The Future Is Now

The 2008 NBA Draft will finally answer many questions on Thursday night in Madison Square Garden. Teams looking for the new face of their franchise. Teams looking to infuse athleticism, energy and raw talent into their very own uniform. That new bright youthful smile that will bring hope to franchises that are otherwise struggling at the turn styles to bring people in their arenas , otherwise they probably would’nt be in the lottery in the first place.

For some , they will be working the phones for last minute deals to move up in the draft and for some they will be looking to move down thinking they can get good value lower in the draft while saving money against the salary cap. For some like the Miami Heat who are involved in many a trade rumors, they will be looking to restore a franchise that went from winning a championship two summers ago to the worst team in the league this year by far. The Heat will most likely start the domino effect of other teams trading. Many are waiting to see if the Heat trade the number 2 overall pick because they are not enamored with Kansas States Michael Beasley who many consider the top talent. Despite not tipping their hands all this time, expect the Chicago Bulls to select hometown boy and consensus superstar Derek Rose with their first selection.

There already has been a reported trade as the Indiana Pacers will send former All Star Jermaine O’Neal to the Toronto Raptors for TJ Ford, Rasho Nesterovic and the #17 the pick. Personally i think its bad deal for both teams. The Raptors are getting a guy who has had his share of bad injuries in Jermaine O’Neal, although the thought of him along side All Star Chris Bosh would be a formidable front line, can O’Neal really be expected to stay healthy? Also, i cant see O’Neal resigning there next year when his contract expires. He’s been wanting to go to the New York Knicks and if they can free up some salary cap space look for that to happen and it would leave the Raptors with nothing in the deal. As for the Pacers, I like the idea of trading O’Neal , but not so much what they got for him. I would’ve tried to package him and get a star player back in the process or a higher pick. Lets face it , players are not exactly dying to flock to Indiana when free agency hits for them.

As for the hometown teams, the Clippers look to be very active, names that have been involved in rumors include Elton Brand and Corey Maggette. One strong rumor had the Suns sending Leandro Barbosa and the #15th pick for Maggette and the #7. I wouldnt make that deal if im the Clippers. Two players that are basically the same player. Both one dimensional and if thats the case why give up 8 spots to do that? But then again, were talking bout Donald Sterling here.

As for the Lakers, they too have been involved in some rumblings. What will they do with Lamar Odom? Odom has been an enigma for the Lakers ever since he was acquired from the Miami Heat for Shaquille O’Neal. He has always been a tease for Laker fans who one night see him grabbing rebounds and pushing the ball up the floor like a gazelle reminding many of the good ol Magic Johnson days. Then the next night hes inbounding the ball by walking it in himself. LMAO. If the Lakers had their druthers , they would exchange Odom for an athletic, good shooting, rebounding and defensive small forward. Not to mention any names but fill in the blank R_N A_TEST. With the 58th pick there wont be much too discuss , probably a player they can stash overseas for a year or so. They really like PG George Hill from IUPU but have heard that he may not be there when they select. Weve also heard that Mitch Kupchak is trying to move up in the second round probably to ensure they select him.

Just a reminder for Lamar Odom fans….By the way the look on Phil Jacksons face is priceless.

Shaq disses Kobe..Shocked?

Seriously, will this guy ever stop? Once again Shaquille O’neal aka “The Big Ingrate” is talking out of the wrong hole again. And this time , brace yourselves…..He’s talking about Kobe Bryant. Wow , now theres a shocker! Will this guy ever grow up? “The Big Marshmallow” will never let it go. He says that he and Kobe are fine, then he goes to some nightclub in New York and grabs the mic and one of the first words out of his  mouths is insults flying all over the place at Kobe. Isn’t it ironic that “The Big Illiterate” provides us this media circus right after the Finals? Hmmm. I’m sure he was just sitting on his probably Super Duper Superman couch at home sporting Celtic Green and rooting against the Lakers because thats how he is. He is about as immature as they come. And to think, we sat here and cheered on this clown for years only to have him turn around and bash us repeatedly as Laker fans after he leaves. Shaq’s ego cant stand rejection. That is what he felt when the Lakers and Dr. Buss chose Kobe over him. Ever since then , hes out to reign havoc on anyone in his past affiliated with the Lakers. Don’t forget that he dissed Kareem Abdul Jabbar in the video too and numerous other times. “The Big Cassiopeia” can’t stop holding grudges as he bounces or shall i say waddles through different NBA stomping grounds.

