There are a pair of games on ESPN tonight that are sure to impress. The humiliated Bulls, who lost to the Knicks at home last night, travel to Boston to play the Celtics. In the night cap, Blake Griffin and the Clippers travel to the mile high city to play Carmelo Anthony and the Nuggets. Both should be good games, but the one I wanted to see was the Heat going up against the surprisingly 4-0 Hornets. It will be interesting to see how the Heat match up with quite possibly the best point guard in the league in Chris Paul.

So without further ado, here are my picks for each of the 12 games on the Friday night slate.

Bucks over Pacers
Scott Skiles is having a hard time getting their opponents to fear the deer in this early season. They’ve stumbled out of the gate at 1-4 and are facing Granger and the steady 2-2 Pacers. I like the Bucks to get the road win against another East team who is still trying to find their way. Indiana looks pretty good though with the improvement of Roy Hibbert and the arrival of Darren Collison.

Magic over Nets
Stan Van Gundy’s crew is fresh off a butt-wooping they put on the lowly Timberwolves in which they scored 78 points by halftime. They get this win at home tonight over a Nets team that is still figuring out who they are with all of the new pieces.

76ers over Cavaliers
This was a tough one, but I’m going with the home team. I’m still waiting to see what Evan Turner has to offer this team. I had high expectations for him, but with Andre Iguodala still in Philly, it will be tough to figure out where he fits in on this team. Still, I like them over the reeling Cavaliers, losers of three straight after their opening win over Boston. Antawn Jamison is likely out but Mo Williams will play and start for the first time this year.

Bobcats over Pistons
Will this be the game where the Pistons get their first win? I don’t think so. After stumbling out of the gate a bit, the 1-3 Bobcats eked out a win against the Nets on Wednesday. I look for them to keep it going against the hapless Pistons.

Wizards over Knicks
I like the wiz kid, John Wall, to lead them to victory over the three-point happy Knicks who coming off a big win in the Windy City last night. This is the type of up and down game Wall should thrive in tonight. Don’t be surprised if he does a lot of the things he did against the Sixers on Tuesday where he almost got a triple-double.

Celtics over Bulls
Boston’s not good on back-to-backs. That was made evident in their loss to Cleveland after beating the Heat. Going on two days rest and a grind-out win over the Bucks, I think the Celtics get the win at home in a tightly contested battle of two top teams in the East.

Hornets over Heat
The undefeated “Nawlins” Hornets are at home for the slightly hobbled LeBron James and the Miami Heat. Chris Paul will impose his will whoever is guarding him. Which begs the question: who will that be? It should be interesting. On the flip side, who accounts for James and Dwyane Wade?

Hawks over Timberwolves
The Wolves are just bad. They’ve given up at least 100 points in each of their four losses, including 129 and 128 to the Heat and Magic respectively. The Hawks are undefeated at 5-0. They’ll easily win this one despite not having Marvin Williams.

Suns over Grizzlies
Steve Nash and the boys are coming off a close home loss to the Spurs. I think their bench gets it done against the Grizz with Zach Randolph questionable to return to the lineup.

Clippers over Nuggets
In the ESPN night cap game, I like the Clippers upsetting the Nuggets on the road. They played well against the Thunder a few nights ago and I think they will play well enough together to get this win. The Nuggets continue to be without post presence with the absences of Kenyon Martin and Chris Anderson. Griffin should be able to have a field day on the glass.

Warriors over Jazz
Golden State is a surprising 3-1 to start the season. They are at home for the Jazz, a team that just can’t win on the road. They do have an impressive road win against the Thunder, but they also got blown out by the Suns. Monta Ellis will continue his hot shooting streak in this one. I believe the Dubs get the upset win.

Lakers over Raptors
I don’t really have to explain this. Toronto is at the bottom of the East and L.A. is at the top of the West. It should be a blowout in a game where Kobe Bryant is done by the fourth quarter, maybe even sooner.

By Josh Delp of the Sports Fan Blog Network

The grueling 82-game season from the end of October to the middle of April is only the beginning to the NBA season for 16 teams. What follows is a two month long battle royal to the top of the NBA mountaintop. It certainly will be fun to watch this year with so many key players shifting uniforms. The top teams are evident, but you can’t count out the sleeping giants or the cinderellas. The following is a breakdown of my top eight seeds in the Eastern Conference.

