Three Man Weave Podcast

Last night brought the three of us together for another rousing edition of the three man weave podcast. 

We discussed Knicks/Heat, the Pacers ceiling, the effect Tony Parker's injury will have on the West, and the Lakers getting back to .500.

Also, another rousing edition of Champs and Chumps and Instant Argument. Make sure to check it out!

Three Man Weave Podcast

 

They Just Pull me back in...Your Editor's Emotional Reaction to Tonight's Win

They are like the high school girlfriend you can't shake. They aren't as attractive as they used to be, they don't do things as flashy, and they certainly have gotten older. They went into rehab, you lost sight of who they were when they were great, and you are wondering if they will ever get back to what they were. Remember when you and her used to run the town? Yeah, that Summer of 2008 was special. She broke your heart in 2010, yet you came back for more. Sometimes you can't even bear to love them anymore, yet you have to because of all the years you put in. The Celtics are the high school girlfriend who keeps calling and reminding you of the good ol' days. Well guess what. Your phone is ringing Boston. She's calling to let you know she's out of rehab, and she feels fantastic.

(Mark January 24th on your calendar. The Knicks come to Boston.)

One week ago, I had resigned to myself that I was seeing the twilight of my favorite Celtic's career coming to an end(Pierce and his teammates looked a step slow). While it wouldn't have been fulfilling, I would have watched him spend his last few years on okay teams and let him stabilize himself amongst Celtics lore. Boston was resigning itself to saying a third year point guard who really hasn't proven himself over a long period of time would change the culture.(Bradley is great, but he isn't an all-star. Yet.) The team that once was known for it's defense, was getting exposed all over the floor. Those sexy signings? Lee and Terry were the girlfriends even less attractive friends. The future of our franchise was starting to make Demarcus Cousins look like a choir boy. Our future center? Well, he got a concussion by walking into the door.

Now, one week later, after a blowout win over Indiana, a big time comeback in Atlanta, and then a HUGE HUGE win, without their best player, on the road, when they trailed by 10 in the first, I am officially a believer again. This was a playoff atmosphere. This was only New York's 4th loss at home. This got you back to .500. And this was WITHOUT RONDO. 

We try very hard not to be homerish at the pick and pop. And we'll call ourselves out when we are(this is me calling myself out.) But after a blowout win over a younger Indiana team, a 33-9 third quarter against a quicker Hawks team in Atlanta, and then beating the Knicks in MSG, where you forced Carmelo to forget everything that has put him in the MVP conversation(Carmelo was 4-12 from three, 2-10 in the fourth quarter, 6-25 for the game), the Celtics are back. Carmelo tried to beat the Celtics, the Celtics looked the beat the Knicks. They might not be back fully, they might not win a championship, but they are back.

Boston, you might want to answer that phone. The Celtics are ready to take you out to coffee, tell you they are a new person, and that they are ready to give you everything you both wanted. 

-Bford

Atlantic Division Roundup: Celtics Turning it Around and Trade Ideas

ATLANTIC	W	L	PCT	GB	HOME	ROAD	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	DIFF	STRK	L10
New York	23	10	.697	-	13-3	10-7	4-1	14-3	102.5	97.1	+5.4	Won 2	5-5
Brooklyn	19	15	.559	4 ½	12-7	7-8	6-3	14-8	95.8	94.9	+0.9	Won 3	6-4
Boston	16	17	.485	7	10-6	6-11	3-4	11-10	95.2	96.7	-1.5	Won 2	4-6
Philadelphia	15	20	.429	9	9-7	6-13	4-4	8-10	92.9	96.6	-3.7	Lost 3	3-7
Toronto	12	22	.353	11 ½	8-7	4-15	0-5	6-8	96.7	99.5	-2.8	Lost 2	7-3

