Denver Nuggets Suspend Kenyon Martin

Don't mess with the coaches of the NBA. Especially if you're an NBA player on the brink of destroying your career.

Yes, NBA players should know better.

This premise was already proven back when Latrell Sprewell tried to choke P.J. Carlesimo in Golden State and when Allen Iverson and Larry Brown were having their problems in Philadelphia.

This year, it was proven yet again when Brian Hill had his problems with Steve Francis in Orlando, and Larry Brown again having problems with another point guard wearing a no.3 jersey, this time in Stephon Marbury.

In this year's NBA Playoffs, the trend continued, and this time it's in Denver, Colorado. Nuggets head coach George Karl suspended Kenyon Martin after the two exchanged words last Monday in their 98-87 loss to the red-hot Los Angeles Clippers.

Martin and Karl exchanged words during halftime Monday night, after which Martin took several minutes to join his teammates on the bench and then sat with a towel over his head for the remainder of the game.

''I do give Kenyon some understanding that he's going through a tough year,'' Nuggets head coach George Karl said.

''I know he's very frustrated. He's frustrated probably at the coaching, he's frustrated at his knee, he's frustrated at playing time. That's all part of basketball, but his actions were not team-worthy and weren't respectful to the game,'' Karl added.

George Karl had his problems with his players before. Back in Seattle, he had his issues with point guard Gary Payton but they mended their differences soon after.

To be successful in any sport, one must be a team player and must learn to trust one another. In the NBA, it's no different. Dissension will only be detrimental to any team's success, we all saw that when L.A. had these four awesome talents in one roof.

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Clippers Held Serve, Looking for 3-0 Lead.

The Los Angeles Clippers did what they were supposed to do at home. Now comes the tough part, winning on the road in the NBA Playoffs.

The Clippers lead the Nuggets 2-0 in a best-of-seven, first- round playoff series after winning the first two games in front of their red, white and blue crowd at the Staples Center. But they know the scenario changes dramatically in Denver's altitude, in a boisterous arena, with Games 3 and 4 at the Pepsi Center.

''The series doesn't start until you win an away game,'' Clippers point guard Sam Cassell, a 13-year NBA veteran, said after practice Tuesday at the Spectrum Club.

''In all my years playing in the playoffs, once you win an away game, that's when you say you have the advantage. Right now, we just held serve. We had home-court advantage and took care of our business.''

Of the 186 NBA playoff series in which teams have taken 2-0 leads since the 16-team playoff format started, the leading team won 176. Denver has started 0-2 in nine playoff series and has won only one.

The Clippers have other reasons to be confident. They are 5-1 against the Nuggets this season, including a 105-87 rout in their last trip to the Pepsi Center on Jan. 27.

''We know we can beat this team,'' Clippers forward Corey Maggette said. Maggette was out most of the regular season for the Clippers but is now back, ready to lead the Clippers past the first round and a possible confrontation with either the Suns or that other L.A. team at the Staples Center.

The Clippers are concerned about playing at altitude.

''We want to get in there and make sure we settle in and acclimate a little bit,'' Clippers head coach, Mike Dunleavy said.

Cassell is expecting a wild crowd similar to what he faced while playing for Minnesota against the Nuggets in the 2004 playoffs. Trailing 0-2 in the series, the Nuggets came home and won big in Game 3, 107-86. The Timberwolves responded in Game 4 with a dramatic 84-82 victory in Denver, then won Game 5 in Minneapolis.

This best-of-seven series in the Western Conference sure is on as the NBA Playoffs heats up.

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Detroit: 15 Wins Away from NBA Title

The last time Detroit met Milwaukee in the first round, the Pistons became the 2004 NBA Champions.

An omen? Yes, it is exactly that.

In Game 1, the Pistons showed the heart of a champion as they countered a late rally by those pesky Bucks in the third quarter to come away with a convincing 92-74 win at the Palace of Auburn Hills.

And the Pistons were able to do just that despite of Richard Hamilton going down what seems like a serious ankle injury.

Rasheed Wallace led the Pistons with a game-high, 22 points, in 4-of-6 shooting from three-point range.

I've been a fan of ''The Sheed'' long enough to know that his versatility is as good as the Kevin Garnett's of the league. It's just that his awesome game has been overshadowed by suspensions and technical fouls.

Richard Hamilton followed ''The Sheed'' as he dropped 21 points, despite an ankle injury.

Hamilton stepped on Andrew Bogut's foot and fell down rather awkwardly on the hardwood.

After the game, Rip was asked if he will be available for Game 2 and his resounding response was, ''Yes sir.''

