Jason Richardson dropped 34 points and snagged 10 rebounds to give the Celtics a rare loss at the TD Garden. He was 10-16 from the field and 6-7 from long range. The Celtics shot almost 52% from the field and still lost, mainly because they allowed the Suns to shoot 54% from 3PT, bolstered by J-Rich's hot night.

One defensive weakness that the Celtics have is at off guard. Ray Allen has never been known as a great defender, and as he's gotten older, he's getting worse. To compensate for this, Boston usually game plans for the league's premier shooting guards, but above average players like Richardson don't get that kind of attention until it's too late.

With the win, the Suns are 5-1 and in a tie for first place with the Lakers in the Pacific Division. Along with the Heat (5-1) and the Rockets (4-2), the Suns are one of the most surprising teams early in the season.

...but this pic makes it all okay.

Bonus pics after the jump...

Photo from fOTOGLIF

Photo from fOTOGLIF

Photo from fOTOGLIF

John Hollinger writes in his latest PER Diem (Insider subscription required) that LeBron's best bet for long term success may not be in Cleveland...or New York...or New Jersey/Brooklyn...

And it's especially worth noting that if the Cavs are back in the 45-50 win range this season, King James might be a much more portable commodity this coming summer. If he's looking at a Cleveland lineup with one majestically talented player and several spare parts, one would think the comparison to such arrangements in New York or New Jersey wouldn't be dramatically different.

But those aren't close to being the most palatable changes of uniform available. For instance, it bears mentioning that joining the Chicago squad LeBron's team lost to Thursday night would be dramatically different. With a young star point guard, quality big men and lots of secondary help, the Bulls -- who could get as much as $20 million under the cap if John Salmons opts out of his contract, conveniently opening a spot in the lineup for LeBron at the same time -- would offer a more clear opportunity for long-term success.

Let me throw out an even crazier proposition -- Minnesota. The Wolves will have the cap space to make a run at LeBron, depending on a few variables -- or at the very least can get there fairly easily if they know there's a chance for a player of this caliber. (Declining an option on Ryan Gomes, for instance, is done much more easily if it allows you to replace him with the best player in the league.)

Minnesota is generally thought of as one of the NBA's least-desirable relocation options, but let's consider it from a winning perspective. Who would you rather play with for the next five years: Al Jefferson or Anderson Varejao? Kevin Love or Ilgauskas? Ricky Rubio or Mo Williams? Jonny Flynn or West? Ramon Sessions or Daniel Gibson? Next year's fourth pick or next year's 24th? It's obvious, isn't it?

Don't get me wrong -- the T-Wolves would be a good fit for LeBron, but he'd be a pretty good fit anywhere. I just don't see him taking his show from one cold, small-market Midwestern city to another cold, small-market Midwestern city. If he doesn't stay in Cleveland, then there seem to be three real options:

1. Brooklyn Nets
With Devin Harris and Brook Lopez locked up for the next few years, the Nets have two All-Star caliber players already on the roster at two of the toughest positions to fill -- point guard and center. Is the penetrating Harris the perfect fit alongside LeBron? Not necessarily, but if the Nets can find a sharpshooting off guard (Courtney Lee?) and face up power forward (a la Rashard Lewis), the Nets would really be in business. Plus, the move to Brooklyn would take away the stigma of playing in New Jersey.

2. Chicago Bulls
It would break the city of Cleveland's heart if LeBron fled to the Windy City. New York or Brooklyn? Cleveland fans wouldn't like it, but they'd understand. But if LeBron heads to Chicago, home of the team that stepped on the Cavs' throats so many times during the Jordan era, the city might explode. From a pure basketball point of view, it's a nice fit. They already have Derrick Rose, Luol Deng, Joakim Noah, Kirk Hinrich and maybe Tyrus Thomas. Chicago is also a threat to pry Dwyane Wade out of Miami.

3. New York Knicks
This is more about MSG and the spotlight than who the Knicks have on the roster. Playing in Mike D'Antoni's system would be nice, and if the Knicks can unload either Eddy Curry or Jared Jeffries, they'd have enough cap space to sign another free agent to max deal. This might be a case of the Knicks having to coax Chris Bosh out of Toronto or Amare Stoudemire out of Phoenix before being able to convince LeBron to sign on the dotted line.

We're only a couple of weeks into the season and the talk is already starting. The Cavs have plenty of time to morph into a 60-win team, but right now they don't look it. And the longer they struggle, the louder the drum beat is going to sound.

According to Ken Berger's Twitter page, Kings guard Kevin Martin will be going under the knife on Monday to repair a broken bone in his non-shooting wrist, and will miss around eight weeks. He is averaging 30.6 points per game, so this is obviously a big blow to the team and to fantasy squads around the country. Look for Tyreke Evans to move to off guard while Beno Udrih takes over the point.

