the top 5 games of the week

Thursday 25th December 2008: New Orleans (16-7) @ Orlando (21-6)

New Orleans
New Orleans has quietly gone about their business. While everybody is talking about the Lake Show, Cavs, Celts, LeBron and DWade, New Orleans has won 11 of their last 13 and 4 in a row. Chris Paul is playing MVP competitor ball again, and the team do not need to worry when their bench comes on. Antonio Daniels, Posey, Hilton Armstrong and Sean Marks are all doing a fantastic job and are playing very well from the bench. Everybody is contributing, and COY Byron Scott must be loving it.

"I like the fact that we've crept up and nobody is really talking about it. Everybody is talking about the Lakers and the Celtics and the Cavaliers." ~Byron Scott

Orlando
After wins against the Blazers, Jazz, Spurs and Lakers, in the past week or so, you would expect the entire NBA community to be buzzing over the Magic and their success. Again, they really don't seem to get the same coverage as the Lakers, Celtics or Cavaliers. At least this season the NBA knows they are right there though. As usual the big 3 are playing out of their skin and playing fantastic basketball. Not just that, but Jameer Nelson is playing some real quality basketball and has stepped his game up a notch since seasons past. The bench is starting to contribute quite well as well. Pietrus, Battie and even little known Gortat are playing better than usual off the bench. Battie gives that impact that they didn't have last season. A player that won't have Magic fans sweating nearly as profusely when Dwight takes a break.

"We feed off of that flying-under-the-radar stuff. It feeds our fire. Keep pouring gasoline on the fire. It's going to keep flaming up." ~Rashard Lewis

Prediction
These two teams are under-the-radar on a relative level compared with the buzz following Boston, Los Angeles and Cleveland. It should all come together for a Christmas day battle that will be great to watch. Orlando is coming off a streak of wins against top teams and has an 11-3 record at home. New Orleans is also red-hot winning 11 of their last 13. This game should be a cracker, in a close one I have to go with the home team -- Orlando. I wouldn't be surprised no matter which way this one goes, will be a great game either way.

Monday 22nd December 2008: Portland (17-10) @ Denver (17-10)
Tuesday 23rd December 2008: Denver (17-10) @ Portland (17-10)

Portland
Before the season started many predicted that Portland would build on their .500 record from last season and continue to improve. But Portland has emerged as a top team in the West. They have turned the Northwest Division from the weakest division, to one of the most competitive. They have 5 rookes - Batum, Rodriguez, Bayless, Oden and Fernandez - and they are all playing quite well. This team is very young, but they have the pure talent and ability to go along with it. The rise and rise of Portland is a great story for the NBA and has unveiled a future face of the league in Brandon Roy.

"These are huge games for us, even though they're early in the season. We'd love to sweep them, and we can't afford to get swept." ~Brandon Roy

Denver
Chauncey Billups has been like a God-send for Denver. But that hasn't stopped them from losing their last three games against top teams. They lost by 12 on the road to Houston, got thumped by Cleveland at home and lost on the road to Phoenix. Denver could have been 19-8, had they gone 2-1 on that tough strech. That would have them with the elite teams and in the West two wins could make the difference between 5th and 6th seed, or 2nd and 3rd seed. These two games, while very early in the season, could turn out to be very important. Right now if one team wins both they will take the lead in the division as well.

"We're beating ourselves a little bit," ~ George Karl (On his team having 20 turnovers.)

Prediction
Nothing like a divisional home and away back-to-back matchup. Both teams will look to make their home ground their fortress. In the first game Denver will be back at home and look to make amends for their past losses. Denver matches up quite well against Portland, with Billups against Blake and Anthony against Batum. Portland also has Roy up against Jones. I can really see the impact of the stars and the big men deciding the games. A big defensive game from Nene could turn it, or possibly a huge game from Aldridge could swing it Portland's way. For the first game, I am going Denvers way. Back at home, I think they can turn it around, even against a very hot Portland team. For the second game, I think Portland will have a healthy win against Denver. It is their home ground, the teams are close. I can see Denver potentially losing two in a row, but not Portland, not at this stage.



