No Help for Kobe

Besides being on the brink of elimination, the Los Angeles Lakers have some other things to worry about. Despite the superb performance from Kobe Bryant scoring 38 points, his supporting cast was nowhere to be found. The next leading scorer was Pau Gasol with a mere 12 points. Fisher, Artest, and Odom were nonexistent throughout. The Lakers combined scored only 10 more points than Kobe which is completely unacceptable. The Boston Celtics tried their best to contain Kobe who was forcing and making tough shots all night from around the perimeter. If Kobe is to score this much attempting 27 shots, can the Lakers even have a chance of winning?
Game 5 was the best game that the Boston Celtics starters played together throughout the NBA Finals. Garnett filled up the box score in all categories, Rondo was penetrating and dishing, and Paul Pierce played like vintage Pierce from the 2008 Finals. Although it wasn’t Ray Allen’s best game, he finished in double digits and it’s a good finish compared to his horrific performance in Game 3 (0-13 to be exact). The Celtics are definitely in the driver seat being up by 1 game, but they’re going to the Staples center which isn’t the easiest arena to close out a NBA finals let alone win a game.
Phil Jackson’s record of being undefeated when winning the 1st game of a playoff game will be put to the true test as over 70% of the teams winning Game 5 go on to win the series. In addition to that, the Celtics are 11-0 all-time when up 3-2. I don’t know if Game 6 will be a repeat of 2008 when the Lakers were blown out, but I’m sure that Kobe will have his team ready to play on Thursday, not just him!

Bench surges Celtics to victory

As “Big Baby” Glen Davis led the Boston Celtics to a crucial Game 4 victory, many seem to wonder how long it will take for the Celtics’ superstars to come alive again. In my opinion, I don’t think that Boston can rely on the bench play of Davis, Nat Robinson, Tony Allen, and Rasheed Wallace alone to win this series. In order for them to stop the Los Angeles Lakers from repeating, Rajon Rondo and the Big 3 need to lead the team. The Celtics can’t have half of this as Rondo and Allen played well in Game 3; they need all of them to add their contributions.
The scary thing in this series is how close Boston is every game, without any sign of their veterans playing well. Imagine if Paul Pierce was playing like the 2008 NBA Finals MVP, Kevin Garnet was a monster on offense and defense, Ray Allen was lights out, and Rondo was putting up triple doubles….If this were happening, I guarantee the Lakers would be getting blown out! The Celtics stars don’t have to play like this every game, but any sign of it and it’s a given victory. The Lakers should be shocked as good as they are or supposed to be that the Celtics are still pushing them to the edge every game with the Celtics playing mediocre. Or are the Celtics just that good? Whatever it may be, some changes must be made. Coach, Phil Jackson, may have had no comment regarding the play of Robinson and Davis in Game 4, but he’ll be vocal about at the Lakers next practice.
If Boston thought that Game 4 was key win, Game 5 is even bigger. The Celtics can’t keep thinking they’re going to get by playing sub par. Kobe Bryant can only do so much for the Lakers, but you can’t forget that he’s the best player on the court and one of the best all-time. Kobe may just have to have a 40 + point game to wake up the Celtics, but if he does, it just may be too late for Boston.

2010 Fifa World Cup

With the 2010 FIFA World Cup less than 24 hours away, I can hardly wait. The anticipation and adrenaline for this world wide event is indescribable. The curtain will rise on Friday as all predictions will be put to the test when the 1st World Cup on African soil kicks off.
This month-long tournament will be full of upsets, enthusiasm, pride, and honor as we will see the top players from each country fight for the same goal in mind: FIFA World Cup trophy! There will only be one champion crowned on July 11th, but until then, let the games begin.
If the posters, gossip, and commercials haven’t caught your attention by now, I don’t know what will. The World Cup takes place every 4 years and many viewers and fans have been waiting for this since ’06. You can watch the NBA Finals alone or watch both like me, but trust me when I say this: No sports event from now till JULY 11th will overshadow the World Cup (key word- WORLD). Not even Queen James’ free agency decision. lol

Note: U.S. vs. England on Sat. June 12th

This commercial is amazing in itself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idLG6jh23yE

