This might have been the single greatest day of playoff basketball I’ve seen in my lifetime. We had the Zombie Spurs, the Broingtons and the Miami Breakfast Club all make an appearance last night.

Philadelphia 76ers 91 – Miami Heat 97

Andre Iguodala finally has a good game and the Sixers lose. It was a close game throughout but the difference came when Spoelstra took a T for his guys with the score was knotted up at 60. From that point on, Miami went on a 7-0 run that gave them control of the game.

The Sixers definitely overachieved this season and they should be proud of that. They should also know that they can do the same thing again next year. And if they don’t start out 1-13, they might actually have a shot at home court in the first round.

As for the Heat, both LeBron and Dwyane had near triple-doubles in last nights close-out win and Bosh went for 22 and 11 but the questions still loom. Specifically, about how they will match-up with the Boston Celtics in the next round.

Memphis Grizzlies 103 – San Antonio Spurs 110 (OT)

What an amazing game this was. Memphis was oh-so close to closing the door on the Spurs. Not just their season but perhaps on their dynasty. But the Spurs just wouldn’t die. Someone on twitter called them the Zombie Spurs and I found that very fitting. Down 3 Manu hit what looked to be a miracle corner three with just 2 seconds left in the game that resulted from a chaotic broken play. The video review showed that his foot was on the line and it was a two. Spurs fouled Zach Randolph on the inbounds and Z-Bo hit both of his Z-Throws. With just 1.7 ticks left in the Spurs season, they drew up a play for 26-year old rookie, Gary Neal. Naturally.

Having gone 0-1 in the game and had scored just 4 points, you’d think Popovich would have gone with a different option but he trusts the rookie, immensely. Neal rose up over the double team and buried the three, resurrecting the half-dead Spurs and forever dubbing them the Zombie Spurs because they just won’t die. Spurs went on to OT and put the game away for good. Now down just 3-2 in the series, you have to wonder if the Grizzlies are shook. Then again, I doubt anything in the world can shake Z-Bo and Tony Allen. Those two are too hood for the hood.

Denver Nuggets 97 – Oklahoma City Thunder 100

Kevin Durant was Kid Delicious last night. Dropping a cool 41 points and helping his team close out the series in 5 games. But before we get into this, I want to tell you that Kevin Durant’s back court/front court call by the refs was the correct call. If you don’t know what I am talking about, let me explain. Durant caught the ball running towards the mid-court line. When he caught the ball, his foot was on the line, which is perfectly legal. His next step and dribble put his other foot on the line and the ref immediately called a back court violation. However, the ref on the baseline came running in and all three refs huddled and overturned the call. A lot of people were upset over this call and thought that Oklahoma was bailed out by the refs. In reality, this was the correct call and here is why:

The rules state that a player isn’t technically in the front court until both his feet and the ball are completely past the mid-court line. Durant never got both feet across that line since both of his steps were on the line, therefore it was the correct call to overturn the original back court violation. What ensued after the play was overturned was a complete breakdown by the Nuggets. Durant got free, caught the ball, took a few dribbles and pulled up inside the arc to nail a 19 foot jumper to give the Thunder a 100-97 lead.

When Durant is in the zone there is nothing like it in the world. A 22-year old, 6’11″ silky smooth shooter that can get almost any shot he wants. Last night he did just that. According to NBA Analyst, Kevin Pelton, the Thunder scored 18 points on their last 8 possessions which is a ridiculous 225.0 Offensive Rating. Durant had 14 of those points and an assist in that span. And it wasn’t just a one sided effort by the NBA’s scoring champ. He came up with a few key stops including blocking a J.R. Smith 3-pointer, that could have potentially tied the game with under 10 seconds to go.Speaking of blocks, Serge Ibaka had 9 of them, all of which were crucial to their victory.

The only thing souring this victory was Russell Westbrook going Starbury. Again. Shooting an ugly 3 of 15 for 14 points and just 4 assists is bad news from your team’s point guard. To do that while ignoring your team’s best player who just happens to be the NBA’s leading scorer I tragic news. At some point coach Brooks is going to have to speak to Westbrook about his new found fame and his propensity to chuck the rock. Russell’s only been a point guard for 3 years now, before that he was always designated a 2-guard. His primary job on the court has always been to get buckets so I understand this is just part of the growing pains but you don’t want to see those pains develop into an incurable illness down the road. Maybe next season, OKC should explore running West at the 2 and Eric Maynor at the 1. Either way, this was a fun series despite spanning just 5 short games.

Tonight’s Games:

Orlando Magic @ Atlanta Hawks – 7:30 PM EST on NBAtv: I’m pretty sure this entire series has been on NBAtv. As if Stern wants Howard to not only lose the series but also suffer from terrible national exposure just so he opts out and Joins either the Knicks or the Lakers. Okay, that’s enough conspiracy talk. The Hawks should wrap this series up at home tonight. If it happens, the post-game interviews of Stan Van Gundy and Dwight Howard are going to be epic.

Los Angeles Lakers @ New Orleans Hornets – 8:00 PM EST on TNT: Kobe’s ankle is the determining factor of this game. If he’s stiff from the travel and the downtime, it’s going to be a long night. Ariza has already outscore Kobe in a couple of games and he has the same confidence he displayed in the Lakers’ 2009 championship march. If the Lakers don’t go to their bigs, we could be headed back to LA for a game 7. With that said, I think LA closes out tonight. They finally woke up in Game 5 and it looks like they are now in playoff form.

Dallas Maverick @ Portland Trailblazers – 10:30 PM EST on TNT: Portland might be all out of juice. Then again, Dallas might not be focused. They do that sometimes, especially in the playoffs. Their lack of focus already cost them Game 4 in which they blew a 20+ point lead. I origanilly picked Dallas in 7 and I’m going to stick with it. Portland wins a close one tonight.

Shane is a contributor to Stacheketball.com, LarryBrownSports.com & NBAoffseason.com. You can find him babbling about basketball all over the net or tune in as he tweets nonsense on twitter @Suga_Shane.

Last night was, in a way, disappointing. Maybe I’m a bit spoiled from the incredible action the playoffs has given us already? As Sebastian Pruiti pointed out to me on twitter, last night was the first time in 9 straight days that we didn’t experience wire-to-wire excitement, and that’s something we should all be willing to live with. He’s right, it could be August already and we’d have to suffer through 2 hours of MLB highlights.

I’ll leave our supposed national past time alone for now and get on with business; most of the games turned into blowouts late but there was some substance there. My favorite result of last night’s action was everyone tweeting vintage Kobe dunks. That dude used to merk everyone.

Atlanta Hawks 86 – Orlando Magic 101

I mentioned yesterday that Orlando’s shooters will eventually get hot and it happened in this game. Atlanta just had to hope it would come on a night where their own shooters also caught a flame. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen and the result was a 15-point loss that wasn’t even as close as the final score indicates. The highlight of this game was J.J. Reddick’s hilarious post-game interview on the podium, which happened to be the first of his playoff career. Outside of that, this game was insufferable.

Atlanta still leads the series 3-2 and Game 6 is a home game at Phillip’s. For their sake, I hope this game was just them packing it in and trying to close out at home because if it wasn’t, things could get interesting.

Indiana Pacers 89 – Chicago Bulls 116

Real quick on the Pacers; this game was ugly but it wasn’t indicative of how your season went. Interim head coach Frank Vogel went 20-18 during his tenure and absolutely needs to be hired as the head coach for next year. He showed us a lot of value whether it was in guiding this team with leadership or drawing up situational plays.  This team still needs one more key piece but their cogs are all legit. Granger can be a great #2, Collison is a good point and Paul George might be an All-Star in the making. Keep your heads up, Pacer fans, and make sure you keep your team in town, too!