It is hard to minimize Hamilton's effect on the Pistons. The All-Star shooting guard disrupts defenses by scooting around screens to create open shots for himself and his teammates. In 66 career playoff games, he has scored at least 20 points 51 times.

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The NBA Playoffs saw Two Opposite Stories

One of Shaq's teammates won while his ex-teammate lost after Game 1 in the NBA Playoffs.

The NBA Playoffs finally got underway as 16 of the NBA's elite teams face-off in what will be their road towards basketball's biggest stage, the NBA Finals.

Kobe Bryant made his return to the NBA Playoffs after parting ways with his seven-foot contingency plan. However, no one expected Kobe to be this passive.

Kobe Bryant dropped only 22 points in their 102-107 loss to the Phoenix Suns. A little passive for a guy who just dropped 81 points in the regular season.

Apparently, Lakers coach Phil Jackson is convinced that having Kobe score for 90 points won't make their chances of beating these Suns any better, so what he did was the unthinkable, give Luke Walton the basketball.

I don't have anything on Luke but Kobe brought you to the dance. Why would you keep the basketball away from him or, worse, refrain him from taking more shots? Maybe Phil is trying to surprise the Suns by letting ALL of his Lakers be more involved in the game but, why would you mess with something that's been working all season?

Kobe Bryant SHOULD still be the focal point of the Lakers offense, not Luke, not Lamar and not Kwame.

In the East, Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O'Neal combined for 57 of Miami's 111 points to bring the Chicago Bulls down, 111-106. Dwyane Wade's struggles with these pesky Bulls were well documented all season long but Miami Heat head coach, Pat Riley, was confident that his star guard WILL come through. And did he ever.

D-Wade scored 14 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter, to put the Bulls away for good. That's including a six-point outburst that rallied the Heat from their very first deficit of the night.

''Great players will find a way to get around any defense when you raise the stakes,'' Riley said. ''And Dwyane is a big-game guy.''

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NBA Playoffs Preview: Best of the West

The NBA Western Conference were once the dominant one.

The NBA Western Conference were once the superpowers of the league, especially with the likes of Shaquille O'Neal, (With the Lakers then) Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett taking over when Michael Jordan retired for the third and last time.

Now, with Shaq joining Pat Riley and his new agenda in Miami, the Western Conference lost that dominance over the East.

Nevertheless, the wild West still has the likes of Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki and Carmelo Anthony to carry the conference for an NBA championship.

Of course, there's also this guy wearing no.8 down in Los Angeles.

Now, we will take a look at the playoff match-ups in the Western Conference and we will determine who among them are good enough to get past the first round.

The San Antonio Spurs will be entering the NBA Playoffs as the no.1 seed and a team out to defend their NBA championship. They will face the rejuvenated Sacramento Kings, the no.8 seed in the Western Conference playoffs.

Both the Spurs and the Kings play very similar basketball with Bruce Bowen and Ron Artest defending, hounding and harassing each team's superstar. The only problem for Sac' here is the fact that they don't have anything to match-up with Tim Duncan. Expect the Spurs to end Sacramento's misery in five games.

The Phoenix Suns will be at the no.2 seed as they play the no.7 seed, Los Angeles Lakers.

The Lakers are back in the playoffs. THAT is good news as Kobe Bryant is now turning out to be the mature leader of the group, Lamar Odom becoming another Phil-Jackson-prototype-forward and Kwame Brown showing signs he can play basketball.

Kwame Brown is the x-factor in this series, so to speak, and if he can come up with a big series, the Lakers can take advantage of Amare Stoudemire's absence.

However, the chance of that happening has the same odds of Shaq making his free throws. I'm certainly rooting for L.A., but it will be DAMN HARD.

The no.3 seed belongs to the Denver Nuggets, a team lucky enough to grab the third seed because of this year's dumb NBA ruling in the playoffs.

You see, the Nuggets are not THAT good compared to the top teams in the West. They are just lucky they play in a non-competitive division.

The Nuggets will play no.6 seed, Los Angeles Clippers and as I've said, the Nuggets were just LUCKY to grab no.3.

With that said, they won't have homecourt advantage in this series because the Clippers, even as the no.6 team in the playoffs, do have a better season record.

That's why these Nuggets may probably take an early exit, if George Karl can't come up with something special, fast.

At no.4, we have the Dallas Mavericks.

Despite being probably the second-best team in the West, they dropped to the fourth seed for failing to grab the division title from the defending NBA Champions, San Antonio Spurs.

The Memphis Grizzlies will meet 'em as the no.5 team and man, the Grizzlies do have an uphill battle here.

