Hardcourt Mayhem

Gonzaga's Goodson Leaving To Pursue Football

2011-05-05T18:47:00.000-07:00

Gonzaga's Demetri Goodson is the latest to trade in his high tops for football cleats. A few weeks ago Tennesee's Melvin Goins was trying to make the transition to the gridiron, now Goodson is doing the same. Goodson informed coach Mark Few of his decision on Tuesday. He also could have two years of football eligibility left.

“I have decided to pursue football next year,” said Goodson, who would have been a senior on next year’s Bulldog basketball team. “I would like to thank my coaches and staff for the opportunity to play here. I also want to thank the city of Spokane and all of the Zags fans who have supported me over the years. It’s been an awesome experience.”

A report on KREM.com says the signs point to him joining Texas A&M, where his brother Mike starred and is now a current Carolina Panther. Demetri last played in his sophomore year in high school.

By Chris Edwards

Shaq’s Health Holds Series in the Balance

2011-05-03T13:38:00.000-07:00

If you want to talk x-factor’s, there probably isn’t more of an x-factor than Shaquille O’Neal. They might as well put his picture beside the definition on Urban Dictionary. Then the kids will understand.

Shaq has been struggling with calf problems the past three months and his missed all five Celtic playoff games so far. Even though Shaq scrimmaged on Monday he is considered doubtful for game 2 against the Heat.

There’s an awful lot of fuss over a 39-year-old guy who averaged just over 20 minutes a game this season in 37 games. Too bad for the Celtics there is a good reason behind all the worry.

With all the intriguing position matchups the return of a healthy Shaq could represent a shift in the balance of power. Advantage Boston.

For 20 minutes a game the Heat will have no one that can stand up to the Big Diesel.

The lesser of the two O’Neal’s, Jermaine, has done a decent enough job for a guy who was supposed to be, at best, the third string center on the Celtics. Like Shaq, Jermaine O’Neal could probably also pass off as 39 year’s old out on the court. However, various health issues have taken the explosiveness out of the former perennial all-star.

The extended minutes that Jermaine has been getting are not ideal yet with Nenad Kristic only seeing 5:41 of floor time in game 1, the Celtics are going to need another solid performance from big baby-faced O’Neal.

Solid might not be enough for the Celtics though.

This is where Shaq comes in. His benefit goes far beyond the lane presence he provides. With Ilgauskas or Anthony “clogging” the lane for the Heat, Shaq forces the defence to pay attention to him. He might not have the scoring prowess that he did just two years ago but he still has the ability to take some of the pressure off of his teammates. That ability could be the difference in a game.

No matter which way you spin it, the relief his teammates receive is greater than whatever Jermaine O’Neal can offer.

Shaq even put up 18 points early in the year against the vertically endowed Memphis Grizzlies.

The mind-boggling trade of Kendrick Perkins has put the Celtics in a tough spot. Part of the reasoning behind that trade must have been the confidence in Danny Ainge that they would only face scoring challenged big men. No Dwight Howard, no problem.

I guess that plan hinged on the insurance of a healthy Shaquille O’Neal.

Maybe Danny Ainge was also thinking the lack of quality size in the Eastern Conference should allow Shaquille O’Neal to be enough of a difference maker. That plan still holds water as there is nothing to suggest that Shaq isn’t the man who holds the final key to the series.

Boston’s closing line-up may not feature a true center but if they are constantly having to claw their way back from double-digit deficits it really isn’t too important that their 4th quarter line-up features Big Baby instead of the Big Aristotle.

Doc Rivers says Shaq may be “likely” to play in game 3 at Boston. With the window of opportunity closing in on the original big three they had better hope that the 4-time champion is ready to go by Saturday.

Related: Shaq to the Celtics. Sure, why not?

By Chris Ross

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Chicago Bulls vs. Atlanta Hawks! Who Wins the Series?

2011-05-03T13:32:00.000-07:00

The Atlanta Hawks take on the Chicago Bulls for a spot in the Eastern Conference Finals! Does Derrick Rose get help in advancing the Bulls or do the Hawks bring too much firepower?

By JR

Chris Douglas-Roberts Has A Different Perspective About Bin Laden's Death

2011-05-03T13:29:00.000-07:00

When the death of Osama Bin Laden was announced plenty of Americans took to the streets in celebration. It was for good reason, as our military finally took down the 9/11 mastermind. Milwaukee Bucks forward Chris Douglas-Roberts wasn't one that was celebrating.

CDR took to Twitter to voice his opinion and it wasn't well received to say the least.

Is this a celebration?? Is this the beginning of a huge religious war? I hope not. (shaking my head)

It took 919,967 deaths to kill that one guy.It took 10 years & 2 Wars to kill that...guy. It cost us (USA) roughly $1,188,263,000,000 to kill that...........guy. But we #winning though. Haaaa. (Sarcasm)

Since Douglas-Roberts is a basketball player a lot of people think he's just a dumb jock. And others let him know it. . He was called "stupid", a "moron" and told to "shut your dumb [expletive] mouth" because he is "not intelligent enough to speak on the subject." Actually that's how some people look at it. I'm not taking sides, I'm just going on what I've heard from the average American citizen.

Douglas-Roberts went on to clarify his statements.

What I'm sayin has nothing to do with 9/11 or that guy. I still feel bad for the 9/11 families but I feel EQUALLY bad for the war families. Whatever happened to our freedom of speech? That's the problem. We don't want to hear anything that isn't our perspective. People are telling me to get out of America now b/c I'm against MORE INNOCENT people dying everyday? B/c I'm against a 10 year WAR? Same people going nuts on me are the same people saying "bring the troops home". Right? Right?!

Reading yall's tweet AT me (pun intended) & shaking my head. This is what I get for not wanting innocent people to die daily. Shame on me. What I've learned tonight, athletes shouldn't have perspectives. But I don't care. We feel certain ways about things TOO. #FirstAmendment To everybody supporting me, I'm fine. I have very thick skin. How I feel hasn't changed the least bit.

Anyway, "God bless America"

I can see both points of view here, but CDR does make a lot of sense. It shouldnt've taken millions of dollars and thousands of American lives to catch one man. And if you think they've only been trying to nail Bin Laden, they've been after him since Bill Clinton was in office. It's just that the government ratcheted up their efforts in the past 10 plus years. I'm celebrating, but in my cynical world I look at this a lot differently than some.

Renaldo Woolridge aka "Swiperboy" Releases Song Praising Troops

2011-05-03T13:27:00.000-07:00

Tennessee Volunteers basketball player, Renaldo Woolridge aka "Swiperboy", is an aspiring rap artist. With the turn of events surrounding the death of Osama Bin Laden, Woolridge released a song praising our American military.

Pretty good song. I can't even say anything cynical or critical about it. Good job Renaldo.

By Chris Edwards

Charlie Bell Had A Rough Weekend

2011-05-03T13:25:00.000-07:00

Former Michigan State player and current Golden State Warrior, Charlie Bell had a rough weekend. His estranged wife Kenya Bell was charged with assaulting him with a box cutter at his home in Grand Blanc Township home.

There aren't too many details about the case, except that their two children were present at the time of attack. The Genesee County prosecutor says Kenya Bell was released from jail Monday, one day after her arrest in Grand Blanc Township.

Charlie referred to it as "the longest day of his life". He suffered minor injuries in the attack.

Kenya Bell, 35, faces charges of assault with a dangerous weapon and domestic violence.

By Chris Edwards

Good Vibes in South Beach, If Dwyane Wade Dictates Series

2011-05-02T16:36:00.000-07:00

The crowd in the stands, lathered in Miami white, stood as Dwyane Wade posed for the cameras and dived into the spectators as he stormed for the ball in the second half, where the celebrities watched amazingly. The celebs, such as P. Diddy, Gloria Estefan and Drake, gathered near courtside to soak in a wave of excitement and intense drama, easily hypnotized by the electricity at American Airlines Arena, where nearby a train of cruise ships rested at the docks on a refreshing late afternoon in America’s tropical setting.

No one strikes a larger gist of celebrity in South Beach than Wade, a basketball star and television marketer globally, whether he is featured in his comical T-Mobile or Gatorade commercial ads. The world belongs to Wade in Miami, where he is marked as the face of a franchise in prime contention with the welfare of two marquee megastars coming to his aid on pace to possibly win an NBA championship in June. If we forget to acknowledge a noteworthy iconic figure in the league, a player with a colossal impact on his team's brilliancy and state of mind, it's Wade we are wrongly neglecting in the playoffs.

At game's end, he was given a loud, kindhearted standing ovation for a 38 point performance, settling for a game high in the scoring category and playing like he was the Flash we once were familiar with when he was a dynamic duo alongside Shaquille O'Neal, dating back to the time in his delightful career when he won his lone championship as a member of the Heat. What's more conspicuous, after the Heat beat the Boston Celtics 99-90 on Sunday in the opener of the Eastern Conference semifinal series, is that he's virtually the veteran leader for a dominant core on a quest for an NBA title, coming out with a fierce, fiery mentality.

He not only qualifies as the Most Valuable Player in a town where basketball is priority ever since the masterminded president assembled talent to solidify and form an unparalleled Superteam in South Beach, but he also qualifies as the culture icon in Miami even after LeBron James and Chris Bosh join forces that built conceivably the greatest trio all-time. The iconic face, beloved by the vast majority in South Florida, was the enormity of such an eye-opener on an afternoon when the Heat finished a resplendent spectacle, in what appeared to be the articulation of sheer dominance that came into view so nicely.

And most importantly, almost convincingly, if not, Wade played his most dazzling game of these playoffs after he could've brought smiles to thousands believing in a team on verge of a title, amid a daunting postseason of ills and thrills. When he sauntered off the court and walked towards the locker room, Wade acknowledged the fans and he stared in fatigue, knowingly pleased with the victory, but not satisfied, knowing there is plenty left in the series.

Meanwhile, the Heat faced a rigid challenge of their own, with the discussions that the ageless Celtics were well-experienced, poised and robust in defeating Miami in a lengthy series of breathless and surprising fireworks. D-Wade and company took notice and had been clearly aware of the Celtics' dominance after meeting on three occasions in the regular season.

The teaming of multiple stars is a useful tool for Wade, relieving lots of pressure on the explosive floor general who needed assistance, including LeBron at his aid in chase for a championship. The anger in a bitter town that hasn't witnessed a major championship in ages, along with the world perceiving James as a pariah and the world's most hated athlete, beheld the Heat as the villainous franchise in professional sports, holding a grudge on James after abruptly departing a depressed community where the residents burned his expensive No. 23 jersey following his egotistical extravaganza.

It was "The Decision," a full-blown reality show that crippled his legacy and increasingly killed his popularity as populace conveyed animosity towards the global megastar. The emotions of a fallen star, when he clearly dropped from grace by his poor choice during his free-agency last summer, became a national disturbance for James instead of earning his celebrity as a likable athlete, even though he sacrificed his legacy and ceded his ego. It wasn't long ago, particularly in the beginning of the regular season when Miami struggled to accumulate victories because of the limited experience, mental capacities, egos, and imperfections, that the Heat became fearless, gutless, and soft. Few believe, but for many of whom hate the Heat, the recent prosperity of Miami's postseason surge engenders an emotional outpouring of the magnitude for a championship-starved town.

Meanwhile, in the past week, the Heat became less vulnerable and the scariest assassin in the playoffs. It wasn't just a matter of bodies crashing to the floor or mini scuffles, provoked by the exchange of words from one of the stars -- sent to the locker room early after he was ejected -- but it was essentially the consciousness in a sensational, epic series of conviction and craze. The difference in this case was the Heat, a cohesive unit with trust and confidence, acted like unstoppable contenders. When Paul Pierce drew his second technical foul with seven minutes left, as the irritable Celtics' star was escorted to the locker room furious over Wade's peskiness that forced Pierce to lose his composure, he was battered and lost his match against Wade.

"It's the playoffs," said Wade. "We're trying to win."

The Heat arrived on the scene and bullied the Celtics, delivering the knockout punch in which it sort of dictated the concept of what could be a prolonged series, an epic battle with engaging drama. And as combative as the Heat are playing, it's been a drastic turnaround for Miami, once criticized for their early lapses and not gelling as a tenacious unit. Wade was fierce and had been the scoring machine for much of the night. James was the selfless play-maker, mostly dishing off passes to James Jones, who had 25 points off the bench.

With that in mind, he was near-perfect from three-point range and shot an incredible 5-for-7, giving the Heat a cushion in a large deficit. This comes as no surprise that the Heat are clicking on all cylinders. The good vibes are telling by Miami's scorching firepower, mindset and toughness, dominating the East and bringing out the oldness in the Celtics, a unit with aging veterans but are fully capable of showing signs of life when the stakes are higher. This, partly because Wade vanquished four miserable regular season downfalls, pouring in 38 points with 14-for-21 in shooting, five assists, two blocks in a well-rounded performance, all came in 37 minutes of playing time.

The point is, just moments into the late matinee in South Beach, Wade bullied and emotionally teased Pierce as much as Jones peeved the Celtics captain when he was clobbered around the shoulders by Jones on a play where was faked and tried to hinder him from firing the jumper for a three-point opportunity. In his response, he nudged his nose into Jones' cheek, and of course, Jones retaliated. There was an abundance of trash talk that escalated into fighting words to some degree, really by the time the Celtics were trailing 87-74.

As Wade stormed the baseline defensively, breaking out of the screen, the refs blew the whistles immediately and called double technicals on both superstars, and then sent Pierce to the locker room. The customary inhabitants in the stands witnessed an earnest Wade pose as a leader in his role, and then as superior as ever, he demanded the ball and shined as the popular star on the shores of the South Beach. If he's finally the primary scoring assassin, if James is the crafty play-maker, and if Jones can be a factor off the bench, then it's easy to figure that the Celtics are in for a tremendous fight, a rival showdown that hasn't crucified Boston. For now, however, the Celtics are labeled underdogs on the road against a championship-caliber, younger and tougher squad, perhaps scarier if Wade hit pull-up jumpers and score fast break points.

All of this makes him thrilling to watch regularly. And in this particular scenario, the Heat's relentless defensive effort was designed to make it complicated and frustrate the Celtics. It was effective and very well executed as the Celtics stumbled and had glitches in their flaws. Early on, Rajon Rondo, Celtics explosive point guard, earned three fouls, played a total of eight first-half minutes and couldn't defend Wade successfully.

Wade, as we know, is suited to attack the Celtics and can be very creative with the ball in his hands, equipped to attempt the pull-up jump shot. So even if James is his counterpart, the Heat are aggressors and superb with Wade having an impact, taking on the substantial game-winning play. By now, the Heat are probably inspired to reach higher levels in Game 2 on Tuesday, while the Celtics are revealing signs of weaknesses as the team ages instantly.

Sure enough, beware of Wade. Pretty soon, on the arena in downtown Miami, it should be a banner that reads "BEWARE OF WADE!!" After all, it is Wade Country or Wade's World, which ever you prefer.

By Jonathan Mathis

A Knock On The Lakers

2011-05-02T13:56:00.000-07:00

If the series with the Dallas mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers needed a little spice, here it is.

You gotta love the animated Mark Cuban and Dirk Nowitzki, looking like they belong in "Toy Story".

By Chris Edwards

Darnell Dodson Dismissed At Southern Miss

2011-05-02T13:50:00.000-07:00

You have to be do something pretty low to get thrown off a team by Larry Eustachy. The well traveled Darnell Dodson managed to do just that. And now Dodson will be trying to land on his fourth college team in three years.

Dodson was kicked off the Southern Mississippi basketball team for alledgedly stealing from a frat house. Dodson was arrested along with Cory Markell Smith, a former member of the Southern Miss and William Carey basketball teams.

USM police chief Bob Hopkins gave this statement.

“Members returned to the residence and saw two black males in the residence before they fled out the back door,” Hopkins said. “They gave us basic descriptions.

“We stopped and talked to one individual, who was later identified as Dodson. There was a preliminary investigation done at that time. He was released to be back in our office the next morning. He came back and the investigators interviewed him and through that interview and the available evidence, we were able to make an arrest.”

Smith was identified as the other suspect through statements made by Dodson in a police interview. Way to pick a partner in crime. And what a way for a college career to likely come to an end. Dodson won't see the light of day at a D-1 school and the only reason he will get another chance at any school is because he has a bundle of talent. If you can't hack it for Eustachy or John Calipari, you are doomed to fail.

By Chris Edwards

Bill Russell's Greatness Should Not Be Lost In A World Of Stats Obsessed Fans

2011-05-02T13:33:00.001-07:00

Welcome back to the "Greatest Ever' series as we continue with the articles from the NBA History, and this time, i will be talking about the career of Bill Russell.

Bill Russell was arguably the greatest player to ever step foot on a basketball hardwood. If anyone's greatness shouldn't be measured solely by statistics, it's Russell alright. His real dominance was on the court as most of his peers have nothing but positive words and praise for him, which is rightfully deserved. He did things that aren't matched, and no one else will duplicate. His success was beyond amazing, but unfortunately not many understand that.

First of all, he was a phenomenal athlete. He was a track star, and great in the field too. He represented his college in many athletic competitions which proves his natural abilities. He was an athletic freak, who was one of the most quickest centers ever, he possessed the quickest leap of them all and had a high jump. On top of that, he had long arms which gave him a superb length that he combined with his intelligence.

Speaking of it, he was the most smartest man to put on a jersey number in all sports history. It made him to separate from the others in order to succeed. Even months before being part of any action in the most competitive basketball competition, Bill spent hours of analyzing the game, places where each player wanted to get his shot off and so on. It only helped him to establish himself as a superb presence in the post, alerting and swatting shots like no one else has ever done.

He often played mind games, and got his opponents rhythm usually late in the game which made them unable to make a difference as Bill's team would go on and win the match. He found a bunch of ways to stop his opponents, rather than using strength. He often got the best of his arch rival Wilt, a man whose overall production decreased when he faced Russell. Even he was slowed down to games which weren't to his standards, especially in the second part of their head to head duels.

He never played him with strength. Instead he relied on what he had against him. Intelligence, quickness, skills, instincts and forced him off his favorite positions, contested his attempts etc.

This leads me to another part of this sport in which he excelled, and that was defense. That's right. He was arguably the top defender in the NBA History. He came in a league and team that had no idea of defense, yet he changed all of that. He revolutionized defensive concepts and proved to be a superstar with dominating the other side of the court. He was such a natural force in his own paint, who was the best shot blocker, arguably finest rebounder, most elite presence, excelled in one on one match ups and alerted attempts.

He turned shot blocking into an art form. He built the fundamentals of the blocked shots, and mastered three things for successfully doing it. Those were:perfect timing (quick reactions), position (had good spot) and not fouling the shooter. Again, he had that vertical jump and long arms to help him. He was also capable to take 3-4 guys on side on the court, then get on the other side, get the rebound and threw outlet pass.

His high IQ helped him as well. He changed the course of a single match without even scoring a point. His defense often created fast brake chances for the Celtics, which had their powerful fast brake as a strong weapon in beating their opponents. After the play, Bill would threw a perfect outlet to his team mates for easy points or just pass it to Cousy who'd lead everyone to easy buckets. Again, all of that and he didn't even need to shot.

Critics usually point out his weak career percentage of 44.0% from field as a reason why he was a bad scorer. Wrong. Even though he was never a good scorer in the regular season, it was totally different in the playoffs and finals. He improved it and even took over in late moments offensively in order to win. Yes, he had no weaknesses at all in the clutch. To illustrate that, he holds the record for the highest shooting percent in Finals History with 70.2% field goal percent. Yes, he had games with 10/11 shooting for 23 points and so on.

He could set great picks that lead to scoring, had a decent post up game that featured a great lefty sky hook, ability to clean from tips in, terrific passing abilities and was the original alley op finisher. Even when Jerry Lucas was All-Star Game with 25 points, he said that BR helped him to get clean looks with his passing. Even in his 30/40 game, Russell had 13 out of 17 from the line easily. He seemed to have no real weaknesses.

Also his ability to share the rock was pretty much notable for a big man, who's regarded as one of the best passers of all time. Since Bob Cousy left, he averaged well over five, to nearly six assists in average in an era which had different ways to count dimes. Because Boston had no real point guard, the ball went to Russ who could deliver it around and spotted nearly everything. He was needed to be a good passer since no one in his team could play well one on one.

He was the biggest winner of any time. He was an eleven time champion, who was 18-0 when facing elimination, 10-0 in all Game 7 of the post season and was consistently among the finest teams in his time. He was outstanding clutch player as well, who's underrated in that department.

Here are the stats from Russell's performances in all of the Game Sevens Of The Playoffs

-19 points, 31 rebounds

-18 points, 32 rebounds

-22 points, 35 rebounds

-19 points, 22 rebounds

-30 points, 40 rebounds

-20 points, 24 rebounds

-15 points, 29 rebounds

-25 points, 32 rebounds

-12 points, 26 rebounds

-6 points, 21 rebounds

Overall average:18.6 points, 29.3 rebounds

Amazing, isn't it? It sure is, however rarely know that. The aspects in which he made his impact like blocks, steals weren't even official when he was active. However, not even they will show the real picture. All, i am saying is that he was a legend and that he'd been an all time great in any era.

He was a fearless competitor, most driven basketball and smartest basketball player who was also the best defender, shot blocker, leader and winner of them all. His greatness shouldn't be questioned!

By Darko Mihajlovski

NBA Power Rankings:Ranking The Biggest Mismatches In The NBA History

2011-05-02T13:31:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to the "Greatest Ever" series as we continue with the rankings of the biggest mismatches in the NBA History.

The league is full with terrific athletes who are physically gifted, yet additionally possess nice skills and intelligence to compliment that as well. Most of the players you will see on this list are already part of the Hall Of Fame, and some are certainly future first ballot candidates are on their way. In the NBA it's all about using advantages and to beat your opponent. These guys have made it easier for their teams and contributed to their success.

Let the fun begin and without further ado, here are the biggest mismatches in the NBA History!

11.Dirk Nowitzki

We start the list with the big Dirk Nowitzki, who's without any doubt one of the biggest mismatches in the NBA History.

He stands at 7 foot but has a guards mentality who possess an outstanding touch from just about anywhere and is regarded as one of the best shooters of all time. As a proof of that, he did have a 25 point season on at least 50% from field, 40% from the three point line and at least 90% from the charity which is an all time great achievement. So, with the fact that he plays mostly from mid range it lures out big men to stop him and his shot is pretty much hard to block so his capable to get his points.

When the taller defenders get on him, he uses his speed, ability to drive to the rim to score inside, get to the line where he's a career 87% shooter from the line or he spreads the floor which gives an open look to his team mates for the score. When they put a smaller defender on him, he can post him and just shot on top.

So it's pretty obvious that he's a mismatch of his own who's one of the finest scorers as well because of that. He additionally has one of the most toughest fade away shots to contest, has a nice inside game and overall is superb.

10.Oscar Robertson

The most complete player to ever step on a basketball hardwood, Mr Do It All, Oscar Robertson was additionally one of the biggest mismatches of all time.

He was arguably the best offensive player of any time, so he could hurt the opponents in a bunch of ways. He was an excellent shooter who could find the bottom of the net without a problem, had the finest post up game for any guard as he could use his strength and soft touch to get his points while shooting that fade away jumper. Oscar was terrific at driving to the rim. He wasn't called the O-Train for nothing!

Robertson was a remarkable passer, who could always find his team mates and the difficult rules show a good number of assists which isn't true. Had they recorded dimes like today, he'd recorded around 15-16 assists per game in most of his seasons because he was so good at making his team mates better and leading them to easy points. He did lead the league once in scoring and won the assist title seven times.

He did set up a bunch of new records in passing and surpassed many previous set by Cousy. Oscar does rank among the top 10 in both scoring and passing, a proof of his greatness. He was indeed a real mismatch!

