MLB: First Half Analysis, Predictions And Ramblings. Awards.

I was talking to a friend on Saturday and he was mentioning how great this season has been. I was still complaining (as was Bombs) about how much I miss the NBA. But he insisted that this has been a great year for Major League Baseball, due to the emergence of young players, teams and the fact that nearly EVERYONE is still in the running.

We talked about possible awards candidates.

For the NL:

MVP: has to be Lance Berkman. No question in my mind. He said Chase Utley, but Utley is still 10 runs behind Berkman, 14 hits behind, has fewer walks and only has a .297 batting average to Berkman’s unreal .364 to this point.

I obviously expect Berkman to dip a little and Utley to get up around .320 or so to end the season. It’s not a one man race, but it doesn’t look like it will be any more than a 6 man race as the season progress (Berkman, Utley, Chipper Jones, Hanley Ramirez, Dan Uggla and Jose Reyes).

 

Cy Young: This one surprised me. I thought for sure that Brandon Webb or Dan Haren would be the clear standout here, but actually if you look at ERA, K’s and ignore record, Edinson Volquez is leading right now.

Volquez is 10-3 with a 2.08 ERA and 110 K’s (to Webb’s 12-4 94 K’s 3.21 ERA). There are still a lot of other guys in the running here (Dan Haren, Ben Sheets, Tim Lincecum, Cole Hamels…hell, you could even throw in Johan Santana if the Mets ever decide to score some runs…) but it seems likely that the two candidates who will be left standing in September might be on the same team (Webb and Haren).

One other thing I want to make note of, 9 of the top 15 statistical batters are in the NL half way through the season. That’s pretty unexpected…

For the AL:

MVP: My friend Crowley was almost positive it was Josh Hamilton. I actually could not think of anyone in the AL that seemed to be head and shoulders above the rest. Hamilton has been great so far. But the person who is statistically ahead of Hamilton right now?

Teammate Ian Kinsler.

Kinsler leads the MLB in runs scored (71) at the half way mark. He’s 5th in the bigs in doubles (25) has 20 steals, is hitting an AL best .323 and leads the MLB in hits (110). His 13 HR and 50 RBI may seem like sort of an afterthought (because he barely cracks the top 25 in RBI and doesn’t even come close in HR), but those stats in combination with the most runs scored, Most hits in baseball, highest BA in the AL and 20 steals? He’s the leader right now.

But Josh Hamilton is not far behind. Hamilton has 19 HR’s, an obscene 79 RBI and a .312 BA. If he can pull out some extra Home Runs and get the BA above .330, I’d say he has an outside chance to get the Triple Crown (the odds are probably still like 1000-1…which is why I would bet $100 on it).

Allow me to list the remaining guys in the top 25 overall, who are from the AL:

Carlos Quentin (yes, really. he has 19 HR and 61 RBI but is only batting .280 and doubt that lasts).

Grady Sizemore (batting a pathetic .268 at this point, but has 19 HR, 45 RBI and 19 steals. He’ll improve…or should)

Milton Bradley (ALSO FROM TEXAS! Somehow they have 3 of the top 5 offensive players in the AL this season so far. He is also batting .323 with 16 HR and 49 RBI)

Jermaine Dye

JD Drew (yeah, that’s how statistically rough the AL is in overall offense right now…not that he’s having a rough year…but to be in the top 7 for MVP voting half way through?)

Alex Rodriguez.

So out of the top 25 offensive players in baseball through the half way point, only 8 of them are from the AL in overall offense. Yikes.

Cy Young: Cliff Lee is well ahead of the curve in the AL right now. Will that last? Who knows? But the rest of it is such a crapshoot at this point that I wouldn’t be surprised to see Mariano Rivera in the running (22 Saves 0.74 ERA and 0.55 WHIP….INSANE.).

Other possibilities:

Justin Duchscherer

John Lackey

Ervin Santana

Roy Halladay

Rich Harden (if healthy)

Joe Saunders (HAS 11 WINS!!?!?!)

Scott Kazmir

Josh Beckett

Almost anything can happen there.

As far as overall records go, I would have to say that the two teams that had the most unfulfilled expectations coming into this year would have to be the Tigers and the Mets. The Tigers are 41-40, while the Mets are 40-41. Neither is on pace to make the playoffs or set the world on fire in any way but both are still capable of rebounding. The Tigers have already started an upswing. The Mets…well…They sort of suck. But either way, this was not what anyone expected from either team.

All though…The Mets having a -1 Run Differential is pretty telling. Shitty pitching, not enough hitters. And Detroit having a +4 run differential is equally as telling. It’s almost like they are the same team in different leagues. Obviously the Tigers have the better offensive team…but what the hell happened to Magglio Ordonez? What happened to Sheff? What happened to Placido Polanco? What happened to Miggy? What in God’s name happened to Dontrelle Willis? I mean, I didn’t expect Willis to win 20 games…but…I expected him to be INT HE BIG LEAGUES…and probably be like 13-10 or so….at least…Hell…Even 10-13 wouldn’t be that bad to have at the bottom of a rotation like that…

This Tigers team is lucky they don’t play in New York or Boston, or they would be dead. Jim Leyland probably would have been fired; people would be sending death threats to Miguel Cabrera. It wouldn’t be a pretty sight.

But neither of them even approaches the awfulness that is the Seattle Mariners, Washington Nationals, San Diego Padres and defending NL Champion Colorado Rockies.

