominal strain. With nothing to play for and the team getting a good look at Ramon Sessions, I don't see Mo-Will coming back this season. We'll see. bostonceltics.ws

Phoenix @ Memphis - No news out of Phoenix, and things are actually quiet in Memphis, as well. Javaris Crittenton has a sprained right thumb, but should play through it. If healthy, he should have one or two big games before this is over, but there's no way to know when they're coming.

Seattle @ Dallas - No late-breaking news on this one, but I'm guessing Damien Wilkins has a nice line tonight. Just a hunch. Brandon Bass was nice in his last game, and could do it again tonight, although I'm just not sure. Dirk Nowitzki's not at 100% so if the Mavericks manage to blow the Sonics out, he'll sit. But given the fact the Sonics are enjoying their role as spoiler after beating the Nuggets on Sunday, the Mavs could have their hands full. Also look for another nice line from Jeff Green. dallasmavericks.com

Lakers @ Portland - Not much going on here, although Josh McRoberts could actually get a little run with Joel Przybilla out with a broken hand. However, Channing Frye and Raef LaFrentz are more likely to cover his minutes. Martell Webster should be cleared to play tonight despite an irregular heartbeat. Luke Walton is out again with a hamstring injury, meaning Vladimir Radmanovic should have another big game.

Denver @ Clippers - Nene isn't likely to play with a groin injury and Linas Kleiza has been playing well. If you need a player and your waiver wire is dead, he's worth a look. For the Clippers, Chris Kaman said he's done for the season. He had a great first half, but turned out to be a great sell-high guy. Corey Maggette is out with a hamstring injury and I'm guessing he's done for the year, although that's not official. Tim Thomas has been cleared to play after missing five games with Achilles' inflammation, but I'm not seeing a ton of minutes for him. Josh Powell and Al Thornton are basically must starts right now, while Cuttino Mobley and Elton Brand should also be nice. Deep sleepers here include Nick Fazekas and Dan Dickau – And I mean deep.

Sacramento @ Golden State - Sam Amick of the Sacramento Bee thinks Brad Miller (leg) and Beno Udrih (back) will play tonight, so start them at your own risk. Francisco Garcia is iffy with a sprained right ankle, but the guy seems to always play hurt, so I'm guessing he'll play. The return of Miller should hurt Spencer Hawes, but he'll still get at least 20 minutes or so. The Kings want to finish 5-0 to end the season at .500, but with games against the Warriors, Hornets, Spurs and Lakers, that's a pretty lofty goal. Mickael Pietrus is hoping to play tonight and is a game-time decision with a groin injury. Will Andris Biedrins and Al Harrington start again? Probably, but you never know. sacramentokings.com

Loose Ends

LeBron James – Skipped Monday's practice with a bad back and could sit out some games if and when the Cavs lock up the No. 4 seed. You have to start him, but it could end up backfiring on you. With LeBron hurting, Devin Brown should have some big games the rest of the way for the Cavs.

Rafer Alston – Should practice today and wants to play tomorrow through hamstring. Start him at your own risk.

Antawn Jamison – Practiced Monday and wants to play through shoulder injury Wednesday.

Gilbert Arenas – Practiced Monday and should play tomorrow. But beware that he could sit on Friday or Saturday, as he took last Saturday off due to having back-to-back games.
Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy doesn't believe in resting his stars even though the Magic have clinched the No. 3 seed in the East. Dwight Howard, Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu aren't likely to play more than 30-35 mintues per game, but at least we know they aren't likely to miss games down the stretch.

[Hache Man]

Land of Shutdowns and Scrubs

Tuesday's usually a slow night in the NBA, but not with 11 games last night. There are more story lines than I can get my head around, as the scrubs are taking over and the stars are struggling for several teams. I'll get things started with some trivia from a weird night that saw the Knicks beat the Pistons and the Heat beat the Bulls.

When was the last time the Knicks and Heat won on the same night this season? Answer: Never.

Name the five Heat players in double figures last night. Answer: Kasib Powell, Earl Barron, Chris Quinn, Mark Blount and Ricky Davis.

How bad were Rodney Stuckey, Rasheed Wallace, Chauncey Billups, Antonio McDyess and Tayshaun Prince? Answer: A combined 14-of-56. In a fantasy disaster, the Pistons played 11 guys between 10 and 26 minutes.

Who has led the Knicks in scoring over the last two games? Answer: Wilson Chandler.

What did Chris Paul and Deron Williams have in common last night while playing each other? Answer: Both were 2-of-11 from the floor for four points, but the Jazz beat the Hornets. utahjazz.com

Who had a triple-double last night? Answer: Technically no one, but Andrew Bogut had 15 points, 15 boards and 10 turnovers, along with four blocks.

What is Carmelo Anthony's scoring average over his last three? Answer: 40 ppg

Injury Report

Brad Miller – Out for the season with leg injury. Hello, Spencer Hawes.
Gerald Wallace – Shutting it down with groin injury. Hello, Matt Carroll.
Shaquille O'Neal – Should return tonight from hip injury.
Ron Artest – Having MRI on thumb. Is he the next star to shut it down?
sacramentokings.com
LeBron James – Missed 2 practices, Says he'll play tonight. Cross your fingers.
Corey Maggette- Missed 2 straight with hammy and could be done.
Caron Butler – Injured in practice, questionable tonight.
Darius Songaila – Injured in practice, questionable tonight.
Sam Cassell – Out for C's, may not play until playoffs.
Dwight Howard – Injured mouth in practice, is expected to play.
Sebastian Telfair – Practicing through ankle, wants to play Friday.
David Lee – Surprise DNP with back spasms, ending some fantasy dreams.
Martell Webster – Cleared w/ irregular heartbeat, but may be done for year.
Tony Battie – Won't play this year after shoulder surgery.
Donyell Marshall – May be done with knee injury.

Welcome Back

Beno Udrih – Returned from seven-game absence, scored 10.
Kevin Garnett – Scored 21, will be limited to 20 mpg until playoffs.
Paul Pierce – Playing, but will be limited to about 20 mpg.
Ray Allen – Ditto. bostonceltics.ws
Quentin Richardson – Returned from head injury. Hurts Nate Robinson.
Ronnie Brewer – Struggled through groin injury, risky start.
Tim Thomas – Returned to hit just 2-of-10 shots.
Mickael Pietrus – Finally back from groin, worth a flier.
Antonio McDyess – 0-of-5 after day of rest.

Tuesday's Good

Al Jefferson – 40 points, 10 boards. So much for hitting the wall.
Matt Carroll – 7-of-8, 2 threes, 22 points. Great play with Wallace done.
Kasib Powell – 18 points and a nice line. D-League MVP worth a flier.
Wilson Chandler – Isiah's finally playing him, but for how long.
Ramon Sessions – Big line Tuesday, play him as long as Mo Will is out.
Mike Conley – Great line, but as inconsistent as they come.
Rudy Gay – 36 points, 5 three, 2 blocks – One star didn't let his owners down.
Earl Watson – 22 points, eight assists. Should be in all lineups.
Vladimir Radmanovic – 17 points, six boards, 5 threes. Has 10 treys in last 2.
Channing Frye – 22 & 11 in start for Joel Przybilla. Pick him up.
Brandon Roy – 23 & 12 assists and wasn't intimidated by Kobe.
James Jones – 14 points, 3 threes. Worth a shot if you need treys.
Linas Kleiza – Has scored 15-plus in three straight games.
Cuttino Mobley – Scored 25, has been up and down all year.
John Salmons – Could start the rest of the way for Artest. Pick him up.
Francisco Garcia – Returned from ankle injury to score career-high 31.
Baron Davis – Broke out of seven-game funk with huge line.
Andris Biedrins – Has gone for at least 17 points & 15 boards in last three.
Stephen Jackson – 20 points, 2 threes. Not great, but coming around.
Al Harrington – 17 points, 7 boards, 5 steals. Keep playing him, Nellie.
indianapacers.com
Tuesday's Bad

My Hawks throttled by Pacers. Mike Bibby 0-of-8, 5-of-32 in last three.
Tyson Chandler – 3 points, 9 boards in struggle against Boozer and Okur.
Charlie Villanueva – Benched after 15 minutes, but not hurt.
Rashad McCants – Played just three minutes, but is said to be healthy.
Dirk Nowitzki – 5-of-14, 11 points. Is he about to get a game or two off?
Al Thornton – Is 10-of-37 in last three but should break out again soon.
Josh Powell – Played 10 minutes for 2 points. Biggest letdown of the night.
dallasmavericks.com
Final thoughts

Even though I don't own Josh Powell, I was pretty disturbed by the fact he didn't play much last night, as Elton Brand played center and Mobley moved to small forward. Why the Clippers wouldn't want to take as long of a look at Powell as possible is beyond me.

It was nice to see Baron and Jefferson break out of their funks. I am thinking Don Nelson and Nate McMillan should be getting blasted for dropping Biedrins and Frye out of their rotations earlier this season.

I think Artest is done, as his daughter is sick, his thumb is in a lot of pain and the rest of his body isn't exactly right. He says he'll play at Arco, but we'll have to wait and see.

Why Isiah Thomas isn't running Nate Robinson for 40 mpg is very annoying to me.

Should you be worried about LeBron's back? Yes. But the good news is that it sounds like he's going to play tonight. But once the Cavs secure their seed, he's going to get some rest.

[Hache Man]

Final Fantasy (Trends)

The final edition of NBA Fantasy Trends is here, a day late but not a moment too soon. I began jotting down some highlights and lowlights of the NBA season, team by team, but had to cut it off after getting no further than 'L', alphabetically. But before we get to the team recaps, let's look at a few players with substantial late-season value.

We have reached that strange Bermuda Triangle-ish part of the season when Bucks point guard Ramon Sessions might actually be a better fantasy option than Chauncey Billups. Mo Williams is listed as day-to-day with pubic symphisitis, but the condition sidelined him for five games last month and the Bucks only play four more times this season. In his absence, Sessions has effectively transitioned into a starting role, compiling averages of four rebounds, eight assists and one steal in the month of April. Scoop him up without expecting help in scoring, percentages or threes, and you will be satisfied.

Francisco Garcia should be owned in all leagues. Unfortunately he probably is already -- especially after Tuesday's 11-of-18 shooting, 31-point, four-steal explosion against the Warriors. Garcia always has some value, but his main interest to fantasy owners depends on the continued absence of Ron Artest. Artest already said that his thumb feels like it has a "screw coming loose" (he had surgery to repair the ligaments earlier in his career), his daughter has recurring kidney cancer and he could still opt out of his contract this summer. Basically, all signs point to Garcia having big value in the few games that remain on the Kings' schedule.

Atlanta Hawks: Atlanta looks headed for the playoffs, but the only real drama I can see is whether or not they will be swept by the Celtics.

Highlights: Al Horford has been a season-long highlight for the Hawks, challenging for ROY honors with averages of 10 points on 50% shooting, 10 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.9 blocks and 1.7 turnovers in 31 minutes per game. Zaza who?

Mike Bibby's acquisition was the most important in-season move the Hawks made. There was no criticism of the trade -- the Hawks got the point guard they desperately needed -- freeing Joe Johnson to focus (with great success) on his own offense -- and they didn't sacrifice much to land him. They are 14-14 since the trade and Bibby appears worn out at times, but nobody doubts how vital he is to the Hawks' playoff odds, even if they are still infinitesimal.

From a fantasy perspective, Bibby's move benefited Joe Johnson enormously. Johnson shot no better than 42% in any of the season's first four months, but surged to 47% in March and 57% in April, thanks to Bibby. On the Sacramento side of the deal, Beno Udrih became a viable fantasy point guard overnight, finishing March with respectable totals of 15.7 points on 49% shooting, 3.1 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 2.9 turnovers. He isn't a great source of threes (0.6) or steals (0.7), but the Bibby trade, in short, was a fantasy owners' delight.

Lowpoint: Joe Johnson wasn't great for the first few months of the season. Acie Law struggled at times in his rookie campaign; he never jelled as a starter, was sidelined by a hand injury, and came back to find veteran Mike Bibby ahead of him on the depth chart. Better luck next year.

Boston Celtics: The Celtics get a lot of praise, and they deserve even more. What they have done is nothing short of miraculous. A potentially back-breaking twist of draft-day fate became a series of impressive trades, one historic in its 7-for-1 magnitude. Those trades in turn produced the greatest single-season win/loss improvement in NBA history. And by "those trades," I really mean Kevin Garnett. bostonceltics.ws

The KG-effect is palpable. He radiates an intensity that has clearly infused the Celtics' locker room. Nothing should be taken away from Paul Pierce, either, whose re-dedication to defense has given the Celts another shut-down perimeter defender alongside James Posey and Tony Allen (discounting Allen's last-second foul on Chauncey Billups in this year's first Celts-Pistons matchup -- Doc Rivers should never have inserted him in the game).

The other highlight of the season has been the play of their young guys -- Rajon Rondo has consistently exceeded expectations, and it's going to be fun watching him blossom throughout the playoffs. Leon Powe and Glen Davis have also developed a knack for contributing in limited minutes, minimizing the drop-off when the front-court starters leave the game.

Lowlight: The only lowlight that jumps to mind is injury-related…Kevin Garnett's abdominal strain. Other than that, fantasy owners can only quibble with Doc Rivers' decision to rest his starters before the playoffs -- wise in reality, death in fantasy leagues.

Charlotte Bobcats: Maybe it's a good thing Charlotte didn't sign its new television deal until the end of the season.

Highlights: The Bobcats reeled off a five-game winning streak with Gerald Wallace sidelined…then (Lowlight) lost five straight as soon as he returned. Jason Richardson was effective offensively, averaging 22 points and 3.0 three-pointers in his debut season as a Bobcat, but his style of play didn't necessarily foster the team chemistry that Charlotte so desperately needs.

Lowlights: The Bobcats' brass decided to trade for pricey veteran Nazr Mohammed, which was at the very least an unusual decision. Matt Carroll struggled in a big way with his minutes restricted behind J-Rich. Gerald Wallace should be given special allowance to wear padded headgear. Emeka Okafor struggled mightily at times, though he played well at the end of the season -- presumably that was when he remembered he was playing for a contract.

The lowest lowlight for the Bobcats was the performance of coach Sam Vincent. I give him some slack for integrating shot-happy Jason Richardson and being forced to integrate Nazr Mohammed into his already ponderously slow front-court. But he screwed with Raymond Felton all season long (point guard, shooting guard, combo guard…no, point…no, shooting…oh good, we cut Jeff McInnis). He also vacillated on whether to play Okafor and Mohammed together, mashing his front-court together until the pieces sort of fit for a week or two. I don't have much faith in MJ as a GM, but I think only James Dolan would keep Vincent after a season like this.

Chicago Bulls: The Bulls at this point look like they just got back from Madrid during the running season, but you can't feel too bad for them -- all of their wounds are self-inflicted.

Highlights: It was an emasculating year for the Bulls franchise. They came in with aspirations of claiming the top spot in the East, but ended up bottom-feeders. Ben Gordon and Luol Deng each came into the season with $50 million worth of baggage, and the contract issue didn't resolve as the losses piled up. Kirk Hinrich is undersized, as the Chicago media reminded us every time he had a bad game (which was almost all the time). Ben Wallace was so awful that they engineered a trade to bring in the equally-untradeable Larry Hughes. Which brings me to the only actual highlight of the Bulls' season: Drew Gooden! Gooden looks like a steal, as his numbers jumped across the board once he escaped the Cavaliers more rigidly structured style of play. Unfortunately his season is already over because of an abdominal strain.

Lowlights: Joakim Noah cursing out an assistant coach and the player-driven extra game suspension that resulted, Tyrus Thomas blowing off practice, Chris Duhon dismissing a suspension because he "wasn't playing anyway", Scott Skiles fired on Christmas Eve, Ben (Big Bust, Big Bum) Wallace, Luol Deng's Achilles' injury…the list goes on and on.

Cleveland Cavaliers: The Cavaliers highlight is always LeBron James.

Highlights: LeBron James.

Lowlights: Ben Wallace actually makes Larry Hughes look pretty good by comparison, which is a sad thing. LeBron's finger injury early in the year wasn't pretty, as it triggered an immediate six-game losing streak. Wally Szczerbiak and Delonte West have both had more bad times than good times since being traded from Seattle. In short, the Cavs are a no-frills group…especially from a fantasy perspective.

Denver Nuggets: The Nuggets are the most disappointing team nobody is bitching about. Yes, they are in contention in the air-tight Western Conference…but is this team assembled to make the playoffs or to be a championship contender?

Highlights: 168 points on March 16th! Iverson scores 51 on December 5th (Nuggets lose). Melo scores 47 points on April 7th (Nuggets lose). J.R. Smith drops 43 points on February 22nd (Nuggets lose). Linas Kleiza drops 41 points on January 17th (Nuggets win!).

Lowlights: Every trip to the defensive end. Not really…Marcus Camby is a terrific defender (3.6 blocks per game) and Kenyon Martin is playing defense with renewed conviction, but in general the Nuggets just lack the necessary focus. Primary responsibility has to lay with George Karl, though some leadership-by-example from A.I. or Melo would be a nice change of pace.

Detroit Pistons: The Pistons are the dark horse of the East, overshadowed by the resurgent Celtics.

Highlights: The Pistons' young guys have been tremendous this season. Significant contributors include Jason Maxiell, Aaron Afflalo, Amir Johnson, and of course Rodney Stuckey.

Lowlights: In fantasy-land, the Pistons have become a nightmare lately. Starters have been benched at random and without warning, or alternately held to 20-25 minutes in a game. Richard Hamilton's nagging hip injury is more than nagging to his owners, and Tayshaun Prince's tremendous start to the season turned out to be an illusion.

Golden State Warriors: The Warriors drive 100 mph, in the express lane, on the wrong side of the road…they're super exciting, but have an inevitable aura of doom about them.

Highlights: Monta Ellis recovered from a shaky start to the season and has been an absolute monster since the All-Star break. Don Nelson has actually played Brendan Wright and Marco Bellinelli for extended minutes in close games (though with nowhere near the consistency needed to help fantasy owners). There is a short film that features Baron Davis roller-skating in hot pants and knee-high socks, with a boom-box, all compliments of Reebok.

Lowlights: Don Nelson's rotations. Mickael Pietrus' slow recovery times. Stephen Jackson's late-season shooting slump. Al Harrington and Andris Biedrins wild swings in value. Etc., etc., etc…

Houston Rockets: The Rockets season is already a success, though a trip to the second round of the playoffs would really seal the deal.

Highlights: 22 consecutive victories is all that needs to be said. Huge contributions from guys like Luis Scola, Carl Landry, Chuck Hayes, Shane Battier, Aaron Brooks, Luther Head, Dikembe Mutombo and even Mike Harris.

Lowlights: Yao Ming's injured foot cost the Rockets any legitimate shot at winning a championship.

Indiana Pacers: The Pacers are in an awkward re-building phase, and it showed. indianapacers.com

Highlights: Mike Dunleavy has been a fantasy owners' dream this season, averaging 19 points, two 3-pointers, five rebounds, three assists and one steal, while missing zero games all season. Danny Granger continues to develop his impressive all-around game, and Travis Diener did a surprisingly good job filling in for injured/apathetic Jamaal Tinsley.

Lowlights: Jermaine O'Neal's season has been a thorough disaster, and his return from a bruised knee isn't improving anyone's fantasy fortunes. The aforementioned Jamaal Tinsley is officially a plague in fantasy leagues, his poor play compounded by the vast potential he teased us with in the season's early stages. Marquis Daniels never broke out this season, and I doubt if he ever will.

Los Angeles Clippers: The Clippers season ended before it began, when Elton Brand ruptured his Achilles heel in a pre-season workout.

Highlights: Al Thornton is the obvious highlight to the Clippers doomed season, though the successful return of Elton Brand qualifies as a huge success at this point. Chris Kaman also re-emerged as a beast in fantasy leagues.

Lowlights: Sam Cassell basically forced his way off the Clippers roster, a process I never quite understand. Corey Maggette stayed relatively healthy, but his headlong-toward-the-basket offensive style will always cost him games over the course of a season. Elton Brand's injury was clearly the defining lowlight of the season.

I have to end there, but encourage you to send emails with your own highlights/lowlights of the season. Good luck to all you fantasy owners who are still tweaking your lineups and scraping the waiver wire. Thanks for reading my column this season, I hope that it was helpful/entertaining. Also, check Rotoworld during the off-season…there's still plenty of NBA news to be reported.

[Hache Man]

Getting Even


Amare Stoudemire was definitely not impressed with the elbow in the ribs he received on Wednesday courtesy of everyone's favorite NBA good guy Bruce Bowen.

And while Stat had some choice words for Bowen, he ultimately let his performance do the talking, shaking off foul trouble and scoring 21 points to lead a balanced Sun' attack as Phoenix dominated down the stretch and beat San Antonio 96-79.

There was a definite playoff-like feel to this game, bringing back memories of last season's six-game second round series between these two teams that caused Stoudemire to call the defending champion Spurs a "dirty team," with Bowen in particular raising his ire.

Last night, in the wake of Bowen's elbow in the fourth quarter, Stoudemire again pulled no punches.

"Bruce came elbow first. Elbowed me right in my rib cage," he said. "You know, definitely wasn't a basketball play on his part and I reacted. I definitely didn't appreciate it. So, I let him know about it."

While we salivate at the prospect of another potential playoff matchup with these two teams, let's scour the hardwood for the rest of Wednesday's NBA highlights…

• Rafer Alston returned from a three-game, hammy-induced absence with a flourish, nailing 6-of-11 from the field for 18 points with two steals and two treys. Pick him up if he was dropped in your league. While Alston has played less this year, he's actually wound up being a bit more involved in the Rocket offense.
• Chris Bosh shook off a poor offensive effort Saturday by sinking 11-of-18 Wednesday night en route to 32 points with 11 rebounds, four blocks, three steals and even his third trey in the past five games as the Raps ended a three-game losing skid. It hasn't particularly been a banner year for CB4 with his PT dropping for the second straight season, his free throws down slightly and his blocks also down, however, he appears to be finishing strong. In the past five games, Bosh is averaging 25.8 PPG, 1.4 SPG and 1.2 BPG.
• It's been a rough season for Charlie Villanueva, who again has failed to build on that solid rookie season he put up two years ago. However, he's looking like a great late-season pickup with his recent play. Charlie V exploded last night against his ex-team with a season-best 38 points on 14-of-25 shooting, canning seven treys along the way. Where did that display of outside shooting come from? That's a career high. Villanueva also had 12 boards, an assist and a steal last night and, over his past five, he's putting up 19.4 points and ten boards per game. Get this: the dude accounted for 25 of the Bucks' first 29 points last night. That'll do.

Injury Report

Shane Battier left early Wednesday after suffering a bruised left foot in the first half. He wound up starting the second half, but was gone after playing just seven minutes. Although Battier has struggled with his shooting this year, he's remained a moderately useful fantasy player because of his across-the-board production, but if this injury is more serious than we think, go ahead and grab someone that will help you. For now, Battier is being listed as questionable for Friday. Tracy McGrady was sitting this one because of his shoulder, but he's expected to return Friday. It's not as if Houston needed either of them to hammer to woeful Sonics.

