He came off a Carmelo Anthony screen and drove down the middle of the lane. Brandon Bass made a half-hearted attempt to contest the dunk, but it was too late.

(H/T to @shighkinNBA for the video)

Boston Celtics

The Celtics have weathered injuries to Rajon Rondo, Jared Sullinger and Leondro Barbosa to cling to the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference. They’ve done so battled without their star playmaker for the second half of the season, in which they held steady to go 21-17 to close the season after Rondo tore his ACL. With Rondo going down, a team that revolved around their speedy dime disher completely transformed their make-up and morphed to the kind of team that Doc Rivers ran before Rajon Rondo emerged as a star. It’s still a team that strives to move without the ball and work the ball around the perimeter. But what makes the Celtics strong isn’t their offensive prowess, but their stingy defense that finished 12th best in the league at restricting opponent scoring.

Boston accomplishes through employing lockdown defender Avery Bradley against their strongest opposing guard, and anchoring the veteran Kevin Garnett in the paint to work down any inside threat. Still surviving off the masterfully constructed defensive scheme engineered by Tom Thibadeau during his tenure as an assistant with the Celtics, they still load the strong side almost as good as any other elite team in the NBA. It’s a strategy that is set to be particularly effective against a Knicks team that is most exploitable to this kind of stragety. The Knicks both lean heavily upon one wing scorer and are, on the whole, a terrible passing team. It’s not necessarily that turnovers are a problem for New York, but they favor an isolation branded game of basketball; which is why they’re ranked dead last in assists. For Boston, this works to their favor as they try to shut out Carmelo Anthony’s bevy of scoring moves and force some turnovers. This may have become even easily as Knicks guard Pablo Prigioni has been ruled out of game 1 with an ankle ailment. The Knicks managed to scorch the Celtics in two of their three convincing wins over them this season by allowing their supporting cast to carry the scoring load with Anthony neutralised, but if the Celtics are diligent in shutting down the passing lanes when Anthony is blanketed, they could have a much better chance at forcing some turnovers and winning this series.

The other big defensive strength that the Celtics can use to strangle the Knicks is their perimeter defense. As the season closed this week, the Boston Celtics finished as fourth in the league in restricting their opponents’ three-point percentage. For a team that relies on the likes of Carmelo Anthony, J.R. Smith, Jason Kidd and Steve Novak to bank their threes to win, this is bad news for the Knicks. Granted, Anthony and Smith have managed to collectively torch the Celtics during the regular season; but there’s no guarantees they’ll continue to buck the trend. With the better part of a week to gameplan for this series, the brains trust of Doc Rivers and his staff are likely to have found a way to address the ways of Anthony and Smith and Celtics fans will hope that the Knicks become another victim to the stifling Celtics D.

However, the Celtics are going to have their hands full dealing with Tyson Chandler. Ranked second last in the league for rebounding, it’s no secret Boston has issues with their size and their ability to collect boards. A far cry from Celtics of Bill Russell’s time, this squad is marred by a lack of height and weakness at the rim. The team’s leading rebounder, Kevin Garnett, brings down only 7.8 per contest. While these numbers were acceptable when Garnett played at the 4 to Kendrick Perkins on previous iterations of the Boston Celtics, but a 6’11 Center with greatly diminished athleticism is not the recipe to dominate the glass. The rebounding weakness is going to be a large concern for Doc Rivers going into battle against Tyson Chandler (10.7rpg, 4.1 off.) and Carmleo Anthony (6.9rpg, 2 off.). While not a great rebounding team either, this is one area that the Knicks do have the advantage in and will exploit the Celtics. Tyson Chandler, creeping towards the twilight of his career, knows how important this year is to his aspirations of adding a championship ring to the Olympic Gold medal and will be preparing to exploit the small Celtics to the best of his abilities.

Apr 14, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) reacts during the third quarter against the Indiana Pacers at Madison Square Garden. Knicks won 90-80. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

Adding to the rolling pain for Boston is the bullish Kenyon Martin. Expected to match up on either Brandon Bass, KG or Jeff Green when on the floor, Martin brings aggression off the pine and has been impressiv e during the season for the Knicks since signing on as a free agent. A veristile defender, Martin provides a good secondary option to cover the interesting Celtics big man line-up. He has the skills and length to cover Bass and despite conceding some foot speed, should be able to do the job on Jeff Green when Melo is resting or on Pierce. With Anthony developing into a LeBron-esque combo forward, the Knicks now have the ability to load up on a ‘big’ line-up of two guards (hey, Shump!), Melo, Martin and Chandler that could potentially wreak havoc against a Boston outfit that is suspectible to size and rebounding.

New York Knicks

This is the New York Knicks that MSG wanted. They’re second-best in the East for a reason. Carmelo Anthony, fresh off his first scoring title, seems poised to lead from the front by piling on the points and he’s brought some friends this time. Adding to the scoring attack marshaled by Melo is J.R. Smith. Both guys are extremely talented scorers to the point you can’t isolate a specific aspect of their offense that is particularly good. You take away their shot and they drive to the hole. Lock down the paint, and they’ll hit a step-back jumper right in your face. Surrounding the two gifted scorers are a combination of good perimeter scorers (Novak, Kidd) and the inside bangers who are ready to receive and finish down low (Chandler, Martin).

The well crafted offense of Mike Woodson’s will test the stingy Celtics defensive more than almost any other side in the East. Raymond Felton, while not continuing the promise he showed during the hot start to the season, has done a serviceable driving the offense while Kidd has played his role of back-up ballhandler and spot-up shooter despite hitting some slumps throughout the year. Carmelo Anthony isn’t simply a brilliant scorer, or a superstar either – he’s a brilliant superstar scorer who is in red hot form. Closing the season, Carmelo Anthony threw 50 points on the Heat and then another 40 the following week on the Hawks. Not only are these primetime Kobe numbers in terms of scoring, but he went about his business in a very efficient manner – shooting 66% over the two games. The Celtics are going to struggle to contain him. In an earlier encounter, Rivers overloaded the strong side to death which successfully threw Anthony off his game…but allowed J.R. Smith to bury 32. Next time out the Celtics were blown out of the water on all cylinders.

The say that Anthony or Smith aren’t the best offensive weapon in Woodson’s chest would seem laughable, but there’s a third toy the Knicks have to play with that could keep the Celtics staff awake at night. The ‘two-PG combo’ that Woodson has used effectively throughout the year has been devastatingly effective. When two of Raymond Felton, Pablo Prigioni and Jason Kidd hit the floor, they become one of the most biting offenses in the league bar few. It works because the Knicks retain everything mentioned above that makes their offense so spectacular and strong – Anthony and Smith’s scoring, Chandler’s inside work and the perimeter guys – but adds in an element of ball movement that the Knicks don’t have when they throw out other line-ups with a traditional two.With the ball pinging around, it opens up more opportunities for the Novaks placed around the perimeter and also gets the Knicks a lot of good looks inside that the Celtics need to work hard to try to limit.

When the Knicks are fit and firing, they are near-unstoppable. The only issue for New York, is that they’re never healthy. The Knicks have already had to rule out starting guard Pablo Prigioni for game 1 with an ankle injury. Offseason signing Rasheed Wallace has already retreated to retirement before the Playoffs commenced due to a foot injury that has kept him sidelined for a lot of time this season, which led to Earl Barron coming on board to fill the void. The biggest out however for the Knicks could be Amar’e Stoudemire.

Speaking to the New York Daily News, Mike Woodson believes the former All-Star Stoudemire may m “I think he’s going to be out, That’s my gut. But he was out here moving around and shooting a little bit. It’s kind of nice to see him on the floor.” Stoudemire’s out compounds the hit to the Knicks’ depth as well as Prigioni’s injury. The injury will force Chris Copeland to start, which is another blow to the bench that is now likely going to lean more on the production of Steve Novak and Kenyon Martin during the Boston series.

It’s no secret that the Knicks’ health has been their biggest limitation this season, with their full list never being available because of injury. J.R. Smith and Steve Novak are the only two to play in more than 80 games this season. Prigioni and Kidd both have more than 75 under their belt but the list begins to thin with Felton (68), Melo (67) and Chandler (66) being the only other to play above 60 games this season. For the Knicks, they’ve had nearly $30,000,000 worth of players that have not topped that 60 game plateau this season with many of them – Kurt Thomas, Amar’e Stoudemire, Marcus Camby and Rasheed Wallace – unavailable for this series.

Players to Watch

The players to watch in this series are very directly linked with each other. The two have been at two ends of the spectrum this season – from lining up on the same side of the center stripe at All-Star Weekend, to coming within inches of a WWE-style parking lot brawl at the Celtics team bus. Carmelo Anthony has a chance to exact some revenge to the trash talking psycho Kevin Garnett. It’s a storm that the NBA has been waiting for and praying for all season. There’s Carmelo, who has always emitted a sense of sensitivity and vulnerability about himself while earning some sympathy from some of the more partial fans. A member of that star-studded 2003 draft class, he’s had to watch his peers collect their championship rings while meddling away on the Nuggets and lately the Knicks. He went to London and, we suspect, had to sit around while LeBron and Kobe compared championship rings and told Kevin Durant and James Harden how good it’ll feel when they one day get theirs. Well, maybe it didn’t exactly go like that, but Carmelo Anthony has long seemed like the guy who ends up without a chair when the music stops. However, he’s the most devastating scorers in the league today and has his best chance this year.

Apr 13, 2013; Orlando, FL, USA; Boston Celtics center Kevin Garnett (5) reacts against the Orlando Magic during the second half at the Amway Center. Boston Celtics defeated the Orlando Magic 120-88. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Enter Kevin Garnett, who has done everything from have a bar fight with Dwight Howard to allegedly calling Detroit’s Charlie Villanueva a ‘cancer patient’  and driving LeBron James to insanity – to his own detriment last season in the Eastern Conference Finals. He’s already exploited Carmelo’s emotional vulnerability in a game earlier this season with an alleged slur about Anthony’s wife LaLa that led to a heated confrontation between the two. Both later dismissed it and even palled around at the All-Star game, but Garnett holds no punches when on the hardwood; let alone during a Playoffs game.

