Given all the attention to Kobe’s 81 and Wilt’s 100 these days, it’s worth mentioning that the late, great Drazen Petrovic had 112 points in a Croatian League game….apparently he shot 40-of-60 from the floor in that game….wow…

Ratoris win…Chris Bosh had 33 points and 13 rebounds and Mike James made two dagger 3-pointers in the final minute, giving him 29 points including 5-7 from the arc as the Raptors survived the Wizards 117-112 at the ACC last night…14-for-19 from the floor in reaching the 30 points mark at home for the first time in his career. Charlie V had a great game as well with 18 points, 9 rebounds and 4 blocks…

In November, responding to a question from Michael Irvin during an ESPN interview, Terrell Owens said Philadelphia would likely be in a better situation if Brett Favre was the quarterback instead of the banged-up McNabb. Here’s McNabb’s belated response in an interview with ESPN.com: "It was like, it's unreal," McNabb said. "That's like me going out and saying, 'Hey, if we had Steve Largent. If we had Joe Jurevicius. It was definitely a slap in the face to me. It was a slap in the face because, as deep as people want to go into it, it was black-on-black crime."

Aaron Williams…we hardly knew ya…

Kobe’s Average for the last month? In 13 games, he averaged 43.4 points, joining Wilt Chamberlain as the only other player in league history to average more than 40 in a month on two different occasions

King James had his 7th triple-double as the Cavs won their 7th in a row beating the Nets 91-85 last night. James scored 26 points -- 22 in the second half -- and added 11 rebounds and 10 assists as the Cavaliers moved 10 games over .500 for the first time since Feb. 23, 2005.

1) Kevin Hench of Foxsports.com likes the little Canadian:

Nash gets my vote for first-half MVP

It was about this time last year that I started lobbying against Steve Nash winning the NBA Most Valuable Player award. I argued that while it was fun to throw his name around at midseason as a speculative novelty, it was just plain goofy to consider him the most valuable player in the league. People might start to believe it, I warned. Turns out they did. And now, belatedly, I believe it too. In what seems to be the most crowded MVP candidate field in recent history, Nash has somehow taken his game to a level above and beyond his most valuable performance of 2004-05. He is averaging a career-high 19.2 points per game without suffering any drop-off in assists, matching the career-best 11.5 he posted last year. Most impressively, he's doing it all without Amare Stoudemire, his go-to screen-roller who averaged 26 points a game last year. And somehow Nash has kept the Suns in first place in the Pacific Division with no post presence whatsoever. How the heck is a scrawny point guard doing this? Well, for starters, while Nash has been marginally better this year, he has made the players around him hugely better. All seven Suns who are averaging double figures — from James Jones (10.3) to Shawn Marion (21.4) — are posting career highs. Journeymen Raja Bell (14.3), Boris Diaw (11.9) and Jones are all playing the best basketball of their careers. Coincidence? Hardly. Nobody gets people the ball where they want it, in a position to succeed, better than Nash. While everyone seems to be looking at their watches and calendars, waiting for the inevitable Spurs-Pistons final, if Stoudemire can come back and contribute, even the mighty Spurs better beware. It's just January, but right now Nash is the league's most valuable player and the Suns are the league's most intriguing team. The rest of the top 10:


2. LeBron James, Cavaliers - It started out as the standard pick-and-roll you see 100 times a game in the NBA. Big man sets a screen out front, ball-handler drives as big man opens up to the hoop. Only before you could say "switch" the ball was being dunked in the basket. It happened last week in Utah in the final game of a disastrous road trip for the Cavaliers. LeBron James was holding the ball outside the arc. When the screen came, he took one dribble to his right, still outside the arc, then a second dribble just outside the top of the key. And then ... Now let me be clear on this: I do not call my wife into the living room to watch a sports replay unless something very special has happened. Through the magic of TiVo, my wife and I watched the play over and over. LeBron took one step inside the top of the key, his second just inside the foul line and went airborne sailing over and through four Utah defenders before jack-hammering a dunk in heavy traffic. The explosiveness, the upper-body strength and the desire to get to the rim make LeBron fairly unstoppable. Throw in amazing court vision and a jump shot that is improving by the hour and you have a player who should make a run at Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's record six MVP trophies. With numbers like these — 31.2 ppg, 6.9 rpg and 6.3 apg — he may just get his first this season.

3. Kobe Bryant, Lakers - Kobe can't win, figuratively or literally. He gives his Lakers their best chance to be competitive by dominating the ball on offense, but then gets labeled a gunner. If he plays unselfishly, Kwame Brown and Co. are not going to carry the day. The problem is, over the long haul, he can't do it by himself and this team won't get out of the first round of the playoffs. Long considered the heir apparent to his Airness, Bryant (36.0) is on pace to post the highest scoring average since Michael Jordan's 37.1 in 1987. But even M.J. never went for 81. Kobe regularly makes shots that look physically impossible, particularly long bombs fading away that are all arm strength. Kobe went 13th in the 1996 draft, two slots before Nash (who went two spots before Jermaine O'Neal). The five players taken before Bryant? Lorenzen Wright, Kerry Kittles, Samaki Walker, Erick Dampier and Todd Fuller. With Peja Stojakovic and Tony Delk sandwiched at 14 and 16, the '96 draft has to be the only one in league history where the best starting five in consecutive slots came at numbers 13-17.

4. Chauncey Billups, Pistons - The age-old "best player on the best team" theory seems to be getting a lot of mileage these days, but it's just a whole lot easier to be Chauncey Billups than to be Nash, James or Bryant. The Pistons are deep, healthy and loaded with options. Billups is having his finest year, scoring 19.5 a game and dishing out 8.5 assists a night, but he isn't as indispensable as Nash. Put Carlos Arroyo at the point for a month and the Pistons would still be an excellent team. Remove Nash from the Phoenix lineup and things would fall apart.

5. Allen Iverson, Sixers - When you look at the Sixers roster and wonder how the heck this team is over .500, the answer is The Answer. Despite turning 30 before the season started, Iverson is showing no signs of slowing down. To the contrary, Iverson is not only averaging a career-high 33.6 points per game, he is doing it on .453 shooting, his highest mark in eight years. He is also matching his second-highest assist total (7.5) while posting his second-lowest turnover total (3.2). Ironically, though he probably won't get a serious look this year, he is having a much, much better season than when he did win MVP in 2001. His scoring and shooting percentage are both up and his assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.3-to-1 dwarfs the 1.4-to-1 mark of his MVP campaign.

6. Dwyane Wade, Heat - While everything else in Miami has been a question mark — the coaching situation, Shaq's health, Antoine Walker's value — Flash has merely done it all to keep the team comfortably in first place in the Southeast Division with the conference's second-best overall record. He is averaging 26.8 points a game on 48.2 percent shooting, 6.0 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game. The only way to stop him would seem to be let him shoot the 3, where he's a woeful 5-for-48, a staggering 10.4 percent.

7. Dirk Nowitzki, Mavericks - In any other year, being the best player on a team that is 34-10 would make you a serious MVP candidate. But in this crowded field, despite averaging 25.8 points and 8.4 rebounds a game, Nowitzki will have to settle for also-ran status.

8. Tim Duncan - Ho-hum. When the Big Fundamental scores 20.1 a game and grabs 11.5 boards while sitting out a slew of fourth-quarter blowouts, he sort of recedes from the MVP conversation. Tony Parker has stepped up his game, but Duncan is still the man in San Antonio.

9. Elton Brand, Clippers - The Clippers got off to a hot start as Brand and Corey Maggette established themselves as the best forward combo in the league. Then Maggette went down with a foot injury and everyone anticipated the team's annual swoon. But Brand has put the team across his broad shoulders and carried the Clips to a season-high nine games over .500 as they ride a five-game winning streak. Brand is averaging a career-high 24.6 points per game on 52.2 percent shooting and is fifth in the league in blocks at 2.6 a game, also a career high.

10. Shawn Marion, Suns - The Matrix just keeps defying basketball logic. He's a lanky 6-foot-7 yet averages almost 12 rebounds a game. He has one of the most ungainly shot-puts of a jumper in the history of the league yet is averaging 21.4 points per game on 51.2 percent shooting. Throw in a couple of blocks and a couple of steals a game and you've got a great player having the greatest season of an outstanding career.

Honorable mention: Kevin Garnett. The 2004 MVP is having a down year by his standards — 22.1 ppg, 11.2 rpg — but it's mostly his team's struggles that have dropped him off the list of top 10 MVP candidates.

2) Dan Martin of the New York Post with a unique perspective from the Captain himself:

KAREEM: 81'S GREAT; BAYLOR WAS BETTER

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was at the old Garden in 1960 when Elgin Baylor torched the Knicks for 71 points, and he was present last Sunday to see Kobe Bryant's 81-point showing against the Raptors. "They don't compare," Abdul-Jabbar said of the two games. Instead of praising the current Laker, the Hall of Fame center said he was more impressed with Baylor's outburst. "Kobe had the 3-point line and Elgin did it in an eight-team league." Last night, fans at the Garden waited to see if Bryant could repeat — or even better — what he did against Toronto, when he scored the second-most points in NBA history, trailing only Wilt Chamberlain's 100 vs. the Knicks in 1962 at Hershey, Pa. Bryant didn't get close. He had a poor shooting night from the floor, but had 40 points, hitting just 7-of-17 from the floor, but going 23 of 26 from the line in the Lakers' 130-97 victory at the Garden. Abdul-Jabbar's former teammate, Lakers part owner Magic Johnson, was more effusive of Bryant's effort. "I haven't seen that type of individual performance before," Johnson said of the 81-point game. "That's probably the best, and I've seen Michael [Jordan] and other guys do incredible things." Johnson spent much of the second quarter in the locker-room tunnel speaking with embattled Knicks president Isiah Thomas. Bryant's recent offensive spurt has left his teammates stunned. "It's amazing to be on the court, watching him," said former Christ the King standout Lamar Odom. "We all as players are still fans of the game. You can't help but be in awe of some of the things he does." Smush Parker, who played at Newtown High School and Fordham but really honed his game on the playground, said he'd never seen a shooting display like Bryant's. "The first time I came to the Garden, I saw Bernard King score 55 when he was with Washington," Parker said. "That's the closest I've ever seen." At yesterday's shootaround, Bryant continued to say that he didn't expect another historic performance anytime soon, but when asked about the possibility of ever reaching the century mark, he said, "Never say never." Bryant hasn't received this much sustained attention since his sexual harassment trial that ended in September 2004. He said his ability to do nothing but train for the season helped him in this MVP-caliber season. "Just to work on my game is important," said Bryant, who also talked about the perception people had of him during the case. "People constantly judging who we are. I'm still evolving as a person." The star insisted he hasn't followed the travails of Isiah Thomas. "I still don't know what he's going through," Bryant said of Thomas' sexual harassment case. "I have no clue."

3) Ian Thomsen of SI.com with his Inside the NBA column:

Born of frustration - Suns' success keeps Marion from maximizing talent

No matter how placid the surface may appear, every NBA team must deal with underlying choppiness and turbulence. That's because virtually every player believes he could graduate up to stardom, superstardom or Hall of Fame consideration if only his coach would emphasize him more in the offense. Shawn Marion is a member of that afflicted majority. What differentiates him from the others is that his coach agrees with him. I know it's a hard thing for Shawn because he could do more if we went to him and really made him the focal point,'' acknowledges Phoenix's Mike D'Antoni, the reigning NBA coach of the year. "But that would take away from helping the other guys.'' Marion is averaging career-highs of 21.4 points and 11.9 rebounds, well on his way to a fifth-straight year of producing at least 19 and 9. Those are enormous numbers for a small forward, yet Marion believes he could do more if asked. "You can improve anything you want during the summer, but if you don't get to work on it during a game, it just goes away and you go back to doing whatever it is they want you to do,'' says Marion, 27. "That's one thing I don't like. It's frustrating for me because I can do so many other things on the floor and I don't get the opportunity to do it. I'm limited to doing certain things, and that sucks.'' Context must be introduced before this train of thought gets carried away. Is Marion demanding a greater role in the Suns' offense? No. "We're in winning situation,'' says Marion. "You don't get bleep in this league unless you win, I learned that a long time ago. I've been around people who say it's all about them but they're wrong -- it's a team thing.'' What he's trying to say is that he isn't as impressed with his numbers as everybody else seems to be. He knows they could be gaudier. "When I'm in the summer, playing pickup and working on my game, I'm working on pick-and-roll, handling the ball, doing all that kind of stuff -- but I don't do that here and it just really goes away,'' he says. "I do everything in the summer, I play '1' [point guard] through '5' [center]. I'm a pretty good passer, but I don't get the assists because I don't have the ball.'' See how NBA coaches earn their salaries? Coaches want driven, ambitious players who believe they are unstoppable; at the same time they want players who are willing to detour and divert that ambition to address the needs of teammates. It's a rare form of schizophrenia, and fortunately for the Suns, Marion has it. "Shawn is totally unique,'' says MVP point guard Steve Nash. "There's nobody with his athleticism capable of guarding so many different types of players.'' "He's the fastest jumper, the fastest second-jumper, and the fastest guy on the floor,'' says D'Antoni. "Put that speed out there and it opens things up. He makes unbelievably hard shots -- floaters and all that stuff. Nothing is conventional in what he does, but it's so effective it's ridiculous.'' Because Marion can generate his own points, D'Antoni is able to emphasize other players in the Suns' offense. "Sometimes it's hard for him to understand because he could go up to that level of a 30-point scorer,'' says D'Antoni. "But the team is better off if we do it this way, and he's a good enough guy to accept that. I think he gets frustrated sometimes like any player would, but he's all about winning. "He can offensive-rebound, he runs the floor, he'll get a steal, a dunk, we can run some lobs and stuff to him. You don't have to go to him 10 times to get five baskets; you can go to him three times and get three baskets, just because he's so prolific at what he does.'' His efficiency creates more opportunities for his teammates. Despite the absence of Amare Stoudemire, who may return from knee surgery next month, the Suns (30-16) are the No. 3 team in the West because of their dual-hinged balance: They feature seven players averaging in double figures, and their upgraded defense now serves to complement the offense. Marion's role is essential. In Wednesday's 102-94 win at Boston he led the Suns with his typical 21 points (9 for 17) and 12 rebounds while finishing around the basket and dunking in transition rather softly, as if he were landing via parachute. After trailing by 23 in the first half, Paul Pierce (40 points) made it tight in the fourth quarter, yet the Suns held them off. Every team but Detroit and San Antonio lusts for the chemistry that Phoenix routinely exhibits, but the truth is that the Suns have the same issues as every team. Their best players are never satisfied. Asked about playing with Nash, Marion can't help but wish that he could assist with the playmaking responsibilities. "It's good because he's a great passer and a great teammate,'' says Marion. "But at the same time I think you need help out there. I know he gets worn out sometimes, but he holds it down.'' Understand that no one in Phoenix is fretting over Marion's attitude, because he demonstrates his team-first priorities on a nightly basis. The day he stops privately believing that he deserves a bigger role, the day his ambition fades -- that's when they'll start worrying.

In his own words: Sonics owner Howard Schultz - In this week's edition of SI, Seattle SuperSonics principal owner Howard Schultz opened up on the subject of his team's lengthy negotiations for a new arena with city officials. The Sonics are seeking a rent-free lease when after their current lease expires in 2010 and $200 million in public funding to either refurbish Key Arena or build a new home for the Sonics in greater Seattle. If legislation isn't passed to fund the arena by March 9, Schultz strongly hints that he may either move the team or sell it to someone who will. He expounds on the reasons why and more here.

On the current situation:

H.S.: "The economic relationship that we have with the city of Seattle puts us in a very difficult position to be an NBA elite team. If you look around the league -- and this may not be exact but it's close -- the average NBA team is paying about 10 percent of what we're paying (annually) in rent. That puts us in a situation where every year we've owned the team -- this is year five -- we have lost money. "This is not a non-for-profit situation. We have had capital calls, we've lost over $50 million."

On the approaching deadline for the Sonics to decide whether to leave Seattle:

H.S.: "We are right up against it now. If you back out, how long it would take either to build a new building or significantly remodel Key Arena? It's a two-year project; we're on a collision-course with time. "All we want is what the other two teams -- the Seahawks and the Mariners -- have already been given (both are playing in new publicly-funded stadiums). In both cases, especially the Super Bowl-bound Seahawks, it's so clear how a sports team -- collegiate or professional -- can galvanize and lift up an entire community and the economic value that goes with it. "We have a fiduciary responsibility to our own shareholders. We've talked to the commissioner (David Stern) and clearly outlined the situation, and we have to explore every alternative. Having said that, we're still committed not only to honoring the lease but, hopefully, putting ourselves in the position where there's a compromise and we can stay here. But I'm not overly optimistic."

On the odds that a deal will be reached on Key Arena:

H.S.: "I don't know what the number is, but I do know that as time goes on, that percentage goes down. Why would so many other markets that don't have a team be willing to roll out the red carpet for the Sonics when over a 35-year history in this city we can't get the respect and the support of the political figures? "It's disappointing to me personally because of my own company's roots and the relationship that we have with this city in terms of Starbucks' position here. But that's another story. "I love this city and love the community and it would be a real, real tragedy and a shame if we were put in a position where the Sonics have to leave. I really hope that doesn't happen. But I really feel it's out of my hands."

On whether some of his Sonics partners are pushing to move or sell the team:

H.S.: "There's more interest from some members of the group into what ongoing conversations that we're having with other cities. When you have a conversation with a mayor of a city, and there's a brand new arena [available] and you put apples to apples and compare the economic till, it's unbelievable that you could roll into a market where you have no history, no relationships, and basically be able to get a free pass. "There are a number of markets that are -- I won't say wooing the Sonics, but they have come to the table and know our situation. We also have been very honest with them, and I was very clear with the mayors -- because I didn't want them to be in positions where they would lose their own standing within their communities -- that our first choice is to stay in Seattle. We've been very upfront, but if we can't work out a deal [with Seattle] we're going to have to do something else. "You look at other buildings and other deals and you just kind of shake your head. I've looked at Charlotte, where the team moved and came back, and basically got a free building; Memphis -- free building; San Antonio -- free building. And they're beautiful, magnificent places to play and fantastic new resources for the cities and the communities."

On conjecture that the team would only be moved by a new owner:

H.S.: "Respectfully, I'm not going to comment on that. You'd have to draw your own conclusion."

On reports that Schultz considered selling his portion of the team two years ago:

H.S.: "No, I think that was rumor and conjecture after the [Gary] Payton deal, and I made some comments that trading players -- and especially one like Desmond Mason, who I was really fond of -- was kind of a tough thing. I made the statement that I don't know if I have the emotional makeup for this kind of business. But no, I was never interested in selling at that point."

4) Marc Stein of ESPN.com thinks the Mad Scientist is coming back:

Don of a new age?