9.Allen Iverson

The spectacular, quick and dominant Allen Iverson was one of the biggest mismatches in the NBA History, an honor he definitely deserves.

AI was a remarkable superstar in the league, who's one of the most prolific scorers of all time despite his lack of size. He's second only to Michael Jordan in terms of post season scoring average with well over 29 points for career. He has won the scoring titles four times and is tied with George Gervin. His quickness, speed, driving ability and getting to the line were his strengths as he'd usually past his defender and score inside with a beautiful lay up.

He was indeed the Answer. He posed as a great threat to his defenders, because not only that they couldn't keep up with him, he'd get them lost with his sick crossovers and he was nearly unstoppable on the often floor. Here is another great move against Tyron Lue in the 2001 Finals match up against LA, a team against he dropped 48 points with 8 assists. Then, his most notable move is when he did get Jordan passed thanks to his brilliant crossover.

8.Elgin Baylor

Former Los Angeles Laker legend and one of the most revolutionary players in basketball's history, Elgin Baylor is one of the biggest mismatches in the NBA History.

Before him, the game hadn't seen a 6'5 perimeter player with that much agility, athleticism, leaping ability, strength and skills which all made him a force. Baylor was certainly a guy who was dominating his opponents, as he in the prime of his career before that knee injury that slowed him down, was averaging 40.1 points with nearly 17 rebounds and well over five assists. That's greatness in there for sure.

He was the first one to dunk over big men ever, and he consistently played in the air as he was capable to finish with variety of terrific moves that amazed the crowd. Those moves made him a legend, and he changed basketball for ever with his shots over the rim, jams etc. He had the finest offensive arsenal of them all, who delivered on almost all kinds of shots and he was a danger.

He had one of the greatest performances ever, as he once dominated with 61 points and 22 rebounds with a still standing record for scoring most points in the history of the league's Finals. He could get to the rim, post up and had a bunch of moves. He was a real powerhouse and perhaps the best player ever.

7.Magic Johnson

When you think of point guards, you guess it's a small man who's leading the team and being the floor general however that was not the case with Earvin Johnson. He was the tallest point guard ever and is regarded as the finest player of his position, who also can be argued as the greatest player in the NBA History. So, it's pretty natural you'd find him on the list that features the biggest mismatches ever.

First of all, he had few advantages. He was bigger than any other guard that guarded him, so he could see the court in a way no one has ever seen and he dished the rock well because of that. He was very unselfish and simply excelled at making all around him better. He was the best passer of all time, who was the leader of Showtime Lakers. His accurate yet fancy and spectacular passing was a key to his teams success.

He was also the only player that could play all five positions on A+ level, as he's the most versatile player to step on a basketball hardwood. He often played the forward positions as well and even switched at center for injured Kareem to record 42 points, 12 assists, 7 assists en route to a Finals MVP plus championship in his rookie season! I mean, he recognized match ups all over, used that wisely and did all of that domination while smiling.

6.LeBron James

Arguably the most talented and athletic player to ever step on a basketball hardwood who at the end of his career will be argued as the best of all time, LeBron James is certainly one of the biggest mismatches ever.

He's a mix of a bunch of players all in one. He's a mix of Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Oscar Robertson all in one which makes him superb force on the court who can get to the rim in a way that few have had, is terrific passer, great on the boards, defense and is complete as they come. He additionally is being guarded by a bunch of players, and as of recently, he has started to go more in the post because he's got the tools to succeed in there too.

His stats prove how good he is and they aren't weak or something. He's averaging well over 27 points, seven assists and seven rebounds which are phenomenal statistics for sure. With a new post up game, he's becoming even bigger threat because he can dominate his opponents inside as well. He can make tough shots, get to the rim and simply be a threat from outside as he dropped once 51 points against the Magic illustrating his greatness. When he gets hot, just forget about it.

He's also good at involving his team mates and leading them to easy looks. Overall, he's a beast.

5.Kareem Abdul Jabbar

The powerful, skilled, athletic Kareem Abdul Jabbar, the man who succeed in every level of basketball is certainly one of the biggest mismatches in the NBA History. A large reason for that is because he possessed the best signature and most recognizable move ever, the sky hook.

He mastered the toughest shot ever, to be a dominant force in the low block. The real reason why he was so nearly unstoppable in doing it, was the fact that Kareem was a 7'2 guy with a pair of long arms, soft touch and his ability to get a clean look at the basket made it hard to block. He'd often get the ball, put his body in the middle of the defender and just lift up to get that most deadliest offensive weapon ever through the net for the easy two points.

He could get in from just about anywhere, and he did it so good. Rarely people could stop it, and it made him a great scorer. It's perhaps the real reason why that move made Kareem arguably the best basketball player ever.

4.Hakeem Olajuwon

A force in the paint for neatly 18 years who was physically gifted yet was so known for his finesse, he was the Dream for the fans and the Nightmare for the opponents. The guy who did get the best of his opponents, Hakeem Olajuwon is one of the biggest mismatches ever.

Hakeem was a remarkable big man who was an one of the most athletic players ever, who possessed incredible strength, had nice length and was so quick. On top of that, he had fantastic mobility for a 6'11 center and he could get high to reject shots. He had those long arms too and was explosive. He had a pair of moves in the post, which were quick, agile fakes in the post that are known as the 'Dream Shake' with all counter moves and that's a good arsenal in there.

That made him dominant. He additionally had a soft touch, as he could hit those contested shots and hit 18 footers like it's nothing. His skills were excellent, he isn't regarded as one of the most skilled players of any time for nothing. He was a terrific defensive stopper that shut down his opponents and established as a presence in the paint. He was great at playing the passing lanes, as he often had seasons over few steals.

He's ranked ninth on the all time list for steals, it's really an amazing accomplishment. He may be the greatest player in the history of basketball.

3.Michael Jordan

Widely regarded as the greatest basketball player to ever step foot on a hardwood, Michael Jordan is to be found on many lists and there's no surprise at all that he was one of the biggest mismatches of all time.

He may be the most completed offensive/defensive player ever, as he was a prolific scorer, capable playmaker, great on the boards, a lock down stopper and a guy who excelled in off ball defense. A major reason for Jordan's success is his superb athleticism who was an athletic freak of his own and translated that on the court pretty well. He had terrific leaping ability as he could get up high in the air, was skilled as i already said and a fearless competitor who wanted to win and dominate.

Air Mike attacked the rim like few who had, as he often got the whistle a lot and finished with a highlight real play over the top of his defenders. He was explosive finisher, as he'd blew his guardian and then finish with a powerful play. He did finish in a variety of ways around the rim, not just dunks and had a sweet offensive arsenal that made him an unstoppable force out there. As he grew older, he relied more on his shooting which improved and had a great post up game for a guard.

He finished with career stats of 30 points, around six rebounds and six assists that show greatness. Even when he was switched at point guard, he did average a near triple double with 30 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds which illustrate his completeness on the court. He was a consistent mismatch, and there were even special defenses created for him in order to stop him and even they didn't work.

He was just a dominant force!

2.Shaquille O'Neal

Arguably the most dominant force in basketball history who was perhaps physically more gifted than anyone else, Shaquille O'Neal is one of the biggest mismatches and could be argued as the best player in the NBA History.

His strength was barely matched and topped anyone else's. He's also the finest at making positive impact on the court and has drew more fouls than others had. His physical tools have made him a mountain of a man. Aside of his strength, he's been notable for his superb athleticism, vertical jump, power, mobility, quickness for a man of that huge, size and his skill set fit pretty well too. Overall, he's also one of the biggest athletic freaks as well.

He basically crushed rims, such as shown here. Again, he did it a few times which is a thing no one else has ever done. He has been an unstoppable force in the paint, who when gets his place down there, he either scores and gets the and1 call, gets a trip to the line or simply just scores. To illustrated why he was the most unstoppable player to ever step foot on a NBA hardwood, he averaged well over 36 points, 15 rebounds, three blocks and three assists who's also ranked first in offensive and defensive rebounds, plus blocks in playoffs history. He's also first in boards overall since the modern age of basketball.

Simply said, he's an all time great!

1.Wilt Chamberlain

The legendary big man who was simply remarkable thanks to his advantages, the most dominant player in the league's history who rewrote the record books, Wilt Chamberlain is the biggest mismatch and arguably the most elite mismatch in basketball history!

He was an athletic freak who's regarded as the most athletic player of any time. He loved the field, a place where he set many records and was a track star as well who was notable for his jumping ability as he was a ten time world champion in highest jump. He was also notable for his strength, who lifted huge numbers on the bench and was probably the strongest man off the court. He was well built. He had a high vertical jump which was probably around 40 inches.

He could dunk over anyone, but he was a highly skilled player who's underrated in that department. His skill set is among the best ever for sure. He was a threat in every way, as he did get a lot of points inside thanks to his physicality and often finished with powerful jams, lay ups and moves. He had the finger role, fade away bank shot, a great mid range jumper and a pair of quick fakes. Chamberlain was a superb passer, and to prove that i will point out the fact that he's the only non guard to ever lead the league in assists.

He was a presence on the glass who led the NBA record 11 times in rebounding, holds the all time records and is probably the best rebounder of all time. The Stilt was notable for his so great defensive skills, as he's one of the most elite stoppers ever and one of the very finest shot blockers with a good case of being the top shot swatter to step on a hardwood. He did stop his opponents, hold them to miserable percents and established himself as a presence. He translated his athleticism, jump into that aspect pretty well.

His domination changed a bunch of rules, he set the standard for the individual dominant player and he was without a doubt a mismatch in every way you look it. Only the Celtics and Warriors with their respectable defensive greats in Bill Russell and Nate Thurmond played him without a double team. All of the rest needed the double, triple teams even before he got the ball. The physical play was incredibly rough on him, and yet he dominated them easily. Wilt was indeed a mismatch!

For more on the NBA History

-Most Revolutionary Players In The NBA History

-Greatest NBA Stars From The 70's

-The A-Train Is Finally In The Hall Of Fame!

-Magic Johnson and The Best Passers Of All Time!

-Greatest NBA Stars From The 60's

-Greatest Offensive Players In The NBA History!

-Hardwoods' Most Underrated NBA Players Ever

-The Greatest Defenders In The NBA History

-Isiah Thomas, Nate Archibald and the Greatest Little Men Ever!

-Greatest NBA Stars From The 80's

By Darko Mihajlovski

NBA Draft 2011: Profiling The Top International Men Of Mystery

2011-05-02T13:09:00.000-07:00

With a relatively underwhelming selection of top NCAA prospects at the helm of the 2011 NBA Draft, there has been a shift of attention from domestic players to the talented international field. The top nine are made up of intriguing young players who have outstanding size, length, and athleticism for their positions, but are still very young, learning the game, and maturing physically. Some are definitely more NBA ready than others, but that’s not to say a few of them might not be a studs in the league a couple years down the road. Having seen the majority of these players live against some of the best young U.S. talent in the Nike Hoop Summit and Nike Global Challenge over the past few years, we have a pretty good idea of who can excel and who may struggle.

That said, SwishScout.com presents “The Top International Men Of Mystery.”

Note: On every player, you can click their name or country to take you to a more detailed profile for an extensive scouting report and highlights on the respective prospect.

9. Bojan Bogdanovic (Croatia)

6’7”, 220 lb.s

Bojan is one of the elite players from the 1989 International class, and believe it or not, is the shortest player on this list at 6’7”. He has great size to play on the wing, where he excels as a shooter knocking down the three. He’s a savvy player who knows how to get to the rack with the ball in his hands, but equally effective running off ball screen to get easy cuts at the basket. However, Bogdanovic is limited by marginal athleticism and a lack of strength. He’s predominantly a scorer/shooter type role player projecting to the league, but is a solid value pick in the second round. Think Bostjan Nachbar when he was playing for the Nets at the end of his career.

Projected: Mid-Late 2nd Round

8. Davis Bertans (Latvia)

6’10”, 210 lb.s

The epitome of a project player in the NBA, Bertans is a young gun with a sweet shooting stroke. Was less than stellar against the U.S. team in the Nike Hoop Summit last month when we saw him, with only 8 points on 2/6 shooting from 3-point land. Nonetheless, Bertans is an up and comer with unlimited shooting range and a quick release, that his size, will make him a legitimate shooting threat on the perimeter. Tends to force shots with defenders in his face and not always square up to the basket, but he’s a player with legit quickness and size for a perimeter player. Davis has a high ceiling on his game, but needs to learn how to play within the team game, get open off from rolling off setting screens on the high perimeter, and getting open without the ball in his hands. A good 2-3 years away from being an NBA contributor and would benefit from a couple more years playing pro ball over seas, but there’s no reason he can’t be a legit starter in the league eventually in the mold of Danilo Gallinari.

Projected: Late 1st-Early 2nd Round

7. Nikola Mirotic (Montenegro)

6’10”, 225 lb.s

Probably one of the more NBA ready contributors available among the foreign players in the Draft, Mirotic is a smart player who understands his role on the team executes perfectly. He’s a true perimeter player and mismatch at 6’10”, and that size allows to him to survey the court well and hit open teammates cutting to the basket, or he can pull back and launch from 3. Had a very nice overall showing in the 2010 Nike Hoop Summit with 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists playing alongside Texas’ Cory Joseph and Tristan Thompson. Although perhaps ready to contribute for a team right now, Mirotic presents perhaps the least upside for a player on this list due to a lack of athleticism and inability to create off the dribble. A very solid, intellectual talent that can beat you from the perimeter and with his smarts, but won’t be showing up on many highlight reels or by taking over any games by himself.

Projected: Mid-Late 1st Round

6. Lucas Nogueira (Brazil)

7’0”, 200 lb.s

Another young player who’s only 18 years of age, the Brazilian talent nicknamed Bebe is a seven-footer with great length, size and tremendous upside. Lucas makes his mark as a natural rebounder and shot blocker in the paint due to his great length and energy on the court. He was unimpressive last month in the Nike Hoop Summit, producing only 4 points, 6 rebounds, and a block on a much-anticipated game on the precipice of declaring for the Draft. However, I have seen him put up a couple great showings against the same players earlier last summer in the Nike Global Challenge, where he averaged 16 points, 9.7 rebounds, 2.3 block and shot 63% from the field. Bebe doesn’t have great mobility, strength, toughness, or a post game yet for a player made for the paint. Indefinitely another project a few years away from being a contributor, but could be the next Samuel Dalembert when he’s ready.

Projected: Late 1st Round

5. Jan Vesely (Czech Republic)

6’11”, 240 lb.s

The Czech has gotten plenty of attention from NBA scouts the past couple years because of this crazy length and leaping ability. Vesely looks to be an outstanding hustle player and defender as a forward that should be able to guard his man on the perimeter or in the post. Jan has a solid fundamental shooting stroke that should allow him to knock down open looks from 3 and athleticism that will let him finish at the rim with authority. He’s also a tremendous rebounder because of his length, athleticism and high motor going after the boards. The knock on his game is that he is need of building muscle, becoming more of a ‘banger’ in the paint, and developing some post moves to take advantage of his size against smaller defenders. He’s an intriguing talent with a lot of upside, but I don’t see him being more than a solid role player who brings a lot of hustle, in the mold of an Andrei Kirilenko or Tyler Hansbrough, in the league.

Projected: Mid-Late Lottery

4. Bismack Biyombo (Congo)

6’9”, 240 lb.s

The very definition of ‘intrigue’ for an NBA Draft prospect, Biyombo presents immediate NBA contributions in the paint with the upside to become an excellent post player down the road. If you hadn’t heard already, he’s a 6’9” player with a freakish 7’7” wingspan that many are already comparing to Serge Ibaka. I had the privilege of witnessing his show stealing 12 point, 11 rebound, 10 block (or ‘Bismacks’, if you will) performance in the 2011 Nike Hoop Summit. Bismack is an explosive leaper with an NBA body and motor that allows him to excel blocking shots and rebounding the ball. He is a physical banger that is still learning the game, but his potential is undeniable. Has virtually zero post game or shooting touch right now but those will come in time with hard work and development. The fact that a player of his caliber is only fourth on this list should tell you something about the quality of foreign prospects in the Draft this year.

Projected: Mid-Late Lottery

3. Donatas Motiejunas (Lithuania)

7’0”, 220 lb.s

Does the name Andrea Bargnani ring a bell? If so, consider Donatas the next great European seven-footer who can dominate with shooting and smart play on the perimeter. He was a fueling force for the International team upset win back in the 2009 Nike Hoop Summit over a team loaded with great talent such as John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Mason Plumlee, and John Henson. Motiejunas put up an impressive 21 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and plenty of heart in an emotional win for the International team. Don is a virtual mismatch for any perimeter player because of his size and ability to shoot over just about anyone. Has a fairly refined overall game and can put up some nice post moves, as he has the jump hook down with either hand. The big weaknesses for a player of his unique talent are toughness, athleticism, strength and defense. He plays with a lot of emotion on the court, and while some have knocked it as a sign of immaturity, others could also be seen as fiery and competitive. Donatas should be a very good player in this league and will develop into impact starter for a team willing to take a chance on his talent.

Projected: Mid-Late Lottery

2. Jonas Valanciunas (Lithuania)

6’11”, 240 lb.s

Perhaps the ultimate boom or bust pick in the 2011 Draft, Valanciunas is a player that presents intrigue as well as question marks. A player of his size, length and developing skill set could make him as good as Pau Gasol eventually, or a lack of desire and work ethic could make him the next Jason Smith. Jonas is mobile post player with extreme length and a solid developing basketball IQ, but clearly needs time to grow into his body and develop strength. He doesn’t play with much post toughness yet and clearly needs more time refining his post game. The most noticeable missing aspect from his game is a face up jumper, which is odd because of how solid his free throw stroke looks and goes in. A midrange game should come fairly natural with work in the next couple years and allow him to extend the defense. If he can learn to make a quick turn move with his back to the basket and utilize his finishing ability from skill instead of pure size advantage like he is now, he could become a weapon with his post game. Jonas makes a considerable impact rebounding the ball and changing shots in the lane on defense too. A risky pick based on rawness and projected draft position, but a very rewarding one as well that is probably poised to pan out similar to an Andris Biedrins type game.

Projected: Top Five Pick

1. Enes Kanter (Turkey)

6’11”, 260 lb.s

Although he could be considered a product of the NCAA without ever having played a game at Kentucky, Kanter is a true product of the Turkish national team and professional ranks. There is plenty of mystique and intrigue surrounding his game, and deservedly so. Watching someone dominate Jared Sullinger and Patric Young for 34 points and 13 rebounds in 24 minutes of play during the 2010 Nike Hoop Summit is a rare event, and witnessing it live only fueled the case for Kanter in my mind. Enes is an extremely skilled post player with an impressive repertoire of moves that allow him to capitalize with his back to the basket or from the face up. With his 6’11”, 260 lb.s frame, he’s a very strong rebounder who gets consistently puts himself into box out position to grab and secure the ball with his length and strength. For being only 18, he has an incredibly high basketball IQ and skill set that make his chances for success in the NBA all the better. He’s not the most mobile or athletically gifted post player available, but his talent and production at every level of play in his young career speaks for itself. With Kanter’s physical player and talent, he reminds me of Al Jefferson and could be a player that puts up 20 and 10 on a nightly basis in the league. Should get serious consideration for the top pick in June alongside Kyrie Irving and Derrick Williams.

Projected: Top Five Pick

This was originally written by our partners at SwishScout.com.

Grizzlies vs. Thunder! Who Wins the Series?

2011-05-02T13:04:00.000-07:00

The Memphis Grizzlies upset the San Antonio Spurs and now move on to facing the Oklahoma City Thunder! Will Zach Randolph and the Grizzlies have the same luck against Kevin Durant and the Thunder?

By JR

The Official Zach Randolph Theme Song

2011-05-02T12:46:00.000-07:00

If it weren't for Zach Randolph, the Memphis Grizzlies wouldn't have beaten the San Antonio Spurs in the first round. They wouldn't have been leading the series already against the Oklahoma City Thunder. This team is doing great, which is surprising to many due to the fact that Rudy Gay is out with an injury.

And with that, rapper Crossword gave praise to Randolph with his catchy song called "Zach Randolph" (what else would it be?).

You can view below for the song:

I must say, it is very good.

Grizzlies are doing solid right now, and let's see if they can continue this great success.

Celtics Become "Beat the Heat" Team

2011-04-30T11:29:00.000-07:00

We all knew Miami would beat the 76ers. No shock there. So now all the Heat haters will look to the Boston Celtics as the team that finally cool off the Heat. For most of the season, Celtics were the better team. But does that matter? The playoffs are different.

But then look at the Hawks and Magic. Hawks won the season series 3-1 so was it really a surprise that the Hawks won in the playoffs too? Grizzlies split their season match-ups with the Spurs. Although everybody thought that it didn't matter, that Spurs would win, Memphis stood tall and fought back and won the series 4-2.

Season games have to play a major role in how the playoff match-up turns out. It's not the ultimate decider but it does have an impact. Looking at how the Heat vs Celtics season went, Boston is the favorite to win. So what can the Heat do to stop history from repeating itself? Dwayne Wade and LeBron James. If Heat want to win, they have to do more than just give the ball to one guy while the other guys stands and watches. Sixers won game four because the Heat iso'd James. They should've at least made Wade move around to distract the defense.

How many teams have two superstars that can close games? And yet, the Heat seem to resemble the Hawks with iso after iso. And the Celtics are ranked #2 defensively so...yeah. Ball movement is very important. Boston can slow anybody down, but you cannot completely shut down Wade and/or James.

So what does Boston have to do to stop the Heat? Pick their poison. Either Wade will kill you or James. Can't stop both but if you focus on shutting down one player, now the Heat only have one superstar with a bunch of role players surrounding him. Also, Rajon Rondo is going to be in the spotlight. Did you see what he did to Toney Douglas and any other point guard New York tried to slow him down with? Triple Double. Mike Bibby and Mario Chalmers? Rondo's going to have ball doing whatever he wants. Wade could cover him but what about Ray Allen? Allen is the leading 3-point shooter for a reason. He gets open. And not just outside but he's got game inside too. Rondo can't shoot but he's quick enough to get to the rim.

Lots of media attention has gone to the Heat and how they were going to win ring after ring. But guess what? Celtics have been there, done that. Celtics are a team that can handle the Heat (how are the puns working for you?). Prediction: Celtics in 6. Thing is, Celtics know how to win on the road. Also, the Heat fans have been quiet all season and playoffs. Are they saving their cheers for later? Wade says all of the white gives him migraines. So where is the home court advantage? Heat are going to have to win on the road. Otherwise, it will go to game 7 or the Celtics will win on the road and end the series early.

If, and possibly when the Heat lose the series, will they cry after the game? When things are looking bad, will James give up again and take his talents to L.A.? New York? Cleveland? (Kidding!) No matter what, this will be the biggest series in an already entertaining playoffs. Whoever wins this may make it to the Finals. But let's just focus on this series for now.

Heat vs. Celtics! Who Wins? Who's Going to the Eastern Conference Finals?

2011-04-27T14:25:00.000-07:00

I'm putting the cart before the horse and talking about a potential Celtics and Heat playoff matchup! If the Heat can dispatch the Sixers, which team do you think will advance to the Eastern Conference Finals? The Celtics or Heat?

NBA Playoffs: Chicago Bulls Deflate Indiana Pacers, Move on To Second Round

2011-04-27T14:14:00.000-07:00

Tuesday night the Chicago Bulls finally remembered that they were the Chicago Bulls.

The team with the best record in the NBA this season finally played like it, ending their frustrating first-round series with the Pacers.

The Chicago Bulls crushed the Indiana pacers 116 - 89 Tuesday night at the United Center. They win the series 4-1 and now move on to the second round.

