You see that? That’s what all those people in Boston and Minnesota used to talk about; what all those people in Utah still talk about. Last night, that was Al Jefferson showing his entire skill set, showing why he should be right up there in the discussion with Andrew Bynum and whoever else you think might be the second-best center in the NBA behind Dwight Howard … In a game the Jazz needed to win to clinch the final playoff spot in the West and eliminate the Suns from contention, Jefferson put up 18 points and 16 rebounds to go with four assists and two blocks. Read More »

Beast of the Night: James Harden ruined the Suns last night, dropping a line of 40 points, seven rebounds, three assists, four steals and five treys. He shot 71 percent (12-17) from the floor and 100 percent (11-11) from the free-throw line, and turned the ball over three times. For the season, Harden has been a top 30 asset, which is in line with rosier expectations heading into the season. Coming off the bench or not, Harden is a fantasy basketball stud. Read More »

When a crowd is chanting your name on the road, in part because you dropped 21 points in the first quarter, it doesn’t matter if that road crowd is only “road” in a technical sense. It was only a few miles away, but New Yorkers pretty much took over the Nets’ arena last night and spent the better part of the fourth quarter chanting for their new hero, Carmelo Anthony, in the Knicks’ 104-95 win. ‘Melo had 33 on just 21 shots, and added seven boards and four dimes as New York played one of their most balanced games in a long time. Read More »

Beast of the Night: Paul Pierce blew up for 43 points, two rebounds, three assists, two steals and four three-pointers. He shot 58 percent (11-19) from the floor and 94 percent (17-18) from the free-throw line, and had three turnovers. Pierce has been a pleasant surprise this season, giving his fantasy basketball owners top 24 value. Read More »

If you had asked me this question even just a few weeks ago – can Boston make it back to the NBA Finals? – I would’ve laughed in your face and pinned you in as a New England homer. There was Chicago, Miami and then everyone else in the Eastern Conference. But as the Heat have lost their way and as the Bulls have lost their star, the Celtics went from surviving day-to-day to becoming the East’s sleeper, and now at 21-9 since the All-Star Break, the squad playing the best basketball east of the Mississippi. Until the Knicks broke a box score last night, Boston was playing historic defense while Rajon Rondo is on an assist run not seen since John Stockton. The rest of the team is all either reaching in the time machine (Kevin Garnett), playing above their heads (Brandon Bass) or coming into their own (Avery Bradley). Read More »

The “best pure scorer” label always came with a crutch. Yes, you can score, but what else can you do? Carmelo Anthony has been answering a lot of questions lately, and last night he might’ve given the world his best all-around game as a Knick. 35 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists, he was the ring leader on a night where the Knicks could’ve opened up their own sperm bank because they were shooting so well. New York got the win they needed, 118-110 over the Celtics, but it was the box score that had everyone talking. The Knicks messed with the video game sliders in the first half. They MUST have. Read More »

In a calmer, maybe more reasonable world, the Miami Heat could lose a game like the game they lost to the Boston Celtics last night and it wouldn’t be a big deal. In that world, LeBron James and Miami fans could adopt the same attitude Kobe Bryant and L.A. fans have after every one of their high-profile L’s in the regular season: Don’t panic, it’s only (fill-in-the-month). This is bigger to them than it is to us. We’ll be fine in the playoffs. … But there are five diamond-studded reasons why a Kobe-led team gets that kind of leeway and a LeBron-led team does not. Read More »

We had a joke all lined up. With Big Baby rumbling to 23 points and 12 rebounds, and with Dwight Howard in an injury/depressed/look at me funk, Orlando was setting themselves up. In his last three games before last night, Davis was averaging 21.3 points, 11 rebounds and 50 percent from the floor. For once, he WAS more useful than Howard. But somehow after hurting his lower back enough to be stretched out by the team’s physical therapist at midcourt before the third quarter, and with his shot not falling, Dwight didn’t give up. He did work. Read More »

It being NBA Green Week and all, it seems natural a Dwight Howard-Van Gundy-Orlando issue would pop up again. It’s an evergreen issue, you see, and never quite goes away. So Dwight told someone in management he didn’t want SVG around as coach, and said manager told Stan, then Stan confirmed a TV report today. And then Dwight put his arm around Stan, not knowing what he’d just spilled. This is a soap opera. Read More »