- Bill Livingston of The Plain Dealer: "The Cavs and Los Angeles Lakers are an event. But if events like Cavs 93, Lakers 87 on Thursday night keep up until the NBA Finals, it will get to be a rivalry -- and for more than the way the teams' individual stars align in the NBA constellation. James has embedded himself in the team concept ever since he entered the league. His paramount concern was the Cavs' victory. But he again bested his arch, um, rival Kobe Bryant. James scored 37 points and made 13 of his 25 shots. He wore out the Lakers' defenders, making trip after trip into the thresher of arms flailing at the ball near the rim and going to the line. He made 10 of 13 free throws. Forced to facilitate the offense in the absence of guard Mo Williams, he had nine assists. Bryant scored 31 points on as many shots, making only 12. In neither rebounds nor assists nor trips to the foul line was he close to James. The pair have won the previous two Most Valuable Player awards, but with a sweep of the Lakers, created in part by his 12-4 margin in fourth-quarter scoring over Bryant on Thursday night, it is James' to lose now."
- Jerry Crowe of the Los Angeles Times: "LeBron James said it best after the Cleveland Cavaliers completed a season sweep of the Lakers on Thursday night: 'You don't want to look too far into it.' ... As Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic showed last season, going 2-0 against the Lakers in the regular season is a far cry from stopping them four times in a playoff series. ... On the other hand, the Lakers have yet to show the grittiness that brought them a title last spring. ... Even their gold home uniforms didn't help in Cleveland."
- Elliott Teaford of the Los Angeles Daily News: "Kobe Bryant said there was a simple reason why the Lakers lost the season series to the Cavaliers this season after sweeping them last season 'I think last year we probably were a little hungrier and played a little harder,' he said. 'This year when we played them the two times, they were the hungrier team. I think they sensed if they want to win a championship they're going to have to go after it. So they're playing with a sense of urgency we played with last year.' "
- Marc Berman of the New York Post: "Is there really a fitting encore to '61?' The Knicks find out tonight. Kobe Bryant has made sure
that number no longer is sole copyright of Roger Maris in New York. And Bryant's '61' needed no asterisk. Just highlight the number in purple and gold. Bryant pulverized the Knicks last February in a historic Garden evening awash in 'MVP' chants and wild cheers from too many purple-and-gold-clad patrons. He set the arena's single-game scoring record with 61 points as a prelude to winning his fourth NBA championship. ...'It's a blessing to do what you love and to have moments like this,' said Bryant, who claimed he was motivated by having to see Spike Lee after the game. Bryant and Spike met to put the final touches on a documentary, and Bryant said he didn't want to endure Lee's taunts had they lost." - Marcos Bretón of The Sacramento Bee: "There seems to be a feeling around Sacramento – poison ivy in full bloom – that Kevin Martin is the reason the Kings repeatedly are losing. The twisted theory – alive on talk radio, in the blogs and traditional media – is that the willowy Martin will never coexist with wondrous rookie Tyreke Evans. We have a community of couples counselors convinced that Martin and Evans are a backcourt marriage headed for a divorce in which everyone gets hurt. It's outright paranoia in absence of proof. It's as if the games themselves are being ignored. Are you watching? Is it Martin's fault that Spencer Hawes has as much trouble protecting the paint as I do resisting a good poundcake? Is it Martin's fault that Jason Thompson struggles to control his emotions or thinks it's a good idea to pass the ball while being guarded by players half his size? Is it Martin's fault when teammates miss wide-open shots? There can be no comparisons of Martin to past Kings stars accused of ruining team chemistry. His name is Kevin Martin – not Machiavelli. He is a shooter, not a schemer."