Tip-ins: Manu Ginobili has gone ice cold at the wrong time. In the past five games, he's sunk just 18-of-49 for 11.2 PPG while averaging just 4.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 0.4 steals. He's just 2-for-13 from 3-point land over this stretch. Not exactly peaking into the playoffs, is he?...The Suns won three out of four against the Spurs this year, the first time San Antonio dropped this season series since 2002-03. Let's see if that can translate into success come playoff time should these teams renew their rivalry…Tim Duncan checked in with 23 points and ten boards, although he sunk just 9-of-21 including only 1-of-5 in the fourth quarter. Give him 51 double-doubles in 74 games, compared to just 45 in 80 last year…The Spurs have only been beaten seven times at home this season. How bad do you think they want home court advantage?...Tony Parker shook off a couple of substandard offensive performances with 20 points last night…Veteran Michael Finley has only been useful in very deep leagues, but he's hit double digits in three of his last five games, averaging 10.8 PPG over that stretch. Last night, he canned both his attempts from beyond the arc…The Spurs are averaging just 71.7 PPG in the last three. I don't care how good you are defensively with that kind of O…LeBron James shook off his back woes with an 11-for-21 shooting performance Wednesday good for 33 points. He flirted with another triple-double, getting eight assists and seven rebounds, while also blocking a pair. Is he the MVP? I discussed this issue yesterday, wondering whether Cleveland's disappointing year would hold LBJ back from the hardware…Rajon Rondo departed early to the locker room because of an upset stomach. What did I tell him about eating spicy burritos before the game? Assumedly, he's day-to-day…Chris Paul shook off that down game Tuesday with another double-double, scoring 19 points with 16 assists and a pair of treys as the Hornets reached 55 wins for the first time in franchise history….Dwight Howard had 30 points and 14 rebounds for another double-double. Ho hum. That's 67 in 78 tries for the man child…Fred Jones nailed five treys, including a key one late to ice it as the Knicks won their third straight. No, I did not mistype that. Donnie Walsh wants answers from Isiah about what went wrong with the team this season. Isn't it obvious? It's because the real Fred Jones didn't show up until now! Uh, yeah…Andre Iguodala scored 25 points, dropped six dimes, had five steals and four treys to lead Philly past Detroit. Iggy now has at least 25 points in three straight…David Lee (back spasms) returned to action, but forgot his offense (six points). On the plus side, he pulled down 11 boards…Antawn Jamison looked none the worse for wear in returning Wednesday from a two-game absence because of his shoulder. He had 27 points, 11 rebounds, three treys and two assists…As long as the Nets are still alive, Vince Carter will soldier on (if you can assess VC's play at any time as soldiering, which is dubious at best), scoring 19 points on his bad ankle last night. Prepare to lose both him and Bostjan Nachbar (who you likely don't care about anyways) at any time…Jeff Green gained a lot of waiver wire attention after his 35-point game on the weekend. Since then, he's sunk just 9-of-26. Gotta love the consistency of rooks…Talk about the difference between the NBA haves and have-nots. Utah holds the powerful Hornets to 66 points Tuesday. A night later, the T-Wolves spot them 120 points.

Team Report

Whatever struggles the Phoenix Suns had adjusting to life with Shaquille O'Neal seem to be over as evidenced by team's strong finish to March and huge win over the Spurs Wednesday when they enjoyed a nicely balance offense with six players reaching double figures.

While the Suns aren't going to touch last year's 61-win effort, last night's victory pulled them within a half game of the Pacific Division-leading Lakers and kept Phoenix in the hunt in the wild, wild Western Conference race, where it is currently in sixth place. The Suns have a chance to pass the Rockets with a win in Houston Friday.

Led by an outside shooting game that is the NBA's best for the fourth straight year, the team's offense is actually better than it was last season, but with 105.1 points allowed per game, it's pretty clear what this team's Achilles' heel is.

Shaq returned to action last night after missing Tuesday's game because of his hip. He only played 24 minutes, but did very well, sinking 7-of-9 for 16 points (eight coming in the final quarter) with nine rebounds, two steals and a block. It's no secret that Diesel's offense has been in decline for a long time, and he hasn't exactly found the fountain of youth in the desert, but to be fair, his rebounding work has been stellar for the Suns (10.5 RPG). Damn, he's even doing better from the line in Phoenix.

Thanks to his wonky back, Steve Nash is also finally beginning to show his age, and he's been in a scoring slump of late with just 14.6 PPG over his past five. He managed just 12 points last night, but came through with eight in the pivotal fourth quarter. Throw in ten assists against no turnovers and Nash checked in with his still near-automatic double-double. And in fairness, he's enjoying the finest season of his career from beyond the arc.

Boris Diaw has been a huge disappointment this year, and has had little use in mid-size or smaller fantasy leagues as a result. However, he appears to be finishing strong, with three straight double-digit scoring games and an average of 11.6 PPG with 4.6 RPG and 1.2 SPG in the last five. While Diaw has shot poorly from the field and the perimeter this year, he has done better at the line than ever before (76 percent). Still, what has to irk whatever fantasy owners he still has left is the lack of blocks. Remember when Diaw averaged a block per game? He recorded 85 blocks in 2005-06, but has just 74 in the two seasons since then.

When looking at his across-the-board numbers and career-best shooting from the field, this has been Stoudemire's finest season as a pro. His minutes are up as he continues to put the micro-fracture surgery in the rear view mirror. Stat is even getting more assists this year (did you see those five dimes he dropped on Tuesday?). San Antonio seems to be about the only team capable of stopping this dude. In the past 37 games, he's been held below 20 points just twice, with the Spurs responsible for both of those.

Leandro Barbosa is still a must-own fantasy commodity, but thanks to a much worse effort from beyond the arc (38.5 percent), he hasn't been able to duplicate his breakout 2006-07 season. Even though his overall scoring is down, the Brazilian Blur remains a great source of treys, putting up back-to-back multi-trey games this week.

Raja Bell's PT is down this year as he suffers through his worst season as a Sun. On the plus side, he appears to be picking things up now, with four straight double-digit scoring efforts, averaging 13.3 PPG over this stretch.

Grant Hill remains a decent fantasy play, but his offensive game continues to deteriorate and he's been very inconsistent of late while he battles through injuries. But I'll give him this: he's learned to play the Phoenix way, hoisting up a career-high 1.5 three-point attempts per game this season.

[Hache Man]

Man-u Down!

We've officially hit the dead zone, as news has slowed to a trickle, only about 10 percent of fantasy hoops teams are still alive, and the evidence has climbed to an all-time high that (at least) the final week and a half of the season should be chopped by the Fantasy Hoops Commissioners' Association. Of course, no such thing exists, but this year, just like every other that I can recall, is a perfect example of why fantasy leagues should not count weeks 24 and 25. I'm guessing the best fantasy teams throughout the course of the season aren't winning their playoff leagues at least half the time, and it's probably closer to 75%. And I'm not carrying a personal vendetta here. Yeah, I got fundamentally destroyed in the UBC Expert League by Dave Gawron (congrats, buddy), but he had the No. 1 seed, while I was at No. 2. But my team looked like the Heat over the last two weeks, instead of a solid fantasy squad.

Anyway, I am going to make a push in any playoff league I'm in to eliminate weeks 24 and 25, and you should too. In fact, playoff leagues are probably not the way to go at all. The format I have come to like best is a H2H league that keeps cumulative wins and losses in categories throughout the season, with no playoffs. If you have eight cats, you win or lose a week by a score of 8-0, 5-3, 2-5-1, etc. Then you just keep running totals of those cats throughout the year until your season ends. This usually ensures the best team wins and there are no flukes at the end based on injuries or guys who stop caring and don't bother to set a lineup. Rod's Playground is Open team won my main league with a record of 131-50-3, I finished second at 117-65-2 and Todd's Tebow Time finished third at 106-72-6. And that's exactly the way it should have finished up based on how the season went.

Manu Out Friday – Injury Report

Manu Ginobili – Out Friday with groin, regular season in doubt. Hello Finley.
Shane Battier – Questionable with foot. Start at own risk. Head could replace.
Rajon Rondo – Iffy with flu and due for a rest. Start at own risk.
Glen Davis – Iffy with hamstring, no value anyway. More minutes for Powe.
Richard Hamilton – Still hurting w/ hip injury. Keep him benched.
Andrew Bynum – Not cleared w/ knee. Regular season likely over.
Jerry Stackhouse – Targeting Sunday return from hamstring.
Tracy McGrady – Will play through shoulder tonight. Start him.
T.J. Ford – Iffy with flu, start him at your own risk.
Corey Maggette – Missed Thursday, I think he's done.
LeBron James – Probable for Friday, but what happens when Cavs lock No. 4?
Ron Artest – Doubtful w/ thumb, but practiced Thurs. Watch for news today.
Mo Williams – Rest of regular season in doubt with groin/ab problem.
Yi Jianlian – Done with knee injury. Hello, Charlie V.
Drew Gooden – Not official, but possibly done with abdominal strain.
Sam Cassell – Likely done with sore back.
Quinton Ross – Hurt leg last night, no value anyway.
Brad Miller – Surgery on elbow today, hello Hawes, Salmons, Garcia.
Josh Boone – Questionable with knee, Diop could be decent.
Nene – Groin rendering him useless.
Josh Howard – Left with knee last night, iffy now that Mavs clinched.
Dirk Nowitzki – Playing with air cast, iffy now that Mavs clinched.
Shawne Williams – Ankle injury making him iffy for Pacers.
Sebastian Telfair – Hoping to play through ankle injury tonight. Risky.
Brandan Wright – Iffy with groin the rest of the way.

Thursday's Game News

Allen Iverson had 33 points on 11-of-19 shooting, while Carmelo Anthony stayed hot with 25 points, nine boards and five steals on 12-of-20 shooting as the Nuggets deflated the Warriors hopes in Thursday's win. J.R. Smith was nice, hitting four treys and scoring 24 points. Linas Kleiza hurt owners last night, going 0-of-2 in 14 minutes. For the Warriors, Stephen Jackson struggled with his shot again, hitting just 5-of-17 shots, but did score 18. Keep playing him, as the Warriors need a big line from him more than ever. Baron Davis triple-doubled and looks great again, while Andris Biedrins stayed ridiculously hot with 11 points, 19 boards and a couple blocks. Al Harrington is playing well again, going for 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting, and Monta Ellis remains a must-start despite six turnovers last night.

The Lakers trounced the Clippers, led by Luke Walton's return from injury. Walton had 18 points, four threes, five boards, four assists, a steal and a block. That's the type of line I was expecting to see much more often than we did this year. He hurt Vladimir Radmanovic (11 points) in his return, as the two split minutes. The Clips got solid lines from Al Thornton and Elton Brand, but that's about it. The lowlight was Tim Thomas in the starting lineup and hitting just 1-of-11 shots, while Cuttino Mobley cooled off to the tune of 2-of-9 shooting for four points. Mike Dunleavy decided to throw Josh Powell out of the rotation just as he was getting hot, and he's currently not producing much at all for his owners. I was on board with Powell, and the logic was solid, but he's been a complete bust this week.
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The Mavericks won a dramatic game against the Jazz behind Dirk Nowitzki's game-winning three near the buzzer. Dirk finished with 32 points, but had just two boards and one assist. But his clutch shot put the Mavs into the playoffs. Dirk was sporting an air cast on his ankle, and will surely get some rest before the playoffs. Josh Howard left with a knee injury and only scored three points. Several fantasy championships were probably lost due to that one. Jason Terry is back to form, Brandon Bass continues to be effective and Jason Kidd continues to let his owners down. If Dirk and/or Howard rest, Bass will be a solid play. For the Jazz, Deron Williams had 18 & 12 in the loss, while Mehmet Okur stayed hot with 19 points, 14 boards and three more 3-pointers. When Okur is on, as he has been for some time now, Carlos Boozer doesn't put up huge lines. That was the case again last night, when he finished with just 10 points, five boards and five fouls. utahjazz.com

That's all I've got for today. Start making plans on ending your season in Week 23 next year, and best of luck to those of you still trying to win a championship, likely with a team of waiver-wire wonders.

[Hache Man]

Wired: It's KG's Turn To Win

I'm not going to throw out much fantasy advice for the upcoming three-day week in this column. If you have specific questions, send me an email. I will tackle the injury report in Monday's Daily Dose, so make sure you check it out if your team is still alive. I have also thrown some waiver-wire picks at the end of this column, so check it out.

This week, I'll take a look at next year's projected Top 24 (I'll call it a rough draft, as a lot can happen before now and then), as well as a breakdown of potential playoff matchups.

Top 24 Next Year

Bonus Pick No. 25. Yao Ming – Injuries now a major concern. Draft him at your own risk, as he hasn't finished in three straight seasons due to significant injuries.

24. Chris Bosh – Might be higher, but injury concerns are legitimate now. Finishing strong for the Raptors, but always seems to be banged up.

23. Danny Granger – Had a breakout season this year and is only going to get better. Abilities from beyond the arc are key and he should be even better next year. indianapacers.com

22. Rudy Gay – Going to be a Roto-monster and comes with almost no risk. Threes-blocks combo is key, and there's a pretty good chance I'll have him closer to No. 15 in September.

21. Al Jefferson – Maybe this is too low, but this should be about right for Jefferson. He's no longer a sleeper.

20. Paul Pierce – Numbers are down with Big 3, but still a legitimate fantasy threat. Might be his last season as a Top 20 player. bostonceltics.ws

19. Baron Davis – Injury free this year, but not likely to do it twice. And can he play any better? He'll probably be taken in the first round of your draft, but I don't see more than 70 games coming next season.

18. Carlos Boozer – Quietly efficient again this season and injuries are no longer a concern. He tailed off with the emergence of Okur late, but still warrants high pick. utahjazz.com

17. Manu Ginobili – Cooled off at end and would be scary with real minutes and a full-time starting role. Hot start was key to this year's success.

16. Carmelo Anthony – Rebounds arrived this year, and so did he. Late scoring binge is helping his stock as well, not counting Sunday's disappointing line.

15. Caron Butler – Banged up all year, but "Tough Juice" when healthy. Should have a similar season to 06-07 next year, if he can stay healthy. And I think he will.

14. Allen Iverson – Another year older, but keeps producing. The guy is the ultimate warrior, but just like every other season, I probably won't draft him again next year.

13. Steve Nash – Changing of the guard is here. CP3 and Deron are higher, and Nash's back will finally cause him to miss at least a few games next season.

12. Josh Smith – A conservative offering from his No. 1 fan. He slumped at times this season, but I will probably draft him wherever I can get him if I don't get a Top 3 pick.

11. Deron Williams – Should be a steal at No. 10 next season if stays healthy. If he played against everyone like he plays against CP3, he'd be Top 5. utahjazz.com

10. Kevin Garnett – Still quality and a favorite player of nearly everyone, but no longer a fantasy beast with Boston. KG has 29 double-doubles this season, while rookie Al Horford has 25. Enough said. bostonceltics.ws

9. Dirk Nowitzki – You have to put him this high, but Deron Williams sure looks good at No. 8. I'd rather have Dirk leading my fantasy team than my real one, but serious props are due to him for him playing through his high-ankle sprain.
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8. Shawn Marion – Despite crazy season, still No. 7 overall (per game). I don't care who he's playing for next year, the guy will put up numbers. Tough to blame him for the early shut down this season (unless you were counting on him), and it should make him stronger in 08-09.

7. Elton Brand – Dude proved he's healthy with strong play over the last few games and will be on a mission next year. He won't hurt you anywhere and should return to form.

6. Amare Stoudemire – He can even shoot free throws and has made me look like a fool by dominating after his knee surgeries. He may need some cleanup work done on his knee in the next year, but it has not slowed him down up to this point. The arrival of Shaq couldn't even slow him down.

5. Gilbert Arenas – Assuming he comes back healthy and as Agent Zero, Arenas should be a Top 5 pick. He could fall below that because of nervous owners, but I have little doubt he that he'll bounce back in a big way next year.

4. Chris Paul – He'll go No. 1 in some leagues, but not if I have the pick. He's had a tremendous season, is a great point guard and I wish he played for the Hawks. But he's still fragile in my mind, and I'm not sure I'll draft him in the Top 5 next year. If he's sitting there at six? He's all mine.

3. Dwyane Wade – I had him No. 25 a year ago and I think I was right. He should be 100% next year, so let's hope I'm right again. Wade could also slip next year, and be a big steal for someone in your league.

2. Kobe Bryant – Still the best scorer in the league, and arguably the best player. He will go No. 1 in many leagues and the Lakers could even manage to win it all this year. But he's no longer a one-man wrecking crew in L.A., and hasn't even scored 81 points in a game in more than two years. Taking Kobe anywhere between the 1st and 10th pick will not hurt you, and I'm not sure I'd pass him up if I had the No. 1 pick.

1. LeBron James – But then again, the only player I would take in front of Kobe is LeBron. I don't care if he misses some free throws. If you throw that category out of the equation, it's not even close as to whom to take a No. 1. The best thing about LeBron is that he shoots free throws well enough that you can easily overcome his struggles in that category, unlike a Dwight Howard. If you get the first pick, take LeBron and don't look back.

Playoff Preview

Eastern Conference

No. 1 Celtics vs. No. 8 Hawks (Magic Number 1) Prediction: Celtics in 4
bostonceltics.ws
A Pacers' loss (@ Washington, vs. Knicks) or Hawks' win (vs. Orlando, @ Heat) puts the Hawks in the playoffs for the first time in forever to face the Celtics and the league's best record. I really don't think either team has a chance against the Celtics, but the Hawks did at least play them tough in Atlanta on Saturday. Either way, you have to think the Celtics will sweep in Round 1, and a playoff berth could save Mike Woodson's job in the ATL.

No. 2 Pistons vs. No. 7 Sixers or Raptors - Prediction: Pistons in 6

The Pistons will be the favorite regardless of which team they face. The Raptors have not finished strong, but the Sixers have also cooled off. I'm going to guess the Raptors will get the No. 6 seed with an easier schedule (vs. Heat, @ Chicago) than the Sixers (vs. Cleveland, @ Charlotte), and I'm guessing the Pistons will take out the Sixers in 6 games.

No. 3 Magic vs. No. 6 Raptors or Sixers - Prediction: Raptors in 7

The Magic have no guarantees of getting out of the first round and both the Raps or Sixers would offer a solid test. Dwight Howard will have to start blocking some shots, Rashard Lewis will have to start dropping some bombs, and Hedo Turkoglu will have to keep playing at a very high level to assure the Magic a trip to the second round. But I'm going to go out on an upset limb and say that Chris Bosh will step up, Jose Calderon will become a factor again, and Jamario Moon, Anthony Parker, T.J. Ford and Rasho Nesterovic will get it going and upset the Magic. I'll blame it on the disappointing Jameer Nelson running the point for the Magic. If he proves me wrong, I'll draft him next year.

No. 4 Cavaliers vs. No. 5 Wizards - Prediction: Cavs in 6

With Gilbert Arenas and most of his teammates still not a full strength, the Cavaliers should win their first-round series despite LeBron's back not feeling up to snuff. If Arenas had played at a very high level over the past month, I might be picking the upset here. Not gonna do it.

Western Conference

No. 1 Lakers vs. No. 8 Nuggets - Prediction: Lakers in 6

The Lakers need to win their final game at home against the Kings to secure the No. 1 seed and home court until the Finals. The Hornets still have a shot at it, if they can win at the Clippers and at home against the Mavericks, but I'm going to go ahead and pencil the Lakers in with the top seed in the West. The Nuggets' magic number for the No. 8 seed is now 1, and they only need to beat Memphis in their final game to get in. If they lose that one and the Warriors beat the Spurs in San Antonio and the Sonics at home, they'll get in instead of the Nuggets. But let's assume the Nuggets are in. That will win them a date with the Lakers, who should take that series in 6 games, although the Nuggets should present a tough matchup. This series has upset written all over it, but I don't see Kobe letting hit happen.

No. 2 Hornets vs. No. 7 Mavericks - Prediction: Mavericks in 7
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That's right. I'm taking Dirk and the Mavs to upset the Hornets in Round 1. That prediction probably rests on the health of Josh Howard, but here's to hoping he'll be healthy. Chris Paul and the Hornets have had a great season, but they've lost two straight and don't have the playoff experience necessary to beat Dallas, unless they're clicking on all cylinders. Then again, Jason Kidd is suddenly going to have to emerge as a factor and Avery Johnson will have to let his team play and not over-coach. We'll see. Either way, this should be a fantastic series.

No. 3 Rockets vs. no. 6 Suns - Prediction: Suns in 6

Another upset pick. The Rockets surprisingly cruised without Yao Ming, but he will be sorely missed against the Suns, who now have a front line that includes Amare Stoudemire and Shaquille O'Neal, both of which will wreak havoc on Dikembe Mutombo, rookies Luis Scola and Carl Landry, and veteran Chuck Hayes. Add in the fact that Tracy McGrady, Shane Battier and Rafer Alston are all hurting, and it looks like the Suns should be able to get by the Rockets. Sorry.

No. 4 Jazz vs. No. 5 Spurs - Prediction: Spurs in 7
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Yet another upset pick in the West. I picked the Spurs to win it all in the preseason, so I can't have them losing in the first round. You have to think their experience and defense will get them past the Jazz, but if Andrei Kirilenko gets it going, Deron Williams stays strong, and Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur can both pull off some double-doubles, the Jazz could take the series.

The Finals

The Celtics should win the East if they can stay healthy, while the Spurs, Suns and Lakers are a toss-up in the West. I'll predict the Spurs face the Celtics in the Finals, with the C's taking it all in 7 games. The West is too close to call, and nothing would surprise me. I'm going with what I know. The Spurs are the defending champs and Kevin Garnett has destiny on his side, not to mention the best defensive team in the league.

Prediction: Celtics over Spurs in 7 games for the NBA Title

Waiver Wire Suggestions

Just a few Waiver Wire suggestions, since that's supposed to be the theme of the column.

J.R. Smith – Nuggets guard is hot, but Nuggets only have on game left.
Jason Maxiell – Pistons still going to coast with two games, Max is hot.
Rodney Stuckey – He'll get two more solid games, then rest in playoffs.
Rasho Nesterovic – Still hot at center for Raptors, two games this week.
Matt Carroll, Jared Dudley, Nazr Mohammed – Good two-game fliers.
Brandon Bass – Should be nice in one game with Dirk's minutes down.
Luther Head – If Battier's out, should mean production for Head.
Mike Conley – Very hot right now, should finish with 2 strong games.
Miami Heat – Take your pick from scrubs for 2-game flier.
Chris Quinn – Has proven that he's a good fantasy player right now.
Ramon Sessions – Shouldn't be available, but will finish strong in 2 games.
Wilson Chandler – Tough to argue with numbers in last 4 games.
Nate Robinson – Will Isiah turn him loose for final 2 games? Maybe.
Jarrett Jack – Suddenly hot for Blazers and worth a flier for final 2.
Channing Frye – Ditto.
Ime Udoka – Worth a look in deep leagues with Manu hurting.
John Salmons – Starting for Kings, who are trying to win.
Francisco Garcia – Should hit a lot of threes in last 2 games.

Teams with just one game this week: Mavericks, Nuggets, Lakers, Sonics. Everyone else plays twice. Good Luck!

[Hache Man]

Week Ahead Fantasy Awards

A few readers asked me for a quick breakdown of games next week. If your fantasy hoops league continues for a short final week, every team in the league has two games next week except for the following teams who only have one game on their schedule: LAL, DAL, DEN, SEA. Plan accordingly.

Thanks to all of the readers who took time to write to me this season asking for my advice and suggestions about their lineups or potential pickups. I am hoping that I may have helped a few of you to the fantasy promised land.

Week Ahead Awards .

Fantasy MVP: Three letters: L-B-J. LeBron James has been everything everyone who selected him #1 overall thought he was going to be. 30.3 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 7.2 APG, 1.9 SPG, 1.1 BPG, 112 3-pointers, 48% FG - King James was a fantasy monster this season. If anyone was able to snag LeBron without the #1 pick in your draft consider yourselves lucky, because he should be a guaranteed #1 pick in the majority of leagues next year. James is the real deal and as long as he can stay healthy, he will finish his career with multiple NBA Championships.

Best High Round Value: Chris Paul was either a second or third round pick in many leagues, but he ended up with top-5 overall value. CP3 had averages of 21.1 PPG, 11.6 APG, 2.7 SPG, 89 3-pointers, 49% FG and 85% FT through Saturday. Paul shouldn't last past the first few picks of many drafts next year.

