This or That

2008 was a very special year in politics, or the NBA. Barack Obama, or the Boston Celtics, made history when he/they won the election for the presidency of the United States of America, or the NBA Championship, this year. Obama, or the Celtics, had many naysayers on the way to realizing his/their goal and the path to success was definitely not an easy one. “Not experienced enough,” proclaimed the critics when he/they began his/their journey to prominence. Sure, he/they was/were an instant fan favorite, but many of the experts labeled him/them as unfamiliar with the entire election, or playoff, process. They were unsure if this was the man, or the team, who could lead the Democrats, or the Eastern Conference, to glory. Besides, the Republicans, or the Western Conference, had won 17 of the past 26 elections, or 7 of the past 9 NBA championships.

So the race, or the season, began and Barack Obama, or the Boston Celtics, stood out from his/their peers from the very start. His/their only real competition in the party, or conference, was Hillary Clinton and John Edwards, or the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Detroit Pistons. Edwards, or the Pistons, would fall early, leaving Hillary, or the Cavaliers, as Obama’s, or the Celtics’, greatest adversary. Hillary, or the Cavaliers, managed to push Obama, or the Celtics, to an epic and historic democratic nomination race that ran until just days before the party’s convention, or game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals.

Barack, or Boston, was miraculously able to pull out a triumphant and hard fought victory and looked forward to the race for the presidency, or the NBA finals. His/their opponent in this climactic showdown was the impressive John McCain, or Los Angeles Lakers. McCain, or the Lakers, had an extremely easy path to this finale, having demolished any competition that stood in his/their path. In fact, it was known for quite some time that McCain, or the Lakers, had won the Republican nomination, or the Western Conference title, and he/they was/were just waiting for his/their tired and fatigued opponent to be named.

In a surprising twist, the crowds got behind Obama, or the Celtics, in a big way. People were suddenly ecstatic about their candidate, or team, and showed great support. Even though many experts favored McCain, or the Lakers, early on because of his/their impressively storied past, it became quite clear soon into the race, or series, that Obama, or the Celtics, was/were running away with the show. It all came together on election night, or Game 6 of the NBA finals, where Obama, or the Celtics, simply bulldozed right through his/their once formidable opponent. The final score: Obama 364 McCain 163, or Celtics 131 Lakers 92.

As president-elect Barack Obama so eloquently put it: “This is our time, to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth, that, out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope. And where we are met with cynicism and doubts and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can.” Or, as Celtics Forward Kevin Garnett so eloquently put it: “ANYTHING IS POSSSSSIBLLEEEE!!!”

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Saving the Game

Allen Iverson loves basketball. He loves the feel of the ball. He loves the competitiveness. He loves being the underdog. He loves the feeling of swishing a shot over tight defense. He loves the blacktop and the hardwood. He loves all 94 feet. His love goes 10 feet up. He loves backboards and meshes, be them plexiglass/cotton, metal, aluminum, or any other creative replacement. He loves the jersey on his back and the sneakers on his feet. He loves the game. Allen Iverson does not love the NBA, though, because the NBA does not always boast real basketball. Playing better basketball does not always guarantee a victory in today's NBA game. Instead, the team who can persuade the game the most usually comes out on top. Instead of the old textbook saying "offense wins games, defense wins championships", it has become "charges win games, flopping wins championships".
Many believe this new style of play to be a result of the influx of international players. We are seeing less "Williams'", "Brown's" and "Smith's" in the NBA and more "Kirilenko's", "Ginobili's" and "Varejao's". Some say they bring a softer mentality to the game that cannot compare to the mentality of an African American from a rough hometown. Guys from Italy drink wine at fancy restaurants. Guys from Baltimore drink kool-aid outside the convenient store. Other people say that it's because of the popularity of soccer overseas. The abundance of faking and flopping has carried over into basketball with the integration of all these European players. In fact, both these theories are wrong. The majority of the international players have absolutely taken to this technique, but they shouldn't be the ones to blame. In fact, flopping dates back to way before the recent influx. Guys like Dennis Rodman and Bill Laimbeer, then tagged as "cheap" and "physical" players in the mid-to-late 1980's, were faking fouls and using unrecommended tactics in order to gain any edge they could. The main difference between the two era's, though, is that the earlier generations would flop in order to get into their opponent's head and to try and throw off their adversary's. Today, players flop in order to manipulate the referee's and simply get cheap calls in their favor. It's weird to think that some of my all-time favorite players started the trend which I hate so much today. A trend that is slowly killing real basketball. I suppose it's a case of the oddity becoming the norm, and therefore destroying its sanctity.
For example, let's say that Manu Ginobili walks by a player like, say, Stephen Jackson, during a game. If they bump shoulders or slightly run into each other, Manu would probably fall down faking some sort of harsh contact. Jackson, known as a rough player, would most probably get called for a foul simply because the referee sees the aftermath of the situation. He will end up being penalized when it was in fact Ginobili who fabricated the entire thing. On the other hand, lets say Dennis Rodman is going up against a player like Karl Malone. He knows Malone is a great player who plays with emotion and, because of his superstar status, doesn't enjoy being 'fucked' with. Rodman would absolutely do anything in his power to try and throw Malone off, any way he could. Rather than bumping into him and falling down like Ginobili would, Rodman would, instead, fall and bring Karl down with him. He would probably also tangle up with him in order to keep him down for as long as possible. You see, there are differences between the floppers of today and the floppers of yesteryear. Today, guy's flop to gain an unfair advantage, to utilize rules which are favorable for a cheater and to manipulate poor officiating. Where as the player of the late 80's, rather than flopping to gain an advantage, would flop to put the other team at a disadvantage.
Another drastic difference between the two era's is that the floppers of today's NBA prey on the weak. They go after the player's who normally have trouble with referee's or who are young and don't garner any respect league-wide yet. Anderson Varejao would prefer to tangle up with a guy like Glenn Davis rather than Kevin Garnett because he knows he has a better chance of getting the benefit of the doubt. When Laimbeer was looking to throw someone off their game, he would choose one of the opposing team's best players. When going against Chicago, he'd obviously give Mike Jordan the hard foul instead of messing around with Dave Corzine. But, like everything else, the art of flopping has evolved. In a league that hasn't called a 3-in-the-key or traveling call since 1995, offensive fouls have become the most frequent and imperative calls. Good help defense is no longer the guy who comes over and either alters or changes a shot, it's the guy who slithers under the ball handler and draws a charge. Bruce Bowen and Shane Battier are two of the standout perimeter defenders that the league has to offer. One tries to get a hand in the face of the shooter and not let anyone get past him, while the other, who is considered an equally good defender, enjoys tripping players while running and sticking his foot under jump-shooters. You see, I have no problem with this. This is what I have a problem with. This is today's NBA. This is not basketball. This is what torments Allen Iverson.
I was watching a Denver-Los Angeles playoff game recently. Game 2, I believe. Iverson inbounded the ball to teammate and fellow all-star Carmelo Anthony. Melo, backing down Luke Walton, took one power dribble around his defender and made his way towards the rim. Walton, seeing Melo fly right past him with a skillful and powerful maneuver, needed only to fall on his ass to win the battle. Melo, the better basketball player, ended up being penalized because the referee's chose to buy Walton's flop. This was not the only time a play like this happened. Actually, these types of plays were quite frequent throughout the series, specifically from LA's side. Coincidentally enough, LA won the series in a frustrating 4-0 sweep. This one particular play, though, was the one which stood out most to me. After the ref made his disastrous call, the camera zoomed to Allen Iverson's facial expression. It was one of such frustration disturbance and frustration, as if the thing he loved most in this world was being butchered. And that's exactly what was happening, and has been happening over the past several years.
Competitiveness is fine and well, but when competitive tactics reach the point where it is destroying the sanctity of the game, then it has gone too far. You see, flopping has ruined the game of basketball in the NBA. It is of vague resemblance to the sport which Iverson fell in love with. Real basketball does still exist, though. It is played in many leagues, on driveways and in parks worldwide. The sport where heart and hustle counts just as much as talent still has it's pulse, but at the brain of it all, on the grand stage of the NBA, is where the cancer is forming. Nothing sums up the situation better than the look on Iverson's face after that Walton charge in Game 2. You could see in his eyes the frustration, of the ref's allowing such actions to be rewarded, the anger, towards Luke Walton for sullying the sacred game which he loves, and the breaking of his heart as he witnessed his one true love being massacred.

The Greatest Stories Never Told

For your please, I have compiled a list of some of the greatest stories in basketball history which, for some reason or another, have been lost throughout the annals of time. Be they fantastic, comedic, dominant, stupid, or just plain zany, here are just a selection of some of the most untold, yet amazing, basketball stories.

Wilt Chamberlain:
- In 1961, a 6-foot-10 rookie center named Walt Bellamy was averaging 30 points a game and taking the league by storm. In Bellamy's first meeting against Wilt, young Walt walked up to 'the Stilt' at half court before the game and politely said "Hello Mr. Chamberlain, I'm Walter Bellamy". They shook hands and Wilt respectfully replied: "Hello Walter. You're not going to get a shot off in the first half". Wilt then proceeded to block Bellamy's first 9 shot attempts, leading to a scoreless first half. Before the second half began, Wilt walked over to Walt and said "Okay, Walter, now you can play".
- The UCLA gym is and always has been a hotbed to competitive summer pickup basketball. Back in the early 1980's, Magic Johnson, at the height of his career with the Lakers, would often show up during the summertime and dominate the games there. The gym was famous for its competitive games and fast pace style. One day, Wilt Chamberlain showed up for a run. Keep in mind, at this point chamberlain was already well into his forties. The game started and was going normally, with Johnson and Chamberlain, the two legends, split onto separate teams. As the game went on, Johnson continuously kept calling weak, ticky-tack fouls. As many observers noticed, Wilt was getting upset with Johnson's refereeing. On one possession, Magic called goaltending when Wilt blocked his layup. Wilt, irate with the call, grabbed the ball and proclaimed to everyone: "There will be no more layups in this gym!". He then proceeded to block nearly every shot that went up. As rumor has it, Magic Johnson was not able to get a single shot up the rest of the day.
- Little known fact: do you know why it is illegal to cross the free-throw line when shooting a free throw? Because Wilt, in high school and during practice at Kansas, would step back to the top of the arc, take a couple steps running start, and take off from the free throw line and dunk it effortlessly.
- Two nights after scoring 100 points against the New York Knicks, Chamberlain played them again, this time in Madison Square Garden. He again tried going for the century mark but was held to a 'mere' 54. Darrall Imhoff, the man guarding him, received a standing ovation from the MSG crowd.
- A couple years after retiring, Wilt considered coming back to play for the New York Knicks, On the day of his visit to the Knicks office, Wilt was leaving the building when he saw two delivery men struggling with a dolly full of boxes of office supplies. The load was so heavy that the elevator was actually a couple inches lower, making it impossible for the two men to lift the dolly up onto ground level and off the elevator. Wilt walked over and offered a helping hand to the two struggling delivery men. They obliged as they stepped back and, in awe, watched him effortlessly lift the dolly, place if on the ground level, and leave as if he'd done nothing at all. After he left, an observer of the whole ordeal asked the two men how much the dolly weighed, and after surveying it for a couple seconds, replied "about 600 pounds".
- In high school, Wilt once scored 90 points in a game. Oh yeah, and he only played 28 minutes. He also scored 60 of those points within a 10 minute span.

