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NBA off season survival guide
When the NBA Finals end every June there is a void left on my television and in my life. After the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Miami Heat in six games to capture the NBA championship I was probably more hurt than the Heat. The reality of almost three months without the NBA (maybe more with a lockout) sunk in and so did depression. So what should a die hard NBA fan do to maintain his/her sanity during this offseason?
First, call up that woman who’s calls you have been ignoring and set up a date. She may be crazy, but she’ll remind you of Game 4 of the western conference semifinals when Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum lost their minds when they knew their elimination was inevitable.
Second, head over to the doctor’s office and get rid of that “cold” you caught when you were vacationing in Miami/Cancun/Dominican Republic. The waiting room may remind of the death row scenes in the Green Mile, but it will also remind of Michael Jordan scoring 38 points against the Utah Jazz in the 1997 finals while suffering from flu like symptoms.
Third, invite some friends over to play some video games. This get together may only be happening because every girl you called was “busy” that night, but it will remind you of Kobe Bryant’s video game-esque 81 point game against the Toronto Raptors in 2006.
Fourth, take your kids/nieces/nephews to the circus. The flying trapeze artists and elephant manure should be the shock to your system that helps keeps you awake through these few hard months. The unbelievable ability of the circus performers should also remind you of Vince Carter’s 2000 NBA All Star Weekend Dunk Contest performance. Still to the date it is the most amazing thing I have ever seen produced on a basketball court.
This guide should help you get through those NBA off season blues, until of course the lockout comes.
Parade for champion Mavs sets out early Thursday – AP
Thousands of fans have begun lining up for a party 31 years in the making — the celebration of the Dallas Mavericks’ first NBA championship.
The fun begins at 10 a.m. Thursday with a parade through downtown, but hours earlier fans began staking out their favorite spots. Streets along the parade route were being closed two hours before the event, as organizers urged fans to avoid traffic delays and use public transportation.
More than 250,000 people were expected to cheer on a fleet of three floats, 10 convertibles and a dozen trucks featuring star player Dirk Nowitzki, club owner Mark Cuban and everyone from team founder Don Carter to Nowitzki’s guru, Holger Geschwindner.
The guest of honor, of course, would be the Larry O’Brien Trophy, the shiny gold statue given to the NBA’s top team.
The parade route was to end at the team’s arena, followed by a bash inside for 10,000 season-ticket holders.
The Mavs won the title by beating LeBron James and the Miami Heat on Sunday.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Mavs not feeling Cuban’s idea not to give title rings | NBA.com
Mark Cuban’s idea to celebrate an NBA championship with something other than a ring is being soundly rejected by his players, his coach and the top guy in the front office.
“We’ve got to talk to him about that,” said Dirk Nowitzki, the finals MVP. “I don’t think the last word has been spoken yet. We know he always wants to do something different, something bigger. But the ring is just so classic. I think I would vote for a ring. I mean, I’m a man. I don’t know how I’d feel about a bracelet…”
Mavs not feeling Cuban’s idea not to give title rings | NBA.com.
LeBron James says he is ‘not superior to anyone’ – AP
LeBron James ended his first Miami Heat season with a clarification.
James says comments he made after the Heat lost Game 6 of the NBA finals to the Dallas Mavericks may have been misunderstood, and that when it comes to the overwhelming criticism of himself and his team, “not only myself, but everyone has to move on with their lives.”
James raised eyebrows with the way he responded to a question about people being happy to see the Heat lose, saying then that those critics “have to get back to the real world.”
After the team held its exit meetings Tuesday, James was saying that he’s “not superior to anyone” and that he knows his comments could have been interpreted differently.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Glimpse into the 2011 NBA playoffs
Victor Baldizon/NBAE/Getty Images
This season’s version of the NBA playoffs have already featured the elimination of the western conference’s top seeded San Antonio Spurs, a 46 point game from the Orlando Magic’s All-Start center Dwight Howard and a 40-foot three-point bank shot from the Atlanta Hawks sixth man scoring machine Jamal Crawford that helped eliminate Howard’s Magic. The Boston Celtics swept the injury depleted New York Knicks while Kevin Durant lead the Oklahoma City Thunder over the New York Knicks, I mean Denver Nuggets. The championship contending Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls and defending champion Los Angeles Lakers also advanced to the second round.
