4 Things the Golden State Warriors MUST Do To Win Game 7 and Avoid an Epic Collapse

Kerr has probably been on the phone with Pop and Phil these past couple days.  He has to find the right mixture to get his team back to looking like the one that won 73 games.

Keep Steph Curry out of foul trouble.

Not sure how much zone defense the Warriors have played this year but it probably wouldn't hurt them to use some in Game 7.

The Cavs are putting LeBron James in pick and roll situations with whoever Curry is guarding in order to get Curry switched on to James.

Curry guarding LeBron is probably the most physical mismatch between any two players that could occur in this series.

The Warriors can't afford to have Curry on the bench and it is utmost to find a way to keep the Cavs from exploiting this matchup.

Also, Curry needs to stop reaching and play defense with his feet.  

Foul or not, the more you reach, the higher the chance of you getting the whistle blown.

Barbosa over Livingston.

Shaun Livingston was arguably the best reserve guard in the NBA this season, and brings unique versatility both offensively and defensively because of his size and length, but Leandro Barbosa needs to be the first player off Kerr's bench.

Barbosa is more similar to Curry in style of play in that he is aggressive on offense and forces the tempo.  Too many times has the Warriors offense gone on a scoring drought (11 first quarter points in Game 6) and Barbosa has proven on many occasion that he can provide that intensity.

Exploit Kyrie defensively.

Games 1 and 2 were blowouts in favor of the Dubs, and much of it had to do with Cleveland's ineptitude as a team on defense, and also the fact that Kyrie Irving is a great offensive player but also a notorious defensive liability.

If the Cavs are successful exploiting Curry's defensive ineffeciencies then why not do the same to Cleveland's weakest defender?

What's good for the goose is good for the gander.

Iguodala is good in many positions...this ain't one of 'em.

Who's gonna do the Iggy?

Andre Iguodala was the MVP of the 2015 NBA Finals, not for his greatness as a scorer, but for the job he did defensively on Lebron. 

Iggy's lower back was clearly bothering him during Game 6 and it's difficult to think that he will be able to contribute much of anything in Game 7.

Problem for Kerr is that as deep and talented the Warriors' bench is, there is no player that can replicate the physical tools and skill set that Iguodala provides.

Kerr may be forced to use Klay Thompson as the main LeBron-stopper, which could also hinder his offensive production, but it's basically pick your poison at this point. 

'Crab Legs & Crab Dribbles': NBA and NFL Coach Firing Controversy

When former Cleveland Cavaliers coach David Blatt got fired last week in lieu of his assistant coach, Tyronn Lue, both Detroit Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy and Dallas Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle made public comments on how much of a travesty it was that Blatt (who 'coached' the Cavs to the NBA Finals last year and had the best record in the Eastern Conference at the time) got the axe.

LeBron James was the immediate culprit for the sudden change in coaching, accused of coaxing upper management into getting rid of Blatt, who was hired to coach Cleveland before it knew its favorite son would be 'coming home'.  Hoops fans flooded social media with cynical banter, Vines, and GIFs; most of them are comedy, but some of them imply that the problem with today's NBA is the players are whiny and have more power than the coaches.

When something like this happens in the NFL though, why is there not the same clamour and uproar?  The Tampa Bay Buccaneers went 6-10 this year after going 2-14 the previous year.  No, a 6-win season doesn't exactly make you Vince Lombardi or anything, but when you consider a 25-percent increase in wins, which amounts to a quarter of the season, it would be hard to think that a coach would get fired after such an improvement .  But it happened in Tampa.  The Bucs promoted offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter to head coach.

Lovie got the pink slip.  No one said a single word.

The easiest speculation is that Tampa executives fawned over Koetter's ability to implement an offensive gameplan and his development of 2015 No. 1 NFL Draft pick quarterback Jameis Winston during his rookie season.  Out of fear that Koetter would accept a vacant head coaching gig elsewhere, they pulled the plug on the Lovie Smith era after only two seasons.

No NFL coach said a single word.