Julius Erving:
-Dr.J was actually drafted (12th overall) by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 1972 draft, which would have placed him alongside Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) and Oscar Robertson. Because of the rules back then, though, Erving chose to sign a contract with the Atlanta Hawks and then was forced to return to the ABA.

Lisa Leslie:
- Once scores 101 points in a high school game- in one half! She probably would have finished with more, but the game was called off because the opponents left during half time.

Connie Hawkins:
- First dunked a basketball on a ten-foot rim when he was 11 years old.

Earl Manigault:
- His 'claim to fame move' was the 'double dunk'. He would dunk the ball with one hand, catch it with the other hand after it went through the net, and dunk it for a second time with the other hand while still in the air.
- He once completed 36 consecutive reverse dunks in order to win a 60$ bet.
- Was famous for grabbing quarters off the top of the backboard.
- During a pickup game at famed Rucker park, Earl, standing 6'2", managed to block Wilt Chamberlain, who is 7'1", three consecutive times in the same possession.

Alonzo Mourning:
- This is truly one of the most impressive stories I've ever heard. In a game earlier this season against the New Jersey Nets, Alonzo Mourning went up to block a layup on a fast break and landed poorly. He destroyed his knee, tearing his patella and demolishing practically every ligament in there. Mourning's warrior mentality set in, though, as he refused to be helped up or put on a stretcher. While guys like Shaun Livingston and Jorge Garbajosa, who suffered similar injuries, were carried off in near tears, Mourning had a different mentality. If this were his last time leaving an NBA court, he thought, then he did not want to go out on a stretcher. Alonzo got up, and with minor assistance from teammates, and walked off the court. Hopefully he can use some of that strength in a successful comeback now.

Gilbert Arenas:
- While on the Warriors, Arenas once showered during halftime of a game against the Spurs because he was upset with his and his team's performance in the first half. It should be noted that he was in full uniform and wearing his basketball shoes and then went out and played the second half soaking wet.
- Gil often plays online poker during halftime of Wizards games.
- Gilbert sleeps in a hyperbareck chamber
- While on Golden State, the teammates often played practical jokes on one another. Gilbert took it to the next level by breaking into teammate Chris Mill's house while he wasn't home and stole one of his throwback jerseys. Then, to everyone's shock, Gilbert then wore it to the team flight the following day.
- Before purchasing his hyperbarick chamber, Gilbert slept on a coach in his bedroom.
- Gilbert often wears a cape...as casual wear.

Jalen Rose and Chris Webber:
- Showed up late to the 93' NBA draft because they had to finish their game of Madden.

Rasheed Wallace:
- Sheed managed to become the first and only player in McDonald's High School All American Game history to get ejected.
- During his time with the Blazers, Sheed would often practice in sweatpants and his Timberland boots.
- While teammate Jason Maxiell was conducting a courtside interview before a game this season, Sheed continuously pelted him with basketball. ( http://www.need4sheed.com/videos/target_practice.html )
- Once made Jerry Stackhouse late for an interview because he made him stop at a KFC.
- While at North Carolina, he threw his sneakers over the telephone wire outside the Dean Smith Center.
- During his freshman year at UNC, Sheed walked up to a student in the cafeteria, handed him his glass, and asked the other student if he could fill it up with Cola. It should be noted that they were both standing in front of the Cola machine.
- In 95', Sheed missed the UNC team flight to Maui for a preseason tournament because he overslept. He also missed the next flight, too.
- While at UNC, Sheed never chose a major.

Larry Bird:
- In a game against the Los Angeles Clippers, Larry Bird got sent to the line with seconds left and the game riding on his free throws. The opposing team sent out workers to hold posters of supermodels in bikinis underneath the net in order to distract Larry. As he stood at the line, Larry spun the ball while raising his hands in the air in order to rile up the crowd. The opposing crowd went nuts trying to distract Larry, but that only motivated him as he calmly sank both shots and won the game.
- In a game against Portland, Larry decided he would make things a little more interesting for himself by only taking shots with his left hand. He successfully completed the task and the Celtics pulled off the W.

Kevin Garnett:
- Apparently, during Garnett's prime, he was capable of taking a ball and dunking it over the backboard.

Pee Wee Kirkland:
- Possibly the most talented offensive player to ever touch a basketball, Kirkland chose the street life over the hardwood. In 1969, he was drafted by the Chicago Bulls but turned down their contract offer, claiming that he had more than they were offering in his pocket (he was intensely involved in illegal activities; mainly drug trafficking).
- Pee Wee eventually went to prison because of his illegal activities. While in prison, he played in the highly competitive inter-prison basketball league where he managed to score 465 points in 8 games (58 PPG).
- While playing in the ABL, Pee Wee scored 100 points in one game. In another one, he scored 135.

Not Basketball Related: Jim Brown:

- Jim Brown is widely recognized as one of, if not THE, greatest football player of all time. What is less known, is the fact that the same Jim Brown is widely considered the greatest Lacrosse player of all time as well. 

That should suffice for now, hope you enjoyed and read something you never heard before. More stories to come...

Most Influential In Sports

Here is my list of the most influential people to play, coach, or be associated with sports. Whether is be a trend-setting coach, a record-setting athlete or an unsung hero, they all get their recognition here. Some may have changed their sport, some may have set standards, some may have paved the way for future athletes, and others may have changed the whole world. Some you might know well while others you may learn about for the first time. Without wasting any more time, lets get into it:

15- Vince Lombardi

Vincent Thomas Lombardi practically ran football during the NFL's early stages in the 1960's. As the prolific coach of the Green Bay Packers, he lost his first ever playoff appearance in the 1960 NFL Championship game. After the loss, Lombardi continued to go 9-0 in the remainder of his playoff appearances, winning 7 championships (including Super Bowl #'s 1 and 2) in the following 7 years. In only 9 seasons in coaching (8 with the Packers, and one with the Washington Redskins), Vince not only became the face of football but of sports in the 1960's. His popularity grew so much that Richard Nixon even considered him as a running mate for his presidency. Vince was also a pioneer for African American players in the NFL. In a league that featured only 33 black players, Lombardi's Packers boasted 8 of them. In addition to introducing many new schemes and football strategies, Vince Lombardi will undoubtedly be most remembered for his philosophies, motivational skills, and winning ways.

14- Willie O'Ree

On January 18th, 1958, Willie O'Ree became the first black player to compete in the National Hockey League in a match against the Canadians in Montreal. O'Ree had been playing the last few years with the Quebec minor-league team before being called up by the Boston Bruins for that game. Willie O'Ree was not only the first African Canadian (he was born in New Brunswick) to play in the NHL, but also, making his feat more impressive, was 95% blind in his right eye, caused by an errant puck years earlier. Normally an injury like this would end someones playing career, but Willie managed to keep it a secret and overcame adversary in health and racism to go on and break hockey's color barrier.

13- Maurice Richard

"The Rocket" began his pro career with the Montreal Canadiens in 1948 and kept playing with the club until his retirement in 1960. Considered arguably the greatest player of his era, Richard dominated the offense like nobody had ever seen. His feats include 544 regular season goals, 50 goals in 50 games in one season, the 1947 Hart Trophy, an 8-time first-team all-star member, a 6-time second-team all-star member, 421 assists, NHL All-Star selection 12 years straight and, of course, 8 Stanley Cup victories. Individual feats aside, Maurice Richard was most important for being a hero to tons of French Canadians and opening up the doors for many of them to follow in his footsteps. Maurice "Rocket" Richard's influence on the game, as a player and as an icon, are immeasurable.

12- Rafer Alston

I know it might sound weird to put a guy with NBA career averages of 10 points and 5 assists on a list of some of the most important people in sports, over such names as Magic Johnson, Wilt Chamberlain, Larry Bird, Oscar Robertson, and Kareem Adbul Jabbar. It isn't what Rafer Alston has done on the NBA hardwood that lands him on this list, though, its what Skip 2 My Lou has done on the asphalt. Although his NBA career has been nothing but average, 'Skip' has changed the face of basketball worldwide with his streetball legacy. He was brought into the public's eye with the now-legendary And 1 Mixtape Volume 1. The mixtape displayed Rafer on the playgrounds of New York schooling his opponents and eventually propelled his career and the entire And 1 frandnice. Every dribble through the legs, every around-the-back pass, every bounce off someone's head, even every crossover would not be the same today without Rafer's influence. Everyone in the NBA tries to be the next Micheal Jordan, but for all the kids out there on the playgrounds worldwide who don't play your ordinary white-picket-fence basketball, they want to be the next Rafer "Skip 2 My Lou" Alston.

11- Billie Jean King

Billie Jean King is widely considered the greatest female tennis player in history, and some would say greatest female athlete ever. She won a total of 12 singles Grand Slam titles, 16 Grand Slam Doubles Women's titles, and 11 Grand Slam Doubles Mixed titles. Aside from her undeniable accomplishments on the tennis court, Bilie Jean King was a notable activist against sexism. Her shining moment came in 1973 when she defeated Bobby Riggs, an ex-Wimbeldon men's champion, in the famed "Battle of the Sexes", winning one for women worldwide.

10- Jim Brown

Jim Brown is not only widely considered the greatest football player of all time, but you may not know that he is also considered the greatest lacrosse player ever as well. In his 9-year career as the running back for the Cleveland Browns between 1957 and 1965, Brown accumulated 126 touchdowns on 12,312 rushing yards (also becoming the first player to surpass 10,000 yards). Jim Brown is not only celebrated as a great athlete, though, but also for being a great person and social activist. He founded Ocean Productions in order to better represent minorities in the movies. Being an actor himself (after his playing career), he found it important to help struggling minority actors and actresses. He also founded Amer-I-Can, a foundation to help struggling inner-city youths. The point of the organization was to instill proper life techniques and personality training for gang members and prison inmates. Most notably, he founded the Black Economic Union during the 1960's for African American athletes. Jim Brown decided to use his football celebrity to help the less fortunate, therefore becoming a great person first, great player second.

