Thoughts on the first weekend of NBA Playoffs!

So the first weekend of NBA Playoffs went down, and there is much to talk about.  I have no witty opening since I am a little fired up, so I’m just going to get right to it.

Let’s start with Bulls-Nets since Derrick Rose’s ACL injury put me in such a depression I gave up blogging the entire season.  Rose has now become the source of a great controversy surrounding the Bulls as many are upset he has not returned from his injury yet, and likely won’t this season.  People are questioning Rose’s heart and toughness and trying to make him look like a bad guy because he has been cleared by doctors to play for months but won’t come back.

Call me crazy, but I feel like there is more to a return from a major injury than simply being told by doctor’s that structurally you are good to go.  If he isn’t comfortable then he isn’t comfortable.  Players like LeBron James, Chris Paul, and Carmelo Anthony have defended Rose’s decisions thus far, and you haven’t heard anything about the organization being furious with him for not playing, and his teammates all stand by him.  You only really hear the shit talking coming from fair-weather fans and idiots.

The Bulls didn’t re-sign Rose to win a title in 2013, the Bulls re-signed him to contend for years to come since he is an amazing basketball talent and if you have to sacrifice one whole season for him to come back strong then so be it.  But frontrunners seem to know what’s right for the Bulls and Rose and feel he is a dirt bag because he isn’t playing right now.  I am only mad that they would not announce Rose is out for the year months ago since they knew it all along.  I am not mad he is missing time.  Screw it, they can win next year or the year after.  I would much rather Rose take the time to get comfortable than come back too soon, a decision basically everybody but people who don’t know anything about anything sympathize with.

People are saying Rose isn’t tough and doesn’t have heart, but if you stop and think for a minute you would realize that makes no sense.  The only reason LeBron James isn’t about to win a fifth straight MVP is because Rose played out of his mind two years ago.  Fair-weather fans and idiots have short memories and now think Rose was overrated this whole time, but he was a death dealer in 2010-11 and nobody should forget it.  Then in the playoffs he badly sprained his ankle against the Pacers but kept playing and took a beating every night all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Then the next season he was nursing injuries to his back, his groin, basically his entire body.  He pushed himself hard to come back and try to win the championship, but he has no heart?  He ended up tearing his ACL because of that.  That’s a major injury, and just because Adrian Peterson could come back quick and be successful that doesn’t mean Derrick Rose is ready.  Maybe it comes from the fact I enjoy fighters like Anderson Silva and Lyoto Machida, but I recognize patience is extremely important and right now isn’t as important as setting up for the future.  Who is the motherfucker who has delivered again and again in big games for the Bulls and said he wants to lead them into the future?  I’ve never had reason to doubt Rose before, and just because the Bulls won’t win a championship this season I am not about to start doubting him.

So the moral of the story in terms of Bulls-Nets is that the Bulls are fucking terrible and are going to lose in six games, and I don’t feel bad that Rose won’t be playing.  Noah’s hurt, Hinrich’s hurt, Hamilton’s a walking injury, Gibson’s hurt, Deng is drained from too many minutes yet again.  Yes, the next part of Rose’s rehab is to play in a game, but if he isn’t comfortable then why rush him back to take part in the ass kicking they are going to be dealt for the next week?  And the Nets are just going to get beaten by Miami next round anyways so I won’t even bother discussing them.

The Nuggets-Warriors game was pretty wild.  Last year the Nuggets were on pace to set the world on fire until everybody got injured.  They were ready to set everybody on fire this year but things looked bad once Danilo Gallinari went down with a torn ACL and Kenneth Faried got hurt.  But the beauty of the Nuggets is that they play an amazing team game.  The Nuggets could very well make it to the Finals.  They are that good even without a superstar to lead the way.  Ty Lawson is filthy, Andre Iguodala is solid, and Andre Miller is still good.

Miller, at the age of about 867, drained the game winner with 1.3 second left to give the Nuggets the victory in Game 1.  The 37-year-old has missed six games in his entire career, and has overcome his strange Smokey Robinson voice to become one of the most reliable players of the era.  Speaking of reliability, the Warriors were dealt some damage when David Lee suffered a torn hip flexor and had to leave the game.  Lee got a whole lotta money, never really played up to it until this year, and now he goes down with an injury.  That’s a big problem for Golden State as they need all the help they can get against the amazing team game of Denver.  I figured the Nuggets could handle them before, but now with Lee out it seems like Denver just got a much easier road to the second round.

I thought I wanted to see the Knicks make it out of the East until I saw Game 1 of their series with the Celtics.  In life there are few things I hate more than the Madison Square Garden crowd.  Spike Lee is a douche, and Knicks fans suck at life.  Now that the Knicks are good, there are a lot of obnoxious frontrunners afoot.  The Garden crowd acts like their team is the best team in the universe when they are winning, then boos the team off the floor when they aren’t playing well.  Now all of a sudden they have “real” fans because they are good but you know if they get eliminated by Miami in Game 6 of the Conference Finals the Garden crowd will be booing their own players because they are morons.

Boston has had a nice run after losing Rajon Rondo to a torn ACL a few months back, but this is where the run ends.  They are a solid defensive team, but their offense is only slightly less ugly than that of the Bulls.  Even if Carmelo Anthony decides against passing and keeps shooting terribly, it will be enough to carry the Knicks since Pierce and Garnett might be cooked.  And Jason Terry was a waste of a signing.  Thanks for that amazing 0-5 performance, Jet!  Jeff Green can play his ass off in the first half all he wants, but the Knicks have too many weapons on offense and the Celtics don’t have anything.  These teams are fairly evenly matched defensively, but down the stretch in a close game New York will kill them because of weapons like Anthony and JR Smith, and that is what happened on Saturday.

The Clippers-Grizzlies series has me torn.  On one hand, I really like the Grizzlies.  I thought they would be the team to beat in the West since they play such solid defense and a good team game.  I love the Gasol-Randolph team down low, I love that they have Tayshaun Prince now, I love that Jerryd Bayless cut his hair and grew a beard and looks like Carlos Boozer.  The Grizzlies are a tough, solid team.  On the other hand, I love the Clippers.  Chris Paul is the best point guard in the league, Blake Griffin is an animal, Chauncey Billups is a good man, but Vinny Del Negro is their coach.  It will be a very entertaining series, but ultimately the Clips may pull this one out somehow.  I hope I don’t miss any games from this one.

The Hawks-Pacers series is the most uninteresting series I could ever think of.  Two teams I can’t stand in one place.  I will not talk about this further.

The Heat-Bucks series will be a source of great comedy on a game-by-game basis since Milwaukee guard Brandon Jennings said they would defeat the Heat in six games.  There isn’t much to say about this series since the Bucks are completely overmatched and will get swept.  But at least Brandon Jennings makes funnies.

I was excited for the Thunder-Rockets series until the first few minutes of last night’s game.  I stepped out of the room and missed the first few minutes of the game and walked in to see the score was 13-2 and the Rockets had not hit a field goal.  Granted it was still early, but that said everything I needed to know about the series.  The Rockets have an exciting young team, but the Thunder have been possessed all season.  Houston just doesn’t have enough to stop OKC.  Maybe they can win a game in Houston, but really the Thunder are going to jack them up since too much Houston offense revolves around James Harden isolations and missed threes.

