Remember a few years ago when the Clippers signed Brand to a deal, keeping a young team in place and making everyone believe they were going to make a run over the next few years? Well, they made a run one year, and I guess have decided that’ll be enough. The always stingy team has apparently lost the Elton Brand sweepstakes, and it’s apparently been won by Philadelphia.

I don’t have any details on the signing yet, but sources are saying the deal will be worth nearly $82 million. Given that the Sixers were able to give Detroit a scare in the playoffs this year, and now they apparently have Elton Brand. . . well, it certainly helps bolster the East, which is generally looked at as half the competition of the West.

Last night the draft took place, and outside of the Grizzlies getting OJ Mayo, who was originally drafted by the T’Wolves, for Kevin Love, there wasn’t a whole ton of surprise. Here’s a recap of the Top 10.

1.) Chicago Bulls, Derrick Rose: This thing was done the moment they landed the No. 1 pick. It’s his hometown, he was the best player in March, and it all made sense. What happens to Kirk Heinrich is up in the air, but this guy will be a star in this league for a long, long time.

2.) Miami Heat, Michael Beasley: Beasley with Marion and D’Wade? Not bad. Not bad at all.

3.) Minnesota T’Wolves, OJ Mayo: He was traded for Kevin Love.

4.) Seattle Supersonics Russell Westbrook: This is the guy I felt would be the steal of the draft, but at the No. 4 spot, is he still a steal? Regardless, he’s going to play lockdown D on anyone that’s got a ball in front of him. Great pick.

5.) Memphis Grizzlies, Kevin Love: Traded for OJ.

6.) New York Knicks, Danilo Gallinari: He’s an Italian guy, one I don’t know much about, but those European players are either great or they bust. The bad news? There’s not many people coming from Europe that play defense, something the Knicks really, really lack.

7.) LA Clippers, Eric Gordon: The one-year Indiana star. We’ll see how he does with the big boys.

8.) Milwaukee Bucks, Joe Alexander: He’s 6′8″, 220 pounds, and they just acquired Richard Jefferson. Where does that put Alexander on the roster?

9.) Charlotte Bobcats, DJ Augustin: Say goodbye to Raymond Felton.

10.) New Jersey Nets, Brook Lopez: Ric Smits, maybe?

It was the first time since the playoffs started that the Celtics didn’t require seven games to move on, and the fans and players in Boston are plenty happy about that. After last night’s 89-81 victory over the Pistons, the Celtics have advanced to the Finals for the first time since 1987.

“It’s kind of surreal,” Garnett said. “Probably hasn’t even hit me yet because we haven’t slept in about four days, going on five days now. Going to the Finals, I’m just hoping to get some sleep.”

Kevin Garnett only had 16 points and 6 rebounds, but the slack was picked up by Paul Pierce, who dropped 27 points on 8-12 shooting. What won the game, though, was the Celtics D, who suffocated Detroit’s offense, holding Tayshaun Prince to 10 points on 3-10 shooting, and Rasheed Wallace to 4 points on 2-12 shooting.

I hate to be the Atlanta Homer fan right now, but given that the Hawks took the Celtics to seven, and won all of their home games, rather than one of their home games, would it be fair to say that, maybe, just maybe, the Hawks are better than the Pistons?

Don’t answer that.

Anyway, Game 1 of the Finals is about two months away (starts on Thursday, really). It’s Kobe Bryant vs. the World, and while I want to say the Lakers win, I feel without homecourt advantage, and with the Celtics seeming to gather some momentum, the C’s will take this thing in 7.

Mike D’Antoni, former coach of the great Suns and current coach of the sorry Knicks, has officially entered purgatory, as he was announced as the Knicks coach today.

“I will adapt what I do. Now I like to play fast, move the ball and all that stuff, and we’ll try to do that as best as we can,” D’Antoni said Tuesday. “Obviously you’re going to be a little slower than [the Suns], but at the same time there’s no reason why you can’t run, be exciting and have good ball movement.

“There’s 30 teams out there all with the same goal in the off-season, and that’s to make the playoffs. And I can’t think of a better team to be with than the Knicks.”

You can’t think of one, Mike? Let me help: San Antonio, Golden State, the Lakers — hell, the Clippers — the Heat, the Hawks, the Celtics, the Bucks, the Cavs, the Bobcats, the Grizzlies, Duke, Alabama, the Bruins. . . .

