This Week in the NBA: Feb. 3-Feb. 10 | SteelCurtain5875's Blog

In a league like the NFL, major story lines, breakout players, and the biggest games are easily accessible because of the way the schedule is structured: after one day of games, everything is analyzed and assessed ten different ways. There are dozens of TV shows dedicated solely to doing just that, and so our football information can come to us from hundreds of possible ways. With the NBA, however, there is no such clearly defined method to evaluate players, few shows specializing exclusively in NBA basketball and even fewer ways to truly distill the important things going on in the league today. And so, I've taken it upon myself to do my best to write down any relevant thoughts I had about what's happened in the NBA in the past week. Each week, I'll try to find and write about the biggest story line in the league, the player who made his presence known this week, and the biggest or best game, as well as any other random thoughts I have at the time. Maybe I'll be the only one who finds this interesting, but, in any case, here's what happening this week in the NBA...

The Big Story

The Shaq Trade

The big story of this week is no suprise: the shocking trade of Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks of the Phoenix Suns to the Miami Heat for aging superstar Shaquille O'Neal. The Suns have been one of the most successful teams in the league, currently holding the best record in the West, but Marion had notably commented before the season that he would like a trade and the chemistry in the locker room has reportedly been less than ideal. The trade has been received one of two ways: that this move will drop the Suns out of contention in the Western conference, or that Shaq will once again be revitalized and get Phoenix over the hump to win a title. While the latter would certainly be the more fitting ending for a man of Shaq's legacy, unfortunately it seems as if the former is more likely. Marion's biggest appeal for the Suns was not only his ability to be a prolific scorer, but also his ability to defend nearly every position on the floor. For a team like the Suns that depended on scoring more than defense, a player like Marion who could be relied on to shut down one specific player was invaluable. Now, the Suns have Shaq, who may have certainly been a great defensive center in his heyday, but no longer has the athleticism to cover as much ground as will be necessary, further exposing Amare Stoudemire's questionable defense. This is a point in it's own right. Many have said that Amare will be helped by O'Neal's strong defensive presence, but instead, it is more likely that his diminished abilities will be further exposed by the loss of Marion, who would normally guard the power forward position that he is now relegated to. Another popular point is that Shaq's presence in the post will draw attention from multiple defenders, allowing him to pass the ball to one of Phoenix's many excellent shooters. However, things may prove just the opposite, as O'Neal has looked downright feeble in the paint this season, and teams may start encouraging passing into the post, making Shaq be the one to beat them. O'Neal can not hope to run with the high energy fast break of Phoenix's "seven seconds or less" offense, and his constant injury problems will surely not be helped by the constant sprinting he was not used to doing in Miami. Instead, Marion will most likely find personal success in Miami, even encouraging the Heat to play a little more like Phoenix, as was seen in his lone game with his new team Sunday against the Lakers. Eventually, the Heat will most likely be the ones to benefit from this trade. Marion and Dwayne Wade will have time to become good teammates, and Miami's poor performance this year will guarantee them a spot in the draft lottery, allowing them to pick up a talented rookie like Michael Beasley, Derrick Rose or even Shaq clone Roy Hibbert. The Heat also have a considerably better financial situation with the loss of O'Neal's hige contract, which can make signing any high draft pick easier or even allow them to grab a mid level free agent in the next few years. At the end of the day, people may look back on this trade as the thing that got Miami rolling, rather than Phoenix.

The Big Time Player

Dirk Nowitzki

Amidst all the talk of all the big Western conference trades, the Big German has quietly had one of the best weeks of his season. Dirk has scored 20 points in each of the four games played this week, with the Mavericks going 3-1 in that stretch. His biggest game came against Milwaukee, when he scored 29 points, and had 12 assists and 10 rebounds, good for a triple double. If the Mavs hope to keep up with the other upgrading Western teams, then Nowitzki stepping up his game in the absence of PG Devin Harris is essential. Dirk is making his presence known this week and has gotten his team a couple solid wins, earning him this recognition.

The Big Game

New Orleans vs. Phoenix, Wednesday February 6, 2008

This game didn't lack for offensive firepower, with the final coming to 132-130 in favor of the Hornets. The Hornets have been perhaps the biggest suprise in the NBA this season, and although it took two overtime periods, they were able to down the Western conference leading Suns. The game featured New Orleans PG Chris Paul scoring a career high 42 points and Phoenix center Amare Stoudemire pulling down a remarkable 20 rebounds. However, it was Peja Stojakovic that was the difference in the game, hitting several key jumpers in the two overtimes, and then the final game winning shot. The victory improves New Orleans' record against the Suns to 3-0 this season, firmly establishing them as a legitimate contender in the West despite their lack of postseason experience. All the Hornets had a huge game, and this win helps their position before the coming All Star break.

Playoff Picture:

If the playoffs were to end today, here's how things would look in each conference: