NBA First Half Stories

The Boston Celtics lost 18 straight games and Carmelo Anthony sucker punched a player -- two of Suite101's top 5 stories from the first half of NBA 2007.

Legendary Boston coach Red Auerbach must be turning flips in his grave. The Celtics, arguably the most storied franchise in NBA history, have lost 18 straight games, heading our list of the top 5 NBA stories in the first half of the 2007 season.

1. Boston Celtics losing streak – The collapse began when star forward Paul Pierce, who was having an MVP-type season, got hurt. Boston was forced to play a lineup of young, unproven players, who haven’t had time to jell. Pierce recently returned, but he hasn’t been able to rescue the once-mighty Celtics from a franchise-record 18 consecutive defeats.
2. Amazing Dallas Mavericks – While Boston strings together losses, the Dallas Mavericks have several remarkable streaks of their own – winning streaks. The Mavs have 43 first-half wins and are an amazing 24-3 at home. Dallas has won eight straight games on four separate occasions and has two win streaks of at least 12. Dallas looks as invincible as any NBA team has looked in quite some team.
3. Brawl at Madison Square Garden – Carmelo Anthony was the NBA’s top scorer and a prime candidate for an MVP trophy, before the now infamous sucker punch he launched at Mardy Collins, during a 10-player brawl between Anthony’s Denver Nuggets and Collins’ New York Knicks. Anthony was subsequently suspended for 15 games, not voted into the NBA All-Star Game and now looks more like a thug than one of the NBA’s best players.
4. The play of Steve Nash – Two-time defending NBA MVP Steve Nash is playing like he covets a third MVP trophy more than the first two. Who would have imagined that Nash could be better this season? The Phoenix point guard is averaging 19 points and 12 assists, while shooting a ridiculous 50% from 3-point range, 54% from the field and 88% from the free throw line. Meanwhile, Nash’s Suns are a sick 39-12.
5. Phoenix, New Jersey play epic game – Lost in the furor of NBA brawls, trade rumors and streaks, both winning and losing, was one of the greatest games in NBA history. On December 7, Phoenix out-dueled New Jersey in double-overtime, 161-157, the highest combined point total in any NBA game. The contest featured 34 lead changes and 21 ties and a classic battle between the game’s two best point guards, Steve Nash and Jason Kidd. Nash scored 42 points and dished out 13 assists, while Kidd was even better, with 38 points, 14 rebounds and 14 assists – the 78th triple-double of his career. On this one historic night, these two great NBA teams played at their best and gave NBA fans a tremendous story.

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