Eastern Conference Championship promo

Only one day away from seeing the clash of two great teams. #1 vs. #2. Big 3 vs. the NBA MVP. Chi-town vs. South Beach. Heat vs. Bulls. This series will be quite interesting. Tune into TNT tomorrow at 8 p.m. to see the much anticipated matchup that has the league buzzing.

Josh Smith flushes on Noah

The Chicago Bulls may have advanced to the Eastern Conference Championship after eliminating Atlanta, but the Hawks left last night with the highlight of the evening. Joakim Noah obviously didn't read the scouting report about Smith's vertical leap.

Beating of Boston leads to Heat's excessive celebration

NBA rules state that in order for any team to win a championship, they must win 16 games. The Miami Heat have only won eight, which would put them half way there. With that being said, the celebrations that took place last night after defeating the Boston Celtics in five games seemed pre-mature for a team that hasn’t even made it to the NBA Finals yet. As Lebron James mentioned during his post-game interview last night, “The Celtics set the blueprint. I couldn’t beat them by myself in Cleveland. They are the reason we [James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh] got together.” This wasn’t Lebron’s sole defense to explain his actions of screaming like he conquered the Persian army and overzealous hugging of teammates on the court after the Game 5 win, but is there really any justification to explain his and other's actions?
Any individual that has followed the game of basketball in the NBA in the past five years would agree of the significance of the last night’s game as Wade and James finally accomplished defeating a team that sent them packing home early numerous times in the playoffs. The only thing is it was only the Conference Semifinals, not the Finals. The Heat still have two more rounds to play if they would like stand on a platform and take the official title of “NBA Champions.” When and if they do this, then those celebrations would be called for.
As the Heat finally jumped the hurdle and beat the No. 3 seeded Celtics, there are a multitude of concerns for arguably America's most hated team as they enter the Eastern Conference Championship. The biggest of these issues is which Big 3 is going to show up. Will it be the struggling regular season trio that failed to close out games and share the ball or will it be the explosive and exciting triad that has cruised their way to the Eastern Conference and showed team chemistry as if they’ve been playing for several years together? It will be interesting to see which group shows up because the Heat can only rely on their bench so much.
This brings me to my next point which is the Heat’s bench production. To say that the Heat have no type of supporting cast shows complete ignorance. Their role players currently just have not shown up on a consistent basis. Remind you it’s also unfair to criticize any member outside of Big 3 on the Heat because they aren’t making shots. Wade, Bosh and James all have had their share of struggles during the regular season(alot if I may add), so what makes anyone think that anyone other than them can’t struggle. Mario Chalmers and Mike Bibby both are good offensive point guards who are just having trouble with knocking down their shots. This could also come from them being out of rhythm and being unsure of when to shoot or pass. In addition to shooters, you can’t ask for a better one than James Jones. His primary job is to shoot jump shots and can provide a spark for the team if he plays similar to how he played in Game 1 against Boston by scoring 25 points.
The last question that is posed to this organization is who takes the last shot; who is the top sheriff in town? Though Lebron scored the final 10 points last night during the fourth-quarter run away against Boston, it is obvious who played better throughout the whole game: Wade. Wade easily slashed apart the Celtics defense throughout the game, but it was King James who held the rock in the final minutes. It looks as if Lebron is going to get his regardless and fails to acknowledge who’s county[Wade County] it is. I have no problem with the shots he took last night as he was in the zone, but the shot selection in closing seconds still seems to be a controversy. Just keep an eye out for it next round as superstar duo of James and Wade may bump heads especially if they’re both not playing well. Who will shot the ball then? Bosh?
At the end of the day, the Heat still have two rounds left to play and this championship won’t be given to them just because they beat Boston. Their win over the Celtics was important, but not more important than getting to the Finals. The joy that was shown may have been a little out of line, so I pose this question to my readers: What if the Dallas Mavericks celebrated like this after sweeping the Los Angeles Lakers? Would it be okay, or this not a good analogy? The Lakers were the defending champions and voted most likely to win the championship this year…Hmmmmmm. I think Dirk Nowitzki should of dougied and cat daddied (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWZwLCKyR1Q) in center court on the Mavericks’ logo during the Game 4 win.

