Credit: http://www.nba.com/lakers/

Lindsay is entering her first season as a member of the L.A. Lakers dance team.

Miami has won their last four games, none more important than tonight’s victory over the Chicago Bulls. LeBron James topped all of the workhorses in the contest, finishing with 35 points, 11 boards and a reel of highlights. Some are calling James’ dunk over Lucas the dunk of the year. Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade both did their part, with Both putting together another strong performance.

The Heat has won seven out of their last eight, they are cruising.

Chicago leads the league with a total of 17 wins this season, their 4-point loss to the Heat tonight will most likely have the squad take-out their frustration out of the Wizards tomorrow. Derrick Rose had 34 points, 6 assists and 4 rebounds in the loss. He missed some crucial free throws tonight, but nearly had the chance to tie it at the buzzer.

Both Chicago and Miami remain as the top forces in the eastern conference. The Sixers have been nothing but dominant all season, but haven’t proved they can take town some of title contenders around the league, with losses against Denver and Miami. Nevertheless, the Sixers are gaining nationwide attention. Battling injuries and old age, the Celtics can’t seem to stay above .500 this season. They suffered a one-point loss to Kyrie Irving and the Cavs recently, but that’s not even and ounce of the problem in Boston.

Atlanta remains strong at home, but have their woes from time-to-time. They are 7-3 in their last ten and are on the road for their following two games. The Hawks have done well without their all star big-man Al Horford, who’s out for the season, but it’s obvious this could effect them in the post season.

Indiana and Orlando have been nothing but sub-par. Orlando has been a respectable force in the past 3-4 seasons, but have looked terrible in three out of their last four games. Terrible, meaning a 87-56 loss against Boston last week.

The rest of the East is flooded with humdrum efforts… New York has lost their last three and are 1-9 in their last ten… Milwaukee has stunned a few greats in their early, tough schedule… New Jersey is just an offensive blur, as is Toronto; two teams heavily involved in trade talks…

Washington, Detroit, Charlotte are all lost causes going into February…

The Denver Nuggets locked up one of their key pieces in forward Danilo Gallinari with a four-year contract extension worth around $42 million. This has become a key move for the Nuggets, who currently sit in second place in the West with a 13-5 record (winning five straight), and many are positioning Denver amongst the conference’s best.

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Though Gallinari and Love (who signed to his own extension on Wednesday) have been secured for the near future, a number of other teams have gambled without agreeing to new deals with some significant players. Here’s a look at some fourth-year ballers who will become restricted free agents come the offseason.

• Eric Gordon (New Orleans Hornets): The Hornets offered Gordon a chance at a four-year extension, but he decided to decline that offer after seeking a deal for five seasons. Gordon was suppose to become New Orleans’ star of the future, but injuries have limited him to just two games this season. It looks like Gordon will test the markets come the summer, and if the Hornets continue to struggle, the four-year guard might ship out of town for somewhere more intriguing.
• Ryan Anderson (Orlando Magic): Arguably the most improved player in the NBA this season, Anderson is put in a unique situation. While the Magic would like to extend Anderson – who is averaging a career high in points (16.8), rebounds (6.8) and three-point percentage (42.2%) – they’re still waiting on the details of Dwight Howard’s future to unfold. If the Magic get rid of Howard at some point as expected, look for Orlando to get a deal done with Anderson shortly after.
• Roy Hibbert (Indiana Pacers): Hibbert has transitioned into one of the East’s best centers this season, averaging a double-double with 14.4 points and 9.9 rebounds per game, to go along with a field goal percentage of 53%. However, Hibbert was left without an extension, but the feeling is there wasn’t a rush to get a deal done. The Pacers will look to secure the big man long term come the offseason.
• O.J. Mayo (Memphis Grizzlies): There were talks of trading Mayo, but he’s still a Grizzlie at this moment. He’s coming off the bench this season, and although his numbers have decreased heavily from his rookie season, he remains a vital part of the team. Should Mayo want to crack a starting lineup once again and collect a heavier paycheck, he could possibly look at other options during free agency.
• Brook Lopez (New Jersey Nets): Another part of the Dwight Howard-fiasco that can’t be secured because of a blurry future. In hopes of adding Howard at some point, the Nets don’t want to commit to Lopez. Should they not be able to grab Superman, hopefully it’s not too late to grab Lopez in the offseason. If he goes elsewhere, the Nets are in big trouble.
• D.J. Augustin (Charlotte Bobcats), Michael Beasley (Minnesota Timberwolves), Robin Lopez (Phoenix Suns), Nicolas Batum (Portland Trailblazers) and Javale McGee (Washington Wizards)

Credit: http://www.nba.com/heat/

Check out more photos of Ashley, a member of the Miami Heat dance team, right here.