This was a close out game and that’s exactly what Chicago did. I’ll save you the Rose rhetoric and point you at my key players: Noah, Deng & Gibson. Those three men are as important to this team as is MVP favorite, Derrick Rose. The way they lock down the wing and the middle of the court allows Chicago to get crucial stops which lead to those magnificent Derrick Rose finishes at the other end of the court. Most of these Bulls have elevated their games in the post season and that’s scary for opponents considering this team lead the NBA in wins. What’s scary for the Bulls is that Carlos Boozer has disappeared. If anyone has seen him, please notify the proper authorities.

Overall, these Bulls are lovable. They play hard and they play the right way, every single night. It’s displayed in Deng’s demeanor, it’s voiced in Rose’s humble interviews and it’s strung up in Noah’s smile. When Joakim went into the stands after the game to hug his grandfather it made you realize that these guys are the real deal. They love what they do and they are proud of the work they have accomplished. And they aren’t done yet.

New Orleans Hornets 90 – Los Angeles Lakers 106

I just want to point out that the Lakers wore black socks and black shoes at home today. If you aren’t entirely familiar with NBA on-court fashion, home teams typically wear white shoes and socks to coordinate with their lighter colored home uniforms. But the Lakers wanted to send a message to themselves as well as the Hornets and it worked. The NBA should make everyone wear black on black attire, it just looks meaner.

Chris Paul started out the game with 8 assists in the first quarter but finished the game with 12 and the Hornets got blown out by the end of it. A few things contributed to this. First of all, the Lakers played their first complete game of the series. And when I say complete, I mean that even Derek Fisher scored 13 points. The Lakers five starters and Lamar Odom all scored in double digits. And when the better roster is playing better basketball, you just have to sit there and take their punches, not much New Orleans can do to counter that. One thing that I can fault the Hornets with is sitting Chris Paul for two extended stretches that probably cost them a chance to win this game. First one came in the second quarter as N.O. let a 9-point lead slip as Paul rested. The second came in the 4th where L.A. blew the game wide open as CP3 got his usual rest. Chris ended up playing 41 minutes in the game but it’s how and when those 41 minutes came that hurt the team.

One thing that should be worry some for LA should be Kobe’s ankle. I know he had two throwback throw downs, including decapitating Emeka Okafor (twice!), but he wasn’t he usual self. I’m guessing he had a healthy Cortisone shot before the game and that relieved enough pain for him to actually participate, but his defense and play-making wasn’t there.  He finished the game with 19 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 turnovers and got outscored by Trevor Ariza (22 points) on the other end. Hopefully, this is nothing serious as Lakers haven’t put away this series just yet, leading 3-2 and headed back to the Big Easy.

Tonight’s Games:

Philadelphia 76ers @ Miami Heat – 7:00 PM EST on TNT: If the Heat, who lead the series 3-1, can’t close this out tonight, I’m going to have to seriously discount them as a contender going forward.

Memphis Grizzlies @ San Antonio Spurs – 8:30 PM EST NBAtv: This game is going to be too good to be stashed away on NBAtv. Memphis might shock the world tonight and close this series out. On the road. Against the Spurs. A 61-win Spurs. Can you fathom all of that? Mike Conley, Tony Allen, Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol could actually beat the 4-time NBA Champion Spurs in 5 games in the opening round of the playoffs. It could happen tonight!

Denver Nuggets @ Oklahoma City Thunder – 10:30 PM EST on TNT: I honestly don’t think this game will be close. The Thunder messed around last game and still nearly pulled off the win. Game 5, at home with a chance to clinch the series and advance, you have to bet on Durant.

Links of the Day:

NBAPlaybook.com – This play sums up the Spurs’ woes this series.
HoopSpeak.com – Let’s take a look at the New Orleans Pick’n'Roll sets.
SB Nation’s Bay Area Blog – The latest news on the Anaheim/Sacramento/Rochester Kings/Royals
DailyThunder.com - Royce explains Russ.

That’s it for today and as always, don’t forget to join the party on twitter tonight!

Shane is a contributor to Stacheketball.com, LarryBrownSports.com & NBAoffseason.com. You can find him babbling about basketball all over the net or tune in as he tweets nonsense on twitter @Suga_Shane.

