2010 NBA Finals - Recap of Game 1 and 2

Well we’re two games into the NBA Finals and we’re sitting 1-1. The Lakers were able to ride Kobe and a surprising Ron Artest to a win in Game 1, while Ray Allen showed that he can still do it with a scorching performance of 32 points while breaking a NBA Finals Record for hitting 8 three pointers.

As far as Game 1 was concerned, the Celtics looked slow and old and almost not interested in the game. Paul Pierce ended the game with a decent stat line of 24 pts, 9 boards, 4 helpers, and 2 blocks, but most of this was done after the game was no longer in doubt. Artest hounded (beat) Pierce up for the majority of the game and also was able to make Pierce a lot more tentative after instigating the double technical foul call 20 seconds into the game. Kobe (30 pts) and Pau Gasol (23 pts, 14 boards) led the way for the Lakers. Artest not only held Pierce in check for most of the game but he gave them 15 pts, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals.

Game 2 was a complete role reversal. Ray Allen was dogged by foul trouble in Game 1 but in Game 2 he came out with his jump shot switched to ‘ON’. Ray hit his first 7 3-pointers. It got so bad that the Lakers had to switch Kobe off of Rondo to try and cool down Allen. They even tried Artest at one point but the only person that seemed to be able to stop Allen was Doc Rivers. Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett couldn’t even put up a combined triple double with 16 points (on 4 of 16 shooting), 8 rebounds, and 10 assists. Overshadowed by Allen’s onslaught was the triple double turned in by none other than Rajon Rondo (19pts, 12 rebs, 10 asts). Rondo was also key down the stretch making all the right plays. Kobe had a subpar game (21 pts, 5 fouls), while Gasol and Bynum controlled the paint with 46 pts, 14 rebounds, and 13 blocks combined. Kobe was seething after the game, so I expect for him to come out swinging in Game 3.

Recap on My Predictions:

KG has done his best Rashard Lewis/David Copperfield impression by disappearing in this series so far. I don’t know if it’s his leg or he’s tired or he’s old or a combination of all of them. It pains me somewhere deep in my heart to watch him lumber up and down the court like this. KG, please find your game, soon. Right now Gasol is killing you. (Matchup BIG in favor of Lakers)

Bynum is impressing me. He has played well in both games and has looked rather agile, mobile and ready to rumble with the Celtics. He is overpowering the shorter Perkins and he’s finishing at the rim. If this continues, the Celtics are in T-R-O-U-B-L-E. (Matchup swinging in favor of Lakers)

Pierce has not showed up yet either. Points-wise I’d call this matchup a draw, but the intangibles are heading in the Celtics favor. Before you ask if I’m crazy, the Celtics haven’t really needed Pierce, yet. He’s putting up some numbers but he isn’t taking a pounding (yet) and he’s got some life in his legs. Ray Allen getting off against in Game 2 forced the matchups that Boston wants. Worst case, this one is even. (Matchup even)

Kobe has put up 51 points in two games and that’s enough to normally swing this in the Lakers favor, however, I like the 32 point outburst by Ray Allen in Game 2 and what that means for the Celtics. I mentioned before the matchups, and if Kobe has to guard Allen instead of Rondo, this puts Fisher back on Rondo, who will continue to eat him (Fisher) alive. (Matchup even)

Rondo has a triple double and a not so bad Game 1. We know that this is the place where the Lakers try and hide Fisher and for good reason. (Matchup going in Celtics favor).

Celtic Bench Production – I pose this one question, what has Sheldon Williams done of not except to marry Candace Parker? Shelden, I’m a Dukie apologist and I need for you to do something instead of turning the ball over. Nate Robinson has provided some spark and I look for him to get a little more tick so that Doc can rest Rondo. Tony Allen, I can at least excuse you from my wrath for playing decent defense.

Lakers Bench Production – Tin Man, where are you? If Odom doesn’t play well next game, look for Kobe to hit him squa’ in the face during one of the huddles. Farmer has played ok, but for some reason he always seems to be a little too fast for his own good. Only 5 minutes of Luke Walton playing so, we’ll wait on that one.

