Earlier this week, Iverson whined about coming off the bench and that he’d rather retire than become a team player. Throughout Iverson’s career it has always been about him. He’s shown up late for practices, whether it was for the Philadelphia 76ers or the United States Basketball team, or sometimes didn’t even show up at all. He’s never had any respect for his coaches. Larry Brown and Maurice Cheeks were the most famous of his victims. And his selfishness on the court credited him with not being able to make any of his teammates better during his entire basketball career.

The NBA will be a better place if Allen Iverson retires after this year.

The Detroit Pistons knew what they were getting this year when they traded Chauncey Billups to the Denver Nuggets. They didn’t acquire Allen Iverson. They acquired his expiring contract. Allen Iverson’s expiring contract is worth more than Allen Iverson. When Iverson becomes a free agent this summer, he will quickly find out his services are not wanted anymore in the NBA. There is not one contending team or playoff team that will sign him.

He is a cancer. He is a plague.

The Philadelphia 76ers were not successful because of Allen Iverson, they were successful because of Larry Brown. Larry Brown was able to surround Iverson with a team of unselfish players. Players that didn’t care if Iverson dribbled the ball for 23 seconds before shooting. Players that were capable of rebounding and defending and helping Iverson when he wasn’t able to defend. And players who knew what their role was and played it to perfection.

In the meat of Allen Iverson’s career, he averaged almost 25 shots per game. Way too many for a guard whose FG% was around 41%. That is absolutely putrid and embarrassing. Iverson will go down in the history books as one of the worst-shooting guards in NBA history. Eric Snow has the same career FG% as Allen Iverson. And 76er’s fans know how horrible of a shooter Eric Snow was.

I understand there is a huge Iverson following and they have supported him on and off the court. They love him. They cherish him. But these are the people that don’t understand how the game of basketball is supposed to be played. It’s played as a team and Iverson is not a team player. He never was and he never will want to be.

When he finally retires, hopefully after this year, the NBA will be a better place.

10. Dirk Nowitzki: Dirk beats out Danny Granger because he’s been performing at a high level for more seasons. And also because he’s a better player. Granger is having a great year, but don’t be mesmerized by a player putting up great numbers for an awful team. Somebody has to score.

8 & 9. Paul Pierce & Kevin Garnett: They play huge in huge games. They also play huge in non-huge games. The Eastern Conference playoffs will be very interesting this year with Cleveland and Orlando getting better. It means that Pierce and Garnett will need to play huger.

7. Chris Bosh: Who would have thought that Toronto would be this bad and at the very bottom of the Atlantic Conference? Do you think that Bosh will be back in Toronto when his contract runs out? In related news, Jermaine O’Neal is making over $21 million this year.

6. Chris Paul: CP3 is the best point guard in the NBA and there’s no arguing that except if you are from Utah.

5. Dwight Howard: Dwight Howard is an absolute monster. Can you imagine if Orlando took Emeka Okafor with the number-one pick in 2004 and Howard went to Charlotte? Actually, it’s quite possible that Charlotte would have drafted Shaun Livingston. Anyway, Dwight Howard is an absolute monster.

4. Dwayne Wade: He was absolutely spectacular to watch during the Olympics this past summer and he hasn’t slowed down at all. I would love to see Wade face Lebron in the playoffs this year, because he is quite capable of out-shining the Cleveland phenom. It’s nice to have a healthy Dwayne Wade back in the NBA. There aren’t any flaws in his game. Well, besides 3-point shooting.

3. Tim Duncan: I always get hammered for putting Tim Duncan up so high in my top-ten lists, but I will continue to do so until he stops winning. All the new-age fans love the flashy, playground-style, highlight-reel players, but they don’t always win you games. However, Tim Duncan does. Who was more important to have on their team last year during Game 7 of the Spurs-Hornets game (in New Orleans)? Chris Paul or Tim Duncan? The answer was Tim Duncan.

2. Lebron James: As soon as Lebron wins his first NBA title be prepared for a run of about six in a row. Also be prepared for Lebron to jump up and sit on the rim this year. It’s very close to happening. If Lebron was in the slam dunk contest this year I would love to see him jump from the 3-point arc and dunk Nate Robinson. If Nate got stuck in the net, Pau Gasol and Rudy Fernandez could hit him with sticks like he was a pinata.

1. Kobe Bryant: We can debate about who is better between Kobe and Lebron until our faces turn blue or until Yao Ming plays a full season without getting injured. The reason I put Kobe at the number-one spot is that there is no other player in the NBA that I want shooting the ball with the game on the line more than him. Furthermore, Kobe has mastered the turnaround jumper, something that Lebron is still trying to perfect. Lebron might be able to jump out of the building and provide SportsCenter with endless highlight dunks, but there isn’t a better assassin in the NBA than Kobe Bryant.

-Giants QB Eli Manning (does he slur and lisp when he Tweets?)

-Snowboarder Shaun White

-NY Jets safety Kerry Rhodes

-Skateboarder Mike Vallely (who? Ok, if you say so)

-Phoenix Suns center Shaquille O’Neal

-Golfer Natalie Gulbis (mmmmmm…I’m not into celebs, but I’d follow her wherever. She’s got huuuge Tweets)

-Former 49er WR Jerry Rice

-Overexposed Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps

-Tennis player Andy Murray

-Bicyclist Lance Armstrong

The Toronto Raptors set the previous league record in 2005 with 21.

End-of-the-bench small forward Jeremy Richardson nailed the final dagger with 20 seconds left as the Magic throttled the Kings (didn’t they use to be good?) 139-107. Jameer Nelson hit on all five of his three-pointers to finish with 23 points, J.J. Redick hit 4-of-6 for 15, and Rashard Lewis (19 points), Hedo Turkoglu (17 points) and Keith Bogans (12 points) nailed three each from behind the line.

Overall, the Magic went 23-of-37 from beyond the arc, which is just stupid.

At one point, the Kings had six men on the floor (most experts agree that the NBA limit is five).

“They can’t play six against us,” Orlando Magic Coach Stan Van Gundy yelled at the referees. You can’t blame the Kings for trying though. Clearly, five wasn’t enough.

Marbury, who is due to earn $21.9 million this season, met with D’Antoni and Walsh on Monday to discuss his situation. According D’Antoni, it’s a non-issue at this point.

“It is resolved,” D’Antoni said after practice on Tuesday. “It is. Pretty soon that story is not going to be fun to read because it is going to be the same old story.

“You are going to be beating a dead horse,” he said.

D’Antoni basically said that he’ll only dress if someone gets hurt.

“It is a lot of money,” the first-year Knicks coach said. “He has a contract, rightly so. If somebody gets hurt, we might need him. Why not? Steph has been great. He is part of the team. We are trying to do what is best for the Knicks.”

I understand that D’Antoni doesn’t like Marbury’s style of play. While immensely talented, Marbury has developed the reputation of someone who would rather drop 30 points and lose, than score 12 and win. So it’s not a real surprise that the new regime doesn’t want him as part of their plans. But, it’s not that he isn’t playing, he isn’t even dressing.

Is it right to embarrass the guy? This is exactly what the Knicks are doing. Especially after asking him to take a reduced role off the bench during the preseason. Marbury accepted that he wasn’t going to start and was willing to come in as a substitute and play maybe 20 minutes a game. That’s how the team was run in the preseason and everything seemed to be going ok.

But then came game 1 of the season. Marbury dressed, but never got called into the game. The next few games, he didn’t even dress.

In their second game the Knicks were getting their heads handed to them against the Sixers. He couldn’t have provided a jump start off the bench? What sense does this make? Why keep this guy on the team at his salary to not ever use him?

“He is a good player,” Walsh said.

Just not good enough to play for a team that is horrific at best.

“I don’t know what the future holds,” said the guy who has averaged almost 20 points and eight assists per game over the course of his career. “All I can do is sit still, be obedient and watch and learn from the situation.”

What really are the options? Trade him?

“There aren’t a lot of options out there,” Walsh said.

Ok, how about buying Marbury out of his contract? Would he go for that?

“I signed the contract, and in the contract it says this is how much money I’m going to make this year, so I wouldn’t ask you to take less money if you signed a contract with me,” Marbury said. “I’m not going to do that.”

There goes that idea. And by cutting Marbury, they would just be paying his full salary for him to sit home and do nothing.

The Knicks have put themselves and Marbury in a very uncomfortable spot. And now it’s just a public debacle that makes everyone look bad.

The Detroit Pistons were determined to shake up a core group of players that got bounced from the Eastern Conference Finals for a third straight year. Most expected a major deal would have come much sooner than this.

Iverson, a four-time NBA scoring champion with a career average of 27.7 points per game, is averaging just 18.7 points through three games this season with the Nuggets. But that can’t be the reason for the deal, this was in the works for quite some time and not dependent on Iverson’s production through three games.

While the Pistons did want to shake up their roster, the real reason could just be cap relief after this year. Iverson is in the final year of his contract, which pays him $21 million this year. Getting that kind of money off the books would free up the Pistons to do a lot of other things.

Deadspin got a hold of an old sports news video with Sarah Heath (as she was known then) doing the sports highlights for a local news station in Alaska. Despite her wonderful hair, she isn’t very good at this job and the transition to politics seems to have been a good idea.

Decide for yourself:

However, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Pierce was initially “uncooperative” after being stopped but calmed down after being handcuffed. The cuffs were removed after about 15 minutes, and Pierce was not cited for a traffic violation.

