LeBron-A-Mania Is Running Wild AKA "The Decision"

Before "The Decision"

I think you can make sense of LeBron going to any of the rumored four NBA teams who seemed to have the best shot at landing him.

Let me take a stab at it.

The Chicago Bulls: Playing with a true point guard like Derrick Rose and with a young banger like Joakim Noah has to be pretty tantalizing to James. As would be, playing on Michael Jordan's home court and proving to others that he could win there. I always thought this was the best place for his future because of the young players and the fact that the franchise has prove worthy of having the NBA's greatest ever player play there.

But LeBron's at his best when the ball is in his hands and he's directing the team. There's a reason why Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan never needed superstar floor leaders. They do the leading. Rose is probably better off finding his own Joe Johnson type and running his own thing.

The New York Knicks: I imagine that playing in the big apple is the major reason to go there. When things happen in NYC, they just seem bigger than if they happened in Cleveland, even if they are the exact same thing. It's that empire state of mind. Add to that, playing with Amar'e Stoudemire and running teams to death with the pick and roll, I'm sure that LBJ has had visions of playing in the city that never sleeps.

On the flipside, Amar'e didn't really play that well against Pau Gasol in the NBA Western Conference Finals and if people didn't already know before then, they now know that he just doesn't seem interested in playing defense. I'm not sure if Amar'e is the type of player who is going to be the best big man on a championship winning team.

And also, LBJ probably doesn't want Spike Lee bugging him all the time. "I got a movie for you LeBron! We'll call it "LeBron Doing Work".

The Miami Heat: Who doesn't want to play in Miami? It seems like South Beach is every NBA player's second home as it is. And now with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh making the Heat hotter, LBJ has to be thinking that he doesn't have to play out of his mind every night in order to win. Throw in the fact that the tax situation in Florida is much easier on an athlete who plays half of his games in the state, and it seems like win-win.

But I do wonder that for someone who seems to be concerned about his legacy, the scenario of playing with the best guard in the league not named Kobe would lessen him a bit in the eyes of the fans. It wouldn't to me because as the Lakers have proven, even with the league's best player in Kobe Bryant, he needed Shaq (or Shaq needed him), and also Pau Gasol to win a championship. It's rarely ever about just one guy.

The other thing is that for guys who both are best with the ball in their hands, how can D. Wade and LBJ share the basketball? Who takes the big shot?

Winning does cure all of that, at least for a little while (again, see Kobe and Shaq), and it has to be a tantalizing situation. Then again, does he really want to be the focus of the 4th season of "Basketball Wives"?

The Cleveland Cavaliers: I always hoped that this would be the place LeBron continued to call home. I looked at Kobe's own situation with the Lakers. Even though he did throw that small tantrum and wanted out, he eventually trusted that Lakers' management would do the right thing and stayed put. And they did do the right thing.

This whole free agency ego trip could've been LeBron's "Kobe tantrum". And then he'd sign with them and everything would go back to normal. He'd go back to work, trust in his management, and work on getting Cleveland that title. I still hope that's the scenario, but the other scenarios do seem more intriguing, sexy, and fitting for a, ahem, king.

Prediction: LeBron uses this ESPN 1-hour special to show how "good" of a person he is and re-signs with Cleveland. Then he can be the "Homecoming King".

I'll be back blogging "The Decision" and then giving my thoughts after it's all over.

"The Decision" - The Aftermath

I pulled for the upset, and I chose incorrectly. LeBron James said the major factor in his decision was the opportunity to win now, and win in the future. And thus, his career as one of a triumvirate of All-Stars for the Miami Heat has begun.

The opportunity to play with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh seems to be the major reasons as to why he chose to play for the Heat. He won't have to be superb every game because he won't need to be counted on like he was with the Cavs. That ultimately might be what ran him out of town.

You have to feel badly for the Cavs fans, but you can pin this just as much on the Cavs management as you can on LeBron. Let's not forget that in the last four years, the Cavaliers went from 2007 NBA Finalists, to losing in the 2008 and 2009 NBA Eastern Conference Finals, to losing in the second round of the playoffs last year. That's regression. I would imagine that he feels that the Cavs couldn't put the right players together for him, where as with just one decision, he immediately plays with a young power forward who can score, and the best shooting guard in the NBA not named Kobe Bryant. He didn't need to rely on management. Power to the athletes.

He's going to get blasted for his decision, and for the way he decided. But ultimately, he, Dwyane, and Chris all probably had to take less money in order to get the deal done. What actually happened is what fans have asked athletes to do all along. Three guys decided that they wanted to win more than than they wanted to get the maximum money. They still will make a ton of money and you'll hear them all say, "It wasn't about the money," even though that's hogwash, but they did exactly what people have asked athletes to do for a very long time. Put greed aside for team.