Pau Gasol ain't Dirk Nowitzki and Mike Miller ain't Jerry Stackhouse.

No contest.

Another thing going for the Mavericks in this match-up is the fact that the Grizzlies tend to play inside more while the Mavericks will burn you virtually EVERYWHERE on the basketball court.

Bodog has the odds on the coming NBA Playoffs. Pick your favorites from the San Antonio Spurs down to the Sacramento Kings. Log on and check out Bodog now.

NBA Playoffs Preview: Beasts of the East

The NBA Playoffs bracket is set and ready to go.

Two conferences, each conference with eight of it's elite battling it out to become the representatives of their group in the biggest stage in all of basketball.

The road to the NBA Finals has begun.

But first, we will take a look at each match-up and study them to determine who among these teams will likely find their way to the second round. Let's start with the East.

For starters, the Detroit Pistons will be entering the NBA Playoffs as the no.1 seed and will have homecourt advantage throughout these crazy playoff wars.

These Pistons are on a roll and it looks like nothing can stop them at this point. They will face-off with the Milwaukee Bucks, who survived just enough to hold on to that no.8 and final playoff spot in the East.

This series could be a fast one. Yes, faster than you can say, ''D-e-e-e-t-r-o-o-o-i-i-i-t B-a-a-a-s-k-e-e-e-t-b-a-a-a-l-l!''

The Pistons have four all-stars in their line-up, the likes of Rasheed Wallace, Ben Wallace, Richard Hamilton and Chauncey Billups. The Bucks do have Michael Redd but he can't stop Detroit's four-star attack.

Pistons win in four games.

The somewhat struggling Miami Heat will be at the no.2 seed as they play the Chicago Bulls as the no.7 team.

The Heat can't seem to get it together during the later stages of the season. Maybe perhaps the wear and tear of the 82-game season is catching up to them or they just can't find that chemistry a team needs to win with all those egos in the same uniform.

BUT STILL, Shaquille O'Neal is Shaquille O'Neal and when the Bulls guards of Kirk Hinrich and Ben Gordon goes face to face with the seven-foot monster, you will witness how flies go down with a single swat on the basketball court.

And oh yes, there's also this guy from Miami named Dwyane Wade...

The no.3 seed belongs to the red hot New Jersey Nets as they face-off with no.6 seed, Indiana Pacers.

The Pacers can expose New Jersey's weakness in this series, the absence of a solid low-post threat. Pacer forward Jermaine O'Neal will definitely have a big series.

However, that's all there is when you look at the Pacers.

The New Jersey trio of Jason Kidd, Richard Jefferson, and the ridiculously-awesome Vince Carter, will just be enough to put these Pacers away in six games.

The Pacers may OWN the inside game in this series but everything else belongs to New Jersey.

At the no.4 seed lies LeBron James and his Cleveland Cavaliers, as they face-off with the surging Washington Wizards after solidifying their spot at no.5.

This match-up could very well be the most exciting one from the East. The Cavaliers have LBJ and Larry Hughes, who is slowly finding his way back to form.

However, the Wizards have explosive scorers in Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler.

This three-headed monster will definitely be bad news to the Cavalier cause and if Larry Hughes can't find his true form back soon, considering the fact that he will be playing against his former team, the Wizards could pull away with an upset.

Bodog has the odds on the coming NBA Playoffs. Pick your favorites from the Detroit Pistons down to the Milwaukee Bucks. Log on and check out Bodog now.

NBA MVP Race Heats Up as Season Ends

This season's NBA MVP race is a free-for-all.

Yes, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dirk Nowitzki and Chauncey Billups are all making a serious bid for this year's top honor.

All will be looking for that very award this season. Both Dirk and Chauncey led their respective teams to an incredible season so far, LeBron James finally carried the Cavaliers back to the playoffs and Kobe dropped eighty one points this year.

However, I guarantee you that Steve Nash won't be the MVP this year.

The MVP race is as close as it's ever been but if I were to choose one, I would have to go to the man who scored eighty one.

As for the other single-player honors, we will take a look at them and who are the ones likely to bag 'em all this year.

The ''Sixth Man of the Year'' award, in my opinion, could be given to either Alonzo Mourning or Jerry Stackhouse. That's like choosing between defense and offense. 'Zo is providing the defensive intensity for the Heat that Shaq can't give while Stackhouse is giving the Mavericks an instant offensive outburst off the bench. A 20-point or so offensive outburst at that.

''Most Improved Player'' is, without a shadow of a doubt, a lock for Suns' Boris Diaw. Anyone from the Suns is a potential candidate for Most Improved Player, it just so happens that Boris Diaw has consistency. Thanks to Steve Nash of course.

