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I felt Kobe Bryant was in need of aid and support these days, after getting knocked out of the Playoffs by the Phoenix Suns. No matter what he does, or how he plays Kobe Bryant will always be criticized and ridiculed. All the talk now is how Kobe didn’t have a good second half in Game 7 which led to the Laker demise for this season and that a Michael Jordan led team would never play like that. Why can’t fans just enjoy watching guys like Kobe Bryant and LeBron James for who they are right now, and stop making comparisons to Michael Jordan? Why do fans have to compare every remotely decent-athletic two guard to come out of college the next Michael Jordan? Everyone is their own player in their own circumstances of their careers. Kobe Bryant never had the opportunity to lead a team in his career until now, because the Lakers always had Shaquille O’Neal as their main weapon. I don’t understand the criticism he has to endure or where the venom comes from. Last time I checked the Lakers were the inferior team and were the seventh seed, while Phoenix is the number two seed. So what the Kobe haters are saying is that it’s Kobe’s fault the Lakers lost because Kwame Brown turned back into the same old lottery disappointment, that Smush Parker couldn’t keep Steve Nash and Leandro Barbosa out of the paint? Yeah Jordan never lost a 3-1 series lead, but I don’t see Scottie Pippen, Horace Grant or Dennis Rodman wearing a Lakers uniform either.
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San Antonio Spurs Take Game 1 Over the Dallas Mavericks
Posted by Jeff Chan Categories: Athletes, NBA, Playoffs, Scoreboard,
The two teams that had 60+ wins in the regular season did not disappoint in Game One of their first Western Conference Semi-final match-up. The Spurs held serve on their home court 87-85 earlier today. Dallas had a chance to tie or win with a three in the closing seconds, but Jerry Stackhouse shot an air ball as he was clamped down by Manu Ginobili. Not only was this game entertaining on a basketball level, but what also made this game great to watch was the mini-verbal war in the broadcast booth. Long-time sports announcers Steve “Snapper” Jones and Bill Walton were going at each other. Walton couldn’t believe Ginobili was not going to the free-throw line after a missed lay-up attempt, Jones quipped back by saying, you have to get fouled to go to the line. Finally, another announcer was calling Walton out on his sometimes-asinine comments.
Damon Jones: Basketball Jesus
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Athletes, Kudos, NBA, Playoffs, Scoreboard,
One word… Wow.
Damon Jones, he of very limited minutes during this outstanding series versus the Washington Wizards, came in for the first time in tonight’s Game Six for the Cleveland Cavaliers with 14 seconds remaining in the game. At first a dubious choice to bring in since he was cold off the bench, it actually made sense considering Jones’ ability to shoot from the outside. Still, one would be justified to question Jones’ participation in a game that found the Cavaliers down 113-112 and, in all likelihood, with only one chance to score.
In Game One, Jones played three minutes without a shot attempt. In Game Two, he played six minutes, again, without attempting a shot. In Game Three, Jones hit his lone shot - a three point field goal - in seven minutes of play. In Game Four, he played five minutes, missing his only shot attempt. In Game Five, Jones played less than a minute and statistically, registered a zero in all categories.
So, what does Jones do in Game Six - as critical a game as you can have aside from a series deciding Game Seven? A chance to be a savior of sorts for a whole city that has not seen its basketball team advance in a playoff series since 1993?
Jones comes in cold and hits a jumper from the corner to put the Cavs up by one, 114-113, with four seconds left to play. It was a shot that would be the last one in a very dramatic, nail-biting series. From Damon Jones. Not LeBron James. Not Gilbert Arenas.
Damon Jones… Basketball Jesus.
NBA Playoffs Generating Some Excitement for Fans
Posted by Jeff Chan Categories: Athletes, Editorial, NBA, Playoffs,
The National Boring Association gained one more fan during the playoffs. Me. After thinking I should cut off NBA from the sports day, some good playoffs series come to grab my attention. The Washington/Cleveland series has me intrigued with the LeBron James / Gilbert Arenas duel. Not only is this match-up showcasing LeBron’s skill for the whole country to see, but the little subplot of Larry Hughes returning against his former teammates. Wizard fans must hate Larry “traitor” Hughes, who bailed on the team for more cash in the off-season. A potential L.A. Lakers / L.A. Clippers match-up has some great Bill Simmons comments written all over it. For me, L.A. Clippers center Chris Kaman is one of the most enjoyable players to watch. NBA big guys think they can push him around and abuse him like he’s Shawn Bradley or another white stiff, but no Kaman defends himself and then dunks on you. Expect the league to suspend Reggie Evans for trying to distract Kaman from getting a rebound by grabbing his groin area. Kobe Bryant playing team ball? Making Kwame Brown look good? I’m in a state of awe. Phoenix desperately needs Kurt Thomas back in the lineup to knock Kwame Brown and Lamar Odom around. Kwame Brown makes one block on Boris Diaw and he thinks he’s Dikembe Mutumbo all of a sudden. Kwame- you need about 1,000 more blocks in your career to have the right to taunt over a player after a block shot. All in all, good job to the NBA for bringing me back. As Michael Corleone (aka Dwayne Wade according to Shaq) said: “Just when I thought that I was out they pull me back in”.