- Michael Wallace of The Miami Herald: "Another NBA season, another starting All-Star Game starting assignment for Miami Heat shooting guard Dwyane Wade. This time, he made history. Wade was named to his sixth consecutive All-Star Game on Thursday, the most appearances by a Heat player. Wade's five selections were tied with Alonzo Mourning. ... 'It's always great to be an All-Star and to be voted in as a starter from the fans,' said Wade, who finished in the top five overall in fan votes. 'It shows your popularity. It's a popularity contest. It's great.' "
- Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel: "I have to admit, I was a little sad when I heard Dwight Howard would not participate in this year’s dunk contest during NBA All-Star Weekend. It was almost like hearing Mick Jagger would be skipping the Rolling Stones Reunion Tour. Dwight didn’t make the NBA dunk contest, but he at least re-made it. He brought it back from the brink of extinction. He grabbed the flickering dunk torch left behind by Michael Jordan, poured kerosene on it and dunked it while wearing a Superman cape. Dwight made the dunk contest relevant again. Now it returns to irrelevancy. I guess, like all the NBA superstars, Dwight feels he has become to big for the dunk contest. But why? The dunk contest, even more than the run to the Finals last year, made Dwight Howard into a household name. It introduced him to the world. It gave everyone a chance to see his charismatic personality, his creative showmanship and his wonderful smile for the first time."
- Chris Dempsey of The Denver Post: "On a night when Carmelo Anthony earned his second All-Star Game starting berth, another Nugget could be staring a spot straight in the face. George Karl. If his team wins enough games in the next 10 days, the Nuggets coach could be coaching Anthony in the All-Star Game on Feb. 14. That honor goes to conference coaches whose team have the best record through games played Jan. 31. That team is likely to be the Los Angeles Lakers, but because their coach, Phil Jackson, coached in the game last year, NBA rules state he's ineligible to do so this year. ... Karl has coached three All-Star Games -- 1994, 1996 and 1998 -- but has not won one. 'I'm kind of superstitious about it. I don't think you should talk about it,' Karl said before Thursday's game against the Clippers. 'In a lot of ways I wish, we could distribute it among all the coaches and give them the opportunity, because I think there's a lot of great coaches that will never get to do that that should have that opportunity.' "
- Gordon Monson of The Salt Lake Tribune: "Let's start here by acknowledging that the Jazz are a good team. But they are a good team in a murky pool, lost among good teams that should make the playoffs but that are not good enough for serious title contention. They exist in the land of good, which is better than bad, but a long way from great. With that in mind, and for their own good, then, Carlos Boozer should be sent packing before the trade deadline, and the reasons run from the financial to the chemical to the statistical to the competitive. After Boozer's strong performance against the Spurs on Wednesday, Kevin O'Connor should be burning up the phones, peddling Boozer like a maniac while Boozer's still hot and healthy. He's gone after this season, regardless, so why wait? Don't get suckered by the Jazz's sweep of the Spurs. It's just as easy to remember the losses to the Nuggets. Keeping Boozer costs the Jazz too much cake, especially with the club barreling toward the luxury tax, a double dose of fiscal penalties considering not just the money paid out but also the lost revenue given back to teams who show payroll restraint."
- Ronald Tillery of The Commercial-Appeal: "Suffice it to say, the NBA's youngest team (Memphis) and the second-youngest (Oklahoma City) are earning their wings. The Griz and Thunder are often mentioned in the same sentence whenever NBA coaches, players and media talk about the future of the Western Conference. Each squad has taken the league by storm with rapid and compelling development. Entering their matchup tonight in FedExForum, the Thunder owns the seventh playoff seed in the West while the Griz sit just 1˝ games back from a postseason berth. Both teams seem to be ahead of schedule given the tear-down-to-build-up approach each franchise adopted a few seasons ago. There may be a mild debate about which team is ahead of the other but this much is clear: The Griz and Thunder are in position to ascend in the conference at a similar pace, and each franchise is keeping an eye on the other."