Lives up to hype

Despite of all the hype and predictions surrounded around the young 21-year old, Stephen Strasburg, the most important question was if he could live up to the hype? Is 14 strikeouts and a win enough? I think so as Strasburg had the Pittsburgh Pirates swinging all over the plate in his MLB debut. Strasburg’s 14 K’s were the third-most all time by any pitcher in the history in a big league debut. Strasburg pitched for seven innings as the Nationals defeated the Pirates 5-2 yesterday. Some analysts are already mentioning that he could be the best all time, but I wouldn’t go that far. Stephen’s 1st game was phenomenal from start to finish, but lets remember that it was only one game.
If National fans thought that Strasburg could be the savior to their organization, this game definitely ended all doubts. The Nationals, who are tied for last in their division, seem to have hope again. With many games left in the season, this is could be what their team needed. I’m not saying that the Nationals are going to automatically win the division because of one player, but this could help re-energize the team to play better.
Stephen got all his butterflies out and certainly showed he’s ready for the majors, but it’s only going to get harder from here. I can’t say where the bar is set for him, but I know it’s pretty high as he has been named the “Lebron James of baseball.” Strasburg has so much expected of him, but fans and critics must understand he’s young and will have to mature. Don’t start making predictions of which next pitcher he’s going to be; let him finish a season first or even two games at that. Hold your horses! This isn’t the Triple A and Double A which he dominated; it’s the BIG LEAGUES. He won’t face the Pirates every night and give up no walks. He might just give up some shocking home-runs here and there as he gave up one 2-run bomber yesterday (his only mistake). We’ll see how dominant the young pitcher is as time progresses.

Who's #1?

For the fifth time in his career, Rafael Nadal was able to win the French Open and get payback against Robin Soderling, who eliminated him from the 4th round last year. Nadal beat Soderling in straight sets this past Sunday giving him his 38th victory of the year. Nadal was also able to regain the world’s #1 ranking, which brings up my question: Is he better than Roger Federer?
Federer and Nadal have had some memorable tennis matches and whenever the two meet, it always has fans on the edge of their seats. Nadal leads their head-to-head series 14-7, but does this record give him enough credibility to be the best? Nadal, who is much younger than Federer, is also beating Roger in every finals category of their head-to-head match-ups except Masters Cup (0-2). As you can see the numbers definitely favor Nadal from top to bottom.
In Federer’s defense, Nadal is basically unbeatable on clay, which is where most of there match-ups have taken place (12). On grass courts, where Federer is best at, he holds the edge (2-1) and both individuals are tied on hard courts. Would Federer have the advantage and better record if those match-ups were played on grass? Maybe he would, but for now we can only go off facts.
The cliché “Men lie, women lie, numbers don’t”, isn’t true for everything. When you take a closer look at these two great tennis players, it isn’t that clear cut who the better individual is. Tennis analyst and even other great tennis players have stated Federer to be the greatest all time. But how could he be the greatest ever, if he may not even be the best in his era?

Ray erupts from beyond the arc

As ABC analyst and former NBA player, Mark Jackson, would say, “Hand Down, Man Down.” This was the story in the 1st half of Game 2 of the 2010 NBA Finals as the Boston Celtics, Ray Allen, couldn’t be stopped. The Los Angeles Lakers threw several different defenders at Allen, but none could stop one of the prettiest jump shooters in the league. The Lakers tried to trail screens and even cheat and jump over them at times, but Allen read them perfectly each time as he made seven 3-point shots in the 1st half alone, which surpassed the teams amount in Game 1. Allen ended the game with eight 3-point shots setting the new NBA Finals record and led the Celtics with 32 points.
The Celtics’ offense was in rhythm and had a lot of shots falling for them in the 1st half, but got extremely sloppy with turnovers towards the end which allowed the Lakers to climb back into the game. Coming into the 3rd quarter, the Lakers used that momentum and tied the game back up, coming back from down 14 at one point in the 1st half.
The Lakers seemed they were going to pull away as the Celtics were falling apart on defense and then the Rajon Rondo we’ve seen throughout the playoffs played like himself again. Rondo, who ended with a triple double, was all over the place in the 4th quarter. Rondo wasn’t just dismantling the Lakers with his passing, but by scoring and more importantly: rebounding. Rondo feared none at his size as he took the ball straight into the teeth of the defense and had key defensive plays which caused turnovers for the Lakers.
Boston played a good game despite their star players, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, combining for only 16 points. Kevin Garnett has been in a funk lately and it’s affected his team as they’ve been getting killed on the boards. The Celtics will need the heart and soul of their team to break out in Game 3, as the Lakers will look to make adjustments to contain Ray Allen from having another shooting display.
The Lakers, Kobe Bryant, had a quiet twenty-one and was limited due to foul trouble throughout the game. Some other players stepped up in his behalf such as Andrew Bynum, who ended w/ 21, but it wasn’t enough for the Lakers to take Game 2. I’m sure that Phil Jackson will go back to the drawing board and make necessary changes as the Lakers could have played better on both sides of the ball. The scary thing about this series is both teams haven’t played too their full potential. Look for an epic battle that will come down to the wire in Game 3.

