Before enjoying myself with that trio of Disney animated awesomeness, I and millions of others had to sit in a classroom for six to seven hours a day learning about things that I either a) had no interest in or b) was too young to realize that some of this stuff would actually be used in real-life situations.  To this day, I debate why I learned about the Civil War at the tender 4th grade age.

The NBA Playoff landscape is a lot like your average elementary school classroom setting.  There are the ones who are excelling.  There’s the ones who make their parents proud with solid B’s and C’s, the ones who show promise and those unfortunate souls who just never seem to have anything but F on their test papers and quizzes.

Failing: Atlanta Hawks, New Orleans Hornets

With all due respect to the Hawks – and I’m not really giving that much at all to be honest – I’m not buying you as a legitimate contender, ever.  It’s not happening, so don’t twist my arm.  In the last two years, you’ve needed seven games to defeat your first round opponents (Miami in ’09 and Milwaukee last year) only to get swept and obliterated by the more elite teams of the Eastern Conference.  (Cleveland swept in ’09, and Orlando destroyed Atlanta last year).

Dear Atlanta.. Giving Joe Johnson a max contract makes me feel that you don't want to be good.

How did you decide to change my mind?  By giving Joe Johnson a max contract.  Okay, I’m done with you, Atlanta.  You had your chance.  That package of Kool-Aid ain’t going in my shopping cart.  When you give a guy like Johnson (12 ppg in that Magic series last year) a max contract, it makes me second guess how the team is being run because the inmates are clearly running the asylum.

Right now, you draw Orlando in the first round, and (as scary as this sounds) Dwight Howard is better than he was last year, and the Magic are better as a team.  In that series, you were outscored 429-328 in that epic laugher of a series, and there’s a good chance that margin could be a little wider.

Now, New Orleans is failing in my book not because of stupidity in player management, but because of bad luck – injuries specifically.  Can we all just accept the fact that Chris Paul is not nearly what he used to be?  Ever since Paul’s meniscus injury last year, he’s been sporting a knee brace that is reminiscent of the one used by Stone Cold Steve Austin.  There’s no question he can still get points on the scoreboard at will, but we’ve been seeing a lot less of those electric drives he was doing earlier in his career.

That wouldn’t be a problem if David West was completely healthy, but Mr. West went down with a torn ACL and is likely done for the year.  The Hornets just don’t have enough to even get out of the first round.  It would be great if Paul stayed in New Orleans and didn’t flirt with going to New York, but the superteam is the nature of the beast these days, and it’s a shame because New Orleans could be good in another year or so if the face of the franchise sticks around.

Needs Improvement: Indana Pacers, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, Memphis Grizzlies

Alright, let me get my homerism out of the way.  I like what the Sixers have done this year.  What they’ve done was totally unexpected, and my head has been exploding since they hit the .500 mark.  With that said, it’s with great fear in my heart that I say the Sixers could do something in round one because I’m almost positive I’ve just jinxed them.

If they play Boston, it’s a done deal.  Boston wins that series, but if Miami slips to the #3 seed, though, I could talk myself into a “Sixers in 7” pick.  The Sixers are young and inexperienced, but they are one thing that Miami is not – DEEP!  Lou Williams and Thaddeus Young have been sensational in their roles off the bench.  However, the first part of that last sentence is what concerns me.  I just don’t think these Sixers are ready to make a huge impact right now.  The 12-point win in Chicago two weeks ago gives me hope for the future, but I’m not getting too hyped up just yet.

Now that that’s out of the way, we’ll go to the Knicks because they’re the easiest to explain.  They’re not going anywhere for several reasons – the first of which being a lack of depth.  I guess no one in New York was paying attention when I said that Miami would struggle because they’re sending out F-league players when the starters need a breather.  New York sent a whole cast of role players to Denver in the ‘Melo trade, and they’re living with their grade – much like the kids that skated by in school by copying the test of their other C+ average friends.  Yeah, you’ll pass the class, but your parents aren’t putting the “My kid is an honor student at random elementary school X” bumper sticker on the car.

The Knicks will be good with 'Melo in the future, but they're not quite ready yet. Defense wins championships, guys. Just sayin'.

If the Knicks played any kind of defense at all, I might be frisky enough to take them for one round, but they’re matched up against Miami.  The way New York plays defense, the Heat might just win the series and put up 140 points per night.  Of course, the Knicks are capable of putting up 141 points.  That was until the NBA figured out that the Knicks are incredibly predictable on offense (essentially ‘Melo or Stoudemire gets the ball in a one-on-one situation – something I will address when talking about another team).

I can’t say the Knicks are failing quite yet because they still have Anthony and Stoudemire, but let’s just say there’s a note on their report card in red marker with the message “parent/teacher conference requested”.

Indiana and Memphis – the two #8 seeds – are in summer school right now.  They have some good players that are producing some good grades, but there’s just not enough there, yet.  Memphis, unfortunately, lost Rudy Gay for the year with a shoulder injury, and there’s virtually no way the Grizzlies are going to win so much as a game against San Antonio (or the steadily creeping Lakers).  I’m not entirely sure what the hell happened to O.J. Mayo between last year and this year, but Memphis needs its sweet condiment to go on its potential playoff sandwich.  (Yes, I know that joke has been made a thousand times, but I’m doing it again!)

Indiana intrigues me not because of who they are, but because of who they could be.  With Granger, Collison and Hibbert, the Pacers have a nice little nucleus to build around.  Can you imagine if this team had an actual 2-guard (like O.J. Mayo if Pacers management understood the concept of a deadline)?  Honestly, if no one was fired after that, I’d be disappointed if I were a Pacers fan.

Solid Students: Orlando Magic, Oklahoma City Thunder, Portland Trailblazers, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets

I could have easily put Orlando in the honors class with the rest of the sheer contenders of this playoff crop.  I love Dwight Howard’s progression to a more offensive threat averaging a career high 23.2 points per game and developing at least some kind of post game.  I love the fact that they realized Vince Carter does not equal NBA Championship and letting Hedo Turkoglu walk was a brazen mistake.  I love the additions of Jason Richardson (38% from three) and Gilbert Arenas (no, I really do love this addition), and I love the emergence of J.J. Redick (10 ppg, 40% from three).

There in lies my problem with Orlando.  Is this team going to be operating on all cylinders come playoff time?  I’m not worried about the Atlanta Hawks beating Orlando because it’s not going to happen.  I am, however, concerned about teams like Chicago and Boston who are well equipped to handle Orlando’s perimeter shooters.  This team revolves around Howard in more ways than one.  Orlando’s offense is predicated on Howard’s ability to get the ball to open shooters when he gets a double or triple team.  When they’re playing teams like the Bulls and Celtics – who play amazing team defense – those open looks may not be there.  Unless Arenas can remember how to get to the lane off the dribble, Superman may have a problem.

Kevin. Buddy, I love 'ya, but you guys need just one more year to reach the honors track.

Unlike Oklahoma City who may have solved their problem – interior presence.  They got that in the trade that brought Kendrick Perkins to Kevin Durant’s backyard.  Since the trade, Scott Brooks has been cautious with Perk’s minutes, and as a result, he should be ready to be what Oklahoma City brought him in to be – despite common perception.

With Perkins, the Thunder are rolling out a pretty formidable starting five of Big Perk, Ibaka, Durant, Harden and Westbrook, and it’s hard to find a weak spot in their offense.  If you shade defensively to stop Durant, Westbrook can go off for 30 points and vice versa if you’re crazy enough to shade defensively away from Durant.  That line is capable of representing the West in the NBA Finals, and no one should be surprised if it happens.