It doesn’t look like it’ll be Rocktober anytime in 2008…

I know they can still win like 27 games in a row and win the division…but this does not look like last year’s team. They’ve lost 7 in a row and have -76 run differential. Worse, they are a pathetic 20-19 at home. That’s just sad. The defending NL Champions should, at the very least, be winning games at home on a consistent basis.

Seattle is 31-50 with a -59 run differential.

San Diego is 32-51 with at -88.

The worst? By far the Washington Nationals.

33-50 with a -114 run differential. Proving that old adage, you can take a team out of Montreal, but you can’t take Montreal out of a team.

Horrific. The fact that they are 33-50 and NOT something like 18-65 surprises me. They SHOULD only have about 22 or 23 wins. If they keep playing like this, they WILL NOT finish with 50 wins. The numbers will even out. And not in a good way. That’s right, I’m predicting that if the Nats do not get their run differential below 110 by the end of the season, they will only win 17 games in the second half.

But run differential is a strange mistress. The Rangers have the most runs scored in the bigs (456) and as I said above, 3 of the top 6 offensive players in the AL. Unfortunately, they have the WORST PITCHING IN BASEBALL and have surrendered 467 runs. Also the most given up in the bigs. What’s worse? They’re in third and 7.5 games out of first in their division. Yikes.

In Boston, the word on the street is that the Yankees might as well roll over and die because they have “no pitching”. Yes, the ace of that staff (Wang) is out until September. But they are still winning games. And Giambi has the porn stache. That’s got to count for something. I’m not ready to say they’re dead yet.

The Red Sox scare me because a) so many injuries. b) This ‘one guy gets hurt someone else steps up to fill the void’ thing isn’t going to last another 81 games. c) Even at their best, this team doesn’t look like a World Series caliber team. But then again…who does?

Also, what in the hell happened to the Indians?

It’s been a strange season so far.

 

The NBA, Where Crazy Trades Happen – Yi Jianlian for Richard Jefferson, Jermaine O’Neal for TJ Ford

So unless you’ve been asleep all morning, you’ve probably heard about this.

Jermaine O’Neal will be sent to the Raptors for TJ Ford, Rasho Nesterovic, the Raptors 1st round pick (#17) and a player to be named later.

The Pacers have FINALLY decided to blow things up (maybe?) and try something new (I hope) because they still have not recovered from the melee at Auburn Hills.

On paper, this looks good for both teams. In theory, If Jeramine O’Neal stays healthy, the Raptors have some serious big (lanky) guys.

Let’s forget about the fact that O’Neal isn’t from Europe (which seems to be one of the main things Toronto looks for) look at the roster the Raps would have left:

PLAYER	POS	HT	WT	FROM
Andrea Bargnani	C-F	7-0	250	Italy
Maceo Baston	C-F	6-10	230	Michigan
Chris Bosh	F	6-10	230	Georgia Tech
Primoz Brezec	C	7-1	255	Slovenia
Jose Calderon	G	6-3	210	Spain
Carlos Delfino	G	6-6	230	Argentina
Joey Graham	F	6-7	225	Oklahoma State
Kris Humphries	F	6-9	235	Minnesota
Jason Kapono	F	6-8	215	UCLA
Jamario Moon	F	6-8	205	Meridian CC (MS)
Anthony Parker	G-F	6-6	215	Bradley

Throw in a 6′ 11″ Jermaine O’Neal and you have a team with 5 legitimate big men and only a PG under 6′ 6″. That’s a tall, young, athletic and ethnically diverse team.

IF O’Neal stays healthy…

Anyway, the Raptors weren’t that far away from being a really good team in 07-08 and this trade certainly won’t hurt them (because TJ Ford NEEDED to go).

But the one trade that’s just now starting to surface is a Yi Jianlian for Richard Jefferson deal.

Of course this is still a developing deal, but it certainly makes things interesting.

I don’t think Richard Jefferson turns the Bucks into a 50 win team in one season alone. But, he definitely won’t hurt. And they traded away an overvalued foreigner for him.

Plus, it proves the New Jersey ACTUALLY DOES plan to sign LeBron James. It makes the Jason Kidd trade look like it was a prequel in retrospect.

AND NOW, MY VOTE FOR THE TEAM MOST LIKELY TO LOSE 70 GAMES IN 2008-09…THE NEW JERSEY NETS!!!!!

Think about it…This is a team that will fold until the summer of 2010 when they try to get LeBron James. Expect the Nets to be attempting to get the first overall draft pick for the next two seasons. Expect the Nets to build a core of young guys perfect for accommodating a guy who will want to win it all. Expect floppage like you have never seen before.

But the trades are awesome.

Ever since KG came to Boston, the NBA has been a different league.

In previous seasons you might see some second tier or end of contract type moves but now the NBA is trade crazy (especially since the Celtics won it all with their brilliant front office moves).

And its awesome.

Tonight’s draft will almost certainly feature a plethora of trades. Teams will be reborn, while others implode and start over. Who knows where Michael Beasley will end up. Its great. The NBA is turning into baseball. Except with EVEN MORE big name players getting moved via trades.

 

Mid-Season Tension. Frustration. Chacon Throws GM By The Neck. Umpire Runge Bumps Jerry Manuel.

The 2008 baseball season has officially hit the boiling point.

Guys are getting injured left and right.

Bodies are flying everywhere.

Shawn Chacon, in what was most likely a fit of rage, threw the GM of the Astros to the ground by the neck. Which is nothing short of…

AWESOME!!!