NBA 2K11 Cover

Finally!!! If you didn't know, I'll be the first to tell you about Michael Jordan being on the cover of NBA 2K11, which comes out sometime in October. I guess now we'll actually be able to play with one of the greatest all time instead of that guy in the old NBA Live games that played for the Chicago Bulls and made every shot he took named "Player" hahaha. I'm expecting a perfect rating for #23 or maybe they'll give him a 95, sike! Hall of Famer,6 NBA Championships (Two 3-peats), 5 NBA MVP's, 9 All-Defense First Team Selections, should I keep going....= 99 Rating

Soft...S-O-F-T

There are many words that can describe the play and effort of the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of the 2010 NBA Finals, but none better than soft (s-o-f-captial T….SofTTTTTTTTTT). If Game 1 was a sign of how the Celtics will play throughout the finals, they might as well give the hardware over to the Los Angeles Lakers and I’ll watch Lebron James on Larry King or Jimmy Kimmel. I highly doubt Game 2 will have the same outcome regarding the effort on Boston’s behalf and I look for both teams to play much better. Phil Jackson and the Lakers may be 47-0 when winning Game 1, but trust me; this series is far from over. Records are meant to be broken!
Even though the Lakers dominated the Celtics in every category, the Celtics were never really out the game. This 13-point win against the Celtics isn’t as powerful and decisive to me as it is to others. Even though cliché, the Lakers did what they were supposed to do, which is win at home. Game 1 does give the Lakers a lot of confidence heading into Game 2, but they shouldn’t get too cocky or laid back yet. Don’t forget, this is the same team, if not better than 2008 NBA Champion Boston Celtics, which came back from a 24-point deficit in Game 5 of the 2008 NBA Finals.
It hurts me to even write this being a fan of Kevin Garnett, but he was the main catalyst of Boston playing soft. Garnett, known for his energy and enthusiasm, was non-existent last night and played as if it were an exhibition game. The Lakers, Pau Gasol, who I mentioned before in a previous blog had something to prove, destroyed and out-rebounded Garnett and the Celtics’ front-court combined. Gasol ended with 23 and 14 and will need to keep playing with this same intensity in pursuit of a repeat.
Kobe Bryant also played exceptionally well w/ 30 points, 7 boards, and 6 dimes. Kobe wasn’t really tested too much on defense due to Ray Allen’s foul trouble, but I’m sure the Celtics will adjust in Game 2.
Something that I would pay closer attention to as more games are played is the referee’s. This historic rivalry puts a lot of pressure on them as I saw numerous questionable or superstar calls in Game 1. I understand that they are trying to prevent any fights or quarrels from happening between each team, but they have to let them play as well. Obviously, easier said than done. Both Boston and L.A. are known for being physical, so something is bound to happen especially when you’re fighting for an NBA championship. (Hopefully not an Indiana and Detroit sequel) You can only prevent so much…

Green Vs. Gold

The Los Angeles Lakers', Kobe Bryant, may say he doesn’t care if the Boston Celtics are in the championship or not, but this is something he’s been waiting for. I’m pretty sure that many of his teammates feel the same way, as they lost in 6 games in 2008 Finals and were embarrassed in the final game, losing 131–92. This isn’t a rubber match as both teams are not the same from ’08, but payback if the Lakers are successful at winning, which they’ve only done twice on the big stage in 11 attempts vs. the Boston Celtics all-time, none with Bryant though.
The Lakers' matchups against the Celtics favor them especially with the addition of Ron Artest, who wasn’t on the team in ’08. Everyone knows that Kobe will show up and do what he does best, but he isn’t the main focus for Boston to worry about. The Lakers big men are: Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum, Lamar Odom, and Ron Artest.
Gasol has something to prove as he was abused by the Celtics big men (Leon Powe, P.J. Brown, Kendrick Perkins, and Kevin Garnett) last time in the finals. When Gasol and Bryant are rolling, it’s pretty hard to stop the Lakers.
Andrew Bynum, even though young and still learning, needs to play big. He can easily dunk on and shot over all the Celtics players. If he can just provide a little bit over 10 points per game and be a defensive presence, The Lakers would benefit so much more. He may be limited with the recent draining of his knee.
Lamar Odom is key when coming off the bench because of his versatility and size, especially with the poor performance of Bynum lately. Odom can easily start, but is even more deadly when coming off the bench. If Odom can have games as he did in game 1 vs. Phoenix, then the Lakers may be on their way to a repeat.
Last but not least, is Ron Artest, who I think is better than Trevor Ariza. Artest is such an impeccable defender as Kobe would know from first hand experience. It will be his job to hold Paul Pierce and/or Ray Allen in check. The thing that many forget about Artest is that he can score. He was even looked at as a primary option besides Aaron Brooks when playing for the Houston Rockets. If Artest can do both of these, the Lakers can’t ask for anything more from him.
Only time will tell how the 12th match-up between the Lakers and Celtics for the NBA Finals will play out. The Los Angeles Lakers are looking for their 16th Championship and fear no one that stands in their way. They still are the defending champions and pay back is a ….. Ya, you know the rest. There is no rivalry in the NBA better than these two and what better stage to play on than the NBA Championship.