It's the best time of the year and I'm back!

It's playoff time already.. and I've been so busy that I only start sharing my thoughts and it's already the 2nd Round. What is up with that?!

Anyway, just some thoughts on a couple of things before I get into the 2nd Round of the Playoffs.

1. Fantasy Basketball

I won 2 leagues this year. Better than my previous seasons, and considering I have less leagues too. So, a hgiher percentage probably comes from being able to manage each team better since I had 4 to 6 teams in previous years. Now, for the Fantasy All-NBA First Team:

PG - Dwyane Wade
SG - Kevin Durant
SF - LeBron James
PF - Chris Bosh
C - Andrew Bogut (Surprised? He was more efficient and delivered somewhat similar numbers.)

2. NBA Awards

The list of the regular season awards have been released and I pretty much agree with everything except ROY. Brandon Jennings should've gotten the award simply for winning, considering there are only 2 lottery picks on the Bucks (Bogut and Jennings), compared to Tyreke's Kings (Thompson, Evans, Hawes). But as a recap, here are the awards:

MVP: LeBron James
DPOY: Dwight Howard
MIP: Aaron Brooks
COY: Scott Brooks
6MOY: Jamal Crawford
ROY: Tyreke Evans

3. All NBA Teams

Here are my predictions for the All-NBA Teams. For those asking, I do value winning.

1st Team: Wade, Bryant, James, Durant, Howard
2nd Team: Nash, D. Williams, Nowitzki, Stoudamire, Gasol
3rd Team: Rondo, J. Johnson, Anthony, G.Wallace, Bogut

D 1st Team: Rondo, Bryant, James, J. Smith, Howard
D 2nd Team: Kidd, Billups, Duncan, Hoford, Bogut

R 1st Team: Curry, Jennings, Evans, Collison, Blair

4. Playoffs 2nd Round

East
1. Cleveland v. 4. Boston

I, like many a basketball fan, hope that The Truth, KG, Ray and Rondo can muster up enough fight to make this competitive. We know their veterans smarts and championship swagger can push the Cavs every game, but the question is if it can actually translate to wins. And as for LeBron's elbow, the Celts will hammer that thing so that he'll feel it, but he's strong enough to survive for this round. Maybe we'll see how much it hurts next round.. Cavs in 6.

2. Orlando v. 3. Atlanta

Maybe the best thing that happened to the Hawks is that they hit 7 games with the Bucks. It's been a week since the Magic have played, and maybe they cooled off considering they were playing so well even if Howard wasn't scoring. Plus, the Hawks got Crawford on track. They might stretch Orlando, but I still think that we'll be seeing a rematch... Magic in 7.

West
1. LA Lakers v. 5. Utah

For some strange reason, everybody thinks that the Lakers are more vulnerable this year as the hunger isn't a strong any more. This I think is sort of true, especially on the support guys (Brown, Farmar, etc.), but Kobe, Gasol and Fisher still have it. Unfortunately for Utah though, they're missing a lot of players and Deron and Boozer are dinged up some way. The Lakers will beat down on the Jazz and eventually squeeze out in the series... Lakers in 6.

3. Phoenix v. 7. San Antonio

As a Suns fan, it would only be appropriate that the road to the championship would go through the Spurs (and eventually, if ever, LA). These two teams have been contrasts of each other ever since Charles Barkley and company shot themselves over David Robinson in 1993. For the previous match-ups t's been Offense vs Defense, Flash/Fancy vs Fundamental. This year though, the Suns have improved their defense and the Spurs have more scoring. Pretty interesting ain't it? So, as a fan, I will not jinx the series by making a prediction... 7 games.

Fantasy NBA Players of the Week 22

Dwyane Wade (MIA) - 25.3 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 8.8 APG, 2.8 SPG, 1.8 BPG [6]

Kevin Durant (OKC) - 1.3 3FGM, 31.3 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 2.0 APG, 2.0 BPG [9]

LeBron James (CLE) - 1.7 3FGM, 33.0 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 9.0 APG, 2.0 SPG [13]

Ryan Anderson (ORL) - 3.5 3FGM, 19.0 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 1.5 APG, 1.0 SPG [1]

Mehmet Okur (UTA) - 2.5 3FGM, 19.8 PPG, 11.5 RPG, 1.3 APG, 1.5 SPG, 2.0 BPG [1]

Fantasy NBA Players of the Week 19

A little bit late but...



