Never mind what college he came from (Xavier)...or how many years he's been in the league (5)...David West is officially a force to be reckoned with, and Tim Duncan's latest nightmare.

The line...he shot 16-25 for 38 pts...6-7 free throws...14 rebs...5 assists...2 steals and 5 blocks. D.West played MVP style in a game that required nothing short of just that. He literally carried the Hornets thru the first half when the most pts the next mnan on his team had was 6...and as horribly as the Hornets played, his 20 pts kept them within 3 by halftime. That proved to be all it took for CP3 to get it together and do what he does best....torch opposing guards and defenses with sweet dribbles...crafty passes...and lobs to Tyson Chandler.  But don't get it twisted...it was all about D.West last night.

At a crucial point in the game, he swatted away a shot by Bruce Bowen, and then another one by Tim Duncan just 3 possessions later. He dazzled the crowd from the get go with technically sound jumpshots, and an array of inside moves en route to the hoop and ultimately, another 2 points. On this night, D.West would not be denied. He called out his team in such an inconBLEEPuous manner by saying "WE didn't show up" (to game 4). He challenged them to step up, and then he lead by example. D.West would not be denied in game 5, coming only 1 point shy of the Hornets all time playoff scoring record (39 by Glen Rice). He could care less though...he wanted the win...and even when his back tried to deny him...he kept on going.

Who is David West? ask Tim Duncan....ask greg Popovich....ask the NBA. If they didn't  know...NOW they know!!!

....needs to go to Lebron's momma!!!  LOL                                               
                                         2 years...$2500 per year.

everyone saw how quick she was to defend her son....maybe some of the players can take a lesson from her.

on another note...sorry Lebron. i know that was a bit embarrassing!!!  LOL

4 years and $24 million...Wow! that's a whole lot of money for a coach who hasn't proven anything except that he can't coach in a half court set.

I'm not happy at all with this deal, for one huge reason...the NY Knicks do not need a high wire act...they need a make over!!! Walsh has made the first move in what can prove to be a very long 4 years. I'm a life long Knicks fan and i know that first of all we need to define the direction of the franchise. Are we going to rebuild? If so, then around who? we have so many jacked up contracts and jacked up players...we have zero chemistry, and no floor leader. we have tired ,overpaid and lazy players (yeah Eddy Curry...i'm comin at you!)...and what in the world has D'Antoni shown us as far as dealing with that type of atmosphere? NOTHING except that when the BLEEP hits the fan, he can run like Flo Jo in the 88 olympics!

I'm not sold on him as coach at all....not even close! He can't take criticism, so what will he do when the NY media gets to unloading on his coaching skills and decisions? D'Antoni...time to strap on your vest!

the Spurs have consitently exposed his inability to coach a functioning defense. he showed us all this last season that his developmental skills are non-existent, having had a rotation of 8 players tops for the majority of the season. Sure his offense came with some excitement for Phoenix, but take it from me, NY don't want excitement...they want a winner!!!

I don't care what anyone says....when things get hot, he's gonne get to running like keenan Ivory Wayans in "I'm Gonna Get You BLEEPa", hollering out "...they shootin....they shootin".

D'Antoni....time to strap on your vest!

trade him or get him the RIGHT help. he still doesn't have the help he needs. there's no need to even get into stats...any fool can tell that if shutting down one man is the key to beating a team, then he has zero help.

look at the champions of past. 90's Bulls....80's Lakers....80's Celtics...even the current Spurs. all of those teams had role players who played their roles to the t. so what if the main guy gets shut down. if the role players are doing their job right, then the defense will be stretched to wide to focus on one guy.

MJ had guys to rebound....hit open shots....play defense....even Will Perdue (who?) was confident to play his role. John Paxson could do nothing more than bury that J....and he sure did it when they needed him to. just ask those Laker fans when he hit 6 or 7 straight baskets in the 1991 finals.

Danny Ferry took a gamble and lost. those guys are not going to give LBJ the help he needs. maybe Ferry's season as a Cavs GM is over. Maybe Lebron's chances as a Cav are too!