Best Mid-Round Value: Monta Ellis has officially announced his arrival to the NBA as a superstar this season. Drafted in the sixth round or later in most leagues, Ellis has blossomed into a 20+ PPG scorer and also added nearly 4 RPG and 4 APG as well. Monta should be money next year as well.

Best Late-Round Value: Hedo Turkoglu was the exact definition of fantasy sleeper this season. While Dwight Howard was garnering all of the pub out of O-Town this season (and rightfully so at 21 PPG/14RPG), Hedo Turkoglu was having an unbelievable fantasy season as well. Hedo poured in 19.6 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 5.0 APG and 162 3-pointers through Saturday. In most leagues he was a tenth round pick or later. In shallow leagues, he may have even gone undrafted. I'm sure Turkoglu was a huge late round find for many fantasy teams.

Trade that worked out for everyone involved: Well, the Garnett for Jefferson trade worked out tremendously for Boston, as they jumped all the way to the top seed in the Eastern Conference this season, and for Minnesota, who found themselves a new franchise player. Garnett averaged 19.0 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 3.5 APG, 1.4 SPG, 1.2 BPG. Jefferson averaged 21.0 PPG, 11.1 RPG, 1.4 APG, 0.9 SPG, 1.5 BPG. In many leagues AJ was actually a better fantasy player than KG, especially when you throw in the fact that Garnett missed 10 games with injury. Winners all around on this trade.

Most Crippling Fantasy Injury: Gilbert Arenas. Those who drafted Agent Zero this year really only got eight full value games out of him this season. Arenas got injured in November and had surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee and missed 66 games over three months. Hibachi made it back for a handful of games in April, but was just never the same. Arenas was a high first round pick this year and given his injury history over the last two years, his ADP next year should be quite a bit lower. The other drama surrounding Arenas is the fact that he may opt out of his contract with the Wizards and become a free agent to go where he pleases. Stay tuned.

Biggest Bust: Luol Deng was poised for a breakout season this year. The Bulls refused to include him in a trade for Kobe Bryant. Many writers, including yours truly, thought the Bulls would be one of the best teams in the East. Deng was picked in the first three rounds of most leagues. But Luol only actually delivered about fifth or sixth round value. While his numbers through Saturday (16.9 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 2.5 APG) seem decent, they are hardly those of a player who was picked in the top 40 in almost every fantasy league. Kirk Hinrich certainly deserves some attention here as well, as he was basically a fantasy disaster for his owners.

Week Ahead Fantasy Hoops First Team:
Stats through Saturday's games

PG: Chris Paul (78 G 21.1 PPG, 11.6 APG, 4.0 RPG, 2.7 SPG, 85% FT)
SG: Kobe Bryant (80 G, 28.5 PPG, 5.4 APG, 6.4 RPG, 1.9 SPG, 146 3-pointers)
SF: LeBron James (73 G, 30.3 PPG, 7.2 APG, 7.9 RPG, 1.9 SPG, 112 3-pointers)
PF: Amare Stoudemire (77 G 25.3 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 1.5 APG, 2.1 BPG, 59% FG)
C: Dwight Howard (79 G, 21.0 PPG, 14.4 RPG, 1.4 APG, 2.2 BPG, 60% FG)

Week Ahead Fantasy Hoops Second Team:
Stats through Saturday's games

PG: Baron Davis (80 G, 22.0 PPG, 7.7 APG, 4.7 RPG, 2.4 SPG, 167 3-pointers)
SG: Allen Iverson (80 G, 26.4 PPG, 7.2 APG, 2.9 RPG, 1.9 SPG, 93 3-pointers)
SF: Carmelo Anthony (75 G, 26.0 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 3.4 APG, 1.3 SPG, 49% FG)
PF: Dirk Nowitzki (75 G, 23.6 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 3.5 APG, 1.0 BPG, 88 % FT)
C: Al Jefferson (80 G, 21.0 PPG, 11.1 RPG, 1.4 APG, 1.5 BPG, 50% FG)

I will take a brief moment here to crow about my fantasy hoops team's success this season. In a 10-team head-to-head competitive league, I finished the season with a 23-1 record. Going against my usual theory of avoiding injury prone players, I decided to take a gamble and draft some high-risk high-reward players. Seemingly opposite of my recent luck in a lot of other fantasy leagues I am in, every pick I made in this year's draft seemed to pan out. After I took Amare Stoudemire late in the first round and Dwyane Wade early in the second, taking Chris Paul and Baron Davis in the third and fourth pretty much sealed my league's championship. When you mix in mid-to-late round picks like Monta Ellis (7th), Danny Granger (8th) and Chris Kaman (9th), perhaps my squad should have been 23-1.

[Hache Man]

Dose: Final Injury Countdown

The Last Monday Morning Injury Report

Deron Williams – tailbone – Probable for tonight.
Caron Butler – knee – Missed Saturday, could rest for final 2.
Manu Ginobili – groin - Missed 2 straight, could sit until playoffs.
Steve Nash – back – Playing through it, but makes me nervous.
Shane Battier – foot – Wants to play, but can he?
Rafer Alston – hamstring – Ruled out Monday.
Ron Artest – thumb – Played Saturday, home tonight, game-time decision.
Kevin Martin – knee – Hurt Friday, out Saturday, future unknown.
Mike Miller – back – Remains day-to-day, but season might be done.
Chris Kaman – ankle – Not officially done, but I don't see him returning.
Vince Carter – ankle – Still playing through it, cross your fingers.
Josh Howard – knee – Played Sunday, could rest, so start at own risk.
Charlie Villanueva – hamstring – Who knows if we'll see him again?
Mo Williams – abdomen – It's been all Sessions and I don't see Mo coming back.
Corey Maggette – hamstring – Surprise play Saturday, could play Tuesday.
DeShawn Stevenson – tailbone – Playing through it so far.
Leon Powe – foot – Could play tonight, but don't expect much.
Eddie House – groin – Ditto.
Quinton Ross – leg – No value when healthy.
Javaris Crittenton – thumb - Day-to-day, Grizzlies backcourt already crowded.
Alexander Johnson – head – Says he'll play tonight, crowding Heat's front court.
Jerry Stackhouse – groin – Might play Wednesday, but too risky.
Josh Boone – knee – Day-to-day so he might play Tuesday.
Nene – groin – Wasn't doing enough when healthy.
Bobby Jackson – ankle- Sat Sunday, very iffy for Monday.
Martell Webster – heart – Could make appearance, but not worth it.
Jeff Foster – knee – Doubtful for Monday, bench him.
Craig Smith – chest – No value if he plays.

Surprise Returns

Corey Maggette (5-14, 22 points, hamstring), Josh Howard (16 points, knee) and Ron Artest (22 points, eight boards, three steals, thumb) all made surprise returns this weekend. I'll eat my words on Maggette, as I thought he was done for the season. Just because these guys played in their last one doesn't guarantee them for the next one. Two of the three will probably play again, but you have to think at least one of them might be done. dallasmavericks.com

News and Notes

Earl Watson had 21 points, eight boards and 10 dimes in what was possibly the last game for the Sonics in Seattle. Watson has been a fantasy savior for many owners who grabbed him off the wire at the mid-way point.

Luther Head scored 19 and had a complete line on Sunday, and should continue to get plenty of run with Rafer Alston, Shane Battier and Bobby Jackson hurting.

J.R. Smith had another big game Sunday, going for 23 points and five threes as the Nuggets got a huge win over the Rockets. Allen Iverson had 33, while Carmelo Anthony finally cooled off , hitting just 3-of-14 shots for 11 points, but did have eight boards. Smith has been money lately, but the Nuggets have just one game remaining.

Kirk Hinrich was (surprise) worthless again on Sunday, while Tyrus Thomas had four points and four boards. I wish I would have gone with Hinrich as most disappointing instead of Ben Wallace in the awards column, but they were both pretty bad. Andres Nocioni scored 22 points and hit four threes yesterday, as his unpredictable season mercifully draws near an end.

Vladimir Radmanovic had his second straight two-point game yesterday. You knew he'd come back to earth at some point, but he couldn't have picked a worse time.

Rodney Stuckey had 18 points and Jason Maxiell had 14, four boards and a block Sunday. Both players are probably good fantasy plays over the final two games.

Chris Bosh had 30 points and 10 boards yesterday, and appears to be fully healthy.

Cuttino Mobley scored a season-high 30 points on Saturday. Mobley had a rough fantasy season, likely hurting owners when they played him, and going off while on the bench.

John Salmons and Francisco Garcia are both playing well for the Kings, and with Artest and Martin iffy the rest of the way, both players should be owned (and probably started) in all leagues. sacramentokings.com

Jarrett Jack had 19 points and 10 assists on 7-of-12 shooting on Saturday, while Channing Frye stayed hot with 15 points and 10 boards. Both players should finish up strong in their last two games.

Mehmet Okur had 20 points, 15 boards and five assists on Saturday. After a slow start, Okur has been great over the second half, hurting Carlos Boozer a bit on the way. utahjazz.com

Andre Brown came out of nowhere for 13 points and 18 rebounds for Memphis on Saturday. He could finish the season with a couple more starts and is worth a flier. Darko who?

Gilbert Arenas had 20 points, four threes, seven boards, five assists and two steals on Saturday for his best game in forever. I have no idea if he'll play in the Wiz's last two games, but he should.

Sam Cassell busted the Hawks for 20 points on Saturday, hitting three 3-pointers and scoring 15 in the fourth quarter. He was doing a crazy dance after each shot went down and having a blast. He's going to be a big factor for the C's in the playoffs.

Danny Granger scored a career-high 37 points on Saturday, hitting 12-of-14 shots and six treys. Somehow, the Pacers lost that game to the Bobcats, as Jared Dudley had 19 points and eight rebounds in the win. Raymond Felton, Jason Richardson and Emeka Okafor also had big lines, but you can't go out and pick them up off the wire. indianapacers.com

Dwight Howard

I've already gotten a couple emails about my exclusion of Dwight Howard from the Top 24 list for next year. I might change my mind between now and then, but Howard's free throws and turnovers are killers, while it seemed like he wasn't blocking shots down the stretch. The numbers support my feelings, as Howard blocked two or more shots in just 15 of his last 33 games. That means in the other 18 games, he didn't have a block, or had just one. He also only recorded more than two assists on three occasions in his final 33 games. I love Howard, and maybe my expectations were too high, but unless your league doesn't count free throw percentage, he probably doesn't qualify as a top pick. He'll help you dominate in scoring and rebounding, and is huge in the blocks and field goal percentage cats, but that's where it ends.

[Hache Man]

Melo Cooled Off with DUI


Carmelo Anthony was arrested for DUI early Monday morning. Blood test results won't be known for a couple weeks, and I'm guessing he won't miss any playoff games, but it's really up to the league and the Nuggets. If they go deep in the West (not likely), he could have to sit out a game or two, but we'll have to wait and see what happens.
A few quick thoughts on this whole Clay Bennett deal. He obviously had every intention of moving the Sonics the first time he ever had the idea to buy the team. It appears that he has lied to just about everyone, including David Stern, about his intentions, and I'm pretty shocked that Stern is just "letting it go." I feel really bad for the people of Seattle and am fairly disgusted at the way the whole thing is going down.

The playoff picture has taken shape and the East is settled. That means that every single player on an Eastern roster could end up with a surprise night off. There were a couple all-star teams worth of studs on the sidelines last night, and we should get ready for more DNPs tonight and tomorrow. We just don't know their names.

But I'd be surprised if Joe Johnson, LeBron James and Zydrunas Ilgauskas don't all get a break soon.

In the East, the matchups look like this.

1. Celtics vs. 8. Hawks
2. Pistons vs. 7. Sixers
3. Magic vs. 6. Raptors
4. Cavs vs. 5. Wizards

The West only has a couple mysteries left and they should be solved tonight. The Hornets clinch their division and at least the No. 2 seed with a win over the Clippers, and the Lakers clinch the No. 1 seed with a win over the Kings. And the Nuggets got into the playoffs with the Warriors losing last night.

Speaking of the Warriors losing, I'm not sure what Don Nelson was thinking, but he benched Baron Davis for the second half. The Warriors had a slim chance of getting in, but it's somewhat baffling that Nellie basically gave up last night. Here's what the West looks like, tentatively.

1. Lakers vs. 8. Nuggets
2. Hornets vs. 7. Mavericks
3. Spurs vs. 6. Suns
4. Jazz vs. 5. Rockets

Injury Report

Wilson Chandler – knee – Possible torn ligaments, surgery possible.
Mike Miller – back – Likely done for year, you can cut him.
Manu Ginobili – groin – Has missed 3 straight. Don't plan on using him again.
Grant Hill – groin – Regular season likely over.
Caron Butler – knee – 50-50 before playoffs.
Gilbert Arenas – knee – At least we had some notice on them sitting Monday.
Brandan Wright – groin – Could play, but too risky.
Martell Webster – heart – Done.
Jeff Foster – knee – Expected to play on Monday, although not sure why.
Darko Milicic – unknown – He's supposedly hurt, but not as bad as his owners.
Paul Pierce – wrist – Iffy until playoffs, X-rays coming on wrist.
Kevin Garnett – rest – Should play Wednesday. bostonceltics.ws
Ray Allen – rest – Ditto.
Eddie House – groin – Will try to play Wednesday.
Mo Williams – abdomen – Did you see what Ramon Sessions did last night?
DeShawn Stevenson – back – Left last night's game. Iffy until playoffs.
Sasha Pavlovic – ankle – Started, then left with severely sprained ankle. Done.
Kevin Martin – knee – Iffy for finale.
Ron Artest – thumb – Iffy for finale. I wouldn't risk either King.
Josh Boone – knee – Season likely over.
Jerry Stackhouse – groin – Likely to play Wednesday, but risky.
Rafer Alston – hamstring – Iffy for finale.

The damage to the right knee of Darius Miles has been deemed serious enough to be career ending and the Blazers have requested waivers on the former movie star. He was examined by an independent medical examiner jointly appointed by the NBA and the NBA Players Association, who ruled in Portland's favor. This will clear Miles' salary from Portland's books, and it should end his injury-plagued career.

Back in the Saddle

Brent Barry – Played limited minutes last night, but I wouldn't use him in fantasy.
Leon Powe – Back from foot injury for 10 points last night. Might be good in finale.
Bobby Jackson – 19 points, 6 boards, 5 dimes, 2 threes, 2 steals in return.
Charlie Villanueva – Had 22 points and four treys, risky for finale.
Shane Battier – Had 10 points, four boards and three treys in return from foot injury.

Monday's Game News

John Salmons had another double-double with 29 points, 10 boards and should be a strong play again tonight. Francisco Garcia had 15 points, six boards and five steals, and should also be a good play tonight. Spencer Hawes had 17 points, but just three boards last night.

Tony Parker went off for a season-high 32 points to go along with seven assists last night. Don't look now, but the Spurs are peaking at the right time.

Steve Nash played through his back injury and just missed a triple-double with 13 points, 14 assists and nine boards.

Kelenna Azubuike had 17 points, nine boards and four assists and should get plenty of action in the finale. Monta Ellis had 20 points, eight rebounds, six dimes and six steals last night, but who knows what Nellie will do with him in the finale. Andris Biedrins had his sixth straight double-double with 16 points, 11 boards and a block. As I mentioned, Baron Davis was benched for the second half and finished with just seven points. I'm guessing he'll play a little on Wednesday so he can say he didn't miss a game this season, which is quite a feat.

Daequan Cook scored 22 for the Heat and is probably a must-start against the Hawks on Wednesday. Chris Quinn will also be a good play, but the rest of the Heat are a roll of the dice, as usual.

Danny Granger stayed hot last night with 35 points, nine boards, seven treys and a steal. Wow. The question now is how high does he go next year? Maybe second round, which is where his value fell this year, but should offer excellent value if you can steal him in the third. indianapacers.com

Darius Songaila had 10 points, nine boards, six assists and a steal, while Andray Blatche had 11 points, 11 boards and a block last night. I like both of them in the finale.

Rajon Rondo had 23 points, 10 boards, five assists and a steal on 11-of-15 shooting last night, so he was hopefully in your lineup. bostonceltics.ws

Nate Robinson had 26 points, six assists and four treys last night and should be good for one more big game.

Ramon Sessions blew up for 20 points, 24 assists (team record), eight boards, a steal and a block. Wow. He has to be the most valuable late-season pickup and should be good for one more big line on Wednesday.

Luol Deng (32 points), Ben Gordon (29 and 5 threes) and Chris Duhon (22 points, 15 assists, 4 threes) were all solid last night. Duhon is probably a safe play for the finale.

Rasho Nesterovic was nice again last night, going for 20 points and seven boards and should be good for Wednesday.

Tracy McGrady is playing through his sore shoulder, but hit just 7-of-21 shots last night, while Luis Scola had 22 points and 13 boards in the loss to Utah. Most of the Jazz starters looked good (except for Andrei Kirilenko) and I doubt Jerry Sloan changes things too much in the finale.

[Hache Man]

LeBron, DeShawn, Jay & Soulja


Several teams still have a little something to play for in the West, so I'll be back in a couple hours with a final-day lineup report based on tonight's schedule.
Injury Report

Jermaine O'Neal – knee – Will dress tonight, but might not play. Ike Diogu and David Harrison are expected to get some minutes tonight, but starting them might be worth the gamble. indianapacers.com

DeShawn Stevenson (back), Gilbert Arenas (knee) Caron Butler (knee) – All three Wizards are expected to see "some" action tonight. How much is anyone's guess, but the bottom line is that all three are hurting and tonight's season finale means nothing. The plan is for the Top 8 Wizards to get limited minutes tonight, so I'm expecting big things out of guys like Roger Mason and Andray Blatche.

Wilson Chandler – knee – MRI reveals no ligament tear. Great news for the kid, but he's obviously out tonight. Good things are happening in NYC, as Donnie Walsh is already predicting that Chandler will start next year in place of Quentin Richardson. And we're guessing that if Walsh had been in control this season, the move would have happened around the first of the year. The Arrival of Walsh should also bode well for David Lee.

Rajon Rondo, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen – Rest – Rondo may not play at all tonight after getting 41 minutes on Monday, while KG, PP and Allen should be quite limited. Start any of them at your own risk. Meanwhile, Sam Cassell and guys like Leon Powe, Tony Allen and Big Baby should all be good.
bostonceltics.ws
LeBron James, Ben Wallace, Zydrunas Ilgauskas - back, Sasha Pavlovic – ankle – Pavlovic is out for two-three weeks with severe sprain. Shouldn't be a big deal, but the Cavs will probably need all hands on deck to handle the Wizards in Round 1. Meanwhile, LeBron, Big Bust and Big Z could all sit tonight with sore backs. Guys like Andy Varejao and Wally Szczerbiak could actually do some damage tonight.

Grant Hill – groin – It was initially thought that Hill pulled a groin muscle again, but later revealed that he was just dealing with some scar tissue. He went from doubtful to probable for tonight, although I'm not sure how many minutes he'll play.

Rafer Alston – hamstring – Out for a week and will miss at least one or two playoff games. Bobby Jackson and Aaron Brooks will eat his minutes.

Game News

Maurice Evans scored a career-high 27 with four threes last night, while J.J. Redick even got off the bench for 11 points and a couple threes in a win over the Hawks. The Magic finish up tonight at home against the Wizards. I'm guessing the regulars will play, but will be limited. Evans might be a good gamble again. For the Hawks, Salim Stoudamire scored 16 with five threes while the regulars started, but were limited. Oh, and Mike Woodson will shave his head for the playoffs, as if you care.

I'm still not very happy about the fact that Jason Collins started over Andre Brown last night, but at least Brown was able to go 6-for-6 for 16 points, four boards, a steal and a block. Hopefully Brown gets more run tonight against Denver. Mike Conley was nice again, and should be in all lineups, along with Hakim Warrick. Rudy Gay could be due for a rest, but he's young and Marc Iavaroni will probably play him. And for the record, Iavaroni will be a more frustrating fantasy coach down the line than Don Nelson, even though it doesn't sound possible.

For the Blazers, Jarrett Jack and James Jones both had nice lines. You could see it coming from Jack, but Jones had failed to make a single shot in four of his last five games, so he was a bit risky. If you took the gamble, it paid off as he hit six threes for 20 points.

Jarvis Hayes led the Pistons with 20 points and a complete line, while Richard Hamilton had 18 points and four steals. Rip played 38 minutes as he continues to work himself back into game shape, although I'm not sure what the plan is for him tonight at Cleveland. The win gave the Pistons the second best record in the league and home court against everyone but Boston. Al Jefferson had 30 points, nine boards and two blocks as the Wolves continue to play their regulars until the end.

Jason Richardson had 31 points, 10 boards, four assists, eight steals and five threes last night. After a slow start this season, he's been absolutely money in fantasy leagues. Add in the fact that he didn't miss a game, and he was largely responsible for many fantasy championships this season. Emeka Okafor has also played in 81 games this year, and you have to think both will make it No. 82 tonight.

For the Nets, Vince Carter had 18 points, six boards, eight assists, three steals and two threes. I didn't think it was possible, but Carter has really manned up and is playing this thing through to the end. Devin Harris mysteriously came off the bench behind Darrell Armstrong, but still played well, while Sean Williams was a DNP-CD. That one really burns me because Lawrence Frank led us to believe he was ready to turn Williams loose again. Williams, Tyrus Thomas and Darko Milicic: Three guys who will let you down every time things are starting to look up. Maybe Williams will get an opportunity tonight against the Celtics, but I'm not holding my breath.

Al Thornton hit 10-of-17 for 26 points and Josh Powell started in place of injured Tim Thomas last night, finishing with six points and seven boards. Corey Maggette came off the bench again and hit 2-of-11 shots. I think Thornton and Powell are good plays again tonight, but I'm thinking Maggette may not play. Then again, I was shocked to see him return for the last two games, so who knows?

David West hit 12-of-17 shots for 32 points and five boards as the Hornets clinched the No. 2 seed in the West. Peja Stojakovic hit just 2-of-14 shots and was 2-of-11 from downtown in this one. Bonzi Wells sat out with an illness.

Beno Udrih went out with a bang last night and Quincy Douby blew up for 32 points. John Salmons was disappointing, Francisco Garcia was average and Spencer Hawes did some good and bad. Kevin Martin and Ron Artest sat out the season finale, as the Kings' season mercifully has come to an end. sacramentokings.com

For the Lakers, Vladimir Radmanovic bounced back to hit 6-of-7 shots, but just one three, while Pau Gasol had 22 points, seven boards and two blocks to help the Lakers clinch the No. 1 seed in the West. Lamar Odom double-doubled, helping overcome Kobe Bryant's off night, in which he hit just 3-of-13 shots for 20 points. The Lakers season is over.

Melo Apologizes - Carmelo Anthony apologized for his DUI arrest yesterday and said he's going to "man up." The arrest couldn't have come at a worse time, but the Nuggets don't have the best odds of beating the Lakers anyway. I'm guessing Melo misses no time this year due to the incident, but at some point, a suspension is probably coming.

Barkley Rips Wizards - While every matchup in the West is intriguing, the Cleveland – Washington series figures to be one of the best. Charles Barkley says the Wizards have made a huge mistake by taunting LeBron James and the Cavaliers with trash talk. "I think the Washington Wizards have got to be the dumbest team in the history of civilization," Barkley said. It started when DeShawn Stevenson called LeBron James "over-rated" when James missed a 3-point shot at the buzzer in a March loss at Washington. LeBron responded with: "With DeShawn Stevenson it is kind of funny. It's almost like Jay-Z saying something bad about Soulja Boy. There's no comparison. Enough said." And now, Stevenson is talking about having Soulja Boy courtside for the games in Washington (and I'm not kidding).

