LeBron Loses His NBA Crown

 

In just one game, LeBron James' legacy took a monstrous fall.

It may have only been one game, but it was the biggest game of the season for Cleveland, and maybe the biggest game of LeBron's career. However, LeBron was a total no show! I'm still convinced that was not LeBron James wearing number 23 for the Cleveland Cavaliers last night.

That guy wearing number 23 last night was not aggressive, showed no emotion, and no intensity. The guy looked lost, like he had never been on a basketball court before. The guy was dribbling the ball off his feet! We know the elbow is just fine; he proved that in Game Three.

So what was LeBron's problem?

Yes, we have to give the Celtics a lot of credit. They did a great job of defending James and closing the inside.

With that said, this is LeBron we are talking about.


His jump shot last night was just God awful. He had many great looks, but he wasn't even close on most of his shots. James didn't score his first field goal until halfway through the third quarter, and that was on a break away dunk. He finished just 3-14 for 15 points! LeBron shot the ball just 14 times in the biggest game of the series? Two of the three field goals were lay ins!

Cleveland started out strong. They led 23-20 at the end of one. They jumped up to a 29-21 lead early in the second quarter. The Cavs had Boston's back against the wall at home. Instead of maybe LeBron taking over, Boston went on a 16-0 run on the road at Quicken Loans Arena! That is just totally unacceptable!

LeBron looked to be just trying to get his teammates involved. That's great, but only to a certain point. There was a time when the two time MVP should have taken over, but it never happened.

Boston was only up by six points at half, even with James failing to hit from the floor. Cleveland was far from out of it.


Unfortunately, the second half was ugly. Boston outscored Cleveland 70-44 in the second half.


I think it's safe to say now: LeBron is not who we thought he was. He's no longer the "King". He's not the savior or the next Michael Jordan. After last night's performance, LeBron should be stripped of his MVP award.


Last night was just unacceptable for LeBron or any MVP. If the award can't be taken away, James should have just came out and gave it Rajon Rondo, Dwight Howard or Kobe Bryant.

It's ridiculous to think that LeBron could win a championship simply by himself, but he's come close. In 2007 he single handily took the Cavs to the NBA Finals, highlighted by his 25 consecutive points in Game 5 vs. Detroit. After that round, Cleveland then went on to get swept by San Antonio.


In 2008, LeBron was a couple of shots away from upsetting these same Boston Celtics in a Game 7 at Boston.


Of course last year, LeBron and the Cavs seemingly ran into a brick wall when they were ousted by the Orlando Magic.


But this season LeBron had the best supporting cast of his career. It's easy to say now that the Celtics are just a better team than Cleveland, but by a 32 point margin on Cleveland's home court? Boston just might be better now than in 2008. They're healthy and Rondo is far and away the most improved player in the game, probably even one of the top five best players in the NBA.


I've said it before, give Doc Rivers a lot of credit. His team faced many injuries and struggled throughout the season. He kept the team just above water, knowing all they had to do was play .500 basketball and they'd be in the playoffs. Now they're peaking at the perfect time.


We measure greatness by championships. Last night showed us that LeBron James does not have the determination, the willingness, or the killer instinct to be a champion. We saw Jordan, Olajuwon, Kobe, Shaq, Duncan, and Wade take their teams and the pressure on their backs and will them to victory.

After this season, James will still be ringless. A ring may seem farther away from LeBron now than ever.

As of now, LeBron fits in the same category as Patrick Ewing, Karl Malone, Reggie Miller, Charles Barkley, Chris Webber, Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash. All remarkable NBA players, but just not champions.


Dare I say it, but LeBron's not much different than what a healthy Tracy McGrady could have become.


Just how bad was LeBron's performance last night?


Nobody is giving Cleveland any kind of chance of winning Game Six on the road. LeBron has one final chance to win back respect, but nobody sees it happening. Where LeBron will play next year is already the most popular question today, not "Can Cleveland win Game Six?"


Now the misery continues for the city Cleveland. LeBron will most likely be out and Head Coach Mike Brown is done. The franchise is dead, and they still have a Game Six to play on Thursday. Even by some miracle (yes, it's come to that) the Cavs are able to come back and win this series, there's no way Cleveland is getting by Orlando.


Last night could have even cost LeBron a lot of money. Do you think the Knicks and Bulls might be a little skeptical of LeBron's capabilities? They might both be gunning for Dwayne Wade now.

Jekyll and Hyde:Cavs Show True Colors By Destroying Celtics

After Boston had outplayed Cleveland for the better part of Games One and Two, it looked like the Cavaliers and LeBron's elbow were in serious trouble. A game later, the Cavaliers are back in the driver's seat and are once again a force to be reckon with.

In last night's Game Three, Cleveland gave Boston it's worst home playoff defeat, crushing the Celtics 124-95. After Boston's near-perfect Game Two in Cleveland, the Cavaliers brought out their maroon and gold uniforms and made a statement on the Celtics home court.

Cleveland jumped all over Boston and led 36-17 after the first quarter, and never looked back. LeBron showed his elbow would not be a factor as he single-handily outscored the Celtics 21-17. The Cavs led 65-43 at halftime and continued their dominance in the second half, outscoring Boston in every quarter.
After Game Two, Cleveland coach Mike Brown said his team would have to go out after it, nothing would be given to them. His team responded by doing just that and making the game look like Boston gave it to them.

LeBron was unstoppable, hitting from all areas as he shot nearly 64 percent from the field, including 2-for-3 from downtown. When James is hitting his jumpshot, he becomes even more lethal as the inside game opens up allowing LeBron to take the ball to the hoop.

LeBron finished with 38 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists. If his elbow was in pain, it didn't show from the free throw line where James was 8-for-9.

But of course James is only good as his supporting cast. In Game Three, they were excellent. Along with James, Cleveland had a total of six players in double figures. Antwan Jamison was huge with 20 points and 12 boards. Shaquille O'Neal put in 12 points and nine rebounds. Anthony Parker finally showed up with 11 points, hitting 3-of-3 from downtown. Mo Williams was himself again, scoring 12 and handing out seven dimes. And Delonte West contributed 14 off the bench.

As a team, Cleveland shot nearly 60 percent for the game, 41.7 percent from downtown, and 91.2 percent from the line.

The Cavs were finally able to contain Boston's Rajon Rondo. Rondo had been so effective in Cleveland creating easy shots for his team, but finished with only eight assists in Game Three.
Paul Pierce has been struggling in all three games so far, and last night was his most dismal performance. The truth is, Pierce shot just 4-15 from the field with 11 points.

Ray Allen also struggled, shooting 2-7 for seven points.

Cleveland has regained home court advantage and control of the series. If they can keep up this play in Game Four, the Cavs may not have to go return to Boston for a Game Six.

Celtics Dominating Third Quarter The Key-Series Now Even 1-1

After last night's 104-86 beat-down victory by the Celtics, Boston and Cleveland are tied 1-1. As the series now heads to Beantown, the Cavaliers are lucky that they're not down 2-0.

