Wednesday, June 23, 2010

LAWRENCE TAYLOR INDICTED BY GRAND JURY!

Former NFL great Lawrence Taylor is seen in this mug shot released May 6, 2010. Taylor has been arrested as part of a rape investigation in a New York suburb, police said on Thursday. QUALITY FROM SOURCE. REUTERS/Ramapo Police Department/Handout (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL CRIME LAW HEADSHOT) FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS
A N.Y. Grand Jury Indicted former N.Y. Giant player Lawrence Taylor Wednesday on charges of 3rd Degree Rape, Patronizing a Prostitute, Endangering the Welfare of  Child, Sexual Abuse and 3rd Degree Criminal Sexual Act. The ex-NFL star, who maintains his innocence, faces a maximum of 4 years in prison. A second woman has come forward stating that she accompanied the teen with her pimp to the hotel. She goes to say that the teen returned with $300.00 cash and said "It was weird...we didn't even have sex." 
This story continues to develop.




Former NFL football player Lawrence Taylor leaves Ramapo New York Police Headquarters in Ramapo, New York May 6, 2010. Taylor posted $75,000 bail after being charged with third degree rape. REUTERS/Mike Segar (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL CRIME LAW)

ISNER & MAHUT SET MATCH RECORD AT WIMBLEDON

Greensboro, NC native John Isner is still involved in the longest grand slam singles tennis match ever recorded in tennis history after the match was called this evening because of bad lighting after the 5th set hours since it began. The match between Isner and Frenchman Nicholas Mahut began on Tuesday and was suspended due to darkness. The pair returned Wednesday only to play the longest fifth set ever while setting the record for longest match at 7 hours and :06 minutes and total play of over ten hours thus far. Play was suspended with the score tied at 59 all. Isner also set the record for aces in the match with 98 and opponent Mahut also broke that record with 95 aces. The match will resume Thursday as both players attempt to rest up for their 3 p.m. start.

John Isner (R) of the U.S. wins a point against France's Nicolas Mahut during the fifth set at the 2010 Wimbledon tennis championships in London, June 23, 2010. REUTERS/Suzanne Plunkett (BRITAIN - Tags: SPORT TENNIS)

RECORDS SET
Longest Match: 10 hrs.
Most Game in A Set: 118
Most Games in A Match: 163
Most Combined Aces: 193
Most Aces by Player: 98 (Isner)

Friday, June 18, 2010

BOSTON CANNOT STOP LAKER JUGGERNAUT!!

June 17, 2010 - Los Angeles, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES - epa02208506 Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant holds the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy after the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Boston Celtics 83-79 to win their 16th NBA Championship at the Staples Center in Los Angeles California, USA 17 June 2010.

Rebounding! Rebounding! Rebounding!! Final score 83-79. That score screams BOSTON WIN in their biggest game in years as low scores mean great defense that enables them to win in commanding fashion, but that was not the case in the Staples Center as L.A. out classed, out manned, out played out-rebounded Boston 23-8 and just down right Out-Zenned the Celtics en route to winning it's 16th team Championship and 2nd straight. The Celtics held on to lead 40-34 at the end of a very uneventful first half as Kobe Bryant had only 8 pts. on 3-14 shooting at the end of the first half as good defense was played on the All-World guard by the entire team led by Ray Allen.

Coach Doc Rivers told his team during the 3rd quarter " Stay aggressive...we cant take one play off, we have to keep attacking". With that motivation Boston built an 11 point lead at 9:45 in the 3rd on a little Rondo runner and the Celtics looked to be in business. The Lakers cut the lead back to within 6 pts. until Pierce hits a 3 pointer to push the lead back to 9 pts at 54-45. Ray Allen played outstanding defense on Bryant all night as he stayed glued in his chest like a bad winter chest cold resulting in 6-24 shooting and a very depleted Bryant from all of the running from Allen, but the other Lakers came to play also.  L.A. cut the lead to 56-51 after Gasol went to the line and hit both free throws and shows that they are ready to take command as the Lakers garnered 18 offensive rebounds at this point.

