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THE CELTICS WINNING SHOULD NOT BE A SURPRISE

May 13, 2010 By Leave a Comment

I’ve been watching NBA basketball for a long time, but I don’t know if I’ve ever seen the media pile on a superstar player the way they have LeBron James. Granted, he did not play well in the Cavs 120-88 loss to Boston in Game Five and his decision to try and guard Rajon Rondo didn’t work. But the last time I looked the series isn’t over and King James has a golden opportunity to step up and prove his greatness as a player and leader….

Of course if the Cavs get eliminated in Game Six and LeBron doesn’t play well, I’ll be joining the critics….

In my mind, though, one bad game doesn’t wipe out all he’s accomplished and I’m puzzled by the hate….

In the post-season, you must defeat a team four times, not three; and I wouldn’t be suprised if James plays huge in Boston and Cleveland sends the series to a Game Seven….

Isn’t that what the great ones do?….

In my mind, however, Boston is the better team and will prevail….

I picked the Celtics to win this series, for the following reasons:

-For the first time this season, Boston is healthy. And when they are, they’re as good as any team in the NBA. Sure, they’re getting older and this might be their last opportunity to win a championship, but they’re really good when at full strength.

-When I looked at the player-by-player matchups, Boston is superior. When you have three Hall-of-Famers in your starting line-up, and none of them is your best player, that’s a championship team.

-Here are the matchups:

Power Forward: Kevin Garnett vs. Antawn Jamison. Easy, KG has a big edge here.

Small Forward: Paul Pierce vs. LeBron: Obviously the Cavs have the edge, but Pierce is a great player and future Hall-of-Famer.

Center: Kendrick Perkins vs. Shaq: I call this one even. Sure, the Big Ingrate can still get the ball down low and score, but other than that he’s worthless. He’s as slow as a glacier, a defensive liability and slows the team down. While smaller and not a good offensive player, Perkins is much better defensively and underrated.

Shooting Guard: Ray Allen vs. Anthony Parker. Another big edge for the Celtics.

Point Guard: Rajon Rondo vs. Mo Williams. Again, huge for the Celtics, as Rondo is their best player and blossomed into a star.

Bench: I keep reading the Cavs have the edge, but a look at the subs reveals Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Delonte West, Jamario Moon, Anderson Varejao, JJ Hickson, etc. I like Hickson, but the rest doesn’t exactly look like a Hall-of-Fame list. The Celtics have Big Baby, Rasheed Wallace, Tony Allen, Marquis Daniels, Michael Finley and Nate Robinson. I’s call this matchup even.

Coaching: Doc Rivers vs. Mike Brown. Easy call, with Doc having a huge edge. Rivers won a championship with this group and taken advantage of Brown’s shortcomings in this series. The Cavs should be playing up termpo basketball and trying to run the Celtics out of the gym, but instead slow the tempo and play into Boston’s hands. The final five minutes of a Cavs game is four guys standing around watching LeBron go one-on-one, and you’re not going to beat good teams that way.

After looking at all this, it was obvious to me that Boston was the call in this series. So why is it that the press almost unanimously picked the Cavs to win?….

I have no idea….

But back to LeBron….

With his teammates not stepping up and his coach evidently unable to make in game adjustments, there is a lot of pressure on him to carry the load. Outside of yesterday’s game, he’s been his usual self in this series, but his miserable performance in Game Six has the wolves howling….

Is he injured? Obviously his elbow is bothering him, but didn’t seem to be a problem in Game Three or Four….

And with Kobe playing through a broken finger on his shooting hand, I don’t want to hear about any King James injuries….

The bottom line is LeBron must perform brilliantly, get his team past Boston and show everyone that not only is he a great player, he’s a winner….

He has all the money in the world, more fame than player in the league and has said his dream is to become a “world icon” and “another Bill Gates.”….

All of that is fine, but does he put winning a championship first? Is he obsessed with winning, a la Magic, Bird, Jordan and Kobe?….

Game Six on Thursday night will go a long way in answering those questions….

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WEEKEND NOTES

May 10, 2010 By Leave a Comment

With seven seconds left in their Game Three nail-biter aganst Utah, the Lakers led by three and I was waiting for the inevitable; stubborn Phil Jackson refusing to foul and the Jazz making a game-tying three pointer….