You will not see Don Nelson's name when ESPN.com provides your monthly opportunity to register bench grades and gripes via our NBA Coach Approval Ratings. Not this February. But by next February . . . Don't be surprised if he's at midseason with his new team. Multiple Nellie associates inform ESPN.com that the 65-year-old has dropped hints about considering other jobs after sitting out the rest of this season. It's highly unlikely that Mavericks owner Mark Cuban would let Nelson go anywhere before next season anyway, and a couple of those same Nellie associates say a return to the bench won't happen unless someone out there offers him an annual salary of at least $5 million, but you can be pretty sure someone will in the off-season. Reason being: There isn't a better coach on the planet who isn't working. He's officially a Mavericks consultant these days, but Avery Johnson's Mavs don't consult Nelson for much. This is also the final season in which Nelson is earning $5 million, after which comes a drop to a more consultant-like $1 million (and change) but also more freedom to leave for a head-coaching spot, which is why a new gig would shock no one who knows him. Media types in the Bay Area are already tossing out Nelson's name as an ideal successor to Mike Montgomery in Golden State, given that the Warriors haven't been to the playoffs since Nelson's last full season there in 1993-94. Nelson will also be mentioned as a candidate in Seattle -- barring the re-hiring of the recently promoted Bob Hill -- because of Nelson's longstanding friendship with Sonics general manager Rick Sund. But I'm betting on Sacramento. Nelson remains undeniably close with Warriors vice president Chris Mullin, but that alone isn't enough to legitimize the link. Team sources, for starters, insist that reports of friction between Montgomery and star guard Baron Davis are a media creation. Yet even if the Warriors continue to fade and miss the playoffs for the 12th consecutive season, Nelson can't be considered a serious contender to take over in Oaktown unless his relationship with Warriors owner Chris Cohan is mended. Don't forget that Cohan's messy 1995 parting with Nelson was not wrapped up until 1999, when an NBA arbirtator ruled that Nelson could keep $1.6 million that Cohan expected him to repay after Nelson was hired to coach the Knicks. The Sonics? My suspicion -- endorsed by everyone I've presented it to -- is that Seattle won't be looking to hire a $5 million-a-year coach if Hill is not retained. Which brings us to Sacramento, where Rick Adelman is in the final few months of his contract. If the Adelman era ends at season's end, as widely expected after a run of eight seasons, Nelson really is a natural successor there. For a few reasons. 1) As we said about the Lakers' Phil Jackson and Denver's George Karl, Nelson is sufficiently eccentric in his own right to have a shot at clicking with new Kings cornerstone Ron Artest. 2) Kings co-owner Joe and Gavin Maloof are undoubtedly willing to pay top dollar for coach, as evidenced by their not-so-secret attempt to hire Jackson before Phil returned to L.A. 3) Nelson is already working for the Maloofs. The madcap brothers own the production company that, with George Clooney as their producer, is putting together a basketball sitcom. Donnie Nelson, president of basketball operations for the Mavericks and Nellie's son, doesn't doubt that his dad's name will come up for several jobs. Noting that the starting-over Toronto Raptors just created a front-office opening, Donnie said: "Anybody looking for a coach or GM should have Nellie on their list. He's already built three franchises from the ground up." The younger Nelson is quick to add, though, that he'll be lobbying his father to turn down any offer that comes, and not simply because he'd rather see Big Nellie -- who left Monday for a vacation in New Zealand -- stay with the Mavs as a Red Auerbach-style godfather. "I would just ask him, 'How many more mountains can you climb?'" Donnie said. "He's the second-winningest coach of all-time. He's achieved pretty much everything there is to achieve as a player, coach and executive. If he asks me, for health reasons and everything else, I'd tell him, 'You don't need it.'" If that speech doesn't work . . . Donnie can always throw out the ESPN.com NBA Coach Approval Ratings as another deterrent.