Even more so than head coach Erik Spoelstra, LeBron is on the hot seat immediately. Wade stayed with his team. Bosh is going to be able to fall under the radar. If the Three Amigos don't immediately win, the hammer falls on the Akron Hammer. He has the most to lose. With his heightened portfolio comes the most responsibility.

By making this entire free agent period about him (and really, without this ESPN televised special, it was anyway), he's saying to the NBA and the sports world, "Look at me, watch me, see me, and follow me." In the day and age of Twitter and TMZ, it might have happened that way anyway. But if his legacy wasn't already in question, it will be now. The dude needs to win now and often in order for it all to be worth it.

Is This LeBron's Last Stand In Cleveland?

After losing on Boston's court to end yet another season without winning a title, LeBron James' off-season is going to be the worst one of his career. Sure, he's going to be courted like he's the prettiest girl in class before prom as teams like the New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat, and his current team, the Cleveland Cavaliers promise him the moon. But after another early exit from the playoffs, the hammer is going to come down on him.

After watching game four, the main thing that stuck with me is how little LeBron trusted his teammates to perform. Boston's defensive game plan was brilliant, but it's not like it was a creative strategy. When he had the ball, they attacked him before he could get a running start, and if he got by the first guy, they threw one of their 7 foot tall trees at him. And if he gave up that basketball, the defensive strategy worked. Anthony Parker, Mo Williams, and Antawn Jamison didn't seem like they wanted the ball. It was like they were comfortable watching LeBron do his thing.

In game six, LeBron probably should've forced his will a bit more, but it seemed like he fought it. He's more Magic than Michael or Larry. It's in his DNA to give up the basketball rather than take a bad shot. It's the single thing that separates him from Kobe Bryant. Kobe will take tough shots time and time again because his teammates depend on his scoring. And he has good offensive rebounders around him that will bat that ball around and give him another chance if it doesn't go in.

But for whatever reason, LeBron decided to trust teammates who weren't that trustworthy. While LeBron didn't shoot well at all (8-21), his teammates shot just as badly. The rest of the Cavs went a 20-52 shooting. Take away LeBron's 19 rebounds and 10 assists, and the rest of his teammates only pulled down 29 total rebounds and dished out 7 assists. You'd be hard pressed to give LeBron even a B- for his play and this is in a game in which he had a triple double (nearly a quadruple-double with 9 turnovers), but other than Mo Williams, no one else probably earns even a C.

If the Cavs as a team were shooting even half decently, then choosing to give up the ball so freely would've been the right move. But after watching his perimeter players brick shots badly time and time again, he needed to go to plan B. There didn't seem to be a plan B.

It's a similar style of defense that Orlando deployed last year when they knocked the Cavs out. Who was going to hit the big shots this year that they couldn't hit last year? And Danny Ferry's solution to that problem was to clog the middle more by signing Shaquille O'Neal and trading for Antawn Jamison. O'Neal is near the end of his rope and it sure showed in game 6. He had problem holding onto the basketball on offense and defensively, a bad kneed Kevin Garnett destroyed him early on.

As for Jamison, he's the kind of player who can fill up stat sheets but doesn't really mean a whole lot when it's all said and done. He's played on more teams who have won less than 20 games than he's played on teams who have played .500 basketball.

How much of that goes towards head coach Mike Brown? I'm sure some of it does, even though he wasn't the one bricking shots. As a fan wanting to see Cleveland make somewhat of a comeback, I was frustrated with Brown's substitutions, especially when they needed to get out and run. It's hard to run with either Shaq or Zydrunas Ilgauskus in the game. You end up playing four on five.

If you historically look at teams who win titles, they have one dominant star, and two secondary stars whose games compliment the star player. Until Pau Gasol came to the Lakers, the Lakers lacked the inside presence to balance out Kobe's game. Tim Duncan had Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli, with Ginobli being a big game player. Even these same Celtics who beat the Cavs had Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce and now have Rajon Rondo.

Jamison, a broken down O'Neal, Mo Williams, and Anthony Parker obviously aren't the answer. If Danny Ferry has swung and missed while the Celtics and Lakers have been able to make trades that have delivered the right pieces to fit with their stars, does LeBron continue to trust the brass?

Many people think LeBron goes back to Cleveland simply because it's his home town. But with the way free agency can break out, why wouldn't he just wait and see where some of the pieces fall? If he wants to play with a big man, wouldn't it be a good idea to see where Amar'e goes? If he wants a Robin to his Batman, wouldn't it be smart to see where Joe Johnson goes?

I don't think he's necessarily packing his bags and leaving Cleveland. I think he's waiting to see what they can go out and get for him. And that's the smart move.

