Dennis' Basketball Blog

The Fig Cap: The "S" will probably be changing to "OKC" as in - goodbye Seattle, hello Oklahoma City!

(Queue music) In the last blog post, we talked about the 2008 NBA Draft and as predicted by most, Derrick Rose went first to the Chicago Bulls. Michael Beasley went to the Miami Heat at number two and the biggest surprise of all, Russell Westbrook went to the Seattle SuperSonics at number four.

Speaking of the SuperSonics, we'll be calling them something else next season as the Sonics will be moving to Oklahoma City. Sonics owner, Clay Bennett and the rest of his ownership group will be paying the city of Seattle $75 million in order to make the move. Seattle retains the rights to the SuperSonics name. It's basically been a foregone conclusion ever since Bennett, whose business is based in Oklahoma City, purchased the Sonics in 2006. However, there is a small ray of hope that a team can come back to Seattle, but the chances seem slim.

However, what won't be slim are a few players' bank accounts. Chris Paul agreed to an extension for four years and $68 million. Baron Davis will be leaving the Bay Area to go back home to Los Angeles with the Clippers as the two sides agreed to a five-year, $65 million deal. And because Antawn Jamison agreed to a four-year $50 million deal with the Washington Wizards, it was easier for Gilbert Arenas to also re-sign with them for six years and $111 million.

Okay, that's it for now... a quick recap of what's been going on in the NBA. I hope everyone in the U.S. had a great holiday weekend, but it's over now and I'll be around a lot more on the regular. How do you all like the redesign of About.com? Pretty awesome if you ask me!

Photo: Doug Pensinger/Gettty Images

The Fig Cap: This is where amazing happens.

Tonight, the NBA holds its annual rite of passage for young men hoping to lace up their kicks and have the sole of their sneakers touch an NBA court. However, before doing that, the solid choices to go within the first 15 picks or so will need to sweat it out in their seats, wonder how they're going to give NBA commissioner David Stern a pound, and find out where they'll be living for the next three or four years.

Here at About.com, we did a series of mock drafts:

• About.com Contributors Mock Draft
• NBA Mock Draft 3.0
• NBA Mock Draft 2.0
• NBA Mock Draft 1.0

But then, naturally, on the eve of the NBA Draft, teams thought they would mess around with everyone that does mock drafts professionally, such as myself, and throw a curveball into the process by making several trades that potentially changes the draft board. Here are the trades that went down on the eve of the draft that actually still either await league approval or become finalized between the teams in question:

• New Orleans Hornets trade their 27th pick to the Portland Trail Blazers for cash. (Read More)
• Denver Nuggets trade their 20th pick to the Charlotte Bobcats for a future, protected first round pick. (Read More)
• The Indiana Pacers trade Jermaine O'Neal to the Toronto Raptors for T.J. Ford, Rasho Nesterovic, the 17th overall pick, and a player to be named later. (Read More)

So, if those trades do go through, and the basketball gods know there are rumors of even more trades going down, what will the draft order be? Check out NBADraft.net for the updated order, as well as their own mock. We respect their work and figured we'd share.

If you want some background on tonight's roundball meat market, peep the following:

• How The NBA Draft Lottery Works
• 2008 NBA Draft Prospect Profiles

In any case, let's all remember kids, that anything can happen at the NBA Draft. Not only will players' fortunes change, but franchises as well. Ask the Boston Celtics who, amongst other things like send Al Jefferson to the Minnesota Timberwolves, traded their lottery pick in order to get Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, two huge difference makers in helping the Celtics go from having the second-worst record in the league one season to an NBA championship the next. So, you never know... you never know.

The 2008 NBA Draft goes down at Madison Square Garden's WAMU Theater at 7PM ET and can be watched on ESPN. Teams get five minutes to pick in the first round and only two minutes in the second round. So, check it out because the future is now!!!

Photo: Chris McGrath/Getty Images

After only winning a bronze medal at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece, how will USA Basketball respond? By sending these players to try to get back the gold and once again cement the United States' footing as a dominant force in internation men's basketball.

The addition of current NBA MVP, Kobe Bryant, made a difference during last year's FIBA America's qualifying tournament and he should do the same at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China... despite what Shaquille O'Neal raps about Kobe.

Photo: Robert Laberge/Getty Images

Okay, folks, we are thisclose to being done with this NBA mock draft amongst some of the contributors here at About.com. So, check out the UPDATE. Looking at other mock drafts, on a personal note, it was nice to see that my "stretch" for Russell Westbrook for my New York Knicks wasn't too much of one. Why do I say that? In NBADraft.net's latest mock, they also have Westbrook at six. Genius!

Photo: Andy Lyons/Getty Images

The Fig Cap: Number 17 for the Celtics... the first for KG and the Truth.

It wasn't even close. After Kobe Bryant started on fire, but then crashed by missing seven straight shots, it seemed like it was over. Actually it was over, especially considering the Boston Celtics outscored the Los Angles Lakers, 34-15 during that period and never stopped going in the second half thanks to bench players such as Eddie House and James Posey who have made their impact known throughout the NBA Finals.

The NBA Finals clincher is especially sweet for the Celtics' Big Three - Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen - veterans who have exceled in the NBA, but always had a NBA title elude their hands. The 17th Boston Celtics' championship not only cements the Celtics' legend as one of the best teams in professional sports, but also does the same for Garnett's reputation as one of the greatest players in NBA history. After dominating the league in a singular sense, Garnett gets his ring, lifting the Celtics team back into the spotlight and silencing his critics at the same time.