As the Knicks continue to pace this division, both the Nets and Celtics look to be turning their seasons around.  Since the coaching change in Brooklyn, PJ Carlesimo has had this team rolling to a 5-1 record, finally showing the offensive balance that this team anticipated after landing star Joe Johnson to pair with the trio of Deron Williams, Brook Lopez, and Gerald Wallace. Deron Williams looks to be playing more comfortably and seems to have found his confidence that was lost somewhere in Avery Johnson's duffel bag. Then there is the Celtics, who had lost their patented style in the KG era of lock down defense and half court offensive execution.  It just wasn't there this season as Doc Rivers searched to find a lineup that would mesh like teams of the past.  Finally, Boston got back it's defensive bulldog in Avery Bradley, a player that not only will harass the opposing teams' best wing player, but also allows Rajon Rondo to play off the ball and save some of his energy for the offensive end.  

For this divisional roundup, I'll switch up the style a bit and while each team will still be evaluated on current play, I'd like to start the NBA rumor season with kicking up some dust on a few rumors of my own and working the NBA Trade Machine.



New York Knicks:

The Knicks continue to struggle with injuries, as Rasheed Wallace will miss his 12th straight game tonight when the Celtics visit MSG and they continue to be without Raymond Felton who will miss another 4 weeks or so nursing a broken pinkie finger. Thankfully for the Knicks they have the depth and talent to withstand this mid-season doldrums period.  While Carmelo Anthony is still the offensive force on this team scoring over 29 a game on 48% shooting (nearly 44% from downtown too) another player has emerged as a true offensive weapon for the Knicks. JR Smith has been absolutely on fire the past couple weeks.  In his last 5 games he is averaging 24 points, 7 rebound, and 4 assists all while providing incredible energy and highlights like this one:

  
While gushing over Smith's talent has been something that NBA scouts have been doing for years, I recognize that he has a propensity for inconsistent stretches of play, hitting numerous lows and highs throughout an NBA season.  The Knicks also celebrated the return of Amar'e back to the lineup, though he has been on a serious minute limit, averaging just a shade over 18 mins a game in the three games he has played in so far.  While his shot has not fallen consistently in those three games, Amar'e still has a bunch left to give to the Knicks. As long as he recognizes that he is no longer a focal point of the team's offensive strategy, he could be a big piece for them as they head toward the second half and an eventual playoff run (or they could trade him-see below).

Now Lets Look at a Trade:
Team Need: Depth in frontcourt

This is a tough team to trade with since they have huge salaries and few tradeable pieces. Here's one scenario I came up with for them in which they trade one of their "untradeable" pieces.:
The Knicks get more size up front that they can pair with Tyson Chandler at what would be an excellent center rotation. The Wiz would rid themselves of one year of Nene's contract by taking on a 3yr contract in Amar'e rather than the 4 owed to Nene.  John Wall will also get that all important pick and roll partner he will need to succeed in this league. The Knick would also have to throw in a future first or a couple second round picks to get this done.


Brooklyn Nets:

What a turnaround for the Nets! After getting out of the gates hot and then struggling mightily in December, they made the decision to change coaches and go with NBA veteran PJ Carlesimo.  So far the results have been quite satisfactory for owner Mikhail Prokhorov.  As mentioned above, the team is 5-1 in the Carlesimo reign, showing a much improved offensive balance as well as renewed confidence from franchise player Deron Williams.  While Williams stats don't jump out as much improved, he is getting his teammates involved in better positions for them to score or to make an extra pass.  Proof of this is that in the last 5 games Brook Lopez is averaging 23 points on 57% shooting, while Joe Johnson has been scoring 19 a game and shooting 49% in that same stretch.

This team is pretty much impossible to do a trade for, I've tried to make something fair on the trade machine for an hour and just can't come up with something that's not one sided. If the Nets are really going all in this year they could trade Mashon Brooks, Keith Bogan, and another minimum salary for Jermaine O'Neal and Sebastain Telfair from Phoneix.   I wouldn't do it as a Nets fan since the team won't win it all this year anyways.

Boston Celtics:

This team has turned in back to back performances that brought to mind the 2007-2008 club.  They dominated defensively allowing only 75 and 81 points respectively against Indiana and Atlanta.  In fact, after being down 15 at halftime against Atlanta, the team allowed only 28 total second half points from the Hawks, while scoring 51 themselves including 33 in the third quarter.  Avery Bradley's defense makes this team look younger and much more aggressive on both ends, as it allows Rondo to expend his energy getting to the cup and providing for his teammates instead of having the greater responsibilities on the defensive end.  The speed of the Celtics backcourt is a difficult matchup for any opponent and remain their biggest strength on both ends of the floor.  As has been the case for the past few years, the Celtics biggest weakness is the lack of a legitimate center to pair with the ever springy Kevin Garnett. The Celtics have the second worst rebounding differential in the NBA, trailing only the struggling veteran group in Dallas.  Rumors have been swirling about adding DeMarcus Cousins, but I didn't want to limit it to just him, so here are a couple potential trades for the Celtics:

1. For Cousins-Can we acquire him without giving up Rondo or Bradley? Not in this scenario...


2.  For Gortat-we also include a draft pick...I don't give up Bradley in a deal for Gortat.


3. Varejao-Do you trade Bradley and Sullinger for Varejao, a legit center w/ 3 more years on his contract?


Either way it would seem unrealistic to acquire any player without giving up our two best tradeable assets in Bradley and Sullinger.  Do any of these sound like something you'd be willing to do? Sound off in the comments

Philadelphia 76ers:

Losers of 5 of their last 6 and 11 of their last 14 games, this team is reeling right now. Teams seem to have figured out how to limit the backcourt combo of Turner and Holiday.  While Holiday leads the team in scoring at 18.4 per game as well as dishing out 8.9 assists per, Evan Turner has been struggling recently, shooting under 40% and scoring only 11 a game in his last 5. This team gets very little from its frontcourt outside of Thaddeus Young. We are supposed to get an Andrew Bynum update this week, which we will bring once Phili holds a press conference  but in the meantime this team is left as a bottom feeder in the league.  My trade idea for this team: Go get DeMarcus Cousins.  he could be paired with Andrew Bynum in the future creating the best twin tower combo since Duncan and Robinson.

Phili would get it's big fella, but would also take on all of Sacramento's poor contracts, but i think it's a sacrifice they would be willing to make.  Sacramento would get a nice building block in Evan Turner as well as ridding itself of some terrible contracts.  They would also require a first round pick from Phili. If i was Sacramento I would not do this, but it would save the Maloofs money and that's the only point of interest for the worst owners in basketball.



Toronto Raptors:

Despite losing back to back games to Sacramento and OKC, this team continues to play really well.  Demar Derozan, Kyle Lowry, Jose Calderon, and a seemingly-out-of-nowhere Alan Anderson have been playing well of last for the Raptors.  PF Ed Davis continues to play well scoring 13 and grabbing 7 boards over his last 5.  Andrea Bargnani will likely be returning at the end of the month, but that shouldn't stop the progress Ed Davis has made.  Coach Dwayne Casey has indicated that Davis will remain in the starting lineup when Bargnani returns.  This team is still no where near ready to compete for the playoffs, but they have some solid trade chips that could help them there rebuilding process moving forward.

LA gets much better for this season, surrounding Kobe and Howard with a very good backup PG and a PF/C that could excel in the pick and pop with Nash when Howard is out of the game.  Both Gasol and Bargnani have has injuries this season, but the star power of Pau Gasol in Canada could help Toronto become more relevant.  They would also acquire an expiring contract for next season which they could use to acquire players for the future if things aren't working out.  This is the most far fetched idea I have come up with, but i've been on the trade machine for hours and starting to put together more rediculous packages by the minute.



Sound off on these trades in the comments!

Week 9 Power Rankings

(Editor's note: These rankings were made before the Christmas games began.)

