The free agent season has begun. Following an exciting post-season and draft, the NBA has found another way to keep us hooked. In the next couple of weeks there are to be some big names moved around and could possibly shape next year’s championship team. The Celtics made all the right moves during last year’s free agency and ended up taking the title. So, don’t be surprised if a number of teams take a page from their book. Here are some of the big names who could make a move.

Elton Brand

Although his intentions are to re-sign with the Los Angeles Clippers, don’t be surprised to see Elton Brand move. He has yet to be on a successful team and I’m sure he’s more than eager to cement himself as a marquee player. He is unable to do so on the lowly Clippers who will again have no chance next year in the overly competitive West. If the the right offer lands on Brand’s lap, possibly from his old team in the Bulls, or with the Knicks, Pistons, or Rockets who all need a player like Brand, don’t expect him to stay in Los Angeles.

Baron Davis

After the Warriors 06-07 run that included maybe one of the biggest post-season upsets of the Dallas Mavericks, Baron Davis could not find the same chemistry this past season. Davis has had trouble in the past season with Golden State and it seems like he may be headed out of Golden State after opting out of his contract. Davis averaged 21.8 points a game last season and would be extremely valuable to either a East or West Playoff team. The Detroit Pistons have showed interest in Davis in a possible sign and trade which may include stars Rasheed Wallace and Chauncey Billups. This may turn into the biggest trade of the off-season. Also showing interest are the aforementioned Los Angeles Clippers. If Baron Davis signs with the Clippers this may persuade Elton Brand to stay.

Corey Maggette

Elton Brand isn’t the only Clipper on the move. Corey Maggette has also opted out of his contract and will test the open market. Maggette is more likely than Brand to leave the team and could play an integral part in next seasons playoffs. There were rumors swirling last season of a trade of Maggette to the Suns, so don’t be surprised if that deal won’t resurrect itself. Another team showing interest looks to be the Utah Jazz who are one piece away from a championship team.

Wizards Aren’t Letting Agent Zero Turn Into Free Agent Zero

The Washington Wizards are planning to invest over 150 million dollars in both Gilbert Arenas and Antawn Jamison. This seems like to much for a team who keeps getting knocked out of the playoffs by the Cleveland Cavaliers. I thought Washington would have to get rid of at least one of the two, but it looks as if the Wizards want to continue with Jamison and Arenas. Personally I would have let Arenas go because he did very little last year and we are still unsure about his knee. Jamison is turning himself into a fantastic player, averaging 20 and 10 last year and is bound to become better.

Here is a list of other notable names that could see themselves in different uniforms next season.

