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NBA Matchup: Los Angeles Clippers @ Los Angeles Lakers

February 25th, 2011

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Los Angeles Clippers at Los Angeles Lakers Fri. Feb. 25, 2011 10:30 p.m. EST

The Los Angeles Clippers are arguably a team on the rise in the Western Conference as they have seen rookie phenom Blake Griffin quickly emerge as a superstar in this league and shooting guard Eric Gordon become one of the best scorers in the NBA. Even though Gordon has been out with injury and Griffin isn’t really getting much help in the scoring department without him, this team does look promising moving forward.

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 27: Blake Griffin #...

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On Weds. Feb. 24, the Clippers made a surprising trade just before the NBA trade deadline. Even though it seemed like center Chris Kaman would be the most likely candidate to be shipped out of Los Angeles before the deadline, former All-Star point guard Baron Davis turned out to be the Clippers biggest bargaining chip as they sent him the Cleveland Cavaliers.

In exchange for Baron Davis and a 2011 first-round draft pick, the Los Angeles Clippers received point guard Mo Williams and small forward Jamario Moon. This was a surprise to say the least as Davis was just starting to get going for the first time with the Clippers as he and Griffin became a deadly duo.

So even though Davis’ future with the Clippers was starting to look up, they decided to take the team in another direction and get rid of Baron’s huge contract in the process.

On Friday night, the Los Angeles Clippers will be the visiting team at Staples Center as they are set to take on the two-time defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers for the third time this season. Ironically enough, the Clippers have given the Lakers a run for their money in all three games this season and might be able to do the same this time around.

Both Williams and Moon should be available for this season’s third Battle of Los Angeles, but just like any trades that go down in the NBA, this will take some time before the Clippers can strike up some team chemistry.

With just 24 games left in the NBA regular season, the Los Angeles Clippers will do everything within their power to contend for the eighth and final playoff spot in the West, but their chances are slim to none right now as they are currently sitting in 13^th place in the Western Conference with a 21-37 record.

LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 08: Blake Griffin ...

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The Los Angeles Lakers will almost certainly be favored to come out on top in this one as they are on a bit of a roll right now. With a 24-point blowout against the Atlanta Hawks followed by an overtime win at the Rose Garden against the Portland Trail Blazers, the defending champs are seemingly back on track and could be ready to pull off another blowout against their cross-town rivals.

This should be an entertaining game with Blake Griffin and Kobe Bryant going back and forth, but with the recent trade made by the Clippers, I believe they will struggle with team chemistry and should fall fairly easy to their big brothers.

NBA Trade Rumors: Carmelo Anthony to the Clippers?

February 24th, 2011 admin

Every single year around this time in the NBA regular season, trade rumors start to circulate around the league as struggling teams try to do what they can before the NBA trade deadline to make their squad better and a legitimate playoff.

Usually when the trade rumors start to circulate there might be one or two big-names on the market. Even though these players are “big-names”, few are actual game changers in terms of single handedly turning around an NBA franchise. This year there is an exception as the Denver Nuggets All-Star forward Carmelo Anthony is reportedly available and ready to leave the Mile High City.

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Before this NBA regular season even began, Carmelo Anthony was offered a three-year contract extension for $65 million dollars. This is huge extension to say the least as not many teams around the league are willing to make this kind of commitment to a player, but the Denver Nuggets know what they have in Melo and didn’t want him to become a free agent before the 2011-2012 season.

Whenever a player like Melo becomes available all the teams in need of a player of his caliber will do anything within their power to get him. Obviously, the Mile High City isn’t exactly the most desirable destination for big-name players like Melo when you have places like New York, Los Angeles and Miami as options.

Over the past couple of months, Melo has been linked to a deal sending him to either the New Jersey Nets or the New York Knicks. Well, after some time and plenty of different offers that were declined, the Nets decided to pass on Melo leaving the New York to be his most likely destination.

To make things even more complicated and intriguing, the two-time defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers were reportedly interested in trading their promising young center Andrew Bynum to Denver in exchange for Carmelo Anthony. With the Lakers recent struggles and inability to beat good teams, the rumors seemed to be for real, but with a win over the Celtics recently, the talks to bring Melo to L.A. could be dead.

