Daily Highlight: Big Game for Bosh

Bosh was the leading point man for Miami in their big win at home to take a 2-1 series lead over the Bulls.  Bosh started a little slow, but he got hot in the second quarter and stayed hot throughout the game.  LeBron played point and spread the ball around, and Miami's defense was stifling once again.  It looks like they may be taking control of the series.

NBA Playoff Update

So far the NBA playoffs have proven to be evenly matched and very competitive.  Both series are tied at 1 apiece, and all 4 teams have had their moments when their stars have shined.

Who can forget what Dirk did on game 1?  48 points on 24/24 free throws and 12/15 field goals.  No one has ever witnessed a free throw shooting clinic like that.  And 12 for 15 isn't too bad either.  But the Thunder could have won that game if not for JJ Barrea and Jason Terry.  Coming off the bench, they added that extra offense that put the game away for the Mavs.  And after taht game everyone (including me) was saying, "No one can stop Dirk" and "The Thunder don't have a chance."

Then came game 2.  And maybe no one can stop Dirk, but if you can keep the bench players from dominating you have a chance.  And of course if your own bench scores more than 50 points that helps too.  The 2 big stories of game 2 were Durant's massive dunk, and the benching of Russel Westbrook for the entire 4th quarter.  Durant's dunk set off a 21-7 run it was so huge.  And benching Westbrook was kind of a no brainer since Eric Maynard was having such a great game, and it worked.

This series has definitely been interesting.  Much more defensive than the Western Conference Finals.  And that seems a little strange to me when you have the likes of LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Derrick Rose on the court.  But they're all so dedicated that they are great defensive players as well.  And both teams from top to bottom are dedicated to defending.  It makes for a physical, frantic series.

Game 1 was even throughout the first half, and then Derrick Rose made his presence felt and led the Bulls to a 21 point win.  Game 2 was the same story for the first half.  But in that case, it was LeBron who came up big in the second half, and especially down the stretch of the 4th quarter to close out the win for the Heat.  Neither game has had a singular defining moment, but the stars have all had at least one good game.

So as the 2 series shift to Miami and Oklahoma City, it would seem that those 2 teams have the advantage having stolen a game away from home.  But who really thinks that Dallas and Chicago are going to go away without putting up a fight?  Has your opinion of who's going to make the finals changed based on what you've seen?  I'm still picking Dallas and Miami, although I think Dallas will have a harder time than I originally expected.

Daily Highlight: Heat Tie Series

It was touted as highly defensive series before it ever got started.  And if you like defense, then this series has not disappointed.  Miami turned up the defense down the stretch and pulled off the win after a 4th quarter run by LeBron James sealed it.

Daily Highlight: Heat Routed by Bulls

Well this one was a surprise.  Based on the Bulls' level of play in these playoffs, I expected a game 1 win for Miami away from home, or at least a close game.  And I got what I expected for the 1st half.  Then I turned it off to watch a movie and found out the Heat got crushed by 21 points.  What happened?  Lots of offensive rebounds for the Bulls which led to 2nd chance points.

Who is your Pick for NBA Champion?

Simple question: who wins the NBA Championship?  We're down to 4 teams with a few surprises, and the teams left give a nice refreshingly new feel; no LA and no Boston.  So in the East we have Miami and Chicago, and in the West we have Dallas and Oklahoma City.

All four teams have legitimate superstars on their team, and they all deserve to be there.  Some made it with more ease than others, but these should all be good matchups.

So the question is: "Who ya Got!"

Daily Highlight: Heat Take 2-0 Lead

Miami's Big Three dominated the Celtics Bid Three in last night's game.  LeBron had 35 points, Wade had 28, and Bosh pitched in with 17 points and 11 rebounds.  Not a bad night for them.  And there were some great highlights in the process.  Now the series switches back to Boston where the Celtics will try to get back in the series.