9- Michael Jordan

Michael Jeffrey Jordan. 1982 NCAA Championship. Game Winning Shot in the Finals. 1983 & 1984 College Player of the Year. 1984 Naismith Award. 1984 Wooden Award. NBA All-Rookie Team. NBA Rookie of the Year. All-NBA Second Team as a rookie. Defensive Player of the Year. Two-time NBA IBM Award winner. 13-time NBA All-Star. 3 All-Star Game MVP's. Highest All-Star Game Points-Per-Game Average. Highest NBA Career Points-Per-Game Average. 2 Slam Dunk Championships. 2 Olympic Gold Medals. 6 NBA Championship. 6 Finals MVP Awards. The Jordan Brand. The Shoes. The Tongue. #23. Space Jam. The Man. Like Mike. The hype. The NBA since 1985. The Legacy.

8- Robert Johnson

In 2004, Bob Johnson successfully became the first African American majority owner of an American sports franchise when the NBA's new expansion team, the Charlotte Bobcats, began play. Johnson also became owner of the WNBA's Charlotte Sting, but they ultimately folded in 2007. He started his business career with his television network, BET; Black Entertainment Television. His Charlotte Bobcats have now been in existence for 4 seasons now and appear to have a promising future ahead of them. Moreover, his staff at the Bobcats offices are mostly African American as well, providing credible job opportunities for many blacks who normally don't occupy these positions elsewhere. As of 2001, Johnson was the first and only African American billionaire in America, later being joined by Oprah as the second. Not only that, but Michael Jordan currently works FOR him.

7- Arthur Ashe

On the court, Arthur Ashe is widely considered one of the all-time elites of professional tennis, having won three Grand-Slam titles throughout his career. Ashe also became the first African American to win a Grand Slam title. His accomplishments off the tennis court as a social activist is what he'll probably be most remembered for, though. Ashe traveled to South Africa with numerous other black athletes to witness the political change and racial integration occurring there. He was also a habitual protester, being arrested on several occasions while standing up for the social causes he believed in. Sadly, Ashe was forced to retire from tennis after suffering a surprising heart attack. Even though his professional career was done, Arthur kept on with his social campaigning throughout the world. Regrettably, he suffered complications during one of his heart surgery's and contracted the AIDS virus, to which he eventually succumbed to in 1993.

6- John Wooden

John Wooden is the first player ever to be enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame as both a player and a coach, being joined by only two other men since. He began his career in basketball playing for the Purdue University which went on to win the 1932 Championship as a three-time All-American. Once his playing days were done, he began coaching high school basketball until eventually moving up to coach Indiana State in 1946. After only two seasons there, after a total record of 44-15, he moved on to become head coach of UCLA. From 1948 to 1976, Wooden managed to win 10 national championships, an untouched mark to this day. The closest coach is Adolph Rupp with a mere 4 championships. Wooden also boasts 4 undefeated seasons, while no other coach has ever gotten more than one. Like Vince Lombardi in football, John Wooden is widely considered the greatest coach in his field (and arguably the greatest coach of all time in any spectrum). He introduced many coaching strategies, plays, and philosophies that are commonly used today. Ask all the coaches in every major American sports league who their coaching idol is, and I guarantee you that coach Wooden gets the majority of the responses.

5- Bill Russell

When I say 'Boston Celtics', who do you think of? The most common answer is probably Larry Bird. Sure, Bird is alright. Career averages of 24, 10 and 6 with 3 MVP's and 3 championships is nothing to pass over, but its rare that people recognize Bill Russell as the best player of the best team. With more championships than fingers (11), 5 MVP trophies, 2 NCAA championships, and career rebounding average of almost 23 (higher than anyone, ever), its tough to say that there is a better basketball player in history, let alone Celtics history. Add to his credentials that he is arguably the best blocker of all time, as well. Hakeem Olajuwon better thank his various gods that they didn't count blocks back then.

What made Bill even more of an important figure, aside from his basketball exploits, was that he was doing it as one of the first blacks. There were a handful of others before him, but Bill was truly the first to emerge as more than just a role player. Factor in the racist sentiments of a town like Boston back then, and Russ was truly a trail-blazer. He was once quoted as saying "I play for the Celtics, not Boston", and the fact that the Celtics every road game they played but never their home arena only echoed the fact that a black superstar was less than acceptable. Bill kept on, though, never caving. Years later, Bill even became the first African American head coach when he took over the reigns of the Celtics as a player-coach and still managed to lead them to a championship over an overly favoured Lakers squad. Even through all the adversary he faced, Bill Russell persevered to become one of the greatest basketball players that the game has ever seen. Definitely the greatest Celtic.

4- John McLendon

I know what you're probably thinking; who? Well if you don't know, please let me inform you. John McLendon invented basketball. Okay, you and I both know that Dr.James Naismith invented the game, but John McLendon invented how its played. Let me explain. John attended Kansas University in the 1930's in order to study under said Dr. Naismith. His intent was to learn the game, because the color of his skin made him unable to play for a major university (Kansas didn't allow its first black player until 1951). Instead, he learnt the game better than anyone, mainly because he learnt it from the guy who thought of it.

Ok, so your probably thinking; "So? How does that make him one of the most influential people in sports?". Well Mr.McLendon didn't just learn the ins and outs of the game, he took his knowledge and revolutionized it. Ever hear of a little thing called a 'fast break'? How about a 'press'? Without John's influence, the game would be slower than a one-legged cyclist and we would still be bringing the ball to halfcourt for a jumpball after ever made basket. Not only did McLendon change the game into what we watch and enjoy today, but he did it behind the scenes as a black man in the 1930's, 1940's and 1950's. Every team he coached went on to great success. He won the NAIA (black colleges weren't allowed in the NCAA back then) coach of the year three time, won three consecutive NAIA championships, became the first black coach of a predominantly white university when he got the job at Cleveland State in 1966, became the first black coach of a professional squad when George Steinbrenner hired him to coach the Cleveland Pipers (where he won a championship in his one season there) and introduced countless African Americans to a game they were once banned from. John McLendon broke down barriers like a bulldozer. Arguably his most memorable moment is one that nobody even witnessed. In 1944, McLendon organized a game for his black players at the North Carolina College for Negroes to take on the all-white Duke basketball squad. The game was held in a closed gym with zero fans in attendance because of it's extremely illegal and frowned-upon status. The exact details of the game is unknown, but we do know the final result. After overcoming an initial phase of overwhelming shock, the NCCN squad won in a blowout.

3t- Joe Louis and Jesse Owens

I had to put this one as a tie. Neither one of these men is more important than the other and their legacies are too similar to differentiate them on this list. Both men not only represented black America during a time of hardship, but all of America as well. During times of America's biggest battle, World War 2 versus the Nazi's, both of these men stood out as American heroes who managed to conquer their seemingly overpowering nemisis'. In Owen's case, he managed to win a whopping four gold medals in the 1936 Olympics. What made the feat that much better was that it took place in Berlin, Germany, with a one Adolf Hitler squirming in his chair the whole while. Here was this young, black, American who came into Germany representing everything the Nazi's were against and he dominated.

Louis' story is quite similar. A standout boxer, Joe Louis' battle was against German champ Max Schmeling. Before we get into that specific match, let me tell you about Joe Louis, the fighter. Considered by many to be the greatest heavyweight of all time, Louis held the title for an astonishing 11 straight years, including an otherworldly 25 title defences. For his match against Schmeling in 1938, their second meeting, the entire world was watching and, other than Germany, rooting for Joe. Here was this young, black kid living in a racist society in America during the 1930's and all of a sudden he went from outlaw to hero. They cheered him on everywhere he went; the president even contacted him to express his sentiments. On June 22nd, Joe put the country on his back and pummelled Schmeling. Ol' Max only lasted 2 minutes and 4 seconds. Hitler took such offense to the match that he had every radio station feed in Germany cut before the outcome was declared (and keep in mind, the entire country was listening carefully and wondering whats going on. Sorta like The Soprano's finale except, you know, including Nazi's).

Both Joe Louis and Jesse Owens went from being heroes of the black community to being American heroes. Both men managed to take a personal crack at Adolf Hitler and prove wrong his theory of white 'racial superiority'.

2- Muhammad Ali

There isn't much more I can say about Muhammad Ali that hasn't already been documented. The championships. The name change. The Nation. The swag before swag. The boxer. The social activist. The man. The icon. The Greatest.

1- Jackie Robinson

Take the courage, talents, pride, will, intelligence, endurance, strength, skill, fan base, importance, accomplishments and influence of everyone on this list, add it all up, and you've got Jackie Robinson. All the barriers that were broke, all the records that were set, all the games that were changed, all the accolades accumulated mean nothing to anyone without Jackie Robinson.

Obscure Observation #1

I was just thinking; you ever notice how the evolution of your writing utencil represents your maturation? In pre-school and kindergarden you always use some sort of crayon. Nothing too sharp, nothing too dangerous. As you get through kindergaden and progress to 1st grade, you get introduced to the pencil. You're getting there. Adults use pencils. They are delicate, they are sharp...you're really someone important now. That feeling doesnt last long, though, because the pencil quickly becomes played out. Rather than basking in the moment, its evident that the pencil really ain't so hot. Every now and then you need to be the pencil Hitler and shove them in a device that chops their heads off, you need to be careful with them because they break in half easily, and your once 'useful' eraser quickly becomes worn out and doesnt do anything but leave a black cloud on the page. All of a sudden its every single day, every word, every letter, with that pencil. This goes until at least grade 5 or 6. Its just pencil, day in, day out. 5-6 years is a VERY long time for a six-to-eleven year old. Try remembering how slow those days at school went. Try to think about how slowly one week would go by at that age. Pencil's were played out by grade 5.

But that's when pens are introduced. You've seen them before. Adults use them all the time. You've heard about these things. If they break, although less frequent than a pencil, you get covered like a young Gary Payton. If you make a mistake, there's no going back with these things. And, unlike a pencil, this stuff can write on, and stay on, your skin. All through elementary school pens were like the holy grail, the championship, the lost ark. Using a pen meant finally being grown up, being trusted to use such an imposing instrument. It was also intimidating. What if I made a mistake? What if I break it and make a mess? The odd times that pens started being chosen over pencils, it became nervewrecking. All of a sudden, pencils were so familiar, so nice and easy.

