The Orlando Magic is having a fantastic season, building on last year’s success and riding an improved defense towards what could be a 60-win campaign. However, it’s reasonable to wonder if Orlando is hitting a wall, after losing six of 14 games in February, a record that might have been .500 for the month had it not been for a great comeback against the Sixers Saturday night.

The Magic is firmly entrenched in first place in the Southeast Division, and isn’t really being challenged for third overall in the Eastern Conference, but with Cleveland not slowing down, Orlando is slipping a bit further away from the Cavs and is not gaining on Boston, either. Is this a legitimate contender? The talent is definitely there, but is this team tough enough to go deep in the playoffs? That’s the big question facing the Magic as the season winds down.

Adding Rafer Alston at the deadline was a stroke of genius, plugging a big hole left by the injured Jameer Nelson. Hedo Turkoglu is starting to play more like the man who was the NBA’s Most Improved Player last season as opposed to the inconsistent, often poor-shooting performer he’s been most of the season. Orlando lost Mickael Pietrus to another injury, but Courtney Lee has stepped in admirably and, with his recent performance, is providing the Magic with the most consistent play it’s gotten out of the two-guard spot all season.

Best of all, Orlando comes home for a pair of games this week in the hopes that it can start to string some wins together after a middling few weeks. If it hopes to successfully chase down Cleveland or Boston, the Magic can’t afford any more letdowns this season.

While the Magic offense isn’t quite as good as it was last season, when it was the top-scoring team in the East, it’s not exactly chopped liver this year, remaining among the best in the association.

Rashard Lewis was a big part of that attack earlier this season. In fact, he was on a serious tear the last time we checked in on him, but his touches have been down the past couple of months, and February was a real bust, as his shooting went into the tank. Less shots + less makes = unhappy fantasy owners. On the plus side, Lewis snapped a slump and ended the month on a high Saturday, leading the way with 8-for-12 shooting from the floor and 2-for-2 from the line for 23 points. Orlando, one of the most prolific 3-point shooting teams in the NBA, was filling it up Saturday with 15 treys, and Lewis led the way, canning five of them (on eight tries) and pitching in with three assists as well. And with shootout inducing Phoenix coming to town Tuesday, Lewis has a chance to put together back-to-back solid efforts for his owners for the first time since January. Lewis still isn’t getting any more touches than he did last season, and when he is getting the looks, the fact that his shot has been in decline for three years running is a concern. He remains an amazing source of 3-pointers – give him at least one in 52 straight games – but I could see him slipping into the fourth round in next year’s drafts.

Like I said, the Magic likes to employ the deep ball. In fact, Orlando tied a franchise mark last night when it heaved up 37 shots from beyond the arc Saturday. Holy long distance attack, Batman. Lee wasn’t exactly red hot, but he led the parade with 12 attempts among his team-high 18 shots for the game. That’s the most touches the rook has ever had in a game – a fantastic sign for his owners. By the way, you can count me among his newest owners, as I got fed up waiting for Rudy Fernandez to earn more PT in Portland, dumping the Spaniard for a different freshman. So far, I’m pretty stoked about the results.

Saturday’s win over Philly was huge. Coming off a disheartening home loss to a severely struggling Detroit team on Friday, there was definitely reason to begin questioning whether Orlando was a contender or pretender. But coming back from 11 points down in the fourth quarter in Philly against a Sixers team that plays pretty well at home will help shut up the critics. The Magic dominated the fourth quarter, outscoring Philadelphia 36-20, with Lee draining 13 points himself, the most he’s ever scored in a single stanza. Orlando is now 21-9 on the road, third best in the NBA, and that’s got to scare the crap out of any potential playoff opponent because stealing wins on the road during the postseason is what makes a champion. So as long as the Magic maintain its no fear policy on the road, it will be handful for anyone.

If the season ended today, Orlando would meet the 76ers in the first round — a match up that the Magic would probably be chomping at the bit over. Orlando has now won four straight and eight of its past nine games over Philly. By taking all three games against the Sixers this year, Orlando has swept them for the first time since 1997-98. That Magic squad was a .500 team led by Penny Hardaway, by the way.

The thing about the Magic is it really lives and dies by the 3-ball. It had made just 10-of-30 through three quarters, well below its season average of 39 per cent. So you’d think Orlando would scale back on the perimeter game in the fourth quarter, right? Uh, maybe not. The Magic attempted another seven treys in the final quarter, hitting five of them to change the complexion of the game. Like any jump shooting team, Orlando is prone to slumps, but full marks for plowing through on Saturday.

The trade deadline (it’s Wednesday, so mark your calendar) can be great for fantasy teams, since sometimes a player just needs a change of scenery or a different situation to blossom. Sadly, trades often turn solid players into total duds. It seems that for every Joe Thornton to San Jose there’s a Sergei Samsonov to Edmonton. That’s just the way it is.

The first big deadline deal was Penguin defenseman Ryan Whitney to Anaheim for forwards Chris Kunitz and Eric Tangradi (a minor leaguer). Whitney missed the start of the season and never really found a rhythm. After putting up almost 100 points in the last two seasons, he has just two goals and 11 assists so far this year. A less prominent role in Anaheim might actually open up his game, although I’m not sure I would necessarily dump a successful player for Whitney. At least not yet. Kunitz has basically been a 20-goal scorer his entire career, but he already had accumulated 16 goals and 19 assists for the Ducks this season. If he winds up on a line with Sidney Crosby, which is expected, he could presumably end the season with 30 goals. He’s definitely worth a look if he’s available.

