Miami at Golden State

(I’m fully convinced Jason Caffey was able to dunk this
ball.)

There’s no point in trying to convince you that the
Magic/Celtics game is going to be worse than tonight’s Heat/Warriors "tilt."

About this time last year, though it was in Orlando
(tonight’s pairing is in Massachusetts), the
Magic took the first step toward ruining Boston’s
chance at a 70-win season, beating the team in a Sunday night classic. This
time around sees the Magic and Celtics playing terrific, sometimes dominant
basketball.

That said, it’s in Boston, and though you can slam me all
you want for continuing to underestimate the Magic in the regular season (I
think the team can be Conference finalist material come May), I don’t know if
this reeks of "classic." Instead, I’m instead looking forward to what could be
a 30-point blowout down in the Bay Area.

You see, the Golden State Warriors have just returned from a
road trip that they really didn’t work too hard to muddle their way through. It
was the second Eastern jaunt of the young season for the Warriors, the team’s
roster has gone beyond the realm of the orthodox or even "good," and the
results were what you’d expect. Golden
State has turned into a
needed tonic for all comers.

And Miami
needs that sort of opponent. Shawn Marion is
on the block. Michael Beasley has been forgotten. Dwyane Wade’s blocks per
game average has dropped below 2.0!

This team needs a blowout. It needs Beasley to pull in 12
rebounds. It needs a bunch of corner treys from Shawn Marion. It needs 129-107.
Badly.

Miami Heat: 8-9, 90.8 possessions per game
(21st-fastest in the NBA), 107.1 points scored per 100 possessions (10^th-most
in the NBA), 105.9 points allowed per 100 possessions (13^th). Lonely Boy.

Golden State Warriors: 5-12, 97.2 possessions per
game (2^nd), 106.4 points scored per 100 possessions (15^th),
110.9 points allowed per 100 possessions (27^th). Leave Her Alone.

Read full article…

A look around the league and the web that covers it. It’s also important to note that the rotation order and starting nods aren’t always listed in order of importance. That’s for you, dear reader, to figure out.

C: Boston Celtics Examiner. Better prepare yourself for an All-Celtics NBA All-Star Game, folks.
PF: WRAL.com. Little info is available, but Rodney Rogers was injured in an ATV accident on Friday.
SF: The Sports Hernia. Pau Gasol: Sexiest Man Alive.
SG: Psychedelic Kimchi. "LeBron is the hot girlfriend, Cleveland her high school years."
PG: Ben’s Suns Blog. Note to Amar’e: If you want to be the man, you can’t get ejected in the clutch.
6th: And One. Lame courtside ticket-holders to rowdy Cavalier bench: "Sit down or get some skirts."
7th: Brew Hoop. Bucks guard Tyronn Lue is afraid of shooting in the paint … and monsters under his bed.
8th: Sam Smith, via Mouthpiece. "Once upon a time, not so long ago, the Knicks offered a ton of money to
a future Hall of Famer free agent guard. But Michael Jordan turned them
down, and LeBron James could do the same in 2010."

9th: Flare Prod. Have trouble reaching those out of reach places, Kevin Willis? You need Mutombo Arm!
10th: YT, via Dime. "The Assassination of Michael Jordan by the Coward Kobe Bryant," after the jump.

Read full article…

Mike Fisher at DallasBasketball.com wants your help captioning the above Photoshop masterpiece of Nets angel Devin Harris and Mavericks guard Jason Kidd. Can anybody help him out? The rock is all yours.

Read full article…

According to the game recap, LeBron James struggled Saturday versus the Bucks, going without a field goal for more than 15 minutes in the second half before he led Cleveland on a decisive 11-2 run. The King finished with 32 points, seven rebounds, five assists and a decisive 97-85 road win. Yes, quite the — ahem — struggle.

Luckily, LeBron made up for it on the defensive end of the floor, blocking a Ramon Sessions first half lay-up into the second row of Section 201, almost knocking out a security guard in the process.

And please don’t start with that "a better fundamental player would have kept that ball inbounds" nonsense. It was the second quarter against the Bucks. That "bonus" possession really wasn’t needed.

(via The Hoop Doctors)

Read full article…

When I asked Danny Granger if he could ever remember starting off a season so well, his answer was simple, "No."

The Pacers’ rising star is averaging 24 points and almost six rebounds a game. It doesn’t seem to matter too much to him right now, though. "I know I’ve put up a lot of points," he told me after Saturday’s loss in Orlando. "But, we’re 6-10 as a team."

The Louisiana native might be frustrated with the way his team is playing, but he couldn’t be doing much more to help. He is in the middle of a break out season that should elevate him into NBA stardom. As you’ll see, he’s also one of the most interesting players in the League.

Ball Don’t Lie: You’re big into superheroes. I read that you actually want to build a hidden cave in your house like Batman.

Danny Grager: Yeah … (Laughs) I’m building a house in New Mexico and actually the builder called me and told me he found a nice little feature, a lift for my car, kind of like Batman had. It’s in the works, it’s a process. [The Superhero stuff] is just a big thing I’ve been a part of. I love Superman, love Batman. It’s just the way I’ve been always.

