Monday Bolts – 2.8.10
You know what’s great? It’s officially basketball season now. The All-Star Game is this weekend, the trade deadline is next week and now we can focus on important things.
Ready to waste time? This post from HoopData will blow your mind. Tom Haberstroh has put together a Google Motion chart that really compares and showcases a player’s usage and offensive rating. It’s amazing really.
Steve Aschburner of NBA.com takes a great look at KD’s actual chances of landing the MVP: “What does all this mean? It means that Durant’s Thunder club had better pick up the pace if it wants him to crash the MVP party over Cleveland’s LeBron James and L.A.’s Kobe Bryant. The Thunder greeted Friday with a 28-21 record, a .571 winning percentage that pro-rates out to 47-35 for the full season. That might be good enough for a COY. But it rarely is good enough for an MVP.”
Chad Ford runs down a list of players that are likely to be moved before the trade deadline: “There is a growing consensus that Bosh is staying in Toronto, until this summer, at least. Several sources around the league have said that Bosh trade talk has stalled in the past few weeks, thanks in large part to the Raptors’ recent success on the court. The team is winning, and Bosh has been terrific. The Raptors are currently fifth in the East and hoping for bigger things this season. With the Raptors on a roll, if Bryan Colangelobelieves he has a chance to keep Bosh, then the incentive to move him now (instead of this summer) is reduced. And it sounds like Colangelo is gaining confidence that he can persuade Bosh to stay.”
Everybody is talking about Super Bowl commercials blah blah blah. I love how everyone says, “Man they STUNK this year.” When are they ever that great? Have we ever spent three straight hours gutbusting over Bud Light and GoDaddy ads? So if you’re in the market for a good commercial, watch one from the NBA. They seriously make the best ads out there. Like this one (watch for the special Nenad Krstic cameo).
Oh, and speaking of the All-Star Game, I’ll be there as a member of the credentialed media. So, I’ll have quite the ongoing report from Dallas (live blogs, running diaries, multiple posts, the stalking of Kevin Durant). Follow along, won’t you?
Darnell Mayberry wrote yesterday that this playoff push feels familiar: “If this playoff run feels familiar, it’s because many of you might remember traveling down this road before. Flashback to the 2005-06 NBA season. In their first of two seasons in Oklahoma City, the New Orleans Hornets made a nearly identical run toward the postseason. The Hornets were coming off 18 wins and again were expected to be a league doormat. Instead, they made an improbable push much like the Thunder has done this season after last year’s 23-win campaign.”
Former TrueHooper Kurt Helin has launched NBC’s NBA blog, Pro Basketball Talk today. Go check it out.
