Don't Stop Believing...

Just when things seemed bleak for the Cavs last night, Lebron James took the team on his back, and carried them to victory. He spread the ball around in the first few quarters, got his team involved (except for Wally Szczerbiak, because that seems near impossible), and helped the Cavs mount a big lead early. But the Magic missed the panic button again, and slowly worked their way back to a 1-point halftime deficit.

After a 9-0 run from Orlando to start the third, it didn't look good for the Cavs. But Lebron proved his shoulders could carry the weight of his teammates, the city of Cleveland, his sponsorships, and his salary once again, leading the Cavs back and past the Magic on Thursday night. He had a hand in 32 consecutive points for the Cavs (between points and assists)!! He also had a game high, 37 points, 17 of which came in the fourth. James also added 14 boards and 12 assists to his un-Earthly stat package. Vince Carter was 1/2 man, 1/2 amazing. James might just be all amazing.

With one win in the books, the Cavs still have two more to go to pull off one of the amazing comebacks in NBA Conference Finals history. It's a daunting task for a man who seems all alone in the fourth quarter. Mo Williams, Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Daniel Gibson carried their own weight for most of the game, but it was Lebron James, alone, that carried the team in the closing minutes. If Williams and Gibson can keep their shots flowing, and West, Ilgauskas, Wallace and Varejao can continue to play their roles well, the Cavs could pull this thing off. One win in Orlando, that's all they need. Lebron won't let this team lose in front of its home faithful. If Cleveland can pull off the upset over O-town in Game 6 (no I'm not talking about the boy band), the Cavs can, and I think will, take this series.

All we can do is witness and believe.

Image taken from espn.com

Where is the Love?

Like him or not, Kobe Bryant deserves some love. It's not that he isn't "dapped" on a regular basis, it's that he isn't dapped enough. Lebron James is the league's MVP. He's done some spectacular things this postseason. No one, but Skip Bayless, can deny that. But it seems to me that the world's obsession with Lebron James has clouded the greatness that is, Kobe Bryant.

I watched Lebron James' game-winning shot in awe on Friday night, 164 times on Sportscenter. Then I watched it another 200 times the next day. I agree, it was the greatest shot of Lebron's career, and I could've watched it another 200 times. However, the very next night, Kobe Bryant hit clutch shot, after clutch shot, after clutch shot, and then another clutch shot, and received very limited air time on ESPN. Instead, everyone chose to credit the Lakers' win to the boneheaded Nuggets and move on to the next story about Lebron's game-winner two nights before.

Did anybody see Kobe's go ahead three with a minute left? It was a pretty big deal.

The man had 41 points, 40 in Game 1. He's shooting 93% from the line this series. And his team is up 2-1 against a team that's playing unbelievable as of late. Denver had all the momentum, a 16 game winning-streak at home, and a soaring confidence. Yet Kobe and the Lakers still managed to steal home-court advantage back from them.

While it appears Lebron James is playing all alone against the Magic, Kobe hasn't exactly had much help as well. Fisher isn't shooting well. Bynum is nonexistent. Gasol is softer than Charmin Ultra, spending more time complaining than playing. Odom is struggling. Vujacic forgot how to shoot. Meanwhile, Bryant has overcame every obstacle en route to a 2-1 series lead. He's taken the ball-in-hand for every big-time possession, and come through time and time again. He's been battered and beaten by a much stronger Carmelo Anthony, dislocated his finger, and yet still fights through the pain in hopes of a healing swish.

Just because he isn't the MVP this year, doesn't mean Kobe's fallen off from his MVP status of last year. The Lakers are winning, and Kobe is excelling once again. Lebron James may have the most recent game-winner, but Kobe Bryant is still the best closer in the game. Just because it's a trend when Kobe comes through in the clutch, doesn't mean it should be less appreciated.

Lebron's not the only player we need to Witness.

Image taken from espn.com

Unfamiliar Waters...

Just as I predicted, the Nuggets stole one from the Lakers last night. A little more to my surprise, the Magic stole one from the Cavs as well two nights ago. This leaves both Cleveland and Los Angeles in unexpected and unfamiliar waters. Meanwhile, the Magic and Nuggets sit fastened in the driver's seat.

. . .

Kobe and the Lakers ran into the Nuggets at the wrong time. Not so lucky for them, that time is the Western Conference Finals. Denver is confident and fearless. And that's just their small forward. The rest of the team is playing focused and with passion.