No one should be surprised if Oklahoma City falls just short (Western Finals loser) because they’re still babies to this whole thing.  If you’re looking at the NBA Playoffs like a Thanksgiving dinner situation, the Thunder aren’t quite sitting at the adult table just yet.

Dallas is the one team in this group that would surprise me the most if they made it to the NBA Finals.  Not because they aren’t good, but because they haven’t done much in the post season since their previous Finals appearance in 2005.  The year after that was the memorable 4-2 series loss to Golden State, and the Mavericks haven’t been the same since.

For that reason, I could have put them in the “needs improvement” category of playoff students, but if you have Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry on your team,  I can’t really count them out too far – as in they could win a first round series.  I was a big fan of the Tyson Chandler move in the offseason, and that is paying pretty good dividends as Chandler is the young(er) athletic, defensive center that Dallas needed to get rebounds and block shots.  If I had any faith in Shawn Merion and Jason Kidd, then I’d pick Dallas as a dark horse, but I haven’t had faith in those guys in several years.

I do, however, have no problem at all picking Portland or Denver as a dark horse to win the west.  Who do I like more between the two? (dramatic pause).  Denver.  Right now, Denver is the #5 seed and their first round matchup is Oklahoma City.  First of all, let me say that I would watch EVERY GAME OF THAT SERIES because it would be so fast paced and so epic on so many levels.

Ahh, Danilo. I love this little nugget, but this team is strictly playing with house money in the BIGGEST way.

Here’s something you need to consider when talking about the Nuggets.  With Carmelo Anthony, they scored over 106 ppg, but their defense was suspect.  Without Anthony, they still score in the 104-107 range, but allow less points.  Since the trade, Denver has held 11 opponents to under 100 points.  That may or may not sound impressive to you, but when you consider the Rich Creamies were allowing over 100 habitually, that makes them a little bit more of a frisky pick.

They’re fast enough to run with Oklahoma City and faster than the ho-hum San Antonio Spurs.  Facing the Lakers could be a problem because Denver doesn’t have the size and would get pummeled in a seven game series vs. Los Angeles.

Equally frisky in the West is Portland.  Of all the trades made at the deadline, I was giddy about the Gerald Wallace to Portland trade more than any others.  When they made that deal, I became the parent that screams “that’s my baby” when my kid brings home their first “A” on a paper.  You have to measure every team against the Lakers (because they’re my pick to win the West).

Does Portland have the size to deal with Bynum/Gasol?  With Camby and Aldridge, yes.  Can Portland throw two or three guys at Kobe Bryant defensively?  Wallace, Matthews.  Yes.  Does Portland have enough offensively to upset the Lakers four times out of seven?  Eh, maybe.  All-star guard Brandon Roy isn’t starting in the offense yet (although he plays 20-25 minutes per game), and sooner or later, the Blazers are going to need his offense to make any kind of dent.

Honors Class: Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, Chicago Bulls, San Antonio Spurs, Miami Heat

And, here we are.  The cream of the crop.  The kids that sit in the front of the class that everyone hates and idolizes because their parents have a refrigerator pasted with achievements.  The only difference is that in the NBA, all of the other teams would be proud to be sitting at the head of this class.  (Unlike much of my scholastic career.  I was the jerk in the back row lobbing spitballs at the A+ kids.)

Let’s start with the Miami Heat because – in my opinion – this is the team LEAST LIKELY to win the NBA Championship.  I’ve been called a lot of things this year when I talk about the Heat – the most frequent of which is a “Heat Hater” – but I stand by my convictions when I say this team isn’t winning the NBA title … at least not this year, anyway.

LeBron took his talents to South Beach to join Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, but the same two questions create the two B grades when every other grade on the progress report is an A – the most important of which being their lack of depth that I’ve hammered home over and over and over again.  I have a hard time believing that James Jones, Mike Bibby and the decaying body of Eddy Curry (whom Miami is allegedly in the market for) are the answers for a bench comprised of players who are either old or just plain aren’t good.

There’s no denying that LeBron James has been great this season (27 ppg, 7 rpg, 7 apg), and Dwyane Wade has been equally incredible (25 ppg, 7 rpg, 5 apg).  With those two, Miami should have no problem keeping things interesting in a seven game series.  My concern is which Chris Bosh is going to show up come playoff time.  If the Bosh of the beginning of the season manifests in the post season (i.e. no physicality, mid-range jumpers, etc.), then Miami will be exiting early because there’s no balance.  The Heat need the most recent inception of Mr. Bosh – the window cleaning post man they’ve come to enjoy the last few weeks.  If all three of the new big three are on their game, Miami’s going to make a good run.

Up until their best big man went down with an ankle injury, I thought San Antonio was going to make a nice little run of their own surprising everyone on the way to the NBA Finals.  Oh, how an ankle injury changes my mind so quickly.

Don’t get me wrong.  Parker and Ginobili are well equipped to give the Lakers fits, and the Spurs have one of the deepest benches in the NBA to provide adequate breathers when those elder statesmen of San Antonio need a minute.  When playing Los Angeles, you need a lot more than a pair of athletic perimeter guys when the Lakers are trotting out a pair of seven footers on the starting line and another off the bench (Lamar Odom).

With a healthy Duncan, San Antonio was the only viable threat to upset the Lakers in the Western Conference because with Duncan and Blair, the Spurs could at least hang with Gasol and Bynum.  If Duncan is only 70-80% because of that tender ankle, my doubts about another surprise from the most tenured teacher with the same team in the NBA right now – Gregg Popovich – are greatly increased.

When I think of the Boston Celtics, I think of this kid named Herman Willis I knew in elementary school.  He always got good grades.  He was always #1 in the class, and just when I thought he was slipping off the ladder to the middle of the pack, he’d reinvent himself by learning fractions quicker than anyone else in the fifth grade.  (Damn, I hated that kid.)

Now that I think about it. Paul Pierce looks a lot like that kid, Herman.

The Celtics bolted out to a 32-9 record in the first half of their schedule, and those feelings of hatred surfaced because I thought to myself: “Damnit, here comes that kid Herman, again.”  Next thing you know, Boston is trading Kendrick Perkins to Oklahoma City for Jeff Green – a trade that I actually thought was a great move despite Celtics fans worry about not having a healthy big man.

Just when I thought that Boston was going to slip and fall to the “solid student” category, they figured this thing out with the new additions and the hope that Shaquille O’Neal and Jermaine O’Neal would be coming back.  Rajon Rondo has been slipping a little bit, but in the last week or so, he seems to have righted the ship a little bit.  That bodes well for guys like Paul Pierce and Ray Allen who depend on his slashing and insane passing.

Lest we forget that Boston plays the kind of team defense that can give Miami and Chicago fits (because they already have), and there’s always the factor that they’ve been to the playoffs … many times recently.  They’re equipped to adapt with Doc Rivers, so there’s no reason why they can’t just represent the East in the Finals but win the whole damn thing.

When you think about the Chicago Bulls, you can compare them to the new kid in school that just seemed to come out of nowhere and impress teachers and administrators – like the new brown noser.  Not so insult Bulls fans with that remark, but that’s how I see them.

