The NBA and its media partners only got half of the much anticipated Kobe/Lebron showdown. My only question is, will the puppet commercials go off the air? Those commercials freak me out. There is nothing scarier than puppets to me, nothing.
The fact is the two best teams got to the finals. Without Kevin Garnett I thought the Cavs would coast. However, after watching them play in that Magic series, I felt like I had been cheated. This Cavs team was a Lebron fade away three at the buzzer from being swept. Their game plan never really changed, and without some truly amazing performances from Lebron this series would've been over much sooner. The question is, why didn't I see this coming? Why did I and everyone else buy into the Cavs are invincible crap. For that matter, how did the Magic do such a 360 from game 7 in the Celtics series to now. I thought the Celtics and Magic played terribly in that Eastern Conference semifinal series, but at least the Celtics had an excuse without Garnett. Then the next series I see the Magic raining threes from all over the court, and Dwight Howard playing like the superstar he supposedly is. Needless to say I was left utterly shocked.
The fact is the NBA is all about matchups. The Magic played the Cavs well all year, and it was no different this series. They pose tremendous match up problems for any team, with 4 starters who can hit the three. Also, they are the only team with two 6"10 power forwards that can take you off the dribble or sink threes in your face. The X factor this series was Mikhael Pietrus. Everytime he would shoot a three in the corner I knew it was going in. I can't help but wonder why he was continuously left open though. I think Mike Brown could be one of the first coach of the years ever to be fired.
The Magic simply had better players than the Cavs, and they will have better players than the Lakers as well. The issue I see with this Magic team is if they don't hit their perimeter shots they are sunk. Dwight Howard had a great series, but still has no offensive game beyond dunking or layups. If he polishes his low post game, it is going to be absolutely terrifying for opposing teams the next 10 years.
The Lakers-Nuggets series outcome should be no real surprise to anyone. Both were pretty evenly matched talent wise, but a team with as many hot heads as the Nuggets is not going to beat a Kobe Bryant/Phil Jackson led team. The Lakers lucked out this year. They don't have to face Lebron, or a Celtics team with Garnett. I am hoping the Magic can keep up this hot shooting and that Jameer Nelson will be able to add depth to a solid point guard lineup. Ultimately, I think the hated Lakers will triumph, but I will break the series down on Thursday.
In other news, Tom Brady is supposedly exceeding expectations in his recovery from surgery. This should really come to no surprise to anyone who has followed his career. I seriously can't wait till the NFL season starts again. On paper the Patriots should be even better than 2 years ago offensively, and they have added depth at corner as well. With another year under the Patriots system, Moss and Welker should be even more deadly. I predict a solid 13-3 season.
Sorry for the lack of blogging as of late. Hope you enjoyed, and let me know what I can improve on. Have a great night!
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