Conference Finals Preview

This will be the third consecutive year the Boston Celtics will face the Miami Heat and LeBron James in the playoffs.  LeBron James and Dwyane Wade each have gotten embarrassed by Boston in their career which is why they celebrated like they won the finals last year after they were finally able to eliminate the Celtics in five games.  Both these teams don’t like each other, both these teams went with the same plan (bring three superstars together), both these teams have horrible benches and both these teams are playing to lose to the eventual champion in the west (sorry but its true).  

James and Wade are playing at a level in which we haven’t seen since they weren’t teammates.  Now that Bosh isn’t there it’s no longer sharing the ball three way’s but it’s just a 2 on 5 basketball game with the two players being the best in the world.  The question that everyone is saying though, can they keep it up?  James left Cleveland so he wouldn’t have to handle the pressure of always going for a 35 point 8 rebound 9 assist game just to win a game.  Now he has to do that every game in these playoffs with Bosh out just for Miami to be in it.  Wade is under the same pressure to perform at a high level in every game.  Miami almost came apart in game 3 against Indiana but survived.  They now face a Boston team that doesn’t ever quit and makes teams work the hard way.

The thing is Boston is playing with so many injuries as well that rest could’ve helped them extremely, instead they had to play seven games against an 8^th seed and only get one day off.  Ray Allen needs to be way better than just 9 points a game.  Kevin Garnett will be guarded by either Joel Antony or Ronny Turiaf… He needs to take advantage of that.  Paul Pierce needs to average at least 20 points in this series and maybe keep fouling out with four minutes to go so this guy can take over.

How far the Celtics will go or how many games they’ll win all depends on Rajon Rondo.  Rondo is the Celtics best player and could easily go off for a triple-double in any game.  Last year I think if Rondo wouldn’t have hurt his elbow the Celtics could’ve taken the Heat farther than five games.  He’s healthy and he needs to go off at least four times in this series.  He can’t be afraid to shoot the 20 foot jumper when no one is guarding him.  We all saw how fast the momentum can swing when he starts making jumpers.  If this happens then we’ll see LeBron James on him then that’ll give Paul Pierce an opportunity to go off but it all revolves around how Rondo plays. 

The Matchup:  Dwyane Wade vs Avery Bradley Ray Allen.  I believe this is the series right here.  Avery Bradley’s season ending injury is HUGE because Bradley was the only Celtic that can guard Wade.  Now an injured Ray Allen has to run around on defense and guard a hot shooting Wade.  If Evan Turner was able to score on Allen imagine how Wade does?

The Prediction:  Heat in 6 because Ray Allen retired 2 years ago (Bill Simmons Joke), Pierce is not the same superstar anymore and once again the Avery Bradley factor.  I would’ve said five games but the Celtics always bring out their best against LeBron and Miami so I’ll give them one more game.

It’s time for the playoff matchup that just had to happen.  The two most dominating teams in the playoffs, the new era vs the old era,  the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs.  I believe the Western Conference Finals WILL be better than the NBA Finals (unless Miami plays OKC because of the star power and the storylines, like which Big 3 would you take? Okay, Okay I’m getting a little ahead of myself, that question is for another blog incase that matchup happens but now back to this one.)  These Western Conference Finals are all about the passing of the torch in the west.  The Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs are the only western conference teams to appear in the NBA Finals in the last 13 years.  They’ve combined to win 10 titles during the Dirk, Kobe, and Duncan era.  Meanwhile Oklahoma City has already taken out two out of those three teams in these playoffs.  Now they have a chance to take out the third team and that is why I believe the Thunder will win this series.

Durant's game winner over Dallas.