For both, time is running out. I’ve written before about the urgency of the Knicks putting it all together now and time is short for Kevin Garnett. Every year since the 2008 Finals, everyone has wondered how long this Boston outfit has left. Some would say their championship window has already closed. Garnett is nearly thirty seven years old and in his seventeenth year. Paul Pierce is treading similar water. Danny Ainge has come close to detonating this core for years now and came close sending KG to the Clippers at the last deadline. If he has any chances left to win another title in Celtic green, it’s this year. Don’t expect KG to go down without a fight.

Prediction

At their best, both teams could make the Eastern Conference Finals while at their worst, both are borderline playoff teams. The Knicks marched into the Playoffs with fifteen of their last eighteen while Boston closed their year with a 3-12 slide. The Celtics will fight valiantly as they always do, but the New York Knicks know their time is now. Carmelo Anthony is simply unstoppable, and sadly for the Celtics Army, nothing Boston can throw at the Knicks will be enough to overcome the strength of Anthony and the interior defense of Chandler and Martin. While I am taking the Knicks in this one, I must remark that this is the most unpredictable series, I believe, in the entire bracket. We don’t even know who’s suiting up for the Knicks every night, let alone how they’ll play. For the Celtics, they’re as good as their movement suggests – at their peak, they were light-footed and strong when diving to the hoop. At their worst, they throw up enough bricks to build a new home stadium if they so desired. One variable which could play large is the enormous sense of motivation and passion that the proud Boston Celtics may encompass going into the series following this week’s tragic events. Doc Rivers has spoken beautifully this week of his anger at what has been inflicted upon his city, and the team’s love and affinity with it. The Celtics are certainly not a team that ever lacks passion, but the galvanising events of the past week may be something that takes them into another gear which could lead them to an upset. With all that being said though, I am still backing the Knicks who I think will continue their hot run and take this one in 6.

Apr 12, 2013; Cleveland, OH, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (left) and point guard Raymond Felton celebrate on the bench in the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

If you didn’t already know, me and fellow STS writer Taylor Armosino are both fans of the New York Knicks. We both agreed that this was one of the most fun seasons in the recent memory, and with a series with the Boston Celtics coming up, we decided to do a small chat. This chat took play right after the Knicks clinched the second seed in the East with a victory over Boston, so we didn’t touch upon Soloman Jones, the potential Coach Of The Year Mike Woodson, and Rasheed Wallace’s retirement.

Quentin: We’re number two! We’re number two! Good lord. How exciting has this Knicks season been?  From Eddy Curry to Patrick Ewing, I give this season a Dave Debusschere. How about you?

Taylor:  Can I give this season a Carmelo Anthony? I feel like this Knicks season has been reflective of his time in NY. The start of the year was similar to the post-trade Knicks. The team got off to a hot start and Melo was cooking. There was so much excitement around the team. The middle lull of the season was like last year’s lockout shortened year. The end of the season has been exciting – similar to how Carmelo’s had the best season of his career.

This Knicks season had 3 parts and Melo’s really had 3 different phases of his Knick career. First the team was 18-5, then average, now great again. He was the savior, he had a mediocre season along with the mediocre team last year and now this year he has been great.

Quentin: Almost like a musical! Act one was to bring us in with the early season excitement, Act two was to slightly temper our expectations, and Act three was to get us re-energized and excited about the season that was. Chandler was the rock that held everything together, Felton was that one actor who forgot a line from time to time, Iman Shumpert is that actor who jumped in mid show, and Carmelo was the lead actor. Speaking of Carmelo…

I don’t know if you like ranking players, but I do. Not only does it kill time, but it’s also interesting from the perspective of what people value more. With that in mind: Is Carmelo Anthony one of the top 10 players in the league right now? I feel like this has been one of his best seasons, and while I don’t know if he’s matured, I’d argue that he “gets it” now. He understands what he needs to do now. At power forward, he understands that he needs to take advantage of those slow-footed big men, he understands that he needs to battle for rebounds, and he (somewhat) understands that he has to be active on the defensive end. The two month dropoff in February and March was rough, but all things considered, do you think Melo is in that top 10?

Taylor: Oh god, you’re going to get me killed on Knicks twitter. Here’s what I’ll say about Melo:

He’s my favorite player in the league, hence my Knicks blog being named “Meloship of the Ring”. That being said, I’m not sure he’s a top 10 player, but I don’t think it’s ridiculous to say that he is. This conversation is interesting because it’s dependent on how much people A) value defense and B) value advanced metrics. I tend to be more of a hoops traditionalist, in that I think offense is 50% of the game and defense is 50% of the game. I can’t put Melo who s a +++ offensive player, but a – defender ahead of someone like Marc Gasol who is a ++ offensive player and a +++ defensive player. The counter-argument is that Melo can take over a game on offense whereas someone like Gasol can’t, but I still value Gasol more than Melo because he’s a more complete player. 

Melo is interesting because he’s the most polarizing superstar in our game in terms of the eye test versus the advanced metrics. Metrics have long portrayed Anthony as less than a super star in terms of his efficiency and value to a team. However, the eye test suggests he’s one of the best players in basketball. While I value advanced metrics, I balance them greatly with the eye test. From a talent perspective, he’s one of the top 7 players in basketball. From a production standpoint, he’s not a top 7 guy. Ultimately I think that balances out. I’ve said I think Melo’s in the 12-17 range, closer toward’s the 12 range. An amazing playoff run would change my thinking, similar to Dirk’s playoff run two years ago. I will agree that this season Anthony’s been a top 10 player. I want to see if he can do it in the playoffs before I stick him in my top 10 overall.

Quentin: Heh. I’m going to make sure Knicks twitter reads that part. I ultimately agree with you. I think Carmelo is the ultimate advanced stats test, and this season, he’s been really good, enough for the advanced stats people to….relax a bit. Also, nice of you to bring up Marc Gasol, who I also think is in that 10-15 area. We can’t put Melo in front of Gasol, who’s been the best big man in the league this season. While I want nothing more than to put Anthony in that top ten stratosphere, I still see him as that perfect number 12 guy. When I do the rankings this summer, I’m going to put him there, I think. We’ll see. The playoffs might drop or boost him a bit.

Do you think we owe the Jason Kidd/Raymond Felton duo an apology? I was not a fan of either move this offseason, but both seem to have their fits. Felton is a good point guard for what the Knicks are attempting to do every night, and he was a good pick and roll partner with Chandler (the Knicks-Mavs game early in the season stands out for me). For Kidd? Love everything he’s provided. Even with his shooting percentages falling off a cliff in the middle of the season, his ability to be a pest and anticipate potential errors from the opponent has been one of the top four things I’ve loved from this Knicks season.

Taylor:  Kidd has been a total shocker, but in fairness to myself the Knicks have used him differently than I envisioned. I thought he’d be running a lot of point, which hasn’t done. They’ve used him as an off-ball spot up threat and he’s shot the ball much better than I thought he could/would. I maintain that Felton is average, but he’s very valuable to this Knicks team. They need a point guard who can break down defenses in pick and roll game and dish to open guys. By far Felton’s biggest strength as a basketball player is his pick and roll game. He can split double teams, get to the hoop and he’s a great passer. Both players have been below average on defense, as expected, but offensively they’ve both been very important to the Knicks success.

Quentin: Alright. Let’s talk about “Mr. Pipe”….. J.R. has been everything and more at times this season. He’s also given me pause in trusting him at times this season. He’s been that flavor the Knicks needed this season. When Smith went to the basket in the Boston game, I was in awe. Along with that, those game-winners were just everything. Again, he was a victim of the swoon in the middle of the season, but recovered to help the Knicks garner a 14 game winning streak. What are your thoughts on Smith, and do you have fears of losing him this offseason?

Taylor: JR has been a joy to watch over the last month. I’m not that worried about losing him in the off-season. I think the Knicks can give him 4 years 24 mil and he loves playing here. Even with his successes, I highly doubt another team gives him more than that. This has been the best season of his career and it’s taken a coach he loves, a city he loves and teammates he trusts to get that out of him. He won’t get that elsewhere and I don’t think another team offers him more than what the Knicks can.

Quentin:  Love that you mentioned that piece from the Knicks Wall on his pending free agency. I don’t want Smith to leave, but I wouldn’t be shocked if someone tried to lure him away. Someone might offer him 30 million. This is NBA GM’s were talking about.

I just want to say: J.R. Smith has been a joy to watch this season. I loved it when the Knicks got him last year.  I love the fact that he turned his career around and turned into a respectable shooting guard. Not only that, but I think he’s the 6MOY, simply because of the production. He’s been the Knicks second best offensive player, and third best overall this season. You say that at the beginning of the season, and I think people scream 7th seed. As I stated, J.R.’s been everything and more this season, and I’m happy for them.

A couple rapid fire things: Iman Shumpert, Kenyon Martin, and Wally Szczerbiak. Thoughts?

Taylor: Shumpert: Complete beast. His flat top is almost as cool as his 40% three point shooting this year.

Kenyon: I thought Kenyon would be trash because he was bad with the Clippers last year. He’s invaluable now.

Wally: Meh.

Quentin: No love for Wally? Ouch.  Alright. Let’s shut it down. Give me your take on our upcoming playoff series with Boston.

Taylor:  The Knicks are better than the Celtics so they should win in 5 or 6 games. Without Rondo, the Celtics don’t have a point guard who can penetrate consistently and hurt the Knicks. Garnett and Pierce still give me nightmares, but I think the talent discrepancy is so large between the teams that the Knicks should be okay.

Boston’s been using some weird big lineup lately with Pierce, Green and Bass as the 2-3-4 alongside Bradley and KG. It’s an interesting lineup, but I like the way the Knicks match up with that. They’ll have a mismatch at the 2 spot, whether it’s Prigioni, Shumpert or JR Smith, and likely at the 3 spot where Bass would be playing defense because of cross-matching. Melo would be guarded by Green (still advantage Knicks) KG would guard Chandler and Bradley would guard Felton. Those 2-3 spots are important spots in the Knicks offense as JR handles the ball and the 3 spot gets a lot of spot up looks.

We know the Knicks aren’t very good on defense, but Boston isn’t very good on offense either. Unless Pierce or Green get consistently hot for the whole series, Boston will struggle offensively. Even if they’re both hot offensively, that still might not be enough. With the Knicks weird double-teaming leaving shooters open, opposing teams do shoot well from three land. However, Boston doesn’t shoot the ball very well so I’m not that worried about that.

