That team CAN BE damn good

The Lakers that is

When the likes of Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol, and Trevor Ariza play the way they played on Friday night the Lakers are definitely a Championship team.

Kobe Bryant is showing that he is a leader, and this team needs his leadership.

The Lakers now get to sit at home and watch the Orlando Magic try to clinch against Cleveland tonight in Florida.

The Nuggets had one heck of a season, not that that does anything for my friend Rock, but still, one heck of a season.

Give the Ball to Lebron......

and, if his teammates can hit some shots....you will never lose

The Cavs for the 3rd straight home game versus Orlando blew a huge lead.

Tonight though, they just said in the 4th quarter. "1-4 Give the ball to 'bron and watch him go to work."

The Magic had no answer once players like Mo Williams, Delonte West, Ilgauskas, and the one and only Boobie Gibson finally hit some shots.

See ya in Orlando in Game 6.

Number 11

Tim Duncan San Antonio Spurs Power Forward
(12th Season)

In my opinion there was a point when Tim Duncan was the best player in the NBA, but at that time, the way the media works Duncan was probably considered by most as about the 5th or 6th best player in the league. "Mr. Fundamentals" as they call him played the game as any coach would design a Power Forward.

Duncan has definitely slowed down, he is not the player he once was. He still is good enough to lead a very good team. Duncan still has the ability to knock down shots, and post up. He may just not be able to bang on every possession and still be walking like 5 years ago. The man doesn't make mistakes, he knows how to draw fouls, and can finish as good as anyone. He just doesn't make the highlight reel, and that is why he doesn't get the attention in this the SportsCenter era.

Duncan averaged 21 and 12 for his career, and put up 19 and 11 this season while taking a back seat at times to Tony Parker. Duncan is still the man though in San Antonio, and with a little help can still bring that team to the Finals.

Tim Duncan simply put is the BEST POWER FORWARD EVER TO PLAY THE GAME OF BASKETBALL. He dominated the game for years on both sides of the ball, he could score inside and out. Duncan is a unanomous first ballot Hall of Famer, and will be remembered in the category with Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, and Shaquille O'neal as the best post players of all time.

Number 12

Paul Pierce Boston Celtics Small Forward
(11th Season)

Paul Pierce until last season was one of the most underrated players in the league. He is going to finish his career in Boston close to the top of the list in almost every Boston Celtics statistical category. In case you weren't sure, the Celtics have had a couple good players in their existence. Last season, Pierce led the way in the playoffs for Boston, and in the NBA Finals outplayed NBA Icon Kobe Bryant.

"The Truth" as he is referred to in Boston has game that not many can match in the NBA. He does not have the athleticism the NBA looks for, which may be why he fell to 10th in the draft (one spot ahead of the Pistons picking 11th). However, Paul Pierce has the best body/ball control that I have ever seen. He is slower and less athletic as everyone who he plays against, however, like the old guy at the gym he still finds a way to get what he wants. The step back is just about unguardable, and with 6 spin moves, or three pump fakes, whichever he needs Pierce gets to the rim and to the foul line.

Pierce has a career average of almost 24 points a game. He like Ray Allen and KG, took a step back statistically to help the team as a whole. In the past couple years Pierce has shown that he is an all around player. Last year in the Finals his defensive play on Kobe Bryant won him NBA Finals MVP, and the Celtics a championship.

Paul Pierce has done everything a player can do in the NBA. He has all star appearances, NBA Finals MVP, and a Championship. He will retire a legend in Boston, and will have his number retired amongst the greatest of all time.

Then will be the Hall of Fame.

Number 13

Brandon Roy Portland Trailblazers Shooting Guard
(3rd Season)

When Brandon Roy got to Portland they were in the midst of a revival, or attempted revival at least of what was once one of the greatest NBA franchises. The Blazers had lost as many games as anyone in recent years, and had a lot of work in front of them. Coming out of Washington, NBA scouts said that Roy was a do it all type player. Even with that, they did not know the overall scoring ability that this kid has.

Brandon Roy has every move in the book, and has body control only matched by Paul Pierce. He can maneuver his body in ways that others could only dream about. His athleticism also is very underrated. His range goes beyond the 3 point line, and his ball skills allow him to run the point from time to time in Portland.

Roy has only played 3 seasons in the NBA, and he has already showed his superstar ability. He was an all-star and will be for years to come. This season he averaged 23 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. He shot 38% from 3 and 48% overall, while leading the Blazers to the #4 seed in the West, making the playoffs for the first time in years.

