- Believe it or not, the once left-for-dead Phoenix Suns have turned it around and it's all because of Mike D'Antoni and his coaching staff. He has finally found a way to incorporate and involve The Big Diesel into the system. That high double-post set on offense is being utilized to perfection by Steve Nash, Amare Stoudemire, and O'Neal. Kudos...

-  While STAT's stats have gone up, Nash is still pick-n-rolling opponents to death and continues to find his three-point shooters within their new offensive set that still emphasizes ball movement, fluidity, but more importantly allows O'Neal to do his thing, whether it's attacking the offensive boards, finding the open man, or simply making his presence felt. And with Boris Diaw slowly starting to find his groove, the Suns actually have a legitimate shot of reaching the NBA FINALS...

- If Shaq doesn't get hurt and continues to average 15 and 10, the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs will have to revise their game plan...

- Although he may not win MVP, Chris Paul is the best guard in the NBA pound for pound...

- A New Orleans Hornet deserves a regular season award this year. Byron Scott for Coach of the Year, because his team has maintained its position atop the West the entire season...

- Kobe Bryant deserves to be MVP while any other year Paul would win the award. Tim Duncan should win MVP every year and we all know it, but we have to make it fun for the fans so we use statistics as indicators instead. Kevin Garnett already won an MVP but this time around he has a much better supporting cast and he's missed some games so it ends there for KG. Lebron James has to wait his turn to be crowned King of the NBA, especially if the team he plays on won't even qualify for the playoffs in the West...

- Nice to see The Birdman out of his cuckoo's nest and flying again... 

- If the Dallas Mavericks wind up playing the New Orleans Hornets in the first round, I would not be shocked if the Mavs do to the Hornets what the Warriors did to them last year...

- Everybody keeps talking about how Elton Brand would fit in perfectly with Dwyane Wade and Shawn Marion in Miami. No one is talking about the possibility of Brand in a Golden State Warriors uniform. Imagine a lineup of B-Diddy, Monta Ellis, Stephen Jackson, Andres Biedrins, and Brand. Scary to think of that team running up and down the court...

- The fact that Washington was minus-19 with Gilbert Arenas on the floor during the Wizards' loss in his first game back makes me realize that the uninspired, video game playing blogger known as Agent Zero would make a perfect Los Angeles Clipper. Welcome back to L.A., Gilbert. We already know you're coming...

- If the Atlanta Hawks started the season with Mike Bibby running the point, they would be ahead of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference playoff race right now...

- Golden State will not make the playoffs this year because they play only one style of basketball. At least Denver and Dallas can go inside if they wanted to...

- The key to the recent surge by the Denver Nuggets to propel them back in the playoff hunt hasn't been Carmelo Anthony or Allen Iverson. It's been the player who's rediscovered his talents, Kenyon Martin...

- The Utah Jazz have the best home record in the NBA but is only 16-22 on the road. They will be the featured topic on the next episode of Unsolved Mysteries...

- The fact that the Los Angeles Lakers did not sign Chris Webber and chose to bring in D.J. Mbenga instead solidifies Mitch Kupchak for Executive of the Year. Many will say Danny Ainge, but the entire universe knows Kevin McHale was the one responsible for the revival in Boston. And guys like James Posey, Eddie House, and Sam Cassell decided to go green not because of Ainge but because of Garnett. Kupchak built his team from the ground up with his best player threatening to go elsewhere. Ainge used a former MVP to entice free agent veterans to come join the fray...

- For the first time since the 1980's, fans will hear "Beat L.A." chants more than ever in every city the Lakers will play in during the playoffs...

- I love how every contending playoff team's fans will chant "MVP! MVP! MVP!" for their star player even though they know he won't win the award. It goes to show how fans are once again loving this game...

- The regular season MVP Award is the most overrated award in all of professional sports. On paper, the Phoenix Suns should win it all because they have three MVP-type players in O'Neal, Stoudemire, and Nash. The Celtics have two in Paul Pierce and KG, the Rockets have Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady, and the Nuggets have Melo and A.I. The funny thing is that neither of these teams will make it to the NBA Finals...

