Finals Preview

The Finals are set. Everyone wanted a Lakers-Cavs final (including myself) but after thinking about it for a bit, I find this match up much more intriguing from a basketball standpoint. It’s obvious that the NBA wanted Kobe v. LeBron in a battle for not only the title, but who is better individually. Lakers-Cavs would have been very similar to the Cavs-Magic series that just ended. The Cav’s would have had the same matchup problems, and LeBron would be going 1-on-5 because he’s the only one that can create his own shot, and shots for others. Good thing that kind of series happened in the Eastern Finals rather than in the NBA Finals. Lakers-Magic poses a bunch of interesting matchups, and should be a lot of great basketball. There are a few things to look out for during the series.

 Who will guard Kobe? – It’s a simple question, yet very hard to answer. It’s the finals, Kobe will be shifting into 6^th gear, ready to just explode and get his hands on that title that he craves. He is going to be difficult to stop. There will be no stopping Kobe in the finals, but you can still make him work for his points. Pietrus did a decent job on James in the last round, but Kobe is a completely different player. Kobe is smart, and crafty with and without the ball. Great defenders such as Battier and Bruce Bowen know where Kobe is going. They can match wits with him. Since the Magic don’t have that kind of defender, then their best bet could be Rashard Lewis. His height and size could keep Kobe under wraps somehow, and keep him from getting into the lane. If Lewis guards Kobe, then Kobe would abuse Lewis on the perimeter, running him off screens, and pick and rolls. Also, the Magic don’t want Lewis wasting the energy when he has to be a creator on the offensive end. The best bet for the Magic on Kobe is to constantly be changing what they do to him. Double him on the catch, or the dribble, force him to drive, wall up and force him to shoot over defenders, funnel him baseline, funnel him towards Howard, and put different defenders on him all game. The Magic can’t let Kobe beat them. The Magic need to do what the Celtics did last year with Kobe. This is the most interesting aspects to the finals to me. Did the Lakers learn from last year against the Celtics? Can Kobe’s supporting cast toughen up and make plays when the magic shut Kobe down? I guess we will wait and see.

 Odom v. Lewis – This matchup could be great, but then it could just as easily be terrible. Both players have the physical tools and bodies to be premiere players, but something is missing from each of them mentally. They would rather settle for 20 footers than get into the lane. If Lewis keeps playing the same way that he has all playoffs, and Odom plays the way that he can, then we’re in for something that we have never seen before. Never have we seen two 6’10’’ guys guard each other and play as if they are 6’2’’ guards flying towards the rim. Lewis could break out here in the Finals in a big way. He is proving that he is a clutch go to player late in games.

 Home court won’t matter – The home court advantage won’t matter to the Lakers. The Laker’s home crowd in terrible. They can easily be taken out of a game. It’s as if games in L.A. are a neutral court with how quite it can be there. The Magic have also proven that they are road warriors. They closed out Philly in Philly without Howard. They won a game 7 in Boston, and they beat Cleveland (The best home team in the NBA) in game 1, and if not for LeBron’s heroics in game 2, the Magic would have won that game. They also beat LA at LA during the regular season. I will love to see if the Magic can steal one of the first two games in LA and make this series interesting

 Can the Magic Stay on Fire – The Magic can’t seem to miss from the 3-point line. They are shooting nearly 50 percent, during the last 2 games against the Celtics, and the series with the Cavs. The old saying “You live by the 3 and die by the 3” doesn’t apply to them. They are living and feasting on the 3. It will be fun to see if they can stay on fire. If they do, this will be a great series.

 LA’s defense – Phil Jackson doesn’t double team. I expect him to single cover Howard on the block and stay home on the shooters. He will force Howard to beat him, which is a good strategy considering that Howards has one move. The Lakers bigs are athletic enough to keep Howard from going around him, and force him to make a move. However, Howard is becoming a superduperstar right now. His tears after winning against Cleveland really show how much he cares about winning. I expect to see a hungry Dwight Howard. This could possibly force Jackson to double team.

 The Prediction – So who will win? I have absolutely no idea. I’m about ready to draw from a hat, use a dart board, or ask the draft lottery for advice. So I will guess… The Lakers. They have the best player in the series, and Gasol, the Lakers 2^nd best player, is better than Orlando’s second best player in Turkoglu. 

Game 5

I just got home from game 5 of the Blazers vs. Rockets, and I have a few thoughts:

 I have never been a part of a louder crowd. I’ve been a part of rabid crowds in Autzen Stadium, and other big home Blazer games, and I felt like I was at a rock concert. The ringing stayed in my ears for much of the drive home.  I couldn’t hear myself yell in the 4^th quarter. Grown men who didn’t know each other were giving each other hugs after big shots. The roof was ready to blow at The Garden. The crowd gave the home team the energy and charge they needed in the 4^th to hit the big shots even though they were tired. I will never forget how loud it was.

