Seeing is believing and the Golden State Warriors are getting an up-close-and-personal look at Playoff Jimmy. Jimmy Butler is showing up and showing out in a big way for his new team in the 2025 NBA playoffs.

“He’s different. I’m happy he’s on our side,” Draymond Green said about Butler, who dropped 38 points to lead the Golden State Warriors to a hard-fought 121-116 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.

The win advanced the Warriors into the Western Conference playoffs as the seventh seed. Butler is a major reason why the Warriors remain a legit title contender. Draymond is well aware of Jimmy’s reputation as a big-game hunter when April, May and June roll around and he certainly loves seeing it up close and personal.

“You could just see a whole different intensity level and focus,” Green said postgame. “I’m a basketball fan, so I’ve watched it on TV for years. To see it up close and personal, it’s a real thing.”

Butler’s magnificent all-around game — he also had seven rebounds, six assists, three steals — was the catalyst in Golden State putting Memphis on its heels and building an early 20-point lead before the Grizzlies stormed back.

With the game up for grabs, Steph Curry put on his superhero cape and provided the knockout punch in the second half. Curry took over down the stretch, scoring 15 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter including a perfect 13-for-13 from the free throw line to ice the game.

“We got a hellified Batman in Steph,” Butler told TNT’s Allie LaForce about his Warriors teammate.

“It’s real. It’s real I’m telling you,” Butler added. “That’s a Batman if I’ve ever seen a Batman. Always coming to save the day. He’s so poised, he’s so calm.”

When the Warriors acquired Butler in a blockbuster trade at the trade deadline, they picked up a player who can impact the game in multiple ways. Butler has been everything the Warriors envisioned. He’s been the Robin to Steph’s Batman, and having the two of them together gives the Warriors a punchers chance in the postseason.

“I think one more than anything how together we are on the court off the court, everybody wants everybody to be great,” Butler said. “We play our roles to a tee.”

Golden State has been the NBA’s second-best team since acquiring Butler, who’s had a significant impact on both ends of the court. Since the trade, the Warriors have owned the league’s best defense and they went from having the worst free throw attempts per game to being the best almost overnight.

A loss would have been detrimental for Golden State, a team many experts believe are on a short list on NBA championship contenders. But thanks to Butler and Curry, the Warriors avoid the extra game and get some much-needed rest before the playoff chase truly starts.

“Our guys have been playing high-level, knockout games for three weeks. We desperately needed the [extra days off],” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said.

Image caption: Draymond Green calls Warriors teammate Jimmy Butler “different.” (Getty Images)

After making a crucial mid-range shot in the fourth quarter of his first NBA playoff game, an energized Austin Reaves jogged back on defense and screamed toward the L.A. Lakers bench saying, “I’m him! I’m him!”

The meme-mable moment was one of the defining images of the 2023 NBA playoffs. It was extra special for Reaves because his basketball journey is better than a Hollywood script.

He came into the league as an undrafted free agent. He earned himself a roster spot with the Lakers in 2021 on a two-way contract before securing a fully guaranteed two-year, $2.4 million contract. This summer, he’s expected to attract several suitors in free agency. The Lakers can’t afford to lose Reaves and must do everything within their power to keep him on their roster.

Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka told reporters during his end-of-season media availability that the team intends to keep its young core together, and at the top of that priority list is Reaves.

Pelinka sees Reaves as a major part in making the puzzle fit to compete for championships. But the league’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement might make it challenging for the Lakers to retain Reaves, who could potentially command a lucrative deal somewhere in the neighborhood of $60 million to $80 million.

The Lakers can offer Reaves — who is a restricted free agent — a four-year deal worth about $51 million. Opposing teams could offer Reaves nearly twice that amount, but the Lakers can match it.

“We have a lot of great young players,” Pelinka said. “Austin, in particular, had an incredible year. He defines really what’s at the heart of playing for the Lakers. He’s a selfless, team-first guy. He lives in the gym. He loves the big moment. He’s been able to meet the big moment. I think he’s a guy that, regardless on what his deal is, I don’t think it’s going to change him as a person. And we’ll hang our hat on guys like that, that compete, love the game, love their teammates. We’re proud to have him as part of this franchise.”

The blockbuster three-team trade in February that brought D’Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Malik Beasley to the L.A. and sent Russell Westbrook to Utah had a major ripple effect. But it wasn’t the result most expected.

Russell, who was thought to be the most valuable piece in the Westbrook trade, had a roller-coaster second tenure with the Lakers. When he was making shots, he was a major contributor. But when he struggled to score, he was useless on the court and became a defensive liability. Russell struggled mightily in the Western Conference finals against the Denver Nuggets, averaging just 6.3 points and shooting an abysmal 13% from 3-point range. D-Lo was so awful in the WCF that he lost his starting spot in Game 4. The Nuggets went on to sweep the Lakers and advanced to their first NBA Finals.

Vanderbilt had his moments on the defensive end, but was offensively challenged (shot under 20% from the field). He was in and out of the starting lineup and barely played in the fourth quarters. Beasley was suppose to provide the Lakers with some much-needed 3-point punch. But a terrible shooting slump (25% FGM) got him benched and the only time you saw him on the court was during garbage time.

Ultimately, the biggest benefactor in the Westbrook trade was Reaves.

Moving Westbrook elevated Reaves and gave him more opportunities as a primary playmaker, especially on pick-and-rolls. Reaves’ accent into the starting lineup coincided with the Lakers’ late-season push. AR earned the trust of Lakers head coach Darvin Ham and his staff, as well as the team’s superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis, who have embraced him with open arms.

There are approximately 450 guys playing in the NBA, and Reaves feels he belongs in this rare community.

“His game speaks volumes,” former Lakers guard and Spectrum SportsNet analyst Derek Fisher said about Reaves, who is becoming a fan favorite and something of a cult hero in Lakers Nation.