Thursday 25th December 2008: Boston (26-2) @ Los Angeles (21-5)

Boston
Yes, everyone has been talking about how good they are playing and how they can repeat etc etc. But I haven't really seen anyone talking about the fact that they have won 18 games in a row. It was only last season Houston set the 2nd longest win streak in NBA History, and Boston are at 18 now. But they face a road trip, after the Lakers game they play Sacramento, Golden State and Portland.

"We won the championship, so we've got a big target on our back." ~Paul Pierce

Los Angeles
This team has so many options, you know that when Kobe Bryant isn't having the same impact he
had on the stat sheet from last seasons. He still has a huge impact though, and one of the reasons the Lakers are a top team is because of Kobe. Jordan Farmar is injured, which will force Derek Fisher to play a heap more minutes -- which isn't the worst thing, because he has been playing very well. You know what I'd like to see if one team is winning by a lot, is for Sun Yue to get some minutes -- just for the sheer hell of it. Against the Magic Andrew Bynum was in a key matchup against Dwight Howard, but once again he fouled a bit too much in the early stages of the game and failed to have a huge impact.

"They're not the same at all. Dwight's a big guy in size, but he's not Shaq. Shaq is a mountain. I'm not saying that Howard's a molehill, but he's not a mountain." ~Phil Jackson (Comparing Dwight to Shaq.)

Prediction
Boston has won 18 in a row. They are the defending champions and they are playing better right now. Los Angeles have had tough losses to Orlando and Miami and play New Orleans before this game, but if anybody can rally them back it is the Zen Master. But I can't go past Boston in this one. No question that this finals rematch should make for a brilliant game.


Friday 26th December 2008: Houston (18-9) @ New Orleans (16-7)

New Orleans
New Orleans holds a slim lead in the division, and face a very tough week of Lakers, Magic and Rockets. Past this week though, they have Indiana, Washington then a tough road trip against Portland, Denver, Lakers and Utah. So in their next 9 games, they will play 7 of the leagues best. In the tough western conference this could make a huge difference. I really feel for this Hornets team, this is an incredibly tough schedule. I think a huge factor as to how they will get through these games is how quickly Antonio Daniels can completely develop his feel for the Hornets offense. If the second unit can play better than ever, and the starters continue to play well, I think this Hornets team could go .500 through this strech, and that would be absolutely fine.


"The West is what it is, you have nine teams that are very good, and just like last year, somebody's going to win 50 games and not make (the playoffs). We're going to continue to knock each other off all season." ~Byron Scott

Houston
The Rockets always seem to have somebody injured -- I would imagine that that would get rather annoying if I were a fan. Nonetheless, the team still plays very competitive basketball. They are still a top team in the West and I think they will stay a top team even if one of their big 3 suffers a major injury. Tracy McGrady is playing well, Yao Ming and Ron Artest are great in support. The bench and role players are playing very well. They have great depth and a good squad. If they play to their potential they are capable of anything, even winning the Championship.

"I felt like, 'OK, my heart is back in my chest instead of up here (in the throat).'" ~Yao Ming (On his game-winning shot.)

Prediction
Houston has had a strech of games close together, but now they are rested. While New Orleans play at Orlando the night before. Chris Paul and New Orleans are a tough side, and they are at home. While Houston seems to lose focus in some games, and are on the road still. So I will go with New Orleans. Their are plenty of reasons both sides could lose and this is a tough game to decide. It could go either way.

Sunday 28th December 2008: Miami (14-12) @ Cleveland (23-4)

Miami
Dwyane Wade is leading his team to a respectable record, and they could potentially earn a playoff spot. Though it is early days yet, DWade is a frontrunner for MVP but will have to get past LeBron for the title. Wade has a good supporting player in Marion, but he doesn't really fit their system, and Haslem and Chalmers aren't exactly the best options in the world. So having a record just above .500 is very respectable.

