Karen: so Tom Izzo to the cavaliers?
Me: yeah, though he has no guarantee that lebron is staying.
Karen: if lebron wants to stay, who would it be to make that decision?
me: his decision?
Karen: i mean. let’s say he wanted to stay but the cavs didnt want him anymore?
me: uhhhh…
Karen: could they technically reject him?
me: yes but they wouldn’t. they’re dying for him to stay.
Karen: im saying hypothetically…b/c he’s incapable of winning a championship.
she DOES have a point you know…
Today for the first time, I watched a baseball game that wasnt the World Series and didnt involve either the A’s or the Giants. Yes. I watched a baseball game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Washington Nationals, arguably two of the worst teams this decade.
Why? Two words. Stephen Strasburg.
Strasburg has been the most hyped baseball prospect since Alex Rodriguez in 1993. During his junior year at San Diego State, he compiled a 13-1 record, a 1.32 ERA, 59 hits, 16 earned runs, 19 walks, and 195 strikeouts in only 109 inning pitched. Absolutely INSANE numbers. He was then drafted #1 in 2009 by the Washington Nationals. In the minor leagues this year, he finished his minor league stint with an overall record of 7–2, an ERA of 1.30, 65 strikeouts and 13 walks in 55⅓ innings, and a WHIP of 0.80. Again. Absolutely INSANE numbers.
Tonight, he made his major league debut pitching against the Pittsburgh Pirates. It was a sold out crowd, and the entire nation was buzzing with excitement over his debut. Any boy he didn’t disappoint. 7 innings pitched, 4 hits, 2 earned runs, 14 STRIKEOUTS, and NO WALKS. In his first game, he set the franchise record with most strikeouts in a game.
His feat is so amazing that there are only 5 other pitchers since 1900 to throw at least 14 strikeouts and 0 walks: Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson, Javier Vazquez, Mike Mussina, Brad Penny. That’s some pretty fine company to have!
Strasburg is the real deal, and he brings a sense of hope to a franchise that has struggled tremendously this decade.
However, this was the 2nd piece of really good news for the club this week. Yesterday in the 2010 draft, the Nationals again had the #1 draft pick, and they drafted a kid named Bryce Harper, who supposedly is one of the best power hitters in recent memory. If both he and Strasburg live up their hype, the Nationals will have such a solid foundation to build a team around and become competitive once again.
Elsewhere around Washington
The excitement in Washington isnt only around their baseball team.
Washington Redskins (football) – This offseason, they fired Jim Zorn, their coach for the past two years, and brought in Mike Shanahan, the former Denver Broncos coach who won 2 Superbowls with the team. Shanahan has to be one of the top 5 coaches in the league right now, and will definitely turn around the team. Not only that, they brought in Donovan McNabb from the Eagles to be their new starting QB, replacing Jason Campbell. Yes McNabb is getting older and he’s past his prime, but he’s still a big upgrade over Campbell. Also, McNabb gives the team at least 2-3 seasons of playing, which is more than enough time to develop their younger quarterbacks, Rex Grossman and Colt Brennan. If these two dont work out, they could also look to draft a QB in the next couple drafts.
Washington Wizards (basketball) – Recently, the Wizards have suffered, mainly stemming from Gilbert Arenas and his injuries/legal troubles. The Wizards used to be a force in the Eastern Conference, but now have struggled to make the playoffs these past two seasons. However, their fortunes changed in April’s draft lottery. Since they had the 5th worst record in the NBA last year, they had a 10% chance of getting the 1st pick (the Nets with the worst record had a 25% chance). However, the Wizards beat the odds and were awarded the #1 pick in the draft, where they’ll mostly likely draft John Wall from Kentucky. He’s the type of player that will be a cornerstone for the team and who you could definitely build around.
Taking a page out of Bill Simmon’s book, I decided to write my own game diary.
With a computer on my lap and the DVR recording, I could simultaneously enjoy games and comment on the action.
Pregame entrance:
Jeff Osborne singing amazed my Dad. Afterwards, a cool pregame entrance for the Lakers.
My favorite anthem singing person? Beyonce’s 2004 Superbowl: Patriots vs. Panthers.
I liked the “singing” 😉
Pregame Commercial
I always like the pre-game show where they show all the history of the NBA finals.
NEVER UNDERESTIMATE A HEART OF A CHAMPION.
(Rudy Tomadiayaydavich’s 1995 championship run)
WHAT A SPECTAKULAR MOVE! (MJ’s 2 hand switch)
WELCOME TO THE NBA FINALS. (Fin)
Wow that was cool.
1st quarter
12:00
Tip off and here we go! And we already get a score by rondo…
This can’t be a bad start already…?
11:33
So Artest and Paul Pierce do a weird, butt- to butt wrestle move on a box out. Double technicals?
Yeah, Crawford gives the technicals. At this point, I’d say yes the Artest-Ariza switch was worth it. Ariza could not guard Paul Pierce. But Artest has the body to defend Pierce. He is essentially our Rodman wannabe with his crazy hair and personality. We’ll make do with it.
11:21
Gasol throws it away after being bodied up and pushed by Garnett.
Garnett is very good at up close contact, but can get a little carried away sometimes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYqCMN8dVAU
Not a very good start. Please Artest be smart; and Gasol, please be tougher than that.
Don’t be Garnett’s _________.
10:46
Fisher makes a 2. Then has to body up against Ray Allen.
The other matchup I fear; so many unknowns, gah!
9:58
No way. Fisher picks up 2nd foul and Phil Jackson goes to…. “the Machine”????
This guy who’s a shooter and plays terrible defense? This guy who Ray Allen tore up from 2 years ago and made Sasha lose his job for 2 years? Sigh.
Too many unknowns for me right now. Will Artest be smart? Can Gasol be tough?
And now we have to bring in Vujacic? Mr. “I Cry at Contact”?
Ray Allen drains a jumper over Vujacic. >.< They clearly don’t teach defense in Slovenia.
