NBA 2009 OPENING DAY!

Four games were played today and all four were entertaining.

Celtics win over Cavs, 95-89!

It was the Big Three against the King and Shaq Fu. Paul Pierce started out on fire, Ray Allen and new recruit Rasheed Wallace kept the fire going and Kevin Garnett finished the Cavs off with a solid all around game. The Cavs kept the game close by virtue of a brilliant performance by the King but Lebron needed more support from Shaq, Mo Williams and Big Z.

STUDS. Paul Pierce (23pts, 11 rebs), Ray Allen (16pts, 3 assists, 3 steals) and Kevin Garnett (13pts, 10rebs, 3 blocks) seem to be in mid-season form already. Lebron James (38pts, 4 rebounds, 8 assist, 4bloclks, 2 steals) seemed to be the only Cavs player in similar form. 

DUDS. Kendrick Perkins had 9 points and ONE rebound in 25minutes of play. He's 7 feet tall, He should be able to get 2 rebounds by simply showing up. Zydrunas Ilgauskas had 6points and 5 rebounds. Wasn't he a starter on a team playing for a championship just a couple of years ago? 

Wizards upend Mavs, 102-91

Agent Zero is back! The Wiz barely missed All-Star Antawn Jamison as Gilbert Arenas was hot in his first NBA game back from his most recent knee surgery. Caron Butler, Randy Foye and Andray Blatche also had good games. The Mavs were fueled by Dirk Nowitzki (and his hair) and Shawm Marion but couldn't get Jason Terry going.  

STUDS. Gilbert Arenas (29pts, 9 assists), Randy Foye (19pts, 2steals) and Andray Blatche (20pts, 7rebounds, 2 blocks) were the difference-makers. Dirk Nowitzki (34points, 9rebs, 2 blocks) was also in vintage form.

DUDS. Mike Miller (6pts, 8 rebs) was supposed to be a deadeye shooter. What gives? Jason Terry (12pts, 4 rebs, 4 assists) was also horrendous, hitting at a 4-15 clip.

Blazers top Rockets, 96-87!

The big question heading into this match up was, with T-Mac and Yao still sidelined, who was going to score for the Rockets? Aaron Brooks tried his best and so did Trevor Ariza but it simply wasn't enough. For the Blazers, it was old

 reliable Brandon Roy who went to town as well as designated gunner Travis Outlaw.

STUDS. Brandon Roy (20pts, 5 rebs, 5 assists) and Travis Outlaw (23pts, 4 rebs, 2 assists) were simply unstoppable. On the defensive side of things, Greg Oden (2pts, 12 rebounds 5 blocks) and Joel Przybilla (2pts, 10rebs, 2 blocks) were insurmountable.

DUDS. Luis Scola (3pts, 4 rebs) and Shane Battier (8pts, 4 rebs) need to step it up.

Lakers dump Clippers, 99-92!

The Lakers got their rings then tried to run rings around the Clippers.  Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum managed to build a lead, only to see their teammates almost lose it, so they went back in to make sure of the win. Clips showed amazing resiliency and drive to keep the game competitive throughout, led by standout supersoph Eric Gordon and veteran Chris Kaman.

STUDS. Kobe Bryant (33 pts, 8rebs) and Andrew Bynum (26pts, 13rebs) more than offset the loss of All Star Pau Gasol. Eric Gordon (21pts, 4 assists) and Chris Kaman (18pts, 16rebs) were the main men for the Clippers.

DUDS. Baron Davis (2pts, 4rebs, 8assists) bombed miserably in this first game, shooting a miserable 1-10 from the field.

LAKERS WIN GAME 2, 101-96!

It took them a little more time and a lot more Pau (24pts, 10 rebounds and a dominant presence in overtime). But in the end, the Lakers will be going to Disneyland with a 2-0 lead as Kobe Bryant scored 29 pts and Lamar Odom came up big with 19 pts, 8 rebs and 3 blocks.

It basically came down to a rookie (Courtney Lee ended up with 2pts on 1-3 shooting) going for the win with about 9 seconds left. 

