Caught Bob Dicesare’s column in today’s News and flipped when I saw part of his take about the “Raptors In Buffalo” scenario:

“If Buffalo lands a Toronto Raptors preseason game then let’s use the night to celebrate our basketball heritage. Bring in Bob McAdoo, Randy Smith, maybe Ernie DiGregorio and Bob Kaufmann, and acknowledge their place in Buffalo sports history. And while we’re at it, let’s raise McAdoo’s No. 11 to the rafters at HSBC Arena in recognition of all he achieved as a Brave and beyond. “

Halleh - freaking - lujah!

For too long we have seen ourselves as a city that is highly ambivelant about the NBA, almost to the point that where we enjoy such a status. Almost as if we’re supposed to be proud of not caring about basketball at its highest level here.

For whatever reason that may be it’s time to trash that mindset, at least for one night if this Raptors/HSBC Arena idea comes off. Let’s celebrate the fact that this city was once home to an NBA franchise, and one that gave us some great moments to boot during its short-but-sweet run at the Aud.

Bring in Boston, the team that had become the Braves’ archrival and opponent during two memorable playoff series. How about Atlanta? A nice young team whose roots also date back to Memorial Auditorium in the forties. Or if we want to have a villain - send in the LA Clippers, the club that bolted from Buffalo three decades ago in a bizarre franchise ownership change.

And at some point during the evening, do exactly what Dicesare suggested. Put a sky blue #11 up to rafters at HSBC Arena. Quite frankly, someone who is celebrated amongst basketball’s all time greats in Springfield certainly deserves far more of a presence in the arena than a passing notice and photo in the “Headlines” area of the venue.

But I highly doubt that you’ll ever see the right thing done. We’ve personally pushed for this virtually since McAdoo was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2000. The good folks downtown know of our mission, know others who are on board, and ought to know that he deserves such an honor as much as anyone who has ever worn a Buffalo pro sports jersey in this town.

That they appear not to is a shame and nothing else.

Dear Bucky,

You finally got to me.

Unlike the rest of the B-lo sports blogosphere, I’ve never had much disagreement with your commentaries and opinions on the Sabres. Like you I ripped the Sabres a new one immediately when co-captains Drury and Briere left town, and have become a bit annoyed with the inability to retain some of the key players that made Buffalo a Stanley Cup contender. I suppose I can understand why some out there get upset with your constant referrals to the “Druriere” situation, yet by same token it has been seven years gone by now and I still see comments referring to Hasek’s nasty departure from Buffalo. Keep it up if you so desire.

That being said, here’s word of advice to you: Leave the NBA commentary at the News to Mssrs. Sullivan and McKissic.

“NBA Finals not worth staying up for.” Really? OK, then exactly what Finals scenario WOULD you stay up for? Spurs/Pistons? Cavs/Suns? Knicks/Grizzlies? Being the alleged “big Celtics fan” that you are/were after the Braves left town, one would think that you’d be waiting with baited breath to see your team in the Finals for the first time in a couple of decades. Nah…guess not. Then again, what former Braves fan hops on the wagon of the hated Celtics anyway? Like any Bills fan would become ‘Fins fans in a relocation scenario. Just sayin’.

And since were you THE source for the what defines a “true” Celtic or Laker? Paul Pierce not a true Celtic? What? Someone who spends his entire ten year career in Boston and represents them six times as an All Star is not a “true” Celtic?

Why? Is it because he hasn’t won a title like those “true” Celtic predecessors of his. There’s a solid reason for that and it’s not Paul Pierce. It’s having a front office that was run by the likes of M.L. Carr, Rick Pitino, and Chris Wallace that never put a title contending team on the court with him during or before his arrival in Boston.

And Kobe not a “true” Laker??? Hmmm. Spending an entire career with the Lakers, earning ten All-Star appearances, helping to bring home three NBA Titles and winning an MVP award must not qualify since he begged out when things got rough. Fair point, sort of.

