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Game 35 Preview, Nets vs Kings

By Cliffy | January 5, 2009 | StateNets

The Nets travel back home after that heart breaking loss to the heat to face the Kings, who are surely motivated by the return of Kevin Martin, who erupted for 40+ points in their last game against Indiana. Starters: Nets: Lopez, Yi, Simmons, Carter and HarrisKings: Miller, Moore, Garcia, Salmons and Udrih Injuries: Nets: Harris?Kings: Thomas and Hawes I'm not so sure if Martin will be starting, but it does not really matter, the Nets need to contain him. Also, I hope Harris will play, because the Kings do not really have anyone that can stop him. It'll be nice to see Moore back, he was a personal favorite of mine, but the Kings really did over-pay for him. How will Lopez bounce back from essentially being schooled by Wade? I know I'm a Nets fan and all that, but those blocks were sick. It's growing pains really and what...

Read more | Discuss | Tags: NBA, New Jersey Nets, Sacramento Kings

I'm Back!

By Cliffy | January 3, 2009 | StateNets

First of all, a belated Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to everyone! I tried to get my hands on a computer throughout my time abroad, but never really had much time, but I got to check on the Nets a couple of times though. That loss to Charlotte was disappointing, but the Nets redeemed themselves the next day. SWAT getting sent to the D-League is a win-win for both parties in my book. Sean gets to play, the Nets get to see if they should keep him and this lets other teams get a look at him too. The Nets are now at 16-17 after beating the Hawks (the Nets love shooting them down huh?) the record is really great, hovering under .500 nearing the midway point, the Nets have to be feeling good, just more home wins, please. Big game tomorrow against the Heat, forgive me for...

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Fantasy Player: Tayshaun Prince

By Chris Thompson | January 1, 2009 | Behind the Name

In their matinee home game on New Years Eve, the Pistons toppled the New Jersey Nets by the final score of 83-75. The main storyline of the night, no it wasn't any highlight real dunks, or amazing last second bucket, but it was Vince Carter getting ejected early in the second quarter. Vince was given his first technical after arguing an out of bounds play that he thought should have gone the otherway. He claimed that it had gone off of Allen Iverson and then out of bounds and because of his arguing he was given a technical foul, his first. After that Vince thought the referee Derrick Stafford said something inappropriate to him and was given his second technical for reacting. 'Vince thought the ball went off Allen (Iverson) and said something, and that's when he got a technical,' Frank said. 'That's when the official said something that Vince didn't think was appropriate and he reacted. We felt it was unjust that he got ejected.' The Pistons had a huge night as they played shorthanded for most of the game, the Associated Press reports that the Pistons started the game with two key guys out of the line up in Rip Hamilton, and Anotonio McDyess. But, Rasheed Wallace would soon join them on the DL due to a foot injury late in the first half of play, and the Pistons were still able to hold the Nets to a season low in points. 'When any team in the league loses three of their top six guys, things are going to change for them,' Pistons coach Michael Curry said. 'Luckily, a lot of other guys stepped up.' One player that stepped up for the Pistons last night in a injury riddled team was Tayshaun Prince, and he gets the honor of being the Pistons Fantasy Player of the Night. Tayshaun Prince had a huge night on the offensive and defensive side of the ball. He stepped up when the team needed him most and helped them pull out the victory to help the Pistons win their fifth game in a row. Here are his numbers: Minutes Played: 44min Points: 16 Fieldgoals and Percentage: 5/10 or 50% from the floor Freethrows and Percentage: 6/7 or 85.7% Rebounds: 7 Assists: 5 Turnovers: 1 Another win, Congratulations Pistons. Be sure to check out my blog site: http://hardcoredetroitfan.wordpress.com/...

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Allen Iverson, Antonio McDyess, Detroit Pistons, NBA, New Jersey Nets, Rasheed Wallace, Rip Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, Vince Carter

Are We Overestimating Wally Szczerbiak's Expiring Contract?

By Amar Panchmatia | December 26, 2008 | Cavalier Attitude

On the day of the NBA Draft back in June, Nets president Rod Thorn's phone was ringing. It was Danny Ferry, and he had an offer that Thorn had to think about before refusing.Wally Szczerbiak for Vince Carter, straight up. You'd have to invent a new phrase for the talent swap there, because "one-sided" wouldn't do it any justice. The catch was that Szczerbiak would be entering the final year of his contract and would give the Nets, who had re-signed Carter to a mega-deal back in '07, tremendous cap relief. And considering that the Nets had shipped Richard Jefferson to Milwaukee in exchange for Yi Jianlian and Bobby Simmons, Ferry had every reason to believe that Thorn was operating a firesale.Based on accounts of that conversation, Thorn thought about it seriously before saying no. But that hasn't stopped numerous rumors linking Carter to the Cavs from popping up in...

Read more | 9 Comments | Tags: Anderson Varejao, Andrei Kirilenko, Antawn Jamison, Ben Wallace, Bill Simmons, Bobby Simmons, Brad Miller, Cleveland Cavaliers, Danny Ferry, Darnell Jackson, J.J. Hickson, Michael Redd, Mike Bibby, Mike Brown, Mike Miller, Milwaukee Bucks, New Jersey Nets, Richard Jefferson, Rod Thorn, Sacramento Kings, Shawn Marion, Vince Carter, Wally Szczerbiak, Wally Szczerbiak's Expiring Contract, Yi Jianlian, Zydrunas Ilgauskas

Power Rankings: Green Comes Out on Top

By Celticsfanatic | December 24, 2008 | Celtics 17

Rajon Rondo on the Jumbotron - culhanen

Today on Celtics17, we will be having our very own power rankings! We will be breaking the top fifteen teams in the NBA. Who comes out on top? We'll see soon enough.2008 Power Rankings1. Boston Celtics - Ranked second in John Hollinger's power rankings, first in Marc Stein's power rankings, and first in Joe Boikess's power rankings, the Celtics are near the top in just about every single one. Heading into the Staples Center, they have a 19 game winning streak, and a record 27-2 start this year. Now thats impressive.2. Cleveland Cavaliers - Ranked first in John Hollinger's rankings (link above), the Cavs are one of the toughest teams you could think of in the NBA. Their league leading margin of victory is +13.04, and they have one of the most dominant players in the game, LeBron James, who is averaging 27.6 points per game.3. Orlando Magic - Their...

