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.

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.

Atlanta looking peachy

Ray Allen has always been one of my favourite basketball players...BUT...I can't help but jump onto the Atlanta Hawks bandwagon right now. Those guys are awesome and Game 7 in Boston will go off no matter what happens. This could be the biggest upset in NBA history.

Let's go Hawks!

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!".

Where'd the cheese go? (I know exactly where)




What can you say about Kansas University that hasn't already been said (especially by those two hack commentators Brad Sham and Fran Fraschilla)?

A superb effort by the Jayhawks, particulalry on the defensive end, kept the Memphis Tigers at bay yesterday.

Mario Chalmers and Sherron Collins displayed outstanding hustle and shot sharply when it mattered most. The pair led Kansas to a resilient 75-68 win that won't soon be forgotten.

On the flip side, I personally thought Memphis' main man Derrick Rose played out of control. You can point to the stat sheet all you want but Rose is being incredibly overhyped by hoops commentators at the moment. Apparently it only takes a couple of reverse lay-ups pulled out of the backside of your shorts and you're suddenly the No.1 player in the country! I'm sorry, I don't buy it.

I'm not saying Rose won't play in the NBA but the fact is that he's a freshman, raw on talent and short of NBA type decision making. And if you're adamant about reeling off stats consider these: Rose was 7-17 from the field in the final, 1-6 from downtown and committed a whopping 5 turnovers.

These types of numbers don't matter to Sham or his offsider, who are so intent on predicting every play and providing us with lame inner monologues of the officials to even worry about the real facts. I believe the votes have been counted - Sham and Fraschilla are officially the cheesiest announcers in basketball.

Dick Enberg, where are you when we need you?

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.

Bracket Buster: 78-63 Memphis

What a disappointing performance by UCLA! Touted as the best team in the nation by, well, every so-called expert in the nation, the Bruins looked absolutely pedestrian against Memphis today. (A special thanks to the experts for screwing up everybody's brackets this year).

In the final fifteen minutes particularly, UCLA couldn't produce any rhythm or consistency whatsoever. I found myself asking, 'why so much hype for these guys?' Not only were they out-rebounded and out-hustled by the Tigers but their trigger happy shooters forced ill-advised jumpers like they were worth extra points or something. Hey fellas, unbalanced-leaning-forward-hand-in-your-face-early-in-the-shot-clock-16-footers are still only worth two points! Maybe coach didn't tell you that.

Memphis deserved the game because they wanted it more and were far more direct in their attack. It'll be hard to beat them in the final.

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?

What you talking
'bout?

UNC is playing stellar ball at the moment and it's no surprise Tyler Hansbrough is scoring most of the headlines.The junior center is a man possessed, leading his squad with both accurate shooting and tenacious rebounding (he had 28 and 13 in the Tar Heels win over Louisville).

But it's a little disappointing to see the other Tar Heels largely ignored. After all, without the superb wing and point guard play of lesser known Heels, Hansbrough wouldn't have room to breathe.

It reminds me of Nicholson's Joker being neglected by the newspapers in favour of Keaton's Batman. The Joker made the story but lacked the Bat's sex appeal I suppose. Basketball stars face similar battles. Take sophomore guard Wayne Ellington for example; his ability to attack defenders in the half court and scoot by "pedestrians" on the break has been spectacular in the NCAA tournament - and not unlike the explosive Leandro Barbosa. Ellington similarly brings an all-around game. Against Louisville he had 13 points and 5 rebounds. Against Washington State, 13 and 8. Go back to UNC's win over Clemson in mid-March, where the 6'4 guard racked up 24 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists. Got your attention yet?

Then there's point guard Ty Lawson - where's his parade? At only 5'11, Lawson is making his opposite numbers double take on a consistent basis. Against the Cardinals he had 11 points and 9 assists, as well as a back-breaking three pointer with about five minutes left on the clock.

Danny Green too, has come up with some big plays, espcially on the defensive end. Green had 2 steals against Louisville and 3 in the win over WSU. He's also averaged 4.3 rebounds per game in March.

Hey, take nothing away from Hansbrough, the deserved collegiate player of the year, who's notched some hefty numbers himself. But this is not a one man game, despite how many times some commentators and writers promote the one man headline. Hansbrough is not an outstanding talent but he has great leadership skills and relentless drive. He has heart and that's what sets him apart from others. Yet, it's his supporting cast that are making this run to the Final Four possible.

Abbot wasn't funny without Costello and Arnold's catch phrases didn't land without Willis. It's the same deal for Hansbrough.

Looking like an All-Star, feeling like an All-Star

One of the reasons I started this blog again was Converse Chuck Taylors. The iconic sneakers found their way back into my wardrobe last year and I felt newly inspired. They're just so freaking cool.

Have any other shoes endured like Chucks? They were all the rage in the Fifties, they came back for a stint in the Nineties and now it's on again in the new millenium. How can a pair of canvas basketball boots with no cushioning whatsoever possibly transcend the generations? It's surely the simplicity of the design: the once piece upper; the rubber toe; the diamond print sole; and of course, the star logo.

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.