The Lakers Get Dwight Howard! Does Superman mean Rings for the LA Lakers?

Superman is Here!

Yes, he can fly!

The Lakers now have Dwight "Superman" Howard. Superman I(Shaq) was a hit and equaled 3 championships, will the Sequel have the same results at the box office in Hollywood?

CLICK THE VIDEO ABOVE

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North Carolina Pro Am "it's a lot of fun" UNC, Duke, NBA Ballers, Fan-Friendly, Player Interaction

P.J. Hairston, In Shape and Ready for UNC's Basketball Season

P.J. Hairston, Leslie McDonald, and Rasheed Wallace talk junk to fans in the crowd! This was a really fun moment at the North Carolina Pro Am! I think the guy in the crowd is Duke a fan. Sheed still bleeds Carolina Blue as much as ever!

The North Carolina Pro Am is so Much Fun. "Middle Class" Matt Talks About a the North Carolina Pro Am and a Fun, "Duke vs. UNC" moment.

*CLICK THE VIDEO ABOVE*

 

Former UNC Star and Milwaukee Bucks' Player, John Henson with Fan

Former UNC Star and Phoenix Suns' Player, Kendall Marshall with Fan

UNC's P.J. Hairston with 3 Straight Buckets and 2 Power Jams!

Duke Freshman, Rasheed Sulaimon with the Nasty Dunk! Duke Freshman, Amile Jefferson Showing off the 3 Point Range.

Former UNC Player, Justin Watts Catching the Alley-oop Power Jam. This was the Play of the NC Pro Am so far, and the Crowd Goes Wild!

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NBA Finals Preview "Will the Real Big 3 Please Stand Up!"

This is "Middle Class" Matt, the average sports' fan and genius, with a review of the NBA Playoffs and a Preview of the NBA Finals. Here are a few questions this blog entry asks, "Will the Real Big 3 Please Stand up?" "Will LeBron James Finally get a Ring?" "Who is the Best Player in the game?" and "Which NBA Team will be the next Dynasty?" No matter what the answers are, basketball fans should be excited that they are going to see basketball played at it's highest level. This should be a historic series.

IF YOU WANT THE WHOLE PREVIEW CLICK THE VIDEO ABOVE

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Pro AM Part III

SHEED IN THE HOUSE!!! Rasheed Wallace played with Greg Little and Andre Dawkins. Little looked football ready, his body was massive, and his game was weak. I am sure Little was out there just to stay in shape and play in the home crowd. Little is infamous for his off the field problems that took place at UNC, but he is quite the physical specimen. He was taken in the 2nd round in this year's NFL draft. Dawkins looked like the best player on the court(maybe because Sheed was just playing around). Dawkins shot the ball well and looked very confident. Dawkins might be ready to have a breakout year at Duke. Dawkins looked to be a true 6-4 and long, he could be one or two this year in scoring for Duke.

Wallace is number 15 and is clearly bigger than anyone on the court. Sheed screamed a lot and his team won, but he didn't do too much on the offensive end. He grabbed what seemed to be every defensive rebound and threw long outlet passes down the court. He rarely ran down on offense. His defense lacked effort as well, a player from the other team went down the middle for a tomahawk dunk, and Sheed just moved out of the way and shook his head. He shot the ball only once(from almost half court) and missed.

The Sheed has always been a super talented basketball player, but he is known for being a character. Thursday night he did not disappoint. Sheed showed up 5 minutes late (came and sat on the bench at the 15 minute mark) and starting putting on his shoes while sitting on the bench. Surprise, as soon as his shoes were on, he went right into the game. Wallace did not play last year and you could tell. Maybe he is trying to get back in shape, so he can make a NBA roster next year. If you look closely at the pic you can see Sheed has spare tire around his waist. His NBA bio lists him at 6-11, 230 lbs., but there is no way he is 230 lbs. any more. Sheed weighs at least 260 lbs. or more. He dwarfed everyone on the court and ran up and down the court as little as possible. Dawkins is number 7 in the picture.

