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The NBA lottery selection for the 2009 NBA Draft took place Tuesday night from Secaucus, New Jersey. The selection show officially molded what order the teams would select their picks for the festivities that will take place on June 25th. The Los Angeles Clippers came out smelling like a rose after landing the overall first pick in this year’s draft. The Clippers were held at 17% chance to win the overall pick and the luck just happened to fall their way. Now since we know the orders the teams will select their picks we can now break down how the NBA Draft could shape out with our own 2009 mock draft. We break down the top 10 picks and how we expect them to turn out on June 25th in New York.

1. L.A Clippers – Blake Griffin (Oklahoma)

Blake Griffin is the extreme overwhelming favorite to be taken first overall this year by the Clippers. Griffin dominated the college ranks last season like no other sophomore in recent memory. Griffin averaged 22.7 points per game for the season which led the Big 12. Griffin perhaps was even more impressive in the way he dominated the glass. The 6’10 sophomore led the nation averaging 14.4 rebounds per game. The LA Clippers will jump on the opportunity to grab Griffin who has all the expectations to be among the best in the NBA in a very short time.

2. Memphis Grizzlies – Ricky Rubio (International)

The Grizzlies major need is a guard mainly someone to handle the basketball. Ricky Rubio will likely be the selection to fill that desperation. Rubio is a gifted young 17 year old who has a ton of upside. The point guard out of El Masnou, Spain has great ball handling, strong defense, and can shoot the ball fairly well. The Grizzlies will likely bypass the opportunity to grab Hasheem Thabeet and grab Rubio to control the ball. However, not exactly sure how big of a scoring threat Rubio will develop into. He has all the makings of a solid guard, but perhaps not a great one.

3. Oklahoma City – Hasheem Thabeet (Connecticut)

Oklahoma City would love to add a huge scorer to the lineup. However, they simply can not afford to lead Hasheem Thabeet slip by. The 7’3 center out of Connecticut is a beast on the defensive side of the ball. The junior averaged 4.5 blocks this season. Thabeet also averaged stout double-double type numbers with 13.8 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. The tall center may not be an immediate huge threat on the offensive side of the ball, but could become a Kevin Garnett type of defensive player and surely the scoring will develop as time passes.

4. Sacramento Kings – Jordan Hill (Arizona)

Many people think the Kings may go after a guard in this position, but there may be more need from some strength in the paint. Jordan Hill was a player who really came on strong for the Arizona Wildcats through the end of the season. The junior forward averaged 18 points on the season along with a strong 11 boards. Hill could give the Kings some depth on the inside and become an eventual playmaker on the inside. Sacramento already has a solid scorer in Kevin Martin on the outside and believes they will give up the opportunity to go after a guard.

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5. Washington Wizards – James Harden (Arizona State)

The Washington Wizards owned the worse record in the Eastern Conference this season and will get the chance to add some strength to the lineup with the 5th overall pick. The Wizards likely seek a guard preferably someone that can knock down shots in this position. Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison were very effective at the forward positions this year, but they really lacked the outside scoring threat. James Harden could fill that void at the shooting guard position. Harden averaged 20 points per game this season while shooting just under 50% on the season. Harden can also shot the ball from behind the arc rather well which should make him a perfect fit for the Wizards at the number 5 selection.

6. Minnesota Timberwolves – Brandon Jennings (International)

Minnesota has plenty of needs on the court and could go in many different directions with their selection. However, we expect Brandon Jennings to be the most suitable expectation. Al Jefferson holds down the middle fairly strong for the Timberwolves and they may look to add an outside threat to take some pressure off Randy Foye. Brandon Jennings has great speed and a knack for getting to the basket. Jennings should become a solid player who can beat most defenders off the dribble right away.

7. Golden State Warriors – DeMar DeRozan (USC)

DeMar DeRozan does not have overpowering qualities that some of our previous selections maintain, however he is perhaps one of the most solid all around players on the board. DeRozan averaged 14 points in his freshman campaign at USC as he matured throughout the season. DeRozan knocked down 52% of his shots on the season. The big thing surround DeRozan is perhaps need a good bit of time to develop. We don’t expect the 19 year old to come in the league dominating, but expect him to be a solid starter in a year or two.