Through the end of elementary school and the majority of high school, pencils and pens share the top spot atop the writing utencil spectrum. Whichever is closer, whichever I have, whichever the teacher prefers...it really doesnt matter. Pens and pencils work hand in hand in perfect harmony for a couple years, with the pencil usually reserved for the Reggie Evans role of doing the dirty, rough-copy work and brainstorming work without any of the glory. Pencil hit the boards, double-teamed, and took the charges. The pen, on the other hand, was the official color of homework and assignments, representing neatness and proffesionalism. Pen scored 25 points, hit the game-winner, and got all the post-game interviews.

Then, as I started CEGEP, I noticed the pencil getting slowly phased out. Acctually, I didnt notice it. It sort of just happened right under my nose without me paying attention. I started bringing only pens to school, doing my rough work in pen, writing notes in pen (even thought a writing mistake is so much more costly this way, I like to live dangerously I guess), and even doodling in pen. The pencil became a lost tribe.

Now, as I write this as a University student, I realize that I cannot remember the last time I saw or used a pencil. What was once my go-to-guy on a playoff team is now on the IR on some crappy European team, totally lost in oblivion. For some reason, I feel bad the for pencil; after so many hard years of work, he just gets thrown aside like this. I guess its my fault, but I didnt know what I was doing. The pen was so enticing, so mature. How could I resist? Well now that I find myselt living the pen-only life, I decided to write this in honor of the pencil, the fallen soldier. Pencil, For all your hard work and years of dedication, its time to enjoy your time off. And while you're sitting there in the drawer unused, say hello to crayon for me. Its been a while.

bad guys pt 2

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Continuing on from last week's 'Villains of Sports' article, we've arrived at the type of player who is hated simply for who he is. This group of select assholes are hated nation-wide (and sometimes world-wide) for no apparent reason other than their every-day personality. This categorie includes played with the 'dirty' label tagged onto them. Today's prime example is Bruce Bowen of the San Antonio Spurs. While Bowen is considered one of the best defenders in the league, he's not above a little knee to the face or poke to the crotch. I, for one, believe that a win is a win no matter how ugly the process of getting there is. Some people...uh, most people, acctually...think that 'cheap' play like this is uncalled for. Bowen still has three championships to show for it, the hatred of fans in every opposing gym, and even a move named after him, forever immortalizing him. When a player goes for a jump shot, Bowen is famous for sticking his foot out under the shooting player's descending foot, thus resulting in some sort of twist or sprain. Players like Ray Allen and Vince Carter have both felt the wrath of the 'Bowen' move and were not too pleased, nor were their fans.
Going back now, another player tagged with the 'dirty' label, and arguably the king 'dirty' player, is none other than Pistons center Bill Laimbeer. Always known for a hard foul, a cheap elbow, or some other sort of un-sportsmanship, Bill was the anchor of Detroit's famous championship 'Bad Boy' unit. The lead 'bad' guy, Bill played the role of villain better than anyone before him or anyone has since, picking up four all-star game appearances and two championships along the way. His fighting career includes, but isnt limited to, bouts against Larry Bird in Game 3 of the 1987 ECF, Robert Parish two games later (in which Bill received a well deserved knock in the face), Brad Daugherty in 1989, and Charles Barkley in 1990. Bill's antics even led to a video game being produced; correctly titled 'Bill Laimbeer's Combat Basketball' after his physical style of play.
One of the most hated players in the league today is one of Bruce Bowen's teammates, Manu Ginobili. Although extremely talented, fans hand out gallons of haterade to the slashing agentinian because of his whinning and flopping. Ginobili has mastered the art of flopping (faking a foul) to a tee, and some would argue that it is ruining the league. Rather than playing hard defense, Manu has started the trent which allows the referees to control and, in turn, decide the outcomes of most games. Whether he is pretending to get hit, falling on a drive when nobody is near him, or taking fake charges, Manu is constantly manipulating (and whining to, for that matter) the refs. Some people argue that its the European (although Ginobili is from South America) impact on the game, bringing in some time-tested Soccer tactincs. It may be dirty, it may be cheap, and it is definitely annoying as hell, but Ginobili's little tricks definitely work for him.
Moving on, there are certain individuals who are hated because of their attitudes. Athletes with horrible attitudes end up becoming cancers to their club's lockerooms, and thus losing the respect of the fanbase. The majority of these players don't last too long. Some, however, because of undeniable talent and\or skill, stick around (in the boxscores and the headlines). Two of the foremost individuals in this category must be Terrell Owens, star wideout of the Dallas Cowboys, and Barry Bonds, big-time slugger of the San Fransisco Giants. Both guys are undeniable talents, but their ego's and personalities seem to limit their sucess while expanding their media coverage.
Owens is arguably the biggest team-ruiner of them all. Starting out as a young star in San Fransisco, Terrell could not co-exist with Quarterback Jeff Garcia and, after several Pro-Bowl seasons, was shipped to Philadelphia. In Phili, Owens was considered the savior. He was the guy that was going to come in and propell this team to a superbowl victory. Everyone thought that Terrell Owens catching passes from Donavan McNabb was just too good to beleive. And it was. Owens, once again, started bickering with his Quarterback and, even thought the Eagles made it to the Superbowl before losing to the Pats (making it there without Terrell who suffered a sprained ankle at the end of the regular season), he was shipped out of town once again. With the entire fan bases of San Fransisco and now Philidelphia legitimately hating him, Owens was sent to America's team, the Dallas Cowboys. So far, he hasn't had any outburts and appears to be content (for now). Still, Owens will forever be labeled as a team cancer and a baby.
Bonds, on the other hand, is a rare mix of cheater and asshole. Although he claims that he never knowlingly took steroids or any perfomance enhancing drugs, I beg to differ. Never mind the stats, or the fact that in the span of one offseason (while already in his 30's) he grew an inch taller and gained over 20 pounds, or the fact that in the span on 3 seasons he grew two inches and gained nearly 40 pounds, just look at his head! A human's skull does not grow like that without any sort of foul play. Take a look at a Barry Bonds rookie card and then look at him now, and you'll notice his cranium is twice the size. You can't hide these things. Any ways, not only is he guilty of using steroids, but he is also a grade-A-hole. Bonds has been known for being rude to reporters, teammates, and fans. It seems as if Bonds refuses to talk to anybody. Most athletes realize that they are being paid to entertain a paying audience of spectators. Bonds' mentally is almost as if the fans are not worthy of him. Although his talents and accomplishments are huge (be them fraudulent or not), his ego outweighs it heavily.
Our last grouping of bastards are the greedy, money-hungry, grinch-esque franchise owners who have managed to rip the hearts out of hundreds of thousands of their loyal fans. Going in chronilogical order, the first on the list of douchebagery is Robert Irsay, owner of the then-Baltimore Colts. The Colts were a dominant franchise, winning three league championships and one Superbowl (it only began in 1968) in their 30-year history. The city of Baltimore loved it's Colts, but apperantly Colts owner Robert Irsay didn't love the city of Baltimore. Suddenly, at 2:00am on March 29th, 1984, Irsay used Mayflower Transit trucks to move the team to Indianapolis, all while the residents of Baltimore slept soundly. Somehow, one man managed to stab an entire city right square in the back.
Another prime example of cold-hearted jackassery took place on August 9th, 1988, when Edmonton Oilers owner Peter Pocklington traded away the soul of Canada to the LA Kings for a pupu platter of nothing players. Oh, and 15$ million dollars. Wayne Gretzky was the heart and soul of hockey in Canada, leading the league in points 10 times, winning 9 MVP awards, and winning 4 Stanley Cups. All of a sudden, The Great One was literally sold off to Los Angeles by the Oilers' money-driven owner. The trade upset the public so badly that it led one lawmaker to demand the trade be blocked by the government.
Going on with the same topic, we move to the end of 1998. The Chicago Bulls had just finished their second three-peat and the future of the team was completely up in the air. What did not help the situation was owner Jerry Krause's open distaste for coach and team leader Phil Jackson. The team's superduper star Michael Jordan stated that he would not return to the team if Phil was not back the following season. Furthermore, All-Star and top defender Scottie Pippen was not going to return either if Jordan and Jackson were out. It also goes without saying that Dennis Rodman would leave as well if everything fell apart.
Sadly, Krause could not overcome his hatred of the Zen Master and replaced him with failure-to-be Tim Floyd. Krause inconceivably signed Phil Jackson to a one-year deal, highlighted by the post-signing press conference where ol' Jerry seemed highly upset and perturbed about the contract. It was clear that, even if the Bulls won the championship that year, Phil would be gone. Phil did not appreciate this attitude, claiming that Krause was practically rooting against his own team in order to see Jackson fail. Krause retaliated by publicly saying "I don't care if it's 82-and-0 this year, you're fucking gone". Obviously, Jerry Krause parted ways with Phil Jackson in the offseason following their final title, resulting in Michael Jordan's retirement. Scottie Pippen also bolted, criticizing Krause's managerial skills and resenting the fact that his All-NBA skills never received a max contract. Somehow, when all the dust cleared, Jerry Krause had successfully torn apart arguably the most dominant team in sports history.
Lastly, the newest example of a sports villain is currently happening right in front of our eyes. Clay Bennett, evil owner of the Seattle Supersonics, is hell-bent on moving his team out of Seattle and into Oklahoma City. After a storied, 30-year history, the Sonics are being shipped out of town for no apparent reason. Although they have a large enough and loyal fan base, and they are one of the few franchizes in the NBA to have a championship on their resume, the Sonics are being literally stollen from their city. Clay Bennett's demands are simple; although the team rennovated their arena as lately as 10 years ago, he wants 300$ million dollars for new facilities. The people of Seattle, although they love their team, simply cannot comply with these ridiculous demands. A group of investors, led by Microsofts other owner not named Gates, decided to help the cause by covering half of the 300$ million. Seattles mayor decided to chip in with half of the missing half as well. That left only $75 thousand for the owners and people to come up with, not too unattainable anymore. Things were finally looking up for Seattle. That is, until last Thursday, when Clay Bennett and his group decided that this was just not good enough for him and announced his intent to carry on with his evil plan.
Be them athletes or owners, people get hated on daily in the world of sports. While some are hated because of how the play, others for who they are, and others for what they do\did. Bad guys aren't just found in movies and comic books, they can be found practically anywhere. Even in the once-wholesome world of athletics.

