The NBA's new "Showtime"?

I think it's high time we all get on the Clipper bandwagon. This is a club that needs some love and a little luck. And I'm onboard for '08-09.

Why exactly? Well take a look at the team's new roster - this is a line-up with the potential to bring Showtime back to LA.

One of my favourite players, Baron Davis, will be leading from point: that's 20 points and eight or nine assists per game right there. Not to mention the intagibles B-Diddy brings to the court - flair, energy, speed, the ability to lift the crowd and the strength to overpower smaller guards. Throw in a few of his Hollywood pals courtside and this will no doubt be entertaining.

At the "2" there are a few options but I like the idea of giving first-year man Eric Gordon a shot at the starting spot. He may not come in on opening night but this guy is a flat out scorer with unlimited range. At some point he has to start. In the interim, there's Cuttino Mobley and Kelenna Azubuike (who looks likely to officially join the Clippers this week) to bring solid contributions to the role. Both are skilled enough to mix it up with most western conference guards.

In the frontline, we're looking at newly signed block monster, Marcus Camby, Chris Kaman and Al Thornton. I mean come on - are you kidding me!? That's a hell of a starting squad. That's a playoff potential squad.

I can see Davis pushing it with this mobile unit, throwing plenty of alley-oops and enough behind the back passes to make us think we're in the Great Western Forum circa 1987. This could be the best thing since B-Diddy's buddy Jessica Alba hit Hollywood folks...stay tuned.

Lakers should beat Spurs, they must

The Lakers used to be my team. But once Magic Johnson retired I lost interest. Showtime was gone and what did we have to look forward to? Sedale Threatt?

Hey I'm not knocking Sedale but he was no Earvin Magic, nor was he Byron Scott for that matter. The Lakers plodded along, Kobe came onto the scene, then Shaq, and basically the wheels fell off if you ask me. Yeh they won a few championships but it never inspired me the way the 1980s Lakers did.

I moved on, sometimes supporting random teams, mostly cheering for good West Coast basketball such as that played by the current Golden State Warriors or the now busted up Phoenix Suns.

To my delight, however, the Lakers are back. They're in the Western Conference Finals and dare I say it, their basketball is attractive - perhaps even inspirational at times. Kobe is finally sharing - big change. The role players are fulfilling expectations and it's almost as if Jack Nicholson's unwavering loyalty is starting to pay off. Good for you Jack.

But unfortunately, the Lakers lost to the Spurs in Game 3 today and I'm starting to wonder whether it's all a sham. It might just be a whole lot of hocus pocus - Kobe style - in which a team that looks positively brilliant could unhinge at any time. I don't know what to think anymore. I'm not back on the L.A. bandwagon by any means, but more than ever we need the purple and gold to knock off the most boring team in basketball. Don't we?

God speed to you Lakers. This is your series...for old times sake.

Celtics win series but have no time to relax

With the Celtics dramatic Game 7 win over the Cavs, it's time to turn our attention to the upcoming Conference Finals.

Here are the facts:

The Cs needed a monster effort from Paul Pierce to conquer a sub-par Cavs team.

Ray Allen was absent in this past series, culminating in his four points in Game 7.

The Pistons will have a week's rest and Chauncy Billups' leg injury will be ready.

Here is the prediction:

Billups will control the series.

Rip Hamilton will score in bundles because who's going to stay with him?

Rasheed Wallace will step up and nullify The Big Ticket.

Here's the summary:

The Big Three are up the creek!

The Utah Jazz are money

The Utah Jazz are pushing the Western Conference favourites and it's startling. The L.A. Lakers should be winning and winning everything comfortably in my view. They have the game's best player in Kobe Bryant, fantastic backcourt support in Derek Fisher, Sasha Vujacic and Jordan Farmar, as well as the most versatile big man in the game, Pau Gasol. Throw in one of the NBA's greatest ever coaches (plus the world's most popular pro hoops dance team) and well, what excuse is there to lose?

None. Now it's 2-2 in the series.

