Man, I was really hoping the West would bring in the ridiculous bigman lineup at some point like they did a few years back. Here it would've been something like:

PG: Marion
SG: Dirk
SF: KG
PF: Duncan
C: Okur

:tpg:

Also loved it when Shaq took it up. That was great. They should've cleared it out for him. =p

Uh,does anyone know how Andres Nocioni from the Bulls injured his foot which is why he isn't playing in the next to games?

Nocioni got goot ol' plantar fasciitis, and it looks he's being out longer than expected, which often happens anyway with this ailment.

Anyway.... trade deadline approaching in just under 3 hours. As usual, I'm waiting for big names to move. Will it be Kidd? Carter? Bibby? No one? ._. I really see Bibby moving though.

Also, suck for D-Wad and the Heat. I've seen rumors (nothing official yet) thay he may be out up to six weeks. That's a blow for last year's champions who are only barely in the playoffs right now (8th seed in the east).

A part of me gets the impression that this trade deadline could end up with a lot of hype with nothing actually happening. That would piss me off, and I hope it doesn't happen since I like to see things get shaken up, but every team seems really reluctant to pull the trigger on these deals.

Trade of the decade. =/ My boy, Juan Dixon, from Maryland, of the Blazers for Fred Jones of the Raptors. There was also Anthony Johnson to the Hawks for a second round pick. A disappointing day.

Right now, he's weighing the option of getting season-ending shoulder surgery. If he does that, the Heat are done - I can't seem them in the NBA Finals (or too far into the playoffs) without him.

I can't believe no one's posted this yet. No sound, but you really don't need any. Shaun Livingston dislocated his knee in one of the most graphic injuries I've probably ever seen in any sport.

You are WARNED!
**Hidden Content**

Sorry I've been away, guys.

Me and bishop were sharing some stuff, and I figure I can post the links here for you guys as well.




Livingston dislocates knee: http://www.sendspace.com/file/gvb4lr (this one has sound ... you can hear him screaming in pain)

Dwight Howard's Sticker Dunk: http://www.sendspace.com/file/omtgkm

2007 Slam Dunk Contest: http://www.sendspace.com/file/s1619l (play with VLC player if WMP doesn't work)

The announcer and color-commentator's comments on the slow-motion are great:

"...if you are a little squeamish, you might not want to see all this..." "...gotta be when he lands...ooh, right there." "Oh, yeah, OH, OH DEAR ME, oh, yes...oh dear...not only, uh...and there's no kneecap there, if you notice..."

Yeah, I was doing the dishes while keeping an eye on the game on TV. And I turn around and all of a sudden saw Livingston on the ground. So I went to get a closer look -- then they showed the replays, and I felt kind of sick.

He's never had a injury-free year, and you feel bad for the kid. He's got so much potential (he was just coming off a career-high 14 assist game), and yet he's so prone to injuries. I don't see the longevity in his career.

Holy crap! Like he almost fell on it.

They talked about it on ESPN, but I didn't see the video. I like how they didn't even stop play, and both his teammates and his opponents just kept going with the ball.

CALL TIME OUT!

What do you think this is, international football where players kick the ball out of play when someone is injured out of respect and sportsmanship? WE DON'T TAKE KINDLY TO THAT KIND OF TALK 'ROUND HERE, STRANGER.

I guess nobody knew how serious it was until they realized he was still writhing in pain.

The expression on everyone's faces -- including the Bobcats -- was just one of shock, horror, and empathy. It's so disturbing because no one collided with him ... he simply landed after a layup.


It's estimated that he'll be out 8-12 months, and may very well miss all of next season: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200....ap/index.html

Oh wow. ._.

I saw the headline of an injury when checking my teams today, but didn't realize the seriousness of it. That video is sick. So much for my hopes of him picking it up for the second half of the season. =/

Jesus H. Christ, that is horrific. I've seen it once and there's no way I'm gonna look at it again. I don't think I've ever seen anything that bad before. Forget this season, he might not play next year either, after something like that. I just hope the guy can come back from this. It's going to take a hell of a lot of work and rehab, though.

Also, thanks T-Wolf for those two dunk contest uploads. I appreciate that.

You know, I don't even know why I downloaded that video this morning. I saw it live last night, and didn't think I would ever want to see it again. It makes my legs feel weak each time... like I need to sit down and not jump ever again.





Something happy... ok.

Here are my thoughts on the Dwight Howard dunk, which he got robbed on in the scoring department. I think the judges should be allowed (or required) to view replays of a dunk right after it's executed, before handing out scores.

When all is said and done, Dwight Howard's Sticker Oop is still the most memorable dunk from this year's contest. Catching an alley-oop with the right hand while simultaneously slapping a sticker near the top of the backboard with the left hand -- that is absolutely sick. And to fully appreciate the creativity and execution, you have to understand that a lot of work and pre-planning went into it.

After the league denied his request to raise the rim to 12 feet, Dwight and his teammates came up with the sticker idea. But to make it work, they actually got help from the Orlando Magic's Creative Services Department. Read the Orlando Sentinel article HERE.



TNT showed footage today of Dwight practicing the dunk with Jameer Nelson, slapping the sticker while alley-ooping. You see how much thought went into that one dunk -- and he was also saving his Kiss-The-Rim dunk for the final round. But unfortunately he got robbed Saturday night, and in turn so did the fans.

