Possibly the most intriguing match of the NBA season to date.
STARTERS:
PG - Mike Bibby went from "He's not an All-Star?" to "He's not an All-Star." quicker than ...
SG - Kevin Martin has shot less than 50 percent in a game twice since Dec. 15.
SF - Ron Artest has shot less than 50 percent in a game eight times since Dec. 15.
PF - Shareef Abdur-Rahim's last three games as a starter: 54 pts on 22-33 shooting.
C - Brad Miller is the player most likely to benefit from David Stern's new ruling allowing rollerblades to be worn on the court.
BOSTON
PG - Delonte West played well enough at point last season, right? So you go pick up Sebastian Telfair and Rajon Rondo? I know you've got too many young bigs, too, but things just don't seem to make sense on that roster.
SG - Boston's Gerald Green and Portland's Martell Webster, I think, will be compared for eternity, much like Antawn Jamison and Rasheed Wallace are. Wait, no one compares Jamison to Sheed anymore? Oh. Nevermind.
SF - Ryan Gomes is another solid Ainge pick from two drafts ago (along with Green). Why is this team so bad? I have a feeling that, at some point, they're going to start winning. Is Doc Rivers really this bad?
PF - I think Al Jefferson, on the other hand, is one of those players who won't blossom until he moves on. The weight in Boston has to be heavy for a guy who's been the focus of hope for three seasons now, right?
C - What the hell happened to Kendrick Perkins? I thought his extension was one of the smartest deals of the offseason, along with San Antonio's Jackie Butler signing, Vlad Radmanovic in Los Angeles (that hasn't been spectacular), and the huge Shane Battier deal (which has made Houston, I think, a legitimate one-player-away team).
THE LINE:
ESPN.com said the Kings were 4-point favorites, but I didn't believe it so I went to Bodog. So what's Bodog tell me? That the Kings are 4.5-point favorites! I know Boston has the second-worst record in the league... but this is definition of insanity. If I had a house, I'd take out a second mortgage and start betting against the Kings. The Kings haven't covered since Jan. 2.
INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT NOTE:
No Paul Pierce. No Wally Szczerbiak. The Kings are better right now at every single position on the court. Yet, you can't help but think they're going to lose, huh?
PREGAME AIRING OF GRIEVANCES:
Jason Hart's agent is a businessman on the level of the joker who tries to trade Baltic and Connecticut avenues for Park Place.
This game starts at 4:30p Pacific. I might miss the entire thing thanks to the commute. I almost kinda sort-of wish there was no TiVo. I'd have an excuse.