“[Austin is a] balanced offensive player. [He] can score at all three levels; at the rim, mid-range, pick and roll, shoot the three,” Fisher added. “He can guard multiple positions. Great basketball IQ. There’s no surprise in his production.

“Austin is a great example of it’s now where you start, it’s where you continue to finish as you move through your journey. Everybody’s journey is different. He has proven himself. And he’s not done yet.”

Fisher can relate to Reaves. Like Reaves, Fisher grew up in Arkansas. D-Fish was a key role player on the Shaq-Kobe teams in the early 2000s. His big moment came during the 2001 playoffs where he got in a zone and the Lakers rode his hot hand all the way to a second straight NBA title.

Reaves’ coming-out party came in Game 1 of the first-round playoff series against the Memphis Grizzlies. His fourth-quarter takeover carried the Lakers to an unexpected road victory in one of the most hostile environments in the basketball.

“There’s a lot of emotions. You dream about being on a stage like this,” Reaves said. “It’s the playoffs. I got hot late.”

On six straight possessions when the game was hanging in the balance, Reaves was responsible for 13 Lakers points that allowed L.A. to pull away. Reaves made two mid-range shots, a layup, a 3-pointer, knocked down two free throws and assisted on a Davis dunk.

He scored 14 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter on 5-for-5 shots from the field. For the game he was 8 for 13 from the field. Not a bad playoff debut for the second-year undrafted guard from Oklahoma.

“When you got guys like Bron and AD, it makes life a lot easier,” Reaves said. He said his first impressions on the playoffs is that the game is more physical but a lot of the “little stuff” stayed the same.

Reaves was instrumental in helping the seventh-seeded Lakers knock out the Grizzlies in six games. But he was far from done. He may not have produced highlight-reel moments against the Golden State Warriors in the conference semifinals, but he was a major factor in knocking out the defending NBA champs and essentially ending the Dubs’ dynasty.

Reaves was the steady hand Ham turned to whenever the Lakers offense goes off course. Each time the Lakers called on No. 15, he delivered in big-time fashion.

“We trust him with the ball in his hand, early in the game and late in the game,” LeBron said about Reaves. “I’ve been around the game long enough to know great basketball IQ players. I know the type of player that fit with my game. I knew Austin would be that right away. I’m gonna give a lot of credit to Coach [Frank] Vogel in throwing him into the fire and learn on the fly, and allow him to make mistakes. Play through a lot of stuff. But I knew the type of player we would get in Austin.”

Reaves was a huge Kobe Bryant fan growing up in Newark, Ark. Because of it, he was given the nickname Hillbilly Kobe. But former Lakers forward James Worthy, who now works for Spectrum SportsNet, may have the best nickname for Reaves’ old-school style of basketball: “Pistol Pete” Reaves.

Pistol Pete is a reference to the late great Pete Maravich, a basketball pioneer who mesmerized fans with a unique style that was the epitome of the way the game was played in the 1970s.

“I believe in all our ball handlers. I believe in [D’Angelo] Russell. I believe in [Dennis] Schroeder. But I have to say this, Reaves is the best decision maker of the three, especially down the stretch,” Worthy said. “He can pass. But more importantly he draws fouls. He can complete the old-fashioned 3-point play. When he gets the ball and starts to navigate and the defense is beside him or behind him, he is going to get that little bump, shot, floater or he’s gonna make the right decision.”

Reaves is a 3-handicap in golf, so he is extremely dialed in when it comes to details. And he is ultra competitive.

“He doesn’t panic. A lot of guys will make a pass one second too early. Not Reaves,” Worthy said. “He will wait. He is so fun to watch. Extremely smart player.”

For the past two years, the Lakers had been searching for a No. 3 option to complement LeBron and AD. As it turned out, the missing piece to their complicated puzzle was sitting under their nose. Or, sitting on their bench.

Reaves’ confidence grew with the increased playing time. Having more opportunities with the ball in his hands elevated his profile. Other NBA players, like Portland Trail Blazers superstar Damian Lillard, were taking notice. Lillard tweeted: “My bad … Reaves like that.”

Reaves enjoyed a major breakout in the final three months of the season, and the Lakers posted the league’s best record since the All-Star break. In his final 18 regular-season games, Reaves averaged 18 points per game, shot 57% from the field, 42% from the 3-point line, and nearly 6 assists. In 64 games in his sophomore NBA season, he averaged 13.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.4 assists while shooting 52.9 percent from the floor and 39.8 percent from 3-ball range.

Reaves took his game to a higher level in the playoffs. He averaged nearly 17 points per game, five assists, and shot 56% from the field. He was even better in the conference finals, averaging 21.3 points, 5.3 assists while shooting lights out from the field (55%) and from behind the 3-point line (56%). He also was a perfect 15-for-15 from the free throw line. The Lakers were outplayed by the much more disciplined and cohesive Nuggets, but Reaves was one of the few bright spots in an otherwise disappointing playoff finish.

Reaves told reporters that the biggest lesson he learned in his first playoffs was how mentally taxing it was.

“I think the mental part of basketball and probably a lot of other sports is maybe more of the battle. You definitely become mentally drained at points of the year,” he said. “[You have] to keep that strong to have the discipline to stay up on your other treatment because when you get mentally drained sometimes all you want to do is lay in bed and go to sleep. So, the mental part is just as big as the physical part. And that’s basically what I’ve learned in this playoff push.”

L.A. owned the third-best net rating after the trade deadline, even with LeBron missing 16 games. With Reaves in the starting lineup with James, Anthony Davis, Russell and Vanderbilt, L.A. outscored opponents by 37 points in 77 minutes down the home stretch. During the play-in game against Minnesota, Reaves played the entire fourth quarter and overtime. It said a lot about Ham’s confidence in the second-year pro. Whenever Reaves was paired with LeBron and AD on the court, the Lakers +/- metrics were sky high.

Reaves has carved out a nice role on a squad with two players on the NBA’s top-75 team. His big jump puts the Lakers in a challenging spot to re-sign him this offseason. NBA insider Shams Charania said it would be tough for the Lakers to match any offer north of $60 million.

If a team offered Reaves four years, $90 million, which is not entirely impossible, the Lakers will have to bite the bullet and absorb the salary cap hit.

“I want to be here,” Reaves told reporters during exit interviews. “[L.A.] feels like home to me, in a sense. Obviously, it’s a lot different than my actual home. It’s a little bigger. A lot more people. Worst traffic. But, I told somebody a couple of months ago that it feels like home for me. The way the fans support me; players, coaching staff, front office. This is definitely somewhere I want to be, but we’ll see what happens.”

Christmas Day for basketball fans is the unofficial start of the “real season,” when contenders begin to separate themselves from the pretenders.

Seven of the top 10 teams and seven of the 10 best players in the NBA are playing on Christmas Day. There’s no shortage of star power when ABC starts its live marathon live coverage at noon ET.

But this year there’s major competition.

The NFL has a three-game slate on Dec. 25. Aaron Rodgers’ Green Bay Packers take on the Miami Dolphins at 1 p.m. ET followed by the Denver Broncos-L.A. Rams at 4:30 p.m. ET. The prime-time game at 8:20 p.m. ET features Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers against the Arizona Cardinals.

Football is king when it comes to TV ratings, so the NBA will have to compete for viewers on a day when it usually owns the viewing audience. To help solve this viewing dilemma, OneManFastBreak.net has tagged three must-see NBA games. The other two games, well, let’s just say you’re fee to switch channel to the NFL games.

Must-see games
Philadelphia 76ers vs. New York Knicks (noon ET, ABC/ESPN) — The Knicks enter Christmas Day as one of the hottest teams in the league. They’ve won eight in a row and now currently sit among the top six teams in the Eastern Conference. The offseason acquisition of point guard Jalen Brunson has solidified New York’s once shaky backcourt. Brunson is the perfect tough-as-nails leader head coach Tom Thibodeau has been seeking since his days with the Chicago Bulls. Brunson takes the pressure of forward Julius Randle and knows how to win close ballgames, which was a big problem last season. The Sixers have been coasting so far, but they still have MVP candidate Joel Embiid. When Embiid decides to take over a game, there are few people on planet Earth who can slow him down. Madison Square Garden will be rocking for this sexy matchup.

Boston Celtics vs. Milwaukee Bucks (5 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN) — This could very well be a preview of the East finals. Both teams enter the colossal showdown with their full compliment of players. Khris Middleton, who missed last year’s playoff series with a knee injury, is starting to get back into shape. Middleton is the Robin to Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Batman. The Celtics welcome back center Robert Williams, who was vital to their run to the NBA Finals last season. Jayson Tatum is enjoying an MVP season and his running mate, Jaylen Brown, is making a strong case to make the All-NBA squad. Celtics had owned the league’s best record until a rocky West Coast trip tripped them up and allowed the Bucks to gain ground in the standings. The Bucks’ game in Milwaukee starts at 5 p.m. ET, well after the kickoff for Packers-Dolphins game. Wisconsin fans will be able to watch their Packers and their Bucks on Christmas Day.

Phoenix Suns vs. Denver Nuggets (10:30 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN) — The Suns-Nuggets game is the last NBA game on the Christmas Day schedule. The first quarter of Suns-Nuggets might be a skip since most of us will be watching the end of the Buccaneers-Cardinals game when Brady leads the Bucs to victory over a depleted Cards squad. Once the NFL prime-time game is over, you can tune in to Suns-Nuggets. Both teams don’t like each other. During the 2021 playoffs, the Suns swept the Nuggets and Nikola Jokic was ejected in the clincher for a hard foul on Cameron Payne. Jokic and Devin Booker had to be separated after a heated exchange. Jokic’s brothers got involved in the bruhaha when they yelled at Booker from the stands. We could see fireworks again.

Skip these games
Memphis Grizzlies vs. Golden State Warriors (8 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN) — A once promising matchup turned into a sour showdown after reigning Finals MVP Steph Curry injured his left shoulder and will be sidelined for a few weeks. Without Curry, the Warriors are a shell of themselves. There’s some bad blood between the Grizzlies and Warriors, so this could have been spicy. The Dubs-Griz game will be going head-to-head with Bucs-Cards, and we all know America will always choose football over basketball. It’s OK. This game could get ugly, anyways.

Los Angeles Lakers vs. Dallas Mavericks (2:30 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN) — Not even LeBron James and Luka Doncic can save this awful matchup. The Lakers won’t have All-Star Anthony Davis and the Mavericks are struggling to find four other guys to play with Doncic. If LeBron was playing Luka one-on-one, then this game actually be interesting. But as currently constructed, it’s a battle of two teams closer to the bottom of the conference.

Scott Brooks has led Oklahoma City to 50 or more wins in four of the last five years. (GETTY IMAGES)

Finding fault in a coach who has won 50 games three times and 60 once in the last five years sounds a bit ridiculous. But if you’re Oklahoma City, the time is now to win a championship and Scott Brooks may not be the right guy to get the Thunder over the hump.

As good as the Thunder have been over the last five years under Brooks, they could be better. When you have the likely 2013-14 MVP in Kevin Durant and perennial All-Star in Russell Westbrook, winning 50 games and getting to the playoffs is not enough. It was OK back in 2010 when forcing a Game 7 against Kobe Bryant’s Lakers in the first round was considered a big deal. Now, losing in the first round may cost people’s jobs.

Brooks did get the Thunder to the NBA Finals in 2012 — losing to Miami —but the bar is set much higher now. Anything less than a championship would be considered a failure.

Brooks is a good coach, no doubt. But in order to win a championship, you have to make great decisions. And so far, we’ve seen too many questionable decisions from him.

