NBA Playoff Contest - Win a Dwight Howard card!

I am now hosting a special playoff contest. It's very simple: pick which team you think will win the NBA championship, and send your pick to me via Khendradm@aol.com. If your pick ends up winning the championship, you have a chance at winning a free 2006-07 Upper Deck Dwight Howard game-worn jersey basketball card. The first person to submit the correct answer wins. The playoffs are still in the first round, so there is plenty of time to make a submission. Don't wait too long, though, because someone might pick the correct team before you do!

I will notify the winner through e-mail. The winner will have to provide his/her name and address so I can send the card. The card will be sent in a plastic sleeve and top loader inside a bubble envelope for protection. Beckett.com values the Howard at $8.

Good luck!

Almost There

April 18 marks the final day of the NBA regular season, featuring a whopping 14 games. Playoff seedings are at stake for several teams - including LeBron James' Cleveland Cavaliers, who not only need to beat the Milwaukee Bucks tomorrow, but need the Chicago Bulls to lose to the New Jersey Nets in order for the Cavaliers to clinch the #2 seed in the East. The Eastern #2 seed will face either the Washington Wizards or the New Jersey Nets in the playoffs. If the Cavaliers lose, they will drop to the #5 seed and have to face the defending champion Miami Heat.

Speaking of LeBron, he has been the target of increasing criticism from the media. His detractors point out his decreased free throw percentage and reduced assists and points per game this year compared to the 2005-06 season. While LeBron's stats may have dipped slightly in those regards, people mustn't forget how instrumental LeBron is to the Cavaliers' success. It would be almost impossible to top what he did last season, and it's unrealistic for his critics to expect him to do so. Michael Jordan's points, assists, and rebounds all dropped in the 1990-91 season compared to the 1989-90 season, but he won his first championship in 1990-91. Like LeBron, he still put up incredible numbers, and his team still won games. If the Cavaliers win tomorrow, they will equal their season record from 2005-06, so LeBron's "drop-off" apparently hasn't impacted his team that much. What really matters is how he and the Cavaliers fare in the upcoming playoffs - if they can put together a run like they did last season, the critics will be silenced.

Bryant image courtesy NBA.com (David Liam Kyle/NBAE/Getty Images)

Kobe On Fire

Kobe Bryant has made headlines again, but not for flagrant fouls this time. Instead, Kobe has done something else the league hasn't seen in awhile - post three straight games of 50 or more points. Better yet, the Los Angeles Lakers won all three games. What has caused this sudden boom in the play of Kobe and the Lakers? It's quite simple, really, according to Kobe: Luke Walton and Lamar Odom are healthy again. In the postgame interview after his third consecutive eruption of 50 or more, Kobe credited Luke and Lamar for directing the offense, sharing the ball, and generally making the game easier for him and the team. This credit may seem like a surprise or overstatement to casual fans, but those who have watched the Lakers this season cannot underestimate the importance of Luke Walton and Lamar Odom to the Lakers' - and Kobe's - success.

As good a player as Bryant is, he cannot win games by himself. He can score at will, but when he doesn't have other players directing the offense, he can force too many shots and disrupt the team's rhythm. But with smart players around him who are catalysts for good team play, Bryant takes better shots and scores even more without forcing his way. The result is good for the whole team - Kobe puts up incredible numbers, and the Lakers win ballgames. If this trend continues, the Lakers could become a team to watch in the playoffs, and Kobe could end up stealing the Most Valuable Player award from Dirk Nowitzki or Steve Nash.

Bryant image courtesy NBA.com (Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE/Getty Images)

With or Without You

Late in the season, streaks have been notable for several NBA teams. The winning streaks of the Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs have been impressive, but others are also worth analyzing. Perhaps the most surprising is the recent surge of the Miami Heat, who have won their last seven games without superstar Dwyane Wade. Shaquille O'Neal is back, though, and the Shaq Attack looks geared for the playoffs.

Another surprise is the Atlanta Hawks' four-game win streak. Leading scorer and superstar Joe Johnson went down five games ago - and ever since, the team has actually gotten better. The Hawks are a very young and hungry club who look like they are finally coming together and playing with a maturity they've lacked the past couple of seasons. Proving they can win without Johnson is a huge step in their ascent toward a competitive level, which they haven't been at for several seasons.