Defense and Discipline are two words that every chamionship team need to not only know, but understand, and live....that is if you want to stay champions.

Mike D'Antoni is a friend of neither, so please do me a favor and stay away from the NY Knicks. If Chicago has any sense, they'll pass on him too. Don't fall for the biggest and latest flash in the pan coach to hit the NBA. His four seasons in Phoenix have attracted all the attention, yet gathered none of the hardware. So these owners and GM's need to ask themselves... which do we want more?

The whole 7 seconds or less philosophy will NEVER get it done in a league where you have teams that thrive on defending and having poise and discipline. They just can't all full exist together. A nice mix will always be a positive direction to move in....but we all know that the 2 D's are so very important. If you had a nice Cadillac Escalade...brand new...low miles...best engine with the best transmission and everything...it sounds great and runs great...you take it on the streets to show off and everyone loves it.....that is until you find yourself going 80 miles per hour and realize you never serviced your brakes, you don't have a working airbag, and your seatbelts are faulty.....imagine that wreck of a scene.

that's exactly what the Suns' organization is facing with D'Antoni at the helm. They are primed for being totalled, as they were against the defending champion Spurs, losing 5-1...this after they specifically designed the team to do just the opposite. Well they forgot to add the 2 D's to that sketch, and even if they made it passed San Antonio, there's no way they would've handled the collision with CP3 and the Hornets. The Suns would be DOA!!!

So now D'Antoni imagines he'll take his high wire act on the road and impress some other unsuspecting city. I guess it might not be too bad for a city like Memphis or even Charlotte. But please...stay away from the New York Knicks. That's my team, and as sorry as we've been...we still need defense and discipline.

Note to Donnie Walsh: Please don't hire 'Antoni....he has no 'D'

Face it....Kobe Bryant deserves the MVP this year! The only real argument to the case is the young man known as CP3 down in New Orleans. There's always going to be a fuss over what defines an MVP...and for those reasons, you'll get names tossed in the arena that may be MVP's to their team, but not MVP of the NBA.

Lebron James....Kevin Garnett....Dwight Howard....Amare Stoudimire....Tony Parker...Tim Duncan....Deron Williams....all these guys (to name a few) can be considered as team MVP, but Kobe has outperformed them all this year. He has truly embraced the role of team leader, and in doing so, has the Lakers poised to win an NBA championship. Now this is not about whether or not they will win. It's about what he's done for his team.

CP3 is an excellent runner up...and at one point i even leaved toward him as the winner. But i couldn't front on Kobe. i couldn't...and if you think about it, neither can you. i know the emergence of Bynum, and the miracle trade for Gasol have both enabled the Lakers to become a different team. but they still need Kobe to keep it all together. He's the MVP... that's all....nothing else! Gasol is a good support player, but if he was the single reason for the Lakers' success, then he would've won something in Memphis. same with Bynum. Kobe took a team of dimwits to the limit versus the heavily favored Suns for two years in a row. that says zero for Phoenix, but a whole lot about Kobe.

All those people trashing him for being a ball hog...this is a year that NO ONE can say that and believe it....not if you've seen him play. now obviously, i'm not the authority, nor am i a voter...but all those who are know good and well that Kobe's has paid his dues and it's time to recognize the best player in the league. No more memories of infidelity in Colorado...nor of selfish play...nor of the ongoing fued with Shaq. Kobe has grown up, and taken his place at the front of the race. Now give the man what we all know is rightfully his.

Ok, let's tally them up so far...

The Spurs, Hornets, Jazz, Magic, and Cavs are all up 2-0. The Wizards can pretty much get their passports stamped, and get those vacations started. They have nothing with which to stand up to the defending conference champs. The Magic and Raptors I'm not concerned about right now, so I'll move into bigger target areas....Dallas, Houston and Phoenix are all facing mental giants in this 1st round. Dallas is being used as dvd highlight material for the next CP3 release...Houston (T-Mac in particular) has yet to make it out of the 1st round. Phoenix has yet to figure out how to beat San Antonio. In all 3 cases, it's time for them to put tough study habits in effect, or run the risk of repeating the grade.