There is no limit to what Brandon Roy can become. I believe he needs a true point guard in Portland to take some of the pressure off of him. If he gets a Point Guard, and Greg Oden becomes a force underneath I can see Brandon Roy eventually leading Portland to the NBA Finals.

Orlando is So Much Better Than YOU Thought

Admit it, you thought Orlando had no chance.

Come on, be a man. First half of game one, Lebron rollin, Cavs up 20. You were thinking 4-0 Cavs. Maybe 4-1. You, my friend, LIKE ME, were dead wrong.

The Cavs, are insanely lucky they are not down 3-0.

Orlando is just fine with Lebron putting up 40 plus a night. They just cover the rest of the Cavs, and in this series, Lebron's teammates cannot hit a jumpshot.

Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis are owning the Cavs. If it's not Turkoglu on a screen and roll, its Dwight underneath, or Rashard in someone's face.

The Orlando Magic appear to know they are the better team. I am starting to believe them, but am not quite ready to count out the Cavs.

Either way though, the Magic are insanely better than I thought, they lost an All-star PG this year too. Wow, impressed.

Kobe is Still Kobe

I was ready to give the Denver Nuggets the series. Tied 1-1, going back to Denver, the Nuggs 6-0 at home in the playoffs. I thought Denver was going to whoop on some Laker booty. Not so much.

They have this Kobe Bryant fella, and he is pretty good.

Not only that, for some reason, he still has a lot to prove this postseason.

People like me are ready to hand Lebron the Crown, and Kobe wants to show that he is still a top the mountain.

Kobe's 3 was the key shot in the game.

That and the fact that the Denver Nuggets cannot even get an inbound in at the end of the game.

Game 4 on Monday is now do or die for Denver. Expect a crazy crowd, and hopefully a much better performance from Carmelo Anthony.

The King is Here

Cleveland jumped on Orlando early, and it looked as a typical game where the road team won game 1. Orlando looked as if they were not interested.

Well, as in Game 1, Orlando came back, and came back strong. Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu are giving Cleveland fits right now, they cannot figure out even how to slow them down. That Dwight Howard guy is OK too.

In the 4th quarter Mo Williams and Turkoglu went back and forth for a while. With 30 seconds left, Lebron was called for a foul. Probably because he took about 6 steps. Honestly, still a little suprising that the refs called it.

Turkoglu would then go on to hit a running jumper from the free throw line with 1 second left putting the Magic up 2 points with :01 on the clock.

Here comes Lebron

Pass goes inbounds to Lebron at the top of the arc, behind the 3 point line, Turkoglu all over him..

He knocks it down, tough ass shot, he knocks it down for the win, and saves the Cavs season.

Lebron James is here to stay, and stay at the top of the league.

Wow, these NBA Playoffs have been AMAZING!

Denver Seizes Control

The Denver Nuggets are the best team in the West right now. I am saying it, and saying it with confidence. I will also add that THEY WILL WIN THIS SERIES! The Nuggets were the better team in LA, and even though they let one slip away in game 1, they climbed back from a big deficit in game 2 and played better down the stretch than LA did.

Chauncey Billups and George Karl are currently sharing one mind. They think on the same page at almost every instance, and even better for the Denver Nuggets....they have found a way to get Birdman,J.R. Smith, and Kenyon Martin all on that page as well.

Before this season the Nuggets were is a mis-meshed unit full of talent. Everyone knew J.R. Smith could play, people knew Kmart was once a 1st overall pick. But it just didn't work. Then comes in the superstar that no one wants or hears about until the playoffs role around about every season. Mr. Big Shot, Mr. Control, "Smooth". All 3 apply, and show up almost nightly. He never seems even a little bit out of control. He somehow makes a pull up 3 on a break look like a good shot.For whatever reason, and after how many years early on in his career struggling....somewhere he learned the game, and it all of a sudden got a whole lot easier for him, and he was instantly exponentially better.

The Nuggets will move on to the Finals in a week, and it will be a great site for Nuggets fans. As a Pistons fan, I am happy for Chauncey, but it makes me wonder how dumb everyone around here was when we said we couldn't advance further with the team we had. The best move at the time was to trade Billups? I don't know, may never. At least we have cap space, RIGHT???

Number 14

Chris Bosh Toronto Raptors Forward
(6th Season)

Bosh is in his 6th season. He was another part of the famous 2003 draft class. Bosh nightly gives his opponents fits, and creates a potentially deadly matchup problem. Too quick for the big guys, too many post moves and too big for the quicker players.