The game was called perfect by the refs as they allowed the players to play and decide the outcome early but eventually after play started getting rather sloppy the refs reeled in the game in the 3rd and calls got tighter. Fouls began to mount for the Celtics as the Lakers began to step to the free throw line and allow Bryant a chance to catch his breath and get a little bit more back in the tank for the stretch run. Fisher made it a tie game at 64-64 with 6:09 to go and you could see the confusion start to set in for the Boston team and the Lakers took their first lead less than twenty seconds later in the fourth at 66-64 on Bryant free throws. Lakers added to their lead and made the score 76-70 with 1:30 left as Gasol converted an easy lay in after Boston turned the ball over again. Artest then hit a 3 pt field goal to make it 79-73 and went back down the court throwing kisses to the Laker faithful. Boston came back and hit a 3 pointer but could get no closer as eventually they had to start fouling and L.A. players stepped to the line and knocked the shots down to send Boston back to the East Coast with nothing but gleaming, shiny heartbreak. The Lakers outscored the Celtics by 17 points, hit 13 additional free throws, which was half of their 4th quarter points,  and shot 46% from the field during the final quarter and a half. Lakers won as Mr. Bryant was named your Finals MVP for the 2nd straight year. Congratulations to, the original Detroit Gems (1946), now present day Los Angeles Lakers the second most storied franchise in the NBA.
Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant holds the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy and the Bill Russell MVP Trophy after his team deafeated the Boston Celtics in Game 7 to win the 2010 NBA Finals basketball series in Los Angeles, California June 17, 2010. REUTERS/Mike Blake (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASKETBALL IMAGES OF THE DAY)

Coach Phil Jackson won his 11th NBA title (most all time) and his 5th title (all with Bryant) with the Lakers. So now the questions for the off season begin. The most serious being, will Jackson retire or return next season to duplicate the old Bulls-days and attempt another 3-Peat! He has hinted at retirement and having some health issues taken care of but as we all know, this is Phil Jackson, The ZEN MASTER! Im sure that he is going to keep Lakerland in suspense until he feels ready. Will Bynum have the much needed surgery that he has been told he MUST have and can he return  at the same level as he previously played at. Last question...knowing that the State of California is having money woes, how are they going to have a parade of celebration? City officials have stated that they cannot afford to fund a parade for the newly crowned champions, which by the way would cost $1 million dollars and they don't feel it is appropriate in this economy to ask residents to have to shoulder that load. Heres an idea..you have 15 -17 players on this team that make on average at least $5 million per year (the highest average salary of any professional sport), according to league averages. Have each player contribute to the parade fund and you have the parade all done, or better yet have the "Black-Mamba" donate a million. He probably has that much in his Lamborghini console for tolls, change and weekend spending money.


PLAYER STATS 


L.A. LAKERS
BRYANT-23 pts & 15 rbs.
ARTEST- 20 pts.
GASOL-19 pts. & 18 rbs.
FISHER- 10 pts.



BOSTON CELTICS
PIERCE-18 pts. & 10 rbs.
GARNETT-17 pts. & 4 blks.
RONDO-14 pts. & 8 rbs. & 10 assts.
ALLEN-13 pts. 

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

CALL THE COPS, LAKERS ASSAULT THE CELTICS!!!

Before Game #6 Boston head Coach Doc Rivers said to his team "We can play em on the move, it doesn't matter where we play em! When you trust you play free when you play free you cant be beat, its not about the where!  Its about the how!" After that moving speech from their Coach, the Boston Celtics promptly went out onto the Staples Center floor and played intimidated restrained basketball. The exact opposite of what their Coach preached to them pre-game.

Boston fans had hoped that their beloved team would close out the series and bring home the hardware to a welcoming committee on Wednesday morning as L.A. Guard Derrick Fisher, the emotional leader of the Laker squad, picked up 2 personal fouls midway thru the 1st quarter and his 3rd personal foul at the 1:18 of 2nd quarter. Other than that hope, the Celtic fans received none as L.A. built an 11 point lead in the 1st quarter and led at the end of the 1st quarter, 28-18, behind Kobe Bryants 11 pts.  and surprisingly strong play from Forward Ron Artest. Boston seemed to loose a lot more steam after starting Center Kendrick Perkins suffered an apparent blown ACL injury to his right knee and left the game for good.
Boston Celtics' Kendrick Perkins is tended to after a fall in the first quarter against the Los Angeles Lakers during Game 6 of the 2010 NBA Finals basketball series in Los Angeles, California, June 15, 2010. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASKETBALL)

Every offensive trip down the floor the Celtics looked two steps slower and one brain short of a complete offense as they allowed L.A. to beat them like a rented mule en route to a 22 point lead in the 2nd quarter and out-rebounded the Celtics 22-7 at one point of the 1st half as they plain out hustled Boston in every statistical category there was. The Lakers led 51-31 at the half of a stellar defensive game where everything clicked on offense and all Laker players that garnered minutes made the most of them.
Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (C) looks to pass off to Andrew Bynum (L) as Boston Celtics center Kendrick Perkins (R) defends in the first quarter during Game 6 of the 2010 NBA Finals basketball series in Los Angeles, California June 15, 2010.    REUTERS/Alex Gallardo (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASKETBALL)