Catching Up

It's been a long day today. A lot going on. Let's see what happened:

Boston Celtics - Well it seems that KG is REALLY hurt and won't play during the playoffs. This is a major blow to the Celtics championship aspirations. Without KG, the Celtics just don't have the depth to get past the Cavs. They might have some problems with a young and energetic Bulls team (my father-in-law already called about the Bulls winning at least 2 games in this series). Although there is hope that KG might play, he hasn't been ruled out and we know as the playoffs start, KG will get that itch.

Boston Celtics - With the news about KG being broadcast this morning, Danny Ainge went and had a (minor) heart attack. Well, some may say that's a cruel joke, but Danny Ainge DID have a heart attack today. I hope he is resting now, they say that he'll recover and be ok. Get yourself checked out. If you haven't seen a doctor in a while (men are stubborn), go and see one.

Football - John Madden is turning in his microphone and retiring from football announcing. No more 'Boom', 'Bam', or 'Turducken'. We all must truly pause for a moment to let this sink in. Madden has been the face of football announcing for years and he is a Super Bowl winning coach (Superbowl 11). The game just wasn't a game unless Madden was announcing it, even though he had to travel by bus due to his fear of flying. John, we will miss you.

Football - Former running back, Travis Henry (yes he of the many kids, about 11 at the present time) has pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess cocaine with the intent to distribute. Two other charges are going to be dropped, but Henry is facing a mandatory 10 years to life in prison AND a $4M fine. Talk about piling it on. His kids are the ones that really lose out on this.

Duke/Michgan/Everyone - Ok, we all know I'm a Duke homer, but what is all this fuss over a kid who hasn't played football in 4 years? Paulus turned out to be a decent point guard, but who thinks that he can just come back and pick up a football and act likehe hasn't missed a beat? I certainly don't. Even Duke offered him a chance to play football but only as a wide receiver. Michigan has supposedly offered this kid a scholarship to play football this year for them. What are people drinking? I wish Paulus well, but go work on your game for the NBA draft.

Did I miss anything? What else, of note, happened today?

NBA Round Up 9-26-08

Denver Nuggets - Finally!!! George Karl is feeling the pressure to win and get out of the first round of the playoffs. Although, Karl insists that the pressure is his own and not something the organization is talking about. Why not, is my question. The organization should be on his a$$ a little because they haven't been able to win. Yes, he has the talent, but for some reason by the end of the season, these guys don't listen to him.

Dallas Mavericks - Interesting. Dirk Nowitzki is looking to enjoy being a free agent at the end of the 2009-10 season. He would like to win a championship in Dallas within the next 3 years, but after that it would be up in the air as to where he plays. I like Dirk, but you aren't going to win any NBA Championships when your star player is 7ft tall, loves to shoot jumpers, and can't play defense*. Just not going to happen.

Houston Rockets - The Rockets match the offer sheet for Carl Landry (3 years for $9M) from the Charlotte Bobcats. With that deal done the Rockets are now trying to cut salary in other ways to bring in the ageless wonder, Dikembe Mutumbo.

Boston Celtics - Can they do it? The Celtics think that they can win the championship again this year. Although they lost an important piece of the team, James Posey, they feel that they can make this thing work again. How you might ask? Well, KG feels that they still have that hunger and they have had a positive off season with all of their team working out almost 3 weeks already. We know KG has that hunger, but will the rest of the guys? It'll be interesting to see.

Toronto Raptors - Jose Calderon has been dealing with a minor groin injury but things are looking good. He has been in town working with team doctors to get ready for training camp. Calderon will be the starting PG for the Raptors this year and a lot will be expected of him. get well.

Orlando Magic - Free JJ Redick!! Otis Smith was asked yet again was he ready to trade Redick. His response was that he likes him and he thinks he can help the Magic. When are we all going to come clean. I am a Dukie homer and I think this kid can play. Give him a chance or trade him. The Suns would have loved to get this guy. There might be a smidgen of hope for Redick to be shipped as Smith also said that 'I think in the next 20-30 days, we'll see how things shake out.' Maybe there is hope for Redick to actually play in the NBA.

*I've often said that when you're 7ft tall and the first thing that comes out of a coaches mouth is that 'you can pass the ball well' or 'you can run the floor well', you can't play for me. I don't want a 7ft guy who roams the perimeter and doesn't have the heart to play in the paint.

