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.

Today is one of those days where I’m not proud to be a sports fan.

Today the Seattle SuperSonics and over four decades of history and tradition are now officially just that. History and Tradition.

They’re gone because current ownership bought this team with the intent of taking them to their hometown of Oklahoma City. And they were able to do it because the Seattle area had the gall to actually vote down a public referendum on a half billion dollar showplace to replace “aging” Key Arena. I mean, how dare the good folk there do that considering their taxes had already been used to:Spend 74.5M$ to completely renovate it in time for the 1995-96 season(they had been forced to play in Tacoma the previous season due to the work.)

Spend 517M$ to build Safeco Field for the Mariners(who of course used the threat of moving if the taxpayers didn’t pony up)

Spend another 300M$ to build Qwest Field for the Seahawks(also under a very real threat of moving - see Behring, Ken.)

So lets see, get shaken down again to leave a building that opened in its current state just one season prior to the opening of HSBC Arena here in Buffalo. That’s an obsolete venue???

Of course the voters the new arena proposal down(to say nothing of current economic times), and of course the new Oklahoma ownership(and Commissioner scumbag Stern) knew this would happen. Thus handing ownership an excuse to bolt and helping to grease the skids to do so.Last ditch efforts to save the team did come into play after it became apparent that things were out of hand. Microsoft bigshot Steve Ballmer suddenly wanted to buy(sorry, not for sale. Where were you in ‘06?) And the city of Seattle sued to force the Sonics to honor the lease at Key Arena through its conclusion in 2010.

Which leads us to today, as the city and the Sonics came to a monetary settlement of 45M$ so the Sonics could buy out the remainder of the lease and bolt for Oklahoma ASAP. Why this happened is a mystery considering that many legal experts believed that the city had a strong case against the Sonics, and a win in court could have given the city two more years to possibly frustrate slimeball #1 Sonics owner Clay Bennett into selling the team to local interests.

Still out there is a lawsuit filed by former Sonics owner and Starbucks magnate Howard Schultz, claiming that Bennett violated terms of sale by not negotiating in good faith to keep the team in Seattle by bolting for OKC just one season after purchasing the club.

Just one thing Mr. Starbucks….you really weren’t that naive. Were you???? I mean, how exactly did you build one of the preeminent franchise chains of this generation thinking like that? You ain’t got a chance in hell of winning that one. I gotta admit though, that’s a pretty smooth PR move.

So off go the Slimeballs to Oklahoma City. Gone with it: the first major pro sports franchise to call Seattle home. The only one to bring Seatlle a title(1979). The franchise that gave made Lenny Wilkens into a Hall of Fame player and coach. Shawn Kemp was known only as a player on the court in Seattle, and what a player he was. Tom Chambers winning the All-Star Game MVP at the Kingdome……The Glove- Gary Payton….Jack Sikma’s hair. Could go on and on.

And to think folks, as we debate the economic viability of pro sports in the future in our own city. Seattle is a booming city,12th largest market in America with corporate megagiants such as Starbucks, Boeing, and Microsoft to name a few. A city that plays in modern, state of the art venues all built or renovated in the mid 90’s or later. A city that has all the ingredients to keep(or steal) a franchise in today’s day and age.But none of those factors could save the Sonics. I shudder as to what could happen here.

I leave it with a couple more youtube clips…..

the ear splitting hysteria of Key Arena during pregame intros during the 1996 NBA Finals. For my money, the strains of Pink Floyd’s “Run Like Hell” was the best intro song EVER. And also a clip of the final home game as fans plead to “Save our Sonics”.

-Peter Farrell

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!!!

You know. I mentioned something in the last NBA Playoffs post that really deserved a bit more of a mention than it did and probably a post of its own is deserved.

Heck yea, it does.

If you’ve lived in this town for a long time and are in your fourties or higher, then you certainly remember the short and sweet stint of the Buffalo Braves and their superstar center Bob McAdoo. I don’t need to rehash what he did as Brave, or that his scoring prowess while in Buffalo was the catalyst for his eventual induction into basketball’s Hall of Fame in Springfield a few years back.