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Deron Williams To Turkey If NBA Doesn't Play; He Won't Be The Only One

Is Deron Williams waving goodbye to the NBA?

Deron Williams has said today that he will be heading to Turkey to play next season if the NBA lockout continues into next season.  According to the New York Times, a deal has been reached between Williams and Turkish team Besiktas to play this upcoming season.  While Williams is the first player to agree to play in Europe, he certainly won't be the last.

If there is a delay in the upcoming season, I expect more layers to look to make money by playing overseas.  I assume that Patrick Ewing spoke for the lifestyle of many NBA players during the last work stoppage.  Recall his famous line "We make a lot of money...but we spend a lot too."  While many players have had the foresight to get their financial houses in order, there are probably just as many who are living huge paycheck to huge paycheck.  Pretty soon, they are going to need money.

Money.  It's what NBA owners say they don't have, and what many European owners are willing to throw at NBA stars to get them to jump the pond.

European teams have clamored to have the world's greatest players play in their league, so don't be surprised when these owners are throwing huge dollars at NBA players, even guys who aren't "superstars".  Remember Josh Childress a few years ago?  He left the NBA on his own for more money in Greece.  He wasn't a star, just a role player for the Hawks.  Obviously the money has to be great to get Deron Williams to go play in Turkey.  I doubt he's going on a vacation or going to study Turkish culture; it's all about the cash.  Imagine what one of these owners would be willing to pay Kobe Bryant or LeBron James.

David Stern says it's just fine if players want to go to Europe and play, because their contracts have been suspended by the NBA.  It's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when.

How many players do you expect to jump to Europe?  Will other stars like Kobe, LeBron and Wade make the jump as well?

NBA Lockout: Batten Down The Hatches, It Could Be A Long One

Grab a cold one, we might be here a while!

Based on what we're hearing, when the NBA owners lock the players out tonight at midnight, it could be the last time the players come to work for a long while.  Some people are thinking this one could last well in to 2012, or even threaten the entire season.  Looks like the Mavericks may get to reign as champions for a good, long while.

There's really two paths this lockout can take. It will either resemble the current NFL Lockout or the last NHL Lockout.

If it's similar to the ongoing NFL lockout, we may see a delay to the beginning of the season, but should play the majority of this season's games.  At least in the current NFL labor dispute, both owners and players are making minor concessions in order to try and reach some sort of agreement before the beginning of the season.  Both sides are meeting pretty frequently now and there have been signs of progress. It is widely assumed now that an agreement will be reached before the start of this NFL season.

If I had to choose, I think NBA Lockout 2011 will look more like the NHL Lockout of 2004-2005.  Remember, hockey lost an entire season during that work stoppage, as both sides reached an impasse early in talks.  Finally, the lockout ended as players made huge concessions in order to get back to work. The NHLPA agreed to a hard salary cap and and a league-wide rollback in player salaries just to get back on the ice and get paid.

If the NBA owners are going to stick to their guns about a salary cap and rollbacks, I doubt we have a season. If they think players will agree to rollbacks on previously signed contracts, they're crazy.  The NBA claims that more than 20 teams lost money last year and they're blaming it on the out-of-control salaries.  Didn't the owners agree to the terms of these huge contracts?  For years NBA fans have sighed a collective "What?!" with each $10+ million dollar contract given to average NBA players.

Realize, it's not the players fault they got paid like they did.  The owners had to sign the checks.  For them to now hope that players under contracts will take a pay cut is ludicrous.

The only way for the owners to win this fight is to wait it out.  The NHL owners locked the players out for over a year before they got what they wanted.  Players had no choice to come back, as they went a year without a paycheck and those who didn't plan in advance were in dire straits financially.  It'll be interesting to see if this is how the NBA owners force the players' hands.  Will they hold out so long that the players "break" and give in to the owners demands?  Or will they follow the lead of the NFL and try to work to find common ground so that business resumes as usual?

Either way, sit back, relax, and enjoy, as this is going to be a long, long fight.  

NBA Draft Live Chat Tomorrow Night at 7:30 ET!