Flip Saunders and Avery Johnson will be gunning for this year's ''Coach of the Year'' award. Those two carried their respective teams to the top of their respective conferences and will be a toss-up on who will be able to bag it at the end of the year.

Being the Pistons fan that I am, I'm going for Flip.

Of course, both the ''Rookie of the Year'' and ''Defensive Player of the Year'' will definitely belong to Chris Paul and Ben Wallace respectively. If those two don't get these when it's all said and done, it will be the biggest highway robbery the NBA has ever seen.

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Lessons Fans Learned in the NBA Season

The NBA Season is over.

Yes, it's that time of the year again when we have less than three months more to enjoy NBA basketball. So what have we learned during these 2,460 games of NBA basketball? Read on.

We learned that one has to be careful for what he wishes for. Classic example is former Detroit Pistons mentor, Larry Brown.

Larry Brown called his chance to coach the New York Knicks a ''dream job'' during the offseason. Now that the season is over, this hard-nosed coach can't call his tenure with the Knicks anything close from being a dream.

Why? Simple.

This guy led the Knicks to the worst record in the NBA. He left the helm of the Detroit Pistons to take over in New York, and then watched the Pistons roll to the league's best record while his Knicks sunk toward the bottom.

We also learned that a team without Steve Francis is good.

Apparently, since the Orlando Magic traded ''The Franchise'' away to New York, the Magic, quite frankly, saved THEIR franchise. The Magic are 16-4 since they gave up on the man they traded Tracy McGrady for.

That's the second-best record in the NBA.

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King James ends NBA Season at the top

As the NBA season comes to a close, we see LeBron James at the very top of the player's rankings in this season's fantasy leagues.

Why LeBron James?!?

My sentiments exactly.

Yes, that's the same guy who continues to shy away from pressure-packed situations. And yes, he is also the same guy who always shouts, ''King James'' after every dunk in his games back in high school.

This season LeBron James has done it all. Like lead the Cavs to their first playoff berth since 1998. Or take All-Star MVP honors in Houston. Now he can add another accomplishment to his resume. The NBA wraps up the season with James ranked No. 1.

LeBron James is overrated. There, I said it.

The only reason LeBron James is filling the stat sheet in games this year is the verifiable fact that his team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, don't have anyone who can do anything right.

Larry Hughes?

He's been injured MOST of the season this year.

I guess that won't stop the self-proclaimed ''King James'' from being ranked no.1. Well, fantasy leagues focuses ENTIRELY on statistics and there's where LeBron excels.

This just proves the fact that all LeBron cares about is NOT to win games but rather how to get his. Just like the way he never gave up the ball in this year's All-Star game, or how he passed to an ice-cold Pavlovic with less than three seconds remaining.

Bodog has the odds on the coming NBA Playoffs. Pick your favorites from the Detroit Pistons down to the irritating Sacramento Kings. Log on and check out Bodog now.

The NBA Playoffs are Almost Here

Only a couple more games before the NBA Playoffs kicks off.

Before another post-season madness takes place, we see both Staples Center teams in Los Angeles making it, the Detroit Pistons came away with the overall home court advantage all throughout the playoffs and Allen Iverson making an abrupt exit.

The top eight teams in each conference qualify for the playoffs.

The division winner with the best record in each conference is seeded no.1, the other division winners are seeded no.2 and no.3 and the remaining five teams are seeded nos.4 to 8 according to their won-lost records.

The discrepancy with this NBA ruling is very well exposed this year as the Dallas Mavericks, only a half-game behind top-seeded San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Western Conference, will be seeded fourth since they failed to win the division crown to those aforementioned Spurs.

The playoffs are set... Almost. Here are just some of the match-ups that will likely tango for that coveted NBA Championship.

In the NBA Eastern Conference, we see the Detroit Pistons likely to face the Chicago Bulls. Luckily for the Pistons, the Bulls won't have no.23 with them as no.7, Ben Gordon, is taking over where Jordan left off.

In the Western side of things, the defending NBA Champions, San Antonio Spurs, will be facing a Sacramento Kings team on the rise. Since landing Ron Artest from a trade with the Pacers, the Kings evolved from the run-and-gun offense popularized by ex-King Jason Williams, to a defensive minded team.

If Ron Artest can keep up with Manu Ginobili then we could very well see these Kings pull away with the biggest upset of the year.

Last but not the least, the New Jersey Nets, led by the nucleus of Vince Carter, Richard Jefferson and Jason Kidd, will go up against the revamped Indiana Pacers, minus Reggie Miller.

