my fav part of the lottery was the ads

boom! that was pretty fun, wasn't it? now i know i need to rush out and buy oldspice body wash, edgy mayo, and beer. oh yeah, and we found out the draft order.

first of all - who was looking the freshest (because we're all interested). probably not aaron brooks, danny granger, or anybody else who bothered to dress up. although i bet granger is going to be tearing something off 'hulk-style' anyway.. his pacers jersey! ha! the style winner definitely had to be mikhail prokhorov, since he probably had to cut somebody's thumbs off to get a suit that large.

obviously, the biggest news is that the number one overall pick is going to washington. but what happens now? get rid of gil? trade the pick? draft evan turner? or can wall and arenas exist? who knows, really. but one thing is for sure - abe pollin be hustlin' from beyond the grave. furthermore, it has to be mentioned that the wizards have a ton of cap room. this could be interesting. lebron in the capital city? i bet he has guns.

besides washington nabbing the first pick, the draft wasn't all too exciting. the 76ers wound up second and the nets were third, despite having the worst record in the league. poor new jersey. poor little prokhorov.

the rest of the lottery went as follows:

4) minnesota timberwolves
5) sacramento kings
6) golden state warriors
7) detroit pistons
8) los angeles clippers
9) utah jazz
10) indiana pacers
11) new orleans hornets
12) memphis grizzlies
13) toronto raptors
14) houston rockets

here we go! now the real action begins in just a few weeks.

oh they be partying in the bean

the boston celtics did what? they knocked out the cleveland cavaliers in six games and looked like the better team? it feels like 2008 all over again.

its true, though. the boston celtics outplayed the cavs in the 2010 eastern conference semi-finals. i certainly didn't see it coming, and i'd be surprised to find out if many basketball fans did, haters not included.

the series began ordinarily enough, with a cleveland win in game one. they got absolutely crushed in game two after coming out with little passion before turning it on again in game three, where lebron went absolutely bananas. game three, however, seemed to be the only game where the cavs actually played like a team that won 61 games. boston won game four, as lebron committed seven turnovers, and then crushed the cavs on their home court (again) in game five. game six was closer, yet hardly felt like a competitive game as the celtics cruised to a comfortable victory.

nobody could have guessed how this series played out. for all the talk of this being lebron's best supporting cast, it certainly didn't seem that way when it mattered. mo williams had one good half, and was largely invisible. antoine jamieson was pretty lousy (i guess these playoffs taught us a valuable lesson: never trade for any of the washington wizards), and shaq barely played. it didn't help that nobody could stay in front of rajon rondo, whether it be parker, williams, or west. rondo was great this series, though. he's quickly become one of the best point guards in the league. however, maybe the weirdest part is how lebron seemingly gave up on his team, turning the ball over and refusing to drive over and over again. maybe his elbow really is hurting him, or maybe he just decided that this cavs team wasn't going to get anywhere. either way, he sure ripped off his cleveland jersey pretty fast once he got into the tunnel.

mike brown seems to have lost his job with this series, as well. i mean, really. fans have been calling for his head for seasons now, and with this series, its hard to argue against it. the cavs have terrible offensive sets. sure, he had lebron, one of the most gifted athletes and best finishers to ever play the game of basketball, but don't you think that he'd want to draw up something a little more creative than isolation plays? with lebron's size and passing ability, plus all the shooters cleveland has, it would seem natural that the cavaliers would practice all sorts of variations for the pick-and-roll, or at least draw up some cuts or plays involving movement. sure, brown is a good defensive coach (although i can't tell you why he put shaq on kg for game 6), but the offense was so limited. if cleveland's shooters are cold, as they were the entire series against the celtics, all opposing teams have to do is clog the lane and limit lebron.

while cleveland may not have shown up for this series, congratulations are in order to the boston celtics. they played hard, and they played well. ray allen was huge, and rondo was the best player in the series. paul pierce may have been pretty quiet, but kg seemed was energetic and played well. not to mention the fact that the celtics played great defense. really great defense. shooters weren't given space, players were rotating off double teams, and lebron wasn't given any room to operate. for celtics fans and cleveland haters, it was a beautiful thing to see.

the boston celtics are where nobody thought they would be: the eastern conference finals. they face a red-hot orlando magic team this afternoon and look to continue their great defensive play. this just goes to show how effective great team basketball can be and reminds us all that the boston celtics never went away, we just never payed attention.