Poster of the Day

This guy had no business trying to contest this. WHY??? LOL

Youth impedes top seed

No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, youngest player ever to win MVP, NBA Coach of the Year (rookie head coach at that), Co-Executive of the Year and you ask what the Chicago Bulls franchise is hindered by: Youth and Experience.
As good as MVP Derrick Rose is, he is not dominating enough to put this team solely on his back and lead the franchise to their 1st championship in the post-MJ era. In order for the Bulls to have any chance to win the championship this year, the team must be able to function without Rose on the court and the team hasn’t consistently learned how to do this yet. Though the young bull may remind some fans of Jordan as he quickly dissects defenses in the matter of seconds, Rose, surprisingly still has a lot of wrinkles to iron out; remember he’s only 22 and the league has yet to see the young star reach his full potential. Though he’s gained much more confidence in his jumper, it is evident that he still doesn’t have enough arc in his shot hence why many of his misses are short. Don’t get me wrong, Rose is an amazing all-star athlete and arguably the best point guard in the league, but I think even he himself would agree that he can polish his game up more. 2011 won’t be the only year that we see Rose hold up the MVP trophy.
The Bulls may have history on their side with 83 percent of Game 5 winners advancing to the next round, but the Eastern Conference Championship may be a nightmare for them if they move forward. People fail to forget that the Indiana Pacers gave Chicago a run for their money in the first round with each of the first four games was determined in the final minutes. Though the Bulls won the series 4-1 which is what ultimately matters, the inexperience of the No. 1 seed was highly exposed. That is exactly what the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat will do if the Bulls advance.
In order for the Bulls to have long-term success in this postseason they need the team, not just Rose to contribute. The first player that Rose could benefit the most from is summer acquisition Carlos Boozer. Due to a fractured right hand earlier in the year and a recent turf toe injury, Boozer has had difficulties getting into a groove. If Boozer shows the slightest of signs of how he played in Utah, the Bulls could actually have a chance in the next round. Boozer has come to life these past two games in the conference semifinals against the Atlanta Hawks, but will need to do this nightly rather than once in a blue moon. With Boozer dominating in the paint, it would let a big load off of D-Rose’s back and even open shooters up like Kyle Korver and Keith Bogans.
Next up in the starting lineup is Luol Deng. Though he may not be the most aggressive player, there really isn’t anything Deng can’t do. He can defend, shoot, rebound and pass; he knows how to play the game of basketball. This is exactly what Rose needs. Deng won’t always be able to play the sidekick role as he scored 23 points in the Game 5 win over the Hawks, but he can produce a solid 15 a game while contributing on the defensive end.
The list can go on about what roles each Bulls’ player needs to fulfill, but it is apparent that the team is equipped with stars and talent to succeed. There is a reason the team is the No. 1 seed in the East regardless of what people want to think about the competition in the Eastern Conference. Though the team is fairly young and lacks in experience, they make it up with their tenacious defense and hustle. This playoff run for the team will be a learning experience and if this team is able to stay together, their scouting report will be scary in years to come. Rose isn’t the only young player on this team that has yet to maximize his talent.

2010 AFC Dissapointment

Looking back at the unpredictable 2010 NFL regular season, there are couple shocks that amaze my eye when glancing at the AFC final standings throughout each division.
The Jacksonville Jaguars could make a claim for biggest AFC disappointment as they blew an opportunity to win the AFC South division and knock Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts out the playoffs. The Cincinnati Bengals also come into the picture as they went from division winners last year (undefeated in the division last year) to being ousted out of playoff contention from the beginning of the season (2-4 division record this year). The Tennessee Titans join the ballot as well with a less than spectacular year for Chris Johnson to the drama in acquiring Randy Moss. In conclusion, the winner for biggest AFC disappointment (Drum roll please…): The San Diego “Super” Chargers!
After having a sensational 2009 season with a 13-3 record and 1st round bye, they follow up 2010 with a 9-7 record joining the all other teams that view the postseason from the couch. Their record is no indicator of how much talent their team posses or how good they are. Instead, it indicates their inconsistency throughout the whole season!
Despite the holdout by Vincent Jackson, the team had an average year record wise, but ironically led all opponents in statistics. A team that was ranked in the league’s top 3 in total offense and defense barely finishes over .500 and fails to make the postseason. Riddle me that? They can only blame themselves as they dug a deep ditch for themselves to climb out of starting the season at 2-5. Winning the AFC West for four consecutive years and making the playoffs every year since 2005, makes a team a little complacent. The AFC West is already looked at as one of the weaker NFL divisions, but that doesn’t mean the Bolts should play like it is.
Even with the rocky start, the Chargers still were in playoff contention, but canceled all hope after losing 34-20 to a decaying Bengals team in Week 16. Becoming content leads to this, you have to stay hungry at all times.
With Phillip Rivers under center as general, the Bolts future is bright. This type of adversity strengthens a team’s character. The Chargers will learn from their mistakes as many teams have in the past. Even though the Kansas City Chiefs were effortlessly eliminated out the playoffs by the Baltimore Ravens, they’ll be striving again next season to wear the AFC West crown. San Diego just has to accept the challenge and play similar to the 2009 season when they were ruthless against opponents ending the season on a 12 game winning streak.