When Tom Thibodeau and Carlos Boozer landed in the Windy City, I knew the Bulls were going to be good.  What I didn’t expect is for them to challenge for the best record in the Eastern Conference – at least not this quickly.  Thibodeau was the perfect pick to be the new Bulls head coach after Vinny del Negro took the Bulls three steps back after taking one step forward.  Thibodeau’s Bulls are tops in the league in just about every defensive category, and their record is a direct result.

That and the fact that they have Carlos Boozer to team with All-Star point guard and MVP candidate Derrick Rose.  As I stated in a previous column, Rose is the choice for MVP.  There’s no one else that should get it, and I’ll take that statement to the bank and deposit it right now.  What Derrick Rose is doing with his point scoring (25 ppg) and his assists (8 apg) is impressive, but what makes Rose that much more special is his leadership.

Rose has been willing the Bulls to victories time and time again this season.  The Bulls started the season without Boozer, and Chicago still started strong.  When Boozer came back, the Bulls were grooving, and then Joakim Noah went down.  Rose made sure that Chicago didn’t miss a beat, though.

Now, the Bulls are completely healthy and well prepared to take on the elite teams of the Eastern Conference (Boston, Miami, etc.) as well as be a championship contender when they meet Los Angeles in the NBA Finals.

And yes, I say with full conviction that the Los Angeles Lakers will win the Western Conference.  San Antonio’s best big man is limping around right now and may not be 100% come playoff time.  Oklahoma City – everyone’s darling – needs one more year before they’re ready for the big time, and no one else is really worth mentioning.

If I see Kobe with this face and I'm on the other team, I'm just walking away because I'm not getting embarrassed.

Forget about the fact that the Lakers have the most awe-inspiring front line in the NBA because that point has been exhausted to death.  Can we just focus on Kobe Bryant for a little bit because he’s just as important to this team as the twin towers?  In that marathon game against the Phoenix Suns a few weeks ago, I saw something on Kobe that should make everyone else crap their pants: the famous Kobe growl/snarl face.

Kobe is in playoff mode already, and there’s still a few games left in the regular season before the NBA’s second season starts.  Giving Kobe that added time to activate Beast Mode when the Lakers are already the hottest team in the NBA – 17-3 since the All-Star break – is just unfair.  That’s essentially the equivalent of giving the smartest kid in the class a cheat sheet for the final exam and letting him use it on the day of the test.

Of all the teams in the playoff classroom, the Lakers are the ones with the best shot at getting the highest grade in the class and earning the Larry O’Brien certificate of excellence because the best player in the game is peaking at the right time which only makes his team that much better.  Throw in the twin towers and Phil Jackson, and I can’t pick against them.

There are teams that are going to do well this playoff season, some that need a little extra time in the library studying and that unfortunate pair that just can’t seem to keep the red marks off the test papers.  In the end, it’s much like school where we want to excel as much as possible.

The Denver Nuggets continue to succeed in the new chapter of their franchise -- A.C. (After Carmelo)

I knew it.  The fans knew it.  The American people knew it.  Carmelo Anthony wanted out of Denver.  You can speculate on why all you want (i.e. ‘Melo’s desire to play in New York or his wife LaLa Vazquez’s desire to make it in mainstream media in New York), but the writing on the wall that the number 15 on a Nuggets jersey wouldn’t belong to Carmelo by the end of the 2011 calendar year.

Fast forward to February 22, 2011, and the elephant in the room was finally brought up and dealt with when Anthony was shipped to the New York Knicks – the team of his youth – for a bevy of players and picks.  Fans at the Pepsi Center were glad that the Carmelo Anthony soap opera was over and they could begin the healing process after being tortured through a process just as painful as peeling the scab off your arm.

What they didn’t expect is for this team … to actually play better!

Who knew that without their superstar, the Denver Nuggets would actually be more fun to watch and on some level more competitive?  (I won’t brag, but I’m proud to say that I called it.)

There is some credit that you have to dish out, and it starts from the top down in the Nuggets organization.  For starters, you have to give props to Denver GM Masai Ujiri.  The Nigerian-born Ujiri went out and got the maximum possible for Carmelo Anthony since he wanted New York – despite his teasing that he wanted to stay.  The deal from the Knicks wasn’t the Devin Harris/Derrick Favors/2012 First Round pick from the New Jersey Nets, but what he got was pretty damn good.

Of the pieces Denver got from NY, Wilson Chandler has a chance to be the next big thing for the Nuggets.

In exchange for Anthony, Chauncey Billups (who wanted NO PART of the deal) and random players X,Y and Z, Ujiri received Raymond Felton (a top-15 point guard), Wilson Chandler (a budding young scorer), Danilo Gallinari (think Italian Dirk Nowitzki, but without the rebounding ability) and Timofey Mozgov (a young Russian seven footer).  The Nuggets got draft picks as well, but they’re mostly throw away picks that may not result in anything – unless the Knicks have a completely awful 2013 season.

When you watch this team play, they’re playing with a lot more focus and having a hell of a lot more fun – which is a byproduct of a 230 pound weight named Carmelo Anthony being lifted off their shoulders.  You have to love watching a team like the Denver Nuggets now because they score the most points in the league (107.6), and the way they play has the look and feel of an AND 1 Mixtape video.

You never know who’s going to go off on any given night.  That’s why I love this team.  They’re pretty multi-functional.  One night, Wilson Chandler can score 30 points.  The next night, Gallinari knocks down six or seven three pointers.  The night after that, you get Nene Hilario throwing down dunks en route to a 30/10 game.  The Nuggets are just so unpredictable, now.  They’ve evolved past get the ball into Carmelo, let him isolate and hope that he’s on that night – something that the New York Knicks are finding out is way too predictable.

Denver’s backcourt is extra special because while most teams struggle to have one point guard to run their offense, the Nuggets have two very serviceable ones, and they’re YOUNG boys and girls.  Ty Lawson is 23, and newly acquired Raymond Felton is 26.  Both point guards run the floor very well and spread the ball very efficiently.  Lawson currently starts with Felton coming off the bench, and the system seems to be working.  Of course, if there’s a team in the offseason starving for point guard help (Miami Heat), Felton could easily be dealt as he does have value in this league.

Ujiri deserves some of the credit for Denver’s rebirth post-Carmelo.  The players deserve some of the credit, as well, but the vast majority of credit has to go to head coach George Karl – the Franklin Delano Roosevelt of NBA coaches.  When Karl was diagnosed with neck and throat cancer, there was doubt as to whether or not he would be able to coach again.

George Karl continues to be the sturdy rock for this young, very talented team.

Those doubts have been cleared as Karl has coached every Denver Nuggets game this season, which is incredible when you think about it.  Here’s a guy diagnosed with cancer but being the rock for these young multi-millionaires who play hard for him every night – mainly because they can’t really complain when something goes wrong.  If your coach is a cancer survivor, there’s almost no excuse you can give for not playing hard for him.

The Nuggets are playing hard, and the results speak for themselves.  Despite not having a superstar, Denver continues to light up the scoreboard and rack up wins – the most impressive of which recently being the 115-112 victory over San Antonio on Wednesday.  Since the Carmelo trade the Nuggets are 11-4 and have gone from seventh in the Western Conference to fifth.

In a little over a week, we’ll see just how good Denver is when they face the Lakers, Dallas and Oklahoma City twice in the span of seven days.  It should be a good barometer about this team on their playoff run now as well as their future potential.

You should be.  The Miami Heat (pause for applause mixed in with hissing) have been a colorful storyline for the entire season.  The Boston Celtics started off hot and stayed consistent despite trading away Kendrick Perkins and adding Jeff Green.  Lest we forget the Chicago Bulls who are using their NBA MVP candidate Derrick Rose to reach a plateau they haven’t touched since the Jordan era.