After Derek Fisher did the right thing and fouled Deron Williams, I sat in disbelief as Phil finally made the right call….

After Williams made two free throws, the Lakers proceeded to throw away the inbounds pass and put themselves in a very dangerous situation. Luckily for the Lakers, the Jazz missed their final opportunity and the Lakers escaped….

But the bottom line is the Zenmaster made the right call and the Lakers won….

Sure, the turnover could have been disastrous, but look at it this way: What if Phil decided not to foul Williams and Utah made a three? The Lakers could have very well lost in overtime and we’d be ripping the Zenmaster for once again holding his breath and turning blue….

The bottom line is he made the right strategical move and his team won. And then next time the Lakers are in that situation he needs to foul again….

We’ll see….

After watching Rajon Rondo’s sensational performance against the Cavs, three things crossed my mind: 1) Rondo is playing like a 6’1″ Magic Johnson 2) Somebody on the Cavs needs to knock Rajon on his ass and 3) When the hell is LeBron going to demand to guard Rondo?….

With the Lakers tied at 2-2 with the Thunder, Kobe Bryant went to Phil Jackson and demanded to guard Russell Westbrook. The result was a Kobe lockdown of Westbrook, a blowout win and advancing to the second round….

With the Cavs in a dogfight with the Celtics, it’s time for King James to announce he’s guarding Rondo and lead his team victory….

If he doesn’t do it, Cleveland is looking at the real possibility of an early exit and LeBron leaving….

Rondo was unbelievable, with 29 points, 18 rebounds and 13 assists, and put on one of the greatest post-season performances in franchise history….

I kept waiting for James to take up the challenge of guarding him, but it never happened….

It damn well better happen in Game five….

Wow. what a strange finish to the Paul Williams-Kermit Cintron fight on HBO Saturday night. In the middle of a good exchange early in the fourth round, Williams tripped over Cintron’s feet and tumbled to the canvas; at the same time, Kermit lost his balance, fell through the ropes and onto a ringside table….

It didn’t look bad and I expected Cintron to continue, but he laid on the floor outside the ring for several minutes and was eventually wheeled out on a stretcher. Since it was only the fourth round, I expected the fight to be declarde a technical draw. To my surprise, though, California has a stupid rule which states that if three rounds are completed they go to the scorecards….

Since Williams was ahead on tweo of the cards, he was declared the “winner.”….

I had Paul winning every round and thought he was going to win by a knockout, but the outcome was unfair to Cintron and California needs to change the rule….

And how about the crowd at Home Depot Center, who have to feel cheated after paying good money in anticipation of an excellent fight?….

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BENEDICT RILEY AT IT AGAIN

May 5, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Interesting to see that Benedict Riley is at it again, telling reporters he hasn’t ruled out a return to the sidelines and he only wants to do what’s best for the franchise….

A few years ago, after Stan Van Gundy did a magnificent job cleaning up Riley’s mess and taking the Heat to the Eastern Conference finals, the backstabbing weasel stole Van Gundy’s job….

Benedict was green with envy that Stan had outperformed him as a coach and had the team on the verge of a championship, so the SOB canned Van Gundy….

The thought of sopmeone else winning a championship was too much for him to take, so he conspired with the equally low Shaquille O’Neal to run Van Gundy out of town….

The press conference announcing Benedict’s return was comical, as Van Gundy was forced to read a statement that he “wanted to spend more time with his family” and “the grind of traveling and being on the road” was too much for him….

Since he was a long time NBA asistant, it was suprising to learn he didn’t realize coaching a team required travel. Evidently he believed the Heat would play all their games at home….

Not only did Weasel Riley force Van Gundy to read a bogus statement, he also put a gag order on him; forbidding Stan to speak with the media….

Hopefully the media will attack Riley fopr what he is: A guy who quits on his team when times are tough and only returns when he has a chance to gravy train success….

Coming off a couple of horrible years in Miami, Benedict quit on his team a few weeks before the 2005-06 season. With no time to install his own system, Van Gundy got off to a horrible start; yet managed to turn it completely around, win 45 games and nearly make the Eastern Conference Finals….

