When the Oklahoma City Thunder traded Jeff Green to the Boston Celtics back in 2011 for Kendrick Perkins, everyone was on board with the move.

The Thunder were looking at one team back then that they needed to get past to win the Western Conference and that was the Los Angeles Lakers who were most dominant because of Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum on their frontline.

Perkins was going to help the Thunder deal with them. He would have, the Thunder just never really needed Perkins to.

Perkins has brought a lot of value to the Thunder as a leader and vocal defensive anchor. He can be a good NBA player but some feel he plays a little too much for the Thunder, especially when Nick Collison is the other option, and he’s paid too much (he’s owed $17 million the next two seasons).

It wasn’t just swapping Green for Perkins at the time of the trade that made it seem like such a good deal for the Thunder. It also allowed James Harden and Serge Ibaka to be unleashed within the Thunder rotation.

It’s not a knock on Green, but he was the third wheel behind Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook and it made it kind of hard for Harden to have the ball much on offense and Ibaka to get minutes.

Looking back on the trade now and watching Green go off for a career-high 43 points last night vs. the Miami Heat has to have Thunder fans thinking about what could have been had they not traded Green.

A big reason why the Thunder traded Green was because they knew they weren’t going to be able to pay him past his rookie contract, especially since they saw how promising Harden and Ibaka were. What ended up happening though was before the 2011-12 season, doctors found a problem with Green’s heart and he missed the entire season and basically ended up not getting the kind of money OKC anticipated he would demand.

Green signed a four-year, $36 million deal with the Celtics which has him making just about the same as what Perkins is making for the Thunder.

It would have been impossible for the Thunder to foresee this but basically, they could have been able to keep Green and eventually pay him.

This may have even kept Harden from blossoming so quickly into a no-brainer, max-contract guy to where the Thunder could have potentially kept him as well. Maybe not, but kind of a reasonable possibility.

Would the Thunder have made it to the NBA Finals last year without Green or Perkins? Probably. Just insert Collison into all of Perkins’ minutes from last year and they would have been just fine.

You can make the case that the Thunder could essentially have the same team right now except with Green instead of Perkins. Isn’t that the perfect swap for the Thunder? They need to get better at playing small and Green is the perfect small ball three/four and one of the best in the league right now at defending LeBron James.

This is probably too unfair to think about as a possible “What if?” scenario but it still could have happened and wouldn’t the Thunder be better off with Green instead of Perkins right now?

Last night, it was hard not to think that way.

Mar 10, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) handles the ball against Boston Celtics forward Paul Pierce (34) and Celtics guard Jason Terry (4) during the second half at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

The Oklahoma City Thunder won their fifth straight game Sunday afternoon beating the Boston Celtics 91-79 at Chesapeake Energy Arena.

The Thunder consistently outplayed the Celtics throughout the game as every single Thunder player had a positive plus-minus for the game.

The Thunder led by just three entering the fourth quarter then began to pull away led by their bench.

Nick Collison made a jumper off an assist from Reggie Jackson to open up the quarter then Jackson scored six straight points for OKC.

The Thunder held the Celtics to 37.7 percent field goal shooting for the game. The Thunder shot 44.1 percent and only had three offensive rebounds which contributed greatly to the game being so close.

Here are the Game Grades:

Kevin Durant – 39 minutes, 23 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists – B

Durant had a pedestrian shooting performance again going 6-for-16 from the field and missing all four of his three-point attempts, which is always weird to see. He made up for it by going 11-for-11 from the free throw line though and also was active on the defensive glass.

Russell Westbrook – 34 minutes, 15 points, 2 assists, 1 rebound – C

You don’t see a lot of games for Westbrook like this one. He only scored 15 but he also only took 11 shots and made five of them. When he shoots that little he usually ends up with more assists but Durant being a little bit off may have contributed to that low number as well.

Serge Ibaka – 26 minutes, 7 points, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks – C+

Ibaka didn’t get a ton of minutes and was relatively quiet in the game. He went just 3-for-5 from the field but did have two assists, which is actually a very good number for him. The Celtics played a lot of smaller lineups so the Thunder had just one big out there for a good part of the game.

Kevin Martin – 29 minutes, 12 points, 3 assists, 3 rebounds – B

Martin also missed all four of his three-point attempts in the game. You can imagine how this would have been a blowout if Durant and Martin were knocking down their threes. Martin scored in other ways though shooting 4-for-8 from inside the arc and getting to the line five times. Seeing him starting to get assists is a good sign for the Thunder too.

Kendrick Perkins – 31 minutes, 6 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists – B+

You knew Perkins would be up for this one playing against his old team. He had a very good Perkins game too not scoring a lot but getting a few boards and five dimes. He also helped limit Kevin Garnett to just a 5-for-19 shooting night.

Thabo Sefolosha – 24 minutes, 8 points, 3 rebounds, 3 steals – B+

This was a pretty solid outing for Sefolosha. He got less minutes than we’re used to seeing sometimes because Derek Fisher is now playing so much. He went 3-for-4 from the field and made plays on defense which is all the Thunder ask from him.

Nick Collison – 25 minutes, 8 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists – A

When Collison gets up over 20 minutes, it’s always a good thing for the Thunder. And if he’s scoring too, that’s also a good sign because he’s never not efficient. Collison did those things yesterday as the bench was at its best to start the fourth quarter.

Reggie Jackson – 16 minutes, 6 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist – B+

This was another good one from Jackson. He was especially great to start the fourth accounting for the first eight Thunder points with an assist and all six of his points. He rebounds so well too that it hasn’t been an issue yet with Fisher playing alongside him so much.

Derek Fisher – 14 minutes, 6 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist – B

It was Jackson in the fourth quarter and Fisher in the first half. If Fisher knocks down shots, he’s not a liability and can sort of be an asset. Still feels like Fisher turning his ankle might be the best thing that could happen to the Thunder at this point in the season.

Mar 10, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jeff Green (8) handles the ball against Oklahoma City Thunder center Kendrick Perkins (5) during the first half at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

The Oklahoma City Thunders clashed with the Boston Celtics on Sunday afternoon, beating them 91-79 at home and advancing their winning streak to five straight.

Kevin Durant let the Thunder in scoring with a double-double effort, putting up 23 points and 11 rebounds. Russell Westbrook helped out with 15 points, and Kevin Martin came off the bench to add 12 more.

Three Celtics had double-digit points, Paul Pierce being the leader of the trio with 20. Avery Bradley had 12, and Kevin Garnet–who was particularly cold in this game–had 10.

The Thunder led Boston the entire game, though the Celtics kept it close from beginning to end. Boston shot reasonably well in the first two periods, but the Thunder chopped their percentage in half from 51-percent to just 25-percent in the latter two.

To Boston’s credit, they tempered OKC’s regular pace of 107 points per game, the best in the NBA.
Putting up only 91 points, this was the lowest-scoring game for Oklahoma City in their last 25 games, but nevertheless it was the 47th win for this exciting squad.

With the win, OKC advances to 47-16 on the season, and is just one game behind the Spurs for the best record in the West. They challenge the Sacramento Kings next on Monday, Mar. 11.

Nov 23, 2012; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics small forward Paul Pierce (34) drives the ball against Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant (35) during the second half at the TD Garden. The Celtics defeated the Thunder 108-100. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

The Oklahoma City Thunder will be on the national stage again today as they host the Boston Celtics at 1 p.m. EST.

The Celtics beat the Thunder the first time they played back on Nov. 23.

Rajon Rondo led the way with six points and 16 assists in that game and will of course not be playing today as he is out for the year with a torn ACL.

Kevin Durant scored 29 to lead the Thunder and Russell Westbrook added 26. The Thunder bench scored just 13 total points while Kevin Martin had only three on 1-of-7 shooting.

Paul Pierce had 27 in that game and former Thunder Jeff Green scored 17 off the bench.

Green will be making his return to OKC today for the first time since being traded for Kendrick Perkins back on Feb. 24, 2011. Green has been playing well lately for the Celtics especially since the Rondo injury.

Despite losing Rondo, the Celtics have been playing well and are winners of seven of their last 10, the same record as the Thunder over their last 10.

Boston will hope for a slower paced game than the Thunder would like, with the score in the 90s to have their best chance of winning.

The Celtics are notoriously a poor offensive rebounding team so it will be imperative for the Thunder to not allow many second chance points today for Boston.

The Thunder had an easy 116-94 win over the Charlotte Bobcats in their last game. The bench got a lot of run in that game and played well overall.

OKC will need their bench to show up today, and they usually do at home, to ensure a victory over the Celtics.

The game will tip at 1 p.m. EST and air nationally on ABC.

Feb 19, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; Boston Celtics forward Kevin Garnett (5) reacts during the first half against the Denver Nuggets at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

There have been a lot of trade rumors involving Kevin Garnett recently which is interesting since he has a no-trade clause in his contract.

The Boston Celtics have been linked to the Los Angeles Clippers involving a Garnett trade but now it looks like that deal may be dead.

The Oklahoma City Thunder is a destination that many would like to see for Garnett.

Garnett in OKC makes almost too much sense on the court. Something tells me Garnett wants to win a title above all else and Boston probably can’t do that for him anymore, not with Rondo out of the picture. Now that the Lakers and Grizzlies have fallen out of the title-contention circle, Perkins doesn’t make sense on the roster. Garnett, as a defensive maestro and leader, does.

Of course, Boston doesn’t even think about this deal unless they’ve committed to rebuild, rebuild, rebuild. That Toronto pick could easily end up in the top seven once Rudy Gay decides to stop making every do-or-die shot at the buzzer. And if healthy, Perry Jones has about as high of a ceiling as any player in the draft (to reiterate: if healthy). Boston probably balks at this deal even with the young, high-upside pieces, but it’s too tantalizing from OKC’s standpoint not to mention.

Via Tom Haberstroh/ESPN

This potential trade would send Garnett, Chris Wilcox and Jason Collins to OKC for Kendrick Perkins, Eric Maynor, Perry Jones and Toronto’s first-round pick.

This would be of course very interesting and overall, pretty unrealistic. The Celtics would have to be committed to rebuilding which they may not be at the moment. They are currently the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference and have a history with this team of believing they can turn it on once the playoffs start.

The Celtics would also probably be more interested in this if they could get a few more draft picks and possibly Jeremy Lamb instead of Jones. Not every team sees Jones for his potential and rather a big risk that probably won’t amount to much in this league.

Garnett in OKC sounds nice but how much better could he even make the Thunder? You have to imagine they get better defensively despite Garnett’s age getting up there.

Garnett could help space the floor a lot better than Perkins too. He has a great midrange game still and would probably be able to take advantage and score in the post a lot in OKC as well.

Garnett said earlier this week that this past All-Star Game would be his last. That might mean the Thunder would only be getting Garnett for one season.

The Thunder aren’t risking too much in this potential deal though. Parting ways with Perkins is something they really should do sometime soon. Maybe they could even get Garnett to play another season.

The trade deadline is tomorrow afternoon at 3 p.m. EST. We’ll find out what happens with Garnett then.

Feb 13, 2013; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics forward/center Kevin Garnett (5) drives against Chicago Bulls small forward Luol Deng (9) during the fourth quarter at TD Banknorth Garden. The Boston Celtics won 71-69. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

The Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Clippers are reportedly discussing a trade involving All-Star Kevin Garnett, according to Yahoo! Sports.

The potential trade would involve the Clippers sending Eric Bledsoe and DeAndre Jordan to Boston for Garnett. Garnett would have to waive his no-trade clause for the deal to go through as well.

Garnett has a home in Malibu and is a close friend to Chauncey Billups, which is believed to make his approval a distinct possibility should a deal be reached.

The Clippers are increasingly confident that they will sign Chris Paul in the offseason, which has increased the odds of dealing Bledsoe.

ESPN reports that Vinny Del Negro is pushing for the trade, but that the Clippers’ front office is against moving Bledsoe and Jordan for Garnett.

Via Yahoo! Sports

There was a rumored trade for Garnett and the Clippers a few weeks ago that would have sent Bledsoe and Caron Butler to Boston for KG. That rumor was shot down shortly after coming out.

This would be a better haul for the Celtics if they can get Jordan instead of Butler in the deal.

The real question is whether the Celtics really want to part ways with Garnett right now. He is in his 18th season in the NBA and will be starting in the NBA All-Star Game tomorrow night.

The Celtics are 28-24 entering the All-Star Break which is good for the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference. They’ve won eight of their last nine games which have all come since Rajon Rondo was injured and lost for the year.

Garnett said earlier this week that this All-Star Game would be his last. That might mean that he plans to retire after this season and if that is the case, then why would the Clippers consider dealing two of their most promising young players just to rent him?

Adding KG wouldn’t necessarily make the Clippers an immediate NBA title favorite either. They have something good going right now that involves Jordan and Bledsoe quite a bit.

Throw in the fact that Chris Paul is going to be a free agent after this season and if you deal two young players to rent Garnett and it doesn’t work out, maybe Paul will decide to jump ship.

The trade deadline is next Thursday, Feb. 21.

David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

The big story yesterday around the league was that the Los Angeles Clippers were pursuing Boston Celtics All-Star forward Kevin Garnett.

The Clippers wanted to put together a package involving Eric Bledsoe and Caron Butler to trade for Garnett.

The Los Angeles Times reported later in the day that rumor was not true and the Clippers had not contacted Boston about a trade.

The news about Garnett possibly being on the market is interesting though and there are some destinations for him this season that might make sense for the Celtics.

One place that Garnett could go would be the Oklahoma City Thunder writes ESPN’s Kevin Pelton.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are the most intriguing destination. Upgrading from Kendrick Perkins in the middle would make the Thunder the overwhelming favorite to win the title, and Oklahoma City has enough young assets (including rookies Perry Jones III and Jeremy Lamb and the rights to Toronto’s protected first-round pick) to make a deal like this without overhauling its rotation.

The Thunder definitely do have assets to make a trade this season. Lamb, Jones and the draft picks along with an expiring contract like Kevin Martin mean that the Thunder can do a lot of things if they want to.

Acquiring Garnett and essentially replacing Kendrick Perkins with him would be a definite upgrade for the Thunder. They would surely be thought of as the NBA title favorites if they could pull something like this off.