Charlotte Bobcats 107, Indiana Pacers 103: This probably isn’t the highlight of everyone’s NBA Saturday, but it was mine. With the Hawks gripping a two game lead in the East for the final playoff spot, their last three games are against Boston, Orlando, and Miami. Indiana, who’s two games back, has Charlotte at home, at Washington, and New York at home to close the season. The Hawks lost to Boston, and beating Orlando will be tough. Thankfully, though, Indiana seems to be worse down the stretch than the lowly Hawks. The Pacers had Charlotte at home, a perfect opportunity to gain one on the Hawks, and choked it up. Danny Granger had 37 points for the Pacers, but it wasn’t enough to stop a well balanced Bobcats team (that almost sounds like an oxy-moron), who were led by Jason Richardson’s 26 points. Jermaine O’Neal played 20 minutes for the Pacers, getting seven points and five rebounds. The Hawks magic number is now down to one.

Boston Celtics 99, Hawks 89: When you look at their final three games, and figure how they’re going to clinch, you don’t really chalk this one up as a W. I’m a Hawks fan, and I’ve been stuck with many, many years of terrible teams, so this year I’m not getting any hopes up for the playoffs; that said, I can’t blame them for losing to a team that has far better talent and players. All five Hawks players scored in double digits, led by Joe Johnson’s 21, but KG had 24 points for the Celtics, and Sam Cassell came off the bench to add 20. It was Boston’s 64th win of the season.

Denver Nuggets 97, Utah Jazz 124: A couple of days ago, Denver had a two game lead after beating the Warriors. A couple of days later, their tied with the Warriors, and what was looking like their playoff spot to be had suddenly looks like something they’re losing their grip on. It was a three point Jazz lead at the half, but Utah outscored Denver 62-38 in the second half, showing why they’re one of the best teams in the NBA when they’re playing at home. Carlos Boozer, Ronnie Brewer, Mehmet Okur all finished with 20 points for the Jazz, and Deron Williams finished with 19. Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson combined to score 50 points in the losing effort.

New Orleans Hornets 91, Sacramento Kings 94: The loss puts the Lakers and Hornets tied for first, and the Spurs are only half a game back. I can’t remember the last time three teams were this close to winning the West this far into the season, but it’s making the NBA season fun to watch.

LA Clippers 116, Golden State Warriors 122: Read above about the Warriors and Nuggets: They’re now tied for eighth place, though Denver does take the tiebreaker. Let me ask you this: If you’re LA, New Orleans, or San Antonio, and you finish first in the West, who would you rather play: The Warriors, who beat the Mavs in Round 1 last year, or the Nuggets, who often choke in the playoffs?

Denver Nuggets 114, Golden State Warriors 105: When you play the Nuggets, you can pretty much assure yourself of scoring in triple digits. Unfortunately, you can also assure they’re going to score in triple digits. It was the Nuggets’ 20th game in a row scoring 100 points or more, and of those twenty games only twice did they hold their opponent under 100: They held the Spurs to 96, and the Clippers to 99. Allen Iverson, JR Smith, and Carmelo Anthony all combined for 82 points for the Nuggets. With the loss, Golden State allowed Dallas to clinch a spot in the playoffs.

Utah Jazz 94, Dallas Mavericks 97: The Mavs were scared there for a minute, but with the win and the loss of the Warriors, Dallas has stamped its way into the playoffs, and will probably be the seven seed. Dirk Nowitzki scored 32 points and had hte game winning three, and Jason Terry chipped in with 21 points. I said it before the trade, I said it after the trade, and I say it now: Jason Kidd was a rip off. He scored seven points and had seven assists, and you have to start wondering: Was he partially responsible for the Nets slide? VC and Richard Jefferson can score, and at some point, we just have to face facts — maybe Jason Kidd isn’t very good anymore.

Los Angeles Lakers 106, Los Angeles Clipppers 78: There was a time where it was thought the Clippers were on their way up. That was two years ago. What a difference time can make.

Atlanta Hawks 98, Indiana Pacers 112: Mike Dunleavy dropped 28 points for the Pacers, and Jermaine O’Neal had 10 points in his return, as the Indiana Pacers beat the Hawks to help avoid playoff elimination. Both teams have four games left; the Hawks play Boston, Orlando, New York and Miami, and Indiana faces off against Philadelphia, Charlotte, Washington and New York. It’ll be hard for Atlanta to blow this, but don’t put anything past them. They are, after all, the Hawks.

Utah Jazz 77, New Orleans Hornets 66: Chris Paul had four points and nine assists on 2-11 shooting. Peja led all Hornets players with 15 points. The Hornets shot 36 percent from the field, and only 21 perecent from beyond the arch. With the loss, the Hornets still hold the best record in the West, and can avoid having to play Dallas in the first round, which, I assure you, will give San Antonio serious problems should they meet then.

Boston Celtics 107, Milwaukee Bucks 104: Go, Boston, go. Next up for the Celtics: Chewing through the Hawks in Round 1 of the playoffs like they’re some kind of super buzzsaw.