A prime example of that was Monday’s playoff game against Memphis.

When the Thunder were struggling to bust the Grizzlies’ defensive alignment, he could have inserted Derek Fisher for Nick Collison down the stretch to open up the court. Fisher goes in on offense, then Collison returns on defense. It takes a slick coach to pull that off, and that’s not Brooks.

When Thabo Sefolosha stole the ball from Mike Conley with under a minute left in overtime, the Thunder had a possible fast break. But Brooks, micromanaging the situation, stifled that runout by calling a timeout. That allowed Memphis to set up its defense and Durant ended up missing a free throw on the possession.

And before we chastise Westbrook for taking too many shots and not getting the ball enough to Durant, watch Game 2 of the Memphis-OKC game and you’ll see that Durant couldn’t get open because Tony Allen was draped all over him. Westbrook tried to get him the ball, but the Grizzlies did a terrific job of denying KD the ball.

This is where the coach should step in. Brooks needed to get KD in spots where he could operate freely and get Allen off him. But he didn’t. Westbrook was left on an island and the Grizzlies forced him into bad shots.

Brooks went to the Rick Adelman school of coaching. He was an assistant under Adelman — who announced his retirement today — in Sacramento when the Kings were major title contenders. Adelman ran Pete Carril’s Princeton offense in Sacramento, and it’s the same offense Brooks runs in Oklahoma City.

Adelman had fantastic teams during his time in Sacramento. He had Vlade Divac at center and Chris Webber at power forward; Peja Stojakovic and Hedo Turkoglu at small forward; Doug Christie at shooting guard; Bobby Jackson and Mike Bibby at point guard.

The Kings were an exciting team to watch, much like the Thunder today. But they could never get over the hump because they ran into roadblocks in the form of the Lakers and Spurs. Despite winning a ton of regular season games (1,042 to be exact), Adelman’s Kings never won a championship and didn’t even get a taste of the NBA Finals.

Adelman’s teams relied on the jump shot too much and were not stout enough on defense.

Brooks could be following a similar path in Oklahoma City.

The Princeton offense sets up two bigs at the elbows and that triggers multiple actions on either side. If a defender overplays his man, the offensive player has the freedom to cut backdoor for a layup.

It’s a beautiful offense to watch but it doesn’t bring to the table an inside-outside, low-post power game. It’s a perimeter-oriented, finesse scheme that serves jump shooters well. It doesn’t put pressure on a defense’s interior where most championships are won or lost.

In short. You live by the jump shot, you die by the jump shot.

Brooks lives and dies with Durant and Westbrook. He hardly deviates from his beloved Princeton offense, and he struggles with in-game adjustments. When teams take away the backdoor cut, the Thunder usually fall back into an isolation game that mostly relies on the one-on-one skills of Durant and Westbrook.

To win an NBA title, you have to do two things consistently: attack the paint and protect the paint.

As the Heat found out in 2011 when they lost to the Mavericks, you can’t win a championship shooting threes.

As good as Durant is he doesn’t impact the game in the paint. Westbrook is the only player on Oklahoma City capable of putting pressure on the defense by attacking the paint. But Westbrook is a 6-3 guard. It is nearly impossible for him to attack the paint on every possession. That would require super-human strength and stamina.

The Thunder are currently in a playoff dogfight with Memphis. An early exit in the postseason could trigger some changes in Oklahoma City, starting with the coach.

Joel Huerto is editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter @onemanfastbreak.

As long as Tim Duncan is healthy, the Spurs will contend for a championship. (GETTY IMAGES)

The Spurs made it to the NBA Finals and had the Miami Heat on the ropes, but were unable to prevent LeBron James and Co. from winning their second straight title.

This year, San Antonio should still be the class of the Southwest Division, but the gap is narrowing. The rest of the division is improving and it may not be long before the Spurs are in full rebuild mode.

But, as long as Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and The Nose (aka Manu Ginobili) are in the Alamo City, the Spurs rule the Southwest.

OneManFastBreak.net examines the teams in the Southwest Division and where they’ll finish:

1-SAN ANTONIO SPURS

The Spurs didn’t go out and tinker with their success by making a ton of changes. It looks like they are going with the tried and true concept they have had for over a decade.

They lost guard Gary Neal to free agency when he signed with the Bucks and DeJuan Blair when he left for the Mavs. However, they added veteran but injury-prone swingman Corey Maggette, who is trying to revive his once promising career. At 33, it’s possible Maggette could have a little something left in the tank like Boris Diaw and Stephen Jackson did when the Spurs acquired them.

San Antonio also brought in guard Marco Belinelli, who played for the Bulls last year. He’ll fill in Neal’s role as instant offense off the bench. Belinelli is a good passer and shooter, so should fit right in Gregg Popovich’s system. They also re-signed Tiago Splitter to be their starting center.

But, are the Spurs still a serious NBA title contender? It all depends on how Duncan holds up. If he can continue to defy Father Time, yes. If not, the Spurs are in trouble because Duncan is the heart of this team. And as good as Parker has become, he can’t carry the team by himself.

Kawhi Leonard is the wild card. If he can continue to improve, the Spurs will be set for a long time. Leonard has serious superstar potential.

As good as they are, the Spurs have some questions entering this season that may determine just how far they can go in the Western Conference postseason, but Oklahoma City also has some questions after Kevin Martin bolted as a free agent for Minnesota a year after they traded away James Harden. Not to mention, Russell Westbrook is rehabbing from a serious injury after a second knee surgery. So, it’s all there for the Spurs to repeat as conference champs if they can turn back the clock.

2-HOUSTON ROCKETS

The Rockets did everything they could to unload salary and landed the biggest free agent prize in center Dwight Howard. They added a very good defensive player and a rebounder extraordinaire, but he doesn’t have the offensive game to be a dominant player on offense. However, he’s such a huge upgrade over Omer Asik, who may be moved to power forward.