With Turkoglu (22pts)  and Lewis (34pts) red-hot for most of the game, it was a wonder that neither one tried to dominate in the last few seconds but what's done is done and the Magic still came away with what could be a very crucial piece of the championship puzzle: the knowledge that, yes, they can beat the Lakers.

I look forward to Game 3, where I expect the Magic to win, 95-85.

LAKERS TAKE GAME 1!

Let me crow here a bit.

The Lakers were as good as I thought they would be. But the Magic were worse than I thought they would be.

Kobe Bryant scored 40 points, and added 8 rebounds and 8 assists (who I predicted would explode against Pietrus and Lee). So much for Kobe getting old and slow. 

Pau Gasol had 16 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks. So much Gasol being soft and easily dominated by Howard, who definitely wasn't Superman tonight (like I predicted).

My prediction was Lakers over Magic, 100-88. Final score was Lakers over Magic, 100-75. I think I earned my money this week.

A FINALS PREDICTION!

Sorry for the absence again. It's been hectic here at my day job. 

But, first of all, let me tell all of you that I have won my two conference finals bets. Yes, I've won 2 bags of peanuts (literally! Growers Hot and Spicy Flavor) for guessing that the Lakers and the Magic were going to end up facing each other. 

So here's my game 1 prediction:

Lakers over Magic, 100-88. Kobe is going to explode as the Magic try to get used to the Finals hoopla.

Michael Pietrus will be marginally more effective guarding him than Hedo Turkoglu will be and Courtney Lee will be lost in this first game. 

Howard won't be Superman because Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum are better equipped to stop him and they'll also make Howard work harder on the defensive end of the floor. 

Rafer Alston won't make people forget Jameer Nelson but he'll certainly be better than Derek Fisher. In the end, the Black Mamba and his cohorts will prevail over the Magic but they will also lose some of their mystique, as the Magic discover that, yes, they do belong here in the Finals.

IF A LAKERS SHIRT MARRIED A CELTICS SHIRT...celtic

...this would be their baby.

WHEN YOU HAVE KOBE BRYANT, PAU GASOL...

...Andrew Bynum, Lamar Odom, Phil Jackson, Jack Nicholson, the Laker girls and a 15point lead at the end of the third quarter, what are the chances that a Pacers team, which has lost 5 of its last 6 games, including the last two at home, can come back with a tip in to win the game?

Zero? Negative one?

I guess impossible really is nothing.

QUICK HITS IN THE NBA'S FIRST WEEK!

SURPRISES:

ATLANTA HAWKS. 2-0 already, lording it over fancied teams like the Magic (2-2) and the Heat (1-2). Josh Smith and Joe Johnson have been turning it on but for how long can they keep this up?

MARK GASOL. For four years, the younger Gasol labored in Europe with comments like "plodding", "not as skilled", "a lesser talent" when compared to big brother Pau. Mark stepped out of Pau's shadow in the Olympics and, in the Grizz's first four games, has managed to become the more talked-about Gasol. He logged in three solid games as the Grizz starting center before totally demolishing the Golden State Warriors with 27 points in 9-16 shooting, 16 rebounds, 3 blocked shots and a win over the Warriors ending a 7 game skid to them.

MIAMI HEAT. Wade was pure gold in the Olympics. Beasely is an offensive beast. Marion is a defensive stud. So why are they 1-2?

SPURS. Is Manu Ginobili this important to the Spurs basketball machine? The Spurs have now gone 0-3, their first such start since 1973. If they go 0-4, they'll tie their worst ever start which came when they were still in the ABA. 

NON-SURPRISES:

LAKERS ON TOP. They already had Kobe, Pau and Odom when they made their Finals run. Now, young Andrew Bynum has returned and seems to be well on the path to full recovery. How much better can these Lakers get?

DERRICK ROSE. Every thought that this young man would be a very special player somewhere down the road. The good news is he's a very special player, just four games into hi NBA career. This early, he has become the starter, led the team in scoring and assists and looks to have adjusted to the NBA pace.

KNICKS AT THE BOTTOM. I know a coach is important but how could anyone expect the '05 Phoenix Suns to emerge from the '08 Knicks? With practically no new players and some 08 starters banished (Curry, Marbury), D'Antoni will have to do a David Copperfield and pull out some unexpected victories over tough division rivals to avoid languishing in their familiar spot: last place.

