Crunch Time

What's good in the hood sports fans? I hope we've all been keeping up to date on the wings, blackhawks, penguins and most importantly hurricanes. I hope everyone was a "witness" to LeBron and co's 3rd (but really only 2nd) loss in the slickly named Quicken Loans Center. I hope everyone realizes the Magic are undefeated when Dwight Howard breaks the shot clock with a dunk that would have set Bill Walton's hair aflame. And lastly, but certainly not least, I hope we have all been thoroughly enjoying this southwestern-slugfest between the LA Lakers and the Denver Nuggets.
"Shit be goin good, but good can turn to better". As is the case with professional sports. Late May is a time when every franchise in the NHL and NBA still playing games needs to check themselves and ask what they can do to turn their team's season from a good one to a championship one. Predictions? The Stanley Cup Finals is headed for a rematch. But this time, especially if Malkin shows up to play, the hungry Pittsburgh Penguins will take one home. But now onto more important things. The wonderful, racially diverse game of basketball.
Let me just lay this on the line for my buddy T.M. Wiliamson at Trueball.wordpress.com (a savvy blog nonetheless), but I would take my Chauncey Billups over his beloved CP3 in a championship run anytime. It has always been my opinion that (to a certain extent) experience, maturity, and basketball wisdom wins more championships than great numbers. No, Chauncey does not average 22 and 11 or whatever CP3 does. But he was easily the single biggest addition to any team in professional sports this year, turned Melo from a good player into a top 5 player (words from Carmelo himself), and coaches the young Nuggets squad like a guy who's been to many conference finals and has a chip. And best of all, Chauncey has the balls to bounce the ball off Kobe's back in an inbound play to himself and lay it in, and it should've been an And 1. So yes, I'm expecting tons and tons of beef calling out CP3 like that, because I myself admit he is the better point guard, but sometimes experience just wins out. Another one of my main concerns with Paul is that he did not necessarily get better this year. He was more fun to watch last year and took his team to the second round of the playoffs and almost the conference finals, losing a game 7 at home to the Spurs if I recall correctly. Once again, before you all throw your computers, I admit CP3 is the best PG in the NBA right now, but Chauncey is playing phenomenal basketball in the western conference finals, something Paul has never had the opportunity to do.

Anyway, in terms of predictions, I think the Lakers will win. I am really really pulling for the Nuggets and would love to see Chauncey win a second championship, but I think these finals are primed for Kobe-Lebron. Which brings me to the east.
The Magic shocked the Cavs in game 1, coming back from a 15 point halftime deficit. Dwight Howard put the team on his gigantic watermelon shoulders and dunked it exactly when he needed to, and dished it out to the perimeter when they doubled him for Rashard or Hedo to bury their consistent 3 balls (not to mention Johnson, Pietrus and Alston, all of whom can shoot the 3 above average). But not to worry Cleveland fans. The Cavs have not had to make an adjustment these whole playoffs, and I'm confident that the coach of the year and the MVP will have a slight idea what to do about it. There is one huge problem for the Cavs though, and that problem goes by the name of Zydrunas Ilgauskus and looks exactly like the bad Russian guy in "Fargo". Big Z cannot do anything on defense against two awesomely powerful Magic Post-men, D-Howard and The Polish Hammer, GORTAT!!!! If the Cavs can somehow solve this problem, maybe get Joe Johnson to play some physical d, and try to get as much help from LBJ as possible, the Cavs' offense will be near impossible to keep up with. Keep in mind that Cleveland was easily the defensive team of the year, but also the most chemically charged offensive squad in the NBA as well.
When the finals tip off on June 4th, I'm confident game 1 will be in the Quicken Loans Arena and the opponents dressed like Ludacris's weed, Yellow wit dat Purp. I apologize for this post being very ranty and tangenty, but hey, it's a blog, not a wedding toast (Although that woulda been one hell of a wedding toast).