LeBron Skips Out on Media
Following Saturday's game 6 loss to the Magic, LeBron walked off the court, into the locker room, and out into the real world. He didn't stop to tell the media why he was disappointed. He didn't sit behind the podium and lament the loss, complain about the lack of offensive help he has. He didn't stop to reflect on losing out on a trip to the Finals. No. Instead, LeBron did what any person would do after experiencing heartbreak: Leave, and be alone. He didn't face the music because, quite frankly, he couldn't. We forget sometimes. LeBron is only 24. And while critics will say he had an obligation to speak, as the face of the franchise, as the face of a city, I disagree. LeBron showed true emotion in the face of a shocking defeat. Lebron reminded us that it's okay to be upset after losing something important. If you or I lost someone or something important, we wouldn't have to face the media. We might sulk off, cry a little bit. LeBron might have done the same thing. It's important to realize that LeBron is ultra competitive. Maybe he was just angry that his team lost. But, I say it's more than that. LeBron didn't face the media, not because he was angry, because he was heartbroken. We 'witnessed' a great one, come crashing down to earth, reminding us that he's only human.
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It’s Magic Lakers
Well, we didn't get the Finals matchup we all expected (and hoped for). But we got the next best thing. Kobe and the Lakers will take on Superman and the Magic. And if you think about it, it could be a great matchup. Two superstars. Howard should be able to feast on Pau Gasol. Howard is a tank physically, while Gasol is much skinner and carries less muscle. The Magic don't have an answer defensively to Kobe, unless Mickael Pietraus really steps up. We've said a lot that the Magic need to hit threes to win. If they do that, they'll be tough. But I don't think they can keep up the percentage of three pointers made against the Lakers. Ariza, Shannon Brown have been providing great defense on the perimeter.
It's not the matchup we wanted. But it's not bad. Can't wait for the Finals.
Finally, A Lakers Team with The Goods to Win it All
The Lakers beat the Nuggets Friday night, advancing to the NBA finals, where they will face either the Magic or Cavs. I had suspected for a long time that the Lakers would end up here. After last year's appearance in the finals, where the Celtics pretty much dominated, the goal's been to get back to this spot. Last year, I didn't think they had much of a chance. This year? They have the goods to win it all. Finally.
Finally, Lamar Odom is playing with passion, with fire. Lamar Odom is becoming near impossible to guard. Finally.
Finally, Pau Gasol is dominating inside. His 7 foot frame had been considered soft, especially in last year's finals. Now, he's taking it to the rim, getting boards. Finally.
Finally, Trevor Ariza and Luke Walton are causing havoc offensively and defensively, annoying opponents. Finally.
Finally, Shannon Brown is providing shutdown D. Finally.
Finally, Derek Fisher is providing a steady hand at point guard, draining threes. Finally.
Finally, Kobe is being Kobe. He's doing it without Shaq. He's in the top two players of the league. He's taken the step from great player to leader. Finally.
Mike Tyson’s Daughter Dies
In tragic news from a couple of days ago, boxer Mike Tyson's daughter died. Apparently, her neck got caught in a cord from a treadmill. She was 4. Mike Tyson has had a lot of struggles in his life, a lot of ups and downs. He was a heavyweight champion. He's had numerous criminal charges, bit Evander Holyfield's ear. He went from the top of his sport to the bottom. But, it still seems unfair that he has to go through this. It seems unfair that the universe is punishing him with the death of his 4 year old daughter. 4 years old, with her whole life in front of her, gone. 4 years old. We all remember the innocence we felt at 4 years old. We all remember the freedom we felt. Imagine that being taken away in an instant, gone, dead. If this is the universe's way of punishing Tyson, shame on the universe. Let him serve jail time. Don't take his daughter away from him. I talk a lot on this blog about why bad things happen to good guys. By all accounts, Mike Tyson is troubled. He's a criminal. But, never, never has he done anything to have his 4 year old daughter taken away from him. I don't know the extent of their relationship. I don't know if they were close or distant. 4 years old. Rest in peace, Exodus Tyson. You have done nothing to deserve this. Neither did your father.