8:41
Basically, the ugliest fast break ever occured, according to Mark Jackson and I. Artest steals the ball, loses control, ,butgets bailed out by Pau Gasol‘s rebound and Garnett gets called for the foul. However, I like the aggressiveness on defense for the Lakers, especially our deflections have stopped the passes into the interior low post.
8:03
All 5 starters have scored for the Lakers. Balance? That’s good. If this actually keeps up, Lakers win this easily. Meanwhile Rondo makes a jump- shot and a back door cut. Kobe! Stop double teaming!
Rondo‘s is as smart as he is physically strong as a ball player.
6:01
Ray Allen gets 2nd foul. Thank God. To me, Ray Allen is the 2nd most dangerous Celtics to the Lakers. Perhaps more than Rondo even. I’m serious when I say I get chills when Allen gets on a roll. Let’s hope Lakers attack Ray Allen to get him in foul trouble, because you make sure a shooter stays cold.
Lakers 16-10.
2 minutes pass by
Artest has 2 fouls now. Jordan Farmar comes in now. Like I said, the bench needs to step up.
3:05
Mostly, bench players out there now. We’ll see who steps up more.
Apparently, Jeff Van Gundy really loves In- N- Out Burgers.
“Why are you talking about food?”
“It’s dinner time! It’s 6:30”
How can you not love Jeff Van Gundy? Probably my favorite commentator.
2:10
Bryant has a 2006- flash appearance of himself, as he goes 1 on 2 despite having Shannon Brown for the dunk. Odom bails him out with a follow up. Purely attacking the basket, the Lakers are forcing Celtic bigs to challenge, which leads to more offensive rebounding and points in the paint. Good plan, Phil, good plan.
1:00
Bryant picks up the 2nd foul. Man, these refs are playing it tight. That’s 4 starters out because of foul trouble.
45 seconds down
Farmar drive.
Brown drive.
Farmar steal!!!
Awesome sequence that could have been capitalized with an Odom score, but we’ll take it.
Meanwhile, in the life of Howard, it’s 6:45 and he drives to church and misses the 2nd quarter. Thank God for DVR. After an awesome worship practice, I quickly drove home (late too… yikes) and went to the T.V. Forget about my game diary until the 3rd quarter. Besides 2nd quarter was alright: Ray Allen gets 4 fouls, Kobe scores; eh I forgot. Oh the Kobe Shot of course. I love how other opponents are even amazed by his shot. (Paul Pierce drops head). Good teamwork by the Lakers. I love their passing. Wallace is stupid. That was the 2nd quarter.
Halftime:
Kobe is the student of the game.
I’d like to say I learned all my post moves from watching Shaq and C-Booz.
You can see my low post dominance if you ‘d like, just call me up and we’ll schedule a one on one.
3rd quarter
10:16
Rondo hasn’t been making his usual game layups. Not as aggressive to me than before.
Meanwhile, Bynum sneaks in a few more points. He’s been making a great contribution with his presence and size on both ends of the floor.
Meanwhile, Rondo responds with a left-hand sky hook; thanks for making me look stupid Rondo.
9:15
Ray Allen gets another foul. Jeff Van Gundy puts it best: There are no shooters on the floor with Rondo, Perkins and Tony Allen. Basically the offense is put on KG and Pierce’s shoulders and neither have gotten it going.
8:36
Rondo has big hands? That’s why he can’t shoot free throws? That’s the biggest excuse ever. C’mon it’s called practice, Rondo.
2 things are preventing him from being the best point guard: his shot and his free throws. As aggressive as he is, he shoots like a center and now you can’t trust him in crunch time if the game is close.
Hack-a- Rondo?
6:28
Fisher shoots with the highest arc ever. It results in very pretty shots or really bad misses.
Today, its the primer.
6:10
Interesting sequence:
On a Kobe fast break, I had seen the great defense by Artest, but I’m notice at the lack of hustle from the Celtics. What’s different from 2008 is age and intensity.
When you saw Kobe ran a similar fast break in Game 5 in 2008, you would see Celtics would run him down and even though Kobe still made the dunk, they (James Posey) would still mess with him by hitting his legs on the way up. This time? Garnett can’t even cross the 3 point line because 1) his legs and 2) the security wall provided by Artest and Fisher.
Things are different in 2010.
5:20 –
It really perplexes me that Rondo has such limited range; I mean you’re 12 feet away from the basket! I know you’re not a good shooter but can’t you throw a floater. Instead, passes to Kendrick Perkins for the 2. Hmmm, fine that works too, but you could be dominant if you had a shot, Rondo!
4:48
Gasol Flops. And that’s a foul? What? I mean cmon! No, I do not agree with the comentators, flopping is not a foul. You just look stupid and you’re costing your team. Stupid. 2 pts for garnett 58-67 Lakers
4:30
I just witnessed Pau Gasol own the Celtics on the boards single-handedly; you can’t doubt his toughness anymore or you say the Celtics are not as physical. Either way, it’s not 2008.
3:03
Paul Pierce called for a loose ball foul. Man, this game is being called so tight. Well, it’s helping the Lakers mostly since it’s keeping Allen on the bench. Yay?
2:11
The exclamation mark. The javelin perhaps? I see sloppy basketball from the Celtics and stellar athleticism by Kobe Bryant as he swats away Tony Allen’s shot and runs for an alley-oop. Kevin Garnett takes a bad shot, Artest makes a good decision in pushing the ball: everything is going the Laker’s way so far. But to be a devil’s advocate, there only up 13. o.O
2:00
Rondo… you drive so much yet you refuse to go against the bigs. You need to score, but you’re being passive. MARK JACKSON AGREES WITH ME. YOU GOTTA SCORE! You can’t be scared of length!
1:39
Wow…. Ray Allen picks up his 5th foul. That wasn’t a foul and it wasn’t even on Allen. Well, the refs are really helping out the Lakers by taking out Allen. Wallace checks Fisher. Never liked Wallace, did I ever mention that? He looks like Scooby Doo.