The Lakers are stunning to watch when it all works; when they feed Gasol and he then returns the ball to Kobe who drives and kicks it to Fish for a three. As Chick Hearn used to say, "That's Laker - Showtime - basketball."

But there's a feeling one gets, kind of like that unsettling rumble in your stomach after a bad Vindaloo, that perhaps these Lakers can be rattled - that when push comes to shove, the tougher, more bruising Jazz have L.A.'s number. They are just such a well-rounded unit, highly underrated, and their execution is superb.

Carlos Boozer, for instance, rampages through the lane like a grizzly in the Wasatch Mountains. And when he's active on the boards you wonder if the defense can cope with his size. He's swatting loose balls with his giant paws. He's like a big bear man...with fangs. He's so money and he doesn't even know it.

Sure Boozer can fade in and out of games but he's a menace when he wants to be. Teamed with point guard sensation Deron Williams, the Jazz are a force to be reckoned with. Yes, Williams scores masses of points but look at his assists (14 in Game 4). People in Salt Lake are starting to ask John who?

There's every chance this Utah squad can take down the Lakers. It's going to be hard work in L.A. but then whoever said making it in Hollywood was easy? It certainly seems achievable this time.

Is this the best sports
cover ever or what?

Cubs for sale?

The Cubbies crushed the Brewers today 19-5...it was brutal. But more disturbing than Milwaukee's pitching was seeing Dallas Mavericks' owner Mark Cuban in the stands wearing a Cubs jacket and assessing the prospect of Chicago ownership.

Say it isn't so. Cuban Baseball? In Chicago? At Wrigley? Why? What about the Mavs buddy? The team just got bounced in the first round of the playoffs and "parted ways" with coach Avery Johnson. I think there's more work to be done in Texas. Surely.

But then again, with great payers like Reed Johnson in the Cubs line-up it'd be hard for any millionaire not to reach into his back pocket and make an offer. I mean check out Reed's socks for crying out loud!

Old school cool. Why did Toronto ever let him go?

Magic Bullets...er Wizards...

The Washington Wizards made quite a statement in their Game 3 thumping of the Cleveland Cavaliers yesterday. Not only was the 36-point margin the Cavs worst loss in playoff history and a wake-up call to the rest of the Eastern Conference, but the Wiz's defensive effort was superb.

Lebron James, taunted by D.C. fans with chants of "overrated", coughed-up 4 turnovers. Delonte West and Daniel Gibson each had four too and the Cavs committed 23 altogether (fifteen of them in the first half alone!).

Meanwhile, Washington played a team game, shared the ball and the scoring. DeShawn Stevenson posted 19, Roger Mason 18 and an energetic Caron Butler dropped in 16. This wasn't even the Wizards - it was old school - more like the Bullets. D.C. fans have a squad they can care about again, outside of the Redksins cheerleaders that is.

Charles in Charge

Rumor has it that Charles Barkley is set to enter the political world by running for mayor of Leeds, Alabama. Hey, I can think of worse people in government.

Sir Charles - above all else - is honest. And that's a trait not often found in today's political landscape (or any era's political landscape really). I'd vote for the Round Mound of Rebound simply because he's a good guy and someone who has the potential to be a great role model. Sure he occasionally yelled at opposition fans, maybe tossed a courtside computer or two but he also played with passion. You don't get that much in local councils do you?

I say, VOTE CHUCK.

Nuggets beat Rockets....hmmmmmm

This eighth Western Conference playoff spot just won't rest...but to paraphrase Chris Rock, something ain't right.

Denver just grounded the Rockets with 17-point thumping today, when only two days ago, Houston absolutely blitzed the mighty Phoenix Suns. That's one hell of a turn around.

Hey, call me a conspiracy theorist but i'm still searching for an explanation on this. Even NBA.com reporters are scratching their heads. And i quote from the game report:

"This was a surprisingly easy win for the Nuggets, who pulled away with a 10-0 run sparked by consecutive 3-pointers from Smith spanning the first and second quarters."

Now if Denver beat Memphis they're in. But if they lose, the Warriors must win their final two games. This is more complicated than a Presidential election.

Golden State could become the first team ever to get 50 wins and still miss the playoffs.