not the poorlando magic

the orlando magic are good. real good. vince carter is playing well. lewis is playing solid. howard is killing guys inside, showing off more offensive moves in these playoffs than he has all season long. the bench is deadly, as well; you can't find a much deeper team than this.

the magic swept the charlotte bobcats, and they just swept the atlanta hawks. thats 8-0, in case you're counting. sure, you could argue that the bobcats and hawks are bad teams, but you'd be wrong. charlotte was the league's best defensive team and always played hard. the hawks won 53 games this season and were one of the league's best home teams. however, judging by the magic's sweep of the hawks, you'd never know that, as they lost each game by an average of 238 points.

on that note, its sad to see joe johnson's hawks career end in boos. the fans in atlanta are terrible. you should never boo your home team and leave the games early in the playoffs. no matter how bad they play. i mean, really. would they rather the hawks were in the position they were just a few years ago?

but back to the magic. they're good, remember? they may be playing the best ball in the league at this point. the defense is suffocating, the offense efficient. maybe the best (or worst) part about this all is the fact that vince carter is going to the eastern conference finals. if he can make it, there's hope for us after all.

the magic look capable of beating any team they meet in the conference finals. remember last year when they whomped the cavs? it may not happen again, as shaq and jamieson were brought in to match up with orlando, but don't be surprised if it does. the magic'll almost certainly beat up on the celtics if they manage to upset cleveland, too.

after being forced to sift through fairly conventional first-round match ups, the playoffs are finally roaring into gear, increasing with drama and intrigue with each passing game. the path to the finals certainly isn't set in stone, but one thing is for sure, the orlando magic are going to make it interesting.

beer worthy - the suns beating the spurs

it finally happened. the phoenix suns finally beat the san antonio spurs in the playoffs. as a long-time suns fan, this feels almost as good as if the suns were to win the chip. just think back to all the bad luck the suns have had, joe johnson's broken face, nash's broken nose, 'cheap shot' bob hip-checking nash into the stands, and tim duncan's only three of the season, and its easy to see why this feels so satisfying.

as i write this, perhaps prematurely, george hill just hit a three while being fouled by amar'e. uh oh.

it seemed like tonight was going to play host to another catastrophic episode of bad luck, as a (likely recently sharpened) tim duncan elbow decided to install a nice gash just above steve nash's right eye. however, the ubiquitous 'one-eye' jokes found on twitter soon after made it all worth the nightmare flashbacks.

this series was won by a new brand of phoenix suns basketball. sure, they still try to run you out of the gym, but this gentry-led team, unlike the d'antoni suns, actually play defense, too. even nash and stoudamire seem like defensive juggernaughts this season compared to previous ones.

not only did the suns finally beat the spurs, but they swept them. i don't know if anybody saw this coming, especially not after the spurs beat a talented dallas mavericks team in the opening round. it seems that the suns 'out spurred' the spurs, using defense and hustle to win games when shots weren't falling.

steve nash was phenomenal. anybody who denies his status as an all-time point guard doesn't know basketball. he has the peripheral vision of a chameleon (ahem), finding teammates all over the floor. i can't stress enough how great those left-handed bounce passes right into the shooter's wheelhouse are.

its not over yet, though. the suns are probably going to end up playing the lakers in the conference finals, and everybody knows what the lakers can do. but maybe, just maybe, the suns' depth and size up front will be enough to get it done. having robin lopez back would be nice, too.

thankfully, i'm not restricted by any sort of journalistic morals as this blog is merely a platform for basketball-related opinions. with that being said, beat la.

guest post! celtics-cavs game notes

here's a treat! since rish and i have been slacking, here's a guest post from our friend, bruin. he did us the favour of taking game notes for today's cavs-celtics game. don't mind the stylistic differences.

Game 4: Celtics vs. Cavaliers

It is 3:30 p.m. I am sitting in my girlfriends’ parents basement on mother’s day, in my PJ’s, drinking a beer. To be honest, I am more worried about getting my life together than Doc Rivers must be about the importance of winning this ball game. In all seriousness, it is a must win for the Celtics, as if they do lose this one, they go down 3-1 in the series. Without further adieu (not sure what this word even means.. Or if it is in fact, a word), here is the game.

1^st Quarter

I apologize, I missed the first two minutes of the game because I was outside playing Frisbee with the dog. As I walked into the room, LeBron surprised no one by powering into the key and hitting an easy layup.

