CAN INDIANA KEEP PACE WITH THE HEAT?

What are the chances the Indiana Pacers beat the Miami Heat?  What are the chances my San Antonio Spurs (that’s right, I said MY Spurs) can get a break this NBA Finals and play the Pacers? My guess is that the Heat will beat the Pacers in 7 but wouldn’t it have been nice if head coach Frank Vogel didn’t f-up game 1? Indiana would be up 3-1 right now and just chillin.  Instead, they’re tied 2-2, and have to start from scratch. I believe the odds of winning the series are in favor of the game 5 winner so I’ll definitely be rooting for the Pacers.  Indiana has played the Heat tougher than anyone this post-season and I’m giving them about a 35% chance to pull off this upset.

On a side note, I do think the NBA needs to crack down on all this flopping.  It makes me sick.  Back in days of the Detroit Pistons and Celtics v. Lakers, any player would get knocked out if they ever flopped like Lebron and David West did the other day.  The $5,000 fine they levied on these guys is a joke (unfortunately, his name slips my mind right now). Oh well, they don’t make them like they used to and clearly the game has changed. I must say though, I’m actually enjoying these finals.  If you have any good karma left, throw it the Spurs way.  They deserve to win.  They will win.  They’re the prototypical franchise with ideal players.  No complaining, no talks about contract extensions. Heck, Parker and Duncan don’t even have twitter accounts! With that said, let’s go Spurs!

The Clippers Are So Nasty

How’s that for a catchy title? And just for the record, it’s nasty meaning bad, not nasty as in 2 Live Crew Nasty As You Wanna Be! How do you get blown on by the Indiana Pacers? Eric Gordon (the little engine that could) is clearly not leading this team.  He is probably the most talented player on this team and it seems that all he cares about are his points. 5-17 shooting from the field? He’s shooting under 19% from the arc and under 80% from the charity stripe. Clean it up, you’re supposed to be a shooting guard.  I’ma talk a little about Blake Griffin.  Did you see that dunk last night where he shitted on Anthony Tolliver of the T-wolves! That was sick.  But unfortunately, I’m a little disappointed in this guys season.  He is clearly the most athletic player on the team.  But he seems to lack basketball skill. I know he’s averaging just under 17 points and 11 boards per game but it seems like most of his buckets are dunks.  He is a heinous, and I mean HEINOUS freethrow shooter (55% on the year).  I don’t think Vinnie Del Negro was the right coach.  He lacks experience and for a young team like the Clips, they need a veteran coach that’s been to the promised land (and in the case of the Clippers, the promised land is anywhere but the cellar of the league). As for the rest of the roster, there’s only a handful of guys that would make it on a winning NBA team.  Over their last 4 games, they’ve managed to lose to the Pistons, Pacers, NETS, and T-Wolves.  I can’t even stomach watching 1 quarter of Clipper basketball.  And while I’m dogging the Clips, I just wanted to say that they need new play-by-play guys.  Ralph Lawler and Michael Smith are quite possible the worst color commentators.  Then again, it’s gotta be hard working  the Clippers year in and year out.  I’m guessing it takes a toll on your psyche. 1-11.  What a way to start your season…

What the Hell Happened to Jermaine O’Neal?

Jermaine O’Neal’s career has been a long journey.  Being drafted straight out of high school, many, including myself thought that it was a mistake for both him and the Blazers. Of course, I was right. His first four years in Portland were HEINOUS, averaging under 4 ppg and 3 rbds a game. Finally, he was traded to the Pacers where he tore it up, averaging a double double in points and boards.  When he was sent to Toronto this season, I thought to myself, now the Raptors are contenders in the East. With 2 dominant big men, they were a sure shot in my opinion to make a deep run. But I forgot that other thing that O’Neal brough with him.  Known to most as age.  At 30 years old, O’Neal hasn’t played over 70 games in a season since the 2003-2004 season.  I’m not saying he’s soft, but…  O’Neal has been nothing but disappointing.  They’re 16-26, in the cellar of the Atlantic Division, behind (hope you’re sitting) the New York Knicks. Now there’s talk of trading him to Miami for Shawn Marion? Great move for the Raps, but WHY for Miami? Are the Heat looking to get older and shittier?  They have a sick young core that is going to be dangerous in 2 years with B-Easely, Chalmers and Flash.  O’Neal is not the answer for them or ANY team for that matter. The only team he should be playing for is the disabled list.  Though, I can see the Clippers getting him. Why not, that’s where has been big men with large contracts go to die. As for the Raptors, 1 step forward, two steps back. I guess that’s what a team gets for making Jason Kapono a franchise player.

