Monday, May 07, 2007
Happy Birthday MATRIX!
Saturday, May 05, 2007
Utah needs to get the Memo.
In order for the Utah Jazz to pull out the game seven victory against the Houston Rockets, they are going to need Memo Okur to show up.
He has gradually gotten better throughout the series, but in the first three games, he was absolutely awful, shooting under 20%. Memo is the key to this team, he is their centerpiece and gives teams a huge mismatch, so please Memo, for the sake of Utah and Jazz fans around the world, please show up.
Now if you're a Rockets fan, you're going to need an incredible crowd today, you're going to need Yao to put in about 25 and 10, you're going to need 27 from McGrady and you're going to need defense to stop the Jazz and make them struggle offensively, like Andrei Kirilenko and Okur have much of the series.
Houston is 3-0 in game sevens, so let's see if the streak continues....
It's about to begin...
Yes, I am from Detroit and yes, I love my team. Though don't call me biased when I say I think the Pistons and Bulls is the best series yet in the NBA Playoffs.
A great storyline here: Two great defensive teams who play basketball the right way, Ben Wallace the Pistons' star player for 6 seasons now with the Bulls after bolting town last summer, the two best teams in the Eastern Conference (sorry Cleveland) and one of the best rivalries of the 80s and early 90s returns.
On top of that, the Bulls are back in the Playoffs again and in the second round, you've got to love it!
I think Detroit is the better team, but I wouldn't say it's by much. The matchups are great in this one and both teams are healthy. We are going to see an excellent seven game series. I think the Suns and Spurs will put on a good series, but not nearly as rugged as the one we are about to Witness between these two tough teams.
I know most everyone from Detroit expects a series victory, and I think Chicago people feel the same, but don't be surprised either way.
Detroit would not have swept Miami, let's make that clear.
The Bulls did, but it doesn't make them better than the Pistons. In a seven gamer, you have got to give the edge to the Pistons, at least at this point. The team has the experience, the bench is clicking and Billups is playing very well so far in the playoffs. Chauncey is the main guy for this team, and is the edge in the series. Yes, 'Sheed, Rip and the others need to play big, but if Billups does his thing, they will be hard to beat.
I don't expect the Bulls to be taken lightly though, and they shouldn't. They could easily come into this series and beat Detroit in six games, but IF Detroit plays their game, they should pull it out in six or seven themselves.
Detroit in 7, Matchup to watch: Tayshaun Prince vs. Loul Deng
**This is GOOD for the NBA**
Photo: Copyright 2007 NBAE (Photo by D. Lippitt/Einstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
Problem with the Warriors sudden rise....
So if you couldn't tell I not only thought the Warriors would win this series, I also rooted for them to win it. I love the underdog story and I also think it was great for the NBA. The upset never seems to occur in the NBA, I guess the last big upset in the NBA was when the Pistons beat the Lakers, but was it really an upset?
I knew it was going to happen and I think many Pistons fans and people who watched that team play all year also thought so. Regardless, it is considered an upset. Other than that there hasn't been much. This was great for the Bay Area of California, and it was great to see those fans absolutely go nuts. A lot of those people have been rooting on that team through its struggle for years I am sure, and of course you will have your bandwagoners, but that usually happens at this point, or when they get to the Finals.
We saw some awesome fans, and as of right now, probably the best in the NBA. We also saw the awesome celebrity cameos at the game. Kate Hudson, Owen Wilson, Woody Harrelson (is that how you spell it?) and of course Snoop-a-loop Dogg.
So here is my problem...
These lovely celebrities who everyone knows and loves get to go back in the locker room and celebrate with the Warriors.
What a bunch of crap?!
Think of all the kids, the people who have rooted that team on for years who have been season ticket holders for the past 13 seasons, to watch a team, play pretty crappy for over a decade. All of those people, all of those great fans, yet, Snoop Dogg, Goldie Hawn's daughter and the guys from "Cheers" and "Wedding Crashers" get to go and celebrate with the team, that they've probably followed for all of 5 weeks tops?
Were any of these celebs there when they the Warriors played Charlotte earlier this season? What about when they played the Hawks or even a playoff team like the Raptors? I highly doubt it, and even if they were, who cares!?
Yeah, they might be "friends" with people on the team or whatever, but that is garbage.
I would feel pretty crappy about that if I was a die-hard Warriors fan, and just started seeing those turds coming to the games, and now they're the new "faces" for my team.
Yes, when the Pistons won the title Kid Rock partied with the guys, but in a sense, it's a bit different. Kid Rock is born and bred Detroit, he was representing the Pistons and a season ticket holder, before any title run and I actually felt his connection to the team.
This to me, is just another chance for these dorks to get their faces seen, and now it is the new "it" thing to do.
Sorry Warriors fans, I still wish your team continued success. I wonder who the next celeb to hop on your bandwagon is?
