Now the REAL NBA Season Begins!

OK, So yes yes...... Derek and I have been stale a little bit, while he was sick I was....... "sick". OK, so I was lazy. I realized that I kept checking the blog to see if D-Rae posted, if he didn't, neither did I. Talk about commitment.

With all jokes aside I just got done finishing yet another NBA All-Star game where yet again I got excited Friday night to just be disappointed by Dwight Howard being "superman" and trying to impress us by lifting the hoop two feet in which we knew he could jam that easily anyway. I love Howard to death and I think he brings a lot to the game but I have to admit that the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest may just turn into the Dwight Howard Variety Show. Every year he is going to break out the Superman cape and every year we will have to hear Kenny "the jet" Smith try and eat his microphone while screaming his catch phrases like, "It's over!!!!" and "Goodnight ladies and gentlemen!!!" While Earnie Johnson pretends that he is amused with that subtle giggle he gives.

The game was alright, I was even slightly impressed with the West's 19-0 run but then I remembered that this is an All-Star game so no defense is allowed right? Kobe and Shaq got the hardware for MVP's which ran shivers down my spine since I love the Lakers and miss those days with the dynamic duo.

With all the festivities aside now we will finally get a bigger audience watching the NBA. People are starting to realize that the NFL is over and their only choice over the NBA is the NHL, PGA, or Nascar...I'm hoping the NBA wins this viewing contest. So the second half of the season is beginning and I already have some thoughts and predictions to write down (by the way, I'm going to do this in list form, just because it looks cool).

1st: Terry Porter is out of the big sun, possibly the best decision the Suns make all year. It will be interesting how this Amare Stoudimire thing works out... could be the Pau Gasol trade of this year.

2nd: On the west side of things, Lakers are top dog, but I'm going to put Denver in 2nd, and Portland in 3rd when it comes to playoff time. Portland and Denver are two dangerous underrated teams in my book.

3rd: On the East side of things, I still like Boston at one, Cleveland at two. But don't be surprised if Miami, Detroit, or Atlanta could land in that 3rd spot. With Nelson out in Orlando, it could be a 4th or 5th seed kind of year for the Magic, with Nelson out, that's a big blow.

4th: This is a side note, watch out for Memphis in about three or four years. They have a Portland Trailblazers feel to them and I think they will turn some heads in a few. Oh and I DO NOT like the Miami-Toronto trade. Since when does a player make a game winning dunk and then gets shipped out to Canada....eh?

5th: I'm expecting a pretty good second half, not as good as last years though since the west is weaker, and the whole Boston Three Party feel has worn off. I'm expecting Kobe and Lebron to take most of the headlines from here on out, with a couple of trade talks in the early going. There will be regular discussions if the Cavs could take down Boston in the playoffs, and the same for the Spurs taking down the Lakers.

This is where the REAL NBA season begins. It should be a good one. Hopefully America....hopefully.

-J.J.