LeBron James - More Than A Game Movie Review

Last name ever
First name greatest
Like a sprained ankle boy
I ain't nothing to play with

Those are Drake's first lines in his single Forever from the More Than A Game soundtrack, but if LeBron James continues to dominate the NBA (and win a few championships), he may simply be known as "greatest ever".

More Than A Game is a documentary by filmmaker Kris Belman, whose IMDB page is very light on the resume. The film follows LeBron James and his friends, all from Akron, Ohio, as they rise from middle school hoop dynamos all the way until their high school graduation. James is one of the two main focuses, but his teammates and best friends Dru, Romeo, Sian, and Willie are there in full force as well.

The other main focus of the film is the father of Dru Joyce III, Dru Joyce II who was their AAU coach as youngsters and stepped into being their high school coach at St. Vincent-St. Mary after their original coach stepped down. His calming and teacher-like influence on the kids allows them to reach the apex of their potential.

From 2000 through 2003, St. Vincent-St. Mary won the state basketball championship three times, losing only in James' junior year. Even as a fourteen year old freshman, James was spectacular and simply looked and played like a skinnier version of his current self. It is amazing to see him grow up through the four years and improve his game, change his demeanor and really embrace his superstar status.

Hoops Dreams this is not. The idea wasn't to see the struggles of these five young men. It was to show their successes. It is a story that is almost written too perfectly if it weren't a true one.

There are two conflicts that send the team into confusion. One is with James and that's the one everyone remembers. How could James and his mother afford a Hummer? How could James afford all those shoes? But the other surrounds Sian who has to decide between possibly ruining their historic senior year run, or playing in a high school football All-Star game which would help him in the sport he loves best.

The best part of the documentary isn't necessarily the story. It's the footage that is used to back up the story. There is tons of footage of these five kids from middle school and up, and great footage of their senior year championship run, mostly because many of these games were shown on ESPN. By then, LeBron was already deemed as "The Chosen One" by Sports Illustrated and the most anticipated basketball player entering the NBA in years and years.

The early footage is of the hand held variety, but that helps the progression of the story. Early on, these kids aren't stars. Only their parents have footage of them. But by the end, ESPN is putting them on their network. It's quite the rise.

I did learn something about James from the film. When he came into the NBA straight out of high school, there was worry that by having a "posse", it could hurt him like it's hurt many players before. You keep friends around by paying for their living to simply hang out with you. If it could make MC Hammer broke, it could make LeBron James broke. But after watching this film, his "posse" is truly his family. He has a very close relationship with his mother, who raised him by herself, but his friends give him support and keep him secure. It's mentioned a few times in the film that because he didn't really have much family, he always wanted people around him. Those are his boys.

It's not a glorified "LeBron James is great piece" much like Spike Lee's Kobe Doin' Work was for Kobe Bryant. But you're not going to see deep into LeBron's psyche either. The story of five kids who grew up playing ball together and eventually became one of the greatest high school basketball teams of all-time is compelling enough.

Game Time - The Warriors Invade Cleveland

All of this talk about where LeBron will land in 2010 is getting pretty annoying. Don't people know that Cleveland has the type of team that can win a championship today? Doesn't LeBron know this? LeBron needs to table all the talk about 2010 and focus on the task at hand because the boys in Boston aren't going to give up the mantle easily.

I'm with Chuck.

If I was LeBron James, I would shut the hell up. I'm a big LeBron fan. He's a stud. You gotta give him his props. I'm getting so annoyed he's talking about what he's going to do in two years. I think it's disrespectful to the game. I think it's disrespectful to the Cavaliers.

Word.

The Warriors come to town and though they played Boston very well on Wednesday, this team is a frenetic mess. Jamal Crawford only adds to that. At least they're exciting.

1st Quarter

12:00 - I'm terribly annoyed that I can't watch this game in HD.

10:35 - Brandan Wright is starting again and blocked a shot, ran the floor, and got a dunk. Hopefully he continues to get a shot.

10:00 - I've known guys named Diante (I think that's my little cousin's name), Dante (also spelled Donte), and Kiante but I've never met a Delonte. He just missed a three.

9:11 - After Andris blocked Zydrunas' shot, Stephen Jackson tried to get the ball and jammed his finger. He's out of the game.

7:16 - Ben Wallace shoots his free throws like Purvis Short used to shoot jump shots. He tries to bring down rain. And missed them both.

6:12 - Mo Williams blocked Jamal Crawford's jumper and then hit one of his own. Warriors up 21-15. I just heard a Ric Flair, "Woooooo!" This isn't Charlotte.

5:30 - LeBron dunked in his first of what will probably be many alley-oops. Don't fake the funk on the nasty dunk.

4:25 - Boobie Gibson just missed a three. Sorry, I just wanted to type Boobie Gibson.

