If you’re already a basketball fan, you can stop reading now. Or you can continue on to get your fix. This post is directed toward the fringe fan.
Although it may sound like it, this is not a public service announcement from the National Basketball Association. It’s merely a gesture of respect and admiration from a self-admitted, basketball junkie. It is Christmas in May and the Association has gifted us with some phenomenal basketball. So gather ‘round the flat screen with some pizza and beer and enjoy! You’ll be glad you did.
If it’s drama you want, the first three games of the Conference Finals so far have been decided by a total of six points! The remaining games promise to be just as exciting. This is the ultimate reality television.
What’s intriguing about this final four (Denver, Los Angeles, Orlando and Cleveland) is that three of the teams, three of the four head coaches, and three of the four megastars have yet to win a championship. Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard are all heavyweights who want a title BAD. Whoever wins will cement his legacy among the NBA’s elite.
So for those of you who don’t already have the back of their basketball cards memorized, here’s a brief explanation of why you should tune in.
Superstar: If you can’t pick Kobe Bryant out of a lineup, then you need more than a sportschump.net refresher course to bring you back to planet earth. He’s the face of the league and arguably the greatest player in the game. He’s already won three championships, all with Shaquille O’Neal, but has not won a title since the big man’s departure. Some argue he needs to do so to confirm his greatness.
Supporting Cast: Pau Gasol, the lanky, seven-foot Spaniard, whose addition last year put the Lakers back on the map. Lamar Odom, the inconsistent and often under-achieving small forward who can get you seven points one night and twenty-seven the next. Andrew Bynum, the big-man-in-waiting. Some believe L.A. could have won a title last year had he not been injured.
Superstar: Many think LeBron James has the potential to become the greatest player ever. He’s a freight train. His range is from basically anywhere inside the gymnasium. He is this year’s Most Valuable Player and he better make room on his mantle for more. He is Cleveland’s savior and is poised to bring that city its first sports title in fifty years.
Supporting Cast: The rap with the Cavs in recent years is that James didn’t have enough help to win the big one. That is no longer true. The addition of Mo Williams at point guard gives Cleveland another scoring option. Foreign-born Anderson Varejao and Zyldrunas Ilgauskas shore up the middle.
Superstar: The baby-faced Carmelo Anthony is no stranger to championships. He won a title at Syracuse as a freshman. While not mentioned in the same breath as Kobe or LeBron, he’s quickly proving he belongs in that conversation. In his first two games against Los Angeles, he’s scored 73 points from all over the floor. No Laker has been able to contain him.
Supporting Cast: The Nuggets would be nothing without Chauncey Billups, who one sportschump.net contributor has accurately dubbed ‘the most underrated player in the league.’ He has appeared in seven consecutive conference finals, six with Detroit and now one with Denver. With 45 points and only two turnovers in the first two games, Mr. Big Shot is just the acquisition Denver needed. Kenyon Martin, the former number one draft pick from Cincinnati, is finally healthy and a force in the middle. Denver starts four top ten draft picks and are solid top to bottom. And if you don’t follow basketball as religiously as me, you’ll undoubtedly get a kick out of Chris “The Birdman” Anderson’s latest hairdo.
Superstar: It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s Dwight Howard. Most of you may remember Howard from his Superman impression during the dunk contest. Not only can Dwight jump out of the gym, he dunked the ball so hard in Game One against Cleveland that he tore down the shot clock. He was the league’s Defensive Player of the Year and led the league in rebounding. If he brings a title to Orlando, he may become more popular than Mickey Mouse.
Supporting Cast: When clicking, the Magic can shoot the ball from anywhere on the floor. Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu can score at will and Rookie Courtney Lee is doing more than holding his own, including dunking on LeBron James in Game One.
The NBA is all about legacy. The league measures its legends by championships won. In just a few weeks one of these four superstars will have cemented his name in NBA lore and will have the hardware to prove it. He just hopes you’re watching.
The first sentence must have stopped everybody else, so does that make me a “fringe fan?” I clicked on all the links. The guy with the hair do wasn’t all that much; the player who tore down the clock was so-so; the link for the sportschump.net was enticing for a lot of reasons; but the Lebron dude was IMPRESSIVE! When is the next lesson? I think I need a private tutor! lol
Ath… welcome to the big leagues. I promise I’ll watch a NASCAR race in return.
I’ll admit it I,m a sore loser and The King only made it worse. For some of us novices, we just like watching the finals-of course your team must be playing but I really ache this morning.
DWH
I will say it will be Denver for sure and the Magic so far have proved that they belong in the finals. series is evened one a game apiece , so coming to Orlando now the Magics should take the next 2 games and dont forget out of the last 18 games againts the big 3 the magics have won 11 of them . So go Magics and Chauncey Billups and his Denver Nuggets ,by the way Allen whooooo.
Pops… I feel the same exact way. That was a tough one to take last night.
Deliz… I’m with you. I think Denver is the best team left. They’re certainly playing like it. I wouldn’t be surprised one bit if they won it all. Como esta el Rio del Indio?
