2011 NBA All-Star Notes

All Star Saturday Events

If you follow our my tweets (like my over 5000 followers do), you know I picked Stephen Curry to win the skills challenge, James Jones to win the 3-point shooting contest and DeMar DeRozan to win the slamdunk challenge. All my picks won. Ok not all. But there are whispers that go along this line of thought…

From ESPN writer… In truth, McGee should have been facing DeMar DeRozan in the final instead of Griffin, but the hometown Los Angeles crowd swayed the judges heavily in Griffin’s favor.

If you saw the Minority Report docs, it’s there. Precog Agatha saw this, she was shaking and finally gave… “Blake Griffin will win the 2011 slam dunk compete.” We were all programmed that Blake will win the Slam Dunk by virtue of his amazing in-season dunks. And of course, because of Agathas pick!

And I tweeted…

“kahit na aliens ang kalaban ni blake, blake wins. judges and fans were already programed ftw coz of blakes spectacular in-game reel.”

“remember the aliens in the space jam, versus blake griffin in this slam dunk, blake griffin still wins”

You saw the whole thing, Ibaka, DeMar and Javale McGee gave a good show. McGee did a difficult two balls, two rings dunk. If you think it’s easy, try circling your right index finger and make a triangle off your left index finger. That McGee dunk required hand muscle mind body coordination.

And, Ibaka made the boy happy by retrieving a teddy bear off the ring. Tweeted, “that kid with the teddybear, he’s hilarious and cute at the same time. Ibaka should get 50pts for the boy’s acting.”

Meanwhile, DeMar actually dunked from the free throw line, the LINE. He’s the only NBA player who jump off the free throw line, again the LINE. MJ did not. Dr. J did not. Barry did not.

Griffin’s dunk over the car is not even that, it’s a jump over the hood. Not the car. Check youtube, a Euro guy flew over the whole damn car. But still, have no problem win Blake winning, to me, he deserves the trophy coz of his regular season dunks and the presentation (choir and car) he pulled.

And a BIG by the way here, that 2 minute time allotted for a dunk is a stupid rule. I mean, after 8 tries, we’re no longer appreciating the awesome dunk, we’re almost feeling a sigh of relief. Look, do a 3 tries rule, if he efffin can not do it in 3 tries, he cant do it. Ok Stern? Let’s abolish that 2 minute NATE ROBINSON rule. Or else, we’ll protest. Protesting is “in” now.

On three.. I picked James Jones coz I know he’s more of a set shooter, not a jump shooter (a la Ray Allen). And this guy knows only one thing, shoot threes (He said it so, 95% of his shots are 3s). Again, if you’ll bet next year who wins, go for the set shooter (Kapono, Bird). Not jump shooters like Ray Allen or Steve Nash or Kevin Durant. On KD awful 6 point performance… I’m surprised he tired out and his stroke is diff, from his game shot to his contest shot. If there are in-game dunkers, I guess there are in-game three point shooters. KD is an in-game three point shooter.

My Wish Event

Though this years All Star happening is a hit TV ratings wise, buzz-wise, I say there’s still room for improvement, or there is still room for one event, I’d like to see one-on-one hoops. Kobe vs Lebron, LeBron vs Blake, Durant vs Melo, Durant vs LeBron, Shaq vs Howard, Amare vs Horford, Beyonce vs Rihanna booty-showdown @ halftime of every game… who says no??!!

Kobe Bryant MVP

What the heck do you want? The guy played hard end to end, he played defense. Ok, there are ballhogin moments but Amare is right, Kobe is Kobe.

He played the game so dutifully that if Kate Winslet was there, she’ll blurt, so serious!

Kobe scored 37 points on 14 of 26 FGs, 14 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals in just 29 minutes. And his team won. How is he not the MVP? How the heck KD becomes the MVP, he shot just same FG%, and lower stat across the board. Haters, calm down.

If you’ll say LeBron (finishing with 29 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists ) is the MVP though his team lost, that argument has a lot of air and is quite acceptable. BTW, LeBron made a mistake by passing up an open three, gave the ball to Bosh for a three. Bad “DECISION” again? The KD over Kobe argument is a fart. Pfffffffffffffft!

Nike Zoom Kobe VI, LEBRON 8 V/2 and the Nike Zoom KD III Debut in 2010 NBA All Star Game

Inspired by the visual effects of today’s Hollywood blockbuster, Nike Basketball designers took cues from the movie industry when creating special colorways for the 2011 All-Star Game.

When Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant and LeBron James step on to the All-Star stage February 20th, the shoes they wear will be as bold and dynamic as the players that compete in them.

All three shoes – the Nike Zoom Kobe VI, LEBRON 8 V/2 and the Nike Zoom KD III – will feature lenticular material in key areas throughout the shoe to create the illusion of three-dimensional moving images.

The lenticular pattern is best seen on the tongue tops. On the Nike Zoom Kobe VI, Kobe’s logo morphs into the West graphic. On the LEBRON 8 V/2 the East graphic morphs into LeBron’s iconic lion symbol. And on the Nike Zoom KD III, Kevin Durant’s logo morphs into the West graphic.

Kobe No MVP this 2011

Truehoop has an excellent article why LBJ won’t register a triple-double season. Made me do this post too. I have this in mind yesterday whilst watching Lakers cruised to a win over the Memphis yesterday… Kobe will retire with only one MVP trophy! One less than Nash’s.

Why Kobe Won’t Win the MVP This Year:

• Reason 1 (20%): THE KNEE - He’s opening the season coming from a knee surgery. Though he says he’s 100%, I highly doubt that. Only sheer talent allows him to go over 20 points average on limited minutes this young season.
• Reason 2 (20%): THE (mile)AGE - He is after all, 32 friggin years old with a ton of mileage.
• Reason 3 (20%): THE BENCH - Phil Jackson, the master, is putting on building blocks for a successful playoff run. He is giving more time to the relievers (Brown, Barnes, Blake) and it eats up few Kobe minutes. Though not in his DNA, Kobe too, clearly is making effort to acclimatize new players and the bench. Passing up some shots along the way.
• Reason 4 (20%): THE SPANIARD - The emergence of Pau Gasol as a prime player or focal point of the Lakers offense. Gasol is shooting 6 more shots from last year (19 FG attempts per game this year with an efficient rate of .533).
• Reason 5 (20%): THE BLOW-OUTS - They are blowing out teams! Which sends the Lakers starters straight to the bench with full quarter (and sometimes, a quarter and half) to go. Thus, Kobe averages only 31 minutes per game down from 39 a game (same reason why LBJ’s minutes and numbers are down).

If anything, the record that Lakers can shoot for is the 72-10.

72-10 - difficult and a misguided target, but this is within reach. Contrary to Jeff Van Gundy’s claim that Miami Heat is capable team to get 72-10, I say the Lakers are more likely to get to 72 than the Heat. An off-night by Kobe and Gasol, they are still capable of beating teams. That can not be said about the Heat. If LBJ and Wade take a night off, Heat are doomed. The Lakers can still win against most NBA teams with a Laker injury here and there (recovery by Bryant and Bynum/Walton absence has no effect thus far).

Current Lakers is better team than the championship teams of 2009 and 2010. They got 3 seven footers who got game (Odom, Gasol, Bynum), the best closer (Kobe), solid bench (Brown, Blake), great defense (Barnes, Artest), etc.

The Lakers are currently 4-0.

68 wins to go!

Posted last November 4 2010.

Kobe Bryant, the quest for greatness

My rankings in on the right side.

Sportnation votes on the left.

I’m pretty close to what the majority has in mind as to how the NBA’s greatest ranking should go.

It’s pretty obvious, the old-timers are getting the short end of the stick coz the voters remember the “new breed.”

Michael Jordan is pretty much untouchable atop the list.

Guess who’s the guy who can bring him down to two?

Lebron James!

Nooooooooooooooooooooppesss!

It the freshly minted 5-time champion Kobe Bryant! No other guy can fly alongside MJ but Kobe.

How can he? It’s a stretch but Kobe could do the impossible.

Say, he plays at this still good level for 3 to 4 years and hooks up 2 more rings. He’ll get to seven championships. One more than Jordan. And while doing so, he’ll get to bump his career numbers - pad up his stats and set few more records. Then years 35 to 38 yo, barring any injuries, for sure he can still play (like 20 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists guy) and goes for the “numbers kill”. Numbers Kill means making sure he’ll get to Kareem total points, most games played, most tantrums in a career, get all Los Angeles team records and the likes.

With Kobe being a master of the game, Kobe can switch to different positions depending on who’s facing them. He can be the future point guard of the Lakers for all we know. With his solid inside game, he can play the small forward position (his likely position at the tail end of his career - just like MJ with the Wizards). And, an “old” Kobe is still better than 90% of the shooting guards who play in the NBA.

Since Kobe does nothing but basketball (no rap recording deals, no movie outfit, no documentary films, no cameo roles), I don’t see him quitting hoops tomorrow.

Kobe Bryant could end up playing 20 quality seasons with 7 to 8 championships and owning significant number of NBA records.There are reasons why Kobe picked 24 as his 2nd career jersey number. 2 times 4 is 8, his old number. Or, 24 is one over 23. For now, everybody knows, Michael Jordan is still up in the NBA air. But who knows.

When MJ said come fly with me. Kobe listened.

The Book of Basketball: The NBA According to The Sports Guy Bill Simmons

My copy of Bill Simmon's in depth take and wacky perspective of the NBA finally arrived yesterday. The Book of Basketball The NBA According to The Sports Guy is one thick sanamagan. After reading the book, ill use this as TV Rack.

List price is 30USD but last December I bought this on sale from Amazon.com for about 24$ including shipping. The ship duration is about 3 weeks.

I've gone thru some pages (intro, the Isiah Thomas chapter, the Bill - Wilt debate chapter) and the read is entertaining and very promising. This is unprecedented. This could be the first time that I'll read a book cover to cover. I'll review my sched, maybe sometime soon I'll make book review of this NBA review. So that, you can review my review of this NBA review.

But, I'm not great at reviewing a book (in fact I am not great at anything) so I might as well L.E.N.D. this book to one L.U.C.K.Y. colleague at HOOPS.BLINK.PH (the gasping for air Philippine Basketball Blog) and let them read and review this.

2009 NBA Draft Diary By Me

I posted this over at HOOPH.


This is a diary of the 2009 NBA draft.

The tandem of Mark Jackson & Jeff Van Gundy is doing the TV job, both great basketball minds and funny as hell. Mark & Jeff pairing (see? just the names, has the making of a great tandem) is really one of the best combos in NBA Basketball. But their tandem could be possibly cut short ‘coz both are high on the list of prospective coaches.

As with previous years of holding this, David Stern will handle the first round then deputy commissioner Adam Silver takes over the second round. I will not go beyond first round though because I don’t know much about the new breed except for few names who are being mentioned quite often like the Rubios and the Griffins of the world.

I’ll go over the lottery picks (first 15) then we’ll go to Chad Ford’s draft review to learn more.

Opening up the salvo is of course David Stern greeted & welcomed by Madison Square Garden’s rowdy fans. Is it me or really, David Stern has the most sarcastic smile in the world. BTW, Stern mentions the world champions Los Angeles Lakers and the crowd booed. Haters!

Los Angeles Clippers, the worst franchise in the NBA ever, will pick first and there is no secret, Clips shall choose Blake Griffin. Wow, 2 winning seasons in 30 years, there is no reason why the Clippers are in the NBA still. BTW2, read the open letter of Bill Simmons, addressed to Mr. Blake Griffin.

It’s 5 minutes every after pick in the first round. Which means, I’ll be sitting my ass in for the next 75 minutes just to cover the lottery picks. Being a basketball fan is full time job!!!

