(Best Friends)

First of all, did anyone else notice that the stat for percentage of teams that win the first game that end up winning the series changed from the Phoenix-San Antonio game to the Mavs-Hornets game? It was 83 for the first one, and became 79 for the second one I believe.

LeBrick James hits some lucky shots...

In a game that was far more interesting than I expected it to be, the Cavs pulled a close one out in the fourth behind another great performance by King James and solid performances from Big Z and Boobie. Some no doubt will point to those two missed free throws at the end by LeBron as points to be worried about, but I thought this game indicated that the Cavs have a little more heart than folks tend to give them credit for.

When the Spurs pull out a toughy it's because of their playoff experience, but for some reason when a team like the Cavs pull it out it's described as being not that big of a deal because "...game 2 is the one where the road team generally puts it all together". The announcers seemed a bit overly pro-Wizards with the way they kept building Agent Zero and Co. up.

Anyone else really looking forward to the fight that will break out between the two teams? I'm hoping for something a little like Knicks-Heat back in the day with LeBron taking down Arenas and Stevenson by incorporating that backwards flip into the pool he had in the LeBrons commercial, Ben Wallace suffocating Caron Butler with his 'fro, and Delonte West blinding Jamison with all those tats. Seriously Delonte, draw on a piece of paper like the rest of us.

Shaq discovers they key to not picking up a sixth foul is not playing defense...

I know these are two championship caliber teams and all, but wow if the defense down the stretch wasn't awful by both teams. Well I don't know, maybe the offense was just really good. Either way, it seemed like both squads were inviting one another to drop big shots on each other.

The only satisfying ending to that match up will be Shaq dropping a three ball at the buzzer in game seven right in the Big Fundamental's eye. Poor Diesel looked confused when Duncan got the ball at the three point line.

Ginobli and Parker were off in the first half when the Suns seemed to be cruising, but in true Spurs fashion the squad rallied and hit two straight clutch threes at the end of regulation and at the end of the first OT. Apparently Finley is still alive, and Duncan can hit the long ball as those are the things that made the series 1-0 Spurs instead of 0-1 Spurs.

I wonder how much Phoenix misses Kurt Thomas. Who was it that said it was a mistake letting him go? Ah yes, I believe it was Dizzle and myself.

Amare is REALLY good offensively, much better than I gave the guy credit for. He keeps fouling out like that though, and the Suns are going to be done quick in this series.

Great TV.

I look for Manu and TP's production in the the rest of the series, and Amare's ability to stay in the game, as indicators to how the series will go.

Mavs prove the importance of playoff choking experience...

Apparently that Chris Paul guy is kinda sorta good. After a really solid first half, the Mavs prove that they're not above choking away a game that really matters on the road just because they've been here before.

I know Dirk will get flack for the loss because that's just the way the world works, but the truth of the matter is that you can really credit Josh Howard's inability to score, Jason Kidd's inability to show he has a pulse, and the talent of CP3 with the Maverick's dropping the first game of a series I predict they'll lose in six or less.

Behind an amazing effort by Chris Paul where he scored most of his points in the second half, David West came alive, Tyson Chandler cleaned up on the glass, and Peja hit the shots he was supposed to hit, the Hornets rallied in half numero dos to take game one.

The Jazz have a five point lead with 1 minute gone in the second...

As I'm writing this there is eleven minutes left in the second quarter and the Jazz lead the Rockets by five. I'm not going to watch this game because both teams are boring and I saw this match up already last season. I'll probably periodically check the score, turn the game back on in the fourth, and hope that my Rockets pick doesn't end up being wrong.

7:19 PM, time to study for the test that'll decide 30% of my grade in my Management class. Thank you David Stern. The NBA, where robbing folks of crucial studying time happens. And of course rather than studying, I'm writing a blog complaining about a lack of study time in true idiot fashion.

