No Breaks Allowed, Part Three

It’s time for another N.B.A. edition, better known as No Breaks Allowed. The playoffs are dominating my life at the moment, and with only a few more weeks to go in the season, I’m already a bit nervous for the huge hole that will be left in my life after the Finals are over. Rehab is for pussies, so to keep up with my addiction for the NBA, I’ll keep on blogging throughout the summer, anticipating the new season. Hold on, I’m getting way ahead of myself here, because what is really on my mind? Read on, reader.

-Finally! Ray Allen had a good game, which had to happen at one point. The result? The Celtics lost. Luckily for Boston, the Pistons have some troubles of their own too, with Billups struggling. Is his hammy still bothering him? Pistons and Ham, makes me wonder: what is Darvin Ham doing these days? He couldn’t do much, but if he actually did get some burn, we all could enjoy a ham sandwich every once in a while. That guy could dunk.

-Finally! The Celtics won one on the road, which had to happen at one point. The result? The Celtics are now leading 2-1. Expect a statement game by the Pistons on Monday night, if they fail, their season is virtually over.

-I’ve watched all three games between the Lakers and the Spurs, and it’s an interesting series so far. To sum it up: close game, blowout, blowout. After Game 1 I expected the Spurs to have their revenge and win Game 2 in LA. The Lakers however dominated the whole game, with Odom and Fisher doing a lot of damage, Gasol being everywhere, and Kobe being Kobe. Game 3 was the same thing, but now with Spurs doing all the dominating. Some people call Tim Duncan the robot (SLAM), because he’s not showing his emotion, yet doing everything so well it seems like he’s programmed to do it. Optimus Duncan had 22 points and 21 boards, and yes, even showing some passion out there. And since we’re talking about passion, Manu Ginobili had the hearts of the Spurs crowd pumping in the second quarter. He played perfectly, hitting back-to-back 3’s, driving to the basket at will, getting and-ones and whatnot. He had an amazing game, but this was only one game. The Spurs need this again Tuesday night. I’m anxious to see how the Lakers will respond in Game 4.

-The Bulls need to pick hometown hero Derrick Rose. Yeah I know they need a guy like Beasley more, but John Paxson has some players he can deal to get a big man anyway. Hopefully this Rose will be a better fit with the Bulls than the last one (Jalen).

-Speaking of the Bulls: Joakim Noah was arrested the other night. He had a drink in his hand, and since you’re not allowed to drink ‘out in the open’, the cops took him away. And what did they find in his pocket? A cannabis cigarette. Why do I care? Because Noah really seems to be a likeable player. Reading his rookie diary in SLAM Magazine, watching him play, I think he’s a good kid. And the locker room stuff earlier this season might’ve been blown out of proportion. He’s an emotional young guy who still has to learn a lot of stuff, so give him some leeway. But then this shit happens, which does a lot of damage to a young man’s credibility. He must stay out of trouble, because it would be sad to see a player like him tarnished because of this incident, labelled as a headcase which could give him a lot of problems in the near future.

-Did anybody sign Paul Silas yet?

-I have the utmost respect for Charles Barkley. His talk with Ernie Johnson about his gambling problems on TNT last week was as honest as you can be, and how he responded to it was the only right way to deal with this aspect of his life. That’s why I love Inside the NBA: it’s real, the opinions of the guys, the jokes, the criticism, the love, the “Ginobiliiiiiiii!!!!!” I wish TNT also had the NBA Finals.

The Four Top Teams

Now there are only four teams left, two of them will advance to the NBA Finals, but which two? Your pick is as good as mine, because there isn’t a clear-cut winner. San Antonio, LA and Detroit won eight championships in the last nine years, and Boston finally has a chance of winning their first title since ’86. I understand I’m not telling anything new here, so let’s take a close look at these teams, and especially the positional match-ups.

Boston Celtics vs. Detroit Pistons

Point guard: Billups vs. Rondo. Rondo is fast, athletic, got some nice tricks in his bag, but Billups has been the leader of the Pistons for quite a while now. He’s seen it all, and is basically responsible for every game-clinching shot in the last five years for Detroit. Advantage: Pistons.

Shooting guard: Allen vs. Hamilton. Both great shooters, but one huge difference: Rip averages over 21 ppg in the playoffs, while Ray struggles to score even 13 (on 38%). Allen will have a huge problem defending Hamilton too, because we all know that the masked man keeps running and running until he’s open to receive the pass and taking the shot. As a basketball fan you have to love Ray’s J, but he’s not the best defender out there. And if he’s not scoring, you’ve got a problem. Advantage: Pistons.

Small forward: Pierce vs. Prince. Now this will be a very interesting match-up, because they’re both good at their position, yet extremely different from one another. Prince is a great defender, but nowhere near the scorer that Pierce is. And with Pierce it’s the other way around. Coming off the best game of his life, the Celtics need his points desperately, especially if Ray Allen’s shooting woes continue. Pierce also had some rough games against the Cavs, but he can’t have any letdowns against the Pistons. Tough choice, but here we go. Advantage: Celtics.

Power forward / center: Garnett vs. Wallace: I know, Sheed plays center for the Pistons, and KG is the power forward for Boston, but I think these two will face each other throughout the series. Sheed can shoot 3’s, which is something KG won’t do, but otherwise these two big men have a great range, especially for someone at their position. They match up pretty well, but KG’s 20-25 points are needed, where Wallace will focus only on defense, and let his teammates create scoring opportunities. Advantage: Celtics.

Center / power forward: Perkins vs. McDyess. Assuming McDyess will start, he’s a guy who can play on both sides. Perk is a limited player, but still effective on the defensive end, and makes a bucket or two on an offensive rebound. Advantage: Pistons.

Bench: Detroit’s bench is great. They played a lot during the end of the regular season, which shows Flip Saunders and his starting five that they can relax while being on the bench. Rodney Stuckey did a great job against Orlando filling in for an injured Billups, and with Jason Maxiell you can always count on a couple of rebounds, blocks, and some posterizing jams. The Celtics have proven veterans on their bench in Posey, Brown, Cassell and House. And let’s not forget about the surprising youngster Leon Powe, the do-everything forward who could be a starter on some teams in this League. Advantage: Celtics.

Coaching: Doc Rivers vs. Flip Saunders. Some might say I should go with Flip Saunders, simply because he has more playoff coaching experience than Rivers. I like Flip, but the Pistons are also a team which can implode at any given time (see last years against Cavs). Therefore I think experience might be a bit overrated when it comes to these two coaches, therefore I’ll be a wuss and say: Advantage: none.

What I’d say: I think Detroit will win this, although the Celtics are better matched to the Pistons when it comes to playing style than they were against the Hawks of Cavs. This will be another grind-it-out, low-scoring and hardnosed defense kind of series. But the thing is: the Celtics needed 14 games to beat Atlanta and Cleveland, and haven’t won a single game on the road. It makes you wonder how they will fare in The Palace of Auburn Hills. Luckily for the Celtics they start out in Boston, and Ray Allen can’t keep on shooting like he’s Ray Charles. If he ever finds his shot back, the time is now. Result? Pistons in seven. Unless Boston really shows why they won 66 games, I doubt they can beat Detroit. This would be very disappointing, because when you saw Boston during the regular season, they looked damn-near unbeatable. And who doesn’t want to see a Lakers-Celtics finale? But we might have to settle for a 2004 Finals rematch.

Los Angeles Lakers vs. San Antonio Spurs

Point guard: Fisher vs. Parker. Derek Fisher might be more important to the Lakers than you might think. It was important to have him on the court against Deron Williams in the second round, because of his shots, leadership and also playmaking ability. Fisher always stays cool, and it will be interesting to see if the can somehow contain Tony Parker a little bit. The thing with both of these point guards is that they shoot a high percentage from the floor. Fisher won’t score 25 a game like Parker, but you can’t gamble and leave him open. Defensively, Parker won’t do much for you, but he’s so dangerous with the ball in his hands. Advantage: Spurs.

Shooting guard: Bryant vs. Ginobili. It would make more sense to talk about Bryant-Bowen, but for the sake of argument let’s keep it like this. Manu is a star in his own right, but a bit streakier than Kobe. Ginobili might not be a great one-on-one defender, but he is a damn smart one, because he’s one of the greatest actors in the game. Offensively, there isn’t much he can’t do. If his 3’s are falling too, it will be a long night for the Lakers. Then again, LA has the MVP of the League, an all-defensive first team selection, dangerous on both ends of the floor. And that’s an understatement. Kobe Bryant is hands down the best player in the NBA right now, and had a couple of days to relax his aching body after beating the Jazz in six. Will he get the Lakers back to the Finals? Advantage: Lakers.

