Kobe Bryant Cleared for All Basketball Activities

The 2013-2014 NBA season has been nothing less than exciting thus far. In the West, new fresh exciting teams competing to be a clear #1. In the East, Roy Hilbert, Paul George and the Indiana Pacers  have made a strong start, making some question if the Miami Heat can continue their dominance.

But there is something missing in the NBA season, that "it person". The NBA without Kobe Brant has felt a little less spectacular, but great news Wednesday came as the Lakers' medical staff cleared Kobe for all basketball related activities. Yes, his return is still not here, but his progress from a torn achilles last spring is very impressive.

The Lakers are not a team that will dominate the NBA scene with a Kobe return, but there is a reason the Lakers still had national games prior to championship team seen in the late 2000s. No way around it, fans wanted to see Kobe Bryant.

I am not the biggest Lakers or Kobe fan, but I do respect his incredible basketball game. He is the one of the most decorated player in the NBA currently (Tim Duncan?), and I hope to see him back on the court making the difficult mid-range jumpers to win the game soon.

Whether you like him or not, the NBA is not the same without the presence of Kobe Bryant on a  hardwood floor wearing #24 with purple and gold. Let's all hope he returns and makes us all say " he had a torn achilles?"

*That Brooklyn dunk, or Josh Smith dunk just ridiculous???*

Orlando Magic Off to HOT Start!

The Orlando Magic are 3-1 to start off the season. It has been a wonderful start for the organization who continues to play with the Dwight Howard scenario looming overhead. Magic fans should be excited! Below will be the good and the bad of this starting record the Magic have earned.

The Bad:

• Player consistency (outside Ryan Anderson, Dwight Howard, and JJ Redick) is still not being attained.
• Orlando Magic earned three wins, but still against three non contending teams!
• Chris BOOOOhon (crowd boos him when announced), continues to make all Magic fan’s cringe when he plays.
• Hedo still needs to improve shot selection, always seems to prefer harder shots, and passes on the easy ones.
• Jason Richardson needs to improve in all areas of the game; been a let down thus far in the season.
• Larry Hughes needs to get familiar with Stan’s system.
• Jameer Nelson has neck spasms.
• Hedo and J.Rich need to maintain aggression throughout the game (but also Orlando needs to get them going early!)

The Good:

• The Orlando Magic are gaining victories over teams they SHOULD be winning against.
• Turnovers have fallen to about 12 per game after 18 in the OKC game.
• JJ. Redick has played tremendously off the bench (6TH Man candidate if it continues)
• Ryan Anderson has responded to the 30 plus minutes of playing times, being the highest scoring player on the team at 19.5 ppg.
• Dwight Howard continues to dominant the paint offensively and defensively. (Past two games had each 24 rebounds!)
• Dwight Howard is a much improved PASSER out of the paint, desperately needed for this Magic team to stay productive. (2.5 assist per game thus far).
• The Bobcats game, Orlando had 44 points in the paint! Surprising site (BUT NEEDED), as Turk, J. Rich, Anderson and Redick attacked the paint.
• Defense has been good, holding the other clubs to an average of about 87 points per game.
• Stan “The Man” Van Gundy called the Bobcats win the best one yet!
• This good start should hopefully influence Dwight Howard’s decision!
• THE SIXTY GAME WIN DREAM REMAINS ALIVE!

Orlando fans should not be blinded to some aspects of the record. The Magic have played only 1 contending team in the OKC Thunder (who defeated the Magic easily). The other three wins have come against Houston Rockets, NJ Nets, and Charlotte Bobcats. The Magic play tonight against the Toronto Raptors and then tomorrow night against Detroit Pistons. GO MAGIC!!!

The NBA is Back!

Sunday December 25, 2011 was tip-off day for the 2011-2012 NBA season. The games have always been great on Christmas Day, but this would be different due to the 140+ day lockout that just occurred (and it showed).

The Day started off at 11:00 AM with the debut on TNT of Shaq. Shaq on TNT is a great combination; especially with "Sir" Charles Barkley being on as well. (Note: Congrats Barkley on the weight loss).
The Knicks defeated the Celtics on what I believe was a fluke foul call by the refs at the end of the game. The Bulls are definitively the best team in the East top to bottom (D.Rose is BEAST) after defeating a hard working KB24 with the Lakers. Then The Clippers defeated the Golden State Warriors, which was a fun and exciting game, and was the best overall offensive game (not team Miami fans) of the day.

The Orlando Magic and the OKC Thunder was a one-sided affair. For Orlando it was turnovers,horrible shot choices as well as shooting, defense lacked,and NO offensive flow. For all the Magic fans there were some bright spots as well as some that were NOT bright.

Bright Spot:
1) Jameer Nelson & Von Wafer (Nice pick up thus far) refused to settle for jumpers and kept penetrating. (Exactly what Orlando did the first 9 shots of the game, even TURK)
2) Ryan Anderson was one fire from three and he will more than likely continue that.

NOT Bright:
1) Jason Richardson shooting (???), Chris Duhon (please comeback Jason Williams), Turk choosing not to take open jumpers but make impossible fade aways or horrible passes, Earl Clark lack of denfense, Dwight Howard scoring as well as passing our of the quadruple teaming!

In general all the teams that played (excluding Miami) seemed to still be in Summer League mode because offense and defensive line-ups looks scrambled, the bad passing, as well as the slower looking players.

Stan Van Gundy vs Jeff Van Gundy to DH12 Blunt Answer on Joining MIA!

   Stand Van Gundy was awarded the Mikey Award as Best Guest  for a local Orlando radio show called Open Mic. The award has no high prestige among other sports awards, but none the less Stan "The Man" Van Gundy added humor in accepting the award this past Friday, July 29, 2011. Gundy did what he always seems to do indirectly, be one of the most entertaining figures in the NBA, and of course Mark Cuban holds that top spot pretty tight. Although Stan's brother Jeff Van Gundy is pretty high up the list as well? Watch, or I mean listen to Van Gundy's acceptance of the award below. (Video Courtesy Orlando Sentinel)
 

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/sports_magic/2011/07/listen-stan-van-gundy-accepts-not-so-prestigious-mikey-award.html

Here is why Mark Cuban still holds the spot for Most Entertaining Figure in the NBA!

