Miami and OKC show why they are the favorites to meet in the NBA Finals:

The Miami Heat had heard it all about Linsanity and the new look New York Knicks. Dwayne Wade for one said he was ready to guard the sensational point guard as soon as the Knicks plane landed. You could tell that both Wade and Lebron James would ratchet up the heat (Pun intended) for this game due to the nature of hype and anticipation. The result was a resounding 102-88 victory that saw them dismantle what is the hottest story in sports. Lin was assaulted all night as they forced him into 8 turnovers and just 8 points on 1 for 11 shooting. Miami clearly game planned for Lin as they hounded him relentlessly up and down the court I can't remember another game where it was hard to just take dribbles,'' said Lin and it showed.

Don’t think for one second the Heat didn’t see how Lin dropped 38 on Kobe and the Lakers and another 28 and 14 assists on Dirk and the defending champion Dallas Mavericks. They knew this kid could play but they wanted to see him up close and personal. Carmelo and Amare could only sit back and stare as the new found savior point of guard struggled most of the night. Melo is still trying to find his groove and finished 7 if 20 as he was caught in the line of fire that was the suffocating Miami defense. The Heat just wore them down with there intense defense some of the best rotations you will see just as they just smothered the Knicks high octane offense. Lebron would finish with 20 points 9 rebounds and 8 assists. His sidekick Wade added 22 points and 5 rebounds and third wheel Chris Bosh had 25 points and 8 rebounds for good measure. The Heat had heard about the story and couldn’t wait to tear it all to pieces which they did last night.

No one has a better fast break transition offense then the Heat. The only team that is even in the conversation is the Oklahoma City Thunder and they used their young legs to outrun and gun the Los Angles Lakers100-85. Kevin Durant is getting to the point in his career where you just can’t guard him. He dropped 33 on the Lakers and didn’t even seem to break a sweat. His trusty second hand man Russell Westbrook chipped in with 19 and they just overwhelmed Los Angeles. This is a young team that has had the chance to gel together and its starting to pay big dividends. What gets lost in all of the Durant and Westbrook talk is that quietly Serge “I’ll block ya” Ibaka is leading the league in blocked shots. He also is the perfect glue guy big man that cleans up on misses and does a lot of the dirty work for his superstar teammates. Another guy you can’t forget with the Thunder is the bearded Mohawk one himself James Harden. His versatility and wiliness to come off the bench creates a major problem for most teams they face. Harden had 16 points on an efficient 6 of 10 shooting and traded jabs with Kobe Bryant for most of the night. His competitiveness seemed to be contagious as his teammates all jumped in and they just took it the Lakers, making them look slow and old for the most part. Kobe was never able to get on track as OKC held him to 7 of 24 from the field.

So in summarizing, clearly the Miami and OKC are the best teams in the NBA at the mid-point of the season. They are tied for the best record in the league at 26-7 and don’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. They both have transcendent talents on the wings and are the best fast break teams in the NBA. Both are not without their flaws as well as neither has a go to low post threat which could pose a problem in the playoffs when games tend to slow down. OKC is a jump shooting team that if the shots aren’t falling that night then they are vulnerable. Miami always is at the will of Lebron in the final minutes possibly choking and bad clock management which plagued them at the worst possible times last year. But even with that being said about both teams, it’s hard to pick against an OKC vs. Miami Finals match up. They have the superstars in Durant, James, Westbrook, Wade and Bosh. They have the high paced offenses with devastating fast breaks that would keep everyone glued to the seats. The question now is if they can both make it out of their respective conference and give the fans the collision course they are expecting in the Finals. Stay tuned as the both teams try to make it to the promise land and it appears all but inevitable.

Sportaholic: The Association shows us what we missed in first two days of action

For those who missed it (If you could with the wall to wall ESPN coverage) the NBA is back with a vengeance. In two days of action we have already witnessed a Kevin Garnet throat shove, Lebron James and Dwayne Wade looking like Jordan and Pippen 2.0, a Derrick Rose game winner, Chris Paul take over in the 4^th for the Clips,Mr. former Mr. Kardashian himself Kris Humphries drop a 21 point 14 rebound game, and Dwight Howard make up a song about his on again off again trade rumors.  And that’s just half the story. I didn’t know what to expect as a writer and fan when the NBA finally got over themselves and stopped the madness. From “Witnessing” Lebron show up at his alma mater’s varsity football practice, players moving overseas, Delonte West working at The Home Depot, and Kevin Durant do a little bit of everything made me think these guys wouldn’t be ready come when the lockout ended. Just didn’t seem like the focus was on getting better with all of the additional free time they had.