Nobody relishes football fights. Football tension doesn’t get the same admiration and I think I speak for most sports fans when I say I wish football players were not allowed to go to night clubs, strip clubs, gun shows…etc.

But baseball drama?!?! THERE’S NOTHING MORE AMERICAN!!!

Everyone wants to know about the dark side of being a major leaguer. People fight, they don’t get along, they argue about playing time, they back stab each other. Its great. Its wonderful. Its entertainment.

How many non-Astros/Pirates/Rockies fans had even heard of Shawn Chacon before today? Probably not too many. But now? He’s making headlines. He’s available. He’s a loose canon. And its great.

This guy wasn’t gonna make headlines with his pitching (he set a major league record with 9 straight no decisions this season!!!), but with his fists? Sure.

There’s just something wildly intriguing about the debasement of baseball. I don’t know if its because its so classically an American pastime or because it perfectly straddles the line of being “rough and tumble” vs. “illegal and dangerous”.

Football players usually tend to fit into the latter category. The media reports it sensationalized, people (who don’t even care about football) start calling guys “thugs” and calling for their heads and then it all blows over and its done with.

Does anyone even remember the Ray Lewis early years anymore? No?

See.

Because in football, people end up getting killed or doing TRULY messed up things or going to jail.

In baseball, no one minds a good old fashioned exchange of fisticuffs. Its good for the game even. Name me a baseball fan who WOULDN’T be less than thrilled to go to a game and see a bench clearing brawl? You can’t find one can you?

And what does a bench clearing brawl amount to? A few punches and a bunch of tackling. But its still thrilling in an otherwise slow sport.

The thing is, I can’t even tell if we’ve been desensitized to players doing violent (but in the long run non-harmful) things BECAUSE of some football players and their absurdity or if it is a racial thing.

Remember when Latrell Sprewell choked PJ Carlisemo? It was the biggest news story around for a while. What Shawn Chacon did is similar (probably not AS BAD) but its going to fade by next week.

Its like we accept the minor violence in baseball.

The tension just makes it more fun. And nobody really gets hurt. So continue entertaining us. I guess…

Shaquille O’Neal Politely Asks Kobe In Freestyle: “How Does My Ass Taste?”, Then Takes It Back…Sure…

Yes.

YES!

Kobe has been cemented in history as Robin to Shaq’s Batman. As Starsky to Shaq’s Hutch. As Brian Fantana to Shaq’s Ron Burgundy. As Calvin Johnson to Shaq’s Doug Martsch. “As Howard The Duck” to Shaq’s “Star Wars”. As “Numbers” to Shaq’s “CSI”. As “Deep Impact” to Shaq’s “Armageddon”. As “Ocean’s 13″ to Shaq’s “Ocean’s 11″. As “Beverly Hills Cop 3″ to Shaq’s “Beverly Hills Cop”.

I could go on for months. But I’d rather let you watch the video for yourself.

Allow me to paraphrase one of Shaq’s lines below:

Kobe, I’m like a Horse/You made me get a divorce

Something like that.

I mean, he could have made reference to the fact that the last ring Kobe had in his possession cost him 4.5 million dollars and was for his wife. Could have. But didn’t.

Oh Shaq. I’ve never had anything against you.

In fact, I was part of the Shaquille O’Neal fan club as a kid. I got newsletters that had stories about how Shaq conquered childhood obesity and then went on to conquer the Ming Dynasty (via the video game Shaq Fu, remember that game?).

Apparently that website is about liberating the world from the tyranny of said horrific fighting game. Good for them.

I also remember a particularly strange Shaq candy bar.

I miss those days.

But you know what a major bonus of the Celtics winning this championship has been? Watching Kobe Bryant suffer.

I will ALWAYS root against Kobe Bryant. He might be the most UNLIKABLE person in all of sports.

Being that I’m a Red Sox fan, I’m supposed to despise A-Rod. And even though A-Rod is annoying and makes a lot of money, so what. At the end of the day, he’s just an awkward dude. I don’t get the sense that he’s a horrible human being like I do with Kobe.

i hope Phil jackson writes another tell-all ASAP.

And Shaq, you keep rapping.

 

Big Baby Davis Enjoys an Early Morning Refreshment. Wears No Shirt To The Parade.

If Kevin Garnett was the heart of the 2007-08 Celtics, Paul Pierce was the captain and Ray Allen was a stoic leader with quiet dignity, then surely Glen Big Baby Davis was the goofy younger brother of the team.

Glen Davis excites Boston fans. He’s big, he does crazy shit, he’s intense.

And sometimes he shows up to the victory parade drunk and shirtless. And that’s why we love him. “Hand me that Aquafina!!”

 

Thanks to my sister for the pictures. I was too busy trying not to knock some guys off of mailboxes to take any myself.

 

I really hope Big Baby comes back and stays with the C’s long term.

This team just needs someone to be big and do crazy shit. I mean, Danny Ainge throwing up gang signs will suffice off the court. But on the court, Big Baby needs to be that guy.

Jemele Hill and Don Imus Should Probably Do a Radio Show Together.

I wasn’t aware of the initial Don Imus Pacman Jones comments.

That might be because I a) don’t like to listen to old men who mumble “crazy” things. b) WE AREN’T CALLING HIM PACMAN ANYMORE! ITS ADAM. ADAM! SHOW SOME RESPECT TO ADAM JONES BITCH!!!!

But apparently Don Imus is attempting to be the Morrissey of the 2000’s (aka Big Mouth Strikes Again).