1:00 and down
Wow. Celtics cannot shoot. The Lakers are crisp in passing, attacking the basket, and making plays. You can argue the refs hurt the Celtics, but the Lakers are just being more aggressive than the Celtics. Plain and simple. Kobe checks out for Shannon Brown. Wallace gets a technical and that’s his 5th technical.
Rondo charges straight into Gasol, instead of dishing it to Allen. Here’s the perfect explanation from Jeff Van Gundy:
“And Rondo takes the drive instead, because of the limited range of Tony Allen, which leads to the charge”
Sigh… such a good commentator. One of my favorites alongside (in no ranking or order) Hubie Brown, Doug Collins (will miss him), Mark Jackson (MAMA there goes that man!), and Charles Barkley (haha I’m kidding).
End of 3rd quarter
Artest with another 3??? Is this Christmas or what?
4th quarter:
I’m sad. No more Phil Jackson and Craig Saiger interviews. Damn you ABC!!! Hire Craig Saiger for the NBA finals and lets make more fun of his suits! You’ll get more viewers, I swear!!!
11:20
Hahaha, Wallace unnecessarily hops over some fans, which is basically 2-3 feet, so congrats Wallace? Haha, if you get the chance look at the Laker fans giving him a “That was completely stupid” look. I laughed when Mike Breen said, “Good hustle from Wallace.”
Hustle and Wallace should never occur in the same sentence.
And, now another check at Gasol from Wallace. Jeez, I hate how he stole the 2004 ring from the Lakers. THIS GUY? SERIOUSLY? THIS GUY TOOK OUR CHAMPIONSHIP? THIS FATTY TOOK OUR TITLE.
10:54
You know who Nate Robinson reminds me of? Stephon Marbury. Just an idea. You’ll see.
Side note:
Bad Romance was just aired in Staples Center. Whoever thought of this idea was stupid.
9:35
And look who proves me wrong. Nate makes a good pass and rallies the troops. 5’9 warrior!
8:45
Uh oh, this isn’t looking very good. Momentum has shifted; lead is down to 13, and we’re making stupid plays. >.< (God, please not let this be Game 4 2008.)
Chris Rock’s interview:
Weirdest interview as Chris Rock is more focused on the game than the interview.
Meanwhile, Farmar saves the Lakers with a momentum stopping layup. And Ray Allen is back in. I expected that, since the momentum was shifting to the Celtics, but now Gasol adds 2 more points with his pretty Abdul-Jabbar hook. Lakers up 15. It’s all good for now.
7:17
My DVR stopped recording the game segment. Luckliy, I’m smart to record the next segment after the game. I hate that, I mean seriously can’t the DVR be smart enough to like extend the recording?
I was robbed earlier this year when I watched the NFC championship from 1st quarter to 4th quarter. That game went to OT and I’m rooting for Favre as they drive down the field, and then that annoying message pops up:
YOUR RECORDING IS OVER.
It might as well just have said:
YOUR ENTIRE DAY GOT SCREWED OVER. THANKS FOR WATCHING.
I had to watch the highlights just to see what happened. And the Vikings lost.
Bad day in general.
Oh shoot. Back to the action:
Gasol has an awesome left hand dunk off the Ron Artest wrestle steal from Glen Davis, and Ron Artest screams the Kevin Garnett-like scream: ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!
Artest has played so well; I just hope he keeps it up for 6 more games.
6:00
Doc River finally puts in the right person: Glen Davis. Kendrick Perkins is basically a boot for this Celtic’s Car; hahaha like the analogy? Seriously, Perkins is such a liability on offense, the Celtics are playing 4 on 5, as Bynum or Gasol can play off Perkins and help on Rondo Drives or Ray Allen shots.
Yeah he’s your defensive stopper, but Davis has shown he can do that as well.
Woah two defining plays happened: Kevin Garnett’s airball put back and the Gasol to Lamar alleyoop
Basically, Garnett’s failed attempt at a dunk could mean 1) his aging and 2) summarizes the entire Celtic night. I mean Kevin Garnett 2 years ago would have easily downed that ball. Now? Barely got above the rim. A night full of lackluster intensity and no flow.
At the same time, the Lakers showed they are unstoppable when all the starters are in rhythm. You can’t stop two 7 footers and Kobe and Artest. The surprise was Artest shooting, but the Celtics can live with that. They can’t live with 8 offensive boards for Pau Gasol. If this low post domination continues, don’t even think about Game 6 or 7 at Staples. Lakers could easily end this in Boston.
4:30
Kobe grabs another offensive rebound. That’s just desire. Like Pat Riley said, No rebounds no Championships. Another example of Kevin Garnett’s gradual decline as a player. 2008: would he have let Kobe take that board from him? Heck no. 2010: My knees are too old!
Side note:
Wow. Did they just play “Baseball Tonight’s theme music” for a Spelling Bee competition?
(Did I just recognize the theme music for an analyst segment of a sport I don’t even like that much? Wow, I watch too much t.v.)
3:50
Nice Dish. Kobe’s on fire.
3:02
Kevin Garnett’s passive. Rondo’s passive. He’s way too intimidated by the length of the Lakers and settling for jump shots.
2:29
Turnover for Celtics. 82-95 Lakers.
2:07
Phil Jackson is 47-0 when he wins Game 1.
LAKERS NBA CHAMPIONS in 2010!
I hope it’s not 47-1.
1:49
Artest another 3. This is just too much. It’s like my birthday combined with Easter.
48 seconds
Haha, Kobe wanted the 30 points when he went for the 3 pointer.
45 seconds later….
Kobe gets his 30 points with a 3 pointer.
Kobe gets what he wants. That is the world today.
Things are looking good
102-89 Lakers.
Overall summary:
Lakers played great despite some turnovers and the referee calls.
Big story: Ray Allen’s non-existence because of the foul calls.
Not too sure if the Lakers will get that same officiating in the future.
Lakers have game one in the books, now it’s time for Game 2. This is crucial for the Lakers to secure home-court. Boston will be fresher and more intense in Game 2, so the Lakers will have to respond.