Small forward: Radmanovic vs. Bowen. Well, they both can shoot 3’s. And one of them will be chasing Kobe Bryant all day and night, so it’s tough to say who will have the “advantage”, so to speak. When the Radman gets hot, he’s a valuable asset for the Lakers, but the dude is also know for some boneheaded plays. We could call him Vladimir Gump, because you never know what you’re gonna get. Phil Jackson did reward him with a starting role, and I must admit that Radmanovic is a bit more consistent than he used to be, so that’s a good thing. But as far as an impact on the game goes, Bowen is more dangerous. Why? Because he has the knack to make you, the Lakers and the city of Los Angeles hate him. And he embraces that role. Advantage: Spurs.

Power forward: Odom vs. Duncan. The thing I’ve noticed with Lamar Odom is that you have to get him going early on. When he gets a couple of easy buckets in the first few minutes of the game, he stays focused. He’s a tremendously talented player, but sometimes you just don’t see him out there. I’m interested who will get the defensive assignment on Tim Duncan. People can and will tell you how boring he is, be he is so fundamentally sound, he won four rings, and his team is competing for the championship every year, so my bet is that a lot of players want to be boring like good ol’ Timmy. He’s still one of the best, if not the best power forward out there. Advantage: Spurs.

Center: Gasol vs. Oberto. This also could’ve been Gasol vs. Thomas, but who cares? Oberto is very active on the court, does a little bit of everything and is a pretty good passer. Kurt Thomas was acquired in a trade late February, the first thing I thought: “One of the smartest trades this season”. If you saw Game 7 against the Hornets you know why. He had 6 rebounds in only 7 minutes. Sure, doesn’t seem much, does it? But 5 of them were offensive. That’s why you have a Kurt Thomas on your team. Pau will have some trouble playing against them, but what I like about Pau since he’s been on the Lakers, is that he always seems to be in the right place to get the easy basket. He’s very skilled offensively, so you definitely need to put a body on him at all times. Advantage: Lakers.

Bench: Let’s say Thomas comes off the bench for the Spurs, putting him in the game with (Next-Gen Bowen?) Ime Udoka and you’ve got the defensive end covered. And let’s not forget that Udoka is a legitimate threat from the 3-point arc. When Parker goes to the bench, Manu is the point guard with either Finley or Udoka playing alongside him, so with that eight-man rotation you can come a long way. The Lakers bench goes to four, with Vujacic, Farmar, Turiaf and Walton. Cool Hand Luke often replaces Radmanovic, which brings them another playmaker. Walton is not a guy who will give you great stats, but (warning: cliché ahead) he brings all the little things to the game that you can’t measure. A great passer and he can shoot a little. Jordan Farmar had some difficulties against Deron Williams in the second round, and it won’t get any easier for him against Parker or Ginobili. Ronny Turiaf is great. Very enthusiastic, whether he’s in the game or not. And if he is on the floor, he’ll dive after every ball, jumps for every board, and dunks as hard as he can if he gets the chance (on a final note: Trevor Ariza might be back too). But in this case, you have to go with experience and defense. Advantage: Spurs.

Coaching: Phil Jackson vs. Gregg Popovich. If Phil Jackson is one of the best coaches ever, Pop is right up there. Sure, Jackson has won more titles, but Popovich has some experience himself too, right? I’ll choose the easy way out. Advantage: none.

What I’d say: The Spurs sometimes looked lost against the Hornets, but showed who the reigning champs in Game 7 were. They play good D, and have the ability to score with Parker and Manu running out there, and Duncan manning the block. The starting five of the Lakers can all score, so that makes it hard to defend them. I can see them beating the Spurs in seven, but I’m wondering if I’m really objective in making such a statement.

If you actually finished reading this blog, it might be June already, thanks!

No Breaks Allowed, Part Two

As I explained in Part One, the No Breaks Allowed blogs are a way to let out my random basketball thoughts that I need to share with somebody. Anybody. I should get a dog. Then again, that itself would be a problem, because I strongly dislike dogs. I could go on and talk about dogs for a while, but these aren’t the dog days of the season, we’re in the middle of the playoffs, and a lot of stuff is happening on and off the court. So let’s do this.

-Game 4 between the Spurs-Hornets was memorable. Why? Robert Horry tied one of the greatest players of all time (Kareem) in playoff games played. 237 postseason games, going from Houston to LA to San Antonio. And winning seven championships along the way. He never missed the playoffs throughout his career, which is amazing in itself. Now that’s what you call a great career. 237 playoff games. Wow. That’s almost 3 full seasons of playoff basketball, if that makes sense. And on Tuesday night, Horry will have the new record. Interesting note from Game 4 was that the crowd gave a huge ovation when Big Shot Rob came in; they all love him over there. He immediately got the ball, shot, and it went in. Big Shot indeed.

-If there was a possibility to have a 2-on-2 competition with international NBA players, Turkey-The Netherlands would be embarrassing to watch. Turkoglu-Okur vs. Elson-Gadzuric. Go figure (a friend of mine spoke with Elson weeks before he was traded to Seattle, and all that guy wants to do is get some playing time. It’s not about the money or on which team he plays, he just wants to get some minutes). A lot of Turkish people live in The Netherlands, and I wonder if they even know Hedo and Memo.

-Kobe is the MVP and rightfully so. Not because he was due, but simply because he was the best out there this season. After receiving it he played very well in the Game 2. But I just saw Game 4 and I there was a version of Kobe playing I’m not used to seeing anymore. Forcing it too much, forgetting about his teammates, making wrong decisions late in the game, etc. He definitely made an offensive foul on Kirilenko in OT, yet they called it on AK-47. They men in grey made some very odd calls on both ends of the floor.

-Parker vs. Paul is the most entertaining and spectacular match-up of the playoffs. Lightning speed and impossible layup after impossible layup. A joy to watch.

-Is Boston playing really good defense, is LeBron in a slump, or is Mike Brown simply not a good coach? James is shooting 22% during those first three games, and we have to some credit to the Celtics’ D. However, the 1-on-5 approach usually doesn’t really work well in basketball, but it seems that it’s the only play Brown is running. My opinion on the Cavs is that they have two problems: the team just isn’t good enough to win a championship, and although they went to the Finals with Mike Brown, they will never win that trophy with him.

-Speaking of kings, Peja is playing like he did in Sacramento. He must show more against the Spurs, because he wasn’t a factor in Game 4. But there were times I thought he really would be hampered by injuries for the rest of his career. Nice to see he can still compete at a high level.

-Stop spreading the news. He’s leaving today. He wants to be a part of it: New York, New York. How about Mike D’Antoni? Who expected that? I thought Mark Jackson would be the next coach in NY, with D’Antoni either staying in Phoenix, or heading off to join Kanye, Common and the rest of the Chi. A huge mistake by Reinsdorf and Paxson for letting the Knicks get him.

-David West is only a 6’8 power forward and almost every big man has trouble defending him. If you haven’t seen him play, you wouldn’t believe it. Is there any spot on the floor other than the 3-point line he can’t score from? He will be a star for a long time in this League. It’s nice to be on the Hornets right now. It’s a franchise which can be successful for many years to come with Paul, West, Chandler, Peja, while being coached by Byron Scott.

-There are some readers of this blog who will agree with me on the following: get Paul Silas a coaching job! I know I say it every few blogs or so, but I’m going to keep doing it until a GM wakes up and decides we, the people, are right. Since MJ himself decided to choose Larry Brown over Paul Silas (who openly said he wanted the Charlotte job), rumors are he’s now in the running for the Suns coaching vacancy. I also read names of former Suns players (Eddie Johnson, Vinny Del Negro, amongst others), but to me it would make more sense to have an imposing guy like Silas. You have to deal with the enormous ego of Shaq, and star players like Stoudemire and Nash. Silas, a once ferocious rebounding mad man in his playing days, would be the perfect guy for the job. I hope Kerr thinks the same way.

-One final note: The Warriors are lowballing Baron Davis? They must understand that if he walks, this is the end of a very short era. They finally had some success the last two to three years, and now this? The rest of the West is only getting better, and if they don’t sign Baron to a new contract, it means to me the Warriors organization isn’t committed to winning after all. If they are willing to overpay Don Nelson (yeah I said it), they should at least reach out to their franchise player. After letting Richardson walk (which proved to be a very dumb move), they can’t let Davis go too. I’m watching this very, very closely.

Summertime

Now that the Hawks have been in humiliated by the Celtics in Game 7 which led to the end of two weird weeks for Atlanta, from the sixteen teams which started the playoffs, only eight are remaining. I wrote a first-round preview, but couldn’t do that for the second round. Why? Because the second round already started on Saturday night, while the Celtics still had to get rid off those pesky Hawks. So instead of writing a preview, let’s take quick look to those eight teams who are gone, but not forgotten.

