Tonight begins the NBA Finals between the Lakers and the Celtics. If you know anything about basketball, then you know I don’t need to build it up—it’s a big deal and that’s that. Needless to say, it’s going to be a great series that truthfully no one knows who is going to win. Both teams have talented starting fives, and certain matchups and players are going to play key roles. By this, I mean that we know that Kobe is going to bring it (well, at least Laker fans hope so—he played horribly during the ’08 series. However, the way he has been playing, I don’t see that happening). There are several players on both teams that I think will decide the series. They are:
Paul Pierce and Ron Artest—I put these two together because this matchup is huge. If Paul Pierce is able to score and knock down shots, the Lakers are in trouble. But if Ron Artest locks down Paul Pierce like gold in Fort Knox, the Celtics chances go down significantly. No matter how Rondo is playing, Pierce is still the Celtics’ go-to player, especially down the stretch. If Artest is hounding him and making it difficult for Pierce to score, look out Celtics fans
Pau Gasol—It’s hard to decide which player had a worse finals in 2008, Kobe or Pau. While Kobe did shoot poorly, he can at least be defended by the fact that Boston’s defense was primarily focused on him throughout the series. On the other hand, Pau just played soft. The Celtics’ big men kept hitting and banging him and Gasol disappeared faster than Mike Tyson’s money (how do you lose over $300 million so fast?—I just don’t get it). Much of the Lakers’ championship dreams rest on whether Gasol decides to play physical or get pushed around. It’s as simple as that. Now, I am sure Laker fans will complain about how much he is getting fouled and how little the refs call, but for the most part, that’s always how the Finals have gone (exception being Dwyane Wade and Miami in 2006). The refs let more go and let the players decide the game. Laker fans better hope Pau shows up.
Rajon Rondo—Rondo may be the Celtics main key to victory. Like many others have stated, it seems that Kobe will most likely start out on Rondo. Kobe will just get too tired chasing Ray Allen up, down, around, and through screens, thereby limiting his offensive production. As a result, Rondo needs to do his best to make Kobe work. If he can hit a few jumpers early and make Kobe guard him a little tighter, work a little harder, then the Celtics are in a good position. At the very least, Rondo has to attack the basket. It doesn’t matter if he’s looking to score or kicking it out to his teammates. He just has to make Kobe work. However, if Rondo plays timid and cautious and gives Kobe an easy time, then Kobe will be poised to dominate on the other end of the court, which has to be a Celtics fan’s worst dream (other than Sasha Vujacic hitting a game winner).
While these four players are stars, they are also the X-factors of the series. The Lakers need Artest to play great D (and take good shots) and Gasol to be a presence inside. The Celtics need Pierce to play his usual game and for Rondo to continue his great play. Whichever team’s X-factors play best will win the series. You can count on it.
As many of you well know, a Laker defeat brings pure joy to my life, and doubly so when it’s a playoff loss. Last night’s game was an absolute joy to watch—for the most great basketball, bench players stepping up (see Frye, Channing and Dudley, Jared), great play by both team’s star players (although Nash didn’t shoot well, he still made plays). You can’t ask for too much more from playoff basketball.
I am very interested to see how Game 5 plays out, particularly how Kobe plays. Is he going to trust his teammates, pound the ball inside, and play a controlled game? Or is he going to try and take over? If he decides to go with option one, the Lakers win. If he goes with option two, the outcome is a little less certain. As great as Kobe is, I still question his judgment at times—a lot of times Kobe tries to do too much. While there are times where he needs to take over, more often than not he needs to let the game come to him; it’s a fine line and I don’t know how well Kobe understands that. Jordan learned it later in his career, Magic and Bird knew it.
And it shouldn’t matter whether the Suns are running that zone or not, the Lakers still have the advantage inside, especially because Amar’e only tries hard on one end of the court. One Republic’s “Stop and Stare” best summarizes his defense: “Stop and Stare/ I think I’m moving but I go nowhere.” It’s such a shame because Amar’e is so gifted athletically that he could be an absolute freak on defense if he wanted to.