Over the Top!

The Denver Nuggets and the Golden State Warriors are in the midst of a thrilling dual for the eighth and final Western Conference playoff spot this week. Two games remain and only one team will go through. I just can't take the pressure...

The truth is that the Warriors play an exciting, fast-break, free-flowing style of basketball and as a result are capable of knocking-off anyone on their best day. By contrast, the Nuggets play a brand of hoops that can only be labelled "junk ball"; the rock crosses halfway, possibly touches one other pair of hands and then is carried to the basket in a selfish, blinkers-on drive that either clanks off the rim or happens to drop. When it drops, the team inevitably wins. So if Carmello and AI can successfully repeat this move over the next two fixtures, the Nuggies will surely qualify.

On the flip side, when the Warriors adopt the me-first game plan they usually lose. Baron Davis needs to share the ball and the other guards work better when they attack the basket via passes.

Whoever makes the eight will certainly challenge the Lakers in the first round. But as a bandwagon supporter of the exciting GSW squad, I'm rooting for the west coasters. They remind me of basketball during the mid-1980s, when fancy passes and last minute shots were the norm on highlight reels, and at the same time unprecedented. It was an exciting time and rarely relived in today's NBA, mainly because we've seen it all already.

C'mon Warriors, remember what Sly said..."over da top!".

We Believe! Well at least I do...



It's that time of year again when your team either packs their high tops and jerseys for a playoff road trip or board shorts and sunblock for summer in Baha.

I think if I was a player, spending May and June on the beach would be fairly tempting after six months of being pummeled in the paint. You could hardly be blamed for tanking the season could you? Plus your club gets the added bonus of a lottery pick. Not a bad deal really.

But then I'd probably come to my senses and remember the atmosphere inside the Oracle Center last year, when the Warriors and their fans recreated the Great Western Forum from 1987. That was playoff basketball at its best. Warriors 4 - Mavericks 2: and all because we believed.

Can they do it again? Here's hoping. The last five games of the regular season will play out this week with the Warriors still stuck in 9th. I think if they can take down the ridiculously overachieving Denver Nuggets we may just be treated to some high octane Golden State playoff basketball once again.

Golden State Worry... er...

It was just awful to watch the Warriors be dismantled by the Mavs yesterday. I never expected it and I don't think the blue and gold did either.

Dallas was red hot with Jason Kidd in particular playing like one of those movie stuntman set alight. He was running around uncontrollably and none of the Golden State players could douse the flames. It was frustrating - if you wanted the Warriors to win that is. They shot just 38% from the field to Dallas' 48%. And that's just the start.

What made it worse was that the Mavs - often sluggish in a half court set that's anchored by a seven footer with no lateral movement whatsoever - beat the Warriors at their own game. Yes, they out ran them!

Baron Davis might have scored 20 points but he was not distributing like we've seen him do all year. Where were you Diddy? Where was the hustle and flow? Where was the run and gun? Dammit, where was the showtime? It was no where to be seen in Texas on Wednesday, that's for sure.

Hey, I still believe. I still think Golden State can grab that eight seed in the west but it's going to take a better effort over the next week and a hell of a lot more passing. All up Golden State had 10 assists. Dallas had 35. You do the math. Geez Louise, Jason Kidd had 17 assists himself! Something stinks in the state of gold when the highest scoring team in the league can't string a few pases together doesn't it?

Bringing back the magic

It's not everyday that you see magic performed in the NBA. Oh sure, they'll tell you the game today is stronger, faster, better but is it really? There are certainly some amazing athletes in the league - Dwight Howard, Kobe Bryant, Carmello Anthony and Lebron James to name a few - but for all their athleticism and showboating, is the basketball inspiring? Is there any genius involved in dunking the crap out of the ball? Or overpowering other players wth brute force alone? Hey, I can appreciate Lebron is an enormous unit. The guy is the only athlete in history who could possibly win at any team sport by himself. Yes, even figure skating.

Seriously though, I'm thankful there are still some NBA pros that can dazzle the way Magic Johnson and Larry Bird once did.