Sounds to me like the cops were just trying to act tough with an NBA star.

More on the Celtics’ forward. Last week Pierce stated he was the “best player in the world.” Can we deny this? Before last year’s NBA playoffs, the majority of people would have said Kobe or Lebron. However, Paul Pierce outplayed both players offensively and defensively on the way to winning the NBA championship.

I at least think Pierce should be thought of in the same light as Kobe and Lebron (and a healthy D-Wade?). You can’t deny what he did last year winning NBA Finals MVP. Moreover, Pierce should be on the USA roster for the Olympic games. And I’m not talking about representing the track and field team in the hammer throw.

“This has been one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make,” said Ed Snider, Comcast-Spectacor’s chairman. “The Spectrum is my baby. It’s one of the greatest things that has ever happened to me, but after a lot of thinking and discussions, we all feel it is in our best interest to close the Spectrum at the conclusion of the upcoming 2008-09 Philadelphia Phantoms and Kixx seasons.”

This will officially end any remnants of Philadelphia sports wins. The 76ers called the Spectrum home in 1983 when they won the NBA title, as did the Flyers who last won a championship in 1975. Veterans Stadium was busted to pieces a few years ago to erase what was left of the Phillies’ house from their 1980 World Series. And the Eagles…well, we know the deal there.

Brand and the Sixers do indeed have to wait until the clock strikes midnight to make everything official. If this is all true and Brand signs with Philadelphia, the focus now goes to resigning restricted free agent Andre Iguodala. If Golden State signs him to an offer sheet, the Sixers will have seven days to match, which they most likely will do. Bringing in Brand was not the precursor to getting rid of Iguodala. Keeping the core together and bringing in the missing piece was GM Ed Stefanski’s plan all along.

Brand, 29, has a career average of 20 points and 10 rebounds. In the 2006-07 season, Elton didn’t miss one three-point shot going one-for-one. Philadelphia should be very excited about their basketball team for next year and that they have a GM that knows what he is doing.

In this day and age, the sign-and-trade is a very popular approach for NBA teams to use in getting something for their free agents. In baseball and football when a team loses a key free agent they are compensated with a draft pick. In basketball, not so much.

NBA trades are usually very close to being dollar for dollar in matching salaries, so Philadelphia would need to send the Clippers Reggie Evans and almost $9 million more? Andre Miller? I would think Brand would come to Philly knowing he would play with Miller. Jason Smith? That’s only another $1.3 million. Willie Green at $3.3 million? Maybe.

Do the Sixers sign and trade Andre Iguodala at the same time? I don’t think they do that.

I don’t see how the numbers can match up in a sign-and-trade unless the 76ers clean house.

If Philadelphia somehow steals Brand away from L.A., I think they will just sign him for the maximum.

My opinion is that he stays with L.A., but something is telling me Philadelphia GM Ed Stefanski has something up his sleeve after trading Carney and Booth today (tomorrow) to free up cap space.

1. Chicago Bulls select Derrick Rose, Memphis
Derrick Rose’s nickname is ‘Pooh,’ given to him by his grandmother because she thought he looked like Winnie-the-Pooh. He attended Simeon Career Academy where he led his team to back-to-back titles in the Chicago Public League and compiled a 120-12 career high school record. This guy is a leader, a winner, and the only no-brainer pick in this year’s draft. Chicago has found their man.

2. Miami Heat select Michael Beasley, Kansas State
Don’t get sucked into the rumors of the Heat trading this pick. It’s not gonna happen. However, he’ll have to work on his defense if he wants to live up to being the number two pick of the draft. His offense is not a question. This kid can flat-out score.

Kevin McHale is one of the worst GMs in this league. Common sense is to take OJ Mayo with the third pick, but McHale does not have common sense. This is the GM that cost his team $3.5 million and five draft picks by trying to sign Joe Smith to a max contract under the table. Part of me believes McHale thinks he is still employed with Boston after he hand-delivered Kevin Garnett to the Celtics in exchange for Al Jefferson and a 20% off coupon to Bed Bath & Beyond. My point? Some other team is getting OJ Mayo tomorrow night.

3. New York Knicks select OJ Mayo, USC (assuming a trade, but not predicting the details)
If the Knicks don’t get him here then someone will. The intriguing story here is that OJ Mayo and Lebron James are friends. In a perfect world, OJ Mayo lands in New York Thursday night, the Knicks somehow clear cap space for next year, and Lebron James becomes a Knickerbocker for 2009-10 season.

4. Seattle Sonics select Brook Lopez, Stanford
Tons of rumors about Seattle moving up to the two-spot in a trade with Miami, but really don’t see that happening. Seattle doesn’t have anyone to trade other than Chris Wilcox. If Seattle does trade, it will be down, but I see them drafting Brook Lopez.

5. Memphis Grizzlies select Kevin Love, UCLA
I liked him in college and I think he will be a solid pro. Memphis needs a big man, so why not take the best available?

6. Minnesota Timberwolves select Eric Gordon, Indiana (moving down from the three-spot)
Worst case scenario for Kevin McHale. He’ll trade his third pick hoping to get Lopez or Love with the sixth pick, but has to settle for his third option, Eric Gordon, who I like. I don’t like this mock draft right now. Kevin McHale is screwing this up for me. This is very similar to how Minnesota had to buyout Troy Hudson’s contract ($12.3 million), because GM McHale signed him to a six-year, $37 million contract. Yeah, Troy Hudson.

7. LA Clippers select Jarryd Bayless, Arizona
The Clippers have a lot of off-seasoning to do this summer. What is Elton Brand gonna do, are we trading Corey Maggette, is Shaun Livingston ever going to be good? Lots of questions. So, with two of those questions at the guard position, why not take the best guard available? Jarryd Bayless has tremendous upside. The only reason I say this is to prepare you for how many times ‘upside’ will be used tomorrow night. Last year it was used 2,381 times with 152 different words used before it.

8. Milwaukee Bucks select Joe Alexander, West Virginia
All the talk has Milwaukee taking Joe. In the top ten picks, there seems to be two definites. Rose at number one and Alexander at number eight. Joe was predicted to be taken in the middle to end of the first round a couple months ago, but GMs/coaches/scouts have been falling in love with his athleticism, work ethic, and size. I’ve been saying this for awhile now.

9. Charlotte Bobcats select Russell Westbrook, UCLA
This is a Larry Brown guy. I’m preparing you again. Whoever is taken at this spot, whether its Love or B. Lopez dropping to this pick or they take a reach on Augustin, you will hear the announcers say, “This is a Larry Brown guy” numerous times. You will also hear this during the 38th pick or if Charlotte acquires another first round pick in attempt to get Roy Hibbert, because Hibbert is a Larry Brown guy!

10. New Jersey Nets select Danilo Gallinari, Italy
Alright, this guy shouldn’t have dropped this far. I don’t know how this happened. He worked out really well with the Knicks, twice. So, if my fun little trade doesn’t happen then Danilo probably won’t be here. At this point of the draft there will be at least two significant trades that will shake this whole mock draft up. I see the Clippers and the Bobcats making some movement.

11. Indiana Pacers select DJ Augustin, Texas
If Toronto and Indiana somehow can agree to exchange TJ Ford and Jermaine O’Neal and ‘players with contracts’ then maybe this won’t be the pick. However, I don’t see that happening, so DJ is the pick here. What does Perry mean when he says ‘players with contracts?’ Don’t they all have contracts? Thanks for asking. Yes, they do, but some aren’t viewed as players anymore, just contracts. For example, Keith Van Horn is just a contract. Theo Ratliff is an expiring contract. And thanks to Isiah Thomas, everyone on the Knicks is a ridiculous contract. These are the players you need to include in trades so the salary numbers are close to being equal.

12. Sacramento Kings select Mario Chalmers, Kansas
Mike Bibby was one heck of a point guard for Sacramento and now he plays in Atlanta. Nobody better to fill that void than Mario Chalmers. Also look for the Kings to take Anthony Randolph or Roy Hibbert.

13. Portland Trailblazers select Brandon Rush, Kansas
I’m a big fan of Brandon Rush. Not as an NBA star, but a solid NBA player. Put him with Greg Oden, Lamarcus Aldridge, and Brandon Roy, and you have yourself a team that will dominate.

14. Golden State Warriors select Darrell Arthur, Kansas
I have no clue if the Warriors are even looking at this guy, but I thought it would be a good idea to have three straight Kansas players selected.

The lottery portion of the draft is over. Picks 16 thru 30 will now be listed without explanation due to the fact this is taking way too long.

15. Phoenix Suns select Anthony Randolph, LSU
(look for Leandro Barbosa to be dealt to Toronto)

16. Philadelphia 76ers select Kosta Koufos, Ohio State

17. Toronto Raptors select Robin Lopez, Stanford
(look for TJ Ford to be dealt to Phoenix)

18. Washington Wizards select DeAndre Jordan, Texas A&M

19. Cleveland Cavaliers select Jason Thompson, Rider

20. Denver Nuggets select Marreese Speights, Florida

21. New Jersey Nets select JJ Hickson, NC State

22. Orlando Magic select Roy Hibbert, Georgetown

23. Utah Jazz select Donte’ Greene, Syracuse

24. Seattle Sonics select Alexis Ajinca, France

25. Houston Rockets select Ante Tomic, Croatia

26. San Antonio Spurs select Chris Douglas-Roberts, Memphis

27. New Orleans Hornets select JaVale McGee, Nevada

28. Memphis Grizzlies select Courtney Lee, Western Kentucky

29. Detroit Pistons select DJ White, Indiana

30. Boston Celtics select Jamont Gordon, Mississippi State

I will be doing a live blog of the draft on Thursday starting at 7 p.m. I will dish out my thoughts on the picks and make sure I put in writing every ridiculous thing that comes out of the mouths of Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy.