PICK 1

Walah! Clippers select Blake Griffin of Oklahoma U. With NBA ready game & NBA ready body, this guy should be ready to kick some butt. The experts are picking other players for ROY, but hey, I am going with this fully packed power forward. He’ll get the numbers… he’ll get the minutes… he’ll possibly get quality teammates (Kaman, Davis, Randolph)… he’ll be the Rookie of the Year.

BTW3, Blake Griffin’s mom is white, his dad is black, thus he’s got this Jason Kidd look. Like, he’s in the middle, the black and the white. (BTW4, RIP Michael Jackson, much respect to his songwriting, his music & talent. Despite the bizarre MJ act, artistically, he’s great. We can’t take that away from him.)

Later, Clippers part time coach, part time GM Mike Dunleavy was interviewed. And, he lied when he said he’ll not trade one of his players, one of his biggies. That’s unreal. He needs to package Camby. It doesn’t help that Dunleavy has oiled hair, the mafia look, the Al Capone look… it doesn’t help in convincing us that he’s telling the truth.

PICK 2

Side note primer, would you believe this? As bad as Memphis Grizzlies are, they already have 4 winning seasons in their young history (The Pau Gasol Years). Compare that to the Clippers’ two winning seasons. WOW!

Memphis Grizzlies selected Hasheem Thabbet from Connecticut, and out of Tanzania, a 7-3 center. Ladies and gentlemen, the next Dikmebe Mutombo arrives. He’s interviewed and he sounded like Dike too! He might as well learn and practice the finger wag.

Based from NBA TV crew’s words, I think his game would complement Mark Gasol’s. That is, if they can ever understand each other. One speaks Spanish, one Tanzaniaish (I invented that language).

PICK 3

James Harden from Arizona picked by OKC, a guard. Ricky Rubio show on screen clapping. Is this Ricky’s first of what could be more slips? If Harden plays for OKC, I think Durant will finally settle on playing small forward. The interview… James Hareden was interviewed and how the hell can he be full bearded and mustached for such a young age.

PICK 4

Sacto is next. Pointguard Tyreke Evans from University of Memphis is the choice. And they flashed Rubio again clapping… and fake smiling… and slipping. I must admit, I don’t know much of these guys, therefore I don’t have Evans background. From the TV crew’s, he seems solid. But to me, I think Sacramento’s history of play, up tempo and with flair, a flashy Ricky Rubio would get them more season ticket holders.

PICK 5

Could it be Ricky Rubio’s time… Minnesota traded away Foye & Miller so they have opening in the guards position (and they will get bunch of them)… BTW5, they own the picks 5 & 6.

Olah amigos, El Pistolero Maravicho Photocopiya, Ricky Rubio picked by ‘Sota. Just in, team owner Taylor went to a nearby ATM and withdraws 10,000,000 US dollars, he’ll need the money to buy Rubio’s contract out from his Spanish team, La Liga Spanyol Merengue.

Kevin Love and Al Jefferson plus Rubio, hmmmm, that’s pretty good set. Nice job Kevin McHale! Ah wait, he’s no longer part of the Timberwolves. BTW6, Minnesota Timberwolves are still coach-less. I think they should draft a coach first.

The Interview… Ricky Rubio was interviewed and he has this freak high note voice. He could dub some of the Pixar films and he’ll get away with it fine. Asked, to whom he can compare his game, he says… I AM RICKY RUBIO! Yes, you are Ricky Rubio, a potential bust.

PICK 6

Minny again on the clock…

Some primer, after years at the helm, McHale is no longer with the Minnesota Timberwolves… 5-year playoff drought & still without a coach. These picks 5 and 6 plus later picks should help their cause.

They picked Jonny Flynn from Syracuse who seems to be an explosive player. His claim to fame, he played in a 6 overtime game & played 67 minutes. Wow, that’s 2 games in one-night. Even baseball players on steroids can’t do that, even football on boobs-enhancer-steroids can’t do that, even Snoop Dogg on a good night can’t top that, even Wilt wasn’t able to do that in his prime. (Wilt has other unbreakable record though, google “wilt chamberlain 20000.”)