This might just be the best best-of-seven series in the first round and it will surely test the mettle of the red-hot Nets before their eventual face-off with the Miami Heat.

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Reality Returns in Phoenix

The Phoenix Suns were literally unstoppable when they started this year's NBA wars.

Now, it seems the Suns realized the reality that Amare Stoudemire is out for the remainder of the season.

Amare Stoudemire made his return to the Phoenix Suns lineup and instantaneously, stirred quite an impact when his Suns battled the lowly Portland Trailblazers. Amare dropped 20 points and nine rebounds in his first game of the season. He only played 19 minutes against Portland but man, did he score.

However, after that game, Amare was simply terrible in his team's next few games. He didn't even made it in double figures scoring for his team. Amare eventually made his way back to the injury list after having nagging pains from his knee and, mysteriously, the Suns are somewhat affected by it.

The Suns were already playing like a title contender without Amare as Steve Nash gave his teammates all the good looks they want. Heck, Nash even made Tim Thomas a solid scorer again.

But after having a taste of Amare and then losing him again rather abruptly, the Suns' chemistry were suddenly shaken.

Phoenix, after all the razzle-dazzle from Steve Nash and all those red-hot three-point shooting streaks from Raja Bell, clearly needs one thing at this point of the season, they need Amare back.
Stoudemire was an All-Star last season, averaging 26 points per game and helping the Suns to 62 wins and an appearance in the Western Conference finals.

With the Suns leading the Pacific Division, there were questions about bringing back Stoudemire from such a serious procedure. Stoudemire himself was uncertain about his return. There also were issues of incorporating Stoudemire into the run-and-gun offense of the Suns, who often play with France's Boris Diaw at center and frustrate foes with speed.

Now, the Phoenix Suns won't be worrying about that anytime soon.

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Shaq is Running Out of Diesel Power

Shaquille O'Neal is running out of diesel.

Yup, that's how NBA fans see Shaquille O'Neal these days. However, Shaq still is the only man in the league who can call himself Most Dominant Ever and not even the top big men of the league today can say different.

So how come he's averaging career lows this season?

Shaq is averaging career lows in points, blocks, steals, assists, rebounds, minutes, free-throw attempts and field-goal attempts. In fact, the only category in which he could post a career high is fouls; despite playing far fewer minutes than ever before (just 30.5 a game), Shaq has been whistled 3.9 times per game.

Your answer? He doesn't have to do that much this year.

Shaquille O'Neal is at the time of his career where father time is catching up on his legs. And at age 34, Shaq is lucky enough to be included in a team literally loaded with talent. The Heat have two future Hall-of-Famers coming off the bench in Payton and 'Zo, you can't be any luckier than that.

With that firepower, all Shaq has to do now is control the paint. He doesn't have to do that much anymore back when he was with the Lakers. And of course, having Dwyane Wade as a teammate is not bad. Not bad at all.

What many NBA pundits fail to see is Shaq's effectiveness this season. Whenever Dwyane Wade and Jason Williams pass the ball to the big guy, he scores more often than not.

There is STILL no one in the league that can guard Shaq LEGALLY. And that is something even O'Neal's critics can agree.

Most Dominant Ever, that's how Shaquille O'Neal describes himself. He may indeed be slower and a little older this year but pit the best seven-foot monsters you can find in the NBA and Shaq can STILL go toe-to-toe with the best of 'em. Shaq is still the NBA's most dominant force, without a shadow of a doubt.

Can Shaquille O'Neal lead the Miami Heat to the NBA Championship? Will ''the Diesel'' grab one more NBA ring before hanging up those shorts for good? Bodog has the odds, log on and check out Bodog now.

Knicks can't Fly without E-wing in the NBA

The New York Knicks were once one of the premiere teams in the league.

What happened to this exciting team that saw the likes of John Starks torch the competition with three-point bombs? What happened to this team that saw the likes of Allan Houston and Latrell Sprewell engineer a one-two punch combo that was then deemed unstoppable?

Oh yeah, I almost forgot, they TRADED away Patrick Ewing.

The Knicks did the impossible, they traded away their icon, Patrick Ewing, to the Seattle Supersonics. A towering icon who once came to New York to help a team somewhat struggling on the basketball court. Before the Knicks landed Patrick Ewing as their overall no.1 draft, the Knicks... Well... Sucked.

When the New York franchise learned that they will have first dibs on that fateful lottery draft, everybody KNEW that New York will grab what will be their only true basketball icon, Patrick Ewing.

After they traded Ewing away to the Sonics, everybody KNEW the Knicks will make their return to the doghouse. No one knew that they will be THIS bad.

