Oklahoma City Thunder Lock Up Serge Ibaka With Four-Year Extension And What It Might Mean For James Harden

According to Yahoo! Sports, among other sources, the Oklahoma City Thunder have locked up the third member of the team's four-headed monster of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Serge Ibaka, and James Harden when the team agreed to a four-year, $48 million deal with Ibaka to remain with the Thunder.

Ibaka's new extension leaves Harden as the only member of the Thunder's core group that isn't locked in for the foreseeable future with Oklahoma City.

With Harden emerging last season as the best bench player in the NBA, averaging 16.8 points per game en route to earning NBA Sixth Man of the Year honors, most people thought Thunder GM Sam Presti would have a deal worked out with Harden before moving on to Ibaka's.

However, for reasons that remain unknown at this time, Presti decided to lock in Ibaka first, who is one of the league's best defensive players and only beginning to scratch the surface of his potential ceiling.

At 6'10", and with freakishly long arms, Ibaka has led the league in total blocks in each of the past two seasons, averaging a whopping 3.7 blocks per game while playing and starting all 66 games this past season for OKC.

Ibaka also led the league in total postseason blocks in each of the past two seasons, including a 2.68 average this past postseason to go along with his 9.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game as he helped lead the Thunder to the 2012 NBA Finals.

He was also named to the All-NBA first Defensive Team this past season, and finished second to Tyson Chandler of the New York Knicks in voting for Defensive Player of the Year.

You can't really make an argument that efficiency played much of a role in the team opting to deal with Ibaka's extension before Harden's considering they had very similar PERs this past season, with Harden narrowly edging Ibaka 21.1 to 19.0 in that category.

Both players have had extremely good luck staying healthy and on the court during their first three seasons in the league, as Harden has only missed 10 out of 230 regular season games, while Ibaka has missed only 9 out of 230 games (all nine of his missed games came during his rookie season).

It wasn't because Harden was busy with the Olympics, playing alongside Durant and Westbrook for Team USA on their way to a gold medal because Ibaka played just as deep in the tournament with Spain, settling with a silver medal after Team USA's 107-100 victory over the Spanish team.

Harden was reportedly being shopped around the league at the time of the 2012 NBA Draft, with the Charlotte Bobcats being one team reportedly very interested in making a move for him (they supposedly considered sending their number two overall pick to OKC in exchange for Harden.

I can't say with any certainty that Presti hasn't shopped Ibaka at some point over the past three seasons, although I'd venture to say it's likely Presti has shopped everyone on the roster except for KD at some point just to gauge interest in his players from around the league.

The reason Presti decided to lock up Ibaka for the next four years before dealing with Harden's extension could be as simple as he realized just how bad the Thunder will need Ibaka when they inevitably get matched up against the Los Angeles Lakers and their newest incarnation of twin towers, Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol, in the postseason.

For instance, remove Ibaka from the Thunder's squad and replace him with Dante Cunningham of the Minnesota Timberwolves, who had a PER of 14.94 last season (15.0 is the standardized league average and Cunningham was closet to the mark at the power forward position last season).

I don't think Oklahoma City would win more than two games against the 2012-13 Lakers in a seven game series with that swap, and that's assuming Durant AND Westbrook each have at least one out of this world performance during that series.

Now, let's remove Harden from the equation and replace him with Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors, who posted a 14.97 PER during the 2011-12 season (again, the closest player at shooting guard to a 15.0 PER).

I still don't think the Thunder would be able to pull out four wins against that same Lakers squad (maybe once in every five seven game series between the two), but I do know that it would be a much, much closer fight with Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins down low battling Howard and Gasol with Durant and Westbrook still handling their business.

Basically, what this proves is that Oklahoma City will need all four pieces of their four-headed monster if they want to get past a Lakers squad being led by an insanely determined Kobe Bryant (Do you honestly think the Black Mamba is going to show any sign of mercy or focus on anything beyond the hardwood in his pursuit of his Jordan-tying sixth ring?) and an almost equally determined Steve Nash (still chasing his first ring while holding the fairly embarrassing title of having played more playoff games than anyone in NBA history without even reaching the NBA Finals at an astounding total of 118 games.. and counting).

While the Thunder NEED that four-headed monster intact to secure their best odds at a title, it's a different story entirely whether or not they can actually make it happen.

Assuming Ibaka will be earning about $12 million a season under his new extension, Oklahoma City would have around $47 million committed to Durant, Westbrook, and Ibaka alone starting with the 2013-14 season.

Tack on another $15 million (approximately) for Kendrick Perkins, Thabo Sefolosha and Nick Collison, and those six players alone eating up about $63 million in cap space in 2013-14.

While Harden's qualifying offer is only $7.64 million, it's almost a certainty he will be offered somewhere between $12 million per season and a maximum contract by a team that's chasing him next summer as a restricted free agent.

Even if he draws the short straw out of those numbers, still $12 million per year, that means the Thunder would be committed to $75 million in salary in 2013-14 for Durant, Westbrook, Harden, Ibaka, Perkins, Collison, and Sefolosha if they matched his offer sheet.

With the salary cap expected to be somewhere in the range of $58 million and the tax threshold at around $70 million (and reportedly getting more punitive in 2013-14, hitting teams harder that are over the line), that puts the Thunder almost $17 million over the cap and paying at least $10 million in luxury taxes with a minimum of six more spots to fill on their roster.

While Clay Bennett, owner of the Thunder, has never been one to shy away from spending, I'm not sure he is going to want to spend that kind of money when it can't even guarantee a championship with the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers on equal or higher ground than the Thunder.

In the end, although it may be tough for Bennett to swallow financially, I don't think he has a choice but to pay James Harden whatever he commands as they easily have the youngest core of the three super teams right now (Thunder, Heat, Lakers. Sorry everyone else, they're just on a separate level at this point) and would almost certainly win at least one championship over the next four or five seasons.

If for some reason Oklahoma City decides they can't afford to keep Harden around and they allow him to leave town, they may be regretting it over the next decade if they fail to win multiple titles without him, because as long as OKC has their four-headed monster of Durant, Westbrook, Ibaka, and Harden in tact, they will remain a threat to win the Larry O'Brien championship trophy almost every season for the next five to ten years.

The Five Best Moves Of The NBA Offseason

In no particular order, here at the five best moves that have been made so far this offseason by front offices across the league:

- The Los Angeles Lakers adding Steve Nash and Dwight Howard AND keeping Pau Gasol: The basketball gods must heavily favor the purple and gold because it seems they ALWAYS come out of trades looking like thieves.

Most recently, prior to this summer, it was the Pau Gasol robbery from Memphis (although that deal looks much better now with Marc Gasol's emergence with the Grizzlies than it did when it actually went down back in 2008).

This summer, they somehow made off like bandits not once, but twice, in separate trades that could alter the championship picture for years to come.