Of course, trades aren’t the only agent of change in the NHL. There are a lot of factors. For instance, the return of goalie Martin Brodeur to the Devils sent shockwaves through the fantasy world, as Scott Clemmensen, who filled in ably for Brodeur and as a fantasy goalie (2.39 goals against, .917 save percentage) was unceremoniously sent down to the AHL, ruining not just Clemmensen’s day, but also many rosters. Brodeur put up a shutout his first game back, so if he’s still available, you might want to mirror real life and use him to replace Clemmensen.

A new coach can also be a huge change. For instance, earlier this week the New York Rangers fired coach Tom Renney and hired coach John Tortorella. If you have any Rangers on your roster, you know they’re not scoring, which was a symptom of Renney’s hyperdefensive style. Now, with Tortorella, you can expect a much more aggressive, uptempo style with important players getting major minutes. Fantasy duds like Scott Gomez, Chris Drury, and Nikolai Zherdev might actually start performing. It won’t be instantaneous, but it’s worth keeping an eye on these guys to see how they do under Tortorella. And while you’re doing that, keep an eye on goalie Henrik Lundqvist, who should see a lot more action now that the guys in front of him won’t be playing five men back the entire game. His numbers might suffer because of it.

According to ESPN, Boston’s David Krejci, the NHL’s +/- leader, isn’t universally owned across leagues, so if he’s available, you need to grab him and his 20 goals and 39 assists.

Another guy that might not be owned is Jason Arnott, who, after potting two goals and an assist in the last two games, is on pace for his first 30-goal season as a Predator. He ripped home the game-winner Thursday as Nashville improved its playoff chances with a third straight win. The Preds are in 11th place in the West, but are just one point behind the Minnesota/Dallas/Edmonton/Anaheim logjam who are all tied with 65 points.

The Week Ahead

• Saturday, Anaheim plays Dallas, as the two teams fight to remain in the playoff picture. Anaheim is hoping Whitney will help, but it might need to make a few other moves to firm up a playoff position.
• Monday, the Avs play the Islanders. It just doesn’t seem fair that those teams have to play each other. It’s like making two sick chickens fight each other.
• Thursday, Pittsburgh plays Florida. The Eastern Conference playoff picture is so crowded, games like this — between teams that are so close together in the standings — are huge. So if you want to keep Crosby out of the playoffs, tune in and wish hard.

The Indiana Pacers showed modest improvement in 2007-08, but this year has been a bit of a disappointment thanks to an awful start that buried the team. Believe it or not, with three wins in their past four games, the Pacers are actually over .500 (14-13) since the start of 2009, but injuries to All-Star Danny Granger, Mike Dunleavy and Jeff Foster (who returned Sunday) have ripped a whole in the starting five. It could be an ugly finish in Indy. Then again, this isn’t the first time this season that the team suddenly starting chalking up Ws with the deck stacked against it.

Granger’s foot injury will cost him as many as two more weeks; Dunleavy could be just plain Dun for the season in what’s essentially been a completely lost year for him after last season’s breakout campaign.

The team’s overall record is completely underwhelming, yet somehow, the Pacers are the only NBA club to post wins over the Lakers, Celtics, Cavs and Magic this season. The up-tempo offensive system under coach Jim O’Brien continues to show improvements, but defensively, this team has been in free fall for a few seasons. Good defensive efforts have been few and far between, and until the team develops some kind of defensive consistency, it will be hard pressed to take the next step and become a playoff contender in the East.

Of course, if they could win a bit more often than seven times in 30 tries on the road, that would be a good start. At home, Indy has been tough to beat; away from Conseco, they’ve barely been a match for a high school team.

After pulling off the win against Chicago Sunday (despite going 11 minutes without a FG during the second half), Indy is now just two games back of the Bulls, but sans Granger and Dunleavy, it’s hard to see the Pacers escaping the Central cellar. But as I mentioned, this team seems to rise to the occasion when its backs are against the wall. When Granger is out, Indy is 5-1; when both Granger and Dunleavy are sidelined, the Pacers are 4-1. What’s the deal with that?

They travel to MSG to take on the Knicks Monday night, a team that’s been struggling recently, but plays pretty well at home. Indy had held its own lately, vaulting over Charlotte recently (giving themselves a chance to pass New York with a win Monday), and the playoffs are still a possibility (hey, it’s the East!), but again, without their two main scoring options, it’s going to be a very tough haul to expect this recent winning to continue down the stretch.

With the two big guns out, Troy Murphy has moved into a primary scoring role, and he responded in a huge way on Sunday, canning 8-of-16 from the field and 8-of-9 from the line for a season-best 27 points. He drained a trio of treys, hauled in 14 boards (that’s 33 double-doubles for the season, just four shy of his career high), dropped three dimes and pitched in with a steal. Murphy owners are going to enjoy the next few weeks. He’s already been on fire in February, averaging 18 PPG, but now you can expect even more. Murphy’s having a superb season, averaging a career-high 11.5 RPG and shooting a career-best 46.4 per cent from the field. Hell, he’s even draining 80 per cent of his free throws for just the second time in his eight-year career.

T.J. Ford also figures to see an uptick offensively, and Sunday, he came through with 19 points, helping to ice things by scoring nine in the final four minutes — a stretch during which Chicago simply couldn’t stop the speedy PG from getting to the basket. He added eight boards, two steals and a 3-pointer that gave Indy the lead for good, all in 37 minutes of action. Yes, I’d definitely like to see more than 11 assists over the past three games from a point guard, but before this recent skid, Ford had actually been doing a better job of distributing the rock of late. He’s always injury prone, but is just one game from matching his games played total from all of last season, so that’s been huge. What else has been big for Ford this season is his more aggressive play, leading to a career-best 4.5 trips to the charity stripe per game — two more per game than he had in his last season with Toronto. Small wonder he’s enjoying his finest offensive season to date.