Now, the Knicks organization is trapped with a handful of mediocre players who have such high salaries that it will keep the Knicks waaay above the salary cap for the next decade.

The New York Knicks certainly have darker skies ahead of them. Maybe their only chance of ever resurfacing from the pits of utter stupidity is if the Timberwolves organization decide to trade Kevin Garnett to the Knicks for a couple of Knicks castaways.

The NBA Playoffs are coming and Bodog has the inside scoop on who will win this year's NBA Championship. Check out and visit Bodog for odds on the NBA Playoffs.

Ending at Nine: Knicks Upset Cavaliers

The NBA saw two teams ended their streaks at NINE.

The New York Knicks ended their nine-game losing streak with a 96-94 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, ending LeBron's boys' winning streak to... You guessed it...

Nine.

Before the game, New York Knicks head coach, Larry Brown, was seeing his coaching stint in New York as one of his difficult years in the league. He even addressed the team as a group of players who doesn't have that desire to compete anymore.

In the end, it was Cleveland's Brown, head coach Mike Brown, who questioned his team's desire to play.

''I was disappointed in our effort,'' Mike Brown said.

''I thought that our guys felt that they could show up in this building and win the ballgame whenever they wanted to. We didn't take care of the basketball, we didn't really share the basketball. We weren't aggressive attacking until late in the game and we didn't do a good job defending,'' Brown confessed.

''They beat us from top to bottom, including myself and my whole staff and all the way down to our equipment guy,'' the dejected Mike Brown added.

As for Larry Brown, he couldn't be any happier for Jamal Crawford. Crawford led the Knicks attack with a game-high 37 points, finally giving the struggling New York franchise something to smile about.

To say that the Knicks are having quite a bad season is an understatement. Steve Francis, acquired from Orlando, couldn't be anymore upset than he already is. The man called as, ''the Franchise'' in his better days with Houston talked about the team's recent debacle this season.

''Besides my mom passing away when I was 18, this is top three, definitely, just because this is my livelihood,'' Steve Francis said.

''Basketball is what I do. To be able to come out here and not being able to help this Knicks organization win is tough. I think a lot of the players don't realize that you only have one basketball career and it doesn't last as long as you think. The money might be there, but actually being out there on the court, that (stuff) doesn't last. And until people realize that and realize that you have to help each other and not be so selfish and worry about how many points you score, we're going to be stuck in the same position, same place,'' Francis said.

At least for one night, Steve Francis and the rest of the New York Knicks celebrated a win in the NBA.

The NBA Playoffs are coming and Bodog has the inside scoop on who will win this year's NBA Championship. Check out and visit Bodog for odds on the NBA Playoffs.

Scoring Race Heats Up in the NBA

It's been a while since the NBA had this kind of triple threat scoring face-off.

In 24 years of NBA basketball, many have conquered the title of scoring champion in the NBA. It saw the likes of Wilt Chamberlain, Larry Bird and of course, the incomparable Michael Jordan.

The last time the NBA had three superstars scoring at least 30 points every game was during the 81-82 season and through the entire 59-year history of the league, it only happened six times.

This season, Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson and LeBron James are putting on quite a show, proving the fact that the NBA's 2005-2006 season may be the best year fans have enjoyed watching the league since Magic Johnson and Larry Bird went toe-to-toe for greatness.

As of press time, Kobe leads the scoring barrage with an incredible 34.8 points per game, Allen Iverson follows suit with 32.9 points and LeBron James with 31.5 markers.

So who would end the season as scoring champion?

Easy. Kobe.

Kobe Bryant, with an average of almost 35 points, will be tough to catch. Kobe is scoring the basketball like crazy this year. He has already made history with his 81-point performance against the Toronto Raptors when he single-handedly led his Lakers to a come from behind victory.

Both Allen Iverson and LeBron James are awesome scorers but Kobe is simply in another league right now. And with 10 more games left in the regular season before they all head to the NBA Playoffs, Kobe is locked to be crowned the NBA scoring king.

Bodog has the odds on who will become this year's MVP. Will it be Kobe Bryant? Allen Iverson? LeBron James? Scoring in bunches is one thing, becoming MVP is entirely a different story. Log on and visit Bodog for odds on the NBA Most Valuable Player.

Larry Hughes Returns to Action

It's been three months since Larry Hughes went down with an injury.

Now, the Cleveland Cavaliers have Larry Hughes back, although only dropping a measly ten-point performance against the Philadelphia 76ers, Hughes will definitely be a big boost to the Cavaliers as they make their return to the playoffs after quite some time.

