The following are the answers to the third quarter of this NBA season that I had asked at the end of the second quarter.

 

Q1. No player has scored 50 or more points this year, will these be achieved in the third quarter?

 

Yes andit was Andre Miller of the Portland Trail Blazers. He scored 50 points while his team was playing against the Mavericks. Show me one person who would have guessed it was Andre Miller and I will show you someone who you should request to buy you a lottery ticket.

 

Q2. Kevin Garnett will be back in the Celtics lineup very soon after an injury layoff. Will the Celtics reclaim the top of the Eastern Conference rankings?

 

No, the Celtics in actual fact are struggling to find their way back to the top of the Eastern Conference.

 

Q3. If the Bobcats road to reaching the playoff is somehow based on factors remaining constant, how will they cope with the inconstant factors, should they arise?

 

The Bobcats performance has been on a seesaw. At the time of writing this post, the Bobcats were outside the playoff zone. My take is that in the third quarter, they didn’t perform so well.

 

Questions to be answered in the fourth quarter

 

There can only be two questions before the playoffs begin.

 

Which teams will make it to the playoffs?

 

Who will win the MVP of the regular season?

 

 

With only a few hours left before February gives way to March, one can’t avoid noticing that February is probably one of the most active months in the NBA regular season calendar. This fact is highly attributed to the all star weekend showdown and rife speculations of which player will be signed by which team and so on.
 
In my view, March is one special month that calls for morepositive playing results than the usual speculative talks of what will happen. To all teams aiming for the highly desirable playoff spot, March stands out as the make or break month for such a possibility to either turn into full reality gear or see the playoff spot fade into the opponent’s horizon.
 
Since most teams have about 14 games in March, the results of each game will be very important. Everyone from the coaches, players, managers, fans and even pundits will have their eyes wide open to see the teams tipping the balance of which 16 teams will make the final cut. Fourteen will not be a number to joke around with, particularly when fourteen teams will be locked out once the playoff gate is closed.
 
March will not just be a month of clinching a playoff spot, it will also be the month which significantly, although not ultimately, decide which teams are likely to face off in the playoffs. Not to mention who will earn more points in winning the MVP title.
 
The bitter pill will be swallowed by the teams which have less than 15 wins. Even a miracle that we all crave for when the situation is out of our hands will not be enough to earn them a playoff ticket. The teams in this dire situation include the Nets and the Timber wolves. Dealing with such a reality amid the excitement of who is getting a ticket to the playoffs will not be a walk in the park.
 
For the remaining 28 other teams, with more than 15 wins, anything is possible and no one can right them off at least for now.
 
The final verdict of the last 16 will be delivered in April, but it’s in March where the trial takes place. The people to make up the court room as the teams go head to head include, players who will be taking the stand in the 14 or so games. The coaches will play the role of attorneys trying to lead their teams to victory. Fans not to be left behind will be the friends and relatives of the players in this trying moment. The jury will be NBA committee to decide who has triumphed in securing a playoff spot.
 
Just as how the judge only passes the sentence that has been decided by the jury, the judge in this case will make the announcement. If you are wondering who gets that role of being a judge, wonder no more because this role can only go to one person who has the bravery to release such pleasing/displeasing information for all and sundry to hear… pressman officer.  
 
Let the trial begins or should we simply say let the games begin.

It’s back to business for NBA teams to continue their quest in searching for the prestigious playoff spot after the historical all star game which was played last weekend. While other teams will be eager to put back their snickers to carry on with the impressive run they were enjoying, before the all star lineup stole the show, a harsh reality awaits the struggling teams on the flip side of the coin.

Before pressing any key of my computer ‘s keyboard to produce this article that your are currently reading, I had promised myself that I will resist the temptations of not mentioning anything concerning the mammoth crowd that turned out to see the East and the West go head to head in a winner takes it all situation. With this in mind, I will not keep this promise for the reason that I have to mention one thing, otherwise the temptation will eat me before I finish writing this article.

Although the record fan attendance of 108,713 will one day be broken, what will forever remain unbroken by this year’s all star game is the electrifying cheers of fans inside the cowboy stadium chanting their respective sides to victory.

In most cases the amazing happens when a player makes the final shot that wins the game on the buzzer, or when an impossible shot from a tight angle finds its way inside the basket or when a player turns around and viola! the ball goes inside the basket. In short, the amazing mostly happens on the court in various ways which you can not possibly imagine.