Houston is better, but they still lack a true power forward to take a little pressure off Howard. D-12 will be expected to carry the load on defense and clean up other players’ defensive mistakes. They better hope DH is happy (he certainly wasn’t in Orlando or L.A.) because he’s known to be very moody.

The offense the Rockets run is very similar to the Lakers offense. Houston averaged 106 points per game (second most in the NBA) in comparison to L.A.’s 102.2 (sixth best). So is Kevin McHale suddenly going to slow the game down and pound the ball inside to Howard? While with the Lakers, Howard made several comments about everybody getting involved. In case he wasn’t paying attention, James Harden likes to shoot the ball; he averaged 17.1 field goal attempts last season.

Point guard Jeremy Lin and small forward Chandler Parsons also need shots. So, yes, the Rockets got better but they aren’t a top-three team in the West.

3-MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES

The Grizzlies opted to let their head coach Lionel Hollins walk after the most successful season in franchise history. Memphis replaced him with Dave Joerger and while he may be a good coach one day, he is an unknown at this point. The best thing that can be said is they stayed within the organization to find Hollins’ replacement.

Zach Randolph has been a beast for the Grizzlies, but he’s 32 and starting to show some signs that he isn’t the same player he once was. He came into the NBA after his freshman year at Michigan State and is now entering his 13th season. Ed Davis was acquired from the Toronto Raptors in the Rudy Gay trade and he’ll need to show he can take some of Zach’s minutes while not losing much in the way of performance on the court.

Memphis relies on the 1-2 punch of Marc Gasol and Randolph. Kosta Koufos was acquired from Utah to back up Gasol and give them some depth at center. They will go with veteran Tayshaun Prince and Quincy Pondexter at small forward, but it’s Pondexter’s job sooner than later. Prince’s tank is almost on empty (he averaged just seven points in the playoffs on 35.5% shooting) and he’ll probably finish his career on the bench.

Mike Miller was brought back to back up Tony Allen and help their outside shooting, a major weakness last year. Miller converted 41.7% of his 3-pointers last season (44.4% in the postseason) and will give them a little offense while Allen provides his lockdown defense.

Conley is a steadily improving point guard (17 points and seven assists in the playoffs), and he’s backed up by Jerryd Bayless.

The Grizzlies will try and compete in an ever-improving Southwest Division, but they seem to have taken a minor step back with the new coach — especially if they decide to trade Randolph at some point to save more cash. The new ownership seems to be quite frugal and while Randolph is past his prime, he is still a quality player and his replacement, Davis, may not be ready to assume a bigger role. As it is, the Grizzlies should be good enough to finish third and compete for a playoff spot.

4-DALLAS MAVERICKS

The Mavs made every attempt to sign Dwight Howard, letting O.J. Mayo, Darren Collison, Chris Kaman and Elton Brand leave Dallas as free agents. Dallas ultimately failed and settled for Samuel Dalembert as its new starting center.

Dallas’ 2012-13 season was very forgettable as they finished 41-41 and missed the postseason. They tried to make a big splash in free agency, but was left with second-tier players (and some may say third tier) in Dalembert, point guard Jose Calderon, shooting guard Monta Ellis, point guard Devin Harris, and reserve forward DeJuan Blair.

Calderon is a better point than Collison (who is better suited to backing up Chris Paul with the Clippers) and provides them with a veteran floor general, but he doesn’t provide much offense. Hence, the reason they went out and signed Ellis to do the heavy lifting on offense and help Dirk Nowitzki.

Ellis should benefit from having a pass-first PG in Calderon after seemingly butting heads with Brandon Jennings in Milwaukee. Vince Carter gives the Mavs an excellent backup option at shooting guard who can also provide some minutes as a backup small forward. If they can limit VC’s minutes to around 23-25, that would be ideal.

Harris will likely back up Calderon, but he was an unusual signing after they used their first-round pick on Shane Larkin. Larkin may see some time in the NBDL with two good players ahead of him on the depth chart. Dallas may try to trade Larkin if a decent offer surfaces.

In the frontcourt, Nowitzki will be the primary focal point of the offense. He started slow last season, but eventually showed the old Dirk (17 points on 47% shooting and 41% on threes). He’s still the best player for the Mavs, and he’ll enjoy having Ellis as a running mate.

The question is who will be the third scoring option?

Small forward Shawn Marion’s skills have declined to the point they may just try and trade his expiring contract before the season is over. Marion can still play a little defense, but offensively he is barely a double-digit scorer. Jae Crowder may be the eventual starter at the position.

Crowder may be just 6-5, but he plays defense and is an energy guy. He may be OK for 20-23 minutes as a defensive specialist. He reminds me a little of former Detroit Piston Michael Curry.

Brandan Wright was re-signed to be a backup power forward and center. Dalembert provides defense, but his offense is virtually nonexistent. Bernard James is a 28-year-old, second-year player who is a little more than just a roster filler.

Dallas isn’t much better than last season, but they made some good moves to try and appease their fans and show that they are trying. But Dirk’s odometer is almost on empty and you have to wonder if they actually have a plan.

5-NEW ORLEANS PELICANS

The newly renamed Pelicans may have one of the most interesting teams in the entire league this season after general manager Dell Demps remodeled their roster after the 2012 season ended. And the city is anticipating this season more than any other in recent memory. Or at least since Chris Paul was in town.

Demps may have scored one of the best offseason acquisitions when they traded center Nerlens Noel and a conditional 2014 draft pick to the Philadelphia 76ers for first time Eastern Conference All-Star point guard Jrue Holiday (17.7 points, eight assists, 4.2 rebounds). The move seemed to signal that the Sixers are interested in tanking their season in effort to get a top pick in next year’s loaded NBA draft that has as many as four or five possible franchise players.

Holiday will help in one key area, close games. The Pelicans were just 7-14 last year in games decided by four points or less and he should help change that. Holiday gives them a thriving young talent probably the most important position in the NBA nowadays, the point guard position.