The 2 days rest will be good for both teams, but I look for Ray Allen, Rondo, and Pierce to pick it up for the Celtics. But I’m glad that the Lakers showed how tough they were.
Side notes I also learned:
Also glad I got my first game diary out of the way.
Whew. I must say Bill Simmons does a good job. But then again this is his only job.
Anyways, enjoy the NBA finals as the Lakers wrap up Game 1.
“This will be the 12th Finals meeting between the league’s two storied franchises. When they’re done, the Lakers and Celtics will have accounted for 33 of the NBA’s 64 championships” (via Yahoo! Sports)
As my friend said, “Damn!”
Indeed.
You’re talking about the two most famous franchises in the NBA’s history that have had the biggest stars in league history: Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Bill Russell, Bob Cousey, Jerry West, Kevin McHale, Bill Walton, etc.
The list goes on and on.
Now, this year’s NBA Finals will add another chapter to this historic series, including a lot of subplots, as both the Lakers and the Celtics have a lot to prove.
For the Celtics:
Ray Allen is almost 35. Kevin Garnett is 34. Paul Pierce is almost 33.
People were talking about how old the Celtics were in 2008; now they’re back, but 2 years older, yet they have been able to play at an intense level to return to the NBA finals. However, the new addition is of course, Rajon Rondo. If he could shoot normally, I personally think Rajon Rondo would be one of the NBA’s best point guards ever.
(It’s ridiculous to think that the Phoenix could have kept him; instead they traded him away for 3 million dollars… Sigh. The Phoenix Suns could have had Rajon Rondo and Steve Nash on the same team; it’s already hard to guard Steve Nash and his accurate passes, just imagine how much the Suns would score if you had two point guards with that much talent! Stat lines would be 18-4-18 for Nash and 20-10-15 for Rondo. Howard, the chemistry would not work at all, Nash and Rondo are ball-handlers; hey, I can dream ok. Just imagine this was NBA Live and you had both guys on your team. That would be a freaking ridiculous combo. Howard, they would get killed defensively, Steve Nash is already a liability and now you want to put Rondo as your 2 guard on a Kobe or a Vince Carter? SHUDDUP! It was just a dream scenario ok? Anyways… )
My main point, the Celtics are old. The Big Three won’t be playing at this level for much longer. In fact, most people disregarded them during the 2nd half of the season for the Celtic’s “legs” or their health factors. The time is now for the Celtics with everyone healthy and a bench that has been responsible as much as Rondo’s superiority. The Celtics basically have one last shot at a title, and unfortunately this could be it before a big swing in the NBA of 2010 free agency. Orlando couldn’t get it together, Cleveland went from champs to beggars, pleading for Lebron to stay, and other teams tanked for 2010, leaving Celtics with an easier path to the title.
What could happen in 2010 if D-Wade and Lebron and Bosh collaborate to form a super team. No one, including the Celtics could keep up, and maybe the Lakers would have a shot, but if that happens, Lebron gets another 3 rings, perhaps. (Heck no Howard, not after that weak stuff I saw from Lebron, he needs a lot of help. I know, the main idea is that 2010 is a crazy year. Win one before the chaos ensues. Hey Howard, whatcha think about Delonte West sleeping with James’ mom? If it’s true…, but if it’s true?, West, one she doesn’t look that hot…, and you’re stupidity just cost Cleveland another title and perhaps the greatest player they will ever have. Hope it was worth it. :P)
So what does this 64th Championship mean for both sides?
A lot.
This NBA title would impact 4 of the Celtic’s careers forever.
For the Big 3, it cements their legacy as hall of famers and the idea that ubuntu is real, (that 3 guys were Superstars on their own teams, yet champions together for the Celtics). Ray Allen would not be Reggie Miller. Kevin Garnett would not be Karl Malone. Paul Pierce would not be Shawn Kemp. Shawn Kemp….? Really? Couldn’t think of a better example? Fine, Tracy McGrady if that example fits more. There we go. Shawn Kemp seriously?? Alright alright.
Simply put, these guys were already hall of famers, and this ring can put them in higher levels in the hall of fame ring, and in Celtics history.
For Rajon Rondo, this signifies the beginning, the making of a superstar. Similar to Kobe’s situation in 2009, Rondo will have the chance to win a championship as the leader of the team. Danny Ainge is now lucky and can now build around Rondo once the Big 3 are gone. Remember, last year when the rumor was floating around that Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo were being traded for Ben Gordon and Rodney Stuckey? At that time, it was already one sided, but now the idea is completely ludicrous. Rondo can “write his own future” and certify himself as the new point guard of the league above Deron Williams and Chris Paul, become an All Star for next 8 years, and hopefully win more titles.
Well where does he rank now? Hrm, probably top 3. I don’t like discounting Chris Paul since he was injured, but I must say Rondo already beat a lot of point guards. Well a list… perhaps? Fine.
Deron Williams, Rondo/CP3, Nash, Derek Rose. What??How do you put Deron Williams above him? He got bumped out already!!! By a good Laker’s team. Deron Williams has the strongest build and speed, dishes as good as anyone, and has range. I’m knocking rondo for that. Anyways…
On the flip side, the Lakers also have a lot to gain:
Kobe Bryant‘s Legacy
I don’t care what the haters say, but if you win 5 titles, you’re pretty legit.
Kobe Bryant has a lot of things to assert himself as the most dominant player of this era, and the comparisons to Michael Jordan are no longer that far-fetched. Even Kobe has followed the Michael Jordan blue prints of how to succeed, developing a fallaway jumper and an offensive game that no longer relies on young legs to spring for a 540 dunk anymore.
(Kobe Bryant only won 1on his own! I hate that statement, I mean Scottie Pippin won 6 titles. He’s as much of a factor to Michael Jordan’s Success as MJ was to him! I mean yeah if you’re Sun Yin on last year’s Lakers, then yes, you did not win the championship on your own, but stop this whole “Those are Shaq’s titles!” comments.
