The Phoenix Suns came to play this year, led by MVP candidate Steve Nash and coached by Terry Porter.

NBAObsessed has written about Steve and the Suns before.

This one came out yesterday:

Steve Nash and the Red Hot Suns

And this one came out a week ago:

Steve Nash is raising Arizona

Now the Phoenix Suns are leading the Power Rankings from NBA.com edging out the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers. Here is what John Shuman had to say about Phoenix.

Pace: 100.6 (2), Off: 109.1 (5), Def: 103.8 (15)
Most impressive about the Suns’ start is that five of their seven games have been on the road. In handing the Celtics their first loss on Friday, they made Boston look like a bad defensive team. Then the Suns got defensive themselves in Washington.
source

Surprising Atlanta is positioned at number 6 by sacrificing defense for offense led by Jamal Crawford the former New York Knick.

Even more surprising is Portland at number 9 using a 3 guard lineup featuring Andre Miller the former 76er.

LeBron is stuck at 11

Woeful, at least woeful for Cleveland, the Cavaliers are placed at number 11. NBAObsessed warned that adding Shaq may plug up the middle and slow down the team. There are no doubts that Shaq can still play high caliber ball for a game or two, but for a season? Remains to be seen. Hopefully Shaq proves NBAObsessed wrong on this one, because how can you not root for the Shaq?

Mike Brown admits that he’s still experimenting with his lineups, looking for the right combinations. The Shaq/Ilgauskas twin-towers frontcourt is even (+0) in 33 minutes of floor time, but Shaq and LeBron are a -11 in 122 minutes together. They need time.

As a side note my Detroit Pistons are lagging back at number 18, three spots up from last week, but have lost Hamilton and Prince to injuries and are depending on an aging Ben Wallace.

Chris Paul and the Hornets are stuck at 25. What has happened to them?

Last and least are the Knicks and Nets. New York is certainly hurting for good basketball right now.

Photo source Newscom

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Kobe Bryant gets Pau Gasol

Which teams benefited the most from the recent signing frenzy?

10. Kidd to Mavericks – This trade fell through, would still have been a great move for the Mavs.

9. Kidd to Mavericks – This trade worked after about a week, is taking longer than that for it to work for the Mavs. Dirk Nowitzki gets the ball in the right place.

8. Bibby to Hawks – Young team needed a scoring leader. Bibby is that man.

7. Ratliff to Pistons – Pistons needed defensive help in the post. Ratliff already pays dividends in Sheed’s absence.

6. Cassell to Celtics – Celtics worry about Rondo. Cassell will get some of his minutes.

5. Thomas to Spurs – Duncan gets some more power underneath.

4. Wallace to Cavs – LeBron gets some defensive help in the post.

3. Korver to Jazz – The Jazz get instant outside shooting off the bench.

2. Shaq to Suns – The Suns get half court defense for the playoffs. Nash assists can now go with Shaq rebounds.

1. Gasol to Lakers – The Lakers will have tallest front line when Bynum returns. Kobe has a second scoring punch.

NBA Basketball Fan Question Did your team make a deal?

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LeBron became the youngest player to reach 10,000 points in the history of the National Basketball Association.

With LeBron coming out of High School scoring like crazy it is no surprise.

Kobe Bryant made 10,000 points at the age of 24 years and 193 days.

LeBron James made 10,000 points at the age of 23 years and 59 days.

Hey, we are getting a numberish here, but you get the idea. Both of these players are great star players and scoring machines.

James did it in 368 games, the ninth fastest in NBA history.

It should be mentioned that the Cavaliers lost this game to Kevin Garnett and the Boston Celtics. Oh well.

Kevin Garnett scored 18 points with 11 rebounds to help Boston win its third straight and improve to 2-2 for the season against the defending Eastern Conference champions. The Cavaliers were playing their third game with four new players, including Ben Wallace, acquired in an 11-player, three-team deal at the trading deadline. source

Unreal Records

Here are some other scoring records by the great Wilt “the Stilt” Chamberlain.