Maybe they understand that it's a just business.  Maybe they understand that Lovie is black, and in a league dealing with minority hiring issues, it's too touchy of a subject.  The NFL is such a conglomerate that speaking out on other organizations hiring practices might hurt you more than it would help you.

Flashback to the 2015 Eastern Conference playoffs between the Cavs and the Chicago Bulls.  Cleveland has a chance to win the game in Chicago and Blatt draws up the final play with 1.5 seconds to go.  He wants LeBron to inbound the ball.  LeBron said hell no, I'm taking the shot.  Whether or not he made the shot is irrelevant (he did, a deep two-pointer from the corner at the buzzer) when you ask simply who was Blatt originally dialing up for that final shot? J.R. Smith?  Iman Shumpert??  Matthew Dellavedova???  (Sidenote: Blatt tried calling a timeout before this sequence. The Cavs did not have any left and this would have resulted in a technical foul.  Lue jumped off the bench to physically pull Blatt away from the referee so he wouldn't see him signaling for timeout.)  The argument can be made that LeBron saved Blatt's job that day.

Blatt was hired to coach Andrew Wiggins; not LeBron.

Ultimately for Blatt, losing to the uptempo Golden State Warriors in the Finalst last summer after being up 2-1 in the series, a 30+ point blowout loss to the Warriors this January where the Cavs looked totally inept, and not being able to get Kevin Love enough touches and exploit his full offensive repertoire, the writing was on the wall.

Lue plans on pushing the ball up the court (a testament to his assistant coaching days under Doc Rivers) more and getting deeper outlets in transition.  Whether or not this new method will help in another meeting with Golden State remains to be seen but it's evident the Cavs don't think their 'ground-and-pound' strategy will work anymore.

Regardless, both Blatt and Smith were indirectly effected by the team's personnel and the person that replaced them was deemed as a better fit for that personnel.

Business as usual.

There's things wrong with the NBA like players coming out of college too early and the intentional fouling rule.

But just like the NFL it's a business and coaches can get dropped just as fast as players do.  Saying that there's something wrong with today's NBA from this standpoint and ignoring what happens in today's NFL is unfair.

NBA Breakdown: 'The LeBron Rules'

Kerr has masterminded a gamplan, but will it work?

Heard a lot of, "We just have to stick with the gameplan" coming from the Golden State Warriors players after their 108-100 Game 1 win in the NBA Finals over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday. Head coach Steve Kerr when asked about the team's plan on defending LeBron James, who dropped a Finals-career-high 44 points, he said, "If I tell you, will you promise not to share it with anybody?" It all seemed obvious what the Warriors gameplan really was by that point. Clearly, they are content with allowing James as many isolation situations as he would like, and will rotate multiple defenders on him to give him different looks, but they WILL NOT double or trap him and allow him to be effective as a play maker. This is ultimately the gameplan or 'rule' that Kerr has devised to contain the 'Chosen One'.

How do you stop LBJ? Don't let him PASS.

44 points from LBJ combined with only six assists is a formula that the Warriors look willing to "stick with". Who ever would think that this is the best way to defend LeBron? Kerr, who was not yet a teammate of Michael Jordan when the Chicago Bulls were battling the 'Bad Boys' Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference playoffs in the late 80s (ironically, he was on the Cavs) was a witness to a successful method of stopping an elite scorer. The method was originally to stop Jordan at all costs and physically wear him down.  The opposite scheme worked in Game 1 for Kerr and the Warriors against LeBron, although Kyrie Irving (23 points) had a solid game, J.R. Smith (3-13 FG, 9 points) was virtually ineffective. But on the downside, LeBron did have the ball in his hands on the final possession of regualtion with a chance to win the game. If he makes that shot, hard to say if the Warriors would be willing to continue with that strategy after losing Game 1 at home.

MJ took a beating vs. the Pistons but eventually broke through

There's gonna be adjustments made, and James, normally a model for effeciency, won't normally take 38 shots to get to 44 points. He's probably gonna try his best to get other guys in a rhythm earlier in the game so that when the 4th quarter rolls around, everyone won't be standing and watching just waiting and expecting for him to make a play all by himself. If there's any indication from the Warriors comments following Game 1 however, the 'LeBron Rules' will be in effect for the duration of the series. Klay Thompson summed it up best by saying, "He's gonna have to beat us four times playing like that. Hopefully he wears down."