Think about it, this is exactly how the changing of the torch should be passed on.  I’m not going to use the “old age” factor because it’s really starting to get overused that San Antonio is old, (Spurs only have 3 players that are over the age of 32… They’re not old, they’re just really experienced).  I know San Antonio is playing pretty execution, teamwork perfect basketball (18 game win streak... They haven’t lost since April 11! They’ve scored 100 points or more in 16 out of the 18 games), Tim Duncan is playing like he’s still in his prime, Manu Ginobili  is as a reliable 6^th man as you can get, everyone is hitting the three point shot like it’s a free throw, they have a ten man rotation, eleven if you count DeJuan Blair’s 8 minutes and Tony Parker is running the show with ease with an MVP type year.  They sound unbeatable right?  Well this is where Kevin Durant comes in.  I wrote in the beginning of the playoffs that this was the time Durant starts to build up his legacy as the best shooter in the game.  And he hasn’t let anyone down (Unless you’re a Mavs or Lakers fan… sigh).  Durant has already hit 3 game winning shots in these playoffs and knows this is not only his time but his team to make a deep run at the title.  He’s already got that “no way we’re losing this game” look (last year he didn’t have it).  And folks he’s only 23 years old! He’s sidekick partner, Russell Westbrook is also 23.  Last but not least the guy that can take over a game by either attacking the rim, shooting free throws or shooting three pointers,  James Harden is the youngest of the three at 22 years old (don’t let the beard fool you).  They’re going to be a threat in the West for the next decade and more.  They’ve been taking strides every year and this year looks to be the one where they make their mark as the best team not only in the Western Conference but the NBA. 

Westbrook and Parker can each score at will against each other

The Matchup:  The guy’s that will have the ball in their hands the most are going to be the most fun to watch when they have to stop each other scoring.  Tony Parker and Russell Westbrook each had a great year this season and thrived with the condensed schedule because they kept playing at a high level the whole time.  Parker sent out a few shots to Westbrook this week saying he’s going to go at him and make him work on defense.  Sure Parker scored 42 points back in February against Westbrook.  But here’s the thing that was a long time ago.  Westbrook has matured and learned the game more.  The advantage I give the Spurs with this matchup is that they were able to contain Chris Paul and they can probably do the same to Westbrook.  Finally, do the Spurs trust Kawhi Leonard guarding Durant in the final minutes of a close game?

The Prediction: Thunder in 6 because Durant will go clutch in the fourth quarter, Harden will have at least one game where he can’t be stopped and the Spurs will eventually go cold from the three point line in one game.  They have to right?

Mini Theory: Another theory that can happen is the Thunder lost the Lakers two years ago, then lost to Dallas last year and with it trending wouldn’t it make since that they lose to San Antonio this year (maybe it’s not their turn yet)  Then next year finally win it all?  Or Durant can slay the last west dragon and rule the kingdom. 

This is what happens when you think too much, you start talking about dragons and kingdoms.   I’ll end the blog now. 

Let The Real Games Begin.. West Preview of Round 1

Let the real games begin… After a 66 game jam packed schedule it’s time for the moment all NBA fans have been waiting for, the playoffs.  This best of seven series tournament shows what players are really made of.  Player’s legacies are made here.  And the only way players, coaches and teams can build their legacy is by hoisting that Larry O’Brien Trophy at the end.  16 teams are all chasing the same dream whether it could be their first time getting it (Utah, Indiana, Orlando, Memphis, Oklahoma City, Denver and LA Clippers), teams trying to get back on track, (Atlanta and Philadelphia), a team trying to get one after the great one left, (Chicago), a city/team reviving once again (New York), a team trying to defend it (Dallas), or the teams trying to add on to it (San Antonio, Boston and LA Lakers).  This dream can’t be captured if they can’t win the first round.  This is why history begins in round 1.

1 San Antonio vs 8 Utah Jazz: Last year the Spurs were the number one seed and they looked well equipped to make a playoff run with a new fast pace offense established by Gregg Popovich.  But right before the playoffs were about to begin, Manu Ginobili broke his right arm on the final game of the season and ran into a Zach Randolph Grizzlies team in the first round that matched up perfectly against San Antonio.  Six games later Memphis became the fourth eighth seeded team in the NBA to beat the number one seed in the playoffs.  Now this year, the Spurs are healthy heading into the playoffs and I think their team is deeper than last years.  You know they have a deep bench when while on a double digit winning streak, Popovich rests his starters and the team still continues the winning streak.  The Spurs went on some crazy winning streaks this year.  They went on a 11 game win streak twice and they are currently on a 10 game win streak.  How are they flying under the radar? 