As we did with the NFL Draft in April, DBTH will be holding a live chat during tomorrow night's NBA Draft which begins at 7:30 ET on ESPN.  Stop by and talk draft with us.  Our NFL chat was a success and we look forward to the NBA version being great as well.  See you tomorrow night! 

Why I "Root On" Lebron To Fail

This video above is why so many people want to see him and the Heat fail.  It's also embodies the reasons why the average sports fan can't stand LeBron James.

This calls for an open letter.

Dear LeBron,
Come on, Queen James, we know you just lost the NBA Finals for the second time, but did you really have to insult the entire NBA fan base? 

Yes, I will go about my same life today, and I will be much happier than you are today, as you bask in your failure once again.  You signed with Miami to virtually guarantee yourself to be the favorite to win the NBA for the next five to seven years.  Year 1:  Epic Fail.  You put yourself in a position where you have to win the championship or be a failure.  Don't throw insults at the rest of us because you're angry you couldn't get the job done.

Yes, I'm actually happy for you that you will be able to do whatever you want to do as well.  Since you make tens of millions of dollars each year, you are afforded many more opportunities than us peons who actually, sadly, pay your salary.

At the end of the day, there is one thing you and I have in common LeBron:  We each have ZERO NBA championship rings!  See, we're not so different after all.

Sincerely,

Not Your Fan

As LeBron continues to not-really-surprise us all with his arrogant attitude, he make the target on his back that much larger.  Now that he has been called out by every sports media outlet under the sun, he is trying to "clarify", umm backtrack, his statements.  You can read about that HERE.

What is your take on LeBron James?  Is he a king or a princess in your book?

Sometimes it's Just that Simple...

Come on guys, make some shots!

This has been a very weird NBA finals. Neither Dallas or Miami has played well.

After game one, almost the entire media (which means the guys from ESPN) were talking about how great Miami's defense was at putting the claps on the Mavericks' high powered offense. All the ESPN talking heads were analyzing what happened to the Mavs and trying to breakdown why Miami was so effective but, sometimes we as fans, can figure out why a team lost and the other won, better than the high paid analysts can. It is actually quite simple. Dallas missed shots, and that's all there is to it. The bench has missed shots all series and that is the real story. Dallas could be up 3-1 if their not so, turbo charged bench played like we all expected it to. Both Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson in game four discussed, how Dallas is getting wide open shots and just can't knock them down. So that doesn't make a great story but it is the truth of it. Dallas' points per game have declined dramatically, and if the bench was reaching its normal average, so would the team as whole.

There is no reason to discuss this series anymore than the media already has. ESPN's coverage is torture enough, so to be fair, I will say just a few things about Miami. Miami has a lot of problems that have been well discussed by everyone. The Heat could have easily won the series already, and still may in the end. Wade and James are the best kids on the court and when the two best guys get together they are hard to beat. The problem is James and Wade are the same kid and that makes it hard for them to both be at their best at the same time. The Heat will most likely get a true big man during the off season and then the championships may just pile up for the foreseeable future. But for now they have problems that are allowing Dallas to outsmart and play them.

To the Heat's credit, putting LeBron on Jason Terry was a great idea, and it has disrupted the flow of Dallas' offense, but Terry had a big game four and if he has two more big game games it may spell trouble for the Heat. Still, if the Heat play with heart and hustle, I don't know if the Mavs can win with just Dirk knocking down shots. Well, no matter who wins the Heat doesn't seem to be getting the star treatment, and this great for the fans. We just might get a thriller of a game seven and no matter how flawed both teams are, as basketball fans, that's all you can ask for.

This Week in Sports!

So, I was 6 of 8 in my first round NBA predictions. This is good, but not great. The only pick that I regret is picking the Orlando Magic to beat the Atlanta Hawks. I picked the Magic because I thought Stan Van Gundy would out coach Larry Drew Sr., and the Hawks would have no answer for D. Howard. The way things shaped up, was that the Hawks were to athletic at the wings and the Magic need better players and this may cost them the man in the middle a year from now. No one really saw the Memphis Grizzlies beating San Antonio Spurs, but I had the Spurs losing in the next round so no big surprise. This was an important series because it marks the end of this Spurs team as we know it. The Spurs must bring in new young talent to be a contender again.