Phoenix Suns 127, Memphis Grizzlies 113: The Suns are starting to win with Shaq, and like the ongoing theme in the West, are going to make the third ranked team seriously mad that they’ll have to play these guys in Round 1. If you’re the No. 1 seed, you play Denver. No. 2 seed, you play Dallas. No. 3 seed, you play Phoenix. Compare that to out East, where the No. 1 seed gets Atlanta, the No. 2 seed gets Toronto, and the No. 3 seed gets Philadelphia. The question of “Who’s more battle tested?” when they get to the Finals won’t be a hard one to answer.

Sacramento Kings 132, Golden State Warriors 140: Nelly’s still alive, and so are his Warriors. The game didn’t feature a whole ton of fundamental defense, but it did feature a lot of up-and-down game with multiple guys scoring multiple points. Both teams featured six players in double digits, led by Baron Davis’ 33 points. Golden State is tied with Denver, but the Nuggets hold the tie-breaker.

Denver Nuggets 117, LA Clippers 99: Keeping pace, Denver. Keeping pace.

Houston Rockets 95, Portland Trail Blazers 86: Tracy McGrady scored 35 points, 26 of which came in the second half, helping Houston push its way to victory against the Trail Blazers. “There’s going to be a team that wins 50 games and doesn’t make the playoffs,” he said. “So it’s a battle out there. I love it.” Houston has a four game lead over the Nuggets, who currently hold the final eighth spot. Houston plays Seattle twice and the Clippers twice, giving them arguably the easiest schedule of teams aiming for the playoffs. Their remaining three games are at Denver, at Utah, and Phoenix at home.

LA Clippers 98, Sacramento Kings 110: Can someone please get Elton Brand out of LA? Or at least send him to that other team in LA? The Clippers lost again, will again have a lotto pick this summer, and again will be bad next year, barring some kind of miraculous turnaround/huge pickup in free agency. The Kings, who are slowly approaching .500 ball, were led by Kevin Martin’s 26 points.

Chicago Bulls 101, Cleveland Cavaliers 98: LBJ had 33 points for the Cavs, but the rest of Cleveland didn’t do much to show up. Since the Cavs acquired Ben Wallace in the trade, they’re only 10-10, and only three of those wins are against current playoff teams.

With no football games, it’s hard to gamble, so, thankfully, we can throw our money away on NBA games that can really go either way. But it’s entertaining, right? And, in short, that’s the main reason we gamble. We don’t do it to win or lose — we do it because it takes an otherwise boring chunk of the night and becomes very, very entertaining, even if the entertainment is accompanied with many hours of grief afterwards. Enjoy my picks. I’m the best.

Last Night: 3-2
On the Season: 41-40-1
How I feel: Finally over .500

Tonight’s Spreads:

Chicago Bulls @ Cleveland Cavaliers (-7): I’m real tempted to take the Bulls here, given that they rested last night and the Cavs were on the road in a close one, but then reality sets in: Chicago stinks, despite what we thought at the beginning of the year, and Cleveland’s pretty good. At covering, too.

LA Clippers @ Sacramento Kings (-8): Tonight feels like a night of picking the home teams.

Houston Rockets (-5) @ Portland Trail Blazers: Check that statement. Go with the Rockets.

Miami Heat 85, Indiana Pacers 105: If you look at Miami’s schedule the rest of the year, they’ve got one game where they may be favorites, when Memphis strolls into town April 11. Beyond that, they’ll probably be ‘dogs, and rightfully so. It’s hard to imagine how a team that won a championship two years ago, had one of the best big men and best young stars in the league, has come to this, but numbers don’t lie: 13 wins.

Toronto Raptors 104, Charlotte Bobcats 100: The win helped Toronto snag onto the sixth spot in the East, jumping the Sixers, which would ultimately help them avoid playing Detroit in the first round. Chris Bosh scored 32 points and grabbed eight boards, helping the Raptors get back on track.

Atlanta Hawks 116, Memphis Grizzlies 99: The Hawks are clinging to the eight-spot in the East, with the Nets breathing down their necks, and what better way to cling than playing the Knicks and Grizzlies in back-to-back games? That easy streak is about to end, though: Of their remaining eight games, five games come against Philadelphia (twice), Orlando, Boston, and Toronto.

Washington Wizards 87, Utah Jazz 129: The Jazz shot 59 percent from the floor, and nailed 15 three-pointers in their rout of the Wizards. Seven Jazz players scored in double figures, led by CJ Miles 29 point effort.

Denver Nuggets 117, Phoenix Suns 132: The Suns were down by 18 at the half, and trailed by as many as 22, but rallied on the back of Amare Stoudemire’s 41 point effort. ‘Melo and AI were a combined 16-37 from the field.

Dallas Mavericks 93, LA Clippers 86: Jason Kidd finally got something going on offense, scoring 27 points but only managed four assists. Dallas sits in the seven-spot of the West right now, gripping onto a one-game lead over the ninth-place Nuggets.