PICK 7

Golden State Warriors picked Stephen Curry, son of a decent NBA player, Dell Curry. The whole MSG is crying coz they love Curry to land to Knicks. A combo-guard-shooter, he’ll certainly fit with Monta Ellis’ game. That’s if, a big if, Monta decides not to injure himself again on some non-basketball activity. The interview… man, or should I say boy, Stephen Curry’s facial hair is thinner than thin. Same of what I have when I was 15. Somebody should make him shave the beard.

PICK 8

Speaking of hair, the New York Knicks miss Curry just by a hair. Curry gone by the 7th, and they are picking 8th. NYK selected Joran Hill from Arizona. The boo birds came singing. This MSK-Knicks crowd, I can’t remember a draft night when they appreciated a Knicks’ pick.

From pre-draft shows I watched, this 6-10 power forward plays Cris Bosh type of game. Oh, so the NYK need not clear up cap space to get Bosh in 2010, they got Bosh-like player in 09.

PICK 9

DeMar DeRozan from USC picked by Toronto Raptors. I know zero about this guy so I’ll say this… I think Colangelo is done with Spaniards, Italians, etc. And since I got nothing on DeRozan, I’ll say few more things…

1. I hate the trend of players spelling their names with mash-up of caps letters & small letters! I’ll blame LeBron for this. Yes LeBron. Not Lebron, Not LEBRON, but LeBron! But DeMar DeRozan just put it to the next level. You need to press the SHIFT-KEY 4 times just to type his name. That’s a lot of work for us Demar, I mean, DeMar.
2. I am tired of these broadcasters saying like “this player is athletic!” All they say is that! This guy is athletic! Of course they are, they are athletes for crissakes.
3. Also, I’ve had enough of TV guys saying that Player A has a 7-1 wingspan, that PLAYER B has 7-4 wingspan! My question is, are they really measuring this stat? I think NO. That wingspan description is just a filler if they have nothing to say about a player. See, them saying, “This PLAYER A is super athletic and can jump out of the building & he has a wingspan of 7-2,” that’s not doing the draft scouting job, right?

PICK 10

Brandon Jennings picked by Milwaukee Bucks. He played in Europe after highschool to hone his skills there… cashed in some Euros… and perhaps produced some African-American-Italian players ready for the NBA Draft 2030.

Oh by the way, with no assurance of being picked early in the draft, Jennings stayed in his hotel suite and played Nintendo Wii. Later, he came for a photoshoot with the cap, with Stern, what a (no)character guy. Congratulation to the Bucks for getting a superb headcase in the making.

PICK 11

New Jersey Nets, fresh from disposing VINSANITY, they need to get some scoring punch, a wing player punch.

NJ Nets selected Terrence Williams a senior from Louisville. He can score and is versatile but dig this, he CAN defend. That’s basically like poorman’s version of Vince, a cheaper Vince, a younger Vince. Diff is, Williams plays defense.

PICK 12

Charlotte Bobcats is next. GM Jordan is in Chicago though playing Golf this late. But to show his professionalism to us all and to show his commitment to Bobcats, he stopped playing in the 10th Hole. He called the CB draft room and the instruction is to draft Jeff Jordan, I mean Gerald Henderson.

Guard Gerald Henderson is from Duke. Oh-oh, from Duke guys, brace for a disappointing career. Try googling “duke nba busts” and you’ll get amazing results.

Like Stephen Curry, Gerald Henderson is a second generation NBA player, his dad played too in the NBA.

PICK 13

Indiana Pacers selected Tyler Hansbrough. Experts are high on this guy but the TV crews said Indiana needs a PG. And then, surprise, Larry Legend picked a forward, a white forward, a hard-working white forward. Basically, Bird picked a Larry Bird player without the shooting, without the great basketball IQ that Bird had, and without the ‘tache.

PICK 14

Phoenix Suns went on Mass Destruction mode of its core team. They are officially rebuilding. Bucher reported a possible Amare Stoudemire to GSW trade. And of course, news is, SHAQ will team-up with LeBron to fulfill a Lakers - Cavs finals next year.