Shaq , i thank you for the Three Titles you brought to our fine city, but this is going over the line. You guys all but seemed to patch things up and then you continually pounce on Kobe when you get the chance. Criticizing Kobe for causing your marriage to fail? The nerve? Here’s a mirror Snaq, take a look , you might not like what you see pal. You are becoming a bitter old man in an NBA jersey. Go away and raid some Krispy Kremes. OOhhh look theres the “Serving Hot and Ready” sign . Hurry before they run out.

The Truth? Celtics Were Better

Frustrated, Embarrased, Disgusted and Outraged, just a few words to describe how me and my fellow Laker fans feel. After running through an unbelievably tough Western Conference to get to the Finals to face the Boston Celtics, the Lakers season has ended. They were outclassed, even though the Celtics have no class for actually dumping Gatorade on a basketball court before the game is even officially over and keeping starters in the game for longer than they should have and not to mention the countless lob passes and three pointers that were being put up in the final minutes , should i continue?

I have to admit , I dont know how to feel . I mean considering where the Lakers came from since training camp when Kobe would’ve rather played on Pluto , to making it to the Finals. As a Lakers fan, I have to say I’m mostly proud of this team . But leave it to them to take away some of the thunder by traveling 3,000 miles or so just to get crushed by 39? Come on!!!!

Kobe started the game red hot even though he once again failed to get to the basket on a consistent basis and settled for jumpers. However, theres another word to describe this team and thats “Hope” . A team that has a lot of promise and is hopeful to get back to the Finals if Andrew Bynum can get back to the form before he got injured. We hope. One thing is for sure, they have to get TOUGHER!!! Someone needs to tell Pau that you dont get points for falling down. Someone needs to tell Lamar Odom that its ok to use your right hand. Someone needs to tell Sasha Vujacic that he actually has commited fouls and to stop with the Macauley Caulkin “Home Alone” face on every foul. Oh yeah and someone needs to tell Vladamir Radmanovic and Luke Walton “Your one way ticket out of town is ready.” This team needs a heart transplant. They need some players who are not afraid of mixing it up. “Paging Ron Artest”

Kobe Bryant needs to put on his recruiting hat and get some players in here that are tough and physical. And we need to cut down the Euro Player population on this team by half. So in closing, I must say im proud of you guys for a great season but once again 39 points? Oh well, training camp starts in September i believe.

Stayin Alive

Lakers once again find a way to make things interesting. They started out on fire as the jumpers were falling, the passes were crisp, and the rotations on defense were quick. They jumped out to a 39-22 first quarter lead. Kobe Bryant was red hot including 4 three pointers in the first frame . The Lakers obviously wanted to show some heart tonight with fans and media alike counting them out.

Paul Pierce started warming up in the second quarter and never cooled off finishing with 38 points and getting to the basket as he feasted on the defense or lack thereof of Luke Walton and Vladamir Radmanovic. Pierce has been the achilles heal in this series for the Lakers. He has torched Lakers small forwards.

Just like in Game Four, the Lakers couldnt hold on to the lead and gave up a 15-0 run. Garnett was quite ineffective for the Celtics as he couldnt stay out of foul trouble and only played 11 minutes in the first half. But, it was Garnett’s inability to convert in crunch time that cost the Celtics. He missed two consecutive free throws with the Celtics down two in the final minutes. Then he missed a follow up layup at point blank range the next time down. He pulled what i call a “Chris Webber” in that fourth quarter.