'8 New And Exciting Things To Watch For In The 2012-13 NBA Season'

-LeBron James as a defending champ.
Is it finally no discussion of calling James 'King' anymore? Critics will say that one ring doesn't a king make, and probably not two either, but this will be the first season where 'Bron can call himself the reigning NBA Finals MVP and world champion. As if he didn't already have a target on his back. If LeBron leads the Miami Heat through the gauntlet similar to what he did last year, it will certainly solidify his standing among NBA royalty.

How many more jewels will the King add to his collection?

-Lakers form latest 'Big 3'.
Ask the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat if adding two big name players in an off season doesn't add up to big time results. Dwight Howard and Steve Nash joining Kobe Bryant is the latest trio and may be the most devastating ever formed when you combine career accomplishments. It's not like they'll be trying for 5,6,7 chips as the Heat prophesied, as Nash and Bryant are in the twilight of their careers. One championship would mean a lot for all three players, with Nash and Howard earning their first in their careers, and Bryant donning his sixth, tying him all-time in rings with one Michael Jeffrey Jordan.

This group, when playing as a unit, will be the toughest out in 2013.

-Revamped Celtics squad.
The Boston Celtics threesome of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen produced two NBA finals appearances, one championship, and two notorious up 3-2 games series collapses. As a Celtics fan, it's hard not to feel cheated that this group didn't win multiple titles together, and the eldest of the three -- 37-year old Allen -- would leave the Northeast for the arch rival in South Beach. Despite that, there's still a quiet buzz of anticipation going on in Boston right now. On paper, this year's Celtics squad looks younger, deeper, taller, and more athletic than last year's team. The core of the team -- Pierce, Garnett, and Rajon Rondo -- already has championship pedigree, and a bitter taste in their mouths from allowing Pierce's Game 5 Conference Finals heroics to be inducted into the forgotten-clutch-playoff-game-winner-hall-of-fame. The return of guard Avery Bradley and forward Jeff Green, combined with the signings of guards Courtney Lee and Jason Terry, will help pull weight for whatever drop off you might have lost with Allen's departure.  Rookies Fab Melo and Jared Sullinger add depth to a small frontcourt.

Rondo will need this many rocks to dish to all the talent on the C's roster this year.

-OKC Young Gunners minus Harden.
It almost feels like the Thunder gave up on this year when it was announced that badman-beard James Harden was on his way to the Houston Rockets via trade. OKC was in the Finals last year, and yeah they got dominated by the Heat, but it was alot of James Harden's heroics against the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals that got them there.  The daggers, energy and excitement that Harden provided, can that be replaced by adding Kevin Martin (who in his defense has been a consistent offensive threat since the 2006-07 season, averaging right around 20 ppg) and UConn rookie guard/forward Jeremy Lamb?

The OKC gang will be firing with an extra chip on their shoulders.

-Flopping Rule.
In soccer, you get yellow carded for 'taking a dive' and certain accumulation of yellow cards leads to disqualification. The NBA will be similar to this format starting this year. The point being, just as we see in soccer, being penalized for 'flopping' won't actually stop players from doing it completely (see Chris Paul and Manu Ginobili) but at least now the consequences are more severe.

Really, Chris Paul?...really?

-Take a Brow.
The boy Anthony Davis has in the past year won a Gold medal in the Olympics, won a National Championship at Kentucky, won the Naismith and Wooden POTY awards, and was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft. You gotta give this long, lanky, athletic freak from Chicago his props as no stage seems to big for him. A 6-9 former point guard that can block shots, grab boards, start fast breaks, and has a decent jumpshot? It's only a matter of time until Davis connects that success he's been having into NBA stardom.



Davis' unique skill set will catapult him to NBA stardom in due time.

