The All-Star break seems to have arrived just in time – the impact of the torrid start to the 2007/08 season is started taking a toll physically and mentally upon both players and front office personnel alike.

Let’s take this opportunity to look at 2 players and 2 teams who had a standout past 7 days;

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teams of the week

Boston Celtics

It’s astonishing how much, and how fast, things have changed for one of the league’s most loved and historic franchises. The Celtics currently own the best record in a league filled with elite outfits at 41-9 (.826), and all this after finishing last season an abysmal 24-58 (.293).

What makes this even more extraordinary, of course, is that Boston have won 5 straight , and 8 of 10, since Kevin Garnett went down with his debilitating abdominal strain. And this fact alone attests to the magnitude of the transformation that’s taken place in Beantown.

Last season’s team actually had more talent than the guys who played 4 games in 6 days this week against Minnesota, San Antonio, Indiana and New York. Would you rather start – Al Jefferson and Wally Szczerbiak or Leon Powe and Brian Scalabrine? Who would you rather bring off the bench – Ryan Gomes and Delontè West or Glen Davis and Eddie House? Hint, one of these duos played on a team that had the worst offense in the league, the other duo on a team that’s playing the best defense. Seriously.

Despite KG’s absence, Kendrick Perkins’ sore shoulder and Ray Allen’s achy ankles, this small but intimate collection of savvy veterans and keen athletes is playing as if they are unbeatable. And they’re doing it under the same coach and with the same point guard as last year. It’s phenomenal.

Last season, the Celtics would have found a way to lose on the game’s final possession instead of the TWolves doing so. Last season, the Celtics would have lost to the Spurs in Boston, because that’s what always happens. Last season, the Celtics would have been ambushed by former coach Jim O’Brien’s long-range attack in the Conseco Fieldhouse. And last season, the Celtics would have been unable to back up against the rested Knicks and been embarrassed on their home court.

But not this season. This season, the Celtics won all 4 of these games, much like they went undefeated in their torrid Western road trip between Christmas and New Year. You don’t quite know how they do it, but this Boston team believes that they can win, and this fact alone makes them real tough to beat.

Of course, their key players are all working hard and staying on the same page. Paul Pierce averaged 26.3 ppg and shot .484 from the field and .850 from the line. Ray Allen averaged 20 points per game and attempted 16 field goals each night. Rajon Rondo averaged 12 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists. Leon Powe averaged 14 and 7 and shot .611 from the floor. Boston’s shallow bench, further shortened by the injuries to Garnett and Perkins, averaged 33.5 points per game – a crucial contribution in close contests.

Will Boston be the NBA’s best team this season? Better than the Spurs, Lakers, Suns and Mavs, Pistons, Jazz, Hornets, Cavs? Who knows. But they have a superior record than all of these legit title contenders, and that’s a remarkable accomplishment.

Milwaukee Bucks

My girlfriend plays fantasy ball, watches the Dunk Comp every year and knows Tony Parker’s jersey number, but she asked me the other day what’s wrong with ‘the Milwaukee Brewers’?

And that’s the answer right there.

The Bucks are perhaps the lowest profile franchise in the NBA – an insignificant team in a minor market; one where baseball, football and college hoops take priority over the states’ professional basketball team.

This once-great franchise hasn’t been relevant for years – just look at some of the contenders for their 40th Anniversary All-Time team, which attests to the abject lack of talent that’s passed through the team in recent seasons. Todd Day? Brad Lohaus? Vin Baker? Seriously?

Milwaukee have a passionate band of loyal supporters, and some of the nation’s most considerate press, so it’s not as if the infrastructure is missing.  And sometimes, especially when things aren’t going well, this general lack of mass-media scrutiny can be a blessing. Just consider; the only stories emanating from the Bucks over the first half of this season relate to Yi’s rookie season and Charlie Bell’s field goal percentage – not exactly substantive issues.

Even now, with the Bucks having lost 4 straight and 7 of their last 8, there’s barely any whispers about their inability to compete physically at power forward, or the inadequacy of their point guard rotation, or about Larry Krystkowiak’s future as coach. And these are issues that deserve to be addressed.

Sure, key players Michael Redd and Desmond Mason have missed time through injury recently – but that’s hardly an excuse; look at the way Washington have played without Gilbert Arenas and Toronto without TJ Ford.Â

It hasn’t been all bad; if you look hard enough, you can some find positives within the team’s 19-34 record. Yi has impressed, former #1 pick Andrew Bogut has continued his steady growth, Mo Williams has been intent on passing the ball, likely 10th man Royal Ivey has stepped into the starting lineup, and backup big man Michael Ruffin has doubled his points per game over last season and is shooting a career high from the field.