 Based on the last point, I feel like if this same exact game was played in Houston, the series would be over. Just about every shot that the Blazers sunk tonight was contested, with a hand in their face. Those kinds of shots only go through the hoop at home. Despite Aldridge having a very efficient game, scoring 25, I feel like Scola did a decent job defending. Aldridge never caught the ball with good position. Aldridge shot the ball well going 11-20, but several of those shots were tough. He either had a hand in the face, or he had to make some sort of spinning fall away (Still had a hand in his face on those as well.) Portland needs Aldridge to play well to take pressure off Roy, and create other shots for teammates. If the Blazers are going to bring back this series to Portland on Saturday, they need to find a way to get uncontested, open jumpers.

 I see Houston running a lot of pick and rolls on Thursday. The Aaron Brooks and Luis Scola combo in the first quarter was almost unstoppable. Either Scola had a wide open jumper, or Brooks was getting into the lane. Scola is physical and will set good screens; he can also knock down the open jumper. This pick and roll combination could attract so much attention that Yao can get good one on one looks in the post. He could possibly have a big game on Thursday (Not mention two good shooters in Artest and Battier on the weak side for open jumpers.)

 Despite the win, I feel like the Blazers were a little outcoached. The Rockets had a different look after every timeout. Whether it was a pick and roll, an isolation of some sort, or a set play for Artest, it was always something different. The Rockets changed things up defensively as well. They were being killed by the slash and kick. They made the adjustment. Every drive by a Blazer was funneled right to Yao, with the rest of the perimeter players shooting the lane for a steal. It happened two times. The Blazers made no adjustment, and continued to try to slash and kick. What worked is that Roy was so good; he was able to attract enough attention to break down the new scheme by the Rockets. The bottom line, The Rockets made more effective adjustments throughout the game than did the Blazers. But Portland did one thing that pushed them towards the win.

 Portland refused to quit. They came out fired up and focused. Aldridge looked pissed off before the game. They were ready to win at any cost. The focus and intensity needed in the playoffs was finally there. Bad calls and physical play didn’t get in their heads. In games 3 and 4, the moments got too big, and the players crumbled making silly decisions. This time around, losing in the 4^th quarter, the team was patient with the ball and went with their bread and butter: Aldridge and Roy. The real difference in the series is late game situations in games 3 and 4. The Blazers made stupid decisions, turned the ball over, and got beat to easily on the defensive end (such as not keeping an eye on a streaky shooter in Battier.) The Blazers lived up to the challenge in game 5, and hopefully that’s what they needed. They now know they can get it done.

 With this newfound will to win, and lack of fear of the playoffs, game 6 can be very interesting. The pieces are potentially in place for a great comeback in this series. The pieces are also in place for Houston to beat down Portland handily. I guess a wait and see kind of approach will have to be done for Thursday… I hate this kind of approach.

A Fearful Reality

After watching game one between the Rockets and the Blazers, all my fears have become reality. Besides the Lakers, they are the only team that I feel like the Blazers can’t beat in a seven game series. I feared three things going into the series against these Rockets.

1. Yao Ming – The Blazers have no one to guard Yao Ming. An overpowering player is the only kind of player that can guard Yao. He’s so tall and so skilled that when he catches the ball in the paint, he is going to score. Przybilla, Aldridge, and Frye all don’t have the strength to keep him off the block. Oden has the size and strength to match up with Yao, but is too inexperience to guard him. Yao has made Oden look foolish many times this season. Yao is too crafty, and has an array of moves that keeps Oden off balance, and on his heels. Oden is a good defender when he attacks an offensive player and is aggressive. Unfortunately, Oden lacks a certain feel for the game, Yao has a great feel for the game, and this creates a bad mismatch for the Blazers.

2. The Blazers offense goes as Roy goes. They rely on his penetration ability to create shots for others. The Rockets have 2 of the top 5 perimeter defenders in the league with Shane Battier and Ron Artest. Battier is crafty, and smart with plenty of length to bother Roy. Artest has size and strength. He is very physical when he plays defense. The constant change between Artest and Battier will keep Roy from getting in a rhythm. Roy shoots a high percentage by getting into the lane. He is also a great passer when he gets in the paint. In the game last night, Roy wasn’t himself. He struggled against the defense shooting a low percentage. What’s really telling about his stat line from last night is that he only had 2 assists.

3. Playoff basketball is a different brand of basketball. It is tough and physical. A flagrant foul in the regular season becomes a hard foul in the playoffs. There is no such thing as an easy basket. The Blazers has never seen this kind of defense. There was uproar after the game that the officiating was horrible. In actuality, the Rockets understand playoff basketball and how physical it is. The Blazers need to adjust to the physicality and just play the game, rather than worry about the officiating.

One more observation from the game last night: The Rockets wanted it more. The Blazers came out flat and went through the motions. This was shocking. The Blazers are young and feed off their crowd. The Rose Garden was rocking. Something happened though that kept the Blazers from coming out energized. It could have been the media considering them as the favorite to challenge the Lakers in the west. It’s possible that they were complacent, thinking that they were going to be able to roll considering that they have been destroying everybody that has come to Portland the last month. The lack of energy could have also been a deer in the headlights sort of thing. The awe of the playoffs could have gotten to them. Whatever it was, it was bad to see considering it was Portland’s first playoff game in 6 years.