Long Time Coming

Well it's finally over. The Celtics are your 2008 NBA Champions. When the game started I just knew that they were going to close this one out. There weren't any terrible calls that changed the game, there were some heated moments, but all in all a great game for the Celtics as all of them did their thing. Things I noticed:

Ray Allen - Jesus!!!! He really woke up. I think that move that he put on Vujacic at the end of Game 4 stayed in Sasha's mind, because Ray was getting away from him off screens and buried a NBA record 7 threes in the game. Those surgically repaired ankles never looked so good. Even after getting hit in the eye early in the 1st, he handled his business with 26 points.

Paul Pierce - Had a decent game, nothing spectacular from a points standpoint, but he was definitely a factor. He was actually ordinary during this game,......but I think he should definitely get the MVP. 17 and 10 on 4 of 13 shooting.

Kevin Garnett - I was having an argument with one of my guys where he was saying that KG is overrated and nothing but a high priced role player. I do recommend that his employer drug test him, but if that's all KG is, I'll take him. A guy that brings it every night and brought a Championship to Boston. His game 6 stats, 26 points, 14boards, 4 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block. I could use that on my team from a role player. He brought the intensity from the get go and the Celtics followed. Bill Russell told him, to keep playing and it'll happen,....how right he was,....#17 in the rafters. Nothing like watching the Big 3 run around like kids and KG screaming 'top of the world, top of the world' and talking to his mom over live TV.

Celtics Role players and Bench - Wow, they showed up. Everyone played well. Rondo with a Finals record for steals (he should have it even if they don't credit him with it). Perk gave it all he had, Posey played well, Powe, PJ Brown, Eddie House, Big Baby, Tony Allen,...everyone played a role in this one. Solid is all I can say.

Doc Rivers - Finally got one. All I have to say is that Doc got a Gatorade cooler emptied on him on a basketball court. I'm glad to see him get it and he out coached a HOFamer in Phil Jackson.

This is great. Ray Allen gets a ring, Paul Pierce gets a ring (and MVP), KG gets a ring, PJ Brown gets a ring. I'm good. This shows you that the hard work and faith can be rewarded if you just trust each other.

On the flip side:

Lamar Odom - Show me that heart and hustle and that you showed in the waning minutes of the game (when you're down 30) all game long and maybe you aren't in a sad locker room tonight. I've always liked Odom and no one can deny that he doesn't have the skill set, but he punked out at the end of this game by wanting to get pissed and wanting to instigate the Celtics.

Pau Gasol - You're kidding me right? I mean you have Paul Pierce guarding you in the post and you don't take it to the hole with authority? Don't know what to say. I guess Odom is the scarecrow, but who are you? 2 offensive rebounds for the entire game? You shoot 29% in the first half and get NONE?

Kobe - (muttering to himself) These bast****. They played like trash and I tried to lead them, but they won't follow. Part of me feels sorry for Kobe, because I know he WANTED to win, but he ran in to a a defensive TEAM. Kobe didn't show me the Jordan in him, because I doubt Mike would have let anyone beat them by 39. All of those MJ/Kobe comparisons should be put to bed after this outing. I bet you Kobe did try to hit someone in the locker room last night though.

Lakers Bench - Where were you? Luke Walton? Farmar? Turiaf? Vujacic? Forrest Gump? Andrew Bynum was sitting behind the bench smiling because he was like, they gotta pay me big money because we need a physical presence. Yeah!!!! Back up the truck baby.

Well it's all over. Nothing left to do but to close the doors at the Garden as the last person leaves for the night. Party in Boston for the next week.

3 Down, 1 To Go

All I can say is wow. My night started at the barbershop talking trash about the Lakers/Celtics series. The majority of the barbershop, although they are Chicago biased, had picked the Lakers because, well, Kobe. I have stated here on a few occasions that Kobe is the best player on the planet and I won't backtrack on that one. With that said, I've always felt that the Celtics were too good a team to lose this series. So, I got to talking (for those that know me, that is easy) and I made a bet with one of the barbers for a little bit of money. I told them how Odom has already checked out of this series and that he is done. We all know that Gasol is soft, yet he's a good big man with lots of skills. (Side note on Odom: I remember this guy at Rhode Island and how good he was. I mean he is 6'10" and has all the skills that a guard has. I thought that he was going to help turn the Clippers around and make them good, but I was wrong. I actually have his autograph from the night he got drafted. I've always thought he had the skills to dominate, but not the desire to do that.) So the game started at 8pm (CST).

