Every night there are some stupendous, silly, stupid, or downright outlandish individual lines from around the lig. Doing Lines lets you know which one tops the list.
The last time we got together, three different players scored 40 points or more on the same night. Well, maybe it's not as rare of an occurrence as we thought, since we were just a single point away from it happening again on Wednesday.
Chris Paul was dazzling on Wednesday against Dallas, in what really was a must-win for the Hornets if they were going to have any sort of confidence in their ability to play with the top teams as the season goes on. Paul dragged his team to a win with 39 points, on 14-for-23 shooting, including three of four from three-point land.
But as great as Paul was and as below average as Dallas was (Dirk Nowitzki was held to just 12 points on 4-of-15 shooting), if we're going to be honest, his Hornets were fairly fortunate to be able to pull this one out.
Title Chaste is the diary of Matt Snyder in his season a virgin fantasy basketball player.
Well, that didn't take long. Thanks to Mo Williams, Danny Granger, Amare Stoudemire, Brook Lopez, Jason Terry, Andrea Bargnani and Shawn Marion, I won my first career fantasy basketball game. I should also point out I owe the scheduling for the victory as well, because my team checked in as the sixth-highest scorer out of 12. Really, it could have gone either way. This victory was a sign that being lucky is just as worthwhile as being smart in fantasy basketball, just as I already knew in fantasy baseball and fantasy football. On the other hand, skill is still paramount -- as the top scorer for the week was, not surprisingly, Tom Lorenzo.
Folks who frequent the fantasy sports version of this website are likely familiar with my work in the fantasy baseball and fantasy football sections. I have been playing both of those games since the mid-'90s. To those people, I have news for you: I have never played fantasy basketball. Until now. I'm diving right into our FanHouse fantasy basketball league on Fleaflicker.
On top of my inexperience, I haven't even watched more than a few minutes of an NBA game since May 19, 2005. That was the date of Reggie Miller's final NBA game. During that season, the Pacers -- my favorite team since the days of Wayman Tisdale, John Long and Steve Stipanovich -- had ruined my love for the NBA. Thanks a lot, Ron Artest, Jamaal Tinsley and Stephen Jackson!
FanHouse previews a player to watch from each NBA team in advance of the 2009-10 season.
Over the past two seasons, Jason Terry has taken on a new role with the Dallas Mavericks, coming off the bench for the first time since his first two NBA seasons in Atlanta. But despite the drastic difference between starting and performing as a sixth man, Terry has continued to perform at a high level, doing the same thing he's done his entire Mavericks tenure: shoot the lights out, and put up points.
Tip-Off Timer counts down the days until the first game of the 2009-10 season. On Wednesday, there are 27 days remaining.
The NBA created the Sixth Man of the Year Award back in 1982-83, some 27 years. It was an attempt to recognize great team players who subjugated their egos to come off the bench despite obvious talent. Eventually, the award became a coronation of the league's top scorer who happened to start fewer than half of his games.
Early winners include Philadelphia stud Bobby Jones, Kevin McHale (who won twice) and Bill Walton. For all his virtuoso work, Manu Ginobili has only won one Sixth Man award, in the 2007-08 season which followed San Antonio's third title of the decade. Two players other than McHale have won twice: Detlef Schrempf and Ricky Pierce.
On Monday, Mavericks GM Donnie Nelson mentioned at a press event that incumbent starting center Erick Dampier could come off the bench this season. Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News followed up to report that it's not a set-in-stone matter, and that Nelson was just generally speaking about the team's flexibility.
That got Matt Moore and I thinking -- err, talking -- about the Maverick rotation. Our discussion (with a somewhat relevant Magic-Cavs vignette) is after the jump.
In hindsight, Monday's gut-wrenching loss to the Mavericks in Game 4 was a blessing in disguise for the Nuggets, allowing them to trade the hostile crowds of the American Airlines Center for a more welcome environment at the Pepsi Center. And in front of an appreciative fan base that hasn't seen the hometown team advance past the second round since 1984, the Nuggets took care of business with a 124-110 win.
Just like they've done the entire postseason, Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups led the way with obscene efficiency: Anthony poured in 30 points (13-22 shooting) while Billups added 28 (10-16 shooting) with 12 assists. The Nuggets jumped out to a 14-point lead at halftime and matched every run Dallas made in the second half.
Every night there are some stupendous, silly, stupid, or downright outlandish individual lines from around the lig. Doing Lines lets you know which one tops the list.
Chris Paul was dazzling on Wednesday against Dallas, in what really was a must-win for the 
Folks who frequent the fantasy sports version of this website are likely familiar with my work in the fantasy baseball and 
FanHouse previews a 
On Monday, Mavericks GM 
OK, sure, stacking 
In hindsight, Monday's gut-wrenching loss to the Mavericks in Game 4 was a blessing in disguise for the Nuggets, allowing them to trade the hostile crowds of the American Airlines Center for a more welcome environment at the Pepsi Center. And in front of an appreciative fan base that hasn't seen the hometown team advance past the second round since 1984, the Nuggets took care of business with a 124-110 win.
DALLAS -- The Mavericks were on the brink of ending their season and raising all sorts of questions about the direction of the team.