And the last series, the best series, is the LA Lakers vs. the San Antonio Spurs. 10 years ago this would be a showdown of the West’s superpowers.  This year, it is the hobbled Lakers meeting a determined Spurs squad playing like this is their last time out.  Mike D’Antoni, so stubborn in his ways, is the reason Kobe Bryant is out.  You can’t play a guy who has 20 seasons worth the wear and tear on his body (17 seasons plus post-season and Team USA stuff) for over 40 minutes a night and rely on him to do everything.  That was how D’Antoni approached the home stretch of the season and it cost the Lakers dearly.   Steve Nash isn’t 100% and D’Antoni’s defenseless approach to the game is only going to make things worse.

The Spurs made D’Antoni’s life a living hell for most of the 2000s, and it is happening again.  Tim Duncan is playing like it is 2003 again and all signs point to this being his last run.  I have written here before about how Tim Duncan is an amazing talent, and this season only reaffirmed those statements.  He has elevated his game yet again and the Spurs are poised to dominate.  LA is a mess with no depth and no defense, so they may not have a good shot against the Spurs juggernaut.

That is it for the weekend’s games.  I will try to talk some trash about the other games this week at some point.

WrestleMania 29 Thoughts and Predictions!

We are just days away from WrestleMania 29! With three predictable main events on tap, WWE is either headed for a completely mediocre show or they might surprise us all and do some totally unexpected things. There is a lot to say, so I’m just going to get right to it.

THE UNDERCARD

Pre-Show Match – Intercontinental Champion Wade Barrett vs. The Miz:
There is absolutely no point in having this match other than giving these guys something to do and having a match on the pre-show. Winner: Wade Barrett I guess? But they are high on Miz now. It doesn’t matter, if this match was so important it would have made the pay per view.

Chris Jericho vs. Fandango:
Fandango’s gimmick is one of the dumbest things I have ever seen: a dancer who is angry that people don’t say his name right. Luckily Chris Jericho is one of the greatest wrestlers of all time and can carry anybody to a good match and make them look good. I’ve heard Fandango is a pretty good worker so even though this match will be short it will probably be solid. Jericho is my favorite wrestler of all time so it makes be sad, but his returns are all about making the new generation look good so very likely no surprises here. Winner: Fandango

Tons of Funk and the Funkadactyls vs. Team Rhodes Scholars and the Bella Twins:
An 8-person mixed-tag with the idiotic pairing of Tensai and Brodus Clay with their dancers Cameron and Naomi against one of the best tag teams WWE has and the Bella Twins. Tensai used to be Albert, then A-Train and is one of my least favorite wrestlers ever. This match is going to be like 6 minutes long and I couldn’t care any less about it. This will be a definite “check how your fantasy baseball and basketball teams are doing” match. Winner: Team Rhodes Scholars

Ryback vs. Mark Henry:
This is going to be the worst match of the night easily, and only the second worst thing we will see behind Diddy’s musical performance. They will try real hard and in a video game this would be the sickest match ever since they could just smash shit. That won’t be how it goes down in real life. There will be some power moves, Ryback will try to lift Henry for Shellshock and will probably botch it and we’ll hear Cole be like, “Did he get all of it? I think he got all of it!” to make it not sound bad. Winner: Ryback

WWE Tag Team Champions Kane and Daniel Bryan vs. Dolph Ziggler and Big E. Langston:
I would have figured Team Hell No would be broken up by now and Kane and Bryan would be going head-to-head at this show. But since they’re still together, I don’t see why Ziggler and Big E. would win the belts from them unless Ziggler would cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase later in the night and walk out a double champion. I feel like if Ziggler and Langston win, it is because Team Hell No implodes, and if that happens then who do the new champs feud with? Tensai and Brodus Clay? I can’t imagine them sticking Ziggler in a situation like that when he seems ready for a big push. I see some New Years Revolution 2006 stuff happening here as Ziggler won’t care about losing since he has bigger things on his mind. I am excited to see Ziggler and Bryan working with each other at WrestleMania, though. That should be pretty exciting. Winner: Kane and Daniel Bryan

The Shield vs. Sheamus, Randy Orton, and Big Show:
This should be a pretty entertaining brawl, as all of The Shield’s matches thus far have been. There have been rumors of an Orton heel turn for a while so maybe this is where we finally see it go down, not necessarily as part of The Shield since that would be corny, but maybe they lose and he freaks out. This is one of the matches I am most excited for, and if somebody told me I’d be saying that about a match involving Orton and Big Show I would never have believed it. The Shield has been so entertaining and their hot run isn’t over yet, but more on that later. Winner: The Shield.

THE MAIN EVENTS
For these I will talk about what should happen and what probably will happen since three of the big four matches look mighty predictable and I want to play arm chair booker for a minute here.

World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio vs. Jack Swagger:
This match will be good but it is kind of a drag since the WHC is pretty much a secondary belt. It was defended in 18 seconds at last year’s Mania so excuse me if I don’t group it in with the magnitude of the other three remaining bouts. But as for the match itself, yikes man. Swagger’s evil, immigrant-hating, jingoist character is supposed to make him be a super heel, but Del Rio’s run as a face as gotten so stale so quickly people are actually cheering for Swagger some nights. This will probably be one of the better matches of the night since they are both good workers, but I wonder how much the crowd will really care. And with Swagger not getting punished for his DUI I am kind of bummed he still gets such a big match.

What should happen: Swagger should win and get his punishment for the DUI in the form of a shortened title reign when Dolph Ziggler cashes in his Money in the Bank briefcase and becomes World Champion.

What probably will happen: Swagger will get his punishment for the DUI in the form of a shortened title reign when Dolph Ziggler cashes in his Money in the Bank briefcase and becomes World Champion. WWE has been hesitant to pull the trigger on Ziggler for a while, but he got a big win over Cena at TLC in December, lasted the longest in the Rumble, and now is the time to go for it.

Triple H vs. Brock Lesnar, No Holds Barred and if Triple H loses he must retire:
Rant time. I go through phases where I love or hate Triple H, and right now is one of those times I can’t stand him at all. In the time that I have watched wrestling, I’ve seen Trips put people down way more than I’ve seen him put them over. Yes, he can work a great match when you need it but Jim Cornette basically said all that needs to be said about him.  It would make perfect sense for Lesnar to win since he is 1-1 in his return and a victory here would allow him to easily enter into more main events going forward. However, since Lesnar got the win at SummerSlam last year and Trips has his career on the line, I don’t see him putting Lesnar over again.

