Phoenix Suns vs. Boston Celtics

Los Suns have been coming on so friggin strong lately. Fatboy Shaq, who has officially entered into my pantheon of favorite ex-Miami Heat players, and the rest of Pheonix had high hopes of showing up the Celts ; at the very least making this a competitive game.

Ugh.

Today’s Daily Dime made mention of the defensive dominance of the Celts, and especially that of Garnett. But watching the game things were a little less clear cut then that. In a “where does credit rest/blame lie” situation, the Suns made a ton of stupid mistakes.

Were they forced by the Celts? It’s possible.

But making errant passes on an inbounds reeks of lack of concentration. At one point that Shaq blocked a shot from Rajon Rondo that was about to hit the front of the rim.

It’s no secret that when the Suns took on Shaq they upped their mean age, but also it’s possible the Suns were still feeling a hangover from their tough loss to the Detroit Pistons two nights before.

Did you see Rondo’s crumple Steve Nash? That was fucking awesome.

I Still like Shaq, I still like Nash, I am definitely liking Amare a lot more.

I don’t think Suns fans should be too worried, while I also think that Celts fans should worry about having Patriots Syndrome, formerly known as Mavericks Mania, formerly known as the Seattle Flu. You know, kill everyone during the season, only to sorely disappoint in the post-season.

By the way, does anyone else realize that the bullshit that Shaq is talking about the Heat is only motivation to get him to finally shed weight and get back to a level of dominance? Do you think it’s working? Oddly enough, I think Pat Riley is such a noble guy, he’s playing along with it.

Charlotte Hornets vs. Cleveland Cavaliers

Chris Paul is dreamy. Those light eyes, those smooth moves, those passes… I just love his game. He’s deserving of all the praise he’s been getting lately.

If Chris Paul doesn’t win the MVP, would it devalue all the MVPs that Steve Nash won? Tell me, can you honestly say that Steve Nash was better playing his position a couple of years ago than Chris Paul is playing it right now?

Also, I’m really not digging this whole revolving door of MVPs so far this season. Not that I think that it should be more clear cut, but that people should really stop portraying it as clear cut.

Speaking of which, what happened to Tracy McGrady? Was 22 straight wins with the Chicago Bulls (hustle players who do all the “small” things) not enough? Should there be anyone besides Kobe in this conversation? Even though he’s on a high profile team, I still think there is an East Coast bias (particularly in New York). Speaking of which, how long will it take before Zach Randolph gets in the conversations for MVP? Yes, that’s how bad I think the sway is. I thank Peter Vecsey for making me hate New York basketball. Douche.

Is it possible for a player to be overhyped and underhyped at the same time? LeBron James definitely had the highest expectations of any athlete entering professional sports EVER. Not only that, but it appears as if he’s living up to it as well. Absolutely stunning.

He’s only 23! Think about how much room he has to grow.

23!

I’m 27 now, and at 23 I was partially retarded by comparison. I think most people are. It’s weird to think that he’s only going to get exponentially better. But sometimes he just underwhelms me. Maybe my expectations of what a basketball god can accomplish is too high, but then I watch Kobe, or old Jordan games.

Is he lacking a killer instinct? Maybe he’s still too young, I hate to think what will happen when he realizes he can push daggers into people’s hearts.

Yes, this game had a stunning finish, but what to note was HOW the last shots were taken. LeBron, the ultimate one man army drove to the basket, switched hands in mid-air, dropped a pretty layup to take the lead 99-98. Only on the way back CP3 drives to the basket, draws off David West’s defender, spins around, passes the ball back to West, and he knocks down the j.

This is going to be a 10-15 year battle of wills, and will answer one of the time old questions of one player versus team player. No one single play could have better described the differences in style.

Ps. Did anyone notice that Zydrunas Ilgauskas went for 29 and 15?

Pps. I’m really sad that Dwayne Wade and Gilbert Arenas are ruined forever from surgeries.

Miami Heat vs New York Knicks.

Boy, Heat versus Knicks just doesn’t carry the same weight it used to, does it? I’m sure Alonzo Mornings calf and Jeff Van Gundy are making out somewhere for this game.

There really wasn’t anything to mention except for Tony Fiorentino saying “these young kids have injected a spark that allows the Heat to at least be competitive.” Mr. Fiorentino you get the Most Needlessly Optimistic Announcer award. Congratulations!

Even though he is kind of right. They do look like they actually “care” now, and don’t let themselves get blownout by 50 points.

By the way, I hate Ricky Davis. He’s a more reckless version of Keyon Dooling. Now that’s making a statement.

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