Kobe Bryant would pass Tim Duncan and Shaq on the active players’ rings with 5, and basically reasserts his dominance in the league. 5 rings. One Hand. I really like Kobe’s game now, you basically witnessed an offensive masterpiece in Game 6, as Kobe silenced the crowd with repeatedly difficult jumpers and even lovetapped Alvin Gentry. You can do that if you’re that good and Kobe is that good. MJ good? We’ll see.
Bill Simmons wrote in his book, The Book of Basketball, (It’s a long book… but very entertaining, though not recommended for anyone under age 13), that Kobe Bryant “wins one more championship…. he quickly jumps Oscar and West to become the third-best guard of all time” (Simmons 529) ß Yeah 529 pages… that’s only ¾ of the book.
Well, this was written in early 2009. What about now? What if Kobe wins another title “on his own”? Where does this put him in the “greatest category”? I never thought there would be another Michael Jordan, and I probably still think that today. But watching Kobe is eerily similar to watching Michael Jordan. We’ll see in 5 years.
The other Lakers? They get rings?
I don’t really care, I mean they’re there for Kobe and they get more famous?
Honestly, it’s not like Farmar and Walton can say HEY I want to go now, because I’m on the best team in the NBA, but I’m not getting enough recognition. You’re the backup pointguard and perhaps the future after Derek Fisher. Quiet now.
As for Phil Jackson?
I dunno, I hope he stays; I think he’ll ride Kobe for one more year and get 12 rings and be on 4 3-peat teams (that’s definitely a record), being a part of MJ, Scottie, Shaq, and Kobe’s ride. Crazy.
Anyways, the reason I’m cutting short is I just realized I have typed nearly a 1000 words, and I have yet to talk about the prompt Jon gave me. The actual finals… Hmmm. Oops, guess thats what they teach you in school, “Address the prompt.”
Anyways here it goes, my opinion is Lakers in 6 or 7.
Rondo is the new bonus, but so is the Laker’s front court.
Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol are already a formidable front court with Odom waiting in the wings. Yes, Bynum is not as effective with that knee drained and limited mobility, but his presence is already enough. He’s basically Kendrick Perkins with a better offensive game. Look for him to try to score early in the 1st half, before Phil Jackson takes him out for Lamar.
That’s the key to this series- How well the front court plays because Celtics have the advantage unfortunately with the back court. Paul Pierce and Ray Allen can keep pace with Kobe and Rondo has everything on Fisher. (Ray Allen scares me. Yeah, don’t worry, he scares me too. I get nightmares of his off-ball screens and basically he runs around and gets off a 3. Then I wake up in a cold sweat and realize, wait… crap! That actually happened today. I know, me too L.
This means either Pau Gasol is going to take off some of the pressure on Kobe or the bench or Fisher will have to provide some scoring. In the Suns series, it was more Kobe and whoever can help him out that day.
That can’t happen in the Celtic Series.
Kobe and Pau have to be consistent and with the added play of the bench or Odom/Artest, and the Lakers can take it easily in 6.
Yet, this is not a perfect world. I can only hope Artest doesn’t blow a brain-fart and shoot and have the entire Staples Center yell at him. You can’t be that lucky, especially in two series. The Lakers can pull out this series victory if Ron Artest does his job and shuts down Paul Pierce; Artest is perfect for defending Pierce with his upper body strength; (Artest is the master of bodying, which I will write another article explaining the art of bodying up), however the question remains, who guards Ray Allen? (He scares me! Is he even human? No one can be that bald! So early!) At least he’s not like DJ Mbenga.
Kobe would guard Ray Allen, then Fisher would guard…. Rondo. >.<
Kobe would guard Ray Allen, then Fisher would guard…. Rondo.
Kobe guards Rondo, and Fisher guards…. Ray Allen?
Picture in my head: Ray Allen runs around the base line with Derek Fisher chasing him, getting clocked by Kevin Garnett, flopping into the stands, yet the refs don’t call anything, and Ray shoots a 3. Yeah? Well imagine that for 48 minutes… Oh…. Yikes.
Kobe guards Rondo, and Fisher guards…. Ray Allen
I don’t know if they have an answer for it. I truly don’t know. Maybe we can call on the Machine?
For Boston, the key is shutting down Kobe, which they have done before and establishing front court dominance, to force Gasol and Odom into foul trouble, which leaves Josh Powell and DJ Mbenga as backups. Pierce and Allen can get hot whenever, but if Kevin Garnett gets hot? That would be too much for the Lakers to handle.
Here’s my take on the series:
The 2-3-2 format favors the away team, putting more pressure on the home team to secure home court advantage.
Whoever wins the first 2 games will win the series.
Lakers have to win Game 1. They’re just better and Phil Jackson is unbeaten if they win game 1.
It’d be great if Lakers win both, putting them in a great position to steal a game at Boston before returning home.
If Boston wins 1 out of the 2, this sets them up for a 4-1 closeout at home possibly.
Essentially, Kobe will not allow his team to cough up a game at home and certainly has the capability to steal one at Boston. If they do, Boston’s done.
However, I think Boston is too jaded and worn down by the East Conference.
Wallace and Davis who are the heroes for the Celtics run are a little banged up and we’ll see if they can be the effective role players they were before.
The Laker’s length will help, but the bench will be a nice bonus. So far the Laker’s starters have had to pick up the slack for the bench play (Sasha…. Slovenia lives in terror!)and if the bench picks it up alongside the starters play, Celtics would not be able to compete.
Result:
Lakers in 5-6. (If bench plays well, and starters are consistent)
Celtics in 6-7 (If bench, Big 4 play well, and Lakers bench plays worse)
Let’s just hope Farmar, Walton, Shannon Brown, came ready to play.
Overall:
Sigh… a year ago, Paul Pierce tweeted about his opinion of the NBA Finals in 2009.
“Looked like a German shepherd vs. a poodle. That’s OK the Rottweiler Celtics will b back in 2010”
And who would have thought that Mr. Pierce would have held up on his own guarantee.
The Celtics are back indeed and will have the chance to reassert themselves against the Lakers.
So much on the line including history, legacies, and of course the NBA championship.
