If you are playing playoff fantasy basketball, these two games could hold a lot of meaning for you. Which players could shine in their Game 7 contest?

Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic
After the Magic lost Game 5, Dwight Howard had a meltdown. He basically blamed the loss on not getting the ball enough. Howard got the ball a lot in Game 6 and expect him to get the ball a lot in Game 7.

Paul Pierce, Boston Celtics
When it comes to big times and big moments, Paul Pierce is usually the Celtics player who steps up. He has had some bad moments in this series but expect him to go off in Game 7.

Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
Is there any doubt who the Lakers will go to in Game 7? Kobe Bryant could very likely end up with 40 or more points as the Lakers battle for their playoff lives against the Rockets.

Luis Scola, Houston Rockets
Without both Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady, Luis Scola is now arguably the best player on the Rockets. In Game 6, he dominated the action early on in the ballgame and helped the Rockets force a Game 7.

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Ben Gordon, Chicago Bulls (Image: Newscom)

An MRI on Monday showed that Gordon suffered a strained left hamstring. If this were the regular season, Gordon could possibly miss action. However, with the Bulls in the middle of a battle with the Celtics, you should expect Gordon to play. If you are playing playoff fantasy basketball, Gordon should be safe to keep in your starting lineup.

In the playoffs, Gordon has been very good. He’s averaging 24.8 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game, while shooting 46.1% from the field and 40.9% on three-pointers. Gordon has hit a number of big shots for the Bulls and is the go-to scorer for the young Bulls squad.

With the Bulls and Celtics tied going into Game 5, the Bulls will need a healthy Gordon to have any chance to pull off the upset.

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In Game 2 against the Chicago Bulls, Powe suffered a knee injury that was later diagnosed as a torn ACL and a torn meniscus in his left knee. Depending on how the surgery goes, there’s a chance that Powe might not be able to begin next season on the active roster.

Powe now joins Kevin Garnett in street clothes. Garnett is dealing with his own knee injury that will likely keep him out for the postseason as well. Without both Powe and Garnett, the Celtics’ chances of winning back-to-back titles appear to be extremely slim.

During the regular season, Powe averaged 7.7 points and 4.9 rebounds per game in 70 contests.

The Celtics are currently tied with the Bulls at 1-1 in the best out of seven first round series.

Here is a video of Leon Powe’s amazing performance in Game 2 of the 2008 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers:

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Kevin Garnett Injury News (Image: Newcom)

After Garnett struggled through a series of games and practices, the Celtics have decided to shut him down for the time being. Boston announced that he will miss at least the next four games. In the best case scenario, Garnett would be ready to return for the last three regular season games.

For fantasy basketball purposes, Garnett isn’t very valuable at this point. The only way he holds any value at all is if your team will need production in the very last week of the regular season. Even then, it doesn’t sound certain that Garnett will be ready to go.

The Celtics right now are concerned only about getting Garnett healthy for the playoffs. If he isn’t healthy, the postseason run this year won’t be nearly as long as it was for Boston last year. With that in mind, don’t expect the Celtics to risk anything during the regular season. Even if Garnett is active for the last three games, it’s doubtful he would play extended minutes.

If you are looking for a fantasy basketball player who may be able to step up in Garnett’s absence, consider Glen “Big Baby” Davis. Big Baby is averaging 19 points and 11 rebounds per game over the last two outings. In both of those games, Garnett wasn’t able to go and Davis got a lot of the minutes. Another option is Mikki Moore, who is averaging seven points and 10.5 rebounds in his last two outings.

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This is obviously bad news for both the Celtics and Garnett fantasy owners. Although Garnett isn’t having a hugely impressive statistical season, he’s arguably the piece of the puzzle that makes Boston tick.

For the season, Garnett is averaging 16.6 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. Those numbers aren’t very close to his peak numbers while with the Minnesota Timberwolves. However, as long as the Celtics continue to win, don’t expect Garnett to be upset with his production.

With Garnett out, expect Leon Powe, Glenn Davis and Brian Scalabrine to get more minutes. Powe, of the three, has the most upside. His per minute numbers are good and with extended playing time, he could become viable in fantasy basketball.