Lesnar needs to win so he is easier to book as an animal. That loss to Cena in his return match was idiotic and that makes me think they won't know how to book him here either. The man was the UFC’s biggest PPV draw and has drawn big for WWE in his return. But we run into a problem. Anybody who acts like aside from putting over Benoit, Batista, and Shelton Benjamin that Triple H doesn’t shit all over people is living a lie since Booker T, RVD, Goldberg, and Cena all were made to look like fools against Trips. Sure Cena got the win at Mania but only after Triple H mocked his wrestling ability and made him look bad. Even Punk had to job to him two years ago despite Triple H not being a full-time guy anymore. He mocked Chris Masters for failing a Wellness test for no reason, and even kicked Wade Barrett in the nuts two weeks ago on Raw just to make himself look like a beast for no reason at all. There is no reason for Triple H to win, which means he probably will win. However, let me just toss in that this or the next match is way more deserving of the final spot on the card than the real main event.

What should happen: A Lesnar victory. You can’t keep booking somebody as a destroyer if he loses more than he wins. Triple H is moving into the front office, and a win here does nothing for him it only hurts Lesnar.

What will happen: HBK, Stephanie McMahon, and Vince McMahon will beat up on Paul Heyman and Triple H will win.

CM Punk vs. The Undertaker, Undertaker looks to go 21-0 at WrestleMania:
This will be one of Undertaker’s last matches, if not his last match. They were unsure if he would even be able to work this show, and the last couple years his matches have involved a lot of laying around tired. I don’t think he was selling a beating from Triple H two years ago, I think they just had him lay around and get smashed with a chair since he was too tired to do anything else. That said, this is the match I am most excited for since I am a huge fan of both and even if Taker can’t go like he used to, I think he’s got one more great match left in him. As messed up as it is to say this, luckily Paul Bearer died or else this feud would have been the most random thing ever. It is still pretty random but at least they have something to fight over other than Undertaker’s undefeated streak. Punk is a tremendous worker, and Undertaker literally takes the entire year off building for just this one night so I think they can do something special as long as Taker is in shape.

Undertaker really doesn’t have much left in the tank and there are all kinds of stories that Punk is banged up so who knows what they are really capable of here, but Taker’s had great Mania matches with Orton, Edge, Michaels twice, even Batista in the last decade so I think he’ll put it all out there to do it again. It is obvious that the streak isn’t going to end here, but that doesn’t make the match any less grand. WrestleMania is Undertaker’s show and working with him there is as big as having a title match. Taker may not be around much longer so we need to enjoy this while we can.

What should happen: Undertaker wins and then retires because he really has nothing left to do.

What will happen: Undertaker wins and doesn’t retire and will have some kind of bad match next year at Mania 30.

WWE Champion The Rock vs. John Cena:
I love Rock, but his current reign as WWE Champion is one of the worst I have seen. He is barely on Raw since he is promoting movies all the time and filming his stupid new reality show. This match doesn’t need the belt. Ryback should have won the Royal Rumble and should be ending CM Punk’s historic title reign at this show, and Rock and Cena could have their rematch from last year’s main event just because. But alas, it is all about money and having Rock as champion is big money for them so you can’t really be mad at WWE for this. The match will be a little lackluster since I think they did all they could do last year so there is nowhere else to take this thing. Cena has been acting a little crazy these last couple weeks, maybe hinting at a heel turn this weekend.

A Cena heel turn would be great since his character is beyond stale. With rumors CM Punk is going to take some time off after Mania, you’ll need a main event heel. Cena turning heel completely changes everything and nobody has to worry about seeing the same feuds over and over since everything will be totally shaken up. This feud has sucked this year since they are saying the same things from last year, only amended to reflect Cena’s loss. The crowd will probably be crapping all over this match since the predictable finish is that Cena will get his win back and the smark crowd will not want to see this.

What should happen: Rock should win or Cena should turn heel and cheat to win. It is so obvious that Cena will win that it can’t happen. You don’t need these guys feuding since WrestleMania 27 in an epic program to just put the most over guy in the company over even more.

What probably will happen: Cena will win clean, setting up a rubber match at Mania 30. It was so obvious Cena was going to win the Royal Rumble and it actually happened. Cena has been force fed down people’s throats for ten years, so no time to stop now. I don’t think WWE will have the stones to turn Cena heel at all, especially on the biggest show of the year.

So that is it. Hopefully we get an exciting show and hopefully we get a few surprises along the way. I mean, I’d like at least one surprise other than that increased PPV price…

UFC 153 Predictions

Tomorrow is UFC 153 live from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil! It should be a pretty good card since Brazilians are in every fight and they are the best mixed martial artists. The main event of UFC Middleweight Champion and king of MMA Anderson Silva fighting at light heavyweight for the first time in three years against Stephan Bonnar in what UFC President Dana White has said is a “fun fight” should be pretty exciting, and frankly any time Silva is in action the card is worth getting. Also, Minotauro Nogueira is back in action for the first time in 10 months against Dave Herman. This is a show that was in danger thanks to injuries, but it now promises to have a fun top three fights, and a good card overall if Jon Fitch doesn’t win. Let’s check out what’s on tap.

Demian Maia (16-4) vs. Rick Story (14-5): I won’t lie to you, this fight holds no interest to me. I know I’ve seen Rick Story fight a few times but I can’t remember anything other than his stupid nickname, “The Horror.” Well hopefully the American Horror Story (see what I did there?) loses to the Brazilian Maia. This is Maia’s second fight at welterweight, a weight he hopes to have some success in since he had nothing to offer at middleweight anymore. Maia had a strange TKO victory over Dong Hyun Kim at 148 in which he took Kim down and punched him twice and Kim was done because he had a muscle spasm. Maia has eight submission wins, and unless he gets one on Story this fight is going to decision. Maia wins a decision.

Phil Davis (9-1, 1NC) vs. Wagner Prado (8-0, 1NC): This is essentially a continuation of their fight that went a minute and a half at the UFC on Fox card in August. Davis accidently poked the Brazilian Prado in the eye and it was declared a no contest when Prado couldn’t continue. Davis has some good wrestling and the UFC is high on him, hoping he’ll become a contender one day. Prado has one decision win and seven knockout victories on his record. He could be pumped up in front of the Brazilian crowd and add an eighth to that, but I don’t think so. Davis wins a decision.

Jon Fitch (26-4-1, 1NC) vs. Erick Silva (14-2, 1NC): Nap time! Jon Fitch is the most boring fighter in history. I have fallen asleep during his fights before, and I plan on doing it again. Unless of course this goes like Fitch’s last fight, in which Johny Hendricks knocked him out in 12 seconds. Silva has shown a penchant for going for the finish these last two years and is currently 2-1 in the UFC with his loss being a DQ for strikes to the back of the head. His two wins were by KO and by submission. Fitch is the king of decision wins in the UFC and a win by decision tomorrow gives him the UFC record with 10. Silva is an exciting prospect though, and Fitch got whooped by BJ Penn in the first round of their fight and then was knocked out in 12 seconds. Silva by TKO in round 2.

Glover Teixeira (18-2) vs. Fabio Maldonado (18-5): Teixeira is one of the big light heavyweight prospects right now. He will likely be an opponent for Jon Jones within the next year or so if he keeps up his winning ways. He has good boxing and jiu jitsu. Maldonado is replacing Rampage Jackson, who pulled out of this fight with an injury. Maldonado is riding a two fight losing streak, but has the fact he has never lost by knockout going for him. Sadly, Teixeira is one of those guys like Alexander Gustafsson and Phil Davis who are expected to be the next batch of contenders for that belt Jon Jones has. Teixeira by first round knockout.

Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira (33-7-1, 1NC) vs. Dave Herman (21-4): Last year it seemed like Big Nog was going to reclaim his title as the greatest heavyweight fighter in the universe. He took a year off to get healthy after getting laid out by Cain Velasquez in 2010, and last year knocked out Brendan Schaub in Rio. Next up was Frank Mir, and Nog was about to knock him out until he decided that the best way to get revenge for Mir knocking him out would be to make him submit. Nogueira went for a choke and Mir managed to reverse it into a kimura and broke Nog’s arm, putting him on the shelf for these last 10 months. Nog is fighting in his home country for just the second time ever, and Herman has been knocked out twice this year. Herman’s striking could give Nog some problems if he’s got a lot of ring rust, but if not, Minotauro will rise again. Here is a guy who has beautiful boxing and the greatest jiu jitsu in the history of the sport. Nogueira by second round submission.

Anderson Silva (30-4) vs. Stephan Bonnar (17-7): This fight will only be three rounds rather than the usual five for a main event. After injuries forced the featherweight title fight from the card, Silva offered to fight at light heavyweight to give the card a main event. The last time Anderson Silva fought at light heavyweight, he humiliated Ultimate Fighter season one winner Forrest Griffin. Tomorrow he faces Griffin’s opponent from the TUF Finale, Stephan Bonnar. The UFC says Griffin-Bonnar is the greatest fight in UFC history, and I can say I was one of those people lucky enough to turn on Spike that night and catch the insane war they had seven years ago. That night Bonnar lost a close decision, and that could very well be the case when he steps in the octagon against the GOAT on Saturday. Bonnar has two TKO losses in his career, both of them because of cuts and not because of strikes.

He has never been actually finished in his career, be it by knockout or submission. Of course, Yushin Okami hadn’t been finished for eight years until he fought Silva last year, and Vitor Belfort had never been knocked clean out in his career until he fought Silva either. Bonnar is a very tough fighter and always a game opponent, but Anderson Silva has the greatest striking in MMA history. Bonnar’s best bet is to get in on Silva, but the clinch against Anderson is so dangerous. Watch Silva’s fights with Rich Franklin for a textbook case as to why you don’t want to get in the clinch. Bonnar will also want to get Silva to the ground, but Travis Lutter, Dan Henderson, and Chael Sonnen all got finished doing that. Silva’s strength may not be what it is at middleweight since Bonnar is a big guy, but he remains the most talented fighter in the history of the sport. Bonnar can give Silva a very good fight and maybe force a decision, but ultimately it is still Anderson Silva. Stephan Bonnar is on a three fight win streak and always gives his best, but it is still Anderson Silva in Brazil. Silva wins by third round TKO.

That's everything.  Watch this show since Anderson Silva's career is winding down and we need to cherish each performance since you don't know when that will be it.

Final Thoughts on the Finals

I will give the Heat credit eventually, but first off holy crap did OKC blow this or what? Yes the Heat played good defense and all, but holy crap did Harden and Westbrook ruin this series or am I just totally off?  Harden regressed after blossoming into a great player through the rest of this season, shooting 20% in back-to-back games at one point, and Westbrook absolutely shit the bed in Game 5 with a mind-boggling 4-20 shooting performance. Fitting he was 4-20 since he certainly seemed stoned out there, at one point bricking a dunk for no reason.

And Westbrook made some bonehead plays at the end of Game 4 like his turnover and his intentional foul on Mario Chalmers. Yeah, Westbrook had 43 in that game, but bungling the game for your team in the clutch still ruins things. He was not the man. And I demand a tally on how many jump shots Serge Ibaka took this series, and how few he hit. Ibaka wasn't taking many shots per game, but he was taking an awful lot of jumpers from like 16-20 feet when he did get to shoot. Dude you were in the dunk contest and Miami is always criticized as being weak inside just go to the hole!

And how slow and bad is Kendrick Perkins? He is a great defender...if the person guarding him doesn't move. For a 28-year-old he looked like he was about 60 sometimes. He's there to lock down the paint.  Uhh yeah, he didn't.  OKC played like crap way too often this series, and Miami is a team you can't get sloppy against. The Thunder bungled big leads a few times and did not deserve to win the series.  The Heat out-worked them and out-hustled them.  Even in this Game 5 that just ended, OKC looked lifeless and weak.  Nobody was boxing out LeBron James on the offensive glass, when LBJ went to the hole nobody gave him a hard foul to let him know the paint is sacred, and when the Heat started rolling nobody other than Durant rose up for the challenge.

Durantula's theme. Was it too much to ask for Harden and Westbrook to not play so dumb so often?

I really promise I will praise the Heat, but seriously the Thunder screwed the pooch big time. Durant wasn't able to destroy everything in the 4th quarters of every game like people were thinking, but he was shooting over 50% for the series so it isn't like he was ruining it all. Westbrook shot 43%, down from 45.7 during the regular season and padded because of his 43 point game, and Harden shot 38, down from 49 during the season.  Along with the tally on Ibaka's bricked jumpers, I'd like one of how any times Harden and Westbrook waved off Durant as if to say "Nah man I got this," then either missed a jumper or had the ball stolen. It certainly seemed like it happened a lot when I wasn't falling asleep during these games. Durant's the best scorer in the game and was shooting well, those guys needed to help him out a little bit.

And for everybody complaining that the NBA is so rigged and the league got what they wanted, just shut up. I'm all about NBA conspiracies and whatnot, but really don't you think they would have wanted this series to go longer than 5 games? Come on, man. The Thunder had taken way more free throws than Miami early on until they just had no fight left in them. And that's all it was. Harden said last night they learned every possession counts. Duh.  They made stupid plays time and time again and let Miami take this series.  For lack of a better phrase, they fucked up.  OKC wasn't playing perfectly and just got screwed because of the league being corrupt.  They played like crap and they got broken apart by a better, more focused team.

Yes there were times when Miami got some bogus calls, or didn't get called for anything like when LeBron clearly threw the ball off of the back of the backboard and no whistle was blown for out of bounds, but the Thunder didn't play well.  OKC came out in Game 1 ready to destroy, then they got run ragged in the next four. Miami took a lot of free throws. They have three superstars and three of the games were at home so it makes sense and nobody should be surprised. Just because they're getting to the line it doesn't make them unbeatable. The Thunder had to kick some ass last night and Miami wanted it more and played way harder. It is that simple. OKC did not try hard enough to win. They let themselves get down big, they let the big three have a dance party all the way to the hoop, and the season is over because of it.

The NBA may rig a game now and again or favor superstars, but the league can't rig heart and determination. The Thunder showed none when everything was on the line, as shown by that lack of defense that allowed Miami to shoot 52% for the game.  Games 2-4 were still close.  OKC could have won them, but their youth and inexperience came blasting through and did more damage than any foul calls or non-calls could have.