-Where Brooklyn at?
Deron Williams knows that when it comes to a franchise that is building up high expectations, in the midst of one of the biggest media markets in the world, Brooklyn is on top, and there is no competition. The Nets didn't land Dwight Howard this off season, but BK will be the new perennial hot bed location for off season free-agent player interest. They put up big money to grab scoring guard Joe Johnson from Atlanta, and re-up'd on budding big man Brook Lopez's rookie contract. Add in the Williams extension and swingman Gerald Wallace, and you can clearly see that sky's the limit for Brooklyn in the Eastern Conference.

New look Nets are coming of age in Brooklyn.

-Do it again.
Show and prove time for Jeremy Lin.  Everyone wants to know if it was just a fluke you had, or are you really an elite point guard in this league?



The make or break time for Lin is now.

'Countdown To No More Mike Brown?'

Dwight Howard.  Steve Nash.  Metta World Peace.  And Kobe Bryant.

Coach Mike is either the next Coach Spo or the next Del Harris.

Those are some pretty big egos right there.  Not so much Nash, as he pretty much keeps the same demeanor at all times but those other three guys . . . wow, talk about psycho-emotional roller coasters.  That being said, is current Los Angeles Lakers head coach Mike Brown really fit to coach this team?  I must admit that the most recent NBA Championship winning coach, Erik Spoelstra, did prove me wrong as I predicted that he wouldn't last as head coach dealing with the superstars that are the Miami Heat Big Three.  But by comparison, this Lakers collection of headcases seems like a group that not even an acclaimed psychiatrist could fully breakdown.  Unless, of course, he was a master. . . Zen Master possibly?  Let the speculation of Phil Jackson's imminent return to professional basketball begin.  First off, no one really knows if Phil wants to come back to basketball since he really doesn't have anything left to prove in his career.  Furthermore, he's already done the Lakers thing twice.  I would've suspected that if he were up to a new challenge that the recent New York Knicks opening would intrigue him since Jackson spent most of his NBA playing career as Knickerbocker and was part of the 1973 team, which was the last time a Finals championship banner was raised in the Mecca of basketball.  But Jackson turned down the position and remained retired.  But come to think of it, Phil's thing hasn't really been about accepting a 'challenge', it's really more about taking the best collection of talent on the planet and putting them over the top.  When you look at it that way, then a third stint in L.A. for Jackson seems exactly what the universe would prescribe . . . dharma if you will.  But as it stands, Brown is the coach of this team.  The only things stopping Mike Brown from earning (coasting to) his first ring is possibly being out dueled again by Scott Brooks and the OKC Thunder gang, and his good ole pal LeBron James, who helped another low-profile, defensive-minded coach earn (coast to) a ring last year.  And, the order of the universe of course.

ORLANDO.

'8 Things To Be Happy About Now That The 2011-12 NBA Season Is Over'

8.  Metta World Peace

Metta World Peace is cooler to use as a VERB than it is as a NOUN. 

7.  Greg Stiemsma

The CELTICS have two future HOFers to build around in Rajon Rondo and Greg Stiemsma a.k.a. 'The Next Bill Russell'.

6.  Mark Jackson

By this time next year, Mark Jackson will be back where he belongs . . . calling games for ESPN. 

5.  Stan Van Gundy

Stan Van Gundy went out in ORLANDO the way everyone expected him to. . . as AWKWARDLY as he possibly could.

4.  Charlotte Bobcats

You're better at YOUR JOB than Michael Jordan is at his.

3.  Kyrie Irving

One year closer to Kyrie Irving deciding to take his TALENTS to somewhere other than CLEVELAND.

2.  Jeremy Lin

Any Asian, at any level, that's good at ball, from now on, will be given the nickname JEREMY LIN.

1.  NBA Finals

Atleast LEBRON JAMES didn't do the EYEBALL THING in the Finals EVERY SINGLE TIME he scored a key basket.

'No Ring . . . No Love?'

LeBron still searching for that first ring.

