Game 7 - Does It Get Better Than This?

David Stern is absolutely glowing today. The guy probably has a smile bigger than the joker himself. He has the two marquee franchises in his sport squaring off in a Game 7 to determine the NBA Championship. The Lakers and all their tradition and the Celtics and all of their own tradition. The hype machine should be bursting at the seems. The only thing that is screwing this up is the fact that the game is on a Thursday night instead of a weekend (with all the time off between games, they couldn’t figure this out??).

Unfortunately for Stern, the build up to the game might actually be better than the game itself. The Lakers pounded the Celtics in game 6 in LA, so in theory they have all the momentum. However momentum has not been much of a factor in the series, as the Celtics wins in games 4 & 5 were the only consecutive wins thus far. The bigger issue is the loss of Kendrick Perkins. Perkins brings a defensive presence and some size to match up with Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol. Big Baby Davis brings big time energy, but is best suited to come off the bench. Rasheed Wallace is an experienced veteran, but he doesn’t have the mental capacity to play through or turn things around when they start to go bad.

While Kobe doesn’t want to think about his legacy at this point, this game is a chance for him to really put his own personal stamp on a championship, even more so than last year. Random, but unexpected, fact is that Jordan never won a championship in a game 7. Kobe has a chance to get his 5th ring by stepping up in the biggest game possible. I’m expecting around 30 points, 8 rebounds and 9 assists from the Black Mamba. I’m also expecting one technical on Rasheed, 15 flops by Paul Pierce and a few big-league chest thumps from Kevin Garnett in the first quarter. And I would project the over/under for clips of Magic, Bird, McHale, Rambis and Jabbar is somewhere around 9 and I’ll take the over.

So enjoy the excitement of the pregame and all the build up to the game. Unfortunately the game may not live up to the expectations. We can hope for a close game, but in the end, we’re going to see Jack Nicholson with that creepy beard smiling like the real joker. Let’s just hope that Leonardo DiCaprio brings Bar Refaeli to sit courtside with him.

Weekend Hangover - Love/Hate

LOVE

- Spent the weekend in comedy clubs in New York. Saw some great shows and great comedians – particularly Jared Girmscheid and Joe Narvaez. Both guys were extremely entertaining and put on a great show - definitely worth watching. Jared performs regularly in Chicago and Joe performs a steady schedule in New York. Check to see if and when they might be performing around you and get out and see them – you won’t be disappointed.

- This video has been going around for a while now, but it is well worth a link and the time to watch. It contains about 4,000 f-bombs from current minor league manager and former New York Met Wally Backman in an on-field altercation with an umpire. I would definitely have a beer with Wally.

- Did we just witness the soccer version of Bill Buckner in Saturday’s World Cup match between the USA and England? While right now the horrendous play by England’s goalie allowed the US to steal a tie, if both teams advance out of pool play, the goal will be remembered for comedy, and no real repercussions. The bigger issue for Team USA was the fact that the Brits peppered the US defense and goalie Tim Howard is the only reason Sam’s Army was able to come away with a point. Landon Donovan was mostly neutralized by the English defense and he will have to find a way to be more of a factor against Slovenia and Algeria. Defensively, the US did a pretty good job of keeping Wayne Rooney from doing too much damage, so there is a really strong chance he unleashed more than a few of his patented profanity tirades.

HATE

- Is there a more annoying player to watch in crunch time than Paul Pierce? I’m guessing he is a huge fan of President Obama because all he does is plow to the hoop and beg for a bail out, flopping and whining all over the place. Toughen up, dude. He flops more than anyone in the World Cup. He’s like a black European player – maybe the love child of Manu Ginobili and Jay-Z. And he’s only a half step more annoying than the Kendrick Perkins scowl and stomp away after every foul…..which happens at least once a minute when Perkins is on the floor.

- The NBA Finals 2-3-2 scheduling makes less sense than why Lindsay Lohan somehow still scores tickets to things like the MTV Music Awards. How can you justify the team with home court advantage having to fight off elimination when they have won their home games? (yes, the Lakers lost a game in LA, but won a game in Boston to get the home court advantage back) What is the rationale behind the schedule? Limiting travel? These dudes are not flying coach. The Lakers beat writer is not going to be sitting next to Big Baby Davis (aka Shrek) on an American Airlines flight from LAX to Logan. And they give the teams 2-3 days off between games without travel days, so there is no reason to use the 2-3-2.

