Showing posts with label lebron James. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lebron James. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

And the postseason only started

The intense and excitement is in the air as spring rises which only means the NBA playoffs are going on.

The first round Game 1s brought surprises across the board as the Chicago Bulls witness their Most Valuable Player, Derrick Rose, go down in the late minutes against the Philadelphia 76ers with a torn ACL.

The costly injury to Rose has changed the picture in the Eastern Conference playoffs as the Bulls are close to zero percent to win the NBA championship this year.

The clear favorite to come out of the East is now the Miami Heat as it has been tearing up the New York Knicks with a 33-point win in Game 1.

The Knicks have felt the frustration with their 12 game losing streak in the playoffs as Amar'e Stoudemire punched the glass window of a fire extinguisher after the Game 2 loss.

The Boston Celtics are still hanging around as they were able to split the first two games against the Atlanta Hawks as the series heads back to Boston.

The Celtics are still showing they are capable of competing as Paul Pierce led the team to the victory as the team was without its starting guards, Rajon Rondo (who is serving a suspension) and Ray Allen (who has been out with an ankle injury).

In the last series in the East, the Orlando Magic are playing without its superstar center, Dwight Howard, as it has split the first two games with the Indiana Pacers as the series heads back to Orlando.

The Pacers are a young team as they were able to surprise the league this season with an impressive start but the team is inexperience in the postseason and winning the series against the Magic will be an accomplishment for Indiana.

Now the excitement swifts West as the playoff series in the Western Conference has been amazing as always.

The San Antonio Spurs came out swinging and dominating throughout the season as they were able to lock up the top spot in the West and draw a first round match against the Utah Jazz.

The Spurs are gliding through the Jazz and the series is looking to be one-sided and the Spurs will eventually end it in four.


The up and coming Los Angeles Clippers made a big impression in Game 1 versus the Memphis Grizzles as the Clippers were able to come back from 21 points and beat the Grizzles on the road.

The Grizzles have the edge in the series as they made noise last postseason with their first round upset against the Spurs, but with the task of beating the Clippers and Zack Randolph trying to come back from an early season injury, the Grizzles will have a tough time getting passed the Clippers.

The other Los Angeles team, the Lakers, have had their doubts from critics throughout the season but the Lakers are looking great as the postseason moves along.

The Lakers are being pulled by Andrew Bynum, who had a triple double in Game 1 against the Denver Nuggets, and Kobe Bryant, who had 38 points in Game 2 against the Nuggets, and at the same time the Lakers offense is looking solid as the defense is impressive.

The Lakers aren't the clear favorites in the West but they are making it known that they are out to kill and win another NBA championship.

The Lakers are deadly with a healthy Bryant, a dominating Bynum, a skilled Pau Gasol and a supporting cast of talented players such as Ramon Sessions, Matt Barnes, Steve Blake, Metta World-Peace, Devin Ebanks and Jordan Hill.

The last series in the West is between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the defending champion, Dallas Mavericks, the series looks like last year's second playoff series against the Mavericks and Lakers as the first two games could have went either way.

The Thunder lead the series 2-0 at the moment but the first two games have been so close that the Mavericks could have been leading 2-0 right now or at least the series could have been heading back to Dallas tied at one.

The Mavericks are not done yet in the series but they have to find a way to hold late leads because this series can easily go seven games and it would not be a surprised if Dallas wins the series.

The first games of round one have been finalized and it is only the beginning so as the first rounds play out and the postseason continues, the intense and excitement will rise to new stressful levels for the NBA fans.

And on a side note, the Lakers and Heat will be the teams to meet in this year's NBA finals as the Lakers edge the Heat for the championship in seven games.

Friday, June 17, 2011

The decision and year of the Miami Heat: 2010-2011

Summer time is only fitting for South Beach Miami to have another aspect of life to glee about, the addition of Lebron James and Chris bosh to the Miami heat and Dwayne Wade.

The frenzy that was the summer of Lebron James, every station, and every news brief had something to say about Lebron.

James kept his decision a mystery as the public and media salivated like Pavlov’s dog.

Every viable team possible sought the talents of this young phenom, who put Cleveland basketball on the map. Owners and General managers from New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami and Cleveland pitched their cases to entice James to join their team.

