This blog has been created since I spend all of my life arguing sports with Willis Austin. Being the two knowledgeable sports fans that we are this is our first attempt to include people on the daily banter that often consumes one's life. This blog will often have a daily topic in which you the public will have the opportunity to chime in and give your respective opinions.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
NBA Finals
Lakers versus Celtics in a rematch of the 2008 Finals. I feel like the basketball gods are smiling down as we get a finals that we probably should have got last season? What are your thoughts and predictions? Lets go and dont hold back...
So the NBA Finals are just two days away (including today) and im thrilled at the matchup we have. I feel that there are so many storylines here and should make for a great matchup. I ve been leaning back and forth about how do i think is going to win. I believe that series will come to down to 4 players, Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom for the Lakers and Rasheed Wallace and Rajon Rondo. I think the only place the Celtics have a decisive in the matchups amongst the starters is at the PG position. Rondo if he plays well can cause so many problems in the lane against the older Fisher. Also i feel vindicated b/c if Garnett were healthy i agree with the Celtics they would have been in the finals last year and maybe even be playing for a three peat. I also think that for some of the Lakers players they should also feel vindicated. After their performances minus Kobe, they should want to show the world that they have a heart and wont be intimidated by the Celtics this time around (Gasol and Odom). But after some of the articles out in LA, they feel that if they had Bynum two years ago they may have won a title and they would be playing for a three peat. These are the best two teams in the league and I thinks its time for either of these teams to put or shut up! If you arent into this series you might need your head examined. So i cant wait for Thursday and i might make it a Wild Wild West night...
As much as I hate to admit it I think the Lakers will win this series pretty easily. Kobe is on fire right now and with Gasol, Bynum and Artest I think they will win it in 6 if not 5. The only thing that gives me hope is I didn't give the Celtics a chance vs the Cavs or the Magic and I hope they will prove me wrong again. I don't look forward to all the Kobe is better than Mike talk that will happen once he gets another ring. Personally I don't think there is as much hype for Lakers vs Celtics rivalry as there was last time and I suspect its because the Celtics aren't the hotter team. With all that said Go Boston!!!
The Celtics and Lakers are meeting in the Finals again and this time the outcome will be different. The Celtics of 2008 easily handled those Lakers but let's look at that Laker team from 2008. Pau Gasol only played 27 games with the Lakers that season which means he wasn't fully implemented into the system and not 100% sure of his role. Fast forward a year and a half and Pau is fully acclimated and firing on all cylinders. In 2008 Sasha Vujacic was a key member of the Lakers rotation, for god sakes Vladamir Radmonavic was starting at small forward. Luke Walton was in the rotation and Andrew Bynum didn't play at all.
In 2010 the Lakers are coming with Kobe, a polished Gasol, Odom and Fisher again but replace the other guys with Ron Artest and Andrew Bynum. Ron Artest will be a huge factor this series, you won't see the Radmonivic Pierce match-up this Finals. In 2008 Kevin Garnett made Pau Gasol and the entire Laker frontcourt look soft... Now, I believe the Lakers have the advantage in that duel. Gasol is really going to expose the player once known as the "Big Ticket".
Oh yeah the Lakers also have the best player in the world. Kobe Bryant is playing out of his mind right now. He's on such a remarkable stretch right now that if it was anybody but the much loathed Black Mamba we'll be hearing how nobody is better in the history of the game!!(Mike)
WIll i agree with you in that the Lakers arent the same bunch and they do have a certain confidence to them right now. Another matchup to look out for is Phil vs Doc. Which coach can make better adjustments throughout this series to help its team win. The Celtics do a great job of trying to shut down their opponents primary way of scoring. In this case, that is Kobe Bryant and their is no way of shutting him down or even slowing him down at this point. I think Kobe hoists that 5th gold ball in the 7th game of that series. And for people like me who grew up watching and loving Michael Jordan, this is an argument you want to have but at the same time you dont want to have b/c Kobe is nipping at heels.