Tyrus Thomas will miss 4-6 weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a fractured radius in his left forearm. He sustained the injury in a weightlifting accident. (Nice.) Taj Gibson will likely start at power forward until Thomas returns.

Photo from fOTOGLIF

- What the hell has happened to Sammy Sosa? This photo terrifies me.

- Pro Football Talk.com is claiming that ESPN.com plagiarized them on the Joey Porter/Tom Brady story. And they say bloggers are the ones stealing stories, geesh.

- Get a sneak peak at what Ohio State's throwback uniforms will look like this Saturday against Penn State, thanks to SPORTSbyBROOKS.com.

- Here are five MMA Fighters who went out on top, courtesy of CagePotato.com.

- MoonDog Sports says that NFL players need to shut up and play already.

- YARDBARKER hands out their NFL Midseason Awards.

- DEADSPIN has some updates on the Sean Sailsbury lawsuit.

Back in August, I recommended a few DTBC combinations for fantasy owners to use throughout the season. My top recommendation was GB/DAL, who have combined to score 69 points through eight weeks (8.6 ppg). This combo started a bit slow, as Dallas posted a goose egg in Week 2, over the last three weeks, it has scored 44 combined points.

Still own these two defenses? You can still hold onto them, but Week 15 is looking a little rough as the Packers play in Pittsburgh and the Cowboys visit the Saints. Green Bay just isn't putting much pressure on the QB, so Ben Roethlisberger may be able to sit back and pick apart the Packer secondary.

If don't own a top tier defense (PHI, NO, MIN, BAL and PIT, now that they have Troy Polamalu back), you may want to consider acquiring two good but not great defenses that combine to have a favorable schedule down the stretch. Normally, it doesn't make sense to carry two defenses, but now that most of the teams are past their byes, it's not necessary to hold onto bye week fill-ins because you're probably not going to need them.

There are eleven DTs that are owned in more than two-thirds of ESPN leagues making it somewhat unlikely that they're available on your league's waiver wire. This list includes the aforementioned six teams along with the Broncos, Packers, Giants, Jets, Bears and Colts. If you have one of these six, it might behoove you to grab a defense with a complementary schedule.

I'm targeting nine defenses -- the Cardinals, Patriots, Texans, 49ers, Bengals, Cowboys, Falcons, Seahawks and the Dolphins -- that either mesh well with the Broncos, Packers, Giants and Jets, or with each other. These defenses are all ranked in the top 22 and are available in at least a third of ESPN fantasy leagues. These are defenses that relatively healthy and have had success in good matchups. Here's a look:

If you have the Broncos (good matchups in Weeks 9, 10 and 15)...
...pick up the Cowboys (11, 12, 16), Cardinals (11, 15, 16), Dolphins (11, 14) or the Bengals (11, 12, 13). If you're just eyeing a strong playoff run, pick up the Patriots (14, 16).

If you have the Packers (9, 12)...
...pick up the Bengals (11, 12, 13), the Texans (13, 15) or the Cardinals (11, 15, 16). Arizona would have you better positioned for the playoffs.

If you have the Giants (15, 16)...
...pick up the Falcons (9, 10), Bengals (11, 12, 13), or the Dolphins (11, 14). If you just want to be strong for a three-week playoff, pick up the Patriots (14, 16).

If you have the Jets (10, 12)...
...pick up the Cardinals (11, 15, 16), the Texans (13, 15) or the Patriots (14, 16). The Pats have a pretty good matchup in Week 15 as well, so you would be well positioned for the stretch run.

If you have the Bears (13)...
...cut them and pick up a couple of other defenses with a better combined schedule. The Bears defense just isn't good enough to overcome its tough schedule.

If you have the Colts (15)...
...you can keep starting them, but take note that through Week 8 they have had the 4th-easiest schedule. Pick up the Cardinals (15, 16) or the Patriots (14, 16) to give yourself a fall back plan if they start to stink it up. They just lost Bob Sanders for the year.

Not in any of these situations? Consider picking up a pair of middling defenses from the table below with complementary schedules. The weeks where each team have good or great matchups are listed without an asterisk. Weeks with an asterisk represent matchups that are pretty good or solid. I've ranked each combination based on their pure strength of schedule (from Footballguys). If you feel better about one particular defense -- for example, I like the Patriots the most -- then bump them up a little bit. Combos without a rating are decent to bad.

If you're team is looking really strong and is destined for the playoffs, then you can focus on finding a combo that has a great schedule in the fantasy postseason (Week 14-16). I've listed those combos in green (or a green box, if those combos -- in this case ARI/MIA or NE/HOU -- didn't earn a rating).

