The Beasts of The East

For several years the Western Conference has dominated the NBA with an iron fist. They have imposed their will on the Eastern Conference and until this year they have not been able to respond.

This year however, we have seen the resurgence the East and they have manhandled the West, so far. To this day The Eastern Conferece ejoys a 31-15 record over the West.

To put in persepctive the turnaround, last year the Golden State Warriors were 14 games over .500 and missed the playoffs in the West. Atlanta was 8 games under .500 and made the playoffs in the West. All 8 playoff teams had at least 50 wins, there were only 3 teams in the East.

One of the reasons for this is the additions some teams have made since last year's trade deadline.

The Atlanta Hawks added Mike Bibby
The New York Knicks added Mike D'antoni
The Miami Heat added Michael Beasley and a healthy Wade
The Toronto Raptors added Jermaine O'Neal
And the Philadelphia 76ers added Elton Brand

All of these teams are starting to come together and are becoming the Beasts of the East

The Fantasy Word of Sports

WOW!

For long I have maligned and ridiculed fantasy sports, mainly because I did not see the attraction. My how the tables have turned. I recently started a fantasy basketball team at CBS Sports and I fear it is about as addicting as crack. Well, not so much fear as much as enjoy.

So what brought me to the sport? Boredom. While it sounds dumb, my boredom is cured and I found a new way to keep track on players around the league, plus a reason to write. Also I get the chance to compete against other people, which is the main attraction for me.

Competition brings out the best and worst in us, but more importantly it shows us our weak and strong areas. I will also be able to see what my carnal knowledge is on sports.

So here are some tips that I have learned in my short time playing Fantasy Basketball on CBS:

• Show up to the draft! It sounds obvious, but the last draft I had there were only 3 of the 12 participants there. I was in the last draft spot but my team ended up great because of me showing up.
• Know the scoring system. In my league Assists are worth 2 points, Turnovers -1, Points, Steals, Blocks and Rebounds are all worth 1 Points. Knowing this, draft good point guards early.
• Look at the bad teams. A misconception I had was that all the good players are on good teams, however there some fountains of fantasy points in bad teams (I.E. Al Jefferson).
• Playing Time is HUGE. The only surefire way that players can't contribute is if they are not on the court, check constantly what their playing time is and what spot they have on the rotation.
• Check The Schedule. In my league you select a line up for periods of a week at a time. So make sure when setting the line up that your player has several games and beware of the match-ups.
• Have Fun. I am approaching this as I approach all games, trying to ave fun and improve myself, not to win at all costs.

My Team:

G - Dewayne Wade (MIA)
G - Jose Calderon (TOR)
G - Jason Kidd (DAL)
G - Nate Robinson (NYK)

F - Ron Artest (HOU)
F - Rashard Lewis (ORL)
F - Thadeus Young (PHI)
F - Nene (DEN)

C - Dwight Howard (ORL)

G-F-C - Al Horford (ATL)

Bench - G - Jason Terry (DAL)
Bench - F- Luis Scola (HOU)
Bench - F - Kevin Love (MIN)