The Bulls had six players score in double figures, led by Rose's 25 and Deng's 24. Granger paced Indiana with 20 points.

The Bulls got off to a lightning-quick start as they held a 12-2 lead less than three minutes into the game.

The Pacers finally began to show signs of life on offense, but there defense was still nowhere to be found. Chicago was on fire, Derrick Rose had 11 points and Joakim Noah had ten, as the Bulls led by 11 after the first quarter.

The second quarter started a little better for the Pacers, as Rose was called for a hand-check foul on their first possession and went to the bench.

On top of that, Noah and Boozer both picked up their third personal foul with just under seven minutes remaining in the half. With just11 seconds left in the first half, Rose was called for a charging foul, giving him his third personal.

Surprisingly, it took the crowd nearly 20 minutes to begin their "Foster sucks" and "Pacers suck" chants, as they were heard with about four minutes left in the half.

While Granger led the Pacers with 14 points at the half, he also had multiple bad turnovers. One play walking down the court he dribbled the ball off his own leg, and twice he had it ripped right from his hands by Deng, which led to a couple of fast break scores.

It was a decent second quarter for Indiana, but the Bulls still led by eight points at the half.

The Bulls were in some foul trouble most of the game, especially when Rose picked up his fourth just three minutes into the third quarter.

That helped keep the crowd out of the game for Indiana. As odd as it sounds, the Bulls fans may have been louder in Indianapolis than they were in Chicago.

The Pacers trimmed the lead to four points midway through the third quarter, as Hansbrough scored on a basket where Boozer also picked up his fourth foul. Rose came back into the game though, and the momentum went right back to the Bulls.

Rose hit two big three-pointers and had a spectacular block on seven-foot Center Roy Hibbert in a matter of seconds. In the blink of a Rose crossover, the lead was back up to 12.

Noah and McRoberts both threw elbows in the final seconds of the game, but only McRoberts was given a foul, and was ejected. The Bulls had a 23-8 run in the third, and held a 19 point lead going into the final quarter. The series had just 12 more minutes remaining.

In the first four games, the Pacers had arguably outplayed the Bulls in each, but the difference had been the fourth quarters. This one wasn't much different. The Bulls had outscored Indiana by 28 points in those four contests, and held a comfortable double-digit lead even with Rose on the bench in the final period.

The Bulls make it to the second round, which wasn't a surprise at all. What was a surprise, was the level of difficulty they had getting there. This wasn't your typical 1 vs. 8 seed in the playoffs (yet more normal than out West with the Spurs/Grizzlies) as the Pacers took it to Chicago in every game.

The Pacers, who finished the season at eight games under .500, played with intensity and confidence every night, and showed that they have some young talent and may finally be on the rise.

The Bulls will now wait on the winner of the Magic/Hawks series, which looks like it might head to seven games. They will get some much needed rest before that series begins. Rose will have time to heal his ankle (if it isn't already), Korver will be able to rest his arms from shooting so much, and Boozer will have time to realize that he is 6'9" and 265 pounds.

As many times as the fans in Chicago were chanting "Pacers suck" and "Foster sucks", they should have done it an equal amount of times for their own "star" in Boozer.

Once again, he struggled, was in foul trouble, and couldn't do anything on offense against a team with virtually no big men. In the five game series, Boozer only scored 50 points, and shot 19-53 from the floor.

Now the Pacers season is over, and they can begin to think about their future. There will probably be some big changes coming both with the roster, and in the front office. They have a nice, young, core group of players, and will have the most cap space of any team in the league.

Even though Game 5 was no indication of how tight this series was, the Pacers can finally end the season on somewhat of a positive note.

By Chad Smith

Video: Danilo Gallinari Wants You to Take a Sheet

2011-04-27T13:46:00.000-07:00

All these NBA players, mainly LeBron James and Amare Stoudemire, are all part of this new company called "Sheets." It's actually pretty cool. Go to the Facebook page at facebook.com/takeasheet. Right here is a funny commercial featuring Denver Nuggets' forward, Danilo Gallinari.

He wants to take a sheet:

Scottie Pippen Calls Out Boozer, Bulls For Lack Of Toughness

2011-04-25T14:21:00.000-07:00

Isn't this a case of the pot calling the kettle black. Remember back in the late 80s/early 90s when the Chicago Bulls were trying to make the leap to championship contender and couldn't overcome the rough stuff being doled out by the Detroit Pistons. Michael Jordan and Phil Jackson said it was bad for basketball and the Bulls ascended to six championships.

Now with Derrick Rose hobbled by a sprained ankle, Scottie Pippen says it's time for the Bulls to start dishing out some rough stuff of their own. Yes, the same Pippen that claimed a migraine headache in a Game 7 against Detroit. The same Pippen that sat on the bench in the 1994 playoffs because a play wasn't called for him at the end of the game. The same Pippen that was told "get up bitch" by a young Kobe Bryant. Hey pot this is kettle, you're black.

Pippen had the nerve to call out the young Bulls, more specifically Carlos Boozer, about stepping it up in the toughness category and protect Derrick Rose.

‘‘You don’t give up layups in the playoffs,’’ Pippen said. ‘‘You knock a guy down and you make them go to the foul line and earn it. That’s what Derrick’s doing for the Bulls. And to me, it’s an eye for an eye.’’

‘‘They’ve all got two legs and two arms,’’ the six-time NBA champion said. ‘‘You’ve got Carlos Boozer out there who’s spending fouls and a lot of his fouls are not needed at the time that he’s giving them. Those could be hard fouls. Those could be fouls that you knock a [Darren] Collison to the floor, you knock a [Jeff] Foster to the floor.

‘‘Utilize your fouls and make them more valuable for you and your team.’’

That's some sound advice Scott. That's why you're not coaching or analyzing games on the network anymore. Good thing coach Tom Thibodeau has kept their heads straight instead of listening to 'the Pip'.

‘‘It’s playoff basketball,’’ the coach said. ‘‘You have to play hard all the time. You have to have great urgency. And we have to be ready at the start of the game. That’s the big thing. We have to do a better job of starting the game.’’

The Boston Celtics are tough without resorting to thuggery and Thibodeau is patterning the Bulls the same way. You have to be mentally tough in the playoffs, not gooning it up trying to protect teammates and not allowing a layup. Make your presence known, but do it where you're not racking up technicals and fines.

By Chris Edwards

Knicks Eliminated by the Celtics! Are they Moving in the Right Direction?

2011-04-24T18:54:00.000-07:00

The New York Knicks have been swept by the Boston Celtics after losing Game 4 101 - 89! After making the Playoffs for the first time since 2004, are the Knicks moving in the right direction?

By JR

Rose Arrives to Practice in Walking Boot

2011-04-24T13:46:00.000-07:00

Derrick Rose arrived to the Chicago Bulls' practice today in a walking boot after he sprained his ankle in yesterday's Game Four loss to the Indiana Pacers. Rose injured himself by turning his foot too much on a layup late in the first quarter.

"I really can't explain it," Rose said Saturday. "I just took off wrong and my weight just pushed over my ankle and it ended up twisting."

Rose participated in shootaround, but mostly just looked at film for much of the practice. Rose will have an MRI. The X-Rays for his ankle turned out negative yesterday during the game versus Indy.

But this won't stop Rose from playing in Game Five on Tuesday.

"He's fine," Bulls' coach Tom Thibodeau said. "He's going to have his ankle checked. Hopefully, he'll be ready."

Rose is playing it out tough as he did yesterday. He played poor, only having 15 points and shooting four-of-20. He didn't make any excuses. Rose says he doesn't feel any pain, but there must be some, like soreness.

"We asked him, he says he fine," Thibodeau said. "[Athletic trainer] Fred [Tedeschi] says [Rose] has a little soreness, but he says he's fine."

Thibodeau has no answer on whether the injury affected Rose, even after looking at film.

"It's hard to tell with him," Thibodeau said. "He's so fast. The way he was attacking ... now he didn't finish as well as he normally does. And he didn't get to the line. I thought as a team, we settled for the three too much."

Many are optimistic and positive Rose will be fully ready to go as Chicago will be back with it's home crowd.

"I think he's probably, pretty sure, 100 percent going to play," Watson said. "He's probably just a little sore. I'm sure he's going to play on Tuesday, though."

Video: Collison makes the big block on Rose

2011-04-24T12:17:00.000-07:00

Video: Rose's Two-Handed Throwdown

2011-04-24T12:08:00.000-07:00

Defensive Legends:Ranking The Greatest Defensive Players In The NBA History

2011-04-24T12:05:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to the "Greatest Ever" series, as we continue with the ranks of the greatest defenders in the NBA History.

There's a famous quote saying defense wins championships, which is absolutely true. That has been proved dozens of times. The league's top defensive team earns the championship honors and goes home with the title, so you need this. Playing defense is easier said than done, because it requires a lot of hard work, running, incredible desire and so on. There are many ways of stopping your man such as blocking a shot, stripping the ball, taking a charge, pressuring your man etc..

Depending on the position, there are interior, perimeter, man to man and versatile stoppers out there who all play equally great defense but make different impacts on the court. For an example, a defender like Dwight can make a bigger impact than a guy like Kobe. It often also depends on the position they play.

Big men production, in general, is more valuable than the guards and forwards since they defend their man, clean the glass, help their team mates, challenge and deny shot attempts, box out their man etc...

Guards can guard their man while also helping down low on the double-team, play the passing lanes, shut down the man who they are assigned to, box out and even help on the boards. Forwards shut down their men, then box out, grab boards, play the passing lanes, help down low, block shots etc...

It's really hard to judge defense. Some defenders rely on their intelligence, some rely on their athleticism, some on their skills, some on the fundamentals and so on. The league has had a lot of very good defenders and here are the greatest defensive players in the NBA History!

Best Perimeter Defender

To me, no one ever defended the perimeter better than Gary Payton whose nickname ("The Glove") describes his ability to defend perfectly, for he is the only Point Guard to ever win Defensive Player of the Year. Payton stood at 6'4", had phenomenal footwork, quick hands, toughness and tenacity to rise above all on the perimeter against tons of prolific scorers. He had no problem shutting them all down as he masted the art of steals while not allowing a clear shot.

He was known for his defensive performances in his career against some of the top scorers of all times. He held his own against even the legendary Michael Jordan, who he put to his worst Finals performances and slowed him to 27.3 points, stopping him five times under 30 points and holding him to 42 percent from the field.

There is another strong candidate in Scottie Pippen, who had a perfect size to defend with 6'8, had long arms, terrific footwork and a needed aggression to excel. He defended well anyone. Sid the Squid is terrific as well, Walt Frazier, Dennis Johnson, Michael Jordan and so on.

Here is my list

1.Gary Payton

2.Scottie Pippen

3.Sidney Moncrief

4.Michael Jordan

5.Dennis Johnson

Honorable Mention : Bobby Jones, Walt Frazier, Bruce Bowen, Joe Dumars, Michael Cooper

Best Interior Defender

Bill Russell revolutionized the concepts of defense in the NBA and was a phenomenal defensive player who mastered the fundamentals to dominate at the defensive end and change the game of basketball with that style.

He basically built the fundamentals of the blocked shot, who made blocking shots into an art form, because he had perfect timing, didn't foul the shooter and when he blocked the shot, kept his team in possession since he would tip the ball to his teammate or to himself.

He turned blocks into rebounding chances, which is superb. He was a lock-down defender who would use his high basketball IQ, skills and athleticism to stop his man. He had many performances slowing down the great Wilt to below his standard games in the Finals and Playoffs.

He was efficient in cleaning the glass, as he grabbed more then 22.5 boards, good enough for No. 2 on the all-time list, but he is the NBA's all-time rebound leader in the Playoffs (24.9) and in the Finals as well. In general, Bill Russell has a legitimate case for the honor of the game's best defender of any time. Other candidates with similar cases are Hakeem Olajuwon, who stands tall in this debate, then the always terrific, consistent Tim Duncan.

Here are my choices:

1.Bill Russell

2.Hakeem Olajuwon

3.Tim Duncan

4.Nate Thurmond

5.Dikembe Mutombo

Honorable Mention:Wilt Chamberlain, David Robinson, Artis Gilmore, Bill Walton, Kevin Garnett, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Alonzo Mourning

Best Thief:Walt Frazier

Getting steals efficiently while not letting your man blow past you or score a jump shot is difficult, but this guy's done it almost as an artistic form.Walt Frazier was perhaps the best thief in NBA History, who had hands quick as a snake's tongue, so he was a threat in his entire career. Like Russell, he would have probably been in a good position to be the all-time steals leader.

Then, you can throw John Stockton who was also phenomenal in this aspect of basketball, Alvin Robertson, Jason Kidd and Chris Paul who's quickly earning his reputation as an elite stealer even though he is much younger and has a chance to achieve big things. Here is my list

1.Walt Frazier

2.John Stockton

3.Alvin Robertson

4.Jason Kidd

5.Gary Payton

Honorable Mention:Chris Paul (will be on this list one day), Hakeem Olajuwon (9th on the all time list, 1st for all big men), Clyde Drexler, Maurice Cheeks, Allen Iverson

Best Shot Blocker

Blocked shots are a powerful action in the game of basketball, which is often the last line of defense in order to stop someone's shot attempt.

No one better challenges the shots in the air better than the big men. Bill Russell did it best, as he built the fundamentals of the blocked shot and mastered these three things for denying shots: perfect timing, not fouling the shooter, and tipping the ball to himself/teammates.

It's a shame blocks and stats were not an official statistic during his time since his total would have probably topped anyone's. Wilt, his rival, was phenomenal in this area of the sport and Hakeem also as well. Then Dikembe, who had no trouble going against anyone and Duncan, who has a similar style to Bill.

Here is my list:

1.Bill Russell

2.Hakeem Olajuwon

3.Wilt Chamberlain

4.Dikembe Mutombo

5.Kareem Abdul Jabbar

Honorable Mention: Nate Thurmond, David Robinson, Alonzo Mourning, Bill Walton, Artis Gilmore, Ben Wallace, Mark Eaton, Tim Duncan

Most Versatile Defender

Don't worry NBA fans, despite how bad Dennis Rodman is off the court, what he did on it was fantastic; a rebounder and defender of his class is hard to find. A player like him, now, could turn a team into a championship contender.

The Worm is now one of the leading players to enter the Hall Of Fame this year. He defended fast and small point guards such as Gary Payton to giants of the game like Shaquille O'Neal, which no one else did better. His versatility and skills on the defensive end gave him a reputation as a superb defender his entire career, a consistent place in the All-NBA Defensive Teams, a five-time Champion and two Defensive Player of the Year awards.

He wasn't the quickest, strongest or fastest out there but was just that good of an all around stopper. Let's not forget about Bobby Jones and Dave Debusschere too.

Here is my list:

1.Dennis Rodman

2.Bobby Jones

3.Dave Debusschere

4.Scottie Pippen

5.James Worthy

Honorable Mention:Sidney Moncrief, Gary Payton, Bruce Bowen, Michael Cooper, Bill Russell, Hakeem Olajuwon

Best Defensive Rebounder

Defensive rebounds also belong in the category of defense, which is another factor for showing the paint protection in the favour of the big men.

In terms of defensive rebounding, the boxing out technique, skills, strength to get a position, sense of where the ball is going and much more can all be factors for a domination of a certain player under the basket. There were many good rebounders in their own paint, but Artis Gilmore, with his 11.514 defensive boards are enough for me to consider him as No. 1, barely outmatching Karl Malone, Moses Malone, Robert Parish and many more.

From the forwards, notable rebounders were guys such as Elgin Baylor and Larry Bird, while from the guards, I'd say Jason Kidd tops them all. Let's not forget about Bill Russell, Nate Thurmond and Wilt Chamberlain who were also terrific, but they left the game before these stats were accepted in the league, so I'd rank them but still mention it.

Taking The Charge:Derrick Fisher

Taking charges is also another way of slowing down your man, but in order to do this, you have to be ahead of your man and stand there for at least two seconds, so the refs can call an offensive foul and believe me, it's not easy to do it. However, there have been players like Fisher, Ginobili and Varejao who have done it the best, but also added nice acting performances that I'm sure would all get awarded. From all of these, no one did it better than D Fish.

Best Off-Ball Defender

Off-Ball Defense is also another way of judging how a player did on that end of the court, which can be measured by stats and by simply watching. There have been players who have played the passing lanes, blocked shots, helped on the double-team, get in the paint for boards and so on. Players like these can have big impacts on a team.

For an example, the ability to play good defense in the lanes gave the Bulls in the 90's huge success since they broke down the ball movement, interrupted game plans and so on. From the past, legends like Pippen, Jordan and many others excelled at this. Over the past two-three years, the best off-ball defender has been LeBron James. His great abilities got him deep in the voting for the league's top defensive player two years ago. It helped guys like Jordan and Robinson big time to earn awards.

Big men were terrific in this category too. From the recent history of the NBA, Hakeem Olajuwon stands out on top. David Robinson was impressive too. Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain, especially Russ were awesome too.

Here is my list:

1.Hakeem Olajuwon—His off-ball defense was second to none. Without a disrespect for other centers such as Russ and Chamberlain, he just did it best by far. He challenged shots in the air strongly but also was 9th in steals overall. He had years when he averaged 3-plus blocks and 2-plus steals, which is amazing.

2.Michael Jordan—The only player to record 200 steals and 100 blocks, at least twice.

3.Scottie Pippen

4.Ben Wallace

5.Wilt Chamberlain

Honorable Mention: Bill Russell, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade.

Best Defensive Leader

In this picture, there are two of the greatest defensive leaders in the NBA History; those two are Kevin Garnett and Bill Russell.

A defensive leader can have such a positive impact on a certain player. In general, these players have the ability to translate that energy, toughness, positive strength and will for winning, which can mean a lot of things in a team. When the Boston Celtics got Kevin Garnett in 2008, I am positive that few believed that his toughness and intensiveness would translate that well to the Celtics, which happened to be one of the factors for Boston's successful run in the same year.

Another example can be the signing of Ron Artest to the Lakers, who quickly established himself into the exact same thing that KG did with their rivals, and now, L.A. are one tough team. From the past, the most notable teams to mention are the Celtics from the 60's, 80's, Knicks from the 70's, 90's, Showtime Lakers and so on.

Bill Russell had it best with the C's way back, who from day one single-handedly turned them from a super offensive team, to a superb defensive team,l ed by the same player to win an amazing 11 championships in 13 years.

Here is my list:

1.Bill Russell

2.Kevin Garnett

3.Ben Wallace

4.Dikembe Mutombo

5.Willis Reed

Best Defensive Guards

Here is a quick look at the best defensive guards in the NBA History. This is my list

1.Sidney Moncrief

2.Michael Jordan

3.Gary Payton

4.Joe Dumars

5.Dennis Johnson

6.Jerry West

7.Walt Frazier

8.Jason Kidd

9.Alvin Robertson

10.Kobe Bryant

Honorable Mention:Michael Cooper, KC Jones (first lock down defender ever from the guards position)

Best Defensive Forwards

Here are the best defensive forwards in the NBA History. My list has

1.Dennis Rodman

2.Scottie Pippen

3.Kevin Garnett

4.Bobby Jones

5.Dave Debusschere

6.Elvin Hayes

7.Bruce Bowen

8.Ron Artest

9.Shane Battier

10.Elgin Baylor

Honorable Mention:Gus Johnson (has two All-Defensive First Team), John Havlicek, Maurice Lucas, James Worthy

Best Defensive Centers

Here is a quick look at the best defensive centers the game has ever seen

1.Bill Russell

2.Hakeem Olajuwon

3.Tim Duncan (he's listed as a Power Forward, but on defense is more of a center and that's where he stands on those All-Defensive Teams)

4.Nate Thurmond

5.Dikembe Mutombo

6.Wilt Chamberlain

7. David Robinson

8. Artis Gilmore

9. Bill Walton

10.Patrick Ewing

Honorable Mention:Willis Reed, Robert Parish and so on.

Best Defensive Players Listed In The Best Line Ups

Here is a quick look at the best defensive line ups:

All-Time First Best Defensive Line Up

C:Hakeem Olajuwon

PF:Bill Russell

SF:Dennis Rodman

SG:Sidney Moncrief

PG:Gary Payton

All-Time Second Best Defensive Line Up

C:Nate Thurmond

PF:Tim Duncan

SF:Kevin Garnett

SG:Michael Jordan

PG:Walt Frazier

All-Time Third Best Defensive Line Up

C:Dikembe Mutombo

PF:Elvin Hayes

SF:Bobby Jones

SG:Joe Dumars

PG:Dennis Johnson

Overall

As a fan of the league, it's really hard to judge, overall, who was the finest defensive player to ever walk on an NBA hardwood. The reason that I included these categories are because players from different positions often have their own ways of slowing down their opponents.

I'll try to rank them all, in a top 15 list that will feature five guards, five forwards and five centers all ranked in one place. I'll write in a bigger list, because I hate when I've left someone out and that one happens to be very good at something.

That's why I will feature a top 15 list that will be in a specific order. Check my choices from the last to the best. Enjoy!

20.Kareem Abdul Jabbar

Kareem Abdul Jabbar is one of the greatest post defenders in the history of the NBA. His high basketball IQ, length, and athleticism made him a terrific shot blocker mainly from the side and stats prove that as he led the league in blocks an incredible four times.

His offensive skills overshadowed his great presence in the post on the other end of the court. He covered his man pretty well most of the time and affected shots in the paint while cleaning up the glass for the Lakers. His totals and averages are even more impressive because it wasn't until his third season that blocks and steals became official statistics.

The awards and stats say how great a defender this guy was. The DPOY award was inaugurated well after his finest years of protecting the paint, so he never won one.

Notable Career Facts and Stats

All-NBA Defensive Team Selection: 11 (Five All-First Defensive/Six All-Second Defensive Team)

Block Titles: Four

His career total of 3,189 blocked shots is ranked No. 3 on the all-time lists

His playoff total of 476 is the all-time best in playoff history

His playoff average of 2.4 blocks per game is ranked No. 8 in playoff history

His playoff total of 1,273 rebounds is ranked No. 5 in playoff history

His career total of 9,394 defensive rebounds is ranked No. 9 all time

His career defensive rating of 94.49 is ranked No. 2 all time

His playoff defensive rating of 13.74 is ranked No. 4 in playoff history

He has led the NBA twice in total defensive rebounds

His total of 1,111 defensive rebounds is an NBA record

19.Bill Walton

The often overlooked Bill Walton, when healthy, is in the conversation of the league's finest interior defenders of all time.

He wasn't as athletic and strong, but mastered the fundamentals well and his great basketball IQ added nicely, making him quite a defensive force in the middle.

Walton's impact on defense was really on a whole new level in his healthy years, especially during the Portland championship season when he managed to lead the league in categories such as blocked shots and rebounds per game.

He held his own against tough opponents e.g Kareem.

Notable Career Facts and Stats

He led the NBA in rebounds (14.4) and blocked shots (3.3) per game in 1976-77 season

He averaged 19 rebounds and 3.7 blocks per game through that Finals series!

He went for 29 rebounds and seven blocks in Game 3, and 23 rebounds plus seven blocks in Game 6 of the 76-77 Finals.

All NBA Defensive Selections: Two (All-First Defensive Team)

His career defensive rebound percent of 30.2 is ranked No. 1 in the history of the NBA!

His career defensive rating of 96.3 is ranked No.8 in the history of the NBA!

His playoff defensive rating of 97.8 is ranked No. 3 in playoff history!

18.Artis Gilmore

The most overlooked big man of all time, the 7'2" Artis Gilmore wasn't so much known for his offense, but when he went up to block a shot and grab rebounds, everybody knew who he was.

He had incredible strength and jumping ability, and that, coupled with his long arms made him one of the best interior defenders.

He established himself as one of the most fearless shot blockers, and knew how to clean the glass with efficiency, which the numbers speak to.