East

Atlanta Hawks: They are so inconsistent. Gave the Celtics all they could handle, so that must mean this team is capable of way more than they have shown so far. If young guys start to use their heads slightly more than rely on their athleticism, they will be in the playoffs again next year, and might even win a round. I’m really impressed by Al Horford, and one of the keys to a better season than they had now is Mike Bibby. Because although the Joshes, Marvin and whoever need to think a little bit more, Bibby and backcourt partner Joe Johnson have to lead them in the right direction.

Philadelphia 76’ers: Gave the Pistons some trouble, even when Iggy wasn’t playing well. Dr. Dre Miller is the perfect leader for this team, and still a very, very good point guard. Thaddeus might be Young, and so is Louis Williams but in a couple of years these two might be the stars of the Sixers. Dalembert might be overpaid, but had a good season for them (he and Evans on the boards are a nice combo to have), which leaves us to Iguodala. I have a feeling that this is his Gillette moment. The best a man can get. He’s good, but can he get better, or has he reached the ceiling? The Sixers are a team without true starts, until Iguodala becomes one.

Toronto Raptors: It didn’t surprise me that the Magic won. The Raptors haven’t been playing well for months. The trade rumors are already starting, mentioning New Jersey Net Richard Jefferson going there to provide some help. I think talent isn’t the issue with the Raptors, but as I said many times before, it’s mentality. Maybe Sam Mitchell’s coaching ways aren’t working anymore, or maybe it’s just all between the players’ ears. But they have some great players, who provided some magic of their own against Orlando. They just disappeared.

Washington Wizards: When Arenas is saying that the Wizards might be a better team without him, can be considered a trade request? Last season and this one the Wizards weren’t healthy for the playoffs. I would like to see them make one more run. That’s all I can say about that. I heard some stuff a while ago that Antawn Jamison might not be there next season, but I certainly hope that isn’t the case. He and Caron Butler are just as important as a healthy Arenas. One more run to see what these guys can really do. Mason and Blatche can only get better, and the only thing the Wizards might benefit from is a quality rebounder. And for Deshawn Stevenson to shut up.

West

Denver Nuggets: This is the only team I don’t know what to say about. Rumors say that Marcus Camby will be traded. Why? Because he was the Defensive Player of the Year one season ago? Who are they trading him for? Good shotblockers are hard to find, so good luck with that. I’m happy for George Karl that he will be back next season, he seems like a good guy. But I wonder how far he can take them. If they do make a change, I hope they take a look at Paul Silas. Other than that, I have no idea what should happen in Denver, besides the fact that they should play some defense. Simple as that.

Dallas Mavericks: Mark Cuban’s got more problems than R. Kelly. What they have in common? They created those problems themselves and can’t keep it on the down low. It’s out in the open, because the trade for Jason Kidd has yet to prove to be a good one. I still believe Kidd can lead the Mavericks to another good regular season, but his quest for a championship will end on a sour note. There is no way in hell Dallas will win a championship with their current roster, and the West will even be better next season. Besides Josh Howard and Brandon Bass, who are the other players on the team who have some improvement left? Besides those two, it’s a team without a future, and part of their future is ballin’ in Jersey.

Phoenix Suns: Same problem as the Mavs, somewhat. They want to win now, but now doesn’t seem to happen, and getting older is. Now what? The window of winning titles is faster than Barbosa can sprint down the court. I believe Nash still has enough in the tank to be a top point guard, but he still can’t defend. Shaq is old, wise, but still old. He’s an asset because the star of the team, Amare Stoudemire, is playing his natural position again, and is more dangerous than ever. But let’s be honest here: there are too many teams who can beat the Suns in the playoffs right now, and they are not only named “Spurs”. Can you imagine the Suns beating the Hornets or Lakers right now? The Jazz? I’m not sure, and what’s also not sure if coach Mike D’Antoni will be back next season. I wonder how this team will respond to another coach.

Houston Rockets: Good team, good players, but a very difficult year lies ahead with teams like the Blazers on the come-up. You can always ask “what if?”, because what if Yao Ming was healthy? I think the Jazz would still have beaten them. Luis Scola should start 82 games next season, they have a decent bench and a great starting five. But will they get past the first round next year? Is it, or isn’t it T-Mac’s fault? Is Adelman the one to blame? And the most important question of this summer will be: how old is Dikembe Mutombo really anyway?

A Game on the Line: the Free Throw Line

So last night, Friday, the TV channel I which airs NBA games in my country is not good with scheduling. At least not this weekend. Their official programming listed a Lakers-Nuggets game on Friday, which is impossible since the underachieving squad from Denver is already on vacation, and Kobe is getting ready for to receive his first MVP award. As I said many times earlier, due to the time difference the games over here are in the middle of the night. Whatever time is schedules on NBA.com as Eastern Time, add six hours to it and now you know at what times I watch games. Anyway, I didn’t know which one of the three possible games they would show. Cavs-Wizards would start at 1 a.m., Celtics-Hawks at 2, and Jazz-Rockets at 3:30. Around midnight I was watching two new episodes of The Simpsons, and I think I feel asleep around 1. About an hour later I woke up hearing chants by the Atlanta (not so) faithful. DE-FENSE! DE-FENSE! I checked out at what my finest moment was in ’07 (buying a wonderful LCD screen. I know, I lead a boring life), and there it was: Hawks-Celtics, and I only missed the first two minutes. I’d like to thank the largest crowd ever assembled in the Philips Arena for waking me up, because I wouldn’t have wanted to miss this one.

The Celtics however, did miss this one. Now they have to go on play Game 7 on Sunday, with little chance to rest before they meet LeBron and the rest of the Cavs. Where did it go wrong in this series? Everybody expected this to be over with in 4 or 5. Maybe not everybody (‘Nique, I’m looking at you), but a lot of us fans did. Yet the Hawks are looking like a desperate and overachieving team, who, at least in Game 6, wanted it more than the Celtics. Al Horford is playing so well, the two Joshes, capable of doing so much good, but also so much wrong at the same time, are shining like never before. Joe Johnson is doing what he’s supposed to do in Atlanta: be the leader and star of the team. He sets the tone, and the young guys react on him like a lot of noses during the hay fever season: they are running. And that’s not all: they play like they’re not afraid, and why should they? The Hawks haven’t done shit the last couple of years, and haven’t been in the playoffs since ’99.

Much can be said about Atlanta’s performance last night, but you can’t deny that the Celtics couldn’t hit a shot, at least not from the 3-point range: 4 out of 19 from the arc, with Ray Allen hitting only 1 of 8. The big difference in not only this game, but the whole series is the Hawks’ ability in going to the free throw line. Atlanta went to the charity stripe a blistering 47 times (36 makes), with Boston only getting 25 (hitting 20). Boston also had 10 more fouls than Atlanta, because those young guns keep on driving to the rim. Every Hawks starter had at least 6 free throw attempts. With Boston it was only KG and Powe. The Celtics need to find a way to let them hit outside shots. Bibby is still not hitting much, so the only legitimate outside threat is Joe Johnson.

Game 7 could be a total snooze fest if the Celtics come out and play, and there is no doubt in my mind that this won’t happen. The Celtics won Game 1, 2 and 5 (all at home obviously) with an average of 22.3 points, so with the final game of the season for one of these teams being played in Boston, who do you think would win? Who am I rooting for? Come on now, I need an epic 7-game Lakers-Celtics Finals, what did you expect?

No Breaks Allowed, Part One

Normally, I try to think of one topic, and write about that, but sometimes it’s nice to let it all out. So many things came to mind during this first week of playoff games, I need to talk about it. I can’t comprehend it into one fine post, no, so that why I called this Part One. Until June, there will be more blogs like this, because these are the most exciting times for a basketball fan. Unless you’re a Suns fan. Damn. Anyway, let’s get it on like Marvin:

-One week ago I think Lakers fans got to see they shouldn’t worry too much about Bynum coming back. Pau Gasol had one hell of a game. In fact, that whole Lakers team is playing so well together, sharing the ball so well it must make Tex Winter proud. I like how Bynum has improved this season, but it’s like what Kareem Abdul-Jabbar said in his blog: they should be cautious. I can imagine it’s frustrating to watch your own team play like that and not be part of the success they have been enjoying so far, but I hope Mountain Drew also understands he needs to think long-term. His career lying ahead of him is more important than the next couple of weeks. You don’t want to jeopardize a 15-year career for a couple of playoff games, do you? One final thing about the Lakers: when did Kobe decide that dressing like Craig Sager is cool?