First, they were able to land Steve Nash from their division rival, the Phoenix Suns, for a total of four draft picks (two in each round) that will almost certainly be near the bottom of each round. Two of those picks (their first and second rounders for 2013) are coming in one of the weakest drafts since 2000 and will likely fall at the tail end of each round, making them virtually useless.

While the offer was absolutely horrendous from Phoenix's end, they did the right thing for Steve Nash after everything he gave the franchise, which is something of a rarity for teams in today's sports landscape. Nash, even as he approaches the end of his career, instantly becomes the best point guard Kobe Bryant has played with in the NBA.

Then, for some ridiculous reason that will never make sense to me, the Orlando Magic finally caved in and decided to part with Dwight Howard, only somehow they managed to fail to even get Pau Gasol out of the deal. Other than Andrew Bynum, Josh McRoberts and Christian Eyenga were the only other players Los Angeles had to part with to ADD THE BEST CENTER IN THE NBA.

Instead of potentially landing Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol, while shedding most, if not all, of their horrendous contracts in the inevitable trade of Dwight Howard, the Magic decided to take back a package that didn't include either player and left the Lakers with a starting five of Nash-Bryant-World Peace-Gasol-Howard.

I'll never know how Los Angeles Laker's GM Mitch Kupchak managed to swing those deals, but I'm going out on a limb here and declaring him the NBA Executive of the Year. Heck, the NBA might as well go ahead and give him the real award now, it's not like anyone is topping his moves this offseason.

- The Denver Nuggets acquiring Andre Iguodala in the Dwight Howard mega-deal: The Nuggets found a way to sneak themselves into the Dwight Howard mega-deal as one of the two teams that helped facilitate D-12's move to the City of Angels and they made out quite well for their troubles.

Denver added one of the most well-rounded players in the league in Iguodala and all it cost them was Aaron Afflalo, Al Harrington, and the lower of their 2014 first round draft picks.

Afflalo is a great young talent at point guard, however, the Nuggets will be just fine with Ty Lawson and Andre Miller still manning the back court. Lawson is also two years younger than Afflalo, and his 19.4 PER (Player Efficiency Rating) crushed Afflalo's 14.7 PER this past season, so I think it's safe to say Denver kept the better of the two.

Iguodala is still on the right side of 30, at only 28 years old, and is coming off a pretty solid run with the USA's Olympic squad that earned their second consecutive gold medal. Through his first eight seasons in the league, all with the 76ers, Iguodala averaged 15.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 1.7  steals per game.

His critics have always hammered him for not being able to be "that guy" who carries a team on his back. However, Denver doesn't need him to fill that type of role, making him the perfect fit for their system.

Iggy's addition could push Denver from a borderline playoff squad all the way up the ladder in the West to the upper rungs, just below the Los Angeles Lakers and Oklahoma City Thunder, but as good or better than anyone else in their conference.

-  The Brooklyn Nets walking away from negotiations for Dwight Howard with the Orlando Magic: The Nets and Howard had their eyes set on each other for nearly a year, dreaming of a pairing they felt would be perfect both for the franchise and the player.

However, in mid-July, after months and months of negotiations that had gone no where, Nets GM Billy King gave the Orlando Magic a deadline to get something done or Brooklyn was walking away from the table for good.

I'm not sure if the Magic and/or their new GM Rob Henenigan thought King was bluffing when he told them of the deadline, however, we are sure of how it turned out now.

King wasn't bluffing, as the Nets walked away from negotiations for Howard and almost immediately swung a deal with the Atlanta Hawks to bring Joe Johnson to Brooklyn to pair with Deron Williams in the backcourt.

They re-signed Williams and Gerald Wallace to long-term deals, signed Brook Lopez to an extension, kept Kris Humphries on a two-year deal, and added several other complementary pieces as well.

While the pairing of Williams and Howard might have been nice for Nets fans, their supporting cast would have been somewhere between pretty bad and "Seriously, THIS is why we wanted to team up in Brooklyn?" bad for the duo.

Think about it. They would have had to part with Lopez, Humphries, MarShon Brooks, and several decent draft picks just to land Howard and bring back some of Orlando's collection of horrible contracts, which in turn, would have kept them from signing role players like C.J. Watson, Jerry Stackhouse, and Mirza Teletovic.

I'd much rather have Williams-Johnson-Wallace-Humphries-Lopez and a decent bench instead of Williams-Jason Richardson-Hedo Turkoglu-Earl Clark-Howard and a bunch of nobodies (with no draft picks) any day, all day, and twice on Saturday's.

- The Atlanta Hawks moving their two worst contracts (Joe Johnson and Marvin Williams) in less than 24 hours AND arguably improving in the process: New Atlanta Hawks' general manager Danny Ferry would almost certainly be the front-runner for NBA Executive of the Year if not for Mitch Kupchak's two armed robberies.

First, he traded Johnson, and the league's most expensive contract, to the Brooklyn Nets for Anthony Morrow, Jordan Farmar (since waived), Jordan Williams, DeShawn Stevenson and Johan Petro, as well as a 2017 second round pick.

Later in the day, he then shipped Marvin Williams (the team's constant reminder that the Hawks could've drafted Chris Paul to his hometown Hawks and blew it) to the Utah Jazz for Devin Harris.

On paper, the moves don't look like much of an upgrade. However, once you realize that Ferry turned Johnson's 2012-13 salary of $19.8 (and the near $70 million beyond this season) and Williams into a top ten three point shooter (Morrow, career 42.6%), a solid back-up point guard (Harris), and $20.5 million in expiring contracts (all six players they acquired have contracts expiring after this season, including Farmar, who was already waived),

After their other signings and moves, including the additions of Kyle Korver and Lou Williams, the Hawks are right back at the level they were at prior to the trade, only with approximately ten times the potential when you factor in all the new faces and the franchise-altering amount of cap space they will have next summer.

While their 2012-13 roster might not fare much better than Atlanta's recent string of first or second round playoff losses, they are primed to transform into legitimate, consistent contenders if they continue making all the right moves.

Keep an eye on the Hawks and their stockpile of expiring contracts at the trade deadline in February. With a core of Josh Smith, Al Horford, Jeff Teague, Lou Williams, Devin Harris, and Kyle Korver, Atlanta is only a player or two away from being a serious contender in the East (although they will almost certainly remain in the Miami Heat's massive shadow as they share the same division).

However, with Danny Ferry trading the most untradeable contract in the league within days of taking the Hawks' GM job, nothing he does will surprise me from now on.

- The Miami Heat stealing Ray Allen away from their biggest rival in the Eastern Conference while also adding Rashard Lewis: While many people who follow basketball thought Pat Riley would focus on adding some more size to the Heat's front court as his top priority this offseason, he went out and did almost the exact opposite.

However, when you have the opportunity to land the best three point shooter in NBA history AND one of your main rivals' best players in the same signing, you just can't pass that up, regardless of current needs.