And for all you Lebron lovers, this meeting with Bosh, Wade, Johnson and Stoudemire is an absolute joke. Where is the competitive spirit of these athletes. Its like they are ganging up in room and saying how the hell can we beat Kobe. Kobe probably isnt out to win any popularity contest or anything like that and u may not like his demeanor but you have to love his drive and competitive spirit. Kobe is probably sitting here reading this blog at home laughing at these clowns and saying you can have your stupid summit, i ll play for my 5th championship instead. What a bunch of clowns and i still think if any of the two of them team up somewhere they still wont be better than the Lakers and either the Celtics for that matter!!!
Now hold on a second... There's nothing wrong with the free agents talking to each other before they sign. What's the difference between these free agents talking and when Orlando wooed Tim Duncan, Grant Hill and Tracy Mcgrady??? They all knew each others plans and they wouldn't sign without one of the others signed. Grant Hill and Mcgrady signed and Tim Duncan went back home. Same thing this year, they just want an idea of what's in the other guys heads. It's not like when they get to this "meeting" there going to Pick a city for each player.
The problem with this is that they are trying to corner the market. And it doesnt look bad for the NBA at all. It looks like collusion and anything else suspicious. Its bad enough the NBA still has a black eye from the Tim Donaughy (excuse the spelling) situation. The NBA is still not over that scandal as the number of fans have waned since that incident. Thats why every time some wins a big game or series you hear some people saying its fixed and their was some type of conspiracy. You always hear the fix is in. You hear with the draft lottery, you hear it in the playoffs and you are going to start hearing it now. They arent doing the NBA any justice or any due diligence with this meeting or all this talking. And when McGrady, Hill and Duncan were free agents it wasnt as big as a deal. This is Lebron the NBA's poster child, their million dollar man, the face of the league so this doesnt look good how he is single handedly changing the landscape of the entire league so him sitting down with these guys and discussing where they ll end up next just doesnt look good from a public relations standpoint. They need to change the image and the perception of league is squarely up to them. So its just my opinion that doesnt send the right signals to the regular NBA fan.
The NBA has been accused of cheating for years!!!! The first ever NBA lottery was allegedly "rigged". In 1985 talks of the lottery was that it was fixed for Patrick Ewing to go the New York Knicks. In 1991 the Orlando Magic were the last team out of the playoff race.. there reward?? They win the lottery, Shaquille O'Neal was placed into the Magic Kingdom to launch that expansion team. The Lakers just dominating in the 80s, the infamous game 7 2002 western conference finals and even the 2001 eastern conference finals when they said the league didn't want Milwaukee to face LA b/c they preferred Philly in the Final Round. I'm not saying that there's any truth to any of this but I'm just saying the perception has been there for 25 years if not more.
This is no different then when high school kids get together and talk to each other before they make there decisions. This isn't on the NBA, this is a group of elite players making calculated decisions to ensure the best chance of winning a championship.
Your helping my argument or dont you realize that. This is just another example of why people think the NBA is fixed. All these incidents are just helping my case of way peoples perceptions of why they are is a hesitance to watch the NBA now b/c they dont think its going to be on the up and up. So im not saying people ideas of conspiracy in the NBA just started two years ago. Im merely saying this doesnt help the NBA image problems at all.
This has nothing to do with the image problem of the NBA??? That's the point I'm trying to make. How is talking with a fellow free agent tarnishing the leagues image?? At the pro bowl people lobby for players every day there out there, that's why TO was fixated with going to the Eagles, his mind was made up at the pro bowl. That was public knowledge and it didn't stain "the shield".
The image problem your speaking of is with the League itself(the executives, the owners, the commish) not the players. How does 5 players out of 450 making a decision for themselves constitute a conspiracy??