“I put myself at risk,” Anthony told Denver Judge Claudia Jordan.

In related news, the Denver Nuggets have suspended him for the first two games of the 2008-2009 season. At least we are lucky enough to have him represent our country in the Olympics this year.

The Celtics were phenomenal Thursday night as they knocked of the Lakers 97-91 to take a 3-1 lead in the series. Most prognosticators (Perry) had the Lakers winning in six games or less.

Kevin Garnett was asked if he could sense the fans getting closer to pissing off the rest of the nation.

“Yeah,” Kevin Garnett said. “I can taste it.” (okay, he wasn’t really asked that)

No team has ever overcome more than a 15-point deficit after the first quarter, and Elias Sports Bureau said it was the largest comeback in the finals since 1971.

If the Celtics pull this series out, it will give Boston fans all the more reason to be loud and belligerent. Previously, the Red Sox and Patriots were the main reason.

-Kendrick Perkins left the game with 6:19 left in the third quarter after straining his right knee. The Lakers were leading 62-58 at that point. The combination of PJ Brown and Leon Powe provided a quicker lineup (especially on defense) that was more effective against this Lakers team. The Celtics outscored them by 14 points with Perkins on the bench. In hockey, Perkins would be considered a minus player. Hopefully, for Celtics fans, Perkins will see limited time from here on out.

-Lakers forward Vladamir Radmanovic could be one of the worst starting forwards in the league. He can’t cover Paul Pierce. I’m not sure how much playing time Vlad will get next year when Andrew Bynum comes back.

-What happened to the pick-and-roll for the Lakers in the second half? When they closed out the first half, Kobe and Pau were starting to click, but this did not carry over to the third and fourth quarters. You have to credit the Celtics defense on that. Adjustments were made, rotations were solid, ball pressure was great, and the passing lanes were non-existent. The Celtics defense in the second half is what won this game for them. That and Perkins being on the bench.

-Sam Cassell either makes a really good play or a really stupid play. Nothing in-between.

-I love Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy calling these games.

-The refs made a great call on the Kevin Garnett almost-back-court save, but Pau Gasol’s back-court was a horrible call. Maybe instead of having a huge trophy painted on the court, they should put a half-court line so they wouldn’t have this problem? Just a thought.

-Kobe’s shots were hitting both sides of the rim (the rim is a circle, it doesn’t have sides?) and popping out. Look out when they start falling, which they will…soon.

-The Lakers were only 3-14 from 3-point land (21.4%). For the season they were a 37% three-point shooting team.

-The Celtics bench matched the Lakers bench. This needs to happen more often than not if they want to win the Championship.

I just realized this is more than just a couple thoughts.

Paul Pierce: First off, I want to thank everyone for being able to make it tonight. This might seem very odd that I requested we all get together, but I thought it would give us time to reflect on how important this series is to the NBA past and the NBA future. People write about how the NBA is going downhill, and how the players aren’t as good as they used to be, and how we lack the fundamentals that made this sport so popular back in the day.

Eddie House: Are you saying that isn’t true? I mean, Doc only puts me in there to shoot the ball. I don’t even know how to do anything else. And I don’t even shoot the ball that good to be perfectly honest. I’m a career 40% shooter. But when I make a big play I want everyone watching to know it was me, so I scream and pound my chest.

Paul Peirce: Eddie, this is what I mean. We need to focus on the game. We have a lot of talent in this room and we have a perfect opportunity to prove these people wrong. We can play this game just as well as Bird, Magic, McHale, Worthy, Walton…

Luke Walton (interrupts): Thanks Paul.

Paul Pierce: No, I meant your dad, Luke. Your dad knew the game. He knew how to play his position. He knew how to play his role. Let’s show everyone we can do that. And by the way, we have pizza over there compliments of Kobe, so thank Kobe when you get a chance.

Glen Davis: Oh yeah!! Thanks Kobe, how many slices does everyone get?

Paul Pierce: Settle down, Glen, we have a game tomorrow. Don’t stuff your face. You’re fat as it is.

Jordan Farmar: Kobe’s a great teammate. He hangs out with us and buys us dinner. He even surprised us during Game 7 of the Spurs/Hornets series with a Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Compressor Chronograph timepiece, personalized with an engraving of our names and the year.

**Kevin Garnett is in the corner punching his face, grunting, and talking to himself**

Ronny Turiaf: Hey Paul, is Kevin alright over there?

Paul Pierce: Yeah, just ignore him. He’s getting himself pumped up for the game. We haven’t been able to communicate with him for a solid month, now. Half the time I don’t even know who he is talking to. Today at the shoot-around he made a fifteen-footer and started walking down the court yelling obscenities at Tom Thibodeau. Then he proceeded up the aisle between Loge 13 and Loge 14 pounding his chest. He disappeared into the concourse for about two minutes until we heard him over the loud speaker screaming “Nobody can stop me” in Chinese. It’s something we have grown accustomed to.

Ronny Turiaf: Did Yao teach him how to say that?

Paul Pierce: I think so. I think it was that game in March of ‘06 when Yao dumped thirty on’em. KG’s a quick learner. He didn’t even need college. He’s crazy.

James Posey: Yeah, I just hug him a lot. And not the quick handshake hug. I grab him and hold him for about ten seconds and whisper things in his ear. I even do this right before the game starts. Right before KG steps on the court for the opening tip. That’s my role on this team. I actually hug everyone before they go into the games. I just like to hug KG for an extra nine seconds.

Lamar Odom: Yeah, I noticed that, that’s kinda creepy. By the way, I know we said we wouldn’t talk strategy, but which one of you is going to guard me? I’m a serious match-up problem.

Paul Pierce: It actually might be me, but let’s get our focus back. Derek, in your opinion, who are the players in here tonight that you think play a fundamentally sound game?

Derek Fisher: Well, Kobe of course. I’d say myself. On your team, you, KG, and Ray Ray.

Pau Gasol: You forget me Derek?

Derek Fisher: Don’t get me wrong Pau, I think you are a great player, but you gotta play tougher. I think you might be in for a rude awakening when KG is posting you up. I don’t want you to get soft on the defensive side of the ball. Defense is a huge part of this game.

Lamar Odom: And me?

Derek Fisher: Well, Lamar, sometimes you completely disappear during games. Sometimes I forget that you are even on the court. You are an amazing player when you want to be, but you need to want that all the time. Like you said, you are a huge mismatch in this series. You could be the X-factor if you want to be.

Paul Pierce: This is why I called this meeting. I want us to get upset. I want you guys to not just prove to them out there that we can play this game, but let’s prove to ourselves that we can make this an amazing NBA Finals. We have that chance, despite our coach not understanding our personnel and when to play who with who.

Luke Walton: Yeah, I’m glad we have Phil coaching us. You guys have a severe disadvantage with Doc Rivers as your coach.

Coby Karl: My dad coaches for Denver.

Luke Walton: I don’t think that is anything to be proud of, Coby. My dad knows the game better than your dad knows the game.

Paul Pierce: Stop it you two…

**Glen Davis heads back to get more pizza**

Ray Allen: Yo Big Fatty, save some for us.

Glen Davis: This pepperoni is sooooooo good. The grease just melts in my mouth.

Rajon Rondo: When are we going to discuss the fact that I ruin the flow of our offense by not taking the open shot? I don’t think I have the confidence to hit the open jumper. That’s why I always pass the ball with two to three seconds left on the shot clock. Luckily, KG has bailed me out during these playoffs. I mean, if anyone other than Sam Cassell was coming off the bench to replace me I might not be getting the playing time that I’ve been getting.

Paul Pierce: Just shoot the ball. You need to hit that jumper. Kobe, correct me if I’m wrong, but you guys are gonna give that shot to Rondo all day, correct?

Kobe Bryant: All day baby, but let me get this straight, you said you might be guarding Lamar? Then who is guarding me?

Paul Pierce: It actually might be me. We don’t know yet. Lamar is creating problems for us. Maybe Ray will guard you, I don’t know.

Ray Allen: I don’t want to guard Kobe. I don’t even know if I found my shot again or not. I’ve been concentrating soley on that. And if I’m guarding Kobe, I’m spending all of my energy on stopping him, so my offense will most likely be non existent.

Kobe Bryant: Yeah, Ray Ray can’t guard me, so it has to be you Paul.

Lamar Odom: So, is KG gonna guard me then? Or is Ray?

Paul Pierce: We don’t know. We probably won’t know the best match-up until Game 4. We said we wouldn’t talk about this. GLEN, GET AWAY FROM THE PIZZA. YOU’VE HAD ENOUGH!

Brian Scalabrine: If I may interject here…

Everyone (Interrupts): “Shut up Brian!”

Brian Scalabrine: Fair enough, I’ll just sit right back here in the corner like I have been.

Sasha Vujacic: I honestly think I am going to be a big player in this series. Actually, our whole bench is going to dominate. I feel Jordan is going to cause major problems for Sammy if Doc keeps on putting him in for some stupid reason. And I really don’t think Posey can handle Luke at all. How old are you PJ? Look for us to spread the lead during the beginning of the second and fourth quarters with our 3-point shooting.

