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NFL Mock Draft 2009 Draft of 2009 Lacks Star Power NFL Draft 2009: Getting Started Super Bowl Well Worth Tuning In For
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Prospects On Center Stage NBA Preview 2008/09: Final Call
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Five Topics in Five Minutes By Ron Jumper There has been a lot of interesting subplots so far in the NBA playoffs but the series have been pretty predictable thus far. In 7 of the 8 series (besides Indiana’s upset win at New Jersey) the home team has won. You might consider the Clippers win over Denver an upset since the Nuggets are the #3 seed but we will get to that later. MVP candidates Steve Nash, Lebron James, Elton Brand, Dirk Nowitzki, and Kobe Bryant are all getting a chance to make a final case for themselves and some have faired better than others (something else we will get to later). Heres my 5 topics in 5 minutes: First Topic The consensus for the last few months has been that the Diesel has lost some steam. The Heat were supposed to be in their final hour, as far as having the roster to make a championship run. It turns out Shaq had just been cruising through the regular season. His monster performances thus far in the playoffs have reassured the Miami faithful that hope is still alive. Not to mention that Antoine Walker, Jason Williams, Gary Payton, James Posey, and even Michael Doleac are all playing at their respective personal bests. So don’t be surprised when the Heat are battling the Pistons to the bitter end. Second Topic It was one of the least talked about and anticipated series of the first round. New Jersey had been playing very well at the end of the season, while the Pacers had limped into the playoffs. The game also presented some interesting contrasts in styles. The Nets want to get up and down the floor, while the Pacers want to slow down and have their offense run through Jermaine O’Neal. The Pacers were able to slow the game down and get the win. Jason Kidd is the guy who has to get the Nets out and running, which simply did not happen. Kidd was outplayed at point guard by Anthony Johnson, who I would consider serviceable at best, and had only 5 points to go along with his 8 assists versus Johnson’s 12 points and 6 assists. I would hope Kidd would take it upon himself to get it done. It is a shame because the rest of the Nets came to play (even Nenad Krstic had 22 points on 9 of 15 shooting, which outscored Jermaine O’Neal’s 15 points). Third Topic The Los Angeles Clippers have benefited from the flawed NBA playoff seeding. About two weeks ago the Clippers and the Grizzlies were battling for the 5th seed in the playoffs, which would match them up against the very talented Dallas Mavericks. I said to myself, “Well of course the Clippers will tank and get sixth place. This is Clippers, who could be better at trying to lose?” The Clippers would go on to lose down the stretch and play the Denver Nuggets in the first round. That had to be Donald Sterling’s dream scenario, it will be the only time he gets to lose and benefit from more than a financial standpoint. Fourth Topic There have already been suspensions handed out for conduct during the first weekend of the playoffs. Ron Artest and Udonis Haslem have been suspended for the next game. Artest was simply being himself and throwing elbows. Kings fans complained he was only suspended because he was Ron Artest and that’s when it should have clicked that they were exactly right. If a guy who has a history of being volatile and he is playing dirty then, of course, he is going to be on a very short leash. How can you really expect anything different? Udonis Haslem just simply overreacted and probably won’t make that mistake again. The NBA just wants to put players in line and not let them get anywhere near officials or present any physical harm. They will continue to hand out suspensions when any threat of violence is presented. I believe that Udonis Haslem is a good guy and would never hurt an official but he is going to suffer because NBA officials have to always feel safe during the course of a game. Fifth Topic The MVP race has been a highly discussed topic as of late. Normally, there is one or two guys that have separated themselves from the pack but this year you have as many as five guys who could be legitimate candidates. Steven Nash has been incredible again this season. The Suns lost Amare Stoudemire to injury, Joe Johnson to free agency, and they traded Quentin Richardson only to replace them with Raja Bell, Boris Diaw, and Kurt Thomas and yet the Suns are still an elite team. Kobe Bryant has gotten credit for carrying an abysmal roster into the playoffs, but then in the very next breathe he is criticized for not making his teammates better. My thought is that he is a great scorer and, obviously, deserves the scoring title but I’m going to give the credit of the team’s success to Phil Jackson. Lebron James is something special and has been amazing this year. His triple-double in his first career playoff game was remarkable. Keep in mind the award goes to the most valuable player and then imagine the Cavaliers without Lebron on the roster. I don’t see them winning 25 games. Elton Brand and Dirk Nowitzki are both players who have worked hard and deserve all the praise in the world but getting the MVP would be too much a stretch. April 24, 2006 |
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Be Careful What You Wish For
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Jumpology: My Bracket Jumpology: Scouting The Heavyweights Jumpology: Reviewing The Bracket
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