While Miami could clearly use an upgrade at the center position, they have already shown they have what it takes to win an NBA title playing "small ball" and employing a rotation of semi-competent big men other than Chris Bosh.

While Allen lost his starting role with the Celtics last season to Avery Bradley amid lingering injuries, he won't have to play nearly as many regular season minutes for Miami and will almost certainly be used primarily as a spot up shooter lurking around the three-point line, meaning a lot less running around the floor on offense which means less wear and tear on his body.

With his ability to knock down open threes with such consistency, as well the Heat's plethora of other talented three point shooters (Mike Miller, Shane Battier, James Jones, etc.), Miami will almost certainly be one of the best three point shooting teams in the league next season.

With LeBron James and Dwayne Wade commanding double and triple teams every time they drive to the rim, I also expect more than a few of those threes will be wide-open looks.

Although Rashard Lewis might not be the legitimate big man Riley and the Heat have been searching for during the past two summers, at 6'9, he gives them another player like Chris Bosh that can shoot the ball well enough away from the basket that it forces the man covering him to leave the post and come out to guard him.

With a line-up of James-Allen-Wade-Lewis-Bosh on the court, for instance, head coach Erik Spoelstra would have an almost unlimited amount of options on the offensive side of the ball to work with.

Lewis and Bosh can either take the ball down low to the rim or spot up and shoot from 15 feet, causing nightmares for the large percentage of the league's power forwards and centers that have trouble playing defense away from the rim.

If either one of them draws their man away from the basket, it makes it all the easier for LeBron or Wade to take off and drive to the rim, scoring an easy dunk or lay-up and/or drawing a foul on someone moving off their defensive assignment to try and cover the guy with the ball.

By chance someone makes the defensive switch in time to stop whoever is driving to the rim, it will likely come at the expense of leaving Allen or another one of Miami's deadly three point shooters wide open on the perimeter.

Allen also knows Miami's chief rival in the Eastern Conference, the Boston Celtics, quite well having spent the past five seasons with them prior to deciding to take less money and playing time to chase a second (and maybe even a third or fourth) ring with the Heat.

While the Lakers clearly made some earth-shaking moves by acquiring Steve Nash and Dwight Howard this summer, Miami's addition of Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis keeps them in the pole position of the championship race as they look to repeat and build upon last season's success.

Honorable Mention:

- The Oklahoma City Thunder stealing Perry Jones with the 28th pick in the first round of the 2012 NBA Draft: Normally, teams coming of an appearance in the NBA Finals don't find themselves in a position to land a player at the NBA Draft that will have any meaningful impact on the franchise in the immediate future.

However, that's exactly where Oklahoma City found themselves during this year's draft as they were the beneficiary of Jones' tumble down the draft board after last minute medical red flags went up regarding his potential knee problems.

Jones, who was once projected as high as a top five draft pick, fell into the Thunder's lap after many teams passed on him due to concerns about the meniscus in his knee dating back to before he played at Baylor.

Standing 6'11 and talented enough to play almost position on the floor, Jones will almost certainly find decent minutes starting out as a rookie, and if he begins to live up to his sizable potential early in the season, could even find himself playing a significant role with the team come postseason time.

Even if for some reason Jones doesn't work out in the long run and fails to live up to his once towering expectations, Sam Presti and the Thunder will have lost nothing other than a late first round pick. If he does work out, Presti once again looks like a genius grabbing the guy everyone else was scared to touch. It's a win-win situation for the Thunder and there is potential here for it to be an extremely big win if Jones pans out.

End Of The Week Free Agency Updates: Brandon Bass, Jameer Nelson, Gerald Wallace, & Jamal Crawford

-- In a somewhat surprising move, Brandon Bass has decided to opt-out of the final year of his contract with the Boston Celtics and test free agency this summer.

Bass would have made $4.25 million next season with the Celtics under his current deal, but considering he is coming off a season in which he posted career highs in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks, it's fair to say he is due for a raise.

However, according to the report from Comcast Sportsnet, it's likely Bass will return to Boston and sign a multi-year contract with the team.

"I would love to be back here," he told reporters after Boston's season-ending loss to the Miami Heat in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals. "The fans here are unbelievable. For any player, this organization is the organization that you want to play for."

Regardless of whether or not the Celtics bring back Kevin Garnett next season, Boston still needs some quality front court players for the post "Big Four" era and Bass is exactly the kind of player they need as they move forward and build for the future.

Bass took less money to stay with the Orlando Magic once upon a time, so it's not totally out of the realm of possibility he will give the Celtics a fair discount as well if they commit to him for the long-term.

-- The Orlando Magic and point guard Jameer Nelson have agreed to an extension on his contract opt-out date until June 29 amidst all of the coaching and front office uncertainty within the franchise.

Nelson was originally supposed to have made a decision by today, however, he asked the team for an extension until he finds out who will be the next head coach and general manager of the team.

"The extension gives Jameer the opportunity to evaluate the decisions that Orlando's about to make, which helps in clarifying what Jameer's role would be and whether or not the new management team has a role for him," Nelson's agent Steve Mountain told the Orlando Sentinel.

If Nelson chooses to return  to Orlando next season and exercises his player option, he will earn about $7.9 million, but he could also find himself being dangled in trades because he will have a contract that expires after the 2012-13 season.

However, if he chooses to opt-out, he will hit the free agent market on July 1 as an unrestricted free agent and will be free to sign with any team without Orlando having the right to match an offer.

Nelson has spent his entire NBA career with the Magic and says he would like to return to Orlando if the situation feels right.

--  Gerald Wallace has decided to take a gamble on his value on the free agent market, as he will opt-out of the final year of his contract with the Brooklyn Nets that was due to pay him $9.5 million.

Wallace, who was acquired by the Nets in a midseason trade with the Portland Trail Blazers, will likely draw interest from several contending teams, although he almost certainly won't be offered a contract paying him what he would have made by picking up his player option with Brooklyn.

The Nets gave up a mini-truckload for Wallace, sending Mehmet Okur to the Blazers as well as a first round draft pick, which ended up being the sixth overall selection in this month's NBA Draft.

With that being said, expect Brooklyn to make a major run at re-signing Wallace to a multi-year contract, even it means paying him more than his original deal would've given him for the first season or two of the new contract.

Although Wallace is an 11-year veteran in the league, he is only 30 years-old and still has quite a few solid years left in the tank, especially on the defensive side of the ball.

-- Portland Trail Blazer's guard Jamal Crawford will test free agency this summer and opt-out of the final season of the two-year deal he signed just last summer with the franchise.

Crawford would have earned $5.225 next season with the Blazers if he had decided to pick up his player option on the deal, however, he apparently didn't enjoy his time with Portland according to multiple reports throughout the season.

Part of the reason for Crawford's unhappiness can be traced to the number of minutes he played with the Blazers this year, averaging only 26.9 minutes per game in the 60 he played in, which was his lowest minutes per game average since 2003.

