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"Don't try to catch the game, let the game come to you" -Michael Jordan |
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Perfect Game Off-season Wish List It’s the NBA off-season, and I’m thinking about how the Cavs and the Spurs could strengthen their lineup. Here are my thoughts: 1. What the Cavs need: a solid point guard, an outside shooter, and a big man. I wasn’t particularly happy with the addition of Mo Williams. He’s overrated. And they had to release Joe Smith, one of their solid players, to get him. He looks for his shot a trifle too much. The best would’ve been Raymond Felton. Either Antonio Daniels or Marko Jaric would’ve been better than Williams. Anyway, they should at least sign Shaun Livingston to be their backup point guard, competing with Delonte West for that position. Livingston’s a talented combo guard whose career was put on hold with that terrifying injury 2 seasons ago. The Cavs should take a risk with him, cos I’ve got a feeling it’d pay off. Cleveland should make a move for Dunleavy Jr. I’ve always maintained that he could be LeBron’s Pippen. He is a versatile forward who can shoot and pass. The perfect complement to King James. An alternative is J.R. Smith, an athletic swingman who can consistently knockdown shots from the outside. He could be what the Cavs thought Larry Hughes would be. Another option is Andres Nocioni. He’s unhappy in Chicago and the Cavs have trade pieces. He’s a tough player who works hard on both ends. And he’s a deadeye from trey. Martell Webster of Portland would also fit well. Or Mike Miller. Long-shots would be Rudy Gay and Luol Deng. Ben Gordon is available, and though I’m not really a fan, he is better than any LeBron has previously had. The Cavs should also look to add Darko Milicic. Z is aging, and is good for only 2 more years. Darko would be the perfect replacement. Imagine the Cavs having the number 1 and 2 picks of the 2003 draft. Thinking about it gives me chills. LeBron + Darko = Dynasty. Eddy Curry would also make for a good post presence, particularly on offense. Kenyon Martin is another intriguing option. What the Spurs needs: a swingman, and a big man. With the recent injury of Manu in the Olympics, it’s obvious that the Spurs should look for someone to back him up. J.R. Smith is the first that comes to mind. Or Portland’s Travis Outlaw or Minnesota’s Randy Foye or Rashad McCants or Orlando’s Mickael Pietrus. Or they could go with a point-forward; I heard Diaw was available. Joel Przybilla would be a good complement to TD upfront. He’ll probably not be starting for Portland, so Spurs should take a look at him. If Cavs don’t want Darko, then the Spurs should get him instead. Under the tutelage of Timmy, he could be an All-Star sooner rather than later. Veteran center Raef LaFrentz can also fill the Spurs’ gap at center. Or unused centers like Patrick O’Bryant (GSW) and Paul Davis (LAC). Or Seattle’s Robert Swift. Even Dan Gadzuric would do. It wouldn’t be complete unless a veteran looking for a championship signs with the Spurs. In the 90’s it was Dominique. Then Steve Smith, Glenn Robinson, Michael Finley. Even Damon Stoudamire was acquired last year. So this year, or maybe next, I’d like to see any of the following to head to the Alamo: Grant Hill, Penny Hardaway, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Antawn Jamison—players I acquired during my early addiction to the NBA Live (video game)series. ***** Olympics Aftermath Finally, order has been restored in the basketball world. The US men's basketball team are back on top. The "Redeem Team" (or "Dream Team 7" if you kept count) defeated reigning world champions Spain to capture the basketball gold in Beijing. It’s been a long road for the Americans, who haven’t been on the top since the 2000 games in Sydney. They dominated the tourney until the semifinals. The gold-medal game was a bit of a letdown, though. Many think that it was one of the best international games ever, but that’s not what I wanted to see. I wanted a 20- or 30-point thrashing. I hope I’ll get to see that in 2012, when Oden, Beasley, and Durant arrive at the Olympics. For those trying to compare this to the original Dream Team, not just yet. Remember, the 1992 Team was never seriously challenged. This present team was up by only 4 with over 2 minutes to play in the gold-medal game. Maybe in 2012... as long as LBJ plays.
