Shaquille O'Neal is now saying that the feud between himself and Kobe Bryant during their time in Los Angeles was simply a marketing gimmick.
"We helped you hype it up," O'Neal said in an interview with ESPN's Stephen A. Smith. "I know what I'm doing, brother. I'm the smartest player in the world."
Bryant and O'Neal have bickered publicly since they jostled for position as the Lakers' franchise player in 2004.
"I always did love Kobe," O'Neal said. "It was all marketing."
Allen Iverson has moved up to 16th overall on the all-time scoring list, passing former Sixer great Charles Barkley on Friday night.
According to the Detroit News, Iverson had 10 points in the first half for the Pistons against the Boston Celtics, giving him 23,759 in his career. Patrick Ewing is next on the list with about 1,000 more points.
Many people feel as though Phoenix guard Steve Nash should have been named as a reserve for the Western Conference All-Star team, but he disagrees.
"The truth is I don't really deserve it," Nash said. "The team's in seventh place (in the West). Maybe if we were in fourth or fifth, it'd be a different story. There are others who are more deserving."
Shaquille O'Neal was named as a Western Conference All-Star reserve on Thursday, meaning he will team up with Kobe Bryant for the first time since his departure out of Los Angeles following the 2003-2004 season. O'Neal will also be reunited with former coach Phil Jackson.
In a video interview with Stephen A. Smith from ESPN.com, Shaq said the all-star game "will bring back great memories." Shaq also said that he "always did love [Kobe]," and their feud was "all marketing."
"I know what I'm doing brother," he said, "I'm the smartest player in the world.
"Everything that happened, happened for a reason," Shaq continued, "It's all about winning and nothing else matters."
Shaq went on to praise Kobe saying "He is probably the MVP this year. That young man is a beast. He's playing excellent ball right now. He's got his team playing well."
Shaquille then said that him and Kobe are "still the best little man, big man 1-2 punch ever created in the history of the game. Hopefully we can get a glimpse of what we used to do [in the all-star game]."
And in case you were wondering ? when asked by Stephen A. Smith would would it have been like if the trio had stayed together, Shaq said, "We would probably have about six or seven [championships] by now, easily."
Steve Nash had seven assists in the first quarter against San Antonio last night to push him into 11th place on the NBA's career assist list.
Nash passed his coach, Terry Porter, on the list.
Shaquille O'Neal surpassed Hakeem Olajuwon on the scoring list with a dunk in the second quarter. He is now the NBA's seventh leading scorer.
The Suns are still in the playoff picture but are no lock, and the outlook doesn't look bright with how Amare Stoudemire and Shaquille O'Neal need to share the ball. Only Steve Nash is untouchable, according to sources.
"A lot of mouths to feed," said Nash. "I?m willing to just feed and feed. But then they get mad at me because they want me to be aggressive. They want me to make big shots down the stretch, so they need me to shoot periodically during the game.
"It?s difficult. It?s difficult for the reasons you said, and it?s difficult to find the balance, that aggressiveness for me."
Nash needs the ball in transition, needs to run because Shaquille O'NEal clogs the lane in the halfcourt. ?Or otherwise,? Nash said, ?I?m going to be a little sacrificial. ?So trying to get Amare off, getting, Shaq off ? getting [Jason Richardson], Grant [Hill], Leandro [Barbosa]. ?A lot of mouths to feed.?
Two very unlikely teams remained relatively hot on Monday night as the Timberwolves and Thunder both recorded victories over favored opponents.
- Phoenix 103, Washington 87
Team FIC Differential: Suns +24.3, Wizards -24.3
The Suns (25-18) used a dominant fourth quarter to pull away from the Wizards (9-35) on Monday night at the Verizon Center. Shaquille O?Neal led with 28 points and 9 rebounds; Amare Stoudemire posted 22 points and 15 boards; and Steve Nash added 14 points and 15 assists. Phoenix outrebounded Washington by fifteen and held the home team to 39% shooting. Caron Butler starred 28 points; Antawn Jamison tallied 27 points and 13 rebounds; and Andray Blatche contributed 12 points and 6 boards in the loss.
Game FIC Scores
Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix ? 24.0
Shaquille O?Neal, Phoenix ? 22.8
Antawn Jamison, Washington ? 18.8
Caron Butler, Washington ? 16.6
- Miami 95, Atlanta 79
Team FIC Differential: Heat +24.8, Hawks -24.8/i>
The Heat (24-19) opened up a big lead in the second quarter and were able to hold off a late charge by the Hawks (26-18) to win at home. Dwyane Wade scored 35 points on 13-for-19 shooting; Mario Chalmers tallied 12 points and 6 assists; and Udonis Haslem turned in 8 points and 13 rebounds. Miami held Atlanta to 38% shooting and forced twenty turnovers. Joe Johnson led with 19 points; Josh Smith posted 14 points and 10 rebounds; and Marvin Williams contributed 17 points and 8 boards for the Hawks. Atlanta, at one point in the game, went a whole quarter without a basket.