Sam Amico of FoxSports reports that Crawford is interested in signing with one of the following teams in free agency: the Miami Heat, Los Angeles Clippers, Sacramento Kings, New York Knicks or Cleveland Cavaliers.

He was drafted 8th overall in the 2000 draft by the Cavaliers, although he never played for them as he was traded almost immediately after being drafted to the Chicago Bulls for Chris Mihm.

Crawford has played for the Knicks in the past, and although they weren't very good during his first tenure there, they are much better these days and would greatly benefit from the addition of a player of Crawford's level.

If the 32 year-old guard is interested in chasing a championship, Miami and New York would probably be his best options, although the heat would likely have to trade or amnesty Mike Miller to make something happen.

Where do you think these players will end up in free agency? Who will re-sign with the current teams and who will find themselves wearing new uniforms next season? Share your opinions below in the comments section.

Complete Highlights From Game 2 Of 2012 NBA Finals, Which The Miami Heat Won 100-96 Over The OKC Thunder

This is the best video I have found so far with highlights from the second game of the 2012 NBA Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Heat jumped out to a big lead early in the game, however, Oklahoma City fought back hard in the second half in what almost seemed like deja vu from Game 1.

However, this time the Oklahoma City Thunder couldn't finish off their late comeback attempt, with Kevin Durant missing a potential game-tying shot with under 10 seconds remaining in the game, allowing the Heat to end a three-game losing streak in the NBA Finals dating back to last season.



Which play do you think qualified as the "Play of the Game"? Was it one of Serge Ibaka's sick blocks? Perhaps one of D-Wade's ridiculous shots? Or was it one of the thunderous dunks that got thrown down throughout the night? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Did The Referees Miss A Crucial Foul Call Against LeBron James In The Final Seconds Of Game 2?

With the Oklahoma City Thunder only trailing 98-96 to the Miami Heat as time ran down in Game 2 of the 2012 NBA Finals last night, three-time league scoring champ Kevin Durant drove to the rim and put up a floater only a few feet away from the rim.

As Durant released the shot, it appeared LeBron James put his elbow into Durant's abdomen/rib area, possibly affecting the shot and causing the shot to come up just short.

To make matters worse, it also seemed like James fouled Westbrook trying to secure the rebound off the missed shot, however, the referee called the foul on Russell Westbrook and Oklahoma City.

That foul call, with just 7.1 seconds left in the game, sent the reigning MVP to the free throw line for the Miami Heat, where James clinched the game with two made shots.

Check out footage of the controversial play right here:




Do you think the referee missed the call(s) on the play? Or did he make the right decision letting the play go since the contact was pretty minimal? Share your thoughts below in the comments section.

Oklahoma City Thunder's Serge Ibaka With The Sick Block On LeBron James In Game 2

Serge Ibaka had five blocks in Oklahoma City's 100-96 defeat to the Miami Heat last night, but none may have been bigger than this one he had on reigning league MVP, LeBron James.

Ibaka's solid all-around defense was a huge reason the Thunder were able to dig themselves out of a 17 point hole in the first half and trim the lead just two points in the games' final minutes.




Is Serge Ibaka the best shot blocker in the NBA right now? If not, who do you consider to be the best? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Rapper Lil Wayne Feels Disrespected By Oklahoma City Thunder's Arena Staff

Earlier in the postseason, rapper Lil Wayne was upset because he wasn't given tickets by the Oklahoma City Thunder to attend Game 3 of their Western Conference Finals match-up with the San Antonio Spurs.

"Was going to go to the Thunder game tonight but was denied by the team to be in their arena. Wow. Smh. Go Spurs!," tweeted the rap superstar the night of Game 3, which was played in Oklahoma City.

The team would later admit to not supplying Wayne with tickets, saying it was due to limited supply and due to the fact that the rapper would only sit in the front row, which was already sold out by the time he made his request.

Thunder stars Kevin Durant and James Harden offered him tickets to attend Game 4 of the same series, with Durant offering the rapper two tickets in an attempt to bring some celebrity power to Oklahoma City.

While "Lil Weezy" refused to show up for the game, American Idol host Ryan Seacrest was shown courtside during the game, prompting the rapper to hint that race may have played a role in him being denied seats to the previous game.

“That’s not the point, though,” Lil Wayne said. “It’s the players stepping up but, of course, the players aren’t white. I don’t want to be sitting there on behalf of you and I’m sitting next to a (person) that’s like ‘I don’t want this (guy) sitting next to me.’"

Although he was still upset with the Thunder, the multi-platinum rapper turned up at the Chesapeake Energy Arena for Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Heat and Thunder on Tuesday night.

However, Lil Wayne was still apparently offended or upset by something the staff at the arena did or said to him at some point during his visit.

"Again I was treated like sh!t by the Thunder arena staff...dam..I hope da Heat beat da dog sh!t out em!!" he tweeted about his experience at Game 1.

While he may be upset with the Thunder and their staff, it's not much of a surprise he would cheer for the Heat, as he is routinely at their games when they play at home in Miami anyway, including during their Eastern Conference Finals run against the Boston Celtics.

As matter of fact, I fully expect the self-proclaimed best rapper alive to be sitting courtside in his normal spot Saturday night at the AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami cheering for the Heat.

Do you agree with Lil Wayne that the Oklahoma City staff has treated him differently due to race? Or do you think they did the right thing by not catering to the millionaire rapper? Share your thoughts below in the comments section.

Ray Allen's Future Uncertain As Free Agency Looms

By: Stephen Patterson

After the Boston Celtics fell to the Miami Heat in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, the immediate question for Celtics' fans became "What's next?", as the future of the team they have fallen in love with over the past five seasons might be in store for a major shake-up this summer.

With Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett both set to hit the open market in free agency, it's extremely likely we have witnessed the end up of the "Big Three" era (really it's been the "Big Four" era, especially this season) in Boston.

While Celtics' GM Danny Ainge has said he isn't opposed to bringing back Allen and Garnett, it's hard to imagine the team being able to find the money to keep both of them while still bringing younger and more talented players in to build for the future.

"I really value having those guys around young players,'' a league source quoted Ainge as saying, according to an article on SI.com.

Garnett's status for next season is nearly impossible to predict right now, as there have been reports circulating for months that he was going to retire at the end of this season, while there have been just as many reports stating the opposite.

Head coach Doc Rivers has stated several times in recent weeks that he believes KG will play at least one more season, although there is also a decent chance he will choose to walk away on a high note, following a postseason in which he played a massive role in helping Boston make it as far as they did while Allen and Paul Pierce battled leg injuries for most of the playoffs. (For more on KG, check out this post from earlier in the week.)

Allen, who will turn 37 next month, is planning to undergo surgery as soon as possible to remove bone spurs from the ankle that bothered him throughout the postseason, causing him to miss Boston's first two playoff games against the Atlanta Hawks in the opening round.