Most Points Per Game
50.4 by Wilt Chamberlain, 1961-62

Most 50 Point Games
45 by Wilt Chamberlain, 1961-62

Most 40 Point Games
63 by Wilt Chamberlain, 1961-62

Most Field Goals Made
1,597 by Wilt Chamberlain, 1961-62 (50.6 FG%)

Most Field Goals Attempted
3,159 by Wilt Chamberlain, 1961-62

Highest Field Goal Percentage
72.7% by Wilt Chamberlain, 1972-73 (426 made in 586 attempts)

Most of these records will never be broken.

Maybe LeBron’s will not be broken with the current have to be a freshman in college rule.

NBA Basketball Fan Question Does scoring 10,000 points quickly impress you?

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The quiet notes will take quick looks at what is going on in the NBA.

The top teams are:

(in no particular order)

San Antonio Spurs (now with Kurt Thomas) until proven otherwise in the playoffs

Detroit Pistons now with added youth

Boston Celtics with the 3 amigos

The hottest team:

Houston Rockets with an energized T-Mac and best center Yao

Biggest question?

Who will play better? Cleveland with Wallace or Chicago with Gooden?

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LeBron James All Star MVP – Time to get out of Dodge err Cleveland!

With David Stern happy to have NBA Marketing Icon LeBron James as the MVP of the 2008 All Star game, the world can move on.

If you had to lay odds, it had to be James as MVP.

The NBA is a marketing organization, not a sports organization. Right now the future of the NBA seems secure, with possible expansion out of the USA and many stars in the league, but it can change fast and David Stern knows that.

Don’t get me wrong, LeBron is so good he probably would win the MVP of the All Star game anyway, almost every year.

It wouldn’t be long until these pulsating final minutes of this fabulous All-Star Game ultimately belonged to the genius of its Most Valuable Player with 27 points, nine assists and eight rebounds. It wouldn’t be long until commissioner David Stern passed him his second trophy at 23 years old, and the world would see who the star of stars was again at New Orleans Arena.

“LeBron is a freight train when he goes to that basket,” West coach Byron Scott sighed. “He’s so big, and so strong – so quick and so powerful. It’s hard to stop him when he gets the momentum going like that.” source

Now it is time to plan for LeBron to leave Cleveland.

The Cavaliers will have a hard time putting together consistent teams in Cleveland.

Over the summer, LeBron, Bryant and Jason Kidd were grumbling teammates with Team USA. Bryant wanted out of Los Angeles. Kidd wanted a trade to Cleveland. And James just wanted someone to share the burden with him. Well, the two point guards whom Cleveland GM Danny Ferry had tried to obtain for two years – Kidd and Mike Bibby – are on the way to Dallas and Atlanta.

The NBA needs to keep LeBron on the highest stage possible. That stage would be the NBA Playoffs and probably at least the Conference Finals. Hopefully the Championship series itself.

You can’t market Tim Duncan.

As much as it hurts your intrepid author (a huge Pistons fan), the League does not want anymore San Antonio Spurs vs. Detroit Pistons series. To fans outside of those teams, it is boring. They play defense.

Think of Kevin Garnett’s Boston Celtics vs. Kobe’s Lakers.

Think of Steve Nash and the Shaq bringing the Suns in to play LeBron James when he is on the Knicks (without Isiah).

Maurice Brooks writes for NBA.com and has an ongoing article keeping track of his Top Ten nominations for NBA MVP.

It is called Race to the MVP Weekly Leaders.

Let’s take a look at Maurice’s list with your intrepid author’s comments in italics.

LeBron says – It is all about team (yeah, right)

1. LeBron – Last Week’s Rank – 1
The Cavs are six games below .500 without James in the lineup and 13 games above it when he plays. This past week I received a large amount of e-mails pointing out that he is in the East. Do you really think his stats would be any worse if he were in the West? As well as he has balled this season, he has been even better lately, averaging nearly 33 points, nine boards and six assists over his past six games.

