Now that we’ve made it through the plod that is the regular season’s final month, alas we can be rebooted by the commencing of a potentially fabulous playoff run. Amongst one of several intriguing match-ups is the Trail Blazers drawing the Dallas Mavericks in the first round.

Portland is a trendy choice to engineer the first round upset, which in truth, is only an upset in terms of seeding. The Blazers have found a favorable matchup for themselves, especially true after acquiring Gerald Wallace at the deadline. With Wallace, Aldridge, Camby and Batum, they will be well equipped to combat Dirk Nowitzki’s unique set of skills. Wallace’s doggedness and athleticism have elevated this team, and his menacing nature could give Dallas issues.

LaMarcus Aldridge played outstanding against Dallas this year, and following his breakout campaign looks poised to carry a large offensive burden for the Blazers. The key for Portland will be their ability to knock down outside shots when Dallas deploys their stellar zone defense, which the Blazers struggled with at times in their earlier match-ups.  Charged with the duty to hit those shots will be Wes Matthews, Batum, and Rudy Fernandez, who all are capable outside shooters, but have a tendency to run hot and cold.

In the backcourt, speed is not a virtue of either team, especially with young guards Roddy Beaubois and Patty Mills unlikely to see much court time on their veteran laden teams. Jason Kidd and Andre Miller are kindred players at this point in their career, but I give the slight edge to Miller.  Jason Terry is as calm and clutch as they come, however Wes Matthews strength and tenacity presents problems for Dallas too. If Brandon Roy can get to his spots and give them a good 20 minutes, thats an enormous X-factor for Portland.

I expect a long, hard-fought, and at times low scoring series, with Portland prevailing in six or seven games. Aldridge will need to match Dirk’s offensive output, but by the simplest and most basic of evaluations, I just see more talent on the Trail Blazers.

Let tonight be a reminder that Kevin Durant isn’t the only star in Oklahoma City. Russell Westbrook, the UCLA product, authored a Hollywood-esque performance Sunday night, stealing the show in the final quarter to help the Thunder edge the Blazers.  Westbrook was electric, scoring 14 of his 28 points in the fourth to secure the 99-90 victory.

Gerald Wallace hoisted the Blazers on his back, and Portland was able to linger close until the very end.  Wallace moved with explosion, harmonizing his aggressive angles to the rim with a silky jumper. He scored 26 of his 40 points in the second half, nearly allowing Portland to nab this one.

A close match for much of the half, the Thunder closed with a 15-5 run to take a 14 point lead to the locker room.

Nate McMillan opened the second half inserting Marcus Camby into the starting lineup for Nic Batum, a move which produced immediate results. Portland amped up their energy level out of the break, quickly eradicating the deficit with a 13-2 run. Perpetually in motion, the pugnacious Wallace willed Portland back into the game with 15 third quarter points. He pressured Durant into perimeter shots on defense, while filling the lanes and the net on offense.

Remaining locked in, Wallace scored the first seven points of the fourth quarter for Portland; dropping jumpers in succession, including a three-point play while guarded by the gangly Durant, which tied the game at 79.

Mitigated for much of the first three quarters by foul trouble, Russell Westbrook reemerged in the fourth; a top of the key three put OKC back up 87-82. Moments later, he drained another long-ball to put the Thunder up eight with under four minutes left.

Portland immediately responded by torquing up the pressure on defense. Wesley Matthews blanketed Westbrook, and before the young gun could initiate his move Matthews picked his pocket, resulting in a Gerald Wallace layup that cut the lead to four.

With a minute left, clinging to a four point edge, the Thunder made the defensive stand of the contest. Kendrick Perkins swatted away a Gerald Wallace drive, and a second chance put back was denied as well, launching a full-court sprint for two by Westbrook. Capping his sparkling fourth quarter display, Westbrook canned a long three to stretch the lead to an insurmountable 97-90 margin with 21 seconds left.

The Thunder are vastly different team with Perkins in the middle, bumping Ibaka to the four spot. They previously featured a starting group that lacked considerable bulk, but now just the opposite is true, with the added thickness making them a more serious playoff threat. Ibaka, playing from a new position, looked awfully comfortable stepping out to shoot from mid-range, going a seven of nine from the floor for 18 points.