Don’t Panic Cleveland! It’s Not Over…Yet
So the Cavs are down 3-1. They haven't dominated a game at all, even their lone win. Every game, with the exception of Game 3, has been a nail biter. But is it over? No. Not in the slightest.
If the Cavs want to win this series, they have do a couple of things. One, distribute the basketball. You can't expect LeBron to do everything. Mo Williams, Ilgauskas, and company have to step up. If you're waiting for LeBron to take over, you're waiting too long. Basketball is five-on-five, not one-on-one. Two, force Orlando to not take threes. Sure, the Magic are not going to be as hot as they were last night, but the fact remains. If Orlando gets time and space to hit threes, the Cavs can't win. Make them play a half court, inside out game. And three, don't panic. While every game is must win, you have to take it one game at a time. And maybe, LeBron will make magic (no pun intended) happen.
Just Give Him the Damn Ball!
Pau Gasol is angry. As the big man, he wants the ball. And he's isn't getting it. Said Gasol:
"I wish we would take more advantage of our height and the inside game, because it's pretty effective. It's unfortunate that we don't recognize it enough," Gasol said, according to the Daily News.
"It's frustrating because we lose games," Gasol said, according to the report. "I don't mind when we win, because the bottom line is, I want to win. But I feel like we have an advantage, and I'm effective, we should stay with what works and what's effective and not get away from it. It just doesn't make a lot of sense."
I happen to agree with Gasol. While this is Kobe's team, good basketball is played utilizing your big man. Work the ball in, get a favorable matchup down low, and get high percentage shots. You can't have Kobe doing all the work. If the Lakers want to win this series, Gasol has to be featured more. And where has Andrew Bynum been? Your bigs can't disappear.
Dissecting the Mike Vick Situation
With Mike Vick now in a halfway home (or, his multi-million dollar mansion) the football world is abuzz. When will he comeback? Where will he go? Where will he play? My question is this: Why would you want him?
-Mike Vick has been out of football for two years. Two years. In football, that's like 20 years. I don't know the whole story, but I have to assume he wasn't working out as hard as he would had he been playing. He has to be out of shape. He's definitely not in football shape. The time it will take to get back in shape, and re-acclimate into playing into the NFL will be at least two years. And when he does get back into playing form, will he be as effective? Will he be the same player, who, at best, was just a mediocre QB? Will he still have his speed two years later? Does he still have to moves? It's hard to know. It's hard to take a gamble.
-How can you justify bringing him into your city? He might show remorse, he might be genuinely sorry for his actions. But how can you justify to fans, to the people in your community that you are bringing in a ex-dog fighter? You can't! There's no way around it.
I think there's one real solution to this problem, but it doesn't involve the NFL. Try the UFL. The new league would love having Mike Vick, his name, the attention he brings. He might thrive against the lesser talent. I just don't see him thriving against NFL talent. He's been gone for too long. Besides, who is going to sign him? Too many complications to even begin the debate.
Some Thoughts And Musings
Haven't had a lot of time to post this week, so I figured I'd give some thoughts and musings on what's going on in sports:
-What a shot by LeBron James. Under pressure, needing a win, he got it done. Can we now say he's the best player in the game? He has the clutch shot. If he wins a title, he will most definitely be the best player on the planet.
-Good for the Magic for being able to come back in both of these games. You can't help that LeBron hit that shot. They should be very confident heading back to Orlando.
-Carmelo Anthony does not get the credit he deserves for being such a good player. He's taken this Denver team to new heights. A lot of people, myself included, were all Lakers all the time. I think that the Nuggets have a great chance of winning this series. They are playing outstanding defense, getting clutch baskets. You have to love the way they are playing.
-It's amazing how a point guard can change a team. With the Iverson-Billups swap, Denver has become a title contender, while Detroit went to fighting for the playoffs. When you have a steady point guard, you can go a long way. Mo Williams has had the same effect in Cleveland. To a lesser extent, Chris Duhon was that way in New York. Steady point guard play can make all the difference in the NBA.
-I'm shocked the Hurricanes are down 3-0. I really thought they could go all the way. Eric Staal is a monster, while Cam Ward is a hot goalie. But Sidney Crosby, and especially Evegeni Malkin have been spectacular. And sometimes you can't stop that.
-Chicago got a bad break with Havlat and Khabibulin out. They had some momentum after winning game 3.