Hate is a strong word . . . unless of course, you're talking about LeBron James.  Many basketball fans use that term loosely when referring to him, and there are legitimate reasons as to why James, once one of the most beloved players in the NBA, has gradually turned into the league's top villain.  His biggest and most flagrant PR mistake: the sanctimonious departure from his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers in order to join forces with superstars Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in South Beach.  The knock ever since is that James will never be as great as his idol, Michael Jordan, because of his inability/unwillingness to close in crunch time and carry a team to an NBA title. 
Last year, James' contribution in the Finals was considered marginal at best for a player of his caliber, and much of the blame for the Miami Heat failure to finish once again fell on his shoulders.  But in this 2012 postseason, James has been the clear-cut catalyst for the Heat, who are two wins away from a championship for the second year in a row.  LeBron put in two career performances in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics in Game 6 and 7 when facing elimination that for most players would be career defining.  Even in the Finals against the ever-so-likeable Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder, James has carried MIA on both ends of the floor and has not disappeared in crunch time, and the Heat hold a 2-1 series lead. 
But for most LeBron critics, it all won't mean a thing unless he gets two more wins.  It's probably unfair the amount of pressure put on James to win a ring --pressure from the media and pressure he put on himself -- because the longer it takes to get that ring, the greater a burden it becomes on a player who is not yet 30 years old and is a 3-time league MVP.  And then there is the possibility that he won't get love until he wins more than one championship (since LeBron was the one that promised Heat fans multiple championships).  Nowhere in sports history has a player needed to win more than one title to validate an already Hall of Fame career . . . but of course, we are talking about LeBron James.

8 Things To Watch For Now That The NBA Lockout Is Over

1 - Will LeBron, Wade, Bosh, make the Finals again?

The Heatles have one year under their belt together and should put together a sound round through the Eastern conference on the way to the Finals.  Atleast that is what the talent of the roster indicates.  Pressure is on LeBron James again to see what he can do down the stretch.  I'm not sure his career/legacy can take another 4th quarter late playoff meltdown/disappearance.

2 - Chris Paul, Dwight Howard on the move?

King James can't afford another 4th quarter playoff letdown.

This was originally fifth on my list of things to watch for before the events of this past week transpired, with Paul almost becoming a Los Angeles Laker and Howard seemingly on the cusp of becoming a New Jersey Net.  It's going to be interesting to see now how the league handles CP3 and the league-run New Orleans Hornets.  Paul may have to just become a free-agent as it will be difficult for teams to propose a trade for him without other league owners having a problem with it and urging commissioner David Stern to step in once again.

3 - Can Kobe be a good teammate without Phil Jackson as coach?

Mike Brown is the old coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers and the new coach of the L.A. Lakers.  So this means he is going from coaching LeBron to coaching Kobe Bryant.  If Brown couldn't really check Bron's ego, what the hell is he gonna do when Kobe starts throwing up 30 shots a game?  It will be something to watch to see how coach Mike handles that yearly slide that the Lakers always go through, when they're losing to teams they shouldn't lose to and people act like the world is coming to an end.

4 - What rookie will take the NBA by storm?

It's happened for a good four straight years now where a rookie has hit the scene and looked like a future dominating presence in the NBA (see John Wall, Derrick Rose, Blake Griffin, and Kevin Durant).  It's been a while since we've seen these guys because of the lockout but write me down for Minnesota Timberwolves forward Derrick Williams and Sacramento Kings guard Jimmer Fredette as the top two rooks to have big impacts.

This might be the last chance for the 'Big 3' to get that second ring.

5 - Boston Celtics 'Big 3' final run?

When Boston Celtics general manager Danny Ainge put together the team that would eventually win the 2007-08 NBA Championship in its first year together, most basketball fans found it likely that this team probably could win a minimum of two rings barring any major injuries.  But of course, sports are sports and injuries do happen.  Kevin Garnett went down with a knee injury the following year and really gave the C's no chance of repeating.  The 2009-10 squad made it back to the Finals, only to squander a 3-2 series lead at the hand of the rival Lakers.  Last year, most Celtics fans would blame Ainge for the team not making the Finals, as long time center Kendrick Perkins was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder late in the season, effectively destroying the team chemistry and morale.  But Boston still has K.G. (age 35) along with Paul Pierce (34) and Ray Allen (36), but the window of oppurtunity for that second 'chip keeps getting smaller.