The Suns's have many things to look at right now; After all these years, when will they come up with a scheme to stop Parker and Ginobli from violating their middle? when will they logically approach the defensive deficiency they have in Steve Nash? when will they realize that in order to beat the Spurs, they have to not only raise the level of intensity, but maintain it for an entire series? To this point, D'Antoni is being severly out-coached by his opponent, and unless they pull off BOTH wins in Phoenix, his questionably limited rotation will be severly scrutinized once they start their summer vacation...and make no mistakes, that's where they're headed, courtesy of the defending champion Spurs.

T-Mac and Houston....see you in August for summer camp  LOL (i couldn't resist)

Dallas....your swiss cheese defense is not going to contain the newest BEST point guard in the NBA. Stop the double teams and start counting the cost of that mega-stupid trade, where you swapped your future for New Jersey's past. Marc Cuban....you ARE the biggest loser!!!

I'm going to spare Detroit, pending the results of game 2. I know this much, they better get it together and right now, because the Lakers, Spurs, Hornets, Celtics, and Lebron are not playing around.

WHAT WHAT?????

Once again it's on. The NBA playoffs. 40 games in 40 nights. MVP...ROY...6th Man of the Year...all the rest, and then the chamionship!  This is basketball at it's best.

Forget the idea that the NCAA tournament is better than the pros. In the immortal words of my man Iron Mike Tyson.."it's LUDICROUS!" what can be better than CP3 vs J.Kidd...or the Spurs vs the Suns (now w/ Shaq)...or the Black Mamba vs the Answer? Even the prospect of seeing a Lakers vs Celtics NBA finals has to be making David Stern drool 3 gallons a day!

So...now that we got that argument out the way, what do you think? Stop playing the safe role and pick a side for crying out loud. I'm so tired of that "we'll see what happens" deal. it's time to separate the main course from the garnishments....the pretenders from the contenders.   My picks?  As much as I hate to see Boston get  there, I'm seeing a Lakers/Celtics finals. Those ae just the hot teams right now. Hopefully, Detroit can pull it together  and prevail, but Lebron and his boys are gonna be toast this year. Sorry King James.

also...MVP- Kobe (he's due and his team is top seed)                       Rookie - Kevin Durant (the rest are a distant 2nd)                                 Coach- Byron Scott (the Hornets did the whole NBA)                            6th Man- Manu Ginobli (i would've said Bonzi Wells if he played more)                                             
                                                  
             Most Improved- Monta Ellis (he's been the most consistent for Golden state)                                            
                                                 Defensive Player- KG (beating out Camby this year)                           Exec- after long hard thought, I'm giving this one to Mitch Kupchack (come on guys...he practically stole Gasol from Memphis)

Now what's up?

For the first time in NCAA tournament history, all four 1 seeds in the tourney advance to the Final Four.  Kansas (with a little zebra assistance), Memphis (starting to make FTs), UCLA (just looking solid), UNC (Hansbrough is a man's man) all went through their respective regions and played pretty dominating basketball in the process of advancing to San Antonio. Does this make it more exciting to watch? Or do we all still want to see some sort of under dog in the Final Four? As it stands now, any team that wins it won't really be a surprise because, well, they were # 1 seeds. So does this history excite you as a fan, or is it a piece of history you could do without?.....

Post Up Fellas......

P.S. Baseball season underway GO YANKEES!

 

  Ok, put on your thinking caps. Focus really hard for just a moment. Tunnel your best knowledge, and guesstimation efforts on the following question;

 

When do you think the NBA enjoyed it’s best 5 years of popularity?

 

 

If you want the answer, don’t look at me….my guess is as good as yours (probably a little better  LOL). Any research you can do will probably point to television ratings, gross earnings from licensed NBA apparel, ticket sales, etc. over the years…but the measuring stick runs a bit deeper than just those stats. The level of competition around the world is a clear indicator that the game is more popular now than ever. BUT, is that a reason to put an expansion team in Europe? Call me possessive if you like…but I say DON”T DO IT!!!!  “Why not?”  you might ask. Well I can only offer my opinion, so here it is.