PJ Brown: Thanks for that Sasha. I didn’t realize you could speak that well. And I’m 38 by the way. Our bench has veteran leadership. It doesn’t matter that we suck and we are too old to play this game. What matters is experience. Sammy couldn’t even guard Eric Snow right now, but he has two rings. And that is why Danny brought him here.

Chris Mihm: I just want to introduce myself to everyone. I’m Chris. I play for the Lakers.

Everyone: “Hey Chris.”

Paul Pierce: I think we got away from what I wanted to accomplish tonight, but I guess I can expect that due to the situation and all. All I’m saying is that we all should focus on making this a great Finals. The talent is obviously here in the room to make this a great series. Everyone that ever put a Laker or Celtic uniform on will be watching us and I don’t think we want any of them thinking to themselves, “What happened to the talent in this league…”

Kendrick Perkins (interrupts): Do you think they will make an exception for me? I try to blend in with you guys by talking smack and having a cocky look on my face after every good play we make. When I walk off the court with my chin up I want the world to know I’m the starting center for the Boston Celtics. But at the end of the day, I’m still the guy who runs like he took a huge dump in his pants.

Paul Pierce: Yes, there might be worse starting centers in this league, Kendrick (leans over to Kobe and says under his breath, “but not many”), but you’re our starting center and we need you. So guys, let’s make this the best NBA Finals. Let’s treat the NBA fans to something special. Let’s show everyone that the NBA isn’t dying. This has a Game 7 written all over it.

Kobe Bryant: I don’t mean to be a party pooper, but I’m ending this thing in five.

Perry: This is actually what I imagined happened today. However, I feel the same as Kobe, Lakers in five.

Well, the seven-footer wants some money back and, according to TMZ.com, is filing a lawsuit to recoup more than $50,000 from a New York City design studio.

After shooting with the team, Hamilton said he had discomfort in his right elbow, but would play through it.

“Once I get out there and the adrenaline is going, I’ll be fine,” Hamilton said. “I told my teammates, ‘Don’t look at me as handicap.’ … I’m fine. I’m ready to roll.”

It hasn’t been reported yet, but Rip will most likely be wearing a protective mask on his elbow.

Spurs chairman Peter Holt told reporters last week that a handshake agreement was in place.

“If we never had a signed deal that would have been fine,” Holt said Tuesday. “That’s the way the relationship has always been.”

Here is the order of the next NBA draft (lottery part):

1. Chicago
2. Miami
3. Minnesota
4. Seattle
5. Memphis
6. New York
7. LA Clippers
8. Milwaukee
9. Charlotte
10. New Jersey
11. Indiana
12. Sacramento
13. Portland
14. Golden State

NBA fans also have to be excited about the future of the Miami Heat. Dwayne Wade and Shawn Marion will soon be joined with either Michael Beasley or Derrick Rose.

Detroit looked very rusty coming off a week of rest. They missed their first five shots of the game and fell quickly into an 8-0 hole. Overall they shot 42% from the field and never really found their offense (couldn’t hit wide-open shots). Billups, Sheed, and Hamilton all had their switch turned off. Expect these three players to step up their game for Game Two.

Pierce looked like a new man out there with no Lebron on the court to defend. With all the pressure off from guarding Lebron, Pierce looked very sharp attacking the hoop and continued where he left off from Game Seven.

Also, there is no “Big Three” anymore. As noted above, it’s “Big Two.” Ray Allen is not a big-time player anymore. He had a sweet wide open air ball last night. It looked like the shot came from an MTV Rock and Jock game thrown up by Malcolm in the Middle.

Let’s begin.

I just got finished watching Game Seven between the Spurs and the Hornets and I loved the outcome. The defending champs went on the road and dominated Chris Paul and the home team. And this is exactly why they are the defending champs. Honestly, New Orleans was not ready for this. Chris Paul was not ready for this. Experience in this situation is second to none.

Before the tip I received this email from loyal reader Dan Rust, “I’m starting this out with an assumption. The assumption is that New Orleans is going to fall to San Antonio tonight. If I’m wrong then simply place this e-mail in the trash; However, I just don’t see the Spurs going out like that. So….”

I didn’t see the Spurs going out like that either. I would have considered this a major upset if the Hornets won tonight. The Spurs are that good. However, Dan has a “So…” at the end of his sentence. ‘So,’ let’s continue with his email…

“I hate the Lakers, but I feel that they might move on to the finals. You predicted Spurs vs. Pistons for the final. I conferred with my magic 8-ball and it has forecasted Lakers vs. Pistons (actually i just asked it if it would be Lakers and Pistons gave it a shake and it said “It is certain”)…. Do you really think the Spurs can beat the Lakers? I never like to count out Big Fundamental (Timmy Duncan), but Kobe and the Lakers are pretty strong, have home court advantage, and are a younger faster team.”

I did predict the Spurs vs. Pistons for the finals this year (I actually nailed the top four teams), with the Spurs winning it all, again. However, I didn’t see the Lakers being this good. On February 1st, the Los Angeles Lakers traded Kwame Brown, rookie Javaris Crittenton, Aaron Mckie, the rights to Marc Gasol, and two future first round picks (2008, 2010) to Memphis for center Pau Gasol. In other words, an absolute steal for the Lakers. They instantly became a legitimate contender.

And now a legitimate contender is facing off against the defending champs. There is not a better match up that could have happened in the Western Conference. We are given two stories. The story of a dynasty. And the story of Kobe. Isn’t this exactly what we wanted? The perfect story of Kobe taking down the champions on the way to his first ring without Shaq? Or the dynasty maintaining their reign as champions of the NBA by not bowing down to anyone? Wait…am I discounting the Eastern Conference? I’ll address this later.

Dan asked the question, “Do you really think the Spurs can beat the Lakers?” Do I? Yes. Will they? No. I believe we are watching the Kobe Bryant that everyone wanted to see from the very beginning. He is surrounded with teammates that make his game that much more potent (something Lebron does not have in Cleveland). The Lakers play outstanding defense. They score so many easy baskets, including beautiful cuts in the lane with three to four Pau Gasol dunks per game. They hit the open shots. They have a deep bench. And most importantly, Kobe Bryant is playing the best basketball of his career, and that is dangerous for any opposing team.

I love the Big Fundamental, but he did not look at his best during the second half of tonight’s game. He played a huge part in the victory, but he was beatable tonight. And if Kobe smells the blood during this upcoming series, there is no doubt in my mind that he will go for the kill. I really do believe the Los Angeles Lakers will represent the Western Conference in the NBA Finals.

However, am I discounting the Eastern Conference? Boston is not playing very good basketball right now. Kevin Garnett is playing well, but there is no other consistent player on their team. They just played two straight series that went seven games. They aren’t playing well on the road. Ray Allen is playing like Allan Ray. They have zero bench. And we have to remember, their coach is Doc Rivers. On the flip side (no pun intended), Detroit has been here before, six straight times to be exact. They seem to be peeking at the perfect time. They are well-rested, which is huge for Chauncey’s hamstring. Tayshaun has played brilliant basketball. Rip has played brilliant basketball. They have ‘Sheed. They have a bench. And I’m a huge Pistons fan.

You can get Perry’s take right here. He’s as miserable a Philly sports fan as you’ll find.

Check it out, it’s a pretty thorough list. Maybe now you will understand why the fans in Philly are the way they are. From the Fog Bowl to the wet chart to the Allen Iverson “practice” tirade to Scott Rolen to the 1997 Stanley Cup Final fiasco to Shawn Bradley to the Charles Barkley trade to the three-straight NFC Championship game losses…Cnnsi.com has it covered.

10 STEVE NASH (previous ranking, 10) What this guy brings every night to the Phoenix Suns is spectacular to watch. If the Suns didn’t play San Antonio in the first round, I believe we are still watching Phoenix flying up and down the court in the second round and Mike D’Antoni is still the coach of the Suns.

9 MANU GINOBILI (previous ranking, 6) Manu didn’t drop on my list because of anything he did, but more because of what Chris Paul, Deron Williams, and Kevin Garnett are currently doing. When Manu is playing at his best, the Spurs are nearly unbeatable. His energy and fearless attitude can’t be matched by anyone in this leauge. I’m sure any coach in this league would love to have Manu on their team.

8 YAO MING (previous ranking, 5) Yao was having another fantastic season for the Rockets, but a broken foot sidelined him again and left his team hanging by a T-Mac thread. If Yao was healthy for the playoffs, we might be watching the Rockets and not the Utah Jazz right now. I’m still a firm believer that a true big man is the most important piece to a basketball team.

7 DWIGHT HOWARD (previous ranking, 4) Superman dropped three spots because he was MIA in a couple playoff games this year against Detroit. Howard is getting better and in two to three years will be the best big man in the game.

6 KEVIN GARNETT (previous ranking, 9) The Big Ticket had a great regular season and is playing outstanding in the post season. I ranked him nine on my last list because he missed the playoffs the previous three seasons. However, he’s back and playing as impressive as ever.

4,5 CHRIS PAUL/DERON WILLIAMS (previous ranking, 10,10) These two point guards were drafted three (Deron) and four (Paul) in the 2005 NBA draft and both are well on their way in becoming the two best point guards in this league (if not already). I can’t rank either one over the other, because I feel both are amazing and spectacular. However, heads up, Deron has gotten the better of Paul. They play in very different offenses that both fit perfectly in.

