THE END OF CIVILIZATION AS WE KNOW IT: Uh, this.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: Los Angeles Lakers guard Nick Young, on the team playing – and winning – without superstar Kobe Bryant:
“Some guys just played like Django Unchained – they were free tonight.”
TANKS A LOT!: When the Celtics won their first game without Rajon Rondo, that gave them six victories in their last nine games and a tenuous grasp of the final playoff spot in the woeful Eastern Conference. But with rookie point guard Marcus Smart replacing Rondo, five players on rookie contracts in the rotation, four veterans in the final year of their contracts and an extra first-round pick coming from the LA Clippers, Boston is ideally positioned to give away the rest of the season. Go for it, guys.
LINE OF THE WEEK: Damian Lillard, Portland at Oklahoma City, Dec. 23: 46 minutes, 11-21 FGs, 8-12 3-pointers, 10-11 FTs, six rebounds, 11 assists, two steals, two turnovers, 40 points in a 115-111 overtime win. It’s the second straight week in this spot for Lillard, who won a fantastic duel with Russell Westbrook by posting his first career 40-10 game, forcing overtime with a very familiar looking shot and scoring seven points in the extra session.
LINE OF THE WEAK: Michael Carter-Williams, Philadelphia at Utah, Dec. 27: 37 minutes, 2-20 FGs, 1-7 3-pointers, 3-4 FTs, four rebounds, six assists, zero steals, zero blocks, six turnovers, eight points in an 88-71 loss. In one of the worst games of the season – the teams combined to shoot 34 percent overall and 9-of-49 from the arc – Carter-Williams was at his worst, accounting for a maximum of 24 empty possessions by himself.
TRILLION WATCH: Houston Rockets teammates Tarik Black and Nick Johnson each posted 4 trillions Monday vs. Portland but were upstaged by Cleveland Cavaliers guard A.J. Price, who crashed the leaderboard with a 6 trillion Friday at Orlando. Price becomes the seventh player this season with at least a 5 trillion, a list still topped by Lakers guard Xavier Henry and his 9 trillion Nov. 1 at Golden State.
GAME OF THE WEEK: Toronto at Golden State, Jan. 2. This is the fifth game of a six-game trip for the East-leading Raptors, all 
but one against teams with winning records. Meanwhile, the West-leading Warriors are 11-1 at home and 8-0 vs. the East. In addition to Toronto, we should find out more this week about East contenders Washington and Atlanta, both of whom travel west as well.
GAME OF THE WEAK: Detroit at New York, Jan. 2. We were tempted to point out that Minnesota is playing Utah twice this week, but both those teams aren’t really trying to win. The Pistons and Knicks are, although it’s hard to tell.
TWO MINUTES: In their first game without the waived Josh Smith, the Pistons shot above 50 percent for the first time this season and scored a season-high 119 points in a win over the Pacers, who were third in points allowed. But the guy who dumped Smith wouldn’t let anyone drop it at the player’s doorstep. “We have won one game, and now we’re going to jump on, ‘Josh Smith was the problem?'” Pistons coach and GM Stan Van Gundy asked. “I am not going there. I said that from the trade: That wasn’t the problem.” In their second game without Smith, the Pistons set a franchise record with 17 3-pointers and dusted the Cavs, so Smith’s absence might bear a little watching. … Speaking of Smith, if you’re wondering when the last time a player was waived not via the amnesty clause with comparable guaranteed money remaining on his contract, it may be Chris Webber, who was let go by the Sixers midway through the 2006-07 season. He was still due about half of $17.6 million for that season and $19 million the next season. … In 15 seasons and 910 games as a player, Steve Kerr accumulated five technical fouls. In 28 games as Warriors coach, he already has equaled that amount, which leads all coaches and is perilously close to a pace that could warrant a suspension for a 16th tech. … This season has been quite a rollercoaster for Nets second-year center Mason Plumlee. He began the season as Brook Lopez’s backup, also occasionally playing some minutes at power forward. He got off to a slow start and was criticized by coach Lionel Hollins, who actually dropped him to third string behind Jerome Jordan for a spell. Then Lopez went down with a back injury, and Plumlee came alive, averaging 15.6 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 31.4 minutes over eight games while shooting 61 percent (52-of-85) from the field. Lopez is now healthy but Plumlee has remained the starter, averaging 14.0 points, 11.0 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in three games. The better Plumlee plays, the more likely it becomes that Lopez will be traded. … Kyle Korver’s free-throw streak ended at a team-record 50 with a miss Monday in Dallas. He is 61-of-65 (.938) this season but does not lead the league. That honor belongs to Bucks guard Jerryd Bayless, who is 57-of-58 (.983) and has made 41 
in a row. … After not shooting 50 percent in any of their first 27 games, the Pacers have done it four times in a row vs. Minnesota, New Orleans, Detroit and Brooklyn. … Don’t really understand Lakers coach Byron Scott’s “dilemma” of overusing – and then being forced to rest – Kobe Bryant. The one position that has been spared by season-ending injuries is the wing, where the Lakers have Nick Young, who is among the top five bench scorers in the league at 15.2 points in 25 minutes, as well as Wesley Johnson and Wayne Ellington. It shouldn’t really be that hard to get Bryant’s minutes down from 35-plus to a more manageable 32 or 33. “Three or four (less) minutes makes a big difference, especially the type of minutes that I play,” Bryant said. “Those four minutes can be like 12.” … The Knicks are 0-6 when Carmelo Anthony scores at least 30 points. Last season, they were 13-12. Two seasons ago, when Anthony was third in MVP voting, they were 20-10. … Thunder forward Grant Jerrett has been an NBA player since 2013 and has yet to take a 2-point shot. The 2013 second-round pick spent all of last season recovering from injuries and playing in the D-League and is technically a rookie this season, when he has launched 10 shots – all 3-pointers – in two games, making one.
Trivia Answer: Andre Miller. … Happy 59th Birthday, Chubby Cox. … Remember when Lance Stephenson was the type of player Kevin Garnett held in disdain?
Chris Bernucca is the managing editor of SheridanHoops.com. His columns appear Monday during the season. You can follow him on Twitter.
Running your business all by yourself, without help from other people,
is like suicide. The side of vegetables was nothing
out of the ordinary, but sprinkled with a little too much pepper,
whilst the mound of mashed potato was smooth and flavourful, but served cold.
Fans of Chicago deep-dish and stuffed pizzas are as loyal to their food as
the city’s sports fans are to their teams.
Don’t forget that they’ve sat the big 3 for a few games and those were losses. As long as the Spurs are at least an 8 seed, they’ll be in the Finals conversation at the very end. I think they haven’t shown the Western conference teams a lot of their scheme and strategy for a reason. This season will take a lot more strategy than previous seasons to be successful.