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Los Angeles Lakers – Defense Isn’t a Rude Word
With the return of Kobe Bryant looming, the Los Angeles Lakers seem to be not only hitting the right kind of form to make him feel a lot more comfortable getting back, but finding out that playing some good defense, especially in the final moments of games they’re supposed to win, is something they can actually do.
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Portland Trail Blazers – So Good They’re Breaking Records
Such a great start from the Portland Trail Blazers at some point was bound to be about more than just setting franchise milestones but actually breaking some NBA records. Much has been said about their three-point shooting ability, which reached a new level of execution in the 130-98 win over the Utah Jazz, setting an NBA record for a team with at least 20 attempts.
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Houston Rockets – Jeremy Lin Not Always Needed by James Harden & Dwight Howard
The Houston Rockets can win games without Jeremy Lin, but the question is whether or not this kind of defensive effort, which makes up for the unintelligent offense you get for putting the ball in the hands of James Harden all of the time, is going to be something we see from the team almost every night, or was this just a one-time deal, motivated by the growing rivalry with the Golden State Warriors.
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New York Knicks – Finally With Something to Smile About
Two consecutive wins deserves opening champagne bottles for the New York Knicks, but no one should be fooled: The most recent 38-point win over the Orlando Magic, and the good form shown by Carmelo Anthony, Andrea Bargnani and even J.R. Smith does nothing to suggest that the early season crisis is over.
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Miami Heat – Rebounding a Problem, But Nothing to Panic About
Even though the Miami Heat have been a terrible rebounding team for the last three years, the key to beating them usually hasn’t been by simply winning on the boards. It’s been about moving the ball quickly against them on defense, and preventing the Heat from doing the same on offense, trying to turn their offense into a one on one gimmick through LeBron James or Dwyane Wade.
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Chicago Bulls – Derrick Rose Being the Barometer Without Even Playing
There seems to be a connection between how the Chicago Bulls do during a season and the optimism coming from Derrick Rose regarding his comeback chances. Last season, when it seemed he’d be coming back early, the Bulls went on a run that got them pretty near the lead in the East. Now that Rose is announcing he might be back for the playoffs, we’re suddenly getting the best from his team once more, beating the Miami Heat by 20 points.
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New York Knicks – Andrea Bargnani Makes Kevin Garnett Look Old
There’s a lot of bad blood between the New York Knicks and the Brooklyn Nets. Both being two of the worst teams in the NBA didn’t really help make things any less chippier when the two sinkings ships collided. The end result? A 113-83 win for the Knicks, Andrea Bargnani ejected after making fun of Kevin Garnett and a lot of smiles on the faces of people like Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire, snapping a nine-game losing streak.
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Portland Trail Blazers – LaMarcus Aldridge Deserves MVP Chants
He might hate the fact that he’s always number 2, but Kevin Durant can’t expect to be considered the best player in the NBA and decide to take defensive possessions off in such a big game and such a big moment, leaving Nicolas Batum completely open to hit the most important shot of the game. On the other side, LaMarcus Aldridge, according to the Portland Trail Blazers fans, is the MVP. In the 111-104 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder he played like one.
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NBA Rumors – New York Knicks Shouldn’t Fire Mike Woodson, Yet
One of the most popular games over the last few days is looking at how bad the New York Knicks are doing, and deciding whether or not Mike Woodson is the one to blame for their 3-13 start, or is it something else, which is a combination of the circumstances (injury to Tyson Chandler) and a pretty bad roster?
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Indiana Pacers – Their First Win in Utah After 18 Years
When a franchise is having something of a record breaking start to the season, you can expect some negative streaks to be broken and stopped. One of them has been the lack of success the Indiana Pacers have endured over the years upon visiting Salt Lake City, beating the Utah Jazz for the first time since 1995 on the road, thanks to some excellent fourth quarter defense and some clutch scoring from non other than Paul George.