Real Deal

As much as I like PJ3, I'm doing this if I'm OKC...not sure why Cleveland does it, though, unless you are afraid of losing Varejao in the...summer of 2015? I mean, right now, you're basically seeing two players (Lamb and Jones) who aren't contributing at all. I understand that neither are playing much, but the fact remains that they are both still unproven...while Perkins is just awful, signed for three years (including this season) with no team or player options on the table.

Maybe every other year of his career, but not this season. Gasol isn't even passing the ball well, which is sad, because that's what he did best last season. But yeah, I get what you're saying about Bargnani. Lakers fans are suggesting we try and trade Gasol and someone else to the Raptors for him and Calderon, and I'd rather just keep Pau and let his contract expire after next season, since I believe Bargs has three years left (including this year). The only thing that would help us is Bargnani wanting to actually score the ball, something Gasol doesn't "feel" he needs to do anymore...but then again, I'd rather not have him go out and attempt 15+ shots a night, and probably set out to take an NBA-record nine threes a game with the three players (Kobe, Howard, Nash) he'll be out there with.

This song is being played everywhere around here, now (in my area).

I love the fact that it's giving you insight on the struggle Superman goes through, not just to fight the "bad guys" in the movie, but within himself. That's what I've been wanting to see for a while now. Kind of like the new Spider-Man movie, really, and TDKR.

This is going to be amazing.

Since the Lakers are playing Cleveland tonight, I decided to pull up a few numbers from the ten games they had Kyrie in... Cleveland w/ Kyrie Irving (2-8) Cleveland w/out Kyrie Irving (2-9) Offensive Stats w/ Irving: 95.7 PPG, 358/846 FG (42.3%), 78/220 3PT (35.5%), 15.5 TO/G Offensive Stats w/out Irving: 93.1 PPG, 384/954 FG (40.3%), 85/256 3PT (33.2%), 16.4 TO/G Defensive Stats (Allowed) w/ Irving: 102.7 PPG, 390/775 FG (50.3%), 72/206 3PT (35.0%), 16.7 TO/G Defensive Stats (Allowed) w/out Irving: 98.5 PPG, 396/858 FG (46.2%), 76/197 3PT (38.6%), 14.9 TO/G I expected the offensive numbers to decline across the board, but I was shocked to see a couple of defensive numbers improving. Seems like Cleveland has more to worry about than I had initially thought. I didn't think they'd be a good team, and knew that they had started off bad, but I was thinking their numbers without Irving would be five times worse...but, yet, they really aren't.

I doubt LeBron will EVER get to the point where he's living in the post during his prime. Maybe when he's closing out his career, because that would make the most sense for him...but I never expected that at any other point. Compared to Durant (just an example), LeBron is in there quite a bit...but if we bring up someone like Jordan, that's an entirely different discussion. Jordan was more unstoppable in the post, in my opinion, than he was anywhere else on the floor in the 90's. Those first few years, you couldn't prevent him from getting to the rim, but even the slightest bit of loss in athleticism, and that finger injury, put him in the post...and for me, that was the key in winning that second three-peat (along with the defense that team played, Pippen and Rodman were two players you never wanted to play against). I don't see Wade struggling THAT much on offense. His defense is where I see him hurting, big time. He has taken a backseat to LeBron, though...and this year, it's clear as day, and in the process, that has allowed Bosh to step up and do his thing.

