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Lakers vs. Hornets II

By Michael C. Teniente | January 6, 2009 | The Lakers' Journal

PREGAME Hornets' starting five: Paul, Brown, Stojakovic, West and Chandler Lakers' starting five: Fisher, Bryant, Ariza, Gasol and Bynum Key match-ups: Gasol/Bynum vs. West/Chandler. This match-up hasn't changed from the last time the Lakers played the Hornets. The match-ups favor the Lakers. The Hornets, in my opinion, aren't as good as they're advertised to be. I have no faith in a team that has a center as thin as Chandler is. The only way the Hornets beat the Lakers is if West is hitting his mid-range jumper and Stojakovic is hitting his 3-pointers. If that happens then the middle will open up for Paul to attack the lane at will. The Lakers started playing pretty well when they faced the Hornets, in New Orleans, five games ago. If the Lakers play with the same philosophy the outcome should be the same. What was that philosophy? About 4 minutes into the second half Coach Jackson called...

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Lakers' Journal, Los Angeles Lakers blogs, Los Angeles Lakers Championship Run, Los Angeles Lakers' games, Los Angeles Lakers' Team, Michael C. Teniente, New Orleans Hornets

Quick Post: Reliving the Manu block

By Michael De Leon | January 6, 2009 | Project Spurs

We're going to be trying something new here at Project Spurs. Drawing inspiration from the Fire Brand of the American League blog, we'll have quick posts from time to time for small bits of info like youtube videos, quick notes etc......

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On the Horizon

By Cliffy | January 6, 2009 | StateNets

Here are just some of the things that I plan to write about in the coming days-weeks-months.1. Yi Jian Lian and the All-Star gameDoes Yi deserve a spot in the mid-season classic? Will he even get voted in? StateNets' take on this potentially scandalous situation. 2. The Nets of a couple of seasons ago and this year's team A look at the differences of the big 3 lead teams as compared to this present team. 3. 2010 With the possibility of being in Brooklyn for the 2010 season looking bleak, do the Nets still have a shot at Lebron? Or any of the major free agents for that matter? How about VC? Will he still be in town by then? 4. Fan Culture Does the IZOD center attendance and support really matter? How bad are the Nets being affected by this? Hopefully I can get all of these things written...

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NBA Power Rankings: New Year, New Number One

By Joe Boikess | January 6, 2009 | MVN Outsider

Dwight Howard - Keith Allison/Flickr.com

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

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Week 11 Power Rankings

By Zach Harper | January 6, 2009 | Talk Hoops

This week, I had Brandon Gallawa rank the teams and I split the comments with him. Usually, we average out our rankings, come to an agreement on the ties and then comment but with being sick, I put the responsibility on him. Here are the Week 11 Power Rankings:Week 11 Power Rankings1. Los Angeles Lakers | Record: 27-5 | Previous Rank: 2nd | Last Week: 2-0 Upcoming Schedule: NOH, at GS, IND, MIAComments: Lakers fans will disagree but it almost feels like they took back the top spot in the power rankings by default. A 4-0 week will change that feeling. -- Zach Harper2. Cleveland Cavaliers | Record: 27-6 | Previous Rank: 3rd | Last Week: 1-2 Upcoming Schedule: CHA, BOS Comments: LeBron is the MVP front-runner. Their defense is allowing less than 90 PPG and their point differential is the best in the league. Throw out 77 points against...

Read more | 2 Comments | Tags: Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Lakers, NBA, Orlando Magic, San Antonio Spurs

Big Win...Bigger Loss?

By Jamie Lucas | January 6, 2009 | Solid Gold

I thought I would sleep peacefully tonight. After the last two games ended in emotional fashion (a last second victory over Oklahoma City and a near collapse against New Orleans), the Nuggets doled out a lopsided 135-115 beat down on the Indiana Pacers and came away with a huge win. Unfortunately, they may have suffered a gigantic loss. Carmelo Anthony had a big night, scoring 21 points and adding 6 rebounds and a season high 9 assists, but it may be his last showing on the court for some time. Early in the third quarter, Melo had the ball slapped away but his hand seemed to take the brunt of the impact. He remained in the game but was in obvious pain, often grimacing and holding his hand. Melo reluctantly went to the training room halfway through the fourth quarter and never returned. While the extent of the injury...

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Carmelo Anthony, Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, J.R. Smith, NBA

Nets Again Win at Home, 98-80. 17-18

By Cliffy | January 6, 2009 | StateNets

It was not pretty, especially in the 1st half, but what's important is the Nets won this game, behind some great 2nd half play and you could just feel that they are building up some momentum at home, which is very welcome for this team. With Kevin Martin unstoppable during the 1st half, the Kings built a 57-43 half time lead and to make matters worse, Harris called it a night in fear of aggravating his still sore hamstring.Oh no right? Considering that the Nets have not won a single game without Harris and considering that this is at home, this was starting to look like another bad loss. But, it was actually the complete opposite, behind some great defense by their second unit, specifically Boone and Dooling. The Nets came back and outscored the Kings 55-35 in the 2nd half. Add to that the offensive explosion of Yi and...