Except that the reason why all of those “true” Lakers never wanted such was because they never had to deal with a stretch of mediocrity like the Lakers had in the past three seasons(avg 40 wins). Case in point: the worst record of a Laker team with Magic Johnson(pre HIV - 1979-91) on the roster was 54-28. And yet like Kobe, Magic helped to run a coach out of town (Paul Westhead) even with championship results.

Yet we look on Magic fondly in part because his replacement WAS better (Riley) and took the Lakers to greater heights.

And I gotta wonder. What did you mean by “distant delinquents”?? A hidden shot at the league’s totally unwarranted thug reputation?? With due respect, which league has brought us Pac-Man Jones, Michael Vick, Ray Carruth, and the Cincinnati Bengals?? Which sport has given us an embarassing steroid/HGH scandal filled with indictments, subpeonas, and other endless legalese? When was the last time that the NBA had to appear before Capitol Hill?

Outside of referee Tim Donaghy and the occasional Carmelo mugshot, how often have you seen NBA entities in the police blotter lately? Yep, not much at all. Darn those delinquents….

We’ve got the Celtics and the Lakers in the Finals. The two greatest franchises in the history of the sport, both having a future first ballot Hall of Famer on their team (KG and Kobe) and were the top seeds in their respective conferences heading into the playoffs. What in the world more could the NBA possibly give you? In what other sport would such a scenario make even a casual fan turn away from their sets and say: “Eh, not makin’ it through the first half. Why bother?”

I can think of one right away. It’s called “not being a fan of the game, period.” So please, Bucky. Save your opinions for sports you actually know and/or care about.

Much appreciated,

Peter Farrell

The Celtics had everything go their way in Game 2. Officiating was somewhat one sided if you believe the free throw shooting stats(38-10). Paul Pierce played on his (allegedly) injured knee and scored 28 points. And a huge off the bench contribution from Leon Powe helped mightily in stretching a late nine point third quarter lead to an early fourth quarter gap of twenty four.

Powe provided for Boston what any club needs to win a title….a big contribution from a player not expected to be in such a situation to assist a club’s big guns(big 3 in Boston’s case) and provide ample rest for them that will keep them fresh as the series goes on. Powe’s burst of 21 points on this night seemed to be the boost that would allow Boston to coast to an easy Game 2 win.

But it didn’t.

It simply set the stage for the best player in the league to stage a Laker comeback which fell just a bucket or so short of becoming lodged in the annals of history. Kobe chipped in eleven points and the Lakers knocked down four three pointers in cutting a twenty four point lead with eight minutes to go down to just two with under fourty seconds left.

Later with the Lake Show down four, the disappointing Sasha Vujacic launched a lame three that missed badly and sealed a 2-0 series lead for Boston as the teams head west for the next three games. (Yep, they change the travel format for the finals only, time to ditch this I say.)

Only three times has a club trailed 2-0 in the Finals and rallied to win, last being the ‘06 Heat(fluke, just sayin’). And that Miami team is the only home club to win the three middle games(3,4,5) since the NBA went to the 2-3-2 format in the early 80’s. Not that I want to crown the Celtics now, but history shows that it’s not looking good for LA right now.

But I will say this now, LA will bring it back to Boston. Time will tell if there will be one or two games there.

Other random thoughts on my mind(hoops related or otherwise)…I really bitched out the Celtics pyrotechnic crew for their lame pre game video. The fine folks of ESPN/ABC are at the opposite end of the spectrum with their goose bump/spine tingling/near tear jerking intro to the Finals. Major goose bump moments when hearing the voices of the late Chick Hearn and Johnny Most.

Dominik Hasek retired??? Should we start a pool to see when he changes his mind? And added bonus for what team he suits up for?