 

 

Does the NBA need the money? No. While there’s always the ambitious approach to the scenario (Mo’ Money…Mo’ Money…Mo’ Money), there’s no way that the league has experienced the revenue it has in the last few years. All it takes is a couple of marketable talents to catapult the league’s popularity world-wide. Granted, it might be safe to say that MJ transcended the game itself, and that the span of 1988 to 1993 were 5 of the most profitable years ever… but what about now? Lebron James, Carmelo Anthony, K.G.,

 

D-Wade, Kobe, A.I., Amare, and even Shaq (and so many more)…all these guys still bring excitement to the game, and thus will continue to push kids around the world to chase their NBA dreams. Expansion means, that no longer will ours be the cream of the crop.

 

 

That means we have to maintain ours as an elite group...the select ones….the few, the proud, the NBA.  No more expansion, unless it’s an already established team relocating (like Seattle is trying to do).  I don’t mind European players in the NBA, but actually putting a team in Europe is not the best thing. Imagine the travel demands that it puts on a player. Flights back and forth across the country are already a huge factor in game play. Toss in 82 games and you have the perfect formula for wearing out the average athlete. To include a European team in the NBA would be like using 3 pairs of shoelaces for one pair of shoes. Yeah, the shoes need laces….but not that many. I say keep the league exclusive to this country, but not restricting of foreign talent.

 

 

Here’s another thought:The more teams (and players) you have, the lower the talent level becomes.

 

If the league were to suddenly reduce itself to only 20 teams, that would mean almost half of the players and coaches would have to be cut.

 

Naturally, you would be left with only the best players (peace out Eric Dampier and ).

 

I mean come on….it’s not a secret that some players have only made it because of their physical attributes….i.e. they’re tall. How else do you explain drafting guys like Manut Bol, George Mureson, Shawn Bradley, Joe Barry Carroll, and (my personal favorite)Will Perdue? 

 

Two words…they’re tall.

 

 

Anyway, this is just my opinion. David Stern needs to cool his jets a bit. I’m not opposed to growth, but I’m certain there’s a better way. (hint: The NFL Europe strategically works in the offseason)

 

              Sweet 16 eve, and four rounds of "all-out ballin" remain before the next champion of college hoops is crowned. It figures that right in the midst of my own self talk, explaining to myself why i think the North carolina Tar Heels can (and will) beat any of the teams still in the big dance...i come across an article regarding David Stern's plan to once again raise the entry age of the NBA. The writer of the article, no doubt, went on to kiss Stern's posterior, and commenced to handing out reasons why he agreed with the sentiment that 19 is still too young to go pro.   I disagree completely and whole-heartedly. I almost spit on the article, but it was actually on the internet on a computer terminal at my job....so needless to say that would not have worked out well.

Seriously though, is 19 too young to turn pro? i still love the age old argument that we can vote and die for our country at 18....so why can't we play pro sports at the same age? I'll tell you why. The entire college level marketing game suffers when the nation doesn't get to see at least 2 years of a Kevin Garnett type player. That's right, I said it. Think of Amare Stoudamire....Lebron James....Kobe Bryant, even Dwight Howard playing in the college ranks. Yeah, there isn't always going to be a talent that develops that quick, but there will still be the ones that do...not to mention some of these kids just need a financial break. Amare's mom was in and out of jail, strung out on crack and all. He had to do what he did for his family's sake...and who can fault him? So the question becomes, does Stern honestly believe that entering the league at age 20 is beneficial for the league and player?

  Stern has one thing working in his favor. The NBA is seeing perhaps it's best season since the 1993 season, when the Suns boasted the league MVP, and were destined for a head on collision with the MJ led, 2 time reigning champion Chicago Bulls. I mean it's hot in there this year. The western conference seedings are switching back and forth like the lady next door in "Roll Bounce".  BUT.... 6 huge stars leading their teams in the race (Kobe...Lebron...Amare....KG...Dwight Howard, and T-Mac) have all come straight out of high school, and have also enjoyed a smooth transition into stardom. Now don't get me wrong...i know there are quite a few who won't be able to make it work...but that's up to the scouts to figure out. What do they get paid for? Anyone can spot talent...but can you nurture and develop that talent until it reaches the full potential?