As for Miami, they stepped their game up. The role players finally came to life and gave the superstars the help they desperately needed. Shane Battier was dropping threes, Mario Chalmers played big, and even Mike Miller showed he is in fact still a living human being with that nasty three point clinic last night. The role players finally played like they wanted to win and didn't seem like a bunch of veteran frontrunners who wanted to ride the coattails of LeBron's talent.  They all stepped up and gave a team effort and executed the way you need to when you're in the Finals.

Chris Bosh played big. That's two years in a row he's come through in a big game for Miami. Last year when the Mavs were readying their championship parade, Bosh played the best of the big three. Last night he proved that he may be every bit as important, if not more so, than Dwyane Wade.  As the most ridiculed member of the big three it is nice to see him prove his worth in a few big moments these playoffs.  As a whole Miami played great team defense and they went out and played hard. OKC seemed lost and totally over-matched.

LeBron James finally has his ring. I have never taken away from the talents he took to South Beach two years ago, I just think he's a bastard. I will give him some respect for admitting he acted like a punk when he went to Miami.  He shut up and he went back to playing like he was on the Cavs. He was like the guy who scored 29 of Cleveland's last 30 points and made this writer go out and get a Witness shirt and a jersey and hang a poster of him dunking all over the Heat above his bed. Hating LeBron comes out of frustration that he has all of the tools to be the best but he says and does dumb things rather than just shutting up and doing what he does best. Every year we hear that LeBron is a new man and focused and ready to win. I was sick of hearing that and refused to believe it until we actually saw him do it, and these playoffs he did it.

I don't like how on NBA TV and ESPN they were saying since LeBron has his ring now you can't hate on him anymore. Well no, I'm not just going to become a fan of his again because he won a ring. I'm not a frontrunner.  I still think he's a dick and I don't like that he quit on Cleveland two years ago and faked that elbow injury because he wanted to play with his friends in Miami. I don't like his flopping and pretending like he got seriously hurt. I don't like his hairline. Depending on how he acts now I'll take my stand on his ego.

It was cool that LeBron said the right things last night about how he realized he had to change as a person after the Finals defeat last year. You'd never hear Kobe Bryant own up to acting like a dick or making a mistake. LeBron was a man and admitted he did the wrong things and he had to change. You learn a lot about people with how they celebrate winning a title. We saw how bad Michael Jordan had wanted to win and how much it meant to him, we saw that Kevin Garnett is really that intense all the time, and last night we saw LeBron be very humble.

When asked what went through his mind, LeBron laughed and said, "It's about damn time." He was very gracious and said he was humbled after the embarrassment of last season.  I'll hold off on my judgement of him until we see how he acts next year since he was arrogant as hell without a ring, so who knows how he'll be with one.  But he very well could be redeeming himself from being that punk kid who ruined Cleveland's front office and as Adrian Wojnaroski pointed out, wasn't wanted on the '08 Olympic team. Will we see a mature, respectful LeBron James who just shuts up and plays, or are we back to dancing and flexing and acting like the world belongs to him?

Don't forget this gem from last year.  The Heat won their second round playoff series against Boston and they celebrated like they won the title. Now with an actual title, are we back to this kind of ego and madness or will they just be a hard working, dedicated team?

Idiots.

So now the Heat are champions. At the moment it seems like LeBron has finally become the player everybody hoped he would be, but a lot can change in a little time. As for the actual series, it was pretty simple. Miami played harder and they won. As much as I may want to say the NBA helped them out, when it comes down to it OKC played way too sloppy to ever deserve to win. The Heat were the focused and composed team, and they are the NBA Champions because of it.

I can't believe I'm not furious the Heat could win a ring tonight

Slowhand's subject matter may not pertain to the situation, but the hook for this song came to mind when trying to think of how I feel about the Finals

If you have ever read this blog before then you've seen any post I've done about basketball is usually straight on about how I hate the Miami Heat and LeBron James or a jab is taken at them somewhere. LeBron and his ego have been subject to a great deal of vitriol in my time writing both here and my old blog.  While he is the greatest talent in the history of the NBA, I loathe him.  To take a page out of Rashad Evans' book, I think he's fake.  He acts the way he thinks will make the most people like him. I don't like his sense of entitlement, marketing himself as the "king" then acting like he's so humble, doing ridiculous things to get attention then saying he doesn't want attention, dancing and flexing on the court, and I especially don't like the fact he openly quit on Cleveland in 2010.

But even after all of those rants on LeBron, I don't care about the Finals potentially ending in Game 5 tonight.  I probably won't even watch the game. I've been disillusioned with the NBA ever since 2007 where the Phoenix Suns were royally screwed by the NBA and then referee Tim Donaghy was arrested for betting on games. Honestly if Chicago hadn't drafted Derrick Rose the next summer I would have been done.  There have always been shady NBA conspiracies and Donaghy betting on games didn't seem like an aberration since the Lakers had 27 free throws in the fourth quarter along against the Kings back in 2002 and Dwyane Wade shot as many free throws (25) as the entire Mavericks team in Game 5 of the 2006 Finals and then only two less (21 to the Mavs' 23) in Game 6. I always believe every NBA series is rigged now, and I see more and more how the NBA is all about protecting stars no matter what and I don't like it.

My brother and I had this conversation on the phone the other night about how the Finals just don't seem to mean as much. He said basketball just isn't fun to watch really, and I agree. Even the Bulls are not fun to watch, but they need the support. I feel like I just watch it so I have something to do, not because I love it more than something like MMA. When Derrick Rose tore his ACL I said to somebody on Facebook that this is just speeding along MMA's rise as my favorite sport, a sentiment I echoed to my brother.  I hardly watched any games this season until the playoffs started. I'm getting so burnt out on the NBA, I don't even have the passion to flip over LeBron winning a title.

I want so badly to freak out about Miami closing in on their second championship and LeBron James getting his ring, but there is so much more I want to put energy in to.  Non-sports related things include:

• Lego Batman 2: This game is freaking sick. I don't like the Lego games but I got this since I'm a Batman fanboy and for the first time in a Lego game there is actual dialogue and not just "oohs" and "ahhs" and IGN gave it a good preview write-up.  It is so much fun. Playing as Superman, even in Lego form, is way more awesome and entertaining than I've found the NBA this year.
• Life by Keith Richards: I never read as much as I should and I've been plowing away on this book forever. I will finish it. I must.