Of course this shouldn’t be a hard match for the Spurs to play in, they did go 3-1 against Utah this season but Utah did end one of the Spurs high winning streaks. If Utah wants to pull this upset off they need Devin Harris and Gordon Hayward to keep playing out of their minds right now.  Al Jefferson needs to be the go to guy just as Zach was for Memphis and hope Daniel Green and Kawhi Leonard crumble under the playoff pressure.  Too much needs to happen, Parker should shut down Harris easily and as long as the Spurs stay healthy I don’t see any team beating them. Spurs in 5.

2 Oklahoma City vs 7 Dallas Mavericks: Rematch of last year’s Western Conference Finals, Oklahoma vs Texas, young vs old.  We all know nobody is giving the DEFENDING CHAMPS a chance, but that’s the thing as long as Dirk Nowitzki is still playing, the Mavs have a chance.  And with a rested up Jason Kidd orchestrating the offense anything could happen.  The Mavs actually match up well with OKC because of Shawn Marion and Delonte West leading the defense.  The thing I worry about is Brendan Haywood playing too much in this series.  OKC is very athletic so putting in Ian Mahinmi or most importantly Brandan Wright at center would be the best choice.  In order for the Mavs to accomplish this upset, they need to take either game one or game two on the road.  And if Dirk somehow throws up a 50 point game in their then they will have a really good chance.  Mavs players all season kept saying just get into the playoffs, well now that they have, it’s time prove once again veteran experience always beats young athleticism.  

The Thunder were built for a 66 game schedule but now that the playoffs give teams breaks, it’ll be about which coach can make the best adjustments.  Which team can perfectly execute a play call and which team can force the most turnovers.  Dallas was able to do this last year which led to their historic playoff run but haven’t been able to continue it onto the following season.  Meanwhile the Thunder have been struggling in crunch time but against Dallas, they actually have been thriving in the fourth quarter.  James Harden appears to be healthy and ready to go.  I think too many people were criticizing OKC with their jump shooting offense but Harden is the guy that attacks the rim and gets to the free throw.  As long as his concussion doesn’t affect his play, they’ll be fine.  If OKC wants to take their next step as title contending franchise, they have to defeat Dallas, then LA and finally Memphis or San Antonio. They’re going to have to prove they’re not in their early stage of being the underdog.  They are now the favorites and Kevin Durant’s legacy starts in these playoffs.  Thunder in 7.

3 LA Lakers vs 6 Denver Nuggets: Kobe Bryant the shooter will not be needed in this series because if Andrew Bynum wants to, he can dominate this series.  JaVale McGee or Kenneth Faired cannot contain Bynum just as long as Bynum tries.  The Nuggets can’t play like they’re just happy to be there.  They have a fast point guard (Ty Lawson) who can beat either Steve Blake or Ramon Sessions off the dribble. What Denver is going to have to do is play fast pace so Bryant the shooter comes out and Bynum is forgotten.  If Ron Artest is missed by the Lakers in this series, they might be in trouble but LA should slow down the pace and play half-court offense so they can feed the big men.  Lakers in 6.

4 Memphis Grizzlies vs LA Clippers: Amazing how much a fourth seeded team is being favored to win the west.  Memphis can play big or small and they can play tenacious defense.  The Clippers couldn’t have picked a worst matchup for them.  Memphis has so many above average defenders, it’ll be easy to defend Chris Paul and Blake Griffin.  The thing about Memphis though, I don’t think this is the same team as last year.  Zach Randolph no longer leads this team, instead it Rudy Gay’s team.  Can Rudy Gay lead Memphis through 16 wins? Or can he step aside and let Randolph run the show?  Heck, is Randolph even the same player as last year?  (I don’t think so).  We’ll see how far that defense takes them in the playoffs.

Meanwhile the Clippers are in trouble, the only crunch time scorer they have is Chris Paul but Memphis has Tony Allen or Mike Conley to guard him.  Blake Griffin can’t be relied on, Randy Foye (even though he’s been shooting light out) can’t be counted on.  This is the Clippers first year together having success, and that Chauncey Billiups injury really did hurt them.  They’ll have more years’ together to add on but it won’t be this year. Grizzlies in 6.