Imus made some jokes about how ADAM Jones was only arrested six times in the last two years because he is black. Then today made some comment about how “HE WAS BEING SARCASTIC! IT WAS A JOKE!!”. I don’t think the “IT WAS A JOKE” defense worked out for him last time (ahem, “Nappy Headed-Hos” offense).

According to the Associated Press, this is what Jones had to say:

“I’m truly upset about the comments,” Jones said. “Obviously Mr. Imus has problems with African-Americans. I’m upset, and I hope the station he works for handles it accordingly. I will pray for him.”

I mean, I know he made it rain and took it back, acted a fool, is responsible (indirectly) for some guy being paralyzed and who knows what else…But that comment made me respect the new Adam Jones just a little bit. There’s nothing more entertaining than a guy involved in a melee at a strip club saying he’ll pray for a racist (or at least very very confused) talk show host.

What confuses me the most about this is, don’t you think Imus would have just avoided all racial issues for at least a few years? Can’t he just share his equally “ridiculous” beliefs about everything BUT race for 5 or so years until people start to sort of forget about the whole Rutgers offensive? At the very least, he has AGAIN displayed HORRENDOUS judgement.

And SPEAKING of horrendous judgement, Jemele Hill wrote an apology of sorts today for her “rooting for the Celtics is like rooting for Hitler” comments from an article she wrote as a preview for the NBA Finals.

Red’s Army has been covering this story for the last couple of weeks. But Jemele apparently thought it would be all right if she dropped an H-bomb in her latest opus about race and sports. Here is the excerpt:

“Rooting for the Celtics is like saying Hitler was a victim. It’s like hoping Gorbachev would get to the blinking red button before Reagan.”

Really?

Because the last time I checked rooting for ANY sports team is NOTHING LIKE SAYING HITLER WAS A VICTIM!!!

I could have been personally offended by this lapse in judgement, but I’m from Boston, I’m an open-minded person, so I chose to let it pass, I didn’t even write any angry letters or anything and I refrained from covering it at all until this point.

However, painting all people of one city with a brush that large is highly irritating. Yes, I’m aware that Boston has historically been shitty to minorities. And yes, I’m aware that the owners of the Boston Red Sox were giant racists (I’m sure the karma from this had more to do with the Sox not winning a World Series from 1918 to 2004 more than any Babe Ruth curse). But let’s go over some of the good things Boston has done historically in sports:

The Celtics drafted the first ever African American player (Chuck Cooper) in the NBA.

The Celtics had the first ever African American starting 5 in the NBA.

The Celtics had the first ever African American Head Coach in the NBA.

Aside from these things, Boston is not the same city it was even as recently as the mid-90’s. This is a city that loves its sports heros regardless of race or ethnicity.

Yes, there are some close-minded assholes here. But if you can find me a city where there AREN’T any, please let me know and I will gladly buy a plane ticket and make an appointment with a realtor out there immediately. Thanks.

Anyway, I have nothing personal against Jemele Hill. I don’t really think she is much of a writer but I think that takes a lot of time. I don’t think she is a horrible person. And I accept her apology along with the suspension (which was certainly fair).

Either way, I do feel her editor probably should have seen the word “Hitler” and said “Nah, I don’t think we’re running this with a Hitler joke”.

 

The Incredible Hulk or Marvel’s Allegory Of Professional Baseball

Bud Selig should go see “The Incredible Hulk”. 

Maybe he doesn’t need to see it. He’s already lived through it.

You see, there’s a certain character in the movie (notice I didn’t use the word ‘film’ here) named General Thaddeus Thunderbolt Ross. Now let’s suspend the disbelief of Bud Selig having the nickname ‘thunderbolt’ for a second (if you’re going to follow me on this one, or see “The Incredible Hulk” you’re going to have to suspend disbelief a hell of a lot, so you might as well start now). 

General Ross is a man who created a monster. Well…he didn’t actually create it. He sort of facilitated its creation. You see a different man, Bruce Banner, created the monster. Bruce was just an average guy, working an average guy job in a science lab when one day he stumbled across something truly amazing. He figured out that if he spliced some chemicals together and injected them into people he might be able to give them superhuman capabilities. 

Now, being that General Ross really wanted to stay ahead of the other professional sports…I mean…Russians…He embraced this medical advancement and allowed average ballplayer…I mean scientist…Bruce Bannister to inject himself with the serum. Make sense?

Well of course, shit spiraled out of control. Nobody knows who to trust anymore, the government is looking for this superhuman because he’s breaking all sorts of laws and General Selig is wishing he never messed with shit to begin with (all while self righteously figuring that none of it is really his fault. Its not like he injected anyone with that serum that made them way bigger and hit more home runs and save professional baseball…I mean…the American Military). 

Meanwhile, General Thaddeus Thunderbolt Bud Selig Ross decides he needs help suppressing this monster that has overtaken everything he holds near and dear (that he invited into his life mind you) so he decides to enlist a foreigner named Emil Blonsky. 

Trouble is, Emil also LOVES the serum.

Here’s a quick scene from the movie:

Scientist Guy: Emil, do you have any idea what this could do to you?

Emil: I’ll bend over. Just stick it in my ass.

Scientist Guy: But Emil, you’ve already taken small doses. isn’t that enough?

Emil: IT’LL BE ENOUGH WHEN I HIT 162 HOME RUNS A SEASON NOW STICK IT IN MY ASS CHEEK PENCIL NECK!!I’!

Greg Anderson I mean…Scientist Guy: Let’s keep a doping calendar. What do you say?

Emil: DO ME!!!!

Scientist Guy: YESSSSSSSS.