Note: The Defensive Player of the Year award was started well after his career years, so he didn't win one, but Kareem Abdul Jabbar said Gilmore was the best defender who he ever faced!

Notable Career Facts and Stats (Featuring NBA/ABA Stats Combined):

All-Defensive Selections: Six (Five All-ABA First Defensive/ One All-NBA Second Defensive Team)

His career total of 11,514 defensive rebounds is ranked No. 1 all time

His career total of 3,178 blocked shots is ranked No. 4 all time

His career block average of 2.4 is ranked No. 14 all time

His career defensive rebound percent of 24.9 is ranked No. 13 all time

His playoff total of 168 blocked shots is ranked No. 21 all time

His playoff average of 2.2 blocked shots per game is ranked No. 10 all time

His playoff total of 808 defensive rebounds is ranked No. 27 all time

His career defensive win share of 75.54 is ranked No. 10 all time

He led the ABA five times in total defensive rebounds!

He led the ABA three times in total blocked shots!

17.Patrick Ewing

16.Gary Payton

Former Seattle Super Sonic players,a legend remembered for his defensive performances,Garry Payton was the best perimeter player in the history of the NBA!

The 6'4 Payton strengths were toughness,courage,strong footwork combined with rarely seen skills for a point guard to dominate on the other end of the court.He also played well on the lanes,as he did managed to lead twice in steals per game

He mastered the art form of steals on his man while not give him clear shot.He was so outstanding that he put the playoffs' top scoring machine,Michael Jordan to just 27 points per game while holding him in 5 games under 30 points,once on 22 and worst shooting percent

The career feat came in 1996 when he won the Defensive Player Of The Year,which adds nicely to record 9x straight All-First Defensive selections and his total of steals 2445 is ranked #3 on the all time lists.Can you think of Payton as a Top 10 defender ever?

Who says guards can't defend...

15.Bobby Jones

Bobby Jones is an unknown name to youthful generation of basketball, but all the students of the history of this league know what he did best and that was playing stealer defense.

Yes, that's right. Jones had skills, but he maximized it through amazing hustle, determination and toughness to join the elite class of all-time defensive wizards. He was a true defensive wizard who was strong on the perimeter, on his man, inside, everywhere.

He was one of the most admired defenders to ever put a uniform on, spent 8-10 seasons in the NBA and a couple in the ABA. He was consistent in the All-Defensive selections.

Career Facts:

-Defensive Player Of The Year: 0

-All NBA/ABA Defensive Teams: 10 (Nine-Time All-First, One All-Second)

14.Alonzo Mourning

A powerful presence in the paint who possessed remarkable athleticism, terrific strength, nice length and timing, Alonzo Mourning was one of the game's greatest defensive players of all time.

He was an intimating presence in the interior because of his already named physical advantages which made up for his lack of size (6'10) and he was a skilled stopper too. Mourning was one of the best shot blockers to ever play in the NBA, who challenged pretty much everything well, had nice numbers, alerted dozens of attempts because of that and was consistent in doing it. His numbers speak for that as well.

Zo was a monster on the boards, who could glean the glass very well and had couple of seasons over 10 rebounds in average. His highest mark was 13.3 in his sophomore season as part of the Charlotte Hornets, who collected big numbers despite playing with Larry Johnson was capable to pull down a ton of missed shots as well. He pretty much became the Hornets all time leader in blocks very soon after short number of games, a proof of his dominance.

In his prime, he was the top overall defensive player who led all twice in blocks with outstanding 3.7 and 3.9 rejections that earned him two Defensive Player Of The Year awards. He was an amazing one on one defender as well, who challenged all of the great offensive big men in his era like Shaq, Hakeem who were two of the best players to ever step foot on a basketball hardwood.

Notable Career Facts

-Defensive Player Of The Year awards:two (won them in his prime)

-All NBA Defensive Teams:two (largely because he played with Hakeem, Ewing, Robinson and so on)

-Career Rebounds:7.137 (8.5)---------------------------------------------------665 (7.0)

-Career Blocked Shots:2.356 (2.8)-----------------------------------------------215 (2.3)

-His career block total ranks No.12 on the all time list

-His career blocking average ranks No.6 on the all time list

-His career block percent ranks No.6 on the all time list

-His playoffs block total ranks No.16 on the all time list

-His playoffs blocking average ranks No.9 on the all time list

13.Kevin Garnett

The Big Ticket,is one of the best interior defenders in the history of the NBA,part of the game that he took to a whole new level in his team since '08,the Boston Celtics

His combination of athleticism,strength and speed combined with the fantastic skills made him a strong presence in the paint on defense,a force that has feared everyone in the league and still does it almost with easy

His defensive presence was the key to the Boston Celtics 2008 Championship run where he locked one of the most skilled big men in the league Pau Gasol and showed his toughness while questioning his rival's toughness as well

He intimated guys with his blocked shots,when he would swat the shot and let you know that he's in the building.Like he has consistently through the course of his career,when the refs call for example a foul,someone shots and KG takes the ball before it hits the mark...

Garnett also not only that he did all of that but mainly in his days as a Timberwolf,he played well on the lanes and after he played for one of the most popular franchises around,his one on one defense and ability to stay on the pick with other players is also brilliant as much is his ability to clean the glass!

Notable Career Facts:

-Defensive Player Of The Year:1 (2008)

-All NBA Defensive Selections:10 (8x All-First Defensive////2x All-Second Defensive Teams)

-His career total of 9326 defensive rebounds is ranked #7 on the all time list (best of all current)

-His career total of 1790 blocked shots is ranked at #23 on the all time list

-His playoff average of 1.43 blocked shots is ranked #30 in the playoffs history

-His career total of 1513 steals is ranked #4 among the current and is one of the better for power forwards

-His playoff total of 832 defensive rebounds is ranked #25 on the all time list!

-His career defensive rebound percent of 25.6 is ranked at #12 on the all time lists

-His playoff defensive rebound percent of 25.9 is ranked #6 in the playoffs history!

-4x times leader in total defensive rebounds grabbed!

12.Michael Jordan

As much as he was nearly an unstoppable offensive force, he was as nearly as good on the defensive end and is one of the greatest defensive players in NBA History.

Jordan was an athletic, skilled and quick defender with nice footwork and nice work with the hands that made him such a nice overall player and lock-down stopper any night. He played the passing lanes well and had an incredible amount of blocks for his position.

He was phenomenal in off/on-ball defense for which he, in 1988, was awarded with a league's award for the top defender for that season. He can be argued as the finest defensive guard of all time, due to many factors, which adds volumes.

Career Facts:

-Defensive Player Of The Year: 1 (1988)

-All NBA Defensive Selections: 9 (All-First each, shares the record with Payton)

-Steals: 2,514 (2.3)----------------------------------------376 (2.10)

-Ranks No.1 in most blocked shots for guards

-Ranks No.2 in most steals for career

-Ranks No.3 on the all-time list for career steals per game

-Ranks No.6 on the playoffs all-time list in most steals per game

-Ranks No.2 on the playoffs in most steals per game

11.David Robinson

A 7'2" muscular, athletic, quick and strong center with a nice vertical jump, David Robinson was one of the best defensive players to step on an NBA hardwood. He was one of the most athletic players to ever play the game of basketball, who used his physical advantages to be a force.

All of those named things above gave him huge strength in protecting the basket against dominate big guys in his entire career. He excelled at shot blocking, which was his strength on defense that have earned him a good reputation. He's arguably one of the top five shot blockers of any time, as he averaged amazing 4.5 swat shots when he won his only block crown but he did also average 3.9 rejections in his first two seasons. That's domination!

He was a prolific presence on the glass as well, who led once all in it and had high numbers in the start of his career. The Admiral was until recently the Spurs all time leader boards until Duncan passed it. He was also interrupting passes like crazy. He had some seasons when he ranked top 5 in steals, which is crazy! His greatest achievement came when he won Defensive Player of the Year in a competition of many all time greats.

Career Facts:

-Defensive Player Of The Year: one (1992)

-All NBA Defensive Selections: Eight (4x All-First)

-Rebounds: 10,497 (10.6)---------------1301 boards (10.6)

-Blocks: 2,954 (3.0)-------------------------312 blocks (2.5)

-Ranks No.5 in terms of most blocks during the playoffs

-Ranks No.6 in most blocked shots per game during the playoffs

-Ranks No.6 on the all-time list in most blocked shots

-Ranks No.4 on the all-time list in most blocked shots per game

-Ranks No.30 in most rebounds per game during career

10.Wilt Chamberlain

Although he is more known for his offensive domination, like leading the league a dozen times in scoring, and once even in assists, Wilt wasn't all about offense. He was a force in his own paint as he translated his physicality, attitude, skills, intelligence and aggression on defense which made him one of the most elite stoppers in the NBA History. He was definitely feared largely because of his shot blocking skills, which were nothing less than legendary.

When he blocked the shot, it often end up way, way back. He made people think twice on scoring against him, or driving to the paint. He refused to be put on a poster as he challenged all of the attempts in the interior which is the reason why he'd been the all time leader in this category had most likely blocks were recorded in the time he was active. Chamberlain was so dominant on the glass, who holds the top career average and total with nice advantage over his rival Russell.

He led the league 11 times in rebounding, a feat no one came close to and even in the late part of his career, he grabbed 18, 19 rebounds with a comfortable difference ahead of everyone else. He set the record of 60 boards in a single game, holds another achievement for having collected most missed shots in a playoff series with amazing 30.2 in average, who recorded in both total and average most rebounds in a 6 game playoff and Finals series too.

His strength was too much, his length made it tough, his vertical jump allowed him to go up so high to stop attempts, he was quick and could cover mobile big men yet still stop in the paint and so on. He was a beast.

Notable Career Stats and Facts

All-NBA Defensive Selections: Two (Both are All-First Defensive Teams)

His career total of 23,924 rebounds is the best all time

His career average of 22.9 rebounds per game is the best all time

His career defensive win share of 93.9 is ranked No. 4 all time

His playoff defensive win share of 15.81 is ranked No. 2 all time

His playoff average of 24.46 rebounds per game is second-best all time

His playoff total of 3,913 rebounds is also second-best all time

He led the league 11 times in rebounding, which is by far more times than anyone else

9.Sidney Moncrief

Whenever you hear the name Sidney Moncrief, two things should be remembered: complete game and just amazing defensive abilities, which earned him the reputation as one of the best defenders to play in NBA History.

A consistent, determined stopper, with a strong body who had above average shot blocking skills thanks to his 36 inch vertical jump, which he combined with his superb skills to dominate on defense, like few had of any time.

He didn't have so many awesomely high stats in blocks and steals, but his determination to be on the top as a defensive wizard and overall, made him a loved player during his career at the Bucks, a fan favorite and an admired figure from other stars.

This quote says it all: "In that environment, you were always on the defensive, because you never wanted to show that you could be dominated in any way."

Career Facts:

-Defensive Player Of The Year: 2 (1982,83)

-All NBA Defensive Teams: 5 (Four-Time All-First selections)

-One of the better blocking guards

8.Scottie Pippen

The superb skilled, quick, athletic and 6'8" Scottie Pippen had all the tools to excel at the defensive end, and that's exactly what he did. He became one of the greatest defensive players the game has ever seen in the Bulls jersey.

While he may never get his credit because of Michael Jordan, still, no one can take away anything for what he did at his finest. That was being a defensive stalwart his entire career, as he was almost the perfect defender.

He defended on the perimeter like few had and was capable of defending the bigger forwards inside. For these reasons he was one of the most versatile defenders of all time and such an overall beast at the other end of the court.

Career Facts:

-Defensive Player of the Year: None

-All NBA Defensive Selections: Nine Times (All-First Defense for each)

-Steals:2307 (2.0)----------------------------------------------395 steals (1.9)

-Ranks No.1 in the playoffs history for most steals

-Ranks No.1 in the playoffs history for most steals record by a forward

-Ranks No.6 on the all time list, for most career steals

-Steals title: 1 (2.9)

-Often led his teams in blocks and assists, from time to time even in steals

7.Ben Wallace

For a big man, Ben Wallace is not that big of a dude, but regardless of that, he has made his mark as one of the best defensive players the game has ever seen.

He had phenomenal strength, athleticism, skills and put in hard work in order to dominate in the paint with his defense, stopping often much bigger opponents like Shaquille O'Neal. He often intimidated players when driving to the rim.

He was one of the top help defenders of all time, who was the most feared stopper in the history of the NBA, which is a legacy that still stands. He owns dozens of records, nice stats as an extra bonus to his work and is a model for all non-drafted players.

He can be argued much further, actually, all the way to the top since a case can be made, but in my list, he sits right here.

Career Facts:

Defensive Player Of The Year: 4 (2003,04,05,06____shares that record with Dikembe)
All NBA Defensive Teams: 6 (5x All-First)
Rebound titles: 2x (15.4,13.0)
Rebounds: 10,034 (10.1)------------------------------------1454 (11.2)
Blocks: 2,055 (2,1)--------------------------------------------250 (1.9)
Ranks No.16 in the playoffs history for most blocks per game recorded ever
Ranks No.10 in the playoffs history for most blocks
Ranks No.18 on the all time list for career blocks
Ranks No.41 in most rebounds grabbed per game in career
Ranks No.34 on the all time list for most career rebounds
Ranks No.55 on the all time lists for most steals
Had 6 seasons of at least,10+ boards,2+ blocks and 1+ steals per game

6.Dikembe Mutombo

Dikembe Mutombo had the tools to become a great defender as he was such a big center, 7'1", strong, athletic, skilled with long arms to establish himself as one of the biggest defensive players in the history of the NBA.

Mutombo was an outstanding presence on defense who was, perhaps, the best shot blocker in the air duels right in your face, and one of the best shot blockers of all-time overall as well. He was also an outstanding help defender too.

He was so dominate as an interior stopper that he ranks at the near top of it, as he once recorded 31 blocks in the biggest upset in the league's history, earning him the most Defensive Player of the Year awards in the history of professional basketball.

Career Facts:

-Defensive Player Of The Year: 4 (NBA record,shares it with Big Ben)

-All NBA Defensive Selections: 6 (including 3x All-First)

-Blocked shots: 3,289 (2.8)--------------------------251 (2.5)

-Rebounds: 12,359 (10.3)-----------------------------------962 (9.5)

-Ranks at No.2 in most career blocks

-Ranks at No.7 in most blocks per game

-Ranks at No.35 in most career rebounds per game

-Ranks at No.18 in most boards grabbed for career

-Ranks at No.10 in most playoff blocks

-Ranks at No.7 in most blocks per game during the playoffs

-Ranks at No.15 in most career defensive win share

-Ranks at No.8 in career defensive rebound percent

-3x block titles

-5x leader in total blocks

-2x rebound titles

5.Nate Thurmond

A remarkable physically gifted center who played with defense with pride but is in the shadows of his peers like Russell and Chamberlain, Nate Thurmond was indeed one of the greatest defenders of all time with a good case of being the best as well.

It's a shame injuries slowed him a little bit time, but he was a real force in his own paint in so many ways. He possessed incredible athleticism, strength, awesome vertical jump, instincts and length to be an all time great in this aspect of the game. He was additionally sensational in one on one match ups, as he could stop his man and still be a presence. He was fantastic in blocking shots who is one of the top shot blockers ever. Some say he could block more shots in his prime than Hakeem, which isn't an easy thing.

It's unfortunately that stat wasn't official part from the start of his career as he would have ranked near the top. Thurmond was a dominant presence on the glass, who even though put awesome numbers, he never led the league in rebounding. He did grab over 20 rebounds in two season, he also has career average of 15.0 that is ranked at the 5th spot. For a period of four years, he collected 19.7 boards. In a period for two season, he collected 20.5 missed shots a game. Phenomenal, isn’t it?

Nate the Great was one of the rare players to record at least 20 points and 20 boards in a single season joining Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell for that accomplishment. He still holds the record for most boards grabbed in a single quarter with 18 and is also officially the first one to record a quadruple double.

He was the ultimate Kareem and Wilt stopper, as Jabbar said that Nate was the toughest defender he ever faced. A good praise from a big rival, isn’t it? He held the 7’2 opponent who to a big time decrease in production thanks to the tough and great defense by Nate. All of them, including Russ said that he was their toughest challenge. When Kareem faced Nate, his production usually decreased big time. Same for Wilt as well. He was arguably the finest one on one defender from the center’s position.

Notable Career Stats and Facts

All-NBA Defensive Selections: Five (Two All-First Defensive/Three All-Second Defensive Teams)

His career rebound total of 14,464 rebounds is ranked No. 9 all time

His career rebound average of 15.0 is ranked No. 5 all time

His playoff total of 1,101 rebounds is ranked No. 33 in playoff history

His playoff average of 13.6 rebounds per game is ranked No. 10 in playoff history

His career defensive win share rating of 62.2 is ranked No. 23 in playoff history

4.Tim Duncan

Often viewed as boring but very efficient, Tim Duncan is one of the greatest defensive players in the history of the NBA who's still a dominate defensive presence in the paint and is the perfect fundamentally sound defender. He could be even argued as the finest of them all.

That's right. He has never been a guy who would go in too many unneeded air match ups just to stop a shot attempt near the rim. His size, length and skills combine with his superb instincts and high basketball IQ allowing him to outsmart his opponents.

He's second to Bill Russell in terms of beating his opponents in the air, because he has incredible timing, a sense not to foul the shooter and not to allow second chances for his opponents, which makes him one of the best shot blockers.

He held even the great Shaq attack to 23 points per game during his rival's finest seasons. He excelled at cleaning the glass by understanding boxing out and dominating in the clutch. For example, he had like 15 boards to go with three blocks in the '03 Finals.

Career Facts:

-Defensive Player Of The Year: 0 (he still waits for it)

-All NBA Defensive Selections: 13 (including 8x All-First)

-NBA All time leader in most defensive selections

-Career Rebounds: 11,529 (11.6)--------------------------2114 (12.4)

-Career Blocked shots: 2,273 (2.3)------------------------438 (2.6)

-Ranks at No.4 in the playoffs for most blocked shots

-Ranks at No.11 in most career blocked shots

-Ranks at No.16 in career blocks per game

-Ranks at No.24 in terms of most rebounds grabbed in career

-Ranks at No.20 in career rebounds per game

-Ranks at No.15 in playoff rebounds per game

-Ranks at No.7 in career defensive win shares (82.9)

-Ranks at No.5 in playoffs defensive win shares (13.0)

-Ranks at No.2 in career defensive rating

-Ranks at No.14 in playoff defensive rating

-Ranks at No.7 in career defensive win share

-Ranks at No.5 in playoff defensive win share

-Ranks at No.7 in career defensive rebound percent

-Ranks at No.9 in playoff defensive rebound percent

3.Dennis Rodman

The leading player from the Hall Of Fame nominations, Dennis Rodman was one of the greatest defenders in the history of the game called basketball. Although, he was a very crazy person off the court in order to get publicity; on the court he was outstanding.

The surprising part is back in college, this guy was an effective scorer but understood that he would help more on the other end of the court, and he became a total stud. His hustle, hard work, skills and instincts earned him a reputation as a phenomenal defender. He could be argued as the best of them all in terms of defense.

He was indeed the most versatile stopper who dominated in the three major things of defense: on the perimeter, in the post, on his man and was terrific in team help D as well. He guarded giants like Shaq, Hakeem to the likes of Jordan, Payton, Magic etc...

He was a rebounding beast who was perhaps the top rebounder of all time, who grabbed like 19 boards per game during his prime, which is a crazy achievement. When he led the NBA in this category, the second best was like way off with 13 boards.

He stands well in this debate and if you argue Dennis Rodman as the cream of the cop from this list, that's a good decision.

Career Facts:

-Defensive Player Of The Year: 2 (1990,91)

-All NBA Defensive Teams: 8 (this includes 7x All-First Defense)

-Boards: 11,954 (13.1)--------------------------1676 (9.9)

-7x rebound titles (1992-98)

-4x leader in total rebounds

-3x leader in total defensive rebounds

-Ranks at No.1 in total career rebound percent

-Ranks at No.3 in career defensive rebound percent

-Ranks at No.14 in playoff defensive win share

2.Hakeem Olajuwon

The superb Hakeem Olajuwon stands in many ways as the greatest defensive player the game has seen, a true beast on that end of the floor who possessed a rare combination of incredible athleticism, speed and skills to go with nice strength.

Those attributes helped him to excel at that end of the court for sure. For his size (6'11"),his versatility was on par with many other guys, but arguably, he had the best help and off-ball defense of all time and stands so tall in this debate.

Not only that he was capable to shut down his man, he was a shot blocking machine who could just have a ton of steals, defended the pick n' roll well and even if there was a switch on the perimeter, he was so good in there too.

He made nice decisions on the court and just changed the game in another way with his total domination as a defender. No one can take that from him. He was one of the best shot blockers and by far no one ever interrupted the lanes as a big man better than No. 34.

Career Facts:

-Defensive Player Of The Year: 2 (1993,94)

-All NBA Defensive Selections: 9 (those include 5x all first)

-NBA All Time leader in blocked shots

-Rebounds: 13,748 (11.1)--------------------------------------1621 (11.2)

-Blocked shots: 3,830 (3.1)---------------------------------472 (3.3)

-Ranks at No.1 in most career blocks of all time

-Ranks at No.1 in most playoff blocks per game

-Ranks at No.2 in most career blocks in total

-Ranks at No.3 in most career blocks per game

-Ranks at No.5 in career defensive win share

-Ranks at No.11 in playoff defensive win share

-Ranks at No.22 in career defensive rebound percent

-Ranks at No.27 in playoff defensive rebound percent

-Ranks at No.11 in career total rebounds

-Ranks at No.25 in career rebound average

-Ranks at No.9 in most steals, No.1 by far more then any other big men

-2x rebound titles (2x leader in total, who averaged ridiculous 16.8 boards in the playoffs)

-3x block titles (2x in total, averaged insane 4.6 blocks per game)

-5x leader in defensive rating

1.Bill Russell

A legendary center who revolutionized the concepts of defense, Bill Russell is the greatest defensive player in NBA History, who just changed the game of basketball and proved that you can be a superstar while dominating on the other end of the court.

He was one of the smartest players this game has seen who had a book on everybody and was just that beast who knew how to crush a rhythm of the man he guarded and on offense possessed incredible skills, athleticism, speed to go with high basketball IQ and instincts.

He created dozens of fast breaks for Boston, mostly from rebounding/blocks and throwing outlet passes to anyone, which is how he contributed for another two points without even taking a shot. Impressive, isn't it.

He was arguably the best shot blocker of all time because of his fantastic style. He mastered three things for earning this honor: perfect timing, not fouling the shooter, keeping possession for his team by turning the blocked shot into a rebound.

That's art and he built the fundamentals of shot blocking. He was the finest defender that knew how to beat and slow down the great Wilt Chamberlain, especially in the playoffs and finals. He stopped dozens of great big men, Hall of Famers like Pettit, Reed, Bellamy and so on.

It's a shame defensive stats like blocks and steals were not official during that time, which would have showed his total domination on defense. There are the 11 championships he won and led his Celtics to it thanks to his magic overall.

Most likely he would have been the all-time leader in blocked shots (or his rival Wilt), but it's a pity since it's done. One more thing—he and Olajuwon would often go and deny guards/forwards on the fast break like LeBron does these days.