Nicknamed Durantula, Kevin Durant better resembled a spider in this one with just 21 points on 5-18 shooting; he did however block five shots, helping slow Wallace’s offensive rampage down the stretch.

It’s a line we’ve become all-too accustomed to, but no less fitting – its tough to beat Kobe Bryant in crunch time. Bryant connected on five of his seven shots for 10 of his 22 points in the decisive final quarter, helping LA slide past Portland late. After leading for the entire second half, the Blazers couldn’t hold off Bryant’s Lakers in the final minutes, falling at the Staples Center 84-80 on Sunday night.

The Blazers engineered a 10-0 run to close the first half with a 48-44 lead, and extended the margin to nine early in the third. However Portland mustered just fourteen points in the final quarter, and 21 points in the game’s final 17 minutes. In a play that would prove pivotal, Matt Barnes banked in a last-second, half court heave to end the third quarter, slicing a seven point deficit to four.

In the crucial moments of the contest, the Blazers stumbled consecutive key possessions; conversely, Bryant closed the deal for LA in familiar assassin-like fashion.

With just under five minutes remaining, Bryant split two defenders on an acrobatic reverse layup to trim the lead to two; a play in which Marcus Camby would go down with another leg injury. Out of a timeout, LaMarcus Aldridge responded with a silky step-back jumper to extend Portland’s lead to 76-72. Kobe rifled a precision pass from the top of the key to Pau Gasol for a layup to cut the deficit to two.

Then, after a few misfires were exchanged, Bryant poked the ball away from Andre Miller, setting up an easy dunk that would tie the game with 2:20 to go.

On the next Blazer possession, Nic Batum telegraphed an ill-advised cross court kick-out intended for Rudy Fernandez; Derek Fisher intercepted the pass with ease and took it the distance for an under-hand layup which gave the Lakers their first lead of the second half, 78-76.

A tight Blazer defense, coupled with some loose officiating frustrated the Lakers for much of the game and allowed Portland to maintain a slim margin for the bulk of the second half. But Portland struggled mightily down the stretch to execute and create open looks, and their struggles enabled the Lakers to manufacture a few easy looks of their own. Following a mad scramble for a rebound, Bryant produced yet another transition bucket, sinking a tough one-footed floater to expand the lead to four with under a minute left.

Ron Artest was called for silly technical foul after being rapped up by Gerald Wallace, enabling Portland to  slice the deficit to three, but Kobe would imminently render Artest’s folly moot. Bryant drove to the right baseline and nailed a vintage fall away jumper, feistily returning to the Laker bench wearing a defiant scowl.

In an attempt to redeem himself, Nic Batum drained a quick three with just under a half minute left to chop the Laker lead to 82-80. However, as he so often does, Derek Fisher shined in the games most crucial moments, and he eluded an attempted steal and stroked a pure mid-range jumper with 10 seconds left, sealing the victory for LA.

Batum led the way for Portland with 25 points, but had only six in the second half, and committed the costly turnover at a most inopportune time for the Blazers. LaMarcus Aldridge had 18 points and six rebounds.

In the absence of Andrew Bynum, Lamar Odom was terrific for the Lakers, with 18 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists on 8-11 shooting. He had two key buckets mid-way through the fourth, stemming the tide until Bryant took over in the final minutes.

Phil Mickelson hasn’t won a tournament since last years Masters. Tiger’s winless streak extends even longer – approaching a year and half.  Aside from Mickelson’s second place finish at the Buick, neither has been a factor on the PGA Tour in 2011. In fact, they’ve played some pretty mediocre golf. When was the last time neither Tiger or Phil hoisted a trophy in 11 months?  Is the Tiger-Phil era nearing its end?