Denver turned the tables on the Lakers in Game 2. They made the right decisions late in the game and came up with the big defensive stops when they needed them. Carmelo edged Kobe in points this time, and big-shot Billups stayed true to his name (with mostly big free throws), en route to victory.

The win means the Nuggets possess home-court advantage for the time being. But don't expect the NBA's best road team (Lakers: 29-12) to roll over in Denver. The Lakers are a team of resilience. When they feel they have something to prove, they always seem to perform. See 40- and 19-point victories last series.

Expect another great game, as one of the prematurely proclaimed best series ever continues this weekend in Denver.

. . .

Lebron James sat atop his throne Wednesday night, putting on a show for the ages. Only it was ruined by a shameful performance from the King's royal court. LBJ was an unstoppable force. His jumpshot was en fuego, which meant he could pretty much do whatever he wanted. And he did. He drew double and triple and quadruple and quintuple teams, leaving teammate after teammate after teammate wide open for shots. The team must have been taking shots of whiskey before the game though, because they couldn't get a shot to fall for the life of them. James even playfully criticized Moe Williams at halftime, saying he was missing some of the easiest shots of his life.

Playful criticism quickly turned to disappointment when the Cavs saw their 15-point lead disappear in the third quarter. Rashard Lewis found his stroke, Hedo Turkoglu digested his pregame pizza and decided to join the game, and before you knew it, the Magic were back in it.

Unfortunately for the Cavs, Lebron didn't realize he needed to take every shot before it was too late. And even then, he was forced to give Delonte West the game winning shot, which he could have used to polish off the brick house he assembled all game.

It must have been tough for Cavs players to look Lebron in the eye after he scored 49 points on 67% shooting, and yet no one could muster up one made basket to ease the load on his shoulders. As always, Lebron will be humble and blame no one for the loss, but he deserves to be able to chastise his team for their pathetic play.

It's inexcusable for NBA players to miss that many wide open shots. Especially wide open shots in their comfort zone. Ilgauskas, Williams, and West put on forgettable performances. I think Daniel Gibson should have been given a chance. At least Cavs fans know he can hit big shots in the clutch. Either the Conference Finals are too big for these young stars or the aliens from Moron Mountain must've stolen most of the Cavs "game". It's tough to say for sure.

Lebron's supporting cast needs to show up. Let's face it. Lebron is the chosen one. But he doesn't shoot lights out every game. When he does, even the littlest margin of help wins Cleveland that game, but when he doesn't, he needs his role players to hit the big shots he sets up for them. Lebron may be an unstoppable force, perhaps a greater being, but you can't win championships 1 on 5.

Even Jordan had Bill Wennington.

Image taken from espn.com

Lakers Steal One From Nuggets...

Denver couldn't ask for a better performance out of Carmelo Anthony. As for the other eight guys, Denver cannot say the same. Carmelo had most of ESPN's audience saying "Kobe who?" for much of Tuesday night's game in Los Angeles. But Kobe walked away on top in the end. A trend we see so often with this matchup.

Anthony out-muscled, out-hustled, and out-played the league's second best player (according to Jerry West). "I am a little out of my weight class," said Bryant after the game.

Outplayed or not, Bryant did what he does best in the end -- finishes games. He scored 18 of his game-high 40 points in the fourth, making big shots and clutch free throws in the closing minutes. Melo was just as clutch down the stretch, but his teammates' untimely mistakes, cost the Nuggets the game, and put Anthony's efforts to waste.

With the game on the line, Denver's Kenyon Martin committed two bonehead reach-in fouls, handing the Lakers two points, and guard Anthony Carter turned the ball over on a careless inbound pass to Chauncey Billups in the final seconds.

Denver set the tone of the game early and had the lead late, but let it slip from their fingertips. Anthony single-handedly carried the team. Billups' performance was nothing special. The streaky J.R. Smith couldn't get going. Anthony was forced to handle the scoring (which he did). But it wasn't enough.

The Nuggets also missed 11 first half free throws. Including an uncharacteristic three missed free throws from Billups, who shot 91% on the year.

It's important for Denver to realize that they just may be as good as the Lakers. The Lakers know how to win, but if Denver doesn't mentally lose the game during crunch time, they can definitely win this series.