Sam Cassell- Boston Celtics- Unrestricted FA

Eddie House- Boston Celtics- Unrestricted FA

Emeka Okafor- Charlotte Bobcats- Restricted FA

Luol Deng- Chicago Bulls- Restricted FA

Ben Gordon- Chicago Bulls- Restricted FA

Delonte West- Cleveland Cavaliers- Restricted FA

Allen Iverson- Denver Nuggets- Early Termination Option

JR Smith- Denver Nuggets- Restricted FA

Steve Francis- Houston Rockets- Player Option

Jason Williams- Miami Heat- Unrestricted FA

Stephon Marbury- New York Knicks- Early Termination Option

Andre Iguodala- Philadelphia 76ers- Restricted FA

Michael Finley- San Antonio Spurs- Unrestricted FA

Technorati Tags: 76ers Trade Rumors, Allen Iverson Trade, Allen Iverson Trade Rumors, Andre Iguodala, Andre Iguodala Trade, Andre Iguodala Trade Rumors, Antawn Jamison re-signs Wizards, Antawn Jamison Re-signs Wizars, Arenas Free Agent, Baron Davis, Baron Davis Clippers, Baron Davis Free Agent, Baron Davis Signs, Baron Davis Signs with Clippers, Baron Davis Trade, Baron davis trade for Wallace Billups, Baron Davis Trade Rumors, Baron Davis Trade to Clippers, Baron Davis Trade to Pistons, Baron Davis Traded, Ben Gordon Trade, Ben Gordon trade Rumors, Boston Celtics, Boston Celtics off Season moves, Cavs Trade Rumors, Celtics Free Agents 08, Celtics Trade Rumors, Charlotte Bobcats, Chauncey Billups Trade, Chauncey Billups Trade Rumors, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Clippers Off season move, Clippers Sign Baron Davis, Clippers Trade Rumors, Corey Maggette, Corey Maggette Signs Utah Jazz, Corey Maggette Trade, Corey Maggette Trade Rumors, Corey Maggette Trade to Phoenix Suns, Corey Maggette Trade to Utah Jazz, Dallas Mavericks, Delonte West Trade, Denver Nuggets Trade Rumors, Eddie House, Eddie House trade, Elton Brand, Elton Brand Free Agent, Elton Brand Free Agent Signing, Elton Brand Offer, Elton Brand Pistons, Elton Brand signs, Elton Brand Trade, Elton Brand Trade Rumors, Elton Brand Traded, Elton Brand Traded Bulls, Emeka Okafor, Emeka Okafor Trade, Emeka Okafor Trade Rumors, Free Agent Season NBA, Free Agents, Gilbert Arenas Re-signs Wizards, Golden State Warriors, Jamison Free Agent, Jason Williams trade, JR Smith Trade, JR Smith Trade Rumors, Luol Deng Trade, Luol Deng Trade Rumors, Miami Heat, Michael Finley Trade, NBA, NBA Draft 08, NBA Free Agents, NBA off-season Trades, NBA Postseason 08, NBA Trade Rumors, New York Knicks, New York Knicks Off-Season Moves, New York Knicks problems, New York Knicks Trade rumors, Off-Season Trades, Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns Trade, Phoenix Suns Trade Rumors, Pistons Off-season moves, Pistons Trade, Rasheed Wallace Trade, Rasheed Wallace Trade Rumors, Sam Cassell Trade, Stephon Marbury, Stephon Marbury Trade, Steve Francis Trade, Steve Francis Trade Rumors, Utah Jazz Trade, Utah Jazz Trade Rumors, Warriors Off-season moves, Warriors Upset Mavericks Postseason 07, Washington Wizards Trade Rumors

Levels of Defeat in NBA

0-5 Point Loss- Respectable

5-15 Point Loss- Disappointing

15-25 Point Loss- Bad to Awful

25-35 Point Loss- Horrible, New York Knicks Territory

35+ Point Loss- Disgraceful, Team Should Disband and Begin New Careers

The Lakers lossed by 39 points last night in a deciding game in the NBA Finals which means Kobe should be announcing on TNT next season.

How a team can play as poorly as the Lakers did last night is beyond me. The Celtics defense was impenetrable and their offense ran as smoothly and as efficiently as possible and the Los Angeles Kobes, excuse me, Lakers could do absolutely nothing about it. This was by far the most convincing win in NBA Finals history.

As I said in my last post(Pierce May Be Too Strong For A Laker Comeback) Pierce and the Celtics would be too much for the Lakers to handle. No where in that post did I predict a victory of this magnitude though. Every single Laker all the way to upper management should be thoroughly embarrassed. Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, Derek Fisher, Sasha Vujacic, Jordan Farmar, and the almighty Kobe Bryant sucked. Plain and simple.

It wasn’t the Lakers sucking that lost them this series, but more the Celtics playing their best basketball at the right time. Seeing them go 7 games with the 8th seeded Atlanta Hawks gave me reason to believe they would never make it out of the East. But they persevered and got better as the playoffs went along. I routed for the Lakers this entire playoffs and routed against the Celtics this entire playoffs. Still, I can say that the team that won the title was the best team every night on the floor in this series. The Lakers should be ashamed that they were beaten this badly. Coming into this series they were the better team by far and leaving the series they look as if they shouldn’t have been in the playoffs. Every Laker performance was pathetic.

This beating was highlighted by the great play of the Celtic’s big three. Throughout the year I tried to play down the significance of this three playing together. But now I realize that when they play together, anything is possible (foreshadowing, pay attention). Ray Allen tied an NBA Finals record with 7 three pointers last night. Kevin Garnett fueled the team and ended whatever small hope the Lakers had with his circus shot. A shot in which he stayed in the air for what seemed like an hour, gets fouled and banked the ball off the backboard right before he hits the ground. As soon as he made that shot I knew the Celtics had the championship. No one can come back from a demoralizing shot like that.