SOME OBSERVATIONS...

After day 2 of the NBA season:

HOW DID THEY DO IT? We saw how the new and improved Dwayne Wade made the Olympics his own personal playground. We've read how Michael Beasely has about a 40% chance of winning Rookie of the Year. We know Shawn Marion is one of the most versatile defenders in the league. We also know that the Knicks are dysfunctional, over paid, overhyped and have a new coach and a new GM. Their starting center and point guard from last year aren't even in the rotation.  So how in the hell did the Knicks beat the Heat?

THERE'S A NEW BIG THREE IN TOWN and they are from the Rockets. Yes, I saw how good the troika of Yao Ming, T-Mac and Artest can be and they are going to go deep in the playoffs, maybe even reach the Conference Finals. What scares me even more is that once they get Battier back, they can lock down the best SG's and SF's in the league from minute 1.

THE LAKERS ARE FOR REAL. That's two blowout games for you. Kobe hasn't even heated up yet. Pau, Bynum, Fisher and the rest of the gang have stepped up early. Trevor Ariza looks like he's going to be a monster this year and Chris Mihm looked good, making other teams even more wary of the surprisingly deep Lakers.

NBA OPENING DAY!

Tomorrow we start another season of the NBA. Here are three key things you can expect to see tomorrow.

1) WHO IS REALLY THE BEAST IN THE EAST? Cleveland goes to Boston in a bid to kick start their championship campaign. The Cavs need to go back to the Finals to have any hopes of keeping LBJ. If they don't, expect the King to start listing down which players he wants to play with in NJ. For Boston, it's all about hunger. Many have said age and the satisfaction of finally winning a ring have dulled the edge of the Celtics' desire. Now, their mission is to prove they can do it again.

2) WHO IS THE BIG MAN OF THE FUTURE? Dwight Howard and Chris bosh reign supreme today. In 3 or four more years, either Greg Oden or Andrew Bynum will be the Hulk of the NBA. That road starts tomorrow, as post surgery Bynum takes on post surgery Oden. Oh yeah, they might also break their brittle knees (again!) in the next two  or three years which would make LaMarcus Aldrige and Marc Gasol the big men of the future.

3) BULLISH OR BUCK-ISH? Maybe we should call the game the Bulls versus Skiles. Bucks coach Scott Skiles brought the Bulls back to playoff respectability after years of futility. He also drafted, recruited and traded for 90% of the current Bulls lineup. But last year's team imploded, set off by the selfishness of key players (yes, I'm talking about Deng, Gordon and Ben Wallace). Now, Skiles is back, trying to resurrect a Bucks team that has offensive firepower but has more holes that a cheese grater. The Bulls players are trying to prove that last year was Skiles' fault and not theirs. Motivation on both sides to one up the other is at an all time high.

PROPS TO: Andres Nocioni. Goes up to Skiles and assistant coach Jim Boylan and gives them a hug. Plasters Richard Jefferson for knocking super rookie Derrick Rose out of the game.

BOOS TO: Deng, Gordon. Deng and Gordon are out with toe injuries. Toe injuries, fer Gawd's sake! Gordon's toe injury has kept him sidelined for more than 2 weeks now. Cut it off, Ben, and start shooting. That way, we can trade you by January.

NBA PREDICTIONS!

We've got 2 days to go before the NBA season opens so it's time to lay my proverbial eggs in a prophetic basket and say the sooth!

And so, here are my picks for:

Rookie of the Year - O.J. Mayo. Yes, I know, the safe choice seems to be Greg Oden, Michael Beasley or Derrick Rose. Now, while I think that  Oden is a future Hall-of-Famer and Beasley and Rose will be perennial All Stars, they will all be laboring under the wings of more established stars (Wade, Roy, Aldrige, Haslem, Deng, Gordon). My pick has the chance to be The Man (albeit of the Grizz),  right in his very first year. 

Sixth Man of the Year - Manu Ginobili. There's no better 6th man in the league as the unselfish Argentine would probably start for the 29 other teams in the league...but prefers to play his "spark of the bench" role to perfection. If current team rotations hold true to form, he'll face tough challenges from Andrei Kirilenko and Kirk Hinrich.