That's what I'm looking forward to tonight more than seeing if Miami gets another trophy celebration or the Thunder step their game up.   Sports related things I care more about include:

• Silva vs. Sonnen II: Chael Sonnen took Anderson Silva to the limit in their first fight before being submitted in the closing minutes. Now Sonnen gets his rematch. Silva has massacred Vitor Belfort and Yushin Okami since coming through in the clutch to beat Sonnen, now everybody wants to see if the first fight was a fluke. Was Silva just hampered by a rib injury and being stubborn by wanting to submit Sonnen? Sonnen failed his pre and post-fight drug tests, so was him being juiced the reason he could bring it to Silva so hard?  This matters more to me than the NBA Championship since with Anderson Silva we're witnessing real greatness, not ESPN greatness, which I'll talk about in a little bit.
• The UFC in general: As my brother said on the phone, it is two dudes going toe-to-toe, no superstar calls or favorable treatment from the officials. You lose because you lose and that's it.  That is far more interesting to me than basketball by this point.
• Brock Lesnar's WWE situation: I want to know if these rumblings of the WWE being pissed at Lesnar are all a work or if they are legit.  Lesnar is a big-time, marketable star wherever he goes, but rumor has it he isn't getting along with the WWE and they want to job him out to everybody to make the UFC look bad. I am curious to find out if they are going to push Lesnar or just use him as a big bully who never wins a match.
• The NFL season: Never thought I'd see the day when I really care about football, but I'm actually pretty excited for this season. I don't really have one favorite team, I just have a bunch of teams I like and I've found I just like watching football in general so I am eager for the season to get under way.

I'm so tired of basketball because of this 24-hour media cycle we live in.  ESPN has ruined the game for me.  When guys like LeBron James are on a roll like he is now, organizations like ESPN start talking about all-time greatness and where players like that stack up.  They did it big time when Kobe Bryant won his MVP in 08 then titles in 09 and 10.  But they talk about all-time greats yet only take a snapshot of a current player's career and start defining their greatness.  That is ESPN greatness. ESPN was giving LeBron so much coverage when he was only in high school and this is what fed into him being hyped as the next big thing.

It just bothers me that the fact it took LeBron so long to rise to the top will never be mentioned again if they win tonight because ESPN has to prove they were right about LeBron being King all those years ago.  Suddenly there was no quitting aginst Boston, no choking in the Finals and those are two pretty serious things.  And if they lose, then LeBron wasn't aggressive enough. If they still somehow lose the series then it is all LeBron's bad. If they win the title this year but not next year LeBron maybe isn't as great as we thought again and suddenly he's not the guy you can build a dynasty around, but should they win then he was the guy all along. It is the same, predictable coverage all of the time and I find myself not interested in it at the moment.

For all of my impassioned tirades on how I can't stand the Heatles, I don't really care that they could win the championship tonight. I'm not happy about it and you will never hear me say they deserve it. Make sure that part is clear. I'm not going to write off LeBron saying they will win eight titles and it would be easy. Or all of that shit the big three talked to Team USA after they got together saying they would best the '95-'96 Chicago Bulls' 72-10 record. At least Dallas shut them up last year and made them see they had to work for it, but still there should be no shortcuts to a title.  But whatever. The NBA wasn't going to let Miami fall flat anyways; I mean Christ they called a flagrant foul on Tyson Chandler for an illegal screen in which LeBron flopped and pretended like he got shot.

In regards to superstar calls, it of course is not just limited to Miami, they just get the most since they have three stars. And that is what takes out a lot of the fun in the NBA. It just comes down to who has the bigger star and who is going to flop and get to the line more.  It is just not fun to watch. I should have known something was up after hardly watching any games during the regular season, but then I realized what was going on when I didn't really feel that excited for Games 2-4 of the Finals.  There were parts of the games that made me mad, but as a whole I don't really care about this series.

Honestly I'm worried more about if Rich Franklin or Wanderlei Silva will have to retire this weekend after one of them loses their fight than I am about if the Thunder can come back. The Thunder have made stupid mistakes, the Heat have capitalized, and the bitter fan in me will always wonder if Miami would even be there if Derrick Rose hadn't torn his ACL and Avery Bradley didn't need shoulder surgery.

Last year when the Heat went up 2-1 I was furious and I was hoping so bad Dallas came back. This year when they went up 2-1 I didn't even bother watching Game 4 until the last few minutes.  I've become one of those fans. The loser who just checks in on the last few minutes since he's too preoccupied to just watch the whole game.  I fell asleep during Games 2 and 3.  I just don't seem to care. I want to care and I want to be so mad about this all, but really aside from getting frustrated for a minute watching the game, I don't care.

There is a serious possibility I won't be watching the NBA Champion crowned for the first time in 8 years.  From Game 7 of the Spurs-Pistons in '05, all the way to Dallas shutting up the Heat last year I've seen it all. But tonight I think I'll play Lego Batman or watch a movie. I don't need to hear Mike Breen yell "BANG!" every time any player hits a shot in the 4th quarter. I don't need to see Mario Chalmers pretend he got shot every time he drives to the hoop because he wants a foul call. I don't need to see James Harden choke like he's LeBron or something.  Just doesn't interest me. And like Eric Clapton sang, "I don't know why I don't care."

Scattered Thoughts on the NBA Finals

We have arrived at the NBA Finals! The fake analyst in me wants to say this is a great match-up between two hard-working teams and it will be a great series. The biased hack fan in me says this is just like last year’s Finals, in which a team that is all about the true team concept of putting five guys on the floor who can play well together plays against the Heat, a team of three superstars and a whole lotta front runners and ego. Either way you look at it, this will be a terrific series and it is going to define careers.

For Erik Spoelstra, this series means everything for his job. Pat Riley fired Stan Van Gundy when he failed to win a championship with Dwyane Wade and Shaq in their first year together, so why would Spoelsta be expected to keep his job if he fails two years in a row with the “Three Kings”? If Miami wins, Coach Spo suddenly becomes a master motivator on the level of Doc Rivers. People will forget they talked such trash about how inept and simplistic his style is and will instead say he was the right guy for this team all along. There will be no middle ground here. A tremendous amount of blame will be heaped upon Spoelstra is the Heatles fall short a second straight year, but a championship suddenly means he had control of this team all along and even through the struggles he had them right where he wanted them. That’s just how sports work. Look at how different the tune about LeBron James has become in just a few days.

When the Celtics took a 3-2 lead, LeBron wasn't doing enough and we were going to see LBJ fall flat yet again.  Then he went off for 45-15-5 in Game 6 and hit an unreal 30-foot three-pointer to seal up Game 7 and everybody is talking about how LeBron is in the best stretch of his career and he is finally ready to make the jump.  LeBron himself says he is a different man and is ready, but this is the same story every year and every year there is no ring for the king.  A loss in this series defines LeBron's legacy as the guy who fled his team to join up with the guy who had already carried Antoine Walker, old Gary Payton, and broken-down Shaq to a championship. LeBron was supposed to blow Jordan away, but yet Jordan never lost in the Finals and LeBron has already lost twice, and could lose a third.

If the Heat lose, the story of the East becomes that Derrick Rose got injured, Avery Bradley went down with shoulder injuries, Ray Allen may need surgery, Paul Pierce has a sprained knee, and Boston was old and used up.  LeBron joined Wade and Bosh tagged along because they thought it would be easy and they could run through the NBA, and a loss makes the Heat and LeBron look like a failure since even with an easier road to the title they couldn't get it done.  Losing this championship defines LeBron as a regular season wonder who could never get it done when it mattered most. It is all the difference between being Karl Malone or one of the true greats.