And what else can you say about Paul Pierce? He stepped up his defense throughout the entire playoffs and made the best offensive player in the world look like Chris Dudley. He showed the world that Pierce not Kobe is more deserving of Jordan comparisons (but, still don’t even bother comparing him to Jordan, no one will be as good as Michael).

Coming into this series I was all gung-ho on Kobe and the Lakers winning the championship. I was convinced that it was his time to prove that he could be mentioned along with Jordan. I now want to take a moment to publicly apologize to Michael Jordan…Dear Michael, you’re the best and no one, and I mean no one comes close to you. Now, having that said I despise Kobe for what he did in this Finals. He won my heart this season and then broke it in the Finals (Sad, huh?). And I never, ever, no matter what Kobe does for the rest of his career want to hear the words Kobe Bryant in the same sentence as the one Michael Jordan. Jordan would never let his team lose in an NBA Finals, the biggest stage in the world for basketball. Never would you see Michael Jordan on the bench in a deciding game in the NBA Finals with his team down by 40. Never. If anybody even thinks about bringing this argument up again of Kobe being as good as Jordan, all of his or her comments about the sport of basketball should be considered void from thereafter.

Finally I would like to say a little something about Kevin Garnett…I hate him. Throughout this season he has changed my view of him completely. What sealed it was his odd, moronic, disrespectful celebration when he was interviewed after the game. When asked about how he felt, he began weeping like a baby, then filled the air with expletives and began screaming, “ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!!!” at the top of his lungs like a fool(see the foreshadowing from earlier, pretty clever). All I can say thank God for the delay that the ABC network used so that they could prevent his f-bombs from reaching air. Does he not realize that he is idolized by thousands of kids who are watching? Does he have no respect whatsoever? The best part about it was how after he filled the Garden with f-bombs he goes over and shakes Bill Russell’s hand. Russell is one of the most honorable men in basketball who you tried to mirror yourself after throughout the season and you behave like that? You’ll never be one tenth of what Russell was and still is and you don’t even deserve a ring. Honestly, who’s over 7 feet tall and shoots mid-range jumpers all day? Call me bitter but this guy is a disgrace. But, congratulations to Paul Pierce and the rest of the Celtics who actually deserve this. This was the best turn around in sports history and Danny Ainge, Doc Rivers, and company should be proud. As Garnett would say, “ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!!” Idiot.

Technorati Tags: Bill Russel Kevin Garnett Comparisons, Bill Russell, Celtics Big Three, Celtics win by 39 NBA Finals, Chris Dudley, Danny Ainge, Derek Fisher, Derek Fisher NBA Finals 08, Doc Rivers, Kevin Garnett, Kevin Garnett anything is possible, Kevin Garnett crazy shot NBA Finals 08, Kevin Garnett Curse NBA Finals Interview, Kevin Garnett Curses on TV, Kevin Garnett Interview, Kevin Garnett Interview after Finals win, Kevin Garnett Kobe Bryant Matchup, Kevin Garnett NBA Finals MVP, Kevin Garnett shot NBA Finals 08, Kobe Bryant, Kobe Bryant 08 NBA Finals, Kobe bryant as good as Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant Matchup Paul Pierce NBA Finals 08, Kobe Bryant Michael Jordan Comparison, Lakers vs. Celtics NBA Finals, Lamar Odom, Lamar Odom NBA Finals 08, Levels Of Defeat Basketball, Los Angeles Lakers, Michael Jordan, MVP 2008 Finals, NBA Championship, NBA Finals, NBA Finals 08, NBA Finals History, NBA Finals Stats, NBA Rumors, Pau Gasol, Pau Gasol NBA Finals 08, Paul Pierce, Paul Pierce Defense, Paul Pierce Finals MVP, Paul Pierce Improved Defense, Paul Pierce Jordan Comparison, Paul Pierce Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce MVP 2008 Finals, Paul Pierce NBA Finals MVP, Paul Pierce NBA Finals MVP 08, Paul Pierce Playoffs, Pierce MVP 2008 Finals, Ray Allen, Ray Allen NBA Finals 08, Ray Allen Three Pointer Record NBA Finals, Ray Allen Three Pointers, Sasha Vujacic, Sasha Vujacic NBA Finals 08, TNT Announcer

Paul Pierce looked absolutely unstoppable Sunday night in his team’s loss to the Lakers, so much so that he may have already sealed the fate of Los Angeles. If it wasn’t for his team’s poor 1st quarter performance along with the outrageous amount of foul calls by Dick Bavetta and his crew, Pierce and the Celtics would be celebrating their first championship in 22 years. And without a doubt, Paul Pierce would be the MVP of the NBA Finals.