Coach of the Year - Jerry Sloan. While people look at New Orleans as a possible Finals contender, I cast a wary eye on the Jazz. Sloan will have this crew ready to rock and roll and Williams, Boozer, Kirilenko, Okur, Brewer, Millsap and Korver will make believers out of pundits.

MVP - Lebron James. Only because I feel like everyone is thinking he should get one already. There are too many people saying the same thing, which makes me wonder is the voting is already done and over with.

Eastern Champion - Celtics. I know the Big Three are old but they've got young guys who are way good and KG, The Truth and Jesus Shuttlesworth may have developed a hankering for the taste of championships.

Western Champion - Lakers. Bynum is back. You mean aside from Kobe, Pau and Odom, the Lakers also welcome back Bynum the behemoth? Rockets and Jazz have a chance against the Laker Machine. Hornets and Spurs will crumble earlier than anyone else thought.

NBA Champion - Lakers. I don't like it anymore than half the world does but the fact is, on a purely basketball world, I'd take Kobe, Pau, Odom, Bynum, Fisher, Radmanovic and Vujavic over KG, Pierce, Ray Allen, Rondo, Perkins, Powe and Davis.

Team I will be following - Bulls. I'm a Nocioni freak and Captain Kirk is also a favorite of mine. Here's hoping they make it to the second round where they can be shown the door by the Cavs.

CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR! (just Red Auerbach's)

This was a loss that showed just how possible it is to beat the Celtics.

The Celtics had the Big Three firing, with Pierce scoring 28 and Allen and Garnett scoring 17 each.
The Celtics had Rondo fuelling and orchestrating the offense magnificently, with a Nash-like 16 assists.

The Celtics had a 28-10 advantage in free throws (meaning calls were going their way).

And yet, they still nearly gave away a 24point lead with just 8 minutes left in the fourth, as Kobe brought the Lakers to within 2points with 30seconds left in the game.

It actually took a herculean 21pt effort in just 14minutes from unheralded Leon Powe and a blocked Vujacic three pointer to finally close the deal for Boston.

Now just imagine one of those things not happening.

PS Kobe is such a phenomenal player. In the fourth, I saw a Laker execute a perfect crossover on Pierce, drive to his left, then rise for a lefthanded teardrop in the lane that hit nothing but net and I thought "Damn, that Odom sure is smooth!"

Then I saw the number. Who else but Black Mamba? He is so good with his offhand that I'm not sure he has an offhand.

WHO WANTS IT MORE?

You can tell who won by this picture.

The team who wanted it more.

Down by 10pts in the fourth quarter, facing a hostile crowd, accused of practically being unable to win on the road, the Celtics made this the statement game of the season...proving that they can, not only win on the road, but that they can close out a series on the road.

And, in so doing, have given us a dream match up last seen in the 80's...

It's going to be the Boston Celtics versus the LA Lakers for the 2007-2008 NBA Championships!

FOUL NON FOUL?

What do you think?



I thought it was a foul, I still think it's a foul, and the Lakers got a gift.

MAN, OH, MANU!

A foot beyond the three point line. Hand in the face. Fading away. Defender right up there. Time winding down.

So Manu hits the three, his fourth in the first half.

And just like that, the Spurs have revitalized their flagging playoff spirits. While Tony parker and Tim Duncan struggled to get into their deadly playoff forms, Manu Ginobili, the great Argentine shot down the Lakers' dreams of winning Game 3.

And he did it against Vujavic, Radmanovic, Walton, even Kobe for a spell. Finally, the Lakers accepted the inevitable and started preparing for Game 4 with about 4 minutes left on the clock.

By this time, the Spurs were on a roll, with Udoka, Finley, Bowen and Barry joining the scoring fray. This time, the Lakers bench had no answer.

My guess is the Spurs will win game 4 as well. And then, chances are the home teams win until Game 7.

And Game 7 is anybody's ballgame.

PAYBACK IS GAME 2!

Remember the Suns-Spurs series, when the Suns were a couple of minutes away from stealing homecourt advantage and wound up with a heartbreaking loss from which they never recovered?