Dirk is the reigning NBA 'baddest man in the clutch'.

6 - Can Dirk establish himself as one of the greatest players of all time?

Dirk Nowitzki led the Dallas Mavericks to the franchise's first championship ever last year while running through the Western Confrence and the likes of Kevin Durant and Kobe Bryant and stunning the star-studded Miami Heat in the Finals.  This was no doubt one of the best individual playoff runs in NBA history, as the Mavs were not anyone's favorite to win the title before Dirk began his unconscious tear.  Can Nowitzki repeat this type of playoff performance in 2012, with the target of 'baddest man in the clutch' squarely on his back?

7 - Short season to benefit veteran teams or young teams?

You would think that this short season would help the veteran teams because logically they already have chemistry playing together, but I'm not so sure.  Sometimes it takes the older guys some time to get things rolling, it's only 16 less games, yeah, but those games definitely could effect where teams are seeded when playoff time comes.

8 - Blake Griffin?

What do I really have to say here?  It's Blake Griffin folks!

Look out below!!!

'Can't Take The Heat'

Wade has seen better days in South Beach.

The regular season in the NBA doesn't mean anything.  The schedule is for 82 games and we can't judge a team in April by what they did in November.  Plus, good teams lose to the Memphis Grizzlies and the Charlotte Bobcats all the time; not because those teams are better or have better players, but because good teams can't get up to play those games on the second night of a back-to-back on a roadtrip.  And when two good teams collide in the regular season, whoever wins doesn't matter either, 'cause like Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson said "Is is the playoffs yet?"  The only thing that the team's overall record means is where they will be seeded in the playoffs and whether or not they will have home court advantage; it has nothing to do with their chances of reaching or winning the Finals . . . In my opinion, NONE OF THESE EXCUSES APPLY TO THE 2010-2011 MIAMI HEAT!!!!!  After blowing a 24 point second half lead at home to the Orlando Magic last night, and squandering leads of 15 and 11 to the New York Knicks and Chicago Bulls respectivley in the past week and a half, it is clear to me that this team does not have what it takes to make a significant playoff run this year.
This was supposed to be the newest, biggest, and best "BIG 3" of any collection of three players to attain that moniker in the entire history of the NBA!  LeBron James coming off an MVP season, Dwyane Wade coming off an MVP calibur season, and Chris Bosh, a 20-10 guy that can drop 40 on any given night, joining forces to form the most powerful group of heroism since the Justice League.  The "Heatles" were supposed to sweep across the universe to the tune of 72+ wins, according to ESPN analyst Jeff Van Gundy, eclipsing the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls for the single season wins record.  They won't sniff 70 wins this year and frankly, there's been some hard day's nights for the Heat lately, especially when it comes to playing good teams and closing out games.  Allow me to throw out everything that happened before Christmas Day 2010, since those guys with big egos were still in the 'feeling out' process with each other's games.  On that Christmas, the Heat blewout the defending champion Lakers in L.A. 96-80, and had everyone thinking that they had turned the corner.  Since that win, Miami has two wins over a top 10 NBA team (at Oklahoma City Thunder Jan. 30 and at Orlando Feb. 3).  On the other hand, they have lost to the Denver Nuggets (when they still had Carmelo Anthony), the Bulls (twice), Boston, and then this recent slide when they have had double-digit leads and still were not able to close out.  The toughest question to answer is "what is going wrong with them?" since it seems that there are multiple responses to that singular question.  You wouldn't think a team with that much star power would have so many holes.  Let me atleast scratch the surface.

Still looking for answers.