You have to remember why the Thunder traded James Harden at the beginning of the season. It wasn’t to try and win a title now but to become competitive for the next decade. Getting rid of most of the young assets they have now for a player in his 18th season in the league isn’t exactly parallel with Thunder GM Sam Presti’s vision.

Garnett is without question a much better player than Perkins, both defensively and offensively. He could give the Thunder another option as a midrange spot-up shooter but they already have that in Serge Ibaka. Garnett scores in the post occasionally but it’s unlikely the Thunder would try to feature him too much with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook still getting most of the touches.

Garnett is still an elite defender of the pick-and-roll but how much better is he really than Perkins when it comes to that?

This trade is not going to happen because the Thunder wouldn’t even want to do it even if it technically makes them a little better on paper.

Don’t be surprised if the Celtics come out soon and say that Garnett is not on the market too. It would cripple their team to lose him at this point and it’s not like their season is over. They are 4-0 since Rajon Rondo tore his ACL.

Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Clippers are reportedly interested in Boston Celtics All-Star forward Kevin Garnett, according to Sporting News.

The Clippers have been in contact with the Celtics about a potential trade. The Clippers put together a package featuring Eric Bledsoe and Caron Butler for Garnett.

If the Clippers want to make this move then it means they think they can win a championship this season. Right now they are third in the Western Conference with a 34-12 record.

Bledsoe has had a breakout year for the Clippers this season averaging 9.3 points per game off the bench. He has been a lockdown defender as well and someone that can totally change a game when he comes in.

Bledsoe is just in his third NBA season and the Clippers know they would have to pay him soon if they want to keep him. He won’t demand a max contract by any means but with the Clippers’ plans to lock up Paul along with Blake Griffin, they may want to just capitalize on a high trade value of Bledsoe now.

The Celtics may be looking to blow up their roster to some degree following the torn ACL of Rajon Rondo. The Celtics are currently in the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference and have won their last four games without Rondo.

Garnett signed a 3-year, $36 million deal with Boston at the start of this season. He is now 36 years old and in his 18th season in the NBA.

If the Clippers could somehow acquire Garnett this way, they would immediately look like they have a better chance to challenge the San Antonio Spurs or Oklahoma City Thunder.

Garnett is still one of the premiere post and pick-and-roll defenders in the league and he would improve the Clippers’ defense, which has been great this season anyway.

Having more size in Garnett and being able to contest the likes of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook better would make it very difficult for the Thunder in a potential playoff matchup. The Thunder already have trouble with the Clippers because of the Paul-Westbrook matchup and this would make it that much more difficult.

This trade is far from happening right now and if the Celtics keep winning, it’s hard to imagine they would trade Garnett even if they could acquire a young stud in Bledsoe for him.

Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Lakers are 18-25 on the season and currently out of the playoff picture in the Western Conference.

The Lakers have been unable to take advantage of their best four players under first year head coach Mike D’Antoni.

D’Antoni has made the decision to bring former perennial All-Star Pau Gasol off the bench because in his offense, Gasol and Dwight Howard aren’t playing well together. Howard has had one of his worst seasons in years too and Steve Nash is in the same boat.

The Lakers need to change something and that could come in the form of a trade. Amazingly, this season is not totally lost yet as they are only 4.5 games behind the Houston Rockets for the 8th seed in the Western Conference.

ESPN’s Marc Stein is reporting that multiple teams are speculating that the Lakers could engage in a 3-team trade to bring Rudy Gay to LA. The potential 3-team deal would send Gasol to the Boston Celtics and Paul Pierce to the Memphis Grizzlies.

Gasol and Gay have been tied to trade rumors virtually all season. The Grizzlies thought they were going to need to save money to avoid future luxury tax implications by getting rid of Gay but in light of their most recent trade, now may not have to.

Pierce has been linked to only some trade rumors and with the Celtics starting to really struggle, we will see his name thrown out there more and more.

This would be a gigantic trade swapping three former alpha dogs of their teams midway through the season. Other names would likely be involved but these three would be the biggest part of the trade.

Bringing Gay in for Gasol isn’t something that will drastically help the Lakers over night. Gay would be a better fit under D’Antoni and allow for the small lineups to continue with Earl Clark at the four but it won’t make the Lakers title contenders again.

The trade deadline is Thursday, Feb. 21.

David Butler II-US PRESSWIRE

The Oklahoma City Thunder fell on the road last night to the Boston Celtics 108-100. The Thunder are now 9-4 on the year while Boston improves to 7-6.

The Thunder outshot the Celtics from the field but did not hold an advantage in terms of offensive rebounding and Boston made 9-of-17 3-pointers.

Kevin Garnett led the way for the Celtics with 18 points in 32 minutes. The Celtics outscored OKC by 18 while Garnett was out there and KG also did work getting to the line 10 times.

Rajon Rondo had double-digit assists again with 16 on the night while Paul Pierce led Boston in scoring with 27. Jeff Green poured in 17 off the bench in his first game vs. the Thunder since being traded a year and a half ago.

As for the Thunder players, here are the Game Grades:

Kevin Durant – 37 minutes, 29 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists – B

Durant was less efficient than normal and OKC needed more from him last night to win. He went 9-for-20 from the field and didn’t do too much else. You expected in this matchup for Durant to have a big rebounding night but that wasn’t the case. It wasn’t a bad effort from Durant by any means as the Thunder were of course better than Boston while he was on the floor. But he didn’t get 40-plus minutes and the Thunder suffered without him on the floor.

Russell Westbrook – 38 minutes, 26 points, 8 assists, 7 rebounds – A

Westbrook played a very good game last night and finished with one of the better stat lines of the season. He did turn the ball over five times but at least he shot 10-for-21 from the field. He is still taking many more threes this season than ever before and last night went 2-of-7 from distance. This is something where he’d probably be better off trying to attack a little more than settle for long bombs.

Serge Ibaka – 34 minutes, 17 points, 13 rebounds, 2 blocks – A

Ibaka continues to roll offensively and now we’re starting to see bigger rebounding numbers from him as well. The defensive rebounds are not as important but getting four offensive rebounds is nice out of him. He went 7-for-11 from the field as his midrange jumper was falling again last night.

Kevin Martin – 32 minutes, 3 points, 1 steal – F

We saw just how bad it can get for Martin last night. With the Thunder used to getting 18 a night out of him, getting just three was impossible to overcome. OKC was outscored by 15 in the 32 minutes he played last night as he went 1-of-7 from the floor.

Kendrick Perkins – 30 minutes, 5 points, 9 rebounds, 2 blocks – B+

Perkins was heavily motivated playing against his former team and it showed. He looked pretty good for him out there and finished with solid numbers. The Thunder were actually in trouble for once without him on the floor but that was more of a product of how bad the entire bench played for OKC.

Thabo Sefolosha – 33 minutes, 10 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds – B

It’s a shame when you see guys like Perkins and Sefolosha having solid nights and the Thunder still lose. Ten points is about as good as it gets out of Sefolosha and his defense is always solid too.

Nick Collison – 18 minutes, 8 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist – B

Collison didn’t get a ton of run as Perkins was playing more minutes. He was productive in his short time though and while most Thunder bench players had plus-minus’ of 10 or more last night, Collison’s was just minus-6.

Eric Maynor – 12 minutes, 2 points, 4 assists, 1 rebound – C

With the Thunder bench scoring just 13 points last night while Boston’s scored 35, it’s hard to find any positives. Maynor went 1-of-5 from the field and with Martin at 1-of-7, that’s simply not enough for OKC’s second unit.

Hasheem Thabeet – 7 minutes, 0 points, 1 rebound, 1 block – D

Thabeet had been on a pretty good role until being held scoreless last night. In his seven minutes, OKC was outscored by 15. So you could say those were a crucial seven minutes from Thabeet.

Richard Rowe-US PRESSWIRE

The Oklahoma City Thunder enter tonight’s contest coming off their most impressive win of the season beating the Los Angeles Clippers in overtime two nights ago. After taking down one of the West’s best, they will be faced with one of the East’s best tonight and on the road vs. the Boston Celtics.

The Thunder have gotten out to a much more impressive start than Boston so far this season. OKC is 3rd in the league in offensive efficiency and 12th in defensive efficiency. The Celtics while playing in a weaker conference are 10th in offensive efficiency and just 25th defensively.

The biggest weakness for the Celtics is the same one they had a year ago in that they simply do not get any offensive rebounds. They are dead last by a wide margin in offensive rebounding rate while the Thunder are 13th in the league in defensive rebounding rate.

Boston has some new faces this season and there has been some rotational changes to the team. It still starts and stops with point guard Rajon Rondo though who will be one part in a great matchup tonight in Russell Westbrook.

Rondo is on a historical assists run getting 10 or more in the last 35 games. He’s leading the league averaging 13.3 per night.

Westbrook is right at the top of the charts in dimes as well this year averaging 8.4 per game which is good for 5th in the league. Westbrook is also one of the more prolific isolation scorers in the league right now averaging 20.8 points per game as well.

Kevin Durant enters tonight’s game fresh off a 35-points performance vs. the Clippers. He struggled from the field though and got most of his points from the free throw line. Boston will have a tough time matching up with Durant with Paul Pierce and former teammate Jeff Green, who will be playing against OKC for the first time since being traded.

The Thunder’s offensive prowess this season is due largely to their spot-up shooting which has been 3rd best in the league so far this season. Kevin Martin leads the way in that department as he is shooting 54.1 percent from beyond the arc so far this year. Throw in Thabo Sefolosha who is shooting 51.7 percent on threes and you see how the Thunder have been so dominant offensively this year.

This matchup is simply not a good one for the Celtics. OKC can individually defend every position without doubling and the Celtics aren’t going to get any second chances on offense. The Thunder offense has been playing at a very high level this season and passed a very tough test against the Clippers in their last game.

It’s never easy to win on the road in the NBA and Boston definitely is a talented team. But the Thunder are looking very good right now and should be able to head into Beantown and get the job done. The game will tip-off at 7:30 p.m. EST.

Greg M. Cooper-US PRESSWIRE

Former Oklahoma City Thunder star Jeff Green missed all of last season for the Boston Celtics with a heart condition.

Green returned to the floor for the first time in an NBA uniform yesterday, playing in Turkey for the Celtics vs. Fenerbahce Ulker.

The Celtics lost 97-91 but Green played well scoring 16 points in 27 minutes. He went 7-for-10 from the field and also grabbed four boards.

“Yeah, (Green) was very comfortable. He played with great speed,” Celtics head coach Doc Rivers said after the game. “You could see he played well at the 3 and the 4, which was great. The last time we had him he struggled when we switched him back and forth. Obviously we’re starting to figure out his game as well, so that helped.”

The Thunder sent Green to the Celtics in a surprise deal at the trade deadline two seasons ago and received Kendrick Perkins and Nate Robinson in return. The thought process at the time was that OKC needed added size to contend with the Los Angeles Lakers who were dominating the Western Conference at that time.

While Perkins fit in just fine in OKC, Green struggled to do so in Boston. Green played 23.5 minutes per game and averaged 9.8 points per game while shooting 48.5 percent from the field and 29.6 percent from three.

In the playoffs for Boston two seasons ago, he averaged just 19.2 minutes and 7.3 points per game while shooting 43.4 percent from the field.

These numbers were way down from what Green did in his time with the Thunder. Green was averaging around 15 points and six rebounds per game for the Thunder from 2008 until he was traded. He started as an undersized power forward and was often the second scoring option, blending well with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.

When Green left, it opened up the door for James Harden and Serge Ibaka to step up and they have done just that. But you still can’t help wondering what it would be like if Green were still on the Thunder.

Without Perkins, maybe the Thunder don’t get to the NBA Finals last season and beat the Lakers in the second round. But in the conference finals and NBA Finals, Perkins was much more of a liability on the floor and OKC would have been much better off with someone exactly like Green, matching the small ball lineups of San Antonio and Miami.

The Thunder are looking to fill the void Green left as a versatile forward, able to play the three and four with rookie Perry Jones III. It’s not a perfect match but Jones III has the potential to play a similar role that Green did, just scaled down offensively which will fit in more with the current hierarchy of the Thunder.

Green has moved on to with Boston signing new 4-year, $36 million deal. He will be a very important part of Boston’s team as they hope to make another run at getting by the Miami Heat next season.

Richard Rowe-US PRESSWIRE

Boston Celtics Team Overview

Just when you thought the Boston Celtics would go away, they go out and have a great offseason essentially keeping their team afloat and competitive for at least another year.

The Big 3 era is now officially over with Ray Allen signing with the Miami Heat this offseason. But the Celtics did re-sign Kevin Garnett and replace Allen with some good talent which should still keep the Celtics among the top teams in the East.

The Celtics also added this offseason Jason Terry, Courtney Lee, Jared Sullinger, Fab Melo, Kris Joseph and Jason Collins. They are parting ways with Allen, Greg Stiemsma, JaJuan Johnson, E’Twuan Moore, Ryan Hollins and Sean Williams.

Despite losing Allen, who was very ineffective for them by playoff time last season, the Celtics managed to improve their roster. Terry and Lee are basically upgrades from what Allen gave them last season. Keeping Garnett for the next three years at a decent price was a great move. As Rajon Rondo continues to evolve into a superstar, the Celtics are in just as good of position as last year to compete in the East.

The Celtics were able to get to the Eastern Conference Finals last year where they lost to the Miami Heat in seven games. They made it that far largely in part to the Chicago Bulls getting bounced in the first round after Derrick Rose got injured.

The Celtics had two chances to beat Miami in a closeout game and advance to the Finals. But it was simply LeBron’s time.

Last year

The Thunder and Celtics played twice last year with the Thunder winning each time.

On Jan. 16, the Thunder handed the Celtics their fifth straight loss beating them 97-88 in Boston. Russell Westbrook led the way with 26 points and a few big 3-pointers late in the game. The Thunder held the Celtics to 39.1 percent shooting and won the turnover battle 12-18 as well.

Kevin Durant scored 28 points but made only 9-of-20 shots from the field. His counterpart, Paul Pierce, played well scoring 24. Rondo was big for the Celtics with a near triple-double with 12 points, nine rebounds and nine assists.

The Thunder then easily beat the Celtics 119-104 on Feb. 22 for their 11th straight home victory. The Thunder led by 23 at halftime before the Celtics came back to make the final score respectable.