- The biggest mistake anyone can make in the postseason is to sleep on the Detroit Pistons. Like in 2004, they are at their best when flying under the radar. That was the same way in which the great Joe Dumars approached the game and it was what made him a legend in Motown...

- Fans are always looking for storylines when it comes to the NBA Finals. We all want to revive the battles between the Lakers and the Celtics. We all want to see Kobe vs. Lebron in the Finals, which would be the new version of Bird vs. Magic. We all wish that Phoenix played in the East so we'd have a chance to see Kobe vs. Shaq in the Finals. But it almost always seems to never work out as we expect it to be. Who would have thought that Cleveland would make it to the big dance last year? That's why in 2008, it will be... 

- Lakers over the Pistons in the 2008 NBA Finals. Just like Mike versus the Bad Boys in the late eighties, Kobe finally gets past Detroit when it counts most. 

- And finally: If you don't love this game, check yourself. 'Til next time...

Alright ladies and gentlemen, it's time to play some basketball! In less than a week, the NBA suddenly became a lot more interesting, providing sportsfans a seamless transition from football.

So I start to wonder...

- Now that new Suns center Shaquille O'Neal has decided he wants to be the one responsible for keeping the great Kobe Bryant from having another shot at a title, where does this put Phoenix in the grand scheme of things? And what is Shaq's real weight these days?

- Which team would win in a seven-game playoff series? The Young Guns with the best closer in the game, who has a supporting cast consisting of two All-Star caliber seven-footers and lengthy multi-position players who hustle and play defense? Or the runnin'-n-stunnin' veteran bunch with a former champion past his prime, who'll screen-and-roll alongside arguably the best PG in the league and who will join a high-fly act and an assortment of long range gunners?

- Now that the NBA is beginning to really shape into form and the stars are properly being aligned, who becomes the favorite to capture the O'Brien Trophy?

- As we undergo the makings of a fairy tale season, what team now possesses the most potent core unit?

In the east, you've got "The Boston Three Party." Cleveland has King James and the Knights of the (Mike) Brown Table. Detroit has a bad boy and a bunch of princes in a palace, while a magical kingdom called Orlando has something "big" to brag about. But let's not forget about The Flash and The Matrix, coming soon to a theater near you.

Out west, the Young Guns of Hollywood continue to be the story of the year and the blazin' Suns look to get even hotter by switching to diesel. The defending champion Spurs have the luxury of knowing how to win at the highest level while their Dallas neighbor is keeping a close watch nearby. Byron Scott has the Hornets buzzin', and it's the same ol' jazz tune being sung in Utah.

- Since blockbuster trades seem to be the theme for 2008, are we going to see Yao and T-Mac team up with Jason Kidd? Or will Kidd wind up in Portland, so he can lob passes to Greg Oden, Travis Outlaw, Brandon Roy, and Martell Webster? Either way, Kidd wouldn't mind having a center who could actually play like a center.

- The disgusted Dwyane Wade and Miami Heat continue to experience a long and disappointing campaign, as losses keep mounting. In his new reality commercial, Dwyane Wade similarly grows frustrated as Charles Barkley's annoying calls to him begin to mount. Funny how life works sometimes.

Whatever happens in the next few months, one thing is certain: the next five years are promising to be the greatest period of competition the NBA will have ever experienced. It is so competitive in the Western Conference that a two game losing streak could drop you from second to seventh in a matter of hours. Just ask the Los Angeles Lakers. They were atop the conference standings for two days, then quickly dropped from first to sixth after one loss!

And there is balance between youth and veterans around the league, there is parity between teams, and above all there is a significant amount of All-Stars, SuperStars, and SuperDuperStars that are on contending teams.

The National Ballers Association is primed and ready for topnotch action. It's where amazing things happen, so let's get ready to rumble!

