Basketball overload anyone? Since the five-game Christmas Day start to the NBA season, there has been nonstop action. Keylor Navas Real Madrid Jersey . Its television mayhem. Five games in one night is the lightest night of action so far this year. Every night, theres at least two games on the tube, and there have been interesting storylines, players and highlights in each. I catch myself asking friends if they saw a particular play and the convo usually turns into a chat about everything we had managed to watch in a game or in the wrap up highlights. We went from the Chris Paul and Derrick Rose head-to-head, to LeBrons chase-down block, to Durants buzzer beater, but only before Vinces almost buzzer-beater, then Wades buzzer beater and follow-up game winner the next night, to Howards back-to-back 24 rebound games, to Kobe and company having to start the year with a back-to-back-to-back, to wondering what kind of offence Mike DAntoni is trying to run in Gotham. It was madness. This rapid-fire schedule is compelling because of the talent-rich star power the league can boast right now. But another part is due to nothing really being established heading into the season. Training camp and preseason games arent really that exciting, but what it does is give us an insight to how a team might look coming into the season, whether it be rotations, philosophy, go to plays, things like that. But with just two games, and just a short refresher-style camp, things are out of whack. Its like going to a wedding as a guest, but after the wedding ceremony and before the reception, the bride and groom pull you aside and ask you to do a toast. Um, ya … great. Shouldnt be a problem (gulp). Of course, we didnt need a training camp to know that a LeBron James and Dwyane Wade-led team is going to be fine. What nobody knew was that Norris Cole could very well be the solution to their point guard problems. Who knew how Chris Paul was going to gel with his Lob City leapers? Or that the Clippers are employing five POINT guards for their backcourt rotation? I doubt thats ever happened before, and its an exciting little experiment. On paper they looked like they were still elite contenders but thus far, the Mavericks are completely out of sorts, their latest setback a loss to the Timberwolves, who hadnt won a game in 295 days. I was raving to a friend at how good Kobe Bryant looked against the Knicks, and that seeing him operate outside of the triangle was so refreshing, because he was back to just plain reacting and playing – then he drops a 6-for-28 night in Denver. Even the 2009 Game 7 Finals Kobe would have been like eeesh. The season was the first time that Russell Westbrook may have finally realized that all eyes were on him, and how he would mesh his all-NBA game with all-world teammate Kevin Durants. Lets just say hes handled it poorly. Already cited for starting a spat with teammates (including Durant), its compounded by the fact that his play has been so uneven to start the year. You can literally see the grief on his face as he turns the ball over, makes a poor decision or takes a bad shot. OKC fans know this, hence a rousing ovation for him when he finally started making some shots in a win over the Mavs. We havent even talked about Rajon Rondo basically executing fury on the court every way possible. He still misses free throws and jump shots, but hes so confident in his abilities now that it doesnt affect his entire game. After a rough start that had everyone questioning his body language, Dwight Howard proved he hasnt yet checked out on his team in Orlando (which many thought he would). Nope, instead, that distinct title goes to DeMarcus Cousins, who is in the infancy of his second season in the league and wants out of SacTo. Everything is moving like the Suns offence of old, theres barely enough time for Dan Gilbert to complain. And the best part is that were just one week into it. There will be injuries, trades, game-winning shots, struggles, successes, and there will be drama. Soon enough, well begin to see who emerges out of the pack in this sprint. My New Years resolution (and suggestion to you hoop-heads): buckle up and make sure you set aside some watching time each night. This is really shaping up to be a year like none other. None that we can predict right now, anyways. On to this weeks matchups: Oklahoma City at Dallas (Monday at 8:30pm et): Forget the hangover, the Mavericks are just not as good as they were last year right now. Odom, Vince and Delonte West are nice additions, probably even more talented than Chandler, Deshawn Stevenson , Caron Butler and JJ Barea. But they lack the intangibles that the outgoing foursome