1.  They don't run anything on offense.
The next time you watch the Boston Celtics, see how they set up their offense when they are in the half court.  Rajon Rondo gets the ball at the point and will throw up some type of hand signal to key the beginning of a play.  Players will set screens for Ray Allen to run through, big men make back picks, the ball moves from one side of the floor to the other, and no one cares who shoots the ball; as long as they get a layup or a good open look.  This doesn't happen with Miami.  They are at their best in transition; converting on the break when other teams miss a basket or turn the ball over by using their athleticism to get down the floor.  They get ball movement sometimes off isolation but that mainly happens when James and Wade are hitting (see last night's game, first half).  When 'Bron and D-Wade are off, the offense is stagnant, and that lag leaks into the team's defensive intensity as well (see last night's game, second half).

2.  The team's best defender, rebounder, and shot blocker, is LeBron.
James is a physical beast that prides himself in doing it all and excelling at it all but his bread and butter is on the offensive end.  He can lockdown on D, and chip in rebounding the ball, but he cannot be the biggest presence in the paint on defense.  If LeBron has to be in the low block so often to help stop penetration, it takes away from his capability to leak out and start transition offense.

3.  No one outside of the 'Big 3' is reliable.

No role player is stepping up in big games.

If Wade, Bosh, and James each score 25 points, my math tells me that's only 75 points.  Those are good games individually, but clearly not enough collectively to win against elite teams without some help from someone else.  James Jones and Mike Miller get plenty of open looks when the big guys are rolling, but they don't create shots for themselves or teammates and they are defensive liabilities.  Erick Dampier, Joel Anthony, and Zydrunaus Ilgauskas are average rebounders and defenders at best and are totally inept offensively, so forget about creating offense by feeding the post like the Celtics, Magic, Lakers, Bulls, and San Antonio Spurs can do.

4.  Who takes the last shot?
When you look at it honestly, newly acquired veteran guard Mike Bibby is the clutchest player on this roster.  Every once in a while, one of LeBron's fadeaway 35-footers to tie or win a game actually goes in, but the next leap year isn't until 2012, so I guess we will have to wait until then to see that again.  Wade is a proven finisher, but when James is on the court, I think he is almost expecting to not get the ball, and it steals his swagger a little bit.  Bosh would be an option if he actually played in the post, but he's just a jump shooter and you would rather have James or Wade doing that.

5.  The wrong guy is coaching this team.
History shows that a team with this many egos requires a coach with an above average to equal ego of the top players or they will pretty much coach themselves.  Erik Spoelstra is just another guy.  Pat Riley has stated that he doesn't want to coach anymore but he might be exactly what this team needs.  The last time he took over the Heat, when they had just acquired Shaquille O'Neal from the Lakers, Miami went on to win the championship.  Don't know why Riley is holding out but I think that he could probably coach this team in his sleep.  No way are they blowing fourth quarter leads and taking wild shots with someone heading that team to steer them right when things are going wrong.

Listen, I'm not trying to bash the Heat, because I think eventually they will work out the kinks.  I just think that the time to figure out all these problems have run out for this year.  Maybe they can miraculously turn things around these last games and in the playoffs but I doubt it.  They have the Spurs tonight in San Antonio, before the Bulls, Lakers, and the Spurs again next week at home.  We'll see really soon whether or not they can prove me wrong.