- Want to know what bothers me more than Vince Young being the prime suspect in an assault at a strip club in Nashville? The fact that they have to refer to him as a “two-time Pro Bowl” quarterback. The guy made the pro bowl last year playing less than half of his team’s games and threw 10 touchdowns and had 10 interceptions. Yet because 10 other AFC quarterbacks were supposedly injured or still playing (Peyton Manning), the guy whose throwing motion looks like Uncle Rico from Napoleon Dynamite made another Pro Bowl.

Believe the Hype

Stephen Strasburg made his much-anticipated debut last night and the hype machine was running at full tilt like the hype before Show Girls came out and everyone was jacked to see Jessie Spano take it all off. Thankfully for Strasburg, his debut was much more impressive than Elizabeth Berkley’s. Strasburg went 7 innings, gave up 2 runs on a HR, walked none and struck out 14 mixing a 100 mph fastball with a 91 mph slider and an 82 mph changeup.

The doubters will point out that he pitched against one of the worst line ups in all of baseball, and that it was only one game. Yes, he still could have a Mark Prior injury (by the way, Prior’s debut was 6 innings, 2 runs, 1 HR and 103 pitches). But if Strasburg stays healthy, it is obvious that he has the demeanor and the electric stuff to be special. Everyone wants to see him get tested against a better line up, but that will have to wait until at least his third start because his next start is against the ineptitude that is the Cleveland Indians.

Everyone points to the zero walks during the 7 innings last night and it was impressive, but he did fall behind early in the count quite a few times, but was able to fight back with a nasty fastball that tickled the triple digits consistently, even later in the game. Combining that with a knee-buckling curve means he has the chance to light up the ball park every fifth day just like Dwight Gooden did in 1984. The unfortunate part is that the Nationals still aren’t very good and Strasburg will likely bump up against his innings limit well before the season is over, meaning the team will shut him down early.

Yet with that being said, enjoy watching this guy throw when you can – his stuff is electric and he works quickly which makes for a much more entertaining baseball game.

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The Lakers stepped up and took back home court advantage last night with a win in Game 3 over the Celtics. The streaky Ray Allen went from Finals record for 3-pointers during game 2, to one of the worst shooting performances in the history of the Finals, going 0-12 from the floor. It was obvious early that Kobe Bryant determined the Lakers were going to win the game – despite him not having a strong shooting performance. He was getting rebounds, steals, assists and hustle plays to put the Celtics on the ropes early.

Then late in the game, Derek Fisher took over. While Fisher has had a knack for hitting clutch jumpers throughout his career, who knew he would be deadly with the floaters and drives to the hoop? It has been an incredible rejuvenation for Fisher, who suddenly looks like Bianca Kajlich – not going to be a hall of famer, but a solid set of skills that can be counted on in the clutch. (Kajlich is also the ex-wife of USA soccer star Landon Donovan).

The Celtics could be in some serious trouble at this point in the series, because their offense has been horrific and their defense has been good, but not good enough. Like I predicted before the series, the only thing that gives them a chance to win is Ray Allen, and he is more about streaks than Frank the Tank in Old School. When Ray-Ray is shooting like Jesus Shuttlesworth, the Celtics win like in game 2. When Ray struggles or completely stinks, they lose like they did in games 1 & 3. That doesn’t seem to have the makings of a championship banner by my math. Pierce has been hideous offensively during the series, and he’s not going to suddenly break out of his slump with Ron Artest sharing his shorts. Garnett stepped up last night, but there’s a good chance that he blew any reserve energy he had and will not be able to continue at that pace.

The Lakers have a chance to step on the Celtics throats in Game 4, and you have to believe that Kobe will be fired up to prove once again that he is the best closer in the game today.

Computer Problems....so look at soccer chicks

Having Computer problems.....again. But should have something up later today or tonight about the debut of Stephen Strasburg and the Lakers huge win in Game 3 last night. In the meantime.....start getting prepared for the World Cup with these soccer fans..........

Breaking Down the NBA Finals

A quick story before getting to the NBA Finals breakdown……sitting outside having a beer at Barnacle Billy’s in Perkin’s Cove, Maine this past weekend, and the Maine version of Frank Sinatra in Vegas rolls in. He was in his mid-70’s, and looked like a pumpkin on stilts (as round as could be) with white hair and big sunglasses on. As he makes his way out to his table on the deck, every worker and regular at the place knows him, shakes his hand and they trade good natured barbs. The waitress asks about “the usual” and returns with a martini on the rocks in a plastic cup with a side glass of ice and the olives on top of the ice. The guy then proceeds to basically put on a one-man comedy show for anyone within earshot. My favorite story: “You know you get smarter when you drink, right? Well I get better at math when I drink, and last night at the bar I saw that Demi Moore and her younger boyfriend on television. So I quickly did the math and determined that if I want me a cougar like that, she’ll have to be 94 years old! A 94 year old might need oxygen to keep up with me. So maybe I should trade her in for two 47 year olds. But then I’d be the one who would need the oxygen!”

