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.