With another new year on the horizon and just about a third of the NBA regular season in completion, bloggers will continue to blog, haters will continue to hate, fans will continue to watch, trades will continue to be rumored, and NBA players will continue to play.

What we will all be saying to ourselves in 2008, a year that promises to shell out a ton of surprises:

"It's about time Isiah Thomas did something."

"All the Miami Heat did was buy the most expensive championship in pro sports history because it was worth it even though they knew all along that they would get nothing from Shaq in the long run. No surprise that he is strongly hinting at retirement."

"Shaquille O'Neal is not as great as I once thought he was because guys like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Patrick Ewing, and Moses Malone were still averaging well over 17 points and 10 boards a game when they were over 35 years of age."

"Jerry Buss and Mitch Kupchak are geniuses."

"Kobe Bryant is GOD dressed up as a basketball player."

"I knew all along that the Los Angeles Lakers were more of a championship contender than the Phoenix Suns, Utah Jazz, Houston Rockets and Denver Nuggets."

"Amare Stoudemire and Steve Nash are the next Karl Malone and John Stockton. All that talent with nothing to show for"

"See, I told you Jason Kidd would end up playing in Dallas again."

"Utah's Western Conference Finals appearance last year was a fluke. I really can't believe the Jazz missed Derek Fisher and his leadership that much. "

"How is it that Smush Parker is still playing in this league?"

"David Lee needs way more playing time."

"Dwight Howard is going to need a point guard to get him the ball."

"Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer are solid All-Star caliber players but don't possess the killer instinct that can make an impact to take their team over the top."

"The teams that everyone loves to watch - Utah, Phoenix, Golden State - have finally made me realize that it takes defense and bigs to win games of importance in this league."

" I sure hope Greg Oden doesn't turn out like Sam Bowie (cringe)."

"The Houston Rockets are softies and Rick Adelman is not as great a coach and innovator as I thought. He's like Mike D'Antoni and Mike Dunleavy."

"It was just a matter of time before Pau Gasol ended up where he is now."

"I can't believe I once thought that Lebron James and Dwyane Wade had better supporting casts than Kobe Bryant."

"Nothing ever changes with Don Nelson and how he loves to tease all of us only for us to be disappointed in the end."

"It's the same old Los Angeles Clippers."

"It's the same old San Antonio Spurs."

"Somehow I'm getting the feeling that David Stern really wants the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals instead of the Detroit Pistons."

"It's the same old Pistons."

"What ever happened to Mike Conley? Oh I know... Juan Carlos Navarro."

"Why isn't Damon Stoudamire representing the Miami Heat, where old,  washed up PG's love to congregate?"

"That Carmelo Anthony-Allen Iverson tandem is getting old."

"Air Jordans are just not what they used to be."

"Michael Jordan's been practicing a lot with the team lately. I wonder if he's..."

"Kobe is the next MJ. Period."

"Bryant-Bynum-Odom is the next Magic-Kareem-Worthy in Lakerland, and it's not called the Lake Show either. It's the Young Guns, like Estevez-Sheen-Sutherland."

"I shouldn't have underestimated the Lakers and overestimated the Suns."

Happy Christmas and Merry New Year.

Last week, I posted a blog explaining why the Los Angeles Lakers were on the rise and the Phoenix Suns were in for a big surprise this year.

Numerous Suns supporters and Laker bashers, namely NBA preview guru XPHOENIX87 and my favorite of them all RICKO the Cynical one, continued their assault on me while suggesting that my perceived lack of unbiased opinion continues to fuel my homerism.

Although it is true that my undying support for the Lakers franchise is never more evident with these blogs, one thing these two don't realize is that I make sense when I point out the obvious between these two teams. Why else would DIME rank the Lakers #4 in their power rankings if I was so homeristic and biased? Get a clue, Phoenix fans. Your team was just outrebounded and spanked by the lowly Hawks last night. And don't even say Amare wasn't there, because the last time you were without Stoudemire for an extended period you were still feasting on the East. Last night should be an indication that your team is in serious trouble.