As a Blazers fan it kills me to admit that I don’t see Portland winning this series. It could be a very short series unless things change very quickly.

Jose Canseco: Misunderstood?

Not many good things come to mind when Jose Canseco enters your ear. Cheater, meathead, sellout, idiot… the list goes on and on. Luckily for him things are beginning to change. More and more names are added to the list of known cheaters, players who someday will find the hall of fame. Because of these new circumstances a question is raised. Why not Jose Canseco for the hall of fame? Okay, maybe not the hall of fame, but he deserves to be seen differently than how he is currently portrayed.

 For this to happen, the way that we view the hall of fame needs to change. For all intents and purposes, the hall of fame is a museum. It is there solely for the reason of teaching the public about the history of the game. Whether we like to believe it or not, the steroid era will forever be a part of history of the game. It is an era that can’t be ignored. If we change the way that we view the hall of fame, then the case for Jose Canseco can be made.

 The steroid era has done this to the game. Fans have to assume that everyone is using some sort of aid. It will be impossible to distinguish between those who cheated and those who didn’t based on a "he said, she said" system. Fans are no longer shocked when a new name comes out. No one was surprised when the Alex Rodriguez story dropped. It’s coming to the point where fans become surprised if players come out and admit to being clean their entire career. The era deserves its own separate wing or hall with a sign that reads the following:

            These players played in a time period known as “The Steroid Era”

 The wing would be split up into two different rooms. One room with known users such as A-roid (oops, I mean A-Rod) Mark McGwire, Canseco, Bonds, Palmeiro, Clemens and Sammy Sosa. The other would hold names that we are pretty sure didn’t use anything. Names like Greg Maddux and Derek Jeter would be in this room. The player in the first room would be a permanent asterisk on their careers. It would be more shameful for them to be on display in the Hall of Fame than them not being in there at all. It would be better to put these players on blast than let them hide in the dark. The plaques for the players could say a variety of things. Palmeiro’s would say something along the lines of him blatantly lying to congress and then testing positive a few weeks later. A-Roid’s (oops again) would say that he lied on national TV, then less than a year later he admitted to using Performance Enhancing Drugs (PEDs.) 

 That brings us to the Bust of Jose Canseco. Seen just from a player standpoint, he is a hall of famer. Two World Series rings, he was a six time all star, was a rookie of the year and an MVP. He was the first ever 40/40 man. He accumulated 462 career home runs and had over 1400 RBI’s. Canseco was also part of one of the most feared and famous hitting duos dubbed the “Bash Bros.”  

 The thing with the hall of fame, it takes more than just numbers and career achievements to get you in. The biggest hurdle for Canseco is what he has done since he has retired. Openly admitting to using steroids has permanently taken him out of the hall of fame for most people. But people tend to look past what he has actually done for the game. He has started to clean up the game. He has taken the dark beast that is steroids and has put it into the light. He is a leading man in the cleanup of the sport.

 As more and more names of good baseball players who used PEDs come out, it’s likely that the likes of McGwire and Sosa get in. McGwire and Sosa helped “save” the sport with their chase for the single season home run record in 1998. Their contributions to the game were obvious. They put people into the stands, and brought better ratings to networks carrying their games. It may not happen soon, but they will get into the hall (They just have to admit to using, and ask for forgiveness a la Pettite, Giambi.) Canseco saved the game of baseball in a different way that is less obvious. His book “Juiced” was groundbreaking at the time, dropping several names of great baseball players who were thought to be clean. Everyone thought he was absurd for making such claims, and that he was just missing the spotlight of being a pro athlete. Since the book however, several of those names have been revealed as using PEDs. He placed the whisper that was steroids in front of a megaphone.

 When the likes of McGwire, Sosa and Bonds eventually get into the hall of fame, then the question for Jose Canseco has to be raised. Who would you rather have in the hall, a cheater who continually lied, or a cheater who admitted to his wrong doing, and has asked for forgiveness? 

Photo Critique: Ocean Wave

I love pictures that are taken at just the right moment. Everything has to go right to capture the perfect shot. Tis picture is a great example. I love all the color and the lighting that is present. The sand being kicked up in the lower left hand corner is something that is rarely seen.

Photo Essay: State Basketball Tournament

Starting from top left and going clockwise: Josh Garlington (23) and Kody Butcher (32) of Century High School leap for the rebound in their win over Crater at the 5A basketball tournament in Eugene, Ore; Century's dance team performs at half time of their team's game at McArthur Court; Crater's cheerleaders encourages the student section to get louder; A sign outside of McArthur Court displays the time and temperature; Century huddles and strategizes during a time out; Century's student section celebrates a blocked shot.

Night Running

Josh Alderin, 28, of Corvallis, Ore runs in the dark of his neighborhood on a dark and chilly night. "Night running is the best. There is no one else that can bother you."