1. Los Angeles Clippers 21-6
-The Clippers currently own the league's longest win streak at 13 games. Chauncey has fit in just like they thought he would, and the bench is scoring on starting units at will. Plus, Blake and Chris are killing it in commercials(more to come). (BF) 

(What is scary is that the Clips are just as good when these guys are in warmups.)

2. Oklahoma City Thunder 21-5
-Despite losing one game to Minnesota the Thunder are still one of the best teams in the league. Make sure you watch out for Reggie Jackson, Eric Maynor and Jeremy Lamb. Their development will fill the only holes they have; bench scoring, and back up point guard play. (EJ)

3. Miami Heat 18-6
-The Heat have won four straight and are still the team to beat, but Dwyane Wade admits that they aren't the team they can be. Everyone who watches basketball knows that the game that will reveal all is on Christmas day against the team one slot above them. (BF)

4. San Antonio Spurs 21-8 
-The Spurs look to be getting back on the right track after a pair of losses at the beginning of the week were forgotten by demolishing the Mavs on Sunday.  The Return of Kawhi Leonard provides a huge boost in the athleticism that this team needs to match up against the elite teams of the West. (AL)

5. New York Knicks 20-7
-The Knicks looked less than stellar for the first time this season during this past week.  They have injuries all along the front lines, although they look to be getting back Amar'e and Camby for their Xmas day tilt. The Biggest difference is the long ball isn't falling quite as much as the team is now shooting below 40% from distance (still third in the NBA but no longer are they first at 42%). (AL)

(J.R. Smith and the Knicks have regressed a bit, but are still the best in the Atlantic by far.)

 

6. Memphis Grizzlies 18-7 
-Memphis played well this week, bouncing back from 3 losses the previous week to win 3 of 4 games. Zach Randolph has to be talked about in the MVP race starting yesterday. (AL)

7. Atlanta Hawks 16-9
-The Hawks rebounded from back to back losses with a big win over Chicago at home. Al Horford is currently averaging career highs in points, rebounds and assists, which makes Josh Smith a little more dispensable. The problem with that is that he is playing really well, too. (BF)

8. Golden State Warriors 18-10
-The Warriors have cooled off a bit since being dubbed road warriors, but have proven themselves worthy around the league of being able to fight for a playoff spot. Even in a loss to the Lakers you could tell that this is a team who is maturing and becoming better every game they play. (BF)

9. Indiana Pacers 16-12
-The Pacers have won 3 in a row and 6 of 7. Their defense has been elite this entire year but recently scorers have stepped up giving them enough to win. Green, George, Hibbert and Hill have all stepped up recently to lead their team to a win. A big game looms against the Bulls this week for Central positioning. (EJ)

10. Chicago Bulls 15-11
-Big win this week against the New York, in a very physical game. Then came out flat against Atlanta. This team is very good when they are clicking defensively, but without D Rose they need to bring it every night to win. (EJ)

(There have been a few Derrick Rose sightings so far this year, and they are becoming more frequent.)

 

11. Houston Rockets 14-12
-This team continues to be so much fun to watch on a nightly basis. They are number 1 in scoring at 105.4 a game.  The tempo they play at is blinding.  Reach for a beer and you're likely to miss a length-of-the-court outlet pass for an easy two.  Seriously, it's happened to me multiple times now. (AL)

12. Milwaukee Bucks 14-12
-To this point in the season they have beat who they are supposed to beat and lose to who they should lose to (except for being 3-0 against Boston). Larry Sanders has showed himself to be a very good player who will only get better. I expect them to make a trade to move out of the purgatory that is the middle of our rankings. (EJ)

13. Denver Nuggets 15-13
-The Nuggets look to be finally hitting their stride, winning four of five with big wins against San Antonio and Memphis. Lately they have put an emphasis on getting out and running, almost using their athleticism to outscore teams as well rather than just defend. (EJ)

14. Minnesota Timberwolves 13-12
-With the return of Ricky Rubio, Minnesota is a contender. They showed this against OKC in their biggest win of the season. As Rubio gets more healthy and his minutes increase, you can expect the T-Wolves' stock to soar. (EJ)

(Minnesota basketball is must watch an LeaguePass once again.)