   There have been alot of rumors guessing about Dwight Howard's future with Orlando, and if he will stay or go, blah blah blah. Of course we all should have expected such media attention to this, but man it gets exhausting hearing and listening to all of these so called experts (Insert Charles Barkley's comment here: "Only GOD is an expert EJ.") trying to project  waht DH12 will do. 

   When Dwight was asked if he was going to go play for the Miami Heat at Comic Con, Dwight answers   "Never."

   When Dwight was asked if he was going to play for L.A. Lakers, Dwight answered, "“That’s everybody’s question. I am wearing purple … but that’s Rock’s outfit.” By the way the "Rock" is the cartoon character, Rock Callahan, who Dwight plays the voice for teh Disney XD cartoon Kick Buttowski.

In my opinion, DH12, looks pretty cool as a cartoon character. What do you guys think?

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/sports_magic/2011/07/dwight-howard-promotes-disney-cartoon-at-comic-con-photos.html

Here It Is and Remember DH12 is a man of many talents(Video Courtesy Orlando Sentinel).

P.S. follow me on twitter @doolz2dribble.

 

Chris Paul or Deron Williams? The Magic Have A Lot of Thinking To Do!

Is Jameer Nelson going to fade in the Magic's history of PG, and is CP3 or D.Will the Magic's future?

Please follow me on twitter @doolz2dribble. 
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It seems as if all the exciting and exaggerated NBA speculations have ceased, since the NBA lockout started on July 1^st. Yes, one year without NBA, after one of its peak seasons in interest would SUCK, but we should all feel some hope since the NFL players and owners have started to see more eye to eye during the recent negotiations. Rumor has it that there may be a rookie salary cap in the NFL, would the NBA follow… hmmm?

          Now if the NBA lockout does continue to drag out and the 2011-2012 season is shortened or completely gone well, we can all look toward the following: (WATCH video below)

          The conversation for Orlando prior to the lockout and rumors of Josh Smih or Monta Ellis, was who should Orlando try and peruse Chris Paul or Deron Williams. Bottom Line up front from my perspective is YOU CANT GO WRONG WITH EITHER PLAYER!

          Now there have probably been numerous comparisons between these two players, but one more won’t hurt. Therefore, without further adieu (fancy word/spelling), the CP3 VS D.Will comparison. (Jameer was thrown in for all the Jameer DISKLIK-ers) The chart is the current career averages of each player.

The averages of these two players differ in such small amounts, but still some analysis I guess would be good. Chris Paul has unexpected rebound average of 4.5 regular season and 5.3 playoffs, even though he is a smaller player when compared to Deron Williams.

Although Chris Paul does have the advantage when it comes to the rebounding, an unexpected advantage that Deron Williams holds of Chris Paul is that Deron Williams has participated in 44 playoff games, while CP3 has only played in 23 playoff games. This surprised me because the sports media speaks of CP3 so much, I expected more playoff appearances.

Both Chris Paul and Deron Williams have the ability of shooting the ball, defending, and most importantly the ability of court vision and distributing the ball. Both players averaged above 9 assist a game, which is one thing the Magic and more specifically Dwight Howard have not experienced.

Another great aspect of these two players is the fact that they raise their game to the next gear during the playoffs. Both players experience jumps in statistics when compared to the regular season.

Now one thing that I can’t put in a chart and this fact sticks out strongly in my mind is the fact that CP3 this past playoffs single handedly made the Lakers a little scared. He averaged 11.1, yes 11.1 assist a game against the LOS ANGELES LAKERS. OH and did I mention HE HAD NO NOTEABLE #2 ON THE COURT WITH HIM, AS DAVID WEST WAS INJURED. That fact alone shows how he makes the team better. I have yet to see this from Deron Williams, and maybe it is there.

If you remember a couple years ago, Chris Paul had a teammate who is now a NBA Champion, who was pivotal in the Dallas Mavericks run to the championship named Tyson Chandler. When Chris Paul and Tyson Chandler were on the same team, they lead the league in alley-oops, and second was Turkoglu and Dwight Howard. Now just imagine what CP3 could do with DH12. SCARY THOUGH HUH!

I know this post sounds bias toward Deron Williams, but Deron Williams did have his moments like this past season where he and Paul Milsap made those great double digit comebacks against Miami, Orlando, and I believe Charlotte.  Deron also played with Carlos Boozer, who created a nice combination in Utah.

One interesting note for Jameer Nelson who I respect after watching him earn, yes earn his spot as starting PG  from the let down of Steve Francis. Nelson’s FT%, FG%, and 3PT% during the playoffs in his career are very very close to the values Chris Paul and Deron Williams have.

He is not a bad point guard to have, but when playing with Dwight Howard, he needs a strong distributor. Nelson averaged 4.9 assist per game during his regular season, but DROPS OFF during the playoffs to 4.4 assists. That last fact about Nelson I will give to the Nelson DISLIK-ers. BUT, this past season he improved and averaged 6.0 assists a game, maybe he still has that room for improvement.

Nelson also has one key and very vital element over Chris Paul and Deron Williams, and that is the chemistry he has built with his very close teammate Dwight Howard since both were drafted by Orlando in the 2005 NBA Draft.

All in all, the Magic need to make improvements to its roster, and many are jumping to gaining a superstar like Deron Williams or CP3, which looks like it will be a difficult task for the Magic organization.  

I am so grateful for having Jameer Nelson for these years, and watching him grow into that All-Star form prior to injury, but I also want to see my team, the Orlando Magic get that champrionship. I don’t know, all I am doing is speculating, which is always fun, and a nice break from that annoying NBA Lockout.
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Here It Is & Remember Bottom Line up front from my perspective is YOU CANT GO WRONG WITH EITHER OF THESE PLAYERS (even Jameer if other areas improve)!