We slagged Indy’s defense before, so we suppose it deserves some props for Sunday’s effort. Chicago scored just 14 points in the paint all game — the lowest number by an opponent all season long for the Pacers.

As mentioned above, Foster was back Sunday after missing five games with a wonky back. He came off the bench behind Roy Hibbert, and didn’t play much, but it’s probably just a matter of time before he starts seeing bigger minutes and takes the starting job back — unless Indy goes into the tank and falls out the race, at which point it would behoove the Pacers to run with the rook down the stretch. Foster looked rusty, shooting just 2-of-6 for only four points and five boards, but he did chip in with a steal. He looked good back in November, but he’s been slipping the past few months, so I’m not sure how much value he’ll have unless you’re super desperate for a big man. Foster has always been one of those players that just teeters on the edge of fantasy value, as he’s been a starter about half the time over his career, but just never quite gets enough minutes on a consistent basis to warrant keeping on your roster for longer than brief stretches during a season.

At one point on Sunday, the Pacers missed 13 straight shots. And yet, they came away with the win in the end. Go figure.

While the Chicago Bulls have ridden a better offense to slight improvements over last season, they have failed to garner any real momentum this season. In fact, judging by their month-by-month record (1-1 in October, 7-8 in November, 6-9 in December, 7-9 in January and 2-3 so far in February), this team is maddeningly and consistently middling. The Bulls tend to have a nasty habit of finding ways to lose, and turnovers have been a problem. Sure, they are good enough to be within striking distance of a playoff spot after missing out on the postseason last year, but it’s also a small wonder why GM John Paxson is rumoured to be ready to resign from his post.

The last time we checked in on the Bulls, it was pretty well the same story, but the good news is it won’t take a big push to make a real difference for them given the middling nature of the Eastern Conference. They enter the break just two games back of the eighth place Bucks, setting up a big game in Milwaukee on Wednesday to kick off the unofficial second half of the season. Despite losing three of its last five, Chicago has been holding its own lately, keeping pace with both the Bucks and Nets and even pulling within striking distance of the slipping Pistons. Chicago has recently passed the slumping Knicks and has managed to put a wee bit of distance between itself and the rest of the Eastern Conference also-rans.

Point guard Derrick Rose, the No. 1 overall pick last year, has proved to be all that in his rookie season, spurring a nice improvement in Chicago’s offensive game. There remains plenty of room for growth here, as it’s still a somewhat middling offense, but at least they are headed in the right direction. The defense, however, is another story. In two short seasons, the Bulls have gone from having one of the truly elite defenses in the NBA under defensive whiz Scott Skiles to being saddled with one of the worst Ds under new head man Vinny Del Negro. And this, is a nutshell, is why the team’s overall improvements this season are extremely modest.

Tyrus Thomas, whom we recommended last month, has been living up to the hype lately, entering the break with a streak of nine straight double-digit scoring games, including five double-doubles. While the recent turnover binge (11 in the past two games) hurts, Thomas has been providing superb overall value, and needs to be picked up if he’s still out there on the wire in your league. Given plenty of PT with Drew Gooden out, Thomas has shot the ball much better this month, and he’s put it all together, proving he can help you in points, boards, blocks, steals and FG percentage. He’s avoided a major injury so far this season and has taken a big step forward as a force on the glass. Even when Gooden returns (although surgery remains a possibility there), I’m expecting Thomas to maintain his value. Sure, he’s still learning on the job, and has come under fire for his missed defensive assignments at times, but the upside remains huge for Thomas.

Ben Gordon also enters the break on a real run, averaging 28.7 PPG in the last three after shooting 10-of-21 from the field and 14-of-16 from the field for a game-high 34 points on Thursday. He slipped in January, but has ridden some hot perimeter shooting (he’s sinking 48 per cent of his five attempted treys per game) this month to a stellar 25 PPG in February. For the season, Gordon is now up to 45 per cent from the field, a nice improvement over last season’s effort, and that’s helped him return to the 20+ PPG territory. Better yet, he’s re-emerged as a serious clutch player, saving his best for late in the game.

As mentioned previously, Rose has been tremendously impressive, doing enough to earn consideration for a 2008 RotoRob Award as Fantasy Rookie of the Year. There’s some concern about the amount of pressure on him as a rookie PG, but he was showing no signs of hitting the wall as we reached the break, averaging 21 PPG over the past four games and shooting particularly well (58.6 per cent) in the last two games. Rose hasn’t done quite as well getting to the line in the past couple of months, but he’s compensated for that by shooting better once he does make it to the charity stripe. Despite the huge competition in such a phenomenal rookie class, something tells me that the Skills Competition trophy won’t be the last piece of hardware Rose hoists this season.

One Bull we expected to be a potentially useful reserve this season is Thabo Sefolosha, but his PT has been on the decline big time of late. And given that he only played six minutes Thursday yet managed to commit the turnover that led to the game-winning shot for Miami, I’m not expecting Sefolosha to carve out more action for himself any time soon. He’s been discussed in trade rumours, and at this point, that’s the only chance he’ll have to emerge with fantasy value this season.