-Talking about Sager, the guys at Inside the NBA are once again doing a marvellous job. It’s hilarious, but interesting at the same time. Kenny impersonating Kobe in a remake of Bryant’s commercial where he jumps “over” a car, was so funny. What Kenny didn’t know was that the Inside-crew didn’t want to let him jump over it, but the car ran over him. That why it was even more funny, because The Jet saw that for the first time while being on air. Barkley must be glad it finally wasn’t him being the bud of the joke. Great chemistry between those three is what makes this show work so well. The insightfulness but also not taking everything too seriously is what makes me watch it as much as possible (when it’s on NBA.com. Lately, not every new episode is online, very frustrating!). David Stern, if you’re reading this (insert laughter at Mr. G. Himself here): I really hope that TNT can get its hands on the NBA Finals someday.

-I’m glad I’m not Steve Kerr. That must really suck. Facing the Spurs they only have one guard on their roster who can actually defend a bit in Raja Bell, but the Spurs have two offensive juggernauts in Manu and Parker. Pick your poison. Yeah, that’s right, 0-3.

-There’s no doubt in my mind the Magic won’t win the series against the Raptors. I only saw the most part of Game 1, but the Raptors looked so lost they should be on ABC every week. Yes, I know the Raptors won Game 3, and played pretty good in Game 4 before losing it in the fourth quarter (the game just finished as I am posting this), but it’s not enough. The team is lacking an identity, and could use some toughness. The Magic however, for all the good players that they have on their roster, do have one problem: consistent play from the point guard position. Jameer Nelson has games where he looks like he could be a very good floor leader, most notably in Games 1 and 2, which were won by the Magic. Nelson played bad in Game 3, and the Magic lost. Of course that doesn’t all have to do with him, but he has to be another thread out there for Orlando. Nelson had a good fourth quarter in Game 4, and the Magic won again. I’m seeing a pattern here.

-Message to Caron Butler: stay healthy man. I don’t know if Gilbert Arenas can log anymore minutes, and although Butler isn’t 100% himself, the Wizards need him. And some sense too.

-Message to Rasheed Wallace: play better. Much better. In fact, the rest of his teammates should do a lot better too. To Flip Saunders: how is it possible your team is getting killed by the well-overpaid center Samuel Dalembert? He scored 22 points on the Pistons? What?

-Since we’re on the topic, besides the fact that the Pistons aren’t playing well, I am impressed by the Sixers, and who isn’t? I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Mo Cheeks deserves consideration for Coach of the Year. And although Iguodala isn’t playing well, the other Andre is proving to be the MVP of the Sixers, and outplaying Chauncey Billups at the moment. Hey, who knows, the Pistons might win the next 3. But if Philly wins this round, it will be an historic upset equivalent to last year with the Warriors over the Mavs. But I’m getting ahead of myself. It won’t happen that the Pistons will lose in an embarrassing fashion two years in a row, will it?

That’s about it for today. I’m back to watching some more games, and some more words on this blog might appear sooner than later. Your thoughts of the first week would surely be appreciated, so post ‘em in the comments section. If not, that’s fine too, but tune into the games, keep checking boxscores, highlights, whatever. Because before you know it’s summer, those long months after the Finals, and then what? Go outside? Getting a tan? Go to the beach? Nah. Until that time, it’s the NBA baby. No Breaks Allowed.

First Round Preview

It’s Friday night. Some people go out with their friends. I’m a bit tired, so the only thing I’m going to do is think about the playoffs. Sure, I can act all Nellie and have a few drinks, wondering where the hell it all went wrong, but nope, I’m just sitting on my couch, knowing beforehand that my bed won’t see me all that much until mid-June. But before that, 14 teams will be on vacation, because one team in the East, and one in West will decide who will be the next NBA Champion. And to all of you fools who want to change the playoff-format: you can all suck my little Dutch windmill. It’s East vs West, it’s NBA history, do not challenge this, please. And yes, everybody writes previews, so why would I write ‘em? Because I don’t know what else I should do on a Friday night. My passion for the NBA is controlling my life, and that won’t change for the next two months.

EAST

Boston Celtics (1) vs Atlanta Hawks (8)

The Celtics against the Hawks? If somebody would’ve made that prediction one year ago, that person must have been a genius. Or just one lucky fellow. And when it comes to being lucky, I think Doc Rivers and Danny Ainge may consider themselves lucky for having the team that they have. I’m not disrespecting them, but the Celtics were awful for the last couple of years. And now? Now they are one of the few legitimate contenders of the East. And so they have to battle the Atlanta Hawks, who have made the playoffs for the first time this millennium. Sure, it’s good to be confident, you’re in the NBA, you should be confident. But I have to laugh when I read that Dominique Wilkins thinks there might be an upset. He’s the Human Highlight Film, but in this case, leave out the Human, Light and Film.

Detroit Pistons (2) vs Philadelphia 76’ers (7)

Mo Cheeks should be at least be second or third when it comes to getting votes for Coach of the Year. The organization hasn’t managed to add some quality players to the formidable backcourt, the tale of the two Andres. Is it a reach that I think Miller is the best point guard in the East right now? Yes, I am serious. And no, I’m not forgetting about Chauncey Billups, which will form an interesting match-up, other than that the Sixers are no match for the Pistons, who come into these series well-rested, and deeper than ever.

Orlando Magic (3) vs Toronto Raptors (6)

What a wonderful timing these Raptors have: they’re struggling! I hope Sam Mitchell can turn these guys around, because the Magic are not an easy opponent. Although they lack a quality point guard (and another big guy next to play next to Howard), Turk can do basically a little bit of everything on both ends of the floor, and you can always expect 20 points and a couple of 3’s by Rashard Lewis to compliment Dwight Howard, when he decides it’s Hammer Time. The Raptors have enough assets to make this a seven game series, but it wouldn’t surprise me one bit if it doesn’t last that long, and the Magic will go onto the next round.

Cleveland Cavaliers (4) vs Washington Wizards (5)

The most interesting series of the East. Third year in a row these two teams meet in the playoffs, with Cleveland winning the last two years. But something has changed. As a basketball fan, we must understand that the Cavs without LeBron wouldn’t win 25 games. The Wizards however, had to deal with injuries to their most important player(s) throughout the season. Arenas went down late November, only returning just in time to get some rhythm back, and one of the team bearers alongside Antawn Jamison, Caron Butler also missed some games. Arenas and Butler missed the first round last year and the Wizards got swept. Although Deshawn Stevenson is a moron for dissing LeBron, and the Wizards being a bit too excited to play the Cavs, I think they’ll edge them in seven. Yeah I said it. Sorry Bron.

WEST

Los Angeles Lakers (1) vs Denver Nuggets (8)

Kobe-AI, is this June 2001? Nope, first round baby, and I like this one. If Bynum would be healthy right now, the Lakers would be the frontrunners to win the Championship. But even without Mountain Drew, they are still going to beat the Nuggets. I must state that the Nuggets have been playing exceptionally well during the last couple of weeks, with even JR Smith making the right plays at the right moment. Okay, so Melo had a drink and got caught, shit happens. I’m not gonna focus on all that crap anymore, I’m just anxious to see him go up against Kool (Kobe) & The Gang.

New Orleans Hornets (2) vs Dallas Mavericks (7)

Wait, the Hornets are one of the best teams in the West? Damn right they are, with Chris Paul leading them. David West, Stojakovic, Chandler; is it enough to beat Dirk and co.? Kidd just got his 100th (!) triple-double, and seems to understand his role within the team a little bit better. Nowitzki’s leg might still be bothering him, but he still had some very good games since the injury. If the Mavs will beat the Hornets, besides Kidd and Dirk they need Jason Terry and Josh Howard to perform at a high level. The Hornets, inexperienced maybe, are capable of beating the Mavs, so it’s hard to predict this one. Every time when I think New Orleans has reached the top, they go even higher. Byron Scott elevates this team to a new level, but it would be too embarrassing for Dallas to lose again in the first round, so I think they will win in seven.

San Antonio Spurs (3) vs Phoenix Suns (6)

Is this really only the first round? Wow. And who doesn’t remember the famous Horry bump from last year? The Spurs seemed to play a bit sloppy the last few weeks, so they have to pick it up. Duncan has to either guard Shaq, or Amare Stoudemire. Oberto / Thomas will deal with the other. The other way around will also be interesting, because who can stop Parker and Ginobili? Raja Bell can only haunt one of these guys for 48 minutes, so pick your poison. With the Suns having two big men under the basket will give the Spurs some serious problems, but I think one thing will remain the same: the Spurs will beat them in seven.