In the summer there is not a whole lot of good sports going on. I have always had trouble finding and keeping up the important sports events. I have a hard time remembering when the good events of games are coming on, or finding the times of these events. So, here they are:

Tonight May 2, 2011
Chicago Bulls vs. Atlanta Hawks 8:00 PM on TNT
L. A. Lakers vs. Dallas Mavericks 10:30 PM on TNT

Tuesday May 3, 2011
Boston Celtics vs. Miami Heat 7:00 PM on TNT
(This should be a really good game and series, but in game one the Big 3 decided the ball game. And by the Big 3 I mean the refs. Hopefully the refs will not continue to give Miami so much star treatment.)

Memphis Grizzlies vs. Oklahoma City Thunder 10:30 PM on TNT

Wednesday May 4, 2011
Atlanta Hawks vs. Chicago Bulls 8:00 PM on TNT
L. A. Lakers vs. Dallas Mavericks 9:30 PM on TNT

Thursday May 5, 2011
No NBA

Friday May 6, 2011
Chicago Bulls vs. Atlanta Hawks 7:00 PM on ESPN
L. A. Lakers vs. Dallas Mavericks 9:30 PM on ESPN

Saturday May 7, 2011
Memphis Grizzlies vs. Oklahoma City Thunder 5:00 PM on ESPN
Miami Boston vs. Boston Celtics 8:00 PM on ABC

Another good sporting event this week is the Wells Fargo Championship. This PGA tour event is in Charlotte, NC and is always a good one. I don't watch too much golf unless the big boys are there. Good News Phil Mickelson will be playing!

May 5-8 2011 Live at 3 PM or replay 8:30 PM on the Golf Channel

Manny Pacquiao vs. Shane Mosley May 7, 2011 on Pay-per-view

Quick Hitter: Sacramento Might Lose the Kings, Who Knew?

Unless you follow the NBA closely, you might not know Sacto is losing the Kings.

Great article HERE by Bill Simmons regarding the plight of the Maloof brothers and their attempts to sell/move the Sacramento Kings.

I honestly had little idea that the Maloofs were in this much trouble financially.  The last time I really paid attention to them, they were opening The Palms in Vegas and seemed to be living like real-life Kings.  They seemed to be on the same level of Mark Cuban in terms of vocal ownership that was well-liked by its fans. 

Simmons goes into great detail regarding the downturn of the Maloof empire, mixed in with some bad luck that has negatively impacted the small-market Kings franchise.  It's definitely worth your time to click the link.   

Tim Duncan Is Fading Fast, And It Hurts To Watch

Is this how it ends?

Let me preface this column by saying the following:  Tim Duncan is one of my top 3 favorite players of all time.  He's right there with Dominique Wilkins and Dirk Nowitzki.  I started liking Duncan when I was in high school and he was still at Wake Forest.  The reason Duncan became my favorite player was the fact that he was successful playing the game the right way, using a tremendous set of fundamentals rather than just relying on athleticism, thus garnering the nickname "The Big Fundamental."   I modeled my game after Duncan's due to my lack of athleticism when compared to other post players I faced. 

It hurts me to say this, but after watching this opening series against Memphis, I'm afraid Duncan has reached the twilight of being a force in the NBA.  Check these highlights from Game 4 last night and watch the play at 1:43.  Tim Duncan gets out muscled and out hustled by Marc Gasol. 

My jaw dropped when I saw that play live.  I even said something about it to my wife, knowing she couldn't care less, but I was so stunned and sad.  Tim Duncan has never been one to be outworked, but he has been outworked all series, as have the rest of the Spurs, against a much more athletic, young and hungry group of Grizzlies.  I, like many, thought Game 1 was a fluke, but it's clearly obvious the Grizzlies are just better than the Spurs and will win the series.   