With the first two games of the series in the books, the Celtics have outplayed the Cavs 6 of 8 quarters. In Game Two, Boston put up a near-perfect performance, with the exclamation point coming in the third quarter, as they outscored Cleveland 31-12.

Boston shot 51 percent from the field and was 9-19 from downtown! By shooting the ball that well, Cleveland was not able to get their transition game going to create easy shots.

And the best player on the court during these two games may not be MVP Lebron James, but Boston's Rajon Rondo. Yet again, Rondo had his way with Cleveland's defense— getting to the basket and creating easy shots for his teammates.

Last night, Rondo tied the franchise playoff assist record with 19. Through two games, he has 31 dimes.

Physically, Lebron seemed just fine, with no sign of his infamous elbow slowing him down. James had a somewhat typical night— 24 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists shooting just under 50 percent from the field.

At times, the newest two-time MVP tried to become a jump shooter and not attack the rim. He made a lot of careless passes and once again received little help from his teammates.

Cleveland's X-factor in Game One, Mo Williams, was just 1-9 from the field with only 4 points. Lebron's biggest help came from Antawn Jamison ( 1 6 points) and J.J. Hickson (13 points off the bench).

Zydrunas Ilgauskas has gone missing this series. He played about five minutes in Game One and did not play at all last night. He's only attempted one shot in the two games. Cleveland needs Ilgauskas's outside jump shot to bring defenders out, opening up the inside for Cleveland's smaller lineup.

If there was an X-factor this game, it was Boston's Rasheed Wallace. 'Sheed finally showed up for the playoffs, coming off the bench with 17 points, with 7-8 from the field including 3-4 from downtown.

That's the Rasheed Wallace we've seen many times in the playoffs before. He's just had a very quiet and forgettable season this year with the Celtics. If Boston can continue to get that kind of input from Wallace, then they could easily be champions yet again.

You really have to give Boston head coach Doc Rivers a lot of credit. We all knew the Celtics had a very talented, if not old and injury-prone, team. Throughout the season, Rivers rested his veterans as the team did not dominate the Eastern Conference and finished as a No. 4 seed.

During the season, all the Celtics had to do was stay above .500 and they'd make the playoffs. That strategy seems to have paid off.

As for Cleveland, it's Lebron versus everyone else. The team has once again failed to give the guy any real help. Their biggest acquisitions this year have been a washed up Shaquille O'Neal and a decent (at best) Antawn Jamison.

O'Neal looks out of shape and is a far cry from the dominating center he once was.

The first two games of this series have felt very similar to last year's Eastern Conference Finals, when Cleveland struggled against Orlando. Like Orlando last year, Boston just seems to be a lot better team than Cleveland. Both teams have exploited Lebron's sub-par supporting cast.

Now if Cleveland wants to get back in this series, that supporting cast needs to step it up consistently.

Lebron, Cavs Come From Behind To Take Game 1

The elbow is just fine. Maybe to the average person, a slight elbow injury would affect one's performance. But remember, Lebron is anything but average.

Lebron James put on another usual and solid performance as the Cleveland Cavaliers came from behind to take Game 1. The Cavs were down most of the game, even double digits in the third quarter. Lebron was himself, but it was Mo Williams who provided the spark Cleveland needed.

Ray Allen drained a 3 to put Boston up 69-58 with about 6 minutes left in the third quarter. You were starting to get the feeling that the Celtics were now healthy and peaking at the right time. With Lebron on the bench, Mo Williams scored the next 10 points for the Cavs to cut the Boston lead down to 5. Williams finished the game with 20 points, 6 dimes and 5 boards.

Lebron hit a layup at the end of the third to give Cleveland a 79-78 lead as the Cavs closed out the quarter on a 21-9 run.

You started to contemplate thas this was for sure Lebron's last hurrah in Cleveland. If they don't win it all, why would the guy stay. The team really hasn't given him anything. What, a washed up Shaq? Antawn Jamison? Yeah, how did all those players the Wizards departed with end up? Coren Butler and Brendan Haywood were suppose to get the Mavericks over the hump.

With the crowd back into the game, Cleveland held on to win the game. Lebron's 3 sealed the game with 23 seconds left as the Cavs won 101-93.

James shot 50% from the field for 35 points and added 7 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 steals.

For Boston, Rajon Rondo nearly willed the Celtics to a Game 1 road win single handily. For much of the game, Rondo was the best player on the court for the Celtics, putting up 27 points, 12 assists and 6 boards. However, Rondo scored only 3 points in the crucial fourth quarter (all from the line).

The "Big 3" for Boston? Kevin Garnett was consistent with 18 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists. Paul Pierce was all over the place shooting 5-17 for 13 points. Ray Allen had 14 points.

Probably the biggest factor for the Celtics' loss, and what's hurt them all year, is their bench. Cleveland outscored Boston 26-12 in bench points. Yeah, Delonte West comes off the bench for Cleveland, but might as well start over Anthony Parker. The Cavs got 11 points from J.J. Hickson in just under 12 minutes off the bench.

But when you rely on Rasheed Wallace, Tony Allen, Glen Davis and Michael Finley (that's right, Michael freakin Finley!) off your bench, you're in a lot of trouble. "Big Baby" Davis is decent. But that's no Leon Powe or Eddie House who were crucial in Boston's championship run two years ago. How come Doc Rivers never plays Nate Robinson? Robinson is very inconsistent but at times could provide some quality play off your bench. Why did you ever bring the guy to your team then? Is he hurt? Is he too busy on Twitter? Why don't you just suit up Brian Scalabrine?

This series still has the potential to go 6 or 7 games, and should be fun to watch Lebron take on the entire Celtics team by himself. But I really doubt any of these two teams can get by the Orlando Magic who should be well rested by the time the winner of this series advances.

If anything, tonight Lebron seemed to overcome the growing pains that come with winning in the NBA. For Cleveland, lets just hope the rest team can continue to come through.

Magic Put A Choke Hold On Cavaliers, Go Up 3-1

Hold up on producing more of the Kobe/Lebron puppet commercials, as much as I love them. And the Vitamin Water "Great Debate?" Gatorade might want to go after Dwight Howard and Carmelo Anthony. So far the winner of the advertising sweepstakes might have to be T-Mobile, although I don't know one person who subscribes to T-Mobile as their carrier.

I'll tell you right now why Orlando is so good and have dominated Cleveland in the last 3 plus years. Orlando's game plan is basically playing 4 guards/small forwards and one dominate big guy. The Magic try to work the inside game with Dwight Howard, if he's double teamed, they can kick the ball out to where they seem to have 2 to 3 guys wide open. If you don't double team Howard, Superman will eat you up. See the overtime period in last night's game.

And with Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Anderson Varejao, the Cavaliers basically start two centers. On the defensive end, neither Ilgauskas or Varejao can take on Howard one on one. And with Orlando's other 4 players on the floor being so quick and athletic, Ilgauskas or Varejao will caught inside and never make it out to defend the 3. We've seen Varejao in Game 1 get burned by having to come out and try to guard Rashard Lewis's game winning 3.