Those 5 players are 5 of the biggest stars the entire league. A league is only as good as its stars; no one could care less about the ordinary players. Im not calling it a conspiracy if u read, im saying the ordinary fan who doesnt watch the NBA faithfully like we do thats the conclusion that they come too. You cant on any level compare any sport to the NFL at this point. The NFL is doing so well that no matter what goes on in the NFL everyone turns a blind eye to the negative seeds that it has. Basketball has the image of being a thug sport and thats where its image problems come from. The NFL does not have that same problem bc its players are completely visible. In basketball all the tatoos and on some of these players often turn people off. I hate to say that but its true. Even baseball doesnt have these image problems even though people know their players cheat with steriods and hgh! Basketball has got a bad rap in this country and we both know it. And this has everything to do with the NBA's image b/c the perception is that is the NBA is a fraudulent sport. You hear people saying Stern wants Lebron in NY and Wade in Chicago all big sports markets which again creates revenue. If Lebron goes somewhere other than Cleveland then thats what Stern wanted. Just like you've heard all postseason that NBA wanted Lebron vs Kobe in the finals or The Lakers vs Celtics b/c they are the biggest markets. Your talking with fellow free agents is fine, but this is the biggest free agency class of all time in any sport thats why them getting together PUBLICLY is wrong because it becomes a story and not a story the fan in the NBA small market teams really like and they feel like they are getting hosed b/c their team doesnt and wont have an equal opportunity to sign these free agents. Thats where the problem lies it creates unfair competitions amongst the teams in the league that's why you hear the collusion rumblings and is stern fixing the league to get the Knicks good again to help the league. Let the Knicks end up with no one in this class and then you can talk about there is no collusion. Whoever team Lebron doesnt end up on will cry the blues b/c they dont feel as if they got a fair shake b/c they think that big market Knicks has a better chance b/c they have been rumors thats what stern wants and thats perception of everyone so cut it out if u dont think people think their is some shady stuff going on! As a Rockets fan how do u feel that no one of these stars are going to end up the rockets? Do you feel like the Rockets are getting a fair shake in all this b/c they arent in one of the biggest markets?
First of all the league has a salary cap so the major markets aren't a factor at all in who gets these free agents. Los Angeles is the 2nd biggest market and I haven't heard of the Lakers being in contention to sign any of these free agents. The Knicks and Bulls are in 2 of the biggest markets but they're only in contention b/c they got rid of all of a bunch of expiring contracts and cleared up the space to get these players. Every team is in contention to land any of these players but that would only happen with a sign and trade including my Houston Rockets.
I'm not arguing the fact that the league has an image problem and we both know why that is but we won't say but don't try to cop out and say these 5 players speaking with each other before they make there decisions is adding to "those image problems". Lebron James and Dwayne Wade are model citizens in this league so how can them public statements they want to talk before they sign be adding to that image??
Of course the league wanted Lebron and Kobe in the finals!!!!! Who didn't??
And don't try to figure why the casual fan isn't buying into the NBA today, why isn't the United States into soccer when the rest of the world is??? You'll have an easier time answering that.
Im not saying they are creating an image problem for the league, im saying they are contributing to the idea that the league is shady and as a result of that its contributing to the perception that the league is fixed. And we know their is a salary cap in the league but that doesnt really affect the teams in the big markets b/c they just pay the luxury tax if they go over! How do u think the Lakers can afford to pay Kobe, Artest, Odom and Gasol!
I think if they didn't take it public and 2 of the guys signed together, and then they let it be known that they spoke before the signing. Then maybe just maybe you can say that would contribute to the league being shady or whatever but not this.
The Lakers used the mid-level exception on Ron Artest.
