Monday, May 25, 2009

Change Gone Come

Regularly blogging just isn't going to work.

Now stream of consciousness and completely random pointless articles about nothing.

And Charles McPiffenberry. More McPiffenberry.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Cavs in 6



And that still won't stop me from using a Dwight Howard picture!

Smart money says Cavs in 6, I'll take the smart money. I'm getting a little tired of some people saying the Cavaliers are going to sweep the Magic. I don't see it, they don't have the match-ups. Sweeping the Organization Formerly Known as The Pistons and the Hawks hardly means the same will happen to Orlando.

Cleveland is more disciplined. They have a better defense. They have LeBron James. Orlando has more weapons offensively. They do a great job spreading the floor. They have Dwight Howard. Dwight Howard is the key to this series. If he decides to be great, the Magic can steal this series. The same can't be said for anyone on the Pistons or the Hawks. The problem is Dwight hasn't shown he can be that guy that can take over a series and have a stretch of mind blowing days. I'm talking some 30/20 games that bring memories of a young Shaq. He's the best center in the league right now (Ming is injured to often), but not because he's at that level yet. He's soft of the best by default, the product of an extremely weak group of players that has career power forwards like Chris Bosh and Amare Stoudemire playing extended minutes at the position. Dwight can elevate his legacy now and regain some of that hype that he had during All Star Weekend. Now the Magic just have to actually get him the ball!

There isn't much to say about Cleveland. They are the best team in the playoffs right now, I can't see anyone stopping them. Both Denver and LA are capable of beating them, but we'll board that train when we get to it. LeBron James is just amazing, and he has his team believing they are good. Mo Williams is doing the exact same thing he did in Milwaukee, except people now care. He seems to be feeling himself a bit too much as well. (Not a Cavs fan. AT ALL.) Courtney Lee is a great defensive match-up for him, I'm looking forward to it. And as much as I'd like to see the Cavs lose, they are just too good. My worst fears might be realized, Cleveland with a major sports championship. Just disgusting. Please end my nightmare Orlando, please...

May 19 Was A Good Day



Got the Blackout 10th Anniversary Collector's Edition (Blackout 1, Blackout 2, and a small poster) and Relapse. They are pictured somewhere in this completely pointless, and borderline weird photo.

Clippers Win The Draft Lottery



The Clips are veterans of this thing, so they are rewarded with another #1 pick. Unfortunately for them it comes in a draft where the consensus top pick happens to play a position that the Clippers have plenty of players and a ton of money tied up in. Michael Olowokandi was the last consensus pick when they had the top pick in 2009, and that worked out well. Clippers could shock the world and go another direction here, but Blake is a solid pick. His size is often criticized, but height isn't everything.

It's more likely his career is already over. Grizzlies could reunite some young players from the Spanish national team by adding Rubio to Marc Gasol, that'd be interesting. It also would spell the end of Mike Conley's tenure as the future PG there. I'm interested to see how things will play out in the month leading up the draft.

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Do Or Die: GAME 7

Got to love the Game 7. Captivating in any sport, especially basketball. Rockets/Lakers. Celtics/Magic. A blowout and a good game.

Rockets @ Lakers

The Rockets have been admirable winning 2 of 3 games without Yao Ming, but the Lakers aren't about to lose this one. They are simply the better team and Houston won't be able to just get by playing harder. As I type this, the Rockets are already down 11 and are 2/15 from the field. They are taking horrendous shots, missing lay-ups, and not attacking the basket. They don't have any scorer to get them out of these kind of ruts since Ron Artest has been offensively inept the last 3 games. Kobe's legacy is safe, for now. It still remains to be seen will the Lakers win a championship, they aren't looking like they can beat the Cavs right now. And I can't overlook the Nuggets, right?

On a side note, anyone else notice that Derek Fisher just isn't good anymore?

Celtics @ Magic

Orlando is the more talented team, but they don't have the heart or grit of the Celtics. It's carried Boston this far, but can it carry them to the Eastern Conference Finals? Orlando has struggled mightily to close out games in this series, so you have to wonder if they can close out the series. Dwight Howard needs to get his touches and they have to avoid falling in love with the three. Courtney Lee has to keep up the intensity and play well.

Really the Celtics just need Ray Allen and Paul Pierce to play well in the same game for once. Perk has done a good job bothering Dwight, and they are getting contributions from players like Glen Davis and Eddie House. I think they are tough to beat if that happens, but I really think Orlando's talent will win this game.

Then again, watching that same talent blow a game wouldn't be uncommon either.

Friday, May 15, 2009

Joell Ortiz Covers The Classics



Ever since the formation of Slaughterhouse, Joell (as well as Crooked I) has been growing on me. Joell Ortiz Covers The Classics is a "Jackin' for Beats" style mixtape where he just spits bar after bar on a ton of different tracks. Definitely you download this.

Grab it at OnSmash