Oh yeah, and anyone who wants a great little pre-game warmup to the Lakers-Nuggets game should check out TimMoore's blog which as usual absolutely kills it as far as Lakers coverage:

http://community.foxsports.com/blogs/timmoore2/2008/04/18/Lakers_vs_Nuggets_Series_Preview#comments

(As close as Kobe's gotten to an MVP. )

I wrote a blog a little while ago claiming that to hate on Lebron was irrational and I still believe that. The same logic doesn't apply to Kobe Bryant. I think Kobe Bryant has done things that justify the hate he receives from various basketball fans - but there is no justification in robbing him of the MVP vote.

There is no Laker fan on this site who has been as loud a critic of Kobe Bryant as I have. Most know my feelings on how he went about carrying himself this past summer, and how even though he was having his best season in my opinion since Shaq left, I still refused to give him due credit. For a while I was actually rooting for Kobe not to get the MVP as some sort of justice for comments of this summer.As late as the Lakers-Hornets match up, I refused to say that Kobe was considerably ahead of Chris Paul in the MVP race. Watching the Spurs game, I realized the truth.

Kobe Bryant is considerably ahead of Chris Paul in the MVP race.

I'm not yet ready to buy into the idea that CP3 chokes under pressure, but I do know that in the games the Lakers have had to win - they've won. Now for all we know the Lakers will come in and lay an egg tonight against them cowbell ringing mofos that got us first place, but for now the Lakers have done everything they needed to do to secure first in the West and I credit Kobe with that.

The thing about a player like Kobe, and this is something King James will soon experience as well from his smarter fans as well, I don't care about his statistics. He can score 30 points. 40 points. 60 points. 80 points. 100 points. I don't care anymore. Kobe Bryant is past being defined by a stat line in my book. I now define Kobe Bryant by the number of wins he gets the team when it matters most.

If Kobe gets 57 points and the Lakers lose, I don't accept the argument that it was his teammates that failed. If Kobe gets 57 and the team loses, I blame Kobe for that because Kobe has evolved past the point of being defined by the number of points he scores, or the number of assists he hands out, or the number of boards he grabs. I'm surprised more fans don't think that way, particularly Laker fans who are used to winning and winning on a consistent basis.

But just as I blame Kobe for the losses that the team experiences when Kobe has great stats, I will give him all the credit in the world for Laker wins when they matter most. I've read quite a few pieces discussing how Kobe shouldn't get all the credit for this season's turnaround because his stats have decreased and his teammates stats have increased, thus THEY MUST be good teammates and Kobe MUST not deserve the MVP on that basis.

What kind of ridiculous logic is that? It's reminiscent of the stupid "But Lebron has Larry Hughes so why isn't he winning?" remarks in seasons past.

Kobe Bryant has been chastised for not making the people around him better for three seasons now, and when the teammates around him finally get better and he tones down the scoring title chase, we're not going to give him the credit he deserves for that? OF COURSE Derek Fisher is a calming force in the locker room, the man is a veteran who brings a level of respectability to any franchise he comes a part of. OF COURSE Pau Gasol is a great talent, obviously his skill level is one that will push the Lakers ahead. OF COURSE Lamar Odom is underrated (particularly after the all star break of the past few seasons) and is one of my favorite Lakers if not my favorite Lakers. Which part of all that diminishes Kobe's MVP worthiness?

Forget the statistics battle and the teammates battle, both of which can be argued either way.

http://community.foxsports.com/blogs/JtbataHK/2008/04/12/Why_Kobe_is_the_MVPand_CP3_Is_Not

The guy above did the stats/teammates argument in a much better fashion than I ever could have.

Let's just remember what we were saying in regards to why Chris Paul is the MVP this year - he led his team to the top of a Western Conference that's the most competitive we've seen in a while now. Does the same logic not apply to Kobe? He's led his team to the top of the Western Conference standings just like Chris Paul had a week ago, so why change the formula?

As far as the last Lakers-Hornets game, you can argue whether or not the man to man match up between Kobe and CP3 went one way or the other, but there is no denying that it was the most important match up between the two of the season. To hell with the MVP race, it played a huge role in the Western Conference race. It showed how the two teams matched up against elite competition. It showed how the two teams handled adversity. It was the most important match up between the two teams of the entire season.

