There's A First Time For Everything

Tuesday night, the Pacers defeated the Cavs by one point, courtesy of Lebron James, and sent the Cavs back into the locker room with back-to-back losses for the first time this season. Lebron fouled Danny Granger (left)with 0.2 seconds left on the clock and Granger sank the first and left time run out on the second. The Cavs now move back to second place in the East 1.5 games behind Boston and 1.0 games in front of the Magic. Also, with the injuries Jameer Nelson (first time all-star) and Chris Bosh, Ray Allen and Mo Williams (first time all-star) are named a part of the 2009 All-Star team. In my opinion, Vince Carter should be on the roster instead of Mo, but my choice doesn't matter. Among other news, Kobe bounced back from his flu earlier in the week and exploded for 34 points against the Thunder, becoming the youngest player to reach 23,000 career points. Shaquille O'Neal also broke records earlier in February by reaching 27,000 career points and moving into 7th place on the all-time scoring list. And if it wasn't for his poor free throw shooting and his 5,000 missed free throws, he could be in 3rd place with over 32,000 points. Boo hoo, at least it Dwight Howard hasn't miss that many yet. Yet. Hopefully Magic assistant coach Patrick Ewing can help Dwight with his free throws so that doesn't happen to him. Oh, and if you have the channels, tune into the Magic-Nuggets game or Cavs-Suns game. Both will be interesting in different kinds of ways. The Nuggets look to snap their 15-game losing streak at Amway Arena and Suns..... Well you know what's going to happen.

As Jefferson's Season Ends, Minnesota's Does Also

Although Minnesota had no chance at making this year's playoffs, there was some speculation during their 10-4 run in January that they could establish a solid base for next season. But after Corey Brewer tore his right ACL at the beginning of the season and Al Jefferson doing the same on Sunday, former GM and current head coach Kevin McHale might consider throwing the season for a couple of good lottery picks in this year's draft. After all, how is Minnesota going to replace the cornerstone of their team? Kevin Love? Craig Smith? Brian Cardinal? No. They will never be able to replace Al Jefferson with their current line up and even then, a healthy Al still isn't good enough to replace the unforgotten era of KG. This young, talented team needs to adjust their lineup and try new positions for not-so-well-known players so they can get playing time now that Jefferson is out. Also, what would really make this team a powerful squad next year is bringing in a fresh college guard like Stephen Curry, Lester Hudson, or Ty Lawson to run the point or two-guard to get some offensive spunk. Well, we'll just have to wait and see what this team makes of the injury.

Lakers-Cavs, Spurs-Celtics, Injuries, and Trade Talk

Playing with flu-like symptoms, (and a grudge against Mo Williams) Kobe Bryant and Co. went into Cleveland and took care of business fairly easily on Sunday. Lamar Odom realized at halftime that Kobe wasn't on his game and took it upon himself to carry the team by dropping a season-high 28 points and 17 rebounds while shooting 13-19 from the floor. The Lakers broke one of the longest home winning streaks in NBA history, snapping it at 23 consecutive wins. But the thriller of the day was the red-hot Spurs taking on the Big 3 and the C's at home. The Spurs pulled away late in the 4th quarter to win undisputedly. Interestingly enough, all four of the Celtics home losses this season have come from west coast teams. Roger Mason Jr. and Manu Ginobili combined for seven points in a 1.4 second span in the final 40 seconds to lock up the win. INJURIES: Jason Terry will be sidelined for several weeks after fracturing a bone in his non-shooting hand while fighting for a loose ball on Saturday against the Bulls. Also, Andris Biedrins got his feathers in a ruffle on Sunday as he expressed his frustration of his sprained ankle, which he sustained in the Suns game, to his coach. Further news, L.A. agreed to send Vladimir Radmanovic to Charlotte in return for Adam Morrison and Shannon Brown. Other sources say that the Lakers signed off on this trade mostly to free up a couple million dollars in salary cap space for this year and next. No one knows how Phil Jackson will incorporate Morrison into the small forward position because Ariza and Walton have that all locked up, but look for Brown to be a factor when Derek Fisher is looking for some rest. Until next time, "There are no stupid questions, just stupid people."

First Post

This is the first posting on The Basketball Boss created by Alex Stinson and Kevin Boyer mostly to entertain passionate basketball lovers. Why call it The Basketball Boss? Because we love basketball and we're bosses. It's simple. Anyway, let's get to some b-ball. Last night Kevin and I, along with some friends, attended the Phoenix Suns game against Golden State. What a game! Golden State and Phoenix are a lot more alike than I thought. They both have a hand full of All-Star caliber players, but they don't play defense! (Note the picture to the left. Easy basket huh.) Amare Stoudemire needs to stop standing around and do something on defense. It bothers me that he is so physical and dominant on the offense side of the ball and then lolly-gags down the court and plays sluggish defense. As does most of the Suns team who actually gets to play. On the flip-side, Golden State have so many offensive factors such as Stephen Jackson, Monta Ellis, Jamal Crawford, and Corey Maggette who only some play solid defense. Take Maggette for example. He is a good ball handler that can get in the paint and draw fouls easily, but he can't guard the big guys like he was last night. He was guarding Amare a lot when Jackson, a better defender, is taller and bigger and could alter more shots than Maggette. All I am saying is that both teams need to beef up their D in order to establish being a presence in this tough west coast. Anyway that's all I have for today and remember, "Get Money, Get Paid."