- Mike Baldwin of The Oklahoman: "With the Thunder a playoff contender at the season’s halfway point, general manager Sam Presti was asked about the impression a young team has arrived early. 'We don’t necessarily look at it that we have a schedule so to speak,' Presti said. 'We’re not crossing days off a calendar, or have a certain day at some point we’re where we want to be. The fact of the matter is I’m not sure we’ll ever get to a point we’re satisfied. Clearly, we have a long way to go. We just need to control the things we can control -- each film session, each shootaround, each practice -- and take that to the Ford Center or other arenas in the NBA and focus on those things. If we do that, we think good things will happen. But there are ups and downs. One thing I look at from my position -- because I have to look at it from a 10,000-foot level -- is how do we respond when we hit some adversity? How do we respond when we have some success? Those are things that are part of going through this with a group that’s growing together and learning together.' "
- Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe: "Unless Kevin Garnett is returning tonight with a new halftime regimen along with his healthier right knee, the Celtics still have to address their second-half struggles, which have become a major concern for a team struggling to maintain its confidence. The Celtics lost 6 of 10 games while Garnett was out, and the key to their struggles has been the third quarter. In those 10 games, they were outscored in the third quarter seven times, including a combined 55-31 in losses to Dallas and Detroit. The Celtics are coming out flat after halftime. On Monday, they owned a 9-point halftime lead over the Mavericks and were outscored, 34-18; on Wednesday, they led Detroit, 56-48, but were outscored, 21-13. ... 'When we get back out on the floor, we have to pump that energy up,’ guard Ray Allen said. 'We have to get back into the game. We just have to be more conscious of making plays for each other on both ends of the floor. Don’t be too locked into who I am guarding, just having better awareness.’ "
- Ray Richardson of the Pioneer Press: "Is Al Jefferson's footwork in the lane too good? The Timberwolves' center has become one of the NBA's more effective inside scorers, but his ability to shake defenders is limiting his trips to the free-throw line. Opposing players often fly past Jefferson after a pump fake or one of his patented pivot moves. The lack of contact translates into fewer free-throw attempts for the Wolves' leading scorer. 'It's something I've been dealing with my whole career ... not being more consistent in getting to the line,' Jefferson said. 'It's not a big issue with me, but it would be a lot better for the team if I got to the line more.' Jefferson had a combined three free-throw attempts in the Wolves' previous two games. He had no attempts Wednesday night in the Wolves' 94-92 loss to Oklahoma City but finished with 20 points on 10-of-17 shooting from the floor. Much of the Wolves' triangle offense runs through Jefferson. On most possessions, Jefferson gets at least one opportunity to handle the ball -- either to pass or to work free for his jump-hook shot. Based on the number of times the 6-foot-10 Jefferson has the ball in the low post, it seems he would have more free-throw attempts. Jefferson, a 69 percent shooter at the line, is averaging 3.8 attempts. He averaged 5.04 attempts last season in 50 games before suffering a season-ending knee injury. Jefferson is aware that his post-up moves draw minimal contact for an inside player, but it's not a approach he plans to change."
- Eric Koreen of the National Post: "Well-paid athletes and boredom can be a dangerous combination. After all, rare is the athlete that gets in trouble at a team function. (Save your Gilbert Arenas jokes, please.) Those who follow Toronto Raptors centre Patrick O'Bryant on Twitter might wish that he were a little less bored a lot more often. O'Bryant has taken to using Formspring, an online service that allows people to ask questions anonymously of someone. The someone, in this case, is O'Bryant. O'Bryant -- Twitter handle: @13POB13 -- sometimes answers in the neighbourhood of 50 questions in one sitting, and each question results in its own post on his Twitter page, so the spurts can give his followers an O'Bryant overload. 'I lose people every time, though. I probably lost 20 followers last night,' O'Bryant said on Tuesday in Cleveland. 'I can understand it because I answer so many questions at once. It fills up their pages.' He knows this, but still, he cannot help himself. 'It passes a lot of time in Cleveland, Indianapolis, boring places.' "
- Jason Quick of The Oregonian: "In every sport there are tricks of the trade to provide an advantage. In football, offensive lineman grab a certain spot under the armpit to mask holding. In baseball, pitchers sometimes bite the ball to raise the seams, allowing for easier grip to throw breaking pitches. And, apparently, in basketball some players grow out their fingernails to serve as a weapon. 'It’s an advantage at times,’ said Trail Blazers guard Andre Miller, an 11-year veteran. 'I did it a couple of times just to irritate somebody. I think every player has thought about that, letting them grow and possibily getting a couple scratches in and irritating someone.’ Miller said the most notorious nails in the NBA are from Detroit guard Richard Hamilton, a notion that Martell Webster seconds. 'Yeah, I’ve seen his. They are nasty,’ Webster said. The Blazers play Hamilton and the Pistons on Saturday in Auburn Hills, Mich., and you can bet Miller isn’t thrilled. 'Richard Hamilton has some nails,’ Miller said. 'I get scratched up every time I play him. Everywhere.’ "
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