The beginning of the game was terrible for the Celtics. All we heard was Odom's name being talked about as he had 13 points in the first quarter. The score was getting nasty (well it was already nasty) and the barbershop was all over me. I told them just wait, it's not over until the time on the clock is 0.0. T wanted to bet me how many times Mark Jackson would say 'Mama, there goes that man' about Odom (I declined). The Celtics found ways to miss shots, and then when they pulled Rondo and put in House, I thought here we go. House started missing wide open 3's. If he's not hitting those, he's useless. After I got my haircut, T (the barber I made a bet with) asked me if I wanted to leave my money with him now because it was the 2nd quarter and things looked bleak. So, I went into my coach speak with the 'You're a loser if you give up now. The game isn't over until the 0.0 on the clock. It's not over'. T told me it was basically over.

I turned the TV on in the truck and had the game on as it got to the 3rd quarter. What I saw was amazing. The Celtics seemed to just come out like gang busters and played D. The Lakers got tight and by the end of the 3rd, it was a 2 point game. Mrs. Inquisitive Mind was sleeping by this time but I was yelling and screaming on the inside for the Celtics. The 4th quarter turned even worse for the Lakers when Eddie House hit the shot to put the Celtics ahead for the first time and was caught by ABC running down the court screaming, 'I'm a d*** shooter, that's all day'. The Lakers couldn't seem to do anything right. Then KG hits an 8 footer over Gasol with a flash to a guy in the crowd (behind the basket) with that 'oh s***' look on his face. In the end, the Lakers lost this game and the Staples center looked like a funeral.

The other things I saw:

1) Lamar Odom - Can be great at times, but that 'mental toughness' is the question. Dude had 13 points in the 1st quarter and 19 for the game. Talk about pulling a David Copperfield on his team. A guy this talented shouldn't have to be egged on to perform.

2) Kobe - played a great 1st half, and didn't even score a bucket. He was getting everyone else the ball and they were producing. It's easy to shoot the rock when the you're up 10 or 15 or 24. The rest of the Lakers let Kobe down. When it was crunch time in the 3rd and 4th, those shots weren't falling for the Lakers.

3) The Lakers Bench - Where did you go? Why was Fisher on the bench when they need his veteran presence? I was listening to Bill Walton on the radio the other day and he was talking about how proud he was that Luke was in the Finals with a chance to win it all. I guess that's about all Luke is going to give his father because he hasn't done a thing for the Lakers in the Finals.

4) Paul Pierce - c'mon man, we didn't need another Willis Red moment so I am glad you got up after falling on a Lakers fast break. Other than that, it looked like Pierce and Kobe changed jerseys at halftime, because Pierce got in Kobe's grill and locked him down. I can say that I've thought Pierce is an adequate defender but he showed me something last night.

5) KG - Let them keep talking about how you don't want the ball in the stretch and how you're not clutch. Play that D young man, play that D. KG has proven that he can do it all. No he may not get you 37 or 40 in a game, but he's going to get you 20 - 25, 10 boards, and some assists, blocks, and steals. He led this team on the defensive end last night to get a 3 - 1 series advantage.

6) Doc - Now this one is almost amazing. Doc seems to be making all the right moves with his team and out coaching the Zen Master. If that's not worth a mention, I don't know what is.

7) Ray Allen - Did someone wake him up? I mean Ray has been the only constant for the Celtics in each game in the Finals. This looked like the Ray of old. You can tell he doesn't have the explosiveness that he had before but he does have his skills. He can still shoot and last night when he waived off KG on a pick to take Vujacic to the hole (with the lefty lay), that showed me that Ray is back. I remember earlier in the year when the Big 3 were doing an interview and the question was asked, the game is on the line which of you takes the final shot? Answers: Ray Allen - 'The open man', KG - 'Ray Allen', Paul Pierce - 'Ray Allen'. Maybe they knew something we didn't.

Hopefully the Celtics can close out on Father's Day, but I'm thinking that Kobe drops 50 that Sunday and the Celtics win in Boston. My original prognostication was Celtics in 7. I feel comfortable with that. Happy Father's Day to all the fathers and I'm off to get on the phone. You didn't think I was going to let the guys at the barbershop off the hook that easily, did you?

