If you are Steve Nash and you are going to sit out some NBA basketball games, you might as well play soccer

Nobody lives forever and apparently nobody starts most NBA games forever. Steve Kerr is planning to play Steve Nash in only 70 of the teams 82 games. That is the plan anyway.

Steve Kerr is a disciple of Gregg Popovich, the coach of the Spurs. His theory is to keep his star players rested for the playoffs.

Looking at Tim Duncan’s minutes, Popovich has rested his big guy more and more over the course of the first half of the season — when the Spurs often get written off — and then works him up to full speed in the second half, when they “coincidentally” move to the top of the standings.

Nash played in all but one of the regular-season games last season.

source

Should be interesting to see if Steve Kerr pulls this off. Steve Nash often looks like the energizer bunny on the floor and it is hard to see him wanting to sit any games out let alone 12 of them.

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Tim Duncan, the Big Fundamental, goes to work on New Jersey

How do they do it?

They do it with defense.

The San Antonio Spurs have the best record in the Western Conference. They just extended their longest winning streak of the season with a 10th win in a row against the Vince Carter New Jersey Nets. They are one game better than the Kobe Lakers.

San Antonio 81 – New Jersey 70

That’s right, 70 stinking points.

“Think about this. They won the game shooting 33 percent,” New Jersey coach Lawrence Frank said. “That just shows you how good they are. Those guys are the gold standard. They make you grind it out.” source

Tim Duncan

As usual, it was Tim Duncan leading the way.

Tim Duncan had 29 points and 12 rebounds for his 37th double-double of the season, and the Spurs overcame their offensive struggles to beat the New Jersey Nets 81-70 on Tuesday night for their 10th straight victory.

Manu Ginobili added 12 points.

New Jersey

No more Jason Kidd in New Jersey, so now it is Vince Carter leading the way with 19 points. New point guard Devin Harris had 13 points.

One had to realize that before it was all said and done that San Antonio would be back in the saddle leading the way in the Western Conference.

NBA Basketball Fan Question Will the Spurs be in the NBA Finals once again?

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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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Tim Duncan says “You have to stop me to get to the finals

The Lakers picked up Pau Gasol, so they would not lose any momentum when Andrew Bynum was injured. When Bynum comes back, you have a front court of Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum, and Lamar Odom to go with Kobe Bryant. Arguably a powerful lineup.

The Phoenix Suns dealt the Matrix for Shaquille O’Neal. The Suns needed a center to get past the Spurs and because the Gasol deal had moved the Lakers ahead of them. If Shaq can turn it on one more time for the speedy Suns with Amare Stoudemire moving to power forward and Steve Nash wanting to win a ring before he retires, then the deal will look brilliant.

Even the San Francisco Warriors picked up Chris Weber, because they have playoff potential and are seeking any edge they can find.

So the Spurs looked around and decided to take…no one.

Yeah, that is right. No one.

“I never feel pressure to make a deal,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “We talk to everybody, just like the other 29 teams. If something makes sense, we’ll do it. But making deals because you feel pressure is a recipe for failure.” source

Now the San Antonio Spurs did sign Damon Stoudamire to fill in for the injured Tony Parker, but that is it.

Their record does not look quite as sparkling as usual due to various injuries, but come playoff time you still have to knock off the Big Fundamental if you want to win the West.

NBA Basketball Fan Question Are the Spurs still the team to beat?

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LeBron James knows he must improve for Cleveland to win

It is not often that LeBron James is humbled.

It is even less often that the King is shown to be at a deficit with his hoop skills.

The Cleveland Cavaliers surprised a lot of teams last year, but unless LeBron and the team improve, they will fall behind the Pistons, Celtics, and probably the Magic.

And right now LeBron is behind Kobe in his ability to finish a game.

In last year’s Championship, the San Antonio Spurs took LeBron and basically punished him.

So the Spurs took LeBron out behind the woodshed?

Well, not exactly, but something like that.

The San Antonio Spurs prevented LeBron James from dominating in last year’s NBA Championship series.

The Spurs, given more than enough time to game plan, took advantage of his shortcomings during the Finals. Bruce Bowen chased him wherever he went, and when James did penetrate, he usually found a four-man wall waiting for him.

The Spurs’ goal: If James wanted to drive, he was going to have to plow through a crowd of them to do so. Instead, they dared James to fire pick-and-roll jumpers, and he didn’t make nearly enough, shooting just 32 percent in the four-game sweep. source

The King was not going to side idly by and let this public humiliation escape away without rectifying some soft spots in his game.

So, LeBron James went to work this past summer.

So James brought Cleveland’s shooting coach, Chris Jent, with him nearly everywhere he went last summer. Jent was in Las Vegas working with James as he trained with Team USA. He accompanied him to Los Angeles for the ESPYs. To New England for a working vacation.

The results aren’t hard to see. Just ask the Memphis Grizzlies, whom James hung 51 points on Tuesday. He’s leading the league in scoring, averaging 29.8 points per game while shooting a career-best 48.7 percent. James’ three-point percentage has dropped slightly, but his midrange game has never been better.

Now that the King has improved, LeBron would like to see the team improve. One area of definite improvement would be more talent.