Seriously though, this was the greatest player to wear a Sabres jersey(Note: I didn’t say greatest player that was also very exciting to watch - #11 fans). Only player in franchise history EVER to win an Hart Trophy/MVP, not to mention several Vezina Trophies. The man was the biggest reason that the Sabres were a consistent postseason team and Cup contender.

And the fact that he did this during an era of severe league financial instability in which teams like Buffalo had no real chance to bring in any real assets to assist them in competition only adds to his legacy.

Hopefully the bad blood between Hasek and the Sabres and fans will dissipate soon(It’s. Been. SEVEN. #@$%ing. years.) so that he can have his rightful spot in the HSBC rafters with the French Connection, Patty La La, McAdoo(hey, he’s in MY HSBC rafters) et al.

Bills are over 52K in season ticket sales?? Two thoughts:

1. Yuck Fou Toronto.
2. Nice to see that people picked up on my idea. Just sayin’.

The Belmont - the most predictable two minutes in sports. Boy did we get suckered in to thinking we’d actually see a Triple Crown winner. Frank Robinson and Carl Yastrzemski are probably sipping champagne to celebrate the moment.

-Peter Farrell

Here we go again. Same script, different decade.

Back in the eighties the Celtics/Lakers finals had a running theme of Showtime vs. “Blood, Guts, and Courage”. It was always spun that an uptempo and more athletic Laker team would have an edge over those suberb, yet not as gifted athletes from Boston that always appeared to have some sort of adversity to overcome. Boston was pretty gifted on the court, and playing the victim card off of it as well.

Then down goes Pierce midway through the third quarter, hobbling from some mysterious knee injury of god knows what sort and sooooo devastating that he had to wheeled off in a bleepin’ wheelchair. And I too was buying into the whole scene(heart and soul leader down with big injury, wtf is Boston gonna do now?).

Except Pierce shows up a scant few minutes later and lights up the Lake Show with a couple of threes late in the third to open up a lead which they would never reliquinsh on the way to a 98-88 win. Yea, he was certainly banged up. Somewhat.

Celts fans may call it a great moment in Finals lore reminiscent of Larry Legend coming onto the court after getting his face smashed on the parquet floor back in ‘91. I call it theater. Plain and simple. I don’t doubt that he was injured, just don’t tell me he needed a wheelchair and such to get off the floor.

The Celtics won thanks to solid D in the fourth quarter as Los Angeles was just 5 for 20 from the field in that quarter. I hafta believe that there was a leprechaun at work here as several of those shots were in and out’s. Just sayin’.

Also the C’s bench was critical and none moreso than old man PJ Brown as the 16 year vet replaced starter Kendrick Perkins due to injury and got a basket and six boards and provided plenty of hustle and spark in the second half.

Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant led all scorers with 24, and KG sealed the deal with a monster dunk on a rebound with about a minute and a half to go to put Boston up by eight.

Other stuff of note:

Celtics pre game presentation: D-….they dragged out the same intro that they’ve used the entire postseason, same clips, Garnett in Zsa Zsa’s face…blah. C’mon, this is the team with sixteen freaking NBA titles and they can’t put together a major goosebump video montage for their first Finals game in nearly a generation. Staples Center, I got you on notice.

Bill Russell and Dr. J were sitting side by side. Bill has aged well, the Doctor hasn’t(or at least as well as Bill). I mean, they almost looked the same age considering Russell was retired when Erving was still in college.

I LOVED that split screen promo that the NBA did with Magic and Bird. Fan-tas-tic.

If you’re a diehard, true flag waving patriotic citizen of the USA, then the Celtics are definitely the team for you. The Celtics are attempting to become only the second NBA Champion in the last eight years without a single foreign based player. U! S! A!

It’s a matchup that’s been in the making for twenty one years.

The two titans of NBA hoops returning to the setting where they best belong.

Thirty NBA championships and fourty nine Finals appearances between the two of them.

These clubs have enough glorious history to each be able to create an entire team of Hall of Famers, bench and coaches included. Suffice to say that as great as this season’s teams are that only KG and Kobe would have a crack to be on an all time Celtic or Laker roster.

