The Battle For Los Angeles and New York

Brooklyn has emerged as a suitable cross-town rival for the New York Knicks. (entmoney.com)

Not long ago, the NBA and country's biggest markets were dominated by one team. The Knicks had the heart of New York City and the Lakers had control of Los Angeles.

Not long ago Knicks guard Raymond Felton would have not needed to say, "They will never take over our city." It would be implied. And not much longer ago than that, there was not team to take the city from the Knicks. The Nets were in New Jersey, but try calling a New Jersey team a cross-town rival in New York and prepare to run for your life.

Not long ago, if Kobe Bryant would have said that in LA, his comedy skills would have given him a spot with Jay Leno. The Clippers weren't competition to the Lakers. They just happened to be sharing a building.

Now all of that has changed. The Clippers were the better LA team last season, and it wasn't close. The Nets now reside in Brooklyn, and after a blockbuster trade for Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, the Nets are now ready to make a run at the Eastern Conference.

Felton made the comment about NYC being the Knicks' city after Pierce told a New York radio station he thought it was time for the Nets to take control of New York. It is going to take more than a better winning record for Brooklyn to surpass the Knicks as New York's team. The Knicks have the advantage of history and years of connection with the city, as do the Lakers. The Clippers have planted roots in the city longer than the Nets in NYC, but much of that time was spent with fans wearing paper bags on their heads.

However, what we know about fans (sans die hard fans, there's no converting a die-hard fan) is that they can be fickle, and what is hot is what is important. Jack Nicholson will always be sitting courtside for Lakers games. But what if the Clippers go on a run of deep playoff appearances and even win an NBA title in the next 10 years while the Lakers rebuild following Kobe's retirement? The view of both teams will be much different than how we still come to know it in our minds. Right now it is still hard to imagine the Clippers as the better team because it has been so long since anyone has seen it. And if Brooklyn wins a title while the Knicks continue to lose in the first round every year? People in the borough and fans of the city will be celebrating right alongside.

One championship does not mean the Nets will run NYC, or the Clippers LA. The fan base will grow, certainly, but it would take years for either team to even come close, and even then, tradition is a hard obstacle to overcome.

Whether the Clippers or Nets actually overtake the Lakers and Knicks in terms of city love is not the point. Sports are cyclical and in another 10 years the standings could be flipped again. What is great for the NBA and the cities is that there is finally competition. Clippers fans can brag about their team without being laughed out of the room. The Nets can talk some trash on the Knicks.

Sports are built on rivalries and the two biggest NBA cities finally have rivalries that can capture attention. Not long ago, that was certainly not the case.

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2013-14 NBA Schedule Released; Season Starts Strong

Derrick Rose's first game back with Chicago could be the season opener against the Miami Heat. (fullcourtpumps.com)

The NBA may be in the heart of the offseason, but with the 2013-14 schedule released last night, teams and fans can start looking ahead and circling games on their calendars.

The first days everyone looks for when the schedule finally comes out is the season opener and Christmas Day, and the NBA has made sure neither day will disappoint. In terms of storylines, the first night of the season, Oct. 29, couldn't get much better. The Miami Heat will welcome Chicago in what should be Derrick Rose's first game back in more than a year. A healthy Chicago squad has been thought of the past few years as one of the best changes of ending Miami's reign as champions. That night will also feature a completely upside down rivalry when Doc Rivers makes his coaching debut with the Los Angeles Clippers against the Lakers, who has a completely new lineup, except for Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol.

Basketball fans will have a feast of five games on Christmas Day and while Chicago will face the new-look Brooklyn Nets, Oklahoma City will play the New York Knicks, Miami will travel to LA to take on the Lakers and Dwight Howard's Houston Rockets will challenge San Antonio, the most exciting game on the schedule could be the night cap, where the Clippers travel to Golden State. Chris Paul and Blake Griffin versus Stephen Curry and the young-but-talented Warriors should be a high-tempo, high-scoring contest that will be fun to watch.

Obviously these are just two days on a very busy 82-game schedule for teams, and every team has a few games worthy of mention here. Dwight Howard's return to Los Angeles and Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett's return to Boston are just two that will bring national attention. If you're just interested in finding your favorite team's schedule, Dan Devine at Yahoo! Sports compiled links to every team's schedule on the Ball Don't Lie blog for your enjoyment.

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Updated: Clippers, Chris Paul Reach Agreement On Contract Extension

Reports are that Chris Paul will remain a Clipper, and is expected to sign a five-year extension with the team. (articles.washingtonpost.com)

Update: Since the original post below was published, Chris Paul verbally agreed to the five-year contract extension. Paul tweeted out his answer, which as you can see has already become quite popular, keeping him in LA for the long haul. Now it's just up to Paul and the Clippers to find their way deeper into the playoffs.

Original: Lob City looks to be holding onto its floor general for the long term. The Los Angeles Clippers and point guard Chris Paul are expected to come to an agreement on a five-year, $107-million contract extension. Monday is the first day Paul is able to verbally agree to the deal, although the contract cannot be physically signed until July 10.

The Clippers bringing in Doc Rivers as the head coach was thought to be an extra boost to keep Paul in LA, and it seemed to have worked. Now the Clippers have their core players locked in for several years (Blake Griffin signed a five-year extension last summer) and they believe Rivers is a coach that can take them from being a playoff team to an NBA Championship contender.

Paul averaged 16.9 points, 9.7 assists and 2.41 steals per game last season for the Clippers, who were knocked out of the first round of the playoffs in six games by Memphis, despite dominating the regular season with a 56-26 record.

Paul will also have a new scoring option to pass to in the backcourt as Los Angeles drafted 6'7" North Carolina shooting guard Reggie Bullock with the No. 25 pick in last Thursday's NBA Draft.

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LA Clippers Trade For Celtics Coach Doc Rivers

After nine years with Boston, Doc Rivers has been traded to lead the Los Angeles Clippers. (latimes.com)

The Los Angeles Clippers didn't fly as high, despite their "Lob City" nickname, as the organization and fans wanted under Vinny Del Negro. So the Clippers went out and traded for nine-year Boston Celtics head coach Doc Rivers to lead the charge into what they hope can be NBA-championship team.

It's no secret the Celtics will soon not look anything like what we've come to know from the guys in green. Danny Ainge, Boston's director of basketball operations, had been open with his thoughts on breaking up the Celtics big three (Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen) for several years. Now Ray Allen is gone and with Garnett and Pierce getting into the twilight of their careers (Garnett is 37 and Pierce 35), Boston is in full rebuilding mode. With Rivers gone, Garnett and Pierce's future with the team is uncertain.

Which brings us to Doc Rivers. By trading the coach, the Celtics now get out of the $21 million contract over the next three years it would have had to pay Rivers, while the Clippers will now pay that amount and give the Celtics a first-round pick in the 2015 NBA Draft.