Simply put, Stern is probably shaking hands with the big universities as well as CBS sports, and getting in agreement about the whole deal. They all win that way.

But i think it BLEEP!

Yesterdays post started it...and last nights games confirmed it...NBA is fantastic!

Why do I hear talk show and tv show hosts saying there is no hype or effort in the NBA games?  They may not be all emotional and squiggly like the college boys, but that is because they are grown BLEEP men, they got different things on they mind.

But how about the intangables...the refs?  Last night the Suns got robbed with poor officiating.  Yes I know, it goes both ways, but sometimes the timing and magnitude of the calls creates more of a teater to the ol ballance...

What do you think GameStormers...about the NBA, the refs, the supposed lack of enthusiasm on a game time basis from the Pro's vs the Joe's errr the School Kidz!

Sound off...

 

It’s crazy how March Madness has taken over the headlines in the middle of one of the best NBA seasons in a long time. When was the last time we seen a playoff race that had 6 games separating 1st seed from 9th seed? How long has it been since, although the West has long been the superior conference, the top 3 seeds in the East actually own winning records against the West. How long has it been since we seen the Celtics dominate the league? When was the last time the NBA saw a winning streak of 20+ games? All these questions and more add up to what I believe is shaping up to be the best era of competitive professional basketball since the 80’s. No offense to Bulls/ Jordans fans, but they didn’t really have any legitimate competition….did they? I mean, did they really?
No.

So now, here we are with a few weeks left before the playoffs. The Wild Wild West is still shooting it out. The 5th seed last week, is now the number one seed…and in the words of John Witherspoon “BLEEP BLEEP BLEEP BLEEP BLEEP” (A Vampire in Brooklyn)….uh oh….Dirk Nowitski goes down. But who really cares? I mean Dallas hasn’t done anything since the Cowboys won the Super Bowl in ’95…and even that game is still under investigation (Neil O’Donnell was said to have been spotted in Yuma, sipping Tequila sunrises and counting a suBLEEPiously large amount of money shortly after).
The saying has long been that you make your name in the season, but you get your fame in the playoffs. That’s because the playoffs require players to transcend the normal levels that most play at for 82 games. It takes a different type of inner strength, physical strength, and ice water….in the veins that is. So is there anyone who would argue that the Mavericks are nothing more than regular season decorations? Pretenders….but not contenders?
I say the Hornets will lock up the top seed in that division, and it’s interesting to know that they just came off a nice win over the Celtics (causing 20 turnovers), who just swept thru the lonestar state…taking victories in San Antonio, Dallas, and Houston. And please don’t give me any BLEEP about Boston coming off this tough week. Professionals need to know how to adjust and win big at all times. No excuses!

OK, GameStormC2C...

Step up and take your shots at your observations, brackets results and todays predictions...

And don't forget we still have the big boys ballin in the NBA with a few key matchups last night....what's your take?

Ok,

Welcome to the nations first Coast 2 Coast sports analysis from...GameStormC2C!

A team of 5 will be put on the floor each time...4 starters and a 'guest' support player.

Regardless if you agree with the viewpoints or not, you will no doubt lean towards one of the opinions of the GameStormers...

Your comments and participation on the subject at hand is always welcome...do not hesitate to drop your view and have it considered in the days...GameStormC2C session!

Stay tuned for Player Name and Position Introductions shortly...

 

And the starting lineup is:

At PG - Reece J - dominate, ball control, offensive machine, defensive lock down!

At SG - Darkman - sharp shooter, plays big, long steaks of brilliance!

At SF - Black Frost - great court awareness, assist like 'magic'!

At PF - Onealien - able to dominate opponent, game time performer, defensive play maker!

At C - Guest/Bloggers from around the nation - steps in and contributes, center of offense, shot blocker