2007 NBA Playoffs
It’s playoff time once more. To get my mind off my loneliness, I guess it’d be best to type away on this page. And no need to remind me about my early season prediction blunders. FIRST ROUND East: (1) Detroit vs. (8) Orlando – I’d like to say that this one’s gonna be good to watch, with Grant and Darko’s matchup against their former team as one heckuva side story, but my senses tell me that this is an utter mismatch. The Pistons are gonna maul the Magic. GH and Darko Diggler will be lucky if they even win 1 game. (2) Cleveland vs. (7) Washington – The last day of the regular season was great for King James. They took over the #2 seed as the Bulls tumbled against the Nets, which meant they avoided a first-round collision with the defending champs. More importantly, they were matched up against a team everybody would love to meet—Washington. With All-Stars “Mr. Hibachi” Arenas and Caron Butler out, this is gonna be too easy for the Cavs. S-W-E-E-P! (3) Toronto vs. (6) New Jersey – Carter against his former team. Doesn’t really interest me, but it does the rest of the NBA fanatics. This one’s got upset written all over it. Toronto is good, but it’s too young and inexperienced. Nets in 6. (4) Miami vs. (5) Chicago – Perhaps the upset of the first-round. Bulls will avenge last season’s defeat at the hands of the Heat. Chicago, with its young athletic core, matches up well against the Heat. With Wade still not 100% fit, I don’t think Miami has enough in its tank to run with the Bulls. It’s gonna be a classic, though. Expect it to go through 7 games. West: (1) Dallas vs. (8) Golden State – I predicted GS to make the playoffs early in the season. I just didn’t think they’d do it after trading Jr. Anyway, this one’s a tough matchup for the Mavs. The Warriors have plenty of athletic swingmen, which could give Dallas a run for their money. They both play small ball, so GS has a chance to shock the #1 seed. But I doubt it. However, I expect it to be a tough 6-game stretch for the defending West champs. (2) Phoenix vs. (7) LA Lakers – It’s gonna be fun to watch—especially if you’re a Laker-hater who’d want to see Kobe and co. get butchered. There are gonna be plenty of scoring from the entire Suns team and Kobe. But this ain’t gonna be competitive. Last year, the Suns didn’t have Amare at full force. That’s gonna be the difference this year. (3) San Antonio vs. (6) Denver – The Nuggets stole Game 1. Like they did 2 years ago. Not that it’s gonna be an exact repeat, but I just can’t imagine the Spurs losing to the Nuggets in a 7-game series. They’re still good enough to win 4 straight if Denver isn’t careful. And that’s how I’d call it. Spurs in 5. (4) Utah vs. (5) Houston – Like the Bulls and Heat in the East, this one’s gonna be the most competitive first-rounder out West. The Jazz are young and loaded with talent, led by point guard of the future Deron Williams, while the Rockets have the best 1-2 combo since Shaq and Kobe were winning championships. I expect another 7-game thriller. And I think T-Mac will carry Houston down the stretch. SECOND ROUND East: (1) Detroit vs. (5) Chicago - Headline: Big Ben returns to Detroit. This is gonna be the story of the series. However, I don't think Ben Wallace will be enough for the Bulls to slip past an experienced Pistons team. Expect close games but it should be finished in 6. The Bulls are not yet ready. (2) Cleveland vs. (6) New Jersey - A friend of mine told me he'd like to see this match-up because of the offense it's gonna generate. I disagree. Neither of these teams play like Phoenix to begin with. The only thing that's gonna be interesting is LeBron taking over. Might take 6 games, but I see the Cavs cruising. West: (1) Dallas vs. (5) Houston - Interstate match-up. Yao & T-Mac vs. Dirk & Josh. Advantage Houston. But because they'll have 3 other guys on the floor, Dallas can more than make up for the disadvantage. The Mavs will show why they were the best regular season team in this series. Mavs in 6. (2) Phoenix vs. (3) San Antonio - The best 2nd round match-up this year. Offense vs. Defense. Wait, that's what they said in the 2005 conference finals. Don't forget, the Spurs can also score with the best of 'em. This is gonna be the closest 5-game series in postseason history. You got that right, Spurs in 5. CONFERENCE FINALS East: (1) Detroit vs. (2) Cleveland - I won't call it. Detroit's got a better team but as long as King James is with the Cavs, they have a shot. Lemme just say Cleveland can win the series. Just a reminder: the Bad Boys-era Pistons frustrated Jordan and the Bulls for three consecutive postseasons before MJ won his titles. The current Pistons ousted the Cavs last year, so maybe not in another 2 years for LBJ? West: (1) Dallas vs. (3) San Antonio - The de facto finals. And about the only series where home court would not matter. The peeps from the Alamo should start dubbing this one "El Clasico." Of course, I'd put my rent money on the Spurs. Tim Duncan will be at his MVP-best. And I think he'd outshine this season's MVP in what should be a continuation of last season's 7-game heart-stopper. This time though, there would be no trip-foul to end San Antón's season. FINALS Detroit/Cleveland vs. San Antonio - As the winner of the de facto finals, the Spurs are the odds-on favorite. They'd take care of the Pistons in 6. But if they play the Cavs, LBJ could just give them a run for their money.