Durant had 28 points, six assists and nine rebounds in the game. Westbrook led the Thunder with 31 points. James Harden chipped in with 17 points and the Thunder were plus-23 in the 34 minutes he played. Harden had just five points in 27 minutes in the first meeting.

The Thunder shot 50 percent from the field in the game, had 22 assists and Boston had just three offensive rebounds.

The matchup

The Celtics had a decent offense last season but there’s no area where they match up well against the Thunder and can easily exploit them. The Celtics get most of their offense from spot-up shooting and were the 15th most efficient team on those shots last year. The Thunder were 10th in the league defending spot-up shooting.

The Celtics then get a lot of their offense from the pick-and-roll but were just 26th in the NBA last season scoring in pick-and-roll plays. The Thunder ranked 11th in the NBA vs. the pick-and-roll.

Boston then gets some offense from the post where they were 14th most efficient in the league. The Thunder were 4th best defending the post.

The athleticism of the Thunder really make it easy for them to match up with the Celtics who just seem to have to work so much harder to get offense vs. OKC. It didn’t help either that Boston was one of the worst offensive rebounding teams ever last season, although they did manage 15 offensive boards in their first game vs. the Thunder last year.

The Boston defense was very strong last season vs. isolation plays and the pick-and-roll. The Thunder were 2nd and 3rd best in the NBA at those plays on offense while Boston was 3rd and 1st best defending them.

The offensive flow was a little more difficult for the Thunder against the Celtics in the half court but they easily overcame that in other ways.

With Boston not hitting the offensive glass, it makes it easier for the Thunder to get out and run where they can really hurt the Celtics. The Celtics were 19th in the NBA vs. transition last season while the Thunder were the 6th best in the league at it.

Next year

The Thunder and Celtics will again play twice next year. The first meeting will be Friday, Nov. 23 in Boston. That game will be on NBATV. Then the Celtics will travel to OKC on Sunday, March 10 with the game being on ABC.

Even with their new additions this offseason, the Celtics will have a very tough time matching up with the Thunder. If the Celtics can maintain the very efficient defense they had last season, they could be in position to catch the Thunder on an off-night and beat them.

The key matchup whenever these teams play is Westbrook vs. Rondo. If Rondo can dominate Westbrook then the Celtics will have their best chance.

Garnett has a really tough time scoring from the post when Serge Ibaka or Kendrick Perkins are guarding him and he turns into strictly a jump shooter. The Celtics did have success last season going with small lineups and Garnett at the five but that’s something the Thunder should have no problem matching up with.

The area the Celtics really want to improve at is the inside on offense. Sullinger could be a real help for them scoring some in the post and getting offensive rebounds.

It should be a pretty similar team in Boston next season, one that will have a tough time matching up with the much more athletic and talented Thunder.

For more Boston Celtics coverage, visit Hardwood Houdini.

Richard Rowe-US PRESSWIRE

There is often debate among who the best point guard in the NBA is. The league is deeper than ever these days at the point position and there are a lot of worthy candidates to be mentioned as one of the best.

Jason Kidd gave Rajon Rondo the highest compliment when he told Jason Terry that Rondo was the best in the league.

“He said, ‘There’s no question Rajon Rondo is the best point guard,” Terry told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “‘Chris Paul is great. Deron Williams is great, but Rajon Rondo is the best point guard in the NBA.’’’

Who is Kidd leaving out here? Russell Westbrook. It’s understandable and he wasn’t providing his top five or anything. Plus Westbrook doesn’t really fit the mold of point guard like the others here.

But for argument sake, Westbrook is included in the discussion and has a very good case to be considered the best point guard in the NBA or more accurately, “the best player in the NBA who technically plays the point guard position.”

Let’s look at and compare some of the top point guards in the league right now. Paul is definitely right there at the top with Williams, Rondo and Westbrook. Tony Parker will be left out because he is always overlooked. Leaving Derrick Rose out too just for now because of the knee injury.

Paul has been the best overall in the last three years especially by PER standards. His shooting percentages are very good too and he’s right at the top of the league in assists and steals every season. He’s probably the best pure point guard in the league and became the league’s clutchest player hands down last year.

Williams puts up some impressive numbers too. His scoring is a little higher than Paul’s and his assists are right there as well. Williams is definitely not on the same defensive level of Paul yet though.

Rondo’s regular season numbers don’t do him all the justice. He’s had his biggest moments in the playoffs where he routinely turns in triple-doubles for the Celtics. He is an elite defender for his position and has become the best in the league at racking up assists. His shooting woes are without a doubt his biggest downfall.

Looking at the stats it kind of feels like Westbrook plays a different position than the other three. His usage rate is much higher and most familiar to a scoring-two than a traditional point. Westbrook is the youngest of the four players too and has shown significant improvement from season to season.

Right now, the title of best point guard in the NBA belongs to Paul. It’s toughest to argue against that. Westbrook is a more rare commodity though and has the potential to evolve into a top five superstar in this league. He has a Dwyane Wade-like ceiling and the impact he makes on the game is as dramatic as any of these players.

Westbrook isn’t quite there yet but if you’re predicting the future, you’ll have Westbrook overtaking these three in no time.

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-US PRESSWIRE

It’s the end of August and things have settled down somewhat in the NBA. There aren’t a lot of free agents left out there looking for teams and we have a good idea of what kind of roster everyone will have for the start of next season.

The summer began pretty quietly with the NBA Draft, were there wasn’t quite as many trades as usual. Then the biggest news came with restricted free agents until Dwight Howard was eventually traded.

Here is a look at some of the best and worst from this offseason.

Best

Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers clearly lead the way as having the best offseason of anyone this summer. They started it off by trading for Steve Nash, shocking just about everyone as Nash decided to join his past rivals in chase of a ring. The Lakers immediately became a much stronger team after this trade as their point guard play has been very weak in the past few seasons.

Then the Lakers landed Howard in what was inevitable and surprising all at the same time. All-Star centers have a knack for finding their way to L.A. and the trade wasn’t completely out of the blue. But the Lakers really didn’t give up much at all to get Howard, just Andrew Bynum and Christian Eyenga.

The Lakers immediately became title contenders after the Howard trade. They kept Pau Gasol and now have a starting five considered possibly the best in the league. No one is going to hand the title over to them but there isn’t another team that improved as much as they did.

Brooklyn Nets

With the move to Brooklyn on the horizon for 2012-13, the Nets wanted to make sure they had a quality product on the floor to give their new city. The biggest move they made was locking up Deron Williams for the next five years.

The Nets were then very much in the hunt for Howard who even came out and said Brooklyn was the only place he wanted to play next year. A deal could not be found with the Magic and Brooklyn decided to go a different direction. They traded for Joe Johnson then re-signed Brook Lopez and Kris Humphries to hefty contracts.

The Nets are spending a lot of money for the team they have right now but the money isn’t a huge issue to their owner. The one problem is that they are pretty locked in to the core they have now and if it doesn’t work out, they will be in some trouble.

The acquisition of Johnson and locking up of Williams were great though. The Nets have a very good chance of contending in a weak Eastern Conference right now with the roster they have. Wherever Howard landed was going to make that team have the best offseason in the league but despite the Nets missing put on him, they did a pretty good job.

Boston Celtics

The Celtics were supposed to be on the way out, old and unable to compete for a title anymore. The moves they made this summer will extend that window a little longer. The Big 3 era is over now as Ray Allen signed with the Miami Heat this summer but that era was really already over anyway.

The Celtics started things off re-signing Kevin Garnett for a good price. They also drafted well addressing a need in their lack of size. They picked Jared Sullinger who slipped very late in the draft and has the potential to be one of the most talented players from this draft class. Then they picked a 7-foot center in Fab Melo.

Jason Terry decided to sign with the Celtics a little later, essentially replacing Allen’s role. The sneakiest move for Boston was a sign-and-trade to acquire shooting guard Courtney Lee who seems just what this team needs. Lee is a good outside shooter and solid wing defender that should mesh well with this roster.

The Celtics may still be a far way off from the Miami Heat but their roster looks better than it did last year despite the expectation that they were still on the decline.

Worst

Orlando Magic

The Magic were put in a no-win situation this year. Their franchise player wanted out and quit on the team. The Magic knew they couldn’t replace him and were going to take a significant step back next season. So they decided to stay strong and hold out for the best possible deal despite all the drama that was going on.

Then they traded Howard and the deal they ended up getting seemed pretty terrible. They weren’t able to get Bynum or Gasol from the Lakers in the deal, although they may not have really wanted either, and instead ended up with Arron Afflalo, Al Harrington, Nikola Vucevic and Moe Harkless. They also received four protected first-round picks which won’t be very valuable either.

The plan was to completely start over with new GM Rob Hennigan who wants to imitate the Thunder model. They are definitely doing that but good luck drafting your version of Durant-Westbrook-Harden-Ibaka in the next three drafts.

The Magic come away post-Howard looking closer to the Bobcats than a team that is young with a promising future. It never ends well when your star player wants out but how could it have gone worse for Orlando?

Houston Rockets

The Rockets made some of the most noise this summer as they tried to go all-in on acquiring Dwight Howard. That obviously didn’t work out and their consolation prize was restricted free agents Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik, not horrible but nothing even close to Howard.

While the Rockets were stockpiling assets to throw Orlando’s way, it started to look like they had the best package to woo the Magic. Later the rumored deals Houston was willing to trade to Orlando proved to be false and they weren’t offering quite that much for Howard.

The Rockets are parting ways with Luis Scola, Kyle Lowry, Goran Dragic, Marcus Camby and Chase Budinger from last year’s team while replacing those guys with not much. They do have three first-round draft picks that could be cool and Donatas Montiejunas is coming over next season.

The Rockets have a very good chance to have the worst record in the conference next season. Sometimes you have to get worse before you can get good and that seems to be Houston’s mindset right now.

New York Knicks

There wasn’t a lot the Knicks could do heading into this offseason but what ended up happening was embarrassingly bad. The worst thing was when they decided not to match Houston’s offer sheet for Lin. They are avoiding some harsh luxury tax penalties by parting ways with Lin, but letting him walk for nothing is truly unforgiveable.

The Knicks are replacing Lin with Jason Kidd and Raymond Felton. No one can get excited for that.

The Knicks were in the running for Nash too before the Lakers swooped in and got him. Not only did the Knicks lose Nash but Landry Fields as well, who signed a big offer sheet with Toronto that New York chose not to match.

When the Knicks acquired Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony, they were supposed to start competing for NBA championships. It still feels like they are very far away from this and it’s hard to see how they can change that too.

Where the Thunder fit in

The Thunder had a quiet offseason for the most part and that’s how they like it. They weren’t the best or worst, and closer to one of the best if anything. In the draft, picking Perry Jones who fell so far to them is a great pick. He has nothing but potential and if he doesn’t work out, no big deal either.

The Thunder then made some headlines a few days ago locking up Serge Ibaka for the next four years. James Harden is next on the list and those close to the team really feel like that will happen soon.

The Thunder will improve next year simply from experience and are still the favorites in the Western Conference. There’s nothing wrong with that.

The Thunder lost 73-65 to the Boston Celtics but the final scores of these games don’t really matter.

Reggie Jackson also played well for the Thunder scoring 19 points to go with two assists and Lazar Hayward added 18 points and nine rebounds.

Jared Sullinger led the Celtics with 20 points and six rebounds.

Summer league games are only 40 minutes long and feel a lot like scrimmages. Players can’t foul out and most of the players are trying to make an NBA team so there is a lot of extra effort on every play. It’s not the calm, under controlled game we’re used to watching in the NBA.

Jones stood out from the start simply by his physical presence. He is listed at 6-foot-11 and 235 pounds with a 7-foot-2 inch wingspan.

The first thing you notice with Jones is how well he moves for his size. A lot of players are described in the way Jones is as having “all of the tools” to play in the NBA but when you watch them play you can still notice something wrong with them.

That isn’t the case with Jones at all. He is very fluid and runs the floor like a three. He didn’t get pushed around either although it is clear he is much more comfortable on the perimeter as a stretch-four type.

His first bucket was a follow-up putback at the rim then he scored next taking a big man off the dribble, going between his legs and finishing an and-one layup.

Jones settled for a lot of spot-up jumpers from midrange. The Thunder used him in a lot of pick-and-rolls mostly as a pick-and-pop man with Cole Aldrich being the roller most times. He hit a few jumpers including a three and drove to the rim nicely a few times as well.

His game reminds you a little of Earl Clark or Rashard Lewis with less range. He is a great athlete and should be able to defend will immediately in the NBA. He’s not going to love banging down low for boards but still comes up with some simply from his athletic prowess.

He looked great in this first game and Thunder fans should be excited for him. It could have been a lot worse. He could have looked more unassertive and less skilled but that wasn’t the case at all. Once he is plugged into the Thunder’s rotation and has been with the team for awhile, he should fit in very nicely.

The only other player who really looked good for OKC was Jackson. Jackson was thrust into the rotation last season after Eric Maynor tore his ACL and wasn’t very memorable in his rookie campaign.

Jackson is a very good athlete though and has some NBA skills that will clearly allow him to play in the league for awhile. He is not the best decision-maker yet but looked more decisive in this type of atmosphere as he did not have to defer at all.

Jackson’s arms are so long too and it makes you feel like he could really turn into a great defender who gets a lot of steals like a Mario Chalmers. He also is a pretty good finisher inside with a euro-step and can elevate when he needs to as well.

Jackson is not a great point guard yet though. He only had two assists and rarely makes a great pass. Once he gets more comfortable and improves in that area he could prove to be of some value for the Thunder going forward.

Cole Aldrich was maybe the biggest name Thunder fans hoped would impress in these Summer League games. He definitely didn’t in this first one scoring one point, going 0-for-4 from the field and grabbing seven boards.

The first thing you notice with Aldrich is that he does seem like he needs to get in the weight room more. He doesn’t hold his ground well enough yet on offense or defense.

He does possess good instincts and in the Thunder’s second unit as the backup center could produce some but he still feels pretty far away from much of anything. The Celtics didn’t have a lot of competition out there fOR him and you’re just waiting for Aldrich to step up and he didn’t.

Perhaps this type of less-controlled setting doesn’t suit Aldrich too well. Players don’t care about going over the back or banging over-aggressively since they can’t foul out and maybe that’s why it looked like Aldrich got pushed around.