Oh yeah, the San Antonio Spurs and their “ho hum” brand of basketball are 57-13 with the best record in basketball.  Raise your hand if you saw that one coming.  (Put your hand down, Popovich.)

Los Lakers are the hottest team in basketball, and that's trouble for everyone else.

Despite what’s going on today, March 24, 2011, have we forgotten that the Los Angeles Lakers have rattled off one hell of a run since the NBA All-Star break?  You always hear about those teams that are able to turn it on for the playoff stretch or the ones that get their second wind with about a month left in the season (see Celtics, Boston 2010).

The Lakers are in that position that should scare the living hell out of every other team in the NBA – not just the Western Conference.  People are talking about the Bulls and Heat and Spurs and Magic et al, but could the defending NBA Champion Los Angeles Lakers … be flying under the radar with the playoffs merely a month away?

Kobe Bryant & Co. remind me a lot of the kid on your block that would hide behind a building or a car for the sole purpose of jumping out and scaring the absolute bejesus out of you when you least expect it – something I fell for too damn much as a kid.

Before the All-Star break, the Lakers (then 38-19) lost three in a row including an unexpected 104-99 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.  As soon as that game was over, I began to wonder what player Mitch Kupchak was going to target to give L.A. a boost (see Gasol, Pau 2008).  To be honest, I thought G/F Ron Artest was gone.  No rhyme.  No reason.  Just gone.  I don’t know why Artest’s name was the first one I thought of, but let’s face it … everyone was, anyway.

You have to give credit to the Lakers for sticking to their guns.  (Dear God, did I really just type that?) Yes, you do, and I have to swallow my pride along with humble pie and crow.  Los Angeles opened the second half of the season with a win against Atlanta – granted, not that impressive because Atlanta’s terrible despite their record.  Five days later, the Lakers got a pretty significant win over Oklahoma City on the road (90-87) followed by a VERY impressive 99-83 win on the road in San Antonio.

Uh oh. Kobe has the playoff snarl going already, folks.

Los Angeles is 13-1 since the All-Star break with those two wins along with other statement wins over Dallas, Orlando and a rising Portland squad.  Their one loss was to the Miami Heat, but that was a game that Miami had to have because of their mediocrity vs. the top teams in the league.  I’m not saying I give the Lakers a pass on that loss, but it’s not necessarily a glaring dark spot, either.

Tuesday night, the Lakers played an incredible triple overtime thriller against the Phoenix Suns – which I enjoy because there’s nothing better than free basketball.  During the overtime periods, I was waiting for Los Angeles to get gassed, take the loss and come back strong the next game.  Of course that would have been disconcerting when you consider the Lakers were up by as many as 21 late in the third quarter.  Phoenix cut the lead to 11 to start the fourth, and fought all the way back to force overtime – or “Kobe-Time” as it became last night.  Kobe finished with 42 points, 12 rebounds and 9 assists, Artest finished with 18 (5 in the third overtime) and Lamar Odom had a season high 26 points.

What wasn’t scary to me wasn’t the fact that the Lakers closed out the Suns.  What was scary was the amount of fire and determination Los Angeles had in a simple regular season game with 11 games left.  Was the training staff handing out fresh legs after every overtime period?  Did the waterboy hand out Gatorade spiked with Red Bull?  When I thought the Lakers were going to gas, there was Kobe knocking down the Mortal Kombat finishing maneuver driving jumper over Channing Frye – followed of course by MVP chants while Kobe pounds his chest in triumph.

If Artest is loved, then this team could be gelling at the right time.

With 11 games to go, the Lakers have three big matchups, but they’re all at Staples Center (3/31 vs. Dallas, 4/10 vs. Oklahoma City and 4/12 vs. San Antonio).  Outside of those matchups, the rest of the schedule is fairly simple, and there’s a good possibility that Los Angeles could be 24-1 going into the playoffs.  If so, we should all just apologize to the citizens of New Orleans for the bloodletting that’s going to take place in the first round of the NBA Playoffs – unless the Lakers catch San Antonio in the standings … our bad, Memphis/Houston.

I feel bad for the San Antonio Spurs and their NBA best record.

I feel bad for the Chicago Bulls and Derrick Rose who have been as electrifying as any team in this year.

I feel bad for Oklahoma City because they finally have the missing piece and are SO close.

Right now, the Los Angeles Lakers are the Hansel of the NBA right now.  They’re so hot that it’s staggering.  Too often, it’s the hot team (not necessarily the best team) that takes home the Larry O’Brien trophy.

Valuable.

Player.

Chicago Bulls G Derrick Rose will likely get the NBA's Most Valuable Player award ... and with good reason.

When you put those three words together into an award that NBA players strive to get every year, the one word that gets too commonly misinterpreted is “valuable”.  Sometimes, the award goes to the best player on the best team in the league – completely justifiable in many cases (see any of the five MVP trophies Michael Jordan won).

Sometimes, the award goes to the best player on one particular team (not necessarily of the league) – see James, Lebron (2009) and Garnett, Kevin (2004).  Can you accept it as a fan?  Maybe.  Is it justifiable?  Not always.

This year, the MVP award will most likely go to Derrick Rose which applies to both prior reasons for winning an MVP award.  No matter why Rose gets the NBA’s Most Valuable Player Award, the 22-year-old point guard from the South Side of Chicago deserves it more than any other player in the league.  If Michael Jordan, Doc Rivers AND Phil Jackson all believe that, then it’s good enough for me.

Derrick Rose’s 2010 has been beyond spectacular.  Looking across all of Rose’s numbers, you’ll find career highs in points (24.9 – leads all point guards), assists (7.8 – top 10 in the NBA) and rebounds (4.3 – second to Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook & the Mavericks’ Jason Kidd).  The one number that stands out is Rose’s improved three point shooting – which currently stands at 33%.  Rose was always the kind of player that has no problem getting to the hole off the dribble, but his shooting HAD BEEN a liability.  I say had been because he is simply deadly if he has an open look – not Michael Jordan deadly, but give the kid a few more seasons.

In the “Off-season of LeBron”, the Bulls decided to spend their max money on F Carlos Boozer, and with Boozer and Noah, Rose and the Bulls had a dominant inside game to go with a rising backcourt star.  Of course, Boozer and Noah started the season injured, but the Bulls didn’t miss a beat because of Rose’s increasing skills.

Boozer missed the entire first month of the season, and Derrick Rose averaged 24.8 in the month of November with 6 games of 30+.  Joakim Noah went down on December 18-th and Rose became the thorn in everyone’s sides, again – averaging 24.0 and keying big wins against Boston, Miami and Orlando in that stretch.

Some, like Yahoo! Contributor Daniel Barber, point to Derrick Rose’s low Player Efficiency Rating (PER) of 23.01 and invalidate him as an NBA Most Valuable Player candidate.  To him and people with that opinion, I can only say how amazingly uneducated that argument is.  Look past the stats and see what Rose does with his team.