“They have to get LeBron more help,” one scout said recently.

The GM, Danny Ferry, has twice tried to get Mike Bibby, asked about Andre Miller of the Sixers, tried to put together a package for Jason Kidd of the Nets. So far no luck.

Geez, LeBron takes the team all the way to the finals without talent. How scary would the Cav’s be with talent?

One thing is for sure, LeBron will be working on his game in the meantime to get better.

NBA Basketball Fan Question Is LeBron the best player in the NBA?

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Rasheed says – You will now be eaten alive!

Rasheed is the reluctant superstar.

At times, Rasheed is as dominant as any player on the floor and at times, Rasheed just seems to disappear.

When Wallace disappears, he can do it quietly just as well as he does it loudly. Most of us remember the loudly, but long time watchers also notice the quietly.

But like a sleeping Bear, beware when Rasheed wants to be the dominant force. He will wake up and eat your team alive.

The Rasheed that showed up in San Antonio was of the wake up the bear variety.

You just cannot stop Rasheed when he wants it and he wanted it against Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs.

Final Score Pistons 90 Spurs 80.

Wallace was all head-shakes and scowls after two frustrating losses to Boston and Dallas. He was all smiles, dancing and dunking here Thursday.

“We could lose 10 games in a row, but we’re the type of team, we don’t hang our head. We don’t walk around moping — that’s not us,” said Wallace, who produced 23 points, 15 rebounds, two blocks and three steals in the Pistons’ reassuring 90-80 win over the defending champion Spurs at the AT&T Center where the Spurs had won 17 of 19.

“We all want to win too much,” Wallace continued. “Everybody in here is a winner.” source

Rasheed is one of the most quotable players in the league with a refreshing view on everything. Tim Duncan of the Spurs is at the opposite end of the quote spectrum. When asked what happened, he replied.

“It’s not even the turnovers,” Duncan said. “It’s just everything: The missed shots, the turnovers, the turnovers turn into easy baskets, us working hard and them getting an easy play at the other end. Just all of that came at once tonight.” source

Even though the pesky defense of Lindsey Hunter on Manu Ginobili produced a couple of turnovers and a 7 point outburst that helped determine the game, it was still a night that belonged to Rasheed.

“When Sheed is locked in and focused like that, he is, without a doubt, our No. 1 option,” said Billups, who added 11 points for Detroit. “He does something out there that nobody can do.”

The Pistons and Spurs could easily meet in the NBA Finals, so for Rasheed to have his way will alter how Tim Duncan and the Spurs play Wallace the next time.

You just cannot wake the bear and expect to have a pleasant conversation. You have to run for your lives when Rasheed wants to play!

NBA Basketball Fan Question Who else would qualify as a reluctant superstar?

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John Shuhmann of NBA.com presents his power rankings.

Let’s take a stroll through his top ten.

1. Boston is on top even though they lost to Detroit snapping their home winning streak. The Detroit game came after the rankings came out. Kevin Garnett is the leader in the clubhouse for MVP of the National Basketball Association.

2. San Antonio is Tim Duncan.

3. Detroit is on a crazy roll led by Rasheed Wallace and Chauncey Billups.

4. Dallas is fourth and after the rankings went out and beat Phoenix with a strong game from Dirk Nowitski.

5. Phoenix is struggling a little and Steve Nash almost helped pull out that game against Dallas.

6. Lakers? Led by Andrew Bynum? His name is not Kobe?

7. Orlando with possible MVP Dwight Howard a monster in the middle.

8. New Orleans with Chris Paul.

9. Denver has Carmelo and AI and not enough basketballs.

10. Toronto continues to surprise and maybe you should get used to it.

NBA Basketball Fan Question Is your team missing from the Top 10?

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The return of James, your basketball author. Now the good and the bad. The good is that my most excellent boss and coworkers filled in quite nicely and that is most appreciated.The bad is that James is diagnosed with Cancer and undergoing chemotherapy. Fear not, they say the cancer is one that is curable, so let us move forward with our dreams of basketball!

John Schuhmann gives you the NBA.com power rankings with emphasis on the top 5.

1. San Antonio – last week number 3.

source

Author’s take – hard to argue. Best half court D and Tim D on O. Both recipes for playoff victory.

2. Boston – last week number 1. Unbeaten at home. Great D.

Author’s take – Boston deserves this ranking, but it is a long season and this group is still new together. Ask me again in February.

3. Phoenix – last week number 2. Grant Hill had an awesome game against the Knicks.

Author’s take – Grant gives them another weapon, like they needed one. Steve Nash is a premier player, but does the Phoenix all offense style get you past San Antonio?

4. Orlando – last week number 4. Dwight Howard is putting up MVP numbers.

Author’s take – who would have believed this team would be this good. Still Dwight is young and the playoffs are typically won by teams that have been there.

5. Utah – last week number 5. They beat the Lakers without Boozer or Okur.

Author’s take – A big team with a great young point guard. Hard to argue here.

The Pistons, Hornets, and Mavs come next with Chris Paul lighting it up for the Hornets.

NBA Basketball Fan Question Who is your number 1 team?

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