After the first few games of the NBA conference finals, it looked like we could be headed for 2 sweeps giving NBA haters a reason to preach how the college game is better. Thankfully, the Suns and Magic have realized they are 1 round away from playing for the championship. The Suns looked small, scared and intimidated vs the Lakers through games 1 and 2. The Magic fell behind to the Celtics 3-0 and had the look of a team that couldn’t wait for summer, and couldn’t wait to get away from Stan Van Jeremy. Is there a more annoying set of brothers in the history of the league than the Van Gundy’s? Jeff sits on his high horse on ESPN’s NBA coverage ripping everything and everyone who isn’t a coach or former coach. Stan? I used to like him, but he’s turned into a crusty old pain in the ass who bitches about everything. Now, he doesn’t like Michael Wilbon. Wilbon may be softest media member this side of Chuck Garfien. I can’t believe I just referenced Garfien. I think I just went deaf for a second. With the Suns winning two games at home, and the Magic stealing game 4 in Boston and outplaying Boston in game 5 at home, we have conference finals basketball!! I don’t have a horse in the race since the LeBrons got bounced, but the possibility of the Lakers and Celtics choking away these series makes me happier than watching Eddie Murphy Raw. It’s still possible the two most successful franchises in the history of the NBA meet in the NBA Finals. However, it’s good to see the Suns and Magic actually showing some balls.
Boston has seen sports teams come back from an 0-3 hole (’04 Red Sox) and a team blow a 3-0 lead (’10 Bruins). Seeing the looks on the Celtics players faces if they lost 4 straight would be museum worthy. The Magic played soft the first 3 games. Rashard Lewis was battling Channing Frye for “choker of the 2010 playoffs” award before finally showing a pulse. The pressure is mounting on the Celtics, and they seemed to crack in game 5. Kendrick (the biggest whiner in the NBA) got two technical fouls and will be suspended for game 6 if the league doesn’t rescind it.
Random rant: Only in the NBA could a technical foul be reviewed and rescinded. It’s basically an admission by the league that their refs are affected by the crowds, players and coaches. Eddie Rush and Joey Crawford were abysmal in game 5. Nothing pisses me off more than when refs make the game about them. Hey, Joey, nobody is there to see you kill the flow of a potentially conference clinching game you bald headed douche. He continues to get worse, and prove many people’s thoughts that the league needs younger, less senile refs. The foul Eddie Rush called on Kendrick Perkins was a joke. Look, I hate Perkins as much as anyone, but that was terrible. To his credit, Perkins walked away from Rush, but was whistled for a technical anyhow. Thankfully, the NBA rescinded Perkins’ 2nd T and will play in game 6. The point? If the league had competent refs to start with, the league wouldn’t have to rescind them. My head hurts from this garbage. Later, Rajon Rondo tried to get Rush’s attention, but Crawford intervened and told Rondo to go to the bench. Apparently, Davis Stern died and Crawford was named commissioner. I must have missed this news. Rondo said something to Crawford, and Crawford T’d him up , and that’s when hell broke loose. I know I sound like I’m defending the Celtics, but as Billy Batts said in Goodfellas…”What’s right is right.” The ref/umpire look at me tour made an appearance in the White Sox game with fat ass Joe West throwing out Ozzie Guillen and Mark Buehrle. I wish the officials in sports would realize they are only doing a good job when they are anonymous. Only in the NBA do officials become the story in the most important games of the season. Wake up, David Stern! Realize you need young refs who don’t have an agenda……or money on the game.
Dwight Howard finally played like the most dominant big man in the NBA. Could Orlando win 4 straight?
What does this mean? It means we are on the verge of something happening in the NBA that has never happened in 93 tries in the history of the NBA. The Magic are two wins away from making history, and making a return trip to the NBA Finals. If Dwight Howard plays like he did in game 5 (like the most dominant big man in the NBA), this is entirely possible. I thought the Magic were dead and buried, but their jumpers are starting to fall. The Celtics are getting hot under the collar, injuries are taking a toll, and Stan Van Jeremy threatened to strip naked if the magic continued to play matador defense. I’m not sure porky said that last part, but you can’t discount the thought. A 3-0 lead is suddenly down to 3-2, and the Celtics aren’t looking towards a trip to L.A., but are instead looking at unfinished business.
Speaking of L.A……Oh, boy. Only in Hollywood can a team’s off the court verbal nonsense overshadow the on court silliness. Instead of realizing the tiger they are facing in a rejuvenated Suns team, the Lakers are mired in the future of Phil Jackson. Only in the NBA does the off court drama carry as much weight as the performance on the hardwood. Lakers owner, Jerry Buss, could have kept his poker face on (he loves poker…and the women that come with playing big time poker), and kept quiet about wanting Phil to take a pay cut from his $12 million dollar salary. No, that would make too much sense. And Phil, ever the manipulator, could close the door on possible job openings with the Bulls and Nets. He pretty much closed the book on a return to the Bulls, but said of the Nets and new owner Mikhail Prokorhov…”I’d like to have a vodka with him.” He could have slammed the door shut and said the focus is on defending our championship. That’s not Phil. Will he take the Nets job? Of course not. Phil doesn’t do rebuilding projects, and the Nets are indeed that until they move to Brooklyn in 2-3 years. I also believe what people have said about him being open to retuning to the Bulls. If Phil knows LeBron James is coming to Chicago, you better believe Big Chief Triangle will work his way back to Chicago. I learned a long time to never believe a word any coach says. The problem for Jackson’s Lakers is this Suns team isn’t playing afraid anymore. They know if they can keep games close and make the Lakers bench have to play important minutes, they can steal this series. It’s a long shot, but with Andrew Bynum running like he was the victim of a Bret Hart sharpshooter, this team isn’t the same. They haven’t played a lick of defene the last two games. They shot 48% from the floor in game 4 and still lost. If they don’t lock down on defense, they won’t win another ring. Plain and simple. Lamar Odom is the only player on L.A.’s bench contributing. Kobe and Gasol can only do so much at this stage of the playoffs. Kobe was brilliant in game 4, but it doesn’t matter if the Lakers continue to treat this series as a 3 point contest.
Kobe was stellar in games 3 & 4, but his teammates failed to show up. The result? The defending champs are now in a serious fight to repeat as champs.
“We have to play with a sense of urgency,” Kobe said, “and understand this team can beat us.” In the last two games, the Lakers have attempted an idiotic 60 3 point shots to only 33 free throws. The Suns’ zone has taken the Lakers out of their game. The fact the Lakers point guard play is atrocious doesn’t help either. A good point guard would be able to penetrate that zone and find the holes. Think the Lakers regret not making that Kirk Hinrich trade right about now? Even if they survive this round, Rondo or Jameer Nelson will destroy Derek Fisher and Jordan Farmar. Kobe had 38 points, 10 assists, and 7 rebounds in the game 4 loss. That came off his 36 point barrage in game 3. The last games have reminded me of the ’06 and ’07 playoffs for the Lakers. The Suns beat them in 7 in ’06 and in 5 in ’07. Kobe alone won’t be enough to secure his 5th title. His teammates need to get their heads out of their asses and realize they actually have to show up to earn another ring. Sure, the Lakers have 2 of 3 at home in this series, but their lack of effort on the defensive end has put them in this position. There coach’s flirtation with other jobs during a championship run hasn’t helped either. Only in Hollywood, and only in the NBA.
