NBA news and notes (All-Star Break edition)

Spring is coming but the only baseball chatter is about PED use and the associated lies and scandal, so NBA is still king right now; especially at the All Star Weekend. You’ve heard they play no defense in the Rising Stars Game? That would be true; Team Chuck scored 90 points in the first half, and the end of the game was nothing more than a slam dunk contest with players on the court as spectators. I actually tried listening on the radio but it was less interesting than play-by-play of a Home Run Derby.

Here’s your NBA notes of the week, and there is nothing bigger right now than some guy on the Miami Heat to start things off.



LeBron James is playing out of his mind. His streak of consecutive 30-point games is up to seven, and after missing his last two shots (three pointers as the play clock expires with a big lead) against the Thunder his streak of 60%+ shooting ended at six. It is obviously still remarkable. If you go back 13 games these are his combined stats:

– 244 FG attempts, 403 points (31 average), 62% FG, 49% 3pt, 8.2 rebounds, 6.8 assists

That efficiency is unheard of. And his effectiveness is making everyone else around him better. Bosh is shooting 65%, Wade is shooting 49%, and the Heat have won seven straight and most of them were quality games (@Thunder, Blazers, Lakers, Clippers, Rockets, @Raptors). Enough with the Jordan comparison; let’s just enjoy the show.

1. Snoozefests. Speaking of efficiency, we didn’t see a whole lot of it around the rest of the Eastern Conference this week. Two of the key matchups were Bulls/Celtics and Nets/Pacers. The Celtics scored just 19 points in the second and third quarters COMBINED on Wednesday and still won the game. Neither team shot above 37%. On Monday the Nets shot just 38% but won as the Pacers shot a pathetic 34%. Brooklyn had cold stretches all throughout the game, missing 7 straight shots in the second quarter, 9 straight in the third, and 6 straight in the fourth. Another top team, the Knicks shot just 35% at home in losing to the Raptors Wednesday. Seems like a good time for a few days off.

2. Celtics. Although they have been winning games, injuries continue to pile up for Boston. Rondo, big man Jared Sullinger, and now Leandro Barbosa is out for the year. Of the guys that are left: Kevin Garnett (36), Paul Pierce (35), Jason Terry (35) can’t handle 40 minutes for 30 more games (even before playoffs). They don’t have a true point guard. ESPN’s Skip Bayless declared that they were the Heat’s biggest competition in the East, and then they promptly lost to the Bobcats. Boston is fortunate to have built up some space, but 9 of their next 11 games are on the road, where they have struggled, so things could change in a hurry.

3. Knicks. New York is sitting pretty with a comfortable cushion for the 2 seed. You probably think that they have been dominant. Well, not so fast. Since their hot 18-5 start when everything was going down, they are 14-13. Jason Kidd’s three point shooting has fallen precipitously since November, when he made nearly half of shots from downtown (49% Nov, 42% Dec, 32% Jan, 18% Feb). And Carmelo makes you scratch his head. Against the Raptors he suffered a right arm contusion. It obviously affected him as he made just 5 of 24 shots (and 1-6 from the free throw line). Yet he still wants to play in the meaningless All-Star Game. Is that leadership, putting your team first? They have had one of the easiest schedules of the first half, so things will get tougher from here on out.

4. Nets. Amazingly, the Nets have now won nine straight overtime games. Because of their inconsistency this season, Brooklyn has been in a lot of trade rumors (Josh Smith, Ben Gordon, Paul Millsap, Carlos Boozer). They haven’t gone for any yet. Rookie Tyshawn Taylor has emerged as a legitimate backup point guard in Deron Williams’ absence, so C.J. Watson should be available trade bait, as is Kris Humphries, MarShon Brooks, and Gerald Wallace (though I’d be surprised if anyone was interested in him). The Nets need another scoring threat.



5. Clippers. Altough Eric Bledsoe emerged as an effective player, the Clippers had a terrible time without Chris Paul in the lineup, losing 7 of 10, including a lot of blowouts. Since his return they have won four straight, averaging 110 points (after just 92 for the previous 10 games).

6. Raptors. I was pretty annoyed when the Grizzlies traded away Rudy Gay. It has worked out well for the Raptors as they have won four straight (including @Pacers, Nuggets and @Knicks). They have a tough stretch after the break, including two games versus the surging Wizards, Grizzlies, Knicks, and then a big road trip. They are not out of the playoff hunt yet, but they will need to win a lot of those games to get closer.

7. Thunder. Kevin Durant had a terrible game on Thursday against the Heat. He missed his first 7 shots and then fell hard on his hip in the first quarter, a play that would have likely sidelined anyone else in the NBA. For him it woke him up, as he scored 40 points the rest of the way. And yet it was still a bad game. Amazing.