Dirk "Obviously" Watch

"He (Lebron James) was great all night, so I thought one of them for sure was going in," said Dirk, who had a 24-11-7 night. "We dodged a bullet there, obviously."

Mavericks 95, Cavaliers 92

It's just what Sefko was writing about earlier, the Mavs are the Anti-Lebrons. Lebron James, the new god of basketball, will get his. You know this. The Mavs tried everything they could, the Mavs being a dang good team, and the guy scores 39 points. All of the highlights, all of the recap, was about Lebron James. Good for him. The problem? He wasn't on the winning team. And that's just fine with the Mavs. Put Lebron out there, show his dunks and crazy 3-pointers and his excellent skills, and then just sort of tack on the fact that the Mavs won their zillionth straight. They are fine flying under whatever radar they can at this point. They keep winning. It doesn't stop.

Nowitzki had 24, Jason Terry had 20, Josh Howard had 17. Do you notice how the Big 3 always produce? Good, because I do. Nowitzki had 11 rebounds and 7 assists. So he's shooting a million for double-doubles, he's shooting a .000 for triple-doubles. But the guy gets dang close. Howard had 10 rebounds himself. Dampier had a solid game with 10 points and 9 rebounds.

The Mavs also swept the Western Conference Monthly Awards, getting the Player (Nowitzki) and Coach (Johnson).

Oakland News & Notes

It's everywhere, folks. Actual important news first.

The Raiders signed Tommy Kelly to a one-year deal for $1.35 million. This takes care of almost the entire defense, if not all of it. This is a good deal and was the right thing to do, as Kelly would have been able to test free agency waters. Time to focus on the offense.

The Broncos got EVERYWHERE BETTER by getting Dre Bly for Tatum Bell and George Foster. Bell is good, don't get me wrong. But the Broncos have at cornerback Champ Bailey (who I can't stand) and Dre Bly (who I like a lot but now I have to hate). There is no other team anywhere close to beating that combination, and oddly enough, the Raiders are close to being one of those teams chasing.

Some guy named Charlton Keith, who was on the Browns practice squad last year, signed with our beloved Raiders. Yes, the CLEVELAND BROWNS. Practice squad. Hmm.........

Apparently, this Jeff Garcia thing is gaining a lot more traction and looking a lot more apparent than I gave it credit for earlier. I have nothing against the guy, I would just be skeptical (and rightfully so, yeah?) of having another journeyman QB come in and play a year for the Raiders. Some people say this move actually signifies selecting JaMarcus Russell with the #1 pick. That would make me feel better about it. But what about Andrew Walter? Is last year the whole basis for making him a career Tuiasosopo? I hope not. And, what if Russell is not the savior we all believe he is? Then we're in trouble, folks.

This is hardly worth reporting, but Daniel Graham, former tight end of the legendary Patriots, is scheduled for a visit. If the price is right, better do it.

Sports Illustrated reports that "The Trade" with Green Bay, Rodgers for Moss, has never even been talked about. That's what I love about the Internet, the stupid rumors fly and anyone can get away with anything pretty much. Stupid kids.