The Lakers big men showed up tonight , Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol were effective. Odom had 20 points and 11 rebounds as Pau Gasol delivered with 19 points and 13 boards. The two big men have been ridiculed for being soft and unable to finish around the rim in this series. However, they converted tonight and were active. Kobe Bryant did not have a good second half. He hasn’t been able to get to the rim on a consistent basis. He finished with 25 points. I have to give credit to Jordan Farmar, hes been a real spark plug in this series for the Lakers by not settling for jump shots and going to the basket with reckless abandon. Farmar had struggled mightily in the Utah series but has bounced back nicely against the Spurs and Celtics since then.

Celtics blew a golden opportunity to close it out tonight. The longer you give Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson life in a series the more dangerous it gets. However, winning two straight in Boston is not an easy task at all. The Lakers have to forget about winning two and try and somehow steal Game Six and anything can then happen in a Game Seven.

Call It A Comeback

Comeback is exactly what the Boston Celtics did on Thursday Night against the Los Angeles Lakers. Comeback from the largest deficit in NBA Finals history , 24 points. As a Laker fan , I have to say i was thoroughly embarassed. As I was watching the game , I was thinking to myself this is too much too early , referring to the big first quarter lead as the Lakers raced out to a 21 point lead at the end of one. As the lead was 17 points in the first quarter i can remember Jeff Van Gundy , former coach, now commentator saying that he was going out on a limb to say this series is tied 2-2. I was thinking, you’re crazy JVG! As a die hard and loyal fan of the Lakers and a guy who watches nearly every game , i knew that my boys would blow most of this lead if not all. But even I the pessimist, didn’t think my beloved Lakers led by Kobe Bryant would lose this game. I thought for sure , somehow , someway, we would pull it out. But, during the process i would probably develop a coronary, or have some anxiety attack. Nothing comes easy for these guys.

As the game went on the Celtics got stronger and buckled down on defense. Celtics cut a 20 point lead down to 12, here they come uh oh. Then my boys respond with a 8-0 run of their own and the lead is back to 20, whoo hoo! Once again the Celtics chip away but then just before the half , Jordan Farmar hits a running three pointer off one leg to open up a comfortable 18 point lead. Did i say comfortable? Because , no lead is comfortable with the Lakers. They give up the hugest leads with the least amount of time off the clock. Not to mention the fact that the Celtics have absolutely crushed them in every third quarter this series.

Kobe Bryant had a horrible night. His flow of the game was not there like usual. He was fumbling the ball all over the place and didn’t seem to have his usual explosion. There’s nothing like watching Kobe when he has it going and destroying the opposition with ridiculous fade away jumpers , or spin moves with great footwork as the opposition is left in awe and realizing that there is no chance tonight against this guy. However, as equally crushing is seeing Kobe get his shot blocked , him miss free throws, him be unable to get by his defender and not be able to impose his will. Simply put, i hate when Kobe looks human. It sucks.

Anyhow, the Celtics dominated the second half allowing the Lakers only 33 points after they gave up 58 in the first half. That great defense that was there all year for the C’s showed up again and probably won them the series. That is just a crushing way to lose and will be too devastating for the Lakers to recover.

The Lakers have a chance to make history of their own if they now can find a way to comeback from a 3-1 deficit because no one has been able to. Kobe can now take on a new challenge to impose his will first and foremost to send this series back to Boston for game six and take their chances from there. But if they’re gonna come back from the deficit , they’re gonna need Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol to man up big time.

I still believe! …..Well kind’ve , sort’ve.

2008 Finals Pump Up Video

Magic’s Criticism Of Lakers….