brought to the table. Winning has softened some of the mayhem around the Westbrook-Durant relationship, but I think every trade scenario featuring Westbrook has already been discussed. LA Lakers at Portland (Thursday at 10:30pm et, TSN2): Like my friend Luc asked me earlier this week, "Is it time I start caring about the Trail Blazers?" Yes, yes it is. You would think a team thats had two of their cornerstone players (Greg Oden and Brandon Roy) either inactive or retired would be in rebuild mode, but Blazers brass has put together a good, deep team. The addition of Jamal Crawford is huge, and the pickup of Gerald Wallace at last years trade deadline is looking nice. Closest thing to a great team without a true superstar in the league thats not named Denver. Nice early test against the Lakers, who have been hot and cold to start this season. Chicago at Orlando (Friday at 8pm et): Derrick Rose, another guy we havent even talked about yet! Just how diverse is the point guard position right now? Youve got Rose, whos a rugged paint penetrator and finisher, whos starting to get that jump shot cranked up. Theres Chris Paul, an absolute maestro with the ball; Rondo is a do-everything guy that might have the biggest toolbox of skills; Westbrook is an athletic freak; and Deron Williams could be the purest scorer of the bunch. Thats the top five in the league right now, each bringing a different dynamic to the court. And Dwight Howard would love the chance to play with any one of them, and hell have a realistic chance to, soon enough. Washington at Boston (Monday at 7:30pm et): Cant say enough about the Wizards new unis, and the fact that they are set on building around John Wall, who is going to develop rapidly into the conversation of elite point guards. Hell get a good look at another one Monday night, as the Celtics try to bounce back from what was a rough start to their campaign (0-3 out of the gate) and back to a nice even .500. Obviously, Paul Pierce returning to the lineup was a big boost. Atlanta at Miami (Thursday at 8pm et, TSN2): Hate them or love them, but LeBron James and Dwyane Wade have been nothing short of spectacular to start the year. The best part of their game thus far? They are forcing the issue and causing a ruckus in the paint, as evidenced by an exponentially low number of three-point attempts. And with highlights like this. And this. And how about a full game of hilight reel stuff? Crazy stuff. All in a weeks work, I guess. Atlanta, you have been warned. . Troy Bodies power-play goal at 19:01 of the first period gave Toronto (12-8-1) a 1-0 lead. Bryan Lerg tied it for Lake Erie (11-9-1) with a power-play goal in the second period. Calvin Pickard turned back 30 shots for the Monsters, while Marlies goalie Christopher Gibson stopped 21. [url=http://www.nhlpenguinshockeystore.com/black-57-marcel-goc-womens-jersey/]Ma... Goc Jersey . In second was Jessica Korda, the daughter of former tennis player Petr Korda who won last years Womens Australian Open at Royal Melbourne in a playoff for her first U.S. LPGA Tour victory. ... Saad Jersey . New York (16-9-8) took over first place in the Eastern Conference and has the best record in the league with one game remaining. Houstons five-game unbeaten streak was snapped, and the Dynamo (13-11-9) are sixth in the East with one game remaining. J... Wilshere Arsenal Jersey .J. Allmendinger this week to discuss his future with the team. Speaking to reporters at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway before Sundays Brickyard 400, Penske acknowledged that there were no guarantees Allmendinger would get his ride in the No. VANCOUVER -- Their season started in a deep hole but the B.C. Lions are one step closer to reaching the top of the mountain. A B.C. team that began the year 0-5 will get a chance to win the Grey Cup at home after the Lions mauled the Edmonton Eskimos 40-23 in the CFL West Final Sunday. It was a dominating performance by a team that didnt get its first win of the season until the first week of August. Its like a Hollywood script waiting for the final scene to be written. "I cant even put into words how great this feels after the start we had," said veteran slotback Geroy Simon, who scored on a 53-yard pass-and-run play. "Just fighting our way out of the hole, digging with everything we had. "Its an amazing feeling but the job isnt finished yet." Quarterback Travis Lulay shredded the Eskimo defence, throwing two touchdown passes and scoring on a 61-yard run in the fourth quarter. There were chants of "MVP, MVP" from the loud, horn-blowing crowd of 41,313 at BC Place Stadium. "This is huge," said Lulay, the Wests nominee as the CFLs outstanding