So far in the playoffs, Duncan is averaging 12 points and 10 rebounds per game, a far cry from his dominating performances during the Spurs' championship runs, where 20+ point, 20+ rebound games were the norm.  I don't think it's a matter of heart; no one will ever question Tim Duncan's desire.  It's a matter of ability.  

It will be interesting to see what happens over the next couple of years.  Will Duncan try to hang on, like Shaq (and Brett Favre), and be a mediocre role player, or will he realize his best days are behind him and ride off into the sunset a winner (John Elway)?

Either way, Duncan is one of the 10 greatest centers of all time and a first ballot Hall of Famer.  It's sad to watch when he can no longer perform up to his and fans expectations.

CAN YOU SAY THREE-PEAT!

The Lakers may have a tough time but when the smoke clears I think they will three-peat! No other team accept maybe the Celtics have all the pieces in place to win it all. Boston is old and without and does not have the post players to match up, and to that fact niether does anyone else. Lakers win third in row and here are the rest of my playoff predictions...

2nd Round

Western Conference

(1) San Antonio Spurs vs. (4) Oklahoma City Thunder

The Thunder will make the Spurs look their age, but the Spurs will not go down without a fight. I really want to pick the Spurs here with their experience and tough playoff-ready verterans, but I just think they have too many problems this year. The lack of their trademark defense and injuries being at the top of a long list. So the athleticism of the Thunder will just be too much and the old Spurs will wear out in the end. Thunder in 7

(2) L.A. Lakers vs. (3) Dallas Mavericks

The Mavs will give the Lakers all they can handle. The Lakers will prevail because of their superior post play. Both the Mavs and Lakers have big time scores who can make big play and hit clutch shots, but the Lakers are just too long and tall inside, Lakers in 6.

Eastern Conference

(1) Chicago Bulls vs. (4) Orlando Magic

I like the Bulls personnel and think they should make mutliple deep runs in the playoffs in the future. Chicago has played with passion and hustle all year and as a result they have the best record in the playoffs. Chicago is still young and inexperienced in the playoffs and heart alone will not get it done at this stage.

Orlando has had their fair share of problems this year, but when it counts they play defense and that will be enough to slow down the young firepower of the Bulls. The Bulls have very good big men, but no one can stop D. Howard, Magic in 7.

(2) Miami Heat vs. (3) Boston Celtics

This is the hardest game to pick but it should be a classic! Boston is experienced as a team and their defense should hold the big three in check. The game will be decided inside if Shaq was healthy or if Kendrick Perkins was still there, Boston would have even more of an advantage inside.

But Boston has enough considering the Heat have no inside presence. Boston should beat the Heat up inside, unless James gets down and dirty in the paint and I don't think that will happen (but he could like the way Magic jumped center). Going along with their inside advantage, Boston will beat up the Heat but not just inside but on the permeter as well. Celtics in 7

3rd round

Western Conference

(2) L.A. Lakers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder

The Lakers have too much everything for the Thunder. The Thunder's athletism and high octane offense will make this series fun, but just too much Kobe, Gasol, Odom, Phil Jackston, just too much Lakers. Lakers in 6

Eastern Conference

(3) Boston Celtics vs. (4) Orlando Magic

Boston will have no answer for D. Howard that we all know. Howard is such a force of nature inside that will keep this series competive, but in Celtics are build for playoffs and will beat the Magic in every other facet of the game. Plus Boston has that great home court advantage, Celtics in 6.

NBA Championship

L.A Laker vs. Boston Celtics

Can you say rematch! Both of these team will not get to the championship next year, if they do not get younger in the off season. With that said they will have enough to get here one last time, but Boston will look really old and the Lakers will have home court and an inside advantage. Boston's age and missing big men will make this an easier series for L.A., than it was last year, Lakers in 6.

Flip the Switch!

While the NBA regular season as a product has improved over the last few seasons it still can not match the intensity of college basketball.