It’ll be fun, just ask Magic Johnson:
Magic Johnson’s reaction: http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=5235503
Like Mr. Johnson says, get ready this is Christmas for all NBA fans. Just enjoy it. I can even though I’m a Lakers fan, I can enjoy good basketball when I see it. This will be great basketball; no more shallackings that we’ve been seeing in the NBA playoffs. I expect super close games and hopefully a 3OT game 7 with Kobe game winner. But then again? ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!
Enjoy.
Before the season started, all the top teams kept their rosters intact, yet made one significant signing.
LA Lakers – Signed Ron Artest
Cleveland Cavaliers – Signed Shaquille O’neal
Orlando Magic – Signed Vince Carter
San Antonio Spurs – Signed Richard Jefferson
Boston Celtics – Signed Rasheed Wallace
All these players are big name players who were once all stars on their own team at one point in their career, but they are all players who have hit their prime. All 5 of these players entered into a situation where they were no longer the best player on their team and no longer the focal point of the team’s offense. However, they are all still very good and effective players, and were brought in as the “last missing piece” to winning the championship.
These five players were brought in for all different reasons. Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson were signed to provide additional scoring to the Orlando Magic and San Antonio Spurs, respectively. The Cavs pretty much brought in Shaq as a body to play against Dwight Howard in the Eastern Conference Finals (so much for that decision). Ron Artest was brought into the LA Lakers for his lockdown defending, hustle, energy, and extremely streaking shooting. The Boston Celtics signed Rasheed Wallace to back up Kendrick Perkins and be a spark off the bench and to provide the team with good energy, defense, and rebounding.
From the beginning of the season, I had said that the team that brings in the player that fulfills his role the best will most likely win the championship. This is also under the assumption that the core pieces on the team play their best.
Take Shaq first. You can blame him for the Cav’s playoff failures. He actually played pretty decently in the playoffs. It was the rest of the core, Lebron James, Mo Williams, and co, that didnt play their best.
However, you could say the Vince Carter experiment in Orlando was a disaster. The entire team carried their weight, except for Vince Carter, who only averaged 13 pts/game against Boston, after averaging 18 against Atlanta and 15 against Charlotte. Carter’s emotional state was fragile in the Boston series and he just choked and couldnt provide the scoring that the Magic needed.
If you say the Vince Carter experiment was an disaster, then the Richard Jefferson experiment in San Antonio was the apocalypse. Here was a guy who averaged only 12 pts/game the entire season, even though he has a career mark of 17 pts/game. I actually thought Jefferson had the best chance of making the biggest difference. His entire career, Jefferson was always the primary scorer and had to shoulder most of the scoring burdens of his team. Here he was coming into a situation where he would play 4th fiddle to Duncan, Parker, and Ginobilli and that release of burden would enable to have the freedom to do what he wants. Boy was I wrong…
That leaves us with Rasheed Wallace and Ron Artest, two players who are best fulfilling their roles that they were brought in to do, and not surprisingly, we have the Boston Celtics and LA Lakers back in the NBA Finals once again.
Rasheed Wallace has been a very interesting pickup. Bill Simmons absolutely ripped him in a column last month, criticizing his lack of energy, dedication, heart…etc. But just like the rejuvenation of the entire team, Wallace has made a complete 180 in his attitude and play. He is providing very good minutes off the bench backing up Perkins, and is giving the team good energy. He’s also providing the team great streaky shooting, as seen by his 21 point outburst against Orlando, and a 17 point outburst against the Cavs. For some very strange reason, I believe he’s going to be play a very significant role in this upcoming series against the Lakers.
But out of all the offseason acquisitions across the league, I believe the signing of Ron Artest by the Los Angeles Lakers was the best pickup. There were huge expectations placed on him. Here he was coming to a team straight off a championship, replacing a guy, Trevor Ariza, who played a significant role on that team. If the Lakers dont win this year, people will look at him as the only change from last year and place the blame unfairly on him. However, Ron-Ron has come in and played well and consistent throughout the entire year, and has provided lockdown defense on numerous star opponents.
Then you have his amazing buzzer beating shot in game 5, which just goes to show his knowledge of the game, the situation, and his hustle off the boards.
and then he follows up that performance with a 25 point performance in game 6, including 4 of 7 from the 3 point line. It will be really fun to see what he does against Boston next week.
Of course, last year’s offseason transactions have nothing on this summer’s free agent field…which of course needs to be addressed in a completely different post 🙂
well…we all know that I have a HORRIBLE track record in predicting winners, but here goes…my official picks for the NBA and NHL Conference Finals!
NBA Western Conference Finals: Los Angeles Lakers over the Phoenix Suns in 6 games
NBA Eastern Conference Finals: Orlando Magic over the Boston Celtics in 7 games
NHL Western Conference Finals: San Jose Sharks over Chicago Blackhawks in 7 games
NHL Eastern Conference Finals: Montreal Canadiens over Philadelphia Flyers in 6 games
What happened to the Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers? Best record in the NBA for the past two years, and then ultimate chokers in the NBA playoffs. Are they the “San Jose Sharks” of the NBA?…yeah ok, that was brutal.
But really what happened to the team? Why couldn’t they get by Orlando last year and Boston this year? Is it fair that Lebron James is taking all the scrutiny for the failures of the Cavs?
Before I start, I really dont have a favorite team or player in the NBA, though I would say that I’m more inclined to root for the LA Lakers every year. I feel that out of all the sports, I follow the NBA with the most objective point of view that I can possibly take, and I’m not really biased for or against any particular player or team.
That said, while Lebron James is arguably the best player in the league, I feel I have to blame the management and ownership for failing to give Lebron a decent team to compete with.
Take a look at some players and their recent championship fortunes.
1. Paul Pierce and the Boston Celtics – For the longest time, Paul Pierce was the lone man in Boston and was surrounded by terrible talent. As good as he was, the Boston Celtics were TERRIBLE. What did Danny Ainge do? He then brought in Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, two perenially all stars, and they won the championship the very next year.
