Running Out Of Magic

Wining just one of two in Orlando wasn't enough for the Boston Celtics.



While most teams would be happy splitting two games on the road in a series, the Celtics smelled blood. And let's face it, Boston is peaking at the perfect time. Other than maybe the Lakers , Boston has the best starting five in the NBA. Now healthy, the Celtics have proven they are one of the best teams in the playoffs.

So far in two games of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Celtics have come out and controlled both games. In both contests, Boston has tanked in the fourth quarter only to show their resilience by holding on win both games on the road.

In game two, Orlando came back from a double digit deficit and actually took a one point lead late in the fourth quarter. Vince Carter showed his inexperience in big time playoff games, as he missed two crucial free throws which could have cut the Boston lead to one point with just over 30 seconds to play.


The Magic hunkered down and played defense one last time and J.J. Redick rebounded a Kevin Garnett miss with about seven seconds remaining. Redick took the rebound and dribbled the ball up court, wasting a few seconds before calling timeout. What was Redick thinking? You really wouldnt' expect that type of play from someone who went to Duke. But maybe Redick thought he was still playing college ball. So instead of the Magic down three and inbounding the ball at halfcourt with seven seconds left, Orlando had to inbound the ball behind halfcourt with just over three left to play.


Redick inbounded the ball about 10 feet behind half court! Why throw the ball so far away from the basketball with barely any time left? Jameer Nelson wasn't able to get a decent shot off and the Celtics won Game Two 95-92.


I don't mean to be hating so hard on Redick , because in his defense, he shouldn't have to be the second leading scorer for the Magic.

Orlando needs to wake up! In the first two games they haven't played with a sense of urgency until the fourth quarter when it's been basically too late.

The reason the Magic find themselves down 0-2 falls all on Rashard Lewis. Lewis is a guy making over $100 million! He was so key to Orlando's run to the finals last year.


Through two games, Lewis is 4-16 from the field, 1-9 from downtown for a total of 11 points! Through two games! This coming from a guy who in his career, averages nearly 17 points a game and shoots almost 40 percent from downtown !


That's the reason why the Magic are down 0-2.

Yes, Jameer Nelson being a no show in game two doesn't help. But what's even worse, the Celtics were able to win on the road with Ray Allen only scoring only six points and Garnett with only 10!


Rajon Rondo again is proving he just might be the best player in the NBA. No one has been able to stop him. What makes Rondo so great is how well the Celtics move without the ball. We know Boston can play defense, but on the offensive side, the team moves so well without the ball.

Paul Pierce told the Orlando crowd, "See you next year," as he was leaving the court. Pierce also tweeted something about getting the brooms out. Not only is Boston healthy, they're experienced and confident.


Rajon Rondo is the key to not only the Boston Celtics, but the entire playoffs. You can't stop the guy. If you try to stop him, the Big Three are gonna kill you. The guy can score now, too. If he drives to the basket, he's gonna draw attention which is gonna leave to wide open shots for other players. What ever happened to LeBron going to step up and defend Rondo? What happened there?


I can't wait to see until Derek Fisher and the Lakers try to contain Rondo! Better yet, what will Phil Jackson say to attempt to get into Rondo's head? And you know any day now Phil is already plotting about the inevitable NBA Finals of Celtics/Lakers that he'll make a premature comment.


One person who feels a lot better about himself is LeBron James. Boston has been the best team in the playoffs, and hey, Cleveland beat them twice.

Another Celtics/Lakers series is pretty much a for sure thing and the one thing that will not only save these lackluster playoffs, but maybe draw some attention from the "Summer of LeBron ."

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.

Hey, A Jimmy Sighting

Oh Jimmy!

Let's not forget Jim Goldstein. You remember him, right. The guy who has made millions in real estate in Los Angeles. But yet, gets front row tickets and dresses like in the same leather clothes year after year.

He always seems to show up come NBA playoff time. I finally got a picture of him sitting about 2 seats down from Phil Jackson at last nights Lakers/Thunder game in Oklahoma City.

From what I've heard, he's a great guy who loves basketball. He must, cause he has season tickets to the Clippers.

But it's always spooky when you noticed the guy lurking in the background of a great NBA Playoff game. I've always said he reminds me of the evil character in the crappy horror movie "Jeepers Creepers." Yeah, I've seen that movie. Fuck, I've even seen the sequel.

Another Job Well Done By Barkley And TNT

Notice in the "Gone Fishing" picture-that's Lebron's puppet in the upper right and Lil' Penny in the left.

