A Look Back at NBA's First Half
With All-Star Weekend Here, a Reflection on First Part of the Season
Feb 16, 2008 Justin Harrington
Here are some of the storylines from the first half of the season.
The Boston Celtics Are More Than the "Big 3"
Sure, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen compose the league's most dynamic trio, but there is a cast of other players that has helped the Celts achieve the league's best record (41 wins, 9 losses). Second-year point guard Rajon Rondo is averaging 10.4 ppg and 4.8 apg and leads the team in steals (1.76). Kendrick Perkins has become a solid support player for Garnett on the offensive and defensive ends of the floor. He is averaging 7.3 ppg and 1.26 bpg, second only to K.G. Other players making significant impacts with the Celtics include Eddie House, Tony Allen, rookie Glen "Big Baby" Davis and James Posey.
The Miami Heat Are Really, Really Bad...and Shaq's in Phoenix
The 2006 NBA-champion Heat currently possess the league's worst record at 9-42. They lost 24 of the 25 games they played before the break and will undoubtedly miss the playoffs. They also lost Shaq in a trade with the Phoenix Suns. Coach Pat Riley, also the team's president, will have to decide what to do to repair this once-feared team; well, that is, if he wants to stay around to help. Shaq didn't.
Jason Kidd Returns to the Mavericks...and Then Returns to the Nets
Less than a week after the Shaq trade there was another blockbuster deal that sent future hall-of-fame point guard Kidd to Dallas -- where he was originally drafted in 1994 -- in exchange for Devin Harris, Jerry Stackhouse, Devean George, DeSagana Diop, Maurice Ager, a pair of first-round draft picks and cash. But, as quickly as the story hit the presses, George exercised a no-trade clause in his contract to block the deal. That same night, George missed all 11 of his field-goal attempts against the Suns, undoubtedly frustrating Mavericks fans and owner Mark Cuban, who is trying to find and shred George's contract.
The Lakers Are Great, and Recently Became Greater
The Lakers are having an impressive season with a 35-17 record and became even better when they landed Pau Gasol via trade. The Lakers didn't give up much on paper, sending the underachieving Kwame Brown, rookie Javaris Crittenton, Aaron McKie, the rights to younger brother Marc Gasol, and two first-round picks to the Memphis Grizzlies. Gasol sports 18.9 ppg, 8.6 rpg, and 3.1 apg career averages and, in his 7th year, could become one-half of a potential fierce duo up front with Andrew Bynum. Kobe, you can relax now, you don't have to do it all on your own.
Jose Calderon IS an All-Star
When the Toronto Raptors' starting point guard T.J. Ford was injured in December, reserve guard Calderon became the engine that propelled the Raptors. The third-year point guard's efficiency in running plays has earned him the NBA's best assists-to-turnover ratio (5.51) and he ranks fifth in the league in apg with 8.9. His .923 free-throw and .472 three-point fg percentages position him second and sixth, respectively, in the league. This is why there was some surprise when he wasn't voted to the All-Star Game.
Reference:
- www.nba.com
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