It continued when Gilbert Arenas wrote in his blog for NBA.com, "I think everybody wants Cleveland in that first round. They've been a .500 team ever since they made that trade, and everybody wants a chance at that matchup." This is the third straight postseason the teams will meet in the first round, and it's going to be an entertaining series. The Cavs beat the Wizards in the last two playoff matchups. With the Western Conference playoffs being so intense, it's possible several series will go seven games. If that happens, the representative from the West could be tired in the Finals, possibly giving the East a slight advantage. Just something to think about.

Offseason Plans - Our offseason coverage will be similar to last year. We'll continue to post news as it happens throughout the playoffs and offseason and I'll be around with a weekly column. I should have a blog up at some point soon, and we'll cover the NBA Draft, offseason moves and then start hammering out the draft guide sometime in July. I will miss doing the Dose, but will still be around. Good luck and enjoy the postseason.

Thanks - Thanks to Ryan Knaus, Rob Blackstien, Scott Shniderman, Scott Morrow and Matt Lawrence for their help and expertise throughout the season. Rob will be back on Thursday with this season's final Daily Dose.

[Hache Man]

Bonus Dose: Lineup Edition

With emails flooding my in box about lineup decisions for tonight, I decided to break down each remaining game in a "Bonus Dose." Things are real shaky in the East, as we generally have no idea if teams are going to rest their stars or play them. But in the West, there's still a lot riding on most games. Here's what we know.

East

Detroit @ Cleveland – LeBron James, Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Ben Wallace could all take the night off with sore backs, while Sasha Pavlovic is out for a few weeks with a severely sprained ankle. For Detroit, I could see them running the starters as a final tune up for their matchup with Philadelphia, after giving the starters a nice rest of the last few weeks. Just a hunch.

Washington @ Orlando – Nothing at all to play for and the Wizards have got to try to get healthy, meaning Gilbert Arenas, Caron Butler, DeShawn Stevenson and Antonio Daniels shouldn't get many minutes tonight. The Magic will likely start the regulars, but they shouldn't see a ton of minutes tonight.

New York @ Indiana – Two lottery teams with nothing to play for. Jermaine O'Neal might sit this one out, as Ike Diogu and David Harrison will get decent minutes tonight. Look for Nate Robinson to have a big game for the Knicks, and Fred Jones is probably a nice option with the "vs. former team" angle. indianapacers.com

Philadelphia @ Charlotte – Nothing to play for here, but Jason Richardson and Emeka Okafor are set to play their 82nd games of the season tonight. The Sixers would like to go into the playoffs on a winning note and I think both teams are going to play their regulars in an effort to get a win tonight.

New Jersey @ Boston – Most of the Celtics' starters are going to have short nights, while Rajon Rondo may not play at all. I am expecting Sean Williams to play tonight, but who knows. Vince Carter has said he'll play the whole season and was good again last night, so here's to hoping he finishes it out. bostonceltics.ws

Atlanta @ Miami – The same Miami scrubs as usual will be back on the court tonight, while the Hawks are likely to start their regulars, but limit their minutes. Salim Stoudamire and Acie Law could have nice lines.

Toronto @ Chicago – The Raptors are still trying to find their groove as the postseason approaches, so I think most of the regulars will play tonight. That said, Chris Bosh could definitely use a break, so look for him to be very limited. I don't know why Rasho Nesterovic would need rest, but you never know what Sam Mitchell will do tonight. The Bulls should have a few surprising performances, with guys like Chris Duhon and Thabo Sefolosha leading the charge.

Mix

Milwaukee @ Minnesota – Lottery fest continues as the Ramon Sessions show hits the Twin Cities. Minnesota only has young players, so things should remain consistent there, while the Bucks turn Sessions loose again. Andrew Bogut, Michael Redd and Charlie Villanueva should play, but there's no way of knowing what will happen.

West

Here's where things get interesting, with a possible four-way tie coming, as well as multiple scenarios. The Spurs could be the No. 3 or No. 6 seed depending on what happens tonight.

New Orleans @ Dallas – A must-win game for Dallas, as they will fall to the No. 8 seed and face the Lakers if they lose and the Nuggets win. If Dallas wins this game, they'll face the Hornets in Round 1. New Orleans has locked up the No. 2 seed, so this game shouldn't matter to them. But because Dallas will be trying to win and the fact that New Orleans might rather face the Nuggets in Round 1, my guess is both teams will be doing what they can to win this game. dallasmavericks.com

Clippers @ Houston – Houston has to win if they have a chance at home-court in the first round, and they currently sit in a tie with Utah and Phoenix. The regulars are going to get heavy minutes tonight, unless they blow the Clippers out of the building, which is always a possibility.

Memphis @ Denver – The Nuggets have to win this game to have a shot at the No. 7 seed. If they win and Dallas falls to the Hornets, the Nuggets will get the Hornets instead of Lakers. You have to think they'd rather have the higher seed, so the regulars should play for the Nuggets.

Utah @ San Antonio – San Antonio could fall all the way from No. 3 to No. 6 if they lose this game, and the Rockets and Suns win. It's very possible, although the Spurs have won 20 straight at home against the Jazz. Manu Ginobili will be a game-time decision with his groin, but could play given the importance of this game. I doubt the Spurs have any intention of falling, so look for the regulars to get serious run in this one. The Jazz have a shot at the No. 3 seed, so they're going to go all out as well. utahjazz.com

Portland @ Phoenix – The Suns various playoff scenarios are too complex to try to get into here. Let's just say this is a must-win game in their minds, and they're going to go at the Blazers on all cylinders. That could even include Grant Hill, who doesn't have a groin injury, but just some lingering pain from scar tissue. The Blazers are still trying to finish with a winning record, so they should go all out as well.

Seattle @ Golden State – This game is meaningless for both teams. But if Don Nelson can find it in his soul to bench Baron Davis in a meaningful game this week like he did on Monday, anything is possible tonight. Seattle has been running the same crew for the last month or so, and I doubt they make any big changes tonight. We'll see.

[Hache Man]

Studs and Duds

Today marks the final Daily Dose of the NBA season, so as a treat, we're going select our studs and duds for each NBA team.

We hope we were able to help you bag yourself a fantasy championship this season, and if not, well, why weren't you following our advice?

Atlanta Hawks

Stud – Josh Smith: While J-Smoov didn't necessarily explode to the next level this season, he did set career highs in scoring, assists, steals, field goal attempts and FG percentage (thanks to cutting down on the ill-advised long bombs), all despite getting a bit less PT on a deeper Hawk team. He also was able to reduce his turnovers and improve his FT percentage after shooting poorly from the charity stripe in 2006-07.

Dud – Acie Law: While many expected Law to ultimately emerge with the Hawks' starting PG gig, he made just six starts before losing the job to Anthony Johnson and when Mike Bibby arrived in town, all hope was lost for the rookie. Injuries and plenty of DNP-CDs rendered it a lost season for Law.

Boston Celtics
bostonceltics.ws
Stud – Paul Pierce: This was one of the toughest calls because it's clear that while the Big Three propelled Boston forward in the standings, they completely cannibalized each other's fantasy value. But we've got to give it to someone, so let's honor the team's long-suffering vet, Pierce, who stayed healthy, reaching 80 games for the first time since 04-05, and improved his blocks, assists, steals and FG percentage. The Truth also set a new personal best by canning 84.3 percent of his attempts from the charity stripe.

Dud – Sam Cassell: Despite some solid games lately, it's been a bit painful to watch Sam I Am's game deteriorate after such a great career. Even with his seemingly incessant injuries, Cassell wasn't doing too poorly with the Clippers before they bought him out and he signed with Boston. But in Beantown, he barely saw enough action to be of use and his shooting (38.5 percent from the field) was downright pathetic. It's about time for the ice floe here, Sam.

Charlotte Bobcats

Stud – Jason Richardson: After struggling with injuries last season, J-Rich proved he was back in a big way, matching his career high in MPG yet still being able to play all 82 for the first time since 02-03. He set new career highs in 3-pointers per game, 3-point percentage and BPG, while improving his other numbers almost across the board. Life on the east coast obviously agrees with him.

Dud – Emeka Okafor: It wasn't an awful season for Okafor, but considering he finally stayed healthy for the entire year, you had a right to expect more. His touches dropped for the third straight season, while his FT percentage continued to plummet, reaching new career lows. He also slipped in scoring, rebounding, steals, blocks and assists.

Chicago Bulls

Stud – Ben Gordon: This is another tough call; finding a player capable of taking this award on a massively underperforming Bulls' team was no easy task, but someone has to get the nod here. So we'll go with Gordon, based on him setting a career high in FT percentage and tying his mark in RPG. He also improved his 3-pointers per game, but overall was a disappointment. Gordon is expected to remain with the Bulls next year, but probably not beyond that.

Dud – Kirk Hinrich: So many candidates here, but let's go with Captain Kirk, who is probably in line for a demotion in rank after scuffling through the worst season of his career. He set low water marks for games played, MPG, 3-pointers per game, 3-point FG percentage, FTs per game, PPG, RPG and APG while tying his worst ever in SPG. Hinrich was incredibly unreliable, but annoyingly did just enough that you had to keep him.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Stud – LeBron James: It's hard to argue against King James being the fantasy MVP of the entire league after averaging 30 PPG, a career high 7.9 RPG and 7.2 APG, which matched his career best. That across the board production marked the first time since Michael Jordan in 1988-89 that anyone had numbers that high. Toss in career bests in FG percentage, blocks per game and a career-tying performance in FTA per game, and you've got a slam dunk for LBJ.

Dud – Ben Wallace: Ugh. What happened to Big Ben? Sure, a sore back down the stretch didn't help, but as bad as he was in Chicago, he was possibly even worse once landing in Cleveland after the big deal. In shallower leagues, there was no point in even owning him anymore.

Dallas Mavericks
dallasmavericks.com
Stud – Josh Howard: While Disco Dirk remains the best player on the Mavs, we've got to give the nod here to Howard for a career season in which he set new personal marks in MPG, 3PM per game, free throws made and FTA per game, PPG, RPG and APG. He also tied his career high in games played, managing to avoid a major injury.

Dud – Jerry Stackhouse: Injuries really limited his value, but even with an increase in MPG when he did play, Stackhouse's SPG dropped to a career low 0.5 while his scoring and assists were also down. He also shot the ball very poorly this season, and ended the year as a fringe fantasy factor.

Denver Nuggets
Stud – Allen Iverson: AI will likely never be a 30 PPG man again as long as he's playing alongside 'Melo, but he stayed completely healthy, playing in all 82 for the time since 2002-03, and in setting a career best by sinking 34.5 percent of his shots beyond the arc, improving his rebounding and cutting his turnovers, the Answer was able to lead the Nuggets to 50 wins for the first time in 20 years.

Dud – J.R. Smith: I'm tempted to go with either Chucky Atkins or Nene here, but given that they spent most of the season injured, they really couldn't stick around in fantasy lineups long enough to really do damage to your team. So Smith gets the call here as he was unable to build on his breakout campaign last year. Used exclusively off the bench, Smith's PT was down significantly, yet he still set a new career high in turnovers. He shot very well, but didn't do enough of anything else to generate value.

Detroit Pistons

Stud – Chauncey Billups: It was hardly Mr. Big Shot's best season, especially with the Pistons relying more on their bench this season, but he still posted career bests in both FG and FT percentage. Lights out, baby.

Dud – Walter Herrmann: After a big rookie season, many took a draft day flyer on Herrmann this season, but he wasn't able to come close to duplicating his first year given a massive reduction in PT on a deeper and healthy Bobcat squad. After he was dealt to Detroit, he was even less useful.

Golden St. Warriors

Stud – Baron Davis: B-Diddy played all 82 for the first time since the Hornets were still in Charlotte, rewarding owners with probably his finest NBA season. He was able to log more PT, showing nice improvements in his 3-point and FT shooting, while his rebounding and scoring were also up. Davis also fell just four blocks of matching his career high.

Dud – Marco Belinelli: Wasn't he supposed to be a starter back in October? That prospect lured plenty of fantasy owners to use a pick on him back on draft day, but he never did start a single game. In fact, he was a complete non-factor, spending way too much time in Nellie's doghouse to ever be an option.

Houston Rockets

Stud – Tracy McGrady: Yao Ming deserved this until yet another major injury cut his season short. So T-Mac takes home the Rockets' stud of the year, even though it was hardly a banner year for him. He was able to log more minutes when he was in the lineup, but other than that, McGrady wasn't at his best, struggling particularly with his shooting down the stretch. In fact, the more I think about this, the more I am tempted to give the nod to Luis Scola here.

Dud – Rafer Alston: Again, I'm tempted to go with Steve Francis here, but the fact that we knew quite early that his season was a wash minimized the negative effect he had on your team. Alston meanwhile, while not completely going into the tank, did experience a reduction in scoring, assists, steals and 3-pointers.

Indiana Pacers
indianapacers.com
Stud – Danny Granger: Granger has arrived as the man for the Pacers, breaking through in his third year as a major force. His first full season as a starter was a resounding success, so look for Granger to go before the fourth round next year.

Dud – Jamaal Tinsley: Normally, I don't give the Dud to an injured player, but the fact that for a month Tinsley looked like he'd eventually make it back wound up hurting his owners until deep into March in many cases. That, combined with him tying his worst ever showing from the field (38 percent), helped clinch this for Tinsley.

L.A. Clippers

Stud – Corey Maggette: If not for an injury-riddled season that ended early, Chris Kaman's breakout would have deserves kudos here. Instead, Maggette's year, also reduced to an extent by injuries, gets the nod. Back as more or less a full-time starter this season, Maggette responded brilliantly, putting up the second-best scoring season of his career and getting back to the steal per game level. He fought through late-season injuries in a season that meant nothing to the Clippers, and fantasy owners appreciate that.

Dud – Brevin Knight: Wasn't Knight supposed to be the man with Shaun Livingston out and Sam Cassell still as fragile as they come? Well, he stayed moderately healthy and got plenty of starting assignments, but simply was never able to do much with the gig. By season's end, Smush Parker was playing more than the fragile Knight, and that's just sad.

L.A. Lakers

Stud – Kobe Bryant: After last year's offseason of discontent, Kobe's MVP-type performance this year was a welcome sight. He played all 82 for the first time since 02-03 and while his shooting slipped slightly, Bryant's steals and rebounds were up.

Dud – Luke Walton: Walton was unable to consolidate last year's breakout, spending most of the season coming off the bench and not seeing anywhere near last year's PT. Add to this the fact that his percentages were down across the board, and Walton's inconsistency this year made him very tough to keep on your roster.

Memphis Grizzlies

Stud – Rudy Gay: The second-year star broke through in a huge way this season, adjusting to heavier minutes as a full-time starter with ease. His across-the-board production has elevated him to top 25 player status heading into next season.

Dud – Darko Milicic: It's rather fitting that Darko finished the season with an undisclosed injury, as fantasy owners everywhere have been wondering what's wrong with him all year. Sure, he did have some health issues this year, but other than a career high in RPG, this season marked a major backslide for Darko.

Miami Heat

Stud – Shawn Marion: It's hard to honor anyone on this team, but the stellar rebounding work from the Matrix after he arrived in Miami is worth a tip of the hat. Of course, even this is dubious as his season ended early with plantar fasciitis, leaving owners high and dry for the final couple weeks of the season.

Dud – Mark Blount: It's not as if Miami was blessed with scoring options, especially with Flash missing a huge chunk of the season, but Blount failed to take advantage of the situation and carve out a role for himself. His touches were way down, and his production plummeted across the board.

Milwaukee Bucks

Stud – Andrew Bogut: While Michael Redd was the Bucks' MVP, it was not his best season, whereas Bogut just keeps getting better every year. He's now averaging a near double-double and, at the age of 23, I expect to see continued improvement next season. Consider this: after 31 double-doubles in his first two seasons combined, Bogut put up 38 this year.

Dud – Charlie Bell: After a nice breakout last season, Bell completely flopped this year. With the Bucks much healthier, his starts were few and far between while his overall PT took a major beating, bringing most of his numbers down with it. To make matters worse, his ironman streak ended last month.

Minnesota Timberwolves

Stud – Al Jefferson: What a year! Finally fully healthy, Big Al enjoyed a massive breakthrough campaign, thriving offensively as the T-Wolves' go-to man. Jefferson's big year helped take some of the sting out of losing KG.

Dud – Corey Brewer: I don't like to diss rooks, but those expecting big things from Brewer this year were way off the mark. He simply was not productive enough to be of use except in very, very deep leagues. Brewer is an excellent FT shooter, and the fact that he averaged a steal per game coming mostly off the bench was promising, but he was nowhere near the factor offensively that we anticipated back in training camp.

New Jersey Nets

Stud – Richard Jefferson: While VC may be the Nets' MVP, his scoring average dropped almost four points per game this year, so we're going with RJ, who was able to play in all 82 for the first time since 03-04. Jefferson's PT was up and he responded with a career-best 22.6 PPG to earn the nod here.

Dud – Nenad Krstic: Sure, he was able to play more games than last year's injury-shortened season, but Krstic was anything but healthy this year, appearing in just 45 games. When he was healthy enough to play, he often took a backseat to emerging youngster Josh Boone. Throw in the fact that he shot an absolutely unacceptable 41 percent this season, and you've got a write-off of a year from Krstic.

NOK Hornets

Stud – Chris Paul: Here's a shocker, eh? Paul reached 80 games for the first time, and took his game to a new level. Other than declining rebounding numbers, it's been nothing but good news for Paul owners this season.

Dud – Mike James: What a complete waste of a roster spot James proved to be this season. His horrible shooting in Houston made it impossible for him to carve out more PT, and he's been even worse since arriving in the Big Easy.

New York Knicks

Stud – Jamal Crawford: In his first season as a full-time starter, Crawford not only avoided injury (reaching 80 games for the first time since 03-04), but he exploded with the finest season of his career, showing an improved shooting touch along the way.

Dud – Quentin Richardson: There are so many options here, and I'm tempted to go with Isiah Thomas on principle, but Q-Rich's awful season after a fine 2006-07 campaign takes the cake. Although he was unable to avoid injury, the 65 games he did play in actually represented the most he's managed in three years in New York. However, his numbers plummeted, making him a complete fantasy non-factor. To make matters worse, it looks like Richardson's days as a starter could be over.

Orlando Magic

Stud – Dwight Howard: This isn't a slam dunk as Hedo Turkoglu was a revelation and Rashard Lewis an all-around contributor, but Superman was so improved this year, how can we ignore him? His scoring, rebounding and blocks were all up, and he even slightly improved his FT percentage.

Dud – J.J. Redick: Is it too soon to call the former Duke star a complete NBA bust? Pre-season visions of Redick emerging with the starting two-guard job quickly went up in smoke as he failed to earn a single start all year. In fact, he's never started an NBA game. And if we thought his rookie year was a disappointment, then this season has been an absolute disaster.

Philadelphia 76ers

Stud – Andre Iguodala: Iggy continues to up the ante, this year setting a career high in blocks, and developing a perimeter game. I'm concerned about his off year from the line, but that's quibbling at this point.

Dud – Kyle Korver: No one on the Sixers who was taken on draft day has disappointed, so I'm going to cheat here and take ex-Sixer Korver, who was awful before being dealt to the Jazz. And given the reduced role he's seen in Utah, it's been a tough fantasy year for him.

Phoenix Suns

Stud – Amare Stoudemire: Given his career-high 59 percent FG shooting, improved FT shooting, fantastic offense and development as a shot blocker, I'd say Stat enjoyed his finest NBA season to date.

Dud – Boris Diaw: Diaw's career continues to deteriorate since his breakout two years ago. His lack of blocks in the past two seasons has particularly upset his fantasy owners.

Portland Trailblazers

Stud – Brandon Roy: Although I'd like to see him stick more shots from beyond the arc, Roy's overall development in season two is worthy of this honor. As he continues to draw more fouls, he will morph into a top scorer.

Dud – Channing Frye: He had a strong finish to the year, but overall, he simply didn't get enough PT to be of any use, especially since he spent most of the year coming off the bench. Frye's career appears to be in reverse, with declining numbers two straight years after his fine rookie effort.

Sacramento Kings
sacramentokings.com
Stud – Ron Artest: Given the amount of injuries he had this year, it's hard to do this, but Artest deserves the nod for being able to play so effectively and log heavy minutes while hurt most of the season. His 3-point shooting was solid, helping him top 20 PPG for the second time in his career.

Dud – Mike Bibby: I'm cheating again. But none of the draft-worthy Kings underachieved, so Bibby, who averaged a substandard 13.5 PPG while with Sacramento, gets the nod. In fairness, Bibby was better after the deal to Atlanta, but he still hasn't been able to stem what appears to be a career in decline for the past three seasons.

San Antonio Spurs

Stud – Manu Ginobili: He should be the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year after putting up a career best 19.5 PPG.

Dud – Tim Duncan: Another reach here, as none of the few draft worthy players the Spurs have really tanked, but Duncan slipped the most despite a solid rebounding year and improved FT shooting. But his diminished FG percentage (especially compared to last year) and reduced points, blocks, steals and assists were disappointing.

Seattle Sonics

Stud – Kevin Durant: Who else? Just witnessing his improvements in the second half (especially with his shot) gave us an indication of what's in store for this kid, who is still a teenager.

Dud – Luke Ridnour: Ridnour's career is very clearly in decline now, as he couldn't hold the starter job in Seattle and simply didn't earn enough PT to be of any use. He can't be trusted with a roster spot on your fantasy team any longer.

Toronto Raptors

Stud – Jose Calderon: It's hard to pick someone from a disappointing Raptor team. Chris Bosh is their MVP, but he again dealt with injuries and backslid; Anthony Parker is perhaps their most consistent performer, but not dynamic enough to be a real fantasy force. So Calderon gets the nod here for a great breakout, stepping up with T.J. Ford suffering another major injury. I'd like to see Calderon draw more fouls to take advantage of his excellent shooting, but overall, it was a great season of progress for the Spanish Fly.

Dud – Jason Kapono: Can someone explain to me why the NBA's leading 3-point shooter of a year ago averaged less than half the amount of attempts this year as he did in his breakout 2006-07 campaign? Yes, the sudden emergence of Jamario Moon hurt him, but small wonder Kapono had virtually no fantasy value.

Utah Jazz
utahjazz.com
Stud – Deron Williams: Williams took his game to a new level in his third season, bouncing back after an off year from the perimeter, and showing marked improvements in almost every other facet of the game.

Dud – Mehmet Okur: The normally durable Okur missed more games than usual, and his shot suffered, taking his scoring with it. It wasn't an awful season, but was somewhat disappointing, and represents his second straight year of decline.

Washington Wizards

Stud – Caron Butler: Injuries limited his overall value to your team this year, but when he was in the lineup, there's no denying the effect Butler has as he just keeps getting better and better. I'd like to see more trips to the FT throw line, but assuming Butler can play 75 or more games one of these years, how good is he going to be?

Dud – Gilbert Arenas: Usually, a team can recover from losing a star player for an entire year, but when your high first round pick is limited to 13 games all season, chances are it was a lost year for you.

[Hache Man]

Fantasy Playoff Rankings

Now that we officially know the playoff matchups, I'll take another crack at some predictions, as well as provide a cheat sheet for those of you having fantasy playoff drafts tonight or tomorrow.

I'm not sure where to tell you to find a site to keep track of the numbers for your playoff league, but most of the people who play do it manually. Therefore, the stats and categories are usually more to the point and basic than traditional fantasy hoops leagues.

I'd recommend a scoring system of 10 teams and five- or six-man rosters, with one point awarded for each scoring point, two points for each assist and rebound, and three points for each block and steal. Simple, round numbers, not time consuming to run stats.

Games played mean everything in this format, so you want a team full of guys who will get to the Finals. The Celtics look like the team in the league with the best chance to get there, as the Western Conference is a complete crapshoot. I gave an edge to the Lakers and Spurs, and rated the Pistons highly, as well. Given the parity in the West, it's possible that you could lose your first three picks in the first round of the playoffs. It's not rocket science, but since I predicted that the Magic would lose in the first round, I've generally got those players ranked lower than a team's players who I think will get to the second round. If you have the Magic, Wizards, Hornets, Suns or Rockets winning their first-round series, you'll want to adjust these rankings to bump those players up higher than I have them. Trust me when I say there's a ton of luck involved on picking players who will go deep into the playoffs, especially given all the evenly matched series this year.