"If I could do it tomorrow, I would do it tomorrow," he said. "That's probably my main concern right now, is taking care of that. My body feels good. That's my only issue."

Assuming everything goes well with the surgery and no other issues are discovered, Allen should return to full strength in plenty of time for the start of training camp. The only question is which teams' training camp will Allen be attending?

Contenders such as the Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks, and Memphis Grizzlies are rumored to be interested in pursuing Allen this summer according to Sports Illustrated.

According to Chris Mannox of SI, the Knicks and Miami Heat are reportedly the top two teams on Allen's wishlist of potential destinations if he leaves Boston.

The Memphis Grizzlies almost landed Allen at the trade deadline, having a deal in place with the Celtics that would have sent O.J. Mayo and a lottery pick to Boston in exchange for Allen before the Grizzlies backed out at the last second.

If Allen were to receive similar offers from Boston and a team such as the Bulls, who are on the cusp of being very serious title contenders once Derrick Rose returns from his torn ACL, it would be difficult for Allen to pass up a chance at a second title to return to the Celtics, although he does have serious respect for the organization and the players who played there prior to him.

“It’s always been somewhat intimidating,” Allen said when talking about playing in Boston. “You walk into a building every day and you see the banners and the retired jerseys in the building. It just always makes you work a little bit harder.  When [John] Havlicek is in the building, when [Bob] Cousy is around. Tommy [Heinsohn] is watching us every day. Bill Russell is at the games. Those are like our big brothers.  We knew that we had some big shoes to fill and a lot that we needed to do to try to compare to what they’ve done. We have definitely fallen short, but we’ve gone out trying to play as hard as we can every night.”

So don't completely rule out a possible return to Boston, especially if Garnett decides to retire or ends up signing with another team, which would leave a lot more salary cap flexibility for the Celtics to retain Allen while still bringing in some solid role players and young talents.

Then the Celtics could possibly make one final run at a title before fully transitioning into a new era with Rajon Rondo leading the charge and Pierce and Allen still having large roles while mentoring the younger guys in the locker room.

My personal guess is that Allen will probably end up in a new uniform after this summer, as I think he might have felt a little betrayed by the fact that Ainge almost dealt him to Memphis without even giving him a real heads up on the matter during the season.

Where he will end up signing what will likely be his final contract, I have no idea, although I'm almost positive Allen will sign with a team that has a very real chance at winning a championship next season.

Considering the fact that he pretty much carried the Celtics early in the season, along with Rondo, while Pierce and Garnett were adjusting to the condensed schedule and shot 45% from downtown during the regular season, there definitely won't be a lack of interest in the all-time leader in made three point attempts.

Which team do you think will end up signing Ray Allen this offseason? Will he return to Boston to finish out his career or will he go to a team that has a better chance of giving him another ring? Share your thoughts below.

Boston Celtics & Miami Heat Eastern Conference Finals Game 7 Highlights

By: Stephen Patterson

LeBron James Silences Critics, Carries Miami Heat to a Game 7 Against Boston Celtics

By: Stephen Patterson

Let me start this post off by saying this: If you missed Game 6 of the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals between the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat, I am truly sorry.

I remember watching LeBron in the 2007 postseason against the Detroit Pistons in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals when he scored 25 straight points for the Cleveland Cavaliers en route to 48 points total, including 29 of their last 30 points and the game-winning shot with 2 seconds remaining.

His performance in Game 6 of this series was on par with that one, if not better. In fact, it may have been the greatest performance of his entire professional career.

On Thursday night, the world witnessed something from LeBron James that no one had ever seen from him before, something that not only the Miami Heat desperately needed from him just to stay alive in the series as they entered the game facing elimination, but also something that he had needed for himself as well.

In what might have been the biggest moment of his career, James finished the game with 45 points, 15 rebounds, and 5 assists playing the first 45 minutes of the game before finally seeing his first rest after the game was well out of reach for the Celtics.

Not only did James completely destroy the Celtics on the court, he practically silenced 18,000 of their fans who had earlier been as lively as any crowd could be, hoping to see their team advance to the NBA Finals for the third time since 2008.

James has twice had seasons end in Boston, first in the 2008 postseason en route to Boston's championship and then again in 2010 (his last game as a Cleveland Cavalier), and he refused to let it happen for a third time, playing the entire game with an emotionless expression that is impossible to describe.

“Y'all see that look he had on his face tonight? He had that look on his face since last night at dinner. We knew he was going to come out ready to play. That's why he's the MVP. I call it his ugly look,” said Mario Chalmers to a group of reporters after the game.

James played as though he knew he had to have a performance of a life-time for his team to end their three game slide against Boston and avoid elimination at the TD Garden, where Miami had dropped 15 of their previous 16 games prior to Thursday night's victory.

Perhaps one reason James played so well was because he wanted to silence the hundreds, if not thousands, of people in the media that had spent the 36 hours prior to the game talking about how the Heat's "Big Three" experiment was a failure, that LeBron was never going to be clutch, that he couldn't go the extra mile when his teams needed him the most.

I think ESPN and Grantland's Bill Simmons may have put it best in a column he wrote yesterday called "The Consequences of Failure", which I would recommend to anyone that considers themselves to be a passionate sports fan:

"You can't imagine what this was like to witness in person. I know Michael Jordan had similarly astonishing games, and others, too, but not with stakes like that. This wasn't just an elimination game. This was LeBron James's entire career being put on trial … and it only took an hour for him to tell the jury, "Go home. I'm one of the best players ever. Stop picking me apart. Stop talking about the things I can't do. Stop holding me to standards that have never been applied to any other NBA player. Stop blaming me for an admittedly dumb decision I never should have made. Stop saying I'm weak. Stop saying that I don't want to win. Stop. Just … stop.""

While Michael Jordan is clearly still the greatest player of all-time, even he wasn't picked apart under a microscope the way James has been by the media ever since he was in high school and was billed as the "Chosen One".

LeBron definitely left plenty for the media to talk about after the Heat's 98-79 rout that had a majority of the arena empty by the time he took his first rest of the game with just over 3 minutes remaining.

He scored 30 points in the first half while shooting 12-14 from the field, keeping pace with Boston's entire team for much of the half until they hit a scoring burst midway through the second quarter.

He also absolutely demolished Paul Pierce on both ends of the court, holding him to only nine points on 4-18 shooting and scoring at will against him on the offensive side.

According to ESPN's Daily Dime, :LeBron's 45-15-5 stat line has only been seen once in postseason game in the history of the NBA prior to last night, accomplished by Wilt Chamberlain when he "had 50 points, 15 rebounds and 6 assists in Game 5 of the 1964 Western Division finals". He also led the Heat in all three of those categories.