Please Leave Your Comments.


Notes: all statistics were found on http://www.basketball-reference.com.

2011 NBA Finals Pre-Tip Off

The 2011 NBA finals are set, as the Dallas Mavericks, go to face the Miami Heat. These two teams have shown brilliance throughout the playoffs, from Dirk Nowitzki’s AMAZING increase in production to Lebron James and the heat proving that they can finish games out very strong.

The Miami Heat have yet to face a dynamic player such as Dirk, and the Dallas Mavericks have yet to face such a triple threat offensive game. Both teams need to play to their strength, obviously, in order to win this series.

This match-up will be a great one, and for the Heat to defeat the Dallas Mavericks they will need to go to their most potent offensive weapons, which are transition, cutting, and hand-off baskets. The Dallas Mavericks will have trouble with dribble penetration as Russel Westbrook was getting into the paint multiple times, and now Lebron adn D.Wade will try and do the same. The Dallas Mavericks want to make Miami become a spot up shooting team and live with the consequences. Lebron James has had his stats decrease in many areas when facing the Dallas Mavericks, but the regular season does not matter, as he has won games in the final minutes for Miami in the Boston series as well as the Bulls series.

The Dallas Mavericks will need to play to their strengths as well on the offensive ends, which are post-ups and spot up shooting. They will need to make their pick and roll and transition game become more potent, especially when JJ Barea comes into the game with energy to push the pace. The Miami Heat want to stay on the three point line, and try to defend Dirk as best as they can when he post-up at the elbow.

Both teams will need to defend very well and it will be hard has both teams have superstars that will get points. Shawn Marion for the Dallas Mavericks has been fantastic on defense, and he showed how good he was while guarding Kevin Durant. The Mavericks will need to have Jason Kidd play the same defense he has been playing and surprisingly Deshawn Stevenson, when in the game, will need to play great defense against Dwayne Wade.

The Miami Heat will need to guard the three point line and stay in front of JJ Barea, but their largest defensive task will be to somehow slightly slow down Dirk. Lebron and Haslem will need to play great one-on-one defense on Dirk, and try to make him take the most difficult shots they can force him into. Miami most likely will need to double dirk as the game goes, due to his skill set on off-balanced shots.

The boards will be the deciding factor in this series, especially for Dallas, because you don't want Dwayne Wade, Lebron James, and Chris Bosh to have to many second chance shots. The Dallas bench will need to keep up their spectacular play, and Miami’s bench will need to step it up to help the big three.

In 2006 I wanted Dallas to go over, and in 2011 I will cheer for Dallas again. Dirk is one player I really want to see win that championship. It is difficult to make a prediction on who will win this series.

Here It Is & Remember The Orlando Magic are still #1 team.

P.S. Will Orlando fans want to see the Miami Heat, a home state team, win?

NBA Dry Spell is OVER!

Last night was the season opener for the NBA, and we had two games on TNT, and another in the western conference going to occur. Game 1 was Boston vs Miami, the “aged” Big 3 vs the “OMG how did they do that” Big 3. I must say when Lebron came out and received such a negative reaction from the crowd, well I joined in.
The Boston Celtics won in, this Celtics team’s style, to grind out the game and make defense a tool that was vital for victory. No stats today, just my reaction to being so eager for this season particularly. Miami won’t play that bad against Philly tonight, but it was great to see how that pre-celebration party that Miami had when they confirmed Bosh and James, well now we can all say for sure that was premature. The one big problem that this team has, is there big man situation, and how nobody can generate offense down low, which means their inside out game is hard to come by. Defensively Miami is weak in the four and five spot, which will hurt them with bigger line ups like Orlando, Lakers, Boston, Dallas, Spurs, Houston, Portland, etc.
“OVERRATED”, “OVERRATED”, “OVERRATED”, “OVERRATED”, “OVERRATED”, “OVERRATED”, “OVERRATED”, “OVERRATED”, “OVERRATED”, “OVERRATED”, “OVERRATED”, “OVERRATED”, “OVERRATED”, “OVERRATED”, “OVERRATED”, “OVERRATED”, “OVERRATED”, “OVERRATED”, “OVERRATED”, “OVERRATED”. Now Boston fans, I first thank you for a great chant, and this will catch like wildfire to all arenas during a Miami game. I am not a Boston fan, but man did I cheer them on last night, and it felt good to see this Miami team pick-up its first dent in its armor.

The first game was good for the second half, but the second game was great throughout. Houston had Yao return to its line-up, and the Lakers hung their 16th championship banner. This game was well played offensively, and Rick Ademle did a fantastic job of keeping Houston in the game while playing with essentially two different teams, one with Yao and one without Yao. Brad Miller looks to be a great pick up for Houston, and Luis Scola had an impressive double-double and a beautiful fourth quarter. The game did not have too many low spots, as Houston showed how well they were prepared to ake on L.A. and Kobe, although had difficulty with his shot, still helped the Lakers win with some fantastic passes throughout. L.A. looks stronger than last season with Shannon Brown showing improvement, Matt Barnes playing hard defense off the bench, and Steve Blake running the point off the bench, while still not understanding all of the triangle offense of Phil Jackson.

I don’t like L.A. but it was great to see both NBA teams give the fans a treat after not seeing a real competitive game of basketball since late spring of 2010.
This night had a playoff atmosphere, and if these are the type of games that we can expect from all four of these teams, then what a fantastic NBA season this can be.
Here It Is & Remember If Shaq did damage down low against MIA, then imagine Dwight (this Friday)!!!

General NBA Fun!!!

This is general NBA fun, it is hilarious, watch both videos!!!!

Orlando Magic Fans Should NOT Feel the HEAT!

LeBron James decided that he will be heading to South Beach, and join Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade in Miami, to form literally an All-Star studded team. The majority of us were awed by the announcement, while a wave of relief overcame us, due to the nagging length of time these players took to announce their decisions.

