nba

They say to be the best, you must beat the best, and in the NBA playoffs, two proud past champions are teetering. In the West, the defending champion Golden State Warriors will start postseason play minus injured all-world guard Stephen Curry. In the East, the 2016 NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers haven't looked like themselves all season long. Are we about to see the crowning of new title holders?

In recent years, the pursuit of the NBA title has proven to be a two-horse race between the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers. They've met in the last three NBA Finals, with Golden State winning in the odd years (2015, 2017) and Cleveland in the even year (2016). But there's a new stud in the race this year and the Houston Rockets might be the thoroughbred to beat.

Charlotte may be in the heart of basketball country, but when the Cleveland Cavaliers come to town, they own the place. LeBron James and company are all abuzz whenever they play the Hornets. They've beaten Charlotte like and drum of late and won eight in a row. The last time Charlotte won successive games from the Cavaliers was in 2010-11, when they were they known as the Bobcats.

You'd have to think that the Washington Wizards were really pulling for Hillary Clinton to win the U.S. Presidency in 2016. After all, they had a vested interest. The Wizards haven't defeated the Spurs in San Antonio since a 99-89 verdict on Dec. 11, 1999, when Bill Clinton was serving in the White House. Yes, you are absolutely right. That was a very long time ago.

One thing the Atlanta Hawks can boast of during their season of discontent is that they've not lost a game to the Golden State Warriors. Of course, that has a lot to do with the fact the two teams have yet to meet on the court, but that is all about to change. The Hawks and Warriors will clash twice in the next thee weeks, beginning Friday in Atlanta.

The Los Angeles Clippers have rediscovered their mojo since the multi-player trade that sent power forward Blake Griffin to the Detroit Pistons. The Clippers are 8-3 in their last 11 games, and are 4-2 on their current road trip. But they are just 1-2 on this trip against teams currently holding playoff spots, and Tuesday's opponent, the Denver Nuggets, fall into that category as eight seed in the West.

The Boston Celtics made their first appearance at Little Caesars Arena earlier this season and picked up right where they left off, whipping the Detroit Pistons 91-81. The Celtics have won three of four and five of seven from the Pistons, and are especially successful in Detroit. Boston has won four straight in the Motor City. The Pistons haven't vanquished the Celtics on their home court since Dec. 16, 2015.

Launched in 2003 as part of NBA All-Star weekend, the NBA Celebrity Game has proven to be one of the most popular events during this celebration of basketball, bringing to the hardwood actors, comedians, singers and athletes from other skills to showcase their roundball skills. Pehaps the most surprising aspect of the game isn't how many stars have game, but how many Canadian celebs there are who can ball.

They will be playing the game at the Staples Center, but they will be playing it like they were on the playground. Defense be damned, the NBA All-Star Game is all about putting on a show. It will be a day filled with long-range threes, spectacular dunks, no-look passes and wonderful ball handling. So who are you betting, Team LeBron or Team Stephen? It's time to make that call.