The Director
Dwyane Wade (MIA) - 1.7 3FGM, 33.3 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 12.0 APG, 2.3 SPG [4]

The Skywalker
Quentin Richardson (MIA) - 4.7 3FGM, 20.7 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 1.0 APG, 2.3 SPG [2]

The Triggerman
LeBron James (CLE) - 1.3 3FGM, 29.3 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 9.0 APG, 2.7 SPG, 1.7 BPG [12]

Captain Lionheart
David West (NOH) - 16.7 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 5.3 APG, 2.3 SPG, 2.7 BPG [1]

Tower of Power
Andrew Bogut (MIL) - 0.545 FG%, 16.3 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 2.7 APG, 4.3 BPG [3]


Quick Notes:
1. LeBron will not be next week's player of the week unless he strings up an insane set of numbers. Those DNPs are well-deserved indeed.

2. I said earlier in this series that Q-Rich would never appear again. But, 4.7 3FGM gets him to the place where 5.0 3FGM placed him once before.

3. David West is finally showing his all-star form. The Hornets really need him while CP3 gtes back into shape, hopefully for a push for the playoffs.

4. LeBron's DNPs spell problems for those owners with Cavs, Lakers, Mavs, Magic and Nuggets players. We might see their coaches giving them nights of with their places in the conferences rather set.

All-Star Starters Revealed: We Did Not Do Our Jobs!

You see that picture everybody? Yes, folks. We did not do our job voting for somebody else and this is what we got. Allen Iverson being the first person to be ever seen in the new (and sweet-looking) all-star threads.

It honestly seems similar to the Philippine elections. We have to vote for somebody but there's no one person that stands out, so all the bad people in the world get to elect their bid into power. Aside from Wade, there isn't any real stand-out all-star guard in the East anymore. Alas, we all couldn't unite to find that guard that could oust Iverson. Now, our crime will stare us in the face on Feb. 14 (Feb. 15 Manila time) when the all-star starters get introduced in Dallas. Thankfully, the game is in the West and Iverson will be part of the "visiting" team.

So, for those who haven't read the internet, the following people will be the starters:

East: Allen Iverson, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Kevin Garnett, Dwight Howard
West: Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony, Tim Duncan, Amare Stoudamire

We can't do anything about the stars joining the teams now. It's all in the experts hands, but I have my opinions as to who should be there in Cowboys stadium in front of 80,000 people. Unfortunately, we must follow the traditional 1 center, 2 forwards, 2 guards and 2 utility slots. So here goes!

East:
Joe Johnson (ATL) - Joe is the #1 guy on the East's #3 team. That should speak for itself.
Mo Williams (CLE) - It's sad he's injured, but he should get redemption from the almost-snub last year.
Chris Bosh (TOR) - He's the top 20-10 guy in the NBA right now, enough said.
Paul Pierce (BOS) - Pierce has been the East's best closer this year. Truth be told.
David Lee (NYK) - He's taken the ball D'Antoni gave him and double-doubled with it.
Rajon Rondo (BOS) - Pierce has closed games, but Rondo's been keeping them in games all season.
Gerald Wallace (CHA) - Crash has been with the 'Cats since Day One and should be the first one in an all-star game.

West:
Chris Paul (NOH) - CP3 is the top PG in the NBA in spite of the in juries this season.
Brandon Roy (POR) - Probably the unluckiest star here as his bigs are all down with something.
Dirk Nowitzki (DAL) - Best Non-American player ever? Top 3 at the very least.
Kevin Durant (OKC) - We all knew it was coming. But he has finally arrived.
Pau Gasol (LAC) - The big man getting close to 20-10 on the best team deserves a slot.
Zach Randolph (MEM) - Personally, I hate him. But the Griz are winning because of him.
Chauncey Billups (DEN) - The Nuggets, especially Melo wouldn't be West Elite without him.

I agree with people that say that winning is a major part of being an all-star. True enough, most playoff teams (as of the moment) have at least one all-star. Only Chicago and Utah being missed out on. Some teams with good records do have a shortage of all-stars such as Dallas, but that's just because more members of the team are producing while lower teams such as Phoenix were lucky to have 2 all-stars. Luckily for Stoudamire, David Spade helped and he was voted in.

