R.S. De France is a College and University instructor of English Composition. He has a B.A. in English and an M.A. in Rhetoric, Composition, and Writing. One of his life-long pursuits has been writing and covering anything related to sports, specifically the NBA. Recently, De France, his wife, and another colleague started an internationally read magazine at Shwibly.com.
1. Phoenix Suns forward Chris Dudley has emerged as a three point threat, leading the NBA in three-point percentage, with 50%. He’s also averaging a career high 9.0 ppg. This is not surprising because the Suns tend to cultivate these players, ala Raja Bell. Still, Dudley leads the league after only shooting 37% last season.
2. Steve Nash is still defying his age. At 36 (37 in February), the all-star is blowing away the competition, leading the NBA in free throw percentage at 93% and assists with 11.2 (after falling to 4th in assists last season).
3. The Phoenix Suns have risen again from 9th place in the West in 2008-2009 to 6th place this season. They started off the season very strong, even better than their division rivals, the Lakers, but they have faded in recent weeks, including losses to the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Golden State Warriors.
4. The Oklahoma City Thunder and the Memphis Grizzlies are both in position to contend for a playoff spot. Right now the Thunder is in 8th and the Grizzlies in 10th, but they are only a few losses apart.
5. The Charlotte Bobcats and the Milwaukee Bucks are also in position to make a run at the playoffs. Currently, the Bobcats are 8th and the Bucks 9th in the Eastern Conference.
6. Last season, neither Joakim Noah nor Gerald Wallace were in the top 30 in rebounding. This season, Noah is 2nd with 12.2 rpg and Wallace 3rd with 11.9 rpg. Kevin Love, who started the season injured, is also having a breakout year, grabbing 12.3 (only 17 games).
7. Last season the Philadelphia 76ers finished 6th place and battled to a 4-2 loss in the first round of the playoffs against the eventual Eastern Conference champion Orlando Magic. Late game heroics by Andre Iguodala and Thaddeus Young provided the spark for the 76ers in that series. Before the 2009-2010 season, the Sixers add three point specialist Jason Kapono in exchange for Reggie Evans. They also drafted UCLA product Jrue Holiday and re-signed former MVP Allen Iverson. This is not the type of recipe that leads you from playoff contention to being tied for the second-to-worst in the Eastern Conference in consecutive seasons. How did this once promising playoff team lose 12 straight games (and 14/15) already in the 2009-2010 season?
The Worst and Best Christmas Presents
1. Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton drew guns on each other over a gambling debt, only days before Christmas. This is another horrible present for the Wizards who are defying expectation by looking almost as bad as last season. On the other hand, David Stern gets to switch his focus from refs and the whole Tim Donaghy scandal to punishing the Wizards and their players. While this is horrendous for the Wizards and the league, some of the heat is off of Stern for now.
2. The Lakers’ were pounded 102-87 by the Cavaliers. Although if you’re a Cavs fan, that had to be a nice gift. As a Laker fan, it was painful to watch.
3. By beating the Orlando Magic 86-77 on Christmas day, the Boston Celtics remain undefeated all-time on Christmas day.
