With the Cavs now leading the League in the standings, every win counts. But even LeBron will admit that some count more than others.

“I can’t say [Friday] is a just another game; I’d be lying,” said LBJ. “You want to win as many games and try to get homecourt throughout the playoffs.”

It’s almost like he caught himself halfway through that comment. At first, he was saying what he really felt, that he wanted to get revenge for last year’s playoff series and kick the Celt’s while they’re down. But then corporate LeBron kicked in and he started talking about something as far away as homecourt advantage.

Source: Real GM

Looking for some kind of spark after losing six of their last eight games, the Celtics brought rookies J.R. Giddens and Bill Walker up from the D-League today. Giddens was averaging 17 points a game with the C’s minor league affiliate, the Utah Flash, while Walker put up 18 points a night. Both were in the D-League’s Top-20 in scoring and Top-15 in field goal percentage.

The dual call-up also coincides with Tony Allen‘s recent injury. TA’s ankle sprain will force him to miss at least the next two games, including Friday’s tip with the Cavs.

Source: Boston Globe

Today in Midtown NYC, Jordan Brand unveiled their newest signature sneaker the Air Jordan 2009. The event was held at a swanky event space in the Chelsea section of New York City. Upon arrival all attendees were greeted by tasty hors d’oeuvres and pics of Carmelo, CP3, and Joe Jeezy. Read More »

Let the Eddy Curry showcase begin. Word out of New York is that Curry is expected to make his return to the lineup against the Dallas Mavericks tonight, appearing in his first game since March 7, 2008. In that game, E-City scored 23 points (8-13 from the floor, 7-9 from the stripe) and grabbed four boards in 38 minutes of action. But don’t expect him to see much burn in his 2009 debut. Read More »

There are stories in today’s Philadelphia Daily News and Inquirer about how Sixers interim coach Tony DiLeo is demanding that his team shoot more threes. He’s so intent that they take more triples that he’s set three-point goals for each game and let players know that they’ll be benched for not shooting treys.

As someone who thinks he knows a little bit about basketball and puts himself through the regular agony of watching every Sixers game, I have to tell you, this sounds like an atrocious idea. Statistically, Philly is the worst-shooting team in the NBA – in their last nine games they’re shooting under 25% from behind the arc.

Beyond the hard stats, if you’ve seen the Sixers play, you know this is a bad idea. Read More »

Fresh off Sasha Vujacic’s beef with Chris Paul, the Orange County Register put together a list of the most unpopular players in NBA history. Citing him for “his pesky defense and questioning of almost every foul he’s called for” as reasons for hatred outside of Laker Nation, Vujacic heads the list of some of the most notorious NBA players.

The list includes: Read More »

Speaking of the Raptors, every couple weeks I ask the question, “When Will Jose Calderon Miss?” And despite everyone’s best guess and possible jinx accusations, the streak is still alive.

Through 31 games, Calderon has still yet to miss a free throw, going a perfect 72-for-72 from the charity stripe. Although he’s been out the past three games, when he returns, you know the streak is going to be on his mind as he quickly approaches Micheal Williams‘ record of 94. Read More »

After the Clippers acquired Hassan Adams and cash considerations from the Raptors yesterday in exchange for a future conditional second round draft pick, the Clippers immediately waived him and re-signed Fred Jones to a 10-day deal.

The move put the Raptors just under the NBA luxury tax threshold and netted the Clippers just over $1 million. In exchange the Raptors not only get tax relief, they also gain a 2015 second draft pick that’s so protected (through the 55th pick) they will likely not see it.

Read More »

Forget the game winner for a second (because this is of course fantasy hoops), Danny Granger had a ridiculous stat line last night. Granger had 37 points, 5 threes, 6 dimes, 5 boards, 4 steals, 1 block and shot 48% from the field and almost 86% from the line. Congrats on the MVP night. Granger should 100% be an All Star this season.

Randy Foye – I’m kind of a Foye hater but he’s rocking right now. Foye had 32 and 6 last night and it was his 10th straight game in double digits. He’s been much much better under McHale and it’s possible that he’s just finding his groove in the league. It’s also possible that he is a great trade high candidate. Read More »

After the Lakers beat the Celtics on Christmas day, Sasha Vujacic couldn’t help but flaunt his steel balls to the world. He was L.A.’s most outspoken player following that win, telling the press about how the Lakers “really don’t like” like the C’s.

But the Machine was singing a different tune following the Lakers’ loss to New Orleans Tuesday night, pointing his finger at Chris Paul for running his mouth.

“He called me names on numerous occasions,” Vujacic said.

Read More »