2007 Early Predictions That time of the year again. But unlike last time, I won’t rank teams per conference. Not even the top 3. I’ve been out of the basketball circle for quite sometime, so I won’t do myself any injustice. I’ll just put up some comments on the teams that matters to me--either I love 'em or I love hatin' 'em--this season. East: Cleveland Cavaliers – LBJ. MVP. Next MJ. Space Jam 2. Need I say more? The Cavs will win 55 games in the regular season, all because of King James. They have as good a chance as anybody to represent the East in June next year. The only questions are: (1) “can Larry Hughes come back to form?”; (2) “can they consistently win without a decent point guard?”; and (3) “can get they get past veteran teams (Detroit and Miami) in the playoffs?” But then you remember that LeBron is on the team. He carried them last year with Hughes out, he can run the point, and he is now a year older. The bottom line is that the Cavs will go as far as LeBron wants to take them. Miami Heat – The defending champions have had a tough start to the season. Don’t expect that to change. Yes, they will still end up in the playoffs, but they’d be lucky to win 50 games. They’ll end up as the #4-6 seed in the East. Why? Cos Shaq Daddy is daddy no mo. All the talk about the MVP race being between King James and Wade? Utter bull. Wade is a big game player, I’ll give him that, but he can’t carry a team for 82 games. Plus did you honestly think ‘Toine will keep himself from throwing up shots from all over like he did last season? Chicago Bulls – The addition of Big Ben should count for something. They’ve become better in defense. But who’ll take the shots in the clutch? They could be 2 minutes away from advancing to the second round for the first time since the Jordan years but are liable to throw it away. Detroit Pistons – Still a very good team even without Ben. Could even win the East if their coach isn’t Flip (like Starbury, he just can’t win). I say if any team’s gonna stop LeBron in the East, it'd be the Pistons. If not, this could be their last season as serious contenders. New York Knicks – The only person worse than Michael Jordan in forming a team is Isaiah Thomas. Crawford, Franchise, and Starbury on the same team? WTF?! With the biggest payroll in the L, they can’t even form a decent team like the Blazers did at the turn of the millennium. Orlando Magic – Gonna be back in the playoffs. Dwight Howard has improved his offense and looks like a young, healthy Antonio McDyess (the one that made Dream Team IV). GH still got game. Darko’s gonna have a breakout after the All-Star weekend. Charlotte Bobcats – MJ’s new project. They’ll win more games than they did last year. But they won’t make the playoffs. Sorry Mike, but the closest they’ll get were those victories over the Spurs and Cavs early in the season. But it ain’t that bad cos they’ve got a future All-Star point guard in Raymond Felton.
West: San Antonio Spurs – Still my pick to win come June. TD’s back in tip-top shape. If anyone could deny LBJ from getting his first MVP trophy this season, it will be Timmy. The only question about the team is their age. But make no mistake they’re still that damn good. Parker and Ginobilli are All-Stars. Bowen is All-Defense. Finley will make a run for the 6th MOY. Barry is one of the top 5 3-point shooters today. Oberto is better than Rasho. James White will win this year's Slam Dunk contest. Dallas Mavericks – Have made up for their poor start to the season with 11 straight wins. They’ll be there in the playoffs, but they’ll fall short. The sting of last year’s meltdown will haunt them forever. Don't think the refs will call "the trip" again when they face the Spurs in the West finals. Aside from having reinvented the power forward position, Nowitzki has another thing in common with KG, i.e. he'll never win a championship. Phoenix Suns – Like the Sacramento Kings 2-3 years ago, the Suns might already be past their peak. Nash is great, but age will start to show--even more so since he's a white guy. The return of Amare wouldn't make much diff, cos the microfracture surgery ruined a potential Hall of Fame career. Plus, the rest of the league has caught up with their brand of basketball. They’ll still make some noise but they’ll fade away into obscurity come the 2nd round. New Orleans Hornets – They’ll make the playoffs this year. Without a doubt. Chris Paul is the best young point guard in the league. Chandler is like J-O 5 years ago. Oh did I mention me man Peja? He’s gonna be an All-Star this season. So-so start but just you wait. He’ll fire 50 in one game and the Hornets will make it to the 2nd round. Los Angeles Lakers – They won’t make the playoffs this season. Despite the 8-3 start, they won’t make it. I damn hope they don’t. Golden State Warriors – Gonna bump the Lakers away from the final playoff spot. I’m not a big Nellie fan, but they’re playing well. Baron’s got the schtick back. J-Rich, Pietrus, Murphy, and Biedrins aren’t that bad. The departure of Fisher is a big help. Plus (Dunleavy) Jr.’s stroking it like Dirk Diggler.