He shot 19-26 (a whooping 76%, pretty amazing for that number of shots) from the field for 45 points while the remainder of his team shot 18-50 for just 53 points. As a matter of fact, Dwayne Wade was the only other player for Miami to reach double digits, scoring 17 points on 6-17 shooting.

Erik Spoelstra acknowledged after the game that LeBron had grown tired of constantly hearing reports that the Heat were done after letting Game 5 of the series slip away in overtime and that it might be the end of the "Big Three" down in South Beach.

“Nobody likes getting thrown dirt on your face before you're even dead,” Spoelstra said. “He came out with an attack mentality right from the get-go.”

The Heat definitely aren't dead for the season, at least not yet, after James put his entire team on his back and carried them to a Game 7 back at the AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami tonight.

"In an environment like this, you want to have a big game," LeBron said after the game. "I wanted to be there for my teammates, no matter what was going on throughout the course of the game. This was a gut check for us, and it's good to see we were able to bounce back after that loss, after that Game 5 loss at home."

If James plays even close to as efficiently as he did Thursday night in Game 7, and the rest of his teammates show up and do their part, it will be almost impossible for the Celtics to overcome.

“He hit a lot of shots he hasn't been hitting all series,” said Pierce of LeBron's huge game. “I've had that feeling before and sometimes there's nothing you can do about it.”

Pierce knows his team can't allow James to have another huge game like that or their season will be over and likely so will the "Big Three" era in Boston.

The Celtics will have to find a way to control LeBron's scoring in Game 7 without letting Dwayne Wade get too comfortable.

That is the problem Boston has faced all series long, however, prior to Game 6, the method had been working fairly well, with the defense double-teaming Wade often and letting LeBron go for his normal 30 points a night.

While they lost the first two games of the series using that strategy, it worked fairly well during their three game winning-streak. In fact, they have held Wade to just 5.8 points per game in the first half during the series' first six games.

If the Celtics change things up for Game 7 and decide to double team James instead, Wade will have to step up and have a performance similar to the one he had in the deciding game of the Heats' last series, when he dropped 41 points on the Indiana Pacers to eliminate them in six games and sent Miami to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Also, the Heat will need more from Chris Bosh offensively in Game 7. Bosh has played in the past two games of the series after missing three weeks with an abdominal strain that occurred in the first game of Miami's series with Indiana.

In his first game back, Bosh played only 14 minutes off the bench and finished with nine points and seven rebounds. In Game 6, he played twice as many minutes (28), however, he only finished with seven points and six rebounds.

Since it's unlikely LeBron will be able to duplicate his performance from Game 6, he will likely need his two superstar teammates to step up and contribute a lot more than the 24 combined points on 25 shot attempts they had in Game 7.

Regardless of how well James and the Heat play tonight, don't expect the Celtics to go down without putting up a helluva fight and leaving everything they have left in the tank on floor.

Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Rajon Rondo will have their work cut out for them as they attempt to steal a second consecutive game in Miami.

However Game 7 ends up playing out, one thing is for certain: LeBron says he will have no regrets.

"I won't regret Game 7. Win, lose or draw, I'm going to go in with the mindset like I've had this whole season. And we'll see what happens."

If he plays with the same mindset that led to his 45 point outburst in Game 6, the Miami Heat will almost certainly be headed to their second consecutive NBA Finals.

Oklahoma City Thunder Complete Turnaround for the Ages, Advance to NBA Finals

By: Stephen Patterson

The Oklahoma City Thunder awoke last Wednesday finding themselves staring at an 0-2 deficit in the Western Conference Finals against a San Antonio Spurs team that had just won their 20th game in a row the night before.

Something clearly happened to Thunder after that Game 2 defeat, in which the Spurs won 120-111 and seemed able to find any shot that they desired against the Oklahoma City defense.

Maybe it was the fact they were headed back home to the Chesapeake Energy Arena for the next two games of the series, complete with their rabid fan base that held faith in their team despite the seemingly impossible task looming ahead.

Or perhaps Scott Brooks spoke to the team on the flight back to OKC and reminded them of just how talented they have been this season and that they could beat this Spurs team and still earn the franchises' first trip to the NBA Finals since 1996, back when the team was still the Seattle Supersonics.

Regardless of what it was that caused the spark, the fire definitely spread quickly.

Last night, the Thunder finished off the Spurs in Game 6 with a 107-99 victory, winning their fourth consecutive game over them after halting San Antonio's winning streak in Game 3 and completing one of the greatest turnarounds in NBA playoff history.

The Thunder found themselves in a huge hole early in the game, trailing by as many as 18 points in the first half and by 15 points at halftime, however, they fought their way back just as they have all series long.

Three-time league scoring champion Kevin Durant led the charge in the victory, scoring 34 points while also grabbing 14 rebounds. He played the entire 48 minutes of the game for the first time all-season and also for the first time in his postseason career.

Russell Westbrook contributed 25 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists, while reigning Sixth-Man of the Year James Harden added 16 points off the bench for the Thunder.

San Antonio definitely put up a fight before finally running out of steam late in the game.

Tony Parker lead the way for the Spurs with 29 points and 12 assists, and although he had a dominant first half with 21 points and 10 assists, highlighted by 17 points and 5 assists in the first quarter, he was largely ineffective when it mattered the most.

Tim Duncan scored 25 points and had 14 rebounds while Stephen Jackson, who shot 6-7 from three-point range, finished with 23 points off the bench.

Manu Ginobili, who had a monster 35 point performance in Game 5 and was averaging 20.2 in the series heading into Game 6, was largely ineffective in the loss, finishing with only 10 points.

Oklahoma City is 12-3 so far this postseason after knocking off the Dallas Mavericks (4-0), Los Angeles Lakers (4-1), and San Antonio Spurs (4-2). Those three teams had been the only representatives from the Western Conference in the NBA Finals since 1998.

The Thunder will meet either the Boston Celtics or Miami Heat in the Finals, which begins on Tuesday.

Oklahoma City was 2-0 against the Celtics in the regular season and 1-1 against the Heat.

With the Thunder holding home court advantage in the Finals, whichever team comes out of the Eastern Conference will have a tough task in Game 1 against a rested OKC team that is 8-0 on the home court this postseason.

Kevin Garnett Contemplating Retirement After the Postseason?

By: Stephen Patterson

There have been multiple reports in recent days, including one that came from NBA.com, that Kevin Garnett might retire once the Boston Celtics' postseason run comes to an end.

Garnett is finishing his 17th season in the NBA, and although he is still performing at a fairly high level, he is considering walking away from the game while he is still a solid player, not someone who stuck around a little too long and saw their game completely disappear.

In fact, a friend of Garnett's actually said that the Celtics power forward would rather walk away from the game proud and with his head held high than wait around a few more years and watch his skill set slowly dissolve.

"I think that's what we've been seeing in these playoffs," the friend of Garnett said. "The way he's been playing, it's like he wants to go out on his terms."