''The doctors didn't put any limitations on me,'' Hughes said before their game against Allen Iverson and his Sixers.

The 6'5'' shooting guard from St. Louis, Missouri was examined for the last time before he suited up the familiar ''Wine and Gold'' no.32. Hughes was then officially cleared to play.

''He's eager to play, but we're going to take things easy,'' Cavaliers head coach Mike Brown said.

''There's no need to rush him into anything,'' Brown added.

Originally, Hughes was supposed to only miss six to eight weeks after his finger surgery last January 6. Unfortunately, Hughes' finger didn't heal properly and he had to undergo yet another surgery last February 14.

The Cavaliers are 18-10 with Hughes in their lineup. He averaged 16.2 points and 3.9 assists before the injury. However, the Cavaliers, somehow, were fortunate enough not to feel the effects of Hughes' absence. The Cavaliers are still good at 26-19 without him.

In fact, the Cavs even ran for an eight-game winning streak without him.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are finally healthy and they will try climb the NBA mountain beginning late April. The NBA Playoffs heats up as the Cavaliers prepare for their biggest test yet. Can the Cavs do it? VIP Sports has the odds, log on and check 'em out now.

LeBron James - Dwyane Wade Rivalry

Since the 80s, nothing compared to the Magic-Bird rivalry in the NBA.

Until now.

The future has finally arrived in the NBA, and along with the future, came along a king and another ''Shaq protoge'' that will probably become a man of his own.

Yes, I'm talking about King LeBron James and Miami's Shaq protoge, Dwyane Wade. It is still early yet to call these guys future hall-of-famers but with the way they are going, they are definitely on the right track to become just that.

But who's better?

First, let's talk about LeBron James. LeBron James is a powerhouse that uses his awesome 6'8'' frame to power through defenders with ease. To say that LeBron James is virtually unstoppable could very well be an understatement.

LeBron also has the uncanny ability to shoot the basketball from any point on the basketball court. King James can burn you with his mid game, post you up and suddenly shock you with a quick fadeaway and make you look silly with a three-point bomb.

Dwyane Wade, on the other hand, can attack the rim with reckless abandon. Many liken Wade's ability to attack the paint to Philadelphia's own, Allen Iverson. The only difference is, Iverson ONLY gets to the free throw line while Wade gets there and scores even before shooting his free throws.

Wade, with his uncanny upper body strength, leads the league in old-fashioned three-point plays. If you see Wade going inside the paint, you can very well expect Wade to score while getting fouled.

So who's better?

Both players are awesome offensively but I would have to name King James as the better scorer. Wade doesn't have James' shooting touch yet.

However, the problem with LeBron is that he has the tendency to forget about his teammates. He has this stretch in games where he tries to take over games, sometimes leaving the Cavaliers on the losing end.

As for Dwyane Wade, he is one of only the few players in the league this year to be included in the top ten in scoring, assists and steals all at the same time. That means Wade helps his team win basketball games, not only with his offense but with his defense as well. LeBron James may be the better one-man show but Dwyane Wade is the better team player and that makes D-Wade greater than Cleveland's king in the courts of the NBA.

Not convinced yet? Bodog has the odds on who will be the best player in the league, at least for this season. Log on and visit Bodog now.

NBA Playoffs Bracket Almost Set

The NBA post-season is coming.

There are approximately 10 games left before 16 of the NBA's finest teams, eight from the East and eight from the West, meet for a tournament that will decide the perennial kings of the hardwood this season.

In the Eastern Conference, the Detroit Pistons have already earned home court advantage throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs and are bidding for more as they try to take home field advantage throughout the entire playoffs.

Seeds 2 and 3 is where the action's at as of press time. The New Jersey Nets are the hottest team right now in the NBA and with an incredible 12-game winning streak, they are about to challenge the Miami Heat for that second seed.

The Cleveland Cavaliers will finally make their return in the NBA playoffs behind the leadership of their new redeemer, LeBron James. The Cavs, with a first round matchup probably with Washington or Milwaukee, will definitely give LeBron James his first playoff series conquest.

In the Western Conference, two of it's best teams will probably face-off as early as the second round. The San Antonio Spurs and the Dallas Mavericks are the two best teams in the West but with both playing in the very competitive Southwest Division, NBA fans will see one of these teams exit early because of the league's rules in seeding.

(Three division winners from each conference will earn the top three seeds regardless of win-loss records.)

And that's only half the madness in the West. This year's playoffs will see that ''other'' L.A. team seeded higher than Hollywood's premiere club. Yes, the Clippers are seeded no.5 as of press time and the Lakers, barely making it in this year's playoffs, won't be overtaking the Clips' anytime soon.