Other stuffs: I’d like to see the Cavs trade for Jaric. He’s a perfect fit for Cleveland with his ball-handling and outside-shooting. The T’wolves already have Mike James and Troy Hudson, so Jaric should be a reach… Since we’re on the matter, the Cavs should go get Jr. By any means necessary. Larry Hughes can’t be LeBron’s Pippen. Dunleavy's the man… The Spurs should sign Toni Kukoc for the playoffs. The Croatian sensation might not want to relocate to San Antón for the entire season, but I hope he’ll be available for one last championship… Perfect Game Screw Job! Reports say Nash will win the MVP race Steve Nash will be named the NBA MVP for the second consecutive season. Only the tenth guy to do so. However, I must say, undeservingly so. I’ve got nothing but praises for Steve Nash, leading a Suns team composed of nobodies and without injured rising star Amare Stoudemire to the 3rd best record in the West. But the question I must ask—and, in fact, the only question that should be asked—is how can you pick Nash over LeBron James? LeBron’s Cavs are in the playoffs for the first time since ’98 and finished with the 3rd best record in the East (they finished the regular season 1 game ahead of the Nets). LeBron was the league’s third-leading scorer with over 31ppg, which he superbly complemented with 6+rpg and 7+apg. James' six triple-doubles this season was second only to Jason Kidd's 8. Of course, one could argue that Nash made his teammates so much better—guys like Bell, Diaw, and Barbosa. But I don’t think that the guys in Cleveland are that much better than what Nash had to work with. Guys like Gooden, Varejao, Marshall, Jones, and Murray will never make the All-Star team. Yet, Lebron created shots for them throughout the entire season that they averaged decent numbers and were even heroes in some games (something Kobe couldn’t do in LA, which should quash any notion of having him as this year’s MVP). All of which was much more so evident when Larry Hughes was out injured for over 3 months. Another reason why James should be the MVP is because Nash is a poor defender. Not that LeBron is a first-team All-Defense (well, at least not yet), but Nash is just horrible on defense, even worse than last year. In the regular season, Tony Parker, Chauncey Billups and a whole load of other point guards dominated Nash's D. In fact, a guy named Smush Parker is exploiting Nash’s "defense" in the playoffs as we speak. For an MVP to be dominated like that is unthinkable. It’s just something that has never happened to LeBron this season. Sure, he doesn’t play great team defense like covering the passing lanes and helping out and defending the pick-and-roll, but he is at least a good one-on-one defender. He can stay with his man off the dribble and defend inside the post. He is also a decent weak-side shotblocker—remember all those highlights where he comes out of nowhere to not only block, but to block and take away shots in mid-air all in one motion? Lastly, 'Bron is a big-time player. He thrives under pressure. Forget about what Charles Barkley had been saying about James being afraid to take the big shots. He is 19 of 29 in the last 2 minutes of one-possession games. Best in the league. He sunk two buzzer-beating game-winners in March. He’s been credited with the assist to almost every other Cleveland game-winners this season. He had a triple-double in his playoff debut. He had 41 points and the game-winner in his road playoff debut. I mean, how can you argue that he’s not the MVP? I don’t know exactly how the NBA picks the press members who are eligible to vote for the MVP, but if the report that Nash will indeed be named MVP, these guys have pulled off the biggest screw job since Karl Malone won the award in 1997 and 1999 (should’ve been MJ in ’97 and TD in ’99). I’m not sure if they simply find it amusing to give the MVP to a small white guy for 2 consecutive years (which I certainly don’t). LeBron was the clear-cut MVP this season. Sure, he is only 21 and would probably bag at least 4 MVP trophies in what would be a stellar career. But that’s beyond the point. He deserves to win it this year and it sucks that some guys felt otherwise.
Postscript. LeBron will be a much better defender when he gets the right coach. No disrespect to Mike Brown, but he can’t take ‘Bron to the next level... I just remembered that I said that the Spurs will not lose more than 20 games this season in an earlier article (scroll below: 'Tiopianco-man says'). Just wanna make sure I cash in on that... I just thought of this the other day: I’m a "Kobe-hater." I’ve hated Kobe since, I just can’t find a word to call it. Now I have. "Kobe-hater"... I saw the Jordan XXI commercial yesterday. It was great. All these guys replicating the great Jordan moments themselves, man, it was another piece of ad genius. Everybody still wants to be like Mike... Does any of this crap matter? I mean, LeBron won't be MVP no matter what I say. And only a handful of guys actually read this page anyway. So, does it matter one bit? Of course, it does. I'm Francis Tiopianco...