8. New York Knicks – Stephen Curry (Davidson)

The New York Knicks made a lot of early season moves to try and grab some up and coming talent to the roster. The Knicks will get their chance at another up and coming star if Stephen Curry is still on the board at the number 8 selection. Curry led the nation this season with averaging a lucrative 28.6 points per game. Curry made a name for himself when he led a less than talented Davidson team to the sweet sixteen in 2008. Curry has the best shooting stroke of anyone in the 2009 class. If someone does not take a chance at him, surely New York will at the number 8 pick.

9. Toronto Raptors – Gerald Henderson (Duke)

Gerald Henderson is among the latest entries to add themselves to the 2009 NBA Draft. Henderson exploded in the second half of the season at Duke. Henderson actually tied with Kyle Singler at exactly 16.5 points per game this season to lead the Blue Devils. Henderson has molded into a Grant Hill type of star that also came out of Duke and entered the NBA. The junior has a solid shooting strong and some descent size that will probably take a small forward position. Henderson could find his way into the starting lineup in Toronto considering they have a need for scorers. However, after a big improvement in his junior season we wonder how much growing potential is left?

10. Milwaukee Bucks – DeJuan Blair (Pittsburgh)

The Bucks could surprise a lot of people with this selection, but we have them taking the young sophomore talent out of Pittsburgh in DeJuan Blair. The Bucks are a team that was really beaten up against the glass last season. Andrew Bogut averaged 10.3 rebounds for Milwaukee but there many are some issues with how he will hold up in the future. DeJuan Blair is a big strong forward who can not only chance a game on the boards, but also a rather solid scorer as well. Blair has the strength to overpower defenders and make an early impact in this league. While many will have Blair going around the mid first round range, we think there could be a surprise at the number 10 pick.

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The NBA regular season will end later this week as we head towards the post-season. The Cleveland Cavaliers have locked up home court advantage throughout their Eastern Conference playoff run and are one game away from clinching home court advantage in the NBA Finals if they can make it that far in the playoffs. The Cavaliers are coming off a huge blowout win over the defending Champions the Boston Celtics 107-76 on Sunday. The Cavaliers big win over the number 2 ranked team in the East is actually Cleveland’s biggest victory in franchise history over the Celtics. The Cavaliers amazing home game run extended to a mark of 38-1 inside Quicken Loans Arena with the victory. The Cavaliers appear to be big favorites considering they will get the majority of the games at home were they have been unstoppable. However, the Eastern Conference has been extremely tough this year as Orlando blew out Cleveland a few short weeks ago similar to the Cavaliers big win over Boston. The 3 horse race all season out of the East will carry over to the post-season. In the Western Conference, the Los Angeles Lakers are still the big favorites after a big win over Denver last Thursday night. The return of Andrew Bynum will only be more beneficial for the Lakers who have appeared as the top notch team in the West all season. However teams like Denver, Houston, and Portland have really closed out the year strong and could be teams to put together impressive runs in the playoffs. We give brief breakdown of the major contenders for the 2009 NBA Playoffs along with their odds to win it all.

Eastern Conference

Cleveland Cavaliers (7/5)

The Cavaliers extremely impressive home record makes them big favorites in the NBA playoffs. Their 38-1 record is among the best ever string of runs by a home team in NBA history. Lebron James is averaged 28.3 points per game, but more importantly is getting a lot of help from the rest of the team. Cleveland only lost one game all season at home meaning for them to be beaten in the playoffs a team is going to have to win at least one game in Cleveland while sweeping the Cavaliers away from Cleveland. Good luck with that.

Boston Celtics (4/1)

The Celtics chances to repeat as NBA Champions took a big hit with their embarrassing loss to Cleveland. However, Boston has played very well to close out the season winning 8 of their last 10 games. The Celtics are another team that plays very well at home with a 34-6 record for the season. However, Boston is only 4-4 against Orlando and Cleveland on the year meaning they have been anything but dominant over the top teams in the East. Still the Celtics know what it takes to be Champions, but can they do it again?

Orlando Magic (8/1)

The Magic got the big win over Cleveland back in the first week of April, but they have now lost 3 of their last 4 games. Orlando got off to a tremendous start to the season, but really suffered a hit with the loss of Jameer Nelson despite putting together some solid winning streaks in recent weeks. Also, Rashard Lewis will likely miss the final games of the regular season with a knee injury and the Magic simply look to be too banged up down the stretch to be a legitimate threat as they appeared earlier this year.