The biggest issue will be playing Holiday, newly acquired Tyreke Evans (who was involved in a three-way trade that sent Robin Lopez to the Portland Trail Blazers and Greivis Vasquez to the Sacramento Kings) and Eric Gordon together. All three are used to dominating the ball. Holiday has always been considered more of a combo type PG so it’ll fall on his shoulders to get Gordon and Evans the ball. Not to mention, power forward Ryan Anderson and center Anthony Davis.

New Orleans management made the trade for Evans when he said he wouldn’t mind coming off the bench. So it’s a possibility they could play him off the bench as a super sub, sixth man. He signed a four-year, $44 million contract. Gordon makes $14.2 million with Holiday is owed $9.2 million. That’s a lot of money to pay that trio. If Gordon fails to live up to expectations he could be the odd man out.

The playoffs seem a bit of a longshot for a team that is competing in a loaded division, but the Pelicans have a talented roster and just need a season together to work together and develop some chemistry. Just shy of two years after trading Chris Paul, New Orleans is rebuilding much faster than expected.

Darren Jacks is a regular contributor to OneManFastBreak.net. Send him an email at djroxalot@hotmail.com.

Memphis Grizzlies guard Tony Allen got 25 first-place votes in the All-Defense voting. (GETTY IMAGES)

Playing defense is more than just racking up impressive numbers in steals, blocks, and rebounds. A great defender can go unnoticed because you don’t see the spectacular block or steal on SportsCenter or NBA Game Time. And more often, the best defenders come from teams that put a premium on defense. Of the 15 teams that have clinched playoff berths, eight are in the top 10 in points allowed.

The Memphis Grizzlies own the best defense in the Association, and Tony Allen and Marc Gasol are huge reasons why teams feel like they go through a meat grinder whenever they play the Grizz.

Allen is a 6-4 physical guard who specializes on hounding the opposition’s best perimeter player. In the first round of the playoffs, Allen was matched up with Clippers star Chris Paul. In the second round, Allen was matched up with Thunder star Kevin Durant. Both the Clippers are and Thunder are now sitting home in the playoffs. Being able to guard a point guard one round and then turn around and guard a high-scoring small forward shows Allen’s versatility.

Gasol is a 7-foot brute who guards the basket like his life depended on it. He uses his wide frame to push low-post players out of their comfort zone and force tough shots. The Spaniard may not be blessed with great athletic ability, but he has a high basketball IQ and moves his feet well for a big man. Given that he’s the anchor of the best defensive team in the NBA, it was a bit of a surprise the coaches didn’t vote him on the All-Defense first team.

Marc Gasol was named 2013 Defensive Player of the Year. (GETTY IMAGES)

Now, you can see why the sportswriters and NBA coaches were not on the same page this year when it came time to vote for Defensive Player of the Year. If you ask the writers, it’s Gasol. If you go by how the coaches voted on the first-team All-Defense team, it’s Allen.

Using a football analogy, Allen is the shutdown corner while Gasol is the big defensive tackle who stuffs the run and applies pressure to the quarterback. Both deserved to win Defensive Player of the Year, along with Miami Heat star LeBron James. Allen and James tied with the most first-place votes (25).

Traditionally, the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award goes to big men. Since 1992, nine centers have won the award and three of them won it at least three times (Dwight Howard, Dikembe Mutombo, and Ben Wallace). The last time a guard won defensive player of the year was in 1996 when Seattle’s Gary Payton won it.

Allen was part of a Grizzlies defense that allowed a league-low 89.3 ppg. According to NBA.com/Stats, Memphis’ defensive rating with Allen on the floor was 94.3 points per 100 possessions compared with 101.1 points when he was on the bench. Allen may not have won defensive player of the year in 2013, but his reputation is spreading like wildfire and the media may finally give him his due someday.

OneManFastbreak.net picks the five best defensive players in the NBA for the 2012-13 season:

AVERY BRADLEY, Boston, guard
Since Rajon Rondo went down Bradley not only assumed the point guard duties but he has been absolutely dynamite when it comes to stopping the opposing team’s other point guard. The Synergy Sports Data stat shows that Bradley is second in allowing 0.678 points per play among guards involved in 200 or more defensive plays. But Bradley doesn’t need stats to prove how good he is as a defender. Just ask the point guards around the Association.

TONY ALLEN, Memphis, guard
Allen got rave reviews during the 2010 NBA Finals when he gave Kobe Bryant fits in the Lakers-Celtics seven-game war. When Allen was traded to Memphis, the Grizzlies instantly became more of a defensive-oriented team.

PAUL GEORGE, Indiana, forward
George burst onto the scene when he gave Heat star Dwyane Wade fits during the 2012 Eastern Conference semifinals. The Pacers give up the second-least amount of points in the league and George is a huge reason why. George uses his length (6-8) and quickness to disrupt scorers, and he is also strong enough to hold his position in the low post. Watch the way he defends scoring champ Carmelo Anthony in the 2013 playoffs. You can create a DVD on how to play defense just from the Knicks-Pacers series, starring Paul George.

LeBRON JAMES, Miami, forward
James is better at playing defense than the idealized version of an NBA defender, as conceptualized by an analytic system that factors in everything from the precise positioning of every player on the floor to the individual skill-sets of the players involved on a given play. The Heat play great help defense and part of the reason why is James’ ability to cover so much ground. James is the epitome of a two-way player, which is a rarity these days. He’s not only a big force on offense, but he is extremely disruptive on the defensive end.

MARC GASOL, Memphis, center
The Grizzlies own the best defense in the NBA and a big reason why is the big Spaniard in the middle. Sports Illustrated writer Rob Mahoney makes a case for Gasol for defensive MVP. Mahoney wrote: “Gasol’s gift comes in the form of clairvoyance. He’s neither quick nor explosive, but manages to connect the dots of offensive action to give him the jump on a particular play’s progression. With a preternatural knack for timing, he slides into place to contest opportunities just as they become available.”