2:40 - Put back dunk by LeBron. He's just so much bigger and stronger than everyone else. It's not fair. I thought Corey Maggette was strong. LeBron poses on Corey.

:56 - A Wally Szczerbiak put back? You have to work hard to let him get an offensive rebound. And what kind of spelling puts z-c-z back to back to back? We'll call him Wally for the rest of the game.

:09 - Jamal Crawford hit a three and was fouled, but can't complete the four point play. He's a gunner and fits in perfectly with this rag tag team. But he needs to drive to the bucket if he wants to make a difference. Warriors up 32-29.

2nd Quarter

11:36 - Is there really a need to play the instrumental to I Got Five On It during a Cavs offensive set? Are they trying to get people to just smoke weed in the arena?

10:44 - Hey, Anthony Morrow hit an open jumper. Remember just a couple of weeks ago when Warriors fans thought they had a starting two guard? Well, he didn't even play against Boston.

10:36 - Did you know that LBJ is only one inch shorter than Big Ben but outweighs him by five pounds?

10:05 - Kelenna Azubuike is having a pretty good game so far. I don't get the pronunciation of his last name though. The announcers say it's a-zuh-bookie. It looks like a-zuh-bweek-ay. Doesn't it?

8:50 - LeBron's fingernails must grow at an amazing speed because he chews on them like he's looking for the tootsie roll center.

6:39 - When they throw the ball into Stephen Jackson, it's like throwing it into a black hole. You know how when Mike Jordan would get the ball, he'd turn, dribble a couple times before launching a beautiful fade away? Well that's just like Jackson except he doesn't make fade aways.

6:09 - LeBron just got a break away double pump tomahawk dunk. Cavs up 42-41.

5:35 - He just knifed through the lane and threw it down again. Who is he? Do I even have to tell you?

2:48 - Zydrunas beat Andris down the court. Andris must be either tired or dead.

1:48 - After missing outside shot after outside shot after outside shot, Jamal Crawford's brain finally told him to go to the hole. And finally, he made a shot.

1:14 - LBJ for three. Why not? He's making everything else.

1:00 - CJ Watson with the elbow pad just hit a jumper. He can probably throw a mean bionic elbow with that thing.

:00 - LeBron got the rebound with four seconds left in the half, drove all the way down court, and if he didn't get trip, he would've probably dunked that one too. 58-52 Cavs at the half.


3rd Quarter

12:00 - Anthony Randolph starts for Brandan Wright. I guess the Warriors needed to go skinnier.

9:10 - Zydrunas traps at the top for some reason. Either that or he just couldn't get down court fast enough and decided to pretend.

8:00 - Maggette shoots a fade away 20 footer that missed the rim by about 3 feet. It's no wonder that Cleveland is up by 10.

5:59 - Ronny Turiaf thugged Zydrunas a bit and Zydrunas became very angry with him. What was funny about it is that it was Zydrunas who elbowed Turiaf in the throat. Zydrunas turned to Turiaf to yell some expletives at him but Turiaf couldn't say anything because he was trying to breathe.

4:32 - Maggette grabbed a rebound, jumped and hung in the air beautifully, but overshot the rim by two feet and now has three air balls. At least it looked pretty before he shot it.

3:03 - LeBron just hit his second three pointer in a row and the Cavs are now up by twenty points. I think you might be able to count the number of shots he's missed on one hand.

1:34 - Black Hole Jackson got to the hoop, put it up left handed and yelled, "And one!" The problem was that he not only didn't get the call, but he missed the shot. I think you have to wait until you make a shot before you can call that.

1:02 - LBJ found Anderson Varejao for a bucket and I think the song that came out of the speakers was Maniac from Flashdance. Is it because with his curly mane flopping over the top of his headband that Varejao looks like Jennifer Beals?

4th Quarter

12:00 - The Cavs outscored the Warriors 36-16 in the third quarter. I have a feeling we're going to see the youngsters for both teams.

11:39 - Brandan Wright just scored and was fouled. Announcer Bob Fitzgerald noted that all the young players were on the court and that it could be fun. Fun for whom? I used to screen calls for Bob back in my younger days at KNBR.

7:05 - How about this for a random CJ Watson stat? He's six for six shooting tonight and is ten for his last ten.

6:02 - Hey, Rob Kurz is in the game.

5:40 - Hey, Rob Kurz made a shot.

5:25 - The sound guy decided to play the music from Beverly Hills Cop for no reason whatsoever.

4:44 - This was immediately followed by the instrumental to Jay-Z's Encore. You're far too kind, far too kind.

4:44 - CJ doesn't miss free throws either. He just made two to cut the lead to 21.

3:14 - CJ just missed a shot. And here I was ready to call him the next great Warrior.