#8 New Jersey Nets
I believe the Nets have what it takes to make the playoffs this year. As detailed in my surprise teams post, the Nets are primed and ready to drastically improve from last year’s poor showing. A new coach (Avery Johnson), the number three draft pick (Derrick Favors), a deeper and more talented sharpshooting and bench contributors (Troy Murphy, Anthony Morrow, Travis Outlaw, Jordan Farmar, etc.), and the continued improvement from the young franchise benchmarks in Devin Harris and Brook Lopez, and it looks like this team could very well sneak in the postseason with 40 wins, maybe even fewer.

#7 Philadelphia 76ers
Philly was one of my three teams that could surprise this year. They, like the Nets, have a new coach in Doug Collins and a promising young talent in the second overall draft pick Evan Turner. He should be a solid rotation piece. It will be interesting to see how he and Andre Iguodala will mesh together. As has been the case for some time, Elton Brand is still a question mark in Philly. Spencer Hawes was brought in to pretty much offset the exit of Sam Dalembert. Lou Williams, Thaddeus Young, and Jrue Holiday are three young studs in a promising back court rotation. Let’s not forget, the Sixers were a playoff team in 2009. I believe they can get back to that level this year in a top-heavy East with around 38-44 wins.

#6 Atlanta Hawks
Joe Johnson is resigned to a ridiculous six year, $124 million contract. So there’s that. That’s about the only good thing the Hawks have going for them this year, although they severely overpaid for him. The Hawks failed to add frontcourt size in Shaquille O’Neal. They have failed to offer the reigning sixth man of the year in Jamal Crawford a new contract. Their major offseason acquisitions were Xavier rookie Jordan Crawford and center Etan Thomas. Once considered (albeit arguably) a contender, due to their inactivity, they are no longer near that level. They still have Josh Smith, Al Horford, Marvin Williams, etc. There’s just not much else going for this squad. I think they’ll get about 45 wins this year, good enough for no better than the 6th seed.

#5 Milwaukee Bucks
This year, teams might want to really consider fearing the deer. This team surprised last year with the emergence of Brandon Jennings and improved play from Andrew Bogut. They took the Hawks to seven games and almost beat them. They resigned John Salmons to a new deal, who was a key piece in the Bucks success last year. They signed two guys that figure to be big contributors in Corey Maggette and Drew Gooden. Michael Redd is always a question mark with his injury history, but if he stays healthy, it puts this team in an even better situation. Scott Skiles has this bunch playing tight and tough defense and they have the offense needed to stay relevant. I flirted with putting this team as the number 4 seed. These guys are looking good and can make some noise. I think they’ll get around 46-49 wins.

#4 Chicago Bulls
The Bulls are in the conversation as a contender in the East due to their pickup of Carlos Boozer. His scoring and rebounding coupled with Joakim Noah’s toughness and rebounding could be the best frontcourt tandem in the league. Noah will be energized with the organization putting faith in the big man with a $60 million contract extension. They’ve also added the sharpshooting Kyle Korver, the versatile and lanky Ronnie Brewer, a backup point guard in C.J. Watson, and old man river Kurt Thomas. Add to that Derrick Rose’s drive to win the MVP this year and you’ve got quite the determined bunch. And don’t forget about their new defensive-minded coach in Tom Thibodeau. Boozer’s early injury could mean tough sledding in the early going, but once he comes back, they have a legitimate shot at competing. However, I think they were at the level the Hawks were last year: on the cusp of contender, but not quite. Too bad they didn’t trade for Carmelo Anthony. That would have put them in that company. 50-52 wins for this squad.

#3 Boston Celtics
The reigning Eastern Conference champs are determined to not let last year happen again. The slow finish to the regular season, I mean. An injury mired second half of the season was a contributing factor to the Celts going 27-27 to finish the year. It lead to a lot of tinkering with lineups. Doc Rivers is hoping he doesn’t have to do that again because he wants home court advantage, something they lacked throughout the playoffs last year. The O’Neal brothers are in town this year (Shaquille and Jermaine), adding even more size to an already beefy frontcourt. Delonte West is back with the team after a hiatus in Cleveland. So is Nate Robinson with the signing of a new contract after his stellar performance off the bench last year. This team should compete for the title once more. Their window (boy that phrase is getting old) is not closed yet. They win 51-53 games this year.