1 Down, 3 to Go

That noise you heard was every Boston fan dropping their drink/hot dog/chowder after Paul Pierce went down in the 3rd quarter. With his Willis Reed like entrance from the locker room to the floor in the 3rd, he helped the Celtics surprise the Lakers.

So now we have gone through Game 1. What happened, many of you might ask. Well, the Celtics played some pretty good defense in the 2nd half of the game. Garnett came out and carried the team in the 1st half, but the Celtics allowed the Lakers to shoot 51% (I think) in the 1st half. You're not going to win games like that.

Kobe - He played badly, but part of that the Celtics helped him play badly. He tried to get his teammates involved early (like he has been doing in the playoffs) and he tried to pick his spots, but the Celtics made him hit tough shots. They didn't let Kobe get into the lane and break down their defense. The few times that he was able to get to the middle, he had to pass the ball out for a 3 or a deep jumper.

KG - Talk about showing up. It looked as though KG was able to focus his intensity and score. I am upset with the Celtics a little because he was on, and they stopped going to him. I mean KG was really stroking the ball, but Doc didn't call his number more often. You're supposed to dance with the girl you brung, and they went away. In the 2nd half, either he was tired or his nerves got to him. You could tell because he started short arming his shots and at one point missed 9 in a row. Doc, when KG is hot like this, ride him,.......

Ray Allen - I love it,.....Kobe still gets Ray excited to play. Ray came out and played well. Hit his shots, put the ball on the floor to create for other people, just wonderful. I'm almost going to say that Ray can play some point to extend his career. Now he did dribble the ball off his foot on a 3 on 2 fast break and Odom ended up taking it the other way, but I liked Ray's energy.

Perkins - That was ugly. I mean real ugly. 1 point, and 4 fouls. I picked Perk as the player that can help the Celtics turn this series in their favor. He's got to get in there and rebound and get some put backs. His fouls were silly fouls, reaching in on Gasol when he already has his back to the basket, don't go for the steal,...play Gasol straight up. He got a dunk blocked, but again,...maybe the sprained ankle will slow him down a little and let him play the game. Perk is still my pick to do damage against the Lakers.

Celtics Bench - They showed up. First Cassell off the bench lighting it up, then Leon Powe showed up and hustled and made some plays, then you have the old vet, PJ Brown. PJ didn't fill the stat sheet but his hustle and some of the plays he made were critical to the Celtics winning.

Paul Pierce - 'Willis Reed'. It's gotta feel special to go down and then come back and hit those two back to back 3's. The building was crazy when he did that. He gave his team a lift and he didn't look like his knee was hurting him that bad. The big question is, what happens tonight when he gets home and that knee tightens up? Will he be ready for Sunday? I might even be crazy, but even with a hampered Pierce, I see them winning this all in 7 games.

Go Celtics!!!!!!

How we got here

Ok, the NBA Finals start on Thursday night and it’s going to be a wild one. With everything that has happened for both teams over the past year, you gotta expect that the fireworks are going to continue. You have the Lakers and the Celtics for the title and several other interesting subplots:

KG’s career - Will he ever win one? Can he be clutch when it really matters? Can he lead a team to the promised land?

Kobe’s career - Is he the closest thing to MJ? Can he will his team to the title by being THE man?

Paul Pierce’s career – Can he finally become a Celtic that wins a title and not the Celtic with the most playoffs wins without a title?

Phil Jackson – Does he get the championship that puts him past Red Auerbach, while beating Red’s old team?

A few months ago you had Kobe going on blast to every media outlet available about him wanting to be traded and how it made no sense to keep a young Bynum when they could have gotten Jason Kidd in a trade with NJ. You had the Celtics who tanked in order to win the Greg Oden sweepstakes (see how that went), but during the offseason Danny Ainge made some deals to pull in Ray Allen and KG (a coup at best). With the Lakers, Kobe decided to shut up (thank goodness) for a while and just play basketball. While ever other GM in the business sat around and salivated about how they could put a package together to get Kobe, Mitch Kupchak was sitting around with rosary beads, some magic fairy dust, and about 12 rabbits feet (sorry PETA). We thought that he would have jumped out of a window when Bynum went down with a knee injury, but somewhere in Memphis we heard a heart break. Jerry West, decided that in his last few months of working with the Grizz that he’d give the franchise that he helped create (on the court and off) one last assist. The Grizz gave up Pau Gasol (the face of the franchise) for Kwame Brown (nothing bad left to say), Javaris Crittendon (who in my estimation will end up being a decent guard), and basically a ham sandwich, a bag of chips (not the cheap ones), and a soda. Wasn’t it really awkward during the presentation of the West Conference Championship that West was presenting the trophy to the Lakers? The Lakers should have been presenting the trophy to West with a check attached to it. He’s the reason that they were able to pull this off (yes the players played, but man, what an assist). The whole time West was speaking, Kobe was grinning like a little kid that found out the secret to getting ice cream or something.

