Having experience as an owner, player, coach and introduction man of his own “Semi-pro” basketball team from the mid-70s (you may remember him as Jackie Moon), Will Ferrell seemed like the perfect fit to perform his hilarious player introductions on a night when everyone inside the New Orleans Arena was enjoying “a blast from the past.”

Check it out.

And in case you wanted to compare Ferrell’s performance last night with his player introductions from the movie “Semi-Pro,” you can check out the latter in the video below.

In fact, I would argue that, among the big four pro sports leagues in North America, no league is better than the NBA at marketing its “brands” during games. Consider, for example, that when you watch the NFL or MLB, the majority of your TV screen is filled with grass. Meanwhile, when you watch the NHL, every square inch of your TV screen is filled with advertisements. However, when you watch the NBA, your screen is filled with the colors and logos of the home team. And that’s smart, because it looks good and it makes people want to buy their stuff.

So today, let’s celebrate one of the things the NBA really does right with a list of the 12 best court designs of 2012. Some are classic designs that never change; others are fresh and modern. In each case, they look damn fine on a 42″ HD TV.

One of the questions was concerning Bryant’s bum ankle, but it appeared to be perfectly healthy on this play, as Kobe elevated high enough to slam the ball over the outstretched arm of the 6’10 Okafor.  That dunk would pull the Lakers to within two late in the first half.  They would enter the break with a three point lead, and would eventually take Game 5 by a score of 106-90.

Here is a look at Kobe’s dunk, which we will point to as the turning point of the game.  Could it end up being the turning point of the series as well?  Only time will tell.

Paul was doing it all in Game 4, recording 27 points, 15 assists and 13 rebounds, en route to the 93-88 victory.  In addition to recording the triple-double, Paul also had two steals, but most importantly, he was able to frustrate Kobe Bryant throughout the game, limiting him to just 17 points on 5-of-18 shooting.

With the series now headed back to Los Angeles tied 2-2, the Hornets will have to steal a game at the Staples Center if they hope to pull off the unlikely upset.  They were able to record a road win in Game 1 of the series, a game which Paul recorded 33 points, 14 assists and 7 rebounds.  CP4 is going to have to have a few more dominating performances in him if his Hornets are going to get past the Lakers.  He showed what he is capable of in Game 4, as he earns our “Stat Line of the Night” for Sunday, April 24, 2011.

Despite the fact that we live in an era where spell check applications are available all around us, I can still somewhat manage to look past the misspelling of words like “Kentucky” and “Nationals.” As for the name “Smith,” there is no excusing its misspelling.  In fact, I never even knew it was possible to incorrectly spell that name.  Isn’t that why we always see the name “John Smith” being used?  Doesn’t it have something to do with the incredible simplicity of spelling such a name?

Apparently not.

Taking on the red-hot New Orleans Hornets, Gortat played only 24 minutes off the bench, but he made the most of his time on the floor, recording a career-high 25 points, along with 11 rebounds and two blocks over that span.  Even more impressive was the fact that 21 of his 25 points came in the second half, which helped lead the Suns to a 104-102 victory after they headed into the break tied 53-53.

The win moved the Suns back to within 2.5 games of the eighth-place Portland Trail Blazers in the Western Conference.  At the beginning of the season, little was expected out of Phoenix after losing Amare Stoudemire in the off-season to the New York Knicks.  However, the addition of Gortat to their front-court could be just what they need in order to sneak into the playoffs.  For now, “The Polish Hammer” earns our “Stat Line of the Night” for Sunday, January 30, 2011.

With LeBron and the Heat now finding their rhythm, winning their last nine games in a row, everything seems to be falling into place for them, including this ridiculous shot from James during Monday night’s 96-84 win over the New Orleans Hornets.

I don’t think I will ever quite understand how LeBron can drain such a difficult shot with ease, while struggling mightily to make a simple free-throw at the amusement park.

Last night he led his team to a 95-89 lead over another great point guard, Chris Paul.  Westbrook got the better of Paul mostly with his crunch time play.  He scored 12 of his points in the 4th quarter, scoring 6 in a row to tie the game and then adding another 6 for good measure to help establish a lead.  He was 9-19 from the field, 2-2 from 3 point land, and 5-6 from the free throw line.  He finished with 25 points and 11 assists.  He also added 5 steals and 5 rebounds.  Westbrook’s 8 turnovers were forgotten after his frenzied 4th quarter dominance.

Some critics of the Thunder thought that maybe they had taken a step back this season, but those critics are beginning to eat their words as another young player on the Thunder roster is beginning to emerge as a true star.  Last night, Westbrook won the “Stat Line of the Night”, but he and the Thunder have their eyes set a little higher than just that.

We don’t know what would possess someone to wear such a thing, but Okafor seems to be enjoying his new team’s teal and yellow colors. Unfortunately they look even worse than what you would expect to see the likes of Dallas Cowboys linebacker Marcus Spears, Oakland Raiders quarterback Jamarcus Russell, or any of these basketball players wear.  I guess some guys will do just about anything to get out of Charlotte.

Welcome to New Orleans Emeka!

Hat Tip – [NBA Off-Season 2009]

The Hornets were lead by forward David West who matched a career high in points with 40, added 9 rebounds and 6 assists in their win.  Thus making him “The Stat Line Of The Night” for Tuesday March 31th, 2009

David West matched his career high with 40 points despite injuring his ankle in the second quarter, and Chris Paul had 15 points and 15 assists as the Hornets snatched a win from the Kings, who thought they had it when Udrih beat the shot clock with a fallaway that looked like a terrible idea until it went in. Kings owner Gavin Maloof leaped onto the court to celebrate, and Divac beamed with pride.

As long as the Hornets play a little defense they will have no problem going deep into the playoffs and making a championship run.

Butler’s buzzer-beating 3 lifts Hornets past Kings – [SportsLine]