Two losing streaks could have large playoff implications. In the East, the Indiana Pacers have dropped ten straight games. They are still holding onto the eighth playoff spot, but don't expect that to last long - their team leader, Jermaine O'Neal, has missed the last three games, and isn't expected to return soon. In the West, the Los Angeles Lakers are on a six-game skid, looking woeful without Lamar Odom, Luke Walton, and Smush Parker - the three main ball-handlers on the team. Injuries have really hurt the Lakers of late; they also had a six-game slump back in February.

Expect more winning and losing binges as the season comes to a close. Injuries and the playoff race will each have a hand in making or breaking team chemistry around the league.

J. O'Neal image courtesy NBA.com (Ron Hoskins/NBAE/Getty Images)

The Playoff Race and Potential Match-Ups

Most teams are now around 60 games into the season, so there are only about 20 games left for each team. The playoff race is heating up in both conferences, and the competition for playoff seeding is intense. If the playoffs started now, here is what the first round match-up list would look like:

EAST
Seed 1 Detroit vs. Seed 8 New Jersey
Seed 2 Cleveland vs. Seed 7 Miami
Seed 3 Washington vs. Seed 6 Indiana
Seed 4 Toronto vs. Seed 5 Chicago

WEST
Seed 1 Dallas vs. Seed 8 Denver
Seed 2 Phoenix vs. Seed 7 L.A. Clippers
Seed 3 San Antonio vs. Seed 6 L.A. Lakers
Seed 4 Utah vs. Seed 5 Houston

From my view, the first and second seeds from both conferences should win the first round with relative ease - unless Dwyane Wade comes back at decent health for the defending NBA and Eastern conference champion Miami Heat. Wade and Shaq together in good health would make it far more difficult for the Cleveland Cavaliers to take the series. All the other match-ups could go either way. The Washington Wizards are only a few games ahead of the Indiana Pacers in the standings - and the Chicago Bulls actually have a better record than the Toronto Raptors, but have a lower seed since the Raptors are first in their division.

In the West, the Spurs and Lakers match-up could be a more competitive series than the teams' win and loss records indicate. The Spurs have eight more wins than the Lakers at this juncture, but the teams have a notorious rivalry dating back to the late 1990s, and it's never a good idea to count out a team with the likes of Kobe Bryant. The Lakers nearly beat the higher seeded Phoenix Suns in last year's playoffs, so don't be surprised to see Kobe and company make a run against the Spurs this year.

Finally, the Houston Rockets might be a better team than the Utah Jazz, but Houston has seldom been at full health this season. After starting out slow, Tracy McGrady is now playing his best basketball of the year, and Rockets teammate Yao Ming is expected to return to his dominant ways when he comes off the injury list on March 5th. The lethal duo of McGrady and Ming might be too much for the Utah Jazz to handle.

McGrady image courtesy NBA.com (Fernando Medina/NBAE/Getty Images)

Dirk for Most Valuable Player

One of the curious and ironic developments over the last few seasons is the emergence of Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki as all-world superstars. It is curious because Nash was never an MVP candidate prior to his second stint with the Phoenix Suns - and ironic because Nash and Nowitzki were teammates in Dallas, but have really come into their own without each other. In their third consecutive season playing apart, the two players are once again MVP candidates.

Historically, the MVP has gone to the perceived 'best' player on the team with the most wins. That is one reason why I believe Dirk Nowitzki should win the MVP this season over Steve Nash. Not only is Nowitzki the unequivocal leader of his Dallas Mavericks, who have the best record in the NBA with 46 wins and just 9 losses, but it would also be a bit embarrassing to have Nash win the award for the third straight year since only three NBA players have won three consecutive MVP awards - Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, and Larry Bird. As great a floor leader and player that Steve Nash is, he does not belong in such company. Chamberlain was an unstoppable scoring and rebounding force who set many records and changed the face of the game with his ridiculous dominance in the paint. He also led his team to the NBA title in one of his MVP seasons, which Steve Nash has yet to do. Russell, as most die-hard fans know, led his Boston Celtics to almost a dozen championships in his career, and Larry Bird later led Boston to an additional three in the 1980s. Imagine Steve Nash winning a third straight MVP award only to lose in the playoffs again this season - it would look silly, especially since Michael Jordan himself never won three MVPs in a row in spite of his obvious dominance individually and the dominance of the Chicago Bulls over the rest of the NBA.