Mar 13, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) during the first half against the Denver Nuggets at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

As Carmelo Anthony took his lashings in his trip back to Denver, I pondered about how excited I was when the Knicks first acquired Anthony. Even though the Knicks are the worse team, the Knicks ultimately gave up Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, and a 2014 first round pick for Carmelo Anthony (Raymond Felton is now back with the Knicks, and Timofey Mozgov isn’t in Denver’s rotation, and is a free agent this season). Moving forward, it seems the Nuggets will win the trade, while the Knicks might be dealing with three superstars and four good knees, as Tyson Chandler left the game with an injured knee. So I decided to look back at the Knicks after the Carmelo trade and create my own alternative timeline. Let’s work from the Carmelo Anthony trade, and see what the Knicks could’ve done to fix their current misfortune.

(This is mainly to help me ignore the Knicks imploding, but it’s also a tribute to Dragonball Z)

The Alternative New York Knicks Timeline

• Knicks acquire Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Corey Brewer, Anthony Carter, Shelden Williams, and Renaldo Balkman

It’s done. Before the trade deadline, the Knicks acquire Carmelo Anthony to go with Amar’e Stoudemire. They even acquired Chauncey Billups, creating a slight upgrade at the point guard position. Sure, we have questions about Anthony and Stoudemire’s defense, but under MDA, the team will score a ton of points. With Amar’e Stoudemire, Toney Douglas, Landry Fields, Shawne Williams and Ronny Turiaf there, the Knicks have three players who can help Anthony achieve success in his New York run. Along with those four players, the Knicks have a smorgasbord of bench players with Shelden Williams, Renaldo Balkman, and Anthony Carter. Before we move forward, let’s right the first wrong post trade.

• Knicks keep Corey Brewer

Soon after acquiring him, the Knicks sent Corey Brewer packing for Jared Jeffries. To this day, I feel like this was one of the biggest blunders of the Melo era. The Knicks now keep Corey Brewer, and he plays a role similar to Raja Bell. Although Brewer can’t knock down the three-pointer with the same efficiency as Bell, the Knicks use him off the bench as defensive wing who can come in to replace Fields to defend superstar wing players.

Rotation: Carmelo Anthony, Amar’e Stoudemire, Chauncey Billups, Corey Brewer, Ronny Turiaf, Toney Douglas, Landry Fields, and Shawne Williams.

• Second Half Of 2010-2011 Season

The Knicks finished with the 6^th seed, but in this scenario, the Knicks finish with the 5^th seed, thanks to keeping Brewer on their bench. The Knicks finish with a record of 45-37, just three games better than their actual 42-40 record. Instead of facing the Boston Celtics, the Knicks slide into the 4-5 series against Orlando. However, the result changes slightly as New York takes one game against Orlando, but loses the series in five games. Amar’e Stoudemire begins to get hurt, and the Carmelo Anthony power forward lineup continues to receive praise, winning them a game against Orlando in Madison Square Garden.

• Knicks offseason: Billups, Brewer, and six fouls

Rotation Free agents: Chauncey Billups, Sheldon Williams, Corey Brewer, Shawne Williams, Aaron Carter, and Ronny Turiaf

Looking back, the Knicks let Brewer walk and amnestied Billups to sign Tyson Chandler. Not a bad move, Chandler is one of the top 20 players in the league, but it severely crippled New York, taking away one of their best assets on the table; the amnesty clause. Even with Amar’e having a fantastic season (25-8, All-NBA 2^nd team), Stoudemire came to New York with horrible knees, scratched corneas, and a bad back. In this scenario, the Knicks allow all of the bench players to walk, and continue to keep Billups under his team option (one year, $18 million). Along with Billups, the Knicks also re-sign Corey Brewer to a three year, 12 million dollar contract, making sure the Knicks have a respectable wing player on the bench who can defend.

With Stoudemire in limbo, the Knicks decide to sure up the frontcourt with some cheap free agents. The first free agent is Kwame Brown. For two years, six million dollars, the Knicks use Brown to grab rebounds and defend opposite of Amar’e. After Brown, the Knicks sign Steve Novak. One of the main issues with the Knicks is open shooting. For just three million over one season, the Knicks take Novak and place him into their rotation as a knockdown shooter. With Fields and Brewer on the roster, the Knicks feel comfortable with placing Novak, Brewer, and Fields on the court together to have some defense and open shooting.

Rotation: Carmelo Anthony, Amar’e Stoudemire, Chauncey Billups, Corey Brewer, Toney Douglas, Kwame Brown, Landry Fields, and Steve Novak.

• Knicks draft Reggie Jackson 17^th overall in the 2011 NBA draft 

After struggling in the playoffs, the Knicks are quietly looking to rid themselves of Toney Douglas. With Fields and Brewer, the Knicks for a replacement who can develop as a point guard. The Knicks make numerous calls to move up for Jimmer Fredette, but no dice. Instead of Iman Shumpert (the actual pick), the Knicks go with Jackson, whose defense and shooting could jump into the rotation as a backup point guard.

Rotation: Carmelo Anthony, Amar’e Stoudemire, Chauncey Billups, Corey Brewer, Toney Douglas, Kwame Brown, Landry Fields, and Steve Novak (Reggie Jackson looming)

• 2011-2012 New York Knicks Season

In a lockout shorten season, the Knicks finish with a record of 39-27, claiming the Atlantic Division title over the Boston Celtics. Carmelo leads the team in scoring, and Billups misses time with various injuries, but holds down the roster, while getting Anthony and Stoudemire to co-exist. This is the season where we see Amar’e continue to break down. Battling injuries, Stoudemire plays just 36 games battling various injuries to his knee, neck, and back. As a result of Amar’e injury, we see glimpses of Anthony at power forward, and interesting Fields/Brewer combinations. Also, as predicted, Reggie Jackson jumps into the rotation, taking Toney Douglas’ rotation spot.

The Knicks go into the playoffs with the fifth overall seed, and lose to a good Indiana team. Roy Hibbert and David West dismantle New York in six games. In the series, we see Stoudemire go down with another knee injury, leaving New York to ponder his future. Along with Stoudemire’s injuries, the Knicks also look for a replacement for Chauncey Billups, as Darren Collison and George Hill obliterate him on the offensive and defensive end.

• Knicks Amnesty Amar’e Stoudemire

By not using the amnesty clause on Chauncey Billups, the Knicks decide to use it on Stoudemire, who has three years left on his contract for over $66 million dollars. Carmelo Anthony is upset, but the Knicks watch as someone signs Amar’e to a respectable contract for three seasons. This moves opens up a ton of money, as amnestying Stoudemire, combined with Billups’ expiring contract, allows the Knicks to flaunt max contract space.

• Mike D’Antoni Resigns

The Knicks allow D’Antoni to leave, as he and Anthony have numerous spats about the offense. Seeing the writing on the wall, the Knicks don’t fire D’Antoni, rather allowing him to resign. In his place, the Knicks hire Mike Woodson for the following season.

• Knicks free agency: Playing It Safe

Rotation Free Agents: Chauncey Billups, Landry Fields (RFA), Kwame Brown, and Toney Douglas

The Knicks now have a ton of cap space, but they don’t enter the Dwight Howard fiasco, due to a lack of cap space. Going into a contract season, Mike D’Antoni wants to assist Glen Grunwald in signing free agents. With Carmelo Anthony, the Knicks are looking to sign a big free agent: Deron Williams. However, the Knicks lose to the Nets in the chase for Williams. After being matched for multiple restricted free agents (Nicolas Batum, Roy Hibbert, and Eric Gordon), the Knicks are left digging for other free agents.

The first move is Ramon Sessions? After opting to go away from Billups, the Knicks look for an inexpensive alternative, and Sessions is an option for two years, 10 million, where a team option could be exercised at the end of the season.. The second move is O.J. Mayo. While he is restricted, Memphis’ hands are tied, and the Knicks acquire Mayo for three years, 17 million. Mayo gives the Knicks a starting shooting guard who can fit next to Anthony. To rebuild the frontcourt post-Stoudemire, the Knicks sign two big men. The first is Marcus Camby for one year, Camby is a big body who can rebound and block shots. Carl Landry is the second man. For three years, 13 million, the Knicks get a respectable big man who can score and rebound at the power forward position. With one more rotation spot needed, the Knicks also acquire Anthony Tolliver (one year, 3 million) to bang down low when Camby needs rest.

Current Rotation: Ramon Sessions, O.J. Mayo, Carmelo Anthony, Carl Landry, Marcus Camby, Reggie Jackson, Anthony Tolliver, Corey Brewer, and Steve Novak.

I don’t know how much that changes this season, but what that current rotation, the Knicks have the correct amount of size, speed, offense, and defense. Without Tyson Chandler, that team doesn’t have the key defensive player needed, but with Mike Woodson as head coach, the Knicks have the defensive coach needed to figure it out. This team isn’t a team contending for the top seed in the East (something the current Knicks have done before Miami exploded), but it keeps the Knicks in contending, and it also saves them cap space to entice both Dwight Howard and Chris Paul to New York. Do they all team up in New York? Who knows. What I do know is it would’ve given the Knicks a chance to have a successful season, and actually have a future, something the current Knicks do not have.

Mar. 7, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks power forward Amar

Earlier this evening, the New York Knicks announced that forward Amar’e Stoudemire will be out for six weeks due to a procedure he is getting done on his right knee. Stoudemire didn’t play until January this year as a result of getting the same procedure done on his left knee.

Forward Amar’e Stoudemire is scheduled to have a right knee debridement this coming week. He is expected to miss approximately six weeks.

— NY_KnicksPR (@NY_KnicksPR) March 9, 2013

If he takes the full six weeks to recover, Stoudemire will miss the remainder of the regular season. The injury is another blow for the Knicks, who are already missing Carmelo Anthony.

Over 29 games this year, Stoudemire has averaged 14 points and 5 assists in 23 minutes a game, while coming off the bench.