A young man with unlimited opportunities chose the path he wanted, not what we wanted.
Most wanted to see him stay in his hometown Cleveland, and watch him grow into a superstar and prove his comparison to Michael Jordan.

Others wanted James to join their squad and the glamor of their part of the nation, to win championships in the largest markets. Everyone saw dollar signs when they saw the potential of James joining their team.

But James chose the unthinkable; leaving his hometown and city he was worshiped, to join trusted friends in a place worth living.

This brings Miami to the picture.

A phenomenal athlete and star, in Dwayne Wade, who has already won a NBA championship, would be able to stay in Miami and create a dynamic trio.

Pat Riley, president of the Miami heat has a reputation for creating star bloated teams.
Riley coached the “Showtime Lakers” of the 80's with hall of farmers Erving Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and James Worthy.

Winning championships and dominating the western conference during the era, this new Miami Heat team had the opportunity to achieve the same in the eastern conference.

Magic Johnson a 6'8 point guard who was magical in setting up his teammates and finishing games would be the model for James to be the playmaker for the rest of the team.

Chris Bosh would be a versatile go to post player that could add 20 points and 10 rebounds a night.

Dwayne Wade would pick up any slack that was left in the chain of this unproven, yet already crowned dynasty.

The 2010-2011 regular season started slow, and finished strong as the Miami Heat finished second in the conference behind the young and talented Chicago Bulls. Led by Derrick Rose, the two teams had their showdown in the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Heat were blown out of the first game in Chicago, yet James found his stroke and was clutch down the stretch to be propel the heat to their destiny, the NBA Finals in their first year.

Dirk Nowitzki led the Dallas Mavericks past the Championship Lakers, and young Oklahoma City Thunder to the NBA Finals to square off against the Heat in a rematch of the 2006 finals.

The Miami Heat fell short in six games, losing the series at home 4-2, and sending Lebron James into yet another off-season to work harder and come back an even better player. At 26, James had been criticized before for the aspects of his game that he has yet to perfect.

James was disparaged for his inability to make a clutch free throw, or knockdown an open three pointer, or the inability to have a post move. Yet each year he worked on his game in the off-season and corrected his shortcomings.

We now look forward with eager eyes, ready to cheer, “I told you so” regardless of which side we are on.

Lebron did his part in creating hype for the NBA this year, and brought in plenty of revenue through media coverage and advertisement during a time of great financial loss for the association.

In a song off of his Blueprint 3 album longtime friend of James Jay- Z stated, “I went from the favorite to the most hated, but would you rather be underpaid or overrated?”

These words seem near and dear to James and there is a silver lining in all of this.

Do what makes you happy, not what others wish for you to do. Be bold enough as an individual to take the road less traveled and do not be fearful of any doubters or haters. Make your haters your motivators.

Regardless of the stance you take or the opinions you have there is one thing that is certain.

The Miami Heat has a young trio of superstars with six years left to put together any missing pieces to the puzzle of an NBA championship team or dare say, dynasty.

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Miami Heat are out-matched

The super team is not that super after all.

The Miami Heat recently went on a five-game losing streak before braking it against the two-time defending champs this past Thursday.

The Heat are considered a super team with LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh but after those three players, the Heat do not have anyone else to fall back on. The team also does not have a center.

Miami is 45-21 and its record against the best teams in the NBA is weak. Only winning two games, both against the Los Angeles Lakers, and losing three to the Chicago Bulls and Boston Celtics, two against the Dallas Mavericks and one against the San Antonio Spurs.

With two "closers" on the team (James and Wade,) the Heat are only 5-13 in games decided by five points or less.

And James and Wade is 1-12 when games are 3 points or less in the fourth quarter or overtime.

Despite already clinching a playoff berth in the Eastern Conference playoffs, and third in the East at this moment, the Heat are not being counted on to come out of the East.

Without a center and inconsistent production from its bench, the Heat are not making the NBA finals this season.

0-6 against the two teams ahead of them (Boston and Chicago,) the Heat are not going to be favorites to defeat them.

If the Heat end up as the No. 4 seed in the East and the New York Knicks end up as the No. 5 seed in the East, then the Heat are not going to be able to get out of the first round because the Knicks are capable of upsetting the Heat in the playoff series.