Andres Nocioni, on the other hand, has provided some fantasy value off the bench for Chicago. We recommended him just before the New Year, when he was getting hot, and recently, he’s been on a similar streak, scoring double digits in points in six straight games until Thursday. Be aware that Nocioni’s PT has dipped the past couple of months, but he’s maintaining his value right now by shooting extremely well from beyond the arc. Once his percentages normalize, he won’t be nearly as useful. The fact is, Nocioni’s value has been in decline the past couple of seasons, as he’s become a less and less important part of the Bull offense. Once a key component of the team’s long-term rebuilding plan, Nocioni would now probably best be served by starting over elsewhere.

What the hell is wrong with the Los Angeles Clippers? Badly beaten up, and just plain beaten down, this team has nothing to look forward to except the lottery, yet suddenly – in the midst of a brutal seven-game road trip – they decide to go on a run. Saturday, the Clippers absolutely molested the Hawks, just one night after bitchslapping the Grizzlies. Are you trying to hurt your chance at Blake Griffin, people?

Don’t look now, but this two-game winning streak has vaulted the Clippers out of the Western Conference cellar and past the Kings. The Clips finish their road trip Tuesday in Charlotte against the struggling Bobcats before heading home for a date against the Knicks, who have cooled off tremendously. It’s not inconceivable that LA will run the table between now and the All-Star break. And if that’s the case, the Clippers will likely catch the 13th place Thunder, which is also playing decently lately.

Hell, this is a team that had dropped 11 straight games away from Staples Center before Friday. Now, it’s won two in a row without the need for home cooking, improving its road mark to 7-19. And it’s one thing to beat Memphis, but Atlanta? The Hawks haven’t exactly been tearing it up lately, but are still one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. Get this: the last time the Clippers put together back-to-back wins was December 16 (26 freaking games ago). Break up the Clippers, baby!

One thing that has confused me about this winning streak: where the hell has this shooting been all season for the Clippers? We are talking about the NBA’s worst shooting team, yet they managed to drain 59 per cent against Memphis (a middling defensive team) and sink 49-of-86 (57 per cent) against Atlanta, which isn’t a bad defensive team either. Saturday, Marcus Camby drained 6-of-7 for the second time in three games; Al Thornton continued his recent hot streak by canning 13-of-22; Ricky Davis, who has also found his stroke the past couple of games, nailed 4-of-7 off the bench. Charlotte isn’t quite as good defensively as the Hawks, so maybe we’ll see more of this on Tuesday.

Could Davis be worth a pickup now? He scored a dozen points Saturday (thanks to four 3-pointers) while adding three assists, two rebounds and a steal. Buckets has been an awful disappointment this season, and a knee injury last month didn’t help matters, but he’s now reached double digits in scoring in back-to-back games, providing the Clipper second unit with a much-needed offensive kick in the ass. Davis is starting to see more PT, and if he is regularly receiving 25 minutes or more (and can shoot nearly as well as he has been lately), he can definitely provide a boost for your squad, especially if his outside game – a major bust so far this season – is coming around (and 10 treys in two games suggests it is). It’s worth noting that much of Davis’ production has come in the back-to-back blowout wins, and he might have gotten more burn than normal as a result, yet he’s done enough to deserve extra PT as the sixth man, so see if his minutes remain high in closer games.

Before we scoff at the Clippers’ sudden success, remember that they are almost finally back to full strength after a season-long battle with health issues. The only significant member of the rotation still missing is Chris Kaman, a thorn in my side, and I’m sure plenty of other fantasy owners. The latest report on Kaman still has him on track to return after the All-Star break, leaving us no choice but to be patient. If you’ve held him this long, what the hell else can you do? Pick up JaVale McGee off the wire? Oh wait, I already did that once I learned that Andrew Bogut’s back was conspiring against my team.

You think Zach Randolph is enjoying life back on the West Coast? In 80 games with the Knicks last season and this season, he never once scored 30 points in a game. Yet, despite his injuries, he’s done it five times in just 18 games as a Clipper. We’ll see what happens when (if) Kaman returns, but for now Z-Bo is a scoring machine.

Baron Davis has struggled offensively in recent games, but he’s still facilitating – dropping eight dimes for the second straight game.

Back when we recommended him as a wire pickup in November, we suggested that Eric Gordon would experience the normal rookie ups and downs. For the most part, he’s been quite steady, but the return of Randolph has definitely affected Gordon’s touches, as he’s taking an average of six shots less per game so far this month. Hope you sold high when you could. Don’t get me wrong. The kid is still valuable (especially if he keeps shooting as well as he has lately), but Gordon won’t be carrying the team offensively the way he did in January, when he put himself in the thick of the ROY race by averaging 21.9 PPG.

While the NHL trade deadline is just under a month away, fantasy leagues all over are getting to the point where rosters have to be frozen. If you find you’re lacking in a specific category, we’re here to help — and not in a Christian Bale career-advice kind of way.