Mar. 3, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) looks to pass the ball against the Miami Heat during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Miami won 99-93. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Knicks are enjoying a season better than most expected, sitting second in the Eastern Conference with most of the season behind them. Their bold offseason moves of acquiring Raymond Felton and Jason Kidd have worked out pretty well, and their core of Carmelo Anthony, Tyson Chandler and J.R. Smith have all lifted their game to help lead the Knicks through an interesting year. Despite all of this glory and success New York have had this season, nobody gives them a puncher’s chance to come close against the Miami Heat in the NBA Playoffs. Most would take the likes of Indiana, Brooklyn, Chicago and perhaps even Boston over the Knicks in a seven game playoffs series. The Knicks aren’t scaring anyone, even if Carmelo Anthony is playing out of his mind. For both the NBA and the Knicks, this is not what we expected from the Melo-Amar’e era in New York. Nobody expected the Knicks to be this high in 2013, but the Knicks are still much further away from a championship than they would like when they signed their historically old roster. This is not something to critique, it’s just the way the NBA works. There’s only so many LeBron James’ and Kevin Durants to go around to legitimate championship contenders. That’s fine. The Knicks aren’t at risk of folding, they can afford to ride out this successful list and try to step to a championship contender if the right move or player comes their way.

However, Carmelo Anthony can’t wait. Nearly 29, Anthony is the only top five pick in the 2003 NBA Draft not to have an NBA championship. We know Carmelo wants to win, that’s why he endured the Melodrama to force his way out of a good-not-great Denver team to get to the Knicks in the first place. The Knicks are a good team with one of the best scorers in Anthony and defenders in Chandler. They’d probably be a bigger threat in the dulled East if LeBron James wasn’t in the prime of his historic career right now. For Carmelo, he’s contracted until the end of 2014, where he’s then given a player option and the chance to move on once more for a shot winning a championship. However, it’s beginning to look more and more likely that Anthony will fail to lead a team to the elusive NBA title that his career probably needs to go from great to ‘a great’, and it’s a shame to see such a gifted scorer suffer in the sad reality of sports – there has to be winners, there has to be losers, and there have to be the winners that never win it all.

Feb. 27, 2013; New York, NY, USA; Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry (30) reacts on the court against the New York Knicks during the fourth quarter at Madison Square Garden. Knicks won 109-105. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

Steph Curry was a man possessed Wednesday night.

Just a night before, Curry and the Warriors were involved in a scuffle with the Indiana Pacers near the end of their game. During the mix-up, twice the Pacers’ Roy Hibbert tossed Curry to the ground. It unfortunately overshadowed what was a great performance from Curry, who scored 38 points on 70% shooting.

Despite having one of the best games of his career on Tuesday, Curry somehow topped that with his brilliant performance last night against the New York Knicks.

Playing all 48 minutes, Curry dropped 54 points, while shooting an incredible 11-13 from three. Not to mention, he also grabbed 6 rebounds and dished out 7 assists. It was a brilliant performance from the budding star. If he wasn’t widely known, among casual NBA fans, he certainly is now.

He was on fire in a way that is seldom, if ever seen in the league. He was hitting from all over the court, and in every way possible: drives to the rim, pull up threes in transition, and coming around screens and shooting off the dribble. It was a remarkable performance that anyone who watched was lucky to have seen.

Check out his shot chart and a video his incredible night below. (H/T to @HPbasketball for the video)

Unfortunately for the Warriors, Curry’s 54 was all for naught as the Knicks outlasted them in Madison Squard Garden, 109-105. Not to be lost in Curry’s brilliance was the performances from Carmelo Anthony, who scored 35 and handed out 8 assists, or Tyson Chandler, who chipped in 16 points and a remarkable 28 rebounds.

February 9, 2013; Sacramento, CA, USA; Utah Jazz power forward Paul Millsap (24) and center Al Jefferson (25) react after being called for a foul during the third quarter against the Sacramento Kings at Sleep Train Arena. The Kings defeated the Jazz 120-109. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

The NBA trade deadline came and went, and nothing happened. After names like Josh Smith, Paul Millsap, Carlos Boozer, and Dwight Howard saw their name attached to rumors, fans sadly watched as Jordan Crawford was moved to Boston, Sebastian Telfair swapped to Toronto, and J.J. Redick sent to Milwaukee. The reason? Due to the new, harsher CBA repeater tax, and the value of those first round draft picks, we saw various rumored trades shot down. That sad part about this is that this is just the first year. The trade deadline might be even more boring as teams begin to pay the tax, and lose their exceptions. While teams like Milwaukee, Houston, and Oklahoma City should benefit from their deals, there’s a ton of teams that disappointed me as well, whether it was their reluctance in making a trade, or not making a move at all. (more…)

Feb 13, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) takes a free throw against the Toronto Raptors during the second half at Madison Square Garden. The Raptors won the game 92-88. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Wednesday night, the New York Knicks’ Carmelo Anthony injured his arm, potentially leaving him out of the All-Star game.

Carmelo Anthony says he has a contusion on his right bicep. Says he might not play in All-Star Game if pain continues.

— Nate Taylor (@ByNateTaylor) February 14, 2013

Anthony finished the game, but struggled mightily from the field, going 5-24 for 12 points. The Knicks ended up falling to the Toronto Raptors 88-92.

If his arm continues to bother him, it would be wise for Anthony to sit out of the game on Sunday. There is no reason for him to play through pain and potentially risk further injury.

He has been on a tear this season, tied for the league lead in scoring at 29 points per game, as well as grabbing 6.5 rebounds a night. Losing him would end any slim chance the Knicks have of moving past the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference.

If Anthony does end up missing All-Star weekend, there are numerous players who would like to make a trip to Houston to take his spot. Paul Pierce, Al Horford and David West have all been playing well this season, and play similar positions to Anthony.

Stay tuned to Saving The Skyhook as we continue to follow this, and other NBA All-Star Game news.

Jan. 7, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) and Boston Celtics power forward Kevin Garnett (5) have words on the court during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Boston won 102-96. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

Carmelo Anthony was a lack of respect. Though some, including Anthony himself, were in favor of the decision and saw it as an act of protection, to avoid embroiling Anthony in further scandals like the infamous Garnett-Melo incident.

Doolan, for a welcome change, is right on the money with his decision to install microphones in his arena and the NBA should follow his lead and make it mandatory around the league. On-court trash talk is a part of the game, and it rightfully should remain that way, but there are an increasing number of incidents where players take it too far.

Racism, homophobia and personal statements about a player’s family have no place on a basketball court, and any offender should be dealt with appropriately  Finding a way to catch more instances of this may unearth some bad short-term publicity for the league, in the case that more instances are discovered because of the more ways to detect them, but in the long-term will be a better step forward for the league.

It is currently against the rules of the league to say offensive, derogatory comments on the court. In 2011, Kobe Bryant was fined $100,000 by the league for a gay slur against a referee. The incident was only reported and sanctioned because television cameras for TNT picked up the incident. Had TNT’s cameras not been focusing on Bryant at the time, and had TNT commentator Steve Kerr not drawn attention to the issue, perhaps Bryant would have proceeded unpunished for his comments. Thankfully, there was a solid audio track that caught the Lakers star in the act and the situation was able to be dealt with properly.

In November of the same year, Pistons forward Charlie Villanueva tweeted of a clash he had with Celtics star/resident psychopath Kevin Garnett. Villanueva alleged Garnett called him a ‘cancer patient’ on the court, ridiculing Villanueva – a suffer of alopecia. The allegations against Garnett were never proven, it was a matter of Villanueva’s word against KG’s, and thus no suspension came out of it.

If the NBA is serious about preventing more instances like Bryant’s gay slur, and actually catching players who take trash-talking too far, they would make on-court microphones like Dolan’s as mandatory as a shot clock and video review. It has been implementing in other sports across the world to solve disputes and appropriately allocate blame. On the other side of the world in Australia, a spat between two stars of their domestic cricket competition made headlines across the country. The fiery confrontation was only resolved because of microphones installed on pitch, which captured the instigator, Shane Warne, abusing the batsman who snapped on the next delivery. Had microphones not been in place, it would have been extremely difficult to correctly place the blame for the explosion, who to sanction and what for. Warne’s only crime would have been throwing the ball at an opponent, something he managed to get away with in the hearing as an accident; while Samuels’ motive for throwing his bat down the pitch may have been blown out of proportion and punished more heavily than he deserved.

The debate is not whether comments like Bryant’s, Garnett’s or Anthony’s are out-of line or just a part of the game. Regardless of our personal views, the NBA have made it their stance that what happens on the court can well and truly come off the court if it crosses the line. However, just hoping that a television camera will catch a player uttering the offending phrase and otherwise leaving it for media speculation is not an appropriate or professional way for the league to go about it. The Knicks took the right step to ensure they have hard evidence every time Carmelo Anthony is accused of saying something, and it should become policy that all other clubs do the same.

Jan. 7, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) and Boston Celtics power forward Kevin Garnett (5) have words on the court during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Boston won 102-96. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

… the fans! Of course it’s the us, the NBAbrethren. Think about it for a second. We just watched two players, two mega stars nonetheless, in Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Garnett scuffle all over the basketball court, with ‘Melo trying to scuffle just as much off of it as he “hung out” by the Celtics team bus after the game.

Now with chaos ensuing, we have everything NBA fans dream of… an intense, dramatic and at least “in-season” rivalry, where the two teams will meet another three times before the end of the season (twice in Boston, once more in New York).

We’re going to have hostile basketball, trash talking, video clips, exaggerrated interviews, social media blowups and lord willing, a continued storyline heading into the playoffs. Another fact: If the playoffs started today, take a guess at who would meet in the first round. That’s right, the #2 Knicks would host the #7 Celtics. After last night, please, please let this happen.

Now, I don’t need to go into the rant about how much KG is disliked on the basketball court, his reputation proceeds him. But we saw a side of Carmelo Anthony last night that we have never seen before. Angry Carmelo. Like he needed even more support from New York’s MSG faithful, now he’s chirping raucously at one of the league’s most hated players? Spike Lee was having a baby on the sideline. And we all know that Spike represents the “people.”

My favorite part of the Carmelo video (linked to above) was the fact that halfway through the clip, Rajon Rondo just wanders into the picture with his hands in his pockets. Remember, this is the guy who didn’t even play in the game because he was already serving a 1-game suspension, and now he’s just casually surveying the scene? We’re even getting unintentional comedy out of MeloGate, BusGate, whatever “Gate” label will be cast upon this. But we all love it.