I really think Game 5 decides who wins this series: if the Lakers win, I think Phoenix will take Game 6 at home but Lakers win in 7. Lets be honest; Kobe is too good to let that happen. However, if Phoenix takes Game 5 (a long shot by all means, but they do have the momentum), then they take Game 6. Their crowd is amazing and their whole team plays infinitely better at home.
Surprisingly, Pau Gasol may have summed it up best (I can’t believe I just said that). He said that if Phoenix outrebounds LA as bad as last game (51-36), they aren’t going to win. As simple as that seems, he is (shockingly) right. Rebounds and defense are the two biggest indicators of hustle and hard work, and whoever executes those two areas best wins. Simple as that.
I never thought this would happen but it finally did—I became a hockey fan. This last week I was up in northern California visiting my friend Wheeler (all you single ladies, this stallion is on the market) and his family and he are big San Jose Sharks fans, who at the time were starting their series against the Chicago Blackhawks (who I decided to become a fan of about a month ago, but that’s for a later blog). I sat down to watch the games with them, and I was immediately converted.
Playoff hockey is absolutely amazing. There is no other way to put it. The games are fast-paced and physical (although there is a lot less fighting in playoff hockey). The atmosphere and fans are great. The players have insane beards. The skill level is amazing—I still maintain that hockey requires more skill than any other sport. The most essential and basic skill in hockey (skating) is not all that easy. Then realize that everyone in hockey is moving so much faster. The hand-eye coordination required to pass and shoot a puck that small is also incredibly high.
I know most of you probably won’t start watching hockey, but I urge you to reconsider. Just give it a chance and watch a few minutes of the Stanley Cup and I bet you will change your mind. I know I did.
For anyone who has remotely paid attention to sports this week, you well know that Game 6 was going to be a big game for the Cleveland Cavaliers and Lebron James in general (alright, “big game” is a bit of an understatement). Every talk show and website talked about “was Game 5 Lebron’s last home game?” and “is Thursday’s game the last time we will see Lebron in a Cav’s uniform?” It seemed like everyone had already counted the Cav’s out and were looking to Lebron-a-palooza 2010. There was still a game at hand.
So now it’s time for my observations of Game 6 in Boston, with Cleveland’s season on the line (I watched the game with my buddy Hector and my brother Jackson. It should be noted that I had to drag Hector to my house to watch the game, threatening him with the fact that I would no longer consider him a sports fan if he didn’t watch the game—he came).
1st quarter
11:30 (first Cav’s possession of the game): Nice backdoor cut by Lebron for the slam!! You got your first field goal about 27 minutes sooner than you did last game. Congrats!!
10:15: The Celtics cannot seem to miss. KG looks a lot better, already with a nice outside jumper. Also, Lebron seems much more into it than Game 5. However, I am worried that he is trying too hard to force the action (how true was that…)
8:00: Anthony Parker is useless out there. On a related note, I WANT VAREJAO!! Put him in already.
7:41: Shaq is useless
7:17: Miscommunication on defense between Shaq and Antawn Jamison leads to an easy Celtic basket. On that play, Jamison looked more confused than I did on Wednesday night while watching Rush Hour 2. I hadn’t seen that movie in several years, and when I saw that Jeremy Piven played the gay salesperson, I was completely dumbfounded and had to rewind the scene several times. Jeremy Piven, the same guy who plays Ari Gold and I have watched berate Lloyd, his gay secretary, for the past 5 season of Entourage. It can’t be.
5:59: Shaq is still in…
5:46: Surprise, surprise. Shaq plays horrible defense on a pick and roll as usual. To make matters worse than the fact that he doesn’t even attempt to show on the screen, he fouls Ray Allen (If you haven’t picked up on it by now, I think Shaq should have retired several years ago. Bring in Varejao). On another topic, Ray Allen has to be the single most annoying player in the league to guard. He just runs off of screen after screen. I almost feel bad for whoever guards him.
