The definitive moment of the game came with 1:23 left in the fourth quarter. Wizards guard Antawn Jamison had just hit an impossible shot in the lane to tie the game at 98. Rondo came back down the floor and seemingly had flashes of playing Hudson before the game, because he accelerated to the basket with reckless abandon, took off from the side of the baseline, and threw down a thunderous dunk. The Celtics never trailed again.

While Kobe Bryant may be the league’s MVP through a quarter of the season, he is not even the most important player in his own locker room. The most prized piece of the Laker juggernaut in fact hails from not from suburban Philadelphia, but from Sant Boi de Llobrega, Spain.

Watch Steve Nash warm up for an NBA game and you get the sense it’s still a game to him. He moves about the court like any ninth-grade hoops hound you ever knew ­ – almost skipping as he goes, a determined grin etched onto his face. You get the sense it’s almost as fun as the playground battles you fought as a runt, the kind you daydreamed about in math class and braved in spite of rain, snow or heat.

When Kevin Love was in town for a game against Toronto I was able to chat with him about how he’s staying positive during the franchise’s rebuilding stage, the benefits of playing on a team with a lot of young players, what it’s like battling against Al Jefferson every day in practice and how is wrist is feeling after his first four games of the season.

Earlier this week Hoops Addict had the opportunity to talk with Dee Brown about what it meant to him to be honoured by the Raptors, his favourite memory of his time in Toronto and he shared why he’s passionate about coaching in the D-League.

Minnesota Timberwolves rookie Wayne Ellington talked with Hoops Addict about the pros and cons of playing on a team that is rebuilding, he shared some of his highlights of his rookie season and he talked about which former teammates he’s kept in touch with.

Despite being ice-cold shooting the ball for the majority of the night, it was Antoine Wright who manged to hit a huge three-pointer to seal the win for Toronto.

Earlier tonight before the game against Toronto, rookie point guard Jonny Flynn chatted with the media about having friends and family come to Toronto on a bus to catch the game, if he’s feeling pressure with so much friends and family watching tonight, what he misses the most about being at Syracuse and he shared his welcome to the NBA moment.

As with any year in college basketball, it is right around the middle of December, and the elite are starting to rise to the top of the sport. Villanova and Kentucky improved with signature wins last week, while Kansas and Texas continued to roll through the opposition. Michigan State and North Carolina? Well, they’ve got some work to do.

This Saturday, December 5th, Hoops Addict writer Rashad Mobley will be in Los Angeles to interview NBA Hall of Famer, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who will be appearing at the Best Buy in conjunction with NBA.com and HP. If you are in the Los Angeles area, please come by and support this event.