During the all star weekend, I truly believe that the amazing was orchestrated by the fans that were in attendance. If five more attendances like this are witnessed before this decade is over, then the super bowl will be overtaken by the NBA.

Back to my core issue of what do these signs mean, I can’t help but start pondering, should the Western teams be worried about the surging Eastern teams that are in hot pursuit of recapturing the title that is being held by the Lakers?

Without a doubt the Eastern conference has been the most impressive side, they have even enjoyed the lion’s share of the sports page section compared to the Western conference counterparts. Not to mention, they won the all-star game and the game’s MVP award. It’s at this moment I will pause a rhetorical question to you, are these the signs that an Eastern team will be taking the title?

If you look for someone who thinks that these signs should be ignored, am sure you won’t fail to encounter someone who thinks that they should not be overlooked. Suppose we assume the signs mean something good will happen, the teams likely to win the title include the Cavaliers, the Magic, the Celtics and the Atlanta Hawks. So far, strong signs of which team will emerge champions are coming from Cleveland Ohio, where the Cavs reside. Whoever finds a window to which he/she can peep into the future and have a glimpse of what it holds, kindly tell us what these signs mean.

As the second half of this incredible NBA season continues to lose its freshness, the dust on the court that is being formed by amazing top flight actions is not likely to settle down. One of the several teams that has been in the center of producing this dust is the Utah Jazz.

Much of the first half of this season the Jazz was struggling to get themselves inside the playoff zone. On the flip side of passed first half, the Jazz is playing a tune that is hard to ignore listening to it. With six successive wins so far, the Jazz have gotten closer to the inner core area of the Western Conference, to a point which they are jointly sharing the third position with the Mavericks. If they keep up this tempo their northwest division rivals the Denver Nuggets will have something to think about.

Its on this notion that I am compelled to say that the Jazz have added a four letter word at the middle of the tag ‘Playoff contender’ to read ‘Playoff firm contender’. To boost their credibility, the Jazz has shown enough character by recording vital wins against the big names in the leagues such as the Cavaliers and the Lakers.

Critics wont fail notice that they have had some surprising loses as well, the major one being against the Minnesota Timber wolves. Therefore the big question is, will the Jazz be the team to watch as the season progresses or will the challenges ahead take a toll on them?

This month they have begun on a winning note against the Dallas Mavericks and looking at their unpredictable schedule in the remaining games, they have crucial games that will either prove or disapprove their credibility in remaining at the top third of their conference standings. None of those games will be characterized with so much pressure as the one they will be up against the Nuggets, who are the only team that has inflicted three loses to them.

Towards the end of the 90s the Jazz were a force to recon with, going as far as reaching the NBA finals on two consecutive years i.e. 1997 and 1998. Since then, good times have never been really experienced to match a similar achievement. Most people believe that the best ever-dynamic duo to ever emerge in the league came from the Jazz franchise in the form of John Stockton and Karl Malone, who are both retired.

Seeing Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer on the court together without a doubt reminds us of that unforgettable dynamic duo. The partnership of Boozer and Williams holds the key to unlocking the Jazz’s probability of bring back the good old times. The strings the two are currently pulling are steering the Jazz in the right direction, we can all hope that they have enough left in the tank.

24 years from now when the NBA community shall be reviewing who was the first person to score more than 50 points in the year 2010, they will notice that the player in question will not be Le Bron James, Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony, Dwayne Wade or any other high scoring playerat this moment but someone who plays for the Portland Trail Blazers wearing No 24 jersey, his birth certificate showing the name Andre Miller.

Miller in his 10th year as a professional basketballer blazed his way to the history books when his team was playing against the Dallas Mavericks at their home court. The interesting thing with this achievement is that, in Miller's last game, he scored only 2 points after being on the court for 21 minutes. In the match against the Dallas Mavericks he was on the floor for 42 minutes and scored 52 points.

Fans at the American Airlines Center witnessed a nerve-racking suspense ending game that was orchestrated by neck-to-neck offensive and defensive counters that both teams used to get the better of the other at the last quarter of the game. So intriguing was the game such that it had to be decided on overtime. In the end, the Blazers won by a one-basket margin of 114-112. Any director in Hollywood would definitely enjoy directing this script that had a good ending to Miller’s big night.