East

Boston vs. Atlanta – Prediction: Celtics 4-1
Detroit vs. Philadelphia - Prediction: Pistons 4-1
Orlando vs. Toronto - Prediction: Raptors 4-3
Cleveland vs. Washington - Prediction: Cavaliers 4-2

I went with a Boston sweep in last week's column and then said 4-2 in this week's Buzzer Beater. If Charles Barkley can change his predictions during games, I can do it before the game starts – And 4-1 is my final answer. I'm also picking the Raptors to upset the Magic, resulting in a few Raps being ranked a little higher than what I'm really comfortable with.

West

LA Lakers vs. Denver - Prediction: Lakers 4-2
New Orleans vs. Dallas - Prediction: Mavericks 4-3
San Antonio vs. Phoenix - Prediction: Spurs 4-3
Utah vs. Rockets - Prediction: Jazz 4-3

Upsets include Dallas over NO and the Jazz over the Rockets. The Rockets are the lower seed, but do have homecourt advantage. Despite the fact I have the Hornets losing, I still have Chris Paul at 11 in case they beat Dallas. I've got the Spurs and Celtics in the Finals, with the Spurs winning in seven games. I'd like to go with Boston, but have to stick with my preseason pick of San Antonio winning it all again.

Playoff Fantasy Rankings

1. Kevin Garnett F, Bos bostonceltics.ws
2. Paul Pierce G/F, Bos
3. Kobe Bryant G, LAL
4. Chauncey Billups G, Det
5. LeBron James F, Cle
6. Pau Gasol F/C, LAL
7. Lamar Odom F, LAL
8. Tim Duncan F/C, San
9. Tony Parker G, San
10. Manu Ginobili G, San
11. Chris Paul G, NO
12. Ray Allen G, Bos
13. Deron Williams, G, Uta utahjazz.com
14. Dirk Nowitzki F, Dal dallasmavericks.com
15. Amare Stoudemire F/C, Phx
16. Chris Bosh F/C, Tor
17. David West F, NO
18. Mehmet Okur F/C, Uta
19. Carlos Boozer F, Uta utahjazz.com
20. Rasheed Wallace F/C, Det
21. Steve Nash G, Phx
22. Jason Kidd G, Dal
23. Richard Hamilton G, Det
24. Tayshaun Prince F, Det
25. Tracy McGrady G/F, Hou
26. Antonio McDyess F, Det
27. Dwight Howard C, Orl
28. Hedo Turkoglu G/F, Orl
29. Josh Howard F, Dal
30. Antawn Jamison F, Was
31. Zydrunas Ilgauskas C, Cle
32. Caron Butler G/F, Was
33. Luis Scola F, Hou
34. Peja Stojakovic G/F, NO
35. Rasho Nesterovic C, Tor
36. Jason Terry G, Dal
37. T.J. Ford G, Tor
38. Jose Calderon G, Tor
39. Delonte West G, Cle
40. Andrei Kirilenko F, Uta
41. Anthony Parker G/F, Tor
42. Tyson Chandler C, NO
43. Allen Iverson G, Den
44. Carmelo Anthony F, Den
45. Marcus Camby C, Den
46. Andre Iguodala G/F, Phi
47. Samuel Dalembert C, Phi
48. Andre Miller G, Phi
49. Rajon Rondo G, Bos
50. Shaquille O'Neal C, Phx
51. Raja Bell G/F, Phx
52. Leandro Barbosa G, Phx
53. Boris Diaw G/F/C, Phx
54. Rashard Lewis F, Orl
55. Jameer Nelson G, Orl
56. Gilbert Arenas G, Was
57. Bobby Jackson G, Hou
58. Shane Battier G/F, Hou
59. Rafer Alston G, Hou
60. Willie Green G/F Phi
61. Joe Johnson G, Atl
62. Josh Smith F, Atl
63. Mike Bibby G, Atl
64. Michael Finley G/F, San
65. Grant Hill G/F, Phx
66. Joe Smith F/C, Cle
67. Kenyon Martin F, Den
68. Kendrick Perkins C, Bos
69. Erick Dampier C, Dal
70. Ronnie Brewer G, Uta
71. Derek Fisher G, LAL
72. Anderson Varejao F/C, Cle
73. Ben Wallace F/C, Cle
74. J.R. Smith G, Den
75. Jameer Nelson G, Orl
76. Josh Childress G/F, Atl
77. Daniel Gibson G, Cle
78. Marvin Williams F, Atl
79. Al Horford F/C, Atl
80. Josh Childress G/F, Atl

[Hache Man]

Where Ya Been?

Welcome to the first ever edition of the Playoff Daily Dose. Since there are so many NBA playoff games going on it makes sense to have a one-stop place you can catch up on everything you need to know for each series. So let's dive right in, as each series sits at 1-0 after the weekend.

East

No. 1 Celtics vs. No. 8 Hawks – Celtics lead 1-0 – Game 2 Wednesday - Mike Woodson's head is shaved but the Hawks still can't shoot very well, and may not win a game in this series. They hit 37% of their shots last night, as Mike Bibby (2-of-10), Josh Smith (3-of-10) and Joe Johnson (7-of-22) were the main culprits. Had Al Horford not played so well (20 & 10) the Hawks would have lost by a lot more than 23 points.
bostonceltics.ws
The Celtics' D showed up in a big way again last night and I'm not sure the Hawks will ever get off open shots against the swarming double-teams. I don't think the Celtics care which Atlanta player has the ball – They're going to double-team that guy. The Big 3 were all solid last night, while Rajon Rondo might be the most underrated point guard in the league. All you ever hear is that he can't shoot, but he didn't commit a TO last night, hit 6-of-9 shots, handed out nine assists, had two steals and scored 15 points. To qote the great Paul Westerberg, "Never mind. All over but the shouting." This series is over.

No. 2 Pistons vs. No. 7 Sixers - Sixers lead 1-0 – Game 2 Wednesday - Wow. The Sixers pulled off a huge win in Detroit yesterday, as Rasheed Wallace missed a game-tying lay up at the end. Sheed didn't look like the smartest guy in the room after he walked into the Sixers' huddle just before missing the big shot. Had he walked into Michael Jordan's or Magic Johnson's huddle, there would have been hell to pay. Luckily, he walked into Andre Iguodala's huddle. But the Sixers got the last laugh. They came in on a four-game losing streak, but that didn't matter. They played one of the most well-rested and experienced playoff teams ever. That didn't matter. And they were in a hostile environment, as in the Palace. Nope, that didn't matter either.

Andre Miller led the Sixers with 20 points and six assists, while Willie Green added 17 and Andre Iguodala scored 16 in the win. The Pistons got solid production from across the board and a surprising double-double from Jason Maxiell, but probably took the Sixers too lightly in this one. Don't panic if you're a Detroit fan, as it seems like they get off to this kind of start every year. The only question now is when will Sheed make his guarantee this year?

No. 3 Magic vs. No. 6 Raptors – Magic lead 1-0 – Game 2 Tuesday - I didn't get to see this one, but the Magic sure looked good on paper. A huge double-double from Dwight Howard, and great lines from Jameer Nelson and Hedo Turkoglu sealed the Raptors fate on Sunday. Howard had 25 points, 22 boards and five blocks yesterday, prompting me to ask "where in the heck was that line over the final month of the regular season?" And if anyone can figure out how Jameer Nelson actually looked so good after his regular season performance, please let me know.

The Raptors never had much of a chance in this one with T.J. Ford and Jose Calderon combining to hit just 4-of-20 shots on the night, which made Nelson look even better. Rasho Nesterovic, Chris Bosh, Anthony Parker and Jason Kapono all played pretty well for the Raps, but their nice lines paled in comparison to the huge ones put up by several Magic players. This series is far from over, but if Nelson dominates the Raptors point guards and Howard outplays Bosh, the Magic are going to run away.

No. 4 Cavaliers vs. No. 5 Wizards – Cavs lead 1-0 – Game 2 Monday - The rematch is set for tonight after the Cavs held on to beat the Wizards in the opening game of this year's playoffs on Saturday. This was a really fun game to watch, as DeShawn Stevenson failed to show up, Brendan Haywood and Andray Blatche tried to make LeBron their punching bag, and Gilbert Arenas looked like Agent 0. Coach Mike Brown is spending much of his free time telling the media that LeBron isn't getting enough calls and should be going to the line more, while the Wizards are planning to come at him as hard as they can every time he drives. As I wrote in the blurb, he's big enough to fight them off and still get his shot, and mature enough to not drop the ball and start throwing punches when he gets mugged. But at some point, the endless hard fouls are going to take their toll. Game 2 is at Cleveland tonight, and then we should get our first look at Soulja Boy on Thursday in Washington. If you can only watch one series in the East, this is the one to see.

West

No. 1 Lakers vs. No. 8 Nuggets – Lakers lead 1-0 – Game 2 Wednesday - Game 1 included a ho-hum 36 points, 16 rebounds, eight assists and three blocks out of Pau Gasol, and 32 points out of Kobe Bryant. The pair combined to hit 21-of-22 free throws as the Lakers easily overcame 30-point games from Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony. Linas Kleiza stepped up with 23 points on 9-of-13 shooting, but the Nuggets didn't get enough for Marcus Camby or Kenyon Martin to win this game. Iverson ended up getting ejected late, and the Denver team bus was also stranded on a California freeway for about a half hour prior to the game.

No. 2 Hornets vs. No. 7 Mavericks – Hornets lead 1-0 – Game 2 Tuesday - Chris Paul is not messing around. The Mavericks looked good against the Hornets for two quarters on Saturday, but were put away in the second half by CP3, David West, Tyson Chandler, Peja Stojakovic and Bonzi Wells, when the Hornets outscored Dallas 36-20 in the third. Paul had 35 points, 10 assists, four steals and one turnover in the win, which is really all you need to know. Dirk Nowitzki double-doubled with 31 points and 10 boards, Jason Kidd just missed a triple-double and Josh Howard had 17 points and eight boards, but the Hornets just took over in the second half, leaving the Mavs in their dust. Dallas needs a win on Tuesday, or they might not get back to New Orleans. dallasmavericks.com

No. 3 Spurs vs. No. 6 Suns – Spurs lead 1-0 – Game 2 Tuesday - If there is one series in the postseason you have to see to believe, this is it. Game 1 has already gone down as one of the greatest playoff games ever, as Michael Finley, Tim Duncan and Steve Nash all traded huge threes down the stretch and into the first and second overtimes, while Amare Stoudemire and Tony Parker fouled out, and Shaq somehow stayed on the court with five fouls for what seemed like forever. My favorite moment of the game was watching Duncan calmly stop and pop from downtown for his first 3-pointer of the season, and then try to hold his emotions in check as he ran back down the floor. He kind of had two mini spasms in celebration, one of which looked similar to "Elaine's Dance" from Seinfeld. Anyway, I wouldn't be surprised if we see two more of these games go to OT and the series go down to the wire.

No. 4 Jazz vs. No. 5 Rockets – Jazz lead 1-0 – Game 2 Monday – This series is a little ho-hum to me, but I'm not sure why. The Rockets shot it like the Hawks on Saturday, as Tracy McGrady was 7-for-21, Bobby Jackson was 3-of-15 and Luis Scola was 6-of-15. The saving grace was Shane Battier, who was 7-for-7 from the floor and 4-of-4 from downtown for 22 points. Had Battier not been hitting his shots, this would have been a blowout. The problem was, Battier's line wasn't a healthy as it usually is, as he didn't have a steal or block, and only handed out one assist. Andrei Kirilenko showed up for the Jazz, scoring 21 and doing a little bit of everything, while Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer both double-doubled. With Boozer and AK-47 playing well, you have probably already guessed that Mehmet Okur didn't do much. But that could change tonight. The Jazz shot 52% from the floor in Game 1. utahjazz.com

[Hache Man]

Tale of two superstars

The Cavaliers crushed the Wizards to take a 2-0 lead last night, while the Jazz went up 2-0 against the Rockets. LeBron James and Tracy McGrady had the lines of the night, but McGrady's came on the losing end of things after he failed to hit a field goal in the fourth quarter.

LeBron had 30 points, 12 boards, nine assists, two steals and a block in the 116-86 win over the Wizards. Wally Szczerbiak started again and had 15 points and two threes on 6-of-9 shooting. Antawn Jamison, Caron Butler and Gilbert Arenas combined to shoot just 10-of-36 to score a total of 28 points, well below their combined 60-point average. Arenas, who was 2-of-10, said he could hardly shoot the ball due to a sore wrist. Brendan Haywood was ejected for a flagrant foul on LeBron James, as the series continued to be extremely physical. Game 3 is Thursday in Washington, when we should get our first look at Soulja Boy. After last night's beat down, the Wizards will take any help they can get.

T-Mac helped the Rockets stay in the game until the end, but he appeared to run out of gas late after posting a huge line in another loss. McGrady finished with 23 points, 13 boards, nine assists, three steals and two blocks in the loss to the Jazz, but hit just 9-of-22 shots, was 0-of-4 from downtown and 5-of-9 from the line. Bobby Jackson scored 18 for the Rockets, but it just wasn't enough. Rafer Alston is hoping to return for Game 3, which would likely send BJ back to the bench.

For the Jazz, Deron Williams had 22 points and five assists, while Mehmet Okur had 16 points, 16 boards, two threes, a steal and a block in the win. And as usual, when Memo plays well, Carlos Boozer tends to struggle. Boozer had 13 points and just seven boards last night, while Andrei Kirilenko was also off, hitting just 1-of-8 shots for three points, although he did fill up the stat sheet. utahjazz.com

Tonight, we get three games, including Dallas at New Orleans (NO leads 1-0), Toronto at Orlando (Orl leads 1-0) and Phoenix at San Antonio (San leads 1-0). At this point, there's almost no way you can afford to miss the Suns-Spurs game.

News and Notes

Scott Skiles will coach the Bucks next season. He tends to have a strong effect on teams for the first year or two, so don't be surprised to see them turn it around in the short term.

Manu Ginobili won the Sixth Man of the Year Award, to no one's surprise.

Isiah Thomas has reportedly been banned from speaking with any of his former players, which sounds a little extreme to me. Let the soap opera continue, I guess.

Grant Hill is questionable tonight with his sore groin. If he sits, Leandro Barbosa and Boris Diaw will get some extra minutes.

Andrew Bynum isn't likely to play in the playoffs at all due to his knee injury. He should be fine for the upcoming regular season, but it sure has taken a lot more than the initial 8-week timeframe for him to get back to health.

Andrea Bargnani should start over Jamario Moon for the Raptors again tonight, but the plan appeared to backfire on Sunday. Chris Bosh also appeared to call out Sam Mitchell after Sunday's blowout to the Magic, saying that the team should have stuck with what got them there instead of running a bunch of new plays.

Nene is close to a return from his groin injury and is questionable for the Nuggets Wednesday. Linas Kleiza is expected to move into the starting lineup for Denver, with Anthony Carter likely being brought off the bench. If you're in a playoff fantasy league, make the switch.

Kevin Garnett missed Monday's practice for personal reasons, probably to spend time with his new baby and family. He'll be back out there on Wednesday night. bostonceltics.ws

[Hache Man]

CP3 in elite company

After I posted my playoff fantasy rankings, someone emailed me (I no longer have it) and basically called me insane for not having LeBron and CP3 higher in my rankings. The reason I didn't is because I had the Mavericks beating New Orleans, and didn't have LeBron going to the Finals. There's a long way to go, but it sure looks like the guy might have been right. The way Dallas has folded up shop the last two postseasons raises a lot of questions about Dirk Nowitzki and Avery Johnson. If they don't come back and win this series, Avery's neck is going to be on the line and the Mavs could even look to trade the big German. And the Kidd trade will be viewed as a full-blown disaster. dallasmavericks.com

The Mavs lost again last night to drop to an 0-2 deficit, thanks mainly to Chris Paul's monster line (32 points, playoff franchise-record 17 assists) and the fact the Hornets were able to shoot 61% on the night. The Mavs shot 47%, but were no match for what Paul and his teammates were throwing at them. Paul has now gone for 30 &15 in the last two games, putting him on a short list of guys who have ever done that in the playoffs back-to-back, which includes Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson. If he does it again in Game 3, he'll match MJ as the only guy to ever do it three straight times. Dirk had 27 points, but you know the Mavs were in trouble when Brandon Bass (19 & 8) is your second leading scorer.

Tony Parker (32 points, seven dimes, three steals), Manu Ginobili (29 points, three 3-pointers) and Tim Duncan (18 points, 17 boards, three blocks) led the Spurs on the comeback trail for the second straight time to beat the Suns in San Antonio. The road will get much rougher for the Spurs in Phoenix, but as long as they hold home court, nothing else matters. The Spurs rallied to a 28-point swing in the second half and never looked back, despite Phoenix making a couple late runs to at least make the score respectable. Amare Stoudemire had 33 points, seven boards and three blocks, Shaquille O'Neal went 19-14-4 and Steve Nash hit 10-of-15 shots for 23 points and 10 assists, but it wasn't enough. Grant Hill started and played 20 minutes through his groin injury, but only took one shot (which he missed), and Leandro Barbosa failed to even show up, going 0-of-7 from the floor.

Dwight Howard was a beast again, going for 29 points, 20 boards and three blocks in a thrilling win over the Raptors. Again, where the heck was this production after the All-Star Break? The Raps made a nice comeback after going down 20-6 early, but Chris Bosh missed a couple clutch shots, Howard played solid defense and Hedo Turkoglu made a circus shot and some free throws to seal the win. Bosh had 29 points, 10 boards and six assists, and Sam Mitchell is promising changes for Game 3. I'm guessing that means T.J. Ford (1-of-8, six points, six dimes) gets benched for Jose Calderon, who had 18 points, five assists and led the Raptors comeback. Other possibilities to be yanked from the starting five include everyone not named Bosh. Jason Kapono and Carlos Delfino both played well off the bench last night and I wouldn't be surprised if either one is in the starting lineup for Game 3. But Mitchell was clearly annoyed with Ford's play after the game, and Stan Van Gundy even ripped on the Raptors' point guard play, saying himself that he knew a change was coming for Game 3.

News and Notes

The Bulls sound very interested in hiring Rick Carlisle to be their next coach. I'm fine with that, but he's a disciplinarian like Scott Skiles was, and isn't really known as a "player's coach." Maybe that's what the Bulls need, but I'm guessing most of the Pacers who played for RC wouldn't think this is a good match.

The Knicks are in the news, as usual, as Isiah has been banned from speaking to the players, despite still being on the payroll. The Knicks are going to try to annoy Isiah to the point he quits. That's going to be tough to do though, as he's going to hang on for as long as he can to make sure he gets the rest of that ridiculous contract he was given by Jimmy Dolan. Mark Jackson is still the leading candidate for the coaching job, while Herb Williams will also get another interview. Charles Oakley chipped in with his two cents yesterday, saying Herbie should have gotten the job in the first place instead of Larry Brown or Isiah, and that he's not sure Jackson is the man. Herb and Donnie Walsh have a history together in Indy, so it would not be surprising to see Herb get the job, although I still think Jackson is Walsh's first choice.

On a side note, Herb once gave me the keys to his truck after a game at Market Square Arena and sent me out to the parking lot to get a pair of his game-worn Converse All Star's out of the trunk. He would have done it himself, but he was getting his drink on with an opposing player at the bar in Market Square Gardens. Unfortunately, I don't remember who the other player was. Ironically, Isiah and Mark Aguirre also gave me a pair of Cons after a game back in the day, so I basically had the whole Knicks' coaching staff's footwear. I've got 40 pairs of shoes given to me by players when I was kid, and some of the stories are entertaining (in my opinion), so maybe I'll share a shoe story in the Playoff Dose occasionally. I think the craziest thing is that of the 40 pairs, only one is Nike (Dudley Bradley), which tells you how times have changed since the mid-80s.

Linas Kleiza will start over Anthony Carter for the Nuggets tonight and Nene might play through his groin injury as the Nuggets look to even their series with the Lakers at 1-1.

Kevin Garnett was named the Defensive Player of the Year, winning the award over Marcus Camby and Shane Battier. I think that was the right call, as Boston's D is unreal. And it all starts with KG. bostonceltics.ws

Brendan Haywood somehow avoided a one-game suspension for his seemingly dangerous mid-air shove of LeBron James, but I'm not sure how. If he had done it to Anderson Varejao, there probably wouldn't have even been any talk of a suspension. But to shove the King on national TV in a playoff series that is border lining on dirty play? Let's just say the Wizards got lucky.

And finally, Mike Bibby called Celtics fans "fair weathered" and said that ¾ of them jumped on the bandwagon this season. Nice job, Mike. As if the Hawks had any chance at winning Game 2 to begin with, go ahead and call Vegas and take the C's tonight. The crowd will be in a frenzy after his ridiculous comments. Seriously. Even Rasheed Wallace knows not to diss an opposing crowd. And to do it after shooting 2-of-10 and getting blown off the floor in Game 1? I really can't believe he did that. I'm guessing Joe Johnson may have had a few words for Bibby after that one. sacramentokings.com

Tonight's Games

Philly @ Detroit – Philly up 1-0 (Pistons win easily, but upset in the making?)
Atlanta @ Boston – Boston up 1-0 (blowout)
Denver @ Lakers – Lakers up 1-0 (probable blowout)

[Hache Man]

Mamba's 49 Leads Lakers

Things went about the way I expected them to last night, as Mike Bibby and the Hawks were blown out in Boston, the Nuggets awoke a sleeping giant named Kobe, who jawed with both Kenyon Martin and J.R. Smith on his way to 49 points and an easy win, and the Pistons decided to actually try, blowing the Sixers' doors off and evening the series.

Mike Bibby now has a whopping total of two assists in the Boston series, which heads to Atlanta for Game 3 on Saturday. Meanwhile, Rajon Rondo is running circles around Bibby, averaging 13.5 points, 8.5 assists, 6.0 rebounds and 3.0 steals, and has hit 12-of-20 shots from the floor in the two games. Bibby is now saying he said the comments about Boston fans in order to take pressure off his young teammates. Whatever. Paul Pierce suffered a back injury last night after taking a hard foul from Joe Johnson, and then getting clobbered by Josh Smith as the two collided in mid-air before taking a tough landing. Pierce says he'll be fine, but look for him to get plenty of rest for as long as the C's are feasting on the Hawks. bostonceltics.ws

Richard Hamilton had 20 points, seven boards and seven assists, and Rasheed Wallace, Tayshaun Prince and Antonio McDyess each scored 16 points as the Pistons crushed the Sixers last night to tie the series at 1-1. The Sixers were awful, led by Lou Williams, who had 17 off the bench, and Andre Miller, who was the only starter in double figures. Andre Iguodala's reputation is taking another hit this week, as he was just 1-of-9 for four points last night. The Pistons remind me of a large animal messing with a small one for entertainment. Eventually they're just going to decide the game is over, knock the Sixers out with a swipe of a large claw, and then eat them for dinner.

Kenyon Martin and J.R. Smith decided to go all Bibby on Kobe Bryant last night, talking smack and sending Kobe into a scoring frenzy. He hit 10 straight shots in one stretch, and really took over the game once K-Mart got into foul trouble and was resting on the bench. In addition to the 49 points, Kobe also had 10 dimes and five treys, while Luke Walton scored a season-high 18 to go along with seven boards and five assists. I can hear all the "love" for Walton right now from those of you who drafted him last fall. Ronny Turiaf was out with the flu, and I don't think we're going to see Andrew Bynum again this year.

