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Every Year, BP participates in the yearly NBA Auction Fantasy League with his friends back home in Portland, OR. BP could not make it this year, and as you can tell from the photo, the league is bummed out he couldn’t make the trip back to Oregon for the draft this year, but being the nice group of guys they are, they sent their well wishes.

Auction Fantasy Leagues are quite fun, and definitely a “Once you try the Auction Act..you never go back”. GM’s start w/ $200 million or so…and guys take turns throwing the name of any player in the ring. Guys bid against each other, and whoever has the highest bid…gets that player added to his squad, and the dollar amount he bid subtracted form the total. It’s very fun. I urge you and your fantasy basketball leagues that are forming to give it a try.

The fact that Ray Allen elbows Varejao in the balls after being lightly tossed to the floor or the fact that Varejao has a vagina and shows no reaction to something that would have real men keeling over gasping for air? Best part of this video? Minute 1:32

“I’m impressed with Varejao!”

“I’m not!”

So which is worse? The pussy move of elbowing a dude in the nuts or the fact that Varejao doesn’t even flinch?

So being from Boston and knowing Boston fans as well as I do there is basically two ways to look at this. One group will take the Boston of 10 years ago approach, throw in the towel, and simply criticize the Celtics from here on out for their lack of depth or working KG too hard. They will watch the games and enjoy any failure that comes upon them with a told you so attitude.

Group number two looks at it this way. “Who gives a shit. This is Boston bitches, title town USA, How many championships have we won in the past 8 years? Thats what I thought.” Sadly, there is no in between. Most people around here are either arrogant fucks or pessimistic impossibles (no offense to the Boston guys here, I am one of you so I have the right).

Myself and a few others are going into these playoffs pumped up. This is the Celtics chance to really stick it to the rest of the league, and the country. The Celtics are still a great team with great players. They have gone 17-5 without KG this season so all hope is not lost. If the Celtics win, fucking great! If they lose, oh well, it was a great run and they will be back next year. Regardless it has been more fun watching them play these last two seasons than my entire life before. No reason to let some fluke injury ruin the ride.

ESPN.com -WALTHAM, Mass. — Kevin Garnett will miss at least the next four games with a sore right knee and may return for the final three games of the Boston Celtics‘ regular season.

The emotional leader and defensive star of the defending NBA champions has missed 15 of the last 19 games, including the last two.

Coach Doc Rivers said after practice Tuesday that the team would be “shutting down” Garnett for most of the remaining seven regular-season games because of continued soreness in the knee, first injured on Feb. 19 at Utah.

This is bad news for my Celtics. KG is the single most important player to this team, and while they should still have no problem dominating in the first round, Orlando and Cleveland will both beat them if they don’t have the big ticket. It’s unclear how serious the issue is, but I have been saying since he went down the first time to just lay off until they lose a game in the playoffs. Then you can ride a healthy big man long and hard to a championship.

Awwwww

In classic Peaches and Herb fashion, Shaq and Kobe put on a great show in Sunday’s NBA All-Star game. They both split the NBA MVP reward for their efforts. Famous 3rd party game supporter DurShar sent out the challenge, and some brave Nation members answered the call. If the winner of the MVP award for the all star game was a SOI in OneSeason, then he would buy one. People were invited to follow suit. When Kobe and Shaq were announced as co-MVPs, the screenshots buying BOTH SOIs started being posted.

Clearly, the highlight of the entire weekend though, was the following clip. Better than Durant winning H.O.R.S.E, better than Durant dropping 47 in the rookie challenge game, better than DHOW’s 12″ dunk*, better than Nate Robinson’s Kryptonite dunk, this moment will forever live in our memories as a top 3 Shaq moment of all time. Ladies and Gentlemen, Shaq being announced for the WEST for Sunday’s All Star game, enjoy.

Shaquille “The Big Cactus” O’Neal clearly as found the fountain of youth this year, and showed flashes of his old self in this game as well. Here was the play of the game, a give and go with Shaq and Chris Paul. Shaq passes to Chris Paul BETWEEN DWIGHT HOWARDS LEGS, and Shaq then runs by a stunned DHOW, gets the bounce pass back, and dunks it home. When you watch the replay on TV, look for DHOW’s HUGE smile and laugh as he knows he just got owned. DHOW is a great sport as well. I hope you guys got to see this and enjoy the fun that is Shaq. This will probably be the last time you see him play in an All-Star game. Here is the play of the game.

Have a great week everyone!

Alonzo Mourning retired today, ending the career of one of the most fiery, and passionate big men in the history of the game. he 38-year-old center, part of the Heat’s 2006 championship-winning team, had not played since injuring his knee in December 2007 and maintained close links with Miami despite being a free agent.

“I spent the past year rehabbing and thinking about my basketball future,” Mourning told a news conference. “After 16 years I truly feel its best I retire.

‘At 38 I feel like I’ve physically done all I can for this game. God knows it’s been an amazing ride.”

Mourning, widely respected for his extensive charity and community work, was forced out of the game in 2003 when he had to undergo a kidney transplant.

However, he surprised and encouraged many when he made a comeback.

I grew up watching this guy, from his days dominating the paint at Georgetown to his rookie years at Charlotte with Grandmama Larry Johnson. Some of you might not remember, but did you know that Alonzo Mourning was the number 2 overall pick in the 1992 NBA draft? Who was number 1?

Shaquille O’Neal.

Not a bad 1-2 punch there. Today the NBA lost an all time great. Take care ‘Zo, you’ll be missed on the court, but you’ve been dominating in your off the court humanitarian work, and that work is just beginning!

Wayne Gretzky, Big Ben, Larry Fitzgerald, Dirk Nowitski all tried to chase the Beaz down, but he wouldn’t be denied. Tonight Beasly IPO’d. The forums have a full thread dedicated to timestamps. The Nation is predicting a market cap of $8,000 to $12,000 on Michael Beasley. The Great One is Next. That will be a far better one. Folks are predicting Gretzky to be in the $50,000 Market Cap territory. Did you request your Beasley yet? Go request him! It can’t hurt!

There is no way, that they call him “Big Baby” because he acts like a….Big….Baby…is it? There has to be more to it than that, right? Well, apparently not. Check out the huddle with Garnett getting after the second string’s poor play in a Garnett led huddle on the sidelines.