Read more | 4 Comments | Tags: Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, NBA, New Jersey Nets, New Orleans Hornets, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers, Power Rankings, San Antonio Spurs, Utah Jazz

NBA Studs and Duds: 12/23/08

By Stu Holdren | December 23, 2008 | NBA Noise

Studs: Joe Johnson, Atlanta HawksJoe Johnson is not so quietly developing into one of the best shooting guards in the league. He is (at times) unassuming, but he can affect the game in a multitude of ways. This was certainly the case as Johnson produced the second triple-double of his career. Johnson's 21 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds led the Hawks to a 99-88 win over Oklahoma City. [boxscore]Emeka Okafor, Charlotte BobcatsSince the departure of Jason Richardson, even more responsibility has been placed on the shoulders of Emeka Okafor. As the Bobcats matched up against the frontcourt-depleted Wizards, Okafor certainly stepped up to the plate tonight in a 80-72 victory. Okafor scored 29 points, snagged 18 rebounds and blocked 3 shots.[boxscore]Devin Harris, New Jersey NetsDevin Harris contributed an excellent line of 29 points, 11 assists, 5 boards and 2 steals. These are numbers that are beginning to come as...

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Antawn Jamison, Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Bobcats, Deron Williams, Detroit Pistons, Devin Harris, Dwyane Wade, Emeka Okafor, Joe Johnson, Joel Przybilla, Miami HEAT, Mike James, NBA, New Jersey Nets, Portland Trail Blazers, Rodney Stuckey, Studs and Duds, Utah Jazz, Washington Wizards

NBA Stock Market: Rondo Keeping Celtics on Record Pace

By Joe Boikess | December 22, 2008 | MVN Outsider

Rajon Rondo surveying the floor (Photo via culhanen/flickr.com)

Note: We at MVN Outsider have re-organized our posting schedule in an effort to make our sports coverage more well rounded and timely. For those of you expecting to see the NBA Power Rankings today, that post has been moved to Tuesdays. With these changes, get ready to see more fresh content every day on every major sport. Thanks, and enjoy!Rising:Boston Celtics - Honestly, this team has been on the rise this entire season, piling up wins at a rate that we haven't seen since the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls. They now have won 18 in a row and have tied the league mark for the best start (26-2) for a team with two losses. Their recent success has been due in large part to the play of point guard Rajon Rondo. When the team needs him to score, he does it (as we saw on Sunday in the C's win...

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons, NBA, NBA Outsider, New York Knicks

Cavs Improve to 23-4 After Sleepwalking Through Oklahoma City

By Amar Panchmatia | December 21, 2008 | Cavalier Attitude

Highlights ll BoxWhen it comes to ranking how impressive wins are, Sunday night's 102-91 win in Oklahoma was as unimpressive as Friday night's beatdown in Denver was a statement.Sure, you can't really blame the Cavs for this one. They're playing better than any team before them in franchise history, they're arguably right up there with Boston as the best teams in the league, and they just came off a huge statement win on national television.The Oklahoma City Thunder, on the other hand, are none of those.But they killed the Cavs, 41-32, on the boards. This was easily the Cavaliers' worst output on the glass all season. After being lackadaisical on the rebounds during the three games that starting center Zydrunas Ilgauskas missed last week, the Cavs simply looked like they didn't care on Sunday. OKC grabbed 14 offensive boards, including four each from Jeff Green and former Cavalier Joe Smith.Here's...

Read more | 4 Comments | Tags: Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Daniel Gibson, Delonte West, Denver Nuggets, ESPN, Houston Rockets, J.J. Hickson, Jeff Green, Joe Smith, LeBron James, Minnesota Timberwolves, Mo Williams, New Jersey Nets, Oklahoma City Thunder, Toronto Raptors, Vince Carter, Zydrunas Ilgauskas

NBA Stock Market: Rondo Keeping Celtics on Record Pace

By Joe Boikess | December 22, 2008 | MVN Outsider

Rajon Rondo surveying the floor (Photo via culhanen/flickr.com)

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons, NBA, NBA Outsider, New York Knicks

NBA Outsider Ballers of the Week for Nov 14-20

By Jon Burkett | November 22, 2008 | MVN Outsider

MVN's NBA Outsider presents to you the NBA's "Ballers of the Week." Since this is a team game, major bonus points are award to players who lead their teams to undeafeated records in any given week. Individual stats are nice, but it's wins and losses that matter most. Here's who had the greatest impact on the bottom line for the week November 14th to November 20th... -Devin Harris as a Maverick, addressing the fans (Tim Cummins flickr photostream via Creative Commons license)Eastern Conference- Devin Harris, G (Nets) Nets point guard Devin Harris missed three games with an ankle injury, but he returned on November 14th against the Hawks at home. The Hawks were coming off their only loss of the season at that point, a one point nail biter in Boston against the defending champs. Thanks in large part to the performance of Harris, the Nets made it two in...Read more

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