And with the smaller lineup, the Magic are able to quickly get back down the court and halt any fast break points for the Cavs.

And speaking of Rashard Lewis. Lewis has turned into Robert Horry in this series with his clutch shooting. It was Lewis who hit the dagger 3 in Game 1. And it was Lewis who hit the biggest shot of the game in last night's Game 4. With Orlando down 98-97, Lewis hit a turn around 3 to put the Magic up 2 with 4 seconds left.

The play of the game occurred right before that shot. Mickael Pietrus missed a 3 and Delonte West failed to secure the rebound as both he and Howard fell to the floor and the ball went outbounds giving Lewis and Orlando one more shot.

And Pietrus has been amazing off the bench. If there was a "6th man of the playoffs," it would have to go to Pietrus who had 17 off the bench.

With Shaquille O'Neal sitting courtside, it has been Stan "Master of Panic" Van Gundy who has done a tremendous coaching job. In overtime last night Mike Brown decided to go small and defend Orlando's outside game leaving Varajao guarding Howard one on one. Howard had his way in the overtime with 10 points, 8 of the 10 coming on dunks or layups.

How was Mike Brown the Coach of the Year? He played Lebron James the entire second half and overtime, giving James no rest. Brown never seemed to call a play on the offensive end, giving the ball to Lebron and basically telling Lebron, "Your the coach, you need to do everything. You see Van Gundy running up and down the sideline motivating his team and Brown just stands there looking lost in space, not even breaking a sweat.

Yeah, Lebron carried the team again with 44, but James also had 3 turnovers in the last 3 minutes of regulation and 3 more turnovers in OT. Some one else needs to step up for Cleveland.

All 4 games have been really competitive with 3 of the 4 games coming down to the last shot. Cleveland has lead at halftime in 3 of the four games, but have crumbled in the second half. The Cavaliers have been known for their defense, but have a hard time getting a stop when they need it.

And we all credited the acquisition of Mo Williams, but he's failed to show up in this series and when Cleveland needs him most. After guaranteeing victory last night, Williams went 5-15 from the field and didn't score after the third quarter.

Williams and Delonte West were a combined 0-6 from downtown.

Hey, let's face it. Maybe Cleveland isn't the team we thought they were. They had a dominate regular season, but they beat up on the inferior competition and won the games they were suppose to win. They were 1-2 against Orlando. 0-2 against the Lakers. 1-1 vs. Houston. 2-2 vs. Boston. There's 7 of their 16 losses. They did go 2-0 against Denver but both those games were earlier in the season when the Nuggets hadn't quite gelled yet.

And Cleveland was 2-2 against the Washington Wizards, a team that only won 19 games.

Now Cleveland has their backs to the wall and now must win 3 straight against a team they've only beaten 4 times in the last 3 years. Orlando is a team that lives and dies by the 3. They've definitely been living so you would think there due to cool off. History and stats are greatly against Cleveland, but you can never count out a Lebron James team.

These playoffs may just be the best ever.

Witness!

With just one second remaining on the clock at Quicken Loans Arena, I sat in utter disbelief. How can the Cavaliers be down 2-0 after a dominant season and playoff run? And on their home court!

Hedo Turkoglu had been a hero for the Magic again. Turkoglu had just given Orlando a two point lead and a seemingly 2-0 series lead. Only one second remained and Cleveland, a city miracles had forgotten about, needed just that.

Lebron's winning three was one of those classic moments in sports that makes you jump off your seat and yell. One of those moments that reminds us all why we love sports.

That shot changed the series. And the last two years, there have been two instances where I jumped up and down and screamed out of control. The Giants' improbable Super Bowl victory and last night. It was one of those moments where years from now you'll remember exactly where you were when you witnessed that shot.

That shot brought back so many Michael Jordan memories-the Craig Ehlo shot, the the Byron Russell shot. Lebron's shot will go right up there with every miraculous Jordan moment. It will be up there with every other Playoff buzzer beater-Magic Johnson's running hook shot to beat the Celtics and all of Robert Horry's buzzer beating, series clinching shots.


Lebron has taken the weight of Cleveland, the NBA, the Playoffs, his team, sports in general, on his shoulders and has thrived like few others. And he loves it.

And wow! How about these playoffs! That's two games in a row the Eastern Conference Finals have given us a last second shot to win the game. Just two nights ago we saw Mo Williams attempt an impossible shot to win Game 1. Williams got a great look and nearly drained it. Last night Lebron hit the winning shot in the exact spot Williams had missed.

This series could be 2-0 in favor of either team. But thankfully it's tied and we can only hope for 5 more games half as exciting as the first two.

That shot killed Orlando. Instead of having a choke hold on the series, their confidence and momentum have got to be shot. They played unbelievable basketball in the first two games. Orlando battled back down 23 on the road in the toughest arena for an opposing team to play in. They held Lebron in check the final minute last night. James turned the ball over twice in the last minute. And after all that, the series is tied.

Just when Orlando had swung the choke artist reputation off their backs and over to the Cavaliers, that shot changed everything. I can't wait till Sunday.

Magic Hand Cavs First Playoff Loss

Wow! What a game! Maybe the best game of the year so far. It's definitely up there with the Lakers overtime win at Boston back in February. And you can pick a few of the games from the epic Chicago/Boston series.

Orlando did something that had only been done twice in 45 games at Quicken Loans Arena, beat Cleveland. The Magic did something which hadn't happened in the postseason, beat Cleveland.

Halfway through the game, it looked like Cleveland was gonna roll to another double digit playoff win. They were having their way with the Magic. Lebron was dominating, the Cavs were hitting their shots and they led by as many as 16. Mo Williams even calmly drained a 67 foot shot to end the half. We've all seen the highlights of the Cavs playing Horse during their time off.

And anyone who questions Lebron's outside jump shot, he was hitting from everywhere on the court, shooting 20-30 from the field and finishing with a career playoff high of 49 points.

But a funny thing happened in the second half. It was Cleveland, not Orlando who blew a double digit lead. And Lebron's supporting cast failed to show up.

After hitting just 2 three pointers in the first half, the Magic went 7-12 from downtown in the second. Orlando outscored the Cavaliers 30-19 in the third quarter to pull within 4. Lebron scored 13 of Cleveland's 19 in that quarter.

The fourth quarter was dramatic basketball. Orlando was able to steal the lead and even led by as many as 4. But Lebron willed his team back in the game. And Mo Williams and Delonte West, who both struggled shooting, each hit a key 3 to keep Cleveland in it.

It looked like Lebron had the dagger when he drove to the basket on Dwight Howard drawing Howard's 6 foul and getting the and 1. The Cavs were up by 2 with about 26 left.

A great call by Steve Van Gundy to go for the 3 and win. Dwight Howard had just fouled out so there was no way Orlando would win in overtime on the road. Rashard Lewis hit his biggest shot of his career with the winning 3 with just 14.7 left.

Cleveland got one more shot and you knew who was getting the ball and taking it to the rack. Orlando closed in hard on Lebron with 3 defenders and Lebron quickly kicked it out to Williams who found a wide open Delonte West. But West couldn't get the shot to drop. Moments ago, West had hit the same shot.