"The lesson we learned was our defense really closed the game for us." ~Erik Spoelstra

Cleveland
Cleveland are undefeated at home. Their home record stands at 13-0. LeBron James continues to dominate opposition and is the leader for MVP at the moment. Cleveland are among the leagues elite, yet I question whether they can really beat the Lakers or the Celtics in a seven game series. The fact that they are a top side well remain to give their fans the very small hope that LeBron may choose to stay with them beyond 2010. Though unless they actually win a championship, LeBron most likely still plans to leave.

"He's leading his team the right way." ~Mike Brown (On LeBron.)

Prediction
I'm not sure if this game will be overly competitive. But the Heat did win against the Lakers. I can't see Cleveland losing at the moment though. This game is here because it features Dwyane Wade and LeBron James. I can't wait to see those two matched up against eachother.

who will be this years scoring champ?(mitch's say)

There are 5 main candidates at the moment, they are:
Lebron James (absolute freak)
Stephen Marbury (show timer from way back)
Devin Harris (came out and improved and has grown as a player)
Kobe Bryant (some say the best of the current time)
My order goes as
Lebron James(close)from below
Dwayne Wade(close) from both up and down
Kobe Bryant (close) from above but a little breathing room from below
Devin Harris a little breathing room from
Marbury and or other

power rankings 23rd tuesday december(mitch's say)

1. Boston Celtics
2. Cleveland Cavaliers
3. Orlando Magic
4. LA Lakers
5. San Antonio Spurs
6. Denver Nuggets
7. New Orleans
8. Portland Trail Blazers
9. Houston Rockets
10. Atlanta Hawks
11. Dallas Mavericks
12. Utah Jazz
13. Phoenix Suns
14. Detroit Pistons
15. Miami Heat
16. New Jersey Nets
17. Milwaukee Bucks
18. Memphis Grizzlies
19. Philadelphia 76ers
20. New York Knicks
21. Chicago Bulls
22. Indiana Pacers
23. Toronto Raptors
24. LA Clippers
25. Charlotte Bobcats
26. Golden State Warriors
27. Sacramento Kings
28. Washington Wizards
29. Minnesota Timberwolves
30. Oklahoma City Thunder

top 15 players under age 25.

note this is in my eyes and does not represent or stand for anything special
1.Lebron James age23
2.Chris Pual age23
3.Dwight Howard age22
4.Chris Bosh age24
5.Carmelo Anthony age24
6.Deron Williams age24
7.Al Jefferson age23
8.Andre "Iggy" Igoudala age24
9.Josh Smith age22
10.Andrew bynum age20
11.Brandon Roy age24
12.Lamarcus Aldreidge age23
13.Kevin Durant age19
14.Andrew Bogut age23
15.Greg Oden age20
this is mine i had a look at some others for differnt ages they are all similar but i found this one the most accurate http://www.davissportsdeli.com/Top%2025%20Under%2025%2010-22-08%209th%20Edition.html Although our lists aren't exactly the same i feel he got it almost right

Dwight Howard

found from his blog.
My birthday
On my birthday we had a game so it was tough to really want to celebrate it. Me and a few of my teammates chilled and watched the fight. We played and I almost had 23 points and 23 rebounds, which would have been real tight! Before the game I was thinking to myself like that would be tight if I could get 23 and 23 and then the game came around and I almost had it! I came so close! The Clippers' fans in L.A. were really cool, though, I had a lot of fun on my birthday. It was something I'll never forget. The fans are great in every city and I love interacting with them, talking to them and just getting to know them for the little time that we have to get to know them.
Greatest. Dunk Attempt. Ever. … But I missed it!



