Feb 24, 2013; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry (30) shoots against Minnesota Timberwolves power forward Derrick Williams (7) in the second quarter at Target Center. Warriors won 100-99. Mandatory Credit: Greg Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Tomorrow night, Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors fans get a treat as they witness two up and coming guards, Stephen Curry and Avery Bradley. Both come into the game with completely different mindsets and games. Curry is offensive oriented, while Bradley puts defense first above everything else. In the past we’ve been accustomed to seeing Rajon Rondo face other elite point guards in the league, but this time it’s Avery Bradley’s turn to face up against another rising guard in Stephen Curry.

Last night against the New York Knicks, Curry scored a career high 54 points, shooting 18 for 28 from the field, and knocking down 11 of 13 three point shots. Unfortunately for the Warriors, they came up four points short losing 109-105 to the Knicks. Curry is a powder keg, once he catches fire there is no stopping him. His pull up three’s in transition last night were lethal, and his quickness was just unstoppable.

Curry has scored 92 points combined in his last two games scoring 38 against the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday. If there is anyone who can stop this offensive explosion it would be Avery Bradley. Bradley, who is known to shut down some of the best guards in the league, probably isn’t phased by Curry’s recent dominance on the floor. Just like Rondo, Bradley plays harder against better players to show the league what he’s got.

Tomorrow night, something has to give, either Curry get’s shut down, or Bradley gets beaten on defense. Before the season, this would have been the most unlikely matchup to get any attention whatsoever, but both players have been playing great as of late and it will be enjoyable to see them battle it out throughout the entire game. Tomorrow also holds some significant importance to their respective teams as both the Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors are fighting for playoff spots in their conferences. It should be a great game in every aspect, but I will be focused on this one matchup as either player could be the key to a victory for their teams.

Feb. 22, 2013; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Boston Celtics guard Avery Bradley (0) drives the ball during the game against the Phoenix Suns in the first half at US Airways Center. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports

January 21, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors power forward David Lee (10) shoots the ball against Los Angeles Clippers power forward Lamar Odom (7) during the third quarter at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Clippers 106-99. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

David Lee is quietly having another monster season, and the majority of the “oohs” and “ahhs” are thrown at the more exciting front court players like Dwight Howard and Blake Griffin.

Lee dunks, but let’s be honest, the guy doesn’t have a 40-plus inch vertical.

And that robs him of the notoriety given to guys who own it with arial attacks.  Lee does his damage with his mobility, all around versatility and deadly mid-range face-up game.  He’s a consummate power forward and the only player in the league to be in the top-10 of scoring and rebounding.

Add to this, the Golden State Warriors are playing phenomenally well and riding strong in a tough Western Conference loaded with potential 50-win teams.  The Warriors are 25-15 and just defeated the L.A. Clippers by a score of 115-94.

They then played the Cllps two nights later at Staples, but received the opposite end of a brutal game, losing 115-94.  But they showed at their best they can hang with the best in the West (whether or not you are buying on the Clippers’ title chances or not).

The problem is that if they nominate a honorary Warrior to substantiate the Warriors’ great team play so far, it will likely be Stephen Curry.  Basically, if the coaches select Curry, they’ll likely snub Lee in favor of LaMarcus Aldridge and Kevin Love.  They won’t choose Lee over Marc Gasol either, citing the need to have at least one center.

It begs the question:  “Will Lee be one of those guys who is continually left out of the All-Star loop because he just isn’t flashy enough?”

How can Lee make the All-Star team in the Western Conference when Blake Griffin is going to be a lock, regardless of all-around inferiority in play?

The fans are always going to elect the guys who jump over cars and do KIA commercials.  Not the shy guy from Florida who quietly puts up better numbers.

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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