The leaderboard this weekend at Doral looked like a preview of golf’s future. Tournament winner, Nick Watney, has finished in the top 10 in his last seven events.  He belongs to the next wave of talent. And littered behind him were some of the top young players in the game. Dustin Johnson, with his distance and demeanor;  Luke Donald – owner of golf’s most picturesque swing – who suddenly ranks third in the world after a match-play title; Matt Kuchar – solid and steady – may be the next Furyk; Hunter Mahan, who slipped on the weekend, factors into nearly every tournament he enters; if not for clanking the flagstick on the 70th hole, he could have won the US Open at Bethpage. And the guy who might have the most talent of all – Rory McIlroy – shot a final round 62 to win in Charlotte last year, the week of his 21st birthday. Oh, and there’s also Martin Kaymer, who won golfs last major, and happens to be the top ranked player in the world- at just 26. That’s just a sampling, which neglects a tantamount group of others. Neither Tiger or Phil were a factor at Doral, nor have they been, really, since last year’s US Open.

By no means should Tiger and Phil be written off. Both of them have majors left in them, if not several. After all, Phil was a non-factor leading up to his win at Augusta last year. Both players have had their share of personal difficulties in the last two seasons: Phil’s wife and mother’s battle with cancer, and his own bout with psoriatic arthritis, which could have ended his career. Tiger’s household difficulties were less grave; but enormously humbling, and enormously public.

With this in mind, its quite understandable for them not to have the mojo at the average PGA stop, especially at this juncture of their career. Although they wouldn’t say so directly, everything is about the majors for them now – everything. The days of Tiger and Phil winning five or six tournaments a year appear to be over; they’re up against more talent and deeper fields, with less intrinsically at stake in non-majors. It’s not that they don’t want to win or don’t care; that they aren’t trying their best and aren’t frustrated by bad results; it’s more that they have little to prove at tournament’s whose title’s adorn sponsors. It’s not that they aren’t hungry. They are. Others are just hungrier, sharper, and with few cares in the world.

The next generation of talent is out to prove itself each week on the tour. Terrific young players, a list which grows increasingly robust. There’s Kim, and Fowler, and Ishikawa, who exude style and confidence. Quiros, Watson, Holmes; obliterators of the golf ball. There’s Jason Day, there’s Justin Rose, there’s Sean O’Hair. There’s a bigger, stronger, but no less rhythmic, second generation Haas. The Casey’s and Ogilvy’s and Poulter’s becoming the still-young veterans.  And still quite a few others, who by failing to mention does injustice to their talent.

Heck, I’ve written an entire article without mention of Lee Westwood, arguably the best ball striker on the planet.

But whats fun about this is, we could see Tiger and Phil competing in majors until they’re fifty – maybe older. Do you think either won’t believe they can win at that point?  I’m willing to bet that both of them win a major after the age of 45. Kenny Perry should have won a Masters two years ago. Tom Watson was a pedestrian up and down from a British Open two years ago. Tom Watson!

We know that the gaze of the games two preeminent stars is fixed on Augusta – and subsequently each major following. To them, there are four opportunities each year. Every other event is just a precursor, preparation;  putting the pieces together prior to the main events- the measuring sticks by which they, and we, will evaluate their careers – their golf legacies.

But the days of Tiger and Phil sauntering on to golf courses with B games and competing for titles are over. Tiger won’t win with broken confidence, or a broken leg. Phil won’t win with an uncooperative body, or without an unfettered mind.

Tiger and Phil remain golf’s dominant figures. But no longer are they dominant players.

We knew a new era of golf was on its way. Who ever thought it would arrive so soon?

The steam is flooding out of American Airlines Arena these days, and the Blazers weren’t ready to refuel the fire. They kept the Heat on ice Tuesday night with a 105-96 victory, winning their fourth straight in Miami, and their fourth straight overall. Portland leaves Florida with two strong wins and looked like the better team on the court tuesday night. The eyes remain on the Heat’s slide, but Portland played with a palpable confidence, perhaps sensing their opponents wounded psyche.

Their ball movement was swift, timely and effective in the first half, to the tune of fifteen assists. Portland committed just three turnovers in the half, compared to Miami’s nine. The key discrepancy, however, were the bench contributions; Portland’s outscored Miami’s 26-5 in the first half, and 41-8 for the game. Despite Miami’s 58% shooting in the first half, Portland held a a 57-51 lead – largely due to Roy and Wallace’s bench scoring, who are gradually carving their place in Portland’s puzzle .