4:28: Finally! Varejao comes in for Shaq—by far the best decision Mike Brown has made in some time.
3:13: Lebron’s shooting woes seem to be carrying over from Game 5. He is 2-7 and still hasn’t figured out that he needs to drive.
2:57: Why is Z in? At this point I have no idea what Mike Brown is thinking. He looks down his bench and sees Zydrunas Ilgauskas, 34 years old, only played 19 minutes the whole series, and may actually be slower than Shaq, and J.J. Hickson, 22 years old, who started 73 games in the regular season, and would be matched up against Kevin Garnett. Hmm, slow and old or young and athletic against one of the best power forwards in league history? I would take J.J Hickson, but Mike Brown again defies logic and opts for Big “Z-ero” At this point, it seems like Mike Brown is going against everything that worked for his team this year
2:30: Varejao takes a charge, and twenty seconds later I gain a greater appreciation for Jeff Van Gundy when he says “I love Andy Varejao.” Well said Jeff, well said.
:38: Big three pointer by Mo Williams. At least from an offensive standpoint, Williams looks like he has remembered how to play basketball, ending the first quarter with 10 points.
End of 1st quarter—25-22 Boston
2nd Quarter
11:13: I’ve got to admit Ray Allen surprised me on this one, rising up and throwing down the nasty dunk and getting fouled by Mo Williams for the and one.
10:42: After back to back Delonte West turnovers leading to Celtic baskets, the Cav’s call timeout
8:18: In a three play sequence, Varejao took a charge, scored a layup while getting knocked to the ground, and grabbed a defensive rebound. At this same time, one of the announcers states “Mike Brown needs to leave [Varejao] in until he calls for a breather.” I finally figured it out by the way. Varejao is Alfred to Lebron’s Batman. While Batman is out saving Gotham, Alfred stays back in a support role, providing Batman with intelligence and first aid. While Lebron goes out and scores points and dominates the game (ok, maybe not this series, but in general), Varejao takes the charges, gets the tough rebounds, and does the dirty work. Too bad the Cavs don’t have anyone who remotely qualifies for Robin. Extending the analogy, Mike Brown is The Riddler and GM Danny Ferry is Two-Face. The Riddler (Mike Brown) is “a criminal mastermind (horrible coach) who has a strange compulsion to challenge Batman (Lebron) by leaving clues to his crimes (substitution pattern) in the form of riddles and puzzles (except you can’t figure Mike Brown’s out).” Danny Ferry is Two-Face because he is supposed to be Batman’s (Lebron’s) ally, but ends up trying to bring Batman down. Danny Ferry gets my award for worst GM by surrounding Lebron with mediocre talent that is incapable of stepping up in big moments (see Jamison, Antawn).
8:00: While Tony Allen is shooting free throws, a sidebar comes up and says that his nickname is Gucci. I don’t even want to know…
1:27: Rondo is playing amazing as usual, but he just got his third foul. If he is in foul trouble, the Celtics are going to have a tough time winning this game. On another note, mark up Antawn Jamison as yet another failure by Danny Ferry. Jamison missed yet another layup and has done nothing when the Cavs need him.
:42.4: Phi Slamma Jamma! What a dunk by Tony “Gucci” Allen (on Jamison…). I could give some commentary but the following should suffice (I promise this happened). Hector: “That was redonkulous” Jackson: “That was Fergalicious.”
Halftime: Celtics up 51-49
3rd Quarter (I missed the first 7 minutes because I was shooting in my driveway and then made dinner)
4:03: Paul Pierce finally decides to score, hitting a big three that buts Boston up 7. A little bit later KG hits another outside J and the Celtics fans are going crazy. Boston is up 9 and the Cavs call a timeout. One of my favorite moments of this game was this big, red headed Irish guy waving a Boston flag during a timeout. That’s when I knew the Cavs might be in trouble.