Aldrich shouldn’t be much of a drop off from Nazr Mohammed as the backup center for OKC next season but after watching this game (and I know it’s only one Summer League game), Perry Jones looks so much better and it will be frustrating if Aldrich gets significantly more minutes than him next season, although understandable and probably expected.

The Thunder will continue to play Summer League games in Orlando the rest of the week. Hasheem Thabeet can sign with the Thunder as early as Wednesday which means he could play in a few games starting then.

The Thunder will play the Indiana Pacers tomorrow afternoon at 1 p.m. EST. The game will be televised on NBATV.

David Butler II-US PRESSWIRE

Ray Allen decided last night to take his talents to South Beach and join LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in a Miami Heat uniform next season.

Allen left twice as much money on the table by choosing not to remain in Boston and rather flee to chase another championship with the defending champs.

Allen was one of the most coveted free agents especially by the Heat. The talents of Allen are ones that any team would love to have. No one’s made more threes than Allen in his career and even at 37 he is believed to be a key contributor for the Heat next season.

But how much better did Miami get by adding Allen? Are the Thunder now more worried about beating the Heat this coming season than they were last year?

Allen makes the Heat better. Just not that much better. He’ll fit in just fine, get a ton of open looks from three and every time he makes one expect to hear “That’s why Miami signed him!”

He’s obviously not the same player he was even a few seasons ago. But he isn’t expected to be either.

We saw how good the Heat can look when their role players are knocking down threes. In last year’s NBA Finals, Shane Battier made 15 threes and shot .577 percent from beyond the arc. Mike Miller made seven threes in the Game 5 clincher as the Heat tied an NBA Finals record with 14 threes made as a team.

That was the best case scenario for the Heat. Allen is a great shooter but it’s not like we can sit here and predict the Heat to repeat that kind of performance from beyond the arc in a series again.

The ways the Heat will look better next year aren’t ways that Allen will help them. If Wade and Bosh have a bounce back year, that would be a much bigger deal and even more necessary for the Heat to repeat. If LeBron somehow keeps up a 30-9-6 stat line in the playoffs then they will be a really scary title contender.

Allen will probably help the Heat more throughout the regular season and make them more of a lock to come out of the Eastern Conference. It’s true that Battier and Miller were pretty much absent before the NBA Finals.

Allen will also make defenses less likely to double on Wade or LeBron when he is in the post. That’s not a good thing for most of the league but for the Thunder, that’s actually better.

People don’t realize that the best thing about LeBron is he always makes the right basketball play. It’s more important to his success than his physical abilities. That means if you double him in the post, he’s passing out to the open man, every time.

This happened to the Thunder in the NBA Finals and it played right into the Heat’s hands and to what LeBron preferred to do. Why did the Thunder have to double LeBron in the post? If you remember, it was because James Harden had to guard him so much as the series went on.

Thunder fans will and should concede defeat to Miami if they’re going to have to live with Harden guarding LeBron.

The best part about OKC’s defense up until the Finals was that they never had to double. Against the Lakers they were able to play Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum straight up. The same thing with Dirk Nowitzki in Round 1. Against the Spurs it never made sense to double anyone.

In Game 1 of the NBA Finals, the Thunder didn’t double much either. Kevin Durant was guarding LeBron and did a fantastic job on him. Durant can do a very good job on LeBron but as the series went on, Durant picked up stupid fouls and it put the Thunder in a very tough situation having to take KD off LeBron. The Heat then had a mismatch with their best player and that was all she wrote.

Ray Allen signing with the Heat doesn’t affect the thing that beat the Thunder the most in the NBA Finals. That’s why Thunder fans aren’t too scared about this signing. It’s still more about them. The Thunder have enough talent that they are in control of their destiny in becoming champions and that is comforting to think about.

Allen decided to go with the Heat instead of Boston despite the Celtics offering Allen nearly double the salary Miami could.

The defending champion Heat were very much recruiting Allen including LeBron James and Dwyane Wade expressing their desire for him to join the Heat via Twitter.

“We’re not stealing him,” LeBron told Yahoo! Sports. “He’s unrestricted. He isn’t with nobody man. Ray is a huge piece out there. Who wouldn’t want a dead-eye shooter like that, a complete professional and a champion. He has all the qualities for a team to get over the hump or to compete for a championship each and every year.”

LeBron is right. Who wouldn’t want Allen? And Allen clearly chose the place he feels give him the best chance to win a title before his career is over.

Teaming up with other superstars isn’t new for Allen. In 2007, he joined Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce in Boston and they won a title in their first year together and made it to the Finals two years after that and lost.

The rumored deterioration of Allen’s relationship with Boston point guard Rajon Rondo is part of the reason Allen made this decision, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.

Allen was also upset by the Celtics’ attempt to trade him at the trade deadline to Memphis this past season. The Celtics were shopping Allen from time to time at some point over the past few seasons.

The Celtics re-signed Garnett to a 3-year, $34 million deal this offseason and also signed free agent Jason Terry who plays the same position as Allen. Allen was not starting in Boston by the end of the season with Avery Bradley assuming the position.

These are all reasons Allen may have considered in deciding on Miami instead of sticking with Boston. It will be weird to see Allen wearing the jersey next season of one of his biggest rivals but that’s sports in 2012.

The Heat are better with Allen for sure. It’s not drastic but these are the kinds of moves that championship teams need to make to be able to repeat.

May 9, 2011; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jeff Green (8) looks to pass while guarded by Miami Heat guard Mike Miller (13) during the third quarter at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-US PRESSWIRE

Former Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jeff Green is close to signing a 4-year, $40 million deal with the Boston Celtics, according to Sam Amick of SI.com.

Green was traded from the Thunder in the 2010-11 season to Boston for Kendrick Perkins. Green missed the entire 2011-12 season with heart surgery.

Despite that and not having a very good run with the Celtics in the short time he was with the team (9.8 points and 3.3 rebounds per game in 26 games), Boston is looking to offer him $10 million per year.

Green was a very good player in Oklahoma City. Drafted the same season as Kevin Durant he was very much a big part of the team’s future before being traded. In his second and third seasons in the league, Green averaged around 16 points and six rebounds per game for OKC.

In fact, Green was very much missed by the Thunder this season. He was traded for Perkins in 2011 so that the Thunder had more size to combat the Los Angeles Lakers’ bigs, Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol.

In the 2012 playoffs, Green would have been perfect for the series against San Antonio and Miami. The Thunder played a lot of small lineups in both of those series and Perkins was left pretty much ineffective.

Green would have brought the Thunder more versatility and could have possibly swung the title in the Thunder’s way.

One thing is for sure though, with the Thunder so concerned about saving cap to keep James Harden and Serge Ibaka in the coming years, keeping Green on the roster would only have made that tougher. At $10 million per year, there’s no way the Thunder could have kept Green for much longer.

That’s part of what the Thunder model is too. It’s about drafting well, developing talent and then also making moves via trades or free agency that make sense. That’s part of why Green was traded. Thunder management knew what they had in Harden and Ibaka and it would have become impossible to keep Green too.

That’s also why when rumors surfaced about Harden possibly being traded to the Charlotte Bobcats before the NBA Draft so that OKC could get Bradley Beal, it wasn’t that shocking. That would have been a move consistent with what the Thunder are doing in building their team. Selling high on Harden, committing to Durant-Westbrook-Ibaka and taking a chance on a rookie that GM Sam Presti liked wouldn’t have been a terrible move.

But we are where we are now. The Thunder are trying to find a way to keep Harden and Ibaka and the chances of doing so don’t look all that great, especially when you look around at the kind of contracts being handed out this summer.

Eric Gordon basically guaranteed Harden would receive a max-deal next summer. Players like Omer Asik and JaVale McGee will show why Ibaka could also be in the market for $10-plus million per season.

The most likely scenario is still for the Thunder to extend Harden this summer but Ibaka may be another story. And as much as the Thunder missed Green this year, imagine if they were trying to hang on to him as well now.

Thomas Campbell-US PRESSWIRE

The Houston Rockets have agreed to trade point guard Kyle Lowry to the Toronto Raptors for a future first round pick and Gary Forbes.

Lowry and Rockets head coach Kevin McHale had a falling out and Lowry has been looking to get out ever since.

The Rockets have made an offer sheet to restricted free agent Jeremy Lin for four years, $30 million. The New York Knicks are expected to match the offer for Lin especially after failing to acquire Steve Nash who became a Laker last night.

The earliest Lin can sign it is July 11 then the Knicks will have three days to match it. The Knicks have also emerged as the favorite to sign Raymond Felton.

The Raptors were also hopeful to land Nash so much that they agreed to an offer sheet of three years, $20 million with Landry Fields. The Raptors won’t totally lose out as they settle for Lowry as a decent consolation prize.

The Los Angeles Clippers have effectively taken themselves out of the running for Ray Allen by signing Jamal Crawford to a 3-year, $15.7 million deal. Allen was set to meet with the Clippers on Friday.

The Clippers have also agreed on a 1-year deal for Chauncey Billups.

The Clippers were a tough team last season that gave the Oklahoma City Thunder some trouble in the regular season. They were obviously in the market for a two guard after being forced to start Randy Foye there in the playoffs.

Lob City was swept by the San Antonio Spurs in the second round but have made some nice moves to prepare for next season including trading for Lamar Odom.

As we always forget about the Spurs during this time of the year, the top of the West is looking like OKC, LA, LA right now.

Meanwhile, Allen is meeting with the Heat today and is now expected to sign there even though Boston is offering Allen nearly double in salary that Miami can.

Allen is most likely to choose between the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Clippers despite the Boston Celtics being able to offer him the most money, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.

Allen has been recruited by both teams led by their best players, LeBron James and Chris Paul. Allen is meeting with the Heat Thursday and will meet with the Clippers Friday. Miami will only be able to offer Allen $3.09 million per year while the Clippers can offer Allen the full mid-level exception of $5 million.

LeBron and Dwyane Wade have been open about their desire to bring Allen to South Beach with their recent activity on Twitter.

Allen would make a good fit for either team. The double teams Wade and especially LeBron demand leave tons of opportunities for 3-point shooters like Allen. Playing alongside one of the best point guards in the NBA wouldn’t be a bad fit either.

The fact that Allen is leaning towards leaving Boston makes it appear that money is not the most important factor for him. Allen has been willing to accept less money to chase a title in the past when he came to Boston back in 2007.

In Miami, Allen would most certainly come off the bench. Allen was coming off the bench by the end of the season last year for Boston too.

In Los Angeles, Allen could potentially have a starting role. The Clippers were starting Randy Foye alongside Paul in the backcourt during the playoffs after Chauncey Billups got injured. Even if the Clippers re-sign Billups, Allen might make a better starting two for the team than anyone.

The Heat are coming off winning a title and in the Eastern Conference are the clear-cut favorites to make it back to the NBA Finals.

The Clippers were swept in the second round of the playoffs by the San Antonio Spurs but it was their first season with Paul and things look brighter on the horizon for them. Blake Griffin is likely to improve going into his third season and the free agent signing of Lamar Odom will also improve their roster.

If it comes down to the best chance of winning a title then Miami should be the choice for Allen. The Western Conference is simply too strong to look at the Clippers as a team with a great chance of getting to the Finals next season.

But for a little more money and a little more playing time, Chris Paul might be able to sell Allen on coming to Lob City. We will probably know more Friday night.

Ray Allen has been rumored to be signing with the Heat ever since the season ended and the two Heat stars would be happy to have him in South Beach.

2morrow is a big day for #HeatNation..

— Dwyane Wade (@DwyaneWade) July 5, 2012

Allen is set to visit with the Heat today. Allen is scheduled to meet with the Los Angeles Clippers Friday which means we probably won’t find out Allen’s decision until after then.

The Heat can only offer Allen $3.09 million per year. The Clippers can offer Allen the full mid-level exception of $5 million and the Boston Celtics have offered Allen a 2-year, $12 million deal.

Allen would be taking less money to play in Miami but at this point in his career, chasing a championship with LeBron and Wade may be more important to him.

The Celtics have re-signed Kevin Garnett already and also just signed Jason Terry. They’re not rolling over and dying and still believe they have one last run left in them. It’s just a matter of if they can convince Allen of that too.

Taking less money to chase a championship isn’t always something that makes sense to players too. At this point in Allen’s life, it is his last chance to make this kind of money. Signing with Miami doesn’t guarantee him a championship either and he already took less money in his last contract with Boston to do the same thing.

Miami does appear to be the frontrunner however and we will probably know more later today.

LeBron retweeted one of his followers yesterday who tweeted a Photoshopped picture of Ray Allen in a Miami Heat jersey.

RT @abake6: #Heat fans, do yall want to see something really cool? (Cc: @FakePatRiley) twitter.com/abake6/status/…(looks damn good to me)

— LeBron James (@KingJames) July 4, 2012

LeBron also posted the picture on Facebook with a tagline reading: “This looks damn good to me.”

This isn’t the first time LeBron has made his feeling known on Twitter about Allen possibly signing with the Heat.

While watching the Draft my son Bryce ask “Is Ray Allen gonna play for the Heat”. I said “I don’t know, I hope so”.

— LeBron James (@KingJames) June 29, 2012

The Heat can offer Allen just $3.09 million per year to sign with them. The Boston Celtics have already offered Allen a 2-year, $12 million deal.

Allen plans to meet with the Heat Thursday and then with the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday. The Clippers can offer Allen the full mid-level exception of $5 million.

Allen would have to sacrifice money to go chase a championship with LeBron in South Beach but that’s something he did before when he first signed with Boston back in 2007.

Allen had conference calls yesterday with the Miami Heat, Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies and Minnesota Timberwolves, according to David Aldridge of NBA.com. Allen will visit with the Heat and Clippers later this week.

The Boston Celtics have made Allen a 2-year, $12 million offer which is more money than the Heat or Clippers could offer Allen. Miami can only give Allen $3.09 million next year while the Clippers can offer Allen the full mid-level exception of $5 million.

The Heat seemed like the frontrunner last week to get Allen. Now he could make double staying in Boston and the Clippers are looking more and more like title contenders themselves.

The Clippers recently traded for Lamar Odom which gives them another piece they were missing from last season. Playing with Chris Paul also has to be a huge draw for any shooter especially Allen.