Chris
In all honesty this may well be the best series of conference finals that we’ve had or witnessed in years.
That being said in watching the Cavs and Lakers. They’re now showing me that they’re not all they’re cracked up to be !
I feel for the Cavs to win this series . Then they’re going to have to deal with the Magic’s triumvirate of Howard , Lewis and Turkoglu. If they can’t deal with them and stop them on defense. Then they might as well pack up their bags.
The Lakers on the other hand now know that they’re in a damn dog fight. And can someone tell Bynum to stop thinking about taggin’ Nicole Narain’s ill na-na and get his damn mind on playing for the Lakers. As of now I for one can’t be sure if he’s better than his predecessor Kwame Brown.
For all of the tutelage he’s been getting from Kareem. This kid hasn’t learnt a damn thing at all ! His basketball IQ is barely noticeable . And the Lakers are paying him how much ?
tophatal ……….
Chris Threw up this little ditty on actress Charlize Theron, should you be interested ?
Charlize Theron …………
As and when you’re ready I’ll look forward to reading your comments.
tophatal …………..
Chris
After last night’s emphatic display by Kobe . One now must wonder what it is the Nuggets’ll have to do in order to win this series outright. How many times can this team continue give up a lead repeatedly and then end up losing the game ?
To me they’re basically playing into the hands of the Lakers and their fans.
I now fully expect the Lakers to walk away with this series. As of now the Nuggets have got to feel deflated. One could see it George Karl’s demeanor.
Here’s my latest within baksetballoracle. Just click on the text to view.
Lakers Make It All Seem So Easy With An Assist From K-Mart & ‘melo..
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As and when you’re ready I’ll look forward to reading your comments.
tophatal …………..
Another big win for the Magic tonight, Al. I’m gonna try and scalp tix for Game Four.
i really dont care im a portland trail blazer fan
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Kelly… You still gotta scout the other teams, brother. These games have been incredible so far and Portland is not that far away from competing at this next level.
Mary Jane and hoops go together like peanut butter and jelly. Oops, sorry, bra. Didn’t mean to get you hungry. Thanks for the link.
Chris
I’d certainly like to now see the Magic win this series outright. They’ve actually made a believer out of me. As for you being able to obtain tickets. I wish you the best of luck. You may well have to sell a piece of a_s_s to make that a reality.
The tickets have got to be a hot ticket item . Pardon the pun !
As to the Lakers since when did they become avowed members of the Clay Aiken Fan Club ? I shouldn’t really be questioning their sexual proclivity but what the hell ?
The members of The Village People have shown more grit than was on display last night by the team. And can well all stop this asinine argument about Bynum. He’s showing that he hasn’t what it takes to become a complete player within this league.
He’s now beginning to make even Kwame Brown look industrious when he’s on a basketball court.
tophatal …………
When does football season start?
Tophat….Got into Game Four! New post will up as soon as I collect my thoughts.
Partykiller… Not much longer now.
LA will win the NBA title i think…
KS… very possible, man. As long as they hold home court for the rest of the Western Conference Finals, they’ll be a tough matchup for Orlando.
sportschump …
Just notched up my own piece with regard to last night’s game between the Lakers and Nuggets.
In lieu of the loss Karl’s reticence and overall lack of positivity I don’t think at all sits well with the Nuggets’ fans. Instead of shedding what went wrong for the team last night. He starts to whine about the officiating.
Now don’t get me wrong but in both conference finals the officiating has bordered on being absurd to say the very least. Instead of the officials adjudicating the game impartially. It has been anything but that. It has been much like them wanting to impose themselves amidst much of the action. Thereby interupting the flow and pace of the games.
Here’s the piece should you be interested at all. Just click on the text below to view.
Karl’s Yellow Streak Underlines The Fact That He Has No Guts ………..
I didn’t have too much of a problem with the officiating in last night’s ball game. I do think the Orlando-Cleveland series has been refereed horribly, however.
Karl needs to pull a page out of Van Gundy’s book when it comes to keeping his players’ heads screwed on properly. Denver always looks like they’re one Kenyon Martin technical away from total implosion.
It’s been a great playoffs this year. Many people just thought the playoffs would be easy for the Cavs and Lakers and the only real challenge would be against each other in the Finals. But that is very wrong. The Cavs most likely won’t make the Finals, and the Lakers have already had a 7-game series and might have another one against the Nuggets. To make this playoffs even better, I hope it ends with the Lakers getting the championship. Good article.
Chris
Karl’s never been that bright to begin with. OK so he had the likes of The Glove and the Sperminator </em in Shawn Kemp when Seattle. But since those halcyon days. He’s done nothing.
Thanks, Joey. I’m concerned about the mismatches the Lakers present and who’s going to cover Gasol. Stan Van will have to set tempo, presenting their own matches and make Phillip sweat having to cover Rashard.
You’re wrong there, Al. Karl’s done plenty of underachieving since then.
Hi all, i just came here after an fast yahoo search. Fine post you got here! Keep it up!