ROUNDBALL

The biggest news of the day came in a press conference held by Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov. At this conference, he announced that the Nets were effectively ending their pursuit of Carmelo Anthony. This move quickly sent shockwaves throughout the NBA, apparently even in the NETS FRANCHISE. Sorry, but the funniest thing to me is how Prokhorov talks about "not using computers." HAVE THE NETS BECOME THE CLIPPERS? It seems like Carmelo Anthony is a little annoyed with the way things were handled by the Nets. I think he is handling all of the interviews and questions about going to other teams (Chicago and New York) very well too. Most people seem to think that the Knicks are now the heavy favorite to land Anthony at this point. I have now changed my stance and would love to see Carmelo Anthony in Houston as a rental for the rest of the season. That way they can start over next year, and possibly make a run into the playoffs this season. I still like the idea of Anthony finishing the season in Denver. I doubt it's going to happen at this point though.

Despite all of this drama, there was a lot of action on the courts last night. Thirteen games were played last night again, just like on Monday. Unfortunately this time the games were all sandwiched into five hours instead of twelve. I was able to see most of the Rockets/Knicks game (save for the awkward episode of Modern Family). Afterward, I checked out the rest of the Lakers and the Mavs game. That game was already over by then though.

I have always enjoyed watching the Rockets beat the Knicks. While I do admit that I have enjoyed watching this Knicks team finally become good this season, as a basketball fan nothing excites me more than watching the Rockets win games. I think Knicks fans remember a certain Rockets win more than others...


Last night's victory wasn't quite as great as that one, but it was still a great win. It was great to see the Rockets hold the highest scoring team in the league (heading into the game) to 89 points. Amar'e Stoudemire was his usual self, scoring 25 points on 11-21 shotting. He had a dunk at the end that reminded of dunks I used to do for hissy fits. Anyone who saw the game or played with me at the Monroe Y knows what I am talking about here. The rest of the Knicks were kept in check throughout the evening. The rest of the Knicks starters shot a combined 16/44 (36%). Anytime you have that, you will see Amar'e take his frustrations out with a dunk like that. The Rockets were led by their strong guard play of Kyle Lowry and Kevin Martin. Martin has been quietly averaging 23 points per game all season. While he probably won't make the all star team, he might be able to snag a roster spot if someone gets injured the week before. This Rockets team isn't great, but they are a Carmelo Anthony away from making a run into the playoffs.

The Mavericks got back onto the winning track in a big way last night. They beat the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers. They were able to win on a night where Dirk Nowitzki didn't play all that well, possibly still feeling the effects of the knee injury that recently cost him nine games. It was no matter, as Jason Kidd, Shawn Marion, and Jason Terry all stepped up and helped Dallas win this game. Where is Ron Artest?


Can the Cavaliers become any worse? I am going to jump on the bandwagon and write a piece on this later on today. I can't help myself, Dan Gilbert is just such a great punching bag.

Orlando and New Orleans were both able to sneak away with one point overtime victories at home last night. Ryan Anderson continues to put up good numbers for my fantasy team.

The Timberwolves were on the road facing the Clippers last night. I can't imagine a more hyped up game featuring two teams that are unlikely to make the playoffs. I started falling asleep (sitting up) around halftime of this game. At that point, Kevin Love did not have a single rebound. He still finished with 26 points and 11 boards, good for his 29th consecutive double double. While he was able to hold Blake Griffin without a double doube, it wasn't enough as the Clippers won their third straight and seventh game out of their last ten. If Blake Griffin doesn't make the all star team, I am not watching. The Rookie of the Year finished with 29 points, 8 boards, 6 assists, and a three pointer (!) last night.

The Boston Celtics and The San Antonio Spurs continued on their path toward a potential Senior Citizen League Finals with victories last night. I think this year is most definitely final shots for Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett to help their respective teams win a ring. We won't be seeing much more from Shaq as a player after this season either, especially if they win a ring.


Apparently Mikhail Prokhorov knew what he was doing when he ended the Carmelo Anthony talks. The Nets held the Jazz under 100 points, and were able to get the win. None of their players really dominated last night, instead they turned to a balanced attack where they saw seven players reach double figures. It would be interesting if this Nets team all of a sudden develops some great team chemistry now that all the rumors have been squashed.

Like I said, I think Carmelo Anthony is handling all of this very well. On the night it was announced the Nets were backing out of trade talks for him, Carmelo Anthony came out and had one of his biggest games of the season. More importantly, the Nuggets beat the Thunder. Chauncey Billups even had a decent game. I guess he's probably glad the trade talks are dead, for now...

There were three other games last night, all featuring teams you most likely don't care about. The Bucks beat the Wizards. It seems like so long ago that the Bucks were taking the Hawks to a seventh game in the playoffs. The Warriors used 36 points and a nasty game winning shot from Monta Ellis to get by the Indiana Pacers. Remember when people were saying that Monta Ellis should get traded so that Stephen Curry could fully blossom? The Warriors would clearly be giving up a big time scorer. I still don't know if Stephen Curry has superstar in him anyway. The Blazers used good nights from Nicolas Batum, Andre Miller, and Lamarcus Aldridge to get by the Sacramento Kings in overtime. You're halfway there, Kings fans!