Talks of a trade involving Rivers had been in talks for the past two weeks and while names like Garnett and DeAndre Jordan were tossed around and it at times seemed like the trade was dead, both teams seemed to get what they needed. ESPN's Jackie MacMullan (link above) hinted in the story that the trade for Rivers could seal a long-term deal with Chris Paul, who is the engine of the Clippers team. LA will also have a coach with a history of playoff success (two NBA Finals appearances, one title) that could take the Clippers to the next level of not just making the playoffs, but being a championship contender.

Then there's Boston. The Celtics know the next few years will be rough. Their stars are old and have been injured, and it will take a couple of drafts to get the new, young talent up to a respectable point. Because of this, they didn't want to pay a coach $7 million a year with a rebuilding team and the team can now use that money in other ways.

There is still more each team can do this offseason to improve, but this is a start for two teams headed in different directions; the Clippers taking another step toward the NBA elite teams and the Celtics taking a few steps back to get younger and rebuild.

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Three More Steps For The Celtics And Clippers

Kevin Garnett and DeAndre Jordan are at the center of cross-coast trade talks. (Reuters)

There is plenty standing in the way of a whispered-about deal between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Clippers that would end with Doc Rivers coaching a blue-and-white clad Kevin Garnett and the C's having a little more financial flexibility. In and of itself, such a deal would have a major impact on both the Eastern and Western Conference powers, but it could also act as the lead domino falling in a chain of events causing a larger seismic shake in the NBA landscape. While none of these transactions may happen, here are three things Boston can do post-trade to improve their new look, plus three for the Clippers.

What the Celtics can do

1. Hit the coaching market — hard

There should be many viable candidates left when/if this deal gets done, with the limited number of head coaching jobs still vacant. Lionel Hollins would be a near-perfect fit for a young, aggressive center like DeAndre Jordan (a Celtic, pending the deal) and a point with a nose for the ball like Rajon Rondo. Hollins could even help Avery Bradley return to his 2011-12 form, which looked like one of the NBA's top perimeter defenders. Though Hollins will surely have been snapped up by a needing team by that point, others such as George Karl, Kelvin Sampson, Brian Shaw and Nate McMillan could be available. A storied franchise like Boston's might even have a chance to lure Jerry Sloan away from retirement, if the rebuilding period could be sold as short.

2. Let Rondo pad his stats

Keep the roster as it is. If Boston can keep Paul Pierce — or if he requests a trade out of frustration or friendship with Garnett — fine. Getting something back for Pierce while he still has market value would be ideal, and giving Jordan a season as the headlining big man would be paramount to his development, but Rondo is still the heart, soul, motor, etc., etc., of the Beantown ballers. Coming back from an injury like an ACL tear, he will require time to get back into the rhythm of the game. The Celtics should allow him that and, when he's returned to the level of competition at which he usually plays, let him take as many touches as he wants. Rondo is a huge fan of performing on big stages, routinely recording triple-doubles in playoff games like he is on a court competing against amateurs. Giving him free reign to do this on a nightly basis could up his production to heights previously only imagined. It would also give Rondo more opportunities to explore the scoring aspect of his game, something Rivers and the Boston coaching staff have been hounding him to do for some time now.

3. Find a gem in the 2014 draft

Shawn mentioned it in a roundtable a while back, striking out and predicting the Celtics would tank 2013-14 to better their chances of snagging the winning ticket in the Andrew Wiggins sweepstakes. It seemed like a very long, if still realistic, shot then and has only become a clearer option since. The 2014 draft is deep and Wiggins is far from being the only prize to be had, but he is obviously the biggest gift under the tree. Pairing a prospect like Wiggins with a dominant, willingly deferring guard like Rondo is akin to a blessing from the basketball gods. Having an interior presence like Jordan would ease Wiggins through his rookie season, even if he won't need it.

What the Clippers can do

1. Re-sign Chris Paul

Duh. This is a no-brainer. Paul and Garnett would be nasty for opposing teams not only as a duo, but as a lethal leadership combination rallying their fellow Clippers. The steps following the current proposal between Los Angeles and Boston — dealing Eric Bledsoe for Dwight Howard or Arron Afflalo — could improve the Clippers a great deal more, but if the Clips are to succeed immediately, Paul must be directing traffic.

2. Find some youth.

Particularly at shooting guard. Especially at small forward. Recommended for the bench. Without Jordan (plus Blake Griffin and/or Bledsoe, pending other trades), the Clippers' mean age goes up significantly. Grant Hill may have retired, but Caron Butler and Jamal Crawford aren't doing much for the franchise's future, even if they are of some use presently. The addition of Garnett, and possibly Pierce, indicates win-now, which is fine for a team the caliber of which the LA front office is presently trying to assemble, but there are several reasons as to why a youthful group of role players could help the team. They begin with cultivating talent and giving it early looks at playoff experience and continue with concerns about durability for the older, billboard players.

3.Win the war for Los Angeles

This has nothing to do with Aaron Eckhart nor his terrible 2011 movie. Instead, it means fully emerging from the shadow of the Staples Center's favorite sons, the Lakers. The Clippers were on the verge this season as their dominance made the Lakers' struggles throughout the regular season look worse, but then the Lake Show managed to earn the Western Conference's eighth seed. Not that it mattered for either team, as both experienced first-round exits. Kobe Bryant's torn Achilles tendon and the Lakers' continuing roster woes offer a rebuilt Clippers squad to finally strike out for the throne in Southern California, if not the NBA as a whole.

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Friday Roundtable: George Karl's Change of NBA Scenery

George Karl's COY trophy got altitude sickness, so he must move on. (David Zalubowski/AP)

BDD's Friday Roundtable is a weekly discussion among a group of our writers on a trending NBA or college basketball topic.

This week's question: The Denver Nuggets unexpectedly fired reigning NBA Coach of the Year George Karl on Thursday. With several head coaching jobs still open, whose bench will Karl sit on during the 2013-14 season?

Alex:
The Los Angeles Clippers. They keep getting ousted by the Memphis Grizzlies, but even first-round playoff appearances are better than the turmoil the franchise toiled in before. The Clippers must maintain the momentum they have gained over the past two seasons — something even owner Donald Sterling must know, even with his antiquated chants and general cringe-worthy-ness — and the best coach available to do that is Karl. He can instantly come in and make postseason appearances a reliable reality each spring and do it with tactics other than the "You decide, Chris Paul," plays of his predecessor, Vinny del Negro. That is, if Paul sticks with the franchise. Bringing in a decorated, veteran coach like Karl, who has already had much success in the Western Conference, could be a game-changer for Paul when he enters free agency. The point guard will have numerous legitimate suitors, but adding a head coach of Karl's ilk could sway him to stay alongside Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, if Paul believes in the direction of the franchise. If the Clippers can get Karl to sign on, that direction is up. 