The Miami Heat gave the Philadelphia 76ers what I like to call “the ol’ ruffin stuffin” (in honor of Michael Ruffin) in game two of their first round playoff series. The Heat won 94-73, in a game that was basically over in the first quarter. The Heat held the 6ers to a mere 31 points in the first half. Shelvin Mack and Matt Howard combined for 0 points in the half–barely worse than what they managed to score in the NCAA National Championship game. Evan Turner actually had the best game of any Philly player (on the offense end) scoring 15 points on 6-10 shooting and adding in 6 boards and an assist.

The Heat were led by strong performances from LeBron James and Chris Like-A-Bosh, but their games were overshadowed by the apparent MVP, Joel Anthony–I kid. However Anthony was barraged with MVP chants from the American Airlines Arena crowd when he got to the free throw line. As Reggie Miller so keenly pointed out, Anthony has probably never heard MVP chants relating to his own name. The one highlight of the game was when Joel Anthony blocked a shot that sparked a Miami fast break ending in a Lebron James alley-oop all up on Jrue “I get banged on” Holiday. Dwyane Wade wasn’t quite himself on the court tonight–he was recovering from a migraine that held him out of practice the previous day. Wade did however take rookie Evan Turner to school in the post a couple of times. Turner absolutely could not hang with LeBron or D-Wade on the defensive end, but that’s no shock.

Prior to the series I predicted the Heat would sweep the 76ers and go on to win the Larry O’Brien trophy. Even though a little piece of me died when I made that prediction, I am feeling pretty good about it right now.

Game 3 will tip at 8:00 p.m. ET on Thursday in Philadelphia. Maybe the home crowd can help a seemingly overmatched Philly team notch at least one win in the series. I may be wrong, but I doubt it.

Photo Cred: Getty Images

Follow Matt on Twitter if you love sports or the fact that Miley Cyrus is tweeting again @Matthouston91 In addition to Stacheketball he founded and runs the sports site Momentum Three. He just got retweeted by Charlie Davies #Score.

The playoffs are FINALLY here. Listen in on the Double Dribble Podcast as Ben Swanson joins Erroll and Shane as they breakdown playoff match ups, highlight advantages and give you their first round series predictions. A lot of interesting takes including some shocking upset predictions. Who? Tune in to find out!

Ep 002 – FINALLY! 2011 First Round Playoffs Review by Shane Baker

Doug Collins: The Philadelphia 76ers finished last season 27-55, tied with the Pistons for the 3^rd to last spot in the Eastern Conference.  At this point in the season, they are 39-36, and are the 6^th seed, despite beginning the season 3-13.  Collins, who claims to be a teacher first, focuses on defense and wants his players to be “make guys accountable and responsible.”  This season the team has had big wins vs. Chicago, Houston, and the Spurs.  If the Eastern Conference playoff spots stay as is, they’ll play the Miami Heat.

George Karl: George Karl ended his 2009-10 coaching season early to deal with a bout of cancer.  He returned, cancer-free, to overwhelming and exhausting discussions about Carmelo Anthony’s hope to be traded.  Despite all the drama, the Denver Nuggets, and the coach, especially, have held together.  Since the trade, the Nuggets are 11-4.  Coach Karl also recently signed a 3-year extension, and reached 1,000 wins.

(Zuma Press)

Gregg Popovich: The San Antonio Spurs are finishing yet another 50+ lead season.  Although they have lost 5 straight games (longest losing streak since 1997), they still hold the best record in the Western Conference.  The team is full of great players, mainly Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili, but where would they be without Coach Pop?

Tom Thibodeau: The Chicago Bulls finished last season 41-41, and barely made the 8^th seed (they were in an end-of-the-season battle with the Raptors).  They have come back this season to take the top spot in the East, and are a top 5 team in the league.  One of the main reasons is the changes made to the defense.  Thibodeau did what all coaches should do the next year: Look at the team’s weaknesses from the previous season, and strengthen them.

Personally, I think Tom Thibodeau should win Coach of the Year.  I expect nothing more and nothing less from Coach Pop, and it is well-known that George Karl is a great coach that can work under pressure (especially with what he had to deal with in the offseason).  Second place should go to Collins because I’m not sure if many people realize yet that the Sixers are in the playoffs.

