NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.
Ok, no surprise here in the NBA.com Power Rankings.
Yes, it is the Los Angeles Lakers number 1 as they should be, but maybe you should take a look, because they added Ron Artest. If handled correctly he can be a force. And Lamar Odom? They resigned him and he is a difference maker.
There was little doubt that fans in Cleveland, Boston, Orlando, San Antonio and other cities were holding out hope that Lamar Odom(notes) would just sign with Miami instead of returning to the Lakers.
As …read more

NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.
It goes without saying that LeBron James cannot be stopped by the Hawks and the series could turn into a sweep.
James leads everyone in the postseason with a 33.7 points-per-game average. He is averaging 36 points per game in this series against the Hawks.
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That is right. 36 points per game. Ouch!
The game is 40 – 38 Cavaliers at halftime and LeBron only has 12. Since when has 12 been an ‘only’ at halftime?
Remember when LeBron came into the league and most observers said he was …read more

NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.
Game 5, Heat vs. Hawks and Josh Smith goes in for a fancy dunk with a between the legs move and misses. It was bad. He was all alone and just blew it.
So that is that and lesson learned, right? Not for Josh Smith. He plans on trying it again and claims that next time it will go down. He is even confident enough to do it in game 7, which is where the Hawks are heading.
Check out this YouTube of the dunk …read more

NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.
These are the type of comparisons we all love to make and your intrepid author is no exception.
Joe Johnson can’t carry Kobe Bryant’s jock strap you may say, but if you break down the stats it turns out he can carry Kobe’s jock strap and carry it rather well.
Entering Tuesday’s game, Bryant was averaging 27.7 points on 47.5 percent from the field, 35.0 percent from 3-point range and 86.9 from the line. Johnson was averaging 21.6 points on 43.3, 34.4 and 80.5 percent, respectively.
Break down Bryant’s points and …read more

NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.

Give credit where due. Marc Stein of ESPN.com writes the Power Rankings for the NBA and it is like a sugary cereal to fans.
This week Orlando is Number 1! Dwight Howard rules.
They swept their season series with the Lakers and the Spurs. They’re 17-5 on the road and 18-4 against the West. And they just beat three division leaders (Spurs, Lakers and Nuggets) on their last trip. Any questions?
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Orlando has an 8 game lead over Atlanta in the Southeast Division.
The Magic are followed by the Cavs, …read more

NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.
Gillette wants you to win a copy of EA Sports NBA 09 for your XBOX 360 right here at NBAObsessed! Details for the giveaway are at the end of this blog.
Gillette Champions of Gaming
Gillette and EA Sports are also sponsoring a big time tournament called the Champions of Gaming. You know you are ready for the big time in EA Sports XBOX 360 Live Gaming. You have worked hard and now it is time to show your stuff.

Now for the cool part. You …read more

NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.
Josh Smith of the Atlanta Hawks or soon the Memphis Grizzlies?

In a surprise move, one of the only teams left with money, the Memphis Grizzlies, have signed Josh Smith to an offer sheet of 58 million dollars for 5 years.
Hawks management had said they would match any offer. They have seven short days to do it.
Josh Smith averaged over 17 points and 8 rebounds last year and is a key part of the playoff Atlanta Hawks team.
Atlanta recently lost 6th man Josh Howard to Greece.
Before losing Josh …read more

NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.
Josh Childress will be taking his game to Greece

Hey, it is called free agency and Josh Childress took it to its extreme by signing with a Greek team. The team is called Olympiakos.
So did Josh just get Olympic fever and get confused?
No, he got 32.5 million bucks. Comparable to what the NBA was offering and for fewer years.
Read that again, comparable to what the NBA was offering and for fewer years.
Atlanta had offered him a five-year, $33 million contract. But the Hawks’ slow-paced negotiating tactics and …read more

NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.
Joe Johnson had 20 in the 4th quarter
Image details: Boston Celtics v Atlanta Hawks – Game Three served by picapp.com

You must admit it.
You did not see this coming.
Atlanta has taken both of their home games and now the series with the Boston Celtics is tied at 2 to 2.
Game 5 is back in Boston.
So how did Atlanta do it?
Well, it may have started with the trade for Mike Bibby.
Oh, you want to know what happened in the game?
After starting the game on a 16-3 run, the Celtics cooled …read more

NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.
The Nuggets are upset, because they just lost to the Utah Jazz in Utah.
They shouldn’t be.
As your intrepid author predicted two days ago, Denver would lose to Utah, while Golden State would probably beat the Clippers at home. Denver is still safe. Denver has the tie breaker.
Golden State is on the road with the Suns and home with the Supersonics. Call that one loss and one victory.
Denver has two home games remaining. One with the Rockets and one with the Grizzlies. Most likely …read more