Team to Watch – Chicago Bulls (100/1)

The Chicago Bulls have won 4 straight games and 12 of their last 15 games during that stretch. Chicago has put together a solid home record this season that is always crucial during the post season. If the Bulls can keep up the momentum and get some more big performances from Ben Gordon, they could really pull off a string off upsets and perhaps take down either Boston or Orlando who they will be likely playing in the opening round.

Western Conference

Los Angeles Lakers (8/5)

Thursday night’s victory over the emerging Denver Nuggets was icing on the cake for Western Conference bragging rights. The Lakers simply looked too strong for their closest competitors in the West and are big favorites at 4/9 favorites to make it to the NBA Finals. The Lakers got beat by a streaking Portland team on Friday 106-98, but they still appear to be too strong in terms of being beat in an entire series. The Lakers have had more problems with the teams in the Eastern Conference this season and until someone proves us wrong we will ride the Lakers bandwagon.

Denver Nuggets (20/1)

The Nuggets are really playing well to close out the season despite their setback to the Lakers last Thursday. Carmelo Anthony and J.R Smith are becoming a dynamic duo posting big figures every night. The Nuggets have put together wins in 13 of their last 15 games The Nuggets could face the Dallas Mavericks in the opening round if things were to stay the same. Denver would not mind the pairing considering they are a perfect 4-0 on the season against Dallas. If the Nuggets could keep the momentum rolling I am sure they will be eager to get their chance at a series with the Lakers.

Portland Trailblazers (25/1)

The Trailblazers are in a heated battle with the Houston Rockets for 3rd place in the West as both teams stand at a mark of 52-28. The Trailblazers and the Rockets have also both put on a solid 4 game winning streak as Portland will get the Thunder and the Nuggets in the final two games. The battle for 3rd dictates whether they will get New Orleans or San Antonio in the playoffs. The Trailblazers have played the most solid basketball the 2nd half of the season and they should give teams problems if they can stay hot.

Team to watch – Houston Rockets (20/1)

The Rockets have put together 4 straight wins along with Portland. The only difference is Houston beat up on the Trailblazers 102-88 to start their winning streak. The Rockets have what it takes to match-up with the other teams from the West in the playoffs giving them a chance to knock off some wins in the postseason. The only thing is the Rockets have failed to beat the Lakers once this season at 0-4 meaning any dream type run at an NBA Finals may be more of a dream than a reality.

This will be the first edition of a set of weekly articles that will come out just before every weekend breaking down the best proposition bets for the weekend. Basically, we will break down some of the most interesting and intriguing prop bets heading into the weekend for you to consider placing bets on to earn some cash on your days off work. We will be reviewing and studying every sport to give the best prop bet at the right time for your money while also trying to include the always popular prop bets as well. Take a look at these Top 3 Prop Bets for you to consider heading into the weekend..

Bet #1 – PGA Golf (The Masters)
Head to Head – Paul Casey (-130) vs. Sergio Garcia (Even) (Thursday)
The PGA Tour will make a stop in Augusta, Georgia this weekend to tee off for the first Major Tournament of the 2009 campaign. The Masters has been one of the most beautiful and exciting golf spectacles for many years now providing some great action for the PGA Tour’s first big event. Bodog Sportsbook has many great betting actions on the event from head to head matchups, opening round group odds, and more. We found a very interesting match-up between Paul Casey and Sergio Garcia. Garcia made the news earlier this season as he closed in on Tiger Woods number 1 ranking while Woods was still recovering from knee surgery. However, Garcia has been playing anything but strong over the past few weeks heading into the Masters. Garcia has played in 4 events and has not been in the top 10 once including a 77th finish in the Shell Houston Open last week. Casey on the other hand won the Shell Houston Open making it his first victory in the United States and jumped from 12th to 6th in the world rankings. Garcia has never been consistent at Augusta National and we expect some more of the same type performance this weekend. While Casey will be riding a wave of confidence and we expect him to play well. Consider placing an above average type bet on Casey. Pick – Casey -130

