The NBA Is Going Soft

I remember growing up and watching Michael Jordan get the hell knocked out of him constantly during the playoffs. First it was the Detroit Pistons and the "Jordan Rules" which were basically, anytime Jordan gets in the lane, try and kill him. How many times would you see Bill Laimbeer or Dennis Rodman body check MJ out of mid-air? How many times would you see Isiah Thomas try and undercut him?

It was constant, and it didn't end with the Pistons. Once the Bulls conquered Detroit, it became the Knicks who would apply the same tactics against Jordan. I didn't like that other teams were deliberately trying to hurt him, but you could understand the reasoning behind it.

You weren't going to stop him, so you might as well try to hurt him. Luckily for Bulls fans, all any of it did was piss Jordan off, and considering Michael was already the most competitive person on the court, pissing him off only made him more dangerous.

You know what I don't remember as much from all those series? Flagrant fouls being called. There were a few in the most egregious cases, but for the most part, the refs let it go. The league let opponents try and take out it's marquee player.

That's not the case these days.

The one thing that's been driving me nuts this postseason in the NBA is the constant flagrant foul calls. It seems you can't touch anybody anymore. Right now if LeBron James goes to the hole and catches an elbow in the chest, whoever delivered that elbow is going to get a flagrant called on him.

One of the worst cases I've seen came last night when Al Horford was called for a flagrant foul on Kevin Garnett. As Garnett went to the basket, Horford committed a good clean, hard foul. He didn't go after his head, instead he used his left arm against KG's chest to stop him, and with his right arm he swiped at the ball.

Garnett fell to the floor afterwards, despite Horford's effort to hold him up, because generally when two guys who are 6'10 or taller collide in mid-air, somebody is going down. Horford was then hit with the flagrant.

It was a bad call.

I use it as an example, but it's not the only one I've seen.

I understand that the NBA is in a constant battle against ill-informed "fans" who claim that the league is full of nothing but a bunch of thugs and gang-bangers, and that they have to make sure their corporate sponsors still want to fill the arenas and commercial breaks with advertisements (though those same corporate sponsors don't have a problem sponsoring the NFL where the goal is to beat your opponent into submission, wonder why that is?). I also understand that it's a superstar driven league, so the league is going to take extra precautions to protect its superstars, but it's getting ridiculous.

These are the playoffs, and throughout the history of the NBA, the playoffs get a lot more physical. It's a large part of what makes the NBA playoffs so exciting. Now I'm in no way condoning fights amongst the players, and I understand that the constant use of the flagrant fouls helps keep some fights from happening, but the NBA is playing scared.

By trying to cut off all physical play, the NBA is actually taking away a large part of what makes the playoffs so exciting, and it could end up hurting them more in the long run than a few punches ever could.

Kevin Garnett's Going To Boston

It seems that trading for Ray Allen on draft day has done a lot more for the Celtics than I thought it would originally. Maybe Danny Ainge actually had a plan, because now that he's teamed up Ray Allen and Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett is willing to go to Boston after all.

The Minnesota Timberwolves and Boston Celtics, who nearly completed a blockbuster Kevin Garnett trade before the June draft, have resurrected those trade talks and are again locked in serious discussions, according to NBA front-office sources.

Multiple sources told ESPN.com on Sunday night that former teammates Kevin McHale and Danny Ainge have revived discussions of a deal that would end Garnett's 12-season association with Minnesota by sending him to Ainge's Celtics, with the Wolves getting back two of the assets McHale coveted most last month: Al Jefferson and Theo Ratliff's expiring contract.

The only stumbling block in this deal is that Garnett would have to agree to it, which he didn't back in June. Garnett told the Celtics that if he was traded to Boston he would definetely opt out of his contract in 2008.

If Garnett does approve the deal, and I believe he will, it will make the Celtics an instant contender in the Eastern Conference. They'll make the playoffs, and possibly make a push for the Finals.