Rose’s main competition will likely come from Lebron James and the Miami Heat – which is about as lopsided of a matchup as Matt Damon’s first encounter with Teddy KGB in “Rounders”.  I can’t brush aside Lebron’s performance this year (26 pts, 7 rebs, 7 asts.), but I can say with complete conviction that Lebron shouldn’t get the Maurice Podoloff Trophy.  Why?  Because he plays with Dwyane Wade AND Chris Bosh – two other top-20 NBA superstars.  If you take Lebron James away from Miami, how bad would the Heat be?  Compare that to what would happen if Derrick Rose weren’t playing with the Bulls.  There’s no contest.  Here’s another important stat to point out (that constantly gets hammered home):

• Derrick Rose’s Bulls: 23-12 vs. teams over .500
• Lebron James Heat: 20-20 (including three losses to both Chicago AND Boston)

James can’t be the NBA MVP without beating Rose and the Bulls at least once.  James can’t be the MVP when his team is 2-8 in games decided by 3 points or less (the kind of games that an MVP wills his team to win).  Let’s not forget that James can’t be the MVP when you consider Rose’s Bulls have a better record than the Miami Heat.

No matter how good LeBron has been this year, he'll be looking up in the MVP standings at Mr. Rose.

Take the last five minutes of the Bulls 87-86 win against Miami two weeks ago.  When Derrick Rose scored six of Chicago’s final 11 points of that game, who came up the big hero of the game for Miami?  Mario Chalmers.  Granted, James had the assist on Chalmers’ points, but in the final five minutes of the game, should your MVP candidate be handing off to a player who was anointed the same position that Rajon Rondo did when the Big Three was assembled in Boston and failed miserably?

In all of Miami’s losses of three points or less, James is 1-7 from the field (including a highly contested lay-up in the aforementioned loss).  This year, Rose has just been a much more clutch player than James, and that makes him a more valid choice than Lebron.

I can go on and on as to why Lebron can’t be the MVP, but why gloat when I’ve already made my point.  At the end of the season, no matter what beach a certain player took his talents to in the offseason, Lebron’s name on the NBA Most Valuable Player trophy would be a name that’s not sweeter than Derrick Rose – the most deserving name.

This Sixers team has been fun to watch this season, and their success is unexpected but welcomed.

It happened during the NFL season when the Philadelphia Eagles somehow caught lightning in a bottle with this quarterback who wears number 7.  His name escapes me at the moment (sarcasm implied, here).  Of course, that ended abruptly when the soon to be Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers won at Lincoln Financial.

After a wonderful playoff run that ended with Ryan Howard looking at a Brian Wilson fastball (oye!), the Phillies answered by signing pitcher Cliff Lee creating the greatest assemblance of starting pitching ever forged.  Naturally, that happiness has been transformed into the sadness and panic that is the right knee injury to second baseman Chase Utley (Eff Word!).

If you’re following me on Twitter these days, you’ll notice that I have caught quite the case of Sixers fever.  I have a full on Sixers background, and “Big Shot” is my avatar – because I refuse to recognize “Hip Hop” for my own personal reasons.  With the season the Sixers had last year, an unproven Evan Turner and new coach Doug Collins, I was completely prepared for a throwaway season (25-30 wins total).

Fast forward to March 16, 2011 and the Sixers are 34-33 with about a month left in the season with a definite shot to make the playoffs as the seven seed.  Sometimes, I feel the need to repeat that statement simply because I still can’t believe my eyes when I look at the standings.

Dear Andre: I'm sorry for killing you in a previous column. Please accept my humble apology.

Of course, this “I love the Sixers” column comes a few months removed when I was screaming from the rooftops that the team needs to just give up on G/F Andre Iguodala.  Say what you want about him as a shooter (inconsistent, unreliable, etc.), but A.I. 2.0 is still filling up the stat sheet.  Last week, Iguadala racked up back-to-back triple double games (22-13-10 against Minnesota & 15-10-11 vs. Golden State).  How Iggy survived the onslaught of the “get him outta here” attitude to still be a top performer is staggering.  Iguodala will never be “The Guy” on a championship team.  I’ve accepted it, so I see him as just another player – albeit of the massively overpaid variety.

Equally as shocking as the number of wins in the Sixers win column is the number of games played for F Elton Brand.  This could (knock on wood) very well be (knock on wood) Elton Brand’s (knock on wood) first full season (knock on wood) as a member of the Sixers (knock on wood) injury free (knock on wood).  His 15 ppg/9 rpg average is the presence down in the blocks that Philadelphia fans hoped for when he signed in 2008.  It’s not the 24/10 he averaged in ’05-’06, but what he’s giving is more than most people expected.

When you’re in a league with Derrick Rose, Rajon Rondo, Russell Westbrook and Deron Williams, you can’t be upset if some don’t recognize you, but you do not fool me, Jrue Holiday.  I see you and your increase in points (13.8 up from 8.0), assists (up to 6.2 from 3.8) and rebounds (4.0 from 2.6) per game.  I’m not saying that Holiday is an elite point guard because he’s not, but is he above average?  Absolutely.  There are worse point guards in the NBA that coaches hand the ball to and say “run my offense”.  Larry Brown, I’m pointing at you for giving the ball to D.J. Augustin.

I don't mind not having a superteam when I've got a bench including "Sweet Lou" Williams.

This season, one superteam formed before the year began (Miami) and another is presently in the works (New York), but there’s a fundamental flaw with these teams.  Who’s coming off the bench for these two squads?  In Miami, you’ve got names like Eddie House, James Jones and Mike Bibby.  New York sends Anthony Carter, Roger Mason and Shawne Williams out on the floor.  Who wants to be the one to point out that NONE of those players average more than 10 ppg – the number you want at least ONE bench player to score?  The Sixers don’t have that problem.  When the starters need a breather, there’s some competence and skill coming on the floor.  Thaddeus Young provides a solid 13/5 off the bench with an improving emphasis on defense.  Louis Williams – the team’s best pure scorer – provides a nice 13 ppg with the ability to not only get in the lane but take a step back jump shot.  (P.S. If there’s a last shot scenario, this is who I want taking the shot.)

Number two overall pick Evan Turner is also coming off the bench after appearing very lost as a starter in the first few games of the season.  Turner was replaced by Jodie Meeks (another pleasant surprise this year) and has found a nice little groove in the 20 or so minutes he gets per game.  He’s not the lights out scorer that he was at Ohio State, but he doesn’t exactly hurt the team, either when he steps on the floor.

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE DOUGIE! Collins has gotten more than anyone thought out of this young Sixers team.

All of the success that the Sixers have had this season is directly related to head coach Doug Collins.  I’ll be the first to admit that I was a little annoyed when management decided to go with another retread coach as opposed to getting fresh blood on the bench.  I will now eat my humble pie with a side of crow because I’m all about the Dougie.

Not only has Collins replaced the complexities of the Princeton offense with a more simplified offensive strategy, but he has also instilled a sense of defensive responsibility.  This team plays hard, contests shots and can be lock down when they put their minds to it – evidenced by their 89-86 win over the Boston Celtics last week.

I like to kid around with my colleagues Dr. Sports Fan and the Jack Bauer of Sports that I honestly have no idea how to act because the Sixers are playing extremely well.  Their best advice I’ve gotten so far is just to “enjoy the ride”.  So, here I am enjoying the ride and trying to get as many Sixers fans both home in Philadelphia and across the country (all three of you).  This Sixers gravy train is going to be travelling into the month of April, and it should be fun, so get your tickets now.  You can find me in the club car having a drink.  Cheers!

(I don’t care what you Gleeks think.  Caan should have won that award for Hawaii Five-O, and I’ll take that opinion to my grave.  In fact, I might just have it put on my headstone.)

Moving on, there was some justice at the Grammys as uber-pop sensation Justin Beiber didn’t win one award the entire night — which not only made me giddy on a level that defies description, but reaffirms my faith in the higher ups in music.