Career Facts:

-Defensive Player Of The Year : (The award did not exist until 1982)

-All NBA Defensive Teams: 1 (All-First; the award came late in Russell's career as he was about to retire that time)

-Rebounds: 21,620 (22.5)--------------------------------------4,104 rebounds (24.9)

-Ranks No.1 in career defensive win share

-Ranks No.1 in playoff defensive win share

-Ranks No.1 in total rebounds during playoffs

-Ranks No.1 in most rebounds per game during playoffs

-Ranks No.1 in most rebounds during the Finals

-Ranks No.2 in total career boards

-Ranks No.2 in total career boards per game

By Darko Mihajlovski

Gotta Love Z-Bo: Randolph Powers Grizz to 91-88 Win Over Spurs, Take 2-1 Series Lead

2011-04-24T08:06:00.000-07:00

No Rudy Gay? That was definitely no problem. With how the Grizzlies have been playing this year, it looks like Gay doesn't even exist. This awesome play of Memphis is really something, and much of the credit needs to go to Zach Randolph.

Randolph always gets his job done in the paint, getting all the rebounds and scoring everywhere from there. Why else is he a 20-10 guy you can count on every night? Along with that, who knew this guy could shoot from long-range? He was only 8-of-43 from the regular season, but a big bucket with 41.9 seconds left from behind-the-arc helped lift the Grizz over the San Antonio Spurs, 91-88, to take a 2-1 series lead.

"One would probably think that you'd like Zach to shoot the 3 rather than continue to lay it in against you, so it was a heck of a shot and part of the playoffs is about making shots," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.

Shane Battier, the veteran who made the pass, wasn't very optimistic about the shot as first, but neither was everyone else at the Forum. It was just a huge -- HUGE!! -- sign of relief.

"I think there was a collective holding of the breath at the Forum when that shot was in the air, and it went through," Battier said. "It was one of those moments where it's like: 'No, no, no, no, no, yes. Yes.'"

It's a good thing the Grizzlies decided to stay at the eighth seed. When they had potential to go as high as six, Lionel Hollins decided that Memphis is best if they decide to face the number-one seeded Spurs for the first round. And so far, this decision has been paying off as the Grizzlies opened up the series for their first victory in the playoffs, and now their first home victory. If Memphis continue to play strong like this, they will go on to be only the fourth eighth seed to knock off the first seed in the playoffs.

The Grizzlies got a lot of advantages at home, and with Game Four at Memphis, they have a good shot to lead the series 2-1.

Randolph had 25 points and five rebounds in the game, while fellow big man Marc Gasol had 17 points. Mike Conley put up 14 points and O.J. Mayo had ten. For the Spurs, Manu Ginobili led San Antonio with 23 points. Behind was Tony Parker with 16, Tim Duncan with 13, and then George Hill with eleven points.

The Spurs only lead came at the first quarter, and they never led after that. They never led by more than one point, having 12-11 lead. But after that, it was all Grizzlies' basketball taking advantage and gaining all the momentum possible.

With the Spurs coming in close, only down 88-86, the Grizzlies needed to put up a shot fast, especially with time winding down on the shot clock. Battier got the ball, passed it to Z-Bo for the huge shot. Randolph celebrated as the crowd started to cheer the nickname on. After that, it looked like the game was over with Memphis at a 91-86 advantage.

"It was 5 seconds on the shot clock," Randolph said. "I had a little space to see it, so I just shot the shot. It went in, but that's the shot I work on and I practice every day shooting so it felt good when it left my hand."

Tim Duncan did not expect Randolph to make that shot, especially this late in the game.

"I leaned back and tried to make sure that there wasn't a quick big-to-big roll, but he hit a 3 from that range. It was a great shot," Duncan said.

Coach Hollins knew that Randolph would take the shot, especially with Duncan not even coming after him to defend him.

"I'm happy we're where we are," Hollins said. "We could be in that other position in that other locker room, so it's nice to be where we are. And it's nice to get a victory at home in front of our fans in a playoff game. That's special as well because they've been wanting one and hoping for one, and we came in and got it the first opportunity."

Ginobili had a chance to shoot a three with time flying away, but Gasol prevented that with tight defense.

"I didn't care. You can do whatever to get a two. You're not going to shoot a three," Gasol said.

The crowd was great here at the Forum. O.J. Mayo loved it.

"Did you see that building?" Mayo said. "That was the difference. It was just unbelievable. Our crowd, everybody up swinging a white towel, and everybody on the same sheet of music. If you want to know the difference, it was that home court."

Looks like it might happen again at the Forum. Originally, I did not expect Memphis do this well. But after seeing this play, I have the Grizzlies winning in six games. There's my prediction. It's all thanks to Zach Randolph.

Gotta love Z-Bo!

NBA Draft 2011: The 10 Most Undervalued Players No One Is Talking About

2011-04-23T21:22:00.000-07:00

Regardless of the upcoming Draft being one of the shallowest in terms of talent in recent history, there are still some great pieces to be had for teams, especially in the mid-late first round. The positions that have the greatest depth this time around are at point guard and small forward, including plenty who are capable of starting in the league with their physicality, athletic gifts, and skill set. Most will need some time to adjust to the NBA style, but should have a fairly smooth transition. We are not saying that everyone on this list is an NBA starter right now, but they definitely are capable of reaching that level in a couple years time. There are definitely also some impact players in here that have gotten little mention, and hopefully we can put them on your radar.

That said, SwishScout.com presents “The 10 Most Undervalued Players No One Is Talking About.”

Note: On every player, you can click their name or school to take you to a more detailed profile for an extensive scouting report and highlights on the respective prospect.

Honorable Mention: Charles Jenkins (Hofstra), Travis Leslie (Georgia), Jordan Hamilton (Texas)

10. Nolan Smith (Duke)

With former Duke stars Carlos Boozer, Luol Deng and Grant Hill still making an impact in the league, the stigma that Blue Devil players can’t have a significant impact in the league should be long gone. Everyone loves Kyrie Irving’s upside and potential, but no one gives his replacement at PG the respect he’s due from the season. Smith is a veteran guard who is capable of making an impact for a playoff team and can contribute right away. He’s a fringe first rounder right now, but is definitely worthy of being picked around 20 to 30.

9. Demetri McCamey (Illinois)

Another veteran guard who had a distinguished career playing the point guard position, McCamey knows how to run an offense and knock down open shots. At 6’3”, 200 lb.s, he has an ideal PG build to contend with NBA guards in terms of size and strength. He’s a big time shot maker who shot over 45% beyond the arc, but lacks great quickness to beat his man off the dribble to get to the basket. Nonetheless, McCamey is a quality guard and a potential steal in the late first-early second round because of his immediate impact and skill set transitioning in the league.

8. Kenneth Faried (Morehead State)

The tenacious big man from New Jersey is an absolute beast in the middle capable of controlling the paint with his athleticism, strength, and instincts. Although playing in the Ohio Valley Conference, make no mistake about Faried’s talents looking bloated against weaker competition; he would have dominated any major conference in rebounds and blocks. Biggest concern about his game is his extreme lack of a post game, jumper, and size at 6’8”, but Faried has the athletic and physical gifts, coupled with toughness, to excel. He should come off the board in the mid-late first round, but could play like he was worth more as a rookie when the 2011-12 season begins.

7. Reggie Jackson (Boston College)

If you haven’t heard of the lanky BC guard by now, you’re not in the only one keeping tabs on the NBA Draft who is unfamiliar with his talents. Jackson has a crazy wingspan for his size and great athleticism that can help him adjust and excel in the NBA. He’s an excellent perimeter shooter who can knock down the 3, but is a developing talent in terms of playing the point guard position. Given his natural talent and physical gifts, the learning curve should be fairly short for Reggie. His stock has seen a significant boost in the past couple months and looks to be a lock for the late first round at worst.

6. Tristan Thompson (Texas)

A breakout star in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Thompson toyed with staying in Austin for next season, but looks to make the jump given the frail makeup of the lottery right now. Can’t say I blame him, as his stock should only go up and his worth to a team with it potentially. Forget that he’s only 6’9”, Tristan has the length, explosive leaping ability, and toughness to bang in the paint and makes plays. He’s a physical post defender who will fearlessly take on anyone he’s matched up with, and more than likely turn away a couple of their shots. It’s very possible that he will be taken in the late lottery, but is a name that could get hotter in the coming months as Draft day approaches.

5. Chris Singleton (Florida State)

Despite being injured for a few games near the end of the year, Singleton bounced back in the NCAA Tournament to help lead the Seminoles to the Sweet Sixteen. Chris is an NBA caliber defender who did nothing but make plays for FSU in the block and steals department for his teammates. Being responsible for a single man in the NBA, as opposed to the five he seemingly had to play at once in the NCAA, Singleton is capable of becoming a lockdown defender with his length, size, and athleticism. He should be a mid-first rounder just based on his perimeter defense, but could unfairly slide because of injury concerns and raw offensive production.

4. Marcus Morris (Kansas)

The Big XII Player of the Year was the ‘go to’ guy for the Jayhawks in the NCAA Tournament and produced like one for the most part. Got a lot of Draft hype early in the year because of his frame and perimeter skill set, but has since cooled because of inconsistency and positional concerns. He’s a versatile, yet natural perimeter player who has the body and size to bang in the post and grab a good deal of rebounds. Morris is a reliable playmaker who failed to score double digits only twice for Kansas during the past season, and should get a look at being taken in the late lottery.

3. Darius Morris (Michigan)

Morris is a natural PG prospect with great size, strength, and athleticism. Caught a lot of hype late in the season and in the NCAA Tournament, but hasn’t been much chatter regarding his status since exiting in the round of 32 against Duke. He’s a physical perimeter player who loves to penetrate the D and post up smaller guards with his size and strength. Darius is a natural playmaker with outstanding court vision and passing ability, getting seven games this season with double digit assists. He’s not a great perimeter shooter by any means, but will improve in his career, but is projected in the late second round. Based on that location in the Draft, Darius is an absolute steal who could become a starting PG for a team in the near future, but I have a feeling you could see him creep into the late first round.

2. Kawhi Leonard (San Diego State)

You will not find many more naturally talented playmakers than Kawhi in the Draft, and we would be stunned to see him drop out of the lottery. He’s a prototypical NBA small forward with tremendous rebounding ability thanks to some enormous hands that allow him snatch any nearly board in the vicinity. Plays with tremendous energy, basketball IQ, and has a chiseled frame that will allow him to board up in the league. Not only is he a talent, Leonard is a winner who helped take an undervalued SDSU program to the Sweet Sixteen as their primary player. In terms of upside and immediate impact, Leonard is about as much of a sure thing you will find in 2011, especially in the late lottery.

1. JaJuan Johnson (Purdue)

For someone being projected in the second round, Johnson sure strikes me as a first round caliber prospect, even in a Draft with more depth than this. At 6’10”, he’s a player with great length and athleticism who got progressively better on a year-to-year basis on his way to becoming the Big 10 Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. The big concern is over his narrow shoulders and being able to add strength, but for someone with his combination of length, athleticism, and basketball IQ, there’s little doubt that Johnson will be to succeed in the league to us. The numbers he put up as a senior (20 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks) were outstanding. Johnson also has a fairly refined post game that he will be able to utilize in the paint and his perimeter jumper is as smooth as they come for big men, which will be able to extend the defense. When we say no one is talking about a legit talent in the Draft, JaJuan Johnson is the immediate name that comes to mind.

This article was originally published by our partners at SwishScout.com.

Pacers NBA Playoffs: Pacers Survive Bulls Furious Rally, Force Game 5 in Chicago

2011-04-23T21:08:00.000-07:00

Indiana avoids the sweep. Game 5 on Tuesday

The Pacers lost the first three games in the final seconds. Today, they decided that moral victories were not enough.

Although it was another close finish, the Pacers finally were on the winning side of one. They nearly had an epic collapse though, as they led by 17 points before the Bulls made a late comeback to cut the lead to one with just 15 seconds remaining.

The Pacers were able to hold on 89-84, sending the series back to the Chicago for a Game 5.

Danny Granger led all scorers with 24 points and 10 rebounds. Roy Hibbert added 16 points and 10 rebounds for Indiana. Joakim Noah had 21 points and 14 rebounds, Derrick Rose had 15 points and 10 assists and Carlos Boozer had 15 points and 13 rebounds for the Bulls.

The Pacers decided to go with the all yellow alternate road jerseys, which seemed fitting since it had the feel of an away game. Just looking around and listening to the fans here at Conseco Fieldhouse, at least half of them were rooting for the team in red.

Pacers rookie Paul George had a fantastic start to this game, scoring seven points, grabbing three rebounds and a couple of steals. Indiana got off to a nice start by going inside and being aggressive. They used a 7-0 run to establish a four point lead at the end of the first quarter.

Carlos Boozer got into foul trouble again early, picking up his second foul just midway through the first quarter. It was very apparent though, when looking at the play, that it was a horrible call. I'm not sure if the referee thought he saw something different, but Boozer basically just put his arm on top of Hansbrough's and was called for an offensive foul.

Rose showed no signs of his sprained ankle.

The big news of the first quarter however, was the injury to Derrick Rose. He turned his ankle on a drive to the basket with just over a minute remaining in the quarter. He came up limp, and was taken to the locker room by the trainers.

Rose returned in the second quarter, and showed no signs of the injury. He was just as quick, and continued to make highlight reel plays. Indiana's bench started the quarter strong, before the Bulls started to make a run. The starters returned, and the Pacers closed the second quarter on a 17-3 run to take a 16 point lead into halftime.

Indiana came out with the same intensity to open the second half, adding to their lead. Minutes into the third quarter they had an 18 point lead. Chicago slowly dug into the lead though, trimming it down to just 11 points as the teams headed for the always interesting fourth quarter.

Not surprisingly, this game once again came down to the fourth quarter. Despite leading by 17 points in the final quarter, the Pacers managed to nearly end their season the worst way possible. The Pacers could not find a way to put the Bulls away in the fourth quarter. Every player in a yellow jersey looked about as nervous as a a kid going to the dentist.

Chicago will head home with unfinished business, and the Pacers will make another trip to the United Center for Game 5 on Tuesday night.

The Pacers' season will last at least another game. More importantly, the team has now won a playoff game for the first time since 2006. Even though they won't win the series, for the first time in five years, they can end their season with their heads held high.

By Chad Smith

Guess Who's Back? Brandon Roy! Roy Lifts Blazers Past Mavs to Tie Series

2011-04-23T21:00:00.000-07:00

Remember when Brandon Roy complained about his minutes? Remember when we said that he will never be the same? Remember when we completely changed our mind about his superstar status in the NBA, only just a few days ago? Well, today, all of that is long gone.

Just 24 hours after finally having a good game, Roy finally played like what the Portland Trail Blazers wanted him to: like a star. And he did, leading the Blazers to a 84-82 victory over the Dallas Mavericks to tie up the series between the two.

Roy had 24 points, including a big one with 39.2 seconds left to lift Portland from a 23-point deficit to a come-from-behind, stunning victory. Portland became only just the third team in history to to come-from-behind 18 points or more entering the fourth quarter and win a playoff game.

Roy was just on fire throughout the game as the Blazers won their second straight.

"I've been in some pretty good zones before," the three-time All-Star said. "But nothing like tonight."

Roy had gone through a lot this year. He was rumored that he could retire and could never go back to the same form he was again after having problems with both of his knees. He would only averaging less than five minutes or so per game in the Blazers losses to the Mavs on the road, which made them trail 0-2. But since Roy's all-of-a-sudden emergence, the Blazers are back into the series.

His teammates gave him a huge uplifting celebration.

"It still just doesn't feel real yet," he said. "It was just an unbelievable game and comeback. With everything I've been through this season, they just all came into that moment there on the court when guys were grabbing and cheering me on. It was real special."

Dirk Nowitzki had 20 points and Jason Terry had 13. Shawn Marion had twelve points and eleven rebounds. LaMarcus Aldridge had 18 points for Portland, and Gerald Wallace had ten points along with eleven rebounds. Wallace gave some huge praise for Roy after the game.

"When people ask me what did I do in the fourth quarter, I'll tell them I stood in the corner and watched The Brandon Roy Show," Wallace said.

The Mavericks are surely stunned and look to get revenge in Game Five at Dallas.

"Did we let up? I think we let up, yeah. There isn't any question," Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said.

A solid win by Portland and a great showing by Roy. Glad to see Roy is doing great now. And his word to his naysayers?

Guess who's back?

Derrick Rose Rules Working Now as Pacers Top Rose and Bulls, 89-84, To Avoid Sweep

2011-04-23T20:33:00.000-07:00

Well, today, the Derrick Rose Rules finally became a success. Indiana played physical. It started going bad for Rose and the Chicago Bulls when Rose sprained his ankle towards the final minute of the first quarter. He did return, only to be shutdown by the tough Pacers' defense.

Honestly, if basketball was a three-quarter game, Indiana would have won this series in a sweep. They just couldn't pull it out in the fourth quarter -- for the past three games! They finally rallied, shutdown Rose, and actually beat the Bulls.

Many fans from Chicago came here to celebrate the team's sweep, but Indiana fans came here to finally see a win from this team since 2006. My goal all along was just at least one win. And Indy has finally done that.

With how crazy the crowd was, twelve-year veteran Jeff Foster has never seen anything like it.

"I have seen every professional game in this arena, and I have never seen anything like that," he said.

The Pacers finally came through and finished when it really counts as it came down to the wire.

"We've lost games like this recently where they have come back," Pacers interim coach Frank Vogel said. "Today we grew, and we held them off."

The Pacers in a win or go-home situation right now. Although it would be a miracle if they come back down 3-1 right now, it's still possible to win it. Anything is possible. However, Indiana will have to travel to Chicago, where the Bulls have a good shot at closing this series out. Before the series, I had Chi-Town winning it in five. This still looks possible.

Danny Granger came up huge when it counted, scoring 24 points including very important free throws in the final seconds. What was interesting out of all of this was that there were boos in the crowd -- and it was at Conseco Fieldhouse!

"Maybe there were a few flashbacks," he said. "More importantly, I was just trying to get my team to calm down. We lost our poise those last two or three minutes and I was just trying to get them calmed down a little bit."

The Pacers struggled to hold on to their leads in the past three games, but led throughout the game and never gave it up.

After averaging 37.5 points at home, Rose has struggled at Conseco Fieldhouse, only averaging 19, including a low 15 today and going four-of-20 overall.

Vogel was not happy by the Pacers' efforts on closing out the games in this series. The Pacers should have easily be winning this against the league's top-seeded team.

"I think we deserve to be in the series," he said. "I'm still upset that it's 1-3. We should be up in the series."

Rose struggled, but he did manage to get a double-double, along with ten assists. But acting like the MVP man he is, he didn't make excuses.

"A sprained ankle is going to slow you down a little bit, but all of my shots were on line," he said. "They were just short. No excuses. It's the playoffs. I've sprained my ankle many times, you've just got to make shots."

A great win by Indiana. Maybe they can actually win this.

I hope so.

Video: NBA.com Taking a Time-Out with Danny Granger

2011-04-23T14:59:00.000-07:00

Derrick Rose Sprains Ankle in First Quarter

2011-04-23T13:05:00.000-07:00

The Indiana Pacers did say they will be playing physical, especially on Derrick Rose, and so far they continue to do that.

With about a minute left in the first quarter of Game Four of the NBA Playoffs in the first round between the Chicago Bulls and Indiana Pacers, Rose sprained his left ankle.

As he went up for a shot, he turned his ankle on his landing. Rose did have seven points the Bulls were trailing, 23-19. He did return. Indiana is trying to get their first win in this series, as they currently trail 3-0.

Chicago currently trails 49-33 at halftime.

Bismack Biyombo May Not Be 18 Years of Age; Could Be Anywhere from 23-26 Years of Age

2011-04-23T10:20:00.000-07:00

Many scouts are questioning that rising NBA prospect, Bismack Biyombo, could not be 18 years of age.

"The NBA evaluators spent the week guessing at Biyombo's age as they attended the World Team's practices. A half-dozen NBA scouts and executives told me they believed Biyombo was older than his listed age of 18, based not only on his mature body but also his leadership skills, as he led the Internationals through their pre-practice stretches and was their most vocal and energetic player," says Ian Thompson of SI.com.

Writes Johnathan Givony of of DraftExpress:

"Our research has revealed some slightly different information. Coaches who have worked with Biyombo earlier in his career while he was still in Congo think he's "no older than 20 at most," while Biyombo's agent, Igor Crespo, has evidence that proves Biyombo is even younger. Crespo says he took Biyombo to a specialist to conduct a bone age study immediately upon his arrival in Spain (Biyombo was reportedly 16). The study involves taking x-rays of an adolescent's wrist and hand to see if his growth plates are still open. Because the cartilage in Biyombo's hand hadn't fused at that point, the specialist came to the conclusion that he could be 16 or 17 at most, but not 18, when growth plates are expected to be closed."

But they could be way off as well. Biyombo could actually be a decade older than the studies by Igor Crespo saying that he is 16 or 17!

According to TNT's David Alridge, the star from Congo could actually be between the range of 23-26 years of age!

Biyombo has a lot of positives in his game and could be a lottery pick, as Chad Ford writes:

"Biyombo is a huge draw for NBA scouts and GMs. Very few of them have seen him up close. He's a 6-foot-9, 245-pound Serge Ibaka-type player with a crazy 7-foot-7 wingspan. He's been playing well in Spain of late and every week he seems to be creeping up NBA draft boards."

Nonetheless, this is all very interesting.

Somebody find this man's age!

Kings Staying Put In Sacramento For Now

2011-04-23T09:24:00.000-07:00

Rumors of the Sacramento Kings going to Anaheim and being the Royals won't be happening. Well, at least for right now. The Kings are most likely to be staying in Sacramento for just next season before they can really re-locate.

The NBA thinks they will be staying in Sacramento, but they don't know what the future holds for them beyond the 2011-12 season.

Kings' co-owner, Joe Maloof, is still deciding on whether to stay in Sacramento, or just head over to Anaheim. Maloof says he has no decision yet but he did say he is as anxious as anybody.

Sacramento mayor, Kevin Johnson (also former NBA All-Star), was part of the meeting for the past two days with the NBA re-location committee, which also includes Oklahoma City Thunder owner, Clay Bennett.

"We await the results of the fact-finding visit that the NBA made to Sacramento the past two days," the Kings said Friday night in a statement. "We have not made a decision with regards to relocation filing, and will not make that decision until we have more information from the NBA."

Johnson has offered $9.2 million for the Kings, up from the original $7 million before. He is really trying hard to prevent the Kings from moving to Anaheim.

"If you go back a week ago from today, we thought it was virtually over," Johnson said Thursday. "And not only did we prevent the team from leaving, we got a chance to show them who we are. And when we said $7 million, and the commissioner said, 'Well, prove it,' he sent a team out and we over-delivered. I mean, this is Sacramento. This is what makes us great."

We'll see what happens, but I think as the final verdict will be the Kings ending up in Anaheim.

Sorry, Sacramento.

Something Needs to Change in New York. But What?

2011-04-23T08:32:00.000-07:00

Mike D'Antoni is running out of answers

A dog getting castrated might not even compare to the pain that New York Knick fans had to go through on a much less than Good Friday.

Losing 113-96 in the first playoff game at Madison Square Garden since 2004 isn’t what was expected from a team that was a play or two away from taking a couple of games from the Celtics in Boston. There were a lot of problems for the Knicks on Friday. Carmelo couldn’t score, Amare wasn’t a hundred percent, Billups is out, and the bench still rivals the Heat’s for the worst among playoff teams.

Yeah, those are all problems but sadly there is one screaming problem, like the kid in a mall throwing a temper tantrum, demanding to be attended to.

It’s the defence. Not a revelation I know.

Something has to change and it has to come from off the court. The culture of the Knicks team has to change. It starts with the head coach.

I was never convinced that Mike D’Antoni was the right coach for the Knicks. Like his partner in crime Bryan Colangelo, it’s apparent that he’s nothing without Steve Nash. D’Antoni tried to remake the Knicks into a replicate of the Suns but it can’t be done. The Suns are Coca Cola and the Knicks are Diet Coke.

