NBA Draft Lottery tomorrow

The 2010 NBA Draft Lottery airs tomorrow at 7:30 on the Score, it's a very important event that could play a major part in the future of the NBA, especially since this year's draft class is strong.

John Wall is the clear favorite to be the Number 1 pick, so expect any team to win first pick to pick him. New Jersey Nets lead the way at 25 % chance of winning the lottery, after finishing the season with a 12-70 record.

Here are the chances for each team to win the Number 1 pick in order, with Nets being the highest, and Houston Rockets the lowest with only 0.5 %, also their Regular Season record is shown here:



This is one of the best classes in recent history, so every team will be getting a good prospect no matter what. Unlike the previous drafts, it has a lot of variety, from Guards to Forwards to Centers, and there's many potential All-Star players and Role Players this year.

This Summer should determine the future due to a lot of great available Free-Agents such as LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Amar'e Stoudamire, and of course the draft class, which will also have major trades. For example, if Nets draft John Wall they will most likely be trading Devin Harris, their starting Point Guard, on the draft night.

Visit this site to customize your own Draft Class, and a possible outcome out of 2183 others:
http://espn.go.com/nba/lottery2010/mockdraft

Here's what I got, click on the picture to go larger:

Celtics eliminate Cavaliers

After struggling during the Regular Season, the Boston Celtics have picked it up in the Playoffs, advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals to face the Orlando Magic. In the first round, they eliminated Miami Heat in 5 games, but they faced a real challenge in the Second round when they played LeBron James' Cleveland Cavaliers.

Cavaliers were the favorites to win it all this season until Boston took 3-2 lead. Cavs seemed lost, and the real surprise came when LeBron James quit on his team. Some might blame it on the elbow injury, but it was apparent James wasn't even trying, he didn't attack the basket as much he usually does and he didn't set up his teammates either. He was being passive at times and then took several bad shots. But even then, Cavaliers were expected to force a Game 7.

However, Game 6 was no different. Celtics were rolling and the Cavaliers couldn't stop them. Their bench stepped it up and hit big shots. Kevin Garnett had a great game, finishing with 22 points, 12 rebounds and 3 assists. Rondo had another double-double with 21 point and 12 assists. Paul Pierce came up big in the second half to make the lead bigger. Rasheed Wallace contributed as well off the bench, making it too hard for the Cavs.

Boston are playing great Basketball, but do they still have what it takes to win it all? We'll find out in the upcoming weeks.

Forget the "Big 3", it's all about Rondo

When the Boston Celtics won the NBA Championship two years ago, it was all about Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, better known as the Big 3. As of today, they continue to contribute but just not as much as before. The Big 3 era is officially over, because Rajon Rondo is currently the Celtics' best player.

Rondo has been phenomenal for quite some time, he was voted as an NBA All-Star for the very first time this year, and he's currently leading Boston in a tied series vs the Cleveland Cavaliers. On Sunday, Rondo had a triple double as he put up 29 points, 18 rebounds and 13 assists. He was doing it all on both ends of the courts, and made sure his team got the victory.

He's becoming one of the best Point Guards in the League, and his recent performances back it up. Last week, he had 19 assists against the Cavaliers, and he was setting up all of his teammates for open shots. I believe Rondo has what it takes to take it to the next level, and so does Boston Celtics coach, Doc Rivers. In a recent interview, he said he was impressed with Rondo and how he's become more of a leader than he once was.
However, he isn't perfect yet. He must work on his jumpshot and his Free-throw shooting in the off-season, or else he will never reach that top level.

I hope you enjoyed reading my Blog, and I'd like to finish it off with an amazing play by Rondo this past Sunday:

Suns sweep Spurs

On Sunday, Phoenix Suns ended the series against San Antonio Spurs in 4 games. A lot of people, including myself, predicted the Spurs to win in 6 or 7 games, but they were surprisingly swept. This goes to show that anything could happen in the NBA, as Phoenix advance to the Western Conference finals. Suns won 107-101, led by Steve Nash who finished with 20 points, scoring 10 of them in the fourth quarter despite an eye injury.