Joel Huerto is the editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter @onemanfastbreak.

In an obvious salary dump, the Memphis Grizzlies trades leading scorer Rudy Gay. (GETTY IMAGES)

Rudy Gay, the overpaid and underperforming small forward, is on his way to Toronto in the latest and most dramatic move in the Memphis Grizzlies’ money-motivated makeover.

The Grizzlies agreed to trade their star swingman to the Raptors on Wednesday, parting with the leading scorer on a team that has aspirations of making a run in the powerful Western Conference.

The Raptors gave up point guard Jose Calderon and forward Ed Davis in the deal that also included Grizzlies backup center Hamed Haddadi, and Memphis then shipped Calderon to Detroit for Austin Daye and Tayshaun Prince. Memphis general manager Chris Wallace thanked both Gay and Haddaddi for their time with the Grizzlies.

Gay, averaging 17.2 points and 5.9 rebounds, signed a five-year, $82 million maximum contract in July 2010 with Memphis. The 6-foot-8 small forward is due $16.5 million this season with $37 million more over the next two years. That’s a big number for new owner Robert Pera, who took over the franchise last November and has quickly started addressing the team’s salary situation.

Just over a week ago, the Grizzlies sent valuable reserve Marreese Speights and two other players to Cleveland in a move that cleared $6.4 million in salary and avoided a $4 million luxury tax hit this season. Team officials said that move put the Grizzlies in position not to have to make a move this season.

Memphis coach Lionel Hollins had been lobbying to keep his five starters together the rest of this season, but he apparently lost that fight. It’s a significant move for a team that was fourth in the Western Conference and three games behind the third-place Clippers.

”Wow,” Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley tweeted.

Trading away Gay also eases a luxury tax hit due next season, while concentrating the team around center Marc Gasol and All-Star forward Zach Randolph. The Grizzlies had their best playoff run in 2011 when they knocked off then-No. 1 seed San Antonio before losing to Oklahoma City in seven games in the Western semifinals – all with Gay on the bench after needing season-ending shoulder surgery.

”Wow that was 1 crazy trade today,” Oklahoma City center Kendrick Perkins tweeted. ”Are you serious Rudy Gay is right there under KD, Lebron, Kobe, and Melo. (hashtag)badtrade.”

They do run the risk of upsetting the chemistry on a tight-knit group, even if there were some questions of how Gay’s scoring fit in with the ball-dominant frontcourt of Gasol and Randolph.

But there may be more deals like this one coming in the new NBA economy.

The collective bargaining agreement negotiated after last year’s lockout makes the penalties for exceeding the salary cap far more punitive, and the system begins in earnest next season. Playing in a smaller market, the Grizzlies don’t have the extra revenue from lavish television contracts like teams in Los Angeles or New York, which makes it that much more difficult to go over the cap. But even teams such as the Lakers and Bulls will likely have to be more responsible with their spending under the new deal, where repeat offenders are taxed at rates that multiply with each consecutive year they go over the cap.

The first domino fell before the season, when Oklahoma City sent James Harden to Houston instead of signing him to a big-money extension, and more are sure to follow.

All told, the Grizzlies shaved nearly $40 million over the next three years after the two trades.

They’ll get a hard-nosed defender in return in Prince, the 32-year-old forward who was drafted by the Pistons in the first round in 2002. He is averaging 11.7 points and 4.6 rebounds per game this season.

Story from The Associated Press.

Tim Duncan signed an extension in the offseason, guaranteeing that he’ll finish his career in San Antonio. (GETTY IMAGES)

The Southwest Division is one of the tougher divisions in the NBA and it is still led by the San Antonio Spurs, who may be getting older, but that is just a different word for experienced.

1-SAN ANTONIO SPURS — They didn’t go out and sign any flashy free agents, but that isn’t the Spurs way. However, they extended Tim Duncan’s contract and will continue to do what they always do – win and hope the experience pays off in the postseason. Stephen Jackson and Boris Diaw return to play defense and add some scoring when needed. Tony Parker’s continued development is needed for San Antonio to challenge the Thunder and the reloaded Lakers.

2-MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES — The Grizzlies’ strength is their frontcourt with Rudy Gay, Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol. Not many teams in the league can boast a squad this talented. The backcourt is solid with Mike Conley Jr. and Tony Allen. Memphis added Jeryd Bayless, who averaged 11.4 points and 3.8 assists last season with the Toronto Raptors. He’s not a starter on a good team, but a solid backup. A lot better than Gilbert Arenas, last season’s backup at PG.

3-DALLAS MAVERICKS — The Mavs made some nice offseason moves after failing to land Dwight Howard and Deron Williams. Chris Kaman, Darren Collison, O.J. Mayo, and Elton Brand were decent moves, but they all have a certain amount of risk. Kaman has been injury prone the last two years, averaging just 39.5 games played. Oh, and he just turned 30. However, he’s a huge upgrade over Brendan Haywood. At 7 feet and around 270 pounds, he gives Dallas a legit presence in the paint and he could easily average 15 points and eight rebounds. Collison is an undersized point guard, but he brings youth, energy, and much-needed scoring in the starting lineup – something Jason Kidd (now with the Knicks) didn’t do last season. Mayo has a reputation for being a cancer in the locker room, but the Mavs are willing to take that risk after losing supersub Jason Terry to the Boston Celtics. Brand is on the downside of a very good career, but he gives Dallas a nice frontcourt option.

4-HOUSTON ROCKETS — The team pulled off a major blockbuster deal, sending Kevin Martin, Jeremy Lamb, and several draft picks to Oklahoma City for James Harden. Acquiring Harden was a nice move after the Rockets struck out in their pursuit of Dwight Howard in the offseason, and let go of Luis Scola, Kyle Lowry, and Goran Dragic. It won’t help them much this season as the team is loaded with young players looking to make a name for themselves in the league, but I can see this team winning 28-32 games. Harden should lead the Rockets in scoring, somewhere close to 20 points per game.