Emil: Yeaaaaah.

Scientist Guy: Ohhhhhhhhh. Ohhhhhh. Ohhhhhhh. 

Emil: I FEEL BETTER THAN EVER!! I LOVE SERUM!!!!

Anyway, long story short, dudes are juicing up all over the place, the General should never have let anyone make it happen to begin with, meanwhile Bruce Banner is just trying to use his experience as a deterrent for young aspiring athletes but then you find out Emil Blonsky was having an affair with a 14 year old country singer all along. And Scientist guy refuses to testify and stays in prison for 14 months but then his wife is being investigated and his agent is saying he’s being blackballed out of his tenure position at Culver University, but Culver isn’t all that nice anyway because there have been full out military assaults on the quad making it nearly IMPOSSIBLE to play Frisbee.

Oh, and Liv Tyler is there.

Baseball should just try to glamorize the steal as much as possible. Steals can be sexy. People can do steals. Ichiro has been on fire this season. And even guys like Michael Bourn who is an offensive non-factor, is dangerous on the base paths. CAN WE PLEASE GLAMORIZE THE STEAL?

Rickey Henderson MUST come out of retirement ASAP and steal 137 bases. 

I’ve never seen a better allegorical cautionary tale in my life.

 

Celtics Win, NBA Season Ends, York Misses Basketball Already, KG Goes Crazy, Big Baby Shirtless, Scalabrine Talks Some Trash, I love 2008.

 

It’s over.

 

The Boston Celtics have done what a lot of experts said they couldn’t or wouldn’t, what I thought they probably would and what they haven’t done in 22 years. Win an NBA Championship.

I feel like they all must have read my game 6 preview…otherwise how do you explain Big Baby getting some minutes, Rondo playing like he has superhuman speed and agility, Paul Pierce staying focused and STILL getting 20 points even though his shots weren’t falling for an entire half, Kevin Garnett hitting seemingly every shot he took, Ray Allen setting a record for 3’s in a Finals game and the Celtics absolutely dismantling the LA Lakers?

Oh…right…This is EXACTLY the team they were ALL SEASON LONG.

Let it also be known that we saw exactly 0 series upsets in these NBA Finals. The team with the better record won every single series. The Finals were no different.

Let is ALSO be known that if you had to rank the top 5 teams in the NBA for 2007-08, they would HAVE to be:

1) Boston Celtics

2) Detroit Pistons

3) LA Lakers

4) San Antonio Spurs

5) New Orleans Hornets

I suspect we might start hearing a whole lot less about the (L)Eastern Conference being shitty come 08-09. Particularly if The Heat stay healthy, Beasley is as good as advertised, the Magic make improvements, the Bulls get stronger, the Cavs get SOMEONE else, The Hawks play defense and the Raptors get better. Granted these are a lot of “ifs”.

But this isn’t about the Eastern Conference. This is about the Celtics.

One team that won it all because of team unity and chemistry and amazing defense.

 

 

 

 

Paul Pierce has cemented his place in Celtics history. Pierce essentially carried the Celtics through the playoffs when Ray Allen and KG were struggling. He was The Captain and The Truth. I think in Boston we have felt for years that Pierce has never really received the respect that he has deserved. He is a complete player. He is a leader. He can take over a game when they need him to.

 

Paul Pierce will finally get some of the love that goes along with not only being a champion, but being one of the best.

Before the 2008 Finals most people would never have considered Pierce to be one of the top 25 players in the NBA. Right now? I don’t know how you could NOT put him in the top 25.

In the Playoffs this season (the best 16 teams) there were only a few guys who showed signs of being able to carry their team through tough times. LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, Manu, Joe Johnson (who LOOKED like one of the best guys in the NBA in the Atlanta/Boston series). I’m having trouble thinking of anyone else who single handedly carried their team through any portion of the Finals or who just completely took over multiple games. Please let me know if I missed anyone.

Anyway, if you argue that the absolute best players in the NBA make it to the Playoffs (a slippery slope that is essentially what GOT Pierce ignored or forgotten about for so long), Pierce would HAVE TO be the alpha dog of that list this season (Chris Paul would be 2nd only because he didn’t end up winning it all).

I’m not trying to argue that Paul Pierce is the best player in the league. However, if you want to talk about the top 25 in the league based on their performances, Pierce now HAS TO be in that discussion.

Let’s just remember that Mr. T Mobile himself, Dwayne Wade, got that respect from corporations and the NBA how? Oh yeah, by CARRYING the Heat to a championship. It’s been disappointing how injured he has been lately too, because he is one guy I really respect and enjoy watching.

Maybe next season Charles Barkley can be harassing Paul Pierce is all I’m saying…

“GET ME THEM SOCKS!”

 

 

 

 

You know who I never want to hear “he’s not good enough in the clutch” about again?

 

Yeah, he’s holding the trophy above with young Greg Oden.

(Oh…that’s Bill Russell? Could have fooled me.)

Kevin Garnett was INSANE in the post-game interview. The guy was clearly still in 30,000th gear and honestly had the look of someone who was exhausted in every way possible, who had not slept in weeks and who was emotionally overjoyed. He even told Michelle she looked good! (everyone knows that’s Doc’s job. Also, on a Michele Tafoya related rant, ever notice how Paul Pierce calls her “baby” after every interview? It is hilarious. It sort of makes me wonder if they all talk about her in the locker room after games. I can just imagine them being like “Did you see Michele tonight? She looked fine. Yeah, I’d totally hit that.” etc. )

Kevin Garnett was breathing fire and spitting venom in game 6 (just as I predicted and hoped he would). He was making hard fall aways look easy, he was making jumpers over Pau Gasol’s ugly head look like he was wide open. That shot he took in the second quarter after he got fouled, the line drive off the glass? Amazing).