Perfect Game NBA Playoff Predictions It’s that time of the year again when my opinion matters most. After I was mojo last year, I think you’ll wanna hear what the Gamemaster’s gotta say. Who’ll win, who’ll lose, I got everything here. (I think I'll call rename the entire sports "methinks" section to "Perfect Game," the title of my sports column back in the high school paper.)
Eastern Conference
Round 1: Detroit vs. Milwaukee. This shouldn’t be even close. Detroit will maul the Bucks. Miami vs. Chicago. I feel the Bulls were stronger this year and they couldn’t even get past Ton-Wash. Miami. New Jersey vs. Indiana. The first upset of the postseason. A healthy J-Ó plus me man Peja should take the Nets out. Cleveland vs. Washington. Washington might have won the season series, but look for LeBron to dominate in his first career playoff series. Cavs.
Round 2: Detroit vs. Cleveland. Ironically, the Air Apparent must overcome the same team that tormented His Airness during the late 80’s. Like Mike in his earlier encounters with the Bad Boys, ‘Bron might just not be ready yet (though I wish otherwise). Miami vs. Indiana. Indy is just not deep enough.
East Finals: Detroit vs. Miami. Miami’s been struggling lately, so I’ll have to give the edge to the Pistons. Plus, Detroit plays so much better as a team.
Western Conference
Round 1: San Antonio vs. Sacramento. I would’ve preferred that the Spurs beat up on Kobe and the Lakers, but an ungrateful Suck-town will do. Phoenix vs. LA Lakers. What I hate about the series is that Kobe could average over 40ppg cos the Suns got no stopper. But all the same, LA will go out. Denver vs. LA Clippers. Pretty hard to call, cos Clips got a better record but Denver’s got better players. I’ll do a coin toss… Denver it is (but I don’t really care). Dallas vs. Memphis. How unfair is the current seeding system? Just ask the Mavs, which should’ve been seeded second. Or better yet, ask the Grizz, who won their penultimate game against LAC to gain the 5th seed only to find out that they’ll play Dallas in the first round. Mavs will advance.
Round 2: San Antonio vs. Dallas. These 2 should meet in the West Finals, not the second round. Spurs have homecourt edge, which should be enough to see them through. Phoenix vs. Denver. Steve Nash took over last year’s playoffs, look for him to do the same against Denver—even without Amare.
West Finals: San Antonio vs. Phoenix. Spurs dominated the Suns last year—with Amare on the floor. No way the Spurs will lose this one.
NBA FINALS
San Antonio vs. Detroit. Part 2. It went to a Game 7 last year, might go the same route again this year. This time Detroit will have homecourt. It doesn’t matter, though. Barring any injuries, Spurs are just plain better. Deeper bench, "bigger"-time players, Tim Duncan. Enough reasons, I just like the Spurs better.
LeBron M-V-P It's a done deal. The inevitable is about to happen. After 3 years in the league, LeBron will be the NBA MVP. The youngest ever. With the Cavs making the playoffs for the first time in 7 years and only a couple of games behind Miami for the second-best record in the East (not for the #2 seed, though), you can book it. He was last month's Eastern Conference Player of the Month and has won the Player of the Week honors for 3 consecutive weeks. It's undoubtedly time for the King to take his throne. What makes the league's third-leading scorer the unquestionable choice for MVP, at least in my mind, is his ability to get his teammates involved. He's already had 6 triple-doubles this season, second only to Jason Kidd. I think he has more 10+ assists games than Kobe has 5+ assists games. For a scorer, that's pretty unselfish. Reminds you of, though not as great as, MJ's 11 triple-doubles in 14 games during His Airness' first MVP season in 1988. LBJ's ability to trust his teammates is something uncanny to see in a 21-year old who's been in the limelight ever since he donned a Cavs jersey in 2003. And he'll go places with that ability, without a doubt. The only criticism of LeBron's game is his inability to make, or even take, game-winning shots. I guess he proved that wrong with a winning jumper from the left wing at the buzzer against Charlotte last month, then hit another one from the top against the Hornets just the other day. 