3 LEBRON JAMES (previous ranking, 3) Wait until Lebron gets teammates that can actually play basketball. He has too many responsibilities playing with this core of players. Once he is surrounded with the right personnel there is no doubt in my mind a beast will be released and numerous NBA Championships will follow. D’Antoni will be waiting for him in New York once Bron’s contract is up.

2 KOBE BRYANT (previous ranking, 2) Kobe is awesome. Plain and simple, just completely awesome.

1 TIM DUNCAN (previous ranking, 1) The majority of coaches in this league would start by picking Tim Duncan and building a team around him.

Dropping off the list (but still great): Dwayne Wade (7), Carmello Anthony (8), Jason Kidd (10) & Baron Davis (10)

Honorable Mentions: Dirk Nowitzki, Carlos Boozer, David West, Rasheed Wallace, Richard Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, Chauncey Billups, Tracy McGrady, Pau Gasol, and Chris Bosh.

UPDATE: Perry has updated his Top 10 players in the NBA. You can find his 2009 version here.

“After sitting down with the Warriors organization (Thursday) regarding Baron’s future, I don’t know what direction the Warriors are going,” Ramasar said. “Baron is adamant about remaining a Warrior but based on my conversations with the team (Thursday), we have to consider all of his options.”

He’d be quite a prize for a team with plenty of cap room this offseason. Currently, Davis is slated to make $17.8 million next season.

It is not being reported, but it is assumed that Isiah Thomas will not be allowed to speak to, touch, be in the same building as, write to, or contact Mike D’Antoni from now until ever.

With eight seconds left on the clock, Tayshaun Prince shot a left-handed runner through the lane to take the lead by one. Orlando came out of the timeout with a play for Hedo Turkoglu. With four seconds left he drove past Prince to his left, towards the hoop, but his runner hit the rim and the ball was rebounded by Detroit with the clock at triple zeros. Turkoglu was on absolute fire in the fourth quarter dropping thirteen points and finished the game with 20.

Besides Game Three of this series, the Detroit Pistons have looked great ever since falling behind in the first half of Game Four against the Philadelphia 76ers. The other two Eastern Conference teams, Boston and Cleveland, have looked absolutely horrible. Boston’s starting center Kendrick Perkins wouldn’t even see playing time for any other NBA basketball team. The Celtics bench and role players are pathetic. The only thing more pathetic is Cleveland’s bench and role players. That consists of everyone, but Lebron. And even Lebron has played like horse poop. Detroit is the team to beat in the East.

Durant averaged 20.3 PPG, 4.4 RPG and 2.4 APG. He was the second overall pick in this year’s draft behind Ohio State’s Greg Oden, who got hurt before the season even started.

Iverson is not a natural number one or a natural number two. He’s a tweener. Name the last team that won an NBA Championship with a tweener being their star player? It’s never happened. Look it up. Furthermore, he can’t defend. Derek Fisher, Kobe Bryant, and Jordan Farmar had their way with Iverson. Allen is very undersized and can be out-muscled anywhere on the court in a one-on-one match up. He also gambles way too much on defense. Off-the-ball he gets steals, but most of the time he creates a five on four situation that leads to an easy basket, because he misses the steal.

I’m a Sixers fan and I was thrilled when we traded Iverson last year. I think the development of the young Sixers’ players (who are still in the playoffs) in the past year speaks volumes on how important it was to get this plague off the team. During Iverson’s years as a Sixer there was not one player that was able to develop because Iverson was a ballhog and played basketball in an unconventional way. A way that never equates to winning. Iverson has a career losing record as an NBA player. It’s not a coincidence.

In conclusion, if the Lakers win last night doesn’t convince you that Iverson is a horrible player to have on your team, then you are clueless about the sport. The Denver Nuggets arguably had one of the best starting fives in basketball as far as talent, but if you can’t play basketball the correct way (i.e. like the San Antonio Spurs), you’ll never win.

If I learned one thing about Iverson during his years as a Sixer, it’s that he won’t change and he’ll always be a loser (I guess that’s two things). And if I learned one thing about Andre Miller during his current stint in Philadelphia, it’s that he is 100 times better than Iverson and more important to have as a teammate.

A Perry note: I didn’t boo him when he came back to Philly last month, because I appreciated his love for Philadelphia. However, this rant is how I really feel about him.

Garnett averaged 7.3 defensive rebounds per game, 1.2 blocks per game, and 1.4 steals per game.

If you haven’t checked out this Sixer team, it’s worth it. Louis Williams is 21 years old and is growing into a decent player. Andre Iguodala’s athleticism is disgusting. Andre Miller is the veteran glue. Thaddeus Young is a 19-year old rookie that is developing quickly. Rodney Carney – we believe – is in the process of leaving his bust status in the rear view.

It’s official, this series is worth watching.

The Memphis Tigers were led again by their two All-American guards, freshman Derek Rose and junior Chris Douglas-Roberts who combined for 53 of the 78 Memphis points. These two players, who are destined for NBA stardom, are that much better than any other guard tandem in college basketball and are a serious match up problem for any team they play. Of their 53 combined points, 20 of them came from the charity stripe on 23 attempts. Rose went 11-for-12 and Douglas-Roberts went 9-for-11. Interestingly, the two players were the only Tigers to get to the line. Maybe this was Coach Calipari’s strategy for fixing their free-throw woes (61% for the year), only allowing his two best-free throw shooters to get there (Rose and Douglas-Roberts, 71%). Senior Joey Dorsey did not score any points, but made his contribution by bringing down 15 rebounds, six of them on the offensive side. Forward Shawn Taggart came off the bench for 22 minutes and scored seven points and grabbed seven boards.

UCLA led 12-11 four and half minutes into the game, but Derek Rose’s lay up put Memphis in the lead for good. UCLA kept it close during the first twenty minutes of the game going into halftime 38-35, but a 10-2 run to start the second half put Memphis up by 11 and UCLA couldn’t fight their way back. UCLA was led by sophomore guard Russell Westbrook who scored 22 points on 10 for 19 shooting. Freshman Kevin Love, who most likely played his last game for UCLA, finished with 12 points and nine rebounds. This was UCLA’s third straight final four appearance and the third straight time they finished empty handed.

The nightcap featured another future NBA star Brandon Rush and his Kansas Jayhawks. On 11-for-17 shooting, Rush dropped in 25 points including 12 in a 40-to-12 run to start the game. The lead looked too big for any team to come back from, especially with the way Kansas was out-everthinging (made up word?) UNC. But, with five minutes left in the first half, Tarheel junior Danny Green sparked a 15-to-4 run with eight points on his own to close the half at 44-27.

The comeback didn’t stop there. With UNC not slowing down any, they came out firing, cutting the lead to 54-50. However, coming back from a deficit that big spends a lot of energy and the Tarheels couldn’t get any closer. Kansas finally regrouped and again took control of the game getting the lead back to 10 points, 71-61, with four and a half minutes left to play. Kansas guard Sherron Collins came off the bench with 11 points, four assists and four rebounds. AP Player of the Year Tyler Hansbrough finished with 17 points and nine rebounds. Wayne Ellington led all UNC players with 18.

Monday night’s game will feature two of the best guards in the country squaring off against each other with Kansas’ Brandon Rush and Memphis’ Chris Douglas-Roberts. Both are 6-6 and can play inside and outside. The winner of this battle could ultimately help lead their team to a national title.

The Philadelphia 76ers would have won the NBA Championship in 2001 if the Finals were only one game, but they played a seven-game series and the Lakers won the next four. The Lakers were clearly the better team. In that same year, Jamaal Tinsley’s number two seed Iowa State Cyclones (25-6) lost to the number 15 seed Hampton Pirates in one of the biggest upsets in tournament history. And that was it. Iowa State went home and Hampton advanced. That is the beauty of this tournament. One and done. Would Iowa State have won in a five or seven-game series? Most likely, but college teams need to out-play, out-hustle, out-gut, and play their best in every single game or they’re going home. This is what makes the 2008 NCAA Tournament so special. The four best teams in the country all season long did out-play, out-hustle, and out-gut every opponent and they are the lone teams left standing. Each team is playing at their best with only three more games left to play. Furthermore, there is no clear-cut favorite which makes this one of the most anticipated Final Fours in tournament history.

Let’s take a look at who is left.

East regional winner: North Carolina Tar Heels
They are the overall number one seed in the tournament and it’s no surprise to see them in the final four. Their lineup is stacked and their bench could’ve probably formed another team to play in the tournament. They are led by All-American and ESPN.com Player Of The Year Tyler Hansbrough. He is the heart and soul of this team with an endless motor. In their victory over Louisville it was Hansbrough who scored seven straight points when Louisville tied the game at 59. And it was Hansbrough who made consecutive two-point jumpers that helped his team withstand the Cardinals comeback when they had cut the lead to five with three minuets left to play. Hansbrough is leading his team with 21 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. With Hansbrough and teammates Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington (both averaging 15 points per game in the tournament) all possibly leaving next year for the NBA, this could be their last shot at a National Championship.

Midwest regional winner: Kansas Jayhawks
They ended Stephen Curry and Davidson’s Cinderella run. It wasn’t easy, but in a balanced effort led by center Sasha Kaun’s (off the bench) perfect effort from the field going 6-6 for 13 points and six rebounds the Jayhawks advanced to the final four for the first time under coach Bill Self. Kansas is one of the best defensive teams in the country. Mario Chalmers and Russell Robinson have combined for 18 steals in the tournament and the Kansas team has held their opponents to 57 points per game. Chalmers also leads his team in scoring averaging 15 points per game and junior Brandon Rush is averaging 14.5 a game. The Jayhawks are going to play against their former coach, Roy Williams, next weekend in San Antonio. Williams started coaching Kansas in 1988 until he left for UNC in 2003. This only adds to the drama of a matchup that already has a storied history.