BDL: You’re a movie buff too, you have over 2,000 movies.

Granger: More now.

BDL: More than 2,000?

Granger: I’ve got more than that.

BDL: And Armageddon is really your second favorite movie of all time?

Granger: Yeah, I love Armageddon. And Gladiator, I love Gladiator. Armageddon, [is] a great movie. I don’t know if anybody saw it, it came out in ['98]. [I] loved that movie, just an all around great movie.

BDL: Speaking of great stuff, you’ve said your uncle makes some unbelievable banana pudding, are you going to try and sell it in Indiana some time?

Granger: You know what, I probably could. I really, probably could. It’s that good.

BDL: What sets it apart?

Granger: You mean what’s in it?

BDL: Yeah, what makes it any different than any other banana pudding?

Granger: I can’t tell you that. (Smiles) The ingredients that he puts in it are amazing. I remember one time I got sick ’cause I ate so much, I ate a whole pan. I couldn’t even walk, ’cause I had a sugar stomach-ache … we might start selling it.

BDL: You come from a musically-talented family. [His younger brother Scotty appeared on a reality show on ABC called: The One: Making a Music Star, and he is great-nephew of Mahalia Jackson, the "Queen of Soul."] Can you sing?

Granger: Of course. Singing is like what I do in my past-time. Some people don’t like to hear [singing], some people like to hear it. It just depends on who you’re listening to. (Smiles) You’ve just got to catch me on a good day. On a bad day I really can’t sing, but on a good day, I can sing. Just catch me on a good day.

BDL: Good enough for a record deal?

Granger: Noooo … (Laughs) If I’m on my own label, yeah. If I start my own label, then yeah I’ll sign myself.

BDL: Have you played with anybody who could sing?

Granger: Played with anybody who can sing? Nah.

BDL: Nobody?

Granger: I did have a teammate in college, his name was Alfred Neale. He was big into Gospel, could play the piano, could sing really well. He played in the D-League for a couple of years, but yeah, that’s the only person I’ve played with that could sing.

BDL: Speaking of music, I heard that you’re really into Rock Band. What’s the name of your band?

Granger: Uh, (Laughs) I’ve got a few, I can’t tell you two of them.

BDL: All right, what are the PG rated ones?

Granger: The PG rated ones are … New Orleans Assassins, something like that just because I’m from New Orleans, and the other two I can’t say.

BDL: I read that your nickname is Danny G. Nobody could come up with something more creative than that?

Granger: You know what, I was a junior [Danny's dad is Danny Granger, Sr.]. When I was young, one of the ladies [from our neighborhood] called me Danny G, [like] my daddy. It caught on everywhere. When I’m home, everybody calls me Danny G.

BDL: So there’s nothing like The Lone Granger, or something like that. I’m sure you’ve heard that one.

Granger: I’ve heard it. I’ve seen signs in the stands … The Lone Granger.

BDL: Do you think some of the success you’ve had this season can be attributed to the well-wishes you’ve gotten from the people of Indonesia?

Granger: Oh, definitely. That was a great trip. I didn’t know it would be that big if an NBA player went over there … I had a few bodyguards with me at all times, I was on billboards it was crazy.

BDL: You had your own newspaper edition.

Granger: (Smiles) I had my own newspaper [edition] for like three days. It was pretty big.

BDL: Switching gears, you were a civil engineering major in college [he plans to finish up his degree in the near future], is there anything you picked up from the experience, that has helped you in the League?

Granger: How to manage my money. You do a lot of math when you take engineering courses. I’ve always been good with math … it’s such a technical field, physics, and geology of it, and mathematics. 

BDL: I read that you actually hooked up the music system in your house.

Granger: I did a lot more than that.

BDL: Is there any other NBA player who could do that?

Granger: What I did, I don’t think so. My dad was an electrician, he worked good with circuits, circuit boards and stuff like that … so I picked up on all that. I ran the wires through my house, had the circuits going, had to fix the circuit breaker when it broke. I did what would have probably cost me $30,000 dollars to get done.

BDL: So you know you’re in a minority when it comes to knowing about the technical side of stuff, compared to the rest of the guys in the NBA.

Granger: I definitely know that for a fact.

BDL: Coming full circle, if you had any superpowers, what would they be?

Granger: Fly.

BDL: You’re in the NBA, some people might say you’re close to flying already.

Granger: HAHAHA! I would [still] have to say fly, or speed, one of the two, along with [being] indestructible, and x-ray vision.

BDL: Is there a name to this superhero you’re trying to create here?

Granger: Yeah, GRANGERMAN. I’d be GRANGERMAN. I have dreams about [being a superhero]. I have dreams [where] I’ll be flying sometimes, it’s kind of weird.

BDL: OK, so let’s wrap this up. What’s GRANGERMAN driving into his cave when his work that night is done?

Granger: Black Lamborghini, all black, kind of like the BatMobile.

BDL: The GrangerMobile.

Granger: The GrangerMobile.

Read full article…