The Celtics' forward has had a pretty decent postseason run, including several really big games and clutch shots that have Boston in position to potentially win a second championship during his five-year run with the franchise.

For the playoffs, KG is averaging 19.7 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 37 minutes per game through the first 16 games the Celtics have played. Those are his best numbers since he left the Minnesota Timberwolves prior to the 2007-08 season.

After being called the "dirtiest player in the NBA" by Atlanta Hawks co-owner Michael Gearon Jr. following Game 5 of the Celtics first round series against his team, Garnett responded with a monster Game 6 performance that saw him score 28 points, snatch 14 rebounds, and block five shots in the deciding game that eliminated the Hawks.

Against the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round of the playoffs, Garnett came out of the gates in Game 1 with another monster showing, as he scored 29 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. He also had a solid game in the deciding seventh game of the series, dropping 18 points and and snatching 13 rebounds to help Boston knock off the Sixers and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Garnett's scoring averages have increased with each series as his team advances further and further in the postseason (he averaged 18.7 points against the Hawks, 19.7 against the Sixers, and has averaged 21.7 against the Heat through the first three games of the series).

Since head coach Doc Rivers shifted Garnett over to center back in February, KG has seemed like he is almost playing with a new found energy. He also has gained a huge offensive advantage as many big men guarding him won't come out far enough from the rim to cover Garnett and his 20 foot range.

If Garnett does decide to hang 'em up and call it a career, he is almost certainly headed for a spot in the Hall of Fame in Canton when his name comes up on the ballot.

He spent his first 12 seasons in the NBA with the Minnesota Timberwolves after they took him fifth overall in the 1995 NBA Draft, determined to turn them into a winning franchise and carry them to an NBA title despite the fact that his best supporting casts included the likes of Sam Cassell, Latrell Sprewell, Wally Szczerbiak, and a young Stephon Marbury.

Despite the horrendous supporting role players around him, KG still picked up an MVP award (2003-04), eight All-NBA team appearances, and eight NBA All-Defensive team appearances (six of which were first team selections) while he was with the Timberwolves.

Garnett finally gave up on his mission of winning a championship with the Timberwolves and was eventually traded to the Boston Celtics for Ryan Gomes, Gerald Green, Al Jefferson, Theo Ratliff, Sebastian Telfair, and a 2009 first-round draft pick.

During that same summer, Celtics general manager Danny Ainge also pulled off a trade that landed Ray Allen in Boston to form the team's "Big Three" with Paul Pierce, who was already on the roster and had spent his entire career waiting for a solid team as well.

The trio led the Celtics to a championship in their first season together, however, they have failed to pick up a second one despite coming about as close as a team can in 2008-09 when they fell to the Los Angeles Lakers in seven games in the NBA Finals after Kendrick Perkins was lost for the series in Game 6.

However, Garnett has still continued to rack up accomplishments, landing another spot on the All-NBA team in 2007-08, as well as four more NBA All-Defensive team appearances, three of which have been on the first team.

Garnett also ranks fairly high in a few major categories in career totals, including minutes played (45,779; 12th all-time), made field goals (9,729; 16th all-time), defensive rebounds (10,302; 4th all-time), total rebounds (13,313; 13th all-time), blocks (1,908; 22nd all-time), and points (24,270; 23rd all-time).

According to basketball-reference.com, Garnett's probability of making it to the Hall of Fame is 99.85 percent, which is third in the league only behind Tim Duncan (second) and Kobe Bryant (first). Both of those players obviously rank higher than KG due to their massive collections of championship bling.

I think one major factor in Garnett's decision will come down to how Boston's season ends in these playoffs. If they lose their current series against the Miami Heat or advance to the NBA Finals and fall to either the San Antonio Spurs or Oklahoma City Thunder, I believe KG will be much more tempted to make one more run at a title.

However, if the Celtics somehow manage to beat the Heat and overcome the winner of the two monster heavyweights in the Western Conference to pick up another NBA championship, I think Garnett will almost certainly walk away from the game while he is on top.

If he does decide to continue playing for at least another season, the question will become which team will he be suiting up for and chasing that second championship with?

The Boston Celtics are almost certain to break up the "Big Three" during this offseason, when Garnett and Ray Allen hit the free agent market. Most reports say Allen is the most likely to find himself playing in a different uniform next season, while Kevin Garnett's situation is much more foggy.

The Celtics might find themselves in a situation where they need KG to add depth to their front court and make a reasonable offer that suits both the franchise and Garnett. Or they could find themselves heading more toward the direction of rebuilding and pass on bringing Garnett back.

Do you think Garnett will call it a career once the Celtics' postseason run comes to an end? If not, where do you envision him playing next season? Share your thoughts below in the comment section.

Rajon Rondo Carries the Boston Celtics Into Eastern Conference Finals

By: Stephen Patterson

Here is what I had to say about the Boston Celtics on Thursday shortly after it was announced that Avery Bradley would likely be out for the remainder of the postseason:

"However, the Celtics will still need an extraordinary performance from it's Big 4 (this includes Rajon Rondo because I refuse to call them the Big 3 and leave out the team's best young talent) if they want to eliminate the surprising 76ers and keep their title hopes alive."

That line about Rajon Rondo couldn't have been said at a more appropriate time.

Don't get me wrong, Rondo had already cemented his status as a member of the "Big 4" well before Saturday's Game 7 performance against the Philadelphia 76ers.

But with Paul Pierce having just fouled out, the lead trimmed all the way down to three points, and the KG/Ray Allen/Pierce/Rondo Celtics regime possibly playing together for the last time, Rondo put the franchise on his shoulders and willed them to victory and on to the next round against the Miami Heat.

Rondo notched his third triple-double of this postseason (the ninth of his playoff career) with 18 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, and 3 steals.

But the most important stat of his game won't be found on any regular box score: The fact that he dropped nine straight points for the Celtics after Pierce fouled out with 4:16 remaining and stretched that three point lead to a double digit one.

Rondo scored a total of 11 points in the fourth quarter, including hitting his first three pointer in five games (and having a second one ruled a two-point shot after review), and sank all four of his free throws down the stretch to finish off the Sixers' impressive playoff run.

Doug Collins had this to say of Rondo's performance after the game:

"I don't look at them as the Big Three. I look at them as the Championship Four," the Philadelphia coach said. "Because if you're going to leave Rondo out, you're making a huge mistake."

I couldn't have said it better myself.

Miami Heat Prepare for Eastern Conference Finals with No Sign of Chris Bosh Return

By: Stephen Patterson

It looks like the Miami Heat are preparing themselves to be without All-Star power forward Chris Bosh for an "indefinite" amount of time heading into their Eastern Conference Finals match-up with the winner of tonight's Game 7 between the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers.

Head coach Erik Spoelstra told the media on Saturday that although Bosh has made some minor progress in his recovery from the strained abdominal muscle he sustained on May 15th,, there is not a set date that he will be ready to return by.