2:09: Pierce hits another 3. Pierce finally is starting to look like his former All-Star self rather than Rasheed Wallace’s protégé in the “Jr. Pillsbury Doughboys of America” club. Also, I am starting to wonder when Lebron is going to start taking over.
1:26: I almost feel sorry for Lebron. He has absolutely nobody to help him. The Celtics can sit four people in the key because if Lebron drives and kicks, they know no one is going to knock down the open jumper. Mo Williams has gone cold, Antawn Jamison never showed up, and Anthony Parker needs to go back to playing in Israel. Thanks a lot Danny Ferry…
4th Quarter
9:12: Rasheed Wallace misses yet another 3. Even though I want the Cavs to win, the basketball strategist knows that Wallace needs to post up. Do what you are best at (ok, second best at. Don’t get a T. Actually, get a T. Give the Cavs a shot).
7:57: My Dad: “I don’t think the Cavs are gonna win Game 7 if they lose tonight.” Well said.
6:08: Rasheed hits a three. Now I am starting to get nervous. If Rasheed is hitting, the Cavs are in trouble. Come on, Lebron…
5:50: Mo Williams turns it over (surprise, surprise), leading to a Celtics fastbreak where Rondo dishes to KG for the big slam (KG got UP on that one, so excuse me if I have a hard time buying the whole “KG is still hurting from his knee surgery” thing.”
4:22: Jamison misses another shot. He now is 2-10 (finishing the game with 5 points and 5 rebounds) and Lebron didn’t even touch the ball on this possession.
3:27: My sister Jenna: “So Lebron is better than Michael Jackson?” Yes, this is what I have to deal with on a daily basis.
1:36: Celtics call a timeout after KG gets a big offensive board. The Celtics just want it more. Lebron looks like he kind of wants it, Mo Williams looks like he can’t wait to hit up the Boston nightclubs, and Antawn Jamison looks like he wishes he was back in Washington, because he knows he would be averaging twenty a game, which is much more important than competing for a championship, right?
1:18: Lebron turns it over again (number 9 for the game) and that’s the game. The Cavs aren’t even trying to play pressure defense or force a turnover. They just gave up.
Without a doubt, this was one of the more disappointing series in recent history for me. All I wanted was to see Lebron and Kobe battle it out, but the Cavs stopped trying after Game 3. Lebron still has time; he is only 25 years old. That being said, he needs to surround himself with talent. There really are only 4 places he can go—stay in Cleveland (I don’t see them winning a championship anytime soon unless they bring in a whole new roster, keeping only Lebron and Varejao), go to Miami (this is probably the least likely because Dwyane Wade is too good and Lebron probably won’t want to share the spotlight), go to New York (which would be the best chance at improving his legacy), or go to Chicago (which would give him the best chance at winning a title). He isn’t going to the Clippers, or at least he shouldn’t because as long as Donald Sterling is owner, the Clippers will never be truly successful.
As we have seen throughout the playoffs, it comes down to having quality talent throughout the lineup. The Lakers, Suns, Celtics, and Magic have it, the Cavs don’t. One player can win a game or even a series, but he can’t carry you all the way. Jordan couldn’t do it—he kept getting stuck with the Pistons and it wasn’t until he got Pippen and Rodman that he started having success. Kobe couldn’t do it after Shaq left—it wasn’t until the Lakers got Pau Gasol in the most lopsided trade of the 2000’s. Basketball is a team sport, and while Lebron may be the most talented player, he doesn’t have the best team (anyone who debates the fact that the Cavs are a one-man team is a ninny).
So now we are left with four teams. The Lakers are the still the favorites, and I still think whether they win another championship or not rests on Kobe. If he decides to play team basketball, dump it inside to Bynum and Gasol, and play within himself, the Lakers will win. If Kobe just tries to score, they are going to lose, simple as that. To me, the other teams aren’t going to win so much as the Lakers are going to beat themselves. Let’s go selfish Kobe and let’s go Suns.