 

 

 

Doc Rivers proved EVERYONE wrong.

 

He might have made some mistakes; he might have made some strange instinctive decisions. But there is no doubt in my mind at all that Doc Rivers wanted nothing more than to win it all and the fact that he is so loved by his team just shows that there is definitely a lot more to him than meets the eye in some situations.

You can play the “well, the Celtics have 3 probable Hall of Famers, Doc didn’t need to do all that much to get them to perform” card. Fine. If you want to play it that way, that’s fine.

But what Doc DID do was:

1) Stick with a Sophomore Point Guard who EVERYBODY had questions about last season that sometimes looks like he IS the future of the Celtics.

2) Keep the respect of ALL his players even while not keeping a consistent rotation or guaranteeing any set amount of playing time for anyone. Try to imagine Stephon Marbury or Vince Carter or Shawn Marion playing on a team like that. What’s that? You can’t? Simply due to the horrific egos? Really? Oh. Ok. Cool.

3) Doc sold EVERYONE on the ubuntu concept. And it was beautiful to watch. This was a team that did EVERYTHING right even when they were doing things horribly wrong.

4) Develop the younger players by playing them when they were hot. Big Baby carried the Celtics through a regular season win in Detroit. Leon Powe carried the Celtics through a series of wins while KG was injured. There were ALWAYS young guys stepping up (even Gabe Pruitt got a little playing time at the end of the season).

Doc Rivers seems like a brilliant player manager (similar to Terry Francona) because he protects his young players and lets them develop and he lets his proven veterans be who they are. I really think that this type of balance, regardless of everything else, can result in great things.

And Paul Pierce with the Gatorade? Priceless. Even though The Truth has a sponsorship deal with POWERade. And speaking of POWERade, there has NEVER been a situation where one of your spokesmen getting a DUI (and generally being an asshole) has resulted in GOOD FORTUNE for a company. Before the playoffs began there were ads for POWERade all over Boston with Shawn Merriman, Ryan Howard and Carmello Anthony. After CMel got arrested? He was dropped from the ads, they changed the POWERade liquid color from blue to yellow and photo shopped Paul Pierce in CMel’s place. Bang, PERFECT! Also, why would you choose Carmello Anthony to begin with? The guy just seems like a giant asshole. I’ve never spent any time conversing with him, but I get a really bad impression based on what I’ve seen. He seems like he’s striving to be this generation’s Stephon Marbury, a guy who has a shitload of talent but cares more about himself than his team or doing what it takes to win or maybe he cares about both of those things but his ego and personality get in the way. That is why I say he should go to the Knicks. He can put up a double double every night, never have to worry about going to the playoffs and he won’t have to be a cancer to any team that is actually trying to improve.

End tangent.

 

 

 

 

On Wednesday, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett were on Letterman together. I think this was kind of a great idea (having two members of the Celtics as opposed to any single member) and they both did a really nice job. Ray Allen just comes off as the nicest guy in the world. I don’t know how you could possibly NOT like him as a person.

 

Me? I’ve always loved Ray Allen. Even when Bill Simmons was shitting on Danny Ainge last Summer when the Celts acquired him in exchange for their first rounder and some parts (Delonte, Wally – that ended up playing AGAINST the Celtics on Cleveland in the playoffs…it was a strange season…) because he (and not JUST him, but almost EVERYONE in the sports media) thought that Ray Ray was all done before the season even started.

They were wrong.

Ray Allen is just amazing. He’s a natural shooter. He can drive to the basket (just ask Sasha RayAllen’sBitch) and he has excellent ball handling skills.

Additionally, by all accounts, Ray Allen IS a great guy. he always conducts himself professionally. He is a sharp dresser. He is a surprisingly good actor and he can ball.

I loved Ray Allen when he was in Milwaukee, I loved him in Seattle (especially when he said that Kobe was a selfish bastard) and I was very excited when I heard he was coming to Boston. I think even without KG, the Celtics would have definitely been a playoff team with Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Al Jefferson. They probably would not have gotten past the second round with that lineup, but who knows (and while we’re talking about Al Jefferson, there is a guy who might be destined to play amazingly for years and be on a bad team. Maybe McHale can trade him back to the Celtics for Sam Cassell straight up…?) 

 

 

 

 

The parade was…Well, look at the pictures.

 

Leon Powe got a great reaction. Big Baby had his shirt off. Everybody had a cigar. It was incredible.

When Ray Allen came by, everybody was chanting “Shut-tles-worth!”.

Doc looked as happy as a father on the day of his son’s wedding.

It’s amazing how things can change so quickly. And yes, this was a trade-era championship. Yes, the Celtics did bring in all stars and yes, them winning a championship had A LOT to do with re-building in the off season.

But so what?

The Celtics had to move a lot of young guys with a lot of potential to get to this point. Danny Ainge still  had to make some swift free agent acquisitions even after the new three had come together. And furthermore, you can have all the stars in the world on your roster (look at the Karl Malone Lakers) but if they don’t click, if it doesn’t come together and if they aren’t all on the same page, you still aren’t going to win a championship (ahem, 2000’s Yankees).

Furthermore, the reason why these trades were so risky is that this team is clearly a time-sensitive team.

Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce will almost definitely all be retired by 2015 (if not 2014, 13, 12 or 11) and in addition, its not like guys in the NBA are age-proof. You get older. Your body cannot do a lot of the things it used to. They all have a couple years of prime basketball left (maybe 4 for Pierce, 2 for Ray and 3 for KG). If they didn’t win soon, they probably never would.

And another great side effect of having three legitimate All Stars on one team is that it makes EVERYONE around them not only play better as a player but also act better as a teammate.

Rajon Rondo was a big question mark coming into this season. After game 6 of the Finals? He looked like he could be quickly becoming one of the top 10 point guards in the NBA (qualifier: he still needs to improve his jumper and get some more range shooting, drive to the basket more fearlessly to get easy buckets and/or to draw fouls [imagine if Rondo got to the line 10 times a game? Paul Pierce needs to teach him how to tactfully take a soft hit and make it look like he got shanked] and improve his awareness [sometimes he throws it away or misses an open man]. But with all of that said, Rondo steals like Rickey Henderson, Rebounds like he’s 6′10″ and runs like he’s Chad Johnson. He’s got a lot of potential and I don’t think hanging out with three future Hall of Famers is going to make him any worse.

Big Baby was rookie. And even though he would make some mistakes, its clear that he has a lot of intensity, the determination to become a better player (the guy has lost like 60 lbs. since college) and the fearlessness of a proven veteran (even if he doesn’t always have the skill  of one).

Leon Powe is the same age as me. He looks like he’s in his 30’s. He’s fearless. He works hard. And he has a presence that let’s you know there ARE nights when he can carry the team (OFF THE BENCH MIND YOU!).

Tony Allen is kind of a fifty-fifty guy. He’s sometimes a great defender. Sometimes a liability on offense. Sometimes amazing. Sometimes not so good. If he can develop some consistency, he could be a solid bench option.

Kendrick Perkins…He is a legit big man. He pushes and shoves, rebounds like a beast and even hits the occasional spot up shot that seems  surprising even though it shouldn’t be. The guy can play Center.

And outside of the young guys, the veterans they brought in, Posey, House, PJ Brown, even Scott Pollard at the beginning of the season, all played quality basketball.

Posey MUST BE RE-SIGNED. The Celtics need that toughness. There is no better sub for Paul Pierce in the NBA. James Posey just imposes his will on guys defensively AND can shoot and aside from those two great elements, he’s just a bastard on the court. The guy will shove anyone after a whistle or play for that extra second. He’d the type of guy I would HATE if he were playing against my team, but on my team, he’s one of my favorites.

Eddie House should also be re-signed. He is a lights out shooter who stepped up big in certain crunch-time situations for the Celtics all year long. Remember that game in Charlotte the day after Thanksgiving where he somehow tipped and stole an inbound pass, got it to Ray Allen and Ray Ray hit the game winner with nothing left on the clock? Yeah. That’s what Eddie can do. He might not be the best ball handler, but he is a solid defender and always an offensive threat on the court.

Sam Cassell should probably not be resigned. He’s well past the wrong side of 30 and even though he hit a few nice shots for the Celtics, nothing was life-altering enough to make me think that they couldn’t live without him. However, I will give Sam credit for a few things, first, the guy is a three time champion, he always plays hard (even if it isn’t always great play) and he is never afraid to take big shots (even when he misses). The greatest thing about having Sam on the Celtics this season was definitely that he was on the bench with the guys to keep them intense and tell them how to play championship basketball. The guy is a natural coach. He seems to be someone who, even if he didn’t contribute so much on the court this post-season, he can definitely (and DID definitely) help any team on the bench. For these reasons, I think that the Celtics should shrewdly offer him an assistant coaching job for next season. Don’t let him go on bad terms. Give him a chance to continue to help the team in a great capacity. He clearly gets people pumped up and he LOVES to talk. I wouldn’t want to lose that element. Maybe Sam will decide that going out with a ring would be the perfect book-end to coming in with a ring (which he did in Houston in 1964…I mean…).

I don’t expect PJ Brown to play another season. Even though he did save the Celtics from the Cavs. He was more than they could have asked for in the playoffs. I think that PJ should probably ride off into the sunset with his championship ring (but if he wants to come back, shit, I’d take him!).

Scott Pollard is probably gone.

Brian Scalabrine doesn’t seem to be part of the long-term plan. But I will say that Scal had the funniest post-game interview following game 6. He really does seem like a good guy. If he goes I will certainly miss chanting “SCAL-A-BRIN-E” at the end of games to convince Doc to let him play a couple of minutes (which he did. Doc always gives the fans what they want when the Celtics are up by double digits and it is late in the fourth in the regular season).

 

 

 

After the parade I was a little let down. 

 

Another season of NBA basketball has ended.

And even though I have never in my life been able to watch and comprehend a Celtics team playing as well as this one did and I wanted them to win it all, part of me hope this season would never end.

Don’t get me wrong, a major part of me wanted to be able to go to sleep before 1:00 a.m. every night during the Playoffs (David Stern is a giant piece of garbage. By the way, during the Larry O’Brien trophy presentation when everyone was booing him [rightfully so] he said ‘oh, you’re saying Truth’, I would have tried to start a “No-One-Likes-You” chant, the only thing I fault the Game 6 crowd for NOT doing).

THIS is an exciting league again…and I’m not just saying that because the team I root for won it all.

Next year:

The Portland Trailblazers SHOULD be a force. That is a team of young, big, talented, hungry guys. Brandon Roy is just plain exciting. Greg Oden could be amazing. They should be something really special.