9:09: Jamison with a drive and dunk over Perkins that would have made Big Baby cry.

Shaq looks extra overweight in Maroon coloured clothing.

6:45: Ray Allen hit’s a nice little floater, Perkins gets a block, Pierce rebounds on an Allen miss and gets a put back with a foul. Celts Are playing well early.

5:54: Perkins picks up a second foul early. He is clearly upset, as he seems to be after every foul he ever commits.

Flipped over to The Players during the time out to see no Tiger Woods on the leader board. Lee Westwood is having a good season so far. Tiger? Not so much..

I wonder if Paul Pierce has ever considered rapping. Or if he is considering it as he sees every NBA rap commercial with him singing the main parts.

Doc Rivers compares his team to Apple Pie? Something about sacrifice. Then Van Gundy points out that his mom would take all of the pie. Haha, Poor Cindy Van Gundy….

5:10 Garnett sneaks backdoor for the oop on the ally from rondo. Nice looking play.

4:00 Tony Allen gets away with a huge travel.. I mean, wait, what? Travelling? Forgot they don’t have that rule in the NBA.

The Celts are up 7 right now and playing extremely well. Both the defence and offence are clearly clicking right now, as they get a standing O with 2:49 left in the first. When Rajon Rondo plays well, the Celtics play well. And Rajon Rondo is playing extremely well.

For anyone reading this who watched the Jazz v Lakers game last night, did Deron Williams have to shoot from deep? It was a good look, I just think with 4 seconds left he may have tried to get into the lane, maybe get fouled, or get an easier shot. Great game regardless.

1:43 Jamison commits a stupid foul on Rondo, Van Gundy is now saying he will Heckle Marie Jackson when she coaches the NBA moms in a charity event. Van Gundy is on a mothers day killing spree.

1:04 Rondo throws the ball off Varejao and out of bounds. Great play. Varejao takes the ball square in the testicles but barely flinches… Interesting…

Big Baby Davis has a league leading “Blocks Against” average of just over 17%. 17% of all of the shots Baby takes are blocked. 17%!! Almost one of every 5 shots he puts up is blocked!! Hilarious!

31-22 Celtics after 1. Shooting 55%. Great start for the home team. LeBron only has 8 points. I say “only,” but if you think about it, that is pretty good for one Q of play. The only reason it is “only 8” is because he had 21 in the first Q of the last game.

2^nd Quarter

10:41 Rondo has 12-5-4 early in the second. Playing extremely well.

Van Gundy just said that if Sheldon Williams was his brother-in-law (a reference to Williams being married to Anthony Parker’s sister, Candace) he would cook him raw fish to give him food poisoning. Is anyone else thinking something may be wrong with Van Gundy?

8:29: 34-31 Celtics, with LeBron on the bench for the entire second Q so far. Cavs are now outplaying the Celtics.

7:44 Third 3-second violation is called. Is that a record?

7:04 Ray Allen is huge.

5:04 Ray Allen and LeBron James jawing a little bit. Cute.

If Rajon Rondo could hit free throws he would be soooo dangerous!

4:18 LeBron hits another incredibly hard shot in the paint. I do not understand his athletic ability.

Rondo has 18-6-7. Wow. Rondo is outplaying the big 3 in the series as a whole. Earning his money.

0:16 Tony Allen performs his best Anderson Varejao impression by flopping with no one around.

Halftime

The Cavaliers continue to suck, but the game is close enough that it is still winnable for both teams. Player of the game so far has to be Rajon Rondo, with 18 points, 7 assists and 7 boards. It will be hard for him NOT to get a triple double now.

I’m noticing in these NBA rap commercials that there aren’t many white guys involved. You don’t see Steve Nash or Jason Kidd singing anything. Aside from Coach Popovich saying “Kick It” and a couple other coach appearances, white people are scarce in these commercials, just like in the NBA.

3^rd Quarter

It scares me that LeBron James has the skills to be a top point guard in the league.

10:06 Jamison slams another nice dunk for 12 total. Jamison is being allowed to drive to his right hand all game. Figure it out, Celtics.

8:55 Jamison called for a phantom foul on Garnett. On the other end, Paul Pierce commits his fourth foul by hugging Shaq. Paul Pierce likes the “hug foul.” Boston still up 7.