The Raptors had a down year this season, and have not been overly strong at any point in the Chris Bosh's young career. That does not slow him down however in showing off his talents. Bosh was an integral part of Team USA dominating the Olympics and winning gold. Bosh is an elite athlete with great size to go along with a smooth left handed stroke, and vast array of moves. He is going to be one of the top talents available in the 2010 Free Agent Class.

Bosh will get you 23 points a night to go along with 10 rebounds. It is more than just the numbers for Bosh though. He does so many things for his team. He is quicker than almost every big so he makes teams defend and run with him all game long, and in the half court their are very few guys in this league that can even slow him down. He shoots around 50% and can hit from 17-20 feet at will, but players can't get up on that jumpshot because he will make them pay with his surprising speed.

In Toronto Bosh will never be an All-NBA talent. But once he gets out, he has a very good chance to. He will have the choice to go to almost whatever team he wants to. He will be able to pick the tempo, coach, and teammates that he wants. Once Chris gets these things to go along with his amazing ability, the sky is definitely the limit.

Number 15

Al Jefferson Minnesota Timberwolves Center

(5th Season)

Al Jefferson doesn't have the name recognition of any of the other 19 players on this list, but he is a future NBA Star. He was the main attraction in the KG trade from the Timberwolves point of view. The reason the trade took so long is that the Celtics tried everything they had to make a deal work without Jefferson involved. The Wolves held steady though and got their man, and in the future it will pay off.

Big Al has everything you would want out of your center. He is 265 and can hit the mid range shot, and hit 70% from the FT stripe. In the post, he owns overpowering strength to go along with his great footwork, and elite touch around the basket. Offensively he gives you all that you could ask for from your primary inside scoring threat. Even though every team Minnesota faces gameplans around Jefferson he is still able to get his on a nightly basis.

This season he averaged 23 points and 11 rebounds a night. That is 3 consecutive seasons of at least 11 boards per contest. That puts him in a very rare group, a group that consists of KG himself. He also contributes on the defensive end, averaging 1.5 blocks per night.

Al Jefferson will soon be a top ten player in this league, the Timberwolves winning percentage will determine whether or not he is recognized around the country as that. Knee surgery ended his season early, his recovery from that will determine where he is next season on the BL Sports Top 20 List.

Clippers WIN the BLAKE GRIFFIN SWEEPSTAKES

The LA Clippers won the draft lottery, and will be selecting Blake Griffin.

They now will start

PG-Baron Davis
SG- Eric Gordon
SF- Al Thornton
PF- Blake Griffin
C- Kaman/Camby/Zach Randolph

They now have no excuse not to make the playoffs.

Will they???? comment below

Number 16

Carmelo Anthony Small Forward Denver Nuggets

(6th Season)

Carmelo went into the league as a superstar. He was in the famous draft class of Lebron, Melo, D Wade, and Bosh (amongst others). Coming off of a National Championship at Syracuse as a freshman, Melo had his sights set real high.
Although Melo has already scored 10,000 points in his young career, he has been overshadowed for a large part of his career by Lebron and D Wade's success, especially postseason success. Before this season Anthony had never escaped the first round of the NBA Playoffs. That is not all to his detriment but when you are looking to be a NBA Superstar you must advance in the playoffs.

Melo's best moments have been at the helm of Team USA or even at Syracuse. The upcoming series with the Lakers will be a chance for Anthony to propel himself into the league's elite.

Anthony averaged 23 points and 7 rebounds this year for the Nuggets. He also improved defensively, and with the help of new PG Chauncey Billups learned to play as a team, and help the team in ways other than just putting the ball through the net. Up until this season Anthony had been thought to have College 3pt range, this season he shot a very respectable 37% from downtown.

Carmelo Anthony definitely has the ability to shoot himself up the list of NBA players all the way to top 5. This will depend on his ability to stick with the team concept enough to lead the Nuggets into the NBA Finals, and possibly Championship(s). This season was a definite step in the right direction for Carmelo, and his future is bright. He will never have the highlights of Wade and Bron, but eventually he may have as many or more victories.

-----------------------------------------
16. Carmelo Anthony
17. Pau Gasol
18. Deron Williams
19. Amare Stoudemire
20. Ray Allen

Number 17

Pau Gasol Power Forward Los Angeles Lakers
(8th Season)

Pau Gasol has battled the lack of exposure playing for Memphis, and now the fact that Kobe Bryant is his teammate during his career. Internationally he is a superstar, in fact in most of Europe they believe Gasol is the best player in the world. If you look at his international performance alone, it actually is understandable.

