NBA
By David J. Cohen
It’s time for the NBA playoffs. This year is especially good, with storylines all over the place. I can’t remember a playoff year in the NBA with so much intrigue in the opening round.
Here’s how the Eastern Conference should play out.
Once again, I am mostly a baseball guy, but I’m a Sportscenter addict. I follow it like a religion. Plus my hometown Warriors are finally in the playoffs, so I’ve been inspired to take a stab at prediction this year’s NBA playoffs. And no matter what you think of my predictions, I guarantee they will be less annoying than anything Stephen A. Smith says.
It’s the First Round of the NBA Playoffs. All you need is 16 more victories and you are the NBA Champions. To be honest, I would settle for half as good of playoffs from last year. However, the way things shook up on the last night, you never know, we may be in store for some good match-ups.
Man did the Bulls blow it or what? Before game #82, they were the two seed looking at Washington in the First Round and then the winner of New Jersey/Toronto. It is a cakewalk to the Conference Finals. Nope, sorry, they couldn’t take care of the Nets on their home floor, and they get Miami, and then Detroit. If they beat Miami of course. How about those Warriors? Nellie’s old team versus his new team… I predict a lot of scoring. Here is the series breakdown and predictions for Round 1 of the NBA Playoffs.
by: Kyle Benson
Its the 2nd year in a row the Celtics have missed the playoffs. What has happened to this storied franchise? 16 NBA championships all time, but they can’t make it into the playoffs two years in a row. Even though they are one of the worst teams in the league, ending the season with a horrid record of 25-57, star players Paul Pierce and Al Jefferson have guaranteed the playoffs for the 2007-2008 season. So what I’m asking myself is, what Celtics will we see next year, the dynasty from the 80’s, or the car crash of the 2000’s?
13 years. That’s an eternity. 13 years ago, Greg Oden could barely grow a moustache. Edmund Dantes claims he spent 13 years on Chateu D’If, but he probably went crazy and rounded up after 11 ½. If you had a kid 13 years ago, it would already be asking for birth control or sneaking into your porn collection. I’m only 25, so for me, 13 years means I’ve spent over half my life supporting crap basketball- that’s almost too depressing for words. But now, after 13 years, it all seems worth it.
13 years. That’s how long it’s been since playoff basketball has been played in Oakland. But now that’s all about to change.
Alright its the end of the season, playoffs are close, the divisions are all wrapped up, it is time for awards, predictions, results, and an occasional skeptical comment. I don’t mean to toot my own horn here, but I was 14 of 16 for my playoff teams that I predicted earlier this year. That isn’t bad. Of course, there are really only 5 or 6 teams in the NBA that are truly worthy of winning it all. Toronto and Utah are the two that proved me wrong, and Milwaukee and the Hornets are the two that let me down. I was four of six predicting the divisions (Miami, Detroit, Dallas, Phoenix)…all-right those were softballs, I admit it. Utah and Toronto threw me a curve, but in my defense I said they were playoff caliber teams, especially Utah.
Michael Ray Richardson was kicked out of the NBA for violating the substance abuse policy. He was a great player who had a great number of demons. A life dominated by addiction is always a tragedy but at some point everyone must face the consequences of their actions. Michael Ray Richardson did face those consequences. He lost a life that many can only dream of. Now he is back on the radar; this time, as shocking as it seems, as a coach. Not surprisingly, he’s in trouble again. Reading the headlines it would appear that he went John Rocker, tossing out a gay slur and providing some anti-Semitic commentary. In today’s world you don’t get away with saying things like that. Despite our pride in free speech there is nothing free about the speech of hate. Formal punishment of speech, even if it is hate, always rubs me the wrong way but I understand why leagues are so strict and sensitive on the topic. They are protecting a product that they are trying to make as inclusive as possible. I’m fine with a suspension for uttering a gay slur at a heckler. That kind of thing is unacceptable and should be addressed accordingly.
The Best Storylines Going into the Playoffs
Well, we are entering the home stretch of the NBA season. The playoff picture is beginning to solidify and the Oden – Durant lottery is all but set. So here are the last reasons to watch the NBA before the playoffs.
By Trevor Freeman
So I finish up my weekly podcasts yesterday and I’m settling in to watch a little Wright State versus Butler. Because there was a berth into the NCAA Tournament at stake, I decided to honor the moment with a Yuengling. The conversation in my head where I convinced myself that this game was worth drinking for is a different story for a better time. I boot up my e-mail and in it I find this gem from my friend LeAndre…..
Gilbert Arenas sounded off against Coach Eddie Jordan following Sunday’s loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.
What a year it has been for Gilbert Arenas. Sure, prior to this season he was a well-known player, an All-Star, and a must-start for any fantasy basketball team. This season; well, let’s just say Gilbert’s stock went up like Apple’s in the 80’s. Arenas shot into superstardom – becoming a household name, appearing in Adidas commercials alongside KG, T-Mac, and Duncan, dropping 60 points in Kobe’s face, and scorching the Suns and Steve Nash for 54 more (ending Phoenix’s 15-game winning streak).