As the second half of the NBA season gets into full swing, we are given a game between two of the top contenders in the West.  The Dallas Mavericks have recently picked up Jason Kidd in a trade.  After a slow start, which can be expected on a new team, he seems to be settling into his new role just fine.  Kidd is only averaging just over seven points a game, but with so many other scoring weapons to choose from, his assists total stands at over 12 a game.  Dirk Nowitzki is surely benefiting from the arrival of a true ball handler that can get him the ball in optimal situations.  Nowitzki is currently averaging over 23 points a game.  This is Kidd’s second go around with the Mavericks, one he is hoping can end in an NBA championship, something he has yet to accomplish in his surefire hall-of-fame career.

The Spurs are just one game in front of the Mavericks in the tight West.  The Spurs would probably have a little better record now had they not had injury problems early, but with the exception of Tony Parker still being hurt, they are still playing well.  Manu Ginobili has picked up his scoring, to a tune of over 20 points a game. 

The battle of Texas can be expected to be a tight game.  The Spurs are a very tough team to beat at home, and because of that I will slightly favor them.  Parker is a huge loss to the team, but if he can be back before the playoffs I feel they will make a deep run towards defending their championship.

At one time not too long ago this seemed like a decent game.  We had Kobe vs. Shaq, and both teams were typically pretty good.  Well, now these teams are on totally separate paths.  The Lakers are looking like a team that can make a deep run into the NBA playoffs, and the Heat look like they are making a deep run towards a number one pick in the NBA draft.  Also, Shaq is long gone, now suiting up for the Suns.  Replacing Shaq for the Heat is a pretty good player though, Shawn Marion.  More then a few people feel the Shaq for Marion trade will actually benefit the Heat in the long run more than the Suns.  Marion is a great defender, and a more than adequate scorer.  When he gets some help, the team will once again be exciting.  Only now they have nine wins almost 3/4th of the way through the season, and his arrival hasn’t seemed to help too much for now.  The same can be said for Shaq in a Suns uniform.

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