After the Celtics’ 24 point comeback on Thursday, I began wondering who would be MVP of the Finals for the Celtics. There really was no clear cut winner due to the Celtics’ fantastic all-around team play. Garnett had played alright, Ray Allen has played very well(especially compared to the series against the Pistons), and Paul Pierce has had a solid showing like usual. There were also a couple of long shots in James Posey and Leon Powe if they had another break out game, but overall no real no-doubt choice. But after watching Pierce dominate the Lakers single handedly, Pierce will be that no-doubt choice if the Celtics can prevent a Laker comeback.

It looked as if Pierce was driving against children in Game 5. In a stretch in the 2nd quarter, Pierce scored 11 straight points. Jordan Farmar, Sasha Vujacic, and even the almighty Kobe Bryant at times could not handle the strength of Paul Pierce driving to the basket. It just looked way too easy for the Celtic guard. Even after he broke down the Laker backcourt, not even the stronger Lamar Odom or Pau Gasol could step up and stop Pierce. It seemed as if every drive by Pierce took on 4 Lakers, and he easily finished every time.

All the hype coming into the series was Kobe taking the torch and becoming Jordan. Kobe hasn’t lived up to the hype, and the only one plaKying Jordanesque is Paul Pierce. Throughout this series, you haven’t seen Kobe drive, dominate the key, and get to the free throw line anything like Pierce.

If Pierce has a game half as dominating as game 5 and the Celtics decide to play before they’re down by double digits, Kobe and the Lakers simply don’t stand a chance. Pierce will be in Celtic lure along with Larry Bird and even Bill Russel for bringing the Celtics back to glory. But hey, I’ve been talking about Kobe all playoffs and I’ll never doubt what Kobe is capable of, so Pierce needs to take care of business tonight because it’s not over ’till the ring’s on the finger.

Technorati Tags: Add new tag, Allen Powe, Bill Russel, Bill Russell, Celtic Lure, Celtics, Celtics 24 Point Comeback, Celtics first championship in 22 years, Celtics Guards Defense, Celtics NBA Championships, Dick Bavetta, Dick Bavetta Referee, Dick Bavetta Referee NBA Finals 08, James Posey, Jordan Farmar, Jordan Farmar Defense, Kevin Garnett, Kevin Garnett NBA Finals MVP, Kobe Bryant Jordan Comparison, Lakers, Lakers vs. Celtics NBA Finals 08, Lamar Odom, Lamar Odom Defens, Larry Bird, Pau Gasol, Pau Gasol Defense, Paul Pierce, Paul Pierce Finals MVP, Paul Pierce Free throw, Paul Pierce Jordan Comparison, Paul Pierce MVP, Paul Pierce NBA Finals MVP, Paul Pierce wins game, Ray Allen, Ray Allen NBA Finals MVP, Sasha Vujacic, Sasha Vujacic Finals 08

It’s the series the NBA has been waiting for. Lakers, Celtics. What more could you want? This series though won’t even be competitive, because it will belong to the best player since Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and there’s nothing Garnett can do but scream, yell, and hit his head on the hoop like he always does.

This series is a match made in basketball heaven. You’ve got the best player in the game playing on a team with a bunch of average to above average players in Kobe and the Lakers. You’ve got the most talented threesome in recent years in Pierce, Allen, and Garnett in the Celtics. So, the series should be great, right? I’m afraid not. The Celtics don’t stand a chance against Kobe. Although Pierce’s defense has improved considerably, he will be no match for Bryant.