Game FIC Scores
Dwyane Wade, Miami ? 23.8
Udonis Haslem, Miami ? 17.0
Marvin Williams, Atlanta ? 12.3
Josh Smith, Atlanta ? 10.8
- New York 104, Houston 98
Team FIC Differential: Knicks +13.6, Rockets -13.6
The Knicks (19-25) outscored the Rockets (28-18) by twelve points in the fourth quarter to record a win at Madison Square Garden. Nate Robinson had a team-high 19 points and 6 rebounds; David Lee posted 17 points and 13 boards; and Chris Duhon added 12 points and 11 assists. New York attempted nine more foul shots than Houston and limited the road club to 38% shooting from the floor. Tracy McGrady had 20 points and 6 assists; Luis Scola tallied 16 points and 14 rebounds; and Carl Landry scored 16 points off the bench.
Game FIC Scores
Chris Duhon, New York ? 17.5
Luis Scola, Houston ? 17.3
Wilson Chandler, New York ? 15.0
Tracy McGrady, Houston ? 11.3
- New Orleans 101, Philadelphia 86
Team FIC Differential: Hornets +12.4, 76ers -12.4
Thanks to a dominant second half, the Hornets (27-14) knocked off the 76ers (21-22) at New Orleans Arena on Monday night. Chris Paul dominated with 27 points, 15 assists, and 10 rebounds; Peja Stojakovic scored 26 points; and James Posey turned in 13 points and 3 boards in a reserve role. Philadelphia shot 53% from the field but turned the ball over twenty-two times in the loss. Thaddeus Young netted 22 points on 11-for-16 shooting; Samuel Dalembert posted 8 points and 12 rebounds and Andre Iguodala contributed 17 points, 7 assists, and 5 boards in the loss.
Game FIC Scores
Chris Paul, New Orleans ? 38.3
Andre Iguodala, Philadelphia ? 15.5
Samuel Dalembert, Philadelphia ? 15.0
Peja Stojakovic, New Orleans ? 12.8
- Minnesota 90, Milwaukee 83
Team FIC Differential: Timberwolves +3.5, Bucks -3.5
The Timberwolves (16-27) held off a late charge by the Bucks (22-26) to win their tenth game in twelve tries. Al Jefferson starred with 23 points and 10 rebounds; Randy Foye posted 12 points and 7 assists; and Ryan Gomes added 22 points and 8 boards. Both teams shot 40% from the field, but Minnesota was 22-for-25 from the foul line. Ramon Sessions scored 18 points on 7-for-12 shooting; Richard Jefferson tallied 10 points and 9 rebounds; and Luke Ridnour turned in 8 points and 9 assists for the Bucks.
Game FIC Scores
Al Jefferson, Minnesota ? 18.6
Ryan Gomes, Minnesota ? 16.4
Charlie Villanueva, Milwaukee ? 11.4
Ramon Sessions, Milwaukee ? 10.9
- Oklahoma City 94, New Jersey 85
Team FIC Differential: Thunder +10.6, Nets -10.6
The Nets (20-25) staged a huge comeback but had simply dug themselves too big of a hole against the Thunder (10-35) on Monday night. Kevin Durant had 18 points and 5 rebounds; Russell Westbrook tallied 13 points and 8 boards; and Nick Collison added 12 points and 8 rebounds off the bench. Oklahoma City outrebounded New Jersey by seven and attempted twenty more free throws. Brook Lopez led with 18 points and 7 rebounds; Devin Harris posted 10 points, 6 assists, and 5 boards; and Josh Boone contributed 11 points and 6 rebounds in the loss.
Game FIC Scores
Nick Collison, Oklahoma City ? 18.2
Brook Lopez, New Jersey ? 13.5
Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City ? 12.2
Josh Boone, New Jersey ? 11.0
- Portland 113, L.A. Clippers 88
Team FIC Differential: Blazers +33.8, Clippers -33.8
The game was close through three quarters, but the Blazers (27-17) dominated the fourth quarter to hand the Clippers (10-34) another loss. Brandon Roy starred with 33 points; Greg Oden posted 16 points and 6 rebounds; and Travis Outlaw scored 20 points on 8-for-9 shooting off the bench. Portland hit 57% of their shots and outrebounded Los Angeles by six. Al Thornton led with 23 points and 5 rebounds; Fred Jones tallied 19 points and 7 assists; and Brian Skinner turned in 8 points and 10 boards for the injury-depleted Clippers.