Daily Highlight: D-Wades Big Game

The first game of the series between the Celtics and the Heat was definitely a highly anticipated one.  And one of the big story lines going into the game was Dwayne Wade's poor regular season games against the Celtics.  That certainly wasn't the case this time.  He scored 38 points and cut down drastically on the turnovers to lead the Heat to a Game 1 win in the second round series.

Daily Highlight: Heat Advance to Second Round

This series was never really in doubt as the Heat took the first 3 games with ease.  There was a bit of a let down in Game 4, but the Big 3 came back and all had big games to lead the Heat over the 76ers and into the second round.

NBA Playoffs: Eastern Conference

The 82 game season is over and the playoffs are getting started today.  It's time to get serious in the NBA.  Can Kobe and the Lakers make it another 3-peat?  Or will the aging Spurs make another run to the finals?  Can the Bulls really win the East, or will the Heat live up to early expectations?  Some good story lines to keep up with?  Let's take a look the Eastern Conference.  Here's the rankings:

1. Chicago Bulls
2. Miami Heat
3. Boston Celtics
4. Orlando Magic
5. Atlanta Hawks
6. New York Knicks
7. Philadelphia 76ers
8. Indiana Pacers

Predictions:

Just for the sake of the length of this post, I'm just going to say that the Bulls v Pacers series doesn't need a break down.  Bulls will win in 5 games.

Essentially the same deal for the Heat and the 76ers.  However, this is going to be a bit more interesting. The 76ers are young and athletic, and in that respect they can match up well with the Heat.  But their is just such a huge talent difference that the Heat will handle it no problem.  5 game series and Miami wins.

The 3-6 matchup: Celtics v Knicks.  This is where it starts to get good.  The Knicks put together a big three of their own (which is getting to be a way over-used cliche) to matchup with the Celtics' original big three.  Rondo is having some trouble recently without his good friend Kendrick Perkins around.  But with Pierce, Garnett, and Allen around, they can make up the difference.  The problem for the Knicks is that they haven't had time to gel.  Yeah they have a lot of talent, but they haven't really shown any improvement.  There are going to be some great games, but expect some blowouts too.  Both teams have shown they are capable of getting blown out and blowing out another team.  The speed offense of the Knicks under Dantonio vs the gritty defense of the Celtics is going to be fun to watch.  I pick the Celtics in 6.

And the final matchup is the Magic v the Hawks.  This is going to be an ugly series.  It will be an even one, but ugly.  The Hawks have a terrible tendency to quit games in which they find themselves in a big hole.  But at the same time, the Magic are mentally weak.  Too many bad fouls and technicals.  Dwight Howard, while a tremendous player, can be a liability.  And Gilbert Arenas...who knows what he's going to do in any given game.  So, both teams have a lot of talent, and a lot of athletic ability, but neither has the mental aspect of the game in their favor.  I hate to say it, but I'm picking the higher seed again. Orlando in 6, and expect some blowouts.

I really don't like picking the top seeds all the way through, but this isn't college.  The higher seeds almost always win out in the NBA.  And I don't think this season will be any different in the East.

Daily Highlight: Heat survive Comeback from Hawks

It looked like this game was going to be ugly, but Atlanta managed a heck of a comeback to make it close.  But in the end it fell short.  There were some interesting developments as Big Z lost his temper and threw the ball at another player's back. I've never seen him lose his temper before.  It was kind of funny.

Daily Highlight: Heat Hammer Celtics

Last night the Heat handed the Celtics their worst loss of the season, and claimed sole possession of 2nd place in the Eastern Conference in the process.  Looks like LeBron will most likely be playing against the Celtics in the playoffs yet again.

Daily Highlight: Heat and Wizards get Physical

It seemed like there was bad blood between the Heat and the Wizards last night, which is strange because I would hardly call it a rivalry.  But it all started when Big Z got into a scuffle with John Wall and 3 players got ejected.

Daily Highlight: Cavalier's Revenge

LeBron James made is second return to Cleveland.  And this time it was a much happier occasion for Cleveland fans.  Last time, the Heat torched the Cavs and won big.  This time, despite LeBron's triple-double, the Cavs pulled off their first double-digit win of the season.