Let me start by saying this, I grew up idolizing Earvin “Magic” Johnson. My introduction to basketball started when Magic’s career started with the Lakers and led them to a championship in his rookie year . He not only took the NBA by storm, but he captured a young boys heart as well who was hooked to his behind the back passes, the no look passes for slam dunks, the one man fast break and ofcourse that smile that showed everyone his love for the game and how beautiful a game it could be. Ever since then i have been a die hard Lakers fan. I have often lost sleep over buzzer beater losses or games being lost to teams that were subpar to my beloved Laker team. I have been consumed by basketball ever since then and it has not changed to this day . I had tears coming down my eyes the day i heard that Magic was retiring because of the HIV Virus. That hurt me big time, some for selfish reasons and others for his well being. But lets face it , the man has freakin beat HIV. It’s virtually no longer detected in his system . Back then, when you heard that word you were terrified and expected a death sentence. We all wondered to ourselves, how long before its over for Magic. But hes still here and kicking strong . Now thats Magic!!

However, within the last ten years, he has irked me BIG TIME. Recently, Magic criticized the Lakers performances so far in the 2008 NBA Finals before Game Three. He went on to say that they were playing very soft and was embarassed by their performances. Mentioned that they weren’t rebounding and stopping guys like Paul Pierce who were getting wide open shots. Now although i agree with Magic, he totally went about it the wrong way. He is the part owner of the Lakers and has access to these guys whenever he wants. He should’ve pulled them aside and gave them a pep talk if he was so outraged by their efforts. I think that would’ve been alot more constructive dont you? Now im sure the Lakers are looking at him like “What does this guy want now” every time he passes by.

This is not the first time Magic has done this. Lets not forget when the Lakers were in trouble with the Detroit Pistons in 2004. That team was the one that had Gary Payton and Karl Malone who had given up millions of dollars for the opportunity to close out their careers with the Lakers and hopefully a championship. The Lakers were being outplayed in that series badly, Chauncey Billiups was turning Gary Payton from “The Glove” to “The Mitten” on his way to later becoming the Finals MVP. Karl Malone was dealing with an injury and wasnt himself after his knee would just not allow him to play anymore. But before a crucial game in that series, Magic ripped on the Lakers then too and called out names like Payton and Malone and Kobe. Once again, why could’nt he just have went in the locker room or stood by the court as they warmed up and say “Come on guys!!”

Magic also has a knack for not showing up to Lakers games anymore so he can do the broadcasts for TNT with Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Ernie Johnson. Everytime, i see him in that studio im thinking as a Lakers fan, “What in the Purple and Gold Hell is our owner doing there?’ How can he sit there and try to be an unbiased commentator when he is a part of the Lakers organization. I know why……. Cause Magic is an ‘Attention Junky” thats right hes addicted to attention. I mean think of the comebacks , then the short coaching stint, all because he cant stand to be out of the spotlight. And ofcourse , when TNT was done with the NBA for the season after finishing up the Western Conference Finals, I see Magic show up where? Thats right , with the ABC telecast and sitting in with their hosts.

When the idea of doing the great Split Screen Commercials with Larry Bird came up , Magic im sure ran with the opportunity while ive heard that Larry Bird wasn’t so thrilled with the idea. Larry supposedly told Magic that this was the only commercial he was gonna do . He didn’t want to take away from the players in todays game getting their attention and it being their time now. I’ve always respected Larry Bird the competitor and he was a tremendous ballplayer in his day. But i have even more respect for the man now. Since hes left the game hes been involved even more in the game then Magic yet we always see Magic and dont see Bird. Bird is now the President of the Indiana Pacers.

So in closing, rest assure that if the Lakers are fortunate enough to win the Championship this year and beat the Celtics, get ready to see Magics grill as the first one to embrace Kobe and jump up to the podium for the award celebration. Magic , let these guys have their time now and stop trying to steal all the thunder. Just make sure that when i go to Starbucks, that my White Mocha is hot and when i go to the movies that my popcorn is buttered!!!