Still, Lebron hustled to wrestle the down the rebound and it turned into a jump ball. Lebron tipped the ball to Williams who nearly made an impossible shot.

Orlando's Big 3 of Howard, Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu were huge down the stretch. Cleveland has no answer for Howard down low. Howard dominated the paint and finished with 30 points and 3 rebounds.

Lewis had just 5 points in the first half but was Mister Clutch. Along with the game winner, Lewis had 15 second half points.

And how about Turkoglu? After inconsistent play for most of the playoffs, Turkoglu has been solid in back to back games. After setting his personal playoff best with 12 assists in Game 7 against Boston, Turkoglu dished out 14 dimes tonight in Game 1.
He finished with 15 points.

For Cleveland, Bron-Bron had one his best all around games ever with 49, but Williams and West shot a dismal 10-32.

The biggest factor of this game, the bench. It's been said that Cleveland has one of the best second 5's in the league. They were outscored by Orlando's bench 25-5! Mickael Pietrus came off the bench with 13 points for Orlando.

And the night before we saw Kobe hit all his free throws down the stretch, Lebron missed 3 crucial foul shots in the fourth quarter.

Game 2, a must win for the Cavaliers, is Friday night. Enjoy the Conference Finals. Both series's should be a real treat.

Lebron Receives MVP, Yankees Swept, Nuggets Go Up 2-0

Is anything for certain?

In sports, Lebron James winning the MVP this year was for certain. Another thing you can be sure of is the Bron-Bron and the Cavaliers winning at home. They've lost twice all year.

So last night, nothing was different. Lebron received his first of many to come MVP Awards Then King James showed there was no rust after being off 9 days as the Cavs took care of business in Game 1 against Atlanta, 99-72.

Lebron had his usual MVP performance with 34 points, 10 rebounds, 3 dimes and 4 steals. Bron-Bron is so dam good he really doesn't even need to play the fourth quarter.

The Hawks will be another minor bump in the road to Cleveland's NBA title. Atlanta did play the Cavs tough at home in Phillips Arena. Maybe Atlanta steals one at home and this series goes 5. Maybe.

I don't know if its the effect of the high altitude in the Rockies, but another guarantee I can give you is the Denver Nuggets playing at home will crush their opponent in the fourth quarter. Every home playoff game so far this year the Nuggets have started the final quarter by blowing out their opponent and sealing the game. Last night was no different. Dallas, led by Dirk Nowitzki's 35 points, was keeping up with Nuggets until the near the end of the third quarter. Then the fourth quarter happened and Denver proceeded to go on another patented 16-2 run!

Carmelo Anthony scored 15 of his 25 in the final period as Denver went up 2-0 with a 117-105 drubbing of the Mavericks.

Another guarantee? The Red Sox beating the Yankees! They've played 5 times, Boston has won all 5. They've beaten the Yankees almost every possible way you can think of. Coming back from 2 down off Rivera in the bottom of the ninth. Being down 6-0 and coming back to blow the Yankees out of the park. Stealing home plate in a game. Withstanding a 2 hour rain delay. And last night beating Joba Chamberlain despite Joba striking out 12 Sox.

Now all the Yankees have to is go 10-4 against Boston for the rest of the year.

One more guarantee...It now seems to be annual occurrence on where will Brett Favre be playing next season.

And one other thing. There are so many great things about NYC, one of the best aspects of the city is the subway. I lived in NYC for about 5 years and a train or bus was my mode of transportation the whole time. I didn't own a car for 5 years. I never had to worry about the price of gas, insurance or a car payment.

And yet, you could go on and on about what makes the subway so great. This video shows just one of many everyday occurrences you could fall upon during your afternoon commute in NYC.

Cavs Hold Off Late Pistons Comeback

While everyone changed the channel after the 3rd quarter, Detroit never gave up.

Up 29 points in the 4th, newly crowned coach of the year Mike Brown pulled Lebron off the court to seemingly rest him for the rest of the game. What Brown hadn't in mind was that he would James's heroics again before this game was done.

For the first 3 quarters, Game 2 had played like just about every other Cavaliers' home game with Cleveland in total control. Detroit went on a 27-5 run in the fourth quarter to pull within 7 points.

Then Bron-Bron pulled off the warmups and did a windmill dunk and all again was safe and sound as Cleveland held on to a 94-82 win to go up 2-0.

Lebron finished with a "quiet" 29 points, 13 rebounds and 6 assists. He had help from Mo Williams who had 21 points and 7 dimes, and Delonte West put in 20 points.

However Cleveland may have exposed a weakness, their bench. With his team up 29, Mike Brown felt his team was in total control and looked to rest his starters. But Cleveland's bench was outscored by Detroit's 33-10. Brown was forced to bring Lebron back into the game to seal the deal.

Another factor in the game was the free throw disparity. Cleveland had 43 free throw attempts to Detroit's 16!

The Piston's had only 2 starters in double figures with Richard Hamilton leading the Detroit with 17.

Pistons/Cavaliers Game 1 Business As Usual

Move along, nothing to see here.

As expected, the Cleveland Cavaliers had very little trouble at home against the Detroit Pistons.

Detroit did hang around until the second quarter when Cleveland went on a 20-9. And maybe the final dagger was Lebron banking a half court shot as time expired to end the first half with the Cavs up 12.

The Pistons pulled within 8 points in the fourth quarter while Lebron was on the bench. After that, Lebron came back on the floor and the rest is history as Cleveland won 102-84.

James finished with 38 points, 8 boards and 7 assists. Along with Lebron, the Cavs had 4 other players in double figures.

For the game, Cleveland only had 4 turnovers, shot nearly 53% from the floor and hit 23-27 from the free throw line.

Rodney Stuckey led the Pistons with 20 points. The most frustrating aspect of this game for Detroit is that the Pistons probably played their best game possible, but still lost by 18.

Detroit turned the ball over 7 times and shot 46.2% from the floor. However, the Pistons were just 2-12 from behind the arc and only shot 12 total free throws.

Bron-Bron-3 Straight Triple Doubles

This may be the most exciting MVP races in recent memory. Most of the year the talk had been Lebron/Kobe. But lately Dwyane Wade has made a strong case for the MVP, averaging 40 plus points, 10 plus assists and hitting game winning jumpers.

Kobe has his Lakers sitting with the best record in the NBA and the Lakers have swept the Cavaliers and Celtics, pretty much securing home court advantage throughout the playoffs.

Now Lebron has just been lighting it up like Michael Phelps lights up bongs. Caught up in last night's 6 OT Big East thriller, you may have missed one of the funnest NBA games to watch. Bron-Bron led the Cavaliers from behind on the road in Phoenix. In doing so, James finished with his third straight triple double, a feat not accomplished since Jason Kidd.

In Cleveland's 119-111 victory in Phoenix, Lebron finished with 34 points, 13 assists, 10 rebounds, 3 blocks and 3 steals.