To start the 2nd half Boston ran out and missed 3 layups to start the 3rd quarter and it never got any better. L.A. was allowed to build a 25 point lead in the 3rd quarter, 76-51, as Boston still could not fathom how to stop the assault. After  L.A. posted a  27 point bulge in the 4th, at the 3:38 mark and with an  84-59 all the Boston starters were pulled in anticipation of the final game. Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol played their "A" game and made virtually no mistakes all night.
Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (R) dribbles around Boston Celtics guard Ray Allen in the first quarter during Game 6 of the 2010 NBA Finals basketball series in Los Angeles, California June 15, 2010.    REUTERS/Alex Gallardo (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASKETBALL)

As I predicted at the start of the Series that it would go a full 7 games, here we are after a great Laker performance to extend the series to the last and final game. Besides the L.A. defense playing Bostonesque in Game 6 the most notable difference was that Mr. Bryant received help from his teammates on the offensive end. When the Lakers play together as they did in this game they are unbeatable and Boston needs to notify their Metal State of Emergency in order to show up ready to play with a sense of the prize that is on the line.
June 15, 2010 - Los Angeles, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES - epa02204244 Boston Celtics' Ray Allen (R-to-L), Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Glen Davis, and Rajon Rondo wait for the game to resume in the final minutes of the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Lakers during game six of the NBA Finals at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, USA, 15 June 2010. The Lakers defeated the Celtics 89-67 to even the series 3-3 to force a final game seven.
For only the third time in the last twenty-one years we have a Game #7. Game #7 is set for Thursday, June 17, 2010 in the TD North Garden as Boston and L.A. battle it out in this one game playoff for all the marbles.

Monday, June 14, 2010

CELTICS TAKE GAME #5 92-86 FOR 3-2 SERIES LEAD

Stats play a huge part of many games and the one stat that sticks out in this NBA Championship Series is that the team that won the rebound battle wins the game (4-0). With that haunting statistic in all the players heads they took to the court in hopes of being the team that won the rebounding battle to stay true to the stat line so far. In Game #5 the Boston Celtics won that battle and won the game 92-86.

Early on the Lakers started 0-6 from the field until Andrew Bynum, playing on that gimpy-knee, scored on an offensive rebound, one of the 8 offensive rebounds that L.A. would grab in a hard fought first half. Good defense on Kobe Bryant allowed the Celtics to build an early lead behind Rajon Rondos 6 pts as they led 22-20 at the end of the 1st quarter.
Boston Celtics forward Paul Pierce reacts after fouling Los Angeles Lakers guard Derek Fisher in the first quarter during Game 5 of the 2010 NBA Finals basketball series in Boston, Massachusetts, June 13, 2010. REUTERS/Mike Segar (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASKETBALL)

L.A. Coach Phil Jackson said early "they are using Pierce on isolation an pick and rolls but Bynum looks good, rusty, looks nice he has some power". Boston Coach Doc Rivers on the other sideline, implored Rondo "to keep pushing the ball"! The Celtics built an 8 pt  lead in the 2nd quarter but also committed 8 turnovers in the 1st half as turnovers plagued the offense and the  Lakers turned them into automatic points twice as Jordan Farmar led the break down the court in transition to easy baskets. The only bad news for the Lakers came when forward Ron Artest, not playing well at all the last two games was called for his 3rd foul at the 1:16 mark before the half and was sent to the bench. Playing with a will to win Paul Pierce led the Celtics with 15 pts and Rajon Rondo 10 pts at the half. The rebound battle was won by the Lakers in the 1st half as they garnered 8 offensive rebounds which allowed them to stay close as the Celtics turned the ball over 11 times although shooting a scorching 65% compared to the Lakers 33%. Celtics had the lead at the half 45-39.

Pierce continued his hot shooting in the 3rd quarter as he scored on isolations early while being guarded by Artest and finished with 11 pts. Byant started hot also 5-5, 19 pts. halfway thru the period and scored 22 pts. straight for the Lakers, starting back in the 2nd quarter.  The Celtics constructed a 13 pt. lead while L.A. went cold and Bryant was the only Laker to score during that time but he went cold as well and didn't score again until 2:55 of 4th. The Lakers had their shooting woes on the offensive end (39%) and Bryant and Gasol were the only Lakers in double figures for the game.
June 13, 2010 - Boston, MASSACHUSETTS, UNITED STATES - epa02200605 Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (R) keeps the ball from Boston Celtics guard Ray Allen (L) in the first quarter of the NBA Finals Game Five at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, 13 June 2010. The best of seven series is tied at two apiece.