Snubs:
Chris Kaman (LAC) - You're a Clipper. That should be reason enough already. Being the #1 team in LA matters because of the record. That's why Pau gets the nod over him.
Deron Williams (UTA) - As much as I love D-Will, he's been hurt a lot this year, and Denver's better record pushes Billups ahead of him.
Josh Smith (ATL) - blame Allen Iverson
Jamal Crawford (ATL) - blame Allen Iverson
Derrick Rose (CHI) - blame Allen Iverson
Stephen Jackson (CHA) - blame Allen Iverson

Fantasy NBA Players of the Week 12

The Director
Chris Paul (NOH) - 1.3 3FGM, 18.5 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 13.5 APG, 3.0 SPG [4]

CP3 is back in the Mythical 5 with his usual numbers. Looks like he, David West and Emeka Okafor are finally getting their acts together, and less scoring is needed from him. Us fantasy people hate that... unless we own Okafor.


The Skywalker
Dwyane Wade (MIA) - 27.3 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 7.3 APG, 2.5 SPG, 1.8 BPG [3]

D-Wade was a defensive beast last week. Sure he gambles and puts his team at risk in the real world, but that doesn't mean jack in fantasy basketball. 4.3 Steals/Blocks per game is just way, way up there for any guard.


The Triggerman
Lebron James (CLE) - 35.0 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 7.0 APG, 3.0 SPG, 1.7 BPG [6]


LeBron was once again the best player in fantasy basketball. He's been here for the 6th week and he even produced higher offense and defensive numbers than Wade. It seems that Cleveland is finally taking some of the load of LeBron, keeping defenders honest and letting LeBron go nuts. If only he'd dunk in the Dunk Contest...


Captain Lionheart
Stephen Jackson (CHA) - 3.0 3FGM, 29.3 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 4.7 APG, 3.0 SPG [1]

Here's another one of those "multiple positions saves my ass" types of listings again. I really never knew until recently that S-Jax had PF eligibility. Being in Golden State indeed paid off for some fantasy owners who lucked out on this one.


Tower of Power
Brook Lopez (NJN) - 22.5 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 2.0 APG, 2.5 BPG [2]

He's been the only consistent thing in New Jersey aside from the losses. How those two correlate, I dunno. But, Brook is recently getting outshone by Robin out in Phoenix. Maybe we'll see these 2 get some time to go head-to-head.

Fantasy NBA: Players of the Week 9

For this week, it was this first time this year that I was in such a hole that I benched my entire team to just try and win turnovers. It's a ploy you almost never want to go through with but sometimes, deep, deep holes leave you with no choice...

This week, the multiple positions eligibility will help me cheat with the top 5 players in the league...

The Director
Dwyane Wade (MIA) - 28.0 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 5.3 APG, 3.0 SPG, 1.3 BPG [2]

Cheat #1. Wade is given PG elibigility, so I'll place him here since he ranks behind Kobe in this week's show. Flash is showing his 5-cat prowess once again, and when asked about it in an interview, he said he was playing better because he slowed down. This means he's picking his spots more and better percentages can be expected as well.


The Skywalker
Kobe Bryant (LAL) - 1.7 3FGM, 37.7 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 6.0 APG,2.7 SPG [3]

If anybody was able to see the Sacramento game the other day, Kobe killed the Kings in 2OT with 2 3s that sent the young Kings packing. He ate Tyreke Evans for dinner too. Kobe, now with Artest gone, can be expected to jack most of the Lakers' 3 attempts now, so be wary of the risks coming.



The Triggerman
Brandon Roy (POR) - 2.0 3FGM, 32.0 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 5.0 APG, 2.5 SPG [1]

Brandon Roy was fantasy basketball's best player this week, and sadly for him, he had to be. The Blazers are so injured right now, it's not even funny. Their coach was injured a few weeks back because he had to complete the 10 people on-court during practice. So, with that many players, we can expect Roy to have to produce at this level to stay afloat in the West.


Captain Lionheart
Zach Randolph (MEM) - .650 FG%, 30.0 PPG, 16.0 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.0 SPG [1]

Now, Z-BO is one of the players I hate most in the NBA, not just real basketball or fantasy. I just really don't like the guy. He's a pit for your offense, but apparently, he can put up numbers - and has been for the last few weeks now.


Tower of Power
Al Horford (ATL) - .658 FG%, 19.7 PPG, 13.7 RPG, 2.3 APG, 2.3 BPG [1]

J-Smooth gets most of the props for the Atlanta's improvement this year, but Horford has been steadily improving his game too. For the most part, gone are the single-digit scoring games and the bad percentages. He's confident and settling down in the fact that he is their #1 big guy, and he hopes to become a bigger presence to get guys off Joe Johnson.

NBA Christmas Preview

This year's NBA schedule will feature 5 games, which more or less were desgined to give some family entertainment during the "best time of the year." These 5 games all have interesting backstories behind them and aims to capture even those non-basketball fans because of the hype and telenovela like stories being built up.