But what many people may not know is that he did not hang up his sneakers after his NBA playing days ended in 1986. He simply took his high scoring act across the sea to Italy starring for Philips/Tracer Milano, Fabriano and Forli while pumping in twenty seven points per game in a seven year span in which he led Milano to two Euroleague titles. He finally called it a career in 1993 ending a tenure in pro ball that lasted over two decades.

What’s the big deal, you ask?

This season the Euroleague is celebrating its fiftieth anniversary with the announcement of a list of its fifty greatest countributors(players,coaches,officials) and on that list is none other than Bob McAdoo. McAdoo joins plenty of other notables including Manu Ginobli, Vlade Divac, Mike D’Antoni, and Drazen Petrovic who made big names for themselves on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.

Congrats Bob, on a highly esteemed and much deserved honor!

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!!!

And now for the main event. With all due respect to the Celts and Pistons, the Western Conference reigns supreme once again. This year more than ever as the conference brings the greatest octet of clubs ever to come out of a conference….NHL included in that.
When your bottom qualifier wins fifty games and features two perennial All-Stars in Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony, what need more be said??

The West is balanced as well, as seven games separate the top seeded Lakers and eighth seeded Nuggets. Even crazier is that only three games divide the top from sixth. Simply put, any of these first round matchups could easily be confused with a conference final(well, maybe not Denver/Lakers).

Eight clubs with star power. It will be well worth staying up into the wee hours for the six weeks that it takes to do the NBA first round. The matchups as follows…..

(1) Los Angeles Lakers (57-25) vs. (8) Denver Nuggets

What a difference a season can make! The Lakers 2006-07 season ended in disgrace as they were hammered in five by the Phoenix Suns in the first round. Kobe Bryant spent the offseason and some of the current season whining to be traded elsewhere as he questioned the club’s commitment to winning.

Kobe, meet Pau Gasol. The seven footer from Spain was hijacked out of Memphis near the trade deadline and his presence has revitalized the club as they surged down the stretch to eke out the top seed over New Orleans. The play of late has Laker fans thinking another title. However, in this stacked conference the reward will be a fifty win Denver Nuggets team that will put points on the board better than anyone in the playoff field. The weakness of course is the inability to stop anyone on D, so expect plenty of Kobe Bryant posters in the coming season with him dunking on someone in a Nuggets uni.

The 8 seed took out the 1 seed in the West last year. I could see it happening if Denver plays D.

The pick(They won’t):Lakers in 6

(2) New Orleans (56-26) vs. (7) Dallas (51-31)

Unlike many who escaped the horrific devastation of Katrina, the Hornets were able to return to their home in the Crescent City this past season. After two non playoff seasons in Oklahoma the Hornets return to the postseason with a vengeance led by an emerging megastar point guard in Chris Paul. Toss in fellow All Star David West, sharpshooter Peja Stojakovic and a maturing Tyson Chandler and its no wonder that the Hornets have returned to postseason play.

Their opponent is the Dallas Mavericks. A team that must still be stinging from last year’s embarrassing elimination at the hands of the Golden State Warriors(48-34 this year, best record to miss playoffs since 1972). Also the Mavs added Jason Kidd at the deadline, and his presence is going to be half of the series’ most interesting matchup as he goes mano y mano with Chris Paul. Vet vs. youngster. Master vs. student. Will be interesting and how well Kidd plays Paul could decide things in this series.

Dallas is ticked from last season, but unfortunately that may have been the best shot for this franchise as far as a title goes. Paul>Kidd. Dirk = postseason nonperformer. Over/under on Cuban v. refs - at least two outbursts, three if series goes the distance.

Pick:Hornets in 7

(3) Spurs (56-26) vs. (6) Suns (55-27)

Parker/Kidd, Stoudemire/Shaq/Duncan. Horry v. Nash part II??? Suns v. David Stern?? Possibly the best first round matchup in history. Certainly the memories of last year’s epic series are fresh in the mind of all who were on the court last season, and that only adds to the drama of two teams worthy of the Finals.

This will be a matchup of two teams hitting their stride at the proper time. The Suns struggled in the immediate aftermath of the O’Neal trade, but the Big Aristotle has found his niche and with that opened up space for Amare Stoudemire in the open floor. The club isn’t quite the run and gun outfit of seasons past but still an entertaining team to watch. They’ll face the defending NBA Champs(thank you David Stern) who hammered a solid Utah club in the season finale and brings back the nucleus of their team. You know the names….Duncan, Parker(Longoria??), Ginobli.