Phoenix Suns select Earl Clark, a 6-10 forward. Well, no pressure for him! He is just the Amare Stoudemire and Shaquille replacement up front for the Phoenix Suns. No pressure!

Doogie Howser M.D., AKA, Steve Kerr admitted that they are on rebuilding and listening to offers. Bye Amare!

PICK15

Detroit selected skinny 6-11 Austin Daye from Gonzaga. The 3rd father-son in the draft. Funny note by Jeff Van Gundy, a thin-wire Austin Daye for the Detroit Pistons will make Tayshaun Prince like The Hulk compared to Daye.

The lottery picks are over. Expect numerous trades later in the draft including the much loved, trading players for cash.

KB24 HD 09

LA Are The Champions

Kobe’s MJ Moments Snatch Game 4

ORIGINALLY POSTED AT HOOPH.


The day Kobe first set foot on an NBA floor, it was obvious, his game is patterned after the great Michael Jordan. Nobody can deny this.

As hard as Kobe says otherwise, there’s no way his game is patterned after Bob Cousy.

Remove the fallaways, the highlight dunks, the mid game shots, the drives to the hoop, the low post moves, and still you’ll see MJ in Kobe.

The way he walks, speaks, competes, the will, etc.

And I am told, Kobe just playbacked his whole Michael Jordan DVD collection last night. Yes, all night.

Kobe’s sched last night:

6:00 pm - Watch Orlando - Lakers Game 3 scouting video clips
6:30 pm - Dinner Time
7:00 pm - DVD TIME…. “COME FLY WITH ME”
8:00 pm - “Michael Jordan’s Playground”
9:00 pm - “Air Time”
10:00 pm - “Above and Beyond”
11:00 pm - “His Airness”
12:00 MN - Watch interracial p*rn.
12:16 am - Bed time

And so he woke up with an, ahhmm, a breath of fresh air, Air Jordan that is.

Game 4, he came out of the dugout today, more than ever, MJ-ish.

People… Did you all see the way he chewed the gum? That’s MJ patented. Did you see his catch-the-ball-in-the-elbow-i-will-not-dribble-ill-take-this-shot-anyway-shot? That’s on page 68 of the Michael Jordan How To Score With Style Handbook.

Did you see how he carried the ball at the top of the key, on isos? The nonchalant dribble. Did you some bits of shrug every shot made? Did you the fist pumps? Did you the grit & sneer of Kobe?

Did you see how he rovered many times to cover Dwight Howard? Did you see how Kobe grabbed the ball from Howard’s grasp (a parallel to the crucial steal of MJ from Malone)?

But wait, there’s more.

The two three point shots of Fisher both came out because of Kobe’s willingness to pass the ball. Critics are all crying for this, when will he be able to trust his mates in the biggest stage of the game?

Guys, the answer is now.

First up, the 3-point tying shot of Derek Fisher that tied the game.

Lakers inbounded from the backcourt with 11 seconds then temporarily & successfully denied Bryant the ball for some seconds. Kobe freed up and got the ball, they crowded him. Kobe took the defense with him towards the endline & side of Lakers bench. Hedo & Pietrus doubled then Kobe, AKA, Mr. Willingly Yours passed the ball to Ariza. Ariza passed to Derek Fisher. Lakers playing 4 on 3, defense on the edge, Nelson backed-up a little (big time mistake btw) and swoosh, all tied.

Almost same play by MJ in the Paxon shot over Phoenix Suns in 93. Defense overreacting to MJ backcourt handle, he passed the ball to Pippen at the centercourt, Pip found Paxon wide open and there’s goes Barkley’s dream ring.

Second down, the back breaking, air zapping shot by Derek Fisher.

Kobe in the block, Jameer Nelson doubled off Derek Fisher and leaves The Fish wide open. Kobe, ahem, the willing passer, delivered the ball to the perfectly open Fisher. Swoosh. Lakers up by 3 with 30 secs left.