Everyone knows that the Lakers are run through #24. However, for those that watch a lot of Lakers games know that Phil Jackson likes to run a whole lot of offense through Gasol. Pau is one of the last throwback big men in this game. You can give the ball to him with his back to the basket and watch him use his post moves to get you 2 points over and over. Pau has a great hook shot, a good up and under move, and underrated strength which he uses to dominate lessor opponents.

Gasol has averaged either 18.8 or 18.9 PPG each of the past 3 seasons, he matches that with about 9 rebounds a night. He does this now with one of the best scorers in the league on his team. That can be considered either help or hendrence depending on who you ask. What I know is that Gasol would be the #1 post option on just about every team.

Gasol is pretty much what he is. I don't think there is any way for him to climb the ladder much, and really there is no need. He is an average defender, and one of the best post players in basketball. Gasol has and will rule international play, and that will be what he is most known for in his country. If the Lakers are to win titles this year, or in the future they will need Pau to be the best inside player in whatever series they may be in.

1 More Reason to Hate Joakim Noah

Click here to check out the uncensored version. Joakim at least has decent taste in young hotties.


Also found this lil picture, no drug tests in NBA offseason. Just ask Josh Howard, or maybe Joakim Noah

Number 18

Deron Williams Point Guard Utah Jazz
(4th season)

Deron is pretty much one of a kind in today's NBA. He has a combo guard body, almost 2 guard body, and plays the game as a true point guard. He averaged almost 11 assists a night this season, while still scoring over 19 points a night. The Jazz selected Deron over Chris Paul, and some may still dispute this, but Williams was an Olympic Gold Medalist for a reason.

The Jazz had an up and down season, much due to injuries to pretty much everyone in their lineup. When Utah was near the top of the West Deron was running the pick and roll, and running it efficiently. For now, Deron is the best Pick and Roll point guard in the NBA. He has the ability to pull up for the jumper, drive the lane, and either score or find an open teammate for the shot.

Williams' points and assist numbers stayed the same this year compared to last. However, he shot 3% lower from the field, and 8% lower from 3pt land. To really become elite, and challenge the best teams in the West he will have to get those numbers back up. 47 and 31 percent are acceptable numbers, but 50 and 40 are elite numbers. Steve Nash numbers, but with the strength and ability to defend.

Deron starred on team USA, and more than likely will also star on the 2012 team. Williams is only in his 4th year, and ranks near the very top of the point guard list. He is the prototype for NBA point guards, the size, strength and athleticism to go along with point guard skills and a jumper. In future years, he will spend time amongst the top 10 players, and possibly on the All-NBA first team.

Thursday Night NBA

Orlando 83 Boston 75

Another close game from these two extremely evenly matched teams. The Magic pulled away because they could score down the stretch. Dwight showed up after opening his mouth up, and dropped 23 to go with his 22 rebounds. Ray Allen was broke, real broke, 2-11 (0-7 from 3).

The Celtics will need their new big 3 (Pierce, Ray Ray, and Rondo) to all show up if they want to advance to play the Lebrons. Orlando will need to continue to play defense, like they did tonight, holding Boston to 29 second half points.

Houston 95 Lakers 80

People keep thinking this Lakers team is invincible. They are now going to game 7 against a team that is missing 3 perennial all stars. Houston showed up big early. 19-1 to start the game, Luis Scola was amazing. From time to time he was making you think about the "Dream Shake" in Houston.

Aaron Brooks once again got to the middle of the Lakers defense and ate them alive. Brooks dropped 26 points on only 13 FGAs.

Honestly, super impressed with the Rockets performance. Even if they get blown out by 40 I am impressed. They are playing with a lot of players that casual fans do not know who they are, or where they went to college.

Number 19

Amare Stoudamire Power Forward Phoenix Suns
(7th season)

Amare has fought injuries, both serious, and those not so much so throughout his career. He still remains one of the fiercest big men in the game today. No big man in the league finishes better. When Amare attacks the basket, there is a real good chance he is either dunking on someone's head or going to the free throw line, a lot of the time for a "and one".

The Suns this season struggled with their identity, but at the times when they were playing their best, Amare was the reason. When the offense ran through Amare, the offense was the most efficient. Some of the credit will go to Nash, but Amare is amazing on the pick and roll. and pick and pop. His improvements in his mid-range shooting game has pretty much made him unguardable. He shoots with a high release point, and is great off the dribble for a man with his size.