#2 Orlando Magic
Frankly, I’m not quite sure what to expect from the Magic this year. You know Dwight Howard will be his regular beastly self. Jameer Nelson will be their steady and trusty point guard. But question marks abound after that. This team has the talent to compete, but on any given night a guy who they need to win under-performs. Case in point with Vince Carter and Rashard Lewis in their playoff loss to the Celtics last year. J.J. Redik might even start. That doesn’t bode well for them in my eyes. Brandon Bass was underused last year. Hopefully Stan Van Gundy can realize what a talent he is and use him more. Their offseason was relatively quiet. They let Matt Barnes bolt for the Lakers. They signed former Knick Chris Duhon, and they drafted the unproven big man from Kentucky in Daniel Orton. The more I look at the Magic the more I am tempted to put the Celtics at the #2 spot. Then I look at what they have in Howard and am tempted to put them at #1. It will certainly be an interesting season for the other team from Florida. I think they’ll win 54-56 games this year.

#1 Miami Heat
Who would’ve guessed? Any team with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, regardless of the talent surrounding them, will be a surefire lock to contend for a title. Thing is, I believe that’s as far as they will go, for now. They aren’t going to win it all just yet in my opinion. There’s too many question marks. Mike Miller is a brilliant find, but outside of that, you’ve got to wonder. Carlos Arroyo and Mario Chalmers are their options at point guard. Neither are serviceable starters. Take a glance at their frontcourt: Joel Anthony, Udonis Haslem, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Juwan Howard, and Dexter Pittman. Yikes. None of these guys can begin to even think they can cover the multiple skilled bigs the Celtics have as well as Howard in Orlando. One thing’s for sure, the Magic-Heat rivalry is back with all the smack talk Van Gundy and Co. are doing. I can’t wait to see how the Heat deal with their shortcomings against the elite in the east. They will win anywhere from 59-67 games, but certainly not 73. Let’s get real here. And don’t forget about the injury bug, which has already bitten Wade. Anything can happen.

Stay tuned for my eight playoff teams in the Western Conference.

By Josh Delp of the Sports Fan Blog Network

Defense is the epitome of a successful team. Without it, a team does not win, simply put. Usually there is an anchor on any great defensive team, and usually it is a big man. The Magic have the ball devouring Dwight Howard. The Spurs have the lane-clogging, shot-altering Tim Duncan.

However, there has been a new trend of shifty little men disrupting passing lanes and playing great defense using their lateral quickness. Players that have shaped the mold for their teams include Chris Paul of the Hornets and Rajon Rondo of the Celtics. These guys disrupt an offense to the point of the play bankruptcy.

Dwight Howard has won the defensive player of the year award in back-to-back seasons. He is the first player in league history to lead the league in rebounds and blocked shots in the same season twice. Better yet, he has done it in back-to-back seasons. The question is, can he do it again? There is no slowing down for this guy. I think he will win it again this year unless Andrew Bogut of the Bucks can duplicate what Howard has done. He had a solid year last year until his horrific elbow injury sidelined him for the season. Josh Smith will always be a contender to win the award, but until proven otherwise, this is Howard’s to lose right now. He is a defensive juggernaut.

Up next is my pick for the most improved player. Stay tuned.

By Josh Delp of the Sports Fan Blog Network

About the time the Milwaukee Bucks began making their move toward the playoffs, I saw Herb Kohl at an east-side diner. He was sitting at the counter with a stack of papers.

It being a weekend, I halfway wondered if the senator might be using his free time on the country’s business. When I went over to say hello, I noticed he had been studying box scores.

Never let it be said that Kohl and the team are ever really separated.

That’s always been the good thing and the bad thing about the senator during his 25-year ownership of the Bucks.

When things are going poorly, as they often have, he’s too involved, too meddlesome, even if it is his team, his money and he’s free to do with both as he pleases.

But when things are going as they are at the moment, the low-profile owner never gets credit.

Click here to read the full article – By MICHAEL HUNT of http://www.gazettextra.com

Brandon Jennings knew it was a gamble. So far, all the odds have been in the rookie’s favor.


Jennings made a swipe and slam past two stunned Nets during a 15-0 run to start the second half, Andrew Bogut and Carlos Delfino each scored 21 points, and the Milwaukee Bucks beat winless New Jersey 99-85 on Wednesday night.

“He saw the whole thing develop,” Bucks coach Scott Skiles said. “That was a big momentum break for us. It was a big steal and you got to see the little fella down there dunk the ball.”

Jennings, who jammed a finger and got kneed twice that left him limping in the fourth quarter, said he took a beating against the Nets. But his nifty steal between Chris Douglas-Roberts and Rafer Alston was the more demoralizing blow.

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

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