It was obvious that when Jones was aggressive, Kentucky as a team was better on offense. But how much better? More importantly, how much does Terrence Jones’ play affect Kentucky’s win margin?

In this article, I researched (via ESPN.com‘s team statistics) just how much Kentucky’s margin of victory was affected by Terrence Jones and the other five players that have started games for John Calipari, when they score more than 15 points in a game.

I have double-checked every statistic, but if you see any errors feel free to let me know.

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Griffin has been lighting up defenses with his powerful slam dunks all year. During every Los Angeles Clippers game, it is a lock that Griffin is going to throw down an amazing dunk on or around another player on the opposing team. Griffin was throwing down on teams last year as a rookie, but dunking became easier for Griffin with the addition of Chris Paul. 

Highlight reels from around the country have been full of Blake Griffin’s dunks so far this year. Most basketball players seldom make the highlights with a glamorous dunk in their whole career—Griffin has had more than 15 in a year-and-a-half in his young career.

Here is a list of the seven-best dunks Blake Griffin has had so far in the 2011-2012 campaign. 

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One squad that narrowly misses falling into this category is Kobe Bryant’s L.A. Lakers. For all that their pride is taking a hit from trailing the cross-town Clippers in the standings, though, the Lakers aren’t doing all that badly considering that they’re replacing a Hall-of-Fame coach after getting humiliated in the playoffs and trading their best bench player for peanuts.

By the same token, some of the league’s worst teams are surprising no one by limping through the season. 6-20 Detroit is coming off a terrible season and added only rookie PG Brandon Knight to bolster a lineup that has gone from bad to worse on offense.

As for the teams who do earn this dubious distinction, take a look at this list of the biggest underachievers in the league.

If you like what you see, click here for more fro Bleacher Report Productions. 

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The Spurs made a statement in an 11-point victory over the dominant Oklahoma City Thunder Saturday evening, and Parker proved that he unquestionably belongs on the Western Conference’s 2012 All-Star team.

Parker scored 42 points and played an otherwise perfect game that included nine assists, two steals, a rare block and no turnovers. He did it against the long arms of Russell Westbrook and a typically active Thunder defense, the same defense that held Parker to four points on 1-for-8 shooting when the teams met on Jan. 8.

This time, Parker became only the fifth player this season to surpass 40 while handing the league-best Thunder only its fifth loss. As San Antonio embarks upon a nine-game road trip, Parker’s heroics gave a jolt of confidence to a team hoping to bring home its fifth ring while Tim Duncan’s still around. It was also a dynamic reminder that even without Manu Ginobili, Gregg Popovich‘s team can compete with anyone.

Tony just became a little more hated, at least in Oklahoma.

Parker is widely respected, but often forgotten in conversations about the league’s best point guards. He’s averaging a career-high 7.6 assists per game and quietly putting to rest the notion that he’s really more of a “scoring” guard.

Even more impressively, when compared to other high-volume passers, Parker rarely turns the ball over. His 2.6 turnovers a game compare favorably to Derrick Rose (3.2) or Steve Nash (3.4) and very favorably with the likes of Deron Williams (4.5) and Russell Westbrook (4.1).

Parker is also scoring over 18 points a game, and over 20 during his last 10 games. As some predicted shortly after Ginobili’s injury, Parker has flourished as San Antonio’s first option. At 29 years old, he still has the quickness to get in the paint and finish with a wide array of crafty moves, and his mid-range game isn’t bad either.

Some have charged that Parker’s shooting percentage of 45.5 percent isn’t as efficient as it usually is, and that’s technically true. He typically shoots the ball at 50 percent or better. Again, though, his current rate looks quite good when measured against other elite point guards (Rose at 45.9, Westbrook at 45.4, or Deron Williams at 40.6). Most observers will also note that a lot of players have suffered from uneven starts, thanks to the lockout.

Parker has already had a career that most would envy, but this season may turn out to be his finest yet.

His 21.17 player efficiency rating places him in a tier of elite point guards just behind the insuperable Chris Paul and Derrick Rose. If recent trends are any indication, those numbers should continue to improve. With backup T.J. Ford out until March, Parker will continue to play significant minutes (he’s averaged almost 36 over his last 10 games). 

Yet, numbers are only half the story. Parker scored 16 of his 42 points in a decisive third quarter that watched the Spurs push their lead over the Thunder to 18. He then scored another 10 to keep the Spurs in front as the Thunder flirted with a fourth-quarter comeback.

Tony also got to the free throw line 12 times, demonstrating a renewed aggressiveness that clearly frustrated Oklahoma City. He also adjusted his game to compensate for the Thunder’s tall interior defense, frequently employing his “tear drop” floater to score over the top of Ibaka and Perkins.

If you missed this performance, seeing the complete highlight reel is a must.

Parker has come up big in clutch moments all season long, often saving his best for late-game sequences when his team needs him most. The Spurs are, after all, largely a collection of good spot-up shooters who struggle to create their own offense when opposing teams clamp down. With Ginobili sidelined, Parker has had to play like a fearless superstar in these moments, and he has.

Of course, the real test for Parker and his Spurs lies ahead. The nine-game “Rodeo” road-trip has historically served as an opportunity for Popovich’s team to bond and find their groove ahead of the post-season. In this tightened schedule and competitive Western Conference, the urgency for Parker and company to come together has never been greater.