player. "This is the pinnacle of what we do -- having an opportunity to play in the Grey Cup game. "We kept knocking on the door offensively. The defence played lights out and kept giving us opportunities." The Lions will face the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in next weekends Grey Cup game at BC Place. The Bombers defeated the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 19-3 in the East Final. "Its a great challenge," Simon, who had six catches for 106 yards, said about playing Winnipeg. "This is a team that beat us twice but beat us when we were down. "We dont worry about the other team. We worry about us. If we take care of our business everything will be all right." The game swung in the second quarter when the Lions scored 20 unanswered points. An interception by defensive back Korey Banks helped the Lions score touchdowns just 2:26 apart to take a 20-3 lead. "A big-time player shows up in big-time games," said Banks. "I feel like a big-time player. "I live for moments like this, playing against great receivers. This is what football is about." Running back Andrew Harris scored on a 14-yard pass and ran 13 yards for another touchdown. A ferocious Lions defence unloaded some body-bruising hits and didnt allow an Edmonton touchdown until the fourth quarter. B.C. scored 21 points off turnovers. "Those guys have been playing great," said Lulay, who completed 20-of-27 passes for 293 yards and one interception. "When the defence is playing like that, as an offence you want to put some points on the board." Edmonton coach Kavis Reed said the Eskimos were beaten by a better team. "Their execution was better than ours," said Reed. "They took care of the football, they didnt commit the penalties that we committed. They deserve what they got." Wally Buono, the Lions coach and general manager, was stoic after a win in his 18th appearance in a division final. ... Clemens Jersey. "Im not angry today," said Buono, who improved his record to 9-9 in finals. "Most games, win or lose, I am angry. "Maybe I just enjoyed it and had some fun. Its all part of why you do it." Eskimo quarterback Ricky Ray threw a 31-yard touchdown pass to Jason Barnes and 19 yards to Fred Stamps. It was a long afternoon for Ray who was sacked twice, threw three interceptions and was forced to hurry many throws. Ray was guilty of missing a couple of open receivers and saw some catchable balls dropped. "They just outplayed us," said Ray, who completed 21-of-40 passes for 297 yards. "We didnt play well enough to win. "They came out and made plays." B.C. broke open a close game in the second quarter. The score was 6-3 for the Lions when Lulay sailed a long pass to Simon. The sure-handed veteran got behind cornerback Jykine Bradley, hauled in the ball, then ran to the end zone for the games first touchdown. On the next series Ray tried to find Stamps but Banks stepped in front of the pass and ran the ball 46 yards to the Edmonton 10-yard line. The Lions went ahead 20-3 when Lulay found Harris in the flat. Edmonton linebacker Rod Davis missed a tackle, allowing Harris to score. The Eskimos had a chance to cut the margin early in the third quarter after Chris Thompson intercepted a Lulay pass and returned it to the B.C. 11-yard line. The B.C. defence came up big when defensive back Anthony Reddick sacked Ray, forcing a fumble which linebacker Solomon Elimimian pounced on. That set up Harriss second touchdown. The Eskimos also hurt themselves by taking 12 penalties for 80 yards. B.C. kicker Paul McCallum was good on field goals of 44, 42, 31 and 17 yards. Derek Schiavone kicked field goals of 40, 32 and 21 yards for Edmonton. The Lions are the first team since the 2008 Montreal Alouettes to play a Grey Cup at home. The last team to win a Grey Cup on its home field was the 1994 Lions who beat Baltimore 26-23. It was only the second time in seven meetings that B.C. beat Edmonton in the West Final. It was also the first time in three games the Lions won at home. The Lions, Eskimos and Stampeders all finished with 11-7 records. B.C. was given the higher seed because of their better record against the other two teams. NOTES: Buono and the rest of the Lions will attend a memorial service Monday for Dylan Reichelt, the 18-year-old son of veteran trainer Bill Reichelt who died in a recent car accident. The Lions wore the letter DR on their helmets in memory of Dylan Reichelt. ... Lulays 61-yard touchdown set a Lions franchise record for the longest run in a playoff game. ...The Lions hosted the West Final for the 12th time in franchise history and the fifth time in eight years. ...B.C. players spent Saturday night at a local hotel. ' ' '