By Justin Lyons, NBA.com

Say Hello to your new Celeb League champ, Meat Loaf. (Vince Bucci/NBAE/Getty Images)

A weekly look inside the NBA Cares Celebrity Fantasy League

PLANET HOLLYWOOD FANTASY, April 19, 2007 --

The Monster is Loose.

Like a bat of hell, Meat Loaf wins the NBA Cares Celebrity Fantasy League!

The odds were stacked against Meat Loaf in the Championship game. He faced the overwhelming Pam Anderson/Kid Rock team, the league’s best team. If Meat Loaf were to win it all, his squad would have to be at its best. And it was.

Meat Loaf’s squad defeated Pam/Rock, 1584-1378 in the extended week contest. Since the regular season ended on a Wednesday, head-to-head leagues included players' statistics from April 9 through April 18. This title bout included the two hottest teams down the stretch. Remember, both teams had won six of the last seven heading into this contest.

Meat Loaf put his money on the intangible players having a big week, and they rewarded him for the most part. Los Angeles Clippers guard Jason Hart filled in nicely, scoring 191.5 points. Meanwhile, Hornets swingman Rasual Butler and Blazers center Jamaal Magloire contributed enough to compensate for Jason Terry’s diminished production (due to rest). The usual suspects handled their business for Meat Loaf; Elton Brand, Jason Kidd and Steve Nash had solid weeks, anchoring the ship to title town.

We knew it would be a tight matchup. The likely difference in this contest included four factors. We’ll go ahead and classify them as Play the Game, Bug Bites, On Guard, and the Big Dogs.

Play the Game

There is nothing too analytical about this factor. Let your mind play with these numbers: 49 to 38. Not too hard. What we have here, folks, are the games played for Meat Loaf’s team and Pam/Rock’s team, respectively. An eleven game difference. That’s a whole lot of production that Pam/Rock missed. Can't get production when the kids are playing the games!

Bug Bites

Riding the back of the “Play the Game” factor is our good friend, the injury bug. The most glaring reason for Pam Anderson/Kid Rock’s loss is the measly seven points Sonics point guard Earl Watson put up during the entire period. He was the lowest scoring player in the matchup as well as the only player to score in single digits. I’m sure Pam/Rock, like many other fantasy owners out there, banked on the fact that Watson had recently taken the starting point guard role with Luke Ridnour out with an ankle injury. However, Watson befell to an ankle injury as well, sidelining him for the rest of the season. Hence, the seven point total. Additionally, Andre Iguodala battled back spasms during the period, relegating his production to a sub-Iggy-like total of 40. As a result, Watson and Iggy played two total games. These two health complications threw a wrench in Pam/Rock’s plans for celebrity fantasy basketball domination.

Some would contend that had Gilbert Arenas been healthy, Pam/Rock could have won it all. It’s possible. What many likely forget to include, however, is that Meat Loaf did not start Rasheed Wallace and Tyson Chandler. Based on the lineups set by the celebs, the Watson and Iguodala injuries hindered Pam/Rock’s chances to win.

NBA Cares Celebrity Charities

Celebs have won money towards their chosen charities: Adam McKay: National Resources Defense Council Bernie Mac: Sarcodosis Foundation/American Cancer Society Bill Simmons: Scituate Basketball Association, Inc. Dean Cain: Malibu Foundation for Youth and Families George Lopez: Kidney Foundation Jimmy Kimmel & Cousin Sal: Talk about Curing Autism Kenny Smith: Aim High Foundation Meat Loaf: Painted Turtle Foundation Pam Anderson/Kid Rock: Pepperdine Baseball Samuel L. Jackson: Artists for a New South Africa Spike Lee: Morehouse College Journalism and Sports Program Will Ferrell: Cancer for College

On Guard

Meat Loaf had a dream team of guards (yes, you can still dream in fantasy) with Jason Kidd, Steve Nash and Jason Terry. Those three outplayed Pam/Rock’s guards (Baron Davis, Kirk Hinrich, and Watson), posting 200-plus more points in the Championship battle. Now, hindsight is 20/20, but Pam and Kid have to be kicking themselves when seeing Steve Blake’s six games played and 223 points sitting on the bench - going unaccounted for.

The Big Dogs

This was the big stage. The big lights shined. And the big dogs showed up to play. Elton Brand played seven games and racked up a monstrous 328 points – the most of any player during the period. Jason Kidd scored the third most with 281.5 points. As for Pam Rock ’s team, Ricky Davis ranked fifth (266 points) and Baron Davis came in at eighth (247.5). In the end, Meat Loaf's dogs came with a little bit more bite.

It was a heck of year for these two competitors. It must be disappointing for Pam/Rock, who won the regular season, led the league in points scored, but did not take home the Championship. As for the Celeb League overall, you couldn't have asked for more. We had trash talk, surprises, close matchups, and more.

So, Meat Loaf takes home his first NBA Cares Celebrity Fantasy League title. More importantly, he’s won $20,000 that will be donated to the Painted Turtle Foundation. Although, Meat Loaf won it all, each celebrity won too. Each participant receives money from NBA Cares to give to their chosen foundation. To view the final standings and results, go here.

Be sure to tune in during the upcoming weeks as the celebrities will be sharing their thoughts about the season! We've had a blast, and I'm sure the celebs have too. Thanks to all the celebrities who participated this year!