The Spurs remember, alright. After all, they might be the new Suns.

After battling the mighty Lakers to a virtual standstill, the Spurs had a chance to knock them off and go home with LA's back against the wall already, despite it being the first game of the series.

Instead, the loss gnawed at their innards and they were simply mortal as Game 2 rolled around.

Now, they go home and try to win two games in a bid to avoid repeating history. Suns history, that is.

MVP TRUMPS SPURS

There's a reason Kobe Bryant is the MVP.

And the Spurs just got reminded why.

After scoring just two measly, un-Kobe-like points in the first half, the reigning MVP scored 25 pts after halftime, including the go ahead shot with about 20 seconds left in the clock.

The Lakers trailed for most of the game, going down by as much as 20points. But Kobe simply refused to give up, leading the Lakers to a scintillating comeback for the playoff record books.

On an aside, I guess we can safely proclaim the Pau Gasol project to be a resounding success. The Spanish conquistador battled Tim Duncan gallantly, scoring 19points, grabbing 7 rebounds and logging 2 blocks against the Big Fundamental's superb game stats of 30points, 18 rebounds and 4 blocked shots.

The surprise of the night? Sasha Vujavic playing good defense against Manu Ginobili.

The question now is whether the close score here is an indication of the Lakers' vulnerability or whether the Lakers were just shaking off the rust from having the weekend off.

Game 2 is in two days time. Let's find out.

BLACK MAMBA IN CONFERENCE FINALS!

That was a fantastic series.

Whatever else it was, no one can deny that it was a fantastic series.

In a Game 6 that was mostly comfortable for the Lakers, the Jazz dismantled a 16point deficit with about 8 minutes left in the fourth to cut it down to 2pts with about 8seconds left.

With main man Carlos Boozer out of the game, it was the fleetfooted Deron Williams who led the charge, capped by 2 crucial 3pointers from the cool as ice Andre Kirilenko (aka AK47).

What was really surprising about this was that Kirilentko had gone 0-9 from three point land in this series, but he had no hesitation at all in launching and making those threes. Still wondering why this guy won MVP in the European Championships? That's why.

So, the Lakers move on in 6. Now I'm really excited to see who they go up against. For their sakes, they better hope its the Hornets.

OH WOW, PAU!

You have got to hand it to Mitch Kupchack.

This has got to be the best trash-to-riches story since the Bulls bought the Suns' 7th pick and turned it into Luol Deng or since Ainge turned Al Jefferson and Jeff Green into Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen.

Pau Gasol, Spaniard extraordinaire, forcefully took the baton of responsiblity from MVP Kobe Bryant to turn the last minute of Game 5 into his own personal highlight reel and catapult the Lakers to a 3-2 series lead over the Jazz.

What made this even more surprising was how Kobe seemed to totally trust Pau, a Laker for half a season, with the game on the line.

Now, this exciting and explosive series goes back to Utah, arguably the hardest homecourt to steal a game from. But I got a good feeling about this. I think the Lakers are due.

ALL JAZZED UP!

It really shouldn't have come as such a surprise.

After all, the mighty Lakers with this year's MVP won Game 1 by just 10 pts and Game 2 by 11points, unlike the blowouts from the first round.

Also, this team boasted of a defensive ace, an All Star caliber point guard, and 2 All Star big men. No to mention a 3 point threat from the bench and a solid bench.

So why are we still surprise that the Jazz won Game 3 in their own home court?

After all, unlike the first two games, Carlos Boozer got his game going right from the very first quarter. Deron Williams was both dominant and unselfish and Memo Okur rained threes down on the suddenly flustered Lakers.

But even the Jazz's new found offensive potency failed to knock out the Lakers immediately. Led by MVP Kobe Bryant, the Lakers fought back to within 3 in the last 2 minutes. Then Boozer hit consecutive baskets, Lakers failed to score on their possessions and the Jazz faithful were brought back to life.

What does this mean? Only that the Lakers will have to play an extra game before moving on to the Conference Finals. The Jazz, like the Hornets, are a team learning about what it takes to win in the playoffs.

But for now, it's gonna be Lakers ball.