Well, the conference finals are here and in full swing with both series at a 1-1 split. I'm a bit late for predictions (Denver in 7 and Cleveland in 6) But I will talk about the two series.
Denver v. L.A.
Melo vs. Kobe has been the biggest story line of this one. The two teams split the games in the Staples Center and will be headed to Denver for the next two. I think they'll split the next two as well. One thing that's nice about the Nuggets is how they've managed to make Carmelo Anthony play the way he was supposed to play when he was drafted. Billups is the reason for that. Now, there's someone on the team who can draw defenders with his shot and dish to the best shooter left in the playoffs, Melo.
The Lakers on the other hand look vulnerable. Every great team has vulnerabilities. The great Bulls teams couldn't defend centers, for example. The L.A. inability to defend against guards was exposed in the Rockets series. But the Lakers still have Kobe. Kobe will not roll over. The Lakers as a whole are not as tough as the Nuggets, but they have the best player in the series. Shame that it wont lead them back to the promised land.
Cleveland v. Orlando
Cue in Drew Carey... "Cleveland Rocks, Cleveland Rocks"
Is there any player in the league more fun to watch than King James? The comparisons to Jordan need to stop. He is not Jordan in any way. If he can be compared to any legend, he's "Magic" Johnson. He's versatile enough to play about any position. He collects rebounds, assists and points. He's perfectly capable of putting up a triple double on any occasion. He's the reason Cleveland is here in the first place. And he knows how to put on a show. The roleplayers all know their jobs and know who the star is.
Orlando came into this series with the most momentum. Dwight Howard, Rashard Lewis, and Hedo Turkoglu make up the best 3 person combination left in the playoffs. But none of them can stop the KING.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Bulls-Celtics and the rest of the Playoffs
Cleveland v. Detroit (4-0)
...
Orlando v. Philly (4-2)
Orlando went and won 3 straight.
Atlanta v. Miami (3-3)
Going into Game 7 and thoroughly unimpressive
Lakers v. Utah (4-1)
Lakers won. Mostly yawnworthy
Denver v. New Orleans (2-0)
Somehow Denver lost a game. And followed up by beating the Hornets by 58 points. That was the worst blowout in NBA History. Keep in mind that the Kings (who were the worst team this year) never lost by that many.
San Antonio v. Dallas (1-2)
Mavs won. Spurs are done
Portland v. Houston (4-2)
This series wasn't as good as I wanted it to be in hindsight. The Blazers just aren't quite there yet. This is mostly Oden's fault. The fact that Yao didn't drop 35 a night is inexcusable. Ron Artest took a few too many 3 pointers.
Boston v. Chicago (3-3)
Watching this series for me was like watching "The Dark Knight" the first time. Watching the Bulls win in that Game 6 triple overtime thriller was absolutely amazing. This is a game that featured:
Rajon Rondo as a a villain.
Joakim Noah getting a steal and dunking on Paul Pierce (did he think he was a PG or something).
Ray Allen scoring like his life depended on it (51 points).
Derrick Rose with a great block, and pitiful clutch shooting.
But 2 days later, now that I've gotten over it. The Game was better than average. But it wasn't the best ever. In TDK, Heath Ledger was great, and there were some great lines, but it also had some parts which were boring, keeping it from being the best movie ever. In Bulls-Celtics Game Six, there were some great moments, but the game kinda ended with a thud. Derrick Rose couldn't hit the free throws, Salmons pitiful defense that nearly caused the Bulls to lose the 2nd OT. And it just didn't have the moment at the end.
Great moments in my lifetime
Larry Johnson's 4 point play
Allen Houston's lay-up at the end of Game 5 Knicks-Heat
Robert Horry's 3 pointer at the end of Lakers-Kings
Derek Fisher's 0.4 second shot
This series has had some pretty good moments, but nothing classic. On the other hand, this is definitely the best first round series, and certainly the most intense series I've seen. No other series has had 4 games go into OT. It went into double overtime, then triple overtime.
Another problem is this, the series really doesn't matter. Its a first round series, at the end of it all, Neither of these teams will beat the Cavs, and the winner may be too drained to beat the well-rested Magic in the second round. Also this series is severely lacking in KG. If he weren't injured this series would probably be over, and I certainly wouldn't be talking about it.
However this is great basketball, and as long as Game 7 isn't a dud, this will certainly go down as one of the great series if not the best.
...
Orlando v. Philly (4-2)
Orlando went and won 3 straight.
Atlanta v. Miami (3-3)
Going into Game 7 and thoroughly unimpressive
Lakers v. Utah (4-1)
Lakers won. Mostly yawnworthy
Denver v. New Orleans (2-0)
Somehow Denver lost a game. And followed up by beating the Hornets by 58 points. That was the worst blowout in NBA History. Keep in mind that the Kings (who were the worst team this year) never lost by that many.
San Antonio v. Dallas (1-2)
Mavs won. Spurs are done
Portland v. Houston (4-2)
This series wasn't as good as I wanted it to be in hindsight. The Blazers just aren't quite there yet. This is mostly Oden's fault. The fact that Yao didn't drop 35 a night is inexcusable. Ron Artest took a few too many 3 pointers.
Boston v. Chicago (3-3)
Watching this series for me was like watching "The Dark Knight" the first time. Watching the Bulls win in that Game 6 triple overtime thriller was absolutely amazing. This is a game that featured:
Rajon Rondo as a a villain.
Joakim Noah getting a steal and dunking on Paul Pierce (did he think he was a PG or something).
Ray Allen scoring like his life depended on it (51 points).
Derrick Rose with a great block, and pitiful clutch shooting.
But 2 days later, now that I've gotten over it. The Game was better than average. But it wasn't the best ever. In TDK, Heath Ledger was great, and there were some great lines, but it also had some parts which were boring, keeping it from being the best movie ever. In Bulls-Celtics Game Six, there were some great moments, but the game kinda ended with a thud. Derrick Rose couldn't hit the free throws, Salmons pitiful defense that nearly caused the Bulls to lose the 2nd OT. And it just didn't have the moment at the end.
Great moments in my lifetime
Larry Johnson's 4 point play
Allen Houston's lay-up at the end of Game 5 Knicks-Heat
Robert Horry's 3 pointer at the end of Lakers-Kings
Derek Fisher's 0.4 second shot
This series has had some pretty good moments, but nothing classic. On the other hand, this is definitely the best first round series, and certainly the most intense series I've seen. No other series has had 4 games go into OT. It went into double overtime, then triple overtime.
Another problem is this, the series really doesn't matter. Its a first round series, at the end of it all, Neither of these teams will beat the Cavs, and the winner may be too drained to beat the well-rested Magic in the second round. Also this series is severely lacking in KG. If he weren't injured this series would probably be over, and I certainly wouldn't be talking about it.
However this is great basketball, and as long as Game 7 isn't a dud, this will certainly go down as one of the great series if not the best.
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