Bet #2 NBA (Denver at Los Angeles) (Thursday)
The Los Angeles Lakers host the Denver Nuggets late Thursday night at home in a showdown of front runners in the Western Conference. The Lakers are winners of 4 straight games and own a 2-1 record against the Nuggets so far this season. However, Denver is playing better than any team in the league perhaps winning 12 of their last 13 games and 7 straight. In the previous meetings these games have stayed unpredictably low in scoring despite both teams tendency to have high scoring averages. While nearly all indications point to the Lakers having a big night considering they are playing at home where they are 33-5 this season and Andrew Bynum will possibly return to the lineup. However, we are going to take Denver in this game considering how well they have been shooting the ball to be the spoiler this Thursday. J.R Smith and Carmelo Anthony have led the team in scoring every game since the middle of March. Both standouts are averaging right at 20 points per game over the winning streak. Even though Kobe Bryant has been stellar against the Nuggets this season, we expect Denver to have a similar outcomes as they did back in the previous meeting back in February when they got the victory 90-79 except this time there will be more points scored. Pick – Denver

Bet #3 – Kentucky Derby (May 2nd)
Whether you are a fan of horse racing or not, one thing is for sure that when you hear the Kentucky Derby you know it means something special. While most bettors tend to shy away from Horse Racing bets because they simply may not keep up with the sport, betting on a horse race may be the most profitable sport to bet on considering you always get great odds. The 2009 run for the roses is being hyped to be a very exciting spectacle mainly because there are so many great horses with legitimate shots to win this year. One of the horses to have your eye on is “I Want Revenge.” This California bred horse is a proven runner who captured a win just a few weeks back at the Gotham at Aqueduct. I Want Revenge is being posted as a 7/2 favorite to win the entire event this weekend. The horse is quickly emerging as the leading favorite to be covered in the blanket of roses after the most famous dash in horse racing on May 2nd. However, go ahead and get the odds while they are still reasonable and if you do not feel comfortable picking I Want Revenge as a winner be sure to place the horse for a bet to be a top 3 finisher. Pick – “I Want Revenge” (7/2)

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I know we have not even hit the All-star break which will take place this weekend, but it is not too early to kick-start the MVP talk for the NBA. Especially with all the spectacular performances over the past week or so between the two leading candidate Kobe Bryant and Lebron James, it brings a great debate into full focus. Despite their being nearly 30 games or more left in the season, we will take a look at what to expect for the rest of the season along with how things are shaping up with the most prestigious title in the NBA which is the MVP Award.

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Nearly no less than a week ago, many people would have given the edge to Lebron James considering he had been one of the primary reasons the Cleveland Cavaliers were one of the best teams in the East while sporting a perfect home record. However, Kobe Bryant and the Lakers have had a really strong start to February with some important victories. Bryant initiated all the madness when he broke the Madison Square Garden record for points scored inside the historic building with an amazing 61 points against the Knicks back on February 2nd. While many consider that to be the standout performance in all the Bryant uproar, I believe the Lakers big victories over Boston and Cleveland which were both on the road against the two best teams in the league at home was the biggest shocker in this insane stretch of basketball. The Lakers win over the Cavaliers ended the amazing home run Cleveland had been on with a perfect 23-0 start that ranked as one of the top 5 best starts in NBA history. It would be hard to give anybody the edge over Kobe at this point in the season considering the huge performance and wins he has lead the Lakers to over the past 2 weeks of basketball. Hard to imagine that with all the Championships and all the considerable achievements in Bryant’s career that last season was his first and only MVP Award. However the 30 year old is the prime candidate to repeat his title this season even if there is a long way to go.

Lebron James really highlighted the two standouts battle for league supremacy last week when he backed up Kobe Bryant’s performance at Madison Square Garden with an electrifying performance of his own. In only two days after Bryant broke a Madison Square record with 61 points, James made a huge impact for the Cavaliers in their win over the Knicks. Lebron was given credit for a triple-double with an outstanding 52 point performance to go along with the stats for the night. Cleveland won the game 107-102 and James finished with 52 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assist. The game would have been the only triple-double in Madison Square Garden history that included 50 or more points. However, the NBA reversed the ruling a few days after the event claiming Ben Wallace tapped the 9th rebound that was recorded to Lebron giving Wallace the rebound instead. Still, Lebron ended with a huge night and quite possibly if the night had not been so big there would probably never have been a review on that rebound. Instead when you are in the spotlight, everything goes through the microscope. While King James declared that his performance was no attempt to match Kobe’s 61 in the garden, Lebron definitely wanted to make a statement that night. James who was an MVP finalist last season will be the most likely candidate with the chance of stealing the hardware away from Kobe in search of his first MVP Award.