• Are you hurting when it comes to +/-? Boston Bruins players are the leaders in that category, and considering the B’s overall record, it’s not too surprising. However, the New Jersey Devils are a pretty good honorable mention, and some of their players might be available on the waiver wire. While Travis Zajac (43 points, +26) and Zach Parise (59 points, +21) are probably happily owned by fantasy GMs, Jamie Langenbrunner (42 points, +19), Mike Mottau (10 points, +18), and Colin White (11 points, +17) may be more under the radar.
• And if you need someone who’s essentially a bonus player at this point, Brendan Shanahan’s off to a good start with his new/old team.
• Power play points are always a tricky thing to look at because they come and go in waves depending on whether or not a team is hot or cold. While most key power play performers are notable players who are generally unavailable, a few guys are putting up special teams numbers despite mediocre regular seasons. Minnesota’s Marek Zidlicky hasn’t equaled his output from Nashville, but he’s still one of the top power play goalscoring defensemen in the league. Up front, seven of teammate Owen Nolan’s 12 goals are power play markers, and eight of Kyle Wellwood’s 14 goals have come on the man advantage.
• The league’s leaders in shorthanded points are mostly familiar names (Simon Gagne, Patrick Marleau, Mike Richards). However, a few surprises stand out, like Chicago rookie Kris Versteeg . You’ll notice that a bunch of players are tied around the 2-3 shorthanded point mark…the common denominator with a lot of those players? Obviously, they get a lot of PK time, but it’s also important to note that they’re all pretty fast skaters. After all, if you’re busting past the defense on a shorthanded scoring chance, you usually need good wheels to do it. While it’s hard to say that someone like Richard Park will outdo Shane Doan in this category, it’s important to look at traits like speed and PK ice time when trying to get some fantasy shorthanded points.
• I always like it when fantasy leagues count shots on goal as it’s pretty easy points and allows the wealth to be spread around outside of the usual suspects. We all know that Alexander Ovechkin and Vincent Lecavalier just love shooting the puck, but there are a few other players that put a lot of pucks on net (unfortunately, they have low shooting percentages). Check out players like Dustin Brown, Jason Blake, and Bill Guerin – players having OK seasons on mediocre teams, but who shoot the puck a lot.
• Finally, a quick injury report: Tomas Holmstrom’s groin is being repaired through the miracle of sports hernia surgery. The cost? Three-to-five weeks. Eric Staal left Carolina’s Thursday night victory against San Jose early with a lower body injury that has left him day-to-day while teammate Rod Brind’Amour is out at least a week to rest his ailing back. Paul Stastny should return to the Colorado lineup in about two weeks, and our favourite future Hall-of-Famer, Martin Brodeur, will be ready to steal the crease back from Scott Clemmenson in about 2-to-3 weeks. Do I hear a goalie controversy coming up?

The Week Ahead

• Just about every game matters now when it comes to Western Conference jockeying. Key four-point games include Edmonton at Minnesota (Sunday), Colorado at Columbus, and Phoenix at Dallas (Wednesday).
• In the Eastern Conference, fewer teams are in the playoff race. In the matchup that everyone can avoid, don’t tune in to Atlanta at Tampa Bay (Tuesday) unless you’ve got fantasy points involved.
• Saturday, the Kings, desperately trying to claw their way back into the playoff picture, head to the Swamplands to take on a scorching Devils squad. We’re talking about a poor road team that’s among the lowest scoring teams in the league going up against the hottest teams in the NHL, and one of the best defensive squads. But wait, the Kings have found their goal-scoring groove. After managing just four goals in four games, they’ve suddenly lit the lamp 25 times in past six games. Good sign No. 2 for the Kings: Anze Kopitar, who’s been a big disappointment this season, ripped two goals and an assist Thursday for his first three-point game since December 11. If he heats up, he’ll again be a must-own player, and will go a long way towards helping LA gain some ground in the tough Western Conference.
• Your main event for the week: No. 1 Western seed San Jose at No. 1 Eastern seed Boston, Tuesday night.

Were any of you seriously worried about the Boston Celtics when they hit a bit of a rough patch a few weeks ago? Since dropping four straight games earlier this month (and enduring a 2-7 stretch), all the Men in Green have done is rhyme off 10 straight wins, surging back to the top of the Eastern Conference and reclaiming their status as the NBA’s best club with a mind-blowing 39-9 record.

In fact, they’ve not only silenced the naysayers, but the Cs are now on pace to possibly top last season’s record of 66 wins (currently headed for 66.7 victories). While the defense hasn’t been quite as suffocating at 2007-08 (even so, only Cleveland is giving up fewer points), Boston has improved its offense by almost a point per game this season.

Toss in Boston’s 19-game winning streak earlier this season and it already has put together a pair of runs that have lasted at least 10 games. And it’s not even February yet! This is the first time the Celtics have turned in a pair of double-digit win streaks since 1985-86, a season, by the way, which resulting in a title for them. That bodes well for a second straight championship parade this year.

Boston gets an interesting test Sunday afternoon with the Timberwolves visiting Beantown. Minny’s resurgence in recent weeks has been well documented and the Wolves are still playing well, but they head in a bit cold, having dropped two straight games. After that, Boston heads out of the road for a date in Philadelphia against a very hot Sixer squad.

Rajon Rondo hasn’t shot the ball quite as well this month, hence his scoring has dipped, but he continues to mature as a facilitator, upping his assists per game average every month so far. And he ain’t exactly slowing down, dropping 12 dimes in Friday’s win over the Pistons. In the past three games, he’s averaged almost a dozen assists per game, while protecting the pumpkin like it was a Faberge Egg (just five TOs during this stretch). As for Rondo’s weaker shooting, it hardly qualifies as a slump – he’s been quite consistent with his shot this season, and his overall numbers – a career best 51 per cent from the field – have helped make the concerns about his shooting ability back when he was a rookie seem like ancient history. As big as a leap as Rondo made as a soph, he’s almost undergone a similarly sized improvement this season. The only things holding him back from true elite PG status are his lack of an outside game and his weak FT shooting. Even without those components, the kid’s a top 10 point guard and rising.

Of course, ball distribution has been a major strength for the Celtics all season, as the team has averaged 22.6 APG, good for fifth in the association. All they did Friday was pick up 25 assists – on 31 field goals. Talk about sharing the rock. Coach Doc Rivers has his squad firing on all cylinders right now.