Stoudamire matched his career numbers across the board this year. 21 ppg, 9 rebounds, and 54% shooting. There are very few players who average 20+ and 9 rpg in today's NBA.

Amare has the ability to be a top 10 player in the league. Last NBA season he made first team All-NBA. Amare still has a bright, bright future. I believe that more than likely it won't be in Phoenix. The Suns owner is set to cut salary, and Amare should be able to get them some good players in return.

BL Sports Top 20 Kicks off with....

Ray Allen Shooting Guard Boston Celtics (13th Season)

Jesus Shuttlesworth is still ballin. He is on a team with two other future Hall of Famers, and an all-star caliber Point Guard so from time to time we as NBA fans forget how good Ray Allen still is.

For my money Ray Allen is still the best shooter in the league. He is fabulous from the Free throw line. Absolutely deadly from Mid-Range, and one of the best 3 point shooters of all-time. He also is one of the top CLUTCH shooters in the league, as we all witnessed in the first round of the playoffs versus the Bulls, and even in this series against Orlando.

Ray Allen has a career average of 21 PPG, and averaged 19 this season. Ray Ray shot 48 from the field, 41 from the 3 point line, and 95 from the FT line. Those are numbers that won't be matched by too many players, only the elite of elite shooters.

Allen is a 9 time all-star who still plays at or above that level. Ray Allen had an awful postseason last season, having some question whether his best days were behind them. Most Celtics fans will tell you that he is their team MVP this season, quieting all talk about Ray being past his best days.

Nuggets Use Offensive Attack to Advance

7 straight Conference Finals for Chauncey, first of career for Melo.

The Nuggets rode one heck of a shooting performance to their series victory against the Mavs. Denver scored 69 first half points and shot almost 60% for the game. Melo and Billups combined for 58 points on 23/38 shooting. These two have a future together in the Western Conference (you hear that Joe, Chauncey STILL has a future in the NBA).

The Mavs are a talented team, but Josh Howard was hurt, and after Dirk and JET the Mavs struggled in this series to find a third scoring option. Dirk played great against stellar defense, but Dirk was not enough. I wonder how much the Mavs wish they had Devin Harris right now.

The Nuggets now more than likely await a powerhouse match-up with the LA Lakers in the West Finals. That will be a match-up of the two best teams in the West from the beginning to the end of the NBA season out west. I won't go too much into this series now because their will definitely be a series preview, well that, and it's not official yet.

ALL NBA TEAM

To me this is a great sign for the NBA. The All NBA Team consists of 4 of the 5 players off of the All-NBA Defensive team. Only Dirk is a new addition (over KG on ALL-D team)

That's one hell of a first team, and I would guess that if KG would have been healthy all year the All-Defense and All-NBA team would have been exactly the same.

The Celtics are pretty good at.....

well WINNING

Tonight was a game where the team that played better definitely lost. The Magic led throughout the game, and for 3 and a half quarters it appeared that the Celtics were never going to get it going. Then of course, came the Celtics usual 4th quarter push. The Celtics would end up with 33 4th quarter points, and come out with another tight victory.

Glen "Big Baby" Davis led the Celtics with 22 points and continued his stellar play in the postseason, filling in for KG.

Ray Allen hit big shots for the Celtics in the final minutes, and up 3 Doc Rivers fouled on the inbounds on consecutive possessions to shorten the game in effect, by trading Ray Allen Free Throws for Magic players free throws.

Dwight Howards intentional miss at the FT ended up in the hands of Glen Davis, and after he sunk 2 Free Throws the game was over.

Celtics 92 Magic 88
C's take a 3-2 lead in the series despite being thoroughly outplayed for most of the night

The Lebrons move to 8-0

Cleveland Sweeps again, moves on to Conference Finals

Lebron is definitely the King right now. King of the NBA is still for debate, but the East is no longer a mystery. LBJ does what he wants, when he wants. He doesn't lose, and probably won't for a while.

Lebron makes every guy on that team a better player. The Cavs are full of guys that other teams didn't want. A bunch of career bench guys or role players and they seem to do just enough to keep the Cavs a powerhouse in the Eastern Conference.

Tonight it was Delonte West. Delonte took control when Bron went to the bench, he decided to be the aggressor when James was sitting. West had 21 points and 6 assists, playing 45 minutes.

They now must wait, and rest. Sit at home and enjoy watching good games between the Celtics and Magic like the rest of us. Whoever wins that series will know they have one hell of a battle in front of them in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Yao Done for the Playoffs

Yao is out, and I am going to assume that means the Rockets are done. This franchise probably has the worst luck out of any professional sports team. If it's not T-Mac, it's Yao, or maybe even both.

