20 wins in a row. As we head down the playoff stretch are the Rockets currently the best team in the NBA? It is hard to argue. Boston, Detroit, and the Lakers have better records, but it hard to argue that the Rockets are the best team in the league right now. What do you think?

The long awaited battle between the NBA’s Best of the West and the Best of the East takes place tonight at 9:PM EST. NBA fans around the world are waiting to watch this match of the two titans.

Ok, so that is really far from the truth. If you would have asked thousands of NBA fans before the season who would be number 1 in the eastern and western conferences on November 27th, I do not think you would find one who would have said Orlando and Utah. Even the Magic and Jazz fans, two teams who’s names do not end with s, would have not told you that their teams would have been number 1 in the conference at this point.

So, are they real? How did they get to be #1. Well, they are both good teams, better than some probably expected. But if you look at Orlando’s schedule, you will see that it was paved for success to start with. When they return from this 6 game 12 day schedule out west that starts tonight in Utah, I will be shocked if they are still the number 1 team in the east. I believe their record will be much closer to .500 after this trip, maybe 12-8 at best.

Utah, well they are a 45 win team at best and will show that in December. They will get out of November feeling good, but by the time Santa shows up at their doors, they will be a little bit more grounded then they are now.

So, who will win this Battle of the Beasts? I say Orlando by 4.

There has been some speculation that the spending spree the Chicago Cubs have engaged in this off-season is a signal that the troubled Tribune Company will be selling the team in the near future. Believe it or not, the media has taken flight with this talk and done interview after interview with local and national business groups which are apparently frothing at the mouth to lineup and bid on the team. What caused this sudden uproar and media feeding frenzy? The trigger seems to point to huge contracts give to recent players Alfonso Soriano and Aramis Ramirez. The thinking goes that the Tribune is loading up on talented players to better the team’s position not only on paper and on the field but also in the boardroom and the auction block as well.

The Cubs possibly being for sale and the acquisition of new players are two completely separate issue. The cubs signing big name players now doesn’t make them selling off the team any easier, since they have to show the books to the new buyers prior to having an agreement. It’s not like the new owners aren’t going to see the numbers or these new deals are going to go unnoticed on the financial books. But having the cubs start WINNING would increase its value and possible inflate the buying price a little along with make them more revenue while the cubs are up for sale. Nothing sells merchandise and advertising more than a club that snags the local and national headlines by being competitive and winning. That may be their plan if they want to sell; better product gets you more return in a sale…simple as that.

So do you think the Chicago Cubs would benefit from a change of ownership?

- Matt Riedl

How bad will the NY Knicks be?

After destroying this team from the front office, Isiah Thomas is now looking to “sweep the leg” by taking over as coach. Last season, Larry Brown’s dream job turned into a nightmare, and the Hall of Famer was bought out after one season. This season the Knicks have to make due with an overpaid roster full of guys who don’t fit together. It’s hard to imagine them being worse than last season’s 23-59 record, but it’s just as hard to imagine them being much better. They’ll be bad, but will they be bad enough to get Thomas fired?

How much money will Mark Cuban pay in fines during the season?

The Maverick’s maverick owner has already been fined to the tune of more than a million dollars over the last few seasons, and there’s no reason to think he’s going to clean up his act. He’s been fined for walking onto the court; he’s been fined for criticizing officials…I think he’s even been fined for his haircut. Or at least he should have been. Cuban’s already worked himself into a lather over the new ball, so I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before he has to scratch David Stern another check. There has to be a sports book somewhere offering an over/under bet on this, right? Hypothetically, if the over/under were $600,000, I’d take the over. Is Cuban good for the game or should he be ousted and the NBA kept with quiet like Major League Baseball?

- Matt Riedl