Tonight, they’ll have a chance to see just how good they really are when they play the defending NBA Champions. The Los Angeles Lakers are currently 6-1, and they are on a mission to repeat.

“When you’re playing the world champs, it’s always a great measuring stick,” said Nash, according to ESPN.com. “Now we go to LA and see how good we are.”

The Phoenix Suns will try to keep Kobe Bryant in check when they face off against the Lakers in L.A. tonight.

Accurate shooting, a high-flying offense and good defense have helped get the Suns off to one of their best starts since the 1980-81 season. After beating the New Orleans Hornets by 20 points last night, All-Star guard Chris Paul had this to say:

“They’re like the Phoenix Suns of my rookie year and my second year in the league. I give them a lot of credit. They did a great job of putting those pieces back together.”

We’ll see how those pieces can measure up against Kobe Bryant and the Lakers tonight.

Image: Zuma Press

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High-Flying Suns Ready For The Champions

As is always the case, LeBron James led the way for Cleveland. He had 36 points, eight rebounds and four assists in 39 minutes. He hit 13-of-23 field goals and 8-of-9 free throws. Mo Williams, who joined James in the All-Star Game last season, had 28 points and six assists.

Vince Carter was the lone bright spot for the Magic. He had 29 points and five rebounds in 35 minutes. Howard, who dominated the Cavs last year in the playoffs, was limited to just three field goal attempts on his way to 11 points and seven rebounds.

With the win, the Cavs improve to 5-3. The loss dropped the Magic to 6-3. The two teams play again on Feb. 11 in Cleveland.

LeBron James and the Cavs got revenge (Image: Zuma Press)

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Cavs Smash Magic in ECF Rematch

Thabeet was injured during the first half of Tuesday night’s game when his jaw collided with teammate Zach Randolph’s head. The 22-year-old Thabeet had just entered the game a minute prior to the collision. The 7-foot-3 center out of UConn was the second overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft.

Image: Zuma Press

So far this young season, Thabeet has averaged 6.8 minutes per game and tallied six total blocks in six contests. Memphis was 1-6 entering Tuesday night’s game — last in the Southwest Division.  At this time, it’s not known how much time Thabeet will miss.  Some players have been able to come back from a broken jaw after a couple weeks, playing with their jaw wired shut.

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Rookie Thabeet Breaks Jaw

“I was a free agent and it was natural to explore my options,” Nash said, according to ESPN.com. “Some people said I was a little crazy going back to Phoenix because I wouldn’t have as good a chance to win. I liked the team and coaches and I was comfortable.”

Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns are on the rise after going 4-1 during a five-game road trip.

From the outset, it looks like Nash made the right decision. The Suns are on the rise in the West, wrapping up a five-game road trip with a 4-1 record. Last night, in a game against the Philadelphia 76ers, Nash registered the first 20-20 in points and assists in the NBA since  Jan. 2, 2006, at New York (where he totaled 22 assists — the highest in his career).

Life with out Shaq on the court seems much brighter as well, as the Suns are back to their high-flying, quick-scoring ways.

The college basketball season also got underway last night. Here are some quick highlights:

• Jim Boeheim reached his 800th win at Syracuse.
• North Carolina is ranked #4 in the nation, even though they lost four starters to the NBA.
• Isiah Thomas lost his first game as head coach for FIU against the defending champs, UNC.

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Looks Like Nash Made The Right Decision

By the end of the game, the Raptors were reminded that the Spurs have a few other very good players — namely Manu Ginobili and Richard Jefferson. Ginobili had 36 points, eight assists, four rebounds and four blocks as the Spurs utilized a strong fourth quarter to post a 131-124 victory.

Jefferson, who was acquired via trade from the Milwaukee Bucks in the offseason, had 24 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. George Hill and Matt Bonner also chipped in with 22 points and 18 points, respectively.

For the Raptors, it was a case of the defense simply not doing enough. They allowed the Spurs to score more than 30 points in each quarters, including 38 in the decisive final stanza. On offense, Toronto was led by Chris Bosh’s 32 points. Hedo Turkoglu had 20 points for the Raptors, while Andrea Bargnani had 17.

With the win, the Spurs are now 3-3. The Raptors fell to 3-4 with the loss.