Kyle:
An NBA Coach of the Year award was not enough to keep George Karl in Denver, mostly because the Nuggets made another early exit in the playoffs. It's not like they turned to crap when the regular season ended, they were just unfortunate to run into Stephen Curry and the high-powered Golden State in probably the best of the first-round series. The Clippers and Grizzlies should both be interested in the veteran coach, and while the allure of Los Angeles would be tough to pass up, I think Karl could wind up in Memphis. This is already a top-tier team in the Western Conference that has proven it can win a playoff series, without the media intensity he would receive in LA. Karl would have one of the best defense in the league, with enough pieces on offense in Mike Conley, Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol for Karl to work with to turn a Grizzlies team that was No. 27 in scoring last year into one of the best offenses like he had in Denver.

Shawn:
George Karl shouldn’t get too comfortable with unemployment. It’s not often (or ever) that an NBA Coach of the Year becomes available in the same offseason he wins the award. As far as where Karl ends up, I think it comes down to The Brooklyn Nets. The Nets have a lot of talent with Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, and Brook Lopez. Brooklyn is a ready team to win now and has played in high-intensity playoff games. Despite a roller-coaster season, Deron Williams is still one of the best point guards in the league, and with legitimate scoring options around him with Johnson, Lopez, and Gerald Wallace, I think Brooklyn is too attractive a position for Karl to pass up.


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Friday Roundtable: What Team Is Coming Back From A 3-2 Deficit?

Can the Clippers battle back from being down 3-2 to take the series from Memphis? (foxsportswest.com)

BDD's Friday Roundtable is a weekly discussion among a group of our writers on a trending NBA or college basketball topic.

This week's question: All four of Friday's games have the series at 3-2. Which team currently trailing is most likely to come back and advance to the next round?

Alex:
Boston? Atlanta? Houston? No. I'll take the Clippers as the team with the best chance to rattle out a series win after going down 3-2.

It took a massive comeback in Game 7 for them to close out the Memphis Grizzlies around this time last year and there's no reason it can't happen again. Chris Paul is the best point guard of his generation, able to balance the acts of tallying assists and taking on the scoring burden when needed, particularly in clutch moments. He has a fine supporting cast of bigs and a serviceable (and more, in the regular season) back-up.

If the Clips are to surge past Memphis, though, they must start impacting the paint and pulling in rebounds. This starts with DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin, high ankle sprain and all, being able to gut it out against one of the NBA's best frontcourt tandems in Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol. Easier said than done, obviously, but Jordan and Griffin are due for a big game and should go into tonight's potential elimination game looking to get their opposition in foul trouble and, moreso, out-positioning and out-hustling the Grizzlies for every possible rebound.

This extends to all the Los Angeles bigs. Basically, they must hold up their end of the bargain inside so the league's top distributor can keep his eyes open for weak spots in Memphis' armor.

Kyle:
The Los Angeles Clippers have the best chance of coming back and winning the series. This is partially because Oklahoma City and New York have been the better teams, but maybe let up on the gas a little too early, and Atlanta has looked about as stable as a one-legged gymnast.

But mostly the Clippers need it more than the Grizzlies do, and the team should realize that. Sure, we can talk about how great Memphis is defensively, how much Zach Randolph has stepped up the past three games and that the Clippers are banged up (it wasn't planned, but Alex hit all of this on the head in his portion), but sometimes a team just wills itself to victory. The Clippers surely know this is the year they can't exit in the first round.

It's such an unfamiliar sight. The city of Los Angeles is there for the taking. After decades of being the little brother to the Lakers and the city's punchline, the Clippers now have the better team. The Lakers season is already over, and the Clippers can build even more of a case for their arrival if they can advance further than their cross-city rival. This is why Chris Paul came to LA. This is why they drafted Blake Griffin. It has been a slow process to return to relevance and this year was the perfect combination of Clippers success and Lakers failure. Those who wore paper bags over their heads to Clippers games 10 years ago can now proudly don that red Clippers shirt and know the waiting is starting to pay off. Now is the time to capitalize on that, and I think the team understands that. 

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Friday Roundtable: The NBA's Uninjured MVP

 Chris Paul and Kyrie Irving lock eyes during a charity game. (Jared C. Tilton/Getty)

BDD's Friday Roundtable is a weekly discussion among a group of our writers on a trending NBA or college basketball topic.

This week's question: With Kobe Bryant's injury potentially putting the Los Angeles Lakers in a holding pattern, which uninjured NBA player is most valuable to his team?

Kyle:

The "most valuable player" category is always tricky because people naturally think of the most talented players. While I consider this player one of the best in the NBA, he is not one of the four or five elite scorers that first come to mind.

My most valuable player that a team can't afford to lose to injury is one of the best floor generals in the game; Chris Paul. I considered Carmelo Anthony and James Harden, who both lead their teams in scoring by more than 10 points more than the second leading scorer, but imagine the type of office the Clippers run without Paul. Paul finds his teammates so well (9.6 assists per game) that it almost overlooks the fact he scores 16.6 points per game. Paul's defense and 2.4 steals per game is just as valuable. Other players on the team should be good enough to at least somewhat make up for a lack of scoring, due to injury, on a playoff-caliber team. But good luck finding a backup point guard that can match what Paul brings to the table.

An injury to LeBron James or Kevin Durant would draw questions to the Heat or Thunder's title chances but Dwyane Wade and Russell Westbrook are both capable of taking over scoring loads. How Paul is able to run the Clippers while he's on the floor is a thing of beauty that fellow Clippers point guards Chauncey Billups and Eric Bledsoe, along with most of the other point guards in the NBA, cannot emulate.

Fred:
Dwight Howard. The Lakers with a healthy and motivated Howard look like a completely different team. Since the All-Star break, Dwight is averaging 17 points, 15 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks on 55% shooting. Not surprisingly, the Lakers are 9-3 since then. He’s finally starting to regain his athleticism. He fights hard for rebounds and leaps high for blocks. His demeanor has changed as he finally seems to be having fun on the court again.

The Lakers simply do not have good defensive players outside of Dwight and Metta World Peace. Howard has a tremendous amount of responsibility to protect the paint as speedy point guards blow by the Laker perimeter defense. As soon as Dwight has to come out of the game, the opposing team drives the lane relentlessly without fear. His responsibility is magnified with Jordan Hill and Pau Gasol both being out, forcing the Lakers to go as far as playing World Peace at center while Dwight rests.

There is no denying Kobe has been fantastic this season, but the Lakers wouldn’t have a chance at the playoffs without the recent play of Dwight Howard.

Zach: 
My answer is Kyrie Irving. I just cannot help myself. The guy is not CP3, but he doesn't play in Los Angeles, either. Despite the Cleveland Cavaliers not being a playoff contender this season, Irving has taken fans' recently broken hearts and has begun mending them back together, possession by possession. Irving has brought basketball life back to Cleveland sooner than anyone expected.