More than likely this series will set some sort of record for “most off court camera shots of former Celtic/Laker greats”.(or ghosts, as some would call them)

OK, so we’re not going to see West, Baylor, or Magic go up against Havlicek, Russell, or Bird. There won’t be seven future Hall of Famers in the respective starting lineups as there were in the multiple 80’s Finals appearances. But make no mistake this has to be the most anticipated Finals since…..who knows…Bulls/Lakers ‘91 maybe when the two MJ’s got together for a Finals matchup that clearly ascended Michael to the throne of NBA basketball, and for all intents and purposes was the end of Magic’s NBA career(Unwitting as it may have seemed at the time).

The Celtics were able to get here thanks to the (re)emergence of two things they had taken for granted throughout the season. The ability to win on the road and the rediscovery of Ray Allen’s shooting touch, as both had completely disappeared during the first two rounds as “Jesus Shuttlesworth” struggled in the seven game sets with the Hawks and Cavs. In the Conference Final series, Boston was able to take two from the Pistons in the Palace and Allen’s scoring average went up three points from the previous two rounds as he got his long distance groove back.

The Lakers have had the easiest time of in getting this far losing just three games in their playoff run and dispatching the defending champion Spurs in a surprising five games. Kobe Bryant has emerged as the frontrunner as the playoff MVP in averaging twenty eight points per game. Pau Gasol must have read my Conference Final preview as a he did a more than good enough job against the Spurs’ big men on both ends of the floor.

Points of interest to watch in the Finals:

Kobe: Impossible to stop. How Boston attempts to slow him down and how Kobe reacts to the inevitable double teams that come his way.

(speaking of Kobe, wasn’t he one foot out the door bitching for a trade when the season started? Just wonderin’.)

Fisher/Rondo matchup: Rondo has a face a respectable PG that isn’t injured and has a history of knocking down shots when necessary. Give Rondo credit though, he’s played well despite a real lack of a backup(ahem….yea you Sam!)

KG: Do me a favor and start taking more shots in the paint. You’re seven feet tall and have height advantage over everyone on the court. Add that to your rep of not really being a clutch performer and we’ve got an American Dirk Nowitzki here. Or is Dirk a European KG??

Bench: Advantage Lakers with Luke Walton and the much despised(by me) Sasha Vujacic. Leon Powe can provide a spark from time to time, and Eddie House would be bigger factor if Doc Rivers would let him be so. Leads me to my last point…..

Coaching: If you had a team in the Finals, who would you pick to be at the bench given the option between Phil Jackson and Doc Rivers?

Hmmm…..lemme see….Phil(9 NBA titles as coach)Jackson…..Doc Rivers…..Phil Jackson….Doc Rivers…..

Coaching won’t be the ultimate factor of course, but a deeper and more rounded team won’t hurt either. Lakers beat Denver in 4, San Antonio in 5, Utah in 6…….

Lakers in 7. TD Banknorth just isn’t the same as the Gahhhhden. Phil Jackson wins his tenth title as a coach tying the mark set by Red Auerbach right on his parquet floor.

Yes, there was contact.

Yes, the shot was altered as a result.

No, the whistle should not have been blown, and thankfully wasn’t.

To have done so would have taken the outcome of the game out of the hands of the players, and into the whistle of the officiating. At this level, and this far into the postseason that simply cannot happen.

The Spurs had 47 minutes and 57.9 seconds prior to that possession to change the outcome of said game. They couldn’t.

And someone tell me this, while Brent Barry was having a great game coming off of the bench(23 pts), what in the world was he doing with the ball in his hands with the game on the line. The lineup for San Antonio in that last possession had Finley, “Big Shot” Bob Horry, Duncan, and Ginobili. This is the last guy I want with the ball there.

