I’m tired of all the flashbacks and reminiscing going on in the NBA due to the Celtics/Lakers matchup set for tomorrow evening. All the montages and interviews and whatnot are making me noxious (thanks NBA for giving us a whole week before game 1).

Sure, it’s great to remember those great 80’s squads. Watch Rambo get his clocked cleaned. Watch Bird waving that towel. Magic with the baby skyhook. Etc. Etc.

But, that was 20 plus years ago. Today’s NBA is a different creature. Old timers will say it’s sloppier and more star driven. Youngins will say that the old timers are blind to the speed and athletic prowess of today’s NBA athlete.

There’s no denying the skill level of the 1985-86 Celtics. Their sheer dominance, how they lost only 3 times while “breezing” through the playoffs.

Continue reading "85-86 Celtics? 08 Lakers Win IMO..."

For all the people who swear that Jordan is heads and shoulders better, for all the Boston lovers who came out of hiding after they acquired Kevin Garnett, for all the people who just don't quite believe despite the MVP, despite the record, despite the playoff performances...Let me just tell you, for the record, Kobe Bean Bryant is going to go off in these Finals. He will make you all believers. He will become undeniable. Lakers in 5.

Continue reading "Just for the Record"

-Sam Cassell gave me a scare. He came out and swished his first shot and I remember thinking that Sammy had this look on his face, “I’m here. This is my time, this is what I’ve been waiting for. Forget the rest of the playoffs, this is all I care about.” Gave me chills. Got me real, real scared.

-I should have been the one touting this before the series started because he’s one of my favorite players, but, like everyone else, I counted him out. Of course, that’s when he shines the most—and I failed to remember that. Well, I can tell you this much, Sammy boy could be the X-Factor. In fact, between him and Paul Pierce, they might have enough veteran clutchness to out-clutch Kobe. I literally am pissing in my pants.  An unexpected though admittedly should-have-been-expected wrinkle in the series.

Continue reading "Notes on Game 1"

I hate blaming the refs. So I won’t do it. It’s true, the Lakers lost that game, and that’s that. But I would like to provide a little bit of information for all the Celtics fans who say that their team was the more aggressive in the paint.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/shotchart?gameId=280608002

http://www.sportsline.com/nba/gamecenter/shotchart/NBA_20080608_L

Check either of these websites and the shot chart tells the story.
30 of the Lakers 83 shots were layups or dunks or right inside the paint. Boston had 18. If you consider the fact that they had a number of 2-shot shooting fouls, seventeen to the Lakers three, than you can safely assume that many of those were near the basket (since, the Celtics played “so” much more aggressively). In fact, just for the sake of argument, we’ll say that all of those shots were layups or dunks (which, of course is not necessarily the case). The Lakers two instances, were in fact, on layups (Kobe and Fish).

Continue reading "No Complaining…Just the FACTS."

Lakers fans will tell you that the Lakers haven’t hit their stride. That Kobe isn’t playing the same way that he was in the first three series. That he isn’t moving the ball. That he’s taking too many bad shots. They say that Lamar Odom is struggling through nerves and that Pau Gasol is playing soft.

On the flip, Celtics fans, after last night’s horrific game, will tell you that all the Cs need is for KG and Pierce and Allen to play well all at the same time. That KG ain’t going to shoot a woeful 6 for 21 or that PP isn’t going to build a house out of bricks every night.

Before this series started, there were two teams. One was the smooth-flowing, high-octane, pass-happy offense, verses the slow-it-down, grind-it-out defense.

Continue reading "Good or Not?"

Okay, here’s the deal. The Lakers have looked pretty bad in these finals. Sure, a great deal can be attributed to the “help.”  Odom was nonexistent in the first few games. The guards have had a couple great moments, but never all at the same time and for the most part they’ve been playing poorly. The SF position has been a complete disadvantage, Walton and Vlad Rad have been horrible and Paul Pierce has been brilliant. 

But the onus falls squarely on #24’s shoulders. He’s this year’s MVP. He’s the one who demanded more help, and he’s the one everyone is calling the best player in the game. In the first 3 rounds, Kobe lived up to the hype. He averaged nearly 32 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists on 51 percent shooting. Phenomenal. He led his team into a sweep of the 50-win Nugs, out of a dogfight with the Jazz and straight through the hearts of the defending champs.

Continue reading "It’s “Show” Time"

I hate Boston. Never been there. Never want to. They got funny accents and they ride their own egos all the time. Sure, coming from an L.A. guy, this must sound pretty ludicrous. Sue me.

No love for the Patriots. None whatsoever. I absolutely ABHOR the Redsox, hate them even more than the Yankees…

Of course, all the hatred in the world doesn’t negate the fact that I respect both of those franchises. What they’ve been able to build, what they’ve accomplished simply demands it.

Then there are the Cs. I’m 25 so I was 3 years old the last time the Celtics won a championship. I caught the tail end of Magic and Bird’s careers. I grew up with the Nick Van Exel and Eddie Jones Lakers. I remember when the Cs second best player, Rick Fox (ha!), came over to play third/fourth fiddle to Shaq and Kobe. I remember cheering for the tandem of Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker in the playoffs, because, well, the Eastern Conference was pretty horrible back then. 

Continue reading "Congrats to the Truth, da Kid and tha Alien"

Well, despite how it began and how it ended, it was a great season for the Los Angeles Lakers. It was long too, just not quite long enough. The next few weeks will be pretty hard to swallow. 39 points will haunt this squad, Kobe especially, for perhaps their entire careers. Nothing is guaranteed and despite the enormous potential and talent the Lakers possess, this very well could have been their last shot at a championship.

But that is worst-case scenario thinking.

It’s amazing how one series, or even one game can totally change the perspective of people. Suddenly Lamar Odom’s name is being floated in all sorts of trade rumors. Sasha Vujacic and Ronny Turiaf, the Lakers two main free agents (restricted) who, before the finals looked like for sure they would be resigned, suddenly left Thursday’s exit meetings unsure of their futures with the organization.

Continue reading "Don't hit the Panic Button"

The Lakers season ended on a sour note, and Lakers news doesn’t really pick up again until Kobe starts really getting into his role as a do-everything leader on the Olympic team next month. So, being an L.A. boy, and due to the fact that the draft was last night, I’m going to switch up my blog for the summer to detail any happenings of my three favorite teams: the Lakers, Clippers and Suns (although, I’m not too fond of anyone on the Suns but Nash.)

Let me tell you, I love what the Clippers did.

Amid a whirlwind of speculation and rumors about trading up, or trading players, or moving down, etc., the Clippers ended up holding onto their pick and drafting Eric Gordon out of Indiana University. I really like this pick despite the naysayers (yeah, you Kelly).

Continue reading "Looking up in Clipperdom"