With Howard An L.A. King, I Say Bye Bye Heat

Courtesy NationalTurk

Let me preface the remainder of this thought by
coming right out and saying this; I have a very
small basketball IQ. I like the game, watch the
game, and root for my team as hard as I root for
my team in any other sport. That being said, I
don't now what a weak side rebound is, just how
exactly the pick and roll is supposed to be run,
and am completely oblivious as to the difference
of one elbow from another on the basketball court.
So now you have complete ammunition, as if you
needed it, to completely make light of my initial
statement. Which is "With Dwight Howard An L.A.
King, Goodnight Miami Heat"

It's fair to say that the Miami Heat certainly have
age in their favor, and of course Dwight Howard's
back surgery could ultimately be an issue, but if
we were to simply match up these two squads in what
I believe will be an NBA Finals for the next two
years at least, then Miami is going to be one and
done with their title this year. In my humble yet
low basketball I.Q.'d opinion, I believe that the
Lakers not only hold the edge in talent but in
on the court smarts as well. Dwight Howard coming
to LA only puts them over the edge, but when you
look at what Kobe is capable of, Steve Nash brings
to the table, and that they didn't have to give up
Pau Gasol, it's enough to wanna make Phil Jackson
come out of "retirement".

Now I know that Championships are not won on paper,
and that last year the Philadelphia Eagles were
handed the Lombardi trophy in August only to see
them drop it and have it shatter all over the floor,
but I'll take my chances and crown the Lakers now.

Tweet Don't Believe In Plays, Believe In Players - Al Davis

Mad Stork Sports on ScatterRadio Podcast For 6-13-12

We talk about that and the NBA Finals, how the MLB
season is shaping out, and much much more in this
Mad Stork Sports podcast, Check it out!



Tweet Don't Believe In Plays, Believe In Players - Al Davis

LeBron Not A Choker, The Celtics Are Just Winners

(Damian Strohmeyer/SI)

Though you might get it right once in a while when
you call LeBron James a choker, more often than not
he isn't, and this debate could go on for quite a
bit, but this isn't my point. There is plenty of
blame to go around when it comes to the fact that
the Heat had a 2-0 lead and is now down 3-2.

The guy who often gets a pass in Miami is Dwayne
Wade, and that's because he already brought the
Heat a ring once before, but he is as much if not
more to blame than James is for this recent and
what seems to be inevitable collapse. Chris Bosh
gets the least respect of all in that threesome,
and his return didn't get him any more in last
nights loss. To the naked eye it may seem like
the Miami Heat can't lose, but they aren't really
built to win either. Lots of money invested in 3
guys, and fingers crossed on the rest of the roster.

The Boston Celtics know how to win, it just that
simple. Three years from now if this group is
allowed to stay together you may be able to say
the same about them too, but this win now mentality
has doomed in the short term. They put that bulls
eye on their own back, and they said they wanted it
that way, well the pressure is and microscope is
killing them. Don't tell me that they went to the
Finals last year and could this year too. The Heat
has not won anything yet, and until they do, they
are just another answer to a who lost trivia question.

I knew the Celtics had their number, and could beat
Miami, and still I picked the Heat in six. Why?
Age, but age is also another word for experience, and
now that James, Wade, Bosh, and Spoelstra have left
the door open, Doc Rivers and crew know what to do
once the get inside. For their sake I just hope their
sciatica doesn't kick in.

Tweet Don't Believe In Plays, Believe In Players - Al Davis

Celtics Can Beat Miami, But The Heat Will Defeat Boston After All

AP Photo

I have been saying for a few weeks now that if there
was one team in the East that could take down the
Miami Heat, it was the Boston Celtics. Not the #1
seeded Chicago Bulls, not the unified, and injury
free Orlando Magic, but the veteran, and savvy Boston
Celtics. That same Celtics team that I said in the
beginning of the year was gonna be too old too compete
this far. The Celtic team that Bob Ryan of the Boston
Globe says is on the fifth year of a three year plan.
It is not to be however, the Celtics who have shown
all year that they would have no problem handling
LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and that other guy, are
starting to get tired, and the schedule is not going
to get any friendlier in the way of two days off in
between games as opposed to one.