Watching Kobe in the series between the Lakers and Spurs showed me just how talented he really is. Throughout the series Kobe stayed out of the paint and continually put up jumpers. He barely got to the free throw line and still was able to average 29.2 points a game in the series. He only averaged 2.2 free throws a game throughout the series and was still able to control the game. He shot 53% and took over when ever he wanted.

Whenever Kobe plays you just know he is going to take over. It’s just a matter of when and against the Celtics in the Finals, it will be every game. Kobe is to close to a title to try and take it away from him. Sure, people say the same about Garnett but Kobe’s fire and desire to win the game just seems so much more natural to me. When the time comes for him to step up, he isn’t yelling or hitting his chest. He looks calm, composed and eerily similar to Michael Jordan. Garnett on the other hand fades away and allows others to take over the game, which is fine and he played well enough to get the Celtics to the Finals, but the Celtics need him to take over in late game situations like that if Pierce isn’t shooting well. In the final game of the western conference finals, Kobe had 39 points, 3 assists, and 3 rebounds. Garnett in the final game of the eastern conference finals only put up, 16 points, 7 rebounds, and had no assists. That isn’t enough out of someone who was being claimed as the MVP during the season.

The best example of Kobe’s Jordanesque appearance and was in game 7 when he was isolated at half court against Ginobili. Right before Ginobili stepped up to him he calmly let the ball bounce in front of him while he adjusted the sleeve on his arm. Manu began badgering Kobe a couple feet from the half court line trying to rob Kobe. Kobe simply turned his back shielded him off took some time off the clock and then turned around and got space. With the shot clock running out he began to approach the basket, he sped up, hesitated to make Duncan, who was behind Ginobili commit and he took the space and laid the ball up for two points and ultimately the game. When I saw that entire sequence I just laughed and said this is Kobe’s year.

Technorati Tags: basketball, Boston Celtics, Celtics Finals, Detroit Pistons, Garnett Appearance, Garnett Talk, Kevin Garnett, Kevin Garnett 1st Finals, Kevin Garnett Kobe Bryant Matchup, Kevin Garnett MVP 2008 Finals, Kobe Bryant, Kobe Bryant 2007-08 MVP Season, Kobe Bryant Drive Against Spurs, Kobe Bryant Free Throws, Kobe Bryant Michael Jordan Comparison, Kobe Bryant Playoffs, Kobe MVP, Kobe MVP 2008 NBA Finals, Kobe Similarity to Jordan, Lakers Finals, Los Angeles Lakers, Manu Ginobili, Manu Ginobili Defense, Manu Ginobili defense Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, NBA, NBA Finals, NBA Finals Lakers Celtics, Paul Pierce, Paul Pierce Improved Defense, Paul Pierce Kobe Bryant Matchup Finals, Ray Allen, San Antonio Spurs, Tim Duncan, Tim Duncan defense

Celtics got lucky, that simple. Throughout the playoffs they have done nothing but prove that they are not the team every one hyped them up to be. Yesterday they barely escaped with a 97-92 win against LeBron and the Cavs. Garnett, Pierce, Allen, and the Celtics have played 14 games already this postseason and have yet to prove that they’re a championship team. Oh yeah, they are 0-6 on the road in the Playoffs!!!

Yesterday’s game proved that the Celtics have no chance against their next opponent, the Pistons. The Cavs have absolutely no offense and no body on their team that can score other than LeBron James. James was the entire team yesterday putting up 45 points and nearly bringing his team back from a 15 point hole. The Celtics big 3 have yet to all perform consistantly with one of them stepping up on different nights. Yesterday, Paul Pierce saved his Celtics with a 41 point game and a bunch of hustle plays that ignited the crowd. After a jump ball, Pierce jumped on a loose ball and called time out just in time in a game changing play.

Garnett and Allen have yet to shine this postseason like they did in the regular season. Garnett is only pumped up and pounding his chest when his team has a 10 point lead or more and has only hit one big fourth quarter shot, which came in game 6. Garnett needs to show the heart and fire he shows when his team is down and desperate for points instead of when the team is comfortably in the lead. As soon as the Celtics are down or the lead gets tight, Garnett dissapears and quiets down. As for Ray Allen, he did nothing the entire series against the Cavs. Yesterday he couldn’t hit water if he fell out of a boat, and he continually fails to create opportunities for himself. Allen’s pathetic four point game and 13 point game yesterday will not be enough when the Celtics face the Pistons.