The biggest play of the game was probably this sick block James had on Jason Richardson. This play came after Lebron missed a three on the other end and Richardson seemed to have a wide open break to the basket. The most amazing part about this play was how in the hell James was able to make it down the other end of the court. This play shows Lebron's determination and hustle.

In Lebron's last three games, he has averaged 26.7 points, 12 dimes and 11 boards.

Last Tuesday, the Cavs were down 19 points in the fourth quarter to the Clippers, only to come back and win 87-83. Yeah, I know it was against the Clippers, but it's pretty impressive when a team can come from 19 down in the final period to win the game, no matter who the opponent is.

NBA Line of the Week for 1/26 to 2/1 2009

The biggest off season deal in the NBA just may have been Cleveland acquiring PG Mo Williams. I had no idea Mo Williams (Alabama) was this good. Williams seems to be the outside shooter and play maker Lebron so desperately needed. And Lebron recognizes this. As James always requires extra attention when he has the ball, Williams can always find a wide open jumper.

Last Tuesday (1/27), Williams went off. In a 117-110 victory over Sacramento, Mo lit up with 43 points, 11 dimes and 8 boards, including shooting 7-12 from downtown.

And of course, Lebron quietly had another triple double that same night.



I can't forget about my boy CP3. Last Monday (1/26), Chris Paul was 3 steals away from a quadruple double! In the Hornets 101-86 win against Philadelphia, Paul put up 27 points, 10 rebounds, 15 assists and 7 steals!

That is straight up nasty! Here's hoping Paul's groin injury keeps him out for a minimum number of games as he's one of the funnest players to watch and the best PG in the NBA.

NBA: 3 Weeks In

Here's a quick look at the NBA season just 3 weeks underway.

Boston (10-2) and the L.A. Lakers (8-1) looked poised to meet again in the NBA Finals. Kobe's being Kobe, a healthy Andrew Bynum gives the Lakers much needed muscle, and Trevor Ariza has looked solid.

The Celtics back in the Finals? Don't tell that to Lebron James. Bron-Bron has the Cavs (9-2) looking better than ever and is solidifying is spot as the best on the planet. So far this year, Lebron is averaging just under 30 a game to along with 8 rebounds and 7 assists per. Freakin sick!

The biggest news? The Iverson/Billups trade. Joe Dumars and the Pistons look to be rebuilding, but don't look now, Detroit is sitting pretty at 7-3 and handed the Lakers their only loss of the season at the Staples Center.

Is it me or does Allen Iverson truly represent the perfect Piston?

As for Denver? Chauncey Billups looks comfortable to be back home as the Nuggets are 5-1 since the trade. And George Karl could not be happier.

"There are less bad plays, more solid plays," Karl said. "I think the wasteful, cheap possessions that we used to have 10 to 15 a game, they don't exist very much anymore."

Two teams looking to build off their momentum last year in the playoffs-Atlanta and Philadelphia. Looking for the missing piece of the puzzle, the 76ers acquired Elton Brand but have started of slow, sitting at 5-5.

As for the Hawks, Atlanta came storming out of the gate at 6-0 and were a last second Paul Pierce game winning shot away from beating the Celtics at the Garden. Something Atlanta failed to do last year in the Playoffs. That loss must of had some effect on the Hawks as they have now dropped 4 straight to drop to 6-4.

The injury bug is killing the Washington Wizards. Gilbert Arenas and Antonio Daniels have both spent significant time on the bench. Arenas has yet to suit up this year as Washington (1-7) could be in for a long season.

Delightful surprises?

Both Miami and the New York Knicks at 6-5. The Knicks! That's right, the Knicks! They won 23 games all of last year! See what happens when you exile Isiah and Stephon.

The Heat aren't really a surprise, considering how Dwyane Wade played in the Olympics. The trio of Wade, Michael Beasley and Shawn Marion are a fun team to watch, they should only get better as the season progresses. If only they had a decent bench.

Give Derrick Rose the NBA Rookie of the Year trophy already. The Bulls' offense is totally set up for Rose to run and he's the perfect fit. D-Rose is averaging 19.5 ppg, 4.8 boards and 5.9 assists. Pretty amazing considering the kid just graduated from his teen years.






Moving across to the Western Conference.

We've already covered the Lakers and Nuggets.

So what about the LA Clippers and their big move bringing Baron Davis back home? Elton Brand leaving LaLa land wasn't part of the plan and the Clippers are downright dismal, 1-9.

The Phoenix Suns (8-4) have really been flexing their muscles of late and Shaq Daddy is showing he still means business.

Utah should win the Northwest Division and would be a serious contender for the Western Conference Crown if they could should figure out how to play outside of Salt Lake City.

Portland finally gets Greg Oden on the court and will definitely make some noise and probably make the playoffs. But their still too young to be a contender.

As for Oklahoma City and Kevin Durant? After landing a professional franchise, Okie City has little to get excited about this year, 1-10.

An unsung rookie to watch out West is Golden State's Anthony Morrow. Morrow, undrafted out of Georgia Tech, is finally getting some minutes and has led the Warriors to consecutive victories over the Clippers and Trailblazers, scoring 37 and 25 respectively.

The Southwest Division has to be the toughest in all of basketball.

After acquiring Ron Artest, Houston looks to be serious contenders in the Western Conference. At 7-4 and on top of the division, the Rockets took a blow Monday night when Artest, McGrady and Yao all went down with injuries. The extent of the injuries doesn't seem severe, but the health of T-Mac and Yao has always been a huge concern.


New Orleans (5-4) has gotten off to a somewhat slow start, but Chris Paul has still been on fire. Paul, one of the best overall players in the NBA, can lay claim to breaking a record previously held by Oscar Robertson. In his first 7 games of the year, Paul finished with at least 20 points and 10 assists, breaking Robertson's previous record of 6 to begin a season.

Age, Josh Howard's off season habits and Mark Cuban's scandal with the SEC may all be playing a part in Dallas's (4-7) slow start. In need of a good joke, look toward the Mavs.

Poor San Antonio. I don't really mean that. First Manu Ginobili's brittle body, and now Tony Parker has free time to spend with his hot ass wife. The Spurs started 2-5, but don't look now, Timmy's managed to lead them to 3 straight victories and they've crept back to .500.

As for Memphis? Well, I'm not even gonna talk about the Grizz. Except Rudy Gay looking nice and O.J. Mayo averaging just over 20 a game, including back to back 30 plus games.

College Gameday: Penn St. At Ohio St.

A lot of excitement surrounding Week 9 of College Gameday as King James made a special appearance at the Gameday Set. Lebron showed up for the final segment to give his picks along side Corso and Herbstreit for ten games on the college football schedule.

Lebron went 5-5. He picked Arizona to upset USC. The Trojans won 17-10.

Another "celebrity" showed her face in the crowd-Sarah Palin, or wait, was it Tina Fey? The Sarah Palin lookalike might have been one of the most creative ideas in the history of the show. I guess this girl found her Halloween costume.



As for the game itself, the Nittany Lions won their first game at the Horseshoe since Penn St. joined the Big 10 in 1993. It was their first win at Columbus since 1978.