Back and forth through the third, Rudy Fernandez broke a tie at 77 early in the fourth with a left elbow three, followed immediately by an Aldridge 20-footer that put them up five. A Lebron charging call elicited a few edgy murmurs from the crowd, intensified moments later by a Gerald Wallace layup that put them up seven. The finest moment in his finest game as a Blazer came moments later, as Andre Miller set-up Wallace for a powerful leaning lay-in into the chest of James, finishing a conventional three-point play that put Portland up nine.

The Heat, however, weren’t burned out yet, with Wade (14 in the fourth) and James doing their best to drag them to victory. A spectacular spinning baseline drive; a tear drop in the lane by Wade cut the lead back t0 four. Mario Chalmers fed a trailing James on the fast break for a ferocious dunk to slice the lead to two with under five minutes left.

The Blazers bounced back promptly.

Aldridge – now commanding constant attention – dished out of the double team to Roy for a top of the arc three that made it 96-91 with 3:25 left. Then, a smooth take by the vet Andre Miller – who was fantastic in the fourth – pushed the lead to seven.

After a blatant offensive foul by Chris Bosh, a silky turn around jumper by Aldridge stretched the margin to nine. Refusing to submit, Dwyane Wade hit a three to cut it back to six; but with the shot clock expiring, Wes Matthews answered with a three of his own, all but sealing it for Portland.

The Blazers prevailed despite 69 combine points from Wade and James, whose dominance was neutralized by Portland’s balance and poise.

LaMarcus Aldridge was his usual efficient self with 26 points on 11-20 shooting. For the first time as a Blazer, Gerald Wallace showed us his entire arsenal; attacking, defending, denying with perpetual aggression  - he finished with 22 points, nine rebounds off the bench.

Brandon Roy and Andre Miller each added 14; each calmly knocking down timely perimeter shots; Roy in the first half, Miller in the second.

Dwight Howard picked his sixteenth technical foul on Friday against the Bulls, triggering a one game suspension by the NBA. Impeccable timing for the Blazers (36-27), who took advantage of his absence Monday evening, beating the rest of the Magic 89-85 for their third straight win.

The final possession was a microcosm of a sloppy, 18 turnover performance by Orlando. Trailing by four inside fifteen seconds, the Magic (40-24) badly mismanaged the shot clock;  an unconscious Hedo Turkolglu – perhaps missing the instructions in translation- declined an open three pointer, passing to Earl Clark instead, who dribbled inside the arc, effectively ending Orlando’s hopes. Afterward, Stan Van Gundy was livid at Turkoglu for passing up the shot, letting him know it as the two walked off the court in defeat.

Aided by Andre Miller  - and just his fourth three of the year – the Blazers stretched a four point halftime lead to fourteen midway through the third quarter. But the Magic would answer back; Gilbert Arenas and Jason Richardson (who had 12 points in the quarter) scored seven a piece, sparking a 16-4 stretch which sliced the lead back to four through three.

The hottest player on the court in the second half was Richardson, who hit two of his four threes early in the fourth to erase a six point Blazer lead. With 8:09 remaining, a right corner three by Ryan Anderson gave the Magic their first lead since the first quarter. Richardson, the high man for Orlando, had 19 of his 23 points in the second half, however he went scoreless in the final seven minutes of the fourth, when his team struggled to make shots.

In whats been a familiar sight this season, LaMarcus Aldridge drove aggressively from the left block to the right side of the lane, finishing with a scoop at the hoop on two consecutive trips giving Portland an 85-83 lead.

A minute later, Wes Matthews nailed a three-pointer to put the Blazers up 88-83 with 3:02 remaining. During the next time out, the refs went back to review a shot-clock beating, Ryan Anderson lay-up from a few possessions earlier. They deemed the bucket late; ruling a shot clock violation, taking two points off the Magic tally and abruptly pushing the lead to seven – enough for Portland to hold on in the final two minutes.