I have made my case for Nowitzki over Nash, and unless another player takes over the second half of the season and leads his team to a number of wins comparable to Nowitzki's Mavericks and Nash's Suns, there won't be any other candidate whose name will be in serious running for the award.

Nowitzki image courtesy NBA.com (Layne Murdoch/NBAE/Getty Images)

Former NBA Great Dennis Johnson Dead at 52

Instead of a final blockbuster trade, more startling and tragic news grabbed the NBA headlines - the untimely and unexpected death of one of the best and classiest players the league has ever seen: Dennis Johnson. Johnson was coaching the Austin Toros of the NBA Developmental League when he collapsed and died.

An integral part of the Boston Celtics teams that won several titles in the 1980s, Johnson was a perfect complement to the likes of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish. Before that, though, Johnson was a star scorer for the Seattle SuperSonics, winning a title with that team in 1979 and receiving the MVP of the Finals. He was a five-time NBA All-Star and a great defensive talent who made six All-Defensive First Teams in his career.

More recently, Johnson had been involved in coaching on a number of levels. Prior to landing a coaching job with the Toros, Johnson had coached the Florida Flame in the Developmental League and served as an assistant coach for the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers in 2002-03.

He will be missed by his family, the NBA, and its fans.

Eastern Conference Woes

A common complaint among NBA fans these days is that the Eastern Conference is incredibly weak compared to its Western counterpart. In search of statistical evidence of this alleged weakness, a simple view of the current NBA standings revealed a scary fact: only one Eastern team, the Detroit Pistons, have a winning percentage of 60% or better. This means the Pistons are the only team in the East who are on pace to win more than 49 games. By comparison, the Western conference has six teams who are on pace to do so.

I could not remember the last time either conference failed to yield a team that won at least 50 games, so I did some online research to find out if this has ever happened before. Besides the 1998-99 lockout season, which only featured 50 games in total instead of the standard 82 games, I had to go all the way back to the 1974-75 NBA season to find an example. That season, the best team in the Western Conference, the Golden State Warriors, won a mere 48 games.

All-Star Weekend: Should Tyrus Thomas Dunk?

Many NBA fanatics have probably heard the news that Chicago Bulls rookie Tyrus Thomas said he was only appearing in the All-Star Weekend dunk contest on February 17th for the money. Not only is this comment embarrassing to the NBA and its fans, but it doesn't even make sense since the dunk contest awards a paltry bonus of cash compared to the million-dollar contracts players get. Equally puzzling is he was fined only $10,000 for his inane comments - the least amount of cash a participant in the dunk contest can receive is $16,125, so Thomas will make some money regardless of how he performs.

For those who overlook Thomas' remarks and focus on his dunking ability, I have some bad news: he's not as great a dunker as many people seem to think. Before his comments reached the media, I checked out his "highlight" dunk video from NBA.com and noticed a tremendous lack of enthusiasm in his dunks. If you watch and compare his dunk highlights to current contest champion Nate Robinson, there is a conspicuous difference in body action and enthusiasm. No one wants to see an athletic player dunk with the emotion of a corpse. Thankfully, the superstar panel of judges - which includes the likes of Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant - will be making the decisions on the quality of dunks in the contest.

Ultimately, though, Thomas' attitude raises a question among fans who want to see excitement: should he even appear in the dunk contest at all? After I posted Tyrus' comments on a basketball forum, several people responded with a desire to see him replaced by another dunker. The NBA certainly isn't short on slam dunk talent, so the question has merit. However, the NBA will probably think the fine is enough punishment for Thomas and won't look for any replacements. If that is the case, let's hope Thomas has actually learned something from the media backlash and decides to put actual effort into the dunk contest.