West regional winner: UCLA Bruins
The Bruins advanced to their third straight final four with their convincing victory over Xavier on Saturday 76-57. The Bruins are led by freshman Kevin Love who probably is the best player in the country. The 6-10 center understands the importance of having an inside prescence and plays effectively with his back to the basket. He can score, pass, and rebound with the best of them. Love is averaging 21.8 points (61% shooting) and 11 rebounds per game. Guards Russell Westbrook and Darren Collison have combined for 94 points to help support their big man’s dominance. Similar to UNC, UCLA’s window for the National Championship could be getting shut after with Love, Westbrook, and Collison all considered possibilities for the NBA draft next season.

South regional winner: Memphis Tigers
Despite one game where they had trouble on the free throw line (Mississippi State) the Tigers have completely dominated their opponents in the tournament. Their most impressive win was their 85-67 victory over Texas yesterday in front of almost 30,000 Longhorn fans. They jumped out early and never looked back behind their star-studded backcourt featuring Chris Douglas-Roberts (25 points) and freshman Derek Rose (21 points). Rose could be one of the top three picks in this years NBA draft. This Memphis team will give any one of the other teams left serious matchup problems. Douglas-Roberts (6-7), Rose (6-3) and Antonio Anderson (6-6) are three big guards. And forwards Robert Dozier (6-9), Joey Dorsey (6-9), and Shawn Tagger (6-10, off the bench) are huge bodies that take up space in the paint. This is the reason that Memphis has only lost one game this season and this is the reason that Kevin Love and UCLA face their biggest task in San Antonio next weekend.

(7) West Virginia vs. (3) Xavier:
Xavier jumped out to an early 8-0 lead and with a barrage of three pointers that lead stretched to 18 points with around nine minutes left in the first half. It was not looking good for WVU. Xavier was hitting everything and had complete control of the game. However, Mountaineer forward Wellington Smith went on a run of his own scoring eight unanswered points to pull within ten. WVU was able to cut the lead to seven at the half.

The Mountaineers continued their comeback in the second half and were able to pull within one point 41-40 with around 15 minutes left in the game. The game stayed tight the rest of the way. With 14 seconds left in the game, WVU forward Joe Alexander kissed a shot off the glass while getting fouled. The basket tied the game up and with one free throw left he had a chance to put his team up by one. His free throw went long hitting the back of the rim and when Xavier guard Drew Lavender’s shot missed the other way, the two teams headed into overtime.

In the extra session, WVU jumped out to a 71-65 lead within the first minute and a half, but a resilient Xavier team went on a 10-3 run led by B.J. Raymond’s back-to-back three pointers. With Alexander on the bench with five fouls, West Virginia was not able to recover and the Musketeers prevailed 79-75. Senior forward Josh Duncan led Xavier with 26 points and teammate C.J. Anderson added 12 points and 10 rebounds. Joe Alexander finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Mountaineers. OTR is hoping that Alexander returns for another season at WVU, because we have enjoyed watching him develop into one of the best college players in the country. If you get a chance, ESPN’s Dana O’Neil wrote a great piece on Alexander that is worth reading.

(4) Washington State vs. (1) North Carolina
Washington State plays great defense and they were able to hold UNC to 68 points on 43% shooting, but it was not enough. They forgot to score points. 47 points and only making 31% of your shots is not going to win you basketball games this deep in the tournament. Did anyone really think the Cougars had any shot at winning this game anyway? UNC hasn’t been tested yet and they weren’t last night in their 68-47 victory. All-American forward Tyler Hansbrough didn’t have his best shooting night, but his 18 points and 9 rebounds led his team in both categories. Junior Danny Green contributed 15 points off the bench. Junior center Aron Baynes played well for the Cougars, but foul trouble plagued him all game. He finished with 14 points on 6-8 shooting. That’s about it for this game. It really wasn’t an exciting game. All fifteen players played again for UNC for the third straight game.

The later games featured Tennessee vs. Louisville and UCLA vs. Western Kentucky. Let’s take a look:

(2) Tennessee vs. (3) Louisville
Tennessee went up 7-6 early in the game when forward Duke Crews made a two-point basket, but that was the last lead they held the whole game. The next time down the court Louisville’s Juan Palacios nailed a three pointer and the Cardinals never looked back. The Volunteers were able to pull within one point 37-36 during a 6-0 run to begin the second half; however, Louisville was able to take control and outscored Tennessee 42-24 the rest of the way. Louisville shot 52% from the field and were led by sophomore Earl Clark (off the bench) who dropped in 17 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. Four other players contributed with ten or more points in a very balanced effort for the Cardinals. Senior guard Chris Lofton, who may have been ailing from an injury, had a horrible shooting night (3-15), but went 7-7 from the stripe to lead all Volunteers with 15 points. Louisville advances to play North Carolina in the East regional finals. The Big East is 2-0 against the ACC in this year’s tournament, but UNC will have something to say about that on Saturday.

(1) UCLA vs. (12) Western Kentucky
How good is UCLA freshman Kevin Love? Good to quite good is the answer. Love scored 29 points on 10-14 shooting and pulled down 14 rebounds to lead his UCLA Bruins to an 88-78 victory. Western Kentucky never held a lead in this game, but did pull within four points 61-57 with seven minutes left in the game. Western Kentucky senior guard Tyrone Brazelton played a great game in their defeat. He led all scorers with 31 points and added five assists. UCLA’s James Keefe also had a solid game off the bench with 18 points and 12 rebounds. UCLA will now play Xavier in the West regional finals.

The South region, similar to the East region, only had one game where the higher seed advanced past the lower seed (higher meaning higher number) when (5) Michigan State defeated (4) Pittsburgh 65-54 in the second round. The Spartans also won their first round game by 11 points in their victory over Temple. Their next opponent will be the number one seed Memphis Tigers, who made easy work of Texas-Arlington in the first round, but found themselves a little too close for comfort against Mississippi State. For Memphis, foul shooting was a major problem in this game as it has been all season long. They went 15-32 from the stripe including only 2-6 when the game was on the line with under 20 seconds left. Their poor foul shooting gave Mississippi one last chance to tie it, but junior Jamont Gordon’s three-pointer missed the target.

The bottom half of the bracket went as planned with no upsets. Stanford rolled over Ivy League champ Cornell 77-53, but a pesky Marquette team took them to overtime in the second round. With nine seconds left in regulation Robin Lopez made one of two free throws to tie it up and Marquette’s Lazar Hayward missed his opportunity at winning the game when his two point shot fell short. In the overtime, Robin’s twin brother Brook Lopez was the hero. Brook scored eight points in the extra session including a two point jumper with three seconds left to win the game 82-81.

Guard A.J. Abrams led his number two seed Texas Longhorns in scoring with 26 points in each of the first two games of the tournament helping them defeat Austin Peay 74-54 and a resilient Miami team 75-72. Miami was down by 17 points with just under 11 minutes left in the game, but junior guard Jack McClinton surged a comeback that pulled them within three points when senior Raymond Hicks (off the bench) nailed a three pointer with 15 seconds left. However, two clutch free throws by A.J. sealed the deal for Texas which allowed them to advance to play Stanford in the round of 16.

Let’s look at the Sweet 16 match ups:

(1) Memphis vs. (5) Michigan State:
Should we worry about this team’s capability of hitting foul shots? Maybe, but this team isn’t an 11-loss team. They have only lost one game all season long, so they must be doing something right. Let’s ignore the shade-under-60% free throw average and focus on why this team is so good. Memphis has a lot of guys on their team that can play and constantly throw different lineups at the opposition. They can play big, they can play small, and this rotation keeps them fresh. They are led by 6-7 guard Chris Douglas-Roberts who shoots 54% from the field and freshman guard Derek Rose who leads the Tigers in assists. They have two 6-9 forwards that play very big in Robert Dozier and senior Joey Dorsey who loves to call the painted box his own. I guess what I’m trying to say is that Memphis has a lot of depth which is very important. Can Michigan State compete with this team? The Spartans have all five starters back from last year and are led by senior guard Drew Neitzel who leads the nation in assist to turnover ratio. I like that. However, if Michigan State has any chance at knocking off Memphis they will need a huge game from forward Raymar Morgan. Raymar had a hot start in the beginning of the year, as did the Spartans (19-2), but became very inconsistent in the second half of the year getting himself into foul trouble in a lot of the games. So, if Raymar can avoid the whistle Michigan State might have a shot, but I still think Memphis is too tough.

Perry’s Edge Memphis

(2) Texas vs. (3) Stanford:
I love this Texas team and let me tell you why. They have an outstanding point guard in D.J. Augustin who leads the team in scoring and assists. They have a deadly sharp shooter, A.J. Abrams, who is having a great tournament thus far. And 6-7 forward Damion James loves to rip down the rebounds and establishes a solid presence in the middle. However, center Connor Atchley and forward Gary Johnson are going to have their biggest task of the season. They will be facing up against the Lopez twins, Robin and Brook. I just noticed the Lopez twins have girly names. That’s funny. Ms. Robin and Ms. Brook both stand seven-feet tall and love to dominate the paint. Combined they averaged 29 points and almost 14 rebounds per game. Furthermore, for Stanford to win, junior point guard Mitch Johnson and company will need to stop D.J. and A.J. from dominating the perimeter. For Texas to win, their big men are going to need to contain the Lopez girls and Stanford’s inside game. I usually will take the inside presence over the perimeter game, but I love D.J. Augustin. Oh, and they’re playing in Houston. Perry’s Edge Texas.