Paul Pierce is the only true competitor on the Celtics when push comes to shove, and the Pistons are chock-filled of big time players. Chauncey Billups, Rasheed Wallace, and Tayshaun Prince have all proved that they are able to step up and make great game saving plays. If it wasn’t for Pierce’s amazing performance yesterday, the Celtics would be on vacation today with the lowly Cavs playing in the Eastern Conference Finals. Yesterday’s game was brutal to watch until the 4th quarter where it was basically Pierce vs. LeBron, which actually made the game one of the most exciting of the playoffs.

The Pistons will outplay them on the offensive side, defensive side, and most importanly they will be outcoached. Doc Rivers is not a good coach and people need to realize it. He had the easiest job this season by coaching a bunch of veterans. As for the Pistons, Flip Saunders knows what it takes to win and keeps his team disciplined. There is no way a team who won 66 games should go to a game seven against an eighth seeded Atlanta Hawks and a fourth seeded Cleveland Cavaliers, and the coach has to be blamed.

Watching the game yesterday made me realize that the Celtics don’t have a chance. The Cavs only had two scorers in double digits yesterday, LeBron James 45 and Delonte West with 15, and the Celtics barely escaped. The Pistons are a much more complete team and are capable of going into Boston and winning road games, something that the Celtics have yet to do. The Celtics have not won an away game and they still think they have a chance? I don’t think so. I am so confident that the Pistons will win this series that I might come out right now and predict a 4-0 Pistons’ sweep. But I’ll wait, for now I’ll go the safe route and predict 4-2 Pistons with the Celtics again failing to win on the road.

Technorati Tags: Atlanta Hawks, Bad Coaching Moves, basketball, Boston, Cavaliers, Cavs, Celtics, Championship, Chauncey Billups, Cleveland, Delonte West, Detroit, Doc Rivers, Eastern Conference Finals, Flip Saunders, Game 7, Kevin Garnett, LeBron James, NBA, Paul Pierce, Pierce 41 pont Game, Pistons, Postseason, Rasheed Wallace, Ray Allen, Tayshaun Prince, Veteran Play

Donnie Walsh made his first bad decision yesterday when he decided to hire Mike D’Antoni as head coach of the New York Knicks. D’Antoni, who left the Phoenix Suns, failed yet again this season to get into the finals, despite having one of the most talented teams in basketball. Despite this failure, Donnie Walsh and the 23-59 Knicks (2nd to last in the Eastern conference) thinks that D’Antoni will solve the numerous problems the Knicks face this upcoming season. This is what D’Antoni had to say about his future with the Knicks,

We want to win a championship. I know all the components you have to have. You have to have great offense and great defense.

What the Knicks really needed was a defensive-minded coach to help their awful performance on defense this and the past several seasons. D’Antoni created one of the most effective run and gun offenses over in Phoenix, yet still failed to make it past the Western Conference Finals. As they say, “Defense Wins Championships.” How is bringing an offensive minded coach to a young, immature team going to help?

The Knicks are one of the youngest teams in the league and their inexperience was shown last season when, despite having the highest payroll in basketball, they could not make the playoffs of one of the worst Eastern Conferences to date. The 8th seeded Atlanta Hawks were 8 games under .500 but still found themselves an astonishing 14 games ahead of the lowly Knicks. With useless defenders like Jamal Crawford, Eddy Curry, and Stephon Marbury on the team how does D’Antoni expect to fix this team. Crawford is in the game strictly for offense, which is so sparatic and inconsistent that there is really no need for him to take minutes away from less talented but more consistent players. Eddy Curry is awful on defense and can’t even block spam from his e-mail. Marbury, a.k.a Starbury, has been anything but a star. Someone needs to bury this star six feet under so that New York doesn’t have to deal with his cry-baby attitude.

The only thing that D’Antoni and the Knicks can hope for is to win the lottery. The draft lottery that is. If they can capture a solid position in which they can get Memphis guard Derrick Rose they may have a chance in the future. But that may take several seasons for D’Antoni to develop a team around a young guard. Something that he did well with Phoenix and Steve Nash, but was never done well enough to win a championship.