With the All-Star Break this weekend, now is a good time for every sportswriter with a computer to come up with his or her own choices for mid-season awards — a concept that sometimes doesn’t make sense to me, but it’s fun for sparking debates among my TBS cohorts.

This column probably mimics the Golden Globes more than the Oscars because let’s face it.  Taking Back Sports has a mandatory three drink minimum.

Mid-Season MVP

Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls

Derrick Rose has been carrying the Bulls through injuries to Carlos Boozer & Joakim Noah.

Another one of my awards show rules of thumb applies to this.  If two guys from the same show/movie are up for the same award, they take votes from each other.  With that rule established, my vote does not go to Lebron James or Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat.

Take either one of those guys off that team, and the Heat don’t lose much of a step.  Are they the same team that’s 13 games over .500?  No, but the team is still damn impressive.

Rose has led the Bulls to a 37-16 record, ten games over .500, and he did so with power forward Carlos Boozer out for the first month of the season.  The Bulls lost center Joakim Noah in mid-December due to thumb surgery, but with the way Rose has been playing (24 ppg, 8 apg, 4 rpg), it didn’t seem to matter much.

Noah is scheduled to return to the Bulls right after the All-Star break, and Chicago is only two and a half games behind Boston and Miami for the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference.  If Rose is already playing this well now, what do you think is going to happen when he has the full cast for the first time all season?

Mid-Season Rookie of the Year

Blake Griffin, Los Angeles Clippers

Griffin leads all NBA rookies in points, rebounds and posterizations.

This is quite possibly the easiest award I’m going to hand out in this column.  Griffin leads all rookies in points per game (23) and rebounds per game (13).  He shoots 51% from the field — a probable byproduct of his being second in the league in dunks.

Griffin was the Rookie of the Year before this season even started, and he has been every bit as advertised when the Clippers made him the #1 pick last year.  A stress fracture in his left knee ended his season, and I guess Blake was a little upset about that.  Poor Danilo Gallinari.  He was just one of the many individuals who felt the stored up anger brooding inside of Mr. Griffin.

It’s too bad that the Clippers never pay for free agents or do anything that makes sense to better the team.  (Thanks, Donald Sterling.) We’ll see you as a member of the Dallas Mavericks in a few years, Blake.  Until then, enjoy your time with the NBA’s minor league team.

Mid-Season Biggest Surprise

Portland Trailblazers

Don't look so bashful, LaMarcus. Portland is playing well through injuries, and you are why.

With all do respect to my hometown Philadelphia 76ers who are 27-29 and the Memphis Grizzlies who are 31-26, my vote goes to the injury-laden Portland Trailblazers.  (If I wanted to be cheap and tacky, I’d hitch my wagon to the 46-9 San Antonio Spurs, but I’m not gonna do that.  Seriously, who saw THAT coming!)

No Greg Oden. (again)

No Marcus Camby.

No Brandon Roy.

Somehow this team is still 32-24 with the #5 seed in the west.  Those of you in the Pacific Northwest have LaMarcus Aldridge and his 22 and 9 average to thank for that.  If any other big men (or Brandon Roy for that matter) had working knees on this team, Portland could easily be top-3 in the West — because they’d have the size that the current #3, Oklahoma City, doesn’t have.

Roy was supposed to return to action yesterday against the Hornets, but Portland is being careful with him, so they’re just going to bring him back on the 23rd against the Lakers along with Camby.

At four games behind the Thunder in both the Western Conference and the Northwest Division, Portland could become pretty daunting if they’re completely healthy.  But if you know anything about the Trailblazers, that’s a big IF.

Mid-Season Biggest Disappointment

Milwaukee Bucks

I guess carrying that new contract around has hindered Salmons' numbers. Points and FG% are both down.

Last year, I absolutely fell in love with Bucks point guard Brandon Jennings.  In a league that already has Derrick Rose, Chris Paul and Rajon Rondo, Brandon Jennings was that added little cherry on a delightful piece of point guard cake.

With Jennings and Bogut, the Bucks had a solid nucleus to build around, and they did so with Corey Maggette — a move I didn’t quite understand since I don’t remember Maggette being any good anywhere he’s been in this league.  About the only thing I remember about Maggette’s gameplay is a lot of isolation and a lot of horrible shots — not a good thing when Jennings needs to be the focal point of your offense.

Unfortunately, Maggette’s tendencies continued, and his injury problems have led to the Bucks’ underwhelming record of 21-34 when they finished a surprising ten games over .500 last season and a playoff spot for the first time since the ’05-’06 season.

It also doesn’t help that John Salmons’ points are down from 20 to about 14, and his FG% is down by nearly ten percent.  Jennings’ points per game is also down.  Now I’m not saying that these are directly related to Maggette’s arrival, but I am saying that it doesn’t help his case as a piece to this puzzle.

I know there are several hundred other awards that get handed out but they seem a little pointless sometimes — especially this season.  Coach of the Year?  Gregg Popovich — Spurs are 46-9 for goodness sakes.  Sixth Man of the Year?  Glen Davis, Boston Celtics: 11 points, 5 rebounds and unbelievable energy off the bench.

Of course, we all have our own opinions, and what is that colorful saying about opinions and that little crack between a person’s butt cheeks?

If those situations happen to be good moments, then most people don’t have a problem experiencing them again.  Of course, if they are events that lead to gunfire and people dying (a la “The Matrix”), then maybe that cat walking through the hallway is something you want to avoid.

Lebron James and the Miami Heat can't seem to make new experiences vs. the Celtics.

Similarly, the Miami Heat seem to have bad cases of deja vu this season whenever they play against guys wearing green jerseys with white “Celtics” lettering on the front.  Yesterday’s 85-82 loss in Boston reminded everyone why the Celtics are simply not afraid of the “Big 2 featuring Chris Bosh”.

Not only is yesterday’s loss significant because it gives the Celtics control of the #1 seed in the east, but it makes the April 10th game in Miami a must win game for the boys in South Beach.

If you talk to my colleague, Dr. Sports Fan, he may frown at my use of the phrase “must win” because it’s one of those phrases that gets thrown around liberally to get teams to find that hidden gear… but I say, “To hell with you, DSF.  The Miami Heat MUST WIN that game.”

Why?

Think about it.  If the Heat can’t beat Boston in the regular season, there is absolutely nothing that leads me to believe that Miami can do it in a seven game series in the playoffs — when Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, et al seem to always have that fourth, fifth and sixth gear.

Confidence remains an important quality to have when entering the postseason in any sport.  Lebron James and Dwyane Wade have little to be confident about as both men were bounced by the Celtics last year when they were on separate teams in the playoffs — a trend that may continue this year playing together if the Heat can’t figure this thing out.

Watching the Heat play yesterday, it was reminiscent of any pick up basketball game I’ve ever played at the local playground.  One guy has the ball isolated at the top of the key, and the next time around someone else would have the iso play.  Essentially it’s a modified version of the Cleveland Cavaliers LeBron James offense.  Lebron gets the ball, and everyone else stands around to watch.  It’s more like an And-1 Mixtape game rather than an NBA game.

The difference in Miami is that two players take turns with this philosophy — LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.  A strategy that doesn’t work against a team like Boston that plays outstanding team defense.  Not only do the Celtics play very well against the iso, but defenders stay home on their men limiting open shots when the pass comes.