The downside to Boston’s recent domination – before Friday, it had won seven straight by at least 10 points and three by at least 20 points – is that, from a fantasy perspective, the Big Three is getting plenty of rest, and that always means lower numbers across the board. Kevin Garnett has continued to score, but his boards are down recently and his blocks have been almost non-existent of late as he’s been playing over a minute less than normal over the past five games. Paul Pierce is seeing over 3 MPG less over the past five, and his scoring is way down as a result. Ray Allen has had a couple of sub par games in a row, but generally speaking, has maintained his seasonal averages of late.

How’s this for freaking mind blowing? Boston struggled through that well-publicized 2-7 skid, but has taken 37 of 39 beyond that. Thirty-seven and two. That’s a .949 winning percentage for those of you scoring at home.

By the way, Boston is now 3-0 against the Pistons, the team it squared off against in the Eastern Conference Finals last season. I simply can’t write the Pistons off completely this season, but man, they are sure making it hard not to with their recent struggles.

The host team has won three straight games (and seven of nine) and owns a pristine 20-0 record in their own building; the visitor has dropped its last five games, is a dismal 3-20 away from home and has failed to beat a single Eastern Conference team this season. Oh, and the visitor has lost its last four against its opponent. Hmmm….whoever will prove victorious Tuesday night in the Sacramento Kings at Cleveland Cavaliers match? This is one of those situations where it’s so ridiculously a mismatch that you can’t help but feel that the situation is ripe for an upset. Yet, strangely, I still won’t put any bucks on the Kings.

After a somewhat disappointing 2007-08, the Cavs have taken a huge step forward this season. They are blowing the aging Pistons away in the Central Division, have the best winning percentage in the Eastern Conference (but trail Boston by three wins) and are just a half-game back of the Lakers for the best mark in the entire association. Their offense is way better (top 10 after being one of the worst in the NBA last year) and their defense, which was pretty good last season, is vastly improved with an NBA-best 90.1 PPG surrendered.

Cleveland is coming off a tough four-game western swing where it dropped the opener, losing badly to the Lakers, but then won the final three over Portland, Golden State and Utah, the bookends of that trio both being among the NBA’s toughest pit stops. After this impressive run, can we finally say with conviction that the Cavs are a legitimate NBA Championship contender?

As if things aren’t going well enough for Cleveland, check out its upcoming schedule. Tuesday, as mentioned, Sacramento pays a visit. Then, the Cavaliers head to Orlando, in what should prove to be a very tough game and possible Eastern Conference semifinal preview. After that, the Clippers are in town; then a visit to Detroit, followed by a home date against Toronto and a visit to New York. All told, Cleveland faces a fairly easy schedule heading into the early part of February. By then, it could boast the best record in the entire NBA.

How good has Cleveland been at home? It has been completely shutting down its opponents, limiting them to just 88 PPG while winning by an average margin of 16.4 PPG. These blowouts have directly led to slightly lower numbers from LeBron James, who has been provided plenty of opportunity to rest during extended garbage time. Western Conference visitors? No problem-o. Cleveland has taken out all six such beasts – three of which (Denver, Houston and New Orleans) are decent to good road teams.

With Cleveland’s D being as brilliant as it is this year, when the Cavs score 100 points, forget about it – it’s lights out for the other team. They are 22-0 when this happens, including an equal 11-0 at home and on the road.

While it’s officially past the halfway point of the schedule, the All-Star break is the symbolic tipping point NHL year. Let’s take a look back and a look ahead at what’s happened so far:

• Boy, those Columbus Blue Jackets sure are sending out the rookies with fantasy value. Hopefully, you rode Derick Brassard before his season-ending surgery. If you were lucky and fast, hopefully you grabbed Steve Mason before people noticed how good he is. For the second half, Nikita Filitov (currently injured) might not be a bad filler pick, especially when Columbus get Kristian Huselius back from the IR. Columbus is in the hunt for a playmaking centre and if it gets one by the trade deadline, it could shift the team’s depth chart and open up more scoring situations for someone like Filitov.
• Your first-half fantasy MVP is Evgeni Malkin, though depending on what specialty categories your league has, other players could have shone brightly. Need game winners? Try Patrick Marleau of the Sharks. Love the shots on goal? Alexander Ovechkin has 100 more than second-place Eric Staal. Power play stud? Almost all of Teemu Selanne’s goals were on the power play; in fact, he still leads the league in power-play goals despite being injured.
• From a goaltending perspective, Miikka Kiprusoff might not have the best stats, but he’s piling up the wins and games played. He’s also got the most saves, though Mike Smith of the Lightning is close behind, and Smith’s saves-per-game ratio and save percentage are higher. As for shutouts, Columbus’ Mason is making Pascal Leclaire cry in his multi-million dollar boots.
• The year’s biggest surprises? Congrats to anyone who picked up a number of Boston Bruins early. Same thing with the early adopters of Jeff Carter, Mason, Devin Setoguchi, and Nikolai Zherdev. And props to players like Mikko Koivu and Shane Doan for finally fulfilling their potential, and Simon Gagne for staying healthy enough to remind us why he’s such a good player.
• The league is making noise about suspending All-Star no-shows for one game. There seems to be some uncertainty about whether or not this means just putting in an appearance at the weekend or actually hitting the ice. It’s also unclear whether or not this affects the YoungStars game. In any case, be certain to monitor this and adjust your lineups accordingly.
• To prepare for the next big league event (the trade deadline), start looking at teams that are falling out of contention. Stocking up on their veteran players might not be a bad idea as these are the guys who will most likely be shipped to Cup contenders (hello, New York Islanders and St. Louis Blues).
• As for teams that are actually coming together, the Lightning are purporting the belief that it just might be able to contend for a playoff spot. I doubt that will happen, but there are some fantasy benefits: from top to bottom, the team’s playing much better under Rick Tocchet and newly acquired Cory Murphy is turning out to be a great fit on the power play. The Phoenix Coyotes are still led by Doan and Olli Jokinen but there’s some depth coming through, with players like Peter Mueller and Enver Lisin discovering their scoring touch. And the Florida Panthers are in the playoff hunt for the first time in ages thanks to a bunch of good-not-great sleepers like Gregory Campbell and Michael Frolik.

