therealfan

     I have taken much criticism, bordering on abuse as it pertains to King James! Something about him now being the best Basketball Player there is, seems to have rubbed some of you the wrong way. Some of you Kobe Fans to be specific. Well if you want to mock me for a bad prediction(I said Cavs in 6) they actually were defeated in 6!, go right ahead. It was an impressive dismantling of the Cavs, from Mike Brown (Coach of the year) being outcoached  by the so called Master of Panic, to the Cavs supporting cast shrinking in the moment as if they were in the Conference Finals for first time, instead of the third year in a row! On that I will take my medicine, but I didn't see anything to change my mind about James' status on the court. If you call averaging 37pts 8 reb 8ast while shooting 51% a letdown performance, I don't know what to say to you. I do however have a problem with Mr. James, and that is his refusal to shake hands with the Magic Players after they were eliminated, and speak with the Media after the game. This screams Sore Loser, Baby, Immature, and it's totally unacceptable for any player, much less a player of his status. His explanation that he is a winner, and that you don't shake hands with a guy that beat you down was even more disappointing, the fact that he tried to defend his behavior, rather than simply apologizing well? Lebron the player who you so conveniently compared yourself to, after your heroic, game winning shot! He lost to a Detroit Piston team that literally beat him, as well as beat him up, three years in a row, yet he shook hands after every series.  He then sat graciously in the media room, and answered all the questions that followed as to why his team failed. As the Leader of the team, it's your job to take those questions. Just as Mo Williams put it before, Lebron is option 1,2,3!  It takes more of a Man to sit there and talk after defeat, than it does to gloat amongst Praise. To whom much is given, much is expected, King James obviously hasn't learned that completely! Let's hope that this is not a sign of what's to come for young James? All of the Picture taking and modeling before games, the chest beating, laughing, and mocking of opponents. Life is humbling, you have to take as good as you give, let's hope he learns from this?

                                     Lakers lead Nuggets 1-0


     The Laker's won game one, but I'm here to predict they will not win this series!  They survived some typical Nugget's mistakes of the past to close out a close 2 point victory. All you Kobe fan's are upset that he has been universally displaced as the best player on the planet, not just by me see: Jerry West,  and Oscar Robertson! It's not that Kobe's skill level has gone down any, but He put up 40 last night, and 35 wouldn't have been enough! Where Kobe has slipped is, he doesn't possess the ability to, in my opinion score at a level high enough to win this series!  In the past that meant whatever possible. Now Kobe in His 13th year, after an NBA Finals and Olympic Gold Medal last year, looks tired, worn out, and fatigued! It showed itself last year as I spoke of in earlier posts. The Nuggets totally outplayed the Lakers, beat up Lamar Odom, and Pau Gasol, and if the two of them don't perform better, the Lakers will not prevail! I don't see them playing any better, because they underachieved against a weakened Houston team! To expect anything more would be fooling myself. Carmello Anthony has raised his game to a level as a scorer on par with anyone in this league, and with the physical presence of a Kenyon Martin, Chris Anderson, Donte Jones and NeNe the Nuggets win in 6 Games!

Well what once looked like a sure Cleveland vs LA Finals, is now a little more uncertain. While Cleveland is taking care of their business, steamrolling opponents, and yet to lose a game, in fact winning them all by double figures! The Lakers on the other hand, who are supposed to be on a mission to redeem themselves from last year's embarrassing Finals loss to the Celtics, are looking suspiciously like last year's soft finesse no defense Lakers.  Struggling with a Huston team, who is now playing without their best two players in Yao, and McGrady. The Lakers are coming dangerously close to giving an emerging Denver team, all the confidence, and blueprint  on how to derail a potential Cle vs LA Finals! 


 Cleveland leads Atlanta 3-0

  By far the most impressive team in the playoffs so far, The Cavs are living up to their regular season best play, and destroying their opponents. Led by LeBron James who is looking more and more like the Best Player in the World now, Cleveland  is on their way! It is not a surprise that Atlanta is being swept, just thought they might put up a little more resistance. Getting swept by the potential Champs is still an embarrassing performance for a young ,and coming team that had higher hopes coming off last years performance against Boston. The only thing left to ponder in this series is can Lebron average a triple double for the series?    Cle in 4



Boston vs Orlando 2-2

  Boston finds themselves in another dogfight of a series, but they had to fight every series last year on the way to a Championship! This year they are without KG, and I think that will be the difference this year against a younger fresher Orlando team, who to this point has outplayed Boston in the series. If Orlando doesn't forget that they have the best big man in the league on their side, and eliminate these games where Dwight Howard gets 10 shots?  Paul Pierce has looked tired these playoffs, and Ray Allen can't carry them two series in a row! They don't consistently play defense the same without KG, and if not for Orlando's poor execution down the stretch , and over reliance on the three point shot?  Orlando will steal game five in Boston, and tired Boston will finally run out of gas!
Orlando in 6


  Denver leads Dallas 3-0

    Denver has been the second best team in these playoffs, amazingly coming off  last year where they were the 8th seed and were swept by the Lakers in the first round. What a difference a year  makes! It shows you sometimes you have to have patience, and allow your team to grow. I guess you could also trade Allen Iverson for Chancey Billups, and with one move change the mentality, and focus of your team from Me to Win! Throw in the hustle and defensive mindset of players like Anthony Carter, Donte Jones, and Chris Anderson, an already athletic and explosive team  with the likes of Carmello, and J.R. Smith! Denver is peaking at the right time. Poor Dallas down 0-3 after playing well enough to win game 3, and losing on one of the more memorable no calls in recent memory. It was a missed call by the referee, but the Dallas player has got to make sure Carmello doesn't get a shot off in that situation period! Dallas who actually was playing well themselves coming into this series will pull out game four at home, but I don't see anything stopping Denver from closing them out once it goes back to Denver.  Denver in 5


  LA vs Houston tied 2-2

  
     The Lakers have been a disappointment thus far in these playoffs. I know we heard all the right things about how  they needed to get tougher, because they were exposed last year, how adding Trevor Ariza, and having Andrew Bynum back would make things different. Well they still seem to be a team living on reputation right now. What reputation you might add? oh the reputation that they have Kobe Bryant who won his last title 7 years ago, and that all they have to do is get there and he will carry them through. Why is that? because he is the best player and closer in the world. I remember hearing that last year too! As a matter of fact, I thought it myself. Well not anymore, he's going to have to prove it. The Lakers still want to beat you on offense, and as an undermanned team like Houston is showing, if you smother Kobe, rough up Gasol, and Odom! How good really are the rest of these guys. As well as Houston has played, I don't think they possess the firepower to go into Staples and win without players they're missing. But a word to the wise for the Lakers, the longer they let this series go, is more confidence they give a very talented Denver team to finish what Houston started!     Lakers in 6