 

15. Utah Jazz 15-14
-The Jazz have not played their best basketball yet. They should improve as their youngsters get better. They are probably a playoff team in the east but in the Northwest division they could end up finishing last. (EJ)

16. Boston Celtics 13-13
-They got swept by the Bucks this season 3-0, and have lacked execution on both ends of the floor.  Not what you want from a veteran group. After a thunderous comeback in the final minute to force OT, which included clutch shots from the continuously underrated Paul Pierce, this team went ice cold in the extra frame. The return of Avery Bradley this week should provide an energy boost to this team. (AL)

17. Los Angeles Lakers 13-14
-Don't blink, but Steve Nash is back, and the Lakers have rolled off four straight. With their actual roster in place, it is not judgement time in LA. Does a move need to be made to fill the promise of a playoff run? (BF)

18. Brooklyn Nets 14-12
-Will the real Deron Williams please stand up? This past week he shot over 50% from the floor but his season number still sits below 40%.  If he plays to his capabilities then this team can be the real deal. (AL)

19. Portland Trailblazers 19-19
-The Blazers are about as hot as any team in the league. All their big name players are producing at around the level you would expect. The difference during the win streak has been the athleticism and energy of JJ Hickson combined with the calming influence of Damian Lillard. This team is difficult to gauge, could be anywhere from second to last in their division. (EJ)

20. Toronto Raptors 9-19
-Five wins a row have me eating my words of calling them the NBA's worst.  No Bargnani, no Kyle Lowry, no problem for the Raptors. DeMar DeRozan, Jose Calderon, Ed Davis, and co. are actually playing good balanced ball over the past week. (AL)

(Calderon is helping the Raptors in multiple ways including improving his trade stock.)

 

21. Philadelphia 76ers 13-15
-This team is not plying well right now.  Outside of Jrue Holiday, Evan Turner, and Thaddeus Young, no one seems to be playing with any sort of consistency, including Jason Richardson who has cooled off(27% from three in December).  Who on the bench will step up!? (AL)


22. Orlando Magic 12-15
-The injury to Glen Davis is a sad one. As much as I make fun of him, he was slowly turning in a career year, and there was a grassroots campaign in Orlando to get him some all-star votes. The silver lining of this however is that Orlando can see what it has in some of it's young bigs. (BF)

23. Dallas Mavericks 12-16
-Dirk has returned! This team should start rolling soon.  With Nowitzki back and the vets playing well, this team is a dangerous opponent who will win or lose depending on defensive execution. (AL)

24. Phoenix Suns 11-17
-The Suns have come up alot in our trade discussions throughout our division roundups. They have alot of moveable pieces, but Alvin Gentry is set on trying to make his current team better. Seven of eleven of their next games are on the road, so this should be a great test to see what they have, and what they can get rid of. (BF)

25. Detroit Pistons 9-21
- Break up the Pistons! The good news, the Pistons are currently winner of two straight, the bad news they were against the lowly Wizards. They do have a solid young core to build around, and should look to deal any veteran that has value by the trade deadline. (EJ)

(The Pistons are slowly realizing who is worth it and who isn't.)

26. Cleveland Cavaliers 6-23
-This team is destined for the basement, but they have some solid pieces to build around. Tristan Thompson has played well this week showing he belongs in the discussion of the building blocks. With Varejao out he recorded three double doubles in a row. If he continues to give them solid minutes I wouldn't be shocked if they moved Varejao. (EJ)

27. Sacramento Kings 9-18
-Check out my piece on Demarcus Cousins from last night here. Until they finally make a decision on what to do with him, that is always going to be storyline number one for the Kings.(Oh yeah, the Kings won their first game without him where six guys were in double figures.) (BF)