Daily Highlight: Heat Exact Revenge on the Spurs

Having lost to the Spurs by 30 recently, the Heat returned the favor last night at home.  The Big 3 combined for as many points as the entire Spurs team, and the defense was stifling.  The Heat have picked up some big wins recently.  Are you ready to jump back on the bandwagon?

Daily Highlight: More Miami Misery

The Blazers added to Miami's misery by handing them their 5th straight loss, and 4th straight loss at home.  Things don't get any easier for Miami in the future, and now there's talk of changing the head coach again.  Didn't we already go through all this?

Miami Heat: Cry-Gate

"There's no crying in Baseball!"  Words immortalized by Tom Hanks in A League of Their Own.  Those words can probably be applied to any professional sport.  Last night after the Heat lost another heart breaker, their was talk of crying in the locker room.  And of course that was going to cause a buzz in the sports world.  And after the summer trades bring LeBron, D-Wade, and Bosh together, the Heat were pretty much considered to be in "a league of their own."  So their should be no complaining by the Heat if people are over-reacting to these statements.  But here is coach Erik Spoelstra's reaction to the backlash:

Cry-Gate Fallout

And I have to say, I think coach Spoelstra has it all wrong.  The media is not making something out of nothing.  When you make a comment like that in a press conference after a 4th consecutive bad loss, you're just asking for it.  It is good that the players care.  No one would expect anything less.  But crying?  Give me a break.  And those comments combined with Wade's: "The world is a happier place because the Heat are losing.  Isn't that what everyone wanted?"  Wow.  He sounds bitter, and he looked completely defeated in that pres conference.

 Miami Heat: A League of Their Own

The Heat are a very good team.  43-20 is certainly not a bad record.  So quit crying, and go out and win some close games.  If you do that, then everyone will jump back on the band wagon and you'll all be worshiped again.

*Just as an aside.  This may make it sound like I hate the Heat.  I don't.  I like them, and I root for them.  But this whole crying thing is disgraceful.

Daily Highlight: Skidding Heat

Wow, the Heat looked bad last night.  Sure the Spurs are good, but the Heat are supposed to be good too.  But losing by 30 shows a lack of heart and effort.

Daily Highlight: Heat Index

So, what's wrong with the Heat?  Against the Magic they had a 24 point lead at one point in the game and lost by 3.  As good as Miami was at they beginning, they were bad at the end.  And the reverse was true for the Magic.

New York Kicks: Does Billups make a "Big 3?"

When I first posted about the trade of Carmelo to the Knicks being official, a friend of mine made a really good point about it.  He said that no one was really talking about Chauncey Billups.  He's a former All Star, a former Finals MVP, and he's known as Mr. Big Shot for his ability to knock down clutch shots at the end of the game.  So here is New York's "Big 3"

Just to add to the argument of Chauncey's impact on the New York Knicks, let's take a look at what he did against the Eastern Conference's top team (the Heat) last night.  His actual stats aren't all that impressive: 16 points, 2 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals.  But his impact and leadership late in the game were crucial.  In the first half, the Knicks had already dug themselves a 15 point hole.  And against a team as good defensively and offensively as the Heat, that was going to be nearly impossible to climb out of.  But Chauncey hit the go-ahead three pointer with just 1:01 to go in the game.  In the next possession, he read the Heat's play perfectly, and stole the ball on the pass to the corner, ran the ball down the floor and laid it off for a layup, which led to 2 points from the line and effectively sealed the game.

I feel safe saying that without Billups, the Knicks would not have won that game.  He is a smart, experienced player, and he has a lot to offer the Knicks.  And this game could be huge for them as they head down the stretch and into the playoffs.

Daily Highlight: Knicks v Heat

This was a big time statement win for the Knicks to come into Miami and knock of the heat after being down by as many as 15 points.  And in the end, they did it with defense.  This will continue to raise questions for the Heat as to their inability to finish off games, and who is their closer?