Throwbackz: LeBron vs. Melo

Magic vs. Bird 2.2

They were supposed to be the Bird and Magic of our era but it hasn't been that way.  LeBron brought one Cleveland Cavaliers team to the Finals and Melo never did with the Denver Nuggets in the first seven years of their respective careers.  Larry's Celtics and Earvin's Lakers met twice in the Finals in the first seven years of their careers, and for a third time in 1987.  Its an unfair comparison, I know, because those 80s Boston and L.A. teams were stacked with hall-of-famers and legendary role players (if being a "role player" can be considered legendary) up and down the rosters.  For James and Anthony, they really haven't played with any HOFers (unless you want to count Melo playing with an aging-but-still-good-for-20-points/shot attempts-a-night Allen Iverson or LeBron with the "Big Fossil" Shaquille O'Neal) to make their matchups significant, entertaining, or even a little bit memorable.  But all of that changes on Sunday when the New York Knicks and the Miami Heat play for the first time since the Melo trade and the Decision have made New York and Miami relevent in the Eastern Conference again.  Melo has been the buzz of the NBA for a good three months now with all the speculation of him being traded by the Denver Nuggets before the trade deadline.  Before that, it was all LeBron and the Miami Heat anybody wanted to talk about.  Both players are extremely popular and if you were a GM wouldn't mind building a team around either guy.  However the one glaring difference between these two guys is the image that NBA fans have of them.  Melo is still loved just about everywhere while LeBron is feeling the full effects of the villain treatment, booed basically everytime he touches the ball at opposing arenas.  If I said I saw this coming years ago you wouldn't believe me, but let me take you back to the high school days to illustrate the difference in personalities.  A friend of mine attended the famed first ever matchup between LeBron and Melo back in 2002 and gave me a little insight.  In case you weren't aware, that year 'Bron was rated the number one junior in the country at St. Vincent-St. Mary in Akron, OH and Carmelo was rated the top senior playing for powerhouse Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, VA).  If you haven't seen the highlights, then you're probably not really a basketball fan.   If you have seen them, then you know they never get old.

Oak Hill won 72-66, and they should have because they had alot more talent than the S.V.-S.M. team that LeBron carried.  Melo dropped a cool 34 and had 11 boards.  James had an ill stat line: 36 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and six steals.  The numbers predicted how versatile a player LeBron would become on the court in the NBA but something before the game occurred that the cameras didn't catch that may be telling of how LeBron is perceived off of the court.  My friend attended the game and told me it didn't feel like a high school game; the game was played at Soverign Bank Arena in Trenton, NJ which seats 8,500, and arguabally the two best players in the NBA at that time, Shaq and A.I. (kinda funny right?), were in attendance.  But it is what my friend told me about what took place before the game that stands out for me the most.  He told me that before the game Melo was signing autographs and taking pictures with kids and that LeBron declined to do any of that.  LeBron as a junior in high school, 16 years old, and its too much for him to sign an autograph?  This could mean one of two things:  (a) He was so focused and committed to the upcoming game that he didn't want any distractions or (b) he is and has been very full of himself and his personal celebrity.  He's a great player no doubt, probably the most physically gifted human to ever touch a basketball.  But I guess he's just never been able to tone down the ego a few notches.  If that's what makes him go than he should keep doing it, because either way, LeBron being loved or a villain, its good for the NBA.  He says he doesn't mind getting booed, but if he does, then I bet he really regrets not taking those pictures and signing autographs for those kids because LeBron knows what karma is . . . As far as Melo goes, his positive karma brought him a National Championship in one year at Syracuse and now a big contract with the Knicks, and a reality show to boot for himself and his wife LaLa.  Melo definitely brings the swagger to New York that the Knicks have been missing since John Starks played for them.  The Knicks and the Heat were rivals at one point too with some classic playoff battles, and the unforgettable fight that ended with Jeff Van Gundy wrapped around Alonzo Mourning's leg! 

Might not see any of that but the court will be filled with very good talent from Dwyane Wade, Amar'e Stoudemire, Chris Bosh, and Chauncey Billups as well as LeBron and Carmelo. 

WeekleeInsperayshunFrumThaWurldUvSportz

The best of times and the worst of times.

 To be wronged is nothing unless you continue to remember it.  ~Confucius

The first time that LeBron James returned to Cleveland as a Miami Heat, the Cavaliers fans were more concerned with booing LeBron than cheering for their own team.  I think this was deflating for the players that are on the current roster, because people were more concerned about what they had lost rather than moving on an being excited for the future.  Now that the fans have witnessed their team lose an NBA record 26 straight games, are they still bitching that James decided to leave, or are they thinking about whether or not freshmen forward/center Jared Sullinger will leave Ohio State after a year and declare for the NBA Draft.  If I were a Cleveland fan, I would do the latter, because it makes no sense to dwell on the past now. 
LeBron is truly a great player, and by losing him with out getting anything on the roster to atleast balance the level of talent lost, maybe this epic collapse was inevitable.  However, I would be interested to see how the Cavs would be playing if they took this Confucian advice.