The Celtics have also made moves re-signing Kevin Garnett for three years making it clear they want to try and make another run with this core. The draft picks of Jared Sullinger and Fab Melo should also help one of Boston’s problems from this past season by getting bigger.

At the end of the day, going to play for the defending champs in South Beach has to be the place where Allen would feel like he has the best chance to win another title before his career is over.

The Heat showed this season just how much they can featured shooters like Allen too with the performances of Shane Battier and Mike Miller in the NBA Finals. Allen would be a perfect fit next to LeBron and Wade.

It’s going to come down to how much Allen values the potential more money he could make somewhere besides Miami.

Allen has made more 3-pointers than anyone in the history of the NBA so it’s no surprise that teams see him as this valuable despite the fact that he will be 37 years old next season.

The Miami Heat emerged as the early favorites to sign Allen this summer. They can only offer him a little more than $3 million per season but Allen would go there to try and win another ring with the defending champs and LeBron.

The Boston Celtics have now made it clear they are not going to just let Allen walk away.

“We want Ray back, and we’re approaching this as the first thing we have to get done,” Boston GM Danny Ainge told the Boston Herald. “It’s our No. 1 priority.”

The Celtics can offer Allen a contract worth double what the Heat can at $6 million per year. Boston and Miami would most likely offer Allen two-year deals.

The Celtics were rumored to possibly break up after this season but have already re-signed Kevin Garnett to a 3-year, $34 million deal. They will also still have Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo back for next season.

The Celtics are also interested in pursuing free agents O.J. Mayo and Jason Terry. In the draft, they worked on getting bigger drafting Jared Sullinger and Fab Melo in the first round.

Boston may not be going away as quickly as we thought they might. The Heat will still have to worry about them at least a little.

Signing Allen in Miami would be a huge get for them. The Heat don’t have much cap space at all to go after free agents so it looks like getting veterans to come over for a year or two at the end of their career to chase a championship is their best chance of getting better this way.

Allen would be a great fit in Miami just like any shooter is playing alongside LeBron and Wade.

Boston and Miami aren’t the only two teams going after Allen but they are the two frontrunners right now. Dallas, Phoenix and the Clippers have also showed interest in going after Allen.

Free agency begins tonight at midnight and the Heat want to move fast to get Allen, before other teams are more prepared to possibly pursue Allen as well.

“We’ve got five or six guys earmarked (in free agency) so we’ll see how it goes,” Heat president Pat Riley said. “We want to find as much space as we can on the floor for Dwyane, LeBron and for Chris (Bosh) to be able to operate.”

The Heat can only offer Allen a mid-level exception of around $3 million. That is considerably less than what Allen may be able to get from other teams but the Heat are also throwing in possibly the best chance for Allen to win another ring.

Steve Nash will likely be leaving his previous team as well this offseason as the Phoenix Suns. Nash made $11.7 million last season and the Suns are unlikely to offer him a 3-year deal worth more than $10 million per year.

The Suns plan to go after Eric Gordon as well and would look to offer him around $12 million per year but New Orleans should be prepared to match any reasonable offer as Gordon is a restricted free agent.

Nash will be able to get much more money elsewhere starting with Toronto who is rumored to be preparing to offer Nash $12 million per year.

“There’s positives to every situation,” Nash said. “The Raptors would be one of those teams where you’re probably not going there to win a championship in the next three years. For me it’d be going home to Canada, to a great city, and trying to help an organization move forward.

“I’m open to the positives of all of them. It’d be great if four or five contenders came after me and all offered me a deal, but the reality is I might not get that opportunity. So I’m going to look at every opportunity and Toronto will be one that I’ll study as well and look at the opportunity for them to grow in the next three years and what kind of impact I can have on that team. And obviously from a community standpoint, it’s a special place for me.”

via ESPN’s Marc Stein

Nash will also most likely be targeted by Dallas and New York but he’ll be able to make the most money in Toronto. Nash would like to have another chance at winning a ring and that would be hard to imagine in Toronto but he has also said that money is still an important factor for him.

Allen and Nash are both looking for another chance at a ring to close out their careers but they would both have to take a lot less cash to do so. The Heat look like the most likely landing spot for Allen right now and for Nash that place is Toronto.

Here are draft grades for every team:

New Orleans Hornets
No. 1 overall – Anthony Davis, PF, Kentucky
No. 10 overall – Austin Rivers, G, Duke
No. 46 overall – Darius Miller, G/F, Kentucky

The Hornets really couldn’t go wrong possessing the first overall pick in the draft and chance to take Anthony Davis. Davis has a chance to be a franchise changer and playing alongside Eric Gordon in New Orleans is a good start. The Hornets took Rivers 10th overall which is what they wanted to do. The Hornets believe Rivers can play some point for them although he is a scoring guard at heart. Gordon is a good playmaker himself though so the two may be able to share ball handling duties a la Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry. The Darius Miller pick is nice too. He is an athlete that could make it in the NBA and was a teammate of Davis’ at Kentucky.

Grade: A+

Oklahoma City Thunder
No. 28 overall – Perry Jones, III, F, Baylor

To win a championship, sometimes it takes a little luck. The Thunder got the steal of the 2012 NBA Draft with the No. 28 pick. Perry Jones III we knew was going to fall because of concerns mainly surrounding his knee but sliding this far to a franchise that is perfect for him just seems unfair to the rest of the league. It was a Spurs-like snag for OKC and they know it already. Jones III has lottery talent and top-5 pick potential. One knock on him is that he never really stepped up and dominated and was more of a supporting role type of mindset and player. Well, come on down to OKC that sounds just fine!

Grade: A+

Charlotte Bobcats
No. 2 overall – Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, SF, Kentucky
No. 31 overall – Jeffrey Taylor, G/F, Vanderbilt

The Bobcats were supposed to either trade the No. 2 pick or take Thomas Robinson if they couldn’t. Instead, they shocked everyone selecting Michael Kidd-Gilchrist second overall. MKG is a player that will shine no matter where he plays, even in Charlotte. He has the potential to be the second best player in this draft class and it was a wise choice to make here by Michael Jordan. Jeffrey Taylor is a good pick too in the second round. Taylor was projected to go a little earlier in the draft and is a nice value find at 31.

Grade: A

Washington Wizards
No. 3 overall – Bradley Beal, SG, Florida
No. 32 overall – Tomas Satoransky, G, Czech Republic

The Wizards got the man they wanted at No. 3 but had to hold their breath and pray before doing so. As the Bobcats were shopping the No. 2 pick, any team that may have gotten it was probably going to take Bradley Beal second overall. The Wizards desperately wanted an elite shooter and wing to place alongside John Wall and they believe Beal is that guy. Beal measured just under 6-foot-5 so he’s not huge but he is physical and can do a lot of things on a basketball court. Tomas Satoranksy in the second round apparently is friends with Jan Vesely which makes that pick awesome too.

Grade: A

Sacramento Kings
No. 5 overall – Thomas Robinson, PF, Kansas

It was impossible not to fall in love with Thomas Robinson watching him break down after being selected fifth overall by the Kings. He won over a lot of fans with that reaction. Robinson is touted as one of the surest things at the top of this draft. The Kings wanted him bad too at No. 5, more than anybody else. Sacramento was going to pull off a trade with this pick with Houston if Robinson was off the board but obviously that didn’t happen. Robinson and DeMarcus Cousins are going to be able to get a lot of rebounds playing together.

Grade: A

Detroit Pistons
No. 9 overall – Andre Drummond, PF/C, Connecticut
No. 39 overall – Khris Middleton, SF, Texas A&M

The Pistons are extremely happy that Andre Drummond fell to them. Before the draft, they were hoping for this but planning to settle on John Henson. Drummond has as much upside as anyone in this draft. There are questions surrounding him but he is very young. It was the right pick here for Detroit without question. Khris Middleton isn’t someone that jumps out as a great pick here but at No. 39, there’s not a lot to expect.

Grade: A

Milwaukee Bucks
No. 14 overall – John Henson, PF, North Carolina
No. 42 overall – Doron Lamb, SG, Kentucky

The Bucks were pretty happy to see John Henson at No. 14 especially after trading down from 12 with Houston. Henson is the kind of guy Milwaukee wanted and someone who will block a lot of shots and grab some rebounds but really needs to put on some weight first. Doron Lamb is another player they were happy to see at No. 42. He could have gone in the first round and is an irrational confidence guy who can shoot and play some D too.

Grade: B+

Cleveland Cavaliers
No. 4 overall – Dion Waiters, SG, Syracuse
No. 17 overall – Tyler Zeller, C, North Carolina

It wasn’t a huge shocker that Cleveland took Dion Waiters No. 4. They were planning on possibly doing so and after being unable to trade up to No. 2 and take Beal, Waiters was the next guy on their list, probably just ahead of Harrison Barnes. It wasn’t an overly popular pick but Waiters has an NBA-ready body and next to Kyrie Irving should do well. With Tyler Zeller sliding in the draft, the Cavaliers pulled the trigger on a trade with Dallas to get to No. 17 and take the North Carolina center. They gave up three picks for Zeller so they must really like him. Now with a core of Irving, Waiters, Thompson and Zeller, Cleveland’s future looks kind of alright.

Grade: B

Portland Trailblazers
No. 6 overall – Damian Lillard, PG, Weber State
No. 11 overall – Meyers Leonard, C, Illinois
No. 40 overall – Will Barton, SG, Memphis

Before the Draft, Portland was intent on keeping their 6th and 11th picks and they also loved Damian Lillard. Six may sound high for Lillard but Portland did something smart: picking their favorite guy and not caring where they did it. They then filled a need at 11 with Meyers Leonard, the center from Illinois. Portland was projected in some mocks to take Andre Drummond and either Austin Rivers or Jeremy Lamb. That sounds a little better than what they ended up with. They get Will Barton at No. 40 which is another solid value pick as he was projected late-first by many.

Grade: B

Golden State Warriors
No. 7 overall – Harrison Barnes, G/F, North Carolina
No. 30 overall – Festus Ezeli, C, Vanderbilt
No. 35 overall – Draymond Green, F, Michigan State
No. 52 overall – Ognjen Kuzmic, C, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Despite his overall disappointing feeling, many still feel Harrison Barnes can be an All-Star in the NBA. Getting him at No. 7 was a pretty solid pick for the Warriors, who are starting new next year post-Monta Ellis and with Andrew Bogut. Festus Ezeli with the last pick of the first round is understandable too and he is a high-character guy who will work hard for them. Draymond Green is another good pick to get in the second round. The Warriors didn’t have a flashy draft but they made some value picks and that’s always a good strategy.

Grade: B

Houston Rockets
No. 12 overall – Jeremy Lamb, SG, Connecticut
No. 16 overall – Royce White, F, Iowa State
No. 18 overall – Terrence Jones, F, Kentucky

The Rockets were stockpiling draft picks with one thing on their mind: Dwight Howard. That hasn’t happened yet and now feels like it won’t. They were hoping to move up to No. 5 to take Andre Drummond but since Thomas Robinson fell to the Kings there, they weren’t trading that pick. The Rockets will settle for three pretty solid players starting with Jeremy Lamb at No. 12 who has a lot of pro potential as a scorer. When they took Royce White at No. 16, you knew they weren’t trading their picks anymore. White has gotten a lot of buzz this draft as a more athletic Boris Diaw who plays a little like Charles Barkley too. Terrence Jones two picks later is another talented forward that can do a variety of things. You always feel players Daryl Morey drafts are guys who can find a spot in the NBA. The Rockets just had bigger sights for this draft than this.

Grade: B

Phoenix Suns
No. 13 overall – Kendall Marshall, PG, North Carolina

It’s just about official now that Steve Nash is on his way out in Phoenix. Kendall Marshall is their point guard of the future. Marshall was one of the best assists men in college the past two seasons and has drawn comparisons to Mark Jackson and Andre Miller so yeah, he’s not quick. He’s fun to play with and will make the players around him better. They like that in Phoenix.

Grade: B

Chicago Bulls
No. 29 overall – Marquis Teague, PG, Kentucky

The Bulls were either going backup point here or combo-guard shooter. Marquis Teague is a talented player with this pick and someone who may be able to play alongside Derrick Rose some. It’s nothing special for the Bulls but a good pick nonetheless. Bulls fans were dying for Perry Jones III to slip one more pick into their laps.

Grade: B

Toronto Raptors
No. 8 overall – Terrence Ross, SG, Washington
No. 37 overall – Quincy Acy, PF, Baylor
No. 56 overall – Tomislav Zubcic, PF, Croatia

The Raptors would have loved to see Harrison Barnes fall one more pick into their laps. They would have loved even more to move up and snag Dion Waiters. They settle for Terrence Ross who can do things that will make him have a solid NBA career: shoot threes and defend. Quincy Acy in Round 2 could be a Reggie Evans type which is something this franchise has experience with. Tomislav Zubcic will not come over right away. If Toronto gets Steve Nash, a lot of their problems will appear solved.

Grade: C+

Orlando Magic
No. 19 overall – Andrew Nicholson, PF, St. Bonaventure
No. 49 overall – Kyle O’Quinn, C, Norfolk State

The Magic are in a weird situation and have been ever since Dwight Howard started pouting. Howard ran their head coach and GM out of town and still wants out himself. He hasn’t gotten it yet but it’s really only a matter of time. Orlando’s picks of Andrew Nicholson and Kyle O’Quinn may have been logical, but they won’t make their fans feel better yet

Grade: C+

Boston Celtics
No. 21 overall – Jared Sullinger, PF, Ohio State
No. 22 overall – Fab Melo, C, Syracuse
No. 51 overall – Kris Joseph, SF, Syracuse

We knew Jared Sullinger would drop, we just didn’t know how far. The Celtics are in a rebuilding stage now and looking to bulk up their front court with Sullinger and Fab Melo. The Celtics were hoping for Royce White here or to trade up and take Doc Rivers’ son Austin Rivers in the lottery. The best case scenario for Kris Joseph (taken No. 51 overall) is Gary Forbes, according to DraftExpress.

