Washington Wizards vs. Cleveland Cavaliers

Anderson Varejao in traffic

Kyrie Irving meets Marcin Gortat at the rim

John Wall and Jarrett Jack chase after the loose ball

Jarrett Jack comes away with the loose ball

Washington Wizards Vs. Cleveland Cavaliers

Jarrett Jack attacks the rim

Kyrie Irving and John Wall chase after the ball

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Matthew Dellavedova and Anderson Varejao work the pick and roll

Kyrie Irving pulls up for the jumper

Players box out for a rebound

Tristan Thompson with the jam over Nene

Kyrie Irving loses control of the ball

Kyrie Irving drives to the basket on two defenders

Jarrett Jack dribbles around the Wizards defense

Wizards Opening Night: Hot Shots

Michael Carter-Williams goes head-to-head with John Wall

Evan Turner stares down the Wizards defense

John Wall and Trevor Ariza battle for a loose ball with Michael Carter-Williams

With MSG Renovation Complete, All The Mystique Is Gone

In December of 2006, I was visiting friends in New York City, and found myself standing outside Madison Square Garden. It occurred to me that the Knicks would play the Charlotte Bobcats in about an hour. With ten ice cold blocks still separating me from my friends, who were camped out at a bar near Times Square, I decided to attend the Knicks game alone. My ticket was ten dollars, which was less than a movie ticket I had paid for a week earlier. I sat in the 400 level, the "green seats," as Knicks fans knew them, and saw what turned out to be the game of the season. After two overtimes, David Lee tipped the ball in off of a Jamal Crawford inbound pass with 0.1 seconds remaining, proving that it was indeed possible to score a basket, and win a game, with less than 0.3 seconds on the game clock. The Knicks only won 33 games that season, but this was definitely the most dramatic win of the season.

I only went to two more Knicks games after that, one in 2007 and one in 2008. I haven't been back to The Garden to see a basketball game following the acquisitions of Amar'e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony, so I was not in the building to see the progress of the recently completed billions of dollars worth of renovations, that delivered, among other things, a brand new jumbo-tron that illuminates center court, but seems to vacuum the heart and soul out of the "world's most famous arena."

As part of the renovations, MSG transformed the color of the seats from burgundy and teal to a more subdued navy blue, altering the structure of the seating sections to a more generic bowl shape. Even the players' tunnel was victim to renovation. The new tunnel features a lounge and a see through walk-way, so fans sitting close enough can watch their favorite stars emerge from the locker room, and take center court. In order to construct this amenity for court-side viewers, MSG had to gut the most famed center-court players tunnel, the same one that Willis Reed hobbled out of for game 7 of the 1970 NBA finals.

Even the beautiful Chase bridges, concession walkways that nearly graze the building's spiral ceiling come at a cost. Now fans sitting in the 400 level, what once was the very same "green seats" where I would so often sit, has an obstructed view of the new massive jumbo-tron. Instead fans in the upper levels get a view of their own personal flat screen TV's in every section, that are hung from the back wall of the new bridges that now separate them from the rest of the arena.

The Garden looks shiny and new, but it may not make the Knicks a better team. The Knicks won both their championships, and made all their finals appearances before these massive renovations took place. Now that those days are clearly long-forgotten, its up to the players on the floor to determine weather or not the arena in its current state will be immortalized forever, or will just be a reminder to how much money was spent on erasing its past.

Porter 'Pretty Bummed Out' To Be Drafted by the Wizards

Washington Wizards first-round draft pick Otto Porter was less than pleased to be selected by the team representing the city he played his collegiate ball in at Georgetown. The Sikeston, MO native averaged 16.2 points and 7.5 boards in his last season with the Hoyas, and said he "hoped he had been selected by a team that plays in a warmer climate, like Miami or Los Angeles." Unfortunately, neither of those two teams had a first-round draft pick, which reduced Porter's preferred destinations to Orlando and Phoenix. "I mean, I spent the last two seasons playing in D.C.," Porter told ESPN. "This city is boring, and to make matters worse, the team is boring. When was the last time the Wizards won the championship? 1978?"

A dismayed Porter addresses the media after being selected by the lowly Wizards (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)

Indeed, Porter's guess is not inaccurate. The last time the Wizards won a title was 1978 when they were still cool enough to be called the Bullets. Thanks to years of lousy management, botched trades, and stupid draft picks like NBA lowlife Kwame Brown, the Wizards have managed to keep themselves as far from the championship as any other consistently sorry team in the NBA. Porter, though only a rookie, figures to play a prominent role next season in helping the Wizards do what everyone expects them to, which is compete for the top pick in next year's NBA draft. "I know this team really sucked before I got here," said a grinning Porter. "And if I have anything to with it, I'll make sure they suck even more when my guaranteed rookie contract is up in three years."

Leslie Could Be Knicks Next Jeremy Lin

He may not have the same cultural impact as the Taiwanese-American Harvard grad who reignited the Garden's flame in the lockout-shortened 2012 season, but the most recent Knicks summer league pickup, C.J. Leslie, could make teams that passed over him in last week's NBA Draft very sorry they missed him.

C.J. Leslie with averaged 15.1 points and 7.4 rebounds last season with N.C. State (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)

At 6'9", Leslie is a remarkable athlete with a 7'3" wingspan. Though his game is still unpolished, he has developed a post game, making him a formidable opponent both on the inside and outside. His length and quickness for his size suggests that he could become a solid defender in the future. Leslie was heralded as a top 25 pick going into the draft, but his stock dropped, because teams felt that he lacked the assertiveness to become a contributor at the next level. Still, the former McDonald's All-American is a talented player that should have been drafted. The Knicks made a low-risk move by adding him to the summer league team, one which could pay great dividends if Leslie turns into the player that we thought he would be coming out of high school.