Even the original version couldn’t win an NBA championship. The old cliché lives on. Defence wins championships. Although, I’m still convinced that a break here or there would have given the Suns a real shot at a championship, but that’s a story for another day.

It is unclear whether or not D’Antoni tries to coach defence but it’s clear that the product put out on the floor needs some real direction.

The Knicks are still scoring at an incredibly high rate but it can’t compensate for the way they play on the defensive end. Especially in the playoffs.

Is there any way that D’Antoni can change his philosophy because there isn’t a miracle left on Earth that will let this Knick roster, coached the way it is, compete for an NBA title. Does Mike D’Antoni have another philosophy?

Granted, he has never had a real roster to work with prior to this year in New York. Still, he has shown nothing that would lead us to believe that any Knick fan should have anything more to believe in than false hope.

What’s worse is that Carmelo Anthony doesn’t fit into anything that Mike D’Antoni does. ‘Melo slows the game down, plays a lot of isolation and, well, I guess the defence fits right in. Expectedly, the Carmelo show hasn’t been as good as advertised, but it is still early. You won’t make a Knicks believer out of me but there are lots who do believe. I’m going to need to see it before I can believe it.

Related: Carmelo Anthony Dealt. Are the Knicks Finally Ready to Contend?

In my mind it all goes back to D’Antoni and the compass is pointing in a different direction.

The only way Mike D’Antoni should stick around is if he is willing to commit to a new vision. Defence needs to be a real priority in New York and I’m pretty sure that someone other than me will be saying that. Just a hunch though.

The Knicks franchise features an abundance of question marks but the most important one that needs to be answered is the path that Mike D’Antoni is taking them.

By Chris Ross

Agree? Disagree? If you have any questions, comments, suggestions, please feel free to reply in the comments section below. Or you can e-mail me at cross_can15@hotmail.com. I am now on twitter follow me @paintstheblack and I will gladly return the favour.

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NBA Power Rankings:Ranking The Greatest NBA Players From The 80's

2011-04-23T08:22:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to the "Greatest Ever" series as we continue with the rankings of the greatest NBA players from the 80's.

Most experts, people agree that the 80's offered the best basketball from the league's history, thanks to the big competition. They were the little more advanced basics of modern and so typical way of playing hoops. Players were in general little more athletic, fundamentally more sound, more skilled than in the previous decades. Teams were really great, competitive and all played rough defense.

This decade had many memorable franchises but many more players. From Magic Johnson to Larry Bird, from the most unique to the best players ever, the decade had it all. Without, further ado here are the top players from the 80's!

15.Alex English

A prolific scorer, with silky smooth shot and efficiency on offense, Alex English was one of the most underrated players in the NBA History.

He was a real match up for his opponents. English was a 6'7 Small Forward possessed such a nice touch, with an accurate jumper that he released when his arms reached the highest point. It gave him the ability to score in bunches while doing it on a high percentages, which is beyond impressive. He had a nice arsenal and did his scoring, in many ways.

He scored most points in the 80's, a decade in which he truly dominated. His average of 25.9 was a factor of his brilliance on offense that earned him a reputation. He was the first player to ever score at least 2 000 or more points in a single season, who led twice in total points scored and grabbed a scoring title too. He did enough to be considered as one of the greatest offensive players of any time.

He was decent all-around player, who wasn't a good defender. He holds many Nuggets' franchise records, who's the all time leading scorer in its history. He also holds few more of them as well. Overall, English was a hell out of a forward in the 80's and should get bigger credit.

Honors: Elected to Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (1997); All-NBA Second Team (1982, '83, '86); Eight-time NBA All-Star (1982-89); J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award (1988)

Stats (Regular Season/Playoffs):

-Points:25.613 (21.5)-----------------------------1.661 (24.2)

-Rebounds:6.538 (5.5)-------------------------371 (5.5)

-Assists:4.351 (3.6)------------------------------293 (4.3)

14.Dennis Johnson

One of the best defensive guards of any time who was skilled, smart and great overall player, Dennis Johnson was one of the best from the 80's.

He was a real all time great on defense, who's regarded as one of the finest perimeter stoppers in the league's history because of foot work, tenacity, hard work and ability to stop usually taller, stronger opponents in variety of ways. He was good off-ball as well, but he did most of his contribution on ball defense which cannot be measured with any statistics. Johnson is credited with slowing down the greatest player ever in Magic Johnson (arguably) in 1984.

He had a decent all-around game, however he brought some of the little things that aren't found in the stat box and led Seattle to its first and only championship in 1979 while winning the well deserved Finals MVP honors with averages 22 points, six assists and six boards in a winning effort over the Bullets. What made it even more sweeter, it was a revenge for the previous year's defeat and it was in a near sweep.

He continued to produce big time when he joined the Celtics to win few titles more and he quickly became a fan favorite in Boston, for his many clutch and memorable moments in the green and white uniform. He's elected in the Hall Of Fame, an accomplishments that is certainly late because the great DJ, died at the age of 52 in 2007. Still, the rarely credited tough guard, was a real factor for all of his teams.

Honors: NBA champion (1979, '84, '86); NBA Finals MVP (1979); All-NBA First Team (1981); All-NBA Second Team (1980); All-Defensive First Team (1979-83, '87); All-Defensive Second Team (1984-86); Five-time NBA All-Star 1979-82, '85).

Career Stats (Regular/Post Season)

-15.535 points (14.1)--------------------------------------------------------------3.116 (17.6)

-5.499 assists (5.0)----------------------------------------------------------------1.006 (5.6)

-4.249 assists (3.9)-----------------------------------------------------------------781 (4.3)

13.Bernard King

One of the most explosive and best scorers ever, Bernard King was one of the game's finest offensive machines of any time as he was capable to fill it up in a hurry.

He scored with his nice touch from mid range, had an excellent post up game, a trademark turn around shot that was so effective and he run the floor very well. On top of that, he had those long arms and quick release which made him an efficient scorer and pretty well at making his shots.

He was a 6'7 forward who had a well built body, nice athleticism, good vertical jump of 33 inches and all of those physical advantages fit well with his finesse that made him a dominant offensive force at anytime. He additionally had a deadly mid range game which was another strong attribute of his. He exploded for many high scoring games, as he often went over 40 points. In fact, he was the first one since 1964 to score 50 points consecutive times in a row.

To illustrate his real greatness, he did average well over 42 points against the Detroit Pistons who were an elite defensive team and he additionally poured 46 in Game 5 of the 1984 in the post season. That's King in his prime who was perhaps even a top 10 scorer, who was a real threat. He did led the NBA in scoring with outstanding 32.9 points, giving him his only scoring crown. He was always among the league leaders.

He did prove his skeptics wrong when he bounced back to became an All-Star. He was also very efficient scorer, who in the peak of his best averaged 26 points on 57% from field! Thats amazing efficiency from the field which is another reason why a terrific scoring miss match in his days. He was also a well rounded forward, who even averaged 9.5 rebounds in his rookie year.

Still, he's one of the greatest players whose careers were slowed down by an injury. He did average at 34, well over 28 points but then again, he injured again and it forced him to be retire. Still, he could be argued even as part of the 10 finest small forwards in the NBA History. He adjusted himself pretty well and was still a dominating player, which he was throughout the most valuable years in the pros.

Hopefully he'll enter the Hall Of Fame very soon!

Honors: All-NBA First Team (1984, '85); All-NBA Second Team (1982); All-NBA Third Team (1991); NBA Comeback Player of
the Year (1981); All-Rookie team (1978); Four-time All-Star (1982, '84, '85, '91

Career Stats (Regular/Post Season)

-19.655 points (22.5)---------------------------------------------------687 (24.5)

-5.060 rebounds (5.8)--------------------------------------------------121 (4.3)

-2.863 assists (3.3)------------------------------------------------------65 (2.3)

12.Sidney Moncrief

A 6'4 guard who was incredibly versatile, excellent offensive threat and terrific stopper on defense, the underrated Sidney Moncrief was one of the top players from the 80's.

He was arguably the best defensive guard of all time, who could additionally be argued as the greatest defender in the league's history who was a powerhouse on the other side of the court. He made his reputation on that, who could virtually do it all and is regarded as one of the most complete players to ever step on a NBA hardwood.

He possessed fantastic foot work, was athletic, had a nice vertical jump of 36 that gave him an above average shot blocking skills. He was a presence on this aspect of the game, and the first one to win the Defensive Player Of The Year award in general and two times in a row. He also holds the honor of being the only guard to ever collect this trophy twice too. He was additionally a lock down defender, who usually stopped his opponents. He could guard even 6'6 and taller players without a problem. He was just that good.

He was a fundamentally sound player, who was good in offense as he could slash well, hit his jumpers, post up in the paint despite his size, could take the role of the playmaker and was a good passer as well. He was known for his on court intensiveness that really boosted his abilities out there. He was a winner, who led the Milwaukee Bucks to the third highest winning percent in the 80's only behind the Celtics and Lakers. It was because of the C's, that he never got a chance to compete for the championships.

Still, he was consistently among the Most Valuable Player candidates who finished once 4th overall in the voting. Not bad for a guy who's not so known and so underrated. He's now one of the best players that's not in the Hall Of Fame, but hopefully he will be elected very soon as well as the likes of Bernard King and so on. Moncrief was a model of consistency, who kept himself in terrific shape and posted solid numbers.

Still, his production is beyond the numbers and should be in the Hall Of Fame!

Honors: Two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, Four-time All-NBA First Team, Five-time NBA All-Defensive Team, Five-time All-Star

Career Stats (Regular/Post Season)

-11.931 points (15.6)------------------------------------------------------1.487 (16.0)

-3.575 rebounds (4.7)----------------------------------------------------469 (5.0)

-2793 assists (3.6)---------------------------------------------------------317 (3.4)

11.Hakeem Olajuwon

A force in the paint on both sides of the court who was a nearly perfect finesse player yet so physically gifted, Hakeem Olajuwon was the Dream for the fans and the Nightmare for all of his opponents.

He possessed amazing skill set which made him one of the most complete players to ever grace the league, who was versatile, extremely mobile, explosive and his greatness was obvious out there. Olajuwon had a pair of post moves and few counter moves, that he used smartly in order to dominate inside with gracefulness. His agility was nice as well. He could make even perimeter shots, as he poured in dozens of points on his 18 footer. He attracted consistent double teams.

The Dream belonged in the legendary tier of world class stoppers in the interior who was a relentless shot blocker that blocked a bunch of attempts, alerted a bunch of them as well and he could stop his man too. However, until he got more mature, he bite on pump fakes. He was a great rebounding machine too, who cleaned the glass pretty well. He won a pair of block and rebound crowns in this decade to show how good his abilities were.

However, this young Hakeem got his career moments, better career success, reputation, greatness more in the 90's so that's why i will keep it short and sweet on this one. Outside of few accomplishments, mostly individual, there isn't enough for him to put him above others. Still, he'll get his place!

10.Michael Jordan

Arguably the biggest surprise in basketball's history, the man who pretty much became its symbol, Michael Jordan was a fearless and terrific superstar in the 80's who's now a respected sports legend.

His path to success was tough, but in the end it pretty much paid off. Much like Hakeem, he was dominating individually as he surprised all in Chicago after being taken third overall. The back then GM of the Bulls said, "We've got a good defensive forward/guard who can score well" but Jordan shocked everyone and did so much more as he elevated his game to became a star from the get go. He was averaging well over 28 points, 6.5 rebounds and nearly six assists. He was an All-Star in the rookie season.

He was destroying teams with his offense, as he could get his way to the rim with easy thanks to his athleticism. He had a nice jumper which got better as time passed, he found his way to the line, made all kind of shots and was a walking highlight machine. He was also one of the finest at putting the ball through the hoop in a spectacular fashion as he won an All-Star Slam Dunk Contest with a terrific jam from the free throw line.

He was a dominant defensive guard as well, who led twice in steals and was averaging nearly one block in those seasons too. He could pick up the opponents best player and stop him, even though he was scoring well over 30 points on the other side of the court. He played big minutes and was an energy guy. Although his individual accomplishments are nice, he didn't win anything tough.

9.James Worthy

A complete player who's one of the most underrated legends ever yet such all time great, James Worthy was one of the greatest small forwards in the NBA History.

His greatness is diminished behind his former team mates Magic and Kareem, however he was still a superstar and belonged among the elite. "Big Game" Worthy was one of the most versatile overall players and defenders, who was equally terrific on both sides of the court, was skilled, athletic and so fast. He was also, one of the top finishers and perhaps the best at running the fast brake ever. He was a very productive forward who brought so many things on the board and his stats did suffer a little bit from the system he played in.

However, he was a team first oriented guy who wanted to win only. For a small forward, he had a sensational post up game and had the quickest first step in the league for at least seven years. Additionally, he had a pair of quick moves, fakes and a soft touch to be efficient in there. He had an unreal percentages of over 55% for a forward, who after his first eight season was the most efficient quickest finisher of any time.

He was a reliable on defense as well, and is one of the most versatile defenders in the league's history who was capable to lock his man and defend multiple positions on a high rate. James was a very clutch player who always improved his game in the post season and in the Finals. He did prove himself as one of the top small forwards to lace them, as he led the Lakers over the Pistons in the NBA Finals with averages of 22 points, 7.4 rebounds and 4.4 assists. He recorded 28 points and 9 boards in Game 6, and had a dazzling triple double in Game 7 with 36 points, 16 assists and 10 boards en route to his last title and only Finals MVP.

He was just that awesome. It's a shame he's overlooked and underrated.

Honors: Elected to Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (2003); NBA champion (1985, '87, '88); NBA Finals MVP (1988); All-NBA Third Team (1990, '91); All-Rookie Team (1983); Seven-time NBA All-Star (1986-92); One of 50 Greatest Players in NBA History (1996).

Career Stats (Regular/Post Season)

-16.320 points (17.6)--------------------------------------------------3.022 (21.1)

-4.708 rebounds (5.1)-------------------------------------------------747 (5.2)

-2.791 assists (3.4)-----------------------------------------------------463 (3.2)

8.Dominique Wilkins

One of the best dunkers of all time,Dominique Wilkins was regarded as one of the greatest small forwards in the NBA History and also the most underrated player of all time.

He wasn't called "Human Highlight Film" for nothing. In the mid 80's he was spectacular scorer, powerful finisher at the rim with nice all around game which made was one of the most exciting ever. He was the first one who started doing the windmill dunks, copied by many these days. He was a powerful high flyer, who could go up high and finish with a strong jam.

For his ability to throw it down in style (just like in the picture), he participated in five Slam Dunk Competitions, earning two Dunk Titles and his match up with Jordan was interesting to watch. He was very consistent forward, that could score from nearly anywhere inside the three point line. He's the Hawks all time scoring leader.

Many feel, that 'Nique was arguably the best dunker of any time, as he was capable to rock the rim with variety of dunks. He averaged 28.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.9 assists in a span of 9 years, that speaks about the quality of the ultimate Hawk. He was indeed a superb player that shouldn't be dismissed because he didn't win a title.

Honors:9x All Star, All NBA First Team, 4x All NBA Second Team, 2x All NBA Third Team, 2x Slam Dunk Contest Titles, FIBA World Championship Gold Medal, NBA All Rookie Team, 1x scoring champion

Stats (Regular season/Playoffs)

-Points:26.668 (24.8)-------------------------1.423 (25.4)

-Rebounds:7.169 (6.7)------------------------375 (6.7)

-Assists:2.677 (2.5)---------------------------143 (2.6)

7.Isiah Thomas

Regarded as the greatest small man to play basketball, Isiah Thomas is one of the best players in NBA history.

He's among the top Point Guards of all time who marked the 80's with a fantastic all-around game. He was one of the purest guards in the league history. He's considered to be one of the most outstanding playmakers that the league has seen who would use whatever the defense gave him to drive inside,shoot, and pass.

However, he also brought amazing physical skills which, for a guy that was barely 6'0", was quite unique. He led a group of rough and nasty defensive players called the Bad Boys aka Detroit Pistons to two titles. Thomas was one of the most complete players, who did it all and was additionally a tough competitor that could take over a game at any time.

He was a terrific floor general for the Pistons, who consistently ranked high in each statistical category who even led the league one year in assists with a back then record of 13.9 dimes in that season. Even though he was undersized, it never stopped him from being a dominant presence on the court.

He was one of the finest undersized players to ever step foot on a NBA hardwood, who succeed in many things and left a remarkable proof that you can be great as long as you bring it all. His assist totals and averages are both among the all time league leaders at a very high place.

He is known for his 42 point performance with an injured ankle against the Los Angeles Lakers in a NBA Finals!

Stats (Regular/Post season)

-18.822 points (19.2)---------------------------------------2.261 (20.4)

-9.061 dimes (9.3)-----------------------------------------987 (8.9)

-3.478 rebounds (3.6)------------------------------------524 (4.7)

-1.861 steals (1.9)------------------------------------------234 (2.1)

Honors: Elected to Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (2000); NBA champion (1989, '90); NBA Finals MVP (1990); All-NBA First Team (1984, '85, '86); All-NBA Second Team (1983, '87); NBA All-Rookie Team (1982); 12-time NBA All-Star (1982-93); NBA All-Star Game MVP (1984, '86); J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award (1987); One of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History (1996)

6.Clyde Drexler

One of the best all time guards who was known for his ability to slash and get to the rim, Clyde Drexler was simply said one of the top players to ever step on a NBA hardwood.

He was a remarkable guard who possessed incredible physical tools such as athleticism, quickness, vertical jump of 43 inches and all of that with a superb skill set, intelligence that made him quite a force in his day. He's also one of the most complete players of all time so, that adds nicely. He was also a spectacular player to watch, especially because he was an outstanding dunker who was one of the most explosive finishers ever.

He wasn't called the Glide, as he could easily get up there and finish beautifully. However it was his all around game that earned him the reputation of the most elite in the league at his time thanks to averages of 27.0 points,6.6 rebounds ,5.8 assists and 2.5 steals. He had 26 points, nearly eight rebounds and around six assists in one Finals series which he lost even tough he shot on 54.3% from field against one of the greatest defensive teams ever.

The second time he was in the Finals with Portland was against Michael and the Bulls which they lost in six games. However, he finally won his ring in one of the last years as a pro as he teamed up with former team mate from college Hakeem to win his only title. He did put on a show with 21 points, 9.5 boards and 7.5 dimes...That's what greatness is all about!

Honors: Elected to Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (2004); NBA champ (1995); All-NBA First Team (1992); All-NBA Second Team (1988, '91); All-NBA Third Team (1990, '95); 10-time All-Star; One of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History (1996); Olympic gold medalist (1992).

22.195 points (20.4)-----------------------------------------------------2.963 (20.4)

6.677 rebounds (6.1)----------------------------------------------------1002 (6.9)

6.125 assists (5.6)--------------------------------------------------------891 (6.1)

5.Julius Erving

Even in only seven years in the 80's, Julius Erving had to be part of this list as well

It was in the other part of his career in which he achieved his most memorable achievements such as winning the NBA title in a sweep over the Lakers, the regular season MVP etc. He was still quite a force as he was among the league leaders in scoring and he did post so much better all-around stats as well.

However, for a better read you can continue reading on Dr J in his better times here. Moving on...

4.Moses Malone

One of the first great high school players that made a direct jump into the pros, Moses Malone was one of the greatest big men of all time.

Not as tall as the other centers, he used fantastic quickness,strength and tenacity to establish himself as a presence on the court. He put phenomenal work on the boards and had a sense for the offensive rebounds with dozen of good post moves and trips to the line.

In other words, he was one of the most dominate players the game has ever seen who during his peak,won three Most Valuable Player awards while leading the Philadelphia 76ers to the Finals where they'd sweep the Lakers, and he earned the Finals MVP as well

He posted some of the most insane numbers in the NBA History. He once averaged 31.4 points with 14.7 rebounds during a season, basically destroying Kareem with 25.8 points and 18 boards during the 1983 Finals.

He was called "Mr Chairman of the boards" and controlled the glass with ease. During his career, he led everyone six times in rebounding, including nine times in offensive rebounds and setting the record for a single season as well

Moses Malone, combined with his NBA/ABA career, recorded amazing numbers and left a strong legacy behind him during his 21-year career. His entrance in the pros coming from high school was historical and opened the gates to follow him. He could be argued even as a top 10 player of all time!

Career Resume

-NBA Champion, Three-time MVP, Finals MVP, Selected as one of the 50 greatest players in the league's history, Elected in the Hall Of Fame, Eight All-NBA Teams (Four-time All-First), Two All-Defensive Teams (One All-First), 13-time All-Star (counting the one from the ABA), All-ABA Rookie Team, All Time ABA team

Career NBA/ABA combined stats (Regular/Post Season)

-29.580 points (20.3)----------------------------------------2.213 (22.0)

-17.834 rebounds (12.3)-------------------------------------1400 (14.0)

-1.889 blocked shots (1.3)-----------------------------------160 (1.6)

3.Kareem Abdul Jabbar

The 80's Kareem Abdul Jabbar was different from the 70's in couple of ways. First of all, he changed his playing style from once a big powerful force on both ends to a guy who became mainly a terrific defensive presence with passing skills like Walton and he was still torching defenses with his sky hook.

He won the championship another five teams, earned a few MVP awards and was the oldest Finals MVP ever at the age of 38, as he led to a huge victory over LA's hated rivals, the Celtics. He set a bunch of new records and most of them still stand today. Even in his late 30's, he was still a capable player.

To read more on Kareem and on his best days, click here.

-Larry Bird

An intelligent forward who possessed incredible skill set and intelligence, Larry Bird was arguably the best player to ever step foot on a NBA Hardwood.

He was the greatest sharp shooter of any time, as he was the first one to get well over 50% from field, 40% from three point land and 90% from the charity which is a real factor of his dominance. He reached that achievement twice and was always a dangerous shooter on the court and at any time. He also could be argued even as the most skilled player ever, who dominated because of his outstanding skills and wasn't physically gifted because he could do it all out there.

He was a walking triple double who recorded well over 50 triple doubles and ranks among the five all time leaders in that category, a prove of just how rounded game he had. Perhaps no one in the clutch was better at making the last second shot as he had a bunch of game winners against elite defenses. He was an all time great in terms of clutch performances as well, as he was averaging a triple double in few of them!

Bird just was arguably smarter than anyone who ever played basketball, as he often was a couple of steps ahead of his competition, a thing that made him amazing. He was capable to read an inbound play, pretend to ignore it and then come up with the steal. Speaking of defense, he was a tough and good team defense that made few All-Defensive Teams. He wasn't a lock down stopper though.

He was a big competitor and the ultimate trash talker, things he's also known for. In some game against the Lakers, he told his stopper Michael Cooper what was he going to do on six possessions and guess what he did? He did exactly as he told and the results was only swish! However, Bird could have been a career 27 point scorer if he wanted. He was actually a playmaker too, who was only behind Magic in the 80's in that aspect.

Larry was one of the finest non guard passers in the league's history, who consistently led all non guards in passing for dozens of years and even averaged well over 10 dimes in some Finals series. He was a proven winner as well, who won three championships with the Celtics as he made them a dynasty since the 60's all over again. Long live Bird, the living legend of basketball!

Honors: Elected to Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (1998); NBA champion (1981, '84, '86); NBA Finals MVP (1984, '86); NBA MVP (1984, '85, '86); Nine-time All-NBA First Team (1980-88); All-NBA Second Team (1990); All-Defensive Second Team (1982, '83, '84); NBA Rookie of the Year (1980); One of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History (1996); Olympic gold medalist (1992).

Career Stats (Regular/Post Season)

21,791 points (24.3)------------------------------------------3897 points (23.8)

8,974 rebounds (10,0)--------------------------------------1683 rebounds (10.3)

5,695 assists (6,3)--------------------------------------------1062 assists (6.5)

1.Earvin "Magic" Johnson

A unique player who had outstanding all-around abilities, made everything around him better and is the standard for comparing the point guards, Earvin Johnson was arguably the greatest player in the NBA History.