Thursday, January 24th is when Round 2 is scheduled. This time in Boston. Like Spike, they’ll be ready.

Jan 1, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) looks to drive around Portland Trail Blazers shooting guard Wesley Matthews (2) during the first quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

Welcome all stat geeks! “Box Score Bulletin’” is sifting through, analyzing and summarizing all of the NBA box scores from the previous day and night, so you don’t have to! So sip your coffee and enjoy the good, the bad and the ugly…

Mavericks (13-19) 103 @ Wizards (4-25) 94

•  Leading scorers: DAL – Vince Carter 23, WAS – Bradley Beal 22.
•  The Mavs finally snapped a 6-game slide in which they used a 35-19 3rd quarter to get past the Wizards.
•  Vince Carter was inserted into the starting lineup and responded with 23 points on 9 for 14 shooting in 30 minutes.
•  Dirk continued to work his way back with 11 points (5-7 FG) and a couple of rebounds in 17 minutes.
•  Shawn Marion posted 11 points and 14 rebounds.
•  Bradley Beal put up 22 points (4-7 3PT) for the Wizards.

Trail Blazers (16-14) 105 @ Knicks (21-10) 100

•  Leading scorers: POR – Nicolas Batum 26, NYK – Carmelo Anthony 45.
•  Almost unbelievably, Carmelo (45) and J.R. Smith (28) combined for 73 of the Knicks 100 points scored (73% for you non-Math majors out there). I’m sure when two players score three quarters of your team’s points, it’s not a good thing.
•  Melo had 45, but Smith had the better overall game with 28 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals.
•  Nic Batum knocked down six threes as part of his team high 26 points.
•  Damian Lillard finished with 21 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists.

Kings (11-20) 97 @ Pistons (12-22) 103

•  Leading scorers: SAC – DeMarcus Cousins 21, DET - Brandon Knight 20.
•  Greg Monroe finished with 18 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks for the Pistons.
•  Before getting ejected for a flagrant foul on Isaiah Thomas, Charlie Villanueva was 3-5 from behind the arc.
•  DeMarcus Cousins posted a double double of 21 points and 14 rebounds.
•  Jimmer Fredette poured in 14 off the bench in 24 minutes.

Hawks (20-10) 95 @ Hornets (7-24) 86

•  Leading scorers: ATL – Josh Smith 23, NOH – Ryan Anderson 23.
•  Josh Smith stuffed the stat sheet in this one. His finishing line: 23 points (11-20 FG), 13 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals and 4 blocks. Now THAT is contract year material!
•  The Hawks had 30 assists on 41 made field goals (73% assist rate).
•  Zaza Pachulia had a 12 and 10 double double in only 20 minutes.
•  Greivis Vasquez was only 1 rebound shy of a triple double with 17 points, 10 assists and 9 rebounds.
•  The Hornets were only 4-12 from the free throw line.
•  Ryan Anderson continued his 3-point barrage, knocking down another five in this game.

Clippers (25-7) 78 @ Nuggets (18-15) 92

•  Leading scorers: LAC – Blake Griffin, Eric Bledsoe 12, DEN – Danilo Gallinari 17.
•  The Clippers streak ENDS at 17 wins. And with 78 points and 38.5% shooting, it wasn’t pretty.
•  Andre Miller started and put up 12 points and 12 assists.
•  The Nuggets had six players score in double figures.
•  DeAndre Jordan had the best Clipper game with 11 points (4-4 FG but 3-10 FT), 11 rebounds and 3 blocks.

76ers (15-17) 103 @ Lakers (15-16) 99

•  Leading scorers: PHI – Jrue Holiday 26, LAL – Kobe Bryant 36.
•  Jrue Holiday (26 pts, 10 asts) and Evan Turner (22 pts, 13 rebs, 5 asts) led the Sixers to a solid road win over the Lakers.
•  Spencer Hawes was solid against the Lakers bigs with 13 points (5-9 FG), 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 blocks in 27 minutes off the bench.
•  Kobe put up 36 points on 14 of 29 shooting.
•  The Lakers were 3-22 from downtown.
•  Metta World Peace had 13 points and 9 rebounds, but shot only 6-17.

Dec. 13, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) gestures on the court as Los Angeles Lakers small forward Metta World Peace (15) follows during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

Welcome all stat geeks! “Box Score Bulletin’” is sifting through, analyzing and summarizing all of the NBA box scores from the previous day and night, so you don’t have to! So sip your coffee and enjoy the good, the bad and the ugly…

Bobcats (7-15) 90 @ Hawks (14-6) 113

• Leading scorers: CHA – Gerald Henderson 17, ATL – Devin Harris 20.
• The Hawks made a solid 14-29 (48.3%) from downtown.
• Devin Harris led the Hawks for the first time this season with 20 points on 7-11 shooting (4-8 3PT).
• Lou Williams had 13 points and 9 assists off the bench in 25 minutes.
• Gerald Henderson led the Bobcats off the bench with 17 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists in 31 minutes.

Lakers (9-14) 107 @ Knicks (17-5) 116

• Leading scorers: LAL – Kobe Bryant 31, NYK – Carmelo Anthony 30.
• With the Knicks dropping 70 points in the first half, looked like Melo was on his way to 50 points, but ended up with only 30 on 10-15 shooting.
• A typical Knicks performance with 12 made threes and only 6 turnovers.
• Ray Felton was solid again with 19 points, 8 assists and only 1 turnover.
• The Lakers outscored the Knicks 58-50 in the second half, but it wasn’t enough.
• Kobe Bryant went 5 for 11 from behind the arc in compiling 31 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists (of the team’s 13).
• Metta World Peace also had a nice game with 23 points and 6 rebounds.
• The Knicks made 12 threes on 25 attempts while the Lakers made 12 threes on 37 attempts.

Spurs (18-6) 90 @ Trail Blazers (10-12) 98

• Leading scorers: SAN – Tony Parker 21, POR – Damian Lillard 29.
• The Blazers knocked off the Spurs despite being outshot from the field, from three and being outscored in the paint and on the fast break.
• Damian Lillard was brilliant with 29 points (11-22 FG), 7 rebounds and 6 assists.
• Manu Ginobili (12 pts, 6 rebs, 7 asts) and Tiago Splitter (12 pts, 7 rebs, 3 asts) led the way for the Spurs bench.

Dec 6, 2012; Miami FL, USA; Miami Heat center Chris Bosh (1) is pressured by New York Knicks center Tyson Chandler (6) during the first half at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Welcome all stat geeks! “Box Score Bulletin’” is sifting through, analyzing and summarizing all of the NBA box scores from the previous day and night, so you don’t have to! So sip your coffee and enjoy the good, the bad and the ugly…

Knicks (14-4) 112 @ Heat (12-5) 92

• Leading scorers: NYK – Raymond Felton 27, MIA – LeBron James 31.
• 0: The number of minutes played by Carmelo Anthony, who missed the game with a cut on his hand.
• In their second win over the Heat this season, and for the second time, the Knicks made an incredible 18 threes (in 44 attempts), good for 40.9%.
• An underrated piece to the Knicks season so far isn’t just shooting, but lack of turnovers (they lead the league in this category). In this game, they only turned the ball over 7 times.
• Ray Felton had his best scoring game of the season with 27 points (10-20 FG, 6-10 3PT) and 7 assists.
• Steve Novak played 34 minutes and finished with 18 points on 7-13 (4-9 3PT) shooting.
• On the Heat side, LeBron flirted with his usual triple double with 31 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists.
• Chris Bosh (3-12 FG, 12 pts) and Dwyane Wade (3-13 FG, 13 pts) both struggled in this game.

Mavericks (9-10) 97 @ Suns (7-13) 94

• Leading scorers: DAL – O.J. Mayo 23, PHX – Goran Dragic, Markieff Morris 15.
• The Mavs bench played particularly well, scoring 56 of the 97 points. Brandan Wrigth (8-12 FG, 16 pts), Chris Kaman (7-12 FG, 15 pts) and Darren Collison (10-12 FT, 16 pts) led the second unit.
• O.J. Mayo continued his steady play with 23 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists, which included the go ahead bucket in the dying minute.
• Markieff Morris did some damage for the Suns with 15 points, 17 rebounds (a career high), 3 assists and 2 blocks.
• Luis Scola put up 13 points and 9 rebounds off the Suns bench.
• The Mavs opened up the 3rd quarter with a 23-4 run.

Dec 5, 2012; Charlotte, NC, USA; New York Knicks guard J.R. Smith (8) gets congratulations from his teammates as he scores the winning basket with 3.9 seconds left during the game against the Charlotte Bobcats at Time Warner Cable Arena. Knicks win 100-98. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports

Welcome all stat geeks! “Box Score Bulletin’” is sifting through, analyzing and summarizing all of the NBA box scores from the previous day and night, so you don’t have to! So sip your coffee and enjoy the good, the bad and the ugly…

Knicks (13-4) 100 @ Bobcats (7-10) 98

• Leading scorers: NYK - Carmelo Anthony 23, CHA – Kemba Walker 25.
• Tyson Chandler had a beast game. 18 points (8-10 FG) and 17 rebounds (8 on the offensive glass).
• The Knicks attempted 41 threes in this game. FORTY ONE. They made 13 of them.
• The Knicks got outrebounded by the Bobcats 50-36.
• Gerald Henderson returned to action for the Bobcats and put up 18 points and 6 rebounds in 25 minutes.
• Kemba Walker posted a double double of 25 points and 11 assists.
• Charlotte had dropped 5 straight games.

Trail Blazers (8-11) 92 @ Pacers (10-9) 99

• Leading scorers: POR – Damian Lillard 23, IND – Paul George 22.
• The up and down season of Paul George continued on the upswing again with 22 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists.
• Hibbert, Hill and Stephenson struggled from the floor, combining to shoot 9 for 30.
• LaMarcus Aldridge (18 pts, 10 rebs) and J.J. Hickson (14 pts, 12 rebs) both posted double doubles.
• Nic Batum struggled in this one with only 5 points in 2-8 shooting.