Dim and Dismal Future

Disheartening. Embarrassing. Pitiful.
Honestly are there any words to describe the 55-point dismantling loss that the Cleveland Cavaliers took from the defending world champion Los Angeles Lakers? The game was humiliating to watch from start to finish. The Cavs were already on a decline as they suffered their 11th loss to the Lakers, but a 112-57 loss questions a team’s pride and work ethic. Regardless of what the Cavs do after this point, this game should never sit quietly in their stomachs.
This unfathomable loss dips deeper than on the hard wood floor. It goes from Coach Byron Scott all the way to owner Dan Gilbert. Scott couldn’t have worded it better at halftime as he described his team’s effort as “flat out scared”. The Lakers played against the Cavs as if they were children. It looked like one of those games when a coach knew the other team was so bad that they would use them as a guinea pig and run new plays. A man against boys is an understatement when comparing both teams.
Additionally, correct me if I’m wrong, is this the same team that Gilbert expected Lebron James to come back to and win a championship? Granted that Anderson Varejao and Daniel Gibson were hurt, but how much of a difference would they really have made? “C’mon man!” as NFL analyst Chris Carter would say. It may be just one game, but this just shows what James was working with while in Cleveland. Lebron was the center of their cookie; he was their nucleus and, without him, the Cavs can do nothing more than crumble when pitted against far greater opponents.
The only good thing that can come about from this dispatching loss is an epiphany from the players and organization. Hopefully, the Cavaliers can use this as fuel to fire up their engine in actually being a contender in the Eastern conference. Teams have done it before and have made drastic improvements after the All-Star break. This could be pushing it, but never say never.
Cleveland has already faced rock bottom (literally from the departing of their Chosen One to this crushing blowout). Can it get any worse than this? Remind you that Gilbert did promise this city would win a championship before James did. However, a blind man could tell Dan that they’re heading in the opposite direction and, from the looks of Lebron’s twitter, it seems as if the King agrees:
“Crazy. Karma is a b****.. Gets you every time. Its not good to wish bad on anybody. God sees everything!”

Marshawn Lynch: Beast

Just in case you missed Marshawn Lynch run over the New Orleans Saints as if they were a pee wee team, here it is. Enjoy!

Any Given Sunday

There’s no surprise that the laughingstock team of the playoffs pulled off a miraculous win over the defending Superbowl champions. It doesn’t matter that the Seattle Seahawks come from arguably the least competitive league in the NFC if not the NFL. Nor does it matter that the NFC West division champs still managed to make the playoffs despite having a sad 7-9 record and that most NFL fans hardly know any of the starters on their team. The playoffs are a new ball game and no team has any advantage or disadvantage besides home-field.
As former NY Jets coach, Herman Edwards said, “You play the game to WIN.” That’s why the Seahawks are preparing for the Chicago Bears and the New Orleans Saints are joining me as we watch the remainder of the post season from the couch.
Seahawks quarterback, Matt Hasslebeck, may be old and washed up to some, but his senior leadership proved to be the catalyst to the win against the Saints. After just being cleared to play two days ago from a hip injury, Hasslebeck aired out four touchdowns as he torched New Orleans secondary.
The Seahawks win over the Saints was the first in the playoffs for a team with a losing record. It was a tremendous effort put on by an underdog team which is the perfect display of the “Any Given Sunday” quote. Maybe even more impressive or just as was Marshawn Lynch’s run which clinched the game up for the classic David vs. Goliath matchup. It was pathetic to watch the lack of technique and pride that the Saints displayed on this play. Lynch willed himself past every defender as if his life depended on it as the Saints nonchalantly made an effort to wrap him up. Even after the Lynch broke several tackles, Tracy Porter (the guy who got stiff armed like a child) had another change to go after him, but gave up. This play summed up the defensive effort by the whole Saints team.
Either the Saints defense didn’t eat their Wheaties that evening or just underestimated their opponent. Whichever it was, the defensive coordinator didn’t predict this outcome. When you underestimate your opponent, this is what can happen. Playoffs is where amazing can happen. No one cares that the Saints are the previous champions; it’s just a respect that is given from last year. Key word being last year.
You can’t ask too much from Drew Brees who threw over 60 passes and 400 passing yards along with two touchdowns. The offense looked pretty good despite the absence of a ground attack due to injuries. The offense put up 36 points, can you really ask for more? This is part of the game though; you can’t expect to win every game by relying on one side of the ball. You have to play both O and D. Offense wins games; defense wins champions as a wise man once said.