Final Four Pick: Texas

West Region (Phoenix, AZ)
Summary of the first two rounds:

Mississippi Valley State scored 29 points in the first round. Not the first half, but the first round. UCLA laughed and advanced to round two where they found a legitimate opponent, Texas A&M. With 10 minutes left in the second half UCLA found themselves down by eight points 44-36. Texas A&M went scoreless for almost six minutes which allowed guard Russell Westbrook and the best freshman in college basketball Kevin Love to rally their team back within one point with 5:51 left. Russell scored all of his five points in that 7-0 run. Love tied the game at 45 and put UCLA up by two with consecutive two point baskets. The teams traded baskets until UCLA junior Darren Collison iced the game with 12 seconds left with a layup capping off his 21-point night.

The Cinderella team in the West, 12th seed Western Kentucky, provided us with the best game of the tournament in round one against Drake. In overtime, down by one point, Western Kentucky’s Ty Rogers took the hand-off from Tyrone Brazelton just behind the arc and nailed a three pointer to win the game as the buzzer sounded. In an easier game in the second round, WKU was able to defeat the 13th seeded San Diego who pulled off an upset of their own in the first round over Jim Calhoun’s UCONN Huskies. Western Kentucky will now face off against UCLA.

Xavier proved worthy of their number three seed by defeating SEC Tournament Champion Georgia 73-61 and a solid Purdue team 85-78. They will advance to play against the seventh seeded Mountaineers of West Virginia who defeated Arizona in the first round and that team I don’t like from Durham in the second round. If you want to read more of what happened in those games or how I really feel you can click here or here or here.

Let’s look at the Sweet 16 match ups:

(1) UCLA vs. (12) Western Kentucky:
I don’t think Western Kentucky has any shot at winning this game, but lets pretend. Western Kentucky has a shot at winning this game if future NBA star Courtney Lee and point guard Tyronne Brazelton can control the tempo of this game. In all honesty, Lee is one hell of a player. He averaged 20 points per game this year and has led his team to 19 victories in their last 20 games. He’s 6-5, 200 pounds, and has four years of college experience. However, Kevin Love only has one year of experience, he’s better, he’s bigger, and he plays for UCLA. Look for Love to control the inside game as his teammate Darren Collison controls the perimeter. These two players carried the Bruins down the stretch in their second round victory over Texas A&M and look for them to do the same against the Hilltoppers. Perry’s Edge UCLA.

(3) Xavier vs. (7) West Virginia:

I don’t trust basketball players under 5-10 and Xavier has one of those. His name is Drew Lavender, he’s 5-7, and he is good. That’s pretty much all I know about Xavier. They have pretty balanced scoring, they have a veteran team and they don’t turn the ball over. I shouldn’t have underestimated them a week ago, because these are the type of team that can go deep in the NCAA Tournament. However, they are playing against the team that I like most. If you haven’t seen Joe Alexander play yet, you’re in for a treat. This kid is good. He tends to force the issue at times but when he is under control he is a heck of a basketball player. He is 6-8 230 pounds and has both an inside game and outside game. He can handle the ball up top, play the post, and create his own shot. He plays defense, blocks shot, and loves to talk smack. Did I get my point across? In the game against Duke, Joe Mazulla came off the bench and controlled the whole game while coming two assists short from getting a triple double (a rare feat in college basketball). Look for Coach Huggins to turn to him early in this game. Keep your eye on forward Da’Sean Butler and guard Alex Ruoff as well. Ruoff probably has the best jumper of all the players left in this tournament. West Virginia has some guys that can play. They remind me of the team with Pittsnogle and Gansey. I’m riding the Alexander train till it ends.

Perry’s Edge: West Virginia

Final Four Pick: UCLA

Louisville has also looked very strong as many Rick Pitino teams have in the past. Louisville made easy work by defeating Boise State in the first round and dominated Oklahoma by 30 points in the second round. However, their next round opponent didn’t have it so easy. Tennessee got a scare yesterday when Butler’s Willie Veasley tipped in a two-point shot with 35 seconds left in the game to send it to overtime. In the OT session, Tennessee’s JaJuan Smith went four for four from the charity stripe to seal the victory 76-71. In the first round, Tennessee defeated American University 72-57.

Overall, the East region has gone as planned with no major upsets. The only game where a lower seed lost to a higher seed was (9) Arkansas’ win over (8) Indiana in the first round. Besides Tennessee, the teams left in this region haven’t been tested yet, but who does this favor? Tennessee has felt the pressure that this tournament is all about in their OT game against Butler and they were able to come out victorious. This could be very valuable in their next game and the regional final game if they are able to advance. Don’t look at that Butler game as a sign of weakness for Tennessee. Butler was a very strong team and was ranked almost all season long.

Let’s look at the Sweet 16 match ups:
(1) North Carolina vs. (4) Washington State:
This game is going to be tough for Washington State to win. They are many miles from home and have to face the best team in the country in their own backyard. Moreover, Ty Lawson is healthy and playing extremely well right now. Tyler Hansbrough is the All-American on this team, but UNC is at its best when Lawson is running the show. He controls this offense and brings them the stability they need. Washington State is going to have their hands full. They are going to have to play the perfect game or hope UNC comes out cold. Center Aron Baynes has to play huge in the middle and senior guard Derrick Lowe needs to shoot lights out for the Cougars to have any shot at winning this game. Perry’s Edge UNC.

(2) Tennessee vs. (3) Louisville:
This is going to be a very good game. Even though Georgetown won the Big East this year, many people thought Louisville was the best team in that Conference and they find themselves playing against the only team that beat Memphis this year. These are two very strong teams. Louisville has a very balanced attack with a solid eight man rotation, but look for guard Jerry Smith and forward Earl Clark (coming off the bench) to try to take control of this game for Louisville. Tennessee is led by sophomore Tyler Smith who has been very clutch all year long. Senior guards Chris Lofton and JaJuan Smith could ultimately give Tennessee the edge in this game. There is nothing like having senior guard leadership on your team in the NCAA Tournament. Perry’s Edge Tennessee.

Final Four Pick: UNC

Midwest Region (Detroit, MI):
Summary of the first two rounds:
The Midwest region was filled with upsets and probably was the most exciting region of the four. In the first round, 12th seed Villanova found themselves down by 18 points in the second half to Clemson. However, they didn’t pack it in. Sophomore guard Scottie Reynolds led his team back and upset the fifth seed 75-69. That set up a second round match up against the 13th seed Sienna who defeated the fourth seed Vanderbilt with ease 83-62. Villanova did advance past Sienna and will now face off against the number one seed Kansas who easily got by Portland State 85-61 and UNLV 75-56. Kansas guard Mario Chalmers might finally have his hands full with Villanova’s Reynolds.

Another Cinderella story surfaced in the bottom half of the bracket when 10th seed Davidson defeated Gonzaga in the first round and shocked Georgetown 74-70 in the second round. The win against Georgetown was Davidson’s 24th in a row. They last lost to NC State by one point on December 21st. A very impressive streak. They are led by former NBA star Dell Curry’s son, Stephen Curry who scored 40 points in his first game and 30 points against G’town.

In the battle between future NBA stars O.J. Mayo and Michael Beasley, Beasley’s Kansas State team was victorious and defeated USC 80-67, but eventually lost to a very impressive Wisconsin team 72-55. In the first round, the Badgers made quick work of Cal State-Fullerton which helped set the match up against Davidson in the round of 16.

Let’s look at the Sweet 16 match ups:

(1) Kansas vs. (12) Villanova:
Villanova seems to have that edge ever since that controversial loss against G’town in the regular season. And Scottie Reynolds is playing out of his mind, but can a three guard offense keep it going and defeat one of the best teams in the country? They might have a lot of heart, but I’m not sure they are big enough to take down Kansas. Junior forward Dante Cunnigham is their tallest player at 6-8. Similar to Nova, Kansas runs a three guard offense with 6-8 and 6-9 forwards sophomore Darrell Arthur and Senior Darnell Jackson. Therefore, size might not matter this round. If Scottie Reynolds can continue his magic and outplay the guards of Kansas, maybe Nova does have a chance. However, Kansas’ Brandon Rush will be the X-factor in this game. Look for the team to lean on him in the crucial possessions. Perry’s Edge Kansas.

(10) Davidson vs. (3) Wisconsin:
Wisconsin was very impressive in containing Michael Beasley in the second round and got a huge game out of sophomore guard Trevon Hughes who dropped in 25 points. They have two big guys that can plug the lane in 6-11 centers Brian Butch and Greg Stiemsma (off the bench). Stiemsma hasn’t done much all season, but I mention his name because he scored 14 points in 14 minutes against Kansas State. Maybe they’ll go to him again? But no other player will have a bigger impact on this game than Stephen Curry. He could single handedly win this game for Davidson, but saying this is making me lean towards Wisconsin. I’m not saying Curry is the only person on Davidson, because senior point guard Jason Richards is a heck of a player, but when a team relies too much on one player at this point of the season, it never ends well. The better teams know how to contain those players. Perry’s Edge Wisconsin.