And whatever happened to “home team plays for the tie, road team goes for the win” philosophy? They couldn’t have dumped it in to Duncan? Who on LA would stop that guy close to the basket?(Hell, another three point attempt couldn’t have been worse.)

So the Lakers are up 3-1. And the Spurs have plenty of reasons to blame themselves for it. Start with blowing a 20 point third quarter lead in Game 1, continue with Ginobili’s battles through pain making him a non factor for three of four games, and quite frankly the Lakers have outhustled the Spurs and made the effort plays that decide a series winner(ahem, offensive rebounding).

But don’t think this series ends tommorow night. I just can’t see the Spurs rolling over and dying, there’s too much talent and a lot more pride in these guys to see them going any way but quietly.

Some Eastern Conference material……

Isn’t it great to see teams win on the road? The Conference Finals have seen as many road team wins(3) as in all of the Conference Semis. Oh, not really on Eastern note….sorry.

Is it me, or have the Celtics been flat ever since racing out to a big lead in game 3 on Piston soil? I wonder if they felt like it was “mission accomplished” after that win and didn’t perform in Game 4 as a result. A dangerous attitude that is against Detroit, especially since they’ve already taken a game on Boston’s floor in this series.

Doc Rivers just won’t give up on Sam Cassell will he? A part of me can’t blame him after he saw some flashes of his old brilliance in this series. The guy has hit clutch shots in the postseason for several clubs going back to day OJ was in a low speed police chase in his white Ford Bronco. Doc…pssst, find time for Eddie House. Just sayin’.

I know we tend to bitch about annoying PA guy for the Bandits, but the guy doesn’t hold a candle to the Palace’s “Mason”. I’d stay away from Pistons games if I lived in Michigan, and I love hoops.

Stuckey has filled in admirably for the hobbled Chauncey Billups. But make no mistake, Billups will be needed to push the Pistons past the Celtics. He’s probably the Piston’s best clutch shooter.

Joe Dumars….Isiah Thomas. Backcourt mates in as players. So how do two guy’s front office careers go to completely opposite ends of the spectrum?? I mean, no one would have noticed if Isiah drafted Milicic. He’d be just another pile on the scrap heap.

And by the way Brent, I thinks your old man would have nailed that shot(underhanded too).

Well it’s official, we will not be having a first time NBA champ this season. Quite the opposite actually.

Lakers, Spurs, Celtics, and Pistons. Together they account for thirty seven of the sixty one NBA championships that have been won since the NBA was founded as the Basketball Association of America back in 1946. Every one of said franchises has had a time in NBA lore when it was considered the dominant club (in the case of San Antonio, that time would be the present) in the league. And it would be difficult to imagine a more established and respected group of franchises represented in the conference finals than what we have this year.

So which will be the one to raise the Larry O’Brien trophy in about a month? Well that topic is for a couple weeks time, we’ll just deal with the here and now by grabbing a rundown of the Conference Finals slated to get underway tonight in Boston.

Eastern Conference

Boston v. Detroit

Let’s see, we’ve got the Celtics. Team with all those titles, but are making just their second conference finals appearance in twenty years. The team that had the league’s best road record during the season but can’t win on the road in the playoffs. One wonders if the Knicks could have taken them to seven games.

Then there’s Detroit. Is it safe to start calling these guys the Atlanta Braves of basketball? This is their sixth consecutive trip to the conference finals with just one title(’04) which was earned under heavy underdog status and a Finals appearance a year later. All done with a core of players that has remained somewhat intact through the years. Tyshawn Prince, Chauncey Billlups, and Richard Hamilton have been with the team for all six appearances and Rasheed Wallace is here for his fifth.

Boston won the season series two games to one, and each team won a game on the opposing team’s home floor(imagine that Celtics). If Boston wants to get by these guys they’ll have to do it again. This isn’t a young group of newbies(Atlanta) or a club personified by one player(Cleveland), Detroit’s chemistry as a bunch of veteran guys who’ve been together for a significant period of time is going to be a huge advantage over Boston, who thanks to all of the key additions to the team prior to and during the season are the complete opposite.