Honorable Mentions

Jerry Sloan: A season ending injury didn’t stop Yao Ming from being voted an All-Star starter; therefore resignation shouldn’t stop Jerry Sloan from earning Coach of the Year.  It is an award he never received in his 22 year tenure.  Also, the man did give us the phrase “jackpotting.” It’s only fair.

John Kuester: How many coaches can say he had 7 players protest his shootaround, and also laugh at him upon his ejection in a game? Some of those players have also given him the nickname “Sean Penn.”  Not only does Sean Penn rescue people after natural disasters, but he is also reportedly dating Scarlett Johansson.  How many men want to date Scarlett Johansson? Exactly.  The love and respect he gets from his players is tremendous!  Also, how great has this team been this season under his reign?

Kidding.

Photos via Getty Images/NBA

Kateasa is a part-time contributor of Stacheketball.  She put a bunch of names in a hat, and pulled Robin Lopez.  There’s your  new MVP.  Find her on Twitter: @Simply_Kateasa

AI stepped over Tyronn Lue as if he were a toddler. 

 2001 seems like forever ago.

I think I need a nap.

To reflect.

(Image via thecolorcurve)

Ryan used to think AI was unconquerable.   You can find him on Twitter (@rpravato).

I’ve never been a fan of the Sixers nor did I follow Iverson through his Georgetown days or his rookie year. I was only a 5-year-old kid playing marbles when he came into the league as a 21-year-old rookie from Georgetown, but I’ve seen videos of him balling like there was no tomorrow. Regardless, when Michael Jordan left the NBA; Allen Iverson, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kobe Bryant reigned the basketball world and the NBA was still a must-watch league.

Players like Allen Iverson don’t come around too often. Iverson held the title for the toughest pound-for-pound player in the league for most of his career by sacrificing his body for every point scored. Some may say that today’s point guards don’t carry the toughness Iverson had in his days. To an extent, it’s true. No other point guard has ever taken the beating Iverson took. The injuries piled up, but he kept playing—and, for the most part, winning.

Allen Iverson doesn’t have much to play for in Turkey. He has all the accolades any player can receive: 11-time All-Star, 2001 NBA MVP, Rookie of the Year, 1^st overall draft pick, Scoring Champ, etc. The only thing missing is the coveted championship ring, and as much as it hurts me to say this, there is almost no chance Iverson will come back into the league and win a championship even less at least play another game with an NBA team.

I’ve witnessed almost all highlights and lowlights of Iverson’s career. Before the 2001 season, Allen Iverson was almost traded.  He almost-certainly would not have won the MVP the following season if he would have been traded. I would not have seen his Sixers defeat my Los Angeles Lakers in Game 1 of the 2001 Finals. I would not have witnessed one of the greatest scoring efforts in the NBA Finals when he averaged 35.6 points per game during those Finals. He was clearly a great NBA player.

But with all the success he’s had in his career, Iverson has equaled that with drawbacks. Everyone knows the problems Iverson has brought out on himself: gambling, debts, and “quitting” on his team.

He wanted to win in Denver, it just didn’t happen. In Detroit, he was looked upon to restore a struggling franchise that had been on top for many years, but that didn’t work out so well. In Memphis, he just wanted to play, but by that time, many did not believe in him. He wasn’t out to prove the doubters wrong, but everything that had made him special was fading from the memories of his most loyal fans.

I understand Iverson’s heart and fire to just play the game he loves, the same game he’s played since he was a kid. Even through all the injuries, he still brought that love to every game he played. He’s had a lasting impression on the NBA and its most loyal fans. He made the arm-sleeve fashionable when he wore it at after injuring his arm. He crossed over his role model in Michael Jordan as a rookie. Though, with every news report of Allen Iverson in Turkey, his iconic presence fades from the NBA world.