Penn St. looks well on their way to the BCS National Title game. Can you really see Texas and Alabama both running the table and finishing undefeated? I actually think Texas will lose this weekend in Lubbock. It's the biggest game in the history of Texas Tech sports. So you can bet the atmosphere and town will be electric.

However, if Penn St. finishes as the only BCS team undefeated, do they still get the nod over a once beaten SEC, Big 12 or USC team? Not playing an extra game in a Conference championship game could actually hurt the Nittany Lions. Where as a one loss Big 12 or SEC school winning an extra game against a Top 10 team may actually push them over an undefeated Penn St.



I'm sure the voter's will take into consideration the mediocracy of the Big 10 Conference and their record in recent bowl games. Penn St's schedule won't help their cause either. Their blowout win against Oregon St. gives them the edge over USC. But other than that, Penn St.'s nonconference schedule included games against Coastal Carolina, Syracuse and Temple. Add on the miserable Big 10 and looks like the Nittany Lions are lined up to be the third Big 10 team in a row to get shellacked in the Championship Game.

The Big 10 is so bad that teams like Minnesota and Northwestern are ranked and actually look somewhat competitive in conference play. Let's see how Iowa handles Penn St. as the Hawkeyes get them at home November 8.

Other than Texas, the last team I would want to play right now would be the Florida Gators. Since the Ole Miss shocker in the swamp, Tim Tebow has rallied the troops and the Gators have averaged almost 51 points a game in their last 3.

Kobe And Lakers Bow Down, Hard! Lebron The Best On The Planet

No more Kobe/Michael comparisons!

No more Kobe/greatest player on the planet comparisons.

If anything, this roll over and drop dead choke job by the LA Lakers signified is this:

Phil Jackson is probably not the great coach everyone suspected, and,

Kobe Bryant is not the best player in the game, and,

Lebron James is the best player on the planet.

This was a totally uncharacteristic Phil Jackson coached team. No real surprise that a Kobe team would play this way.

Now it's obvious. Phil Jackson only benefited from having the greatest player ever in Michael Jordan, winning 6 of his titles. Jackson won three more by having a dominant 1-2 punch of Shaq and Kobe, notice how Shaq comes first. And now maybe Jax won those titles with the help of the NBA and the referees.

I've said all along that I thought Chris Paul should have been the MVP. Being repetitive, but Paul did not have the supporting cast and coach Kobe did. Paul always made his team better.

Enough of CP3. Lets go to another forgotten best player on the planet, Lebron James.

Going into the Finals, it was all Lakers in 5 or 6. Kobe's the MVP, best player on the Planet. The West is more dominant, Kobe has the better supporting cast.

But how can you forget Lebron James? 90% of the nation could not name one other player on Lebron's team. Yet this was the same Lebron led Cavaliers team that came within one game of knocking off the now 2008 World Champion Celtics.




Back to Lebron. No one will ever argue the fact that Kobe had a far greater supporting cast than James did this year. The Cavaliers were horrible. You talk about 4 players standing around waiting and watching one guy run the show. Similar like the Lakers, except Lebron had far much greater success.

Lebron (I will only refer to Lebron, not the Cleveland Cavaliers) could have stolen Game 1 in Boston, if he had not missed so many "bunnies" and the best cheerleader and taunter in the NBA, Sam Cassell would have played his usual role and not showed up on the court. Cassell scored 13 points in Game 1 of the second round series, arguably the difference.

Lebron had no problem and showed no fear driving the ball through Boston's tough defense and getting to the rim. Maybe it was Lebron's youth that caught up to him, because he missed a lot of easy layups throughout the series.




Lebron has always had his outside jump shot questioned, but we all know Kobe is the most dangerous shooter in the game, able to turn around from either shoulder. In the Finals, Kobe failed to be lethal and lacked the determination to drive the ball to the basket and create more open shots for his teammates.

And don't forget, Lebron lost his best scoring threat, "Boobie" Gibson (yeah, what a threat) in Game 5. The same Game 5 Lebron had a 14 point lead at Boston with under 4 to play in the second quarter. Had Lebron not lost Gibson, Lebron wins the series in 6 games.

Lebron was even competitive in Game 7 at Boston, a 3 point miss away from winning the series, with absolutely no supporting cast, continually getting beat down and ruffed up every game.

So now, no way can you compare Kobe to Jordan. A Michael Jordan team would have never folded like Kobe's Lakers team. We all know a Jordan team never would have let a 24 point lead slip away.

And no way! does a Jordan team do whatever the hell Kobe's team did last...you know what? Forget about the Jordan/Kobe comparisons. Forever!



With 6 titles, look at Jordan's supporting cast, basically consisted of only role players. Scottie Pippen, ended up being an average player without Jordan; Dennis Rodman was there for 3 of the titles, but the Worm was never a scoring threat, only a solid defender and rebounding machine, sometimes more of a distraction than anything else. That's pretty much the only All Star's Jordan played with.

Boston Celtics, 2008 World Champions. That still hurts to say, and I wonder how the fair weather Celtics' fans feel about Doc Rivers now. They all wanted this guy's head on a pole last year. I wonder what the Beantown fans response will be now when they hear, "You bought this team and the star players." "They all came from the outside."

I'm already sick of hearing Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen proclaim how much this means to them and the history and legacy of the Boston Celtics. Come on, Allen and Garnett haven't even been in town for a year!

Originally, none of the "Big 3" could carry their own team to a championship. Pierce with his whole career in Boston, could not carry "his" team to the Finals in a post Jordan, weak Eastern Conference era. And yet now, according to Bob Ryan, we're suppose to consider Paul Pierce one of the greatest scoring threats in NBA history!

Jordan kept titles away from Hall of Fame players like Barkely, Ewing, Drexler Miller, Stockton and Malone.

KG failed to ever take "his" Minnesota Timberwolves to the Finals, and of course Ray Allen with "his" team, never made it to the Conference Finals.

KG, Pierce and Allen may now have their rings. But one thing's for sure, they failed to establish their "own" dominant legacy. They showed each could not win with their "own" team. They proved they could only win by joining forces.

And Paul Pierce thanking the "faithful" Celtics fans for sticking with him? Yeah right. Hey Paul, where were these "faithful" fans your whole Boston career? Where were they when you were stabbed 9 or 11 times in a Boston club. Doesn't really sound like you were such a fan favorite then. Heck, weren't they willing to trade you last year for the possibility of having Kevin Durant?




Give Boston and their team executives credit, they learned from their conqueror's. They're franchises have basically become everything they so passionately hated. Can you say New York Yankees?

Who's the happiest guy in the world? Paul Pierce? KG? Ray Allen? Curt Schilling?
No. No. No. And No!
Shaquille O'Neal.
He still has you Kobe, 4-3.
Can you dig it!!!!!!!

And can somebody please give Lebron just one other All Star caliber player!



Since the post Jordan era, I've failed to see anyone dominate the court like MJ. I've failed to see anyone bring as much excitement, passion and consistency to the game. I've failed to witness an NBA Finals that's lived up to its potential.
God I miss watching Michael Jordan. I seemed to take it for granted at the time, not realizing he'd have to hang it up sooner or later and we'd never see another like him.
One thing's for certain. As time goes by, more and more we'll begin to realize just how great Michael Jordan was.