5-NEW ORLEANS HORNETS — They are young and talented, but they will need a season to play together and pray for good health, something that eluded them last year. Anthony Davis is a solid player. He’s a slightly better offensive version of Marcus Camby, and not a player who can carry a team. Davis should be a good role player who will hustle, play defense, and rebound. I see him average 13-15 points. He will make up for any defensive shortcomings of Eric Gordon. Speaking of Gordon, he should provide the offense for the Hornets this year, but he has to stay healthy and remain on the court. Ryan Anderson was a nice pickup to play power forward, but he may not be the same player he was in Orlando because he benefited greatly from having Dwight Howard in the low post and saw a lot of open looks at the basket.

Darren Jacks is a regular contributor to OneManFastBreak.net. Send him an email at: djroxalot@hotmail.com

Blake Griffin (left) and Zach Randolph have gone toe-to-toe for much of the Clippers-Grizzlies playoff series. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

The Los Angeles Clippers are obviously not the same team that went up 3-1 in the best-of-seven series against the Memphis Grizzlies.

Their two best players, Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, have been slowed by injuries and it has affected the entire complexion of the series. Paul has an injured hip flexor and sore groin, while Griffin has a sprained knee. Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro admitted after the 90-88 loss to the Grizzlies in Game 6 in L.A. that his two superstars are very “limited” at this point.

“Injuries are a part of it. Unfortunately, it hit us at a bad time,” Del Negro said.

“He didn’t have quite the burst to get by guys,” Del Negro said of Paul “He had to get the ball up a little bit to save himself. He couldn’t get aggressive as he would want to in the open court.”

“Nobody is 100 percent at this point of the season,”said Paul, who was held to 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting in Game 6. “I tried to tough it out, and so did Blake. I couldn’t move as I like to.”

Griffin said he had to alter his game somewhat because of the pain in his knee, and tried to move the ball and get others involved. He finished with 17 points and five rebounds in 32 minutes.

The injuries are a legit concern for the Clippers, but they’re not getting any sympathy cards from the Grizzlies.

“I didn’t know he was hurt. Was he hurt?” Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph asked a reporter when the Paul injury was brought to his attention. “It’s the playoffs. We’re not looking for any excuse. My knee is hurting, but I’m not looking for an excuse. It is what it is. I just came off a torn knee injury. You gotta put that in the back and come out and play.”

Randolph easily enjoyed his best game of the series Friday when he scored 18 points and grabbed a game-high 16 rebounds in 38 minutes. It was shades of the Z-Bo who dominated last season’s first-round series against the San Antonio Spurs.

“It has been a physical series and everybody has something. People are icing knees, ankles, even necks. Everybody has something at this point,” said Grizzlies center Marc Gasol, who had a game-high 23 points and has elevated his game the last two games after being relatively absent for the first four.

Gasol and the Grizzlies have regained home-court edge in the series and will have Game 7 in Memphis. In the history of the NBA playoffs, home teams have won Game 7s 80 percent of the time.

Clippers point guard Chris Paul has scored 20 or more points in the last three playoff games against the Grizzlies. (GETTY IMAGES)

The Memphis Grizzlies are on the brink of elimination in the playoffs because they simply have no answer for L.A. Clippers All-Star point guard Chris Paul.

From the start of the series to Game 4, CP3 has been the best player on the court. He willed his team to a 21-point comeback in the fourth quarter in Game 1, then he has been absolutely unstoppable in games 2-3-4. He scored 29 points in a 105-98 loss in Game 2, but bounced back with 24 points and 11 assists in an 87-86 win in Game 3, then had a spectacular fourth quarter in the Clippers’ 101-97 win Tuesday night to give the Clippers a commanding 3-1 series lead.

Paul finished with 27 points in 42 minutes in Game 4 at Staples Center, including eight points in overtime.

“We’re a resilient bunch, but I knew that pretty much going into the series. We showed that in our Game 1 win, but in Game 3 and Game 4 we showed a lot of grit,” said Paul, who is averaging 23 points and eight assists against the Grizzlies in the first round.

Heading into the opening-round series the Grizzlies were thought of as the one with the grit and the toughness, having shown it in last season’s monumental upset over the San Antonio Spurs. But through the first four games, it’s the Clippers who are showing some toughness and the biggest reason is their little floor general.

“We’re trying to shut down Chris Paul. He’s the problem, gotta solve the problem,” Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins said after his team lost Game 4. “We just gotta stay with our schemes. I thought down the stretch they ran a couple of pick-and-rolls and we decided on the court to do something different instead of staying with what we’re supposed to do. We got hung up, and now [Paul] is taking the big guy and he’s pulling up shooting jump shots without a smaller guy getting up in his face. Down the stretch, Chris Paul made all the plays.”

When asked if he has other options to guard Paul, Hollins says he has been satisfied with the way Tony Allen and Mike Conley has defended Paul. They just need more help.

“Tony Allen has done a great job, Mike Conley has done a great job. We’re going against a great player. You guys keep talking about defensive players. The guy is a great player, and that’s what great players do. We just gotta see if we can take the bull by the horns before we get to the fourth quarter.”

Expect Hollins to keep Allen and Conley on Paul unless both get into foul trouble. He’ll try to avoid putting Conley on Paul for much of the game because the Grizzlies need to save Conley’s legs on offense, so that leaves Allen — who was an All-NBA defender last season — with the unenviable task of trying to slow down CP3.

One adjustment Hollins could make is by trapping Paul off the pick-and-rolls quicker so he doesn’t have time to turn the corner, but Paul is so clever coming off picks that he gets big guys in foul trouble by flopping a little bit when he gets bumped.

If the Grizzlies are unable to corral Paul, then this series is not going to last very long.