Mar 3, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers power forward Blake Griffin (32) shoots over Oklahoma City Thunder power forward Serge Ibaka (9) during the second half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

Serge Ibaka was fined $25,000 by the league office today for a low blow against Blake Griffin in Sunday’s game when the Los Angeles Clippers played the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Clippers were mounting a huge comeback against the Thunder and you could tell that the frustration was mounting between the two teams. Play started to get chippy and before you know it, Ibaka does this.

Surely, you would think that a suspension was coming from a blow like this. There wasn’t speculation before hand about whether or not he would be suspended. People were talking about how many games he should get for his actions. Needless to say, most people were shocked when it was discovered that Ibaka was only going to be fined $25,000 for his actions.

Many people on social networking sites like twitter and facebook are saying that if this was any other player aside from Ibaka, they would’ve been suspended by now. This may very well be true. With Ibaka’s saintly past around the league and his great reputation, its no surprise that the league didn’t come down on him very hard for this.

Some players took to twitter to express their displeasure with the punishment that Ibaka received. Namely, LeBron James and Matt Barnes. They both had some very interesting things to say. Take a look:

You can INTENTIONALLY grab or hit someone in the balls & not get suspended, but you push someone & get suspended. #ImConfused

— Matt Barnes (@Matt_Barnes22) March 5, 2013

RT @matt_barnes22: Let me or @mettaworldpeace do that & I guarantee its a 5game suspension.. I luv *how* there … tmi.me/MIfUZ

— Matt Barnes (@Matt_Barnes22) March 5, 2013

So if I would have back handed Ibaka, I would have been the only one to get suspended right??????????????????????????

— Matt Barnes (@Matt_Barnes22) March 5, 2013

So explain to me the difference? My teammate gets a 1 game suspension and 150k+ taking away from him for his groin altercation #strangetome

— LeBron James (@KingJames) March 5, 2013

Surely, what these guys are saying has some merit to it. I definitely believe it does. Does the league have a double standard? I won’t go that far. But I will say this–when you have a history things don’t seem to go your way. And that’s probably what benefited Ibaka in the end.

December 27, 2012; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers power forward Lamar Odom (7) guards Boston Celtics power forward Kevin Garnett (5) in the first half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

The Boston Celtics look to make it four straight wins today as they face the Los Angeles Clippers. Five weeks ago, the Clippers led by as many as 32 points and crushed the Celtics in L.A. In this meeting, both teams will look different. Rajon Rondo and Jared Sullinger are out for the season for Boston while for Los Angeles, Chris Paul and Chauncey Billups are inactive with injuries.

Once again, Boston will have to rely on an uptempo offense to supply most of their points. The Celtics have been successful in running the ball and in turn, their defense has gotten better. With the guards for L.A out for today’s game, Avery Bradley and Courtney Lee must take advantage on both ends of the court. If they pressure the guards like they did against the Orlando Magic, it’s going to be a long day for the Clippers.

The Celtics also have to box out and keep Blake Griffin out of the paint. The Clippers may not have the backcourt they’d prefer for this game, but their front court is at full strength while Boston’s front line is very thin. If the Celtics keep the Clippers off the boards and box out effectively, Boston should have an easier time trying to beat L.A.

Prediction

Despite being short handed, I think Boston comes away with the win. As long as the Celtics box out, pressure the guards, and run an uptempo offense, Boston has a good chance at winning the game.

If the 2009 NBA draft were held over again today, how would it go? I asked a handful of NBA GMs and while they

weren’t unanimous in their orders, certain points became clear: Blake Griffin still would be No. 1, though one GM would’ve taken James Harden in a do-over; Taj Gibson and Jrue Holiday made the biggest leaps; Hasheem Thabeet, Jonny Flynn and Jordan Hill all would’ve fallen out of the top 10. This is slightly different from the one I did for CSN during the Warriors-Celtics telecast, in that I only asked that set of GMs to order the top 10 with Jrue included. I neglected to account for several other lower picks slipping into the top 10. Here is the new and improved order as it would go today, with where they went in ’09 in parentheses: 
1. Blake Griffin (1) 
2. James Harden (3) 
3. Jrue Holiday (17) 
4. Steph Curry (7) 
5. Ricky Rubio (5) 
6. Ty Lawson (18) 
7. Taj Gibson (26) 
8. DeMar DeRozan (9) 
9. Tyreke Evans (4) 
10. Brandon Jennings (10)

-Ric Bucher via Sulia

That is according to NBA GMs.