TIMERY LINBOW

So the last time I wrote, I compared the New England Patriots and New York Giants to Star Wars characters, and made a prediction that  went according to plan with Eli Manning being on the top of the world and ending the Patriots dynasty.  Well now that football season is over but only 6 months away (already counting).  I will be moving on to the NBA for a while and this first piece will be about the NBA player that everyone is talking about, the one that blows up twitter every other day and just has a knack for breaking records every time he steps on the court.  It is not Kobe or LeBron, heck it’s not even a Blake Griffin posturizing dunk.  It’s JEREMY LIN!  The undrafted point guard out of Ball So Hard University!... I mean Harvard University.

If you do not know who Jeremy Lin and all he does is “Lin, Lin, Lin” is?  Then let me tell you who is by comparing him to another well-known athlete.  Mr. Tim Teboooww!  Why Tim Tebow?   Both Jeremy Lin and Tim Tebow are very much alike and I know they are very much different too, as in we can all admire how Lin shoots and passes the ball and say “How did he do that?” but with Tebow we say “How did he miss that throw?” I know, I know but we’re only focusing on the similar styles because they both have brought so much attention to themselves in a positive and linspiration way.

First we focus on what Tebow and Lin did during their High School playing days.  Tebow was an All-State quarterback who led the Nease Panthers to a state title and was named Florida’s Player of the Year in his senior year.   Jeremy Lin also led his high school to a state title in his senior year going 32-1.  He was also named first-team All-State and Northern California Division II Player of the Year. 

Then we focus on college and see that Tim Tebow got attention right away in his first year at Florida, winning the national championship title as the backup quarterback but having a big influence on the game, by scoring two touchdowns.  The following year Tebow was named the starting quarterback and went on to win another national title.  Jeremy Lin also did not get his starting role until his sophomore year.  Both players broke school records and took their programs to higher grounds before they graduated.

Now we look at their professional careers.  Tebow was drafted in the 1^st round by the Denver Broncos but not before his hometown team, the Jacksonville Jaguars, passed up on him.  Tebow went on to start the last three games of his rookie year.  Jeremy Lin was NOT drafted but was signed by his hometown team, the Golden State Warriors, playing in the D-League for all of his rookie year.

The following year this is where it starts to get very similar.  Both the NFL and NBA were in lockout years in 2011, which put the two sports in jeopardy of losing an entire season.  Fans were losing hope with every negotiating meeting being stalled with millionaires fighting with billionaires over who got more money.  Eventually the NFL came back without missing any games while the NBA lost 16 games but made a compressing schedule that has made everyday fun to watch.  But both leagues did not want the storyline of their season to be about the lockout.  This is where the best part of sports happens, an athlete coming from deep in the bench getting a chance to show what he’s got and making it count.

Tebow’s second offseason was with a new head coach (John Fox), who demoted Tim to fourth string quarterback and naming Kyle Orton the starting QB.  Tebow received heavy criticism from NFL analysts who said he could not be a full time quarterback in the NFL because of his throwing motion and bad accuracy.  Even the Executive Vice President of Football Operations for the Borncos (John Elway) did not believe Tim Tebow is the franchise quarterback for the team (Still doesn’t).   Jeremy’s second offseason was a little bit worse because no one believed in him.  NBA analyst did not even know who he was.   Lin was released by the Warriors (to save money) and later waived by the Houston Rockets.  The New York Knicks ended up picking him up only because they were dealing with injury at the point guard position.  Both the Broncos and Knicks got off to disappointing starts to the regular season with Denver going 1-3 and the Knicks going 8-15.  Then after the Broncos were trailing the San Diego Chargers, Fox put in Tebow who almost orchestrated a comeback and giving a spark of energy to the offense.  Jeremy Lin got his opportunity when the Knicks were also struggling to generate offense, he came in off the bench to score 25 points and dish out 7 assists against the New Jersey Nets.