So, as every time Ray Allen shoots a jump-shot with his sleeve on, I still envision a #3 Sixers jersey shooting the same jump-shot. And with every no-look pass Rajon Rondo makes, every defender Derrick Rose crosses over, and every tough acrobatic lay-up John Wall makes, I’ll always see a hint of Allen Iverson. But I just can’t bear to see Iverson attempt to do the same for nine more games in a country on the other side of the world. I still admire Iverson’s fire, but, as fan, I won’t be supplying any more fuel.

Whatever he’s playing for in Turkey, whether it’s the love of the game, the money, or pride, I don’t want my memories of Allen Iverson to be filled with him playing in a non-NBA jersey in a non-NBA game.

Jeffrey Gomez is a lover of all things basketball and baseball. He has been to hundreds of Dodger games but never to an NBA game. Feel free to criticize him for that. You can follow him on Twitter:@Jeffco3

AP Photo

With roughly 25 games left in the season it is time to look at some players who are primed to breakout, or have broken out and need to be recognized. Some young players who have been buried on depth charts for the majority of the year will start getting more playing time on teams who have given up hope, and other young players will be thrown into the fire and expected to help lead their teams to a playoff birth.

Here are 5 guys from the Eastern Conference that are not particularly “main stream” to watch during the remainder of the season, not in any particular order.

Paul George:

• Indiana Pacers: Forward
• Rookie from Fresno State
• 6’8-210 lbs.
• 20 years old

George has started to play more minutes over the last month or so and has shown signs of promise for the future. His draft stock skyrocketed during the combine, as he showed he could be an incredibly versatile player. He is a stat sheet stuffer, who can contribute with points, threes, rebounds, steals and blocks. In January he played in 14 games and in February 13. In the prior 3 month he appeared in just 10 games combined. He has averaged 9.0 PPG in the last two months, and roughly 3.6 RPG. Right now he appears to be a key role player on a Pacer team that is fighting for a playoff spot. George is also a fun player to watch because of his athleticism and versatility. He is currently one of my favorite players in the league.

Nick Young:

• Washington Wizards: Guard
• 4th year from USC
• 6’6-200 lbs
• 25 years old

Nick Young is the oldest player on this list at 25 years old. This is his fourth season in the league, but the first where he is getting substantial playing time. Being a Wizards fan, at times I love Nick and then other times I hate him and want him off of the team. He is a scorer, and that is all he is. He is averaging a career high 17.7 PPG. After the departure of Gilbert Arenas (who faked a preseason game to give Nick more minutes) Young’s minutes got a big boost, which led to his scoring surge. Nick is one of those guys where if he makes his first two shots watch out, but if he misses his first two, he ain’t recovering. He can certainly put on some special performances. Also you MUST check out this shot…potential play of the year material.

Jrue Holiday:

• Philadelphia 76ers: Guard
• 2nd year from UCLA
• 6’3-180 lbs
• 20 years old

Jrue is a key component to the 76ers team that is on the rise. The Sixers and currently 7^th in the East and just one game behind the new look Knicks for 6^th, after getting the second overall pick last season. Jrue is averaging 13.8 PPG, 6.3 APG and 3.9 RPG. He is quick off the dribble and has a cool head. He makes plays when the Sixers need it and he is a good free throw shooter. While his play has dipped a little bit after a great start to the season, Jrue is still making great strides in his progression. He is only 20 years old and looks like he is on the right path to being a good to very good point guard in the NBA. With all of the ridiculously good point guards in the league right now it is understandable to overlook Holiday, but in reality he deserves a great deal of recognition.

DeMar DeRozan:

• Toronto Raptors: Guard
• 2nd year from USC
• 6’7-220 lbs
• 21 years old

Let me start by saying that DeRozan was ROBBED in the dunk contest. He absolutely deserved a spot in the finals. DeRozan is more than just a dunker though, he has become a very intriguing two guard in the NBA. He can’t shoot threes AT ALL right now, but hey neither could Tracy McGrady when he came into the league. I use the McGrady comparison because that is the player that DeRozan resembles the most right now. DeMar is averaging 16.1 PPG but over the last two months he is averaging just shy of 19. He gets to the foul line, and converts nearly 80% from the line, which is huge. As a slasher you need to be able to make your free throws. It would be nice to see more rebounding from a 6-7 guard, but it is hard to complain with his offensive production. If DeRozan continues to grow and develop he will be an incredibly exciting player to watch. Also how can you not like someone whose name is DeMar DeRozan.