The next season, after trading for the Big Ingrate, the Heat becams an elite team and lost a seven game war to the Pistons in the Eastern Finals. But they were poised to win a title and Van Gundy was doing a great job….

After the game, Shaq blamed his coach for the loss, even though he only grabbed two rebounds in the second half of a close out game….

And instead of defending his coach and reprimanding the Big Moses, Benedict agreed with the criticism of Van Gundy and then waited like a snake in the grass to steal his job….

The next year, with the back stabber on the sideline, the Heat won a championship which rightfully belonged to Van Gundy….

Less than two years later, with Shaq gone and the team back in the lottery, Riley quit on them again….

And how did he explain quitting on his team with a month to go in the season? Benedict actually said he needed to “concentrate on the draft.”….

This was a crock of s*** and he should have been BBQed in the press….

Now that new coach Eric Spoelstra has coached them back into the playoffs and they have a pretty good nucleus of Dwyane Wade and Michael Beasley, plus lots of cap room to bring in a top-notch player, ‘ole Benedict Riley is at it again….

Spoelstra has done nothing to warrant a firing and should keep his job, because the Heat are close to becoming a force again….

But Benedict is going to surface from the rock he lives under, s***-can Spoelstra and bask in the glory of the Heat becoming a contender again….

What a opportunistic scumbag….

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NOTES ON A SCORECARD

May 4, 2010 By Leave a Comment

After hearing that Andrew Bynum was suffering from another leg injury and “day-to-day” for the Utah series, my first thought was the following: If he can walk, he needs to be out there helping his team….

With Kobe Bryant playing through a broken finger on his shooting hand, a torn ligament in the finger of his left hand, a knee injury and a bad ankle, I don’t know how anyone could sleep at night if they weren’t playing….

Anything less than death or a life-threatening situation means your ass should be out there….

When your leader and best player is playing through serious injuries, it should be an example to everyone….

So it was good to see Andrew manning up and playing, because the Lakers can’t win the championship without him…..

He only played 25 minutes in the Lakers opening game win, but scored eight points, grabbed 10 rebounds and was a factor on both ends of the floor….

Bynum still doesn’t get the ball enough, but his decision to play is a good sign….

When the Lakers defend and play inside out, they’re impossible to beat over a long series. There is simply too much length inside and too much Kobe….

But when Andrew doesn’t play, like in the 2008 Finals, they are very beatable….

Bynum on the bench in street clothes equals Pau Gasol playing center; and we all saw how that worked out in the Boston series….

As good as Gasol is, he’s not a center and his soft, Euro demon surfaces. Kendrick Perkins, Kevin Garnett and Co. pushed Pau all over the court and he disappeared when the Lakers needed him most….

This is why Bynum must play for the Lakers to win….

Since I picked the Celtics to win their series against the Cavs, I was happy to see the beatdown Boston delivered in Game 2. Yes, the Celtics are old, but they’re healthy for the first time this season and still have three Hall-of-Famers in Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce….

And the scary thing is Rajon Rondo is their best player….

Every time I watch Rondo, he seems to get better and have more control of his game. He’s always been the best defensive point guard in the NBA, but now he’s become a great playmaker and leader….

He kicked Derek Fisher’s ass in the 2008 Finals and he’s 50% better now; so already the Lakers have a potentially huge problem if Boston makes the Finals….

Rondo had 19 assists after three quarters of last night’s game and if the Cavs don’t find a way to deal with him they’re going home early….

I’m also tired of all the LeBron ass-kissing going on in the media; especially from the TNT broadcast crew. He’s had a great season and deserved to win the MVP, but he needs to win a championship to be considered the equal of Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Shaq, Dwyane Wade and others….

Sure, King James has an elbow injury and didn’t play well last night, but so what? The great ones suck it up and fight through it. Everyone has something wrong with them after a long season and the press should realize it….

Since Kobe is playing with broken bones, torn ligaments, bad knees, bad ankles and various other ailments; pardon me if I’m not crying for LeBron and his sore elbow….

And if the Cavs go out early again, let’s not make the injury excuse for the King….

If the Celtics do win this series, though. Cavs coach Mike Brown should be fired. Hell, if they don’t make the Finals he should be given a pink slip….

With LeBron, Mo Williams, Antawn Jamison, Delonte West, JJ Hickson and all the other young guns they’ve surrounded James with, they need to pick up the pace and get up and down the court….