1:00 - It wouldn't surprise me if the sound guy was a real DJ. He just played Grindin' by the Clipse.

0:00 - The Warriors brought the deficit down to 15, but still lost 112-97.

LeBron photos by Scott Ableman and ben_lei and shared via creative commons

Last Night's Run - Opening Day

Because of the great invention that is the DVR, I was able to watch last night's double header on TNT early this morning. I mostly stayed away from any spoilers except for a Facebook message by one of my friends that let me know that the Lakers were busting the Blazers asses.

But there were three specific things stood out to me based on the games from last night.

(I didn't see Chicago vs. Milwaukee at all.)

1. The Lakers are better than I thought.
I know, it's only one game and I'm not about to give them the title now, but they played like a well oiled machine. Defensively they were impressive, though some of that could be attributed to the funk that Portland played in as well. This team is for real.

(Photo by rich115.)

2. Boston is still hungry.
I didn't know how they could be, that is, until they got their rings. They didn't play well in the first half but they played lock down defense in the second half, holding the Cavs to 35 points. With the exception of not having James Posey, they look very similar to last year's team and didn't miss a beat.

(This is an awesome story about KG and last year's playoffs.)

3. The Cavs are going to be good... real good.
They're going to figure out how to use Mo Williams. He's going to learn exactly where to spot up and Lebron is going to get him the ball. Though he didn't shoot well (free throws included), Lebron looks upset, kind of like how Jordan did after Detroit kept beating him up. He has an edge to him. They won't lose that kind of game in April.

2008 NBA Season Preview - Monta's Mopeds

I'm not going to go in depth with a 5000 word NBA preview. I'm haven't done far enough research to do that, don't have the stamina for something like that, and I don't want anyone to fall asleep reading this. Thus, I have put together a list of ten for you.

These ten things are the top ten things that I'm looking forward to this upcoming season.

I'm looking forward to ...

Lebron and Mo Williams becoming the next dynamic duo.
Ok, maybe Mo isn't going to set the world on fire. But he does give Lebron a reliable second option (and one who doesn't run like he's on stilts). This has to be the year that Lebron takes Cleveland back to the NBA Finals because, um, he might not be around next year. And then it will be Mo Williams and everyone's favorite Wally Szcerbiak as Cleveland's dynamic duo.

Dwayne Wade upstaging rookie Michael Beasley.
A healthy Dwayne Wade (did you watch the Olympics?) means more to Miami's upcoming season than a Rookie Of The Year type of year from Michael Beasley. If you get both, Miami can contend for the playoffs. But if I were to bet on one, I'd bet Wade. Beasley is talented, but already has that Donyell Marshall vibe to him. Who me worry?

(By the way, I get to take that back if MB goes for 20 and 10 out of the gate. As for Donyell? He will just go back to hanging out with Tom Gugliotta.)

watching Portland early on.
The Blazers come out of the gate with Greg Oden, Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge, Rudy Fernandez, Jerryd Bayless, Steve Blake, and Ike Diogu - sorry, I had to get in another ex-Warriors player. To me, they are the single most intriguing team all year long. How's Oden going to do in his rookie year after last year's injury? Is Brandon Roy ready to lead these guys to the playoffs? Is Rudy Fernandez going to continue opening eyeballs (did you watch the Olympics?)? Here's hoping Ike gets some run.

seeing if OJ Mayo can back up the hype.
I think he'll struggle early on, but have a solid second half, and probably the best last month of all the rookies. But what might be the most exciting competition on the Grizzlies is to see who chucks up more shots between Mayo and Rudy Gay.

hoping that Kobe Bryant has a great year.
The odds are against him according to Bill Simmons. But I think Kobe is a different breed. Even after playing all the way into the NBA Finals and the Summer Olympics, I don't think Kobe wants to do anything else other than play more basketball. If he stays healthy, I think the Lakers are back in the finals.

wondering if KG, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen have it in them to beat a hungry Lebron.
It's going to take a supreme effort to keep Lebron James out of the finals this year. And that's especially if Kobe gets there again. I have to wonder if those guys are as hungry as last year. They had a special season and as hard as it is to win a title, it's even harder to do it again.