Game FIC Scores
Brandon Roy, Portland ? 23.5
Greg Oden, Portland - 14.3
Fred Jones, Los Angeles ? 14.3
Steve Novak, Los Angeles ? 11.4
? RealGM calculates the Floor Impact Counter using the following formula: (Points + .75 Defensive Rebounds + Offensive Rebounds + Steals + Assists + Blocks - .75 Field Goal Attempts - .375 Free Throw Attempts - Turnovers - .5 Personal Fouls)
( )'s indicate a negative FIC score.
It is also used to rank players and to determine their ?Reina Value.?
Click here to view the player rankings with the Reina Value for the current season
There was an abnormally large number of games on the schedule in the NBA on Sunday, with eighteen teams in action.
- Boston 124, Dallas 100
Team FIC Differential: Celtics +43.3, Mavericks -43.3
The Celtics (37-9) opened up a big lead in the first quarter and never looked back against the Mavericks (25-19) on Sunday afternoon. Ray Allen led with 23 points, 7 assists and 5 rebounds, Rajon Rondo posted 13 points and 14 dimes, and Kevin Garnett added 23 points in the win. Boston shot 53% from the floor, while holding Dallas to just 42% on the afternoon. Jason Terry scored 27 points off the bench, Dirk Nowitzki tallied 18 points and 7 rebounds, and Josh Howard contributed 18 points and 5 boards in the loss.
Game FIC Scores
Rajon Rondo, Boston ? 26.3
Ray Allen, Boston ? 24.9
Jason Terry, Dallas ? 16.8
Jason Kidd, Dallas ? 10.8
- L.A. Lakers 99, San Antonio 85
Team FIC Differential: Lakers +22.5, Spurs -22.5
The Lakers (35-8) outscored the Spurs (29-14) by fourteen points over the second and third quarters to take a decision advantage at the STAPLES Center. Kobe Bryant had a game-high 22 points, Andrew Bynum tallied 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Trevor Ariza turned in 17 points off the bench. Los Angeles limited San Antonio to just 37% shooting. Tony Parker led with 19 points and 6 assists, Tim Duncan posted 15 points and 8 rebounds, and Manu Ginobili added 9 points and 8 boards in defeat.
Game FIC Scores
Andrew Bynum, Los Angeles ? 16.8
Pau Gasol, Los Angeles ? 14.6
Tim Duncan, San Antonio ? 10.4
Tony Parker, San Antonio ? 10.3
- Phoenix 104, Atlanta 99
Team FIC Differential: Suns +10.7, Hawks ? 10.7
The Suns (24-18) used a strong second half to defeat the Hawks (26-17) at Philips Arena. Amare Stoudemire had 23 points and 5 rebounds, Steve Nash posted 14 points and 13 assists, and Shaquille O?Neal contributed 19 points and 11 boards. Phoenix hit 55% of their shots, but turned the ball over nineteen times. Josh Smith led with 19 points and 12 rebounds, Joe Johnson tallied 15 points, 13 assists and 5 boards, and Ronald Murray netted 16 points off the bench for the Hawks.
Game FIC Scores
Steve Nash, Phoenix ? 15.6
Joe Johnson, Atlanta ? 15.3
Shaquille O?Neal, Phoenix ? 14.0
Josh Smith, Atlanta ? 11.5
- Toronto 113, Sacramento 97
Team FIC Differential: Raptors +40, Kings -40
The Raptors (18-28) dominated the third quarter in their win over the Kings (10-35) at the Air Canada Centre on Sunday night. Chris Bosh starred with 31 points and 8 rebounds, Jose Calderon tallied 16 points and 8 assists, and Jermaine O?Neal added 11 points and 10 rebounds in 22 minutes of action. Toronto hit 52% of their shots and outrebounded Sacramento by eleven. John Salmons led with 21 points and 7 rebounds, Francisco Garcia scored 18 points off the bench, and Jason Thompson contributed 12 points and 6 boards in the loss.
Game FIC Scores
Jose Calderon, Toronto ? 16.9
Anthony Parker, Toronto ? 16.8
Francisco Garcia, Sacramento ? 14.8
John Salmons, Sacramento ? 11.9
- Houston 108, Detroit 105
Team FIC Differential: Rockets -5, Pistons +5
The Pistons (24-19) failed to capitalize on a few scoring opportunities during their final possession as they fell to the Rockets (28-17) at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Ron Artest had 24 points and 9 rebounds, Rafer Alston posted 14 points and 10 assists, and Tracy McGrady added 15 points, 4 boards and 4 assists in the win. Detroit shot 56% and turned the ball over just five times, but Houston was much better from the foul line. Richard Hamilton had 27 points and 5 assists off the bench, Rasheed Wallace tallied 22 points and 11 rebounds, and Allen Iverson turned in 17 points and 8 assists on 5-for-10 shooting.