The only question is, with Garnett, Pierce, and Allen, will there be enough shots to go around? Actually there are two questions. The other is how will Paul Pierce react to going from his team's best player to it's third option in only a month?

Is KG Going to Phoenix?

As the neverending saga that is the Kevin Garnett trade talks continue, it appears that The Big Ticket could be heading to the desert and the Phoenix Suns.

According to ESPN's Chad Ford and Marc Stein,

There was a growing sentiment around the league Tuesday night that the Kevin Garnett sweepstakes are nearing a conclusion and that the Phoenix Suns are the most likely winners, with two trade scenarios emerging that could potentially land Garnett in the desert by draft night.

With the Los Angeles Lakers' attempts to construct a multi-team deal or a direct trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves collapsing, ESPN's Jim Gray reports that talk of a potential three-team trade that would involve Minnesota, Boston and Phoenix has been rekindled, in which the primary cost to the Suns would be All-Star forward Shawn Marion moving to the Celtics.

In return the Timberwolves would receive the Celtics #5 pick in tomorrow's draft and a stable of other players. (Delonte West, Kurt Thomas, Theo Ratliff)

There are a few sticking points in this deal though that would likely kill it.

First of all, Shawn Marion has already gone on the record saying that if he were traded to Boston he would definetely opt out of his contract at the end of next season. Since there's no way the Celtics would agree to this deal if they're only going to get Marion for one season, they want him to sign a contract extension before agreeing to the deal.

Another stumbling block is that the Wolves have been pretty adamant about the fact that they want Al Jefferson from the Celtics. The Celtics are willing to part with Jefferson, but only on one condition: Garnett would have to be going to Boston.

There's also another possible deal that would involve the Suns, Wolves and Hawks that would include Phoenix sending Amare Stoudemire to Atlanta. The Suns don't want to part with Stoudemire, and justifiably so. You could say that replacing Amare with KG would actually be a step back for the Suns seeing as how there's no telling how good Amare can be, and he's a lot younger than Garnett.

That said, if the deal between Boston, Phoenix, and Minnesota does go through, how scary are the Suns? As if they weren't good enough last season, they could go into next season with Steve Nash, Amare, KG, and Leandro Barbosa.

The Basketball Diaries - Explosion in Milwaukee

Chicago Bulls 126 Milwaukee Bucks 121 OT

It's basically the equivalent of the perfect game in basketball, it happens so rarely, but yesterday in Milwaukee Michael Redd and Ben Gordon combined for 100 points. Redd had 52 while BG set a career-high with 48. Of course, it was Gordon's team that won. The Bulls came back from a 13- point deficit to overtake the Bucks. It was only the eighth time in NBA history that two players combined for 100 points, yet the second time this season. (Kobe and Hibachi) Afterwards there was high praise for Gordon, who took over the game from the fourth quarter on. "If he was 6-(foot)-6, 6-7, man, he would be like Michael Jordan. He's that scary," Bulls guard Adrian Griffin said of the 6-3 Gordon. "He never ceases to impress me. If you look at a guy his size, to do the things he does, it's quite incredible."

Boston Celtics 124 Minnesota Timberwolves 117 2OT

What the hell has gotten into Boston? They've won three games in a row, and for a team that usually wins three times a month, that's amazing. Delonte West had 31 points, Paul Pierce had 27, Al Jefferson had 20 and 14, and I think Doc Rivers scored 20 too. Kevin Garnett did all he could, recording a triple double with 33 points, 13 boards and 10 assists, but the rest of his team sucks. You know where those stats would win, Kevin? Chicago. Think about it.

Phoenix Suns 99 Los Angeles Lakers 94

Yeah, so Phoenix is still good and stuff. Steve Nash had 23 points and 10 assists to lead Phoenix past LA Sunday afternoon. Eighteen of Steve's points came in the second half, but in typical Suns fashion, even though they won they didn't play "well." "We just didn't have a lot of mojo," Nash said. "We never really found a lot. We just kind of hung in there and made enough plays when it counted I guess." Yeah, you suck.