The Contest

First off, this has absolutely nothing to with with basketball, nor any sport for that matter. It's rediculous and you will probably finish reading it and think "whoa, that was a massive waste of time". Anyways, I need some opinions here and I'm thinking that maybe a couple people who read this thing will be insane enough to help out.
K, so here's the story: A Buddy of mine, lets call him "Susan", and I got into a bit of a debate while sitting around waiting for a class at school. I don't know how many of you attend Concordia University, or ever go to the Loyola Campus for that matter, but there is a 'courtyard'-type area located in the middle of all the buildings. My estimate would say that the squared area is about 40-50 yards wide and about 120-140 yards long. Basically, it's total area is about the circumference of just under two football fields. Also, it is completely covered in snow (after not one, but a couple snow storms within a week). Some areas are totally cleared as walkways, others are only a foot or two high, and some piles are up to 5 or 6 feet tall. All snow. On average the height of the snow is somewhere around 3 feet.
Keeping that in mind, I have a textbook for my 'History of Journalism' class that is 386 pages long. The average font size is about a 10 or 12, because some pages are tiny, some huge, but mostly normal. The pages are quite large and full. Now, here's the argument me and Susan were having: If I had to clear all the snow out of the terrace with only a shovel, and (s)he had to re-write my entire textbook, writing every single letter (thats LETTER, not words) with a different pen (lets say we have 100 pens), while opening and closing each one seperately for each letter, who would finish first?
Here's the math: We calculated there is approximately 1 million letters in the book. Lets say on average Susan can write a letter ever 4 seconds (keep in mind, Susan has to open the cap, make sure (s)he is writing the right letter by checking the book, write the letter, close the cap, and put it back in the pile of pens). That means it would take Susan 4 million seconds to complete the task. Broken down, that would take an impropable 46 days to complete (4 million divided by 60 [for minutes]=6666 minutes. 6666 divided by 60 [into hours]= 1111 hours. 1111 hours divided by 24 [into days]=46.). Susan believes (s)he can complete the task in 3 days.
Now, while examining the space I would need to clean, we chose a section that was approximately 1\3rd of the total space and estimated that it would take me 6 hours. I was going high on my estimate and Susan agreed with it. Just to be fair, lets say it would take me 10 hours to do 1\3rd. That comes to a total of 30 hours. I can do an hour a day and still have two weeks to relax before Susan would ever finish. I mean, (s)he must be insane, right?
This all started with a creative 'would you rather' where I brought up the two situations. Susan immediately said (s)he'd choose the textbook one and that it was "MUCH" easier and quicker. Thus, the argument unfolded. Bottom line, forgetting the improbable mathematical facts, I ask you this: Would you rather re-copy by hand a 385-page textbook, writing each letter seperately with a different pen, or would you rather shovel 2 football fields worth of snow?Ridiculous.

Sports Villains

Dr.Doom, Mr.Burns, Green Goblin, Dr.Evil, Lex Luthor, Shredder, Michael Myers, The Riddler, and Darth Vader. George W. Bush, Sadaam Hussein, Adolf Hitler, and Hiraldo Rivera. Whether in the fictional or real realms, bad guys seem to appear everywhere. Whether they be tyrants, dictators, evil scientists, or so forth; whether they start wars, fight superheroes, or just plain annoy you, there is no avoiding the villains of the world. Nothing could be truer than in the wide world of sports, where fans always seem to have some sort of enemy for whatever reason.

The most common reason for hating someone in sports is sheer dominance. Because of the audience's infatuation with the underdog and the Spurness (my new word for dullness combined with obvious) of the best team always winning, fans seem to develop harsh feelings towards the one's sitting at the top. This has been the case for quite some time now, proving justice in Wilt Chamberlain's famous quote "Nobody roots for Goliath".

Wilt came into the league in 1959 as a 7'1", 250 pound monster ready to terrorize a league not even close to ready for him. The average height for a center in the NBA during those days was between 6'7" and 6'9", making Wilt's combination of size, athleticism, strength and talent the most dominant presence that any sport had seen to date. By the time he reached 300 pounds a couple years later, the rulebooks were being re-written to refrain "The Stilt" from his habitual games of 50+ points, 30+ rebounds, 10+ assists and 10+ blocks. The pinnacle of his career came in 1962 in a game against the New York Knicks where Wilt scored a whopping 100 points, a feat that will probably never be jeopordized. Because of his overall sheer dominance, the NBA had to widen the lane in an effort to keep him further away from the basket, and probably most impressively, the NBA implimented the rule that a player cannot cross the free-throw line when shooting a foul shot because Wilt was capable of just taking off and dunking from there every time. Still, for all his dominance, Wilt "only" able to win two championships in the Celtics-dominant era.

For every 50 point game he managed to pull off, Wilt was still considered a loser and a selfish player. As Wilt once put it; "When you go out there and do the things you're supposed to do, people view you as selfish.". Because he was so unstoppable, Wilt caught a bad rap with almost everyone. No matter what he did, it was never enough. He would often complain that when he won, the feeling was "he's so big and dominant, he's supposed to win", but when he lost, it was always "he's so big and dominant, how can he lose?". For all of his impressive exploits, people continuously rooted against Chamberlain, reviled his dominance and labeled him a selfish loser.

Another guy who has garnered that same criticism is the Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant. Bryant, owner of the second highest point total in an NBA game next to Wilt's 100 at 81, is often thrown into the same categorie of talented but selfish. For one, he won three championships with Shaquille O'neal but was not able to co-exist with his big man and eventually had him shipped out to Miami, leaving Kobe to take as many shots as he wanted on a sub-par team. Fans from every city have been going to Lakers games for years just to yell at and mock Kobe, who in turns usually drop 40 to 50 points on their squad. Sports writers and experts alike have been commenting on Bryant's selfish play rather than promoting his individual skills. In a classic case of "Dont hate, appreciate"-ness, The Black Mamba continues to improve, not only individually but his team game as well, all while the Lakers have climbed back up the hierarchy known as the NBA. Be it the ease in which he manhandles his opponents, his Prima Donna personality, or his colossal swagger, Kobe Bryant remains one of the most hated figures in sports today.

Sometimes entire teams are loathed just because of their capacity for winning. Firstly, look at this year's New England Patriots. Before losing in the Superbowl and thus completing Disney's next movie script, the Pats were the most powerful team in football, going a whopping 18-0 until the aformentioned showdown. Good teams are good teams, but the way in which they carried themselves all year caused some major hatred nationwide. Not only did they win all their games, but they decided to run up the scores whenever they could, go for it on practically every 4th down, and even get caught cheating, thereby embarassing their opponents and garnering disgust from every spectator, expert, opposing player, and opposing coach. The leader of this group, coach Bill Belichick, was the most reviled of them all. Absolutely nothing about this man was likeable. The calls he made, the way he carried himself, the boring post-game interviews, and most importantly, the cheating, all turned Coach Belichick into one of the biggest villains in sports history.

Not to be overshadowed, though, the New York Yankee's definitely remain the most hated franchise in the history of sports. Their dominance over the century is bothersome to any non-Yankee fan because they always seem to get the best players. They manage to take advantage of baseball's rules, or non-rules for that matter, by paying insane amounts to aquire just about anyone they want. The man signing the checks and bringing all the all-stars over to the dark-side is owner George Steinbrenner. Mr.Steinbrenner has managed to literally buy the services of countless individuals, in turn stealing them away from they hometown's squad and the admiration of their hometown fans.

One of the most famous examples of someone 'selling-out' on their team just to run off and join the Yankees is centerfielderJohnny Damon. Damon was the long-haired, sideburns-havin', free-spirited leader of the Boston Redsox, who in 2004, managed to overcome their storied rivals, the New York Yankees, on way to their first world series win since 1918. Johnny was praised as the saviour, who incredibly managed to overcome the odds and de-throne the enemy New York Squad. Then, practically out of nowhere, Johnny Damon chose to rip out the heart's of every single Red Sox fans by cutting his hair and joining the Yanks, practically solidifying himself as the biggest sell-outs of all time. As Dr. R. Myerson put it; "When playing on the Red Sox or Yankees, especially when being part of the core, you take a sacred vow never to play for the other. He jumped ship to the other one, when he felt that Boston didnt offer him as much as he deserved. And then like Samson, he shaved his beard and lost all of his red sox-esque attitude". Ridiculous.

Another big-time trader in the eyes of many sports fans, especially in Toronto, is none other than Vincent Lamar Carter. Carter was the Rookie of the Year in 98'-99', the slam dunk champion in 2000, and given the label of 'next' early on in his career. Vince's future was definitely looking bright. Then, some sort of evil wizard must have stolen Carter's heart because all of a sudden, coincidentally as the Raptors started losing, Vince completely gave up on the franchise. Like never seen before, VC managed to distance himself from a loyal fanbase by mailing in games, whining, faking injuries, and even stooping as low as to, apperantly, giving away plays to the opposing teams in the final moments of close games (against Seattle). Vince worked so hard on ruining his reputation while also ruining an innocent franchise until he was finally dealt to New Jersey for nothing, literally nothing. Thats how badly Toronto had to get rid of him, they traded a parennial all-star for absolutely zero. Now that Jason Kidd is out of New Jersey and they're a miserable team again, its only a matter of time before Carter stops trying. As long as the paychecks keep coming he could care less what else happens.

If Vince Carter and Johnny Damon are the Usher and Neo of quitting, then Bobby Petrino has to be the Michael Jackson. You know the saying, "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em", well in ol' Bobby's case, it's "if you don't beat 'em, quit". 13 games into the 2007-08 NFL season, with his falcons at a dissapointing 3-10, Petrino decided to call up the ownership and resign from his head coach position, leaving thousands of Falcons fans in shock. Rather than sticking it out, trying to turn the team around and possibly earning the money he was being paid, Bobby decided to abandon the team and the city of Atlanta and dash out of town for the university of Arkansas. He could have at least stayed the rest of the year, pretended like he cared and left during the offseason, but that would have been too respectable for him.

Stay tuned for part 2 of the most hated bad guys in sports within the next couple days.

The Difference Between Good Defenders and Good Defense.

Offense wins games, defense wins championships. We've all heard that before. Is it the team that holds their oppenents to less points than them, or the team that outscores their opponents that ends up with the greatest rates of success?

Take a look at the NFL for a perfect example of the importance on defense in sports. Lets look at the four major team defensive categories; points allowed per game, total yards allowed per game, rushing yards allowed per game, and passing yards allowed per game. The Indianapolis Colts, widely known around the league as an offensive powerhouse, allow their opponents only 16.4 points per game, good for tops in the league, allowing them to finish with an impressible 13-3 record. And which team gave up a league-leading average of 27.8 points per game to their opponents? The dissapointing 7-9 Detroit Lions. Our friends the Lions again showed their defensive inabilities by finishing last in yards allowed per game at a miraculous average of 377.6, greatly outshadowing their much-improved offense, rendering it unimportant. Meanwhile, the team which managed to hold their opponents to the least amount of yards, at a clip of 266.4 per game, was the 10-6 playoff-bound Pittsburgh Steelers. Delving deeper into the stats, the team which allowed the most rushing yards per game is, surprisingly (ahem), the 1-15 Miami Dolphins. What a surprise, only 153.5 a game! On the other hand, the team which allowed the least passing yards, at only 170.5 per game, was the surprisingly dangerous Tamba Bay Buccaneers, who finished 9-7 and landed themselves in the playoffs. The facts don't lie, people, good defense is the difference between good teams and bad ones. And this is all just this season's stats, showing you how consistent the defensive breakdown is every year.

"Maybe if we attack him one at a time? Like in those ninja movies!"

Now lets cross the bridge to another sport. The top three defensive teams in the NBA (by opponent's PPG and FG%) are the Boston Celtics, the Detroit Pistons, and the San Antonio Spurs. Thats #'s 1 and 2 in the East and #1 in the West, proving that good defense usually equals good results. Meanwhile, though, the top 4 offensive teams in the league (by PPG and FG%) are the Phoenix Suns, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Golden State Warriors, and the Utah Jazz. All four teams will undoubtably finish with 50+ wins and Utah, Phoenix, and LA are all viable title contenders, thus proving that outscoring teams is a sucessful way or beating them as well. In addition, the Warriors are the worst team in the league when it comes to limiting their opponent's points, giving up nearly 108 points per game. The only team in the league that boasts an equal points-per-game average compared to their opponents points-per-game numbers is the unbelievably mediocre Philidelphia 76ers, a team that is fighting for their playoff lives in the laughable Eastern Conference. It seems as though both offensive and defensive minded teams are finding success in the NBA this season, while the average stays average.

The interesting part of all this is when you take a closer look at these team's rosters. There are zero players on the Spurs, Pistons or Celtics with defensively eye-popping statistics (with the possible exception of Kevin Garnett, although his numbers are down for last year). Not a single player on any 3 of those teams averages more than 2 blocks, and there is only one player who averages 10 rebounds (Duncan-11.6) or 1.5 steals (Ginobili-1.7). All while the worst defensive team in the league, the Warriors, boast the second-best player in the league in steals (Baron Davis at 2.5) and a more than compitent rebounder (Andris Biedrins- 9.7). Even the remarkably average 76ers can brag about having the league leader in steals (Iguadala- 2.7), a double-digit rebounder (Dalembert-10.0) and a 2+ blocks guy (also Dalembert-2.3).

Moreover, the players who do not stand out defensively are often the better defenders. Take a standout in steals, say Larry Hughes. Hughes' career average is 1.6 steals per game, with a monstrous 2.9 per game average coming in 04'-05'. Now it is important to remember that Larry Hughes is not a good defender by any stretch of the imagination. For more evidence, take a closer look at the legendary Allen Iverson. Iverson's career steals per game average is a whopping 2.3, with only two of his hall-of-fame-worthy 13 season averaging less than 2 steals. In reality, though, Iverson is known for his prolific scoring and thats about it. Iverson may be his teams best offensive threat no matter what team he's on, but having him guard the opposing team's best player would just be un-wise. These guys create steals by getting in the passing lanes and taking risks by going for every ball. In turn, this usually becomes a powerplay of sorts for the offense.

Prowling the lanes, ready to go for a steal and, in turn, leave his team playing 5-on-4. It does work 1.6 times a game, though!

Then take a look at the lackluster stats of a Bruce Bowen or a Tayshaun Prince, two of the top stoppers this league has to offer. Bowen's stats (0.3 blks, 0.7 stls, 2.7 rebs) and Prince's stats (0.4 blks, 0.5 stls, 4.7 rebs) are nothing short of mediocre, but those are the players that check the Lebron's, Kobe's and TMac's of the world. Although they may not get the glory, these are the guys that really get the job done. Just look at the records. Hughes and Iverson are both on teams fighting for a playoff spot and neither have a championship on their resume. Comparatively, Bowen and Prince are on two of the top-two teams in their respective conferences and have 4 championships combined.

Tay may only average a block every three games, but he makes them count!

For more evidence, we might as well look at last year's "Defensive Player of the Year", Marcus Camby, who averaged an otherworldy 11.7 rebounds, 1.2 steals, and 2.7 blocks pers game. Even more impressively, he's upped his averages this year to 14.0 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and 4.0 blocks per game. All these stats are coming from a poor defensive squad, though. Denver has allowed some of the highest point totals in the league, practically since Camby arrived and the new-era Nuggets began in 03'-04'. Is Camby seriously the best defender in the league, or is it all just an act? A show? A mirage? Consider this: your coach of a playoff team and you're going up against Tim Duncan. Look down at the bench and you've got Marcus Camby and Kurt Thomas, a guy who averages less than a block and less than 8 rebounds for his entire 14-year career. I'd definitely feel more comfortable with KT banging down there with Duncan. You may say thats nuts, or that its only because he's older, tougher, and craftier than Camby. I'm being serious, though, I would definitely trust Thomas more to shut down his man. And its not only because of his experience, because I can name you countless other, younger, players that I'd rather sub in than Camby to guard Tim Duncan in a tight situation.

Take Jason Collins, for example. Last year, Collins held the record for lowest PPG average of any starter in the NBA. Although that stat is pretty much laughable, it's his other league-leading stat that allows Collins to stay in the NBA, and a rightful starter, for that matter, and that's the fact that he allowed the lowest points against him last season. That means that out of anyone in the NBA, on average, he was scored on the least. His 2.1 rebounds, 0.3 steals and 0.2 blocks per game are not even NBDL worthy, but its the little things that he's capable of doing that make him so valuable.

Hughes, Iverson, and Camby can get all the steals, blocks, and rebounds they want. They can accumulate all the awards and get all the coverage, but the real, true defenders are the ones that get slept on. They are the ones who take the charges, get in front of their defenders, cause missed shots, box out for their teammates to grab rebounds, double down properly, come over on help, and do all the other little intangibles which have become so necessary for teams to garner any success. Camby, Iverson, and Hughes can be called 'Great Defenders' by Bill Walton and Stephen A. Smith, but Bowen, Prince, Thomas, and Collins know how to play great defense, and I guess thats the difference. It appears to be true, then, that defense really does win championship. It all starts on Defense.

Poor Bruce, not a single DPOY award :(

A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words...But The Playoff Picture Might Be More

First, lets take a look at the teams that just got left out of this year's party. The list includes:

In the East, my crystal ball shows the 76ers keeping in the playoff hunt until the end but ultimately losing out. The fact that the words '76ers' and 'playoff hunt' were just used in the same sentence is beyond me. Unfortunately, they have an extremely difficult final 25 games (including 2 against Orlando, 2 against Cleveland, 2 against Boston, 2 against Detroit, and games against loads of other high-quality teams) and no reliable player(s) to lead them. The sad thing is, the Sixers are not good enough to make the playoffs (where they would just lose right away anyways) but not pathetic enough to land a lottery pick. They needed to make a move at the deadline to either improve their roster or improve their chances of landing a high draft pick next season and didn't. Almost every other team in the league has a plan instilled, while Phili seems content staying mediocre at best. Good teams are good, while bad teams try and be as bad as possible in order to restart and become good teams. Phili, though, is not going in either direction.

Chicago is another team that will fall short of any playoff aspirations this season. Their best player comes off the bench, they just traded their veteran leader and only playoff-proven guy, their other "franchise" player is quickly becoming one of the most overrated players in the L, and their supporting cast has been nothing but dissapointing (with the exception of Joe Smith, who they just traded, along with Ben Wallace, for Larry Hughes, a guy who shoots 32% in layup lines, and the rights to Drew Gooden's beard.). It's insane that this team was acctually a pre-season favorite out of the East.

Out on the Western side of things, I see the Houston Rockets becoming one of the best teams ever to not make the playoffs. In fact, I had them in the 8th spot up until today when news of Yao Ming's broken foot...umm...for lack of a better word; broke. Houston is a very good team with important peices that make them look like a championship contender. The dominant big man (pre-injury), the superstar wingman, a solid starting point guard, and many tough-nosed defenders. Also, their supporting cast could knock down their open jumpers. Sadly, the underlying theme of this Rockets team seems to be dissapointment. T-Mac and crew always seem to come up short. Maybe next year, boys. (Also, I really didnt care for the job Houston did at the trade deadline. The Gerald Green trade was fine, I would take a waiver on him too. He's raw and unproven but draws constant comparisons to Tracy McGrady, so who else to teach him and have him go up against every day in practice but Tracy McGrady? It was the other trade, though, that stunk. They gave up their best backup PG and maybe their best spot-up shooter on the team for a worse, more selfish, and older backup PG. Not only that, but they threw away a perfectly good Bonzi Wells. So he's been a little rusty of late, he can still play and guard the two thru four, he's got playoff experience, and he's proven to be a big-game player. This trade just doesnt make sense to me.)

Elsewhere, Portland put up a strong fight and even if they finish off horribly this season should still be considered a success, but any playoff aspiration would be simply foolish. The Blazers are good, but they rest of the West is just better. Stay up, my young ones, for your time will come sooner than later.

So without further adieu, here are this year's playoff teams:

Lets start in the East (I know, I know, they don't really matter...but the article would look silly without it):

8th Seed: The New Jersey Nets.

Hopefully the Nets can ride the memory of Jason Kidd just enough to keep themselves in the playoffs. The bottom line is, New Jersey is not a good basketball squad. Marcus Williams and Devin Harris are too similar and will need to split time. What both of them need, instead, is a veteran point guard to teach them and the keys to the team. Neither of them will be able to develop into the players they should be while they are battling eachother. On top of that problem, the nets have no interior threats. Sean Williams, Desagana Diop, Stromile Swift (9 and 5 for life), Josh Boone, and Nenad Kristic make up a group of below-average posts with major holes lacking in each of their games. A tough remaining schedule doesn't help New Jersey's cause, either. Also, one last reason the Nets cannot succeed? It starts with a 'V', ends in an 'R', and in the middle there's a 'ince Carte'.

7th Seed: The Atlanta Hawks.