This season, Irving averages 23 ppg, shoots over 40 percent from both the field and behind the arc, and dishes away nearly six assists per game. It's not about the numbers. Irving is a showman. Pepsi's 'Uncle Drew' documentaries are enjoyed by everyone, young and old, basketball fan or not. Irving was this year's three-point contest winner at the All-Star Game in Houston. His game presents cunning elements of flash, style and technique all appealing to the eye.

Before Irving even has turned 21, Cleveland has seen plenty of disappointment. We remember Micheal Jordan beating the buzzer, jumping in celebration. We remember 'The Decision', the removal of 'We are Witnesses' posters, and jerseys set aflame as a town feeling betrayed cursed their once hometown hero. Irving will be able to enjoy a well-deserved cocktail a week from tomorrow.

Irving's importance to the Cavaliers is clear. He is the guy and, barring injury, he will be for a long time. 

Alex: 

If Bryant suffered a more serious injury – one that sidelined him for the rest of the regular season – the answer would be Steve Nash. He would be the captain capable of solidifying the Lakers as the eighth seed or possibly overtaking the Rockets to move higher. In the absence of an alternately ball dominant or uber-facilitating Kobe, Mike D’Antoni would hand Nash the reigns to a slightly diluted Seven Seconds Or Less offense that incorporated pick-and-rolls with Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol.

As it stands, however, Bryant only has a (badly) sprained ankle and a reputation for playing through pain. Instead of Nash, another point guard is the most important, uninjured asset of his team: Jrue Holiday. Working with the Philadelphia 76ers’ patchwork roster of under-developed young players, journeymen and aging role players in the absence of could-have, should-have, would-have been game changer Andrew Bynum, Holiday has been the brightest spot for a team that was competing for a playoff spot until a few weeks ago.

Aspects of Holiday’s game could certainly use improvement, namely his main duty of ball handling. The fourth-year PG has committed 232 turnovers this season (third in the NBA), but that is due more to his position as a crutch in the Sixers’ offense. It only becomes troubling if the trend continues if/when Bynum returns and Philadelphia’s strategy shifts, as Holiday’s miscues have spiked this season by 1.8 more turnovers per game.

Luckily for his team, the good outweighs the bad: Holiday is fourth in the league in assists with 8.7 per game and second in the overall category with 521. Not surprisingly, he is assisting on 39.1 percent of his teammates field goals when on the floor. Presuming those numbers sustain through the end of the season (or even if he can rack up just 11 more assists), they will all be career highs. While a .445 field goal percentage – brought down by a .326 percentage from long range – does not jump off the page, Holiday is shouldering the 76ers’ burden by playing 38.6 minutes per game, leading the scoring charge with 18.6 points per game (which, if he keeps it up, will make for a career-best season 4.6 ppg higher than his current record) and facilitating at a high rate to teammates of a lesser quality.

Holiday’s Win Shares per 48 minutes has dipped since he became the team’s focal point this season, but his career-high 17.7 player efficiency rating and first All-Star nod validate his performance. Philadelphia is 8.5 games out of the eighth seed. Barring a miracle, the Sixers will miss the postseason. But with even a slightly better supporting cast or even a few games swung by a healthy Bynum? We could get caught up in the pre-playoff rush and be talking Holiday up to be the NBA’s next great point guard.

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Friday Roundtable: Best NBA Playoff Matchup

The newly heated rivalry between Indiana and Golden State is just one of the possible playoff matchups
we would love to see. (gamedayr.com)

BDD's Friday Roundtable is a weekly discussion among three of our writers on a trending NBA or college basketball topic.

This week's question: As the teams near the middle of NBA standings shuffle for the last playoff seed, which match-up would you like to see in postseason (other than Miami Heat-Oklahoma City Thunder)?

Alex:
Indiana Pacers vs. Golden State Warriors. Hear me out now, since neither of these teams is an especially sexy pick on their own, let alone in a series with the other one. The Pacers and Warriors split the two games they played this season, each grabbing an 11-point victory. The last contest, on Feb. 26, was chippy as Golden State tried to prove it had the fortitude to rebound from a six-game losing streak they had recently ended. Picking the Pacers to do it against was the right choice, but trying to pick on Indiana? Not so much. Roy Hibbert was ejected before he and David Lee were hit with suspensions for starting the skirmish. Three other players incurred $35,000 fines, but the fight ended up as the Warriors’ secondary story of the week after Stephen Curry dropped 54 points against the Knicks the following night. The two teams may not have a long, contentious history, but they have a fresh memory to feed off.

From a basketball perspective, Golden State and Indiana are fundamental opposites. The Pacers are a gritty, defense-oriented team. They rank first in defensive efficiency (a 95.5 rating, according to ESPN’s John Hollinger) and are tied for first in rebound rate (52.7). Indiana plays an inside-out game that is far removed from the Warriors’ strategy centered around efficient perimeter scoring and using their offense as the “best” defense. They are top 10 in offensive efficiency for the NBA (103.8), but clean the defensive glass better than Indiana despite trailing in total rebound rate (50.9) and being far behind in defensive efficiency (103.4).

Some of the best games come out of these kinds of matchups. Pacers-Warriors wouldn’t be particularly popular – or statistically likely, since they would have to meet in the Finals – but it would be a great series. Trust me.

Kyle:
I would love to see a Western Conference matchup between the Los Angeles Clippers and Denver Nuggets. This would be an offensive explosion, as both rank in the top nine in points per game (Nuggets third, Clippers ninth) and average more than 100 ppg. The other intriguing part of this matchup is these teams are both so good at home. Denver has only lost three games at the Pepsi Center this season (27-3), while LAC isn't doing much worse at 24-7. Both teams can also get on hot streaks. The Clippers won 17 games in a row earlier this season and the Nuggets are currently riding a seven-game streak. This screams a six or seven-game series that could come down to which team can steal a win on the road.

While the Nuggets, or Clippers for that matter, will not get the attention in their conference that the Spurs, Thunder and Lakers do, this matchup would include its share of firepower. The Nuggets have a hall of fame coach in George Karl, and this series would provide great matchups in the post (Blake Griffin vs. Kenneth Faried) and at the point (Chris Paul vs. a blooming Ty Lawson). Both of these teams are extremely entertaining, making this series a must-watch. 

Fred:
With the Lakers struggling, the Clippers are seeking to make a name for themselves in Los Angeles. What better way to show the NBA that you're serious than with a win over the Oklahoma City Thunder?

Both teams rank in the top 10 in points per game and are filled to the brim with young, athletic players. A very quick, uptempo series is certain with OKC being the third best scoring team off the fast break, the Clippers just five spots below. OKC is coming off a stinging finals loss against the Miami Heat, but the Clippers are carrying nearly 33 years of mediocrity on their back. Both teams have a lot to prove to not only doubters, but to themselves.

