Real Deal

http://www.nba.com/games/20101021/HOUSAS/gameinfo.html

Whoa...Durant led the game in assists. Didn't expect that. http://www.nba.com/games/20101021/NOHOKC/gameinfo.html

http://www.nba.com/games/20101020/NJNBOS/gameinfo.html

http://www.nba.com/games/20101020/NYKPHI/gameinfo.html

http://www.nba.com/games/20101020/DALORL/gameinfo.html

You and I have conflicting definitions of the word "scorer." Price is nowhere near a scorer. He put up points in garbage time last season and shot the ball poorly. As much as I loved Rush in Kansas, he can't shoot either. His role should be limited to defense and rebounding the ball. George's last two? His last game, he did very well. The game before that (vs. Hornets), he looked like a D-Leaguer. One good scoring game out of his six preseason games doesn't make him a scorer, at all. Granted it's preseason, he still needs to prove that he can shoot the ball. Six games, just one over 40% shooting (and four of them 33% or less). The rest of them, who knows. Ford is a scorer when he's playing. I have yet to see him play a game this preseason. Tyler scored the ball in college, but shot 36% last season...didn't actually play injured, either, because he was pretty healthy when he played...just didn't play like a big man should. I still have high expectations for the Pacers, because they picked up an excellent point guard in Collison, Granger is still around and Hibbert is looking better and better...but that won't carry them deep into the playoffs, either, if in fact they do get in to begin with.

Well, he did suffer an injury during the World Championships. Maybe that explains his terrible preseason play?

LeBron misses two more, runner and a layup, Smith on him. Game.

Didn't necessarily need help defense there, and Marvin Williams sneaks outside and hits a three.

LeBron has a little trouble getting to the rim when Smith jumps to defend him. I don't know why, though. He should be able to knock Josh out of his way. I rarely see Smith take the charge, anyway.

I love Chalmers, but man...maybe he can just go back to the Jayhawks or something.

We as in the fans? Because LeBron has been playing like it's a playoff game.

Starting to change my mind about George. I know it's only preseason, and I read the Pacers gave George that promise that he would start (rumor, maybe?), but he's not ready. In fact, if not Dunleavy, I would give Rush one more chance. He will at least try to defend, and crash the glass. Dunleavy is about as bad on defense as you can get, and may best be suited coming off the bench because, to be honest, I don't see much scoring beyond the starting five and TJ Ford (if Ford even lasts).

Everyone in my family loved the Chiefs or the Cowboys, and I grew up having them throw it in my face. Got sick of hearing about Aikman, Smith, Irvin and Deion. Got a bit older, and my best friend was the biggest Cowboys fan, so it continued. Had a girlfriend who loved the Cowboys, maybe two months after my friend moved away. We broke up, and there was peace and serenity for a while...and, then, I get a message from my friend, and he's coming back to town. It's like a curse I can't shake...but don't feel too bad, because I would rather see the Broncos lose every game they ever play than to see Dallas struggle.

I ALMOST got to go to this game, and I swear I was going to buy a Giants jersey just to wear to it. Monday night, I'll be one of the biggest NYG fans on the Earth. If Dallas loses this one, they will need to sign Jesus Christ to propel them into the playoffs.

Be sure to bold your vote, then follow it up with an argument as to why you believe that rivalry is deserving of the vote.

Be sure to bold your vote, then follow it up with an argument as to why you believe he is deserving of the vote.

Be sure to bold your vote, then follow it up with an argument as to why you believe he is deserving of the vote.

Be sure to bold your vote, then follow it up with an argument as to why you believe he is deserving of the vote.

LeBron 9 Jordan 5 Carter 2 Richardson 1

LOL... Ron Harper 2 Joakim Noah Josh Childress Al Jefferson Lamar Odom Purvis Short Andrew Bogut Eddie Johnson Ben Gordon Tayshaun Prince Andre Miller Byron Scott Stephen Jackson Arvydas Sabonis Derek Harper

Kobe 7 LeBron 2 Iverson 2 Bill Laimbeer 1

Ahhh...gotta get these done, damn! Magic takes it!

I don't think Tyreke will hit that level of play LeBron has, at least not reaching potential triple-double status as frequently. He's obviously not as big as James (in height or weight, or muscle mass...LeBron probably has 25 pounds on him, at least), so the rebounding will almost always be in James' favor. Possibly driving to the rim. Assists really depends on how Evans plays with Cousins. Eventually, he could average double-digit assists, but I'm leaning towards him being more of a scorer than a Steve Nash. Statistically, I don't think he'll catch up. Overall playing abilities, it's possible, but LeBron is pretty far ahead right now. Evans does a lot of things good. James does a few things GREAT, and a lot of things really good. Hard to compare. It's definitely interesting, though.

Not going to answer for him, but I would rank the Thunder as possibly the second or third best team in the conference, if all teams were fully healthy. However, we already know Yao's status (limiting him to one half a game). Denver will more than likely send Melo off to the east coast before February. Utah? After losing Boozer, Korver, Matthews and Brewer, I don't see them being better than OKC, even if they did bring in Jefferson. I can argue why the Thunder would be better than Portland, but I won't go too deep into it. Miller and Camby are aging, Oden is (once again) a big question mark and will already miss games, and Fernandez is being a [expletive]. Dallas will win more games and will most likely grab the second seed, but I wouldn't bet any money on them beating a Thunder team in the playoffs. How did the Thunder improve? Durant's defense is much better, especially his on-ball defense. They brought in Morris Peterson, who is EASILY playing the best he has ever played in a preseason (and shooting 57%, which is much, much better than anything else in his career)...not saying he'll be a starter and amazing, but he'll provide a lift for them off the bench, which they desperately needed. They also drafted Cole Aldrich, who is a true defensive center (Ibaka is a power forward). Also, the young (which is most of the team) has more experience under their belt. The Thunder was possibly the healthiest team last season, also. Four of their starters (Durant, Westbrook, Green and Thabo) played in all 82 games, and Krstic played in 76. Six combined missed games for the five starters, in one season? That's pretty impressive. Many forget that the Thunder started off rocky, trying to develop chemistry. They were 13-14 in their first 27 games. In February, they completed a nine-game winning streak with five of those games on the road, and beating Denver, Atlanta, Portland and Dallas. They also raked in wins against the Lakers, Rockets, Jazz, Celtics, Spurs, Suns and Magic (beat Utah three times, actually). After the 13-14 start, they finished the season 37-18. Oklahoma City was going to beat every other team they faced in the West. Had they not faced us in the first round, they were on their way to the WCF, and if they stay healthy, I can't expect anything less from them this season.