Final Four pick: Kansas

For the last week my friends were asking me if I would ‘boo’ Iverson. I really thought I was going to. His attitude about practice, towards coaches, and his selfish play on the court really helped him wear out his welcome with me. And since it’s all about me, I called Billy King and told him to trade Iverson to Denver for Andre Miller, Joe Smith, and two first round draft picks. However, I didn’t ‘boo’ him last night. I couldn’t.

He brought me too much excitement over the years. The 2000-01 season and play-off run still goes down as one of my favorite Philadelphia sports seasons. I’ll always remember Allen stepping over Tyronn Lue after draining a basket at the end of Game 1 of the ’01 Finals as I watched the game in a packed bar in Buckhead (Atlanta), Georgia. His ovation last night was deserved. There may have been a few boos early, but they all changed to cheers and claps. Philadelphia loved and valued his time here and as Iverson pounded his chest we knew Iverson felt the same. Philadelphia fans get a bad wrap, but last night they did the right thing, me included.

Then it was game time. Denver throws out Iverson, Carmello Anthony, Kenyon Martin, Anthony Carter and Marcus Camby. How the heck is that team not one of the best eight teams in the Western Conference? Those five players are arguably the best starting unit in the NBA. However, they don’t play defense. I don’t know how many dunks the Sixers had last night, but Denver gives up too many easy buckets. Offensively, they are unstoppable, but George Karl needs to start coaching this team or they aren’t making the playoffs.

More on Karl, at every timeout he stands at the free throw line as the team just sits and relaxes on the bench. One of the assistants kneels down and talks about something, but I didn’t see one player listening. Also during the timeouts, Stacy Augmon comes from the first row, walks around the bench and joins the team on the court. When the timeout ends, he walks back to his seat. Very weird. I looked it up and Augmon is the player development coach for Denver. Therefore, I concluded that the Nuggets feel it’s more important to have Augmon in their huddle rather than their head coach. This team is fighting for a playoff spot. George, what are you doing?

I witnessed something for the first time last night. In the second half, Iverson was at the line and after his first free throw a lane violation was called. The NBA does not have one-and-one foul shots. There is no reason to get in the lane after the first shot. The ball is dead. However, the refs got together and reversed the lane violation. What? How does that happen?

Andre Miller is awesome by the way. He is always under control and you can tell he has that basketball sixth sense. He knows where everyone is on the court and he knows when he needs to shoot the ball. He dropped in 28 points, had 12 assists and came up huge with 1:17 left in the game when he drove the lane and got fouled by Iverson, making the basket and the free throw to give the Sixers a 113-110 lead against his former team. To add to the dramatics, 11 seconds later Iverson drained a three to tie it back up, which caused a roar in the crowd like it was a Nugget home game. On this night it seemed everyone in the stands would be happy with any outcome. During the whole second half it didn’t matter who scored and from what team, the crowd was going completely nuts with every basket.

However, there was a team of Sixers and Sixers’ coaches that wanted nothing more than a win. All night, you could see it in Andre Iguodala’s eyes. You could see it in Willie Green’s eyes. Andre Miller’s as well. They had a point to prove last night. They needed to show Philadelphia how good they are without Allen Iverson. They needed to prove to themselves that they had moved on. And when Iguodala threw the ball up over his head with 32 seconds left and Samuel Dalembert grabbed it, slamming it home to take the lead back, they knew they were one possession away from their biggest victory of the season.

It couldn’t have been written to be any more dramatic. If Iverson nailed a three to win, the roof would have blown off the building. If Iverson tied the game the place would have erupted with anxiousness for another five minutes of free basketball. But neither happened. Iverson was defended perfectly by Iguodala and Green forcing him to miss a shot with seven seconds left. Then, Camby missed a shot with five seconds left. Finally, Iguodala got the loose ball and sprinted down the court. Everyone in the building thought he was coming in for a classic Iggie dunk, but as time ran out he threw the ball up in the rafters, victorious over the original A.I. that ran this city for ten years.

At that moment, they had made their point. This Sixer team can play basketball with the best of them. They play hard, they play as team, they’re young, and they’re exciting. They deserve the city’s support. The Wachovia Center should be rocking every night like it did last night. It was a great moment. I still have chills. I didn’t want to leave. I love this game.

South Region:

Contenders for the final four spot:

(1) Memphis – The Tigers were the number one seed almost all year, winning their first 26 games in a row. They finally lost to a great Tennessee team on their home court. Since that loss, they put together seven more wins out of seven games to finish 33-1. Although they played in a weak conference, they did tally up some great non-conference wins against UCONN, Georgetown, USC and Oklahoma. Their star player is junior guard Chris Douglas-Roberts who kills it in the land of three pointers, shooting almost 45%. Freshman Derrick Rose is another player to watch as he has scored over 20 points six times this season.

(2) Texas – I love this team. They have beaten Tennessee, UCLA and Kansas this year, so they know how to get up for the big game. Sophomore guard D.J. Augustin is a stud. He’s averaged 22.5 points per game in his last nine games including 20 points and nine assists against Kansas on Sunday. Look for this team to be playing in their backyard in the regional finals, which are being played in Houston.

(3) Stanford – Even though they play in the PAC 10, they don’t play like a PAC 10 team. They’re a half-court team with two seven-footers plugging the middle. Furthermore, those big men are twin brothers Brook and Robin Lopez. Brook is the better one. If they can get out of the first two rounds without a scare, they should be a viable opponent for Texas. They did lose to UCLA three times, so they haven’t been able to take down a big dog. However, the game tends to slow down in the post season, so that could play to their advantage.

(4) Pittsburgh – They are the first four seed in this tournament that I view as a contender. They have won seven of their last eight games, including four straight in four straight days to take down the Big East Conference Tournament. Hopefully, the three days rest will give them enough time to recoup. Pitt has beaten Duke, Georgetown twice, Louisville and Marquette, so they can hang with the better teams. Keep your eye on junior forward Sam Young.

Upset Specials:

(11) Kentucky over (6) Marquette. After starting the season 7-9 which included four straight losses, Kentucky has turned things around. They went 11-3 in the second half of the season with wins over Tennessee and Vanderbilt. I’ve also seen Marquette not show up for games, losing by double digits five times this season.

(10) Saint Mary’s over (7) Miami. I have a feeling that the Gaels are going to come out firing and I don’t think Miami is good. They were only 8-8 in the ACC and an unimpressive 8-7 in the second half of the season when their schedule got a little tougher.

South Region Winner: Texas – D.J. Augustin seems to be the type of player that will excel in this tournament and everyone will feed off of him. I see them out gunning Stanford, setting up a match against Memphis in Houston where they will have a little home court advantage. I believe this will be the toughest region to win. A lot of good teams and a lot of good players.

West Region:

Contenders for the final four spot:

(1) UCLA – They are the favorite to win it all according to Vegas. The smartest sports people in the world think they are the best team. They went 16-2 in arguably the best conference in college basketball. Their only losses came against Texas, USC and Washington. Freshman Kevin Love has been outstanding, a solid 6-10 center that averaged 17 points and 10 rebounds while shooting 55% from the field. The Bruins also have three other players that are capable of scoring 20 a night in Darren Collison (5), Josh Shipp (3) and Russell Westbrook (1). Overall, the team shoots very well at almost 48%. They aren’t the best three-point shooting team, but expect Shipp and Collison to hold their own.

(2) Duke – They live and die by the three, and they will die in this tournament. I haven’t liked this team all season. One reason is that I hate Duke with a passion. The other reason is more logical, they don’t have anyone taller than 6-8 on their team. And that 6-8 player, Kyle Singler, only shoots three-pointers. They don’t have anyone on their team that can play with their back to the basket. Nobody! You need someone that can to win a tournament like this. Joe Alexander & Da’Sean Butler are going to expose this team in the second round. Send Duke home…somebody.

(4) Connecticut – I skipped right over Xavier and I wouldn’t be surprised if they are upset in the first two rounds. Moving along to UCONN. I love this Huskie team. Like every Jim Calhoun coached team they have a player that fits every position. Unlike Duke, they do have someone who can play with their back to the basket in sophomore center Hasheem Thabeet, who stands 7-3 tall. Junior A.J. Price plays the role of point guard, dishing out six assists per game. And Junior forward Jeff Adrien is capable of bringing down 20 points and 10 boards on any given night. This team is deep, they have a bunch of players that can play and they will be a tough draw for number one seed UCLA.

Upset Specials:
(12) Western Kentucky over (5) Drake. These teams are so evenly matched it really wouldn’t be an upset if the Hilltoppers won, but they are a (12) and Drake is a (5). Western Kentucky played Tennessee very tight this year and they’ve won 17 of their last 18. As for Drake, Missouri Valley Conference teams play the role of ‘Cinderella’ better than ‘favorite.’

(6) Purdue over (3) Xavier. Purdue beat Louisville and Wisconsin twice, so they can play. I’m just not sold on Xavier. If it wasn’t for them, Saint Joseph’s wouldn’t be in this tournament. They lost to them twice in eight days. This really doesn’t mean anything, but it does for this segment.

(7) West Virginia over (2) Duke. Joe Alexander & Da’Sean Butler. I hate Duke. I actually will be surprised if Duke beats Belmont in the first round. Belmont and Duke have combined for 1,729 three-pointers this year. I’m placing the over/under at 54 total three-pointers in that game. Anyone wanna wager some Perry Dollars on that?

West Region Winner: UCLA – I truly believe this is the weakest region. UCLA, Connecticut and that’s it. The winner of their match-up will head to the Final Four in San Antonio. Also, look for a Cinderella to come from this bracket.