Of course a win changes everything. With one championship, all the criticism goes away.  Since Kobe Bryant won his MVP and then back-to-back championships, how many people talk about the dark days in Kobe's career? How often do you hear about the 2004 Lakers imploding because of the conflicts between Kobe and the rest of the team stemming from the rape accusations? What about Phil Jackson retiring and calling Kobe "uncoachable" in his book and LA trading Shaq away since they couldn't co-exist?  Not many. All you hear about is how Kobe is an amazing scorer and defender and the best player of the post-Jordan era. If the Heat win the championship then all the trash that has been spoken about LeBron for the last few years will vanish.  Winning that one title immediately makes LeBron the King and changes the narrative of his career from an amazing player that never reached his potential to a legend who vanquished all of his foes and became a champion.

For OKC, if Russell Westbrook has a bunch of games where he shoots poorly and the Thunder ultimately lose the championship, the talk of getting rid of him will once again pick up.  People have been praising Westbrook and Durant's ability to coexist, but all it takes is one loss in the Finals and it is right back to "Westbrook needs to go."  Of course Westbrook can be a problem and will take way too many shots when he should be deferring to Durantula.  Sometimes he needs to understand he is the Rosie to Durant's Sophia Grace and he just needs to stand there and give Durant confidence and do some cool moves.  If OKC drops games where Westbrook is shooting 30% then it will be seen as Westbrook's fault and people will want him traded.

It will also be interesting to see what happens with James Harden. He becomes a restricted free agent after next season, and with all the notoriety he is getting for his amazing play off the bench he could want a big pay day and sucker some team in to giving it to him.  If the Thunder don't win this year, maybe he starts thinking about leaving if they lose next year too.  Or maybe the Thunder win and Harden pulls a Trevor Ariza and goes and gets a big pay day after proving his worth on a championship team.  Scott Brooks had to give Harden the hard sell to make him buy into his sixth man role, and though Harden says he is fine with his role now money always changes things. Will he play his little heart out to try and get a fat contract with some other team in the future?

For Durant this is a chance to become the best in the world. He'll be going against a guy who is seen as one of the best, if not the best perimeter defender in the league.  He needs to be on his game for OKC to win.  He shot over 50% both times these two teams met during the regular season. Durant needs to do that a few more times and get to the line often.  He also needs to play good defense on LeBron and use his length to keep James from unleashing punishing drive after punishing drive and going off for monster games.  Durant has been the challenger to LeBron's throne since LBJ's second MVP season and if he can outplay LeBron on the biggest stage in all of basketball and lead the Thunder to a title then he becomes the king of the league, the MVP favorite for next season, and the Thunder are title favorites for years to come.

The perimeter defense of the Heat could give OKC some fits, but the post defense of OKC can also give Miami fits. The Thunder have better rebounders and shot blockers than Boston did so LeBron will have a tougher time bum rushing the hoop.  The keys here are if Westbrook can rip Mario Chalmers apart and still score when Dwyane Wade gets put on him, and if Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins can lock down the paint and exploit Miami's front court woes. However, a healthy Bosh, an attacking LeBron, and an active Wade could spell certain doom for OKC.

Thabo Sefolosha's defense on Wade will be a key to this series. Really OKC's team defense on Wade needs to take him out of the game since he may be more dangerous than LeBron in some respects.  If Wade is attacking and has it going then Miami is too tough to stop. How many games in the Boston series did Wade get shut down in the first half only to come and and start driving and get his shot going in the second, making the game wicked hard for the C's?  If OKC wants to win they needs to stop Wade from going off and they need Westbrook and Durant to play well. Also, on paper the Thunder hold a big edge on Miami in terms of the bench.  They need those bench guys to step up since one of Miami's biggest knocks is a lack of depth.

For Miami to win they need to shut down Russell Westbrook.  If he takes a ton of shots and misses a ton of shots, OKC is totally screwed. They also need to get the OKC bigs in foul trouble, which may not be that hard since the Heat are averaging 28 free throws per game these playoffs and if LeBron is driving then that opens everything up for his team and sends him to the line a lot. Miami has good defenders in James, Wade, Battier, and Haslem.  Durant and Westbrook are prone to turnovers and if you turn the ball over against Miami you're as good as dead.  Miami needs to use their great wing defending and get out and run in transition since that is where they break teams.

As for a prediction, my heart says OKC in six but my head says Miami in six. I would love for OKC to become this new dynasty and a superpower for years, but I think Miami has come too far to lose. You can blame it on NBA conspiracies, the Thunder's inexperience, or LeBron finally stepping up, but I think the Heat are going to win this series. I think LeBron and Wade are going to draw a lot of fouls and force too many turnovers. Westbrook is going to have two or three games where he takes way too many shots and costs the Thunder.  Miami may have had their struggles in the last two rounds, but for whatever reason I just can't picture them falling short here.  It would be pretty groovy if they lost though, but I don't find it likely.

Oh Boy: Heat-Celtics Game 5 Thoughts

And just like that, the Miami Heat's hopes for a second championship parade down Biscayne Boulevard were put on the ropes by a team nobody thought had a chance. Even this writer thought the Boston Celtics were getting swept.  But now we stand on the eve of Game 6, maybe the biggest game in the careers of so many parties, with Boston up 3-2 and Miami seemingly in search of their soul.

This was a Miami team that for a minute looked like they may not be able to beat the Indiana Pacers.  There have been multiple times this season where their aura of invincibility seemed pretty non-existent. People have said that Chris Bosh's injury doomed Miami. Injuries to Chris Bosh or not, the Heat have enough to beat Boston. Injuries can't always be an excuse since in 2010 the Celtics made the Finals despite fluid literally squirting out of Paul Pierce's knee before games.  Is it Bosh's injury that allowed Boston to get back into this series and put Miami on the brink, or is it something worse?

The Boshtrich is needed since he would make Kevin Garnett work on the defensive end, but you're going to rely on Udonis Haslem to stop KG from scoring. Garnett is 36 years old now, with career averages of 19.3 points per game on 50% shooting and 10.6 rebounds per game.  This series he is averaging 21.6 points per game on 49% shooting to go with 10.8 rebounds per.  Well thanks Haslem.  Missing Bosh sucks for Miami since it takes away an offensive option, but in terms of defense they should have enough to stop an old man like KG from taking them to the woodshed. And will somebody do something about Rajon Rondo?

Rondo's season averages: 11.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 11.7 assists with 45% shooting from the floor and 60% shooting from the foul line. His averages against Miami: 20.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, 11 assists with 48% shooting from the floor and 71% at the foul line.  His scoring average is inflated thanks to his 44-point explosion in Game 2, but even without that his scoring and shooting percentage are up from his usual.  Rondo has no fear no matter who is guarding him and he is tearing Miami apart.

Not having Bosh on the offensive end hurts, but for a team that prides itself in defense the Heat should still have enough to take care of business.  Game 4 was decided by two points, Game 5 by four. Not having Bosh around is a bummer, but the Heat eliminated Indiana and went up 2-0 on Boston without him then lost in OT in Game 4 and had Bosh last night but lost another close one.  The chances were there and Miami has the MVP of the league and a former Finals MVP. This quick, aggressive, defensive-minded team should be able to pull out victories over the old Celtics.  Bosh's strained abdomen is a problem, but that is not why they are staring down elimination tomorrow. Pierce, Allen, and Rondo shot terribly yesterday but still Boston won. This is cause for alarm.