Outside of the undeclared two horse race that many perceive the MVP race will come down to there are still a few others with a shot at the MVP even though the odds will be stacked against them. Dwayne Wade leads the NBA in scoring with 28.3 points over James and Bryant. Wade is also posting a solid 7 assist per game, but the problem is that the Miami Heat is mediocre at best right now. Not to mention MVP Awards are usually handed to individuals that really make a huge impact for their team. While Wade’s numbers are impressive, he has not led the Heat to the success that they need at this point in the year. Dirk Nowitzki is another player having a big year with a long shot to make a run at an MVP trophy. Nowitzki won the 2007 MVP Title and is having a solid season trying to give the Mavericks a boost to get them back in the playoff race. Fresh off a 44 point night against Chicago, Nowitzki is 4th in the NBA in scoring while adding a little over 8 rebounds per night. Chris Paul was a leading MVP Finalist last season and is posting strong numbers again this year with double-double averages 21.5 points and 11 assist per outing. However, the Hornets have been struggling and Paul has been battling a groin injury. Still Paul is one of the most exciting players to watch in the league and it will be interesting to see if he can turn it on during the latter part of the season.

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The NBA Basketball season has passed the halfway point and the long grueling season that the players endure every year is starting to take a toll around the league. This is usually the point in the season where players are constantly getting banged up and this year is no different. Over the past few days there have been a ton of notable injuries and Monday night Orlando Magic’s Jameer Nelson became another victim of the growing trend around the league. Not to mention superstar and New Orleans Hornet’s guard Chris Paul also suffers a crucial injury. Take a look as we break down the recent outbreak of key injuries around the league and give up-dates of their status and which injuries will be most important to their teams.

On Monday night, Orlando Magic point guard Jameer Nelson stole the ball and was fouled and hit the floor and rolled over awkwardly. Nelson hopped up appearing to be in agonizing pain clutching his right shoulder. Latest reports have confirmed that Nelson has a torn right labrum in his shoulder that would definitely put a halt in immediate playing time. Nelson is unsure whether the injury will be season ending as he goes through the process of deciding to take season ending surgery now or try and wait to the end of the season. One thing is for sure that the Magic took a huge blow in amidst of this unfortunate incident. Nelson has been a key component to the Orlando scoring attack this season averaging 17 points per game. Without Nelson, the Magic will have a tough time being the same team considering how much of a threat Nelson posed leading the Magic down the court. Behind back Anthony Johnson the Magic do not have any point guards that will likely step in and be effective meaning Orlando will be facing some challenges in the near future. As for Nelson, he was having one of the best years of his career and now that likely has the possibility of being over. A torn right labrum means that there the shoulder joint becomes very unstable while depending on the case can be quite painful. The extinct of Nelson’s injury will likely be clearer in the coming days.

Another big time injury is that of New Orleans Hornets Chris Paul. Actually the injury is not that big at all as Paul has suffered a minor groin pull and will likely need a few days to get back to 100%. Paul is listed as day to day and his injury will likely be very insignificant in terms of how it affects the Hornets and last year’s MVP candidate to get back healthy. On Saturday night, the Lakers were hit by the injury plague sweeping the league. Center Andrew Bynum went down tearing an MCL which is a medial collateral ligament. The drastic injury is rather serious as Bynum will miss at least 8-12 weeks as the knee attempts to heal. However, MCL injuries are quite peculiar as on many occasions it takes the victim much longer to gain the confidence to go all out outside of the recovery time. The injury definitely was not fortunate for the Lakers, but it will likely not slow down one of the more popular teams in the world. Los Angeles has dealt with injury issues in the past and as long as they have Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol on the floor they are going to be tough to beat.

Other Injury Updates…

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Delonte West is still recovering from a broken wrist suffered back in mid January. West is schedule to have his cast removed later this week and will start getting practice time over the next few days. West is likely looking at another week or more to completely get the strength and confidence back into his wrist and will join the Cavs lineup when the time comes. As far as the Cavaliers they have been pretty good without him as they extended their incredible home record to 23 last night, but with West back in the line-up it definitely will not hurt.

