My sister was so happy that the Dallas Mavericks came out of Game 1 against the San Antonio Spurs with a 1-0 lead and obviously I was feeling otherwise. But then again, it’s a game – you win, you lose. The only difference is that this is the NBA playoffs. And so, I told her that the Spurs will get even and take over the AT&T Center on Game 2.
The 2009 NBA Playoffs has begun! I'm so stoked. Here is the list of team ups for the first round:
The road in the West for the Hornets, however, was blocked by the San Antonio Spurs. The series of the Hornets against the veteran Spurs were among the must-see games in the West. Chris Paul & Co. were in the lead during the first two rounds of the series and the 4-time champions almost on the verge of elimination. Then, the veterans showed the stingy Hornets who they were playing against and tied the series to 2-2. But the Hornets hopes were high because the tie would mean that they would go back to the Big Easy, which houses the most unified crowd. The result was a 3-2 lead of the bees and a game 4 at the Alamo City. The Spurs turned it over for the Hornets and tied the series again. And then it was the deciding game, Game 7, the Spurs outplayed the Hornets and left the newbies in awe for what could have been a great season against the LA Lakers. It was the Lakers, though, who got rid of the Spurs during the Western Conference finals.
The Hornets team that has surprised everyone last season is all set for this season, bringing all the lessons [even memories] of the last season. Paul, West, & the rest of the Hornets' weapon? Well, it would definitely be their 3-pt efficiency and there's no doubt that their defense is pretty [I think, even better than the Lakers]. But there's still definitely more room for improvement specially in the West side of America.
Can you smell it? [inhale] Christmas is in the air but I'm not talking about it! I'm talking about the approaching NBA season. Can't wait to see the changes in the lineup of the San Antonio Spurs and the other teams. Actually, I'm looking forward to the Phoenix Suns without their former coach Mike D'Antoni, who's now the Knicks head coach. What's clearly new this season is the Oklahoma City Thunder that's wearing few new faces since it almost consist of the previous lineup of the outmoded Seattle SuperSonics. But before I go any further, here are some of the previews I got from the NBA. Starting from the defending NBA champions, Boston Celtics and the Western Conference champions, LA Lakers.
LA Lakers: One thing is for sure, if the Lakers are going to defend their place as the Western Conference representative in The Finals, it’s going to come down to defense. Yeah, it's probably time to tweak a bit of the Lakers' ball game particularly on the defensive end. No problem with the offense because they still have Kobe Bryant, the nonstop shooting machine. There's Pau Gasol ready for the rebounds and Lamar Odom, who I expect to play better.
Reports regarding the New York Knicks waiving Stephon Marbury was one of best news I've got. Face it, the Knicks haven't given any serious threat to their opponents last season. Internal conflicts provided a huge disadvantage for the team and the best solution reasonable was to cut the cause for all of it, which for the most of the time involved Marbury.
And yes, the author has found the juiciest news in the league which is the collaboration of the NBA with Euroleague. You heard the lady right. The Euroleague will set foot in America to play in the preseason games. The Lietuvos Rytas [Lithuania], FC Barcelona [Spain] and CSKA Moscow [Russia] could play against the Golden State Warriors, Toronto Raptors, Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers.
Congratulations to the Boston Celtics for winning the series against the LA Lakers in six games. Celts won 131-92 against the Lakers, who were outscored during the second quarter. "I took a deep breath, looked up and said 'Hey, it finally happened, man. So many things were running though our heads on the sidelines. We were just in awe over there, can't believe what was going on. I still can't believe right now that I've got a championship under my belt," said Paul Pierce of the Celtics. This is the Celtics 17th championship but for Kevin Garnett it's a first that he surely won't forget. [clap clap clap] Cheers to KG! At last, he got what he's always longed for and he's not a T-Wolf anymore, he's a Celtic! =) Pierce is MVP?
What went wrong with the Spurs? The defending champs simply didn't have the consistency on the offensive end. During the first round against the Phoenix Suns, the Spurs didn't have that much troubl with regards to their shooting. But every game against the Suns was a hard-fought battle for the Spurs. Their offensive problems showed during their series against the New Orleans Hornets, which went up to seven games. And when the series against the Lakers began, the Spurs just hung in the balance because of their poor shooting and the supporting casts' lack of contribution on the offense. I know the Spurs played against the Lakers the best they could but they just weren't strong enough to go along with KB24 and the rest of the Lakers.