The NBA made this schedule even before the season started. Let's see if they got their gut-feels right...

Miami vs New York

This game is simply all about one man. Dwyane Wade is on the free agent market next year, and is probably the 2nd target of the New York Knicks after LeBron James. HE provides the struggling Knicks franchise with a superstar big enough to handle the bright lights of the big city. Hell, even Jay-Z made a comment about Wade in New York...


Boston vs Orlando

Everybody was saying last year that D12 and the Magic were only able to get through the Celtics was because they were missing Garnett and the defensive tenacity he brings to the floor. This year, we get to see it. In the Finals, Paul Pierce even mentioned that he thought that the Magic was a "poodle" compared to the "rotweiler." Unfortunately for the Truth, he'll be observing this Christmas day game as he was diagnosed to miss the next 2 weeks with a knee injury.


Cleveland vs Los Angeles Lakers

With the help of these dudes, Nike has been building up this match since the playoffs started last year. They were hoping it would happen in the Finals, but we all ended up waiting another half year to see it. Individually, I think we cannot contest that Kobe and LeBron are the 2 best players in the league, and they hope to lead their star-studded teams in clash in Hollywood. Just enough of a bright lights, big stage, right time set-up for a primetime, national television broadcast. The Mamba vs the King.

LA Clippers vs Phoenix Suns


Initially, I was supposed to label this match-up as a battle of "failure of the 2009 season" with both teams having stocked line-ups, stubborn coaches and too little wins to get into the playoffs. Then I remembered the crazy stuff their 2 starting point guards do during their free time. Yes folks, that's Steve "Two Time" (MVP, not Tiger Woods two-time) Nash and Baron "Boom Dizzle" Davis. If you can find a clip of it online, these 2 made a video in the style of Will Ferrel's and C. THomas Reiley's Stepbrothers, hence the stupid outfits... Now, on the basketball side of it, The Suns are resurgent and now seem to be contenders in spite of their recent struggles, and the Clippers seem to be getting there. The added bonus of Blake Griffin was supposed to be highlighted here as well, but a broken kneecap has said no.


Denver Nuggets vs Portland Trailblazers

Here's is where the league was bitten in the ass by the injury bug. Oden, Roy, Outlaw, Batum, Pryzbilla, Billups and Martin might all miss the game due to one injury or another. It was supposed to be a battle for supremacy of the US Northwest, and instead it will be Carmelo Anthony vs LaMarcus Aldrigde. Sort of an anti-climactic way to end the night...

Dwyaaaaaannnnneeee Waaaaaaade!

Wade is my personal favorite of the vaunted 2003 NBA Draft Class. He is also the man with the most success among all of them. He has a championship and Finals MVP Award, aside from the Gold Medal he shares with Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James. Now, we could go on and on about it, but I think the most admirable thing about him is that he doesn't hold back... The video clip speaks for itself.

After this season, Wade will join the free agent fiesta, but he has a particular bargaining chip that none of the other free agents have. The Miami Heat will have enough cap space to sign 2 Maximum contract guys - a luxury no other team in the NBA will have. Yes, people, even the crazy spenders in New York can't get 2 guys anymore because of the decreasing salary cap. Although there have been no final arrangements, Wade has been stressing on how great a city Miami is to live in, and it sort of points to him staying.

So, question is, who will he convince to come over? My predictions...

1. LeBron James
LeBron is basically dictating how the Cavs spend their money. He asked for and got Shaq, but unfortunately, their slow or short mix of players will not push them over the hill. Perhaps, the only thing that would hold him back is perhaps that same fact. Whoever LeBron asks for, he will get. Unfortunately, the Cavs can't get him Wade.

Jordan's 23 is retired in Miami and Mario Chalmers better think of another number because he's going to have to give up that 6.

2. Chris Bosh
The cast in Toronto is weird, and it doesn't seem to be powerful and funded enough to really challenge for a title even with Turkoglu, Calderon and Bargnani all improving and making significant contributions.

3. Joe Johnson
In same type of situation as Bosh, Atlanta is a playoff team, but not elite. The cast around him is good, but he isn't a superstar. He could be Ray Allen to Wade's Pierce if he would come over, and I think having him as a #2 option would be a killer combination.

I think Jermaine O'Neal wouldn't be foolish enough to ask for the same type of money next year. I would bet that he'd be willing to step back on the cash if it meant a ring. Whoever he may get though, Wade has more than shown that he is worthy of being the Air-apparent.