I was as wrong as I could I could be especially about the King himself. James and the Miami Heat look as if they could beat the ’96 Chicago Bulls with their aggressive defense and spectacular fast break offense.  Lebron and Dwayne Wade combined for 63 points 18 rebounds and 12 assists and just continually got in the lane to punish the Mavericks (0-2 now after losing to Denver tonight). The Mavs look to have the dreaded “Championship Hangover” as they have looked old, slow and discombobulated to start the season. Some of that is to be expected when you add veteran players such as Lamar Odom and Vince Carter but the effort just didn’t seem there. The Los Angeles Lakers are clearly a different team under new Head Coach Mike Brown. They are much more post oriented in their offense and will use a lot of screens to open up their 3-point shooters. All that being said the ball still ended up in Kobe’s hands in crunch time and that old bugaboo of them not being able to defend small quick point guards rang true. Derrick Rose absolutely left Derek Fisher stuck to the ground and floated a leathery soft floater over Pau Gasol (Don’t get me started on him) to finish off a sensational 22-point 8-assit game. The Bulls showed they will be able to match superior offensive teams by adding Richard Hamilton (Can anyone tell me why he still wears the face guard mask?)

Carmelo deserves a big mention as well with his 20-point 2^nd half outburst. "Most importantly for us, as a new team, we showed something," Anthony said. "We came together as a team. Even when we got down, there wasn't no frowns. Nobody was down. Mentally everybody was still up about it, and we willed our way to this win." The Knicks have the look of a team that can make a run but the injury of Rook Iman Shumpert going down with a MCL sprain hurts them at a position that they are already thin at. They still can score on you at will wit Melo, Amar’e Stoudemire, and a cast of talented role players. But the most important development for them was the shot blocking by newly acquired center Tyson Chandler. He obliterated 6 shots and showed that as long as he is around New York won’t be pushovers in the paint.

Lastly I can see why Dwight Howard will be traded or leave in the off season if he isn’t The Magic don’t have even half the talent around him to sniff an NBA championship.  Not when you wing player rotation consists of Jason Richardson (1 of 10), Hedo Turkoglu (3 of 10) and J.J Redick (0-3). They would have to pull off some kind of miraculous trade that they don’t have the money to do thanks to a couple of bloated contracts. The Lakers should smell blood in the water soon with Howard’s first choice New Jersey having to deal with Brooke Lopez breaking his foot.  One way or another the writing is on the wall for that situation even if Howard wants to make up little Christmas carols about it.

It was just a damn good way to start off the season after all of the bitterness that ensued during the lockout. The marquee players that we all expect to performed pretty much did that on the first two nights of the season.  Things can only get better from here and it looks like the NBA is ready to make up for dragging us into a shortened season with exceptional play all throughout it. 

The Sportaholic Radio Show 09/10/2011: NFL 1st week edition

Join me and the Sportaholic crew as me discuss the weeks hottest sports topics including:

Peyton Manning out for the foreseeable future:

Manning underwent cervical fusion surgery on Thursday morning, a procedure that will put him out of the game for at least 2-3 months. This follows a May 23 surgery to repair a bulging disc in his neck

Packers and Saints play one of the all-time classics opening games:

The Packers' 42 points were the most Green Bay has scored in an opener since 1919, the first game in this storied franchise's history.

Kobe Bryant joins Twitter, than promptly quits

NFL players may be fined for wearing unauthorized 9/11 tribute gear

According to the tweets of Chicago Bears linebacker Lance Briggs, the penalties for players wearing specific 9/11 tribute gear could be fairly steep

Diss of the week: Nyger Morgan for inciting the Brewers and Cardinals fight:

College Football Setup:

Tennessee vs. Cincinnati:

Alabama vs. Penn State

Notre Dame vs. Michigan

South Carolina vs. Georgia

NFL 1st week predictions



Titans Talk:

Jacksonville vs. Tennessee: Breakdown and key match-ups

This and much more on the Sportaholic radio show. Show time begins at 10 am this Saturday morning. Make sure you tune in and call in to share your opinion. I know and love sports and I don’t hold my tongue on the show so I expect that from my audience as well. Sportaholic: sports is what we do.