D’Antoni has no idea what he’s getting into. This team ruined the character of one of the most talented and successful players of all time in Isiah Thomas. Sure D’Antoni has won coach of the year in 04-05. Sure he has led the Suns to 54 wins or more in the past 4 seasons. Sure he has a .608 winning percentage in the past 6 seasons. But where’s the ring Mike? No where. You know why? Because he had Shaquille O’Neal, Amare Stoudemire, Steve Nash, Leandro Barbosa, and Grant Hill on his team and still failed to win. Because he couldn’t handle the ego of Shawn Marion, whose ego would be overshadowed tenfold in New York. And finally because he is 26-25 in the playoffs. A .500 team may get into the playoffs but they will never win the playoffs playing .500.

By Sean Connolly

Technorati Tags: 2008, Amare Stoudemire, Atlanta Hawks, basketball, Defense, Derrick Rose, Donnie Walsh, Eastern Conference, Eddy Curry, Grant Hill, Isiah Thomas, Jamal Crawford, Knicks, Knicks Problems, Leandro Barbosa, Mike D'Antoni, New Coach, New York Knicks, Phoenix Suns, Playoffs, Sean Connolly, Shaq, Shaquille O'Neal, Shawn Marion, Stephon Marbury, Stephon Marbury Trade, Steve Nash, Western Conference

You don’t tug at Superman’s cape, and you don’t ignite a fire under LeBron James. With some careless trash-talk, the Wizards have given LeBron and the Cavaliers more to win for this post season. “He’s overrated…and you can say I said that,” Deshawn Stevenson said of MVP candidate, LeBron James. First of all, Who the hell is DeShawn Stevenson? Stevenson is a nobody. LeBron showed that he’s a nobody by owning him in the first game of the playoff series, winning 93-86. In the game, LeBron scored ten times as many points as Stevenson. Stevenson put up a total of 3 points, compared to LeBron’s 30. Stevenson needs to shut his mouth very quick because already he’s been proven wrong. If you’re going to talk trash about some one, make sure they’re a worse player than you. Here are LeBron’s season stats next to DeShawn’s.

DeShawn Stevenson VS. LeBron James

PPG: 11.2 PPG: 30.0

RBP: 2.9 RPG: 7.9

APG: 3.1 APG: 7.2

SPG: 0.8 SPG: 1.8

BPG: 0.2 BPG: 1.1

FG: 38% FG: 45%

If that’s not enough to make Stevenson shutup than maybe these examples of “Jordanism” that LeBron displayed this season may. In a game against the Toronto Raptors, T.J. Ford had a few fans on the sideline who began heckling James. LeBron, noticing that they were there for his opponent Ford of the Raptors, went on a hot streak which brought the Cavs back to win. He yelled at the hecklers, “it’s your fault!!”

In yet another episode of Jordan-esque like performance, maybe more remniscant of Reggie Miller, LeBron scored 50 against the Knicks. Spike Lee was of course on the sidelines, jarring at LeBron. LeBron mouthed, “50″ to Spike, and then went on to hit a string of three-pointers which gave him a 50 point game in MSG.

Stevenson’s comments even startled Charles Barkley. Barkley went as far as saying, “I think the Washington Wizards have got to be the dumbest team in the history of civilization.” That sounds about right, even coming from Chuck.

Stevenson isn’t the only one talking for the Wizards. Even Gilbert Arenas got into it. He didn’t gave the courage to talk openly so he decided to do it in blog form. “I think everybody wants Cleveland in that first round. They’ve been a .500 team ever since they made that trade and everybody wants a chance at that matchup. We want Cleveland for our own reasons, we don’t think they can beat us in the playoffs three years straight. It’s hard to beat a team three years straight. We want to try our luck.” Arenas said in his seasonal blog he posts on the NBA website. Arenas has posted more blogs this season than he has played games. Isn’t that something? And, just remember the old saying Gilbert, be careful what you wish for. So far, LeBron has made the dream of playing the Cavaliers a nightmare.