The Hawks are not a success story. They should not be considered a surprise team nor should they be considered improved in any way. The Hawks simply get to capitolize on the miserable state of the Eastern Conference. Any other year, this exact squad would be right back at its Atlanta-Reserved table near the back of the restaurant by the kitchen door. When everybody else sucks so bad, the Hawks, in turn, look average by comparison.

6th Seed: The Washington Wizards.

The Wiz can be dangerous come playoff time. Ok, stop laughing and acctually read this. The current Wizards have managed to stay a top 6 seed this entire season with relatively nobody playing for them. Now, factor in the return of All-Star Caron Butler from a recent injury, the return of superstar Gilbert Arenas from season-threatening knee surgery, and the return of emotional-boost Etan Thomas from offseason Heart Surgery. IF Arenas and Thomas acctually do make their returns (more so Arenas), this Washington club would definitely become one of the more dangerous bottom-half (5th seed and under) teams in this year's playoffs.

5th Seed: The Toronto Raptors.

In all, it's been an average season for the Raps. They arent quite sorry enough to be a lower seed, but they arent strong enough to deal with any of the higher seeds, either. I dont see anything spectacular coming out of Canada this time. (On a side note, I love the Dixon-Brezec trade for the sole purpose of the Brezec-Nesterovic matchup every day in practice. Can we somehow get a video of this? Its like Longley-Wennington only crappier and without MJ, Pippen, or Rodman there. )

4th Seed: The Cleveland Cavaliers.

Cleveland is a very good team and as long as Lebron is healthy they can beat anyone, anywhere, anytime. Their biggest problem is that they're in the same Division as the Pistons, and because of the NBA's stupid playoff structure, that makes 4th spot the best they can possibly finish. Still, with last year's experience combined with their solid new additions (4 good enough players for zero good players), the Cavs have to be a favorite to come out the East no matter where they're ranked. (On a side note: 82games.com made a chart showing what player's stats would look like if they played 48 minutes per game of 'Cluth Time'. 'Clutch Time' is defined as the last 5 minutes of overtimes and 4th quarters when neither team is up by more than 5. Lebron's stats in 48 minutes of Clutch Time? 59 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 blocks, and 3 steals. Bottom line? As good as he is, he's better when it matters.)

3rd Seed: The Orlando Magic.

The Magic have cooled off since the start of the season, backtracking from Great to Good. Their franchise guy is still unreliable on offense, they're inexperienced in the playoffs, and their bench is miserable (23.2 PPG, good for 2nd worst in the NBA). I just dont trust this squad yet. They only get 3rd seed because of they strong start and because there is no other legitamite threats in their Division. (Dwight Howards stats per 48 minutes of Clutch Time: 16 points, 17 rebounds, and 0 assists on 47% FG. The rebounds are expected, and I can handle the less-than-impressive points and assists numbers in the clutch, but the part that really bothers me is the shooting. 47% compared to his regular 60% FG shooting is a major slip. This shows me that this guy doesn't pick up his game when the situation calls for it.)

2nd Seed: The Detroit Pistons.

These guys are winners. They're proven, they've been in the tough situations before and they have experienced great success. The scary part is, though, their roster keeps getting worse but their team keeps getting better. Rip, Chauncey, and Sheed, their three-headed All-Star tandem, are not getting any younger or any better and Ben Wallace, their old anchor, is gone. Somehow, though, the Pistons have been able to plug in young guys and older role players (ie: Antonio McDyess, Jason Maxiell, Amir Johnson, Flip Murray, etc...) into much larger roles and they've excelled. Its crazy but I feel like anyone can be thrown onto Detroit's roster and somehow contribute.

1st Seed: The Boston Celtics.

Although they seem to be stumbling a bit as of late, the C's should be able to hold on long enough to hang onto their #1 spot. In my opinion the KG injury was the best thing that could have happened to Boston. Fine, it cost them a couple more numbers in the Loss column than they would have liked, but it gave guys like Leon Powe and Glenn Davis huge oppertunities to step up when they never would have been able to with The Big Ticket in the lineup. Heck, even guys like Rajon Rondo and Kendrick Perkins looked like franchise players on some nights. Rather than having a 3-person roster, the Celtics have shown glimpses of reliablity from Rondo, Perkins, Posey, Davis, Powe, House, and T.Allen. All of a sudden, Boston has depth come playoff time, something that can be unfathomably valuable.

Now onto the Wild Wild West:

8th Seed: The Golden State Warriors

The Warriors luck out with the Yao foot injury, making them the favorable option to land the 8th seed (again). It's pretty much the same roster as last year plus the league's all-time greatest un-lucky charm Chris Webber. I'm sorry, but as much as I love this team, as fun as they are to watch, I don't see them catching that fire they found during last year's first round. I won't say they got lucky last year, because they deserve all the accolades they get for knocking off the #1, but I don't see them catching fire again this year like they did last time around. Then again, GS is one of those rare "You-Never-Know, Anything-Can-Happen" teams that I would absolutely never bet my money against.

7th Seed: The Denver Nuggets.

So the Nuggets couldn't pull off a deal to aquire Artest and become the newest and Baddest Boys. Instead, they've chosen to keep their roster of 99% scorers, one worthless point guard, and one excellent defender. This team has some problems they need to adress, big time. How can bench sparks like JR Smith or Linas Kleiza make impacts in the postseason without only scoring? How will Iverson-and-Anthony work in pressure situations (something we havnt seen yet)? We know Marcus Camby can grab 25 rebounds and\or block 7 shots, but can he acctually guard someone and shut them down (something he has been very average at)? Bottom line, this team has great talents but I just dont see them winning together. They'll make the playoffs but get knocked out quick like a Nene nut.

6th Seed: The Phoenix Suns.

It's gonna take some time to get used to their new, BIG changes. Although, on paper, this team looks like a championship frontrunner; greatness doesn't just happen, it takes time. What I liked most about the Shaq deal, though, was the quiet handoff of the keys to the team from Steve Nash to Amare Stoudamire. I've been watching Phoenix for years and it was always Steve's team, Amare was just his primary target. Now, the team has a different feel. All of a sudden, Amare is the clear cut franchise guy here. Steve Nash suddenly went from 'incredible player' to 'incredible point guard'. Another thing I liked about the Shaq deal was the underrated Phoenix medical staff. All those people claiming that Shaq is done and he wont make a difference anymore because he cant play like he used to need to look at the evidence. They have managed to keep an elderly Steve Nash playing at an elite level, they've managed to bring Amare back from career-threatening Microfracture surgery to become one of the most dominant players in the league, and possibly most impressive, they've managed to keep Grant Hill and his ankles in the lineup, a feat nobody has been able to do longer than a couple weeks since 2001. They should be able to knock at least 3 or 4 years of rust off of the Big Cactus.

5th Seed: The New Orleans Hornets.

When The Hornets started out in 1st place, it was cute. It was fun to see the Hornets, the New Orleans Hornets, sitting atop the West standings ahead of teams like Phoenix, Dallas, and San Antonio. But then things turned from fun to scary real quick. Suddenly 3rd year player Chris Paul's name was being circulated in MVP talks and the team was beating actual powerhouse teams as if they were supposed to. Its like Soulja Boy coming out with his "Crank That" song. It was fun and amusing, but it was also a one-hit-wonder if I've ever heard one. Then all of a sudden he's got new songs, he's selling albums and he's got established artists featured on his tracks now. Neither the Hornets nor Soulja Boy are supposed to still be good. If feel like I'm taking crazy pills here!

4th Seed: The San Antonio Spurs.

As long as the Spurs make the playoffs, they have to be an odds-on favorite to repeat as champions. Duncan, Ginobili, and Parker seem to find "Mike's Secret Stuff" in the Tunesquad lockerroom every time the playoffs role around. They also brought in a hard-nosed toughguy defender in Kurt Thomas and a smart, veteran floor general in Damon Stoudlemire to run the team off the bench and knock down shots. They also have smart veteran players in Bruce Bowen and Mike Finley, and just in case they get stuck in a tight situation, they can still use Robert Horry. This team seems to have every position covered. Their only problem? An average age of 47 years old. If they don't do it this year, it might never happen again.

3rd Seed: The Utah Jazz.

Not the 3rd best team in the West, but the best team in the Northwest Division, ultimately making them the 3rd seed. Utah is nowhere near a bad team, they have the new age Stockton-Malone in Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer. Boozer has been a surprisingly efficient scorer (21.5 PPG on 54%FG) and rebounder (10.8 RBPG) for a once-second round pick, while Williams has a chance to become the 3rd player in NBA history (next to Magic Johnson and Kevin Johnson) to average 20 points, 10 assists and shoot 50%FG in a reason (currently 19.3, 9.7, and 52%). The rest of the team is very dissapointing, though. Mehmet Okur (All-Star in 06'-07' with averages of 18 and 7 on 46%FG and 1.6 threes per game to 07'-08' averages of 13 and 6 on 42%FG and 1.3 threes), Kyle Korver (11, 2, and 1), Ronnie Brewer (12, 3, and 2 in almost 28 minutes), Matt Harpring (8, 3, and 1), Paul Millsap (8 and 6), and Andrei Kirilenko (12, 5 and 4 with below-career-averages in blocks and steals) are not a good enough supporting cast to win any championships. Utah is an above-average team and thats where it ends.

2nd Seed: The Dallas Mavericks.

On paper, the Mavs look dangerous, but in reality I see a lot of individual talents that won't translate into team sucess. They did manage to bring in a future Hall of Famer and one of the top 8 point guards of all time but I just dont know if he's the right fit. Dallas is a slower team which likes to walk the ball up and set up an offense, while Kidd is more suited for a run-and-gun style. Like Bill Simmons said in a recent article, who else on this team other than Josh Howard is gonna run with Ason (he still has no J, by the way). It'll also be interesting to see how Dirk Nowitski, the reigning MVP, will be able to accept the new leadership of Kidd, who happens to be one of the greatest team-leaders in NBA history. How is Dirk gonna handle it? Dallas should still win enough games off of sheer talent alone to land a top seed in the conference...what they can accomplish after that is still up in the air.

1st Seed: The Lakers of Los Angeles.

Great Defense. Great Offense. Size. Speed. Talent. Young & Experienced. Athletic & Strong. Great team players. Great shooters. Great remaining schedule. 11 playable guys in the rotation. Derek Fisher. Kobe Bryant. Lamar Odom. Pau Gasol. Andrew Bynum. Jordan Farmar. Sasha Vujacic. Trevor Ariza. Vladamir Radmanovic. Luke Walton. Rony Turiaf. Most importantly; Kobe Bryant.