Then as if that wasn't enough, the Lakers came out and pounded the Spurs. Sure GINOBLI! wasn't in the lineup and sure Pop seemed to give up towards the end, but the Lakers won yet another game they had to win and again I credit Kobe with that based on the criteria I mentioned above.

What this does to my credibility I'm not sure, for the sake of fairness Kobe had my MVP vote even before the Lakers-Hornets match up, and even before the Lakers took control of the West. I felt Mamba WOULD get the MVP despite the fact that Paul deserved it more, and I didn't see a problem with making the award a lifetime achievement award. As has been pointed out by NBA is the Worst and JDizzle and many other people on this little nifty site of ours, the MVP vote has no set criteria and no set definition for what valuable is.

For two seasons now it's been said that Kobe doesn't deserve the MVP despite his great individual seasons because his team have been bad. I disagreed the first year, but completely agreed about last year. I thought it was crazy that anyone would argue he was the MVP last year when it was quite obviously Steve Nash. But this season, Kobe has met the necessary requirements. His defense has far improved from the awful D he's played since Shaq left, he's looking for his teammates more, he's still a killer scorer, and he finally has a team that is at the top of the Western Conference.

Charles Barkley recently said that we shouldn't change the formula around for MVP voting and thus give it to CP3, but it seems like all we're doing is changing the formula when we say that Kobe shouldn't get it. Everything that Kobe Bryant has lost the MVP for in seasons past, he's fixed this season.

I still don't have the type of respect for Kobe as I had prior to this summer as a person, and I doubt that will come back any time soon. I don't believe that winning fixes that, and I'm surprised that the team's play this year has made folks forget so quick. That said, my opinion on Kobe as a player HAS changed drastically as the season has progressed, and I have a newfound respect for him because he's finally played a season in the way I've envisioned him playing ever since Shaq left.

It's entirely possible that the Hornets win out against a whatever Clippers team and a maybe resting Dallas team while the Lakers get done like that chick in Colorado and lose home court at which point I'll still believe that Kobe is the MVP but will at least buy into the fact that legitimate claim can be made for Chris Paul. However, if the Lakers finish atop the West there should be no other MVP than Kobe.

This is the last time I'm going to be talking MVP because frankly I'm tired of it, but it's a blog I've wanted to write since the Spurs game. Like I said, if the Lakers lose and Chris Paul ends up atop the West, I won't consider it a crime that he gets the MVP. If the Lakers win out though, it should be Kobe's award. End of story.

(Bunch of dudes rubbing up some random trophy)

Wait, am I supposed to be happy or scared?

Sure the Lakers won the game and thus won the division and all that jazz, but is anyone else as disturbed as I am by the complete collapse by the Lakers in the second half? It was mind boggling to watch.

When the game started I was expecting a rough and tumble game that would come down to the wire, but when the Lakers jumped ahead by like thirty I figured it was a wrap. I was already planning my blog on how I overestimated the Hornets and how Kobe is a god amongst men. How Byron Scott should decline the Coach of the Year honors and instead give them Phil's address. How Chris Paul should lay down under the car that Mamba jumped over. How CP3 for MVP supporters should go stand behind Kevin Garnett in the "Almost...but no" section.

And then the second half happened.

As quickly as I've ever seen, a twenty point lead became ten. Then it fell into single digits, and the Lakers continued to throw up clunkers. I couldn't believe my freaking eyes at the awful defense and ridiculous reliance on jumpers I was seeing. The over dribbling by the Lakers and the suddenly solid defense by the Hornets gave me flashbacks to the UCLA-Memphis game. Take a guess at which team was UCLA and which one was Memphis.

But then it seemed to go back to normal. The Lakers picked it up, Kobe made another amazing dunk, and all seemed well with the world. I was at peace, the Lakers were CLEARLY going to win that game. The Lakers had like a thirteen point lead in the fourth, and that's when I said once again: GAME OVER.