Anyway, this year’s Lakers-Celtics NBA Finals matchup has the potential to be one of the great finals matchups in a really long time. In addition to the whole traditional rivalry and supposed hatred between the fan bases (who cares? 90% of us don’t live in either city so we don’t care if Sully in Southie really hates the Lakers when he’s watching the game at O’Malley’s Pub). The reason is that these teams have a tremendous amount of star power, are playing extremely well, and have coaches that have been nearly flawless this post season. All of the starting 10 players, plus a couple of bench players (Lamar Odom, Rasheed Wallace, etc) are legit So with that said, let’s break it down by position:

PG: Rajon Rondo (Celtics) vs. Derek Fisher (Lakers)
Rondo has cranked it up again in the playoffs proving that the most obvious trait he picked up from playing with the Big 3 was how to cruise through the regular season without too much effort. Fisher stood a chance defensively against the Suns and Steve Nash, but Rondo presents problems the same way Russell Westbrook did in the opening round against the Thunder. And since the Lakers don’t want to wear out Kobe chasing Ray Allen around on the defensive end, Kobe will likely draw Rondo. Fisher has been incredibly reliable during the playoffs this year and has the faith of Kobe and Phil Jackson to take big shots if Kobe is jammed up. Rondo has the potential to be the MVP over the entire series, but Fisher has the potential to hit a game winner or two. It’s a young, unpredictable star like Miley Cyrus that has the potential to drive you crazy but also can fill an arena. EDGE: Celtics

SG: Kobe Bryant (Lakers) vs. Ray Allen (Celtics)
While there is no comparing Bryant and Allen on an absolute level, each brings an amazing legacy as one of the best at their chosen aspect of the game. For Kobe, it’s being the best closer in the game today, and with this title, he has the potential to enter the discussion among the top 3-5 guards of all-time. Allen is one of the best pure shooters in the game and has evolved into as clutch and deadly in the post season as Reggie Miller was in his prime. Kobe wants to avenge the 2008 loss and move himself another notch closer to Jordan’s 6 titles. He is by far the best player in the series and has proven that even though everyone is so enamored with LeBron James and his next employer, Kobe is the best player in the game. If the Lakers win, it will be because Bryant carries them again.

Allen will likely be the key to the Celtics offense in this series. With Bryant slowing Rondo, Artest stopping Pierce (along with Pierce expending too much energy guarding Bryant), and Gasol shutting down Garnett, the offensive burden will fall to Allen. He is very capable of carrying that torch, but he has had a few cold streaks in the playoffs, including the early rounds of the 2008 playoffs. At the end of the day, Bryant is like Brooklyn Decker – it doesn’t matter if she’s doing cartwheels or posing by the ocean, the talent is undeniable. EDGE: Lakers

SF: Paul Pierce (Celtics) vs. Ron Artest (Lakers)
Ron Artest has truly become the modern day Dennis Rodman, without the cross-dressing. He is quirky, a unique personality, and even his own fans recoil in horror any time he lines up a shot outside of the paint. You have no idea what he’s going to do other than play complete lock down defense and rebound. And that is all the Lakers need him to do.

Paul Pierce was dubbed the greatest pure scorer in Celtics history by Bob Ryan of the Boston Globe and yet my brother and I had a discussion the other night whether he truly is a Hall of Famer. Is he underappreciated outside of Boston or overappreciated inside of Boston? Is he a compiler? He has had some great stretches in the playoffs where he has completely taken over a game, but he has never been a dominant scorer for an entire season (with the possible exception of 2001-02). His defense is solid, as evidenced by him slowing down LeBron just enough in 2008 and this year. But does he do any one thing great? His outside shot has improved over the years, but is far from reliable. His post game is adequate. He is an average rebounder. I like his game and believe that he WILL be a Hall of Famer, but the question is whether he should be a lock. While he is overdramaticIf he wins his second title this season, it does elevate him to another tier. EDGE: Celtics