Tough luck for Houston, it will be interesting to see how the Rockets respond.

Chuck Daly

Chuck Daly passed away today, 78 years old.

Detroit Legend, best Pistons coach of my lifetime. Ran a Bad Boys team with a lot of egos, and did amazing job of handling the egos and making them into a team. Coached the Dream Team as well. Coaching resume is hard to match in Michigan Sports.

Lived a long, amazing life.

Rest in peace coach

That Rondo Kid Can Play a Little Ball

well, that and the fact that Eddie House was channeling some Arizona State type fire.

"That's what happens when you bustin someone's ass. They hit you in the head." HaHa, Eddie Heezee is the man.

In the first round, Rajon Rondo was single rebound away from averaging a triple double. In a tough 7 game series, that is insane. His assist to turnover ratio in the playoffs is absolutely unreal. It seems every night he has 14+ assists and 1 or 2 turnovers. Haters, it's true that players like Eddie House and Ray Allen have helped his assist totals. But, to be honest no one can stay in front of Rondo right now. His quickness and overall athleticism is unmatched in the East. The uptempo style since KG went down has shown off Rondo's game. Rondo blows by the defense at will, the opposing big steps up and Rondo dishes off to Big Baby or Perkins, and they have done a great job of finishing.

Tonight's game was over early, and I for one don't think the Magic have enough to beat the Celtics. Even if they don't have KG for one single second. While it is true that Dwight can have his way down low, that is just not the Magic's style. Their style is to almost use Dwight as a decoy. Have the defense worry about the inside, and beat you from the outside. Orlando shoots more 3s than anyone in the league. Rajon Rondo is having his way, and Ray Allen is still playing like a young Mr. Shuttlesworth. Paul Pierce is yet to get going, and I am pretty sure that in the next 5 games, in at least one of them he will be the reason Boston wins.

Eddie House was sizzlin tonight. Just scorching. Hitting shots that most players wouldn't have the guts to even attempt. He has a quick release, and absolutely no concience. House had 31 points on 11/14 and 4/4 3pt. He was so hot that Rafer Alston lost his head and slapped him in the head. Alston could easily be facing a 1 game suspension for his idiotic decision. Orlando had no answer for Boston's hot shooting, and to me they are the most overrated team in the NBA. They are far from contenders, and considered one in the East by most.

All Defense Includes League's Top Players

KG/Dwight/Bron

Kobe n CP3

Reminds of the hay day of the NBA when the best players in the league where on the All Defensive Team year after year.

*2nd team included Artest, Battier, D Wade, Rondo, and Tim Duncan.

D Wade is Talking Contract

The Free Agent Class of 2010, which has almost took the importance out of the 2008-09, and 2009-10 seasons in the NBA for some teams may be taking it's first hit soon.

Dwyane Wade of the Heat is now talking contract with the Heat. That will be the first big name taking off the market before the 2010 Free Agent period even gets here.

I am assuming Wade will resign, and he is not going to be the only one. The class of 2010 is really deep, and has a ton of all-star quality players, but losing D Wade still hurts.

The NBA has to be hoping that Lebron does not resign in Cleveland before the 2010 hits, or they will lose one of their most talked about subjects.

The Team No One Talks About

While everyone has been talking about the Lakers, Kobe, Lebron, Cleveland, Superman, and the Boston/Chicago series there has been a little team from the West kicking people's butts for a couple weeks now.

The Denver Nuggets are a complete basketball team that appears to believe in themselves far more than the rest of the nation does. Chauncey Billups runs the show, and he has talent around him. Carmelo Anthony, Kenyon Martin, and Nene have been helping him all year, and it seems like until the Western Conference Finals no one is going to pay attention to them.

Billups has gone through this before in Detroit and won a title, and Melo has been overlooked for the likes of D Wade and Bron his whole career. The chips on their shoulders may never leave, or maybe they will. We will just have to see.

Tonight, the Nuggets dismanted the Mavericks behind a solid team effort. Billups, Anthony, Nene, Kmart, Birdman, and JR Smith all did their things, and the Nuggets looked like a much better team than their opponents. If this keeps up this will be a short series. Dallas is a very good team so I expect a response, but I am not sure it will matter if Denver keeps it up like this.

I know people are not supposed to talk like this, but right now, the Nuggets are a better team than that team in California led by #24. Sorry Mr. Stern, you might get an uninvited guest to the NBA Finals.

Nuggets 117 Mavericks 105