Some people -- including Dwight's camp -- seem to think that maybe the dunk would have generated a better reaction had he let the crowd and judges know what he was doing.

I disagree.

The reason why Dwight didn't just reveal what he was about to do was simple: Surprise factor. You appreciate the subtleties of it so much more when you suddenly realize that there's a sticker with his face on it up high on the backboard. Indeed, the dunk generated quiet a buzz throughout the Thomas & Mack Center Saturday night, once the crowd realized what he had done.

Too bad the judges made up their minds prematurely and took the dunk at face value -- and likely didn't even see the motion of Dwight's left hand -- without the benefit of replays.

At the Legends Brunch on All-Star Sunday, Dr. J introduced Cheryl Miller, who was being honored. The first thing Cheryl did when she got to the podium was call out Dr. J on scoring the Dwight Howard dunk.


PICTURES!

http://img149.imagevenue.com/loc209/..._122_209lo.jpg http://img163.imagevenue.com/loc206/..._122_206lo.jpg http://img157.imagevenue.com/loc235/..._122_235lo.jpg

http://img45.imagevenue.com/loc151/t..._122_151lo.jpg http://img169.imagevenue.com/loc122/..._122_122lo.jpg http://img135.imagevenue.com/loc96/t...9_122_96lo.jpg http://img13.imagevenue.com/loc102/t..._122_102lo.jpg

http://img150.imagevenue.com/loc45/t...1_122_45lo.jpg http://img143.imagevenue.com/loc8/th...OP_122_8lo.jpg http://img153.imagevenue.com/loc258/..._122_258lo.jpg http://img105.imagevenue.com/loc15/t...6_122_15lo.jpg http://img133.imagevenue.com/loc64/t...3_122_64lo.jpg

http://img157.imagevenue.com/loc270/..._122_270lo.jpg http://img135.imagevenue.com/loc246/..._122_246lo.jpg http://img105.imagevenue.com/loc97/t...8_122_97lo.jpg http://img135.imagevenue.com/loc121/..._122_121lo.jpg http://img127.imagevenue.com/loc252/..._122_252lo.jpg

I watched the video with the sound (and the commentary). I didn't notice his knee...off to the side of his leg. I thought he would be in more pain than he expressed, but it might have the adrenalin from the game or just him keeping a blank face when he was on the stretcher.

Wade was in tears after his injury, Livingston grabbed it and cussed a few times but he was calm once he was on the stretcher.




In the happier news, yes, Howard did get robbed. It's obvious the judges didn't know what he was doing 'cause I didn't know and I was watching him on television (which I assume had a better view of what was happening). I didn't see anything special about the dunk until they showed the sticker, and I'm sure the judges couldn't see the sticker from where they were sitting.

He should have invited them over to stare up at his awesome.

o artest u

He wasn't exactly eating babies this time, but dang. This could end his term as a King. =/

Also, welcome back Yao. <3

It must be the new haircut.

Or not.


http://img169.imagevenue.com/loc265/..._122_265lo.jpg

I don't think he's worth the baggage that comes along with playing him. Yes, he might give a team a boost, but he's crazy, he calls out teammates, and there have been games where he won't come in when the coach tells him to. And then this.

Yes, he is a great defender and he can be an offensive force when he's not chucking threes, but he's killed Indiana and now he's killing the Kings.

I didn't even realize Sacramento was back in the playoff race until I watched the game last night; after their lost, they're tied with the Hornets and only a game and a half behind the Clippy Clips. I'd say the first 5 seeds in the West are pretty much set, but the last 3 are really up for grabs still (the Lakers haven't been doing so well without the indefinitely-injured Odom and the now oft-suspended arm-swinging Kobe :p).

I don't care about the double post: this one's worth it. Lone NBA fan... :(

OH MY GOD! That was probably the greatest NBA game all season. Double OT with the best two teams... MVP candidate vs MVP candidate... Nash and Nowitzki... it was ridiculous. THen in the final 55 seconds of regulation, Nash scored 10 points ending with a game-tying three. :tpg: In the first overtime, Terry with a game-tying three! Monstrous play followed by monstrous play all throughout the conclusion... this was unbelievable. :3:

41 for Amare, 32 for Nash, 30 for Dirk, 33 for Stack, 27 for Terry. MAGICAL!

Yeah... we're getting a third straight MVP for the Nash. :p

Yeah, that was definitely one of the best games I've seen in a LONG time. So many great players playing at such a high level, throughout an entire game, doesn't happen all that often. With that performance, Steve Nash has probably separated himself as the clear-cut MVP right now. It's just him and Dirk. LeBron, Kobe and Arenas have all been fading lately.

And speaking of Kobe, what's up with him and his flailing arm of doom? That's definitely not a normal shooting motion. I don't know what the hell Phil Jackson is talking about.

If I were a Dallas fan (and I'm not), I'd be a little worried, since the Mavs were making the same kind of errors that cost them the championship last year.

He was trying to make it look like there was more contact than there actually was. Each time, he was stuffed cleanly, but he just flailed his arms to make it look like he got fouled.

Too much time spent in Hollywood, probably.



(But that 65 point game, followed by that 50 point game ... those were something)