TNT's NBA coverage is outstanding! These guys are worth staying up for.

And will someone tell Rashard Lewis that his team is going to the NBA Finals, not the Eastern Conference Finals again.



The "not used to being on the big stage" Orlando Magic fans show their class by throwing a T-Shirt at Ernie Johnson.


You have to admire Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith's on air chemistry. Barkley is so right.





That's AI in the water and Jay Cutler on the right.

Lakers Show Championship Form, Head Back To Finals

After LA lost Game 2 at home, I really thought they'd have a lot of trouble getting by Denver. Since that Game 2 loss, the Lakers took 3 out of the next 4 from Denver and are heading back to the NBA Finals.

The Lakers have the most talented team in the NBA, but throughout the season, their toughness and consistency had always been questioned. LA had not won back to back playoffs game since winning Games 2 and 3 in the semifinals against Houston. After winning Game 4 in LA, many assumed the Lakers would do their usual and take the next game off and head back home to clinch Game 7. However the Lakers came back to Denver and jumped out to a big early lead and never took their foot off the gas.

Kobe Bryant made sure that wouldn't happen as Mamba had another typical stellar game with 35 points, 10 dimes and 6 boards.

After being dominated by Denver in front court the first 4 games, the Lakers finally got dominate play in the paint from Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom. Gasol had one of his best playoff performances last night with 20 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists.

Odom came out of his playoff conference finals hibernation with solid back to back games. Last night Odom put in a 20 point, 8 rebound performance. It was this type of play from Odom that Lakers so desperately need if they want to win the franchise's 15 title.

And LA couldn't have shot the ball better. On the road in one of the most electric atmospheres in the NBA, the Lakers shot 57.3% from the field, 56.3% from downtown and a perfect 24-24 from the line. LA's bench was also huge, getting 40 points off the bench.

Overall, a total team effort.

As for the Nuggets? Well, I guess a lot of people, myself included, were a little bit premature in wanting to put Carmelo Anthony's name with the likes of Lebron, Kobe and King James. After dominating the first two games, Melo cooled off. Last night, on his 25th birthday, Melo scored 25 points, getting 12 from the line, and shot only 6-17 from the field.

Now the Lakers must wait and see whether they play the Magic or Cavaliers. If it's Orlando, LA will get home court advantage in the Finals, but the Lakers were 0-2 against the Magic in the regular season.

If it's Cleveland, the Cavs will have home court but LA was 2-0 vs. Cleveland.

No He Didn't!

No matter how great Reggie Miller was throughout his career, he never led his team to a championship. A lot of thanks to Michael Jordan. I will never forget the play in the 1998 Playoffs against Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls.

Miller robbed Jordan worse than Bernie Madoff on this no call offensive foul. I still cannot get over this no call. Miller was notorious with this kind of play throughout his career.

And last night calling Game 5 of the Orlando/Cleveland Eastern Conference Finals, Zydrunas Ilgauskas was called for a touch foul on Dwight Howard. Miller claims "You just can't shove a guy, this was an easy call, done right in front of the officials, I mean what an easy call."

Watch the two videos. The first, Reggie Miller getting away with the obvious push on Jordan. The second, was Miller calling last night's Game 5 for TNT.

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.

Melo Continues To Struggle But Nuggets Even Series

Top to bottom, Denver's roster is just better than LA's. Carmelo Anthony started the game 0-10 from the field. He didn't hit his first field goal until 1:00 left in the first half. It was his first field goal since the second quarter of Game 3!

But the Nuggets still led 52-45 at half.

Melo finished with 15 points, 9 from the charity stripe and shot just 3-16 from the field. But Denver's supporting cast was solid. The Nuggets had 7 players in double figures and their front line continued to dominate. Denver out rebounded the Lakers 58-40, and 3 players had at least 13 boards.

The difference in this game was the bench scoring. Denver's bench outscored LA's 42-24 in their 120-101 Game 4 victory. J.R. Smith had as many points off the bench as the entire Lakers's bench.

I told you J.R. Smith was due to explode as he scored 24.

The Lakers don't deserve to win a title. I've always said they're too soft and don't consistently play to their potential. Throughout the season, they've had trouble holding big leads and they seem to take nights off. They got what they wanted, a split in Denver. But when you're considered to be one of the favorites to win the championship, can you really be happy with a split?

That kind of attitude and play will catch with you in the Playoffs.

Charles Barkley was dead on when he said the Lakers make him sick, saying he would have easily have won a title with that much talent.

The Lakers just seem to lack a killer instinct.