There were high expectations after the Celtics traded for both Garnett and Allen, shunning any thoughts of building for the future, and indicating that they were going all in in trying to get a title. The gamble paid off.

Congratulations to the Boston Celtics, the 2008 NBA Champions.

Photo: Elsa/Getty Images

The Fig Cap: Kobe slamming it home to stay alive!

Well, Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers held serve, as well as elimination from the NBA Finals, as they beat the Boston Celtics on Sunday night. The series will shift to the East Coast up in Boston where the Celtics look to win their first title since 1986. Can The Big Three of Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce fulfill Beantown's need for another Celtic championship? They'll get two tries to do just that, but hope they won't need a second chance.

Boxscore

Photo: Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images

The Fig Cap: Who Wants The Ball and Win More? Definitely KG and the Celtics!

Wow. I'm still stunned. And I bet I'm not the only one. The Los Angeles Lakers lost a historic game in Game Four after leading by 24 points and allowing the Boston Celtics to creep back in the second half for a Boston win. After leading by 18 at the half, 58-40, it seemed like the game was over. However, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Eddie House, et al. thought differently.

In the second half, the Celtics slowly climbed back into the game and then stormed right into a victory push, ending the third quarter on a 21-3 run and deflating the Lakers' chances to mentally get back into the game. The Celtics held the Lakers to 15 and 18 points, respectively, in the third and fourth quarter while scoring 57 points combined for the W.

How will the Lakers respond, being down three games to one in the NBA Finals series? Find out tonight on ABC, 9PM ET.

Photo: Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images

The Fig Cap: "I'm gonna take this one if it's okay with you, KG."

Never did I think that 66% of the "stars" on the team would play so bad in the same game... and "stars" for both the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers. For the Celtics' Kevin Garnett, finishing with 13 points and a dozen rebounds ain't so bad. However, when you shoot 6-for-21 from the field, it is. As far as Paul Pierce is concerned, shooting 2-for-14 is vomit-inducing! It didn't help that he was constantly in foul trouble.

For the Los Angeles Lakers, Lamar Odom was just shaky on the court. It almost seemed like he never played in that Phil Jackson offense before. Odom, like Pierce, was also in foul trouble and like Pierce shot poorly (2-for-9). Pau Gasol seemed timid in the post and could have probably attacked the basket with a little more authority. At least he was grabbing boards (12).

But, enough of the negative! Ray Allen kept the Celtics afloat thanks in part to his 5-for-7 shooting from beyond the three-point line and finishing with 25 points. Unfortunately for Boston, the Leon Powe Show wasn't televised as the super sub of Game Two didn't get to do much at all. However, someone who did a lot was the Lakers' Sasha Vujacic! He scored 20 points off the bench and hit some daggers from the perimeter. Kobe Bryant was of course stellar in scoring his 36 points as he shot 12-for-20. Like it would be any different for him... oh yeah, Game One. But, we'll keep the past in the past and look forward to the future! (Ahem) But for all of you interested, check out the Boxscore of Game Three.

That said, Game Four goes down tomorrow night, Thursday at 9PM ET on ABC.

Photo: Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images

The Fig Cap: Leon Powe is unstoppable!

The Boston Celtics' Leon Powe came off the bench, played a little less than 15 minutes and scored 21 points. How did he do it? He attacked the rim like it owed him money. Powe went to the line a total of 13 times and converted on nine shots. The Los Angeles Lakers were perfect from the charity stripe... too bad they only visited the line a total of 10 times. Yes, TEN times!

There were many times I was watching the game and yelling, "Take it to the rim, don't settle for the jumper!" Unfortunately for them, the Lakers didn't listen. Kobe Bryant had a much better shooting game from the field, hitting 11 of 23 shots, as well as going 7-for-7 from the free-throw line and finishing with 30 points. However, he is only one player.

Check the Boxscore and don't forget, tonight, they do it again for Game Three at 9PM ET on ABC.

Photo: Elsa/Getty Images

The Fig Cap: "Hey Kobe, do you know who Willis Reed is?"

The big story of this game is, of course, that the Boston Celtics beat the Los Angeles Lakers to take Game One. But, at the essence, it's about Paul Pierce getting wheeled off the court back into the locker room and coming back minutes later onto the hardwood and draining buckets, in particular, two three-pointers in a row, and finishing with 22 points for the game. Was it a miracle or melodrama? Are the comparisons being made to Willis Reed of the New York Knicks coming out in Game Seven of the 1970 NBA Finals versus the Lakers valid? Well, I agree with Michael Grange of the Globe and Mail. But, it's over and doesn't matter much anymore. The W does.

However, Pierce's drama aside, the fact remains that the Lakers faltered badly in the second half of the game, particularly in the fourth quarter when they only scored 15 points. Kobe Bryant scoring 24 points to lead the team is a pretty good thing, but not pretty good when he shoots 9-for-26 from the floor. You have to think that Kobe will get on track and can't possibly continue to shoot this badly, which is a scary thing to think about if you're a Celtic or Celtics fan.

Kevin Garnett led the Celtics with 24 points and 13 rebounds. Ray Allen (19 points) and Rajon Rondo (15 points, 7 assists) also had good games for the Celtics. You can check the rest of the stats in the Box Score.

Game Two goes down this Sunday at 9PM ET on ABC.

Photo: Elsa/Getty Images