I wrote in September that perhaps there would be no worthy center to start for the West in the All-Star Game.
But this isn't the way I want to see that solved. Do it on the court, not with the ballot.
When the All-Star ballot came out Tuesday, Phoenix power forward Amar'e Stoudemire strangely was listed as a center. Yes, Stoudemire has played center before, but he's started all eight games for Suns this season at power forward, with Channing Frye being the starting center.
It is true the ballot, which was selected by six media members from around the country, had to be decided upon before the season began in order to provide time for printing. But it has been apparent since at least September that Frye would Phoenix's starting center, with Stoudemire at power forward.
Throughout the series against the Boston Celtics, Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard was ridiculed for his struggles on the offensive side of the ball. His scoring average of 16.4 points per game for the series was well below his team leading 20.6 points per game during the regular season, and his 24 point per game average against the Philadelphia Sixers in the first round.
Many people pointed to Dwight's lack of an offensive game as the reasons for the his team's struggles against the Boston Celtics. But is Dwight really that bad of an offensive player?
What started this season as a chest-thumping NBA title defense is turning into an even more impressive testament to seat-of-the-pants resiliency and steely resolve.
The Big Three is long gone. The Gang of Unwanted has kept this one alive.
This is a case where championship experience really came into play. One team had it, and the other team didn't know what it was.
The Boston Celtics may have struggled and trailed throughout the night, but they knew when and how to rally, protecting their home-court advantage with a come-from-behind, 92-88 victory over the Magic. The Celtics took a 3-2 lead in this best-of-seven series.
The Celtics were cool down the stretch when they made a 13-0 run, sending the Magic into a panic from which they never recovered. The Magic, who haven't been past the second round of the playoffs since 1996, unraveled like a team that never had played in this kind of pressure before.
Celtics 92, Magic 88: Recap | Box Score Celtics Lead 3-2 | Next Game: Thursday @ Orlando, 7 PM ET
Kendrick Perkins received a flagrant-one foul for this elbow that landed to the throat area of Orlando's Mickael Pietrus, during the fourth quarter of the Magic's Game 3 win on Friday.
Despite the fact that the league has generally been wildly inconsistent in terms of what does and does not deserve an ejection or suspension in this post-season, this play seems to be the kind that will result in Perkins being suspended for Game 4. And if that's the case, the Celtics are going to be in some serious trouble.
A shockingly dominant first half performance. A near collapse. A clanker of Game 2. A suspended point guard. This the Orlando Magic.
A pathetic shot out of the gate. A determined second-half rebound. A dominant Game 2 performance, start to finish. Swagger. Determination. A ring. These are the Boston Celtics.
As we head to Game 3 in Orlando of this seven game series, things are coming to a head. Games 1 and 2 were largely feeling one another out. And if you're a Magic fan, that process did not come out the way you'd have preferred. So what are we looking at in Game 3?
It took longer than we thought it would, but here we are. The upstart, high powered, trigger-happy Magic versus the battle-tested, battle-weary, battle-loving Celtics. And the winner takes on the King for a chance at the crown (assuming Atlanta aren't actually members of C.O.B.R.A.). The Celtics just got through a brutal seven-game series with Chicago (you may have heard about it on the news programs), and the Magic just shook off the cobwebs and downed Philly without Dwight Howard. All signs point to a changing of the guard. But as we've come to expect with this Celtics team, it doesn't take lightly to plans being made without their say so. Comes with that whole "defending champs" things.
It took a few extra minutes to pull it off, but the Celtics are once again in the driver's seat, defeating the Bulls 106-104 in overtime to take a 3-2 lead in their first-round matchup with Chicago. If you're surprised this game went down to the wire, well, how's that rock you've been hiding under? Four of the five games have been decided by three points or fewer, and three have gone longer than 48 minutes. Rajon Rondo was once again phenomenal, coming just two boards shy of a triple-double (he finished with 28 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds) but it was Paul Pierce who put this game on ice for the Celtics, scoring 14 of his 26 points after the third quarter, including Boston's final six points in overtime.
The performance of Derrick Rose during the Bulls' Game 1 upset of the Celtics was the talk of the first weekend of the playoffs, and with good reason. It's not every year that someone ties Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for most points by a rookie in a playoff debut, but Rose's 36 did exactly that, against a Boston team that's built around defense.
Obviously with Kevin Garnett out, the team is not the same defensively. But Kendrick Perkins still doesn't believe in Rose, and even went as far as to say that the young star from Game 1 would "never" have another game like that against the Celtics.
I wrote in September that perhaps there would be no worthy center to start for the West in the All-Star Game.
Throughout the series against the Boston Celtics, Orlando Magic center 
This is a case where championship experience really came into play. One team had it, and the other team didn't know what it was.
A shockingly dominant first half performance. A near collapse. A clanker of Game 2. A suspended point guard. This the Orlando Magic. 
It took a few extra minutes to pull it off, but the Celtics are once again in the driver's seat, 
The performance of 