Ron Artest's influence over the Houston Rockets.
For some reason, Artest's addition intrigues me. And I'm not sure why. I've never really been an Artest fan. Maybe it's because I have a soft spot in my heart for Yao and Tracy McGrady. Maybe it's because my friend Billy Parker roots for the Rockets. I'm still unsure about it, but I do know that Ron makes Houston the biggest wild card team in the West.

the Baron Davis era in Clipperland.
I'm going to deeply miss Baron Davis in the Bay Area. Eddy Zucko is going to deeply miss Jessica Alba at Warriors games. Even if his wheels fall completely off, it's better than the CJ Watson, Marcus Williams, DeMarcus Nelson three headed monster that the Warriors will throw out there this year. How old is Tim Hardaway? Maybe he can come out of retirement? Sleepy Floyd? I'd even settle for a 250 pound Keith "Mr." Jennings right about now.

the Anthony Randolph era.
Actually, I'm not really looking all that forward to watching him play basketball as much as the fact that I've always been a Bell Biv Devoe fan and Randolph is a dead wringer for Devoe. Really though, are they Warriors going to run Randolph, Brandon Wright, and Andres Biedrins on teams all at the same time? Calista Flockhart would be so proud.

Photo of Anthony Randolph, I Mean Ron Devoe, By cMacDutt

playing pickup ball with Coby Karl after no one signs him.

seeing how creative the mascots get in mocking Monta Ellis.
I predict that every mascot comes riding into the arena on a moped. By the way, I imagine that every Fantasy Basketball league has at least one (and possibly many) Monta's Mopeds, Mississippi Mopeds or Moped Monta team in their league. At least it's better than those Oden's Bad Knee teams that your leagues had last year.

That's all for now. Enjoy your hoops tomorrow. Welcome back NBA.

Team USA vs. Spain

After playing their best ball in their win over Greece two days ago, Team USA turns their attention to Spain, who is also undefeated through their first three games.

1st quarter

• Kobe just ran over Pau on a screen and Dougie Collins said it was good because that’s Kobe telling Laker teammate Pau this is real. It’s damn real.
  
• There’s been a Carmelo sighting. He just hit a three to tie the score at 7.
  
• Dougie Collins just said that in 35 minutes, Jason Kidd has taken zero shots.
  
• If anyone is fired up, it’s Lebron. He might run over and through someone today.
  
• When I grow up, I want my arms and shoulders to be large and cut like Lebron’s.
  
• Um, Lebron just ran over someone. He now has one foul. Kobe already has two.
  
• If they had a gold medal for most tattoos, Team USA would win.
  
• Spain is running a half court trap and poor Chris Paul is going to be banged around a lot. But he’s the perfect guy to break it.
  
• Paul to Wade makes the score 29-16 and Spain has to call a time out. That’s what they get for doing the slanted eyes.

 

2nd Quarter

• The first quarter ended with USA up 31-22.
  
• We have an early Tayshaun Prince sighting. He immediately hits a three and then throws a lob to Lebron for a dunk. And then his next three was blocked. The good and the bad of Tayshaun.
  
• Kobe finally hits a three and Team USA is now up 14. But then he gets his third foul and has to leave the game.
  
• Chris Bosh isn’t only the better player for Team USA, but everything picks up when he’s in the game compared to Dwight Howard.
  
• Team USA is 7-10 from the three point line and is up 16 with four minutes left in the half.
  
• A Carlos Boozer sighting! Unfortunately, he took Tayshaun out of the game.
  
• A Boozer buzzer beater puts Team USA up 61-45 at the half.

3rd Quarter

• At halftime, the song Basketball by Kurtis Blow played throughout the arena. In China!
  
• Carmelo is hot. He just hit his fourth three pointer and USA is up 22.
  
• Kidd finally took a shot and made it. It was a layup off a fast break.
  
• DWade just blocked a layup attempt with his forearm and sent it out of bounds.
  
• That was a pretty boring quarter. Team USA is up 86-63.

(Why is it so hard to find a video of the Dwayne Wade alley oop to Kobe Bryant from Thursday where he threw the pass falling out of bounds and with his back to Kobe?)

4th Quarter

• Craig Sager is talking to Tina Thompson who has some great soup coolers by the way. But I did watch some of the women play yesterday and they are even more vicious than the guys. They play to kill immediately.
  
• Lebron threw an alley oop to DWade, but his pass was late and DWade was already up in the air. He did flush it, but he clipped the rim on his way down and fell. Not the greatest oop, but just shows you how athletic DWade is.
  
• Team USA is now up 29 after a Michael Redd layup.

It was at this point that the kids could take no more. They didn’t want to watch the butt kicking any longer and wanted to play some PS3. With Team USA being up by 33 at this time (with 3:28 left), I obliged.

We need some Hacksaw Jim Duggan right now. USA! USA! USA!

(The final score was 119-82.)

Team USA vs. China

I wasn’t about to wake up at 7:15AM on a Sunday morning, but my DVR did.

1st Quarter

- Kobe is the defensive stopper, and instead of the Mamba, he’s now the Doberman.

- Yao just hip checked Kobe on the screen and knocked down a three.

- Yao was sitting in the key for what seemed like 5 seconds. Lebron runs right over him and scores. Blocking foul. No home town officiating on that one.