'The Shot 1' for LeBron almost looked like a carbon copy of MJ's 'The Last Shot'. However, whether he can perform in the playoffs is another question. What separated MJ from the rest was his long line of unforgettable playoff moments*. Can LeBron do that? I honestly don't know. We'll just have to see in a couple of weeks' time when the playoff kicks off. *Some of my unforgettable Jordan moments: God disguised as Michael Jordan--playoff-record 63 points against the Celtics in 1986. The shot on Ehlo--series-winner against the Cavs in 1989. A spectacular move by Michael Jordan--the righty-to-lefty dunk-to-layup against the Lakers in '91. He's hot--6 three-pointers in the first half vs. Portland in '92. The vomit streak--dropping 38, including the game-winner, against Utah in '97 whilst having stomach flu. The pose--Mike hit the game-winner after swiping the ball from Karl Malone for title No. 6 (which oddly enough resembled the one he missed in his first ever Finals game against LA in '91). Sact� sucks!!! Peja is a king n� m�. Last week, the Kings traded me man Peja to the Pacers for perennial troublemaker Ron Artest. The deal wasn�t supposed to push through, and I can�t understand why it did. Peja has been hampered by injury this season, so he shouldn�t take the blame for Sact�s poor performance. But why trade him? To put it bluntly, why trade him for Artest? Artest is a nutter who just happens to be a good defender. He is a ticking time bomb whose outbursts and tirades adversely affect his team�s morale. He is not a good fit to the Kings� free flowing offense. Just plainly, I don�t like him. Never did. Anyway, what I�m really trying to say is that Sactown was supposed to be Peja�s kingdom. They traded C-Webb last year so that Peja can take over he reins. But just because of the poor start this season, the management trades their ace. What the f*ck!?! Sacramento is going down. They�ll miss the playoffs this year. And the next. And the year after that. The high-octane Kings offense is a thing of the past. I just hope Peja will move to Cleveland once he becomes a free agent at the end of the season. He�ll be the perfect partner to King James. On Kobe�s 81... As much as I hate Kobe, I must admit that his 81 points was really something special. It just proves that he is indeed a selfish ballhog; but 81 points is 81 points. Boy, that�s plenty. In any case, Jordan�s career-high is only 69. So that makes me hate Kobe even more. I hope he fails to break double-digits for a couple of games, by any means necessary. The Tiopianco-man Says... Last year I made the bold prediction that the Spurs will win it all as early as October. Well, I predicted a lot of things�and got a lot of things wrong�but in the end the only thing that mattered was that I picked San Anton to go all the way. And guess what, I�m doing the same this season. Quote me on this: San Antonio will repeat as champs. Aside from the fact that the Spurs� core has remained intact, they�ve added veterans like Michael Finley and Nick Van Exel to add firepower off the bench. Not that I�ve been a real fan of these ex-Dallas boys, but they�ll definitely deepen the Spurs� roster. Finley could even challenge for the Sixth Man of the Year honor. The Spurs will not win 70 games, but they�ll not lose more than 20 during the regular season�barring any injuries to TD and Manu. San Anton is the total package: they can win either by playing suffocating D or by outgunning their opponents. I don�t think they�ll face much challenge in the West this year. The Suns were the Spurs� closest challengers last year, and they toyed with Phoenix during the conference finals. Phoenix will be weaker this year with the departure of Quentin Richardson and Joe Johnson�they�ll probably get caught in the middle of the West this year. The Rockets will be good, but they�re not as deep as San Anton. I think Sac�to will be better this year, especially with the addition of �Reef. They�ve got a good starting lineup but they don�t have any decent player coming off the bench. They should try signing Rodney White or Kendrick Brown to give some boost off the bench. Miami will be the favorites in the East, having added the likes of J-Will, Antoine, and GP. Detroit will probably lose a conference finals rematch with the Heat, but they�ll be there. Watch out for the dawning of the Darko Ages. Indiana is the third wheel in the East, but they have again failed to add a notable name to their team, which suggests that the gap between them and the East�s top 2 have widened. Cleveland is the team to watch in the East. LeBron is one year older�old enough to lead the Cavs to at least the 2nd round of the playoffs. And old enough to win his first MVP trophy. Say it ain't so: Spurs prove me right Spurs are champs, baby! Exactly as I called it. In fact, except for the two first-round miscues (in the Sonics-Kings & Rockets-Mavs series), I've been right on the money the entire playoffs. Well, there's not much to say, is there? I mean, I guess I am that damn good. Anyway, I didn't expect there to be a Game 7; I thought Spurs will be champs in 6. But as the series went the distance, my disdain for the Pistons heightened. I mean, I really hate Big Ben cos I see him as a Rodman wannabe, and he's just plain dirty--he should've been the one suspended the entire season instead of Artest cos he started the brawl back in November. I hate Rip cos he wouldn't pass Michael the ball enough during Jordan's first stint with