Many people may try to pour cold water on this great accomplishment by basing this success on luck, however this will never erase Miller's name from what he did. Its not on a daily basis do we get to see or hear the less popular players dribble their way to the headlines in the sports page of major media powerhouses. When such players do that, they jog our memories in trying to recall when a similar like feat was seen and who was at the center of crafting it.

In the Mavs vs Blazers game, Miller reminded us one very important thing, any player who is in a team’s roster and steps into the court to play, has enough capacity to make the most of the chances he gets. Sometimes those chances end up leaving an indelible mark.

A couple of weeks ago Sundiata Gaines, a Utah Jazz player successfully hit a buzzer shot to help his team secure a memorable victory against the Cleveland Cavaliers. On the eve of the last day of the first month of this year, Miller's has brought something good at the table, to talk to about. The least we can do is to be grateful, give him a pat on the back while saying well done and keep it blazing for the Blazers.

Unless one looks at the statistics surrounding a player, then it’s quite difficult to understand why he causes so many ripples every time his name is mentioned. One such player is LeBron James, the Cleveland Cavaliers forward who undisputedly runs the show almost singlehandedly.

His average points per game (ppg) figures interestingly reveals something that makes him one of the firm contenders of winning the MVP of the regular season. In this read, you will know why the next three games he plays have a great significant.

October 2009

This was the month in which the current NBA season begun. The Cavs managed to win two out of the four games they played this month. James average points per game was 24.75 his highest being 38 and his low 14.

November 2009

In the 13 games the Cavs played this month, they only lost thrice. James led the scoring in all the games although on two occasions he tied with Mo Williams. The King’s month high rose to 40 points while his low sunk to 21. Just by looking at the high and low, one would expect the average score line to have improved from last month. Without a doubt, the average ppg had a tremendous improvement of up to 30.54.

December 2009

This was not only the most active month for the Cavs, who played 17 games but also the one that their outstanding performance propelled them to the top of the Eastern Conference standings. Despite playing more games than last month the Cavs managed to keep the same number of losses to three. James average ppg sadly dropped to 28.59.

The ironical fact about this festive month is that Le Bron started with a season low of 12 points and ended the month on a season high of 48 points. Many will remember the high since it came on a day which James was celebrating his birthday and better still, he helped the Cavs defeat the Atlanta Hawks twice on two respective nights.

January 2010

The Cavs so far have played 12 games out of their 15 games this month. They have done well to stagnate the number of defeats to three. If one thought that LeBron had hit his peak in November then January holds a different answer. This month Le Bron practically owns it. He has led in all the Cavs scoring points, averaging at 32.92 ppg. His high perching at 41 points whereas the low at 23 points.

With such a scoring average it goes without mentioning the Cavs and LeBron represent the team and the man to watch as the season continues to unfold. The three games remaining this month for the Cavs are against the Timber wolves, the Pacers and the Clippers.

Last month Le Bron scored a total of 486 points and since this month he has 395, he is 91 points from equaling it. With those three games remaining he has a splendid opportunity of surpassing that mark. I know I can’t wait to see the points he will have scored after the end of each game.

The star which shone on Kevin Durant (KD) when he won the rookie of the year award in 2007 has not only continued shinning but has followed him after the Seattle Super Sonics relocated to Oklahoma City as the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2008-2009 season.

If all goes well, perhaps this will be the season that his star will start putting him among the elite in the league. By saying this, I know this is dangerous road am taking this article, but when you look at Durant’s statistics this season, one cannot help but notice something good is shaping around this young man. Although it’s not quite clear at the moment if he will last, what is very clear and not up for debate is his ascendancy.

The figures say that he is averaging 29.3 points per game score line. Since statistics is sometimes hard thing to comprehend and it often troubles the analysts in trying to synthesis this data into a simple form that fans can understand, I will use this stand to make my point.

At the time when Kobe Bryant was 21, the same age Durant presently is, he was averaging a score line of 22.5 which is 6.8 points less than what Durant has. A notable basketball hall of fame by the name Michael Jordan had 28.2.  Le Bron James at that age had his average remarkably swinging around 31.4 that is, 2.1 more of Durant.