NBA Playoffs

Now matter how the Boston/Cleveland Series ends....(I can't stand the Celtics by the way), would someone please give Lebron just one other decent scoring threat.

Lebron is constantly being murdered on live TV in front of millions and nobody is doing anything about it! I mean he's basically playing 1 on 5, and every time he goes to the basket the King is brutally mutilated. He has absolutely no supporting cast. It may be the 8th wonder of the world how this team is in the playoffs, let alone the second round and having won 2 games against the 66 wins Celtics, and the same Cavaliers team that was somehow in the Finals last year.

Every game Lebron is playing with an X on his jersey. How does he keep attacking the rim knowing his fate? How does this guy keep getting up? How has Lebron not won an MVP?

As for Kobe? I'm really get sick of everyone saying, "Look at the confidence Kobe has in his teammates!" "Look at the trust Kobe has in his teammates!"

Come on! How much longer can we keep sugar coating this?

I don’t have the stats, but I think in this Utah series the Lakers’ bench is on the plus side in points when Kobe is on the bench. But even when Kobe’s on the bench, just look at the confidence and trust he has on his teammates.

And Oh! My back hurts!

We all experience back pain. I guess even when we normal people have a bad day, we might even blame it on a sore back. But you know what? We normal people don't have professional masseuse on call, we don't receive electric shock treatment on our sore backs, and we get up every day and do our jobs.

Quit crying Kobe! Your freakin phonie!

I'm sure the Lakers' Game 5 win was because the heroic play of Kobe and nothing to do with Pau Gasol's dominant inside play.



And who is this guy Sasha Vujacic? Whoever he is, I don't think he should be talking smack to the opposing team until he shoots a little better than 1-11 from the field.

I don't really care. Just as long as you can beat the Celtics, if it comes to that.

And we all know the network executives are praying for a Lakers/Celtics Finals.

NBA Playoff Coverage: TNT Vs. ESPN/ABC. Not Even Close

Many argue this year's NBA Playoffs are finally bringing excitement since the Jordan era.

There are many great story lines.

In the West:

Kobe finally winning his first MVP and now, the condition of his back.

Will the hard luck Jerry Sloan finally win a championship as a coach?

The emergence of Chris Paul and the feel good New Orleans Hornets.

Can the Champion Spurs finally repeat?

As for the Eastern Conference:

Jameer Nelson gives his Orlando Magic the death penalty by guaranteeing a Game 5 win on the road.

Detroit looking again like a championship team, even without Chauncey Billups.

Lebron and the Cleveland Cavaliers, where to begin? Bron Bron's horrific shooting while tying the series up 2 games apiece by getting his lack of support involved.

The Boston Celtics? Was their miraculous turnaround season simply a mirage? The absence of the so called "Big Three?"

One things for sure. ABC network executives are praying for a Lakers/Celtics finals.
And I'm sure everyone's hoping for a non San Antonio Finals.

As the Playoffs flip-flop (no pun intended on the flopping) between TNT and ESPN/ABC, one thing's for sure, the coverage is miles ahead on TNT.



First off, I rarely find myself waiting to stay up for any post game coverage for any sport. But with TNT's studio crew of Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith and the always off the wall antics of Charles Barkley, it's worth the lack of sleep.

How can you possibly compare ESPN's crew of Stuart Scott, Michael Wilbon and Tim Legler? How much NBA Playoff experience can these guys warrant? Who even cares?
I will give props to Greg Anthony.

As for play by play and commentary? Marv Albert's one of the best and a NBA staple. Kevin Harlan's voice sounds very similar to Marv Albert and brings the same intensity. Doug Collins is very informative and speaks from great experience. Reggie Miller, probably could still play and I bet the Celtics are wishing he was coming off their bench, has been a very nice addition breaking down the games. And even though his wardrobe may hurt your eyes, Craig Sager appears to have a credible relationship with all the players.

As for ESPN...Do they have any other play by play guy other than Dan Shulman? The guy is everywhere from college basketball, the NBA and MLB. You have to wonder how this guy has a family life, he's obviously never home. Or, how has this guy not killed himself? Monday Night Baseball he has to team up with Steve "bonehead" Phillips and then call a Playoff game next to Doris Burke. Doris Burke! What the hell is she doing giving commentary on a Primetime NBA Playoff game? I'm fine with women's rights and equality, but come on! I thought women played their role as the hot sideline reporter. And by the way, Doris Burke is not hot. She may be informative and know all her stats, but she has no experience playing in the NBA (don't anybody ever start to compare the NBA to the WNBA) and her voice hardly brings any excitement to to the game. Honestly, can anyone really take a NBA game, or any professional sporting event, seriously when there's a female voice calling analyzing the game? Can you say Suzyn Waldman?



As for TNT's studio crew, I always find myself watching the Pregame, Halftime and Postgame analysis. Ernie Johnson's great, and he has the awards to prove it. Kenny Smith is always insightful, and he has the rings to prove it. And Charles Barkley, soon to be Governor or Mayor of any town in Alabama, is just freakin hilarious.

I find myself watching just to see if Barkley will show up. Sometimes he's even late even though he's in the same building.

One of Barkley's best jokes, "I gonna have glaucoma tomorrow, cuz I can't see my ass coming into work."

Last night, while on live TV, Barkley has his T-Mobile phone out on the desk trying to figure out how it works. Eventually the phone rings, reminiscent of the D-Wade press conference commercial.

Sir Charles even went off on "The Boston Three Party" by asking, "Why do we refer to these guys as "the big three? We all know the "real big three" is Bird, Parrish and McHale."

When Lebron James was fouled hard by Paul Pierce, TNT was the first to note that the Lady in the front row going off on Pierce and Kevin Garnett was Lebron's mom.



The funniest thing about this whole episode, Lebron looks older than his Mom!

TNT's "Gone Fishin" piece is great.

We've all seen "The Anchorman" teleprompter prank they pulled on Charles.



And then there was the Kenny Smith/Kobe Bryant jumping over the car skit.






Well done TNT, way to take out ESPN. If only you guys had the NBA Finals.

Perfect Hollywood Ending?

"Hollywood Hero"

"Hollywood's Leading Man"

"Perfect Hollywood Ending"



These were just a few of the headlines from across the nation (mostly in Tinseltown) after Kobe Bryant received his first ever MVP award.

Kobe is definitely one of the best players in the NBA, but the 2008 MVP? I don't think so!

First off, we're talking about the same guy who less than 9 months ago called out his teammates, (yes, the very same teammates that embraced Kobe upon receiving the MVP) his coach and General Manager.

Rewind back to opening night. Bryant heard boos from the same Los Angeles crowd that went crazy for him Wednesday night. Talk about fair weather fans!

Lets talk about the media. The same media that brought Kobe down from his accused rape charge in Colorado. The same media that cost Bryant millions of dollars in endorsement money. Now, the same media expects us to embrace Kobe?

How soon we all forget.