the Wiz--plus, he made MJ look stupid in trading him cos he had a breakout at Detroit. And I hate Larry Brown cos he's so freakin' overhyped--I mean people rank him as one of the greatest and he just have 1 NBA ring under his belt, without an NCAA championship and an Olympic gold. I'd really hate to see him go to the Cavs as an executive cos he'll just waste the team's draft lotteries. See what he did to Milicic? The supposedly great Darko Ages became synonymous to garbage time, or as they put it, victory cigar time. I read Quinito Henson's article claiming that Manu was the real MVP. Well, Manu was great but TD delivered the numbers. And judging value isn't equivalent to making the spectacular plays. TD was consistent through and through. If you'll have 16-14 (pts-rebs) as a bad game, it ain't bad. Taking nothing away from Manu though, he was great--maybe if he didn't hurt his thigh in Game 3 he would've given Timmy a run for the award. But what disgusts me is the fact that a Detroit supporter like "Kamito" (remember his interview in the old NBA action?) wrote such crap. Eat shit, dawg! I'd really like to see him write an article about how he was wrong in picking Detroit. (Funny, cos Henson was the one who inspired me to write sport shites back in HS when I was the best sportswriter in Lucena and ran the sports section of the school paper--called it the Tiopianco page, heck, the entire paper became the Tiopianco paper in the last 2 issues of my stay there.) I guess I feel my crap is better than his nowadays. 2005 Playoff Predictions So I was wrong about the regular season predictions I made last October. San Antonio wasn't number 1; Phoenix, which I didn't even rank in the West's top 3 held that honor. Seattle was way ahead of Sacramento for the division title and the number 3 seed. Minnesota missed the playoffs (I had them at number 2 in the West). Miami was tops in the East, not Detroit (they're #2). And Cleveland missed the playoffs, which sucks big-time. I wasn't really in the mood to write anything after seeing the Cavs' freefall, but then I read Quinito Henson' article and he was trying to play smart-ass again, picking Detroit to repeat. Well, the bastahd already got it wrong when he picked Minny to win it all before the season started. He's trying to be lucky again this year by picking Detroit again (he was boasting as hell when he predicted Detroit last year), but I tell you Quinito, you're luck is out. What do I say? I say the Spurs will win it all.
Round 1
East: Heat over Nets Pistons over Sixers Pacers over Celtics Wizards over Bulls
West: Suns over Grizzlies Spurs over Nuggets Kings over Sonics Rockets over Mavs
Conference semis
East: Heat over Wizards Pistons over Pacers
West: Suns over Rockets Spurs over Kings
Conference finals
East: Pistons over Heat
West: Spurs over Suns
Finals
Spurs over Pistons
Spurs are the 2005 NBA Champions!
Why San Anton? I'll give you 9 reasons:
1. They are the best defensive team in the league. 2. They have playoff experience. 3. They have a deep bench. Big Dog, Beno, Horry, Nazr, Brent. 4. They have a big frontline. TD, Rasho, Nazr. 5. They have an explosive backcourt tandem. Tony and Manu can scorch their opponents on any given night. 6. Brent Barry has regained his touch from downtown. 7. Bruce Bowen can lockdown any perimeter player. 8. Not only do they win games with defense, they can also do so with offense, particularly with the acquisition of Glen Robinson. 9. They have the 2-time MVP Tim Duncan.
King James fires 56 The youngest player ever to score 50. Man, LeBron has the chance to be the best of all time. Though the Cavs lost, 56 points is 56 points. Heck, even the Bulls lost when MJ fired 63 in a playoff game in Boston. I think he could average a triple-double in 3 years' time. I doubt if he'll come close to Mike's 6 NBA championships or his 6 NBA Finals MVPs or his 30+ points career scoring average, but LeBron will be great. Considering that he's only 20 years old, he's definitely better than Air Jordan was at the same age. However, MJ reached a peak where he was above everyone in his prime; MJ was so great that he scored 55 in his second-to-the-last season at 38 years of age. Whether 'Bron reaches the same peak remains to be seen, but right now he is already one of the league's elite. Right now, it seems that 'Bron is as good as Mike was in his 1st season as a Wiz. MJ fired 55 in 2001, 'Bron scored 56 last week. MJ averaged almost 25-5-5 that season, 'Bron is averaging almost 25-5-5. In fact, the parallelism between MJ and 'Bron goes back to the latter's rookie season and the former's last. MJ averaged 20-5-5 in his final season, and LeBron posted almost identical numbers in his rookie season. At present, LeBron is as good as an old Mike. The question of greatness now depends on whether King James can scratch the surface of His Royal Airness in his prime.