2. Kobe Bryant and the LA Lakers – Kobe Bryant has 4 titles, but three of those titles came early on in his career with Shaquille Oneal. As good as Kobe was in his early years, this was Oneal’s team, and Oneal was the most important and best player on the team. When Shaq left for Miami, the Lakers went into a downspin. They had players like Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, Chris Mihm, Kwame Brown, and a young Andrew Bynum. As GREAT as Kobe was (and is), you just can’t win with a team like these players. Finally, Bryant made some threats and the Lakers made a move for Pau Gasol, again arguable the best Power Forward in the world. They made the NBA Finals that year, losing to Boston (see above), but after a full year of playing together, the Lakers finally won the title in 2009.
3. Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls – Like Lebron James, Michael Jordan was a beast when he arrived in the NBA. However, for the first 7 years of his career, he had to carry the team on his back. His teams did well, but always came up short in the playoffs, and never won a championship. He even won a MVP award during this time as well. But management surrounded Jordan with great talent. They drafted Scottie Pippen, and surrounded Jordan with great talent like Horace Grant, Luc Longley, Steve Kerr, Ron Harper, Toni Kukoc, and Dennis Rodman. With these additions, Jordan was finally able to win 6 championships in the 1990s.
4. San Antonio Spurs – Champions in 2003, 2005, and 2007 had an amazing trio of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili with great role players such as Bruce Bowen and Robert Horry.
What’s my point?
My point is that a superstar can’t win a title all by himself. He needs a team that can play with him. He needs a team with a deep bench.
I’m sorry, but the Cleveland Cavs are not that team. Who was their starting 4 other than Lebron in the playoffs?
Mo Williams – 1 time All-Star in 2009, but that’s because he made it as an alternate because of injuries. He’s a serviceable point guard…in no way a star. I can probably name at least 6-7 pgs better than him
Anthony Parker – He was great in the Euroleague, but really shouldn’t be a starting SG on a team with championship aspirations. Never been an allstar in the NBA
Shaquille O’Neal – Probably goes down as one of the best Centers in NBA history, but is at least 3-4 years past his prime. While he’s still effective, he’s no way near the player he used to be.
Antwan Jamison – Two time allstar, good scorer. can’t play defense. inconsistent. dont know what you’re going to get.
That’s just the starting 4 other than Lebron. Don’t even get me started on the bench: Varejao, Ilgasuskas, West, Moon? yeah…not that good.
This just wasn’t a good team. Their starting 4 other than Lebron James was suspect and their bench just wasnt that good.
But then you might throw the “they had the best record in the NBA the past two season” argument at me. Sure, but out of their 21 losses this year, 16 of them came against playoff teams. Good teams are SUPPOSED to beat the bad teams. How you play against the great teams is what matters.
Also, the regular season is completely different than the postseason. It’s a whole new ball game. Great teams elevate their game to a whole new level. There was so much uncertainty about the Boston Celtics coming into the playoffs. The “Big 3” just weren’t playing well together at the end of the season. They looked tired and out of sync. Come playoff time though, Pierce, Garnett, and Allen turned it on and stunned pretty much everyone. They brought their game to a whole new level.
The Cavs as a whole didnt elevate their game. Actually, only one player did…Shaq. The best center in history played actually a pretty good series against the Celtics. He’s the only one that knows that it takes to win, and he really didnt disappoint.
Which brings me to the next obvious question? Is Lebron staying in Cleveland next year?
It depends. He has to be realistic and realize that he can not win a championship with this team. If ownership shows a commitment to bring in an actual STAR, and some good role players to fill out the bench, I think Lebron stays. Else he’s gone.
But while a lot of the blame should rest on the shoulders of management, I do believe Lebron needs to shoulder a lot of the responsibility as well. He still has a ton to learn about maturity, focus, and how to actually lead a team…which I dont want to get into now, but will save for a future post. He is still miles behind Kobe, Duncan, Nash, and the Big 3 in Boston in terms of how to be a leader.
Today’s headline: “Boston College hires Cornell’s Steve Donahue as coach”
Steve Donahue lead Cornell to an amazing run in the NCAA tournament. After winning the Ivy League, they made it all the way to the Sweet 16 before losing to Kentucky. This was also the same Cornell team that was up by 3 on Kansas at the half back in January, before losing by only 5. Donahue coached a great team…a team led by 4 seniors, including stars Ryan Whitman and Louis Dale. They were a strong team with a ton of experience…a team that had great post players and players who could shoot well.
The only reason why I know the Cornell team well this year was because they were Jeremy Lin and Harvard’s main competition this season. Unlike other conferences in the country, the Ivy League doesnt have a season ending tournament, where the winner gets the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The representative from the Ivy League is the winner of the regular season title, hence the regular season is often referred to as the “14 Game Tournament.”
The regular season is extremely important, and every single game matters. Cornell and Harvard played twice this year, one home and one away, and both times Cornell completely dominated and outclassed Harvard. Cornell’s four best players were seniors. Other than Jeremy Lin, Harvard’s 4 other top players were 3 freshman and 1 sophomore. Harvard’s starting 5 was extremely talented, but they simply lacked the experience to play with Cornell.
I really wanted to see Jeremy Lin lead Harvard to the Ivy League title, and a berth in the NCAA Tournament. I really wanted him to get that opportunity to play on the national level, and let the entire country see how good he is. But while he may have been disappointed in not winning the Ivy League this year, he should take encouragment/comfort/satisfaction in knowing that he laid down the foundations for a solid program at Harvard for the years to come.
With Cornell’s coach leaving and 4 best players graduating, the Ivy League race will come down to a battle between Harvard and Princeton next year. This year, Harvard had a great group of underclassman in Kyle Casey, Keith Wright, Christian Webster, and Brandyn Curry. After a year’s of experience, they will only get better in the years to come. Also, coach Tommy Amaker is bringing in a surprisingly good recruiting class. Even though Harvard is losing great talent in Jeremy Lin next year, they are returning almost the entire team and are bringing in a ton of new recruits that its highly probable that Harvard will gain a bid to the NCAA tournament next season.