The Week Ahead

• Shameless plug: I’ll be liveblogging the All-Star Game with a little help from the folks at Versus (and maybe some surprise dirt from RotoRob’s visit to Montreal). Drop by and say hello for a snarky take on the no-hitting game.
• The schedule resumes on Tuesday. Like I mentioned earlier, check to see who’s been given a suspension for no-showing the All-Star festivities. Games on Tuesday and Wednesday will most likely be affected.
• The marquee matchup coming out of the All-Star break? Tuesday night’s battle between East leaders Washington and Boston. Look for some of Boston’s injured soldiers to be back in the lineup for what should be a hard-hitting and uptempo game.

As if things aren’t going swimmingly enough for the Los Angeles Lakers, owners of a two-game winning streak and the best record in the NBA, they begin a three-game homestand Thursday evening against the worst team in the Eastern Conference, the Washington Wizards. This has all the hallmarks of a true classic – the best in the West vs. the worst the East has to offer. You may want to keep young children away from the television screen this evening.

The Lakers have ridden the NBA’s best offense and an improved defense to the top of the standings. But they will get tested Sunday, when blazing San Antonio pays them a visit and attempts to make a statement about Western Conference supremacy. LA’s homestand finishes with a game against Charlotte, also playing very well lately, but the owner of a mere five road wins.

LA has taken out Washington four straight times, and in case you had any doubts about this streak hitting five, consider that Washington has only won three of 20 games on the road this season, while the Lakers have only lost three of 24 home games. Oh, you can throw in the fact that in those four wins over Washington, Los Angeles has averaged 113.3 PPG. Ugly. I’d suggest you bring out your marginal Lakers Wednesday: guys like Trevor Ariza, Vladimir Radmanovic and even Sasha Vujacic could prove useful in this game.

We had Andrew Bynum pegged as a top 10 centre this season, but so far, he’s barely cracked the top 20. That may be changing, however. The big kid has really picked up his offensive game of late, punctuated by a serious explosion Wednesday night to the tune of a career-high 42 points on 17-of-24 shooting with 15 rebounds and three blocks. Bynum has been getting more touches as the season has progressed and it’s really beginning to pay off in his offensive totals. Unfortunately, his blocks and boards haven’t seen the same increase; in fact, his numbers in both these areas have been a disappointment so far this season, even though he’s finally remained healthy and has been given more PT. Obviously his huge game Wednesday provided a glimpse of what Bynum is capable of, so I’d suggest that the opportunity to buy low may close soon as I expect him to be one of the most valuable fantasy centres in the second half.

Amazingly, Bynum is the first Laker not named Kobe Bryant to score at least 40 points in a game since Shaquille O’Neal did it on March 21, 2003. Is Bynum ready to give the Lakers a legitimate third scoring option behind Kobe and Pau Gasol? Given his 16.4 PPG in January, the answer appears to be yes.

Speaking of Gasol, he’s been a bit inconsistent lately. For instance, on Monday he turned in his 15th double-double of the season, but with Bynum going off Wednesday, Gasol was limited to 10 points and six boards. I wouldn’t worry too much about the occasional off game; Gasol’s PT has risen steadily as the season has gone on and he’s getting as many touches now as he’s had all year. Gasol has stayed healthy this year, and while his overall touches are down from last year, he’s enjoying one of the best rebounding seasons of his career and his value has nearly matched what he accomplished in an injury-plagued 2007-08.

Derek Fisher, who has been getting monster minutes with LA’s backcourt depth currently challenged, has been slumping recently, and his mild groin strain Wednesday definitely was a warning shot that his 34-year-old body is screaming for some downtime. He’s been a popular waiver wire pick in recent weeks, but the fact that he’s settling for jumpers too often and not driving to the basket and drawing fouls is another sign that the PT is wearing on this veteran. Fisher has been a very durable player in recent years, but this trend of getting to the line less and less has really held back his offensive potential, especially since he’s such an excellent FT shooter. If Fisher drove more and hoisted a bit less, he could be a 14-15 PPG man. At any rate, I’d say his run is nearing an end with Jordan Farmar (knee) possibly returning this weekend. Sell high while you can.

Much has been made of the Lakers’ scoring depth this season, with a half dozen players averaging at least 9 PPG, and how that takes some of the pressure off Bryant to do it all himself. However, I’d say the team actually had more depth last season. Yes, they only had Gasol down the stretch and Bynum missed over the half the season, but the 2007-08 Lakers had eight players who averaged at least 8.4 PPG. In fact, despite them leading the NBA in scoring this year, they are averaging one point less per game than they put up last season.

So this is the second of a back-to-back games for the Lakers, and the first was on the road. But given those circumstances, this is about as easy as back-to-backs go: Wednesday’s game was at the Staples Center against the Clippers, who were technically the home team, but come on. Also, the combined record of these two opponents is 18-64.