As well as Boston shot from the field (56%) they eventually started to extend their lead which stood at 73-65 before L.A. closed the lead to 6 pts. at the 5:50 point of the 4th. After a few up and down the court trips and turnovers Boston was able to again extend to a lead at 3:45 that stood at 12 pts. The Lakers awakened from their 2nd half snooze, led by "Black Mamba" and showing they will not roll over and die, reeled off  7 pts. straight from the line to make it a 5 pt game with 1:10 to go and things got interesting again. Having the propencity to lose leads and games in the final quarter L.A. saw light at the end of the tunnel and their coach reminded them that Boston has lost more games in the 4th quarter than any team in the league. "They know how to loose in the 4th quarter and they are showing you how right now", Coach Phil Jackson stated to his team. But after the Zen-Master pep talk they still failed to connect the dots and scare the Celtics into giving up the lead as Ray Allen sealed the victory and pushed the lead back to 7 pts after hitting two free-throws.

With the 92-86 win the Boston Celtics have a 3-2 edge in the Championship Series.
June 13, 2010 - Boston, MASSACHUSETTS, UNITED STATES - epa02200836 The Boston Celtics celebrate during the final minutes of their 92-86 win over the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals Game Five at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, 13 June 2010. The Boston Celtics lead the best of seven series 3-2.
In a game where the referees let the players play and decide the outcome fouls were few as the Celtics only went to the line and attempted 13 free throws. Turnovers were still a problem and closing the 4th quarter out strongly remain the most eye popping stats for the Celtics that have to be improved upon in Game #6 & #7 (if necessary) if they wish to take home the title.

L.A. simply has to have other scorers to help Bryant and Gasol and hope that Bynum has enough rest of that knee to be effective. Jordan Farmar has played a yeoman's job and should be collecting more minutes, if not starting at the beginning of the game in place of the sporadic shooting Artest. They get smaller with Farmar in the game but quicker and have a fourth option in the game when it comes to manufacturing points and facilitating the ball as well as freeing up Fisher from long range, which they need badly. With one game to go or it's time to make vacation plans, Phil has to shake it up and maybe start with a lineup of Bryant, Farmar, Fisher, Odom and Gasol. That lineup looks funny but they  have produced as a unit defensively and most of all, offensively.

Game #6 is set in LA @9 on Tuesday, June 15, 2010.

Friday, June 11, 2010

DUCES WILD

June 10, 2010 - Boston, MASSACHUSETTS, UNITED STATES - epa02195857 Activity on the court for the start of the Boston Celtics game against the Los Angeles Lakers for game four of the NBA Finals at TD Gardens in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, 10 June 2010. The Lakers lead the series over the Celtics 2-1.
Boston implored their defense and won the game 96-89 as their bench played big minutes in the 2nd half. As the game began the Lakers saw that the Celtics were desperate and guarding the Boston backcourt was going to be a task until this series is over as Derrick Fisher found out the hard way as he found himself in foul trouble early, after he picked up his 2nd foul in the 1st half. The Celtics played a great 1st quarter of defense and held L.A. to 16 pts in the 1st qtr. and led 19-16 behind 10 pts. from "The Captain Paul Pierce".

Laker coach Phil Jackson said "both teams are in good defensive mode in 1st quarter" and then he subsequently puts his team to work and they camped down the defensive hatches on the Celtics. With Nate Robinson in spelling Rajon Rondo the offense seemed to take a positive aggressive form as they started to facilitate the pick and roll nicely and look like a team that wanted to pull even in an NBA Finals Series.  Ray Allen, after he hit an early jumper, remained "cold-as-ice-baby" and finished the 1st half of Game 4, 1-22 from the field over the last 6 quarters. Good solid play with very few mistakes allowed the Lakers a 45-42 lead at the half after they led by at many as 8 pts.

    After an UNREAL 3 second in the lane call on Garnett 20 seconds into the play clock, which was mathematically impossible, the Lakers took  53-48 lead. Kobe Bryant finally caught fire in the 3rd qrtr. with 9 pts and L.A. finished the 3rd with  a 2 pt. lead, 62-60. Coach Doc Rivers stated they "they were getting great shots" and "I want Ray Allen to continue shooting because eventually they will start going in". Turnovers for the Lakers were key as they turned it over often in the 2nd half and allowed the Celtics to take the lead 66-64 at the 9:40 mark after an 8-0 run and stellar defense.
Boston Celtics guard Nate Robinson jumps on the back of Boston Celtics forward Glen Davis after Davis scored and was fouled in the fourth quarter during Game 4 of the 2010 NBA Finals basketball series against the Los Angeles Lakers in Boston, Massachusetts, June 10, 2010. REUTERS/Mike Segar (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASKETBALL IMAGES OF THE DAY)
(Glen "Big-Baby" Davis & Nate Robinson celebrate during Game 4 win)