Amare Stoudemire Drops 49 on Pacers

At what point do the Indiana Pacers decide to perhaps, I don’t know… DOUBLE TEAM Amare? After he drops 25? 35? 40? Poor Jeff Foster, who was posterized by Amare. I don’t know how the Pacers beat the Boston Celtics the other night, and frankly, I don’t how they score 38 points in the 1st quarter tonight. I do know that they had no answer for Amare, who had 49 points on 17-21 shooting, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, 5 steals and 2 blocks. What a stat line! Talk about a fantasy owner’s wet dream.  Amare has come a long way after having knee surgery in 2005.  I was the first to say that he was only a dunker, but boy, has he proved me wrong.  Not only can this guy fill up the stats ala Shawn Marion, but for a big man, he can hit his free throws too (15-15 tonight). If only his team can play some defense, they might actually go somewhere in the postseason instead of being the Minnesota Twins/Atlanta Braves of the league (for those of you who don’t get my obscure humor, it’s a metaphor for being a wast of a playoff spot).

Another Day… Another Shooting…

What would another day in the NBA be without a nightclub, car chase, and shooting? Just when you thought the holidays are around the corner and all is calm, the NBA and it’s colorful group of players proved you wrong. Jamaal Tinsley of the Indiana Pacers and several companions were targeted in the shooting that wounded their equipment manager outside a downtown hotel, after attending a nightclub earlier in the evening. Tinsley wasn’t injured, but this was his third late night episode in about 14 months, and the latest in a three year string of incidents that have engulfed the Pacers’ franchise. This all started when he was present when Stephen Jackson fired a gun into the air several times before he was hit by a car at Club Rio in Indianapolis in October 2006. In addition, he and another Pacers player, Marquis Daniels, both face charges stemming from a bar fight that occurred almost a year ago. Now this. Well, the NBA and the Pacers may be boring, but I would like to personally thank Tinsley for allowing us into his crazy everyday ‘thug life’. Soooo entertaining. You may not be the basketball player you once were, but to me, you are still worth every penny! Thank you and Happy Holidays….

Captain Jack: Ahoy Matie

Who would’ve ever believed it?  Not this writer.  I scoffed at the idea of the Golden State Warriors making Stephen Jackson their captain before the season began. Then he started the season missing the first half a dozen or so games and the Warriors went 1-6.  He returned, and so did their fire, going 9-2.  The Warriors have the 7th best record in the league and still have some ground to cover.  If they stay strong and get home court for at least the first couple of rounds of the playoffs, who knows how deep this team can go? As for the man with the “C” on his chest, 22 points, 5 rbds, and 4 assts ain’t too shabby for someone who was blackballed from the league after fight night in the Palace in Detroit.  He’s come a long way and you gotta give him props for doing so.  I still think he’s a thug though.

Lakers Keep Rolling

On Tuesday night, the Lakers traveled up to Indiana and laid one on the Pacers, 134-114. While I’m not ready to crown them champs yet (or any time this season for that matter), these guys are playing with a sense of urgency.  Maybe it’s the Kobe trade rumors and they’re trying to prove to him that they’re worth it? Maybe it has to do with Kobe throwing them under the bus in the offseason?  Who cares? All I know is that guys like Andrew Bynum, who had 17 points and 10 rebounds on Tuesday or Jordan Farmar and his 18 are stepping up big. The Lakers’ bench is one of the best in the league so far. Their starters all averaged double digits against Indiana.  Let’s just hope this lasts.  The Lakers started out smoking  hot last year and then stumbled and fell on their faces in the playoffs.  The key, injuries, don’t get any to the key players.  The Lakers are OK for now (note Kwame is not a key player) but if Kobe’s knee starts buggin him, it’s gonna be a quick ride to the cellar. P.S. Don’t leave us KOBE!!!

Introducing Next Superstar PF: AL JEFFERSON

A lot of casual NBA fans don’t know who I’m talking about, but let me introduce you to Minnesota Timberwolves’ power forward AL JEFFERSON.  This guy is a stud. He is the reason why the Wolves let go of KG.  At 6-10, 256 lbs, he averaged 16 points, 11 rebounds per game last year with the Boston Celtics.  Now that he’s with the Wolves, look for those #s to skyrocket.  Jefferson is the 1st option/go to guy on this team.  He also plays the Center position for all you fantasy basketball buffs.  He just dropped 27 points and 17 rebounds in a preseason games against the Pacers.  Sure it’s the Pacers, but it’s worth something.  Watch out league, this guy is the next Dwight Howard. And guess what, I got ’em both on my fantasy league. Can somebody say 1st place…