I realize we don’t give the hockey fans enough attention around here, but this is a series I have been keeping my eye on with a lot of interest. After the game two war of words between the two coaches, this is a series with the potential intensity of the old Colorado Avalanche/ Detroit Red Wings rivalry. Tempers flared in game two during the blow-out win by the Sabres with the Flyers making a number of questionable dirty hits throughout the game. The tactics seemed to have motivated the Flyers to get back into the series. The series will now be decided by a best of three games, with games five and seven at Buffalo. In the NHL Playoffs the teams reseeded following each round.
Long Ass Thread Thursday
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Athletes, Editorial, MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, Playoffs, Rumors,
Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears… actually, your eyes and fingers.
Every Thursday, I’d like to get as many comments as possible on this “Long Ass Thread Thursday” post talking about sports, primarily, since this IS a sports blog, but if you want to talk books, movies, or the merits of Velcro, let’s do it!
QUICK PLUGS for the Gear Live Media Empire:
Techno Geek? Check out Gear Live!
Gamer? Check out Playfeed!
Love the television? Check out TV Envy!
END blatant butt-kissing of my boss.
So, let’s do this people! And because I’m such a nice guy, let me throw out some topics:
- Barry Bonds… he’s getting closer to the Babe and he looks like he’s in pain doing it.
- Brett Favre… FINALLY he decides to bring his ball and play again.
- NBA Playoffs… who are you guys liking?
- NFL Draft… Reggie Bush, Mario Williams, Mario Cantone. Who will be the first overall pick?
- NHL Playoffs… educate me.
Let’s make this successful so that my boss doesn’t fire me for introducing this wacky idea!
2005-2006 NBA Playoffs – Denver Nuggets (44-38) @ Los Angeles Clippers (47-35), Game One
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Editorial, NBA, Playoffs,
What the Nuggets Need to Do to Win: There is no question here… Carmelo Anthony will need to step his game up even more in the playoffs if he wants the respect he craves. I don’t think there will be anyone on the Clippers that will be able to stop Anthony from scoring a ton, but that won’t be enough for the Nuggets. Andre Miller needs to penetrate, pass, and steal the pill the way we all know he can do. Marcus Camby will need to establish a defensive presence and swat any shots within the vicinity of the paint and nullify Chris Kaman as a rebounding and scoring force in the box for the Clippers. Greg Buckner needs to continue to do all the small things that add up. Ruben Patterson needs to do his thing and get his name called out a lot by the announcer for making buckets. And, getting a Kenyon Martin sighting will be gravy on the meat.
What the Clippers Need to Do to Win: Dump it in to Elton Brand all day and wear down Camby, Elson, and whomever else they want to try to defend Brand and Kaman. Sam Cassell will need to be on his game and not get lax on Miller. Cuttino Mobley needs to be a perimeter threat, a three-ball threat even, in order for the perimeter defenders not to double down when Brand or Kaman have the ball. The Clippers haven’t won a playoff series and if this band of players can do that, it will go a long way in establishing the Clippers as a legitimate team.
My Prediction: Clippers 95, Nuggets 80; Brand shows off down in the post, Mobley hits five three-pointers, Anthony doesn’t do so well, and Shaun Livingston just plain puts on a show in garbage time.
2005-2006 NBA Playoffs – Sacramento Kings (44-38) @ San Antonio Spurs (63-19), Game One
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Editorial, NBA, Playoffs,
What the Kings Need to Do to Win: The Kings need to establish themselves early in the game and maintain the pace that they want to play and never allow the Spurs to get into their game and control the tempo. The interior defense of Kenny Thomas, Brad Milller, and Shareef Abdur-Rahim will need to bear down on Tim Duncan and Nazr Mohammed. Mike Bibby and Bonzi Wells will need to wear out Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili by making them defend hard and not have as much energy on the offensive side. And, of course, the biggest difference-maker for the Kings, Ron Artest will need to step up his game and dominate the way he can – whether it’s through his on-ball defense, post-up offense, or the perimeter, Artest will need to control this game, especially down the stretch in order for the Kings to pull an upset in San Antonio.