Boston wins if: The homecourt record stays intact, Rondo wins head to head against Billups, Allen and Cassell realize that the season is still in progress.

Detroit wins if: Sheed plays at the top of his game, the D locks down on KG. Laimbeer smacks down on Ainge(ooops, time warp flashback).

Petey’s heart pick(Celtics in 6)….the real pick(Pistons in 6)…the Celtics just need more time to gel. Unfortunately, it may be too late for Ray Allen. If his game is on a permanent downswing, the door for the Celts may close for good without another significant offseason move.

Western Conference

Lakers v San Antonio

First a quick bit to vent about last night’s Hornets/Spurs game. It’s utterly clear that while New Orleans has the talent, they didn’t quite have the mindset or experience necessary to be able to finish off San Antonio. Just as obvious was that San Antonio did, while the Hornets tried to lean on their star players(West/Paul), the Spurs got critical contributions from several of the role players….Udoka, Finley, and heck…let’s change “Cheap Shot” Bob’s nickname back to “Big Shot” while we’re at it. The Hornets answer in that department was a fourth quarter flurry from Jannero Pargo….that isn’t gonna get it done. Not against that crew. But props to New Orleans on giving the reeling city in the Bayou another reason to be proud.

I’m thinking that the Spurs matchup even better against LA than against the Hornets. Derek Fisher isn’t going to put up Chris Paul like numbers, and certainly isn’t going to be able to slow down Tony Parker. Pau Gasol should have trouble with the Spurs frontcourt presence. Manu will get his.

And mind you…which Laker will get the wonderful pleasure of being guarded by Bruce Bowen?? Lotsa fun that’ll be I bet.

Of course, the best player on the floor will be wearing the purple and gold and Kobe’s presence will be needed, and Lamar Odom will HAVE to be a night in and night out guy in this series.

The two clubs split four regular season games with the home court team winning each time.

(To say nothing the two coaches here….haven’t they coached about 467 NBA titles between the two of them…what….thirteen of them…..really? Close enough)

Spurs win if: Key contributions from bench/role players continue en masse….they’re just deeper in that regard.

Lakers win if: Kobe goes beserk and continues for entire series. Gasol develops a mean streak, Charles Barkley picks them to lose(But don’t worry, he’s never going to bet or gamble….ever again…trust him).

Petey’s heart pick(Lakers in 7….gawd I want a Celtics/Lakers series soooooo bad!) Reality check: (Spurs, aka The Borg in 5)

Pistons/Spurs? Send me a postcard, at least the Stanley Cup Final will be going on….. wha?….they’ll be done??? Arghh……..

Yep, I’ve procrastinated a lot when it comes to blogging about the second round. I guess I had a hard time finding a theme for it really.

You can sum it up in one stat.

19-1

No, that’s not the Patriots record from last year. It’s the won/loss record of the home clubs in the second round.

A common phrase in the NBA playoffs has always been that “a series doesn’t start until someone loses a home game”. There’s some truth to that, but not in Round 2 as the one series where that statement can actually be applied thus far(Orlando/Detroit) has already concluded. And any road team that wins a game in the other three series thereafter will win the series entirely.

The homecourt advantage has always been most paramount in the NBA, but this year its gone to ridiculous measures. Stunning when you consider that six of the eight remaining teams have winning road records during the regular season, including Boston(31-10: best road record) who has yet to win a playoff game away from Boston thus far.

Which is not to say that the second round hasn’t been entertaining. Far from that. There have been some great highlights to remember the round by.

How about Tyshawn Prince’s gutsy series winning block of Hedo Turkoglu in the dying seconds of Game 5? Can you imagine him missing the block and picking up an ‘and 1″ basket that could have forced OT? Gutsy move on his part.