A playoff series between the two would combine explosive dunks from DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin, showstopping blocks from Serge Ibaka, Kevin Durant pouring in points, a Westbrook and Chris Paul matchup and the marquee showdown between Billups and Fisher.


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Friday Mini-Roundtable: Trading the NBA

J.J. Reddick is among the names of possible trades before the Feb. 21 deadline. (brewhoops.com)

BDD's Friday Roundtable is a weekly discussion among three of our writers on a trending NBA or college basketball topic.

This week's question: With the NBA trade deadline coming up on Feb. 21, what trade is most likely to, or what trade should, happen?

Kyle Davis:
The trade rumor I would keep an eye on is the Clippers and Eric Bledsoe. Bledsoe is a valuable draft commodity and with the Clippers already having an elite point guard in Chris Paul and a need for another shooting front court presence to play alongside Blake Griffin, Bledsoe could soon find himself in another city. What makes this trade so interesting is it's a risky move. Paul has battled through his share of injuries and Bledsoe has been a reliable and comforting backup to have step in when needed. But the Clippers seem to feel like the time is now to make a deep run in the playoffs, and seem to feel another post player will prove more valuable this season.

Alex Skov:
Pau Gasol's injury virtually makes him untradeable. Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce helped power the Celtics to a 7-0 start after Rajon Rondo's injury, protecting their spots on Boston's roster. Most of the other players on the trading block are there solely because their salaries and production are out of proportion. If one trade happens, it's going to involve J.J. Redick. The Milwaukee Bucks seem to be the suitor most likely to acquire the former Duke guard since the other teams that may make a play for him — namely the Chicago Bulls and Indiana Pacers — are in better situations to survive without Redick's dead-eye shooting abilities. Hypothetically, this means the Bucks would be more willing to send better pieces to Orlando. Indiana is the current No. 3 seed and the Bulls are sitting at fifth in the Eastern Conference. Those are safe spots. Milwaukee, at eighth, can't be quite as comfortable.


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Friday Roundtable: Who Should Be The NBA Midseason MVP?

Our roundtable panel discusses if LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony or Kevin Durant would be our midseason NBA MVP. (sportsnet.ca)

BDD's Friday Roundtable is a weekly discussion among three of our writers on a trending NBA or college basketball topic.

This week's question: Who would be the NBA midseason MVP?

Kyle Davis: 
Nike's ad campaign tries to convince you that Kevin Durant is not nice, but his game sure is. This is really a three-horse race between Durant, Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James, but I think Durant is the close winner, and if I had a ballot, that would be my order. Durant has really evolved from being a pure shooter to a complete scorer. His post game has improved, he is great in transition and he is the best shooter out of the three. Durant is also continuing to improve in all other aspects of his game as well. His numbers this year are higher than his career numbers in rebounding, assists, blocks, steals, field goal percentage and 3-point percentage. Not bad. And remember, he's only 24 years old. These numbers could get even better.

James is still the most complete player in the game and Anthony probably would have been my pick after the first month of the season, but has battled injuries that are keeping him out of games. Neither player has been able to get their team to where the Thunder are right now, which always plays a factor in MVP voting (which is why Kobe Byrant is not in this conversation, and the fact he's needing too many shots to get his points). The Thunder look to be on a clear path back to the NBA Finals with Durant scorching opponents along the way. 
 
Alex Skov:
Kevin Durant, already an All-Star and scoring champion, has taken his play to new levels since the Oklahoma City Thunder traded their vaunted sixth-man to Houston. Carmelo Anthony, too, has put together impressive an impressive case for himself with his usual array of offensive weapons (he's second in points per game at 29.3, fifth in total points with 878) and by finally improving the other aspects of his game (his new willingness to pass and play defense have helped him get to fourth in the league in Player Efficiency Rating). Even Chris Paul is worth of candidacy for midseason MVP, having turned the Los Angeles Clippers into a freight train, but he plays relatively few minutes each night (he's outside the top 20 in mpg) and LA's excellent bench makes his impact less apparent when he leaves the floor.

LeBron James is more important to his team than all of those stars and he's still playing at a level competitive to or exceeding them. He's doing it playing the third fewest nightly minutes of his career, too. Miami's Big Three is not Dwyane Wade, a Mega-Pippen and Chris Bosh. It's not even James and two Pippen-type sidekicks. The Big Three is LeBron; an aging and, because of nagging injuries and a loss of explosiveness, often ineffective Wade; and an inconsistent Bosh playing center.

With the weight of three big contracts on his shoulders, James is ranked 10th in assists, 13th in defensive rebounds and tenth in field goal percentage, the latter being a category where Durant barely cracks the top 20 and Anthony is not in the field. Though James may be trailing Durant in other statistical fields (points, Win Shares, Win Shares per 48 minutes), he is the league leader in PER. Part of reason Miami is viewed as "struggling" with a 26-12 record is because of the big names on its roster and the intense speculation that LeBron draws, but he is also the reason this isn't a just-over-.500 team right now.

Shawn Deegan:
My midseason MVP has to go to Kevin Durant. Despite moving James Harden this past offseason, the Thunder have improved again this season, boasting the best record in the NBA. This is in no small part due to Durant’s performance this season. Durant is shooting a blistering 52 percent from the floor so far this year and is again in the top three in points scored per game with nearly 29. He also has raised his game from behind the arc, hitting 40 percent of his shots from downtown, his best since his sophomore season. He has a career high in assists per game and is still rebounding very well. I seriously considered picking Lebron James or Carmelo Anthony. ‘Melo is having a career year, and Lebron is as good as he’s ever been. However, neither has been able to propel his team to where Durant has the young Thunder squad. Durant has been a leader for the Thunder since before the team ever moved to Oklahoma City and it’s showing up this season more than ever. All these components are why Durant is my pick for midseason MVP.


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Ranking the NBA's Christmas 2012 Uniforms

Danilo Gallinari overpowers Blake Griffin in fashion, but perhaps not in basketball. (Jayne Kamin-Oncea/USA TODAY Sports)

The NBA's Christmas Day schedule is not the pinnacle of its season — that would be the Finals and the mounting tension leading up to that series during the playoffs — but there are always interesting match-ups with storylines to warrant being put on the slate for one the league's biggest calendar days. Three of this year's five games were won by double-digits and the remaining two were decided in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter. Whether they were blowing out their opponents, gritting their teeth until the last buzzer or just hoping for some kind of lenience, though, each player that took to the court yesterday donned uniforms exclusive to the occasion. All-[insert single color]-everything was the common thread for each kit in the aptly named "BIG Color" theme, but some fared better than others in the mindful eyes of sartorialists. It may be important to note that the clothes I'm currently wearing hue more toward Macklemore and Ryan Lewis' tendencies than, say, GQ intern Rajon Rondo's preferences. That still puts me within high-five distance of Russell Westbrook, though, so don't be scared away from these rankings of this year's Christmas uniforms, and feel free to point out any oversights in the comments.