For any Spurs fan, nothing short of another title will qualify as real success. Those fans should remember that Parker was a Finals MVP once before—if he continues playing at this pace, he very well could be again. 

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We’ve seen plenty of jumping around in the Top 25 and some crazy upsets that you would have never expected. 

Conference play is just about hitting its mid-point right now, and there’s plenty more to come with March Madness beginning next month.

Let’s take a look at college basketball’s most shocking blowouts of the season so far. 

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Blowouts are expected and encouraged in the first few weeks of basketball season.

When conference games start, though, routs are few and far between. Every night poses a new challenge and every team plays hard in order to score a hard-fought upset or escape with an important win.

But every once in a while, one team has a hot hand or a school does not show up to play, resulting in embarrassingly one-sided losses.

This season has been full of them.

Undefeated teams have been shocked by unranked opponents, national championship contenders have been run off the floor and even at the beginning of the season when the games are supposed to be easy, some defeats have gone the wrong way.

So what have been the most shocking blowouts of this basketball season? Let’s take a look.

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Three straight Big Ten losses after a signature win against Michigan State have nearly killed Northwestern’s Tournament hopes, and the ‘Cats now have 10 regular season games and the Big Ten Tournament to prove themselves ready.

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During Saturday’s game, Wildcats guard/forward Kevin Parrom suffered a broken bone in his right foot. The injury will require surgery, and the sophomore will miss the remainder of the season.

Before the injury took place, Parrom had seven points in 10 minutes of action. On the season, the New York product has averaged 4.9 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 20 games.

This injury news is the only the latest of a string of tough dealings that Parrom has had to face over the last several months. Last summer, his grandmother passed away. Just last September, he was shot in the right leg and left hand back in New York. Then in the middle of October, Parrom lost his mom to breast cancer.

Even as an alumnus of Arizona State, I still have to fill for the young man. No person deserves that much heartache in such a short time frame.

What remains to be seen is what the Parrom injury means for the ‘Cats rotation. Reserves Brendon Lavender and Angelo Chol could see a bump in minutes.

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After going a dismal 19-63 last year, the Cavaliers are not only well on their way to getting more wins this season, but they’re also competing for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference and are competing in the Central Division. An assumed rebuilding year has actually been surprisingly successful for the Cavaliers, so it’s only fair to ask if the team can compete this year.

The Central Division is always tough, and this year has been no different. The Chicago Bulls have the best record in the Eastern Conference, even with injuries to many of their key players such as reigning MVP Derrick Rose and Luol Deng.

With their pick-up of free-agent power forward David West this offseason, the Indiana Pacers have also improved from last year, after making the playoffs for the first time in five years last season. Led by Danny Granger and the newly acquired West, the Pacers currently have the third-best record in the East.

This is all without mentioning the Milwaukee Bucks, who are also competing for a playoff spot after acquiring Stephen Jackson on draft day, and the Detroit Pistons, who are struggling but have great young pieces in Greg Monroe and Brandon Knight. 

So, do the Cavs have what it takes to compete in this tough division this year? The answer, surprisingly, is yes, and it all starts with Irving. After only playing 11 games for the Duke Blue Devils last year, Irving has exceeded all of the expectations that come with being the No. 1 pick in the draft. Irving leads the Cavaliers in scoring with over 16 points per game, and also leads the team with close to five assists a game. 

However, Irving’s scoring is even more impressive when compared to the rest of the league. He ranks 11th among all NBA guards in points per game, while ranking only 48th in minutes per game among guards. 

It’s not just stats that make Irving impressive, though. His ability to take over games in the fourth quarter and lead the Cavaliers to victory has been very impressive this early in his NBA career. As the season continues and his confidence grows, he can only improve. Additionally, coach Byron Scott has been limiting Irving’s minutes thus far, but as the season goes on one can only assume Irving will see more playing time, especially if the Cavs are contending for a playoff spot.  

Outside of Irving, many other Cavaliers have also been impressive.

Antawn Jamison may be on the downswing of his career, but he still puts up 15 points per contest and is the clear veteran leader of this squad, something very important for a young team that’s looking to contend. Center Anderson Varejao is having a career year for the Cavaliers, ranking fourth in the NBA in rebounds per game while playing stellar defense as usual. Anthony Parker has struggled thus far, but he also provides a great veteran presence for this young team.

Another key component to the Cavaliers success this year has been their bench. They’re getting stellar play from Ramon Sessions, who is able to take over when Irving isn’t on the court and be the leader and scorer of the second unit.

Alonzo Gee has made vast improvements from last season after spending the summer playing in Poland, and his defense has been very valuable. Daniel Gibson is able to nail three pointers at a high efficiency as he has his whole career, and rookie power forward Tristan Thompson has shown flashes of brilliance with his play on both sides of the ball.

So with a roster led by a future star in Irving, veteran stalwarts such as Jamison, Parker and Varejao, and a deep bench, there is no question that the Cavaliers can turn this assumed rebuilding season into a quest for the playoffs, and even a possible playoff appearance. Even in their tough division, the Cavs have what it takes to play with the big boys of the Eastern Conference.

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