After that initial shock to my system, a few thoughts came to mind.
1. I realized that this meant Orlando would not be the lone elite team in the Southeast division.
2. Another scenario that came to mind was the fact that we would play Miami a total of 4 times a year, which meant we would see this team more than any other elite NBA team (Boston, L.A.).
3. Then my mouth started to salivate at the possibility of having an in-state rivalry, only six hours apart, which pitted two of the top teams in the NBA against one another in the same backyard.
4. If you’re the opposing team, WHO DO YOU DOUBLE TEAM? You double team Lebron, Wade will get you! If you double team Wade, Lebron will get you! If you double team, Wade and Lebron, Bosh will get you!

Miami, especially Pat Riley, deserve tremendous credit for what they have brought to their organization, but when looking at the Heat’s roster, there are some gaps that stare you right in the face.
1. The first being they have barely any money left, and still need to sign 9 players to tag along with this core of three, and Beasley/Chalmers being the other two signed.
2. Then the fact that Miami doesn’t have size on their side. Bosh is more finesse and hated having center obligations in Toronto, James plays the 3, and Wade plays the two. Who would be able to defend against Dwight Howard, Yao Ming, Andrew Bynum, etc. deep in the post?
3. Mario Chalmers is a point guard, true, but he doesn’t have a passing game developed, and he is not a great spot up shooter.
4. Lebron, Wade, and Bosh are all not going to maintain the stats they did before coming together because they can’t all have 30 shots per game.
5. They need to create a zone offensive system because the opposing team will play zone defense, and some are very good at it like Boston, Orlando, L.A., etc. This is going to be difficult as all three of these players are use to 80 percent of the game being isolation type of play.

Now for the Orlando side, as for the rest of the league, commentators are really finding any team that can withstand this Heat trio. Orlando don’t forget got to The Finals in ’09, and the Eastern Conference Finals ’09 &’10. Orlando is not a squad that you can push over very easily.

The Heat have a weakness in their front court, and the Magic have the best front court player in the league in Dwight Howard (who is training with Hakeem this summer) and a training Marcin Gortat, who wants to get a better shot so that he can play alongside Howard as a 4 in some cases. Howard and Gortat are two seven footers that take up a lot of paint space, which means penetration will be difficult for the opposing team, which means LeBron and Wade will find it more difficult to penetrate, which is where the majority of their points come from, as they both are not strongly suited in jump shooting.

Take out Marcin Gortat and leave him as a back-up center and with rumors that Stan Van Gundy maybe leaning toward a more traditional line-up, let’s replace Gortat with Brandon Bass. Bass has a beautiful 15-18 footers jump shot that is consistent, he is very strong, which is great for defending, and he is a player that puts his effort into the game and hustles. Pietrus, Carter, Nelson, (Barnes and Redick is they return) are all sound enough perimeter defenders that can help with that zone defense needed. Newly acquired Chris Duhon is great at the pick-and-roll, passing, and is a great defensive point guard. The Magic can use Rashard or Anderson at the 4 spot to lure Bosh out. Rashard can play the 3 , which is where he has statistically been the most successful. Orlando is not a push over team in the least bit.

David Aldridge when asked about the best team in the NBA after LeBron’s announcement, said that the Heat are the obvious choice due to the tri, but don’t count out Boston (who is regrouping) and Orlando, who he expects will make moves in the coming days in order to upgrade the team. Orlando fans should be ecstatic when David Aldridge says these things because he is usually right on the money, and knowing GM Otis Smith, and how e says one thing but does something else that works, Orlando fans should be watching and thinking about what the Heat brings to the table, but still believe in the Magic because the Magic are still in that elite team kitchen.

Here Is the Video of David Aldridge, he speaks about Orlando around the 1:20 mark.

Here It Is & Remember GO HOLLAND!!!

Watch This Ridiculous Alley-OOP!!!

Dunk of the Year? @ Yahoo! Video

Here It Is & Remember teams should imply the Alley-OOP more often!

A Loss of Words!!!!!

WOW!!! That is all that can be said about this game. Howard showed up, ad still no one but Redick even attempted. I still say Orlando in 6, watch how Orlando does on the road!!!! What do you all think?

Here It Is & Remember Let's See Amazing Magic Basketball Happen!!!!!

Orlando C’s Green & NBA Ref’s Style

The Boston Celtics gave the Orlando Magic their first postseason loss. Boston played great defense all around during the game. The Orlando Magic made me puk green from their awful first half play, but made some adjustments and did better in the second half. I understand that it is unlike Orlando to go 0-9 from the 3 point line in the 1st half, and only make five 3s in the entire game. I understand that 32% shooting the 1st half is not Orlando, and that 32 points in the 1st half is Orlando’s usual points in a single quarter. The Orlando Magic could not get buckets to drop and sloppy play caused for a horrid double digit turnover value. A lot of things went sour for Orlando, no doubt, and credit to Boston for helping to create that through defense and making timely critical shots when needed.

As a Magic fan it flat out hurt me because it was the first loss, but after a few hours of Kleenex and tears, I started to think about how this game was good for Orlando. I know it’s hard to believe that this game could be good for Orlando in anyway but, there are a few highlights in this otherwise painful game for Orlando and Magic fans.

• Orlando came from 20 down to Boston and only lost by 4 when all was said and done; this is testament for how good Orlando can be even with nothing falling.
• Orlando played great defense in the second half to bring them back into the game.
• Boston made some shots that were buzzer beaters, which is just unlucky for the Magic.
• Jameer jumpstarted Orlando right out the gate in the 3rd quarter to spark some offense, which shows his role and how vital it can be at points.
• Howard still had many blocks, and altered shots, which came into play during the second half.
• This gives Orlando the underdog feel, even though they have the better record, which is how Orlando likes to play, and the way Magic fans like there team to be.
I know I sound crazy, but Orlando needed this and we want this as fans. Everybody on the media is going Boston now because of game 1, which can say a lot because I picked Boston over Cleveland after seeing that game 1. The reason I believe that this series is a different story is due to the fact that we are not Cleveland and we don’t get stagnate when Dwight, Vince, or Jameer catch fire. I still call Orlando in 6, and by the 4th game the series will be tied 2-2, and then Orlando will take over. Remember all Orlando needed to get back into this game was a good fourth quarter, that is scary!!!