-Yankees have an 'it' factor about them, winning so many games from behind. It speaks to their character.
-I just saw Milk this afternoon. Terrific movie. Sean Penn was outstanding and deserving of his Oscar.
-Have a great Memorial Day Weekend
Brian Grant: Facing Parkinson’s
File this under the Life's not Fair department. Former NBA player, Brian Grant, all of 37, has Parkinson's. 37. Parkinson's. He retired three years ago. He was at his athletic peak. Now? He has Parkinson's. Why is it that the good guys get saddled with disease, heartache, death. Why is it that thew guys who did it right have to pay. Why? Brian Grant is young. He is committed to taking on this disease all out. I commend him for that. He is taking the right approach. But, when you sit back and think about it, he's 37. We all know someone who is 37, or have been 37 ourselves. Can you imagine getting Parkinson's at 37? With your whole life to live? Hell, it doesn't have to be Parkinson's. Cancer, Lou Gerhig's, it doesn't matter. Why does this happen? So young. Why does Nick Adenheart die after pitching brilliantly? Why is he being punished for being hit by a drunk driver? What is the universe trying to tell us? That we do good things and it ends up bad? Why is it that the guys who break all the rules get second, third, fourth chances to prove themselves, when Nick Adenheart has one and it's gone it an instant. Why does Brian Grant get Parkinson's? Someone tell me. Because I'm sick of hearing people who did things get right get shafted. It's just not right. I wish Brian Grant the absolute best in his recovery. In the mean time, I'm left searching for answers. And I don't even know where to look.
What A Sports Weekend
I guess you can say I had a great sports weekend. I've been updating a lot on my Twitter account, but I'll provide full details. Friday afternoon I get last minute tickets from my cousin to the Yankee-Twins game. Of course, I was ecstatic. Haven't been to the new stadium. This was the same cousin that I was going to go with Preakness to, so I brought a change of clothes in a backpack and was going to stay over at his apartment. This is important. Remember this. We get to the stadium, and it's majestic. They really did a a great job with it. It takes up the sky. It's breath taking. And that's just the outside. I was eager to move inside. Little did I know, it would be more difficult than I thought. Remember that backpack? Apparently, Yankee Stadium frowns upon this. They said that men are not allowed bags unless it's a diaper bag. I was flabbergasted. They didn't even search the bag! They just 'no'. Actually, they said for seven bucks I could go across the street and store my bag at a locker in a bowling alley. I'm sorry, but I'm not going to spend 7 bucks at a bowling alley, and I'm sure as hell not going to go there at 11:30 in the South Bronx. You pay so much money, how can you suggest that? Offer a place in the stadium. It's only, what, a bazillion dollars? Crazy. Luckily, we had a second bag, so we took my clothes out, rolled the bag up, and stuffed it in. We got in. I wouldn't mind if they searched it. In fact, I would prefer it. As we were talking to a guy near us who had similar difficulty with his bag, he sneaked in a bottle of vodka. So they cared that I was bringing in a t-shirt, but they wouldn't care if I had alcohol? Insane. Fortunately, this one was really the only problem with the Stadium. Besides the weird food places and shops (farmers market, art gallery) it was great. We sat way up but you could see everything perfectly. And the game was great as the Yanks came back to win. Nothing better. The food was great too. Those garlic fries are still in my dreams.
Saturday was a day at the races, and what a day it was. We got there around the seventh race (the Preakness is 12th). We walked around and saw Mine That Bird, and his trainer. It was great. The actual Preakness was outstanding. Mine That Bird came so close to winning, as he snook from behind. I couldn't believe that he came that close. He was so far behind for so long. And let's face it: Rachel Alexandra is a hell of a horse. It doesn't matter that she's a filly. She was amazing. This is a Triple Crown caliber horse. Amazing. As for Calvin Borel, who I criticized for jumping on the bandwagon earlier, you can't deny his ability. It's amazing he won two Triple Crown Races on two different horses. What a jockey. He may be a front runner but he knows how to ride a horse.
It was quite the weekend. We even saw ZZ Top outside the hotel! I have to admit that was a bit odd. But all in all, a great weekend. I hope you enjoyed the Preakness as much as I did.