Carlos Boozer has been out for some time now with a left knee injury. Boozer had surgery on the knee back in November and his missed 34 straight games. However, the rehabilitation process has been going well and Boozer should return to play in the next 3 weeks. The Jazz have been really hit hard by injuries this season after finishing with a 54-28 record last year that lead to a conference semi-finals meeting with the Lakers. Andrei Kirilenko suffered an ankle injury that required surgery a little more than a week ago and will miss another 3 weeks as expected. The Jazz have really had a disappointing year and if something big does not change they will likely have too many obstacles to overcome.

Tracy McGrady has been battling a sprained left ankle for the Houston Rockets, but is expected to return to play any day.

Chicago Bull’s Drew Gooden has missed 7 straight games battling a groin injury and is expected to miss a few more as he is still not completely healed.

Kobe Bryant has been known for outstanding performances of the past and for his ability to take control over in games over the best the NBA has to offer. Last night was not any different as Bryant lit up the scoreboards again posting a 61 point performance in Madison Square Garden. The Los Angeles Lakers had a solid night as they held of a New York Knicks team who had won 6 of their last 7 by a score of 126-117. Lakers power forward Pau Gasol had an excellent night in a double-double performance knocking down 31 points and pulling down 14 boards. However, it was Bryant that stole the spotlight as he dropped 60 plus points for the 5th time in his career.

Kobe Bryant is no stranger to huge performances as he quite possibly is the best scorer of the modern era. Of course Wilt Chamberlain’s 100 points back in 1962 is a feat that will likely never be broken considering how evolved and competitive the NBA has become. However, Bryant has made a few runs and big performances that rank as high as Wilt’s 100 point performance. Last night, the Lakers franchise player posted 50 or more points for the 25th time in his career. The performance took place in the historic and majestic Madison Square Garden where Kobe surpassed Michael Jordan as the highest scoring game ever for an opponent ever at the Garden. The 61 points also ranked 1st all time at Madison Square Garden for any player as Bryant edged out Bernard King’s 60 points back in 1984.

Kobe’s 25 50 point games ranks 3rd all-time behind Wilt Chamberlain who had 118 50 point nights back before there was a shot clock and the great Michael Jordan who posted 31 50 point games. The miraculous night still fell short of Kobe Bryant’s career best when he drained 81 points against the Toronto Raptors in January of 2006. Bryant performance last night was led by a 61% shooting performance from the floor (19-31), 50% shooting from behind the arc (3-6), and Bryant capped all of it off by not missing a single free throw in 20 attempts from the stripe. The performance along with the 31 points from Pau Gasol marked the highest scoring game all-season by two teammates as they nearly got to the century mark between the two as they ended up with 92 points combined.

The Lakers win moved them to a 38-9 record on the year that ranks the 2nd best in the NBA. Los Angeles has now won their last 3 games including the last 6 of 7. The game was the 3rd of six straight road games. Los Angeles will now get one night off before two hectic back to back games with Toronto and the highly anticipated showdown with the Boston Celtics on Thursday night. The Celtics own the best record in the NBA at 40-9 barely ahead of the Lakers and the showdown will represent last year’s Finals re-match and also represents the two best teams in the NBA at this point in the season. The Lakers won the first meeting this season inside the Staples Center when Bryant led the team with 27 points as they took down the Celtics 92-83. However, the Celtics will likely be in better position to get some revenge this time around. Boston not only will host the meeting which is huge considering Boston owns a 24-2 home record after sporting the best home record in the league last season at 34-6 in the NBA. The Celtics will also get the slight advantage heading into the contest considering they will be on a little fresher legs as the Lakers battle the Raptors on Wednesday night. However, Bryant has a tendency to have some of his biggest nights on the biggest stages and the Lakers will look for him to have another big performance when they travel to Boston on Thursday.

On the midst of all the exciting action that has been going on in college basketball over the last few weeks it has drawn attention away from the NBA. However, last night Chris Paul nearly reached an achievement that can not go unnoticed. The New Orleans Hornets got a big victory over the Philadelphia 76ers last night 101-86 and closed to only one game behind the San Antonio Spurs in the Southwest Division Standings. Hornets’ star point guard and last year’s MVP candidate Chris Paul nearly made history by earning a rare quadruple-double in his magnificent performance against the 76ers on Monday night.