What the Spurs Need to Do to Win: Even though the Kings are the eighth seed, they really came on after Artest came over from the Pacers. However, they’ll need to get going from the jump ball and not give the upstart Kings any hope of winning the game because the Kings new tenacity on defense and the bullishness of Artest can and has really brought them a long way. Parker and Ginobili will need to penetrate into the paint and either take it to the rack or pass it off, converting for the score and keep the Sacramento guards off-balance and not get set into their offense. It seems as if Duncan was sleeping all year; he’ll need to wake up and begin to dominate the way he used to. Bruce Bowen and Brent Barry will have to keep the Spurs in the game when the stars get some blow. If Mohammed can be a presence, all the better for Duncan to establish his game.
My Prediction: Kings 87, Spurs 84; I believe the Kings will pull an upset win, thanks to a late-game steal by Francisco Garcia that the Spurs never recover from.
2005-2006 NBA Playoffs – Washington Wizards (42-40) @ Cleveland Cavaliers (50-32), Game One
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Editorial, NBA, Playoffs,
What the Wizards Need to Do to Win: They’re going to have to be doing a lot of praying that LeBron James decides not to play. But, considering this is James’ first NBA playoffs, I doubt that will happen. The Wizards need to take the ball out of James’ hands as he is an incredible creator for either himself or his teammates to score. Caron Butler would be the most capable player in trying to do this for the Wizards, but it won’t matter much as I expect this to be a high scoring affair. The trio of Butler, Gilbert Arenas, and Antawn Jamison should get their points in, but it won’t be enough to simply outgun and outscore the Cavs as they have some offensive weapons not named James as well. The Wizards cannot forget about the role players on the Cavs.
What the Cavaliers Need to Do to Win: James will need to lead his team as he has all season and try not to succumb to the pressure of having to put forth a great game because of being the Chosen One. It’ll be a tough thing to do all things considered – James is from Cleveland, the game is being played in Cleveland, this is the first time the Cavs have made the playoffs in a long time, and the NBA offices really want James to succeed and take over that mantle Jordan left behind. In any case, Zyrunas Ilgauskus will need to establish an offensive presence down in the box and help execute the half-court offense, as well as rebound and block shots. Larry Hughes will need to play like he didn’t miss a significant amount of time during the regular season and defensively help lock down Arenas, which will be hard to do, but worth the effort to try. Flip Murray needs to make us continue to say, “How did he get 14 points?” at the end of the game and Eric Snow should be a calming force and help the inexperienced Cavs when things don’t go their way during the game.
My Prediction: Cavaliers 111, Wizards 106; Both Arenas and James score close to 40 points each, but it will be the play of Hughes against his former team that will be the difference.
2005-2006 NBA Playoffs – Chicago Bulls (41-41) @ Miami Heat (52-30), Game One
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Editorial, NBA, Playoffs,
What the Bulls Need to Do to Win: Da Young Bulls team need to NOT be intimidated going into Miami because they are not as playoff hardened as the Heat. Keeping their composure and executing will be key. Tyson Chandler will need to rebound defensively, not allowing second chances down low for the Heat, as well as be an intimidator with his long arms, contesting shots. Of course, he’ll have to do all this while containing Shaquille O’Neal at the same time. Yeah, it’ll be an easy night for Chandler, right? Ben Gordon needs to take control of the game offensively like he has the potential to do at any point in a game and Kirk Hinrich needs to keep the team together, contributing in the many ways that he does. I’m not sure if the Bulls have anyone to stop Dwyane Wade, but really what NBA team does? They’ll have to do their best to not allow Wade to get into his rhythm or else he’ll have a big game.
What the Heat Need to Do to Win: The Heat cannot get overconfident playing against the inexperienced Bulls. However, considering the roster is made up mostly of cagey veterans, underestimating the Bulls shouldn’t happen. But, you never know considering it’s the first game of the playoffs, something this team was built for, and they’re at home. Regardless, the Heat will have to make sure Ben Gordon is shadowed, otherwise, he can go off on a very hot streak. O’Neal will probably get his spots to get some rest and if there is anyone on this team that can deflate the opponents’ hopes of winning, it’s a dominant Shaq. Antoine Walker will need to become a second threat when Shaq rests so that the Bulls defense does not totally hound Wade.
My Prediction: Heat 95, Bulls 92; Wade paces the Heat with 36 points and Ben Gordon misses the game-tying three with two seconds to go. Previous to that Gordon hit five in a row from the land of the trey. No worries, BG, there’s always the next day for your heroics.
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