It was simply "Magic" how such tall guy could handle the rock like that and dish it. That's how he got his nickname. He was the greatest passer to ever step foot on a basketball hardwood, who led the fast brake better than anyone else and turned passing into an art form as he run the Showtime LA team to perfection. He did get rare assist numbers, but they don't always tell the story. According to his former team mates Worthy and Kareem, he gave you room to do your thing while he was leading you to easy points.

Nobody made his team mates better than Johnson, as he made all around terrific and much more effective. He was the most versatile player of all time, as he's the only one who could play all five positions on an A level. A proof for that is when he switched from point guard to a center into the 1980 Finals in Game 6 to replace the injured Kareem and recorded arguably the most amazing performance with 42 points, 12 assists, seven boards and five steals.

That's a reason why he was so magical. He was also terrific in the post season and Finals where he usually was a triple double machine as he's the all time leader in most triple doubles during the playoffs with 30 and ranks second to the Big O in career triple doubles with over 120. He was arguably more complete than anyone who ever played in the league. He averages of like 21/13/6, 18/12/7 and so on. (Points/Assists/Rebounds)

He was also one of the biggest winners ever, as he holds the all time winning percent in the post season and led the Lakers to either the first or second highest winning percentage in the 80's overall too. He was a good team defender, who led all in steals twice with well over 2.5 in average etc. He additionally is ranked first in career dimes (11.2) and playoff (12.1) assists (plus total) too, who holds the record for most dimes in a Finals game with 21.

He record triple double in a few series during the playoffs and overall, he is a living legend!

Honors: Elected to Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (2002); NBA champion (1980, '82, '85, '87, '88); NBA Finals MVP (1980, '82, '87); NBA MVP (1987, '89, '90); Nine-time All-NBA First Team (1983-91); All-NBA Second Team (1982); 12-time All-Star; All-Star MVP (1990, '92); Olympic gold medalist (1992); One of 50 Greatest Players in NBA History (1996).

Stats (Regular season/Playoffs)

-17,707 points (19,5)-------------------------------------------3,701 points (19,5)

-10,141 assists (11,2)------------------------------------------2,346 assists (12,3)

-6,559 assists (7.2)----------------------------------------------1,465 rebounds (7.7

By Darko Mihajlovski

The Derrick Rose Rules: Pacers Playing Great, but Rose's Presence Is Too Much for Indiana

2011-04-23T07:42:00.000-07:00

We all remember "The Jordan Rules." These Detroit Pistons just played physical and took advantage of Michael Jordan. The Indiana Pacers needed to do that yesterday against the league's top player. For the past two games, Indiana fell close. They had it every time in the third quarter, but just lose it all in the fourth.

For Game One, Indiana took control for every part of the game. But Rose took command and helped lead the Bulls to a 16-1 run late to slip by, 104-99. Game Two came up, and it was much of the same story. Chicago squeaked by once again.

Indiana could not allow this happen each and every game. It was time to get physical, just like the Pistons did to Michael Jordan in the last generation of NBA basketball.

And Indiana did play physical. Paul George guarded Rose for most of the night, and boy was he exceptional. As Holly MacKenzie notes, George has been the best rookie performing by far in the playoffs. Indiana showed they weren't gonna keep letting Rose drive down the lane easy -- letting him do whatever the hell he desires.

When he came down the lane -- charging at Jeff Foster and Josh McRoberts, Foster literally facepalmed him. It was a hard foul and emotions rose. This was going to be a fun match-up to watch in the next coming years if these two hopefully continue to meet in the playoffs.

“He’s so fast, I just went in there and ended up hitting him,” said Foster, a 12-year veteran. “He reacted. It’s the playoffs. I’m sure he’s going to get hit plenty of times.”

Foster was a monster in the game and came up big when Indiana wanted him. This game showed Indiana was not gonna led Rose flash and becoming the poster child like he came into the series to be.

“This is the playoffs. There are going to be hard fouls,” Bulls' coach Tom Thibodeau said. “In my eyes, that’s what they’ve been doing the whole series. They’re fouling hard. That’s part of the game. When it crosses over the line, I think the officials will make the call.

“I have a lot of respect for Foster. He’s a hard playing guy, a tough guy. He’s been a good player in this league for a long time.”

Rose may have scored 23 points in the game, but he was only four-of-18.

"It was a little rough out there, but it's basketball," he said. "They had something to prove."

Indiana showed it. They had their rules set for Rose. But it was not until the final seconds until they turned out to be a defense they played like in the past two games prior to Game Three.

With 17.8 seconds left, Rose drove past all five of the Pacers defenders, getting a lay-up while literally three were guarding him. He blew past two Pacers' players, and getting up one of the toughest and most clutch layups I have ever seen -- and it was on three players, including the big 7'2" colossal of Roy Hibbert.

But Rose was too much. Falling to the ground after the layup, the crowd went wild. Wait? This is Conseco Fieldhouse, right? Yes, it was. But it didn't matter. What happened, happened. Many from Chicago traveled down to Indianapolis to see their prized possession put up yet another big shot, leading the number-one-seeded Bulls over the Pacers in a down-to-the-wire atmosphere for the third straight time.

The Pacers would fail to score on the next possession. Danny Granger had trouble on double-teamed defense, with the Bulls knowing that if it were anybody, Granger is the one who will be taking the last shot. Darren Collison couldn't have. He already cost Indiana a possession just earlier when he put up a tough floater on no other than Rose -- who blocked Collison on a layup earlier in the series. Granger had been shooting to the right for literally the whole game, and Chicago caught up on it. Luol Deng, being the tough defensive-minded forward he is, guarded up Granger good. Granger struggled and passed it back to Collison. Granger created space -- barely -- and floated to the left on this three-point attempt. He missed as the ball clanged on to the right side of the rim. With the gloom expression on his face, he knew this game was over.

And with that, the Bulls expand their series lead to 3-0, as the Pacers desperately need the just one win to even get some good mention out of all of this. This series could end up as a sweep, but quoting fellow Pacers' writer, Chad Smith: if the NBA playoffs were like the NHL playoffs with only three quarters, the Pacers would be the best team in the league right now. It has probably been a problem for Indiana this whole entire year: closing out games. And that will probably be the moral of this team for this 2010-11 season.

With how great the Pacers were covering up the paint, seeing Rose finding space was insane.

"The whole time, I was just thinking I'll go to the hole," he said. "It was tough the whole night the way they were playing, but at that time, I saw space and went for it."

Granger finished with 21 points, but a possible 24 could have definitely helped the Pacers team. The contested 26-footer was definitely not in mind. Rather than that, I would love to see the shot Granger put up against the New York Knicks not too long ago in the regular season, putting up a huge game-winner. That would be something to see.

"We didn't get the look we wanted," he said. "That was the best shot we could get. That wasn't the way we wanted it, but that was the way it happened."

The Pacers had two double-digit leads in the fourth quarter for the past two. They were in it down to the wire with the Bulls in this game. But like I have been saying: they just couldn't pull through.

"I thought we did a great job on Rose," Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. "I had a lot of confidence that they would do a good job on him."

They did. But it's Derrick Rose. The Indiana Pacers were doing what happened to Michael Jordan and the Detroit Pistons. Maybe we'll see more of this in the future.

But for right now, it just can't be The Derrick Rose Rules. The only way it is if it benefits Rose, because so far for this whole series, it's been him making up his own rules and getting what he wants. Never have I seen a player be this unstoppable for the Pacers this year.

Now I have seen jump shots, three-pointers, and all these crazy shots to win the game. But doing a layup is probably one of the hardest. And we have seen Rose do that so many times this year. You can add that to his scrapbook of historic layups. This is probably the best layup I have seen this year.

Rose proved he is better than the whole Pacers' starting line-up on that one play.

"We're really frustrated right now," Pacers forward Tyler Hansbrough said. "I know I'm frustrated. We now have to work to stay in this series and win our game here at home."

I really would like to see the Pacers continue to play like this the whole series. At least winning one game in this series would be nice, especially for Game Four at home just so the fans could have a good message as the Pacers' season ends at home for the year.

But the Pacers played great. They gave the Bulls a great challenge. They just can't hold on when it comes to the end, and they will learn on that for next year. A great year for Pacers' basketball.

They did their best guarding up on Derrick Rose. The Derrick Rose Rules failed.

Rose has already created the rules for himself.

Before the Pacers even expected it.

Memphis Still Needs Rudy

2011-04-22T14:23:00.000-07:00

Rudy Gay nails a game winning shot right between the eyes of Lebron James

Despite the 93-87 loss in game 2 tonight against the Spurs, the good times should still be rolling in Memphis. Going back home with the series tied at one’s with arguably the league’s best regular season team should be quite an accomplishment for a team that has never won a playoff game in franchise history.

The Grizzlies hung tough once again with the Spurs last night. No one was surprised. In fact, people were picking this upset before the series started.

The casual fan must be wondering how anyone could fathom Memphis taking a game off the Spurs much less winning the series without their franchise player in Rudy Gay. They just signed him to that fat five-year $82 million contract this past off-season. How can you beat the Spurs without your best player?

The casual fan may be asking how they’re doing it without their star but Memphis fans and those who follow the NBA closely are now questioning Memphis’ need for Rudy Gay. Memphis went 15-10 down the stretch to secure a playoff spot without their star while playing some stiff competition. They even tanked the last two games to assure themselves a matchup with the Spurs.

It’s okay Grizzly fans, not to worry because you still need Rudy Gay and his flabby contract.

The numbers don’t always tell it all. I realize that Memphis’ winning percentage down the stretch without Rudy was .600, more than 50 points better than when Gay was in the line-up. Yes, Memphis was more efficient on the offensive end, outscoring their opponents by 3.6 points per 100 possessions as opposed to 2.0 per 100. Overall, they were better statistically without Rudy Gay.

Well you know what they say, don’t ya?

Stats are for losers.

Rudy Gay may have been playing the best ball of his career this season prior to his injury, averaging 19.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and shot almost 40 percent from beyond the arc. However, that’s not why the Grizzlies need him in order to take the next step as a team.

The Grizzlies need the scoring wing player who can give you your close, late game, isolation offence. They need it as badly as Ron Artest needs his psychiatrist and it couldn’t have been more apparent in game 2.

The recent recipient of a hefty contract extension, Zach Randolph is one of the toughest guys to guard in the league. Sports Illustrated Zach Lowe went as far to say that he is “one of the league’s truly unguardable offensive players.” Nevertheless, going to Z-Bo late in games is not the easiest offense when the defence collapses and the best guy spreading the floor for your team is Shane Battier.

Look at it this way. All the best teams have a go to scorer who can get their offence at will. Derrick Rose, Kobe Bryant, Wade and Lebron, Kevin Durant, Manu Ginobli and the list can goes on. I guess I should throw in Michael Jordan just for kicks.

The Orlando Magic don’t have a scorer who can simply get his at will. It’s probably why the Magic won’t win building solely around Howard.

It would be a capital offence to put Rudy Gay in the same category as the guys mentioned above but at the same time he is not in another dimension as those players either.

Playoff defence is tight and when the best teams clamp down with five minutes left in the fourth quarter it is the weaker teams that have more trouble executing. It’s not a coincidence that only four number eight seeds have gotten out of the first round in NBA history. However, you run your late game offence through a dynamic player like Rudy Gay and suddenly things are looking a little brighter. Remember his game winner against the Heat earlier this year? If you’re not a Raptor or Grizzly fan you probably have no idea that he hit a virtually identical game winner in Toronto.

The current make-up of the Memphis Grizzlies presents a bright future but if you can sit there and tell me with a straight face that that roster has the ability to take the next step without Rudy Gay then you might also want to see Ron Artest’s psychiatrist.

Rudy Gay isn’t at the level that will take the Memphis Grizzlies to the Promised Land. At least not yet. The Grizzlies are growing as a team and Rudy Gay is growing as a player. If Memphis is ever going to make the jump from good to great they will need Rudy Gay to help get them there.

By Chris Ross

Agree? Disagree? If you have any questions, comments, suggestions, please feel free to reply in the comments section below. Or you can e-mail me at cross_can15@hotmail.com. I am now on twitter follow me @paintstheblack and I will gladly return the favour.

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Naked Man Steals Person's Most Prized Kansas Gear; Jayhawks Respond Back with New Gear

2011-04-22T14:17:00.000-07:00

A 45-year-old man named Donald Watson (above) was seen walking around naked in people's backyards in a neighborhood in Springfield. He would eventually go steal some clothing from a man's house and invade his home.

The man's name was Jason Chambers, and Watson stole the gear, which turned out to be Kansas Jayhawks gear. Chambers called it one of his most prized possessions.

Chambers said that was his lucky outfit he wore during the Jayhawks 2008 run to the National Championship, as they ended up winning it all.

After the incident was reported, the Kansas Jayhawks quickly contacted Chambers.

"We felt sorry for Jason, particularly since his clothes were desecrated in the manner they were," said Jim Marchiony, associate athletics director at KU.

They talked about Chambers' sizes and said that Chambers is to expect some new gear in a package sometime soon.

"Any fan as loyal as that should be rewarded," he said.

Chambers would soon receive the clothes, but it was ripped up and tortured after a police dog scuffled with Watson.

He does get his gear back, but I don't think he will be wearing it at all.

"But it's not like I'm ever gonna wear 'em again."

Brandon Davies to Return to BYU Next Year

2011-04-22T14:06:00.000-07:00

After being dismissed by the BYU Cougars basketball team for having premarital sex, Brandon Davies still supported the team throughout the year. The important center recently announced that he will be returning to the school as a sophomore.

He completed winter semester work and then withdrew from the school. He will look to re-enroll when fall comes by.

He has been working with the dean and wants to play for the Cougars in the 2011-12 season.

“There’s a pretty long list of people that I’d like to thank who are helping me through this difficult time,” Davies said in a statement released through BYU.

“It’s been very hard emotionally but, thanks to the love and support of many, I’ll be able to get through it. There’s a plan in place, and I intend to follow through and return to BYU in the fall. I’m looking forward to coming back ... and getting back on the court.”

BYU spokesperson, Carri Jenkins, hopes to see Davies return.

“... It is also our hope he will be able to suit up for the [2011-12] season,” Jenkins said.

Georgetown's Hollis Thompson Declares for NBA Draft

2011-04-22T13:55:00.000-07:00

Georgetown sophomore, Hollis Thompson, has just announced that he will declare for the NBA Draft today.

Thompson currently does not have an agent, according to Georgetown, so he can return to the school by the eligible date of May 8.

Thompson started 22 games last year out of the 32, averaging 8.6 points and 4.4 rebounds. Thompson played pretty good and earned the nickname "Hollywood" among his team.

In January, Thompson lost his starting power forward position to Nate Lubrick, as coach John Thompson III wanted a more physical presence for the Hoyas' frontcourt. But even though he didn't start anymore, he was a great sixth man coming off the bench for them.

Looking forward to see where he lands if he sticks to going to the NBA.

UConn's Jamal Coombs-McDaniel Arrested for Marijuana

2011-04-22T13:47:00.000-07:00

Jamal Coombs-McDaniel must be a very happy man. His UConn Huskies team rode (no pun intended) high to the championship this year with a huge 53-41 victory over the Butler Bulldogs.

But right now, Coombs-McDaniel shouldn't be happy anymore, and neither will Jim Calhoun soon, as he was arrested for marijuana. 420 was yesterday, so I wouldn't that he had 5.6 grams of it.

He was released on a $500 bond and will be going to court on May 5.

"We are aware of the arrest of Jamal Coombs-McDaniel, but beyond that have no further comment at this time," said Kyle Muncy, a spokesman for the Connecticut basketball program.

Coombs-McDaniel averaged 5.6 points and 2.7 rebounds per game with UConn this past season.

NBA Reviewing Jeff Foster's Hard Foul On Derrick Rose

2011-04-22T12:46:00.000-07:00

Jeff Foster put up a very hard foul on Derrick Rose in last night's game, basically just facepalming Rose as he tried going for a layup between Foster and Josh McRoberts.

Both got in each others faces and emotions started building up after the foul.

"He's so fast, I just went in there and ended up hitting him," Foster said after the game. "He reacted. It's the playoffs. I'm sure he's going to get hit plenty of times."

Rose was a bit irritated by the foul but was a good spot and wasn't angry after the game.

"That's his job," Rose said. "But you have to stand up to it. I was just trying to go to the basket and create contact."

However, Foster was never called for a flagrant foul. But hey, this is the playoffs.

"This is the playoffs. There are going to be hard fouls," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said after the game. "In my eyes, that's what they've been doing the whole series. They're fouling hard. That's part of the game. When it crosses over the line, I think the officials will make the call.

"I have a lot of respect for Foster. He's a hard-playing guy, a tough guy. He's been a good player in this league for a long time."

Carmelo Anthony to Be Rocking Some New Kicks Tonight Versus Boston

2011-04-22T12:05:00.000-07:00

Carmelo Anthiny will be rocking some new shoes as the New York Knicks will host the Boston Celtics in an important playoff match-up. Anthony will most likely have Amare Stoudemire with him for the game, but Chauncey Billups is doubtful.

With the Knicks having their first playoff game at Madison Square Garden in a while, it's going to be huge tonight. I got the Knicks winning it.

But Anthony will be rocking these new, tight kicks that will be in stores in June. They are the Jordan Melo M7 Advance.

Pretty tight.

Video: Blake's Rookie Year Dunks - Each and Every One

2011-04-22T12:00:00.000-07:00

Blake Griffin had a fantastic year. Here's a look at all the dunks he has had this year:

Video: LeBron James' Top 10 Plays of the 2011 Season

2011-04-22T11:50:00.000-07:00

Video: Ray Allen and The Art of the Jump Shot

2011-04-22T11:46:00.000-07:00

Video: LeBron's Crazy Behind-The-Back, Stumbling Pass to Dwyane Wade Off Steal

2011-04-22T11:27:00.000-07:00

First off, a great win by the Miami Heat over the Philadelphia 76ers. They just took control everywhere! The Heat dominated in rebounding and what a night it was between LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. This is probably the play of the game and what makes this team the most exciting in the league!

Video: Russell Westbrook Slices, Spins, and Scores

2011-04-22T10:52:00.000-07:00

Who Would Have Thought It? It's Now Time To Defend Kobe Bryant

2011-04-22T08:57:00.000-07:00

Never in a million years would defending Kobe Bryant come to mind, but after a ridiculous firestorm from the media last week and the substantial fined handed out by the NBA, Bryant need to be defended. The firestorm itself shows exactly why PC culture is going to destroy the United States.

Bryant was caught on camera yelling at Bennie Adams a homphobic slur and the video went viral within minutes. This of course sprung the NBA into action as David Stern didn't want to be slammed by the LGBT for not punishing Bryant and a day later a fine of $100,000 was handed out.

The media pressure did not stop there and he issued this statement "What I said last night should not be taken literally. My actions were out of frustration in the heat of the game period!"

Since the video is so easily accessible it does not make sense to include it, but it's easy to see that Bryant was visibly frustrated when he went to the bench and yelled at Adams. What also didn't help is the fact that the camera was fixated on Bryant going to the bench instead of the action on the court.

Now the question becomes if Bryant had used a different word and those will not be uttered would this be a story? The answer is clearly no and it's just another example of the media making a mountain out of a molehill.

What's even more sad is John Ameachi's comments in regards to comment's by Bryant. He had stated in a blog with the New York Times that "right now in America young people are being killed and killing themselves simply because of the words and behaviors they are subjected to for being perceived as lesbian or gay, or frankly just different. This is not an indictment of the individuals suffocated by their mistreatment, it is an indication of the power of that word, and others like it, to brutalize and dehumanize.”

Ameachi is speaking out on something that he has no business commenting on. Again as mentioned before if Bryant had used a different word this would be a non-issue.

Then to equate that with people being murdered or committing suicide is beyond belief. Right now the media's attention has been on what was said, but did not concern itself with the why. Unfortunately that doesn't seem to matter to the media or Ameachi for that matter.

Now, Bryant definitely deserved to be punished. It however should not have been done so publicly regardless of how the NBA or David Stern wanted it to be perceived by the media and again Bryant should be appealing the fine.

Obviously NBA players get frustrated with referees and are known at times to use inappropriate language towards them. There's clips on Youtube of Shaquille O'Neal and Steve Francis cussing and yet there's no media firestorm over it.

Also, there's a question of if this was any other player in the league would the camera have been still fixed on them as they went to the bench? Would the commentators be talking about the visible frustration of the player going to the bench and leaving it at that and explain why the player got a technical?

So, in the end Byrant did deserve to be punish for his actions for verbally abusing Adams, what Bryant didn't deserve was the media attention that was brought on by what he said.

In addition as of today the Lakers came out with a PSA announcement about accepting others. That just puts the icing on the cake of how much hysteria was created over words Bryant muttered out of frustration.

By Steven Resnick

David Stern Deserves All the Blame for NBA Officiating Problems

2011-04-22T08:43:00.000-07:00

David Stern in the first part of his career did an excellent job of increasing the popularity of the NBA. Over the last 10 years though Stern has done a terrible job as commissioner and keeping fans interested in the NBA.

The NBA has never recovered from the officiating scandal from 2002 with Tim Donaghy. Though Stern tried desperately to distance the officials from Donaghy and tried making it appear that Donaghy was a rogue referee with his own agenda.

Well if Donaghy was a rogue referee working on his own how come the officiating in the NBA has gotten substantially worse?

What's even more interesting is the fact that on the nba.com website there's a place to contact the league about the officiating. Trying that gets a response that looks like this:

Thank you for contacting the National Basketball Association with your concerns regarding officiating. The NBA’s highest priority is to ensure that every game is determined on its merits. We take seriously the performance of our officials. They are subjected to incredible scrutiny by the league, including tracking every call they make and holding them to the most rigorous standard in all of sports. Not only is their past performance measured, charted, and evaluated, but we employ a system of stringent metrics designed to continually hone their skills and improve their overall ability. We strive to ensure that NBA games are officiated at the highest possible level with the understanding that perfection is an unattainable goal. Thank you again for your concern. We appreciate your feedback regarding this issue. Sincerely, NBA Fan Relations

It doesn't take long to realize why the NBA needs to have a generic e-mail in response to fans complaining on the referees. Youtube is filled with numerous examples of missed calls.

But, maybe with enough reaction from the most recent event in the NBA change is going to come. The missed call came at a crucial time in game one of the Denver Nuggets versus the Oklahoma City Thunder game.

Kendrick Perkins went up for a tip-in on a shot by Russell Westbrook as Perkins' hand came up to tip the ball in, his hand went through the net hit the rim with the ball in the cylinder. Instead of the call being basket inteference, the play stood.

The play in question wasn't a difficult call to make. It's stated clearly in the NBA rulebook that this is an example of offensive basket inteference. George Karl of course was rightfully complaining and yet to no avail.

Sure, there was still plenty of time left in the game and the Nuggets ultimately lost because plays weren't made down the stretch, but what would happened if the call was made correctly? Would the Thunder have lost the momentum? Could the Nuggest have stolen one on the road?

Even the NBA admits that the call was wrong, but still doesn't take away from the fact that the call should have been made correctly! This call is the icing on the cake of how badly the referees are in the NBA.

After the season the collective bargaining agreement expires along with the agreement with the referees. It's time for Stern to take action and fix the referees once and for all, if not then Stern needs to step down as commissioner and in his place should be one who will not tolerate incompetentce.

For Stern he could have put a stop this long ago, yet decided that he much rather defend the referees. Prior to this season Stern pretty much showed he was in the referees corner by creating rules to stop the complaining by NBA players and if it went on for too long a techincal would be coming.