Then there’s LeBron James’ posterization of Kevin Garnett to ice Game 4 in Cleveland. One of those press photographers ought to have a photo of that moment that deserves to be on milllions of kids’ walls around the world.

Best throwdown dunk to ice a playoff game since1993 . I had to put at least one great Knick playoff memory in here somewhere…..

And who didn’t feel good for Utah’s Ronnie Price in Game 4. After being hammered by a hard foul from Ronny Turiaf Price came back in the fourth quarter to make a critical block on Luke Walton.

And who didn’t love LeBron’s mom wanting to come after Paul Pierce and KG. The unintentional comedy factor was through the charts there.

So the three remaining series have at least one(if not two if homecourt hold). Lotsa storylines abound….

Will the Hornets send the defending champs home for the season? The Spurs are still in this series thanks in part to Popovich taking defensive stalwart Bruce Bowen off of Chris Paul and putting him on Peja Stojakovic. And hasn’t the Paul v Parker matchup been the finest of the entire playoffs?

If the series makes it to seven games, will the Cavs be able to steal the series in Boston? All I know is, LeBron’s been to more NBA Finals than the Boston “Big 3″ combined. Just sayin’. And if Boston does advance, does anyone feel good about their chances against Detroit right now. Count me in the “no” camp.

Great effort by the Lakers to win game 5 with Kobe at less than full strength. But will the supporting cast be able to do what they did there for the remainder of the series? Only with the same help that they got from the men in stripes in said game.

Looking forward to the rest of the round, but should I really stay up to watch the games in their entirety considering the homecourt records thus far. Who am I kidding….absolutely!!!

It’s one of the oldest storylines in all of sports. Two clubs compete against each other with plenty at stake and on paper the matchup appears to be a complete and total mismatch. One side is the epitome of what the best in its sport is all about, the other appears to be nothing but fodder for them on the road to expected glory.

Except no one told the “fodder” of its role, and instead of them disappearing quickly off stage as expected they put up a valiant effort that catches all who watch completely off guard and set themselves up for an opportunity for a victory that fans will remember for years to come.

Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal Series between the Boston Celtcs and the Atlanta Hawks!!!

Yep, the mighty Celtics. Winners of more NBA titles(16) than any other club, homecourt of enough legends to build their own Hall of Fame wing. Owners of the league’s best record this season.

And there’s Atlanta, mediocrity personified. A long history themselves, for being nomadic(Buffalo, Quad(Tri)-Cities, Milwaukee, St. Louis) and pathetic, with one NBA title fifty years ago and not having seen the playoffs this decade. Even this season qualifying with a playoff worst 37-45 record. But hey, Dominique Wilkins was a heckuva player for a while there in the 80’s. Really.

As Dickie V. would say: “A total M&Mer, baby!”

If you’ve been paying any attention at all you know what’s happened. An energized Hawks club came to life in its three games at the suddenly raucous Philips Arena and has forced this series to go where no one thought it would. It is the only first round series to go the distance, the one headed for that classic two word phrase that defines an important game in a postseason series: Game Seven.

What in the name of Lenny Wilkens and Spud Webb is going on here!!!! Game 3 was Atlanta winning purely on their youthful exuberance and athleticism. Game 4 was Joe Johnson taking over down the stretch and refusing to leave the court without a W. And in Game 6 the Hawks saw Johnson become the focal point of the Celtics vaunted D and yet they scored on sixteen consecutive posssesions in the second half to gain control over a game which would be salted away when Johnson nailed a huge three with just over a minute to go.

Game 7 is in Boston ( Sun. 1PM ABC) where the Hawks have lost their three playoff games by an average of twenty two points, so obviously a win would be a tall order. And to make things worse, starting forward Marvin Williams(part of a trio of talented young frontcourt players) is listed as doubtful with a knee injury.