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Weekend Round-up Aug, 1 2011: Deal buster edition

This has been a summer of deals, rather it be a new CBA for the NFL and the NBA, or even a new debt deal in congress that has proved to be even more painful then the NFL lockout itself. The debt lock has President Obama playing the role of Roger Goddell and House leader John Boehner that of DeMaurice Smith (Yeah I keep up with politics as well, you have to nowadays.) This last week has been filled with acquisitions in the NFL and the passing trading deadline in the MLB, different forms of deals if you will but still the same. The summer is the time for teams in the NFL to fix that leaky offense line and in the MLB its means its time to get that left-handed power hitter or whatever is needed to make a playoff push.

However, this year has a different feel to it and especially in the NFL. The lockout has compressed a myriad of deals that usually take weeks to develop. When you couple the X games (What an epic comeback by Shaun White), Serena Williams winning her first title in 2011, and a first time winner at the Brickyard in Paul Menard, then you my friend have an eventful weekend in the sports world.

MLB trade deadline passes: The trading deadline came and went with not much of a whimper. There were some deals including a few good moves with former Houston Astro All-Star Hunter Pence going to the Philadelphia Phillies, Michael Bourn landing in Atlanta, and Ubaldo Jimenez becoming a Cleveland Indian. There were no blockbuster trades that shifted the power in one division this year as most teams looked to just improve their clubs or add prospects for those who not in the race. The biggest winner in my opinion was the Texas Rangers as they acquired Mike Adams from the San Diego Padres and Koji Uehara from Baltimore, giving them two great additions to there bullpen. The Rangers already have a lineup that can bash their opponent’s heads in featuring defending AL MVP Josh Hamilton and a pretty good stable of pitchers in C.J. Wilson, Alex Ogando, and Derek Holland. Now they have three lock-down relievers when you add Netfali Feliz to the mix. Watch out Boston, Texas is hot on your trail in the AL.

It’s always sunny in Philadelphia: I mean that literally these days with all of the free agents flocking to the land of Philly cheese steaks (that makes me hungry just saying it). It’s been an embarrassment of riches when it comes to top flight free agents making there way to the city of brotherly love. It started with the Kevin Kolb deal to Arizona for the elite corner Dominque Rodgers-Cromartie. They didn’t stop there both as they swooped in and landed All-Pro cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, who was the biggest fish in the pond this year. The Eagles also plucked DE Jason Babin who had 12 sacks with the Titans last year, DT Cullen Jenkins and his 11 sacks from Green Bay, and got more than decent backup QB in former Titan Vince Young. I think most people are underestimating the valuable recruiting chip the Eagles have in Michael Vick, as players are seemingly gravitating to his resurgence. The Cheese Steaks are good but it has to be more than that right? If there was a competition for winning free agency, it wouldn’t even be close this year as the Eagles have thoroughly dominated everyone in the NFL. Philadelphia looks to have the best team on paper thus far but as everyone knows (Especially Daniel Snyder), you don’t win the Super Bowl in August. It will be interesting to see how their acquisitions translate on the field, but they look tough to beat.

Plaxico Burress: From to Jail to the New York Jets: Burress has come full circle after his own self imposed nightmare. After shooting himself and going to jail, Burress has resurfaced in New York of all places. Sexy Rexy and the Jets had to make a splash after losing out on Nnamdi Asomugha and hated rival New England picking up Albert Haynesworth and Chad Ochocinco. Everyone knew that Burress would get signed, he is too talented a player not to, but it was surprising that he landed across the pond from his old New York Giants team. It has to a bit unsettling for Giant fans who saw Burress lead them to the promise land not too long ago. There were a number of teams chasing him including the Pittsburgh Steelers, those New York Giants and the San Francisco 49ers. According to ESPN insider Adam Schefter, Burress was on his way to meet with the 49ers when he received a choice call from the Jets front office. Burress reportedly named a price and the Jets quickly obliged. The rest is now history as Burress begins his comeback and has a chance to be a difference maker on a Super Bowl caliber team. If he can return to previous form, than the Jets may have a steal on their hands. This also signals the end of Braylon Edwards in a Jets uniform.