Erik Spoelstra's poor decision making may have cost Miami big time yesterday. Chris Bosh had not played in three weeks due to his strained abdomen, but he came back for Game 5.  His minute limit was 25, and in 14 minutes he put up 9 points and 7 boards and was very aggressive on offense, something the Heat sorely needed.  Bosh did not play in the fourth quarter.  Erik Spoelstra said it would not have been "fair" to put Bosh in that situation.  It is one thing to hold a guy back and let him rest in the regular season, but when an All Star scorer nearly has a double-double in 14 minutes and you are in a dog fight with control of the series on the line you can't hold back.  Bosh was a step slow on defense since he hasn't played, but you need offense from somebody other than Wade and LeBron and the Boshtrich is the best bet. As I wrote the other day, Bosh is needed to space the floor so Wade and James don't have to work so much and that would have been a huge help in the fourth quarter. Spoelstra didn't see it that way and that may be a big part of the reason Miami is down 3-2.

Another problem is that for all of LeBron's amazing play this series, it stunningly is not enough, and this is not because I'm not a LeBron fan.  LeBron is averaging 31.8 points and 10 rebounds per game and shooting 50% from the field. Very good stats, but there's more to it.  His regular season assist average was 6.2, but it is at 4 in this series along with 3.4 turnovers per game.  That is not good.  LeBron only attempted 2.4 three pointers per game during the season, but is attempting 4.4 per game against the C's this series.  James shot 36% from deep during the season, but now he's at 27%.  He had one of his best free throw shooting seasons at 77% but somehow against Boston it has dropped to 65.  And last night Dwyane Wade attempted more shots in the fourth quarter (9) than James (6).  LeBron is trying hard, but Miami still needs more out of him.

What is as frustrating as the fact LeBron is attempting so many threes and turning it over almost as often as he assists, is the fact that in the last two games he has only attempted a grand total of four free throws in the two fourth quarters. It is admirable that LeBron wants to get his team involved so much, but he needs to develop a killer instinct.  LeBron needs to understand that as the league's MVP and the greatest athlete to ever play the game he has to take over.  Nobody else even needs to really touch the ball, just put your head down and drive to the basket.  Wade may be his friend and he trusts Wade, but sometimes you have to realize you're the most unstoppable player and you have to put the burden of the team on your shoulders completely.

As good as LeBron has been these playoffs, he needs to be better.  He certainly isn't doing anything to shoot down the criticisms of not having the desire to win by saying things like "I think we played good enough to give ourselves a chance to win, and that's all you can ask for." The Heat are a team with everything to prove, and LeBron has to prove he is worthy of being the three-time MVP. Saying they tried hard and that's enough is not enough at all.  It is kind of sad and very frustrating that somebody with so much skill still apparently lacks the ferocious, take-no-prisoners attitude you would expect of somebody who wants to win so bad.

Of course it all comes back to Michael Jordan since LeBron was supposed to be on his level. Bulls center Luc Longley was once asked to describe MJ with one word, and he replied, "predator." Jordan didn't just say he wanted to win, he was going to do whatever it takes and would accept nothing less than a title.  If the game was tight, Jordan would drive to the hoop and try to get to the foul line. Wade did this same thing in 2006 against Dallas. LeBron needs to do it now. There can be no settling for a good effort, there has to be the MVP taking over.

Erik Spoelstra looked pretty bummed out in his post-game interview.  I felt so uncomfortable trying to watch him because he was trying to act like everything was cool and this was no big deal, but they were just empty words.  There's plenty of reason to be concerned. The Heat have had problems executing down the stretch for two seasons despite having two of the top players in the world. Their simplistic play designs have screwed them over for two seasons. Bosh wasn't in the fourth quarter last night despite playing well. I like Spoelstra and I think he has done a good job,  but if the Heat go home tomorrow, and I don't mean for Game 7, then Coach Spo is gone.  I felt awkward watching him try to brush this off as just another mountain for a tough team to climb. I had Bruce Springsteen's Dead Man Walking stuck in my head as I watched it unfold. The blame is going to fall on Spoelstra if they lose, and he will be gone.

Of course Miami is not done and a loss in Game 6 is not a foregone conclusion.  Bosh will play more in Game 6 and will be much more capable, most likely giving Boston's defense some fits and opening things up for Wade and James.  Also, just because the game will be in Boston it doesn't mean Boston will win.  The Celtics have problems closing teams out. They have for ages and there is not a great reason to expect anything different tomorrow. And everybody is talking about how Miami is done and unraveled. If the Heat win tomorrow suddenly there was never any cause for worry.  But Boston has exposed flaws in Miami and shown that no matter what happens in the rest of this series, the Heat are very beatable.

As for the Celtics, they remain pretty boring to discuss since they come out, play hard, go home. Their offense is hideous, but luckily they pride themselves on tough defense.  Rondo and Garnett are carrying this team and need to play magnificent one more time to make their third NBA Finals in five seasons.  You can sense the urgency since the big three all realize that their championship window is just about shut.  Rajon Rondo has shown he has all the tools to be the best point guard in the game if he could just shoot as well as he has been consistently. If he improves his jumper and foul shooting he could be unstoppable.  He is out-hustling everybody on the court and always seems to be in the perfect spot, like on his incredible tip to Mickael Pietrus for the three.

Doc Rivers is cementing himself as one of the greatest coaches of all time.  People have been saying Boston was too old by the third season the big three were together, but they could be back in the Finals. Rivers has his team playing terrific defense and their confidence is through the roof.  Just like in 2010 when nobody thought they had a shot against Cleveland, Rivers got his group to play at a level nobody thought they could by that point and they sent the Cavs home. They came so close to winning the championship that year but fell in seven games to the Lakers, failing to close LA out in six. Once again people were saying the Celtics were too old and banged up to make a run to the Finals, but all they have to do is execute for 48 more minutes and they can make it back.

And can we finally accept Paul Pierce is one of the greatest closers of all time? He is never afraid to take the big shots when it is all on the line. He took the ball to the basket to get to the line so he could give Boston the 87-85 lead, then despite being only 5-18 from the floor the Truth hit a wicked three over LeBron to make it 90-86 and send Miami reeling. His laughter afterwards was ridiculous. That play was indicative of the entire series. There is no reason old, hobbled Pierce should be able to make the young and athletic LeBron look silly just like there is no reason for these old Celtics to be making the quick and young Heat look bad, but somehow it is happening.

This has been an entertaining series and it has been full of surprises.  Tomorrow night is a huge game since the legacy of both team's big threes are resting on it.  The Heat have to execute and LeBron has to play even better than he already has through these playoffs.  The Celtics have to prove they can finally close out a team when they need to since if they let Miami back into it tomorrow, there will be no stopping the Heat from going all the way.