Statistics may not carry so much weight but when NBA pundits start comparing the Durant with some elite players, then there is every reason to keep a hunter’s eye on the footsteps Durant is taking bit by bit.

Popularly referred as a small forward due to his slender 6’9 physique, he is now in his third season in the NBA playing for the Thunders as a guard/forward. So that the Thunders can get inside the Western Conference playoff radius before the regular season is over, they will definitely be on tenterhooks that Durant stats keep improving with each game they take.

Over the last ten years the player who has won a rookie award and his star has shone brightly day and night without disappointing is without a doubt Le Bron James. Durant’s star is so far showing similar like writings on the wall.

Because there is nothing as difficult as trying to peep into the future and see what it holds, all that we can do is speculate about what it holds for Durant. For the love of the game and growth of its players lets just hope that this incredible star will not sink in the horizon without a making major impact.

The two ladies in the above picture will be walk in the San Siro stadium on Sunday as friends but inside those walls they will put their friendship on hold for 90 minutes.

This is because of the breath taking rivalry that will be renewed when AC Milan (Rossanerri) andInter Milan (Nerrazuri) lock horn in the Milan Derby.

Inter Milan have a six point lead against AC Milan and they can widen the gap a little wide should they win the game. Suppose AC Milan takes the honours they will be only 3 points behind Inter and the good thing is that they have a game in hand.

The key to Milan success will highly depend on the performance of their star man Ronaldinho who seems to have rediscovered his playing genius. David Beckham and Borriello will assist the Brazilian upfront. The midfield and striking force AC Milan is what Inter should fear most.

Inter Milan on the other hand will have to rely on Diego Milito to trouble AC Milan defense since Samuel Eto’o is representing his country in the African Nations Cup. Doubts are lingering on whether Sulley Muntari will play because he has an injury.

The second quarter of this ever-intriguing NBA season is officially over. The Lakers and Cavaliers are occupying the top position while the Minnesota Timber wolves and the New Jersey Nets are stuck at the bottom of the Western and Eastern conference standings respectively.

The same script was played twice but by different cast. The first one was seen when the Atlanta Hawks defeated the Boston Celtics at home and away. Secondly, the Cleveland Cavaliers used the same script to defeat the La Lakers at home and away.

The Charlotte Bobcats hopes of attaining their debut playoff spot are still alive. Looking at what the Bobcats have accomplished, they have every reason to remain hopeful.

NBA commissioner Mr. Stern bans Gilbert Arena indefinitely due to a bizarre gun incidence that took place inside the Washington Wizards locker room.

A Utah Jazz Rookie by the name Sundiata Gaines hits a buzzer shot that wins the game against the Cavaliers. Speaking of rookies, the No 1 draft Griffin will not be playing for the Clippers due to his injury.

The New Jersey Nets are still losing most of their games however they shared this disheartening spotlight with the Detroit Pistons who lost 13 straight games.

Questions to be answered in the third quarter

The first quarter MVP belonged to Kobe, the second quarter MVP belonged to Le Bron James. Who between the two will take the third quarter or should we expect another name?

No player has scored 50 or more points this year, will these be achieved in the third quarter?

Kevin Garnett will be back in the Celtics lineup very soon after an injury layoff. Will the Celtics reclaim the top of the Eastern Conference rankings?

If the Bobcats road to reaching the playoff is somehow based on factors remaining constant, how will they cope with the inconstant factors, should they arise?

Tracy McGrady and Allen Iverson are in the all star lineup, whether they deserve to be there or not, its now beside the point. The on point matter at hand is, will they be the heroes or the weaklings when the East meets the West in the all-star game?

 

 

The NBA All-star starting lineup was announced on Thursday and as widely expected, two names that many pundits think were not supposed to be there, will be in actual fact be heading to Dallas. The two players in questionare Tracy McGrady and Allen Iverson.

 

Therefore the whole East lineup has Le Bron James (F), Dwayne Wade (G), Kevin Garnet (F), Dwight Howard (C) and Allen Iverson (G)

 

In the West corner, they have Kobe Bryant (G), Carmelo Anthony (F), Steve Nash (G), Tim Duncan(C) and Amar’e Stoudemire (F)

 

The game will be held on 14^th Feb 2010 at the Cowboys stadium in Dallas, Texas.

 

 

G=Guard

F=Forward

C=Center