Paul Menard wins the Brickyard 400: This has become of season of first time winners in NASCAR. First Trevor Bayne at Daytona, then Ragan Smith at Darlington and now Paul Menard joined the winners circle for the first time. Menard’s victory was a rousing upset as he outlasted defending race winner Jamie McMurray and legend Jeff Gordon. He was able to conserve just enough fuel to take the checkered flag. The win at one of the most historic venues in NASCAR was only Menard’s second victory all-time, as his only other win came in the Nationwide series. The win also moved Menard up to 14th in the Sprint Cup championship making him a contender for one of the coveted wild card spots in the Chase. Keep it going Paul.

Kobe says he will play overseas if he gets the right offer: Kobe Bryant gave a point blank answer to if he would be interested in playing overseas during the NBA lockout. He stated that he is just waiting on the right offer. So any Euro, Chinese, or Turkish team has a chance at signing one of the world best players. Bryant, just like the rest of the NBA players just want to play ball somewhere this year, even if that means going abroad. Kobe has already participated in a Philippine All-Star game that featured NBA MVP Derrick Rose and others so its not like Kobe has any second thoughts about traveling. He also grew up in Italy with his father playing in the Italian league, so again Kobe has no reservations about playing elsewhere other than the NBA. I thought out of all the NBA elite players, Kobe would be the one who did not trek overseas. His recurrent knee problems coupled with the mileage that he has logged by going to the previous 2 out of 3 NBA finals was enough for him to take a deep rest until the labor unrest cleared up. But not a competitive guy like Bryant, he just can’t sit around while others are still playing. That’s just not in his DNA even with the knees begging for mercy. This is a guy I remind you that missed most of the Lakers practice last year because his aching knees and now he wants to go over and play just because he can’t sit down. One thing is for sure, someone will be getting one hell of a player if he does sign.

And that does it for the weekend round-up. Make sure to check in with the Sportaholic this week as we have some anticipated new additions to the team. Also if you haven’t already, make sure you tune in every Saturday 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. for The Sportaholic Radio Show on Beatknockin.com.

Finally Friday: Weekly Roundup Edition

The end of the work week is finally here and in celebration of a grueling work schedule, I’ve have brought back a Sportaholic tradition in the “Finally Friday” article. This week saw its share of highlights, bloopers, and rants from various sports. I have posted an assortment of links for your enjoyment, you can thank me later. Hopefully everyone has a nice safe weekend. Join me as I will be hosting the Sportaholic sports radio show on beatknockin.com along with Ashley Danielle AKA the “Sports Chick” this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. CST, so if you are up that early please tune in and listen.

So without further ado, here are the best stories of the week links below:

Shaq gets right to it as the “Big Analytical”, says Miami only has Big 2:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=AkAL5PG_lkZr4pkSiMpV1Ym8vLYF?slug=ap-heat-shaqsthoughts

What NFL players association really thinks about the owners proposed new CBA:

http://www.cbssports.com/print/nfl/story/15341317/players-dont-vote-on-cba-rip-gamesmanship-of-owners

Did the owners try to pull the wool over the players heads? This guy thinks so:

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/bryan-burwell/article_30c45678-1706-54d1-a680-6ca752a58310.html

So is Kobe serious about playing in Turkey with Deron Williams? Depends on who you talk to:

http://www.onlineathens.com/stories/072211/spo_860408692.shtml

http://lakers.ocregister.com/2011/07/21/why-kobe-why/56787/

Mike Slive wants the SEC to change its recruiting ways:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/football/ncaa/07/20/slive-sec-ncaa-change.ap/index.html?sct=cf_t2_a3

I had a feeling this Longhorn Network thing would be a problem for the Big 12:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/andy_staples/07/21/longhorn-network-big-12/index.html?sct=cf_t11_a1

Being loyal is overrated, just ask former Tiger Woods caddie Steve Williams:

http://sports.yahoo.com/golf/pga/news?slug=ap-woods-williamsreaction

By far the funniest highlight of the week, little fans with big problems:

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/U-mad-bro-Young-Giants-fan-pouts-big-time-over?urn=mlb-wp13298