PF: Pau Gasol (Lakers) vs. Kevin Garnett (Celtics)
Garnett is among the greatest power forwards to ever play the game (I rank him 3rd behind Tim Duncan and Elgin Baylor but ahead of Charles Barkley and Karl Malone), but he is running on fumes and one leg at this point of his career. He has adequately adjusted his game to be comfortable not being the focal point of the offense and remains the defensive and emotional leader of the team. He demands effort from his teammates and the Boston crowd with his primal screams or profanity-laced tirades. Yet he is overmatched against the younger Gasol who is just as comfortable defending Garnett’s mid range jumper or his post moves. Add in Gasol’s ability to pass and fill the lane on the break and he might be the second-best player in the series. If you were on the playground and choosing up teams, Bryant would be the first pick and Gasol would likely be next. (Followed by Rondo, Allen, Pierce, Garnett, Odom, Artest, Perkins, Wallace and Fisher). Gasol is the hot foreign import that revitalized the team with the well-rounded game – kind of like the addition of Mandy Drury on CNBC. EDGE: Lakers

C: Kendrick Perkins (Celtics) vs. Andrew Bynum (Lakers)
Perkins is a very solid low-post defender and capable rebounder. Bynum is athletic and would present a tough matchup for Perkins if he were healthy. Yet he’s not healthy. Neither player will be the difference maker and it’s possible that Bynum won’t be able to play through the full series. Perkins also may miss time because even his coach expects him to pick up another technical which will put him at 7 during the playoffs which warrants a one-game suspension. This is like deciding whether Lilly is more important to How I Met Your Mother than Phoebe was to Friends – both have their moments, but the shows could carry on effectively without either one. EDGE: Celtics

Bench Players
The Celtics bring in the cavalry to bang inside with Big Baby Davis and Rasheed Wallace and could potentially get a defensive option against Kobe in Tony Allen. The Lakers bring the most versatile yet most inconsistent player on either team in Lamar Odom. After Odom the Lakers bench is fairly weak – Jordan Farmar and Shannon Brown. Yet, when Odom is on a sugar high, he has the ability to be a match up nightmare for the Celtics and could be the difference in a game or two. He is like Carrie Underwood – he disappears for a while and you don’t think about him, but when he shows up, he reminds you that he has the complete package. EDGE: Lakers

Coaching
This edge is less of a surprise than the horrendous reviews that Sex In The City 2 has gotten. The greatest coach of all time versus a guy that was almost run out of town 3 years ago before Danny Ainge went the desperation route because his job was on the line as well. Doc Rivers has done a good job of keeping his veterans happy while the young Rondo takes the reins of the offense and he has a great defensive assistant coach (who will likely be a head coach next season). Yet he can’t compare to the Zen Master, who has already begun the mind games with his comments about Kevin Garnett. EDGE: Lakers

THE PICK
The Lakers will struggle to score consistently against the Celtics stingy defense and will need Lamar Odom to keep an extra bag of Skittles in his sock at all times. The Celtics offense will also struggle because the Lakers match up well with everyone except Ray Allen (Kobe on Rondo, Artest on Pierce & Gasol on Garnett). Can Allen continue his hot shooting and carry the Celtics to the title? I expect a tough series that is very evenly matched. And when the series is this evenly matched, what are the deciding factors? Who has the best player? Who has home court advantage? Is there a revenge factor? All of those answers are the Lakers. THE PICK: LAKERS IN SEVEN GAMES

Weekend Hangover - Love/Hate

LOVE

- Spent the long holiday weekend in New England on the beaches of New Hampshire and southern Maine. The first day we went to Hampton Beach in New Hampshire which was a disappointment because the crowd looked like the rejects from Jersey Shore. Whenever you see an arcade on the boardwalk, I would say that tells you all you need to know about the beach. The rest of the weekend we went to Ogunquit Beach in Maine which had an inordinate number of members of Team Ricky Martin there (not that there’s anything wrong with that) but the beach is awesome. I had forgotten how funny and uneducated the Boston/New England accent is until this weekend brought it back again.

As we’re packing up the car on Monday morning after checking out of the hotel and heading to the beach for the day, a random short little guy in sweatpants with a thick New England accents walks by and randomly starts telling us that the light haze over the city is actually smoke, so be careful with the air conditioning in our room. We’re perplexed, but nod and continue to throw stuff in the car. He gets about 20 yards away, turns back and as if we were still talking to him just throws out there: “Canada’s awn fi-yah! Smoke’s bad. People ahh gonna be lightheaded.” He then disappears into the parking garage. My wife and I look at each other so confused…..did that just happen? And what was he talking about that all of Canada is on fire? Turns out he actually wasn’t crazy and supposedly the wildfires in Canada have produced smoke that somehow had blown down the coast and caused a morning haze over much of New England. Who knew? Canada really was on fi-yah.

- How good is Ubaldo Jimenez right now? The guy has won 10 of his 11 decisions and has an ERA of 0.78. His only loss was a game when he gave up 2 hits and 1 run. The guy has been an absolute monster. It will be interesting to see how long he can keep up this incredible hot pace and what his stats will end up for the season. And he’s doing it with a home field in Denver that has been a nightmare for pitchers over the years. Just an incredible start.