All of this couldn’t have happened without Jeremy Lin. Jeremy was one of the few players who interviewed Tommy Amaker in 2007 for the open coaching position, and has been a leader of this team for the past three years. In his first season under Amaker in Lin’s sophomore year, he lead Harvard to an 8-22 (3-11 conference) record. By the time Jeremy was a senior, Harvard went 21-7 (10-4). As the team’s leader, and one of the few seniors on the team, Jeremy had to lead the youngsters by example during every game and every practice.
I dont know the history of Harvard Basketball or who have written their names in the history books while at Harvard. However, even though Jeremy Lin didn’t make it to the NCAA tournament or lead Harvard to an Ivy League title, he has to go down as one of the best in Harvard basketball history. If not for the numbers and stats that he put, then for the winning program he helped established.
One Shining Moment, the greatest song associated with a sporting event ever (The Champions League anthem is a close 2nd), was written by David Barrett after he watched Larry Bird play for Indiana State in the 1979 NCAA tournament.
Since 1987, CBS has closed its coverage of the tournament with a video montage recapping the tourney, using One Shining Moment as the song. Since the 2003, the song has traditionally been sung by Luther Vandross. This year, CBS decided to have Jennifer Hudson sing it.
2009 One Shining Moment by Luther Vandross.
2010 One Shining Moment sung by Jennifer Hudson.
Call me a traditionalist or whatever, but Im not a fan of Hudson’s version of this song. I also dont like shots of her singing the song interspersed throughout the montage…that’s never happened in the past 15+ years or so.
What are your thoughts?
If I were to ask you who do you think has been the best team in the Bay Area this past decade, who would you say?
Definitely not the 49ers or the Raiders. Definitely not the Warriors, Giants or Athletics. You could make an argument for the Sharks, but they haven’t made it past the Western Conference Finals yet, and are a perennial playoff disappointment. Great regular season team…horrible playoff team when it matters.
Let’s go away from the pro level, and look at the college level. Stanford men’s basketball has had its moments this past decade, but haven’t been consistent in the past two years. You could make a case for Cal Football, but they too like the Sharks have just succeeded in disappointing its fan base. While Cal men’s basketball and Stanford football are on the rise recently, they were flat out atrocious the beginning of this decade.
So who would you say is the best team out of the Bay Area this past decade? I will argue…the Stanford Women’s Basketball Team, who will be playing in the national title game this coming Tuesday!
Before I go on, I will be the first to admit that I watch and follow women’s college basketball, and I can tell you the names of all the stars who have played this past decade. While women’s basketball isn’t as fast, explosive, and “exciting” as the men’s game, it is still very fundamentals based…and sometimes thats just fun to watch.
Tara VanDerveer, the coach at Stanford, has built a dynasty in Palo Alto. She has a career record of 757-193 (.797) and has led Stanford to two national titles in the 90s.
In this decade, the Stanford women has either won or had a share of the regular season title every single year. They won it outright in 8 years, and shared the title in 2. The women have also won the Pac-10 tournament 7 times as well. This past decade, they’ve amassed a record of 291-52 (.848 winning percentage). They have made the NCAA tournament each year for the past 23 years.
They have made it to the Elite 8 for the past 7 years, and have made the Final Four for the past 3 years. This coming Tuesday, they will be playing in their 2nd national title game in the past 3 years!
Some of our generation’s great female basketball players have played at Stanford. Nicole Powell played at the Farm from 2001-2004, as did Candice Wiggins from 2005-2008. Both were drafted #3 overall in the 04 and 08, respectively and both are having amazing careers in the WNBA right now.
No other team from the Bay Area has had as much success on the national level than the Stanford women have. They are by far the best team in the Bay Area right now.
Honorable Mention…
1. San Jose Sabercats – Arena Football League. Won the Arena Bowl in 2002, 2004, and 2007.
2. San Jose Earthquakes: Major League Soccer. Won MLS Cup in 2001 and 2003. Then the team proceeds to relocate to Houston…where they win the MLS Cup in 2006 and 2007…with almost the exact same team. No I’m not bitter. I blame it all on Landon Donovan leaving for Germany for a couple months and then coming back and signing with the LA Galaxy.
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Why you should watch the title game between Stanford and Uconn
If you were to watch only one woman’s basketball game in your life…watch this coming Tuesday’s national title game between #1 Connecticut vs #2 Stanford. The Stanford women are 36-1, with their only loss coming to UConn last December. Connecticut is undefeated this season, 38-0, and has won 77 straight games, with their last loss coming to Stanford two years ago in the Final Four. Connecticut was ranked #1 the entire season, while Stanford was ranked #2 the enitre season. These are without a doubt the two best teams in the country, and it’s only fitting that these two teams would be playing in the national championship.
Uconn features Tina Charles and Maya Moore, maybe the best players in the entire country. Charles was the 2010 AP Player of the Year, while Moore was the 2009 AP Player of the Year. In their win against Baylor in the Final Four, Charles dropped 21 points and 13 rebounds, while Moore dropped 34 points and 12 rebounds.
While none of Stanford’s players made it to the 1st Team All-American, they boast the best frontcourt in the entire country, in center Jayne Appel and forwards Nnemkadi Ogwumike and Kayla Pederson. These three players terrorize opposing team’s defenses and create matchup problems all around. While they are all big players, they are all very quick and are great shooters.
This will be one of the best matchups in the womens college basketball ever. Not only does it pit two great teams with a ton of star players against each other, but it also pits two of the best coaches in the game against each other: VanDerveer vs Geno Auriemma, who’s led Uconn to 6 national championships.
Again, if you want to witness a great matchup between two of the best teams in the country, watch this Tuesday’s national championship game. No you wont see dunks or alley oop passes, but it will be hard fought and physical game. You will see great shooting, coupled with great defense at the same time.
My predictions: Uconn over Stanford. As much as I think Stanford has a great team and will fight hard, Uconn is simply too powerful. With a win on Tuesday, they will cap off their 2nd straight undefeated season.
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