The Pittsburgh Pirates are in 1st place and have everyone pulling for them:

http://thesportscube.blogspot.com/2011/07/pittsburgh-pirates-alone-at-top.html

Its always good to brush up on your sports knowledge, its like a man law or something:

http://sportshistory365.blogspot.com/2011/07/today-in-sports-history-july-22.html

                                                     

Derek Dooley and the Tennessee Vols heating up on the recruiting trail:

http://www.checkerboardchatter.com/2011/07/tennessee-adds-another-commitment.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+CheckerboardChatter+%28Checkerboard+Chatter%29

Farewell to "The Diesel", "Shaq Fu", "The Big Daddy", "Superman", "The Big Agave", "The Big Cactus", "The Big Shaqtus", "The Big Galactus", "Wilt Chamberneezy", "The Big Baryshnikov", "The Real Deal", "Dr. Shaq" "The Big Shamrock", "The Big Leprechaun", and "Shaqovic."

Say anything you want to about Shaquille O’Neal but, you can’t say that he wasn’t one of the funniest players ever to grace the NBA court. You could always count on a quote from whatever moniker he was going by at time and he would say it in his often inaudible monotone voice. Shaq’s personality nearly overshadowed his game, which is saying a lot for a guy who dominated in a way the league hadn’t seen since the great Wilt Chamberlain roamed the court. Shaq was an immovable force who put up 28,596 points, gobbled up 13,099 rebounds, batted down 2,732 shots and broke numerous backboards. He used his power and surprising agility to overwhelm opponents. O’Neal is firmly entrenched as one of the best centers ever thanks to those talents but it was his off court persona that most will miss.

Shaq’s lovable character made him an easy marketable player as he went on to star in such (bad) movies as Blue Chips, Kazaam, and Man of Steel. He had his own Kung-Fu video game titled “Shaq-Fu” and even his rap group “Fu Schnickens”. Shaq and Kobe’s memorable feud will always be a touchy subject for most because you were either for one or the other, no in-between. For me personally as a Laker fan, I will always be disappointed with the way things played themselves out with those two because they could have continued to win championships if it wasn’t for their ego infused dislike for each other. But that’s just the way it goes for Shaq. (So I guess its safe to say Kobe won the battle of the rings with 5 and Shaq retiring with 4.) 

The Shaq train made stops in Orlando, L.A., Miami, Phoenix, Cleveland, and Boston and he took each city for a ride each time. Yes, his career probably went a few seasons too long and fizzled out in the end and maybe it wasn't the best idea to pair him with Steve Nash in the Phoenix (Great idea Steve Kerr) but no one will remember those parts of his career. His legacy will always be that of gentle giant who was a physical specimen to behold but had a heart as soft as a marshmallow.

O”neal had some many funny encounters its hard to remember every one of them. Who can forget his memorable entrance in the 2009 All-Star game with the Jabbawockeez dance crew? How about his infamous “Tell me how my ass tastes” song he performed in a Miani night club to mock Kobe after winning a championship with the Heat. And who can forget him referring to the Sacramento Kings as the Queens, or calling Erick Damipier Erica Dampier (That was funny I must say). Shaq has never been short for words as you can see and it made him into one of the giants of the game both physically and mentally.

Happy trails to the big fella, I’m sure he will try his hand at movies, reality TV and law enforcement as he always reiterated he would do when his career was over. But none of that will take the place of actually hearing Shaq in the heat of moment interviews. That is where he was at his best. Shaq was more than a basketball player, he was an entertainer. He will add one more title to his laundry list of names, that is Hall of Famer and that’s the best one of all.

NBA Edition pt.2 05/28 by Sportaholic | Blog Talk Radio

NBA Edition pt.2 05/28 by Sportaholic Blog Talk Radio

The Sportholic weighs in on the Lakers hiring of Mike Brown to replace Phil Jackson as their new head coach, is that a good move and what does Kobe really think about it? You don't want to miss my reaction to this one and also we breakdown. We also cover Dirk's resurgence and Oklahoma City (Or as some are saying Choklahoma) collapse. Lastly we take look at the possible matchup between the Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat in the NBA Finals. Special Co-host Robert Snelling joins me for the discussion make sure to tune in for the best sports talk radio show on blog talk radio.

Michael Jordan would not have won 6 championships in today's era.