Quick note….Grant Hill’s still in the NBA? A nice sight to see him play a full season in Phoenix for the first time in many a year.

For Phoenix, the Shaq trade was made for this team, for Duncan, to have a bonafide down low presence that they haven’t had in season’s past. Sure it slows them down at times, and that’s sad when you wonder if a true up tempo style can win in the postseason. But Shaq could be a big difference maker in the series. The Suns probably would have eliminated the Spurs last season were it not for the “Cheap Shot” Bob Horry/ Steve Nash incident. And with him, they advance.

Pick:Suns in 5

(4) Utah (54-28) vs. (5) Houston (55-27)

Houston was a headline grabber this season as they went on a 22 game win streak to rise from eighth to first in the conference standings. This despite losing all-star Yao Ming to a season ending injury. Meanwhile away from the bright lights of the bigger markets and the major headlines the Utah Jazz put together a division championship winning team. They’ve kept the momentum going that started last season’s surprise postseason run to the conference finals, and with it added the NBA’s best home record (37-4).

Utah’s a solid group with Boozer and Williams becoming a poor man’s Stockton/Malone. And newcomer Ashton Kut…errr Kyle Korver has proven a welcome addition from the perimeter.

Houston has homecourt, and they’re going to have to use it to the fullest to get past Utah. But the Rockets peaked with the big win streak they had frankly, and they couldn’t beat this team with Yao in the lineup in last year’s first round. Oh fer too. Rockets.

Pick:Jazz in 5

Versus network: it was good to know ya….

Don Cherry and Coach’s Corner: I might stop by and see ya before next October…..possibly.

Hello Ernie, Kenny, and Charles on TNT! Hello ABC and ESPN! I’ll be spending virtually every night with the tv on those channels from here til the first day of summer. And thanks to the most stacked octet of teams ever to qualify for a conference postseason I can forget about sleeping till the O’Brien Trophy is held aloft.

That’s right baby, the NBA Playoffs are set to arrive and with it comes the opportunity to watch the True American Game at its highest level. Thus, it’s time to give out my semi accurate and semi informed predictions about the postseason of the greatest game ever invented.

EASTERN CONFERENCE(JV DIVISION)

(1) Boston(66-16) vs. (8) Atlanta(37-45)

In the offseason, Celtics GM Danny Ainge took the bold step of bringing in Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen via trades to assist a club that had finished last in the Eastern Conference. The end result? A fourty two game improvement (greatest in NBA history) and best record in the NBA. In Atlanta they find a club whose fans must be celebrating like its 1999, since that was the last time the Hawks made the postseason.

Atlanta ya done good, and it’s so nice to see you back in postseason form. You’ve also got a pretty good backcourt in Joe Johnson and Mike Bibby and some nice youngsters in Al Horford and Josh Smith underneath. But seriously make your appearance, wave to the crowd, and exit stage right. Quickly.

Pick:Celtics in 5

(2)Detroit (59-23) vs. (7)Philadelphia (40-42)

Defense! Defense! Defense! That’s how the Pistons have done in recent years in making runs to the conference finals for the past five seasons and they brought the core of that success back again this season Billups, Hamilton, ‘Sheed, McDyess, and Prince are eyeing a third trip to the finals in a five year span.

They’ll be facing a surprising Philadelphia team that played well in the month of March to get into the playoff hunt before losing steam at season’s end and comes into this series on a four game slump. Who knew that the Sixers would go just one season out of the playoffs after the Iverson trade to Denver last season. Yet make it they did with a leading scorer initialed AI to boot.

No, Andre Iguodala isn’t going to remind anyone of the old AI but with Andre Miller playing point and Samuel Delambert patrolling the inside I believe they could be a tough out if Detroit doesn’t put the points on the scorebord.

Pick:Detroit in 6

(3)Orlando (52-30) vs. (6)Toronto (41-41)

Dwight Howard/Chris Bosh! Dwight Howard/Chris Bosh! Dwight Howard/Chris Bosh!