The super team is more like a three man band.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

LeBron's last game with Cleveland

Tonight LeBron James proved he is the king.

The king of quitting.

Seriously, this man is overrated, how can he be the greatest player in today's world when his team had the best record in the last two season's and failed to reach the NBA finals?

James is no super hero who can be seen as one of the greats to be talked about in the likes of Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.

He simply turned his back on his team, the city of Cleveland and himself.

Passing up shots, back peddling when his team had yet to attempt a shot and turning over the ball repeatedly in a game where Cleveland needed to continue their season; he gave the attitude of "It's fine, it happens," and it is not what I view as one of the characteristics of a legend.

If it were Jordan or Bryant, neither player would had sat back and let their team sink in a elimination game like James did tonight; they both would had taken control of the game and win the game at their own will.

James made no excuses for the failed season after finishing the season with a Cleveland Cavaliers record 61-21 and winning his consecutive season NBA Most Valuable Player award.

But he showed through his body language that he was done with the Cavaliers after seven seasons.

The careless reaction of what had happen to the team's collapse, his fall in the series and the endless questions if he will return to the Cavaliers.

I see James leaving Cleveland this off season, but I don't know where.

The scary though is him and another superstar like Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh or Joe Johnson teaming up on one team.

James would never achieve winning a NBA championship with the attitude he showed in this series. He gave up.

One more thing, I finally hit the bull's eye, I predicted the exact winner in the series and the exact number of games the team would take to win it.

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Celtics are better than ever

The Boston Celtics are back.

The team that won its seventh NBA Championship two years ago, are back to contend for another one.

A team that was written off as too old to compete with the likes of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Orlando Magic and Los Angeles Lakers, have made a 180 and now seems to be able to beat anyone.

The Celtics are currently in a 1-1 tie with the Cavaliers in their best of seven series, and Boston is looking to take the lead when the series resumes back in Massachusetts.

As a loyal Lakers' fan, I hate to admit this thought, but the Celtics are the team I am pulling for in the series.

Not only because I know they are going to win this series, but the fact that Cleveland fans are so ignorant and stupid to believe their team is the best with the mediocre players they have surrounding LeBron... is why I want them to lose every year.

Believe me, I would love to see Kobe Bryant capture his fifth NBA Championship by beating "LePrick" James and Shaq, but on behave of the rest of the NBA, we would love to see the Celtics and Lakers get it on again.

The Celtics are healthy and are playing their best basketball of the season, that said, they have the recipe to make it back to the finals for another showdown with their foe.

Trust me, the Lakers have their ticket to the finals set, the Utah Jazz and most likely, the Phoenix Suns are not going to be a threat to them.

I will say it again, the Lakers will not repeat if they get beat by themselves, no one can beat L.A. in a seven game series.

On a final thought, let the rivalry continue Boston and L.A.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

2010 NBA postseason predictions

The 2009-10 NBA regular season has came to screeching end, and it came down to the 82nd game to determine the seedings for the playoffs.

In the western conference, No. 2 through No. 7 were up for grabs, and all eight western conference teams winning 50 or more games.

In the east, the eighth and final playoff spot was a snail race between the Chicago Bulls and Toronto Raptors.

The games came and gone and here are the official playoff matches:

Western Conferences playoff bracket.

No. 1 Los Angeles Lakers vs. No. 8 Oklahoma City Thunder.

No. 4 Denver Nuggets vs. No. 5 Utah Jazz

No. 3 Phoenix Suns vs. No 6. Portland Blazers

No. 2 Dallas Mavericks vs. No. 7 San Antonio Spurs

In the Lakers/ Thunder series, I am going with the Lakers in four games. I don't think the Thunder will be able to steal one game against the defending champs because I am confident the Lakers will finally flip the switch and be the team they were last postseason.

In the Nuggets/ Jazz series, I am leaning towards the Jazz in seven. I think this series will be fun and full of emotion from both teams. The two teams are evenly balance and this series can go all seven games and can go to either team. I will mark this series as a toss up but for now I will go with the Jazz because they have made a late run in their season.

In the Suns/ Blazers series, I am going with the Suns in five games. I don't think the Blazers can recover and win this series without Brandon Roy. They had a great season, but the Suns have been on fire for all of the second season, and if the Suns can continue that, they have a easy chance of making it to the western conference finals.