Lakers Get Back in Series

The Lakers found a way to scratch and claw and get an ugly win on Tuesday Night to get within a game of getting the series even. Kobe Bryant was back to his usual self scoring 36 points to lead all scorers. However, Bryant missed an uncharacteristic 7 free throws as he shot 11-18 from the line. I guess he wasn’t use to getting there huh? After all its been tough for him to get to the charity stripe in Boston. But, just like i thought , he got more calls in LA.

The Lakers were the aggressors tonight and got rewarded as what was lopsided officiating in Boston was evened out tonight. Sorry “Chowder Heads”. Piss and Moan all you want but you got all the calls at your house and now we are getting the calls in our house.

Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce struggled for the Celtics while Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol did not even get a field goal until the end of the 3rd quarter. Sasha “The Machine” Vujacic was all over the place and came up huge in this one with 20 points. Bryant and Vujacic were the only two Laker players in double figures.

If you’re the Celtics you gotta feel pretty good considering the fact that you didn’t get much from PIerce and Garnett on the offensive end and were in the game with a chance to win. However, if youre the Lakers its not like you got anything from Pau and Lamar either. Although, i will say Pau continues to do a decent job defensively on Kevin Garnett whos shooting around 30 percent for the series.

Whats gone unnoticed for the most part is the Lakers defense which doesnt get talked about much when compared to Boston however, they have done a pretty good job. That is, as long as Phil Jackson keeps “Borat” Vladamir Radmanovic glued to the bench. Once again , the Lakers small lineup has opened up the floor for Kobe and allowed the Celtics to not cheat as much because of the outside threat .

Lakers must win the remaining two home games to give themselves a shot at the title. The Miami Heat were the last team to be down 2-0 and comeback to win the series.

Huge Comeback Falls Short

What couldve been the greatest comeback in NBA history with the Lakers trailing by 24 with about 7 1/2 minutes left , fell short. The Lakers got to within 2 points on two free throws by Kobe Bryant with 38 seconds left, but then fouled Pierce who went to the line and sank two clutch free throws. The Celtics would go on to win 108-102.

Once again , Phil Jackson i believe made a big coaching blunder. He failed to once again extend the game by going for three instead of the easy two points with about 22 seconds left. You just know Boston wasn’t going to foul. He should’ve told his team to get the ball inbounds and attack the basket and Boston would probably let them have the layup. Then you can come back and foul again and hope the Celtics miss one or two. Instead, they forced up a horrible shot by Radmanovic and with it went the ballgame.

Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 30 points including a furious run by the Lakers of 31-9 in the 4th quarter. Ofcourse, another case of two little too late. However, Phil tweaked the lineup going with Pau Gasol, Sasha Vujacic , Vlad Radmanovic, Derek Fisher and Kobe Bryant. That team although rather small, allowed the team to have good spacing because Boston had to respect the shooters on the floor.

Kevin Garnett had 17 points and 14 rebounds and the “Drama Queen” Paul Pierce added 28. Anyone else find it interesting that Pierce refused to take an MRI until after the Finals. Hmmmmmmm, could it possibly be because there’s nothing wrong with him and we’ll all find that out publicly by the doctors? Makes you think doesn’t it?

Series now returns to Los Angeles where the Lakers will try and turn things around and use the momentum from the end of Game Two to hopefully right the ship. Lakers did a better job of rebounding, losing only by one rebound to the Celtics 37-36. I am not one to worry about whose reffing the game and so forth or blaming them, but these referees left their mark on this game early and often. Totally taking the Lakers aggression out of their game in return. Lakers seemingly got whistled on every ticky tack contact. However, the Lakers were getting butchered and not getting any calls. The Lakers took only 10 free throws the whole game and made them all, while the Celtics marched to the line a staggering 38 times WOW!

If the Lakers are gonna get back in this series they’re gonna have to get more physical and have more energy which a home crowd can hopefully provide. The referees hopefully will reward the agressor and Kobe can find his way to the line in L.A.

Kobe, KG Batman Dark Knight Trailer