As for the Pistons, the Celtics outplayed them in four games and that was all. For the postseason record of the Bad Boys, they played neck-and-neck against an underdog named Anrei Iguodala and the Philadelphia 76ers. The way the Sixers played against the Pistons really shocked me but in the end it was the Sheed's company who won and advanced to the semis to face the Orlando Magic. I thought it was going to be another neck-and-neck battle but I was wrong. The Pistons prevailed after finishing Superman and his allies in five games. And off they went to the conference finals where the legendary Celtics await them. The series was then tied to 2-2, Ray Allen even said that the series felt like it was back to zero. Then after Game 5, the Celtics had the 3-2 lead. But the Bad Boys of Motown weren't the type who's going to lose their cool just because their behind. What's good news for the Pistons was that they were playing at The Palace - their home. But I guess being at home doesn't really assure you a win. The Pistons eventually lost to the Celtics and KG advances to meet KB24 in the Finals.
I don't really know where to go from here. Two of my favorite teams have been eliminated by the teams that are going to the Finals. Honestly, I want the Lakers to win because I want the loss of the Spurs to be worth it. So, I'll be rooting for the Lakers in the Finals. Why I don't like the Celtics? The answer is wearing the #20 green jersey. =p
Try to imagine someone writing from a computer with keys almost popping out from the keyboard. That's definitely how I'm typing as I write this entry. I'm disappointed, sad, frustrated, and everything negative that a fan could feel whenever his/her favorite team loses. Good news to all Lakers fans though, Kobe and his squad just crushed the Spurs to a 93-91 win at the Alamodome, getting the lead to 3-1. Kobe Bryant finished the game with 28 points and 10 boards. Lamar Odom sits next to KB24 as the second best scorer of the game adding 16 points and nine rebounds. Pau Gasol, who came to the Lakers to seek for a championship, contributed 10 points and 10 rebounds. Good job for the Lakers.
The Boston Celtics arrived at the Palace with the notion that the Detroit Pistons will sweep them two game in a row. But that didn't happen when the Celts won Game 3 over the Bad Boys. The Celts eventually got the 2-1 against and feeling confident about making another one in Auburn Hills. Well, not for too long because the Pistons would never allow such feat and so the Pistons fueled themselves to win, which they successfully did. The Palace rejoiced as their Pistons lashed the Celts with a 94-75 win, getting the series to 2-2. Good news for all Pistons fans.
While the Palace celebrated, the Kevin Garnett and the Celtics just felt the gravity of the situation of losing a road-game against an opponent like the Pistons. KG and Paul Pierce only 16 points apiece. Ray Allen wasn't feeling his rhythm that much with only 11 points. During the course of the playoffs, I noticed that Allen isn't helping his team that much. Is he injured? Is feeling unwell? Does he have early vacation plans? If he continues to be that way, KG and Pierce will need to find another backup. Don't ever think of Sam Cassell being moved to the starter because I don't think he'll be of any help at all. "They didn't play great. Kevin had shots that he normally makes, and he didn't make them. I just thought he didn't have shots when we wanted him to get the ball. He had elbow jumpers, not in the post," said Doc Rivers, Celts coach. But for the Pistons' coach Flip Saunders, “I thought this game was called very differently than any other game in the playoffs. There were a lot of ticky-tack fouls called.”
How good is KB24 in playing basketball? If only I have a measuring device to determine how good he is, I wouldn't have a hard time figuring it out. But What I do know is Kobe is so good that basketball becomes so easy when he's playing. I am definitely not a fan of Kobe Bryant, I just can't help but be amazed with the way he's played basketball and I think he's changed a lot. He's not the Kobe that has a glue on hand, where the ball just sticks with him throughout the game and him scoring more than half of his team's score. It simply seemed to me that the Kobe who won MVP this regular season was the one I've always wanted to watch. I hate saying this, but I'm starting to like the way he's carried his team and the way his teammates have improved despite his persistence of having a trade earlier this season.