- Remember Wang Zhi Zhi? He’s on Team China.

- China can’t really get any shots off, but they’re shooting them anyway. And they’re making them.

- Yao rejects Kobe and on the way back down, Lebron pins someone against the backboard. I still haven’t got Team China’s names right. Well, except Yao.

- First subs for Team USA were Chris Paul, Chris Bosh, DWade. Kobe and Lebron remain from the OG starting lineup which also included Carmelo, Dwight Howard, and JKidd.

- It’s weird because I’m watching the basketball specific HD channel and they don’t go to commercial. They just run replays without any commentary during the timeouts.

- Kobe’s three pointer gives USA a lead of 14-11 with just over 4 minutes left in the first.

- China is 4 for 4 on three pointers.

-  Hometown officiating in full effect. DWade drove to the hoop for a layup right as the shot clock expired. They called traveling. How can one be called for traveling when he’s already in the air?

- In 1992, the margin of victory for Team USA was a staggering 43.8 points per game. In 2004, it was 4.6.

- End of the 1st Quarter - Team USA 20 China 16.

2008 Team USA

ESPN.com announced that the roster for Team USA was released.

Here is the squad.

Carmelo Anthony

Jason Kidd

Carlos Boozer

Chris Paul

Chris Bosh

Tayshaun Prince

Kobe Bryant

Michael Redd

Dwight Howard

Dwyane Wade

LeBron James

Deron Williams

What stands out immediately is that they are carrying 3 point guards on a 12 man team, and also have LeBron, Kobe, and Dwayne Wade, who all take turns at bringing the ball down the court. It looks like they are just going to try to run teams off the court.

They also seem a tad bit small with only Dwight Howard there to swat away shots. You’re going to see a lot of LeBron and Carmelo at power forward and because they are such good athletes, they’ll get away with it. What I worry is that if you play a team with two good post players, Dwight Howard isn’t going to be able to block every shot.

I’m sure I’ll be blogging a few of the Team USA games as well as the upcoming NBA Draft on Thursday.

Sit Your A** Down!

Though I didn’t get to see the game last night, I did get to see this video that is going around the web. In it, Paul Pierce wraps up Lebron James who is going for a lay up and Lebron’s mom gets very animated.

Look at what he says to moms.

Basketball Blog - Schadenfreude

By Albert:

Luke Walton is constant. Luke Walton will suck, but Luke suck balls for the whole season. He’s constant. How bad was the Nuggets’ D? It elevated Luke’s game into “X-factor” territory, whatever that means. Don’t get me wrong, I like Luke. Just not as much as Willy in Vegas who thinks each year IS his year and deserves the MVP because of his deft passing and amazing court instincts. Plus Luke gets extra points for owning a BBQ restaurant 7 minutes away from where I reside.

My omnipotent forecast before the Dance began was Fo’, Fo’, Fo’. I stick by it, but I will add some expanded coverage. We’ll see Chris Paul (assface) in the Conference Finals. In the end, we’ll play the Magic for the Chip. Yeah, I said it. The Celtics will not represent the East. They’ll get by the Hawks…barely, but Bron will rise only to loose to the Man-Beast that is Dwight Howard.

Still don’t believe me that Paul is an assface? You know what’s worse than getting a “Credit Card” when trying to box someone out for a rebound? Having someone ask you what the capital to Thailand is.

WITNESS: TAKE 2

By Eddy Zucko:

We all witnessed Lebron’s magical run to the NBA Finals last year. Well magical, until he ran into the Spurs. So the question in Cleveland is, can Lebron do it again? His team is supposed to be better, faster, stronger than they were last season. Making the big trade for Big Ben Wallace. Adding Wally Szczerbiak and Delonte West for some much needed outside shooting. And getting a former #1 draft pick in Joe Smith as a throw in, in that trade. All they had to give up was the inconsistency of Larry Hughes and the beard of Drew Gooden. So are they better? Well no one has dropped faster from his all star status than Big Ben (expect maybe Zito). And the 3 other guys were all pretty much non factors as Cleveland limped into the playoffs with a record of 45-37. A record that would of kept them out of the playoffs in the west, but good enough for a #4 seed in the east. Sorry Warrior fans.