By the way, how much does Bynum love playing the Clips? Wednesday, as mentioned, he had a career night offensively. Back on November 5, he pulled down a career-best 17 rebounds against them. Circle April 5 on your calendar as the next time Bynum gets to go hog wild on the Clippers. How about a new career best eight blocks this time?

The Lakers have done an excellent job on the offensive glass this season, pulling down an average of 12.3 offensive rebounds per game, good for a share of sixth place in the NBA. So it was no surprise that on Wednesday, going up against a Clipper team that has struggled to keep opponents from pulling down boards under their own basket, the Lakers went wild with 17 offensive boards, eight of them by Bynum alone. That directly led to 34 points.

The Detroit Pistons snapped an ugly five-game losing streak (their longest skid in five years) by beating Memphis on Monday, and Wednesday they’ll look to start a winning streak when a struggling Raptor squad heads into Motown. Fortunately, beating Toronto at the Palace has never been a difficult chore for Detroit; it’s won 10 straight such battles (a streak that dates back to April 2003 and includes an average margin of victory of 11 freaking points!).

Detroit was rolling along at 21-11 early this month, but a 2-6 skid since then has dropped them well off the pace in the Central Division behind Cleveland, and down to fifth overall in the East, with Miami inching closer.

Wednesday is the start of a three-game homestand, but after Toronto, things get tough, with visits by Dallas and Houston.

Detroit may be sporting a new look tonight; the Pistons have been going with a three-guard starting lineup featuring Allen Iverson, Rodney Stuckey and Richard Hamilton, but there’s been plenty of talk that coach Michael Curry plans to send AI or Rip to the bench and move Amir Johnson into the starting five. From all indications, it will be Hamilton who will be demoted.

A few weeks after the deal that sent Chauncey Billups to Denver for Iverson, we noted that the Pistons weren’t exactly kicking ass with AI in their lineup. While Iverson is coming off a big game Monday (27 points, five boards, two steals), this kind of effort has been too rare, and to say he’s been inconsistent almost seems like a compliment. He’s recorded seven steals in the past three games, but before that had really struggled to offer value in a category he’s traditionally been among the league leaders in. In fact, since arriving in Detroit, Iverson has simply not shot the ball well. Sure, the 16-for-28 showing over the past two games has been nice, but like I said, he’s been inconsistent as hell. While I doubt strongly that Iverson is headed to the bench, what would happen to his level of consistency if that did happen? From an overall value perspective, it’s hard to believe it can get any worse for Iverson.

Hamilton, meanwhile, continues his decline over the past couple of seasons. He lasted until the end of the 12th round in my media league draft this fall, but the way things are going now, he may find himself at the very end of the draft next season. Rip has actually been doing pretty well in past few games, notwithstanding some foul trouble Monday that limited his court time. But he missed several games last month and earlier this in January with a groin injury and looked quite rusty upon his return. But beyond the injuries (or perhaps as a result of them), a disconcerting trend has developed in Hamilton’s game. His FT attempts per game has been in free fall for the past couple of months; in fact, in five games this month, he’s only gotten to the charity stripe four times. For a scorer who shoots an extremely high percentage from the line, that’s really going to cut into his point total. The bottom line here is that since arriving in Detroit, Hamilton has never been less valuable. And a move to the bench – which seems all but assured starting against Toronto Wednesday – is not going to help matters.

So despite his less-than-inspiring season, AI ranks second among all Eastern Conference guards in All-Star voting behind only Dwyane Wade. Damn, even Vince Carter – who’s been slipping himself the past couple of seasons – deserves to be ahead of Iverson in voting.

Tayshaun Prince has not been impervious to the inconsistency. He’s sunk just 7-of-25 in the past two games and on Monday he turned in a real stinker, managing just four points and three boards with no assists, blocks or treys. Prince started the month with some fine shooting nights, so we’ll cut him some slack for now. He’s actually enjoying his finest season overall and he remains among the most durable players in the game, but whatever happened to Prince’s perimeter game? He used to be good for one trey per game; two years later, he’s getting just half that many. By the way, Prince ranks eighth among forwards in the East. No way should he be behind rookie Michael Beasley at seventh, and you could make an argument given the time that Josh Smith lost to injury that Prince could also slide ahead of J Smoov at sixth in the voting.

When we ranked Rasheed Wallace as the 12th best centre heading into the season, we expected his PT to continue to decline in a deeper Detroit frontcourt. Well, that hasn’t happened, yet Wallace’s overvalue has slipped anyways, and he’s now barely a top 20 centre. While Sheed enjoyed a decent game on Monday (13 points, eight boards, three steals, two assists), his outside shooting has gotten worse and worse as the season has progressed. He’s sunk just 7-of-27 from beyond the arc over the past four games, dropping his 3-point percentage down to 26.5 for January. As I mentioned, Wallace is getting more action this season, and he’s done a fantastic job from the line, but owners are aghast at the fact his FG percentage, steals, blocks, assists and scoring have all dropped. Sheed currently ranks third in voting among Eastern Conference centres, and he’s definitely outplayed No. 2 Samuel Dalembert, but I’d buy it if Jermaine O’Neal (currently fourth in voting), despite his injuries, was ahead of Wallace.

A real problem for Detroit lately has been finding offense late in games. During the five-game losing skid, the Pistons failed to score even 20 points in the fourth quarter once, averaging just 15.2 points in the final stanza over that stretch. Hell, even when they snapped the losing streak on Monday, they only managed 20 points in the fourth. Fortunately, they limited Memphis to a laughable 10 points to ice the W. Still, the Pistons are going to need to find a way to put late points on the board if they hope to improve their playoff positioning.