But when the playoffs starts the professionals flip the switch! As a basketball purist you have love the effort and high level of play that the best players in the world showcase during this tournament. The first round will have some sub par games, but after that we should all be able to enjoy some top flight round ball! Here are my picks...

Eastern Conference

1st Round

(1) Chicago Bulls vs. (8) Indiana Pacers

I'll take the Bulls in four, for lots of reasons but no reason to bore you with details, Derrick Rose enough said.

(2) Miami Heat vs (7) Philadelphia 76ers

The Heat's star power is just too much for the 76ers. The bottom three teams from the East will not put up too much of a fight, they would not have even made the playoffs if they were in the West. Heat in 5

(3) Boston Celtics vs. (6) The New York Knicks

New York has two great players who will have some great games in this series, but in the end Boston's veteran experience and hard nose defense will be too much for the newly formed Knicks. Celtics in 6

(4) Orlando Magic vs. (5) Atlanta Hawks

This is a hard one to pick as the 4-5 match up should be. Orlando wins but it will be a fight. The Hawks talented wing players will give the Magic trouble. The Magic will prevail because of better coaching, defense, and... that's right you guessed it D. Howard! Magic in 7

Western Conference

1st Round

(1) San Antonio Spurs vs. (8) Memphis Grizzlies

The Spurs are old and they stumbled into the playoffs but veterans and experience win playoff games. The Spurs have a ton of both of those, but the Grizzlies are young and athletic. This will cause the Spurs some problems but when all is said and done, Spurs in 6.

(2) L.A. Lakers vs. (7) New Orleans Hornets

Lakers in 5, whatever you can think of is reason enough.

(3) Dallas Mavericks vs. (6) Portland Trail Blazers

This series should have some good games. Once again a common theme in the 1st round youth and athleticism vs. experience and leadership. Experience and leadership wins out, the Mavs have too many big time shot makers for the Blazers, Mavs in 6

(4) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. (5) Denver Nuggets

The Nuggets have had a crazy year losing one of the games' biggest names and other important players, as well. The Nuggets are a completely different team now, from the one they started season with. Still, they have enough players to make this a series, but the Thunders great young stars will be too much for a team who lacks chemistry and defense, Thunder in 6

The rest of my predictions coming tomorrow...

NBA Playoff Prediction Time!

Who will be taking this bad boy home this year?



"Any given day" is a quote many coaches and commentators use to describe the ability for an underdog to knock off a better team in a game.  Why this is often the case in many sports, it's not true if you want to advance and win the NBA Championship.  In 2003, when the NBA went to a seven game first round, it took away the chance for early upsets in the playoffs.  Since you must beat a team four times to move on, shocking upsets in the NBA playoffs are very rare.  If you want to win it all, you have to be the best, and get a little help, usually from the officials.  There are no George Masons or Virginia Commonwealths playing for the NBA title. 

Here are my picks for this year's second season:

Western Conference Quarterfinals:
(1) San Antonio over (8) Memphis in 5 games:  This is a conservative choice, as opposed to the sweep most analysts will call.  I think Memphis may steal one at home, but this will be an easy series win for the Spurs.

(4) Oklahoma City over (5) Denver in 6 games:  I will probably watch more of this series than any of the others, with the exception of maybe the Hawks/Magic.  Even though the Nuggets have proven they are still a good team without Carmelo, the fact that George Karl came out and said he'd rather play Dallas than the Thunder should tell you something. 

(3) Dallas over (6) Portland in 7 games:  I think home-court advantage will be a big factor in this series.  Dallas has been really streaky this year, and I wouldn't be surprised if they lost here, but they are the better team, so they should take care of business.

(2) Los Angeles over (7) New Orleans in 5 games:  Even though the Lakers have played poorly down the stretch, they are clearly better than New Orleans, but don't be surprised if a couple of these games are decided late by the Black Mamba.

Eastern Conference Quarterfinals:
(1) Chicago over (8) Indiana in 5 games:  Indiana has the capability of pulling off more than one win, but I think they will only get one at home. 