Gregg Popovich has to be happy with the Spurs victory (Image: Zuma Press)

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Spurs top Raptors without Duncan and Parker

There were also rumors circulating that “The Answer” is frustrated and discontent with his new reserve role for Memphis. Iverson is used to being the star and the go-to player. He’s not used to coming off the bench in a supporting role.

Allen Iverson is considering retiring after 14 seasons in the NBA.

But this is the way it is, and Iverson isn’t the player he used to be.  Somehow,  his selfishness and ego have always managed to get in the way of his success and it’s the main reason why Memphis was the only team who expressed interest in signing him in the off-season. Terrible teams will take risks on players with poor personalities. Look at Terrell Owens.  After he left Dallas, his lack of production and off-putting personality hindered his chances of signing with a playoff-caliber team. Instead, he landed in Buffalo where his numbers are shaping up to be the worst of his NFL career.

Iverson is in a similar situation. But rather than suffer through what is sure to be a disappointing NBA season, he’d rather call it quits.

It’s a shame that he has to go out like this.  But unfortunately,  “The Answer” has run out of answers.

Image:  Zuma Press

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Iverson Contemplating Retirement

The Nets say that there isn’t any time table for his return — it’s just a matter of when the 6-foot-7 swingman feels he is healthy enough to get back on the court.

On the season, Douglas-Roberts is averaging 15.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 34.8 minutes per game. He has also connected on 19-of-21 free throws. Last season as a rookie, Douglas-Roberts averaged less than five points per contest.

Despite the improvement by Douglas-Roberts, the Nets are winless on the season. At 0-7, the Nets have been hit hard by the injury bug. In addition to Douglas-Roberts getting swine flu, the Nets are without Devin Harris (groin strain), Yi Jianlian (knee injury) and Courtney Lee (groin strain). In fact, the only healthy starter at the moment for New Jersey is Brook Lopez.

Chris Douglas-Roberts has swine flu (Image: Zuma Press)

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Swine Flu Sidelines Chris Douglas-Roberts

Going up against the Washington Wizards, Hansbrough had 13 points and five rebounds. He was 3-for-7 from the field and 7-for-10 at the line. The Pacers ended up blowing out the Pacers 102-86.

The Pacers were led by Danny Granger’s 22 points, six rebounds, four steals, two assists and two blocks. TJ Ford and Dahntay Jones had 18 points for Indiana.

Caron Butler had 24 points and 12 rebounds for the Wizards. Gilbert Arenas had 13 points and five assists.

Hansbrough has been bothered by injuries for most of the last few months. However, now that he’s healthy, expect him to get consistent playing time. It’ll be interesting to see if he can translate his success in college to the NBA.

Tyler Hansbrough made his Pacers debut (Image: Zuma Press)

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Tyler Hansbrough Impressive in Debut

The 6-foot-9, 290-pound forward for the Boston Celtics was once a standout football player in high school, but like Greg Paulus he decided to accept a basketball scholarship to LSU instead. (Paulus was rated the top high school quarterback in the country before he accepted a scholarship to play basketball at Duke University for Coach K.) Davis just signed a $6 million two-year deal with the Celtics, so he won’t be making any NFL moves just yet.

“One of my dreams has always been to play football,” he said, according to ESPN.com. “I definitely could have made it to the NFL.”

“Big Baby” is well-known for his crying fits on the Celtics‘ bench, so he’s going to have to get some thicker skin if he intends to play in the NFL.

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“Big Baby” Davis Wants To Play In The NFL

Howard had 25 points and six rebounds in only 23 minutes as he battled foul trouble. Anderson, who is starting at power forward while Rashard Lewis serves a suspension, had 20 points and ten rebounds. The second-year bigman was acquired in the trade during the offseason that sent Vince Carter from the New Jersey Nets to the Magic.

The Suns, who were outscored 64-48 in the second half, were led by Amare Stoudemire’s 25 points and 15 rebounds. Steve Nash, who has been playing very well early in the 2009-10 NBA season, was held to 12 points and four assists.

The Suns next take on the Boston Celtics on Friday night, while the Magic play the Detroit Pistons on the same day.

Dwight Howard and the Magic and very good once again (Image: Zuma Press)

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Magic Hand Suns First Defeat