Instead of fixing the problem and holding the referees accountable, Stern decide the blame should go on the players for actually questioning a call or showing emotion after a bad call.

It's time for NBA fans and NBA players to say enough is enough and oust Stern as he is the one to blame for the referee problems because he refuses to do his job as commissioner as he has not come close to fixing the issues.

By Steven Resnick

Roy Finally Plays Better as Well as Blazers, Top Mavericks 97-92 To Trail 2-1

2011-04-22T08:30:00.000-07:00

Brandon Roy expressed his frustration, after not really receiving any minutes in this year's playoff series between the Portland Trail Blazers and Dallas Mavericks and not making much impact either after his injury problems.

But Roy got some appreciation after a inspirational text message from Charles Barkley. Barkely told Roy to keep his head up and have fun out there. Roy did, as the Blazers cruised to a 97-92 victory, helped by Brandon and his 16 points off the bench. The Blazers now trail only 2-1 in the series to the Mavs.

"I was playing tonight. I was in go mode," Roy said. "I didn't worry about nothing else. I didn't worry about playing time, I didn't worry about who was playing. When it was my time I was going."

Wesley Matthews led Portland with 25 points and LaMarcus Aldridge had 20 points. Portland has won all their games versus Dallas at home and could even up the series as the play each other again in Game Four at home.

Jason Terry led the Mavs with 29 points while Dirk Nowitzki had 25 points.

It was a 13-point lead for the Blazers into the fourth quarter, but Nowitzki would not let down, as Portland only led by six with an 87-81 lead. Blazers would gain control again but Nowitzki responded again and the lead was cut down to 95-90. Jason Kidd would have a long jumper with 12.9 seconds left, which turned out very controversial.

At the end, Portland came through. Nate McMillan was not surprised after Roy's great showing.

"This is a guy we know is capable of producing, and tonight he did that," McMillan said.

The Mavericks could have the same thing happening to them like in 2006, having a 2-0 lead and then losing out. We'll see what happens.

D'Antoni Is A Bad Late Game Coach

2011-04-22T07:47:00.000-07:00

New York Knicks head man Mike D'Antoni is not a bad coach. Not by any means. He can get your team to the playoffs, rack up plenty of wins in the regular season, and plays an exciting style of basketball. His only problem is that he's a bad late game coach.

Watching the Knicks melt down in the first two games in the Eastern Conference playoffs against the Boston Celtics reminded me of when he was coaching the Phoenix Suns. Suns fans probably know what I'm talking about and were probably having flashbacks watching the Knicks give away the first two games to the Celtics.

For all the flash the Suns had, they constantly found ways to lose to the Spurs, among others, in the playoffs. The Suns were always there in the end but found ways to lose it. Credit D'Antoni for that. He wasn't the greatest late game tactician. That flaw reared it's ugly head in games 1 and 2.

In game 1 Amare' Stoudamire was punishing Kevin Garnett in the fourth quarter, but for some reason he didn't see the ball down the stretch. Now if Stoudamire is the hot hand you keep going to it, don't you? I know I would, but I'm only a Playstation coach so how would I know. All plays should've been ran through Stoudamire, save for Toney Douglas' three pointer. Then you let Carmelo Anthony settle for a 30 footer for the last shot. Take your chances for overtime. I didn't watch much of game 2, but I saw enough to come to the realization that D'Antoni doesn't make the best choices late in the game.

The Knocks will be a force in the Eastern Conference in the years to come, whether D'Antoni will be there to see it through I don't know. I'm not calling for his job, but the Knicks are destined to become the new age version of the 1980's Milwaukee Bucks. Win a lot of games, but won't win big in the playoffs.

By Chris Edwards

NBA Playoffs: Bulls Squeak by Again, Look to Sweep Pacers on Saturday

2011-04-22T07:31:00.000-07:00

Derrick Rose wins another one in the final seconds.

If the NBA Playoffs were like the NHL Playoffs, and games were only three periods, the Indiana Pacers might be the best team in the league. That fourth and final quarter cost them dearly once again in Game 3 tonight.

The Bulls barely won the first game, barely held on in the second game, and of course, won Game 3 in the final seconds on Derrick Rose's lay up with 17 seconds to go. The Pacers come short once again, falling 88-84 in front of a sold out Conseco Fieldhouse crowd.

Luol Deng and Danny Granger each scored 21 points, and Derrick Rose still wound up with 23 points, despite shooting 4 of 18 from the field. Rose went to the free throw line 15 times, while Granger didn't attempt a single free throw.

Darren Collison was able to start and play for Indiana, after leaving Game 2 with a sprained ankle. The Bulls though, seemed to have the edge early thanks in part to some hot shooting by Luol Deng. He had 14 points at the half. The Bulls had a 21-17 edge at the end of the first quarter.

The Pacers were able to stay in the game somehow, despite being out rebounded by a considerable margin in the first half. Indiana's bench came to the rescue in the second quarter, providing the spark the team needed. The defense was intense, forcing many turnovers that led to fast breaks. By halftime, the game was tied at 42.

The third quarter featured more back and forth play for both teams. Both teams were making runs, trading the lead multiple times. Neither team led by more than six points in this game.

The Pacers had a couple of lapses in the third quarter, with Danny Granger missing two fast break lay ups. Darren Collison was leaving Keith Bogans wide open on multiple occasions, where he buried three shots from beyond the arc. Heading into the fourth quarter, the Pacers were trailing by just one point.

The Pacers started the fourth period well, scoring the first six points, taking a five point lead. They began to self destruct after that though, as Chicago responded with a 10-0 run. Darren Collison left Kyle Korver open for another three pointer, which of course he hit. The teams continued to trade baskets.

With less than a minute to go in the game, the game was tied, and the Pacers had the ball after Paul George's big offensive rebound. It was the 12th rebound of the game for the impressive rookie. Collison missed a jumper though, and the Bulls took possession.

With 17 seconds left, Derrick Rose got the ball, and of course went right to the rim. He was able to lay it in, giving them a two point lead. Indiana called a time out and set up their next play. Chicago played great defense though, forcing Granger into a tough shot.

Granger missed a long jumper with 3 seconds left, Chicago grabbed the rebound, and two free throws iced it. Chicago wins another game by the skin of their teeth.

With tonight's loss, the Pacers now find themselves one game from being swept. Although it doesn't feel like it, it would be the first-round sweep that most everyone was predicting before the series began. After playing so well in the first two games, they came back with the same game plan and executed it to near perfection, falling just short in the closing minutes yet again.

Now down 0-3 in this series, Indiana is faced with a big decision; do they lay down and let the inevitable happen, or do they keep fighting and try to send the series back to Chicago?

With the effort they have shown, and the energy that interim head coach Frank Vogel has instilled within them, I expect they will come out ready to go on Saturday afternoon, scratching and clawing to win Game 4.

By Chad Smith

2011 NBA Playoffs: Will Darren Collison Be Available for Game Three?

2011-04-20T16:51:00.000-07:00

The Indiana Pacers are coming off another painful loss that came down to the wire against the Chicago Bulls. They trail the series 2-0, but a lot of questionable fouls were called that got many fans raging from Game Two.

Indiana will host Chicago at Conseco Fieldhouse for Game Three on Thursday night. But how can they be close and actually win a game if they are without one of their most important players: Darren Collison?

Collison sprained his left ankle and hopefully will be healed enough to play.

"I don't know if he's going to be able to (play) or not. We have to go into it preparing to be without him," Vogel said.

The main goal for Collison is to start. He didn't play the second half of Game Two's loss, which put a big hole for Indy. But about what he has been saying right now could be good enough for Game Three. Hopefully he can play.

"If I'm at 60-70 percent, I'm going to play," he said. "This is the playoffs. I was disappointed I couldn't get in the game in the second half (Monday night), but it's unfortunate it happened."

The injury came up on a layup where he stepped on a camera man in the first half. Collison has injured his left ankle before, where had to miss three games. This happened in November.

"If my trainers feel like I don't need to be out there, it's their decision, but at the same time, I know this is the playoffs," Collison said. "My emotions and adrenaline is going to be higher, so it's going to help me to get through it."

If Collison is unable to play, Indiana will have to go without him and rely on A.J. Price and T.J. Ford at point guard.

"We'll maybe have to tinker (with) some things offensively because there are some looks that A.J. is better at than D.C is and vice versa," Vogel said. "They have certain packages that they're more effective in. We (may) go to more of those packages."

Price will hopefully get things going. He started off very poor, committing several turnovers, but after that, went on a roll to 13 points and didn't give up the ball once after that.

"I'm going to be ready," Price said. "I stayed ready all season long regardless of what the situation called for. It's unfortunate if D.C. can't go, but we'll be ready."

Price has stepped up big this year after he finally got his playing time. As for Ford, he finally started playing again after he was benched for most of the year.

"I've been ready all season," Ford said. "I've been in this situation before. With my experience being in the playoffs before, I think I'll be OK."

Ford wasn't in his game that much but hopefully he'll be ready to go in Game Three. He was tired, and you can understand why after he has only played a small total of only 30 minutes in the past few months.

"Part of it was I haven't been in a game with that high of magnitude in a long time," Ford said. "I think my conditioning is way better than what most people would expect. I'm just glad to be able to help the team again."

Now with some playing time, I think he'll be ready to go. The Pacers are really going to need all the hope they can get and they need to play strong as they are finally playing in Conseco Fieldhouse for the first time since 2006.

Make the most of it.

LeBron, Spoelstra Finally Started to Connect in December Meeting

2011-04-20T16:37:00.000-07:00

In the starting of the season, everyone could see that there was a problem between Erik Spoelstra and LeBron James. In November 27th, it went to the turning point where it looked like that people actually wanted Pat Riley to take over.

On that November 27th day, the Heat were coming off a painful loss to the Dallas Mavericks. This led to the infamous "shove" in the third quarter that James had on Spoelstra. They had a meeting a few days after in November, but December is where their relationship started connecting dots.

"It was a reminder for both of us that we have to manage all the noise outside and keep it to what's real," Spoelstra said. "The only things that matter are the people in the locker room. At the end of the day, a lot of the noise will be pointed in our direction.

"It was probably one of the steps when we started to develop a deeper trust [with each other]. We were in a similar boat together and it wasn't about us. And we needed to be able to manage that and not let it be a distraction."

Spoelstra loved how James was able to handle the media and continue to lead the Heat to success.

"He's been a lightning rod," Spoelstra said. "He's done a very good job of compartmentalizing all of that and to just be a member of the team."

But the Heat are doing great now, as they finished with the second seed with a 58-24 record and currently are taking a 2-0 lead over the Philadelphia 76ers in the playoffs.

So far, things are all going good.

Great to see these two finally connect and make things right.

Video: Steve Nash Becomes Latest Victim of the Nicki Minaj Lap Dance

2011-04-20T10:18:00.000-07:00

First, it was Chris Paul who got the lap dance from female hip-hop star, Nicki Minaj. Next up? Out of all the people, it was Phoenix Suns' guard Steve Nash.

Here is the video of the latest victim of Minaj's lap dance:

Nash's facial expressions are a lot different from other victims of the lap dance. Deadspin had a good recap of what happened to Nash:

00:13 — Concern. Nash realizes this interlude is real and happening in front of many people.

00:33 — Resignation. Nash complies with Minaj's instructions to open his legs, put his hands behind his back and close his mouth.

00:35 — Submission. When Minaj tugs on Nash's hair, the basketball player's eyes roll back, but not in pleasure. In hominids, this expression can be a cringe depending on their position within the social hierarchy.

00:42 — Defiance. Don't let that Tom Cruise grin fool you — this is a threat display. Nash's super-ego has kicked in. He is a man! He is supposed to enjoy Minaj walking her fingers down his chest toward his crotch. Rawwrrr!

00:47 — Dominance. Nash will admire your butt implants, Nicki Minaj. He will leer at them because he can and because he is supposed to. He is a basketball king. And these are his people, this crowd, not yours. Who is anyone to question how he chooses to stay busy during the playoffs? RAWWWRRRAWRR!

00:54 — Doubt. Look at Nash shake his head here. This is a telling moment. Nash is a reasonable sort, not given to ostentation or superstar antics. He's marveling at the absurdity of the situation and concerned that it's not over. He can't control it. More than that, he's shaking his head at the silliness of his macho superstar reaction moments earlier.

01:17 — Terror. Minaj mounts her prey, her assistants pinioning Nash's arms. Here's a better look at it. Nash appears to be fixated on Minaj's gyrating crotch and whether there will be contact and what, if so, might potentially ensue. It's only when Minaj dismounts that we get a glimpse into Nash's inner mind, where we find a ravaged horrorscape.

01:23 — Regret. Minaj releases Nash, a grim smile frozen on his face, the stern words he will have for his manager already forming in his throat.

2011 NBA Playoffs: Can Pacers Finish Against the Bulls to Win Game Three?

2011-04-20T09:03:00.000-07:00

The Derrick Rose show will travel down I-65 on Thursday, where the Chicago Bulls will look to take a 3-0 series advantage over the Indiana Pacers at Conseco Fieldhouse.

Thursday's game will mark the first Playoff game at Conseco Fieldhouse for Indiana since 2006, when they hosted the New Jersey Nets.

While it is technically a home game, it will look like anything but, I'm sure.

Not only is Chicago just up the road a couple of hours, but the Derrick Rose/Bulls bandwagon fans in the surrounding area will probably get their hands on a few tickets and fill the Fieldhouse with red.

Unfortunately for the city and the team, the Pacers drew the lowest attendance rate in the entire league this year. Making the Playoffs will undoubtedly increase it from its normal numbers, but it won't all be blue and gold come Thursday night.

Unlike Games one and two, Thursday night's game will be seen on NBA TV, instead of ESPN and TNT. Still, it is yet to be determined how many fans will actually be rooting for this team, which is sad, considering how far they have come in recent years.

The last few days have been the brightest moments for this franchise since Ron Artest made his presence felt in Detroit.

Of course, he was sent packing a long time ago—as were Stephen Jackson, Jermaine O'Neal, and the other players that took this franchise to an all-time low.

Through the draft and a select few trades, the Pacers are finally at a point where they can really start to focus on the future. They have a solid group of young talent, and a lot of flexibility heading into this off-season.

Before the first game began on Saturday in Chicago, the majority of the people I talked to were predicting a clean sweep of the Pacers. That was a combination of just how good the Bulls looked and how bad Indiana had been all season.

While a sweep is still in the deck of cards for the Bulls, they know they are going to have to scratch and claw their way into the second round.

It was easy to see why everyone's predictions were so similar.

The Bulls had the best record in the NBA, the MVP in Derrick Rose, possibly the coach of the year in Tom Thibodeau, and they had the first two games at home—where they've lost only five games all season long.

Indiana came out swinging, and refused to back down. After leading for 47 minutes in game one, they fell apart in the final minute, getting outscored 16-1 to end the game.

They went out to prove that it was no fluke in game two, as they led most of the way once again, before crumbling in the final few minutes.

The question everyone is asking now is whether the Pacers are actually this good, or if the Bulls are just playing this poorly.

Not to take the easy way out, but it really is a mixture of both ingredients. In the first two games, Indiana shot the ball extremely well and got off to fast starts.

They moved the ball very well on offense and played good help defense for the better part of 48 minutes. When it comes to crunch time, though, they have no idea what they are doing.

On the flip side, the Bulls haven't quite looked like the same team we saw all season.

Sure, Derrick Rose played like Derrick Rose in both—which is probably the only reason they won. His supporting cast, however, seems to have gone missing on more than one occasion during these games.

Carlos Boozer was in foul trouble early in the first game, and Luol Deng's biggest moment so far in this series seems to be the technical foul he got in game one. Joakim Noah has been rebounding like normal, but he has been having his problems on offense. The bench for Chicago really hasn't done much besides Korver's two big three-pointers.

The question facing Indiana now is of what they need to do in order to win one of these next two home games.

It appears as though Frank Vogel's game plan is working well, but they are still missing the secret ingredient—a closer. Most people thought they already had that in Danny Granger, but he hasn't had a great season this year, and many have begun to question his shot selection and overall leadership of this team.

If you ask me, I believe this team's future star is the guy that Vogel put in charge of guarding Rose: rookie Paul George.

Having a closer is huge, and all great teams in this league have one.

The lack of a guy like that has killed the Pacers in both of these games. The loss of starting PG Darren Collison will be tough to endure, but AJ Price will have time to prepare for the next game.

As long as he can focus his offense, all he needs to do is worry about helping off of Keith Bogans when Rose decides it's time to head to the basket. The team as a whole has been playing solidly so far, and I expect much of the same in game three.

I have heard many people's philosophy for the Pacers: hack-a-Noah.

Just looking at Joakim Noah, you can tell he isn't a great free throw shooter. He is there to rebound and block shots, and to clean up the loose balls. Instead of letting Derrick Rose get to the basket every time and get a lay up or get fouled (sometimes both), maybe they should just start giving Noah the Shaq treatment.

To me, it's better than the alternative of letting Rose score or kick out to a teammate for an open three pointer. It will be interesting to see if Vogel bites on that idea.

Basically, in order for Indiana to finally get one of these games, several things will have to happen:

Chicago must continue to play poorly at times, and Indiana must keep shooting over 50 percent from the floor. If they can get into a rhythm on offense, they could be in this game. Getting Rose and/or Boozer in foul trouble has proven to help as well.

Game three will not be an easy one for Indiana by any stretch of the imagination.

They seem to have a little momentum and confidence, though as much as you can have being down 0-2 in a series.

Hopefully we won't all be seeing red on Thursday at Conseco Fieldhouse.

By Chad Smith

Lakers and Spurs in Trouble?

2011-04-19T15:07:00.000-07:00

The NBA Playoffs have started and the Spurs and Lakers are down 0-1 in their series against the Grizzlies and Hornets respectively! Is it too early to worry about both teams falling to the underdogs?

By JR

Adelman Out In Houston, Wonders What Might Have Been

2011-04-19T15:03:00.001-07:00

Rick Adelman reportedly will be shown the door in Houston. After years of mediocrity in a tough Western Conference, the Rockets and Adelman will part ways. As reported by the Houston Chronicle and KRIV-TV, the team won't renew his contract.

Even though I said that the Rockets were mediocre, Adelman wasn't a bad coach. He was just dealt a bad hand. I actually like the Rockets and am disappointed that they weren't able to move on to greater heights. At one point they had Tracy McGrady, Yao Ming, and Ron Artest. A formidable big three if anyone besides Artest was healthy. I like Adelman as a coach. He has just had some bad timing except when he coached at Golden State and no one hasn't put it together there. When he was in Portland there was Michael Jordan's Bulls. In Sacramento the Lakers stood in their way. In Houston there were too many ahead of them in a loaded Western Conference.

Adelman can only wonder what might have been. He inherited a team with Yao and McGrady, but they never seemed to stay healthy.

“I look at the team today,” Adelman said in late February. “In 3 1/2 years since I came here, we have only two guys left, Luis and Chuck. That’s not a lot of stability. I came to coach Yao and Tracy and ended up with Luis and Chuck.

I know Adelman meant no disrespect to Chuck Hayes and Luis Scola, but if McGrady and Yao stay healthy and they surround them with players like Hayes and Scola and add a Kevin Martin maybe they become long term contenders.

Adelman doesn't look at his time in Houston with regret and there are no ill feelings toward the Rockets. He also has the desire to coach again. I don't doubt he'll land another job.

“I don’t think I’ve lost the desire to coach; I think I still can do it,” Adelman said. “This team has been a lot of fun. It’s been tough during the season. I tell people that, when you go through it, it’s not so easy. But when you work with a group of guys who just won’t quit, and play above and beyond what people expect them to do, that’s a lot of fun when you look back on it.”

By Chris Edwards

NBA Playoffs 2011: Derrick Rose and Chicago Bulls Battle Pacers to Wire, Escape

2011-04-19T15:02:00.000-07:00

Nobody expected the same two teams to show up in Game 2 of the playoff series between the Chicago Bulls and Indiana Pacers. With just over a minute left in the game, it appeared we were all wrong.

The Bulls held on to defeat the Pacers in Game 2 of their Playoff series on Monday night, 96-90. They now take a 2-0 series lead on the road to Indianapolis, but neither of those wins came easy.

The Pacers knew they let Game 1 slip away in Chicago on Saturday, leading for 47 minutes before the Bulls ended the game on a 16-1 run to escape. The big concern on the Pacers side of things was their mental toughness going into tonight's game. Whatever their mindset was, it seemed to be working.

Indiana led the majority of the first half, and had a nine-point advantage late in the second quarter. Darren Collison made a lay up over Derrick Rose in the closing minutes, then got tangled up with the camera crew behind the basket. He turned his ankle, and never returned.

AJ Price filled in for Collison, and preceded to turn the ball over like it was his job. A couple of poor passes and missed shots quickly turned the game around. Whatever he was doing on offense, it seemed to be contagious. Danny Granger was among many Pacers players that decided to stop moving the ball around on offense, and just settle for challenged jump shots.

Indiana still had a three point lead going into halftime, but it was evident that it was going to be extremely difficult to pull this one out.

The third quarter didn't start well for the Pacers, and the Bulls were able to get the crowd into the game. Indiana's offense wasn't looking good at all, and the Bulls were getting all of the loose balls. TJ Ford made his first appearance in a long time the third quarter, and it showed. Fortunately for the Pacers, he hit a shot from beyond half court at the end of the third quarter to tie the game.

The Pacers were able to get off to a nice start in the fourth quarter, taking the lead on more than one occasion. The game was close throughout the majority of the final quarter, and Danny Granger hit two big free throws to pull the Pacers to within two points with 74 seconds left.

For some odd reason, they decided to double-team Rose at nearly half court on the next possession, which gave Kyle Korver a wide open look at a three-pointer in the corner, which of course he hit. Korver hit the Pacers with a deadly three-pointer in Game 1 to give them their first lead of the game with 48 seconds left.

The Pacers called a timeout, but Roy Hibbert was called for a questionable offensive foul on their next possession. The Pacers got the ball back, and Rose fouled AJ Price on a three-point attempt with 23 seconds remaining. Price made all three free throws, and cut the lead to two. Luol Deng hit a pair of free throws with 17 seconds left to give them a four point lead, and it was basically over at that point.

Derrick Rose finished the game with 34 points, eight rebounds, six assists, and six turnovers. Danny Granger led a balanced attack for Indiana with 19 points.

The crowd at the United Center began chanting "Pacers suck, Pacers suck" while Price shot his three free throws. Fans in Chicago not only showed they have no class, but also aren't the smartest cookie in the jar. If the Pacers suck that bad, and they nearly beat you twice in a row on your own floor, what does that say about your team?

While the Bulls were able to win the first two games of this series, neither of them came as easily as everyone predicted. They should have lost the first game, and the second game also went down to the final few possessions. For a team that had the league's best record during the regular season, they should feel lucky heading into Game 3 with a 2-0 series lead.

The Pacers know that they are turning a lot of heads around the league with their play, but not having it translate into wins is something that has plagued this team all season long. You can only blame a lack of experience and youth for so long. After being in these situations all season long, you would like to think they could figure out how to actually win some of their close games.

Indiana will now turn their attention on Game 3, where they will host their first Playoff game at Conseco Fieldhouse since 2006. Having a home game won't make it much easier for this team though. Chicago is just a couple of hours away, and not only will many Chicago fans make the trip, but you can also count on the bandwagon Derrick Rose fans to be in attendance as well. It is technically a home game, but it won't feel like it for the Pacers.

The team has no reason to hang their heads though. Nobody gave them a chance in hell to go into Chicago, and make the Bulls scratch and claw their way to two close, come from behind wins. They had the league's best team on the ropes in the final minutes of both games on the road.

Game 3 of this series is set for Thursday night at 7 pm, and will be televised on NBA TV.

By Chad Smith