The playoffs began on Saturday with Cleveland and Washington up first. Lebron and co. playing a Washington team that got to the playoffs without the services of Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler for most of the season. But now both are back and for the first time all season, Washington has it’s full lineup at 100%. Which has most NBA analyst taking Washington to come out of this series. Trouble for Cleveland right? Well bring in Deshawn Stevenson, most famous for being accused for having intercourse with a 14 year old girl when he was 20.  Deshawn did the one thing you don’t do to Lebron, he called him out. He called Lebron overrated. Which Lebron replied back by comparing Deshawn to Soulja Boy. As in he’s a one hit wonder. Which begs the question, “Deshawn had a hit?” Lebron’s not really the Rock when it comes to snappy comebacks. So he let his game speak for himself. To the tune of 32 pts, 6 rebs, 4 ast and a Cleveland win. Things were a little testy in the beginning of the game. A couple technicals were handed out in the first half in a very closely contested game. But second half belonged to Lebron, scoring 20 of those 32 pts, mostly on uncontested layups. Washington kept it close, but in the end it was Cleveland 1, Washington 0. Deshawn by the way was 1 for 9 from the field and had a total of 3 pts. He should really leave the trash talking to people who can back it up.

NBA All-Star Game ‘08: Where’s B-Diddy?

In the year after the Golden State Warriors shocked the basketball world and beat the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the playoffs, one would think that they would finally get their due, especially after winning 32 games in the first half of this year. But no. Not only do they have the third best record in all of basketball since getting Stephen Jackson back in the lineup, but they also have possibly the most exciting team in the league. They definitely have the most exciting back court duo. So when it’s Baron Davis’ turn to be on the All-Star team, he’s passed by. Maybe Baron will use the frustration to help him when the Warriors beat someone in the first round of the playoffs again. You know it’s happening.

Also, no Young Randall, no Eddy Zucko, no HJ, and no Luchadors. They were with me last year, but this year, it’s just little old me.

Predictions:

I think the West will win, Carmelo Anthony will win MVP, and Antawn Jamison will win the Tyrone Hill award for least minutes played in the game. Kobe could possibly win it, but I think he’ll play at least 10 minutes.

I’m not sure that the Western team’s b-boy pose after the introductions can be topped. The smile on Yao’s face was priceless. The NBA, where “what do I do with my arms?” happens.

And before we actually get to the game, we might as well show the best part of last night’s All-Star Saturday Night. Superman was in the house.

• Every All-Star game I’ve blogged, the West has won. So you can pretty much bet the house tonight on the West.
  
• I wonder if Jason Kidd will accidentally pass it to Dirk Nowitski, thinking that he’s supposed to be on the Mavs?
  
• The East scores the first six points and all on dunks. Let’s just say defense isn’t on the mind of the Western squad.
  
• Kobe only played the first three minutes and I’m not sure if he touched the ball.
  
• So far, the story of this game is that the West likes to settle for jumpers and the East likes to dunk. Guess who’s winning?
  
• Thanks to Melo and AI, the West is back in this thing.
  
• Rip Hamilton is so old school, he caught an alley-oop and instead of dunking it, he laid it in.
  
• TO is in the house, but I don’t see any tears. I guess no one made fun of Tony Romo.
  
• David West is in this game? Oh yah, he took B-Diddy’s spot.
  
• The youngsters Brandon Roy and Chris Paul are working it together. By the way, Roy and West are the two guys in this game I couldn’t pick out in a police lineup.
  
• There’s been a Chest Hair Boozer sighting. He just grabbed a rebound.
  
• The East just threw three alley-oops on one play. I think it was Joe Johnson to Jason Kidd to Lebron James to Dwight Howard.
  
• David Aldridge mentioned earlier that it looks like the Jason Kidd trade is on. All they have to do is convince Keith Van Horn to play again after not playing for over a year as he’s a part of the deal. While they’re at it, why don’t they get Jimmy Jackson and Jamal Mashburn to come out of retirement and trade them as well?

 

Bring This Guy Back So You Can Trade Him

• Rasheed just nailed a three pointer from the top of the key. No biggie right? But he shot it left handed.
  
• At the half, Lebron has the Magic Johnson All-Star game stat line with triple double definitely in sight.
  
• Looks like Kobe and his pinkie finger are done for the rest of the game.
  
• AI is trying his hardest to keep the West in this, but Lebron and company have other ideas.
  
• If Chest Hair Boozer would make his layups, this game might be closer.
  
• Has Byron Scott always had the porn stashe going? Dude needs to buy some little scissors to trim that dirty thing.

 

The Dirty Stashe

• Paul is bringing these guys back. Amare Stoudamire looks like the East Dwight Howard and Dirk is finally playing well. The West just took their first lead.
  
• Big Play Ray Allen is killing it and wearing the new Jordan’s at the same time.
  
• Brandon Roy is getting some definite crunch time play over AI, Melo, and Stevie Nash.
  
• Thanks to a Lebron dunk in traffic and a D-Wade layup where he hit the floor and got the foul (what’s new?), the East is back up by four with 30 seconds to go.
  
• Big Play Ray and LBJ put the game away, though the West made it fun in the end. Lebron is the MVP and he just missed a triple double. And my predictions were terrible.