Timberwolves (8-9) 94 @ Celtics (10-8) 104

• Leading scorers: MIN – Kevin Love 19, BOS – Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett 18.
• The Celtics starters all scored in double figures and shot a very healthy 33-58 (56.9%).
• Rondo was back to his double digit assist ways with 17 points, 11 assists.
• The Timberwolves outscored the Celtics in the paint 50-34.
• Kevin Love managed another double double of 19 points and 13 rebounds, but is still struggling slightly with his shot (6-15 in this game).

Warriors (11-7) 104 @ Pistons (6-14) 97

• Leading scorers: GSW – Klay Thompson 27, DET – Tayshaun Prince 24.
• A very nice road win for the Warriors where Thompson put up 27 points (9-13 FG, 5-8 3PT).
• David Lee (20 pts, 11 rebs) and Steph Curry (20 pts, 10 asts) put up their usually double doubles. The 20-10 was the fourth straight for Curry.
• The Warrior bench did struggle in this one, shooting 7 for 25.
• Only one starter (Prince) scored in double figured for the Pistons, while all 4 bench players that saw action did score in double figures.
• Andre Drummond led the bench unit with 15 points, 12 rebounds and 2 blocks.
• Rodney Stuckey had 17 points, 4 rebounds and 9 assists.

Nuggets (9-10) 104 @ Hawks (10-5) 108

• Leading scorers: DEN – Ty Lawson 32, ATL – Al Horford 25.
• Al Horford killed the Nuggets inside in this game with 25 points and 12 rebounds.
• The Hawks had a total of 19 offensive rebounds.
• The battle of the starting point guards was polar opposites. Ty Lawson went off for 32 points on 12-16 shooting, 7 assists and 5 steals, while Jeff Teague ended up shooting 4-16.
• Corey Brewer had 19 points off the bench.

Bulls (9-8) 95 @ Cavaliers (4-15) 85

• Leading scorers: CHI – Marco Belinelli 23, CLE – Donald Sloan 14.
• Marco Belinelli went for a season high 23 points on 7 of 15 shooting.
• Joakim Noah was his usual self, going for 13 points, 15 rebounds and 5 steals.
• Tyler Zeller 25 minutes and put forth 10 points and 7 rebounds.
• Interesting side stat: Every single player on the Cavs attempted a free throw except Alonzo Gee (who played 30 minutes).

Lakers (9-10) 103 @ Pelicans Hornets (5-12) 87

• Leading scorers: LAL – Kobe Bryant 29, NOH – Ryan Anderson 31.
• 30,000 points. 5th ever to do it, and the youngest. KOBE BRYANT.
• For the game itself, Kobe had 29 points (10-17 FG), 6 rebounds 4 assists and 3 steals.
• Dwight finished with 18 points, 8 rebounds and 5 blocks.
• Ryan Anderson led the Hornets once again with 31 points on 12-21 FG (5-8 3PT).

Bucks (8-9) 99 @ Spurs (15-4) 110

• Leading scorers: MIL – Monta Ellis 21, SAN – Tony Parker, Gary Neal 22.
• The Spurs outrebounded the Bucks 53-36 for the game.
• Tony Parker (22 pts, 10 asts) and Tim Duncan (17 pts, 10 rebs) were the double double getters for the Spurs.
• Matt Bonner grabbed a season high 12 boards from the Spurs bench.
• Although he shot 5-19, Monta nearly came up with a triple double with 21 points, 7 rebounds and 11 assists.
• Ersan Ilyasova made an appearance with 17 points and 5 rebounds.

Magic (7-11) 81 @ Jazz (10-10) 87

• Leading scorers: ORL – Glen Davis 18, UTA – Al Jefferson 31.
• Al Jefferson had a beastin’ game for the Jazz with 31 points (13-20 FG) and 15 rebounds.
• The Jazz bench was brutal with their 4 for 20 shooting.
• Big Baby posted a double double with 18 points and 12 rebounds.
• Nik Vucevic grabbed another 16 boards for the Magic.
• The two teams combined shot a miserable 2 for 25 (8%).

Raptors (4-15) 100 @ Kings (5-12) 107

• Leading scorers: TOR – Kyle Lowry 34, SAC – DeMarcus Cousins 25.
• DeMarcus Cousins dominated the Raptors with his 25 points (11-18 FG) and 13 rebounds.
• Jason Thompson also had a double double with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
• Kyle Lowry had a monster game for the Raps with 34 points (12-12 FT), 11 assists and 5 rebounds.
• Michael Pietrus had his best game as a Raptor with 21 points and 6 rebounds.
• Ed Davis continues to show signs of improvement with 13 points and 11 rebounds in only 23 minutes.

Mavericks (8-10) 90 @ Clippers (12-6) 112

• Leading scorers: DAL – Vince Carter 16, LAC – Jamal Crawford 20.
• The Clippers absolutely destroyed the Mavs in the paint last night 62-30.
• They also had 18 steals for the game.
• Chris Paul (14 pts, 13 asts) and Blake Griffin (19 pts, 13 rebs) both had double doubles.
• Lamar Odom even posted 11 boards in the game.
• Vince Carter led the Mavs off the bench with 16 points and 7 rebounds.

I’m thankful for the food I will shoving in my face today, including but not limited to: Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, corn, a dinner roll, and seconds for all of those things; then later on in the night some peanut butter pie, pumpkin pie, a turkey sandwich, and more stuffing. I will also be thankful for the recliner in my living room since that will be where I pass out after eating all of this food. Additionally, I’m thankful for whoever invented sweatpants, since they are the official Thanksgiving eating attire of Sonny Giuliano.

I’m thankful for a solid slate of football because really, what is Thanksgiving without football? Just like spaghetti and meatballs, foreign players and flopping, and my writing pieces and the Stephen A. Smith/Kwame Brown You Tube video, they go hand in hand.

I’m thankful for LeBron James for, well, just being LeBron James and doing LeBron James things on a nightly basis.

I’m thankful that even though it seems to have fizzled out already, we were fortunate enough to get one week of James Harden in eff-you mode. I was lukewarm on the trade for Oklahoma City to begin with, and when Harden was going bananas the first few games of the season, I was prepared to make the following two conclusions:
A: Houston acquired a franchise player
B: Oklahoma City sabotaged their chances to repeat as Western Conference champions

Now coming down the aisle… Spencer Hawes!

Admittedly, that was a wee bit premature of me. Maybe Harden is a franchise player. I still have a slight lean towards yes, but he has without question come back down to earth the last few games (35.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 6.3 assists in his first three games; 20.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and 4 assists per game in his last 9). As for point B, Oklahoma City shrugged off a bit of a slow start and is now 9-3. Kevin Martin is finding his niche, Durant and Westbrook are being Durant and Westbrook and the Thunder is just as much a contender in the Western Conference as anyone else is.

I’m thankful for the Philadelphia 76ers frontcourt and their respective hairstyles. Spencer Hawes’ hair makes him look like a 1980’s WWF wrestler that never made it, and Andrew Bynum looks like he is doing his best to look like Frederick Douglass.

I’m thankful for the NBA League Pass. Even though I spent the first 15 years of my life without it, I don’t even remember what it was like to be a basketball fan without the luxury of being able to watch every game, every night. It makes being a fan and writer of the NBA infinitely easier.

I’m thankful for Ersan Ilyasova for making me look good by including him on my Toughest Omissions for the Top 50 players in the NBA, and even going as far as saying he had a chance to be the starting small forward on the All-Foreign Team by the end of the 2012-13 season. For those of you who still don’t know who Ersan Ilyasova is (don’t feel too bad), this is sarcasm. He’s stunk like a rotten egg fart so far this year.

I’m thankful that the Memphis Grizzlies are in the mix at the top of the Western Conference, and have been the most impressive team I’ve seen thus far. Maybe I didn’t pick them to make the NBA Finals this season, but I can still hang my hat on the fact that I picked them to go there last season.

I’m thankful for Kevin Love, who returned after missing the first three weeks of the season in typical Kevin Love style: 34 points and 14 rebounds. Even though Minnesota lost last night and have been completely ravaged by injuries all year long (Brandon Roy, Chase Budinger, and Ricky Rubio), the Timberwolves have managed to get off to a 5-5 start, giving basketball fans a glimmer of hope that we could possibly see Kevin Love, Ricky Rubio, Rick Adelman and Co. in the playoffs this year. Realistically, that hope isn’t too far-fetched when you take a good look at their roster. The Timberwolves boast two of the top 50 players in the league and a rotation that can go about 10 deep. Now we will just have to wait and see how healthy Minnesota can stay and if they can remain competitive in the ultra-competitive Western Conference.

I’m thankful that my 2nd favorite player in the league is actually playing… for now.

I’m thankful every time Stephen Curry rolls his ankle that his foot doesn’t just disconnect from his leg. It seems like that is the next stage of this very unfortunate injury plagued set of events. Curry has the intangibles, pedigree and charisma to be one of the brightest stars in the NBA, but it’s only a matter of time until another serious ankle sprain is going to put him on the sidelines for an extended period of time. Every time you watch Golden State play it feels like an edge of your seat moment if you are focusing your attention on Curry. He could go down at any second. So enjoy him while you can, and enjoy the Warriors being a fringe playoff team while you’re at it.

I’m thankful for the strong start by the New York Knicks, and a pretty nice start for the Brooklyn Knicks in their own right. Sparked by a conversation I had with my roommate about the San Francisco 49ers the other day, it’s good for the NBA that the Knicks are relevant. Just like it’s good for the NFL when San Francisco, Chicago, either New York team, Green Bay, Pittsburgh or Dallas is good, it’s good when New York, Boston, the Lakers and Philadelphia are all contenders. This year, sparked by Carmelo Anthony, a veteran movement and a rejuvenated Raymond Felton, the Knicks are momentarily the biggest threat to Miami in the Eastern Conference.

I’m thankful that Bill Simmons is now a co-host of ESPN’s NBA Countdown. Any diehard basketball fan knows that Bill Simmons is basically living the life we dream of one day living.

I’m thankful that I will get to enjoy Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Jason Kidd, Steve Nash, and Dirk Nowitzki (when he comes back) for at least one more season. I’m also thankful that I will get to watch Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Anthony Davis, Blake Griffin, Kyrie Irving, James Harden, DeMarcus Cousins, and Damian Lillard for years to come.