- As much as I would have appreciated Steve Nash and Grant Hill getting a shot a title, it is much more entertaining to have the classic NBA giant matchup of the Celtics and Lakers in the NBA Finals. I will make a prediction for the series later in the week, but I actually just want to point out that I hit both the Eastern and Western Conference Finals on the nose by picking the winners in 6 games. You’re welcome. Three years ago the people of Boston were screaming “Fi=yah Dawk!!” (which is their version of “Fire Doc!” at every game, and now they are in position to win their second title in 3 years. Meanwhile, the Lakers are making their 3rd consecutive trip to the Finals and seeking back-to-back titles.

HATE

- Kendry Morales of the Angels broke his leg when he landed awkwardly on home plate after a walk-off homer. Wow. Somewhere Gus Frerotte is nodding his head in a combination of shame and understanding.

- Enough with the NBA “Power Summit” meeting that is going to take place between LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, Joe Johnson, and any and all of the potential free agents. Yes, these guys are going to talk to each other about where they are going and who could potentially play together. I hope any franchise that allows these guys to hijack them into changing coaches or directing other signings is ready for the fact that they will have to continue to bow down to these players for their entire contracts. That is a dangerous game to get involved with.

Too Much Ego for Buehrle & Perkins

I have written in the past that I do not like to whine about officiating because they are human, they make some mistakes and they take too much criticism from people that can watch in super-slow-motion-high-definition replays. Yet two event s in two different sports yesterday highlighted a problem with the umpires/officials that doesn’t involve them making bad calls during the course of the game. The problem is that the egos of the umpire/official got in the way, resulting in the ejection of key players in the White Sox game and in the Celtics game.

It has always been said that the best officiated game is one in which you do not even notice or remember the officials. There are tough calls and close calls and as long as an official is mostly consistent and confident in their calls, there is not much else to be said. Yet when the officials start to wedge their way into the key moments of the game and affect the outcome because they make a spectacle of themselves, it is a major problem.

Yesterday in Chicago Joe West was the first base umpire and West already has a reputation as a guy with a quick hook and a knack for making himself the center of attention. He called the slow pace of the Red Sox-Yankees games a “disgrace” to baseball. While he is correct that those games are insanely slow, the umpire is not the guy you want to hear from about it. Fast forward to yesterday and West ejected White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen and starting pitcher Mark Buehrle before the 3rd inning was over on two controversial balk calls. Buehrle dropped his glove in disgust after the second balk and was given the heave-ho. Give me a break, Joe. That wasn’t “showing you up” as all of the umpires in baseball like to lean on for a rationale for ejection. In reality, West showed up Buehrle. Bud Selig needs to step in and do something about West before it gets even more out of hand.

In the Celtics-Magic game, Kendrick Perkins was hit with two technical fouls and ejected before halftime. As a side note, that gives him 7 technicals during the playoffs which would qualify him for a one game suspension if the league does not recind the technicals from last night (and I think they will take back both of them). Perkins got his first technical when his hand slipped while helping Paul Pierce up and his arm flew back resulting in an elbow to Martin Gortat. The officials hit Perkins and Gortat with a double technical. A bad call overall, but can’t really be argued that much. If the official didn’t see the arm slip, it appeared he threw an elbow. Fine. The second technical was egregious and a result of an official being overly sensitive. After a questionable touch call, Perkins stomped away from the official and whined that it was a bullshit call. Again, he stomped AWAY from the official. Yet the referee quickly slapped him with a technical without pausing to realize that Perkins was walking away and that it would be his second technical and lead to an ejection of a key post player early in the game. Perkins is a notorious whiner but did not deserve to be thrown out.

Officials and umpires need to check their egos at the door and realize that these are athletes competing at the highest level and their emotions are running high. They may react when a call goes against them and not every eye roll or stomping of the feet is “showing up” an umpire. They need to have thicker skin than that because they are affecting games and potentially a playoff series.

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And one final note that shows size does not matter…….in women’s tennis.

Weekend Hangover - Love/Hate

LOVE

- Loved Rajon Rondo’s hustle play against the Magic, which was a perfect illustration of the heart and effort of the Celtics destroying the weak Magic. Up 17 in the first half, Rondo dove head first to steal a loose ball that he and Jason Williams were chasing into the backcourt. Williams had the lead and the edge in the race but Rondo’s effort made the difference, and he then got up with a couple dribbles and made a lay up to increase the blow out. The Magic have shown no heart in the series and will likely be able to schedule tee times for tomorrow morning when their off season begins.