Watching the Heat play makes me want to tear my hair out sometimes because I keep yelling at the television begging Lebron or Wade to make the extra pass instead of chucking up horrible shots.  I swear if the camera panned to Spoelstra every time a bad shot went up (about 80% of the Heat’s possessions), you could probably see him on his knees in prayer hoping the ball would go through the nylon.

I hate to sound like a broken record, but I’m going to do it anyway.  Pat [Riley].  Erik [Spoelstra].  Who is the point guard of this team?  Do you realize that’s the difference between your team now and the team that owns you?

Rajon Rondo has been Boston's cool breeze when there's Heat in the arena.

When KG, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce were assembled together, there was a little guy named Rajon Rondo that no one knew about.  The big question was if Rondo was good enough to handle playing with three superstars.  Of course, we found out the answer to that question: 10.6 ppg, 5.1 apg & 4.2 rpg in the Celtics championship season of ’07-’08.

Rondo, of course, has evolved since then (even if his jump shot hasn’t), and for obvious reasons — i.e. Miami’s lack of a point guard — Mr. Rondo has been Boston’s refreshing drink of water on a hot day dealing with the Heat:

• October 26, 2010 – 4 points, 17 assists
• November 11, 2010 – 8 points, 16 assists and this dunk
• Yesterday – 11 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists

Rondo has flourished in the immense spotlight of being the engine that drives the Celtics offense, but Miami hasn’t found the same lightning in a bottle.  They tried Chalmers at the point, and that failed.  Eddie House worked about as well as a square peg in a round hole.  Most recently, Lebron has been the point-forward of the team (a la Magic), and that has worked to an extent, but if you’re the Miami Heat, wouldn’t you rather have someone else distributing?

The Heat may get past the lower echelon in the Eastern Conference in the playoffs with the style of ball they’re playing, but it’s clear that doesn’t work against the Celtics or some of the other upper tier teams in the NBA — a group where Miami has a record of 1-6.

Clearly, there is a glitch in the Miami Heat’s matrix that needs to be corrected.  If no changes are made, then it’s hard for me to believe that this team is “the one” until they utilize more of the team based basketball the Celtics deployed to win their championship in year one.

The 300+ yard long drive off the tee.

The 60+ yard forward pass.

The jump shot over 23 feet, 9 inches.

No matter the sport, there has always been the simple philosophy that chicks (and fans in general) love the long ball.  Who knows where the correlation between distance and excitement began, but no one really cares as long as athletes keep doing it.

From 1987-2005, Indiana Pacers guard Reggie Miller was the best at making it rain from three point land.  In that 18 year span, Miller was simply the best at what he did.  For his career, Miller shot 40% from three and never shot below 35% for any single season.  When he was all done, he connected on 2,560 three pointers, and there were doubts on whether or not a shooter of Miller’s caliber would ever be seen again.

Then, some guy named Ray Allen made 2,561.

Miller. Allen. Sharpshooters of two generations. Will anyone equal them?

In many ways, Miller and Allen are remarkably alike despite the two of them being about a decade apart when they were in their primes.  Both men started their paths three point dagger-ism with hefty reputations from their college days.  At UCLA, only Kareem has more points in a Bruins uniform than Miller — much of that coming from that line that happens to be 20′9″ away from the basket (NCAA distance).

Ray Allen had similar accolade at the University of Connecticut.  In three seasons at UConn, Allen’s 3pt% was never below 40%, and to this day, no one has topped Allen’s 115 three pointers he made in the ‘95-’96 season.

When Miller and Allen were drafted, they both ended up on small market NBA franchises (Miller with Indiana and Allen with Milwaukee), but they became larger-than-life household names because of the talent they had on the court with the right amount of drama off it.

Reggie Miller was always the kind of guy that knew how to stir up his rivals.  Naturally, the first name you think of when the words “Miller” and “rival” are used in the same sentence, you think of Spike Lee and/or the New York Knicks.  The Knicks and their fans hated Reggie, and (to an extent) Miller hated them.  Aside from Michael Jordan, no one player tortured Knicks fans over the span of a decade than Reggie Miller.  Speaking of Jordan, Miller also had a penchant for getting under Michael’s skin.  The usually mild-mannered Jordan actually got into a fight with Miller in 1993 after being wrapped up with him all night.

Now, Ray Allen didn’t have the kind of physical tussles that Miller had, but he has been known to mix it up with superstars verbally.  Back in the ‘04 preseason, Allen gave his opinion on a young Kobe Bryant who some hinted was trying too hard to prove that he didn’t need Shaquille O’Neal to win a championship.  Allen hinted that if the Lakers were still mediocre after a year or two, Bryant would demand a trade.  A comment to which Bryant responded with: “Don’t even put me and that dude in the same breath.”

When Reggie Miller starts his shooting motion behind the arc, three points is almost a lock.

As a fan, these kinds of memories aren’t exactly the ones you remember.  You remember the moments that make you proclaim, “Holy $%#!”.  Miller and Ray Allen were never short for those moments, and as a kid, I proudly sported an Indiana Pacers #31 jersey when everyone else was rockin’ their Jordans, Pippens, Birds or Magic jerseys.

Wearing that jersey post-1995 in New York City wasn’t exactly one of my brightest ideas.  (Ranks up there with wearing a Martin Brodeur jersey in South Philadelphia after the 1995 Eastern Conference Finals.) Over fifteen years later, you could get choice words from a New York citizen if you happen to mention Reggie Miller’s 8 points in 11 seconds in Game 1 of the ‘95 Eastern Finals.

The young NBA fan that I was at the time, I didn’t think I would see anything quite as awesome as that.  Moments like that are on that fine line of the player is either really lucky or just really good.  Luck was never a factor for Reggie Miller.  He really was just that good — especially during “Miller Time”.

Fast forward to last year’s NBA Finals where Ray Allen channeled his inner Jesus Shuttlesworth, which had only been seen in “He Got Game”.  Hitting one three pointer in an NBA Finals game is pretty standard.  Splashing 8 of his first 8 three pointers in Game 2 was legendary.  If anyone ever equals that feat, my head may explode — which makes me nervous because it’s only a matter of time before BYU guard Jimmer Fredette plays in the NBA.

There may never be another shooter quite like Reggie or Ray Allen.

When Ray Allen’s 2,561st three pointer went down in Boston last night, it was the completion of a circle of excitement.  Reggie Miller’s three point torch was passed to Allen when Miller decided to hang up his kicks.  At the time of his retirement, Allen was the most logical torch to succeed “Mr. Clutch” as many fans and sportswriters tagged Allen as the answer to the following question:

“Your life depends on one three point shot.  Who do you pick to take the shot?”

Now that Allen holds the record, there may be some debate as to who is the better pure spot up shooter between the two, but no matter who you choose, you can’t go wrong with either of them because they both got game.

Sam Bowie in 1984.

Greg Oden in 2007.

Scenes like this are too familiar for Blazers fans -- star players in suits with injuries.

It goes without saying that the Portland Trailblazers haven’t had the best luck when it comes to avoiding injuries to key players.  Of course, this year wasn’t any different as the Blazers lost Greg Oden again to microfracutre surgery on his left knee on November 17th.  At this point, I only feel worse for the Rockets Yao Ming who has similar problems staying healthy amidst his large stature.

Exactly one month later, the Blazers lost all-star guard/forward Brandon Roy to arthroscopic knee surgeries on both knees in a tragedy that only Peter Griffin can showcase accurately.

