What We Learned from the NBA Last Weekend

• Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are the greatest scoring duo in the league. 91 combined points! Are you kidding me? That many points could win a third of OKC's games if they put those numbers up on a consistent basis. Every time the Thunder step on the court they show why they are the best team in the Western Conference. They have two All-Star caliber players along with some very good role players. Serge Ibaka didn't get much attention Saturday night against the Denver Nuggets because of the barrage of scoring from his teammates, but he quietly had a triple-double. James Harden would be a borderline All-Star on half of the teams in the league.

Courtesy of http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/ian_thomsen/02/23/lin.vs.heat/index.html

• Jeremy Lin is the second best point guard in greater New York. On February 4th, Linsanity started with the New York Knicks beating the New Jersey Nets 99-92. Deron Williams put up 21 points, 11 assists, and 6 rebounds for the near triple-double, yet the highlight of the game was Jeremy Lin--the young point guard who broke out for 25 points off the bench. Last Monday, Deron Williams made it his goal to shut down Lin and show the country who really was the premier point guard on the court. Williams went off for 38 points, including eight threes, and stole the show. Through three quarters, with the score 82-64 in favor of New Jersey, Williams had outscored Lin 34 to 11. Half of Jeremy Lin's points came in garbage time when the Nets had sealed the victory. Yes, Jeremy Lin is a great fit for the Knicks but I doubt that he could put up the twenty points and nine assists that he's been averaging in February for any other team. Excluding marketing and advertising Jeremy Lin, the Knicks would take Deron Williams over Lin any day. Deron Williams is often overshadowed and forgotten about because he plays for a 10-25 team with no star teammates and in a market that has to compete with the rising Knicks. Put Williams on the Lakers, Knicks, or Mavericks and they are all legitimate title contenders.

Courtesy of  sbnation.com

NBA Free Agent Playoff Team

          If I had $100 million and could turn my backyard into an NBA arena, I could put together a team that would have the potential to be a four or five seed in the playoffs. I could assemble a half-decent four-man lineup just off of Denver Nuggets free agents alone, assuming Wilson Chandler, J.R. Smith, and Kenyon Martin can escape from their contracts in China.

Courtesy of http://sportsofboston.com/2011/06/14/potential-2011-celtics-free-agent-target-nene-hilario/

Imagine this starting lineup:
Point Guard--Jamal Crawford
Shooting Guard--Jason Richardson
Small Forward--Thaddeus Young
Power Forward--David West
Center--Nene
Bench:

• Tyson Chandler (C)
• Mark Gasol (C)
• Andrei Kirillenko (SF)
• Tayshaun Prince (SF)
• Jeff Green (SF)
• Caron Butler (SF)
• Rodney Stuckey (PG)

          The team would by no means be a title contender, but if the NBA ever wanted to expand, now is the time to do it. A lot of these players are quickly approaching or already are in their thirties, but as soon as free agency opens on December 9th, expect half of these players will have time within the first few days. This is a great opportunity for serious contenders to improve their bench or even starting five with talented veterans.

List of free agents courtesy of http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=mc-spears_nba_free_agents_112711