The purpose of this blog is to address the stupidity  and sardonic nature of Phoenix fans and how they love to bring up the past to justify their perceived notions about the two rivals. They love bringing up Kobe's off-court failures, they love to bring up the Suns regular season excellence, they love to bring up how Laker fans keep hanging onto their legacy as a franchise, and they love to reiterate how last year Phoenix started off 1-5 and ended the season with a b@ng. It was a b@ng alright... b@nged right out of the playoffs.

I am going to call out XP87 and RICKO right here right now for BLOGWORLD to see and show how ridiculous they are with their sarcasm because no one wants to give the LAKERS any credit whatsoever, which is the reason they are arguably the biggest LAKER HATERS of all-time. You will hate me for this.

At least last year after Phoenix ended L.A.'s season, I commended the SUNS with a blog wherein I displayed the utmost respect to the rivals. I give respect where respect is due because I know what I see and I tell it how it is. Haters talk the way they talk because they have nothing better to do and their parents never taught them any better.

So Laker supporters, I am going to spearhead the attack against the state of Arizona right here right now. This is going to be a battle all year so if you guys are with me get your ammunition ready. And for you Phoenix fans, bring it 'cause I'm adding fuel to the fire. So here we go, DING! DING! DING!... ROUND #1.

This from RICKO, on November 7, 2007 at 2:41pm:  "So you're saying the Suns are not a championship contender? And YOU saying we Suns fans have "blind arrogance"?? You, sir, are a piece of work indeed.

So I reply, "Yes, RICKO, the Suns are not championship contender for reasons I pointed out. They are an excellent regular season team who will win 60 games every year with Nash but until you guys get some real centers and power forwards, you'll keep losing to the San Antonio's and Dallas's in the postseason.

And YES, Suns fans have blind arrogance just like you guys claim Lakers are arrogant because you keep hanging onto championship hopes that are not legitimately there. At least in LAKERLAND, we know that it takes a great center, a great guard, a great coach, a balanced lineup, and above all DEFENSE to win a title because we've done it 14 times before. And don't even try to come back and say AMARE is a great center because he's not. He's 6-8, jumps high, and only plays center because he's playing in Phoenix. Anywhere else, he's a power forward. Your window of opportunity was in '05 and '06 and your team blew it....

So XPHOENIX87, on 11/7/07 at 3:02pm, mockingly writes:  "See, Ricko, you have to understand that the Suns need to get some real centers and power forwards like Kwame Brown, Chris Mihm, Andrew Bynum and Ronny Turiaf. Your pathetic rotation of Amare, Marion, and Diaw just can't hold a candle to that group, especiall not with Amare aging so quickly at the ripe old age of 24.

I come back with a little taste of their own sarcasm: "Your statement was just about as accurate as your previews, XP. Glad to know you're starting to take notice. Kudos." I'll add that XP probably doesn't know who Antonio McDyess is or is most likely avoiding the fact that Stoudemire might possibly end up like McDyess and could be in another uniform in one or two years, leaving Nash with (gasp) Skinner and Diaw.

XPHOENIX87, at 9:17pm last night while researching his next team preview, provides a little witty candor in response to my straightforwardness:  " What a stunning rebuttal where you didn't actually address any of the many factual inaccuracies in your article. Your logic and debating skills are, as always, impeccable.

Added RICKO, who at 9:34pm last night was probably sharing the computer in his basement with his buddy XP while watching LEBRON's triple-double on ESPN:  "xphoenix- Sigh. I'm afraid you're right. Looking up and down the Suns roster, I see no one the caliber of Mihm and Bynum. Thanks for setting me straight. And the fact that your sarcasm went right over J-Dizz's head is priceless.

So at this point, they probably think I'm fuming and flaming hot like an El Pollo Loco. But actually I'm sitting in my office laughing at how stupid these two really are. They probably get an erection just by saying  that I have no logic or debating skills, but frankly I did not appreciate it. Think before you talk XPhoenix. You're ego is getting way too big because of those previews and the generous comments people give you. Frankly, anybody can do a preview when you've got copies of THE SPORTING NEWS, ESPN MAGAZINE, the INTERNET, and a subscription to SPORTS ILLUSTRATED at your disposal.