I looked over at the Western conference finals to
see if the breakdown of games was any different, but
it wasn't. So as much as I'd love to sit here and
gripe about the NBA working for the Heat and against
Boston, I can't. Even if Doc Rivers and some of his
players are unhappy with the refs, it won't change
their age, and the fact that though I might admit that
right now the Heat is the better team, a rested, and
healthy Celtics squad would hand them their lunch.
That being said, if the Celts hadn't allowed the young
and fiery 76'ers to hang around until game seven, they
might have had a chance of resting a little beforehand,
and stealing this series away from the favored Heat,
no matter how much rest there would have been in between
games in the East finals. This of course in turn would
have started the LeBron James is a "choke artist loser"
headline mill. So maybe for LeBron, this works out
pretty well, and the Celtics really have no one else to
blame in the end but themselves. A Shame.

Tweet Don't Believe In Plays, Believe In Players - Al Davis

Knicks Win With Lin Raise Expectations vs Heat

Reuters/Adam Hunger

Tonight's game vs the Miami Heat is not going to mean
too much in the standings unless the Knicks are going
to come all the way back and win the entire Atlantic
division and take the #1 seed, but if you take the
temperature of the fans right now, you would think
that it's the 7th game of the NBA Finals.

The Knicks had a nice win against a quality opponent
in the Atlanta Hawks last night, but with Joe Johnson
out of the lineup life was a little easier, and so
was the game. Since the arrival of Jeremy Lin into
the starting five the Knicks have had a few good wins
against quality opponents like the Lakers, Hawks, and
the defending NBA Champion Dallas Mavericks, but they
have also had a couple of clunkers against teams like
the Nets, and the Hornets. The quality wins have been
all at home, and the losses have shown that when teams
make a real effort to defend Lin, they can cause the
Knicks some difficulties. The Hornets were the first
to get some film on him, and in turn made it hard for
New York to run it's offense.

Make no mistake, tonight is going to be one to watch,
but please don't think for a minute that LeBron and
Wade have been under a rock this entire time either.
They know what's going on, and just like the NJ Nets
Deron Williams made a point of saving his best game
of the season so far for Jeremy and the New York fans,
don't expect James, and Wade to let Jeremy Lin waltz
into their home and make a name for himself on their
backs. I won't sit here and tell you that Lin isn't
up to the task, but I can assure you that he and his
teammates are going to have to earn this quality road
win, in what is likely to be the first of many tests
in the Jeremy Lin era.

Tweet Don't Believe In Plays, Believe In Players - Al Davis

Tebow, Hillis, & James: The 3 Must C Rears

Courtesy: Sam Laughlin

So Tim Tebow is the starter in Denver now,
hmmmm. Ever think that it's going to take
more than some good quarterback play to get
the Broncos back to winning again? I guess
my next question winds up being, what will
the fans in the Mile High city say if they
still get the same results? Just asking.

So Peyton Hillis asked for a second opinion
on whether he should play or sit? I know he
was born and went to school in Arkansas, and
there are plenty of jokes to be made there,
but I'm sure they had doctors there by the
time he got all grown up and all, did he
think to ask one of them? This is why guys
like him get payed to play and not think,
especially with all the head trauma they
end up with by the end of their careers.

I'm not sure I can give LeBron too much grief
for this, but can we get off this thing about
LeBron' tweet or mention of, that he could be
a wide receiver in the NFL during the lockout?
Really?, Was it a slow news day or something?


Thank You Al Davis ! Tweet

LeBron Bashing Aside

Image: AP

As I tweeted last night, LeBron James took
his talents to South Beach and Mark Cuban
took the NBA Trophy to Dallas.

The Cavs owner Tweeted that this is a lesson
for everyone, there are no shortcuts, NONE.
He's right, but should have just kept quiet.

I also tweeted that LeBron couldn't carry the
jock of Michael Jordans sons. Right now this
is true, and though this was in reference to
the comment Scottie Pippen made earlier last
week, when he said that LeBron is a better all
around player then Jordan was, my comment was
not based on pure talent. Jordan would have
ripped your heart out last night, LeBron can't
get out of his own way. Maybe if he grows up
first, then he can play Championship ball.
It doesn't matter how many players in the league
like Queen James, the difference is they are
willing to beat him to a pulp to take the trophy
home for their team and their fans.

By the way, this isn't bashing, just the cold truth.