Glen "Big Baby" Davis played long minutes in the 2nd half and played well posting 19 pts. in 22 minutes of  play, with 9 pts. in the 4th. He played well on the offensive boards as well as in the set offense while Coach Doc Rivers rested the starters and enabled the Celtics to take the lead and play better as a whole unit.
Late in the 2nd half there were 2 technical fouls called on the Celtics in the 4th and Bryant & Fisher stepped up and clanged both shots in a foreshadowing of things to come. With the Laker offense going cold the Celtics were able to build a 9 pt. lead with 4:00 in the 4th, with 11 pts. being the largest. The Lakers were able to cut the lead to 6 with 1:45 to go in the game but thats as close as they would get. Pierce has a strong drive to the rim and gets fouled by Bryant to push the lead back to 9 pts. as crowd cheers "BEAT L.A." in unison! At the 1:08 mark, Bryant comes right back down the floor, is fouled on 3 pt. attempt by Ray Allen and makes all 3 free throws to cut the lead back to a 6 pt. game. After a wasted trip on offense L.A. heads down court and the Celtic defense forces a bad pass by Bryant which leads to a steal and layup by 1st team All NBA defender, Rondo, with .31 to go. At 17.7 left the fouling strategy starts and the game is over as Garnett & Pierce steps up and hit both of their foul shots to make it an 8 pt. game
    Boston scored 20 2nd chance pts. and as I have been preaching, they kept the score under 90 pts. The defense is clearly the key to the Boston attack so we will look to see if it shows up again the remainder of the series. For the first time since 2006 the NBA Finals are tied at 2-2. The Celtics have to play solid defense every game to garner their two needed wins to win the title and keep the L.A. offense under 90 pts. again and the Lakers have to stop turning the ball over to stay in the game at all.  Game 5 is set for Sunday in Boston @ 8pm.



Player stats are below (provided by ESPN.com)


L.A. LAKERS
KOBE BRYANT-33 PTS.
PAU GASOL-21 PTS.
LAMAR ODOM-10 PTS.
RON ARTEST-9 PTS.
DERRICK FISHER-6 PTS.

BOSTON CELTICS
PAUL  PIERCE-19 PTS.
GLEN DAVIS-18 PTS.
KEVIN GARNETT-13 PT.
RAY ALLEN-12 PTS.
NATE ROBINSON-12 PTS.
ROJON RONDO-10 PTS.
KENDRICK PERKINS-6 PTS.


Wednesday, June 9, 2010

LAKERS TAKE GAME 3 IN BOSTON

The Celtics returned to Boston Tuesday night, after  Game 2 where everything seemed to click, promptly allowed the L.A. Lakers to have their way with them in route to dropping Game 3, 91-84. The Lakers played a complete game from start to finish in making the Celtics look a step slower all game long.


Jun. 08, 2010 - Boston, MASSACHUSETTS, UNITED STATES - epa02193070 Los Angeles Lakers' Derek Fisher (L) shoots as Boston Celtics' Rajon Rondo looks on during the second half of game three of the NBA Finals at TD Gardens in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, 08 June 2010. The Lakers defeated the Celtics 91-84 to lead the series 2-1.
As Derrick Fisher awakened from his old man slumber he also started to make shots. Fisher led L.A. in the 4th quarter when Kobe Bryant couldn't find the bottom of the basket. Scoring 11 of his 16 pts in the 4th quarter Fisher certainly played outside of his 35 year-old body. “To come through tonight again for this team, 14 years in, after so many great moments, it’s always quite surreal,” Fisher said. “It’s quite humbling to experience it again and do it again. But it’s like being a kid, man. You just never get tired of candy.” L.A. led the game for most of the night behind the leadership of Bryant that was displayed on and off the court, as he was seen coaching the team during timeouts as well as up and down the court. "Black Mamba" led the Lakers with 29 pts., Pau Gasol 13 pts. & 10 rbs. and Lamar Odom added 12 pts off the bench in clearly his best game of the series.