Grade: C+

Philadelphia 76ers
No. 15 overall – Maurice Harkless, SF, St. John’s
No. 27 overall – Arnett Moultrie, PF/C, Mississippi State

Philadelphia fans are not happy with the decision to take Maurice “don’t call me Moe” Harkless 15th overall. When you draft a guy who plays the same position as your best player at No. 15, it never feels like it makes sense. Harkless came out after just one year at St. John’s and is said to have some pro potential but he’s nothing special. The 76ers traded up with Miami to get Arnett Moultrie at No. 27. It’s just another lateral move here for Philly. Their fans want more than that.

Grade: C

Denver Nuggets
No. 20 overall – Evan Fournier, SG, France
No. 38 overall – Quincy Miller, G/F, Baylor
No. 50 overall – Izzet Turkyilmaz, PF, Turkey

The Nuggets surprisingly went with Evan Fournier at No. 20 despite some talent sitting on the board. Fournier will not come over to the NBA next season but was the highest rated international prospect of the draft. The Nuggets clearly weren’t looking to try and strike gold with late first round picks this year. They’ve already accomplished that with Ty Lawson and Kenneth Faried. Their pick at No. 38 felt a little better. Some fans wanted Quincy Miller with the 20th pick so getting him this late is a win in that sense. Miller is young with a ton of potential but has the usual question marks. Denver went with another international product late in the second round that we won’t see in the NBA right away.

Grade: C

Atlanta Hawks
No. 23 overall – John Jenkins, SG, Vanderbilt
No. 43 overall – Mike Scott, F, Virginia

Nothing special here for Atlanta. John Jenkins could be decent but he won’t turn any heads. He can really shoot it though and might get some run for the Hawks where Josh Smith is on the way out. It would have been great if Atlanta had decided to draft Marquis Teague here and run an all-Teague backcourt with his brother Jeff. Love the Mike Scott pick.

Grade: C

Dallas Mavericks
No. 24 overall – Jared Cunningham, G, Oregon State
No. 33 overall – Bernard James, C, Florida State
No. 34 overall – Jae Crowder, F, Marquette

It doesn’t seem like Dallas was trying to do a ton in this draft. They dealt their 17th overall pick to Cleveland probably because there was no one they were in love with. They got three picks back for it and didn’t do anything crazy with them. One of the cooler moments in the draft though was Bernard James having his name called and walking to the podium. The crowd started chanting “U-S-A” because James served three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Dallas’ main priority this offseason is wooing Deron Williams and/or Dwight Howard.

Grade: C

Memphis Grizzlies
No. 25 overall – Tony Wroten, Jr., PG, Washington

The Grizzlies wanted a point guard and a lot of mocks had them going with Marquis Teague but they choose Tony Wroten, Jr. instead. Jay Bilas calls Wroten, Jr. a taller Rajon Rondo. That means he’s a good passer and can’t shoot a lick. Maybe it’s what Memphis needs and there is some upside there.

Grade: C

Utah Jazz
No. 47 overall – Kevin Murphy, SG, Tennessee Tech

Utah has enough young players from the last few drafts that they didn’t care too much about this year. Kevin Murphy is the only player from this draft to score 50 or more points in game last year in college. Why not?

Grade: C

Miami Heat
No. 45 overall – Justin Hamilton, C, LSU

Miami could have had Perry Jones III at No. 27 and it would have been just as scary as OKC getting him if not more so. They just didn’t want to have to pay a first rounder this year. Their cap space will be tight the next few seasons. They trade down here and get a 7-footer which they need. Something tells me we won’t see a ton of Justin Hamilton playing for the defending champs.

Grade: C

San Antonio Spurs
No. 59 overall – Marcus Denmon, G, Missouri

The Spurs drafted him so he’ll be an All-Star in four years. Marcus Denmon feels a little Patty Mills/James Anderson. The Spurs probably aren’t expecting too much from Denmon though.

Grade: C

New York Knicks
No. 48 overall – Kostas Papanikolaou, F, Greece

Not doing anything here. The home crowd really loved this pick at least.

Grade: C-

Los Angeles Clippers
No. 53 overall – Furkan Aldemir, PF, Turkey

Love this pick. He may never play in the NBA but he is a great rebounder and can only score on putbacks, according to Fran Fraschilla. What’s not to love?

Grade: C-

Los Angeles Lakers
No. 55 overall – Darius Johnson-Odom, SG, Marquette
No. 60 overall – Robert Sacre, C, Gonzaga

Darius Johnson-Odom plays the wrong sport. He’d be an awesome football player and used that to his advantage in college for Marquette. He will look a lot smaller in the NBA. If Robert Sacre is playing for the Lakers next season, it won’t be a good thing.

Grade: C-

Brooklyn Nets
No. 41 overall – Tyshawn Taylor, PG, Kansas
No. 54 overall – Tornike Shengelia, PF, Georgia
No. 57 overall – Ilkan Karaman, PF, Turkey

Brooklyn not trying to go crazy here. They are just praying for Deron Williams and Dwight Howard to hookup in their new city. Tyshawn Taylor might make it as a backup point in this league but nothing more. Tornike Shengelia goes by “Toko” and is a 6-foot-9 scorer who is good at attacking and can score around the rim well but has no jumper. Ilkan Karamen has a ton of tattoos and may “never play in the NBA” according to Fran Fraschilla.

Grade: C-

Minnesota Timberwolves
No. 58 overall – Robbie Hummel, SF, Purdue

Kevin Love, Chase Budinger and now Robbie Hummel. Good luck rest of league.

Grade: C-

Indiana Pacers
No. 26 overall – Miles Plumlee, PF, Duke
No. 36 overall – Orlando Johnson, SG, UCSB

This may have been the worst draft pick ever, worse than Sam Bowie. With names like Perry Jones III, Draymond Green and Festus Ezeli on the board, Indiana elects to take the worst Plumlee brother, Miles. If they weren’t Indiana and known for their white hoopsters, this would be an even worse pick. It’s still so horrible though words can’t describe it. There’s nothing that could make this pick ever make sense. They get Orlando Johnson from UCSB in the second round who was a 20-point scorer last year and might do something for them.

Grade: F

• The Boston Celtics have expressed interest in moving up into the lottery. The Celtics have the 21st and 22nd picks in the first round. Their number one target is reportedly Duke guard Austin Rivers, son of Celtics head coach Doc Rivers.
• The New Orleans Hornets also have Rivers atop their list for the No. 10 pick. This means that Boston would have to try and move into the top nine to take Rivers. The only teams who could conceivably move out of the top 10 are the Sacramento Kings or the Golden State Warriors although neither seems likely.
• Kings and Rockets trade talks for the No. 5 pick have intensified. The Rockets are looking to get the fifth pick to take Andre Drummond. Sacramento doesn’t seem to be sold on any player to draft except for Thomas Robinson. Once Robinson is drafted, if it is before No. 5, the Kings will likely pull the trigger on trading the fifth pick to Houston for a few of their first round picks and Kyle Lowry.
• The Charlotte Bobcats who have been shopping their No. 2 overall pick for awhile now have reportedly narrowed down the candidates to the Cavaliers and Rockets. The Rockets number one mission is to get pieces to send Orlando’s way for Dwight Howard. The Cavs have the 4th and 24th pick in the first round and any deal for the No. 2 pick with Charlotte would include both of those.
• This means the Thunder are 99% not trading James Harden. It never felt like it was really going to happen anyway.
• The player most teams seem to want to get at No. 2 is Bradley Beal, unless the pick stays with Charlotte in which case they’d likely pick Thomas Robinson. Beal will not drop past Washington at No. 3.
• If Beal is off the board at No. 3, the Wizards would still likely look for a shooter as opposed to picking Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. They went into the draft many believed having Harrison Barnes high on their board and would also possibly take Dion Waiters instead of MKG.
• The Portland Trailblazers really want Damian Lillard. They have the 6th and 11th overall picks. They have heard that Lillard will not be available at 11 so they may have to take him at 6.
• The Detroit Pistons will reportedly select John Henson at No. 9 if he is there. Drummond may drop to No. 9 but if he doesn’t, Detroit is probably going with Henson.
• The Thunder aren’t necessarily looking to pick a player at No. 28 that will play next year. That means they could be leaning toward Evan Fournier from France and also now Kostas Papanikolaou of Greece.

The general consensus around the NBA is that Ray Allen will sign with Miami. “Barring a change, he’ll join the Heat,” said a league source.

— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) June 27, 2012

Allen, whose about to turn 37, would take less money to sign in Miami. The Heat would likely offer Allen the $3.09 million taxpayer mid-level exception for next year which would put the Heat further into the luxury tax.

Allen averaged the least amount of points in a season this year since his rookie season at 14.2 per game. Allen did shoot a career-high .453 percent from three this season despite missing 20 games in the regular season due to injury.

Allen struggled in the playoffs though averaging 10.7 points per game and shooting just .304 percent from three.

Allen was coming off the bench for Boston in the playoffs and would likely do the same in Miami. Allen underwent right ankle surgery on June 13 to have bone spurs removed.

The Boston Celtics and Danny Ainge are still optimistic that Allen may stay.

“Yeah, I think Ray’s open to coming back,” Ainge told ESPN Boston. “But, listen, I don’t know. I won’t even get into details with talking to players other than the exit interviews and Ray was getting rehab here, and we’ve talked. So I have a feel of where his head is, but I’ll know more in July.”

Allen is one of a few big names rumored to possibly be targeted by Miami this offseason. Steve Nash and Jason Terry are two others.

Nash has said that money is still a factor with who he signs with this offseason. Miami would only be able to offer him around $3 million while Nash may be able to get closer to $10 million other places.

Nash also said that signing somewhere to take less money is great to try and win a championship but that it’s not that easy to win a title and only takes one injury to hold you back.

Allen would probably be the best fit for Miami of any of these possible free agents. You can imagine a closing lineup of LeBron, Wade, Bosh, Battier and Allen being pretty tough to deal with.

In the NBA Finals we all witnessed just how many opportunities 3-point shooters can have playing with LeBron. The Heat even tied an NBA Finals record with 14 made threes in their clinching Game 5 win versus the Thunder.

Mike Miller led the way in that game with seven made threes but there is a chance he will retire because of an ailing back this offseason, making the push to go after Allen even more important for Miami.

A potential signing of Allen in Miami would be a perfect fit for the Heat and a great move but it wouldn’t swing the balance of power too drastically in their favor.

Just look at how effective Miami’s shooters were in the Finals this year. Allen is a great shooter and would help them replicate that kind of performance in a series but what Miami did in the Finals was the best case scenario for them. They wouldn’t be guaranteed to match that again even with Allen.

Miami prides themselves on defense too. Allen has certainly taken a step back in that department in the last few years. Shane Battier and Mario Chalmers’ contributions on defense were just as valuable as what they did as spot-up shooters.

It will definitely be a huge signing for the Heat either way if they get Allen. It’s the kind of move that you would expect from Miami if they are going to repeat as champions.

Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

The 2012 NBA Draft is upon is and that means plenty of rumors, trade talks and speculation over the next 48 hours. One thing that won’t be speculated is who the New Orleans Hornets will be drafting first overall.

Anthony Davis will be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft. We’ve known this for awhile now. Basically since he began playing college basketball it was clear he was the best player in the country.

Davis at 6-foot-10 with a 7-foot-5 wingspan averaged 14.2 points, 10.4 rebounds and 4.7 blocks per game in his one season at Kentucky. He led them to a national championship season in which the Wildcats lost just two games.

Davis’ spot in the 2012 Draft will not be questioned but the kind of pro that he will become is certainly of some debate.

Davis will be most comfortable playing power forward in the NBA although he will be able to play some center too depending the on the team and situation. He is 6-foot-10 but only 222 pounds right now so he’s not going to overpower you.

The way that Davis will overpower you is with his skills and basketball savvy. Before his senior year of high school, Davis was a 6-foot-3 point guard not drawing much attention at all from colleges.

When you hear that now, it isn’t surprising at all. He can handle the ball like a guard, moves like a guard and has instincts most big men take a long time to develop. The best part about Davis is that he blossomed so late and for a number of reasons, most importantly being that he was not tainted by the AAU circuits.

Davis was never a prima donna who expected anything to come his way. He grew up in a poor family in Chicago and his rise to the national stage happened so fast there was never any time for an ego to grow.

Davis has been compared to a number of NBA players. Marcus Camby comes to mind immediately although it feels like Davis’ ceiling would be higher than that. There have also been comparisons to Chris Bosh and Amare Stoudemire.

Bill Russell is also a name that has come up. The 11-time NBA champion is rarely compared to NBA players nowadays. It makes sense. It was a different game in the 1960s so it’s hard to compare that era to today. Russell was only about 6-foot-9 and a modern day version of him in the NBA would look something like Thaddeus Young so it’s hard to imagine him impacting today’s game anywhere near to how he did in the ‘60s.

But what would Russell look like today? Not simply if you placed Russell in today’s game but what would the Russell equivalent be in 2012?

Anthony Davis might be it.

Russell embodied everything about team basketball. He didn’t score the most points but he got the most rebounds, blocked the most shots, ignited the most fast breaks and won the most championships.

Davis will never lead the NBA in scoring but he might become the best at everything else. If Davis peaks at 19-14-4-5 (points-rebounds-assists-blocks), isn’t that something that the modern day Russell would average.

What if Davis averages that and is simultaneously the best teammate in the NBA. He’s the perfect defensive anchor to block shots, rebound, start fast breaks and run the floor, everything that Russell was so perfect at.

Davis isn’t going to win 11 championships in today’s NBA but Russell wouldn’t have either. The equivalent of 11 would be something like 6 or 7 for Davis. It seems pretty impossible but you never know.

Alright, so comparing Davis to Russell already isn’t totally fair. But it’s a decent comparison and “best possible scenario for the 2012 No. 1 overall pick.”

The ultimate point is: if you had to think up a modern day Bill Russell, Anthony Davis sounds about right.

Jesse Johnson-US PRESSWIRE

The Oklahoma City Thunder and Boston Celtics took part in one of the most surprising trades of the season last year swapping Kendrick Perkins and Jeff Green.

The Thunder made it to the Finals this year with Perkins as their starting center while Green did not play in a single game for the Celtics this year due to a heart condition. Green failed a physical at the beginning of the season and then had surgery.

The Celtics have now been awarded a 2013 second round draft choice as compensation for the dispute over Green’s medical condition. The Celtics probably feel that Oklahoma City withheld information about Green’s condition at the time of the trade.