28. New Orleans Hornets 5-22
-This team continues to find it hard to score the ball, second to the last in the league in scoring at 91 points a game.  The only team worse is the Wiz.  Yikes! Hopefully as Anthony Davis continues to adjust to the NBA game, he can take this team on his shoulders a bit more. (AL)


29. Charlotte Bobcats 7-20
-The Bobcats were once 7-5. They are now 7-20. It's pretty much as bad as it can get in Charlotte, and then have Miami and Brooklyn coming up next. (BF)

20. Washington Wizards 3-22 
-Oh wait, this is as bad as it can get. Lebron has to be recruiting John Wall right? Along with 28 other teams? (BF)


Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

 

Atlantic Division Roundup

Later tonight or tomorrow morning I will post gift ideas for each team, many will be trades, so check back for that fun later. I will not include trade talk in this roundup, but look for it in future roundups.


It's time for the Atlantic Division's annual post Christmas west coast road trip, but first, let's see what they did this past week: Here is your Atlantic Division Roundup:

ATLANTIC	W	L	PCT	GB	HOME	ROAD	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	DIFF	STRK	L10
New York	20	7	.741	-	12-2	8-5	4-1	13-3	102.6	96.5	+6.1	Won 1	7-3
Brooklyn	14	12	.538	5 ½	9-6	5-6	6-2	11-6	95.3	93.9	+1.4	Won 1	3-7
Boston	13	13	.500	6 ½	9-5	4-8	2-4	8-10	97.2	97.8	-0.6	Lost 1	4-6
Phil	13	15	.464	7 ½	9-7	4-8	4-4	8-10	93.4	96.2	-2.8	Lost 1	3-7
Toronto	9	19	.321	11 ½	7-5	2-14	0-5	5-8	96.1	100.4	-4.3	Won 5	5-5

NY Knicks:
Last weeks games: 2-2
1. Loss vs. Houston 109-96
2. Win vs. Brooklyn 100-86
3. Loss vs. Chicago 110-106
4. Win vs. Minny 94-91

Upcoming Games: Projected Record 2-1
1. Dec 25th (Xmas Day)  @ LAL 3:00 PM EST
2. Dec 26th @ Phoenix 9 PM EST
3. Dec 28th @ Sacramento 10 PM EST
  
This was certainly a rough week for the Atlantic Division. Starting at the top, the Knicks split their 4 games this past week looking less than stellar in doing so. Despite winning the subway series against the Nets, they dropped games to Chicago and Houston.  They also pulled out a late win yesterday against the Twolves who were without Kevin Love, and could have easily lost the game as they trailed late.  Carmelo Anthony finally looked to be coming back down to earth too, shooting just 32-72 (44.4%) in the three games he played, often relying on his old habit of settling for long jump shots. Carmelo, coming off his own mild ankle sprain wasn;t the only Knick nursing an injury. Injuries to the front line include Rasheed Wallace, Marcus Camby, and the soon to be returning Amar'e Stoudemire. Another point of interest for the Knicks was their scuffle in the waning minutes of their loss to Chicago.  Joakim Noah is one of the most infuriating players to play against no doubt, but both Tyson Chandler and Carmelo let their emotions get in the way of the Knicks comeback attempt, as each earned an ejection. The Knicks got beat up in this one, but need to show better poise going forward. I still think this team is the best in the Atlantic, but they looked beatable this week.

Brooklyn Nets:
Last Weeks Games: 1-2
1. Loss vs Utah 92-90
2. Loss @ NYK 100-86
3. Win vs. Phili 95-92

Upcoming Games: Projected Record 2-2
1. Dec 25th vs. Boston 12 PM EST
2. Dec 26th @ Milwaukee 8 PM EST
3. Dec 28th vs. Charlotte 7:30 PM EST
4. Dec 29th vs. Cleveland 7:30 PM EST

Staring up at the Knicks in the division, the Brooklyn Nets continue to struggle in finding their groove.  Supposed franchise player Deron Williams, who has absolutely been the biggest disappointment for me this season, finally started playing better but the team still lost 2 of 3.  Williams is still shooting below 40% for the season but shot 17-33 (51.5%) this week. Brook Lopez is also healthy again, although it looks as though he is still trying to find his shot.  Thankfully for the Nets, both Joe Johnson who looks to have found his 3 point stroke, and Gerald Wallace whose rebounding and hustle give the team much needed energy have helped to carry the load. This team has the core to play with anyone, but the depth they need is very apparent when this team matches up against the elite.