I can’t believe I did it yet again. That’s right—I underestimated the Spurs. I seriously thought they were too old and that they were completely overmatched against the talented Mavericks. Looks like I was wrong. It kills me to write this, because it means another round of watching the Spurs boring yet oh-so-effective brand of basketball. The Spurs are like the Energizer Bunny—they keep going and going and going.
They are led by the big 3: Ginobli, Parker, and Duncan. As much as I hate Ginobli, the guy can play. That doesn’t mean I have to prevent myself from gouging my eyes out every time I watch him play—Ginobli flops more than Free Willy. Parker is probably the most enjoyable to watch, and anytime I get sad I can always go watch his ill-fated rapping career. Last we have Tim Duncan. After watching Lebron play, it’s like going from 300 to Pride and Prejudice—the excitement just isn’t the same. However, I must say that Duncan is sickeningly effective. I hate how good he is.
So the Spurs are going to play the winner of the Trailblazers-Suns series. As of right now (I am writing during Game 7 and the Suns are up by 12) it looks like the Suns are going to win. I do know that while I will be vehemently cheering against the Spurs, my heart knows that most likely I will have to watch them in yet another Western Conference Finals.
The NBA playoffs could not be more exciting right now. Let’s be honest; every series is proving to be competitive. Even my lowly Heat have made their series exciting with a win this morning over the Celtics. However, the most exciting series by far has to be the Laker-Thunder series.
Laker fans have some legitimate worries about the coming games. This series could easily be 3-1 if Russell Westbrook had stayed out of foul trouble in game 2, and it was pretty hard to even call game 4 a game. The Thunder flat out dominated from beginning to end. For me, the defining moment of that game came in the first half by none other than Serge Ibaka. The Lakers were on a fast break and Ibaka blocked the first shot, the Lakers recovered, shot again, and Ibaka got that one too.
The Lakers seem like they don’t even want to be there. There season so far has been like Ocean’s 12—great cast, bad movie. With the exception of the Laker big men, the rest of the team was quite atrocious. Kobe didn’t take a shot until the middle of the second quarter and ended up with 12 points. Ron Artest needs to stop working on his newest hair-do and start working on his jump shot, because 2-9 and 0-4 from three just doesn’t cut it.
They just seem like they are forced to play basketball. Contrast that with the Thunder, who look like they are having the time of their lives out there, and it’s no surprise that this series is so close. If the Lakers don’t get their act together, they could easily be upset like Kimbo Slice and go down as the biggest letdown in NBA history.
I wrote a couple weeks ago that I thought this whole Ben Roethlisberger saga was over. Looks like I was wrong. Every time I go online or turn on ESPN there seems to be something new having to do with Roethlisberger, and I’m beyond tired of hearing about it.
By no means am I condoning Roethlisberger’s actions from that night, but in the grand scheme of all that goes on in the NFL, this whole situation has been blown out of proportion. Roethlisberger was not charged because there wasn’t any proof beyond reasonable doubt, and the DA even stated that they “do not prosecute morals. [They] prosecute crimes.”
Clearly, Roethlisberger messed up that night, but I find it hard to believe that he did anything out of the NFL norm. While the exact details of that ill-fated night are unknown, at the least Roethlisberger “contributed to the irresponsible consumption of alcohol by purchasing [or facilitating the purchase of] alcoholic beverages for underage college students.”
Now, Roger Goodell was acting within his powers, because he is right in stating that NFL players are held to a higher standard. However, that seems a bit harsh. He gets a six game suspension for providing alcohol to underage college students, which seems ridiculous in light of the other suspensions Goodell has handed out as commissioner (courtesy of espn.com):
·Fabian Washington, domestic violence, 1 game
·Michael Boley, domestic abuse, 1 game
·Fred Evans, fight with police, 2 games
·Ricky Manning, felony assault, 1 game
·Brandon Marshall, various (including assaulting girlfriend), 1 game
So according to the NFL, providing alcohol to underage college students is worse that abusing one’s significant other, assaulting someone, or fighting with the police. Then include the fact that Roethlisberger is the only player suspended who hasn’t been convicted of a crime, and I think you understand why this whole situation seems a little ridiculous. It’s time to move onto something else sports world.