My thoughts shifted to how overrated Chris Paul has been, how the inexperienced Hornets really will go down like everyone said because of said lack of experience, and how this team can't roll with the big boys in the West. Yawning I flipped the channels a little bit checking to see what was good on ESPN News, but I quickly became annoyed with their new stupid layout and switched back to the game.

In a word: Whoops.

Peja apparently realized that he was a pretty good shooter, and started hitting the three ball. Bonzi woke up from that coma he's been in ever since his last playoff games against the Spurs when he was playing with Sacramento, and the Lakers went back to forgetting the point of the game is to put the ball into the hoop. When it became a one point game, I began to pray that the more crazy Laker fans on this site were away from any sharp objects.

But then I realized this is the NBA...where Derek Fisher happens. I love Fish, bad foot and all. Lamar and Pau came through in the clutch too, but it was that steal by Fisher that changed everything. From that point on, you may as well have marked it down as a +1 in the Laker win column.

At the end of the game, I wasn't sure whether I was supposed to be proud the Lakers won or shocked that they could blow such a lead. The Lakers truly seemed like the better team out there all night when the game was on the line, but I can't help but feel that the Spurs wouldn't roll the way the Hornets rolled. That if the Lakers played like this against them defending champ boys, the Big Fundamental and GINOBLI would've torched them.

Nice to see the Lakers are a dominant squad (at some points) against Western elite, but damn...

As far as the MVP race, last night decided nothing. The Chris Paul played well despite the foul trouble, and when you consider the comeback effort he led in an away building I can't believe anyone would say he doesn't deserve to be in MVP consideration.

I am leaning more so towards Kobe regardless of that though, despite the fact that last night's game was a wash.

http://community.foxsports.com/blogs/JtbataHK/2008/04/12/Why_Kobe_is_the_MVPand_CP3_Is_Not

The above is a very good blog as to why Kobe deserves the MVP vote over CP3, but any Laker fan deluding themselves into believing there is a giant enormous gap between the two on the worthiness meter oughta slap themselves. Kobe gets it, but by an inch rather than a mile.

(Don't pay her any attention, that's just my ring advisor...)

A few months ago I wrote a blog in which I called the NBA boring and predictable, and said I'd rather watch the NFL. On Pluto. Alright I didn't really say that last thing, but I should have.

In direct response to my inspirational comments, the NBA took action. A number of incredible trades, the best Western Conference race in the history of the league, the most interesting MVP race in recent memory, and the revival of storied franchises from horribleness to best in the NBA and from mediocrity to contender.

You're welcome, fans.

I said the NBA playoffs at seven games was horrible. That it created a scenario where the best team NEARLY always won and there was no excitement. Can you imagine this year's Western Conference playoffs? Potentially seven games of absolutely brilliant basketball. Hornets, Spurs, Lakers, Mavs, Warriors/Nuggets, Rockets, Jazz, and Suns swinging for their playoff lives - and I think it'd be safe to call at least six of those teams legitimate contenders.

Even in the East where we expect the Pistons and Celtics to meet for a chance to go to the Finals, the storylines are great.

The Celtics are the class of the East, but will the Pistons experience take them to the big dance? Will Lebron be able to save the Cavs from a quick ousting? How will a seemingly revived Wizards team fair? What will we see from Superman? How will the young Sixers do?

The storylines are endless.

And on the player side of it, there are even more storylines. Will Kobe FINALLY prove he can win without Shaq? Will Lebron's streak of successfully carrying a weak team deep end? Will  Shaq prove that he is truly the difference maker that Shaq fans have always believed him to be? (I actually thought he was a difference maker, but thought he'd suck in Phoenix) Will Nowitzki shake that 'soft' image? Will Chris Paul prove that despite his age and lack of experience, he's a top 3 player in the NBA?

The worst part about the NBA playoffs is that it overlaps with finals, thus putting some extra strain on me to be able to get into both. Ah well, finals aren't that important. I don't plan on staying in college for the full 4 years anyway, just the mandatory 1 year.

Oh, and enough with this whole 'The playoffs have started' nonsense. No they haven't. A dip in the seedlings now means nothing with the West being as tough as it is. Homecourt is great, but it's not the end all be all. Unless you're Utah.