The New Orleans Hornets WILL BE even better. If that team makes any type of off season pick ups, they can improve. Chris Paul is just a phenom.

The Suns and Mavs will adjust somewhat and we’ll get to see if they start to get old or if start to grow. The Suns are the single team this season that absolutely embarrassed the Celtics (February 22nd). Both teams still have some really talented guys.

The Golden State drama will play out and we’ll see what happens. I love Baron Davis and I hope he sticks with them.

The Heat and Bulls could both be exponentially better next season. Both teams were NOT expected to be complete non-factors in 2007-08. I think both will rebound and would not be surprised to see both of them in the playoffs next year.

The Wizards were the only team that consistently flustered the Celtics and we will wait and see what happens with Gilbert Arenas, but they have some really good players.

The 76ers will continue to grow. Andre Igudola looks like someone who could be something special.

The Hawks made a nice run at the Celtics. If they get their act together, they could be a solid team all year. They have a lot of talent.

The Pistons are probably going to make some kind of deal. But if they retain the core of players they have (most of it) they’ll be in really good shape again. Did I ever mention that Rodney Stuckey is going to be HUGE?

The Magic have Dwight Howard. That guy is a monster. And they have Ron Jeremy coaching. What could go wrong?

The Lakers will probably win 60 games next season if Kobe returns and stays healthy along with a healthy Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them in the Finals again next season.

The Spurs are still the Spurs. Until Tim Duncan retires, they will be the Spurs. Even when Tim Duncan retires, they’ll still have a great point guard and Manu (who is somehow amazing almost all of the time).

The Raptors will attempt to sign every foreign-born free agent on the market.

The Sonics will hopefully stay in Seattle where they belong. And Kevin Durant will hopefully continue to improve and be one of the most exciting young players in the league.

Next season, I predict that the Celtics have the best record in the East, The Lakers have the best record in the west, the Timberwolves, Grizzlies, Kings, Bucks, Sonics and Knicks finish near the bottom and viewership improves substantially (but not because of ANYTHING David Stern does).

It is an exciting time for the NBA.

The best TEAM won this year.

And now I have to watch baseball for four months.

 

 

 

 

 

Champions

There was no better team and no team more deserving.

I love all these guys. 

It has truly been an honor and a privilege to watch each and every one of them play together all year.

Let’s hope they keep it all together for 2008-09. 

Paul Pierce will finally get the national recognition he deserves.

Kevin Garnett is finally a champion.

Ray Allen is just generally one of my favorite athletes ever.

I could not be happier for any team.

How many weeks until Kobe requests a trade???

I love these guys.

 

The NBA Finals Are Making Me Want To Puke (Game 6 Preview)

According to awesome sources Ray and Perk will both be playing tonight.

Here is my best case scenario for Kendrick Perkins:

Perkins plays 40 minutes of hard basketball, picks up 4 to 5 hard fouls, scores between 10 and 16 points and notches 15 rebounds. His toughness and general beastliness puts Pau Gasol in a terrible position as Perk is more physical, tougher, stronger and bigger. Having Perkins on the court also frees up KG to pick up only  a few fouls and play the low post to perfection.

Here is my worst case scenario for Kendrick Perkins:

Perkins plays 6 minutes of hard basketball and grabs a couple of rebounds before realizing he really isn’t strong enough to play the rest of the game. On his way out of the game he punches Kobe Bryant in the face, elbows Pau Gasol in the jaw and throws Sasha Vujacic into the upper deck (preferably section 308 where the fans will seek redemption on behalf of that guy who got beat up at the Staples Center last week). Because Perk is ejected after the melee, Doc Decides to go physical and stay BIG so he uses Glen Big Baby Davis to spell Leon Powe and PJ Brown down low.

Either way, it will be interesting.

But I’m getting all pumped up and ready to go. I’m ready to start jumping up and down like Eddie House before a tip off.

I’ve had an upset stomach all day. Anxious. Nervous. And now my adrenaline is going apeshit just from thinking about the game.

I don’t think I was ready for game 5 in this way. Tonight I am ready.

And I hope KG is ready too.

The Celtics just need to constantly play hard tonight. Nobody standing around. Nobody not going for a rebound. Nobody taking a single possession off. Nobody missing an open lay up. Nobody passing up an easy shot. Nobody being afraid to drive to the basket (ESPECIALLY YOU RONDO!!! JUST TAKE THAT SHIT IN! SLAM DUNK IT ON PAU GASOL’S UGLY FUCKING HEAD!!!!). Nobody slow getting into position. Nobody missing free throws. Nobody making unnecessary fouls. Nobody falling asleep in the event the Celtics take the lead.

Tonight needs to be the same way the Celtics played all season. Tonight they need to play like they did against Phoenix on March 26th. Never let up. In the fourth quarter, spread the ball and drain the shots. Make the Lakers lose their desire to win. Make them lose their desire to play. Make them lose their desire to live.

EVERYONE NEEDS TO COME UP BIG TONIGHT.

I expect nothing less than a superb game from Pierce, KG, Ray Allen, Rajon Rondo, Kendrick Perkins, James Posey, Eddie House, Sam Cassell, PJ Brown, Tony Allen, Leon Powe and Glen Big Baby Davis. I don’t care if they have a superb game getting guys fired up on the sidelines or getting the fans fired up in the stands or knocking down Lakers and shots on the court.

Tonight they need to breathe fire and spit venom.

Tonight they need to mean it.

Tonight they need to play like its the last game of their lives.