Boston fell behind the Lakers early by as many as 17 points and did not seem to have the wherewithal to come back and even make the game interest until the 3rd quarter when Rajon Rondo joined the much maligned Kevin Garnett in attempting to will their team to victory. Garnett, scoring 25 pts. and pulling down 6 rbs. was the only Celtic to play with a sense of urgency from the beginning of the game. 
Boston Celtics forward Kevin Garnett (R) shoots over Los Angeles Lakers forward Pau Gasol (L) and forward Ron Artest in the fourth quarter during Game 3 of the 2010 NBA Finals basketball series in Boston, Massachusetts June 8, 2010. REUTERS/Adam Hunger (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASKETBALL)
The other four starters played unmotivated on the offensive end of the court and uneducated on the defensive end of the court as they allowed the Lakers easy baskets while running a flawless offensive game. Paul Pierce was the second leading scorer with 15 pts but was only 5-12 from the field. Ray Allen, after setting a new NBA Finals record for 3 pt. shots, finished the game with 2 pts. and was 0-13 from the field. None of his shots had the rainbow that he is known for as he continued all night to try and find the bottom of the cup without any success. In the same manner that the Boston globe listed the APB for Kevin Garnett after Game 2, they may need to do the same for Ray Allens missing jumper.
“He won the game for them,” Celtics Coach Doc Rivers said. “Derek Fisher was the difference in the game.” Game 4 is set for Thursday June 10 in Boston @ 9:00.

Monday, June 7, 2010

JESUS SHUTTLESWORTH MAKES IT RAIN IN TINSELTOWN

In route to setting an NBA playoff record with 8 three pointers in a game, Ray Allen scored 32 pts. and helped keep the Lakers at bay as the Celtics walked away with a win in Game 2 103-94, tying the series 1-1. Allen shot 8-11 from 3 pt. range, with seven coming in the 1st half,  and was a large part of the defense that reappeared for Boston.

Boston Celtics' Ray Allen hits a three pointer over Los Angeles Lakers' Derek Fisher (R) during the first half in Game 2 of the 2010 NBA Finals basketball series in Los Angeles, California June 6, 2010 .  REUTERS/Mike Blake  (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASKETBALL) 
(Allen tosses up one of his record setting 8 three-pointers)


Playing their style of defense, the Celtics slowed the Laker offense down as they built a commanding lead in the 1st half and finished up 54-48 at the break. The Lakers started gaining momentum as they scored seven straight points late before the half as Kobe Bryant started what looked to be his best Reggie Miller imitation as he created two steals, hitting a deep three on one and being the facilitator on the other.

 The Celtics, playing a complete game from start to finish, were led by Rajon Rondo's 12 pts., 12 rbs. & 10 assts., Kendrick Perkins 12 pts & Paul Pierce's much needed 10 pts. as he played heady old school offense that caused the Laker-General Bryant to be in foul trouble much of the night.  Although Rondo finally played the type of game that he has been known to play in this post season he has to realize that he must turn in that type of performance for the remainder of the series. He has to make the plays that have established him as a budding star and not plays that Derrick Fisher is allowing him to make because  as we all know Fisher is not known for his stellar defense or being the most fleet of foot at this point of his playing career.

The Lakers, playing without Bryant for a good portion of the 2nd half,  could not muster the same game of highlights that they displayed in Game 1.
Jun. 06, 2010 - Los Angeles, United States - epa02190054 Los Angeles Lakers forward Pau Gasol, of Spain, goes up for a basket during the first half against the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, USA, 06 June 2010. Boston won 103-94 to even the best of seven series.
Pau Gasol was the only bright spot for L.A. as he poured in 25 pts. and 8 rbs. but far short of his Game 1 stats. Bryant chipped in 21 pts. and Andrew Bynum came up big scoring 21 pts. and blocking 7 shots. Before eventually fouling out of the game with 4.7 seconds to go in the 2nd half Ron Artest managed just 1-10 from the floor as the officiating was called even on both sides of the ball, something that this writer is sure that Phil Jackson will have an opinion about REAL soon..

The Celtic defense was the key to the win  as they finished Game 2 on a 16-4 run in the final 5:30 after L.A. crept close but was unable to keep the lead long enough to pull out the win. The intensity that is a Boston staple was present in Game 2 after being ghost in the opening game. It should be noted that Kevin Garnett, shooting 2-11 from the field, is attempting to play through a left shoulder injury as he was seen wincing and rubbing on it for most of the game between timeouts and rests on the bench. Although there has been no word form the team, this is an injury that could play a VERY significant role in the series if Garnett has to miss any time out. The Series now shifts to Boston for Games 3-5 as part of the 2-3-2 format. Boston will attempt to return to L.A. with a lead in the Series and they will have many rowdy Bostonians cheering them on for the next week at home. After losing their first home game of the 2010  post-season the Lakers will be hungry to steal a win or two in the Garden and General Bryant will be focused and the Jordanesque-scowl will on display.
Game 3 is set in Boston, June 8, 2010 @ 9pm.