- John Axford’s mustache is awesome. I don’t know anything about the guy, but I logged on to watch the end of Sunday’s Brewers win over the Twins and saw Axford’s mustache on the mound closing out the game. It looks straight out of the 70’s. Almost as important as the facial hair was the fact that he was throwing in the mid to high 90’s. That is something the Brewers entire pitching staff has been missing for years. They haven’t had a guy with an electric fastball that can keep hitters from digging into the batters box and being able to stay in there with no fear of the pitcher owning the inside of the plate.

- Amare Stoudemire responded well in Game 3 to rightfully deserved criticism for being soft during the first two games against the Lakers. He had a monster game with over 40 points and double-digit rebounds. The more impressive part was the versatility he showed on offense while hitting mid-range jumpers, and squaring up and driving past his defenders in addition to his typical mad crashing of the rim on great passes from Steve Nash. Like Amanda Seyfried, he showed the full range of his abilities with his back to the basket/camera (in Big Love) and facing up (in Chloe). The question is whether the rejuvenated Amare will be enough if Lamar Odom gets back on a sugar high in future games because he looked like he ran out of Skittles in game 3.

HATE

- The idea of a cold weather Super Bowl. It does not really have anything to do with the fans or the corporations that buy Super Bowl tickets. The bigger issue is that if the weather does not cooperate, it diminishes the level of play on the field. Yes, games in the snow can be fun to watch on television, but don’t you want to see the best teams playing at their highest level of play? Teams having to play in the rough elements will change the game dramatically and force them to alter the way they played to get to the Super Bowl. Where would you rather hang out with Sara Tomassi – at a ski resort where you are only getting glimpses when you’re at the hot tub of the resort or would you rather spend a week in Miami where she’s in a bikini by the pool all day every day? Seems like a no brainer that you would want to keep the Super Bowl in nice weather to make it the most likely that the teams will be able to showcase their skills on the biggest stage.

- Regardless of your political views, why is President Obama wasting time doing a sit down interview with Marv Alberts? I get the whole “I’m a man of the people and a huge sports fan” angle thing that he has been trying to portray. I appreciate him liking sports, but there seems to be some bigger issues out there in the world that need his attention……finance reform, European debt levels going through the roof, unemployment, an oil spill threatening to wreck the gulf coast, terrorism, etc. And stumping for LeBron to come to Chicago is just pathetic and seems overly contrived.

- RIP to Lima Time. Jose Lima died of an apparent heart attack this weekend in Los Angeles and was only 37 years old. Lima was known for his quirky habits, playing the guitar and talking to himself incessantly on the mound. He had success with the Houston Astros but also played for many teams including the Mets, Royals and Dodgers. He was the type of fun-loving, eccentric personality that you could easily root for as a fan.

Degenerate Friday!! Random Ramblings

Before I get to any gambling talk, a couple of random thoughts…..

First, who the hell invented button-flys on pants or shorts? My wife bought me a new pair of khaki shorts because she said cargo shorts were more out than Ricky Martin. Anyway, they’re your basic shorts except that they have a button fly. A button-fly must have been invented by a woman and signed off on by a guy who has never gotten any in his life. Let’s see, a girl – we’ll say Diora Baird for fun - finally decides to give you some action, but you’re going to make it extremely difficult to get into the junkyard to play with your junk. And while she’s fiddling with the buttons, your chubinski has went softer than the Suns defense. Great idea Mr. Clothes Designer.

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I’m in the gym yesterday afternoon in Manhattan and notice a girl is wearing a pair of shorts with “Wisconsin” across her rear end. Interesting, and then I notice she’s also wearing a t-shirt with “Wisconsin” across her chest. So in many instances I would ask her if she went to Wisconsin or was from Wisconsin. However, in this instance, what’s the proper way to approach a girl and tell her that you noticed she had Wisconsin across her butt and across her chest….but I wasn’t checking out her butt or her chest. And since she was wearing headphones, do I motion towards her butt or chest? Yeah, that’s not going to go over well. Let’s just move on……..

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Maybe the Magic and the Suns will get back into their series this weekend. Maybe not. My degenerate picks for the week:

Saturday: Boston (-3.5) at Orlando
Sunday: Phoenix (-3) vs. Los Angeles

Maybe the Suns can hope for their fans to be almost as rowdy as these European hoops fans (wait for the 35 second mark)……

Degenerate Friday - NBA Conference Finals

Last night the Celtics started the Cavaliers summer earlier than expected and began the LeBron Watch in Cleveland, New York, New Jersey, Chicago and Miami. Everyone is going to focus in on the Cavs and why they were able to put up the best record in the regular season and then fizzled out in the playoffs. Was it LeBron’s fault? Was it Mike Brown’s poor coaching? Was it his pathetic supporting cast? The one thing that seems to get overlooked is that, using a decent sized caveat: “when healthy,” the Celtics are a better team with more talent than the Cavaliers.