It is now a three game series with the Lakers getting 2 of the 3 at home. The series is definitely in LA's favor. But think about it, Denver has been the dominate team in 3 of 4 games. Heck, if Denver could inbound the ball down the stretch, they could have swept this series.

The play is really starting to get physical in the playoffs and more fouls are being called. Sunday night in Game 3 of the Orlando/Cleveland series, there were 58 fouls and 86 total free throw attempts.

Last night's Lakers/Nuggets game, there were 55 fouls and 84 free throw attempts. A lot of foul shooting is slowing down the pace of the games and could hurt what has been a spectacular postseason.

In the Western Conference Finals, the fouls have been consistent, but the number of free throws has risen each game, in part due to all the technicals.

Here's a breakdown of the personal fouls and number of free throw attempts from each series.

Western Conference
-- ------------PF -- FTA
Game 1----- 52 --- 59
Game 2----- 56 --- 72
Game 3----- 55--- 76
Game 4----- 55--- 84

Eastern Conference
--------------PF--FTA
Game 1-----34---31
Game 2-----49---51
Game 3-----55---86

Look at the Eastern Conference Finals! We've seen an incredible jump from game to game.

One other note...I'm sure it's happened many times before, but I can't stand the cocktail servers who patrol the front row at NBA games. I'm just waiting for a ball, or better yet player to come crashing into the front row and taking out a server with a tray full of drinks. It's not the server I care to see make a fool of themselves, but I would love to see a tray of beer get spilled on bunch of rich folks sitting courtside.

It was close last night. One of the refs barely bumped into a server who spilt one drink on the floor. There was at least a 5 minute delay in the game.

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.

Big Trouble In LA LA Land

With around 3 minutes left in the first half of Game 2, I was committed to the Lakers winning the series in 5 games. Denver had their best chance of stealing home court in Game 1 but blew it. Now they were down 13 nearing halftime in Game 2. But then Carmelo Anthony showed why he's one of the least talked about star players.

Denver went on a 14-2 run to close the first half and went into the locker room down just one point. Denver's final bucket of the half epitomized this LA Lakers team. Chauncey Billups was inbounding the ball under Denver's basket when he caught Kobe Bryant off guard with his back to the ball. Billups in bounded the ball off Kobe's back to himself for an easy layup.

The Lakers turned their backs on the Nuggets at the end of the half and know will have to win a game in Denver to survive this series.

After two games in LA, it's the Nuggets who look like the superior team. Denver is more physical, more aggressive. They're driving the ball to the basket, they're playing exceptional defense. Denver's front line is killing LA's.

Kenyon Martin is looking like he's back dominating college ball like he did at Cincinnati.

For the last year we've heard how Andrew Bynum was the missing piece of the puzzle. In two games, Bynum has 15 points and 8 rebounds. He's disappeared in the second half. Pau Gasol may be grabbing rebounds, but like we saw against Boston last year, he seems too intimidated to take it to the rack.

And Carmelo Anthony has brought himself to the upper echelon of the NBA. By the time this series is over, his name will have to be up there with Lebron, Kobe, D-Wade and....Melo. Heck, by the time the Playoffs are over, it very well could be Melo with the ring.

Through two games, Melo has scored 73, Kobe 72.

Sasha Vujacic has yet to show up in the entire playoffs. He's usually good for a couple of three's off the bench. Vujacic failed to get in the scoring column last night.

And Derek Fisher is on his last leg. Last night he had only 3 points on 1-9 shooting! What are you doing giving this guy the last shot of the game?

Linas Kleiza's performance was outstanding. Kleiza had 16 points off the bench. He was 4-7 from downtown and a hit a couple of 3's towards the end of the first half which got Denver back in the game.

And last year, everyone was talking about the Pau Gasol trade and how it was a steal for the Lakers and would put this team over the top. Well, this year Chauncey Billups has had a tremendous impact on this Denver team. They went from borderline playoff team to potential NBA Champs. You just can't say enough about the influence Billups has on a team.

I thought I would never say this, but the NBA Playoffs are better than the NCAA Tournament. The Tourney is basically two full days of basketball. The NBA you get pretty much two months. And don't trying comparing the Final Four's. In the NCAA, you get 3 games in the Final Four. The NBA we can possibly get 14 games. And this year's playoffs are fantastic. We truly have the 4 best teams left standing.