The Celtics on the other hand, pieced together their current team with an assist from ‘within’ also. Again, every other GM in the NBA cringed as they saw the package that Minny took for KG. Yes, Boston gave up Al Jefferson (a decent big who can score in the West), Gerald Green (if basketball was just all dunking), Theo Ratliff (who was on Detroit's playoff roster), Ryan Gomes (go ahead and look him up to see who he is), Sebastian Telfair (his claim to fame is being Marbury’s cousin) and some picks, but you have to look at that deal and imagine the conversation that occurred:

Ainge: (on the phone with McHale)…Kevin, I’m trying to win man. I’ve got Paul Pierce, I took a shaky Ray Allen from Seattle, and now I need a big to finish out the team,….

McHale: Win? Man, I’m just trying to make our team interesting during the winter, there’s nothing else to do here in Minny, but when the summer comes I don’t want to have to work anymore. Don’t tell anyone that,…..

Ainge: We have to win here, it’s the Celtics for gosh sakes. Don’t you remember all of the good times we had here during our heyday? What about KG? Is he available? You guys haven’t done much with his talent yet?

McHale: Yeah, he’s available, but right now, everyone wants him. But I need to somehow keep this team in mediocrity, yet still keep my job. Well, I’m not worrying about the job so much, I have pictures on people here. What kind of deal were you thinking about? And don’t think about including Paul Pierce in a deal, he’s too good.

There you have it, the background that provides us with the Lakers vs. Celtics for the NBA Championship. May the best team win (Go Celtics).

Finally!!

Well, the Celtics closed out the Pistons and setup the Celtics vs. Lakers Finals. This was a good game from the tip. My take on the game is as follows:

1) Be You - See, this whole getting on Rasheed about him being cordial and a good sportsman with the Celtics was stupid. Since his teammates got on him, Rasheed didn't give KG any love prior to the tip. Now, to me,....you have to let Sheed be Sheed. If you have an issue with him having respect, then YOU have the issue. I understand that Lindsey Hunter and Rip Hamilton are the two that came out and talked to Sheed after Game 5. I'm not saying that this threw Sheed off his game, but Sheed didn't play well in Game 6. Should have left him alone.

2) Chauncey Billups - Where have you been? I guess that hammy is ok. Billups put it all on the line and did what he could to help his team win. Flip Saunders should have ordered a lot more pick and roll because the Celtics couldn't play that very well.

3) The Truth - This was a big game for PP. I guess he channeled as much of Kobe as he could. The Celtics put on a big 4th quarter to finish this game out. He is the only Celtic that can put the ball on the floor and create his shot or shots for others. Along with his free throws, the Truth and the Celtics showed some poise down the stretch to close out the Pistons. 29-11 run in the 4th says it all.

4) Flip Saunders - It was nice coaching the Pistons, good luck finding your next job. I'm pretty sure that Flip will be unemployed in the next few weeks. Avery Johnson, aren't you out of a job?

5) Maxiell and Stuckey - Can Joe Dumars get some love for drafting players that can play? Yes, he did draft Darko, but he kind of had to because Melo isn't going to play D. But Maxiell hit some tough shots in the clutch and Stuckey, wow, I'm amazed at his poise. He didn't seem to be nervous and he was taking shots when it mattered.

So, we have the Finals settled and the two most storied NBA Franchises (30 NBA titles out of the 61). You have Kobe and Lakers going against the new (for the younger generation) Big 3 in Boston. After watching the Lakers dismantle the Spurs the other night I felt that no one would be able to beat the Lakers. After watching the Celtics close out the Pistons in Detroit, along with overcoming being down in the 4th, I am giving the Celtics a boxer's chance. So, I'm going to step up and make my prediction now, while I'm on my high from the Celtics winning the East. With that said, I gotta say the NBA Champion will be the................L....o......s.......A......n,....aw hell to the naw. The NBA Champion will be wearing GREEN and WHITE. I got the Celtics in 7. Who you got?