It was an efficient night for Aldridge (24 points on 10-18), Miller (15 points on 6-11) and the Blazers as a whole, who turned the ball over just seven times. The defense was sharp, energetic and aggressive, especially down the stretch, when they used their surfeit of athleticism to make seamless switches. Portland forced Orlando – a jump-shooting team as it is – to take mostly outside shots in Dwight Howard’s absence.

Clogging the lane, the Blazers stifled Jameer Nelson, who went just 1-7 for two points.

The Magic hit their threes -going 11-22 from beyond the arc – but shot just nine total free throws from the game; less than Howard alone attempts on an average evening.

The Blazers followed their rousing victory over Denver with a ragged home court loss to Atlanta Sunday night. Portland is prone to games like this, where they just can’t buy a bucket, and they fell behind by as much as 23 in the third quarter. The finally turn on the jets in the fourth to mount a furious comeback, but three quarters of miserable basketball dug them an insurmountable hole.

An Andre Miller bucket sliced the lead to just six with under two minutes left at 82-76. With the crowd abuzz, Jamal Crawford drained a three with just a second left on the shot clock to push the lead back to nine, all but securing the 90-83 victory for Atlanta (36-23) .

The game was tied at 27 in the second quarter, but the Blazers would miss 9 consecutive shots over five minutes during a 15-0 run by Atlanta. Trailing by twelve at half, the Blazers buried themselves with a listless, sloppy 13-point third quarter. Portland was plagued by ill-advised, nonchalant passes, committing six turnovers in the third which created several fast break buckets for the Hawks. Portland scored just 7 points in the first 8 minutes of the quarter, and mustered just three total field goals in the decisive third frame.

They had just 49 points through three and were a ghastly 20 of 61 from the floor.

Forced the leave the game briefly in the middle of the first, LaMarcus Aldridge wasn’t much of a factor, going nearly three full quarters without a bucket before the Blazers late rally.

Zaza Pachulia scored just 2 points, but his impact was felt on the boards, out-hustling the Blazers for most of the game. He pulled down 12 rebounds, including six offensive and set up Jamal Crawford for two of his four threes. Crawford had 23 for Atlanta and was clutch in the fourth, helping Atlanta hold off the Blazers frantic comeback.

Gerald Wallace was unspectacular in his debut, but so was the rest of his new team in this one. Wallace finished with nine points on 4 of 12 shooting, but received a nice ovation upon entering the game for the first time. Andre Miller was the best player for the Blazers, scoring 20 points on 9-17 shooting.

The Blazers don’t have much time to incorporate Wallace and reincorporate Roy and Camby into the lineup with competition as tight as it is for the final playoff positions. The challenge for Nate McMillan will be to get his rotations established quickly with only 23 games left and Portland must face a hot Rockets team coming in on Tuesday Night.

Brandon Roy gave Blazer fans a reason to smile on Friday night; in his second game back from surgery he nailed two clutch three’s in the final minutes to rally his team past the new look Nuggets. It was a big win for Portland, who got everything they could handle and more from the young Nuggets.

They had another reason to smile a day earlier after acquiring Gerald Wallace from the Charlotte Bobcats for a collection of scraps and draft picks. It was a no brainer for Portland, who send Joel Pryzbilla, Dante Cunningham, Sean Marks and two first rounders for the tough-minded Wallace, the greatest player in the Bobcats short history. Wallace, an all-star last year, is a rebounding fiend, a top tier athlete and superb defender, all traits that fit well in Portland. His athleticism allows him to play both the three and four, adding versatility to the frontcourt, and yet another guy alongside Batum and Matthews capable of guarding talented wings. The trade also strengthens a strength, giving them three big men who can pull down 10 boards and insurance for Marcus Camby should he be unhealthy come playoff time. While it does not address their most pressing issue, shooting, Wallace stretches out the lineup nicely for Portland, who have had depth issues all year.