I'm totally changing my pick in the Western Conference. I think Denver wins this series in 6. There is no way LA wins a game in Denver. Especially not Game 3 which will be the biggest game in their franchise history. And I'm still waiting for J.R. Smith to explode, and he will. This guy has been a huge boost for Denver off the bench. His range is anywhere 5 feet or more behind the 3 point line. He will get hot and it will kill the Lakers.

And when the Lakers lose this series, not only will Kobe's career be questioned, but also Phil Jackson's. The Zen Master won 6 titles with the greatest player of all time and then won 3 with a dominant Shaq at the peak of his career and when Kobe was just getting started.

48 hours ago it still looked like a lock for the dream Finals matchup of Kobe/Lebron. Boy how that quickly changed.

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.

Denver Outplays LA But Falls Short In Game 1

If the Denver Nuggets were going to steal a game in LA, last night was a golden opportunity. The Nuggets outplayed the Lakers for nearly the entire game. Denver looked like the hungrier, better team as they played suffocating defense not allowing the Lakers to get easy shots.

Carmelo Anthony was superb! Melo had 39 points, shooting 14-20 from the field and 4-5 from downtown. He carried his team by having arguably the best game of his career and reminded us of his championship run as a freshmen at Syracuse.

Melo had 16 in the first quarter as Denver built a 13 point lead. I was actually thinking the Nuggets would beat the Lakers in 6.

But a funny thing happened. For the entire playoffs, we've heard nothing but how great Denver's bench is. Well, it was the Lakers' bench that wiped away the 13 point lead and helped carry the team to the Game 1 victory.

LA's bench outscored Denver's 27-16. Lakers' bench outscored the Nuggets 20-3 in the first half.

Chris "Birdman" Anderson brought his usual energetic play off the bench, scoring 8 points with 5 boards and 2 blocks. His presence in the paint is dominant on both sides of the ball. But the Nuggets needed a little more from J.R. Smith, who some considered the best 6th man in the league.

Denver did a great job of defending in the paint. Where was Andrew Bynum, who many say was the missing ingredient for Lakers last year. Bynum had only 6 points and was in foul trouble most of the game. Lamar Odom only had 7 points. And Pau Gasol was quiet until Nene fouled out late in the game. Gasol had a huge block and then on LA's next defensive possession drew a charge on Carmelo. Gasol then went to the line and missed two free throws. He did redeem himself moments later by sinking his next 2 foul shots.

What really worries me about the Lakers is there defense. They can be way too soft. Denver had no problem driving the basketball and getting easy looks. Kenyon Martin had 15 and Nene had 14 just owning Gasol all night. One thing, K-Mart has the ugliest one handed shot. It looks like he just pushes the ball to the basket with no arc. I don't know how he makes that shot.

And Denver took 35 trips to the line compared to 24 by the Lakers. That right there tells you who was the more aggressive team. But the Nuggets struggled from the free throw line hitting just 65.7%. That killed them, especially in the first half when they shot 12-21 from the line and allowed the Lakers to get back into the game.

In the entire playoffs, Chauncey Billups was 66-69 from the line. He missed his first 3 free throws last night!

The Lakers finally had a Derek Fisher sighting last night. Fisher hit a huge 3 at the buzzer at the end of the first half to give the Lakers a 55-54 lead at half. Fisher finished with 13 points and 6 dimes.

Chauncey Billups had another solid night with 18 points, 8 assists and 5 rebounds, but Denver basically got nothing from its 2 guard spot in Dahntay Jones who only had 1 point.

And of course, the games greatest closer was just that last night. Kobe Bryant took the game over in the fourth quarter and willed his team to victory. Mamba had 18 4th quarter points and hit 6 consecutive free throws in the final 30 seconds. Bryant won the scoring duel against Melo finishing with 40.

Kobe was right on his points per shot with 40 points and 41 total shots.

After outplaying the Lakers and failing to win Game 1, I think this really is going to hurt the Nuggets mentally. This is a team that has played the best basketball in the NBA the last two months. And after giving a superb effort only to fall short may really hurt their confidence. I think the Lakers will steal one in Denver and win this series in 5.

One thing's for certain, Melo vs. Kobe is gonna be real fun to watch for the next couple of weeks.

2 Days In A Row With No NBA

This seems like somewhat of a prelude to the dog days of summer. Two days straight with no NBA Playoffs. Good thing the Preakness is this afternoon.

Game 6 of the Lakers/Rockets series was the most watched basketball game ever on ESPN with 7.35 million viewers. If ESPN wants that trend to continue, they better hope they have the Lakers/Nuggets in the Conference Finals. Now that'll be a series.