Chris Paul has been extraordinary over the last two seasons running the New Orleans offense from the guard position. Outside of his tremendous ability to score at anytime and post big number Paul gains a lot of recognition from his ability to lift the other players around him. Paul leads the NBA this season with 11 assist and sports a double-double average with 21 points as well per game. However, on Monday night Chris Paul elevated his game even more. The playmaker out of Wake Forest got off to a fast start and showed how valuable he is on every end of the court. Paul racked up 15 assist by the end of the night along, 10 rebounds, 7 steals, and 27 points barely missing a rare quadruple double. It was quite apparent that Paul was running the show and to even have the quadruple double talk discussed is quite an accomplishment in itself.

For Chris Paul, the game marked his 3^rd triple double of the month and also the second time this month where he has accumulated 7 steals. Paul is known for his ability to swipe the ball on defense and of course has led the league for some time in the assist category. However, when Paul put them all together in what turned out to be a brilliantly played game. Paul came up nearly 3 steals away from achieving the quadruple-double. While it may sound far fetched to ask for 3 more steals, Paul performance proved to be one of the better games all around in NBA history not to mention how many fantasy players cashed in huge points last night off his feat.

So how big is the seemingly impossible quadruple double? Actually if Chris Paul could have got the 3 more steals last night, it would have only been the 5^th time in NBA History a player reached the quadruple double. 4 players have reached the quadruple double throughout the history of the NBA and only 1 player has accomplished the milestone including the steals category by the way of Alvin Robertson of the Spurs back in 1986. The other 3 players reached the accomplishment through earning more than 10 in the blocks category. Paul would have been the first player to reach this feat in the last 15 years considering the last quadruple double came in 1994 by David Robinson another Spurs player. The first ever player to reach the quadruple double was Chicago Bulls’ Nate Thurmond by in 1974 and the only other player to earn the accomplishment was NBA great Hakeem Olajuwon back in 1990.

While Paul’s performance will likely be forgotten in the next few games, it should gain some respect and marvel those NBA enthusiast that love rare accomplishments. Despite failing to actually get the quadruple double, Chris Paul deserves all the attention for getting near the feat in today’s NBA game that is usually conquered by players trying to score as many points as possible. However, Paul proves time and time again that he is a true team player that will do whatever it takes to get the win for his team. The little guy is fun to watch and so is the race in the Southwest between the Hornets and the Spurs. After a few days of wild College Basketball action seemingly drowned out the NBA play, Chris Paul delivers a big game and gets the attention back towards the NBA.

The NBA regular season a little more than halfway through and there is a pretty clear sight of who are the front runners with the chance for a few more teams to make a surprise down the stretch. The Eastern Conference appears to be the strength of the league with the powerhouses of Boston, Cleveland, and Orlando. Out West we still await a contender to emerge to be able to challenge the L.A Lakers and the most likely team to take that role is the San Antonio Spurs. At this time in the season is when all the predictions start coming out and the betting lines are changing every day with new future odds. We break down the top 3 teams in each conference and provide some insight on some teams to keep an eye on that could surprise down the stretch.

Eastern Conference

Boston Celtics (36-9)

The defending NBA Champions had the best start in NBA history at 27-2. However, the Celtics rang in the New Year poorly losing 4 out of their first 5 games and even 7 out of 9 at one point. The tough weeks of basketball exposed the first sign of troubles from Boston that we have seen in some time. Despite the tough stretch that featured 3 of 4 of their last losses on the road, Boston has bounced back with a vengeance. The Celtics have now knocked off 7 straight wins including a big win over what many call the best team in the league the Orland Magic last Thursday night 90-80. The difference in the wins and losses is how the Celtics play defense. In the Celtics last 4 defeats, the opponents were averaging 100.2 points per game. However, in the last 7 victories the Celtics have held opposing teams to only 88 points. The Celtics are 2^nd behind Cleveland in scoring defense this season and that has always been a big attribute to their success. With the troubles seemingly out of the way, Boston appears to be right back where they left last off last year.