At the beginning of the season I predicted the south beach marriage of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh would lead the Miami Heat to a championship this season. That prediction was looking pretty bad when the Heat started the season 9-8 and lost their first three match-ups against the defending eastern conference champions, the Boston Celtics. However, the Heat won their last regular season game against Celtics pretty convincingly and now lead the squad from Bean town 2-0 in their eastern semifinal best of 7 series.
The Heat have looked super human and the Celtics have looked their age. While Miami moves up, down and over the court at will, the Celtics have looked…..old. Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett are all fighting injuries while Rajon Rondo has looked disinterested on defense the past two games.
The Heat will capture this series in 5 games and will defeat the Chicago Bulls in the eastern conference finals. As long as Carlos Boozer continues to play poorly, the Bulls will have no chance to reach the NBA finals.
Gloria James Arrested: LeBrons Mother Booked At Miami Beach Hotel
Gloria James, LeBron James’ mother, was arrestedThursday morning at a Miami hotel after she reportedly got into scuffle with a valet…
Gloria James Arrested: LeBrons Mother Booked At Miami Beach Hotel.
Heat visit MSG, fans will bow no more to the King – AP
Mike D’Antoni saw the way LeBron James tore apart the Cavaliers when faced with a hostile crowd in Cleveland. The fans at Madison Square Garden probably won’t let that stop them from telling James how they feel about the star bypassing the Knicks for the Miami Heat.
The Heat are coming to New York on Friday, another huge game for the Knicks and their chance to show they have recovered just fine from a painful free agency snub.
They went after James and Dwyane Wade, who wanted to play together, but not in New York. They also talked to Chris Bosh.
But the Knicks gained the best power forward available when they landed Amare Stoudemire. He has a franchise-record streak of nine straight 30-point games heading into the game against the Heat.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
In a prime time for point guards, Rose stands out
The NBA has a history of being a big man’s league. The early domination of players of like George Mikan, Bob Pettit, Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain made it impossible for any team in the league to succeed with out size. The trend continued into the 1990s when players like Shaquille O’Neal, Patrick Ewing and Alonzo Mourning became anchors for their respective teams.
The 90s were also dominated by big shooting guards. Micheal Jordan, Mitch Richmond and Allan Houston used their strength to create space and dominate their opponents. As time has progressed, the game has gotten bigger and faster.
The new trend in the NBA over the last decade has been the development of superstar point guards. The recognition for these smaller floor generals started when Phoenix Suns point guard Steve Nash won back to back MVPs in 2005 and 2006.
As point guard greats like Nash and Jason Kidd have gotten older, young guns like Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Russell Westbrook and Derrick Rose have entered the peak of their careers.
The player who has made the biggest jump this season has been Chicago Bulls superstar Derrick Rose. Rose is averaging a career high 25 points and 8 assists per game. The biggest addition to Rose’s game has been a reliable jump shot. Rose is shooting 40% from the three point line and hit five threes against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday. The addition of free agent forward Carlos Boozer to the Bulls has helped Rose get, take, and make more jump shots. The form and consistency on Rose’s jump shot shows the commitment he made to getting better in the off-season.
Rose’s development instantly makes the Bulls a threat to the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics, the superstar heavy Miami Heat, and the Superman powered Orlando Magic. Plus, he can still do this…
LeBron leaves Cleveland with a W
Last night, Miami Heat guard/forward LeBron James returned to Cleveland to face his former team the Cavaliers. James and the Heat left Cleveland with a 118-90 victory. James led the Heat with 38 points.
Cavaliers fans greeted James with thousands of boos and signs expressing their disdain for their former homegrown hero. However, many Cavs players greeted James with handshakes and hugs before and even during the game. The fans in Cleveland came harder than the Cavaliers did.
James got his rhythm going in the second quarter and began chopping it up with some of his former teammates as the Heat extended their lead. It seemed as if the Cavs were still in awe of the two time defending MVP.
In the third quarter, James scored 24 points and the Heat went up by 30 points. James essentially closed out the game by the end of the third quarter. At this point in the game the Cavs looked defeated and tired. They started star gazing as James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh ran up and down floor scoring at will.
James was able to sit out the fourth quarter and had a drink thrown at him (that missed) while he sat on the bench. James thrived in this environment. The support offered by his coach and teammates leading up to the game helped James a great deal and for the first time this season, LeBron James looked like King James.
However, the Cavs are under .500, and cannot match the talent of the Heat. So was this a big win for the Heat? The bottom line is that is was a WIN. After losing to the Pacers, Grizzlies and Mavericks recently, any win is a big win. Hopefully the Heat will recognize that they have to play faster, and use their athleticism to overpower their opponents.