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Even though the Lakers may have lost their interest in Carmelo Anthony after their recent resurgence, the All-Star forward might still be headed to Los Angeles, but in a Clippers uniform.

This trade rumor may be the biggest stretch of any we have heard involving Carmelo Anthony, but there may be some truth to it and a slight possibility that it could go down. The most intriguing and exciting part of this possible trade would be seeing Carmelo Anthony playing alongside Baron Davis, Eric Gordon, DeAndre Jordan and most notably rookie phenom Blake Griffin.

If this trade did go down which reportedly would include center Chris Kaman, rookie Al-Farouq Aminu and draft picks, the Clippers would be a legitimate force to be reckoned with in the Western Conference.

Obviously, this is a stretch, but if it did happen the Clippers could quite possibly be the most entertaining team in the league!

Ray Allen passes Reggie Miller for most 3-pointers all-time

February 24th, 2011 admin

Throughout his entire career in the NBA and during his time with the UConn Huskies in college, Ray Allen has been known for his sweet shooting stroke and ability to hit the big three at the right time. Even though the sharpshooter didn’t have much success with the Milwaukee Bucks or the Seattle Supersonics (Oklahoma City Thunder) early in this career in terms of playoff appearances, the deadly accurate outside shooter has quickly become a legend with the Boston Celtics.

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Not only has Allen become one of the vital pieces to the puzzle in Boston and could be on his way to his second NBA title this season, the All-Star guard made his this past Thursday against the Los Angeles Lakers by hitting two three-pointers in the first quarter and officially passing NBA legend Reggie Miller on the all-time list for 3-pointers made.

Here is the current list:

Ray Allen, Boston Celtics- 2,562 (active)

Reggie Miller, Indiana Pacers- 2,560

Jason Kidd, Dallas Mavericks- 1,754 (active)

Dale Ellis, Denver Nuggets/Seattle Supersonics/New Orleans Hornets- 1,719

Peja Stojakovic, Dallas Mavericks- 1,719 (active)

Chauncey Billups, Denver Nuggets- 1,690 (active)

Rashard Lewis, Washington Wizards- 1,667 (active)

Jason Terry, Dallas Mavericks- 1,599 (active)

Glen Rice, Miami Heat/Charlotte Hornets/Los Angeles Lakers- 1,546

Eddie Jones, Los Angeles Lakers/Miami Heat- 1,546

Other actives: 12. Steve Nash, Phoenix Suns & Paul Pierce, Boston Celtics (1,541); 19. Vince Carter, Phoenix Suns (1,383); 20. Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers (1,370)

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With 2,561 3-pointers, Ray Allen is now the new leader in that category and has set an NBA record that will almost certainly stand the test of time. Not only has Allen set record in the first half of this NBA regular season, but with his knack for staying healthy and on the basketball floor every single night, the Celtics’ guard as has an opportunity to possibly stretch that record to 3,000 three-pointers made for his career.

Obviously, hitting another 400+ 3-pointers in the next few years might be a bit of a stretch as he is nearing the end of his NBA career, but he still seems to be playing at a very high level and could make this record near unreachable for the sharpshooters of the future.

As for the Boston Celtics right now, they were unable to get the win against the arch rival Los Angeles Lakers 92-86. Despite not being able to get the best arguably one of the teams in the Western Conference and falling the Charlotte Bobcats before that game, Ray Allen and company are sitting pretty right now and could quite possibly be the best team in the Eastern Conference heading into the All-Star break.

With teams like the Chicago Bulls, Orlando Magic and the Miami Heat in the East, the Boston Celtics will have their work cut out for them in order to reach the NBA Finals for a second consecutive year.

Jerry Sloan steps down as head coach of the Utah Jazz

February 24th, 2011 admin

The one job in professional that is as cutthroat as any today is the head coach position. No matter how good their players may be or how good their team is from season to season, head coaches always seem to be on the hot seat as one season they could be the coach of the year and the next season unemployed.