Technorati Tags: 2008 playoffs, Cavaliers, Charles Barkley, Cleveland, DeShawn Stevenson, Gilbert Arenas, Knicks, LeBron James, Madison Square Garden, Michael Jordan, MSG, NBA, New York, Playoffs, Raptors, Reggie Miller, Spike Lee, T.J. Ford, Toronto, Washington, Wizards

But that’s not what I’m writing about today. I was in Tune Street yesterday – our great local music & electronics store – and overhead a New York Knick’s fan share his agony.

What got me was this: “Here am I at home, paying $170 for NBA League Pass just to stick with my beloved Knicks, and I’m yelling at the TV: ‘Fire Isiah!’ I’m like screaming at the television set as if I paid the big bucks at the Garden. And of course I know the dude can’t hear me but I can’t help myself.”

Knick coach Isiah Thomas – Photo Suzy Allman/New York Times

I felt for the guy and in return for my not mentioning his name, he agreed to talk more. If you love B-ball and you understand the joy and pain of rooting, you may appreciate this. He’s an older guy and started by telling me some of his history:

“I grew up in the Bronx before the games were on TV and listened to every Knicks game on the radio. Sweetwater Clifton, Richie Guerin, Kenny Sears … and in those days if you were going to high school in the city you had a G.O. discount card which got you into the Garden for 50 cents, up in the top most section of the balcony.

“In those days the NBA played doubleheaders, so if you loved basketball there was no better place than the old Garden. You get a Nedicks hot dog and an Orange Julius and head in for hours of great b-ball.

“The team that killed us was the Celtics – they manhandled the Knicks with Russell and Cousy and Frank Ramsay and they had this goon of a guy Jim Loscutof who literally would throw the Knicks around. Of course they played the best team basketball around too, but we hated them.

Bob Cousy vs. The Knicks – Photo: William C. Greene

“So you can imagine what it feels like now all these years later to watch the Celtics steal Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett and out together a gem of a team while Isiah crashes and burns the Knicks.

Kevin Garnett – Celtic Saviour

“We’re talking absolute agony. I gotta pray the Pistons take them out or whoever wins the West – Phoenix or San Antonio or even the Lakers!”

That, folks, is what rooting is all about. This guy is already hoping the Knicks blow every game left so they have a shot at Derrick Rose.

Even the New York City sportswriters are dripping with anger at what has happened to one of the most storied franchises in pro basketball. Frank Isola, the beat writer at the New York Daily News wrote about why he hates this version of the New York Knicks:

• The team I grew up rooting for has become a running joke.
• Few in the organization care about the team’s history.
• Patrick Ewing doesn’t work for them.
• They have had seven straight losing seasons.
• James Dolan once said that “the worst year yet” was 1999; yes the year they reached the NBA Finals.
• Isiah Thomas thinks he’s doing a great job.
• Stephon Marbury thinks he’s done nothing wrong.
• They don’t play defense.
• They ripped out the Marty Glickman radio booth for the sake of the almighty dollar.
• Few of the players have earned the fat contracts they’ve received.
• They are 19-48 in an Eastern Conference that except for three teams – Boston, Detroit and Cleveland – has to be the worst ever. How can the Knicks not even be in playoff contention in mid-March?
• Yes, I must confess, I hate the Knicks. These Knicks.

Mark Berman of the New York Post reported on the Knicks’ embarrassing lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves this way:
“The Knicks fell behind 42-24 after one quarter, with the Wolves converting 17 of 23 shots for a 73.9 percentage in setting their franchise high for most points in the opening stanza.
The Knicks might as well have taken the charter plane home then with their 50th loss in the bag.
Yes, it’s now 19-50. Mindboggling.
Ten fastbreak points to zero for the Knicks in the first 12 minutes.
‘The first quarter was a nightmare,’ Isiah Thomas said afterward.
No. The season – and the last four years – have been a nightmare. Thirteen games to go. And counting.”

Now add the fact that the Celtics are playing great basketball with a terrific chance to win the NBA title and you get a better idea why just about every New York Knicks’ fan from New York City to Los Angeles are having a hard time sleeping.

Technorati Tags: Bill Russell, Bob Cousy, Boston Celtics, Frank Isola, Isiah Thomas, Kevin Garnett, Madison Square Garden, Mark Berman, NBA, NBA League Pass, New York Knicks, pro basketball, Stephon Marbury