Austin Daye:

• Detroit Pistons: Forward
• 2nd year from Gonzaga
• 6’11-200 lbs
• 22 years old

We all know the Pistons are a complete mess. Sadly there is not much to look forward to when watching this team, except for seeing which players actually show up to play, yet for some reason I have found myself LeaguePassing a few Pistons games as of late. While watching the Pistons, Daye was the player that really caught my eye. Most likely because he was knocking down threes, and nothing gets me more excited than watching a player knock down threes… Also he looks like a much taller version of Austin Rivers. So he held my interest. He is averaging 7.4 PPG this season and has upped his 3-point FG % considerably from his rookie season last year, jumping from 30.5 to 43.3%. Despite his size Daye is very much a finesse player, only grabbing 3.4 RPG (6.5 per 36 minutes). With the season pretty much ruined I would really like to see Daye get the majority of minutes at SF.

Others to watch: Greg Monroe-Detroit, Christian Eyenga-Cleveland, Gerald Henderson-Charlotte.

Hit Matt up on Twitter if you think he missed anybody, or just to chat NBA/Pop-Music @Matthouston91

You know it’s funny, Despite your team winning, or winning by a huge margin (in 76ers case), bad things can still happen. Apparently, those things happened to both J.J. Redick and Andre Iguodala:

Embarrassment #1: J.J. Redick

Despite having somewhat of an all around game for J.J. Redick, (12 pts 6 reb on 5-8 shooting) Randy Foye broke his ankles in somewhat of a slow crossover dribble. It’s okay, J.J. No matter how embarrassing that was, your team still won against an Eric Gordon-less Clipper team. And you still have a legion of fangirls who is most likely ready to kill anybody who does that to you again.

Embarrassment #2: Andre Iguodala

Oh, boy. This might be a little worse than J.J. Redick breaking his ankles to Randy Foye. Okay, so let us see what happened here… oh, that’s right. Iggy just Hedo’d himself. A steal, a fast break, and a missed dunk. We’ve seen this all too many times now. Although, if it makes you feel any better, Iggy, you guys basically slaughtered the Al Horford-less Atlanta Hawks in their own home court where they had won 17 games and only lost 8 so far.

Al is a contributor to Stacheketball. If you have any tips on ways to cook Bacon, and tips on how to get Jessica Alba and Keira Knightley to go on a date with him, then you should tweet him at @ahmong. Oh, and he now just realized Britney Spears is pretty.

The Bulls are in desperate need of a SG. Keith Bogans is the worst starting SG in terms of PER in the NBA while Ronnie Brewer is at best a serviceable player. I made two trades, one that should happen and the other that should happen if the first trade falls through.

This one is a no brainer for the Bulls. Mayo is having his worst season as a pro so far and the change of scenery and pairing him up with a great PG in Rose could do two things: 1) Takes the scoring burden off of Rose and 2) Makes teams have to stop from helping in on Rose when he drives to the basket. The only downside to this trade is Mayo would need the ball in his hands more which could cut into Rose’s production though ultimately this trade could push Chicago to another level.

This trade makes sense in terms of fit. Aaron Afflalo is having a great season for Denver. He is shooting 45% from the three point line and is one of the best on ball defenders in the NBA today. He would be dangerous in this Bulls lineup for when teams have to help on Rose drives and anytime someone doubles down on Carlos Boozer. If Chicago could pull this trade out, they might actually be in a better situation than if they could get Mayo from Memphis.

Oklahoma City is currently sitting at fourth in the Western Conference but the standings are so close that every game counts. The Thunder are missing on key piece and really is the only true hole in their lineup, a dominant inside player. This trade with Denver could solve this for the Thunder and give them what they need to make a run for a top 3 seed in the West.