My Picks for the NBA Conference Finals

Yeah,..I know I'm a little late, but you know this isn't my day job. So we have two conference finals that seem to be shaping up to be great. Possibly 2 7 game series. Let's start in the East:

Boston - Wow, they finally won a road game. I think they should be given the East Conference Championship just for that. KG has been solid, The Truth has been decent, and we even saw that Ray Allen is still alive (well atleast in one game). My issues with Boston start at the top. Doc, you've played your bench all year and now you're going to tighten your rotation? I know, I know, it's the playoffs,...that's what coaches do. BUT, you have guys in Powe, Davis, Allen, House, and Cassell that can produce, although I probably won't blame you for not playing Cassell as much (he hasn't been the clutch guy they thought they were going to get). Last night the Celtics just got blown out of the water in Detroit and still had opportunities to win the game at the end. Doc, loosen the reigns and let the guys play. If you can get Ray Allen to show up for 3 more games, you guys can go on to the NBA Finals.

Detroit - Did anyone realize how important one hamstring really is? Well, it's worth a lot when he's attached to the body who happens to be the head of the Pistons team. Chauncey is picking his spots, but as we can see, his shot is off right now. We all know his hammy is hurting, but Stuckey is filling in when needed. Has anyone shown more poise on the Detroit team than Stuckey and Maxiell? McDyess is the good guy that the team wants to win a ring for, and he showed up big last night. I'm not sure he's put up a 20+ points and 15+ rebound effort in a while (probably not since his rookie season, I'll get my stat guy to check. Yes, I may be low budget right now, but I have a stat guy). The Pistons seem to be on a mission to make this happen against the Celtics.

My Pick - Celtics in 7. Yes, I'm going against the Pistons. This may be more heart than head, because I want KG to win a ring. This might even make up for Barkley not getting one, but KG deserves a ring (can you feel the emotion?). The Celtics have some work to do but this can happen for them. They need some production from the bench and they need Ray Allen to get more points that shot attempts and they should advance to the NBA Finals.


Los Angeles - Well, nothing more to say really, Kobe was/is the MVP of the league. They have a bomb squad with Gasol, Odom, Walton, Radmanovic, Fisher, Vujacic, Turiaf, Farmar, and all of them are under contract (plus big Bynum is back next year). I think on talent alone the Lakers should win this series. They have the best player in the game in Kobe and he has that 'killer' in him that will not let his team lose. They have played well together and seem to have the chemistry that they have lacked in the past years. Farmar and Vujacic need to stay on their games and Odom has got to dominate his match-up, because the Spurs don't have anyone that can stop him.

San Antonio - You ever been to the Riverwalk? Nice area, good food, good fun,....and that's it. I'm not going to hide it, I don't like the Spurs. Hoped that the Hornets could have gotten them out of the way last series but it wasn't in the cards. Tim Duncan is exactly what he was 5 years ago, minus the athleticism that he's lost, a technically sound big man. If you have a post move that everyone in the gym knows you're going to use and you still use it and get the results, you are good (doesn't hurt that his basketball IQ was grown in ACC country). Tony Parker, is still the same guy that isn't the best shooter, but he seems to effortlessly get to the basket against anyone. The one person on the Spurs that gets that team going is (in my best Charles Barkley voice) Gi-n-o-b-i-l-i!!!!! He stirs the pot right now with his shooting, drives to the hole, and timely passing. Ginobili always seems to be in the middle of a Spurs run. They have a veteran-laden bench that can come in and maintain, but they often don't put up lots of numbers to get their team back into a game.


My Pick - Lakers in 7. Yes, I want to see the Lakers get to the Finals. I probably want to see the Spurs get beaten more than anything. The Lakers have all of the pieces, and we'll see what happens. The Lakers have to stop Ginobili so I expect to see the Mamba on him for the rest of the series. Odom is the key to the series, he's got to abuse whomever he turns to see when he has the ball.

Well, with all of that said,....I reserve the right to make changes to my picks, but until then I'll stick with these. It's great to be me, eh?