"No update from before," Spoelstra said, according to the Sun-Sentinel. "He's doing a little bit more. It's still indefinite. ... For me, it's my responsibility right now to prepare this team without him."

Without Bosh, the Heat fell into an early 2-1 hole in their second series against the Indiana Pacers.

However, they stormed back with three consecutive wins led largely by monster games LeBron James and Dwayne Wade to advance to the teams' second straight trip to the Eastern Conference Finals.

First, in Game 4 of the series against Indiana, LeBron had a historic 40 point, 18 rebound, and 9 assist performance that has only been seen once before in the history of the NBA playoffs (Elgin Baylor put up the exact same stat-line over 50 years ago). Wade contributed 30 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists as well as the team evened up the series at two games a piece.

Then in Game 5, the dynamic duo combined for 58 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists as they led Miami to a 32 point beatdown of the Pacers that prompted Indiana's team president Larry Bird to call out his team as being too S-O-F-T. It also featured several hard fouls, two of which led to suspensions for Udonis Haslem and Dexter Pittman (Pittman is still suspended for the first two games of the Eastern Conference Finals).

Finally in the deciding game, Dwayne Wade took over and closed out the series with a monstrous 41 point, 10 rebound, 3 assist, and 2 steal performance that included him catching fire in the second quarter and scorching the Pacers for 20 points in the period.

Meanwhile, LeBron had an "average" performance 28 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 steals. I call the stat-line "average" because that's the term Pacer's head coach Frank Vogel chose to use, and frankly he is right: As crazy as it sounds, these are just average numbers that we expect from LeBron in the postseason.

In fact, he has more games (16) with at least 30 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists that any other active player in the league. Yes, that includes Kobe Bryant. Yes, that means Tim Duncan too.

The scariest part about that stat for the winner of tonight's Game 7 between the Celtics and Sixers? He had three of those sixteen performances in the Heat's six game series against the Pacers.

While Miami has obviously and clearly missed Chris Bosh, it has forced LeBron James to step up his level of play even more so than usual. He's already proven he is more than capable of being able to elevate his game when others around him struggle.

The problem with that is that he has also proven that he can't carry a team on his back for long periods of time. Sure, he was able to throw the Heat on his back for a majority of the team's series against the Pacers after Bosh went down. But does anyone think he can do that for six or seven games against Boston or Philly AND still have enough left in the tank to successfully battle the San Antonio Spurs or Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals?

Bosh averaged 18 points and 7.9 rebounds during the regular season, and although his averages dipped to 14.7 points and 6.8 rebounds per game in the six playoff games he appeared in, his presence on the floor is something the Heat cannot replace.

But as long as D-Wade continues to have 20+ point games and at least one or two of Miami's role players decides to show a pulse each game, the Heat should be able to reach the NBA Finals if LeBron can continue playing at his current MVP level.

However, if Bosh isn't able to return to the team for the NBA Finals, it's going to take four of the best games of LeBron's career for him to lead to Heat past either the Spurs or the Thunder for his first NBA championship. And that's assuming D-Wade can carry his fair share of the load as well.

Top 10 Dunks of the NBA 2011-2012 Season

By: Stephen Patterson

These are the Top 10 dunks from the 2011-12 season according to NBA.com.

While all of these dunks are pretty sick, I can't help but feel like someone got left out of the final list. Especially when you see how many times Blake Griffin is featured (I'm sorry but I think that dunk he had on Kendrick Perkins was overrated, like a majority of his big plays. However, I do love how he absolutely destroys Pau Gasol twice in the same game earlier in the clip).

Do you think someone else deserved a spot among the Top 10? Are you happy with the order that NBA.com put them in? Share your thoughts in the comments section after you check out the video:

 

All-NBA Teams & Vote Breakdown

What are your thoughts on the All-NBA squads? Should someone have been higher? Lower? Or did someone miss out all together that belongs on the third team? Let me know your thoughts in the comments section.

* Special thanks to www.iamagm.com for the image.

Can the Miami Heat Finish Off the Indiana Pacers in Game 6?

By: Stephen Patterson

LeBron James and Dwayne Wade have had to almost literally transform into Batman and Robin over the past two games to recapture the series lead for the Miami Heat against the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference semifinals after they fell into an early 2-1 deficit in the series.

The dynamic duo have had to carry an unusually large amount of the team's offense during the absence of Chris Bosh, who went down during the opening game of the series with an abdominal strain.

LeBron has posted otherworldly numbers over the past two games, both of which have been Heat victories. He has totaled 70 points, 28 rebounds, and 17 assists.

Meanwhile, Wade has dropped in 58 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists. Both of them have shot well over 50% from the field as well.

But while James and Wade have been playing at close to the best of their abilities, the Heat will need even more from them in Game 6 if they want to finish off this upstart Pacers team on the road and avoid having to go back to South Beach for a seventh and deciding game.

Both Udonis Haslem and Dexter Pittman have been suspended for flagrant fouls in the previous game of the series.

Haslem will only miss Game 6 for clubbing Indiana forward Tyler Hansbrough in the face with both arms in retaliation for a hard foul committed only a minute earlier by Hanbrough  on Wade.

Pittman, meanwhile, will miss the Heat's next three games after delivering a seemingly intentional elbow to the neck/chest region of Lance Stephenson late in the game in retaliation for Stephenson's choke signal he flashed after LeBron missed a free throw late in the heat's Game 3 loss.

With Bosh already ruled out for tonight's game, and Haslem and Pittman both out with suspensions, the Heat will likely have to rely heavily on Juwan Howard and Eddy Curry, who haven't seen much (or any in Curry's case) playing time so far in this series.

One of the main reasons for Miami's losses in Games 2 and 3 of the series was the fact that LeBron would be worn down by halftime after having to play so many minutes at power forward, causing him to have to bang around in the paint with bigger players than he isn't used to guarding regularly.

If the Heat have to put James at power forward for too many minutes in Game 6, they will likely find themselves having to win a pivotal Game 7 back down in South Beach.

Afterall, if James continues to wear himself out at this pace, it won't matter too much if they advance because he won't have enough left in the tank to go the distance all the way through the Finals.

Luckily for Miami, the Pacers' two best players are dealing with ankle injuries heading into the game and their availability and conditions are still largely unknown.

Danny Granger, who injured his ankle late in the first half of Game 5, and David West, who hurt his own ankle in the second half of the same game, have been two of the most pivotal pieces in Indiana's surprising run.

Unless LeBron James puts on another performance for the ages for a third consecutive game, however, the Heat are probably going to have their hands full finishing off the Pacers on their own floor.

If James can't put together another near triple double masterpiece, look out for Dwayne Wade to explode with a huge game, as he is the type of player that can post a huge 35-40 point performance on any given night and is due for a game in which he carries the Heat on his back to a big victory.