Michael Jeffrey Jordan, his airness, flight 23, simply put the greatest player to grace the court ever. In my opinion that is not up for debate, however I do question in this time and era would he be able to dominate opponents as he did that are just as athletic and some just as talented as he. Please don't get me wrong on this, its not an indictment on MJ. His on the court ferocity and tenacity is what most set him apart from his foes. No one stepped on the throats on his opponents like Jordan. He was going for the jugular in the second quarter of most games. I just believe that the competition in today's league would be much more fierce. Rather if you agree with me or not, I think we can all agree that the NBA's talent pool has been raised over the last decade, from the AAU circuit and the impact of international players. With likes of Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade, Lebron James, Paul Pierce, Joe Johnson, and Brandon Roy to name a few the league is as deep and talented as its ever been at the wing position. It also has its share of long and strong defenders like Ron Artest, Trevor Ariza, Thabo Sefolosha, and Shane Battier. Now I know Jordan would have his way with a few of these guys, but that's not all what I am debating. It would be harder facing this competition day in and day out.

For the sake of argument, lets take a look at the competition Jordan faced during his title reign. The names don't jump out at you: Alex English, Clyde Drexler, Joe Dumars, Kevin Johnson, Dominique Wilkins, and Reggie Miller. I will say that those are Hall of Fame players, but would also argue that aren't capable of checking Jordan. In the six tittles that Jordan won these are the teams he faced in those finals: 1991 defeated LA Lakers with Byron Scott as main defender, 1992 defeated Portland Trail Blazers with an Danny Ainge and Cliff Robinson trying to defend, in 93 defeated the Phoenix Suns with Dan Majerle, Xavier McDaniel and Jeff Hornacek in platoon defense. That was MJ's first three year run. After that little baseball thing he came back for a second round of terror defeating Seattle in 96 being defended by Nate McMillan and Xavier McDaniel (again). His last two titles came against Utah and we all know they had no one to contain "His Airness".

Furthermore and to reiterate I am huge Micheal Jordan fan. I had his jersey, cards, shoes and anything else you can think of. Jordan changed the game in so many ways, from the style he implemented (baggy shorts anyone?) to his pitch man status for endorsements and to his charismatic personality and his determination and drive. If you put all of those things together you get a brand of its own, as Jordan proved. No one has been able to market themselves as well as Jordan then and arguably now. Only Lebron James comes close, and he didn't add many fans with the whole "Taking my talents to Miami" thing.

There is no doubt in my mind that MJ was the best player to ever play, there also no doubt in my mind that he came into the game in a perfect timing of sorts. His talent was above and beyond those who he played with in his generation. To his credit, none of that is his fault. He played that cards that were dealt to him to the fullest. But again, in this new generation of players that are just as athletic and skilled (although none are of the level of sheer will to win) as he was. He was the first of the new breed of wing player in the NBA.

What do you guys think? I know many will disagree with me on this one but I will debate with anyone on this subject. As a matter of fact I always say what if you put Kobe on the Bulls teams that MJ won his titles with? Do you think Kobe with those same teams would win as many rings as MJ? Always good to hear different views on that. Please feel free to drop comments as I know this is a touchy subject that is sure to have many varying opinions.

2010-2011 NBA Playoff Preview and Predictions

After a rambunctious and topsy-turvy season, it’s finally time for some NBA playoff basketball. This has to go down as one of the most exciting and unpredictable season’s in history. We knew coming into this year that things would be different as evident by Lebron taking his talents to south beach with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh joining them for the party. Even after that shocking development things got even wilder in the league. Let’s take a quick rundown of everything that has transpired in the last six months:

1. The New York Knicks changed the face of its franchise adding Carmelo Anthony. The “Melo-drama” was the worst kept secret in NBA history and also the longest most overly dramatic trade that I can remember. Melo, the Knicks and the Nuggets held the league hostage for most of the first half of the season.

2. Somehow GM Danny Ainge of the Boston Celtics came up with the idea of trading Kendrick Perkins (effectively ripping out the heart and dominating physical presence from Boston) for Jeff Green and scraps. Now the Celtics are in a rut offensively and everyone points at the Perkins trade as the beginning of their downfall. As one of my friends (Codename_Rufus) and Boston fan put it, KG was depressed and would love to fight ol’ Danny boy if he could.