Credit: http://fullcourtpumps.com/

In the end, both sides got what they had hoped for. The Timberwolves lock up their biggest star in Love for at least the next three years. Love gets the money he was looking for from Minny, and although he didn’t get the five years he hoped for, the opt-out clause gives him some leeway on his options down the road. If he feels the team is not progressing over the first three years, or he simply wants to ship out of town, Love now has that option.

The signing wil keep Love in a Timberwolves uniform for the foreseeable future, surrounding a roster full of young, raw talent. Ricky Rubio, who was drafted in 2009, is officially a rookie this season and is transitioning from the international game exceptionally well, averaging 10.7 points, 8.5 assists and 4.5 rebounds per contest. Derrick Williams – the No. 2 overall pick in this year’s draft – is playing well as of late, scoring double-digit points and at least seven rebounds in his last two games. Along with Michael Beasley and a slew of other young talent, the Timberwolves could be looking like the Memphis Grizzlies of 2010-11.

Love, who transformed his body in the offseason, is undoubtedly worthy of the new deal. He has increased his point averages in every season, and currently sits fourth in the NBA in scoring at 24.9 points per game. His rebound totals dropped from 15.2 boards a game last season to 13.9 this year, still good for second in the League. Not too shabby, and there’s still plenty of time to boost that average. MVP caliber play? Without a question.

Double-doubles have become a norm for Love, but Saturday’s contest against the Jazz was his first all season without a double-double. With the thoughts of those heavier paychecks out his head, he’ll be looking to start a new streak tonight against the Dallas Mavericks (that was a total joke, K. Love isn’t all about the benjamins).

Bosh scored a staggering 17 of his game-high and season-high 35 points in the fourth quarter for Miami. He also grabbed sevn rebounds in the 92-85 victory.

The two squads were tied at halftime, 37-37, before the Heat took the lead for good in the third period. Shane Battier’s three-pointer at the 7:01 mark in the third put Miami up 50-49, and the Heat never trailed after that bucket.

Despite shooting 50% (34-68) from the field and out-rebounding the Heat 33-29, the Cavs were at a disadvantage in the free throw category. While Miami shot 88.5% (23-26) from the strike, Cleveland went to the line just 17 times and made 11 of those opportunities.

James struggled against his former team, notching just 18 points on 8-21 shooting. He missed three of four free throws, and despite notching five rebounds and five assists, James committed five turnovers for the Heat.

Kyrie Irving continues to be a bright spot for the rebuilding Cavs. The rookie from Duke scored a team-high 17 points to go along with four rebounds and four assists. Samardo Samuels added 15 points and five rebounds. Anderson Varejao notched a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds.

The Heat are right back in action tomorrow night against the Detroit Pistons (4-14), while the Cavs will welcome the streaky New York Knicks (7-10) on Wednesday as well.

Some bullets from a lively NBA season…

• A busy Friday night most likely had many people miss out on Kevin Love’s buzzer-beater over the Clips. 
• For the fantasy heads, Marcin Gortat has been ripping the stat sheet lately, averaging 14 points and 9 boards this season.
• Sixers are ranked 3rd in scoring this season, averaging an uncharacteristic 101 points a night. They suffered that tough 4-point loss in overtime against the Nuggets last Wednesday, but bounced back with their 11th win of the season over the Hawks.
• NBA’s worst records? Wizards hold this spot with a 2-13 record to start the season. Charlotte, Detroit and New Orleans just have three wins to this day.
• The Knicks continue slipping with a recent loss against the Milwaukee Bucks. Jennings was able to tear up the sloppy New York defense with 36 points and five dimes.
• Lastly, the streaks: The Houston Rockets have won their last five, and so has Memphis. The Raptors are suffering a 7-game losing skid, while the Hornets have dropped their last five games.

Credit: http://www.nba.com/sixers/

With the Philadelphia 76ers off to such a hot start, we’ll give the honors to Kerri of the Sixers’ dance team.

Credit: http://www.nba.com/kings/

Anabelle is a member of the Sacramento Kings dance team.