The second round pick is the one Oklahoma City had obtained from the Charlotte Bobcats.

This isn’t a big blow to the Thunder as it is unlikely they will be adding much to their roster via second round picks.

When the Thunder made this trade a year ago, they wanted Perkins to help them get past the Lakers who have Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol. The Celtics did it to have another athletic wing to put on LeBron James.

It’s ironic that the one player OKC really could have used this postseason was a healthy Jeff Green who would have been perfect for the last two series against the Spurs and Heat, who were playing a lot of small lineups thus nullifying any affect Perkins could have had.

Green will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason and is expected to be healthy enough to play next season.

Update

Here is the official statement by the league regarding the decision, via Daily Thunder.

As part of a ruling in a trade disclosure dispute between the Boston Celtics and the Oklahoma City Thunder, NBA Commissioner David Stern today awarded the Celtics a 2013 second-round draft pick held by the Thunder. Stern found that there was no evidence of bad faith or any intent to withhold information on the part of Thunder management or its physicians, but that Oklahoma City’s cardiologists were in possession of information about Jeff Green that was not shared with Thunder management and that should have been disclosed to the Celtics in connection with the trade of Green in February 2011.

Under NBA rules, teams are required to disclose to each other in connection with trades any information in their possession or control about a player’s prior injuries, illnesses, or other health conditions that could affect the player’s ability to play NBA basketball at any point in the future. Green had surgery on his heart in January 2012 and did not play during the 2011-12 season.

Robert Mayer-US PRESSWIRE

The Miami Heat didn’t have the perfect season this year. After making it to the NBA Finals last year and losing, they were supposed to come out this season more prepared, better and stronger.

It didn’t happen, unless you only watch LeBron James play on this team.

Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh battled injuries this season including in the playoffs. The team finished with the second-best record in the East despite the Bulls playing much of their season without Derrick Rose.

The Heat seemed to take a step back. They did, except for LeBron who came out and won his third MVP in four years with one of his best seasons ever especially from an efficiency standpoint.

In the playoffs it did not at first all come together for Miami. They had no trouble with New York in the first round but then they started to stumble against Indiana in the next round.

Bosh went down with an injury that kept him out until Game 5 of the East Finals and it forced the LeBron and Wade show to manifest.

It was cool to watch, the duo combining for huge numbers together with not much help from other Heat role players. It worked enough and the Heat took a 2-0 series advantage over Boston.

Then the Celtics came back, stopped looking so old, started looking more Rondo and an upset was suddenly in the realm of possibility.

The Celtics went up 3-2 with a chance to close out the series on their home floor but LeBron wouldn’t have any of it, putting in one of the great performances of his career 45-15-5, and extending the series to seven back home.

Game 7 went as scripted. The Celtics didn’t quite have enough despite some impressive shot making but everything seemed too difficult for the Celtics. It was just a matter of time for the Heat to dispose of them. They pulled away at the end with the help of some Bosh threes and that was that.

After beating the Boston Celtics in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals last night, it all seems ok now for the Heat. They made it back to the NBA Finals, right where they were last year and it feels like they are ready for the challenge.

The Oklahoma City Thunder will be waiting for them in OKC Tuesday night for Game 1 of the Finals. The Thunder closed out the San Antonio Spurs in the West Finals in Game 6 Wednesday night and have been playing better basketball than any team in the playoffs, including Miami.

The series will be epic, there’s no way around it. The two best players in the league play the same position and they will be guarding each other the entire series.

Game 1 will be Tuesday night at 9:00 p.m. EST on ABC.

The Oklahoma City Thunder will host the Heat in Game 1 of the NBA Finals Tuesday night at 9:00 p.m. EST.

LeBron James scored 31 points and had 12 rebounds and played the entire game for the Miami Heat. It wasn’t the level of performance LeBron had in Game 6 but it didn’t matter for the Heat.

Rajon Rondo had a triple-double for the Celtics with 22 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds.

This may very well have been the last game that the Big Three in Boston will have played together. They had a great run winning the title in 2008 and making it to three Eastern Conference Finals but this was not their year.

The Heat advance to the Finals despite not having a healthy Chris Bosh for the entire series and Dwyane Wade not being quite himself either.

LeBron and the Heat have gotten over the hump of beating the Celtics. They did it last year too. The only problem is whenever they beat the Celtics, a team better than Boston is waiting for them in the NBA Finals.

LeBron vs. Kevin Durant. It’s on.

NBA.com, the official site of the league, thinks that “true hoops” fans would prefer the Heat and Thunder play in the Finals instead of the Celtics.

It is no secret that the NBA likes their ratings and a LeBron-Durant, Heat-Thunder NBA Finals would put those ratings through the roof. It would be good for the league.

But for the league’s official website to have a headline suggesting that a Heat-Thunder Finals would be better seems a little off.

There are plenty of conspiracy theories about the NBA out there and how the league maybe pulls strings to have its stars in the biggest markets and on the biggest stages.

This headline doesn’t mean the game is going to be fixed tonight but who is going to be surprised if LeBron shoots 20 free throws tonight? What if LeBron and Dwyane Wade go to the line 35 times? That seems pretty likely.

But the Heat aren’t playing just anybody tonight. The Boston Celtics are as respected as any team in the league and have one of the best fan bases as well.

The Celtics have also over the past two years been a team has at times been able to get away with physical play on LeBron and Wade.

The fix shouldn’t be in tonight. Either the Heat or the Celtics will make a great NBA Finals against the Thunder.

Well, maybe LeBron-Durant would be better.

Boston Police are searching for a Miami Heat fan accused of stabbing a Celtics fan after Thursday night’s game.

Witnesses say a group of Miami Heat and Celtics fans poured into an alleyway by the TD Garden and one of the Heat fans stabbed a Celtics fan with a switch blade-like knife.

Police arrived on scene and found the 22-year-old man with a stab wound on his right thigh. He was then rushed to the hospital.

via MSNBC.com

This is the second time in these playoffs that there was an incident involving fans after a game. After Game 5 of the series between the Thunder and Lakers, there was a shooting in Oklahoma City causing the city to shutdown Thunder Alley.

The Heat and Celtics will play Game 7 tonight in Miami.

Greg M. Cooper-US PRESSWIRE

LeBron James and the Miami Heat will host the Boston Celtics Saturday night in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

An NBA Finals, the end of a dynasty and LeBron’s legacy will be on the line.

LeBron had one of the best performances of his career in Game 6 in Boston scoring 45 points to go with 15 boards and five assists.

LeBron may have to have another game along those lines for the Heat to beat the Celtics again in Game 7.

Boston had beaten the Heat three times in a row before Game 6. They are a team that doesn’t always string together good games consecutively but they had outplayed the Heat four straight times in this series.

A letdown in Game 6 was excusable. The way it happened made it concerning.

The Celtics aren’t concerned though. They know the situation and they know how to win a Game 7, even in Miami.

We can expect a better game from the Celtics and a worse game from LeBron. What does that add up to? We’ll find out Saturday night.

The Oklahoma City Thunder will be very interested in this game. The winner will move on to play them in the NBA Finals beginning Tuesday in Oklahoma City.

The Thunder will have home court no matter who wins and the Thunder will be the favorite in either case as well.

We all know that the NBA likes their greatest stars to matchup and likes their ratings. A LeBron-Durant NBA Finals would fulfill those desires and then some.

It will all come down to LeBron as it always does. At home, with the odds in his favor, another 40-point performance possibly aided by 20-plus trips to the foul line seems very possible and believable.

We will watch to watch LeBron.

Robert Mayer-US PRESSWIRE

The Oklahoma City Thunder are waiting to find out who they will play in the NBA Finals after eliminating the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals by winning the final four games of that series.

The Western Conference has been playing at a much higher level of basketball in the playoffs than the Eastern Conference. In the Western Conference Finals, the Spurs and Thunder matched up as the two best teams in the NBA.

In a perfect world, that would have been the NBA Finals. The feeling for a lot of people was that it was and that now the Thunder will easily win the NBA Finals no matter who they play.

They will be the favorites and have earned that right. They have been playing significantly better than either the Miami Heat or Boston Celtics.

But there is one player who could stop the Thunder from winning the NBA title: LeBron James.

LeBron had one of the greatest performances in NBA history last night as the Heat beat the Celtics in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals to force a Game 7.

LeBron had 45 points, 15 rebounds, and five assists and went 19-for-26 from the field in 45 minutes. He single-handedly made sure the Heat were not going to be eliminated in Boston.

This year with this Heat team we are seeing that the only way they will win the title is if LeBron plays at this level – which should be what every fan ever wanted from LeBron.

LeBron won his third MVP this season averaging 27.1 points, 7.9 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game while shooting .531 percent from the field.

LeBron is averaging 30.8 points, 9.5 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game in the playoffs and shooting .512 percent from the field.

LeBron has been even better as the playoffs have gone on. He averaged 30.0 points, 10.8 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game against the Pacers. Against Boston, LeBron is now averaging 34.0 points, 10.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists and shooting .542 percent from the floor.

Yikes.

But while LeBron is putting up insane numbers and playing the best basketball of his career, the fact still remains that the Thunder are the better team.

The better team does not always win the championship though. Having the best player in the NBA Finals can often be more important.

LeBron has the potential to be that guy against the Thunder. It won’t be nearly as easy because Kevin Durant will be matched up with him and even the numbers he is putting up now wouldn’t be that much better than Durant’s.

In a sense, the matchup of LeBron and Durant will be the biggest. But it’s not everything. It’s more about if LeBron can do everything for the Heat like he has been.

That would take LeBron to a level worthy of winning a championship. We’re finding out that it’s not just about being the best player in the NBA to win a championship. You have to be the best player you can be to win one, too.

If you hit your potential and are the best player, you’re not losing. That was the ultimate difference in last year’s finals between LeBron and Dirk Nowitzki.

This year’s Finals may very well come down to the same thing. If we see LeBron take a step back down like he did last year, then the Heat certainly aren’t beating the Thunder. If Durant is contained by LeBron and outplayed by him, the Thunder could lose.

It’s a little unfair to break down this potential series to LeBron vs. Durant and that won’t be all it is about. It’ll just be the most important thing.

The key for the Thunder will be to make the series into a LeBron vs. Durant battle. That takes LeBron out of the mode of doing everything for the Heat if he is solely concerned with his matchup with Durant. It will then allow the rest of the Thunder players to play better than the Heat’s, and they will.

That’s why the Thunder should win this series. LeBron will have to focus all of his energy into defending the best offensive player in the world and then try and become the better offensive player on the other end. No one has had so much pressure and responsibility to come through to win a title.

But that’s LeBron’s world. He has all of the talent and thankfully he has to use it all to ever become a champion.

Whether you hate LeBron or love him, NBA fans are in a win-win situation no matter how it all plays out.

LeBron James scored 45 points, grabbed 15 rebounds and dished out five assists as the Miami Heat beat the Boston Celtics in Boston in Game 6 98-79 to push this series to a Game 7.

LeBron played the first 45 minutes of the game and went 19-for-26 from the field. LeBron really had his fadeaway jump shot going in the first half and that opened up the rest of his game.

The Celtics had no answer. Rajon Rondo led Boston with 21 points and 10 assists but did have seven turnovers.

The Celtics were just 1-for-14 from three in the game. Paul Pierce went 0-for-6 from three and was 4-for-18 from the field in general and scored just nine points.

Dwyane Wade was the only other Heat player to score in double-figure with 17.

Chris Bosh played 28 minutes and scored seven points with six rebounds.

The Heat will go back home Saturday night for Game 7 to try and get past the Celtics. The winner of that game will play Game 1 of the NBA Finals in Oklahoma City Tuesday night.

Robert Mayer-US PRESSWIRE

The Oklahoma City Thunder beat the San Antonio Spurs 107-99 last night in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals to advance to the NBA Finals.

The Miami Heat and Boston Celtics are still playing in the Eastern Conference to determine their representative. The Celtics are currently up 3-2 in the series and will be playing Game 6 on their home floor tonight.

Who would the Thunder rather see in the Finals?

The Thunder went 1-1 against the Heat in the regular season and 2-0 against the Celtics. In either matchup, the Thunder would be favored with home court and based on how much better they have been playing than both of them in the playoffs.

“Whoever we play, (it’s) two great teams,” Kevin Durant said. “We can’t rely 100 percent on our crowd. We’ve just got to come out there and start the game off with a lot of energy. It’s going to be a tough rough for us, and we’re looking forward to that opportunity. It’s a great feeling right now, but tomorrow we’ve just got to get over it and get ready to see who we play.”

The NBA and the world probably wants to see Miami make it to the Finals to play the Thunder. Because then we would get LeBron vs. Durant.

The Heat could be a very tough matchup for the Thunder though. They are similar teams in their makeups and the positions that their stars play and you could argue that Miami’s stars are better and more experienced.

LeBron would make for the toughest possible matchup for Kevin Durant. LeBron has become one of the best defenders in the NBA and would particularly be able to have success against Durant using his size and strength on him. LeBron has also historically outplayed Durant when the two have gone head-to-head.

Beyond Durant and LeBron, the Thunder are a deeper team than Miami. The Heat are thin up front while the Thunder have good size and would win the physicality battle in the series.

But even if the Thunder could have some matchup advantages against the Heat, sometimes talent is a more important factor. The Thunder have advanced to the NBA Finals largely because they have been much more talented than their opponents. That wouldn’t be the case against Miami which could make it a tougher matchup than Boston.

The Thunder will be the lesser experienced team in the NBA Finals no matter who the matchup. The Celtics won a title back in 2008 and the fact that they’ve “been there before” could make them a tough out for the Thunder.

Boston is not very deep though and banged up. The Thunder are perfectly healthy and have a deeper, more consistent rotation than the Celtics.

The key matchup would be Rajon Rondo and Russell Westbrook. They’d be playing the same position but in two totally different ways.

Rondo has proven that even against a team with LeBron James, he can emerge as the best player on the court in any given game and lead his team to victory. He would have a much tougher task having to defend Westbrook on the other end of the court which could make dominating more difficult for him.

Aside from Rondo and Westbrook, the Thunder pretty much have the advantage in every other aspect against the Celtics. Like with the Spurs, it would come down to the Thunder just being more talented. It would seem experience would be the greatest advantage for the Celtics but that hasn’t phased the Thunder yet in these playoffs.