Sunday, June 6, 2010

SEVEN GREEN PAY PACKERS QUESTIONED IN ALLEGED SEX ASSAULT

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Seven Green Bay Packer players were questioned by Lake Delton police in reference to an alleged sexual assault of two women. The two women befriended the players earlier in the day as they were in town to play in a celebrity golf tournament and later in the evening the women accompanied the players to the condo that they all were sharing. After drinking for a good part of the evening the women and one player went into a bedroom where the alleged assault occurred. The women called 911 and claimed that they were assaulted by more than one man at some point of the early morning. Upon arrival, the police questioned all seven players and released six of them. One player, whose name has not been released, was questioned for a second time and admitted that consensual sex occurred between him and the women. According to police, the women changed their story when questioned in depth and at this point the investigation continues. The case will be presented to Lake Delton prosecutors Monday or Tuesday stated a spokesman for the police department. The players who were identified as being present were QB Matt Flynn, S Khalil Jones, G Josh Sitton, FB Korey Hall, LB Brad Jones nd LB Clay Matthews. Second year CB Brandon Underwood is said to the the investigated player says sources close to the team.



Friday, June 4, 2010

NO LUCK OF THE CLOVER IN L.A. FOR CELTICS!

Whewww, what a game the Lakers put on display last night in Staples! With the Laker faithful filling the house to the brim inside and out Kobe Bryant, behind chants of MVP, scored 30 pts. to lift the Lakers to a huge Game 1 victory, 102-89. Right off the bat L.A. showed that they were going to be as physical as possible as Ron Artest did the dirty work and wrapped Paul Pierce up into a small package pulling him to the floor in his best WWF move 38 seconds into the contest.
Los Angeles Lakers Bryant and Gasol celebrate during the second half in Game 1 of the 2010 NBA Finals basketball series against the Boston Celtics in Los Angeles.
Right after that the game was called as tightly as I have seen a game called in quit some time.  The Lakers led by as many as 20 and never allowed the Celtics to catch a rhythm thus never getting close enough to make it a game at all. Bryant got all the help he needed from his supporting cast as Pau Gasol played  "Admiral-like" defense pulling down 14 rbs and scoring 23 pts. Ron Artest added 15 pts but his defense was the most pleasing part of his game on Pierce as it set the tone early.

The Celtics looked out of sync from the first whistle after the skirmish under the basket betwen Artest and Pierce and they never recovered. After getting favorable calls in most of the playoffs, in Game 1 the referees did not allow the Celtics any wiggle room when it came to the physical fouls and let Coach Doc Rivers and his team know it from the onset. Paul Pierce led Boston with 24 pts and 9 rbs, followed by Kevin Garnett with 16 pts and 4 rbs, Ray Allen 12 pts and 5 fouls and Rajon Rondo finished with 13 pts and 8 assts. Shooting woes were often for the Celtics as Garnett, Allen and Rondo combined for a tawdry 16-38 from the floor as every shot and pass were contested by the Laker defense.

Boston Celtics at Los Angeles Lakers
To make matters even worse Boston was 10% from 3 pt. range as they managed just 1-10 from beyond the line. The Celtics, who have more size to use,  were out-rebounded 42-31 in THE battle that must be won in order to win the series.

Bryant took a final 3 pt. shot and nailed it in what will be locker room motivation for Boston as it is sure to create more bad blood as the game was well in hand and only seconds remained. Keeping the scores under 90 pts. is what the Celtics have to do to produce wins and Game 1 was well over 90 and you witnessed the final result. Bryant, who also added 7 rbs. and 6 assts. on the night, stated "Nothing else matters at this point! Media attention, hype around the series is not important at all"! With that said he gave his #1 hype-man, Artest, a huge fist bump to the chest and walked off the court. This series promises to be one for the ages and if Game 1 is any indication, the Celtics have to go back to the drawing board and retool their efforts for the remainder of the series or else it is going to be one trip to Boston and then ....gon fishing!!!

Game #2 is set for Sunday 6-6-10 in Staples @ 2pm on ABC

Thursday, June 3, 2010

NBA FINALS PREVIEW

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NBA Finals

The NBA Finals are here and the  #1 seed in the Western conference, the Los Angeles Lakers, face off against the #4 of the Eastern Conference, the Boston Celtics. The series is one that is exciting to many because of the teams involved as well as the matchup sounding so classic. When you think of the NBA at it's greatest you think of the 80's when the Lakers & Celtics seemed to meet in the Finals for what felt like every year.