Last and most importantly, I’m thankful for my family, friends and girlfriend. Not just today, but every day, and I hope you guys know that.

Nov 15, 2012; San Antonio, TX, USA; New York Knicks center Tyson Chandler (6) during the second half against the San Antonio Spurs at the AT

Welcome all stat geeks! “Box Score Bulletin’” is sifting through, analyzing and summarizing all of the NBA box scores from the previous day and night, so you don’t have to! So sip your coffee and enjoy the good, the bad and the ugly…

Celtics (5-4) 97 @ Nets (5-2) 102

• Leading scorers: BOS – Paul Pierce 22, BKN – Brook Lopez, Deron Williams 24.
• A very efficient game for Brook Lopez with 24 points (also 4 blocks) on 11-14 shooting.
• Deron Williams is playing better of late, finishing with 24 points and 8 assists.
• Even without Rondo, the Celtics outscored the Nets 19-5 in fast break points.
• Leandro Barbosa started in place of Rondo and finished with 17 points.
• Courtney Lee had a solid game off the bench with 13 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals in 33 minutes of action.

Knicks (6-0) 104 @ Spurs (7-2) 100

• Leading scorers: NYK -Raymond Felton 25, SAN – Tony Parker 19.
• The Knicks outscored the Spurs 32-24 in the 4th quarter for the comeback win.
• They did this with Carmelo Anthony only scoring 9 points (only attempted 12 shots, 3-12) for the entire game.
• Ray Felton led the way with 25 points (10-20 FG) and 7 assists while Tyson Chandler posted a double double of 13 points and 11 rebounds.
• Sheed had 10 points (2-3 3PT).
• Tony Parker only made 7 of 20 shots, but finished with a team high 19 points, 6 rebounds and 12 assists.
• Stephen Jackson grabbed 11 rebounds off the bench in 26 minutes.
• Duncan with yet another double double of 14 points, 14 rebounds and 3 blocks.

Heat (7-3) 98 @ Nuggets (4-5) 93

• Leading scorers: MIA – LeBron James 27, DEN – Andre Miller 19.
• In the loss, Kenneth Faried 16 points and grabbed 20 rebounds.
• Ty Lawson meanwhile, did register a single point in the game (0-7 FG).
• Andre Miller finished with 19 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists.
• In only 21 minutes, JaVale McGee registered 18 points (9-12 FG), 6 rebounds and 4 blocks.
• The Heat’s lack of size showed up in the box score, but didn’t affect the win column, as they got outrebounded 48-29 and outscored 50-24 in the paint.
• With Wade out, LeBron handled the load with 27 points, 7 rebounds and 12 assists, including a shredding of the Nuggets defense in the 4th quarter.

Nov 4, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) before the first half against the Philadelphia 76ers at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-US PRESSWIRE

The Knicks, Timberwolves and to some degree, the Grizzlies have all exceeded expectations and are pushing up the rankings. The Thunder, Lakers and Nuggets bounced back. Meanwhile, the Wizards and Pistons are battling to avoid the basement.

Welcome to The Skyook’s NBA Power Rankings, where any given week, things can change faster than a James Harden trade to Houston.

Previous weeks: Preseason | Week 1

Week 3 – November 12th, 2012

1. San Antonio Spurs | 6-1 | Last week: 2

The “old men” just keep on winning. Tim Duncan with another vintage week and now leads the team (by a wide margin) in Points (18.9), Rebounds (9.7) and Blocks (2.4). It’s also the typical Spurs to be leading the NBA in Assists, whcih they do, at 25 per game.

2. Miami Heat | 5-2 | Last week: 1

The Heat’s two losses came at the hands of the 5-1 Grizzlies and 4-0 Knicks, so timing is everything. While LeBron averages a double double (21.9 pts, 10.0 rebs), Chris Bosh is quietly having a solid start to the season with his 20.4 points and 7.0 rebounds per game.

3. Oklahoma City Thunder | 5-2 | Last week: 3

With Kevin Martin averaging almost 18 off the bench, the Thunder don’t miss Harden that much do they? They’ve put together a nice little 4 game win streak and look angry doing it. Looks like Serge Ibaka may have polished his offense in the offseason, now up to 14.6 points (a career high).

4. Memphis Grizzlies | 5-1 | Last week: 9

The Grizz are not messing around. During their 5-game win streak, their winning margin is at 12.6 points per game, including an 18-point drubbing of the Heat last night. Z-Bo has had a double double in every game so far and leading the league at 14.5 rebounds per.

5. Los Angeles Clippers | 5-2 | Last week: 6

Many great things happening on the red side of the Staples Center: Crawford’s relentlessness, the rise of Bledsoe, Paul’s assists, DeAndre’s defense. But am I wrong in thinking there’s something wrong with Blake? Doesn’t look right. Neither does the team’s rebounding (26th).

6. New York Knicks | 4-0 | Last week: 12

Hard to argue the impressive start. 4-0. 2nd in points scored (104.5). 1st in points against (87.5). 1st in 3-point makes (12.8). 2nd in 3-point percentage (.436%). 1st in point differential (+17). Wins over Heat, Mavs and Sixers (2). Can they sustain offense without relying on such ”hot shooting?”

7. Los Angeles Lakers | 3-4 | Last week: 4

What a gift to be able to beat up on peons like the Warriors and Kings after a 1-4 start. And now, there’s a NEW sheriff coming to down by the name of Mike D’Antoni. Don’t expect the Run N’ Gun Suns from years ago, but this team will be better with him at the helm. Ask Steve Nash.

8. Denver Nuggets | 4-3 | Last week: 8

What a turnaround for the Nugs. After an 0-3 start, they posted a 4-0 week last week. The offense has risen to 8th (99.o PPG) and if Danilo Gallinari can figure out his shooting stroke (only 30% from the field), they’ll crack the Top 5 in no time. Kenneth Faried truly is the “Manimal.”

9. Boston Celtics | 3-3 | Last week: 5

Can’t be satisfying when 2 of Boston’s 3 wins are against the Wiz. After only 6 games, we’re really starting to see the lack of size on this roster with the Celts averaging only 37.8 rebounds per game, second last in the entire league. A slow start is normal for these guys though, so no panic yet.

10. Philadelphia 76ers | 4-2 | Last week: 10

Have to give them credit, they’re hanging in there without Bynum. They don’t score much (27th), but they don’t give up points either (2nd). Holiday is an absolute legit point guard in this league (18.2 pts, 9.5 asts) and it looks like Turner may have found his groove (12.3 pts, 9.5 rebs, 3.3 asts).

11. Chicago Bulls | 4-2 | Last week: 14

The 4 Bulls wins have come against the Kings, Cavs, Magic and Wolves, so we’ll really see how they hold up against tougher competition and a 5-game road trip starting this week. The defense is obviously still in tact, holding opponents to only 88.7 points per game (4th overall).

12. Dallas Mavericks | 4-3 | Last week: 13

While the Mavs have to be happy with 4-3, hanging around until Dirk comes back, all they’re doing is leading the league in scoring (104.7 per game). O.J. Mayo (21.9 ppg) has been fantastic and his backcourt partner Darren Collison has been steady as well.

13. Brooklyn Nets | 3-2 | Last week: 11

With a 3-2 record, the Nets haven’t been very impressive. Thankfully they’ll welcome back Gerald Wallace and MarShon Brooks this week to spark the offense. What the heck is up with Joe Johnson? 13.6 points per game on 36% shooting? I don’t think this is what Brooklyn had in mind.

14. Minnesota Timberwolves | 4-2 | Last week: 22

One of the surprises so far, the Wolves are getting the job done without their two stars. The defense has been top notch, allowing 89.5 points per game, good for 5th overall. AK47 is looking great and worth the money. His line: 11.2 pts, 7.7 rebs, 4.2 asts, 1.7 stls, 2.0 blks.

15. Indiana Pacers | 3-4 | Last week: 7

The Pacers are a hard team to peg. The Granger injury looks like it’ll hurt them more than originally thought, as the depth is questionable. George Hill (15.1 pts, 5.1 asts) has been worth the money, while Roy Hibbert (8.7 pts, 7.7 rebs, 38% shooting) has not.

16. Milwaukee Bucks | 3-2 | Last week: 18

A very deceiving record at 3-2. An impressive win in Boston, but then beat the Wizards and needed a Jennings buzzer beater to beat the Cavs at home. How impressive has Larry Sanders been? Averaging 12.0 points, 9.2 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game in only 27 minutes.

17. Utah Jazz | 3-4 | Last week: 17

Home is where the heart is for the Jazz. They are 3-0 at EnergySolutions Arena and 0-4 on the road, though they’ve played some tough teams so far. The Utah frontcourt is in great shape with Jefferson and Millsap, but can Mo Williams keep up this 16.8 point, 6.3 assist per game effort?

18. Golden State Warriors | 3-4 | Last week: 15

Stephen Curry and perhaps Klay Thompson have the numbers, but most of us would (should) agree that the MVP of this team through 7 games is Carl Landry. At 16.1 pts, 8.1 rebs and 60% shooting, Landry has been a game changer off the Warrior bench.

19. Houston Rockets | 3-3 | Last week: 19

It’s still very early, but it sure looks as though the Rockets are going to lack the firepower (no pun intended) to contend for the playoffs in the West. Unless of course they can play the Pistons (who they beat twice) 76 more times. At least they’re 3rd in the league in rebounding (47.5).

20. Atlanta Hawks | 2-3 | Last week: 16

The Hawks have lost against some tough teams, but their remaining November schedule is very favorable. We’ll see what their record says then. Unfortunately, not all their shooters (Lou Williams 35%, Kyle Korver 32%) are shooting. Josh Smith needs to take over if he wants the BIG contact.

21. New Orleans Hornets | 3-2 | Last week: 23

The Anthony Davis effect: Hornets are 3rd in points allowed (88.6), 10 in rebounding (43.2) and as soon as he returns from a 2-game absence, they promptly beat the Bobcats. Al-Farouq Aminu quietly having a solid year with 12.8 pts, 8.6 rebs, 2.4 asts and 2.0 steals per game.