The other day I was looking at Rivals and checking out where all the college basketball recruits had signed. I was thrilled when I discovered that Brandon Knight, debatably the number one recruit, was coming to Kentucky, and that two other 5-star recruits had made verbal commitments. Retrospectively, I am not sure if I am really so happy.
I was talking to my buddy Hector about Brandon Knight and he basically said “There goes another Kentucky one-and-done.” I thought about what he said, and he’s probably right. Don’t get me wrong, I am ecstatic about getting the arguable best high school player in the country (who some have called John Wall with a jump shot).
Is Kentucky really going to win a national championship led solely by a whole bunch of freshman? My honest answer is probably not. Which brings me to my question. Would it be better for teams to get lower ranked recruits who are more likely to stay for several years? Look at this year’s champion, Duke. Duke’s best players stayed for several years. North Carolina won in 2009 led predominately by seniors and juniors. I could give more examples, but I think you get the point.
My question goes against the logical recruiting position—to go out and try to get the best players possible. But in the current situation where players can leave after just one season, it is hard to win a championship when the majority of your best players are freshman. In an ideal world, the NCAA and NBA would work together and change the rule so that players had to stay two years or ideally three (like college football). Unfortunately, I don’t see that happening anytime soon, so I guess I am left hoping that the one-and-done’s in Kentucky either win a championship or miraculously decide to stay another year.
I apologize for yesterday's blog. I did not articulate my point very well, in particular the third point. Clearly, there are busts in every draft, including the NBA, MLB, etc. What I was trying to say was that ESPN, Sports Illustrated, and the like make a much bigger deal and spend way much more time, energy, and money on the NFL draft. By no means am I saying that there shouldn't be a draft, just that it is over-hyped. Also, it annoys me how certain all of the analysts are. They are so confident about something that is really an inexact science.
As far as the busts go, I guess I didn't do as good of a job identifying busts. I should have stated Akili Smith, Heath Shuler, Tim Couch, and others like that. As far as the comment from Poop Patrol about Reggie Bush, I did say that he was a solid NFL player, just that he has not met the hype (where he was supposed to be the next Gale Sayers or Barry Sanders).
Again, I don't think the draft should be done away with--just the excessive attention and length that comes with it. I am sorry for not making my point more clear.
Tomorrow begins the single most overhyped event in America not named the Bachelor/American Idol Finale—the NFL Draft. Now I know that many a football fan will attack me on this, but hear me out.
First, a minor point. It involves countless hours of watching Mel Kiper, Jr., who is in direct competition with Donald Trump for Worst Possible Haircut Award.
Second, the draft is waaayyyyyyy too long to the point of being unnecessary. It’s three days long for goodness sake. Each team gets 10 minutes in the first round, 7 in the second round, and 5 each round thereafter. It’s literally ridiculous. For as much analysis as each team does, there is no way it should take them 5 minutes to pick a player, let alone 10.
Which brings me to my third point. The NFL draft, like basically every other draft, is just one huge crapshoot. For all the money, time, and energy these teams spend, there is absolutely no guarantee of how good a player will be. Ryan Leaf, bust. Matt Leinart, bust. To an extent Reggie Bush was a bust (I know he has developed into a solid NFL player, but compared to the pre-draft hype, the guy is the equivalent of Pluto Nash, which incidentally lost $134 million). Then you have someone like Marques Colston, a guy who was drafted in the 7th round and has turned into a star receiver.
What I am trying to say is that the NFL draft is just a waste of time. Instead of watching the whole thing, which could potentially take you close to 28 hours to watch, you could just look online the a couple minutes after the day’s draft is done and save yourself a whole lot of time, and more importantly, a whole less of Mel Kiper, Jr.
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