In the Mavericks/ Spurs series, I am going with the Mavericks in six games. I think this series can be like the Nuggets/ Jazz series because the Spurs are old but not out. The Spurs can definitely challenge the Mavericks and take them to seven games, but I am not sold if they can go the extra mile to win the series. I would not be surprise if the Spurs can do it.

The Eastern Conference bracket.

No. 1 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No. 8 Chicago Bulls

No. 4 Boston Celtics vs. No. 5 Miami Heat

No. 3 Atlanta Hawks vs. No 6 Milwaukee Bucks

No. 2 Orlando Magic vs. No. 7 Charlotte Bobcats

In the Cavaliers/ Bulls series, I am going with the Cavaliers in five. I think the Bulls can sneak a win but I am sure they will not push the Cavaliers to seven games like they did last year against the Celtics. (I would love to see them go seven, but that is just impossible.)

In the Celtics/ Heat series, I am going with the Celtics in six. I think this can be a fun match up, and if the Heat can make it close, than I am sure it will be a home run for the NBA.

In the Hawks/ Bucks series, I am going with the Hawks in five. The Bucks were the team to look out for this postseason, but with the loss of their big man Andrew Bogut, they are a dead fish in the pond. They will be luck to get one win, but they have the rookie of the year, Brandon Jennings to give them something!

In the Magic/ Bobcats series, I am going with the Magic in five. It can be another interesting series because the Bobcats are no kittens to be missed with. They are on fire after getting Stephon Jackson and they can push the Magic to the limits. Dwight Howard will be too much for the cats to handle and that is why I am giving them one game in this series.

Stay tune and check out my second round NBA playoff picks after the excitement of the first round is over.

Monday, March 1, 2010

L.A. is big enough for two super stars

LeBron James should be a Los Angeles Laker next year.

Mostly because the Lakers are the only team that he can win multiple rings with.

Yes, Kobe Bryant is the leader and captain of the Lakers, but bryant is not reliable to be here for long term, in reality, Kobe Bryant has three-five years left in which he could be as effective as he is now.

Having James means the Lakers would remain as championship contenders, once Bryant moves into the part of his career where he is the secondary option or role player.

Jerry Buss, owner of the Lakers, has been known as a owner who grabs the best players to ever play this game, so it wouldn't be a surprise if he is thinking about acquiring James right now, even though his team is set to repeat as champs.

Plus the Lakers are always known for getting better, because the are driven on winning champions all the time.

Another reason why James should be a Laker, is because he would be a worldwide professional athlete and would have a lot more endorsements.

The New York Knicks can offer him the chance of being a worldwide professional athlete but they do not offer the rings.

The Cleveland Cavaliers can offer him a chance to win a title, but that chance is slim, because the Cavaliers are great right now but they are not as good as the Lakers in the long run.

The Lakers will offer James both the fame and fortunes, plus James would be coached by the greatest coach to ever coach in the NBA, Phil Jackson.

There is not wrong if the Lakers can have James and Bryant on the same team, it just means no other team will be able to win a title till 2025.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Kevin Durant's MVP Thunder Season

The 2009-2010 NBA MVP should be Kevin Durant, because the man is pulling his Oklahoma City Thunder's team to possibly their first playoff appearance since moving from Seattle as the Supersonics.

Thus far Durant is averaging 29.8 ppg, 7.5 rpg and 2.9 apg, as the Thunder currently sit in the fifth seed of the Western conference with a record of 32-21.

Durant is averaging the same amount of points as LeBron James, who is leading all scorers with 29.9 ppg.

Many had expected the Thunder to make the playoffs this year, but not as good as possibly being the fifth seed or better.

Every year the Western conference is tight heading to the final weeks of the season, and this year is no surprise as it's the same.

From seeds 2-11, the teams are bunched up within 9.5 games apart, making it difficulty for any team to secure a playoff spot anytime soon.

The Los Angeles Lakers have secured the No. 1 spot since they acquired Pau Gasol two seasons ago, so no one is even trying to challenge the Los Angeles, but the Thunder can achieve any seed the wish.

Durant is valuable to be mentioned with James and Kobe Bryant for MVP and he should win since he is on the verge of putting his Thunders into the playoffs since the team moved to Oklahoma City three years ago.