The Lakers are going to beat the Celtics in six and when its said and done Kobe will get his fifth pretty easy Boston is two years older and the lakers got alot tougher and in 08 when boston won the lakers didnt have bynum remember so this years final is so different in so many ways and when its said and done Kobe will be the greatest everand after him having 5 rings what makes you think the lakers are done there they have a team that could compete for a title for the next five years no matter where Prince James goes
So the NBA Finals are just two days away (including today) and im thrilled at the matchup we have. I feel that there are so many storylines here and should make for a great matchup. I ve been leaning back and forth about how do i think is going to win. I believe that series will come to down to 4 players, Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom for the Lakers and Rasheed Wallace and Rajon Rondo. I think the only place the Celtics have a decisive in the matchups amongst the starters is at the PG position. Rondo if he plays well can cause so many problems in the lane against the older Fisher. Also i feel vindicated b/c if Garnett were healthy i agree with the Celtics they would have been in the finals last year and maybe even be playing for a three peat. I also think that for some of the Lakers players they should also feel vindicated. After their performances minus Kobe, they should want to show the world that they have a heart and wont be intimidated by the Celtics this time around (Gasol and Odom). But after some of the articles out in LA, they feel that if they had Bynum two years ago they may have won a title and they would be playing for a three peat. These are the best two teams in the league and I thinks its time for either of these teams to put or shut up! If you arent into this series you might need your head examined. So i cant wait for Thursday and i might make it a Wild Wild West night...
ReplyDeleteAs much as I hate to admit it I think the Lakers will win this series pretty easily. Kobe is on fire right now and with Gasol, Bynum and Artest I think they will win it in 6 if not 5. The only thing that gives me hope is I didn't give the Celtics a chance vs the Cavs or the Magic and I hope they will prove me wrong again. I don't look forward to all the Kobe is better than Mike talk that will happen once he gets another ring. Personally I don't think there is as much hype for Lakers vs Celtics rivalry as there was last time and I suspect its because the Celtics aren't the hotter team. With all that said Go Boston!!!
ReplyDeleteMark u bring up an interesting point and we ll touch on that tomorrow...Kobe vs Mike stay tuned...
ReplyDeleteThe Celtics and Lakers are meeting in the Finals again and this time the outcome will be different. The Celtics of 2008 easily handled those Lakers but let's look at that Laker team from 2008. Pau Gasol only played 27 games with the Lakers that season which means he wasn't fully implemented into the system and not 100% sure of his role. Fast forward a year and a half and Pau is fully acclimated and firing on all cylinders. In 2008 Sasha Vujacic was a key member of the Lakers rotation, for god sakes Vladamir Radmonavic was starting at small forward. Luke Walton was in the rotation and Andrew Bynum didn't play at all.
ReplyDeleteIn 2010 the Lakers are coming with Kobe, a polished Gasol, Odom and Fisher again but replace the other guys with Ron Artest and Andrew Bynum. Ron Artest will be a huge factor this series, you won't see the Radmonivic Pierce match-up this Finals. In 2008 Kevin Garnett made Pau Gasol and the entire Laker frontcourt look soft... Now, I believe the Lakers have the advantage in that duel. Gasol is really going to expose the player once known as the "Big Ticket".
Oh yeah the Lakers also have the best player in the world. Kobe Bryant is playing out of his mind right now. He's on such a remarkable stretch right now that if it was anybody but the much loathed Black Mamba we'll be hearing how nobody is better in the history of the game!!(Mike)
Lakers in 6.
WIll i agree with you in that the Lakers arent the same bunch and they do have a certain confidence to them right now. Another matchup to look out for is Phil vs Doc. Which coach can make better adjustments throughout this series to help its team win. The Celtics do a great job of trying to shut down their opponents primary way of scoring. In this case, that is Kobe Bryant and their is no way of shutting him down or even slowing him down at this point. I think Kobe hoists that 5th gold ball in the 7th game of that series. And for people like me who grew up watching and loving Michael Jordan, this is an argument you want to have but at the same time you dont want to have b/c Kobe is nipping at heels.