3. The Lakers have flipped the switch, turned it off again for a minute and look to turn it back on in time for the playoffs. Kobe is getting older and grumpier. He seems to go after teammates more than ever just like old men go after their children more as they age. And have you ever seen a team ever go 17-1 and then promptly lose five in a row? The Lakers have been bored by the regular season but now with the playoffs, they should be at full attention which is scary for most teams.

4. The trading deadline frenzy that saw two superstars (Carmelo Anthony and Deron Williams) change teams and a number key role players as well. I would have paid cash money to see Deron Williams face when he realized he was going to New Jersey. The big Russian Prokhorov got his man but at what cost? The Nets gave up lottery pick Derek Favors and more draft picks, and Williams doesn’t even guarantee he will re-sign with the Nets. As I stated above, The Perkins trade was huge for two contending teams as it put OKC over the top and brought Boston back down to the Eastern conference pack. It allowed OKC to beef up their front-line and they also added Nazr Mohammed who is contributing as well. Denver should write a report on how to trade a superstar. After gutting the Knicks roster, they are getting the most out of the players they received in the Carmelo trade and have played even better since he left town. Who saw that coming? The one player who got the short end of the stick had to be Baron ‘B-diddy” Davis. He went from throwing alley-oops to superstar in the making Blake Griffin on the shores of sunny California to throwing tantrums in partly cloudy always a chance of snow Cleveland.

5. The Chicago Bulls are looking like those dynasty Bulls teams of the late 90’s. Derrick Rose has taken his game to the next level and carried Chicago in the process. Coach Tom Thibodeau also deserves a lot of credit for having his team believe in his defensive mentality. They are the feel good story of the year. I can’t remember anyone in the pre-season saying the Bulls would win anything much less the number one seed in the East, but yet I’m never able to forget they are as the bandwagon fans have inundated me with e-mail, texts, and trash-talk. The Bulls have a chance to go all the way because they have two key elements to championship teams: Great defense and a transcendent star player. Don’t be surprised if they are playing in June.

We have really witnessed it all this year and the playoffs will be a culmination of it all it. From deteriorating dynasties in L.A and Boston to ascending powers in Miami and Oklahoma City, the league is as competitive as it has ever been. Starting Saturday, the leagues top teams will be each others throats. Can L.A. flip that switch and stay healthy (namely Andrew ‘Bad Knees” Bynum) one more time? And when will we see the infamous jaw of Kobe jutting out?

Can Lebron, D-wade and Miami live up to the hype and that cute little pep rally , in their first year together? How about OKC now with the front-line to battle L.A, can they overcome their youth and reach the finals? Boston has looked terrible since trading Perkins but it’s their offense that has really fallen apart. Can Rondo find his game and get their motion offense in gear for the grind of the playoffs? What about the guys from Windy City? Are they a regular season behemoth destined to flame out in the playoffs against veteran tested teams? New York has two of the elite scores in all of basketball but hasn’t had enough time to bring it all together. Can Melo and Stoudemire deliver a playoff series victory for the basketball starved Big Apple? The beauty of this whole debate is that it all will be answered in the most anticipated playoffs in NBA history. Every team is stacked with talent and will bring there A-game to the court. As much as I have enjoyed the regular season, I have to admit that I am just salivating at the thought of some of the potential match-ups and what’s going to happen in the post-season.

Here are my humble predictions, starting with the Eastern side of the bracket first:

Eastern Conference first round:

(1) Chicago over (8) Indiana 4-1

(2) Miami over (7) Philadelphia 4-0

(6) New York over (3)Boston 4-2

(4) Orlando over (5) Atlanta 4-1

Western Conference first round:

(1) San Antonio over (8) Memphis 4-2

(2) L.A Lakers over (7) New Orleans 4-0

(6) Portland over (3) Dallas 4-3






(4) Oklahoma City over (5) Denver 4-3

Eastern Conference Semi-Finals:

(1) Chicago over (4) Orlando 4-2

(2) Miami over (6) New York 4-2

Western Conference Semi-Finals:

(4) Oklahoma City over (1) San Antonio 4-3






(3) L.A. Lakers over (6) Portland 4-2

Eastern Conference Finals:



(2) Miami over (1) Chicago 4-3

Western Conference Finals:

(2) L.A. Lakers over (4) Oklahoma City 4-3

NBA Finals:

L.A. Lakers over Miami Heat 4-2