Warriors shock the world.
Thanks to a great coach and some great play, but the NEW BEST CROWD IN THE NBA was the key factor for the GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS.
Dallas has been and is generally an overrated team, they always fail in the playoffs and the Warriors had their number from the get go.
There are plenty of things to talk about from this occurance, more on it later.
Jason Kidd and his 38 year old son.
Yes, the Nets won last night 98-97 on a Richard Jefferson shot in the final seconds.
They will move on to play the Cavs, and hopefully they destroy them. More power to the Brick City!
Though TJ Kidd has always looked like an older man and has had a mustache since he was 2, but now it looks like he is starting to shave. He is probably all of 7 years old, but he looks like he is between the ages of 19-33.
Nothing is better than a TJ Kidd photo opp, unfortunately I wish I could have been talking about TJ Ford and the Dinasours of Toronto.
We were on Delay...
Sorry for the lack of updates the past day and a half, my life was taken over by another force than the NBA...
Yes, Spiderman 3 took over the last day or so of my life, making me stay up very late and then making me dead tired at work the following day. I'm back now, even though I am going to see it again tonight. I highly suggest you go see it, it is absolutely fantastic.
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Up 23.
Yes, they are 12 minutes away from the biggest upset in NBA History!
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
He can't do it by himself...
Lamar Odom had a great game tonight, but Kobe Bryant is almost by himself 85% of the time. If the Lakers want to become a winning team, something has to change.
Odom had 33 points and 10 rebounds tonight, but he has been injury plagued and an under-achiever since he came to LA.
Kobe needs more than Odom. Walton is very average. Smush Parker is not a real NBA starting point guard. Maurice Evans is an 8th man at best. Bynum is young and developing. Kwame Brown is, well...I will just move on. Shammond Williams? Rony Turiaf is a great energy and hustle guy, so I will never hate on him, but they need a lot more.
No disrespect to Phoenix, they put a nice beatdown on the Lakers this series, but we will still be talking about them for awhile. With that, I think saying that Kobe needs more is something to talk about right now.
Walton is a free agent, and I would consider him truly very expendible, unless they can find a way to make him a 6th or 7th man, and that is being generous.
First and foremost a solid point guard is what the Lakers can use, someone to feed the ball to Kobe, but also hit big shots off of Kobe's penetration. They don't need a Jason Kidd. Mike James would have been a perfect fit. Steve Blake wouldn't be bad, he proved he can play, though I think Mo Williams would be an excellent fit , if he comes cheap enough.
If they keep Odom around, you get him at power forward and pray he stays healthy and steps it up more. He is so talented, he should be scoring 30 points more than just twice in a season (his first game of the year and tonight).
What about Jerry Stackhouse at Small Forward? He'd like to be a starter, and if he can stay healthy for about 70 games. He could play some solid D and with Kobe and Odom there, he'd be an excellent third, or even second option.
Bynum, Turiaf, Kwame---you have to be able to work with one of them, another one (Turiaf) would be huge off the bench, at about the 8th man or so.
We could go on and on.
Regardless is Kobe needs help.
I think maybe trying to trade Odom might help, but heck, Mitch Kupchak traded Shaq, so I will let him decide what to do, but they need to be one of the most active teams this summer. Kobe is still young, but he will be going into his 12th season next year, time is ticking and he doesn't want to still be rebuilding for three more years, that's for sure.
Are you serious?
Check this article out, it's a quick read.
This is completely silly.
What a waste of these people's 13 years! I mean, are there even more than 65 white guys in the NBA? Yeah, I see they put certain numbers into play, but this is such a dumb study.
People need to stop with the race card.
The NBA is dominated by black players and foreign players.
The refs are predominately white.
The only "white" players who mean anything that I can think of are: Kirk Hinrich, Brad Miller and PAT BURKE!
Dirk, Nash, Big Z, etc etc---those guys are foreign born players, therfore not the same as the refs. Though I am not going to make my own speculations, this is a silly study.
Has anyone seen Danny Crawford ref a Detroit Piston's game (there really hasn't been a white Piston that plays beside Okur and Barry since 2001), he calls everything.
Drop the race card people, PLEEEEEEASE.
(Sorry Jason Kapono fans, sorry.)
Finley was money.
Why are the San Antonio Spurs such a dangerous team? Because a guy like Michael Finley can still light it up, and he goes from anywhere to a starter or a 7th or 8th man on their team.
The Spurs bench is totally solid, and whether Finley (Barry or Ginolbili) starts or comes off the bench, they can rip you in a variety of ways.
FinDawg was back in effect tonight, looking like his Dallas form and ripping the Nuggets for 8 three-pointers. Finley missed only one three-point shot attempt on his way to 26 points. With the Finley explosion and the fact that Spurs held Iverson and 'Melo to a combined 14-42 from the field and 42 points, the Spurs put the whoopin on 93-78.