Who else is excited as hell for the playoffs?

(Lebron telling Kobe the directions to the 40/40 club...)

First of all, I don't particularly like Kobe. This is known by most, and I don't try to hide it. I think his BS this summer was completely out of line, and while some of the truly slow don't believe that someone can dislike the best player on his favorite team, it is what it is.

It is worth mentioning however, that I've never used to like Lebron. I respect Lebron, I think he's absolutely amazing from a basketball standpoint, but I've never been a Lebron fan. I even wrote a blog about how I couldn't figure out why I disliked Lebron on my previous FSN account.

The problem with not liking Lebron however, is that there is really no logic behind it. I saw this when I wrote that blog I just mentioned. There is absolutely, positively, no reason to dislike Lebron James. Hate for Lebron James comes either from pettiness or jealousy, but nothing that Lebron himself could control. I'll delve more into this in a minute.

Now I know the Kobe lovers will fall from the sky and hop on my back, but the truth of the matter is Kobe Bryant's issues and issues that others have with him are all by his own doing. HE is the one who hated playing Robin to Shaq's Batman, HE is the one that called Shaq out, HE is the one who threw management under the bus this summer, and HE is the one who demanded a trade when the going got tough.

Now for the sake of full disclosure, many fans believe that Kobe was right to do what he did with both Shaq and management over the summer, so they don't fault him for that. I don't buy into to that school of thought, and I hold Kobe at fault for his tirade over the summer and subsequent trade demands - but that's just me.

The thing with Lebron James is, there's nothing to dislike him for. There is nothing that Lebron did  that would warrant the hate that he gets. What's a common thing that people say about Lebron? "He's overrated..." Well hell, let's ignore his talent and all his achievements for a second and just ask this: Who's fault is it that he's overrated? How is OTHER PEOPLE saying he's better than you think he is his fault? Why dislike Lebron for what OTHER PEOPLE rate him as? He's not the one who comes out and says he's the best player in the NBA. In fact, he CONSTANTLY calls Kobe the best player in the NBA when asked about it.

What's the other thing folks like to say about him? "He gets too much credit for taking a team in the Eastern Conference deep in the playoffs...". So? Again, Lebron did what he had to do. What does the fact that he was drafted to an Eastern Conference team, and then proceeded to beat a Pistons team that retained 4/5 starters from their championship squad, have to do with not liking Lebron James? So he plays in the East, so what? If getting to the Finals is oh so easy, why isn't everyone doing it? Granted the hobbled Wizards were an easy matchup, but weren't a lot of folks picking the Nets after that? And how did they advance the way they did the year before that against a healthy Wizards squad? How about the way they took it to the Pistons that year they got bounced in seven?

I mean it absolutely defies logic to hate on this guy. "He came in with too much hype...". SO WHAT? Has he not lived up to the hype more than any other draft pick in the last fifteen years? What other player came in with as much pub as him, and managed to accomplish as much as him? We're talking about a guy who prior to this season, led his team deeper and deeper into the playoffs in a way no other star with the same amount of bad players would have been able to do. A guy who made 50 wins in a season EXPECTED by Cleveland fans, when that all that god forsaken franchise was known for was being the fools that stood and watched MJ drop a famous shot on them.

I sit here and I read these absolutely crazy people try to insult Lebron and it boggles my mind that they actually try to argue that he's not as great as he is. HE IS AS GREAT AS PEOPLE SAY HE IS.

And please, save me your Lebron insults based on this season. This season that team and Lebron are both off, there is no denying that. But to use this one season as an excuse to degrade Lebron's skills as a baller is beyond dumb. Particularly by Laker fans, who of all people should know what it's like when your star player isn't surrounded by talent.

This blog won't be received well, but I don't care. I just can't stand reading this poorly written nonsense about how Lebron isn't all that when there is absolutely no grounds for the comments.

And I swear to god, if I see one person actually list Kobe Bryant's career stats side by side with Lebron's career stats like I did in another blog I may go crazy.