Linas Kleiza started for the Nuggets and had 10 points and eight boards, while Nene returned from a groin injury and had two points in seven minutes. Allen Iverson led the way for Denver with 31 points and six dimes, Marcus Camby had 17 boards and four blocks, Carmelo Anthony hit just 8-of-20 shots for 23 points and Smith scored 21 in the discouraging loss. The Lakers are up 2-0 with Game 3 in Denver on Saturday.

News and Notes

Deron Williams should continue to play through his sore tailbone, while Rafer Alston should return for the Rockets tonight. He practiced yesterday for the first time in about 10 days and is expected to start, sending Bobby Jackson back to the bench. Williams and the Jazz are up 2-0 after winning two games in Houston, so the Rockets really need to win tonight or this thing is over. utahjazz.com

T.J. Ford should start for the Raptors tonight, but the reason why is pretty pathetic. It sounds like Sam Mitchell definitely wants to bench Ford, but he's a mess coming off the pine with a bruised ego. So rather than just forgetting about Ford and giving Jose Calderon the job, it's easier for Mitchell to start Ford and hope he gets off to a hot start, and then throw JC out there once Ford proves whether he's on or off. He's been off lately, hitting just 2-of-17 shots in the two losses. The Magic are up 2-0 and this series feels like it's over to me. We'll see.

Brendan Haywood and the Cavaliers have been trading barbs since Haywood took LeBron James out with that flagrant foul in Game 2. I quite enjoyed Haywood's quote yesterday in reference to Cavs' coach Mike Brown overprotecting LeBron. ''Just coach your team. We're not trying to hurt anybody,'' Haywood said. ''You don't have to come out there trying to win acting awards...C'mon Mike. That man's name is LeBron James not LeBron Brown. He's not your son.'' I'm taking my daughter to a movie tonight, but made sure it ends before this game starts.

Vince Carter had surgery on his ankle yesterday. Again, I'm amazed that he played out the season even though Jersey's last few games were meaningless. Love or hate Vince, you have to give him some credit for that one.

Assistant Tom Thibodeau is the mastermind behind the Celtics' defense and teams are going to come calling this summer. Actually, teams have already started, as Donnie Walsh and the Knicks are in the process of trying to set up an interview, although it still sounds like Mark Jackson will get that job. Jackson has a meeting with Walsh today.

Rock and Roll Hoops

My dream of getting a fantasy hoops league made up of musicians is coming together, slowly, but surely. Mark Smith, guitarist for Explosions in the Sky, contacted me yesterday and is in. So are Bo Koster of My Morning Jacket and Ben Bridwell from Band of Horses. Stephen Malkmus and Janet Weiss might play, but only if the league ultra-competitive. Therefore, I've narrowed my search down to people who are not only in a band, but are also into hoops. Prior to making that move, I was turned down by Jeff Tweedy (Wilco) and Lou Barlow (Dinosaur Jr., Sebadoh) because they're "not into hoops," while Adam Duritz (Counting Crows) also said no for undisclosed reasons. I know he likes hoops, but I'm guessing it was a time issue.

And speaking of music, Grand Archives are touring right now and have a great record out on Sub Pop. They have a song called George Kaminski about a guy in prison who managed to gather the world's largest four-leaf clover collection despite only having a prison yard to work with, but he's since been passed by a guy in Alaska. Why I know this? I can't be sure. Enjoy the games tonight.

[Hache Man]

Skip's back just in time

The Rockets used the return of Rafer Alston, some big plays down the stretch from Tracy McGrady and a key block by rookie Carl Landry to beat the Jazz in Utah, slimming the Jazz's lead to 2-1. Landry lost a tooth and almost had his nose broken by an inadvertent shot from Carlos Boozer, but returned to play in the second half and block a Deron Williams shot that likely would have won the game for the Jazz. Landry and Luis Scola combined for 23 points, 21 boards and a couple blocks in the win. Alston returned from a hamstring injury to score 20 and hand out five assists, while T-Mac hit a couple big shots and free throws, had a block of his own and grabbed a couple big rebounds in the final three minutes to help Houston seal the win. Williams, Boozer and Mehmet Okur all double-doubled, but it wasn't enough in the end. Game 4 is Saturday at Utah. utahjazz.com

The Wizards waltzed over the Cavaliers last night in a blowout, winning 108-72. This marks the first time in the playoffs that a team has won by 30 (Cavs won Game 2 116-86) and then turned around and lost by 30 in the next one. LeBron James had 22 points and seven rebounds, but got no help from his mates, while DeShawn Stevenson channeled Soulja Boy and hit five treys for 19 points. Roger Mason added 18, Caron Butler 17, Antawn Jamison 15 and Brendan Haywood 14. Gilbert Arenas has a bone bruise in his surgically repaired left knee, and is questionable for Saturday after starting last night. I wish he would have just shut it down for the season a while ago to get ready for next year.

The Raptors crushed the Magic behind great play from T.J. Ford (21 points) and Jose Calderon, who had 18 points and 13 boards. Jamario Moon moved back into the starting lineup and double-doubled with 11 points and 10 boards. The Magic were led by Dwight Howard's 19 points and 12 boards, but this one was never close until the end, with a final score of 108-94. Jameer Nelson's backed seized up on him after the game and he was seen writhing on the floor in pain. He was later able to sit up and was feeling better, so consider him questionable for the next one.

News and Notes

Ron Artest had thumb surgery yesterday, but should be ready for the start of next season. sacramentokings.com

Grant Hill sounds unlikely to play tonight, so look for Leandro Barbosa to go off after missing all seven of his shots in his last game.

Reggie Evans has double-doubled in both games against the Pistons, but did it just four times in the regular season. Game 3 is tonight in Philly. Andre Iguodala and Samuel Dalembert have combined to hit 8-of-40 shots through two games, so look for them to break out of it tonight.

Ronny Turiaf missed Game 2 with tonsillitis but is reportedly feeling better. He missed Thursday's practice and won't get much game time, but might play tomorrow.

Linas Kleiza has a hyper-extended right elbow that will likely affect his shot tomorrow against the Lakers. He's starting in place of Anthony Carter, whose minutes have been cut drastically.

The Knicks interview with Mark Jackson has been pushed back until next week, and there's also speculation that they're going to go after George Karl if the Nuggets don't get out of the first round and he gets canned. There's also talk that Chuck Person could be headed from Sacramento's bench to New York's, but I'm pretty sure he would only be an assistant coach for the Knicks.

I don't know if you caught Kenny Smith's spoof of Kobe Bryant jumping over a car on Wednesday night, but it was pretty good. Here is the link if you missed it.

Here's the weekend schedule.

Friday

Detroit @ Philly 7 p.m. – Series tied 1-1
New Orleans @ Dallas 8 p.m. – New Orleans up 2-0 dallasmavericks.com
San Antonio @ Phoenix 10:30 p.m. – San Antonio up 2-0

Saturday

Orlando @ Toronto 3 p.m. – Orlando up 2-1
Lakers @ Denver 5:30 p.m. – Lakers up 2-0
Boston @ Atlanta 8 p.m. – Boston up 2-0 bostonceltics.ws
Houston @ Utah 10:30 p.m. Utah up 2-1

Sunday

Cleveland @ Washington 1 p.m. – Cleveland up 2-1
San Antonio @ Phoenix 3:30 p.m. - TBD
Detroit @ Philadelphia 7 p.m. - TBD
New Orleans @ Dallas 9:30 p.m. - TBD

[Hache Man]

Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em

Things have calmed down a bit since the playoffs got off to such an illustrious start with that crazy Game 1 between the Spurs and Suns. Let's take a look at where we stand.

East

No. 1 Boston vs. No. 8 Atlanta - I'm guessing some of you cringed when you saw the Hawks dismantle the C's on Saturday, knowing that I would be crowing and talking trash on Monday. Especially given the fact that Josh Smith had one of those games, where he held his own personal dunk contest and took over the game. Well, I actually don't have much to say, other than… bostonceltics.ws

1. If Al Horford isn't named ROY, I might not be able to move on.

2. I've said all along that the Hawks can win games against Boston if they hit their shots. After shooting 38 percent in Games 1 and 2, the Hawks hit 47 percent in the Game 3 win.

3. Can the Hawks win tonight? Yes, if they shoot over 45% and if Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett are so amped up to destroy Horford they can't see straight. bostonceltics.ws

4. Does it matter? Probably not. The Hawks can win all the games in Atlanta they want, but the chances of Boston giving up one at home to the Hawks are about the same as me leaving this job to become a rock star.

Celtics lead 2-1
Game 4: Tonight @ Atlanta
Game 5: Wednesday @ Boston
Game 6: Friday @ Atlanta
Game 7: Sunday @ Boston

No. 2 Detroit vs. No. 7 Philadelphia - Give the Sixers some credit, as they had the entire NBA community talking upset here. And it's still quite possible that they could end up winning this series. But the reality is that the Pistons have made it clear they're not going to play until they have to. They waltzed away from the Sixers near the end of last night's game and have re-taken home-court advantage in the series. The Sixers dominated the Pistons in their two wins, but I would still be very shocked to see the Pistons lose this series. I guess I've just counted them out too many times in the past to see them come back and right the ship when it matters.

Series tied 2-2
Game 5: Tuesday @ Detroit
Game 6: Thursday @ Philadelphia
Game 7: Saturday @ Detroit

No. 3 Orlando vs. No. 6 Toronto - I went out on a limb and picked the Raptors in an upset here, but the branch is about to break. The Raptors have actually hung in there, but just don't have an answer for Dwight Howard, despite having Chris Bosh in their lineup. I am shocked at how well Jameer Nelson has played, Rashard Lewis finally showed up for a game and Hedo Tukoglu is still playing well. Congratulations to him on the Most Improved Award, as he deserved it. This series isn't over yet, but it kinda feels like it is.

Orlando leads 3-1
Game 5: Tonight @ Orlando
Game 6: Thursday @ Toronto
Game 7: Saturday @ Orlando

No. 4 Cleveland vs. No. 5 Washington - Now this has been a fun, yet strange series. I love talking about music and wrapping it around sports as much (and probably more) as the next guy, but this whole Jay-Z vs. Soulja Boy think is out of control. But if you're into it and want to hear the Jay-Z song that the D.C. nightclub played that got DeShawn Stevenson's panties in a bunch, just google "Jay-Z disses Wizards song" and you shouldn't have any trouble finding it. It's a typical Jigga song, so it will offend some people easily. In other words, just don't plan on cranking it up at work.

As for the basketball side of things, Stevenson is lucky he wasn't ejected for the shot at LeBron's head yesterday. LeBron finished the Wiz off in that one by dishing to Delonte West for an open three in the corner that sealed the win with 5.4 seconds left. This game is so funny though. If West had missed the shot, James probably would have caught some heat for not trying to be "the man" at the end of the game. At least, he got blasted with that one last year. And don't sleep on West. This is the first time the Cavs have had anyone resembling a point guard in forever, and it's paying off. The Wizards hung tough in this series and it would have been much better if Gilbert Arenas wasn't (almost literally) playing on one leg. Hopefully he gets right before the start of next season. Go ahead and send the Cavs onto Round 2, as they only have to win one of their two remaining home games to send the Wiz packing.

Cleveland leads 3-1
Game 5: Wednesday @ Cleveland
Game 6: Friday @ Washington
Game 7: Sunday @ ClevelandWest

No. 1 Lakers vs. No. 8 Nuggets - Reports are out there that George Karl's job is safe, but I still don't believe it. He benched his stars in Game 3, which really angered and probably disrespected Allen Iverson, and it looks like his team has quit on him. Also, it was probably not a good move to make if the Nuggets want Iverson to stick around this summer. The Lakers have cruised to a 3-0 lead, and I think the Nuggets are going to give it their all tonight, at home. But it may not matter, as I sense the Lakers will end it and get ready for Round 2.

Lakers lead 3-0
Game 4: Tonight @ Denver
Game 5: Wednesday @ Lakers
Game 6: Friday @ Denver
Game 7: Sunday @ Lakers

No. 2 New Orleans vs. No. 7 Dallas - My bad for ever doubting Chris Paul and the Hornets, or for ever expecting more than we've gotten in the past from Avery Johnson, Josh Howard and Dirk Nowitzki. Dirk has played well, but the Jason Kidd experiment has been a disaster, and he even got ejected with a Flagrant 2 last night for taking Jannero Pargo down by the neck. And Howard? He looks like he just wants the season to end so he can load up the bowl and start smoking. He's hit just 15-of-58 shots in the four games and is easily going to be labeled the bad guy this year. Dirk will be happy about that, but now you have to wonder if Mark Cuban is about ready to blow up the team and start over. I doubt it. Instead, Kidd will be given a full year to get to know his teammates and they'll give it one more try. Although I wouldn't be surprised if Avery Johnson isn't back. I know I would get tired of his voice in a hurry, and it looks like the Mavs have, as well. Paul looks like an MVP, David West continues to be the most underrated player in the league, and the Hornets bench has been solid, even if Tyson Chandler has been a little quiet thus far. Dallas could come back and win this series, but I think CP3 is ready to drop the hammer and finish them off on Tuesday. dallasmavericks.com

Hornets lead 3-1
Game 5: Tuesday @ New Orleans
Game 6: Thursday @ Dallas
Game 7: Saturday @ New Orleans

No. 3 San Antonio vs. No. 6 Phoenix: After falling in a 3-0 hole the Suns finally looked good yesterday, blowing out the Spurs from the opening tip. Unfortunately, it's probably too little, too late, as they still have to beat the Spurs three more times, including twice in San Antonio, to get the win. The Suns traded Shawn Marion for Shaq this year, while the Mavs traded Devin Harris for Jason Kidd. Hindsight's 20/20, but I'm guessing both teams would like to have a do-over on that one. The Spurs are banged up and really wanted to complete the sweep to get some extra rest, but will now have to face the Suns in San Antonio on Tuesday. But if the Suns win that one, look out. This will get very interesting.

Spurs lead 3-1
Game 5: Tuesday @ San Antonio
Game 6: Thursday @ Phoenix
Game 7: Saturday @ San Antonio

No. 4 Jazz @ No. 5 Rockets - The Rockets have now fallen into a 3-1 hole and will need to win three straight to pull off a miracle. But, at least two of those are at home, including tomorrow's Game 5. The Jazz appear to just have too many weapons for the Rockets, who seem to live and die with Tracy McGrady's and Rafer Alston's shot, along with Carl Landry providing a spark off the bench. Don't be surprised if the Rockets pull it out tomorrow night, but it really looks like the Jazz are going to close this thing out. And if nothing else, I think we now know that Deron Williams is a no-brainer first-round draft pick this year in fantasy, along with Chris Paul. utahjazz.com

Jazz lead 3-1
Game 5: Tuesday @ Houston
Game 6: Friday @ Utah
Game 7: Sunday @ Houston

[Hache Man]

Shocking the World?

Hawks stun Celtics – Will they shock the world? Or have they already?

On NBCSports.com's Buzzer Beater video, I predicted the Hawks would lose 4-2 to the Celtics; a brave call if I do say so. Then I came to my senses and went with a 4-1 loss in my official postseason prediction column. But now the series is tied at 2-2, and I cannot remember being this fired up about a postseason run since the Bird-Nique showdown in 1988, followed by the Francisco Cabrera single that scored Sid Bream for the Braves in 1992. As you all know by now, I'm a pretty big fan of Atlanta sports clubs.

I wrote yesterday that it doesn't matter how many games the Hawks win at home, because they can't beat the C's in Boston. I'm not so sure now. All the pressure is on the Celtics. The Hawks are in the "bonus round." I don't want to dedicate this entire column to "my" Hawks, because the Magic certainly deserve some love for winning their first playoff series since 1996, and the Lakers swept the Nuggets on Monday. But I can't help myself. Much was made of the fact the Celtics had 26 assists and just 10 turnovers, while the Hawks had 16 dimes and 17 TOs last night. But the difference in the game was four-fold.

1. The Hawks had eight blocks, the Celtics had three. Josh Smith, my man, had seven of them, to set a franchise playoff record.

2. The Hawks hit 29-of-33 free throws, while the Celtics hit just 10-of-18. Smith hit 12-of-13 on the night, which was just huge.

3. The Hawks shot 48 percent, while the C's hit just 41 percent of their shots.

4. Joe Johnson took over in the fourth quarter. There were no assists to be had, as Johnson took on whoever happened to guard him and scored at will, finishing with 20 points in the fourth. In fact, JJ and Smoov combined for the Hawks' final 34 points, including all 32 in the fourth quarter, while the C's scored just 17 points in the final 12 minutes. I was not supportive of JJ being named to the All-Star Team at the time, but ever since, he's been playing like an MVP.

Play of the game? Maybe it was Joe breaking Leon Powe's ankles and then swishing a three late. But if you look at the replay, Powe simply tripped on Joe's foot. The play of the game, in my opinion, was Josh's block of Kevin Garnett with about three minutes to play, preserving an 86-80 lead for the Hawks. And ironically, Smith said earlier that it was impossible to block KG's shot. Nope, it's not. Smoov also said that the Hawks were going to "shock the world," and beat the Celtics. Hmmm.

The Hawks overcame two 10-point deficits on Monday to win the game and push the series to a 2-2 tie. I'm still tempering my emotions, but it's hard not to get excited. Then again, back in the heyday, the Hawks never got to the Eastern Finals, losing to the Celtics, Pistons and Bucks after getting out of the first round. As much as I'd like to think the Hawks can win one of the final two games in Boston (as well as win one at home), I'm just not sure they can do it. Especially since they're going to have to win in a hostile Boston environment.
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However. I've said that the key to the Hawks winning depends on their shooting percentage. Games 1 and 2 (losses)? Thirty-eight percent. Game 3 (a win)? Forty-seven percent. Game 4 (a win)? Forty-eight percent.

If the Hawks can shoot 45 percent or better, and keep running in Boston, they could win Game 5 on Wednesday. Based on history, it's not likely, and Boston is almost unbeatable at home, but if the Hawks shoot it well and actually run plays when they're in a half-court offense, they could steal Game 5. And with all the pressure now squarely on the Celtics' shoulders, anything can happen here. I'm guessing that Mike Bibby will have to step up his game on Wednesday.

I've been telling the locals for two years that the days of getting free Hawks tickets are about to come to an end, and I think I might be right. And in addition, it will be hard for the Hawks' ownership to cut ties with Mike Woodson and his staff after such an inspirational run, regardless of what happens the rest of the way. While we all thought the Suns-Spurs or Wizards-Cavaliers was going to be the best matchup of the first round, it appears that the Hawks-Celtics may end up taking the title.

And finally, did you see Zaza Pachulia get up in Garnett's face after KG threw the elbow in the first half? These Hawks aren't going to back down. The question is, can they shoot the ball well enough to "shock the world?"

Lakers Sweep

The Lakers swept the Nuggets with a 107-101 win in Game 4, although it was nice to see the Nuggets put up a fight on Monday. The Nuggets will have to do something about their defense next season, which is interesting since they had Marcus Camby, arguably the best defensive player in the league, patrolling the paint this season. As for the Lakers, there's not much to say. They pulled off the trade of the year (in a year full of big trades), getting Pau Gasol for free from Memphis, and appear poised to roll through the playoffs. They'll likely have to go through the Jazz to get there, but I'm not sure the Jazz will have an answer for Kobe (31-7-6 on Monday), either.

Magic Advance

The Magic beat the Raptors to close out their series 4-1, and will await the winner of the Pistons-Sixers series. Dwight Howard was a monster again, going for 21 points, 21 boards and three blocks in the win. He becomes the first player to have three 20-20 games in a playoff series since Wilt Chamberlain did it in 1971. He also blocked 19 shots in the five games, and has left fantasy owners scratching their heads as to where this production was down the stretch of the regular season. His last regular-season three-block game was way back on March 15, and his last 20-20 game was on March 25. Howard is really showing what he's capable of in the playoffs, and will hopefully give us more during the regular season next year.

News and Notes

Pat Riley stepped down as the Heat coach on Monday, as Erik Spoelstra will take over. Spoelstra, who is 37, is now the youngest coach in the league.

George Karl will reportedly keep his job in Denver, although I won't believe it until the summer ends and he's still the head coach.

Sam Mitchell's time in Toronto may be over, and he'll be looked at by several NBA teams, including the Knicks, if he's done in Toronto. Mitchell has some positive history with Donnie Walsh, as does every other Knick candidate.

Larry Brown will coach the Bobcats next season. Let's just hope he's gotten a grip on reality since his stint with the Knicks. In case you forgot, he was a fantasy nightmare in New York, but then again, he had to deal with James Dolan and Isiah Thomas while there. I'm guessing I could be a little flaky if I was dealing with those two on a daily basis.

DeShawn Stevenson (throat slash) and Paul Pierce (three fingers/zero) were both fined $25,000 for "menacing hand gestures." Stevenson's is pretty clear-cut, as the threw up the "diamond" before the "slash," which I'll take as a direct shot at Jay-Z. Pierce's gesture was a bit more obscure. He held up three fingers with a zero made out of his thumb and forefinger, which was apparently interpreted by the league as a "gang sign." However, Pierce, Danny Ainge and the Celtics say that it was simply representative of "blood, sweat and tears," which he's been doing in pregame all season long. Interesting.

Kendrick Perkins (Celtics) and Marvin Williams (Hawks) both appeared to step on the court, ever so slightly, when the skirmish in Atlanta broke out on Monday, and could be facing a suspension. Garnett got into it with Pachulia, while Joe Johnson got into it with Sam Cassell, resulting in a technical for each player. Fans of the Suns are probably rooting for a suspension of Perk and Marvin, but I doubt the NBA acts. They only had one foot on the court and didn't make a "football move" toward the fracas, which never really turned into much more than smack talk, albeit up close and personal smack talk.

Jason Kidd will not be suspended for his Flagrant 2 against Jannero Pargo on Sunday. The right call, if you ask me.

Byron Scott was named Coach of the Year, while Hedo Turkoglu won Most Improved Player of the Year. Good call on both.

Tonight

There are four games on Tuesday.

Dallas @ New Orleans – New Orleans looks to close out the series 4-1 behind the strong play of Chris Paul and David West. Josh Howard will have to play better for the Mavs to win, after hitting just 15-of-58 shots in his last four games. I think this one is over and you have to wonder how much longer Avery Johnson will be around if the Mavs don't pull off a miracle. Ditto for Howard. dallasmavericks.com

Philadelphia @ Detroit – This one is tied at 2-2 and I see no way the Pistons lose to the Sixers tonight. Antonio McDyess will come off the bench again with a broken nose, as Jason Maxiell will start. If the Sixers do somehow beat the Pistons in this series, Flip Saunders could be cut loose.

Utah @ Houston – Utah's up 3-1, but may have a hard time closing it out in Houston. In fact, this series could go deeper than we think, if Houston gets the win on Tuesday and then shows up to play in Game 6. But reality says that the Rockets won't win three straight, and Carl Landry's play seems to decide the outcome for the Rockets lately. And I don't want my playoff future resting on a rookie's shoulders. utahjazz.com

Phoenix @ San Antonio – The Spurs are up 3-1, but were blown out in Game 4. They'll be looking for some home cooking and really don't want to go back to Phoenix for Game 6. Look for the Spurs to put the Suns away tonight, but as we all know, the Suns could easily come out and dominate this game from the outset. I just don't think it's likely. And if and when the Suns lose, Mike D'Antoni's days in Phoenix might be over.

Enjoy Tuesday's action.

[Hache Man]

30 Rock!

Spurs close out Suns 4-1

The Spurs won an exciting Game 5 last night, sending the Suns home early by taking the series 4-1. Charles Barkley said last night that the Suns could have easily won this series 4-1 had they held on for a win in Game 1, and he's probably right. But I don't think the Spurs were ever that concerned and their defense simply overpowered the Suns. Amare Stoudemire was not a big factor in Games 4 and 5, with Boris Diaw and Raja Bell leading the way. Steve Nash had three late turnovers last night that really cost the Suns, and word is that Mike D'Antoni has coached his last game for the Suns. Shaq's 9-of-20 free throw shooting last night was the difference. Where is Shawn Marion when you need him? The Spurs got three 30-point games from Tony Parker after he accomplished the feat just four times in the regular season, and Tim Duncan was in classic Fundamental mode. Manu Ginobili was just 2-of-11 last night, but hit some clutch free throws down the stretch. The Spurs now have a date with the Hornets, which should be a fun matchup with Chris Paul and David West going at Parker and Duncan head to head. I've got the Spurs winning it all, so I've got the Spurs taking out the Hornets in 7.