Game FIC Scores
Rasheed Wallace, Detroit ? 18.3
Ron Artest, Houston ? 17.4
Rafer Alston, Houston ? 16.8
Allen Iverson, Detroit ? 14.3
- Indiana 98, Charlotte 93
Team FIC Differential: Pacers +7.6, Bobcats -7.6
The Pacers (17-27) outlasted the Bobcats (18-26) at Conseco Fieldhouse on Sunday night. Danny Granger starred with 27 points and 6 rebounds, T.J. Ford tallied 13 points and 7 assists, and Troy Murphy added 11 points and 14 boards in the win. Both teams shot 43% from the floor, but Indiana outrebounded Charlotte by fifteen. Boris Diaw had 18 points and 6 rebounds, Raja Bell scored 18 points as well, and Raymond Felton contributed 9 points, 12 assists and 5 boards in the loss.
Game FIC Scores
Raymond Felton, Charlotte ? 15.6
Danny Granger, Indiana ? 14.0
Troy Murphy, Indiana ? 13.5
Boris Diaw, Charlotte ? 12.0
- Minnesota 109, Chicago 108 (OT)
Team FIC Differential: Timberwolves -8.3, Bulls +8.3
Randy Foye made a driving layup with under a minute remaining in overtime to push the Timberwolves (15-27) past the Bulls (18-27) at the Target Center. Al Jefferson exploded for 39 points and 9 rebounds, Kevin Love posted 19 points and 15 boards off the bench, and Foye added just 9 points and 6 assists on 2-for-11 shooting. Minnesota outrebounded Chicago by three, while shooting 45%. Ben Gordon led with 23 points, Derrick Rose tallied 18 points and 7 assists, and Luol Deng added 22 points and 8 rebounds for the reeling Bulls.
Game FIC Scores
Joakim Noah, Chicago ? 23.0
Kevin Love, Minnesota ? 20.0
Al Jefferson, Minnesota ? 19.8
Luol Deng, Chicago ? 18.8
- Denver 117, Utah 97
Team FIC Differential: Nuggets +31.2, Jazz -31.2
The Nuggets (29-15) grabbed an early lead and never let go against the Jazz (25-20) at the Pepsi Center on Sunday night. Nene led with 28 points and 9 rebounds, J.R. Smith tallied 22 points and 6 assists, and Linas Kleiza turned in 18 points and 9 boards in the win. Denver limited Utah to 40% shooting and forced twenty turnovers. Ronnie Brewer scored a team-high 16 points, Mehmet Okur and Paul Millsap had 12 points and 10 rebounds each, and Deron Williams added 15 points and 10 assists in the loss.
Game FIC Scores
Nene, Denver ? 27.9
J.R. Smith, Denver ? 15.8
Paul Millsap, Utah ? 13.8
Mehmet Okur, Utah ? 12.0
- Golden State 107, L.A. Clippers 92
Team FIC Differential: Warriors +21.3, Clippers -21.3
The Warriors (14-31) led for a majority of the game as they cruised to their fourteenth win over the season against the Clippers (10-33). Corey Maggette had a team-high 20 points, Andris Biedrins posted 12 points and 14 rebounds, and Kelenna Azubuike contributed 16 points, 9 boards and 6 assists. Golden State held Los Angeles to 37% shooting at ORACLE Arena. Eric Gordon had 21 points and 5 assists, DeAndre Jordon dominated the paint with 8 points and 20 rebounds, and Al Thornton chipped in 17 points and 7 boards for the Clips, who were again without Baron Davis, Chris Kaman, Zach Randolph and Marcus Camby.
Game FIC Scores
Andris Biedrins, Golden State ? 18.5
Kelenna Azubuike, Golden State ? 18.5
DeAndre Jordan, Los Angeles ? 15.6
Steve Novak, Los Angeles ? 12.3
? RealGM calculates the Floor Impact Counter using the following formula: (Points + .75 Defensive Rebounds + Offensive Rebounds + Steals + Assists + Blocks - .75 Field Goal Attempts - .375 Free Throw Attempts - Turnovers - .5 Personal Fouls)
( )'s indicate a negative FIC score.
It is also used to rank players and to determine their ?Reina Value.?
Click here to view the player rankings with the Reina Value for the current season
Phoenix point guard Steve Nash said on Friday that he's over the trade that sent friends Raja Bell and Boris Diaw to Charlotte earlier this season.
"I'm over that. I love having Jason and Jared on our team. I'll always be friends with Raja and Boris," Nash said. "Life goes on. It was tough on me because they were close friends. It was tough and maybe blown out of proportion because I found out boarding the bus on the way to a game. It's a business, and they like where they are, and we like our new additions."
The Phoenix Suns are reportedly considering trading Leandro Barbosa and could even entertain trading Amare Stoudemire, according to a source.
Stoudemire has an early-termination option after the 2009-10 season and, if he doesn't exercise it, would be an unrestricted free agent seeking a max deal in 2011.
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