Elsewhere...

• Wizards 107 Warriors 106
• Sixers 99 Nets 86
• Jazz 108 Hornets 94
• Sonics 96 Bobcats 89

The Basketball Diaries - The Suns Set

Minnesota Timberwolves 121 Phoenix Suns 112

Well, well, the Suns 17-game win streak has finally come to an end. And all it took was a 44-point, 11 rebound-sized effort from Kevin Garnett to do it. Garnett practically won this game on his own. He scored 15 points in the 4th quarter, and hit every big shot when it was needed. "People who say he can't carry the load, take a look at this game film," new Timberwolves coach Randy Wittman said. Not even Steve Nash's 20 points and 18 assists could save the Suns, but they didn't seem to upset about it afterward. "Better to lose that way than to lose when we beat ourselves," Nash said. "Kevin was sensational. We just didn't make shots at the end at the clip Kevin was making them." You're a bitter, bitter little Canadian, huh, Steve Nash... Hoser.

New Jersey Nets 116 Utah Jazz 115

So what do you get when you take Carlos Boozer and Jerry Sloan away from the Utah Jazz? You get Vince Carter waving goodbye to you after he hits a thirty foot three-pointer at the basket to beat your depleted ass, that's what. Vinsanity scored 29 of his 33 points in the second half, and waved to the Jazz bench after his game winner before being mobbed by teammates, to help the Nets scored a come-from-behind win in Utah. The Jazz outrebounded the Nets 44-21, but also committed 19 turnovers to Jersey's 7. That's not how you win basketball games. You win by scoring more points than the other team, silly.

Charlotte Bobcats 105 Denver Nuggets 101

You know, for some reason, when I pictured Melo returning from his suspension to play alongside Allen Iverson, a loss at home against the Charlotte Bobcats never entered the picture. But as we all know, the Bobcats own the Western Conference right now. They took down the Lakers and now they got the Nuggets. In fact, Dallas and Phoenix are hiding in their closets wetting themselves thinking about it. Carmelo had a chance to give Denver a lead with seconds left, but got swatted by Gerald Wallace in the process. Gerald Wallace is the best player in the NBA that nobody knows about. Somebody get him out of Charlotte.

Elsewhere...

• Hawks 93 Magic 83
• Hornets 103 Blazers 91
• Grizzlies 124 Kings 117
• Rockets 105 Sixers 84

The Basketball Diaries-M! V! P!

Washington Wizards 114 Utah Jazz 111

If the season ended today, and we had an MVP vote, we'd give it to Gilbert Arenas. Not only is he the most entertaining player in the league, but we're pretty sure the Wizards would really suck without him. Yesterday, Gilbert hit a three-pointer as time expired to give himself 51 points and the Wizards a victory over Utah. It was his second game-winner in seven days. "MVP? That trophy is given out at the end of the year," Arenas said. "This is [37] games into the season so you can't do too much about it. Right now, Steve Nash is above everybody. You have to really do something dramatic in this league. If Kobe averages 35 with an 81 and he didn't get it, you have to do something else in this league to overtake what Steve Nash has done."

Los Angeles Lakers 124 Miami Heat 118 OT

The NBA has a rule that says the Lakers and Heat are only allowed to play each other on holidays. Whether it's Christmas or MLK Day, neither would ever feel the same without these two "rivals" colliding. Dwyane Wade had 35 points to Kobe's 25, but the Lakers emerged from the game victorious. Former Illini Brian Cook was also a large factor for the Lakers, scoring 25 points.