"Someone's running away with my hat!" (Reuters)

1. Los Angeles Lakers
By virtue of every team wearing white jerseys in 41 games each year, it would be easy to assume that the Lakers' (lack of) BIG Color uniforms were boring. Not so. By removing the yellow accents and going with purple outlines of numbers, the Lakeshow achieved a minimalist look that was cleaner than their standard home jerseys. The purple's contrast on the pure white background also gave the LA logo on the shorts a phantom appearance. Due to the Winter season, the uniforms could be reminiscent of snow, but they certainly looked better than Kobe Bryant's first foray into a white-out wardrobe.

2. Denver Nuggets
Denver's throwback jerseys are still their best look, but the Nuggets' yuletide navies were a pleasant departure from both the old school style and the normal soft blues. Of the day's new uniforms, this was by far the most plain. Dark color? Check. Light color outlining names and numbers? Yep. The name of the franchise even goes straight across the front of the jersey; there's no visible curve to it. The miner's patch is still present on the back, and it is the flashiest thing about a subdued uni. Miner's...workmen-like...navy...blue collar... There are really too many bad lines that can be dropped about the navy and golds.

Top-five uniforms, top-five facial expressions. (MiamiHerald.com)

3. Oklahoma City Thunder
The numbers are barely-legible on a television screen, but trust that there is still orange surrounding the just-a-shade darker blue of the numbers. The word on the back of the shorts is unnecessary, but clothing manufacturers have to cut loose every once in a while. (There it is. The awful pun that opens your door to leave these rankings, if you so choose.)

(Thanks.)

These are less busy than the usual orange-and-black piped uniforms that typically color the Thunder's lockers. Enter: v-neck, life of the party, and, in this case, a fixture that bridges the gap between the everyday Thunder unis and the Christmas Day attire. Also, the three white sleeves Westbrook sported may not have been a perfect match to the color scheme, but they popped against the light blue.

4. Miami Heat
Dark red. Get it? Because fire is sometimes red and almost always hot? Being able to read the names and recognize the numbers on Miami's jerseys is the near-certain reason the Heat claimed a three-point victory against the slightly better-dressed Thunder.

5. Brooklyn Nets
It's tough to mess up a combination of black and white, but the Nets' standard jerseys look more like a miner's outfit than the Nuggets'. (That of a coal miner rather than a gold miner, of course.) That said, the black-on-black approach is stark, with white outlining, and the blotted-out logo on the shorts looks more like a shield worthy of the Brooklyn Knight than the — what is it? A crest? A basketball piloting an Asteroid ship?

Gerald Wallace isn't a fan of KG's uniform. (Getty)

6. Boston Celtics
Let's be clear: the green-with-white-piping jersey is the only one the C's should ever don outside of the home jersey that flips that color scheme. The green, green and more green take on Boston's uniforms is still preferable to the black-accented kits, if only by a slim margin. The outlined numbers look bulky, especially considering the single-color wording typical in Boston. Such is life in the bottom half of a list that ranks uniforms.

7. Los Angeles Clippers
Too much red and not enough blue, plus the cursive script makes it look like Blake Griffin's mom had too many leftover felt iron-ons and went to town on some sleeveless shirts.

8. New York Knicks
If you didn't wince at Carmelo Anthony's orange jersey-orange shorts-double orange shooting sleeves-orange headband-orange socks get-up, congratulations. You probably watched the Knicks/Lakers contest longer than my 11-year-old brother.

These uniforms are simply too bright. The New York logo looks kind of cool with the knocked-out treatment, but little else does, especially the way 'Melo rocked it.

"Blast off! lol" - Jeremy Lin (David Banks/Getty Images)

9. Houston Rockets
Bland, although the majorly gray unis are a perfect fit, conceptually. The font across the front of the jersey longs to look futuristic, implying space travel and discovery of the unknown, while the top-to-bottom gray hearkens back to the way rockets were portrayed in early science-fiction movies. It works, in a mixed up kind of way. Kudos to the designers for changing the lining at the jersey's edges to darker lines to add texture. Overall, though, these look boring and no amount of prettying them up with theories of throwback references can fix that.

10. Chicago Bulls
Um, these look like the jersey I wear to rec league. Same Sharpie magic, different angles.

(Alex Skov, Professional Photographer)

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Friday Roundtable: Merry Christmas from the NBA

Wade. Howard. Bryant. James. Durant. These are some of the NBA's Christmas Day stars. (Getty Images)

BDD's Friday Roundtable is a weekly discussion among three of our writers on a trending NBA or college basketball topic.

This week's question: The NBA season is closer to its halfway mark than it is to the opening tip-off. Each year, the Association schedules marquee match-ups for Christmas Day. This year's slate of holiday games includes a rematch of the 2012 Finals; Boston in Brooklyn; Knicks/Lakers in Hollywood; the Rockets visiting the Bulls; and the Clippers hosting the Nuggets. Which game will  be on your TV?

Shawn Deegan: 
It’s that time of year again. Lights on the tree, presents being exchanged, and basketball brought to the front of the sporting world. With the NBA taking center stage, there will be a handful of games to make sure you see. However, for my money, the one game that is a must watch is the Heat vs. the Thunder. Now, normally I’m a patron for the small-market, under the radar teams who don’t normally get to share the spotlight with the big boys. However, on the big stage, it’s all about the match-ups of the best against the best, and there are no better players than Lebron James and Kevin Durant. Both will play the three-spot in this game, so the odds we see these two square off one-on-one are high. Durant is one of, if not the elite scorer in the game, while Lebron has become arguably the best all-around player in the NBA. Both bring contrasting styles of play and sensational talent that is unparalleled. Any time two of the best meet, it’s a good time to watch, but adding the spotlight of the Christmas Day game should elevate the drama to another level.  


Kyle Davis: 
Knicks/Lakers easily has the most storylines and drama to surely make for a great game, the veteran Celtics taking on a renewed Nets team should be good basketball and who doesn't like a Finals rematch? I would like to cop out and say all three of them but since I have to pick, I'll take the Thunder/Heat matchup. No team is better than the Thunder (21-5) right now, who were on a 12-game winning streak before Thursday's loss to Minnesota. The Heat aren't playing too poorly either, especially at home, where they are 12-2.

This game isn't lacking star power either. This is the battle of Big Three's, and the Thunder's Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka are playing just as well as James, Wade and Bosh. Durant is scoring at will (nearly 28 points per game), while Westbrook is still finding plenty of shots. It's starting to look like Wade's prime is leaving him (although that's still with him averaging nearly 20 ppg), but LeBron doesn't look to be slowing down anytime soon. Not sure you'll find more pure talent from top to bottom in any other Christmas game, so you know there will be plenty of highlights.

The Thunder are not going to take this game lightly. Durant and Co. have been pegged to win a title at some point, and the Heat took away their first chance last year. OKC wants nothing more than to beat Miami any chance it gets, because Durant and this team are great competitors, and they know who is standing in their way of a title. Yet the Heat still have more to prove ("not one, not two, not three ...").  Both teams are going to want this one for Christmas.


Alex Skov:  
Thunder/Heat is tough to pass up, and, for my money, Rajon Rondo is one of the most exciting players in the NBA right now, but the most intriguing Christmas Day match-up to me is the first game in Staples Center. The New York Knicks are 19-6, but five of those losses have come on the road. New York has allowed opponents to go over the century mark in three of those losses, including giving up a whopping 131 points to the Rockets during a Thanksgiving hangover. The Lakers are under .500 overall, but 8-6 at home. Steve Nash should be back in the starting line-up, which may not solve all of the Lakers' woes (especially on the defensive end), but his presence will make the Knicks' defense show a level of respect that LA hasn't gotten during Gatsby's time away due to injury.

The first meeting between these two anchors of their respective coasts ended with New York winning by less than 10 in Madison Square Garden on Dec. 13. Carmelo Anthony, looking like the early MVP candidate that he is, outdueled Kobe Bryant in that contest by scoring 31 points. While Bryant's attempt to save his team ended with the personal victory of a double-double (31 points, 10 rebounds), Kobe's never been one to take things lightly. The tension between Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni and Anthony led to D'Antoni losing his job in New York, a destination Nash considered as a free agent this summer.

The storyline of Kevin Durant and his ever-improving supporting cast taking on the world's best all-around basketball player and his All-Star teammates is an obvious one, but there are multiple plot twists in this Knicks/Lakers saga that make the drama even more appealing. It's not like Anthony, Bryant, Nash, Pau Gasol and Dwight Howard are bad at basketball, either. There's an outside (read: across the street, past the city limits and over state lines) chance that former D'Antoni and Nash partner Amar'e Stoudemire will be healthy enough to suit up for the Knicks, too.

What was is that D'Antoni said in his first press conference for his new head coaching gig? “If we're not averaging 110 or 115 points per game, then we need to talk"? The Lakers aren't living up to that statement, but no one knows how to run D'Antoni's offense better than Nash.


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Terrell Owens Wanted to be a Clipper, Lost to a Little Person One-on-One

Terrell Owens not being a Clipper. (Sports Mole)

A confident, often cocky NFL wide receiver tore his ACL, had surgery to repair the injury, ran a sub-4.5 second 40-yard dash and spent a brief preseason stint with a (then) lowly regarded team then got cut before playing in any meaningful games. Oh, and he was 38 when all this went down.

That's the recent history of Terrell Owens, for those who don't follow football, and it mentions nothing of the reputation as a detrimental presence in a locker room that he earned earlier in his career. Believe it or not, more embarrassing things have happened to Owens this year.

Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin dropped the following tidbit during an appearance on the Dan Patrick Show earlier this week:

"Terrell Owens is always — he was at our practice facility this summer, begging coaches for a 10-day contract."

Being that Griffin actually, you know, plays for Clippers, he may have an inside track on such knowledge. A brief glance at LAC's 2012-13 roster reveals that Owens has not, in fact, been gifted a contract of any length with the franchise. Yet. To be fair, though, he does have some basketball credentials. In college, Owens played for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and was a member of the Mocs' 1995 NCAA tournament team. His two-time letterman status at the university was a precursor for his 2008 NBA All-Star MVP award, earned with an 18-point performance (including a dunk!) that led his team to a one-point victory. Most impressive, however, is that Owens was once invited to play for the Sacramento Kings' summer league team.

Owens' representative has since denied any alleged begging while noting that his client and Griffin are friends. Following the guidelines of T.O. public relations, though, the rep offered that "everyone knows" that Owens "can play a serious game of ball."

Being denied a small contract by the Clippers is not inherently shameful. The franchise is doing well with Griffin and point guard Chris Paul leading the charge while Jamal Crawford anchors the bench. Owens' basketball merits are really pretty impressive considering it is a recreational sport for him, as it is for a majority of the world's population.

No, the embarrassing mark on Owens' hoops resume is that he lost a game of one-on-one to a 4'5" man after being convinced to accept the diminutive fellow's challenge. Posted to YouTube in late October, the video of the former pro athlete's misfortune isn't damning. He swishes the ball plenty, opting to drop long range bombs on a day when he was presumably just working out on before being approached to throw down. He also commits multiple turnovers and fails to chase rebounds.

It's worth noting that Owens' opponent was not just another guy from the gym who happened to recognize a nationally known sports figure. The challenger was Mani Love, whose small stature does not prevent him from excelling in the Venice Beach Basketball League.

Love is a legitimately good player with a reliable shot and quick handles. His 15-14 upset win over a man 22 inches taller than himself could have been lopsided going the other way. Kudos to Love, and kudos to Owens for being a good sport.

Oh, Owens was also wearing a Clippers shirt when he lost to Love. That must be the part that really stings.


(H/t to Trey Kerby of The Basketball Jones)

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Jamal Crawford Is Using Street Ball-Style Play to Succeed in NBA

Jamal Crawford is playing his best basketball right now for the Clippers. (nba.com)

Jamal Crawford is having a coming out party for the Clippers in LA.

His numbers are up across the board. His field goal percentage is the highest it’s ever been in his 13-year career. He’s been lethal from behind the arc and at the charity stripe. The only time he averaged more points per game, he also averaged 12 more minutes per game. And he only averaged one measly point more per contest.

Crawford has had six games where he’s scored 20 or more points off the bench this year for the Clippers. However, the most impressive aspect of Crawford’s exploits this season is how he’s achieved these numbers; playing a street ball-style of basketball that has left some of the NBA’s elite icing sore ankles and egos.

On November 7, The Clippers were taking on a then-undefeated San Antonio Spurs team. Crawford had been quiet throughout the night, shooting just 3-7 from the floor and finishing with 10 points for the game. However, while the match did feature impressive highlight reel dunks from Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, Crawford would have the most memorable moment in the contest.

With 30 seconds left in the game and LA looking to run out the clock, Crawford took the ball out to the right wing, guarded closely by Spurs rookie guard Nando de Colo. Colo acted aggressively towards Crawford, seemingly wanting to prove himself as a good defender who plays till the final horn.

Bad idea. Admirable, but still a bad idea.

Crawford took a few steps back, drawing Colo to him. Then, in a “watch what I can do” moment, Crawford bounced the ball between Colo’s legs, drove to the hoop, took the foul and headed to the free throw line. Colo stumbled, backpedaled, threw his arms back, searching for an imaginary support, and fell to the court.

Ankles twisted? Check. Tailbone sore? Check. Ego bruised? Absolutely. Lesson learned? Without question.

Crawford has always had a street ball-style of play and broken many more accomplished ankles in the NBA than Colo’s. Proficient defenders such as Kirk Hinrich, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Metta World Peace, Rudy Gay and many more have fallen to Crawford’s handles. However, because of his increased efficiency shooting the ball (practice, anyone?) and his overall numbers at career highs, Crawford’s been more effective and exciting than ever before. 

However, Crawford is not the first street baller to excel at the professional level. For years, fans of basketball have been enthralled with the exaggerated crossovers, the no-look passes, and general showmanship that comes from a street-ball style. The NBA has been fortunate enough to have a few players translate their game from the playground to the court and there are a few notable names that have come through the league.

Let’s go down the list:

First up, Jason “White Chocolate” Williams. His numbers, while not overwhelming, are those of a solid point guard in the NBA. Williams finished up his career with 10 points and six assists per game and a knack for finding himself on the highlight reel for either a crazy crossover or a no-look pass. Williams consistently gave crowds and opponents exhibitions on ball handling. Even famed defender Gary “The Glove” Payton fell to the handles of Williams. While he was healthy, Williams was certainly an above average player in the league.

Next, Stephon “Starbury” Marbury. At the peak of his career, Marbury was one of the better point guards in the NBA, putting up 20 points and eight assists per game. Marbury was known for a devastating crossover and array of moves that left many opponents scratching their heads, wondering if what they’d seen had actually occurred or was simply a figment of their imaginations. There’s no denying that during his time in the league, Marbury was a true spectacle of street-style basketball.

Who could forget Rafer “Skip to my Lou” Alston? While his time on the court was inconsistent, Alston still managed to have solid career, putting up decent numbers and spectacular highlights. Unfortunately, Alston is probably best known for taking a shot at sharpshooter Eddie House. However, Alston also had the ability to break a defender down and leave them in the dust on his way to the hoop.  Don’t believe me? Ask Dwayne Wade.

Then there’s always J.R. Smith. While his defense leaves something to be desired, Smith has shown to be a very good offensive threat off the bench. He has incredible athleticism, as displayed through his participation in the 2005 dunk contest. While he's been criticized at times for shooting too much, when he’s on, Smith has the ability to really pour it on from downtown. His crossover is nothing to sneer at either.

I couldn’t overlook Nate Robinson, could I? (It’s a height joke.) A 5’9" sparkplug of energy off the bench, Robinson has stunned audiences over the years with his athletic ability, primarily in the dunk contest. No one will ever forget Robinson’s aerial assaults on the hoop over fellow little man Spud Webb and big man Dwight Howard en route to two dunk contest championships. He can also give defenses headaches with his jump shot and ball handling ability.

Who’s number one, you ask? Well here’s “The Answer.” Despite being an undersized guard, Allen “The Answer” Iverson was one of the most prolific scorers the NBA has ever had, putting up 27 points per game. He also affected the game in a big way on defense; collecting two steals a game for his career. While no one will accuse Iverson of being unselfish, he did manage to put up good assist numbers (six per game) along with his scoring. While, unlike Crawford, Iverson never learned the importance of practice, he did make the greatest player to ever walk on an NBA court look like Chevy Chase opening for SNL with his devastating crossover.


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Chris Paul: The Sometimes Overlooked - But Not Underappreciated - Heart of Team USA

Chris Paul celebrating a gold medal with the American flag. (USA Today)

It was the scene everyone expected to see, yet the fact that it was anticipated didn’t take away from the scene of watching Team USA celebrate like excited kids as the U.S. defeated Spain 107-100 to win the gold medal at the London Olympics.

Superstars of the game, who one would assume work hard on their public appearance and try to seem cool, jumped up and down, hugged their coach and celebrated just as hard as the athletes we only hear about every four years. And that’s the way it should be. Although it was expected, the team earned the right to celebrate.

You saw LeBron James hitting clutch 3’s, Kevin Durant’s monster scoring performance and Kobe exiting his last Olympic Games on top. What you might have overlooked was the nucleus of the team whose play during the tournament should not be discounted.

The excitement of playing in the Olympics seems to have a carry-over effect with the following NBA season. Playing with the best players in the world looks to help players prepare better than pick-up games and summer leagues back in the States. Theories have been documented that playing in the Olympics has helped fuel players in their next NBA season. Kobe Bryant won an NBA title, and an NBA Finals MVP award, after the 2008 Olympics. The same happened for Michael Jordan and the Bulls following the appearance of the Dream Team in 1992. The rest of the offseason will now be spent determining who will use the Olympic experience to shine in the Association this year.

Team USA’s three-headed monster of LeBron, Durant and Kobe will be obvious front runners. LeBron proved he is the best player in the world, Durant can drain shots from every spot on the floor in any country and Kobe still has that killer instinct that paralyzes opponents. They all are expected to explode in the NBA this season.

Organizing the gold-medal winners was Chris Paul; you know, that guy who made sure LeBron, Durant and Kobe had the ball where they needed to so they could put up those great performances. Paul may have flown under the radar, but was not unnoticed. Paul quietly became one of the most important pieces for the squad, coming up big when his team needed it most. The best example came when you might expect it, with 50 seconds remaining in the gold-medal game against Spain. After crossing-over a defender, Paul flipped in a layup just before the shot clock expired, all while the U.S. clung to a lead in the final minute of the game. The play was a dagger into Spain’s back that made Coach K jump in excitement — something Mike Krzyzewski rarely does — and epitomized Paul’s role and worth to the team.

Paul scored 11 points, dished out two assists and added three steals in the gold-medal game, which are numbers that won’t make your jaw drop to the floor. But sometimes what you see when watching the game doesn’t show up on the stat line. Paul made big plays at big moments throughout the Olympics, but also knew how to best use the Goliaths of basketball playing with him in USA jerseys. His 11 points came on only nine shots, meaning Paul was two things you love to see in true point guards. He was consistent and effective, taking good shots when he had them and making plays for his teammates when he didn’t. Paul didn’t need to score 25 points per game for Team USA to sweep the competition, and his understanding of his role and how to play within that role made that team better.

So while Durant and LeBron will come back to their respective teams and light up the competition, don’t be surprised if you see great play out of Chris Paul this NBA season. The transition period should be complete after a full season with the Clippers, and Paul will look to make the same type of plays with high-flyer Blake Griffin as he did with his Olympic teammates.

Don’t let the stats fool you. Paul may not lead the league in scoring, but that doesn’t take away from the quality of his performance. The rewards he is reaping from a successful stint as Team USA’s floor general can only be a positive when he returns to Los Angeles. Paul will have more confidence, experience and a better understanding of how his international counterparts in the NBA play the game.

It’s amazing what a little gold can do for a player’s motivation.


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