A look around the league and the Web that covers it. It's also important to note that the rotation order and starting nods aren't always listed in order of importance. That's for you, dear reader, to figure out.
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C: Complex. Tony Allen wants to win Defensive Player of the Year, but the Memphis Grizzlies' perimeter stopper has made his peace with missing out on accolades: “You don’t see no Gatorade commercials for defensive players, but I’d rather have respect than the fame anyway."
PF: ClipperBlog. A good look at the myriad stretch-run and playoff scenarios facing the Los Angeles Clippers, who enter Tuesday's action just 1 1/2 games out of the No. 3 seed in the West, but also only two games clear of the No. 7 seed.
SF: InPredictable. Interesting stuff from Mike Beuoy, using play-by-play data to split each team's pace numbers into offensive and defensive halves, looking more closely at how fast teams put up shots on offense and how much they slow down opponents when defending.
SG: The Brooklyn Game. Devin Kharpertian offers a great breakdown, complete with post-game quotes, video and context, of the "stack" pick-and-roll action with which the Boston Celtics put away the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night to secure a big victory in the race for an Eastern Conference playoff spot.
PG: Hang Time. John Schuhmann considers the crowded MVP race by looking at how frequently the top candidates get touches and how their teams' offenses perform when they touch the ball compared to when they don't. One major takeaway: Anthony Davis needs to get the ball a hell of a lot more often.
6th: The Triangle. Zach Lowe revisits the Phoenix Suns' trade-deadline shuffle — out go Goran Dragic, Isaiah Thomas, Miles Plumlee, Tyler Ennis and the coveted, protected 2015 first-round draft pick of the Los Angeles Lakers; in come Brandon Knight, Marcus Thornton and three future first-rounders — and tries to evaluate the likelihood that Suns general manager Ryan McDonough's gamble will pay off.
7th: Bleacher Report. Fred Katz on how moving off of Michael Carter-Williams and onto Isaiah Canaan fits into the Philadelphia 76ers' attempt to build an identity, and how, even if Canaan isn't necessarily Philly's point guard of the future, he represents an attempt at developing "stylistic continuity" in a still-under-construction offense.
8th: The Hook. On the polar opposite end of the spectrum, Tom Ziller considers the anything-but-textbook rebuilding strategy that has, somehow, led the Golden State Warriors to the top of the NBA: "Over the past five years, the Warriors have overpaid fringe stars, drafted exceptionally well while never picking higher than No. 6, taken huge gambles in trades, free agency and on the sidelines and have generally been impatient with the status quo. And that's gotten them to 57 wins and counting."
9th: The Starters. Trey Kerby has a pretty reasonable argument for why, persistent weirdness aside, the Cleveland Cavaliers still wound up winning last summer's blockbuster trade: "If trading Andrew Wiggins and Anthony Bennett for a single, stressful year of unhappy Kevin Love means you get LeBron James, you do it."
10th: ESPN Boston. Jared Sullinger talks with Jackie MacMullan about his struggles to stay in shape, which have become something of a sticking point in the talented but injury-prone big man's relationship with the Celtics.
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Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at devine@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!
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