22. Portland Trail Blazers | 2-4 | Last week: 21

Seems like this team should be better than 2-4, but they’ve played the toughest schedule in the league so far (LAL, @OKC, @HOU, @DAL, LAC, SAN). Nicolas Batum (39.5 mins, 19.3 pts, 6.2 rebs, 2.7 stls) is finally breaking out!

23. Phoenix Suns | 3-4 | Last week: 26

At this pace, Marcin Gortat should be in the conversation for Defensive Player of the Year with his 10.7 rebounds and 3.9 blocks per game. On a disappointed, unrelated note, P.J. Tucker, Luke Zeller and Diante Garrett are all averaging more points than Wesley Johnson (1.3 ppg).

24. Toronto Raptors | 1-5 | Last week: 20

The injury bug has ravaged the Raptors so far with Lowry, Fields and now Alan Anderson out. It’s really incredible what a different team this is on both ends of the floor with Lowry leading the way. DeRozan and Bargnani will need to continue to be agressive. Give Jonas V more minutes already!

25. Cleveland Cavaliers | 2-5 | Last week: 24

Monday night’s “Kyrie and Dion Upset Show” in Los Angeles seems so far away now that the Cavs have dropped their last three, while giving up 106.3 points in those games. Unfortunately for the Cavs “young and fun” won’t win too many ball games this season with that defense.

26. Orlando Magic | 2-4 | Last week: 27

I hope Magic fans enjoyed that 2-0 while it lasted. Now they’ll need to get used to this being the regular deal. This roster, the lowest scoring one in the league (87.8 ppg), truly lacks a superstar, something every team needs. I love Big Baby and Afflalo, but they won’t cut it.

27. Charlotte Bobcats | 2-3 | Last week: 28

The ‘Cats are a surprising 7th overall in scoring (99.8) but a very unsurprising 30th in points allowed (107.2). Kemba Walker with a very solid 18.8 pts, 5.8 assists and 2.8 steals, while shooting an un-Kemba like 43% from the field. MKG is getting noticeably more comfortable now.

28. Sacramento Kings | 2-5 | Last week: 30

Just when things are going smoothly for DeMarcus Cousins, he has a “run-in” with an announcer? I thought he’d turned the corner. Such a shame. The proof is in the numbers with a team that we believe don’t play together and don’t share the ball: 16.6 assists per game (last in the league).

29. Washington Wizards | 0-5 | Last week: 25

The talent-deprived, winless Wizards have one of the puzzling stats so far this season. They rank 29th in scoring at 88.0 points per game, yet rank 4th in assists at 24.0 per game. How does that make sense?  Part of it is A.J. Price averaging 8.0 assists per game.

30. Detroit Pistons | 0-7 | Last week: 29

Words can’t describe how bad Rodney Stuckey has been. 7.9 points in 31.9 minutes from your “feature” guard. At this point, we have to feel bad for the situation Greg Monroe was drafted into. He’s going to have an All-Star season and are we sure the Pistons will have a win by then?

Nov 2, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) drives to the net during the third quarter against the Miami Heat at Madison Square Garden. Knicks won 104-84. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-US PRESSWIRE

Welcome all stat geeks! “Box Score Bulletin’” is sifting through, analyzing and summarizing all of the NBA box scores from the previous day and night, so you don’t have to! So sip your coffee and enjoy the good, the bad and the ugly…

Pacers (1-1) 89 @ Bobcats (1-0) 90

• Leading scorers: IND – Tyler Hansbrough, Lance Stephenson 15, CHA – Kemba Walker 30.
• Kemba Walker with a huge game, dropping 30 points on 10-21 shooting (9-10 FT).
• The Bobcats big men (Haywood, Mullens, Thomas and Biyombo) shot a combined 6-24 from the field.
• Despite playing regular minutes, the Pacers starters only combined to score 48 of the 89 points (20-53 FG).
• Lance Stephenson getting some good run off the bench and put up 15 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists in 25 minutes.

Nuggets (0-2) 89 @ Magic (1-0) 102

• Leading scorers: DEN – Danilo Gallinari 23, ORL – Glen Davis 29.
• Only 2 games, but this dynamic Nuggets offense is averging a league-worst 82 points per game after only 89 in this one.
• After a much hyped “improved” offseason, JaVale McGee only played 11 mintes (4 pts, 2 rebs) off the bench.
• Gallo led the way for Denver with 23 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists.
• Big Baby Davis is expected to be perhaps the biggest piece of the Magic offense this season. Great start with 29 points and 10 rebounds.
• J.J. Redick was as efficient as ever off the bench with 21 points (7-11 FG, 3-4 3PT), 4 rebounds and 6 assists.

Bucks (1-0) 99 @ Celtics (0-2) 88

• Leading scorers: MIL – Brandon Jennings 21, BOS – Kevin Garnett 15.
• Brandon Jennings with a monster game for the Bucks with 21 points, 13 assists and 6 steals.
• The Bucks had 6 players score in double figures.
• Other than Rondo (14 pts, 11 asts), the other C’s came up short: Pierce (11 pts, 3-11 FG), Garnett (15 pts, 4 rebs) and Green (11 pts, 1 reb).

Rockets (2-0) 109 @ Hawks (0-1) 102

• Leading scorers: HOU – James Harden 45, ATL – Lou Williams 22.
• I mean my God, what else do you say about Harden right now… in the zone maybe? 45 points (14-19 FG) and 7 rebounds.
• With Lin’s nice game as well (21 pts, 10 asts), the Rockets starting backcourt accounted for 61% of their points.
• Omer Asik had probably the oddest line of the season so far: 0 points (0-7 FG) and 19 rebounds.
• Hawks were outrebounded 58-38.
• Josh Smith with a double double: 18 points, 10 rebounds and 3 blocks.
• Lou Williams did what he’s probably going to do all year off the Hawks bench: 22 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals.

Bulls (2-0) 115 @ Cavaliers (1-1) 86

• Leading scorers: CHI – Carlos Boozer, Richard Hamilton 19, CLE – Kyrie Irving 15.
• The Bulls shot an absolutely RIDICULOUS 63.8% (44-69) from the field.
• Big games from Carlos Boozer (19 pts, 7 rebs, 6 assts) and Nate Robinson (16 pts, 12 asts, 5 rebs).
• Kyrie Irving had 15 points in 30 minutes, but was a -21 rating.

Heat (1-1) 84 @ Knicks (1-0) 104

• Leading scorers: MIA – LeBron James 23, NYK – Carmelo Anthony 30.
• I predicted before the game that Carmelo would get up close to 30 shots. 28 is damn close! 30 points (10-28 FG) and 10 rebounds as they handled the Heat.
• The Knicks hit 19 threes (19-36) in the game including Novak 5, Melo 4, Kidd 3, Felton 3.
• It’s sad when we think of 23 points, 7 rebound and 5 assists as “average” for LeBron.
• Ray Allen (5 pts, 2 rebs, 3 asts) and Mario Chalmers (3 pts, 1 ast, fouled out) underwhelmed.

Jazz (1-1) 86 @ Hornets (1-1) 88

• Leading scorers: UTA - Randy Foye 20, NOH – Robin Lopez, Ryan Anderson 19.
• Anythony Davis only played 14 minutes because of an injury, but still had 8 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks.
• Greivis Vasquez had another solid game with 13 points and 10 assists.
• Ryan Anderson came off the bench wih 19 points (5-9 3PT) and 6 rebounds.
• Randy Foye was the main guy off the Jazz bench and led the team with 20 points.
• Marvin Williams followed up a nice first game with 5 points and 3 rebounds in 29 minutes.

Trail Blazers (1-1) 92 @ Thunder (1-1) 106

• Leading scorers: POR - LaMarcus Aldridge 22, OKC – Russell Westbrook 32.
• Durant and Westbrook must have been mad from the Spurs game: Durant with 23 points, 17 rebounds and 7 assists, while Westbrook had 32 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists.
• Kevin Martin played the bench role well again with 19 points.
• Damian Lillard with another solid one: 21 points and 7 assists.
• Only 8-22 shooting, but LaMarcus Aldridge put up stats with 22 points and 15 boards.

Kings (0-2) 80 @ Timberwolves (1-0) 92

• Leading scorers: SAC – Isaiah Thomas 20, MIN – J.J. Barea 21.
• Ugly shooting. The two teams combined to shoot 5-33 (15%) from behind the arc.
• Andrei Kirilenko with a “Kirilenko” game. 10 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists.
• J.J. Barea was big off teh bench with 21 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists.
• The Kings duo of Cousins and Evans were very quiet. A combined 17 points (8-27 FG) and a -12 rating.

Pistons (0-2) 89 @ Suns (1-1) 92

• Leading scorers: DET – Tayshaun Prince 18, PHX – Marcin Gortat, Michael Beasley 16.
• Talk about a slow paced game. Fast break points? 3-2 for the Suns.
• Marcin Gortat with a solid line with 16 points, 16 rebounds and 3 blocks.
• Goran Dragic also with a double double with 15 points, 10 assists.
• Rodney Stuckey, ouch! 1 point (0-7 FG) and 4 assists in 22 minutes.
• Brandon Knight continues to please fantasy owners with 13 points, 10 assists and 5 rebounds.

Clippers (2-0) 105 @ Lakers (0-3) 95

• Leading scorers: LAC – Jamal Crawford 21, LAL – Kobe Bryant 40.
• Chris Paul shredded the Lakers with 18 points, 15 assists, 6 rebounds and 3 steals.
• Jamal Crawford led the team again with another 21 points off the bench.
• Kobe Bryant with another huge scoring game, dropping 40 points (14-23 FG). But he’s doing it efficiently: In 3 games now, he’s shooting an insane 61.4%.
• Dwight had 5 blocks while Pau had 14 rebounds.
• The Laker bench only gave them 16 points for the game.

Grizzlies (1-1) 104 @ Warriors (1-1) 94

• Leading scorers: MEM – Marc Gasol, Mike Conley Jr. 21, GSW – Stephen Curry 26.
• Mike Conley is certainly living up to that contract extension he signed last year. 21 points, 7 assists and 5 steals.
• Z-Bo with another double double with 15 points and 14 rebounds.
• Stephen Curry with a game-high 26 points, including 6-10 from behind the arc.
• Carl Landry proving to be a solid bench commodity: 20 points, 6 rebounds in only 24 minutes.