As for the Magic/Celtics, I still think Boston is the better team. I don't know where everyone gets the idea that Orlando is better. Pierce, Allen and Rondo alone make Boston the better team. What, you like Howard, Turkoglu and Lewis?

The reason this series is going 7 is the fact that neither team has a bench. Which ever team can get double digits from their bench will win Game 7. Instead of Big Baby and Leon Powe coming of the bench for the Celtics, they have Brian Scalabrine.

RIP Wayman Tisdale. Tisdale put Oklahoma basketball on the map. That's two NBA legends lost in the past week.

MLB-The Yankees rallied for three runs in the 9th off Twins' closer Joe Nathan to win 5-4. Melky Cabrera won the game with a bases loaded walk off single. Cabrera has bounced back so far this year and is batting .330. As for Nathan, he had only given up 2 runs all season.

A-Rod played his first game at the new stadium and was 0-1 and drew 4 walks. He's now batting .136 since his return.

Brett Gardner had the first ever inside the park home run at the new stadium. Earlier in the day, Gardner had visited a girl at a children's hospital and promised her he would hit a home run. Remind you of Kramer telling the sick kid he'd have Paul O'Neil hit a home run for him?

Nick Swisher has cooled off, now batting .248.

The Yankees have now won 3 in a row and are 18-17, 4.5 games back.

Boston has lost 3 in a row leading Terry Francona to bench Big Papi. Wow! The Sox blew a 4-0 lead last night and lost 5-4 in Seattle.

Zach Greinke is now 7-1 with a .60 ERA as the Royal beat Baltimore 8-1 and are tied for first place in the Central. For his career, Greinke is 41-46 with 3.97 ERA. Did anyone see this guy coming? And could you imagine a Kansas City Royal starting the All Star Game for the AL?

I saw somebody's preseason college football top 25. Nebraska was 20th. Ole Miss was number 7! I would love to go to Oxford for a Gameday.

Boy is Ron Artest a dream player for the media or what. You have to watch this Lakers/Rockets series just to see what this guy will do next. I love how he stuck his tongue to Kobe.

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.

Rockets Steal Game 1 In LA

OK, I said it before this series started, I really like the way Houston's starting 5 matches up with the Lakers' starting 5. Of course the bench is always key in the playoffs. I'm not surprised the Rockets won last night, but I still don't see this series going more than 6 games.

Houston probably played their best game all season. Yao was dominant with 28 points and 10 boards. He even forced himself back into the game when it looked like he was done when his knee collided into Kobe's late in the game.

Ron Artest finally decided to show up for the playoffs. He was big last night, 21 points and 7 assists. The Rockets need Artest to step up like this if they are to have any chance. Aaron Brooks looked nice with 19.

Maybe the most underrated, obscure player in the NBA is Luis Scola. Your average fan and just about everybody outside of Houston has no idea who this guy is. Scola had a quiet 10 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. Pretty solid play from a no name power forward. Scola has a real nice jump shot, plays solid defense and never gives up.

The Rockets were fortunate to win this game when you look at the lack of performance by their bench. Von Wafer has really been the spark off their bench failed to score last night.

Kobe put in his standard 32 points but only went to the line 5 times.

Both teams were pretty dismal from downtown, the Rockets were 5-18 and the Lakers just 2-18. The deciding factor in this game was free throw shooting. Houston was 25-29 and LA just 12-19.

So who was the more aggressive team?

The Lakers' major problem in the first round vs. Utah was LA's lack of killer instinct. The Lakers would get up 20+ points and then let the Jazz go on a run and make the game close.

If the Lakers have any weakness, they are way too soft. And last night they ran into a hungrier more aggressive team.

Bulls/Celtics One for the Ages

If you haven't been watching the Bulls/Celtics series...

Six games. 4 overtimes. Series tied 3-3.

This series has it all. We've witnessed the coming out party for Rajon Rondo and Derrick Rose has premiere point guards in the NBA.

We've had nail bitting overtime games and last second three pointers.

Rondo putting in bad blood by nearly decapitating Brad Miller on his drive for the tying shot.

And what did the two teams do last night? Only a triple overtime ending after nearly 4 hours with the Bulls winning 128-127.

Not to mention Ray Allen going for 51! And Rondo adding more fuel to the fire with a skirmish with Kirk Hinrich. Not only has Rondo been the most valuable player for the Celtics in this series, now he's going to be regarded as a dirty player. Rondo could have easily been ejected last night because of the tussle with Hinrich.