Now there are no signs that Denver is going to give away Nene and if the Nuggets do end up moving Carmelo and are looking to get younger, then this could be a possible deal they could look to in doing so. The Thunder getting Nene would really shore up the middle for them while the Nuggets could get a very solid young player in Jeff Green. Obviously the Nuggets are trying to get rid of Al Harrington and to get Nene the Thunder would have to take him and my only concern is, would Al mess up the chemistry of this Thunder team?

Carmelo Anthony desperately trying to get to New York, so I thought I would oblige him and get him there. I made two trade to get Carmelo to the Knicks with one of them being very farfetched but would be an NBA fans dream.

This is a trade that has been kicked around for a while now and there is really no reason to rehash things that have been said over and over. The Knicks are probably not giving up enough players in this trade and would probably need to include a few draft picks, however, all three players have expiring deals. Of all of the Carmelo to New York trades, this seems the most logical.

For the second trade, I went three teamer. Now this trade has about zero chance of happening but as an NBA fan, this is a dream trade. Sure the Knicks have to gut their roster but picking up Steve Nash and Carmelo Anthony would make up for a lot of the players they had to give up. Phoenix gets Landry Fields as another piece to build around and the Nuggets get those expiring contracts. Draft picks would be included in this trade going to Denver and probably Phoenix, but ignoring all of that, imagine how sweet it would be to watch Nash running the break with Carmelo and Amare filling the lanes with him. Ok, back to reality.

The Lakers are currently struggling and seem out of sync, and with Mitch Kupchak saying that trades are possible, I decided to try out five trades that the Lakers could make to not only shake up the roster but to also get them back to the Finals for a shot at a three-peat. The first four here are the ones that have the best shot, albeit not the greatest, of actually happening.

All four of these trades here really upgrade the SF position for the Lakers and would give them another big time players to help take some of the burden off of the aging Kobe Bryant. Now Artest has said he doesn’t want to be traded but moving Artest and Bynum, seems like the best move the Lakers could make. Danny Granger is having a rough season in Indiana and the change of scenery to LA could be the shot in the arm his game might need. Granger has shown in the past that he could be a prolific scorer and going to the Lakers would make him the best third or fourth option in the NBA. Another destination for Carmelo could be LA. Denver might consider making this trade if they are convinced that Carmelo will be gone no matter not (which he will) and LA will basically rent a fired up Carmelo for the stretch run. A crunch time lineup of Kobe-Carmelo-Gasol-Odom-Fisher or Blake would be a scary good lineup.

The Lakers and Sixers trade is one that I thought was interesting but highly unlikely. Andre Iguodala is “The Guy” in Philadelphia and that never seemed like a role that he could fit but for the Lakers he could play off the ball really well and be the guy who could save Kobe’s legs on the defensive end. Thaddeus Young is another interesting piece to this trade as it would give some more athleticism to the Lakers inside group.

The LA-Cleveland trade is more so to get Antawn Jamison onto a winner finally, plus I think he would be a great fit in LA as he could easily be the fourth option on this Laker team. Jamison is a great player and would easily accept his role on the Lakers. Adding Hickson to this trade give the Lakers another solid, high energy big man off the bench. Though I highly doubt either Cleveland or LA are looking at each other as trade partners.

This last trade is similar to the Nash/Carmelo to the Knicks trade as in this one will never happen but it is fun to imagine. Phoenix gets to reload with young pieces while the Lakers get two great players that will come in and contribute right away and more than make up for the lost talent. The only people who say no to this are coaches for every other team in the NBA lead by Greg Popovich demanding that David Stern veto this trade like he is the commissioner of a fantasy league.

Obviously some of these trades there would be cash considerations and future draft picks but the trade machine doesn’t allow you to add those in.

My hope is that the NBA trade deadline is as active and crazy as it could be and isn’t just all talk while living up to the No Balls Association name that Simmons coined a few years back.

Nick is a contributor to Stacheketball and full time lover of all things roundball related. Follow him on Twitter to discuss basketball or if you can help him get in touch with Mila Kunis @Jubanator14