ReplyDeleteAnd for all you Lebron lovers, this meeting with Bosh, Wade, Johnson and Stoudemire is an absolute joke. Where is the competitive spirit of these athletes. Its like they are ganging up in room and saying how the hell can we beat Kobe. Kobe probably isnt out to win any popularity contest or anything like that and u may not like his demeanor but you have to love his drive and competitive spirit. Kobe is probably sitting here reading this blog at home laughing at these clowns and saying you can have your stupid summit, i ll play for my 5th championship instead. What a bunch of clowns and i still think if any of the two of them team up somewhere they still wont be better than the Lakers and either the Celtics for that matter!!!
Now hold on a second... There's nothing wrong with the free agents talking to each other before they sign. What's the difference between these free agents talking and when Orlando wooed Tim Duncan, Grant Hill and Tracy Mcgrady??? They all knew each others plans and they wouldn't sign without one of the others signed. Grant Hill and Mcgrady signed and Tim Duncan went back home. Same thing this year, they just want an idea of what's in the other guys heads. It's not like when they get to this "meeting" there going to Pick a city for each player.
ReplyDeleteThat last comment was posted by Chillz and not by Will R.
ReplyDeleteThe problem with this is that they are trying to corner the market. And it doesnt look bad for the NBA at all. It looks like collusion and anything else suspicious. Its bad enough the NBA still has a black eye from the Tim Donaughy (excuse the spelling) situation. The NBA is still not over that scandal as the number of fans have waned since that incident. Thats why every time some wins a big game or series you hear some people saying its fixed and their was some type of conspiracy. You always hear the fix is in. You hear with the draft lottery, you hear it in the playoffs and you are going to start hearing it now. They arent doing the NBA any justice or any due diligence with this meeting or all this talking. And when McGrady, Hill and Duncan were free agents it wasnt as big as a deal. This is Lebron the NBA's poster child, their million dollar man, the face of the league so this doesnt look good how he is single handedly changing the landscape of the entire league so him sitting down with these guys and discussing where they ll end up next just doesnt look good from a public relations standpoint. They need to change the image and the perception of league is squarely up to them. So its just my opinion that doesnt send the right signals to the regular NBA fan.
ReplyDeleteThe NBA has been accused of cheating for years!!!! The first ever NBA lottery was allegedly "rigged". In 1985 talks of the lottery was that it was fixed for Patrick Ewing to go the New York Knicks. In 1991 the Orlando Magic were the last team out of the playoff race.. there reward?? They win the lottery, Shaquille O'Neal was placed into the Magic Kingdom to launch that expansion team. The Lakers just dominating in the 80s, the infamous game 7 2002 western conference finals and even the 2001 eastern conference finals when they said the league didn't want Milwaukee to face LA b/c they preferred Philly in the Final Round. I'm not saying that there's any truth to any of this but I'm just saying the perception has been there for 25 years if not more.
ReplyDeleteThis is no different then when high school kids get together and talk to each other before they make there decisions. This isn't on the NBA, this is a group of elite players making calculated decisions to ensure the best chance of winning a championship.
Your helping my argument or dont you realize that. This is just another example of why people think the NBA is fixed. All these incidents are just helping my case of way peoples perceptions of why they are is a hesitance to watch the NBA now b/c they dont think its going to be on the up and up. So im not saying people ideas of conspiracy in the NBA just started two years ago. Im merely saying this doesnt help the NBA image problems at all.
ReplyDeleteThis has nothing to do with the image problem of the NBA??? That's the point I'm trying to make. How is talking with a fellow free agent tarnishing the leagues image?? At the pro bowl people lobby for players every day there out there, that's why TO was fixated with going to the Eagles, his mind was made up at the pro bowl. That was public knowledge and it didn't stain "the shield".
ReplyDeleteThe image problem your speaking of is with the League itself(the executives, the owners, the commish) not the players. How does 5 players out of 450 making a decision for themselves constitute a conspiracy??