Sometimes (okay 99.9% of the time), I feel bad for Trailblazers fans.  No franchise (with the exception of the Supersonics) has caused their franchise more grief.  Some of my constituents refer to your team as the “Fail-Blazers”, but I give kudos for what’s happening at the Rose Garden these days.

Roy went down on December 17-th, and the Blazers have hiccupped a little bit, but they are 12-6 in games this year without their second leading and most dynamic scorer.  They’ve won 8 of their last ten – including their last five straight with two impressive wins over Utah in a home-and-home series.  Two weeks ago, Portland took the Miami Heat to overtime before Lebron James’ 44 point, 13 rebound game did them in.

Personally, I love it when a team doesn’t fold faster than politicians in an election year when things aren’t going their way.  Will Portland go to the NBA Finals?  Probably not, but the team is giving fans a reason to come out to 1 Center Court – which is something I can’t say for a team whose fan base is going through an ungodly 16-game losing streak.

F LaMarcus Aldridge has been carrying the Blazers of late with his 27 & 10 average over his last ten games.

There are a few reasons why Portland is persevering without their stars, and it starts with F LaMarcus Aldrige, who has been playing out of his gourd lately.  In Portland’s last ten games, he’s scored 25+ in eight of those games including 31 and 14 rebounds vs. Miami and a career-high 37 points against Minnesota on January 17th.  (Anyone else noticing a trend about the 17th with Portland?)

Aldridge’s 27/10 average in his last ten games has been opening things up for G/F Wesley Matthews – another reason for Portland’s streaking through the quad and into the gymnasium.  When Matthews was given a five-year, $34 million contract this past offseason, heads were undoubtedly scratched.  Needless to say, I guess I owe him an apology now for my participation in said head scratching.

Matthews has been worth EVERY penny of that contract this season raising his points average from 9.4 to a consistent 16.1.  As good as Aldridge has been in the paint, Matthews has been equally impressive on the perimeter – specifically beyond the arc.  Matthews’ three ball has been on target in a few games of this latest Blazers stretch: 7-10 vs. Minnesota on January 7-th, 5-10 vs. Phoenix on January 14-th, and 4-8 vs. the Clippers last Thursday.

Right now, Portland is sitting in the #8 spot – four games ahead of Memphis and trailing the Dallas Mavericks and another hot team (the New Orleans Hornets) by four games for the #4 or #5 spot in the West as well as that same amount from division leader Oklahoma City.  Brandon Roy has begun to shoot again in practice, and he wants to return to the team this season if he can.  If Roy comes back, is it too far-fetched to think the Blazers can (at the very least) get out of the first round of the playoffs if the matchup is right.

The next few days are going to be rough for the Blazers as they will get Denver, Boston – who lead the East – and San Antonio who leads the West.  If the Blazers perform moderately well in all of those games (i.e. not get blown out by 20+ points in all of them), the Rose Garden should be a happening place in the next few weeks.

On the amazing occasions where I was able to stay home from school because there’s 8-12 inches of snow on the ground, television became my friend.  I was able to watch the cartoons that I wasn’t able to watch (i.e. Transformers, G.I. Joe, Talespin, etc.).  After cartoons, there were game shows.  The mountain climbing dude from “The Price Is Right” is still in my nightmares to this day, however.

What's going on in Denver right now rivals any episode of "As the World Turns".

Once the game shows were over, mom took over the television for shows that I had no interest in — nor was I really old enough to understand: soap operas.  These were basically hour after hour of adult situations, complex scenes and B-level actors who didn’t quite make it.  When you look at what’s going on in Devner right now, there are similar elements: jilted lovers and the guys who don’t seem to care they’re hurting the ones they love.

Pretty much since the beginning of last summer, the clock was ticking on Carmelo Anthony’s time in a Denver Nuggets jersey.  All the while, the Nuggets continue to have a season NOT consumed in drama.

You have to admire what Denver’s front office is doing.  Nuggets president Josh Kroenke and executive vice president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri are doing absolutely everything they can to not get stuck in the same situation Lebron James left the Cavs in when he jumped ship.

The best deal constructed in an Anthony trade has him going to New Jersey along with Chauncy Billups for Derrick Favors, Devin Harris, Anthony Morrow, two first-round draft picks, more salary cap relief, and a partridge in a pear tree.  (I choose not to explain the Detroit Pistons portion of that deal because they’re getting epically jobbed in that deal if you ask me).

Nuggets fans should be pleased with Exec VP Josh Kroenke. It's not his fault Anthony is wavering on New Jersey.

Anthony has told news reporters that he doesn’t want to leave Denver the same way Lebron did.  If that were true, Carmelo, you would have sprinted to that deal faster than the Road Runner since it works very well for both parties.  You get to play in Brooklyn in two years (Hey, it is TECHNICALLY New York), and the Nuggets have a talented, young nucleus to build around.

Fans are appreciative of the hard work Kroenke and Ujiri are doing as their first responsibility is to them – not a petulant superstar reminiscent of those bratty teenagers from 4 out of 5 episodes of the Maury Povich show (something that makes Anthony look much worse in the court of public opinion).

The Nuggets tried to get Anthony to his ‘dream situation’ in Madison Square Garden, but the Knicks are making that increasingly difficult as they are unwilling to give up some of the assets necessary.  Which leads me to my next point…

“Playing in New York is my ultimate dream.”

If I’m the general manager of the New York Knicks and I hear that from Carmelo Anthony, I would have sent 300 emails, 500 text messages and 275 Facebook messages to Denver Nuggets personnel within the first 20 minutes of hearing that.  Why the Knicks are doing nothing is both understandable and (to be honest) stupid at the same time.

New York has the pieces to make a ‘Melo deal happen (i.e. Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari, Landry Fields), but they’re hesitant to pull the trigger.  Why?  If you’re the New York Knicks, what part of the brain is being used when you say to your fans: “You know.  We could have Carmelo Anthony, but we’re gonna stick with Chandler, Gallinari and our core.”

NO!  You say, “Alright, here’s Chandler, Gallinari and Eddy Curry’s expiring contract.”  Shake hands.  Done.

Listen New York. Wilson Chandler is good, but if you can get 'Melo for him... TRADE HIM!

As young and talented as those guys are, neither is Carmelo Anthony.  Even if you put all three of those guys together, they still wouldn’t be Carmelo Anthony.  How haven’t there been mass riots at the Garden on a nightly basis?

The Knicks appear completely content with hoping that Carmelo doesn’t get traded to New Jersey before next year’s free agent period so they can offer him the world straight up without losing anything.  Here’s the problem: if Carmelo accepts a deal to the Nets, then your whole philosophy makes you look as if Isaiah Thomas was running the show again.

Let’s say the inevitable happens and the Nuggets are either forced to A) take what they can get for Carmelo or B) just let him go.  If option B is the choice, then Denver’s front office really can’t be blamed for what happened.  Denver had multiple deals in place at least try to make Anthony happy while getting something in return.

If that happens, Carmelo joins Lebron in the “which NBA player is despised more” argument, and Denver becomes the next team to go through what I refer to as a “Period of Suck”.  Just about every franchise in the history of the NBA has had a period where they just aren’t good for a while – or in the Los Angeles Clippers’ case … pretty much ever.

Not every team can be as successful as the Celtics, Lakers, Spurs or Bulls, and even the Bulls had that post-Jordan/pre-Derrick Rose Period of Suck.  In the case of the Nuggets, they at least have the favor of the fans because the front office did everything in their power to prevent at least a prolonged period from happening.