Let's not take any credit away from the Lakers though. Gasol, Bynum and Odom were dominated by the Denver frontcourt. But the team kept the game close, and made the plays when it mattered. Bryant rose to the challenge of making the big plays down the stretch, and came out victorious once again.

It sure is fun to watch Kobe and Melo battle it out too. Forgot Lebron and Kobe for now. Anthony and Bryant might be even more exciting to watch.

This may shape up to be one of the greatest series of all-time. I know it's early to say, but these teams are just so evenly matched.

Perhaps I'm just being a little Melo-dramatic though.

Image taken from espn.com

Brewing Rivalries...

Well, it's been long enough since I last wrote a post, so here comes one. The topic: NBA playoff basketball. I think it's safe to assume my first and second round predictions would have been perfect, so I'll start at the Conference Finals. The match-ups: In the West, the Laker Gold versus the Gold Diggers. In the East, the King and his court versus a little bit of Magic.

Let's break it down.

How the West will be won:
All season long, the West has been a competition for second place. That's because, like Michael Phelps in a pool at Beijing, the Lakers couldn't be caught. But when Where Amazing Happens came, a surprising team surged -- the Denver Nuggets. A team that, just a year ago, went fishing after an embarrassing 4-0 sweep to the Lakers. But a new year brought a new team. Denver learned that The Answer was the main problem -- cutting Allen Iverson loose in exchange for Chauncey Billups. 60 wins and only 27 losses later, the Nuggets are riding Cloud Nine into the Western Conference Finals. Replacing Allen Iverson with a proven leader and big-time player in the clutch was the solution all along. Imagine that.

Now Denver, 8-2 in the playoffs and undefeated at home, looks like a legitimate contender to take down not only the Lakers, but maybe even the Cavs or Magic. Find a man on this Earth that would have predicted this before the season. It cannot be done.

Denver is even playing defense. They look like the Baltimore Ravens out there. Their Birdman, Chris Anderson, has been putting on a block party on defense and serving up jams on offense. Dhantay Jones has put the locks on all opponents, and even Carmelo is playing hard on the defensive end, leading the team in steals.

A Denver team that's playing defense as well as its playing offense? That's scary.

The Lakers boast the West's best regular season record, but are only 8-4 in the playoffs. They barely escaped a series against the Rockets, and were questioned for their effort. The Rockets didn't have Yao Ming or Tracy McGrady. It shouldn't have gone 7 games. But it did. They were even embarassed in Game 6. This Laker team should never be embarassed. There's just too much talent.

One has to question the attitude of this Laker team. Might they think they're actually above the rest of the league? Maybe. But they shouldn't. They didn't win last year. And there's three great teams that could make that the case again this year.

With all this being said, the Lakers are practically unbeatable when they want to be. But that want will be the question this week versus Denver. Which Laker team will show up? Because Denver isn't too far below the Lakers talent-wise, and any beat the Lakers skip could easily send the Nuggets to the Finals.

The Beast of the East:
As the Magic grinded out a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals, Lebron likely relaxed watching in front of his television. The Cavs are 8-0 in the postseason, winning every game by 10 points or more. The highly-talented Magic could be an admirable foe for the Cavs, but their attitude is questionable as well. Until Game 6 versus the Celtics, the Magic were seen as a young team with a lack of desire -- a waste of talent. After Dwight Howard called out coach Stan Van Gundy, the Magic transformed into a team of poise. The question is: Will the Magic stay this way?

It's going to be tough to take down the only team that looks like they're having more fun than the Magic. Lebron James is only getting better and better by the day, and he's only playing about three quarters a game. But the Magic are 2-1 versus the Cavs this year. They match-up particularly well against them. The one loss did, however, come in Cleveland -- a place where the Cavs are 43-2 this season (43-1 with Lebron in the lineup), and a place where 4 of the 7 games will be played in the series. The odds are not in Orlando's favor.

Prediction time:

Lakers 4-3: Toughest pick for sure. I think the Lakers need to steal one on the road after the Nuggets humble them at home, but they'll prevail in Game 7.



Cavaliers 4-1: Lebron has everyone believing, including myself. I don't see this series going past six without Jameer Nelson running the show for the Magic.



Images taken from espn.com & Yahoo! Sports

Coming Soon...

More posts. Back from vacation, it's time to get back to my job -- to blog.