The Lakers are the Lakers and we all know what that means; KOBE! The Lakers have their defensive issues where they go into long slums and look almost lost on the defensive end. The biggest discrepancy that the Lakers have defensively is that they simply cannot guard the backcourt of other teams. If Fisher and the Laker guards cannot keep up with the young Boston point-guard and backups then it is going to be a long series. They have to stay out of foul trouble and play team defense in order to rectify the problem. This has been an issue all season and even the Zen-Master, in his 13th Finals Series,  recognizes it but simply tries to overlook it and coach harder on the offensive end of the court. When the Lakers are on offense they have three to four formidable weapons in Bryant, Gasol, Artest and Fisher. Fisher can be a great closer when he is able to knock down the long-windup jumper that he has been known for in his last 4 Finals Series wins. Gasol has an array of post moves and a very high basketball IQ. Artest has started to show his old offensive form but he is still not the player that he was in his prime. If the knee problems that Andrew Bynum has been enduring don't get any better then that will cost the Lakers down in the post in the worst way.

The Celtics are an older more experienced team that has bought into coach Doc Rivers plan of playing together and playing intelligently. Basketball brains will beat basketball speed all day long and they know this. Led by the "Big-Three plus One", the Celtics have become healthy at just the right time and have caught fire this year in the playoffs looking much like the team that brought home the Finals trophy in 2008. With Rajon Rondo running the show Boston has saw this young Kentucky guard bloom into a superstar. He has to be able to run the floor once he receives the ball on the rebound or from the out of bounds play and then scan the floor the way that he has all post season. Failure to do that will put pressure on Pierce and Allen to knock down shots and with Pierce more likely to draw the defensive assignment on Bryant it may all fall on the shoulders of Jesus Shuttlesworth.  Garnett has to keep that fire burning and play intense and stretch the floor by knocking down the long range jumper because he will keep Pau away from the rim and cheap easy rebounds that could lead to quick breaks down to the other end. The size of Boston will play a major key as they have more large bodies than the Lakers do so therefore they have more fouls to use and more of a chance to rest their starters when they can. The defense of the Celtics is their staple and has carried them throughout this years playoffs. Typically if Boston keeps their opponent under 90 pts. they win, so keep an eye on the scores when the second and third quarters end. Anything over 90 pts. and it is a crapshoot to see who comes out on top because the Celtic legs are either tired at that point or they have conceded defeat, one or the either. It is and has been an ominous sign and if your a Celtic fan you have to notice this and hope that true Boston defense slows the Lakers down and allows the offense to do their job.

I like the Celtics in 7 and only because I know that Phil Jackson is going to irk the refs about fouls, Artest is going to play NY street ball and again, KOBE.  Both teams have a lot of fight in them so I cannot even fathom that there will be a sweep or even a 4-2 win by either. There is too much pride on both benches and too much history for either to roll over and play dead when the chips get down.
Celtics champs again!!!

The series schedule is shown below.

  • Game 1 Thursday, June 3 Boston at LAL 9 p.m. ABC/R/TSN
  • Game 2 Sunday, June 6 Boston at LAL 8 p.m. ABC/R/TSN
  • Game 3 Tuesday, June 8 LAL at Boston 9 p.m. ABC/R/TSN
  • Game 4 Thursday, June 10 LAL at Boston 9 p.m. ABC/R/TSN
  • Game 5 * Sunday, June 13 LAL at Boston 8 p.m. ABC/R/TSN
  • Game 6 * Tuesday, June 15 Boston at LAL 9 p.m. ABC/R/TSN
  • Game 7 * Thursday, June 17 Boston at LAL 9 p.m. ABC/R/TSN
  • (courtesy gather.com)

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

GRIFFEY, JR. CALLS IT QUITS!

Ending one of the most storied careers in MLB history today, Ken Griffey, Jr. retired ending a 22-year dream career. "While I feel I am still able to make a contribution on the field and nobody in the Mariners front office has asked me to retire, I told the Mariners when I met with them prior to the 2009 season and was invited back that I will never allow myself to become a distraction," Griffey said in a statement. 
Seattle News - April 12, 2010
After the flare-up of the "Seattle-Sleep-Gate" where Griffey was claimed to be asleep in the clubhouse when the team attempted to locate him to bat, the writing was on the wall that the future Hall of Famer was on his way out. In 22 seasons Griffey has amassed 630 home runs (5th All-Time), with what most baseball enthusiasts will agree was the "sweetest"  "most-true" swings in the league next to the great Dave Winfield, 7 Silver Slugger Awards and 10 Glove Glove Awards . 
Ken Griffey Jr. #24
The 40 year old Griffey, who was the overall #1 pick in the 1987 draft by the Mariners returned back to Seattle after stints in Chicago & Cincinnati and seemed to be back home where many believed he belonged and would eventually retire, but not this soon. No word has been released on what professional move Griffey will make next.