Oh, check out the Steve Kerr - Michael Jordan play, exactly same play. MJ defended by Bryon Russell and he passed. As a bonus replica, both doubling point guards, John Stockton & Jameer Nelson fell down leaving Kerr & Fisher with literally the shot of their lives. (Ah wait, Fisher’s 0.4 shot is his trademark)

Lakers lead 3 - 1.

Ladies & gentlemen, Kobe’s two MJ moments in one game.

Plus bonus MJ-chew-the-gum-alike by The Mamba. Awesome.



(For the Lakers win, special mention to Ariza’s play, Derek Fisher’s clutchness, Pau Gasol steadiness, Howard’s choking on the FT line and Adam Morrison gorgeous coat & tie.)

LeBron James KO'd, Orlando Magic vs Los Angeles Lakers Finals

After Lakers game 6 close out of Denver, I wanted Magic for the Lakers, now I got it…

Speaking of Magic… Abra-kadabra, wooshhhhh, the King is Gone!

I witnessed that.

Sorry David Stern, sorry Nike, sorry BTV, the Kobe-LeBron dream showdown was spoiled by the Magic. LeBron has left the Building.

To be fair, LeBron’s supporting cast is incomparable to Dwight’s (But you know what, during the 66 win regular season & the 8-0 playoff blitz of the Cavs, I did not hear a lot of people rambling about his mediocre supporting cast).

Sorry LeBron, looks like it’s Kobe time this year.

LeBron is still on his first little toddler steps to greatness so he should be fine. It’s not his time nor the 2007 ring, nor the 2008th ring. It’s now up to Ferry to retool LeBron’s crew. Perhaps a bigger shooting guard & a younger frontline player.

I repeat… After Lakers game 6 close out of Denver, I wanted Magic for the Lakers, now I got it.

I feel that Howard, though he can get his monster numbers, he can not beat the Lakers alone. The Lakers will have some answers. I know, Phil will have the answer with the massive three-point shooting of Orlando.

Though now ousted, I still feel Lebron’s Cavs is tougher team to beat for Lakers. With the Kobe-Lebron greatness debate at stake, that will drive LeBron to go nuts. LeBron (like we’ve witnessed bunch of times), he alone can single-handedly score 1 to 2 wins over the Lakers. And with the way Melo banged-in a couple of high scoring games against Ariza & Walton, just imagine Lebron’s line.

Via Lebron’s heavy numbers & minutes, Cavs is a pretty good team. They are vacationing now because they run into multiple matchup problems in Orlando.

Given, Howard is too much for either Ben or Z and the human-flopping-machine Varejao. What did the Cavs too is the combo of Hedo & Lewis. Hedo feasted on Delonte’s defense. While a roving LeBron allowed his men, Pietrus & Lewis those momentum generating threes. Cavs guard Daniel Gibson said… “It’s hard watching the dream go away with every 3-point shot they made.” And then, Lee & Alston found their shooting rhythm. That spelled SEASON OVER for the Cavs.

Against Lakers, Luke Walton & Trevor Ariza will offer better defense vs Hedo. Odom, AKA Up-Lharma-Down (the inconsistencies, got it?, the band, got it?) pretty much cancels out Rashard Lewis.

It’s up to Bynum & Gasol to counter Dwight Howard energy, defense & numbers. Dwight speed, strength & size present problems really but Josh Powell and D.J. Mbenga carry 12 fouls combined. That’s 24 FT attempts gifts for a supposed poor FT shooter Howard. Foul him, grab him, don’t allow and-ones and the perimeter Lakers should not double off Hedo/Lewis/Pietrus/Lee/Alston and my fave, Redick.

Oh wait, there’s this guy named Kobe Bryant.

As hard as Pietrus tried against Lebron, Lebron fired a close to 40-point average in 6 games against Orlando. That’s with Pietrus as the main cover. With Kobe having 200 more moves than Lebron, can you see him doing better against Kobe. Nahhh!

The problem of containing Kobe (not only scoring but you know, the decoy thing) will have to be the problem of Stan Van Giddy. He aint a bad coach, he can prove to his dad, that he’s the best Gundy coach in the world f he can contain Kobe and the Lakers.