You will get no argument from me. LeBron is bringing it right now and his team is winning.

2. Chris Paul

Wow, Maurice goes out of his way to rake Deron Williams over the coals, but the Hornets are hot right now and that helps.

3. Kobe Bryant

Maurice seems to think Pau Gasol will reduce Kobe’s chance to win the MVP, but your gallivanting author thinks it will increase his chances. Pau will be a number two star that will keep the winning coming, especially when they get Bynum back.

4. Steve Nash – I know there are a bunch of fans checking out R2MVP right now and wondering how come this guy is always in the top five. We’ll start with the fact that he is a great teammate, shoots over 50 percent from the floor and over 90 percent from the line, leads the league in assists and is the best player on the best team in the West and go from there.

Nash is unbelievable, but it is how he incorporates Shaq that will make the difference.

5. Dwight Howard

Maurice kids Dwight a bit and he is an emerging star, but this ranking just seems too high.

6. Allen Iverson

The only person that plays less D is Melo.

7. Paul Pierce

An unrecognized star for years, there is still the question of how well he will play number two star to Kevin Garnett.

8. Dirk Nowitzki

Wait a minute, this guy plays less D than AI.

9. Baron Davis

Love watching this guy play, but then Stephon Marbury amazes me too.

10. Kevin Garnett

This guy has to be in the top five. Come on.

Love Maurice’s column, but does he have to get down on Rasheed Wallace being picked for the All Star game? Rasheed has his ups and downs, but the Pistons are nothing without him. He routinely shuts down opposing centers and power forwards and scores his share in the Pistons balanced scoring offense.

Defense needs to be included in the MVP award and sadly is not.

Where is Tim Duncan?

NBA Basketball Fan Question Who is missing from your Top Ten?

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Your intrepid author has been warning you that it is a long season.

It is much too early to hand the crown over to the Boston Celtics.

Now with the Western Conference top teams adding Shaq, Weber, and Gasol and the Spurs healing up and adding Stoudamire, it is even more reason to not hand over the NBA Title to the Boston Celtics.

Not that we should give up on the Lucky Green men, but take a look at this recent quote from Detroit Pistons GM Joe Dumars:

On the Boston Celtics possibly riding their superstars too much:

“All I will say is this: We’ve seen it before. I think it’s great for them, it’s exciting for them, we’ve been there before with the gaudy record. Phoenix was there a few years ago with the gaudy record. Dallas had a gaudy record, Miami had a gaudy record, and none of us got to where we wanted to get to in that particular year.

So all I’m saying is that we’ve seen it. We’ve done it, we’ve lived that gaudy record that they’re living right now, and it didn’t pay dividends for us so I would tell people to hold up on presenting that trophy just yet, because there’s a lot of basketball yet to be played. A lot of playoff series, and a lot of things can go on.

The gaudy record is nice, but like I said, you go back over the last four years, Detroit, Miami, Phoenix, and Dallas had the same gaudy record that Boston has and none of us won it that year.” source

You see it may come down to how Doc Rivers uses his players or uses them up. The choice will be his.

NBA Basketball Fan Question Are you still picking Boston?

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LeBron smiles about his chances

With all the Shaq talk… With all the Jason Kidd talk… With all the Pau Gasol talk… Have you forgotten about LeBron? LeBron James is not a veteran looking to boost an already playoff capable team into the Championship seven game series. LeBron is a young superstar looking to carry the league into the future. He will be here long after all those other guys are gone. Tuesday he took down the Celtics single handedly.

James scored 33 points and barely missed a triple-double as the Cavaliers, playing as well as any team in the NBA, beat Boston for the second time this season with a 114-113 victory on Tuesday night.