Before game 5 of this round, everyone believed that the Celtics were old, washed up and trying to make one last stand against Cleveland before they drift off into the sunset. Now they have to be a legit threat to beat the Magic and challenge the Lakers. The Celtics won the title two years ago riding the leadership and defense of Kevin Garnett combined with the scoring of Paul Pierce. Last year Garnett was hurt and missed the playoffs, meaning the Celtics had no shot. This year Garnett is healthy and looks to have his swagger back. In addition, Rajon Rondo has matured into one of the top point guards in the league, and Ray Allen is shooting, literally, for one last contract. Add to that Pierce’s experience and shooting despite the fact that he was the slowest guy on the court that included Shaq and Zdrunas Ilgauskas, and the Celtics have all the pieces needed to contend. They have all the talent of Heidi Klum, they just need to stay healthy the same way she has bounced back from having her kids.

So let’s make degenerate Friday about picking the Eastern & Western Conference Finals:

Western Conference: Phoenix Suns vs. Los Angeles Lakers

This should be an extremely entertaining series with the fast pace of the Suns matching up with the stingy defense and offensive firepower of the Lakers. The Lakers have much more size on the interior which will provide a matchup problem for the Suns. Yet the Suns bigs like Channing Frye will be a tough pairing for the Lakers defensively because Frye will pull Gasol or Bynum away from the hoop and somewhat negate their rebounding. Steve Nash will provide nightmares for the Lakers because they’re going to need to use Derrick Fisher and Jordan Farmar to try and contain him. The Suns have also played better defense this year than they ever have, and that’s what will make this a close series.

The long lay off has helped both teams, allowing Nash’s eye to pop back in his socket and allowing Kobe’s finger and knees to get even more healthy. The Suns are flashy and have the people’s support to see Nash and Grant Hill finally get a title. They are like Kate Hudson in that everyone likes them and wants her to be happy, but even with her new perky friends it won’t be enough to win back A-Rod.

The Pick: Lakers in 6 games

Eastern Conference: Boston Celtics vs. Orlando Magic

The match up I am fired up for in this series is Jameer Nelson versus Rajon Rondo. My brother and I already have a wager as to who will have a better series, with me taking the Rondo side. I think Rondo is long enough to keep Nelson from shooting over him, and quick enough to keep Nelson in front of him. While Rondo may not score as much as Nelson, he is a much better playmaker and rebounds well with his long E.T. arms. The Celtics are big enough to run a rotation of defenders at Dwight Howard with Kendrick Perkins, Rasheed Wallace and even Big Baby Davis. Vince Carter should be able to explode against the eroding Paul Pierce and he will be the reason the Magic will get by the Celtics.

When it comes down to it, the Celtics still have the heart of a champion, and are playing their championship level defense again. The Magic are the hottest team in the league, having won something like 27 of their past 30 games, averaging double digit wins during that time period and they haven’t lost in the playoffs. Yet they haven’t played against anyone with the talent, experience and personality of Brooke Burke. The long lay off provides them an opportunity to cool off and game 1 will be a huge opportunity for the Celtics to jump on them early and wrestle away home court advantage. Maybe I’m just drinking the Kool-Aid and have forgotten how good the Magic has been playing, but…….

The Pick: Celtics in 6 games

Is The King Not Wearing Any Clothes??

LeBron James was flat out awful in last night’s pounding of the Cavs by the Celtics in Cleveland. There is no other way to describe it. Combining his lack of urgency with the pathetic play of Mo Williams and indifferent coaching of Mike Brown has the Cavs on the brink of elimination. To put last night’s blow out in perspective, consider the fact that while Michael Jordan may have had off nights shooting the basketball, in 179 career playoff games, his team only lost 3 times by more than 20 points. Only 3 times in 179 games!! Even when he was not shooting well, he managed to keep his team from being embarrassed through effort and anger.

That is the biggest problem I had with LeBron’s game last night was not his 21% shooting from the field but the fact that he only took 14 shots and he looked disengaged. Where was the fire or the effort or the anger from getting your butt kicked? When things didn’t go right for Jordan or Bird or Kobe, you saw the scowls come out and the abuse of teammates to drive them to play better. Where is that from LeBron? I would guess that he is angry with Mo Williams and angry with Mike Brown, but he definitely has not shown that outside of the locker room, if at all. Does he have the ability to get fired up and take it to the next level? We have never seen it from The King. Is that his kryptonite? The fact that he doesn’t have “The Scowl” or the fire to focus every ounce of his energy on winning a title and not to get distracted by his pending free agency or trying to be a global icon. We’ll see what happens in game 6 in Boston, but if he does not come out and dominate, it will be obvious that the King is not wearing the clothes required to be the greatest of all time.