The San Antonio Spurs were down 0-2 against the LA Lakers. But with their playoff routine, the Spurs bounced back with a 103-84 against the Lakers on Game 3. But hey that was just Game 3 and the Lakers still lead the series to 2-1. So, I guess I really shouldn't be overconfident about the Spurs. But who wouldn't be very confident if the Manu Ginobili that we've always known has just returned to the AT&T Center and buried 30 points for the Spurs? After two games of poor shooting, Ginobili was back and hitting every crucial shot for his team. Tim Duncan finished with another double-double with 22 points and 21 rebounds. Tony Parker also had an outstanding Game 3 performance and added 20 points. The rest of the Spurs played well but they have to step up their games more and with much pressure at hand because I'm pretty sure Kobe Bryant and the entire squad of Phil Jackson will recover from that loss and will be determined to try win at the AT&T Center.
Speaking of the Lakers, Kobe topped their scoreboards with 30 points and was followed by his mate Pau Gasol with 15 points. Lamar Odom wasn't quite himself with only seven points and 11 boards. I've got to put that behind me and get ready for the next one," Odom said.
The LA Lakers dominated in the Staples Center with a 101-71 victory against the San Antonio Spurs. "The building was electric and we just kept it going,” said Jordan Farmar. Kobe Bryant was definitely himself with 22 points. Lamar Odom, who said he didn't played well in Game 1, had a superb game finished with 20 points and 12 boards. "I just try to fit a role and find my niche and find my lane," said Odom. The Lakers' bench were productive, too, with Farmar contributing 14 points along with Sasha Vujacic and Luke Walton with seven points apiece. "The past, maybe, week and a half, I've been feeling really good about my game," said Farmar.
On the Spurs' side, well, no one was actually feeling Game 2. Tony Parker had 13 points, Tim Duncan with 12 points, and Manu Ginobili [back to being the 6th Man] only scored seven points. Honestly, I really have no idea what happened to my Spurs. They were literally outscored by the Lakers in three quarters and again they were in the exact spot they were in during the series against the Hornets, which is to be down by 0-2. “We are going to go home and one of two things are going to happen. We are either going to make this a series, or not,” said Duncan.
Do we [Spurs' fans] have to endure that same feeling when the New Orleans Hornets buried the San Antonio Spurs to a 0-2 deficit again? I understand if the Spurs are still weary after that strenuous job of eliminating the Hornets. But it's the conference finals and it's the Lakers that they're battling against. Okay, inhale-exhale. Breathe Halley, just relax.
Let me hear you say! Deeeeetrooooit baaaasketballlllllll!! Yeah! The battle is definitely on between the Detroit Pistons and the Boston Celtics. The so-called Bad Boys of Motown won 103-97 against KG and the Celts in Game 2, tying the series to 1-1. They are a team that is so consistent in being good that they elude greatness -- sometimes, it seems, on purpose. - Scoop Jackson
Yes, I know the LA Lakers won 89-85 against the San Antonio Spurs. And I also know that KB24 is this season's MVP, so, I'm don't wonder why he got 27 points and nine assists for the Game 1 win. "I knew I could make a push and once I made that push, it felt like it energized us a little bit, get the game back under control, get it under 10 where we knew we could be in striking distance," said Lakers' G Bryant. Next to Kobe Bryant on scoring is Pau Gasol with 19 points and seven boards. Derek Fisher only had four points and was cursed with five personal fouls, the reason for his 29-minute playing time. On the side of the silver and black jersey, it was Tim Duncan who dominated the scoreboards with 30 points and 18 rebounds. Tony Parker who only had 18 points had 10 rebounds to pull it off for his team. But I think it wasn't enough to steal one game from the Staples Center. Manu Ginobili, obviously, wasn't in perfect rhythm scoring only 10 points and four turnovers. Was he one of the Spurs who slept on the plane? The Spurs lost but I'm sure they'll definitely get back in Game 2. “We had a great opportunity and didn’t take advantage of it,” Gregg Popovich said. Game 1 was close and it will get even closer as the series continues.
If the Lakers had the easiest road to the Western Conference finals, for the Spurs it was the opposite. First round and the Spurs have to eliminate one of their toughest rivals, the Phoenix Suns. We all what happened to these two teams last seasons. And I think up to now, the Suns' fans aren't over yet with Robert Horry's hipcheck on Steve Nash. But the series was tougher for the Suns after being ousted by the Spurs to 4-1. Then, on the second round the problem for the Spurs continued with CP3 and the Hornets very eager to get into the Finals. It was definitely one of the toughest series I've watched which went to a grueling Game 7. Despite the homecourt advantage of the Hornets on Game 7, the Spurs still won 91-82. And what awaits the Spurs in the conference finals is another trouble with a leader named MVP this season.