You attack my intellect and I will call you out.

This was my reply to XP, which I posted on my blog at 12:48pm, after I came back from having lunch with a client:  " XP: you should have already figured out my rebuttals to your comments before you even made them because your silly comments are aimed at nothing more than to repeat what the rest of the Phoenix fan base has already said in this blog. And you should know better considering you're supposed expertise with all your previews.

I like how you guys keep trying to base things on last year. You're just like everyone else out there. Your stuff is nothin' new my friend. You talk about how Phoenix started 1-5 last year and how they ended up. Well, how do you like it that this year will be Phoenix's turn to suffer injuries? Again I shall repeat... Amare knee's won't last, Nash is having to carry too much of the load at his age, and once again after five games Phoenix has been OUTREBOUNDED and OUTMUSCLED.

Like all Phoenix fans who nitpick at every little thing just to find something wrong with the Lakers, you keep bringing up the past - "Yeah, it's a good thing that in LA they build for dynasties and don't 'rent aging superstars' like Karl Malone and Gary Payton. I mean, that would just be stupid" -  but didn't we make it to the FINALS that year even with an INJURED Malone? And what have the SUNS done? NADA my friend. Who's stupid now?

One of XP's other comments to me was "Shouldn't LA be a little bit more worried that THEY have no onewho can guard Carlos Boozer?"

See how you guys love to nitpick at the most absurd things? So I come back with, "Didn't we just spank the JAZZ, who had no answer for Bynum's double-double. Like I said since you don't pay attention, Boozer is tough but he is UNDERSIZED for a power forward. He ain't no Mailman" And let me also add that he ain't no BARKLEY either.

XP says that I can't give him a rebuttal, basically challenging me. Here's another one of his acerbic statements:  "LA still has no post defense; they had no answer to Yao"

And like the Suns do (ha ha ha)? Since you are the preview expert, tell me something... What did Yao say about Kwame's post defense? Didn't Ming happen to mention that among NBA centers, Kwame plays him the toughest? I do believe he said that last year. Go on and do some research so you'll know your facts, instead of relying on silly stats all the time. And by the way, HOUSTON has NO ANSWER for KOBE.

XP adds, "You know, it's too bad that Phoenix doesn't have a First Team All-NBA post player to exploit those defensive weaknesses. Oh... wait..."

So I reply, "You obviously don't know that Phoenix has no TEAM defense, getting outrebounded every game and nobody taller than 6-9 who can hold the paint. Nothing but outside shots and if they were so consistent, they why have they shot an average of 39% against the Lakers and the lowly Atlanta Hawks? Figure that one out. You won't because you don't know about the old adage, "You live and die by the three".  Remember that DALLAS team in the nineties with George McCloud who put up three after three after three? That's your Phoenix Suns.

I keep going as if on a rampage... "And oh yeah, forgot to mention that the Lakers have a 7-time All-Defense MVP candidate and three big men who can give Amare fits and put him in foul trouble. Nice try on that one. I shall add that we also have three-time champion and defensive tough guy Derek Fisher, whom Nash is probably intimidated by.

Finally, I cap it off with a little something for Mr. RICKO: "Sarcasm is just about ALL that Phoenix fans have to go by."

After a long layoff from FOXBLOGCITY, and after drinking my share of PURA VIDAS and enjoying beautiful COSTA RICA with friends and my sizzling Stephanie... THE DIZZLE is BACK!

The 2007 edition of TEAM USA Basketball is about to play Venezuela tomorrow to kickstart the quest for gold in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

We certainly have some top talent on this summer's squad, but I am not convinced that this should be the team to represent our country next year against the likes of France, Argentina, Yugoslavia, Greece, and Spain. I do believe, however, that this team is better than the team that lost to Greece last summer in Japan because this time around KOBE replaces AI. Mr. Bryant is the real answer.

