Wow is it me or are the injuries in the First Round of the NBA playoffs almost as intriguing as the actual teams playing? Here are some random thoughts on these terrible season and possibly career altering injuries: Baron Davis literally made me squirm and feel sick to my stomach with his gruesome and utterly disturbing injury for the Knicks. I haven't seen anything like that in the NBA since Shaun Livingston tore up his knee a few years back for the Clippers. The worst part is Livingston was young at the time and has made it back to be a respectable rotation player who continues to be solid and improving with his game. With Baron the future is not so bright as his age (33 years old) and poor health over the past few years make it a long road ahead for the veteran to even get back on the floor. In completely shredding his knee to the tune of a partially torn patella, complete tear of his MCL, and ACL, it will be a minimum of 12 months of rehab just to get back. That means missing the entire 2012/2013 season in which he wont even have a team to call home as he is a free agent for the Knicks this season. As a fellow Aries whom I share the same birth day as, Baron has always been an enigma of sorts. Huge athletic ability coming out of UCLA, with the rare combo guard ability that wasn't as prevalent earlier in the decade as it is today with guys like Derrick Rose, Russel Westbrook, Deron Williams and others. Davis career has been constant peeks and valley's, but when motivated he has been absolutely dominant at the point guard position. I won't discount his ability to work tirelessly to get back, but if anything has taught us the immense wear and tear of this lockout shortened season, its that veterans who came in out of shape learned how hard it is to get to the place they needed to be and be able to stay there without getting hurt! My thoughts and prayers go out to Baron and his family for a speedy recovery and return to the NBA!
Alright on to the Western Conference predictions! So the Spurs took note of my earlier post and decided to not only dominate Utah as I had written, but not drop a game! The Spurs are scary efficient right now and even more disturbing or every other Western Conference Team, they are doing it with 10 guys deep. Duncan, Parker and Ginobli barely worked up a sweat in the 1st round and are seemingly the most healthy they have been at this time of the year since there last title in 2007. What's even more impressive is that Poppovich has gotten Boris Diaw to look like an actual NBA player in a relatively short period of time! The Spurs are awaiting the winner of the Grizzlies/Clippers series which is heading back to L.A. for game 6 on Friday. I picked the Grizzlies and am sticking with them despite the fact that Chris Paul is an absolute monster and has beaten twice by himself. With Paul and Griffin getting injured in Game 5, as well as Caron Butler playing with a broken hand, the Grizzlies are going to be very lucky to get out of the first round. With that said the physical nature of the first round series against the Clippers, will ultimately take its toll on the Grizzlies as the Spurs are playing to good right now to lose 2 years in a row to the ultimate sleeper team! Spurs win in 6 games over the Grizzlies, forcing them to make a decision on finally trading OJ Mayo in the off season and looking for some perimeter shooting and a more dependable back up point guard.
The other second round series is going to be simply the most watched in the playoffs! Although the Lakers are still playing the Nuggets I had them winning in 6 games, and I still believe that will hold with them going into Denver and dismissing any notion that the young Nuggets had a chance to get past them. By the way as a Laker fan who absolutely is dismayed by Andrew Bynum's mouth and inconsistent play, along with Pau Gasol continually not figuring out how to dominate significantly smaller defenders, how incredible was that 4th quarter of game 5 with Kobe showing that he is still capable of destroying anybody. 32 shots causes fans to come up in arms and argue Gasol and Bynum should have had more touches. 32 shots causes analysts and experts to point out the low offensive efficiency numbers of the team. 32 shots causes fans to question Kobe's selfishness and ability to play the game the "right way". 32 shots means everyone is watching and not fully engaged! The problem is Bynum was a non factor from the start and continually got embarrassed by Javale McGee not to mention seemingly quitting on numerous plays. Pau Gasol though played with urgency was a step slow, and had not killer instinct to take it to the basket while he was continually guarded by smaller guys who had no business containing him. Ramon Sessions is playing in his first playoff series! Matt Barnes is not healthy and has lost touch with his jumper! Steve Blake hit a few threes but continually got abused by Andre Miller which negated his 4th quarter threes! Jordan Hill rebounded, blocked a shot, and played tough defense but was a non factor on the offensive glass. So add all that up and the easy conclusion is Kobe should have shot 40 times and maybe the Lakers close it out! As a fan when Kobe is in a zone as he was in the last 4 minutes of the 4th quarter, you come to believe in him and that no matter the score he is somehow going to will his team to the victory! I don't know of a single player in the playoffs that can do what Kobe does on a consistent basis. Lebron James has the ability, talent, and athleticism, but he just can't do it night in and night out in these types of games for whatever reason. No matter the criticism thrown Kobe's way there is not a single coach in the NBA that does not fear him for these exact situations! The man hits shots that no other player will even attempt, which again creates negative conversation about the selfishness of Kobe. He will never be MJ, but no matter what anyone feels about him, he is to be forever linked as the closest comparison and may eventually end up with more titles. If anything the 4th quarter of Game 5 showed me it was that Kobe is on a mission to get his 6th ring and that was a prelude to the rest of the playoffs.
