Week 1: Game of the Week

Adam said:

This week’s game of the week was Boston V.S. Cleveland on Friday night. Both teams were ranked top in the East Coast as number 1 and number 2. Cleveland coming into the game was 18-0 at home this season. The Cavaliers were looking for some vengeance against the Celtics after what happen last year in the Eastern Semi losing to Boston 4-3 . Going into Friday night’s game, Boston lost 6 out of its last 8 games, but with Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo, and Kevin Garnett things can change and this wasn’t going to be easy for Cleveland. After half time Cleveland had a commanding lead over Boston 49-40. Cleveland shot better than Boston on the field, shooting slightly over 50% while Boston was only shooting 41%. The game resulted as a victory for the Cavaliers 98-83. Superstar LeBron James knocked down 38 points along with 7 rebounds, 6 assist, and shooting over 50% on the field proving that he is the top candidate for this years run for MVP.

Here are the highlights from the game:

Week 1: Player of the Week

Player of the Week: Not Who You Think!
Mike G said:

This week installment of NBA Player of the Week comes in the form of a tie! That’s right – a tie! And the award goes to…………none other than Detroit Pistons sophomore guard Rodney Stuckey and Minnesota Timberwolves center Al Jefferson.
For the week of December 29th – January 4th, Rodney Stuckey helped Detroit to 4-0 record for the week, averaging 23.0 points, 5.3 assists, and 4.5 rebounds per game. With the addition of Stuckey, the Detroit Pistons rode a seven game winning streak after adding him to the line-up.
Now in the West, Timberwolves’s center Al Jefferson led Minnesota to a 3-1 record for the week. Jefferson averaged 27.3 points and 12.3 rebounds per game, and shot 52.4 % from the field.

Week 1: Question of the Week

Are fouls being called too prominently in today’s NBA game?

Kris said:
I do believe that fouls are being called too prominently in today’s game. There are so many “touch” fouls called that it is starting to get annoying. A player can rarely drive the lane without a foul being called; and if you are rooting for the other team, it just makes you so angry. I must admit that referee’s are getting better at calling real fouls, but there are still a number of phantom fouls (especially on Kobe Bryant) being called.
Players are getting to the foul line numerous times during a game and the hand-check rule takes away any defensive advantage. The only person probably still getting away with hand-checking is Bruce Bowen. I understand the league input the “hand-check rule” to promote offense since high octane offense produces ticket sales, but at what cost? They are taking value away from the game and turning professional athletes into babies and actors (flopping, flailing, and yelling). Besides, constant fouls only slow the game down.
If Magic Johnson and the Showtime Lakers were to play Larry Bird and the Celtics in today’s game, it would be a “free-throwfest”. If Kobe Bryant and Lebron James can average 30 points in today’s game, then Michael Jordan would have been able to average at least 40 points considering defenses used to dog him all the time. I am pretty sure Jordan would have benefited from so many “touch” fouls.