It’s a high value acquisition for the Blazers as well, getting a very good player, a borderline star, at minimal cost. Meanwhile, its a straight salary dump by Charlotte, who are handcuffed by the contracts of Stephen Jackson, Boris Diaw among others. Going nowhere fast with a ceiling no greater than a six or seven seed, Charlotte looked to cut payroll, and Rich Cho was opportunistic grabbing the athletically gifted forward.

The Blazers are gaining momentum and if Brandon Roy can keep doing stuff like he did the other night, they are going to be a tough out. If they remain healthy, no one will want to see them in the playoffs – and whoever does will have their hands full. When you can rebound and defend you’re going to have a chance in this league, and with Roy at least on the court, they have two go-to guys during crunch time.  Now that Deron Williams, Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups are no longer part of the division, the trail will be less bumpy here on in for the Blazers.

It’s a stretch to call them a championship contender, but considering the collective state of mind in Portland around New Years, the season outlook is as bright as you could have hoped for.

Two blockbuster trades in the span of 48 hours has titled the balance of power towards the Eastern Conference. The West has been the stronger conference for several years, and remains so, however the movement of Carmelo Anthony, Deron Williams and Chauncey Billups East is quite significant. By any ones standards, Anthony and Williams are two of the top fifteen talents in the league, and the crusty Billups is no slouch either. Overlooked amidst the elation surrounding Anthony’s New York homecoming, Billups was his usually savvy self in his own Knick debut Wednesday night.

The Nets appeared to be the losers in the wake of the Melo sweepstakes, as the Knicks grabbed the star and the accolades once again. Instead, they swiftly responded by getting a stud of their own, executing the deadlines best deal, sending shock waves around the NBA on Wednesday afternoon. Acquiring Deron Williams, arguably the best point guard in the league, was a masterful move by Billy King. Utah operated with stealth in dealing Williams after he apparently sent signals he would not resign. Meanwhile, the Nets secure a franchise-type talent for whom to build around as they ready for a move to Brooklyn. They sacrifice Devin Harris, Derrick Favors and two first round picks in a deal some view as a sizable risk, but you don’t think twice about obtaining a player of William’s caliber.

They were unable to attract the top free agent talent last off-season, and again when losing out on Anthony, so the Nets grabbed a guy who couldn’t handpick his team. Williams is under their control for a year and a half, and the Nets are tasked with convincing him to remain beyond next year. A weighty task for sure, but they couldn’t persuade a star to come, so instead they must persuade a star to stay.

These two deals greatly strengthen the Eastern Conference, which may still be top heavy, but is exponentially more talented than it has been the past few years. In the off-season we saw Boozer and Stoudemire head East, and now even more talent has followed. The league’s most dangerous teams currently reside atop the East, and the conference is only primed to get stronger. It’s likely more players will head East as the Miami’s and New York’s stack up and competition amongst those teams will only magnify this power shift.

On the other side of these deals are Denver and Utah, playoff mainstays shifting into rebuilds after dealing away their respective franchise players. However, both teams received legitimate young talent in return, and in the case of Denver, their regression could be short lived. The Nuggets are loaded with young talent across the board, with Gallinari, Chandler and Felton immediately stepping in as highly capable contributors. Gallinari, the gem of the trade, possesses star potential and he and Felton will quickly emerge as fan favorites in Denver. Felton and Ty Lawson share similar skill sets, both quick and tough point guards, who alongside Chandler, Gallo and Aaron Afflalo at the wing forge a solid young group for which to build around. Add to that the experience and depth of the frontcourt and it would come as no surprise to me if they held onto a playoff spot.

Some may view the actions of Anthony, and more quietly Williams, as bad for the league – star players pushing their teams to move them. However, from the perspective of creating a better equilibrium between conferences, these trades could be viewed positively. And it forces other teams to be smarter yet also take risks, contributing to this wild deadline we’ve just witnessed. Another factor will be the upcoming CBA negotiations which, lockout or not, are likely to result in a more restrictive payroll structure. But thats a conversation for another day.

With young stars like Melo and Deron moving East, coupled with aging stars such as Kobe, Duncan and Dirk out West, it is clear that the pendulum is swinging towards the Eastern Conference. And its only a matter of time before the West is chasing.