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Phillip Barnett's Q&A with Tee Calee

By Zach Harper | January 6, 2009 | Talk Hoops

Posted By Talkhoops.net Senior Writer, Phillip BarnettUnlike any other genre in music, geography for hip-hop artists is just as important, if not more important, than the talent the artist possesses because of the subject matters that have become associated with rapping. Because of the come-from-nothing, drug selling, gang-banging stigma that hip-hop has unnecessarily been stuck with, it's hard to accept an emcee coming from Topeka, Kansas as opposed to someone coming from Queens, New York. In hip-hop, if you're not from a city with a reputation for being rough or in a major market, your chances for making a name for your self are as slim as the records your DJ spins. However, being in a small market isn't stopping Tee Calee (pronounced T-Cali), a rapper located in Tulare, California (hence the name Tee Calee), whose passion for hip-hop will, he hopes, be more than enough to compensate for being...

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NBA Power Rankings: New Year, New Number One

By Joe Boikess | January 6, 2009 | MVN Outsider

Dwight Howard - Keith Allison/Flickr.com

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NBA Stock Market: Stuckey Has Pistons Pushing Forward

By Joe Boikess | January 5, 2009 | MVN Outsider

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

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

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

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

By Anthony Hall | January 2, 2009 | MVN Outsider

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

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NBA Power Rankings: East on Top

By Joe Boikess | December 23, 2008 | MVN Outsider

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

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

NBA Stock Market: Rondo Keeping Celtics on Record Pace

By Joe Boikess | December 22, 2008 | MVN Outsider

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

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

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

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

By Amar Panchmatia | December 19, 2008 | MVN Outsider

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

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

NBA Stock Market: CP3 steals way into record books

By Joe Boikess | December 18, 2008 | MVN Outsider

Chris Paul shoots over Leon Powe of the Celtics (Photo via flickr.com/Eric Kilby)

With everything that happened during yesterday's busy night in the NBA, there's a lot to get to, so I'll just get right to it: here's the league's big movers and shakers.Rising:New Orleans Hornets - Not only did the Hornets mount an impressive comeback win over the Spurs last night (their tenth win in the last 12 games, putting them in first place in their division), but they also got to see some history. During the second quarter, Chris Paul stole an intended pass from Tony Parker, establishing CP3 as the NBA record-holder for most consecutive games with a steal (106).Paul broke a record that stood since 1986, and by the time the streak ends it's likely that it won't be broken for many more decades. The next longest streak by an active player is 22, by Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo. With apologies to Parker, Nash and D-Will, all excellent...

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Chris Paul, Detroit Pistons, Los Angeles Clippers, Milwaukee Bucks, Minnesota Timberwolves, NBA, NBA Outsider, New Orleans Hornets, Rasheed Wallace, San Antonio Spurs

Why Paul Millsap Should Make the Utah Jazz Forget About Carlos Boozer

By Amar Panchmatia | December 16, 2008 | MVN Outsider

The Utah Jazz have a problem. Oh, it's a good problem, to be true. The Jazz are 15-11, playing great basketball under a coach who has been with them since before a lot of this year's rookies around the league were born, and are fighting for their third consecutive Northwest Division crown.Not only that, but Jerry Sloan's group is remaining amongst the league's elite despite being banged up more than any other team in the league. The Jazz started the season without point guard Deron Williams, who was fresh off of winning a gold medal with Team USA in the summer. They went a stretch of games without Williams and former All-Stars Andrei Kirilenko and Mehmet Okur. By the time those guys returned to the lineup, Sloan's crew was missing two-time All-Star Carlos Boozer from its starting lineup. That Boozer injury, however, may have been a blessing in disguise...

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Andrei Kirilenko, Carlos Boozer, Cleveland Cavaliers, Deron Williams, Jerry Sloan, Mehmet Okur, NBA Outsider, Paul Millsap, Utah Jazz

Eight-Second Violation: Monday, January 5, 2009

By Zach Harper | January 5, 2009

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

3 recommendations | Discuss

Ilgauskas Out For a Month; Cavs Cruise Past Bulls, 117-92

By Amar Panchmatia | January 3, 2009

Highlights ll BoxIf the Cavs thought that ending 2008 with a 104-95 loss at Miami was a setback, then they had to brace themselves for the news that awaited them on Friday.No, it wasn't the Chicago Bulls, all 14-18 of them. It was the news that center Zydrunas Ilgauskas -- who is already on pace for an All-Star season -- will miss up to a month of action with a fractured bone in his left...

2 recommendations | 11 Comments

NBA Stock Market: Stuckey Has Pistons Pushing Forward

By Joe Boikess | January 5, 2009

2 recommendations | Discuss

Project Spurs Silver Dancer of The Month -- Stephanie

By Jeff | January 6, 2009

We're kicking 2009 off right with our Silver Dancer of the Month. Here's some info on Stephanie from spurs.com.Hometown: Copperas Cove, TXPets: A puppy named CashFavorite TV Show: Run's House, CSIFavorite Movie: Love & Basketball, The NotebookFavorite Meal: Mom's SpaghettiFavorite Color: Bright PinkBefore becoming part of the Silver Stars, Stephanie was on the Austin Toros dance team, the Capital City Dancers. Email Jeff to suggest next month's Silver Dancer and make sure to also check out last month's Silver Dancer of the...

2 recommendations | Discuss

Marbury Potential Is Hard for People to Give Up On

By Zach Harper | January 6, 2009

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

2 recommendations | 5 Comments

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