Watched some NBA action last night and came away with a couple thoughts. The first is, and I realize it's way too early to have a true indication, the Celtics and the Lakers appear to be on another collison course for a rematch in the Finals. Both teams provide several proven scoring threats so opposing teams can't look to shut down one player and make them one-dimensional, and although the Celtics have a major edge in the experience department, both have been there before and know what it takes. If anybody can break up this possible collision course it's the Hornets and the Rockets in the West and the Pistons and maybe the Cavs in the East.

Portland center Greg Oden is back after being out with a foot injury since opening night and scored three points in 16 minutes of play in his return. While I'm sure he isn't totally recovered from the injury, I don't think he's ever going to be the dominating center that many envisined him to be coming out of Ohio State. Don't get me wrong, I do believe in time, Oden will be a dominating force on the defensive end but his offensive skills remain very raw and I don't think he'll ever be more than an average center on the offensive end. Think Dikembe Mutumbo in his prime. Only time will tell but I remain steadfast in my belief that Kevin Durant will ultimately be the better pro when all is said and done.

Another ML award was announced recently and I'm once again confused by the balloting results. Rays skipper Joe Maddon was the obvious choice for Manager of the Year in the AL and anybody who witnessed Tampa's unbelievable worst-to-first turnaround this year would have to agree with that one. It's the NL results I have an issue with. Lou Piniella beat out Phillies skipper Charlie Manuel and Florida's Fredi Gonzalez to win his third MOY award. Don't get me wrong, both Piniella and Manuel did nice jobs with their respective squads but were leading playoff teams from the previous year. Gonzalez on the other hand led the young Marlins into contention which is far more impressive than Piniella leading the favored Cubs back into the playoffs.

Considering that the Cubs had the 7th-highest team payroll in the league while the Marlins ranked last in that category at just over $21 million compared to the Cubs $118 million and Gonzalez's effort was just that much more impressive. Remember back in March when everybody was making their postseason predictions? Almost everybody had the Cubs winning the Central and many made them the favorite to represent the NL in the World Series. Don't remember too many people even mentioning the Marlins in those talks and they were in contention in the NL East right up until the final week of the season.

After a tough week in which I only managed to correctly pick 50 percent of the games, I'm looking to bounce back strong this week and make it a little more difficult for those playing to take me down. While I did struggle last week, it probably wouldn't have mattered much anyway, as Yale Brown blew away the field by connecting on 12 of 14 picks to win the weekly prize.

Because there will be Thursday night games from here on out, I'll try to post the matchups earlier in the week and I'll always make sure to post my Blogger picks on Wednesdays so you know what you're up against. As always, good luck and spread the word.

Cleveland -3 over Denver
Jacksonville -6.5 over Detroit
Tennessee -3 over Chicago
New England -4 over Buffalo
New Orleans Even over Atlanta
St. Louis +8 over NY Jets
Seattle +9 over Miami
Green Bay +2 over Minnesota
Carolina -9 over Oakland
San Diego -15 over Kansas City
Indianapolis +3.5 over Pittsburgh
Philadelphia -3 over NY Giants
Baltimore +1.5 over Houston
Arizona -9.5 over San Francisco

I've been discussing the recent Allen Iverson trade to the Pistons with some co-workers, and while others think its a bad move on the Pistons part, I tend to disagree. While Iverson has been a me-first scoring machine type for the majority of his career, that mentality was based on necessity not selfishness.

Until his most-recent stint in Denver, Iverson has never been surrounded by enough talent to be anything but a team's No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 scoring options wrapped into one but that won't be the case in Detroit and a new-look Iverson will be born. With Tayshaun Prince, Richard Hamilton and Rasheed Wallace by his side, expect to see a whole new A.I. once he gets established in the Motor City. One who will still do his fair share of scoring when needed, but one who will also draw the double team on drives to the basket only to kick it out to open shooters who can and will knock down the open looks.

I truly believe that the championship-starved Iverson will give up some shots and ultimately watch as his scoring average plummets in favor of a well-balanced attack that will provide him with his best shot at a title since he carried the Sixers on his back during the team's championship run in 2000. You remember that powerful offensive lineup that included Aaron McKie, George Lynch, Matt Geiger, Theo Ratliff and the ever-explosive Nazr Mohmammed. How Iverson led that squad to within three games of a world championship is still one of the biggest mysteries in the history of professional sports not to mention a major accomplishment on his impressive list of credentials.

Only time will tell who gets the better of this trade and if Iverson is ultimately a good fit in Detroit, but my gut feeling is the league will soon be introduced to a new, older, wiser A.I. who is willing to do whatever he needs to do to pick up the elusive ring. Whether it's developing a pass-first, shoot later mentality or becoming the on-court leader they were looking for in Denver, the Pistons version of Iverson could be the best ever. And that's saying something.

Worst-case scenario, the me-first Iverson beast lives on and the Pistons bow out in the conference finals much like they have for the last several years and free up about $30 million after dumping the salaries of Billips, McDyess and free-agent-to-be Iverson. That extra cap space could then be used to land a Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade or perhaps even LeBron James in the free agent market. Like any trade, we'll have to wait and see on who got the best of it. Stay tuned.

After a sizzling week that should get him thinking about a trip to Vegas, Yale Brown picked 12 of 14 games correctly to take down The Blogger (8 picks) and the rest of the pack to win this week's contest. For his efforts Brown will be receiving an authentic 8-by-10 signed photo of Drew Brees.

To try and take down The Blogger yourself, check back on Wednesday to see the matchups and points points spreads for this week's games and make your picks before the start of the week's first game. If you pick more games correctly than the Blogger, you could be the next winner. There is a Thursday night game this week so make sure you get your picks in a half-hour before the start of the Cleveland-Denver game to be eligible. Spread the word and good luck.