Hornets close out Mavs 4-1
dallasmavericks.com
Well, the Jason Kidd thing obviously turned out to be a disaster and the second straight first-round exit for the Mavs probably means Avery Johnson is going to be fired. Meanwhile, the other finger of blame is pointing directly at Josh Howard, who finished the series hitting just 21-of-72 shots. He also proclaimed his love of smoking weed (hey look – it's the offseason now!) and then had a big ol' birthday bash that resulted in Avery Johnson canceling practice on Monday. Then the team decided to practice anyway, which further angered the coach. Johnson lost his players with his controlling and vocal style and I don't think there's anyway they'll keep him around. At least Dirk Nowitzki will only have to mope all summer about his team losing, and not the fact that he let the entire city of Dallas down this time. Chris Paul had his first career-playoff triple-double last night and David West had a great series. The Hornets are rolling and should give the Spurs all they can handle in Round 2. The home-court advantage will probably make the Hornets the favorite in this one, but the Spurs are still champs for the time being.

Pistons take control over Sixers at 3-2 - Game 6 @ Philly on Thursday

Chauncey Billups had his best game in the playoffs with 22 points and 12 assists, and Rasheed Wallace blocked six shots as the Pistons trounced the Sixers last night to take a 3-2 lead. Game 6 is tomorrow in Philly, but I get the feeling the Pistons aren't going to let this go to a Game 7. Then again, they are the Pistons and their backs aren't quite against the wall anymore, so you never know. Samuel Dalembert broke out a sweet mohawk last night, but Andre Iguodala was the only Sixer to show up (for a change).

Jazz fall in Houston, still lead 3-2 - Game 6 @ Utah on Friday, Game 7 @ Houston Sunday
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The Jazz got pounded by the Rockets in Houston last night and will now try to wrap up the series in Utah on Friday. That is the true definition of a must-win game, as they really don't want to have to face the Rockets at home in Game 7. But it won't be easy, as the Rockets are about the only team that has had decent success at winning in Utah this season. Tracy McGrady played a solid game, while Mehmet Okur and Carlos Boozer double-doubled in the loss. The return of Rafer Alston has really sparked the Rockets, and as I hinted at yesterday, this series looks to be far from over.

Tonight

Washington @ Cleveland – Cavs up 3-1 – Game 5 @ Cleveland tonight, Game 6 @ Washington Friday, Game 7 Sunday @ Cleveland

I am really over all the drama in this one. It was kinda fun for a minute, but DeShawn Stevenson and Brenda Haywood's antics are just too much. And yeah, I called him Brenda, which is apparently a popular nickname for the guy. A result of his history of lacking a forceful inside presence and the fact that he's seen his share of backpedaling after starting something with an opposing player. The Cavs are angry and tired of the antics as well, and should have no problem putting this one away tonight. Beware of the early start time, as in 6 p.m. EST. LeBron could go for 40 and a triple-double tonight, if he's not given the Nancy Kerrigan treatment before the game. LeBron was also hit with a retroactive flagrant foul recently, so the official tally of "stuff" in this series is as follows: Six technicals, three Flagrant 1's, one Flagrant 2, one ejection, a $25,000 fine for a "menacing gesture" by DeShawn Stevenson, a hip-hop feud, Brendan Haywood mocking LeBron for being a whiner (in a baby's voice) and James saying that the Wizards can't win the series now.

Atlanta @ Boston – Tied 2-2 - Game 6 @ Atlanta on Friday, Game 7 Sunday @ Boston

Can the Hawks win tonight? I think they can, but it's obviously a long shot. Put it this way. The Celtics are either going to wipe the floor with them and win by 40, or it's going down to the wire. All the pressure is on Boston, so we'll have to see if they come out tense or come out ready to throw up the defensive wall they've been using for most of the season, not counting the last two games. We still haven't seen an explosion from any of the Big 3, so tonight could be the night when the stars come together for them. No suspensions were handed down from Game 4's mess, which isn't too surprising. However, with all the possibilities that were out there, it wouldn't have been shocking had Kevin Garnett, Marvin Williams or Kendrick Perkins been suspended. Maybe David Stern and the NBA learned something from last year's debacle with the Suns and are starting down a new and righteous path? If you peruse the web though, it sounds like most people think the Commissioner has lost credibility and that the inconsistencies are just wrong. The Celtics are still heavily favored to win this series, but it's safe to say that they have to win tonight in Boston. Be there or be square.

News and Notes

Tracy McGrady will likely need offseason surgery on his knee. If the Rockets do come back and beat the Jazz, his knee is going to be a big concern going forward.

Kevin Durant will be named Rookie of the Year. Um, that's the wrong answer, but you could see it coming.

Bryan Colangelo says he has no plans to fire Sam Mitchell, but it's also no secret that he loves Mike D'Antoni. There's a long time between now and the start of the season, but for now, it sounds like Mitchell is still in the Raptors' plans for next season.

[Hache Man]

The Butler Did It!

Celtics Rip Hawks in Boston

The Celtics didn't look unbeatable last night, but the Hawks didn't run anything resembling an offense, allowing the C's to run away with a fairly easy 110-85 win to take a 3-2 lead. The "Big 3" were just that last night, as Ray Allen had 19 points and five threes, Kevin Garnett got off to a quick start to finish with 20-5-7 to go along with a steal and three blocks, and Paul Pierce added 22-7-6. Pierce apologized for the sign he flashed at the Hawks bench in Game 3, but we still don't really know in what context he was using it. Rajon Rondo suffered a nasty hand injury, but it's not going to slow him down or affect his status. Leon Powe (10 points, seven boards) and Sam Cassell (6-of-8 13 points) were big off the bench as the Celtics took a 3-2 lead in the series. bostonceltics.ws

For the Hawks, it was a pretty lackluster effort. There was no offense, no point guard, no rebounding and none of the calls seemed to go their way. They shot just 40.6%, while the Celtics were at 53.6%, and as I've said, if the Hawks don't shoot over 45%, they have no chance against this team in Boston or Atlanta. After two solid starts in Atlanta, Mike Bibby was awful last night. He hit just 2-of-8 shots for six points, two rebounds, one assist and three turnovers. Are you kidding? A lot was riding on Bibby's shoulders last night because the offensive sets start with him. He didn't deliver and could almost be accused of intentionally tanking, although I'm not sure what his motive would be. But that was ugly. Joe Johnson hit 6-of-11 shots and two threes for 21 points, Al Horford had 14 points, 10 boards, five assists, a steal and a block on 7-of-11 shooting, and Josh Smith had 18 points, five boards, three assists, three steals and a block, but hit just 4-of-13 shots. Johnson played the least minutes of any starter due to some early foul trouble, but in hindsight, Woody should have just left him out there. He had the best +/- for the Hawks (-7) and has only fouled out of one game this entire season. If he gets in foul trouble again tomorrow, I say just leave him on the floor until he can't run anymore or fouls out.

Smith was 0-of-4 from downtown, but made 10-of-10 free throws. Smith hit just 71 percent from the line this season and is a career 70 percent free throw shooter. But he's hit 31-of-36 in this series, which is good for 86 percent, and in the last two he's 22-of-23 from the stripe. Too bad the Hawks wasted his perfect night at the stripe in Game 5.

Game 6 is Friday in Atlanta and I think I'll be in Phillips. But even if the Hawks somehow bounce back and Bibby shows up, I'm not sure they'll have anything left if the series goes back to Boston for Sunday's Game 7.

LeBron Misses Bunny, Game 6 Coming in Washington

For a minute it looked like the DeShawn Stevenson fest was about to mercifully come to an end, but a clutch Caron Butler layup with 3.9 seconds left and a non-clutch layup miss by LeBron James allowed Washington to steal Game 5 in Cleveland by a score of 88-87. This game really came down to LeBron vs. Caron, as the rest of the contestants were mostly bystanders. LeBron finished with 34 points, 10 boards, seven assists, a steal, two blocks and three treys on 8-of-21 shooting. The 8-of-21 was disappointing, but he did hit 15-of-18 free throws, which probably has some of you LeBron owners wondering where that was during the regular season. Butler hit 11-of-22 shots for 32 points, nine boards, five assists, two steals and four treys, and hit the big one at the end.

I don't know why Darius Songaila wasn't ejected for whatever that was he did to LeBron's throat. It wasn't a punch, but was a little more than a slap, so maybe I'll call it a "thump." But regardless of what it was, I can't see Stu Jackson being down with it, and it would be surprising to see Songaila in uniform tomorrow night. Gilbert Arenas announced to reporters before the game that his season was over due to his sore knee before he bothered to tell coach Eddie Jordan, who had him in the starting lineup. But trust me on this. If the Wizards somehow win this series and were to get to the Finals, I'd put money on Arenas pulling a Willis Reed. Hell, he might even have himself taken to the floor on a wheelchair in Game 1 the way things are going.

Antawn Jamison was just 3-of-10 for eight points and 11 boards, while Brendan Haywood hit just 1-of-6 shots for four points and five boards.

As for our friend DeShawn? He shed the Mike Vick jersey long enough to pick up another technical foul and miss 9-of-14 shots for 17 points. Butler is doing everything he can to restore order in Washington and had this to say about his team.

"Don't judge this team by comments," he said. "LeBron made a statement: 'these guys are talkers' but unless you hear something from the captains, which would be myself and Antawn, don't label that as the team. I'm the voice of this team and Antawn is the spiritual and emotional leader so unless you hear it from one of us, keep it moving."

Got that, DeShawn? I'm sure we haven't heard the last from him, but if he can boycott the nightclub Love, can I boycott anymore ridiculous Stevenson "news?" Probably not, but I'm thinking about giving it a try.

Tonight

There's only one game on the schedule as the Pistons will look to close out the Sixers in Game 6 in Philly tonight. My guess is the Pistons roll and the series is over.

News and Notes

Avery Johnson was fired by Mark Cuban yesterday, which should come as no surprise. What is surprising is that it happened so quickly. The Little General was livid that Josh Howard threw himself a birthday bash after the Game 4 loss, which kept many of his teammates up way too late. Avery then cancelled practice out of frustration, but the players went through with it anyway, further infuriating their coach. It's the offseason now, so you can probably guess what Howard is doing today. Avery's gone and Cuban is now probably working the phones in an effort to get rid of Howard, who is going to take most of the heat for the Mavs' first-round exit this year. dallasmavericks.com

Carmelo Anthony's blood work came back and verified that he was intoxicated when arrested on suspicion of drunk driving recently. No surprise there, as Melo had already confessed. George Karl says he'll be back in Denver next year, but promises to be more of disciplinarian, and vowing to do things his way next time around.

It doesn't sound like Mike D'Antoni will be fired in Phoenix, but it does sound like there's a very good chance he'll resign. If it happens, he shouldn't have trouble finding a job and will probably be pursued by the Knicks.

Carlos Boozer's sore back is still a problem and probably will be all year. He's not playing up to his standards, and the back is the culprit. utahjazz.com

And lastly, the Raptors will not allow Jorge Garbajosa to play in the Olympics after last summer's disastrous run with Spain's national team that led to his season-ending injury.

[Hache Man]

Decision Time For 3 Teams

Pistons win cake walk with Sixers

Last night's Pistons – Sixers game was brutal, and unfortunately the only game of the night. With the game over after the first quarter, the highlight of the night was Charles Barkley busting Dwyane Wade all night about his relationship with Star Jones. I also liked it when Kenny Smith called Barkley "Paula Abdul" when he couldn't gather his thoughts or form a sentence about Rashard Lewis and the Magic. And of course, Chuck took that opportunity to say something about wishing he could have some of what Paula or Josh Howard had.

As for the game, Richard Hamilton got hot early as the Pistons held the Sixers without a field goal until the first quarter was halfway over. There was nothing interesting about this game or the outcome, except maybe that Tayshaun Prince finished the series hitting 44-of-67 shots for 66% shooting.

The Pistons will face the Magic in Round 2 starting Saturday, and this should be a good one. The Magic were swept by Detroit in Round 1 last year, but this is a different Magic team, led by a different Dwight Howard. The Pistons have the experience but the Magic have revenge on their minds. I'm going to guess that the play of Jameer Nelson will play a huge role in this series, but because the Pistons have home court, I'm going to go with Detroit in 7.

Tonight

There are three games on the slate tonight, as we could possibly see three series come to an end.

Cavaliers @ Wizards – Cavs lead 3-2

The Cavs are going to regret not putting away the Wizards when they had the chance, unless LeBron James pulls off one of those Superman moments tonight. I fully expect the Wizards' crowd to be in a frenzy and for the Wizards to take tonight's game and force a Game 7 in Cleveland on Sunday. You have to think that LeBron will find a way to pull that one out, but the fact he missed the game-winner on Wednesday night has to be concerning to Cavs fans. Cleveland needs to find a way to slow down Caron Butler and to get LeBron attacking the rim and being more aggressive earlier. And the Wizards are probably a better team without Gilbert Arenas hobbling around out there for 15 minutes a game.

Celtics @ Hawks – C's lead 3-2
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It's official. I will be in Phillips tonight for this game, barring any traffic difficulties. It's nice to see the city so fired up for the Hawks right now, but then again, it also means there will be a lot of whining when it's over. And unless the Hawks really are able to pull off true miracles, when all is said and done, this is going to be a simple first-round exit on paper. But the fact is the Hawks scared the Celtics. In fact, they shook their foundation and actually made them think about losing this series. At least for a minute. And like Joe Johnson said yesterday, "it's not over yet." The Hawks could win tonight, but it's going to take a nearly flawless game from the five starters for that to happen. And if they do win tonight, they'll have to beat the Celtics in Boston in Game 7. Again, it's possible, but highly, highly unlikely. But in the end, the Hawks will look back at what was expected of them at the start of the season, and consider Mike Woodson's march to the playoffs a success. Making the postseason was a "win" and Atlanta then scaring the crap out of the Celtics for a minute was gravy on top. Is that enough for Woody to save his job and give this thing another run next year? I think it might be. There's still time for the Hawks to "shock the world," but they already beat the Celtics in two straight games, and logic says they can't pull that feat off again. We'll see.

As for the Celtics, they righted the ship on Wednesday, but I still don't think we've seen what they've got. That's the thing about the Spurs. They know when to slump and when to peak, as Tony Parker and Tim Duncan are playing as well as they have all season right now. But I really don't remember the last time the Celtics were running on all cylinders and taking teams out at will. Actually, it was on that Texas swing from March 17-20 when they beat the Spurs, Rocket and Mavs a span of four nights before losing to New Orleans and the Sixers. In any case, the Celtics got their wake-up call in Games 3 and 4 and answered the bell in Game 5. And the pressure is back on the Hawks now. This is not a must-win game for the Celtics but they'd be smart to treat it as one. They need to take this team out tonight and not roll the dice on a Game 7, even though it is in Boston. But can they do it?

Rockets @ Jazz – Jazz lead 3-2
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This is also a very interesting matchup. Utah's home record was 37-4, with one of those four losses coming against the Rockets, who also won a road game in the playoffs, giving them two wins in Utah this year. But the Rockets also lost a playoff game in Utah this season and were beaten there on April 14, just before the playoffs started. And in the one regular-season win the Rockets had in Utah, guess what happened? Tracy McGrady played well. In fact, it was probably his best game of the season, way back on Nov. 1 before the injuries kicked in. T-Mac scored a season-high 47 points on 17-of-27 shooting and hasn't looked the same since. He's basically playing on one leg and will need surgery on his knee this summer. But if the Rockets can somehow make it a "third time's a charm" situation and pull this out tonight, I am not sure even they could blow Game 7 in Houston. I don't have a good feeling for who will win this game tonight, but I do get the feeling it will go seven games. Overtime?

News and Notes

Coaching Front

Byron Scott will get an extension from the Hornets once their season is over.

P.J. Carlesimo will be back to coach the Sonics next season.

Marc Iavaroni will be back to coach the Grizzlies. Bad news for fantasy owners, as he couldn't settle on a rotation this year. Maybe that will change.

Mike D'Antoni will have a decision about his future in Phoenix on Monday, but I think he's gone. Chicago and New York are possibilities for him.

Player News

The Mavericks are not pursuing a trade for Josh Howard. "He's ours. We love him," Donnie Nelson was quoted as saying. Yeah, he's yours all right.

Brian Cook is close to a return from a broken hand for the Magic, while Adonal Foyle is whining about a lack of minutes.

Tony Parker is sore "all over," but is ready for the Hornets on Saturday.

Kevin Durant was officially named Rookie of the Year on Thursday.

Dennis Rodman was arrested for domestic abuse.

[Hache Man]

Shock the World? Close, but no

I'm not sure how much longer the Playoff Daily Dose will be a daily occurrence. If you're reading this column, you're probably pretty dialed into what's happening in the playoffs. Or, maybe you don't worry about watching the games and get your info here. I don't know. But I'm probably going to start putting them out there just 2-3 times per week at some point. And we're not too far from getting some offseason fantasy columns rolled out, although I'm still decompressing from the season.

Weekend Review

Friday

Celtics @ Hawks - Hawks force Game 7 with 103-100 win.
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Well, I guess if I could pick one game to go to this year, this was the one to see. Had great seats right behind Dominique Wilkins and I spoke to him and Kevin Willis at halftime. I was also sitting just above hip-hop producer Polow Da Don and artist Rich Boy, who had some leather furniture and a plasma TV set up in a small roped-off area on the floor. Me (and my buddy Lee) had a perfect view of their television, which was sweet for replays, etc. I had no idea who they were during the game, and I'm still not sure how I was able to figure it out later, other than the fact that this job has enhanced my Google skills to a pretty high level. Da Don is clearly better known than Rich Boy based on the love he was getting from the crowd, but Rich Boy's watch was something to see. I'm still seeing spots. Da Don's list of work involves most of the big names in the biz and I'm guessing he's looked at as this generation's Babyface? But I don't know.

As for the game? Wow. The Hawks hung in there all night, took the lead in the fourth and played like the veteran team down the stretch. The sixth foul on Paul Pierce was a bit questionable, but he still knew better than to throw his headband. Joe Johnson's fake-and-pop 3-pointer late was a nice way to finish. No one dominated from either side and this was one of the best playoff games you'll ever see. And it's nice to be able to officially welcome the NBA back to the ATL. Strangers high-fiving in the streets, 1.5 hour waits to get into STATS' Sports Bar after the game and people getting on the train and asking "Did the Hawks win?" Good stuff. Speaking of which, my train back north was delayed by a dude who was passed out in a couple seats and just riding up and down the line. After a 10-minute delay, he was eventually removed from my car by the cops. Good times all the way around. Game 7 is next, and while my mind says the Hawks are going to lose by 40, my sense of feel is telling me the Hawks have fate on their side and are going to win.

Cavaliers @ Wizards - Cavs advance to Round 2 with 105-88 win.

This went down while we were at the Hawks game. LeBron posts a monster triple-double to shut up DeShawn Stevenson once and for all. Papa John's Pizza comes under fire for supplying T-shirts depicting LeBron as a crybaby, despite the fact they do some pretty major business in the Cleveland area. Papa John's corporate headquarters claim the move wasn't cleared through them and this series finally ends with a little more 90210-like drama. Cavs will face the winner of the Hawks-Celtics Game 7.

Rockets @ Jazz - Jazz closeout Rockets 113-91 despite T-Mac's 40.
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Had the Rockets won this game, they were heading back home for Game 7 and the whole thing would have been turned upside down. But the Rockets could never recover from getting routed in those first two games at home. You can't really blame Tracy McGrady for the early exit this time around, but if you're superstitious, I'm not sure you'd want him trying to lead you to Round 2. The Jazz were clearly the better team and should at least make the Lakers stop and think about what they're doing in Round 2.

Saturday

Magic @ Pistons - Pistons stand on Superman's cape in Game 1's 91-73 blowout.

Dwight Howard was completely shut down by the Pistons, who decided to turn the light switch on for this one. This game wasn't even close, and while I thought for a while that the Magic were going to take out the Pistons, it's not really looking that way now. The Magic can overcome this first game with a strong performance in Game 2, but it just seems like the Pistons' D will be able to hold Howard in check. And the Magic can't beat the Pistons unless Howard is firing on all cylinders at both ends of the floor.

Spurs @ Hornets - Hornets run away late for easy 101-82 Game 1 win.

This series is probably going seven games. My guess is each team steals one on the road and then it comes down to a Game-7 shootout, which will take place in New Orleans. If the Hornets roll over the Spurs easily, look out Lakers, look out Celtics and look out world. I've still got the Spurs winning this series, but it's clear that I've been sleeping on the Hornets for too long. They're good. Real good. Part of the reason for the easy win was that Tim Duncan failed to show up, going just 1-of-9 in Game 1. Don't expect to see that happen again tonight.

Sunday

Hawks @ Celtics - Hawks can't hit a shot in 99-65 laugher.
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I broke out Dominique's game-worn shoes and Mitchell & Ness throwback for this one, and even wore (mostly) the same stuff that brought the Hawks so much luck in Game 6. Which included breaking my rule of wearing a hat and sweatshirt of the same team. I try to never do this, but usually succumb to the pressure when the Colts are in the playoffs, so I figured it was fine to do it for the Hawks as well. Obviously, it didn't work. Joe Johnson hit a three to open the game and my "fate hunch" was looking pretty good. That is, until the Hawks missed four first-quarter layups and basically didn't hit another meaningful shot the entire game. Had the Hawks hit some of their open shots in the first quarter, I think this game would have been much different over the final three quarters. But the confidence the Celtics gained in the first carried over the rest of the way and then the monstrous D kicked in. Game over. It was a good run and the experience of being pushed to the brink is going to help the C's down the line. If they weren't focused before, they sure are now. And I'm not too worried about the fact they didn't win in Atlanta. All they have to worry about in Cleveland is shutting down the King, and they have the tools to do it. I still think the Celtics are going to the Finals.

I'm almost glad the Hawks were blown out instead of losing a heartbreaker at the buzzer, like they did in 1988 for the Bird-Nique showdown. Now we have to wait and see if Mike Woodson and his crew are retained, and whether Marvin Williams will face any disciplinary action for the start of next season. In case you missed it, he clothes lined Rajon Rondo, and was ejected, as he should have been. I'm good with Woodson sticking around and trying this again next year, as it's obvious that his guys will play hard for him. They just have to learn how to play on the road, obviously.

Jazz @ Lakers - Lakers manhandle Jazz in Game 1, 109-98.
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Much has been made about the Jazz's physicality presenting big problems for the Lakers, but I think the bigger factor is that the Jazz can't stop Kobe Bryant. He had 38-6-7 in the win, while Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur double-doubled, and Deron Williams flirted with a triple-double. Andrei Kirilenko even put up one of those monster fantasy lines that included five blocks. The Jazz will be very competitive in this series, but I don't see the Lakers losing.

Enjoy the upcoming week. And if you love this column and want to see it every day, let me know. I'm not opposed to throwing it out there daily, but am just not sure it's necessary.

Week Ahead

Monday - Orlando @ Detroit, San Antonio @ New Orleans – Gm 2s.
Tuesday - Cleveland @ Boston – Gm 1.
Wednesday - Detroit @ Orlando – Gm 3, Utah @ Lakers – Gm 2.
Thursday - Cleveland @ Boston – Gm 2, New Orleans @ San Antonio – Gm 3
Friday - Lakers @ Jazz – Gm 3

[Hache Man]

Mr. Big Shot's Lucky Break

The Pistons made it 2-0 over the Magic last night, while the Hornets dominated the Spurs for the second straight time in New Orleans.