This game really had me working at the way the refs were not calling fouls, and allowing many things to slide. Credit to the refs, and this is really hard for me to swallow or even accept so I feel your pain, but the refs called this game down the middle and allowed both teams to get away with many fouls. Dwight had many over the back rebound attempts, and the Celtics had numerous hacks on the hands of shooters. This game was a physical style, and the refs decided to allow them to slide.

This style type that the refs allowed to occur worked well for Boston because many of their players are physical, while Orlando has about 4 or 5 players that are physical. Many of Orlando shooters are more finesse.

This game got me to think how the refs call the game even can affect the turnout of the game. The Lakers will have a difficult time with teams if refs decide to allow things to slide on both sides because they are not too physical. I think the refs control more than just the calls of the game, but also the tempo of the game. Think about it, because if there are many foul calls in the L.A. and Phoenix series then that fast paced game that the Suns want will not be fully effective, and L.A. plays better with more fouls. Think about this and tell me what you think in the comments section!

Here It Is & Remember Orlando Magic fans, that saying of “It may be a blessing in disguise!”

Why The King Remains Ringless & Boston vs Orlando, Exciting!!!

The Cleveland Cavaliers were riding high coming into the post season with the best regular season record at 61-21, the best basketball player in the world and two-time MVP, LeBron James, and a strong backing from the sports media. Then an aged, but very experienced Boston Celtics team came into play led by the spotlight stealer, Rajon Rondo.

The Celtics may have had a tough regular season, but no one should have underestimated this team in the postseason, especially with veterans Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. The Celtics took advantage of their matchup problems they caused for the Cavs from Keving Garnett to Rajon Rondo.

It's also very funny how the Cleveland Cavs were said to be "battle tested" by the Celtics and not "struggling", like the Magic were "struggling" last season!!! Please get off Orlando major sports media!!!

The story about this series is not on Boston going to head to Orlando for an Eastern Conference Finals match-up, or what caused the Cavs to lose to the Celtics. The story was about LeBron’s free agency, and yes everybody wants to know where he is going to end up. I don’t care right now, and won’t care until anything can even happen, which is July 1, 2010. This LeBron free agency talk will be dragged out over 6 weeks, and I am already tired of it.

The real problem with the Cavs was that LeBron’s teammates become stagnate when he handles the ball. The Cavs had nobody creating any screens, or cutting! Boston had Ray Allen continuously moving, and Perkins or Garnett setting screens. LeBron’s supporting cast just stood there and basically said LeBron pull us out of this, and win this series on your own. Lebron had a triple double consisting of 27 points, 19 rebounds, and 10 assists. He did have 9 turnovers, but he still produced a triple double. LeBron does receive a lot of blame for not firing his team, and he didn’t seem to ooze hunger for a championship. His supporting cast took on his style and didn’t fight for that championship. The harder working team, Boston Celtics, deserves and took this series away from Boston. Boston earned the right to return to the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Boston Celtics took this series and are heading to the Orlando Magic for a tough Eastern Conference Finals series. The match-ups in the regular series are relatively even in all categories, and the largest point differential win was by nine points. Some key points regarding advantages that both teams have upon each other are the following:

Boston Celtics:
• Kevin Garnett needs to take Rashard Lewis into the post.
• Rajon Rondo needs to continue to create for Boston.
• Throw bodies at Dwight Howard, and give him multiple looks.
• Use Rasheed as a center to drag Dwight out of the paint.
• Tony Allen needs to continue defending well.

Orlando Magic:
• Rashard Lewis needs to bring Garnett out to the perimeter.
• Jameer Nelson needs to continue jumpstarting the Magic.
• Dwight needs to stay out of foul trouble!
• Dwight Howard needs to continue rolling on offensive, and defensive dominance.
• Stan Van Gundy needs to keep emphasis on DEFNESE!!!
• The bench needs to keep producing and bringing that faster pace game.
• Vince Carter needs to defend the cutting Ray Allen well.
• Matt Barnes needs to defend Paul pierce well.
• Mickael Pietrus needs to keep producing as the Magic’s sixth-man.
• JJ Redick needs to play that great Defense on Ray Allen, like last year.
• Orlando’s perimeter players need to continue knocking down 3’s.

I really see this series as a great one, and I don’t see a Magic sweep here, but I hope for a sweep. The game should bring a rough and rugged defensive play. Paul Pierce said that Boston has multiple guys that can be their star and produce, but he made the mistake of placing the Magic in the group of teams that depend on a superstar, and ours is Dwight Howard! The Magic have many weapons, and I guess Paul Pierce did not see that Charlotte series where Dwight and Vince were struggling, yet others stepped up and produce. Boston must take Orlando seriously, and Orlando needs to do the same towards Boston.

Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson were the two that stayed and watch as the Lakers celebrated on their home court last year, and it seems that image has created this hunger in them!!! Vince sees this is his best chance to get a ring and championship, and Dwight Howard wants to validify himself as one of the greats of the game. I believe Orlando will take this series in a tough contest and return to the NBA Finals for a second consecutive year in 6 games. Let me know what you think!!!

Here It Is & Remember I loved watching LeBron fail again, the King has no Ring!!!

King James More Like Pauper James:

Lebron James and the Cavs were demolished in a critical Game 5 inside the Q, their home turf. Their franchise player goes 3-14 from the field and stamps 15 points to the stat sheet. The Boston Celtics are known for playing lockdown defense, but with all due respect to the great Boston defense played last night, it didn’t seem like that was the problem. The Cavs didn’t want this victory, and it showed!

• ·         Jamario Moon was Globetrotting on the bench during a Cavs beat down courtesy of the Celtics!
• ·         Lebron didn’t take the blame upon himself in the press conference, like a MVP should.
• ·         Mike Brown having terrible substitutions, which did not help his team.
• ·         The role players did not step up!