Utah Jazz (4) vs Houston Rockets (5)

For me personally, the least interesting series in the West. I know the Rockets won 22 in a row, which is amazing. But for some reason I don’t believe in these guys. I have no doubt T-Mac will once again not advance to the second round. Although they have been playing very well without Yao Ming, I think the Jazz have more to win this round. The Rockets also miss Rafer Alston (hope he returns soon), and will find some difficulties in guarding Deron Williams who can score from every position, and of course Carlos Boozer. Who will they put on him? His old buddy Shane Battier? Luis Scola? I don’t this that’s enough, and I expect some huge games from Boozer.

To quote Lonnie Lynn jr.: “Now let’s start the show show”, because the search for finding forever starts Saturday night.

Another48Minutes Award Show

“It’s time for this godforsaken season to be over with” – Pat Riley.
One of the most exciting seasons is nearing its end, the awards are discussed about by everyone and their momma’s. I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately, and the one I am pondering about the most is the MVP. Two months ago, it would be either Kobe, LeBron, or maybe KG. Now it’s Kobe or Chris Paul, no doubt about it. But of course there are many more awards to hand out, and many of them are causing some serious headaches. Bring out the aspirin, because if I had to say anything about it, these guys would’ve been my picks:

Most Valuable Player: I have to vote for Kobe. I just have to. I can’t give a logical, reasonable explanation so that some of you would agree with me by picking him over Chris Paul. I am fully aware of what CP3 has done with the Hornets. If you would ask me in the beginning of the season to list the top three point guards, I would’ve ranked them as Nash, Kidd, and Paul as the third-best. Paul is now the number one in my opinion, and leaves Nash and Kidd behind him. Yes, I am a Nets fan, and no, I’m not bitter about the Kidd trade. That is not the reason why I think Paul is the best. I’m just being honest, and a huge fan of his game. However, some can say that Kobe has more talent around him, that Bynum really improved a lot this year, Derek Fisher came back to help out at the point guard position, Pau Gasol brought his 20ppg to Los Angeles, may I also remind you about the following: Kobe is playing better D than ever, Bynum improved a lot, but got injured, Pau arrived and got injured, and while all of that happened Kobe is still putting up his usual numbers. He carries the offensively when he needs to by making the important shot or making the perfect pass. He has become a far better leader than he ever was, and he won’t stop doing all that he does until the final game of the season, whenever that may be. Sure, you can say a lot of these things about Paul too, but as of right now Kobe has a slight edge over the young point guard. If Paul would win it, I won’t lose any sleep over it either. They deserve it both, but there can only be one winner.

Coach of the Year: Byron Scott. Call me nuts, because a lot of people would like to see Doc Rivers win it, but Scott absolutely gets the most out of this roster, more than anyone could. They are not a whole lot different than they were last year. Only now they are one of the top teams out West, and given the day, they are in first place. I read about him that he understands that it is a players’ League. He lets Chris Paul lead on the floor, and Paul, along with West and Chandler, all have their best seasons so far. Pardon the cliché, but the sky is the limit for this team. I disagree with Charles Barkley, who said last Thursday that the Denver Nuggets would beat New Orleans if the two would meet in the first round of the playoffs. The Hornets finally have some productivity coming off the bench, with Pargo, Wells and rookie Julian Wright all producing. And let’s not forget about Peja Stojakovic, who seems healthy with the playoffs around the corner, and his deadly 3-point shooting gives this team another asset which opponents must deal with. The Hornets play on both ends off the court, and although Scott seems always calm on the sidelines, he is the mastermind that has this team performing at a top-level. I also would like to mention Mo Cheeks and Eddie Jordan. What they are doing is unbelievable. Much respect.

Defensive Player of the Year: Marcus Camby. Yes, Camby again. What? Did I forget about Bruce Bowen? No he’s great. Shane Battier? Hey, good player too. But you can’t deny the fact that no single player is more important on the defensive end than Marcus Camby. First of all, I’m happy to see him healthy this season (knock on wood), and he probably is too, because he got a huge bonus because of that. Aside from that, he grabs 13.3 rebounds per game, blocks 3.7 shots, and grabs a steal every game. If any player was snubbed during All-Star Weekend, it was Camby. His shot-blocking presence is one of the reasons the Nuggets are contending for that playoff spot. He’s fast, still quite athletic and and makes life for Melo and AI a lot more easy.

Most Improved Player: Hedo Turkoglu of course. When a man averages a career high in about everything that is possible, when he is one of the most important players of his team, when he can do everything on the court, from D to O, shooting from every range, he must win this award. Dwight Howard wouldn’t have the season he is having if it wasn’t for Turk. Even with Rashard Lewis next to him, Turkoglu still finds ways to score, and forms a dangerous inside-out combination with Howard. He can also handle rock very well, and his team , although overlooked, is in third place in the East. Honorable mention goes out to LaMarcus Aldridge, just want to name him here.

Sixth Man: Manu Ginobili. Easiest choice. Second most important player on the Spurs, one of the most dangerous players in the League. A joy to watch and to me a superstar in this League. Few agree.

All-NBA First Team:

PG: Chris Paul
SG: Kobe Bryant
SF: LeBron James
PF: Kevin Garnett
C: Dwight Howard

I’m only naming the First Team because there are too many possibilities to name for Second and Third. The two positions you might want to debate are the 4 and the 5. Amare Stoudemire is probably offensively the most gifted big man in the NBA. The things he does around the basket are mind-blowing. And he can shoot a jumper too. But KG is a better defender, and a true leader for the Celtics. I chose Howard over Yao because to me, Dwight is more impressive, more dominating than Yao is. But it’s a toss-up between the two of them, really.

Rookie of the Year: Al Horford. Yes, Kevin Durant scores a lot. But his team sucks, there are hardly any scorers on the Sonics anyway, and his shot selection isn’t always smart, which is completely understandable. Horford will be one of the most important Hawks within two years. A career filled with double-doubles lies ahead of him.

Additional Awards:

Best nickname: The Big Cactus, Shaquille O’Neal.

Feel-good story of the season: Mmmmm…. The Blazers early streak? The Celtics in general? The Rockets historic run? Grant Hill having a good season? Or Nene returning after battling cancer? I’m going with Nene. He returned sooner than I expected, and to have something like that happen to you as a young man, is more scary than I could ever imagine. You’re young, you don’t expect this to happen to you. But it did, and he didn’t have to return this season, everybody would understood his decision if he didn’t. But he did, and who knows, the Nuggets may have plenty of season left to get him some more minutes.

Trade of the Year: Pau Gasol to the Lakers. I understood that if Bynum hadn’t got injured, the Lakers might not have done this trade. Weird to think about that one, huh? The Grizzlies absolutely got nothing in return, but hey, who cares? The Lakers are competitive again. In all honesty, if we are talking about the most important trade of the season, it’s of course the Celtics adding KG and Ray Allen.

Most Disappointing Team: Quite a long list. Bulls, Nets, Bucks, of course the Knicks (certainly most embarrassing), but no team has been more disappointing than the Heat. Sure, injuries are a bitch, but there are so many things wrong with them right now, I don’t know where to start. So I won’t. yes, I find them more disappointing than the Knicks, for the simple fact I never believed in the Knicks to win anything this season to begin with. The Heat? I already thought they would be bad, because they didn’t do anything to make the team better, and they clearly needed help. This will be a long summer for Riley to think about all that went wrong. And he has to think about himself in that category too.

Scariest Moment of the Season: Dirk! He landed so awkwardly on that leg of his, I thought he would pull a Wyclef Jean: gone ‘til November. Yet he came back quick, trying to help the Mavs avoiding an early summer vacation.

Dumbass Marketing Campaign: Adding “Los” to team names is a joke. Sure, the NBA also has a latino fanbase, but this looked so stupid. Los Spurs? Come on. Next season the Raptors will play a game as “Le Raptors”, because of the French-speaking Canadians!

Coolest Cat in the League: Baron Davis! Who else? The dude is still rocking the beard with pride, and dares to make fun of himself too. Check out his roller-skating video on Youtube if you haven’t seen it already.

Funniest Moment: The Shaq-Dive. Actually, he made two dives, both with the Suns. First, he jumped over two rows of fans, the next game, when he went after another ball, he ran towards his own teammates and the entire bench cleared because of that. Hilarious, but I can only agree with the Suns by moving out of the way.

In-Game Dunker: Every day when I check the “Top 10 Plays” on NBA.com, LeBron is always in them, and rightfully so. A joy to watch, what can I say more?

Best TV show on Earth: Inside the NBA (had to mention Ernie, Chuck and Kenny!)