Brown’s plodding, walk-it-up-the-floor offense is hurting the team’s chances to win a championship….

The last five minutes of every Cavs game is LeBron getting the ball at the top of the key and four guys watching him go one-on-one. You’re not going to win a title that way and Brown has to go if they don’t bring home the trophy….

They need to fast break whenever possible and force tempo….

And when they do get into a half court set, Mo Williams needs to get the ball and be a point guard. Then, they can actually run an offense, run LeBron off screens and force the defense to move their feet and defend….

All they have to do now is crowd into the key and simply prevent James from dunking or making a layup….

It’s a stifling system for a player as great as LeBron and Brown need to either change or hit the bricks….

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WEEKEND NOTES

May 3, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Going in to Saturday night’s Floyd Mayweather-Shane Mosley fight, I thought the Pretty Boy was just a little bit better in every department and would win a unanimous decision. But Floyd’s complete dominance of Shane strengthened my belief that he is going to destroy Manny Pacquiao if and when they meet….

I had Mayweather winning all but one round and scored it 119-109….

In the second round, there was a scary moment for Floyd as Mosley landed a hard right cross that stunned Mayweather. Moments later, Shane landed another cross, this time on the temple, that rocked the Pretty Boy and nearly sent him to the canvas….

I’d never seen Floyd hurt before, so it would be fascinating to see how he responded….

From that point on, Mayweather proceeded to deliver a 10 round beatdown which answered a lot of questions about his chin and heart….

Round after round was a replay, as Floyd’s superior handspeed, reflexes and boxing skill dominated the fight….

Shane hits hard and has fast hands, but doesn’t possess Mayweather’s skill and was taught a boxing lesson….

So here we are again, waiting for Team Mayweather and Team Pacquiao to come to an agreement about drug testing and give boxing fans all over the world the fight they’ve been waiting for….

We almost had a fight in April, but Mayweather insisted on Olympic-style drug testing; which means 24/7, unannounced, around the clock blood and urine testing….

Team Mayweather claims they suspect Manny of being a steroid user, but I believe it’s Floyd playing mind games and trying to give himself an advantage….

Even though the Nevade State Athletic Commission doesn’t require blood testing, Pacquiao agreed to three tests; one 30 days out, one 10 days out and one immediately after the fight. This should have been enough to satisfy Mayweather’s ridiculous demands, but Team Mayweather insisted on Olympic testing and cancelled the fight….

I thought he was crazy to walk away from more than $20M, given his recent tax problems, but it turns out Floyd might have been crazy like a fox….

Now that the Pacman dominated Joshua Clottey and Floyd has dismantled Mosley, the fight is bigger than ever and both fighters could make more than $30M. Hell, they could make a lot more than that if the Pay-Per-View goes as expected….

And since I’m expecting this fight to shatter the PPV record, the sky is the limit for both of them….

I can’t imagine Mayweather walking away again, even if Pacquiao does not give in to Floyd’s demands….

In reality, Team Mayweather is playing on Pacman’s well know fear of needles and old school belief that withdrawing blood weakend a fighter. They feel any doubt they put into Manny’s mind will work to their advantage and increase their chances of winning….

Prediction: There is too much money at stake and the sides will come to some kind of compromise. It would be a shame if this didn’t happen and both fighter’s careers would be incomplete. And in my opinion, Mayweather would be thought of as a coward….

Prediction #2: If the fight does happen, Floyd would take Manny apart and knock him out in the middle rounds. Yes, Pacman is an amazing fighter with incredibly fast hands and always entetaining; but he’s never fought an elite, black American fighter and will get schooled. Pacquiao’s face was busted up after both the Miguel Cotto and Clottey fights, neither of whom possess the skill of Mayweather. I see Manny coming out fast, throwing bombs and maybe winning an early round or two; but after that Mayweather will counter the defensively-challenged Pacman and deliver a beatdown.

Best quote I’ve read about the blood testing controversy came form Sugar Ray Leonard, who was aksed by Maxboxing.com’s Steve Kim if he would leave $40 million on the table over steroid testing….

“No, no; in fact, I would’ve gave him the enhancing drugs,” said Leonard with a laugh….

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