Boston Celtics:
Last Week Games: 1-2
1. Loss @ Chicago-100-89
2. Win vs. Cleveland 103-91
3. Loss vs. Milwaukee 99-94 OT

Next Weeks Games: Projected record 3-1
1. Dec 25th @ Brooklyn 12 PM EST
2. Dec 27th @ LAL 10:30 PM EST
3. Dec 29th @ Golden State 10:30 PM EST
4. Dec 30th @ Sacramento 9 PM EST

Boston is not happy with their hometown team these days. The Celts have lost 4 of 5 and 2 of 3 this week, including being swept 3-0 in the season series against Milwaukee.  This game was particularly discouraging because the Celtics made a valiant comeback in the final minute, showing poise and execution that seemed to disappear in overtime.  Paul Pierce played amazing this week, scoring 30.3 a game on a ridiculous 65% from the field.  On the flip side, Rajon Rondo looked bad this week, lacking aggressiveness in the Milwaukee game.  This team also looks desperate for big bodies   With Chris Wilcox out for a month and Jason Collins being added to the starting unit, it wouldn't be a surprise if the team was active in the trade market.  They Signed NCAA all time blocks leader Jarvis Varnado, but unless he can make a Greg Steimsma like contribution, this team is in trouble up front.  The guard situation is great though as they get back Avery Bradley next week and hope for Jason Terry to get out of his recent shooting slump. This team should finish first of second in the division, but they need to start winning now.  They face the  Nets tomorrow on Xmas day at noon.

Philadelphia 76ers:
Last Week: 1-3
1. Loss @ Dallas 107-100
2. Loss @ Houston 125-103
3. Win vs. Atlanta 99-80
4. Loss @ Brooklyn 95-92

Next weeks Games: Projected Record 1-2
1. Dec 26th @ Memphis 8 PM EST
2. Dec 28th @ Golden State 10:30 PM EST
3. Dec 29th @ Portland 10 PM EST

The 76ers, also look up at the Knicks in the division  This team is in a tailspin, dropping 6 of 7 and look to be, as said previously on this blog, the 4th best team in the division.  They will battle for a playoff spot, but won't go far this year.  Jrue Holiday, Evan Turner, and Thaddeus Young all continue to play well, but after them this team is struggling.  NBA teams have no fear of playing Phili these days.

Toronto Raptors:
Last Weeks Games: 3-0
1. Win @ Cleveland 113-99
2. Win vs. Detroit  97-91
3. Win vs. Orlando 93-90

Next Weeks Games: Projected Record 1-2
1. Dec 26th @ San Antonio 8:30 PM EST
2. Dec 28th @ New Orleans 8 PM EST
3. Dec 29th @ Orlando 7 PM EST

Has this team responded to their star calling them out? No, I'm not asking about the Lakers, I'm talking about  the Toronto Raptors.  A week after 'star' player Andrea Bargnani called the team the worst in the NBA, the Raptors have rolled off 5 straight wins.  Bargnani is actually hurt, so he hasn't been contributing to this, but some of his teammates have stepped up their games in his absence   Rising star Demar DeRozan , energy big man Ed Davis, steady point guard Jose Calderon, and little known Alan Anderson on the wing have this team rolling.  Calderon has averaged 15 and 10 assists during the win streak.  This team actually looks to have pretty excellent offensive balance.  They are certainly no longer the NBA's worst.

Later I will post gift ideas for each team, including trades for some that could help them reach the next level.