That’s about it. I understand you might not agree with some of my picks, but that’s okay. I want to hear from you, let me now in the comments section who you would vote as MVP, Coolest Cat, or anything else. I can’t believe the season is almost over, time goes by fast, although you might think differently about that if you actually read this whole blog. I you did, I applaud you, and if I had any to hand out, you would win an award for that.

There Will Be Blood

Heading into April can only mean one thing: the end of the regular season is coming closer and closer. Sure, some people say it’s springtime, the sun will be shining and our lives will be filled with joy and beautiful girls in nice, short skirts and tanktops. I like women, I truly do, but in the month of April my mind is only thinking about one thing: the NBA playoffs.

And I’m not sure if I think this every year, but damn these last couple of weeks have been exciting, and the good thing is: it can only get better. In the east you are wondering who will get the final spots; the Nets and Hawks are battling to have fun against the Celtics in the first round, but they also have to deal with a pesky Pacers posse (got beat in New Jersey on Wednesday, may try again when the Nets visit on Friday) who still have dreams to make it. In the West you can’t even predict who will end up first to eighth place. Imagine being the Denver Nuggets, smelling blood especially now that Dirk Nowitzki is out for at least a couple of weeks for Dallas (they just beat the Mavs a couple of minutes ago, as I'm writing this). And will Golden State grab this opportunity to move up in the standings?

The 76’ers have been on a tear lately, climbing up in the standings, so even in the East it’s tough to predict what will happen. In the West the Hornets are playing so well, that if they do end up in first place, I’m pretty damn sure that every so-called analyst didn’t have that back in his prediction last fall. This team deserves a lot of credit, and while a lot of people are talking about Chris Paul as MVP, coach Byron Scott is a frontrunner for Coach of the Year. If the Hornets don’t take that first spot, the Lakers might, unless Kobe gets more T’s and start to miss games because of that. They don’t have Gasol (might return next week), they don’t have Bynum (who might return….?), so no Kobe at this time in the season would be disastrous. I can’t predict what will happen, except that I will check the standings daily, watching who will move up, or who will turn up on “Inside the NBA”, in the “Gone Fishin’” segment.

It’s changing on a daily basis, different teams finding themselves in different places, players with sweat on their faces, asking themselves: who is the greatest?

(forgive the lameness-factor of those last lines, but my guess is that if Kanye West would put that down as his lyrics, he would get away with it. Me? Not so much)

Shaq to the Future

“Password”
“Don’t fake the funk on a nasty dunk.”
If someone doesn’t recognize these lines I can understand that. You either forgot about it, or might not be following the NBA since the early nineties. No problem, but go to Youtube, and check the Shaquille O’Neal Reebok commercial which always will be one of my favorites. Now that’s what I call an introduction for a new player, having your own sneaker commercial where Bill Walton, Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar show up. Yeah, I remember that Larry Johnson one with Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, but let’s be honest here: that was a bit corny, and LJ, with his crappy back, wasn’t exactly what you would call one of the most dominating players of our time. But Shaq? Now he’s a guy who made you believe the hype, not Public Enemy.

I feel connected with Shaquille O’Neal. Now how can a 5-foot-11 inch fellow with arms white and thin like spaghetti, feel connected with someone who calls himself the Diesel? I know, it’s weird, but I do. It’s because we “started” at the same time. I saw my first NBA minutes on television during a Bulls-Blazers Finals game back in ’92. During that summer, I watched some of the Dream Team which immediately learned me about the greats of the game, and in that same summer the Orlando Magic drafted the next great when they got O’Neal out of LSU. So basically, when started his career I started to follow the League. And so the story continues.
In 1999 I finally had access to watch live NBA games on television, which meant I saw my first Finals games (well, first live Finals games) in June 2000. And that meant I saw Shaq win his first title, absolutely dominating throughout the whole season. He had his best statistical season and with all the talk going on since 1998 who was going to be “the next Jordan?”, the question should’ve been: “who’s the next most dominating player?”, because the answer was simple. The man was unstoppable, so it hurts me to see what’s been happening in recent years.

Look, Shaq is in his sixteenth season. He has won four titles, seen it all, dealt with everything that has been happening while being hacked by lesser opponents, acknowledging that the only way to stop him was to foul him. Hard. As a team it was important to have a couple of stiffs on the bench who could go in and make 6 fouls on him and get back to the bench for the rest of the night. But the last couple of seasons Shaq is always hampered by foul trouble. You can’t tell me that a player of his calibre, with his experience, doesn’t know how to stay in the game. It’s a game of guards and small forwards; the rules have changed, and therefore the League is screwing every big man who actually can call himself a center (not those Al Harrington types who are forced to play center). Defense isn’t a priority anymore in the NBA, and the centers who try to alter some guards shot, easily gets a foul called against him. I don’t think Pat Riley used him well either, putting him often in the wrong position on defense, asking him to step in every time when someone attacks the basket, which nowadays is almost immediately a foul for the defensive player.

Now that he’s playing for the Suns, I was hoping times would get better for Shaq. And after seeing him playing against the Spurs last Sunday, I believe he’s feeling better. Active on both ends of the floor, still being able to run, and of course one of the highlights of the season: the dive. But the Suns aren’t winning enough (however, they did win three in a row as of this writing), so the media once again is scrutinizing O’Neal, saying it’s his fault while it’s easy to understand that it probably will take ‘til the end of the regular season for everyone to adjust. Give him time to let him show you some of his old self, because all he wants to is getting another ring in the very near future. That would make it his fifth, a handful. Which makes sense in a way, because he is still a handful too.

A New Jersey for Jason Kidd

Orlando, October 2001. For years and years one of best friends and me wanted to go to the U.S. We’ve been following the NBA since we were in our early teens, playing basketball as much as we could, regardless of the weather circumstances. I remember we even played in the snow. When it was still snowing, this isn’t common anymore during the winter in this country. Man, I really miss snow. Sigh.

Anyway, we both were finished with school, got our diplomas and got a job in 2000. One year later, we finally were ready to go. And then 9/11 happened, one month before our departure. We were in our early twenties, and his parents were concerned with our travelling plans, for safety reasons and whatnot. I became a bit frustrated, because they didn’t want us to go, while I had that “screw it!” mentality. I thought the odds of it happening again, one month after the original attacks, were slim to nothing. So we went to Orlando, enjoying the weather, not doing anything, really, but still, finally achieving a childhood dream as two best friends. Corny isn’t it? Not even a huge road trip or anything, nope, we hardly did anything over there, and it was great. We went to see the Orlando Magic taking on the Houston Rockets in a preseason game, but sadly enough I can’t remember all that much from that night. I only remember seeing Grant Hill play, and not many people in Orlando had that opportunity. He already was injured for about a year, and when I saw him move on the court I remember thinking to myself: “Damn, he’s still pretty damn fast and moving fluidly, he’s back!” Too bad that it didn’t take too long before he was down again with all those freak injuries.

I also remember watching a preseason game in our apartment where Michael Jordan had his best game since coming out of retirement, scoring 41 points against my New Jersey Nets. I don’t think the good people in Washington ever were so excited for a preseason game. I just watched the highlights again, and in his most exciting shot of the evening, a young small forward named Richard Jefferson absolutely got screwed by the ref, but it sure was nice to see MJ doing his thing in that game. But it hurt to see him in a Wizards uniform. After ’98 Jordan never should’ve come back.

We went to a local sports shop, and I went straight to the NBA section. In The Netherlands, there aren’t many stores who sell anything related to the NBA, so I had to look for one special item. Because a few months before our trip, my beloved Nets traded for Jason Kidd. My new favorite player. During the reign of the Bulls, I was a Pippen fan, but since he left in 1998, and I was already following the Nets, I didn’t really have one favorite player. But with Kidd, I finally had one again. He, like Pippen, was a player who does a little bit of everything. Not quite a scorer (although he did average 18,7 ppg for the Nets in ’03), he was one hell of a rebounder for a guard, and makes a team better.

While standing in the store with my ‘new jersey’ in my hand, this lady who worked there approached me saying something in the line of “It’s been a long time since someone bought a Nets jersey”, and I probably said something lame like “Yeah, but Jason Kidd is there now, something is gonna change”. Something did change. Finals appearances in ’02 and ’03, playoffs every year, triple doubles, epic battles with the Celtics, Knicks, Pacers, and one of the best regular season games of all time, when they played a triple-overtime game against the Suns. So many memories, but in a few hours my favorite player will hopefully do a lot of good (and get that 100th triple-double) for the Dallas Mavericks. I’ll always remain a Nets fan, and I will talk about the trade itself another time, but I will also remain a Jason Kidd fan, the best Net ever since the Nets entered the NBA in 1976. All the best Jason. Thank you for all the joy you provided me as a Nets fan. And every now and then, I’ll put on that jersey when I’m out shooting some hoops. I finally have a vintage jersey, a Nets legend.