C-Webb King No Mo The Sacramento Kings finally traded C-Webb. In return, they get Brian Skinner, Kenny Thomas, Corliss Williamson from the Philadelphia 76ers. WTF! I mean, I�m happy that Sac�to decided to move on by trading their former ace player. But for these guys? What a total waste! You see, C-Webb is averaging all-star numbers this season, 21-9-5; analysts believe he should�ve made it to Denver instead of Rashard Lewis. The Kings could�ve (should�ve!) received more than just these guys. Utah�s got Boozer on the trading block, and I think he�d have fit perfectly in Sac�to. The Lakers are looking to deal Odom, so why not him instead of Kenny Thomas? Or they could�ve looked at younger prospects who haven�t really blossomed after 4 or so years in the L. Kwame Brown in Washington might have been an option. Or Chandler in Chicago. The point is you don�t just rid a player of Webber�s caliber for that little. Remember last season when Portland traded �Sheed? They got Abdur-Rahim and Ratliff in exchange. So why the hell didn�t Sac�to try to get something better on the table? Puzzles even the best of us.
One good thing, though. The team now recognizes that it�s Peja�s team. And as they were last season, they�d still be better off without C-Webb. The trade just gives them more able bodies and adds some depth. But what really matter is that the team has moved on, no longer tied to memories of past near-misses, when Webber was still the King. They should�ve done it earlier, but the trade simply formalizes me man Peja�s ascension to the thrown. Expect him to be great this second half of the season, proving once again that he is the best Euro baller in the league.
Thoughts on the Christie-Mobley
deal Looking at value alone, it seems that the Kings got the better end of the deal. Aside from being a better scorer, Mobley is also younger than Doug Christie. But for a talented team like Sacramento, fitting pieces together is better than value alone. They�ve already got 4 guys who can put up points when necessary; I don�t see why they have to add a ballhog like Mobley to the team. Christie was the only one who can play decent defense on the team, which was the reason why they were much better than other offensive-minded teams like Dallas in the past seasons. Plus Christie has a good basketball IQ and plays with intensity. On the other hand though, the trade also made much sense for the Kings. Fact is, Christie is not getting any younger, and age might make him a step too slow against young athletic 2-guards. And with Bobby Jackson being hit by his annual out-for-half-of-the-season injury, getting another scorer might have not been such a bad idea. As for the Magic, they get exactly what the Kings miss out on�defense, experience, and intensity. I guess this allows Grant Hill to get more touches offensively, and hopefully return to his old form, i.e. �triple-double no trouble, I�ve got game galore.� Trades I�d like to see before the February 15 deadline I doubt if any of the GMs are
thinking about these trade proposals cos if they are, it�ll make me look like a
supergenius. I just want to tinker with the idea that my teams could be better
if they made some roster changes. Yeah, I�ve made these adjustments in my Live
05 season.
1.
Mobley for Joe Johnson
Not gonna happen since Phoenix
is playing very well. Or while Phoenix is playing very well� Well, it�s
no surprise that I�m not really thrilled that Cuttino is in Sac�to; needless to
say that I want his stay to be brief.
2.
Dunleavy for Snow, Wagner, and Newble
Mike D is not happy about
playing time in Golden State. Snow is unhappy with his playing time and Wagner
is not gonna get playing time in Cleveland. Throw in Newble or Traylor or Diop
as kickers and this trade is very feasible. And it also makes a lot of sense.
Dunleavy�s play should complement King James, and they�d be the new
Jordan-Pippen duo.
3.
Milicic for Nesterovic
Larry Brown has no plans to use
Darko, so might as well trade him, right? And if Darko makes a public trade
demand, this one could be pulled off. Or better yet, he might threaten not to
re-sign with Detroit when his contract expires after next season� Nesterovic
has not been able to fill in the Admiral�s shoes as the Spurs expected him to
and it has been rumored that he was offered to the Bulls for Chandler.
4. Webber for Chandler
I haven�t pulled this one off
in Live 05 cos I thought of it just right now. It�s time for the Kings to part
ways with C-Webb. As valuable as he was in previous seasons, he is no longer
the Kings� ace�Peja is� Chicago is looking for some veteran leadership, and
C-Webb might be the perfect fit. Who knows? The Bulls might even be able to
sneak into the playoffs for the first time in 6 seasons if they land Webber. Where has the great "NBA Methinks" gone to?
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