But I think the highlight of my whole birthday game was when I tried to go up and dunk on Zach Randolph. I got the picture off the internet of that dunk attempt and it was tight! It was, like, one of the best dunk attempts ever and I wish I would've made it. I tried to go up and dunk on him and it had to be the world's greatest dunk attempt - ever. But I missed it! I missed the dunk but the dunk attempt was nasty. It kind of looked like the Superman dunk but better because it would have been over someone!

he talks of his "sore knee"
My injury's nothing serious, nothing people should be worried about. I fell on my knee in Phoenix and I kind of bruised it, so I met with the doctors and they all talked and they basically just said to ice and try not to get hit anymore. They said it was a bruised knee and I guess I just needed some rest. I've been going hard for five years, just nonstop, so it was actually good to rest. I should be back tomorrow, though, so that's good. Was I scared a little bit? Yeah, only because I feel like the season is going really well and I've been accomplishing all the goals I had set for the season. It started off well and I just would have felt bad if anything had happened.


His work with the community

Giving back for the holidays
The event I had yesterday was at this place called the Christian Center and we met up and what I did was bought 100 families a $100 gift card to a grocery store and 100 survival kits with like everything in it, toothbrushes, sleeping bags, flashlights, anything that you might need for the Christmas holidays was in this bag. Also, the kids all got little presents that were at the center and it was just a great experience. I met a lot of families and it just really impressed me that I could help out so many people. There are a lot of people in need and anything helps -- a hug, or whatever I could give. We athletes are so blessed with a lot of different things and it's always good to be able to give back to others. It just feels so good. To me it's better than doing a dunk or blocking somebody's shot. Just seeing the kids happy and seeing their parents be able to provide for their kids is worth it. There are so many parents that can't provide and I was happy to be able to give a helping hand.

Double-Doubles for a good cause
I don't know if a lot of people know this, but one of the reasons I try so hard to get a double-double every night is because I hooked up with Doublemint gum and PCA, which is Prevent Child Abuse America. So every time I get a double-double $250 goes to PCA to help prevent child abuse. It's a really good foundation to be involved with, so if anybody wants to be involved with the cause they can go to their Web site - www.preventchildabuse.org - and find out more. Every time I get a double-double it's to help the kids, so I try to get it every night, as quick as I can! All for the kids!

T MAC

T mac is said to be out for a week after an evaluation by the teams doctor not only this the Rockets will also be with out Brent Barry, and many people believe that Ron artest is hogging the ball, the team is full of problems and will struggle keeping everybody happy including fans, Ron artest is a good player but, seems to believe in his own abilities so much that he would rather take a contested shot than kick it out to an open team mate, its either that or he doesn't think his team mates can do it. With all these problems circulating the locker room i don't see how they will be able to have any success on the court.
i think they will get beat by the clippers this Wednesday.

match review

match review
Orlando Play Boston,
Boston were the favorites and rightfully so, they were the better team for the most part, their point guard rajon Rondo known mainly for his defending had an out standing game 16 points 12 assists 4 rebounds an a steal, he seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. Rondo had some good scorers around him, Paul pierce scored 24 and had a monstrous 3rd quarter with 17 points helping his team maintain a lead(the lead was 2 going into the third). despite great efforts from Reggie Lewis and Dwight Howard they were unable to effect the more composed Boston team as they held on in the 4th to win by 19, most of this win came from outlasting their opponents as they scored 59-32 in the 2nd half. statiscal leaders from both teams were:
points Orlando, Reggie Lewis 30
points Boston, Paul Pierce 24
rebounds Orlando, Dwight Howard 15
rebounds Boston, Kendrick Perkins 13
assists Orlando, Heidu Turkoglu 4
assists Boston, Rajon Rondo 12
blocks Orlando, Dwight Howard 4
blocks Boston, Kendrick Perkins 1
steals Orlando, Anthony Johnson 2
steals Boston, Rajon Rondo 1
Best players
D.Howard
R.Rondo
p.Pierce
R.lewis