The Cavs were put on their heels and right now they are looking over the edge. They were dumbfound when their MVP was not playing well, which truly shows the depth this team lacks. Shaq was their leading scorer, which should not occur at his age. Mike Brown could not find anything that would run or at least bring some production to the team, which hurts his coaching status. Lebron James had a disappointing response to his play after the game, and during the game his body language showed a lack of HUNGER, AGGRESSION, AND PASSION. Everyone said that he is a great player, but until he wins a championship then he can’t place himself anywhere near a Michael Jordon, Kobe Brant, Magic Johnson, or Larry Bird. With the game he had last night; it will be difficult for him to win a ring.

The other three teams that made it to the conference finals, all had role players step up even when their franchise players were having difficulties, so Lebron has a majority of the blame for last night’s loss but he is not the only one to blame. The Lakers had Pau Gasol step up when Kobe Bryant was struggling. The Phoenix Suns had multiple guys step up from Dudley or Dragic when needed. The Orlando Magic had Mickael Pietrus step up off the bench, and many role players keep a consistent game when Dwight Howard had foul trouble. The Boston Celtics even have Glen Davis and Tony Allen step up and make big shots, and defensive plays when needed.

The Cavs may just be a great regular season team, but when it comes to the playoffs it seems like another team knocks them down, they themselves lack production, or a combination of the two factors. This team seems to be immature when looking at their tendencies. They have a ridiculous routine of taking snap shots of themselves during introductions, dance on the sidelines during games, eat fries from opposing teams fans, and basically having egos that are large, but don’t contain any validity. The validity needed is to have some championships. The other three teams in the conference finals were very focused, and serious about their game play. You don’t see Kobe making foolish hand jesters or a ridiculous snap shot routine. Kobe is known for his subtle but impactful fist clinch, and imitating protruding jaw. I don’t like Kobe, but I do respect his game. Lebron is someone I don’t like and don’t respect because of where his mindset seems to be.

This loss is mainly on Lebron, because as a leader you either lead by examples or create for others. Lebron needs to stop having a business mindset, and start focusing on gaining what he needs, which is a championship.

Here It Is & Remember I don't like Lebron and the Cavs, and was cheering for Boston for the first time ever!

Rolling out the Sorry!

     Here it is in the hottest time of the NBA regular season and I have been absent! The season is closing and teams are playing with a high intensity, some may say a playoff intensity, but like the past Grumpy Stan The Man Van Gundy, try saying that 5 times fast, it is still the regular season, he can tell time. My absence has not been from my favorite class of the NBA games nightly, but rather my fingers have been busy utilizing that wonderful tool that man created for writing. Oh, by the way that tool has a common name of a Pencil. 
     You know a pencil, it's yellow, has a fine tip point that gets dull over time, an eraser at the opposing end. Yeah that thing made of wood. Well that pencil has been keeping me busy. It is really funny that professors are just like students. We both tend to cram important events together when time really is not of the essence. I have been trying to keep up with the all of a sudden fast paced world of learning the bones in 45 minutes. I really do apologize.


    My 5 NBA headlines are the following:


   1. The Orlando Magic reach the 50 game win bench mark for the third straight year. Congrats!!! 
   2. The Milwaukee Bucks have all of a sudden been HOT, and John Salmons has done it again after turning a cattle into a Bull last season in Chicago. Can he make a fawn* into a charging Buck this season?
   3. The LAL have not been producing well on the offensive end and KB24 still needs to bail this team out from the hands of well, non-elite teams.
   4. The CAVS are expecting Big Z, sorry cant spell the name right now and don't feel like looking it up, back after giving up **** for Jamison.
   5. Boston has found its lost way after recovering from a temporary battle of amnesia causing them to forget how they play this game called Basketball.

*: a fawn, just in case anyone didn't know, is usually a young deer that is under one year of age.

Here It Is & There Is  A Serious Reminder to PLEASE DON'T TEXT & DRIVE!!!




Ok Lets Lighten The Mood!!!

From Blando to Grando Orlando & Congrats to Saints

                The Orlando Magic have just made the basketball world CoNfUsEd after having a terrible 39-17 3^rd quarter against Washington (which I painfully witnessed live), Orlando goes into Boston’s ruthless home court and puts on a 36-11 3^rd quarter beating and displays what Grumpy Stan the Man Van Gundy says was the Magic’s best quarter in his three years of coaching Orlando. This is funny because less than 48 hours earlier Grumpy Stan the Man Van Gundy says that Orlando put on the worst quarter, in three years of coaching Orlando, against the Wizards. To put this into picture, only one thing can do it, and it is …. the return of Positive, Negative, and Thoughts!    

                The POSITIVE:

1.       The first one is obvious because these 12 minutes changed the game in Orlando’s favor, and it was the phenomenal 36-11 3^rd quarter.

2.       BEWARE OF HOWARD! He only played 7 minutes in the first half, and a total 32 minutes, and still pulled down 13 rebounds, and posted 16 points, and then added 2 blocks. Oh yeah and he played in foul trouble.

3.       Vince Carter for some reason can’t play bad against one of the top defensive teams (Boston) because he had 20 points, and is averaging 19.8 points against the Celtics (good to see).

4.       Matt Barnes and Jameer Nelson played great in the 1^st quarter, which kept us in the game because Dwight only played about 6 minutes in that quarter. Good to see that.

5.       How about those 4 back to back 3 point possessions in the third quarter. That’s Orlando’s game, which should be feared.

6.       Give credit to the 2010 Eastern All-Star Coach, Grumpy Stan the Man Van Gundy, for his coaching when he decided to keep Dwight Howard in the game after picking up his fourth. His reason was because he believes that if Dwight plays less than 20 minutes, then Orlando gets in trouble.

7.       Kudos to Vince Carter for telling Dwight after the 1^st half to “take over and dominate by any means necessary!” It looked like it worked.

             The NEGATIVE:

1.       Yeah great game ,but Orlando still needs to work on things like Dwight Howard needs to try and stop picking up some silly fouls (yeah refs), but Howard needs to stop extending his arms out, he needs to just extend arms up.