Funny how Kobe has all the sudden become a media darling. Did you see him last week accepting the MVP Award. Bryant was all giddy and thanking his teammates who he vocally turned his back on before the season and wanted out of LA worse than any NFL Franchise.

Then before Wednesday night's game against Utah, Kobe was all dolled up wearing his white shoes, the arm band and knee brace while having his daughter run out to the court to hug this American Hero. Of course, Jack was court side wearing his MVP shirt. Only in Hollywood.


What a phony!

Kobe, not Jack.




OK, all the scrutiny behind...

Kobe won the MVP basically because "it was his turn." He won it as a lifetime achievement award. Isn't a lifetime achievement award being elected to the Hall of Fame?

What's even worse, listening to the commentators praise Kobe throughout Wednesday's 120-110 win over the Jazz. Even when Kobe didn't score, it was, "Just look at the confidence Bryant has in his teammates." Even when Bryant wasn't on the floor they still kept hyping the guy.

Who should have won the MVP?

That's easy. Chris Paul.



But wait....Everyone's still trying to figure out where Paul and the New Orleans Hornets came from.

Well, they have come from nowhere. Because no one's paid any attention to Paul and the Hornets until the Playoffs. They play in New Orleans, the part of the country this nation publicly forgot.

Just about everyone had Dallas beating the Hornets in the first round. No one has the Hornets beating the defending champion Spurs in the second.

And yet, after each impressive victory, no one seems to be a Hornets' believer.
They have no playoff experience, when did this guy Chris Paul become so good?

Like I said, the guys been doing it all year.

Kobe won the MVP because 3/4 of the Lakers' games are played on primetime in front of a national audience. I'm not sure New Orleans had any prime time games this year.

Kobe won the MVP because his Lakers' team finished with the best record in the tough Western Conference (only one game better than the non existent Hornets by the way).



Let's not forget, the Lakers' front office, the same front office Mr. MVP verbally attacked prior to the season, made a steal of a trade by acquiring Pau Gasol for next to nothing.

Kobe's Lakers were 22-4 with Gasol, 5-5 without Gasol.

The media has even said that without the addition of Gasol, the Lakers may not have even of made the playoffs.

Lets also include two consecutive Lakers' home losses to powerhouses Memphis and Charlotte without Gasol. Hhmmmm.

Heck, Kobe might not even be the MVP on the Lakers. Besides the addition of Gasol, what about Derek Fisher? Yes, the same Derek Fisher who was a part of the Lakers's dynasty with Shaq. Yes, the same Derek Fisher who played a pivotal role in helping the Utah Jazz reach the Conference Finals last year. Yes, the same Derek Fisher who came up big with 22 points in Game 2. Not just the scoring, but Fisher plays great defense. If the Lakers play the Hornets in this year's Conference Finals, expect him to somewhat contain Paul, but I'm sure Kobe will get all the credit.

What about Lebron James? Think about switching Kobe and Lebron? Lebron on this year's Lakers' team instead of Kobe? Are you kidding me! Lebron would probably have averaged a triple double for the season and put made a serious chase to Jordan's '95-96 Bulls season record. Lebron has never had a supporting cast in his young career. So don't be surprise when Lebron skips out on Cleveland and their horrific front office (Christian Laettner) and bolts to the Knicks or Jay Z's soon to be Brooklyn Nets.

Now in the playoffs, the nation finally gets to see the Hornets, and what's their reaction? Boy, this Chris Paul guy can play and is sure fun to watch. And Wow!, when did David West become such a great shooter.


Well, David West gets his props because Chris Paul creates open shots for West. Paul has West and one time Lotto bust Tyson Chandler playing like All Stars. Reggie Miller said it best going into the Spurs/Hornets Series: "Let Chris Paul get 35 points. It's when he gets his teammates involved is when he's most deadly." Hhmmm...MVP?

Paul just keeps getting better. Last year, the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets didn't make the playoffs. The Hornets didn't even have a legitimate home. Now, they're the number 2 seed in one of the toughest conferences in NBA history.

What's even more, Paul has better stats than the back to back MVP seasons Steve Nash had.

Even if you didn't (don't be ashamed, no one else really did either) see Chris Paul play this season, at least you could look at the box scores and see something special.

You're probably thinking I just jumped on Chris Paul's bandwagon now. Sorry, I've been pimpin the true MVP all year. Well, take a look.

And once again, here's CP3's website.

My 2007-08 MVP voting:

1. Chris Paul
2. Lebron James
3. Kevin Garnett
4. Kobe Bryant

Thank You!

All time NBA MVP's:

NBA POSTSEASON AWARDS
Most Valuable Player

Maurice Podoloff Trophy
2006-07 - Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas
2005-06 - Steve Nash, Phoenix
2004-05 - Steve Nash, Phoenix
2003-04 - Kevin Garnett, Minnesota
2002-03 - Tim Duncan, San Antonio
2001-02 - Tim Duncan, San Antonio
2000-01 - Allen Iverson, Philadelphia
1999-00 - Shaquille O'Neal, Los Angeles Lakers
1998-99 - Karl Malone, Utah
1997-98 - Michael Jordan, Chicago
1996-97 - Karl Malone, Utah
1995-96 - Michael Jordan, Chicago
1994-95 - David Robinson, San Antonio
1993-94 - Hakeem Olajuwon, Houston
1992-93 - Charles Barkley, Phoenix
1991-92 - Michael Jordan, Chicago
1990-91 - Michael Jordan, Chicago
1989-90 - Magic Johnson, Los Angeles Lakers
1988-89 - Magic Johnson, Los Angeles Lakers
1987-88 - Michael Jordan, Chicago
1986-87 - Magic Johnson, Los Angeles Lakers
1985-86 - Larry Bird, Boston
1984-85 - Larry Bird, Boston
1983-84 - Larry Bird, Boston
1982-83 - Moses Malone, Philadelphia
1981-82 - Moses Malone, Houston
1980-81 - Julius Erving, Philadelphia
1979-80 - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Los Angeles
1978-79 - Moses Malone, Houston
1977-78 - Bill Walton, Portland
1976-77 - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Los Angeles
1975-76 - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Los Angeles
1974-75 - Bob McAdoo, Buffalo
1973-74 - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Milwaukee
1972-73 - Dave Cowens, Boston
1971-72 - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Milwaukee
1970-71 - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Milwaukee
1969-70 - Willis Reed, New York
1968-69 - Wes Unseld, Baltimore
1967-68 - Wilt Chamberlain, Philadelphia
1966-67 - Wilt Chamberlain, Philadelphia
1965-66 - Wilt Chamberlain, Philadelphia
1964-65 - Bill Russell, Boston
1963-64 - Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati
1962-63 - Bill Russell, Boston
1961-62 - Bill Russell, Boston
1960-61 - Bill Russell, Boston
1959-60 - Wilt Chamberlain, Philadelphia
1958-59 - Bob Pettit, St. Louis
1957-58 - Bill Russell, Boston
1956-57 - Bob Cousy, Boston
1955-56 - Bob Pettit, St. Louis