Not sure how many of you read NBA blogs on a Friday night, but I, for one, write one.
Since Alan is dealing with Team Turmoil in Sac-Town, I'm checking out the Magic and Nets with a few hundred of my best friends at the IZOD Center. OK, there are a few thousand here, but there are plenty of empty seats, as is the norm.
The 4-4 Nets, still without Vince Carter, are getting smacked by Orlando. It's 38-27 with 2:56 left in the second quarter, and the Nets are lucky Dwight Howard picked up two quick fouls, because they had no chance against him when he was on the floor. The Nets are shooting a robust 25 percent from the floor.
The lack of buzz in the building (aside from the piped in noise) makes me wonder: Are there still any Nets fans out there on Long Island? Because there aren't many left in Jersey, evidently.
(This is not the IZOD Center, but it could be.)
Shaq, D-Wade, Hotseat Riley and the 1-7 Heat come in Saturday night for some more fun. According to an email I received from BetUs.com, only two coaches in the league have stronger betting odds to be fired first this season than Riley (4-1): Eddie Jordan (5-2), and the winner by unanimous decision, Isiah Thomas (3-2).