The Spurs took the last four games of this series, after a surprising Nuggets game one victory.
Did anyone honestly think a team of 'Melo and A.I. was going to get out of the first round against a team like San Antonio?
C'Mon now!
ROY IS R.O.Y.
From the start of the season many predicted that Brandon Roy would win the NBA's Rookie of the Year Award. He didn't fail them.
Roy recieved 127 of 128 first place votes and was a runaway as the winner. The other first place vote went to the Raptor's Andrea Bargnani, who was the first pick in the draft.
Roy put up solid all-around numbers for the Blazers this season dropping nearly 17 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds and a steal. He only played in 57 games this season because of early and late season injuries, he started 55 of those games.
Roy's best month was in March where he averaged about 18 points, 5 boards and 4 dimes a game.
With regards to Roy, Bargnani, LaMarcus Aldridge and Rudy Gay, this was a pretty horrible rookie class-- so far. I think Timberwolve fans will dog me for leaving out Foye, so I will add him to that list as well.
Yes, Adam Morrison and JJ Reddick were huge dissapointments, but time still remains.
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Not so fast!!!!
Game 6 is Thursday night, and I think we know it is a must watch. What a series this has been so far.
Stephen Jackson should be looking for more fines as he was ejected late 4th quarter. Baron Davis also didn't finish as he was fouled out.
The Mavs still have a long way to go.
(Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images)
The Raptors are not extinct yet...
Toronto pulled of a close one tonight at home.
Game 6 is Thursday night in Jersey as the Raptors hope to even the series and say alive.
Time to prove you're an MVP...
So far it has sounded like a lot of excuses and coach Avery Johnson has apparently become sick of it as well.
If you're a star in the NBA, going through a dry spell and having struggles in a playoff series is bound to happen, but you must overcome it. A true superstar needs to suck it up and go out there and lead his team. It might be okay to defer to a teammate now and then, but if you are the team's star, you must go out there and get yours.
Dirk has struggled in the series against Golden State. Don Nelson knows Nowitzki. Nowitzki was his project and now Nelson is owning him.
In the four games of this series, Nowitzki has scored 20 ppg and has at most scored 23 points. His season average was 25.
"I got to take what they give me and they don't really give me a lot," said Nowitzki. "So I've got to make other stuff happen -- help out on defense more; hit the glass harder, as hard as I can, get some extra possessions; if I have a shot, try to knock it down and if I don't, move the ball and let someone else make a shot."
Dirk is supposed to be the leader of the Mavericks team and the league MVP, so he better realize that he needs to do more than defer and take less shots.
If Dirk doesn't show up tonight, you can most likely count on the Mavericks pulling off a historic NBA upset. It would be historic not only because a .500 last day entry into the playoffs beat a team with 67 wins who was heavily favored as the NBA Champion to be, but also because they did it in five games.
So Dirk, here is your chance, here is a GOLDEN opprotunity, show us what you really got, go out there and be an MVP, or go home.
(AFP/Getty Images/Jed Jacobsohn)
Gettin' Jiggy With It.
I know the Will Smith-Robert Horry comparison may get old to some of you, but I am going to ride it until the wheels fall off.
Big Shot Bob did it again last night.
It's nothing for Robert Horry to hit a crucial game winning shot, it's why people know of him in the sports world, it's why he has played on some of the best teams in the league throughout his career.
Off of some excellent Tony Parker penetration, Horry was left behind the three-point line on the side, with enough room to get off a silky smooth trey.
Have team's not learned their lesson. No matter what happens, no matter what player is open, DO NOT LEAVE HORRY OPEN! I don't care if Michael Jordan is on his team, I am going to let MJ take the shot, rather than leave Horry open.
If a coach sees that Horry is checking into the game, or is in the game and his team needs a basket, preferably three points, you would assume he says "stay on Horry!"
I guess we would have to ask Rasheed Wallace that, wouldn't we?
With Horry and the playoffs, people don't realize that it is much more than just hitting big shots.
Horry has played in the NBA Playoffs the last 15 seasons. He is third all-time in playoff games played at 198, only behind Scottie Pippen and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. If San Antonio makes it to the finals this season, he will become second. He is second all-time in three pointers made in playoff history with 237, only Reggie Miller has more. He is in ninth in playoff steals, and will most likely be eighth within a week or so. He also has 201 blocks in his playoff career.
The guy does it all.
Hits big shots, plays defense and does the intangibles. I can't count how many times I have seen Horry come up with a big offensive rebound or chase down a loose ball or get a big block on someone in a playoff game.
I nearly forgot to add that Horry also has five championship rings, as a key player on each of those teams.
Robert Horry is one of the best playoff performers in NBA History, top 5 if you ask me, and if you don't believe me, stay tuned.
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