The best thing LeBron has ever done? Get into the post, and develop a post game. I said it for years...I could never call LeBron the best player in the NBA until he did that, and I'm sure people didn't believe me when I said I would. Getting that post game made it easier for everyone around him, allowed him to play the four (Miami can now play "small" without actually being too small), brings his percentages up even higher than before, and he's taking less threes a night than he was in Cleveland + his first year in Miami. LeBron isn't as skilled as Kobe when KB was in his prime (although I'm not taking anything away from Bron, it's close now), but his size makes up for that, and for years, I never understood why he just didn't go out and work on his post game. In Cleveland, he used his athleticism more than anything else, and while it did help he was like a Karl Malone driving to the rim, it would have been significant for him to play the four against a lot of teams the Cavaliers faced during the few years they had as contenders. The biggest thing his post game has done for Miami, though...it has separated LeBron and Wade as players. I felt like they were too similar in 2010-11. Sure, they made it to the NBA Finals, but it seemed like it was based on just talent alone, each taking over games, but doing so while the other stood aside...and when LeBron was having his horrible series against Dallas, it was making up for Wade's horrible series against the Bulls. Now, you have two superstar players who can play differently, and another all-star who plays off of them very, very well...and when you surround them with shooters, well...you have to give a lot of credit to Riley for constructing such a team, also.

I just watched parts of the game (told BFT I would, lol), and I noticed that Bargnani and Lowry were both injured. I know neither were playing good, but that's something you have to look at. I don't think Toronto would have won, anyway...maybe a very close game at the end, but Lowry couldn't hit the backboard with the ball if you asked him to last night, and Bargnani was just going to get dominated on both ends of the court, so I doubt it would have flipped the game around.

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/gametracker/recap/NBA_20121210_SAC@DAL

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/gametracker/recap/NBA_20121210_ATL@MIA

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/gametracker/recap/NBA_20121210_GS@CHA

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/gametracker/recap/NBA_20121210_DET@PHI

How many points would the 2006 Kobe drop on them? That's the question. To lift your spirits, bro...that 2006 Raptors team was a worse defensive team. Far more superior on offense, but...well yeah, sorry...they were better.

Andrea Bargnani and Pau Gasol = cut from the same cloth. First two names that caught my eye, and really, the two I was expecting to see.

He doesn't miss anything. A lot of smart shots...I've noticed that he's taking advantage of Wade and Bosh more this season, knowing exactly where he needs to be to get off a very good, high percentage shot. In the process, though, they are feeding off of him more than they have in the last two years. What's ridiculous, to me, is that the entire team is shooting nearly 50% from the floor. I'm kind of shocked that Mario Chalmers isn't drilling shots at a high percentage, but then again, I think he's just sandbagging it because he's a Kansas player that knows I'm secretly rooting for him to tank.

Nightmare on Elm Street jump scares >>>>>>>>>> The remake, by the way...

I've been paying closer attention to Orlando this season, mainly because teams that lose a player like Dwight (when Cleveland lost LeBron) tend to catch my eye for a while...and I noticed how most of their games are lost because they simply can't score buckets. But look at their defense: 8th in the NBA (Defensive Rating), and they are holding opponents to 44% FG (11th in the league) and a surprising 32% from three (3rd in the NBA). I mean...Afflalo, Harkless, Vucevic...they aren't doing a bad job on the defensive end, at all. Even Jameer Nelson is defending well in spurts, although a lot of that is because he's got help (like he did with Dwight). Can Orlando even touch the playoff bubble, though, being such a horrible offensive team? Right now, they are on the outside, looking in...probably 9th or 10th seed, but the Milwaukee Bucks are currently holding a spot, and there's no telling what will happen with them. Knicks Heat Hawks Nets Bulls Sixers Celtics Bucks ------------------- Pacers Magic If not, what would you do to improve the team enough to land a spot in the top eight? Would you make a trade, make a lineup change, coaching change?

Looks like a bad ACL and LCL tear to me...not sure how he avoided that.

I'm almost convinced that he shot it high and short so his teammates had a chance at a rebound. One of them actually grabbed it, didn't jump, didn't really seem like he was trying to get closer to the rim...I don't know. It's just difficult to believe that someone could shoot a free throw THAT short, and playing college ball.

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/gametracker/recap/NBA_20121208_SAC@POR

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/gametracker/recap/NBA_20121208_DET@CLE

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/gametracker/recap/NBA_20121208_NO@MIA

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/gametracker/recap/NBA_20121208_PHI@BOS

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/gametracker/recap/NBA_20121207_CHA@MIL