2.       The foul trouble for DH12 only got him 7 minutes of game play in the 1^st half.

3.       Both Magic point guards need to step up in defensive intensity because Rajon Rondo had his way with the Magic. He posted a near triple double with 17 points, 9 assist, 8 rebounds, and to add on 3 steals.

4.       Orlando needs to stop turning the ball over because the 1^st quarter separated Boston and Orlando by one point (24-23), but Boston took a 11 point lead at the half due to the turnovers in the 2^nd quarter.

THOUGHTS:

1.       My favorite quarter being a basketball fan was the 1^st quarter because Boston’s inside game showed that it worked, but then Orlando’s opposite philosophy of the outside game worked as well. It was two different styles that both proved productive. BEAUTIFUL BASKETBALL.

2.       The first quarter was my favorite from a basketball fan perspective, but as a Magic fan perspective, the 3^rd quarter was my favorite. Had to clear that up.

3.       Orlando had the tie breaker with Atlanta if they have the same record at the end of the season, and now they also have the tie breaker with Boston. Now let’s do it to Cleveland.

4.       Doc Rivers (former coach of the year with Orlando) heard a Boston player say that Boston is better than Orlando, and Doc responded by saying that it was a bunch of crap, because Orlando knocked Boston out of the 2009 Playoffs, and now won the season series at 3-1. I am glad to see Doc give Orlando credit because not many do.

This game was amazing, and it was different for me because I needed to listen to the whole game on the radio, which I enjoyed because it allowed me to envision what was on going in the game. My imagination made the shots look better, but the real thing looked pretty good too.

By the way, Lebron James, WOW, WOW, WOW. James had 24 straight points and 35 at the half against the Knicks, and many points came from jump shots, which really shows his development, and speaks volume for his talent, but not his prideful personality.

Oh yeah I forgot, congrats to the Saints.

Here It Is & Remember my Superbowl ran from 2:30pm till 5:00pm Eastern Standard Time.

Magic Peaking? & Grumpy Stan the Man an All-Star?

            The Orlando Magic are a resilient team, and they’ve shown it via the current three game win streak and the 2008-2009 playoffs. It is great that the Magic are currently rising, but let us step back and contemplate a question being asked about Orlando. Are the Orlando Magic peaking?

            I am going to attempt and not become frustrated and stressed over such a ridiculous question. I will present both sides of the question with my best efforts of being unbiased.

            Many are saying that the Magic are peaking due to their lack of energy that allows opposing mediocre below mediocre teams to get the best of the Magic. The Magic do not start games energetic, they turn the ball over tremendously, and they don’t give off the impression of an elite team in the NBA. They are receiving slimming victories and cannot seem to put teams away. The 2009 NBA Finals was the peaking point for Orlando and now many don’t see the Magic returning to the NBA Finals. Their attitude has turned from a salivating, determined, hungry young team, to a team that seems to go through the motion and expect to turn the ON switch when the 2010 Playoffs arrive. The Orlando Magic are just a slightly above mediocre team that are going through the motions.

            These are all true arguments, and many would refute those accusations with supersaturated excuses such as there are five new teammates, or the starting five has only played together for less than 20 games, or injuries are plaguing the Magic’s chemistry. Those excuses are not allowed any longer. There are no excuses, instead the Magic are their own worst enemy due to their complacency. Orlando did have a rough patch, but so did Boston, so did Cleveland, so did Los Angeles, so did Atlanta, so did Denver. I don’t see anything saying that those teams are “PEAKING!” Orlando won 32 games last season before heading to the 2009 All-Star break, and Orlando now has racked up 32 victories two weeks before the 2010 All-Star break. Last season it was Orlando’s Star Dwight Howard was not “serious” enough for the Finals. Do the last few games that DH12 has participated in NOT show he is serious about reaching the Finals? Orlando is not peaking, but rather have improved their team overall, and they are getting back on track. People need to calm down on stating things that cannot be shown as true.

            If anyone wants to say that San Antonio has currently peaked then I really can’t refute that. San Antonio, come on get on track sometime this season.

            Looking at the trade rumors about the Magic, I really see only on reasonable move that would improve our team and really cause for the Magic to be taken off the list of “PEAKING” teams. I would absolutely love to see Vince Carter traded for (drum roll please………………..) one of the most underrated and overlooked superstars for the past few years, the Detroit Pistons starting small forward TAYYYYSHAAAUUUNNNN PRINCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (if you couldn’t read the above, it was Tayshaun Prince). Prince brings stifling perimeter defense, blocking ability that came from behind (before Lebron), length on the three spot, and he does all the little things that don’t show up on the stat sheet. He was a big part in the Detroit Pistons winning the 2003 NBA Championships. If you think I am wrong about this guy, then go ask why the USA Olympic team chose him over so many other players that have better stats then him. Plus Detroit is trying to rebuild, so the maybe more open to trading for him. (I am open to all criticism).

            Congratulations to Grumpy Stan the Man on being named the Eastern Conference Coach for the 2010 NBA All-Star game. I would rather see him get some sleep over this break, but this is a great honor for a coach, and I am proud to say that the Orlando Magic have the best modern day thinking coach in the NBA. Nasty things are being said like Van Gundy is going to purposely play Pierce and Garnett of the Boston Celtics for a lengthy period of time to cause a little bit extra wear and tear on the Boston stars. Stan won’t and would not do something like that. He may be grumpy, angry, loud, harsh, blunt, straight forward, and cutthroat, but he is truthful and not a jerk. This video is really funny, we want Stan the Grumpy Man back!!!!

            Here It Is & Remember having 4 college test in one day really SUCKS!!!