GAME REPORT: Cavaliers 114, Celtics 113

James added 12 assists, nine rebounds and five steals to pace the Cavaliers. According to Elias Sports Bureau, James joined Wilt Chamberlain (1961-62) as the only players to score at least 30 points in nine straight games against the Celtics. source

Ok, he did have some help with Booby Gibson making some key plays.

But Booby Gibson is not going to be your second superstar.

Gibson or not, the Cav’s seem to have the Celtics number at home.

It was the Cavs’ sixth straight victory over the Celtics at home and their 11th victory over the Celtics in their past 14 games. source

After a slow start, Cleveland is right back in the picture sitting in second place in the Central Division. If you get LeBron in the playoffs, anything can happen. After all, LeBron can do it all! NBA Basketball Fan Question Will LeBron be able to carry the Cav’s by himself? As always, any NBA Basketball related comments are welcome. More blogs about basketball.

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Pau Gasol brings scoring to the Lakers

The Lakers essentially traded less than nothing to the Lakers for Pau Gasol.

In an unbelievable pickup the Lakers are right back in the hunt for the NBA Championship.

Wait a minute, is Pau that good?

No, but that is the beauty of it all, Pau Gasol does not have to be that good.

Right now he is a fill in for Andrew Bynum. When Bynum gets back you have a Pau Gasol that can put up points in the triangle offense, get some rebounds, give the Lakers more length, and present a mismatch on the floor at all times.

Have you ever seen this guy play?

He has a funky release on his jump shot, but it consistently goes in. Pau can knock down mid-range after mid-range jump shot with that funky release.

Other GM’s in the league are shaking their heads.

Around the league, the reaction of executives and coaches was unanimous: What a nightmare for us. When reached with the news, one Western Conference executive said simply, “Are you kidding? (Expletive) me.” source

They just realized that you will not get Kobe in a trade from the Lakers, he is going nowhere now and that the Lakers are for real. Suddenly Lamar Odom is a distant fourth option on this team.

Kobe celebrated by putting up 47 points on the Raptors.

David Stern

Think of the wild thoughts going through the Commissioner’s head right now. He has the golden memories of all those Boston LA series with Larry Bird of the Big Three vs. Magic Johnson and Kareem Jabbar.

Now, Stern is thinking Kevin Garnett of the Big Three (Ray Allen, Paul Pierce) vs. Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum.

Stern is smart enough to see he role the Pau plays in this and also to see the immense marketing dollars.

Funny how a single trade of a guy that no one was talking about can change things so quickly.

As for Memphis? They are just unloading salary and cleaning house. They are pathetic and know it. Time to start over.

NBA Basketball Fan Question Has Mitch Kupchak delivered?

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Kevin Garnett is injured.

Kevin Garnett is old in basketball years. 32 in May. 13 seasons.

The man is also the Big One of the Big Three.

Boston needs an healthy Garnett.

Both of these items could spell problems for the Celtics.

Forward Kevin Garnett tried to convince coach Doc Rivers on the bus ride from the team hotel that he might be healthy enough to play against Orlando yesterday. Rivers, however, wouldn’t budge.

Garnett missed his first game of the season with an abdominal strain. Garnett missed part of the fourth quarter of the Celtics’ win over the Timberwolves Friday night with the injury, which he said has been bothering him recently.

“That muscle in the stomach is not anything you play with,” Rivers said. “From the history of other players that have had it, he can actually be injured and be out for a while. We’re lucky that he caught it early enough.

“He may play Tuesday [at Miami], may. But I doubt that. I just think we go day to day with it. It’s just not worth taking a chance.”  source

Injuries to Shaq and Wade derailed the Heat the last few years.

With the age of the Big Three, could this be an issue for the Celtics?

Keep in mind, just like Larry Bird was to the original Big Three, Kevin Garnett is the one player the Celtics can not afford to lose.

Paul Pierce and Ray Allen would not be able to carry the Celtics for any long period of time and definitely not in the playoffs.

NBA Basketball Fan Question  Will age creep up on Kevin Garnett and the Celtics?

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