Full 2-Round Mock Draft

2013 NBA Mock Draft

1		Alex Len, C, Maryland Cleveland Cavaliers	31		Bojan Dubljevic, PF, Valencia Basket (Spain) Cleveland Cavaliers from Orlando Magic
2		Nerlens Noel, C, Kentucky Orlando Magic	32		Richard Howell, PF, North Carolina State Oklahoma City Thunder from Charlotte Bobcats via OKC, BOS and HOU
3		Otto Porter, SF, Georgetown Washington Wizards	33		Trevor Mbakwe, F, Minnesota Cleveland Cavaliers
4		Ben McLemore, SG, Kansas Charlotte Bobcats	34		Mike Muscala, FC, Bucknell Houston Rockets from Phoenix Suns
5		Anthony Bennett, PF, UNLV Phoenix Suns	35		Nemanja Nedovic, PG, Lietuvos Rytas (Lithuania) Philadelphia Sixers from New Orleans Hornets
6		Trey Burke, PG, Michigan New Orleans Pelicans	36		Brandon Paul, G, Illinois Sacramento Kings
7		Michael Carter-Williams, SG, Syracuse Sacramento Kings	37		Augusto Cesar Lima, PF, Unicaja Malaga (Spain) Washington Wizards
8		Victor Oladipo, G, Indiana Detroit Pistons	38		Nate Wolters, G, South Dakota State Detroit Pistons
9		C.J. McCollum, G, Lehigh Minnesota Timberwolves	39		Jackie Carmichael, F, Illinois State Portland Trail Blazers from Minnesota Timberwolves via CLE and BOS
10		Cody Zeller, PF, Indiana Portland Trail Blazers	40		Elijah Johnson, G, Kansas Portland Trail Blazers
11		Shabazz Muhammad, SF, UCLA Philadelphia Sixers	41		Deshaun Thomas, F, Ohio State Memphis Grizzlies from Toronto Raptors
12		Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, SG, Georgia Oklahoma City Thunder from Toronto Raptors via Houston	42		Oleksandr Lypovyy, PG, BC Donetsk (Ukraine) Philadelphia Sixers
13		Dennis Schroeder, PG, New Yorker Phantoms (Germany) Dallas Mavericks	43		Rodney Williams, Jr., F, Minnesota Milwaukee Bucks
14		Sergey Karasev, SF, Triumph Lyubertsy (Russia) Utah Jazz	44		B.J. Young, PG, Arkansas Dallas Mavericks
15		Steven Adams, PF, Pittsburgh Milwaukee Bucks	45		Erick Green, G, Virginia Tech Portland Trail Blazers from Boston Celtics
16		Tony Mitchell, PF, North Texas Boston Celtics	46		Michael Snaer, SG, Florida State Utah Jazz
17		Rudy Gobert, C, Cholet Basket (France) Atlanta Hawks	47		Phil Pressey, PG, Missouri Atlanta Hawks
18		Jamaal Franklin, G, San Diego State Atlanta Hawks from Houston Rockets via Brooklyn	48		Myck Kabongo, PG, Texas Los Angeles Lakers
19		Archie Goodwin, SG, Kentucky Cleveland Cavaliers from L.A. Lakers	49		Tony Snell, G, New Mexico Chicago Bulls
20		Reggie Bullock, SG, North Carolina Chicago Bulls	50		Solomon Hill, SF, Arizona Atlanta Hawks from Houston Rockets
21		Shane Larkin, PG, Miami (FL) Utah Jazz from Golden State Warriors via Brooklyn	51		Isaiah Canaan, G, Murray State Orlando Magic from Golden State Warriors via NYK and DEN
22		Ricky Ledo, SG, Providence Brooklyn Nets	52		Lourn Abdoulaye, PF, STB Le Havre (France) Minnesota Timberwolves from Brooklyn Nets via MIN and NOH
23		Mason Plumlee, F, Duke Indiana Pacers	53		Jordan Aboudou, SF, Chalon-Sur-Saone (France) Indiana Pacers
24		Jeff Withey, C, Kansas New York Knicks	54		Dewayne Dedmon, PF, USC Washington Wizards from New York Knicks
25		Allen Crabbe, SG, California Los Angeles Clippers	55		Robert Covington, F, Tennessee State Memphis Grizzlies
26		Kelly Olynyk, F, Gonzaga Minnesota Timberwolves from Memphis Grizzlies via Houston	56		C.J. Aiken, F, Saint Joseph's Detroit Pistons from Los Angeles Clippers
27		Giannis Antetokounmpo, F, Filathlitikos Div II Greece (Greece) Denver Nuggets	57		Amath M'Baye, F, Oklahoma Phoenix Suns from Denver Nuggets via LAL
28		Alex Abrines, GF, FC Barcelona Regal (Spain) San Antonio Spurs	58		Livio Jean-Charles, SF, ASVEL Lyon-Villeurbanne (France) San Antonio Spurs
29		Gorgui Dieng, C, Louisville Oklahoma City Thunder	59		Dejan Musli, C, KK Partizan (Serbia) Minnesota Timberwolves from Oklahoma City Thunder
30		C.J. Leslie, PF, North Carolina State Phoenix Suns from Miami Heat via L.A. Lakers & Cleveland	60		Arsalan Kazemi, F, Oregon