The other ripple effects on the team will be a bigger role for Kendrick Perkins and more shots for Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo.

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2. Boston Celtics
The reigning NBA champions haven’t looked as dominant as usual as of late. Their lack of depth has been apparent and their Big Three doesn’t always have the needed juice on a game by game basis. That said, they are still the team to beat until someone ends their back-to-back dreams.

3. Orlando Magic
If it wasn’t for their lack of experience, the Magic could very well have the top spot in these 2009 NBA power rankings. The Magic have Dwight Howard in the middle and a bunch of great shooters surrounding him. They will be a tough out in the playoffs.

4. Los Angeles Lakers
Not too long ago, the Lakers looked like they might be the best team in the NBA. But a recent two-game losing streak has exposed a few weaknesses. However, they are dealing with injuries right now and once healthy, expect them to move back into the top three.

5. San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs always seem to hang around near the top. They aren’t going to be the favorite this season but they are another team that no one wants to face in the postseason. If they stay healthy, they’ll have a shot to win it all.

Photo credit: Newscom

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For the Celtics, Marbury would give the team another scorer off the bench. While the bench is solid, it doesn’t have many true scorers outside of Eddie Houston. Marbury could also potentially fill part of the role Sam Cassell filled last season as a guy who comes into the game to put points on the board.

Although he may be useful for the Celtics, there’s not much of a chance that he’d be useful for your fantasy basketball team. First of all, the minutes likely won’t be there for him to do much. Second of all, he didn’t look very good last year and he might not have anything left in the tank.

The only way to even consider adding Marbury to your fantasy basketball team is if Rajon Rondo went down. Even then, it’d be hard to imagine Marbury playing more than 25 minutes per game.

The only way to rush and pick up Marbury is if he ends up signing with a team that will hand him a starting gig and 30+ minutes. He might be worthwhile at that point — but don’t count on that happening.

Photo credit: Newscom

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Ray Allen, Boston Celtics
At points last year in the playoffs, Ray Allen looked like he may be headed to the end of his NBA career. This year, especially in the month of December, Allen has looked very good. For the month, he shooting 53.1% from the field, 44.9% from the three-point arc and 92.3% from the free throw line.

Rashard Lewis, Orlando Magic
To start off the 2008-09 NBA season, Rashard Lewis wasn’t shooting the ball very well. This month, he’s turned it around. Most impressively, he’s hitting 44.9% from three-point land on his 6.8 attempts per game. For the month, his scoring average is up to 21.2 points and he’s helping the Magic race up the standings.

Emeka Okafor, Charlotte Bobcats
In his first month under Larry Brown, Emeka Okafor looked lost on the offense end. Now he’s tearing it up offensively. For the month of December, Okafor is shooting better than 61% from the field and is averaging 18.1 points per game. To put that in perspective, he averaged only 10.3 points per game in November.

Photo credit: Newscom

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1. Boston Celtics
Is there any debate? The Celtics seemingly can’t lose.

2. Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers were expected to be very good and they are.

3. Cleveland Cavaliers
LeBron finally has a legit championship contender.

4. New Orleans Hornets
Chris Paul makes the Hornets capable of winning every night.

5. Orlando Magic
Dwight Howard is a beast and his teammates fit.

6. San Antonio Spurs
Now healthy, the Spurs are making a run.

7. Denver Nuggets
The Chauncey Billups trade looks better and better.

8. Houston Rockets
If they can get healthy, they can still contend.

9. Detroit Pistons
They are still transitioning but they have the talent.

10. Atlanta Hawks
Young team but they are getting better quickly.

Photo credit: Newscom

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The commercial splices together Garnett talking about what it takes to win an NBA championship. And right now, Garnett would have to be considered an expert after the Boston Celtics won the 2008 NBA Championship.

In this upcoming season, the Celtics will try to repeat and Garnett will remain a very good fantasy basketball player. Ironically enough, the tougher it is for Garnett and the Celtics to win during the regular season, the better his stats and the better his fantasy production.

Here is the Kevin Garnett commercial video from his NBATV spot:

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