N.O. Sleep – East vs West!

Third night in a row that I’m awake. Yes, of course I did catch some z’s during the past couple of days, mostly in the morning, and I fell asleep on the couch earlier this evening. If only for an hour, but now I’m fresh like Doug E. so can’t wait for the main event: the All-Star game. It’s 2 am over here, and I’m good to go, wanting to see my favorite player Jason Kidd to star for the East one final time, seeing AI actually play for the West for the first time (he was selected as a reserve last year, but was injured so he couldn’t play), and hopefully Rasheed Wallace will find a way to have some fun. By the way, I just saw the Chris Rock All-Star promo, and it doesn’t happen often when celebrities do these kind of things, but it sounded like he actually was excited to talk about the game. I know it’s all scripted, but still.

-Coverage starts, once again Dutch commentary, I have to deal with it. What’s more difficult to deal with is the absence of Shaquille O’Neal. He’s been an All-Star for 14 straight seasons, and a comedian all his life, or so it seems.

-Man, the Rebirth Brass Band sure sounds good.

-Caron Butler and Kevin Garnett both are looking sharp, too bad they aren’t playing.

-Ray Allen is the substitute for Butler, and when he was introduced on the Conan O’Brien show last week, the Max Weinberg 7 played the awesome “NBA on NBC” theme when he was introduced by Conan. Respect Max!

-The Eastern All-Star starters seem happy. Dancing a bit, all smiles, and on the reserves I noticed that even Sheed had rhythm.

-Byron Scott is relatively still a young coach, but it’s the second time he’s coaching in the All-Star game. Now the Western squad, and in 2002 he was coaching the East when was with the Nets. He never was an All-Star in all of his 14 years as a player., but he truly deserves to be here tonight.

-The U.S. anthem was nice. Although the Marvin Gaye version in 1983 will remain the best ever. Ever. Ever-ever.

-East starting five: Kidd, Wade, Bosh, James and Howard.

-West starting five: Bryant, Iverson, Anthony, Duncan and Ming.

-Some players define a team, like you immediately associate Kobe with the Lakers, Yao with the Rockets, Dirk with the Mavs, Wade with the Heat, and young Chris Paul defines the Hornets. I hope the team will find a way to stay in N.O., and Paul will carry the Hornets for a long time.

1ST HALF:

-Wade scores the first basket on a little dunk. With a lot of steps.

-LeBron to Dwight for the alley-oop.

-Bosh dunks, 6-0 East.

-I wonder how long Kobe will play. I can imagine his pink must hurt like hell. Anyone who played basketball had some kind of injury on one or multiple fingers. I, for one, can’t stretch my right pinkie entirely. So dislocating it like Kobe can’t be fun.

-The sound isn’t too good. The Dutch commentary is too loud, or the game sound is too soft, but it’s a bit annoying.

-Holy crap, nice alley-oop from Kidd to LeBron.

-Kidd seems to be involved in every play so far, offensively and defensively. He is happy, I wonder why….

-Crap, Kidd goes to the bench, and Kobe already has his hand wrapped in ice.

-Three Pistons on the court. I wonder if Ben Wallace is watching this game on TV thinking: “What have I done?”

-I’m not sure if the crowd is really silent, or it’s because of the problem I mentioned earlier. The commentators are at a normal volume, but the rest if way off.

-Too many whistles, it kills momentum. Then again, this has been going on for the last four years in every single NBA game, so I might be wrong.

-Amare Stoudemire is a big man, but around the basket he can do what some of the best guards in the League can do, flying under the basket and scoring on the other side, like a Kobe Bryant or T-Mac.

-Whoever thought is was fun to let old people dance during breaks never talked to me about this. They, along with dancing fat people, are not what I call a form of entertainment. NBA: where shaking skeletons happen.

-I really, really like this year’s All-Star logo (as can be seen in my first All-Star blog). And I think I saw a picture of Carmelo (not sure if it really was him) with an All-Star hoodie that also looked great. It must be really fun to be an All-Star, getting this free stuff. Although I can’t imagine that a player would ever wear it after this weekend.

END OF 1ST QUARTER, EAST 34, WEST 28.

-Yes, Kidd is back in the game (not being biased here, but like I said earlier, he’s very active tonight, and makes things happen. Even if he’s not a Net anymore between now and probably really soon, I’ll be following him for the rest of his career).

-Pretty cool that David West is there. You hardly hear anything about him during the regular season, until you see his statline, and you know the coaches made the right choice to select him.

-Boozer checks in. The guy is having an amazing season, especially if you keep in mind that he’s got important issues in his private life, regarding his kid who has a serious illness. Hope everything will turn out okay.

-Dancing Honeybees during the time-out. For you who don’t know what I’m talking about, they are the cheerleaders of the Hornets. A vast improvement over the elderly people.

-One of the Dutch announcers always makes the same joke when he sees a guy with tattoos. “He’s a frequent customer of the tattoo store!”. Come to think of it, it’s not even a joke, yet he thinks it’s funny. He does this almost every single game.

-Ooookay…. Subliminal message? Some mics here and there, and TNT decides to check on Jason Kidd, who says to Sheed that this might be his “last time” (in the East). I mention this, because just hours ago ESPN mentioned that the Nets-Mavs deal is almost completed. More on that another time.

-Oh shit, too many alley-oops in a short sequence to mention here. Three for the East, once for the West. Spectacular.

-Roy missed the alley-oop, but it makes me wonder: how many Blazers will be in the game next year. Roy will only get better, Aldridge can be really good, at what will happen when Oden finally steps onto the court this fall?

-The score in on pace with the average Suns-Warriors game. I really would’ve liked to see Baron Davis getting some minutes tonight. Then again, the Beard is playing a lot of minutes again this season, so this will give his body some rest.

-I saw Sheed shooting three 3’s so far, two left-handed, one right-handed. He hit a left-handed one. Weird.

-Howard and James lead the East with 12, Roy leads the West with 11. MVP so far? Gotta be Lebron. Along with his 12 points he also 6 rebounds and 7 assists.

END OF FIRST HALF, EAST 74, WEST 65.

-Harry Connick jr. plays the piano quite well, as far as I can judge on piano skills. Good for him.

-Dr. John sure has a “distinctive look”. Now that’s a dude you would recognize in a crowd. He’s like and old version of Captain Jack Sparrow. While Dr. John is playing, Connick really is enjoying himself out there, dancing, clapping, even though the cameras are not on him.

-To quote Wyclef Jean from his debut solo album: “Nevill Brothers in the house tonight”. Pretty good performance, raspy voices, piano solos, it works for me.

-Allen Toussaint is playing now, that’s a nice collection of musicians lined up right there.

2ND HALF:

-Also in this half Wade gets the first bucket on a midair back to the basket lay-up. We can basically call this his signature move.

-Yao tries a three, and misses. The world economy immediately takes a hit.

-The sound in the Dutch broadcast is still really fucked up. I thought it was better in the second quarter. Who knows, maybe those guys can’t do anything about it.

-Why the hell makes Howard a cheap foul on Yao? Let him play man.

-Yao misses another three. Airball.

-LeBron is getting hot, 19, 8 and 8.

-David West got fouled four times in one sequence. No whistle.

-Ray Allen makes basketball look so easy. Whether it’s a three or a reverse lay-up, it’s effortlessly. He Got Game. When I try to do it, it’s like those old people dancing: not pretty.

-Pierce dribbled the last 15 seconds of the third, but missed the three. He has 10 points so far can’t recall any of them.

END OF 3RD QUARTER, EAST 106, WEST 93.

-12 minutes to go, and the annual party is over.

-If LeBron gets a triple-double, he must be the MVP of the game. Two boards and two assists to go. I haven’t voted yet on NBA.com, for the simple reason that I won’t vote until I know which team has won the game. And the MVP must come from a winning team.

-Stoudemire gets up high and jams it in Howard’s face. This will not be the last time these two will face off in the All-Star game.

-Boozer dunks on an assist from Paul. When you watch the replay you see the beauty of the move Paul made leading up to the pass.

-Amare again with the tomahawk, Dwight moved out of his way this time.

-LeBron wants to do it himself, went for the three and hit nothing but air. Yikes.

-And now even Der Dirk shoots an airball.

-Kidd hands out another assist to LeBron. I don’t know if James should be happy about that or not. Once again he really feels on what he is missing out.

-Stoudemire blocks Wade, goes to the other side for the and-one. I don’t know if he made the ensuing free thow, I wasn’t paying attention. Whoops.

-Both team are matching each other point for point, but Ray Allen keeps hitting threes.

-The cheerleaders are wearing masks this time. And skimpy golden uniforms with some feathers on it. Oh the possibilities.

-If the West does win, Chris Paul should win the MVP.

-LeBron goes through traffic and jams it on Dirk. Actually, he places his forearm into Dirk’s face while up in the air, and then dunks it.

-Wade for the acrobatic and-one.

-And if the East wins, Ray Allen saved them in the fourth quarter. I don’t know who to vote for after the game. KG is so excited, you see that he wants to be out there with Allen. We all wish KG could be out there too.

-Very exciting game here. But ultimately the East keeps a small lead and wins it. The fourth quarter was the most exciting one, great game.

END OF GAME, EAST 134, WEST 128.

I voted for Allen, but LeBron’s (27, 8 and 9) the MVP, and there’s nothing wrong with that. So that’s it folks. I’ll probably write some sort of recap tomorrow, but All-Star Weekend 2008 is over. It was better than I expected, and the final 30 games of the season are about to be played, the road to the playoffs start now. Well, Tuesday.

N.O. Sleep – The Dunk Contest

This will be an event that’s the hardest for me to write about. I’m not good at naming dunks, so I’m not sure how to do this. Maybe I’ll just sit back and enjoy the whole thing, and hopefully Jamario Moon, Dwight Howard, Rudy Gay and Gerald Green will show us some amazing stuff by doing an amazing stuff.

Moon’s first: okay, well, he got in one attempt, safe dunk. Got a 37.
Gay’s first: looked stylish, yet didn’t get me out of my seat. Score: 46.
Howard’s first: I thought he was going to crash the basket with his head. Reminded me of the Iguodala dunk of two years ago, only better. The first 50 of the night.
Green: the “birthday cake” dunk. Wow. Very creative, tough to do, yet only got a 46. I loved that dunk.

Gay’s second: teammate Kyle Lowry threw it up, and Gay was just floating in mid-air to catch and slam it. A 48 this time..
Moon’s second: looked better in replay, but I doubt this will get him into the final round. Score: 44.
Green’s second: you can say a whole lot about Green, but he’s innovative, that’s for sure. Then again, he had plenty of time to think about it since he’s on the T-Wolves. I liked it. The judges? 45. Hm.
Howard’s second: is it a bird? Is it a plane? Nope. Dwight! Brilliant pass by Jameer Nelson by the way.

Final

Green’s first: McCants has some trouble in giving the pass, but when it finally does happen, Green pulled it off.
Howard’s first: the ball-slap dunk! He already did that on youtube, still impressive, better in replay.

Green’s second: took off his shoes, signed them, and did a between-the-legs dunk on his socks. Now that rocks.
Howard’s second: there’s a tiny little basket on the normal basket. A normal ball is placed on the little basket. First attempt failed, second attempt he jumped, took the ball off the little rim, and windmills it through. Wow.

Time to vote….

And Dwight won! A year too late, but maybe that was good thing. Because we saw some great dunks today, and to me, it might’ve been the best dunk contest since 2000. And now ladies and gentlemen, night two has ended for me. My bed is calling me.

N.O. Sleep - Three-Point Shootout

Gibson, Rip, Peja, Kapono, Nash, and the Replacement Killer (for the injured Kobe Bryant): Dirk Nowitzki. It will rain 3’s tonight.

-Rip is the first one to have a go. He does okay, but not sure if it’s good enough.

-Wait, are my eyes fooling me? Is the Junkyard Dog Jerome Williams in the house? Whoa!

-And now my eyes hurt from seeing Damon Jones with that weird Mohawk-kind-of-haircut. Life is simple: if your first name isn’t “Mr”, your middle name isn’t “period” and your last name isn’t “T”, you can’t get away with a Mohawk.

-Rip had a foot over the line, they detract points.

-Gibson on repeat from the Rookie Game? Hmm…. I’m not impressed. Yet. Both he and Rip aren’t shooting th lights out, so to speak.

-Steve Nash, once again called a three-time MVP by the Dutch announcers. Unbelievable.

-Nash is shooting like his new teammate Shaq from three-point range. This will undeniably be an early exit for Steve. And he knows it.

-Spike Lee is in attendance too. If there is anybody who still hasn’t seen “When the Levees Broke”, you should be ashamed.

-The Replacement Killer only hit one ball from the first rack. Even shot an airball, but heats up after that. I’m still not quite impressed.

-Peja gives the New Orleans crowd not much to cheer about. He makes up for it on the final two racks, but damn, he missed a whole lot of shots.

-The defending champion and the best three-point shooter in the NBA closes out the final round. And Kapono leads the pack heading into the next and final round, where he will face Dirk and Gibson.

-Since Mr. T was named, did you see the chain on Amaré Stoudemire? Mr. T clearly wouldn’t pity this fool.

-Why is LeBron wearing a raincoat? He looks like a private detective. A 6-8, build like a tank private detective.

-Gibson does alright, but is it enough to beat Dirk and Kapono? Dirk is up.

-Dirk is shooting like he’s facing the Warriors. All the Kidd talk is making everyone nervous. This one is for Kapono to win.

-Holy Craig Hodges! Kapono ties the all-time record with 25 points, and is once again the champ. Pat Riley is rolling over in his grave for not having him on the Heat anymore. Even Dwyane Wade is happy for Kapono, and rightfully so.

N.O. Sleep - The Skills Challenge

-Deron Williams starts this off, and he’s quick. Missed one pass, everything went well besides that pass.

-T.J. Kidd looks like he should be in a Coen Brothers film, but is well-liked by every player out there.

-Jason Kidd hits every pass, but he can’t make the shot from the top of the key.

-Chris Paul gets a nice applause. In all fairness, they should’ve called a travel (he really did travel, but just to make sure: no! I’m not serious). He’s the fastest so far. No mistakes.

-Dwyane Wade is up, but loses his dribble. And everything after that is like the Miami season. All went wrong. Paul and Williams procede.

-“Look out!”, “Get Down!” – Arnie is in the building.

-Just saw some D-League All-Star Game highlights, and all I can say is this: Rod Benson is funny, and probably a really good player and hopefully someday NBA material, but he should bulk up.

-Deron Williams sets a really good time, didn’t make a single mistake. The battle of the point guards continue. Two of the best in the game?

-Chris Paul misses a pass and a jumper, so Deron won. Damn he was quick.

-Cheryl Miller might be taller than Williams.

So what else can I say? I like the Skills Challenge, but I like even more what’s coming up next: the Three-Point Shootout.

N.O. Sleep – All-Star Saturday has arrived – Shooting Stars

The Haier Shooting Stars, the Skills Challenge and the Dunk Contest. I was feeling a little bit tired a couple of hours ago, but I’m alive and kicking it right now. And yes, I know no one says “alive and kicking” anymore.

-Dwight is the MC tonight, introducing Marc Broussard who sings a song. On a side-note: I actually don’t hate the promo All-Star song this year.

-The guy singing the Canadian anthem needs to get some vocal lessons.

-The guy on the oddly-shaped trumpet for the U.S. anthem is awesome though.

-Next up: the Haier Shooting Stars.

-B.J. Armstrong still looks like he shooting 3’s for the early nineties Bulls.

-Eddie Johnson is on the Phoenix squad for the Shooting Stars. I’m not too fond of his columns on Hoopshype.com. To be more specific: his comments sometimes are childish when a reader gives him negative feedback. Mr. Johnson should remember that a person reacting to his columns could be 14. Take it easy Eddie.

-Swin Cash is the coolest name ever for a female basketball player.

-Chicago, Phoenix, San Antonio and Detroit are lacing them up.

-Like last night, Dutch commentary. This time, the usual moron is back. I really don’t understand why the channel I’m watching NBA games on, has to select these guys during the All-Star weekend. Normally with live games, there is English commentary. During the reruns it’s Dutch. Not this weekend though, they are doing it live, in the middle of the night.

-David Robinson can shoot 3’s. Who knew? He looks like he never quit playing. Still lean, and all smiles. And the Spurs are in the lead.

-Bill Laimbeer shot an airball from midcourt. I’m impressed. Pistons are out in the first round. So are the Suns, by the way.

-Second round: the Spurs can really, really shoot. It almost looks like during their first championship in ‘99, Duncan and Robinson would’ve formed a formidable backcourt together. Becky Hammon looks feisty, and also pretty cute. Sorry to say that, but she is. Spurs beat Bulls in the final round.

-The Dutch guys say Nash won the NBA MVP title three times. Yeah morons, minus one. Next up: the Skills Challenge.

N.O. Sleep - The Rookie-Sophomore Game