With a streak of 0 and 2 in the finals (1 by Detroit, 1 by Boston), I just can’t see Kobe Bryant letting this one slip away. At 31 (this August), Kobe’s time is clicking, he knows it. This is BEST EFFIN SHOT he’s got in bagging a ring without the Shaq-string.

We’ll hear the familiar chant, Beat L.A. Beat LA… to which Kobe and his gang will say… No Way!

The Lakers Are In

Trade Rumors, BURIED. Check.

Regular Season, TOPPED. Check.

Denver, DONE. Check.

Jazz, NO MORE. Check.

Spurs, SPANKED. Check.

Sometimes, I almost want to agree... that... whoever has the best player on a seven game series, that team usually wins (Miami-Wade over Dallas, Bulls-MJ over everyone else, Celtics-Bird in the 80s, Magic-LA in the 80s too, Shaq-Lakers over Reggie, Iverson and Jason Kidd, Spurs-Duncan over Billups, Kidd, Allan Houston). Safe digits... 75% likely, the best player's team wins. This is the case with the SPURS -Lakers West conference showdown. KOBE BRYANT is the best player. His team won. He finished off the Spurs with a variety of moves in the second half. Every Bryant shot, air is sucked out of Spurs' will.

But credit too should be given to the following...

• Lamar Odom for not sucking each time he's got his customary slump. Finding a way to contribute and somehow able to deliver some needed points at crucial stages.
• Derek Fisher. For showing up and playing Tony Parker well (with the aid of Lakers' team defense). True to his form, he's the Spurs' Curse. Remember the 0.4 secs? Remember the Barry-non-call?
• Sasha Vujacic for harassing the hobbling Manu Ginobili all the way to the CR. BTW, he's the MOST WANTED GUY in San Antonio for creaming game 5 with the unnecessary three point shot made, game already won.
• Ronnie Turiaf. Tired of using this... but really, he gives so much energy off play, on bench but still able to contribute on court. He's one of the Lakers' glue guys and unlike other "energy guys," Ron actually contributes. He had key defensive moments against Timmy. And for just him, going PONY TAIL during the most important game of the season, that was the lucky, ahhm, charm.
• Jordan Farmar. For his energy and point production this Game 5. BTW, unknown to many, he's also the undercover scout for LA, reporting directly to Brian Shaw. With Farmar's ears, he's able to hear opponents bench huddles some 40 feet away.
• Chris Mihm. For acting like he is really excited and for eating up some cap space. Had there been enough cap space, Mitch Kupchack could have signed these guys... Sprewell, Payton, Juwan Howard, etc.
• Luke Walton. For being there when Kobe needed him the most. See, he's Kobe's favorite punching bag. He's Kobe's outlet. Whenever Lakers play bad and Luke is on court, expect Kobe venting some heat on Walton. BTW, nice corner three from Walton.
  
• Vlad Radmanovic. He's Mr. First Quarter Man. Quick 10 points, easily. Plus, he found a way to give up his love for SKIING for the betterment of the team.
  
• Pau Gasol. After Bynum knees went AWOL, we, Lakers fan should appreciate the GIFT FROM Memphis. Plus, how could you not love this guy, he plays with passion and team concept in mind. In fact, he's on track to break the world's record for most career HIGH-FIVES given and received. (Currently, RONNIE MAGSANOC holds the record with 27,124 career high-fives.) Seriously, never mind that some of Pau's inside shots are soft, somehow rushed, looks half-baked. Without Pau, I don't think Lake show goes this deep.

As for the Spurs... Though it ended 4-1, this isn't a L.A. massacre. Could have been 3-2 SPURS leading, you know. Manu's clearly injured but he played thru it and didn't give excuses. Tim Duncan played great. Parker played well, as the usual Tony Parker. But, in the end, Spurs were too tired and a little old for the Lakers. The Lakers are fresh, very well coached, have a pool of reserves, they played well and got the BEST BASKETBALL PLAYER.

BRING ON, KG!

Kobe Canning A Century