Jan 11, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Houston Rockets shooting guard James Harden (13) shoots a free throw against the Boston Celtics during the first half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports

Here is my top-25, if the draft were re-done:

1) James Harden. Original Selection: 3rd

I think it is James Harden who has the most game-changing talent in the 2009 NBA Draft class. Harden is a multi-threat scorer and is the fourth leading scorer in the NBA this season. His ball handling skills allow Jeremy Lin to acclimate to life in the NBA at a more reactive pace than had he been the No. 1 option, or No. 2, as he would have been prior to the Harden deal.

He’s a far better defensive player than most take notice of, and averages over two steals per game. Harden’s steals ignite a dangerous Rockets team in transition that features the aforementioned Lin, a dynamic scoring forward in Chandler Parsons, an ever-improving big man Omer Asik, and role players like Patrick Patterson and Marcus Morris, the Rockets could make some noise.

I think at that point people will recognize he is a better player than Blake Griffin. And that’s saying a lot; Griffin made the All-Star team his rookie season in the NBA.

2) Blake Griffin. Original Selection: 1st

Blake Griffin missed his entire rookie season due to the fractured patella in his knee. He came back a total monster to win rookie of the year with the next year’s draft class, and he’s the best athlete at the 4-spot in the NBA in a very long time.

His play harkens flashbacks of Shawn Kemp, and his athleticism makes him a crowd-drawing sale.

3) Stephen Curry. Original Selection: 7th

Stephen Curry has become everything the Warriors thought he would be when they sacrificed Monta Ellis to obtain the now-injured Andrew Bogut.

Curry has carried the Warriors down the stretch in very LeBron-like fashion, often accounting for having scored or assisted most Warriors’ baskets in crunch time. With the Warriors thriving, he should make his first All-Star team this season.

Jan 08, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Jrue Holiday (11) shoots a jump shot over the defense of Brooklyn Nets guard Joe Johnson (7) during the first quarter at the Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

4) Jrue Holiday. Original Selection: 17

Jrue Holiday has kept the 76ers relevant without their best player, the newly acquired Andrew Bynum. That’s no small feat. The 76ers traded their only All-Star talent in Andre Iguodala to obtain Bynum, and also lost their sixth man and leading scorer Louis Williams.

Holiday is having a career year, and is the biggest leaper in the draft class, as he went outside of the lottery but is likely a perennial All-Star talent. I see Holiday making at least four All-Star appearances in his career.

5) Brandon Jennings. Original Selection: 10

Brandon Jennings came into the league as a player who would just shoot for the sake of it. But his shot-selection has been refined and he’s flourished with Monta Ellis at his side. Jennings and Ellis are a high scoring backcourt, though undersized. Jennings continues to learn the finer aspects of being an NBA point, and should eventually be the type to post well over 20 points per game.

Last season, Jennings averaged 19.5 per game, and he’s shooting a little less this year, so his scoring average has decreased slightly.

Still, Jennings is hitting 36.9 percent from three and getting up a lot of shots (15.8 per night). He’s likely going to be more featured as time goes on, since Jennings is just a mere 23 years old.

6) Ty Lawson. Original Selection: 18

Ty Lawson has the talent to be a perennial All-Star. He got paid like one this summer, signing a four-year $48 million deal. Lawson has struggled some this season, but is still a great scoring point guard whose potential makes him a cornerstone in the Nuggets franchise.

7) Tyreke Evans, 4th

Tyreke Evans had a great rookie year but has regressed every season since then. He won the 2009-10 Rookie of the Year award after posting 20/5/5, but has been mediocre since becoming only the fourth NBA rookie in history to post such numbers his first NBA season.

8) Taj Gibson, 26th

Taj Gibson didn’t go until the end of the first round, but his defensive talents and hard play make him a lottery selection if these teams had a do-over.

Jan 11, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves point guard Ricky Rubio (9) reacts against the New Orleans Hornets during the first quarter of a game at the New Orleans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

9) Ricky Rubio, 5th

Ricky Rubio based on talent alone deserved to go No. 5 overall, but he’s battled injuries. Rubio and the T-Wolves have a bright future, and he could potentially be a “Spanish Steve Nash.”

10) Marcus Thornton, 43rd

Marcus Thornton’s shooting touch and ability to fill it up make him a natural sixth man. He’s started for the Sacramento Kings, but could fill a nice role coming off the bench for a scoring punch on a contending team.

The remainder of the relevant:

11) Jeff Teague, 19th

12) DeMar DeRozan, 9th

13) Darren Collison, 21st

14) Byron Mullens, 24th

15) Eric Maynor, 20th

16) Gerald Henderson, 12th

17) Jodie Meeks, 41st

18) Chase Budinger, 44th

19) Rodrique Beaubois, 25th

20) Jonas Jerebko, 39th

21) Jordan Hill, 8th

22) Tyler Hansbrough, 13th

23) James Johnson, 16th

24) DeJuan Blair, 37th

25) Toney Douglas, 29th