Those 5 players are 5 of the biggest stars the entire league. A league is only as good as its stars; no one could care less about the ordinary players. Im not calling it a conspiracy if u read, im saying the ordinary fan who doesnt watch the NBA faithfully like we do thats the conclusion that they come too. You cant on any level compare any sport to the NFL at this point. The NFL is doing so well that no matter what goes on in the NFL everyone turns a blind eye to the negative seeds that it has. Basketball has the image of being a thug sport and thats where its image problems come from. The NFL does not have that same problem bc its players are completely visible. In basketball all the tatoos and on some of these players often turn people off. I hate to say that but its true. Even baseball doesnt have these image problems even though people know their players cheat with steriods and hgh! Basketball has got a bad rap in this country and we both know it.
ReplyDeleteAnd this has everything to do with the NBA's image b/c the perception is that is the NBA is a fraudulent sport. You hear people saying Stern wants Lebron in NY and Wade in Chicago all big sports markets which again creates revenue. If Lebron goes somewhere other than Cleveland then thats what Stern wanted. Just like you've heard all postseason that NBA wanted Lebron vs Kobe in the finals or The Lakers vs Celtics b/c they are the biggest markets. Your talking with fellow free agents is fine, but this is the biggest free agency class of all time in any sport thats why them getting together PUBLICLY is wrong because it becomes a story and not a story the fan in the NBA small market teams really like and they feel like they are getting hosed b/c their team doesnt and wont have an equal opportunity to sign these free agents. Thats where the problem lies it creates unfair competitions amongst the teams in the league that's why you hear the collusion rumblings and is stern fixing the league to get the Knicks good again to help the league. Let the Knicks end up with no one in this class and then you can talk about there is no collusion. Whoever team Lebron doesnt end up on will cry the blues b/c they dont feel as if they got a fair shake b/c they think that big market Knicks has a better chance b/c they have been rumors thats what stern wants and thats perception of everyone so cut it out if u dont think people think their is some shady stuff going on! As a Rockets fan how do u feel that no one of these stars are going to end up the rockets? Do you feel like the Rockets are getting a fair shake in all this b/c they arent in one of the biggest markets?
First of all the league has a salary cap so the major markets aren't a factor at all in who gets these free agents. Los Angeles is the 2nd biggest market and I haven't heard of the Lakers being in contention to sign any of these free agents. The Knicks and Bulls are in 2 of the biggest markets but they're only in contention b/c they got rid of all of a bunch of expiring contracts and cleared up the space to get these players. Every team is in contention to land any of these players but that would only happen with a sign and trade including my Houston Rockets.
ReplyDeleteI'm not arguing the fact that the league has an image problem and we both know why that is but we won't say but don't try to cop out and say these 5 players speaking with each other before they make there decisions is adding to "those image problems". Lebron James and Dwayne Wade are model citizens in this league so how can them public statements they want to talk before they sign be adding to that image??
Of course the league wanted Lebron and Kobe in the finals!!!!! Who didn't??
And don't try to figure why the casual fan isn't buying into the NBA today, why isn't the United States into soccer when the rest of the world is??? You'll have an easier time answering that.
Im not saying they are creating an image problem for the league, im saying they are contributing to the idea that the league is shady and as a result of that its contributing to the perception that the league is fixed. And we know their is a salary cap in the league but that doesnt really affect the teams in the big markets b/c they just pay the luxury tax if they go over! How do u think the Lakers can afford to pay Kobe, Artest, Odom and Gasol!
ReplyDeleteI think if they didn't take it public and 2 of the guys signed together, and then they let it be known that they spoke before the signing. Then maybe just maybe you can say that would contribute to the league being shady or whatever but not this.
ReplyDeleteThe Lakers used the mid-level exception on Ron Artest.
The Lakers are going to beat the Celtics in six and when its said and done Kobe will get his fifth pretty easy Boston is two years older and the lakers got alot tougher and in 08 when boston won the lakers didnt have bynum remember so this years final is so different in so many ways and when its said and done Kobe will be the greatest everand after him having 5 rings what makes you think the lakers are done there they have a team that could compete for a title for the next five years no matter where Prince James goes
ReplyDelete