There you have it, with 10 more games left to play, teams will be making that last bid to either make it or break it. The NBA playoffs is almost here and playoff basketball has never been as intense.

VIP Sports has the odds on who will be this year's NBA Champions. Log on and check out VIP Sports now for odds on the NBA Championship.

Nets Rising in the NBA Eastern Conference

All of a sudden, the Miami Heat are looking behind their backs, seeing the streaking New Jersey Nets.

Yes, all of a sudden, the New Jersey Nets found themselves in an astounding 12-game winning streak. All of a sudden, the Miami Heat are thinking that the Nets could very well overtake them from that no.2 seed in the East playoffs, something they literally ''owned'' since last season.

''Right now they're playing the best basketball of anybody in the NBA, there's no doubt,'' said Miami Heat head coach, Pat Riley.

New Jersey's 12-game winning streak is this year's longest winning streak of the NBA. Yes, even better than all those streaks Detroit came up with this year. If this trend continues, it could be a matter of time before the New Jersey Nets find themselves next to the defending Eastern Conference champions, Detroit Pistons.

New Jersey beat the Heat, 90-78, in a game that marked the return of Shaquille O'Neal. O'Neal poured in 18 points while Dwyane Wade was in his usual self, dropping 32 points, six rebounds and five assists to lead the Miami cause.

However, none of them came up with an answer for New Jersey's no.15.

Vince Carter was simply unstoppable, scoring a game-high 43 points, solidifying that indeed, Vinsanity has arrived from the other side of the border (Toronto) and it's there to lead the Nets to the promised land.

To say that Vince Carter was unstoppable against the Heat, could very well be an understatement.

''For him, everybody talked about his past, being soft, or a guy who doesn't like to compete when it gets tough, and he's shown us everything but that. He's been right there when it starts to get tough, and he wants the shot, or he wants to play defense,'' Jason Kidd said of the revitalized Vince Carter.

When New Jersey first came up with their longest winning streak in franchise history (14 wins), it was Lawrence Frank's first year as Nets head coach, taking over from Byron Scott in the middle of the season. More importantly, they didn't have no.15 then as Vince Carter was having his dog-days in Toronto.

Now the New Jersey Nets have a chance in equaling that achievement. More importantly, they have a chance in surpassing just that, and grab the no.2 seed away from the Miami Heat in the process.

Bodog has the odds on who will become the beast in the East this season. Can the New Jersey Nets surpass the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference? The NBA Playoffs is coming, log on and check out Bodog for odds on this year's playoff battles.

It's On! Florida and UCLA at the NCAA Final

Emphatic. That's how the Florida Gators and the UCLA Bruins got into their classic NCAA Final encounter this Monday.

First, let's talk about the Florida Gators and their tenacious appetite to grab the basketball. Yes, the Florida Gators grabbed 'em all. They got all the second-chance baskets they want, leaving the Cinderella team of the George Mason Patriots without any chance of fighting back.

The Gators grabbed every offensive rebound there is to grab, kicking the ball out to reset the offense and draining much of the final three minutes of their NCAA Final Four face-off.

In the end, the Gators ate all the time left on the clock away, sending ''Cinderella'' home with the bitter taste of defeat.

''We knew,'' forward Corey Brewer said, ''that Cinderella was going home.''

And did they sent Cinderella home, earning Florida a spot in the NCAA Final this Monday. But THAT was half of the story last Saturday.

The UCLA Bruins, a team rich with NCAA tournament history, cruised to an emphatic win over the LSU Tigers in a game where competition was nowhere in sight.

The Bruins looked like tall men in a shoot-around over big babies (No pun intended) as Glen Davis, LSU's ''Big Baby,'' was shut down. UCLA, coming into their NCAA Final Four encounter, won a record of 11 NCAA championships. Last Saturday, the Bruins showed the Tigers how they won that many titles.

Defense.

UCLA allowed just one school to score more than 60 and that was Gonzaga, one of their 12 victims en route to their NCAA Final game against Florida.

It's the Florida Gators going up against the UCLA Bruins. A program without any legacy of championships yet to show for in Florida will go up against a school rich with NCAA Championship tradition with the Bruins. This year's NCAA tournament had it's share of unexpected moments and great comeback stories. Florida and UCLA will prove to be the perfect culmination of this crazy NCAA March Madness wars.

Bodog has the odds on who will win this year's biggest and grandest prize in all of NCAA College Basketball. The Florida Gators and the UCLA Bruins will stop at nothing to be a part of NCAA history. Which program will come out on top? Check out and visit Bodog to find out.