This is where change starts to happen and both these players proved the chance to show what they have.  Tebow was announced the starter when the Broncos had their bye week and Lin was put in the lineup after his surprising game.  Tebow went on to win 7 of his 8 starts while making miracle comebacks in the 4^th quarter,  making headlines every single game, taking the Broncos back into the playoffs and even having two signature sayings (Tebow Time and Tebowing).  Lin is currently undefeated as a starter (6-0); breaking records with each game, shooting game winners and most importantly making Madison Square Garden feel alive once again.  Jeremy Lin has also had many words made up for him such as; Linsanity, Linsperation, Lincredible etc…  FYI, I’m predicting the New York Knicks make it past the first round of the playoffs (as the Broncos did) but fall in the second round (as the Broncos did).

What make these two athletes more accomplished are their personalities when they are not playing.  Both Tebow and Lin are humble players who do not take anything for granted.  They thank God first and you’ll never hear a wrong word coming out of their mouth, instead you hear gracious gratitude that they’ll work better every day to try and achieve.  We’ll take these two quotes for example:

“You’ve got to worry about the next play…Keep believing because people aren’t always going to like you but you have to believe in the people around you…You’re going to get knocked down but it’s how many times you get back up.”

“I'm not too worried about proving anything to anybody. As a team we're growing and trying to build on the momentum."

                You wouldn’t know who said who in these quotes because both Jeremy Lin and Tim Tebow have the same personalities, always striving to get better, thinking and always giving credit to the team and not to themselves.  The NBA and NFL have struck gold with these two players because people are no longer thinking of the offseason lockout.  They are thinking of these two role models who never give up.  This is what makes them the same and I’m pretty sure Kim Kardashian has them on speed dial.

Super Bowl/Star Wars Scenario.

I made up a Star Wars/Super Bowl 46 scenario prediction that can be nothing but fun or it can work out just as "Myra Kraft's mystical belief:

Bill Belichick is Darth Sidious, of course this has already been made up but I decided to take it a step further by adding a few more character's in the mix such as Tom Brady being Darth Vader (Belichick and Brady have been ruling the NFL together for over a decade now, just as Sidious and Vader ruled the Galaxy). Peyton Manning is Obi-Wan Kenobi who has been trying to beat and bring down the empire by having great duels with Brady (Vader) but always falling short. Brady no longer has to deal with Peyton anymore because of an unexpected disappearance (or neck issues). Peyton's little brother/Padawan, Eli Manning, is Luke Skywalker. The young and last Manning (Jedi) standing trying to bring down the franchise (Empire) that has ruled for so long.

 The first Super Bowl meeting (SB 42) was like "A New Hope". The Giants came out of  nowhere to make a playoff run with shocking upsets and having no one believing in them that they had a chance against the undefeated 18-0 New England Patriots.  This projects in the movie with people saying destroying the Death Star or bringing down the Empire was impossible.  The Super Bowl match and Death Star scene were almost identical with Eli leading the way but Brady right behind chasing him.  Almost at the end Brady takes the lead with over two minutes to go with everyone thinking the game was over. (Vader took out Luke's partners during the chase and had him locked on making the audience think the plan failed). As it seemed the Empire would win once again someone came to make a difference and that person was David Tyree (Han Solo) making the famous helmet catch to keep the drive going. (Han disrupts Vader as Vader is about to shoot Luke and finish off the rebels). Eli ends up throwing the game winning touchdown as Luke destroys the Death Star (Giants 17 Patriots 14) and the Empire (Patriots) no longer looks Invincible (18-1).

Year's pass and Empire is still in control but no longer dominate. While the rebellion (Giants) are struggling to add on success to their big accomplishment. (Takes both of them 4 years to win a playoff game).  We come to the 2011-2012 season which looks to be "The Return of the Jedi" with Eli Manning looking more mature and confident even saying before the season started that he belongs in the "Elite" Quarterback Class. Backing up his statement by having careers highs in passing yards and completions while carrying his team into the playoffs with no running game and a statistical bad defense. Just as Luke Skywalker was beginning to feel like a Jedi Master when he rescued his friends from Jabba the Hut.

Super Bowl XLVI meeting appears to be looking to play out like "The Return of the Jedi" where Eli "Skywalker" Manning finally ends the Dynasty (Empire) of the Patriots and Tom "Vader" Brady either throws an interception or gets stripped on the final drive which ends Bill "Sidious" Belichick's run of dominating the NFL.  The force is restored and a new era begins with Eli being on top.