I'm targeting the Patriots due to their terrific schedule during the fantasy playoffs (CAR, @ BUF, JAX), but if New England isn't available, ARI/SEA, ARI/HOU and HOU/DAL all offer a nice combined schedule the rest of the way.

If your team isn't in good shape and needs to make a run, you may want to grab one of the combos that has a good schedule over the next four or five weeks (ATL/CIN or ATL/DAL, for example) and hope that you can make a run. Another option is to play DTBWW, which is a weekly post here at TSR.

If you have any questions, fire away. I'll do my best to answer them.

The Indianapolis Star reports that the Colts have placed strong safety Bob Sanders on injured reserve with a torn left biceps. His season is now over.

Highly regarded as one of the premier safeties in the NFL, Sanders played in just two games this season while recording three tackles and one interception. This proceeds his 25-tackle, one-interception 2008 season in which he also battled injuries and started just six games.

Sanders is due to make $620,00 (plus a $2.17 million signing bonus and a $2.83 roster bonus) in 2010, $5.5 million in 2011 and $7 million in 2012. He turns 29 next February and beat writer Philip B. Wilson speculates that the Colts will cut their losses in the offseason to free up salary.

When healthy, Sanders is a game-changer from his safety position. He’s as versatile as Troy Polomalu and Ed Reed, and the best tackler of the trio. But injuries have ransacked his promising career and while he helped Indy win a Super Bowl a few years ago, maybe it is time to move on. He would certainly drum up a lot of interest on the free agent market because NFL teams are always in need of safeties.

His injury issues not withstanding, Sanders would definitely be worth the risk if the Colts do decide to part ways with him in the offseason.

Apparently New Mexico women’s soccer player Elizabeth Lambert is trying to audition for MMA, because she went bananas during a semifinials game vs. BYU on Thursday night.

Here’s the video:

Here’s what Lambert’s official bio says:

Gained valuable playing experience last season and will be a fixture on the back line this season ... is fearless when making a challenge ... has size and speed to match ... will be the Lobos' featured centerback this season.

2008 - SOPHOMORE SEASON
Saw action in 10 matches last season and started six ... made her first career start against Denver on Aug. 22 ... used her size and aggressiveness to stop the opposing attack ... named to the 2008 Fall Academic All-Conference team.

I happened to get a preview of her 2009 bio and it reads:

2009 – JUNIOR SEASON
Saw action in one game last year in which she attacked opponents like an unstoppable rebel force…Used her size and aggressiveness to punch an opponent in the back…made her first career takedown of an opponent by grabbing their pony tail and whipping them to the ground in an apparent attempt to see if their head would rip off…Was quoted as saying, “B*tches should know by now I play for keeps.”

No word yet on if New Mexico asked Lambert to play defensive back for the football team after she was suspended from the soccer team.

I thought about awarding this to Deron Williams for his 27-point, nine-assist, seven-rebound effort in Utah's 113-99 win over the Spurs, but then I remembered that Tony Parker isn't exactly known for his defensive prowess. Tim Duncan is. So that makes Carlos Boozer's line -- 27 points, 14 rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocked shots -- all that more impressive. He went 12-20 (60%) from the field and regularly scored on Duncan, who has been named to the All-Defensive team 12 times in his illustrious career.

The final score should be no surprise. The game was in Utah, and the Jazz had their backs up against the wall a little bit as they started out the season with a 1-3 record, which included a home loss to the Rockets.

Spurs rookie DeJuan Blair had another nice game, posting 14 points and nine rebounds in 21 minutes. He's averaging 9.8 points and 8.5 rebounds through four games and is shooting better than 70% from the field. The Spurs will use him extensively during the season to keep Duncan as fresh as possible for a playoff run.

After an 0-2 start to the season, the Cleveland Cavaliers were riding a three-game winning streak into Thursday night's home game against the Bulls. Here are the highlights:

The Cleveland faithful might think that LeBron was fouled on his last drive, but after taking a couple of looks at it, I think it was a clean play. The defender is entitled to his space, and he's allowed to jump in the air as long as he doesn't jump forward. This is called the "principle of verticality," which means that a defensive player is entitled to his vertical cylinder. Joakim Noah's defense on the play wasn't a perfect example of this (as his body was drifting toward the basket a bit), but it was a good defensive play. LeBron was in a tough spot and obviously jumped into Noah looking for the call and the refs didn't bail him out.

There are a couple of other things to take from this game:

1. Mo Williams' ineffectiveness
He was 4-13 from the field (including 1-7 from long range). He did have six assists, but Mo is a scorer and he needs to be more efficient than this.

2. The Bulls' balance
Chicago had seven players score at least seven points, and Luol Deng led the Bulls with 15. Derrick Rose didn't shoot the ball well, but still scored 14 points and dropped 11 dimes.

The Cavs drop to 3-3 with the loss, while the Bulls are 3-2.