But there are still questions. Will TIM DUNCAN or THE MATRIX be in the red, white, and blue next year? What about the CELTIC TRIO? Will D-WADE be healthy enough? Does SHAQ give it one more go 'round or will GREG ODEN take his place? We can dream about the real DREAM TEAM, but we must use what we have at our disposal right now...

AIR KOBE, J-KIDD, BRON BRON, MELO MAN A,  buh buh buh BILLUPS, AMARE, LEFTY REDD, HOWARD THE DUNK, DERON WILL.I.AMs, T-CHANDLER, MILLER MIKE and FRESH PRINCE OF COMPTON.

My crunch time starters are: PG- Kidd Magik, SG- Kobester, SF- Fresh Prince, PF- Amare, C- Howard the Dunk

Melo Man A, Chauncey, The King, and Lefty will head the second unit. Tyson, Will.I.AmS, and Miller Mike are there in case of foul trouble, much like THE LAKERS used Slava Medvedenko, Sasha Vujacic, and Devean George.

So tip off is tomorrow on NBA TV. Who are your STARTERS? Feel free to speak your mind.

Don't get me wrong people, I have not ditched the LAKERS and become a SUNS fan. I am merely honoring a bet I placed with RICKO, all-time Laker "hater" and big-time Suns supporter.

So here ya go... Here come the SUNS, click... click... click... the best in the west in 2007... click... click. Watch out NBA, the Suns may finally hang a championship banner in the next few weeks, and I mean it.

I will say this before I go on... GO WARRIORS!! What a way to represent California. You guys inspired so many that even SNOOP D-O-DOUBLE-G sported a Golden State jersey last night. In a nutshell, Dirk Nowitzki once again proved that he is no MVP but just a regular season performer. Dirk could not will his team and choked when everything was on the line just like in last year's Finals. Too bad for Cuban, he could have kept Steve Nash.

Which brings me to the Phoenix Suns.

Earlier in the season, I talked about why the Suns would not win the title. I said that Mike D'Antoni's biggest mistake was using an 8-man rotation. I said that the players would be worn out come playoff time and I said that the Suns lack of size would come back to burn them in the playoffs should they meet the Lakers in the first round. I said the Lakers' role players would step up and pound the Suns into submission. Boy, was I wrong.

There are several reasons why the Lakers-Suns series was so lopsided in comparison to last year's 7-game extravaganza.

1) Amare Stoudamire - His presence alone eradicated any impact that Kwame Brown and Andrew Bynum could have made in the series. His ability to be a threat in the post both on defense and on offense basically exposed Kwame's inadequacies. STAT gives the Suns a weapon inside that they never had last year, which makes me believe they have enough to outlast San Antonio in the second round. The key for Stoudamire will be to limit the number of penetrations from Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. Stoudamire is a beast on a major mission and I expect him to give Duncan all he can handle... and then some.

2) Steve Nash and Leandro Barbosa - The Lakers (and the rest of the NBA for that matter) still haven't figured out how to contain the two-time MVP. Nash by himself outhustled, outscored and outassisted Smush, Jordan, Sasha, and Shammond the enitre series. Blur Barbosa looked like Clyde Drexler the way he was slashing and burning the Lakers in transition and played even better than he did against L.A. last year.

3) Mike D'Antoni and the Suns defense - They collapsed on Kobe and made it harder for him to make shots in the fourth quarter. This wasn't really an adjustment but D'Antoni's message to his players was clear: stay sharp on defense and never let up. The result was a killer instinct by the Suns that was never seen in past playoffs.

With all of this being said, Phoenix still has a lot to prove by beating battle-tested San Antonio. It's a monumental challenge for Phoenix but if they can get past the Spurs, they will most likely win it all.

Like they say, "the proof is in the pudding" and the SUNS showed why they are ready to win the title this year. Good luck to all the SUNS fans. I am humbled to say the least as I give respect and credit where respect and credit is due.

But watch out for the LAKERS next year. We'll be back with a vengeance. I guarantee it.