I think the biggest reason that he was disinterested last night were Mo Williams and the poor coaching from Mike Brown. Mo Williams has been absolutely awful. Not only has he not been effective offensively, but the Celtics have decided to attack whomever Williams is guarding. He does not have quick enough feet to stay with Rajon Rondo, and Rondo blows by him regularly to get a lay up or shoots right over him if he falls back. When Williams switches on to Ray Allen, Allen immediately goes to the block and posts him up. He has been a huge liability on both ends of the court.

The other issue is the poor coaching from Mike Brown. If Shaq thinks that Stan Van Gundy is The Master of Panic, I can’t wait to hear what he thinks of Brown once he retires at the end of this season. Brown has looked more lost on the sideline than anyone in the ABC series Lost. His playing rotation has been sporadic and random, playing Daniel Gibson for the first time in the series in game 5, giving uneven minutes for guys like Jamario Moon, and trying Zydrunas Ilgauskas for short bursts. He has basically decided on his rotation using the theory: “Let’s throw this in bed with Madonna and see if she sleeps with it.” Not exactly a recipe for success.

The good news for the Cavs is that they are not done yet and have a chance to bounce back on Thursday night in Boston. If LeBron comes out with authority, and Mike Brown stays home, the Cavs will be in position to win that game (like they did in Game 3) and get game 7 back at home. But if the Cavs fail, Mo Williams and Mike Brown didn’t help King James on the court, so maybe they could help him off the court by packing his bags when he leaves Cleveland for good.

Weekend Hangover - Love/Hate

LOVE

- Steve Nash was unreal last night leading the Suns while looking like a cross between E.T. and Two-Face from Batman. He took 6 stitches above his eye and the eye swelled shut, which somehow caused his good eye to bulge out even more throughout the 4th quarter. Nash and the Suns finished off the Spurs in 4 games and appear to be a pretty good challenge for the Lakers (once LA dismisses the Jazz). The Suns will provide a tough matchup with their outside shooting big men which have the potential to drag the Lakers big front court away from the hoop. The Suns continue their march as The People's Choice to win the title and the vindication of Steve Kerr as a General Manager continues. The Suns finally were able to beat the team that has kept them from getting the NBA finals routinely for the past 10 years. And the best part? We no longer have to watch Manu Ginobili flop all over the court with that large feminine hygiene product strapped across his face.

- Another point guard who dominated a game and put up ridiculous numbers? Rajon Rondo put up a sick triple double in the Celtics win on Sunday to even the series at 2 games apiece. Rondo is often overlooked when talking about the best point guards in the league – Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Steve Nash and Derrick Rose get all the attention. Yet Rondo has proven that he has the ability to step up in the playoffs and throughout his career has played better in the postseason than he does in the regular season. Rondo also resembles ET with his bug-eyes and long, wirey arms. If the Celtics are going to win this series, and I still don’t believe they will, they will have to rely on huge games from Rondo to make up for the inability of Kevin Garnett to take advantage of his mismatch with Antwan Jamison.

HATE

- Dallas Braden threw the 19th perfect game in major league history on Mother’s Day with his grandmother in the stands. It was a great story, except that all anyone wants to take about is Braden’s mini feud with Alex Rodriguez. Give it a rest. The guy wants to own the mound when he’s pitching, fine. A-Rod has no people skills so he has no ability to make a sane response, which blows it out of proportion. Just focus on the fact that Braden is a young talented pitcher with tremendous upside. A guy that was a junior college teammate of the much more heralded Manny Parra, and there is no doubt that the prospects for Braden appear much brighter than those for Parra. Congrats to the guy for throwing a gem against the team with the best record in the league.

- Trying to refrain from making any of the all too easy jokes about Tiger Woods this weekend. Let’s see, he had to pull out….of the tournament……with a bulging disc………There are just too many ways to take it straight to the gutter like asking Rachel Uchitel about his bulging disc. In the end, the critics are going to say that he quit and that he just wasn’t playing well so he opted to bail than stick it out. I don’t buy it. The guy has proven to be tough when he won the US Open on a broken leg, so people think that nothing can stop him from playing. However, if he wasn’t playing well, was in pain, and the pain was causing his swing to be even more off than it already was, I have no problem with him yanking himself off the course.