Golden Gates

Is that Leonidas at the Hot Gates? No, wait - it's Andrew Bogut playing for Golden State! Bogut returned to the starting line up last night, and his teammates were glad to see him. 2, 4, 8, 12, who do we appreciate? Bogut! That was his stat line: 2 assists, 4 blocks, 8 rebounds, and 12 points (on 6-8 shooting) in 24 minutes. His impact goes beyond the numbers; according to his coach, Bogut "completes [the Warriors] as a team." David Lee said he was a better defender with Bogut covering his back. That's the warrior's way, using your shield to cover the man next to you!

Golden State beat Toronto on the road, 114-102. Bogut likely won't play tonight at Cleveland, as he will skip back-to-back games until after the All-Star break. His playing time will also be limited as he returns from ankle surgery, but last night he showed some explosiveness on a couple of dunks. Good to see him back on the court before March!

As for the All-Star festivities, this is what Grantland's Zach Lowe said about Andre Miller in his most entertaining all-stars article:

G Dr. Andre Miller, PhD, Point Guard University
Miller is the reason every NBA fan needs to invest in DVR — and not even because of the lob passes, long the best in the business, and propping up JaVale McGee's career for the last year. It is astonishing what Professor Miller can see in real time, with nine other guys darting around a crowded court.
He is always two steps ahead of opponents and teammates, in ways that are easy to miss on first watch. But when you slow down the tape, you can see Miller doing this kind of calculation: "If I pause mid-dribble, hesitate, and then take one extra dribble into the paint, Defender A will shift to Spot X, which allows Teammate B to get open in Spot Y, which in turn will draw Defender B, which in turn will free Teammate C who likely has no idea what is about to happen." It is like a perfect geometric proof during an NBA game.
Toss in one of the best little guy, ass-first post games, and I'm sold. Miller can't really defend anymore, and Denver has to hide him on the weakest offensive player at all times, but this list is about pure entertainment.

Tale of Two Halves

Alex Smith was sensational in the first half of the season, winning three of the first five ProUte of the Week Awards (and four of the first eight). Smith had a career-high completion percentage and passer rating halfway through the year. Then he took a hit to the back of the neck that gave him a concussion. He was replaced by Colin Kaepernick, who has led the 49ers to the Super Bowl.

Steve Smith came on strong in the second half of the season, winning three of the last five awards. Steve scored all four of his touchdowns after week 8, and went over 1,000 yards receiving for the seventh time in his career. His numbers weren't quite as high as last season, but he played in every game of his twelfth year in the league.

Had Alex not been injured, he could have had the best year of his career. His four ProUte of the Week Awards were the most this season, but his fourth came in week 8. Steve shared the award with teammate Jordan Gross in week 9, giving him three and a half awards this year. Carolina finished the season strong, but it wasn't enough to overcome a slow start.

Eric Weddle won three awards this year, all in the second half of the season (evidently the injury Alex sustained opened the door for other candidates later in the year). That is not a mark of inconsistent play on his part, however; Weddle was honorable mention for the award 10 times. He contented for 13 of the 17 awards, making him the most consistent high performer.

Weddle played in all 16 games for the third consecutive season, despite also suffering a concussion. He recorded 97 tackles, the second most in his career, and one sack. His nine pass deflections and three interceptions were down from last year, but he did return an interception for a touchdown. Weddle also forced fumbles for the first time in his career. He filled in on punt returns, and converted two fake punts.

Unlike last year, when he tied for the league-lead in interceptions, Weddle was not voted to the Pro Bowl or the All-Pro team. According to NFL.com's Gregg Rosenthal, Weddle was among the players who got snubbed.  With Ed Reed playing in the Super Bowl that opens a slot at free safety for the AFC, although it appears the nod will be given to Brian Dawkins of the Broncos, who is injured.

Weddle may not be recognized by fans around the league, but his teammates in San Diego voted him the team MVP.  That honor means more to Weddle than any other, and to it we will add ProUte of the Year for 2012.

Dogpile

Paul Kruger and Zane Beadles fought for a fumbled football and Kruger came away with it. The Ravens upset the Broncos in the longest and coldest playoff game in quite some time, 38-35 in double overtime. Kruger had three tackles and two quarterback hits to go with his fumble recovery. He has been a bear in the playoffs: he had two and a half sacks and a strip of Andrew Luck in last week's win. Kurt Kragthorpe wrote a nice piece about Kruger emerging at the right time - both the playoffs as well as impending free agency - for the Salt Lake Tribune.

Kruger's compadre Ma'ake Kemoeatu also had three tackles against Denver; receiver David Reed has no catches thus far in the playoffs.

One Good Turn

One good turn deserves another, as Steve Smith demonstrates by assisting Samaritan's Feet. Watch this video: http://sports.yahoo.com/video/man-mission-steve-smith-012205332.html

Eight Greats

(AP) Despite the loss, it was a big night for the usually modest Andre Miller, who scored the 15,000th point of his career on a mid-range jumper in the first quarter. He became only the eighth player to reach that scoring plateau while also compiling 7,500 career assists. Oscar Robertson, Gary Payton, John Stockton, Isiah Thomas, Magic Johnson, Jason Kidd and Steve Nash also accomplished the feat.

In typical Miller fashion, the 36-year-old downplayed the approaching milestone before the game.
"A big individual accomplishment ... I try not to dwell on it,'' said Miller, who finished with 11 points and 10 assists. "I never even thought about it. It's good to get it over with.''

Miller started the game in place of Ty Lawson, who's still recovering from a strained left Achilles tendon.