Thunder and Lakers in the 2nd round OMG! Okay so my guess is knowing that the Lakers tend to play down towards lesser teams, they also inherently play way up to the elite teams or the ones that everyone else thinks they will lose to! OKC features 2 primetime players and 1 young superstar along with a great supporting cast. They have only 1 strong weakness which is turning the ball over which prevents there aggressiveness to get out and run. Other than that they posses all of the tools needed to win in the NBA. Durant is there closer and star, with Westbrook as the ever evolving star on the rise, and then you have the glue for the team in James Harden. In this series with the Lakers I believe Harden is the key for OKC if they want to move to the next level. Will he be effected by Metta World Peaces return to the Lakers for Game 1 of the series? If he checks Kobe for the majority of the games will he tire out on the offensive end where he is needed the most? On the other side, can Bynum and Gasol dominate together at the same time against a formidable front line featuring toughness (Perkins) and shot blocking (Ibaka)? When it is all said and done I believe the series will come down to 2 areas. Rebounding is the most important part of this series with the winner of this category sure to move on to the next round. The second most important part of the series will be how the stars play. Simply put, as Kobe goes so do the Lakers. And as Durant goes so do the Thunder. With Mike Brown's defensive schemes against the Thunder being solid, and the return of World Peace, I am taking the Lakers in 7 games closing out the OKC guys on their home floor. Yes I understand everyone has the Thunder going to the Finals, and yes they are younger, more athletic and more pleasing to watch. The problem is they are just not there yet, and I believe the veteran Lakers have their number in the playoffs. Oh yeah and as I said earlier, I don't see Kobe being denied a 6th ring this year!
That leaves us with a thrilling Western Conference Finals match up pitting the old against the old! Popovich against one of his former assistants and close friends in Brown. Duncan, Ginobli, and Parker against Kobe, Gasol and Bynum. Captain Jack against Ron Ron. Seriously can we ask for anything more? I believe this will be the series where we see the true competitiveness of Kobe Bean Bryant and it will be his stage to show the world he is still the greatest player currently in the NBA. The ultimate key to the series will be point guard play. As it is always, the Lakers struggle against quick, scoring point guards. And of course the Spurs employ one of the best in the league in Tony Parker. Though Ramon Sessions is an upgrade over Derek Fisher with speed and athleticism, the Lakers will miss Fishers toughness, big shot making, and veteran savvy for this series. This series will go 7 games and come down to the final possession in the game on the the Spurs home floor. Lakers will come through with a trip to the finals on the line, and Kobe will demonstrate why his shot making is so crucial at the most important time of the game!
So there you have it! Combined with my Eastern Conference predictions I am setting you up for another installment of Lakers and Celtics in the finals. Will it happen? I hope so. Can it happen? I believe so. Who will win? You will have to wait and see in my next Finals installment coming to you at the conclusion of the Western Conference and Eastern Conference Finals. As always whether you loved it, hated it, or just couldn't wait to read it, let me know your thoughts or even send questions my way.
As a side note my daughter's team played a fantastic game last night with her leading the way with 12 points (6 baskets). This now makes 3 games in a row in which she has scored at least 10 points. The amazing thing is that for the 1st/2nd grade games there usually isn't a lot of scoring. Our team has averaged 26 points over that stretch. I would love to say it must be my coaching, but a funny thing happens to all of us when competing in any sport. When you have kids between 6 and 8 years old, and specifically girls, they truly want to play better and actually listen to instruction. I don't know of a more defining bond for a father and daughter than being able to do something that they both love together. She could decide tomorrow she never wants to play basketball again and I would be fine because of the past year in a half I did get to share with her the game I love. Late in the game last night my daughter was bringing the ball up and noticed the other teams defense was completely shifted to the other side and on her own figured out to drive to the left all the way to the basket and lay up a beautiful shot off the backboard. On her way back down she looks at me and says "That was easy"! Enough said!
I would love to hear about your story with your kids in sports so send it to me as writing about those moments brings back the joy to a level that makes you the proudest parents on the block!
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