The Bulls were up double digits in the first half, blew that lead. Then went up double digits again and the fourth quarter, blew that lead and somehow even got down by 8 points with under 5 minutes left to play. I don't know how they rebounded to tie the game and go to overtime!

Ray Allen hits a three to send the game into a third overtime. In the third OT, Joakim Noah steals the ball and dribbles down the court for a breakaway and one dunk that just electrified the crowd. How does Paul Pierce allow Noah to dribble the length of the court and punctuate it with a dunk?

By the time the game ended, the Blazers/Rockets game had already started the 3rd quarter.

Speaking of the Blazers/Rockets...

The Houston Rockets finally got rid of the first round hex and won their first playoff series since 1997.

The Portland Trailblazers just didn't have enough fire power. Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Alridge were the only real scoring threats throughout the series.

Greg Oden is looking like the incredible bust. Yeah, he's been injured and hasn't played much, but even when he plays, he doesn't look good. Thus, a bust. So far. Could you imagine this Portland team with Kevin Durant? That would be flat out sick!

For the entire series, Oden finished with 30 points, 24 rebounds and 29 fouls!

As for the Rockets? Congratulations! You now get Black Mamba and the Lakers. Actually, I think the Rockets match up decent with LA. Good enough to maybe take this series to 6 games. Ron Artest had problems with Brandon Roy, how do you think he'll stack up against the Black Dagger?

Houston's biggest weakness is probably at point guard. Aaron Brooks can show flashes of brilliance, but is too young and inconsistent. Kyle Lowry just can't shoot and is turnover prone.

No Superman, No Problem for Orlando...
What a no show by the 76ers. You're at home, an elimination game with the opposing team's best player out. Not just any player, Dwight Howard! The defensive player of the year! That's 20+ points, 14 boards and 3 blocks out of the game. Magic starter Courtney Lee was out too.

And Philadelphia gets beat 114-89! WTF!

When is the last time the Cleveland Cavaliers have played a game? Still waiting to see the who they'll sweep next, the Hawks/Heat.

Tampa's Matt Garza had a perfect game going into the 7th inning against the Red Sox. Tampa pummeled Boston 13-0. Tampa had 18 hits to Boston's lone one.

And Yankeeland?

After a 4 game losing skid and being swept at Fenway in one of the worst possible ways, the Yankees got a more than solid start from call up Phil Hughes and have won 3 in a row and are just 2 back in the division. Pretty good considering all the injuries and hoopla surrounding the team.

And speaking of hoopla...

A-Rod gets back to playing ball and hits a homerun, but that was hardly the biggest story involving Rodriguez. Selena Roberts' new book has already leaked new "allegations." The biggest concern is the whole "pitch tipping" A-Rod did with Texas. I have never heard such a thing. Selena Roberts is an extremely credible reporter and everything's she's printed has been true. But why in this book are sources not named? If A-Rod was pitch tipping, then who were the other players involved? If former Yankees claim they saw A-Rod taking roids while with the Yankees, how come these players aren't named?

It really makes me wonder just how much of MLB was juicing? Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic are really looking more dirty and corrupt, if possible.

I really think Big Papi and Jason Varitek were juicing. Look at how both players' numbers have dropped significantly the last couple years. Last year, Varitek struggled to bat above the Mendoza line. This year, Big Papi is batting .230 with no homeruns. Yeah, he probably does miss Manny batting behind him. And remember the summer of 2004 when Varitek jumped out of the catcher's box and went after A-Rod, ala Roger Clemens throwing the bat at Mike Piazza.

The Kansas City Royals' Zack Greinke is the first pitcher to go 5-0 this year. He gave up his first runs of the year the other night. His ERA is 0.50.

Yes, the season's young and now Greinke is on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Let's watch and see how this guy handles the pressure.

Denver Ties Playoff Record For Biggest Win

Denver destroyed the New Orleans Hornets 121-63. Is there anything left to say?
The Nuggets now have total control of the series up 3-1 with the final game Wednesday night in Denver. Yes, that will be the last game of one of the most mismatched series's in this year's playoffs. The Nuggets should win Game 5 by at least 20 points. New Orleans has nothing left to play for, if they even show up physically.

Denver led 36-15 after the first quarter, shooting 70% from the field. That was pretty much all you needed to see. No starter for either team played in the fourth quarter.

Denver had 7 players in double figures. The Nuggets out shot the Hornets 56-31% from the field. Chris Paul finished with only 4 points and 6 assists.

The Hornets had only 24 second half points. New Orleans points by quarter: 15, 24, 11, 13.

Denver is now one win away from the franchise's first playoff series win since 1994.