6:50 Jamison gets a huge block on Perkins! Shaq is the first man on to the other end, scores an easy 2 for 17 total. 4 point game. Time out.

3:55 Mo Williams hit’s a huge 3! One point game. Leads to LeBron throwing Ray Allens lay up attempt 10 rows up into the crowd. Cut to Ray Allen’s mom being very upset with the no-call. Great camera work!

Van Gundy comments on Ray Allen’s mom “looking young and great.” Seems like Jeff is trying to make up for his previous mother’s day comments.

1:06 Rondo throws an incredible pass to Tony Allen on a break away, Allen dunks. Unreal play by Rondo! 21, 11 and 10 for Rondo so far.

Commercial. Beer Time. This game has turned out to be pretty interesting, although the Suns with a chance to close out the series in 4 tonight is much more intriguing to me.

4^th Quarter

Celtics are up 74-72 at the start of the quarter.

9:48 Big Baby makes an amazing football catch! Prompting Mike to say “Look out Ocho Cinco! Here comes Uno Uno!”

8:56 Rondo no looker to big baby. Amazing. Rondo has the peripheral vision of a chameleon!!

86-74 Boston with 6:35 remaining.

Rondo is 25, 12 and 12. Yes, I said Rondo, not James.

5:37 LeBron James undresses KG on a beautiful drive to the basket. LeBron is also close to a trip-dub with 22, 8 and 8

3:40 Perkins gets a loose ball foul, bitches some more. On the other end, Rondo grabs his 15^th board.

This is now a 4 point game with just under 3 minutes remaining. Boston holds on, it’s a 2-2 series. Cavs pull off a win, it is 3-1 Cavs. Huge 3 minutes coming up!

2:19 Rondo’s 13^th assist is a beauty to a cutting Paul Pierce on the baseline.

1:34 Rondo grabs yet another offensive board, and tosses up a floater that is cash. Stats? 27 points, 13 assists, and 17 boards. W-O-W.

Nate Robinson saw no game time in this one. Good.

1:08 Paul Pierce somehow gets football-tackled.

94-85 Boston with 33.3 left. This one’s over.

Final Score: Boston: 97, Cleveland: 87.

Rondo’s final stat line: 29 points, 13 assists and 18 rebounds.

miami is dunzo

so long dwyane wade! so long.. um.. who else plays for miami? frankly, i'm surprised the heat secured the 5th seed (a testament to how weak the bottom half the eastern conference was this season, i suppose).

outside of wade, this team has very little talent. jermaine o'neil? yeah, he's a solid center, but a shell of what he used to be. beasley? the dude can score. too bad he doesn't seem to care. and don't get me started on q. he's not a bad player, but do you really want him to be your 3rd option? plus, don't forget he was traded twenty-nine times this offseason.

this team played hard, though. don't get me wrong. outside of beasley, who was benched for the entire second half of game five, you can't really be too upset with the heat's effort. spoelstra squeezed a lot of effort out of this bunch. but really, is anybody surprised they only managed to take one game from an ancient and beat-up boston celtics team? they needed wade to play out of his mind just to win that one game. they were not a good team.

what happens now, though? pat reily is promising fans in south beach a brighter tomorrow, but can he deliver? the heat will certainly have cap-space. certainly enough to re-sign wade and another high-caliber free-agent, if the offers prove attractive enough.

wade does seem to want to stay in miami, however. and really, who would turn down an offer to play with flash in south beach? whatever happens, changes are coming in miami, for better or for worse.

the worst shot in basketball

finally, tonight was the night ron artest made a shot. made two shots. open shots that trevor ariza normally made in big pressure situations.

back in the glory days, my old basketball coach always used to describe the worst shot in basketball as nothing more than a three pointer with a foot on the line. you're out that far - how hard is it to make sure that your toe is an inch farther back. it wouldn't affect the shot in any way. if you made the shot with a toe on the line, you'd make that same shot and inch farther. (easier said than done i understand that - but these guys are professionals)

sadly, with the way ronron's season has gone down, both shots he made in the fourth quarter were nothing more than what i described above - and did it ever make an impact in the outcome of the game. with about a minute and a half left (and after ron ron had already made his only two shots in the series), the lakers were down by two when they could've easily been tied. the lakers ended up committing a silly foul which wouldn't have happened had it been a tie game.

who am i putting the blame on for the lakers loss tonight? you guessed it. ron's toe.