Minnesota Timberwolves 94 Detroit Pistons 90 OT

With the soon-to-be newest Piston, Chris Webber, watching from the front row, the Pistons lost in overtime to Minnesota at home yesterday. The Timberwolves are one of the hottest teams in the NBA right now, winning 7 of 8 in January, including 4-0 in overtime. Kevin Garnett had 19 points and 14 rebounds and Ricky Davis dropped in 21 points. "It's huge that we've been through these games," Davis said. "Everything is a little smoother because we know we can win them and we've been there a whole lot of times. They picked it up on us, but we came back."

Elsewhere...

• Knicks 102 Kings 97
• Bucks 99 Bobcats 91
• Hawks 100 Celtics 96
• Bulls 99 Spurs 87
• Raptors 104 Sixers 86
• Nets 105 Pacers 95
• Warriors 108 Clippers 93
• Suns 137 Grizzlies 122

Remembering Kevin Garnett

There seemingly comes a time during every NBA season in Chicago when the rumors start.

He's coming.

Soon he'll be here and the Bulls will be title contenders.

If you've been paying any attention to Bulls basketball the last few kabillion years or so, you know exactly who we're talking about.

Kevin Garnett.

Well, with the Timberwolves coming to town tonight to play the Bulls at the United Center, it's that time of year again.

We tend to hear these rumors every season, so we've grown numb to them. That doesn't mean we still don't want Kevin Garnett. Seriously, who in the Eastern Conference would be better than the Bulls if they added Garnett?

Using the trade John Jackson suggested in his column -Nocioni, Tyrus Thomas, PJ Brown, Mike Sweetney, and draft pick - this would be the Bulls' likely starting lineup:

• G Chris Duhon
• G Kirk Hinrich
• C Ben Wallace
• F Luol Deng
• F Kevin Garnett

That's not bad.

Our question is, do we still need Garnett? The way Luol Deng has developed this season, KG's addition might slow that growth. Lu is becoming the Bulls' go-to guy, and with KG in town, that would change.

Of course, you know what else would help Luol Deng develop into a go-to guy? A run deep into the playoffs, and an NBA Finals appearance.

Ya, so it's official. We still really want to see Kevin Garnett come back home to Chicago and play for the Bulls.

See, we have a special connection with KG. He got us on Sportscenter.

Back when we were the sports editor at Proviso West High School, KG came to play at the Proviso West Holiday Tournament. The tournament is held annually and features the best high school basketball teams in the Chicagoland area.

So, we had our press pass, and were standing on the baseline on one night when KG and his Farragut team was playing. We'd heard a ton about Garnett through the media cuz everybody knew he was going straight to the league, and this was our first chance to actually see him.

He had a teammate at Farragut named Ronnie Fields who, if not for a car accident and broken neck, would also be in the NBA right now. The two of them were amazing together.

On one play Fields threw a lob pass to Garnett from about midcourt, from our vantage point on the baseline and below the rim. We're pretty sure KG jumped about 50 feet in the air, one-handed it and threw it down while giving out that yell we've all grown accustomed to hearing.

It was easily one of the coolest things we've ever seen.

So we go home that night, and we're watching Sportscenter, and what do ya know? They're featuring KG on the Top 10 plays of the night, and it's that dunk.

The kicker?

As they zoom in on KG screaming after he landed back on Earth from across court, who's that in the background making the "Daaayyyyum" face?

Us.

So, we have always had a special connection with KG. We love him as a player (seriously, of Garnett is playing in Chicago, LA or New York for most of his career, we would all consider him one of the best ever to play this game) and we really love him for getting our gorgeous face on Sportscenter.

Now we want to see him playing for the Bulls. We like winning championships in Chicago, and KG definitely deserves one for himself.

Bujt there is a possible snafu. Now that Allen Iverson has said he want's to be traded, the Timberwolves have emerged as a possible destination. If that deal goes through, KG won't be going anywhere.

Said Garnett,

"Bring it on, I love 'The Answer.' We welcome A.I. with open arms. Where's Kevin McHale?"

So we don't know about you, but we're praying that Allen Iverson is a Denver Nugget next week.