The Weekend Rebound #2 By: Kdizzle

This week has been very interesting for the Magic, from a loss to the Grizzlies, then a win against the Celtics. The crowning jewel of this week is definitely the win against Eastern Conference rivals the Celtics. The Magic intrigue me because, by the third quarter I had given up on them. Of course, I continued to watch and wow what a comeback. I’m not gonna lie, this is one of the most frustrating things of being a Magic fan. They coast through the first 3 quarters, looking like they barely have a pulse, and then BAM! 4^th quarter hits and all of a sudden they’re somehow back in the game. Why not just try equally throughout all 4 quarters? Why is it necessary to put it all in one quarter? How frustrating! But, on a lighter note, I just want to give a big SHOUTOUT to my boys J-will (for bringing us back with back to back 3’s) and JJ (for making that 3 that tied up the game). Love you guys, even if Doolz doesn’t! Oh and BIG shock that VC underwhelmed, yet again….NOT. Umm, I’m sorry Van Gunzel, but you are an absolute moron. I cannot believe that SVG made that last play of the game (Ya know, the one whereRashard Lewis won it all for us) for VC. WTF were you thinking? VC has not proven near reliable enough to trust a shot like that to him. I understand that he has been able to make game-changing shots, IN THE PAST! We are not in the past! We are in the present. Vinsanity has now been replaced by Wince Carter. Let’s try not to make stupid plays like that anymore, ‘K SVG? I promise I won’t be as hard on VC if you promise not to put so much on his (injured)shoulders.

Now, for the good stuff, trade rumors! These are my favorite! Of course, rumors of VC getting traded, because why would they not want to get rid of that albatross? But, apparently no one is overly interested in him. Shocked? Neither am I. But, one interesting player that has garnered some interest is Rashard Lewis. Why this is surprising to me is because his season thus far has been less than stellar. I say go for it! Even though he has a couple more good years in him, I think they are limited. I would like to see him get traded (along with his HUGE contract) to another team for a player that could be a good back up to Ryan Anderson. It’s not really him as a player that worries me, it’s more that I would rather see someone with either an expiring contract or someone a lot cheaper. By trading Lewis for a smaller contract, that frees up some money for the off season. Plus, if they could get rid of Carter, the possibilities seem endless. Other players that are always at the top of trade rumors are Marcin Gortat and Brandon Bass. I would like to see these players stay in Orlando, though. I really like the “Twin Towers” play that SVG rolled out against the Celtics. And I think that Brandon Bass has a lot of potent playing power (Like that alliteration?) that the Magic have yet to unleash. I just can’t wait to see what the Magic pull out before the trade deadline hits. I’m counting down the days!

And on a final note, I would like to say a little something to Kevin Garnett. Garnett said “Tough loss. We had them right where we wanted them and let it slip away,” after the game on Thursday. I’m sorry KG since when are you god? I didn’t realize that you and your band of old geezers controlled what other teams do. You got hustled fair and square; don’t pretend like you let us have it. You didn’t let anything slip away, we outplayed you, so please get off your high horse.

This is a little treat, that just the memory of, brings a smile to my face.

Umm….Who the eff do you think you are AJ? Please get back on the bench and stop making things worse for yourself. But, I do appreciate the laughs, so thanks.

Do You Believe In Magic & Sad Streak Broken

                The Orlando Magic and Boston Celtics went head to head Thursday, January 28,2010. The series was split 1-1, and Orlando was trying to bounce back from a loss to Memphis. Both teams met Christmas Day, and both had an ugly game then. Since that game, Boston and Orlando went through rough patches in terms of victories.

                 Orlando was in trouble when entering the locker room at the half down by 11. In the 3^rd, Ray Allen hit a 3 at the 9:59 mark, creating a 16 point lead, Boston’s largest of the night. The Magic were deflated but if anything was learned from their playoff experience last season, it was that RESILIENCE pays off. Orlando came back strong, with a rare pairing of Howard and Gortat leading the charge. This gave Orlando a defensive boost, and helped Rashard Lewis start catching fire offensively. Boston built a 3-point lead at 94-91 late in 4^th after a Rondo basket. Not to worry because I HOPE ALL REMEMBERED that Orlando is the #1 three-point shooting team in the league, and it showed when JJ Redick nailed a long 3. Props to JJ Redick for bring Orlando back in the game.The game was still tied with some seconds left in the game, so Van Gundy’s calls a play for VC15, which Boston’s rough defense snubbed, until Redick passed to Lewis, who drove by Garnett and had an easy lay-up to give the Magic the winning shot.

                The Orlando Magic had a great game aside from VC15.  Vince struggled and only had 6 points, and was a forgettable supposed “STAR” in the game. Dwight Howard had 19 points, but 11 came in the 4^th, in which he presented an array of maneuvers that didn’t come with him slamming it home. Howard displayed his growth as a player with the beautiful soft touch finishes around the rim with both hands. Gortat displayed why the Magic kept him, even with the expense. Gortat had 3 blocks with 8 rebounds and 6 points in 27 minutes of game play. Lewis had 23 points in the game, and was the offense for the Magic in the second half. Nelson kept the Magic in the game during the first quarter having a stretch of 10 points. Orlando is the first to defeat Boston when they have the Big 3 (Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen) playing with a double digit lead in the 4th, they were 86-0, but they can thank Orlando for the 86-1.

Still one person I saw that Orlando truly misses in tight games like this is HERO Turkolgu because you could see that Vince is not replacing HERO in tight game situations. I also need to see the old GRUMPY STAN THE MAN come back, because we need to have that serious cutthroat persona. It was a great win, but still Orlando has things they need to work on.                                                                                                       

One another note, the Phoenix Suns finally broke their sad record of having 18 straight losses anytime they were on TNT. The Suns wont 112-106.The Mavericks didn’t lose this game, the Suns won the game. Steve Nash showed why is worthy of that All-Star starter status. Nash had 19 points and 11 assist. The game was good, but the backstage news about the Suns trying to trade Stoudemire to the Spurs is a stupid move. The Suns are playing great basketball, and they are in the hunt for a playoff spot. Apparently, the Suns organization sees that Stoudemire won’t resign with them, so they want to get something out of him. I hope that the Spurs figure out a way to receive Stoudemire because he would be a great younger talent to have for the aged Spurs.

Here It Is & Remember DEFENSE DEFENSE (Orlando Has The Best Defensive Presence DH12)!