Whoever the Thunder play, if they win the title it will be considered very legitimate. The Heat and Celtics have had their injuries that they’ve dealt with but the road Oklahoma City took through the Western Conference ranks as a 10 in degree of difficulty.

But if it isn’t LeBron and the Heat, an NBA championship would be a little less sweet. If Durant gets the chance to conquer LeBron for a title, it will immediately rank up there as one of the greatest championships in NBA history.

The Thunder don’t care who they play though. They’re just ready to begin the NBA Finals and will come to play every single night like they have been all year. Something the Heat and the Celtics can’t say they have done.

Game 1 of the NBA Finals will be Tuesday night at 9 p.m. EST on ABC. The Thunder could find out as early as tonight who they will be playing as the Celtics look to close out the Heat at home at 8:30 p.m. EST on ESPN.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have advanced to the NBA Finals after beating the San Antonio Spurs 4-2 in the Western Conference Finals.

The Thunder won Game 6 107-99 despite trailing by as many as 18 points in the first half.

Kevin Durant led the Thunder with 34 points and 14 rebounds.

The Thunder will await the winner of Miami and Boston in the Eastern Conference Finals. Boston leads that series 3-2 with Game 6 tonight in Boston.

The Thunder will await the winner of Miami and Boston in the East to see who they play.

The Thunder will have home court regardless of who comes out of the East.

The full schedule for the NBA Finals looks like this:

• Game 1 – Tuesday June 12 – MIA/BOS at Oklahoma City – 9:00PM – ABC
• Game 2 – Thursday June 14 – MIA/BOS at Oklahoma City – 9:00PM – ABC
• Game 3 – Sunday June 17 – Oklahoma City at MIA/BOS – 8:00PM – ABC
• Game 4 – Tuesday June 19 – Oklahoma City at MIA/BOS – 9:00PM – ABC
• Game 5 * – Thursday June 21 – Oklahoma City at MIA/BOS – 9:00PM – ABC
• Game 6 * – Sunday June 24 – MIA/BOS at Oklahoma City – 8:00PM – ABC
• Game 7 * – Tuesday June 26 – MIA/BOS at Oklahoma City – 9:00PM – ABC

*if necessary

“Good job, good effort!”

Jack Meyer, 9, was heard loud and clear on the ESPN telecast yelling those words of encouragement to the Heat players as they sulked off the court.

“I said ‘Good job, good effort’ and Terrel (Harris) noticed me and gave me a thumbs up,” Meyer told NBC Miami. “LeBron James was fighting so hard, Shane Battier, Udonis Haslem. Chris Bosh only played 14 minutes, yet one of his best games. You can’t give up this easily. You know there’s always got to be a second chance for you. You always have the power to win.”

No one is more optimistic than Meyer apparently.

The video went viral and even a Twitter account was quickly created in honor of the words Meyer shouted.

Despite the Lombardi-like gem from Meyer, the Heat will have a lot to overcome to beat the Celtics in this series. They have been outplayed ever since Game 1 and will have to go on the road in Game 6 in Boston and avoid elimination.

Teams that have been up 2-0 in a series have gone down 3-2 13 times. Seven of those times the team down 3-2 came back to win the series.

We have two of those exact scenarios this year in the conference finals.

The Thunder and Spurs will give us their Game 6 first tonight at 9 p.m. EST on TNT. Be sure to check out the preview for that game here.

According to multiple sources, the Heat are hoping to activate Chris Bosh for Tuesday’s Game 5 if he doesn’t suffer a setback in workouts over the next two days. Bosh declined to discuss his status following the Heat’s 93-91 overtime loss to the Boston Celtics on Sunday, which tied the series at 2-2.

via ESPN’s Brian Windhorst

After losing their first two games without Bosh to Indiana, Miami went on to win their next five.

LeBron James took his game to another level playing a lot more of the power forward position during that time.

The Heat have looked vulnerable without Bosh in the two games in Boston with Rajon Rondo attacking the paint with ease and Kevin Garnett having big games as well.

The Heat will certainly need a healthy Bosh to win a title this year. We will see what Bosh looks like for Game 5. If he is back to looking 100 percent, people might start talking about the Heat as the team to beat again.

Bosh injured his abdomen in Game 1 of the Heat’s series with the Pacers last round and hasn’t played since. The Heat won five games in a row without Bosh before losing Game 3 in Boston.

Bosh was expected to return in this series at some point. He traveled with the team for the first time for their last game and was seen participating in basketball drills.

The Celtics dominated in the paint in Game 3 scoring 58 points there with Kevin Garnett leading the way with 24 points and 11 rebounds.

LeBron James was really the only bright spot for the Heat in their Game 3 loss scoring 34 points.

The Heat will need a healthy Bosh to compete for a championship but aren’t desperate enough yet to rush him back to the court.

If Boston can even the series tonight and put a little more pressure on the Heat in this series, we could be seeing Bosh back soon. But the Heat do not plan to bring Bosh back before he is absolutely ready.

Bosh is making progress though and participated in a walkthrough Friday before Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals and was seen wearing basketball clothes.

Chris Bosh back in basketball clothes. Participated in walkthrough this morning but still not allowed contact twitter.com/Rachel__Nichol…

— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) June 1, 2012

The Heat have not needed Bosh to keep winning and are up 2-0 in their series with Boston.

LeBron James and Dwyane Wade have both stepped up in Bosh’s absence but the team isn’t the same without him.

The Heat will go into Boston tonight for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals again without Bosh. Only 14 teams in NBA history have come back from a 0-2 deficit and won a playoff series which is what Boston would have to do against Miami.

The Heat are still not putting a specific timetable on when Bosh will return to the floor.

While the Heat haven’t had the toughest competition in the Eastern Conference so far in the playoffs, if they do make it to the NBA Finals that will change.

The San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder have both been playing great basketball in the playoffs and would be favored against Miami even if Bosh returns.

Greg M. Cooper-US PRESSWIRE

Rajon Rondo and Russell Westbrook were linked via trade talks at the beginning of this season that envisioned the Celtics and Thunder swapping their point guards.

Rondo had more trade rumors surrounding his name than Westbrook but the thought of the two being traded was an interesting prospective.

The two obviously stayed put and helped lead their teams to the Conference Finals. The Celtics and Thunder are both down 0-2 now. Would this be the case if Rondo were on OKC and Westbrook a Celtic?

Rondo is just coming off perhaps the best game of his career in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals in Miami. He played all 53 minutes of an overtime loss, scored a career-high 44 points to go with 10 assists, eight rebounds and three steals.

Westbrook is back to receiving the same criticism that he did last year in the playoffs. The Thunder have lost two in a row to the Spurs and he is shooting more than Kevin Durant.

Rondo and Westbrook are both very different players who would completely change the other’s team if they were traded for each other.

Would the Thunder be better overall with Rondo instead of Westbrook?

Rondo would help Durant reach his potential as an offensive player quicker than Westbrook is helping him. Rondo has led the league in assists the past two seasons and is one of the best in the league at getting great shooters great looks.

Durant would thrive playing with Rondo and you could envision him scoring well over 30 points per game.

Rondo would also be able to extract the most out of Oklahoma City’s offensively challenged bigs. Kendrick Perkins might not become an offensive stud but Serge Ibaka might really take off alongside Rondo.

Ibaka possesses a very formidable midrange game and is one of the best athletes in the league. Looking at what Rondo does with Brandon Bass, he and Ibaka could become very deadly together.

James Harden would also probably get better overall with Rondo. Harden would even make more sense as a starter with Rondo instead of Westbrook since Rondo isn’t someone who needs to shoot even at all to be effective.

Harden has some Paul Pierce in his DNA and is a pretty good spot-up shooter so he would definitely fit right in next to Rondo running the show.

The Thunder would lose one of the true offensive studs in the league right now in Westbrook. Westbrook does so many things for this team and at times becomes the best player on the floor, even better than Durant.

The Thunder are better when Westbrook shoots more than Durant given their current roster and style of play. It can be criticized but it has worked.

But if the Thunder becoming a championship team means Durant needs to reach new heights, Westbrook could be holding him back in a sense while Rondo would aid Durant in his ascension to legend status.

Durant-Westbrook-Harden-Ibaka is only 90 years old. They will keep improving. Durant and Westbrook may coexist well enough to eventually win a title.

Westbrook will get the blame if they don’t and all we’ll be able to do is wonder if Rondo could have made a difference.

Bosh is likely the miss the rest of this series even if it goes seven games and may even miss some of the Eastern Conference Finals if the Heat make it there.

“I’m just hoping that everyone can keep doing what they’re doing and extend the season,” Bosh told ESPN.com. “I do have a chance to play again. That’s the light at the end of the tunnel for me. That keeps me going every day.”

The Heat are up 3-2 in their series against the Pacers winning the last two in very convincing fashion.

The Heat will likely win the series but those words from Bosh have to be concerning. If the Heat don’t get him back near full strength and have to play Boston in the next round, it will be a very tough series for them to win.

The Heat still have not put a timetable on a return for Bosh although it is anticipated he would at least try to return in the next round.

Miami looked like the easy favorites in the Eastern Conference to make it to the NBA Finals and possibly win it when Bosh was healthy in these playoffs. Without him, they certainly would not be considered favorites against San Antonio or Oklahoma City.

The one silver-lining from the Bosh injury is that it has pushed LeBron James and Dwyane Wade to step up their games which they have been doing.

LeBron last night became the only player to have two straight games of 30 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists or more since Oscar Robertson and Dolph Schayes.

There were a few upsets in the first round with the Philadelphia 76ers beating the Chicago Bulls and the Los Angeles Clippers beating the Memphis Grizzlies on the road in Game 7.

The real playoffs are about to begin now so here are my power rankings of the teams that are left.

1. San Antonio Spurs

They haven’t played in awhile but looked better than anyone in the first round. Now they have a better matchup in the second round getting the Clippers instead of Memphis. They could cruise into the West Finals pretty easily.

2. Miami Heat

The Chris Bosh injury is cause for concern but their two best players are playing great and there’s not much in the East that is going to stop them from getting to the Finals.

3. Oklahoma City Thunder

They will begin their next test tonight in Game 1 against the Los Angeles Lakers. It was nice with the way they swept Dallas in the first round but this will be a tougher test for them and is the next step for them to take toward becoming a championship team.

4. Los Angeles Lakers

They were up and down in Round 1 but if they can get their act together they have an outside chance of beating the Thunder. It will all come down to how Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum play. They were inconsistent against Denver but if they look like All-Stars against the Thunder they have a chance.

5. Boston Celtics

They feel like the only team in the East with any chance of challenging Miami. They did a nice job avoiding the upset in Game 1 against the 76ers. It will be huge for them to beat the 76ers as quickly as possible to gain rest for banged up Paul Pierce and Ray Allen.

6. Los Angeles Clippers

They have Chris Paul and nobody else can say that. If the game is close then my money is on Paul. But the Spurs are going to be so tough for them. Not to mention it’s going to be Gregg Popovich vs. Vinny Del Negro.

7. Indiana Pacers

They are a very solid team but just isn’t on the same level as Miami right now. It’s going to be a very frustrating series for Indiana fans to watch but if they can take the Heat to six games it will be a good thing for the future of this team.

8. Philadelphia 76ers

They’re just happy to be here now and the Celtics are on a mission. They match up better than most people think against the aging Celtics but it is very unlikely they pull off any kind of upset here.

Jerome Miron-US PRESSWIRE

James Harden was named the NBA’s best sixth man yesterday to the surprise of no one. Harden was winning this award from the first game of the season this year and had little competition for it all season.

Harden averaged basically a 17-4-4 shooting 49 percent from the field and 39 percent from three. He did everything for Oklahoma City’s second unit and showed in Game 4 that he can be relied on to close out games for them as well.

Is Harden one of the best sixth men ever? Is he the best one ever?

The award wasn’t given out until the 1982-83 season. Bobby Jones of Philadelphia won it that year then Kevin McHale won it the next two. The Sixth Man of the Year award winner was on the NBA championship team in three of the first four seasons.

Sixth men have always been a crucial piece to championship teams. And it makes sense too. Being a sixth man often means sacrificing being a starter and hearing your name called out every night before the game. Winning a championship is about sacrificing for the team and for the greater good.

Before we determine if Harden is the best sixth man ever we need to figure out what are the best qualities for a sixth man to have.

Scoring off the bench is probably the most important. It is so valuable to have someone who can come in off the bench and score at a high level. And when you get to do this against a second unit it can sometimes become a deadly weapon like in the case of Harden.

Harden is really one of the premiere one-on-one scorers in the league and when he gets to play the first six minutes of the second and fourth quarters against bench units he is really able to take advantage of this strength.

Like I mentioned before being a player who is willing to sacrifice is also an important ingredient in a sixth man. Harden is easily able to do this because he plays with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. So it makes a ton of sense for him to play a lot of minutes without either of them so that the Thunder can maximize their three best players’ potential.

A great sixth man must also be able to close out games. We saw Jason Terry as a perfect example of this last year for Dallas and Harden is now showing signs of becoming that guy for Oklahoma City. Manu Ginobili was also the offensive closer in a lot of cases during his championship days for San Antonio.

What really makes Harden so special is that he not only can carry a scoring load for the second unit but also essentially is the point guard for the Thunder’s bench squad. When Eric Maynor was lost for the year with an injury earlier this season, Harden’s role increased. He had to create everything for himself and others on the bench.

I think this is where Harden separates himself from past Sixth Man of the Year winners is his ability to thrive in two crucial bench roles. He can do this because he has superstar talent and an incredible understanding of how to play the game and what’s important.

Harden is no right up there with ’08 Ginobili who played a similar role that Harden did this year and with slightly better numbers.

Other than Ginobili you have to go back to the 1980’s to find a better sixth man than Harden. In 1985, Kevin McHale averaged a 20-9 for the Celtics and he also shot .570 percent from the field. The year before McHale averaged 18.4 points and 7.4 rebounds per game and they won the title.

Harden’s not on that level yet and may never be at least as a sixth man. Harden has a chance in the rest of these playoffs to get there though. If he becomes the closer for the Thunder handling the ball down the stretch of games then this Thunder team really has a chance to go all the way, cementing Harden as possibly the best bench player of all-time.

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