You have to feel for the Magic after Chauncey Billups' 3-pointer came during a clock malfunction worthy of Philips Arena in Atlanta. The clock didn't start properly and it was ruled that Billups' three at the end of the third quarter counted, because the officials estimated that there were 4.6 seconds remaining and he would have gotten the shot off in that time. However, TNT ran a clock on the play and the ball was technically still in CB's hands when time expired. In any case, the Pistons went on to win 100-93 and now lead 2-0 as the teams prepare for Game 3 in Orlando on Wednesday. Well, I should say that the Pistons are preparing for Game 3. The Magic saw their plane diverted to Cincinnati from Detroit due to mechanical problems. While it's not a huge deal and no one was hurt, it did probably keep the team up all night and forced them to get up early today to get back to Orlando. And if someone on the team was simply causing the problem because they had a hankering for some Skyline Chili, SVG's not going to be very happy. Man, Skyline is about the only thing I miss about the Midwest.

Dwight Howard was much better last night with 22 points, 18 boards and a couple blocks, while Jameer Nelson and Rashard Lewis also scored 20-plus points in the loss. The Pistons were led by Billups' 28 points, while the entire starting five scored in double digits. The vibes just don't seem to be working in Orlando's favor right now, and it looks like the Pistons have flipped the switch to "on" for this series. A sweep is not out of the question, although it would not be too surprising to see the Magic pull off a couple wins in Orlando if the Pistons let their guard down.

The Hornets look like the real deal and got big lines from Chris Paul (30 points, 12 assists - surprise) and Peja Stojakovic (five threes). David West double-doubled with 10 & 10, but hit just 2-of-11 shots. Looking at the Hornets box score, there's nothing too shocking or impressive. But it all begins to make sense when you notice that the Spurs put just two starters in double digits and the starting unit scored a total of just 47 points for the night. Tim Duncan had 18, Tony Parker had 11, Brent Barry scored 14 and Manu Ginobili had 13. The last two times the Spurs were down 0-2 (as far as I know), was in 2001 and 1998. In '01 they ended up being swept by the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals. In fact, they weren't just swept, but were blown off the court in Games 3 and 4. They also fell into an 0-2 hole against the Jazz in 1998 and ended up losing 4-1 in the semi's. This could be the end of the road for the Spurs' dynasty, but let's not stick a fork in them until we see what happens in Games 3 and 4 in San Antonio. The crowd is going to be in a frenzy and it will be interesting to see how both teams respond.

Tonight

The Celtics host the Cavaliers in tonight's lone game. The teams split the season series 2-2, with both teams holding home court along the way. It would not be surprising to see this series follow the same path as the Celtics' battle with Atlanta in Round 1, with each team winning their home games. LeBron was "held" to 26 points in their final regular-season matchup, but had scored 30 or more in nine straight games against the C's. Wilt Chamberlain is the only other player who can say that. Of course, seven of those outings were pre-KG. In three games this season, James averaged 32 points, seven rebounds and just under 10 assists against Boston. Meanwhile, the Big 3 are going to try to figure out how to win on the road, and I'd be surprised if their bench doesn't play a bigger role against the Cavs than it did against the Hawks. Leon Powe, Big Baby Davis, Tony Allen, Sam Cassell and Eddie House should all have their moments. The C's are probably better off having played such a tough series against the Hawks, and Doc Rivers couldn't have asked for a better motivator than almost getting waxed by the No. 8 seed with the terrible record. Paul Pierce has a sore back and hip, but don't expect him to miss any time. bostonceltics.ws

Coach's Corner

It sounds like Mike D'Antoni is going to coach the Bulls. I'm not sure how that's gonna work for John Paxson, who doesn't seem too much different than Steve Kerr. Although Pax isn't as much of a micro-manager, both GMs like their defense. I don't know that D'Antoni is opposed to playing D, but it's certainly not his forte. What will be really interesting is to see if D'Antoni still looks like a genius when he's got Kirk Hinrich running the point instead of Steve Nash. But either way, the change will likely be a good one for the coach and the Bulls.

Mark Jackson is still the front-runner in New York, although Donnie Walsh has talked to D'Antoni and Avery Johnson as well. Given the fact that Jax has never coached a team before, I wouldn't be surprised to see Avery get the job. But there's no way to know.

Rick Carlisle sounds like he's been all but hired by the Mavericks, although I'm not sure what this talk that he's going to let the Mavs run and open up the offense is all about. Carlisle tried like hell to run in Indy, but his brain just wouldn't let him do it. The players hated his offense, weren't fans of his disciplinary tactics and generally quit on him. And the Pacers' anemic offense was almost unwatchable from a fan's standpoint. A new voice will be a welcome change in Dallas, but D'Antoni would be a much better fit with that team in my opinion.

On a side note. Carlisle reluctantly gave me a pair of his shoes when I was a kid and he was playing with Larry Bird and the Celtics. I'm still not sure why I even asked him for them, as I tried to only hit up the guys I really liked. But he was there so I asked. He told me I could have them for $100 bucks. I was 12-13 years old and said "no thanks" and walked away. He then called me back and said I could have them after the game. So, after the game he gave me his size 13 black Converse All-Stars and I said "thanks" and started to walk away. Out of the 40 pairs given to me over the years, that was the first time I didn't ask the player to sign them, mainly because I was less than thrilled to be getting them. He then yelled at me to "get back here!" So I turned around and he was coming at me with his own Sharpie and said "I don't want you telling people those are Larry's shoes and then selling them, so I'm going to sign them." I guess I understand where he was coming from, but let's just say it was a less-than-pleasant encounter. The story has a happy ending though, as I ended up trading them for a pair of Adrian Dantley's, as one of my "shoe buddies" had two pairs of AD's. That's the only time I've ever sold or traded any of my memorabilia.

News and Notes

Luke Walton is iffy for Wednesday's Game 2 with a respiratory infection. The Lakers lead the Jazz 1-0 in that one.

Andrew Bynum is getting a second opinion on his knee. I hope everything checks out OK with Bynum, as the longer he's sidelined, the more concern there will be from fantasy owners next season. But either way, I'm thinking he's one of those guys who everyone is going to want on draft day, and people will be reaching for him in fantasy drafts. It might be worth the risk to do so, but I'm thinking you can probably let someone else burn their third-round pick on him.

Dwyane Wade is also starting rehab on his knee again in Chicago. The plan is for him to be ready for the Olympics and then fully healthy for next season. There are rumors that Wade is permanently damaged and may never return to the form he showed two years ago, but that still remains to be seen. And he's still worthy of a first-round fantasy pick.

Music

My Morning Jacket is playing Saturday Night Live this weekend on NBC. Bo, the keyboard player, is signed up for my rock and roll fantasy hoops league and the band will probably be playing a couple new songs from Evil Urges, which comes out on June 10. Check it out.

Explosions in the Sky are playing Austin City Limits on PBS the same night, although that's a repeat. Guitarist Mark Smith is also signed up for the league and I'm hoping to see them perform at Lollapalooza this summer in Chicago. Either way, it's going to be a fun Saturday night for me.

Sebadoh is playing one of my favorite records, Bubble and Scrape, start to finish at the Pitchfork Festival in Chicago this summer, and I also plan on being on hand for that one. Lou Barlow will be pulling double duty that weekend, as Dinosaur Jr. is also on the bill.

And in possibly my most "normal" music reference ever, I'm going to see Tom Petty and Steve Winwood this summer in Indy. I've always kinda wanted to see Petty, and was pretty upset when I missed seeing the Replacements open for him back in 1989, which still eats at me today. My boys Andy and Mike ended up partying backstage with Paul Westerberg for that one, resulting in one of the best underage, backstage stories I've ever heard. My buddy Steve has secured us second-row seats for this one, and I'm pretty psyched to see Winwood perform Low Spark of High Heeled Boys. He'll play it, right? Sadly though, Westerberg and Tommy Stinson won't be around on that night.

Enjoy the LeBron vs. KG show tonight.

[Hache Man]

What Was That?

What a strange game that was last night. The Celtics somehow held on to beat the Cavaliers on a night when LeBron James, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen could not get it going. The three studs combined to hit 4-of-36 shots and score a total of 16 points, while Kevin Garnett scored 28 and had eight boards in the win. Rajon Rondo and Sam Cassell were the only other two C's in double figures, while Zydrunas Ilgauskas had 22 points, 12 boards, two assists and two steals for Cleveland. bostonceltics.ws

LeBron was 2-of-18, committed 10 turnovers, and missed three layups and a 3-pointer in the final minute. Allen was 0-for-4 on the night, failed to score a point and committed four turnovers. And Pierce was just 2-of-14, finishing with four points and six turnovers. So that's 4-of-36 shooting, 16 points and 20 turnovers from the trio, which is simply hard to believe.

LeBron's final missed layup came with just under 10 seconds to play. He can't figure out how it didn't go in, I can't figure out how it didn't go in, and the Cleveland faithful can't figure it out. But it was "just one of those nights." Sam Cassell picked up a Flagrant 1 for a foul on LeBron as he drove to the basket last night, but his acting job was about as good as his shooting touch. My wife was like "oh come on, get up and put your mouthpiece back in." Later in the game, Zydrunas Ilgauskas' knee caught Cassell in the head. Cassell flipped his lid, but Ilgauskas was allowed to walk away. I think the NBA will review the incident and get Big Z with some kind of retroactive penalty, but no one seems to be too worried about it. Maybe I'm overreacting? The final score was 76-72 and Game 2 is Thursday night at Boston.

The NBA admitted that Chauncey Billups' 3-pointer should not have counted at the end of the third quarter in Game 2 against the Magic, as the frozen clock would have expired by the time the ball left his hands. But really, that doesn't matter. If the players looked at the clock during the play, they automatically believed there was more time available than there really was, so that argument can be thrown out the window. The officials should have just put the time back on the clock and started the play over. Pistons fans are happy to point out that Billups hit a 3-pointer and still hung on to win by seven, saying that the Magic should stop crying about the play. But they're failing to take into consideration the role momentum plays in these types of games, along with the "butterfly effect" and "chaos" theories. The reality is we don't know how that game would have turned out had Billups' shot been disallowed, or not gone in.

So the Magic, already down 0-2 despite playing extremely well in Game 2, then see their flight back to Orlando re-routed to Cincinnati due to a possible mechanical problem. Long story short is they checked into a Cincy hotel at 3 a.m. Tuesday morning and then flew home later in the day. This resulted in a canceled practice and one of the longest trips possible from Detroit to Orlando. The question is, is the same dude who was running the clock responsible for the airplane malfunction? Actually, the clock malfunction was on the officials, as one of them inadvertently blew into their whistle loudly enough to trigger the freeze. Expect the NBA to modify the rules in these situations, so that instant replay will be an option, as will "pulling points off the board" if necessary.

News broke this morning that Billy Knight resigned as the Hawks GM after six season of losing. Knight is responsible for the nice stable of young players the Hawks have on board right now, but it's impossible to look at Marvin Williams without the "what ifs" involved had BK gone with Chris Paul or Deron Williams instead. Marvin was arguably the most talented player out there when the Hawks picked No. 2 that year, but the need was for a point guard. I don't want to talk about this anymore. Anyway, the resignation of Knight would appear to signal the return of coach Mike Woodson and his staff, but it's also possible that ownership could fully clean house. My vote would be to give him a two-year deal with the expectation that the team wins 41 or more games next year and makes the playoffs, or he's done. We'll see.

Kobe Bryant was officially named MVP yesterday, which is pretty amazing based on what we were posting about him a year ago. May 3 of 2007 is when we first reported the "do something and do it now" mantra from Kobe, and then the "official" trade request came down on May 30 (although he hedged on it throughout the next couple days). Bryant wrote on his website that the Lakers and he had "two different visions of the future" on June 17, and then the famous video of Kobe ripping Andrew Bynum from a mall parking lot came to light around June 19. We've come a long way over the last year, as Kobe finally picked up his first MVP Award.

There are two games on the slate for tonight, as the tired Magic try to win Game 3 in Orlando, and the Lakers try to take a 2-0 lead on the Jazz. There is very little game news coming out right now, as most teams left in the race are pretty healthy. Luke Walton is iffy for tonight with a sinus infection, but should play and get about 20 minutes for Phil Jackson.

I caught Deion Sanders' reality show last night around 2 a.m. and found myself chuckling occasionally. Yeah, it's really bad, scripted reality TV, but Deion and I go way back. You all are probably tiring of my stories, but I have a Deion story. These dates are a little fuzzy, but should be close to being accurate. I had my picture taken with him in Cincinnati in 1993 on the same day Tony Perez was fired as the Reds manager. That was quite a day, as I had a baseball signed by Tom Glavine, John Smoltz and Steve Avery (oops), along with getting the photo op with Prime Time. We then when back to my buddy's apartment at One Lytle Place and there's the ESPN crew sitting in the lobby interviewing Perez, who also apparently lived in the building. Jose Rijo pulled up in his Ferrari and my crew and I just hung around chatting up the ESPN guys, Tony and Jose. Pretty bizarre day, as I recall and I was surprised at the lack of people around.

Then, in 2000 when Deion got a stint with the Louisville AAA farm team for the Reds, I ventured into downtown Indy on the same night the Lakers made the greatest Game 7 comeback in history against the Blazers (at least, I think that was the night). I was the only person in the lobby of the hotel when Deion, his wife and two very young kids rolled in and I had my picture of us with me, intent on getting it signed. As I strolled up to the Sanders family, thinking it would be a no-brainer to get the picture signed, his wife shut me down. "What do you want?" she asked. I said, "I would like for Deion to sign this picture of the two of us taken a few years ago." She bluntly said "He won't be signing that for you tonight. This is family time." I was like, "Seriously, I'm the only one here and this is just a picture for me. Can I please ask him to sign it?" She replied "No," and then they walked away and got on an elevator. I went home with my tail between my legs, but did get back in time to see the end of that Lakers comeback. I still have the picture, unsigned, hanging in my office. Oh, and the ball I had signed by the pitchers? I used a cheap free pen from a bank and the signatures all faded about two years later. Ouch.

[Hache Man]

Kobe celebrates MVP in style

The mighty Pistons fell to the Magic last night, as Rashard Lewis exploded for 33 points and five threes in a game where he couldn't miss. It's hard to believe that he didn't hit the 30-point plateau all season, but it's true. Lewis was 11-for-15 from the floor and 5-of-6 from downtown last night. Dwight Howard was a man-child again, with 20 points, 12 boards and six blocks. Again – Where were all these blocks during the regular season?

The Pistons got solid production out of Tayshaun Prince, Rip Hamilton and Rodney Stuckey, while Rasheed Wallace couldn't find it, hitting just 4-of-15 shots for 11 points. But the story of the night, and the biggest injury of the playoffs thus far, belonged to Chauncey Billups. Mr. Big Shot did the splits early in the game and sat out the remainder with a right hamstring injury. He'll have an MRI today, which I'm guessing will come back negative. But I have a hunch he could miss a game or two with the injury, which would put the Magic right back in this series. But the Pistons are saying that he is expected to play on Saturday, so we'll see. They went on an 11-0 run near the start of the fourth quarter last night to blow a close game open. The Magic now trail 2-1, as the city of Detroit awaits news on the Billups injury.

Kobe Bryant celebrated his first MVP award by torching the Jazz for 34 points on 11-of-18 shooting. He also hit 11-of-12 free throws and added eight boards and six assists in the win. The Jazz hung in there all night, but the Lakers controlled the game from the start. With a 2-0 lead, it looks like the Lakers are likely to have a date in the Western Finals, and probably the big show in June. Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol, Derek Fisher and Sasha Vujacic all played well for L.A. The Jazz got 25 points and 10 dimes out of Deron Williams, as usual, and a strong performance from Paul Millsap. While seven members of the Jazz managed to hit double digits in scoring last night, they probably would have been better off with a couple double-doubles from Mehmet Okur and Carlos Boozer. utahjazz.com

Tonight

Cleveland @ Boston for Game 2 – Boston leads 1-0 bostonceltics.ws
New Orleans @ San Antonio – Game 3 – NO leads 2-0

News and Notes

Manu Ginobili (ankle) and Tim Duncan (flu) should both be fully healthy for tonight's game. Duncan was said to have played the first game with a fever, when he scored five points on 1-of-9 shooting. The Spurs better make a statement in their two home games, or the Hornets are going to the next round.

Gilbert Arenas came out yesterday and said he will only return to the Wizards if Antawn Jamison does the same. Even if Jamison comes back, don't consider Arenas a lock to return. He can opt out of his contract, but at this point it's impossible to predict what he will do.

Jamaal Tinsley is not a lock to start for the Pacers next year, but it's not like they have a lot of options, either. Travis Diener had toe surgery this week, while coach Jim O'Brien said Wednesday that he's not prepared to rely on Tinsley. "It's very, very difficult to depend on him when, physically, he's been undependable," he said. Unfortunately for the Pacers, Tinsley's contract is too big and he's not likely to go anywhere. indianapacers.com

The NBA coaching watch continues to confuse everyone involved, but here's the latest.

Rick Carlisle will likely be named the Mavericks' coach tonight. Sorry, Mavs fans. Stock up on your NoDoz.

Mike D'Antoni could wind up in New York, but I think it's more likely that he'll sign with the Bulls. The Bulls, meanwhile, will not hire anyone until they interview Avery Johnson, who could also end up in New York.

Mark Jackson is still the front-runner in New York, but Avery Johnson is going to have to end up somewhere. But unless Sam Mitchell gets canned in Toronto, I'm not sure where that will be.

When D'Antoni bolts, and he is bolting, Doug Collins could end up in Phoenix.

Andrew Bynum will likely have exploratory left knee surgery in the next month, which could lead to more serious surgery. Hopefully Bynum gets his knee right before the start of the season, as many of us are counting on him for our fantasy teams next year.

Fran Vazquez says he wants to play for the Magic next year, but he's on the hook for $7 million with FC Barcelona. Vazquez embarrassed the Magic in 2005 when he decided to play in Europe instead of for the Magic after they made him a lottery pick. As far as I can tell, all of his decisions back then were made by his girlfriend, and he also said he was "afraid to adapt" to the American way. Maybe he's making his own decisions these days.

Marvin Williams was suspended for the first game of next season for his flagrant foul on Rajon Rondo in Sunday's Game 7 disaster. Maybe Josh Childress will get at least one start next year.

[Hache Man]

West Is Key For Hornets
Weekend in Review

Lakers @ Jazz
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The Jazz beat the Lakers on Friday and then got them again on Sunday in OT to tie up the series at 2-2. Friday's win was keyed by a huge line from Carlos Boozer, who went off for 27 points and 20 boards on 12-of-21 shooting in the 104-99 win. Deron Williams added 18 points and 12 dimes and Mehmet Okur hit four threes on his way to 22 points. Andrei Kirilenko fouled out for the third straight game as the Jazz trimmed their deficit to 2-1. Then on Sunday, the Jazz hung around and got themselves into overtime with the Lakers, when Mehmet Okur started canning long bombs to lead the Jazz to an easy 123-115 win in the end. The Jazz got double-doubles out of Okur, Boozer and Williams last night, while Kirilenko hit all four of his shots for 15 points and five blocks, managing not to foul out for the first time in this series. The Lakers got double-doubles from their "Big 3" of Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom. Kobe was great through four quarters, but tried to do too much on his own in the extra period, when he missed shots and committed turnovers. It also didn't help that he hit just 1-of-10 threes, but the Lakers don't have to win a game at Utah as they hold the home-court advantage until the Finals. Kobe suffered a back injury, which could cause him problems down the line, but it's going to take something serious to keep him out of action. The Jazz have made this a series, but I don't see the Lakers losing in L.A. The Lakers return home for Game 5 on Wednesday.

Detroit @ Orlando

The Pistons stole Game 4 in Orlando for a 3-1 lead, despite not having the services of Chauncey Billups, who was out with a right hamstring injury. Antonio McDyess returned to the starting lineup for the first time since breaking his nose and the Pistons overcame a 13-point deficit late in the game to get the win. Hedo Turkoglu's botched layup attempt to end the game was not impressive, and this series is basically over. The beautiful thing for the Pistons is that they can basically rest Billups for the next game (or three) and still take the series. Allowing Billups to get close to full health before facing the Celtics (or Cavs) will be key for Detroit. Richard Hamilton scored 32, McDyess grabbed 14 boards and Lindsey Hunter (yes, Lindsey Hunter is still in the league) hit some key shots down the stretch to finish with eight points in the unlikely win. Turkoglu led the Magic with 20, Jameer Nelson is guaranteeing a win in Detroit for Tuesday's Game 5 and Rashard Lewis said the Magic are still the "better team." Um, no you're not.

Boston @ Cleveland
bostonceltics.ws
The Celtics went to Cleveland, saw Delonte West play his best game as a Cav and got run out of the building by a final score of 108-84 on Saturday. This one was over early after the Cavs got off to a 32-13 start in the first quarter. West had 21 points, five boards and seven assists, Ben Wallace played, despite being listed as doubtful with an inner-ear infection, and added nine points, nine boards and two blocks, and Joe Smith came off the bench for 17 points and six rebounds. LeBron James played a little better, but he still couldn't shoot, hitting just 5-of-16 shots for 21 points. But the Celtics couldn't get it going. Ray Allen was 4-of-12, Rajon Rondo was 3-of-10 and Sam Cassell missed all six of his shots in the loss. How bad was this game? Not a single player on either team double-doubled. The key for the Cavs was getting LeBron some help. If he gets it again tonight, the Cavs could tie it up at 2-2. But regardless of what happens tonight, I don't see the C's losing at home. It's possible, but like every other team still playing, the home court is probably going to save them against LeBron and company. Tonight's Game 4 in Cleveland is the only action we have, so hopefully they put on a better show than they did on Friday. LeBron is due for a breakout game after hitting just 13-of-58 shots through the first three games in this one.

Hornets @ Spurs

The Spurs came back to life over the weekend, taking Game 3 on Thursday 110-99, and then destroying the Hornets on Sunday, 100-80. Tony Parker and Tim Duncan have been great in the last two, but the series heads back to New Orleans for Game 5. Chris Paul has been nearly flawless in this series, but the difference in Game 4 was probably due to an off night by David West. He hit just 4-of-15 shots for 10 points and five boards. If the Spurs have figured out how to stop West, San Antonio is going to take a game in New Orleans and win this series. Duncan had 22 points, 15 boards and four blocks on Sunday, while Parker had 21 points and eight assists. Game 5 is Tuesday in New Orleans.

Coach Carousel

Rick Carlisle will be introduced as the Mavericks' new coach on Wednesday, while Mike D'Antoni will join the Knicks for the upcoming season. Carlisle is being sold as a guy who will offer a great combination of defense and the ability to run, although we've still never seen it actually happen. Some people are saying that D'Antoni is crazy for taking the Knicks' job instead of coaching the Bulls, but Donnie Walsh has already changed the face of the franchise. Those same people are also saying that owner James Dolan will end up screwing the Knicks up again, limiting Walsh's ability to run the team effectively. I don't think that will be the case, as Dolan is going to let Walsh do whatever he wants. Walsh will get rid of Stephon Marbury, Zach Randolph and Fat Eddy in the next year or so, and the wheels are already in motion to go after LeBron James when he could become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2010. D'Antoni will simply try to hold down the fort until that summer, which should be one of the biggest free-agency bonanzas in history. The Knicks will have to compete with the Cavaliers and Jay-Z's Brooklyn Nets for the services of the King, but don't be surprised if Walsh finds a way to make it happen.

Avery Johnson is now talking about sitting out the season and collecting a monstrous paycheck from Mark Cuban, while Doug Collins is probably the favorite to get the Phoenix job. The Bulls will probably go after assistant Tom Thibodeau once Boston's season is over. Mike Woodson and Sam Mitchell remain on the hot seat, but still have their jobs as of now. My gut says both guys will coach their team again next year.