An Atlanta win would be the biggest upset in a postseason series in NBA history and the biggest in ANY sport (MLB, NHL, NBA) in quite some time. Since the NBA adopted the current sixteen team playoff format 1984, only three #8 seeds have defeated a #1 in the first round and really, two of those don’t hold a candle to this one. Last year’s Warriors team beat the Mavs, yet had also had swept them in the regular season and had come into the playoffs on a full head of steam. The ‘99 Knicks over Miami? Please, that was the lockout shortened season and only six games separated the two at season’s end.

That leaves the ‘94 Sonics/Nuggets series which had eerily similar circumstances to this one. The Sonics had the best record in the league and all of the first four games were won by the home club before Denver won the deciding game five in overtime in front of a stunned Key Arena crowd.

This would be a best of seven series that should have been a complete mismatch. And in a sport where you need an entire team to outplay the other in an entire series (unlike baseball where pitching is everything, and hockey where goaltending enjoys similar importance). A bigger and more difficult upset under such circumstances would be hard to find, wouldn’t it?

I’ll make no prediction so as not to be accused of jinxing by anyone. But I’ll be watching. Will you?

Some other thoughts on the first round that was……….

Barkley was right. The Wizards were the dumbest team in the NBA for calling LeBron “overrated”.
How’s this for a stat line: 29.8 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 7.7 apg vs. the Wizards. Helluva job shutting him down guys. That physical strategy worked wonders for you and put one of your own players out on suspension for the sixth and final game. Enjoy the golf course guys, and thanks! Way to make me look stupid in picking you to win the series.

Another barb going out to the mainstream media concerning James: Remember last year’s Conference Finals against Detroit where LeBron passed the ball off to Donyell Marshall for the game winning shot(missed) and was ridden mercilessly for not taking that shot himself?

I couldn’t help but notice how quiet the same media was after LeBron ran the EXACT SAME PLAY in game 4 with Delonte West taking the shot. Couldn’t have been because West made the shot, right????

Agent Zero….you were exactly that. I applaud your effort, but sit it out if you can’t help the team next time will ya.

Hey! I actually caught some of the Rockets/Jazz series. Just as I thought, it took the NBA’s second longest win streak ever to get the Rockets in the postseason. Since they weren’t on it during the postseason they were easy pickin’s for the Jazz. McGrady notwithstanding.

I REALLY want to know what was said in the Pistons locker room during halftime of Game 4, the entire series seemed to turn on it as Detroit dominated the rest of the game and series.

I thought Philly was a great hoops town. Why were there over five thousand empty seats at the Wachovia Center in the deciding Game 6?

And finally! Your WNYM round 2 predictions!

(2) New Orleans vs. (3) San Antonio

Looks like another great series with some great mano y mano matchups. Chris Paul v. Tony Parker and Tim Duncan v. Mark West highlight the marquee for this one. My heart would love to see the Cinderella story continue in New Orleans, and quite frankly I think this team’s all around balance gives them the opportunity to do it. But my mind goes with the status quo thinking that until I see the Spurs go down I’m not going against them. Spurs in 6

(1) Lakers vs. (4) Utah

The Lakers did to Denver what Boston should have done to Atlanta. Sweep them without breaking a sweat. This series ought to be fun to watch as both like to turn on the jets and have solid point guard play(Fisher/Williams). But how is Utah going to be able to stop the Kobe/Pau combination?? Being able to do so is their shot to beat them, gooooooood luck. Lakers in 5

(2) Detroit vs. (3) Orlando

Detroit’s stifling defensive system gets a big challenge in shutting down the potent Magic offense. Rasheed v. Howard will be interesting as will Billups v. Nelson. But if Detroit is as inconsistent in this series as they were against Philly then……
Magic in 6

One last thing before I go. The Euroleague is celebrating its fiftieth anniversary by naming a list of its fifty greatest contributors. I happened to find a nice little video of the members of the group. While even the most diehard of hoop junkies won’t know many of the names, there are some that are well known. One in particular having strong local ties.

Watch and find out who, til later!!!