But the fact remains that the Bucks sit in 5th place (last) in the Central Division, with the East’s 3rd worst record. And this despite sub-par years from Chicago, New York, Miami and New Jersey, which has meant they have actually played more winnable games, more often, than they anticipated when the season began. This must be rectified over the second half of the year for Milwaukee to emerge with their integrity intact.

players of the week

Peja Stojakovic

This week we’ve been hearing a lot about Jason Kidd’s shooting percentage and how it has declined in the latter stages of his career, as if this in an inevitable and unavoidable side-effect of getting older. But that’s simply not true; if you’re a proper shooter with the correct mechanics, you can keep hitting a high percentage of your long-range shots virtually forever.

Just look at the superb season Peja Stojakovic is having for the still-Western-Conference-leading New Orleans Hornets. In his 10th season in the league, he’s actually connecting on a career-high .478 from the three-point line. And lest you think he’s become a bit-player now that he’s a 30-something, Peja is attempting almost 7 threes in 33 minutes per game as a key part of Byron Scott’s diverse and efficient offense.

For his career, Peja is ranked 16th all-time in 3-point percentage, and is 11th all-time in makes despite being just 23rd all-time in attempts. That’s an ability that you don’t just lose overnight.

And this week, Stojakovic averaged 24 ppg shooting an unprecedented 36-45 (.800) from the field, and 15-24 (.625) from three, as the Hornets went undefeated into their home-town All-Star weekend. That’s elite shooting.

Devean George

First, let it be clear that, despite the relentless criticism Devean George has received this week, he is well within his rights to veto the Mavs’ blockbuster trade for Jason Kidd.  League contracts rarely have “no-trade” clauses, but when they do exist, they are valid conditions and it’s completely legal for them to be enforced.Â

And this leads to the second point – Dallas GM Donnie Nelson (and to a lesser extent Nets GM Rod Thorn) was abjectly negligent in ignoring the existence of George’s “no-trade” condition in agreeing to the Kidd deal. It’s an indictment of his lack of diligence and process that this trade could be discussed as a done deal in the media before consultation with the players involved and their agents.

The third point is that George’s holdup has distracted attention from the questionable nature of the deal itself.  Nelson and Mark Cuban had appeared to have learned from their previous (multitude of) mistakes; just look at how patient he was over the summer when he should have made a move for Marion, KG or Kobe? But now this patience and trust has evaporated with this knee-jerk decision to give up Devin Harris,  Jerry Stackhouse, DeSagana Diop, Maurice Ager, George, and 2 future number one picks for Jason Kidd.

Many Dallas fans would not trade Harris for Kidd straight up. Kidd hasn’t played D in about 4 seasons, whilst Harris proved in 2006 when they made the Finals that he can effectively cover both Nash and Parker (Baron Davis is another matter). Kidd instantly makes the Mavs vulnerable to both.

Even if Jersey waives Stackhouse and they get him back (and don’t count on that), it puts too much weight on Jason Terry’s declining game for the next month, hurting their chances at home court which they desperately need.  Plus giving up Diop hurts them in the middle against the inevitable playoff matchups against Duncan, Gasol, Amare, Yao etc.

This trade hurts Dallas’ strengths and reinforces their weaknesses.

The timing also doesn’t make sense. Already this year, Boston, the Lakers and Phoenix have made hugely one-sided deals to win now at the expense of tomorrow. So why follow suit? Instead, why not hold onto all their players and allow their core of Dirk, Harris and JoshH to continue to grow, and target playing off against Portland for the right to face Orlando in the 2009 NBA Finals? All the league’s current veteran contenders (Spurs, Suns, Celtics, Lakers) will have peaked and flamed out by this time.

Plus it’s not as if they’re a limited team like Denver last year who had to make a blockbuster to contend. Denver have a young core, depth, a good bench and a lot of experience (albeit much of it bad) from the past 2 seasons. Why are they doomed unless they get an old, over-paid, turnover prone, can’t shoot, can’t defend PG ???

This Mavs team had the best regular season in the league last season, and were the West’s best in 2006. Even since Harris and Stackhouse went down with injuries recently, they’ve lost a few games. That alone should be enough to convince Cuban and Nellie Jnr not to trade them away.

But if Dallas are still intent to do this deal, make no mistake, it will be done.Â

And the fact remains – what has George’s actions actually achieved, apart from earning him the derision of the Mavs fans? His precious ‘Bird Rights’ would only apply IF he stayed with Dallas next season and IF they decided to go over the cap to re-sign him. The latter is and always was unlikely, but the former is absolutely impossible, now. So his point is moot. Either way, nothing changes. And recent comments by George and Mark Bartelstein indicate the realisation of this fact.

You’ve made your point, we get it. Now just agree to the deal already.