This has to be one of the more intrguing mano y mano matchups of the first round and quite possibly the only reason to pay much attention to it. That and I’m starting to hate all things TO with this Bills/Dolphins crap.(On a side note: I did plunk down for season tickets this year.) Anyhow, I cant figure out how the Raps stand much of a chance against the Magic. Killer middle man in Howard, great frontcourt players in Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu…..and Toronto has a two headed point guard in TJ Ford an Jose Calderon, Andrea Bargnani(find him in the dictionary under: slump, sophomore) , a Tony Parker impersonator, and what…..3pt champ Jason Kapono???

Of course, this means I probably just jinxed the Magic. Therefore:

Pick:Raptors in 6

(4)Cleveland (45-37) vs. (5) Washington (43-39)

Going to be the bestest and most intriguing first round series in the East, and given the option I may actually bail on staying up for a Western Confernce game to pay attention to this one. It’s the third consecutive season that these two clubs have met in the first round with Cleveland winning both of them. Last season was an easy sweep for the Cavs over a depleted Wizards club missing Caron Butler and Gilbert Arenas. Now both are back(though Arenas is still not quite up to speed with a bum knee) and we should see the type of series that these two clubs put on back in ‘06 that ended with LeBron James’ drive to the hoop in overtime of Game 6.

(See! I bet that’s the deepest that anyone has ever gone into a Cavs-related tidbit without mentioning LeBron James. Will someone put me through Guiness to see if that’s some sort of world record??)

The trash talking has gotten underway already, with Charles Barkley calling out the Wizards for describing LeBron James as “over rated” and he called them “the stupidest team in the NBA” for doing so.(Note to hockey fans/hoops haters: Watching Barkley on TNT in studio is the most entertaining schtick in sports outside of Don Cherry. Don’t be afraid, it’s ok to watch….)

Wizard Dujuan Stephenson fired back telling Barkley to “chill….do we really want to listen to someone who said that Yao Ming would never be an All-Star?”

It’s on, folks. I’d like to see the Cavs move on to round two and face Garnett and Co. in Boston, but beating the same team three years in a row??? Ain’t happenin’

Pick:Wizards in 5

Coming up next….the West(Varsity Division)

The NBA Seattle Supersonics and Oklahoma City have reached a preliminary agreement on a lease at the Ford Center pending NBA approval of the team’s relocation. The 15-year deal calls for the SuperSonics to pay the city US$1.6 million annually for use of the building and reimburse $409,000 per year to replace revenue from naming rights for the arena currently paid by local Ford car dealerships.

The NBA will hold a meeting on April 17 to give final approval to the move, then the only question will be when the relocation will take place. The Sonics’ lease at Key Arena in Seattle runs through the 2009-10 season.

Meanwhile, a $100-million renovation to Oklahoma City’s Ford Center is set to begin in June. It will be a three phased upgrade, with concourse and public areas first on the list, then construction of a “grand entrance” and finally loading dock and other infrastructure improvements.

One thing that won’t be going From Seattle to OKC is the team nickname, and that runs contrary to NBA tradition. If you look at recent NBA franchise moves, team names have stuck — KC/Sacramento Kings, the Vancouver/Memphis Grizzlies, the San Diego/Los Angeles Clippers, the New Orleans/Utah Jazz, the Charlotte/New Orleans Hornets. QUICK! What is the last NBA franchise which changed its nickname when it shifted cities?

Give up?

The year was 1978, when the Buffalo Braves were reborn as the San Diego Clippers.

Back in Seattle, the newest vision for a replacement arena to eventually lure an NBA or NHL team to the city is the Emerald City Project, a multi use facility with a retractable roof arena as its centerpiece. The idea is to fund it privately, but the bigger challenge might be finding the land to build this.

The USRT visited Oklahoma City in 2006 and we had a kick ass time! It was the NO/OKC Hornets at the Ford Center, and a side visit to Bricktown Ballpark. Even if the team moves by next season, right now we’re sort of thinking of holding off our return visit until fall of 2009 - tie the trip in with the Dallas Cowboys new NFL stadium, and by then the Ford Center renovations should be taking shape nicely.

The NBA Orlando Magic has released new information and renderings of their new downtown arena, scheduled to open for the 2010-2011 season.

The Orlando Sentinel provides all the poop you want to know.