(4)Orlando over (5) Atlanta in 7 games:  This one should go the distance.  Atlanta has lost their last six going in to the playoffs, but did win the season series 3-1 over the Magic.  This Orlando team isn't nearly as good as last year's edition (bad trade) and I really wouldn't be shocked if Atlanta won the series.  They will have to win in Orlando to get it done, though.

(3)Boston over (6) New York in 6 games:  Boston is too playoff tested and savvy to let the Knicks take them to the limit.  This is a talented Knicks squad that will make each game tough for Boston.

(2) Miami over (7) Philadelphia in 5 games:  Miami has the propensity to hit the snooze buttons during games, which should let the Sixers steal at least one game in this series, but Miami is too good to not win this series.

Western Conference Semifinals:
(1) San Antonio over (4) Oklahoma City in 7 games:  I really like the Thunder, but i don't think they are ready to beat a team like San Antonio four times.  Maybe next year will be their year, as they grow with Westbrook, Durant and Perkins.  I think the Spurs' home court advantage and big game experience will overpower the upstart Thunder.

(2) Los Angeles over (3) Dallas in 6 games:  I can't see Dallas pushing the Lakers to a game seven, they're just not mentally tough enough to win in LA.

Eastern Conference Semifinals:
(1) Chicago over (4) Orlando in 5 games:  Whether or not it's the Magic or Hawks that Chicago faces in round 2, I don't see either giving them a long series. 

(2) Miami over (3) Boston in 7 games:  This is the series everyone wants to see, including me.  Boston won the season series, but I think the talent of Miami's Big Two-and-a-Half will overcome the older Celtics, with some help from the officials...

Western Conference Finals:
(2) Los Angeles over (1) San Antonio in 7 games:  This will be a great series that I think will be won by the Lakers.  Honestly, I think the Spurs have a deeper roster, but I feel a Lakers win. 

Eastern Conference Finals:
(2) Miami over (1) Chicago in 6 games:  Again, star power wins in the playoffs.  Chicago has a great team, but I don't think they can beat Miami four times out of seven.  I actually think Boston will give Miami a tougher series than Chicago will. 

NBA Finals:  
Miami over Los Angeles in 7 games:  Keeping with the star power theme, I'll take these two, since this is what the majority of the nation wants to see.  I kind of can't believe I'm picking these two, as my gut tells me that Boston and San Antonio are the best teams in each conference.  I think this is the matchup everyone wants to see, so don't be surprised to see some funny officiating to help these two teams.   

   

Tried to Watch the Hawks-They are Brutally Bad Right Now

As many know, I really like basketball but don't really enjoy the NBA, especially on television.  That said, I have tried to get back into watching the hometown Hawks, especially after they shook up the roster with the trade for Kirk Hinrich.  After watching them get blasted by the Bulls and blow a perfectly winnable game against the Sixers tonight, I must say that I have likely watched my last Hawks game this regular season, and maybe for the entirety of the season (1st round of playoffs).

One would think that if millions of dollars weren't motivation enough to give a good effort every night, proving your manhood would be.  It seems as though the team has quit on Larry Drew (his son knows about quitting) even though he's only the first-year head coach.  While the Hawks have most likely wrapped up a 5 seed (Philadelphia could pass them), there is no fan in Hawks Nation that believes they can hang with 4th seeded Orlando in the first round, given the results of that series last year. 

Quite frankly, I'm tiring of watching Hawks, much like I tired of watching the Braves in the early 2000's.  Same story, different year.  Pretty good teams, make the playoffs and lose without having a serious chance at making a push for a championship.  I say it's time to blow the whole thing up, from the ownership down.  Atlanta sports fans could only be so luck to get rid of the Spirit, right?  Al Horford and Josh Smith are young and worth building around, but after the awful contract the Atlanta Spirit gave Joe Johnson and the inability to move Marvin Williams and their incompetence in the draft, there is little hope for the Hawks ever being able to make a championship run in their current state.

If I'm going to watch an NBA team, I'd much rather watch a young team with good, skilled players and even greater potential. 

Oklahoma City Thunder anyone?