Every now and then, there is a head coach that can defy the odds and be the face of the franchise for years or maybe even decades. In the NFL, it was the Tennessee Titans’ Jeff Fisher. With 16 seasons on the Titans’ sidelines, Fisher has been able to stand the test of time, but recently stepped down because he felt it was time to leave Tennessee.

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In the NBA, the same thing has happen as Jerry Sloan of the Utah Jazz has finally decided to call it quits. After 23 years as the head coach of the Utah Jazz and 26 years of coaching in the NBA, Jerry Sloan has decided to throw in the towel as he feels that it is time to go. Even though Sloan has been regarded as one of the best NBA head coaches of all-time, the longest tenured head coach never won the Coach of the Year or an NBA title.

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Despite not having the titles or the awards to cement his career amongst the likes of Red Auerbach and Phil Jackson, Jerry Sloan has the respect of everyone in the league and retired NBA legends.

Along with always being able to get the Utah Jazz in the playoffs ever single season, Sloan has also coached some very talented players like Hall of Famers John Stockton, Karl Malone and current players like Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams.

Reportedly, the reason for Jerry Sloan’s sudden resignation was due to a dust up with his point guard Deron Williams during the loss to the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night. This was somewhat ironic as Sloan played for the Bulls in his playing days and lost to Chicago in the only two NBA Finals appearances with the Jazz.

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Like many old school head coaches that have been around forever in professional sports, they like doing things their way and only their way. It hard to argue with head coaches like Jerry Sloan as they have been so successful for such a long time, but there always comes a point in time where the old philosophy just isn’t working and the players aren’t responding.

Unfortunately for Jerry Sloan, that time came against the Chicago Bulls on Thursday and it was enough to retire from the head coaching profession after 26 years on the sidelines in the NBA.

So after 26 years of head coaching in the league, Jerry Sloan will finish his head coaching career with 1,221 wins (1,127 with the Utah Jazz) and third on the all-time wins list behind Lenny Wilkins (1,332) and Don Nelson (1,335).

NBA Power Rankings: Chicago Bulls jump to third

February 24th, 2011 admin

#1 San Antonio Spurs (46-10)

The Spurs may have may suffered a disappointing loss to the Bulls heading into the All-Star break, but they are still without a doubt the best team in the league and a sure bet to come out on top on a nightly basis. If the two-time defending NBA champion Lakers can get back on track in the second half of the season, San Antonio might be in for a challenge, but they seem to have the top seed in the West wrapped up.

#2 Dallas Mavericks (40-16)

The Mavs are putting on a show once again during the NBA regular season as they are sitting comfortably in the second seed in the West. A trade might be on the horizon however as Mark Cuban never seems content with his squad, but regardless of moves they may make, they are going to be tough to beat this time around.

As long as this team stays healthy, the Mavs will be a force to be reckoned with in the West come playoff time. The Lakers might be able to compete for the second spot, but the most likely scenario will be Dallas at the second spot in the West.

#3 Chicago Bulls (38-16)

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As arguably the new best point guard in the NBA, Derrick Rose has quickly become the leader of this team and the face of the franchise. Along with leading Chicago to an impressive 38-16 record, Rose is the league’s frontrunner for NBA MVP.

With Joakim Noah healthy and ready to play alongside Carlos Boozer, this team will only get better throughout the second half of the season.

#4 Boston Celtics (40-14)

In my opinion, the Celtics should be #2 on this list as they are playing arguably some of the best team basketball in this league, but they have hit a few bumps in the road. In the end, Boston will be the beast of the East and the top seed in the conference.

As long as they can stay healthy and continue to play at a high level, the Celtics will be tough to beat from here on out and might be headed for their third NBA Finals appearance in four years.

#5 Miami Heat (41-15)

Not sure why the Heat are fifth on this list, but with a record of 41-15 they have a legitimate shot of being a high seed in the East when it is all said and done. With the losses to the Celtics earlier in the season, it will make it tough for LeBron James and company to contend for the top spot in the East, but they will almost certainly be a force to be reckoned with when they get into the postseason.

#6-10 Orlando Magic (36-21), Los Angeles Lakers (38-19), Oklahoma City Thunder (35-19), Portland Trail Blazers (32-24) and Memphis Grizzlies (31-26)

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