That looks just about right...so lets move onto how the playoffs will unfold

Eastern Conference Round 1:

#1 Boston over #8 New Jersey in 4. Boston will run right through an overmatched Nets squad that should never be in any playoff series, ever. The Big Jesus Truth Ticket wont have to tire themselves out too much in order to get to the next round. Just keep in mind that New Jersey's undisputed best player (Carter) is arguably worse than Boston's 3rd best player (Allen).

#4 Cleveland over #5 Toronto in 5. The Raps just don't have enough to match up with Lebron and the new-look Cavs. A team's play is usually the image of it's star player's game; bidding Lebron James and Chris Bosh against eachother head-to-head in an uncontested matchup. I see Lebron playing like MJ3000 once again while Chris Bosh struggles to get over the hump yet again. I'll give T.O. one win because they have streaky players who can catch fire and because they have one of the best home crowds in the league, but other than that, its all Cleveland in this series.

#3 Orlando over #6 Washington in 7. This is going to be an unremarkably tight one. Orlando should finish off the season with a good looking record, but they would be in trouble if they faced an established team come playoff time. Washington, normally, would be an enormous underdog in this matchup, but their roster will look like that of a much higher seed. Antawn Jamison's Wizards will last the 6th seed, but the Wizards of Jamison, Butler and Arenas (maybe) is what Orlando will be dealing with in the first round. Thats an entirely different team. I predict Washington putting up a huge fight in this one, but ultimately their lack of playing time together will succumb to Orlando's polished, season-long play.

#2 Detroit over #7 Atlanta in 4. HA! Next?

Western Conference Round 1:

#1 Los Angeles over #8 Golden State in 6. I Honeslty think that the Warriors could beat the Mavs (again), the Jazz, the Suns, the Hornets, and the Nuggets in the first round. The Lakers, though, are not a team I see the warriors beating. Both teams have A+ offenses, but the defensive end is where Los Angeles takes a major lead. With crafty and tough defenders Derek Fisher (underratedly one of the best defensive point guards there is, he was able to stop Baron last year when the Jazz eliminated the Warriors) and Kobe Bryant (an All-World defender, like everything else he does) out on the wing, Lamar Odom's versatility (He can guard Jackson, Barnes, Harrington, Webber or Biendrins and do a great job on all of them), and Pau Gaso and Andrew Bynum protecting the net, I dont see GS being able to do whatever they want like last year's Dallas series. GS is still tough as hell and definitely will not go down without a fight. Expect a competitive series for a 1-vs-8, but without the same result as last year's.

#4 San Antonio over #5 New Orleans in 6. Sorry for New Orleans, but they're the perfect team for San Antonio to warm up and get into gear with. The Hornets had a great season, surprising pretty much everyone, but they wont be able to hang with the Spurs in this one. It wont be that easy, though, because New Orleans is more experiences than they look at first glace. True, the team hasnt made the playoffs since MJ-knows-when, but Morris Peterson has a couple playoff series under his belt, Peja has gone to the conference finals, and Bonzi Wells has had some big series as well. Chris Paul and David West need to start somewhere, don't they? Either way, it wont really matter because the Spurs have Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker.

#6 Phoenix over #3 Utah in 6. A classic case of the playoff seeding system backfiring. Phoenix will probably finish with a better record than the Jazz and be the better team in the matchup, but they finish lower because Utah plays in a crappy division that doesnt include the Lakers. As far as this series goes, though, Steve Nash and Deron Williams cancel out, Carlos Boozer can almost play up to Amare Stoudamire's level, and I'll even cancel out Andrei Kirilenko and Shaq as the intangibles X-Factor guy. After that, how is Utah's average supporting cast (Shown earlier) gonna match up with Grant Hill, Boris Diaw, Raja Bell, and Leandros Barbosa? They wont. Thats how. (On a side note, knowing Shaq's hatred for white centres, and knowing that Mehmet Okur couldnt guard Earl Boykins in the post, I'm interest to see how much Diesel fuel is REALLY left.)

#2 Dallas over #7 Denver in 5. Dallas has learnt its lesson from last year. Rather than killing themselves for the best record in the regular season and then burning out in the postseason, they've been saving some energy in order to be fresh for the postseason. Denver can't really ball with Dallas, so it might seem like the Mavs will be turning on the Nitrous, but in reality they'll just be beating a team that they're better than. In the end, Melo will end up strengthening his T-Mac-esque rep of coming up short.

Only one 7-game series in the first round, let's hope theres more excitement to come.

Nice warmups, now onto the 2nd round:

#1 Boston over #4 Cleveland in 7. Whoa! What a series this is going to be. Lebron James will be completely and utterly unstoppable while the rest of the team needs only to focus on defense and hitting their open shots. On the other end, Paul Peirce, Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnett will all play like superstars on the wrong end of their careers with the eye of the tiger in them to win that elusive championship while the youngers stars look to establish and prove themselves. To be totally honest, I have no idea what to expect. It'll be a game 7 one way or another, but my Boston choice was a total coin-flip. The team that gets the luckiest will win, and it just so happens that Tails meant Bostom.

#2 Detroit over #3 Orlando in 6. Detroit will be fresh off an easy series against Atlanta which promises to end early, while Orlando will be coming off a dogfight against Washington, giving them only a few days to prepare before facing the powerhouse Pistons. Chauncey Billups will totally manhandle poor Jameer Nelson, Rip Hamilton will show Hedo Turkoglu how the playoffs are done, and Tayshaun Prince will use his length and experience to totally knock Rashard Lewis. Dwight Howard will be looked to to carry the team but Rasheed Wallace will teach him the hard way that this is a man's league. (Now, if Orlando would ever play BetterBasketball's "Greatest Shooter of All Time", then it might be a different story.)

#1 Los Angeles over #4 San Antonio in 7. Many people will be fooled into thinking that San Antonio was up to its old tricks of hitting the nitrous buttom come playoff time by the result of the New Orleans series. In fact, the Spurs will beat the Hornets because they are the flat out better team. The same could not be said for their matchup against the Lakers. It'll be interesting to see if San Antonio can acctually do it again by clicking when it matters, but I highly doubt it. As someone who has won a championship, albeit a CEGEP Provincial Championship, I can attest that in order to win, everything has to go right. We began as the 8th seed out of 8 teams and ended up inprobably beating team after team that would have beaten us any other time. Its hard to explain but the team just clicked at the exact right moment. It's impossible to predict or purposely obtain, because the following year we finished 4th, but the Spurs seem to be pretty lucky with it. I just feel like they've lucked out too many times already, and matching up against a dominant Lakers squad this time, they wont be able to pull out another one. (Robert Horry, Mike Finley; you will be missed.)

#6 Phoenix over #2 Dallas in 6. I chose this one off pure matchups. Jason Kidd and Steve Nash cancel eachother out, although Nash is more suited for his team and more used to the system he runs. Raja Bell and Jerry Stackhouse cancel eachother out, with Raja's defensive advantage making up for Jerry's offensive edge. Barbosa and Terry cancel eachother out as lethal scoring threats off the bench. Brian Skinner and Brandon Bass cancel eachother out as the muscle off the bench. Grant Hill and Boris Diaw cancel out with Josh Howard, with Hill and Diaw's all-around, team-oriented skills leveling off with Howard's offensive weaponry. Dirk Nowistki and Amare Stoudamire cancel eachother out, with Dirk's offensive skill and versatility matching Amare's dominant explosiveness. It all comes down to the centre, where Shaq will be matched up against his long-time punchingbag, Erika Dampier. Lets just say Shawn Marion be statistically more impressive and more versatile on both ends of the floor, but he just can't dominate the way Shaquille Rashawn O'neal can. Nobody can.

It's starting to get crazy! Conference Finals time!:

#2 Detroit over #1 Boston in 6. For 3 reasons:

A) Rasheed Wallace might be the only player in the league capable of matching KG's intensity and ferocity in big games. The big difference is that Sheed has gotten the job done before.

B) Detroits been here a thousand times while a conference finals game will be all too new for Boston. This means Detroit already knows what to expect and can feel comfortable while Boston needs to adjust and get used to the pressures of a series of this magnitude. Keep in mind, Boston might have some great players who have spent a large sum of years in this league, but only three guys (Paul Pierce , Eddie House, even thought he never played for that 06' Suns team, and James Posey) out of their entire rotation (KG, Allen, Rondo, Perkins, Big Baby, Powe, and T.Allen) has ever gotten this far.

C) The best matchup never happens (See: Giants Vs. Packers, 2008). With a matchup pending against either the Lakers or the Suns, the Celtics would be everyone's choice to make it out of the East for sheer entertainment purposes. As great as it would be, these things never end up happening.

#6 Phoenix over #1 Los Angeles in 7. After the toughest matchup in the West for the first round against the Warriors, followed by a grind-it-out 7-game series against the defending champs, the Lakers will be pooped. Poor, un-experienced Andrew Bynum, Lamar Odom, and Pau Gasol will be lost by this point and Kobe Bryant, sensing some sort of team-fatigue in which he could never understand, will resort to his usual takeover mentality which can be hit or miss (plus, I'm sure he has a little bit to prove against his ol' buddy Shaq). In all, I dont see the Lakers lasting long enough to beat the experienced, talented, and rested Suns. Not only that, but by this time the team should be completely used to playing together and should be running on all cylinders. Nothing sparks a team quite like shaking things up; and while it may seem rocky at the moment, once the Suns start to click, they'll be unstoppable and it'll all come together at the exact right time. Still, this should prove to be a series for the ages.

Finals, Baby! Bill Walton, crack out the tye-dye shirts!

Phoenix Suns over the Detroit Pistons in 5.

Detroit will put up more of a fight than the 5-game series lets on, mainly because Steve Nash will be rendered totally useless on the defensive end and Phoenix will need to shift up their lineup a lot. In the end, though, the Pistons will be completely overmatched and Phoenix will roll on through to their franchise's first championship. Steve Nash will finally get his ring which justifies his 2 MVP trophies, Amare Stoudamire will spark the beginning of one of the most dominant careers in NBA history and receive his first (possible more to come?) Finals MVP Trophy, Grant Hill will threngthen his case for a HOF bid, and Shaq will finish off the last finger and propel himself into the Chamberlain-Russell degree-of-greatness debates. In the end, Phoenix will make tons of high-paid, important sports writers look very dumb and one, blog-writing kid look very smart.

So there you have it, the Phoenix Suns will be this year's champions. You might as well go ahead and sell your TV sets for some extra cash 'cuz you wont be needing them anymore.