Orlando Magic (33-9)

The Magic that is Orlando comes in the form of 6’11 Dwight Howard. Howard has been superb this year and so has the rest of the Orlando lineup. Howard leads the league in rebounds (14rpg), blocked shots (3.2bpg), and also supports with 20 points every game. However, it has not been all the achievement of one man. Rashard Lewis, Hedo Turkoglu, and Jameer Nelson are all averaging at least 17 points while the Magic are averaging 101 points per contest. Orlando had won 8 straight games before their loss to Boston on Thursday night and they own a 7 ½ game over Atlanta in the Southeast. Orlando is the only team out of the top 3 in the Eastern Conference to have captured a victory over the L.A Lakers this season which is clearly the best team right now in the West. The Magic are actually 2-0 over the Lakers and many think they are the most complete team at this point in the season.

Cleveland Cavaliers (32-8)

Cleveland appeared to be the best team out of the East only a matter of a few short weeks ago. However, the Cavaliers have gone 2-2 in their last 4 games with losses over the Lakers and Trailblazers. Not to mention Cleveland is facing some key injuries over the last few days. Starting shooting guard Delonte West has a broken wrist and will miss 4-6 weeks. Also starting center Zydrunas Ilgauskas has a fractured ankle and will miss 3-4 weeks. Despite the small dark cloud that has recently developed over the team, Cleveland is still among the best in the NBA. Lebron James is 2^nd in the NBA in scoring with 27.8 points and the team seems to be playing better behind him than they have in past seasons. The Cavs also are a perfect 20-0 at home meaning that they could be very tough to beat at playoff time.

Team to watch…

Philadelphia 76ers (20-21)

The 76ers have risen from the dead after they were nearly written off with a 13-20 start. However, they have now put together 7 straight wins before a tough loss to Dallas on Monday night. Considering how inconsistent the rest of the East is behind the top 3, the 76ers have a chance to really make things interesting if they can put together another similar streak.

Western Conference

Los Angeles Lakers (34-8)

The Lakers clearly look to be favorites again out of the Western Conference as they have a 5 game advantage over any other team from the West and a huge 10 ½ game lead in the Pacific division. Kobe Bryant’s 26.4 points per game is good for 3^rd best in the league and the Lakers lead the NBA with 108 points per contest as a team. A few short weeks ago the Lakers appeared that they would be unchallenged this year in the conference, but they are realizing that the San Antonio Spurs are playing very well and will attempt to give them a challenge for frontrunner in the West. Los Angeles has won 13 of their past 16 games including big wins over Boston and Cleveland in the process. If nothing else drastically changes, the Lakers will likely make another run towards the NBA Finals.

San Antonio Spurs (29-13)

A lot of questions arose after the Spurs got off to a slow start losing 5 of their first 7 games. However, San Antonio bounced back winning 7 of their next 8 and the momentum has not slowed down much since. The Spurs have now won their last 4 games and 8 of their last 10 including a huge battle where they took down the Lakers 112-111. Tim Duncan and Tony Parker continue to lead the way both averaging 20.4 points per contest. The Spurs win over the Lakers proved that they are back on the right track and not ready to hand over the season quite yet to the Lakers considering Los Angeles is everybody’s pick to win the West. San Antonio gets another big match-up with the Lakers this Sunday and it will be interesting to see how things shake up this time inside the Staples Center. Look for the Spurs to be playing their best basketball as they usually do around post season time.

Denver Nuggets (28-15)

Giving up Allen Iverson may not been a big of mistake as people first thought. Chauncey Billups is averaging nearly 20 points and the Nuggets seem to be in better shape than the Pistons. Carmelo Anthony leads the team with 21 points, but has missed some valuable playing time recently due to a broken hand. Despite their star player missing time on the court, the Nuggets have still managed to win 8 of their last 11 games. Anthony participated in some workouts on Thursday and it should not be long before he rejoins the lineup. Denver will desperately need him back considering they are bout to embark on an 8 game road adventure at the start of February. The Nuggets are only 11-9 on the road this year and how they perform in the next few weeks away from home will definitely make an impact on their ability to maintain their 2 ½ game lead over Portland in the Northwest.

Team to watch…

New Orleans Hornets (26-14)

The Hornets proved last year that they could really come alive during the playoffs. Chris Paul has played like Chris Paul with 21.2ppg and an NBA leading 11 assist per game. New Orleans may have been expected to be in better position at this point in the season, but they are still only a mere 2 games back to the Spurs and definitely in striking range.