Nash averaged 22.0 PPG, 7.8 APG, 4.5 RPG in the Second round, meanwhile his teammate, Amar'e Stoudemire, averaged 20.5 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 1.3 APG, 1.2 BPG. It's also important to point out that Goran Dragic has been huge off the bench, especially in Game 3, when he scored 23 points in the 4th quarter.

Suns will rest until the Lakers-Jazz series is over, which the Lakers lead 3-0. The Western Conference finals will definitely be exciting, and I think it's a great opportunity for Steve Nash, one of the greatest Point Guards in NBA history, to put the final touches on his legacy. He's been the League's Most Valuable Player twice, in 2005 and 2006, a 7 times All-Star, 3 times All-NBA First Team, 2 times All-NBA Second Team, and a 2 times All-NBA Third Team, but now it's time to add a ring to his impressive resume.

LeBron James wins MVP

Cleveland Cavaliers' superstar, and arguably the best player in the NBA, LeBron James, was named NBA Most Valuable Player, for the second time in a row. He led the Cavaliers to the best record this season, 61-21, while averaging 29.7 PPG, 8.6 APG, 7.3 RPG. He currently led his team to the Second round of the playoffs, after defeating the Chicago Bulls in 5 Games in the First round.

James had plenty of great performances this Season. For example, this past February, he had 43 points, 13 rebounds and 15 assists against the Denver Nuggets. He also had 37 points, 9 rebounds, 12 assists, and a game winning block, against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

He received 116 first-place votes out of 123, Kevin Durant finished second with only four votes. It's no surprise, James has been the most consistent player in the league, and he definitely deserved this award more than anyone else.

James was presented the Award this Sunday by NBA Commissioner, David Stern.

"To be MVP is definitely an honor. It's a humbling experience," James said. "To receive that while you are trying to win a championship, you have to balance it out. I've been able to do that so far."

Winning this award is very important to LeBron James, but he has made it clear that a Championship run is a lot more important than individual accomplishments. Here are some highlights of the Press Conference on Sunday:

Bucks upset Hawks, take 3-2 lead

Just a week ago, Milwaukee Bucks were 0-2, and their chances of winning the series were near impossible. But they've turned it around, managing to win 3 games in a row to lead the series 3-2. And guess what? They've done it without their star, Andrew Bogut, who had a season ending injury few weeks ago. Everyone on the Bucks, from Salmons to Delfino to Jennings to Thomas has stepped up big.

They were down by 17 points in the 3rd quarter of Game 5, but they ended the quarter with a 7-0 run. The game stayed close during the 4th quarter, as Atlanta's Joe Johnson fouled out. Hawks couldn't make a shot, while Bucks were playing hard on both ends of the floor. Bucks made all their free throws with a minute left of the game, and forced Jamal Crawford of the Hawks to force several shots. Bucks won 91-87, taking the lead of the series.

Tomorrow, Bucks have a chance to end the series and advance to the Second round to play the Orlando Magic. If Hawks are eliminated, this will be one of the biggest upsets during these past few years. I predict Atlanta to win Game 6, but they will have to play harder.

Nuggets' season isn't over..yet.

After winning Game 1, Nuggets have failed to win any other until last night. They're now down 2-3 against the Utah Jazz, as they go back on the road for Game 6 on Friday. They must win in order to keep their hopes alive of advancing past the First round. Carmelo Anthony is having a great series, averaging 34.5 PPG, 7 RPG and 3 APG, but not enough to give his team the series lead. The rest of the team has failed to step up constantly, from Chauncey Billups to Nene to J.R. Smith. Meanwhile, Deron Williams has proven to be the best Point Guard in the league. He's averaging a double-double putting up 28.2 PPG and 12.0 APG.

Not only the Nuggets have struggled on court, but off the court as well. The team is suffering of chemistry issues, and it's apparent. Few days ago, after their loss in Game 4, J.R. Smith tweeted: “You play selfish you lose selfish that’s all I’m saying about the game!” His comment has received a lot of heat and it seems like the team is falling apart, but last night's win might be a wake up call.

Denver can't afford to lose any other game, they have to win on Friday to force Game 7. The last time a team won a series after being down 1-3, it was in 2006 when Steve Nash led the Phoenix Suns past the Los Angeles Lakers. Here's a recap video of Game 5 between the Jazz and Nuggets: